Hi there!

I hope you're ready for this long awaited chapter! I spent a lot of time on it and I'm proud of how it turned out!

I hope you guys like it! I'm kind of nervous since this is a very long chapter and there's a lot more to judge.

Now, time to check some reviews!

The first one is from ILoveMidgets15 who asked if Flaming Kick is a reference to Mortal Kombat or something.

...It's not. It's literally just a kicking move, nothing else.

The next one is from bestgile who commented that I "did the math for this."

Yes, bestgile, I did indeed do the math for this ;)

Lastly, I want to give a shoutout to Knighthunter911700 who has taken over the comment section! Thanks for the support, looking forward to your review on this chapter!

Same goes for the rest of you! Because of you, this story has reached 266 favorites and 331 followers as of today!

The Tainted Sun is now in the top 30 of most followed Kimetsu No Yaiba fanfics! How crazy is that!?

Once again, I'm glad to have been blessed with such an amazing audience and I can only hope that my work will continue to please you!

Now, without further ado! Enjoy the story!

Update: There have been a few changes made to this chapter due to some comments from StressedIsDesserts.

Shoutout to him for helping me keep this story as historically and culturally accurate as possible!

*I do not own Demon Slayer, Kimetsu no Yaiba. The Anime/Manga belongs to Ufotable and its author, Koyoharu Gotouge.

"Tanjiro" = Talking

"Tanjiro" = Thinking

Tanjiro - Middle Alignment = POV

Japan - Middle Alignment = Location

"Tanjiro" = Flashback

Crash! - Left Alignment = Sound effect

Water Breathing = Breathing technique/Blood Demon Art


Chapter 11 - Release Your Inner Demon

Tanjiro Kamado

In A Forest Near Chichibu Province, Saitama

-Midnight-

Tanjiro ran down a hill, chasing a demon with his sword drawn. The demon wore a red hanten jacket over a white shirt and black pants. His skin was grey, his eyes had black slits and nothing else, and he had long black hair.

The demon was covered with scars and burn marks, most of which had healed already. Tanjiro also had some cuts on his uniform but he seemed unharmed overall.

"That Blood Demon Art of his is pretty troublesome, it's a good thing I took the time to recharge my energy." Tanjiro thought while following the demon.

Tanjiro was also able to pick up Shinobu's scent in the trees, she was likely jumping over them at high speed. "Man, I can't believe how fast Master Shinobu is even though she's only human! I guess that's a Hashira for you."

Tanjiro shook his head and focused on the mission. Tanjiro felt this chase and gone on long enough and reached out his right hand.

Suddenly, a line of fire shot out of his hand and reached the enemy demon before wrapping around his leg.

Blood Demon Art: Sun Conqueror - Crimson Flare Chain

Tanjiro pulled on the line of fire in pulled his surprised foe towards him. The jacket-wearing demon noticed the line around his leg and launched a punch towards it.

It didn't connect, but the punch caused the demon's hand to explode which launched a strong gust of wind which broke the firey chain.

Blood Demon Art: Blood Wind Force

From what Tanjiro could gather, the demon seemed to be able to force his blood to burst out of his body in the form of heavy wind pressure, sending anyone flying back or even breaking their bones.

It wasn't that different from Tanjiro's Blood Demon Art besides the fact that he used fire made from solar energy.

The wind demon landed in front of Tanjiro and launched another punch at Tanjiro's face, this time choosing not to use his power. The reason was rather obvious.

The gusts of wind he fires blows up his limbs which is part of why the attack is so strong. The problem was that it a took at least half a minute for the demon to regenerate his hands and feet.

If the demon was allowed to consume more people, not only would it gain faster regeneration and be able to use his BDA more, but his BDA would also be stronger.

The amount of potential this demon had was scary, all the more reason to stop him from hurting others.

Tanjiro continued dodging blows from the wind demon. After ducking a right hook, he threw out his left leg and swept his opponent's feet.

The hostile demon fell back as Tanjiro grabbed his leg and threw him into a nearby tree. He then leaped at the demon and swung his sword at the monster's neck.

The wind demon saw this and threw out another punch with his other hand while his left hand was almost healed.

Tanjiro was pushed back by wind pressure and lost his grip on his sword, his back hitting a tree. Tanjiro saw the wind demon leaping towards him with his left hand reeled back.

The demon punched Tanjiro in the face only for his image to distort and disappear into a rainbow.

Hinokami Kagura - Fake Rainbow

The wind demon looked around before hearing footsteps behind him. He turned around and was greeted with the sight of a hand pushing his head against the tree.

Blood Demon Art: Sun Conqueror - Scorching Blast

Those were the last words the demon heard before having his head blown off by a burst of fire.

Tanjiro stepped back and admired his handiwork while trying to catch his breath. Tanjiro fell on one knee and put his hands together.

"Rest in peace."

"Ugh!"

Tanjiro's eyes widened at the second inner voice.

"'Rest in peace!' 'Rest in Peace!' Can you shut the hell up that, man!?"

Tanjiro gritted his teeth at the mocking voice of his inner demon.

"Excuse me for paying respects to someone who was forced to hurt innocent people and suffer."

"Hah! It doesn't matter if they were forced, dumbass. Doesn't change the fact that they're going to hell."

"Well...Then I'll pray that they don't turn into demons in the next life. Hell isn't permanent and neither is Heaven. When we die, we will all be reborn again until-."

"Until you reach Nirvana, yeah yeah, I know how your fucking religion works. Same body, same mind, remember?."

"I'm glad you understand, now kindly leave."

"See!? That, that right there is why you're a bitch! You're trying to show manners to a fucking demon!"

Tanjiro tuned out his demonic self and walked over to his sword. Ever since Yachimata, Tanjiro's demon side has become more...vocal.

Every once in awhile, it will attempt to communicate with the boy and make sure to insult him at EVERY, POSSIBLE, CHANCE.

"I mean, COME ON! What's the point of being polite to a man-eating monster, especially when you're about to kill them!? It's like a police officer sharing a cup of tea with a rapist before he gets hanged! How naive-HEY, don't you FUCKING ignore me!"

But Tanjiro did exactly that.

He sheathed his sword before his eyelids started to feel heavy. He laid against a tree and let his fatigue take him into unconsciousness.

The last thing he saw was Shinobu landing in front of him.


Shinobu Kocho

Demon Slayer HQ

-Two Days Later, Morning-

"Kamado is improving at a quicker pace than most Demon Slayers. His mastery of Hinokami Kagura and his Blood Demon Art are also coming along nicely."

Shinobu stood in front of Lord Ubuyashiki, giving her weekly report on Tanjiro's progress.

"That is wonderful to hear. And how is young Kamado adjusting to his new home?" Ubuyashiki asked with a gentle smile.

"He's shown no sign of hostility and appears to be getting along with all the residents of the mansions." Shinobu stated.

Ubuyashiki nodded. "And how about you and Kanae? Are you getting along with the boy?"

Shinobu gave a tired sigh. "I'm getting along fine with him. But he and Kanae have become almost inseparable. If I didn't know any better, I'd say they were related."

Ubuyashiki chuckled. "Yes, Tamayo did say that she thought that those two would hit it off."

"Will that be all, Master?" Shinobu asked.

"Yes, you are dismissed."

The Hashira bowed and made her way to leave the area before remembering something.

"Oh, before I forget." Ubuyashiki nodded to Shinobu as if telling her to go ahead. "Have you found anything on the Hinokami Kagura?"

The master of the mansion frowned and shook his head. "I'm afraid not, I could not find any records about a Hinokami Kagura."

"What about Lord Rengoku?"

"Shinjuro has been unresponsive lately, he is still in pain from the death of his wife."

"Still?" Shinobu sighed. "I don't mean to be insensitive, but it's been eight years now. I understand that he needed to mourn, but his attitude has been progressively getting worse. First, he was drinking on the job. Then, he started taking less and less missions and now, he refuses to attend meetings. We've all lost loved ones, that is no excuse to shirk his responsibilities as a Hashira."

"Yes, I understand your concern. Lord Rengoku was once one of our strongest Hashira and it pains me to see him fall from grace, especially considering how synonymous the Rengoku family has been with the corps." Ubuyashiki sighed.

"Well, there's nothing we can do, I suppose. Sorry to waste your time, master." Shinobu bowed again.

Ubuyashiki's smile returned. "Don't be, I am always happy to address the concerns of my children. You may go."

Shinobu nodded and left. She started to feel bad for the Rengoku family. She heard that the eldest son joined the corps a few years ago and was apparently helping a Demon Slayer-in-training.

What was his name again? Ah, yes. Kyojuro.


Butterfly Mansion

-Afternoon-

Shinobu walked to the front door of the mansion and was greeted by a white and red blur.

"Hello, Master! Welcome back!" Tanjiro said as he ran through the halls, scrubbing the floors as he did so.

Shinobu had no words and simply stood there with wide eyes. "A demon cleaning my house...Now I've seen everything."

