Demon Slayer: The Tainted Sun

by OMG04

After being turned into a demon by Muzan on his way back home and conquering his weakness to sunlight, Tanjiro Kamado leaves his family behind in pursuit of a cure. Working alongside the Demon Slayer Corps, Tanjiro will stop at nothing to become human again and end Muzan’s reign of terror.

17. Chapter 16

Hi there! That's right, I'm back!

I'm sorry this chapter took so long, I had a lot of trouble trying to get through it. I couldn't tell you how many times I wrote a long-ass scene just to erase it and start again. Trying to come up with good dialogue is a difficult proccess, you know?

Thank you all for being patient! Also, thank you all so much for over 425 favs and 490 followers! We're so close to 500, I can TASTE it!

Also, who is hyped for the Swordsmith Village Arc, cause I know I am! Me and my dad already have the tickets for Friday! Who knows, if you're lucky, you might see me at the theaters and never know that it's me ;)

Anywho, I hope the fruits of my labor are to your liking, enjoy!

*I do not own Demon Slayer, Kimetsu no Yaiba. The Anime/Manga belongs to Ufotable and its author, Koyoharu Gotouge.

"Tanjiro" = Talking

"Tanjiro" = Thinking

Tanjiro - Middle Alignment = POV

Japan - Middle Alignment = Location

"Tanjiro" = Flashback

Crash! - Left Alignment = Sound effect

Water Breathing = Breathing technique/Blood Demon Art

---

Chapter 16 - Water and Fire

The Infinity Castle

Strum!

A young boy with extremely pale skin blinked at the sound of a biwa cord being struck. He found himself teleported away from his home.

He had light pink hair that almost resembled spider legs, pale blue eyes with red sclera, a spider-themed kimono, and the kanji, "Lower Five" engraved into his right eye.

This was Rui, Lower Moon Five of the Twelve Kizuki, Muzan Kibutsuji's most powerful and loyal servants. He was now standing on some stairs that lead pretty much nowhere, overlooking a complex maze of buildings hanging at all angles.

This was the Infinity Castle, the hideout of the progenitor of all demons. A place that defied both gravity and logic it was constantly changing and went on forever. No matter how far you traveled, you would never escape unless either the creator of this place willed it or you managed to kill her. Good luck trying to do the latter...

Rui looked around and spotted his fellow Lower Moons in various locations. "Have all the Lower Moons been summoned?"

Strum!

Once again, Rui was teleported. He then found himself on a platform made of tatami tiles. The rest of the Lower Moons were teleported there as well. However, Rui noticed that Lower Moons Six and Two were missing.

There was Lower Moon One, Enmu, a young man with blue eyes, three square-shaped markings on both of his cheeks, straight black hair that reached his chin and was parted to the side, and a black button-up coat. The kanji for "Lower One" was etched into his left iris, his right pupil was a sideways slit.

Then there was Lower Moon Three, Rokuro, an older man with long black hair, a jagged beard, a dark cyan gi, and eyes with golden irises with the kanji for "Lower Three" etched into his left eye.

Finally, there was Lower Moon Four, Wakuraba, a man with black hair with a widow's peak, three cross-shaped scars each on both of his cheeks and his forehead, and wide, unhinged-looking eyes with orange irises. The kanji for "Lower Four" was etched into his right iris.

Rui then saw another smaller tatami platform in front of the one he and the others were on. "What is this about?"

Strum!

Suddenly, a heavy presence filled the area, weighing down on everyone. Everyone looked at the other platform to see a man standing on it, staring at them intensely.

As soon as the Lower Moons recognized the man, they got on their knees and bowed not a moment after.

Rokuro spoke first. "Lord Muzan, it is great to see you in good health. To what do we owe the pleasure?"

Muzan Kibutsuji, the Demon King, stood in front the Lower Moons and glowered at Rokuro. "Rokuro...I do not recall asking nor telling you to speak." Muzan said, his voice was calm, though it didn't match his expression.

Rokuro paled, which should've been impossible given how pale he already was. "Y-Yes! Forgive me, my lord! That was rude of me, it won't happen aga-!"

"Silence." Muzan stopped him with venom in his voice. "I did not summon you here to prattle."

Muzan turned his cruel gaze to the rest of the Lower Moons, Rokuro and Wakuraba began to sweat nervously. Rui and Enmu, while definitely intimidated, did a much better job at hiding their fear.

Both Rui and Enmu knew Muzan well enough not to do anything stupid and piss him off. After a moment of silence, Muzan continued. "...Hairo and Kamanue are dead."

Everyone was surprised by that piece of news. "Hairo had brought Kamanue to the Imperial Capital to show him the ropes as I had ordered. In a plot for revenge against a specific Demon Slayer, they were both killed by the Demon Slayers."

As he spoke, the frustration in Muzan's voice became more and more obvious. "Hairo was killed by a man whom he thought was the one he was looking for. Kamanue...he was killed by a rouge demon."

Once again, the Lower Moons had to hide their shock. "Two Lower Moons killed on the same night!? How!? The death of ONE of the Twelve Kizuki is shocking enough, but TWO!?" Rui thought.

"Yes. It is quite shocking, Rui." Rui froze with widened eyes as Muzan spoke to him. He had forgotten that Muzan could read the minds of demons since they share his blood.

"I personally chose each and every one of you to be my Lower Moons because you had proven yourselves by killing dozens of Demon Slayers, crushing them like ants and growing stronger."

"I gave you my blood to show my trust and faith in your power. I entrusted to you the task of destroying the Demon Slayer Corps and finding the Blue Spider Lily. So far, every Lower Moon before you failed in both of these things."

"Now, I will not scold you too harshly on your failure to locate the Blue Spider Lily. After all, the Upper Moons have had just as much success as you have had, meaning none."

"The first task, however, you have rarely, if ever, delivered on the promise of the annihilation of the Demon Slayers and their Hashira."

"And now...not one, but two of you lost to a TRAITOR, and a filthy human who wasn't even a HASHIRA!" Muzan screeched, letting his bloodlust leak out, sending chills down the spines of the Lower Moons.

"Despite all of my extremely generous givings, the Lower Moons have been wiped out by the Hashira again and again and again. Meanwhile, there hasn't been a change in the Upper Moons in over a century."

"Tell me, are you satisfied? Do you think that now that you've reached Kizuki status, you don't need to do any work? NO! You should not be satisfied with just being Lower Moons. You should all constantly be striving to become stronger."

"We are supposed to be next step in human evolution, the fact that humans can even stand up against demons at all is humiliating. But you're really going to tell me that you can't even beat those below the Hashira? If you cannot defeat the pawns, you have no chance of taking the head of the king."

"Now, I know what you're all thinking. The Hashira are much too strong, they can barely be considered humans. Of course we would struggle against them. Am I close...?"

Rui gulped as Muzan continued. "Alas, it is not the fact that you are unable to kill a Hashira that angers me so." He paused to take a deep breath... "It is the fact that you actually FEAR THESE FOOLS!"

The Lower Moons did not dare move a muscle. "Do not deny it! You know it's true! Anytime a Hashira was anywhere near, you would run like cowards. That, or you simply hide yourself away where no one can find you."

"I have been patient with you because you are basically my children. I created you with my blood, after all. But I have tolerated your folly for far too long. By the end of the year, I want each of you to have killed at least one Hashira. That, or about thirty, no, fifty Demon Slayers. Only then will you be forgiven. Tell me, can you accomplish that...or should I just kill you all now and be done with it?"

"Remember, the curse I've put on you activates when you tell a human about me or disobey me. However, the truth is that I can activate that curse at any time."

The Lower Moons were frozen in fear and couldn't bring themselves to say anything. Muzan began to lose his patience again. "Well? You clearly have something to say."

Rui took a deep breath and regained his composure. He spoke. "I am truly sorry, my lord. I have been focusing on creating my family on Mt. Natagumo, wasting the gift you gave me."

"I swear to devote myself to getting stronger by killing more Demon Slayers and the Hashira. I do not fear them as the others do, this is the truth. No matter the opponent, I will fight, and I will win."

Muzan nodded, Wakuraba spoke next. "That's right! The Demon Slayer Corps are trash that must be eradicated. I will kill any human who dares to cross me, Hashira or not!"

Then Rokuro. "We are your loyal servants, Lord Muzan. We will gladly die for you. We will see to it that your dream comes true."

Finally, Enmu. "To serve you is like a dream. No matter how strong the Demon Slayers are, they are just humans. We, as the superior species, will destroy any obstacle that stands in your path to greatness."

Muzan looked down on the Lower Moons "Stand up." The Lower Moons do just that. They look up at Muzan with determination and pure loyalty.

...

...

...

...

He smiled as his gaze softened. "That's what I like to hear. Fortunately, I happen to be in a good mood today. I only scolded you so that you would be more motivated to improve."

"I have already found two demons to fill in the missing spots." Muzan announced. "I'll speak more about Lower Moon Six's replacement later."

"As for the other candidate." Muzan looked up. "Mukago."

Crash!

A figure crashed into the platform the other Lower Moons stood on, none of them had flinched. They looked at the figure and could soon make out her features as the dust cloud around her faded away.

It was obviously a girl. She had white chin-length hair in short bangs, two white horns coming from her forehead, two red stripes on both cheeks, a red kimono with a black and white fur-lined collar, and eyes with dark red sclera and grey irises.

"This is Mukago, I have been watching her progress and I'm quite intrigued by her Blood Demon Art." Muzan introduced the girl.

Mukago got on her knees and bowed. "My lord. Thank you for this opportunity, I am honored to personally serve you." Muzan nodded and addressed the other Lower Moons again.

"Rokuro, Wakuraba, Rui. Due to the death of Lower Moon Two, you will be moved up a rank. Mukago will take Rui's place as Lower Moon Five."

Muzan turned to Mukago. "Unless you wish to challenge someone for their spot, Mukago?"

Mukago looked at Rui who stared back, she pointed a finger at him. "Rui, I challenge you to a Blood Battle for the rank of Lower Moon Four."

Rui stared for awhile. "Don't bother, you can have it."

Mukago raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean I can have it?"

