BOOK ONE: DESPAIR
Kamado Tanjirou must be ruined - that is the mandate that Muzan has set out to achieve. Is this really the end for the young Slayer, or will he somehow be able to rise from the tattered ash of who he was?
...~~...
(Notes 18/11/19: Wrote this spur of the moment little ficlet / drabble for my friend (the prompt was 'what if Muzan makes Tanjiro beg for his blood') at two thirty in the morning. Update 24/11/19: Welp...After writing 22K words for this shit in one week, and constantly adding to it at a rapid pace, day and night, it's growing too much and I realized that it is no longer a ficlet but is a multi-chapter story now. Please enjoy my insanity!)
FULL STORY SUMMARY:
(NOTE: This story takes place in the KNY universe and follows Canon but diverts from the Manga after Chapter 183!)
For one thousand years, Muzan's goals have remained straightforward, and even now, his intentions with respect to Tanjirou are simple:
"I don't merely want to kill him. I want to ruin him," Muzan muttered to himself.
"He will feel a pain equivalent to the loss he has caused me..."
But this task would not be as easy as he presumes it would. Tanjirou, though small in stature, is blessed by the gods with a willpower that has the strength to rival all else.
They are two souls locked in a battle for revenge, with neither intending to give up. The prize? Tanjirou's mind, body and soul. Muzan's goal is to dominate him. Tanjirou's goal is to protect his friends.
As the cruel and egotistical master of all demons commences his dance of death with this pure, kind, yet resilient boy in a sadistic waltz for victory, who will win? And what will be discovered along the way?
This is the story of Kamado Tanjirou's ruination...
FULL STORY TAGS:
Mind Manipulation•• Mind Games•• Kidnapping•• Suicide mention•• Angst•• Major Character may die•• Author Is Sleep Deprived and Out to Destroy Ukes•• This Is Not Going To Go The Way You Think•• Manga & Anime•• Implied/Referenced Torture•• Suicidal Thoughts•• Minor / only a few / vague Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga Spoilers•• Abuse•• Rape/Non-con Elements•• Sexual Abuse•• Sadism•• Bondage•• Tentacles•• Non-Consensual Groping•• You Have Been Warned•• Almost All My Kinks Will Be In Here So Turn Back Now•• Master/Pet•• I am disgusting•• I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping•• What Have I Done•• Why Did I Write This?•• I Will Go Down With This Ship•• VERY Explicit; detailed and disgusting Sexual Content (in later chapters)•• Canon Divergence - Post Manga Chapter 183•• Horror•• Forced Ejaculation•• Forced Orgasm•• Forced Masturbation•• Forced Bonding•• Reluctant Love•• Creampie•• Self-cest•• Futanari•• Sex Toys Under Clothing•• Piercings•• Non-Consensual Bondage•• Mating Bites•• Non-Consensual Blood Drinking•• Tentacle Monsters•• Read This Only if You Like Your Porn with Feelings and Angst Because it Will be an Intense Build•• Someone has a Pregnancy Kink•• Punishment Fucking•• Face Slapping•• Face-Fucking•• Non-Consensual Spanking•• Needle play•• Humiliation•• Slow Build•• Sexual Torture•• Goes from Extremely Non-Consensual to Extremely Dubious Consent•• This is a Plot Heavy Story so Don't Expect Smut Right Away•• Muzan is a Good Teacher•• Muzan is a Sadist•• Tanjirou Gets the Sex Education Not Taught in the Corps•• Schedule is back to weekly Updates (for now)•• Demon Daddy Muzan•• THE PLOT IS BEING BUILT UP THERE IS NO SMUT AT THIS POINT THESE TAGS ARE FOR LATER CHAPTERS.•• Confused Virgin•• Clueless Virgin•• Uncircumcised Penis•• It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better••Erotic Humiliation•• Tanjirou's Demon Daddy is Very Angry and Very Bitter•• Kamado Tanjirou Needs A Hug••
Chapter One Summary:
Kamado Tanjirou is tricked.
Muzan's desire for revenge is strong enough to keep Tanjirou alive until he can get his satisfaction for what the boy has caused him.
.
WARNING: I first wrote this story by trying to avoid the major manga spoilers but this story has grown so much that it is inevitable. Thus, I advise that you read the manga before starting.
