THE COLOR OF THE WORLD

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Disclaimer: Kimetsu no Yaiba belongs to Koyoharu Gotouge

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Genre(s): Adventure/ Hurt/Comfort

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Warning(s): Typo is my most loyal fan, spelling mistakes because English is not my mother language, Possibly OOC and a lot of Angst. I hope.

Betae'd by y1fellas

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Manga: Chapter 2 & 3

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"Excuse me, sir." Nezuko bowed to the farmers who were doing their usual job one fine morning. They stopped their activities and gave her a smile, which she returned albeit a little tiredly. "May I take that basket, a little straw, and bamboo? I'll pay for it."

"Oh, no, no. You don't have to. The basket has a hole in it." The husband waved his hand, dismissing her offer. "If you really want it that bad, just take it. You can get the straw and bamboo for free too."

"Are you sure? My brother always said to pay someone when you ask for something. It's only right."

"If the good is in better shape and keeps pristine, sure. But that basket is basically trash for us." He held the hoe up to his shoulder, grinning good-naturedly. "Really, just take it. We planned to throw it away, anyway."

Nezuko blushed a bit at their kindness. She bowed for the second time and proceeded to pick up the things she needed. As the couple bid her goodbye and wished her a safe journey, she climbed the mountain not far from the outskirts of town. She was careful not to make others curious about what a lone girl like her was doing in the middle of the gloomy forest, in case they decided to follow her along. She did this by hiding when a carpenter passed her or making up an excuse when they found her before she could blend in. After a couple of minutes of surveying the area, she finally approached the small cave at the top of the mountain. She crouched low and peeked inside. Her heart stopped for a second when she saw it empty. Where—. Nezuko was ready to scale up and down the whole mountain and check every nook and cranny if she had to but stopped short when a frightened face, covered by the checkered black and green pattern haori, popped up from underneath the earth.

"Oh, there you are, Niichan." She breathed a sigh of relief. "Did you dig that hole? You look like a mole now."

Tanjiro whined and Nezuko giggled. Her brother—now turned demon—must really not have wanted the sunlight to hit him. Giyuu said he would burn and, knowing the sensation itself after her first week of learning how to cook, she didn't want to imagine how painful it would be when your whole body was being roasted alive instead of just one finger. So, she told him to wait as she made a make-shift bag for him to hide using the broken basket, straw, and bamboo she got. Nezuko wanted to travel during the day too, not wanting to waste time, because, rather than waiting for the sun to come down, she could use that time to research a cure for her brother's symptoms instead.

"Oh, you're too big." The dark-haired girl chewed her bottom lip, watching the bottom half of Tanjiro's body peeking out from the basket. She knew her brother was taller than her, but she didn't know he was this tall.

Wait...

When he tried to fight Tomioka-san, didn't his body grew ten times bigger than he was before? She mused aloud. "Maybe it was his power? That he got after turning into a demon?"

"Niichan, you're as big as an adult now." She gestured, tapping Tanjiro's back to get his attention. "Can you maybe… reverse that? And get smaller?"

Tanjiro rolled upward and lifted the basket on top of his head. Before he met her eyes, smiled and nodded. Nezuko was a bit startled when he suddenly began wiggling around, pushing his entire body into the bag. It kind of reminded her of how Hanako tried to stuff the whole laundry into one drawer, mushing the clothes to fit inside. Except change the clothes into a human being, and you get the gist. The second sibling held the basket so as to make it didn't topple over. Within a blink, Tanjiro was already a lot smaller than before. His face became younger, and his body size was similar to what their youngest brother's had been (She held back a choked sob.)

"That's perfect, Niichan. I can carry you easily, now!"

Tanjiro clapped his hands in happiness. A contagious happiness, because Nezuko herself laughed with obvious mirth.

