Chapter Text
Demons existed a long time ago.
They were vile creatures that killed humans and consumed their flesh. In the shadows, misfortunate souls crossed paths with those monsters, with only a few living on to tell the tale. Many people were hunted, hurt, slayed in those dark times. But some victims chose to fight back. And eventually the demon slayer corps was formed.
For generations the corps had dedicated its existence to protecting humanity from demons, even with the clear disadvantage they had against an enemy with abilities beyond their human limitations. Humans didn't heal nearly as fast as demons regenerate themselves. And whenever they lost their limbs, they were gone forever. Yet, the demon slayers still chose to keep fighting. Spending countless years struggling to eliminate as many demons as possible.
It took many decades of effort and sacrifice before the generation that were destined to finally slay the demon king was finally born.
But when the time was near, two siblings joined the corps and fate took a dramatic turn.
Many adventures led them and their friends to their final battle against the demon king and his upper moons. And with the sunrise, Muzan Kibutsuji was finally vanquished from existence.
After his death and the near-extinction of the demon race, the Corps disbanded. Vanishing as if it never existed.
Sixty years later, there are few remaining that knows of the demon slayer corps and all they sacrificed so that humanity could finally be safe. As regardless of everything they accomplished, the organization remained completely unrecognized by the government.
The era of the demon slayers came to an end and those who survived the final battle were finally able to live in peace.
But with the end of an era comes another.
And so the story of the granddaughter of Tanjiro Kamado begins.
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Taeko was very young when her grandfather began telling her about the demon slayers.
It was exciting for a little girl like her to learn that her family story revolves around evil demons and honorable swordsmen. During her childhood, she spent hours hearing her grandpa retellings of his journey as a swordsman. About the battles, the friendships he formed with the other swordsmen and even how he met her grandmother.
Tanjiro taught Taeko about hope, courage and compassion. That even if you are in anguish, you have to try to be a graceful and strong person who can feel love for others. Taeko would carry those lessons for the rest of her life.
Whenever her parents were busy Tanjiro was the one to watch over Taeko, he was more than happy to spend time with his only granddaughter.
It was in one of those instances, after Tanjiro just finished telling her one of his stories of his time as a swordsman, that little Taeko decided to ask him a question.
“But demons don’t exist anymore, do they?” Taeko asked, her big innocent eyes gazing at her grandfather’s wrinkled and wise ones.
Tanjiro smiled at his granddaughter, giving her a nod. He lifted his only working forearm to gently stroke the child’s locks that had the exact same dark shade as his own.
Taeko had heard from her relatives that she looked just like her grandpa did when he was her age. They had the same hair and eye color and similar shaped eyes. It was too early to know if she would inherit his features when she was older but she hoped so. Taeko wished to be just as cool and brave as her grandfather when she grew up. There were no demons left( that she knew of) but someday she would have the opportunity to be a hero just like her ancestors before her.
“That’s right.” The old man told her. “Everybody worked really hard to defeat all the human eating demons so everything is okay now.”
“I hope I can be as amazing as grandpa and grandma someday.” Taeko softly said, closing her eyes as she felt her grandfather's gentle hand petting her head.
“I’m sure you will.” Her grandpa reassured her with certainty in his voice. He had no doubts Taeko would do great things in the future.
There was a comfortable silence settling in the room as Tanjiro enjoyed the peaceful moment with his granddaughter. Only for the kid’s eyes to snap open and look up at him as if some realization hit her at that exact second.
“…but what about those who died?” Taeko asked.
“They were definitely reborn and they are living their lives with their loved ones now.” Her grandpa explained, quickly recomposting from his surprise at the sudden question.
“Even the demons?”
Tanjiro paused, taking a little longer to answer as he decided what exactly to say. “When the gods decide to forgive them, those demons will also be able to be reborn as humans.”
“But where do they stay before they are forgiven?” Taeko asked without missing a beat. The kid was oddly eager to hear her grandfather's answer.
Unfortunately for Taeko, just a second later their conversation got interrupted by the sound of the front door opening and the Taeko mother’s voice echoing across the apartment.
“I’m back!” She called as she entered the house.
Taeko’s grandfather let out a sigh of relief as he mentally thanked the gods for his daughter in law’s perfect timing. The old man didn't want to have to explain to Taeko about Hell at such a young age. Even when telling his stories he kept in mind his granddaughter was a little child, too young and innocent to know some of the darker and more gruesome details of his time as a demon slayer. For now it was better to keep focus on the good parts of his past and the life lessons he wanted to pass on to her. He somehow knew that in time, Taeko would need those lessons for whatever life had in store for her.
Only he had no way of knowing that whatever life had in store for Taeko Kamado had already begun.
As she watched her grandfather move to get up to greet her mother and begin to talk about trivial stuff, Taeko felt a presence appear to her right.
Taeko turned to face the entity that had been following her.
No matter how much she thought back on it, Taeko couldn't pinpoint the moment 'she' first appeared. Weirdly enough sometimes it felt like ‘she’ was always there, Taeko was just too young to rationalize this creature wasn't supposed to be here.
The figure had interesting features. 'She' was wearing a mask concealing her lips but highlighting her reddish eyes( the same reddish color as Taeko’s own eyes). Had pale blue skin and long dark purple hair that reached to her waist. She wore some kind of armor in her upper body and hakama pants. But her most interesting feature was her blue haori, which had a butterfly pattern on it. Taeko had on more than one occasion seen it unfold itself into two beautiful blue wings making the spirit look like a fairy whenever her wings were spread.
