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The residents of the Butterfly Mansion were alerted to the sound of a cart accompanied by heavy footsteps approaching the household. Shinobu and the other girls raced towards the front door and opened it up to see the Doom Slayer marching up to the door while dragging a large assortment of supplies on his cart. The girls were fascinated by the Hellwalker's haul but were caught off guard once they heard the Hellwalker speak to Shinobu, "Are you a doctor?" His deep, partially gravelly voice intimidated the girls but the Hashira cleared her throat as she confirmed that she was a doctor. "Good, I'll need your help." The Slayer reached inside the cart to pull out a mechanical arm made out of the nichirin he and Sagetsu had stocked up on. The woman was able to pick up on the Slayer's intention and retreated into her household to grab her medical supplies. The other girls were in awe of what they were seeing as the warrior pulled out an additional pair of robotic legs and several tools. He had difficulty carrying everything and tried finding the best way to carry the most stuff without making anything fall. He nearly contemplated just picking up the entire cart and hauling it inside.
However, after fiddling with the supplies, he glared at the girls who immediately got the message and rushed over to aid the man and began taking supplies out of the cart. They were very unfamiliar with the technology in their hands as he even took his entire workbench with him as well. That was going to be the last thing they put up, they had to get everything else needed for the following procedure, first.
Tanjiro could hear the ruckus outside which made his curiosity grow by the second. He heard the distinct, heavy stomps of the Doom Slayer approaching the door which filled him with excitement as he anticipated seeing the man walk through the doors. As expected, the warrior slammed the doors open and marched towards Tanjiro while carrying a plethora of strange tools. Without a care, the warrior dropped the tools on the bed next to Tanjiro's and made the sheets filthy with the equipment. Tanjiro lifted his head up to inspect the tools as he questioned, "Mister Flint, what's going on? What's with all those things?"
The warrior lifted up the metallic left arm for Tanjiro and showed it to him without saying a word. Tanjiro's eyes widened as he wondered if it was his new arm and asked for clarification. The warrior confirmed the identity of the prosthetics while placing them down and sorting out the equipment by category and purpose. The other girls of the mansion placed the rest on the bed as the Slayer continued sorting it out. As Kanao placed her load on the bed, she mustered up the courage to ask the Slayer:
"Mister Hellwalker.. Will Tanjiro be able to move again?" The man answered with a dismissive "mhm" as he finished up his work. The girl smiled and sighed out of relief as she told him, "Thank you very much. This means so much to him, thank you." The Slayer looked at her briefly and was quickly able to discern her affection for Tanjiro with a simple glance. Her expression showed everything but that didn't matter to him.
Shinobu walked into the room with her medical equipment before taking off her haori and putting on a pair of gloves as she prepared for the procedure. Tanjiro had never seen the woman without her haori before so the situation struck him as odd which compelled him to ask, "So, how is this supposed to work?"
The Hellwalker began forcing off his gauntlet which generated a slight popping sound as all the condensed air inside his gauntlets was finally released before he answered the boy, "We'll have to put you under for a little bit. You could try without anesthetic but I wouldn't recommend it."
Shinobu decided to elaborate in a softer tone, "Basically, Tanjiro, we're going to force you to sleep for a little bit and during that time, you'll be numb enough so you don't feel what happens to your body. For you, you'll close your eyes and you'll wake up with new limbs. Easy peasy."
Tanjiro was somewhat horrified by the thought of being forced into a sleep and being unable to feel anything. It wasn't a concept he could imagine as he asked, "Are you sure?"
Shinobu could understand the boy's concerns so she put on her most cheerful expression to help the boy calm down before she answered, "Trust me, Tanjiro, you'll be fine."
"I know I will be. If Mister Flint is here, I have nothing to worry about." Shinobu got a slight chuckle out of Tanjiro's comment which the Slayer paid no mind to as he inserted his own set of gloves to perform the procedure with. It wasn't long before the Hashira was injecting needles into the boy to begin numbing his body. He winced every time a needle slid into his body. It didn't take long for the anesthetic to kick in and his eyelids began to feel heavy. He tried his best to keep them open but it was a futile effort. He kept his eyes on Kanao the entire time as she watched from the back, beads of sweat on her forehead as she clasped her hands together. He smiled at her innocence and allowed himself to sleep.
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Tanjiro's eyes cracked open and immediately, he could feel a difference in his body. He felt a harsh, cold substance pressing up on his body where his missing limbs were. His eyes fully opened up as he raised his arms so he could see them. He was astonished by the sight of his organic right arm raised next to his new, metallic, left arm. The boy nearly cried upon seeing he had regained his ability to move as he closed up his fists and heard the metallic clicks and grinds of his fist closing up. He heard something being tinkered with next to him which drew Tanjiro's , he could see the Doom Slayer sitting on the bed next to his, putting together a strange contraption in his hand. The warrior barely lifted his head up as he took notice of Tanjiro's awakening and put the strange contraption down as he stood up. Kanao and Nezuko got up as well as they circled around Tanjiro's bed, excited to see him awake and eager to see his reaction to his new limbs.