Training Dojo

Shinobu and Kanae stood beside each other in front of Kanao and Tanjiro who sat in seiza, both donning their hakamas.

Between the Hashira and their Tsuguko was a table with many cups of green water.

(AN: I think we all know where this is going lol)

"Today, we're going to train your reflexes." Shinobu stated. "These cups contain medicated water. For your training, you'll be competing with each other."

Shinobu and Kanae both walked to one side of the table before sitting across from each other.

"The objective of this exercise will be to grab any one of these cups and splash them at your opponent's face." Kanae explained as she grabbed one of the cups.

Shinobu then grabbed Kanae's hand before she could move. "At the same time, you must keep your opponent from splashing YOU in the face. Also, if your opponent grabs your hand before you can lift your cup, you are not allowed to move that cup." She added.

Both sisters turned to their pupils. "Any questions?" They asked simultaneously.

"No, Masters!" Tanjiro and Kanao answered, Kanao a bit more quietly.

Soon, Tanjiro and Kanao sat at the table across from each other.

"Now before we begin. Kamado." Shinobu called.

"Yes?"

Shinobu took out a syringe with a purple liquid. "Given your enhanced strength and speed, the risk of injury to Kanao is increased."

Tanjiro's eyes widened, he apparently never thought about it. Tanjiro looked down while rubbing one arm. "Y-Yes..."

Shinobu gently took Tanjiro's right arm with her left and rolled up his sleeve. "That's why I created a new type of poison."

"Don't worry, it's not lethal." Shinobu quickly added after seeing the color drain from the boy's already pale face. Shinobu couldn't help but smile at his amusing reaction.

"I tested this on some demons on Mt. Fujikasane. It will only temporarily take away your demonic abilities." The Insect Hashira explained.

Tanjiro let out a sigh of relief, which made Shinobu feel guilty about what was about to come next. "That said, you may feel some...discomfort."

Shinobu injected the poison into the blood vessel at Tanjiro's wrist. Tanjiro immediately winced.

Tanjiro's pale skin soon began to develop purple spots as the boy began to breathe heavily. The poison was clearly putting a lot of tax on his body, though that was the point.

After a minute, the purple spots went away and Tanjiro seemed to no longer be in anguish. "Alright, Tanjiro. Now hit this table as hard as you can." Shinobu ordered as she took the cups off of the table.

Tanjiro hesitated but soon nodded and stared at the table. He took a deep breath...and head-butted the table.

Crash!

The table had a huge dent in the middle that covered almost the entire area. Tanjiro on the other hand was unharmed.

"..." Kanae stood in silence.

"..." Shinobu stood in silence.

"..." Tanjiro sat in silence.

"..." Kanao was already silent.

"...With your HAND." Shinobu shut her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose.

Tanjiro snapped his head towards the Hashira. "Oh! Really!?" Tanjiro asked before blushing and looking down in shame. "S-Sorry...!"

Shinobu sighed and went to grab a spare table. "No matter, if you still had your demonic strength, you'd have done more damage. Ergo, you've proven the point."

"The effects of the poison will last for at least half an hour. You won't be able to heal as fast and your pain tolerance has been lowered."

"You may also find your Blood Demon Art to be inactive. At least this way, we can do this training risk free." Shinobu finished.

Tanjiro and Kanao faced each other again with their hands on their thighs as instructed, both stared intensely at the cups that Shinobu put back on the table.

"And..." Kanae began.

...

...

...

"Now!"

Splash!

The battle was over in a second. Tanjiro barely lifted his hand before Kanao grabbed a cup and threw the water into Tanjiro's face.

Tanjiro spat out the water that got in his mouth before he started wiping his face with his sleeve.

"Great job, Kanao!" Kanae exclaimed before looking at Tanjiro with a nervous smile. "Tanjiro...A for effort!"

Shinobu immediately went and refilled the cup that Kanao threw. "Again."

"Wait, wha-?"

Splash!

Tanjiro was still wiping his face when Shinobu said "again." He lowered his arm just in time to catch another cup of water to the face.

Pfft!

Tanjiro started choking on more water. "WHAT THE *Cough* *Cough* HELL!? I WASN'T *Cough* READY!"

"Well, that was your first mistake. Demons aren't going to wait for you to be ready and neither am I." Shinobu replied as she replaced the empty cup. "Now again."

Tanjiro raised a finger as if he was going to speak...

Splash!

...And earned more water to the face. His hair was now hanging in front of his eyes. This time, the boy remained silent. This would take awhile.

-Later-

Tanjiro's shirt was completely soaked by the end of it. The boy had come close to beating Kanao a few times once he actually got a chance to prepare himself.

Alas, he was no match for Shinobu and Kanae's adoptive sister. Tanjiro remained silent once more, his small, nearly unnoticeable sense of pride clearly bruised.

Tanjiro tried his best to give a genuine smile. "That...was really g-good, Kanao. I needed a d-drink anyway...so thanks."

"Okay, that's enough for now." Shinobu said. "Kamado, why don't you go get a clean shirt and come back?"

Tanjiro nodded, got up, bowed to all present, and left.

Kanae seemed concerned for the boy, Shinobu put a hand on her sister's shoulder. "No matter how nice or selfless you are, nobody likes to lose. Even if he's mature for his age, he's still a kid. I remember getting pretty salty when you destroyed me in this exercise." Shinobu smiled at the memory, as did Kanae.

When their master, god rest his soul, had them do this exercise during their training, Kanae won nearly every match.

To add insult to injury, Kanae didn't splash Shinobu, but instead put the cups on her head stating that she refused to pour stinky water on her baby sister.

The young, bratty Shinobu's response was to throw every single cup on the table at Kanae. Shinobu sighed at the memory, she really did used to be a little shit.

"I'M BACK!" Tanjiro bursted into the dojo with a determined smile and a flaring nose. You really just couldn't keep the kid down.

"Wow, Tanjiro!" Kanae exclaimed. "You seem quite chipper!"

Tanjiro nodded. "Aoi made more Fatsia Sprouts, and my morale has skyrocketed! I'm ready to continue training!"

"This kid is something else." Shinobu thought with an amused smile.

"Very well, then let's move on."


Tanjiro

Training Yard

-Two Weeks Later, Evening-

Tanjiro had recovered from his last mission, but there weren't any missions for him right now, so he stayed at the mansion to train.

Hinokami Kagura - Dance

Raging Sun

Clear Blue Sky

Tanjiro was practicing using Hinokami Kagura in rapid succession. Thanks to his training, he could now use his techniques ten times without getting tired and could recover very quickly as long as he sat down and rested, a luxury he would not have in battle.

Setting Sun Transformation

Fake Rainbow

Sunflower Thrust

Flame Dance

Fire Wheel

Raging Sun

Tanjiro moved across the yard at blazing speed that very few normal humans, a.k.a. those who weren't Demon Slayers, could match.

Illusory flames decorated the yard as Tanjiro twisted and turned his body so elegantly with each technique. One might've thought he was dancing. In a way, he was.

Dragon Sun Halo Head Dance

And that was ten.

Tanjiro breathed heavily as he fell on his back. He was using his actual sword this time, hoping to see his sword finally change color.

Sadly, it was still the same metallic color as always. Tanjiro let out a long sigh.

"It's not enough. I have to push myself even harder, I refuse to slack off!" Tanjiro thought as he got back up.

"More...More!"

Tanjiro swung his sword around while using Total Concentration, his speed and strength slightly going up. Soon, he started using Hinokami Kagura again.


Kanao Tsuyuri

Inside the Butterfly Mansion

After cleaning the dishes, Kanao was about to head to the training yard to get in some late night practice. She decided this when flipping a coin. Heads for going to sleep, Tails for training.

"*Yawn* Goodnight, Kanao." She heard Aoi say behind her. Kanao looked back with a smile and nodded.

Kanao walked through the halls of the mansion before reaching the door to the training yard. She opened the door and was greeted by bright illusory flames.

In the training yard, the demon, Tanjiro Kamado, was practicing his techniques.

Kanao dropped her fake smile as her eyes widened. It looked more like Tanjiro was dancing then fighting, and it was beautiful.

Kanao remembered when Kanae first brought the boy here. Kanao would often stand by his bedside when he was unconscious and observe him.

Shinobu always told her that demons were monsters that should not be trusted, even those technically on their side.

Kanae on the other hand said that only some demons were truly like that. The truth was that most demons are just the poor victims of Kibutsuji who were forced to become killers and eat their loved ones.

Kanae would also visit Tanjiro along with Kanao and tell her all about the boy.

"He may be a demon, but he has a kind heart. I hope you two can get along!"

Kanao took out her coin and flipped it. Heads, train with Tanjiro. Tails, train on her own in the dojo. Kanao's smile became a bit more genuine as the coin landed on heads.

Tanjiro

Tanjiro collapsed after another round of Hinokami Kagura. His lungs felt like a pair of bombs waiting to explode.

