Heavy TW: very detailed murder and child abuse. Proceed with caution.

MUZAN POV

"It has been years and you tell me that my wife is still missing?!" I roared with anger as my demons cowered before me.

"Y-Yes, but we-"

"Silence." I spat. "What makes it worse is that my sons have been separated because you incompetent demons have allowed them to escape-though I have gotten Michikatsu back."

The demons all stopped and stared at my young boy walked towards me, fear in his step that he tried to hide.

I took his hands and showed him a mirror, my voice getting soft. "Look."

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"What do you see?" I asked my son who only looked at me with confusion.

"Me?"

"Look closer. I see the future leader of the demons and humans." I allowed him to hold the mirror by himself, patting his head. "You will rule humanity and demonkind into a new era, my boy."

Michikatsu tilted his head in confusion after handing back the mirror. "What about Yoriichi?"

My fond smile instantly vanished. "Your brother could not stand the sight of what I did to Kamado Kaito and Irene."

Flashback to a day ago, Yoriichi POV

It was another day in the mountains, rain falling.

But today was slightly different.

It was Michikatsu and my 7th birthday.

"Let's go," Uncle Kaito said as he beckoned me to go with him and Michikatsu to retrieve coal to sell in town.

I shook my head, wanting to be near my aunt and her newborn son, Sumiyoshi.

"Go without me. I want to help take care of Sumiyoshi."

"But-"

Irene smiled and patted my head. "That would be appreciated. You can help me start preparing food for the winter season storage as well as minding Sumiyoshi."

"That's fine then."

The two adults kissed each other goodbye, me turning back to Sumiyoshi.

"Yoriichi, once you put him down for a nap, I need you to help me knead this dough."

I did as I was asked and had a pleasant time making food with my aunt, her giving me fond looks as we messed around with the ingredients.

As the sun went down, I began to worry as Kaito and Michikatsu should've been back an hour ago.

"Maybe they stopped to get some more firewood?" Irene reasoned even though I could see she was doubtful.

Nothing could've prepared me for the truth which was far more brutal.

At 7:18pm, I smelled it before I saw it.

Blood.

At the same time, Kaito broke the door open, blood all over him and his eyes crazy.

Irene immediately pushed me into a small closet that had an opening to the back of the house.

"RUN! THEY'RE-"

Before he could finish his sentence, I saw my father appear from the small hole in the door.

"Oh, Kaito...how cruel of you to wreck the home with your blood."

My father grabbed Kaito and snapped his arm, a demon with him eating the carnage with greed, splitting Kaito's stomach open and eating him from the inside as my uncle's screams got louder.

Irene looked at my father but spoke to me in a quiet voice as she backed against the closet where I was hidden. "Yoriichi. Go get Sumiyoshi. Run."

"But what about you!" I whispered, clutching the bamboo flute Michikatsu gave me.

"I've lived my life so far, dear one. You must live! You, Sumiyoshi, and Michikatsu. Don't you dare lose yourselves." Irene's voice trembled as the screams of her husband echoed through their home.

I took a deep breath and ran to the nursery where Sumiyoshi was crying loudly. I scooped him up and ran for my life, not looking back.

I'm so sorry.

We reached the riverbank and I nearly fell over as I stopped in my tracks.

There in the rain was my brother, his hands bloody as well as his chin.

As if he smeared the blood of Uncle Kaito on his face intentionally.

"Michikatsu..."

"Why are you running, Yoriichi?" My brother tilted his head sideways. "Don't you understand this is our legacy?"

"No, it's not. Why aren't you running?"

"Why would I ever run away like a coward, brother?" Michikatsu looked at me with crazy eyes. "Do you want to know how he died?"

I shook my head, unable to believe my gentle brother was capable of such a thing.

"No...you didn't!"

"I did." Michikatsu spread his arms out, throwing his back. "For as long as I can remember, you've always been the favorite one! Only our father favors me! He sees my potential. I'm not afraid of anything."

