Takeo stepped into the sunlight and breathed easily for the first time in far too long. The world began to blur as the wariness, fear and determination he'd been running on for hours finally began to wear off and he slumped. He needed sleep, badly. He'd just finished his third night at the Final Selection, thankful to have reached the morning of the third day, especially seeing as he'd only been able to grab maybe two to four hours of sleep each of the days prior. That would change today, one way or another. He doubted he could stop himself from collapsing when he finally let his body stop.
Fortunately, he'd be able to relax in a large clearing he'd stumbled across about an hour ago. It happened to be one of the biggest, most open meadows he'd run across so far. The clearings didn't happen too often, so he was thankful he finally had a place that would be relatively safe. He may just stay here through tonight too. If he got to the location on the seventh day a little late, so be it. At least he'd get there alive.
Something about that didn't sound right in his head but he couldn't figure out what. His brain didn't want to work.
He'd managed to kill three demons though. Three. He may have a couple of nasty scratches on his upper back because of it, but he thought he was doing pretty well, all things considered. He hoped he didn't have a problem with infection like Nezuko had before she'd left the Final Selection.
He shuddered. He really hoped his final selection would go better and he didn't run into even bigger problems, like Waxing Moons – which wasn't an impossibility, and that was something he had to be prepared for. The demons may go after him to get to Nii-san. He shuddered, but the thought seemed to slip from his head because he was just too tired. Besides, so far, everything seemed to be going okay, so…
Maybe he'd think about this all when he woke up later. Yeah.
He found a nice hill to lay on, fell to his knees, and made himself comfortable by taking off his haori and using it as a pillow, even putting the large sleeve over his head so he could keep the sunlight off.
It still took him far too long to get to sleep, but eventually he drifted off, hoping he could rest well enough to make the next leg of the journey tonight. (Traveling at night sucked, but it was what it was.)
Wait? Wasn't he going to stay here? Yeah, he liked it here. Here was nice. And warm. Warm was good.
He didn't notice the man with the half-and-half haori watching him from the trees as he finally fell into the slumber he needed.
xXx
Giyuu watched the Kamado boy as he stumbled into the field and practically collapsed there. He approved. It would be a good, safe place to sleep, and he obviously needed it. He would likely only be able to sleep until late morning at best, but even in his sleep-deprived state, he'd been aware enough to find the best place to go. Smart child. And strong. He'd killed at least three demons so far and only had minimal wounds to show for it. Quite impressive… even if he stumbled around loudly and clumsily and practically projected where he was at all times…
Was this what I was like back then? He asked himself before he realized that no, he'd likely been much worse. So bad, he'd had to be rescued…
He shook the unpleasant memory from his head. Best not to go there.
For the first time in three days, Giyuu finally allowed himself to relax. The Kamado boy was safe. That was all that mattered. He'd been given explicit instructions to keep an eye on the child. They still didn't know if a Waxing Moon would come, and it was likely that the boy would be a target if one did. So here he was, keeping most of his attention on this one hopeful while the new Mist Pillar ran around the forest, trying to save the others in this selection. It had been a larger crowd than normal, probably because of the returning failures from the last Selection. That could be both a boon and a problem. Still, Tokito insisted he could keep the others safe, so Giyuu let him.
Truthfully, he was glad he'd been assigned guard duty right now. It wasn't the most exciting work, but he'd never been in this for excitement. He liked the idea of being able to keep one of his potential Tsugukos – one of his water brothers – safe, and may or may not be looking forward to escorting said boy home so he could help them and his sensei and the rest of the Kamados move at the end of the week. He wanted to see that familiar place from his memories one last time. Thinking of Urokodaki-sensei anywhere but on Mount Sagiri felt… strange. Surreal, even. He also knew it would be difficult to uproot the Kamado family again, making them leave their home again in such a short time, but better to be safe, as Sensei had said.
(He'd never admit aloud how much he was looking forward to seeing his Sensei again.)