Suddenly, a familiar scent touched his sensitive nostrils. He looked towards the right to see Kanao with her usual smile walking towards him with two wooden swords.

"H-Hello...Kanao..." Tanjiro said between breaths. "Did you...need something?"

Kanao nodded. "I was wondering if I could train with you for a bit."

Tanjiro's eyes widened, not he was not expecting Kanao to just walk up to him and ask to train with him. His shock was replaced by a smile. "Sure...just let me...catch my breath."

Later, the two held wooden swords and faced each other. Tanjiro decided that he would hold back as to not injure Kanao despite knowing what she was capable of.

"Kanao's not that strong, but she more than makes up for it in speed. I shouldn't go too hard, but at the same time, I can't underestimate her:" Tanjiro thought.

Tanjiro Vs. Kanao

"I'm ready when you are." Tanjiro told Kanao who nodded.

Then, Kanao inhaled and charged at great speeds, at least for a trainee. Kanao swung her sword from her right, Tanjiro jumped over it.

He threw out a left roundhouse at Kanao's head, with as little force as possible of course, which Kanao ducked under.

Kanao did a backflip to get away from Tanjiro and landed on the ground and charged at her.

Hinokami Kagura - Dragon Sun Halo Head Dance

Tanjiro twisted and turned his body, trying to get a hit on Kanao. However, Kanao was able to read and dodge all of Tanjiro's attacks.

Eventually, Kanao unleashed her own technique and deflected Tanjiro's sword with a series of rotating sword slashes.

Total Concentration, Flower Breathing: Second Form - Honorable Shadow Plum

Tanjiro was shocked that Kanao was able to meet every one of his strikes before deciding to back off.

"Kanao's truly amazing. I may have strength and durability on my side, but she's got me beat on skill alone." Tanjiro thought.

Both combatants had advantages and disadvantages in this fight.

Tanjiro's advantage was his sense of smell which automatically foiled sneak attacks. He also had his demonic strength, speed, regeneration, and stamina. Finally, he had the Hinokami Kagura, a technique powerful enough on its own and even more powerful when combined with the strength of a demon.

One could count his Blood Demon Art, but Tanjiro had no plan to use it on Kanao. That's where the disadvantages began.

Tanjiro was forced to hold back against Kanao, she wasn't like a demon, she couldn't regenerate or shrug off any blow. One blow with too much force could kill her instantly, that thought alone terrified Tanjiro. Ever since he became a demon, he'd come to realize just how fragile human lives were.

Tanjiro had to hold back for Kanao's safety, but Kanao kept surprising him whenever he did and he had to kick it up a notch to have a chance at victory. This meant he was constantly playing catch-up.

Another disadvantage was ironically the Hinokami Kagura, or more specifically, the effect it has on Tanjiro's body.

Hinokami Kagura is powerful, but that power comes at a cost. Whenever Tanjiro tried to use the technique as a human, key word being "tried," he would often collapse after the first or second move.

He hoped that his seemingly infinite stamina could fix this problem. Sadly, even the body of a demon had its limits. After ten consecutive moves, he was done for until he used his sword to re-energize or got some time to rest.

It didn't knock him out like Sun Conqueror did, but it made his movements incredibly sluggish and weak. Kanao on the other hand could use her techniques as much as she wanted.

Kanao's advantages were her light body which made jumping around easier, her advanced eyesight that allowed her to track her opponent's every move, and her superior sword skills.

Kanao was already skilled enough to change the color of a Nichirin sword. She also knows the first three forms of Flower Breathing and has apparently mastered them.

With her eyesight, Kanao can observe and copy a person's movement and breathing pattern. Kanae could show her a form and Kanao could do a rough version of it first try! Give her a few weeks, and she'd have already mastered that form by then.

Tanjiro, on the other hand, knew all twelve forms of Hinokami Kagura by heart. However, he has far from mastered any of them.

It was a battle of quality vs. quantity.

Tanjiro charged at Kanao again who prepared to swing down. Tanjiro dodged the downward slash and flipped over Kanao. He raised his sword above, technically below, his head.

Hinokami Kagura - Fire Wheel

Tanjiro swung his sword in a circular direction as he flipped onto his feet. However, Kanao was able to roll forward in time to dodge the attack and face her opponent.

Tanjiro ran at Kanao with his sword raised for a thrust. Tanjiro lunged his sword forward only for Kanao to knock it away and swung at his neck.

The wooden sword went right through Tanjiro's body as he suddenly disappeared into a rainbow-colored mist.

Hinokami Kagura - Fake Rainbow

Kanao's eyes widened. Even with her amazing eyesight, she could not see Tanjiro move past her, he simply vanished into thin air.

Suddenly, she felt something hit her shoulder. She stumbled forward and looked back to see Tanjiro who had just whacked her shoulder with his sword.

"Sorry, I hope I didn't hurt you." He said with a bright smile with a hint of concern in his eyes. "Are you okay?"

Kanao stared at Tanjiro before smiling again. She nodded before raising her sword, Tanjiro did the same.

The two continued their spar.

Kanao

-One Hour Later-

Kanao found herself out of breath while Tanjiro merely collapsed from the strain on his body, they really got into their spar. Tanjiro won some rounds, Kanao won others.

Kanao didn't realize how much she enjoyed the training session. She and Tanjiro sat on the ground to catch their breath.

After a while, the two looked at each other and smiled. Kanao was already smiling, but it was now more genuine. They got back up and grabbed their swords.

"It's getting pretty late." Tanjiro said. "Do you want to stop here and go to bed or do you want to keep going?"

Kanao kept her smile as she took out a coin and flipped...She didn't notice the disappointed look on Tanjiro's face.

She DID, however, notice the demon jump into the air and snatch the coin before landing right in front of her.

"I didn't ask the coin, Kanao. I asked you." Tanjiro said calmly as he gently placed the coin in the surprised Kanao's hand.

"Master told me about the coin, about your inability to think for yourself, and I've been wanting to talk to you about this." Tanjiro admitted. "Master Shinobu told me to leave it, but I can't. You can't let someone else make all your decisions."

Kanao was not expecting things to turn out this way.

"I understand that it seems easier to leave the hard choices to others, but to leave all your decisions to fate is no way to live."

"You have to stop listening to a coin and start listening to your heart."

"M-My heart?" Kanao put a hand on her chest where her heart was. "How do I...listen to a heart?"

Tanjiro smiled. "Everyone has a voice in their heart. Yours is just too quiet, but it's still there. I can tell."

"I know it's scary, but you have to decide for yourself. Decide who you want to be, decide what you want to do. Can you do that, Kanao?"

"B-But..." Kanao was absolutely stunned, she struggled to find the right words. "T-Tanjiro...If I do what you're asking of me, wouldn't I still be letting someone else make the decision for me?"

"..." Tanjiro stared intently at Kanao.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"I guess you have a point..." Tanjiro's head hung low. He clearly hasn't thought of that.

But then, Tanjiro stood up with a look that said he had an idea. "I know!" Tanjiro beamed.

Tanjiro reached his hand out. "Sorry, but can I borrow the coin?" He asked.

Kanao hesitated, but she soon gave in to curiosity and handed Tanjiro the coin.

Tanjiro took a few steps back. "Alright! We'll decide with the coin, one last time. If it's heads, you listen to your heart. If it's tails, you continue to listen to the coin. Got it?"

Kanao nodded. "Good!" Tanjiro exclaimed before flipping the coin. It landed on Tanjiro's hand before he immediately covered it with his other, though Kanao had already seen which side it landed on and felt...disappointed.

"Aaaaand...tails..." Tanjiro said as he peeked at the coin. "Oh man..."

Kanao accepted this outcome, but she'd be lying if she said she was okay with it. No, a small part of her wanted it to land on heads. She deeply appreciated what Tanjiro was doing, even if she herself didn't realize it. But, there's no use crying over spilt milk. Kanao went to grab her coin from Tanjiro...

"Again!"

...When he suddenly flipped the coin again.

Tanjiro caught it and narrowed his eyes at the tails side of the coin. "Hmm...Again!" Kanao was speechless, why was he doing this?

"Damn it! Tails again!?" Tanjiro exclaimed in frustration before flipping the coin. This time the coin went at least thirty feet in the air.

"Agh! I tossed it too hard! Stupid demon strength!" Tanjiro muttered as the coin started to fall.

"I got it...I got it...HERE!" Tanjiro dived forward as the coin fell in his hand.

He got up and looked at his hand covering the coin, he grinned like a little kid and looked at Kanao. "Look, Kanao! I caught it!"

Kanao was still stunned by the time that Tanjiro caught the coin. "I...I was so distracted that I didn't see which side the coin landed on!"

"Okay, here we go..." Tanjiro removed his hand and revealed that the coin had landed on heads.

Tanjiro's grin widened as he jumped into the air with his fist raised. "It's heads!"

Tanjiro immediately put the coin in Kanao's hand before holding it with both of his own. "Now remember, it's the heart that drives people. Like every other muscle, it can grow and become stronger."

