Chapter Text
“Time. Space. Reality. It is far more than a linear path. It is a prism of endless possibilities, where a single choice can branch out into infinite realities, creating alternate worlds from the ones you know.”
As this is said, various moments across realities and timelines pass by. Some you are familiar with, from Tony Stark hammering down on a piece of steel to create the Mark 1 Iron Man suit in a cave, the Incredible Hulk roaring out in a rage against General Ross and his Military forces, Thor raising Mjolnir up into the sky to have lightning cast up into the air and the pod containing Steve Rogers opening up to reveal not a stick-man of a human being, but the world’s first and only truly successful Super Soldier.
Yet, just as much as these familiar sights pass by, so too did ones that are familiar, but so different it felt wrong to see with your own eyes. From a version of Iron Man being covered in what appeared to be sentient liquid metal to put himself in a brilliant silver armour far more advanced than anything the Tony Stark you know has invented, a Steve Rogers that had not received the Super Soldier Serum but was instead piloting what could be best described as a Tank of an Iron Man suit made in the 40s, a version of the Hulk whose skin was grey instead of green, wearing a mob suit and smoking a cigarette and a version of Thor whose skin was almost as blue as a Jotunn, wielding not Mjolnir as we know it but instead a sturdy piece of metal that on the top had an ice construct that nearly perfectly mirrored the head of an actual hammer if not for one side being as spiked as glaciers.
“I am The Watcher. I am your guide through these vast new realities.” A large, cosmic entity seemingly carved from space itself said as he addressed the readers directly, before a wave of his cosmic hand, The Watcher shifted reality to reveal his far more humanoid and robed appearance- his true appearance to all, but more importantly, bringing attention to one very… unique universe.
“You have all seen many realities already. Whether it be through my guidance, or as you observed the adventures of the Heroes you are intimately familiar with. And thus, you are already aware… of this universe, with no hope.” The Watcher said, causing the universe before the readers are shown Earth-89521, witnessing its sea of death as the Infected consume the living, valiant heroes defending the innocent only to end up joining the hordes in an attempt to save just 1 more life and thus causing far more deaths, and most devastatingly, the victory of the Queen of the Dead. “The universe, where Hank Pym’s love for his wife and journey into the Quantum Realm did not bring back together a broken family back together with happy tears and time to make up for. Instead, it brought back a sea of death that could not be stopped, for he was just too late to bring Janet Van Dyne back before she was infected with a Quantum Virus. But, you already know this if you are here today.”
With that said, The Watcher placed a finger on the border that separated this universe from all others and allowed the Fifth Dimensional being to observe it, and swiped to the side, revealing another universe… but not during the time of the Avengers, or just a few years before.
No, this showed Earth before even the First World War. Specifically Japan.
“Yet, what you may not know as well, is this time of Earth. A hidden and forgotten time of history, where creatures known as Demons wandered Japan during the night. Consuming humans for over a thousand years, due to their King’s ambition to conquer the Sun and live forever. And yet, as they always do, humans banded together to fight against a great evil, until in most realities, they slay the Progenitor and end Demon kind in one final battle, and the chapter of these Demon Slayers in the universe’s history, closes here. Particularly, the one who brought about the final ripple of events to bring this success to reality… Tanjiro Kamado.” The Watcher explained, revealing a long history of battles between Demons and Demon Slayers, with great, hope igniting victories and soul-crushing defeats, until it ended on a glimpse of the happy life that Tanjiro Kamado led after the end of the Demon King. “...But this is not that universe.”
With that mournful declaration, The Watcher revealed a moment that happens in nearly all realities at one point or another. Tanjiro Kamado, turning into a Demon. But not just any Demon… the new Demon King.
“Like many others, this universe’s Muzan Kibutsuji, in a bid to survive and gain a successor to his will, would pass on all of his blood to Tanjiro Kamado and bring the boy back from the edge of death. But instead of Kanao Tsuyuri, or any other friend or family Tanjiro had gained saving him from a life without end… fate, was not so kind.”
It was then that the moment where this universe diverged was revealed. For in the split seconds as Kanao Tsuyuri tried to administer the cure to Demonhood to Tanjiro, and the freshly turned and newly crowned Demon King’s bone whips could try to impale or slash through the Demon Slayer…
The ground caved in beneath Tanjiro’s feet, and out of perhaps some instinct to protect or just the feral reaction of a creature not knowing what was going on, the Demon King threw Nezuko away from him and into Kanao before he fell with the ground, into a deep abyss beneath the town where the final battle took place in, and with Nezuko’s body harshly impacting Kanao’s, it caused the cure she held in her hands to slip out of her finger to fall into the abyss as well and shatter on impact.
“With this unfortunate circumstance caused by the area’s instability from all of the harsh fighting, Tanjiro Kamado was thus forced to keep the crown of the Demon King. The Demon Slayers were forced to lick their wounds and heal before they had to mobilise once more to protect humanity from Demons still roaming Japan, weak and strong alike. And worst of all… the young Kamado had to witness the cruelty of time, while it bestowed the greatest cruelty of leaving him alone onto him.” The Watched explained the tragedy of this universe’s Tanjiro Kamado, as the boy walked upon the Earth for over 100 years. And yet, just as the heroes of the modern age continue to prove… the tragedies of the past, will give birth to the hopes of the future. Even for a world where hope is doomed.”
And as this is said, the Universe focuses in on Tanjiro Kamado as he walks upon Japanese Soil, with a singular destination in mind, during the year of 2018.
Time marched on.
It always did. No matter what happened, whether good or evil took place, it continued without mercy.
It was a lesson that he had first learned when grandmother had marched on from the living to the dead.
Just saying ‘marched on’ instead of ‘dead’ felt almost laughable. It wasn’t like he was uncomfortable saying it, but…
Saying family was dead, outright and without hesitation, was something beyond him. No matter how old he became, no matter the experience he may still gain, he didn’t think he would ever be able to outright say ‘dead’ when it came to family.
So he didn’t. His grandmother, so distant to remember, had marched on towards the end of her road. Leaving behind the scent of blood.
So would his father. Sickly, frail and frailer by the day, and eventually, no matter how powerful he still was in his twilight days, he too left behind the scent of blood.
