December 29, 1912
Mount Kumotori, Japan
Huff...huff...huff...
Tanjirō Kamado was breathing heavily, his breath frosting in the cold air as snow fell around him.
On his back he carried two younger-children who were both badly-injured and unconscious, one being his little sister Nezuko and the other being a close friend of theirs named Naruto Uzumaki.
Tanjirō may have been strong, but carrying both of them down a snowy-mountain was not easy.
How did this happen, Tanjirō wondered as he thought back to what he had stumbled upon earlier this morning when he came home from selling charcoal in town yesterday. "Please...don't die..."
While he could have left Naruto behind to just save his sister, Tanjirō was not that kind of person.
He was instead a very kind and caring boy who wouldn't ever abandon someone. Besides, the Kamado siblings and the Uzumaki were really close friends, had been for years, stemming from their respective mothers, Kie and Kushina, having been best friends when they were both...alive.
Naruto would come at least a few times a year to spend a good amount of time with their family.
"Nezuko...Naruto...please...please don't die..." Tanjirō said as he walked down the mountain. "I'm gonna save you...both of you...can't die...neither of you can die...I will...I will save both of you!"
December 28, 1912
Mount Kumotori, Japan
The previous day, Tanjirō had loaded up his basket with charcoal to take down the mountain just as he did at least a couple times or even a few times per week. His family made charcoal which they then sold to the townsfolk of Okutama, which was a town down the mountain from them.
"Tanjirō," Kie Kamado called out to her eldest from the doorway of the Kamado house as the boy was about to leave once his basket was full of charcoal. "Your face is pitch-black. Come here."
Tanjirō walked over to his mother who knelt on the snowy ground as she cleaned the boy's face.
"You don't have to go," Kie told her son. "It's snowing and it's dangerous."
"I want us to have a great New Year's feast," Tanjirō replied. "So I'll go sell as much charcoal as I can...even if it's just a little."
"Thank you," Kie sighed, giving her eldest child a small smile.
"Tanjirō, are you going to town again today," a young voice called out to the eldest Kamado child, who turned to see Shigeru Kamado and Hanako Kamado running towards him. Shigeru was the second-youngest of the siblings while his older sister Hanako was the third-youngest of them.
"I wanna go too," Hanako pleaded with her eldest brother.
"Whaaaa," exclaimed the third-oldest Kamado sibling, Takeo Kamado, who was standing next to a pile of wood along with Naruto Uzumaki, the former resting a hatchet against his left-shoulder.
"No, you can't walk fast like Tanjirō," Kie informed Shigeru and Hanako.
"But Mom," they complained.
"No," Kie affirmed. "He isn't taking the cart today, so he can't pull when you're tired."
"Takeo, I know you can't do a lot, but cut a little wood today, okay," Tanjirō requested.
"I want to go with you," Shigeru complained as he gave his eldest brother a big hug.
"I will...but...I was hoping we'd do it together," Takeo replied in disappointment.
"Hey, if you'd like, I could help you out," Naruto offered and Takeo shrugged.
"Okay."
"Hurry back, okay," Shigeru called to Tanjirō as he left.
"Be careful," Hanako added as the eldest Kamado sibling smiled and waved goodbye to them.
Heading down the mountain towards town, Tanjirō crossed paths with the second-eldest of the Kamado siblings, a twelve-year-old girl dressed in a pink-kimono, a pair of zōri with pink straps and white tabi socks wrapped with thick pieces of black material that seemed like leggings. She had dark-pink pink eyes and black-hair tied back into a bun by pink-ribbons. This was Nezuko.
She had a blanket draped around her and on her back she carried the youngest Kamado sibling.
"Nezuko," Tanjirō greeted his sister.
"I was putting Rokuta to sleep," Nezuko told her elder brother. "But I heard all the commotion."
Tanjirō reached out and gently placed a hand on Rokuta's head, the small child fast asleep.
"They've been so lonely since Father died, so they've started clinging to you. See you later!"
Their life wasn't easy, but they were happy. But life is like the weather...it's always changing.
It wouldn't always be easy...and the snow wouldn't always keep falling.
When happiness ended there was always...the smell of blood in the air.
December 28, 1912
Okutama, Japan
"Oh, Tanjirō," one of the townsfolk, a woman, greeted the Kamado boy as he arrived. "You came down the mountain on a day like today? You work so hard! You'll catch a cold!"
