5

"Here, onii-chan! These are for you!"

Tanjiro presented his present to his big brother, his younger siblings beside him. The job of his younger siblings is to eagerly stare at their big brother with their big watery eyes that he has very little resistance to, persuading him to accept the gift that they made for him.

"You… How…"

Tanjiro let out a big smile. It was a little difficult, but they managed to make a perfect replica of their family's heirloom, the hanafuda earrings. With that, now their big brother has no excuse to not wear it.

Tanjiro pointed to the replica of the earrings hanging from his ears. The pair that had been passed down in their family for generations is the pair they are trying to get their big brother to wear. Like this, he's technically not going against their big brother's instructions while getting their big brother to wear the family heirloom that is rightfully his to succeed.

"I'm wearing it too like you said, see? So you should wear it too!"

"Yeah, wear it too Haruto onii-chan!" Hanako encouraged, eagerness clear in her eyes. Her words were quickly backed up by the rest of their siblings.

Their big brother merely let out an exasperated sigh, but there's no mistaking the faint smile on his face.

"Alright."

Their older brother carefully wore the hanafuda earrings on his ears, causing them all to break out into smiles.

"There. Does it look good on me?"

"Of course!" Shigeru exclaimed. "It looks like it's supposed to be there all along!"

Their older brother hummed a wordless reply and ruffled their hair.

"I'll be off now. Take care of Mum and each other while I'm gone."

"Okay! We will all learn the Dance of the Fire God in the meantime!"

"It's fine if you guys want to learn for the sake of tradition, but if any of you other than Tanjiro is learning the dance to slay demons…" Their big brother left the unsaid warning in the air, daring them to continue.

"Why not?!" Takeo exclaimed. "We are all Kamados like you too! And more than that, we all want to avenge father and kill Muzan!"

"I became a Demon Slayer so that none of you needs to be one." Their big brother emphasised, his tone strict and furious. "Obviously, I had failed, seeing as how I cannot stop Tanjiro from trying to master it for the sole purpose of slaying demons."

Haruto's glare briefly turned to Tanjiro for a second, causing Tanjiro to gulp nervously.

"But I will be damned if any more of us becomes a part of the Corps. To be a Demon Slayer is to pledge your whole life to slay demons and nothing else, to accept the fact that you are never going to live past twenty, and that is a life I don't want to see any of you living. I am doing this precisely because I do not want to see any of you following in my footsteps."

"Onii-"

"This matter is closed. I'm off." Haruto spoke in a harsh tone that hinted at them that there is no more room for discussion in this matter before turning and walking away, leaving them to watch his departing back.

"Don't hate onii-chan for it." Tanjiro turned back to his siblings with a forced smile. "Onii-chan, he… he's just worried about us. I guess father's death had hit him really hard, I can still smell the strong sense of guilt and self-loathing coming from him even after so long."

"We know." Hanako replied, her face downcast. "But we just… want to help. Even Kanao-chan is learning how to be a proper Demon Slayer, right? And she's not any much older than me."

"Onii-chan did say that he doesn't want us to learn the Dance of the Fire God for the purpose of slaying demons, but he never said anything about us not being able to learn it at all…" Nezuko trailed off, and their eyes all widened in realisation at the loophole that they can exploit.

"That's it! Come on, Tanjiro-nii! Teach us!" Takeo pulled Tanjiro along as he began to drag him to the training field that the Demon Slayers would use to hone their skills in their free time. The six of them began to make their way to the training field, excited at the thought of being able to finally learn about their family tradition.

This time, their eldest brother will not need to dance alone. This time, they will dance with him from sunset to sunrise.

"How did you find our location?"

"I admit that your Blood Demon Arts is good, it actually took me months to track down your location. But while your Blood Demon Arts may fool my sense of sight, it cannot fool my sense of smell." The Demon Slayer said in a calm and unhurried voice, as if he hadn't just casually walked through the illusion he had painstakingly set up to mask the location of their clinic.

