Ch. 1
Two bodies clashed brutally in the Valley of Death. A battle that had been triggered by a thirst for unmeasurable power. Their friendship built on months of teamwork and collaboration, years of companionship was being torn to shreds for a promise of power.
The clashing forms hardly resembled their previous appearance. Large grey wings made of multiple long fingered hands grew out of a small teenager's body. With eyes of pure black and swirling sharrigan this boy no longer could be considered Sasuke. A wicked grin split across his face as he charged up a hand of chirping lighting. Today was the day he'd say goodbye to his only friend and teammate Naruto. This had to be done, he needed the power.
But, it wasn't just the Uchiha that had changed during this fight. The panting form of Naruto had also gone through a drastic evolution. A burning cloak of glowing red chakra covered him, head to toe. A tail waved behind him and two large ears twitched at the haggard breathing of his teammate. Rudy eyes tracked the miniscale twitches of his friend. Deep within him was a craving for more evidence to completely lose control to the beast within and shred the Uchiha to hundreds of pieces, to lick away at the blood on his hands and laugh. But he couldn't and wouldn't, Sasuke was his friend. One of his precious people. And he needed to bring him home in one piece, to show him how much he was needed and loved.
"Sasuke!" he roared, vocal cords thrumming with an ancient power. Naruto's voice echoed off the cavern walls. Even the sound of the raging waterfall couldn't defend his screams of anger and frustration.
"Come home!" Naruto's clawed right hand flexed and a swirling mass of chakra began to form. It's whistling symphony mingled with the screeching chirps of a thousand birds.
"You are even more of a fool if you think I would go back to that pathetic place" snarled Sasuke.
He could feel the power that promised to him course through his veins and there was certain to be more once he cleared this one problematic idot from his path. Though he found himself unable to fully meet the blonde's eyes. Each time he made eye contact with those molten red eyes, something inside of him screamed at him to run. To turn around and run far, far away.
What was he?
"Then I'll have to bring you home myself, even if that means I have to break every bone in your body"
A thrum of something close to fear beat in Sasuke's chest at the threat. He swallowed back the irrational fear. Why was he afraid of this idiot? The dead-last of the whole academic year, he was a fool to fear Naruto of all people.
"Come at me then and try," Sasuke taunted the blonde. He jumped to the side as the orange idiot advanced towards him with a powerful burst of chakra. Naruto blurred into a zip-zag streak of burning red and orange. Sasuke jumped up to evade the extended clawed hand, his sandaled feet gently sticking to the jutted rock walls. With the sharingan he could see water particles dancing in the air, and as they fell hitting him and the surrounding surfaces it felt like a torrent of infinite tears. Like the Gods knew what he was planning to do, and they cried in despair for the innocent soul he had to end.
Naruto twisted his body mid-air as Sasuke dodged his attack. His feet sliding on the chopping water at the bottom of the rock walls. Naruto's head snapped up, neck tendons popping at the sudden movement. His eyes landed on the swirling tomoe of the sharingan, snarling Naruto forced a rapid charge of chakra through his feet. The charge sent him blasting into the air, the water exploding around him. His one hand still held the rotating Rasengan, with the Kyuubi's chakra being added to it, it took on a purple swirling hue.
Sasuke raised his Chidori, fingers beginning to protest at holding just a powerful jutsu for so long. This was the moment, right here, right now. He rushed forward, running down the rock face. If he didn't end this now, he wasn't sure how much longer it would last.
Naruto's body stuck to the cliff side. His feet digging into the rough exterior, he too began to run towards Sasuke. They would meet in the middle. A crackling hand of wild lighting and a sphere of swirling winds. Both attacks would collide here. And their futures will never be the same again.
