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Release: Feb 6, 2021 ( 22:26 ) Saturday.
Words: 2245
Previously..
The Demon turned to look at him, and flashed Tanjiro a smile, "My name is Michikatsu Tsugikuni,"He said, "and I will be mentoring you from now on."
Now..
Unknown Place.
I was supposed to be hunting down the ones who didn't fit into our system with my master, personally handing them over to Master. I had already scanned the list of all places were demons usually hunt humans. But where is my master. I wonder if he is ok.
( With tanjiro, Nezuko and kokushibo )
Nezuko could never forget the sight, it was forever literally burned into her mind.
Red, red, red everywhere. How could her favorite color be the color her family. It was devastating.
It was dark without light. Nezuko lay in the middle of the darkness. "Where am I?" She asked herself as she walk in the darkness. She didn't know where or when she got here, but she remember one thing.
She's dead.
Walking in a endless darkness, a light glimpse from a a far until it suddenly spark and covered the whole area. She close her eyes and she heard a voice.
She open her eyes and see someone she didn't expect. Her dead family.
The whole area then Soo vanish and replace with a beautiful scenery. She found herself sitting in a field full of flowers. She is confused. She just found herself in a complete darkness then there is a light came and now she is here sitting in a field of flowers.
She look around and saw her family-mother, Hanako, Takeo, Shigeru, Rokuta-came by and sat beside her, Their expressions were scrunched up, worried about how fragile their robust sister looked. Her mother, her precious, precious mother leaned over her and whispered.
"Nezuko, I'm sorry" kei said with a sad voice.
"Mother!" Nezuko cried as she desperately hug them. "Take care of your brother for us, Nezuko"
She smiled, wry and regretful but full of hope.
"NO! Don't leave me!" Her hand reached out. "Don't leave me, don't leave me, my dear mother!"
GRASP!
Her eyes opened.
And realized her fingers (may not be able to grasp her mother's kimono, but) managed to curl around her brother's yukata.
"Nezuko!" Tanjiro yelled as he hug her sister tightly. Not wanting to lose her. "I'm sorry! I..can't protect our family" he said while crying on Nezuko. "Ni-chan" she hug him back tightly. A few minute pass and the both let go of each other.
Nezuko puffed, tears rolling down from her reddened eyes. Her brother is there, unconscious yet alive.
She saw something else. "Why..." She thought.
"Is that a fang and claws? And...his eyes is much redder than usual" She saw the fangs behind Tanjiro's parted lips and in his bloodied hand.
"Oni..chan?...are you...a monster" Nezuko said as she is trembling heavily. she is scared. She remember the sight where she saw her family getting killed by some kind monster. She doesn't want to remember it. It's so traumatic.
"I.." tanjiro tried to say but got cut off by his master.
"You're awake?" A hooded man walk to them while holding a shovel tainted with dirt. It seems that he already buried their family members.
"Who..are you?" Nezuko asked in fear as she hide in his brothers back. "Don't worry, Nezuko. He is not an enemy" Tanjiro said giving her reassuring smile that soon calm her down.
"Sorry I forgot to introduce myself" The demon said.
"My name is Michikatsu Tsugikuni and you can just call me Kokushibo" The man known as kokushibo said as he remove his good and sat down in the pile of snow near the siblings. "I'm a demon" Nezuko flinched as she saw the man. She scrambled up, hugging her brother close and away from the demon even though she knew the action was futile.
"Nezuko... it's fine" Tanjiro said patting her head. "But" Nezuko said but soon accept the fact that this demon is not an enemy. But that doesn't mean that she will let her guard down.
The demon didn't move, he just kept talking. " Do you want to know how did your brother become a demon?"
Wha-" Nezuko gulped when his gaze turned unimpressed. However, her eyebrows furrowed and a metaphorical fire lit behind her burgundy eyes, but soon she nodded as she too want to know how did his brother become like this.
Kokushibo waited for her reply and soon he got an approval to explain everything. It takes a while for Nezuko to process every info that did happen while she is sleeping. "I see...so that's what happen"
"Is it possible for him to turn back in to a human?" Nezuko asked looking straight at the demon eyes.
"For now we don't have any way for demon to regain their human form. Still, I'm not saying that's it's impossible. Maybe in the near future. Ten, twenty or so" Kokushibo said.
"We don't have time to chitchat. Tanjiro, don't forget what we talk about" Kokushibo said as he sense someone from a far so he decided to suddenly disappear making the siblings looks confused.
"Nezuko, let's pray for our family so that they can rest in peace" Tanjiro said as Nezuko nodded. Suddenly tanjiro sense that something is coming.
He immediately grab the dagger on the ground of their home and head to the site with his sister, where their family is buried by Kokushibo.
He just hoped that this one is not a demon. But if it is, then he will kill it. This time he will protect his sister.
Both siblings got down and soon clasped their hand on the grave they made for their family, praying for their safety to cross over the Tanzu river.
A man suddenly appear kicking Nezuko on the side. Not wanting her to get eaten by the demon near him. He didn't know that tanjiro would never bite his own sister.
"The snow... saved me." She coughed. "Thank god, the snow saved me... But wait. Where's-
"Niichan!" She got up, head swiveling right and left, her breath quickening in panic, "Niichan, where-"
"Is... this your niichan?" The man said holding a down the boy on the ground.