The girl was reaching an age that she began questioning the appearance of this 'butterfly' and wondered where 'she' came from. And since according to her grandfather demons could take many forms, maybe 'she' was a demon.
And now, after asking her grandpa for answers, she suspected her silent companion might be the spirit of a demon that the gods hadn’t forgiven yet.
But while this conclusion made sense to the young girl, at the same time it felt somehow contradictory. This entity seemed too… kind to be a demon. According to her grandfather demons were dangerous creatures that had the instinct to kill and devour humans. Taeko couldn’t see the entity in front of her doing any of it. If anything, little Taeko even felt protected when her maybe-demon-spirit-friend was close.
Regardless of what kind of creature her companion was, Taeko wasn’t really bothered by her presence. If 'she' really was the spirit of a demon that wasn’t forgiven by the gods yet, Taeko didn’t mind keeping her company until she could be reborn.
Taeko quickly came to the realization 'she' needed a nickname. Even if the entity had a name, Taeko had no way of finding it out since 'she' was mute and couldn't tell her. The child decided to nickname her after a fairy from a story she heard about at kindergarten.
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And so life kept going and the years went by. Soon it became known among the family that Taeko had an imaginary friend called "Titania" with whom the girl randomly talked from time to time. Whenever little Taeko was seen talking to herself or staring into an empty space, her family didn't question it so Taeko's friendship with the entity went unnoticed.
That was until Taeko reached ten years old. At that time she had grown accustomed to having Titania in her life, with the girl always trying to find new games for the two of them to play. Eventually figuring out that the entity could levitate her for a very short period of time by holding her by her shoulders and flapping her wings( Taeko decided to to call it the “flying time”). It took a bit longer for Taeko to be hit by the idea of teaching Titania how to draw. It didn’t go as well as planned.
Titania was able to copy any drawing Taeko showed her but when it came to drawing something random all Titania drew was a circle with lines around it.
The entity had already drawn the symbol more than ten times when the bedroom door swung open to reveal Taeko’s father, Kiyoto Kamado. Whatever the man was about to say didn’t leave his lips, as he immediately froze upon looking at his child and noticed the pencil floating midair next to her.
“Dear... what are you doing?” Kiyoto finally choked out after a moment of shock.
“I’m teaching Titania how to draw. She is very good at it!” Taeko answered with a smile, telling a family member about Titania as she did many times before. Only this time her father finally realized that Titania WASN’T an imaginary friend.
Kiyoto Kamado was known by many as a wise man but, unlike his parents, he had little to no experience with the supernatural. He was never as fascinated by his mother and father's stories as his daughter, so he didn't ask about it much. He wasn't sure what to do in this bizarre situation. His only reassurance was that whatever Taeko was talking with didn’t seem to be a threat to her. Even so, the father knew he had to get to the bottom of this.
And to his luck, he knew of a person that may be able to help. Someone his father mentioned he could call in case of emergency.
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After the final battle, Yushiro never expected to hear from the Kamado family again. But Tanjiro had insisted on checking on him from time to time. The Kamado had clearly felt pity on Yushiro for losing his dear Lady Tamayo and wanted to see how the demon was holding on.
It was annoying.
And Yushiro made sure Tanjiro knew that. He also reminded the newly retired demon slayer that he had decided to live and keep Lady Tamayo's memory alive so there was no reason for Tanjiro to insist on checking up on him.
A memory still held fresh in his mind, of Tanjiro’s smile as he said a sentence that stuck with Yushiro for some weird reason.
“I like to visit you because you are my friend.”
Yushiro's complaints about his visits were not as tough from that point on.
But the demon absolutely did not shed a single tear after finding out about Tanjiro’s recent passing on… he did not.
( He did.)
It had been happening to all those who fought in the final battle. Their bodies were finally breaking down from all the stress put on them in their youth. They pushed their bodies to their limit and now they were facing the consequences.
It was actually a miracle they managed to survive till old age. Especially Tanjiro and Kanao, the wounds they sustained during their final fights severely weakened them. Tanjiro was never able to move his left forearm again and he got blind from his right eye. With Kanao ending up almost totally blind after using the vermilion eye technique two times. Even so, Yushiro and everybody else knew they cherished every moment they had together.
Yushiro could recall how the couple was happy to be able to have their first and only child. They were worried they wouldn't be able to conceive since it had been revealed that due to her years as a demon and the effects of the antidote on her body, Nezuko had become infertile. Yushiro still cringed at the memory of how much Zenitsu cried on his wife’s behalf while said woman would be the one comforting him. Nezuko wasn't even that devastated by the news, just as her brother she was thankful to be alive and close to the ones she loved. The Agatsuma couple ended up choosing to adopt some children and they lived happy lives.
But now, without Tanjiro’s visits as a distraction, Yushiro could keep total focus on his art pieces of Lady Tamayo. They had become an obsession of his ever since his muse and true love sacrificed herself. Yushiro knew he would never be able to perfectly replicate Lady Tamayo’s beauty but he would spend the rest of his immortal life trying.
Then came the day he received an unexpected letter. It basically contained a plea for help from none other than Tanjiro’s only child.
Yushiro should have known better than to expect to be free from the Kamado family drama forever. The idiot didn’t even explain what the help was for but Yushiro could catch the concern conveyed in his words.