"Thanks for fixing my shōji door the other day," another one of the townsfolk called out to Tanjirō.
"Hey, sell me some charcoal," a third person exclaimed.
"Give me some charcoal, too," a fourth person requested.
"Aaah, Tanjirō, you're just in time," said a man who appeared to have been punched in the face, and the eldest Kamado sibling turned to face him and a woman who was gripping the shoulder of his clothing. The man held out a broken dish. "She says I broke a dish! Help me! Smell it!"
Tanjirō, who had an enhanced sense of smell, walked closer to the couple and smelled the dish.
Sniff sniff. Sniff.
"I smell a cat," Tanjirō reported as he stood back up.
"A cat," the woman asked. "Oh dear."
"Seeee," the man exclaimed. "I told you it wasn't me!"
"Tanjirō," another person called out to the Kamado boy. "Will you help me carry some bundles!?"
December 28, 1912
Mount Kumotori, Japan
By the time Tanjirō finished in town and started heading back up the mountain, it was evening.
Whew, it's getting late, Tanjirō thought as he walked up the snow-covered path.
"Hey, Tanjirō," a man named Saburō called out to the eldest Kamado child as he passed by his house. "You aren't going back up the mountain, are you? It's too dangerous!"
"I've got a good nose for trouble," Tanjirō assured Saburō as he turned to face him. "I'll be fine."
"You can stay here," Saburō replied as Tanjirō turned to continue. "Please, come back."
"But..." Tanjirō tried to argue.
"It's all right, you're welcome here," Saburō said. "You don't want to run into any demons."
Once Tanjirō was safely inside, Saburō began to explain the cause of his concern for the boy.
"For ages...man-eating demons have roamed these woods after dark," Saburō said. "So you shouldn't walk around at night. Eat, then sleep. You can get up and go home early tomorrow."
"But...can't the demons come inside houses," Tanjirō asked Saburō.
"Yes...they can," Saburō replied.
"But...then...why don't they eat everyone," Tanjirō asked.
"Because Demon Slayers cut them down," Saburō explained. "Have for ages."
Saburō lived alone because he had lost his family, and Tanjirō wondered if he must be lonely. As he fell asleep, Tanjirō decided that next time he visited "Old Man Saburō" that he would bring his siblings and even Naruto with him. Regardless, as far as he knew, there was no need to fear...
...there were no such things as demons.
However, as he thought about it, his grandmother had said the same thing before she died.
When happiness ended...there was always...the smell of blood in the air.
December 29, 1912
Mount Kumotori, Japan
The next morning, Tanjirō bid farewell to Saburō and continued heading back up the mountain.
However, as he got closer to his home, he soon began to detect a certain scent in the air...
"...the smell of blood..." Tanjirō exclaimed with worry and he ran the rest of the way home.
It was there the he found a horrific sight that made his breath catch in his throat.
Laying outside in the cold snow were three bodies all piled on top of one another. On the bottom of the pile was little Rokuta, Nezuko clutching him in her arms while Naruto was draped over her as if they (being Nezuko and Naruto) had each been trying to protect who they had fallen over.
Tanjirō gave a terrified gasp and ran to them, kneeling down in the snow when he reached them.
"What the..." Tanjirō exclaimed. "Agh! What happened!?"
Tanjirō looked up and towards the house and his heart felt like it was being ripped from his chest as he took in the carnage. Inside were the bodies of his mother and his three youngest siblings.
"Mother...Hanako...Takeo...Shigeru...Nezuko...Naruto...Rokuta..."
Only Nezuko and Naruto's bodies were still warm, so Tanjirō hoisted them both onto his back as he began his descent back down Mount Kumotori. He hoped that a doctor could save them.
How did this happen, Tanjirō wondered as he trudged through the snow, the cold air freezing his lungs and making it hard to breath. A bear? Maybe a bear too hungry to hibernate?
His breathing began getting heavy, the weight of the unconscious twelve-years-olds on his back not helping. It was still a long way to town, but he had to keep going and he had to move faster.
I won't let you die, he silently promised Nezuko and Naruto. I have to save you! I will save you!
Unnoticed by Tanjirō, Nezuko's fingers started to twitch and then her eyes snapped open as she threw her head back, giving a throaty-growl. Nezuko's sudden movement caused Naruto to slip, but Tanjirō just barely managed to grab the unconscious boy before he could fall off. However...
