As Tanjuro stared down at his body, it really hit him that he and his Wife could have died. Tears welled up in his bright red eyes. As he tried to figure out how exactly this had happened, he could hear his children crying in the house, as his two eldest cleaned up there Mother. He knew that it was hard for his youngest children to understand. His Wife had been a human just the night before. She was busy making them dinner, and fussing over his frail health. And now, they were Demons, and he didn't know if Kie would ever wake up.
He had no idea how to cope with such a sudden and massive change in his life. And so, he didn't think about it, pushing those thoughts to the back of his mind. Suddenly a shriek from Nezuko caught his attention, and he ran back towards the house. What he saw when he looked inside made his heart stop beating (not that he was sure that it was actually still beating in the first place). His Wife, who hadn't moved a muscle since last night, was laying on top of Nezuko, and trying to bite her. The only thing keeping her from doing so, was Tanjiro, who was trying to keep her head away from his little Sister.
"KIE!" Tanjuro screamed, realising at once what was going on. His Wife really had been turned into a Demon, just like him. But for some reason, she wasn't in control of herself as much. Or her hunger was just too great. Tanjuro himself could feel the hunger beginning to creep up on him, but somehow, being out in the sun helped make it more bearable. He rushed into the house, tacking his Wife off of their Daughter, and holding her down, "Kie, stop! That's our daughter! It's Nezuko!" he cried.
He was forced to throw his Wife against the wall, when she wouldn't stop reaching for Nezuko. His Oldest daughter seemed to be in shock, as she just lay on the floor, "Mom" she whispered, but Tanjuro heard her clearly. He looked over at the rest of the house, and saw Hanako cowering in the corner, "Hanako, get out of the house! Take Nezuko and get over to Tanjiro!" he cried. But the little girl seemed to be having a panic attack, unable to understand that the Mother she thought she had lost had attacked her. "Why did Mommy, try to hurt me? She wouldn't, Mommy wouldn't do that" she whimpered, shaking on the floor. Kie had recovered by then, and this time she lunged at Hanako.
Tanjuro grabbed and slammed her back into the wall, as his Wife thrashed in his arms, "Hanako, Nezuko, run!" he ordered sharply. His voice must have brought Nezuko back to her senses, as she came over and grabbed her baby Sister in her arms, pulling her away from their Mother, who was snarling and reaching for them with clawed hands around her Husband. As soon as he was sure that his daughters were out of danger, Tanjuro turned his attention back to Kie, wrapping his arms around her, and holding her in place. "Kie! Those are our children! You have to stop! You have to try and remember!" he cried, bright flames exploded between them and their children, keeping them back. The flames of his Hinokami Kagura.
Kie suddenly stopped struggling, as they danced around her. She watched them as if mesmerized. "Kie" her husband said softly. The female Demon turned her attention from the flames to him, her eyes widening. Her mouth dropped open. "T-Tan-Tan-" she tried, struggling to pronounce him name. He cupped her cheek, although her skin was so pale, her purple eyes cloudy, and the tips of her black hair were silver, it was her, his beloved Wife. "It's me love. I'm here. It's okay" Tanjuro said softly, before they hugged.
Then she looked over his shoulder. Upon seeing her children outside, she ran out to hold them, tears welling up in her eyes. However, the sun was still out, and the moment her fingertips touched the sunlight, she felt an agonising burning sensation explode throughout her whole body. Kie shrieked in pain, stumbling back as her arms filled with burns, her skin turning black and flaky. The horrified cries of her family mixed into one, and everyone ran into the house, where their Mother was crying in pain in a darkened corner. "I don't get it! That didn't happen to Father!" Tanjiro cried, as his younger Siblings tried to somehow help their Mother.
After several agonising minutes, their Mother's burns faded like they hadn't even been there. "Mommy!" Hanako cried, throwing herself at her with tears in her eyes. Kie caught the little girl automatically, staring at her with a blank look on her face. But she still wrapped her arms around her youngest daughter, and kissed her forehead like she used to when she was human. "Kie" Tanjuro said, moving to hug his Wife as well, being carful of the 8-year-old girl between them. Cautiously, their other children moved towards them and joined in the hug. "Mom, Father" Tanjiro sobbed, clutching onto both of them as tightly as he could.
Tanjuro couldn't believe that they were all alive. Even if he and his Wife had been changed by that man who'd attacked them, they were still the Kamado parents. And they still loved all of their children so much.
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After everyone had exhausted themselves crying, literally in the case of Rokuta, Tanjuro tried to decide what they should do next. "I think we should go to see that Urokodaki person. But first," he took the muzzle Giyu had given him out of his Haori, "I think I should give this to your Mother" Tanjuro said, cradling his youngest in his arms. Tanjiro and Nezuko were talking with their Father, while the younger kids were either with Kie, or cleaning the house. "Why?" Nezuko asked in confusion. "You saw what happened back there. Kie wasn't in control of herself. She barely managed to regain control before she killed you Nezuko.
