Release: February 5, 2021 (22:14) 22Hours late update.

Words: 2990

"Tanjiro" kei called out her elder son.

'Your face is pitch black. You don't have to go. It's snowing and it's very dangerous.' she said while cleaning tanjiro's face.

"Well, I want everyone to fill their stomach with so much food so I will work really hard to sell more charcoals." He replied.

"Thank you" kei said.

"Ni-chan! You are going to he town again?" Shigeru ask.

"I'm going with you" Hanako said.

"No, you are not going with him today. You can't walk fast like tanjiro" kei said.

"Mom!" They both groaned.

She says, 'No mean no. He isn't talking the cart today, so he can't pull you when you are tired.'

"Ni-chan!" Said shigeru as he hugged tanjiro.

"Ni-chan, I promise I will help you!" Hanako begged hugging his brother.

"No, you will stay here for today." Tanjiro said.

"I promise I will take you guys to the town next time" he said as he pat shigeru and rokuta's head making them smile.

"Really?" They both said in unison.

"Yes, I promise" Tanjiro replied.

"Thank you so much tanjiro" kei said.

"Yeah, Takeo please chop some woods while I'm away, ok?" Tanjiro said.

"Hai, but I'm hoping we could do it together" Takeo murmured as he got a head pat from tanjiro causing him embarrassment while the rest all laugh.

Tanjiro wave his hand to them and walk down the hill. Before he could walk down, he meet his sister Nezuko. She greeted him, 'Tanjiro!'

"Nezuko!" He greeted back

'I was putting Rokuta to sleep but I heard all the commotion. They've been so lonely since tou-san died so they've stared clinging to you.' Nezuko said.

"See you later" Tanjiro said as Nezuko waves her hand saying see you later.

We don't have an easy life,

But we're happy,

But life could change suddenly like the weather,

It shifts and moves on.

It's not like it always stay sunny,

And it's not like it ever snow endlessly.

And...

Whenever happiness is destroyed...

There's always...

The smell of blood in the air.

Timeskip...

"How did this happen…?"

How? How had things fallen apart so quickly? He was just gone for a single day, off to sell charcoal at the nearest village so to provide for his family for the New Years, and he'd returned to find himself face to face with most of his family get violently killed.

The only one left alive was Nezuko, the eldest sister of the family and his own younger sister, but even her pulse was a faint one.

That's was all tanjiro could think off as he carried his younger sister down the hill, blood pouring on his back. He is dragging his feet all the way through the heavy snow to make his way to the village.

As he desperately tried to move his fastest. Ignoring any tire from the trip on the village he use a breathing style to move faster.veins pouring in his head and his eyes bleed due to him forcing himself to become faster.

He was so focused that he didn't notice that a presence was just watching them and waiting for the right time to move.

"It seems that there was a survivor"

Tanjiro began to tremble as he heard the menacing voice. A voice full of malice. He immediately look around the area only found nothing. Then the spoke again.

"your weak, you can't even see nor sense me"

"Didn't your father teach you anything?"

"Who are you? Show your self!" Tanjiro yell as he look around once again, but didn't see anything. He then let a hiss sound, he sharpen his senses using some kind of breathing style.

"Above!" he thought as he jump back faraway from Unknown attacker still carrying Nezuko at his back.

A couple feet from Tanjiro, the attacker now stood tall on his feet with his head hanging low, his bare feet invisible beneath the sunken snow and his bloody clothing fluttering slightly with the wind.

Had he stopped for a second to avail the situation, he might have even noticed that something about him was not quite right.

Flashback..

"I'll let you in for tonight. Come here" Saburo said.

"But.." Tanjiro muttered.

"Come on! Don't argue! It's dangerous at night!" Saburo warned as tanjiro nodded.

Tanjiro eat the meal and drink the tea that Saburo was offering to him. "Thanks for the meal!" He said as he got up and clean his own mess. Saburo smiled at him. It's been a while since he have someone in his house.

"Grandpa Saburo! Why is it dangerous at night?" Tanjiro asked when his done cleaning the dishes.

Saburo look at him with a serious face and reply

"Because of demons"

"Demons?" Tanjiro said.

"My tou-san always tells me about demons, but I didn't see at least one. Is it just some story to scare children to not go out in the dark?" He added. It's not because he didn't believe his father. It's just ask of his own curiousity.

"Yes, it's real. For ages, man-eating demons have roamed these woods after dark. So you shouldn't walk around at night" Saburo said

He reply, 'But can't the demons come inside houses?'

"Yes, they can come if they want" Saburo

"Then everyone would be eaten up by demons" tanjiro said.

"That's why the demon slayers protect us by slaying them. Now come one let's sleep. It's getting late. You don't want to be late tomorrow aren't you?" Saburo said as he fixed their futons.

"But...

"No buts"

"Demons?"

Flashback end.