Giyuu let out a yawn. He may be looking forward to the end of the week, but he had an assignment to fulfill now. He was determined to keep the boy safe. Which was why he almost found himself smiling when he watched said boy breathe deeply on top of the small, grassy mound he'd found. The boy was safe and would be for several hours.
After some consideration, Giyuu decided to catch a nap of his own. He had four more nights of this, after all, and if a Waxing Moon did show up, he would need to be at the top of his game.
Taking one last look around, Giyuu found there were no demons near and leaned against the tree trunk, quickly slipping off into a light doze.
xXx
Gyomei had to admit, he was surprised. No, more than surprised. He was downright shocked as he listened to the two boys currently under his tutelage interact. They did so in terse, matter-of-fact sentences, but they were communicating well and neither one seemed to be afraid to voice their thoughts and opinions to the other. It was… refreshing, but baffling. Just how had Kamado convinced Genya to stop being so hostile so quickly? To actually stop and think about things from his point of view? Oh, Genya was still angry – still seething, to be honest – but he was also more… thoughtful. Dare he think 'considerate'?
The Stone Hashira seriously considered asking the demon what had happened and how, but couldn't really figure out how to bring it up without sounding… accusatory currently. 'How did you get him on your side?' sounded bad from every angle, even if he didn't think the boy would take offense. He was trying to be more open minded about Kamado, even as he continued to look for the truth. He wanted to keep his (very justified) biases out of it. The Sun Pillar had earned that much at least.
He watched (well, listened to) the two boys training together, Kamado working on making his arms and fingers grow or change shape while happily handing over clumps of hair for Genya to eat. The human boy transformed over and over and over again, figuring out his own abilities as a temporary demon – which, admittedly, had been difficult to do before. And thankfully, he was still a temporary demon (that had been a fear of both of theirs).
The whole experiment had actually gone over very well, as far as he knew. Genya said he felt faster, stronger and better able to heal than he did with normal demons, but burned through it quickly. None of them really had a problem with that. Kamado had even volunteered to give the boy a stash of hair and nails so Genya could carry it around and transform at will. The taller boy had readily accepted.
It was… incredible. The more they went on, the less and less angry his student sounded and that… honestly felt like a miracle.
He wondered if some sort of emotional tie had developed there. He'd heard about the one Kamado had with both Shinazugawa and Akatsugi… but did that mean there was a connection with Kamado when his student transformed? That… worried him, and he made plans to speak with Genya later that evening. However, at that moment, he saw little to worry about and significant progress had been made by both parties from what he could hear.
Nodding, Gyomei decided that, for now, it was time to get them to train in more than flesh manipulation and demonic transformation.
"Kamado-san, Genya," he called to them. He heard them shifting, likely to look at him. "It is time to begin our normal training."
He heard a very enthusiastic, "Hai, Himejima-sensei!" from Kamado and a groan from Genya. He had to stop himself from smiling. That was just… too amusing.
A couple of minutes later had Genya working with boulders again as Kamado went through the stone forms. It was amazing how quickly the boy had picked them up and even said he was beginning to see where he could modify his Sun Breathing style to be more efficient and, in this case, powerful. Even if he was a demon, Gyomei couldn't help but feel a little proud. (He'd make sure to meditate on that tonight – he needed to maintain his humility to continue to see clearly and keep his serenity.)
They had just started on their third round of the Stone forms when Kamado spoke.
"Himejima-sensei… I have a spiritual question for you."
Gyomei couldn't help but be a little startled at that. "Yes?" he asked, turning his head in the boy's general direction.
"When I… tried to infiltrate the Kizuki's upper ranks in previous loops, well… he marked my eyes."
"Yes," the Buddhist monk said with a firm nod. He didn't have to see it every time he looked at the boy like everyone else, but he'd heard Kizuki described often enough. He'd also heard Kamado described often enough.
"Tamayo-san thinks that this followed me and my demon transformation across time because he… marked my spirit."
Ah. Gyomei thought he had an idea of where this was headed.
"You wish to nullify the mark."