Time seemed to slow down for the two fighting teammates and their senses heightened. They could see their reflection in each other's eyes, could hear each other's harsh breathing and pounding heart beats. The two powerful chakra attacks met with an explosive force. The recoil jarring their bodies and tearing muscles and tendons. Sasuke's chidori slipped seemingly millimeters from the cutting winds of the rasengan, Naruto's eyes tracked the movement and with mountainous strength he pushed his rasengan to the side meeting the lighting of the chidori head on.
The two chakra met and combined. Deep within Naruto something screamed, a scream that foretold horrible things to come. Instead of the attacks sending the boys appart in an explosion, it only grew. More and more chakra was drained from Sasuke and Naruto. It was once said a large explosion of energy created their world and the residual energy became chakra, and what once could be made could be unmade. The draw of chakra was so strong that both boys began to feel the strain, Sasuke fainted long before Naruto, he fell into the raging waters below. While Naruto's normally blue chakra was beginning to show red. He could feel the Kyuubi within him screaming at him to stop. But, nothing he could do would work. And before he knew it this strange spontaneous event changed his life forever.
The mass collection of chakra suddenly began to ripple, its edges pulsing in an intense heat Naruto never felt before. He tried to pull his arm away, fingers digging into his own flesh to hope to gain freedom. But, instead the chakra mass pulled him in. Inch by inch Naruto's body was slowly swallowed by the glowing energy, until he was completely covered. And with that the mass of energy imploded inward, creating a small black worm hole. It sucked in water and rocks and disappeared leaving no trace of the orange ninja.
When Kakashi arrived neither boy could be found. Not even Pakkun could catch a trail of scent. He fell to his knees and let tears stream endlessly down his face, collecting with the rain puddles beneath him. He had failed them, he had failed his sensei.
After what seemed like hours, Naruto was expelled from the mass of energy. His eyes snap open just in time to see himself falling from the night sky. His bleeding and broken arms tried to reach towards anything to slow his descent but the area was empty of anything close to grab onto. So he fell, slamming hard into the dirt-packed road. His head slammed hard, any consciousness he gained was lost into a swirling vortex of white stars and blackness. If Naruto hadn't hit his head he might have noticed that his descent landed him right next to an old Japanese style house. Older than any he'd have seen in Konoha. He'd notice that his sudden arrival and loud landing drew the attention of the house's occupancies.
A powerful boom echoed the quiet courtyard of the Butterfly Mansion. Tanjiro's eyes snapped open, he held up a hand to stop Sumi, Kigo and Naho from hitting him for breaking total concentration. Something just happened and it woke him up. He breathed in deeply and the air smelt like burnt ozone, blood and tears.
"Hey Tanjiro," Zenitsu's loud whisper drew his attention. "Did you hear that too? Whatever that was, it shook me awake."
"HMMPH! LET'S GO FIND OUT!" Inosuke roared, flaring his legs and arms he freed himself from his bed. "IT MIGHT BE A DEMON TRYING TO BREAK IN!"
"Inosuke, please be quiet, there are others who are trying to sleep." Tanjiro told his friend quietly, and the boar head boy nodded. "But, I do agree with checking it out. Sumi, Naho and Kigo please stay here." The three girls nod before sitting on the ground.
Together the trio quietly snuck out of their room, being as quiet as possible as they crossed the wooden pathway towards the courtyard's entrance gate. "Boys, where do you think you're going?" Together they froze, turning their heads. They caught the sight of Kanao and Shinobu staying in uniform under the moon's light. "I hope you weren't planning to investigate that loud boom when you don't have your weapons and aren't even fully healed. I sure hope that wasn't the case, as you need to heal up. It would be a very silly idea."
Zenitsu choked back a lie, "N-no…"
"Because it seemed like that's what you were planning…" Shinobu's purple eyes trailed over each of their faces. "Since you're awake as it is, you may follow. But, you must stay behind the wall at all times. Kanao-chan and I will look" The young demon slayers all agreed and followed Shinobu and Kanao towards the entrance gate.