But with the other demons gone, Yushiro wasn’t sure what could possibly urge the man to reach him out.
Maybe it was this curiosity and uneasiness that got him to make the trip to the neighborhood the Kamado family lived in. As he finally reached the address, the front door opened and he came face to face with a man that by the familiar appearance could only be Tanjiro’s son.
“You better have a very good reason for calling me here.” Was the first thing Yushiro told the son of his old acquaintance.
The demon’s rudeness didn’t faze the man, in fact, he felt relief that Yushiro really showed up.
“You must be Yushiro. My father spoke about you.” Kiyoto greeted him with a polite smile. He was reminding himself that his father had mentioned that while Yushiro could be a little difficult to deal with, he had a good heart. “Please come in.”
Yushiro, not wanting to spend more time there than necessary, entered the apartment as requested.
“Just spit it out. What is so important for you to…” Yushiro began but stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the bizarre scene in the living room.
To Yushiro and Kiyoto it looked like Taeko was floating by herself in the middle of the living room but, unseen to them, Titania was carefully holding the girl by the shoulders. With Taeko noticing the arrival of Yushiro, Titania promptly lowered the girl back into the ground while her wings shifted back into a haori.
The little girl looked up at him with curiosity and Yushiro finally glanced back at Kiyoto.
“Please help us.” Kiyoto begged, not able to hide his worry anymore.
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Some minutes later, the trio was still in the living room but they had moved to sit in the couches. The father and daughter sat together in one couch while the demon sat in the other. Kiyoto had told Yushiro the little he knew of the entity while Taeko had cheerfully spoken to the two of them about her invisible friend and the fun they had together.
“It isn’t a demon.” Yushiro said, sounding firm in his conclusion.
“How can you be so sure of that?” Kiyoto asked, a bit surprised he was able to confirm that from the plain explanation father and daughter were able to offer.
“The girl said the creature can appear to her any time of the day, including daytime. No demon can survive the sunlight so this can’t be a demon.” Yushiro thoughtfully pointed out.
Kiyoto didn’t seem to be any content with this explanation. In fact it only served to alarm him even more.
“But if it isn’t a demon…” Which the father had honestly expected since it’s the only sobrenatural creature he knew existed. “…then what is following my daughter?”
To their surprise, the next to speak was the child in question herself.
“I think maybe it’s the spirit of a demon.” Taeko admitted. Although the longer time she had spent with the spirit, the less she believed in her original theory. “Grandpa told me that when demons are forgiven by the gods they get to be reborn as humans. So I thought she was the spirit that wasn’t forgiven yet...”
At the mention of her grandfather, Kiyoto felt a familiar wave of grief wash over him. The death of his father was still a fresh wound, he had died not even a year ago.
Unseen to both humans, Yushiro was also affected by the comment, he felt an uncomfortable pang of sadness that got him to spat out his next sentence a bit too harshly.
“Demons go to hell, kid. Whatever you're seeing isn’t the demon or spirit of one.”
“Yushiro-San, there is no need to be so blunt…” Kiyoto requested, expressing disapproval at his tone while speaking to a child.
Yushiro stared at the little girl for a moment, half expecting her to be taken aback by his behavior but, instead of that, the girl warmly smiled at him. It was the same smile Tanjiro had on his face when he said that sentence that got stuck in Yushiro’s mind all those years.
“This really is the granddaughter of Tanjiro.” Yushiro thought, feeling an unexpected sensation of peace after seeing this smile again. “ She has the same kind aura that idiot had.”
“Tsk tsk. I really didn’t expect to have to use this again.” Yushiro clicked his tongue, finally breaking eye contact with the kid to get something from the pouch he had brought with him just in case. Both Kamado’s watched attentively as he took a piece of paper from out of the bag. Seeing how confused the two had gotten, Yushiro explained what the piece of paper was for. “My blood demon art, blindfold, is able to mask or reveal something's presence. Although I am not sure if it would work with whatever your daughter made friends with since it’s not a demon.”
A glint appeared in Taeko’s eyes as she gazed at the piece of paper as if it was the coolest thing she had ever seen. She had heard of the demon's blood demon art many times from her grandfather and now she was finally going to be able to witness one with her own two eyes!
Taeko was so lost in her excitement she didn’t even notice when Titania appeared next to her as if the entity wanted to be there to witness Yushiro's power too.
“I think we don’t have any other choice than to try.” Kiyoto quietly reasoned, letting out a sigh. Needless to point out, he was much less excited about having Yushiro’s use his demon art than his daughter. Even with his limited knowledge of the subject, he knew blood demon arts could be very dangerous.
And so Yushiro held up the paper close to his forehead, making use of his demonic power for the first time in many years. While the Kamados observed as a blue glow and strange markings appeared on the paper, Yushiro could then see a silhouette behind Taeko.
It took a bit longer than usual for his demon art to fully reveal the entity’s presence, with the image of a blue figure slowly going on focus, like his demon art was adapting to be able to sense its presence. But in just a few more seconds he could now see the entity’s features clearly, from her red eyes to her butterfly haori.
“This is not a demon.” He said, this time a hundred percent sure of his conclusion.
“And you don’t know what it is??” Kiyoto questioned, and with his concern for his daughter fueling him, he ended up sounding a bit too accusatory for Yushiro.
While the demon was smart enough to know the human meant no offense and was only looking after his daughter’s well-being, Yushiro hadn’t came all the way here to be disrespected by the Kamado.
