Hinokami's Blessing
Chapter 12
12Thirtypain03
WARNING: This story is rated M for mature rated content. If some acts of violence, blood, or anything easily triggering makes you uncomfortable, please leave and do not read. Any change to a character, when introduced, killed, changed into demon/human, or more will be labelled in the chapter of occurrence. If a character has died in a chapter, that chapter will give a cause of death to that character.
Giyu's POV (Back at the Hashira estates)
Pure, unadulterated shock, misunderstanding, confusion. Giyu was going through it all. The sheer shock of seeing Urokodaki's dead body in his own house.
A demon attack.
Giyu had unfortunately, gone through the same thing he had gone through previously.
"Tsutako… Sabito… Makomo… Why…?" Giyu pondered.
He and Tanjirou had finished burying the body of Urokodaki, as the two remained silent. Giyu knew Tanjirou could smell his emotions, and while he was trying to help Giyu get through this sudden tragedy, Giyu just wanted to be alone.
He had unfortunately been losing everyone.
First, he lost his parents… Not through demons, but rather through illness and neglect. He had never really seen them before. His elder sister had told him stories about them, and it appeared that they died when Giyu was young due to illness. The result was that he and his sister became orphans during their early adolescent years.
Then, his sister, right before her wedding, had saved him from a demon. She should have had a happy life, with her soon to be husband…
The blame Giyu got from his older sister's soon to be spouse, was terrible, causing Giyu to run away, and find refuge with Urokodaki, Sabito, and Makomo.
Giyu was terrified of being blamed by everyone in his family, and the other one. And so, like a coward, he ran away.
When he ran away, he was trained to become a demon slayer, alongside Sabito and Makomo. Giyu had found friends who were willing to befriend him, and be nice to him. They didn't judge him, but rather, helped him improve. He found friends he could spend his time with.
With a good mentor in Urokodaki, Giyu found himself smiling usually when he was training. He seemed to have forgotten the tragedy of his elder sister, and the blame he received from the spouse, that got violent, and caused Giyu to run away.
Unfortunately, when he went to Final Selection, he got injured. He got badly injured, and needed recuperation. Sabito had been there, and by protecting everyone in the Final Selection, was defeated by the Hand Demon.
Giyu had to witness the hand demon eating Sabito alive. The sounds of Sabito screaming and crying in pain, was enough to break Giyu. His only friend, was gone. In an agonizing way, that Giyu had to witness, while he couldn't do anything.
Then, Makomo…
Makomo was a nice girl, who helped Giyu train. She was nice, and sweet. She too, was also in Final Selection, and unfortunately, died the same way as Sabito. She too, died an agonizing way, an Giyu had to bear witness to her death.
When he was the only one to come back from the Final Selection, he wished he too, died, or that either of them survived, rather than him.
He felt like a failure to Urokodaki, and when he came back, he too, died a bit in the Final Selection. As he progressed in the demon slayer corps, he felt more and more guilty, and when he was promoted to a Hashira, he felt undeserving of it.
Ever since he became a Hashira, he distanced himself away from the rest, feeling like he didn't deserve the status. He dissociated himself from the rest of the Hashira, for fear of feeling like a fake one. He felt fake.
He didn't deserve to be a Hashira. It should have been Sabito. His sister should have been alive, and with a family. His friends should have been alive, and been in his place. Urokodaki should have been alive, living the rest of his life in peace.
Giyu Tomioka… should've been dead. And he felt that way, for a long time.
When he saw Urokodaki's dead body, due to a demon, every little bit of hope Giyu had in this world, left with it.
Giyu couldn't feel his emotions. He couldn't really cry, even when Tanjirou was hugging him tightly, even when Giyu knew this was something Tanjirou and Nezuko had witnessed, he couldn't really feel better after that.
He was too busy coping over the deaths of Sabito, Makomo, and his sister, and now had to add Urokodaki to that list.
It was the most unexpected of all the deaths, and thus Giyu felt he most shocked.
Right now, he was chilling in his own estate. His estate in question was rather empty. Just like how Giyu was feeling right now.
The feeling of guilt in Giyu's mind was overwhelming. He wished he had died.
He felt guilty, and whilst he had gone through his own struggles, and his own demons in his head, he had to fight the demons that were tormenting the others.
Giyu hated this. He hated the demons who wanted to be there. He wished he was disgusting to a demon. He wished he was strong enough to fight the demon off.