Nezuko gasped, unconsciously stepping back a little at the harsh tone of a stranger that suddenly reached her hearing. It was a man with black hair, wearing the same, black uniform along with unique haori that was clear it was two cloths stitched into one; the right side is dark red in color while the left side is green and yellow in color, crisscrossed in a complex pattern. There's a katana clasped in his right hand. And in the opposite palm is-
"Niichan!" She shouted, and took a large step to reach them but the man held his sword in a warning manner, and she stopped.
"Please stop!" She yelled.
"Didn't you know that your brother is already a demon? " The man asked.
Look closely." He snatched Tanjiro's chin and forced him to look upward. "Look at him and tell me if he is still your brother." The man added.
Nezuko's breath hitched.
Fangs, nerves bunched around his forehead like a crazed beast and an unknown mark that was glowing in his forehead.
"I know! He is a demon" Nezuko said.
"Then why? Why are you still with him. He can kill you anytime" the man said.
"No! He will never do that! His my brother. He is not a demon earlier. He just...a man...
"Nezuko! This man won't believe you. He won't believe us." The demon talk making the swordman shock. He didn't get surprised about the demon talk. He knows that demon could talk like humans. What he surprised is why is this demon still have his human side.
"a new breed?" Giyu thought as he let go of the demon. The demon them head to his sister and make a stance protecter her from him.
"Interesting" he look at them and think for a while. This is my first time seeing a demon not attacking human. These sibilings might be special. They might stop the man and end all demons's existence.
"Tell me do you want to cure you brother?" The man said making the siblings shock. "You won't attack me?" Tanjiro asked. "No, you still had your human self. That's a good thing. Still, don't forget that if you dare to hurt nor eat a human. I will kill you" the man said in a serious tone.
"I will ask you again"
"Do you want to cure you brother?" The man asked looking at Nezuko.
Nezuko gulped, However, her eyebrows furrowed and a metaphorical fire lit behind her burgundy eyes. "Yes. If I have to be a demon slayer myself, just so I can find a demon and demand an answer, so be it. As long as I can turn Niichan back to human.
"I won't kill your brother. Go see an old man name Sakonji Urokodaki who lives at the foot of Mount Sagiri. Tell him that Giyu Tomioka sent you. He will make you a full fledge demon slayer. Your brother should be fine because the sun isn't out today but don't let her into direct sunlight.' The man said as he vanish in the air.
When he left tanjiro and Nezuko sight in relief. And soon get the things that they needed for their journey. A minute pass by and they are ready.
"Are you ready ni-chan" Nezuko said excitedly.
"Wait. I have something to do first" Tanjiro said making Nezuko confused.
Flashback..
"Father! What is that?" Tanjiro asked looking at the ferry red sword in their attic. "Hmm." His father just sight and look at his son.
"It's our family heirloom" the father replied.
"What's a heirloom?" Tanjiro asked confused he is still a kid after all.
"A heirloom is a valuable object that belong to a family for generations" Tanjuro said.
"In our case. This sword has been pass down from you great grandfather and now it got pass down to me. Soon I will pass it down to you. Since you are the eldest some of the family." Tanjuro added.
"Does that means that I can become a strong swordman like you, tou-san" tanjiro asked joyfully.
"Yes, you can. With enough hardwork you can do it. But..."
"What is it father" Tanjiro asked.
"You can only access it's full potential if you have a reason. A reason to use the sword. To protect? To kill? To dominate? Anything, but in order to wield it's power and for you to not get consumed by it. Those reason is not enough." Tanjuro said.
"What do you mean father? Can't I use the sword with the only reason to protect our family?" He asked as his father look at the sowrd and at him once more.
"Protecting your family and those you love is right reason, but it's not enough to wield it's potential." Tanjuro said.
"You won't understand it for now. Even I doesn't understand it at first. You don't need to rush tanjiro. For now train harder in order to become a better swordman in future." Tanjuro added.
"Hai Tou-san!" Tanjiro said.
"Remember this. If the sword glow bright red that means that you already access it's a full potential" Tanjuro said making his son nod.
Flashback ends.
"Ni-chan, where are you going?" Nezuko asked as saw his brother heading inside again. She followed his brother only to see him getting into an attic. She didn't know they have an attic. As soon as tanjiro climbed up, she climbed up too.
As they both got up in the attic. Nezuko look around trying to find his brother. It's too much dusk. It's hard to see. She look at the source of blinding lights.
"What is that?" Nezuko asked.
"It's our father sword" tanjiro replied.
"I didn't know that father have that" Nezuko said.
"Why is it glowing" She asked confused seeing his brother hold it and it glow bright red.
"So father was right. It glows. Does this means that I already access it's full potential?" Tanjuro thought. But soon his thoughts come to a halt when he saw the sword changing colors.
"Ni-chan what's happening" Nezuko asked looking at the glowing bright red sword. It glow suddenly disappear and and the red color suddenly change from red to black.
"It's to early, I need to become stronger and have a reason to wield this sword. I wonder what will that reason would be." Tanjiro thought as he put the sword and the sheeth and remind his sister that they need to head out.
Before they head out tanjiro saw a haori on the side where he saw the sword. He grab it and put it on his side. As soon as they got out.
He tied his hair into one ponytail for easy maneuvering, stood up and grasped his sisters soft hand. They hold the bundle of clothes containing all the food and money they could find inside their wrecked house, including a hatchet as a weapon of some sort and a sword for tanjiro, they took one last glance at their family graveyard and mumbled. "Let's go, Nezuko"
And they ran to the horizon, hoping for a new future in this cruel, unforgiving world.
To be continue...