Rui sighed in annoyance and looked at Muzan before bowing again. "Forgive me, my lord. I understand you want us to climb the ranks, but I simply have no interest in doing so. They're just fancy titles used to intimidate others and make themselves feel powerful. I only moved to Lower Five because the previous one pissed me off. All that matters is that I serve you to the best of my abilities."

Mukago glared at Rui. "You ingrate. Do you not appreciate the honor of becoming a Kizuki, you would disrespect the title our lord so generously gave to you?"

Rui returned the glare. He lifted his hands to his face, threads already woven between them. "What's the point of petty squabbles among our ranks when there are more important matters to discuss? I also wanted to spare you the humiliation of getting cut into little pieces. But if you want to piss me off as well..." Mukago lifted her right arm in response, pushed back the sleeve covering it and moved her left hand as of to scratch her arm.

"Enough." Both white-haired demons halted their actions and turned to Muzan. "While it's disappointing, Rui does have the right to forfeit a Blood Battle at any point. He also makes a good point, there's a time and a place for these kinds of things."

"Mukago will be Lower Moon Four and Rui will remain Lower Five. Mukago, you may challenge your fellow Lower Moons another time."

Mukago continued to glare at Rui, but the latter demon didn't care. If he really wanted to, he could easily become Lower One, Muzan said so himself. However, he only cared about serving Muzan and creating his family. As long as he could do that, who cares about a stupid rank?

Suddenly, Rokuro, Wakuraba, and Mukago held one of their eyes as they felt a burning sensation behind them. After a minute of searing pain, their eyes changed.

Where Rokuro had a kanji for "Lower Three" in his eye, there was now a kanji saying "Lower Two". Where Wakuraba has his kanji for "Lower Four", there was now the kanji "Lower Three". Mukago now had a kanji for "Lower Four" engraved into her left iris.

"With that settled, I will now tell you the identity of the new Lower Moon Six." Muzan said, all Lower Moons get giving him their whole attention. "He is the same demon who killed Kamanue, Tanjiro Kamado. A thirteen-year old boy whom I transformed at the end of last year."

The Lower Moons were shocked to hear this. "He is a traitor who has broken free from my control, though a tiny part of my essence remains in him. I can communicate with him, but I can't locate him or access his senses."

"I have another task for you all. If you can kill a Hashira or fifty Demon Slayers, I will forgive your failures. However, if you can bring this boy to me, not only will you be forgiven, but you will receive a generous amount of my blood. Who knows, I may even allow you to challenge one of the Upper Ranks."

Everyone's eyes widened. Not only could they receive more blood from Muzan for capturing this kid, they would get a chance to join the Upper Ranks. That alone made for supreme motivation.

"Kamado seems to be under the custody of the Demon Slayer Corps. He had ruffled black hair with burgundy tips, pinkish-red eyes, and obviously, he has "Lower Six" etched into his eye."

"He also had a flame-like scar on his forehead which glows when he uses his Blood Demon Art. Speaking of, you'd do well not to underestimate this boy."

"Compared to the Hashira and the Twelve Kizuki, he is weak. However, Kamanue made the mistake of turning his back on the boy, allowing him to turn the tables and decapitate him."

"I have reason to believe that Tanjiro Kamado has conquered the sun." Once again, the Lower Moons were left speechless. "He battled Kamanue with flames that could burn a demon like sunlight. It's possible that he absorbs energy from the sun to turn into demon-killing flames."

"I've seen him do all sorts of things with his Blood Demon Art through the eyes of Kamanue. If left alone for too long, Kamado may become humanity's greatest weapon and demon kind's greatest threat."

"You will also be rewarded with a small amount of blood for any information you find on the boy's location. Keep in mind that he may try to hide his appearance, which is why I placed the mark of Lower Rank Six on him in the first place."

"Remember, despite your failures, I still believe in all of you." Muzan smiled. Both Rui and Mukago noticed the Demon King looking at them with a soft(er) gaze as he said that.

"Some of you more than others..." Muzan then frowned as he turned to the rest with a slight scowl before calming down again.

"That is all for now, you may go on with your business as normal. However, I do expect results from now on. If any of you fail me again, I will not be so forgiving. Understand?"

"Yes, Lord Muzan."

Muzan nodded. "Good. Nakime, send them back."

Strum!

...

...

...

Mt. Natagumo

Rui found himself in a familiar clearing on Mt. Natagumo. He let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. He now knew that failure would no longer be tolerated in the Lower Ranks.

"Very well, It's not like I came here to hide from the Hashira. I'll gladly crush any bug foolish enough to come here. Well, hopefully it won't come to that if my family can actually perform their roles."

"That reminds me, if I can get more blood and give it to my family, it'll be easier for them to perform their duties. Though it is pathetic that they need this much help from me to do so. My fellow Lower Moons and I are not the only ones who have failed their tasks."

Rui walked back to his home, his "mother" and "sister" had recently caught a new group of Demon Slayers. Just in time for dinner.

Rui smiled. "Lord Muzan believes in me."

---

Tanjiro Kamado vs. Makomo Urokodaki

A Forest in Western Yamanashi

"I'm not going to kill you. But whatever happens from here on...is your fault." Tanjiro said as he overpowered the smaller, weaker Makomo in a sword clash.

In a burst of strength, Makomo managed to push Tanjiro off for a second. That second was all she needed to back away. "He's way stronger than me, but that's to be expected. Let's see how he compares in speed."

Makomo ran towards Tanjiro before breathing in and jumping into the air.

Total Concentration, Water Breathing: Second Form - Water Wheel

Makomo swung her sword downward in midair to make her body rotate with it in a circle. Tanjiro's eyes widened behind his mask as she sped to towards him. "She's fast!"

Tanjiro barely managed to block Makomo's sword. Once he did, he pushed her away. Makomo landed on a tree and used it to push herself back to Tanjiro.

Water Breathing: First Form - Water Surface Slash

Makomo held her sword in one hand and attempted to go straight for Tanjiro's neck. However, though Makomo was quite fast, Tanjiro was no slouch in speed himself.

He ducked under Makomo's blade before kicking her upwards in the stomach, with as little force as possible, of course.

Makomo grunted as she was launched into the air, she was forced to close her eyes due to the pain. When she opened them, Tanjiro was gone.

Her eyes widened. "Where did he go!?"

Blood Demon Art: Sun Conqueror - Phoenix Flash

Makomo picked up a faint scent behind her, she spun around to see Tanjiro appear in front of her out of flames. He launched both legs towards her as she blocked the kick with her sword.

Makomo was knocked out of the air, falling towards the ground. She bounced off of her back onto her feet. Tanjiro also landed on the ground.

"I didn't even notice him until he was behind me, it's like he came out of nowhere. Is that his Blood Demon Art?" Mokomo wondered.

"Please!" Tanjiro pleaded. "Let's stop this before someone gets hurt!"

Makomo did not back down. "If you think I'll walk away and let a demon continue doing what he wants, you don't know what it means to wear that uniform."

"Oooh! You gonna take that, Kamado?"

Tanjiro sighed. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

Suddenly, Tanjiro moved towards Makomo in a burst of speed. Makomo was caught off guard but managed to compose herself in time to prepare her own attack.

She inhaled and dashed forward, each step as light as a feather.

Water Breathing: Ninth Form - Splashing Water Flow

Tanjiro also inhaled as he swung his sword in a circular motion, aiming to disarm the young girl.

Hinokami Kagura - Burning Bones, Summer Sun

Makomo swung her sword at Tanjiro's neck but was thrown off as Tanjiro's sword crashed into hers, knocking it upward. Once her balance and breathing were off, Tanjiro went for a low leg sweep. Makomo barely managed to jump over it.

Makomo uses the momentum from her jump to roll backwards. She rolled back onto her feet facing down her foe.

Tanjiro stuck his sword in the ground before summoning and throwing multiple fiery balls at Makomo.

Sun Conqueror - Sunny Temari

Makomo ran towards the balls and suddenly rotated her body in a winding motion, cutting through all the balls in a flowing pattern.

Water Breathing: Third Form - Flowing Dance

Makomo got closer to Tanjiro again as her technique ended, preparing to bring her blade to his neck. Tanjiro saw this and stuck his nails into the ground.

Makomo was confused by this, she kept her guard up. "What's he planning now?"

As Makomo charged forward, a wall of fire suddenly shot up from the ground in front of her. "What the-!?"

Sun Conqueror - Hinokami's Protection, Flame Pillar

Makomo halted immediately and began to back up before she noticed the Sunny Temari behind her, the ones she just cut, reform and speed towards her. "It's a trap!" She realized. "After I cut through those fiery balls, he manipulated them to reform again."

Makomo, seeing no way out of this mess, took up a certain stance. "There's no other way. Even though I haven't mastered it, I have to use it. The technique which deflects attacks from all directions. The ultimate defense technique!"

The Sunny Temari in, Tanjiro waited to see what would happen. "I'll make so that the Sunny Temari only hit her hard enough knock her into the fire wall. That way, I can trap her in the flames and run away without injuring her too badly."

The plan was about to work when...

Total Concentration, Water Breathing: Eleventh Form

...

...

...

Dead Calm

The Sunny Temari and the Flame Pillar were cut to pieces and scattered by some seemingly invisible force. As Tanjiro stared in shock, Makomo panted heavily.

"H-How did she...!?" Tanjiro was lost in thought, Makomo noticed this and took advantage.

"He's distracted! Now's my chance!" Makomo thought as she inhaled and prepared her strongest technique.

Water Breathing: Tenth Form - Constant Flux

Makomo charged forward as Tanjiro snapped out of his shock and faced his opponent with his sword raised. Makomo swung her sword at Tanjiro who blocked it easily.

Makomo then rotated her body and connected the first slash into another which Tanjiro also blocked. Then another, and another, and another.

Eventually, Tanjiro found that it was getting gradually harder to block Makomo's attacks to the point where he was being pushed back.

"What is this? Her attacks...each one is stronger than the last." Tanjiro noted as he was put on the defensive.

"Huh, what are you talking about? Please don't tell me you're getting overpowered by a little girl. I have little respect for you as it is."

Tanjiro's sword was being pushed aside again and again as Makomo continued pressing her assault, taking multiple steps back.

Tanjiro had to start dodging the attacks but Makomo was too fast. Soon, Makomo brought her sword up for a rising slash, aiming to split Tanjiro in half.