He wished he was as strong and powerful like Gyomei, wishing he could beat down a demon with his bare hands. He wished he was strong like Gyomei.
He wished he was as elegant as Obanai, wishing he could maneuver himself as much as the Serpent Hashira. He wished he was as gifted at tactical movement as Obanai.
He wished he was as resilient as Sanemi, wishing he could push through in the face of trauma and harm. He wished he was as resilient as Sanemi.
He wished he was as gifted as Muichiro, wishing he could be that strong at that age to defend his sister against that demon that killed her. He wished he was as at ease, feeling at peace, like Muichiro.
He wished he was as outgoing as Mistsuri, wishing he could develop the bonds with others as easily as she did. How she would go out with Obanai, have fun, and how everything seemed well for her. He was jealous of the outgoingness of him. He wished he was as extroverted as Mitsuri.
He wished he was as much as much as a role model as Rengoku, wishing he could have the charisma, the leadership, and the likeability as Rengoku. He wished he was as leader-like as Rengoku.
He wished he was as flashy and stylish as Tengen. He hated how he felt glummy, while others felt so confident in themselves. Tengen seemed confident in the person he was, something Giyu was not. Giyu wished he was as confident in himself is Tengen.
He wished he was as sympathetic as Kanae, wishing how he could empathize and have a outgoing mind as Kanae. He wished he wasn't just seen as a know it all.
He even wished he was as intelligent as Shinobu. As much as Giyu wanted to hate how annoying and insulting she could be, he had some qualities he wanted from Shinobu. He really wished he was as intelligent as her.
As Giyu continued about himself to other Hashira, he felt even more as a filler Hashira. He didn't deserve to be a Hashira. It should've been Sabito. He did not deserve to be a Hashira.
He felt worthless. He felt unworthy, not fulfilling the roles as the Hashira. He didn't know what to do…
"Sabito… What would you do in this situation… I failed to protect Urokodaki…" Giyu thought to himself as he was in distress silently, trying to understand everything that just occurred.
He wished he had the courage to tell them how insecure he felt. He wished he had the courage to specify to Sanemi what he meant. He never thought of himself as superior to the other Hashira, but ironically, inferior. How Sanemi mistaken the opposite of what Giyu meant was beyond him, but he was just done at this point.
He wished he had something that made him stand out, at least then he could point to that being the reason. However, he couldn't. He wasn't as strong as Gyomei, intelligent as Shinobu, or empathetic as Kanae, Kyojuro
And with the death of Urokodaki, he felt like he had no one. No one to help him through anything. No one he could vent to.
"No one…" And it was all because of demons.
Giyu sighed as he laid down on the bare, flat floor of his estate, pondering over everything as the day went by.
Ubuyashiki and the rest of the pillar had heard about the tragic developments, and had given their condolences, but Giyu did not want to see any of them. He had silently walked back, locking the door to his estate before they could turn back to him.
Giyu, was mute now, even more so than what he usually was, according to Shinobu.
What was Giyu supposed to do?
Mitsuri had her family, and Rengoku.
Rengoku had his younger brother.
Obanai had his pet snake.
Sanemi had Obanai as a friend, and Kanae as a love interest, Giyu could tell.
Gyomei always seemed at peace, alongside Muichiro, as he knew the two talked a lot.
And Shinobu, had her older sister, and Kanao.
Giyu, now had no one. Even when one could ponder if they had no family or friends, they at least were able to speak out.
Giyu could not anymore. His only family, his older sister, had died protecting him from a demon.
Both Makomo, and Sabito, also perished from a demon.
Urokodaki, was dead after a demon attack.
And all of that, Giyu was left either witnessing it, or seeing the dead, rotting body of those he cared about.
In all of that, all Giyu could ask was, "Why am I still alive?" Giyu unconsciously looked towards his arms and legs, debating on whether he should pull them back, but he held himself back.
"I'm not going to go back to that, again…" Giyu told himself, as he knew going down that path again would not yield good results. He was glad no one knew about it, but he had to keep it down before he was at the center of attention again.
The sounds of knocking was what caught Giyu's attention offguard, briefly.
"Do we have to talk to lonely?" Giyu could hear that voice. It was a girl, and clearly Shinobu.
"Of course! We have to help him! He just lost his mentor and teacher!" Mitsuri exclaimed.
"If only you both knew how much I've truly lost… At this point, I'm a man with no family, a man with no purpose, a man with no value…" Giyu told himself, as if he was speaking to them.
