"So much dust, it's time to clean up." Pushing open the door, the dim room was filled with the smell of old things. He placed the wooden box from his back onto the floor.
"Yoizumi-nii, Nezuko can come out now."
Yoizumi crawled out of the wooden box and landed on the ground. The patient's gown he wore had been replaced by clothes Shinobu sent before he left. His pure white kimono with a black obi created a stark contrast with the dark room.
There were even dried bloodstains on the floor. Yoizumi reached out and gently caressed the blood-stained wall. This was the blood of his family.
He pursed his lips, an extremely complex emotion occupying his heart.
Bitterness, sadness.
"Yoizumi-nii…"
Tanjirou gently tugged his brother's sleeve. After many years, he had returned to the home that once made him so happy. Now, only loneliness remained.
"Let's clean the house together."
"Nezuko, come help too."
After returning home, Nezuko's spirits were high. She ran around the house, holding two strangely shaped pinecones in her hands, and ran to her two brothers, raising her small hands to show them, urging them to look.
"What is this…" Tanjirou reached out, took them, and examined them carefully. He suddenly looked up and handed the pinecones to Yoizumi.
"Yoizumi-nii, these are the pinecones you gave Takeo before~"
"So he still kept them."
Gazing at the pinecones in his hand, even after so long, they were still intact, clearly cherished by someone. Yoizumi's eyelashes trembled; he seemed to still hear that awkward child calling him.
"Yo-nii!"
He carefully put them away, found a container, and placed them on the entrance cabinet. Although he had no memory of this place, he clearly knew its layout. The beautiful dream he had on the Infinity Train was so real.
So real that he thought he could push open this door and see Mao and Hanako playing freely around the round table. The reality was that the table was covered in a thick layer of dust.
"Yoizumi-nii, could I trouble you to clean the room?" Tanjirou brought over a bamboo broom. Yoizumi reached out and took it.
"Mmm!" Nezuko held small hats folded from paper and asked her brothers to lower their heads. Tanjirou and Yoizumi cooperatively squatted down. Nezuko happily placed the hats on her two brothers' heads.
"Mmm~"
"This way, dust won't get into our hair. Nezuko is so smart." Tanjirou smiled and patted his sister's proud little head.
"Then let's start cleaning!"
"Oh!"
"Mmm!"
(Stare) x2
Feeling his younger siblings' gazes, Yoizumi raised the broom in his hand.
"Mm."
...That should be enough. The house was mostly clean. Yoizumi walked around the room. Passing a doorframe, he saw many etchings on it. He stopped, his fingers sliding over the marks.
Suddenly, Takeo's voice appeared in his mind.
"One day, I'll be taller than Yo-nii!"
Taller than me, huh… He raised his hand to a spot even higher than his own height, pressed his fingertip firmly, leaving a mark.
That must be how tall Takeo would have been when he grew up.
"Yoizumi-nii, is the room cleaned?" Tanjirou walked over, seeing Yoizumi standing by the doorframe where they used to measure their height as children. He said with a wistful expression,
"It brings back so many memories. I only reached here before." He raised his hand, pointing to one of the etchings, and scratched his head sheepishly.
"Tanjirou, you've grown so much. Let me make another mark for you."
"Okay."
He stood straight against the doorframe. After many years, his growth was once again recorded by his brother.
At night, there were no other people living around the house, only the chirping of birds and insects.
Yoizumi and Nezuko could finally go outside the house. The weeds around the house had been completely pulled out, leaving the bare ground looking spacious.
"Yoizumi-nii, Nezuko, let's go pay our respects to Mother and the others."
Five small earth mounds, yet they buried their family.
"Mother, Takeo, Hanako, Mao, Rokkuta."
"We've brought Yoizumi-nii back to see you all."
"Today, our family is finally all reunited."
"Father must be very happy."
Tanjirou placed senbei in front of the graves. These were the foods his younger siblings loved. For Mother, he offered a bouquet of fresh flowers.
"Do you like them?"
The small flowers on the earth mounds danced joyfully. Tanjirou smiled happily.
"Yes, I like them."
Yoizumi knelt on the ground, his sapphire eyes seemingly veiled with a thin mist. An unspeakable sadness spread through his limbs and bones.
He remembered nothing.
How could such precious memories be forgotten?
He had just understood what family meant, yet the ones who could respond were his departed loved ones.
He still wanted to hear Mother Kie gently call his name.
He still wanted to hear the carefree laughter of his younger siblings.
He wanted to personally experience the scene of a family eating together.
Alas… none of it could be realized.
Uncontrollable tears rolled down his cheeks, followed by more.
Tears dripped to the ground. Yoizumi tried hard to swallow the pain in his throat, but each breath felt like a knife cutting his throat.
"I'm sorry, I came back late…" "Yoizumi-nii… we are still here… we will never be separated." Tanjirou reached out and embraced his brother. This kinship, just found, yet destined to be lost, must be so painful.
It's okay.
It's okay, Yoizumi-nii.
Nezuko and I will always, always be by your side.
Accompanying each other.
Watching Nezuko raise her small hand, wanting to wipe away her brother's tears, Tanjirou thought, at least the rest of us must never be separated.
His vision blurred. Yoizumi held Tanjirou and Nezuko in his arms.
He, who had once eagerly sought to recover his memories, never imagined it would be this painful… The two demons and one human sat around the round table. The table, once crowded, was now empty. A kerosene lamp on the table cast a warm, orange-yellow light that illuminated the entire room.
The departed have passed, but the living must continue to strive to live on.
Even if life is hard and hopeless, it must be lived for the sake of the deceased family members.
Two shadows suddenly fell upon Yoizumi's head. Tanjirou and Nezuko together held a wreath and gently placed it on Yoizumi's head.
"Nezuko and I wove this at noon. It's not very pretty, so please don't dislike it, Yoizumi-nii." Tanjirou said shyly, then smiled as he looked at Yoizumi.
"I forgot to tell you, Yoizumi-nii."
"Welcome home, Yoizumi-nii."
His usually expressionless face instantly bloomed into a gentle smile, and his indifferent voice took on a hint of warmth.
"Mm, I'm home."
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