What happens if we're around other humans, and her hunger takes over? She'll eat them, and then be killed by a Demon Slayer. I don't feel any hunger for human flesh. But your Mother obviously does. She needs this more than I do". Tanjiro looked down, unsure, but Nezuko nodded, "alright, makes sense" she agreed. Tanjiro snapped his gaze up to his younger Sister, "Nezuko, she's our Mother! It's not right to muzzle her like a dog!" he cried. "She's a man-eating Demon Tanjiro, and she can clearly barely control herself. Do you want her to eat someone, then get killed by Demon Slayers?" Nezuko asked him.
Tanjiro bit his lip and looked down, "well, no, I don't. *sigh* Fine. Put it on her. If it will help keep Mom alive, then I guess I don't mind" he replied begrudgingly. As their Father left to put the muzzle on his Wife, Tanjiro looked up at his Sister again, "we were really lucky that things turned out this way huh?" he asked softly. Nezuko nodded, "yeah, we were. It could have been a lot worse. Imagine if we had all been at home last night" then shuddered at the thought. Tanjiro sighed, then looked around, well, I guess we should start packing things up, and get one of our baskets to carry Mom in" he said, standing up.
His 11-year-old Sister nodded, "right. The faster we become Demon Slayers, the sooner we can look for curse for Mom and Dad" Nezuko agreed. As they started packing everything they wanted to keep, their Father came back holding their Mother's hand as she stared at them both with blank eyes and the muzzle in her mouth. Tanjuro helped his children pack, among those items being his ceremonial robes for the Hinokami Kagura, (just because he was a Demon now didn't mean he wasn't going to give there thanks to the Sun God this New Year) their family's records and all off their saved up money.
They also packed all their clothes. After putting everything in the cart, Tanjiro started looking for something to carry their Mother in, so she wouldn't burn to death. He eventually decided on the basket they used to carry Charcoal down the mountain. "Hey Mom? I don't know if you can, but do you think you could try and shrink to fit in here? We can carry you. Come on Mom. Get smaller for me" Tanjiro said, holding the basket up for his Mother to see. Tanjuro watched, as, uncomprehending, Kie stepped into the much too small for her basket. "Hey Kie" he said, making his Wife look up at him with her dull purple eyes. He pointed to Rokuta, still in his arms, who was clinging onto his Haori, "can you make yourself as small as Rokuta? Come on Kie, I know you can do it" Tanjuro said.
The black and orange-haired Demon looked down at the toddler in her Husband's arms, before beginning to shrink down. Soon she was the same size as the 2-year-old boy. "Wow! You're so cute Mom! Great job!" Tanjiro said, patting his Mother on the head, like she was one of his younger Siblings. The younger kids giggled at how cute their Mother looked, like she was there younger Sister, while Tanjiro grabbed things to cover the basket with. "That Demon Slayer seemed to imply that most Demons die in the sun, unlike Father. So we have to make sure Mom is covered completely" he explained, as he put a smaller basket used to carry clothes in on top of the other basket, before tying a sheet around the whole thing.
"That should work. But I hope Mom can breathe in there" Nezuko said worriedly. "I'm not sure we need to anymore" Tanjuro muttered to himself, as his children finished packing everything they would need. He grabbed the axe Takeo used to chop firewood, and handed it to Tanjiro, "just in case" he said. Tanjiro nodded. Then, with one last look back at their home, the family left it behind. "We'll come back someday guys. Don't worry" Nezuko assured, as Shigeru sniffled, missing it already. Nezuko had Rokuta wrapped up on her back, and the two-year-old was fast asleep, the day's events too much for such a young mind. The family bypassed the Village, going around it, so no one could stop them and ask questions.
"I wonder how long it will take us to get to this Mount Sagiri?" Tanjiro asked himself. "I don't know. But, hopefully this Urokodaki accepts us" his Father replied.
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They had been traveling for hours now, the sun beginning to set behind the horizon. "I think we should ask for directions Father. We don't want to get lost, with man-eating Demons running around at night" Nezuko suggested. As they came up to a house, where a young boy was playing outside. "Yes, I think you're right Nezuko" Tanjuro replied calmly, as he walked over to the house. A woman was just coming out of it, when she saw them, "oh my. What are all of you doing on the road so late?' she asked, as her Son stopped to look at the strangers.
"Good Evening Ma'am. My children and I are heading to Mount Sagiri, but we're not sure of the way. Do you know how to get there by any chance?" Tanjuro asked politely. "Mount Sagiri? At this time of day? But you have so many children, and not to mention all this luggage. It's not safe to be out at night" the woman said worriedly. "Don't worry Ma'am. I promise, I will not allow anyone to harm my children" Tanjuro replied with a soft smile. "Yeah, Father's amazing! Just a few nights ago, he killed a giant bear that had eaten three people with two strikes of his Axe! I saw it!" Tanjiro cried, proud of how strong their Father was, even when he was human and dying.