“I don’t have all the answers, you insolent fool!!” Yushiro snapped, instantly making the father flinch as the demon glared angrily at him. “You barely gave me any information to work with and your daughter clearly doesn't know what she is talking about! All I know is that’s not a demon! And the knowledge I have is on demons! This is new for me too!!”
After he finished his rant, silence hung in the room for some seconds, with Kiyoto and Yushiro quietly looking at each other with neither knowing who would speak next.
Taeko could only watch at both of them, in worry. Her smile had vanished from her face as the tension in the room grew thick and palpable. Her excitement of meeting a new character and seeing his abilities now gone.
The girl had recently realized she had inherited another thing from her grandfather, his famous enhanced sense of smell. Like him, she could also smell other people's feelings. But with him gone before she realized it, the girl had to learn the hang of it alone.
Hence why she took so long to identify the spicy scent she was catching from her father as concern and fear.
Her eyes widened as she witnessed her father slump on his seat looking defeated. His shoulders hung low as the man buried his face in his hands, hiding the expression he had on from the others. Kiyoto had hoped to finally get some answers and find out what was happening to his little girl. But now that his hope(Yushiro) proved himself to be as confused as them, Taeko could clearly catch the intense smell of distress and worry that clouded the living room.
The little girl felt guilty for being so unaware of her father’s feelings until that point. She had always been honest about the existence of Titania to his family so when she told her father about her friend days ago Taeko hadn’t noticed how the reveal affected him. The girl didn’t realize that her family brushed off the entity as a harmless imaginary friend and that to find out that Titania wasn’t an imaginary friend changed everything to her father. For Taeko it wasn’t a big deal, Titania wasn’t someone to be concerned about. She knew the entity ment no harm to her or her family . There was no reason for her father to despair over her existence. And so, the child struggled to think of ideas on how to make him feel better.
Whenever she feels sad, her parents give her a hug. Maybe this could work now. But before she could even move to do that, someone had already taken the initiative to give her father a hug.
It had been as soon as the idea of a hug came to her mind that Titania approached the older Kamado and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. The entity even went as far as giving reassuring pats on his back, just like Taeko’s parents did to her whenever she felt sad.
While Kiyoto looked up in confusion at feeling like someone was hugging him but not seeing anybody, Yushiro watched in contemplation. A theory came to the demon’s mind.
“Why is it doing that? Is it worried about him? Or maybe…” Yushiro debated mentally and turned to talk to Taeko.
“Kid, did you ask it to do that?” He inquired.
“What?” Taeko slightly tilted her head in confusion at the question.
“Your ‘friend’.” Yushiro clarified, gesturing to the spirit still trying to console the father. “Did you ask it to do this?”
“I didn’t! At least I think I don’t…” Taeko answered, uncertain.
“Are you sure?” Yushiro pressed on, wanting the girl to say something more informative.
“I did think about hugging dad. It's what mom and dad do when I’m sad. So I thought it could make him feel better.” Taeko explained, earning her a look of fondness from her father. He always felt proud whenever his daughter expressed kindness and compassion, both were considered invaluable traits in their family.
“Maybe this creature isn’t really following you. Maybe it’s somehow linked to you.” Yushiro said as he speculated on the new information. “It would explain why it’s always close and the affinity you feel towards it. It would also explain how it reacted to your thoughts without you having to say anything. It sensed you wanted to help your dad so it did it like you wished. It could even mean that it is in a strange way a part of you.”
Titania is connected to me? She is… a part of me? Taeko thought, surprised by his conclusions. But somehow, even though it was something she hadn’t considered, his idea somehow sounded right. Like all evidence she had pointed to this direction. To her it felt liberating to accept that conclusion as truth as she was happy to have Titania with her.
The entity finally let go of her father to look at her. While Titania didn’t have visible lips to smile at Taeko, she did so with her eyes. And the kid smiled back.
“Even so, I can be wrong.” The demon continued, observing their interactions with intrigue. “I can’t confirm for certain what it is or where it came from in only a day.” Yushiro gave a pause, surprised with the decision he found himself about to make. Choosing to really do it, he let out a long sigh and continued. “It seems like I have no other option but to keep my eye on you.”
Kiyoto looked at him with astonishment. Was Yushiro offering to stay in contact with them?
“Yushiro-San, I appreciate your help but you don’t need to do that if you don’t want to.” Kiyoto assured his guest, concluding by the behavior he displayed until that point, that the demon wasn’t pleased to take part in this situation.
“And keep a Kamado child with an unexplained ability unsupervised?!?” Yushiro cried out. “It could only end in a disaster!!”
“Did you hear that, Titania?” Taeko began talking excitedly with the entity. “Now there will be someone around that also can see you! Isn’t that cool?”
Again, the entity smiled with her eyes at the kid. Titania could sense that Taeko was so happy she could even hug Yushiro.
With that Titania turned to Yushiro. And judging by the expression of joy on the kid’s face, he knew exactly what the spirit was about to do.
“Don’t even think about it…” Yushiro warned.
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Maybe Yushiro had gotten bored after spending years only having a cat and his paintings as company. That could be the only reason he opted to basically become the nanny of the Kamado child. But, regardless of the reasoning, from that point forward Yushiro once more became a recurring presence in the Kamado family’s life. Eventually he met the mother of the family, Eiko Kamado, to whom Kiyoto introduced Yushiro as an old family friend. The demon found out the woman was a doctor with a busy schedule, and didn’t spend much time at home so it wasn’t hard to keep her in the dark from the existence of Titania. Not that he asked, but according to Kiyoto, he didn’t want to bring distress to Eiko’s when her life had already plenty of it in her job.