"Yes," Kamado said, letting the word out in a relieved sigh.
Gyomei thought about that. Did he know anything that could potentially rid the boy of his mark? A mark on his soul by a demon progenitor…
He thought and thought, but nothing really came to mind. The only thing he could really do was give the boy the tools to figure it out on his own. He had no idea if the prayers and mantras he had would work, and even if they did, they may hurt Kamado as much as help him seeing as he was a demon as well, and the mark was most likely demonic in nature.
"I can teach you some meditation techniques that should give you access to your soul under the right circumstances," he finally said. "However, I know of no technique to cleanse a mark such as that. You will have to figure that out on your own," he warned.
The boy didn't answer for several seconds, likely thinking about Gyomei's proposal.
Finally, he heard the Sun Hashira take a deep breath. "Thank you, Himejima-sensei. I would gratefully accept your offer."
Well, he could certainly appreciate that kind of dedication.
"We will begin after lunch, then," Gyomei said. Which was actually good. He'd been wondering what else he could do to help Kamado train more since he'd caught onto the forzms so quickly and had gone through all other forms of training very easily. "Before then, you need to—"
He stopped and turned when he heard someone running up to them, stomping hurriedly through the brush.
"Hashira-sama! Hashira-sama!" one of the smiths shouted to them. He was out of breath by the time he reached them. "tecchikawahara-sama has asked me to find you! A boy named Kotetsu has gone missing! We don't know if this is some act of rebellion on his part or the beginning of the attack you anticipated despite the time of day!"
Gyomei stiffened. The idea of a child getting lost and eaten by a demon… again… just…
He shook his head, trying to banish the sounds of the memories of his own children crying out and screaming. Then he turned to the man and nodded.
"We will begin searching immediately."
The smith sounded incredibly grateful as he let out a whoosh of air. "Thank you, Hashira-sama!"
Gyomei nodded again, then turned to Kamado.
"I'll take the north side of the village," the boy said. "You get Genya and take the East and South sides. We can meet and search the west if we do not find him in an hour. I doubt it is an attack as it is still daylight."
Gyomei nodded once. "A good plan. If it is an attack, get to the alarm bells and sound them."
"Hai, Himejima-sensei!" And with that, the boy was gone. Himejima could barely sense him sprinting away. He approved.
He had to admit, the boy was winning him over as well.
With that on his mind, he sighed and turned to find Genya. They had to find this child before another tragedy struck.
xXx
Kotetsu ignored the pangs of hunger in his stomach as he sat in the forest, head buried in his arms. Not that it would help as he still had his stupid mask on, but he felt naked without it and the position felt right. Or… well, righter.
He'd just have to wait here until everyone left… even if…
He gulped and looked at the lifeless puppet at his side, hidden as best he could get it in some rocks.
Was this really worth it? Being alone for the rest of his life with the puppet? But it was the only link to his family… and it was his responsibility… why did they want to leave it behind? Just because it was getting weaker didn't mean it wasn't worth taking! It was still strong! It was still an excellent training tool! It was just… why?
He remembered his father's strong figure, but his gentle hands when he carried Kotetsu around. He remembered all the stories his father used to tell him about the mechanical, fighting doll, and how it was their family's pride and joy. About how –
"Kotetsu-kun!" A voice he'd never heard before had him jumping, screaming and scrambling to get away. "There you are!"
An older boy dropped down from the tree tops in front of him. All Kotetsu saw was that he wore a green-and-black checkered haori and a blindfold. However, that was about all he got from the short glimpse he saw, because the guy just appearing there did nothing to help his beating heart – that hadn't calmed down – or his brain screaming at him to just run…
So that was what he did.
He turned and ran.
"K-kotetsu-kun!" the voice called out. Kotetsu didn't listen, instead scrambling up a tree to the nearest tree branch and just holding onto the trunk in front of him for dear life as he tried to force himself to breathe. He even slid his mask up and to the side. It helped… a little.
He heard the guy come and stop at the base of his tree, slowly, and looked down, warily.
