Chapter 12 : New Hope


1st comment :

"Your writing style is unique, it took a while for me to get accustomed to it but it grew on me. It gives character to your fic. I wouldn't call it bad.

On another note, really nice chappy love the

"misunderstandment" and the changes."

Aww thank you so much x'33

I'm really happy that you appreciated this !! I hope other readers has the same opinion on this "misunderstandment" as well !

Thank you for reading this fanfic, and on that, good reading ! :DD

2nd comment :

"Someone had watched the re take parody on demon slayer"

I see, you're a French man of culture as well... ;D

(c'était un petit indice, je suis contente que tu l'aies remarqué haha !!)

3rd comment :

"Oh my god. I've been waiting for this update and you update it ! Please keep writing, this is very fun to read !"

Aww thanks so much !! x3

When I read your review for the first time, I thought you were a bit scared that I stopped to write this fanfic, but do not worry !

I want to keep writing this as long as I can, and your comment encouraged me even more ! :DD

If you didn't notice, I upload a chapter each month, it may be long, but if you see I'm not uploading anything one week after I upload a chapter, it's totally normal haha !

4th comment :

"Saying your making nezuko have an actual personality and not act exactly like tanjiro ? Now that's something I have not read in a fanfiction before. And from what I have just read you have made great strides in this. I can't wait to read what changes you have installed for the next chapter.

As I said before you have written Nezuko with her very own personality, however the story has yet to divert from the original timeline which is understandable, I just hope it doesn't follow the timeline for the remaining chapters."

Ahh thank you x'3

But actually, I'm not planning on completely divert from the original story/timeline. I must do something original yes, but must also respect the original story and follow its events :")

From a logical point of view, the fact that Nezuko would have been the one to have quit her house instead of Tanjiro when Muzan came to kill their family wouldn't change the fact that Zenitsu and Inosuke would still be demon slayers, or that Giyu and Urokodaki would still meet the two siblings, or even that they should also meet Muzan, Tamayo, Yushiro and then Susamaru and Yahaba later in the story.

Of course, completely diverting from the original can be great, and if some want to write this kind of AU like that, then go for it ! :3

But just know that it isn't my goal "

LAST BUT NOT LEAST, 5th comment :

"I want to thank you for your great dedication in this story because i LOVE SM how you write and also, thank you for doing an announcement for your readers and don't worry i am pretty sure we all can wait a little longer if it means that you are more comfortable, at the end you are the autor :3

Always excited to see the next chapter!

Take care!"

AWW my gosh you're so sweet TAT

Thank you so much ! I hope you will like the future chapters too then !! o

Well... final notes !

Thank you all for your support and reviews guys ! I really hope the future chapters will be up to your expectations !! :DD

(Also, are yall excited for season 2 ? BECAUSE I AM BDLSKDLDJDJ-)


[...]

April 14th 1914

04:20 AM

Udon stand


About ten minutes had passed since their meeting with the three demons.

While the illusion of the demon in the purple kimono kept going to the eyes of the police-men, she had taken the young woman and the new demon with her with the help of her companion. Proclaiming herself a doctor, she surely wanted to treat the human and take care of the young man.

As for the two Kamados, she told them that she would come look for them later, and that they would have to wait a little while before seeing her again.

But in the end, it didn't bother them that much. After all, Nezuko still hadn't finished her bowl of udon since she fell asleep next to her brother. She might have time to eat a little more, which wouldn't hurt her.

So, after leaving the two demons and retrieving their respective scarves, the two siblings returned to the udon stand.

《HEY ARE YOU MAKING FUN OF ME OR SOMETHING ?!!》

The young girl and her brother looked at the old man with wide eyes, surprised that he screamed so suddenly as soon as they arrived.

Immediately, the manager of the stand advanced towards them with an annoyed step; getting much more closer to the demon slayer than to the redhead.

《WHEN YOU ORDER TWO BOWLS OF FOOD, YOU EAT THEM !!! YOU DON'T LET THEM FREEZE ON A BENCH TO GO ANYWHERE ELSE !!!》He shouted, pointing at the bowl she had left on the bench.《WHAT DO YOU THINK ?! IT TAKES ME TIME TO MAKE THESE DISHES !!! AND YOU DO AS IF IT WAS NOTHING ?!!》

The young girl looked at him a little confused at first, before taking a more saddened look on her face.

《S-sorry sir !!》She told him sincerely, before lowering her head slightly to the ground.《It was rude of me... I apologize...》

As she apologized to the old man, Tanjiro could only lower his eyes to the ground in shame as well. After all, his sister wasn't the only one at fault in the story; he too had caused this man problems. However, he couldn't really apologize clearly.

The man in the striped haori looked at the young slayer for a moment, still frowning and silenced.

But he didn't seem to be completely happy with the situation as he then quickly turned to the burgundy haired demon, preparing to lecture him as well.

《AND YOU, THERE !!!》He said, before the concerned suddenly raised his head.《LET ME REMIND YOU THAT YOU BROKE MY BOWL !!! AND YOU PLAN TO JUST STAY THERE WITHOUT DOING ANYTHING ?! NOT EVEN A LITTLE WORD OF EXCUSE ?!!》

《BY THE WAY WHAT'S UP WITH THAT BAMBOO IN YOUR MOUTH ?! IT'S SUPER WEIRD--》

But the old man was interrupted by Nezuko, who, seeing her brother being reprimanded, decided to intervene.

《Wait !》She said, holding his arm.《Please, excuse him ! He didn't do it on purpose, I swear ! I can refund you so you can buy yourself another bowl if you want...!》

With that, the old man focused on her again as he turned to face her.

《HUH ?!》He started, annoyed and surprised at the same time.《HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT WITH SUCH CONFIDENCE ?! YOU DIDN'T EVEN PAID ME YET FOR THE TWO BOWLS OF UDONS I MADE FOR YOU EARLIER !!》

《How much did they cost ?》

《FIVE HUNDRED YEN EACH !! AND THAT MAKES THREE HUNDRED THIRTY-EIGHT YEN MORE FOR THE BOWL !》

Immediately, the brunette began to rummage in her pockets to get the money requested by the manager.

《There !》She said, handing him the change.

The old man analyzed the coins and banknotes for a moment before gently taking them in his hands, calmer.

《W-wait a minute...》He stammered.《There are five hundred yen of more than the original price... Wouldn't you have trouble counting, young girl...?》

《It's for a bowl of udon !》

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《... huh ?》

The pink-eyed girl continued with more precision.

《I order you another bowl of udons, and in return, you will wipe the slate clean for my brother !》She said, before continuing.《So, could I have a bowl of udons please ?》

The old man stared at her for a moment before speaking again.

《Wait, you're gonna eat it, right ?!》He asked, before the teenage girl gave him a little nod.

《Fully ??》

《Yes !》

《...GOOD !》He exclaimed, before turning around to go back to his stand.

The two siblings therefore waited patiently for the bowl to be ready, both placing themselves right next to the bench they had been seated on earlier.

