Chapter Text
Tanjiro ran through the forest, desperately trying to get away. Tears welled in his crimson eyes as began to roll down his cheeks. It was cold, the pressure on his lungs was becoming unbearable.
“How did things turn out like this? How could something like this happen?!”
— — —
“Tanjiro. Your face is all black, come over here.”
Kie pulled a cloth from her pocket and beckoned her eldest child towards her. Tanjiro walked over towards his mother and she kneeled down to wipe the soot off of his face.
“Because it’s dangerous when the snow is falling, it’s okay if you don’t go.” She told him.
“It’s almost the New Year, and everyone wants to eat to their heart's content, I’ll only go sell a little charcoal.” Tanjiro told his mother.
Kie smiled at her son’s thoughtful words.
“Thank you.” She said.
“Big brother, you’re going into the village today?” Shigeru asked.
“I want to go too!” Hanako exclaimed.
Kie walked over to her younger children and put a hand on each of their shoulders.
“No. You can’t walk as fast as Tanjiro can.” She told them.
“But, mom!” The two whined in unison.
“No. Because he can’t pull the cart today, you can’t rest while he gives you a ride.” Kie added.
Shigeru hugged Tanjiro’s waist while Hanako stood next to him.
“But I wanna go!” Hanako cried.
Tanjiro looked over at Takeo who was walking past, an axe over his shoulder.
“Takeo, because you can do it no problem, could you chop a few trees?” He asks.
“I guess I could. I thought we’ll all do it together…” Takeo sighed.
Tanjiro began walking down the path, his siblings and mother waving to him.
“Please come back quickly!” Shigeru called to him.
“Be careful!” Hanako shouted to him.
Tanjiro waved to them and stopped when Nezuko came out of the woods.
“Big brother.” She said, a smile on her lips.
“Nezuko.” Tanjiro said and smiled.
“I just lulled Rokuda to sleep, because he’ll start making a fuss. He’s only lonely because dad died. It’s like everyone is stuck to you.” Nezuko said.
Tanjiro patted Rokuda’s head as the boy slept.
“Take care.” Nezuko smiled as Tanjiro began walking away.
— — —
Life isn't easy, but it's a blessing. But, concerning life, is like looking at the sky. It changes and moves, because there aren't times where it stays clear for a long time. There also aren't times where it shows for a long time. Thus, times where happiness is broken, there is always a scent of blood.
— — —
“Well if it isn't Tanjiro." A person from the small town said as they saw him enter the town.
"You really came down from the mountain on a day like this, good work. But you'll catch a cold." Another villager said.
"Oi, I want to buy some charcoal." Another said.
"Thank you for repairing my sliding door the other time." Another thanked him.
“I also want charcoal." Another chimed in.
“AHHHHH TANJIRO! I'M GLAD YOU'RE HERE." A villager shouted.
He came running over to Tanjiro with some broken dishes laying on a towel in his hand.
"CAN YOU TELL WHO IS THE CULPRIT WHO BROKE THESE DISHES? PLEASE HELP ME- PLEASE SMELL THESE." He begged.
Tanjiro leaned down and sniffed the broken dishes.
"It smells like cat." Tanjiro said.
“Really? A cat?" A person who was standing beside the man questioned.
“SEE!? IT WASN'T ME, JUST LIKE I SAID." The man shouted.
"Tanjiro, can you help me carry this luggage?" Another villager asked and Tanjiro went over to help him.
— — —
The sun was beginning to set as Tanjiro was making the walk to his house.
"It's getting late..." He thought.
"Hey, Tanjiro? Are you returning to the mountain? You can't, it's dangerous." A man said, poking his head out of his house.
"My nose can smell anything, I'll be fine." Tanjior assured the man.
"I'll let you stay the night. Come. Turn back." The man urged him.
“But..." Tanjiro trailed off.
"Enough of that, come here. The demons will appear." The man said.
— — —
Tanjiro was now inside of the man's house.
"Since long ago human-eating demons have come out to prowl at day's end. Because of that, it's a problem to walk around at night. You'll be eaten, it's best of you to sleep here and then wake up early tomorrow and return home." The man explained.
Tanjiro was laying in a futon that the man let him use.
“Can the demons...not enter houses?" Tanjiro asks.
"No. They can enter." The man replied.
"In that case...everyone...eaten by demons..." Tanjiro trailed off, his eyes drooping shut from exhaustion.
“The great Demon Slayers kill the demons for us. Since long ago..." The man trailed off.