Death always came with Blood. And time often saw it through, no matter if it was because there remained too little time, or too much had passed to alter the course.
Previously, the thing that had struck him the most was that too much time had passed to change anything.
His siblings, besides Nezuko, and his mother, died back home while he slept away peacefully. Unaware that a tragedy was happening. Too much time had passed to alter the course.
But now…
Now, it was the former.
Time was running out for Nezuko.
It had marched on, ever since that day. Where cruelty had taken place, where the monster in human skin had struck, it had continued.
And now, the inevitable was happening once more. Delayed by decades' worth of time, but it had ultimately caught up.
This was the truth Tanjiro Kamado knew, and hence why he was now marching towards his dearest sister’s residence.
It was her time that was running out now.
The Taisho Era had been roughly over a century ago now. At least the point in time relevant to him.
It was a miracle in itself that Nezuko, over a century old as she was now, still drew breath where many others could not claim the same. But the miracle was running out its course.
Nezuko’s human nature only permitted for so much.
So, Tanjiro made the decision. One he had denied ever doing because he was fearful of how their interaction would go, and whether he was even worthy of gazing upon her in his current state.
He would visit Nezuko at last. Talk to her, and…
And just be there. Whether today was her last day alive, whether she still had weeks or months or even one more year, he would visit this once.
He owed her that much, considering what else he had left behind for her to take care of. Kanao…
He wishes he could have done the same for her, before she had passed away like the rest of his friends. But apparently…
Tanjiro Kamado was a coward.
Just as much like Muzan Kibutsuji, it seemed. So different, yet so pathetically alike.
But no more. He couldn’t be there for Kanao. He couldn’t be there for Zenitsu. He couldn’t be there for Inosuke. He couldn’t be there for Giyu. He couldn’t be there for… for…
“Ah.”
How pathetic indeed, to be reminded of this flaw on top of that.
“I forgot.”
The loss of memories.
So human, so mortal, so biologically flawed, and yet…
It was one of the few things that still made him feel human, even though he hated it. To forget. Some, he still remembered their names. Others, he only remembered their appearance.
But the faces… blank.
So many Hashira who had deserved to be remembered, and yet he could only remember some of their features and nothing else. But at least, the silver lining was that he had not yet forgotten his friends.
If he could have his way, then he never would. But he feared this was one of the things that would happen no matter how hard he tried.
So, he tried not to think of it. As always.
He focused on the present. The time that mattered.
And what mattered was that he made it to Nezuko. He knew her address, and it wouldn’t be much longer before he made it to her.
Yet as he took a step, as he passed through cross-roads and sidewalks, as red lights turned green and he inched ever so closer…
He felt hesitation.
That accursed traitorous thing once more reared back its ugly head at a time he should not hesitate.
But he did.
Did Nezuko even want to see him? Would she want to see the monster he was today?
She was kind. He knew that. He knew in every inch of his body, no matter its changes because of Kibutsuji’s blood, that she would want to see him.
Her life would end.
If he were in her position, he imagines he’d want to see her, even if she became a monster too.
And yet, the rational part was overpowered by that hesitation.
Would she really want to see him? Him? The deadbeat? The one who had never dared to even try any contact himself, and instead had to let others do it for him?
The one who had forced Nezuko to not only be a mother, but an aunt on top of that? Who had forced Zenitsu to be an uncle to? Who had forced Inosuke to mature up? Who had forced… who had forced Inosuke’s… his wife to… Who had… with Kanao…
He stopped his steps.
He stopped and stared ahead.
“Just at that corner. Take a left, and I reach her residence.”
For someone so old now, Nezuko was still capable enough to not need a retirement home. Yet another miracle on top of that.
Relatives on all sides visited. Rather regularly on top of that. He knew. Knew and knew, because he had seen.
Toko and Yoshiteru. Sumihiko and Kanata.
They had stood out to him the most. Most often, they visited separately. The siblings nowadays visited at different times. The cousins even less often together.
But the celebrations, they were all together.
And during times like these, when he was around, the familiarity of it hurt. And, to his shame…
It also elicited some jealousy, that this wasn’t what he could get. Out of his reach, and never to be reclaimed.
And the reason?
His cowardice.
Surely, if he hadn’t hesitated so much, he could have been there. Surely, if he had just managed to get a better hang of himself, he could have…
He could have had something, no?
Or maybe, he was just creating himself excuses to begin with. To give himself reasons, so he could feel better about the lack of contact.
What a cruel and ruthless spiral his mind had become nowadays.
He shook his head.
“I can’t hesitate.”
He had told himself this countless times, now and before. Hesitation now meant utter defeat, and the possibility that he really would never again see Nezuko.
If he didn’t see her now…
Then, tomorrow, he may never see her again. Not beyond her ashes.
So, he forced himself.
He stepped once, then twice, and moved around the corner. And already, he could see it. The door. The one that would lead him in. Where Nezuko lived.
He just needed to take a few more steps and ring that doorbell. Then…
Then…
Oh, he was already terrified, and he hadn’t yet touched that button!
It was a meeting. He would meet Nezuko and…
“I must say, sometimes I am truly astounded by how self-sabotaging you are.”
And he was back. Great.
“And what is the point of stating that?” He asked.
He answered, “My own amusement. Believe me when I say that your state of mind these days is quite dreadful, but endlessly entertaining, successor of mine.”
It was always the same thing with this guy.
If anything, he should have realized his silence was strange, but he’d been so absorbed in his thoughts he’d momentarily forgotten his mind didn’t just have his. It never was now.
“Look for your entertainment elsewhere.” Was his harsh reply.
There came a thoughtful hum, then, bluntly: “Never.”
And the worst part? He couldn’t do anything about it.
The body remained firmly his. And the mind, in essence, was still his own. And yet, this absolutely bothersome parasite who had settled within his flesh and bones could never be gone.
This was what Muzan Kibutsuji had become now.
A parasite who Tanjiro couldn’t get rid of, because he was too firmly set in every part of his being. Control he retained; the voice would never fade, no matter what.
And not for a lack of trying either.
“Now, I could hold you back further. Bother you all the more, but I am truly interested to see how this sibling reunion goes. So do take the steps, Tanjiro. Let’s see if your bond is as strong as you hope it remains after all these decades.”
