Takemichi gripped his abdomen as he leant against a flat but rough surface. His vision was blurry as he looked around. He didn't even know how he had gotten here.
One moment he was in the fight getting absolutely decimated by Mikey, the next he couldn't even move his arms. Now he is here.
The cold air caused his hair to rise at the sudden shift and change in the environment. He could barely make out the area around him.
What was he doing before this situation? All he could remember was being carried by people whose faces he couldn't even remember. Next, someone was grasping his hand. Takemichi was in such a haze, he couldn't even relish the feeling.
It was so soft and warm, yet coated with what he would assume was blood. That's when everything went wrong. It was like the feeling of electricity. The feeling of being zapped to the future was turned on its head in the worst way possible.
It passed through his body and was amplified to what he hoped was the maximum (God forbid if the pain could worsen).
Then his vision went white. He wasn't sure if it was due to the pain or the light.
This wasn't anything like before. Sure, he had time-leaped, and while he didn't want to push the limits of what powers he did or didn't have, he was somewhat aware that he had a limited ability of foresight.
Yet, he was utterly befuddled by the sudden change of location. It wasn't even supposed to be snowing yet, but he could make out blobs of white spots. He was positive that the substance was snow.
His breathing was uneven and taking in even a small breath was hard. His nose burned at the cold air, but he was beginning to get the hang of it.
It was as bright as day, and from where Takemichi could make out, he was in an alley. The surface he was leaning on had the faint scent of bamboo, creating questions in his mind.
This situation was growing more and more confusing as the boy man observed and speculated about his surroundings. Takemichi's fuzzy vision eventually ebbed away, leaving Takemichi with slightly clearer vision.
Even with the clarity of his sight, he had no idea of where he was. Takemichi didn't want to jump the gun and say his abilities might have mutated and sent him back an entire century. But the sight before him made those thoughts shudder in evidence and lucidity.
The area was clearly a snowy town, but what really stood out were the houses. They resembled a notable piece of history that still existed in modern Japanese life, but were rarely ever used normally.
Minkas were neatly lined up or strewn about; they were old and worn-down, but most importantly, used. Takemichi didn't know what to say; there wasn't anything to say. He was never the brightest person in the room, but he paid attention, if only a little.
Everything was moving too fast.
Men and women alike walked around, seemingly ripped straight out of history, wearing haoris and kimonos, like it was some sort of celebration. Yet there was no decor or flashy artwork anywhere in sight. Takemichi was the only person in his dress shirt and pants.
Even if Takemichi did manage to say what was going on with him, he would probably be in a mental institution, and rumors in the future called it a "hell house," so why would it be any better in this age?
The cold air still burned as he breathed, and his thin clothes didn't help keep him warm in such weather. At least the leap gave him the benefit of the doubt and reverted his injuries. Takemichi shook his supposedly mutilated arm, feeling nothing but a sturdy and normal appendage.
In fact, as Takemichi gave his body the once-over, most of his recent injuries seemed to be gone with little scarring. Takemichi, unintentionally, let out a sigh of relief.
Unfortunately, the action served more as a warning to help him soak in the new reality he was in as his lungs burned.
Oh. Oh no.
He was… fucked, wasn't he?
Tanijro patted Rokuta's head, his soft and smooth hair puffing up slightly in the cold air.
A small smile graces his face. A momentary peace in the ever-challenging life of an eldest brother, but he wouldn't change it for the world. He would protect them and keep them safe.
Nezuko looks at him with a caring smile. Her beauty was known throughout the town, so much so that she was considered their beauty. Her face always brought a smile to his face. All of them did.
"Everyone follows you wherever you go." Nezuko spoke with nothing short of nostalgia and warmth. Tanjiro chuckled internally.
As much as he wanted them to be happy, sometimes jobs like this were off limits to his younger siblings. "See you later," his beloved sister said, turning away from their small talk to begin the short walk back to their cozy cottage.
Ever since his father died, Tanjiro had to take over the role as the man of the house. He was happy with his role and wouldn't give it up for anything else.
The walk to the town was cold and burned at his nose, but the trek was such a normal routine that it didn't bother him one bit. They don't have an easy life, but they are happy.
Even with life's wavering tendency to change, like the weather, it shifts and moves on. Yet, it's not like it always stays sunny, nor does it ever snow endlessly.
Tanjiro's facial expression smooths out into a smaller and much more neutral smile. The thoughts in his head were beginning to take on a darker theme. Whenever happiness is destroyed, there's always… the sorrowful smell of blood.
His near-indescribable auburn and red hair began to gain small speckles of white due to the slow snow fall. The seemingly impossible distance between their humble abode and the town had begun to shrink visibly.
As Tanjiro's burgundy eyes lifted from his feet, the charcoal-filled bamboo woven basket was heavy on his shoulders as he shuffled through the snow. The silhouette of the town drew near as the trek began to come to its end.
Tanjiro waved his hand to wave at the people near the entrance of the small yet bustling town. Minor "hi's" and "how are you's" were uttered as he slowly crept toward the center of the town. A familiar woman stepped out of her Minka, and her head lifted to notice him.
She waved with a rag on her other hand. "Well, now Tanjiro," she started joyfully, and Tanjiro turned to face her with an equally bright smile. "I can't believe you came down from the mountain, and on a day like this too," the woman said, almost amused.
Her expression turned to that of slight worry, and she brought a hand up to her face in a gesture of anxiety. "You might catch a cold, you know?" Tanjiro's eyes closed, and he spoke with a smile, "This is nothing, really."
After opening them, he looked at her with an offering gesture, "Do you have enough charcoal?"
"Hey, Tanjiro!" A masculine voice called out. The burgundy-haired boy turned his head to face the source with a hum, revealing a middle-aged man with his hand raised.
The man lowered his arm before continuing, "Can I have some charcoal?" Another man walked out of his small house and perked up at the sight of him. "Thanks for fixing my sliding doors the other day!" the newcomer thanked the younger boy.
A woman near him spoke up, "I'll need some coal too!"
Tanjiro's nose twitched. It was barely visible, but there was a new scent in the air. He just couldn't put his finger on who it was or where it was coming from. It was tinged with immense fear and... pain? However, the scent was also muted and hard to pin down. It was strange, maybe-
As Tanjiro turned, a sudden slamming noise caused him to jolt, causing him to turn around to face behind him.
A woman holding a young boy by his scruff in the cold open air was shown with a slight clamour. The boy's face was bleeding slightly, and he turned and seemed to glow with relief as he saw him. "Ah, Tanjiro! Oh man, perfect timing!"
The young man scrambled to Tanjiro's feet. As he knelt, he raised a bundle of fabric to the boy in almost a worshipping way. "I've been accused of breaking this plate!" he stated his case to the boy, and nudged the bundle slightly closer to his face. "Help me out, will you?" he begged. "Sniff it!"