To get to the mount Sagiri, they first had to cross the mountain at the opposite end of town, at least that was according to a passing mother and son that Nezuko asked along the way. The mother was worried about her, a lonely girl, trekking up the mountain in the middle of the night, bringing a huge load on her back to boot. But Nezuko just shook her head and bowed, thanking her for the directions. She listened to her advice not to get lost because people really did disappear there, and promised to be careful.

When she was sure that they were deep within the foliage, Nezuko let her brother out now that the sun was set. He may not have needed to breathe like a normal human anymore, but that didn't mean she felt okay with keeping Tanjiro cooped up inside a basket all day long. Her demon brother stretched out—figuratively and literally, as his body grew back to his usual size—and fondly messed her hair for no reason. Or maybe he tried to give her a 'good job' pat for climbing up the mountain without rest, not to mention carrying him around. He may be just as small as Rokuta but it was still a rigorous job, nonetheless. Especially given that Nezuko was female and she hadn't been doing the heavy workload around the house for a while—besides putting the youngest to sleep—as the boys volunteered to do so. (Did. They were gone now. No, don't think about it!) Nezuko's cheeks turned red and she pouted when she heard him chuckling behind that thick bamboo.

Tanjiro suddenly stopped short, however, his ginger orbs sharpened like a cat and his nose twitching like crazy. Nezuko blinked in wonder and was ready to ask what was wrong. Before—

A red fog flew in front of her eyes.

The same one she saw at their old house.

The same fog of death.

Her head immediately twisted, horrified gaze landing on the way station across from them; a temple made of wood and shoji door that was rotted by time. No. Nezuko ran towards it, Tanjirou following behind. No, please don't tell me—

"Hello!" She yanked the door open. "Is everyone oka—"

Red, red, red, red no! Stop making her reconsider whether she likes the color or not! Not again! Not like this!

"What? Hey!" The demon she didn't realize was there (Too caught up by the corpses. Too caught up by the reminder that this is how her family left this world too) glared at them. Those yellow eyes widened and the nerves bunched around the sclera, adding to the grotesque effect. His shoulder-length black hair was matted with dried blood. And those sharps fangs glinted in the moonlight, glistened with the flesh he consumed and liquid he drank. The beast growled. "This is my territory! Get away from my feeding grounds, brat!"

He's… he's a man-eating demon!

(Tanjiro stood at the entrance. Gaze lingering on the broken bodies of a former happy family.)

Ginger orbs sharpened. The black pupil tightened. His fangs gritted, cracking the bamboo in retaliation.

"Hm?" The demon blinked. "Something is wrong here. Are you two..."

Nezuko tensed up.

"...human?"

The demon lept—

She swung her weapon—

SLASH!

It hit his neck.

"A hatchet?" He halted his advance, letting out a growl. The demon lifted his hand to feel the blood gushing from the neck. A low rumble rose from his throat as he laughed. "Not bad. Not bad at all~"

"But a wound like this will heal in no time." He bragged, releasing the wound. Nezuko watched in horrified amazement when the slash indeed, slowly closed up. The blood that was littering his neck dried up like it was sucked up from the inside. "See?"

While Tanjiro still stood motionlessly at the temple entrance, the demon immediately jumped on Nezuko, who couldn't manage to let out another strike. She coughed when he went for the neck, tightening his hand and clawing the skin. The second Kamado heard the demon talking about killing her, but she was too busy trying to lift the disgusting hands from her throat, wanting to take a breath as much as she could, instead of answering back in defiance. The demon was fast. And strong. She could practically see the black dot swimming at the corner of her eyesight already. She choked, as tears started welling up. No. There's no way she could die in a place like—

Before she could finish that thought, however, a gust of wind rustled. Tanjiro practically teleported to her side, orbs slit. And like a flash of light—

WHAM!

—he threw a kick hard enough that the body of the demon stayed on the ground, yet his head flew like a ball. Nezuko blanched.

He...he just killed him! mouth agape, she threw the headless body aside. Well, he was a demon, but— "N-Niichan—"

The clawed hands moved towards her face—

And Tanjiro threw another kick, sending the body to the air for several seconds before it hit the tree and stopped.