Then, with poison reignited in his mind, Muzan faded into the back of his mind, as if he had never been there to begin with.
Tanjiro couldn’t hide the scowl, nor the word.
“Bastard…”
But, unfortunately, he did bring up the point that had haunted him at the start, and haunted him once again because of course he had to bring it up.
Their bond. Did it remain strong? Or, had it…?
He shook his head.
“No point in dwelling on this now. I need to do it.”
It was time.
But it seemed fate had a sick sense of humour. Because just as he took another step, something would stop him from doing any further.
As for why?
Because his nose picked up on a sudden smell of blood.
Not from Nezuko’s apartment. Thank god for that. But from elsewhere. Not too close, but not nearly far enough either for his nose not to pick up on it.
Such a thing would normally elicit a positive reaction from his body, no matter how much he hated it.
But instead, and that stuck out the most, it made him feel sick.
“Oh?” Muzan’s unwelcome voice echoed in his mind at that observation.
It was a completely foreign feeling. His body biologically could not feel sick from what was most definitely human blood. It should instead elicit a want.
But the opposite came. It was disgust. And that feeling only increased as the smell seemed to amplify and mix in with other smells of blood.
Tanjiro looked away from the apartment door then, and looked towards where the scent came from.
He didn’t know it then, but this was the very first step towards a new age. And it all started with humans noticing something very strange was going on. Tanjiro, human he may not be anymore, was included in that bunch.
And as he smelled it more and more, Tanjiro made a decision. To his relief and own disgust, he marched away from the apartment door.
Away from Nezuko, and towards the anomaly.
Quietly, he noted how abnormally fast the foul scent was increasing.
“What is going on?”
And while worry was something he was still very capable of feeling, it was something he had not felt often. Yet whatever this was, it started to earn it for how abnormal it was.
His steps became faster, and while he would not remotely go at his top speed, he ran nonetheless. And soon after, he saw people trying to run away, screams and…
Growls.
“Well now…”
As the people were running away, it meant that, eventually, the path ahead was cleared. And what he saw made him freeze.
Not because of the sight that displayed bloodied corpses and complete chaos. That was something that could not make him freeze anymore, much as he sometimes wishes it still did.
It’s the what that caused it.
Eating at bodies, lunging at those few unlucky who hadn’t managed to run away or had tried to hide, or those who somehow managed to cling to life even though they were being actively eaten, were for a lack of a better term, zombies.
What else was he supposed to call those corpse-like bodies that did all of that? Demons?
Certainly not. At least, not anymore. Demons wouldn’t look nearly that decayed.
But the fact that he was seeing real-life zombies caused him to hang his mouth open and utter: “What the hell…”
Heroes existed. Gods could walk amongst them. Many wonders had emerged in recent years, and even Aliens were a definitive thing since that whole mess in New York.
At first, it had also caused him to stare in disbelief. Later, not anymore. And now, of all things, it was zombies that made him react this way once again.
One of them suddenly paused in their devouring, and another, almost at the same time, stopped hunting a human it was trying to get at altogether.
A reaction all the nearby zombies displayed at once, and the reason why became obvious almost just as instantly, when their vacant gazes, either glassy or because they were missing the eyes, landed on him.
“You have got to be kidding me.”
His reaction happened at the same time Muzan gave a comment from within.
“Curious. Do they possess a certain instinct regarding superior beings?”
At once, they charged at him. Lunging in every unnatural position imaginable, uncaring of what they did to their bodies.
Their primary concern at once was him.
A rightful concern, considering the being that stood in front of them. Because the moment they did so, Tanjiro had acted.
In a blink, he was next to the first zombie that had lunged for him. The closest, and also the first to perish.
Tanjiro had raised his arm, and in the process, had manifested a sword. A sword that came down upon the zombie the next second without the corpse being capable of even reacting.
It was severed vertically and left to drop while the zombies only now realized what was going on. Some had dropped where Tanjiro had previously stood, perhaps confused by what had just happened, while the others had stopped dead in their tracks and snapped their heads or even whole bodies at where he now stood.
Quite unnerving, actually. But if they thought that would stop him, then they were mistaken.
He’d moved. In total, there had been 5 zombies, and one of them he’d already dispatched. That number alone already meant their doom.
And once he’d moved, he’d already dispatched another zombie. The farthest one found itself suddenly with its head lodged off its neck, and not by decapitation. Merely because the blade had been thrust across its head, and quietly torn it off like that.
Then the blade was swung down, and it collided with the stump while the blade cut vertically and severed it in half as well.
“Three.”
The zombies by now seemed to become really confused by what was going on. Even if they stubbornly tried to do what their decayed instincts told them.
An actually living person would have changed their strategies. But these zombies clearly could not do any better.
They charged again.
“Let’s finish this.” He declared and moved to do exactly that.
He attacked the one closest to him and swiftly swung thrice. Once for a decapitation, then twice in an X-fashion just to render its torso and parts of its limbs useless.
An action he repeated two more times.
Three became two. Two became one. And then one became zero.
And no more undead were left. Only the corpses that had become inanimate, and anyone who had managed to hide nearby.
He could sense a few lifeforms, and that did reassure Tanjiro. But as he dismissed his sword and pondered how to go about it, he noticed something.
Something that shouldn’t be this close. And yet, was.
Nezuko’s scent. Away from her apartment complex.
And the foul scent was dangerously close to intermingling with hers.
“No, no, no!”
Had those things gone past him?! But how?! He’d dispatched of the ones-
“If you stretched out your senses and focused, perhaps you’d have noticed as well. This rotten thing has spread everywhere, not just here.”
Unfortunately, Muzan was right. On top of that, it had taken Tanjiro precious seconds to reach the location where he’d dispatched the zombies.
If more had been there, then they’d just spread out. And if he hadn’t noticed, then they had successfully escaped. Which meant…
One, or more, were truly after Nezuko.
His little sister, who was over a century old, and in no state to do anything in her advanced age.
His little sister, whom he had failed countless times during the decades that had passed.
He could not fail her now!
He ran. No restraint was present this time; he simply ran as fast as he possibly could to reach his sister before this scourge got to her.
