It took a full two months for Kagami, Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke's wounds to heal. Their broken bones and fractured ribs were finally completely healed. Not to mention the fractured skull and fist-sized bump Tanjiro gave to Inosuke finally recovered and mended. Inosuke refused to remove the boar mask from his head throughout the entire duration of their stay in the mansion because of said-bruise, but it was good for Kagami to feel almost brand new.
Once they got the okay from the doctor who had checked their wounds, bones, and bodies, they were relieved and excited to finally be on their way.
As they were packing up and getting ready to leave the next morning, Zenitsu, blushing red, giving flowers as a tribute to Nezuko's box, Tanjiro's Kasugai crow had flown into the mansion and landed in his hands. Flapping its wings, it announced, "Northeast! Northeast! Your next mission is north-northeast! The four of you are to go to Mount Natagumo! Make your way there posthaste!"
They all looked at each other curiously, not having heard of a Mount Natagumo, but hurried on leaving the mansion. With their Demon Slayer Corps uniforms fixed and clean, their swords sharpened and shining, they thanked the old woman for her hospitality, kindness, and generosity, before turning to make their way down the path towards Mount Natagumo. Kagami wondered what could be lingering in the dark forests, but it must've been demon related.
For Inosuke… anything is demon-related.
As the old woman was striking sparks at their backs for good luck using two rocks, Inosuke immediately raced up to her, screaming at the top of his lungs, "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, OLD HAG?!" with his leg raised!
Tanjiro immediately grabbed Inosuke from behind him, holding the ferocious beast boy back, as Kagami and Zenitsu stood in front of the old woman protectively, looking horrified and in disbelief at Inosuke's manners! At that point, she shouldn't be surprised Inosuke would find that threatening and intimidating! That boy couldn't know the difference between friend from foe, rabbit from lizard, or flower from leaf! He took everything and anything as an enemy!
"Stop that, you idiot!" Zenitsu screamed angrily at him.
"What did you say?!" Inosuke growled.
Kagami flicked Inosuke's fore-head, earning a small grunt and 'huh' from him, exclaiming, "It's a purification ritual, you dummy! She's striking sparks for good luck on our dangerous journey!"
Once Inosuke finally calmed down, fists on his waist, Kagami, Tanjiro, and Zenitsu let out a small sigh, their eyes still staring pointedly at him from their peripheral vision. They stood in front of the old woman once again. She seemed unfazed and unbothered by Inosuke's sense of impatience and distrust in everyone he sees.
"Always live your lives with great pride. I wish you luck in battle," She finished with a head bow.
All of them, except Inosuke, gave her a head bow back and took off running.
They ran in silence heading towards north-northeast just as the Kasugai crow had spoken. Only the sound of their heavy footsteps pushing into and off the ground echoed and vibrated in the air. She could feel the heavy tension between them all, the fear and the nervousness of that could be lingering in the dark forests. Whatever they'll find there can't be too good if all four of them were requested to go and immediately. Even then, she doubted Inosuke was feeling any fear to begin with. The boy yearns and demands for fights from anyone and anything.
Inosuke, running behind them, growled, ""Great pride"? "Luck in battle"? What does that mean?"
Looking behind her, Kagami tried to grasp if Inosuke was messing with them… or if he was actually clueless on what the old woman meant. He was looking right at them, as if expecting an answer, so she guesses he is being serious!
"It's difficult to explain," Tanjiro began from the front, "I guess it means to understand your position and to behave properly so that you're never ashamed of yourself. The old woman is also praying for our safety."
"Eh?" She heard Inosuke grunt out in confusion. Inosuke only ran up closer to them, his confusion and impatience becoming clearer, asking them, "So, what is this "position"? And why would I be ashamed? What does it mean to "behave properly"? Why is that old hag even praying for our safety? She has nothing to do with us, so what is her game, huh?! She has no idea where we stand, does she? Maybe she should worry about her own hand!"