While the manager was cooking the dish, Tanjiro glanced rather apprehensively at his little sister.

She really didn't seem like she had much of an appetite just a few minutes ago... Was she really going to be able to take another one and eat it fully ?

The younger noticed that after a while, raising her head slightly to see the worry in his eyes.

Seeing this, the young girl comforted him.

《Don't worry, it will be fine Big Brother !》She whispered to him, while giving him a gentle smile.

《It's ready !》

The old man interrupted them loudly.

The girl in the pink haori then walked confidently towards the bowl of noodles served in front of her on the window sill of the stand, still under the concerned gaze of her elder brother as well as the manager.

《Thank you very much !》

《You better finish it this time !!》He threatened, his hands on his hips as he stepped back to stand next to the redhead.

《Hm...!》She nodded, clenching her fists slightly before picking up her chopsticks.

And so, the brunette started her bowl.

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She swallowed the noodles as quickly and in as much quantity as she could, as to get over with it as quickly as possible.

She had only taken a few bites and yet she was already almost halfway through.

Anyone would have been sure the young girl was starving at the speed at which she was eating.

But Tanjiro, he, knew very well that this wasn't the case...

Something was wrong with his sister. He just didn't know what yet.

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POOF

As soon as she had finished her bowl, the brunette replaced it quite loudly on the edge of the stand, wincing slightly as she still had to swallow her last bite of noodles still stucked in her mouth.

《T-there you go...!》She said, before turning back to the old man.《Is it okay, sir ?》

While the redhead still looked at her worriedly, the older man finally smiled victoriously at her.

《Yep !》He told her, raising his thumb in the air.《As long as you got the idea and eat what you order, I'm fine with it !》

Nezuko smiled back at him.

《Thank you very much !!》She said, while walking towards them.《By the way, your udons are delicious !》

《Don't hesitate to come back whenever you want with your brother, in that case !》He replied, as she took back the hand of her elder brother.《Well; unless he intends to break me another bowl...! Buuut, I'll ignore it this time. A deal is a deal, right ?》

《Mh-hm !》She nodded, before speaking again.《Thanks again !》

The two Kamados therefore walked away from the udon stand without too much problems, waving to the manager one last time.

As they continued to walk, a heavy silence settled between the two siblings. And it only got bigger and bigger with each new step they took.

While Tanjiro was a little confused about it, the young girl was fully aware of what it was, and was even the cause of it.

In truth, the exact same thing had happened on their way back to the noodle stand.

After the big misunderstanding that occurred earlier in the Asakusa district, Nezuko was unsure of what to say.

She felt terribly guilty.

She was afraid her brother would resent her, even though he had every reason in the world to blame her.

If only she had listened to him... if only she had drawn her sword and directly killed this monster she resented so much...

Ah, thinking about it, she would surely still have hesitated even with having understood who he was when she would have seen that he was married and had a child, in his arms moreover.

It must have been so frustrating for him... he had tried so hard to warn her, to show her that she was wrong, that this man wasn't as benevolent as she thought...

He had tried so hard... and her...

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《Big Brother...?》She started, a little hesitant.

Immediately, the muzzled boy stopped in his walk, turning his head towards his little sister as he was about to listen to her intently, just like if he was impatiently waiting for that moment when she would finally speak to him since a very long time; which was somewhat the case.

The young girl stayed silent for a moment, searching for her words as she tightened her grip slightly on her brother's hand, before finally speaking again.

《... I... I'm sorry...》She started slowly, keeping her eyes on the ground.《When we were in Asakusa... you tried many times to tell me that something was wrong with him... However, despite all your efforts to make me understand who he was, I preferred not to believe you..》

《... I blame myself... I blame myself so bad... I should never have doubted you, Big Brother... I really behaved like an idiot...》

Faced with this, Tanjiro looked at her sadly, a small smile still forming on his lips as he turned more to the teenager.

So that was what bothered her so much...

He did had felt that something was not okay. But he was happy that she finally confessed it to him.

《I'm sorry Big Brother... I'm so sor-》

She was interrupted by her older brother's hand, which was gently stroking the top of her head in a comforting manner.

Nezuko looked up at him a little, only to see him smile gently at her like he always has.

'He's... not angry...?' She thought, as she continued to watch him.

Of course, he was disappointed that they let Muzan flee once again when they could have acted as soon as they saw him.

But they would surely have other opportunities to finish him off in the future. Nothing was lost yet.

The pink-eyed girl stared at him for a moment longer, before lowering her eyes again to the floor, her lips shaping into a small, relieved smile.

But as all was well, a certain demon scent suddenly floated in the redhead's nose.

Tanjiro then turned his head towards the source of the scent, which seemed to emanate from a tree trunk placed not far from them.

Seeing this, the young girl imitated him :

Nothing very strange happened at first. But very soon, a certain figure appeared from behind the trunk, slowly advancing towards them.

This person... or rather, this demon, according to the young Kamado's nose as well as the traits of the individual...

They had already seen him somewhere...

Indeed, it was the demon accompanying the female demon they had met in Asakusa a few minutes earlier.

When they met, the latter had been completely silent, staying away, letting the woman speak without saying a single word. However, he had always looked at them with a rather... displeased look. As if he already didn't like them.

《You there,》He started, pointing at them.《Follow me. I will take you to her residence.》

Nezuko looked at him, a little surprised.

《Her resi...》She repeated halfway, before exclaiming.《- Ah !! Are you talking about the demon lady ?》

《Yes.》He answered her, simply.

《O-oh, but...》The girl continued.《My brother has a very good sense of smell ! So, he could have just followed your scents--》

《Impossible.》He cut her off.《A concealment spell was cast on the mansion to protect us. Your brother's sense of smell and your eyes are powerless against it.》

'A concealment spell...?' She said to herself, staring at the demon in front of her eyes.

But barely had she time to think of something to answer him when the green haired man started to point at Tanjiro.

《This demon is your brother, right ?》He asked, without hoping for an answer since he continued immediately after these words.

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《What a lack of charm... He has nothing of a gentleman. No sane woman would want him.》

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《Eh...?》

Nezuko stared at the demon, confused.

《W-wait...》

With that, he turned his back before speaking again.

《Anyway...》He started, ignoring yet another call from the brunette.《Follow me, you two. I wouldn't want to keep waiting Lady Ta- OUCH !

The demon suddenly cut his sentence when he felt something hard hitting his head behind his back.

Immediately, he placed a hand where the object had hit him before turning back to the two teenagers, looking furious.

《HEY, WHAT WAS THAT FOR ?!》

《Apologize !》

The purple-eyed demon calmed down for a moment, watching the young girl in front of him.

From her outstretched arm, it looked like she was the one who threw the pebble at him. The only other way to get his attention that she could find, probably.

But seeing that he was doing nothing more than looking at her in silence, the pink-eyed girl insisted on her request a little more.

