The two Siblings kept their promise, visiting as often as they could. Their Younger Brothers and Sisters were always ecstatic whenever they did so, hanging onto them and asking all about how things were in the Village, and how they were doing living by themselves. Most of a year passed this way. Things were going fine for the Kamado family. Until a few days before New Years Eve. "I'm sorry that you had to, *cough* come all the way up here for me *sniff*" Kie apologised, laying in her bed while Nezuko cooked some soup for her and Ume got her some more water. "It's fine Mom! We're happy to be able to help you" Ume replied firmly. At 22-years-old, Ume was a beauty. With her long, white hair that she kept tied up in a bun and her bright blue eyes, many of the men in the town were looking to Court the oldest daughter of the Kamado family.
But to do that, they would have to get passed Gyutaro first, and he was like a raging beast when he was angry. He was determined to keep anyone that he deemed unworthy of his precious younger Sister away from her, even if it meant mutilating someone. As helpful as he was around the town, many of the men were now terrified of the Eldest Kamado child. Of course, Nezuko was just as popular with the men, Tanjiro having to threaten to headbutt some of the more energetic admirers. Kie blew her nose as the two oldest Kamado Sons entered her Bedroom, "are you sure you're gonna be alright Mom?" Tanjiro asked worriedly. "I'll be fine, really. But I don't want any of the younger ones *cough* catching this Flu. Would you mind taking your Younger Siblings with you today Gyutaro? Tanjiro?" Kie asked. "Sure thing Mom. Tanjiro, can you let everyone know to get ready to go, while I pack the Charcoal in the Cart?" the green-haired young man asked. "Okay!" Tanjiro replied, hurrying off to do so.
"Thank you both! *sniff* Come back safely!" Kie called, as she was handed the soup Nezuko had just dished up. "Thank you Dear" she replied. Little did the Kamado family know that after this day, their lives would have changed forever.
Ư*Ğ.Ķ
Gyutaro, Tanjiro and Takeo walked down the mountain path. As the Oldest and strongest, Gyutaro was pulling the Cart that held the two baskets of Charcoal they were heading to town to sell, and also Hanako, Shigeru and Rokuta. The latter of which was currently taking a nap in his Older Sister's arms. The three youngest Kamado Siblings (aside from the Toddler) were excited that they were going to be able to help their Older Brother's with their Job today, and were all determined to be on their best behaviour. "So, you guys wanna help me with a secret mission?" Gyutaro asked seriously. "Oooh! What mission?!" Shigeru asked with an excited smile. "This mission, is to get Mom a gift to help with her Cold!" the green-haired young man explained. The younger children cheered, and Tanjiro smiled warmly. Their Older Brother was so kind. Gyutaro would argue that Tanjiro was the one who was kind.
And so forgiving too. He still remembered the murderous rage he'd felt all those years ago upon learning what those horrible people had tried to do to Ume. I their Father hadn't found and stopped him right then, he knew that he would have done something that he would never be able to gain forgiveness for. It had taken years for him to change this much. Even then, he feared that he may have influenced Tanjiro and Nezuko a bit too much.
The last time one of their younger Siblings was even close to being in danger, they'd lit into the man responsible to the point that it had made him cry. The two of them were scary when they were angry. As they continued down the mountain, the younger kids looked around excitedly. "Look!" Shigeru called, pointing. They looked as saw a Hare hopping around in the snow. "Bunny! Like Mama's song!" Rokuta cried, giggling. Gyutaro chuckled. It wasn't a Rabbit, but a Hare. But who was he to spoil his Siblings excitement? Two hours later, the Kamado children made it down the mountain to the town. "Okay! Who wants to help mee sell Charcoal, and who wants to help Tanjiro look for Mom's secret present?!" Gyuatro called, hyping up their jobs. "Ooh! Ooh! I wanna help find the gift!" Shigeru cried in excitement.
"I'm gonna help you sell the Charcoal big Brother" Takeo said. "Gift for Mama!" Rokuta cheered, clapping his hands. Hanako looked down in thought for a moment, before she looked up, "I want to help Mommy feel better" she said firmly. Gyutaro smiled, "that's fine. Helping Mom feel better is important too" he replied. "Alright, make sure you find something nice!" he called. So Hanako, Shigeru and Rokuta went with Tanjiro and Takeo went with Gyutaro. While they walked over to the first house, Takeo sighed, "they could have helped with this first and then gone to find Mom a present. We would have gotten through the work faster" he groaned. Gyutaro smiled and patted the boy on the head, "don't worry. This way we can get both done today little Brother" he replied.
