17 years later…
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As the sun began to rise on a new day, two children: Tanjiro Kamado, a burgundy-red haired boy, and Nezuko Kamado, a young girl with black hair, who also happens to be Tanjiro's younger sister. These two were sleeping in a small cave, as someone began to watch them in silence in the farthest part of the small cave.
As Tanjiro began to wake up, his vision adjusted very quickly, and noticed someone within the shadows of the cave, curious as to who it was, he began to approach it only to stop from its voice.
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"If you value your life, I suggest you stay there." The voice spoke, sounding like that of a woman. "Honestly, I wouldn't have cared less about what might have happened to you, but sadly I made a promise to someone who share's your appearance, as a deal to my survival. And just note that my name and my purpose are of no concern to you."
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Caught off guard from this woman talking, Tanjiro's words were caught in his throat. The only words that came out from his mouth were:
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"Who are you?" Tanjiro asked.
"As I have stated before, my name is of no concern to you." The lady responded back not once changing her tone of voice. "All you need to know at this moment is this: If you wish to survive and avenge your family, you will follow my orders to the T. Is that understood?"
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Not necessarily waiting for a response, the woman had begun to dig a hole big enough to hold a person and placed herself in it. As that happened, Tanjiro asked yet another question.
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"What were you doing at my house?"
"I was looking for a certain man, and he so happened to be there. You should consider yourself lucky along with your sister." The woman spoke up, as she poked her head out from the hole. "The man who attacked your sister missed the chance at changing her into a demon. As you two slept through the night, I injected her with a serum that reverses the effects of demon blood. It's still a work in progress, but she should still retain her humanity, and the ability to walk out in the sun."
"What do you mean?" Tanjiro asked not fully understanding what the woman had just said.
"You'll see for yourself. But for now, I suggest you find me a mode of transportation. I still wish to move during the day, but as a demon I cannot." The woman said as she began waving her hand, gesturing at Tanjiro to get moving.
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Listening to the savior of his sister, as well as himself, Tanjiro set out to look for something to carry this mysterious woman in during the day.
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A few minutes later…
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With Tanjiro out of sight, the mysterious woman grabbed the sleeping Nezuko and pulled her into the depths of the cave, away from the sunlight. As she placed her hand on Nezuko's forehead, the woman began to breath in a mysterious way. As she did, she saw Nezuko's muscle structure, her blood vessels and her heart. Seeing nothing abnormal, the woman picked up Nezuko, exposing the young girl's neck. As she opened her mouth, the mysterious woman clamped down on Nezuko's neck sucking very little blood out. After about 10 seconds, the woman released Nezuko's neck from her clutches, before spitting out what looked to be a black clump. Continually spitting every few seconds the woman stopped after noticing the black substance no longer left her mouth.
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"Geez, why must I be the one to take this responsibility?" The woman asked herself before exhaling in disbelief. "But we both did come to an agreement. Afterall, he was your ancestor, young Nezuko and Tanjiro Kamado."
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Later in the day…
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Upon hearing footsteps approaching, the woman went on the defensive and awaited to see who the enemy was only to hear a familiar voice.
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"Um, I brought a basket." Tanjiro said. "Do you think that will do?"
"As long as I can remain away from the sunlight, anything will do." The woman answered, as she ran her hand through her long, black hair.
"Okay, just give me a moment." Tanjiro said as he pulled out his axe and began to cut it in half.
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A few minutes later, Tanjiro brought in a basket wrapped in bamboo.
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"So, you think you can fit in this?" Tanjiro asked skeptically.
"Are you suggesting that I'm too big for such a small, cramped space such as this?" The woman answered back with malice in her voice.
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As she grabbed the edges of the basket, she flipped herself in, and in Tanjiro's eyes saw her fall into the basket, only to emerge looking smaller and younger.
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"You…you…" Stuck with what to say, Tanjiro stuttered only to hear a familiar voice.
"You shrunk? How did you do that?" a young girl's voice spoke up, only to be revealed as Nezuko.
"Nezuko. You're awake." Tanjiro said with joy in his voice.
"Of course. My concoction works its wonders instantly." The woman responded with a younger tone than what she had before.
"Wait, that serum that you spoke of earlier, that's what saved my sister?" Tanjiro asked in a panic, only to fall backwards from a flick to his head.