They all moved slowly, not to draw attention to themselves. Even Inosuke shuffled along quietly, bare feet stepping over browned leaves and loose rocks. Shinobu and Kanao jumped the estates wall and landed effortlessly on the other side. Their booted feet barely make a sound. The trio of boys followed suit, but instead of jumping down they balanced themselves on the wall and huddled together in their white clothing. They could see a form crumpled on the ground not far from where Shinobu and Kanao stood, most of the figures' clothing seems to have burned away, only leaving behind a very bright pair of orange pants. It seemed to be a young boy.
"Are they dead?" Inosuke whispered in the only way he knew how, which wasn't really a whisper.
"No, I can hear labored breathing. It sounds wet." Zenitsu comments.
Tanjiro nods his head as he watches the girls walk closer to the limp figure. He could smell the metallic smell of fresh blood, it was a fresh bleed too.
Shinobu raised her sword and poked the bleeding figure. The body twitched. "Hello, are you okay?" The boy's chest heaved as he tried to take a deep breath in. Shinobu took a chance and crouched near the boy's head. "Hello?"
She had to jump back quickly, grabbing Kanao as she did so. "Shinobu-san?" Kanao asked, her head was cocked to the side as she looked at her sister figure.
"That boy… his eyes are glowing."
And indeed they were. Naruto pushed himself up on shaky arms, his head left like lead and he couldn't concentrate. It felt like cotton was shoved into his brain, his body shook, arms and legs felt like they've been filled with broken glass. Yet, as he looked around he didn't recognize anything, and the figures in front of him didn't ring a bell of recognition. Something inside of him still was yelling, screaming in pain and he needed to let it out.
Naruto roared, his jaw dislocating and his already long k-9's grew even longer. His glowing red eyes quickly swept over everything in search of something familiar, nothing. It caused him to fall into even more panic. He leaned forward on his forearms and used his four limbs to push himself into a quadruped-like stand. Clawed hands digging into the dirt beneath his palms, he lunges forward. Ignoring the searing pain in his body, he needed to leave, needed to find a small place to curl up and rest.
He was so out of it he just barely noticed a glimmering blade coming mere millimeters from his neck. "Dance of the Bee Sting: True Flutter" Naruto's body quickly twisted and rotated himself away from the swinging blade. He snarls, mouth dripping blood and foaming saliva. It hurts to breathe, hurts to move, and the screaming in their head isn't helping.
"Second Form: Honorable Shadow Plum" Another attack came towards him from his back, he wasn't able to move in time and the blow landed. Several rotating slashes from her katana sliced into his skin like butter, rivulets of ruby blood dripped down his tan flesh. Naruto's vocal cords tear as he screams, he uses his back legs to twist around, clawed hands reaching out trying to tear into the strange patterned clothing of their attacker. "Attack boy! Attack! Tear into these people...They've hurt us!" Naruto wants to follow the voice in his head but his body wouldn't listen, his knees buckle and he falls forward. Shaky, weak arms barely catch his fall before his face meets the ground once more.
"Filthy demon, you will die here." Kanao's voice bounces around Naruto's head and he flinches hard into himself.
-demon was he a demon… who was he… where was he-
"Tanjiro wait!" Naruto's bloody vision follows the blurry figure of a boy running towards him. Naruto hunches himself into a smaller ball. Fearing more pain to come.
"Stop! Stop! Don't hurt him!"
Zenitsu and Inosuke chase after their friend, bare feet kicking up gravel and dust.
"FINALLY I WANNA FIGHT TOO" Inosuke screeches into the night.
"Inosuke not now!" Zenitsu hushes the boar boy. They were watching the fight, it was rather pathetic from the start. The demon boy was weak and hurt. And to Zenitsu's ears he sounded scared, those roars might have made him shake between his two friends. But, the demon's voice didn't sound angry, it sounded scared and terrified. Tanjiro's body just seemed to get more and more tense as the battle continued. And just before Kanao and Shinobu put down the killing blow he leapt off the estate wall and ran towards the girls and bleeding demon. Now, he and Inosuke were chasing after their friend who was defending a strange demon boy.