Ư*Ğ.Ķ
Hanako looked at an Incense Burner with a wide smile. "What about this Tanjiro?" she asked. "Let's see" the third oldest of the Siblings said, gently picking up the little Burner. "It might help, if it were a scent that would relieve headaches. Good find Hanako" Tanjiro praised, rubbing his little Sister's hair. The 10-year-old girl beamed, glad to have found something to help their Mother. The two Siblings went to buy the burner, along with some Lavender Incense, but the shop owner frowned, "sorry, we're all out of Lavender. But we do have some Wisteria Incense left. It's not as popular, but it should help your Mother too" the woman explained. Hanako beamed, "great!" she said happily, before turning back to look up at her Older Brother, "can we get it Tanjiro?!" she asked excitedly.
Tanjiro looked at the price and winced, "maybe we can get it after we see how much money we make today. It's a bit too expensive right now". Hanako pouted, "awe, okay" she replied.
Ư*Ğ.Ķ
Thankfully, after selling all the Charcoal, the shop owner decided to sell them the Burner and Incense at a discount after finding out their Mother was sick. Unfortunately, by the time they'd finished in the town and began on their way back home, it was starting to get dark. Tanjiro looked back worriedly as his younger Siblings shivered in the cold. He was especially worried about little Rokuta. The two Older Brother's sped up, trying to get home quicker. "Hey! You kids!" A familiar voice called out to them. The Kamado Siblings all looked back at who had called them. "Grandpa Saburo!" Shigeru cried. The older man was leaning out of his window, "you're not heading back up the mountain now? It's too dangerous, especially for such young kids. You can all stay here tonight" Saburo said.
"But we-" Tanjiro began, but the adult cut him off, "don't argue with me. All of you get in here, hurry," Saburo looked haunted, "before the Demons show up."
Ư*Ğ.Ķ
The house was pretty full with seven people in it, but Saburo just cooked their dinner without complaint. "Sorry to intrude" Tanjiro said apologetically. "Don't apologise Tanjiro. I couldn't just leave so many young kids out there at night. Demons are no joke you know" the older man said gruffly, while dishing up some food for the children. "What are Demons anyway?" Shigeru asked curiously. "They are man-eating monster. Demons only come out at nighttime though, so you're safe during the day" Saburo explained, handing out bowls of food. "Thank you" Hanako said politely. "These Demons. They can't go inside houses, can they?" Tanjiro asked curiously, despite not really believing him. "Yes, they could come in" Saburo replied, handing Rokuta a small bowl of food, before beginning to dish up his own.
"But then everyone would have been eaten by now" Takeo said, already dismissing the man's words as a story to keep them from going out at nighttime. "Thankfully we have the Demon Slayers to protect us. For a thousand years, the Demon Slayers have been bravely risking their lives to keep the people safe" the man explained. "Wow!" Shigeru said in awe. "It sounds scary" Hanako said, moving closer to her Older Brothers. "Anyway, finish eating and then get to bed. You kids can head home at first light" Saburo said, getting some Futon's ready for the Siblings to share. He looked down as he felt a small body hug his leg. Rokuta looked up at him with wide red eyes. Then Hanako hugged the man too, "it's okay. No bad Demons can get us tonight. We've got a secret charm!" she said happily.
"Oh, the Incense," Tanjro chuckled, "well if Demons are scared of Wisteria, we'll be fine" he joked. The 13-year-old set up their Mother's present in the corner while his Older Brother helped set up the Futon's. As they finished dinner and went to bed that night, none of them realised that a monster was making it's way up the mountain. He thought of taking a look at the little house for a snack, but decided against it. the revolting smell emanating from it caused him to decided that it wasn't worth it. Besides, his self-appointed mission was much more important to his mind. So, the monster continued up the mountain instead. The six Kamado children and the old man sleeping in the house had no idea just how close they'd come to death that night. But also how much pain would be awaiting them the next morning.
