It was the daytime and the sky was blue. Natsu had hummed and jogged towards his destination, towards the Tsuzumi Mansion after being given directions by his messenger crow. This was his first mission as an official Demon Slayer.
As he was running on a trail, passing a large rice field, he stopped for a moment and had spotted a person yards in front of him with his golden eyes. "Who's that?" Natsu silently questioned as he stopped and squinted a bit to see who was it. His eye vision was really good as he can spot people many yards away from him. Natsu then spotted a big rectangular brown box behind that person. "Is that a box that person's carrying?" Natsu tried to look closer and spotted darkish red hair and a Haori with green and black squares on it. Natsu wasn't sure whom this person was, but he could tell that person felt very familiar. He ran towards the mysterious person with a box on his back to where he had gotten closer and closer, until they were six feet apart. "Hey, excuse me. But aren't you-"
"Huh?" The boy heard a voice coming from behind him and turned around to see Natsu. The person that Natsu was trying to reach was Tanjirou Kamado. He had worn his black Demon Slayer uniform, a Haori with green and black checkers markings on it, and a big brown rectangular box on his back. "Oh, hey, Natsu. Long time no see."
"Tanjirou!" Natsu chanted. They talked for a brief moment, then begun walking together towards their destination. "So, you're heading towards the Tsuzumi Mansion, too?"
"Yeah. I was given another assignment to slay a demon that is roaming the mansion." Tanjirou said.
"Another assignment?"
"Yeah. I've already done two missions, so far. And to be honest, I'm not fully healed from the last one, though." Tanjirou said as he rubbed part of his ribs. "How many assignments did you complete?"
Natsu felt a bit embarrassed. "Well, to be honest... I haven't completed any missions. This is actually my first."
"Really?"
"Yeah. You see, the swordsmith that forged my Nichirin Sword came a little late. She said that she wanted to make her baby extra special." Natsu said as he glanced down at the hilt of his Nichirin sword.
"Baby?"
"Yeah. My swordsmith's name is Chiyo- I mean, Lady Chiyo. She takes pride in all her work, so she call her forged weapons her babies. While she was forging my Nichirin sword, I continued training my body and mind with Total Concentration Breathing, in case I fight strong demons." Natsu had explained to Tanjirou.
"Oh, I get it now. There's nothing wrong with training your body and mind." Tanjirou said.
"You got that right." Natsu said. Then he glanced at the big rectangular box on Tanjirou's back. "Hey, Natsu. Why are you walking around with a large box on your back? Are you carrying extra supplies, or something?" Natsu curiously asked.
"Oh, no. It's not that." Tanjirou put a finger on his chin. "How can I put this where you can understand..." Tanjirou paused for a brief moment. "Well, you see..."
"PPLLLEEEEEEEEEEEEAASSEE!"
Tanjirou and Natsu both flinched as they heard a loud scream. Their eyes went big and their pupils turned small. Wind had blown from the east.
'Wait, I know that scream...' Natsu blinked and thought, then then used his sharp eyes to see what was going on. His eyes squinted and looked forward to see a boy and a girl. He saw a boy with blond hair, a yellow Haori, with small white triangles on his Haori yards away from them. He quickly recognized Zenitsu and he seemed to be harassing a girl with twisted pigtails and a blue kimono.
"What's the matter, Natsu?" Tanjirou asked.
"Hey, I know that person screaming..." Natsu muttered.
"Natsu?" Tanjirou asked, then watched Natsu take off. "Hey, Natsu!" Tanjirou then ran after him.
Meanwhile, Zenitsu had grabbed the girl by her shoulders and screaming. "Please! Please! Marry me! Marry me, so that I won't die alone!" Zenitsu sobbed as he refused to let go of the girl's shoulders.
Tanjirou and Natsu had ran close enough to the point where they see Zenitsu harassing a girl.
"What is he doing?" Tanjirou asked as he stared at Zenitsu.
"Hey, it's Zenitsu!" Natsu chanted.
"Huh? Zenitsu?" Tanjirou asked as he looked at Natsu.
"Yeah. He, another person and I had stuck together and fought together during the Final Selections Exams." Natsu had told Tanjirou.
