Several nights had passed since the Infinity Train incident. Although countless human lives were saved from the schemes of Enmu and the violence of Akaza due to the brave actions of Rengoku, Eira and Kaze, there was severe inefficiency the situation would cause. The train had flipped onto its side and caused damage to the railway tracks, no trains would be able to pass till the repairs finished. Severe delays, cancellations and reroutes were faced by regular commuters. Multiple newspapers addressed the dire train situation, they blamed the government's incapability to maintain the railways to a certain standard of efficiency. Not a single newspaper mentioned the Demon Slayer Corps or the presence of demons. To the public, the train supposedly flipped over due to 'unexpected corrosion on railways'. A large number of workers were sent to the site of concern only a few hours after the incident itself to repair the lines as soon as possible, as well as remove the flipped-over train. After a shocking two weeks, two weeks of constant delays and complaints, the railways were finally repaired. At a similar time, Kaze's body was healed enough for him to be dismissed from the Butterfly Mansion, after a small farewell from Shinobu, he left.
As he exited the vicinity of the mansion, the sunlight greeted his presence, the clothing Kaze wore absorbed the sunlight and Kaze felt the warmth brush over his skin. Kaze exhaled deeply and spread his arms a little, he enjoyed the feeling of being physically capable again. He softly touched his shoulder, where the scar of Eira's sword strike was left. The scab still itched but Kaze ignored it.
Unlike Eira and Asumi, he didn't leave for a new mission. Instead, he was headed to his hometown, to meet his mother for the first time in two years. At the moment he was seventeen, he had just turned seventeen before the Mount Natagumo mission, where his life was twisted to the side by his encounter with Eira and Asumi. He had left to be a Demon Slayer at 14 years of age. An unofficial one, but a Demon Slayer regardless of officiality. Kaze's eyes looked to the blue sky.
Hours went by. Kaze's eyes glued to the window of the train, as they got closer to his hometown, the greenery was replaced by housing and more frequent stations. He took a deep breath in as the train quietly screeched at his stop. The sun was now dipped to meet the line of the horizon, it was soon to be night. In the more developed areas, the cities such as his home area, activity would dance all night. Kaze's Demon Slayer Corps uniform stood out to the formal wear of all the other people, he stepped off the train and sighed, the active city just as he remembered it. As soon as the world started to dim, bright lights and signs would begin to be put up. The colourful schemes shouted and argued for attention. A complete bombardment to one's senses. Kaze continued to push his way through the densely fit crowd of tourists, people on dates, children with parents and visitors. The occasional car honked, the big black vehicles that spewed filthy smoke from its back. Revolutionary in industrial aspects and guaranteed to expand, in terms of contribution to the atmosphere of cities, Kaze saw them as a hassle. Were trains not efficient enough? Were people so selfish that they needed a transport system for themselves? Perhaps Kaze couldn't understand since he couldn't afford one. Kaze sighed as he remembered the brutal truth, even if he disliked cars, it wasn't like he would even be able to drive one.
Kaze passed the big crowds that gathered around sights that he was familiar with. The 'flame breather' that everyone would cheer on, the women who performed the same dance every day. Kaze's eyes didn't bother to go towards the sights that were so saturated in his mind. He remembered when his father took him to the city for the first time after they moved here. It was mesmerising. Then he died. Not even a month after moving to the city, he died.
Kaze's father was a martial artist, he saw immense potential in the city. He opened a dojo in the city. His business wasn't at all slow, it thrived. Then he died. Thirteen-year-old Kaze insisted to his mother that he could run the dojo but his mother sold the dojo. The dojo sold well to a karate master.
Kaze continued walking, the more he walked the more dim it became, he left the bright lights behind. This was the harsh truth of these developed cities, they had less developed outskirts. All the money was injected into the tourist attractions, instead of the residential areas that surrounded the city. The first couple of kilometres of houses were nice, they belonged to those who owned businesses in the city. With tall bamboo fences, the houses were large and had a series of figures on the roof. For some reason, every house would have a tree planted in the extra space they had. Kaze always looked and stared, wondering, if his father was still alive, would their family live in these houses?
