January 1, 1913
Japanese countryside
A few days have passed since Flame Hashira Kyōjurō Rengoku found Nezuko Kamado and her elder-brother Tanjirō on the snowy-covered slopes of Mount Kumotori. The two siblings were the only survivors of a demon attack on their family that left the elder-Kamado turned into a demon.
Although it was his job as a Demon Slayer to kill the elder-Kamado, Kyōjurō agreed to spare the life of Tanjirō Kamado and to train Nezuko Kamado to become a Demon Slayer herself. And with that, the bodies of the Kamado family were buried before the siblings headed off with Kyōjurō.
Their destination was a town still at least a couple of days away where the Rengoku family lived.
However, since today the sun was out, the elder-Kamado had been hidden away in a small cave while Kyōjurō stayed with the young-demon and Nezuko went out to look for something that she could carry Tanjirō in during the day. The Hashira had offered to do this, but she politely declined.
Because she and Tanjirō were the last of the Kamado, she felt it was her duty to protect Tanjirō.
Eventually, as the younger-Kamado was searching, Nezuko came across a farming-couple who were tending to their fields. As she approached, she saw that the man had a worn-down basket.
"I beg your pardon," Nezuko said. "But may I take that basket and a little straw and bamboo?"
"We don't mind," the woman replied as they turned to face her. "But the basket has a hole in it."
"That's all right," Nezuko assured them. "Can I pay you?"
"No need, it's a broken basket," the man told Nezuko.
"Please, let me pay," Nezuko protested.
"No thank you," the second farmer said. "You can have the other stuff too."
"Alright," Nezuko sighed, before gathering the items and leaving. "Thank you!"
While she felt that the right thing to do was to pay the kind couple for giving her the basket, straw and bamboo, Nezuko understood that no meant no. It was never a good idea to pressure people if they declined or refused something. Besides, she appreciated the elderly-couple's kindness.
"Ah, there you are, Kamado-chan," Kyōjurō greeted when Nezuko finally returned to the cave.
The Flame Hashira was sitting next to the entrance of the small cave in which Nezuko's brother was hidden from the sunlight. Kyōjurō would have sat in front of the entrance to prevent sunlight from entering, but he didn't want to make Tanjirō from feeling more trapped than he already was.
"Hello, Rengoku-san," Nezuko replied. "How is Tanjirō-onii-san?"
"Your brother dug a hole at the back of the cave," Kyōjurō told Nezuko as she sat down next to the entrance of the cave and put down her supplies before taking a look inside the small cave.
As if on cue, a grumpy-looking Tanjirō peeked out from a hole that was at the back of the cave.
"Mmnnn..." Tanjirō groaned unhappily, his face all scrunched up. Kyōjurō turned to also peer in.
"He really dug that," Nezuko asked as she turned to the Flame Hashira, who nodded as Nezuko turned back to her elder-brother. Smiling, she chuckled. "It's like you're a mole, now, Onii-san!"
"Indeed," Kyōjurō agreed. "The claws demons have are good for more than just ripping flesh."
"He must really not want the sunlight to hit him," Nezuko noted, giving a sympathetic-smile.
"No he would not," Kyōjurō remarked. "Like I told you before, demons burn in direct sunlight."
Nezuko shuddered at the thought, her brother being touched by even just a little light and burning until nothing was left of her precious big brother except ashes. It was a rather disturbing thought.
"Just wait," Nezuko told his brother as he got up and went back over to where she had set down the supplies that she had bought from the farmers. A basket, some bamboo and some straw.
Kyōjurō and Tanjirō watched as Nezuko fixed up the worn-down basket, using the bamboo and straw to reinforce the vessel. She planned on covering it with a blanket she had brought from the house once Tanjirō was inside. Once Nezuko was done with the basket, she entered the cave.
The younger-Kamado went to the edge of the elder-Kamado's hole, showing him the basket.
"Will you fit in here," Nezuko asked Tanjirō. "I want us to travel during the day. I'll carry you."