Tanjiro slowly sat up, resting his weight on his left arm to test how much of his body weight it could handle before quickly distributing the weight equally across both arms. There, he got to see his new, robotic legs that extended from his body. He adjusted himself to the edge of the bed where his forelegs slid off and slapped against the side of the bed. The Slayer's parental instinct kicked in as he scurried to the other side of the bed and eased Tanjiro off the bed as he slowly shifted the weight onto his legs. Everyone watched in awe as the boy took his first steps with his arm around the Slayer for support. He slowly raised his new leg, an effort that took more effort than he anticipated, before putting it down in front of him. He repeated this process for the next leg as he and the Slayer took several, slow steps forwards. Tanjiro had a large grin on his face as he was excited about being able to move again. The warrior stepped back, allowing Tanjiro to balance on his own. After swinging around in place for several seconds, the boy was able to correct his posture and stand straight.
The Slayer challenged Tanjiro to try walking forward by himself, a challenge the boy gladly accepted. However, he was not as prepared as he thought he would be as he immediately fell forward with no control. Kanao caught Tanjiro before he could hit the ground, which disappointed the warrior, not because he wanted to see Tanjiro hurt but he didn't want Tanjiro to get any help. The two teenagers looked towards each other before blushing as Tanjiro told the girl, "Thanks, Kanao." The girl mumbled her response due to being unsure of what to say to the boy.
The Slayer informed Kanao, "Don't help him, he needs to figure this out on his own." after crossing his arms. Kanao looked towards the floor in shame but Tanjiro gave her an assuring nod. She helped the boy stand back up before taking her leave, apologizing to the Doom Slayer before rushing out the door. Tanjiro watched as she left, baffled by why she seemed so embarrassed or was in a hurry to leave. Tanjiro turned towards Nezuko before asking her:
"Hey, Nezuko, could you check on Kanao for me real quick?" Nezuko pouted before getting up and leaving the room. The Slayer kept his eyes on Tanjiro as the boy tumbled forward and struggled to pick himself back up. It was an egregious effort but Tanjiro was able to stand up after several attempts and tried taking another step. As he began falling forward, he forced his other foot forward. He began leaning forward quickly which made him take several, frantic steps until he slammed into the wall and slid down it. Despite this, the warrior did not move from his position as he kept his eyes on Tanjiro.
The boy sat on his knees for a brief moment as he looked at his arm and smirked. The fact that he was able to move around again was a good sign for him. It wouldn't be long until he'd be ready for combat once more and he can continue helping Nezuko.
"Again." The Slayer ordered, which made Tanjiro scramble to his feet. It was much easier the second time now that he figured out how to do it from his first attempt. As Tanjiro practiced on walking, he began telling the Slayer:
"Thank you so much for this, Mister Flint. With this, I'll finally be able to fight again!"
"Not so fast." Tanjiro stopped after taking a step forward and looking towards the Slayer. "You might be able to move again but you are in no condition to fight. You'll be able to get by and perform basic tasks but those prosthetics are not suited for combat in any capacity." The emotion drained out of Tanjiro's face as his hopes and dreams were shattered right before him. He began pleading:
"So, I can't fight like this? I'm sure I just need more practice, right? I just have to get the hang of-"
The Slayer cut in with a harsher and more cold tone, "No, as in you can't fight as you are. Period." Tanjiro blinked several times in silence before looking to the ground in distraught and taking a seat. Nothing's changed, then. The only reason Tanjiro was excited by this was the idea that he'd be able to fight again but if that's not an option, then he needs to figure out something else. The Slayer could read the boy's distress and spoke up, "Sorry, kid, this was the best I can do with my limited resources."
Tanjiro sighed and remembered Kanao's response from earlier and how excited she was on Tanjiro's behalf. He muttered to himself, "I bet Kanao would be disappointed too…" He began pondering on his feelings for her once more and took note of her strange behaviour around him and what Zenitsu told him before. He asked for the warrior to sit next to him which the man hesitantly did. The boy asked the Slayer, "Mister Flint, what's it like to be in a relationship?"
The Hellwalker knew exactly why Tanjiro was asking and responded, "Let me guess, it's about that girl?" Tanjiro's face flared up as he questioned:
"How did you know?!"
"Kid, as someone who's had a wife and a daughter, I know what love looks like when I see it." Tanjiro felt clumsy in that moment as he remembered that detail about the Doom Slayer and apologized for his naivety. "To answer your question, I only remember bits and pieces of my time with my family. I mostly remember the pain I felt once I lost them. However, the time I spent with them was perhaps the best time of my life. They made me forget about my stress, they made me fight for something more. I was never one for love but when I met my wife at the club one night, something changed in my mind. Love can do that to you. So, my advice: don't hold it in. It'll start to hurt you the longer you keep your feelings bottled up." The warrior placed his hand on Tanjiro's shoulder before standing up and picking up the strange contraption he was working on before. Tanjiro was lost in thought, processing the Hellwalker's words but stopped once he saw the device and asked the warrior:
"What is that thing, Mister Flint?"