Content Dictionary
Thoughts
[[Sound]]
"Memory of a conversation."
"Heh.": A laugh
ruination
(ruːɪneɪʃən )
Noun
1) The ruination of someone or something is the act of ruining them or the process of being ruined.
2) the act of ruining or the state of being ruined
3) failure that results in a loss of position or reputation
4) an irrecoverable state of devastation and destruction
The subtle scent of midnight
I spent all thirty nights
I glare up at the stars
Staring into the sky
The path I see before me
I know only I can change it
That's all that I need
- Gurenge by LISA lyrics (Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba OP)
PROLOGUE: You're Dead to the World
•.•
•.•
N.B.: Location: Japan; Time: Taisho Period...
ONCE UPON A TIME, THERE was a kind and honest boy; a selfless soul who lived a peaceful life wherein he sought after happiness for others rather than for himself.
This boy was Kamado Tanjirou, a smart, respectable and strong individual, with a calming presence that made others feel relaxed and safe and, a bright smile that was memorable.
If it were not for this smile, his unusually kind nature and pure heart, he would be the type to be easily forgotten, as he was not particularly talented or had a great, fearful presence. Luckily, his unnatural focus and incredibly hardworking nature left quite an impression on many.
But then one day, his peaceful life started to change.
His fate included losing his father at a young age, experiencing great hardship in helping to care for his family, then losing that family and embarking on a dangerous journey to purge the evil that had prematurely taken them from him.
Pain.
Hardship.
Loss.
Grief.
These things were not strange to him but he faced his destiny with great courage.
.
"...it caused me immense pain! I learned to put up with it because I'm the oldest. If I'd been the second son, I doubt I'd be so resilient."
.
Maybe as a consequence of being the eldest of six, Tanjirou was blessed with an immeasurable amount of mental strength that enabled him to make it through a lot of his life's unfair challenges with his sanity intact and without needing someone to help him to cope. In his own little world, he was mentally strong enough to handle anything that came his way—so much so that he was able to provide to those who needed positive assurance, when he was the one who needed it the most.
But it was odd. The more challenges that came at him, the more he conquered them.
Nothing could dim his light and Kamado Tanjirou, although serious at times, continued to shine brightly, always did his best to smile, and used his light to eliminate the pain of others.
.
To himself (Infinity Train):
"I...can't die..."
"If I die...that man becomes a killer!
"I can't die!"
"I can't let anyone die!" [Manga Chapter 62]
.
To Inosuke (Infinity Train)
Tanjirou: "I can't move yet. You go help the others. Who's injured? How about the engineer up front?"
Inosuke: "..."
Inosuke: "I actually think it's all right if he dies!"
Tanjirou: "No...it's not." [Manga Chapter 62]
.
To himself (Infinity Train)
"I've got to get my breathing under control...I have to help the injured...Nezuko, Zenitsu...Rengoku...They've got to be safe!" [Manga Chapter 62]
.
To Aoi (Butterfly Mansion)
"...That doesn't matter. You helped me, Aoi. So now you're a part of me. I'll think of you whenever I go into battle. [Manga Chapter 53]
.
To Kanao (Butterfly Mansion)
"The voice in your heart is soft...listen closely to the voice in your heart."
"If it comes up heads, you have to live by your heart!"
"You can do it! The heart is what drives us! Your heart can get infinitely strong!" [Manga Chapter 53]
.
It is said that there are those who have experienced the greatest hardship who, instead of transferring their pain onto others, become the ones to be the most empathetic to the suffering of those around them. They have felt pain. They have been broken down by it, and they do not want to be the bearers of such great misery for others.
Yes... Kamado Tanjirou was a special boy, but as though seemingly both loved and hated by the gods, he had a life that continued to be filled with a constant slew of hard times like a never ending spiral of heartbreaking hardship intermingling with the miracles it took to bounce back from such.
And as time went on, Tanjirou continued to live a life that was rampant with many difficulties. However, as though preparing him for something unknown, these difficulties were necessary to irreversibly take him to his limits, so much so that with each painful moment, his inner strength would grow stronger and stronger, burning within him like a great flame that would drive him forward until one day, the impossible happened to shake the foundation of his destiny.
.
He was snatched away from the life he knew and embraced in the putrid clutches of the king of the demons he had been hunting—a man so unlovable and vile that only darkness followed him.