"Will you calm down. As of this moment, you should not be worried about what I do. In fact, you should be worried about what you are not doing." The woman replied as she tapped the rim of the basket. "Where's the cap?"
"Oh, well…"
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A few hours later…
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As Tanjiro walked with a blanket covered over the basket, with his sister walking alongside him trying to match his pace, as they passed a woman and her child.
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"Mt. Sagiri. Well it's just past that mountain over there. But are you sure you want to cross it now, especially with your sister and that much luggage?" The woman asked with concern in her voice. "If you'd like, I'll be glad to accommodate you for the night."
"Nezuko, can you still go?" Tanjiro asked as he turned his attention to his sister only to feel a slight kick to his back. "Ow. Hey."
"Are you alright?" The woman asked as she saw Tanjiro tumble forth just a bit. "Maybe it's best that you stay the night."
"No, it's fine." Nezuko spoke up, facing towards the woman. "We must get to Mt. Sagiri as soon as we can. Our family is already worried as it is. We don't wish to worry them any longer."
"Oh, is that so?" The woman said seeming to understand the situation. "Well please be careful." As she saw the two siblings walk away from her house, she yelled a few final words at their backs. "People get lost on that path. Try not to lose your way, okay?"
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Thanking her for her concern, Tanjiro turned around and waved at her before continuing forward.
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As the sun set…
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Removing herself from the basket, the woman stretched and breathed a huge sigh of relief.
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"Ha, it feels great to be out of there." She said as she continuously stretched her sore muscles. "Thank you for the transportation."
"No problem." Tajiro said as he placed the basket back on his back.
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Blinking continually, Nezuko's eyes adjusted to the light that shone from the moon above. Looking at her surroundings, she began to noticed a few different colors around her.
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"Excuse me, miss…" Nezuko said before finally realizing that she didn't know the woman's name.
"What is it, Nezuko?" The woman spoke up.
"Um, well…I'm starting to see different colors." Nezuko said before she completely caught the attention of the woman.
"You mean fog." The woman said before stopping in her tracks. "Someone's injured."
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As the woman said this, she began to run off in the direction of the dark red fog that Nezuko saw in her eyes. Looking at each other, Tanjiro and Nezuko began to run after the woman, up a flight of stairs leading to a shrine, only to be stopped by the woman just before the door.
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"What's going on? Isn't someone injured? We should help them." Tanjiro said only to feel Nezuko's hand on his sleeve shaking uncontrollably. "Nezuko?"
"There's so much red. I can't see any other colors." Nezuko said as her breath shook with each word that left her mouth.
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Running past the woman, Tanjiro opened the sliding door to the shrine.
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"Are you okay?!" Tanjiro yelled as he witnessed a horror, he wished he never saw.
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As the carcasses of several people laid on top of each other, what looked to be a man began tearing open the skin of one and began to munch on it, only to stop midway and turn his attention towards the open door.
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"What? This is my turf." The demon said as he began licking his fingers. "If you crossed into it, then you must be prepared to die."
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As the demon said this, he noticed 3 people standing in front of the door but confused as to why they all smell of demon and human. Not taking any chances, the candle blew out and he rushed straight towards Tanjiro only to be launched straight towards a tree to the right of the shrine. Getting up from the attack, he noticed the long, black-haired woman's eyes shining a bright red.
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"So, you were the demon?" The demon spoke up. "Why the hell are you with those human?"
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The woman never spoke, only readied herself for the inevitable fight that was to occur. Covering her mouth from spilling anything, Nezuko turned around from the horror, and turned her attention towards the two demons. As the demon with fresh blood on his hands ran towards the woman, Nezuko noticed him moving a lot slower than usual. Confused by this, Nezuko turned to her brother.
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"Nii-chan, are you seeing this?" She asked.
"Seeing what?" Tanjiro said as he turned his attention towards the two demons, only to see them disappear, then reappear in another location.
"They're moving slowly in my eyes." Nezuko said as she continued to look at the ensuing battle.
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For what seemed like minutes, the demon tried to one-up to woman, only for his world to become upside-down just seconds after he approached the woman. As his body fell, the woman looked at his head that hung from the strands of his hair, before giving a menacing look.
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"You…next time you try to approach these children, I swear I'll make your life a living hell." The woman said before the demon came to a conclusion.
