Opening: Distortion by BABYMETAL
It was in the middle of the night, when the moon was at its highest and brightest, where the demons were on the hunt. Except, for this occasion, they were not the ones hunting: they were the ones being hunted. A group of demons ran through a forest as fast as they could, each of them covered in sweat from how scared they were. They looked like ordinary people but with the staple pale skin of a demon along with their sharp teeth and claws. They couldn't stop running, they were powerless to what was chasing them.
One by one, they were picked off as the demon who lagged behind fell prey to the hunter that relentlessly chased them. The predator didn't miss a beat, slaughtering them left and right as if it were mere child's play. It wasn't long before there was only one demon left. He heard the screams of his comrades behind him but they were quickly silenced as soon as they were dragged away.
The demon repeatedly cursed to himself, praying he can make it out of this alive. However, he was interrupted when something smashed his head with enough force to split it open. He stumbled to the floor as a result and waited for his regeneration to kick in so he could continue. Once he got up, he noticed a large, bloodstained rock in front of him. That must've been what struck him just now, but what dropped it? Questions for later as he needed to move, now. He scrambled to his feet but was stopped once a massive chain shot through his torso. He looked at the long piece of metal in fear as it quickly retracted. The end of the chain had a massive hook which dug into the demon's skin and yanked him backwards.
He was flung a remarkable distance before scraping against the floor in front of his pursuer. His eyes widened with fear when he saw the large figure of green armor towering over him. The hook was ripped out of the demon as the hunter pressed the demon's head against the ground and asked with a growl in his voice, "Where's Muzan?" before a large, bearded vulture descended from the trees and perched itself on the shoulder of the Hellwalker.
The demon cried out, "How should I know, huh?!" the Slayer said nothing in response. Fine, if the demon didn't want to cooperate, he'll just have to be convinced to.
The Hellwalker proceeded to rip off the skin covering the demon's chest, exposing the rib cage and all the internal workings of the demon. The bearded vulture hopped onto the Slayer's arm as he raised it, presenting it's meal as he said, "Eat." The demon wasn't mentally prepared for what he was about to experience as the vulture happily climbed on top and began to devour the demon's rib cage like a delicacy. The amount of pain the demon felt from having his bones be consumed was indescribable. Despite their regeneration: they still felt pain. This pain proved to be too overwhelming far too quickly as the demon cries out:
"Okay! Okay! Stop! I don't know where Muzan is, I swear! So please, just make it stop!" The vulture perched it's head from the insides of the demon's stomach, looking to its master who was not amused at all by what he just heard. Out of frustration, the Slayer extended his new Nichin Arm Blade and decapitated the demon without hesitation. The Slayer stood up and watched the remains of the demon disintegrate to ash. The bearded vulture tried to eat as much as it could before it's meal vanished away, making the creature feel empty inside. The warrior got back to work at wrapping his substitute meathook chain around his arm once more in preparation for their next encounter.
As he did so, the Vulture chimed in with some news: "There is a town, nearby, that's being terrorized by demons. Eliminate the threat!" The Slayer made his way out of the forest. His work was not done yet.
Elsewhere in the middle of the day, the Flame Hashira, Kyojuro Rengoku, was on his way towards a village that was reportedly being harassed by a demon. He is a young man with long, spiky yellow hair that fades to red at the tips. He has black forked eyebrows with golden eyes. He wears the standard demon-slayer uniform under his white haori which is torn in a way to resemble that of a flame with an orange to red gradient at the ends.
It's been several weeks since the Hellwalker had abruptly left their meeting. Being honest, he still feels suspicion surrounding the warrior and his background. On top of his overall lack of respect for the people around him, he doesn't really have anything to show for the legend. He just shows up, disrespects the Hashira, destroys a wall, and calls it a day. Then, suddenly, their master is head over heels for this guy. Yeah, he can kind of understand why because the master gave them a rundown of what the warrior means to him and his family. However, that doesn't exactly confirm the existence of a legend that has never been brought to fruition for several centuries.
Now they're having to spread the word about the existence of this Hellwalker. He won't ever deny his master's wishes, but he sees this as nothing but absurd. At least it's a good tactic to bring Muzan out of hiding. However, that didn't really work then so why would it work now? He sees the village up ahead and smiles, he was getting close. Once he approached the village, some of the folk living there greeted the Hashira with smiles covering their faces.
