Chapter Text
The night was dark, the kind of darkness that seemed to swallow the forest whole. Thick branches intertwined high above, blocking out much of the moonlight and leaving the woods draped in shadow. Only occasional beams of pale silver light managed to break through the canopy, illuminating patches of the forest floor before disappearing once more into the darkness. A cool breeze drifted through the trees, carrying the scent of damp earth, pine needles, and moss.
Ahead of them, a demon raced through the forest.
The creature leaped desperately from branch to branch, its claws gouging into bark as it pushed itself forward with everything it had. Panic was evident in every movement. It wasn't hunting.
It was running.
Behind it, three figures pursued it through the darkness.
Tanjiro Kamado ran at the front, his eyes fixed firmly on the fleeing demon. Years of experience had taught him how to navigate rough terrain at high speeds, allowing him to weave effortlessly between trees and leap over roots without slowing down. Every breath brought the demon's scent to him, and with each passing second he could smell its growing fear.
Beside him, Muichiro Tokito moved with an almost unnatural grace. Unlike Tanjiro, who wore his determination openly, the Mist Hashira's expression remained calm and unreadable. Even while sprinting through the forest at incredible speed, he appeared completely unbothered by the chase. His turquoise eyes remained locked on the demon ahead, silently calculating the distance between them.
Following close behind was Nezuko.
The young demon moved swiftly through the trees, her pink eyes focused on the fleeing creature. Her long dark hair streamed behind her as she bounded from branch to branch with ease. Although she couldn't speak, her determination was obvious. She understood the danger the demon posed to the nearby village and had no intention of allowing it to escape.
The demon suddenly glanced ahead.
Through the trees, faint golden lights flickered in the distance.
A village.
Tanjiro immediately noticed.
His heart tightened.
Families were sleeping there, completely unaware that a desperate demon was racing toward them. If it reached the village, innocent people could be hurt before anyone realized what was happening.
"Tokito!" Tanjiro called while jumping over a fallen tree. "The village is right ahead!"
"I see it," Muichiro replied.
Nezuko let out a quiet sound of concern as she noticed it too.
The demon's scent grew stronger.
Desperation.
Fear.
Hunger.
Tanjiro could practically feel its panic.
"It's trying to reach the villagers!" he shouted. "If it gets there, people could be in danger!"
The demon suddenly pushed itself harder, practically throwing its body through the trees as it searched for any chance of escape.
Muichiro watched it for only a moment before his hand moved toward the hilt of his Nichirin Blade.
"It won't reach them."
The certainty in his voice caused Tanjiro to glance toward him.
Before he could respond, Muichiro drew his sword.
Moonlight reflected briefly off the blade's surface.
"Mist Breathing: Third Form—Scattering Mist Splash."
The world seemed to blur.
One moment Muichiro was beside them.
The next he had vanished.
Even Tanjiro struggled to follow the movement.
Far ahead, the demon sensed danger.
Its eyes widened.
"Wha—?!"
A flash of silver cut through the darkness.
The demon's head separated from its body.
Its momentum carried it forward for several more feet before the body crashed into the forest floor below. The severed head rolled through the leaves while the body twitched violently nearby.
Tanjiro and Nezuko quickly caught up.
Nezuko landed gracefully beside her brother, immediately looking toward the defeated demon.
Meanwhile, Muichiro calmly sheathed his sword as though nothing remarkable had happened.
The battle had ended in an instant.
Tanjiro stared.
No matter how many times he witnessed a Hashira fight, it was always incredible.
"That was amazing," Tanjiro said honestly. "Your techniques are so fast that I could barely keep up."
Nezuko nodded enthusiastically in agreement.
Muichiro blinked once.
"...Thank you."
Then an angry scream interrupted the moment.
"ARE YOU SERIOUS?!"
All three looked down.
The demon's severed head was glaring at them.
"My body's getting away while you're complimenting each other!"
A few feet away, the headless body was desperately crawling through the dirt in an attempt to reconnect itself.
Nezuko immediately pointed at it.
The demon looked hopeful.
"Yes! Thank you! Finally someone notices!"
Nezuko then kicked the body away.
The demon's expression immediately changed.
"...I liked you better when you weren't paying attention."