"Oh Michikatsu..." I shook my head, holding a crying Sumiyoshi close to me. "You felt like no one loved you. You are so wrong."

He shook his head, slight emotion in his eyes. "You're the one who is in denial! Our mother abandoned us three years ago! And we're orphans! Unloved. The only reason why they took us in is because our mother and Tsukiguni Ichiro were friends. They felt they owed a debt to our mother."

"But not our father." Michikatsu put his hand on his face, smearing more blood on it. "He loves us. He's been searching for us for so long, brother. Come with us."

I looked down at Sumiyoshi who seemed to have calmed down despite the rain. "I can't."

Michikatsu's smile vanished. "What do you mean you can't? Don't you understand?! We're the sons of the demon king! No human will ever accept us!"

"No. That's not true-"

"It is. You saw the way Irene was."

"Michikatsu, a demon started eating Uncle Kaito alive. Who wouldn't be horrified."

"Simple things like that don't matter. I've been in contact with Father for about a year now." Michikatsu looked at me with a sort of demeaning aura. "He's seen how insufferably weak you are but with a little guidance, he believes you and I will rule."

"With what rights? You do realize-"

"Yoriichi, we're the sons of Muzan. He isn't going to rule forever. He said you and I would rule over the demons and humans in a new era-"

"A new era of carnage and endless suffering." I couldn't look at my brother anymore. "Move out of the way, Michikatsu. I'm not coming."

He gritted his teeth. "You have to! He expects us both! He's the only one who cares about us!"

I shook my head sadly. "That isn't true, brother. You've been brainwashed by his lies. I'm sorry you blame everything on Mother, but it isn't her fault. She left us to protect us."

"Yeah, well look where it's gotten us!"

"So you admit it! Brother, you must see! She loved us very much and didn't want to put us in danger when she became a demon!" I tried to reason with him.

At his silence, I knew I had won the argument.

"Come on. Let's get out of here before Father and that demon come back!"

"That demon has a name." Michikatsu said quite sharply. "Akaza. He's newly turned."

Instead of following me, Michikatsu looked away.

"Run."

"Huh!? Come with me!"

"No. I'm letting you live, brother. Live a long and happy life," Michikatsu said. "Because someday we will meet once more and I will kill you."

I moved Sumiyoshi to my other arm and wiped away the tears that fell from my eyes.

"Michikatsu, you must come with me! I can-"

"Just go!"

There was a howling noise and I jumped to the other side of the river quickly, looking back with grief.

Michikatsu stared back at me and the bamboo flute at my side where I always kept it.

"Goodbye, brother."

And he ran off back to the house, blood staining the ground that got swept away by the rain.

Back to current day, Muzan POV

"You will grow strong," I said to my son. "I am sending you back to your brother and you will report back to me every full moon."

"Why?! Why can't I stay with you?"

"I need a spy," I said. "I know Yoriichi is heading towards a secret village deep in the mountains. There have been reports of Doma, Upper Rank 6, with a woman that isn't a demon I know of. I suspect it's your mother."

"That woman is not my mother-"

I simply laughed. "Oh, you don't understand. Her human emotions made her leave you two. All because she wanted to protect you from me."

"What a foolish woman. Now go. You must act like you were under a spell. I will be watching from afar, my son." I leaned down and pressed my forehead to his. "Good luck."

As soon as Akaza left with him, I turned to the rest of my ranks, the smile disappearing from my face.

"Foolish boy. He is but a pawn in my game." I walked to the fireplace where a huge family portrait of me with (y/n) and our sons lay. "They're all fools."

"Master?"

I grabbed the picture and tore it off, throwing it somewhere in the room. "Archive that. I want no more reminders of that time. From this point on, let the hunt begin for my beloved wife."

I stopped before leaving. "Oh, and call my other children. I believe they're going to be eager to tear apart my wife."

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