Panic, panic is the only thing running through my mind and body right now. So many things are happening and have happened I find myself at a loss.

It all started earlier this morning when I finally returned home. I returned to find my house destroyed, blood everywhere.
The sight was so unexpected that I didn't even notice my family's bodies. They all had the same cold, lifeless look, yet amidst all their faces there was a look of shock and utter disbelief. I'm not sure how long I stood there just staring, everything is so numb, whether it's the cold or what I'm seeing I can't be sure.
Eventually I get around to checking for survivors. Deep down I know it's a futile effort, but that's when I notice Nezuko and Roukta aren't inside with the rest of my slain family. I follow a trail of blood leading outside to find Nezuko cradled around Roukta. That's when, to my surprise, I find Nezuko's body is still warm.

Immediately I pick her up and mechanically begin my trek back down the mountain in hopes of getting her help. As we travel, I'm lost in my thoughts, wondering who or what killed my family, why wasn't I there to protect them, will Nezuko live? These thoughts continue to plague my mind right alongside the mind-numbing disbelief at what's going on. So lost in my own thoughts that I didn't realize Nezuko starting to awaken upon my back. Upon her awakening her hands clench the front of my clothing, her sharp fingernails lightly piercing into my chest. I absent-mindedly apologize for jostling her assuming she's in pain. what happened next quickly disabused me of that notion. It's when her teeth sunk deep into my shoulder that I was startled into realizing something was very wrong. The sudden acute pain made me wince and misstep causing us to fall over the cliffside.

Everything seemed to come to a standstill while we were falling. It takes me a minute to realize that I am no longer falling but simply lying on my back staring at the sky. I quickly sit up searching for my sister who is now nowhere to be seen. This is when I begin to feel nothing but panic. I try searching out for her scent but it's no use. The wind is blowing to hard, in too many directions to catch her scent. Along with the wind is nothing but snow obscuring my vision as well. My panic doubles, I've lost my injured sister on a remote part of the mountain in this blinding snowstorm. As I start to wander to immediate areas searching for my sister, I catch sight of a figure amongst the trees. Assuming it's my sister I give chase, barely keeping the figure in my line of sight. Eventually I made my way to a clearing in the forest, only see I am the only one present. My panic again increasing seeing that I've lost sight of the person who I think is my sister. I see no hope, I feel like giving up. Part of my mind screams at me to keep moving, to find my sister and help and protect her just like I've always done. It's all I've ever done, it's all I've ever known since my father died when I was 8. I stepped up to provide and protect my family and I refuse to give up now. That's when I hear a deep growl as something slams into my back.

My face collides with a snow-covered rock, and I feel something break. All I can tell is it's not my nose, but that pain is quickly discarded for a much more intense pain radiating from his shoulder outwards as sharp wolf-like teeth are once more embedded into my shoulder. It's at this moment I catch a scent, the scent of my sister to be precise. She's the one biting me, she was the one I saw through the trees. A part of my mind is flooded with a sense of relief, I found my sister at last. A much more unyielding part of my mind is filled with concern and not a little bit of anger and injustice for being attacked like this. Doesn't she realize I'm her brother, doesn't she realize I'm trying to get her help. Still, she's my sister so I wasn't going to be too rough with her, that being said I turned and shoved her off of me. What I had conveniently forgotten, was that she was still biting into my shoulder. As she falls away from me, I feel a chunk of my shoulder being torn out. I cry out in pain as I turn to my sister who has just finished chewing and swallowing my piece of shoulder. As I am about to call out to her, she pounces on me. For the second time that day everything seemed to come to a standstill. Nezuko flying through the air, her clawed hands outstretched towards my neck, her wild hair floating around her like some sort of demonic halo. Her bloody, torn clothes, her bloody face. Lastly her eyes, while her pupil was now slitted vertically like a snake the color was the same. It was the color of falling cherry blossoms. Then I realized I too was moving, the entire time my arm raising my axe to ward off my attacking sister. And just like that everything continued at full speed, my sister collided with my chest pushing us back to the ground. Her claws digging into my chest yet again. Luckily I managed to stuff the handle of my axe into her mouth. I call out to her softly, my voice straining to heard under the roaring wind. It's at this time I'm talking more for myself, the emotions of the past 3 hours finally catching up to me.

"Nezuko, please, I don't know what's wrong but let me help, it's my job. Let me do what I've always done, let me be your strength. Let me help you, I can't fail you too, I just can't."

