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.
Beta'ed by LamboLover36. Thank you so much~
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Manga: Chapter 40, 42, & 43
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(A/N): So,Taisho Secret corner, y'all! If Tanjiro's skill is his hard forehead, then canon!Nezuko's skill is her flick. Like Tsunade's kind of flick or something, maybe? I read the Indonesian version of it, so I don't know if the translation was right or nah.
Huh, my Nezuko is not too far off the track then. Because 'a punch' is basically a flick but with five fingers, right? #ha! #noMeStop #don'tForceIt
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Tanjiro let out a relieved sigh when the pink girl managed to cut the cobwebs with her new technique; a diving dragon that severed the threads vertically. He had been trapped by these threads for so long, his attempt at releasing himself had been futile no matter how hard he wiggled his body. The thread actually got tighter and tighter and, no matter how much he wanted to save that girl and protect her because he could not fail again, he couldn't. The pain kicked in and his struggles abruptly halted whenever he couldn't handle the devastating pain anymore. So, being an unwilling spectator that he was, he could only observe the hunter's fight from afar, glad she could sever the strings before they tore her skin and organs apart. She's human. She couldn't heal as easily as he could. She needs to take better care of herself.
But Tanjiro's reprieve was not long-lasting. Because, rather than stepping back and preparing another attack that will kill the beast and save herself, she decided to keep on moving forward; the water dragon that had cut the string making a sharp turn headed straight for Rui's neck.
No! What are you doing? He wanted to protest. Wanted to shout a warning at that reckless girl—an ironic thing considering he did the same thing not too long ago. And an ironic thing for that girl to do as she scolded him for the same thing not too long ago either—to stay away from that demon kid, because Tanjiro could see other strings crisscrossing in the air, newly appeared right in front of the girls face. Ready to chop her into bits and pieces and no, no, no, no! Don't you dare do that! Don't you dare sacrifice yourself for the sake of a failure such as me who couldn't even protect his own family no—
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("Tanjiro")
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(What is this? An illusion?)
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(The ginger-haired boy blinked, sweeping his tears—that he didn't even realize had been accumulating—away. The environment suddenly turned dark, like the world itself decided to turn off the lights of existence. In front of him stood a man. A sickly, frail man with burgundy-hair that reminded me of the girl's own burgundy eyes, a burn mark on his left temple the same one as my own mark, and a soft smile that sends my heart thudding and wrenching with heartache, who is he? Tanjiro couldn't see his face. It was covered by black lines over black lines, like a naughty child decided to scrawl all over his complexion with charcoal. But he was so familiar familiar are you one of the people I couldn't protect? Are you one of the people I forget because I'm a coward and I can't face the painful memory with my eyes open not anymore—)
("Tanjiro," he said. Voice rough yet soothing. He felt like weeping, "remember to Breath, Tanjiro. As you are right now, you can do it. What you have to do…is Breath. Didn't you promise me…")
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("Not to falter?")
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Tanjiro's eyes widened.
Time seems to slow itself down as he struggled to reach his left hand forward. The sight of the girl I need to protect was used as his incentive. With a grunt, the veins from beneath his skin bunched, trailing from his palm, wrist, till it reached the upper arm that was hidden by the checkered haori. He didn't need to do much after that, thanking the wire for the first time in this awful night of a mission for digging into his body tight enough that it drew blood, causing him to have enough red liquid trailing outward, "Blood Demon Technique—" he closed his palm with a snap—
—and the strings that that kid used to trap the ginger fiend—and unwillingly used to create another wall between the white demon and the pink girl because of her messy counter-attack—ignited on fire. Ginger and fiery, brightening the entire battlefield with warm yet deadly light and snapping the thin thread like it was regular string.
"BLOOD BURST!"
The threads that should've been hindering the girl from advancing are now gone.
And he didn't stop there. The moment the girl's sword—the intact one—arrived at Rui's neck, the water dragon merged into her weapon then chomped onto the weakness as well, Tanjiro did another open-and-close motion with his hand. And the fire from the wire—that slowly fell apart because of his newly found technique—gathered together, forming itself into a small ball. It then flew, circling around the outer skin of the water dragon, trailing fire in the wake of its path. Before the accumulated flames it got from the surrounding formed the same mythical creature and chomp.
"USE IT, NEZUKO!"
"UWAAAAAHHHH!"
