Hinokami's Blessing

Chapter 16

12Thirtypain03

WARNING: This story is rated M for mature-rated content. If some acts of violence, blood, or anything easily triggering make you uncomfortable, please leave and do not read. Any change to a character, when introduced, killed, changed into a demon/human, or more will be labeled in the chapter of occurrence. If a character has died in a chapter, that chapter will give a cause of death to that character.


With Tanjirou, Nezuko, and Giyu


It had taken around a month or two, but after that time, Tanjirou and Nezuko had successfully managed to polish their training, with the help of Giyu, obviously.

These included muscle extension and manipulation, proper breathing techniques, proper footwork for their respective breathing style, and overall better endurance with the likes, Tanjirou and Nezuko had managed to complete their training by a Hashira.

Albeit one who still felt insecure about his place on the Hashira, he regardless was going to teach them. They may have been demons, but they have shown such remarkable humanity that he didn't even realize the two of them were demons until they mentioned how they couldn't go out in the sun.

In particular, they were now the tsugukos of Giyu. Not officially, but Giyu might as well consider them one since he was teaching them some of the most advanced techniques in the Demon Slayer Corps. While Giyu had told Ubuyashiki that he was going to go and train both Tanjirou and Nezuko, he merely smiled at Giyu.

"Of course, my child. Are they becoming your tsugukos?" Ubuyashiki asked the water Hashira in curiosity.

"I'm unsure..." Giyu mentioned, "Maybe if they were human, the answer would be clearer."

"I can understand. However, I will give you the ability to let them become your tsugukos, if necessary." Ubuyashiki told to Giyu.

Giyu looked somewhat conflicted, "I'm unsure. For the most part, I can't really decide whether it works. Besides, why are you so open to believing those two are pure demons? How are you so sure that they will never eat humans?"

Ubuyashiki smiled, "Perhaps it is a pure instinct and intuition that I have, however, considering the feats that they've done, I can't really believe they would risk their lives to betray people... What you and the former water pillar have told me reminds me of two other demons, who've served morals to helping humans however they can." Ubuyashiki explained.

"How long have they been serving humans?" Giyu asked.

"Around 400 years." Ubuyashiki responded, "In all those times, they have helped humans so much that they have the approval of the Ubuyashiki estate."

"That's impressive... Are you saying that Tanjirou and Nezuko may undergo something similar?" Giyu asked, "Why, Okayata-sama, if we haven't had demons wanting to help humans for 400 years now, are you willing to give them protection?"

Ubuyashiki smiled, "I'm willing to take the risk. In the event that they are, they won't be a threat. Also, between you and me, their family names yield more significance than what anyone thinks."

And once that was finished, Giyu gave a small applause to both Tanjirou and Nezuko, whilst he began to process everything.

Giyu sighed, as he continued to think, "Nezuko herself is advancing in water breathing very well. If she continues her training and advances at such a rate, she may become the follow-up of the water pillar…" Her willingness to train herself was clearly there, and considering her pure determination and seriousness when it was needed, it reminded Giyu of himself for a bit.

"As for Tanjirou, he is such an oddity. However, I guess in the fight against demons, being off and one in a billion chance is a good thing, for it prevents anyone from planning how to fight them. Unless the individual had strong proactive thinking, it makes Tanjirou a formidable opponent of anyone." Giyu thought, "In short, Tanjirou and his Hinokami Kagura are incredibly potent for his body, and having the experience makes him surprisingly polished and experienced in his own breathing style, by dancing it rather than experiencing through killing demons."

"That isn't to say that it's all bad... Both of them are a joy to be around... Even if they two have gone through their own struggle and trauma, they were still able to have their smiles... Even Tanjirou, if he smiles slightly, is more than how much I used to smile... To think they've gone through such trauma, and they still smile... It makes me feel weak..." Giyu sighed when he thought about that. Even though it was tragic, it made them feel closer.

It was almost like Urokodaki's absence had brought them closer to caring for each other.

At this, Giyu told the two that they had completed everything. This also included using gourds and for the both of them to shatter it apart. Nezuko had a bit more difficulty doing it compared to Tanjirou. For Tanjirou, it was something he was able to do, and was now more advanced at doing a 24-hour total concentration trial, whilst Nezuko was beginning to learn it.

He knew Tanjirou had experience with the gourds, and was able to break some of the larger ones, but he couldn't break the biggest, so Giyu found it right that Tanjirou continued with them, whilst Nezuko started her own trial for constant breathing. All the while Giyu thought about how he was going to go back into the Pillar Mansions without being the center of attention.

Perhaps Okayata-sama already told them of his endeavors, and the Pillars didn't care, Giyu didn't know.

Nonetheless, once Giyu was finished, he had to go back to the mansions. Because Tanjirou and Nezuko were both demons, it did not make sense for the two of them to follow back with Giyu, not when they would probably be killed on sight by most of the Pillars.

When finishing, Giyu bid the two farewell to his two demon friends. Tanjirou and Nezuko both waved toward Giyu he merely nodded and gave a wave back.

However, to the surprise, of Giyu, Nezuko hugged him.

It was quite a time since Giyu had a hug. When he last had a hug, it was probably when he hugged the mask of Sabito after he was killed by the hand demon... Giyu sighed. Now wasn't the time to think about his own fallen friends and brothers, considering how much Tanjirou and Nezuko were trying to cheer him up.

"Come on brother! Join the hug!" Nezuko exclaimed, and Tanjirou, albeit a bit more careful and nervous, eventually decided to join the hug. Once again, it surprised, Giyu, and it reminded him of two people he was close to.

"Urokodaki... Sabito... Why are they so warm to be around... Why do they feel as bright as the sun?" Giyu mumbled to his thoughts as he was in disbelief at everything that was occurring. All the more reason to protect these two demons.

All the more reason that made Giyu think of both Tanjirou and Nezuko as humans, even if they were demons.

As he went down back to the estate and was gone for a month or two, he wondered if he would be noticed if he went missing.

Once he finally got back, he learned that Tanjirou and Nezuko were planning on following their crows for missions and would continue their missions, and job as demon slayer corps. They wanted to maintain the determination to defeat Muzan, they said, and thus wanted to prove their worth.