Sense of smell? How could anyone break through his illusion through smell alone?!

Yushiro doesn't have time to think. He immediately put himself in front of Lady Tamayo and took out his paper talisman, ready to sacrifice himself if need be. He can feel it, that this Demon Slayer is absurdly powerful. Just by being in his presence is making him tremble in fear but he will not falter. He will protect Lady Tamayo.

"Wait, Yushiro. I have something to ask this man."

Tamayo used a finger to tap on Yushiro's shoulder from behind, making him pause. Tamayo took another careful look at the Demon Slayer in front of them and Yushiro saw how her eyes were glued to the hanafuda earrings the Demon Slayer is wearing.

"Those earrings, how and where did you get them?"

"This?" The Demon Slayer idly raised a hand to touch one of the earrings upon Tamayo's mention of it. "It's a family heirloom passed down through the generations. You know about it?"

"The Demon Slayer who saved me from Muzan once wore the exact same earrings." Tamayo replied in that usual calm and composed manner. Yushiro saw how the Demon Slayer's eyebrows went a little higher upon hearing Lady Tamayo's words.

"I'll just ask you a single question, and don't bother lying because I will be able to tell through your breathing. What is Muzan to you?"

"My sworn enemy." Tamayo replied with a tone laced with silent fury, one that only Yushiro is able to pick up on because he had been with her for so long.

The Demon Slayer remained silent for a short moment upon hearing Tamayo's answer. Finally, he spoke up.

"I guess we have a lot to talk about, Ms…"

"Tamayo. Call me Tamayo. This is Yushiro. You are?"

"Haruto. Kamado Haruto."

"I see, so that's how you met the original user of the Breath of the Sun."

"That was why I was so surprised when I saw you walking in with those exact same earrings. I had no idea he passed on his Breath Style down to someone." Tamayo admitted while sipping on some tea. "But back to the topic at hand. Yes, I could probably make some headway in researching ways to convert demons back to humans and also to create something that might kill Muzan. However, I currently do not have the things needed to embark on such an endeavour."

"And what might that be?"

"I need the blood of strong demons, and by that, I mean blood from demons of the Twelve Demon Moons, because only such demons would have a large concentration of Muzan's blood flowing within them. If you can get me enough blood samples, I could probably make some headway in researching a method that can take Muzan down once and for all."

"Consider it done." Haruto replied without a shred of hesitation. "I am a Hashira, slaying demons is my duty in the first place. Although, I will have to report to Oyakata-sama about such an important arrangement being made. Do not worry, I will talk to him in private and I will not leak about your existence to the other Slayers without Oyakata-sama's explicit permission or yours but personally, I am inclined to believe that he will be very happy to be able to work alongside you. Any enemy of Muzan is a friend of ours."

"You would believe a demon like me?" Tamayo cannot help but ask in curiosity.

"I cannot smell a hint of deceit from you nor do I hear any discrepancies in your breathing that might suggest that you are lying." Haruto replied in that same calm and emotionless manner. "Besides, is it really a good thing for a demon like you to so readily place your trust in a Demon Slayer like me?"

Tamayo let out a soft laugh at Haruto's words.

"You have a point." She conceded. "Very well, we will keep in contact. I hope to hear good news from you and the Demon Slayer Corps soon."

"A remedy to turn demons back into humans…" Ubuyashiki Kagaya paced about in thought, obviously excited at the news his Fire Hashira had just brought back.

"I believe this venture is worth a shot, Oyakata-sama. Like I said, I do not sense a single hint of deceit from her during our conversation, and what she told me about the confrontation between Muzan and Tsugikuni Yoriichi from long ago are vital information that we sorely need to bring Muzan down."