《You just insulted my brother for no valid reasons !》She said, before resuming.《It was rude and very disrespectful ! I ask you to apologize !》

《HEY WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU ?!》The demon continued, still angry.《You shouldn't throw pebbles at people like that !!! And you say I'm disrespectful on top of that ?!》

He then glared at the redhead, who was trying his best to be as discreet as possible during their argument even if it didn't seem to be really working.

《Look at the poor clothes he wears ! And that bamboo thing in his mouth ! Do you think it's elegant ?! Do you think that could make a woman be interested in him ?!?!》

The demon then pinched the bridge of his nose, looking exasperated.

《And I'm sure his personnality is no better... A lousy little weakling unable to do anything on his own and who only thinks about himself...!》He said, before muttering.《Ugh, I swear... he doesn't deserve any woman, and even less Lady Tam- OUCH !!

《SHUSH !!》

《WHAT WAS THAT AGAIN ?!!》

Nezuko, who had once again thrown a stone at him, was about to do the same thing several times in a row while explaining herself.

《HOW DARE YOU TALK ABOUT HIM IN THAT WAY ?!!》She got mad, continuing to throw the small stones at the poor demon who was protecting himself as best he could with the help of his arms.《MY BROTHER WORKED HARD EVERYDAY TO EARN ENOUGH MONEY FOR ME AND OUR FAMILY TO LIVE !! IT IS MAINLY THANKS TO HIM THAT WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO CONTINUE TO LIVE COMFORTABLY THROUGHOUT THESE YEARS !! AND STILL TODAY, HE CONTINUES TO HELP ME AS BEST AS HE CAN !》

《 T- OUCH !!! S-ST- STOP !!!》

《HE HAS ALWAYS BEEN A POLITE, HELPFUL AND CARING GUY ! HE WAS LOVED BY EVERYONE IN THE VILLAGE !》

《W-WILL YOU FINALLY STOP ALREADY ?!》

With that, Tanjiro decided to place his hand on that of his sister who was still holding the pebble she was about to throw at the individual in front of her, trying to calm her down for a moment and dissuade her from continuing to bully the poor demon with her stones.

The young girl looked at him surprised at first, but then determined to continue the battle again.

《No, Big Brother !!》She told him, while the older one looked at her sadly.《I will not let you be dumped on without doing anything, no way !!》

But as he was about to try to stop her again, the girl continued her slingshot attacks, ignoring him.

《HE WILL HAVE NO PROBLEM TO FIND A WOMAN WHO LOVES HIM BACK, THAT'S FOR SURE !》

While he was only trying to protect himself from the stones without real success, the demon spoke again, this time with more confidence.

《I DOUBT VERY STRONGLY ABOUT THAT !!》He said to her, before continuing.《AND YOU'RE NOT BETTER BY THE WAY !!! NOT ONLY ARE YOU AGGRESSIVE AND STUBBORN, BUT YOU ARE ALSO THE UGLIEST GIRL I'VE EVER SEEN !!! YOU EYESORE !!》

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Ah, he had hit something.

But not for Nezuko.

As soon as he said these words, the redhead glared at him before starting to throw stones at him too, outraged that someone could say his lovely little sister was an "eyesore".

《YEAH ! THAT'S RIGHT BIG BROTHER !!The younger one encouraged him, not seeming to understand that he wasn't really defending himself, but rather her.《Don't let it go !!》

《ARE YOU FINISHED ALREADY ?!?!!》He screamed, causing both siblings to stop for a moment in their attacks.《LET ME TELL YOU THAT I AM HERE ONLY BECAUSE SHE ASKED ME TO BE !!! I DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR PROBLEMS, ME ! BUT I STILL CAME, SO THE LEAST YOU COULD DO IS TO RESPECT ME AND NOT TO THROW STONES ON ME !》

《NOW FOLLOW ME ! SHE HAS OTHER THINGS TO DO, AND SO DO I !!》He continued, turning around for the second time.

But this time, the two teenagers preferred not to intervene. If they had continued throwing stones at him, they would still be until the next day.

However, the two didn't stopped glaring at him, still mad at him after what he said to them.

'Who does he think he is...?' The brunette thought, as she watched him walk away. 'He didn't even apologize...'

Nezuko then took her older brother's hand again, who was at first surprised by the sudden gesture that had so quickly brought him out of his rage state, but calmed down a bit as they (finally) began to follow the demon.

The three individuals therefore walked along the alley, the two youngest being behind the demon several meters away from him while the latter led the walk, indicating the directions to take.

Sometimes, the demon would turn around suddenly. He would glare at them, then scan them up and down before turning around, hissing and continuing his walk.

He was probably suspicious of the two young people, as if they were going to resume throwing stones at him. Quite understandable when you think about it, but mostly ridiculous when you know that he is a supernatural and overpowered being afraid of having stones being thrown at him.

Finally, after a rather short time of walking, the two Kamados stopped at the sight of the demon, who had frozen in front of a high wooden fence blocking their way.

《It's here.》He told them, without turning back.

The girl stared at him for a moment, before raising her eyes to the top of the fence.

'What does he means... here ?'

Did he mean behind the fence ? In that case, couldn't they go through a portal or bypass it ?

However, she remembered the words the demon had addressed to her a few minutes earlier.

《Is this... the concealment spell you told us about ?》

However, the instant she lowered her head to see the supernatural being again, the latter had completely disappeared.

Yet no matter how much she searched all over the place, there was no way the green haired man could have left, since he had led them down a dead end.

After a little scream of surprise, the teenager started to panic, instinctively turning to her brother to make sure she wasn't the only one who noticed this strange phenomenon.

《B-big Brother-- I didn't dream, did I ??She said, taking a part of his haori in her hand, as she pointed to the old place of the demon.《He was indeed there a few seconds ago...?》

However, judging by his expression before she even spoke again, the boy had surely seen the demon disappear and was just as surprised as she was.

But as they continued to wonder where did the demon go, an annoyed voice from in front of them suddenly arose.

《Hey, you two...!》

The two teenagers turned to the fence again, only to see the demon's head through.

《Hurry up. She doesn't have all night.》

And so he withdrew.

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'D-DID HE JUST--'

The brunette swallowed hardly.

Were they supposed to... go through the fence too ?

Well, they didn't have a lot of other options. What else could they do, if it was only to backtrack ?

Nezuko glanced over her older brother as he did the same.

He also looked a little apprehensive, but still a little calmer than his sister. Again, she wondered if it was because he was the oldest and was naturally calmer and more reasonable than she was, or if it was because he was forcing himself to look like that for the sake of reassuring her.

Either way, the two nodded and held each other's hands respectively, before slowly but surely approaching the fence.

As they moved forward, the teens stretched their free arms forward as if to check if they were actually going to pass through the wall as easily as the purple eyed demon. But it seemed that was indeed the case, since they both quickly found themselves on the other side of it.

Nezuko glanced quickly behind her to make sure what had just happened was real, but then turned her head to look around instead :

They had set foot in a sort of courtyard surrounded by many cherry trees whose flowers had already bloomed. Oh that's right. They were already in April after all. Even though she would have liked to admire the landscape during the day though, the cherry trees in the middle of the night were no less beautiful than they were in the daylight, so she wasn't complaining.