It was around this time did Giyu relent, and finally admit the two were his tsukugo. Not that he wanted to confirm that, considering the problem with the both of them being demons, rather it was something he couldn't see himself doing.

He considered them more like family, in a strange twist, as Giyu felt oddly at home. Tanjirou and Nezuko reminded him of the outgoing, but supportive siblings. They all emphasized with each other due to their own tragedies, and shared reactions to their own mentor's death.

As much as Giyu didn't want to admit it, he had grown close to the two siblings. As much as he didn't want to admit it, even if they were demons, Giyu ironically, was seeing the two of them as siblings. Just like when Tanjirou and Nezuko defended each other as demons because they were siblings.

Now, Giyu was the one doing the protection from others. It was a weird coincidence, but for the most part, Giyu didn't find it weird. It felt right.

He sighed, hoping the two demon siblings would go far in their time slaying demons. He hoped they would be like this Tamayo person Shinobu and Kanae apparently worked with.

If Tanjirou and Nezuko truly were nice demons who wanted to help humans and defeat Muzan, then perhaps it would be in their best interests to achieve contact with the two demons Okayata-sama mentioned.

As soon as Giyu made it back, he sighed, preparing himself for the Pillars' reactions. He hoped that, like before, they would leave him alone, insult him, or just turn a blind eye to him.

Once he got back, he immediately noticed that, while many of them looked normal, and living their life, he did spot a couple of instances of the Hashira noticing him. It was more than the previous times.

He remembers the last time he came back, only Shinobu and Kanae had given him any form of reaction. Many of the Hashira didn't care for him. It wasn't just a paranoid thought Giyu had, it was the reality.

The first was Muichiro, who looked to Giyu, before staring back up.

Then, there was Gyomei. This one was a bit complicated since he was blind, but Giyu did notice his muscles tense when he walked past him, and Giyu took that as a sign he noticed him.

Then, there was Obanai, whose snake Kaburamaru ironically noticed Giyu and hissed in response. This caused Obanai to turn to face Giyu, before then turning over.

For Giyu, he took that as merely him being acknowledged by Obanai. This was perhaps the most surprising change, considering how previously, Obanai would stare at Giyu with hatred in his eyes. Now, it seemed to be more neutral, with Kaburamaru, in particular, noticing Giyu.

After Obanai himself, it seemed that Kaburamaru liked Giyu... That was perhaps surprising.

Likewise, Mitsuri was excited to see Giyu back, and her overall nature caused her to be excited to see anyone new.

Finally, there was Shinobu. Giyu sighed at this.

Giyu sighed, knowing he was going to suffer a lot from her.

"Ara-ara Giyu, you left for a month, where were you," Shinobu asked. Kanae chuckled, welcoming Giyu back before she went her own way.

Giyu looked down, trying to find a way to make what he said, sound normal. "As I said, Ubuyashiki and I are keeping this private, but I also went to train my tsuguko." Giyu decided to let Ubuyashiki label them as his tsugukos, even if it wasn't formal, it was for protecting them.

"You have a tsuguko?" Shinobu asked, surprised about Giyu's own revelation.

"Yes. Two specifically." Giyu revealed. "They are around your own tsuguko's age."

"I didn't think anyone would be willing to become your tsuguko. Imagine anyone wanting to be trained by you?" Shinobu smiled, chuckling a bit before she calmed down. She suddenly became a bit self-conscious, thinking Giyu was hurt by this before she reiterated and added another statement. A more positive one, "But I'm glad, that means you're being more open."

"More open?" Giyu asked as he was clearly confused, but regardless, just let Shinobu talk to him.

He had been absent from the estates for a month or two, so he decided to let Shinobu do her own thing. Even if it bothered him a bit, he would tolerate it.

Because strangely enough... Giyu didn't find this as annoying as he used to.


Kanao's POV


Kanao's adoptive sister went through a very scary encounter a couple of months ago.

This all occurred when she was in Final Selection.

She was definitely the best-performing individual compared to the rest of the individuals. This was relative to what she was expecting. She was preparing for this, and training for this. With the help from both her sisters, Kanae, and Shinobu, she was able to securely kill many of the demons she encountered in the Final Selection.

Both of her sisters were among the most skilled demon slayers in all of the corps. Being trained and cared for by them has been the best thing that happened in her life. Especially, after the abuse and suffering she endured.

The earliest memories she had as a child, were of constantly thinking of food. She was starving, malnourished, and worst of all, neglected.

She was born in the poor village of Mukojima. It was a village that was notorious for its poor living conditions. The hopelessness that many parents faced in the face of the village was enough to make tourists avoid this place at all costs.

Kanao was born in a family of twelve. This included 10 siblings, which included her. All of her siblings, including her, were subject to abuse in the household. Because there were so many mouths to feed, Kanao and her siblings were unable to live in a stable environment. That alone was sad enough, but what her parents did to both her and her siblings, was beyond crippling to Kanao in a psychological standpoint.

Kanao remembers the roughness of their hands. She remembers the stinging pain across her body, as she was forced to suppress her own emotions. She wasn't able to cry, else she would be hurt more. She had lost her emotions.

The abuse she suffered at the hands of her parents made her numb. She was forced to sleep on the floor of the house, the cold, hard floor... She was even plunged into the water for extended periods of time, nearly drowning as a result.

Then, she watched as her siblings went off one by one.

Her brothers were subject to many of the labor tortures. She was lucky she was a girl because she was considered weak and worthless. In that environment, being ignored was a better alternative than being looked at, for abuse.

Her sisters, however... They all disappeared when they were growing up. Kanao was the youngest of all her siblings, actually the second youngest. Her mother suffered a miscarriage after Kanao was born a couple of years before.

The thing that made Kanao snap, however, was seeing the cold, motionless bodies of two of her brothers... That made her snap, and lose her emotions completely.

Then, she found out why her sisters disappeared. They were being sold for profits...