Tanjiro let go of Kanao and smiled brightly. He turned around to walk towards his wooden sword which he dropped earlier.

"W-Wait!" Kanao blurted out, catching Tanjiro's attention. Her quiet and submissive façade began to crack.

"Yes?"

"Y-You said that if it landed on tails then I would listen to the coin! You flipped tails multiple times...and yet, you kept flipping it until it was heads! H-How does that make sense!? You're just forcing me to do what you want!"

"..." Tanjiro stared at Kanao. He then smiled again. "I guess I just didn't care if the coin landed on tails because I wanted it to land on heads. So, I decided to flip it until I got the result I wanted."

Buh-Bump!

Kanao had no words as she stared at Tanjiro who had one of the brightest smiles she had ever seen. Kanao felt frustrated at the way Tanjiro had tricked her...

But...she also felt really happy. She sudden had a warm feeling deep inside. The same feeling she had when Kanao and Shinobu had gone out of their way to save her from her abusive master. The same feeling she had when they adopted her. The same feeling she had when Kanae gave her her coin.

"As long as you give them a chance, anyone's heart and soul can change. Someday, you'll fall in love with a boy. When you do, you will change too, Kanao!"

"Huh? Why am I remembering that now?"

Buh-Bump! Buh-Bump!

Suddenly, Kanao's heart started beating faster. The dim lights in her eyes became much brighter.

"Well, you should probably get some sleep. It's getting pretty la-" Tanjiro started speaking when Kanao suddenly threw her arms around his neck and hugged him.

"K-K-Kanao!? W-What are y-you-!?"

"Thank you..." Kanao whispered in Tanjiro's ears before letting go. She then quickly bowed and walked away as fast as possible into the mansion. She would go to bed and lie awake, thinking about what she just did...

Tanjiro

Tanjiro was speechless, he had just been hugged by a girl who wasn't a family member or a mother/older sister figure.

Tanjiro did not notice his temperature rising higher and higher, nor the increase of red on his face. His scar glowed dimly as steam began to rise from the boy's body.

"Uhhh...I...I...Uhhh..." Tanjiro fell onto his bottom and mumbled to himself for hours.


Shinobu

Shinobu was walking to her room when she saw Kanae looking out of a window.

"Good night, sister." Shinobu said. She waited for a response, but Kanae never answered.

"I said good night, sister." Shinobu repeated, still nothing from the Flower Hashira. "Kanae?"

Shinobu walked behind Kanae and poked her shoulder until Kanae turned around. Shinobu was stunned by the serious look on her sister's face. Her eyes were covered with shadow, but one could still feel the intensity of her stare.

Then, Kanae slowly began to smile while making a silent squeal. Shinobu was now confused. "Kanae...?"

"..."

"..."

"...-nally..."

"Huh?" Shinobu heard her sister whisper something.

"YAAAAAAAAAAH! YEEEEEEEEEEEES!" Kanae jumped into the air and screamed at the top of her lungs!

Shinobu barely had time to react before Kanae pulled in her for a bear hug.

"YES! YES! YES! FINALLY! I WAS AFRAID THIS DAY WOULD NEVER COME! I AM SO HAPPY!"

"Th-That's great...Kanae...! B-But...you're c-c-crushing my-!" Shinobu tried desperately to break out of Kanae's embrace.

"HAHAHA! BEST DAY EVER!" Kanae dropped Shinobu before skipping to their room while giggling like a little girl secretly eating sweets.

After confirming that no bones were broken, Shinobu stared down the hallway that Kanae disappeared in. Curious, she looked out the window.

She saw Tanjiro sitting on the ground outside with a pair of wooden swords next to him. He was staring off in the distance, looking rather flustered.

Also...was that steam coming off of his body?

Shinobu would've asked the boy what was wrong but... she was too tired, she'd deal with it later.


Tanjiro

-One Week Later, Noon-

"Begin!"

Tanjiro and Kanae were having another sparring match in the training yard. Against a Hashira, Tanjiro didn't have to hold back.

The two swordsmen clashed swords before jumping back. Tanjiro charged forward with his wooden sword raised above his head.

Tanjiro threw out a downward strike which Kanae dodged. The demon then slashed horizontally at Kanae's neck.

Hinokami Kagura - Flame Dance

Kanae jumped back to avoid Tanjiro's attack. Tanjiro was improving, which meant that Kanae was able to kick it up a notch.

Tanjiro continued his pursuit and slashed at Kanae multiple times, occasionally throwing in a a kick and punch. However, Kanae was able to weave through all of his attacks before parrying Tanjiro's sword. She then jumped up and kicked Tanjiro's gut with both legs, sending both of them backwards.

Tanjiro's feet scraped against the ground before he dropped to one knee.

"It's fine to press your advantage, but just throwing out attacks will not score you any points against me, never mind kill a demon." Kanae said as she landed about ten feet away from Tanjiro.

Tanjiro recovered from the earlier blow and got back up. He raised his sword and inhaled, Kanae did the same.

Both fighters leaped at each other again. Tanjiro swung at Kanae while carefully watching her movements, making sure to block any attack coming his way.

Tanjiro felt the adrenaline pump into his veins as he unconsciously sped up his movements. Tanjiro got lucky and parried a strike, knocking Kanae's sword out of the way.

Wasting no time, Tanjiro aimed his sword at Kanae's stomach and thrusted it forward.

Hinokami Kagura - Sunflower Thrust

However, Kanae managed to sidestep Tanjiro's attack and lifted her sword. Tanjiro saw this and reacted as fast as possible.

He did a full 270 degree turn to the left and attempted sweep Kanae's legs. The surprised Hashira jumped into the air.

Tanjiro followed Kanae and threw his sword at her like a spear before she could land. Kanae had clearly not expected this as she narrowly avoided being hit by the sword.

While she was temporarily stunned, Tanjiro knew it wouldn't last long. He leaped towards the airborne Kanae and threw a right roundhouse kick to Kanae's left.

Kanae was forced to block the blow with her arm, which also forced Tanjiro to lessen the strength of his attack. If he had accidentally hurt Kanae badly, he'd never forgive himself even if she would.

Kanae was forced back by the blow as she landed on her feet. She took a deep breath and smiled brightly. "Much better, Tanjiro! You've improved quite a bit! Although, discarding your sword may not be the best move at times. Still, points for creativity!"

Tanjiro couldn't keep the prideful grin off of his face, he was glad to know that his training was actually paying off. It felt good, like he just accomplished an impossible task.

Unfortunately, Kanae noticed the boy's cockiness and despite their friendship, she'd make sure he'd suffer for it.

"Alright, let's go a little bit harder, okay?" Kanae got back into her stance.

Tanjiro also prepared himself for whatever Kanae could throw at him, or so he thought...

Shinobu, who had been spectating, yelled out. "Begin!"

Tanjiro didn't even have time to blink before pain racked his entire body. "What the-!?"

Flower Breathing: Fifth Form - Peonies of Futility

Suddenly, Kanae was right in front of the boy and unleashed nine lightning-quick attacks on his body. The attack was more focused on the arms, weakening Tanjiro's grip on his wooden sword.

Tanjiro inhaled and prepared to counterattack.

Hinokami-

But Kanae forced his mouth shut with an upward kick to the jaw. Tanjiro lost his sword as he got launched into the air.

As he fell down with his back now facing Kanae, the Flower Hashira launched a strong sidekick to his back. One could hear a crack in Tanjiro's spine.

Tanjiro was sent flying, his body bouncing off the ground before skidding to a stop. Tanjiro laid on his side and got back up with a bit of difficulty.

Tanjiro looked at Kanae and then at his sword which was laying next to her feet. Tanjiro held out his hand as his scar began to glow.

Blood Demon Art: Sun Conqueror - Crimson Flare Chain

A line of fire shot out of his palm towards his sword. Kanae saw this and kicked the sword away, she prepared to swing at the chain.

Tanjiro smirked, that was exactly what she wanted. Suddenly, the chain changed course and wrapped around Kanae's sword.

Kanae's eyes widened as Tanjiro yanked the chain back. Kanae was pulled towards Tanjiro along with her sword.

Tanjiro planned to land another soft blow while Kanae was disoriented, it seemed like his plan would work.

That's when Kanae twisted her body in the air and broke through the fiery chain. The momentum carried Kanae to Tanjiro as she swung her sword around with one hand.

Flower Breathing: Sixth Form - Whirling Peach

Tanjiro was smacked on the left cheek by Kanae's sword and was sent flying into the wall that surrounded the Butterfly Mansion. Tanjiro landed on his face and groaned as he tried to get up.

He could hear Kanae getting closer to him. "Sorry for going rough on you, Tanjiro. As your master, it's my duty to humble you from time to time."

"Consider me humbled..." Tanjiro muttered as he held his cheek.

Kanae simply smiled. "I liked the way you used your Blood Demon Art. Not only was it smart of you to grab your sword without risking being hit, but you also reacted quickly to your opponent's actions and turned things to your advantage. The only problem was that you overestimated the strength of your chain."

