Empathy

Resentment

   Muzan meandered through the Ubukyashi estate, admiring the splash of stars across the night sky and sipping on a bag of blood that Tamayo had gotten from who-knows-where. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a flash of dark brown hair at a table, and immediately made a beeline for it. Yoriichi looked up as Muzan approached him. "Hey," the sun slayer greeted. 

   "Hi, Yoriichi. What are you doing?" Muzan asked as he sat next to Yoriichi. 

   Yoriichi shrugged. "Nothing really much." he replied. "Just sharpening my sword." 

   Muzan sweatdropped. "Oh, uh, okay." The demon king took a nervous gulp from his blood baggie. "Michikatsu isn't with you?" 

   Yoriichi's face darkened. "We had a fight. He ran off. Not sure where he is now." 

   Muzan nodded, placing a comforting hand on Yoriichi's shoulder. "I'm sorry about that." he said softly. "Should I go talk to him?" When the sun slayer nodded his head in response, Muzan got up, giving a last pat on Yoriichi's head before heading off in search of Michikatsu. 

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   Michikatsu was found exactly where Muzan thought he'd run off to: the training grounds. The moon slayer sat in the corner of the arena, scribbling out angry stars and planets on the ground with a stubby piece of chalk he'd found. "Michikatsu?" Muzan's voice echoed across the empty space, and was met by an irritated grunt from said slayer. 

   Muzan walked over silently, and crouched down beside Michikatsu. "What's wrong?" 

   "Nothing." Michikatsu huffed grumpily, as he colored in a planet. 

   Muzan's brow furrowed. "Are you sure?" he questioned concernedly. 

   "Mm. Sure." Michikatsu continued coloring his planet. 

   Muzan did not budge. "Yoriichi told me you guys fought about something?" 

   Michikatsu waved his hand in the air dismissively. "It's just a silly dispute, it doesn't matter." 

   "From the look on your face, I'd say that it does matter." Muzan noted. "So again, I'll ask: what's wrong?" 

   The moon slayer sighed in frustration, seemingly giving up on keeping things to himself. "I'm jealous, okay?" he exclaimed, crossing his arms. 

   "I see." Muzan mused thoughtfully, and pressed further. "Of?" 

   "Yoriichi." answered Michikatsu flatly.

   Muzan nodded slowly. "Why is that?" 

   "It's just-" Michikatsu paused, trying to find the words to describe his feelings. "He's just so much stronger than me! No matter what I do, he's stronger than me." The user of moon breathing growled. "It's so frustrating!" 

   So that's what it was. 

   Jealousy. 

   A feeling that Muzan hadn't experienced in millenia, but knew all too well as it had consumed his young human life. The demon king explicitly remembered feeling filled with envy at those healthy kids that were able to laugh and play and run and be free, something that he couldn't do at the time. But Muzan also remembered something his mother had always told him: that he should be grateful for what he already had. Muzan wasn't the worst off. Sure, he might be cursed with a debilitating, incurable illness, but he had clean food and water, a roof over his head, and parents. Some kids, his mom told him, had none of these.

   Muzan didn't want Michikatsu to keep feeling this jealousy. It wasn't a nice emotion to harbour, which was why he didn't include it in his Emotion Breathing, as it wouldn't get anyone anywhere. Muzan wanted Michikatsu to get back on good terms with his brother. So, Muzan told Michikatsu the same thing his mother had said, but in words more suited to this context. 

   "Michikatsu, you're already so strong." Muzan told the slayer softly. "You're one of the three most powerful slayers. Sure, Yoriichi may be stronger than you. But look at those who don't even have a breathing style. Look at those who don't know how to fight at all. You're so much more privileged than them. So please, I don't want you to feel jealous anymore." 

   The moon slayer paused for a moment, and the hardened features of his face softened slightly. "I see. I'll try not to be jealous." Michikatsu stated. "But," he continued, "I still want to be stronger." 

   Muzan nodded. "That's alright. If you want, you can join me in my nighttime training sessions. Sparring only with Yoriichi isn't going to help you get stronger. Experience with different types of people and different fighting styles will be what helps you grow. Trust me, this comes from my own experiences." 

   "Alright then. I will join you at nighttime from tomorrow onwards." Michikatsu confirmed, his expression brightening, becoming as clear as the starry night sky above them.  

   Muzan smiled back. A warm, tingling feeling arose in his chest, much like the warmth he felt the first night that he was granted a redo with his life. 

   This was what he wanted. 

   Muzan could feel the warmth course through his body, like a comforting blanket enveloping his being. And he knew now, for certain, as he watched Michikatsu run back to Yoriichi to give his brother a forgiving hug, that he was never going back to his old ways.