The sisters were purposely drowned as a torture method so that they wouldn't suffer many scars. The reason was that when they were eventually sold off, they weren't considered ugly because of the scars of abuse. Therefore, Kanao's parents drowned her and her sisters as a form of abuse.

Kanao was next and was about to be sold for money...

Until her master and sisters adopted her. They saved her, helped her recover, and nourish her. They cared for her, showed her love, and helped her move past the trauma.

Even if she wasn't totally recovered from the trauma, she was able to speak on her own, albeit limited. She had a coin to help her decide a decision when she was unsure what to do. She was still suppressing her emotions, and many demon slayers were taken off by Kanao's own personality, or lack thereof.

In the end, Shinobu and Kanae saved her from being sent to a darker place... And she was forever grateful.

However, now she was focusing on the Final Selection. She likes to think that her parents and family were a thing of the past.

Some individuals she met throughout the event, were either killed or injured enough to tap out. She knew Aoi was one of those individuals who managed to survive the Final Selection, however, was so traumatized to the point that she bowed to never hold a blade again.

In the meantime, Kanao was merely slicing another demon apart, before she noticed a bunch of demon slayers running.

"These cannot be local demons!" One of the slayers remarked whilst another said in a panic. She was somewhat curious.

"You can't kill them!"

"One shoots ice forms at us! Don't breathe it in!"

At this, Kanao was confused, but seeing the individual, her eyes widened.

"Upper Moon Two…" Kanao quickly fetched out her coin. It was a decision she was unsure about, even if she wanted to run. This was the demon who almost killed her eldest sister and master...

Frantically, she threw it up, as she eyed the coin, not caring that the Upper Moon was staring at her with confusion.

"Heads, I fight, Tails, I flee," Kanao told herself as she flipped the coin up.

It landed tails.

Kanao sighed, as she let her legs run, specifically splitting off against the rest of the demon slayers, in the hopes the upper moon two not pursuing her. Thankfully, his confusion distracted him from chasing Kanao down.

"I'll just have to survive until the others make it," Kanao told herself, as she quickly got up on a tree, and leaped around the branches to get a strong visionary tale of what was going on.

For Kanao, this was useful since her vision was among the best of her sisters. And so, she was able to notice Upper Moon Two, and she quickly got as far away from him as possible.

After around three hours, Kanao noticed some Hashira coming.

It was around this time did Kanao was able to smell smoke.

"Was the wisteria burned?" Kanao asked as she ran to see Shinobu.

"Kanao!" Shinobu hugged Kanao tightly, whilst Kanae was watching from the side.

Overall, for the three sisters, it seemed that they were hopeful that they had gotten through the worst of it all.

However, they all still had to save the other remaining Final Selection demon slayers.

Many were no doubt still in there, potentially the victims of demons from the outside.

According to some reports, apparently, Upper Moon Two had coordinated a fiery explosion towards the wisteria plants, to explore and penetrate through the Final Selection and the area. In doing so, the huge array of demons that were entering and killing the demon slayers was clearly startling.

In the end, of the evacuating and rescue missions, many within the Hashira were split on prioritizing evacuating and rescuing demon slayers. Some wanted to go in, slay any demons, and save as many demon slayers trainees as they could.

In the end, while some brave demon slayers went in, they couldn't venture too deep in fear they ran into a strong demon, as it was known a twelve kizuki had entered the mountain foot.

In the meantime, Kanao did not think much, and her information to both Shinobu and Kanae had immediately given them the message. Kanae had quickly identified that individual as the one she fought and barely survived against.

Kanao shivered at the sheer idea of Kanae dying. When Shinobu was given the news that Kanae had encountered Upper Moon 2, and survived, but was injured, she worked for 15 hours to make sure her elder sister lived.

Miraculously, Kanae survived and made a full recovery. However, that recovery took around a year, before she was able to fight back at her fullest strength. She was so incredibly weak from the injuries, having lost a lot of muscle due to the blood loss she suffered, her lungs were shot from the demon's blood art, and her leg was badly damaged, Shinobu refused to amputate that limb, and through her own work, had managed to save her sister.

After that, it was months and around a year of strength retraining for Kanae. She was seriously injured from the demon that she needed physiotherapy.

Kanao sighed, as she noticed many of the kakushi bringing many of the demon slayer trainees, the ones that were in Final Selection. Some were alive, and some were dead. Kanao could only look on, as she watched the kakushi do their job.

For the most part, Kanao watched many of the demon slayer trainees, many of those were dead. The only notable demon slayer trainees who were alive included Genya so far.

That individual was an interesting one and was when Kanao had ventured into the forest. However, there was another interesting demon slayer that caught Kanao's attention.

When she came into the forest, she found two individuals. One was a demon slayer who had noticeable scars across his face, alongside a mohawk hairstyle, or at least that's what Kanae could tell. She could tell that this was the tsuguko of Gyomei, even if he was Sanemi's, the Wind Hashira, younger brother.

The other demon slayer, was more interesting. For one, they seemed to be wearing a mask, clearly carefully designed, like those from the Swordsmith village. Regarding the individual, he seemed to be fighting off a large, grotesque demon. In conclusion, Kanao could tell this demon slayer was strong, however, she couldn't tell if this demon slayer was one.

She looked with her eyes and could tell that this demon slayer was an enigma. However, the demon slayer did look very human and gave off an aura of humanity, rather than demon-like.

This person was weird, and once he finished, he prioritized giving Genya to her, which she gave to the Kakushi as she continued to explore.

Unfortunately, once she got back, she saw something that made her eyes widen, even if she couldn't show it that much.

That was her sister, Kanae, fighting the Upper Moon Two. Once again, it seemed the demon wanted a rematch from Kanae, seemingly wanting to finish the Flower Pillar off. Kanao could only watch, as she watched her sister expertly manage to maneuver herself away from the demon.

For Kanao, she was grabbing her coin, but her hands were trembling. She was wondering what to do. She was trying to flip her coin, but something was preventing her from doing so.

As she watched the battle rage onward, Kanao noticed that nobody was helping her. While she wanted someone to help her sister, she ultimately knew that the fear of facing Upper Moon Two rivaled everything.

