Hinokami's Blessing

Chapter 25

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.

Another Warning, for this may have thoughts of mental health issues. Please turn it off if you are sensitive to supposed mental health issues.


Ubuyashiki Mansion


It's been around a week since the Trial of Nezuko Kamado and Tanjirou Kamado.

There were good news, and bad news that occurred.

The good news, was that both Nezuko and Tanjirou were both exempt from execution, as they had not only survived the questioning, but also an initiation by the most opposed of them all, Sanemi.

While they did managed to succeed, something happened to Tanjirou.

He collapsed, and fell asleep.

Whilst Nezuko originally thought it was just Tanjirou's way to avoid the smell, considering his advanced sense of smell might have made it much worse for him, it eventually become something worse.

He wasn't waking up, and when this happened, Nezuko freaked out.

Shinobu had tried to see what was going on, but she couldn't decipher a specific reason to explain Tanjirou's sudden condition.

"Why is he asleep…" Nezuko mumbled, clearly worried for her brother.

"You must care for your brother so much… But I can understand why." A voice caused Nezuko to look at the direction of the individual.

It was Shinobu. "Oh… Hey, I'm staying here for my brother, but also because it's day…" Nezuko explained.

"I see, but in spite of this, you should be preparing yourself… I don't think Tanjirou would want you to remain here eating yourself out in your thoughts…" Shinobu explained.

Nezuko sighed, "You're right… Knowing Tanjirou, he is still worrying about me wherever he is… I guess he would want me to continue moving forward."

Shinobu nodded, "You know, both of you are intriguing… Demons who have never eaten humans… Even the demon allies, Yushiro and Tamayo I know, have eaten some humans in their original transformation."

"What I'm trying to say, is even among the history of demons, you both have both never eaten humans at all." Shinobu explained, as she then turned to Tanjirou's sleeping body.

"Since we are all associated with each other now, I've informed Tamayo of my knowledge of both Tanjirou and Nezuko. Likewise, they've told me the basics of how you get the blood of the twelve kizuki…"

"Yeah, we use a cat called chachamaru…" Nezuko smiled.

"I see. Regardless, both Tamayo and Yushiro have expressed their gratitude for the progress and development you both have made." Shinobu smiled, "She also told me some intriguing things about both you and your brother's blood."

Nezuko chuckled, "She did? Well I guess that makes explaining everything a lot easier."

"Indeed, your brother's ability to poison and act as an infectant to Muzan's own blood, it's remarkable." Shinobu explained. "Perhaps with some modifications, we could use your brother's blood for healing and regeneration, even amongst specialized organs and cells of the human body."

Nezuko's eyes widened, "Wait.. what?"

Shinobu smiled, "It's hard to process, but the idea is to properly observe what Tanjirou's blood cells would react and do when in a human body… There is the risk that humans too will become infected, but if we treat that Tanjirou's cells are similar to that of a virus, then it is too specific to do anything in the human body."

"Therefore, if we can alter his cells perfectly, then maybe we can use it to either heal severe wounds quickly, or to even prevent the demonification process of Muzan." Shinobu explained further.

"Well… I think my blood would be better, then." Nezuko raised her hand.

"And why is that?" Shinobu asked. "Tamayo thinks Tanjirou's blood will be good alone."

"Well… My blood demon art, as you could tell was able to remove and nullify any blood demon art and the injuries they cause." Nezuko explained.

"That does make sense, perhaps both of your bloods could be useful… While I am a bit uncomfortable having to usually ask demons for their bloods, I'll make a case for the both of you." Shinobu explained.

"I would definitely do it, and I'm sure my brother would do the same thing." Nezuko smiled.

"Great! I promise your blood will do wonders for everyone in the demon slayer corps." Shinobu smiled.

Nezuko nodded, before she heard a knock.

"Who is it?" Shinobu asked from a far.

"It's Giyu." The masculine voice echoed, causing Shinobu to stop what she was doing from shock temporarily, before she opened the door to reveal the Hashira. The Water Pillar.

"Giyu! How've you been!" Nezuko smiled.

Giyu gave a nod, "I've been doing better… Anyways, how's Tanjirou?" He asked looking to the room he was residing in.

"Shinobu says he's not waking up… They're feeding him nutrients from food, but she thinks he's undergoing the same changes to his body as I am…" Nezuko smiled sadly… "Now I know how brother feels… To be left in the dark, worrying constantly…"

Giyu gave a soft pat to Nezuko's head. "I'm sure he'll be fine… You ended up fine, there is no reason that your brother won't. Now, I'm going to see how he is."

With that, Giyu went in the room to check on Tanjirou.

Both Shinobu and Nezuko followed suit, only to see Giyu eyeing Tanjirou.

"It seems he's improved… Immensely…" Giyu explained.

"Huh? What do you mean, Giyu?" Nezuko asked.

"Indeed. What do you mean?" Shinobu asked the water pillar.

"He's performing the total concentration breathing, constant, involuntarily now…" Giyu explained. "Being able to do it involuntarily is the final confirmed step for a slayer to have mastered it, and thus will not get the benefits of being able to perform it…" Giyu added.

He sighed, taking a deep breath before he continued, "I noticed how before he was struggling a bit during battles, even when he knew it, he let his emotions cloud his actions… But now, when I saw him in that trance, he was just getting used to the changes…"

"Wait, so my brother has done it?" Nezuko asked.