Tanjiro backed up just in time, but the tip of the blade lifted up his mask and sent it flying. Not noticing this, Tanjiro reached out his right hand, his scar glowing. "Enough!"

Blood Demon Art: Sun Conqueror - Scorching Blast

Makomo was hit by some sort of blast and got launched towards a tree. After her back bounced off the tree and she dropped her sword, Tanjiro put his left hand in front of his left and fired again.

Sun Conqueror - Hachiman's Arrow

A fiery arrow was launched from Tanjiro's hand into Makomo, wrapping itself around her and carrying her back into the tree.

Then, the arrow transformed into chains and tied Makomo to the tree. Makomo was in pain from being smashed into a tree, twice no less.

As she struggled to escape the flames binding her, she saw Tanjiro walking up to her. That's when she noticed the kanji in his right eye.

'Lower Six'

Makomo's eyes widened, her heartbeat began to quicken, her breathing became uneven. "Lower Six...he's one of Kibutsuji's elite demons, the Twelve Kizuki..."

Tanjiro noticed the look on Makomo's face and realized he didn't have his mask on. "Crap!" Tanjiro looked around and spotted his mask before picking it back up, but he didn't put it on.

Makomo went pale as she broke into a nervous sweat. "This is bad! I can't break free! These flames...they're even stronger than that hand demon I fought back in Final Selection!"

Tanjiro sighed and looked up at Makomo with a comforting smile. "Don't worry. Like I said, I won't kill you."

Makomo was caught off guard by that sentence. "Huh? What did he say?"

"I told you, I'm on your side. Anyways, sorry if I went too far there. You just kept coming at me and I didn't know what to do. You're a really skilled swordswoman, and that speed of yours also caught me off guard, hah hah!"

Makomo could feel herself calm down again. "I don't know why but...I believe him...I genuinely believe that he won't hurt me. That smile...it's kind of like when I hug Urokodaki or GiyuI...I feel warm and fuzzy inside..."

Tanjiro put his mask back on. "Sorry, but I gotta run. Those chains will fade away shortly. See ya!"

And with that, Tanjiro left. Makomo hung from the tree, tilting her head in confusion. "Huh...?"

"...He had a really cool Blood Demon Art..."

Tanjiro

As he ran, Tanjiro lifted his mask a little and took a Nichirin Pill from his pocket. Shinobu instructed him to always keep one handy so that he can re-energize for the trip home since neither her nor Kanae were there to carry him.

"Damn it...my first mission as a Demon Slayer and I let myself get discovered just like that. I really hope this doesn't come back to haunt me..." Tanjiro sighed and made his way back to the Butterfly Estate.

"Still, that girl was strange...I couldn't smell her at all, I didn't even hear her footsteps..."

---

Giyu Tomioka

Water Hashira Estate

-The Next Day-

Giyu was doing his early morning training, practicing breathing techniques on a dummy.

"After Breakfast, I should probably head out for Mt. Kumotori to check on the Kamados. I believe it's been about four months since the incident..."

Giyu stopped mid swing as he replayed that day in his head for what must've been the two-hundredth time now. The look of despair on Nezuko and her mother, the way his sword cleanly sliced through Tanjiro's neck, the pleading and trusting look he gave Giyu as his body faded away...

Giyu furrowed his eyebrows. "This is ridiculous, Giyu. You cannot still feel guilty about that, what you did was mercy. Even if the boy was, by some miracle, a good demon, he would've been hunted by the corps for the rest of his life. Get. Over. It."

Giyu sighed before he returned to his training. He was thinking of stopping to eat but...he suddenly didn't feel all that hungry...

"Giyu! I'm back!"

The Water Hashira stopped as he heard the voice of his Tsuguko, Makomo. Normally, he'd never consider taking on a pupil since he did not even consider himself a Hashira.

However, Makomo begged and begged and begged to the point where she gave him the puppy dog eyes, a technique that would only work on Giyu if it came from Makomo. No matter how steeled his heart was, the girl was the undisputed master of breaking through its armor...and Giyu believed she knew it.

"Head inside, I'll make breakfast!" Giyu shouted back in response.

---

Giyu wasn't exactly a master cook, but he was good enough in his opinion. He and Makomo sat down at a table and began to eat. "Itadakimasu."

They both had rice and miso soup along with boiled vegetables and grilled fish.

"So, how was your mission?" Giyu asked as he ate.

Makomo gave a victorious nod. "Great! I managed to take out the demon without a single casualty. He was a little tricky, but I managed."

"Glad to hear it." Giyu replied before noticing that Makomo's mood soured a little. "Did something else happen?"

Makomo jumped a little, not realizing the face she was making. She chuckled nervously. "That obvious, huh?"

Makomo frowned. "On my way back...I encountered Lower Moon Six."

Giyu shot up to his feet with wide eyes. "Are you alright!?" He asked, louder than even he expected. "Did you get hurt!? What happened!?"

Makomo was startled by Giyu's total 180 as she gulped and lowered her head. "I heard sounds of fighting in the forest near town and went to check it out."

"I saw a boy about my age in a Demon Slayer uniform standing over the fading corpse of a demon. I didn't think much of it until I saw his sharp nails."

"On its own, while suspicious, that wasn't enough of a reason to engage. But then, I saw his nails grow shorter. That confirmed my suspicions."

"He was wearing a mask, so I couldn't see that he was one of the Kizuki. As we fought, he used these wicked Flame Breathing techniques, at least I think it was Flame Breathing."

Makomo began to get more excited. "Oh! He also had this awesome Blood Demon Art! You should've seen it, Giyu, it was amazing! He could shoot fire out of his hands and manipulate it to do what he wanted! He could also teleport, that really threw me off!"

Makomo stood up and began thrusting her hands forward. "He was all like 'PEW PEW PEW!' and 'FWISH'! I almost wish I could fight him again!" Makomo once again had that curious twinkle in her eyes.

"Makomo..." Giyu said sternly.

Makomo immediately calmed down and sat back at the table. "Sorry, Master." She then continued her story.

"After I knocked off his mask, he knocked me into a tree and tied me down with his flames. That's when I saw the kanji in his right eye and I realized who my opponent was."

"After that, I watched him approach me. I was certain that that was the end...but he spared me."

Giyu raised an eyebrow as he sat back down. "Spared you?"

Makomo nodded. "I know that sounds ridiculous but...it's true. He smiled at me like I was an old friend, said he wouldn't kill me and that he was on our side. After that, he just...left. That was it."

Giyu rubbed his chin, then nodded. "I see. Well, you're very lucky then, Makomo. You faced a Lower Moon and survived. Even if you lost, that's more than you could say for the hundreds who fell to the Kizuki before you."

"It's strange that this demon spared your life." Giyu noted before letting out a small smile. "Nevertheless, I'm glad."

Makomo returned the smile before she continued eating. Giyu dropped the smile and spoke again. "Is there anything else about this demon we should know? Information on one of the Twelve Kizuki is extremely valuable."

Makomo swallowed the food in her mouth and nodded. "He had a black oni mask, red butterfly earrings, and a green cloak."

Giyu nodded in understanding. "I see, anything else?"

Makomo tapped her chin in thought. "Oh! His hair was pretty messy, ruffled black hair with burgundy tips."

That got Giyu's attention. "Ruffled black hair with burgundy tips? Huh...that kind of sounds like-."

"He also had this dark red mark on his forehead, or was it a scar?"

Giyu's eyes widened, a picture was already forming in his head. "No...it-it couldn't be..."

"Makomo, did he give you a name?" He asked as seriously as possible.

"What's your name? Mine is Giyu Tomioka."

"A name? Hmm..."

"T-Tanjiro Kamado."

"Oh yeah! He said it was...Tanjiro Kamado, I believe."

...Giyu froze.

"He's...alive? No, that's impossible. I killed him, I literally saw him fade away!"

"Then again...I did leave before he disappeared completely. But still, this doesn't make any sense!"

"Giyu, are you okay?" Giyu snapped out of his thoughts to see Makomo staring at him with a worried expression. Giyu calmed himself down and closed his eyes.

"I once killed a demon named Tanjiro Kamado, your description of him matches what I saw of him so I'm a little surprised."

Makomo's eyes widened. "Huh!? You already killed him!? But, that would mean he's supposed to be dead!"

"Yes...but he's not. This can only mean one thing." Giyu opened his eyes and looked Makomo in the eyes. "This demon has conquered the sun."

A sweat drop fell from Makomo's forehead. "So...what now?" She asked.

Giyu thought for a moment and remembered something Makomo said about Tanjiro's appearance. "Makomo, you said he had butterfly earrings?"

Makomo nodded. "And you haven't suffered any notable injuries?" Tomioka asked. Makomo nodded again.

"I see...I have a hunch where he might be then. Get some rest. Tomorrow...we're going to the Butterfly Estate."

---

Tanjiro

Butterfly Mansion

"Atchoo!" Tanjiro sneezed in his room. He was sitting in front of a Shogi board by himself. He rubbed his nose. "I wonder if my family or masters are talking about me."

"Oh my god. You seriously believe that bullshit? If people sneezed every time someone talked about them, everyone would be sneezing all the time!"

"Yeah, yeah." Tanjiro moved his knight. "Your turn."

Black flames covered Tanjiro as Onijiro took over. He rotated the board so that he was facing his side. He moved his dragon piece and trapped Tanjiro's king. "Checkmate."

"DANG IT!"

---

-Next Day-

It was the middle of the day. Tanjiro and Kanao sat together on the engawa of the second building of the estate where all the residents slept. They faced the training yard.

Tanjiro and Kanao had just went a couple of rounds with each other while Shinobu and Kanae were out on missions. Tanjiro won some, Kanao won others.

Tanjiro was amazed how fast she was improving, she had just gotten the sixth form down and would be moving on to the seventh.

According to Kanae, Kanao only started her training a little less than half a year ago. Kanae also said that Kanao's progress doubled after she and Tanjiro had that talk about listening to your heart.

She had begun to show more eagerness in her training, especially if Tanjiro was with her. Tanjiro, of course, was clueless as to what that meant, even if it was clear as day to Onijiro.

"That was a nice session! You really caught me off guard with that fifth form of yours, Kanao." Tanjiro praised the girl as he took a bite out of his rice ball.