In a sense, the others were going through the same thing she herself was going through.

And so, all they could do was watch as Kanae was being battered by the Upper Moon Two. As much as Kanae was stronger before, she had truly never been the same ever since the incident with Upper Moon Two.

As a result, she was still weaker than previously. The unfortunate problem with injuries. Either one could get stronger, or weaker from an injury.

Eventually, Kanae suffered a major blow to her torso and was slowly losing consciousness due to the icicle formation, definitely the blood demon art of the Upper Moon.

For the most part, Kanao was watching with angst, and thus she wanted to intervene. She knew Shinobu wanted to as well, but ultimately was unable to.

As Kanae looked strained beyond what she was capable of, something unimaginable happened. Not just to Kanao, but to Shinobu as well.

Because of the chaotic nature of the fight, only Kanao and Shinobu were conscious to watch everything unfold. The rest of the demon slayers were unconscious or dead, and the kakushi were only able to focus on recovery and healing the individuals injured during the fight.

A demon slayer, the same one with the mask that Kanao met a bit prior, had charged toward the demon moon.

"This demon slayer is an idiot! Don't charge the demon!" Kanao mentally told herself as she merely sighed, "Their deaths I guess… Such an idiot..."

However, to her surprise, the demon slayer was holding their own relatively well. For the most part, she could eye closely that this individual had male proportions.

"Perhaps my assumption of calling him an idiot was too harsh..." Kanao thought to herself.

However, after knowing the story of Inosuke, she knew not to judge based on some proportions and anatomy.

However, she could tell that this individual seemed somewhat male. For the most part, this individual seemed rather powerful.

What was intriguing about this individual, was the new breathing style this individual seemed to show was completely different from what she saw before when he was fighting the hand demon.

That confused her. How could this demon slayer know two breathing styles? That was rare...

"Why is he using a completely different breathing style than the last time?" Kanao asked clearly confused.

To her shock, he was able to keep the Upper Moon distracted. This was Upper Moon Two... The third strongest demon that she was told about... And this demon slayer, who was seemingly just a part of the Final Selection of the bunch, even if she didn't see this demon slayer before, was managing to keep up with him.

That wasn't to say that the demon slayer was winning, he still was suffering from some injuries, and breathing on the ice, however, he was holding his own just enough for the Kakushi to get Kanae, for medical treatment.

Kanao could see the hated Shinobu was giving towards the Upper Moon Two.

Shinobu seemed to notice this, "Kakushi! Come get Kanae Kocho while Upper Moon Two is distracted!"

Both she and the kakushi rushed into the battlefield to pick up Kanae's unconscious body.

The demon, for his part, seemed to try and prevent them from getting Kanae, but the boy stood between him and his bait.

The message was simple: You shall not pass.

With this, Kanao could tell the demon slayer's hair was crimson red, within the style of a ponytail. No doubt if he let the ponytail lose, it would easily go beyond his shoulders,

The demon, for his part, seemed confused about the boy, as he seemed to be shivering. Whether this was because he was struggling to eliminate the demon slayer or was terrified of the demon slayer, she wasn't sure.

Unfortunately, while the kakushi had successfully brought Kanae back to the recovery area, where she would get immediate healing, followed by more precise healthcare procedures and medicine after a bit, the demon slayer boy was ultimately launched away by a new attack by the demon.

It was a rather strong attack, seemingly to be an AoE attack. It was made of ice, and it launched the demon slayer quite a ways away. She did notice a strike on the demon that was regenerating almost instantaneously.

Although both Shinobu and Kanao were worried for the demon slayer boy, the sad fact was that he wouldn't have survived that. He was pierced with icicles around that he definitely breathed in.

As much as Kanao and Shinobu wanted to go into the forest to retrieve the boy, it was merely too dangerous with Upper Moon Two present.

They just couldn't risk it.

Kanao sighed, "I do wish that I could have thanked him for saving my sister... But I guess he gave his life to protect a Hashira... That is something to be proud of, I guess..." Kanao thought as she began to make herself back home, as Shinobu was rushing her elder sister to get medical help immediately.

And so, Kanao and Shinobu found themselves rushing back to the Butterfly estate, for Kanae's injuries.

While Shinobu checked over Kanao for any major injuries, however, she sighed when Kanao didn't show any major injuries. Aside from some scrapes and bruises, she was fine.

After that incident with Final Selection, Kanao was determined to have completed Final Selection, alongside the remaining, surviving trainees, as considering the circumstances, they all survived by slaying demons.

After which everything was done, she had gotten her nirchirin sword, a light pink blade that was similar to Kanae's, and thus was on her way out.

Over the course of her time, she had occasionally met with some demon slayers that she remembered.

One of them was a yellowed haired boy who was overly dramatic. Somehow he survived, and Kanao learned his name was Zenitsu.

The other was a boar-head, who was too aggressive for his own good. She remembers when he tried attacking her on sight, only to be pounded by Kanao. The shock they all got when they saw the face that was very pretty. Apparently, his name was Inosuke.

The final individual he met, was the individual with the scar on his face, and the mohawk hairstyle. She had interestingly found that individual when he was strangely eating a demon.

That individual's name was Genya Shinazugawa, and Kanao knew from her memories that he was from the same family as the wind Hashira, Sanemi Shinazugawa. This was also someone being trained by Gyomei, the Stone Hashira, and perhaps the strongest of the bunch.

For the most part, Kanao had occasionally met with the three. Considering they decided to travel as a group, she found it reliable and a bit relieving when she found them mostly alive,

That wasn't to say she was always around them. She would only meet them when her crow told her of the mission, but when they would go to an area to rest, she would go out, usually because she wasn't as injured as the bunch.

The only exception was Genya, who temporarily could regenerate when he needed to, with a demon obviously.

And so, once Kanao continued throughout her missions, she made her way to meet them. That was specifically because her crow had told her to go towards a mountain called Mount Natagumo.

"So we all are going together?" Genya asked, clearly a bit nervous at being around a female.

By contrast, Zenitsu was overly overbearing towards Kanao.

