The Dancing Star
Chapter 5
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.
Tanjirou's POV
After the defeat of his supposed demon self, Tanjirou once again fell into an unconscious state of uncertainty.
However, as Tanjirou was once again brought into the unconscious state, another one of his memories once again began to play.
"Wait, so who is our ancestor you are talking about, Father? Was he the one to start the dance?" A young, 4-year-old Tanjiro had just asked his father about his family, and ancestors to be specific. Ever since his father had told him about that and demons, Tanjiro, in his child-like state was curious as ever to learn about stuff he's never seen before.
"Indeed." Tanjuro, Tanjiro's father had been the one to explain to his son, having sat down with his son near his bed. Currently, his figure was sitting on his bed where he was resting, due to his ailment affecting his bodily movements.
Tanjiro, for his part, was more intrigued by the story his father was telling him. It was such an experience since the most recent times he spent with him were far and between.
"The farthest of our ancestors I remember was an individual who went by the name of Sumiyoshi. He was the striking figure of our face and body, looking pretty like that of you." Tanjuro chuckled at his little remark, "But alas, he befriended an individual who was adept in dancing."
"Dancing?" Tanjiro asked.
Tanjuro, nodded, "Indeed, he was among the most prolific dancers, well unofficially, and he had befriended Sumiyoshi. As for how I'm unsure about how they befriended each other."
"But." Tanjuro continued, "What I do remember is the friend sticking up Sumiyoshi, with their respective wives."
"What were their names?" Tanjiro asked, clearly intrigued.
Tanjuro chuckled, "I don't know, but both Sumiyoshi and his friend had their respective wives. Sumiyoshi had a three-year-old boy, whilst his friend just conceived a baby girl."
"Awww, so cute!" Tanjiro squealed, finding the story relatively fun and lighthearted. For now, it seemed very typical and outgoing as a family story would go.
"Alas…" Tanjuro suddenly, got very mellow, as if what was about to be said was tragic.
And it was.
"Sumiyoshi, his friend, and their wives, all got into a demon attack," Tanjuro revealed.
Tanjiro gasped, "Demon attack?"
"Yes, man-eating demons, they attacked our ancestors." Tanjuro, despite relaying the story, showed no ill will, nor hatred in his voice. It was still the same, calm, collected, face that was at ease.
"What happened?" Tanjiro asked.
"Both Sumiyoshi and his friend's wife died, protecting their children. The women they loved, perished due to demons. Both of the males had stayed back to stall the demons, but when they found the place they anticipated their wives to be, it was just the children, and the wives were nowhere to be found." Tanjuro explained, "They were probably eaten by the demons."
Tanjiro gasped, "How…"
"That's the reality of life, Tanjiro…" Tanjuro mumbled sadly, "But alas, both Sumiyoshi and his friend still had to take care of their respective children, who had to grow up without a motherly figure."
"Wow…" Tanjiro responded, and that was all he was able to respond with.
"Indeed. Eventually, both children, the boy and girl grew up to be fine individuals. Interestingly, both children decided to marry each other. Despite being raised by the same people together, they weren't blood-related, nor siblings whatsoever. But that's how my family line came to be." Tanjuro explained, "Dancing has been in our blood for a while."
"And even then, the friend who feared for his child's life eventually left, leaving Sumiyoshi to raise the two children on his own. However, from what I do know in the papers, the friend would visit every once in a while."
Tanjiro was excited, but also a bit confused. "But why do we dance?"
Tanjuro chuckled, "That is a question you must answer. Right now, you may question your traditions and the likes, but when life comes at you, and through desperation, will you remember the core of your background, the nature of your culture, and how innately ingrained it is inside you upon birth."
Tanjiro could only ponder, after all, he was just a 4-year-old when he was told this. What exactly was he to make with this?
"Just remember Tanjiro. Whenever your life is through a life or death, remember to breathe the Hinokami, pray to Hinokami, and become one with Hinokami."
Tanjiro nodded at his father's words, which resonated with him, and will for quite a time.
"Remember Tanjiro, breathe like Hinokami, pray to Hinokami, and become one with Hinokami."
"What does that mean?" Tanjiro asked himself, and for quite a time, that's what he did. "And why was I not allowed to dance the Hinokami Kagura near our house, nor wear those hanufuda earrings?"
It almost solidified when that was the last word, or rather, the last sentence his father had ever spoken to Tanjiro before he passed.
Alas, Tanjirou was coming out of this dream with more questions than answers.
For Tanjiro, he was still trying to figure out the entire point of what his father meant. By breathing like Hinokami?
But then why was his father so against him doing it when he wanted? Why did his father beat him senselessly then?
Why did Father make them swing swords until they were beaten?
Not to mention... Wait... What was his name...?
Who was the figure his father was talking about?
Why was Tanjirou suddenly forgetting the name of that man?
It was almost like some stuff that he knew was suddenly being erased from his memories.
However, at the same time, Tanjirou felt himself waking up.
"Become like Hinokami…"
Tanjiro gasped as he smelled the air around him.
Considering his sense of smell was his strongest sense, even more so than his vision, it made sense for him to use his sense of smell when he first awoke.
Almost immediately, his sense of smell, the scents he was picking up with his own noise was entrancing. It was blissful. It was mouth-watering. He could smell the amazing scent of the blood that was pouring. Whatever was cooking, Tanjirou was finding himself yearning for it.
However, that's immediately when things felt off. Who was cooking?
His sense of smell was amplified. He could have sworn his smell was always good, but now seeming to have gone through extraordinary events.
Even more than usual. He smelt the air and could smell everything. The blood, the DNA in them, and the traits they may have. The snow was falling, and Tanjirou could easily smell something entrancing.
Despite the snow falling in the form of a blizzard, Tanjirou did not feel cold, instead, his eyes were trying to find where the smell was coming from.
"Blood…" Tanjirou mumbled to himself, as he recognized it from before. He wasn't necessarily sure why he knew that, but it was very entrancing for Tanjirou, who began to get up and move toward the source of the smell.
Once he started looking around, he noted the wooden house, covered in blood, with the bodies of a family nearby.
"What happened?" Tanjirou asked himself, curious and confused about everything. His mind felt enclosed as if he was needing to unlock these memories.
The closer Tanjirou got to the source, he noticed the body of a motionless girl, but he didn't feel anything there.
No, what he felt instead was the bodies inside the house. The wrangled body of an older woman, the decapitated head of a young child. There were bodies.
And they all smelled so good.
Tanjirou began to drool, clearly looking forward to the meal he was about to enjoy.