"Oh, he's done it a long time ago… he started learning it all the way back with Urokodaki…" Giyu looked down when he mentioned that name, but he powered through. "Tanjirou just had a small problem of letting his emotions get in the way of his cognitive and physical synchronization… He still had the benefits, but it would be gone when he got angry, or sad… Now, that trance is merely a side effect of a masterful breathing constant… He'll get used to the trance, and slowly rebuild his emotions to normal, again." Giyu explained.

"So the trance is a side effect of it? He'll gain his emotions back?" Nezuko asked.

Giyu nodded, and Shinobu looked onwards, clearly understanding what was going on.

It was quite a lot to take in for Nezuko, who sighed. "What about me, Giyu? Can I learn total concentration breathing, constant?"

Giyu looked down at Nezuko. "You have learned a lot, and performed phenomenal feats, even when not knowing it. Perhaps it is time for you to learn it."

"Ah. I believe I know just the people who can help you." Shinobu smiled.

"You do?" Nezuko asked.

"Yes." Shinobu nodded, "My little sister, Kanao already knows it, and is training Zenitsu, Inosuke, and Genya all total concentration breathing as we speak. It's never too late to join. Especially with Giyu telling me you are aware of it, and have tried briefly."

Nezuko chuckled nervously.

"I know it sounds scary, and you may be judged for being a demon, but they were all here during your trial, and will treat you like a fellow slayer. Do not be alarmed… But it also takes slayers quite the time to be able to do if properly… It's only been just under a week, and most of the slayers are still undergoing rehabilitation training." Shinobu explained to Nezuko.

"Um… Shinobu?" Nezuko asked, "Do you think my brother would want this? Would he want me to train, knowing I'm leaving him behind?"

Giyu took the answer here, "Tanjirou had the same worry for you when you finally woke up. He had learned to use his Hinokami Kagura as a sword technique, but he found two reasons to keep it a secret, behind him, in favour of water breathing."

"And why is that?" Nezuko asked.

"He did not want you to feel insecure about being inferior to him, and he himself felt too weak to use the breathing technique. Now obviously, times have changed. Tanjirou learned a lot when you were sleeping. Now, it's time for you to learn a lot whilst he is sleeping. I'm sure he will be proud of you." Giyu gave Nezuko a pep talk. In truth, Tanjirou had told Giyu and Urokodaki the reasons for why he still went for water breathing.

As much as Giyu wanted the siblings to become a master of water breathing, he understood that Tanjirou was not designed for it, ultimately. Instead, Giyu looked at Nezuko now for that purpose.

Nezuko's eyes widened as she know understood her brother… Even when he knew the dance he openly didn't use it, so that she wouldn't feel insecure and inferior to him… That could have caused Nezuko to potentially go the path they sewed together, like they promised…

And so, Nezuko felt the tears in her eyes, as she finally nodded, and went to see the others so that she could participate to learn and master total concentration breathing, for twenty-four hours nonstop.

Right away, Nezuko ran towards the training area where Kanao was, whilst trying to keep herself under the roof and away from the sun. Needless to say, it was difficult, and Nezuko found herself having to be transported via a box to send to the building.

Nezuko sighed, not liking how this was, but she ultimately went through with it.

And so, she went alongside the training. Considering she was a demon, and with her ability to regenerate just with sleep, she was the only current demon slayer who was here.

She looked, and noticed two individuals. Both were girls. One had blue eyes with a twin-tails. Nezuko thought she looked cute, but she also noticed the blue butterfly pins on both of her ears. She was someone Neuzko had never seen before.

The other girl, Nezuko recognized as the girl she and her brother had managed to save during the fight with Lower Moon Five. This girl only had one green and pink butterfly clip on her head, with a purplish colour encompassing her figure. It was also the same girl she spotted Tanjirou eyeing briefly in the train.

She recognized the girl also from the trial, and her names was Kanao.

The blue girl looked shocked at Nezuko's appearance, and shrieked. "DEMON!"

The girl quickly tried to hide and find a blade, but Nezuko just stood there aloof.

"Um… Is this the rehabilitation training area?" Was all Nezuko asked.

Kanao nodded, whilst the other girl looked shocked at the general and causal question the demon girl had asked.

"W-Who are you?" The scared girl asked, clearly not liking a demon near her.

"Oh right! My name is Nezuko Kamado. I was the demon, alongside my brother who just came back from a trial. For now, our case got thrown aside with specific conditions… What's your name?"

The dark blue eyed girl looked to Kanao, seeing the easy reaction her friend and fellow butterfly girl had, and gently got up. "Aoi Kanzaki… it's nice to meet you I guess… Nezuko."

She shook each other's hands.

"Thanks… By the way, my brother's been sleeping for the past couple of days after the trial, so I'm here to properly train to catch up to him." Nezuko explained.

As she explained, she saw Kanao flip her coin. "Your brother did seem very powerful as a slayer… Being able to keep up with Upper Moon One. I've heard from both Shinobu and Giyu that he's mastered quite the advanced techniques already."

Nezuko nodded, "I know… I want to catch up to him, and I will!"

"I see… But you are a demon… You don't suffer from permanent injuries like humans, what is there to rehabilitate for you?" Aoi asked.