"The Final Selection Exams..." Tanjirou thought a bit. He then reminisced back during the Final Selections Exams, seeing a boy with blonde hair and a yellow kimono. "Oh, I remember seeing him now."
"Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!" A small sparrow flew towards the boys. It landed on Natsu's wrist, flapping its wings and speaking in bird tongue.
'It's his sparrow.' Natsu noted.
The sparrow chirped a bit.
Tanjirou nodded. "Alright. We'll do what we can to help that girl."
The sparrow happily chirps as it shined with brightness and sparkle within its eyes.
"Wait, you can talk to birds?" Natsu asked as he looked at him.
"Yeah. Let's go help that girl." Tanjirou responded.
"Right."
Meanwhile, Zenitsu continued to grapple onto the girl and sob. "Please! You have to marry me! I beg you! Just say yes an-uh!" Zenitsu gauged after feeling a chop to his neck. He then collapsed to the ground, sound asleep. The person who knocked out Zenitsu was Natsu. He stood by Zenitsu's unconscious body.
"Sorry for all the fuss." Natsu apologized while rubbing the side of his head.
"Do you need help getting home?" Tanjirou asked kindly.
"No. Thank you very much." The girl thanked the boys and bowed her head towards them.
"Um... sorry to ask, but why was my friend bothering you?" Natsu asked, curiously.
"Why... why, you ask... because that guy is a pervert!" the girl pointed towards an unconscious Zenitsu.
Natsu flicned after hearing that.
"I found him crouched on the side of the road! He looked sick so I decided to check on him. And you know how he tried to repay me? By harassing me and trying to make marry him! I told him that I was already engaged to someone, but he didn't listen! Now I'm going to do everything in my power to avoid this creep! the girl screamed, in an irritated manner. The next moment, she sighed in relief, letting all the stress go. "Goodbye." she kindly bowed and returned to her home.
"Well, that's news..." Tanjirou said as he watched the girl leave.
Natsu stared at the unconscious Zenitsu Agatsuma. "I'll carry him." He grabbed Zenitsu's unconscious body and carried him over his shoulder.
"Are you sure you want to do that?" Tanjirou asked.
"I'll be fine. I've trained my body a lot, so I should be able to carry at least two people." Natsu smiled.
Tanjirou smiles. "Okay, then."
Fifteen Minutes Later
The three Demon Slayers such as Natsu, Tanjirou and Zenitsu had arrived outside of the Tsuzumi Mansion. It was surrounded by a bunch of trees and at least a mountains.
"So, this is the place..." Natsu stared at the Tsuzumi Mansion.
"Yeah." Tanjirou responded.
Natsu gently set the unconscious Zenitsu down on the ground. Zenitsu snored snot bubbles and his pupils had rolled to the back of his head. "Let's get you down, now." As Natsu lied Zenitsu down on the ground, Tanjirou caught a whiff that he was familiar with.
"I smell blood." Tanjirou told Natsu.
"What? Blood? Out here?" Natsu questioned.
"Yeah, but it's strange. It's new." Tanjirou said as he stared at the house.
"A smell, huh..." Natsu temporarily stared at Tanjirou. 'Tanjirou must've have a strong sense of smell. His nose might be as strong as a dog's...' A second later, Natsu heard the sound of a person stepping on a stick, cracking it. He instantly shifted his head in the direction three o' clock. As he did, he spotted two children, who seemed frightened.
There was a boy named Shoichi. He had worn a blue robe over a green kimono, white socks and brown sandals. He had short black hair and brown eyes. And a girl named Teruko. She wore a pink kimono, white socks and brown sandals. She had black short pigtails and brown eyes.
"Tanjirou, look. There are kids here." Natsu pointed towards Shoichi and Teruko, who hugged each other, frightenedly.
"Kids?" Tanjirou had spotted the two kids and walked closer to the kids. "What are you doing out here?"
There were no response. Fear had filled their brown eyes, as they were too scared to talk.
Natsu could see the fear in their eyes. 'They're really scared...' Tanjirou then turned to Natsu. "Hey, Natsu. Do you think Zenitsu would mind if I borrowed his sparrow?"
"Huh?" Natsu shook his head no. "No, probably not."