"Indeed, imagine how you would feel if I died, or if Kanao died?" Kanae's voice echoed outside, and Giyu knew he had to answer. The girls were always the empathetic ones, as so they would naturally be the first to check in on Giyu.
But he didn't want them to. At least Shinobu. She was always teasing him, and he did not want her to talk about anyone close to him, or how he failed to make a single friend, now that he no longer had anything.
Giyu just wanted to lay down on his floor, and die.
He didn't want to answer the door and talk to people. He just wanted to be alone. He didn't want sympathy.
He really just wanted to be alone now, for he no longer wanted to be around anyone, in fear of them dying, and causing others to blame him.
Just like his elder sister's fiancée, he didn't want to feel responsible for the death of more other people.
He wasn't even there for the Hashira meeting that involved Urokodaki's death announcement. Considering he was a former water pillar, some older individuals would have known and been saddened by his death.
"My children, it is with great sadness that we confirm the death of former water pillar, Sakonji Urokodaki. He was unfortunately killed by an Upper moon, supposedly, whilst in his own home."
The largest of the current Hashira, Gyomei, clasped his hands together, crying from his nonexistent pupils, "May he rest in peace."
The rest of the Hashira looked on in shock.
"For those wondering where Giyu Tomioka is, he has refused to come out of his estate ever since the tragedy. As some of you know, Urokodaki was Giyu's mentor and only remaining guardian." Ubuyashiki revealed.
To say many of the pillars being shocked was an understatement.
Mitsuri and Kanae were both shocked, a hand covering their mouths as they felt bad for Giyu. Obanai, by contrast, seemed less reactive, but a tragedy was a tragedy, and he would send his condolences to Giyu.
Sanemi felt a bit bad for Giyu, but he shrugged.
However, Muichiro was the only one who seemed very out of it, instead looking up in the sky, or at least that's what everyone thought.
"May he be reborn a happier individual in the next life." He looked up, as if he was watching Urokodaki's own soul moving onto the next body and life.
Even Tengen, who was a rather outgoing and flashy individual, was rather silent. Not cracking any jokes, he was silent as a sign of respect and sadness. He was wanting to comfort Giyu, but the guy was so awkward to him that he didn't know what to do.
Then, there was Shinobu. As much as she tried to get close to Giyu, he always seemed to stay his distance. As for why, Shinobu never understood why. She tried so hard, but was rejected by Giyu to the point of hating Giyu at this point. But even when she wanted to hate him, even when she wanted to despise him, she felt bad for him.
But that did not mean she wanted to talk to him. Kanae, however, was trying to pursue Shinobu to talk to him.
"Why!" Shinobu asked.
"He's mourning, we have to be there for him, especially you." Kanae explained.
"He hates being around me, why should I keep trying?" Shinobu asked her sister again.
"Shinobu?" Kanae put a soft had on her sister's shoulder, "Remember when our parents died?"
Shinobu's eyes widened at that, before they turned to anger, "Don't remind me…"
"I had to be the one to help you back in your spot, sister. You know how Giyu is feeling right now…"
Shinobu shook her head, "He's probably in his house sleeping and being his usual self. It's not like he even cries!"
"Shinobu…" Kanae gave her sister a disapproving tone.
Shinobu eyed her sister for a bit, before sighing. "I'm assuming you are going to drag me to the water estate?"
Kanae nodded.
"My children, please, send our condolences to Giyu Tomioka." Ubuyashiki had concluded, having been led back into his estate with assistance.
With Gyomei wishing for his master's health, the meeting was eventually done.
Kanae had dragged Shinobu to Giyu's estate as Mitsuri had decided to come by because she saw the two, and also wanted to cheer Giyu up.
Eventually, as they continued to knock, Shinobu ticked.
"See? He won't answer now. He's probably sleeping, let's just go-" Before Shinobu could tell her comrades to go, the door opened.
To their shock, they saw Giyu Tomioka, who clearly looked dejected.
Shinobu looked up in shock, clearly shocked at how Giyu looked. For the most part, he seemed normal.
Until you looked at his arms and face…
He was gripping his own arm…
And his face…
Specifically his eyes…
They seemed dead, as they had lost any little emotion she could see. They looked dead, and bloodshot, as if he was crying his eyes out, almost to the point of being blind. Shinobu couldn't say anything, she couldn't.
Shinobu's shock was what she was feeling. She was observing Giyu closely, only to notice how lost he looked.
Ironically, in seeing the tiniest of emotions in Giyu's face, it was here, Shinobu saw how broken Giyu was. He wasn't just introverted, or hiding himself, he was genuinely broken and emotionless.