To keep an eye on the family easier, Yushiro moved from his old home to an apartment only a few minutes away from theirs and adopted the surname Yamamoto to better blend in the new neighborhood. The demon could admit to himself that the move wasn’t at all bad, his new apartment had ample space so he could paint and store any new paintings of his. Not even his new “Kamado distraction” would keep him from working on his art and the search for the perfect image of Lady Tamayo.
It had not only been a week from the move and his new art room was already full of paintings depicting Lady Tamayo. One would probably say that they were magnificent but as much as Yushiro kept trying and trying to get her face right, he still felt like there was something missing.
Deep down he knew what that something really was. It was her, the real her.
“Who is this?” Yushiro was startled when the voice of Taeko coming from next to him pulled the demon from his thoughts. A bit panicky, he turned to confirm that the girl was really there smiling while standing uncomfortably close to him.
“When did you get here?!” He screeched in irritation, mentally cursing himself for getting so distracted with the painting that he didn’t notice the girl’s arrival.
“I just got here. You left the door open so I came in.” The ten year old explained, not taking her eyes off the painting of the pretty lady even when Yushiro exclaimed his question at her. “Who is she?”
“That is Lady Tamayo.” Although irritated with her unauthorized arrival, Yushiro didn’t waste the opportunity to gush about his muse.
“She is very pretty!” Taeko praised.
“This? This is nothing compared to the real Lady Tamayo!” Yushiro spat as he looked at his own painting in disapproval. “The purple of her eyes is in the wrong shade, it’s too dark. The real red of her lips was more vibrant in contrast to her pale skin. And her hair? Her soft dark brown hair looked much better than this! It is almost impossible to display her in all her beauty in a simple painting like this!”
Taeko quietly observed him as he complained, a bit surprised he was criticizing his own art so harshly. To her the painting looked great but she did have an idea on why he thought so highly of the original, even though she wasn’t sure if she was identifying the scent she was catching right.
“You really do love her, don’t you?” The girl inquired in curiosity.
She got no response but her question did make a deep red blush appear on Yushiro’s face. He had gotten so red that the girl almost feared that he had suddenly gotten sick.
The girl’s eyes then caught movement on the other side of the room. In the only corner of the room that did not have a painting resting against it, a small figure had been awakened from its rest by the sound of the conversation.
“Kitty!!” Taeko squeaked in excitement as she saw an adorable calico cat resting there. It was a small feline with white fur with black and brown spots. The cat had striking amber eyes that looked up intently at Taeko. After a moment of what the kid suspected was consideration, the animal approached the red eyed girl and took a tentative sniff of her scent. Something in her scent seemed to please the cat as it immediately began rubbing itself against her leg. With a smile, Taeko couched down to pet it. “I didn't know you had a cat.”
The animal gladly accepted the fondling as it purred. With a bit of a blush still on his face, the other demon snorted at the scene.
“That’s Chachamaru.” He introduced, then gave the child a stern warning. “She is a demon like me, so don't even think about doing anything stupid like bringing her outside during the day!”
The reveal that cats could become demons surprised Taeko but she was too busy gushing over the adorable feline to comment on it.
“Hello, Chachamaru! I’m Taeko!” Taeko greeted, happily introducing herself to the animal. “It’s very nice to meet you!”
The demonic animal kept purring in pleasure as she was being caressed by the girl to the distress of its companion. It only took a cuddle for the feline to accept the kid as her new favorite human.
Too distracted with each other, neither noticed Yushiro mumbling in annoyance. “Traitor…”
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Little more than one year later the trio found themselves back at the Kamados’ living room. Yushiro had been called there by Kiyoto who informed him Taeko requested to talk to both of them about something.
As they sat there, Taeko shifted uncomfortably in her seat. The girl tried not to look her father in the eye, knowing that what she was about to tell him was not going to be received positively in the slightest.
Ironically enough this behavior was already worrying her father, who nervously waited for his daughter to say something.
Yushiro, on the other hand, had already grown annoyed with the silence of the girl.
“Kid, if you want to say something just say it. I have other things to do today.” He bluntly pointed out but since both Kamado’s had already grown used to his usual rudeness neither commented on it anymore.
Taeko took a deep breath, knowing she would have to say it sooner or later.
“It’s about Titania.” Although to Yushiro this detail was obvious, Kiyoto tensed on his seat. Taeko wasn’t sure on where to start so she struggled to explain. “Well… I was walking in the park today and a tree branch fell on my head.”
It was enough to alarm her father, who immediately jumped up from his seat and rushed to her side.
“A tree branch fell on my head??” Her father began looking her up and down to see if she had any visible injuries. “Why didn’t you tell me that sooner?? Are you hurt??”
“I have the Kamado’s forehead, remember? It’s as hard as a rock.” Taeko told him with a playful grin, managing to bring a little smile to her father’s face. “That didn’t hurt me. Don’t worry.”
“So, what does it have to do with Titania?” Yushiro inquired, interrupting the duo. As much as he found Kamado's interactions sometimes amusing, he would prefer not spending his afternoon hearing Kiyoto fussing over his daughter. He could understand a father’s need to make sure his daughter is alright but Yushiro doesn’t have to be there to witness that.