These trees somewhat reminded her of the time when she still lived with her family. Their house was in the mountains; in the middle of a forest which sheltered a few cherry trees here and there. She was also very fond of admiring the cherry blossoms in front of her house at the beginning of each spring.

But as she looked away from the trees, the young girl let out a little scream of astonishment.

Indeed, in the heart of this courtyard stood a very, very large house- well, if only we could always call it a "house"...

The most appropriate word would be a mansion.

The two Kamados looked at it in shock. The last time they'd seen such tall buildings in their lives was in the Asakusa district, and yet, they weren't that close.

《Would that be too much to ask of you to lower your voice...?!》Said the demon a few feet away from them.

《A-ah-- I'm sorry...!》She told him, waving her hand a little.

After getting closer to the demon who was at the threshold of the door, he was about to open them by turning back to the building.

《Tss... I swear...》He whispered, before turning back to them again.《I'm warning you, you'd better not throw stones at her nor do or say anything rude to her, understood..!?》

The two teenagers looked at him, a little confused. It was obvious that they wouldn't be able to throw stones at her, since they would be inside...

But the two nodded anyway before entering with the third into what appeared to be the home of the two demons, looking for the demon lady.

The interior was quite nice. The hallways were long with beautiful decorative items like colorful vases or paintings, and something made the atmosphere of this abode quite warm.

Once in front of a certain room, the two siblings stopped for the last time at the sight of the demon who was about to open the door to it.

Inside was the same young woman (well, maybe not so young given her immortality) with dark hair tied in a bun that they had met in Asakusa, who wore, in addition to her purple kimono, a kind of white apron.

She was sitting there with her back to them, like she was doing something.

《Lady Tamayo...》The green haired demon began, in a soft tone.

Gosh... he was speaking to her so sweetly unlike when he was addressing them.

With that, the demon supposedly named "Tamayo" slowly turned towards the three individuals, still letting her companion speak.

《... I brought them to you.》

《Oh, I see...》She told him, before getting up.《Thank you, Yushiro.》

This gesture of her made it possible to glimpse Nezuko's eyes the body of the young woman injured a few minutes earlier, now lying on the bed in front of the demon.

Immediately, the brunette questioned her.

《I-is she okay ??!!》She asked, worriedly.

《Yes, do not worry.》She answered her in a soft tone, while waving her hand slightly.《She is just asleep, she needs rest after my treatment and what she has been through. 》

With that, the girl widened her eyes.

'Her treatment...?' She repeated in her head, before remembering a certain detail.

《Ah ! I remember... you're a doctor, right ?》

《Indeed.》She said.《And I am as much for demons as for humans. Even though those of our species usually do not require any treatment, sometimes, it can happen that some of them need help to regenerate faster, or the ones that I have to take care of like the young man who had been transformed into the street a few minutes ago, which I have placed in an isolated room for the moment.》

The teenager stared at her for a moment, before taking on a worried look.

《... But...》She began, before tilting her head slightly to the side.《Are you... really comfortable treating humans...? Isn't that a bit difficult for you ?》

With that, a moment of silence took place between the four individuals.

During these long seconds, the young girl could see Tamayo's face take on a slightly surprised look at her question. This prompted her to clarify her words.

《Ah-- w-well, I mean...》She panicked slightly.《... sometimes, Big Brother himself has trouble controlling himself at the sight of a lot of blood... 》

《I... I was just wondering if--》

Yushiro interrupted her by slapping her on the back of the head to silence her.

The brunette let out a small "Ouch!" before bringing one of her hands back to where it had been touched, as Tanjiro moved closer to her, worried.

《Idiot.》The pale-skinned demon told her, dryly.

Nezuko timidly looked up at him, only to see an even more angry expression than usual on his face.

《Do you really believe that all demons are like your brother ? Drooling like wild beasts over every single drop of human blood they see ?》

The girl in the pink haori felt a wave of guilt fill her after his words.

《Oh- N-no !! It's not what I...》

But despite her attempts, she could only bring herself to lower her eyes sadly to the ground, preparing to speak again.

She was aware that he had given her brother a free insult again, but she just couldn't see herself lecturing him after what she had just said.

《I... I'm sor-》

《Yushiro...!》

The lady's voice suddenly rose, causing the heads of the three individuals to look up at her, even though only one was concerned with what she was going to say.

《You should not get upset for so little.She told him, frowning.《She has every right to ask herself questions; she is still only human and above all, a child. She did not deserve that slap of yours.》

She then turned her gaze to the redhead, still seated at his sister's side.

《Moreover,》She began with a soft, but firm voice.《The way you spoke of this young man was very out of place.》

《I do not want you to hurt them both physically and morally anymore, alright ?》

Yushiro stared at her for a moment longer, before slowly lowering his gaze to the ground.

《 ... Yes, my apologies...》He whispered.

The girl stared at the demon beside her. Did he just... apologize ?

《To answer your question...》The demon's new speech suddenly brought her out of her thoughts.《No, it is not difficult for me to treat humans, even if they are seriously injured.》

She then brought one of her hands to her chest, as if to point to her body.

《In fact, it turns out that I managed to modify my body... which allowed me to repel Muzan's curse...》

《Modified your body...》She repeated, before tilting her head in incomprehension.《H-hum... and what curse are you talking about, exactly...?》

With that, the young woman took off her apron before placing it carefully on her chair.

《I will explain. But before that, let's start by introducing ourselves : My name is Tamayo.》She said to them, before turning her gaze to the man with green hair.《As for him, his name is Yushiro. I hope you will become good friends over time.》

The two Kamados looked at the demon in apprehension, before turning to the man named "Yushiro".

Immediately, the latter raised his head to glare at them again, which made them both jump.

'It doesn't seem like it...' Nezuko thought to herself, frowning as the redhead nervously looked away from the demon. 'In any case, until he apologizes to Big Brother, I will continue to blame him !'

The young girl closed her eyes for a moment to calm down, then turned to the young woman, forcing herself to smile in front of her nonetheless.

《My name is Nezuko Kamado.》She began, before looking up at the boy with the red eyes.《And he is my older brother; Tanjiro.》

《... I see...》She whispered, before raising her head, smiling.《Well, it is nice to meet you, Nezuko, Tanjiro.》

She then walked out to the door, turning to the three individuals who were watching her do so before showing them the hallway.

《Now, please follow me.》

The two demons as well as the slayer therefore followed her through the various corridors of the mansion, until they reached a door on the left wall of one of them.

The four therefore entered the room, which also looked a lot like a living room.

There were the same kinds of decorations as in the corridors: paintings, flower vases, some rugs... The walls were bathed in orange tones accompanied by dark wood for the doors, the floor and some other structures of the room.

As she watched it all carefully, Nezuko spoke again, all smiles.