"What have you gone through, Giyu?" Shinobu asked, suddenly feeling invested into helping Giyu, even if their relationship isn't the best.
"Hey Giyu, how are you doing?" Kanae asked the water pillar.
"I'm fine." Giyu spoke after a bit. But his voice, was not like how it used to be.
Usually, his voice was calm and quiet. It was if talking to the calming water, just after a tsunami.
Usually, people would talk about the atmosphere that was calm before the storm. But no one ever talks about how calm it is after a storm.
After the wreckage of a storm, the atmosphere is usually calm, from the fact no one was around so soon after a storm. Shinobu could relate Giyu to the calm after the storm with his voice.
Now, however, it seemed so full of pain. So full of apathy, as if he was trying to not worry everyone. Almost like he stopped caring for himself and the world.
It pained Shinobu to see Giyu like this. Perhaps, she had him all wrong.
"Perhaps, I saw him in the wrong light… Maybe he isn't the person I thought he was…" Shinobu pondered to herself.
"You should come out of the estate." Mitsuri urged Giyu, who seemed unwilling to.
"I'm sorry, but I'll probably train or something right now." Giyu commented.
"We can train with you!" Mitsuri exclaimed, clearly trying not to let Giyu remain alone during a difficult time.
"It's fine, I want to refresh and focus on my own self. Don't bother worrying for me, you'll only make me sadder." Giyu spoke.
"But at the cost of our own sadness, Tomioka?" Shinobu asked Giyu, and at that he didn't know how to respond.
"Leave it to Shinobu to be passive aggressive…"
"Leave me alone, Shinobu. Didn't I give you a message for this?" Giyu asked.
"As much as I want to, I cannot. I can't let someone close to us fall due to this." Shinobu explained, "Regardless of what you think, you are a pillar, and you be one until your death. That's what you accepted in the conditions. So if you will train, you will train with us."
Unbeknowst to this, while Giyu's back was turned, as he was about to shut the door, his figure stopped when Shinobu told him those words.
"You are a pillar, and you will be one until your death."
It may not seem like a lot, but to Giyu, who felt confused about whether he was one or not, it was all he needed to hear. Considering that someone had told Giyu that hew as a pillar, it did, by a bit, make him feel a bit more worthy of the title.
In spite of that, he still failed to protect those close to him. If he couldn't do that, how could he protect others close to him?
He may have been able to protect Tanjirou and Nezuko, but he failed in getting there too late, when the demon had already killed their family, and turned the two of them to demons. How was one supposed to respond, when they kept failing? He couldn't see himself as a pillar regardless.
"I don't think I want to train with the lot of you." Giyu said at last, "Right now, I just want to sleep."
"Giyu…" Kanae mumbled, "Please, talk to us."
"What is there to talk about?" Giyu asked. He was currently putting on his haori, and as he stared at it, he was remembering the faces of those whom he held close to.
Those whom he had befriended and cared for, only to die a horrible death. Only to bear witness to their deaths. Only to see the remains of what their body once was.
Why was he to suffer.
He noticed something right next to him. Urokodaki's face mask.
It was too small for Giyu, but he had planned to get someone to make a new one to fit his size. And so, Giyu would wear a mask similar to Urokodaki, to honour his memory.
Just like how he made his haori to honour that of his sister and Sabito, he was putting yet another belonging, to honour someone he witnessed dead. Someone he failed to protect.
Giyu sighed as he continued to think about them. He gritted his teeth as he was hearing the noises of Mitsuri, Kanae, and Shinobu, he was losing it. He didn't want to talk to anyone.
"Just leave me alone!" Giyu yelled outloud towards, shocking the three girls who had visited him.
The three girls were more shocked that Giyu was capable of raising his voice, they had never heard Giyu yell before. His voice was always calm, but now, it was broken, and the raised voice, in its mask was showing so much emotion.
"Giyu…" Kanae mumbled.
"I'm sorry, but I cannot hang around you all. I'm going out. Don't follow me." Giyu spoke at last, as he pushed past the three girls. Avoiding everyone, he begun to walk out a specific route. Wherever we went, he didn't care. He needed to be stronger, to be bolder in his stance.
In doing so, however, he knew the life he lived was never destined for happiness. He had lost everyone, and was now going to lash out at the world for this. He was merely adapting to the environment around him. In doing so, however, he also had to avoid connections.