While Tanjirō already looked adorable as a muzzled-demon, this would make him even more so.
"Get in here," Nezuko told Tanjirō as she set down the basket and set it down. "The basket."
Tanjirō crawled out of his hold and into the basket, which was only about a third of his size.
"It would appear you're too big, Kamado-kun," Kyōjurō noticed with a chuckle and Nezuko gave a nod in agreement. However, recalling what happened days earlier, she thought of something.
"Tanjirō, you're as big as an adult," Nezuko noted. "Can you...reverse that...and get smaller?"
"Smaller...get smaller, Onii-san," Nezuko said as she patted the boy's box and then Tanjirō stood as he pushed the basket up onto its bottom. He entered headfirst as he shrank to a smaller size.
Tanjirō then shifted around into a sitting position in the basket with his knees close to his chest.
"Ah, very good, Kamado-kun," Kyōjurō said with a smile.
"That's perfect," Nezuko told Tanjirō as she patted his head. "Good boy, Tanjirō! I'm impressed!"
It was funny, because in the moment, Nezuko was acting as if she were the elder-sibling.
With Tanjirō in his basket that was covered with a blanket to protect the elder-Kamado from the sunlight, Nezuko and Kyōjurō once again set out for the town where the Regoku family lived. But later that evening, a crow descended from the sky and Kyōjurō extended an arm for it to land on.
"A crow," Nezuko asked, surprised to see a crow fly down and land on a human's arm.
"Yes, this is Enjōhane, my Kasugai Crow," Kyōjurō explained to the younger-Kamado.
"Kasugai Crow," Nezuko asked, unfamiliar with the term.
"That's right," Kyōjurō replied. "Kasugai Crows are messengers for the Demon Slayer Corps."
"Oh," Nezuko remarked as Enjōhane began to do the unexpected...talk as if it were human.
"Rengoku-san," the Kasugai Crow spoke. "You are to go nearby to a waystation in the west."
"It's...talking," Nezuko asked, her dark-pink eyes going wide in surprise.
"All Kasugai Crows can speak," the Flame Hashira explained.
"People have been disappearing there," Enjōhane said. "This is your mission, Rengoku-san."
"I understand," Kyōjurō replied as the Kasugai Crow flew off again. Then, he turned to Nezuko, whose expression had changed to concern. "Kamado-chan, it appears that we have a mission."
"Wait, but I'm not a Demon Slayer, yet," Nezuko pointed out. "Will I not get in the way?"
"Hmm, while you are not a Demon Slayer yet, this may be a good test for you," Kyōjurō said.
"How so," Nezuko asked curiously.
"When I attacked you and your brother the other day, you raised your hatchet, ready to fight," the Flame Hashira explained. "That is another reason that I agreed to train you, Kamado-chan. Even though you were faced with an unknown-adversary larger and possibly stronger than yourself, it did not prevent you from preparing to fight me to protect your brother. You have what it takes."
"Arigato, Rengoku-san," Nezuko replied, a confident smile forming on the girl's face.
Eventually once the sun set, Tanjirō was let out of his basket to walk alongside his sister and the Flame Hashira, who explained to the elder-Kamado what was about to happen. While Tanjirō did feel concerned for the younger-Kamado since they would be facing a demon who would have no reservations about ripping Nezuko to pieces, he also felt happy and excited for his little sister as this mission would his little sister's first true step on her way to becoming a Demon Slayer.
As the three headed west, they soon came across a waystation that was alongside the road.
"Oh," Nezuko exclaimed. "There's a waystation."
"There's a light on," Kyōjurō noted. "I imagine that someone is inside."
"Do you think this is it, Rengoku-san," Nezuko asked the Flame Hashira. "I smell blood..."
"Mm-mmph," Tanjirō exclaimed, pointing at the waystation eagerly, his nose scrunched up.
"It must be," Kyōjurō said as he unsheathed his katana. "Here, Kamado-chan, take this."
"I've never wielded a sword before," Nezuko pointed out. "Also, won't my hatchet be enough?"