"Eat." There was a small noise in Tanjirou's thoughts that was telling him to eat. To eat, the bodies of his family, which he didn't know yet. He moved his hand toward the dead body of his sister, Hanako, and even some of his drool was falling on the corpse.
"She smells so good... I wonder what her blood will taste like..." Tanjirou pondered, as a maniacal grin began to envelop his face.
He was already dreaming and imagining the food that he was about to consume.
The deceased bodies of his family were no longer leaking blood, but their flesh was still there, and for Tanjirou, it still smelled incredibly yummy. He was trying to move his hands, to pick up the flesh and eat.
He was feeling the red, liquid blood that clearly was still clean for him to drink.
He wanted to pick up the limbs of these dead bodies and consume them. He desperately wanted to eat it. He could smell how good it was, and how yummy it would be.
However, despite this, Tanjirou found himself hesitating. For some reason, there was a small, nagging part of his mind telling him to stop. He wasn't sure what was telling him to stop.
"T**y'** **u* ***i**," The voice was telling him. But that wasn't enough for Tanjirou to understand.
He wasn't sure why, but when his pure instincts were telling him to do something his morals told him not, Tanjirous was at a crossroads. His body was telling him to eat it to his heart's content, but his mind seemed unsure. It was not wanting his body to do such a thing.
"T**y'** **u* *a*i**," He was begging to understand, but it wasn't enough. He still felt an overwhelming sensation to eat these bodies and drink their blood. But even then, the nagging wouldn't go away.
Tanjirou groaned. His head began to hurt. He growled as he didn't like the sudden bout of pain. He hated the weird battle his own mind was giving him.
Tanjirou is a stubborn individual. That's what a lot of people would say, including his sister, and mother. For Tanjirou, it was his willpower, but those who were at the receiving end, they would say he was stubborn.
What was known, however, was that this instance of hesitating was a clear indication of willpower on Tanjirou's part.
They're your family!" The voice yelled at last, and immediately, Tanjirou faltered..
Here he was, having a free meal right in front of him, but for some reason, a reason he wasn't sure why, Tanjirou was hesitating.
His own sense of free will was extraordinary. From the hardships he faced when taking care of his family, he was always true to his own morals, wanting to help everyone he met.
"Family?" Tanjirou, at least his brain was telling him. "What's a family?"
"Eat, eat, eat, eat, eat, eat, eat, eat, eat, eat, eat, eat, eat, eat, eat, eat, eat, eat!" Tanjirou's mind was ravenous, with his body wanting him to eat the bodies of people he didn't know.
All the while, his brain was against it. It was a perfect example of an angel on his shoulder, and the devil on the next. He was at a crossroads, with nothing else to do.
For the time being, Tanjirou was in a complete battle in his mind. It wasn't physical, but a mere clash of thoughts. On one side, even though this Tanjirou's own morals and mindset were still powering through, even though it was under threat of being corrupted by Muzan's demonic presence.
"Tanjirou, remember, to become Hinokami." Throughout the midst of his thoughts, the words of his father rang clear. Who was his father, though?
"Father…" Tanjirou mumbled to himself, as he was trying to remember him. Whatever happened to him, he wasn't remembering much now. His brain felt frozen as if something was preventing him from accessing previous memories. He suddenly felt something wet in his eyes.
They were tears.
He was crying.
But why. Why was he crying?
As he thought about his father, he then looked down at the mutilated, deceased bodies around him, and suddenly his heart stopped a beat, as a realization struck him harder than what that demon had struck him with. Slowly, but surely, he was remembering the people who encompassed these bodies...
!
"I remember them!" Tanjirou exclaimed mentally. "Didn't... they call me something?"
Tanjirou groaned in his head. He was clearly trying to remember something, and he was struggling until...
"We're sorry brother!" Tanjirou's eyes widened in shock. He could have just sworn he saw a group of people who were smiling down at him.
But who were they...?
"Family... Family... That word is spiking up in my mind..." Tanjirou mumbled before he was able to decipher everything.
"Oh right, I spent my entire life living with them..." Tanjirou thought as he was managing to start to remember some stuff.
"Remember Tanjirou, demons are human's natural predators, for they eat them..." Another voice told Tanjirou as if guiding him.
"Wait, demon…" Tanjirou mumbled as he was thinking before he got a description.
"Red plum eyes… Fedora… Suit and tie…" Tanjirou mumbled to himself, as he was beginning to pick up the pieces. His mind was gathering everything that was happening, and the sudden description of that demon made him wince in pain. "Who is he?"
Unfortunately, he couldn't remember the individual's name... But why was it so significant for him? That was when he suddenly felt a jolt of pain encompassing his body.
He grunted in pain, forcing himself to clutch his fists to the ground.
He wasn't necessarily sure why thinking of that man hurt him quite a bit, especially in his head as he felt a gnawing pain trying to rip his own body out. He wasn't sure what was happening.
Still, he managed to shrug it off, in part due to his next thought.
This did lead to a problem. Why was there a family here if he was being attacked?
"Remember Tanjirou, breathe like Hinokami, dance like Hinokami, and become the Hinokami." The sentence again. Why was that sentence being repeated in his mind? Why was it so engraved in his mind? Why were his father's words coming to him?
The memories of his own father and mother hitting him and his siblings began to play into Tanjirou's mind, not to mention the words he was now being subjected to...
"So useless... So worthless... Why did I ever fear you?"
"The kid has no skill and is complete trash. All he can do is dance."
Almost immediately, he felt his vision turn red. He was angered at what he was remembering, which were clearly the most prevalent memories he had of his past. And it wasn't pretty for the most part.
Not to mention he felt something nagging at him.
"Why are you in my head? Weren't you one to abuse me because I failed at everything?!" Tanjirou yelled internally.
Just who was talking to him? His eyes widened as an image of an older man, who looked similar to him popped out.
"What did father mean?" Tanjirou asked himself before he then noticed. "Why, even through all of this and after what he did... Why is he still in my mind..." Tanjirou asked himself.
But he finally began to realize why.
This wasn't just a family. A family who brought nothing by hurt, and forced labor out of him... The very family who made him burn coal excessively for profit, the ones who forced him out of the house until he came back with some profits and progress in sword techniques. The very family who burned him with the very coal he burned. The very one who caused him... And his siblings... to live under fear...
It was his family.
His family had just been killed, and he had just sat there, sleeping near a tree. Before Tanjirou knew it, he began to cry.
"Why did I want to eat my own family? What is wrong with me?!" Tanjirou asked himself as he felt ashamed of himself. Thankfully, it seemed that he was managing to get through whatever weird urges he was having.