And he does succeed.
Unlike before, when he failed to be there for his sister when she became a demon, or witness with his own eyes how she had regained her humanity, he was there to present another strike of cruelty.
Three zombies, lunging for an elderly woman.
Summoning his sword was impossible in that span of time, so Tanjiro simply did it with the one weapon humans all possessed without a doubt. His fists.
From the perspective of the elderly Nezuko, it looked as if one moment, she was about to be attacked, and the next…
The next, all the living corpses were headless and inert on the ground.
She could feel her heart pounding on her chest, seemingly ready to burst out of it. And she knew already that the sudden struggle to breathe from it was a bad sign.
And yet, even though she knew, what she saw next made her forget it entirely.
Because behind the headless corpses stood him.
Tanjiro.
The Demon King.
Her older brother.
With a bloodied fist and an intense look in eyes that, to her quiet surprise, looked entirely his own, instead of Kibutsuji’s.
And it relieved her.
A relief that was the complete contrary of what her body felt. And unfortunately, it would not be enough to prevent what would happen.
Nezuko was old, after all.
And it was something Tanjiro noticed. Perhaps even before Nezuko realized it herself. Because his eyes could see it: how something about her body failed her in that moment, as the close call ended.
Yet, he reacted too late. Even though he saw it, Nezuko felt her body suddenly grow weak first, and only then did Tanjiro react.
“Nezuko!”
Her body dropped, and he moved to catch it.
He spared her a painful fall, as he held one hand behind her back and one behind her head, allowing for his younger sister to see his face properly at last.
And she noted something.
“I’m glad… to see you appear so human… Tanjiro.”
There were no demonic eyes. No Demon Slayer Mark, or even scars. Not even the fangs.
Simply a human face.
It was a disguise, she knew. It was the only way he would be able to blend in. And yet, to see the lack of demonic felt relieving to Nezuko, as if this confirmed there was a human left underneath it all, even now.
Because unlike what Tanjiro feared, even if Nezuko had held resentment once upon a time, she certainly didn’t hold them now at this stage of her life.
She was nothing but happy. And this only enhanced it. To know and see…
No matter how much Tanjiro may have changed, deep down, what made him Tanjiro remained.
Would Kibutsuji have cried for her? Would the monster that had momentarily emerged on that fateful day cry for her?
She thought not.
Yet now, before her, Tanjiro did.
“Nezuko…”
They both knew what was to happen now. That Nezuko was done for. That unfortunately, the elderly woman’s body had reached the limits when the fear of the zombies attacking her had sparked one final flight and fight response.
So, Tanjiro cried.
Because there was nothing he could do. Not unless he wanted to spit on everything he and his friends had fought for, a century ago.
So, as the tears came, he decided he would do the one thing he never managed to do up until now.
Apologize.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry! I- I was a coward! I couldn’t dare approach you, or anyone else! I-”
But Nezuko did not want for their last memories to be over regrets. So, Nezuko cut him off. The little life she could still cling to, she used to give her final words.
“Shh. Brother, there’s no need… to cry…” The elderly woman smiled happily, “We knew… we all knew, that your… situation… it was unfair… and we all wished just as much… we all wished so badly that things could be different…”
She raised an arm towards his face.
“That was not meant to be, and yet… I’m happy we were able to meet one last time…”
And her wrinkled hand touched his cheek. Young and unchanging since that day.
“So don’t cry for me, Tanjiro. There’s no need. We all understand, and all I wish for now… is that you… can live… happily as well… perhaps even with my descendants or your own… or maybe, even both… I wish…”
Her hand dropped.
“...you all… a bright future… and beautiful… future…”
And then, they went limp.
Tanjiro both heard and saw as her heart stopped, flatlining and confirming the one thing he knew was fated to happen, yet could not accept.
So, he did not give it form. He did not tell it to himself.
He simply watched the body of his sister, limp and lifeless.
“How kind of her.”
And it shouldn’t have surprised him to hear Muzan again at this point.
Only this time, it wasn’t just a voice. In his field of vision, he manifested as well. Staring down upon the body of his sister.
And whenever he did that, the voice of Muzan felt uncomfortably physical. As if he wasn’t just a manifestation that no one else saw.
“She would have every right to curse you in her final moments. You are powerful and perfect in every important way, yet, you left her with your friends and other associates who she never truly knew.”
The properly dressed demon glanced at him, and a faint outline of a smile formed upon his lips.
“What a poor brother you would make for the majority of her life.”
“Shut up.” Tanjiro failed to hold back the venom in his voice even as he gently held Nezuko’s body.
“Don’t you dare twist these final moments with your venom.” Were Tanjiro’s words as he shifted his grip on Nezuko’s body so he could hold her up. Bridal-style.
“I speak only the truth, Tanjiro.” Muzan said, “What kind of brother are you, for having abandoned your only sister for as long as you did? It’s a miracle she forgives you, or so she claimed.”
Tanjiro refused to acknowledge that. For Muzan to even dare insinuate Nezuko was lying about that was…
It was horrible.
He merely stared ahead and recalled one thing he hadn’t paid attention to at the time in his own internal panic.
“She wasn’t alone.”
Four other lifeforms were with her. And if he was right in his assumption, then…
Well, even if he wasn’t, he had to return just to be sure they weren’t left behind. Not after what was scarily starting to look like an honest-to-God zombie apocalypse.
He moved.
“Very well. Ignore me once more.” Muzan acknowledged, and as he did, his form dissipated, “But heed my words well Tanjiro. It’s best to be on your guard. A real Zombie Apocalypse? In this age? With all those who walk this earth? Humanity’s end may very well be today, or very soon.”
And so, Muzan’s voice faded once more in the back of his mind, and Tanjiro, carrying Nezuko’s body, headed towards her apartment.
Thankfully, as Tanjiro headed back to the apartment, he was able to avoid more Zombies. The area wasn’t desolate outside of the few he’d killed, far from it, but from what Tanjiro was picking up, the immediate area was lower in the count of the undead compared to a few miles spread out from this area.
Between that bit of luck, on top of being able to much more easily take none zombie infested routes since his senses allowed him to far more easily know where they were few in numbers or just outright not present, allowed Tanjiro to get back to the apartment complex while carrying his younger sister’s unmoving body without any danger to it.