Nezuko pondered, "I guess you can train me to be stronger? At the end of the day, all I could do was slay a lower moon, and help deal with a demon art of an upper moon… I kind of want to be equal to my brother, and not make him worry for being too strong…"

"Is your brother being too strong a concern for you?" Aoi asked, clearly trying to make a conversation with the two demon siblings."

"What? No!" Nezuko exclaimed, but inside she was a bit jealous that her brother was this strong… "I'm happy he's performing so well… It'll get us closer to our goal. I just don't want to be seen as a liability, cause you know…" Nezuko nervously chuckled.

At this, Aoi looked a bit concerned, "You do seem a bit jealous of your brother's strengths…"

Nezuko's eyes widened, clearly while she was better at lying than her brother, she wasn't the best, and since Kanao's eyes were so advanced, she could probably tell.

"Alright… I am… I just wish I was as strong as him. If he's so strong, and I'm weaker, there may come a point where I'm seeing as inferior to him… I don't want that." Nezuko revealed. "And when I was sleeping for a long time, he improved so rapidly. Now that he's asleep, I want to do that as well."

"So the way I'm seeing it, you want to train and polish your skills to become a stronger demon slayer?" Aoi asked.

Nezuko nodded.

"Well then, you've come to the right place. You get to be trained by a tsugako!" Aoi exclaimed.

"Um, Aoi I'm already a tsukago… I'm Giyu's…" Nezuko mumbled.

Aoi's eyes widened at that, "WHAT?!" She cleared her voice, "I mean that's good then. Why don't you ask Giyu to help?"

"Well, I did have the idea, and Giyu was willing to train us, but Shinobu decided to come here, since other slayers would be trained as well." Nezuko explained to Aoi.

"Great, so we have to deal with more slayers, and they get a break…" Aoi mumbled, "Just my luck… I guess I asked for this…"

And so, Nezuko begun to talk with them, whilst also beginning her training. It took around a week before the other demon slayers joined them.

Nezuko noticed it was two specifically. Inosuke and Zenitsu.

Whilst originally not wanting to be around them, especially Inosuke because he would always want her to fight him. While she wasn't against it, Aoi had made it clear that no fighting would be tolerated.

And so, Nezuko was left with helping the two demon slayers stretching.

"Ouch!" The yellow haired boy, Zenitsu exclaimed, and began to cry dramatically.

Nezuko sighed. He had already cried for two days, and she was getting sick of him. They weren't even doing much regarding training or rehabilitation! They were just stretching their muscles.

"Alright, Zenitsu, all you need to do is relax your muscles… The more resistance you put, the more tense you'll make the muscle, which will make it heal slower."Nezuko explained.

She was watching Aoi from the side, being very critical, especially of Inosuke.

"Hey AYA!" Inosuke suddenly yelled out, "CAN I GET SOME MUNCHING?"

Aoi shook her head, "You just at an hour ago!"

Inosuke shrugged, "IS THAT A YES OR NO?"

Aoi screamed, as she was pinning Inosuke down, leaving Kanao to watch everything.

"Alright Zenitsu, I'm sure you can do it…" Nezuko calmed the boy down, as she knew he was clearly in a histeria.

"N-No… I can't… I'll die if I keep doing this…" Zenitsu mumbled.

Nezuko raised an eyebrow at that, "They why did you join the corps?"

Zenitsu looked very conflicted, as he was seemingly very shy in revealing his reasons.

"You know what, everyone has their reasons… I wonder what is Inosuke's?" Nezuko suddenly asked.

However, seeing Aoi pull Inosuke away from the kitchen, Nezuko decided she would ask at a later time when the three or two were able to properly discuss.

"I…" Nezuko faced Zenitsu, as he seemed very shy. "For my gramps…"

"Your gramps? He died because of a demon, too?" Nezuko asked.

Zenitsu kept himself still, before he hesitantly nodded. "Y-Yeah… A demon killed him… I only did this to avenge him… He was the only one who believed in me."

Zenitsu, in truth, was obviously not telling the entire story, but he decided to go with what Nezuko assumed.

"What about you? I think I know considering the trial…" Zenitsu sighed.

"Yeah… My family, except for my eldest brother and I died because of Muzan… and we were turned to demons…" Nezuko sighed.

"What did it feel like? Turning into a demon?" Zenitsu asked.

"Honestly, I don't remember." Nezuko answered, "I only got my mind back when I woke up after a couple of months after… I was sleeping for around four months, you would have to ask my brother, Tanjirou… Unfortunately, he seems to be going through the same thing as me."

"Oh…" Zenitsu mumbled, "You don't think he'll wake up?"

"I hope he does, but if he's going through what I went through, then it may take some months…" Nezuko revealed.

"I saw your brother fight Upper Moon One, he was incredible…" Zenitsu explained. Unbeknownst to the two, Kanao was behind them listening. She too was there, and was mildly impressed with how Tanjirou fought.

"Yeah… He's incredible… But I need to catch up to him in strength… I could tell he was able to react to the demon…" Nezuko revealed, "I couldn't even see, for it was just a blur. I could only go on the infrared lights I saw that they placed."

"Infrared lights?" Zenitsu asked.

Nezuko chuckled, "Right! My vision is weird."

"How so?" Zenitsu's eyes widened. "Is it extraordinary, too?"