The bundle of the fabric indeed contains a shattered plate. It seemed somewhat expensive.
Tanjiro leant in and sniffed lightly, not enough to inhale any small shards of glass but enough to get a decent scent from the item in even the cold and breezy weather.
Pulling his body up, Tanjiro came to an easy conclusion as to who the culprit was. The eldest Kamado smiled easily as he stated, "I smell a cat." The bloodied boy let out a cry of relief as he turned to the woman behind him, pointing accusingly at her, "See!"
The woman looked somewhat guilty as she raised her hand to her face, "Oh my, so it was a cat?" The boy reiterated, "I told you it wasn't me!"
An elderly man walked up to Tanjiro and waved at him. He inquired the young boy with a light smile, "Tanjiro! Can you give me a hand with this luggage? ".
Tanjiro turned to him and hummed with affirmation, shuffling through the snow to reach him. Thankfully, the snow was much thinner due to the location of the town and the daily cleaning they do.
As he trudged past the elderly man, he looked around. He'd been here before; it was the town he grew up in, yet there was always something new to admire.
Well, that was what Tanjiro thought before today. As he wandered near the old man's house, the unknown scent he smelled when he first entered the village began to grow. He could tell he was getting closer to the source, and they were definitely human.
Their scent was mixed with fear and pain, mingled with a bit of worthlessness. Perhaps a begger? No, that wouldn't be right. The town was small, and no one even came here for vacations or anything of the sort. There was no one rich here either, so Tanjiro doubts that they came here to beg for extra change.
Tanjiro turned to the old man behind him and tilted his head, "A... Mukankei-san? I noticed that someone new has entered town. " Tanjiro probed the old man.
The old man stiffened and looked at him with tired eyes before acknowledging the question. "Just a begger, Tanjiro-kun..." he trailed off, leaving Tanjiro to ponder who the newcomer was.
As the time flew by, Tanjiro wiped the sweat from his brow as he set down a barrel. The bright pink and purple colors that covered the sky had quickly turned dusk into dawn.
He had wandered deeper into the town and rested at Dīzunattsu-san's house. From there, he worked in the town center, making quite a pretty penny for his labor. Either way, the sky told him all he needed to know.
Tanjiro huffed, "Jeez, it's already so late." as he picked his woven basket up, now empty due to him thankfully selling out coal. He waved goodbye to the townsfolk and began he trek home, it wasn't even a few steps pass the first house did he reach a small alley way in the town.
The unknown scent was pungent and reeked of pain and misery. It made Tanjiro turn his nose up at how strong the scent was, watering his eyes.
Jō-chan sat on her porch and watched her elder stop, she could figure out why. "Neh, Tanjiro-san" She spoke, almost like a mutter, yet Tanjiro heard her anyway, and turned his head to her. "Mama has been feeding the outcast in the alley." she paused, "Well, I call him outcast, he hasn't given us a name."
Tanjiro looked up at her with curious eyes. Most of the town had avoided speaking of the outcast, seeing as he appeared strangely. His hair was as bright as the sun and his eyes as blue as the sky. He wore strange clothes too.
But that wasn't the only thing that caused the folks to avoid him. While Mama tried her best to feed him and even tried to bring him inside, he'd always end up outside. He rarely spoke, and his eyes were as dull as a stone. No shine was to be seen.
His few words spoken seem to show that he thought of himself as a curse, and refused to touch anyone with his hands. He fretted a lot, and always seemed troubled about being too close to people, yet let them guide him around.
"We don't know where he came from." Jō-chan paused and huffed, "I don't think I've even seen his face, so be careful if you want to approach him." She warned.
Yet, even with such a warning, Tanjiro's face adorned a determined expression.
His kind soul was on full display, and Jō-chan had no problems with that. One man's trash is another's treasure, and Tanjiro could keep the stranger for all she cared. Her mama worried over the unknown boy a lot, so now he would be taken off their hands.
As cold as it was, her mother had been splurging their food supply on the boy quite a bit, and if this kept up, they might not survive the winter. Tanjiro's large family would have better supplies for the boy to thrive on.
Jō-chan sighed as Tanjiro quickly turned to the alley. If the boy shanked him, it wasn't her problem. The basket on Tanjiro's back shook as he all but sprinted to the supposedly mysterious boy.
He was always one to help, and this was no exception. Yet as he entered the small alley and closed in on the boy, he stopped short.
Jō-chan had never really put emphasis on how strange the boy's appearance was, and in the town, such vibrant hair was not normal.
What small section of the boy's hair was visible in the shrinking daylight was revealed to be almost shoulder length and bright yellow, almost akin to the himawari flower.
The bright petals matched the vibrant strands of hair on the boy's head.
Tanjiro rested his hand on the snow. It bit into his flesh, cold and rough. "Hello!" Tanjiro spoke in a soft and warm tone, the same tone he used on his siblings. The boy jolted, and lifted his head up, he seemed as young as Tanjiro.
"My name's Tanjiro Kamado!" The kind soul introduced himself before stretching his hand out, carefully as not to get too close.
"What's yours?" Tanjiro asked gently, and the blonde shook softly, almost swaying in the near impossible breeze that could enter the alley. The newcomer muttered faintly, so softly that Tanjiro could barely make out the words.
The newcomer's hair was stained slightly with dirt, and with the night approaching, Tanjiro didn't want to leave him out here in the cold. Tanjiro stood up and pointed at himself, "Hey, how about you come to my home up the mountain?"
The boy looked up at him, his hair falling away to reveal his eye. It was dull but curious, just like Tanjiro's. Yet its color shone like the bright blue sky.
The boy seemed hesitant, and Tanjiro reached out to pat his head. "It'll be okay! My mom wouldn't mind." Tanjiro promised. The blonde boy seemed nervous, then in a shocking moment of bravery, pushed himself to his feet and finally stood up, although with shaky feet and heaving heavily from the activity.
Tanjiro instinctively reached out and supported him, uttering affirmations. The boy's strangely thin shirt, not suited for the winter, allowed Tanjiro to feel his back. He was thin, despite the fact that Jō-chan claimed her mother was feeding him.
Tanjiro smiled at him with reassurance. The newcomer seemed startled at the sudden touch and conversation, but Tanjiro hummed. It took a moment to steady him on his feet, but the boy's strange shoes seemed to provide some form of protection from the harsh winter elements.
As they waddled to the entrance of the town, the boy finally spoke, "Take- Takemichi..." in a soft tone, the now known Takemichi muttered his name in a hoarse voice.
Tanjiro paused at the sudden name drop, and looked at him. The boy fidgeted with his fingers tinted light blue and looked at the ground.