It was the creature who had taken so much away from him but who wanted to take much more. It was Muzan Kibutsuji, the demon who walked with death and lusted after his death.
"Tanjirou!"
"Tanjirou...!"
In the background somewhere, someone, sounding very much like Giyuu, was screaming his name, but his ears were ringing, the bile was rising in his throat and his vision was wavering and fading.
Or was it the environment that was changing? The walls were swapping and spinning and just like that, he, being carried bridal style in the arms of the very one he had been hunting, was outside.
Utterly confused and disoriented, he closed his eyes.
This was not the 'outside' he remembered from a couple hours before.
The air was fresh and clean, and he could smell what was most likely Azalea and lots of it.
There was no longer the rusty scent of a lot of blood that was not his own.
His head swam.
He had lost a substantial amount of blood.
Was he dreaming?
He had hit his head pretty hard after Akaza had slammed him into that wall a little while ago and had fallen unconscious twice.
Maybe he had fallen unconscious again. Or did someone knock him out this time?
Someone...
.
Tanjirou vaguely remembered the abstract but haunting sounds of a biwa.
[[べ ん]]
[[べ ん]]
[[べ ん]]
[[べ—べ ん]]
With each eloquent pluck of those strings, the danger in the entire place mounted. The walls shook and shifted and in the next instant he was facing Muzan.
The demon's appearance was different, with long white hair, a crude aura and a poisonous glare.
He had not wanted to talk to him, but Muzan, as though tired of seeing him and bothered by his existence more than he was of his, proceeded to spout some nonsense about how they had no right to hate him for killing their families.
.
"..." Tanjirou's headache returned with a vengeance at that memory.
.
"Breath of Water user, Kamado Tanjirou, you're coming with me."
.
Was I...kidnapped...?
Had that been a dream too?
"Nakime will be here soon. We-" There was a heavy pause. "So that's how it is...I've lost another one. Nakime is dead."
That voice, at first hopeful then morphing into something quite bitter and full of rage, drew his attention and he opened aching eyes dazedly, doing his best to direct his gaze upward.
The moment his eyes met with Muzan's, the full scope of just whose arms he was in started to seep into his stunned brain and the breath left his burning lungs in a rush, as his lips curled up into a snarl.
"You—"
"I...have lost everything," Muzan cut in, as though uninterested in what he had to say. These words were said slowly and with great difficulty, as though it pained him to admit it.
"..." An agitated second passed between them and as Tanjirou's lips separated to say something,
"But oh no, Kamado Tanjirou..." Muzan stopped him. "This is but a new beginning. You're going to help me achieve my dreams~" A purely evil light lit up the Demon King's eyes. "From tonight onwards, you're dead to the world~"
"Ung..." Tanjirou tried to move. Tried to shift himself out of Muzan's grip but found himself unable to. His body refused to respond. It was as though the pain acquired from his intense and inhuman battle had finally settled into his bones and crippled his movement.
His left arm hung limply at his side. He hurt all over.
It was hard to breathe.
"I...will kill you..." Tanjirou muttered weakly, but with as much venom belonging to a kitten.
"...~" Muzan blinked down at him, the tension in the air mounted, but then as Tanjirou was sure that Muzan was about to slam him into the ground and step on his head under the beautiful starry sky above them...
"Heh..."
"Heh...heh...!"
There was a harsh, acrid sound and Tanjirou soon realized that it was the sound of Muzan laughing. The tension in the atmosphere disappeared and the air vibrated to the point that the owls in the nearby trees flew out in a terror, screeching to the top of their lungs. Their cries of fear were even more terrifying to him as it sounded as though a legion of demons was laughing at him. It felt like a dark omen of what was to become of his life.
Dread filled his heart. He could not manage much in his state and it ached him to think that the last thing that he, Kamado Tanjirou, was able to choke out as he looked up into the wild, cruel gaze of his captor was a weak threat.
"Kuso...!"
"..." The other merely responded with a smile that felt wholly condescending but before he could say anything more, the sharp pain constantly going through his head since the end of his fight with Akaza, increased and feeling wholly broken, Tanjirou found himself leaning against Muzan's bare chest.
"Kuso..." he cursed, a bit softer this time. The weakness in his body was starting to set in deeper.