Nezuko nodded, "I guess so… But I can tell the infrared lights that are off of people, and the paths they take. It's like a heat distribution map I see that I can tell and see a correlation between the distribution and the emotions one is feeling…"

Zenitsu's eyes widened, "Wait… What is my emotion right now?"

Nezuko chuckled, "Before now? It was nervousness, now? It's panic."

Zenitsu sighed, "You're not alone… My hearing is extraordinary… Demons and humans have different tones and sounds they make… But even among humans and demons, both you and your brother are different…"

Nezuko smiled, "Must have been how weird we are compared to demons…" Nezuko then turned around to see Kanao.

"Oh! Kanao! Want to join us?" Nezuko asked.

Kanao looked a bit unsure, and so she turned and flipped a coin. It landed tails it seemed, and so she sat down quietly.

"Your…" She began to speak. "Your brother is a phenomenal fighter."

Nezuko smirked, "You might have a chance, brother… her first sentence to us was about you."

"He is… I wish I was as strong as him." Nezuko sighed.

"You shouldn't downplay yourself. You helped defeat Lower Moon three, and one. Not to mention you helped against Lower Moon One." Kanao explained, "You've already done more than a typical demon slayer."

Nezuko smiled, "Perhaps, but we need to defeat those that'll hit close to Muzan… I feel he can just replace the Lower Moons."

Zenitsu sighed, "I-I don't think I would be going that far…"

"And why is that?" Nezuko asked.

Zenitsu looked somewhat ashamed to reveal before he nodded to himself.

"My gramps wasn't killed by a demon… He killed himself…" Zenitsu revealed.

"Why…?" Nezuko asked, clearly shocked.

"His subordinate turned into a demon… and killed many others in his path… In order to repay for what he caused, gramps slit his stomach… He died a slow, and painful death…" Zenitsu got teary.

At this, Nezuko looked at Zenitsu sadly. "What about your parents?"

Zenitsu cried louder, "They didn't like me… They got rid of me for being ugly and too immature!"

Nezuko looked at Zenitsu, feeling sorry for him more.

"I guess everyone in the demon slayer corps is here because of demons…" Nezuko sighed as she got up. "I'm going to train."

However, she was stopped by Kanao, "How's total concentration breathing, constant going?"

Nezuko raised her eyebrow, "Huh? I've done it…"

Kanao shook her head, "Have you tried nonstop for 24 hours?"

"EHH?!" Nezuko exclaimed, "For twenty-four hours?! How is that possible?!"

Kanao turned to the area Nezuko's brother laid. "Your brother was able to perform it… Not to mention his trance-state…"

Nezuko's eyes widened, "Oh right! Even when he was sleeping, he's still doing the breathing… I need to do that…"

Kanao nodded, "Indeed, and you will need to. In fact, the rest of you will have to do this if you want to get stronger. So, you will all be training and starting to next week, when they're injuries are better. However, Nezuko, if you want to start a week early, I can get you some gourds to practice on."

"Gourds?" Nezuko asked.

"Your brother didn't tell you? Gourds are used to help demon slayers practice their proper breathing. They try to shatter the gourds, starting small and progressive to the larger ones, until one can perform it naturally." Kanao explained.

"Oh… Thanks… I'll try." Nezuko mumbled as she took the gourds Kanao had given.

"So… How is your brother doing?" Kanao asked.

Nezuko sighed, "My brother is still asleep… I can't remember the last time he slept for this long… The most he slept was for like 20 hours, but that was after…" Nezuko sighed.

"After what?" Kanao asked, getting curious.

"Getting so curious about my brother, huh? Guess I am a match maker, hehe." Nezuko chuckled silently to herself.

"Working himself to exhaustion…" Nezuko explained, which caught Kanao off guard.

"One thing you need to know about my brother, is how stubborn he is… He's always been like that…" Nezuko added, "When someone asks him to do something, he does it as efficiently as possible. He gives it his fullest. I remember one time when some villagers wanted help with moving furniture that was way too heavy for Tanjirou to lift."

Kanao's eyes showed a bit of curiosity as she listened to what Nezuko was telling her.

"And so, he kept trying to move the furniture, even if he struggled. The worse part was the owners didn't even help him. Apparently, they would go and get alcohol while Tanjirou worked. They pretty much treated my brother like a slave…" Nezuko sighed, before she smiled sadly, unaware of the shocked look Kanao was giving her.

"H-How long did that go for?" Kanao asked.

"That instance was for around five days… Tanjirou would come home very tired, his muscles hurting. When he kept complaining of pain, mother took him to the hospital, only to find many of his arm and leg muscles were damaged… Mother demanded Tanjirou to tell her what he was doing… When he revealed what was going on, mother went to the people who was using Tanjirou as free labour, and headbutted them, giving them all concussions." Nezuko explained.

"Unfortunately, this wasn't a one time incident… If anything, it increased after father died…" Nezuko added.

Kanao looked onwards, "So he willingly made himself a slave to those people?"

Nezuko didn't know what to say, "I don't know… It was his morals that wanted him to be as helpful as possible. Not to mention that he felt like the role model in the house, and so he took on, much more work than he could handle…"

"There were days when Tanjirou would come home, too tired to even eat, and we would have to feed him sometimes… There were days when Tanjirou wouldn't come home, having either been sent to the hospital or staying at the house of a villager. At the time, he was too tired to walk back up the mountain, but he eventually was able to do it the more he did it…" Nezuko added.