Unbeknownst to Tanjirou, his demonic appearance was changing, to that of a more human-like stature. Tanjirou felt a lot more... normal now... Suddenly, the feeling of wanting to eat those corps was no longer there.
The only thing that seemed to have changed, was the faded skin, that looked like a jagged injury he received upon birth had become a darker shade of red, giving a more jagged shape compared to before. That was only embedded on the left side of his forehead.
While some parts of his memories were still fuzzy, he was sure now that he knew what was happening. He was busy sleeping near that tree, while his family was murdered, by that demon! He wasn't sure what that demon's name was, but what he did know was his appearance.
Now, he was ashamed of himself for being in a safe place, resting whilst his family was getting brutally murdered.
Tanjirou breathed in, taking in the breathing style of the Hinokami Kagura that his father had always told him to do whenever he was stressed or confused.
"Remember Tanjirou... Remember to breathe like Hinokami..." Tanjirou gritted his teeth, as he clearly was only remembering his father for the abuse he'd put Tanjirou through.
"Gah... Even in my head, you are trying to abuse me... Screw you..." Tanjirou grumbled as he wanted to punch his head. However, his own hands hurt once he eventually realized how hard his head was, and was forced to stop, since his hands were hurting and bleeding.
Likewise, Tanjirou did feel a bit better after calming himself down. Managing to hold in his desires at this point now that he was seemingly back to a human appearance, he began to explore around, trying to pinpoint everything.
Specifically, when Tanjirou went back to the tree he had woken up propped up on, he noticed an indent on the tree, that matched his body figure. Tanjirou smelt the indent and was able to match the smell with his odor.
"Follow father's breathing technique, it'll help me from wanting to eat my family… I don't know why..." Throughout all of this, he was at least glad he was keeping himself to his desires. "But then again... If my father hurt me, but is also helping me... Why did he hurt me? Why did he call me a failure...?"
"So, I wasn't sleeping when they were being murdered? I too, was also injured?" Tanjirou then asked himself, "Then why wasn't I dead like the others? Why am I still alive?"
Tanjirou, before he could continue to ponder more, suddenly smelled something new. Something different, as if someone was waking up.
He quickly turned around, and to his shock and surprise, Nezuko was awake.
"One of them was alive this entire time?!" He asked himself, just as shocked, and as horrified as he would be.
"Protect Nezuko for us." That's it! The girl's name was Nezuko!
That surprise and happiness quickly turned to horror, as Nezuko immediately turned to the limp body of Rokuta, and to start eating him, began to bend down, drooling, and opening her mouth.
Tanjirou saw the fangs, he saw the claws, and before he knew it, he appeared between Nezuko and Rokuta's dead body, as he pushed her back away from the area, trapping her against a nearby tree. If he was paying any attention outside of stopping his sister, he would have been surprised by his strength.
"Stop!" Tanjirou begged, clearly trying to get Nezuko under control.
Tanjirou knew what she had become. He had heard the stories. He had heard everything from his father, grandma, and Saburo. He was remembering them too. And now that he was beginning to remember those, he was remembering some stuff in his past that was telling him what was going on.
His little sister Nezuko was a demon...
Fangs, claws, differing eye structure, or even some weird properties on their appearances, a thirst for human blood and flesh, especially when newly transformed. It all made sense for Tanjirou.
Nezuko had become a demon. He was now remembering everything, and he remembered when the demon was approaching Nezuko, and that's when Tanjirou himself stepped in. As he continued to hold Nezuko back, his mind became clearer, and his morals were reinforced.
He now knew that he had to make sure Nezuko didn't eat humans. He could see the fangs, the claws, and the vines spreading across her face. He had to stop Nezuko!
Tanjirou had failed, and he felt guilty.
"I'm so sorry, Nezuko… I was supposed to protect you and the family… I failed you… I failed this entire family…" Tanjirou sobbed into Nezuko's shoulders. "I failed you... I failed at my job was... I'm the worst brother ever!"
The words of that man, and his parents were coming back to him.
"So useless... So weak... So hideous... Why was I ever threatened by you?"
"I'm sorry for being weak... so useless... I should have tried harder to stop father and mother from abusing us... I should have tried harder... The only thing I was able to do was dance!" Tanjirou sobbed as he wanted his sister. That was the only thing he may have back, and he didn't want to let go. "Maybe that's why Father called me useless all those times..."
That was quite an interesting interaction, considering Nezuko had begun to claw at Tanjirou's figure, Tanjirou held firm, not even feeling the slashes Nezuko was inflicting upon him. Though, he didn't care right now. If anything, he felt that he deserved the injuries he was suffering. It was the least he could do. At this point, he had to fight with his bare hands and body to make sure she lived.
"Please Nezuko… Give me another chance… I cannot fail you again…" Tanjirou mumbled, crying into Nezuko's shoulder.
Miraculously, it worked, and Tanjirou could hear the sobs from Nezuko coming out. Whatever he did, it worked, and he managed to snap Nezuko out of her trance, at least for now.
She too began to cry out, and all Tanjirou could do, was hug his sister, as he could only apologize and beg for forgiveness.
Tanjirou took a sigh of relief, as he then turned around, looking at the dead bodies of his family. Almost immediately, he didn't want to watch this. It was enough to make him want to belch. A far cry from before when he wanted to eat it. Tanjirou wanted to barf more when he thought of that.
He spent a bit of time hugging and consoling Nezuko, before finally bringing her down.
"Nezuko?" Tanjirou asked, and immediately Nezuko piped up.
It seems that for Tanjirou, Nezuko was able to respond to Tanjirou's voice. Though, there was a noticeable problem that Tanjirou noticed. He could only hope that Nezuko, by a miracle, was still able to hear him and understand him.
Nezuko couldn't produce any sounds. Even when she was crying, she did not make a noise. Whether her vocal cord was damaged beyond repair, or it was a side effect of her demon transformation, Tanjirou wasn't sure.
"I need to bury our families' bodies, they've been like this for hours after their deaths…" Tanjirou mumbled as he began to pick up a shovel and started to dig into the ground.
The problem was that the snowy environment and cloudy weather made things difficult for Tanjirou to dig into the ground. Thankfully, and for some unknown reason, Tanjirou was able to dig into the ground, and carefully placed the remains of his family into their separate graves.
This was after he thought to bury them inside the remains of their home.
After all, Tanjirou saw no way to remain here in the house, with how badly damaged everything was. So, he decided to bury his family underneath his house, the same place where they spent all their lives. It was probably for the best that he and Nezuko got away from this place, in the risk that the settlement triggered them from a bad experience.