Everything was spinning again.
And soon, there was nothing but darkness.
xxx
CHAPTER ONE: Death of a Slayer - Kidnapping and Trickery
•.•
•.•
N.B.: Thirty nights later...
The soles of well-polished geta kissed the ground curtly with each step the man took.
[[Tat]]
[[Tat]]
[[Tat]]
He's back.
The tell-tale sound of those footsteps coming closer and the bile rose in Tanjirou's throat.
It was the right time of the day for his sadistic keeper to return.
And like a thorough acceptance of what was to come, he consciously relinquished his body of all residual tension.
He had been practising his breaths all day to calm himself and had already mentally prepared himself for whatever torture the demon would decide to bring to him that evening.
He could not allow himself to break down.
He could not give up.
Could not give in.
Regardless of what was going to come his way or how much it would hurt, he had to be strong.
[[Creak]]
The door yawned, lazily swinging open.
[[Tat]]
.
[[Tat]]
.
[[Tat]]
.
The steps were slower, more unhurried than they had been in the corridor, as though the newcomer was taking his time to observe his captive before making contact.
Ugh... Unable to see anything in the blackness enveloping the room where he was kept prisoner, Tanjirou went still.
It was quiet now, and from the absence of jolly birds singing a cheerful tune and the way the air bore a chill, he was aware that it was evening.
The sun had set and it was the right time for the creatures of the night to come forth.
Creatures, and terrors, like the one currently observing him.
Another evening to be spent in the company of evil.
Another reminder that in the time that the demon had been gone, he had been unable to make any progress in getting free.
And now that suffocating presence was enveloping him once more.
The black aura that caused his hairs to stand on end.
The overwhelming scent of blood that made him aware that the man had just fed.
In the everlasting blackness that was his present reality, Tanjirou had stopped wondering how many hours...or days had gone by.
All that reminded him that he was alive, was the clawing hunger scraping at his stomach walls.
"Kamado. Tanjirou."
His name was said as a monotonous greeting, by the one standing close to the bed he lay on and Tanjirou was too frail to fight him as his chin was grabbed and water was forced into his mouth.
Muzan.
After that fateful encounter in the Dimensional Fortress, Tanjirou had woken up to find himself stripped of his clothes and tied to a bed.
Instead of his standard Demon Hunter uniform, leg bands, tabi socks, thonged sandals and patterned Haori, he was barefoot and wearing a long white robe that was opened to the front to expose his nudity.
Muzan, sitting near him, had proceeded to place a rigid leather collar around his neck, while informing him that he was no longer a Demon Hunter but was now his property.
Alarmed by this and thinking that he was about to be eaten, he had made a valiant attempt at escaping, but nothing worked and all Muzan did was respond with a condescending smile, silently mocking him with that expression before tying a thick bit of cloth over his eyes.
A blindfold.
At first this had thrown him into a state of panic but he had quickly adapted and calmed down.
With his senses, Kamado Tanjirou did not really need his eyes to see.
And in the days that followed, days filled with thirst, hunger and solitary confinement, he assessed his surroundings and found that Muzan was keeping him prisoner in a place surrounded by nothing that smelled familiar.
It was definitely not located in any city he had been to, or near any villages with active human settlements.
A remote location, carrying the fresh scent of flowers in the air and the distant sounds of animals found mostly in forested areas.
And further to that, with the blindfold on, he could only assume from the information gathered by his astute senses, that he was in a breezy room which had its source of light and ventilation coming from its sole large window.
He was primarily kept in that room, but Tanjirou was able to deduce a lot. For instance, from its size, he figured that it belonged to a mansion and was most likely a unit on its top floor.
A window was to his left, the ceiling was high and the room was decorated in a minimalist style.
His sense of smell and astounding sensory abilities had helped him to have noticed that much and in the few instances when his blindfold was taken off, he was able to see that his guess had been right.
The entire space was decorated with a few ornately crafted antique furniture pieces and richly painted art on the walls.
The door to the room was opposite the foot of the bed and there was the view of a forest beyond the window.
Maybe, from the smell of fragrant Quince, Azalea and Iris, there was a small garden below that unbarred window filled with an abundance of fresh Azalea flowers, blooming Quince and a little pond with Iris plants growing near it.