He couldn't afford to be near those he considered close, else he risked losing them, which seemed to be guaranteed due to every circumstance. The demons, his inability to protect them, he couldn't afford to.
All he had to do, was train strong enough, so that he could slay any demons. That way, he could do his job, whilst not caring for those lost in the progress. He didn't care for his life anymore. He couldn't. He had lost his friends, family, and any semblance of a normal life.
He wouldn't get a family, he wouldn't develop connections, and he couldn't even have children. He was a man of no worth, and he would work hard to bring down the bad demons in this world, for a man of no worth was better suited for a risky job, than a man of worth to many.
Tanjirou and Nezuko's POV
"So, Urokodaki is really dead, brother?" Nezuko asked, clearly not believing what Tnajioru had told her.
"Sadly, yes. Giyu and I had to bury the body, and the house, we don't know what'll happen…" Tanjirou sighed, "For now, we have to continue our missions…"
"Where are we going right now?" Nezuko asked, clearly saddened by the news she had woken up to.
"Asakusa." Was all Tanjirou answered.
"Do you think Giyu is alright?" Nezuko asked.
Tanjirou sighed, "I don't know."
With that, the two remained quiet, as they continued on their journey to Asakusa.
They weren't really going for a mission, but rather to gather some intel. Apparently, Ubuyashiki wanted to send a letter to Urokodaki, informing Tanjirou and Nezuko of demon allies who would be of great use for the two of them. It said a lot, that they were demon allies, and so Tanjirou and Nezuko nodded along as the made their way to find the demon allies.
With the risk of other demons finding them, and sending their location to Muzan, Tanjirou and Neuzko both had to be careful on where they were going, as one wrong demon move now, would cost them their life. Tanjirou and Nezuko knew they couldn't risk that.
They merely, weren't strong yet. They would have to get stronger, for Urokodaki's own stake. He had to be there for Giyu.
And so, Tanjirou continued to send letters to Giyu, hoping he would answer back. Even if Giyu didn't, Tanjirou would continue to. He was stubborn and consistent with what he wanted. He was not going to leave Giyu alone.
He relied on the water pillar, as much as Urokodaki did. He knew Giyu cared for them, as he would frequently visit them when possible.
So, Tanjirou and Nezuko would visit Giyu through any way they could.
As they continued on their treck, they eventually made it.
To say the both of the demon siblings were shocked at the sheer size. How they would manage to maneuver was beyond them.
"So, are we looking for these demon allies?" Nezuko asked.
Tanjirou nodded, "We're trying to, whilst also trying to rid any demons that may be of a threat to them."
"I see." Was all Nezuko answered back, before they noticed something.
Tanjirou especially since he could smell it, and before he knew it, he gravitated towards the food that smelled so good.
Nezuko chuckled at her brother's own actions, "Brother will always be brother, haha…" Nezuko chuckled as she followed Tanjirou towards the ally of the food. A simple food store, and Tanjirou ended up getting some noodles that he happily slurped up.
Nezuko stared at Tanjirou, and specifically the food, feeling a bit jealous that Tanjirou was able to enjoy the taste of food again. While Nezuko could sleep well, Tanjirou could do both, and gain energy back from them. Whilst Nezuko had to sleep, Tanjirou had to carry her back to Urokodaki's house when he was dying.
In truth, Nezuko hated how she was sleeping whilst all of this unraveled.
As Tanjirou looked over to his food, he and Nezuko continued to talk over some small stuff. As he noticed their crows circled around them, keeping a bird's eye view for them, they continued to eat, whilst talking about Urokodaki, and Giyu.
"I feel so bad for Giyu, do you think he'll be fine?" Nezuko asked.
"Again, I don't know, all I can hope is he takes it fine, and moves on. I've already tried to console him, but I don't know if it worked…" Tanjirou revealed. He sighed sadly, as he felt his emotions ruining the smell of the food. His appetite was disappearing he more he thought about it, but he figured it made sense.
"Should we continue to look around for this demon ally? Do we even know their names?" Nezuko asked.
Tanjirou shook his head, "No, but apparently Ubuyashiki told me I would be able to smell the kindness from these demons."
"Well that's nice, at least they know your nose doesn't lie." Nezuko explained, with Tanjirou agreeing.
"I know! We should probably move on." Tanjirou explained.
"I agree, let's see what we can do." With that, both Tanjirou and Nezuko made their way across the city, thanking that it was night time.