The younger-Kamado had her hatchet from home tucked into her checker-patterned obi.
"No, sadly it will not," Kyōjurō explained to Nezuko as he offered her his red-bladed sword. "Only two ways exist to kill demons — by exposing them to sunlight or by cutting off their head with a special nichirin-blade such as this. Besides, I'll be right here if you need help, Kamado-chan."
"Hmm," Tanjirō exclaimed, taking his sister's hand in his own as he gave her a confident smile.
"And you have your brother at your side as well," Kyōjurō replied with a small chuckle.
"Of course," Nezuko said as she accepted the sword with her free-hand. However, it was heavy and so she had to let go of Tanjirō's hand to hold Kyōjurō's nichirin with both hands. "It's heavy."
"Yes, but with training you'll get used to the weight of the sword," Kyōjurō assured the Kamado.
Nezuko nodded and turned back to the waystation. With Tanjirō and Kyōjurō behind her, Nezuko walked to the waystation, momentarily having to shoulder the nichirin as she slid open the door.
"Nnng," Tanjirō groaned, reaching up his hands to cover up his nose as his stomach churned.
Kyōjurō put a hand on Tanjirō's shoulder to reassure the boy. Inside the waystation was a horrific sight. There were three bloodied-corpses on the floor, an ashen-gray man crouched over them.
"What," asked the ashen-gray man as he turned around and Nezuko gripped the hilt of Kyōjurō's nichirin with both hands as she brandished it towards the demon. "Oh, great...Demon Slayers..."
He could very clearly see the nichirin that Nezuko held and the uniformed-Hashira behind her.
Nezuko took a deep breath and exhaled as she moved forward, swinging the blade down at his throat. The demon jumped back, careful not to stumble over the bodies he had been feeding on.
Although she missed the demon's neck, Nezuko managed to slash him across the chest, which drew blood. The demon placed a hand on his wound as blood spilled down his ashen-gray skin.
"You seem clumsy and inexperienced with a sword," the demon noticed as Nezuko readied the nichirin-sword to strike at him again. "But you actually managed to hit me! Hahaha! Not bad!"
The demon laughed, however he grinned as his wound began to close up, surprising Nezuko.
"But a wound like this will heal in no time," he continued. "See? The bleeding already stopped?"
Although the demon seemed to be confident in the face of this inexperienced-swordswoman, he eyed Kyōjurō and Tanjirō suspiciously, the latter having taken a step back, lowering his hands.
What's the deal with these other two, the demon wondered. Why is that other Demon Slayer not doing anything? He's just standing there, watching this girl. And what's with this other kid? Is...?
Nezuko interrupted his thoughts by shifting the sword and swinging horizontally at his neck.
The demon growled out of frustration as he ducked, before running at Nezuko to tackle her, but Tanjirō moved first and tackled him away from his sister, who had to quickly pull the sword back.
"Carefull, Onii-san," Nezuko scolded her big brother, who had almost gotten hit by the nichirin.
Tanjirō growled at the Waystation Demon as he kicked him back, before turning to Nezuko.
"Why youuu," the demon growled, standing up as he realized what was going on. "I knew it! One of you is a demon! Something didn't seem right! But why is a demon with two Demon Slayers?"
"Nnng," Tanjirō said as he turned back to face Nezuko, who nodded and moved forward. The girl once again raised the nichirin and Tanjirō moved out of the way as Nezuko attacked the demon.
The Waystation Demon dodged again, this time attacking Tanjirō, tackling him to the floor where Tanjirō and the Waystation Demon seemed to begin wrestling. Nezuko gritted her teeth, knowing that this would make it hard to slay the correct demon without accidentally killing her big brother.
Eventually, Tanjirō managed to shove the ashen-gray off of him, kicking it out of the waystation.
The Kamado siblings, Nezuko doing her best while carrying a nichirin, chased after it as Kyōjurō stepped aside so that they could get to the Waystation Demon. He turned to watch the siblings.