----------------------------------------
The excitement and urgency of the chase slowly faded as Tanjiro, Nezuko, and Muichiro made their way through the forest. The demon had been defeated before it could reach the nearby village, and the danger that had hung over the area only minutes before had completely disappeared. The villagers would wake the next morning unaware of how close they had come to disaster, and for Tanjiro, that knowledge alone made the mission feel worthwhile. The forest had returned to its natural rhythm, filled with the soft chirping of crickets hidden among the undergrowth and the occasional rustling of leaves whenever a breeze drifted through the trees. Above them, the moon shone brightly in a cloudless sky, bathing the winding path in pale silver light.
Tanjiro let out a quiet sigh of relief as he adjusted the wooden box secured to his back. Although he had faced countless demons since joining the Corps, he never found himself becoming indifferent to the danger they posed. Every successful mission meant more lives saved, and every village protected was a reminder of why he continued fighting. Glancing toward the distant lights of the village they had just saved, he couldn't help but smile.
"I'm glad we managed to stop it before it reached the village," Tanjiro said, breaking the comfortable silence that had settled between them. "Judging by its scent, it was getting desperate. If it had reached those houses, things could have become much worse."
Nezuko, who was walking beside him, nodded in agreement. Though she couldn't speak, the concerned expression in her pink eyes made it obvious that she had been thinking the same thing. She glanced back toward the village one last time before turning her attention to the path ahead.
Several feet ahead of them, Muichiro continued walking with his usual calm demeanor. His posture was relaxed, and his expression remained as distant and unreadable as ever. To anyone unfamiliar with him, it might have appeared as though he hadn't just spent the last hour pursuing and defeating a dangerous demon.
"It was never going to reach the village," Muichiro replied after a brief pause.
Tanjiro looked toward him.
"You sound very certain about that."
Muichiro blinked once.
"I knew exactly where it was, and I knew how fast it could move. Once I closed the distance, the outcome was already decided."
There was no arrogance in his voice. He wasn't boasting or trying to impress anyone. He was simply stating what he believed to be a fact.
Tanjiro chuckled softly, "I don't think I'll ever get used to seeing the Hashira fight. Every time I think I've gotten stronger, one of you reminds me how much further I still have to go."
Muichiro glanced at him briefly before looking forward again.
"You've gotten stronger."
The compliment was simple and direct, but coming from Muichiro, it caught Tanjiro off guard.
For a moment, he wasn't sure how to respond.
"Thank you," he said with a small smile.
The conversation ended there, and the group continued their journey beneath the moonlit canopy. For several minutes, nothing disturbed the peaceful atmosphere surrounding them. The mission was over, and all that remained was the walk back.
Then Muichiro stopped.
The sudden halt was subtle, but both Tanjiro and Nezuko noticed it immediately.
Tanjiro's smile faded, "What is it?" he asked quietly.
Muichiro didn't answer right away.
His turquoise eyes had shifted toward a thick cluster of bushes several yards away from the path. At first glance, there appeared to be nothing unusual about them. The leaves swayed gently with the breeze, and shadows pooled beneath the surrounding trees.
But something wasn't right.
The movement was too deliberate.
Too controlled.
Someone was hiding there.
Tanjiro inhaled slowly.
Almost immediately, unfamiliar scents reached him.
Humans.
At least two of them.
Their scents carried traces of nervousness, impatience, and anticipation. Whatever they were doing hidden in the bushes, they clearly hadn't expected to be discovered.
The forest seemed to grow quieter.
For several moments, nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
The hidden figures remained concealed among the leaves, apparently convinced that they had not been noticed.
Muichiro stared at the bush for another few seconds before letting out a quiet sigh.
"If you know what's good for you," he said flatly, his voice carrying easily through the stillness of the forest, "you'll come out now instead of hiding. You've already been discovered, and honestly, you're not nearly as stealthy as you seem to think you are."
The response was immediate.
A loud crack echoed through the trees.
Followed by hurried whispering.
"What do you mean we've been discovered?"
"I don't know! You're the one who stepped on that branch!"
"I barely touched it!"
"Well, apparently he heard it!"
The bush shook violently.
Several leaves fell to the ground.
Tanjiro blinked.
Nezuko tilted her head.
Muichiro looked mildly annoyed.
After a few more moments of arguing, two large men finally emerged from the undergrowth.