Tanjiro, annoyed and frustrated, began to speed up his running. He moved faster than all of them, leaving them behind in the dust!
Kagami wanted to follow suit but she turned her head, staring daggers at Inosuke's mask. "It just means she cares about us," Kagami huffed out in annoyance, her head reeling from all of his questions. "You'll understand once you grasp the concept of honor, dignity, and pride. For now, just know that the old woman cares. Just like how we care about each other."
With that, she sped up, too.
She trailed Tanjiro, hearing, "Is this a race?! I won't let you win!" Inosuke scream from behind her, and Zenitsu begging, "Wait for me! Please, guys!" from behind them all.
It took them the entire day to reach Mount Natagumo. The sun that had met them in the morning was long gone by the time they stopped at the foothill of the mountain. It was large with a thick dense forest surrounding it, but everything about it unnerved Kagami. It was dark, she couldn't hear any bugs chirping or singing in the wind, any birds finding shelter for the night, and the moon was hidden away behind thick clouds. The auras and air surrounding it and coming from within was so sharp and thin, she felt it was cutting right through her skin. She sensed something else, too. Something innocent mixed along with something… not so pure.
It was unlike anything she's ever felt before. She thought Kyogai's aura was powerful, threatening, and thick, but this one was on a completely different level. What Kyogai had felt like, it was no match for whatever is lurking and hiding within the forest. Whatever it is, she, Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke will bring it down and kill it.
"Everyone, we need to pause here!" Zenitsu declared loudly with a determined face.
"Is there something wrong?" Tanjiro asked him worriedly looking back and forth between the boy and the mountain looming behind them.
Zenitsu had suddenly cowered on the ground, his arms wrapped around his legs bringing his knees up to his chest, with tears and snot streaming down his face. "I'm nervous, okay?!" He shrieked loudly. "Now that we're nearing our destination, I'm so scared!"
Inosuke only scoffed, "Why the hell is he sitting like that? Pretty weird, if you ask me."
"Who are you to talk to me about weird, Pig Head?!" Zenitsu screamed. Pointing a shaky finger back at the mountain, he whimpered, "Don't tell me you're not sensing anything at all from that mountain!"
They all glanced back at the mountain, and still felt the threatening aura surrounding it.
"You can't really expect us to sit here and do nothing about it, Zenitsu. We have a job to do, no matter if it's creepy or not, " Kagami huffed placing a hand on her hip.
"I told you this guy is an odd duck," Inosuke sighed out.
Zenitsu's shaky finger aimed at Inosuke, screaming, "I am not an odd duck! I am completely normal! It's you guys that are the strange ones!"
Kagami nearly huffed and scoffed down at him for being a coward again. He didn't realize it but they were all terrified, with Inosuke as an exception maybe. She knows if she goes in there she might not ever come back out. The mountain was containing something dark, ominous, and extremely dangerous. The aura said it enough but the wind and air were so thin and suffocating it wanted to make her run. Except, she can't and she won't. Whatever is in there needs to be vanquished and it's their job to do it.
Tanjiro whipped his head around towards the mountain, his body tensing and stiffening up. "What is… that smell?" He choked out before running closer towards the mountain.
He forced them all to catch up to him, running down the path closer and closer to the mountain's, when they suddenly stopped in their tracks. In confusion, worry, or disbelief, they gasped and stared at what was laying on the dirt path. Wearing black clothing, a sword in their hand, and blood dripping down their fore-head staining his cheek and hand, they realized it was a Demon Slayer! His body was shaking, weak, and choking out blood.
He weakly picked up his head, tears running down his face, an aura mixed with terror and fear emitting from him, as he choked out, "Help me… Please, help me…" softly.
"He's a Demon Slayer," Kagami gasped out.
They immediately raced up, Kagami and Tanjiro bending down to grab him and help him up, but they quickly took a few steps back when something happened. His body was suddenly launched from their grasps and into the air, flying straight back into the forest of Mount Natagumo!