"You were great too, Tanjiro! I still can't figure out how to see through that Fake Rainbow of yours." Kanao returned the compliment.

After they finished their rice balls, Kanao left to help Aoi with her chores. Tanjiro decided to practice on his own, he swung his sword and trained his breathing.

He had gotten more proficient with Hinokami Kagura, now able to use it eighteen times before slowing down. That might've also had to do with the fact that he gained more stamina as he stored more sunlight in his body.

Sometimes, he'd also go to this tree with a boulder tied to its branch by rope. The point was to pull the ropes to pull the boulder off the ground.

It was a pretty small boulder. While it might've been hard for a human to pull it, it was nothing for a demon like Tanjiro. That's why he generally used larger boulders.

He pulled it fifty times without even getting tired, another perk of being a demon. He then practiced his breathing while balancing on the fence surrounding the Butterfly Estate.

After about half an hour, Tanjiro continued swinging his sword. He let his mind wander, thinking about new ways to utilize his Blood Demon Art. Onijiro was nice enough to lend an ear to Tanjiro's thoughts and even give his own opinion.

Ever since waking up from his nightmare with Kibutsuji, Onijiro had become slightly more cooperative.

"I guess love really can make a difference." Tanjiro smiled to himself.

"HEY! I HEARD THAT!"

Sniff Sniff

"Hmm?" Tanjiro picked up a familiar smell. It was a smell he hadn't sensed in a long time. Not since...

"!?" Tanjiro's eyes widened with slitted pupils as he felt a menacing presence behind him. The boy turned around to see a shadow with dark blue eyes leap at him with a blade in hand.

Water Breathing: Fourth Form - Striking Tide

The man swung his sword at Tanjiro in a curved path to cut him into multiple pieces...or it would have had Tanjiro's body not faded away into colored mist.

Hinokami Kagura - Fake Rainbow

The stranger managed to catch a glimpse of Tanjiro moving behind him. He turned around to see the boy swing his wooden sword down on his head.

Hinokami Kagura - Dance

The man blocked the attack, stopping Tanjiro's sword with ease, much to the poor boy's surprise. "He...He wasn't even fazed!"

The man with long black hair tied into a ponytail and a two-pattered haori pushed Tanjiro's sword away and disarmed him, leaving the boy open for another attack.

The man thrusted his left hand forward in the form of a palm strike that hit Tanjiro directly in the middle of his torso, shattering his ribs.

Tanjiro was launched back, he fell on his back and held his ribs. "Damn! Not...good!"

Tanjiro tried to get up but was stopped by a sword being thrusted through his heart, pinning him to the ground

Water Breathing: Seventh Form - Drop Ripple Thrust

Tanjiro coughed up blood before the stranger placed a foot on his stomach and pressed into it. Tanjiro gritted his teeth as he finally had a good look at his attacker, recognizing him almost immediately.

"M-Mr...T-T-Tomio...ka!"

"So it's true, you've conquered the sun." Giyu Tomioka looked down at Tanjiro. "I can't tell if you're lucky or extremely unlucky."

"W-What...are you-!?"

Giyu pressed his foot on Tanjiro's stomach again, interrupting Tanjiro by making him groan in pain. "Gah!"

"I'll ask the questions here. What's your name?"

"Wh-What!?"

"Answer!" Giyu pressed his foot once again.

"Gah! T-T-Tanjiro...Kamado!"

"How many siblings do you have? Tell me their names along with your parents'."

"I have five! Nezuko,...T-Takeo,...Hana...ko,...Shigeru,...a-and...and Rokuta! My parents are...Kie and T-Tanjuro Kamado!"

"How many humans have you eaten?"

"ZERO!" Tanjiro answered without hesitation.

"Hmm...Who turned you into a demon?"

"K-Kibutsuji...! Muzan Kibutsuji!"

Giyu narrowed his eyes. "You said his name, which means you broke his curse. However, that kanji in your eye must mean you took out one of the Twelve Kizuki."

"You know what that means, right? Muzan already knows about you. It's only a matter of time before he finds you and absorbs you."

"If he gains immunity to sunlight, he will be unstoppable. Do you understand? Your existence will be the end of Japan...no, of humanity."

"That's why..." Giyu dropped the cold stare, Tanjiro could sense the regret and hesitation in him. "That's why you must die, for the sake of all humans...I'm sorry."

Tanjiro's eyes widened. Giyu continued. "My Tsuguko, the girl you fought a few days ago, is grabbing Wisteria poison from Shinobu's lab as we speak. Just stay down and this will all be over soon. Don't make this harder than it already it..."

"Oh great! That little shit just happened to be the pupil of a Hashira! What kind of bullshit is this!?

Tanjiro stared up at Tomioka in despair, something began to rise within him...A burning will to live. "I'm sorry...but I won't let that happen..."

Tanjiro's scar glowed bright as he absorbed the sunlight in Giyu's sword, causing it to lose its dark blue color. Giyu was surprised by this, giving Tanjiro the time to vanish in flames.

Blood Demon Art: Sun Conqueror - Phoenix Flash

Giyu looked around before hearing flames behind him, he turned around to see Tanjiro standing there. However, his appearance changed.

A black horn grew out of the right side of his forehead. Black veins sprouted from his left eye and went around his body. His nails become black and slightly longer.

Blood Demon Art: Sun Conqueror - Awakening

Giyu composed himself and pulled his sword out of the ground. He sighed. "Yeah, I figured you wouldn't make it easy..."

Tanjiro vs. Giyu

Tanjiro opened up with Sunny Temari, throwing multiple fire balls at Giyu.

The Water Hashira cut through all of them with the third form of Water Breathing, Flowing Dance.

Tanjiro was forced to hop back repeatedly to get away. However, Tomioka was soon on top of him. Tanjiro covered his arms in flames to defend.

Sun Conqueror - Arms of Akuma

Giyu swung multiple times at Tanjiro who blocked with his arms, the former's swings were so powerful that they chipped away at the flaming armor bit by bit. It wasn't long before cuts began appearing on Tanjiro's skin.

"Damn it! This is bad! What do I do!?" Tanjiro thought in panic.

"Run away, dumbass! We already got our asses handed to us by enough Hashira to know that we're not on their level!"

"That's easier said than done. If I run, he'll just chase me. And if he has even half of Kanae's or Miss Shinobu's speed, that definitely won't end well."

Tanjiro managed to push back Giyu for a second. His right hand grew as he launched a giant flaming palm strike to push Tomioka back further.

Tanjiro dissolved his fire arms, changing them into Crimson Flare Chains which shot out and wrapped themselves around Giyu's sword.

Before the Hashira could react, Tanjiro pulled the chains upward, carrying Giyu with them.

Tomioka flew over Tanjiro towards the ground and used his sword to break his fall with a downward swing to the ground, breaking the flaming chains at the same time.

Water Breathing: Eighth Form - Waterfall Basin

Giyu turned towards his opponent before pinkish flames suddenly surrounded him. He saw Tanjiro stick his fingers into the ground, sending his blood through the ground. The flames around Giyu formed a sphere, trapping him.

Sun Conqueror - Hell Prison

"Come on! Please hold! I have to buy time for Kanae or Miss Shinobu to get here!"

"Then again...they're both out on missions right now. Who knows when they'll be back. Can I really hold out for that long?"

Giyu inside the sphere kept his calm, he took a deep breath and remained completely still, his sword pointed to the ground left of him.

Total Concentration, Water Breathing: Eleventh Form

...

...

...

Dead Calm

Suddenly, the flames around Tomioka scattered as he simply stood there. It was as if he hadn't moved a muscle.

Tanjiro watched with wide eyes as Giyu began charging at Tanjiro once again. "Th-That's the same move that Makomo girl used! No...it's way stronger than hers! So this...is a Hashira..."

"After I use Awakening, my flames become stronger and harder to break through. I also put at least ten percent of my energy into that sphere which should've made it even tougher. Even so, he still broke through them as if they were feathers!"

Tanjiro couldn't even react as Giyu clotheslined him in the face, causing Tanjiro to flip in the air and fall to the ground face-first. Tanjiro was dazed by the heavy hit, his nose began to bleed.

Tanjiro groaned as Giyu quickly got on top of his and held the boy's arms with one hand. Tanjiro couldn't break free as he began to go back to normal. His body was already too tired to hold the transformation.

He has just finished a mission two days ago, during which he had to expend energy fighting a demon and that Makomo girl.

Now, he had to fight a Hashira with just enough energy to transform in the first place. Not to mention that said Hashira would not hold back against him as Kanae and Shinobu did.

Yes, Tanjiro knew from the start...There was no way in hell he could possibly win...

Tanjiro looked above him, Tomioka's cold stare had returned. "It's over."

Tanjiro shut his eyes in defeat. "It's hopeless, I'm too tired to use Phoenix Flash, and even if I could, I'd be too tired to run or fight."

Schling!

"You have ten seconds to get off of him..."

Tanjiro opened his eyes after hearing another familiar voice. Suddenly, he felt Giyu get off of him, allowing Tanjiro to look behind him and see Shinobu hold her blade to Tomioka's throat with a glare that could pierce your soul.

"M-Master!" Tanjiro cried out, relief shooting through him. Shinobu shot the boy a small smile as if to say everything would be okay.

She then returned to glaring at Tomioka, her smile more dark. "So, Tomioka. Mind explaining to me why I found your Tsuguko sneaking around my lab?"

Giyu glared back at Shinobu while Tanjiro flipped onto his back. "Makomo was just following my orders, if you hurt her-."

"Oh! You want to talk to me about hurting your pupil when I just found you assaulting mine!? Oh Ho Ho, that's RICH, Tomioka!" Shinobu said, clearly not finding this funny.

"This kind of bullshit...is exactly why no one likes you."

Tanjiro stared at the two with a slightly gaping mouth. "...Huh?"

Tomioka did not respond for a bit. "...That's not true..."

Shinobu raised an eyebrow. "Pardon?"

"...People do like me."

"...Huh?" Tanjiro thought again.

Shinobu's eyes widened before she covered her mouth and began to laugh. "Ha ha ha! Oh, did you really not know!? Just how dense are you!? Hahahaha!"

Tanjiro's jaw hung open. "EEEEEEH!?"