"If only I had come earlier, I could have made a difference," Tanjirou mumbled, as he clasped his hand together, praying to the fire god to protect their souls when they inevitably go to the afterlife.
"I'm sorry…" Tanjirou mumbled to himself, as he spotted Nezuko next to him mimicking Tanjirou's movement.
"I guess it's not all bad, at least I have Nezuko…" Tanjirou thought, trying to remain positive despite the situation he had found himself in.
It was the mindset he needed. Both Tanjirou and Nezuko had to let their tears out this day so that the next day they could move on, and let their family watch them live their lives.
As he stared down at the body of his mother, his own feelings became more torn. A vivid memory came up to him, and he looked at his torso to see a horrid scar-like glass mark on the left side of his abdomen, a testament to the abuse he would sometimes deal with from his parents.
Then, he saw the grave of his father. And numerous memories of his father hurting him, kicking him out, and calling him degrading names immediately caused Tanjirou to look away... "Why father... Did I not prove myself?"
Suddenly, he didn't feel as guilty. His mother hurt him continuously. His memories may have been somewhat clouded, but he remembered his family. He remembered his upbringing. He remembered how his parents would work him and the family to do weird sword styles. Breathing techniques, breathing styles, all of that. To the point that they would get hurt and threatened with violence and abuse if they didn't show any progress.
Most importantly, Tanjirou remembered, that he was the one discriminated against because he couldn't perform a single breathing style while the rest of his siblings were able to. He could have hated his siblings for being able to do something he couldn't, but his siblings were all younger and only knew better. Even if they had more success than Tanjirou, they too suffered the same abuse that he got. He placed his mother's dead body in the grave.
Making a promise to himself, after remembering the horrors and pain he endured at this house, with being forced to work, train, and being hurt for not making enough progress, he knew what he would do now.
He needed to find out more information about this... individual who killed his family... Even if his family hurt him and weren't amazing, he would at the end of the day, find the person who killed them.
We'll look over you, Tanjirou. Remember to always breathe like Hinokami..." Tanjirou sighed. Besides his father's constant reminder, he did feel a touch of calamity when he did that.
"Perhaps I should do that more often..." Tanjirou thought to himself.
"Let's go, Nezuko, wherever we go now, may just be wherever we can find to thrive. We are never coming back to this hellhole." Tanjirou told his sister adamantly, with seriousness and coldness that it surprised Nezuko, before picking her up, and with some struggle, began to carry her through the snowstorm.
Since Nezuko was a demon, he did not have to worry about her dying, until the sun was present. As for Tanjirou himself, he too was a bit confused but wanted to focus on his sister before he worried about what was happening to him. He promised himself not to let this happen again.
But that was when he realized.
"Wait... If I was injured too... Then how am I still alive?" Tanjirou asked himself.
He quickly looked to Nezuko. "If my memory serves me correctly, Nezuko and I were also hurt by that man alongside the rest of our family. Yet Nezuko and I survived... Nezuko, because she's a demon..."
His eye's widened, "And Nezuko was about to eat those dead bodies, like me... And she's also healed up... Perhaps with the exception of the scars across her body from the abuse she too suffered..."
When he began to make his way across the forest, he smelt something coming towards him. Sniffing the hair, he smelt... That brought his thinking to a halt.
"Water...? It's coming very quickly!" Tanjirou asked himself, turning to the source.
Quickly turning around, his eyes widened in shock as he noticed an individual with a katana.
"What the…" Tanjirou mumbled, before realizing the individual was trying to decapitate him.
His instinct began to scream, "Not the neck, not the neck, not the neck!"
And so, Tanjirou quickly rolled out of the way, avoiding the swing from the individual.
The individual's blade continued with the motion, as a large amount of snow was unleashed, causing the area to become fog-like, which made it hard to see anything.
"Who… Who are you?!" Tanjirou asked the individual.
The individual in question was a tall young man, who was slim-fit, and full of experience in the art of sword fighting, Tanjirou could tell.
He quickly saw the wording on the dress of this individual, and he immediately cursed internally.
"Destroyer of Demons."
This individual smelled very strong, and unlike those of the demon, was more of action rather than pure death and chaos. The individual had unruly black hair sticking out, which made for quite the messy hairstyle, especially when putting them into a ponytail.
The individual in question stared at Tanjirou with his sharp eyes being a sapphire color.
His attire was a weird mix of stripes and plain colors.
"What are you both doing?" The individual asked.
"W-What?" Tanjirou asked, clearly confused.
"Why are you working with a demon? Didn't it attack that family?"
Tanjirou's eyes widened in shock and pure denial. "NO! That was MY family! Why would I kill my family!"
"So you buried your family while it," He pointed to Nezuko, "Killed them all?"
The individual, for his part, merely looked to Tanjirou's sister. The truth was, he did see the two throughout the entire ordeal, "Why do you protect that?"
"That?!" Tanjirou asked in rage, clearly not liking the object-nature Nezuko was given. "First off, it's my little sister! And second off, she did not kill our family! Some other person did!"
"Yes, why are you protecting a demon? Well, a better question, if that demon didn't harm your family, why is she covered in blood?" The slayer asked.
The word of what he was classified seemed to have hit a nail on the head for Tanjirou as if everything was coming back together for him. It did make sense, and now he wasn't denying it, but he was still confused.
"It's her blood! Not my family! When I woke and with her, my family was already dead to the point that no more blood could have been spilled! They smelt like a corpse!" Tanjirou yelled back desperately. "I don't even know how I'm still alive!" Tanjirou added, "I too was brutally attacked by that monster! I too suffered agonizing injuries! That man tortured me with the intent of killing me painfully! And yet, I'm still alive!" Tanjirou was trying to tell his story.
To tell the truth, Tanjirou had just remembered everything. It seemed that the stressful moment of potentially losing Nezuko to this individual caused him to quickly cause his memories to flash, giving him new information, specifically on what properly happened...
"How… How did I become a demon?"
Why is my sister a demon?!" Tanjirou asked. Even when he was so confused, he was focusing on his sister, trying to make sure he knew what he could do.
"It's simple, she got into close contact with a demon's blood, and it converted her into a demon. Or her wounds were exposed to a demon's blood. This is how man-eating demons multiply."
At this, Tanjirou's eyes widened.
"Demon? I'm a demon?" Tanjirou asked, clearly shocked. While it did make sense, unfortunately, he wanted to deny it. It could explain why Tanjirou hadn't died alongside his family. If Nezuko was alive because she was a demon, then it made sense that Tanjirou himself was a demon, too.
However, besides that close call of losing control when he woke up, Tanjirou didn't feel any more demonic.