For some reason, once they were finished with Asakusa, they had to return back to the same area as the mansion. The two of them sighed at the constant running back and forth they had to make.
And so, as they continued to explore around, Tanjirou suddenly smelt something strong.
It started with a smell. Once they made it towards the center of the city, he smelled something very foul. It was a demon, but the scent was so incredibly strong, Tanjirou felt like his head was about to explode.
Instead, he got an instant headache, his mind was racing, and he forgot to breathe for a bit.
"Brother, are you okay?" Nezuko asked her brother in concern.
"Demon… So… Strong… Incredibly…" Tanjirou mumbled, "I can smell the demon."
Nezuko looked concerned as she was trying to find the demon by using her own vision. She could make out the smallest of them.
"No way…" Nezuko mumbled, "Is brother smelling him?" Nezuko asked herself.
Before she knew it, Tanjirou started to run towards the source of the smell. His entire body was telling him to run away, but he couldn't.
That smell felt so familiar, almost like he had experienced it before. The only other time he had smelt something like this was when…
No…
…
How…
It's HIM.
Tanjirou's eyes widened, and Nezuko managed to catch up to him, due to him stopping.
"Brother! What's wrong?" Nezuko asked.
"It's him… Kibutsuji Muzan…" Tanjirou told Nezuko, who's eyes widened.
"That can't be…" Nezuko mumbled.
"It is…" Tanjirou nodded, "He's here."
With that, Tanjirou and Nezuko continued to pursue Muzan, unbeknowst to Muzan.
Nezuko herself felt her veins bulging, whilst her pupils turned to slits. Tanjirou was the same, but they both were wearing masks thankfully, which made it harder for the citizens to observe their demonic features.
It seemed that both Tanjirou and Nezuko could pass as humans by citizens, but not for demons.
Turning through several corners and alleys, the two siblings continued their maneuvers, as they both felt adrenaline enter their body.
Eventually, whilst they turned a corner, they noticed the exact individual, who had caused so much damage to both Nezuko and Tanjirou. The individual who probably was responsible for the death of Urokodaki, and the person who turned the both of them into demons.
Kibutsuji Muzan. He was here, right there. He was rather tall for a Japanese male. He had pale skin, typical of a demon. His attired consisted of very formal dressing, including a tuxedo, fedora, and ribbon.
He currently, was preoccupied with something, his hand on his head, as if he was staring into the eyes of another demon.
"Kill him." Was all Muzan said, and what the two siblings could hear. No doubt was he ordering his subordinates to perform a command.
"You." Tanjirou growled, and Nezuko too growled. They both couldn't be seen due to their masks, but Muzan could tell who they were to an extent.
"Two demons? Why can't I see you nor detect you?" Muzan asked, clearly not worrying about the angered demon siblings in front of him.
Both Tanjirou and Nezuko stared Muzan down, as their vision focused purely on him.
"Kibutsuji Muzan." Tanjirou answered back, again notifying Muzan of who these demons were.
At that, Muzan eyed the two, "The two of you dare say my name? Do you want to die?" Muzan threatened the two of them, clearly not caring, though a bit terrified he had traitor demons in front of him.
In response, both Tanjirou and Nezuko unsheathed their blades, pointing it towards Muzan.
"Who are you two?" Muzan asked, before he acted out.
Blood Demon Art: Black Blood, Brambles
"Watch out Nezuko, those are the very things that impaled me at our house, when he killed our family." Tanjirou warned his sister, Nezuko, who nodded.
"Got it." With that, that, Muzan used his whips to lash out and Tanjirou and Nezuko.
Whilst they managed to dodge and slash out most of them, Muzan wasn't trying to kill them or attack them. He was trying to slash the masks off their faced.
Even at dodging, Tanjirou and Nezuko were struggling.
"He's so strong… I can't even get closer!" Tanjirou thought to himself, whilst Nezuko was thinking the same thing.
"We're clearly not strong enough to stand up to one of his higher subordinates, so of course we can't even stand against Muzan himself…"
And eventually, he did, for both of them.
Upon seeing the both of their faces, Muzan's eyes widened.
"I-It's you two…" Muzan mumbled, as he looked at Nezuko, before to Tanjirou, and his eyes widened again, as he was shocked.
"H-How did you survive… I killed you!" Muzan angrily pointed to Tanjirou. "How dare you break from my curse!" Muzan's entire body, and his cells were shaking. He was scared. The boy still had his long hair, and with the marks, he looked like that monster.