"Hahahaha! No way! This is hilarious! Hahahahaha!"

Tomioka flinched at that insult, but he still managed to get back on track. "Shinobu, you are the last person I expected to be defending a demon. Your sister, maybe, but you?"

Shinobu stopped laughing and glared at Tomioka again. "I'm well aware of what he is. I'm also aware that you're the ignorant jackass who cut his head off without giving him a chance."

Giyu looked back at Shinobu. "Like you wouldn't have done the same in my position."

Shinobu flinched at that statement. "Uh!? Th-That's...fair..." She looked away to avoid eye contact with both Giyu and Tanjiro. "But even so, he hasn't eaten any humans nor has he shown any desire to. My sister and I can vouch for him."

"I understand he's on our side, but he's conquered the sun. If Kibutsuji finds him and absorbs him, it'll mean the end of humanity. If you think I find any pleasure in killing Kamado a second time, you don't know me as well as you think."

Tomioka looked at Tanjiro. "A week ago, I received orders to relocate your family to a safe location in the off chance that Kibutsuji would attack them again. I assume this was your idea?"

Tanjiro steeled his nerves and nodded. Tomioka nodded back. "I see...I'm not gonna ask why you left your family thinking you were dead, I'm sure you had a good reason. However, you should know that you're family has missed you dearly."

Tanjiro's eyes widened before he lowered his head in shame. He'd been so caught up in everything else, he never really thought about how his "death" affected his family.

Tomioka saw this and spoke again. "I don't mean to make you feel guilty. Like I said, I'm sure you had your reasons for leaving them. Whether it was the right decision or not, it's too late to take it back now."

"If you were to go back to then but then continue your work as a Demon Slayer, that would only make them worry about you. It would be especially bad in that case because they would've just gotten you back." Tanjiro nodded in understanding.

"I need you to make a promise, Tanjiro. You want to kill Kibutsuji, right? Are you absolutely certain that is something you can accomplish? Will you do everything in your power as a Demon Slayer to achieve this goal?"

Tanjiro stared at Giyu, shocked by his question, but he managed find his resolve. He got on his feet and looked the Water Hashira dead in the eye. "Yes."

After a few moments, Giyu nodded and sheathed his sword. "Then we have no quarrel with each other...I deeply apologize for the trouble I've caused."

Tanjiro smiled at the man before turning his attention to Shinobu who still had her blade pressed against Tomioka's neck, Tanjiro frowned. "Ahem!"

Shinobu got the message and groaned before lowering and sheathing her sword. "Damn it, I finally had a good excuse too...oh well, maybe next time."

"Master..." Tanjiro gave his mentor a look of disapproval.

"Calm down, I'm just kidding."

Giyu walked up to Tanjiro who turned back to him. "Yes, Mr. Tomioka? What is it?"

"Tanjiro, I understand this is an odd request but...I want you to headbutt me." Giyu requested.

Tanjiro blinked. "...Huh?"

"When we met, I didn't even give you a chance to explain yourself. I cut your head off in front of your sister and possibly traumatized her. And now, I attack you out of nowhere again even though you were clearly on our side. I insist that you headbutt me as compensation."

Tanjiro stared at Giyu for a bit as the two remained in awkward silence. "...No."

Giyu's eyes widened. Tanjiro tilted his head in confusion. "Why would I hurt someone for doing their job? That doesn't seem fair. I do feel bitter about you making Nezuko cry and knocking her out. But in the end, you were just trying to protect her which I appreciate."

"Plus, Nezuko is stronger than you think, I wouldn't underestimate her. She's the one who comforted my siblings when my grandmother and father died. I feel really bad for leaving her, but I'm sure she can handle it until I get back.

Tanjiro then looked up in thought. "I should really buy her something nice when I get back. I know! I'll buy her all the konpeitō she wants!"

"I'll also buy her a beautiful kimono! Her current one is really old and she's always having to sew it together. I keep offering to buy her a new one but she always refuses, saying that she'd rather use the money to feed our siblings."

"I'm really proud of her, she's so selfless. But that also makes me worry. Sometimes, I'm scared that she's too selfless."

"SHE'S too selfless...?" Thought Giyu, Shinobu, and Onijiro.

Giyu then put his hands on Tanjiro's shoulders, further confusing the boy. "Very well then."

SMASH!

Giyu suddenly headbutted Tanjiro, the former's skull cracking...

Shinobu stood there, baffled by what just happened. "WHAT THE HELL!?"

Both males fell backwards, knocked out. Tanjiro fell asleep at that moment due to exhaustion. Tomioka was foaming at the mouth, his eyes rolled into the back of his head. His forehead was also bleeding.

Shinobu could only stare at the two. "...They're BOTH idiots!"

---

Giyu

-Later That Day-

Giyu opened his eyes to an unfamiliar ceiling, he felt something wrapped around his forehead which was hurting. After a moment of thinking, he remembered what happened and sat up, making his headache worsen.

"That's right, I headbutted Tanjiro since I knew that would hurt me more than him."

"Finally awake, huh?"

Giyu looked to his right to see Shinobu standing next to him. He was still in his uniform, excluding his haori and sword. He presumed that he was in the patient room since there were rows of beds against both sides of the room. "Where's Tanjiro?"

Shinobu narrowed her eyes. "You seem awfully worried for someone who tried to kill him a few hours ago."

Giyu did not show any reaction aside from a slight, almost unnoticeable flinch. Shinobu sighed. "Well, I guess you already paid for it. Honestly, giving yourself a concussion? I knew you were stupid, just not that stupid. You could've given yourself brain damage, you know?"

Giyu looked up blankly at Shinobu. "Why would you care anyway?"

Shinobu glared at the man. "Are you implying something? You're a Hashira, dimwit. We need you fighting bad demons, not headbutting people to punish yourself."

"I see." Giyu responded. "...You didn't answer my first question."

Shinobu sighed. "Kamado is sleeping in his own room, he'll probably be out for a few days. His Blood Demon Art uses up a lot of stamina. Since he doesn't eat humans, he recovers energy through sleeping and sunlight absorption."

"Sunlight absorption? He absorbs sunlight?" Giyu asked.

"Yes, that's how he creates those flames. He stores solar energy in his blood cells and ignites them by heating them up." Shinobu explained.

"The more solar energy he has, the stronger he becomes. However, using too much can result in exhaustion."

Giyu nodded. "So if his flames are created by sunlight, they do more damage to demons?"

"Precisely, that's what makes Tanjiro our secret weapon. Well, he was a secret. It seems Kibutsuji is already aware of his existence." Shinobu stated.

"So, how did you meet?" Giyu asked.

"Tamayo found him wandering the streets and took him in. After she notified the Master, he sent me and Kanae to escort her to a new location and take in the boy as our Tsuguko."

Shinobu then looked away while rubbing her arm. "I...didn't exactly make a good first impression..." She admitted. "You said before that it's too dangerous to keep Tanjiro alive due to the risk of Kibutsuji absorbing him and gaining his resistance to sunlight. To be honest, I once had the same mindset."

"I treated him horribly at first, I just couldn't bring myself to accept a demon as an ally. I buried the hatchet with Tamayo and Yushiro but I still keep my guard up around those two to this day."

"But...as I spent more time around the kid, I found it more and more difficult to hate him. I mean...he's just so damn nice and trusting! His words, his actions, they contradict almost EVERYTHING I know about demons!"

"Instead of a man-eating beast, I found a naive, innocent boy whose charm could only be resisted by those without a heart! Hell, Kanao, the girl thats rarely ever felt anything for six years, fell in love with Kamado barely within a MONTH of knowing him!"

"I know what you mean." Giyu said. "When I cut his head off, I felt nothing for him, like usual. Unless you count the burning hatred."

"Then...when he looked at me with those big, trusting eyes, when he shined that bright smile at me, all that hatred and hostility melted away...and it was replaced by guilt and sadness."

"He was thankful that I cut his head off, thankful that I stopped him from hurting others...thankful that I separated him from his loved ones."

"Ever since that day, I told myself that what I did was right. But I was filled with constant doubt, doubt that maybe it didn't have to end that way, maybe there was a more peaceful solution."

"I admit, I regretted what I did. If I could go back...I can't say I wouldn't at least try to change things."

Shinobu nodded. "That was really eating you up, huh?" Giyu nodded in response.

Shinobu sat down on the bed next to Giyu's and sighed. "It's really amazing how he change the views of others. One minute, you want to cut his head off. The next thing you know, you want to hug him and tell him that everything will be okay."

"That boy had my sister wrapped around his finger since day one, it was only a little over a week until I was in the same situation..."

Shinobu let out a small smile. "Speaking of my sister, she's become so attached to the boy, they're basically inseparable. I'm happy she finally achieved her dream of making friends with a demon, but it's getting ridiculous."

"One time, she came back from a mission and ran through the entire estate before finding Tanjiro in the training yard swinging his sword. She then tackled him into a hug."

"Heh. She actually used to do the same thing to me."

---

-Four Years Ago-

A Twelve-year old Shinobu trained in the yard of the Butterfly Estate, swinging her sword. "Hah! Hah! Hah! Hah!"

Suddenly, a fifteen-year old Kanae charged at her from behind and tackled her into a hug. "There's my baby sister!"

"YAAH!"

Bonk!

The next second, Kanae laid flat on the ground with a huge smoking bump on her head. Shinobu stood in front of her growling with bulging veins on her forehead and a tightened fist.

A nine-year old Kanao stood by in confusion.

---

"Yeah...my sister is very clingy person..." Shinobu sighed.

Giyu nodded and decided to move on from that. "So your sister clearly cares about Tanjiro, what about you? You seemed awfully protective of him when I attacked him."

Shinobu didn't answer, simply looking away from Giyu. "You know...seeing you two reminded me of me and my sister."

Shinobu's eyes widened before she turned her head to her fellow Hashira. "You...have a sister? I didn't know that."

Giyu nodded. "No one but my master and Makomo knows. I...don't like talking about it."

"..." Shinobu waited silently. She waited...and waited...and waited...and waited..."Well?"

Giyu looked at her in confusion. "'Well' what?"

"Aren't you going to tell me what happened!?" Shinobu snapped.

Giyu was even more confused. "...Why would I do that? I just said I don't like talking about it."