But how…
How did he become a demon? No, he couldn't have been a demon... The man in front of him only referred to Nezuko as a demon, but not him. There was a possibility that Tanjirou himself wasn't a demon.
"But… We were attacked!" Tanjirou explained.
"As if I'd believe that." The individual pointed the sword right at Tanjirou's chest. Despite this, Tanjirou remained steadfast, retaining and holding to his story.
The slayer had seen both of them wake up, and bury their family, he spotted the older boy preventing his sister from eating the bodies, and even managing to make the sister cry as a result, as if she had gotten her memories back. For the moment, he could at least admit that Nezuko was showing human characteristics.
The demon slayer could easily see that Tanjirou, by a miracle was telling the truth. Tanjirou did not yield any hesitation to his claims even when he had a sword so close to his neck. That must have meant he truly believed what happened.
"Very well, since you chose to bury your family instead of letting your sister eat them, I'll give you some time to explain."
"What's your name?" Tanjirou asked.
The man hesitated, before sighing, "Giyu. Giyu Tomioka."
"Giyu, Nezuko has not eaten any humans, nor did she kill our family." Tanjirou boldly stated. "A man with a horrendous smell was the one to have. He brutally attacked my family... I don't even know how I'm still alive."
"How can I believe you? Newly transformed demons are meant to not know their previous lives, and instead be ravenous and hungry for human meat," Giyu explained. At this, Tanjirou mentally panicked. That was exactly what happened to him.
Maybe he was a demon...
"Damnit! Am I a demon or not?!" Tanjirou exclaimed in his head. He was not teetering on both sides.
"I'm serious! I was coming up the forest when I spotted a man killing my family! I tried to intervene and cut the man's neck, but…" At that moment, Tanjirou had a realization. If this man's words were true, then Tanjirou had a definite answer to his question.
"I bit into his neck… and got blood on my mouth…" Tanjirou thought. "That's how one becomes a demon he said…"
"So... I am a demon... because I bit into the neck of that demon…" Tanjirou's mind hit a halt once he noticed that detail.
"But what?" Giyu asked.
"He beat me senselessly, pierced me with these weird barbed wires, and paralyzed me. He then taunted me as he tortured me to death, speaking, and then left saying he would take care of my sister." Tanjirou explained.
"Can you give me a description of what the individual looks like?" Giyu asked.
Tanjirou nodded, "Somewhat tall, curly black hair, with a fedora hat, was wearing a suit and tie, and had very cat-like slits on his blood-red eyes."
At that, Giyu froze a bit, "That's a description of a demon I've never heard about, I might have to inform the Hashira and Ubuyashiki. That is if this boy is truthful. And yet…"
How was this boy alive, then? If this boy was honest, then how was this boy without injury? If he was supposedly attacked, then how was he moving? If he was pierced and stabbed, why was there no blood leaking out from him?
The only injury that held truth was the three slashes to his face that occupied his right eye. But that was now in the form of a scar. There was no way for a human to heal that fast. That meant one thing.
"This boy is a demon, too. A stealthy one at that. He's hiding his demonic urges very well for a newly transformed one." Giyu concluded.
He gazed towards the two demons, the boy trying to take care of and make sure the younger sister was comfortable on his back. "They seem very human-like, even burying their family's dead body instead of eating it."
Regardless, Giyu knew he couldn't leave them alive. They may be human-like, but it was only a matter of time before demons would consume humans. Giyu sighed, "I'm sorry."
Water Breathing, Fifth Form: Blessed Rain After the Drought.
"Huh?" Tanjirou asked, clearly confused, before his eyes widened, ducking a sword slash from Giyu.
The sword slash in question attempted to decapitate Tanjirou with a single flow strike.
Giyu sighed, "Regardless of the circumstances, I cannot have demons running around with the risk of eating humans. The least I can do is kill you and your sister as painlessly as possible."
Tanjirou's eyes widened. His cover was blown, Giyu saw him as a demon, too. "No, there was to be another way… I might be able to find a way to cure Nezuko! I could turn her back into a human!" Tanjirou had just developed the idea in his head, to persuade Giyu.
"P-" As Tanjirou was about to beg for Giyu to spare their lives, a sudden voice from his father assaulted him.
"Idiot… Don't grovel on the floor like that. And never beg for forgiveness. If you failed at something, get up and try until you succeed!"
Tanjirou's eyes widened at his father's yelling... "Damnit... you didn't have to tell me I was a failure at something..."
So Tanjirou looked up and gave Giyu a determined stare.
"I will find a cure for Nezuko and myself." He wasn't shouting out of desperation now. He was clenching his fist, "I will get that done. I will complete my goal."
However, that didn't work, and it instead riled Giyu up.
"Don't give me that bullshit." Giyu harshly stated.
"W-What…"
"I said don't give me that bullshit." Giyu reiterated. "Don't give me a false sense of optimism! If you want to seek what you want, then fight for it! Begging won't get you anywhere in this world!"
"Huh?" Tanjirou asked confused, before he felt his back lighter. He quickly noticed that Giyu had taken Nezuko away from Tanjirou. "What do you think I'm doing?!"
"Hey! Give her back! Give me back my sister!" Tanjirou exclaimed in anger and worry.
"Never leave yourself so defenseless in front of an enemy!" Giyu yelled towards Tanjirou. "How can someone so oblivious think they can cure his little sister, or even find the person responsible for theoretically injuring and turning you both into demons!"
Tanjirou was stumped before he contorted his face in rage, "I'll fight for it! Give me a break! I've tried to fight that demon, I've already tried so hard! And this is the result!"
Giyu then, without provocation, stabbed his katana right through Nezuko's arm, which plopped off as a result.
"When you won't even fight for your values?!" Giyu roared back in retort.
Tanjirou's eyes went red after that, only angry at the infliction of pain Giyu had given on Nezuko, "You bastard!" Tanjirou exclaimed in a rage, with a speed unseen by many, rushed towards Giyu and punched him right in the jaw. Giyu fell back a bit but maintained his grip on Nezuko.
"Let her go!" Tanjirou roared as he was angered, and he continued to rush toward Giyu, only for his attacks to hit the air.
All Giyu did at the moment was dodge the onslaught Tanjirou was doing. Giyu could tell that from the swings, how unpolished they were, but how strong they were. The lack of sweat coming off of Tanjirou's face and lack of heavy breathing further cemented to Giyu that Tanjirou too was a demon.
"But then why is he not showing any traces of demonic urges?" Giyu asked himself. Even he too, was confused at the oddity that Tanjirou was. He could sense the sheer panic in Tanjirou's own face, with a hint of loss and hopelessness.