Tears slowly make their way down my face as I grieve my dead family, my failure to protect them, my failure to protect my sister as she continues to attack me. I manage to get my leg under her and kick her off of me. I can only watch as my axe, my only form of defense goes flying with her. She stands and spits out the axe and fixes me with a cold calculating stare. It's devoid of any emotion or sign that she recognizes who I am. She charges again this time instead of clawing at me or biting at me she kicks me into a nearby tree. I feel several more bones crack and break as I bounce off the trunk and hit the ground. At this time the snow and wind lighten up and I catch 3 very distinctive scents. The first being that of ash, metal, and some sort of earthy wood. It reminds me of a blacksmiths forge, containing a flame strong enough to shape and bend even the toughest of metals, a flame strong enough to overcome anything that would dare cross its path. The second one consisting of flowers and rain. It gives me a very melancholic feeling, like there was a forest fire and the flowers are just beginning to bloom during a rainstorm. The third scent was that of a waterfall and the wet rock beds around it. It made me feel like I was in the presence of a force of nature, one many times stronger than myself. For some reason all these new scents sent alarm bells ringing all throughout my body, every single one screaming danger. No danger towards me though, danger towards my sister, the one standing out in the open, in the middle of this clearing. The one who despite attacking me still looked so small and helpless in my eyes. I was moving before I knew it. Charging straight towards her, it clearly surprised her as just dropped her guard entirely and stared at me dumbfounded. I ran as fast as I could despite all my injuries, I had to reach her first. As I tackled my sister, I felt three people land behind us. I turned to see who it was and found myself face to face with three people who match the look of those scents perfectly. The first being a man who was the tallest of the three, he had yellow hair with red tips, and these eyes whose gaze burned right to the center of your soul. The second being a woman who was the shortest of the three, she had black hair with deep violet highlights, and eyes that looked through you, eyes that saw nothing yet everything at the same time. The third being another man of average height, with wild black hair and eyes that held such a strong gaze you felt like you were tiny in comparison. A gaze that said 'I am strong, I am adaptable, I am unbreakable, go ahead and try'. He held a quiet but powerful aura. Then I noticed all three were holding various colored swords. Confused, I called out to them.

"Who are you?

"I am Rengoku Kyojuro!" the yellow haired one practically yelled at me.

The woman introduced herself as 'Kocho Shinobu' and said their third member was called 'Tomioka Giyuu'.

"Do you realize that you are holding a demon"? Shinobu asked.

I belatedly realize she is referring to my sister who is now completely still underneath me, her eyes blank and her body limp. I was about to question whether she was still alive, but then she blinked. Realizing my sister was now a demon was not as shocking as one would expect, my mind held no denial, no anger, just plain acceptance. Though I did bad about the demonic halo remark I had thought earlier. Still demon or not she's my baby sister, and I'm the elder brother. I've been providing and protecting my family since I was 8, I won't stop now. And i said as much to the three with a look of fire in my eyes, because I would protect Nezuko with my life. I watch as a look of grim determination settles onto Shinobu's face though it disappears behind her small smile very quickly.

"Enough!" Kyojuro shouts. They all ready their stances. Silent yet completely synchronized they charge forward. They're all so fast, all I can do is shield Nezuko with my body.
I didn't realize but at some point, I had stood holding Nezuko up behind me, and as they charged it was like Nezuko woke back up. Nezuko wrapped her arms around me and kicked off the ground hard and threw us away from where all three of their swords landed seconds later. As she landed on top of me, she looks down at me with a look of concerning and worry that I've seen hundreds of times before, especially when i get home late from selling coal in the village. Before I can tell her that I'm ok I feel something warm and wet splash on my face and chest. Nezuko's body falls limp in my lap as I sit up, her head lies a few feet away, having been cleanly severed from her neck. As I look into her eyes I see tears forming, and I see recognition.

"Tan-Tanjiro, I'm cold Tanjiro." Nezuko whimpers.

I acted on instinct and tore off my shirt and wrapped it around her body in an attempt to keep her warm, my mind not wanting to realize my sister was dying too being decapitated. I also conveniently ignore all of Nezukos blood that was generously splattered across my face as it now drips down my bare chest.

"Another demon sent back to hell where they came." Kyojuro says rather loudly.

Shinobu must see the confusion on my face because she answers my unasked question.

"Demons multiply by infecting an innocent with their blood, once you get demon blood in you, you become a man-eating monster. Our job is to kill them and send them back to the hell they spawned from." Shinobu says plainly.

I turn back to Nezukos slowly disintegrating head and apologize for not being strong enough, we both have tears in our eyes. I failed again, I failed and it cost my sisters life.
I feel empty inside, nothing but this overwhelming numbness. Right before the last of her disappears, I hear Nezuko speak.

"I'll be waiting for you Tanjiro" Nezuko murmurs.

And with that her body is gone, my baby sister dead just like the rest of my family. Maybe this is my punishment for not being able to protect them, for failing my family. With that a plan takes hold in my mind, but first there's something I must do. I stand and begin to walk back to my house, after some time I realize those three are following me. I hear them mention something about becoming a demon slayer and going to meet the master. I mostly tune them out as I begin to dig my family graves for a proper burial. After giving my family a proper burial including a grave for Nezuko, I'm taken to meet the master. There I am informed that those three are Hashira, the best of the demon slayers. I also learned there are six other Hashira, that are all present for this meeting. They talk about me going to train to be a demon slayer, and about who will train me and who I'll apprentice under. While nobody is looking, I take the small knife I keep for skinning rabbits and such out of my belt. It's when I make a clean cut across my chest that I garner everyone's attention again. I calmly tell them I have no intention of becoming a demon slayer but instead I shall repent for my failures. The other 6 Hashira watch in confusion as I begin to rub the blood I was covered in when I showed up into my fresh wound. Meanwhile Kyojuro, Giyuu, and Shinobu all had matching looks of growing horror on their faces, for they understood it was my sister's demon blood, and what other way to guarantee a quick death than by becoming a demon in front of nine Hashira. As I lay down in the courtyard to await my transformation, I think of various ways I can atone for my failures as a brother, as a son, as a protector. All I know is that I'll see Nezuko again shortly and I won't fail her this time. Depths of hell or not, demon or not I'll protect her. After all she's my baby sister and I'm the eldest brother.


My first fic, just wanted to see this play out in a different way. I wanted to see what if I changed who was initially involved, also how some people would react differently while still trying to keep them in character. I was mostly just trying to see how the emotions of the scene would play out. Hope it was enjoyable if not well I don't know.