"Tenth Style Modified Version 2—"
The velocity of the skill turned up another notch, the air literally crackled —
"BLAZING DRAGONS!"*
SLASH
Creating a twisting wheel of blue-ginger around her—dragons that twirled around her main body and created a yin and yang symbol the moment it finished it attack. Dragons that looked like they were chasing each of its companion's tail—and cutting the demon's neck with one, clean cut.
The forest was silent. The bushes didn't rustle. And the bird didn't chirp. Nezuko lay there, bloody and sweating, throat constricting. She finally did it. Rui's headless body was not far from her own. She finally killed the beast. It was not a walk in a park. She needed to create two new techniques—modified, but who cares about the details right now—just so she had a chance in winning this frustrating battle. It was hard, chopping his head off and unleashing the new skill, not just once but twice without rest. And she clearly had to face the backlash now. When she first used the Second Style Modified, it left her knees tingling, and almost no energy left to stand. And now? Her field of vision was shrinking. Ears were buzzing. A vicious pain ran through her entire body, she could not even move her legs. This is even worse than her fight with Yahaba, her heart won't stop pounding and hands trembling. But she had to will herself to move, the girl gripped her weapon with intensity. Inosuke was still out there. Fighting and waiting. For her to lend a hand in his own merciless battle.
"N-Niichan?" Nezuko weakly called. She thought she heard him call her name. Helping her even when he was occupied by his own problem. Said ginger teen was far from her line of sight, eyes bleary and was on the verge of unconsciousness. The bamboo was sloppily placed, hanging by one ear only—she didn't have time to put it back to its place after shoving those snacks into his mouth—puff of breath seeped from behind the sharp fangs. That fire he summoned to aid her must've sapped his energy a lot. Yet he was still trying to stay awake. Still trying to muster what was left of his strength. To protect his little sister. To protect his only family alive. Nezuko grunted and pushed herself for the nth time. She had to…at least help lessen the burden by meeting him halfway. Feed him so his injuries—that was even worse than before. She should've told him to stop struggling when he was trapped by Rui's weapon that time, seriously—will close and will stay closed for good. She gave another tug—
Then she saw it. A black fog so thick she almost choked by the intensity itself. This familiar, disgusting black fog wafted, dancing erratically and angrily no don't tell me—
"You thought that you defeated me?" Rui's voice echoed. The pink haori wearer couldn't see him, with her stomach-down position but she could guess. How his headless body stood on his own, blood pouring from the open wound. His growling sound was close, so that means his head was also here; he must've retrieved it with his invisible wire too, for easy maneuverability. A splat could be heard. And Nezuko's exaggerated mind imagined that Rui was putting his head back to the place it should be, waiting for the nerves to connect and heal himself up. Vanishing the slash mark in an instant and vanishing her own proof of an intense battle, like everything that just happened was nothing but a fantasy, "I cut my own head off with my own strings. Way before you could cut it with your blasted weapon."
"Why aren't you burning in the first place? My strings and I got burned. I can even still feel the flame crawling up my skin," Rui's questioned as he snarled, white orbs popped and veins crawling up on his complexion, deranging his expression even further, "Enough of this charade. I'll kill you and bring your brother to our Lord. I'm so mad, our Lord can torture him or kill him for all I care."
"I'm going to cut my ties with you guys without any sense of regret."
No, no, no, no! This is ridiculous! "Demon Blood Technique—" Stand, Nezuko! Stand, stand, stand now! Prepare your breath! Hurry! Rui clasped his hands together before he pulled it apart. The red strings were now connected with each other, making the pattern of a plaited mats bridge. That same plaited mats were now surrounded her entire body, caging her without a way out, "CAGE OF MURDERING EYES!"
Don't panic! Don't panic, don't panic! Don't get the breath wrong! Calm down! Move your arm! The circular cage was rapidly descending, its sharp edge ready to chop her into pieces. No! It's useless! I'm panicking! I'm panicking! I can't get my Breath right. Somebody—
The wind whistled, a sound of rapidly approaching sandals echoed—
SOMEBODY PLEASE, SAVE ME!
WHOOOSSHH
PTAS PTAS PTAS
SRAAASSSHH
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I-I'm…I'm still alive? Her sight was hazy and head pounding, it was so hard to think. But she managed to turn her view around. To look at a person who broke the prison of doom and saved her soul. Ah…that weird haori. She weakly mussed. I saw that weird haori before…
(Sabito…kun?)