《It's really pretty...》She said, admiringly, before turning her gaze on the woman with the purple eyes.《Did you take care of the decoration ?》

The demon stopped walking for a moment to look at her in slight surprise at her question.

But she still ended up smiling gently at her before answering.

《Oh- y-yes... thank you. However, I do not deserve to be so flattered... Yushiro helped me greatly to improve it after we met.》She replied, before showing them the ground with her hand.《But please, sit down.》

Nezuko and Tanjiro took their places on the ground, while Tamayo and Yushiro positioned themselves in front of them.

《So let's resume...》The lady began.《Like I said earlier, I modified my body to counter Muzan's curse. Thanks to this, I can continue to live with the freedom of my choices. Yushiro and I therefore decided not to feed on human flesh, and therefore, to never kill humans under any circumstances.》

Nezuko widened her eyes slightly in surprise.

'Wow...' She thought. 'So... does that mean she would be like Big Brother...?'

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《However...》

But the words that followed told her otherwise.

《I will not lie to you...》Continued Tamayo, lowering her gaze to the ground.《Even if we do not feed on human flesh, we still have to replace this source of nutrition with something else... and this something else...》

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《... turns out to be human blood.》

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With that, the girl blenched slightly.

'I see...' She said to herself, staring at the demon. 'So... even though they broke Muzan's curse, they still have to...'

But as she was about to speak, the woman cut her off.

《But I would like to reassure you on one point...》She resumed, looking her straight in the eyes.《We always ask before receiving any, humans who are asked have the right to refuse. In addition, we especially ask those in financial need; if they accept, we thank them by paying them the amount of money they want.》

《We also settle for the bare minimum... although Yushiro needs it less than I do in any case, probably because I transformed him.》

With that, the two Kamados looked at the demon with wide eyes.

《E-eh ?!》Exclaimed the cadet.《B-but I... I thought...》

《... that Muzan was the only demon capable of transforming human beings ?Tamayo guessed the end of her sentence, before lowering her eyes to the ground.《As a general rule, yes, he is... It took me over two hundred years to transform a human being into a demon... Yushiro was the first and the only human who was transformed by my hand.》

'T-two hundred years ?!' The pink-eyed brunette repeated in her thoughts, stunned. If it had taken her two hundred years to transform her first human... how old must she be today...?

But the green haired demon seemed to guess the question running through her head as he quickly moved towards her to assault her once again.

《HEY, WHAT ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT, THERE ?!》He yelled at her, as the poor teenager cuddled up to her brother for fear of his sudden screams.《YOU JUST THOUGHT THAT LADY TAMAYO WAS AN OLD GRANNY, IS THAT RIGHT ?!?! YOU LITTLE--》

《Yushiro !》The demon cut him off in a authoritarian tone.

Immediately, the respondent turned to her before looking her in the eyes again.

《Have no fear, Lady Tamayo ! I didn't hurt her; physically or morally !》He answered her innocently.

《You were about to insult her, I asked you not to do it anymore...!》

《... Yes, you are right... Forgive me, I let my emotions took over me for a moment...!》He said to her, returning immediately to his initial place which was at her side.

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'Even when she's angry, Lady Tamayo is stunning !!'.

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... he thought.

The purple-eyed woman let out a slight sigh of exasperation at the younger demon's actions, but quickly recovered to continue her explanation.

《... That being said, I would like to clarify something again.》She resumed, looking Nezuko in the eyes again - who had loosened her grip on her older brother in the meantime.《I am not like Muzan. Unlike him, I do not transform all the humans I meet. I only offer it to seriously ill and near-death humans, and in that case, I always ask for their consent, explaining what their new life would be if they accepted.》

Faced with all this, Nezuko lowered her gaze, tightening her skirt slightly between her fists.

So much had been bombarded in her face since entering this mansion... It was a lot of information to digest, especially in such a short period of time.

Truth be told, she wanted to trust the demon. She wanted to believe her and take everything she had just explained to her as actual real facts.

But...

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What if it was once again a trap...?

What if, once again, she was being fooled without knowing it ?

She felt comfortable with her, and wanted to trust her...

But she had felt the same way when she had met Muzan.

She had no real way of knowing who to trust or not...

But her brother had.

Discreetly, the young girl gave a questioning glance to her older brother, sitting to her right.

Maybe he could spot the lies with his keen sense of smell. If it turns out that Tamayo was indeed telling them the truth, then he was most likely able to know it.

After a few seconds, Tanjiro noticed his sister's attitude.

He first stared at her confusedly for a moment, but he then quickly understood what was tormenting her.

She didn't want to make the same mistake as earlier...

The burgundy-haired boy smiled softly at her. He wasn't sure exactly why, but it warmed his heart to see that his sister first wanted to see if he trusted the two demons himself before making a decision.

However, this time, Nezuko would have been right not to necessarily trust her brother's sense of smell. Indeed, when he analyzed the scent of the demon, he couldn't smell any lies or impurity from her.

This woman was only telling them the strict truth on all points.

Tanjiro then nodded slightly at his sister, hoping she understood his answer that way.

And it obviously was, since the young girl felt her shoulders relax as she smiled back at him.

These two demons were therefore trustworthy...

《Y-you little...》

A small whisper from the green haired demon was heard, interrupting the stillness that had become comfortable in the room.

Without thinking twice, Yushiro threw himself on the slayer in order to shake her violently by the shoulders.

《YOU DARE TO DOUBT LADY TAMAYO'S WORDS ?!! SHE MOVED TO HELP YOU IN ASAKUSA AND THAT'S HOW YOU'RE THANKING HER ?!! LITTLE INSOLENT !!!》

As soon as he was done with the teenage girl, he then turned to the demon in the green and black haori to lecture him as well. (Otherwise it wouldn't be funny.)

《AND YOU !!!!》He yelled, pointing at the young boy who was looking sheepishly at him.《DO YOU THINK IT'S FUNNY TO SEE THAT YOUR SISTER TREATS LADY TAMAYO AS A BEING AS INFAMOUS AS DEMONS OF YOUR KIND ?! WHAT KIND OF OLDER BROTHER ARE YOU TO ENCOURAGE SUCH AN BEHAVI--》

《Yushiro...》

Ah, she sounded really angry.

He immediately returned to his place.

《Yes ! My apologies, Lady Tamayo...! It was the last time, I promise.》

《I hope so...》Tamayo replied.

《... I'm sorry, Miss Tamayo...》

The young girl spoke again, her eyes staring at the ground in shame.《It's not that I don't want to trust you... but...》

《No, do not worry.》She reassured her.《I can understand that all this may seem a little big to you, you have the right to have doubts... but I can assure you that I have no bad intentions towards you and your brother, you can be certain of it.》

A slight smile formed on her lips as she looked up at the woman in the purple kimono.

It took a few seconds before Nezuko finally decided to speak again, more confident.

《Tell me, Miss Tamayo...》She started.

The teenager tightened her grip on her skirt slightly before continuing.

Everytime she had asked this question to a demon had been in vain. Either because they refused to answer her, or because they were too starving to have a clear mind.