Tanjiro nodded. He found out a week ago that he could use his Blood Demon Art once or twice a day without getting knocked out. This allowed him to at least practice using Sun Conqueror, even if only for a little bit.

"Yeah, I just wish I could tell how strong it was. It would help if I knew how much sunlight I've absorbed so far." Tanjiro said while poking his scar which had stopped glowing.

Kanae crossed her arms. "Yes, sadly, there's no way we can tell. That's why you have to be careful with how often you use your Blood Demon Art, there will always be a chance that you run out of energy mid fight."

Tanjiro nodded again and went to pick up his sword.

"CAW!"

Tanjiro jumped and looked to the sky to see a crow flying in circles above him. "I will never get used to those things..."

"Demon located at Kajima Village in Shizuoka Prefecture! Tanjiro Kamado is to report to the Fuji District at once! CAW!"

Tanjiro's eyes widened. "Did he say the Fuji District?" Tanjiro asked as Shinobu and Kanae stood next to him.

"Yes, why?" Shinobu asked.

Tanjiro started poking his fingers together with a slight blush. "Well, the Fuji District is where Fuji-san (Mt. Fuji) is, right? I've...I've always wanted to visit Fuji-san ever since I was a little kid, we just didn't have the money for a trip..."

"Huh!? No way!" Tanjiro looked at Kanae who smiled brightly once again. "I've been wanting to visit Fuji-san too!"

Tanjiro's eyes widened before his shock was replaced by excitement. "Really!? That's amazing, now we can go there together!"

Kanae nodded, matching Tanjiro's excitement. "What are we waiting for then!? Let's go get ready!"

"Right!" Tanjiro replied before Shinobu came in and smacked both Kanae and Tanjiro's heads.

"Take this seriously! This isn't a FUCKING road trip!" Shinobu scolded the two.

"Language..." Kanae AND Tanjiro said simultaneously while rubbing the top of their heads.

She was right though, lives were in danger. Tanjiro got ready as fast as possible.


Shinobu

Shinobu stood at the entrance to the Butterfly Mansion with Kanae and Tanjiro who were both ready for their mission. They were also joined by Kanao who had become more fidgety lately.

Ever since Kanae's freak out and Tanjiro's body smoking, Kanao had been acting...strange.

First off, she appeared to be spending more time talking with Tanjiro. Well, she was mostly listening, but it was still weird. Kanao never went out of her way to interact with someone.

Second, she began to smile more, if only a bit. Not that fake smile she always wore, a genuine smile. Not that Shinobu didn't like it, mind you, it was just so...out of nowhere.

Did Tanjiro say something to her even though she EXPLICITLY told him NOT to do so? Was that why Kanae was so happy? Could it be...that Kanao has fallen for-?

"Nope. No way, get that thought out of your head right now, Kocho. There's no way." Shinobu told herself.

Shinobu had accepted that Tanjiro meant no harm. The two spend quite a bit of time together to the point where Shinobu has started to enjoy the young demon's company.

However, she refused to accept that the first person to open her pupil/little sister's heart would be a demon, no matter WHO it was. It could be the kindest, most peaceful demon in the world and she still wouldn't let them near Kanao!

Of course, this had nothing to do with demons, this was just a girl being protective of her family, not that Shinobu would admit that.

Despite Kanao's initial lack of emotion, Kanae and Shinobu had both come to love and care about Kanao like an actual sister, some might say like a daughter. It's why they were hesitant about letting her become a Demon Slayer. But Kanao began training of her own free will which shocked the Kocho sisters.

It was one of the few times of her life that she spoke on her own behalf, and Shinobu and Kanae simply couldn't refuse such determination.

"B-B-B-Be c-careful, Tanj-jiro..." Kanao had spoken. "You t-t-oo, M-Master...G-Good luck."

Both Tanjiro and Kanae nodded. "Don't worry, Kanao. We'll be back before you know it!" Kanae said while patting Kanao's head.

"I'll do my best!" Tanjiro exclaimed with a bright smile. For some reason, whenever Tanjiro smiled like that, it was hard to be upset and one would often find themselves smiling as well.

Shinobu smiled, secretly resisting the urge to pat Tanjiro's head. "I'm sure you will, Kamado."

After saying their goodbyes, Tanjiro and Kanae departed. After standing around for awhile, Shinobu turned to Kanao.

"Come, Kanao. Let's continue training." She walked back to the mansion, followed closely by Kanao.


-That Night-

Kajima Village, Shizuoka

A middle-aged man with long black hair tied into a ponytail, green eyes, and a blue yukata was running for his life down a long alley. He was limping as his right ankle had been broken.

"HELP! FOR GOD'S SAKE, SOMEONE HELP ME!" He yelled at he ran towards the light at the end of the tunnel where everyone was minding their own business, their voices drowning out his cries for help.

Suddenly, the man felt a pull on his torso and was sent flying back. He landed on his back and gasped for air. He rolled over and got on his knees.

Ring! Ring!

The man's eyes widened as he heard something bouncing off of the ground, followed by a ring. It was the sound of a temari.

"P-Please...don't kill me! I'm begging you! I have a family!" The man pleaded as two figures stepped towards him.

One was a pale-skinned girl with an orange kimono, hazel eyes with cat-like pupils, black hair with orange-colored ends, and two temari in her hands.

The other was a young pale man with short black hair, eyes that he constantly kept shut, orange eyes with arrow-shaped pupils on his palms, and a green kimono with a dark gray haori.

"You hear that, Yahaba!? This guy has a family!" The girl said with a sadistic smile on her face.

The man named Yahaba seemed more sane in comparison but was still quite menacing. "Heh, if I had ten yen for every time I heard that. When will these humans realize that we don't need to hear about their personal lives?"

The victim of these two demons was paralyzed in fear, tears falling from his eyes. But, he soon found enough courage to turn around and reach to the light...

Splat!

That's when a temari hit his head with crushing force, causing it to explode.

The temari returned to the girl's hand, she giggled with delight. "That was fun! I just wish we could play some more."

Yahaba put a hand on his companion's shoulder with a malicious smirk. "Oh, don't worry, Susamaru. There are plenty of 'playmates' to have fun with."

The two demons laughed before dragging off the headless body of their victim.


Tanjiro

Fuji District

-Four Days Later, Day-

Tanjiro and Kanae walked through the crowded streets of Kajima Village. Once again, Kanae had to hold Tanjiro's hand.

The village wasn't as advanced or as bright as Asakusa. It had fewer tall buildings, but there were way more people walking around.

It was only natural that a lot of people would come here considering that this region was home to one of the most famous mountains in the world, and it sure lived up to that reputation.

The village stood right at the base of Mount Fuji, and was simply amazing.

Both Kanae and Tanjiro had stars in their eyes as they stopped and looked up at the giant mountain.

"I can't believe how huge it is!" Tanjiro exclaimed.

"I know, it's magnificent! Oh, I wish the girls were here to see this!" Kanae said.

Hearing those words made Tanjiro think of his family. Nezuko, Takeo, and the others always wanted to visit this place.

Tanjiro smiled sadly to himself.

"Hey, big brother!"

Tanjiro jumped before turning around to see a little girl trying to get the attention of a boy who looked to be Shinobu's age.

The boy looked at the girl who Tanjiro assumed was his little sister and smiled. "Yes, Fumiko?" The boy asked.

The girl named Fumiko pointed to a nearby stand that happened to be selling a bunch of sweets. "I want coffee jelly! Can I have some, big bro? Please!?"

The young man chuckled and so did Tanjiro. "Well, since you asked so nicely. Come on." He then picked up his sister and lifted her up high as she laughed playfully.

The scene warmed Tanjiro's heart, but that warmth did nothing to help his homesickness. Suddenly the young man and her sister were replaced in Tanjiro's mind by him and Shigeru. He could still picture his family's faces so clearly.

Tanjiro frowned, he took out the picture of his family. Memories poured through him, memories that he never wanted to end, memories of a time where he was happy.

Tanjiro...really wanted to go home.

"Tanjiro..." Tanjiro jumped, hid the picture in his pocket, and looked next to him. Kanae had been looking at him with a worried expression. "Are you okay?"

Tanjiro felt guilty, he didn't mean to make Kanae worry. He put on a fake smile and nodded, faking his expressions was much easier than straight up lying, not that it helped.

Kanae obviously wasn't convinced. She sighed and ruffled Tanjiro's hair. "Tanjiro, no offense, but you're a horrible liar." She said with a sad smile.

Tanjiro blushed before Kanae took both of his hands and held them in front of her chest with a serious expression.

"Tanjiro, don't feel like you have to take on this burden alone. If something is bothering you, I want you to tell me so I can help."

"You're not just my pupil, you're my friend, and friends help each other even in the darkest times, ESPECIALLY in the darkest times." Kanae's smile returned.

"Just know, if anything truly bad happens, I will protect you, even if you don't need it. I'll protect you because I hate seeing a friend in pain."