He was the only occupant in that house and Tanjirou was surprised that there was no one left to guard him while Muzan was away.
Was Muzan that confident that he could not escape?
Sure, he was starved, dehydrated and had sustained some head and neck injuries that were still healing, but surely the demon must know that Demon Hunters were persistent.
Yet, day after day was the same. Although Tanjirou tried, his bonds held him tight to the bed.
During the day, he was mostly surrounded by silence and the cacophony of birds in his solitude. But ever so often, at night, Muzan would drop by, stinking of blood and death to feed him.
He only gave him enough water and food to not die, so Tanjirou spent the majority of his time hungry and in an advanced state of dehydration.
He was weak, tired, dizzy, confused and in pain but his stubborn will—and maybe a generous miracle—saw him through each difficult day.
And on the nights Muzan stopped by, he would also bring warm water and rags to clean him, then change his bandages.
The candle wax burns that were still healing had salve applied to them and both the old and new cuts on his torso, thighs and upper arms were meticulously inspected, then carefully cleaned, treated with ointment and wrapped in sterile gauze.
He was cared for gently and with the attention akin to that of a doting parent or loving partner, but this was merely because Muzan, when calm, was an individual who possessed an elegance about him that transferred into everything he did.
Tanjirou though, was not so foolhardy to think that the demon genuinely had his best interests at heart.
After all, he was the one responsible for his injuries.
Thus, more than likely, their current relationship could better be compared to that of a Master and his disagreeable pet than that of a caretaker and his ward.
But...
There were so many questions surrounding his situation.
Why is he keeping me alive...? Tanjirou found himself wondering for the hundredth time as his body was carefully dried off and his robe retied.
Muzan was not one to be fascinated by humans to the point that he would decide to keep him to satisfy some longing.
Most definitely, there was some kind of sick reason behind all this.
What is he planning?
Sadly, Tanjirou still had no answer to that question.
He had thought that by now, he would have already become a snack for the crude demon but visit after visit, nothing happened.
Was he dragging out the date for his execution as a new form of torture?
Or maybe-
"Kamado Tanjirou."
As the bed sunk with the weight of someone sitting down, Tanjirou frowned.
"I am in awe."
"Humans are such frail creatures...But to think that you would keep your opposition this strong and proud for an entire month...This is quite interesting."
He caressed the side of his face.
"And in all that time...You've never spoken or made a sound regardless of what I do to your body..."
Tanjirou's lips were set in a grim line.
One month has passed since then...?
The tears brimmed at the corners of his eyes.
One month since I saw them all...
Nezuko.
Inosuke.
Zenitsu.
Kanao.
Giyuu...
Are you guys okay? What happened to you?
Did you manage to escape when Muzan took me away, or did you perish?
His brow furrowed.
Was the blood he could smell whenever his demonic visitor arrived one of theirs?
"You...How delightfully persistent you are..."
That voice, very similar to the one he had heard that night thirty days prior when he had last seen any of his friends, spoke to him, bringing back memories of that night...
"Kamado Tanjirou." The sound of his name as it rolled off Muzan's tongue had made Tanjirou's stomach twist with nausea. "How delightfully persistent you are."
"Why not just give in?"
Looking at him in wide-eyed shock, Tanjirou had asked, "What are you saying?"
Muzan, unafraid as always to state his intentions before others had given him one simple answer, "Become mine."
"What...?"
Both himself and Giyuu's confusion was expressed in that one word as they had openly stared back in a state of speechless shock, but like a drunk in an office oblivious to the atmosphere, Muzan had merely continued,
"So your family got slaughtered. What's the problem here?"
The way Muzan had said this was as if their situations were the reverse- as if they were the villains and he had been protecting himself.
One unfamiliar with the situation might even think that the demon was a victim of their constant bullying and not the cause of ten centuries' worth of strife.
"Is that why you hate me so much? Is that reason enough to follow me endlessly?" At that question, Muzan had looked directly at Tanjirou, smirking suggestively. "Or is there another reason?"
Tanjirou had remained silent, his rage so great that his mind had gone blank.
To say something so repulsive... implying that they were making a bigger deal than they should about the loss of their families at his hand...
Muzan truly had lost his humanity to the point that he had lost his mind as well if he would think that their mission and attention on him was tantamount to harassment.