Taeko's grin dropped before she answered.
“She cut it.” Taeko revealed, her words only serving to confuse the other two. Realizing she had to be more specific she continued. “After the tree branch fell on my head, Titania cut down the tree.”
“How did she cut the tree?” Kiyoto hesitantly asked, fearful at the answer.
“With her katana.”
To Taeko’s dismay, Kiyoto became as white as a sheet. The room fell in total silence for a brief moment, with Yushiro being the one to break it.
“Considering your lineage, it is the most likely weapon for Titania to use.” Yushiro observed, not too bothered by the information.
The mention of her lineage nudged Taeko to speak more on the event.
“… It was pretty amazing, actually.” Taeko began, growing more excited the more she spoke. “Titania’s katana looks very cool! She cut down the entire tree with only one slash! I think I even saw some water come from the blade! I think it’s like grandpa’s water breathing but with real water!”
Kiyoto still said nothing and Yushiro let out an exasperated sigh.
“Guess we will have to deal with that now.”
And so the trio(initially just Taeko and Yushiro with Kiyoto joining when he finally recomposed himself) began to discuss on how they should proceed. While Titania had never threatened anyone, the damage she did to the tree proved how destructive she could be. Kiyoto pointed out that if Taeko wanted to keep Titania under control both of them needed discipline. Yushiro agreed that it would be better for the girl to learn control. Taeko became ecstatic when her father suggested she take part in her school’s kendo lessons. After watching Titania use a sword, Taeko felt an urge to learn to use one herself so she excitedly said yes to her father’s suggestion.
That’s how at twelve years old Taeko joined her school's kendo club.
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In a basement very far from the Kamado home, two figures walked among numerous bookshelves containing various old artifacts. There was limited light in the room, most of it coming from the lantern one of the figures was holding.
“I never thought anyone would make use of those books again.” The voice of the old man made Yushiro turn to look at him. “Tell me, are you sure she will need those?”
“Trust me, she will. There is no way a kid like her won’t attract trouble in the future.” Yushiro explained while rolling his eyes. He wouldn’t be there if he wasn’t sure she would need those books.
As the duo was reaching their predestined session, the seventy four year old Kiriya Ubuyashiki spoke again.
“Normally I wouldn’t even consider the possibility of lending this to anybody. But me and my family owe you a lot for your help in the final battle.”
“Just get over it already.” Yushiro said, his tone as harsh as always. “I didn’t do that for you, I was just doing what Lady Tamayo wanted.”
“And so you said, many times.” Kiriya recalled their many conversations about the battle during Yushiro’s visits. “I’m just surprised you came all this way to help your new friend.”
“She is not my friend! She is my problem!” Yushiro retorted.
His response made the Ubuyashiki laugh softly, he was already used to Yushiro’s quirks. So, like anyone that knew him personally, he wasn’t fazed by his usual behavior.
“I’m happy that you still have space in your heart for more people.” Kiriya admitted.
They didn’t speak again until they finally reached their destination.
“Here they are.” Kiriya said, his voice suddenly somber as both of them stared at what stood on the bookshelf in front of them.
There lay some of the most treasured possessions of the Ubuyashiki family and probably the most dangerous ones. The last records of the breathing techniques, written by those who created and improved them as a way to make sure the knowledge of their techniques was passed on in case of their untimely death. After the disbanding of the demon slayers, the Ubuyashiki family took the responsibility of guarding these records and making sure no one would be able to use the battle techniques of the demon slayers for evil. As Kiriya had previously stated, he wouldn’t even consider the possibility of lending this to anybody. But as Yushiro was someone special and a friend of the family, he trusted him to make sure the books didn't fall on the wrong hands. And there was also the fact that he wanted to help a Kamado, Kiriya would never refuse to help a Kamado.
“I don’t think I need to tell you that you can’t bring all the books with you.” Kiriya clarified after a moment.
“I know. It’s not like the kid would be able to learn all the breathing techniques, it’s impossible.” Yushiro said. “I’m just going to need two of those.”
Kiriya smiled already knowing which books he was talking about.
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There had been two years since Taeko joined the kendo club. To her surprise, the girl found herself learning the techniques very quickly and in no time became known as one of the best in the school, even taking part in some tournaments. Unknown to Taeko, her classmates found her very intimidating. To them, it was unnerving how such a sweet and kind looking girl could become so fierce and skillful in combat. It unfortunately didn’t make making friends much easier for the teen.
One day, she returned home to see Yushiro waiting for her. She was awestruck by the two relics he presented to her.
“Water breathing… flower breathing…” Taeko carefully read the titles, having difficulty believing what she was seeing. It felt too amazing for it to be real. “Are those really…?”
“What else could they be? You didn’t think I would bring you some random books, did you?” Yushiro simply asked, raising an eyebrow at her.
“That means… I get to learn my grandparents breathing styles?” Taeko’s eyes sparkled in excitement. “That’s so cool!!”
The girl reached with a hand to hold one of the books only for Yushiro to slap the hand away. Taeko cried out in pain and brought back her hand, feeling it sting because of the slap.
