A/N: And here's the next one! Enjoy~ :D

Chapter Twelve: On the Hunt

"Listen closely," Nezuko said as she straightened Tanjirou's clothes, the two of them gearing up for the day ahead. Her voice was firm and stern. "We're going to go out there and try to track Tamayo-san. You are going to try and sniff her out, but should you get any hint that Kibutsuji Muzan is nearby, we are going to immediately move away from it, not towards it." She pulled the scarf over his head once again just like she did last night, hiding most of his face from view. "You are going to keep this on your head at all times while we're outside. We can't have him finding out about you so early, like Oyakata-sama said. Promise me, Onii-chan."

Tanjirou let out a small grumble. Nezuko put her hands on her hips.

"Promise me!" she demanded.

Tanjirou sighed as he lifted his pinky. Promise. At that, her expression softened, and Tanjioru could see the relief in her expression. Tanjirou figured she must have been worried that he'd lose his mind if he smelled that monster's scent again, but now that he had promised to keep his head, she was reassured. Tanjirou was many things, but a breaker of promises was not one of them. He had never broken a single promise, not to Nezuko, not to their family.

"That's good." She smiled. "Let's go, Onii-chan."

Asakusa was as much a feast for the eyes in daytime as it was at night. There were still lots and lots of people, lots and lots of tall buildings, lots and lots of shops. As soon as they left the inn they had rented for the night, Tanjrou was once again hit in the face with a barrage of scents and noises, all loud and annoying, all borderline overwhelming. Perhaps if he was still human, he wouldn't be as affected. As it happened, he was a demon now, and along with the enhanced speed and strength were the enhanced senses that Tanjirou was wishing he didn't have right now. He wondered why it smelled like there were a lot of demons in the area, when the hustle and bustle of the city felt unbearable to Tanjirou. Was he just that much of a country bumpkin? Were city demons just used to it? Personally, Tanjirou felt like he would always prefer the quiet and serene beauty of the countryside. With the expression on Nezuko's face, he supposed she felt similarly.

They walked around the city, relying on Tanjirou's sharp nose to point them the way. He probably looked strange sniffing around the sidewalks and sometimes on the ground, but city people didn't seem to pay them much attention, so busy they were with dealing with their own affairs. Once Tanjirou was able to discern the scent of the demons from the humans, he figured out that there were at least five demons in the area that he could smell, excluding Kibutsuji Muzan himself, and hopefully including Tamayo. Nezuko frowned at the number, as it was pretty high to be so concentrated in a single place. Were they taking advantage of the city's vastness and the constant coming and going of people in order to nab innocent people easily without much notice? Or was there something more sinister going on?

Either way, Nezuko was a demon slayer, and Tanjirou was as good as one. Neither of them were about to let defenseless people become demon dinner, not on their watch. They decided it was best to track each one and take care of them, and if they happen to find Tamayo on the way, that was a good bonus for their trouble.

Which led them to now.

They were moving, rushing— running through the dark cramped alleyways behind and around the city buildings as they chased their target through the dim shadows, relentless. The demon they were chasing was letting out a scared, helpless scent, and Tanjirou could not help but feel a little sorry for him— even though he had already done acts that could not be forgiven. They had caught the demon in one of the seedier parts of the city, in the middle of a meal unfortunately, and as soon as he saw them he took off. The sun was still out and just about to set, so the demon had no choice but to run deeper into the alley they found him in, into the shadows. Tanjirou and Nezuko were quick to give chase, deeper and deeper into the backstreets of Asakusa, but Tanjirou could see that a dead end was coming up ahead, and he knew this long chase would end soon.

He took a deep breath as he tightened his grip on his sword, the black blade seemingly merging with the shadows. He braced his feet against the ground and jumped, flipping in the air until he was upside down face to face with the demon, delivering a single clean, decisive blow.

Hinokami Kagura. Ninth Form, he thought. Setting Sun Transformation.

By the time Nezuko arrived, the demon was already on the ground, slowly turning to ash. He didn't speak, merely let out wails and growls that made Tanjirou feel a little uneasy. It didn't seem like the demon had a sense of self yet, which meant that it hadn't killed that many people yet— at least that's what Tanjirou remembered Urokodaki said. He inhaled to take in the demon's scent one last time, confirming his suspicions. He faced Nezuko and moved his hands— he was really glad they decided on gestures now in hindsight— to sign out a few words. Weak. New.

The fact that Nezuko did not look out of breath after that chase was a testament to how hard she had pushed herself back in training. She nodded with understanding. "That's the third one, too. That Muzan… he created the demons in this city, didn't he? That's why he was here. That's why there's so many of them here. That's why they're so weak."