Their dramatic entrance was somewhat ruined when one of them became tangled in a low-hanging branch and nearly fell face-first into the dirt.
The second man wasn't much better.
He immediately tripped over an exposed tree root before catching himself at the last second.
The taller of the two quickly straightened himself and attempted to recover what remained of his dignity.
"Well," he said while brushing leaves from his shoulders, "that's just fantastic. We spent nearly half an hour hiding in those bushes waiting for the perfect opportunity to surprise somebody, and somehow you noticed us before we could do anything."
Muichiro stared at him.
The man shifted uncomfortably beneath the blank gaze.
After several seconds, he leaned toward his companion.
"Why is he looking at me like that?"
The second man frowned.
"I don't know, but it feels like he's judging us."
Muichiro nodded, "I am."
The two men looked offended.
Tanjiro rubbed the back of his neck.
For some reason, the situation was becoming increasingly awkward.
Trying to be polite, he stepped forward slightly.
"Can we help you with something?" he asked.
Both men immediately turned their attention toward him.
Their eyes moved from Tanjiro to Nezuko and then to Muichiro.
Something about the way they looked at them made Tanjiro instantly uncomfortable.
The friendly expressions on their faces didn't match the scents he was picking up.
There was greed there.
And something far worse.
The taller man folded his arms, "Actually, yes," he said. "You can help us."
A slow smile spread across his face.
"You kids shouldn't be wandering through a forest this late at night. It's dangerous out here."
His companion nodded, "Very dangerous."
"There are all kinds of bad people roaming around these woods."
"Terrible people."
"Absolutely awful."
Tanjiro frowned.
Something about the conversation felt wrong.
Very wrong.
Beside him, Nezuko moved a little closer.
Muichiro looked completely unimpressed.
The taller man continued speaking.
"So why don't you come with us? We'll make sure you get somewhere safe."
The smile on his face widened.
Tanjiro immediately noticed it didn't reach his eyes.
"No thank you," he replied politely but firmly.
The traffickers exchanged a glance.
Their smiles disappeared almost instantly.
The friendliness vanished from their expressions as though it had never been there in the first place.
The larger man cracked his knuckles.
"That wasn't really a request."
Muichiro sighed.
The sound was quiet, but it carried an impressive amount of disappointment.
"I was really hoping this wouldn't turn into a whole thing."
The second trafficker pointed toward him.
"See? That's the one that's been bothering me."
"I haven't done anything," Muichiro replied.
"You've been standing there judging us this entire time."
"I am judging you."
The man looked genuinely offended.
Tanjiro had to fight the urge to sigh.
This was definitely not how he had expected the trip home to go.
The larger trafficker took a step forward.
"Enough talking," he growled. "Grab them."
Both men began advancing toward the three Demon Slayers.
Tanjiro's hand moved instinctively toward the hilt of his Nichirin Blade.
Nezuko lowered herself into a defensive stance.
And Muichiro simply stared at the approaching men with an expression that suggested he was already tired of this entire situation.
The traffickers had no idea who they had just threatened.
The confrontation ended far more quickly than either trafficker had expected.
Despite their confidence, neither man stood a chance against trained Demon Slayers. Tanjiro effortlessly avoided their clumsy attacks while Nezuko darted around them with surprising speed, forcing them constantly onto the defensive. Meanwhile, Muichiro looked almost bored throughout the entire encounter, sidestepping punches and grabs as though he were avoiding falling leaves rather than fighting two grown men.
Within minutes, both traffickers were sprawled across the forest floor.
One lay flat on his back groaning in pain while the other clutched his side and struggled to sit upright. Their earlier confidence had completely vanished, replaced by confusion and disbelief.
Tanjiro released a tired sigh.
"I told you we weren't interested in going with you," he said. "You should have left when you had the chance."
Nezuko nodded firmly beside him.
Muichiro simply turned away.
"As I said before," he remarked calmly, "this was a waste of time."
The Mist Hashira had barely taken a few steps when a figure suddenly emerged from the darkness behind him.
Unlike the other two traffickers, this man moved with frightening speed and silence.
Before Muichiro could fully react, a strong arm wrapped around him from behind.
A cloth was immediately pressed over his mouth and nose.
Muichiro's eyes widened.
The sharp chemical scent hit him instantly.
His body tensed as he tried to pull away.
"What—?!"