"Saburo-san must be lonely, living alone since his family died. Next time, I'll bring my brothers and sisters along... Even though it's scary, it's okay, because demons don't exist." Tanjiro thought before drifting off to sleep.
— — —
But even though I said that...our grandmother before she died said the same thing…
— — —
It was now morning. Tanjiro exited Saburo’s house, waving goodbye to the man before continuing his walk home.
— — —
Times when our happiness is broken, always have the scent of blood.
— — —
Tanjiro stopped in his tracks when he reached his house. He stared ahead seemingly trying to register what he was seeing before him, before his eyes widened in horror. In front of the house was Rokuda lying in a large pool of blood. Tanjiro quickly ran up to his little brother’s body and felt for any kind of pulse or indignation that he was alive.
“WHAT IS— WHAT— HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?! WHAT HAPPENED…”
Tanjiro looked inside of his house, the doors had been ripped clean off of their hinges and there was blood splattered everywhere. His mother and younger siblings lay in pools of their own blood.
“Mother…Hanako…Takeo…Shigeru…Rokuda…Nezu…”
Tanjiro’s eyes widened as he looked around.
“NEZUKO?!” He shouted.
He frantically stood up and glanced inside the house. But no matter where he looked, Nezuko was nowhere to be found.
— — —
Tanjiro ran through the snow down the mountain. He breathed heavily as he tried to quickly make his way into town.
“They’re all dead… But how?! What happened while I was gone? And where was Nezuko?! No matter where I looked…in the house…behind and around the house…the woods surrounding the house…her body wasn’t there… Was she kidnapped? Was her body disposed of somewhere? I can’t think about that right now! I need to get help from someone in town, maybe someone will be able to help me!”
Tanjiro ran through the forest, desperately trying to get away. Tears welled in his crimson eyes as began to roll down his cheeks. It was cold, the pressure on his lungs was becoming unbearable.
“How did things turn out like this? How could something like this happen?!”
Tanjiro was so lost in his own thoughts that he didn’t notice a small rock in his path. He stepped on it and it slid against the snowy ground. He began to fall and managed to catch his footing. He heaved a sigh of relief.
“That was close—”
His words were cut off when the ground underneath him gave in under his weight and he fell. His body hit a large snow bed which softened his landing.
“I’m saved, the snow… I fell and the snow saved me!” He thought.
He laid there, just staring up at the sky. It was then that his mind fully registered what had happened. Tears began falling more rapidly from his eyes. He tried to get up but his body wouldn’t let him, he was too overcome with grief.
“Get up…! Just get up!” He tried to urge himself.
His body still wouldn’t move. The tears kept falling and he began to silently sob. Soon enough, it was too much for his body to handle and Tanjiro felt himself slip into unconsciousness.
— — —
Tanjiro’s body shot up and he breathed heavily. He looked around at his surroundings, he didn’t recognize anything. The last thing he remembered was laying in a snow pile after falling into it. Now all he saw was cave walls, a small fire was in front of him, the light danced along the cave walls, barely illuminating them and he was covered up by something warm. He wasn’t too deep into the cave as he could still see the sunlight shine through the entrance.
“Where am I? And…how did I get here?” He wondered.
He looked down at the fire and watched the small embers gently fall to the cave floor. He was so lost in thought that he didn’t notice someone entering the cave. Soon enough, his nose caught the scent of another human and he quickly looked up.
A woman around the age of nineteen stood in front of the fire. Her body blocked the sunlight and her figure was barely illuminated by the light of the fire. Tanjiro picked up the scent of wood and squinted his eyes to see what looked to be like a small pile of bits of wood being held in her arms.
“Ah, you’re awake.” The woman said.
Her voice was light and airy, it was a calming voice. Tanjiro felt his body de-tense, but still kept his guard up. The woman set the wood down and walked closer to Tanjiro.
“Are you alright? I found you unconscious in that snowbank. Can you tell me what happened?” She asked.
The images then hit Tanjiro like a big wave hitting a rock and tears welled up in his eyes. The woman looked down at him, sympathy is the scent Tanjiro smelled from her.
“My…my…my family…they’re…”
Tanjiro couldn’t bear to utter the final word in that sentence. He covered his eyes and quietly sobbed into his hands. The woman kneeled down and placed a gentle hand on his head. This action caused images of his mother flash in his mind once again, and all the times she comforted him. The thought of his dear mother caused even more heartache and he continued to cry.