"AH! They were attached to me, too!" The boy cried out in terror. "Help me!" He begged of them, reaching an out-of-reach hand towards them, before disappearing into the trees.
They watched, paralyzed with fear, and waited for something to happen. Zenitsu's hands covered his whimpering and shaking mouth, Inosuke looking within with his fists on his waist, with Tanjiro and Kagami watching the trees with wavering eyes and pounding hearts. No sound came from within the forest; no scream, cries, or sounds of a struggle. It was completely quiet, save for the wind blowing softly through the leaves of the trees.
The boy's aura had faded and faded along with him, but she could still sense it. She could find him in time before he was killed—.
A cord snapped within Kagami. The aura and air of the boy she had been sensing and feeling… was cut off abruptly. He was dead. He was… killed.
A life was taken from him… I will not let it happen again.
Taking a large deep breath and one step forward, Kagami declared, "I'm going in," to her friends.
She grunted when someone brushed past her shoulder harshly. Her pointed glare landed on Inosuke who walked a few steps ahead of the group with his back straight and arms flexed. He then announced, loud and proud, his arms crossing his body to hold onto the hilt of his swords, with a growl, "I'll head in first. You can stay behind me trembling like a scared little animal. This is making me hungry."
Kagami and Tanjiro exchanged glances before shrugging.
"AHAHA! Let's go!" Inosuke screamed into the air before taking off into the forest with Kagami and Tanjiro hot on his trail.
They marched forward through the mountain without looking back. It was dark, creepy, and outright terrifying, but they continued on. The presence of death, fear, and terror was almost overwhelming. Except, she couldn't see anything. There were no bugs, no animals of the forest floor moving around, or any more Demon Slayers who were trapped within. She also couldn't find the body of the Demon Slayer who was tragically killed minutes ago. Where did he go? She couldn't help but feel a drip of fear pour into her stomach.
Inosuke stopped walking and glanced down at his hands. Kagami looked over his shoulder and saw tendrils of spider webs hanging off the tips of his fingers. "What is this?" He growled.
Kagami looked all around her and realized almost every part of the forest was covered in spiderwebs. A giant spider laid on a web they created, but… Kagami has never seen a spider with a pattern like it had before. The spider's eight legs were predominately white with the occasional black stripes, as well as its abdomen but decorated with 3 large red dots.
"Spider-webs?" Tanjiro mumbled out in confusion.
Inosuke growled, keeping his hands up in the air, and scoffed, "Jeez, this place is full of them! As far as the eye can see! What a pain!" He then proceeded to shake his hands up and down in the air violently to rid himself of the spider-web tendrils.
"Inosuke…" Tanjiro began to speak but Inosuke huffed at him.
He lifted his arms up in a fighting stance, demanding, "What do you want?" from him.
"I appreciate this," Tanjiro spoke smiling. "When you said that you'd go with Kagami, I was relieved. I bet she was, too."
"Huh?" Inosuke grunted out confused but Kagami turned bright red, shrieking, "EH?!" at his words.
Tanjiro smiled and chuckled at their reactions. "That twisted and ominous scent I was picking up from the mountain… I was little scared. I could tell Kagami was frightened by the aura and air the mountain from producing from within. Truth is, we're all scared of this place. Except, you seem the bravest out of all of us. Having you here makes me feel a lot better. I know Kagami appreciates it, too. So, thank you."
Kagami blushed even harder and couldn't bring herself to look at Inosuke.
What Tanjiro spoke was the truth. The truth she was hoping that would never be revealed! She was annoyed that Inosuke thought they were all too weak to enter the forest of the mountain by themselves, but she also really glad. To enter alone, with nothing but her wits and instincts to keep her alive, while something targeting Demon Slayers was out there, terrified her to the core. If it wasn't for Inosuke volunteering to go first, and to lead the way, she wouldn't have been able to withstand the darkness by herself.
Forcing herself to look at Inosuke, still blushing hard as ever, she mumbled, "He's… right. Thank you, Inosuke."