"I'm sorry I scared you, Kotetsu-kun. It's just that Tecchikawahara-san was very worried. The other demon slayers and I were asked to find you because we were worried you'd been attacked by a demon." Well, they were expecting a demon attack soon, hence why everyone was moving. So that made sense, but… he'd hoped he'd be able to hide from them. He silently cursed.
"Who even are you?!" he yelled down after a moment, angry now that his fear had begun to subside. It was just like that old man to send someone after him when he didn't want anyone to find him.
"Oh, I'm the Sun Hashira, Kamado Tanjiro."
Kotetsu stiffened. He'd heard about that one…
"Th-th-the demon?" His voice may or may not have squeaked, but who could blame him? He couldn't protect himself against a demon!
The guy sighed, reached up and pulled the blindfold down to reveal two glowing eyes with kanji written in them. Waxing Zero. Kotetsu's heartbeat quickened, the fear back but far deeper than a sudden scare.
"I'm still a demon slayer too, you know," the newcomer said with the kindest, warmest smile Kotetsu had ever seen on anyone (except maybe his father). It… didn't match. Demons weren't supposed to look like that!
Honestly, Kotetsu didn't know what to say, because what the Hashira said was true. This guy was a demon slayer, but… he was also a demon, but they said he didn't eat humans, but that made no sense…
The thing that really got him to pause and consider the older boy was the fact that he hadn't done anything more than approach the tree. He had no doubt said demon could come and kill him whenever he wanted, but he was just… standing there, looking imploringly up at the child on the tree branch.
"Why did you run away, Kotetsu-kun? With Yoriichi Type Zero too?"
That brought the boy up short. This… demon knew about the puppet? Then he wanted to kick himself. Of course he would. He was a Hashira.
"Why do you care?" he asked, voice far too quiet, but the demon Hashira picked it up anyway.
"Because it obviously upset you enough that you'd come out here, risking a demon attack, to get away from whatever upset you. That sounds pretty important."
Well… he had a point. And the guy was a Hashira, so he had to be trusted… right? Even if he was a demon…
And Kotetsu had been holding this in all day and…
"They said they didn't have room for Yoriichi Type Zero," he practically cried out, feeling tears come to his eyes again. "And it can't walk that far! If… if there's no room, I'll have to leave it behind and I can't! It belongs to me and my family! I have to maintain it! I'm not leaving it behind!"
The demon boy blinked. "So you… ran into the forest with it? When there might be a demon attack?"
Well… when he put it that way, but…
"What choice do I have?! I'm not leaving it!" he insisted.
Kamado looked thoughtful for several seconds. "There has to be a misunderstanding. Your puppet is very valuable to the village and the corps. I can't believe they'd want to leave it behind."
"Tecchikawahara-sama himself told me there's no room!" Kotetsu protested angrily.
"Hmm," the older boy nodded and glanced over his shoulder at where the puppet lay sprawled and… Oh. Kotetsu was awful! Here he was determined not to leave the puppet behind and he just had! He was a terrible son and a terrible mechanic and a terrible—
"Okay, how about this. You come back to the village and I give you my word as a Hashira that Yorrichi Type Zero will not be left behind – if I have to take it to your new village myself."
Kotetsu blinked. Had he just…? "Really?" he asked in a small voice.
Kamado smiled. "Really. Now… will you come down out of the tree?"
For several seconds, Kotetsu considered that. It was just that he felt safer up here but… for a moment, he didn't see the demon Hashira down below, but he saw his father. His father who wouldn't want him to run away and live on his own like this. Not even for the puppet.
Steeling himself, he turned so that he could shimmy down the tree trunk until he reached the bottom. The Hashira remained there, not moving a muscle until both of Kotetsu's feet were on the ground. Then he tipped his head to one side and smiled again, his hanafuda earrings swaying with the movement.
"Now, how about I go get Yoriichi, and we can make our way back to the village."
