Chapter 13: Catching Up
Notes: 50/50 chances of the title changing later on. Part 1 of the Rehabilitation Training Arc.
There was something soft bellow him.
He felt warm and safe and relaxed. And in throbbing pain.
He could hear birds chirping outside.
Wait, outside?
Tanjirou blinked his eyes open, slowly.
A ceiling. A bed. The scent of medicines and wisteria, in the air, so familiar.
"Ah. The Butterfly Estate." he said quietly.
"Tanjirou? Are you awake?"
"Zenitsu?"
"Oh thank god, you are all right!" the blonde teen cried in relief.
"Are you alright? Were you hurt?"
"I got stung by a stinky spider and the poison really hurt. My legs and arms got shrunk and I have to take a really bitter medicine five times a day for three months." he cried, "And that girl is really mean."
"What about Inosuke? Murata-san and Ozaki-san?"
"Inosuke's over there." Zenitsu pointed to Tanjirou's other side.
"He's really here! He's so quiet, I didn't notice him!" Tanjirou said surprised, "Inosuke! I'm so glad you're alive! I'm so sorry I didn't come back to help you!" he said, in tears.
"That's alright. Don't worry about it. I'm fine." he spoke with a gruff voice from Tanjirou's left side, "I'm glad you're alive, Tontarou."
Tanjirou froze, shocked and confused.
'His voice…? Is that…Inosuke?!'
"Apparently, his throat got crushed." Zenitsu explained, "I don't know the details, but his neck was severely injured and he finished it off by letting out a loud cry at the end."
"He hurt himself?!" Tanjirou realised.
"I think he's depressed, and he's mellowed down a lot, which is quite funny, for some reason." Zenitsu chuckled.
"Why are you laughing in such a disgusting way?" Tanjirou asked, stopping his blonde friend's chuckles, "What's funny about this?"
"Sorry for being so weak." Inosuke mumbled.
His two friends' eyes grew wide and they both turned towards him.
"YOU WERE AMAZING!" Zenitsu exclaimed, "YOU WERE GREAT!"
"Hang in there, Inosuke! You did your best!" Tanjirou added, both of them quickly doing their best to raise his spirits.
"…Thank you…"
Tanjirou looked at his friend a little longer, willing him to feel better soon. Then he turned back to Zenitsu.
"What about Murata-san and Ozaki-san?"
"As for those two, they were treated and left yesterday." Zenitsu concluded, "Well, Ozaki-san won't be able to fight for a while, due to her arm, but she decided to rest at her home." he added.
"How long was I out?"
"Two days." a new voice said, "Zenitsu-san, your medicine."
"But it's bitter!"
"Then you should have been more careful!"
"Ah, good morning, Aoi-san!"
"Good morning, Tanjirou-san. How are you feeling?"
"Have been better." he smiled.
Aoi sighed.
"Shinobu-sama will be pleased to know you are back with the living. As will your family."
"Ah, I made them worry." he said sadly. Guiltily.
"You nearly busted your lungs." Aoi-san said, dropping her serious face and looking at Tanjirou worried, "The girls were practically mourning you."
"I am sorry." he said, softly.
Aoi-san nodded and left.
Moments later, Shinobu walked in.
"Tanjirou-kun." she smiled, "Tanjirou-kun." she said again, leaning a little bit closer, "What did you do to get your lungs in that state?"
"I breathed…?" he smiled back, sheepishly.
"Sun Breathing is hard enough on your body as it is. Your lungs sounded like you were trying to breathe in three different ways at almost the same time. So, Tanjirou-kun. What did you do?"
"I, uh…experimented in the heat of the moment and combined Sun Breathing with other Breath Styles." he mumbled, embarrassed.
Shinobu stood up, suddenly.
"Are you trying to kill yourself like that?" she asked, trying to keep her composure, "Your lungs barely made it. You can't just combine Breaths, in the middle of a battle, not expecting repercussions."
Tanjirou sat up, with a frown.
"I know that. But I wasn't strong enough just yet to defeat Rui. I had no other way to build up enough momentum to do serious harm, Shinobu-san."
"You knew the dangers and yet you still did it? I thought you were smarter than that, Tanjirou-kun. Was I wrong?" she wondered, "Can you explain to me why you thought doing that was a good idea?"
"I've done something similar once before; combined two forms. But it was Water Breath. I was already tired from the fight and this was near the end, and it was easier to my lungs at the time."
"And what made you think that doing that again, with two different Breaths this time, was a good idea?"
"I thought that since it had worked back then, it could work again. But I'm still weak. I need to train more." he said softly, looking at his hands, "It was the only thing I thought I could try at the moment."
"If you are weak, then what does that make me, Tanjirou?" she frowned at him, before turning around and marching out of the room.
They watched her go, leaving Tanjirou with a great ache in his heart, Zenitsu with confusion and Inosuke indifferent to everything at the moment.