"Grraaaaaah," Nezuko growled, her canines lengthened as if they were fangs.
"!?"
Shwf.
Tanjirō misstepped and began to fall.
"Oh no," Tanjirō exclaimed. "I'm slip—!"
The three children fell off of the ledge on which Tanjirō had been walking and down into the snow.
Fwumph!
The impact knocked the breath out of Tanjirō and caused Naruto to wake up.
The snow...saved me, Tanjirō silently remarked.
"What...? Where..." Naruto sat up, looking around in a daze before he saw Tanjirō. "Hey, Tanjirō!"
"Ugh..." Tanjirō groaned slightly as he sat up. "Oh, good...you're okay...but where's...?"
"I don't..." Naruto started to say, however they then noticed Nezuko standing nearby.
"Nezuko," the boys exclaimed as they both got back up to their feet. Or at least Naruto tried to, but he was still injured and it was hard for him to stand so he had to lean against a nearby tree.
Nezuko, on the other hand, was looking downward with her face hidden by her long hair.
"Are you alright," Tanjirō asked as he started to run to his only surviving sibling.
"Wait...Tanjirō...something's...not right," Naruto warned Tanjirō, but his words fell on deaf ears.
"You shouldn't be up," Tanjirō told his little sister. "Let me carry you into town! Nezuko..."
She looked up at Tanjirō and the elder-Kamado saw that her appearance had changed. Her eyes were now light-pink and the pupils were vertical-slits while her canine-teeth were long like fangs.
Veins bulged in her face as if she were straining herself or adrenaline was flooding her system.
Nezuko growled hungrily at Tanjirō as she launched herself at him, tackling him into the snow as she tried to bite at her brother. However, Nezuko instead bit down on the hatchet, Tanjirō quickly bringing it up just in time and jamming the wooden-handle between his younger-sister's teeth.
"Nez...uko-chan...stop..." Naruto cried out as he tried to run to the Kamado siblings. He made it a few meters before falling face-first into the snow. With a pain-filled groan, the Uzumaki pushed himself up to his hands and knees as he crawled to help his friends. "W-what's...going...on...?"
"A demon," Tanjirō realized as he held Nezuko back from hurting him while Naruto tried to reach his friends despite his severe-injuries and the elder-Kamado thought back to what Saburō said.
Was Nezuko...a man-eating demon?
No, that's not possible, Tanjirō silently affirmed as he recalled moments in the past. Nezuko has always been human...since the day she was born. But this Nezuko smells of blood and death.
However, Tanjirō then thought back to when he found Nezuko and Naruto back at the house.
But Nezuko couldn't have done all that, Tanjirō silently continued as he struggled to hold Nezuko back. I found her fallen over Rokuta like she was protecting him...and I found Naruto fallen over Nezuko like he was protecting her. Besides, she didn't have any blood on her hands or mouth.
"Stop...it," Naruto shouted again as he launched himself at Nezuko and tackled her off of Tanjirō.
"Naruto..." Tanjirō called out to his injured-friend as the two twelve-year-olds rolled away into the snow. Nezuko grabbed Naruto and quickly pinned him down to the ground. "No, Nezuko, stop!"
"I don't know...what's going on...but please..." Naruto said. "Nezuko-chan...y-you're stronger..."
"Hold on, Nezuko," Tanjirō urged the girl as she growled and thrashed wildly in his arms, growing larger before twisting around to push her brother back down into the snow. He quickly retrieved the fallen hatchet before jamming the handle between his sister's teeth again as she pinned him to the ground. "Fight it, fight for your life! Be strong! DON'T TURN INTO A DEMON! NEZUKO!"
And then, it was as if something snapped...
Wait...Onii-chan...Naruto-kun...? What...what am I...doing?
...Nezuko stopped struggling, her eyes watering. She was crying, tears spilling down her face as she seemed to recognize Tanjirō and Naruto. Tanjirō breathed a sigh of relief and Naruto smiled.
"You really gave us a scare, Nezuko-chan," Naruto remarked with a small laugh.
"It's alright now, Nezuko," Tanjirō said, removing the hatchet from his sister's mouth and placing the chopping-tool down on the ground next to him before patting Nezuko's back. "You're alright."
Nezuko made a small noise, as if trying to speak, and gave the boys an apologetic-smile.