"Is he...A demon?" He said as he look at the guy in front of him. The man then look at him in the eye and smile blood dripping on his fangs. Tanjiro reacted in disgust.

"Do you...

The demon said but got cut off by tanjiro "Are you...Are you the one who do this to my family?!"

The demon once again smile but soon laugh.

"HAHAHA! No... it's not me...but it's one of my kin" the demon said clench his claws trying to suppress the urge to eat the boy right away.

"Are you a demon?" Tanjiro asked in a serious tone. He gently put down his sister and draw the axe on his sheeth. Feeling too much rage.

"Can't you tell just by looking?" As soon as he said that, tanjiro who can't suppress his anger move faster that the demon didn't she a time to react.

Tanjiro then let out a hiss sound ,smoke coming out from his mouth, veins appearing all over his body, The mark in his forehead slowly manifestating and his eyes is bleeding. "Sun breathing...1st form Sun Waltz!" He thought as he disappear and reappear behind the demon back cutting it in a half.

"That's what you get for trying to kill me." He said as he head to his sister and carry her again. He didn't notice that the demon regenerate faster. Once tanjiro let his guard down, the demon take this chance to attack him from behind.

"Argh!" Tanjiro cried in pain as he felt those sharp claws ripping his flesh. "Stop!" He grab his axe and tried to breath again to set his axe ablaze, but the demon then cut his arm.

"Argh!" Tanjiro couldn't believe this. He is getting rip by a demon. He look at his sister who is breathing heavily "Don't die…please don't die…please hang on…your older brother will save you, so please….Nezuko…"

He didn't even have any time to think of what exactly could have caused this whole mess, right now both body and mind were focusing on going forward and saving his sister, trying to ignore the fact that he is getting rip apart. He still think of his sister.

Nothing else mattered anymore. She was all he had left. He let a hiss sound and kick the demon far away sending it to a tree making a dent on it.

Tanjiro slowly stand up and grab his axe using his left hand. He can't use his right arm anymore since it was already been rip off by the demon.

He then let a hiss sound maintaining the mark on his forehead. Ignoring the facts that his stomach is wide open and lost too much blood with only one thing on his head 'Kill'.

The demon then appeared at tanjiro side, but he didn't know that tanjiro already sense him. The demon swing his right claw right on Tanjiro's face.

He look at the little boy face as his opponent swung the axe at him, time seeming to slow down as he took a note of the boy's expression seeing the rage, the despair, the complete lack of fear…

"Is he...really a human?" The demon thought as he felt his sharp claws pierced through tanjiro's heart, but his head fall on the ground.

"What the...this guy...he is...ready to sacrifice his self just for his sister" As he look at the boy for the last time seeing him collapsed, hitting the cold snow.

He sadly smiled "how sad" ignoring the fact that he is slowly deteriorating.

Tanjiro death never came or just coming slowly. Rather, he hit the ground hard, but had his fall softened by a thick layer of snow covering the ground. Its cold and wet embrace left Tanjiro staring up into the treetops above and the white sky above it.

With no other options at this point, he decided that his best bet would be to reach out to his sister. Ignoring that his blood is pouring faster from his body."Nezuko!" He called out.

He pursed his lips, his whole body beginning to tremble as he felt little strength left in him, and he pleaded with her one last time, "Please….you're my little sister…you're all I have left…"

"Please...you need...to...live" This seemed to reach something within Nezuko though, and her tears slowly pour down on her face while looking at his brother. She can't move. Her body is hurt. She lost too much blood too. But not much just his brother has.

"Oni-chan" she muttered weakly as she completely pass out.

Nezuko, I-" He never finished his line as an unfamiliar smell appear near them. He tried to say something, to react. He probably could've, but his senses failed him at the worst time. The man is carrying a katana.

Flashback..

"He is no longer a little boy."

He stopped. Kei needed time to digest what he had said. Tanjiro would not say anything yet. If they both wanted training for Tanjiro, then she would have to give her opinion.

Kei slouched in her chair staring at the floor. She was replaying Tanjuro's words in his head and remembering Tanjiro's actions. After a few moments, Kei straightened and looked at her mirror image.

"You are right, Honey. It is time to teach him." The father and son smiled at each, glad to be in agreement, and then sobered. He turned to look at their father. "Father?"

"Do you really think he is ready?" Kei ask his husband

Tanjuro responded. "I had to think about it, but I do, yes."

"I see...then please don't overdo it, both of you" kei said as she miles and tanjiro give her a hug. "Thanks oka-aan!"

Years had pass and tanjiro has been improving at training. Until Both father and some had talks.

"Tanjiro" tanjuro called him

"Yes, father" tanjiro replied

"Please protect...our family, ok?" Tanjuro said having a hard time breathing.

"Father?"

"Promise?" Tanjuro ask.