She merely sighed, as she kept the hopeless flirt at a distance. She really didn't want to be around them. Zenitsu was just being too weird for her to stay close to him. He annoyed her.

In the end, it was part of her job to sometimes work with people she had differences with.

It was something Shinobu told her.

"Despite demons being stronger than humans, it is humans' cooperation and ability to work well in pairs that make them have the edge against demons." Kanae's words echoed through Kanao's own mind, as she sighed.

Once she finished, she began to walk alongside the three, but staying her distance.

She would have to send a message to Shinobu and Kanae about the entire ordeal that she found herself involved in.

She really didn't want to be here.

Perhaps she could run off…

She shook her head. A job was a job, and she was going to do it.

"No! I don't want to go in!" Zenitsu exclaimed, clearly running back, or trying, considering Inosuke was holding him back.

"DON'T BE SUCH A BITCH ZENGONGU!" Inosuke exclaimed.

"What is this?" Genya asked as he looked over to the corpse of the dead demon slayers.

"It seems to be demon slayers who were killed by the demons. They seem to have been snapped out, like a wire…" Kanao mumbled. She sighed, out of all the individuals, Genya was the most normal, compared to Zenitsu and Inosuke.

She and he had a lot in common since they were tsukugo's, and had to combine take care and stop Zenitsu and Inosuke from going overboard. However, Kanao still had her feels at a minimum.

To her, they were all just comrades. The only people she could ever thank and smile to a bit, were her sisters.


Unknown's POV


She never wanted this. Ever since she was running away, just trying to survive, she thought her life would be better when he showed up.

She had never expected this to happen. She never thought she would have to witness everything.

She seemed to be a part of a family. "More like forced," she mumbled.

It was only successful because of fear. she was only able to continue living because she remained silent through fear.

Similar to what Muzan did, he was doing the same thing.

This individual went through many different families. All with the same fate. Ended up in the sun burning.

It was something the father did and was something everyone knew would eventually happen to them.

To them, it wasn't a matter of if, but a matter of when. They would eventually suffer the same fate as the previous families.

This entire time, she always hesitated. She became full of regret.

She hated herself. She didn't want to do this. Every time she was forced to watch, forced to participate, and forced to kill, she hated herself more and more.

She had to be the mother of the family. The spouse of this man. No, not a man, but a monster.

She hated herself.

She really wanted to die, or at the very least, escape this cult family she found herself in.

"Shut up with your thoughts." The girl gripped her own arms, as she flinched.

As the individual continued to reprimand her, all she could do was listen, without any emotion, to the best of her ability.

She only reacted when he outright slashed and kicked her, where she let out a scream of pain.

"W-Why…" She mumbled. "Why am I under these circumstances…"

Her defining hope, came from two demon slayers, with masks.

As she continued to play with her strings, apparently her family was being attacked by demon slayers, and she was forced to do her job.

She didn't want to, but she was forced through fear.

She was forced to hear the cries and pleas of the demon slayers, "Please! Help me! I'm attached and being forced to do this!"

She cried for the demon slayers she was forced to kill. She cried at everything.

She never wanted to hurt people, even as a demon, unless she was thinking about when she was first turned into one.

She didn't want to.

"Please, someone just kill me…" She mumbled as she continued playing with her strings.

Fortunately, it was the father, and daughter doing most of the damage and killing. Sure, she was sadly contributing, to the very deaths, but she had to save her own skin, from the fear of a ruthless individual, who was leading this family cult.

Oh, how she wished she could just die.

She looked to the side, seeing a crow dead in a spider's web, no doubt from their own doing.

As she sat on top of the rock, she saw two demon slayers with masks on.

Both had their swords in an arc, ready to strike her.

Her eyes widened in shock, as she realized she would die. She would soon be done and gone.

And so, she lifted her arms out, ready to embrace death.

Unfortunately for her, that never came.


Kanao and Genya


"They're being manipulated by the threads," Genya told Kanao, who merely nodded.

It seemed Inosuke was out doing his own thing, having found a demon he found suited for himself to fight and defeat.

As for Zenitsu, Kanao merely sighed in frustration at his antics. They were going to get him killed if he wasn't careful.

And so, Kanao focused on her own threads, slashing them. Unfortunately, many of those caught in the threads quickly fell to the ground, dead.

Kanao merely looked, while Genya looked a bit disturbed.

"Well…" With that being said, the two continued on their way toward the bulk of the spiders.

"These spiders are tiny!" Genya exclaimed in a bit of frustration. "Find the demon that's controlling them! I'll handle the manipulated slayers!"

Kanao merely nodded as she made her way toward the threads, however, she was a bit surprised about what floated to her.

"Mother will kill you all anyways…"

"Mother?" Kanao mumbled, before she merely shrugged, not caring.

Regardless, she merely moved on, not taking into account the demon slayer. They were already manipulated, and if she cut them apart, they would be dead on impact.

As Kanao continued, she noted Inosuke running towards her.

"Hey KAMO!" Inosuke exclaimed, "I beat the demon! INOSUKE THE BEST!" He exclaimed raising his twin's sword. Kanao only looked at the boar head, calling him one literally.

Once Kanao noticed the rest of the demon slayers, they all looked very nervous,

"Call the higher-ranked demon slayers!" One of them exclaimed.

Instead of listening, Kanao merely ran through, with Inosuke not too far behind.

Throughout this entire time, the two continued on their way.

Surprisingly, both Kanao and Inosuke had found themselves in a place where there were no noticeable demons.

"That's strange…" Kanao mumbled, "It's quiet…"

"Too quiet." She added quietly before her eyes caught something.

Inosuke seemed to know and detect the movement from the same direction, as they both tensed and the sudden figure.

"LEAVE MY FAMILY ALONE!" Both Kanao and Inosuke were somewhat surprised by seeing the demon with no head.

"That demon has no head! WHAT THE HELL?!" Inosuke asked clearly shocked.

Kanao merely analyzed it quickly, "Seems to have been decapitated without any form of nirchirin blade. Perhaps Genya briefly found them, which would explain why the demon is aggravated."

"Whatever! I'll rip right through it!" Inosuke exclaimed as he charged forward.