"YOU...! *Sigh* I guess you have a point. Alright, if you don't want to talk about it...I think I can guess what happened anyway." Shinobu said that last part with a hint of sympathy in her voice.

Giyu lowered his gaze. "If your guess is that she's dead...you'd be correct."

Shinobu looked away again. "...I'm sorry to hear that. I couldn't imagine losing my sisters. If something ever happened to Kanao or Kanae, I wonder if I'd be as gloomy as you. *shudder* The thought alone terrifies me."

Giyu stared up at Shinobu with an unamused expression. Shinobu saw this and glared. "What's that look for? It was just a joke."

"With all due respect, Shinobu, you don't strike me as someone with an aptitude for jokes...or fun and humor in general." Giyu stated.

"And what does that mean?"

"...You're kind of a stick in the mud."

Shinobu's left eye twitched, a tic mark on the right side of her forehead. "Takes one to know one, asshole!"

Giyu blinked. "That's not true..." Shinobu's mouth hung open. "...I am very fun and open minded."

Shinobu was dangerously close to putting her hands around the man's neck and squeezing the life out of him. Giyu could sense the bloodlust coming from her.

The only thing stopping her was the glaring fact that Giyu was physically stronger than her by a lot.

Shinobu had to massage her temples to calm down. It helped, but not a lot. "I genuinely can't tell if you're serious or if you're just screwing with me..."

Giyu looked around the room. "By the way, where is Makomo?" He asked.

"She's outside, helping Aoi out with the laundry. Said it was her way of making up for her failure." Shinobu answered.

Giyu was confused. "'Failure'? What does that mean?"

"You sent Makomo to my room to get Wisteria poison, yes?" Shinobu answered her fellow Hashira's question with another question.

"Yes." Giyu answered back.

Shinobu adopted an amused smile. "Well, when I got there..."

---

-Earlier-

Shinobu had just returned from her mission and planned to relax a bit in her room. After greeting her girls, she went to her door and opened it, only to find a little girl in a corps uniform kneeling beside her fish tank.

The girl stared at the gold fish with a childish grin and a curious sparkle in her eyes. Shinobu, seriously confused by this occurrence, walked over to the girl who just noticed her.

She turned her body to face her and bowed. "Lady Kocho." She then went back to watching the fish. A few seconds went by before a bell rang in the poor girl's head.

She snapped her head to the Insect Hashira with bulging eyes. "AH! LADY KOCHO!"

---

Giyu resisted the urge to facepalm himself. "Yeah, that sounds like her alright..."

"It didn't take much to get her to tell me what was going on, then I rushed outside and you know the rest." Shinobu finished summarizing.

Shinobu then smiled again. "She's quite curious, even for someone her age. It's actually kind of cute."

"She's been that way for as long as I've known her. When we were younger, she would always ask me to go look for ghosts with her. I don't know why, but she's really obsessed with ghosts."

"I see." Shinobu said before getting up from the bed she sat on. "Well, get some rest. I doubt you've fully recovered from your little stunt."

As Shinobu began to walk out of the room, Giyu held his head. "She's right, my head hurts. My ears are still ringing too."

"Shinobu." Giyu called out to his fellow Hashira who stopped at the door. "I'm glad we had this talk, You're a good listener."

Shinobu was surprised by this compliment, but then scoffed. "Flattery will get you nowhere, Tomioka."

Tomioka allowed himself a small chuckle and a small smile, once again taking Shinobu by surprise. "Tanjiro clearly trusts you, make sure you take care of him. I'll be sure to do the same, that will be my atonement for hurting him."

Shinobu recovered from the shock and smiled back. "Well, if Kanae finds out what happened, you might want to focus on your own wellbeing."

Giyu suddenly got goosebumps, the thought of a crazed smiling Kanae standing over him menacingly with her sword aimed at him.

He could hear her words now. "Come anywhere near my precious Tanjiro again, Giyu, and I will personally reunite you with your beloved sister..."

After Shinobu left, Giyu shook his head and rested back against the bed before closed his eyes. "Tanjiro is alive. I still can't believe it..."

Shinobu Kocho

Shinobu walked out of the patient room and down the hallways of the Butterfly Mansion, thinking back to when she found Tomioka attacking Tanjiro.

"When I saw Tanjiro in danger, I felt an insurmountable amount of rage towards Tomioka. For a moment, I was actually prepared to fight him to the death if necessary..."

"It reminds me of when I first met Tanjiro and suggested to Lady Tamayo that we lock the boy up and use his body for research..."

"We are on the same side, Shinobu, so I'll let that comment slide. But, if you touch one hair on that boy's head…I will show you what a true demon looks like, consequences be damned."

"Just like me with Tomioka, Tamayo was fully prepared to kill me to protect Tanjiro. There's something about that boy that just...draws people to him."

Shinobu suddenly found herself standing in front of Tanjiro's door. She slid open the door to find Tanjiro in his futon.

She smiled and knelt down by his side. She patted the top of his head, earning a small smile from the sleeping boy. Shinobu chuckled. "I'm hoping that means you're not having another nightmare."

"Tanjiro clearly trusts you, make sure you take care of him."

Shinobu stated by Tanjiro's side for a few more minutes before leaving just as Kanao had arrived. After teasing her pupil to the point that her face was on fire, the Insect Hashira went back to her room.

---

Tanjiro

-Two Days Later-

...

...

...

Tanjiro slowly opened his eyes to the ceiling of his room, he found himself in his futon as usual. "What happened...?"

"That Tomioka guy headbutted you as a way to make up for attacking you."

"Oh yeah, I hope he's okay..."

He rubbed his eyes and was about to get up when he saw another face pop up and look at him. "Hello!"

"AAAGH!" Tanjiro screamed in surprise.

"AAAGH!" The girl near him screamed back.

"AAAGH!"

"AAAGH!"

"AAAAAAAAA-!"

"AAAAAAAAAA-Why are we yelling?" The girl suddenly stopped yelling to ask a question.

Tanjiro also calmed down, giving him a chance to recognize his surprise guest. "Oh, I remember you! Makomo Urokodaki, right?"

"I couldn't sense her at all, I couldn't even smell her! It's just like last time, she totally snuck up on me that night, I never noticed her until I saw her right in front of me!"

Makomo nodded happily. "Long time no see!"

Tanjiro sat up and scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "Hey...sorry if I hurt you during our fight that one night. I tried to hold back as much as possible but you were really strong."

Makomo waved off his apology. "Water under the bridge! I'm the one who should apologize for attacking you, same goes for Giyu!"

"Oh! Well...that's okay, don't worry about it. It was all just a misunderstanding." Tanjiro said before Makomo held out her hand.

"Let's start over! Hi, I'm Makomo Urokodaki! I like ghosts and eating salmon! Nice to meet you!" Makomo greeted with a wide grin which Tanjiro happily returned.

"Nice to meet you too! I'm Tanjiro Kamado, I hope we can be friends!" Tanjiro shook her hand.

Makomo nodded excitedly. "Totally!"

"Wow. She's friendly."

"I hate her already."

"Oh, come on, we just met her! Give her a chance!"

As Tanjiro looked at Makomo, her bubbly attitude reminded him of his little sisters, Nezuko and Hanako. This brought a sad and wistful smile to the boy's face. Every day, he only got more and more homesick...

They stopped shaking hands, Makomo spoke next while poking her fingers together. "So...this is an odd request, but...CAN YOU DO THE THING!?"

Tanjiro was surprised as Makomo suddenly got in his face with an excited sparkle in her eyes. "Uh, what thing?"

Makomo backed up and threw her arms outward. "You know, the fire thing! Where you're all like 'Pew Pew!' and 'Fwoosh!'"

"Oh, she wants to see Sun Conqueror."

Tanjiro smiled and held out his hand palm up. He focused his solar energy into his palm as his scar began to glow. Suddenly, a little flame appeared and danced on his palm.

Makomo stared at the flame in awe. "Cooooool!"

"This is my Blood Demon Art, Sun Conqueror. I can absorb the solar energy from sunlight and store it in my blood. I use that energy to turn my blood into flames that can burn demons like sunlight. I can do pretty much whatever I want with these flames. The only limit is my imagination, that and the amount of solar energy I have left." Tanjiro explained.

While he had Makomo's attention, Tanjiro created three Sunny Temari and began to juggle them. Makomo grinned before clapping. "Awesome!"

While they were playing, the door to Tanjiro's door slid open. Kanae and Tomioka stood at the entrance, the latter's head was wrapped in bandages. "You look like you're having fun!" Kanae noted.

The two young Demon Slayers looked to their masters. "Hey, Kanae, Mr. Tomioka. I hope your head is okay." Tanjiro said.

Giyu nodded. "I'll live."

Makomo stood and bowed. "Lady Kocho, Master."

Kanae smiled. "I already told you, Makomo, there's no need for that. Just call me Kanae. I hear you usually call Giyu here by his name anyway."

Makomo nodded. "Yes, ma'am!" Kanae then walked up to her and patted her head, Makomo offering no resistance.

"Isn't she just precious, Tanjiro? I dare say she'd give even Kanao a run for her money in the cute department!"

"Depends on what you mean by cute..."

"Lover boy."

"Takes one to know one."

"Huh!?"

"Oh, that reminds me."

"Hey, Kanae. Do they know about you-know-who?" Tanjiro asked. Giyu answered for Kanae.

"Yes, we know about Onijiro, Shinobu explained everything to us." He explained.

Tanjiro nodded and turned to Tomioka. "By the way, Mr. Tomioka. I was wondering how my family was..."

Tomioka nodded. "As I said before, they're still hurting from losing you. They didn't have a body to bury so they hurried your haori, I heard the whole town showed up for your funeral."

Tanjiro was both shocked and touched. He never would've thought that everyone in town cared enough to show up for his funeral. Tanjiro smiled sadly at that fact while Tomioka continued.

"Your sister took over as the head of the family and the rest of your family had gone back to their normal lives until we relocated them."

"Oh yeah! Where are they exactly?" Tanjiro asked.

Tomioka hesitated. "They're in a Wisteria Safehouse somewhere. However, since we're not completely sure if Kibutsuji is still connected to you, I can't tell you lest we risk the safety of your family. I'm sorry."

Tanjiro nodded sadly but then smiled. "That's fine, I understand. I'm just glad to hear they're okay! Are they being treated well?"