No doubt from guilty and a sense of inferiority... Something Giyu was familiar with too well...
"Don't cry…. Don't despair…" Giyu solemnly responded suddenly.
"What…?" Tanjirou mumbled, clearly confused by the sudden tone change in Giyu's voice, but he didn't stop in his attempts to rid Giyu of his grip on Nezuko.
"I understand your pain. Your family is dead, and both of you are demons. Whilst I cannot relate to being a demon, I understand the loss that comes with it." Giyu explained finally.
Tanjirou, however, growled, "That doesn't excuse you for slicing my sister!" With that, Tanjirou continued his assault, not thinking properly as he continued to fight Giyu.
It was here did Giyu realize the boy's demonic appearance was now showing.
"So he is a demon... Now he's showing his demonic appearance..." Giyu mumbled to himself. Compared to Nezuko, Tanjirou was finally showing his demonic appearance.
Almost immediately, Giyu could tell that this boy was a strange demon. The fact the boy was able to hide his demonic presence from a Hashira was a feat in itself, but a newly transformed demon succeeding at this? This demon was stealthy.
As for the appearance change, Tanjirou's jagged scar on his left forehead extended, with another from his right jaw connecting at his nose. He also had another jagged, red scar on his right forehead, but that didn't connect to the line, but instead had the three slash scars that crossed his right eye.
This demon looked very human, yet so demonic at the same time.
Meanwhile, Tanjirou wasn't feeling confident. He felt something nagging at him, which in his desperation, he accepted.
It was clear to him that Giyu was a lot more experienced and stronger than him, and Tanjirou knew he had to find a way to get Nezuko back.
But how…?
Before he could think properly, he felt pain from being stabbed in his shoulder blade.
"W-what…" Tanjirou asked, clearly shocked at seeing the sword embedded in the right side of his collarbone.
Water Breathing, First Form: Water Surface Flash
Tanjirou hissed in pain as he put his hand to the source of his injury. However, to his shock, he was regenerating the wound. What also shocked him was how little the injury hurt.
Another indicator is that Tanjirou was a demon.
As Tanjirou stared Giyu down, he was trying to find a way to subdue him and get Nezuko back. Her arm was still chopped off, and he was trying to ponder.
"How am I supposed to deal with someone with more experience than me?" Tanjirou asked himself, not feeling confident about his abilities whatsoever.
As he continued to think, his father's quote came back to him, "Remember Tanjirou, whenever you are at a stressful time in life, remember to breathe like Hinokami."
At this point, Tanjirou was getting rather tired of hearing the same thing repeatedly, but the next quote he heard made him chuckle at the irony. "Get out of my head! You won't manipulate me again!"
"I know you may get annoyed as a child or even as a teenager, but take it from your father, that the correct breathing will help you remain calm even in the most stressful of situations. Please, at least remember me for this."
This was occurring so much, that it had to be significant for Tanjirou. Plus, the fact that he felt strangely close to the dance made Tanjirou give it a chance. And so, with pure desperation to protect his sister, Tanjirou responded to his father's words.
Tanjirou sighed, as he retained his breathing, to maintain a calm nature. As much as he hated repeating his father's quotes, he did have a point. He had to remain calm in the face of stress so that he could think as properly as he could.
He needed to be tactical, yet unpredictable, and that would be the key to retrieving Nezuko back from this demon slayer who wants to kill her.
As Tanjirou calmed himself down regarding the entire situation, Giyu himself was recognizing something a bit strange with the boy, named Tanjirou.
While Giyu himself was not adept at noticing the battling spirits of individuals, he noticed the change in the boy. He could see the stable breathing the boy was doing and was somewhat astounded because it seemed rather polished.
"He seems to be entering a fighting stance... But what is that breathing? Is he using a breathing technique?" Giyu asked himself, clearly a bit shocked about what was transpiring. It was not normal for a simple person to be practiced and rather refined in a breathing technique. So, who was this boy?
With the remains of what he could use, Tanjirou started to charge towards Giyu, ready to strike him with his bare hands, twisting his body to avoid the slash Giyu was about to strike with.
However, instead, Giyu turned around, and Tanjirou quickly adapted. Twisting his entire body, he round-kicked Giyu, managing to strike him unexpectedly.
He quickly backed up, and threw a small rock in Giyu's direction, managing to pick up the rock while he round-kicked Giyu. Giyu then reflected the rock with his blade, and Tanjirou took the time to grab Giyu's blade.
Tanjirou then reared his head back, something Giyu noticed. He quickly moved his sword arm away and put his free one up to block Tanjirou's head. However, to his shock, Giyu's hand started to hurt upon impact with Tanjirou's head.
"That's a hard headbutt..." Giyu mumbled as he shrugged the pain off to the best of his abilities, whilst using his other hand and sword to strike Tanjirou.
Now, Tanjirou and Giyu were in a stalemate, a simple tug of war for the blade. Despite Tanjirou's fingers and hands being damaged by the sword embedded in him, he continued to fight, wanting to get Nezuko back.
Finally, Giyu seemed to see the point of the siblings. He was there when he observed both burying the body. So, he had already seen both siblings have a sense of self-control regarding their desire for human meat.
Now, both were showing willpower. Nezuko was a bit less because she was currently grabbed, but she was resisting, while the brother, Tanjirou continued to possess considerable willpower, and was fighting, like a human, rather than a demon, despite the appearance of a demon.
He wasn't trying to hit Giyu with the intention of eating or taking a bite out of him, but rather to protect the one he cared for... Just like demon slayers...
Giyu merely sliced apart Tanjirou's finger, separating himself from Nezuko.
"Nezuko!" Tanjirou yelled, which gave Giyu the opening to hit Tanjirou with the blade of his sword, knocking him out. Almost immediately, Nezuko kicked Giyu away, protecting Tanjirou's fallen body.
This confirmed Giyu's theory.
"There once was a case where a brother defended his demonic sister from a demon slayer, only to be eaten alive by his demon sister," Giyu thought to himself. "In this case, the brother has surprised me... Not only is he showing human instincts even under his demonic appearance, but he also seems to be adept with breathing styles... That one he showed... It's so foreign, but it radiates skill and tremendous energy usage..."
"Maybe these siblings could actually be different." Giyu thought as he charged and held his grip on Nezuko, knocking her out too.
After waiting for the two, Tanjirou woke up first, clearly hesitant to be near Giyu.
Without saying anything, Giyu went to the arm that Nezuko lost and gave it to her.