Kanao could only sigh as she eyed the boar's head being reckless as always. It was infuriating her sometimes, but she knew that she couldn't let herself act based on her emotions.

She eyed the entire demon, trying to figure out what to do.

However, she quickly saw what to do.

She darted towards the demon, as she carefully spaced herself out.

The demon was currently involved in a close fighting combat with Inosuke.

"This thing got no weak spots!" Inosuke exclaimed.

"Just keep applying pressure on the demon then," Kanao told the boar head as she prepared her own move.

With a mighty jump which she learned from Shinobu, Kanao prepared her own blade to perform a move she learned from Kanae.

Total Concentration – Flower Breathing, Sixth Form: Whirling Peach

Kanao swung her body weight to use it to deliver the attack. She struck the demon directly in the chest, slashing the demon's hand that was trying to counterattack Kanao.

She was moving incredibly quickly, using her own total concentration breathing, as she sped to speeds almost in the blink of an eye. She wasn't as fast as Shinobu, but it was respectable. Launching herself off the demon's body, she moved her blade into the demon.

Inosuke wasn't the type to remain silent and not do anything. He began to see the legs of the demon with his twin blades, as he immobilized the demon, making it easier for Kanao to inevitably slay the giant, headless demon.

In the end, she jumped down, sighing in relief, whilst Inosuke was happy yet again with his assistance.

With one demon taken care of, both Kanao and Inosuke made their way toward their next demon.

Inosuke however, split off from Kanao, who merely sighed. She decided to just look around, and slay any demons that stood and killed humans.


Tanjirou and Nezuko POV


Tanjirou and Nezuko had managed to make their way over to Natagumo Mountain. While they were excited after hearing of demon activities, specifically of a lower moon, this was further cemented by some of the demons, and what they would say.

Throughout their missions, many led them to this particular mountain, that was now on the highlight and spotlight for the demon slayer corps.

There were a lot of demon slayers.

Unfortunately, some were dead.

"Brother, I found another," Nezuko told Tanjirou, who then sliced the spider webs down, letting the deceased demon slayer's body fall to the ground.

Tanjirou sighed before he was bonked by another manipulated demon slayer.

Tanjirou, unfortunately, sliced that demon slayer apart, at least from the webs. He didn't want to kill the demon slayer's on their own, but he knew the demon slayers would still be killed even if they were freed.

It made them all the more reason why they would fight against the demon slayers.

Then, there were some demon slayers who became spiders, to the point of suffering a painful death.

As much as it pained both Tanjirou and Nezuko to do this, they were forced to. They killed and put the demon slayers out of their misery.

"Namu Amida Butsu." The demonic version of Tanjirou mentioned the many demon slayers that Tanjirou and Nezuko ultimately had to slay, as they were too far gone in the cocoon and webs.

"Do we have to kill some demon slayers?" Nezuko asked her brother. She was too sad having to do this.

"To rid of pain is the biggest goal for me coming here. At that point, there was no potential in rescuing those demon slayers, for they will die shortly from the poison. Opening the cocoon shows a badly acidified demon slayer, and the webs of demon slayers is wrapped around their hearts. Once it's opened, their heart is slashed..." Tanjirou spoke. "Even if I can, they will die an unfortunate death... I don't want to do this as much as you, but you don't have to do these, so I will, for you." Tanjirou smiled sadly at Nezuko, who cried a bit at this.

Nezuko eyed Tanjirou weirdly. Ever since they got the message that they would face a lower moon, Tanjirou had acted a bit strange.

She wasn't sure why Tanjirou was acting strange, but she could tell something mentally was hurting him. He was conflicted, and she could sense a very conflicted and almost dual-minded position Tanjirou was in.

Although, that may have to do more with their fights recently. Apparently, Tanjirou began to complain of frequent flickers in his vision, that for a second caused him to see through everything.

Nezuko didn't know how to respond or what to say.

Regardless, she assumed that must be playing with Tanjiro's mind briefly, but with her around, her brother mostly remained the same.

"There!" Tanjirou exclaimed.

Nezuko looked confused before she too gasped. Tanjirou ran towards the demon, while Nezuko jumped high.

Water Breathing, Fifth Form: Blessed Rain After the Drought

Both Tanjirou and Nezuko unleashed the same water-breathing move, to give the demon a light and painless death. This was especially shown when she raised her arms in surrendering as if to show she was embracing death.

However, both Tanjirou and Nezuko noticed something and stopped.

When the demon realized she wasn't dead, she collapsed and cried.

"Why… Why?!" The demon called out, and Tanjioru and Nezuko could only look on in confusion.

"They decided to spare a demon, and this is the result?

"Were we like that when we were spared from Giyu?" Both individuals asked themselves, not knowing how to react.

"Just cut my throat already!" The demon begged, clearly more saddened when they sheathed their blade.

"Why do you wish for death?" Tanjirou asked the mother demon.

"I-I don't want to be hurt anymore. I don't want to be forced to do things I'm not comfortable with… I thought joining him would keep me safe, but all it's done is make me a monster…" The demon sadly spoke, a bit taken aback by the sheer tone Tanjirou and Nezuko were giving him.

"Why… Why are they being nice to me…? The demon asked.

She was clearly identifying that these two demon slayers were being nice to her. Almost all demon slayers wanted to kill her, and when she means almost, she added that word in just now.

Tanjirou and Nezuko both looked at the demon in pity.

"Ugh.. Pity... Seriously Tanjirou, why are you showing this demon sympathy? They are scum, and should be slaughtered!" Demon Tanjirou exclaimed to Tanjirou.

In the meantime, Tanjirou just ignored his demonic version's opinion.

For Tanjirou, while he could tell she was responsible for the deaths of demon slayers, he could tell she wasn't directly the cause. And even then, she felt guilty. She felt worthless and wanted death as a payment for her own cowardice in not standing up against a more powerful demon.

For Tanjirou, he understood. He understood that many demons went on through fear. This demon was a pure example of this, specifically in how she feared for her life, forcing her to do actions she wasn't supportive of.

And so, Tanjirou took off his mask.