And so, Tanjirou breathed. He was breathing, and as he breathed, he felt the heat envelop his body. He could see Nezuko too was breathing heavily, as she too was focusing on her breathing. She may not have been as talented at Tanjirou when trying to perform total concentration breathing constant, but she was still trying, and her affluency in water breathing was good for her.
As Tanjirou continued to breathe, with the heat enveloping his body, he felt his own body losing all the tense. He felt he could move it easily, like the wind. He felt at ease, despite eyeing Muzan with rage. His breathing was making his body feel quick and elegant.
However, Tanjirou noticed something as he continued to breathe like that. As he continued, he felt his vision flicker, yet again.
While Tanjirou had noticed this for some time, for this time, it seemed very useful, as Tanjirou could see the body of Muzan. He could briefly see the muscles, blood, and bones of Muzan, but also…
"Nezuko, he has seven hears and five brains…" Tanjirou told Nezuko in his mind, as even she was shocked at that.
"How?!" Nezuko asked.
"I don't know." Tanjirou mumbled, as he breathed in. with his total breathing combined with the Hinokami should help him.
Total Concentration – Hinokami Kagura, Third Form: Raging Sun
Tanjirou charged towards Muzan, spinning and twisting his body to slice apart Muzan.
He quickly maneuvered himself safely across, avoiding Muzan's barbed wires skillfully, as he sliced through one of Muzan's brain.
Muzan's eyes widened in shock as he tried to attack and strike Tanjirou down, only for Nezuko to come and strike him.
Total Concentration – Water Breathing, Tenth Form: Constant Flux
Nezuko spun herself around rapidly, perfectly to safetly maneuver around the barbed wires, striking one of Muzan's hearts.
The orange flames of Tanjirou's breathing was what caught Muzan offguard.
Tanjirou had released a powerful slash, as Muzan attempted to strike it down, but he was getting burned by the strike as he felt his own flesh struggling to regenerate even. Nezuko's water technique was performing well, as she had elegantly out-maneuvered Muzan.
Suddenly, Tanjirou's vision once again flickered, and in that split second, he could see his torso and body was morphing rapidly into a strange beast.
Tanjirou tried to gain access to whatever, but he could have sworn it was to do with a mouth.
That was when he realized what was coming.
Blood Demon Art: Shockwave Energy Blast
"Nezuko! Look out!" Nezuko's eyes widened when Tanjirou tackled Nezuko underneath him, as Muzan's shockwave was blown out of proportion.
Tanjirou was hit with a side glance, as he and Nezuko went tumbling quite a bit. Tanjirou felt the left side of his body shaken, and he could have sworn his heart moved inside his body from that. By comparison, Nezuko remained unharmed due to Tanjirou's quick thinking in protecting her.
However, when Tanjirou got up to quickly get back into the battle, he was shocked to see Muzan running away.
"Oh no you don't!" Tanjirou exclaimed as he charged towards Muzan, Nezuko not too far behind him.
Unfortunately, Muzan seemed to be quietly slashing some of the necks of other civilians, and thus many of them began to cough, and thus began to convert into a demon.
Tanjirou sighed, clearly angry that Muzan was brining bystanders into their own situation.
"Nezuko, stop the demon from killing anyone, I'm going after Muzan." Tanjirou told her sister, who nodded.
As Tanjirou continued to chase after Muzan, he unfortunately had to fight against more demons. Unlike this time, with using the citizens around in the city, many of these demons, seemed to be manifesting itself out of nowhere.
The were probably demons that have served under Muzan for quite some time.
Breathing in heavily, to adapt to the total concentration yet again, he lashed out, moving faster than what anyone else could.
Total Concentration – Hinokami Kagura, Twelfth form: Flame Dance
With the flames manifesting on his sword, he had managed to move quicker.
With a backstab, he had managed to catch Muzan who was running away from the both of them. Stabbing Muzan in the abdomen, Tanjirou remembered that was where another of Muzan's hearts was at.
Unfortunately, Tanjirou felt himself being slashed apart by the barbed wires from Muzan, a surprise attack that caught Tanjirou off guard. Still, Tanjirou gritted, and powered through, not caring.
"You're not getting away from me!" Tanjirou exclaimed, as he continued his pursuit.
"Don't you think you can run away from me, Kibutsuji Muzan! No matter where you go, I will follow you to the depths of hell, and my blade will slice your head, all five brains, and seven hearts! If I don't then my sister will!"
