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The road ahead of Nezuko Kamado was long. It seemed to stretch all the way to the end of the earth, past the horizon. She didn’t mind though. Slaying demons was her job, and the only way she could find a cure for her, brother, Tanjiro, who had previously been turned into a demon himself.
Tanjiro was tucked away in her backpack box. Nezuko was worried that the box was not enough, that his bones had been long burned by the hot summer sun. She decided that it would be best to just believe that Urokodaki’s craftsmanship was enough for Tanjiro to stay in tact.
She lifted a hand up to her brow and looked ahed with squinted eyes, attempting as best she could to see despite the sun. It was really, really hot.
She wore a haori that had been crafted from an old kimono of hers, featuring a harp leaf pattern. It really was not weather for a haori. She was learning this the hard way.
It’s probably really hot in Tanjiro’s box…
She thought with a sad sentiment. If tanjiro was doing okay in there, then Nezuko would definitely be okay out here. She’s doing this for tanjiro, she must remember. She let out a deep sigh, and kept on a chugging.
One foot after another, into the road of cobblestone (?) she made fair progress to her destination, where a demon supposedly was. Like a mantra, her mind replayed the same words:
“I’m doing this for tanjiro I’m doing this for tanjiro I’m doing this for tanjiro I’m doing this for tanjiro I’m-“
Her train of thought was rudely interrupted by the angered yelling of a man up ahead. He was at an average height for a male in the 1920s, maybe shorter. He had a blue haori on, that roughly twisted as his pointed finger reprimanded sombody that was similar looking to him.
As Nezuko approached, she could clearly see a demon slayer uniform with a sword holder (sheeth? Shirth? Idk what it’s called waaa) tucked into his belt. Nezuko picked up her pace as it seemed the person receiving the reprimanding was in distress. She did not know exactly what to say or how she would go about saying it, but suddenly she thought of the nicest person she’d ever met.
Tanjiro.
What would tanjiro do?
“Hay!” Nezuko yelled, putting herself in front of sombody who seemed to be a younger slayer, or maybe a cowardly one. The blue-haori man seemed a little taken aback by the teenager that was now in front of him, but he continued to yell.
“What do you think you’re doing? Get out of my way!” He moved his finger to point more directly at her, sticking right up close to the tip of her nose.
“What do you think YOUR doing? Pick on someone your own size!” The blue haori’d boy moved his arms to his sides in non-hostile fists taking a defensive stance.
“I’m just telling this guy to stop cowering! Sombody as cowardly as him shouldn’t be a demon slayer!” He says, raising his hand in the air.
“Well, demons are scary, ASSHOLE! Don’t take your anger out on this poor gu… oh…. “ Nezuko was about to turn around and point at the ‘poor guy’ in question, but he seemed to have already fled his duties and run crying in the opposite direction. “Maybe he should choose a different career path…”
“That’s precisely why I was yelling at him! He shouldn’t be a demon slayer if he’s gonna bitch about it the whole time…” the blue haori’d boy seemed calmer now, completely unbothered by the fleeing of his comrade. “Anyways, my name is Kaigaku Inadama,” he put one hand out with the purpose of it being shook, scratching the back of his head with another. “And you are?”
“Nezuko Kamado.” Nezuko took his hand and smiled warmly. After dropping it, she thought about what exactly to say for a second, then filled the silence. “So, you headed east too?”
“Yeah, I am.”
“Want to walk together? I’m sure I’ll be better company than that guy haha.” Kaigaku let out a soft chuckle, then in his gruff voice, he spoke.
“You can say that again Kamado-San.”
They walked together for a little while, speaking about the weather, their breathing techniques, etc. unexpectedly, Kaigaku’s company was pleasant. Although the tiniest thing always ticked him off, he was a chill enough person.
Kaigaku’s appearance was not beyond what you’d expect a teenage boy to look like. He had short scrappy hair, that seemed to be cut in a very choppy manner. His bangs were partly longer than an inch, brushing near the center of his forehead, neatly brushed to one side. His clothing was moderately average as well. A blue gradient was the base color of his haori, with small white triangles everywhere. It was folded loosely across itself, licked under his pants. Around his waist securing the whole thing was a blue ish rope looking thing that had a loose end going down the front of his right leg. His uniform was just slightly unbuttoned at the top, with a choker that had a golden megatama bead. Nezuko wondered if it was solid gold or gold plated.
Must be heavy she thought. Well, I guess as a demon slayer, he would be quite strong.
“Anyways, Kamado-San, I’ve been meaning to ask, what’s with the demon?”
Nezuko was I little bit caught off guard by the question, but knew what he was speaking of right away.
“Oh, on my back? That’s my brother. He was turned into a demon recently, but he doesn’t eat people.” She motions her thumb to the box, as a way of pointing at it.
“Fascinating… well, I have no reason not to trust your word, so…” kaigaku shrugs in a jokingly way, causing nezuko to laugh a little bit. To her, Kaigaku was quite funny.
“Anyways, how bout you? Do you have any siblings?”
“Oh yeah, I got a little brother named Zenitsu. He was always screaming and crying about being a demon slayer… it was really annoying and I was not the nicest to him, but I still respect him. He went to final selection this year I think.”
Nezuko looked slightly surprised.
“Wait, for real? I went to final selection this year! I might have seen him. What does he look like?”
“Oh, he has bright blonde hair with a haori like mine but yellow.”
“Wait holy shit I totally saw him! He was yelling about his kasugai crow, he got like, a sparrow or something.”
“No kidding? A sparrow?”
“Yeah! Can’t talk either, I don’t know how he gets around even”
Nezuko tapped a finger on her chin as if thinking about something, then raised her finger in the air as if she’d figured the thing in question out.
“Now that I think about it, I didn’t see you at final selection this year, when did you go?”
“Hmm.. three years ago, I think? I’m not good at keeping track of time…” Nezuko let out a surprised gasp.
“So you’re like, 18! Wow, I’m only 15, should I call you senpai?” Although she meant this jokingly, Kaigaku’s seemed a little bit embarrassed at the thought. A light shade of red seemed to brush his cheeks, so light that one could say that it did not exist.
“Y-you can if you want…”
“Okay! Senpai it is then, senpai!”
“Okay then, Kamado kohai.”
They both smiled at each other, both having made a new friend today.