Chapter Text
Winter used to be such a lovely season. The trees dusted with snow, an icy gleam to everything, a tranquil silence throughout the village. So why, then, of all the seasons, did it have to be winter when you lost nearly everything? The bitter cold burns your throat as you scream out, desperately praying for an answer.
"NEZUKO! TANJIRO! WHERE ARE YOU?!"
You'd just lost your family, you don't know what you'll do if you lose the last people you have left. When you discovered the massacre that had occurred in your own home, the only thing you could think of was to seek help from the Kamados. They'd always been so kind to you, treating you as if you were another member of their happy family. So when you ran up the mountain, only to find that they had met the same, bloody fate, you felt your world begin to crumble. Frantically searching the crimson smeared house, you realized that the bodies of the eldest siblings weren't there. Footsteps had lead to the forest, and without many other choices, you followed them.
After what feels like hours of walking, the footsteps lead to a cave.
"Nezuko? Tanjiro?"
As your eyes adjust to the darkness, you see a head of hair poke out of a hole in the ground. Rose coloured eyes look up at you, and you'd recognize them anywhere.
"Nezuko!! You're okay!!"
You fall to your knees, sobbing. Just a moment ago you were so close to losing hope, but now that you've found your best friend, maybe things won't be so bad after all. Upon scanning the girl, you realize she's different than before. She wears a bamboo muzzle, and her nails are extremely long. Her eyes tear up, as you climb into her pit and give her a tight hug. You hear a voice from behind call out your name in shock, as you turn to see Tanjiro standing at the opening of the cave.
"Wh-why are you here, why aren't you at home! It's not safe to be up here!"
With teary eyes, you explain what had happened. He tells you their side of the story, how Nezuko had turned into a demon and the strange man who spared them.
"Wait, demons actually exist..? I thought that was just a story told to keep kids in bed."
Nezuko holds up her hands, showing you her claws. She looks at you sadly, believing you'd start to see her as the monster she'd become. Instead, you gaze at her nails, and an idea pops into your mind.
"Ah! I suppose we'll have to repaint these now. I'll grab some nail polish in the next town!"
You and Tanjiro repair an old basket, as Nezuko smiles to herself. One of her favourite things about you is how no matter the situation, you always manage to lighten the mood.
Nezuko squeezes into the basket, shrinking herself down until she fits. She looks like her seven year old self, round cheeks and everything. You and Tanjiro both fawn over how cute she is, before covering her with a blanket and exiting the cave. Tanjiro carries her basket on his back, refusing your offer to take turns.
"I'm her big brother, this has always been my job!"
When the sun sets, Nezuko hops out of her basket. She walks between you and her brother, holding each of your hands. Tanjiro stops, sniffing the air. It's a habit you've gotten used to, although his insane sense of smell used to freak you out as a kid.
"Blood..! Someone might have gotten hurt, stay here!"
He runs ahead, and Nezuko chases after him. She's always been so stubborn! You follow the siblings to a shrine that gives off the same foul stench that lingered around your home. Horrified, you look over Nezuko's shoulder into the building. A humanoid creature looms over the corpse of someone who had once been alive, and turns towards the doorway with a bloody face.
"This is my turf, scram!"
It looks at Nezuko, then to Tanjiro, then to you. Confused, it stands up.
"Huh? Are you humans? Oh, well in that case, stay right there..!"