"What happened to her," Naruto asked Tanjirō, who seemed to know. But before he could reply, the Uzumaki's attention was turned off to the side and his violet-eyes went wide. "Hey, look out!"
"Eh?" Tanjirō asked, looking over at his friend as Naruto forced himself up to his feet, picking up the hatchet as Nezuko also turned to see what had caught the Uzumaki's attention. They saw a dark-haired man wearing a mismatched-haori over a black-uniform armed with a katana bearing down on them. Naruto surprised the dark-haired katana-wielding attacker by slamming into him.
Even though the Uzumaki was in a weakened-state due to his injuries, he was still able to shove the katana-wielder away from the Kamado siblings, using the man's momentum against him as he collided with him. However, the dark-haired man managed to stop himself from falling over.
"Uh," Nezuko grunted in surprise as Tanjirō scrambled backwards with her still in his arms.
Who...is that, Tanjirō silently wondered as he looked at the swordsman. Naruto, hatchet raised, positioned himself between the Kamado siblings and their attacker, who looked unimpressed...
...or maybe emotionless, it was hard to tell, but it reminded Naruto of someone from his past.
"Why do two you protect her," the dark-haired man asked the boys as he stood up straight.
"She...she's my little sister," Tanjirō replied.
"And she's my...friend," Naruto added a little hesitantly.
"Graaar," Nezuko growled as she started squirming in her brother's arms, clawing at the air.
She's really scared of this guy, Naruto noted as he glanced back at Nezuko. Can't blame her...
It was clear to Tanjirō and Naruto that all Nezuko wanted to do was get away from their attacker.
"Graah," Nezuko growled as she continued to struggle in her brother's grip. "Raagh!"
"That is your little sister," the dark-haired man asked Tanjirō doubtfully.
"This guy..." Naruto grumbled, glaring at the swordsman, who charged again. "Oh no you don't!"
As the dark-haired man raised his katana again and tried to get around Naruto, the Uzumaki ran forward and slashed the hatchet swiftly with a single motion to intercept the man's katana before slamming into him, adding a punch to the stomach, throwing all of his weight into the attack.
The katana-wielder was shoved back again and he gritted his teeth as he took the boy's punch.
"You're not...gonna hurt...my friends," Naruto declared as he stood before the swordsman.
"You're acting foolish, attacking me in your state," the swordsman said. "Don't get in my way."
"Not on...your life...believe it..." Naruto replied, starting to feel faint from his injuries. "I...I won't..."
The dark-haired swordsman swiftly knocked Naruto aside as he charged at the siblings again.
With Naruto on the ground, Tanjirō held Nezuko close to him as he bent over to protect her. But the swordsman was too quick and easily snatched Nezuko much to the elder Kamado's horror.
Tanjirō gasped from shock when Nezuko vanished and he looked up to see the dark-haired man standing where he had been originally. He held Nezuko while Naruto lay on the ground nearby.
"Nezuko," Tanjirō exclaimed, fear for his sister's safety surging through the boy.
"Graah," Nezuko growled as she tried to get away from the dark-haired man.
"...ugh...let...her...go..." Naruto groaned as he pushed himself up from the ground to grab Nezuko from her captor, however the dark-haired swordsman kicked the Uzumaki back into the snow.
"Don't move," the swordsman instructed Tanjirō as he lept to his feet and Naruto as he struggled back up to his knees. The dark-haired man held Nezuko's arms behind her with his left hand as he held his katana in his right. "Killing demons is my job. So of course, I'll take her head, too."
What does he mean by 'demon,' Naruto wondered. Like in those stories that Tanjirō's grandma would sometimes tell us when she was still alive? I thought they were just stories...I guess not.
"Wait," Tanjirō cried out in protest, pleading with the dark-haired swordsman. "Nezuko has never killed anyone! There...there was a scent...from someone I've never smelled before! That must be the one who killed everyone! Not Nezuko! I don't know what's making her act like this...but..."
Naruto gritted his teeth as images from the previous night flashed in the boy's mind. Sitting down to dinner when a mysterious visitor arrived...the thought that maybe Tanjirō had decided to come back up the mountain even in the middle of night while it was snowing...the visitor coming inside.
He had told the Kamado family and Naruto that he was a traveler looking for somewhere to stay for the night because of the storm. He looked so inhuman, however only Kie seemed oblivious.