Ư*Ğ.Ķ
Early the next day, the Kamado children packed up their things and the still sleepy younger ones got set up in the cart. "Be careful on your way home, and take care of your Mother" Saburo said. Tanjiro nodded gratefully, "thank you for your hospitality last night. We'll make extra charcoal for you next time Mr Saburo" he said with a smile. "Bye Mr Saburo! Have a good day!" Hanako called cheerfully. And so the children set off for home. It was another hour before they got close. Hanako and Shigeru were amusing themselves playing I-spy along the way. Suddenly Tanjiro stopped, sniffed the air and paled, "that's the scent of blood!" he muttered before he could stop himself. "Stay here!" he ordered, running towards their house. However, Gyutaro, being the oldest wasn't about to let his younger Brother go into a potentially dangerous situation alone, and he certainly wasn't going to leave his younger Siblings all alone in the woods.
So he hurried after Tanjiro, pulling the Cart behind him faster as he did. "What's wrong?!" Takeo demanded as they followed their second oldest Brother through the snow-covered trees. "I don't know, but it can't be anything good" Gyutaro replied grimly. Finally they reached their house, Tanjiro kneeling brokenly in front of the open door. "Why's the door open if Mommy's sick?" Hanako asked worriedly. The green-haired young man put down the Cart's handles, "stay here!" he ordered, a horrible feeling burning in his chest at the look on his younger Brother's face. Gyutaro ran forwards, "Tanjiro! What's wrong?!" he demanded fearfully as he reached the Burgandy-haired 13-year-old's side. Against every instinct he had, he looked inside their house. Something inside him broke as he did. Blood was splashed all over the floor and walls, and covering their Mother, who was missing an arm and smashed against the wall hard enough to break the wood.
His younger Sister's were also in horrible condition. Ume was laying over Nezuko, seeming like she had been trying to protect her younger Sister, but now had her throat slit open and her sleeping Kimono covered in her own blood. While Nezuko had blood leaking down from her head and back. Gyutaro didn't even realize he was screaming until his throat became sore. 'Mom, Ume, Nezuko, oh God!' he thought brokenly. His feet carried him inside, over the drying pools of blood. Numbly he checked each of their bodies. Their Mother had no pulse and was stone cold. Tears streamed down his face as he confirmed it. The first and only Mother he'd had that had actually loved him was dead. But when he checked on Ume next, he gasped. She was still warm. Moving to check on Nezuko, he discovered the same. Both of their Sister's were still alive! "Tanjiro! Snap out of it! Ume and Nezuko are alive!" Gyutaro snapped, ignoring the fact that they shouldn't be, in favor of his relief. Tanjiro gasped, and scrambled to check for himself.
"Oh thank Hinokami!" he breathed in utter relief. The two immediately began grabbing Haori's to wrap their Sister's in and carried them out to the Cart. "What about Mom?!" Shigeru demanded. Tanjiro bit back a sob, and focused on the task at hand, "we don't have time. We have to get Ume and Nezuko to town" Gyutaro replied firmly. "We can't leave her!" Hanako cried. "Don't argue with me!" the green-haired young man snapped. All protests froze at that. Big Brother Gyutaro never yelled at them! Hanako looked down, tears filling her eyes as she struggled not to cry. She wasn't stupid. If they were taking her visibly hurt Older Sisters and not their Mother, that could only mean one thing. After placing Ume and Nezuko in the Cart, both wrapped up in thick blankets, their other Siblings all silently got into the Cart and the green-haired young man hurriedly pulled it back down the mountain.
Ư*Ğ.Ķ
There wasn't a dry eye among the Siblings as they rushed down the mountain. Snow blew and stung their eyes, making the Kamado children shiver with the cold. Rokuta especially was wailing from both the cold and wanting his Mother, "Mama! Wan' Mama!" he sobbed, unable to understand what was happening or form complete sentences through his cries. Gyutaro pulled the Cart as fast as he could, but the thick snow was slowing them down. 'We have to save Ume and Nezuko! I won't lose any more family!' Gyutaro thought fiercely. Suddenly, Takeo noticed his two Older Sister's beginning to move in the Cart, "Tanjiro! Our Sister's are awake!" he cried. Without warning, the two girls thrashed their way out of the blankets and Cart, blindly knocking their younger Siblings out of the way and fell out onto the snow.