Looking at her and Tanjiro, Kagami saw small white bubbles of pleasure leaves his mask nostrils with a throaty sigh of giddiness leave his mouth. She let a small grin form on her lips and she chuckled.
"Inosuke, look," Tanjiro suddenly mumbled quietly looking at their side.
They both turned around to see a Demon Slayer walking through the grass, his back hunched over and his feet dragging slowly through the dirt. The three of them glanced at each other before moving in. They carefully walked up to him, his head moving back and forth rapidly, sweat beading down his face, with his hand clenched tightly around the hilt of his sword. His body was shaking as he knelt on the floor, looking all around him. He didn't seem to have noticed them.
Tanjiro softly laid a hand on his shoulder and the boy whipped around in fright, yelping in fear. When he saw it was them, he almost let out a sigh.
"We've come to help," Tanjiro whispered. "I'm Tanjiro Kamado, this is Kagami Yamato and Inosuke Hashibira. We're Rank Mizunoto."
The boy looked at them, confused, as he repeated, "Mizunoto?" Then, his face hardened into a glare, scowling, "Are you serious? They should've sent us a Hashira! No matter how many Mizunoto they send, it won't help! It's pointless—!"
They gasped when a fist suddenly connected into the boy's face.
"Inosuke, no!" Tanjiro chastised him but he only blew it off.
"Ah, shut up!" He growled before walking forward and grabbing the boy's hair, even as Kagami and Tanjiro tried to hold him back! "The only thing I see around here that's not enough is this sputtering pool of sweat in front of me! Now, how about you tell us what is going on here."
The boy was nervous but held his composure against Inosuke. "Who the hell do you think you're talking to? Did you forget that I have seniority?" He yelped out, blood dripping down his nose and mouth. His hands wrapped themselves on Inosuke's wrist, trying to pull free from his harsh grip, explaining, "The crow gave us orders to come to this place. And ten of us Demon Slayers gathered here. Not long after we entered the mountain, that's when it started. The slayers began killing each other! I… I… was so…"
He couldn't continue talking. He was shaking to the core and tears fell down from his eyes. It was obvious he ran away from the slaughter.
What confused Kagami was why the Demon Slayers turned and began to kill each other. What caused them to turn against their members, comrades, and friends? What was lingering in the forest that will turn everyone against each other? Will they come under its spell?
Zenitsu had stayed on the ground, holding himself, as he stared into the sky, his tears long dry but his heart aching.
Do the others hate me? Would someone normally leave their friend behind by the roadside? Wouldn't you talk him through it if you were friends? If the three of them had tried to convince me to go, I would've. I'm sure of it. But no, off they went on their merry way up that scary mountain. Leaving poor little me all alone…
CHIRP! CHIRP!
He glanced down and saw his sparrow sitting beside him, looking up and chirping at him.
Zenitsu grinned slightly and only sighed out down to the little bird, "You don't have a care in the world, do you? You don't understand a thing about humans, do you?"
The sparrow suddenly launched itself at him and bite down on his hand!
"Ow, ow, ow!" Zenitsu shrieked waving it off of him. That freaky bird just bit him! What the heck?! Pointing a shaky finger at his sparrow who was flapping its wings angrily at him, he screamed, "You're not cute at all! I mean it! Especially that side of you! Seriously, not at all!" He grabbed the bird, held it in his hands, and cried to it, even when its head was turned away from him in anger, "I mean, look how cute Nezuko is, and she's a demon! But you're a sparrow, and you're so vicious!"
Then, it clicked in his head.
Nezuko… demon… box… Tanjiro… HE RAN INTO THE FOREST WITH HIS NEZUKO!
"AHH! He took Nezuko with him!" Zenitsu screamed into the air with anger and disbelief. "Why did he have to go and take my precious Nezuko with him?! Damn you, Tanjiro! Don't take a young girl like her into danger! Idiot! Idiot! Idiot! I'll save you, NezukoooOOO!" He screeched racing and running as fast as he could into the forest of Mount Natagumo.