The Kamado smiled and laughed, "Nice to meet you Takemichi-kun!" Under his hair, the boy glowed pink a bit before Tanjiro gasped, "Ah! Sorry, too informal?" he asked in worry, yet to his surprise, the boy nodded negatively.
"Neh, Takemitchy..." the boy rasped out. Tanjiro blinked at that. He would never have expected a pet name so soon, but he smiled, "Okay, Takemitchy!" They both trekked onward, the satisfying crunch of snow beneath their feet was soothing for both of them. As they made it to the bottom of the hill, an old voice called out.
"Hey! You two! " Tanjiro turned to the familiar voice and hummed in acknowledgement, "Hm?"
It was Old Man Saburou on his house porch. He waved at them. "Are you two going back to the mountain? You'd better not. It's too dangerous." Takemitchy looked on through his unruly blonde bangs.
The sky had now taken on a dark blue hue and speckles of white were dotted around. The flames on the porch danced.
Tanjiro sighed as the old man asserted. The Kamado raised his hand calmingly. The youth assured, "We'll be fine. I've got a great sense of smell. " Tanjiro pointed at his nose to stress his point, yet Old Man Saburou huffed, "I'll put you two to bed tonight." He said with a tone of finality.
Tanjiro opened his mouth, but the old man beat him to the punch and adamantly spoke, "Come on, inside." the elder ushered. "Now!".
Tanjiro tried to argue back. "But!—" The old man seemed, however, insistent, and he waved his arms, "Don't argue! Come... before the demons show up. "
They ended up staying at Old Man Saburou's house regardless, with Takemitchy taking one of the old man's late son's haori, and sleeping robe.
Well, the old man tried to gift these items. Takemitchy was extremely hesitant, but the old man was adamant about giving them to him. In the end, he settled on taking the haori and negotiated on wearing the sleeping robe for only the night.
He seemed troubled when taking in Takemitchy's frail and thin form, but said nothing and moved on to eyeing his vibrant himawari flower-colored hair.
Tanjirou clasped his hands together and said a quick thank you for the meal before looking at Old Man Saburou. His mind was niggling with questions about these so-called demons that the old man always preached about.
Tanjirou knew demons didn't exist, yet he was curious, as always.
He wished he wasn't this naive.
"Naa, Old Man Saburou... what are demons like?" The boy inquired, causing the two other occupants to pause what they were doing. Old Man Saburou turned to him, quick to answer, "Man-eating demons have always prowled the land once it gets dark." The elderly man stated, "That's why you should never stroll around at night."
He turned away, folding rags, "Go to bed; you can set off at first light." As the two began to set up for bed, Tanjiro rested his head on the pillow, and Takemitchy followed and turned away. Takemitchy pulled the covers over himself, his curly bangs lopsided.
Tanjirou looked up innocently at the man and asked, "These demons wouldn't break in, would they?" The man chuckled sadly, "Yes, they'd come in." He continued, "That's why the demon hunters protect us by slaying them since way back when."
The elderly man clapped his hands and blew the lamp out, "Lights out, now go to sleep." With that said, they two drifted off to sleep. Well, Tanjiro's mind lingered in his thoughts. Old Man Saburou is all alone after losing his whole family.
He must be lonely. Tanjiro smiled to himself in the dark. He would bring his siblings next time and say, "You're safe; there are no demons."
Tanjiro's face took on a thoughtful frown. Then again, his grandmother used to say the same thing when she was alive.
As the sun rose, Tanjiro and Takemitchy stood at the bottom of the mountain where they were the previous night before the old man pulled them into his house. Only this time, Takemitchy adorned a new snow-themed haori. As Old Man Saburou looked them over, he sighed, and bid them goodbye: "You two be safe now."
Tanjirou chirped out, "Okay!" before grabbing Takemitchy's sleeve and pulling him up the track to the top of the hill. The air began to grow thin due to the higher elevation, but for Tanjiro that was no problem, as for Takemitchy he seemed to be holding up.
Tanijiro turned to the boy happily. He wanted to tell him all about his family. "You'll love my mom! She makes the best ramen!" The redhead said enthusiastically, and surprisingly, the blonde seemed intently focused on whatever the other boy had to say.
As they closed the distance, Tanjiro looked up to face the mountain. He unintentionally sniffed the air. In the moment, everything was normal, but for Tanjiro, his heart fell to his feet and through the earth. He let go of Takemitchy's hand and felt the blood tint in the air grow stronger as he moved closer.
Tanjiro didn't even register when he began running. It wasn't until the image of Nezuko, bloodied and with her arm wrapped around an equally mangled Rokuta, that he realized he had been running.
"Aaah!" He let out a scream in horror at the sight. Tanjiro scrambled to kneel near Nezuko, barely listening to the panting of Takemichi as he ran up behind him. His breath was cut short at the sight of it too.
As Tanjiro got up to look at the inside of his house, his heart stopped; it was a blood bath. The walls, the floor... Tanjiro muttered out, "Kaa-chan... Hanako... Takeo... Shigeru... Nezuko... Rokuta!"
Takemitchy scrambled to the nearest bodies, quickly checking the pulses of Nezuko and Rokuta, putting two fingers to the throats of their necks. Tears quickly soaked into his bangs, covering the front of his eyes. There was a faint pulse for both of them, but Nezuko's seemed stronger.
Takemitchy grinded his teeth. He was at fault for this; he was the one who caused this. He was the cursed one that brought death to everyone around him.
Tanjiro was so kind to him, the boy shouldn't have touched him, maybe then this could have been avoided. Tanjiro didn't deserve this.
Takemitchy opened his mouth, hoarse and dry. "Tanjiro..." he called out, standing up. Even with his thin body, he pulled Nezuko up and managed to get her on his back.
Her weight was rather light, but still a bit heavy for the so-called time-leaper. It was amusing how frail he was.
Tanjiro turned to him with teary eyes, and clambered over to the duo, putting his hands on Nezuko's face. Tanjiro felt the heat; it was a sign of life. He gasped in relief that someone had survived, and turned to Takemitchy and quickly ordered, "Quickly, we need to get to the doctor!"
They trudged down the mountain at a supposedly slow pace. The icy air burned their lungs as they breathed. Tanjiro kept a steady grip on Nezuko from behind, while Takemitchy took the front. The now, only male, Kamado's thoughts ran wild.
What caused this? Was it a bear that couldn't hibernate?
He needed to move his legs faster. The cold snow bit at his feet as he walked, but he needed to move. He won't let Nezuko die!
He'd save her, subconsciously small tears racing down his youthful face. "I swear Nii-chan will save you no matter what!" Tanjiro screamed with persistance.
Then Nezuko's fingers began to twitch, her light pink kimono moving. Then, with an abrupt movement, the girl's eyes opened, flinging her head back. "Ah!" Tanjiro jumped and held onto his sister, "Nezuko! Everything's going to be okay! "
Tanjiro tried to soothe her, but her near animalistic growls grew in volume. Takemitchy gripped her arm in an attempt to hold her down safely, but her sudden burst of strength caused her arms to rip straight out of his hold.