"It's easier to reattach limbs than to regrow new ones," Giyu explained, and Tanjirou nodded, taking the arm, and watching it reconnect each other to Nezuko's body. Giyu looked and saw within a second how Tanjirou's body reverted back to its human appearance.
"You swear on your life that you won't hurt nor harm any humans?" Giyu asked both Tanjirou and Nezuko, with a stern tone.
Tanjirou nodded firmly, clearly knowing his answer, "Yes, I promise."
He then turned to the sleeping Nezuko, "What about her?"
"What's up with her?" Giyu asked Tanjirou who sighed.
"I don't know if it's because of the transformation, but she hasn't been able to speak ever since," Tanjirou explained.
"And you can…" Giyu mumbled, questioning it. He did find it interesting but decided to continue with his journey.
"You both are lucky it was snowing and thus you were able to walk around. However, now you'll have to be careful about the sunlight. You both must only travel during nighttime unless you have a perfect wardrobe maybe." Giyu explained. "Even in your human-like appearances, demons cannot stand in the sun."
"Where are we going, Giyu?" Tanjirou asked the demon slayer, carrying his sleeping sister.
"I'm sending you to someone I know, and they'll take care of you two, tomorrow, I need to send a message." Giyu merely explained. "The both of you better get ready, we leave tonight. Regardless of the circumstances, I cannot let two new demons roam around unsupervised."
"Alright." Tanjirou nodded, seemingly understanding his logic, before he and Nezuko began to wander back to their home, getting everything, they found necessary.
That was when he noticed a couple of items. A book, a wardrobe, and hanufuda earrings.
Almost immediately, a memory of Tanjirou's played, and without hesitation, he took them, keeping them close to him, for the symbolism and importance they played in Tanjirou's mind and resilience.
"This is what kept me strong and resilient... I see what you mean father, with Hinokami..." Tanjirou thought... "But if my father is helping me, why did he hurt me like that...? This is so confusing..." Tanjirou sighed.
But alas, perhaps he could worry about it later.
"For now, I must first focus on trying to find out what the individual did to me... Why we're demons... If that guy was a demon... Then how do we hold him accountable...?" Why can't I remember his name?!" That was the frustrating part for Tanjirou.
He could have sworn he knew that person's name, for it felt familiar, and his presence felt familiar, but now he couldn't place his mind on it. Almost like something was dragging the answers away from him...
Once they managed to get everything they needed and wanted, Giyu began to lead them halfway toward the residence. However, something occurred.
"Caw! Reports of a demon at a nearby village 3km East of here! Giyu Tomioka is to report and observe the area." A crow, rather old, told Giyu who sighed and nodded.
"It seems I'm needed elsewhere, just follow the trail to the residence, I've told him to expect two individuals. Just make sure you stay out of the sunlight, alright?" Giyu explained, his stoic tone becoming more serious as he was in business mode. He was making quite the risk of letting two demons travel alone, but if his instincts were right, then everything would be fine.
Both Tanjiro and Nezuko nodded, and they quickly went their separate ways. Eventually, Nezuko woke up, and she began to follow Tanjirou blindly.
As they continued to head towards the residence, they have then encountered a phenomenon. They both found a deserted house, and both Nezuko and Tanjirou could tell a demon was around.
Tanjiro could smell it, and Nezuko could feel the heat from the demon. Both siblings began to run towards the building, and what they found, made them want to hurl up food that they couldn't have anymore.
"Eh?" The demon in question, who was eating some humans he had so causally killed just looked at them bored, "You want a slice?"
"No!" Tanjirou exclaimed before he began to shake. Not from the corpses, the demon sat on, but rather the causal nature this demon had before killing innocent humans.
It was surprisingly Nezuko who landed the first strike, a kick to the demon's head that separated it from his body.
"N-Nezuko… You just snapped its head off… Is it dead?" Tanjirou asked.
"Of course not you idiot!" The demon explained.
"H-How?!" Tanjirou exclaimed.
"Are you stupid?! The only way to kill demons is if you have those swords or by sunlight! A fight between two demons is stupid!" The demon exclaimed, and Tanjirou resisted the urge to snap, as he saw the demon's head reattach to its body.
"You shouldn't be eating humans! Especially whole families!" Tanjiro responded. Perhaps his own experience was clogging and influencing his mind, he wasn't sure. What he did know was that what this demon did and probably was doing now was the norm, and that was unforgivable to Tanjirou.
"Damnit, we need to do something else this demon keeps regenerating and overwhelms us!" Tanjirou exclaimed. But suddenly, he had an idea.
"Nezuko, deal with his body, I'll take his head away." Tanjirou quickly stated.
"You will do what with me you kids?" The demon asked, clearly challenging both individuals.
Tanjirou merely ignored the demon, as he went on the offensive, slashing the demon across the torso, maneuvering himself behind so that he can snap the head off, while Nezuko bounded onto the demon.
"What the! You little shits." The demon exclaimed as it merely kicked Tanjirou off him, whilst using its hands to overpower Nezuko.
"Damnit…" Tanjirou mumbled, "We need a better way to do this…"
Tanjirou looked around the house, trying to get something that could work. The most they may have been a small metal knife which was probably better than nothing.
Quickly getting the item, alongside some ropes, Tanjirou made his way out and towards the demon. Using the small knife, he managed, albeit struggled, to slice the demon's neck off.
It wouldn't kill without a Nichiren blade, but Tanjirou took the opportunity to grab the demon's head, whilst Nezuko again kicked the body on the other side of the house.
Tanjirou was about to then run outside, whilst the demon head was yelling profanities at Tanjirou, but another memory of his began to play.
"Oh, come on, this is how the demon overpowers their human counterpart. They eat them until they are no more."
And so, before Tanjirou knew it, he began to plunge his teeth into the side of the demon's head.
"What the hell are you doing? You're supposed to eat the humans! Not me!" The demon cried out in half shock and pain before he was no more. Tanjirou continued until the demon's head was no more.
Nezuko had done a good job at managing and keeping the body still. While Tanjirou continued to eat the demon's head, Nezuko used more materials than the house had in store. The result was now both the demon's body was tied up.
The demon's life would effectively be over once the sun started rising. However, Tanjirou had another quick way to end the demon's life.
And so, he continued to eat the demon's body, only stopping once he ate the arms, legs, and chest.
"We did it…" Tanjirou mumbled. He sighed, as the demon was clearly done for.
As the two went out and made their way more Southbound toward the peak of the mountain, they were interrupted.
"Where did the demon go?" The individual asked.
The most definite property of the stranger, Tanjirou could tell, was the mask they were wearing.
"Um... I ate him..." Tanjirou nodded.