Yet she persisted in asking this question. She had continued to search for the answer she needed for two years now.

She had to know the answer.

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《Would it be possible for a demon...》

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《... to become human again ?》


[...]

April 14th 1914

04:42 AM

Tokyo, street


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"Bring me back the head of the demon slayer wearing cards as earrings. I also want the demon muzzled with a piece of bamboo to disappear from this world."

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These were the orders that had been given to them.

They finally found themselves in a deserted alley, the boy crouching on the ground while the girl played with one of her balloons, a smirk on her face.

《So, do you see them ?》She asked, glancing at the demon at her feet.

The latter still preferred to wait a moment before answering.

For now, he just placed his hands just on the surface of the floor, both eyes on each of them opening almost immediately after this gesture.

A small moment passed before he finally spoke, a sadistic smile on his lips too.

《Yes, I see them, Susamaru.》He told her, before getting up.《Their footprints continue along this alley before making a detour to the left. From there, a third one came, and continued straight ahead before turning right again. By the way, she also carries a kind of big box on her back, I admit that this makes me curious.》

《Really ?》She chuckled, before changing the subject.《You know, I feel a lot more energetic than before. Surely thanks to the blood he generously offered us... don't you have this feeling too, Yahaba ?》

The demon in the green kimono simply nodded, before speaking again.

《It's normal, his blood increases our strength.》

With that, the demon girl's smile widened at the thought of her future sentence.

《Tell me, which way do you want us to end them ?》

Yahaba smirked more at her question as he raised his hand to him, his eye still open on his palm.

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《Let's make them suffer cruelly before we finish them off.》


[...]


A little silence had settled in following the young girl's words.

Tamayo was just looking at her in silence with round eyes, seeming to need more precision to answer her question.

And so Nezuko decided to tell her everything.

《I've been looking for a way... to make a demon human again for two years now...She explained, lowering her head to the ground.《This is one of the reasons I became a demon slayer. Two years ago, my older brother was transformed into a demon by Muzan, who at the same time... also murdered our whole family...》

These words were difficult to pronounce. All this was still very recent, as much for her as for her brother. It was a trauma they would surely never be able to shake off.

But she had to tell it, and above all, keep her head up while doing it.

She hadn't come all this way to mourn the past again, but to be strong enough to overcome this pain in order to help her brother and avenge their family.

The young girl tightened her demon slayer uniform slightly as a way to help her continue her monologue.

《However...》She continued, lifting her head up to the woman with the bun.《Soon after he woke up, Big Brother was able to regain his consciousness without even having eaten anything human. And although he sometimes seems to crave flesh, he's able to control himself and push back his instincts so as not to hurt anyone.》

《It has now been two years, and he never touched to human flesh. And, as strange as it may sound, he regains his strength by eating food that we humans consume.》

《But despite this... I don't want him to be a demon for all his life... I want him to stand out in the sun, not be tempted at the sight of blood or flesh, be able to speak again without fear of hurting whoever it is every time he takes his bamboo out of his mouth and doesn't spend the rest of his life on his own once I'm gone...!》She continued, looking up at Tanjiro who was still standing by her side.《Big Brother put in a lot of effort, both when he was human and since he became a demon... So, for once, I would like to do my own tour in order to give him the chance to live a peaceful life by giving him back his humanity.》

《This is why... I'm asking you this question...》She finally reached the end of her tirade, looking at the woman in front of her in the eyes again with determination.《... If you know anything... I would really like you to tell me about it.》

Tamayo looked less confused, although still silent.

She then lowered her head, while raising her hand to her chin before beginning to answer her, looking thoughtful.

《The transformation of a human being into a demon is considered to be some kind of sickness...》She told her.《If you look at it that way, then the answer is simple...》

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《Yes, it is indeed possible.》

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With that, the girl's face lit up.

《REAL--!!》

But she immediately stopped in her sentence, jumping at the sight of the green haired demon rushing towards her.

《And by what right do you allow yourself to SHOUT AT LADY TAMAYO YOU INSOLENT LITTLE-

However, he couldn't go any further as the burgundy haired boy quickly interposed himself between the two, looking at him annoyed, but not really angry. Rather like a big brother disappointed with the attitude of his younger brother.

He just had now to ask him, a demon at least two centuries older, to go to the corner of the room to meditate on his actions.

(He could admit he was short, but still !!)

But just as he was about to retort, he realized that a heavy silence had once again settled in the atmosphere of the room.

The demon hadn't turned around, and yet he still managed to feel the cold look Tamayo was giving him behind his back.

Yushiro shuddered.

《... F-forgive me... it was the last time, I promise...》

He then returned to his place, looking down to the ground as he stood next to the demon lady again.

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'Lady Tamayo is so beautiful... and she will be all the more so tomorrow...!!!'

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... he said to himself.

《So I was saying...》Tamayo said, calmly.《All diseases in the world have a cure, whatever they are. Therefore, the transformation of a human into a demon can be reversible.》

Nezuko's eyes twinkled at this confirmation. She already remembered saying something similar to the demon slayer she had met the day after Tanjiro's transformation, even though he hadn't believed her.

She was convinced deep down that there was indeed a solution for her brother. But she was all the more reassured when she received the confirmation.

《However,》She continued.《At the present moment, unfortunately, there is no cure yet to revert a demon to a human... but it will come, I am sure of it...》

《I believe in it, because I would like to establish this remedy myself. And that is why...》

The purple-eyed woman looked the slayer in the eyes with determination.

《... I would need your help, Nezuko.》

The young girl looked at her, confused.

'My help...?'

《In order to create a cure, I need to analyze various blood samples from several different demons.》She explained to her.《I would need you to draw blood from Demon Moons for me. These are demons whose blood contains a lot of Muzan cells.》

《That said, if you accept, I advise you to be extremely careful... the demons with the most of Muzan's blood are the ones whose strength is closest to his, drawing blood from them will not be easy... so, think carefully about what you will answer to my request.》

Nezuko lowered her gaze to her knees. Even more powerful demons...

But she found herself interrupted in her thoughts at the sound of Tamayo's voice who had spoken again.

《Also,》She began, as the teenager looked up at her.《I need one more thing regarding the remedy...》

The demon turned her gaze to the boy beside the demon slayer.

《Tanjiro...》She told him.《I would also need you to let me analyze your blood as well.》

The two Kamados looked at her in astonishment.

《H-his blood ?》Asked the youngest, with round eyes.《But... for what ?》

A little moment of silence passed before the woman in the purple kimono decided to answer her.

《... Your brother...》She paused in her sentence, looking for the right words to express her feelings.《... is in a very unusual situation... I had never seen such cases before.》

She then looked up at the muzzled demon, continuing her explanation.