The only thing on his mind: SAVING HIS PRECIOUS NEZUKO!
Kagami and the others gasped hearing some sort of rattling noise emitting from the trees.
"What is it?" Tanjiro mumbled out much to their confusion and fright.
The boy, who called himself Murata, suddenly shook in his spot, his eyes growing dark, and his hands gripping the hilt of his sword shakily. "Not again," He yelped much to their dismay. "I've heard this sound before. It was the sound the moment before everyone started to kill each other! But where is it coming from?"
They listened carefully, not moving, and waited for something to happen.
Then, something began to move from the forest beside them. They turned and watched to their horror as multiple Demon Slayers began to stumble out of the forest towards them! Blood dripped from their mouths, their hair hiding their eyes beneath, but the ones whose eyes were revealed looked as if they were dead. All of them each had their Nichirin Swords firmly grasped in their hands. They suddenly moved forward and attacked them!
All four of them moved quickly. They jumped backwards and sideways avoiding their attacks! Murata wasn't lying, these Demon Slayers are attacking their own members!
Kagami watched, confused, terrified, and in disbelief, as the Demon Slayer who attacked her had strangely raised his arms up. They raised elbow first, their left hand shaking and wobbling to grab the hilt of their sword, before lurching towards her using his back instead of his feet! It was as if she was witnessing a puppet show!
Inosuke jumped backwards with a maniacal laugh. "Are these guys morons or something? They don't know that it's taboo for us Demon Slayers to fight each other!" He laughed.
"No, that isn't it!" Kagami spoke up jumping away from a flying sword. "Look at how they're moving, it's strange! It looks as if they're being controlled!"
Tanjiro ducked under a sword and gasped, "You're right! But from what?"
Inosuke, to their horror, unraveled the bandages wrapped around his jagged-edged duel-wielding Nichirin Swords with a cackle. "Here we go! I'm going to cut them to pieces!" He announced brandishing his swords.
"No, you can't do that!" Tanjiro protested. "They're alive! At least some of them are! Besides, we can't harm the corpses of our comrades!"
Inosuke turned his attention away from the Demon Slayers and towards Tanjiro. He dug his feet into the ground, growling, "Listen you, stop denying me at every turn!" before launching himself towards him! He sent his body, boar mask first, spiraling into Tanjiro's abdomen, forcing him to choke back a gasp and toppling both of them into the ground.
Murata clashed swords with a Demon Slayer, trying to deflect the blow, when two more Demon Slayers tried to ambush him from behind. Swiftly, the three of them forced the Demon Slayers on the ground but Tanjiro let out an audible gasp. Without delay, he slashed his sword down on the Demon Slayer but only swiped at the air behind his back. They watched the Demon Slayer suddenly fall back on the ground and not move another muscle.
"It's threads! They're being controlled by threads!" Tanjiro announced.
Kagami unsheathed her sword, lighting it aflame, and cut at the threads she couldn't see tied to the Demon Slayers backs. Eyes widened, she watched as her flame caught the threads on fire and sent it burning into the trees. Inosuke jumped high into the air, launching himself over the large group of Demon Slayers, and slashed widely with a laugh. All of the Demon Slayers fell to the ground no longer moving.
"I already knew about that before you caught on!" Inosuke scoffed but Tanjiro wasn't paying attention.
He grabbed at his nose, wincing and groaning at whatever he was smelling, but Kagami noticed something weird on her arm. Two tiny spiders with the same pattern she had seen on the bigger one before crawled on her arm. It was making small threads across her arm, hand, and fingertips, when her limb was suddenly tugged away from her body!
She gasped and quickly slashed the threads away!
"I get it. It's the spiders connecting the puppet strings to the users. But there are so many of them, so that means…," Kagami mumbled to herself and looked up.
The Demon Slayers they had just freed moments ago were once again moving! The spiders must've reattached the strings on their bodies when they weren't paying attention! They stood on their feet, their bodies twisted and contorted from the strings, and their swords raised above their heads! The spiders will only continue to make more threads and keep the Demon Slayers attacking each other! There's only one thing to do.