"Seven hearts and five brains." Ubuyashiki nodded with a concerned frown on his face. "That means that to kill him, we need to aim for all twelve spots simultaneously, but considering how powerful Muzan is, that might be impossible even if we mobilise all of our Hashiras to fight him, so the only way left…"

"Is to fight him until sunrise." Ubuyashiki remained silent as Haruto completed his sentence in that usual calm voice. "My Dance of the Fire God was precisely designed to do just that, to dance from sunset to sunrise. The Dance of the Fire God has Twelve forms in total. Muzan has seven hearts and five brains, also totalling to twelve targets to destroy in total. The earrings and the purpose of the Dance of the Fire God that had been passed down within my family for generations, I do not believe that was a mere coincidence. My family must have met Tsugikuni Yoriichi at some point. No matter how I thought about it, the Dance of the Fire God must have been taught to my ancestors by Tsugikuni himself."

"Which also means that the Dance of the Fire God is in actuality, the Breath of the Sun." Ubuyashiki agreed. "But Haruto, did your father ever mention anything about this?"

"Unfortunately, no. He never told me the origins about the Dance of the Fire God or the hanafuda earrings, only that it is a tradition passed down through our family from father to son for generations." Haruto replied respectfully. "Now that Tamayo had told us about what she knew about Tsugikuni Yoriichi and Muzan, I believe that the reason Tsugikuni designed the Dance of the Fire God the way he did was because he believed that killing Muzan through the conventional method is simply not possible. The only thing that could ever kill Muzan is the sun itself."

"And that's why the Dance of the Fire God requires the user to dance all twelve forms repeatedly from sunset until sunrise. It is to stall for time until the sun comes out." Ubuyashiki nodded in agreement. "So now we have a concrete answer regarding how to destroy Muzan's immortality. The only way to kill him in a fight is to last long enough to see the next sunrise."

Ubuyashiki then turned back to face Haruto.

"Haruto, I know this may sound disrespectful because the Dance of the Fire God is your family's tradition and heirloom, but in light of what we had just found out, I believe that we need more users of the Breath of the Sun within the Corps. Is it possible for you to take on a Tsuguko and pass down what you know? Tanjiro did mention wanting to become a Demon Slayer, did he not?"

"With all due respect, Oyakata-sama, I originally became a Demon Slayer because I do not want any of my siblings to become one." Haruto replied, and Ubuyashiki could clearly see how Haruto's calm facade was obviously on the verge of breaking. Haruto took a deep breath to recollect himself before letting out a sigh.

"But at the same time, I cannot dictate what they should and should not do with their lives. Only they have the right to decide the path that they want to walk on, just like how my father allowed me to make my choice when I decided to become a Demon Slayer. I will ask Tanjiro if he is truly serious in wanting to be a Demon Slayer and if so, I will take him in as my Tsuguko."

"Thank you, Haruto." Ubuyashiki thanked from the bottom of his heart. "That is already a lot more than I could ask for."

"About the arrangement with Tamayo…"

"I trust you, Haruto, and given the possible ramifications it may have if Tamayo really did succeed in creating a remedy, there is no reason for me to say no. I will hold another Hashira meeting to discuss this issue the moment all the Hashiras are back, we will decide on a more concrete course of action then. Also, you might not have heard this yet because you had just returned, but Kyojuro became the new Flame Hashira while you were away."

Haruto had a brief look of surprise on his face for a short second, but quickly recovered himself and gave another bow in acknowledgement. Even then, Ubuyashiki knows that Haruto is secretly happy for his friend's accomplishment.

"Understood, Oyakata-sama."

"Ah, Haruto, my friend! You are finally back!"

Kyojuro smiled as his best friend walked up to him with a very faint smile. Finally! He finally caught up to him!

"Congratulations, Kyojuro." Haruto congratulated Kyojuro the moment they were side by side. "Sorry that I wasn't able to be there with you when you officially received the title."

"The Fire and Flame Hashiras! The fiery duo of the Corps! We are going to set the demons ablaze, that's what!" Kyojuro exclaimed in that usual upbeat manner of his, something that he knows never fails to get his friend into a good mood.