D-Did it just move? Nezuko was frightened. That body just moved even with its head ripped off!

"Why you!" The head talked! She wanted to cry! "I knew it! One of you is a demon! What are a demon and a human doing together?"

THUMP, THUMP, THUMP, THUMP!

The body had stood back up and then tackled the surprised Tanjiro. Something in Nezuko snapped when she saw her brother's widening eyes. When she saw the headless body was ready to rip his face off!

"STOP IT!" she grabbed the hatchet and swung it as fast as she could, intended to chop its torso—

A fog of black wafted.

She made a sudden turn and struck the flying head instead.

Somehow, the demon managed to chomp the blade with his sharp fangs before her attack could separate the head in two, and hands that she never realized were growing at the side of his head grabbed her shoulders.

KYAAAA, NO! Nezuko scrunched her eyes closed and tightened her fist. Disgusting, disgusting, disgusting—

"GET OFF OF ME, YOU PERVERT!"

BUAK!

"GRAAH?!"

(How?! The demon demised, pupil dilated as it took the view of the night sky in a startled groan. How could a weak girl like her have such a mean hook?!)

With a loud cry, Nezuko made a wide swing and planted the hatchet into the nearest tree trunk, along with the demon who managed to tangle his hair up in the whole handle. Breathing a bit hard, she made sure the demon could not move for now and ran to the direction he was sure the body took her brother away in. It didn't take too long as she saw them fight near a cliff in the darkness. The body's leg stomped down, Tanjiro evaded. The reddish-brown haired boy swung his leg to trip him up, and the demon dodged again. Nezuko tackled it in mid-air and both of them flew for a second—

Right into the abyss.

Her terrified scream cut off when she felt a tender hand clasped around her wrist. She thought she heard a smack, like a damp cloth being thrown to the washing board. (Yet worse. Because in the back of her mind, Nezuko knew it was the sound of a body being splattered to the ground, broken and mangled. She tried not to imagine what happens to the flesh, or the bone, or the organ inside, no stop!) An agonizing howl was heard echoing throughout the silent night, maybe the demon's head could still feel the pain even when the body was detached from it. She didn't think—didn't want to think—too much because the only important thing she could see here was the concerned face of her brother. The only thing she could see here was that her brother was fine. That he was safe. That they were both okay.

Tanjiro tilted his head in question when he heard his sister let out a laugh. He felt like it sounded a bit manic, though maybe it was just his imagination.

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"His color is black. But it's a different black from the one at our house. A different demon." Nezuko mused as she inspected the downed demon still stuck in the tree trunk, that was now unconscious. She rummaged through her belongings and pull out a short knife. "But… but if I don't kill him, he'll attack more people."

—The people inside the temple's dead faces flashed—

"So, I have to do this..."

—Her family's dead faces flashed—

"I have to do this!"

—Her brother's demon face flashed—

DO IT!

"Kid..."

Yet she was stopped abruptly when a voice she didn't recognize reached her ears. Nezuko gasped and turned around, unconsciously stepping back to hide behind her brother's back. It was a man—in his thirties? Forties? Even teetering at the age of fifty, maybe; judging from the grey hair peeking from the white cloth wrapped around the head and neck. The wrinkles of old age that sprinkled his hands and the sides of his face were another thing that she could observe. And that was the problem. She couldn't see his face. A red, tengu mask with a mustache and a beard as its decoration covered his entire face. The furrowing thick brows and bulging eyes of the mask made him look intimidating. The displeased mouth under the long nose made her stomach churn. The old man didn't so much as halt his movement when he saw Nezuko shrink away and instead said.

"You can't kill the demon with that tiny knife, kid."

Greetings, lord Urokodaki Sakonji.

I have sent a girl your way who says she wants to become a demon-slaying swordsman. She had the courage to fight me unarmed, even though she mostly just threw some rocks at me. A demon slaughtered her family, transforming her surviving brother into a demon. But he chooses not to attack humans. He tried to protect her and even spoke to me, garbled and unintelligible as a new demon that he was.