So was...was that man...a demon? Naruto trembled as the attack played over in his mind.
"That's easy," the dark-haired swordsman scoffed as if it was obvious. "Demon blood got in her wound, so now she has transformed into a demon. That is how man-eating demons multiply."
"Nezuko-chan would never eat anyone," Naruto protested, but at the same time he couldn't help but wonder how he hadn't turned into a demon as well. While he was sure that that man's blood didn't get into his wounds, Nezuko's blood must have since Naruto had fallen over her to protect her. Maybe was it not enough to completely turn me into a demon, and that's what's going on?
"A moment ago she almost ate you both," the swordsman reminded Tanjirō and Naruto.
"No," Tanjirō shouted. "I'm sure she knows who we are!"
"Yeah, she was crying," Naruto added. "Besides, neither of us will let her hurt anyone!"
"Right," Tanjirō agreed. "And...I'll find a way to cure her! I'll make her human again!"
"She won't get better," the swordsman said. "A human who becomes a demon cannot go back."
"You don't know that for sure," Naruto scoffed. "People can change, ya'know!"
"I'll find a way," Tanjirō promised as the dark-haired swordsman raised his katana. "I swear! Please don't kill her! I'll also find the one who killed my family! I'll do all that, so...so...so...stop!"
Naruto gritted his teeth, wanting to do something, but he didn't want to risk Nezuko's life on it.
"Never leave yourself so defenseless in front of an enemy," the swordsman suddenly shouted at Tanjirō, surprising the boys by the dark-haired man's change in attitude. "Stop bowing so pitifully! If that worked, your family would still be alive! Your friend wouldn't be badly-injured! Your sis—!"
"Urusai," Naruto screamed at the dark-haired swordsman, cutting him off, absolutely livid by his harsh-words. "You have no idea what you're talking about, ya'know! So just...shut up, ya'know!"
So livid, in fact, that the signature Uzumaki verbal tic had slipped out two sentences in a row.
Naruto... Tanjirō thought as he sat up and looked at his friend. You were also there last night...
"That man...that demon...whatever...he tricked us," Naruto informed the swordsman. "He told us he was a traveller...looking for shelter...for the night...then...he attacked...and killed everyone."
The swordsman paused and narrowed his eyes, as if considering the Uzumaki's words.
"I get it, I do," Naruto grumbled as he painfully rose back up to his feet. "You're trying...to help us, but...you shouldn't talk like...like you know everything! You weren't there, so...you don't know!"
Despite his pain and injuries...he had something...someone...precious to protect. He had to fight.
Naruto pushed himself forward, charging at the black-haired swordsman to try and free Nezuko from him, knowing that just talking wasn't going to be enough. He swung the hatchet at the arm attached to the hand holding Nezuko. However, the man quickly intercepted it with his katana.
Clang!
The dark-haired swordsman had moved his katana dangerously close to Nezuko as the hatchet held by Naruto struck it, which sent a small shockwave of reverberation through Naruto's arms.
"Nngh," the Uzumaki grunted as the swordsman used his katana to shove him away and Naruto fell back into the snow. The boy's injuries were still healing and his body was still in a lot of pain.
However, the boy couldn't help but note, his wounds were healing faster than they should have.
"Even badly-injured, you're still fighting to protect your friend and his sister," the dark-haired man remarked as Naruto lay in the snow before returning his attention to the Kamado siblings. "As for you, how can a weakling like you, who bows down when it's time to fight, to kill or be killed...how can such a man cure his sister? Or even find his enemy? If you want something...you must fight for it! Look at your friend here, even badly-injured, he still fought to protect you and your sister!"
The swordsman gestured to Naruto using Nezuko since the Uzumaki was to the man's left.
"The meek have no power and no options," the dark-haired man said as he turned his attention back to Tanjirō, who had glanced at Naruto when he had been brought up. "The strong will crush them in every way. Demons might know how to cure your little sister, but no demon will respect your whining and begging! And for that matter, I don't respect you either! That's reality!"
Speechless, Tanjirō sat there as the dark-haired swordsman pointed his katana at the boy.
"Before...why did you cover your sister," the swordsman demanded, ignoring Naruto as he rolled onto his side to push himself back up into a sitting-position at least. "Did you think that that would protect her? Why did you show me your back? That's how I was able to take her so easily!"