And what did he even mean by asking if he had 'another reason' for chasing after him?
Muzan...
"There is no other reason," Tanjirou had finally willed his tongue to move to mutter. "Muzan, you are...a being that should not be allowed to exist."
"I should not exist, hm?"
"Then why not do something about my existence, then?"
A snide laugh.
"Breath of Water user, Kamado Tanjirou, you're coming with me."
It had been that simple.
Years of tedious, spine-shattering training to become stronger, to become someone who could protect the weak but just as he and the remaining Demon Hunters had Muzan cornered, it became clear that they were the ones cornered instead.
It was at that moment that the master demon himself had simply sauntered up to him and expressed his intentions.
And just like that he was snatched away. Kidnapped.
Now the more he thought of his circumstances, the more his loss ate away at him.
His mind would never allow him to forget how that final confrontation had panned out.
He had been frozen by Kibutsuji's enormous aura of murderous dread.
His trembling, bruised hands no longer possessed the strength to even lift his sword.
They had faced down the Upper Moons and won by a hairsbreadth, their mortal bodies broken by exhaustion and near shattered by the heat of combat, and that was the unfortunate moment Muzan had chosen to appear.
Muzan, the one who was the objective of their mission that night. The one he had been longing to see to exact his revenge. And the one who, after finally confronting him again, made it clear how vast the difference in their strength was.
To face him with a body that was far below its ability to perform, while the demon was fully rested and even more powered up, was far from the ideal situation.
And as they stood opposite, staring down one another, Tanjirou's nose burned. He stunk of blood. Fresh blood. And both he and Giyuu had known that this demon had most likely killed scores of Hunters on his way to them.
They would have to fight this creature that had been powered up on the blood of their comrades.
This monster.
Two bruised and exhausted mortals were facing down an immortal - this monster - at its peak.
That night, Tanjirou was very aware that Muzan could make killing him seem as easy as swatting a pesky bug.
Railed by exhaustion, he could no longer use breaths. All that was keeping him standing was his stubborn will and insufferable hate. How else was their encounter supposed to end? But somehow Tanjirou was still surprised by the outcome—by his defeat.
Easily overpowered by his greatest challenge, after all he had been through. Right at the moment when victory seemed close enough to grasp.
To come all that way only to fall at the feet of his final enemy.
How could this have happened?
Tanjirou hated what this meant. Hated that his weakness had caused him to be in his current predicament, tied down with this vile man sitting next to him, repeating the same words every time he visited, so those words repeated in his head day after day, even while he was not around to taunt him.
"You vowed to protect the weak. The unfortunate. But look at you~"
"How does it feel to be weak?~"
"To lose?~"
"To know that your loved ones will perish?~"
"Do you need someone to come save you, Tanjirou-kun? ~"
A sick joke. That was what this had to be.
From the first day when he had been brought to his new abode, Muzan had made it clear that he could have killed him long ago, along with his entire family.
He had known that the eldest boy of the Kamado children was not there, that he was in that hut at the foot of the mountain.
Even when Tanjirou had first confronted him in the busy main street.
How easy would it have been to end him right there and then, but it would not have been half as fun.
To see ones prey struggle, filled with hope, becoming stronger through great strife only to then be faced with the reality of its unchangeable situation—that was the real reward.
"You amassed great strength in your futile quest to destroy me~"
As Tanjirou's new strength called to him, Muzan not only wanted to make him suffer. He wanted him to become a demon.
"I'm glad that I kept you alive. You can be of use."
"Become mine. My new #1. Take my blood and pledge your soul to me."
The words swam over and over around him, like the many thoughts screaming at him from inside his head, a condescending attack that ate away at his sanity, but Tanjirou bore with it.
His suffering could be over if he accepted this offer, but his pride as not only a Demon Hunter, but a human would not let him.
To become a demon would be to betray all that he had been fighting for.
"You were pitiful as a human. But...I can give you value. I can give you a new life..."
No.
No.
No!
He could not let those words into his subconscious. Could not allow them to warp his thoughts.
After all, this was Kibutsuji Muzan, the demon responsible for taking so much away from him and countless others.
The one he had been hunting for years.
The one I lost to.
That last thought hit him with the weight of a thousand sins and Tanjirou grieved silently, too proud to let his enemy see that he was falling apart.