I sense something in these two that is different from the others. She doesn't have a strong sense of smell like you, but she said she could see the color of a living being; a different thread, a different demon. Her exact words when I accused her brother of killing her family. Difference in skill aside, I believe that perhaps she could be worthy of carrying on your traditions. Please, train her.

I know this is a selfish request, so please forgive me. May this find you in good health and in good spirits.

Sincerely, Tomioka Giyu

Sakonji watched in disinterest as the girl, now holding a medium-size rock, had a staring battle with the unconscious demon. He was here because of his former student's request, trying to gauge the girl he intended to send. The old man didn't want to dismiss it right away as you can't judge a book by its cover. Yet clearly, this girl was no good. It had been ten minutes and she hadn't moved an inch. Her kindness prevented her from taking decisive action. Even without him taking a deep whiff, he could smell the sympathy and consideration she held for the demon who tried to kill, not just her, but her brother. She didn't even realize that said precious family was walking away from her, taking shelter inside the temple.

This girl is useless.

After another second of waiting, Sakonji let out an irritated sigh. He stepped away from the pitiful girl and went to the crime scene. There, he saw the brother, staring at the corpses with blank, unmoving gaze. The thing that baffled the old man, however, was the sight of the demon clasping his hands and lowering his head, eyes closed.

A clear gesture of someone praying for the safety of the dead.

That small act that came from the beast made Sakonji stop in his tracks.

This demon...

"Hey." He called, and the ginger-haired boy turned his gaze to the old man. He tilted his head towards the outside and said, "Would you like helping me in digging the grave for them?"

Tanjiro blinked twice. Before he gave a pleasant grunt and nodded.

After the proper burial had been done and a short prayer was given from the demon, he immediately scampered back into the temple. Must be his instinct telling him that the sun is going to come up soon, the old man concluded by looking at the night sky that had started to brighten up. Sakonji was still crouching and giving the victims his last goodbye as he heard the evil demon shriek in pain. He could also hear the girl gasp, making it clear that she wasted too much time and let the demon suffer.

"Uum..." He opened his eyelids and stared at the hesitant girl behind the mask. He didn't know if the girl noticed his unimpressed stare, but her flinch suggest that she did.

"I am Urokodaki Sakonji. You must be the one Giyu told me about."

"Y-Yes." She stuttered."I'm Kamado Nezuko. My brother's Tanjiro."

He hummed, acknowledging the response. But getting to know their name aside, it's time to test her resolve. Sakonji didn't glare, he just let his mask's bulging eyes do that to her. "Tell me, Nezuko. What will you do when your brother eats someone?"

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SLAP!

Nezuko stared blankly as she cradled her cheek. The old man had slapped her. He hit her without thinking. Without remorse too, judging from the glowering aura.

"You think too slowly!"

"You struggle over the simplest decisions. You could never finish off a demon before the morning light." He continued. "Why couldn't you answer that question immediately? You are too soft!"

"When your brother eats someone, there are two things you have to do," Sakonji pointed at her disbelief face. "Kill your brother. Then slit your own belly and die! That, is what it means to travel with your brother who has become a demon!"

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She knew that. Of course, she knew that. But—

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"It's your sacred duty to ensure that this never happens. Your brother must never take the life of an innocent person!"

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Of course. Of course, she would prevent him from ever, ever doing that. But—

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"Do you understand what I'm saying?"

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She does. She does, but—

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"DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!"

"GIVE ME A BREAK ALREADY!"

Sakonji blinked when the girl suddenly exclaimed, breath quickening and body trembling. Her meek composure turned aggressive. And her fists curled around her yukata so tight, it left creases.

"Give me a break. Just… give me a break." She growled. "I'm trying. I'm trying so hard here. I'm trying to stay strong. To keep smiling. To keep being my cheerful self because that's what my brother wants me to do."