"Oh my! You must be extremely strong then! My apologies' young man. Stay safe on your journey" the woman said to Tanjuro, bowing. Tanjuro bowed back, "and the same to you Ma'am. I hope you and your family stay safe" he said, before he began pulling the Cart again. "I didn't know you were still thinking about that Tanjiro" the Kamado Patriarch said as they walked passed the woman's house. "Well, it was amazing, I hope I can learn how to do that. I have to protect our family, no matter what" Tanjiro replied firmly. Tanjuro placed his hand on his son's head, "now, now, I'm still the head of this family, and your Father. If anyone is going to be protecting you children, it's your Mother and I" he replied gently, with a warm smile.
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It was now nighttime, and Kie was out of her basket. She was carrying Rokuta now, and the two-year-old was thankfully asleep again after all of their children ate. Tanjuro was glad that Rokuta was eating solids now. He was sure that his Wife wouldn't have been able to produce milk anymore as a Demon. Tanjiro walked up to his side, catching his attention, "Father, I smell blood. Nearby" he whispered. Tanjuro looked up at the Temple they were walking past. The pupils of his bright red eyes narrowed into slits as he sensed a Demonic presence, "Tanjiro, stay here with your Siblings and Mother" he ordered, taking the hatchet out of it's protective cover.
Then he ran up the stairs with a burst of speed. Tanjiro looked around, trying to decide between letting his Siblings sleep so that they wouldn't panic, or waking them up so that they would be able to run if they had to. Meanwhile, Tanjuro had reached the top of the stairs and opened the doors of the Temple. The smell of human flesh and blood assaulted him, making him feel sick with hunger. He swallowed down his pooling saliva, and focused his attention on the figure clearly eating the humans. The Demon tuned around, a glare on his bloody face "what are you doin' here? This is my Territory. Anyone who sets foot on my Turf, is gonna have to pay!" he growled. Tanjuro's eyes narrowed into slits and veins bulged on his face as he took in the threat this other Demon posed. The humans behind him were all already dead, so saving them was a lost cause.
Now, all he could do was take this Demon out before he noticed and went after the rest of his family.
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Back with the other Kamado's, Kie had nearly torn her way up the stairs after she noticed another Demonic presence up there with her Husband. "Mom, no! Please, let Dad deal with this, we need you down here!" Nezuko cried, trying to stop their Mother from leaving. Rokuta chose that moment to wake up and start crying. The Demon woman frowned, trying to soothe the 2-year-old without being able to talk. Tanjiro tracked the fight up the stairs with his nose, his Father's smell of tainted fire and smoke mingling with the rotten smell of another Demon.
"Father's fighting up there, I know it" he breathed, gripping his hatchet tightly. Part of him wanted to rush up the stairs and help his Father fight whatever was up there. But he knew his job. Father protected the family as a whole, while he protected his younger Siblings. It had been his job ever since Nezuko was born, even since his Mother tiredly whispered that he was a big Brother now. It was a job he willingly took on, the big Brother, the protector, and it was a job that had expanded to include four others. He had to help his Mother protect them. But what about Father?
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Tanjuro snarled furiously, ripping and clawing at the other Demon, doing anything and everything to keep it away from his family. The Demon had by now realized that he didn't have enough strength to fight off Tanjuro, and had tried to get away- down the steps where his family was waiting for him. That would not happen. Tanjuro repeatedly tore it's arms and legs off, throwing the other Demon back and away from the stairs. Most Demons burned under the sunlight, and by the other Demon's expression, dawn was indeed approaching.
Tanjuro just had to keep it from getting away until the sun would rise, then his children would be safe. But the enemy was not giving up, and now was fighting back, trying to tear his arms off to give him a chance to escape. Tanjuro felt his body grow hotter with his rage, the fact that this monster wouldn't stop going for his children infuriating him. Clinging to his enemy, Tanjuro lit himself on fire. The other Demon screamed, trashing even harder, as his body kept burning. A few minutes later the sun rose, and the burns from Tanjuro's attack increased, until the Demon had turned into ashes and vanished.
After he was sure that it was gone, the Kamado Patriarch sighed in relief, before a blue blade was pointed at his throat. Tanjuro could feel the man's shock to see him standing under the sun, but he still kept the sword in place, no matter how useless it was. He turned slightly to see a man wearing a red Tengu mask and with a blue coat with clouds decorating it. As the two men engaged in a staring contest, Tanjuro could hear and smell his family rushing up the stairs. He hoped that Kie was in her basket. The air was charged. Whatever happened next would make or break the tension.