Her suddenly sharp hands gripped onto Takemitchy's shoulders, piercing them, drawing blood and a small shout of pain, and her feet moved to grab at Tanjiro's hands, the sudden shaking and moving jostling both boys.
The snow shifted beneath their feet, stones and dirt digging into their flesh as they tried their best to stay cemented to the ground, toes curling with their attempts, but one sharp movement thrusted the trio off the snowy mountain.
Suddenly, the world was tilted upside down as all the grip the two boys had on Nezuko was torn out of their hands, sending them tumbling down. The pine trees coated in snow shook, sending snow falling after them too.
Thumps resonated in the air as Takemichi and Tanjiro hit the ground. The snow had saved them, but at what cost? The snow was the reason they slipped in the first place.
Tanjiro lay on his back on the snow, eyes blown wide, before hurriedly pulling himself to his knees. Takemitchy quickly pulled himself to his feet as well, moving to meet with Tanjiro. The red-headed boy's eyes darted around trying to find Nezuko.
"Nezuko!" He cried out, trying to see if she would respond, until she revealed herself. In the snow stood Nezuko, her head hung low and barefoot, her kimono falling off her shoulders a bit.
Tanjiro scrambled to her, with Takemitchy behind him. "Are you okay?" He grasped her shoulders and desperately stated, "Don't worry, we'll get you to a doctor!" Takemitchy moved behind her, getting ready to grab her and saddle her on Tanjiro's back instead.
Tanjiro's nose twitches; something is wrong... Nezuko doesn't smell like her normal self. There's a new, much more sour scent mixed into her normal one. Tanjiro focused on his sister's face. Then a new scent arose.
The scent of blood permeated the air as Takemitchy subconsciously rubbed at his wounded shoulders. The seemingly innocent action caused Nezuko's mouth to salivate, her pink eyes turning toward him. Her pupils turned into slits and veins seemed to pop out on her face. Her formerly dull nails were resharpened to a point.
The scent was too... delectable... She needed a taste, just a taste. As a drop of saliva falls into the cold snow, she lunges at Takemitchy, but not fast enough.
Tanjiro quickly pulls out his axe from his belt, putting it between her teeth. The youngest one in the group pushed and shoved, trying to get closer to that sweet, succulent scent.
"S-she's a man-eating demon!?" Tanjiro stammered out in shock and fear as Takemitchy put his hands on her shoulders to push the preteen girl back.
No, she had been lying in a way that showed she had protected Rokuta. There was no blood on her mouth or hands. It wasn't her fault! "Nezuko-!" Takemitchy croaked out in a mix of pain and shock.
This wasn't the sister Tanjiro was so proud to show off, was it?
Trembling suddenly vibrated through the trio, Nezuko's attempts at reaching Takemitchy growing stronger. In those very few seconds, a noticeable growth went through the girl, as her height grew.
A new surge of strength went through the girl as she toppled them over. Tanjiro mentally stammered, "S-she grew in size!" her teeth began to cause small cracks in the wood of the axe, "A-and she's getting stronger!"
While Tanjiro was sleeping carelessly, they were getting brutally murdered. Tanjiro inhaled the cold air. "Nezuko!" he cried out. "Hang in there Nezuko!" The burn in his lungs ached. "Don't turn into a demon!" Tanjiro exclaimed despairingly.
The redhead grinded his teeth as Nezuko's efforts showed no sign of slowing down. Then, for a brief moment, a fat tear drop slid down, dropping on the skin available on Takemitchy's face.
Takemitchy's soft yet raspy voice resonated in the frigid air of winter, "Crying... don't cry..." Tanjiro paused, and looked down. Tears were indeed sliding down his sister's face.
The soft tone from Takemitchy seemed to do little to calm Nezuko, but she seemed to still be aware! This was great. Tanjiro's heart released the tension it had never known existed. He was just happy his sister had some humanity left in her.
Then, for Takemitchy, the familiar sound of another person rings in his ears. The soft crunch of snow sped up and, suddenly, his heart rate flew up too.
The blonde didn't know what it was, but with what he had endured, the chance of it being a threat clouded his mind. With what little strength Takemitchy could muster, he grabbed Nezuko's hands and pushed them off of him.
The action caused Tanjiro to shout in shock, as he and his sister flew back, rolling until they hit a pine tree, causing snow to be flung about and fall down from the leaves.
Takemitchy hastily pulls his arms up to his head in an attempt to shield his head when a blade comes down and slashes his haori and dressshirt underneath in a few seconds.
The blade, which Takemitchy can now see as a katana, leaves a non-life-threatening cut on his shoulder but, unfortunately, cuts his new haori.
Tanjiro blinked at the sudden threat. "What the..." he murmured mentally.
Tanjiro stared at the man standing over Takemitchy, the smell of his blood permeating through the air once again, even stronger than the last. "A blade," Tanjiro muttered quietly, his thoughts racing. The man turns to Tanjiro and back to Takemitchy before finally speaking, "Why are you protecting it?"
"It." that man said, like she wasn't even human anymore. When Tanjiro shouted out, "She's my younger sister!", the man stared at him before all but insulting her, "You call that thing your sister?"
That was the only warning they got before the unknown man threw himself at the two. Tanjiro's arms tighten quickly around Nezuko in a vain attempt to protect her, only to look down and find the space where she had been empty.
Looking up, the same man held her sister by the scruff of her kimono and pulled his katana up to her neck. "I have to decapitate your sister. I slay demons." the man said directly, skipping no details.
"No! Wait, she hasn't hurt anyone!" Tanjiro all but wailed, his arms stretched out, expressively, "My home had another scent."
Tanjiro paused to breathe. This whole day seemed to drain his energy. He spoke up again, trying to rationalize the situation, "That was probably the one that killed our family! Not her! "
"I don't know why she's like this but..." Tanjiro trailed off. Was there anything he could say to protect Nezuko?
The man stared at him, "Her wounds were exposed to demon blood. That's how they multiply." The man lowered his blade a bit, "She was about to eat you. Once you are a demon, there's no cure." He stated as Tanjiro knelt to the ground.
"You're wrong, she knows who I am! I-I'll find a cure!" The man began to mutter curses at that statement.
Tanjiro bowed his head into the cold snow, crying out, "Please! Please! Don't kill her!" That seemed to be the last straw for the man, as his previously emotionless face contorted into rage.
"Stop that pathetic grovelling!" the man barked out. Takemitchy watched from afar, near the tree where the man had earlier cut him.
Such classy fights weren't Takemitchy's strong suit. He could only do bare fist fighting, and even then, he wasn't the best at it. Was there anything he could do here? Would he always be doomed to be a weakling that leeched off of others?