"But father.." tanjiro said as he doesn't want to think of something bad would happens to his father.

"I..promise"

Flashback End..

Father... I'm sorry...

I couldn't...protect our family.

He close his eyes waiting for the guy to pierced the katana on him. After a few seconds pass by. Nothing come. He felt that the man is doing something on his sister. "Is he..a human?"

"I'm glad...she will live" he thought as he smell something suspicious on the man. The man doesn't smell like a human. So why...why is helping a human. That was all tanjiro is thinking until the man is done patching up his sister.

The man look at him and said "your sister is now fine, but you...

"I...know...I..will die... anyway" tanjiro said.

"Please...save my sister, bring her into the nearest village" tanjiro added trying to resist falling asleep.

"No" the demon said as he kneel near tanjiro and spoke. "You the one who need to do it"

"But.." tears falling down on his eyes.

"I can give you a chance" The demon said, his six eyes staring at tanjiro.

"Live...or...die?"

Tanjiro eyes widen "what...are you saying...I can't"

He is trying to say until the demon cut him off.

"You can still live...I have a way, but if you only agree on it."

"A way?" He said in weakly voice.

"Yes, a demon can regenerate limbs. If a demon blood got into a human wounds then that human will become a demon too. That how we reproduce" The demon said.

"Now you must pick the right choice"

"Live or die?"

Flashback..

"Please….you're my little sister…you're all I have left…"

Flashback end..

Even though the numbing feeling had by then crawled the whole length of his body and was now slowly making it way inside him, Tanjiro was still fighting to stay. he couldn't leave her brother alone. At best she would go on to live a sad and lonely existence, and at worst she'd chase after the one who'd done this to them and get killed doing it. He couldn't let him go on alone. Even with death ever so eminent, he did everything in his limited power to push it away. He just couldn't.

Tanjiro look at Nezuko and smiled. "I...want to...live"

"Good choice" The demon said as he make a small cut on his own arm and make tanjiro drink it. It's disgusting. That was all tanjiro could think off while drinking the demon demon blood. He didn't know how long pass by drinking it. He have only one thing his mind. He would do anything to be with his sister. Weather if it means being a demon

"NEZUKO!" Tanjiro cried out, waking up with a start. He sat up, panting and sweating coldly as he recalled what had happened. He looked off to the side where he'd seen his sister sleeping beside him. He sight in relief as he saw sister sleeping near him.

He look around and saw that he was on their house with Nezuko beside him.

Tanjiro quickly began to panic, he tried to remember everything that had open. Slowly memories of what happen earlier flooded unto his head. His bloodied family, The demon, Nezuko, And him drinking a blood.

"No…" He murmured to himself, collapsing down on his knees as he realized there was no way that could have happen.

Behind him the doors opened to reveal the carnage inside, ' bodies strewn in and around it, blood painting the walls in a sickly shade of red. He'd seen that scene before, but while shock and panic had overwhelmed him last time, now he was able to properly perceive everything he was seeing. The smell of carnage seemed to finally hit him again, and this time Tanjiro felt it.

He immediately vomited on the ground, collapsing entirely on all fours. He cried hysterically, fully aware now that everyone was gone. His family was dead.

Until he heard a voice from behind.

"Even in your pitiful state, you fight back against death…it is commendable"

"YOU! Your the on who saved me!" Tanjiro said as he stop his tears from falling.

"Tell me...am I... really.. a demon" tanjiro asked as he closed his eyes and trying to hold his ears from hearing anything. He didn't want to know.. he didn't want to be a demon.

"Yes" The demon said as tanjiro completely stared at him in shock. "So it's all real"

"Yes, everything"

"I see" tanjiro muttered quietly.

The demon then around ready to set off, but tanjiro grab his haori making the demon stop his track.

"Why...why did you save me...save us?" Tanjiro looked at him with a serious expression. He can't believe that a demon will saved a human.

"I...want to do good things. I want to forget my past. The cruel things that I did in the past. I want to forget it. I want to change." He said as tanjiro let go of the demon haori.

Tanjiro was glad that there was a demon like him.he though that all demons are bad just like his grandpa Saburo just said. He thought that the demon would set off once he let of his haori, but it's not. The demon turn around and said.

"I am sorry for your family, young man." He said with sincerity, staring at the carnage before them sorrowfully,

"Tell me...do you want to become strong. To protect the weak, the people, your love ones, your sister"

The demon said as he look at tanjiro seriously waiting for his answer.

"I...will do it! I want to protect them! I want to get revenge. I will kill those who did this to my family. I will kill every last demon in this world. I..will protect my sister. I will give her the life that she deserve" tanjiro said with full of dignity.

The Demon turned to look at him, and flashed Tanjiro a smile, "My name is Michikatsu Tsugikuni,"He said, "and I will be mentoring you from now on."

To be continued...

Sorry for the delay. I had some Internet problems.