Because after all of his failures, the least he could do was ensure that Nezuko got a burial later instead of being eaten, or even worse, her already still body being reanimated into a Zombie if this current apocalypse followed those specific rules.
However, this did not mean that Tanjiro left innocent people alone to die. While he already had some top priorities with this current disaster that he couldn’t afford to compromise, he saved lives where he could. Either by knocking over trash bins to distract a horde, using his Demon physiology and Breathing to move at speeds that allowed him to kick off the heads of some zombies and move on before any of the undead could process what happened and, as particularly distasteful as using actual Demonic abilities was to Tanjiro, even just making the flesh sword…
He did bring out his own versions of Muzan’s bone whips out of his back, which in consideration that the clothes he was were made out of his cells, just went through the clothes without permanently damaging them, and lashed out at Zombies that did notice him and try to go for him and his sister’s body, or to slice through and destroy a hoard that had people cornered before they could begin to feast on people.
Eventually though, after what almost felt like just a journey where Tanjiro’s body acted on its own… he once more saw Nezuko’s apartment complex. Or more accurately, the one where her apartment resided inside of. And already, the outside was a mess.
Evidently, whatever brought about this Zombie Apocalypse to Japan, regardless of if it started here or it originated elsewhere and arrived before the country could learn of it, it had not yet reached here when his sister tried to investigate.
“My, my. This works even faster than I was expecting with just regular humans.” Muzan commented, from within Tanjiro’s mind as through the Kamados’ eyes, he was witnessing Zombies trying to bang on and break through the front door of the apartment complex.
And while he didn’t initially notice thanks to all of the rotting flesh, blood, infection, and more mingling together for Tanjiro’s senses… he could smell scents similar to Nezuko’s, but different, right behind that door.
“What are Toko and Yoshiteru doing pushing against that door instead of hiding in the apartment!?” Tanjiro thought in surprise the instant he was able to piece together who those scents belonged to.
Though, in that exact moment, one of the zombies banging against the front door was able to punch through the wood, causing a pair of screams to cry out and thus not only reinvigorate the efforts of the Zombies trying to get in, but also draw the attention of a few more that moved to help the horde against the door.
Seeing this, Tanjiro couldn’t help but growl as he walked out of the alleyway that he had been watching this from, the bone whips coming out of his back twitching like the tails of various animals when agitated.
What followed next… could, from the perspective of any human being, best be described as an explosion of blood. One easily comparable to the blood and gore that would be caused by suicide bombers who blew themselves up for their fanatic ideals but without any damage to the surroundings.
But the reality of the situation was that Tanjiro struck out with the bone whips. Each one moved at a speed that even the Hashira from Tanjiro’s time -and as Muzan silently observed through the Kamado’s eyes, the Demon King noted that the same could apply to nearly all of his deceased Upper Moons- would not have been able to see the whips move even at their best.
Thus, as each whip sliced through already decayed flesh and organs, the speed of each strike pulverised what remained of each corpse to a point that what wasn’t cut through instead was crushed by the speed that they were made to move at when they went flying or when slamming into a surface. Completely painting the front of the apartment complex nearly red with pieces of rotten flesh hanging off of various points of the building. All except for the zombie arm that had punched through the door, when it fell through the gap since it wasn’t connected to a body anymore and…
“AAAAAGGGHHHH!!! WHY IS THE ARM IN HERE, WHY IS IT IN HERE!!!?” A boy yelled out, completely terrified. Lucky for him, nearly all of the zombies in the area had been trying to get through the door, so they were all killed by the bone whips and the few that weren’t, were already having their heads stabbed through by a whip before they could even turn to the source of the noise.
“Sush! We can’t have more of those things coming here, you idiot!” A young girl’s voice hushed towards the boy, making Tanjiro sigh in relief as he walked over towards the door. Both of them were still okay.
“If you both don’t mind, could you open up? There aren’t any Zombies in the immediate area right now.” Tanjiro spoke, causing the two children on the other side of the door to completely go silent. Then, Tanjiro heard something scraping against the wooden floor on the inside, and he saw a single pink eye look through the hole of the door, causing Tanjiro’s heart to ache at just how similar it was to Nezuko’s own eyes… but the girl that looked through wasn’t focused on the man she had no clue was her great-granduncle.
No… it was focused on the still corpse of who she instantly recognised as her great-grandmother.
“G-Granny…?” The girl spoke in shock, her voice absolutely weak as she stared at the body in disbelief.
And if the boy with her couldn’t tell something was wrong with how weak his sister’s voice was… he could instantly tell by how she used the word ‘Granny’, something she hadn’t called their great-grandmother since she was 7. And so, with some stuff moving for a moment, soon a brown eye also looked through the hole, and he looked positively broken just from the eye alone.
“Grandma…?” The boy whispered in shock, and it was at this point that Muzan’s voice spoke with amusement in Tanjiro’s mind.
“Quite the way to reveal that their oldest relative is dead in your arms.” Kibutsuji said, causing Tanjiro to scowl, but thankfully to him, both kids were in too much shock to really notice this seemingly random reaction.
“I don’t want to hear it from you.” Tanjiro thought to the parasite living in his mind, but he quickly focused back on reality to address the children.
“I’m… I’m sorry I wasn’t fast enough to save her. But I can promise that she isn’t injured or bitten, so can you open the door before any zombies start gathering in this area again?” Tanjiro asked the kids, snapping them back to reality, even if they were still shaken.
“S-Sorry… we used everything at the front entrance and more to barricade the door from this side. Moving everything will take too long, and we have younger siblings to look after.” The girl said, her position as the oldest sibling causing her to push through her shock a bit to address this stranger about the current situation. Even though it clearly broke her heart to say this with her Great-Grandma’s body on the other side.
Hearing that, Tanjiro thought for a moment before he looked up towards the roof of the Apartment Complex and quickly, an idea formed in his head. “Is there a door at the top of this building that can be used to get anyone in the building onto the rooftop if they wanted to?”