The demon, looked very confused before her own eyes widened in pure shock.

"T-This boy… This boy's a demon?!" The girl asked herself in shock.

"Why the hell are you showing a demon your face?!" Demon Tanjirou was in shock, at what his human version was doing.

To make matters even more shocking for her, Nezuko followed her brother's actions, and now she saw the clear disbelief on the demon's face.

"Hide your face! Or kill this demon! Muzan will see you through her eyes!" Demon Tanjirou yelled.

"No." Tanjirou responded, "She seems nice, and regretful for her actions... I can smell it, and I can see how much she suffered..."

"So what if they suffered? She still killed people. She still loved seeing those suffer. She should pay for her life." Demon Tanjirou explained, and before Tanjirou knew it, his demonic version was trying to take control of Tanjirou.

"Gah!" Tanjirou yelled in shock, as his demonic version was trying to take control.

"Stop! We agreed to work together!" Tanjirou yelled.

"Well, you are disagreeing with something I want to do." Demon Tanjirou explained, "You are being useless right now, and I will save you from your own hesitation."

Tanjirou panted, as he tried to keep his own demonic urges down, "No. I control this body..."

This demon was eyeing the two demons with swords, who clearly were giving her the looks of sympathy. As if they understood her.

While she looked rather alarmed at the struggle Tanjirou was displaying, she eyed Nezuko.

"How…" She mumbled, "How did you escape him…"

Tanjirou sighed, "It's quite a story, but we're not in the clear…" Tanjirou was struggling to hold himself in,

"Please, kill me…" The demon girl begged, and both Tanjirou and Nezuko sighed.

"See? She wants to die, Tanjirou. Kill her at her own mercy!"

"No! Shut up!" Tanjirou yelled at his demonic version. He was not liking his demonic version all of a sudden.

"You were forced to be a family from what you are telling me, and I can tell you are telling the truth… You have such a sad, tragic, and regretful smell..." Tanjirou sadly smiled, as he calmly approached the demon.

Even if Tanjirou himself was struggling, he was still able to emphasize and forgive some demons.

"Did you kill them out of hatred, or by fear?" Nezuko asked from behind.

The girl shook her head, "I was forced to… If I didn't I'd be killed, forced, and tied up until the sun killed me…"

Tanjirou sighed. As the girl continued, he got sadder.

"If I didn't, I'd get hurt, force us to eat the humans we captured… I hated it. I just wanted to live a normal life, but when I ran away, he saved me. But in the end, I ended up in a cult, and felt in a lower place than where I was when he saved me…"

"Oh, what sad life you demon, now let me end it, come on Tanjirou!" Tanjirou placed a hand on his right head, clutching it, as he was trying to calm himself down.

"We can give you peace, the life you want to live." Tanjirou smiled, albeit with a bit of difficulty. Once again, it was a sad smile, but with some struggling.

"Yes, you can only give her peace by killing her."

"W-What? I don't deserve that, though…" The girl mumbled, looking down. "My neck is right here, please decapitate me."

"Yes, let's go Tanjirou."

"I cannot. Not when a demon is suffering." Nezuko shook her head, "For you still have a purpose, even if you feel undeserving of one."

"But… Even if I can redeem myself, can I even do so? I've killed humans, there's nothing that'll excuse me for this…" The girl sadly revealed.

At this, Tanjirou sighed, "I cannot say I've directly killed humans, but I have harmed humans when they were already gone from the webs."

"Besides… there are demons out there who are wanting to live a pure life," Nezuko revealed.

"What…" The demon mumbled.

"What's your name?" Tanjirou asked.

"W-What? I don't have a name… I was just called mother…" The demon revealed.

"Then we can give you a name," Tanjirou responded, before looking to Nezuko.

"Uh, I don't know, Kie?" Nezuko asked, flinching once she realized she had just named a demon after her dead mother.

"Wow, after your abusive mother? How creepy and cringy."

"I-I think that's a fine name…" Tanjirou smiled after a bit, "Unexpected, but acceptable."

Once that was done, the demon, now named Kie made her way over, clearly surprised she was still alive.

"We both know some demons you can go to, and live a happier life." Tanjirou gave Kie some advice.

"But I've killed people, how can you forgive me?" Kie asked.

"We cannot." Tanjirou revealed, "But you were forced to do it, and punished if you didn't. Clearly, you can have a second chance."

"W-Why… I don't deserve one…" Kie mumbled.

"There is always a chance for redemption, and as long as you are determined to redeem yourself, then you can forgive yourself." Nezuko patted the spider demon as she was still unsure, but feeling a bit better.

"Why… Why out of all people are you being nice to me? Don't you slay demons? Haven't you met demons you slayed? Why am I different?" Kie asked once again.

"Well, I cannot answer all your questions, but." Nezuko smiled at her, "We would want the same if we were in your boots."

At this, Kie's eyes widened, as she was clearly at a last.

And so, with not much to say, Tanjirou began to prepare her for a journey. He was in the process of writing something for Tamayo and Yushiro.

While she may be unsure about Kie's truth, Tanjirou could tell. Her emotions were just too pure and too honest for her to be pretending. Tanjirou's nose was really strong when it comes to emotions, and thus was usually accurate when it came to those things.

"We've met a demon who wishes to make peace with humans, where they could coexist. We're both living proof of that, right? We're both fighting the wrong people. If you really want to live at peace, escape this cult family while you can, and join a new, purer one." Tanjirou told Kie.

Kie looked uncertain before she sighed. At this point, this time, it could only go up from here. There was no possible way her life could get any worse, not when she wished for death from the very same person who had given her mercy.

"I'll take it, but I promise, I won't ever hurt another human… I don't want any suffering ever again… I promise with my life…" Kie promised, and Tanjirou smiled.

"I believe you," Tanjirou answered back before he prepared everything.

Once he finished writing a message, he heard a meow.

"Chachamaru?" Tanjirou called out, and suddenly the meow became apparent. The cat had come back, with two talismans that were attached to the necklace it wore.