Kanao looked down. "Sounds like you both had an unfortunate life…"

Nezuko shook her head, "It was tough, but it was a life we all were content with… Even if we hated how much Tanjirou overworked himself, he was satisfied, and never complained…"

"The only thing I would complain about was how sometimes the villagers would overwork Tanjirou like he was a free labour." Nezuko grumbled, "And don't get me started on the particularly bad individuals who openly wanted Tanjirou to work for them for their own benefits, even being rude to him despite the work and dedication he did.

"Some people were just never happy nor satisfied with what others may do for them, and Tanjirou had to learn that lesson after a particularly brutal session of being overworked. Needless to say, it involved some alcoholic beating that Tanjirou was subjected to, after he discovered the conditions the daughter lived under, of consisting beating from an alcoholic parent."

Tanjirou's mother displayed such anger that Nezuko didn't even know was possible. And she remembered it well.

Nezuko noticed the shaking hands of Kanao, as her eyes seemed to rise a bit, as if she was remembering something.

"Kanao, are you alright?" Nezuko asked.

Kanao nodded a bit nervously, "Y-Yeah, I am… J-Just… Shocked by the conditions your brother went through sometimes…"

Nezuko smiled, "He never complained… He just accepted it. Even if it humiliated him. I just wish he could stand up for himself more… But that's why I'm so happy for him, especially after that fight with Upper Moon. He fought bravely, and didn't let himself be hurt just to save his family…"

Zenitsu, who was listening to everything, looked down. "He sounds so courageous…"

Nezuko sighed, "He is… Even when he's brought down, he gets up so quickly, I think his stubbornness is what makes him so determined… Even I have to admit, the goal of becoming humans again is a bit overstretching… But Tanjirou is so entranced in his goal. He did this back in the village."

"He was so focused on providing for us that he never accepted any girl's advances!" Nezuko chuckled, which caught Zenitsu off guard.

"W-WHAT?! Your brother had girls lining up to marry him?!" Zenitsu asked in shock.

Nezuko nodded, "Well what do you expect? Every girl likes a hardworking man, and not mention he was always down in the village, and his personality always caught the girls offguard! Even mother was trying to get him to settle down! She even had some girls ready for him!"

Zenitsu began to wail, "CURSE THIS WORLD!"

Nezuko looked at Zenitsu a bit concerned, "he's alright?" She asked Kanao.

"That's just him." Kanao explained monotonously.

"So… Your mom was getting ready to make your brother marry someone?" Kanao asked, clearly trying to think of something.

Nezuko nodded, "Indeed! Mother kept nagging Tanjirou to slow down and try and look for a suitable girl for him! Tanjirou would always shake his head, telling us he needed to focus on his family first. But even when he denied, mother was always working behind the scenes looking for a girl for him! I'm sure even if Tanjirou was surprised, he would have accepted because it's his mother! He trusted her!"

Kanao pondered, "Did he deny a girl that his mother arranged for him?"

Nezuko nodded, "He did once, because he was so focused on providing for our family! Even mother had to give up after a bit because Tanjirou was so adamant, and stubborn. He made most of our younger siblings cry!"

"Wow…"

"HE REJECTED A GIRL FOR MARRIAGE! WHY IS EVERYONE GETTING ARRANGED MARRIAGES?!" Zenitsu exclaimed dramatically.

Nezuko looked at Zenitus a bit weirdly, before she sighed.

"Nezuko, I have a favour for you." Kanao asked.

"Yeah?" Nezuko asked.

"We have to massage the demon slayers across their body tomorrow, to help them with their muscle healing. Do you want to help?" Kanao asked.

Nezuko nodded, "Of course! I'd be glad to help.

She would have obviously rejected such a favour, if she had learned that she would have to massage Zenitsu tomorrow.

And so, when Nezuko left, leaving Kanao to think everything, specifically the small triggers of her own life, she sighed.

In the end, while Nezuko was shocked, to Kanao and Aoi's surprise, she didn't object to massaging Zenitsu.

If anything, Zenitsu was the one complaining and objecting, mainly because he was worried the demon girl would break his back more.

But to his shock, Nezuko had put in such delicate care in her massaging, aware of her demonic strength, that it didn't hurt at all.

While Nezuko was hating the fact that the two butterfly girls had made her massage Zenitsu, Zenitsu didn't mind one bit. But he was still a bit scared of Nezuko for being a demon,

"She does look very pretty for a demon now that I've gotten closer to seeing her…" Zenitsu thought before shaking the thought out of his head, knowing Nezuko was able to detect a change in his emotions.

She was able to detect the nervousness and panic in his thoughts, and so he had to do his best to remain calm and stoic in front of her.

Even if her beautiful face was too close to his…

Once the massage was done, they gave the two demon slayers some days to rest more.

This gave Nezuko the perfect time to begin trying to master total concentration. It would take some time, but Nezuko felt confident.

And so, she begun her training on her own. While Kanao was willing to help her once she got the basics, Nezuko felt she wasn't there yet, and so she would continue training until she got it.

She tried blowing into the smallest gourd, but to no avail. It wasn't as easy as she was hoping.