“Shhh, it’s alright. Let all of your pain out, it’s alright to cry.” She assured him.
After a bit, the tears had stopped falling and Tanjiro was now taking deep breaths to calm himself down. He looked up and the woman smiled at him. He finally got a good look at her now. She had black hair that went down to her shoulders, she wore a long-sleeved dark navy top and a matching skirt, a long-sleeved white shirt was seen underneath the navy one by the sleeves. She wore knee high black socks and some beige sandals that are tied around her ankles from her heels and closed at the toes. A white belt was wrapped around her waist and a sheath was being held by the belt.
The hilt of a katana caught his attention next, it looked to be a gold colour and had a blue flower design engraved into it. The sword’s handle was a sort of salmon pink colour and had little light pink flowers decorating it. The sheath was a pale pink colour and had some white flower designs along the sides, going from where the sheath starts, to where the sheath ends.
He then looked back up at her face, she has deep cyan eyes that have a gentle look in them. A fox mask covered the left side of her face, going from the left jaw and cheek, curving up over the bridge of her nose and stopping at her forehead. The mask was white, the nose, well half of the nose, was a red colour while the inside of the ear was a bright yellow. On the sides of the mask where her cheek was was two light blue flowers. The eyes of the mask were closed.
She has a seemingly pale complexion from what Tanjiro could make out, although it was pretty dark so he wasn’t completely certain. She also seemed to be on the shorter side. The woman smiled gently at him as he looked at her. She then began to remove the sheath from its place and gently set it down next to her.
“I will put this here, so you’ll hopefully feel more comfortable in my presence.” She told him.
He just nodded, unable to form words. The two sat in a comfortable silence, Tanjiro looked at the woman in confusion and slight awe, while the woman simply watched the fire dancing among the cave walls, the same kind, gentle smile on her lips. Tanjiro had calmed his breathing by now, the woman looked back at him which startled him a bit but she didn’t do anything. Instead, she simply looked down at his lap.
“I hope my haori was warm enough for you. I’m sorry for not having anything warmer, but the fire should’ve helped as well.”
Tanjiro then looked down as well and noticed the haori that was draped over his lap now. It was split down the middle into two different patterns. Tanjiro glanced at the left side first, it was an odd looking pattern with multiple squares of green, orange, and yellow. He then looked at the other side which was a huge contrast to the other side, it was a solid dark red colour. Tanjiro then registered her words and then looked from her to the haori. He did this for a bit before his eyes widened.
“I’m fine, thank you, but what about you? You were just in the cold with nothing but your regular clothing! Are you alright?!” He asked, concerned.
The woman stared at him a little stunned but she still smiled at him nonetheless.
“I’m alright, thank you. I’ve built up quite the tolerance for the cold over the years. But I was more so condemned about you because when I found you you seemed to have been laying in that snowbank for quite a while, when I brought you to this cave you had a bit of frostbite. I’m glad to see that that has gone away. But do you still feel cold anywhere?” She asked.
Tanjiro shook his head.
“I feel fine, really!”
He then picked up the haori and handed it to her.
“But here! Please have it back.” He said, bowing his head.
She smiled and gratefully accepted it back. She slid her arms through its sleeves and smiled contently with the new warmth it provided her. She then looked back at Tanjiro.
“I apologize, I haven’t introduced myself yet. My name is Makomo, it’s a pleasure to meet you…?” She trailed off, a silent gesture that she wanted to know who he was as well.
Tanjiro blushed a bit after not responding right away and quickly introduced himself as well.
“I’m Kamado Tanjiro! It’s nice to meet you, Makomo-san.”
He held out his hand and she took it in hers and gently shook it. He was surprised that her hand was hard and had a couple light scars littering them. When their hands separated he lightly bit the inside of his cheek.
“So, is Makomo your first name? Because I feel like I’m being disrespectful by calling you by your first name, since we’ve just met.” He said.
“Makomo is my first name, but I simply prefer to be called by it.” She replied with her usual smile.
Tanjiro nodded. Makomo’s face then turned a bit grimmer.
“Tanjiro-san, I apologize for asking again, but can you tell me exactly what happened up until you fell unconscious.”
Tanjiro felt some tears well up in his eyes again but he quickly blinked them away.
“Well…yesterday I was going into town to sell some charcoal for my family. When I was finished it was really late and so I stayed over at someone’s house. When I came home the next morning, my family was…” Tanjiro sucked in a deep breath.