"You did a good job holding your ground until I came," a rough voice reached her hearing (no. Not Sabito-kun. You have to accept the fact that he's not in this world anymore, Nezuko). His grip on his katana—blue like hers. Blue and familiar—tightened as he continued, "leave the rest to me."
Then everything happened in an instant. Rui tried to unleash another Demon Blood Technique of his. This time, the thread formed itself into something that reminded her of a pinwheel in a breezy day, rotating furiously in its morbid beautiful braid (WHEELS OF CHOPPING THREADS). But it was easily cut by the swordsman. Nezuko sensed the air rippling, yet he didn't move from his position. Rui's attack unraveled on its own, almost like it was scared of the mere presence of the slayer with spiky, black hair tied into a low horse-tail. She got the impression of a sea with no wind. Waves that never shake. Sky that never changed. Everything was in a lull of silence. And any enemy that enters that area will be gone for naught. Swallow by the darkness that turned everything into nothing. It was a bit unfair, with how easily that man killed the beast, while Nezuko had to sacrifice her sweat and blood.
But he must be one of the Pillars Murata-senpai told us about. So he's strong. Stronger than all the rank 10s banded together. Stronger than I am. She coughed, her body automatically continued her journey to her brother. We're saved, Niichan. We're saved. She chuckled bitterly as she collapsed on Tanjiro's limp body. Hugging him and not wanting to let go. Afraid that if she did, he'll disappear like smoke without fire. Gone like his existence in this world was never there, never important. Her only family that still alive. We're saved. So please, just…rest.
(Nezuko didn't know. That her act in embracing the body of a half-demon sibling was watched by the other fiend in the vicinity. Rui, with his head now finally chopped by the niichirin blade and not his own weapon, saw everything)
(And he—I—remembered everything)
("It's okay, Rui. We'll die together")
(Before I was turned into a demon, I had a weak body)
(I could never run and it was harder to even walk. My being was a hindrance to my parents. They could never go out together and spend time with each other alone. Could never speak with other neighbors too much because they always worry over their only child in their lonely home. Could never deepen their relationships with other people because their mind will always bring them back to a kid they left on their own)
("How pitiful. I'll save you")
(Until Muzan-sama showed up)
(He saved me. Give me his blood. Strengthening my muscles and my body. Now I can walk. I can run. I may not be able to stand under the sun and play with other kids like a healthy child should be. But I can embrace my parents with the love I've been storing for them both. And that's enough for me)
("What have you done…Rui?")
(Yet they, my parents were not happy)
(I don't understand. I eat humans, sure. But that was my only chance to survive. My only chance to stay alive. So I can be with my parents. Together with my parents. Spend the day with a smile and merry laugh with my parents)
(Yet they want to banish me)
("I'm sorry. I'm sorry Mom couldn't give you a healthy body")
(Yet they want to kill me)
("It's okay, Rui. We'll die together")
(Yet—)
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(Yet they're ready to kill themselves for me…)
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(Long ago, I heard a wonderful story. There were parents who died to save their child who was drowning in a river. I was moved. What parental love. What bonds. Those parents who died by the river had achieved their role as a 'parents')
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(What have I done?! Fat, fresh tears fell from my eyes, I cried. Human me cried. Demon me cried. In my anger…)
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("It's okay, Rui. We'll die together")
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(I had cut down my real bonds with my own hands!!!)
(Present Rui belatedly thought while his head slowly turned into dust, his gaze blank and mouth parted. What…did I want to do?)
(My memories from when I was a human vanished as I got stronger. So I couldn't really recall my happy, lost days with certainty. Maybe I just couldn't bear over the fact that I killed them, my mother and father that I loved so much. Maybe I just couldn't bear the fact that this loneliness I felt happened because of all my own actions, was my punishment for all of my wrongdoing. Was that why I created another one? Using those demons that resided within my mountain, I create another family just so I can remember those happy, lost days that I cherished so much? I don't know)
(But one thing that I know was...I failed. Because—)
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(—Brothers maniacal laugh didn't protect him—)
(—Sisters uncaring attitude didn't placate him—)
(—Fathers spider's eyes unnerved him—)
(—And Mothers frightened face figuratively slapped him—)
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(—Because I realized I didn't feel any warmth like I did from my real family)
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(So, what did I want, exactly? His headless body walked, arms raised towards the air, the male Hunter's lips thinned. A bond as strong as my human self had? Or someone to shield me from all the danger and hatred of this world? A reaching hand that will guide me so I will not lose myself in the road of life? What is it? What is it, what is it what is it please, anybody please tell me—)
His body fell with a silent thump, right beside the pink hunter and her older brother. The girl he tried to kill—Kamado Nezuko, he heard her name from (not real) Mother's spiders—looked over blearily. And slowly, almost lovingly, cradled the kid's body. Rui gasped.