Tanjiro was shocked, he didn't think Kanae actually cared about him that much. It was nice to know, though.

Tanjiro returned Kanae's smile. "Thank you, Kanae. I'll protect you too! I'll protect all of Japan and beat Kibutsuji! That's a promise!" Tanjiro said with relit determination.

Kanae stared at Tanjiro before giggling. "That's great, I'm sure you will but...let's just focus on protecting this town first, okay?"

Tanjiro's determination had returned...and now so did his tomato-red face. "Y-Yes, Ma'am!" Tanjiro blurted out nervously.

Kanae giggled again. "Come on, we've still got time on our hands and I want to try that new coffee jelly I keep hearing about." Kanae dragged Tanjiro to the sweet stand they saw earlier.

After getting two cups, Kanae handed one to Tanjiro. "Here!"

"Th-Thanks." Tanjiro took it and took a bite, as did Kanae.

Both of them had widened eyes before their shock was replaced with heavenly joy. "Delicious..." they said simultaneously. After that, they got more.


-Many Hours Later-

Tanjiro was walking through the streets by himself, trying to blend in with the crowd while trying to pick up any demon scent...or the smell of blood.

He carried his sword inside of his hakama to not raise suspicion. He also wore a black cloak to hide the writing on his back.

It was very loud, a lot of people were celebrating or just hanging out. There especially a lot of grown men who were acting weird, they were also blushing for some reason.

People also kept bumping into him, he apologized every time, but only one in five would return the apology or say it was fine. The rest would curse him out or just outright ignore him.

"Calm down. Focus on why you're here."

Tanjiro sniffed the air, no blood or demon. Tanjiro was beginning to get frustrated, he's been at this for three hours already.

The sounds were getting louder, his head was starting to ring. He has to get out of there.

Tanjiro made his way to the nearest alley, making sure no one was making out there, and hid there for a bit to blow off some steam.

The irony was that he didn't notice the steam rising from his body.

"Why is it so hot all of a sudden?" Tanjiro thought as he wiped sweat from his head.

Sniff. Sniff.

Tanjiro's eyes widened.

"This scent...could it be?"

Tanjiro shot up to his feet and took out his sword, retying the sheath to his hip. The scent was coming from further down the alley, it was very far away.

"Demon...but no blood. Good, I can still make it if I hurry. I won't let them hurt anyone this time!"

Tanjiro ran down the alley until he was sure no one saw him. He looked up the tall walls on his sides and started to climb them.

He jumped from wall to wall, getting higher each time until he reached the building rooftops.

Sniff. Sniff.

Tanjiro's blood froze...

"Blood..."

Tanjiro leaped from building to building, leaving cracks in all of them from the force of his jumps. With each jump, he must've covered thirty feet at least.

It wasn't long before he made his way to a four-way intersection of alleys, away from where all the lights and people were. The place was illuminated by moonlight.

Tanjiro looked down from the roof to see two people, a young man and a little girl. Tanjiro's eyes widened, he recognized these two.

"I want coffee jelly! Can I have some big bro? Please!?"

"Well, since you asked so nicely. Come on."

It was those two from before, and what's worse, the brother was missing an arm...

"Big brother!" Tanjiro heard the girl that he remembered was named Fumiko.

"Gah! F-Fumiko...! You...You have to run, forget me!" The brother begged with tears in his eyes while holding his bleeding stub.

Fumiko shook her head. "No! I'm not leaving you!"

Tanjiro stood there frozen, this scene...where had he seen this before...?

Suddenly, he was back in the forest on Mt. Kumotori, standing in front of Nezuko...

"P-Please, Nezuko...F-F-Forget...m-m-me...Me...m-monster..."

"Stop it! Don't say that! That's not true, it's never been true and you know it!"

"Come on...Let's go home."

"Tanjiro! Behind yo-!"

Tanjiro held a hand to his neck and started hyperventilating. "No...NO! I REFUSE TO LET THAT HAPPEN TO ANYONE ELSE!"

"You should listen to your brother, kid."

Tanjiro looked down to the two siblings again and saw a smiling demon in an orange kimono approach them. "Unless you want to die along with him that is!"

Tanjiro's instincts kicked in and he jumped off of the roof. The demon below took out a temari and chucked it at Fumiko who stood in front of her brother.

"FUMIKO, RUN AWAY!" The brother yelled.

Before Tanjiro landed on the ground, he tore the skin on his right arm with his claws. He then flicked his arm downward, sending the blood near the siblings.

Blood Demon Art: Sun Conqueror - Hinokami's Protection

The skyward blood started glowing before erupting into flames that quickly surrounded the human siblings and deflected the temari.

Tanjiro landed on the ground, his face covered in shadow excluding his glowing scar and bright red eyes.

The temari demon's eyes widened as she caught the deflected temari. "What the-!? Who the hell are you!?"

Tanjiro glared at the temari demon, pointing his sword at her. "I'm Tanjiro Kamado, a Demon Slayer-in-training. I'm here to put an end to your killing spree!"

The temari demon stared at him. "...You're...HAHAHAHA!" She started laughing.

"HAHAHAHA! You hear that, Yahaba!? This kid's a Demon Slayer-in-training!"

Suddenly, another demon appeared out of the shadows and stood next to her, his eyes were closed and he wore a green kimono.

"I have ears, Susamaru." Yahaba said. "What I'm more interested in is the fact that this brat is a demon protecting humans."

Susamaru took out a second temari and started bouncing them off the ground. "Then that makes him a traitor, let's punish him and save Master the headache!"

"Careful, Susamaru. There's something about his Blood Demon Art, those flames seem...dangerous." Yahaba said.

Susamaru stared at her partner. "Huh? What's fire gonna do to us? We're demons, we can regenerate from any burn that isn't caused by sunlight."

Yahaba hummed as his eyebrows narrowed he held out his hand, revealing an eye on his palm that caught Tanjiro off guard.

"What is that...thing? It's so creepy!"

Tanjiro then saw two red arrows shoot past him. His eyes widened as he saw the arrow head towards the fire dome protecting the two humans from earlier.

"No!" He cried out before the arrows met the flames and burned up immediately. Tanjiro breathed a sigh of relief, remembering that his Blood Demon Art can negate other Blood Demon Arts.

Susamaru looked shocked. "Huh!? How did he-!?"

"Hmm, as I thought." Yahaba lowered his hand. " I just tried to use my arrows on the two in that fire bubble, but they got burnt to ash."

Susamaru looked shocked by this information while Tanjiro was confused.

"What was that arrow? What do they do?" Tanjiro shook his head. "Focus, now's not the time for questions!"

Tanjiro vs. Yahaba and Susamaru

Tanjiro charged at the two enemy demons. He inhaled and prepared a technique.

Susamaru saw this and threw five temari at him, pulling each one out of thin air.

Tanjiro stopped in his tracks and swung his sword in a circular motion, cutting through all five temari.

Hinokami Kagura - Burning Bones, Summer Sun

The temari were all cut in half, but then they began to float in the air. Tanjiro was confused by this until he saw the arrows going through them and pointing at his body.

The cut up temari crashed into Tanjiro's body, causing him to grunt. The blow wasn't that strong, but it sure wasn't painless either.

"Damn! I let my guard down but...I think I understand. Those arrows...they can carry whatever and possibly whoever they pierce in the direction their pointing in, almost like an object being dragged away by a rope."

The temari disappeared into a bloody mist as Tanjiro looked at his opponents. Susamaru threw two more balls.

Tanjiro responded by with a vertical slash followed by a horizontal slash.

Hinokami Kagura - Flame Dance

Tanjiro cut through the first temari and was about to cut the second one when an arrow appeared on the ground and went under Tanjiro's feet.

Tanjiro felt his body get dragged away, just enough so that his second attack missed the second temari. Tanjiro was shocked as the second temari raced towards his head.

Tanjiro tried to dodge but was only able to tilt his head enough to the right that he lost only a chunk of the left side of his face including his left eye.

A third temari came for him, Tamayo's reacted quickly despite the shock having just lost an eye. He gripped his sword with his right hand and pierced the temari with a powerful thrust.

Hinokami Kagura - Sunflower Thrust

Tanjiro managed to stop the temari from moving, but he only earned a laugh from Susamaru.

"Ha! You're so stupid! Did you really think you could stop it with an insignificant thrust!?" She said.

Suddenly, an arrow pierced the ball and aimed towards Tanjiro's head. Tanjiro felt himself lose control of his sword as the temari moved towards him with his sword still stuck to it.

Tanjiro recoiled as the temari hit his head multiple times, like someone hitting themselves with a hammer. Frustrated, Tanjiro grabbed the temari with his free hand and let fire shoot out of his palm.

Blood Demon Art: Sun Conqueror - Scorching Blast

The temari and arrow were burned to ash, Tanjiro felt his left eye starting to regrow and rushed the enemy again.

Susamaru grinned as she started to undo the top of her kimono, revealing a black sarashi covering her chest.