"Great." Tanjirou held his arm out, catching the attention of Zenitsu's sparrow. It then flew over towards him. "Ta-daah! It's a cute little sparrow." Tanjiro showed the kids Zenitsu's sparrow.
"Chirp! Chirp!" The sparrow seemed to be in a happy mood.
"See? It's so cute."
This only erased a little bit of fear from the children's hearts as they started crying. Tanjirou and Natsu saw this and knew something was utterly wrong.
Natsu suddenly walked over next to Natsu. "Tanjirou. Something's definitely wrong. They're crying."
"I know." Tanjrou turned towards the two kids. "Please, talk to me. Did something happen out here? Is this your house?"
"N-no..." Shoichi paused. "This house, it... it belonged t-to m-monsters!" Shoichi stuttered as his body shook in terror.
"Monsters?"
"I-it took our older brother... one night, we were just walking t-through the woods, and then... I-it just came out of nowhere and t-took him!"
"Tell me. Did you follow that monster?" Tanjirou asked.
"Y-yeah. Our brother was injured-to where he spilled droplets of blood on the ground. And it l-led us hear." Shoichi stuttered more.
'So, their brother must've been mortally wounded, huh...' Tanjirou thought.
"Tanjirou. This monster they're talking about. It must be the demon we were sent to kill." Natsu assumed and told Tanjirou.
"You're right." Tanjirou responded to the children and smiled. "Don't worry, you two. We'll beat the bad guys and save your brother."
"Y-you mean it?" Teruko asked, while still frightened.
"That's right. This is the exact reason why we came here. To kill the demons and to save your brother." Natsu smiled towards them.
A small blush appears on Teruko's face as she sees Natsu's smile.
"W-who are you guys?" Shoichi asked.
"We're Demon Slayers." Natsu answered.
"My name is Tanjirou Kamado." Tanjirou introduced himself.
"And I'm Natsu Rengoku. Of the Rengoku Residence." Natsu then looked over towards Zenitsu who was sleeping on his back. "And the person in yellow Haori, who is sleeping is our friend, Zenitsu Agatsuma." Natsu said.
Zenitsu started moaning on the ground, meaning he is regaining consciousness. He slowly rose his back up.
"Hey, he's awake!" Tanjirou said.
"Please! Marry me!" Zenitsu screamed as he had awakened. The snot bubble had automatically popped, his eyes opened and noticed that he wasn't near a rice field anymore. He looked around and saw trees around and a mansion. "Huh? Where did she go?" Zenitsu muttered, remembering the girl he had bothered.
"Zenitsu. You're awake." Natsu walked toward Zenitsu.
"Natsu? Is that really you?" Zenitsu questioned.
"Yeah. Right now we're at-"
Zenitsu quickly grabbed Natsu's shoulders. "Where is she!? Where's my bride-to-be!?"
"She... went home back to her village." Natsu had answered.
"Wha? I have to go find her!" Zenitsu got on his feet and tried to run elsewhere, but Natsu gripped the back of his Haori, causing Zenitsu to run in place.
"Sorry, Zenitsu, but you have to let her go. She's gone and she already went back home." Natsu said out of pity.
"Home? Where's her home?" Zenitsu questioned.
"I don't know where she stays. But she told us that you were harassing her, and that you wouldn't stop asking her to marry you. She also said that she told you that she was already engaged someone, but you wouldn't listen."
"She has a fiance?"
"Mm-hmm." Natsu nodded towards Zenitsu.
"Then I have to go find a fiance of my own!" Zenitsu tried to take off running again, but Natsu gripped the back of Zenitsu's Haori, tightly. Causing him to run in place.
"We don't have time for that! Right now, we're in front of the Tsuzumi Mansion. We have to go inside and kill the demons who are living in this mansion." Natsu told Zenitsu.
"W-wha? Demons!? But I don't wanna go inside the spooky mansion! I wanna chase girls and ask them to marry me!" Zenitsu yelled as he felt spooked out. As he screamed, he had temporarily stopped to hear the sound of a Tsuzumi drum beating from inside the mansion. His head had cleared. "Hey, what's that sound?"
"Huh? A sound?" Natsu questioned.