“Huh? Um… I mean, there is…. One of the people here loved gardening as well, so we kind of planned on using vegetables and such we can grow up there for food while hiding in here.” The boy this time answered, surprised by the question before then explaining some extra details, which made Tanjiro think it was a decent idea.
Far from perfect, and it could never be a permanent solution either, but this idea wasn’t half bad for a pair of teens that had to protect a 6- and 7-year-old and was much better than being on the streets or hiding in random buildings right now.
“Good. Then I'll be inside in a moment.” Was all Tanjiro said, and before the kids could react, Tanjiro’s bone whips moves, previously hidden from view thanks to how little the kids could see of everything through the hole but now clear to them, and Tanjiro leaned down and jumped up high, positively scaring the kids and causing one of them to slip up and fall off of a chair they were standing on.
Meanwhile, thanks to Tanjiro’s jump alone, he was able to fly up by 8 stories and nearly to the top with that casual jump. With a bit more effort, he knew he could get to the top with another jump, but as he looked around from his spot in the air, he could see that a few explosions were going off in the area, and more Zombies were moving about further in the streets and probably would get here soon enough, and not wanting to risk Nezuko’s body more than he already had, he decided to just use the bone tendrils to grab onto the edge of the rooftop and pull himself up.
“A personal ability I specifically developed to kill plentiful of Demon Slayers or anyone attempting to reach Yoriichi’s speed… and it is now being used like climbing gear for someone who has no actual need for it.” Muzan said as Tanjiro pulled himself over the edge and stood on the rooftop, and did see that there was a small garden here on the rooftop. And a pretty decent one at that.
Though, with Muzan’s remark, Tanjiro spoke up with a counter.
“Didn’t you use this to climb at one point on the night the Corps finally took you down?” Tanjiro questioned the Demon King, or more so, it sounded like a question when in reality, it was pointing out Muzan’s little hypocrisy.
“Yes. To kill you and one of the especially annoying Hashira of the time. Not for a bit of climbing that you could have skipped over with a real jump.” Muzan stated patronisingly, making the Kamado roll his eyes.
“Easy for you to say when you don’t need to protect something.” But now that he said it, he focused ahead.
He was slightly worried about breaking the window, but he sensed no life in there, and it was enough stories high that no normal zombies should be able to get through here.
He still decided the best option was to simply force it open instead of breaking the glass before stepping through, retracting the tendrils back into his body while carefully making sure not to disturb Nezuko’s body further than was necessary.
Then, after opening the other door gently, he went down.
It was rather slow, actually, to take the steps one by one. But jumping down was a horrendous idea with Nezuko’s body in his arms, and he’d rather not cause the building to shake when he reached the bottom.
Still felt annoyingly slow, though.
“Probably why Nezuko preferred for her apartment to actually be on the lower floors.” Tanjiro thought to himself as he walked down the steps, and as he did so, he couldn’t help but feel some worry.
Because while the smell of rot from zombies and the mingling of blood from outside the building still reached him even now thanks to his powerful nose, it was much easier to smell who was inside the building, and his other senses confirmed what his nose was telling him.
Not counting himself and Nezuko’s body, there were only 4 scents inside. Those being Nezuko’s great-grandchildren.
No one else who he knew were in here. But it made sense that the children's parents weren't here. The eldest two were old and responsible enough for them to walk outside on their own, and the younger girls could come with, but it was still worrying to Tanjiro.
Because that meant that right now, he could only hope that they were safe and he’d find them in this chaos before anything bad happened to them. But for now, the children were his priority.
“...t had to be! No way it wasn’t!” Though, now that Tanjiro was approaching the lower floors, it made his mind snap away from who he could pick up on inside the building and focus on what he was hearing.
“Shut it! I’m trying to think about what to do with the Demon King wanting in here!” The girl spoke, causing Muzan to chuckle within his mind at hearing the fear in the voices of those two children.
“Well, would you look at that.” Muzan commented as he manifested in Tanjiro’s vision, the vision of the parasite leaning against a wall while looking down the set of stairs that would lead to the next floor below and after that, the entrance. “It seems they are very familiar with just what you are, if this is their reaction instead of just thinking you are one of those superheroes popping up in the last few years.”
“Can you be quiet?” Tanjiro asked Muzan as he kept walking, now going past the vision of the old Demon King to walk down the stairs, only to see that the instant Muzan left his field of vision, he had now manifested in a new spot. This time, sitting on the railings of the stairs with one leg crossed on top of the other, as if he was actually sitting down on a comfortable seat.
Just like the bastard loved to do whenever he felt he was seeing Tanjiro in a situation that was either pleasing to see or highly entertaining to witness.
“And how can I when I am presented with something so entertaining?” Muzan asked with a smirk on his face, causing Tanjiro’s eyebrow to twitch in irritation as he kept walking. Perhaps a little faster to seemingly outrun Muzan’s voice, no matter how futile such an effort was. “Those of your blood, even through your sister, don’t know their connection to you. They only see you as the King of creatures that once feasted on human flesh like those undead once did, even if we Demons did it in a far more dignified manner. And it makes me curious…”
“Well, what are we meant to do against the freaking DEMON KING!?”
“Do they think you are responsible for all I have done?” Muzan asked, and as Tanjiro got closer, he was hearing the discussion of Yoshiteru and Toko much more clearly.
“Yoshiteru, I said to shut it so I can think!”
“Do they perhaps know that their beloved Great Grandmother was once a Demon? And blame those years of her life on you?” Muzan continued, enjoying the clear signs that his words were getting under Tanjiro’s skin.
“Again, DEMON KING! We’d need like, what, the entire Corps to possibly survive him!”
“Do they know that all of your and your sister’s family was killed by me and think it was you who spilled all of that blood?” Kibutsuji continued, now expressing delight at how close to snapping he was now making Tanjiro while the vision of him sat down on the bottom set of stairs that Tanjiro was walking down.
“Look, we have Zombies currently going on outside! Maybe we can use the fact that something is eating his own food supply to protect us?”
“And how much will those children, who should feel so safe around a family member, feel the need to constantly look over their shoulders around you?” Muzan asked, and by the time Tanjiro got to the top of the final set of stairs that would get him to the entrance, his patience snapped, and he gave a low growl.