"That we are."

"Say, Haruto, I didn't know you were taking your siblings in as your Tsugukos! Nezuko is very talented too!"

Haruo blinked his eyes at him in confusion.

"I never told them anything about me taking them on as my Tsukugos, yet. I mean, I might be planning to take Tanjiro as one, but that is something that I only just agreed to during my meeting with Oyakata-sama just now. Nobody else should know about this yet."

"Really? Then why have they been practicing your Breath of Fire in the months that you were away?"

Haruto stopped in his tracks and blinked his eyes in confusion again. A frown worked its way up on his face until Haruto suddenly sported a look of realisation.

"Those brats, they couldn't have…"

Kyojuro watched in confusion as Haruto suddenly walked briskly in the direction where his family are currently staying within the Corps HQ. Did he just say something that he is not supposed to say?

"You guys have some explaining to do."

"W-We just want to dance alongside you…"

"Lies. I can smell it from here, every single one of you. Be truthful before I blow my top."

The six of them looked away guiltily.

"You guys had Tanjiro teach you the Dance of the Fire God in order to become a Demon Slayer, am I right?" Haruto said in a stern voice, causing all six of them to flinch upon seeing how their eldest brother had hit the mark so accurately.

"Didn't I tell you before I left? It's fine if you guys want to learn the dance for the sake of tradition, but if you learn it for the sole purpose to slay demons, then it is something that I will not allow. I had told all of you many times, that I became a Demon Slayer so that none of you needs to be one. And you, Tanjiro, why did you agree to their demands in the first place? As the eldest when I am not around, you should be the voice of reason."

"We… We… We just want to help lessen your burden!" Tanjiro exclaimed. "You are always doing everything by yourself, onii-chan! And… the smell that you always give off, it reeks of guilt, sorrow, and self-loathing ever since father died! I don't want you to feel this way! I don't want you to feel as if father's death is entirely your fault! So that's why we are trying to learn the Dance of the Fire God to lessen your burden! If we can be as strong as you, we can go slay demons together and help protect each other! You would not need to shoulder everything by yourself if we can help you!"

The room fell into silence after Tanjiro's outburst, with Haruto staring at them with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Am I intruding?" Kyojuro poked his head into the room with that usual sunny smile, brightening the atmosphere in an instant.

"What do you need?" Haruto asked without turning around to face the Flame Hashira, his voice betraying nothing but it is obvious that he is in a bad mood.

"Just trying to tell you that maybe you should give them a chance to prove themselves. Rather than being all strict on them, which will instead encourage them to try and fumble about on their own behind our backs without anyone's supervision, why not give them a little leeway to learn your Breath Style under your guidance? At least this way, you can keep a proper eye on them."

Haruto shot him a harsh glare that had Kyojuro do the smart thing and clamp his mouth shut immediately, but Kyojuro had never claimed that he is smart. He reopened his traitorous mouth in the very next instance.

"How about you watch them perform your Dance of the Fire God before deciding on what to do next? Who knows, maybe they will give you a big surprise."

"I'm right, aren't I? Nezuko is a prodigy. Look at how fluid her motions are!"

Kyojuro kept up the one-sided conversation as he and Haruto watched the Kamado siblings trying to dance the complete set of the Dance of the Fire God. Haruto is understandably not happy at how his younger siblings went behind his back to learn about his family's tradition for the sole sake of slaying demons, a kind of life that he was fighting to have them avoid as much as he possibly can. It was his sole reason for joining the Demon Slayer Corps in the first place, to allow his siblings to live a life free from the threat of demons.

Right in the practice field, his siblings are trying to perform the Dance of the Fire God like what they often see their eldest brother do. Most of them are not doing a great job at it due to their young age, their movements are just too clumsy. Tanjiro is doing okay because Haruto had been teaching him about it for a while now, but the person who surprised them the most is Nezuko. She is actually keeping up with Tanjiro in performing the Dance of the Fire God.