The third man tightened his grip.
Muichiro attempted to elbow him, but the stranger had clearly been waiting for an opportunity like this. The cloth remained firmly pressed against his face as the chemical fumes filled his lungs.
The Mist Hashira struggled violently.
His hand shot toward his sword.
For a brief moment, it looked like he might break free.
Then his movements began to slow.
The battle against the demon and the confrontation with the traffickers had already drained some of his stamina, and now the effects of the chloroform were taking hold.
His vision blurred.
The trees around him seemed to sway.
His legs weakened beneath him.
"Mr. Tokito!" Tanjiro shouted.
Without hesitation, Tanjiro rushed forward to help.
He never reached him.
A second figure suddenly stepped from behind a nearby tree and grabbed Tanjiro before he could get close. Cold steel pressed against his throat.
Tanjiro froze.
The sharp edge of a sword rested against his neck.
"Take another step," the man warned, "and your friend loses his head."
Tanjiro's eyes widened.
A moment later, Muichiro's body went limp.
The third trafficker caught him before he could fall and hoisted the unconscious Hashira over his shoulder.
"Got him," the man said with a satisfied grin.
Nezuko let out an angry growl.
The sight of Muichiro being captured and Tanjiro being threatened immediately filled her with rage.
Without thinking, she lunged forward.
The man holding Tanjiro pressed the blade harder against his throat.
"Don't move!" he barked. "One more step and I'll cut the boy's throat!"
Nezuko stopped instantly.
Her pink eyes burned with fury.
Every instinct screamed at her to attack.
But the sword remained against Tanjiro's neck.
One wrong move could get her brother killed.
"Nezuko!" Tanjiro shouted.
She looked toward him.
For a brief moment, brother and sister locked eyes.
"Run!" Tanjiro yelled. "Go get help! Find the others!"
Nezuko hesitated.
Everything in her wanted to stay.
She couldn't leave Tanjiro.
She couldn't leave Muichiro.
But Tanjiro's expression was firm.
He was right.
If she stayed, they would all be captured.
If she escaped, she could bring help.
The traffickers clearly realized this too.
"She's thinking about running," one of them said nervously.
"Then stop her!"
Nezuko made her decision.
Before anyone could grab her, she turned and sprinted into the forest.
Her speed was incredible.
Within seconds, she had disappeared into the darkness between the trees.
"After her!" one of the traffickers shouted.
The two men who had been defeated earlier slowly began pushing themselves off the ground, groaning as they recovered from the beating they had received.
The third trafficker pointed toward the direction Nezuko had fled.
"Go after the girl and kill her before she brings anyone back!"
Tanjiro's blood ran cold.
"No!"
He struggled violently against the man restraining him.
"If you go after my sister, I swear I'll kill every single one of you!"
His voice echoed through the forest.
The traffickers ignored him.
"I mean it!" Tanjiro shouted. "If you hurt her—"
One of the men rolled his eyes.
"Would somebody quiet the kid already?"
Another nodded.
"We can't have him screaming like this. Somebody nearby might hear."
Tanjiro continued fighting.
His wrists were quickly grabbed and tied together with thick rope.
Even as they bound his arms and legs, he refused to stop struggling.
"Let me go!" he shouted. "Nezuko! Run!"
The traffickers worked quickly.
Years of experience had clearly taught them how to restrain captives.
Within moments, Tanjiro's hands and ankles were securely tied.
Even then, he continued thrashing against the ropes.
"Still yelling?" one man muttered.
"I'll fix that."
A dirty cloth was shoved into Tanjiro's mouth before being tied firmly behind his head.
His words instantly became muffled.
"Mmph! Mmph!"
"Much better."
Tanjiro glared at them.
If looks could kill, every trafficker present would have dropped dead on the spot.
The third man chuckled.
"Fiery little thing, isn't he?"
"No kidding."
The man adjusted the unconscious Muichiro on his shoulder before gesturing toward Tanjiro.
"Grab him."
Two traffickers lifted the struggling Demon Slayer off the ground.
Tanjiro continued fighting despite the ropes and gag, desperately trying to free himself.
But it wasn't enough.
As the moon shone overhead, the traffickers disappeared deeper into the forest, carrying both Tanjiro and the unconscious Muichiro into the darkness while Nezuko raced through the night in search of help.