"No way. You're Lily, the demon hunter. The one he's looking for." The demon spoke now realizing that he was screwed.
"If you know me, then that is bad news for you." Lily, the now named mysterious woman, said she dropped the demon's head, and launched it with a full-powered demon kick.
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Distracted by the flying head, Lily heard Nezuko yell out to her.
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"Miss Lily, look out!" But the warning came too late, as the demon's body kicked Lily in the stomach.
"Leave her alone!" Tanjiro said as he pulled out his axe and ran towards the headless demon and tried to injure it to give Lily enough time to focus.
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But without warning, Tanjiro was placed back where he started. Wondering how he was moved, he turned to his right and noticed Lily standing there without saying a word. Confused as to why she did that, Tanjiro was about to speak only to hear Lily grunting. Turning his attention back, he noticed Lily still fighting the headless demon. Now completely confused at this sudden twist, all Tanjiro could do was stare in confusion.
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"Don't just stand there!" Lily yelled at Tanjiro. "Throw me the axe!"
"Here!" Tanjiro yelled back as he launched the axe in Lily's direction, then grabbing both his sister's hand and Lily's double. "Come on, Nezuko."
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Now extremely annoyed at this, Lily grabbed the headless demon's arm and launched him towards a tree again, only for the demon to twist his body mid-air and land safely on the tree and launched himself back at Lily. Seeing this opportunity, Lily gritted her teeth together and began to breath outwards. In doing so, she lifted the axe above her left shoulder, and swung down with such ferocity that it split the demon's body in two from the right shoulder to the left abdomen. After finishing with that, Lily turned to Tanjiro.
Returning back to the shrine, Lily noticed Nezuko and Tanjiro digging up holes just big enough for one body, before struggling to place it in. As that happened, Lily's other half helped the young girl place the body in the hole, before rushing off to dig another. Seeing this, the original Lily was confused at the fact that her double had a mind of its own. Still, without having the thought linger on her mind for too long, Lily walked up to the double.
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"Time to disappear." She said only for the double to shake its head in disagreement. "What?"
"Hey, Lily. Do you think you can help me out again?" Nezuko asked only for the double to react.
"Hold on." The original Lily said, as she grabbed hold of her double.
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Confused as to why she did that, Nezuko was about to speak up only to see the copy's hair change from a night black color, to a pure white color. Satisfied with the result, Lily spoke up.
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"This one will be known as Kaguya. Alright?" Lily asked only for "Kaguya" to shake her head in agreement.
"Kaguya. I like that." Nezuko said as Kaguya ran to her like a child running to its mother.
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A few minutes later…
As the sun rose over the new day, Lily and Kaguya stayed within the shadows of the small, now bloodied shrine, as Tanjiro and Nezuko buried the bodies of the innocent people. As the two began to pray, Nezuko opened her eyes as she felt a pebble being flicked to her forehead. Looking up, Nezuko saw nothing other than a shadow looming over her. Turning her attention away from the make-shift burial, Nezuko looked behind her only to see a man in a ocean blue haori, with white clouds, and a red tengu mask that the man wore on his face.
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"Nezuko, who's that?" Tanjiro asked as he got up to his feet and turned his attention towards the man.
"Don't know. When I turned around, he was already there." Nezuko answered.
"So, you must be the children I've read about." The man answered only to be astonished by Nezuko speaking. "Last I read, I heard your sister had turned into a demon." The man said as he turned his attention towards Tanjiro.
"Oh, well…" Tanjiro was about to speak up, only for the conversation to abruptly stop and change with a few words.
"The man has a name. It's Sankonji Urokodaki." Lily spoke up from the shadows of the shrine.
"Oh, hold on." Tanjiro said as he grabbed the basket used to carry Lily in.
"Thank you, Kamado." Lily said as she entered in the basket, while Tanjiro began to tie the heavy blanket on top.
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As he finished tying the blanket on top of the open basket, Tanjiro was just about to place the basket's straps on his shoulders when he felt a pull on his arm. As he turned around, Nezuko began pulling on the basket.
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"I'll take it. So, you rest now." Nezuko stated.
"Oh, that's fine. I can handle it." Tanjiro smiled only to see a pout form on his sister's face.
"I'll take it." Nezuko said as began pulling on the basket.