"Damn it." Kyojuro heard Haruto mutter under his breath as he facepalmed. "This is not what I had in mind when I taught Tanjiro the Dance of the Fire God. This is not what I want them to use the Dance of the Fire God for. I just want to protect them and here they are, trying to actively seek out the one thing I am trying to keep them away from."

"So what will you do now?" Kyojuro asked.

"What else can I do now that they have shown me such determination? Like you said, they are going to do this with or without my permission, like how I did when I first followed after your father." Haruto huffed with an exasperated sigh. "But right now, I will only allow Tanjiro and Nezuko to learn how to use a blade. The rest of them are still too young to be Demon Slayers and more likely than not, they hadn't thought things through when trying to learn the Dance of the Fire God. I don't want them to ever regret taking the path which they had chosen."

"And do you? I mean, do you regret your decision to become a Demon Slayer?"

"No." Haruto replied immediately. "This is the only way I know to keep my family safe from demons so, no. I never regretted my decision, not even for a second."

"So…" Kyojuro trailed off, not really knowing how to broach the topic. "How are you going to explain this to Kie obaa-san?"

"NO! Absolutely not! I'm already against Haruto for becoming a Demon Slayer but not you two too! Tanjiro, Nezuko! Becoming a Demon Slayer is a dangerous job! You saw for yourselves how many casualties the Kakushi brings in everyday! It's no laughing matter!"

"We know, that's why we want to be Demon Slayers." Tanjiro stood his ground. He had long since decided that he will not back down. He will and he wants to be a Demon Slayer, he is sure about it.

"We lost father because of demons. We don't want that to happen to us again, or anyone for that matter." Nezuko spoke up. "If we can kill even one single demon, then it will be one demon less that plagues the world."

"You two-! Are you even listening to yourselves right now?! And Haruto! What were you thinking?! Are you going to let your siblings follow your footsteps?!"

"Unless you want me to chain them down forever to prevent them from ever stepping out of this door, which we all know is not going to happen." Tanjiro watched as his big brother gave another tired sigh. "Do not be mistaken, mother, I am not happy about this too, but no one has a say in how another person has to live their life. If Tanjiro and Nezuko are absolutely certain that they want to be Demon Slayers there's nothing we can do to stop them. They will become one somehow, with or without our blessings. In that case, then I would rather equip them with as much knowledge and skills as I possibly can."

"Haruto-"

"I can only promise to take care of them as best as possible. Taking them in as my Tsugukos is the best I can do to protect them without having to coddle them as fellow Demon Slayers." Haruto said in that usual calm voice before bowing down to their mother. "I will protect Tanjiro and Nezuko with my life so mother, please, trust us."

Kie looks on the verge of tearing out her hair, but she accepts the outcome nevertheless.

"Just you three. I do not want to see another child of mine to ever pick up a Nichirin Blade so no matter what happens, only the three of you will ever wear that uniform and be Demon Slayers. I do not care what anyone else says, even if it is Oyakata-sama. I am a mother first and foremost, and the last thing I want to experience is to see a child of mine die before I do."

"I will not let that happen." Haruto said with a determination so fierce that it got Tanjiro to look at his eldest brother. The scent he is giving off right now burns so strongly of protectiveness.

Haruto took a brief pause before continuing his speech.

"And yes, I also agree with you, mother. I do not want to see another of my siblings wearing that uniform or picking up a Nichirin Blade. I will discuss this with Oyakata-sama and arrange it such that the three of us will be the only and last Kamados to be Demon Slayers. Takeo, Hanako, Shigeru, and Rokuta will never need to pick up a Nichirin Blade if I have a say in it."

"Please make sure that you do, Haruto." Their mother said tiredly. "I do not want to lose any of you, especially to demons."

Throughout it all, Tanjiro and Nezuko can only remain in silence.