However, whenever she got demotivated, she would take a look at her brother's sleeping figure, and get riled up.

"If my brother was able to perform and improve so much when I slept, then I can do the same!"


With Giyu and Shinobu


Whilst the others were focused on their training, Shinobu, who was responsible for dictating the recovery of the trainer, was now watching intently at the progress.

With Kanae focusing on her job as a pillar, Shinobu was the one who was focused on her remedy role. To specify, she was emphasizing her role in helping the fellow Hashira get back into their jobs.

While there were some cases where the Hashira or demon slayer as a whole come back with injuries that couldn't be healed, or dead. Most of the injuries Shinobu would see would be involved to the individual's arm.

It seemed a bit redundant then if most of her job was to just treat arm injuries or the rehabilitate those who have lost their arm, but in the art of swordfighting against demons, it made sense for them to be most likely to lose a limb such as the arm.

The next common was the eye, as it impaired their vision and thus was easier to cut them down for demons.

Her older sister, Kanae, was different.

When she came back after her first fight with Upper Moon Two, she was badly injured on the lower part of her back, and her thighs.

Then, the next battle, or second with Upper Moon Two, she had injuries to her lungs, and left shoulder. Her arm was almost cut from there. Shinobu shuddered to think what Kanae would have done, perhaps become a teacher and dictate more training investments into both her and Kanao, Shinobu wasn't sure.

Shinobu truly was not that involved in the art of swordfighting, but she was still a ranked Hashira, not just apart of the main Pillars. Shinobu, was fine with that. She didn't necessarily want to be apart of that.

She fit a role like Aoi, somewhat. The only exception was that Aoi put down the sword, and instead focused on helping and rehabilitating those. Shinobu, decided to dual her purpose.

She hated Upper Moon Two for being this obsessed with her elder sister, but at least she wasn't dead.

Then, there was always another individual who came to see her for medical help.

It was Giyu.

For the first couple of times, Shinobu felt that Giyu was just always getting hurt during missions. He was always reckless, which surprised Shinobu with how calm and collected he always looked.

When she first met the Water Pillar, she was shocked at how resilient he was, in that the amount of injuries he had suffered did not correspond to the pain he should have been feeling. He had a very high pain tolerance.

Either that, or he was really good at suppressing how he felt. It took Shinobu a good, 3-4 years to finally break down most of Giyu's wall.

She was introduced to the Butterfly mansion at a relatively young age, to live whilst her sister was training. Giyu appeared a year later, and within another year, had been promoted to Hashira.

Shinobu had seen the progress Giyu had made, and all through that, she had never gotten much out of the water hashira. He was just too closed off and quiet.

It frustrated her to no end, and it did make her hate him to an extent. But even when that was the case, she still tried. She still wanted to be close friends with him, for she felt a lot like Mitsuri. Sure, Shinobu was more ruthless than Mitsuri when it came to demons, but alongside the pillars, she was often tied with Mitsuri for being high in openness.

Giyu, however, was the least open, and it made him an enigma, often discriminated, and left out in many of the little Hashira meetings. Not formally, but socially.

She had tried to congratulate Giyu for becoming a Hashira, but he kept mumbling how he shouldn't be this rank. While it wasn't direct to her, it was the most she had ever heard Giyu talk.

The rest remained mostly static, but Shinobu was somewhat stubborn, in wanting to befriend Giyu. She really wanted to.

The death of Urokodaki had changed everything. That event in Giyu's life, which was broadcasted due to the importance of a former Hashira, was a turning point in how Shinobu saw Giyu.

When she saw the usually calm and collected Giyu Tomioka burst into tears at the people he lost, Shinobu could tell just how broken Giyu Tomioka really was.

He wasn't just this quiet person, he was suffering.

When Giyu had come back and chose to rest in his mansion, Shinobu had decided to talk to the Stone Hashira, Gyomei, about Giyu.

In the words of Gyomei:

"Everyone here has their own tragedies, and that somewhat reflects on how they present themselves. There is no severity in a tragedy. Regardless of how it happens, they all have the same affect, and it changes us to become the way we are, for a reason. Everyone here has suffered tragedies, but Giyu is by far, the one who suffers the most." Gyomei explained.

"No one can have a more tragic past. Not when it can affect that person to change."

Shinobu began to understood. Giyu was the way he was, because of how he grew up.

The next piece of evidence, however, came from Tanjirou and Nezuko. Two demons Giyu had chosen to spare and take under his wing as a tsukago. At first, Shinobu was shocked, especially when she saw how protective over them Giyu was.

It was another spike in emotion Giyu was displaying. But it seemed instinctive, not rational, but out of pure emotions, the first thing that comes to your mind before rationality takes place to modify what comes next.

He almost seemed afraid of losing them.

At that, Shinobu knew that Giyu was afraid of losing people. If he was so desperate and determined to keep Tanjirou and Nezuko alive, they must have been very close to him, to have Giyu checking up on them.

This was evident in the Pillar Trial. Even when Giyu was concerned, he had confidence the two were fine.

That is, until Tanjirou collapsed.

Giyu freaked out, and alongside Nezuko tried to wake up the boy. Eventually, he knew what was happening, and sighed.

Throughout this entire ordeal, Shinobu was beginning to understand Giyu.

That is, until she found something shocking on Giyu's body.