Tomioka nodded. "They're all being cared for by the staff, though they mostly insist on doing the chores themselves. And as you requested, the funds you earned from Demon Slaying are being used to pay for their needs."

Tanjiro smiled, taking pride in the fact that he was still helping his family from afar. "Thank you so much, I'm very grateful to you for taking care of my family!"

Tomioka shook his head. "No, you have nothing to thank me for after the way I wronged you. If anything, I owe you."

"As a matter of fact, Tanjiro, I wanted to invite you over to the Water Hashira Estate after your next mission for a meal, to make up for me and my pupil's folly."

Tanjiro was shocked. "Oh! Are you sure? I'd hate to be a bother."

Makomo stepped up. "It'll be no bother at all! Aside from me, Giyu is always by himself in that big old estate so he could use the company!"

Makomo brought both Tanjiro and Kanae close to whisper in their ears. "He could also use a girlfriend in my opinion..."

"I can hear you, Makomo." Giyu said with an unamused expression.

Makomo ignored the man as she went on. "Besides, I want to see more tricks! You're always welcome at the Water Hashira Estate!"

Tanjiro smiled in gratitude. "Thank you, I think I'll take you up on that offer."

Giyu nodded. "I'll be staying here for a few days until my head fully heals up. Makomo will also be here until she receives her next mission."

Makomo nodded and looked to Tanjiro. "That's alright with me, everyone here is so nice! I even sparred with that girlfriend of yours, Kanao!"

Tanjiro's face turned tomato red. "Huh!? K-Kanao's not my girlfriend!"

Makomo cocked her head in confusion. "Really?"

"OF COURSE NOT! Who told you that!?"

"*Whistle*!" Tanjiro looked at Kanae who was whistling a tune while avoiding eye contact.

"Kanae...!" Tanjiro growled.

Kanae held a hand behind her ear. "Oh! I think Naho and the others are calling me, gotta go!" She said before dashing out of the room.

Tanjiro called out after her but soon gave up and sighed. He looked at Makomo and set the record straight. "We're just friends, nothing more."

Makomo looked sad. "I see, that's a shame. She sure seems to like you a lot, I always saw her watching over you in your sleep."

Tanjiro blushed again. "Look...it's just...not the right time. I was planning to tell her how I feel after I become human again but...who knows when that'll happen..."

Giyu observed this and decided to step in. "I don't have any experience with romance and I know that this isn't my business...but you should take care of any unfinished business while you still can. You never know when a mission might be your last, but at least you can die without regrets."

Tanjiro and Makomo looked at Giyu. Tanjiro smiled, grateful for the advice. Makomo, however...

"Giyu...I see what you were going for, but that death talks really brings down the room." She said.

Giyu's expression become more tired. "...Right. Sorry." Then he walked out of the room.

"I liked it, Mr. Tomioka!" Tanjiro called out to the retreating Tomioka. "I thought it was very deep and meaningful!"

After chatting a little more with Tanjiro, Makomo left as well.

After recovering enough energy, Tanjiro got up and left his room to continue his training.

---

-Two More Days Later-

Training Yard

"CAW! CAW!"

It was the middle of the day, Tanjiro looked up at the sky. He had been taking turns sparring with Makomo and Kanao when Matsuemon interrupted them.

"WEST! WEST! TANJIRO KAMADO AND MAKOMO UROKODAKI WILL GO WEST TO SHINJUKU TO INVESTIGATE THE INCREASING DISAPPEARANCES!"

"A new mission. Looks like I'm going back to Shinjuku."

"Yahoo!" Tanjiro was startled by a sudden celebration from Makomo. "New mission! Let's go, Tanjiro!" Makomo suddenly grabbed Tanjiro's wrist and dragged him to his room to get ready.

"MAKOMO! WAIT A SECOND!" Tanjiro yelled as Kanao watched in surprise.

"No waiting! Every second we waste is another life lost!" Makomo countered.

"I KNOW, BUT YOU NEED TO CALM DOWN!"

---

-Later-

Tanjiro and Makomo wasted no time getting ready. In no more than twenty minutes, they were already saying their goodbyes to everyone at the gate to the estate. Tanjiro had his mask resting on the right side of his forehead, Shinobu had already given him more Nichirin Pills.

Coincidentally, Giyu had recovered and was about to head back to his own estate.

Kiyo, Naho, and Sumi cried while hugging Tanjiro's legs. After this mission, he'd be staying at the Water Estate for the next month. The point was to help prevent Kibutsuji tracking down the Butterfly Estate, or worse, Tanjiro.

Tomioka would also start training him and Makomo in Total Concentration Constant. It wasn't a complicated concept, the idea was to use Total Concentration...well, constantly. However, from what Tanjiro knew, that was easier said than done.

"We'll miss you, Tanjiro!" Kiyo cried out.

"You too, Onijiro!" Sumi added.

"Tch! Whatever, brats!"

Tanjiro smiled as he could tell that Onijiro was happy to feel wanted. "It'll only be for a month, I'll be back before you know it."

All three girls cried at once. "WAAAH! TANJIROOOOO!"

These three had become quite attached to Tanjiro. At first they were cautious but curious, often sneaking peeks at him around corners.

But soon enough, they warmed up to him. Tanjiro would tell those three stories his mother and father told him when he was younger, they always enjoyed them. They also spent a lot of time doing chores together. Kiyo, Sumi, and Naho showed Tanjiro the ropes whenever he picked up a chore he was unfamiliar with.

After Shinobu pried the girls off of Tanjiro, he turned to Aoi and bowed. "Thanks for everything!"

Aoi nodded. "Don't mention it, just make sure Onijiro doesn't do something stupid."

"HEY!"

Tanjiro nodded and turned to Kanao. Tanjiro tried to say something but he suddenly got shy, as did Kanao. Suddenly, Kanao wrapped her arms around Tanjiro's neck and hugged him. "I...I'll miss you..."

Kanao then backed up and blushed, hiding behind Aoi who started teasing her. Tanjiro started steaming, his heart was ready to explode. "Guh...heh heh...oh...eh..."

"Smooth."

While he tried to calm down, Makomo said goodbye to Tomioka. She held out her arms for a hug with a big smile.

"Makomo." Giyu started. "We're professional swordsmen, we can't just display affection in public."

Makomo pouted and gave her master the puppy-dog eyes. Giyu hesitated but soon sighed in surrender. He got on his knees and hugged Makomo back. "Aw!" Kanae exclaimed. Giyu blushed and let go of Makomo.

Tanjiro recovered from his flustered state and said goodbye to Shinobu who patted his head. "Be careful out there, I've already given Tomioka the proper medication should there be another incident. Do your best."

"Yes, ma'am!" Tanjiro replied with a bright smile. Finally, Tanjiro moved to Kanae who also smiled. This would probably be the last time they talk for about a month, but Tanjiro tried to stay strong.

Tanjiro bowed. "I'm off now."

Kanae nodded. "Okay. Good luck!"

"Yes, thank you..." Tanjiro said with a more strained smile.

"Yes, you're welcome..." Kanae replied with a strained smile.

"..."

"..."

"...mmm..." Tanjiro's smile began to fall apart as tears began to well up in his eyes

"...mmm..." The same went for Kanae.

The two suddenly broke down in tears and hugged each other, wailing.

"WAAAAH! I'LL MISS YOU, TANJIRO!"

"AAAAAH! I'LL MISS YOU TOO, I'LL MISS YOU ALL!"

"WAAAAAH! I MISS YOU ALREADY!"

"AAAAAH! BUT I'M STILL HERE!"

Shinobu stared at her sister in shame. "For the love of god, Sister, you're a Hashira. Show some dignity..."

"Alright, already! Enough with the bitch crying, you'll see her in a month!"

...After that predicament, Tanjiro and Makomo waved goodbye to everyone. "Goodbye, everyone!" They said, Tanjiro still had tears in his eyes.

"Hey, Onijiro, want to say goodbye?"

"Why? I'm gonna see them again in a month."

"Come on..."

"I said no! Now leave me alone!"

"...Onijiro... I'm sorry, but you leave me no choice..."

"What? What are you...? You. Wouldn't. DARE."

Tanjiro dried his eyes, took a deep breath, and yelled out. "ONIJIRO LIKES-!"

"STOOOOOOP! I'LL DO IT, OKAY!? I'LL SAY GOODBYE, JUST STOP TALKING!"

"-...Nevermimd!" Tanjiro stopped himself in time. Everyone else looked confused. "Well...?"

"Ugh! I'm SO gonna get you back for this!"

Black flames covered Tanjiro, allowing Onijiro to take over. He took the liberty of changing Tanjiro's uniform. The green cape turned red, the red butterfly earrings with a white outline turned into a darker red with a black outline.

Makomo stared at Onijiro with curious, sparkling eyes. "So cool...!"

He looked blankly at the Butterfly residents. From left to right stood Kiyo, Sumi, Naho, Kanao, Aoi, Shinobu, and Kanae. Onijiro cleared his throat and pointed to each of them in the same order.

"Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you, fuck you,...you're cool. Fuck you, and fuck you, I'm out. Bye." Onijiro then turned away and started walking.

Kanae smiled. "He has such a way with words."

"...I don't even know what I expected..."

"Yeah, neither do I."

"...If I didn't know, how could you?"

"...You know what, fuck you too, Tanjiro."

Onijiro could hear the others saying goodbye to him as he walked away. Soon, Makomo walked beside him. "Hey! I'm Makomo, you must be Onijiro!"

"...That's what they call me." Onijiro narrowed his eyes at the girl. They continued walking down the road in silence. Soon, the Butterfly Estate was out of sight.

"Why were you so mean to the others?" Makomo asked.

"Because I'm a demon, I don't like humans, and I can do whatever the fuck I want." Onijiro answered.

"...Jeez, do you kiss your mother with that mouth?" Makomo asked. "You sure do like to swear."

"First off, I don't have a mom, I was born from the blood of Tanjiro and the cells of Kibutsuji." Onijiro explained.

"Wouldn't that make Tanjiro or Muzan your mom?" Makomo asked.

"...Huh?"

Onijiro ignored her. "Second, they're just fucking words. As long as I can get my point across, who cares what I say or how I say it?" Onijiro countered.