"Tanjirou, what did she mean by 'breathe in three different ways'? And what did you mean by 'combine Breaths'?"
Tanjirou sighed.
"As you know, I am the Sun Pillar's stand-in. I am, mainly, a Sun Breath user. But I've also trained with people who could use other Breath Styles. I learnt. I've used Water Breathing a few times, since it is the easiest, when I was too tired, or to honor thirteen dead children, or give someone a painless death. Or simply because at the moment, it had the most appropriate forms to utilize and win a battle. But Rui…Rui pushed me beyond my limits." he explained, "I haven't used them in such a way before. As you saw, it isn't pretty."
"But…then…how many…? You know at least three different Breath Styles? Sun, Water and Thunder?"
"Theoretically, I can use twelve out of the fourteen known Breath Styles. Well, thirteen before we met Inosuke and saw his Beast Breathing. The one I know not how to use is Moon Breathing, since there is no one alive who uses it anymore, and we only just met Inosuke. Don't expect me to pick up his Breath during a fight."
"But…how many attacks…?" Zenitsu looked shocked.
"That's eighty-five forms, but I can't actually use all of them. Some require different weapons than the ones I am able to use or abilities I do not possess. Like your hearing or Inosuke's touch."
"Ten." Inosuke spoke up, "Beast Breathing has ten. I can show you after we heal."
"It took me years, and even then, I needed to record my progress with each one."
Silence fell in the room.
"Tanjirou-nii!" five young voices suddenly called out, soon followed by their owners bursting in the room.
"Hello, everyone." he waved at his siblings, "How are you?"
"How are we?" Nezuko fumed, "How are you? I haven't seen Shinobu-nee-san look like that in ever! I'm pretty sure the only other time she might have looked like that was when Kanae-nee died. And you just lay there, smiling like nothing has happened and ask after our wellbeing?!"
"Nezuko…" he looked ashamed.
"Nezuko, he didn't mean to look nonchalant about his health." their mother said, having come in after her children.
"How's father?"
"Tamayo-san is very surprised he is even still alive. She has taken it upon herself to cure him, or help in any way his current physician."
"Oh, I have to talk to Shinobu-san about Tamayo-san and Yushirou." he said, cringing.
"Did you two fight?" Takeo seemed shocked.
The Kamados stared at Tanjirou in shocked silence.
"But…you love Nobu-chan." Hanako said.
Tanjirou patted her head.
"Yes. And I worried her very much. And instead of apologising, I said something inconsiderate."
"Tanjirou, I didn't know you're from a big family." Zenitsu spoke up.
"Ah, I am sorry. Everyone, these are my friends, Agatsuma Zenitsu and Hashibira Inosuke."
"Hello." Inosuke said, with his new gruff voice.
"Are you okay?" Hanako asked him, worried.
"Broke my larynx. My voice was affected." he replied.
"Will you be my wife?" Zenitsu asked Nezuko.
"Zenitsu…!" Tanjirou gave him a scary fake smile.
"You don't know me." Nezuko replied, "Why don't you try to be my friend first? You might not like me enough to ask me such an important question later."
Tanjirou sighed.
"These are my siblings, from older to younger, Nezuko, Takeo, Hanako, Shigeru and Rokuta. And this is our mother, Kie."
"Hello, pleasure to make your acquaintance." their mother bowed her head a little.
"The pleasure is ours." Zenitsu said seriously.
"Nobu-chan said you nearly stopped breathing." Shigeru said quietly.
"I breathed too hard and for too long and that hurt my lungs."
"Please be more careful, Tanjirou." Kie said worriedly.
"I am sorry I worried you all so much." he bowed his head, "I will be more careful from now on. I promise."
"And you must apologise to Nobu-chan." Hanako looked at her big brother seriously, "I don't like seeing her sad. Least of all because my big brother was a dummy."
Tanjirou smiled softly, patting her head.
"I will apologise to Shinobu-san. I'll do my best and then some, so I never make her sad ever again."
"Father says that you need to strengthen your lungs further." Takeo said, "Because he knows you won't be able to not do something reckless again."
"Can you move?" Shigeru asked.
Tanjirou sat up and with his mother's help, he got to his feet.
He took a step. Wobbled. Took another. More steady.
He smiled at his friends and family.
"I'll be back in a minute." he said, and slowly left the room.
"Is he going to Nobu-chan?" Shigeru asked their mother.
"He better be." he heard Nezuko say, as he slowly made his way down the hall.
Letting his nose lead him, Tanjirou made his way across the Butterfly Estate towards Shinobu's study.
He knocked.
"Come in."
Tanjirou opened the door.
"Shinobu-san." he said quietly, watching her stiffen slightly. He bowed, "Please, forgive me for my earlier behavior. I should have been more considerate of your feelings."
Shinobu turned to look at him and sighed.
She walked up to him and then hugged him tightly.
"Please." she whispered, "You…"
Tanjirou's eyes watered, and his arms held on to her just as tightly. He hid his face in her shoulder.