“Not so fast.” Yushiro said, staring at her without his usual expression of annoyance or anger. He sounded very serious and oddly calm at the moment. It made the girl bite her lip, now feeling a bit nervous. “You have to understand the severity of this. Although those breathing styles are probably the best suited for you since those are the ones your grandparents used, it won’t be the same.” He paused for a moment, letting his lecture sink in for the girl. “Your grandparents had masters to teach them, but now breathing styles are almost extinct. The only three hashira, if they are alive wherever they are, are too old to use them anymore.” Now Taeko understood where this was going. “You will have no sensei. Your only guidance will come from the descriptions in the books.” He said as he gestured to the books with his hand. “I’m not going to lie, it will be hard. And your technique will probably not end up being similar to the original. You will never know if you can reach the old hashira because there will be no one able to tell you that.”
Taeko quietly reflected on what he had said. It all felt very overwhelming, not at all what she was expecting just before his speech. But at the same time, Taeko felt grateful for Yushiro giving her a reality check. If she wanted to learn, she had to give one percent and even more.
Taeko would have to learn the breathing styles entirely by herself.
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“…and then he said I could help train the freshmen if I wanted.” Now fifteen years old, Taeko spoke to her father about her day as they prepared the living room table for dinner.
“Is that so?” Her father smiled at the news from where he was getting the plates in the kitchen. The man was proud of his daughter's continuous success in kendo. He had witnessed how the girl had flourished ever since she first began in the classes. “I guess it’s not unexpected considering you are his best student.”
“Dad, I’m not sure I’m the best.” Taeko protested, a bit flustered. She placed the silverware on the table as she spoke. “Akane-san is also very talented. Maybe more than me.”
“From what I remember you defeated her in the tournament last year, dear.” Kiyoto pointed out with a smirk, bringing the plates to the living room.
“It was luck. She got slower for a moment.” Taeko took the plates from him to arrange them at the table.
“And it was all you needed to win.” Kiyoto pointed out. A bit saddened by his daughter's self doubt, he let out a sad sigh. ”You really need to stop diminishing your accomplishments.” He then turned to go back to the kitchen to get the cups. “Well, at least you are making new friends.”
Unnoticed by him, his comment made the teen girl tense where she stood. She didn’t want to reveal to her father that she was in fact, not making friends. Yes, she did interact and talk with people quite a lot both at the school and the kendo club. But there was a huge difference between getting along with someone and being friends with them. Taeko knew how to talk and get along with her classmates, her polite and kind demeanor seemed to please them. But there was never more interaction than exchanging pleasantries or working together in school assignments. And the kendo classes were worse. At that point she had already realized how intimidated the new members were of her and those who weren’t usually saw her as an adversary or rival. So she wasn’t having luck there either.
More than just that, Taeko felt it was hard to connect with people. It was like an invisible barrier existed between her and the others and as much as it hurt to admit, that barrier was none other than Titania. Titania was a part of herself so how could Taeko make friends that accepted the entirety of her if they couldn’t even see an important part of herself?
But there was no reason to bother her father with that. She could still vividly remember the distress she put him through over the years. His reactions to finding out about Titania, to trying to find out what Titania was and how pale he got the day she told him about the katana. She never wants to make her father feel that way again. If he is happy thinking she has friends, why correct him?
As her father returned with the glasses, Taeko realized he was waiting for an answer.
“Yeah… they sure are nice.” She weakly said, giving him a smile she hoped didn’t appear fake.
He frowned probably noticing she was lying but wasn’t able to say anything before he suddenly released an awful and deep cough.
“Dad? …are you okay?” Taeko asked, growing concerned. It wasn’t the first time he coughed like that. It had been happening the last few days but she had been foolishly hoping it wasn’t serious.
“There is no need to worry. It’s just--” He tried to comfort his daughter only for it to be interrupted by another stronger cough.
It got worse from there.
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Soon Taeko was sixteen returning home after her school's yearly kendo tournament. Even though the girl exited the finals victorious, she wasn’t able to feel any joy that day. She entered her home with a heavy heart, quietly closing the door behind her. The girl then walked towards her parent’s room to see her father but had to pause at the door for a moment. She needed it to prepare herself to put on a happy face.
“Hey, dad. I'm home.” Taeko greeted as she opened the bedroom door, now displaying a warm smile on her face. She had to force herself to keep her expression up as she saw her father’s figure sitting in the bed.
The past few months had been the hardest of Taeko Kamado’s life. Her father had gotten ill, with his coughs getting more frequent and worse by the day. His illness seemed alarmingly similar to the one that had killed his grandfather many years ago, hauntingly so. And as the days went on his loved ones watched as he grew more sick and frail.
Yushiro attempted to make use of the medical knowledge he had to help Kiyoto, only to realize how far behind he was compared to Taeko’s mother. He came to an alarming realization he had neglected to follow the new medicinal advancements. He had become so obsessed in struggle to capture Lady Tamayo’s essence in his paintings that he had forgotten what she would have wanted him to do with the immortal life she gifted him. She would have wanted him to keep helping people. And he had shamelessly forgotten that.
Kiyoto became more sick over time. Gone was his previously healthy appearance and in its place stood a frail looking man with pale and dull skin. His form seemed to have sunken, his bones becoming more apparent against his skin. Still, his daughter's arrival brought a smile to his face.
“Congratulations on your victory.” He said, his voice sounding much weaker than a year before. His words took Taeko by surprise.
“How did you know that I won?” She asked, walking closer to the bed.
“I just got the feeling you did.” He confessed with a smirk. A thoughtful expression crossed his face as he contemplated his next action. “I think… you deserve a prize for winning.”
Taeko’s smile dropped as her father held up his hands towards his ears. Her entire body freezing while she watched him taking off the earrings he constantly wore ever since being gifted them from his father.