"Yeah. It's starting to bug me. It sounds more like a Tsuzumi drum and it won't stop playing..." Zenitsu noted as he cupped his ears.
Natsu and Tanjirou looked towards the mansion and wondered if it was coming from the mansion. Six seconds later a person was seen flying outside the doors of the Tsuzumi Mansion. Natsu, Tanjirou, Zenitsu and the other two children saw the person falling, until he had splatted onto the ground. The person had red blood and scratch marks on his flesh before colliding with the ground.
Natsu's golden eyes grew big for a moment, as Tanjirou gasped and Zenitsu froze in shock.
"AAAAAIIIEE!" Teruko screamed.
"Don't look!" Tanjirou used his Hori to block Shoichi and Teruko's vision.
Natsu ran towards the wounded person. "Mister! Are you okay?" He held the wounded man within his arms. He looked down and saw the wounds on his flesh. 'These wounds are fatal...' Natsu grunted.
"I... I got out..." The man coughed up blood a bit. "Of... that mansion. But... am I... dying?" The man asked, as he looked into Natsu's golden eyes. He saw the look on Natsu's face as he had a sad look. The man realized he was dying. "I see... you're a Demon Slayer... aren't you?"
Natsu gasped a bit. "I am! My name is Natsu Rengoku! And we're going to kill the demons who did this to you!"
"Kiiling... demons, huh? That sounds really nice..." The wounded man made one final gasp before passing on. His hand dropped to the ground.
Natsu's eyes grew big as he stared at the now dead man horror. He could no longer feel the man's pulse. 'He's gone...' This was the first time Natsu had ever witnessed a person dying.
"Natsu! How is he?" Tanjirou asked, feeling concerned.
Natsu looked towards Tanjirou and the others. After checking the person's pulse, he slowly shook his head no. Meaning that the man has died.
Zenitsu froze in shock and Tanjirou had grunted in sadness. Teruko couldn't help but cry a bit, as Shoichi caressed her.
"Did you know this man?" Tanjirou asked Shoichi.
"No. That's not our brother. He was wearing an orange kimono when the demon had taken him." Shoichi had informed Tanjirou what his brother looks like.
"I get it now." Tanjirou stood and walked towards Natsu, who had just lied the dead man's body on the ground. He stared at the corpse in sadness. "I'm sorry. We didn't save you in time...'
"GGGRRAAAAAAAAAHH!"
The kids heard a roaring sound from inside the Tsuzumi Mansion. Shoichi and Teruko held each other tightly out of fear. Zenitsu's entire body had shaken in place as his face turned blue. Natsu and Tanjirou were alerted by the sound. They suspected that it was the demon that took Shoichi and Teruko's older brother, Kiyoshi.
"Tanjirou. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Natsu asked Tanjirou, while starring at the entrance.
"Yeah. I am." Tanjirou then turned to Zenitsu. "Come on, Zenitsu! We're going in!"
Zenitsu quickly shook his head no, as he was drowning in fear. "No way! I'm not going in there!"
"I see..." Tanjirou sighed, then removed the large brown rectangular box from his back. He set it on the ground near Shoichi and Teruko.
"W-what's that?" Shoichi asked as he looked at it.
"While I'm gone, please stay close to the box. It will protect you, in case anything happens." Tanjirou told Shoichi and Teruko.
"Okay..." Both Shoichi and Teruko said.
"Stay here with them, too, Zenitsu." Natsu told Zenitsu.
"Okay!" Zenitsu quickly dashed towards the box and kids.
"I know you can protect them from danger, Zenitsu. You just need more confidents, that's all." Natsu said.
"And remember. No matter what happens, don't leave its side. Inside that box is important to me. It is more precious than my own life." Tanjirou informed the three.
"Okay!" Zenitsu, Shoichi and Teruko had responded.
"Natsu. Let's go." Tanjirou said as he begun to walk inside the Tsuzumi Mansion.
"Way ahead of you." Natsu responded as he walked inside the Tsuzumi Mansion before Tanjirou.
'Please, be careful...' Zenitsu, Shoichi and Teruko had all thought as they had watched Natsu and Tanjirou enter the mansion. Tanjrou closed the door behind him.
Author's Note: I went over and fixed some mistakes.