This knowledge would no doubt make Muzan celebrate, to know that he was succeeding in his mental torture.
But despite Tanjirou not showing any outward signs that he was breaking down, each day remained the same for him.
It hurt.
"You can't protect anyone~"
"What kind of Demon Hunter gets caught so easily~"
"Heh."
"Weren't you supposed to kill me? ~"
"Aren't I a 'being that should not exist'?"
The words Muzan said to him, psychological torture tools that picked him apart with their criticism, mocked his failure, threatened him...Tanjirou held strong but it was not until he had started suggesting that he might soon kill what was left of his family and close friends that Tanjirou seriously contemplated giving in.
So...they're alive!
Nezuko...Everyone...!
There's still a chance to save them...!
If I can just—
And then it happened. Muzan pulled back his blindfold.
"…" Tanjirou gasped, unable to stop that reaction, as he looked up into the face of a stunningly beautiful woman.
His form changed again, he thought, narrowing his gaze.
Over the course of the time he had been locked up in that mansion, he had noticed that Muzan had three forms that seemed to be his favorite to cycle through when he was out and about.
Sometimes, he would wake to find a young, delicate but well-dressed boy with smooth black hair leaning over him, tending to his injuries. Other times he would see the original Muzan he had challenged on the busy street, the one with the black curly hair, white fedora and fancy suit.
Now tonight it was a very pretty woman with dark lipstick, slim eyebrows and long black curly hair pulled back into a large bun. She wore thick black eyeliner to accentuate her pretty almond-shaped eyes, a gorgeous midnight blue kimono with pink cherry blossoms and a pink obi tie to hold her outfit together. This woman reminded him of the hostesses who worked in the Red Light District.
But no matter what form Muzan took, Tanjirou always knew their real identity, as the overwhelming scent of death and blood clinging to each remained the same.
"You…" Muzan started, the corners of his lips twitching as if he was holding back a smile.
At the pause, Tanjirou frowned, looking up into his beautiful face.
As he did, the master demon smiled brighter, his plump, painted lips curling into an attractive smile as he whispered flirtatiously,
"Become a demon."
"That's the only way to save those close to you~"
Tanjirou's gaze, held by his, bore caution, distrust and rage but Muzan did not lose hope. He was confident that his new pitch would work.
He had tried everything. Humiliation, physical and mental torture, but Tanjirou possessed a strong will.
But at the end of it all, that strong will was also his weakness.
Muzan had been observing him closely over the past thirty days. The boy no longer cared about his own life. He merely existed as a tool for his own revenge. Thus, the only guaranteed way to get through his defences, was to parade the lives of those he held precious in his heart, right before his eyes.
"If you let me convert you, I will spare those you care for~"
A whisper of cool breeze from the open window to his left tousled their hair as the light of the full moon washed over them but Tanjirou could not look away from Muzan's face.
Pinned with a feral glare by pink irises, Tanjirou swallowed the thick lump of anxiety in his parched throat.
Would Muzan really do as he promised?
Could he...should he trust a demon to stick to their word?
Muzan's smile had been too bright. Too perfect. Too trustworthy when he had made that offer. It was clearly a trap.
Or am I just overthinking it?
I got to assess the situation carefully.
Need to see beyond the obvious.
Think.
Think!
Why does Muzan want to make me a demon? What is his objective?
Think!
How will this benefit him?
But try as he did, no valid reason came to mind, other than the possibility that the demon simply wanted to replenish his vacant ranks as all the Upper and Lower Moons were now dead.
After all, asking him to become his new Upper Moon #1 was one of the first things he had said to him.
Tanjirou had not responded then and he still was not interested now. He did not want this. His heart was screaming at him to not trust Muzan, but what else was there for him to do than to accept that offer?
He could continue with his attempt to waste away rather than give in, but with Muzan's intermittent force-feeding, that likely would never happen.
Tanjirou knew that he had to think carefully before making his decision, but everything was too tense, too stressful and the longer he procrastinated, the more his delusions told him that Muzan might just go berserk and kill someone close to him just to break him further.
He nodded slowly, cautiously, aware that he could not risk the lives of those important to him by refusing.
"Tanjirou-kun," Muzan prompted. "I want to hear you say it. Beg for my blood like the lowly human you are~"
"..." Tanjirou broke their eye contact, looking away as the pitfall of misery slowly started to swallow him.