“Can you be quiet?” Tanjiro repeated himself, snapping at Muzan and simply making the Demon King openly chuckle as he disappeared from Tanjiro’s view. However, with him being on top of the final set of stairs, his near-hiss of a comment was heard by the two siblings, making them freeze up and the scent of fear from them increased tenfold.
“At least they have their priorities straight in being afraid of a Superior Being more than some walking corpses.” Muzan commented to Tanjiro, who briefly gave a pause as with his focus on Muzan, he didn’t realise he was in hearing range for two siblings. But after a moment, he took in a deep breath and exhaled, calming himself down from Muzan’s probing.
“Sorry about that, you two.” Tanjiro said, now walking down the stairs while still keeping a hold on Nezuko’s body. And not really knowing how much the two of them knew, and admittedly being a little afraid of that answer, he pointed something out that was relevant for the current situation. “But even though that door and the barricade you made is keeping Zombies out, and there aren’t any in immediate range for the moment, all that yelling can still get their attention. Or worse, some less than pleasant and desperate people willing to do anything to survive or get what they want, even if it dooms others or doesn’t really help themselves here.”
Because indeed. On top of the Zombies, there would be those kinds of humans out there in this chaos right now that can be drawn in by the yelling as much as the undead. And while Tanjiro, even despite his age, wouldn’t be someone who would call his time a better one, as even this over a century of life let him experience many ups and downs of the time periods that evolved in the world, he would admittedly say that these more modern times had more actively bad people in power of some kind.
And that wasn’t accounting for those like Hydra and everything that they have done. It really surprised him that there was actually an organisation of people that heartless, that they even made some of Muzan’s acts look like something as petty as theft.
“Comparing me to that pathetic organisation? Well, on that point, I can at least somewhat agree. At least I was honest and only sought my personal goals instead of anything world-changing and thinking I was some hero like those delusional fools.” Muzan commented in Tanjiro’s mind, slightly insulted by the comparison, yet ultimately somewhat agreeing with it.
Because for as much as he viewed what he had done as comparable to a natural disaster, at the very least he was honest about how the killings were ultimately a whim or to serve his own purposes. Meanwhile, those headless chickens that somehow slipped into positions of power constantly think that they were as just as that walking American Flag that they constantly fight.
Idly though, Muzan wondered if the Cult that Hydra formerly was still existed in some form of the organisation’s modern-day state, or if that was lost to time and they just blatantly were what they are presented as today.
He had his own experiences with one such cult, back in the days when the Heian Era still stood. It was quite a while ago now, and he often didn’t think much of it now, but how could one not think back on it when it had helped shape the command structure he utilized up until the Taisho Era?
The God they worshiped, Hive, was one of the first records he knew of an entity that established a Hive Mind to exert control. Naturally, the way Muzan had chosen to go about it with his Demons was still different on a fundamental level, but it had been his source of inspiration for the absolute control he had established in all future demons he had not already controlled.
What a relief it had been, to be able to control loose cannons. And once he had begun, he had established some other factors. But that was unimportant now.
It wasn’t as if Muzan himself or even Tanjiro much desired the creation of more demons now that both, regardless of how unwilling one was, were perfect.
As for the cult he had gotten the information from?
Exterminated by yours truly until nothing remained. They had been adequate target practice, it had to be said. So it made up for the false lead he had obtained regarding a ‘blue flower’ he had been hopeful would be the Blue Spider Lily.
However, while Muzan was experiencing this little trip down memory lane with Hydra being brought up in the Kamado’s mind, Tanjiro was still focused on the matters of the real world. Mainly, his sister’s great-grandchildren.
“O-Okay…” The girl spoke, subtly shifting her position to stand in front of her brother to keep him out of view as Tanjiro finally got to the bottom of the stairs. “But… what is it that you want…?”
“T-To do, she means?” The boy added on fearfully, hoping that this would stop the Demon King from harming him and his sister after they just barely kept themselves and their younger sisters safe from Zombies after barricading the door with chairs, and anything from the bottom-floor apartments they could drag to the door in time.
“Right now? We’ll be getting you two, as well as your sisters and anyone we can find, to safety.” Tanjiro answered, and while it admittedly hurt him to see, he was not surprised by how much more fearful the two children became at his casual reveal that he knew that their sisters were here. “Right now, that will probably be the Corps’ HQ.”
“W-Wait, you know where it is?” The girl asked in shock, but Tanjiro shook his head negatively. Because he really didn’t know where it was.
Unless the HQ never moved from where it was destroyed during their final attack on Muzan, and was instead simply repaired, he had no real way of knowing where it would be since he never tried looking. But in a situation like this…
“I don’t think I’ll need to. With this current disaster, the Corps is probably taking in civilians to its HQ to protect them and stall this infection, and if they aren’t now, then they certainly will eventually.” Tanjiro told her, as if the current Ubuyashiki head of the Demon Slayers was even a fraction of the man Kagaya or Kiriya were, he could imagine this was what was already being done.
And while he also didn’t know where he was… Yushiro could also be an option. If his Blood Demon Art could hide him and… and… that Demon Doctor, from Muzan and his own nose back then couldn’t pick up on any scent from them when they were hidden by Yushiro’s Blood Demon Art, Tanjiro did not doubt that it would also be a safe location away from these Zombies.
“But that is for a bit later. For now… can I ask for your names and those of your sisters?”
He admittedly already knew their names… but there were two reasons he was asking for them. The first, and more selfish reason… was because he wanted to hear the kids introduce themselves to him. To hear the names of family members directly instead of just learning about them from the Shadows like he’d been doing this entire time.
The other reason? To hopefully build some trust with them in this situation, where he will need it to keep them all safe and close to him.
And yet, no immediate reveal of their names and thus some temporary trust was given to Tanjiro from these two, as both siblings looked back and forth between the barricaded door and Tanjiro. Clearly debating whether they should answer and stay with the Demon King… or try tearing away everything they set up in front of this door in the hopes they can run through the door before Tanjiro could possibly attack and take their chances with the Zombies.
To them, both situations were risky. One option put them within arm’s length of a creature that, to them, consumed who knows how many people, but could possibly defend them from being bitten, while the other removed the risks of being around something that eats humans and possesses superpowers, but they’d be running out where turning any single corner could get them bitten, and they had no weapons on them.