"A beacon for my world. Although, I am missing a few parts to make it work, the materials here won't cut it so I'll try to see what I can do to make this function." Tanjiro let out a disappointed "Oh". He was disappointed for several reasons: he was upset that the device wasn't functioning but he was also upset at the idea of the Hellwalker leaving. He understood why, but he wished he could spend more time with the Hellwalker, he was the closest thing the boy had to a father-figure at this point.
The Slayer looked at Tanjiro for a brief period before declaring, "Break time's over, get moving." The boy was at attention once more as he got up to continue adjusting to his new limbs.
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Kanao sat in the garden, taking in its beauty as she sat in silence. This was a comfort spot for her which she frequented, she couldn't identify why she felt safe in the garden but it was where she went to empty her mind in most cases. Nezuko walked up to Kanao and took a seat next to her, surprising Kanao who was not expecting Nezuko of all people to check up on her. Kanao looked away for a brief second before asking Nezuko, "Do- do you think Tanjiro loves me?" The demon gave the butterfly girl a blank stare before reaching around her head to untie her gag and release her jaw. Kanao was shocked by this act as she asked the girl, "Why'd you take off your gag?"
Nezuko responded, "I can't answer if I have my gag on. Besides, we're talking about my brother so that means this is worth taking off my gag for. I'll only do this if it's something important." Kanao registered the demon's response and eagerly awaited the response she was waiting to hear. The anticipation made her blush as she got anxious waiting for the answer. Nezuko exploded with excitement as she answered, "YES! I knew you liked him! Thank you for telling me, that makes me so happy now!" Kanao's mind shut down in response as she was flabbergasted by Nezuko's response and let out a "huh?" in response. "I've wanted Tanjiro to forget about all this fighting and settle down. Sure, I'm happy that he's thinking of me but I want him to be happy too! Thank you, just thank you! You're the perfect girl for him! I've been dying for one of you to make the move on each other! Quick, I should tell Tanjiro right now and get things started!" Nezuko got up but Kanao forcefully grabbed Nezuko's wrist, stopping her as she cried out:
"D-don't! I mean.. Are you sure he feels that way about me?" Nezuko was visibility annoyed with the girl's ignorance as she explained:
"I'm pretty sure he likes you. There's no way he doesn't, I know my brother better than anyone else and if I like you, he'll like you too!" Kanao wasn't satisfied with that answer as she rejected:
"Tanjiro said that the only person he loved was you." The girl paused before realizing what she was saying and mumbled to herself, "Nevermind, what am I doing? I already got his answer before, there's no point in me asking…" Nezuko facepalmed herself before angrily storming away due to annoyance. Kanao could only help but feel bad for wasting Nezuko's time.
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Shinobu was in her room, reading through the flyer she received and investigating its contents. Her room was only lit by a single candle, enough for her to read the flyer. It was getting close to night and Shinobu was getting prepared to head out. She memorized the location mentioned in the flyer to the point the words were engraved into her psyquie. Her expression wasn't one of anticipation but of concern and anxiety. She wasn't sure what she was about to get herself into but whatever it was, she needed to be prepared. She got up from her seat and tucked the flyer underneath the romance novel Kanae used to read to her. She sighed, taking a good look at her room filled to the brim with memories of her youth. The Hashira felt content with herself as she quietly slid the doors to her room open and looked out into the hallway.
There, she could see Kanao at one end of the hallway, peeking into the infirmary but remaining hidden behind the door. Shinobu quietly called out to her sister who jumped when she heard her sister's voice. She was not expecting anyone else up this late but she quietly tip-toed over to her older sister. Shinobu asked, "Were you checking up on Tanjiro?"
The girl nodded before speaking up to her sister, her voice shaky as she said, "Sister.. I don't know what to do. I love Tanjiro but the only one he loves is his sister. I can't stop thinking about him but I know I shouldn't, he doesn't love me. I don't know what I'm supposed to do." Shinobu felt sympathetic for her naive younger sister. This was the first time Kanao was feeling these emotions so it's only natural she isn't aware of what to do with herself. The Hashira pulled her sister into an embrace as the younger sibling sobbed.
"Kanao, I can't tell you what you need to do. That's for you to figure out but no matter what, I still love you. I'll always be with you no matter what." Kanao's tears spilled onto Kanae's haori but this didn't bother Shinobu. She wanted to make sure her younger sister was sound asleep and satisfied.
"I don't know what I would do without you, sister…" Kanao muttered. The statement tugged at Shinobu's heartstrings, making her wince in response as she hugged Kanao even tighter. She walked the young girl back to her room and waited for her to fall soundly asleep. As Shinobu closed the doors to Kanao's room, she couldn't help but feel an immense pain in her chest, she didn't know why she was aching this much. She looked around the quiet mansion lit up by the moon and shed a single tear. She could only pray that she makes it to see her family grow up, tomorrow was not guaranteed for those in the Demon Slayer Corps. Shinobu wiped away her tear and took off from her mansion towards the location of the cult where she suspected her sister's killer was.