"Tanjiro, what are you doing? He is a demon, he needs to be killed!" Zenitsu yells after the burgundy haired boy. But the two friends knew that once Tanjiro's mind was made on something it was rather difficult to change it.
"KAMADO-KUN! What are you doing?" Shinobu lifts her katana as the young demon slayer slides in between her and the bleeding form of the boy demon. Tanjiro spreads his legs wide as well as his arms, he stands firm, staring at the shining blade of Shinobu.
"Don't kill him." He says. "Please. He smells good, can't you see he isn't purposely trying to attack anyone. He's just trying to defend himself. Please." Tanjiro looks over his shoulder at the gurgling sound of the bleeding demon. Him and the other demon slayers witness his red eyes fade away to crystal clear blue, they see his fangs shrink and strange facial markings vanish into three whiskey like scars on each cheeks. The strange demon faints, falling forward unconscious once more.
"Please. Trust me." Tanjiro pleads.
Shinobu sighs and puts her sword back into its holder. She turns to Kanao who was still holding her katana in hand, "Please go get some Kakushi and have them take this… boy into a room with no windows. And see to it how we can treat his wounds."
She turns her head, purple eyes staring into Tanjiro's dark red ones. "You will have to help care for the boy, along with your training. If anything happens it'll be on your shoulders Tanjiro."
"Understood"
Ch. 2
Tanjiro shadowed the three Kakushi as they carried the unconscious demon boy into a back room. He couldn't withhold small winces with their rough handling of the blonde. The back room was more like a storage room, with barely any room for all the body's squished inside of its four walls. An old futon was quickly dusted off and placed on the ground, and the blonde boy was placed on top.
His clothes were in tatters and barely recognizable but they didn't want to chance him waking up if they tried to change him. The wounds on his body healed before their eyes as they were tying up his limbs to stop him from escaping when he woke. The ropes were infused with wisteria with hopes of keeping the already weak demon weak. The Kakushi were quick with their handling and soon they left, not without looking from Tanjiro to the sleeping demon.
"Strange boy"
Tanjiro placed his sister's box in the corner of the dark room and situated himself beside it. His two friends Inosuke and Zenitsu crowded around the door's opening.
"Eh, Tanjiro, I don't think it's wise for you to be staying here. What if he wakes up?" Zenitsu asked, his honey colored eyes quickly moving from his friend and the unconscious blonde on the futon.
"Even if he wakes up I have this strange feeling that he won't hurt us. I mean you saw the fight didn't you two? It seemed so one sided, like he was just trying to get away." Tanjiro's own wine colored eyes drift to the slumped figure. His long limbs were dirty and even though his injuries healed within moments, there were hundreds of small faintly pink scars that littered his oddly dark complexion. His nails were uneven and ragged and under the thin sheet that was hastily thrown over him Tanjiro could see his thin figure. The boy wasn't skeletal but it was clear he hadn't eaten well in his life. His spinal cord was a little too prominent and his ribs flared under his taunt skin. Whoever this boy was, his life seemed to have not been an easy one. It made Tanjiro want to care for him in some way, maybe it was his older brother's personality coming through.
Tanjiro leaned back against the wooden wall, and breathed deeply. That strange ozone like scent still clung to the blonde boy but it was fainter. He mostly smelled of oak trees and sea storms. How odd.
"Hmph! Well if Gonpachiro is going to sleep here, then I will too! I can't leave my subordinate with a sleeping demon!" Inosuke grunted, and shouldered his way into the already small cramped room. He folded himself into one of the darkened corners. The wild boar eyes of his mask stared down at the blonde on the futon. He wouldn't lie, the blonde demon didn't feel particularly bad. He had felt like what Gonpachiro was saying, the tightened muscles of a person in flight. But, who was he to judge? Maybe the demon was super strong and super evil. They could only wait and find out.