"...So how does the whole "split personality/mind switching" thing work?"

"*Sigh* Look, Makomo, was it? I'm not exactly a conversationalist, so I'd greatly appreciate it if we just...didn't talk for the rest of this trip."

"...Okay."

...

...

...

"Hey, do you like Ms. Aoi?"

"GAH-!" Onijiro spontaneously tripped and fell on his face. He immediately shot back to his feet and glared at Makomo. "WHO THE HELL JUST SAYS THAT OUT OF NOWHERE!? YOU FUCKING BRAT, I'LL KILL YOU!"

Makomo wasn't effected by Onijiro's threat. "It's just that she's the only one you didn't curse out and Tanjiro seemed like he was about to say you like someone so I thought-."

"Of course not, you dumbass! I LITERALLY just told you that I DON'T like humans! I TOLERATE her, that's it! That's as far as I'm willing to go! You just consider yourself lucky she didn't hear that, otherwise, I'D THROTTLE YOU!"

Makomo nodded. "I see...Okay! I just wanted to know! Let's get moving!" She then went ahead while Onijiro stared at her back with his jaw hanging down.

"Tanjiro..."

"Yes?"

"...I hate her already."

"Yeah, you said that already."

"Yes...but now I really, REALLY, mean it."

"Come on, slowpoke! Those demons aren't gonna cut their own necks!" Makomo yelled back.

Onijiro adopted a menacing smile full of malice and bloodlust. "Yeah...and after I cut the demons' necks, I'm gonna crush yours!"

"...This won't end well."

---

Shinjuku

In an area located in the quieter and more humble parts of Shinjuku, a young man by the age of fourteen walked out of a small mansion near a large field. He had a practice sword in one hand and a half-eaten peach in the other.

This young man had black hair with two thick strands framing his face and cold turquoise eyes. This boy was named Kaigaku, a Demon Slayer just returning from a mission.

He practiced the Thunder Breathing technique, a breathing technique with six forms. However, Kaigaku was unable to learn the first one, Thunderclap and Flash. Thus, he was unable to fully master Thunder Breathing.

He was an orphan who wandered the streets for years until an old man named Jigoro Kuwajima took him in. As it turned out, he was actually the former Thunder Hashira until he lost a leg after narrowly escaping death at the hands of an Upper Moon demon.

Kaigaku was reluctant on becoming a swordsman to protect people from demons, but he found that he was natural in swordsmanship.

As time went on, Kaigaku began to respect the old Hashira, which was more than he could say than anyone else. Kaigaku felt a great sense of pride when he passed Final Selection (even he spent most of the time hiding from the stronger demons and killing those he thought were weak).

Though he wouldn't admit it, Kaigaku was extremely selfish and kind of a coward. He always prioritized himself over the lives of others, resulting in many civilian casualties, most of which could've been prevented. Kaigaku would even run away if a demon was too strong when most Demon Slayers would stand their ground and fight to their last breath.

Kaigaku believed that true strength means surviving no matter what, this way of thinking led to minimum injuries during his missions at the cost of innocent lives.

Jigoro knew fully well that Kaigaku was that type of person, but he needed a successor and thought that he could maybe change the boy's way of thinking. Jigoro was the only man Kaigaku treated with even the slightest bit of care and respect.

Then...Zenitsu Agatsuma came along.

"NOOOOO! I DON'T WANNA TRAIN ANYMORE!"

Kaigaku turned his attention to a large tree at a nearby hill. At the bottom stood his master, Jigoro. Kaigaku then saw his fellow pupil clinging to the top of the tree, sitting on the highest branch.

He was a teenage boy, one year younger than Kaigaku. He wore a yellow haori with a white triangle pattern and had short black hair

Kaigaku rolled his eyes. "This again? This is ridiculous."

"Zenitsu! Come down here this instant so we can train!" Jigoro demanded angrily. "I've had it up to HERE with your whining!"

"NO WAY! I'M GONNA DIE IF I TRAIN ANY LONGER! I'M DEFINITELY GONNA DIE!" Zenitsu yelled.

"You're not going to die! Quit being so overdramatic!" Jigoro yelled back.

"But Graaaaaaaaamps!" Zenitsu whined. Kaigaku gritted his teeth, he hated when that crybaby addressed Jigoro so casually. Kaigaku was happy to see him reprimanded for that.

"CALL ME, MASTER!" Jigoro yelled.

"But I wanna call you 'Gramps' because I love you!" Zenitsu cried out. Jigoro blushed as he held a hand over his heart. Once again, Kaigaku rolled his eyes.

"I want to live up to your expectations, but it's too much! I can't take it anymore!"

"Then why are you still here!?" Kaigaku thought, though he knew the answer.

Zenitsu, like Kaigaku, was also found by Jigoro on the streets. According to him, the brat worked up a huge amount of debt after being toyed with by a girl, what a dumbass.

Zenitsu had been staying with at the Thunder Hashira Estate for about half a year and hasn't mastered a single form. On top of that, he is a giant bitch.

Anytime things got too hard, he would bitch and moan for hours and hours until Jigoro beat the boy with his walking stick. Kaigaku was annoyed by Zenitsu's constant whining and told the kid to just quit, and boy did he try.

Unfortunately for him, Jigoro would set traps all around the Estate to catch Zenitsu. Kaigaku couldn't help but wonder why the old man would go to such lengths to keep him here. He wasn't strong, he had little skill with a sword, and he was a coward.

Though many would say Zenitsu was a lot kinder and sympathetic than his senior pupil, Kaigaku was obviously the superior of the two. Yet, Jigoro refused to give up on him.

"Why, Master? Why you keep egging him on like this...?" Kaigaku was frustrated. Jigoro always talked about him and Zenitsu like they were equals which was bullshit.

However, that's not all that frustrated him. What truly made him despise Zenitsu was that he made himself look weak...but Kaigaku knew the truth...

Rumble!

Kaigaku looked up at the sky as dark clouds began to gather. The wind began to pick up, flashes of light were seen in the clouds, and thunder could be heard in the distance.

"Storm clouds? The sky was totally clear a minute ago..."

Kaigaku decided to warn Jigoro and Zenitsu. While he hated Zenitsu, he wasn't so horrible that he genuinely wanted the guy to die. "Hey, Zenitsu! A storm is coming, dumbass, get down here before-."

BOOM!

Suddenly, a lightening bolt came down and struck the large tree, along with Zenitsu. Jigoro and Kaigaku stood there with bulging eyes and dropped jaws.

Zenitsu, now unconscious, smoking, and...blonde(?), fell down from the tree.

"ZENITSUUUUUUUUU!" Jigoro and Kaigaku screamed the boy's name as they both rushed to catch his body.

---

-Later That Night-

In the main part of Shinjuku with all the large buildings and lights, A lone swordsman in a black uniform ran for his life. This young man had short spiky hair and green eyes, as well as multiple cuts across his body.

He held the part of his torso where a large slash went from his right hip to his left shoulder, he held his sword with the other hand.

"I have to get out of here! Once I report that a Lower Moon is here, they'll send a Hashira!" The young man thought as he turned his head back for a moment, no one was there.

"He's not following me. Did I lose him?"

His question was answered as soon as he turned back to the front of him. There stood, near the exit of the alleyway, a menacing dark figure with shining blades coming out of his arms.

The young man's blood froze as he stopped in his tracks. The demon in front of him smiled before opening his eyes, revealing the words "Lower Three" in his right iris.

"Oi, Oi, Oi! Where do you think you're going, you're not just gonna abandon your comrades back there...are you?" The demon continued to grin maniacally.

The young man steeled himself and raised his sword with one arm. "Y-Your...Your days are numbered, demon! *huff* *huff* Soon...a Hashira will come here and send you to hell whether I die here or not!"

The Lower Moon was not fazed by this. "Oh...I'm counting on it. And you're wrong about your death being meaningless. The more of Ubuyashiki's precious children fail to come home, the more likely that he'll send a Hashira after me. Once I do that, I will earn my lord's trust back and become stronger than EVER! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!"

The Demon Slayer let out a roar and charged at the demon, he inhaled and prepared a one-handed slash.

Water Breathing: First Form - Water Surface-

Blood Demon Art: Steel Blood Blades - X Slash

The Demon Slayer stopped once again, his arms were missing and two more large cuts appeared on his body. The wounds spurted out blood before the young man fell forward, his consciousness fading.

"...Someone...help...hurry..."

Wakuraba stood over his prey, letting his blades sink back into his flesh. "Yeesh, what a bunch of weaklings, guess the Demon Slayer Corps is getting desperate these days if they allow losers like him to join their ranks."

He grabbed the corpse's leg and dragged it away. "Come on then, Demon Slayers. Send as many swordsmen as you want, I'll slash through all of them!"

---

Done!

I hope you guys will be looking forward to some wild shenanigans with Tan/Onijiro and Makomo! I already have all sorts of scenarios planned!

I decided to have Tanjiro switch between Hashira Estates so that...

A. It would be harder for Muzan to locate Tanjiro, since he'd be taking different routes to missions and back.

B. It gives me a chance to write more interactions between Tanjiro and Giyu, Rengoku, Mitsuri, and any other Hashira that our beloved protagonist will meet!

In the beginning, I had Muzan bring Mukago in for the first time since originally, the line up was Kamanue, Rui, Wakuraba, Rokuro, Hairo, and Enmu. With two Lower Moons down and Tanjiro replacing Lower Moon Six, I needed one more demon to fill in the last missing spot.

One of the few problems I had with the story of Demon Slayer was how much of a dumbass Muzan was for killing the Lower Moons. He basically just killed some of his best soldiers besides the Upper Moons, what was the POINT!?

I loved the story of Demon Slayer and I'm sick of everyone calling the story "mid", but even I have to admit that Muzan in canon was not a very great villain. Especially when compared to goats like Pain, Madara, Aizen, etc.

Also, yeah, I thought it made sense for the Kamado family to be relocated just in case. In the last chapter, Muzan said he no plans to go after them because...reasons, but the Demon Slayers don't know that so...yeah.

I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! As always, please let me know if there's any changes I should make as long as you're gentle about it. Stay safe and I'll see you next time! Peace!

Next Time: Chapter 17 - The Tale of Kaigaku and Zenitsu