"It's the spiders!" Kagami exclaimed racing to her friends side. "Don't let them touch you! They connect the strings and make you into puppets! The Demon Slayers won't stop attacking us until we kill the demon who is using them for their sick game!"
Tanjiro suddenly grabbed at his nose again, groaning in disgust and agony, while Inosuke chuckled, "So, all we gotta do is kill those damn spiders, huh?"
"No, Kagami is right!" Tanjiro exclaimed shaking his head. "The spiders are too small and too many. We need to find the demon that is controlling them!"
"Gotcha!" Inosuke replied but continued stabbing the spiders into the ground anyway!
Kagami groaned at him and tried to sense the aura of the demon that was controlling the Demon Slayers like puppet, but found she couldn't. The horrible aura of something foul, sharp, and powerful, as well as malicious, was covering the entire forest and her surroundings. Whatever she felt before was completely hidden beneath the stronger one. No doubt Tanjiro was having the same trouble with his nose! It was meant to keep them from finding the demon responsible for that mess!
"Inosuke, please, if you have a power that can pinpoint the location of the demon, do it now!" Kagami begged clashing swords with her fellow controlled Demon Slayers. "Murata, Tanjiro, and I will continue cutting the threads of the Demon Slayers until you can do so. Until then, we—huh?" Kagami had issued out orders but stopped when a shadow casted over her vision, the moon that had revealed itself in the darkness was suddenly hidden once again.
She looked up and her eyes widened.
Floating in mid-air above them stood a young boy. He was short, his skin white as snow decorated with red dots, his hair light pink and curled around his face like spider-legs, and one of his eyes was hidden by his hair but she could see the red sclera and pale blue irises from the other. He wore a large white robe decorated with black spider-webs, the collar holding more red dots. He stared down at them with a blank but disturbing look on his face. He was no doubt a demon, but definitely not the one controlling their comrades.
"I will not let you disturb my family's peaceful life," He huffed down at them. His voice was quiet, calm, but demanding.
Tanjiro mumbled, "He has to be standing on threads," from beside her.
What does he mean by 'family'?
"Mother will kill you all right away," He spoke kind of aloof but it still disturbed Kagami to the core.
Before Kagami and Tanjiro could ask any questions, as to who his mother was or his family, Inosuke jumped off the back of a nearby controlled Demon Slayer. He launched himself high into the air towards the demon boy and slashed upwards… only to miss by mere centimeters. The demon boy didn't look troubled or frightened at Inosuke's confidence to slash him, in fact, he looked ready to see Inosuke fail to reach him. As Inosuke fell to the ground, the demon calmly walked away from them.
"Damn you!" Inosuke cursed at him. "Where the hell do you think you're going?! Fight me! Fight—AH!" His back slammed into the ground, Kagami asking, "Are you alright?" from beside him. He quickly sat up, growling, "Why did he even show up anyway?!"
"That kid probably isn't the demon pulling the puppet strings! We can't focus on him now!" Tanjiro explained deflecting another blow from another controlled Demon Slayer.
"Okay, okay, okay! I get it, all right?" Inosuke growled slicing off more threads then jabbing his swords into the ground. "You want me to find where that demon's at, right? Shut up about it already, Forehead!"
He swiftly knelt down, his arms raised outwards from his sides, mumbling low into himself, "Beast Breathing, Seventh Form, Spatial Awareness."
Kagami, Tanjiro, and Murata protected Inosuke from the controlled Demon Slayers as he worked. She has never heard of Beast Breathing before. Then again, she didn't know anything about Demon Slayers or her Dragon Breathing until she met Mr. Urokodaki. As they cut the threads off, dodging the blades of the controlled Demon Slayers, Inosuke finally picked his head up.
"I found you, you demon!" He growled with a maniacal laugh.
Finally! They just need to find the demon and put an end to it, saving them and their fellow Demon Slayers lives!