Chapter Text
It was just another day, tanjuro went down the mountain selling charcoal, he would then go back up the mountain to his house and meet his beautiful wife and end his day after dinner. But only now it was different. He was finally able to bring his first born child down with him. He was already a only a couple months old and he thought he was ready to see what his daddy did all day, also giving his wife a break from taking care of their child.He knew it was hard for he, taking care of him all by herself while he was working but now he wanted to return the favor and let her have a day by herself,plus he wanted to show tanjiro around, he never really got the chance before but now he would show him how he did his work.
It was known that tanjiro was a cute baby he had a soft face,big eyes, and a wide kind smile, tanjuro thought he would get only some looks or questions having brought the baby down with him but in his case he was wrong.he had month than enough people swarming around him waiting there turn to see the so said beautiful baby being carried around the village. “Oh my goodness,he's so cute!!” one of his more regulated customers was currently fawning over his son while she pinched at his cheeks, she was known to like small children and was most of the villages first choice to babysit kids if they ever needed to. Yet the small child enjoyed the attention he was given. He sat in his fathers arms looking around at all the new faces, he was still too young to really know what was going on, or what exactly everyone was saying but he was old enough to understand only bits of the conversation around him. “Also i would really love some charcoal” tanjuro smiled and pulled some out from his basket and handing it to her “here you go” she gladly took it and reached out and gave him his money
The father thanked her himself but wiggled his arm that his son currently sat on motioning him to do the same. He still hasn't developed much of a voice and could only babble in response but sooner or later he would be able to speak in full sentences. The woman awed in joy having heard his voice, but as time moved on tanjuro made more and more sales as he did most days he was able to talk and see most of the villagers when he worked and quickly became more close to them. Tanjiro sat in his fathers arms glad he was able to come and see such new things, not being able to understand most but in awe of everything around him.
Ending the day by sundown they were able to completely sell out “good days work right kiddo” the father looked down to his son, tanjiro could only respond by smiling. He ruffled his son's hair laughing. As always he headed to the base of the mountain. He would walk up until he got home. It was a straight path up from the middle. He could tell his son was tired so he made way to try and get home as soon as possible, but yet before he could start a quite familiar voice called his name “oh hello there” the man he had responded back to lived in a small house right at the base of the mountain he was nice but firm and it sounded like he was almost in distress “you can’t go the mountain this late,you'll get yourself killed” he shouted out to the father.
“But i have to get back to my wife i can't just stay she’ll be worried sick if i don't return” he had walked closer to the man and house trying to reason with him “but it's not safe, there are demons afoot going out at night is pretty much a death wish” tanjuro was not considered for him and his child, he contemplated staying or going up. Demons seamed to unrealistic to be a thing but paranoia got the best of him “i really can't leave my wife alone not knowing where i am but i really shouldn't put my son in any danger” he thought back and forth about what to do “here leave the kid with me and go check on your wife, it's best if you avoid and kind of danger especially if you have a small kid with you” he really didn't know what the best option was but he took it anyway “fine,fine but please be careful i’ll come tomorrow” he took his son, who still didn't know what was going on he was just staring at his father wondering who this man was. He handed him to the man and finally descended up the mountain thinking of a way to tell his wife why he had to leave their son behind but yet something told him it was best if he avoided any danger that could come their way.
The man took the young boy in his arms and closed the door to his wisteria-covered house, he knew some though he was crazy as many have never seen, or even heard of demons but he knew he used to be a slayer after all. He looked down to see the boy yawning, it was pretty late for someone his age to be up at this time. “Ok so, i guess you should sleep '' He knew he was too young to understand the concept of life and death or how dangerous this in this world could be but he still wanted to see him live his life, avoiding danger.
Now the child was sleeping on a floor mat that he had prepared for him, soon he fell asleep too it was late for him too. Before long it was morning and he had woken up to see tanjiro wide eyed and awake “mk let's get going, your folks are probably missing you” he picked up the baby and headed out, making way for the kamado residents.
It was a pretty snowy day. It wasn't the worst he’d ever seen but he wanted to make haste, he didn't want tanjiro to freeze so he walked as fast as he could. The infant stayed in his arms looking around the mountain seeing how the snow fell around them “snows coming down” he talks to the child almost like he expects him to understand what he's saying.
Closer and closer the two made there way to the house but yet something to the man seemed off,
Very off
He had a terrible feeling in the pit of his gut and then for some reason he smelt it, he knew from his past too well to not be able to identify it.
Blood, and a lot of it
But yet just as he smelt it he could see it, the family almost torn to shreds blood was everywhere
The wall,floor,outside,and on them.
He could now see why he had such a weird feeling, all night, all day he just couldn't put his finger on it but now he saw it with his own eyes.
Tanjiro moved around in his arms now seeing and smelling what was going on, he had no idea on what to think, what he saw was a new sight but he didn't like it, he started to fuss, tears around the brim of his eyes. He felt so odd he wanted to cry, to get to his parents and have them hold him again but his brain isn't developed enough to understand he could only go off on what he saw
His mother and father laying on the floor of his house covered in red, not saying a word and not moving at all.
The man clutched onto the child, fear entered his system overflowing his froze. He didn't know what he could do, what would the child live to be, how will he live on, will he have to be adopted by someone in the village. Why now, why when he's so young, the parents had so much to live for. He remembered how much the two would talk about having a large family, raising many children and caring for them all, but now they were just gone.
He stared at them until he felt a pair of eyes, quikly he wiped his head around to see a long haired woman with a mitch match haori, she had too much of a calm face for the situation. He knew she could see what had happened so why did she look so calm, but it only took a second to realize what the woman was also wearing. She had a demon slayer uniform on, he looked strong but stayed silent for only a little bit of time until she decided it was time to speak up.
“Hello sir” her voice was flat and had almost no emotions in it, the man holding the child was still trying to find his voice but he did respond to the slayer “ H-HI YOUR A SLAYER RIGHT? PLEASE HELP THEY WERE KILLED BY A DEMON, PLEASE HELP” the man was yelling by this point he still didn't know how he could process this, tanjiro still fussed in his arms. Giyu looked over to the boy “is this your child?”she asked
“um no he was there's”
Giyuu looked at the man again and back to the bodies ``b-but i really don't know what to do with him i-its just-” he didn't know how to finish his word, they keeped scrambling before they could get out of his mouth. “P-please you your a hashira right please take him to safety” he asked the slayer, whose name was revealed to be giyuu pleading knowing that if he stayed he could end up like the rest of his family. Seeing the man pleading surprised giyuu.
“please, please just take him to be safe i beg you”
Giyuu wanted to say no, or to tell him to have the kid stay with a family friend, it wasn't her job to take him with her. He would just help him find a place to stay and take her leave but she had a feeling something was pitting in her stomach, telling her that protecting this kid would be the best thing he could do.
“Fine i’ll take him, but i need you to warn others in the village about what happened” and that was the last thing you said be for leavin, her original plan was to come here for a saposide demon sighting but it had disappeared into thin air, even a couple days of searching she couldn't find it, and now she was too late yet she had a thought about who had caused this
No other than Muzan himself the selfish, good for nothing, bastard if only he had gotten here sooner to protect them he could have prevented at least something. Yet now she was leaving with a small baby, he couldn't be older than 6 months. She's never taken care of a small child before or at least by herself but she would manage somehow, she was tough, she could do alot but child care would be, at least from what he's heard, painfully hard. But hey she was a hashira how hard could this really be?
And yet those were her last words before regretting them because child care was going to be harder than training with his master for over 2 years.