This seemed to have surprised Urokodaki. "You what?! That's not how you kill demons, kid."
Tanjirou nodded, "I know, it's either through decapitation, some poisons, or sunlight. I ate the demon's head, while Nezuko tied the rest of him up so that I could eat him...The original plan was to wait to tie him until the sun came up..."
The stranger, for his part, looked rather impressed at his knowledge. But then again, the fact this individual ate the demon was beyond his expectation.
He then read the note Giyu had sent him.
"Dear Urokodaki,
"I'm writing this letter to you because of some strange occurrence I have encountered in my most recent mission. When traveling up a mountain, I encountered two demons burying their family. I witnessed the boy seemingly remember his memories, even stopping his sister from eating them. Eventually, even the sister managed to retain her sanity. Once I approached them, I was able to concur that they will not, nor kill any human beings, for I witnessed the most human, newly transformed demons that I've encountered. Both were injured by my nirichin blade, and yet, not once did they show any instance of being blood-thirsty, or wanting to eat human flesh.
The sister herself is remarkable, as she seemed to have lost any sense of demonic urges upon her brother's words reaching her. As for the brother, he too had retained his humanity and lost his demonic urges, but also during our fight, I noticed another strange, yet intriguing anomaly. The boy especially is able to switch between his human and demon appearances very fluently and shows almost no demonic presence.
The demon boy had begun to use a breathing technique. Whilst unknown to me exactly what it is, it is noteworthy enough to change the boy's battle spirit significantly. That, and their ability to retain their humanity has made me conclude there is something different and unique about these two siblings. The boy also seems to share the same keen sense of smell as you do.
Right now, he still is very weak, very naïve, and very unpolished in the world of demon slaying. As weird as it may be to allow two demons to become demon slayers, this is, tragically, the only acceptable path I can see for these siblings. Both are unpolished in the skill of the sword, but with your guidance, you may make them strong, and even find a way to turn them back into humans.
The demon boy looks ready, and the girl, whilst being mute right now, is both ready and willing to be stronger. Both of their willpower are there, and with that alone, and the small potential I can see from them, they may be able to accomplish many great things.
I hope you consider taking Tanjirou Kamado, and Nezuko Kamado, two demons who wish to be stronger and to retain, and convert back to their humanity, for if they want to achieve this goal, they will need to be stronger and perhaps may bond well with you. Until then, both individuals could be crucial in the fight against demons.
I currently have a mission and a Hashira meeting so I have let the two demon children travel on their own. I trust that they will be true to their words. I will return occasionally to observe the progress of both siblings.
Yours Truly,
Giyu Tomioka.
A.N / Fifth chapter is up. And this time, we're finally getting into the story. It was somewhat hard properly write down how Tanjirou will function as a demon, considering how different Nezuko acts, I wanted to make Tanjirou somewhat different, yet similar to other demons.
I currently have a plan for Tanjirou and Nezuko, specifically with their properties and blood demon art. I already have given Tanjirou the plan to be able to eat demons, however, this brings in the question about Genya.
This is particularly why I wanted to give Genya some more abilities to make up for the fact that Tanjirou kind of takes over his role. In the end, I will probably make him a tsukugo like Kanao, since I also wish the concept of tsukugo were used more often. If you guys have an idea with Genya, I'll gladly take it, for I want to make every character dynamic and unique on their own.
The final thing I want to mention is Tanjirou's memories. I wanted to wait until we got to the scene of Tamayo, but I'll explain a bit now. Essentially, Tanjirou lost most of his memories in association with Muzan. This includes the situation with Tanjirou and the connection between him and his father. And so, I feel this makes a nice mental battle for Tanjirou, especially with his demonic side still prevalent, in a suppressed and dormant-like stage. Kind of like how demon's remember their human memories before their death.
Character Profile:
Tanjirou Kamado: Male, 13 years old.
Status: Alive, Demon. Height: 5'5" (165cm) Weight: 114Ibs Appearance Change: Flaming marks across his face.Nezuko Kamado: Female, 12 years old.
Status: Alive, Demon. Height: 5'1" (155cm) Weight: 102Ibs Appearance Change: Vine-like pink marks across her arms and legs.Kie Kamado: Female, 34 years old.
Status: Dead, Human. CoD: Murdered by Muzan.Takeo Kamado: Male, 10 years old.
Status: Dead, Human. CoD: Murdered by Muzan.Hanako Kamado: Female, 7 years old.
Status: Dead, Human. CoD: Murdered by Muzan.Shigeru Kamado: Male, 5 years old.
Status: Dead, Human. CoD: Murdered by Muzan.Rokuta Kamado: Male, 2 years old.
Status: Dead, Human. CoD: Hypothermia, Murdered by Muzan.Giyu Tomioka: Male, 18 years old.
Status: Alive, Human Height: 5'10" (178cm) Weight: 155Ibs.Sakonji Urokodaki: Male, unknown age.
Status: Alive, Human Height: 5'8" (172cm) Weight: 140 IbsAbilities:
Giyu Tomioka:
Water Breathing, First Form: Water Surface Slash – user crosses their arms to generate momentum to release a concentrated, horizontal slash.
Water Breathing, Fifth Form: Blessed Rain After the Drought – by changing the grip on the handle, to decapitate the opponent with a single, flowing strike. The strike causes little to no pain and is called a sword strike of kindness when the enemy willingly surrenders.
Emotional Suppression (Potential Selfless State): Giyu has the uncanny ability to suppress his emotions under stressful situations. While this doesn't give him the ability to enter a selfless state, it does allow him to be more focused in the heat of a battle.
Tanjirou Kamado:
Demon Consumption: As an alternative way to replenish energy and suppress his demonic urges, Tanjirou can eat the flesh or other demons. He can usually eat demons' bodies until a halfway mark before the demons will be dead. In the meantime, the only effect of Tanjirou eating demon flesh, for now, is gaining energy. It is too early to see if there are any other effects of demon consumption.
Extraordinary Willpower
Demonic Physique: Unfortunately, because Tanjirou beat his demonic counterpart for control of his body and mind, his advanced physical attributes of strength, endurance, and regeneration is limited compared to other demons. This is mitigated when he is in his demonic form, however, even then, his physical attributes are more advanced than that of a human, and can match that of a Hashira's own physical attributes.
Nezuko Kamado:
Demonic Physique: Unlike Tanjirou, Nezuko maintains the traditional physical attributes of a demon. Even then, this causes a large amount of energy consumption, that requires her to sleep most of the time. Whilst stronger than Tanjirou, she also is more mentally unstable due to her demonic nature.