"But I can't. I can't do that for too long." She started sniffling. Tears haven't started rolling down her cheek yet, though it was clear that it would fall soon if she didn't start wiping out the excess right then, "I'm not as strong as Niichan. I'm not as nice as Niichan. I'm just a normal girl trying to act normal from all the…crap that has been happening to me so far."

"I'm tired. I'm tired and I just want to roll over and sleep." She covered her face with her shivering hands. "But I can't. I can't because Niichan has been going through worse than me. Other people have been going through worse than me. Heck, even the demon has been going through worse than me."

"That's why," Nezuko lifted her head. And even though Sakoji could still see the remaining tears in those red orbs, the determination lit behind them was overcoming the frustration. Her eyebrows furrowed and lips form into a thin line. "That's why I'll work hard. Even if I have to vomit blood and my bones are broken, I'm not going to give up. I'll find a cure and turn Niichan back to normal. So please!" She bowed. "Make me into your apprentice!"

Sakonji was silent for a little while, and the girl didn't move from her position for a little while, either. It was clear from her outburst that this kid was on the verge of tearing her hair out; was already tearing her hair out figuratively actually, based from those spats. But she was still standing strong. She was ready to tackle the problem head-on and not cry uselessly like she wished she could. Even if he was still skeptical, he could at least give her a point for that.

"I can't make you my apprentice." Nezuko tensed. "Not right away. I will test you to see if you have what it takes to be a demon-slaying swordsman."

"Shoulder your brother and follow me."

Hff… hff… hff… hff...

Nezuko felt like her throat was burning. Legs cramping. Sweat rolling. And heart hammering like crazy.

"He's… he's fast." They had been running for… What? Twenty minutes? And the old guy didn't show any sign of stopping soon. He didn't even show any sign of exhaustion. "And his feet don't make any sound!"

She could tell already that this would be rough. Her resolve to face this trial until she bled may not be just her reckless saying and might turn into reality soon enough. However, she would endure. She would endure, endure, endure because this was the only way available. Her only path to becoming a demon slayer so she could hunt them and demand an answer. Searching for a clue to turn her brother back to normal. Tanjiro had been their family's backbone since their father died; working from morning till dawn, continued by helping out around the house after that, chopping wood when everyone was already sleeping, and trying to lighten Takeo's load even if it means burdening his shoulder even more. Niichan had been suffering, masked by his warm, warm smile yet suffering nonetheless.

"Hang on, Niichan." Nezuko swore "I'll save you. And then I'll help you do the chores even if you don't want me to."

Everything you do, I'll be there to help along the way!

They finally arrive at the wooden house located in the middle of the forest, huffing, and puffing and pretty much wanting to vomit right then and there. She wished that that run was the test Sakonji want her to pass. Although, she knew, morbidly, that it was not. It's not even the first test at all. Because the next moment, after she dropped the basket containing Tanjiro inside the house, the old man brought her to the top of the mountain. Honestly, she could literally hear her knee joints creaking like an old door. So tired, she was getting dizzy. The fog around the forest didn't help her at all. Instead, it only made her vision a lot worse.

Sakonji then proceeded to order her to descend the mountain and back to the house located at the foot of it—after bringing her all the way here, what?! J-Jerk!—and threatened that if she couldn't do it before the sunrise, he'd kick her out from the apprentice roster—jerk!. He is then gone, leaving the gasping girl alone.

Is that… really all? Nezuko thought, doubtful. She knew she could just follow Sakonji's trail of fog—it was blue. Clear, refreshingly blue like an ocean—even with all the fog, it was really distinct, but she had this bad feeling that that was not the case. Something was definitely happening in this forest.

Nezuko took her first step.

And stumbled over the rope near her ankle she didn't even realize was there.

FWOOOM FWOOM!

There was a sound.

WHAP WHAP WHAP!

And a couple of rock assaulted her face, neck, and shoulder.

The vicious onslaught was only the beginning, because while she stumbled in pain, the earth behind her she used as a prop, suddenly gave in—It wasn't earth. It's just papers covered by dirt, concealing a deep, dark pit—and she immediately fell into a trap.