"You two sure are persistent," the demon growled as he got back up to his feet.
"Rrrrr," Tanjirō growled from behind his bamboo-muzzle as he glared at the Waystation Demon.
The demon ran at the Kamado siblings, Nezuko raising the nichirin as she ran at the demon and Tanjirō taking a step back to avoid getting struck by the blade. Once in striking-distance, Nezuko gave a small grunt as she swung the fiery-red blade...right into the demon's neck, hitting home.
Unfortunately, the nichirin-blade didn't cut all of the way through, however it did stun the demon.
Nezuko gave an exhale as she pulled the blade out, before swinging again, chopping further into his neck like she was chopping down a tree. Nezuko was used to cutting wood, although with a hatchet, the Kamado family having produced and sold charcoal they then later sold in Okutama.
"Ugh," groaned the demon as he tried to grab at the blade. Nezuko had struck again before the wound in his neck could heal. Nezuko removed the nichirin and cut into the demon's neck again.
I'm almost through, Nezuko thought to herself as she took out the nichirin. Her adversary tried to get away this time as the younger-Kamado swung to chop his head off. To ensure that her swing hit home, Nezuko lunged forward, angling the nichirin a little as the fiery-red blade sliced through.
Damnit, how did I lose to someone so inexperienced, the Waystation Demon mentally groaned as his head fell to the ground, rolling away as his headless-body collapsed. Nezuko exhaled with relief as she dropped Kyōjurō's nichirin, her arms tired and she sat down hard as the demon that lay before her began incerinating. Starting from its feet going up to its head, he turned into ash.
"Well done, Kamado-chan, I'm impressed," Kyōjurō said as he came over. "How do you feel?"
"Sore...lucky that I didn't fall and stab myself...or kill Tanjirō by accident," Nezuko admitted.
"Mmm, hmm-mmm," Tanjirō said as he came to sit down next to his sister, giving her a hug.
"I would imagine so," Kyōjurō remarked. "You handled yourself well against the demon."
"Thanks..." Nezuko said with a small smile. "Using a sword...is a lot different...from a hatchet."
"I would imagine so," Kyōjurō agreed. "While both have blades, they're completely different."
Nezuko nodded while the demon completely disappeared.
"Well, I'm going to bury those poor travelers the demon killed," Kyōjurō said. "Why don't you two come inside the waystation and get some rest while I do so, Kamado-chan, Kamado-kun."
"Sounds good," Nezuko said as she allowed Tanjirō to help her back up to her feet. "Oh, here."
"Thank you, Kamado-chan," Kyōjurō said as Nezuko picked up his sword and returned it to him.
Nezuko and Tanjirō waited for the Flame Hashira to remove the bodies before going back inside the waystation to rest. Not only had they just fought against a demon for the first time, but they'd been travelling for most of the day and also they still had quite a ways to get to Kyōjurō's home.
After he finished burning the bodies, Kyōjurō came into the waystation to check on the siblings.
They had fallen asleep, resting side-by-side, and the Flame Hashira smiled as he was reminded of himself and his little brother Senjurō. He was proud of Nezuko for her efforts in her first battle against a demon and Tanjirō for fighting against a member of his own kind. However, the Demon Slayer also knew that that demon had not been very strong compared to most that he'd faced.
Maybe his high-ranking in the Corps made that observation a little unfair, however it didn't seem to have a Blood Demon Art as most strong-demons had. Otherwise, Kyōjurō assumed, it would have used it if it did have one. If he were to guess, it had only ever eaten a few humans at most.
Besides, the demon had been caught off guard while Nezuko had been ready to fight it.
As had Tanjirō, being there to help his sister during the fight.
Nezuko Kamado still had a long, hard journey ahead of her to become a Demon Slayer, but the Hashira believed in her and would be there to help Nezuko the child along the way. As for Tanjirō Kamado, it would be very interesting to see where his path as a demon who would not attack or even kill humans would take him. Yes, the Kamado siblings were very fascinating indeed.