I will do this. I have to.
His cracked lips separated.
"Muzan." Tanjirou's voice was strong despite his state of desperation and Muzan smiled, anticipating what he wanted to both see and hear—Tanjirou begging to be turned into a demon.
Tanjirou on the other hand, no longer cared about his pride.
This was one of the very few times he had spoken since his capture, and to think that it was with the aim of accepting Muzan's terms was something he chose not to dwell on.
"Muzan..." he started again, at last uttering the words the demon wanted him to say, "Make me a demon! Get this over with! I'll do anything...just... Please spare them..."
"Good." Muzan sat back with a victorious smile. "Let's not waste any more time."
A pearling drop of blood grew from the incision on the index finger of his right hand, catching the ambient light in the room, beckoning the dark eyes of the boy who was about to sell himself.
Will this...really be okay...? Tanjirou thought as he stretched out his tongue to lick the blood dripping from Muzan's finger.
I-
"Ungh...!"
As soon as that large drop landed on his tongue, an immensely severe pain echoed throughout his entire being.
"Ah...!"
He pulled at his bonds, his back arching off the bed as the caustic pain traveled through his writhing body,
"Ow..."
The pain was indescribable.
It was as though all of his internal organs were being twisted, his very cellular structure changing—being warped into those more suited to an inhuman being.
Tanjirou groaned, cold sweat pearling on his forehead and he huffed, panted and gasped, fighting back the tears as Muzan watched him with a sadistic curiosity.
And in the moment that he felt the vile aura building further, spreading through his body, Tanjirou caught sight of Muzan's smile.
Caution filled him. That smile was nothing like the victorious smile he had been wearing. It was evil. This was the gesture that made him realize that he had made a huge mistake.
"Ah...ah...!"
Tanjirou's pain continued and it was more pain than he could ever remember being in in his life, but in the midst of becoming what he hated, he felt Muzan's breath near his ear as the demon leaned close to whisper to him, "Who are you and what is your life value that I will take that as an equivalent exchange to end my carnage?"
Muzan did not have to say this, and at this point, but he really wanted to drive the hopeless nature of Tanjirou's new future deep into his heart.
"You...you promised..." Tanjirou choked out, through clenched teeth as Muzan's long pale fingers with their sharp nails cupped his chin.
His grip was gentle, but the power behind it was immense and Tanjirou could not look away from the condescending smirk the demon wore.
"Oh, Tanjirou-kun..." Muzan smirked wider, as though all that was taking place was funny to him. "That look on your face is really entertaining~ You actually thought that a demon like me was virtuous? ~"
Yes, the look on his face could not hide the fact that Tanjirou had genuinely thought that Muzan would have kept his word.
"I don't know if to feel honored or insulted," Muzan hissed. "Boy, I kill whoever I want, whenever I want."
"But don't be mad at me. This is your fault." A cruel laugh halted his sentence briefly. "Weren't you a bit too presumptuous Little One?" Muzan asked. "You should be wary of whose words you trust, but it's too late to tell you this now, isn't it? Heh. I am the one who will decide which humans shall live and which shall die at my hands. Nothing you do can change that."
Time seemed to stop as Muzan's words sunk in and Tanjirou's eyes went wide with alarm.
It was true. He was not having a nightmare. This moment was real. His pain was real. His sacrifice had failed to do anything other than make his situation worse. He had been tricked.
Muzan chuckled, drinking in the sight of his agony and that wide glare filled with rage and betrayal.
"Why?" Tanjirou yelled. "Why...are you doing this to me?!"
His question was left unanswered, as though the one he was asking did not feel the need to give him a response.
"Ugh…" He tried to fight back, to reject the influence of the tainted blood coursing through his veins, but its power was too strong and little by little, he could feel himself submitting to its call.
Reluctantly, he was becoming a demon.
"Why...?" Tanjirou uttered one last time and as the darkness pricked at the edges of his vision, he saw Muzan, blurry except for the Cheshire cat smile he wore, bend over him.
"Welcome to your new life, Kamado Tanjirou~"
And finally, his eyes slid shut as the darkness claimed him.
xxx
REFERENCES:
[1] Manga chapter 62
[2] Manga chapter 53
[3] Manga chapter 53