Zenitsu groans to himself as he too squishes his way into the impossibly tiny room. His back braced against the door frame and his bare feet angled towards the box that tiny Nezuko was sleeping in. It would be morning soon, and he had no doubt this unknown boy would bring a surprise their way.
The morning came slowly, the suns' rays beginning the gradual warming process of the day. Tanjiro's eyes open to the darkened room, with it being a storage room and windowless; it still appeared to be night in the darkness. But he knew that the morning had arrived. Slowly getting up, he stretches. Back tendons popping the hardwood floor wasn't the best place to sleep.
Inosuke surprisingly was already awake. His boar mask sat propped on his lap, he was watching the unknown man and had for a good couple hours before the sun rose. The blonde was still unconscious, and had barely moved during the night.
"Oh, good morning Inosuke!"
"Hmmp!" Inosuke shot to his feet, and placed the boar head over his own. "I will go see about food!"
Tanjiro nods, "Sounds good to me"
While Inosuke was away; Tanjiro knelt by the blonde's head. Putting a hand on his chest he could feel the strong heartbeat under his hand. Zenitsu snores softly from his spot by the door entrance.
Lifting his hand from the moving chest, Tanjiro glances over the rest of his body. He was bare chested, and all his wounds were healed already. Before he could assess anything else about the lanky blonde, Inosuke arrived with a huge tray of food. In the process of coming into the room he had pushed Zenistu to the side causing the sleeping bi-colored blonde to fall down.
Zenitsu startled awake with a yell, but quickly covered his mouth in fear of waking the unknown boy. Eyes moving rapidly over the still slumbering figure.
"I wonder if I should try waking him up and seeing if he wants to eat," Tanjiro asks aloud as Inosuke truges through the cramped space. The blue bi-colored boy sits down quickly and starts to hand out the still warm dishes.
"I think that's a stupid idea" Inosukes says, shovling pipping hot rice and meat into his mouth "We don't know if the demon can even eat human food."
Tanjiro takes a bowl of rice and a small plate with crispy fish on it. "I feel rude eating beside someone who is unconscious." But Inosuke was right, together the trio ate quickly in case the blonde boy woke up.
About 30 mins later a small knock on the door frame alerted them to a kakushi, they were carrying a large wooden tub with clothes folded in it and the other hand was holding a steaming tea kettle by the handle. "He needs to be cleaned, and Shinobu-sama said you had to do it"
The kakushi sounded female, and before they could thank them, they left. Leaving behind the cleaning items, and a small package that appeared to be white clothes. The same ones they were currently wearing in fact.
"Looks like we are in charge of cleaning him up, and dressing him" Tanjiro gathered up their dishes and began the process of pouring the hot water into the wooden tub. The bathing process was relatively easy, as the blonde was still out of it. The clear water was muddy by the time they got to his torso. Inosuke only grumbled a bit as he helped the boy over. Zenitsu's job was to ring out the washcloth and re-wet it when needed, and Tanjiro gently rubbed the cloth down the boys' legs, arms and torso.
He was extra gentle on his face, the soft cotton woven cloth washed away the thick grim around his neck and forehead. They all ignored the thick dried blood that clung to the boy's bright blonde hair. The strange whisker-like scars on his face made them pause, an unanswered question hung in the stale air. "Who would carve these into this boy?"
"Is it normal for someone to sleep this long?" Zenitsu asks as he wrings out the cloth again.
"Maybe demons sleep a long time? Nezuko slept for almost two whole years."
"Two years?" Inosuke asks, he rolls the blonde so that his lower back is accessible to Tanjiro, who gently scrubs at the dirt and grim being careful of the pucked scars on his skin.
"What if he sleeps for two years like your sister? Would we have to care for him the whole time, I wouldn't want to care for an immobil demon for two years." Zenitsu complains as he once again wrings out the washcloth.