"I...I knew it." Nezuko huffed, staring at the night sky full of stars for a couple of seconds. Before she groaned and pushed herself forward, climbing up and out the hole. "I knew it! These are all traps! The one Sakonji set to test me!"

That is the real challenge!

"This is bad. This is really, really bad!" The moment she was free, her hand stomped on another trap and a log smacked her back so hard, she fell face first onto the ground. "If I keep setting off every trap, I won't get down the mountain by morning!"

And she just noticed that the air around this mountain was a lot thinner than the mountain they lived on. That was the reason why she was so tired and dizzy, she feels like she'll pass out from the sheer intimidation alone.

Calm down, Nezuko. Calm down. She steadied herself and took a deep breath. Think. A trap set by Sakonji must have his color. They may be inanimate objects, but they had been touched by a living being, the color must've lingered. She opened her eyes and focused.

A fog of light blue whispered from the corner of her eyes.

"Yes! I can see them!"

Four long bamboos fell on top of her multiple times, smacking her around like a ragdoll.

"That doesn't mean I can evade them at all!"

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GROOWWWLLL!

Sakonji, who was stirring the hotpot using a chopstick, halted his movement. He watched as the demon brother cradled his stomach, staring at the cooking pan in longing. His eyebrows under the mask lifted. And, chasing the ridiculous notion away but not ridiculous enough for him to ignore, he carefully said, "Are you...hungry?"

Tanjiro nodded.

He looked at the hotpot, then back at him. He picked up the bowl, scooping up some tofu, and meat into it before he hesitantly offered the food to the beast. "Do you… want to eat this?"

Tanjiro nodded again, now a lot quicker with a hint of desperation in it.

Sakonji observed in amazement when the demon pulled down his mouth guard, showing the usual fangs their kind possessed, and proceed to gulp the food in earnest. He could see the blush forming on his cheek, eyes closed and mouth quirked upwards; a sign that he was definitely enjoying the good food. He even let out an appreciative hum to accompany the apparent bliss.

Impossible, was his immediate thought. Because this was the first time he ever saw a demon eat normal human food, and not the human itself. Yet the proof is right there in front of him. The proof was right there, as Tanjirou finished the first bowl in minutes and asked for a second.

This demon is really—

His thought was cut off when he heard the door rattle. A step, a huff, the door opened. Nezuko came in, bringing back tons of bruises and dirt on every inch of her body. She looked like a mess. Sakonji heard Tanjiro choke and practically flew to the side of his little sister. Ignoring the fray the demon brother made while checking on her injuries, Nezuko smiled wide and muttered.

"I...made it back..."

Before she slumped forward and made the ginger-haired boy went into a fussing frenzy.

Giyu… you may actually be right. Sakonji opened up the drawer and pulled out a first aid kit, and Tanjiro immediately snatched it away for him to use. There is indeed something different in these two. That I want to bet on it myself.

"Kamado Nezuko. I accept you as my student."

(A/N): I'll use the character's coloration from the anime, as the manga is literally just black and white lol. But if u find some of them have a different color in here than in the anime, that means I wrote that chapter before the anime is aired so I basically guess what kind of color their hair, eyes or clothes will be. Of course, I'll change them when the episode is out but sometimes I miss the mistakes so cut me some slack `3`

I tried to differentiate Nezuko's personality from Tanjiro. Tanjiro is a really nice, caring and serious person. Sometimes keeping his opinion to himself rather than voicing it if it's not threatening his life or he's not trying to Talk-no Jutsu his enemies (lol).

This Nezuko is just as nice and caring but she's not as serious. If something bothers her, she'll definitely give them a piece of her mind. She's a lot more expressive. And, just like his brother, doesn't really care about authority if they think they don't deserve the respect. Cough cough one of the Pillars with a lot of scars on his face I will not name cough cough.

Nezuko also has a bit of inferiority complex, judging from how often she compared herself to Tanjiro