Kiyoto stretched his hand out to Taeko, intending on gifting her their family’s hanafuda earrings as a present.
“Those are your grandfather’s earrings. The same ones he wore during his journey.” He presented, knowing how much his father's legacy meant to her. He then gently took one her hands on his own and placed the object on it. “They have been passed on to our family from one generation to the next. And now I want you to have them.”
“Take them back.” Taeko immediately said with her voice now shaking, surprising her father. Surprise turned to dread as he noticed her eyes begin to water.
“Taeko…” Her father weakly tried to say something, finding himself unable to. He had hoped she would be too happy with the present to realize why he chose to give it to her now. But Taeko is smart, so she quickly saw through his actions.
As he said, the hanafuda earrings are passed from generation to generation but they usually aren’t gifted, they are inherited with the passing of the previous wearer.
“Take the earrings back, dad.” Taeko pleaded, sounding more frantic this time. She held out the earrings back to him but he didn’t take them. “You can give me them later!”
Kiyoto opened his mouth to say something but found himself unable to find any words of comfort to tell her. He could only watch as tears streamed freely down his daughter’s cheeks, and it hurt much more than anything he felt in the last year.
“Just take it!!” She exclaimed with a sob, looking with tearful eyes as her father’s expression tightened in pain and worry. The girl kept trying to convince him. “You can give them to me next year! Maybe even the next!”
Kiyoto closed his eyes and took a deep, long breath. Then he looked at her in the eyes and just shook his head.
“No… No!” She wailed with tears raining down her cheeks. She did not want to accept what he was indirectly telling her.
Unable to see his daughter in such a state any longer, Kiyoto pulled the girl into his arms to give her a warm hug. It was unfortunately the best he could come up with at that moment. The girl hugged him back, desperate sobs leaving her as she kept crying. She clutched the earrings in a tight fist, finally accepting they were hers now.
Kiyoto felt terrible for causing his daughter so much pain but he could feel his end coming. He had already made peace with that. Even so, he wished he could be here to help with whatever the future had in store for his daughter. Kiyoto always had the feeling that Titania appeared for a reason. And someday, Taeko would find out what that reason was. He only hoped all the knowledge he passed on to her would help her later down the line.
But for now, the father and daughter just held each other as they cried. They cried for everything that happened until that point and all that could happen in the future.
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Eiko Kamado, Taeko’s mother, was a busy woman. Her work at the local hospital meant she spent most of her day out of the house. But as she witnessed her beloved husband fall deathly ill, she realized how much she neglected her family. Eiko tried her best to support both Taeko and Kiyoto. She deeply regretted not having spent more time with them.
With her husband’s recent passing, she found herself being the one to have to look out after their daughter. To Eiko’s relief, being the sweet girl that she is, Taeko did not resent her mother for being distant. The girl knew how important her job was. Nevertheless, the red eyed girl was relieved to be told that her mother was going to spend more time at home from now on. Being able to talk and know her mother better brought her a bit of peace in the darkest days of her life. But whenever she was alone, Taeko couldn’t help but cry. She missed her father very much.
Yushiro also began to show up more frequently, although he always gave random excuses for going there instead of just admitting he wanted to support Taeko and keep the girl company.
One evening, Eiko was at work. Even with her new laxed schedule, she still had to work to keep a roof over their heads. Both Yushiro and Chachamaru had come to visit. The demons had opposite approaches to helping Taeko. Chachamaru refused to leave her side, rubbing against her hand from time to time to ask for head pats. Having the feline there brought a small smile to Taeko’s face but it didn't reach her eyes. They had lost some of their spark since the day her father passed away.
Yushiro, on the other hand, refused to stay still. He knew the feeling of grief very well but had no idea how to help someone else go through the grieving process. And the fact that he wasn’t able to help Kiyoto when he first got sick still hung over his head. He would never admit it, but he came to view Taeko’s father as a friend in the last few years. So the demon just ended up walking around the apartment, looking for anything out of place to fix or that needed cleaning.
“You!” Yushiro spat, pointing an accusatory finger at Chachamaru. “You better not leave any of your fur on this couch! I just cleaned it!”
The cat gave a meow in response.
“Yushiro-san, you didn't need to do that.” Taeko said, offering her friend a small smile. She had watched him clean the house top to bottom for the last few hours. At first she tried to join but he just dismissed her offer to help with a wave of his hand.
”Just because you and your mother are going to move, it doesn't mean you get to live in filth until then!” Yushiro complained, throwing himself at the couch next to them. As the silence set in, he was reminded why he kept himself busy during his visits. He had no idea what to say to the teen next to him. It wasn’t like he was good at comforting people.
“Yushiro-san.” Just as he had feared, the girl began a conversation. “ You are still going to visit us at the other house, aren't you?”
“Stupid girl.” Yushiro answered without missing a beat. “I can't just leave you unsupervised. I'm stuck with you.”
The demon was caught off guard when Taeko pulled him into a hug. In normal circumstances he would immediately push her away and scream at her. This time he found himself unable to and instead returned the hug. He decided to accept it just this once. He knew the girl needed it… and maybe he needed that hug too.
With the death of her father, Taeko Kamado became the last blood related descendant of the Kamado family.
It could be maybe just paranoia on his part, Yushiro couldn’t help but feel like a chain of events was just set into motion.
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At seventeen years old, Taeko went to a new high school and met a teenanger with a star birthmark on the back of his neck.