"Nngh," Naruto groaned in pain as he pushed himself back up to his knees, not willing to quit.
"Graaah," Nezuko growled in protest as she kicked and struggled against the swordsman.
"I should have skewered you both," the swordsman exclaimed as he looked at Tanjirō. Don't cry, don't despair. Those things will do you no good. Your sister is dead and your sister has become a demon. Your heart is crushed. I know your pain, how you must want to cry out. If I'd come just half-a-day sooner...your family might have survived. However, there is no turning back time.
Fill your hearts with anger, both you and your friend, he silently-continued as he raised his sword while Naruto weaved a series of handsigns. Tiger. Boar. Ox. Dog. Snake. Anger that becomes the unwavering force that drives both your lives. Weakness and empty promises cannot protect your little sister or even find her a cure. And they certainly cannot avenge your family.
"W..." Tanjirō gasped as the swordsman jabbed his sword towards his little sister's shoulder, but he stopped short of his target when the two twelve-year-olds suddenly switched places. Nezuko was now standing where Naruto had been just moments earlier, unharmed and a little confused.
Naruto-kun...what did...what did you do? Nezuko felt like she should know what it was, however most of her memories seemed obscured by a thick-fog. The younger-Kamado could remember her name, Nezuko, as well as the names of the two boys and how much she cared about each.
Their persistence in trying to stop her confused rampage earlier had unlocked those memories.
The elder-Kamado scrambled up to his feet, running to his little sister's side as he picked up the hatchet that Naruto had put down when forming the handsigns for the Substitution jutsu. Nezuko glanced at Tanjirō, who gave her a reassuring smile as they turned back to face the swordsman.
"That was foolish of you," the swordsman said as he dropped Naruto. "You could've been killed."
He's not surprised about the jutsu, Tanjirō noticed. Does he know about the Shinobi Nations?
"Heheh...it...it did the trick, though," Naruto said as Tanjirō moved forward to pull his friend back.
The swordsman watched the three children before him, specifically Nezuko. Raising the hatchet before him as Naruto had done earlier, Tanjirō took a step in front of his little sister and his friend.
Naruto struggled to get back up again, but he collapsed back into the snow, his energy spent.
Tanjirō and Naruto both had their backs turned to Nezuko, however she did not attack them, nor did she even try to run away despite having the perfect chance to escape from the swordsman.
Instead, seeing that Naruto was too injured to fight, she stepped protectively in front of the boy.
"Nezuko..." the elder-Kamado had said earlier. "Not Nezuko! Nezuko would never eat anyone!"
He wouldn't be the first to say that and then get eaten anyway, the Demon Slayer thought as he stood waiting. Starving demons will kill and eat their own parents and siblings because they need the energy. I've seen it countless times. This girl is injured. It costs her strength to heal that wound...not to mention the strength it took to transform into a demon. She must be doubly starved right now and must want to eat human flesh as soon as possible. But instead, here she is, helping her brother protect her injured-friend. These three children...they may be different...
The Demon Slayer sighed as he sheathed his katana, which surprised the siblings and Naruto.
"Go see an old man named Sakonji Urokodaki," he instructed. "Tell him that Giyū Tomioka sent you. Also, your sister should be fine since the sun isn't out, but don't let her into direct sunlight."
Before the Demon Slayer left, he fashioned a muzzle from a piece of bamboo to cover Nezuko's mouth as a safety precaution and would be secured around the jaw with a strip of red cloth. Giyū also tended to Naruto's wounds, bandaging the boy before vanishing as quickly as he'd come.
The Kamado siblings and Naruto then ascended back up Mount Kumotori to the Kamado home.
More tears were shed as they arrived, the boys removing the bodies from the house, which they then fixed up and retrieved Nezuko's brown-haori from. Afterwards, a grave was dug next to the grave of Tanjūrō Kamado, the late-father of the Kamado siblings, and the Kamado were buried.
Tanjirō and Naruto knelt down next to the graves to pray to the kami while Nezuko stood next to them. The boys eventually stood back up and the elder-Kamado took his little sister's hand.
"Let's go," Tanjirō told his sister and his friend.
"Right," Naruto agreed as Nezuko reached for his hand as well and they linked hands.
The three children took one last look at the house and the graves before heading off.
A new chapter was beginning in their lives, which had already been changed forever...