《Tanjiro has not consumed human flesh or human blood for more than two years... Ordinarily, a demon in this case would have become extremely violent and mad from hunger... However, he does not present any of these symptoms.》

《The fact that Tanjiro only needs food that is apparently normal for humans may mean that he too has managed to modify his body, just like me...》She said.《... however, I myself am incapable of consuming nothing human... even if it is only in small quantities and that it is not flesh, I still need human blood... 》

《This phenomenon is exceptionally rare...She came to the end of her monologue, again directing her gaze to the young girl in front of her.《I come to think... that there is a probability that the key to this mystery is in his blood... there may be particular cells there that strengthen his resistance to Muzan's cells... If so, then these cells would be very valuable to me to create the antidote, and might even be the key to that remedy.》

Faced with this, both siblings were silent, taking a moment to think.

It took a moment longer for the younger of the two to decide to question the older one.

《... What do you think, Big Brother...?》She said, turning to him.《Do you agree to let her analyze your blood ?》

The redhead looked surprised for a moment. But that didn't stop him from giving her a nod of consent while still smiling slightly at her, before lowering his eyes again to the ground, a mixture of thought and worry in his gaze.

As if...

'He cares more about my task than his, doesn't he...?' She thought.

Indeed, if Tanjiro's task was simply to take a few blood samples, his sister's was on a whole other level.

More powerful demons means more dangerous missions, which also means that the chance rate of defeat against her enemies would be higher.

And losing Nezuko meant losing her forever.

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"It is said that demon slayers with a black blade will not get very far."

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This sentence Sakonji had said that day had terrified him.

What if he was actually going to lose her on a mission ?

He had vowed to protect her as best he could; if he was still human, he could even have said at the risk of his life, although that was no longer possible.

However...

If unfortunately, he couldn't protect her one day...

If what happened two years ago with their family happened again with her...

If one day, Nezuko died...

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Nezuko continued to watch him, worriedly.

Suddenly, she decided to move closer to him to put one of her hands on his.

Tanjiro jumped slightly at her touch, then turned to his younger sister, a little apprehensive.

But he only saw her looking at him kindly, a soft smile on her lips as if to reassure him.

The girl then turned her gaze to the two demons in front of her, still smiling as she got ready to speak.

《Miss Tamayo,》She said.

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《I accept.》

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A slight surprise showed itself through the doctor's eyes, as Tanjiro nervously clenched his fists on his legs.

《If this is the only way that Big Brother will ever be human again, then I'll do it.Continued the slayer.《No matter how dangerous it can be for me, I want this cure to be established no matter what.》

The girl then looked up at her older brother, her smile still on her face.

《I know you're scared, Big Brother. I understand.》She told him, calmly.《But I would like you to trust me a little more...》

As she continued her monologue, the teenage girl tightened her hand on the boy's.

《You saw me fight last time, you know what I'm capable of... I may even train twice as much in the future to make sure I'm up to it, so don't worry so much for me... And also...》

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《We will be together !》

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《As long as we are together, everything will be fine ! We can help each other : I will always be there for you, and you can help me whenever you want ! So, you don't have to worry !!》

Tanjiro looked at his sister for a moment longer.

Together...

Yes, it's true... They would be together, all along...

Following this, the girl turned to the demon lady again.

《Also, if we manage to create this remedy,》She said, smiling brightly in front of the woman.《Lots of other demons will also be able to heal in their turn !! Right, Miss Tamayo ?》

With that, Tamayo's eyes widened.

She looked really surprised... would she have said something wrong again ?

But it seems that it wasn't the case, as the dark haired lady's lips curved into a soft smile at her words, a smile full of emotions that she couldn't describe.

《Yes, you are right.》

The brunette admired her for a moment, before smiling back.

That day, the two Kamados had made good progress in their quest.

They had finally met demons who were capable and willing to help them, and finally had a specific purpose to allow the creation of an antidote : to draw blood from Demon Moons.

They would finally be able to move forward.

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SCRATCH

Suddenly, Yushiro felt the paper talisman he had placed on a wall of the mansion suddenly tear.

Soon after that, Tanjiro could sense two scents he hadn't noticed before, both coming from outside.

Two very peculiar scents.

Immediately, the redhead his sister in his arms in a prptective way while Yushiro did the same with the older demon.

《LOOK OUT !》

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CRASH !

Two colorful balloons suddenly came to destroy one of the living room walls, then zigzagged at full speed across the room, smashing many objects and causing various damage to other walls in the process.

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《Hahaha !》

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A laugh echoed from outside.

The wall through which the two balloons had entered was now completely destroyed, leaving the four individuals exposed to the eyes of their guests.

The balloons then returned to their owner, who happened to be an orange-eyed demon girl.

《So, Susamaru ?》Asked the demon boy next to her.《Did you chose how we are going to kill them ?》

The demon's smile widened at his request.

《Well, what a question !》She told him, getting ready to relaunch her balloons. 《We had agreed on that, right ?》

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《We must make them cruelly suffer !》


[...]

Demons

• Tamayo

168 cm (5'6")

58 kg (127 lbs)

08/03, born in the 1400's

(More than 500 years)

• Yushiro

162 cm (5'4")

54,5 kg (119 lbs)

06/06, born in the 1700's

(More than 200 years)


Author's Notes

- The title of this chapter is directly inspired by the OST "Nezuko - New Hope" (https/youtu.be/RCQQQ3uJjAo) which was played in the scene where the two Kamados are talking to Tamayo about Nezuko and the remedy as well as the fact that Nezuko is such a special demon with the fact that she has never eaten humans for two years and yet looks in great health

- The writing of this chapter has been... rather slow qAq

I wrote it in June of this year (2021, for those who come from the future :o), but who says June says end of the school year, and end of the scholar year doesn't always rhyme with summer vacation... T~T

I was passing my exams exams while writing this chapter, which resulted in me shifting part of its writing to July :'D

Right now when I'm writing this (some months ago before you're reading it lol) I haven't started chapter 13 yet and therefore still haven't finished chapter 12 (Okay if you are reading this then I have finished 12th lol), so I'm afraid of the writing of this 13th chapter, which I hope will be finished before the end of July without being badly done...

(Edit : I DID finished the chapter 13 AND 14 thanks to the pause ! :DD)

- Slight change in the udon scene, which is still funny in a way, but not totally as Tanjiro can see that his sister is not acting as usual x'D

- By the way, the prices of the udon bowls and the bowl (container) were all found using the internet o-o

I had no idea how much a bowl of noodles costs in Japan (if possible, the cheapest because it's still a mini stand in the middle of a deserted street xDD) as well as a bowl all short, and so I saw that it could cost ¥ 500 for udons and around ¥ 337; so, rounded up to ¥ 338 for the bowl

This may sound like a lot to some, but if you translate it into euros and dollars...

¥ 500 = 3.74

$ 4.56

¥ 338 = 2.53

$ 3.08

Yeah õvõ

- And here is a little scene of confidence / apology from Nezuko to her brother...

(Because heck, did she thought I would let her pass through this without apologizing to Tanjiro ? HECK NAH GIRL, UR BRO NEEDS EXCUSES :()

She feels guilty for not believing him in Asakusa. In order to make up for her mistakes in addition to apologizing, she wants to show her brother that now, she will no longer doubt him, that she will support him until the end.