Such a gentle hand, like a calm ocean without disturbance. Ready to accept everyone with open palms. Tears started pouring as he sobbed.
(Aah… I understand now. I just want—)
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(I just want to apologize)
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(Apologized for severing the real bonds that I had. For killing innocent humans in the name of my selfishness. For making my parents weep and cry. For making my parents suffer for something they couldn't control)
(It's never your fault, Mother. For birthing me with a weak body. It's never your fault, Father. For raising a knife toward your dearest child. Everything. Everything that had happened until this point—)
("Are all our fault.")
(Rui lifted his head and stared as they approached from the sorrowful abyss without end. Stared at the black-haired couple with warm eyes and a warm smile. Stared at the familiar, precious, precious parents of his. They hugged him, caressed his white hair that was slowly turned back to its original, black color, Father spoke, "you don't have to burden yourself with this guilt anymore, Rui. Wherever you are, be it heaven or hell—")
(Rui cried. He didn't care when the abyss was engulfed in a fire of darkness. He just cried. He cried and cried and cried and I'm sorry. I'm sorry that you have to suffer, Kaa-san. I'm sorry that you have to handle this heavy responsibility, Tou-san. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry—)
("—no matter where you go, we will always be together with you")
The swordsman of the Slayer Association came closer. His quiet steps halted with a click and stopped right on top of the corpse of the beast they had battled seconds ago; Rui's body. That had already turned into dust, leaving his white kimono on the dirty ground alone. No shred of pity or even remorse in those blank, dull blue eyes of the katana wielder (isn't he…Tomioka-san? That's why I recalled that weird haori). He started speaking, scrunching his eyebrows in distaste when he saw tears after tears rolling down the ponytail girl's cheeks, "don't feel sorry for a demon who ate people. It doesn't matter whether or not he had the form of a child. He's an unsightly monster who lived for tens, hundreds, or even thousands of years. If you have to cry, cry to those people that he ate. Give it to those unfortunate people who had to be a victim of this disgusting demon."
Nezuko…Nezuko was baffled. Was shocked beyond belief at his words towards the kid that had just died. Toward the kid who was just trying to find a loving and caring family like Nezuko wished for her late, already gone, gone, gone family—
"No," she answered, startling the Water Pillar. Her grip on Rui's kimono turned white, tightening even further while she tried to yank the remains away from Giyuu's unforgiving foot, "to dispel the regrets of those killed, to stop any more victims from appearing, I will relentlessly wield my blade against the demons. And that is a fact. As a member of the Demon Slayer Corps and as my own person. I will mourn for their victims. But I will not trample on the pains of being a demon. Nor on those who regret their own actions."
"Because they were humans. Humans, just like me and you."
"Get your foot off," Nezuko stuttered, holding her tears back when the black color of Rui turned into a peaceful, lime fog before it disappeared (The color of a pure, pure innocent child. Why did the world have to be so cruel to turn this pitiful child into a devil, evil demon? Why would they tortured this child and left him alone in this merciless life without forgiveness? I don't understand. I don't understand. I. Don't. Understand—), "he isn't an unsightly monster. Demons are lifeless, sorrowful beings. Please, understand this, Tomioka-san."
Please understand that they're just as much victims as the innocent humans they had to eat.
" How do you know…" then he saw, really, saw the girl's face. He saw the ginger-haired boy with bamboo covering his mouth—
("They're former humans, right? Just like niichan," a black-haired girl with hope too much it hurt, wryly smiled, "They have feelings too...")
And his eyes widened with realization.
"You—"
TAP TAP TAP TAP
A set of rapid footsteps could be heard—
WIIISSSHHH
Giyuu swiveled his gaze to the source of the unexpected sound, he crouched—
CLANG
—and deflecting a pointy blade that was ready to cut Tanjiro down with his own katana, negating that sudden attack from the sudden arrival of another.