"Not to interrupt you two, but what Kaguya?" Lily's asked through the closed blanket.
"Oh, that right." Tanjiro said. "We can put her in with you."
"No." Urokodaki stated as he turned his attention towards Nezuko. "Grab her and let's go."
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Half an hour later…
Completely tired from running, but still continuing Nezuko tried her best to follow behind Urokodaki and Tanjiro, who seemed, from her perspective, to be doing just fine while holding Lily in the makeshift basket. Seeing this, Nezuko didn't stop, but placed more effort in each step she took, trying her best to close the distance between her and her brother.
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"It's amazing. Nii-chan is so amazing, I'm practically sweating here." Nezuko said to herself, as she began to see her brother slowing down. "What is he doing?"
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Keeping pace with his sister, Tanjiro began to run beside her.
"Can you go on?" Tanjiro asked through his puffed breaths.
"Yes, I can." Nezuko huffed before continuing. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."
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Tanjiro still insisted on carrying Kaguya, but Nezuko wasn't having any of it, and began to run a little faster, trying her best to catch up with the fast-old man.
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Around dusk…
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Both panting heavily at this point, Nezuko and Tanjiro were having trouble just gulping down fresh air into their lungs. But if they thought that was it, the two Kamado siblings were in for a surprise.
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"Place your friends in the room and follow me." Urokodaki stated, only to hear Lily's voice.
"Nezuko, stay with me. I'm pretty sure Urokodaki only set up the training camp for one person." Lily said as Tanjiro placed the basket on the floor.
"Alright." Nezuko answered.
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As Tanjiro and Urokodaki set off into the mountain, Nezuko began removing the sling off her shoulders and placed the infant looking Kaguya down. Seeing her asleep, confused Nezuko quite a bit, but for Lily she didn't seem that phased by it.
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"Aren't you worried?" Nezuko asked.
"About what?" Lily answered as she stayed within the shadows of Urokodaki's window, watching the light from the sun disappear behind the mountains.
"Kaguya. She's asleep. You're acting as if this is natural, is it?" Nezuko asked again, as she rose to her feet.
"It's natural for me, since I don't usually eat human flesh." Lily responded.
"You don't?" Nezuko answered with confusion in her voice. "I thought all demons do?"
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Fully turning her attention to the young Kamado girl, Lily walked past the window and opened the door.
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"The sun's hiding perfectly." Lily responded before looking her over her shoulder. "Come, it's time for your training."
"Mine?" Nezuko asked, afraid of the answer that will follow.
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A few hours later…
Being knocked towards the ground with such a force, caused Nezuko to gasp outwards, causing a trail of saliva to protrude from her mouth as Nezuko faced the ground. As she looked up, Nezuko saw Lily dusting off her kimono without a care in the world.
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"What's this training for anyways?" Nezuko asked as she tried to calm her rapid breathing.
"Unlike your brother, you've hardly grasped the strength and stamina to fight." Lily answered as she began twirling the wooden sword she held in her hand. Then as she placed the sword on her shoulders, Lily continued to speak. "So, I'm just here to make sure you have the basic knowledge of what you need."
"Of what I need?" Nezuko repeated with confusion. "I don't get it."
"I overheard your conversation with your brother, during my duel with that demon." Lily began to recall what Nezuko said. "You said you saw us moving slowly, not many people could. So, I'm just going to continue to beating you senseless until your body can catch up with your eyes and me, that's all." Lily finished her sentence with a smile before swinging the sword down violently onto Nezuko.
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This continued until Nezuko couldn't get up any longer. Seeing her give up, Lily threw the sword away and walked up to the unconscious Nezuko. Picking her up, Lily began to hear the way she breathed. Hearing little pulses in Nezuko's breathing, Lily sighed in defeat.
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"Looks like we still have a long way to go." Lily spoke to no one. "It took him quite some time, but she's saw his dance, if anything she has potential to finish the Hinokami Dance."
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Taking Nezuko back into the house, Lily noticed the sun rising over the mountain tops. Smiling, Lily returned to the house, placed Nezuko in the futon and just watched her rest, placing her hand down on her chest to prevent her from breathing in too much and to condition her to breath in the way Lily imagined it.
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"Just a little longer, Nezuko. And you'll be a fine Dancer."