The estate has been quiet for the last few days. After that chaos of moving in, feasts, and celebrations things had calmed down. With some breathing room I had enough time to really think. I had just proposed to Mitsuri.
Normally I'd be worried about moving fast, but I knew her and I knew myself. Spending my life with her was something I was completely alright with.
Not to mention the demon threat and the upcoming wars. Both world wars could be easily prevented with the amount of power I held, but they also significantly contributed to the advancement of technology.
That didn't mean I wouldn't interfere. I'm a logical person, not a stick in the mud. Muzan was gonna die once I caught him again. I wasn't going to let him get away again.
For the sake of my future family, I would make sure that Muzan was deader than dead.
I leaned back against the veranda watching Mitsuri shift a decorative plate around. Her tongue was cutely poking out of the side of her mouth as she tried to find the perfect spot for her special sakuramochi plate.
"You've moved that thing like five times in the last 1o minutes."
She puffed out her cheeks, "It has to feel right, Satoru-kun… it's important!"
I smirked, "Yeah, because obviously the fate of the world hinges on how your snack plate resonates with the room."
She swatted at me, her pout melted into a giggle. For a moment you could forget that the world was crawling with demons and potential curses. Just me, and her… and the quiet warmth of our home.
She sat down next to me, her head resting on my shoulder. She spoke in a soft voice.
"Satoru-kun… about the wedding. We shouldn't rush it. We still need to tell my parents… and- there's still the annual Hashira training camp."
I tilted my head towards her, "So what you're saying is… you don't want to marry me right away?"
She frantically waved her hands in front of her and covered her cheeks. "N- No! That's not what I meant!" She grabbed my sleeve like she was afraid I'd float away, "I just want it to be perfect."
I let her stew for a moment, then chuckled. "Relax, Mitsuri-chan… I agree, I want your big day to be perfect. Let's tell your parents first, then we can wait until the training camp ends before we start planning our wedding."
Waiting until the Hashira training camp ended, would give us a little over five months to prepare. She pouted at me again, then smiled so brightly that it could have lit up half of Kyoto.
"Okay… after camp."
[Scene Break]
Two days later, Mitsuri finally worked up the nerve to go visit her family to tell them about our engagement. She had practically shed all her embarrassment and was dragging me along on the dirt path with a glowing smile on her face.
We stepped through the gate, and were greeted by all of her siblings leaping at her and pulling her into a hug. I bowed respectfully to Ayame and Kaname.
"Tousan, Kaasan…" I grinned, Ayame smiled behind her hand. Kaname seemed to put something together. "We have news."
Mitsuri separated herself from her siblings. Still smiling brightly, she stood next to me and grabbed my hand.
"Kaasan, Tousan… we're getting married."
'Huh… no build up, she just came right out and said it…'
"Ara ara…" Ayame chuckled behind her hand.
Kaname nodded, "We figured it was only a matter of time."
"Neesan! You're getting married?!" Haruko tugged at Mitsuri's sleeve.
As her siblings and mother dragged her away, I was left with Kaname. We stood awkwardly in the courtyard for a beat before either of us spoke.
"So…" I muttered.
"I can see that you care for my daughter…" Kaname started, "she clearly cares for you too. So you better take care of her alright?"
'There it is… the "dad threatens daughter's boyfriend" trope… took it long enough to pop up.'
"Obviously… she means the world to me," I crossed my arms, "I'd set this world on fire if anyone so much as hurt her."
"Good…" He smiled, dropping the serious look on his face, "let's go have some tea, we can talk about the dowry there and maybe discuss a few things before you take my daughters hand."
I followed him back to the house.
Later that evening, while Mitsuri sat laughing with siblings, I slipped outside. The countryside was calm, lanterns glowing faintly in the distance. But an uneasy weight settled in my chest.
I looked up at the night sky, thousands of stars visible due to the lack of light pollution. Half a year until the wedding, half a year to get shit done.
My mind drifted back to the obstacles left in my path before I could really say that I could enjoy life with Mitsuri. With the death of nearly all his Kizuki. Muzan was bound to get desperate.
He wasn't a threat to me, but he could still harm the people I had grown to care for. I needed to find a way to get into the Infinite Castle soon.
Then there was the Great War, preventing it was easy. The historic ripples and changes to history would be drastic though. The war had to happen, it didn't have to last as long, but some evils were necessary for the world to move forward.
Without the war technology and healthcare would never move forward. It was the push that modernised the world. Without it, development would be painfully slow.
World War 2 though… that was preventable. There would still be changes to the world no doubt, but it would mostly be for the better.
I sighed and sat down on a bench by the koi pond. I clenched my fist and stared at my hand.
'With this strength I'll make sure no one suffers… except maybe Muzan, fuck that guy.'
[Scene Break] (POV Shift)
Far away in the dimension known as the Infinite Castle, created by Nakime's Blood Demon Arts. Muzan sat on a lush couch. His emotions were anything but stable.
He had suffered too many losses, too many embarrassing defeats at the hands of the Demon Slayer Corps.
The Lower Moons were all dead, either killed by the Slayers or by his own hands in the frustration of their incompetence.
Before him stood the last three Upper Moons. Kokoshibo, Gyokko, and Daki with her brother hidden in her shadow.
They stood impassively as he thought about how to proceed.
'That damn Hashira…' Muzan grit his teeth as he thought about that white haired brat that nearly killed him with a single kick.
That kick had launched him hundreds of meters away, he had also felt something inside him break. After that he had tried countless times to get rid of that Hashira. From ambushes to trying to capture his loved ones. That shameless woman with the pink and green hair.
It all failed again and again, but now, a new opportunity had prevented itself.
"Daki… come here." He caked out.
Daki stepped forward irreverently, bowing low in worship to him.
"I have a task for you and your brother…" he looked at her, masking his disgust for her obsession with beauty and shameless outfit, "…you'll work along side a traitor to the Demon Slayer Corps. Use the in the possesses to your advantage in this task."
A look of disgust briefly morphs Daki's face before she schools her expression.
"It shall be done My Lord." She vanished through a door that appeared beneath her.
Muzan didn't acknowledge her, he turned to Gyokko. "You… Nakime has found traces of a certain village. See if you can find a way to locate it and infiltrate it."
Gyokko bowed low and vanished as Nakime strummed her Biwa again.
Kokoshibo was all that was left, Muzan hated him the most. The strongest of the Twelve Kizuki, the brother to the man that had nearly struck him down centuries ago. He couldn't quite give him orders like the other Kizuki. Instead he gave him suggestions, subtly nudging him to a certain direction.
"I have heard that a certain descendant of yours has appeared. They will likely be with the others that appear in that village?"
Kokoshibo did not answer, he simply glanced at Nakime who strummed her instrument again. Kokoshibo vanished.