Tanjirou nodded grimly. He supposed that it made sense that the progenitor of the demons would have to go out of his way to mass produce demons like this, given the fact that there were a lot of demon slayers who hunt their kind. If Kibutsuji Muzan didn't do this often, then there wouldn't be so many demons left. As long as Kibutsuji Muzan lived, as long as he remained at large, there will be people like Tanjirou who'll have their humanity stolen from them, and would not be strong enough to resist. It made Tanjirou feel guilty for not chasing after his scent last night, for not attacking him when he was right there, prowling in the same city, so close at hand…

Nezuko reached over and squeezed his shoulder. Tanjirou let out a sigh. He was not so arrogant that he'd think he could defeat the most powerful demon on his own. Not with his current strength. He would like to, and if push comes to shove he would strive to— but seeking him out without a plan of action would be suicide. He didn't want to put Nezuko in danger, either. They had to find Tamayo soon. Hopefully, she would be able to help them.

"So, where's the next demon's scent coming from, Onii-chan?" Nezuko asked, glancing up at the small strip of sky visible between the building roofs above them. "It's getting pretty late. Do you still smell Muzan around the area? If he is, we might have to retire for the night."

Tanjirou shook his head. While the monster's scent was really strong last night, today it had sputtered into mere hints in the streets here and there. He supposed those hints were the remaining traces of where Kibutsuji Muzan went to last night, and concerningly, he tended to spend time in the more crowded, populated areas. He remembered what the demon looked like that night, dressed in his western suit and matching hat, looking very much like a proper, well-off gentleman— and Tanjirou wondered if, like him, Muzan too was posing as a human, somewhere out there. It would explain why the Demon Slayer Corps was having such a hard time trying to find him. It left a bad taste in his mouth.

"Then, let's continue hunting the demons down. Now that it's getting dark, they're more likely to be out there, attacking civilians," Nezuko replied.

Tanjirou nodded. They found the first and second demon hiding in the shadows of the alleyways as well, just like this third one. It wasn't really surprising. The demons didn't really have much of a choice, or they'd burn in the sun. It actually made tracking them easier for Tanjirou, as they were away from the crowds of people in the street proper, and there were very few human scents to set off his hunger. Once the sun sets and the night comes though, the demons could be anywhere. Tanjirou hoped they would have enough sense not to attack someone in the middle of the bustling city. The Demon Slayer Corps was not a government-recognized organization after all, and Tanjirou and Nezuko pulling out their katanas in the middle of a busy street to attack someone— demon or not— could easily get them in trouble with law enforcement. They already had a few close calls earlier today— walking around with a sword strapped to your side was already against the law. They had to walk around the city while avoiding the police.

They walked out of the labyrinth of alleys and back into the streets, Tanjirou paying attention to the scents around again, trying to locate their next target. Today was a long day filled with walking and demon slaying, but until they manage to free the city of dangerous man-eating demons, he would rather continue onwards than take a rest. He was glad that Kibutsuji Muzan had already left, for that reason. One less thing to complicate matters.

As they were walking along an empty street, filled with what seemed to be houses rather than shops, he caught a whiff of it.

Immediately, Tanjirou turned his head in the direction of the scent. It's a demon… no, it's not. Or maybe it was? The scent was really hard to place. It didn't have the sour scent he associated with demons, but it didn't seem quite human either. It smelled… strange. Slightly artificial. Tanjirou did not know how to explain it in words.

"Onii-chan?" Nezuko asked, trying to catch his attention.

Where was that scent coming from? What was that scent coming from? It was such a unique, distinctive scent, unlike anything Tanjirou had ever smelled before. Tanjirou tugged at Nezuko's haori, wanting to follow the scent at the source. He had a gut feeling that this scent would direct them to somewhere important, even direct them to Tamayo, perhaps. The traces were weak though, several hours old, just like Muzan's. Tanjirou figured that meant that the person with this scent passed by here, on this very street, quite a long time ago. Perhaps— if they were a demon like Tanjirou suspected— last night? Tanjirou closed his eyes and inhaled once more. The artificial scent was mingled with another one, someone that smelled like flowers and antiseptic. It, too, did not smell human, although it did not quite smell like a demon either. Tanjirou was confused.

He faced Nezuko and signed, Strange smell. Let's go.

Nezuko nodded without question and followed Tanjirou around as he started sniffing around the road, her nichirin sword drawn just in case some random demon chose to attack them. Unlike Muzan's scent, these new ones seem to stray away from the crowded areas and more into secluded places. The sun set and the moon rose, the stars twinkling in the night sky, but even then Tanjirou still couldn't seem to find where the scents came from. He was starting to get frustrated. At one point, he had stopped in front of a dead end in a deserted street—a rare place in the city where there were no people walking by—and stared at the wall quizzically, half-convinced his nose had stopped working. The scents ended here and no further. It was almost as if the sources blinked out of existence at this very spot. But that can't be it. People don't just disappear like that. Unless there was some kind of blood demon art involved? Could that be it?

Tanjioru stood in front of the wall, hand on his chin, thinking hard. He was so distracted with trying to figure this mystery out that he had not realized the scent of the two remaining demons they had not killed yet were getting closer. At least not until the first temari ball came barreling towards them.

"Found you~!" a cheerful voice called out.

"Onii-chan!"