The young man introduces himself, "I am one of the Hashira. I've been sent here to eliminate the demon disturbing your village." The civilians burst into a chuckling fit as one of them dismissively waved while explaining:
"Oh, that? That demon's long gone now." Rengoku raised his eyebrows out of curiosity as he questioned:
"How so?"
The civilian answered, "Some large guy in hulking green armor stormed through and took care of the demon already. It took him no time at all!" Another civilian chimed in from the back as they added, "As a matter of fact, we're still cleaning up the mess left behind from the demon's remains. It's blood is still staining our walls so we're trying to clean it off." A third civilian spoke to the others as he told them about how a friend of his in another town saw the same guy annihilate the demon there. They praised the coincidence and the warrior's strength.
Rengoku was baffled to hear this, the man's been busy, very busy. He has wasted no time at all when it comes to cleaning up the demons. Regardless, he still had something relevant to say to the citizens considering they were on-topic. He puffs his chest proudly as he raises his voice for all to hear, "I have an announcement for all of you to hear! The Hellwalker of legend is real! The very same man that has passed through your village and many others is the real deal."
This announcement silenced the masses as they all stared at the Hashira. Tears welled up in their eyes as they said, "A-are you serious? The Hellwalker's real?!" Rengoku gives a reassuring nod, sparking everyone to embrace one another out of sheer joy. They cried out of happiness, "We're saved! The Hellwalker's come to save us all!" The families would come together and join in a long, heartfelt embrace as they celebrated the good news.
It had become apparent to Rengoku how much of the legend was lost to him. He was always aware of it but never really believed it, not for a minute. Perhaps it was this ignorance that has blinded him to the truth of the matter. Those smiles and tears are not something ordinary people could produce. Those are the expressions of people who have suffered for too long and have finally found their salvation. He could only imagine what it felt like to be one of them, a powerless civilian hearing about a hero from fiction coming straight from the books to save you. It had to be a magical feeling, one he couldn't share. He's always relied on his own strength to protect others because it's his duty as someone in power. At least, that's what he was taught at an early age. Perhaps that string of words never really connected with him until he got older and he dismissed the legend.
Whatever the case is, this warrior is on their side and any effort to defeat the demons is greatly appreciated no matter what. For now, it's onto the next mission where he's needed.
At the Butterfly Mansion, Tanjiro, Inosuke, and Zenitsu were undergoing the rehabilitation needed to get them back in tip-top shape. This training would include several excruciating stretches, a reflex game which involved splashing cups of water at your opponent and preventing them from doing the same, and a game of tag. Shinobu oversaw their training but wasn't the one to personally train them. That was left in the hands of the other residents of the Butterfly Mansion.
Tanjiro's primary training partner was a girl named Kanao. She is a girl that's his age who has gentle, pink eyes with thick eyelashes. She has her hair tied in a ponytail with a butterfly ornament (like Shinobu) and thin bangs covering her forehead. She wears a purple variant of the demon slayer uniform except with a pleated skirt and a short, white cloak over it.
He was currently tasked with tagging her as they raced around an expansive room of the mansion while everyone stood on the sidelines to watch. Tanjiro had been learning to keep his breathing at a constant pace so he can maintain his power boost at all times. He needed that energy to flow through him so he could improve himself and tag Kanao. However, she was on another level. She was faster and more nimble than Tanjiro, easily weaving around each attempt of his at tagging her. It was, admittedly, frustrating for the boy. However, he wouldn't let this discourage him, he's only trying to get better.
As he thought he was getting close to finally tagging her, she juked him out with a brief sidestep. Tanjiro had gotten too focused on reaching the girl he was thrown off balance once she moved out of the way. It was similar to tunnel vision when someone gets too focused on something. He tripped to the floor and the game was over, he lost for however many times it's been (he stopped keeping count). Inosuke trotted towards the boy and mockingly said, "Is that all you got Konjiro? Get up!"
Tanjiro was quick to get back on his feet, dusting himself off as he told Inosuke, "Of Course not, but man, this breathing business is hard."
Inosuke barked as a result, yelling at Tanjiro, "That's no excuse! Get better, scaredy cat!"
Tanjiro was surprised that the boar boy remotely remember the fear that befell Tanjiro during the Mount Natagumo incident and asked, "You're not going to let that go, are you?"