"It would be easier though, to care for him, that's for sure. But I don't think he'll sleep that long"
Once Tanjiro was sure he got most of the boy's body cleaned, he and his friends dragged out the wooden tub. And together they emptied the dirty water onto the rock path. They then placed the dishes inside the wooden tub for easy carrying.
They returned to the room and quickly changed the unconscious boy into the clean linen. Neither boy looked at each other after the process, their faces red.
The rest of the day passed with ease, the trio trained outdoors and took breaks under the shade.
When dinner came around, again they decided to eat inside the cramped room. Nezuko was still in her box sleeping the day away. The blonde boy seemed unphased to the commotion around him.
"This is boring!" Inosuke shouts, pieces of rice and vegetables fly from his mouth.
"Yeah totally agree for once; this is a punishment on its own. Do we have to watch him, till he wakes up?"
"Perhaps, but I don't see an issue with caring for him," Tanjiro picks up some daikon radishes with his chopsticks, he was used to caring for people. It just came naturally to him it seemed.
"Hmmph!" Inosuke grunts, he reaches over the sleeping boy to grab some of the same daikon radishes that Tanjiro just ate. Suddenly there was a tan hand gripping Inosukes arm tightly.
"The Hell!"" shouts Inosuke, dropping his rice bowl he uses his other hand to try to pry off the fingers, but the demon boy's grip was tight! His radius and ulna bones were grinding against each other painfully. And the more he struggled the tighter the grip got.
"Hey!" Zenitsu leaps over the food to help Inosuke; even with both of them trying to pull off the demon boys' arm they were unable to loosen his iron fingers.
As Tanjiro moves to help his friends, his wine eyes clash with molten red. Slit pupils contrast and expand as they try to focus. Tanjiro swallows a strangely dry throat and notices that the demon beneath them didn't make another move towards them. Besides tightening the already tight hold on Inosuke's arm. The crushing sound of tendons and bone were audible to even Tanjiro's ears.
"Please release my friend's arm." Tanjiro asks the red eyed demon. The demon's eyes trace over Tanjiro's face once more; and he blinks. The strange molten red eyes fade into a pair of bright sky blue.
"...sorry" croaks the demon. And he releases his hold on Inosukes' arm. A deep bruise was already forming.
"It's alright; thank you for listening"
"Hmm" the boy flexes his fingers, as though he wasn't used to seeing them. He then raises his arm up, but the movement was cut short of a full extension. There were ropes soaked in wisteria tied around his forearms and legs. His blue eyes land on Tanjiros' again this time in clear confusion.
"Sorry, you have to understand that we can't fully trust that you won't hurt us, or even yourself."
"He almost broke Inosukes' arm with just his bare hand! He is dangerous! I knew this was all a bad idea!" Zenitsu yells, pointing a shaking finger at the visibly confused blonde demon.
His strangely whiskered face frowns and his blinks his blue eyes slowly again. "Sorry. We didn't mean to hurt anyone."
"WE?!" Squeaks Zenitsu, his body was plastered against Inosukes'. The beast breather was currently rotating his arm, checking for any damage. Thankfully it was just some bruised muscles and bones. The demon had a strong grip that's for sure.
"I am fine, see." He shows Zenjitsu that he was still able to move his arm in the right ways. "Hey Gonpachiro are we gonna kill the demon now?"
"No!" Tanjiro just about yells, his eyes track the blonde demon's movements. The curling of his shoulders and tucking of his head, the demon was acting more like prey than an actual threat. "I don't think he meant to hurt you."
"Naruto…"
"What?" snaps Zenitsu.
"Our name is Naruto…"
Tanjiro smiles softly at the small boy, with him being awake. Tanjiro could finally see that Naruto was quite smaller than he seemed. He seemed so young in truth. Tanjiro picks up an empty bowl nearby and scoops some rice into it, he places a few pieces of meat and greens before handing it to Naruto.
"Hello, Naruto. Here eat."
