Chapter 9: Hashibira Inosuke
Notes: Part 3 of the Tsuzumi Mansion Arc.
"Kiyoshi-kun! Teruko-chan!" he called out and opened the door.
The two children screamed and threw at him anything they could get their hands on.
"Why are you throwing things at me?!" Tanjirou exclaimed, ducking from a vase.
"Tanjirou-nii?! We're sorry. The tsuzumi vanished, so we panicked."
"Alright." Tanjirou kneeled before Kiyoshi-kun, "…Come on. Let's go outside." he said softly.
"Okay." the boy climbed on his back.
He carried the boy towards the exit, Teruko holding on to his haori.
"Ah, I smell Zenitsu and Shouichi-kun. They're both outside. Ow. Ow. Ow." he winced, the accumulated pain from his fight with Susamaru and Yahaba and Kyogai finally catching up with him.
"Are you okay?" Teruko-chan asked, worried.
Suddenly, they heard shouting.
Once they stepped outside they saw Zenitsu running around, while boarman was chasing him, both of them screaming.
"FIGHT ME!"
"NOOOOOOOO!"
"What is going on?" Tanjirou asked perplexed.
"He came out little after we did." Shouichi-kun explained.
"I SAID FIGHT MEEE!"
"I DON'T WANT TOOO!"
"And he's been asking for a fight ever since, to determine who's the strongest."
"Ah, I see." Tanjirou said, setting Kiyoshi-kun down. He then walked up to the two. Zenitsu dove behind him in seconds, boarman coming to a stop.
"Fight me!" he demanded, "Draw your sword, you coward!"
"Aren't you in the Demon Slayer Corps? Don't you know it's taboo to fight comrades? To draw your sword for anything other than to defend others from demons? Do you get into fights just for fun? Are you that despicable?" Tanjirou asked, with quiet anger.
"So that's how it is? If that is your problem, fine! I'm sorry. Let's fight barehanded!" boarman laughed.
"No, I don't think you understand at all. First of all…"
Boarman dropped his swords.
He charged Tanjirou, who avoided a punch.
"Corps members aren't allowed to fight each other at all! It doesn't matter if it's barehanded!" Tanjirou explained, avoiding a kick.
"Fight back!" boarman shouted as Tanjirou continued to evade his attacks.
'His attacks are unusually low! This is…just like…just like…I'm fighting a four-legged beast!' Tanjirou thought, 'I need to immobilize him. So I have to aim low…even lower…than he is!' he decided to knock him off his feet, hoping to gain the upper hand and stop him.
But boarman went even lower before spinning his body in a way to kick Tanjirou on the head, slamming it on the ground, by bringing his legs over his own head.
'The flexibility of his joints…really it's inhuman!'
Boarman backflipped away.
"Ain't I awesome? Ain't I awesome?" he asked Tanjirou twice, "I can do even that!" he laughed bending backwards to the point he brought his head between his feet, holding on to his ankles.
"Stop doing that!" Tanjirou exclaimed, worried, "Weren't you hurt earlier? You'll make it worse for your bones! Your body will deteriorate!"
"Then it'll be worse!" he agreed, "All that matters is the pleasure of this moment! Nothing can compare to that!"
"Think about the future." Tanjirou said, avoiding another kick, "Just calm down!"
Boarman rushed at him and Tanjirou headbutted him.
"Uwaaaah! That sound! Did they split their heads?!" Zenitsu screamed.
Tanjirou stood and looked as the boar head fell off.
"A GIRL?! HUH? That face…?!" Zenitsu exclaimed, shocked.
"What? You got a problem with my face?"
"We don't have a problem with your face." Tanjirou replied, "I think it's small and fair and it's fine."
"I'll kill you, bastard! Bring it on, if you have the balls!" the boarman shouted.
"No! I won't attack anymore! I'm too tired!"
"Headbutt me again!"
"No! Not doing that! Let's sit down! Are you alright?"
"Listen here, forehead! I am Hashibira Inosuke! Remember it!"
"Nice to meet you. How do you spell your name?"
"Spell?! I can't read or write! My name was written on my loincloth, though…" Inosuke stopped.
The others stared.
"He stopped…" Shouichi-kun said.
Then his eyes rolled back and he fell back.
"He collapsed!" Zenitsu screamed, still hiding behind Teruko-chan, "Is he dead? Is he dead?"
"No. He isn't dead. But he probably just has a concussion. Because I gave him a pretty strong headbutt." Tanjirou said, kneeling beside the other teen. He removed his haori and put it under his head, "Zenitsu give me your haori."
"Eh?"