"Okay," Kotetsu said quietly, then watched as the Hashira made his way over to the puppet and lifted it easily, but also very, very gently, with the greatest of care. The future mechanic appreciated that more than he could say. It almost brought tears to his eyes to see how much care the Hashira was willing to give to his family's legacy. Were all Hashira like this?
"Alright, let's get going," Kamado said, starting off towards the village. After a couple of seconds, Kotetsu followed, staring at the boy's back in wonder. Why was it that even though this guy was a demon, he seemed so much kinder than almost any other human he'd ever met?
This… had not been how he'd expected his attempt at running away to go.
xXx
"No, there wasn't room in that caravan, Kotetsu," the village elder said as he put his hand on Kotetsu's shoulder. The two of them had made good time back to the village and immediately come to find tecchikawahara-sama to see what they could do regarding the puppet. "I would never make you leave behind your family's legacy."
Kotetsu felt both immensely relieved and incredibly stupid. Why hadn't he specified before? It was so simple. He felt tears coming to his eyes and sniffed. "Really?" he asked.
"Really, my boy. You are a valued member of this community. Please don't ever forget that."
Then the tears came without Kotetsu's permission and he began to heave shuddering breaths.
"How about I help you take the doll apart myself, and we can make sure it's tucked away."
Kotetsu's relief began to recede again. "B-but if we take it apart… I don't know if I'll be able to make it work again!"
"It's either that or somehow make it walk with us," the old man said gently. "I watched your father take it apart to move it a couple of places, though, so I know it can be done."
Oh, well… that made sense, but still.
"Actually, that brings something up I'd like to ask," Kamado spoke up, making Kotetsu jump. He'd almost forgotten that the demon-Hashira had brought him to tecchikawahara-sama and hadn't left.
"Oh?" the village elder turned to the Hashira. "What is it?"
"Well, do you know how I became a demon?"
Kotetsu suddenly felt supremely uncomfortable and saw the old man shift a little nervously too. Well, at least he wasn't the only one.
"I would assume the way most people do," the old man said slowly.
Kamado let out a long sigh. Then he began on a story, summarized and obviously leaving out a lot of detail, but also fantastical and unbelievable. And yet… someone waking up again and again and again on the same day due to a demon blood art… that wasn't out of the realm of possibilities. He'd heard of some really strange blood arts.
Then the demon spoke about how, in his first life, he'd come across a 300 year-old sword inside that puppet with Kotetsu's help. A Kotetsu that wasn't this Kotetsu because he obviously had no memory of that. And how weird was that?
"What?!" the boy yelped in shock.
tecchikawahara-sama frowned. "I've seen that doll in pieces and I don't recall a sword…"
"I've seen it there in other loops too," Kamado insisted. "And I know we came so close to defeating Muzan in my first loop, when I had the sword. I have all the faith in the sword I currently have, but… we need the best shot we can get." With that, he got down on his knees and then bent his head down to touch the ground. "Kotetsu-san, I beg of you, please help me get that sword without destroying your family's legacy. Please help me stop Muzan."
Kotetsu and the old man exchanged glances and then looked back at the demon prostrating himself before them.
"Kamado-san," tecchikawahara-sama said slowly, "even if that were true, you know it can take up to a month to sharpen a blade properly, correct?"
At that the older boy looked up and nodded, face determined. "I do. I request you give it to Haganezuka Hotaru. I know he can have it done correctly within a couple of days if you give him the proper motivation. I know he does good work."
The old man's eyebrows rose and Kotetsu didn't blame him. No one wanted to work with Haganezuka. For good reason.
And yet this boy… this demon…
Could they stop the demon threat with this? Was it worth trying?
After some contemplation, Kotetsu finally nodded. "Yes, Kamado-san. I will help you."
xXx
The sword was there, confined in the center column of the doll.
Kotetsu wondered how his life had become so strange in just a single afternoon.
xXx
AN: Thanks to best betas (because I have awesome betas) TimeLordTim, Found, Kaylessa and Quathis!
Discord: discord. gg/xDDz3gqWfy (no spaces)