In the midst of the man's yelling Takemitchy quietly pulled himself, something he practiced to do, taking off into the foggy forest.
The unknown man's rant continued, calling Tanjiro out on his cowardly ways of protecting his sister, then raised his sword, leaving it a second in the air before stabbing Nezuko.
"Stop!" Tanjiro yelled and quickly plucked a large rock from the ground, pelting it at the offender, who easily deflected it with his sword.
Tanjiro doesn't relent, however, and picks up his hatchet and darts into the fog of the woods, pelting rocks at the man.
Eventually, Tanjiro bolts towards the man, hatchet in hand, prepared to be swung. The man easily slams his sword down on the boy. "An attack powered solely by emotion..." disapproval in the air as he thought.
His sister stops struggling, staring at the boy. Then, in a split second, the man noticed the lack of a hatchet. Looking up, the spinning weapon twirls through the air, hitting the bark right next to the man's head.
The thoughts going through the man's head were racing; "He hid his hands as he pretended to attack, so I wouldn't realize he was unarmed." The man looked down at the unconscious boy and pondered, "He tried to bring me down after I struck him!"
The man stared at the kid, "This boy..."
"Wait, where's the other kid?" The man thought as he looked at the previous spot where the boy had been, blood soaking into the snow.
It seemed to drag out into the forest... did he scram while the other boy had been begging for his sister's life?
The slayer would have heard that. Was it when he was yelling? That might be able to cover up the sound of crunching snow. The boy's tracks had been covered up by the heavy snow.
The slayer's mouth turned into a sneer, pathetic.
Then the sudden rustle of leaves caught the man's attention. A bird? Or was it distraction? Looking up, he stares only to quickly raise his hands to face behind him as his ears detect the soft crunch of snow, revealing the sunny blonde boy aiming to punch him. It was clear the punch was meant for his head, but instead it hit his arm due to his quick defense. A sudden pain flared up, and a crack resonated in the forest.
The man flung himself back, taking a good look at the boy. You couldn't see his eyes due to his bangs, but his hair was an odd bright yellow color, and during the day, it seemed to be black from the roots of his hair. What was more important, was his strength.
Thanks to Total Concentration, the pain was minimized, but he broke the man's arm too easily. The boy's defense seemed flimsy, and the man had no doubt he could take him on even with the handicap, but with the way he managed to sneak up on the man...
As the man was lost in his thoughts, Nezuko started to budge and move out of his grip. Kicking the man in the abdomen, she makes a bolt towards Tanjiro's unconscious body.
The man stretches out his unbroken hand. "Damn, she'll devour him!" he thought sourly. The demon girl skids to a stop in front of his body, kneeling in a protective manner, causing the unknown man's eyes to widen.
As Nezuko moves and bounces off a tree with her arm outstretched to scratch at the man, he easily knocks her out with a swift chop to the neck. The girl tumbles to the floor, and the other boy quickly runs to her side.
"W-what.." the boy softly mutters, and looks up at the man through his bangs. The unknown man pulls out what seems to be a muzzle fashioned out of bamboo, placing it on the demon girl.
The black-haired man tugs it tight with the redish-pink fabric while Takemitchy looks at him. Just as he's about to say something, Tanjiro's body tugs at Nezuko's pink kimono. His eyes are now open wide, with a cloud of warmth escaping from his lips.
Absent-mindedly, Takemitchy found himself startled at how quickly the other boy could wake up from that hit to the head or neck.
Tanjiro jolts up right and throws a hand protectively over his little sister, staring at Takemitchy and then the man.
The man looks at him, "Go see an old man named Sakonji Urokodaki who lives at the foot of Mt. Sagiri," he states, before continuing on, "Tell him that Giyuu Tomioka sent you. As for your sister, never let her be exposed to sunlight."
That's all the supposed Giyuu says before apparently disappearing into thin air, causing Takemitchy to shudder.
The trio of kids sit there for what feels like forever, letting this new horrible reality soak in. However, Tanjiro isn't one for negative thoughts, and in a few minutes, he snaps out of his reverie, tugging at Takemitchy's sleeve. "Neh, let's not let this get us down..."
It's all the boy says, and in the moment, Takemitchy feels as though he's the younger one, not the other way around. With a slight nod, the two slowly begin to make their way up the mountain.
The burial of the Kamado family is... empty.
With only three attendants, they say their prayers and leave the town, for what Takemitchy thinks is for good.
For a man who had only been there for a few weeks at most, Takemitchy had grown attached, though that might have been due to the lady who ushered him into her house daily, allowing him to shower and eat.
Tanjiro holds his sister's hand. It's still cloudy, presumably protecting the only girl in their group. Looking up, the boy gives a small smile and says, "Let's go." and they do.
The walk is slow, if not bland, but somehow, in the midst of it all, Tanjiro is glowing with positivity.
The boy thanks him for protecting Nezuko and helping him get her down the mountain, even if the attempt ended in them being cut and knocked out.
When they stop for food, Tanjiro happily splits his with the blonde. The boy is overly optimistic. It might be that he sees his younger siblings in Takemitchy, or that he's just trying to be kind; Takemitchy might not ever know.
In between, he remembers that he wasn't supposed to be here, that this was supposed to be Tanjiro's story.
It causes Takemitchy to freeze up in moments, until Tanjiro puts a hand on his shoulder and talks to him in such a gentle and kind voice, that the moment is washed away.
It makes Takemitchy feel guilty.
They stopped by the farmlands to rest up. Tanjiro had gone off to buy a basket. He never told Takemitchy exactly why, but he left the blonde to watch over his younger sister in a cave. Not that he had any problems with that fact.
As the sun rises, the land is no longer snowy, though this seems to have the opposite effect. Nezuko sat by the entrance of the cave, clearly hesitant by Takemitchy's presence, though that might be due to the fact that she had just met him, and in her demon state no less.
She seemed hesitant to touch the newcomer, yet seemed content to rest her head on his clothed thigh. Eventually, such simple activities became boring for the young woman, and her desire to know more grew.
She inched towards the sunlight, curiosity on her face, before letting out nothing short of a peep, before barreling back into the cave.
It caused Takemitchy to jolt and follow her deeper into the cave, his still raspy and sore voice calling out, "Nezuko-chan?" As he grew closer, he came in contact with a hole containing the girl, her hand marred with a light bruise that seemed to fade away.
Takemitchy gently reached for her hand, trying not to move too much as to avoid further injury, something he knew all too well. Takemitchy pondered in silence as the girl showed her discomfort at the offending wound with another peep, to which Takemitchy retaliated with a light head pat. Is this what Giyuu-san meant by sunlight would harm her?