The demon lunges towards you, tackling Tanjiro to the ground. Nezuko stands at the front door, using all of her willpower to keep herself from digging into the feast laying before her. They're already dead, so if she takes a bite it wouldn't make any difference... Right? Frozen in fear, you grip onto Nezuko's sleeve. This snaps her out of her trance, and she dashes towards her brother. She lets out a low growl, as she slams her leg into the demon's head. As if it were a soccer ball, it goes flying into a tree. You stand completely still, shocked and terrified. She looks towards you and sees the fear in your eyes, which breaks her heart. The last thing she wants to do is scare you! Snapping out of your shock, you run towards your friend. Hiding behind her, you anxiously watch the decapitated body of the demon as it starts to stand up. Nezuko realizes that it wasn't her strength that you were scared of, but instead the other monster. A wave of anger washes over her, making her veins bulge out of her forehead. Anyone who tries to hurt you sure as hell doesn't get away with it! Faster than before, she faces off against the headless body. Every cell in your body is telling you to either fight or run, but how can you do either?! You've never fought anyone before, let alone won a fight, and you can't just leave them here! A weapon, that's what you need! You run into the blood-soaked shrine, and search it for any kind of sharp object. Desperate, you look towards the corpses for help. One of them holds a serrated kitchen knife in their hand, presumable used to try and fend off the one who'd ultimately slain them. You apologize to the departed, and pry the blade from their hand. Running back outside, you return to Nezuko's side. Filled with fear and adrenaline, you swing violently at the attacking creature. It's wounds heal quickly though, so you try to think of a way to outsmart it.
"Nezuko, help your brother! Trust me!"
She looks at you, terrified for your safety as you lead the demon's body down the path you'd used to get here. You recall there being a steep drop not too far from here, and you hope that you can reach it before the monster catches up to you. Faster than you thought was even possible, you run down the dirt path. You know that the drop is just a few feet away, even though it's quite concealed from this angle. Praying for your plan to work, you grasp the hanging branch of a tree. As the demon reaches you, you kick it towards the cliff with all of your might. It's claws sink into your leg as it desperately tries to stop it's fall, but to no avail. You watch in horror as it falls to the bottom, painting the surrounding rocks a deep red as it hits the ground. After watching it for a minute, making sure it won't get back up again, you dash back to your friends. Tanjiro stands in front of a tree, the demon's head pinned down by his hatchet. You look around, and Nezuko is standing awkwardly outside of the house. You can tell she wants to go in, but something stops her. She wants to make sure she doesn't get caught in the sunlight when it rises, but the smell of fresh blood is too much for her to share a room with. You figure that she must not be comfortable seeing the bodies of the dead, which isn't exactly false, and head into the building. With great effort, you manage to lift up a body and carry it out to the back of the shrine. A shovel lays nearby, so you dig a grave for the deceased.
"Let me help you, child."
A unknown voice speaks to you seemingly from out of nowhere, making you turn around in fear. Above you stands an old man, wearing a red mask. How did he get behind you so quickly, you never heard any footsteps at all..! He finishes burying the dead, and accompanies you as you pray for them to find peace. Tanjiro walks up to you, having encountered this man shortly before you did. The man turns to Tanjiro, speaking sternly.
"I am Sakonji Urokodaki. Giyuu told me he was sending two siblings my way, but I wasn't told of a plus one..."
He slightly turns his head to you, sending chills down your spine.
"I-I ran into them on their way here, we grew up toget-"
"What will both of you do if Nezuko devours someone?"
You and Tanjiro think for a moment, but only you answer.
"If she... If she killed an innocent person, I would kill us both so I may stay by her side in the afterlife. No matter what, I will accompany Nezuko wherever she goes! Even if it means burning in the pits of hell, if I'm with her then I'd be fine with that!"
Urokodaki grumbles, and glares at Tanjiro.
"You, boy, are too indecisive. Your friend here is right: if the day ever comes that Nezuko devours an innocent human, there are two things you must do. The first, behead her. The second, slit your own belly and die. That is what it means to travel alongside a demon."
You and the redhead both gulp in fear, thoroughly intimidated by the masked man.
"Now, I have a test to see if the two of you are fit to be members of the Demon Slayer Corps. Follow me."
You and Tanjiro run for hours on end, chasing after the extremely fast Urokodaki. By the time the old man finally stops running, the sun is beginning to set. Tanjiro wheezes, even more exhausted since he was also carrying Nezuko the whole time.
"Did... Did we pass?"
"The test begins now."
After putting Nezuko to bed inside, Urokodaki leads you and Tanjiro far up the mountain.
"Now, meet me back at the cabin. This time, I won't wait for sunrise."
With those menacing words, he vanishes into the fog. You and Tanjiro both nod in agreement, and break into a sprint. He falls into a pit-trap, so you turn around to help him out.