"Please." he smiled.
Zenitsu did as he was asked, mostly moving instinctively.
Tanjirou covered the boy.
"Alright. Now we can start burying the dead." he sighed.
"I am not going back inside." Zenitsu said, shaking.
"I'll go, don't worry. Can you dig up the graves while I carry them out?"
"I-I can do that."
"Let's start with this man." he said, pointing to the man that had been flung out earlier.
They had almost finished with the man's burial, when Inosuke woke up screaming.
"He's awake!" Zenitsu screamed, scared.
"C'mon! Fight me!" Inosuke screamed, chasing Zenitsu.
"You just woke up and you want to fight?! What's wrong with you?! I can't deal with this!"
Zenitsu hid behind Teruko-chan again, as Inosuke stopped to stare at what Tanjirou and the three children did, as the other Slayer had stopped, holding a rock, about to lay down on the ground to mark the grave.
"What are you guys doing?!"
"Burying the victims of the house, of course." Tanjirou said, matter of factly, "Inosuke, why don't you come and help us, too. There are a few people inside the house still."
"It's pointless to bury the corpse of an organism! Who would think to do that? I'm not helping you! Why don't you fight me instead?!"
Tanjirou gave Inosuke a soft, kind, understanding, sad look.
"Oh, I see… your wounds still hurt…so you can't help."
"Huh?!"
"That's okay. Each person has a different pain threshold. Carrying dead people out of the mansion, digging a hole…and burying them is really hard…but Zenitsu and these children are strong and very capable and we'll work hard, so don't worry." he said, trying to hold back his laughter at the scents coming from everyone, "You just take a well-earned rest, Inosuke."
"Huuuuuuh?! Don't underestimate me! I can bury a hundred people more! Two hundred! I'm a better grave-digger than anyone else!" Inosuke screamed, before running inside the mansion and started bringing dead bodies out.
Tanjirou with an accomplished smile on his lips and a soft chuckle, started preparing the next grave, the other four slowly realising Tanjirou had played Inosuke – and them as well – into helping out.
"May you all rest in peace." Tanjirou prayed, "Alright. Let's go down the mountain."
He picked Kiyoshi-kun on his back and the six of them started their journey down the mountain.
Inosuke kept headbutting trees for some reason, and Zenitsu kept demanding Shouichi-kun came with them so he could protect him.
"Shouichi-kun is strong!" he cried, picking the boy up, "Shouichi-kun protected me!"
"Can't you see that Shouichi-kun doesn't want to?" Tanjirou grabbed him by the scruff of his uniform, pulling him hard.
At the foot of the mountain, Tennouji returned.
"Marechi, open your palms! Caaww!"
Kiyoshi-kun got off Tanjirou's back and opened his palms before the crow and it spat out a small incense bag, to his obvious disgust.
"Smells like wisteria." Tanjirou said.
"What good that will do?"
"It's demon repellant! You with marechi should always carry wisteria on you. Caaww!" and with that he landed on Tanjirou's shoulder.
The three children then bowed to the Slayers.
"Thank you all so very much." Kiyoshi-kun smiled, "We'll be fine. We are able to return to our home by ourselves."
"Are you sure? I don't mind carrying Kiyoshi-kun home." Tanjirou said.
"Thank you for saving me, but we don't want to keep you longer." Kiyoshi-kun said.
"Thank you!" Teruko-chan and Shouichi-kun smiled as well.
Tanjirou nodded in acceptance. At the crossroads, they turned away and Tanjirou waved at them as they left.
"Caaww!" Tennouji flew, "Alright! Now, follow me! Caw!" he said.
Tanjirou, still holding on to Zenitsu, turned to follow his crow.
"So, Inosuke, where did you grow up?"
"I was raised by wild boars on the mountains!"
"Eh? Really? My family lives at the foot of a mountain. We are coal burners, so we go up the mountain for trees."
"Don't compare me to you! I have no parents or siblings!" he kicked a rock towards Tennouji, who flew higher to avoid it, "My only pleasure is to match…my strength against others!"
"Oh…I see…" he said, somewhat saddened, "Then, how did you join the Demon Slayers?"
"A Slayer entered my mountain. We fought and I won. I took his blades and he told me about demons and the Final Selection."
"Who trained you?"
"No one. I am self-taught." he replied, "Next time, I'll catch you off guard and take you down!" he promised.
"Ah, I never got around to introduce myself. I am Kamado Tanjirou."
"Okay Kamaboko Gonpachiro! I'm gonna beat you!"
"Who the heck are you talking about?!"
"You!"
"No, that's someone else!"