Tanjirou gasped when he felt Nezuko push him out of the way as a temari whoosed past them and buried itself on the wall he was standing in front of only a few seconds ago. Both demon and demon slayer fell to the ground, but Nezuko was quick to roll and stand up, hand clutching her katana as Tanjirou shrugged away his shock at the sudden attack. Tanjirou cursed his carelessness, to be caught off guard by another demon like this. He pulled out his own sword and stood up as well, focusing his attention on the demon that showed up on the street right in front of them— a pale-skinned woman with bright, slitted hazel eyes and an orange kimono, holding two more temari balls on her hands. As soon as Tanjirou scented her, he felt his blood run cold. She was powerful. More powerful than any demon they had ever fought before. This close, her scent was thick and heavy inside Tanjirou's lungs. It did not compare to Kibutsji Muzan's, but it definitely trumps any other. This demon… she was dangerous.

Unwilling to be caught off guard a second time, Tanjirou took another deep breath, realizing that there's another strong demon nearby. He glanced around the area, trying to find them. They were hiding, somewhere.

He looked up. Above?

"Found you, found you!" the temari demon was saying. " You in the demon slayer uniform… was it you who killed all the newly-turned demons that our lord had painstakingly made? It's you, isn't it? Wasting that person's efforts like this… you realize that you're going to have to pay for that, don't you?"

Tanjirou and Nezuko tensed. Truth be told, Tanjirou expected the two remaining demons to be as weak as the first three they had fought today, but it was becoming apparent that that was not the case. As it happened, they made a target of themselves for slaying all those weak demons earlier, it seemed. Tanjirou supposed it did not matter. They were determined to slay all the man-eating demons in this city anyway. They were going to face these powerful ones one way or another. Tanjirou trusted that Nezuko and himself could take them. The demons they would face in their journey won't always be weak and helpless.

"And you…" The temari demon's eyes landed on him. A frown marred her face. "Huh? You're a strange one. You don't wear their uniform, but you have the sword they use as well. Huh? You… are you a demon?"

Tanjirou made a silent thankful prayer to the gods that they did not track this demon in the morning, or Tanjirou's cover would have been blown. It seemed that Kagaya's words about stronger demons being able to tell other demons apart was true. He did not reply. The temari demon grinned as she bounced her balls on the ground, her eyes filling with sadistic glee.

"What fun this is~" she said, her tone eerily playful. "I get to play with two people rather than one. Don't die yet, you two— not until I've had my fun!"

"It's coming!" Nezuko warned.

The temari demon launched her two balls on each of them, and Tanjirou immediately jumped out of the way. In his peripheral vision, he saw Nezuko dodge hers as well. The balls started bouncing around the street, creating chaos and rubble in its wake, damaging the walls and the ground of the street they were in. Tanjirou was grateful that there were no people around to get caught up in their fight. He jumped and sidestepped and dodged and ducked, evading the balls with ease. But his eyes kept searching for Nezuko, worry for his sister distracting him. The balls move with such force that a single hit could easily decapitate someone— Nezuko was human, Nezuko would not heal from such dire injuries, he couldn't let his little sister get hurt like that. Nezuko—

"Don't worry about me!" Nezuko yelled as she brandished her sword, determination in her eyes as a temari launched towards her. "Water Breathing, Seventh Form: Piercing Rain Drop!" With precision, she thrusted the sword right in front of her with immense speed, piercing the ball right through the middle, reducing its impact. The ball tried to get away to no avail, dissolving into a fog of reddish mist. Tanjirou realized he was being stupid. He shushed the protective older brother in him, knowing that he had to in order to focus on the fight.

Nezuko is strong, he told himself. A mantra he had come to thinking often to remind himself of how far she'd come. Nezuko will be alright.

The other temari was coming at him, and Tanjirou decided this was not the time to dawdle. He was a swordsman, too. Inspired by Nezuko's attack, he made a stance to deploy a similar thrusting form, bracing himself in his head. Hinokami Kagura, Seventh Form: Sunflower—

The temari ball suddenly swerved and changed direction in midair, moving diagonally to the ground and bouncing back to attack Tanjirou. It happened so fast that Tanjirou was not able to react.

The next thing he knew was the burst of white-hot pain as the ball hit him hard, taking a huge chunk of his shoulder with it. Tanjirou hissed as he clutched at his wound, blood seeping into his haori as the temari demon laughed merrily, the ball bouncing back to her hand. Tanjirou's mind was racing. What the hell just happened? The way the ball swerved to avoid his attack was unnatural. How can the temari move like that? It's not spinning in any special way, so how...?

"How fun, how fun! That's one down!" The temari demon removed the upper part of her kimono with a flourish, and from her torso she grew four more arms. Five more temari balls materialized on her palms, one for every hand, and she bounced them on the ground gleefully. Her bright eyes seemed to glow vindictively in the darkness of the night.

"To be killed by me, one of the Twelve Demon Moons… you should be honored!"

Taisho Secret: In this AU, Susamaru (the temari demon) and Yahaba (the arrow demon) are actually ordered by Kibutsuji Muzan to stay in Asakusa to make sure the newly-turned demons would be able to mature and grow stronger. After finding out that the demons are dead, they sought the perpetrator in an attempt to appease Muzan for their failure.