Inosuke replied, "NOPE." Tanjiro sighed as a result, there was no arguing with Inosuke. Might as well drop it and leave it lost and forgotten to time. He turned to look at Kanao and felt himself captured by her beauty. Perhaps it's because he's never really been around girls much, but her presence was very pleasant to him. He couldn't lie to himself, she was very pretty. He slightly blushed but his thoughts were interrupted by Inosuke who got in his face and yelled, "HELLO? Are you getting stupid or something, Monjiro? What's the plan?!"
Tanjiro shook his head very quickly to get himself back in line, telling his comrades, "let's go on a run for now, we need to keep working at maintaining our total concentration breathing." Zenitsu whined from the back, walking up to the two boys as he complained:
"Ugh, I hate doing total concentration breathing. It hurts so much! I just want to lay in bed and fall asleep."
Tanjiro smiled, he needed to stay strong for the sake of his comrades and Nezuko. He spoke in a cheerful voice, "Come on, Zenitsu, you can do this! I believe in you." Zenitsu felt flustered upon hearing a compliment and remarked:
"All right, I guess I can." With that, the three boys left the mansion to go on a run. Kanao had been keeping her eyes on Tanjiro the entire time. Her expression never changed, maintaining a gentle smile like Shinobu. She had to admire how tenacious Tanjiro was. Despite falling to the ground, he always gets back up and tries to carry others with him. However, that's just her opinion which doesn't really matter much to her. All that really matters is whatever Shinobu has to say and tells her what to do. She heads off in a different direction to mind her own business.
Later, during the night, Tanjiro was atop the roof continuing his training. He had to master this as soon as possible so he could get back on the field and continue his duties. Inosuke and Zenitsu were exhausted from today's exercises but Tanjiro had enough left in him to do this little bit before calling it a night. He focused on taking deep breaths at a regular rate. He needed to learn to make it as natural as regular breathing for him so he can always maintain his power boost. It was difficult, his lungs ached and his whole body would hurt from being pushed that far.
However, due to his deep meditation, he couldn't quite notice the calls of someone nearby. It wasn't until the calls got louder and louder when he broke his focus to look. He saw Shinobu sitting right next to him with her usual, cheerful expression on her face. Tanjiro got flustered seeing this, he's never been this close to a beautiful woman before. She commented, "I see you've been working hard at your total concentration breathing."
Tanjiro responded, "I'm trying my best, it's not easy. It's got the other guys knocked out and I'm feeling a bit sleepy myself. However, we'll make it through like we always have."
Shinobu was amused by the boy's statement, complimenting him on his beautiful soul. They stared at one another for a period of time being Tanjiro noticed an odd scent of rage emanating from the woman. He pointed this out, asking, "Are you angry? Every time I'm around you: you're always angry." For once, Shinobu's cheerful expression broke into that of shock. She mellowed down and looked out into the distance as she responded:
"I am, actually, all the time. The demons enrage me to no end, always lying and cheating to get whatever they want. I always wonder: Is it even possible for us humans and demons to come to some sort of peaceful understanding? My sister was the one who coined the idea to me. She was a very kind person, like you, and even sympathized for demons. However, those very same demons that my sister cared about took her life without a second thought. They're nothing but savages, and every time I see another family lose something precious to them: It infuriates me even more. That's why I'd like to entrust you with my mission. I feel you have a better chance than I at finding the answer to this. I simply have far too much malice for the demons to ever want to give them a chance. Your relationship with your demon sister, Nezuko, has proven your worth. Although my fellow Hashira begrudgingly acknowledge your sister, they probably feel the same way I do about the matter."
Tanjiro processed all the information he just heard, also looking off into the distance where Shinobu looked as he formulated his words, "I don't think all demons are bad, they're just dealt a bad hand in life. That's why I can't bring myself to hate them." Shinobu softly retorted:
'If that were the case, how do you explain their actions? Despite being dealt a bad hand, how do you explain their commitment to violence?" Tanjiro was stuck, he didn't really know where to go from that. Shinobu abruptly stood up and looked down at the boy while saying, "Nevermind, I don't mean to get into a long, philosophical debate before you head to bed. You need to rest so you can keep going. I entrust my mission to you, Kamado." Before vanishing into thin air.
That's a lot for the boy to process, he had to take a breather and wrap his head around the many questions he was presented with. Can demons be reasoned with? Only time would be able to tell for the boy as he continues to encounter increasing amounts of danger in his career.