Makomo put a hand on his shoulder.
“It’s okay, take your time.” She told him.
Tanjiro nodded at her words. Her presence comforted him, as did her words.
“…My family was…d-dead when I returned.” He stumbled over the word.
Saying it out loud made it seem way more real than it was. Tanjiro thought he was still walking up the mountain when he fell asleep in a snowbank, and that the whole thing he saw at his house was just a nightmare. But it wasn’t.
“…I…didn’t know what happened…but one of my siblings wasn’t there…my little sister, Nezuko. I looked everywhere but…she isn’t anywhere…I’m really worried…she could’ve been kidnapped or she’s also dead and her body was thrown somewhere else…” He trailed off.
Makomo nodded along to his words.
“Tanjiro, have you heard of the Demon Slayer Corps? Or just demon slayers in general?” She asked.
Tanjiro perked up at this, Saburouji’s words came rushing back to him.
“…I have. Although, to be honest… I didn’t think it was real…” He admitted.
Makomo nodded.
“Well, the Corps isn’t officially recognized by the Government. But it does exist, as do demon slayers, and demons.”
Tanjiro looked up from his lap, he could already tell what words would come out of Makomo’s mouth next, but he didn’t like it. Not one bit.
“…I think a demon killed your family.”
Tanjiro couldn’t stop the tears this time, they cascaded down his cheeks like a waterfall. The reality hit him hard. A demon had killed his family. Demons exist. He didn’t like the reality, but it’s not like he could close his eyes and immediately wake up in a world without demons. It was simply impossible. Makomo brought Tanjiro into a hug, the boy cried into her chest and gripped onto her haori as sobs fell from his mouth. He let out all the pain and grief he could, but even when the tears stopped, and he regained his breathing, the grief and pain of the reality remained. The two remained in each other's arms, Tanjiro felt comfort in Makomo’s arms, like she was a loving sibling, or parent.
“Tanjiro…do you want to become a demon slayer?” She asked.
Her question registered in Tanjiro’s mind and he pulled away from her. Become a demon slayer…? What other options did he really have other than accept her offer? He had come to the obvious conclusion that Makomo was a demon slayer. And if he became one as well, he could find the demon responsible for his family’s death and take revenge for them. He continued to think his options over in his head before he nodded at Makomo.
“Yes. I want to become a demon slayer, and avenge my family.” He said.
Makomo nodded, smiling at him. She then reached into her pocket and pulled out a pen and paper. Tanjiro was surprised that she just randomly had that laying in her pocket. She stood up and walked over to one of the cave walls and began to write. Tanjiro watched her confused until she finished and came back over. She folded the paper and wrote a quick name on it. She then whistled and a crow came flying into the cave.
Tanjiro tilted his head in wonder and watched as she strapped the letter onto the crow and it just stood there patiently. When she finished she gave it a small treat and sent it off. She watched the crow fly out of the cave and out of sight before she turned towards Tanjiro once again.
“Tanjiro, I want you to go to the foot of Mount Sagiri. An elder by the name of Urokodaki Sakonji will meet you there. Tell him that I sent you. He will train you to become a demon slayer.” Makomo told him.
She stood up and dusted her skirt off. She picked up her sword and re-attached it to her belt. She smiled at Tanjiro.
“I’ll be off now, here’s a map, it’ll show you how to get to Mount Sagiri.” She said and handed a slip of paper to Tanjiro.
And just like that, she was gone. No trace of her was left. Tanjiro blinked a couple of times before he stood up as well. He looked at the paper in his hand and unfolded it, a neatly drawn map was on the slip of paper, an x marked where he is and another x marked his destination, Mt. Sagiri. Tanjiro put out the fire and made his way out of the cave. The sunlight blinded him for a bit before his eyes fully adjusted to the light. He then tucked the map into his pocket and walked back towards his house.
Once he had found his house, he began to take the bodies of his family from where they lay and dug graves for them. He gently laid each of them down in their respective graves before covering them back up. Once he was finished, he kneeled in front of them, put his hands together and prayed. Once he finished sending his wishes for their souls, he grabbed the axe that leaned against his house, attached it to his back, and began walking back towards the cave.
Once he arrived back at the cave he pulled out the map and looked at it once again. Once he was sure he knew which direction to go in, he pocketed it again and was on his way.
“Nezuko. I don’t know where you are, whether you’re alive or dead. But I want you to know that your big brother will find you, and when I do, I promise you, we’ll never be apart again!”