"Take the talisman, the cat is a demon friend of ours, and he'll take you where she and her companion are residing." Tanjirou told Kie, who nodded, "That talisman will prevent you from being spotted by individuals, but both you and Chachamaru will be able to see each other. Just don't let it fall off your hand, and stay out of the sun, and you'll be fine."

"That talisman is made by the companion, and you both will turn invisible. When you get there, they'll probably be skeptical, but the letter I'll attach to you should help. Also, tell them that Tanjirou Kamado and Nezuko Kamado sent you to them." Tanjirou explained.

"Got it…" Kie mumbled.

"Why are you sending her towards Tamayo!" Tanjirou slapped his own head to knock and suppress the demonic voice he was having.

"Also, there is one thing to warn you about. Actually two." Nezuko revealed, which made Kie a bit nervous.

"Y-Yes?"

"They'll probably ask for a bit of your blood. You see, they are researchers, and they'll only want a bit for researching a cure for demons to become humans again. So don't be nervous if they ask you for blood." Nezuko revealed.

"O-Oh, alright…" Kie mumbled.

"Also, the companion is a big hot head, in that he gets angry easily, so don't get too scared by him," Nezuko warned Kie about Yushiro, who merely nodded.

"Sounds like him…" Kie sighed, alright. "So tell them Tanjirou Kamado and Nezuko Kamado sent me to you, got it…"

Eventually, Chachamaru meowed, and Kie quickly began to follow the cat. Before she ran off, she turned to them, "T-Thank you all so much for this, I won't fail you, and I promise I'll come back to help you when you need it the most!"

Kie smiled genuinely, as she was excited for the new chance. She knew she would have to redeem herself, but she was willing to do that, even if it cost her, her life.

"Oh!" Kie once again told the two demons. "The father of the cult family is the leader, and is named Rui! He's Lower Moon Five!"

With that finished, Kie quickly ran and caught up with Chachamaru.

Meanwhile, Tanjirou and Nezuko, who both were wearing their masks, gasped at the revelation.

"A Twelfth Kizuki member is here… On this mountain!" Tanjirou thought as he unexpectedly communicated with Nezuko in his mind.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go and kill him!" Nezuko exclaimed.

And so, as Tanjirou and Nezuko made their way to fight the demon at the top, named Rui, a lower moon, they failed to realize, that a demon slayer had already met and was fighting him.

Also, that more dangerous individuals were about to come for Tanjirou and Nezuko.

"Tanjirou, you shouldn't have done that. You've risked your friends and companions to Muzan's own vision. It seems that we have some differing opinions." Demon Tanjirou sadly explained. "We might not be able to cooperatively live in this body for too long..."


A.N / Finally! That was a bit of a struggle to write properly. We may switch POVs a bit more erratically, so I hope you all don't mind that. I'll try not to make it feel out of place, and either show a POV of a particular character before the story progresses. As for important information, the Spider Mother demon's name is Kie, for obvious reasons. No doubt if I find a boy demon for the two of them to save, I'd let them name it Urokodaki or something lol.

As for Tanjirou and Nezuko, they will be facing their next test, which is a member of the twelve kizuki. Whether they can save the demon slayer from Rui, and defeat him, is yet to be seen, but I do have a plan for how that battle will go out.

Finally, we will see Giyu again, specifically his interaction with Shinobu. I do plan to have a lot of different character interactions, as you may have noticed I included Genya more in the story, mainly because he's cool.

Anyways, see you for the next chapter!


Character Profile


Kie (Spider Mother): Female, 25 years old.

Status: Alive, Demon Height: 5'4" (162cm) Weight: 125Ibs

Inosuke Hashibira: Male, 15 years old.

Status: Alive, Human Height: 5'5" (165cm) Weight: 142Ibs

Zenitsu Agatsuma: Male, 15 years old.

Status: Alive, Human Height: 5'7" (170cm) Weight: 130Ibs

Kanao Tsuyuri: Female, 16 years old (She's around half a year older than Tanjirou in this story)

Status: Alive, Human Height: 5'2 (157cm) Weight: 112Ibs

Genya Shinazugawa: Male, 16 years old (Slightly younger than Kanao in this story).

Status: Alive, Human Height: 6'0 (181cm) Weight: 155Ibs

Abilities: Breathing Styles


Inosuke Hashibira:

Beast Breathing:

A new form derived from Sun Breathing, which is developed by Inosuke from living in the wild, has developed many forms.

Advanced sense of touch:

Inosuke has a supernatural sense of touch, being able to gather more information, even some vibration sensations.

Extraordinary reflexes:

Inosuke has perhaps the most reflexive body out of every human in the entire franchise.

Genya Shinazugawa:

American Breathing:

With the use of a gun, Genya is able to fire nirchirin bullets that can slice through the demon's skin, even decapitating them if angled properly.

Consuming demons for temporary powers:

When eating a demon, Genya can temporarily gain their own powers, including extraordinary physical capabilities, poison resistance, and enhanced agility.

Advanced sense of taste:

Once Genya is able to taste demons, he can gain extra nutrients from the demon's skin. He can use this as an energy source, and for temporary power.

Kanao Tsuyuri:

Flower Breathing:

A derivative of Water Breathing, Flower Breathing is a breathing technique specialized with gather intel on the enemy before striking at their weak points. Is also pretty varied and adaptable like Water Breathing.

Advanced sense of sight:

Kanao has an incredible sense of vision, being able to detect emotions and properties other demon slayers wouldn't be able to analyze.

Zenitsu Agatsuma:

Thunder Breathing:

A derivative of Sun Breathing, Thunder Breathing emphasizes one-hit strikes with the help of almost supernatural speeds, even catching demons off-guard with the speed. It can rival that of many demons.

Advanced sense of hearing:

Zenitsu can hear the smallest frequencies within an individual, detecting the changes between humans and demons. Even able to decipher that both Tanjirou and Nezuko were demons, due to their heartbeats being different.


Abilities: Blood Demon Art


Kie:

Puppetry:

Can manifest threads to cover a place, eventually to use and manipulate bodies like puppets. With a check of distance, she can manipulate the demon slayer's actions, turning them into allies against fellow demon slayers.