Nezuko hitched when a different hunter—a pretty woman with a pretty haori. Smile adorned that milky complexion yet her eyes were blanker than even Giyuu's, it made her stomach churn in apprehension—tilted her head while she giggled airily, "why are you getting in the way, Tomioka-san?" she questioned, backflipping through the air with a grace Nezuko sure she couldn't pull it off herself. Pretty lady skidded to a stop, the breeze swaying the coat, making the gradation on her sleeves glinted under the moonlight, "you said we can't get along with demons. But what's all this about? If you do this—"
"—everyone will hate you, you see~"
OMAKE chapter 44
Zenitsu—wrapped up with bandages from head to toe, allowing only his yellow eyes to observe the things happening around—gulped with trepidation. A horde of people in the same black hunter uniform, yet different with black coverings that also covered the bottom half of their face, were scurrying around the place, treating the human-spiders—that were previously hunters. Victims just like Zenitsu—with prompt and care. A girl with a left-side horse-tail that was tied by a butterfly ornament was seen giving those people order, the cute girl he met in the Final Selection exam. Inosuke, somehow tied to a branch like a Teru Teru Bozu, was also present. Injured and unconscious, the black people were trying to get him down.
It was clear these hordes, and the beautiful woman who had saved him from the venom, were there to rescue them. But something within him rumbled as the cute girl in side-ponytail disappeared behind the foliage; saying that she will hunt the demon nearby while the others should deal with this situation at their own leisure. Not because he was hungry after all the energy he spent crying and panicking (and also fighting, but he didn't remember any of it so he didn't mention it) no. It was something else.
"I have a bad feeling," the sun-haired slayer groaned, his glassy eyes stared at the black, night canvas above his person, "I just hope Nezuko-chan or Tanjiro doesn't meet that girl when she patrols the area nearby…"
(A/N): Zenitsu…you're jinxing it :'D
*Blazing Dragons is the stronger version of Roar of the Wailing Dragon, especially as it basically two dragons in one strike, instead of the usual one. Nothing more than that. The difference is that, this skill contained Tanjiro's fire. Tanjiro's fire ability is 'Burning'. You know, like those ailments you got in a game. Where your HP will constantly drain itself if you don't heal this status with an item. A normal demon will burn like a bonfire if they're struck by Tanjiro's skill. They won't die, of course. Only Nichirin blade could kill them. But if your opponent is too busy screaming their lungs out as they tried to douse the fire, a Demon Hunter can easily killed them. Especially as the fire keeps eating them alive, their skin will turn brittle, making it easier for the hunter to cut their neck.
With the case of Lower and Upper Moon Demon tho', they'll be permanently wounded if struck by Tanjiro's fire, as their skin is a lot tougher than normal demon hence difficult to burn. Even if they managed to close the wound or grow another limb, the place where they got injured will feel like they're burning from the inside. One way to get away from this is to chop the rest of the limb to prevent the burning from spreading before growing it back. Rui, you really should actually do that. Grow a new head or something, instead of using the same one. Cuz that fire is going to stay alive and you feel like you're burning even though there's no physical fire. Oh wait, no you don't have to do that anymore. You're dead! Ha!
...okay, bad joke :'D
Tanjiro doesn't really like using it to a normal demon tho' as it will make them suffer. Besides, he was sure Nezuko could kill a normal demon easily anyway. So he'll help if it was clear Nezuko couldn't handle them alone.
Because, Tanjiro may have the same Demon Blood Art like canon!Nezuko, but it's clearly stronger. And there's another aspect of his Demon Art that I'm going to add to differentiate it from the canon. But I won't tell until The Red-Light District arc. Well…I'm going to tease it a little bit in the next chap so if you want to guess, go ahead. I'm certain you guys can actually guess it right :D
(I want to completely change demon!Tanjiro Demon Blood Art, create an original skill and all. But let's face it. The Blood Burst skill was so on point, especially as Tanjiro is a Sun Breath User, like the skill was originally made for him and not Nezuko. But well…it shows that canon!Nezuko is also the Sun Breath user's descendant to have a fire as her Demon's art :'D)
Blazing Dragons can only be used along with Tanjiro's fire. No fire means no Blazing Dragons. Gotta stick with the Roar of the Wailing Dragon then, Nezuko `3`
And if you realized, Tanjiro's flame copied the form of Nezuko's water dragon. Just like usual, copying everything he sees :'D