The Dancing Star
Chapter 22
12Thirtypain03
WARNING: This story is rated M for mature-rated content. If some acts of violence, blood, or anything easily triggering make you uncomfortable, please leave and do not read. Any change to a character, when introduced, killed, changed into a demon/human, or more will be labeled in the chapter of occurrence. If a character has died in a chapter, that chapter will give a cause of death to that character.
Sagiri Mountain
Returning to Sagiri Mountain, where Urokodaki's cabin resided. Giyu wasn't the type to originally think about returning, however, seeing as he was now highly involved in the endeavors of both Tanjirou and Nezuko, two demons who were on the radar for the master.
The simple fact that demons alone were willing to retain their humanity, couldn't be stressed enough how valuable and rare that was.
As a result, when the incident with the burning of wisteria occurred in the Final Selection, every pillar was worried.
Even those who were apathetic to the new coming demon slayers, those who did not see potential, specifically Tengen, Obanai, and Sanemi. Even they worried, considering the circumstances. Even they knew everyone starts from somewhere because they too did as well.
So, to imagine the threat of what was going on in such an unpredictable setting, was enough to frighten even the strongest of the demon slayers.
But for a multitude of individuals, this event terrified them immensely.
Gyomei Himejima. The Stone Hashira. Incredibly tall and blind. He is also the mentor for one of the participants in the Final Selection.
This was ironically, the younger brother of Sanemi. Genya Shinazugawa.
He was one of the reported individual demon slayers who survived.
However, many of the kakushi revealed that a mysterious figure with a mask and blue and white water-wave shirt had been the one to carry the individual back.
Of course, Genya was a unique individual, known as the demon eater. Whilst his ability in breathing styles was considered weak by even normal and average demon slayer standards, his ability to consume demons, to temporarily give him the powers to use the power of both wind and mist breathing, in addition to the strength of demons temporarily, is phenomenal.
According to Genya, he had learned how to use Wind Breathing by observing the movements of his elder brother, despite Sanemi's large objection to having his younger brother join the corps.
He also learned Mist Breathing somewhat thanks to the frequent visits Tokito would do. Tokito and Gyomei had a parent-like bond, which made Genya feel like the elder child ironically so, in the little group they had.
Therefore, to compensate for the fact Genya could perform two breathing styles, he has to consume demons to use them to the fullest extent, but perhaps also for other abilities, he could use to fight.
Whilst that was just one figure, causing Gyomei, and to a lesser extent, Tokito to worry for his wellbeing, aside from being out of energy, Genya came back relatively fine.
The other individual, that was terrifying a group of people within the ranks, was Kanao Tsuyuri, with her worrying a large number of individuals.
Both Kanae and Shinobu, as well as Aoi, and the three little sisters. They were all worried about her sudden disappearance in the Final Selection.
But after the whole events that occurred, with the Wisteria burning, Shinobu and Kanae, being the overprotective sisters they were, obviously worried for her wellbeing.
So, it was a relief for them that the kakushi found her, almost uninjured.
They say almost because despite her being the only remaining demon slayer within the Final Selection list to be alive and conscious, she did suffer some cuts and bruises that Shinobu was hellbent on fixing after she rushed Kanae into the infirmary.
Kanae was unfortunately injured relatively seriously this time.
While thankfully most of her injuries were not severe, her arm was damaged, and she wouldn't be able to use it for a month, her left leg was damaged from the pressure she placed while fighting Douma, and she had some parts of her body with rather shallow impales and slashes.
However, the largest injuries were to her lungs and her left eye.
It seemed that using the final form of Flower Breathing had unfortunately caused tremendous damage strain and pain in Kanae's left eye. She wasn't exactly sure of the exact details, but Kanae's left eye was damaged. Thankfully, because it was Kanae's first to second time using the form, there was a relatively low chance that she would have any lasting blindness.
But the other issue was her lungs.