"Giyu… What is this?" Shinobu asked the person she was treating.

He had just finished from a demon mission, and he had sustained some smaller injuries to his torso, should and arm area.

Giyu seemed very nervous when Shinobu had asked him to do such an act. Shinobu looked very confused at the face Giyu was making.

"I-I think my injuries aren't that serious." Giyu quickly tried to get his clothes back on, but Shinobu pushed him down.

If she wasn't so worried about his injuries, both of them would have noticed the interesting position the two found themselves in.

However, Shinobu saw the marks, and she couldn't believe it.

"G-Giyu…" Shinobu mumbled, "Why…"

Seeing the marks on Giyu's arm, she traced his arm with her finger, feeling the scab and linear scars that embedded Giyu's arm.

Some of the scaring indicated that they were older, but some were new.

But they all had the same thing in common…

"Giyu… Why did you do this?" Shinobu asked.

But Giyu never responded. Instead, he got up, trying to ignore the pain, as Shinobu did her best to try and keep him there.

She was very glad the other butterfly girls had bombarded the exit, meaning that unless Giyu trampled over some kids, he was stuck.

Throughout this entire time, Giyu kept his head down, as even the butterfly kids were realizing the severity of what was going on.

"Giyu, I'm sorry… But I now cannot let you go…" Shinobu took a deep breathe, before she continued. "You might be a danger to yourself."

Giyu shook his head adamantly. "It's fine… I'll be fine."

"NO!" Shinobu yelled, clearly getting emotional, "It does matter!"

Giyu remained silent.

"I'm not going to sit by and watch you do something so drastic to yourself!" Shinobu yelled, clearly caring for him.

"And why should you care? Nobody else cared for me."

"Well because I care for you, you idiot!" Shinobu yelled. At this, Giyu raised an eyebrow.

"Why?" Was all he asked.

Shinobu looked somewhat angry. "Why? WHY?! BECAUSE I ENJOY SPENDING MY TIME WITH YOU!"

"But didn't you say nobody liked me?" Giyu asked.

Shinobu looked mortified at what she was hearing. "Giyu… Please tell me you didn't start doing this after I said that…"

Giyu looked a bit uncomfortable, before shaking his head. "Not necessarily, rather it was the stress for Tanjirou and Nezuko…" Giyu revealed.

"I guess that makes me feel better, but why are you doing this?" Shinobu asked. "Is it because of Urokodaki?"

Giyu looked down, clearly getting sensitive. He never liked talking to anyone about his family. How he was forced to run away, how he was beaten for supposedly letting his sister die. How he almost died in the forest after being forcibly kicked out.

How he had lost his best friends. Even if he wasn't close to Makomo, he understood the significance of a lost student for Urokodaki.

And now, he's lost Urokodaki. Giyu could only be glad that he got the closure he got, with the death of the Hand Demon by Tanjirou and Nezuko. Thankfully, he at least got a sense of peace before he passed.

Giyu looked down. The guilt he was dealing with.

The guilt of merely surviving, whilst everyone close to him were killed off. All by demons.

Giyu gritted his teeth, as he tried to calm himself down.

"I'm doing this because of myself." Was all Giyu said, before he got up yet again.

"Giyu! Please! Sit down… Let me at least make sure they don't get infected… Would you at least let them potentially get infected and have it protrude on your mission?" Shinobu asked.

Giyu merely remained still, to the point that Shinobu had to delicately move Giyu back to the bed.

As she begun to clean and wash Giyu's wounds, Shinobu was finally allowed to see the true damage Giyu had done to his body.

While some and a couple noteworthy of the bunch were by attacks by demons, Shinobu could place a couple that clearly were…

Shinobu sighed. "Did you do some of these to yourself?"

"Hm." Giyu mumbled, "I guess so."

Shinobu was clearly shocked, and was breathing heavily. Giyu was darker than she even realized. She had to unfortunately, help Giyu more than she knew.

"Why Giyu…" Shinobu thought.

"Giyu. Why do you do this?" Shinobu asked bluntly.

"Hm?" Giyu asked. "Do what?"

"DO I NEED TO SHOUT IT?!" Shinobu exclaimed in pure desperation. "WHY DO YOU HURT YOURSELF?!"

Giyu flinched at the loudness Shinobu was displaying. While he was worried others would hear, he knew he kind of deserved this for acting oblivious.

"I…" He mumbled, clearly not knowing how to respond to this. All he could do was look down in shame.

"I'm sorry…" Was all Giyu could get out after a bit of struggling.

Shinobu could only hug Giyu after the revelation given to her. How she had not opened her eyes sooner to see just how damaged Giyu was, it was heinous and almost criminal in her mind.

"Why didn't I realize sooner…" Was all Shinobu could think, as she was the one who began to cry on behalf of Giyu's suffering.

"You…" She sighed, "We're going to have to make meetings to discuss everything."

"I don't think that's necessary…" Giyu looked down.

"Of course it is! What you are doing, it's unhealthy! It's damaging to you!" Shinobu explained. "I want you hear tomorrow at 6pm."

Giyu looked differently to the side, eyeing the fact Nezuko was still trying to catch up to Kanao in a cup game.

"I don't know if I can make it." Giyu mumbled, "I have some stuff to do."

"Very well, I'll come over to your mansion, tomorrow, then." Shinobu explained.