"This is getting interesting! You might be more fun than I thought!" She said as two sets of arms sprouted from her torso under her original arms.

"Six arms...of course..." Tanjiro thought but didn't let that stop him as he cut his hand with his sword and rubbed the blood on it.

Blood Demon Art: Sun Conqueror - Red Hot Blade

Yahaba narrowed his eyebrows at the sight of Tanjiro's blade erupting into flames.

"So he can ignite his own blood and use it to burn his enemies. And since he's a demon, he can see my arrows. This boy may be more formidable than we thought." He thought as a sweat drop moved down his head.

"If those flames can really burn our Blood Demon Arts, then he can now cut through them. The only way to stop him is to outmaneuver his flames."

"Susamaru." Yahaba called out. "Get ready to let loose."

Susamaru grinned devilishly as she summoned temari in all six of her hands. "Way ahead of ya."

Susamaru threw dozens of temari at rapid speeds, they all went towards Tanjiro.

The young swordsman easily cut through the first three, flipped over and cut two, landed and sliced through five, then six more were burned away as Tanjiro inches towards them.

Susamaru continued her volley as Yahaba held out his hands, the eyes on the palms blinked before multiple arrows spawned and took some of Susamaru's temari with them.

Tanjiro noticed this while slashing through temari after temari. Some of the temari strayed from their current path and went around Tanjiro, aiming for his backside.

Tanjiro took up a special stance and spun in the air, slashing through all temari in a vortex of fire.

Hinokami Kagura - Beneficent Radiance

Yahaba and Susamaru were surprised by the powerful attack. "This heat, it's unbearable!" Yahaba thought.

"What the hell is that breathing technique!? It's too hot!" Susamaru whined in her head.

Tanjiro charged in while the two demons were distracted. He was getting closer to Susamaru until Yahaba reacted first. Tanjiro was now in front of Susamaru.

Tanjiro was about to cut her head off as Susamaru realized what was happening. However, she was pulled back by one of Yahaba's arrows.

Tanjiro held out his hand and a line of fire shot out of his palm.

Blood Demon Art: Sun Conqueror - Crimson Flare Chain

The chain wrapped around Susamaru's waist, pulling her back towards Tanjiro who stuck his sword in the ground to keep himself in place. Tanjiro and Yahaba engaged in a tug-o-war.

Susamaru screamed in pain as she felt the chain burn through her skin. She grabbed the chain with her six hands and ripped it apart with all her force, causing her to be thrown back by Yahaba's arrow.

Tanjiro wasted no time, he recovered and rushed at Yahaba. Yahaba gritted his teeth and held out his hand saying, "Stay the hell away from me, trash!"

The eye on his palm blinked, three arrows came at Tanjiro from different sides.

Tanjiro sidestepped the first arrow, cut through the second, and ducked under the third. The first and third arrows turned around and aimed for Tanjiro's back.

Tanjiro turned around and slashed at the first arrow. As the third arrow neared him, Tanjiro saw the flames on his sword dying.

Yahaba noticed this too and kept his arrow at a distance until Tanjiro's sword returned to normal. Before that happened, Tanjiro chased after Yahaba to decapitate him.

"I have to get rid of this guy first! After that, the temari woman will be easier to deal with." He thought.

Tanjiro was close to cutting the demon's head off before a temari that Susamaru's threw crashed between them and forced Tanjiro back.

Tanjiro cursed internally as the flames on his blade vanished. He tried to cover his sword in more blood, but suddenly felt his sword arm get pulled back by the arrow Yahaba kept around.

Tanjiro was lifted into the air as he tried to pull his sword away. Before Tanjiro could burn the arrow with Sun Conqueror, Susamaru threw another temari at Tanjiro that managed to cut off his right arm, separating him from his weapon.

Tanjiro did not expect that and was to shocked to see the other arrow moving towards him as he fell to the ground.

Yahaba smirked and blinked his eyes multiple times. "We got him!"

Tanjiro was impaled by the arrow and carried into a wall. He bounced off the wall before another arrow came and carried him into another wall.

This repeated many times before an arrow carried a bloodied Tanjiro above the rooftops, moving rapidly in random directions.

"So...fast! Getting...dizzy! C-Can't...f-f-focus!" Tanjiro thought.

"Damn, kid! You're getting fucked up pretty good."

"Damn it, not now!"

"Hey, chill, man. I was just saying-."

"I don't need this right now, go away!"

"Tch, least you dropped the 'goody-goody' act. Look, I have a proposition."

"Not! Interested!"

"As much as I love seeing you get thrown around like a toy, I'm in a pretty generous mood. Let me take control, and I'll make short work of these fools."

"How stupid do you think I am!?"

"Well..."

"I can do this without your 'help', so leave me alo-!" Before Tanjiro could finish his inner dialogue, the arrow dragged him down the side of a building before sending him crashing into the ground.

The impact kicked up a small fog of dust with Tanjiro in the middle. Blood covered his left eye and scar, his hakama with adorned with large cuts and stained with blood. His right arm had regenerated while he was in the air.

The poor boy's ears were ringing and he couldn't see in the dust cloud, leaving him to rely on scent.

Sniff. Sniff.

"I don't smell those two siblings, did they get away? That's good, at least. Hopefully, they'll warn everyone else about this place." Tanjiro thought in a brief moment of relief, emphasis on "brief."

Tanjiro's eyes widened as he picked up the scent of multiple temari. He ducked, dodging six temari aimed at him.

Tanjiro smelled an arrow coming for him and he jumped. That's when he smelled another temari coming from his right.

Blood Demon Art: Sun Conqueror - Fire Claw

Tanjiro sent solar energy to his right hand, igniting his sharp nails, and slashed the ball to pieces.

Before Tanjiro could celebrate his small victory, an arrow snatched him out of the air and pushed him into a wall.

Tanjiro groaned in pain, but jumped from the wall as fast as possible, narrowly avoiding another temari. He rolled onto the ground, his back hitting another wall as he tried to get up.

Two more temari came out of nowhere. Tanjiro lifted his left leg and set it on fire.

Blood Demon Art: Sun Conqueror - Flaming Kick

With a fiery roundhouse, Tanjiro disposed of the temari before falling to his knees and breathing heavily. His vision became blurry, his eyelids were getting heavy.

"Not good...I'm exhausted...Have to...get my sword and...re-energize." He thought.

"Oh? Feeling tired? I know the perfect pick-me-up! If you waaaant, I can shoooow youuuuu!" Tanjiro's inner demon said in a sing-song voice.

"Enough! I can do this!" Tanjiro snapped, he was now at his wits end. He got up to dodge another arrow before jumping onto and off of a wall as four more temari with arrows chased him down.

"Come on, kid. I'm just trying to help."

"I said, enough already!"

"Stop being stubborn, you'll never win the way you are now. Don't you get it? You're a loser."

"Stop it..."

Tanjiro got distracted while dodging temari and got his left ankle blown off in the process. He fell on his face and rolled away from two more temari.

He got up on one leg and barely moved his head back enough to dodge a temari that came from the ground. He jumped up, followed by a swarm of arrow-temari.

"You think you can control this power given to you but you can't. You've barely scratched the surface of your true power."

Blood Demon Art: Sun Conqueror - Dragon Breath

Tanjiro sent solar energy to his throat and let out a wave of fire from his mouth...at least, he tried to.

He only ended up spitting out a few small embers that died immediately. Tanjiro was confused before his body was bombarded by temari.

His legs, blown straight to hell, his right arm, gone again, left arm, barely hanging on and totally broken, his face, covered in cuts and missing small chunks, his torso, riddled with holes.

"You want to be some kind of hero? Don't make me laugh. You're just a stupid little boy swinging around a large stick."

Tanjiro saw the temari go above him and start to go back down, the those demons planned to finish him with a storm

...

...

...

"Heh. Your family's probably better off without you, anyway."

"SHUT UUUUUUUUUP!"

Crash!

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

"Looks like we got him." Susamaru said with a proud grin.

Yahaba stood beside her as the dust cloud cleared away. "Yes, his Blood Demon Art and breathing techniques were formidable, but in the end, that little shit was all talk."

They both stared down at the crater where the remains of Tanjiro's body lay. His damaged clothes and torso along with his neck and lower jaw barely attached.

Yahaba frowned as he looked at his own clothes. "Still, what a pain. My kimono is now covered in dust! Did you HAVE to be so fucking reckless!?"

Susamaru rolled her eyes and groaned. "Oh get over yourself! You look fine!" She then smiled and lifted Tanjiro's sword. "Let's kill him with his own sword!"

"Wait, Susamaru. We should take him to our lord, he might be interested in this boy." Yahaba stated.

"Just imagine it, he may reward us for taking care of this traitor. Think of all the blood he'd give us. We'd have a guaranteed spot in the Kizuki!"

Susamaru's eyes widened as she realized Yahaba's point and become giddy. "Hahahahaha! Then what the hell are we waiting for!?"