The night's cold wind rustled the dry leaves on the ground as Kaze continued to pass the lavish houses. He could see the more realistic areas, where he lived. In the monochrome and neglected areas, housing was cheap and there were several apartments. Streetlights were rare, but it wasn't completely dark. As soon as Kaze stepped into these areas, he could feel the difference.
Kaze's dark hair seemed to only get darker as he stepped into the lifeless town, everyone slept early. The wide streets were empty, with no activity, in contrast to the lively city just a couple of kilometres away, it was depressing. The cheers, fireworks and sound of the city's excitement, the remnants could be found here.
The clouds seemed to only linger over these parts of the city. Kaze's eyes were caught by a small boy who sat on a football by himself. Kaze felt empathy, he saw a part of him reflected in that boy.
"Hey. What are you doing out here so late?" Kaze smiled and put on the brightest personality he could fish out of his soul. "It's dangerous, you know. Demons come out at night."
The boy just stared at Kaze, empty. His eyes were eyes of pain. Kaze could see the spine bones that poked out through the grey rag the boy wore. It was a depressing sight.
"Demons wouldn't come here. Demons like flesh, there's no one with flesh here. Just bones" The kid rolled backwards while saying just a depressing statement with a straight face. Kaze gulped as he continued to smile.
"You want to play football?" Kaze took his sword off his waist and placed it to the side.
"No, it makes me tired. And being tired makes me hungry. And I can't be hungry." The kid bluntly spoke. Kaze's heart pounded at the words. Kaze sighed and his smile finally faded, the town had only gotten worse, at least when he was here, the town kids still played.
Kaze dug in his pockets, he had a few cash notes. Kaze kneeled to meet the boy.
"Tomorrow take all your friends and get them some food from the food stalls in the city ok?" Kaze extended his hands, the notes in his palm.
The boy's eyes seemed to light up, but a deep hesitance still expressed itself by the blush on his face.
"I'm not homeless. I don't need any money." The boy turned away, "my mum told me that people only give money when they pity, or on birthdays."
Kaze's eyes lowered to the ground, he hated to see children forced to mature so early.
"I wasn't invited to your birthday was I? It's a birthday present. A late one." Kaze tapped at the boy's shoulder. This was the only statement the boy needed to hear, he gratefully took the money and had a smile so bright that Kaze immediately felt as if it was worth it.
"Alright. Go ahead to your mum. I also need to meet my mum." Kaze patted the boy on his back and grinned. The boy joyfully ran away, in one hand his football, and in the other the notes Kaze gave him. Kaze took a deep breath in, he grabbed the emerald sword off the ground and turned to the left. So many old memories sparked as he walked. His father walked him down this exact road every night, every night they'd come back from the dojo. As Kaze got older, the songs his father sang transitioned to questions such as "What do you want to do when you're older?" Kaze still remembered the awkwardness of the situation, he was only twelve and being asked what he wanted to do. The night sky accompanied Kaze just as it did for so many years.
As uncomfortable and awkward as those conversations may have been, Kaze held them dear to his heart. His father would always try to apply his knowledge of martial arts to life lessons. His father once said.
"Kaze… In a fight, you need to know where to stand. And I'm not talking about your stance or pose. I'm talking about your reason and motivation. Too many people these days fight without reason. A true fighter only fights when he needs to. Only fight when you have a reason. You need to know where you stand. If you don't know where to stand, how will you give it your all? The boy you sparred with today, he was confused. He didn't know where to stand. Confusion makes fighting hard. That's the thing about the Motion of the Shadow, precision and power only comes from a full awareness of what you have to do. From knowing where you stand."
Kaze took a deep breath as his hand turned a doorknob into a dark apartment complex, a leak dripped water on a single stair step. The eerie feeling intensified as Kaze stared upwards at the dark spiral-like pattern that the staircase formed.
Kaze slowly walked up the stairs till he reached his Mum's apartment, number 634. Kaze knocked three times.
The door slowly creaked open, the person who opened it was none other than his mother's caretaker. Kaze's face erupted with a smile as the caretaker yelped as she recognised Kaze, she wrapped her arms around him, she looked so frail yet had such a tight grip.
Kaze's eyes were glued onto his mother. Bed-ridden, she had been sick ever since Kaze's father died. Has she gotten paler? Skinnier? His heart hurt to look at her.
"Mum, I'm home." Kaze quietly spoke.