That was... worrying. So an essential component of life was just suddenly cut out? Takemitchy sighed audibly. Well, there was nothing he could do about it now. It was scary to see how quickly her biology changed from some creep's blood.
The mental near-30-year-old was concerned that she might be like this for years. Takemitchy huffed, causing an irritating itch in his throat and making him cough. There was a tinge of metal as Takemitchy swallowed back down.
Maybe Takemitchy could spend the time trying to get to know her? Takemitchy looked at her through his curly bangs, his hair the familiar bright piss yellow color.
Having not seen a mirror in a long time, Takemitchy wasn't quite sure what his entire face looked like, but he hoped it wasn't frightening.
Takemitchy put his hand down near the hole and pointed toward himself, pronouncing his nickname, "Ta-ke-mit-ch-y." The girl tilted her head with clueless eyes.
Takemitchy, however, wasn't offended; he expected the girl to not react. Just as Takemitchy was about to repeat, Tanjiro's voice echoes into the cave.
"Nezuko! Takemitchy!" He ever so joyfully called out. Next to him was a basket with holes...
Takemitchy crawled out of the way, revealing the hole, only that Tanjiro couldn't see it from where he was, causing Tanjiro to pause, "Neh! She's gone? ", only for her to pop her head out of her little hidey hole.
"Oh." Tanjiro hummed lowly, before thinking back, "She dug a hole?" Takemitchy looked at him. "Sunlight." the blonde stated, causing the redhead to snap his fingers, "Oh! The sunlight, she must hate it... "
Tanjiro turned back to his basket, then back at the two. "I'll be back." he said before grabbing the item and moving away.
True to his word, after a good amount of time, he returned, but now the basket had a thick bamboo woven covering.
As Tanjiro shuffled inside the cave, he crouched and looked at Nezuko, "Nezuko? Can you think you can fit inside?" Tanjiro started, before following up the statement with his logical reasons for wanting to move throughout the day.
The girl pulled herself up from the hole and into the basket with one long move, only for her to hit the bottom of the basket and still have her legs out.
Takemitchy reached out and patted her back tentatively, "Smaller." The blonde looked back up at Tanjiro as he removed his hand. The older brother then replaced it with his own with a smile and spoke, "That's right, smaller Nezuko, get smaller!" while rubbing her back.
After a moment, Nezuko raised her legs and used her weight to flip the basket up right, crawling neatly into the small area. "Ah!" Tanjiro exclaimed, and began to smooth out her hair. "Good Job!" he cheered.
Sooner than later, they end up out of the cave and on the dirt path, with Tanjiro asking a woman for directions to Mount Sagiri.
Her voice is mature and neutral as she inoffensively inquired "The sun's about to set. Are you really heading there with all that luggage?" the lady's voice was now coated in worry, "People have gone missing y'know?"
Tanjiro smiled, face calm, "We'll be careful! Thank you." He bowed before moving back to Takemitchy, pulling him along effortlessly.
The walk is quiet; the sun has set and the road has taken on the darker color of the night. The group is careful not to eat out all their rations due to their limited stock and small budget.
As the flatlands shrink, the mountains grow, and eventually they find themselves near the foot of a mountain, with a temple near the entrance.
"There's a temple over there!" Tanjiro chirped, turning to Takemitchy, pointing at the brightened structure showing signs of life. "We should check it out!" Takemitchy has a familiar set of thoughts in mind, doing nothing to disagree with the redhead.
Wandering into a small temple, Tanjiro's nose does its familiar twitch as he lets out a soft gasp. "The scent of blood..." he whispers, and the two begin to hurry up the scent with Tanjiro in front and Takemitchy behind.
"Are you okay? Ah!" Tanjiro asks only for him to face an unexpected sight: a man-eating demon devouring multiple human carcasses. The demon looks up boredly, if not slightly surprised by the sudden presence.
Though that was mainly due to the lack of humans coming by due to the disappearances which they caused. "This is my turf," they sneer as they lick their fingers.
It might have been the strong scent of human bodies and blood that caused Nezuko to crawl out of her basket, saliva dripping from her bamboo muzzle in substantial amounts.
Without a second thought, the demon springs off from the podium where he was sitting, grabbing Tanjiro and sending the two tumbling down the steps, whilst Takemitchy scrambles out of the way.
His green and black checkered haori flailed in the wind. The redhead grips at his hatchet, swinging in an attempt to decapitate the demon like Giyuu-san had tried to a few days back.
"Tanjiro!" Takemitchy cries out, and ineffectively reaches his arm for the boy, only to miss.
The demon cackled at the minor wound, "Not bad, but such a wound is but a scratch for me." They laugh, and run a clawed hand over the laceration, healing it quickly before the boy's very eyes.
Nezuko is cemented to the top of the temple, looking torn between helping her brother or her cannibalistic appetite.
Takemitchy reaches out for her shoulder and calls out, "Nezuko-chan," causing the girl to turn to him. Her eyes seem to fluctuate between normal and animalistic, and Takemitchy stammers mentally. What does he say? What can he say?
"Agh!" At Tanjiro's cry of pain, the girl's eyes seem to contain a flash of recognition before she stands upright and swiftly darts down the stairway, whizzing past the blonde and landing on the dirt ground.
She skillfully kicks the demon's head off with a clean move, but Takemitchy knows that won't work, reminiscing over Giyuu-sans's previous warning.
"As for your sister, never let her be exposed to sunlight."
Takemitchy hopes that the fact applies to all demons as he sprints down the stairs, tripping over his own feet as the blonde makes his way to the dirt floor.
Takemitchy scrambles over to the body and pants. "What.." Tanjiro whispers as he looks at the head that collided with a nearby tree.
The demon's headless body shakily reaches out for Tanjiro only to kicked equally as hard into a tree by Nezuko. "Bastard! So one of you is a demon!" They remark in shock, before grating out, "What's a human and a demon doing teaming up?"
Takemitchy inhales roughly, looking at the head as it talks. Tanjiro seems to share his thoughts. "He's actually talking!" he murmurs out. The demon's body runs at Nezuko and kicks her, throwing her into the forest.
While the demon's head begins to grow arms and throw itself at Tanjiro, in the midst of the moment, Takemitchy picks up a hefty rock in the background.
Tanjiro retaliates by headbutting the demon, stunning it, "No- offense, I gotta- save my sister!" Tanjiro chokes out as he headbutts the demon again, before using his hatchet to pin the demon to the tree, tangling the weapon in its long hair, causing the demon to mutter out curses at the fact.
Tanjiro turns to Takemitchy, "Watch the demon please, I need to get Nezuko." he asks before sprinting off into the forest to retrieve the girl, clear fighting sounds resonating in the air as he runs off.
Takemitchy turns to the demon, rock in hand, staring at him through his bangs. The demon snarks at the time-leaper, "Hah? So you're just going to stare at me?" Takemitchy doesn't respond, instead running through in his head ways to dispose of the supernatural being.