Susamaru dropped the sword and went to grab Tanjiro's body which had already regrown its limbs.. "Careful, you fool. We don't know if he's truly unconscious." Yahaba warned.

Susamaru grabbed Tanjiro's collar when suddenly, she felt a hand on her face. "Mmrgh!?"

Susamaru instinctively grabbed the arm holding her with her top arms. She was about to use her other arms to push back her captor when...

"Hmm!?" She suddenly felt very cold, ice began to form in her body. Soon, she felt so cold that she couldn't move her body.

"W-What the...!? Why...Why is it so cold!?" Susamaru began to panic, she started clawing at the arm which she realized now belonged to the brat, Tanjiro.

She could barely feel anything, her extra arms had turned to ice and broke off.

"No...That's not it...He's...He's absorbing my body heat!" She realized, but she realized much too late.

She turned her head with pleading eyes toward her partner, but despair filled her as she saw Yahaba pierced by multiple black firey chains that wrapped around his arms and the eyes on his palms.

Tanjiro's orange flames became a dark black. Yahaba had one of his actual eyes open, his other eye had been pierced, revealing shocked red eyes with cat-like pupils.

Susamaru, tears now filling her eyes, turned towards the headless Tanjiro, whose body was covered in black flames and began to regenerate completely.

Tanjiro's head grew back, but it was much different. His skin was even more pale, almost white. His eyes were now blood-red and menacing. His burgundy tips were gone, leaving only black hair. The most notable change was his red scar which was replaced by a black mark in the shape of flames.

His clothes were different too, the white top of his hakama was colored a dark red and his dark blue bottom was plain black.

He smiled at Susamaru cruelly, enjoying her agony as her body froze. Multiple chains were shooting out from his right shoulder to Yahaba.

Blood Demon Art: Sun Conqueror - Heat Thief

"Hello! Sorry to interrupt but, I saw you guys playing and couldn't help but join the fun! Hope you don't mind!" Tanjiro? said.

Susamaru's eyes began to freeze, her sclera becoming redder. She felt Tanjiro's hand heat up, she knew what was coming.

"Someone...help me...Help me! I...I don't want to die!"

Blood Demon Art

"Yahaba! Lord Muzan! ANYONE!"

Sun Conqueror

"Sumire!"

Susamaru's eyes widened as a scene flashed in her mind. There was a beautiful woman with reddish-eyes and a kind-looking man with brown eyes.

The woman had a temari in her hand and handed it to her.

"Let's play, Sumire!"

"Play! I wanna play with the 'mari', mama!"

"Heh, heh! Hey, what about me? Can I play too?"

"Yeah, papa play too!"

Tears fell down Susamaru's cheeks before they were burned by the black flames covering her face.

"...Mama...Papa..."

Scorching Blast

Tanjiro?

"Tanjiro" stood over the headless body of the temari demon. He then turned his attention to the arrow demon hanging in the air.

"Yahaba, was it?" He said with an "innocent" smile. "That's one hell of a Blood Demon Art you got there. I'm almost jealous."

Yahaba glared at the young demon with his hood eye. "Bastard! He used his chains to cover up my palms! I can't use my Blood Demon Art!"

"And what the hell is with those black flames, and that attitude!? He's like a completely different person!"

While he thought over that, "Tanjiro" continued speaking with him.

"That said, you're pretty weak in the physical department. I barely used any solar energy to form those chains. Most of the demons I've seen so far could easily break out of it. Anyway, I think I've already figured out how to copy it." He said.

Yahaba's eye widened. "What...did he say? Copy?"

"Tanjiro" held out his hand and summoned black flames. "You see, these flames. At first glance, that's all they are."

"However, what no one knows is that I can command these flames to do whatever I want. There are only two limits, the amount of solar energy I have and my imagination."

The flames in "Tanjiro's" hand started morphing into a sphere-like shape. "Tanjiro" then threw the sphere onto the ground and it bounced right back into his hand.

Yahaba was speechless. "T-That's...! Did he just copy Susamaru's Blood Demon Art with his fire!?"

"Tanjiro" bounced the fire temari in a couple times with a satisfied look. He then grabbed the ball and threw in the air before drawing his right leg back.

The ball almost met the ground before "Tanjiro" kicked the ball in Yahaba's direction. The ball hit Yahaba's right arm and blew it off.

"GAH!" Yahaba screamed from the burn he felt. "Tanjiro" simply laughed his ass off.

"Hahaha! I got it, a perfect copy!" He said proudly. "Now, let's see if my second idea will work."

Another chain popped out of his back and grabbed Yahaba's severed arm with it. He took the arm from the chain and absorbed its heat.

The demon boy dropped the now frozen arm and held out his right hand again with his palm facing Yahaba. He then made an O shape with his left hand and put it in front of his right palm.

Yahaba could only watch as "Tanjiro" prepared his attack. "Is...Is he going to copy mine!? No...That's impossible!"

"Tanjiro" fired a scorching blast that went through his left hand and formed a black, firey arrow. The arrow pierced Yahaba's chest before a line of fire wrapped around his torso.

Blood Demon Art: Sun Conqueror - Arrow of Apollo

The chains around Yahaba's body were forced to let go of him as the fire arrow carried him into a wall, and then another wall, and then another, and then another, until he was sent crashing down to the ground.

Yahaba struggled to get up as he coughed up blood. He then felt a hand on his remaining arm. He looked up to see "Tanjiro" looking him in the face with a sadistic smile that made Susamaru look sane.

"Ah! Another perfect copy! I must thank you for this opportunity." He said before sniffing the air and frowning.

"Sadly, I don't have time. Looks like she's coming soon." He said, confusing and terrifying Yahaba.

"I wonder..." "Tanjiro" the thought. "Can I really hope to take on a Hashira?"

"Hmm...maybe if I use THAT technique...If I absorb this guy's body heat, I should be able to get over 40%." He smiled to himself and looked down at Yahaba.

"Hey, want to see something cool? Think of it as a thanks for the inspiration you gave me." He said mischievously.

Yahaba couldn't bring himself to speak, he felt paralyzed as he felt his arm go cold. It wasn't long before his body froze up to his neck.

"Tanjiro" stepped back and breathed in. Steam began to rise from his body. "Behold, this is but a fraction of Sun Conqueror's true abilities!"

The young demon's nails began to grow slightly longer, his skin became even more pale. Black veins appeared across his body and around his left eye. His hair stood up a bit higher and waved around like flames. His fire-shaped mark grew larger and neared his left eye, other flame marks appeared on the edges of his face. Finally, a single, black horn bursted out of the right side of "Tanjiro's" forehead.

Yahaba couldn't move his body, no matter how much he screamed at it to do so. The last thing he saw...was that boy's face smiling like a mad-man.

Blood Demon Art: Sun Conqueror

Awakening


DONE! HOLY SHIT, WAS THAT CHAPTER LONG OR WHAT!?

I hope you guys enjoyed it, I hope to get the next one out soon!

Now, it's time to explain some abilities!

Heat Thief - Tanjiro can refuel his stamina and Solar energy by stealing warmth from other people, lowering their body temperature and freezing them.

Tanjiro on the other hand gets a decent boost in stamina and solar energy. However, body heat does not compare to solar energy. After a while, all the absorbed heat will disappear.

For example, say Tanjiro has 35% solar energy and absorbs another person's body heat. He would then have about 42% solar energy.

But, after an hour or so, Tanjiro would lose that body heat and his solar amount would go back to 35% assuming he doesn't use it.

Please note, this technique is more helpful when used on people with high temperatures like someone with a fever.

Sun Temari - Basically the same as Susamaru's temari except...you know...fire...

Arrow of Apollo - Tanjiro can fire off a shot of flames and shape it into an arrow, once the arrow pierces its target, a flare chain will wrap around said target.

Tanjiro can then manipulate the direction of the arrow, throwing his enemies around like Yahaba.

Also, I know that naming this move after a Greek God is insulting and doesn't make sense and I apologize but hear me out.

You see, this move was named by Tanjiro's inner demon which is product of Muzan Kibutsuji.

If you remember, some demons are able to inherit Muzan's memories and I assumed this meant that they gained some of his knowledge as well.

Muzan is a being that is centuries old and would naturally know a lot about the world. At least, that's what I assume.

I assumed that demons created by Kibutsuji inherited some of his knowledge. I also assumed that demons don't care about religion so I thought it made sense.

When Tanjiro comes to, he will have no idea what Arrow of Apollo is and will likely rename it.

But, if you really want me to change it I will happily do so!

Awakening - Once Tanjiro has a 40% solar energy capacity in his body, he can evolve into a powerful advanced form, putting him above the above average demons and almost comparable to a Lower Moon.

In this form, his Blood Demon Art becomes much stronger and uses up less Solar Energy and Stamina. This forms only weakness is its time limit. Once Tanjiro's body can no longer keep up this form, he will be completely exhausted.

And that's all for now!

Make sure to tune in next time! Later!

Next Time: Chapter 12 - Onijiro