"Is everyone alright?! Was anyone hurt?!" Tanjiro demanded. Rokuta was crying again, having been kicked slightly by Nezuko as she got out of the Cart, "we're okay. Just a bit bruised. Jeez, if they wanted to get out, they could'a just said so" Takeo replied, helping Hanako up, as she'd had to dodge out of the way of Ume as she'd flailed around. "They're hurt, and squashed in a Cart with four other people Takeo" Gyutaro scolded gently as he walked over to Ume's side. 'Not to mention the trauma of being attacked by whatever the hell it was that killed Mom and put them in this state. When I find it it's dead!' he thought furiously, but put that aside for now. His Sister's needed him. "Ume, Nezuko, please, get back in the Cart. I know you're hurt, but we'll get you help, okay? You're both gonna be alright, we're all here" Gyutaro said soothingly, trying to calm the two girls who (in his mind) must have been traumatized by what happened and panicked upon waking up wrapped up like that.
He moved over to Ume's side, "it's okay Ume. You're going to be okay. You're safe now, whatever attacked Mom and the two of you is gone now. We're gonna take you to town, okay?" he asked, with as calm a voice as he could use while staring worriedly at his little Sister. Tanjiro was next to Nezuko, trying to convince her of the same thing. What happened next shocked and horrified everyone. Ume and Nezuko lifted their heads, and it was obvious that they weren't human anymore. Nezuko's teeth had transformed into long fangs, while her formally dark pink eyes had become light pink and slitted. She had sharp claws on her hands and the tips of her long, blank hair had turned a flaming orange colour. Ume, meanwhile, looked similar to her younger Sister, but her eyes had turned a light blue colour and the tips of her white hair had gone green. Both girls growled upon seeing their Brother's and leapt at them, gripping their shoulders tight in their clawed hands, trying to bite into them. Tanjiro reacted fast and grabbed the hatchet tied to his hip and shoved the handle of it into Nezuko's mouth.
But Gyutaro was in shock and nearly let Ume bite him. "Big Brother!" Shigeru cried, snapping him back to awareness. His hands came up and he pushed back on Ume's shoulders to keep her mouth away from him. "What the hell is going on?!" Takeo cried, arms instantly wrapped around his three younger Siblings at the danger, even though the danger was coming from his two Older Sisters. "I-I don't know! What- what happened to them?!" Tanjiro cried, horrified, but at least glad that Takeo, Hanako, Shigeru and Rokuta were all still safe. Ume and Nezuko growled, pushing down on their Older Brothers, trying to bite them. It was then that Tanjiro had a realisation, "What- what Mr Saburo said last night! About- Man-eating Demons!" the second oldest Kamado Son cried. 'No way! Our Sister's aren't Demons! They, they can't be!" Gyutaro yelled back from where he was struggling with his little Sister. This couldn't be happening. First their family was attacked and their Mother killed and now this! Nezuko suddenly grew in size, shocking Tanjiro, "how are you getting bigger?!" he demanded. He could hear his younger Siblings crying from the Cart, and he felt like crying too.
"You must have been so scared, weren't you Nezuko? You and Ume and Mom. Watching her die, and being helpless to do anything. Being attacked and transformed like this? You must have suffered so much" Tanjiro said, tears welling in his eyes, "I'm sorry I wasn't there to help! I'm sorry I couldn't protect you! I'm a failure of a big Brother!" he cried, vision blurring due to his tears. He groaned against Nezuko's strength, sobbing in emotional agony. He had to save her! They had to save their Sister's somehow! They were family! "Fight it Nezuko! Don't give in! *sob* You have to fight back! Don't let it take control! Please come back to us Nezuko! *sob* We need you! Please!" Tanjiro begged desperately, praying that his voice would reach her. Suddenly, Nezuko began to cry. Tanjiro gasped, as he saw the recognition in his little Sister's eyes. "Nezuko stopped attacking me! Gyutaro! Call out to Ume! You have to remind her of who she is!" Tanjiro cried hurriedly.