She has to have her ups and downs, everyone makes mistakes after all :)

Besides, I don't think this is the only one I would write... I already have an idea that has been going through my head for a while when after a certain fight, Nezuko would crack and say whatever she has on her heart to her brother, because the accumulation of events has made her to do so...

(But wait, no more spoilers, even though I'm not exactly sure what I will do when this moment will come but yeah lol)

- AHHH AND HERE IS THE FAMOUS SCENE ! X"DD

I made it a little more violent than the scene in the cannon, please forgive me... TvT"

(Srry Yushiro ily :()

Nezuko had to throw stones at him because he didn't even want to waste his time listening to what she had to say and he didn't care :")

It was the only way for her to get his attention like I said earlier x")

(Also... is this some sort of foreshadowing for Susamaru's balloons thrown at them at the end of the chapter...? :0)

As for Tanjiro... he couldn't say much with his muzzle unlike the cannon. Being mad but also frustrated at not being able to say anything back, he just did the first thing that came to his mind after seeing his sister do it and then... there you go :'D

So in this scene, no jealousy : the two siblings are insulted ! XDD

Nezuko who, like in the cannon, is treated as ugly and also a very not-likable girl, and Tanjiro, as a boy not attractive at all both physically and mentally ! :DD

(wow this is so fun)

In the cannon, Yushiro goes after Nezuko surely because he compares her to Tamayo, who she is the most beautiful and kind woman in Yushiro's eyes.

He doesn't even try to know more about her and immediately comes to the hasty conclusions that she would be totally hideous, and I think that counts on the outside and on the inside, because it is only after seeing her in action while fighting the demon girl, when she protected him and hugged Tamayo in the end that he finally recognized that she was beautiful.

I think that for him, it is inconceivable to find that any woman other than Tamayo is pretty, maybe thinking that he would cheat on her because of it (which is not the case at all eh, you can totally be madly in love with someone and find another person attractive without falling in love with them lol)

Also, for him, all demons apart from Tamayo would be hideous to him from what I read on his wiki \_(ツ)/

(So uh... does that mean he thinks he's ugly too ? :0

Why am I suddenly thinking of that one meme...

"I only met Tamayo for a day and a half, but if anything happens to her, I would kill everyone in this room and then myself" )

And if Yushiro compares Nezuko with Tamayo in the cannon, in my fanfiction, he compares himself with Tanjiro ;)

Let me explain...

Yushiro convinces himself that Tanjiro doesn't have a chance in love, surely to value himself.

Yushiro hates when someone other than himself catches Tamayo's attention or something keeps him from spending time with her. As a result, he's extremely possessive and jealous, even if he only shows his aggressiveness towards his "rivals" and not towards Tamayo herself to whom he could never harm as we all know.

Given the appearance of Tanjiro who :

• Firstly, isn't human (Yushiro finds all demons except Tamayo hideous)

• Do not wear very "fancy" clothes but just basic ones and wear a bamboo in the mouth (which isn't really something very common...)

• Let his little sister defend him against all the insults he had said to him without doing anything and even trying to stop him (coward, not very brave, gives up easily... that's what he thinks of him at first glance)

He's convinced that he is anything but an attractive person, is certain that he will not interest Tamayo and that he will not stand a chance with her. As a result, Yushiro is reassured to know that he still has all his chances with Tamayo.

What was his surprise then when he saw that his beloved herself took the defense of the young demon x"DD

He doesn't understand how she could be interested in a man like him, it will surely only be after seeing him protect his sister and Yushiro himself that he will realize that Tanjiro is a good guy and that he'll understand that he was wrong about him ÚvÙ

- Nezuko is very angry with our green haired demon, especially because he did not apologize for his words :)

A small reference to the manga in which we learn in a certain chapter that when Nezuko had one day did a walk with her little brother Takeo and that she had seen a man pushing a child in the street, the latter became instantly mad with the old man and forced him to apologize.

(Well I don't consider this a spoiler since it doesn't really change the plot haha x'D)

Here, no matter how hard she tried, Yushiro never apologized for what he said. And that really pisses her off :")

However, she manages to control herself because if she continued their argument, they would never go to Tamayo's house X"D

- The short passage talking about the cherry trees was inspired by the vision of Nezuko in the anime when she's confronted to Sanemi's blood :)

She saw her old house, her parents and her siblings; (Takeo ?) Hanako and Shigeru running one after the other outside while Rokuta just held her hand. And in this scene, you guessed it, there are cherry blossoms

So I concluded that the trees around the Kamados' house are cherry trees, but since we only saw them in winter at the start of the anime, we couldn't tell ! :'D

- When Yushiro hits Tanjiro in the cannon, he hits him in the chest.

So uh... you can understand why he hit Nezuko in another place ,)

- You must know that the fact that Yushiro helped Tamayo decorate her home or that Tamayo decorated it herself at the beginning is only my imagination x'DD

There are a lot of paintings in Tamayo's mansion... and later in the manga, (well, I don't consider this spoiler since it's not really important lol) we learn that Yushiro can paint.

So... I imagined that Yushiro could have painted these paintings specially for Tamayo so that she could use them as decorative objects in her interior ? OvO

Take this as a personal head-cannon that I put in this fanfiction... it's not really important so it mustn't hurt to put it there :)

- At the beginning, I had planned not to write this cut in the discussion between Tamayo, Nezuko and Yushiro where story goes towards the point of view of Susamaru and Yahaba.

I thought I could do well without this scene, but after writing down the slight tense moment during Nezuko's question, I thought to myself that I had to find something to put the moment on hold and resume it later :'D

- In the original version, Tanjiro said shortly after the two demons attacked that he had been unable to sense them before, and that he suspected that Yushiro's spell had something to do with it.

You might think it's the opposite in my fanfic since he's a demon and his sense of smell is all the more powerful, but that's not the case :'DD

If you had noticed, I put "soon after that". He could only smell them when Yushiro's talisman was torn; and therefore consequently, its spell annulled.

I'm quibbling over small details I know, but anyway x'DD

- Small info sheet for Tamayo and Yushiro ! :3

(Nah not Susamaru and Yahaba, they are only there for two chapters...)

"Tamayo" means "world of pearls". Pearls relate to water and women themselves with their femininity and sensuality.

In Japan, the ritual of drawing water (Shuni-e or also called Tōdai-ji, Nara) is done between March 1st and 14th, AND, International Women's Day is March 8th.

This puts us right on time !

As for Yushiro, the number 6 seemed relevant to me because I quote :

"The spiritual meaning of the number six also deals with enlightenment; specifically 《enlightening》 our path in areas where we need spiritual and mental balance."

And this definition seems to me very similar to the Blood Demon Art power (is it a blood demon art...? Well, his power that makes him able to see the arrows of Yahaba in the next chapter and that he lends to Tanjiro in the cannon lol) he possesses !

Also, the number 6 is also representative of sincerity and love... His love for our dear Lady Tamayo maybe haha~