It was strange; when Takemitchy was born, such beings didn't exist and were only fictional. He didn't even know what year he was in.
All of his history classes never covered such topics, or maybe he just didn't pay attention enough to notice. Maybe- No. Takemitchy needed to focus.
Turning his face to the sky, he could tell that the dark of the night was slowly coming to a close, the sky lightening into a purple hue. "Sun." The boy indirectly muttered out, but the demon seemed focused on other things as he suddenly let out a pained sound. "Gah!"
Eventually, Tanjiro wandered back with Nezuko, who parted from her older brother and began to shuffle into her basket due to the oncoming day. Tanjiro turned to him and the demon. With a small knife in his hand, he seemed prepared to stab the demon to death.
The redhead closed his eyes, mentally preparing himself whilst Takemitchy looked at him, "Hm, sunlight." Tanjiro paused, opening his eyes, looking at the blonde, "What did you say, Takemitchy?" Takemitchy looked at him, "Won't work, sunlight." He spoke with botched speech and unfamiliar Japanese dialect, yet Tanjiro seemed to get his message.
'Ah, right... sunlight is the only thing that can harm demons. ' Tanjiro thought as he looked at his small blade and then at the rock in Takemitchy's hand. He didn't want to crush the demon to death. That would be painful. Takemitchy felt the same too; it was just too... inhumane to perform such a painful death on a former human.
They stared at the rock and the blade, then back at the sky.
Unbeknownst to the two kids, an old man in a tengu mask watched the two. "These kids won't cut it; they feel empathy for even a man-eating demon." He sighed as he watched the kids try to kill the demon with a single blow. Their scent of kindness lingers in the bloodied air.
In the midst of their brainstorming, the demon twitches, before their eyes open wide, growling at the two, "You bastards, I'll kill you!" The two jump and stare at the now conscious demon. The same demon snarls, "Get over here! Dammit, I can't come to you, so you come to me! "
Suddenly, a warmth envelopes the group, and Tanjiro looks up and shrinks slightly in shame, "Ah, I hesitated for too long." The redhead looked at the demon again. "Now the sun's coming up."
Takemitchy stared at the demon, the bright sun barely shining, yet in those few seconds, the pale skin of the demon was lit aflame.
The scene lasted only a few seconds, yet their cries of pain rung in the blonde's ears.
"Such little sun yet gone in a flash, no wonder Nezuko hates it." Tanjiro thought before jolting up right, "Where's Nezuko!?" He asked, eyes darting around only to follow Takemitchy's pointer finger to the basket, now upright and covered.
The two let out a sigh of relief before looking up and freezing at a new sight. There was a man, squatting and praying over mounds of dirt. Tanjiro thought outloud, "He buried the people who were killed."
The boy turned to his companion, "Ano- Let's say hello!" he suggested, pulling the boy's sleeve.
Saddling the basket on Tanjiri's back, the two made their way to the old man. Tanjiro raised his hand to pray quickly for the dead before waving at the man, "Hello! I'm Tanijro Kamado!-" The man stood up, revealing that he wore a tengu mask. Looking at the two, he finally spoke, "I'm Sakonji Urokodaki. I'm assuming you're the two Giyuu Tomioka sent my way."
Tanjiro straightened and replied, "Yes! This is Takemitchy- and my sister Nezuko..." The man looked at them through his mask coldly.
"What will you two do when Nezuko devours a human?" Urokudaki-san asked straight forward, causing the two to flinch, before he slapped both of them in the next second. "Too slow!" the old man shouted.
"You two failed to slay that demon before daybreak. Your resolves are too weak." The old man paused to pant before continuing his rant.
"If she kills a human, you must kill her and slit your bellies and die!" Urokudaki-san snapped at them, "That must never happen, no matter what. And you best not forget."
Tanjiro and Takemitchy looked at him, faces red from where he previously slapped them, "H-hai!"
"Now, I must test you two to see if you are fit to be members of the Demon Slayer Corps." Urokodaki-san stated, and beckoned them to follow him. As they ended up back on the dirt road, they ran, yet even as you listened, you could hardly hear the old man's steps.
Urokodaki-san was fast, and the duo had a hard time trying to keep up. Their sides ached as they ran, and their lungs burned from the activity.
After the run that seemed to last for eternity, they ended up at the foot of the mountain, panting and grabbing their sides.
As they reached their stop, Tanjiro wheezed out, "Have - we passed the - test?" Urokodaki-san faced them and crossed his arms, examining their tired state. Takemitchy looked at the ground, his body trembling with overexertion and pain.
God, how weak could he be?
The one kind person that didn't threaten him or aim to hurt him, and he couldn't even protect him or his family.
His vision took on black and red stars, trying his best to stay upright. Anyone he wanted to save would die just by being around him. T
his might be his only chance to get stronger, to be stronger. That might give him the strength to go up against Mikey.
Takemitchy shook his head. No, Mikey and the others weren't even born this time around, he was sure of it. With the lack of electricity and historical fashion being used as usual, there was no doubt he was a century back in time.
This might be his only chance to get proper training and grow his abilities. Takemitchy didn't want to be weak any longer; he wanted to protect the people he cared about.
His head hurt as he looked up. The ringing in his ears subsided slightly as he breathed normally. "The test begins now; climb the mountain," Urokodaki-san said coldly.
The Old Man reached out and slid the bamboo basket containing Nezuko off of Tanjiro's back and turned to the small minka that was nearby, pulling her out and resting her on a futon.
Returning to the two, he looked at Tanjiro and said, "I'll take care of your sister." Tanjiro looked at him and nodded, "I'll be counting on you, sir." before the group began the inevitable trek up the mountain.
As they climbed higher, the air got thinner, making it dizzy and hard to breathe. The lack of proper air, combined with the climbing, exhausted both of the boys, yet Urokodaki-san seemed fine as he rarely turned to check on them.
Eventually, when they reached the top, the two boys felt as though their knees would buckle. The mist of the mountain shrouded them, making it hard to tell where they were.
Urokodaki-san turned to them as he stopped, "Now from here, to the house at the foot of the mountain," he said, eyes burning through them despite the thick mask, "This time I won't wait until daybreak."
Tanjiro blinked and looked at Takemitchy, then back at the man, only to see he had disappeared into the fog. "I see, he thinks we'll get lost in the fog..." Tanjiro thought as he looked around.
Smiling, he thought, "That's alright! I have a great sense of smell." and brought a hand to his chin, "I've even already memorized Urokodaki-san's scent!"
Turning to Takemitchy, he smiled to soothe him, knowing that the boy didn't have his strong ability to smell.