And the fact these two were clearly considering that hurt Tanjiro almost as much as when he discovered what happened to his family the morning after Muzan attacked them.
Which, with this pang of hurt, it caught Muzan’s attention and drew him back out of his trip down memory lane. And when he caught up on the current situation with just a look at the scene before him, he smirked as he manifested in Tanjiro’s vision to stand behind the two siblings and seemingly placed his hands on their shoulders.
“Wise beyond their years, truly. You are not a stranger to them, but a danger. I am quite glad to see they are fearful of a being like you.'' The Demon Progenitor told the one he passed his crown of Demon King onto, but as quickly as he did manifest, he allowed himself to disappear from view.
Actions that truly irritated Tanjiro… but he had gotten used to these moments from Muzan. So he pushed it back down, even though the boy did become more fearful at the moment.
“Look… I understand why you may not trust me. But I promise I won’t hurt you or your sisters.” Tanjiro said, now crouching down to look the children in the eyes. “She… your great-grandmother didn’t ask this of me. The stress caused to her by checking on what was happening and being attacked… it didn’t give her much time.”
And that was something about Nezuko’s death that felt like Tanjiro committed a sin. Because in her final moments… Nezuko only had him.
She was not surrounded by the family that stayed with her even into her elderly years, and she didn’t give him any final words she may have wanted to share with her children, her grandchildren, her great-grandchildren, or anyone.
The situation took away her chance of this with the rest of her family, and instead stuck her with only a visit from him during what is likely going to be one of the worst possible moments in the world’s history.
“...But I know that she would want you children safe. Even I can tell that much without being told anything. So for her, and so she can get the rest she deserves, you have my word I’ll protect you all and get you to safety.” Tanjiro informed the kids, and as they looked into his eyes… the girl could almost see honesty in them.
This gave her a moment of pause, and she quickly looked over her shoulder towards her brother, who caught the look. And while he still looked terrified… he gave a nod.
That seeming act of trust, or at least acceptance, from her brother, was all that was needed for the girl, as she then looked at Tanjiro.
“...My name is Toko. Agatsuma Toko.” The girl introduced herself, and it made Tanjiro give a warm smile.
“It is nice to meet you, Toko.” Tanjiro said, and with Toko having given her name, he looked to the boy and patiently waited.
“U-Um… m-my name is Y-Yoshiteru….” The boy said, stumbling over his own words from fear and nerves since even if he was the one causing them to give Tanjiro some trust… this was still the Demon King to him.
No way he could avoid a mixture of high emotions and nerves to stop some stuttering.
He felt a pang of nostalgia at how Yoshiteru behaved. He’d noticed before, of course, but now that he was seeing it firsthand instead of from a distance…
He really reminded him of Zenitsu.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Yoshiteru.” It may have affected how he answered. Which was surprising considering how one would think he’d be emotional about how much Toko looked like Nezuko, but…
Well, never mind that. Now wasn’t the time to get into those kinds of thoughts.
For now, he needed to focus on another matter.
“May I know your sister's name as well?” Not that this was actually the other matter exactly, but leaving them unmentioned for much longer was simply a poor idea.
The question had Toko and Yoshiteru both grow hesitant, but they also both knew at this point hiding their names wouldn’t serve up much. He somehow already knew they were here, even if hidden, so Yoshiteru took the initiative.
“Kyūk-ko and…” He took a gulp and cleared his throat so he could pronounce the name correctly, “Rōsokuko.”
Tanjiro smiled.
“Those are pretty names.” And as he said that, he glanced in the general direction he knew they were at, but he didn’t linger on his gaze for long.
Not when he noticed something. He didn’t voice it, not yet, but he would bring it up soon. It changed everything already.
He first needed to bring up something else, though.
“Is there any other family that we should be worried about?” Of course he already knew the answer, but unless he revealed how much he had been watching in the Shadows, he needed to go about it this way.
He didn’t expect for the sudden panic that came over Toko.
“Our parents!” It was so sudden it caught Tanjiro off guard, but as Toko started to ventilate and try to ease her breathing, Yoshiteru took over.
“She- My sister means… our parents, we… we don’t know what’s happened to them.”
It did not paint a pretty picture, and it resumed the worry Tanjiro felt. If they were currently dealing with all of that, then…
The question of whether they were alive was one none of them wanted to entertain.
“T-they’re tough!” Toko spat out; her breathing had calmed, but clearly, the reminder of their parents' uncertain fate had shaken her. Enough so now it was she who was panicking while the brother was the more composed one.
“I’m sure they are.” Tanjiro said easily. While he held doubts and worries…
In moments like these, when life or death was involved, perhaps they’d be able to fight on and survive. Or perhaps not, but he sure didn’t tell them that.
“There’s also…” Yoshiteru hesitated, “Our… our cousins. We don’t know what’s up with them now, but… I’m worried about them.”
So was he.
Those cousins were his direct descendants. They had gained a few advantages no others had because of his and Kanao’s… adventure, so to speak, so they were tougher than the average. But against this…
He was worried. But perhaps he didn’t need to be so worried either. For the parents or his descendants. Not after what he noticed perched up there, watching carefully.
“Maybe they’re fine.” He said with more confidence than he felt he should have.
But he did have it.
Was there not a symbol of hope present here at this very moment? Not that a crow would normally be dubbed a symbol of hope of all things, but for this…
Well, he was happy to see one of those little fellows up there. Watching.
“After all, I’ve got a feeling they may have already been found.”
And saying that, he purposely looked away from them, and towards what was perched on the pile of stuff used to block the front door.
Toko and Yoshiteru followed his gaze, and what they saw surprised them. Not because of the oddity, no, but because one was there at all.
A Kasugai Crow.
Part of the Demon Slayer Corps, and thus? Meaning the Corps was involved.
How paradoxical, one may think, that the Demon King felt such a thing as hope when seeing a symbol of the Demon Slayer Corps. But as someone who had once belonged with them…
It still stirred something. And now more than ever, it made him believe that while things would look bleak, it would never reach despair.
And so, Tanjiro Kamado, the human underneath it all, addressed the eyes and ears of their hope.
“We meet at last.”