"But-"

"Carry on. I'll talk to you later. I need to see what I can do regarding this…" Shinobu sighed, as she watched Giyu walk off.

She then realized that Giyu was approaching Nezuko, briefly nodding to Kanao, before he began to speak to Nezuko.

Shinobu sighed, "Perhaps Nezuko could be of help…"

Shinobu wasn't sure. She didn't want to force what Giyu was thinking out of him.

Everyone had a voice, it's just Giyu's was quiet. Not even that, he just needed another outlet to express his words.

"His words, huh?" Shinobu asked as she got an idea.

"Perhaps I should get Giyu some support to help him." She then decided.

When she saw Kaburamara on Obanai hissing at him, telling him he's being watched, he looked in Shinobu's direction.

Shinobu merely smiled and waved to him, causing the snake pillar to wave back.

It gave Shinobu another idea.

Smiling a bit, Shinobu had begun to plan her way to helping Giyu from his problem.

She was clearly still a bit shocked from the whole ordeal, as she was now shaking a bit.

She took a deep breath and began to plan out what to do.

However, there was something she realized.

Where would she get an appropriate pet from?

Shinobu facepalmed.

"Oh well, perhaps the other idea will be good enough… As long as Giyu feels happy…" Shinobu smiled, as she began to search for a large booklet. She sighed, realizing that she had to go out and buy one.

As she watched Giyu talk a bit with Nezuko, Shinobu decided that Nezuko would have to be the one to help her with Giyu's situation.

She took a breath in, as once she noticed Giyu leaving to go back to his mansion, Shinobu approached Nezuko.

Nezuko smiled, realizing Shinobu was approaching her.

"Oh! Hey Shinobu!" Nezuko smiled.

"Hey Nezuko, how is your training going?" Shinobu asked.

Nezuko chuckled nervously, as she rubbed her head, "Well… We're making progress… I still can't beat Kanao, but one day I will!"

Kanao merely watched, since she and Nezuko had just finished their training.

"You both finished quite late." Shinobu commented as she noticed that the two were still out when it was now night time.

"Well, we just went on with the training until now." Nezuko chuckled, "Didn't win once…"

"That's unfortunate, but keep training and you will see yourself improve." Shinobu patted Nezuko on the head, before she leaned to Nezuko's ear.

"I need your help, with Giyu." Shinobu whispered. "Kanao, are you going to bed?"

Kanao nodded as she quickly went over to sleep in the butterfly mansion.

"What's wrong with Giyu?" Nezuko asked.

Shinobu wasn't sure how to say it, but she sighed. "He's… Sick…"

"Oh no… What can we do to help?" Nezuko asked.

Shinobu smiled, "Well, I'll need you to help me with something. He's feeling sick in his thoughts… We need to help him."

"He seemed fine to me when he talked to me." Nezuko commented.

Shinobu sighed, "That may be sure, but let's just say I've found some things on him that require assistance…"


A.N / A little calmness after the whole fighting arc in the Train Arc. Don't worry, we will get into the other fighting arcs. I've noticed that the review for the training arcs have been mixed by many, so I'll try and compromise by not doing too much, but not too little. I'll emphasis the character relationships specifically more in the future.

Also, the plot for Shinobu and Giyu is something that may be a bit sensitive, so I chose not to directly state what is going on. You can decide on your own technically what is up with Giyu, for I don't want to handle such a topic the wrong way. I am not a professional for mental health issues, though I am taking psychology classes. Regardless, I'll keep the topic of mental health at a distance for this story. It's mainly about character development.


Character Profile:


Nezuko Kamado: Female, 14 years old.

Status: Alive, Demon Height: 5'2" (157cm) Weight: 115Ibs

Kanao Tsuyuri: Female, 16 years old.

Status: Alive, Human Height: 5'2" (157cm) Weight: 122Ibs

Zenitsu Agatsuma: Male, 15 years old.

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

Inosuke Hashibira: Male, 15 years old.

Status: Alive, Human Height: 5'5" (165cm) Weight: 135Ibs

Shinobu Kocho: Female, 18 years old.

Status: Alive, Human Height: 5'0" (152cm) Weight: 85Ibs

Giyu Tomioka: Male, 19 years old.

Status: Alive, Human Height: 5'10" (178cm) Weight: 155Ibs

Abilities: Breathing Style


Nezuko Kamado:

Water Breathing Style

Flower Breathing Style

Heightened sense of vision (regarding infrared vision)

Heightened Perception


Kanao Tsuyuri:

Flower Breathing Style

Increased Visual Awareness

Emotional Suppression

Extraordinary suppression, potential selfless state


Zenitsu Agatsuma:

Thunder Breathing Style

Heightened Auditory Awareness

Advanced Speed, even amongst other slayers, except the best

Able to fight when even asleep


Inosuke Hashibira:

Beast Breathing Style

Animal Imitation

Enhanced Flexibility and Sense of Touch

Repetitive Action (not learnt yet)

Poison Resistance

Dual Wielding


Shinobu Kocho:

Insect Breathing Style

Extraordinary Agility

Medical Expertise

High Intellect (IQ)


Giyu Tomioka:

Water Breathing Style

Emotional Control

Extraordinary Endurance

Extraordinary suppression, potential selfess state

Onmipresent Rage