"Don't worry, I can guide you down, I already have his scent pinned down!" Tanjiro reassured, yet Takemitchy nodded negatively and raised his hands, his raspy and unused voice trying to form full sentences.
"No... - be wrong- me." He paused to catch his breath, "I'll do-... myself."
"Ah, right... it might feel as though he would be relying on me." Tanjiro pondered, and looked up at him.
As they began to run through the forest, Tanjiro's leg flung back, hitting a tripwire, triggering a trap and sending rocks flying at them at all angles. Takemitchy raised his hands to shield his face, his heart racing at the sudden threat.
As Tanjiro stumbled back, he fell back into a hole, his yelp and the crunch of the leaves causing Takemitchy to instinctively reach his hand out and grab at... something soft.
Opening his eyes, which he never knew he closed, Takemitchy looked up only to find he was holding on to Tanjiro, and that he never fell into the hole. Tanjiro embarrassedly scratched his cheek.
"Thanks for catching me, but I haven't triggered any other traps yet." Tanjiro said awkwardly, causing Takemitchy to swipe his feet at where the hole was supposed to be. Only for the sticks and leaved covering it to fall in, pushing a breath out of the red head.
"I get it now. So there are traps all around! " Tanjiro enthusiastically thought, before walking back and almost triggering another tripwire as Takemitchy grabbed him again.
As they continued the journey, they kept running into traps and hitting each other. Even with Takemitchy's foresight, he couldn't act out in time to grab at Tanjiro when he was about to trigger another trap or pull himself back to prevent him triggering one himself.
Even when Tanjiro began to adapt to the route and pick out where the traps were located due to their scent, the thin air made everything vertiginous.
And that didn't mean the two were suddenly athletic enough to just dodge each predicted trap perfectly. Tanjiro took a lot of hits to the head and arms, whilst Takemitchy tried his best to shield his head and predict the new upcoming traps.
The whole ordeal seemed to simulate and grow his foresight abilities as Takemitchy's heart raced and eyes darted around. The predictions came fast and repetitively during the run. The visons came like sharp zaps, hindering Takemitchy as he tried to stay still a calm.
Even as they managed to reach the house at the end of the night, the sun began to rise after a few minutes, showing how close they were to throwing this rare opportunity away. They slid the door to the house open, revealing their tired and battered bodies after the night.
They were barely aware when Urokodaki-san finally accepted them as his students.
After some time, whilst Tanjiro journaled in his diary and Takemitchy rested up in their barely habitable, shared bedroom, Urokodaki-san called them out into the small living quarters of the small minka. As the fire popped and crackled, Urokodaki-san observed them in his signature cloud haori.
They sat around in a triangle. "The Demon Slayer Corps has around several hundred members, unrecognized by the government." He started, "Who leads it is a mystery, but ever since ancient times they have slain demons."
"Demons. Staple food: humans!" Urokodaki-san reiterated strictly, "No one knows when and where they first appeared, but their physical prowess is remarkable."
"Slayers battle with their mortal bodies, but unlike demons, their wounds heal slowly, and when limbs are cut, they don't regrow anew." He told them, like a story. Tanjiro and Takemitchy listened attentively, enraptured by the horrifying tale come true.
"Even so, they battle the demons... to protect other humans."
As the day repeated, so did their training. They ran down the mountain daily, dodging and predicting the traps to the point where they burned into their cells and memory.
He said he trained swordsmen and that each trainer has a different style and regimen. The final test to see whether or not they were worthy would be the Final Selection, held on Mt. Fujikasane.
As they ran through the mountain, Tanjiro's timing and locating skills grew. Takemitchy now had a better grasp on his foresight, using it to avoid and dodge traps of all kinds.
It was weird. He rarely used the skill before, and now he was suddenly trying to grow it and use it on command. However, in the end, Takemitchy couldn't say Urokodaki-san's training wasn't effective, as it allowed him to now voluntarily get visions.
Urokodaki-san would regularly reset the traps, changing their difficulty and timing. He eventually handed them a wooden sword, never stating the reason why. The new weight hampered their movement that day, making them stumble and trip with the new addition. Takemitchy could eventually put two and two together.
They swung the faux-sword daily. The movement caused their arms to burn and ache with pain. It was agonizing.
"998. 999, 1000!" Tanjiro counted outloud, swinging his sword aggressively. Urokodaki stood behind the two. "500 more!" he commanded, causing the two to freeze.
Urokodaki-san told them that swords broke easily, that they were strong vertically but not horizontally. The blade's direction and the direction in which you apply the force must be exactly the same. He even told them if he broke the sword, he'd break their bones.
Tanjiro would come up late for journaling and stare at his sister, worry written on his face. Takemitchy was worried as well; she's been sleeping for the past few months, showing no sign of awaking.
During this time, Takemitchy was getting used to talking again, and his throat no longer ached and itched with light movement, yet talking still was a bit of a task. The dialect of this day and age was much harder and more bizarre than before. Takemitchy was sure he wouldn't even be able to properly grasped the style in the first few years of his stay here.
Some days, Urokodaki-san would throw them around, telling them to come at them with all they got. As Takemitchy looked back, they might have really tried to kill that man, but their efforts had no effect against a trained swordsman.
But what shocked Takemitchy was that the key to killing these demons was something as simple as breathing. Though, to phrase it that way would be to low-ball and undermine how hard it was. Urokodaki-san would punch them in the gut if they performed the technique wrong- which was a lot.
When they succeeded, Takemitchy could swear he could see the faint waves of water dribble from their lips before disappearing into thin air.
This style was called "Water Breathing."
It was apparently one of the core styles in all of demon slaying. He would throw them into bodies of water to... get closer to water. This included rivers and waterfalls. The weight of the water crushed them repeatedly before they were to repeat the action the next day.
Soon, it had been six months, and Nezuko hadn't awoken. Urokodaki-san had brought a doctor home, yet nothing was wrong. Tanjiro's worry was visible on his face, even when he tried to deny it.
The old man upped the difficulty of their descents on the mountain, moving them to a location where the air is the thinnest of thin. Takemitchy thought they might die from the lack of oxygen.
Then six months turned into a year, and the old man walked up to them. Takemitchy thought he would teach them something new, so he patiently waited. The man suddenly said, "I have nothing more to teach you." Tanjiro let out a confused noise as the man turned his back to them and waved, "The rest is up to you!"
Urokodaki-san brought them to two large boulders, they weren't equal in size at all, one was a bit smaller than the other, but still a boulder nonetheless. Then the man told them to slice the boulder.
He left them there like that for another six months, not teaching them anything else.
AN: Not me pulling up with a completely different story than the one I said I would do. Either way, I've taken to posting on AO3 due to it's much easier tech, but I thought I post it here since, y'know I have an account here.
But don't expect for me to write like crazy... sadly I have exams. I hope you readers enjoy this story though, since it's a crossover and all that.