"I'm sorry." he mumbled, "I should have been more careful."
They sank to the floor, as Tanjirou couldn't keep himself on his feet any longer and Shinobu didn't have the strength to keep him up.
"Why are you punishing your body like that?" she asked him.
"I…"
"Does it have anything to do with that promise you made four years ago?"
"How…?"
"You staid behind. I was worried. I didn't mean to hear."
Tanjirou looked away, blushing.
"Yes. It has partly to do with that promise. You are…"
Shinobu sighed and rested her forehead against his, making him blush harder, with a soft smile on her lips.
"Will you take better care of yourself?"
"Yes. I promise."
"Once you have recovered, practice on those Breath combinations of yours. So your lungs and body can learn to handle the strain. I'll help you as much as I can."
"But you have more important things to do, Shinobu! You're a Pillar. You don't have time to help a Slayer who isn't your Tsuguko." he said, "Not that I don't want to train with you!" he added quickly, "Where would we start first? Sun-Water combinations are, I think, the easiest – because there is little strain from Water Breathing on my lungs."
Shinobu was listening with an amused smile.
"First, maybe we should move from the floor."
Tanjirou blinked.
"I'm sorry." he smiled, sheepishly, letting go of Shinobu and carefully standing up. He gave her his hand to help her up, "Shinobu-san? There was something else I wanted to talk to you about."
"Oh? That sounds serious." she smiled.
"Shinobu."
The Insect Pillar sighed. She sat down across from him and regarded him seriously.
"For you to not want to put up with my teasing, this means you have some really grave news."
"Muzan was in Asakusa."
Shinobu stared.
"Have you told Oyakata-sama?"
"Didn't have the time. After meeting him and surviving Yahaba and Susamaru's attack, I was sent to my next few missions, the last of which led me here." Tanjirou said, "There was another issue I wanted to talk to you about, though."
"Another?"
"I met a doctor in Asakusa. She has been trying to find a way to kill Muzan for a while."
"Is she a retired demon slayer?"
Tanjirou drew a deep breath.
"No." he said, "She is a demon."
Shinobu was quiet.
Tanjirou's nose got a mix of confusing feelings coming from her.
"Explain."
"Tamayo-san has been trying to stop Muzan for more than two hundred years. She explained to me that demons come with a curse. They can't speak Muzan's name – I saw what happens when they do and it was not pretty. Depending on distance, he can get the information a demon has – location, thoughts, what they see. The accuracy varies, but he gets that information. I don't know how she broke free – I didn't ask. She has altered her body so that now she lives off a small amount of human blood given in the form of blood donations. And she has turned a terminally ill boy into a demon, after explaining in full length what that entailed."
"She made a demon?"
"Only one. I wonder if she had a family before and Yushirou reminded her of her child or something." he said, in thought.
"And why are you telling me this?"
"You are the best in pharmaceutics and poisons I know of. I thought that if you worked together, you could come up with something to defeat Muzan."
Shinobu looked away.
"That is something Oyakata-sama has to decide." she said, finally, "Do you keep in touch with them?"
"Yes."
"How?"
"Chachamaru." Tanjirou said simply.
"Meow." a cat appeared at the door.
Shinobu froze and moved slightly away.
Tanjirou turned at the cat and petted its head.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to call you." he said softly.
"Meow." the cat disappeared.
"A cat?"
"Yes. I am helping them find a way to kill Muzan by gathering the blood of his Twelve Moons. And the cat carries the blood to them."
"Do you know where they stay?"
"Currently?" Tanjirou tried to avoid the question.
"Yes."
"At my home." he sighed.
"I see." Shinobu said, nodding her head, before realising what he said, "At your home?"
"Mother said Tamayo-san was in awe by how father is actually still alive."
"I'll have to bring you to the meeting." Shinobu sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose, "Only you, Tanjirou-kun. Only you."
Tanjirou chuckled.
"I am sorry." he smiled sheepishly, "I'll have to ask Tamayo-san if it's okay to reveal I met her and that she is currently at my house." he said, thoughtfully.
"Is there a possibility she would be against it?"
"Before Muzan sent those two demons after me, I had promised her not to reveal her existence." he explained, "I'd rather have her permission to talk about her to Oyakata-sama and the rest Pillars."
"Very well. Do you need a crow?"
Tanjirou smiled, mischievously.
"Chachamaru."
With a meow the cat appeared next to him, aware that this time he was actually called.
Shinobu stared at the young man before her.
"You should expect a revenge for that later, Tanjirou." she smiled back.
Tanjirou laughed.
Notes: Tanjirou is still unaware that Sun Breathing has thirteen forms -I am unaware whether his father, Tanjuurou, knows or not- hence why they are eighty-five. Since he was trained by Urokodaki-san, he also doesn't know Lull. And Zenitsu will create the seventh Thunder Breath form towards the end of the story, which is why it also isn't counted.