Gyutaro felt hope ignite in his chest at hearing this, and looked up at Ume. His first little Sister. She pushed her mouth closer to his body and he knew that he had to try. For her. "Ume it's me! Gyutaro! Don't you remember all those days and night we spent in the Entertainment District, just trying everyday to survive?! How painful it was, and how lonely? I was alone for so long, hated and despised for my appearance. But then you were born and you were the most precious thing in my life! I know I promised you that I would always protect you, and I failed at that! But I'm here now! We all are! Even if you are a Demon now, we're all still here for you! But we need you Ume! Our family needs you! So come back! Don't let something like this decide what you are! You never have before, and I know that you won't start now!" he cried. Ume seemed to be slowly calming down as he spoke. The strength behind her pushing was lessened and she began to relax. Finally, the now white and green-haired Demon sat up, looking around with light blue eyes. Hanako slowly got out of the Cart and walked warily over to her, "big Sister Ume?" she asked tentatively. Ume looked down at the girl. She almost seemed childlike now that she was calm.
Nezuko also seemed much more like a child. Rokuta ran over to her, "big Sis!" he cried. She looked down at him as he lifted his arms to be held. The 12-year-old picked him up and held him gently. Seeing his Older Sisters not harming any of his younger Siblings, Takeo walked warily over to his oldest Brother, "how did this happen to them Gyutaro?" he asked, watching as the rest of their younger Siblings moved over to Ume, Tanjiro and Nezuko. "I don't know. But they seem to be okay now, or at least they aren't attacking any of us anymore." Gyutaro replied. Tanjiro was currently trying to check his Sister's injuries, "we still have to get you both to the Doctor, you're badly hurt" he said worriedly. Ume made a soft growling sound, shaking her head. "N-n-o Doc- Doc-" she stuttered, struggling to get the words out. "But you're both hurt!" Hanako cried fearfully. Nezuko knelt down and wrapped her arms around her, picking her up with ease. The little girl squealed in surprise, but Shigeru had stars in his eyes, "you're so strong Nezuko!" he said in awe.
Nezuko looked into her younger Sister's eyes, then looked to everyone else with blank, pink eyes and made a content hum. "H-heal-ing" Ume stuttered. Nezuko nodded and put Hanako down. "Well, if you're both sure" Hanako muttered, red-faced. "In that case, let's head home. We have to figure out what we're going to do now. And bury Mom" Gyutaro said sadly.
Ư*Ğ.Ķ
After they'd finished burying their Mother, with the two oldest girls surprisingly doing most of the heavy-lifting, Tanjiro and Gyutaro scrubbed at the blood stains until the wood was paler than normal. The smell was still there but lessened. Hanako helped Ume and Nezuko get changed into clean warm clothes, though the oldest Kamado daughter assured them that they weren't cold. Then the Siblings sat in the house, looking around at each other nervously. Rokuta was being held in Nezuko's lap, and she was busying herself by stroking his hair to soothe him to sleep. Ume, meanwhile, was clinging onto Gyutaro like she used to when she was small, while Shigeru was sitting with their Oldest Brother. Hanako and Takeo were next to Tanjiro.
Eventually, the second oldest Son spoke, "we have to decide what we're going to do now. We can't stay here for long. Even if Gyutaro and I continued selling Charcoal to support us, we don't have enough people to leave here to take care of everyone else while we're gone. Ume may be aware, and an adult, but she can't take care of everyone else alone. Especially now that Nezuko seems to have regressed to the mental state of a toddler." He said with a sad frown, watching as Rokuta crawled out of Nezuko's lap, who then lay down on the floor and began rolling back and forth. "As much as I don't want to leave our family home, we don't have any other choice but to find a new place to live" Tanjiro decided sadly.
"But what do we do about Ume and Nezuko? If they really are Demon like Mr Saburo told us about, not only can we not take them outside during the day, but what if they hurt someone? They both seem calm around us now, but we can't be sure if they'll be the same around other people. We need to find a way to turn them back into humans" Gyutaro said. Ume looked up at him, "B-b-b-bro-th-th-ther" she stuttered, leaning her head on her Older Brother's shoulder sadly. Tanjiro looked down at Nezuko, who was now looking up at him with bright pink eyes that he knew recognised them. He could smell recognition from both of their Sisters. Ume's was stronger obviously, but Nezuko still knew who they all were, and she wasn't going to try to hurt them again. He reached his hand out, and their Sister took it gently, being careful with her claws, cuddling his hand close to her.
Tanjiro's expression firmed, "we have to protect Ume and Nezuko. And-" he looked up at his Older and younger Siblings, "we will turn both of them back into humans!" he swore. Suddenly there was a knock at the door, making everyone jump in surprise, "excuse me. May I come in?" the monotone voice of a man asked.
To Be Continued