"I'm fine, don't try to help me! just focus on getting yourself down the mountain as soon as possible, ok?"
Reluctantly, you agree to leave him behind. Tanjiro is older than you, and has always been pretty athletic, so he should be able to handle himself. You carefully watch every step you make, being sure to avoid ropes and traps to the best of your abilities. However, it's not enough to stop you from getting whacked by logs and pushed into holes. The thin air makes it hard to breathe, but you push through the pain. This is for Nezuko, you must stay by her side!
Both of you burst into the cabin, the sky still being dark. Extremely fatigued, and heavily battered up, you collapse onto the floor. Urokodaki congratulates you, handing each of you a delicious looking bowl of stew. You don't hesitate to jump into bed, thankful to be next to your best friend as you quickly fall asleep. Urokodaki's harsh training continues day after day, and you always come home to Nezuko feeling like your limbs are on the verge of falling off. For as long as you've been here, she's been asleep. You aren't sure if she's able to hear you, but you always make sure to include her in conversations. Today, you popped into town and picked up some nail polish for her, just as you'd promised. While taking a break from training, you grasp her sleeping hand and brush her favourite shade of pink onto her nails.
"You know, he made us do twenty thousand pushups today. Twenty thousand! So needless to say, I am exhausted. There we go, your nails are looking lovely now!"
Urokodaki calls your name, signaling the end of your break.
"Ah, I gotta get back to hell. Don't mess up the polish, ok?"
Even if she isn't awake, spending time with Nezuko is still so refreshing. Just having her nearby is enough to ease your worries, even if only temporarily. When you head outside to meet your trainer, he teaches you about 'Total Concentration Breathing'. You start to pick it up after a while of being whacked in the stomach, but Tanjiro still seems to struggle with it.
Six months of brutal training go by, Nezuko still not awakening. Urokodaki takes you and Tanjiro down to a large clearing in the forest, with two boulders inside it.
"I have taught you all I know. The next step in your journey to becoming demon slayers is to pass final selection, however, you must pass one final test before I allow you to enter. Break your boulder. Only then, can you become a slayer."
Ever since he left you with this challenge, the masked man hasn't spoken to either of you about training. For six straight months, the sound of metal clanging on stone rings throughout the mountain, as you and Tanjiro try and fail to slice your rocks. At some point, Tanjiro's spirit starts to dwindle. You'd been feeling the same, faced against an impossible task. You're so wrapped up in your despair, that you don't notice the young girl beside you until she speaks.
"It's not impossible, you know."
You turn to see a young girl, no older than twelve, in a flower covered kimono. Short black hair falls over the kitsune mask that hides her face.
"Wh- who are you?"
"I am Makomo, and over there is Sabito."
She points over to Tanjiro's rock, and you see him fighting with a boy around your age, also wearing a kitsune mask.
"How am I supposed to cut through this though? I've tried everything..."
"You may have memorized the information you learned, but your body hasn't yet absorbed it."
Makomo instructs you on how to improve your form, then assists Tanjiro with the same.
"Now then... Let's practice."
Half a year passes, Makomo and Sabito training you and Tanjiro daily. Every day you would face off against the flowery girl, getting closer to beating her each time. Today, you accompanied Tanjiro to the clearing, to find the two masked kids wielding metal blades, instead of their usual wooden swords.
"Today is the day..."
"...You prove your strength."
You draw your sword, facing Makomo with determination. In an instant, the battle begins. She evades your attack, you evade hers. Like flakes of snow, you both drift in the wind as you strike at each other. Suddenly, you notice an opening that wasn't there before. You swing your blade down at her, as she stands still. The mask on her face cracks, before splitting cleanly in half. Kind, misty eyes gaze at you with a proud smile, as you stare in shock. When you snap back into the present, the girl is gone. Instead, in front of you stands the boulder, a gash running through it's core. You turn to Tanjiro, who's stone is in the same condition as yours.
"We... We did it! Tanjiro we did it! We can be Demon Slayers now!!"
You run over and pull him into a celebratory hug, before running towards the cabin. Slamming open the door, you excitedly shout to Urokodaki.
"When is final selection?!"