"Nakime!" Tanjirou heard Muzan exclaim in pure fear, before Muzan himself disappeared. Tanjirou growled in rage, stomping on the ground, before he stared at the multitude of demons Muzan had brought to defend his retreating figure. Tanjirou had managed to evade and dodge, focusing on Muzan, but now he's focusing on killing these demons.
One by one, with a simple strike, from his Hinokami Kagura combined with total concentration, he made work with every demon Muzan summoned.
He then noticed Nezuko herself was also assisting, seeming to leave the demon he told her to subdue behind. While Tanjirou was confused, once the two of them finished slicing off and removing the demons Muzan summoned.
"Nezuko, what happened to the demon you were subdoing?" Tanjirou asked his sister, ignoring the wounds he had, that were clearing up for now.
"Well… It's best you come, and I can show you." Was all Nezuko told her brother.
Once the two make their way back to where they were, as Tanjirou felt his wounds heal, as he noticed what he thought was something he didn't think he would see.
Two demons, who were looking over the injured.
What was more interesting, was Tanjirou being able to smell the kindess off the demon.
"T-This is the person Ubuyashiki wanted me to meet!" Tanjirou thought.
A.N / Chapter 12, done! So as we can see, we see the aftermath of Urokodaki's death, and Giyu's unfortunate development. I personally do like how I evolved the Giyu and Shinobu relationship. I feel that in the manga and anime, Shinobu never really understood the struggles Giyu was going through, and here, we're seeing more through simple body language. Additionally, with the little hints of more darker subjects that Giyu went through, I hope this fits his character, while exposing more traits they all go through.
As for Tanjirou and Nezuko, they have continued their mission, and have seemingly met Muzan, and two demons they were looking for. As for the sheer power level of both, Tanjirou is stronger than Nezuko, but they are still outclasses severely. Tanjirou and Nezuko are both Mizunoto. However, they're actual power level for Tanjirou would be closer to a Tsuchinoto to a Tsuchinoe, whilst Nezuko would be a Kanoto to Kanoa rank. Or, if you want to compare by twelve kizuki, both Tanjirou and Nezuko are too weak to be able to deal with any of them, unless if Tanjirou could maximally utilize what he is previewed to have, and if Nezuko could master water breathing, but even that they'd barely beat the lowest 3 lower moons.
As for next chapter, not much, besides an update on Giyu, more character introduction, and a discovery of what's going on in Tanjirou and Nezuko's body! Finally, we may also see a bit of Muzan'We are close to Mount Natagumo, so there'll be some small changes, and perhaps some major changes, but for now, we'll see what happens.
Character Profile:
Tanjirou Kamado: Male, 15 years old
Status: Alive, Demon
Height: 5'7" (170cm)
Weight: 132Ibs
Nezuko Kamado: Female, 13 years old
Status: Alive, Demon
Height: 5'2" (157cm)
Weight: 112Ibs
Kibutsuji Muzan: Male, very old
Status: Alive, Demon
Height: 5'11 (180cm)
Weight: 162Ibs
Giyu Tomioka: Male, 19 years old
Status: Alive, Human
Height: 5'10 (178cm)
Weight: 155Ibs
Kanae Kocho: Female, 21 years old
Status: Alive, Human
Height: 5'7" (170cm)
Weight: 128Ibs
Mitsuri Kanroji: Male, 19 years old
Status: Alive, Human
Height: 5'6" (167cm)
Weight: 135Ibs
Shinobu Kocho: Female, 18 years old
Status: Alive, Human
Height: 5'0" (152cm)
Weight: 85Ibs
Kagaya Ubuyashiki: Male, 23 years old
Status: Alive, Human
Height: 5'10" (178cm)
Weight: 148Ibs
Abilities: Breathing Styles
Tanjirou Kamado:
All forms of water breathing (except 11th form)
All forms of Hinokami Kagura (except 13th form)
Total concentration breathing, constant.
Vision flickers for up to a second.
Nezuko Kamado:
All forms of water breathing.
Total concentration breathing, constant (learning).
Giyu Tomioka:
All forms of water breathing.
May create some new forms later, idk.
Abilities: Blood Demon Arts
Kibutsuji Muzan:
Black Blood – Brambles: user can utilize their own flesh and blood to manipulate and transform them into black spiked-barbed wires to entangle or pierce the target.
Shockwave Energy Blast: By manipulating their torso and upper body into a gigantic beastly mouth. The mouth can project an energy attack in the form of shockwaves that can damage the individual's nervous system, causing seizures, convulsions, and shortness of breathe.