Shinobu had seen this issue before when Kanae had fought Upper Moon Two before, her elder sister's lungs had been compromised, the cells being killed off by the air.
The result was that she had to undergo relatively serious and rigorous endurance training again to rebuild her lungs.
This problem could be exacerbated by the fact that Kanae's lungs had never recovered.
Alas, her injuries had the potential to go away, and this was all the encouragement Shinobu needed. Just like before, she spent a couple of hours patching her sister up.
Kanao was lucky that her injuries were easily treatable, but just to make sure, Aoi took care of her.
And that was that.
That was, until the occupants of the butterfly mansion, besides the three youngest sisters, all told of a figure, that made Giyu a bit nervous.
"If it wasn't for that slayer, we could have lost you…" Shinobu revealed, clearly close to her sister.
"I agree… I do wish I could have seen what the slayer looked like, and to thank him for his work…" Kanae smiled, on a bed recovering from her injuries.
"He held out relatively well against the Upper Moon, what rank is that demon slayer?" Shinobu asked. "Even though they are probably dead… I don't know if any human could survive those strikes…"
While Giyu was panicking a bit when Shinobu thought the slayer, whom Giyu knew all too well was dead, assumed that Tanjirou was a human.
"Little do they know." That was all Giyu thought.
Regardless, Gyomei apologized to Kanae. He had tears coming out of his eyes, as he explained he was at the mountain when the Upper Moon began to run.
However, neither Kanae nor Shinobu held it against Gyomei whatsoever. He was doing what he was ordered to do, and thus he was not to blame for the circumstances that afflicted Kanae.
As Giyu began to leave, he did have one thing to worry about.
And that was the fact that both Shinobu, Kanae, and Kanao, Giyu assumed the last one, all knew of a mysterious demon slayer.
Giyu had hoped that they would leave it at that, and perhaps forget about it and move on with their life.
Of course, he knew Shinobu and Kanao might be glad that they were alive.
But Kanae might not. Especially if she finds out the individual that saved her, was a demon.
She would try her best to befriend that demon to no end.
In short, Kanae would act like Shinobu did to himself.
And that was a hell he wanted nobody to go through.
Sure, Sanemi went through that as well, but Giyu felt that Sanemi was a different individual altogether. Some days, Giyu wanted to put him through hell, and others, he just wanted to stay away from him.
Despite wanting to be friends with him, Giyu knew it was a reality based on a farce.
Regardless, Giyu was alongside the other Hashira's reporting of the mission.
"Upper Two?" Kagaya asked, his normally calm demeanor changed to one of sadness and worry.
"Yes, Oyakata-sama. Upper Two had seemingly come back to see revenge on Ms. Kocho." Gyoemi pointed out, "If only I had gotten there sooner, I could have stopped the demon that had done this to her."
Giyu sighed, remembering the thoughts he had when he 'rescued,' Tanjirou and Nezuko all those years ago, "If only I had made it earlier, I could have saved you and your family."
In short, Giyu felt a sense of guilt when he heard Gyomei state those exact words.
He sighed, his head lowering as he reminisced about the times when he encountered Tanjirou and Nezuko.
He was now 18 but was 17 when he first encountered them. He was an official adult.
He became a Hashira when he was 16, only three years after completing the Final Selection. Considering the likes of Tokito, it took him 3-6 months, and Giyu felt that he was not special whatsoever.
Giyu was the type to internalize his problem and struggles. He tried to show a calm exterior, even in the sense of panic and tragedy. He had let himself see too many people he cared for die to want to get close to them.
He felt it was better to not get to know the individuals he cared for, over the risk of them dying. All the hidden conversations would cause Giyu to regret everything.
Of course, Tanjirou and Nezuko somewhat changed that a bit.
To a lesser extent, so did Kagaya, since he would always tell Giyu to travel to Urokodaki's cabin to fetch him the information regarding the two demons.
For a long time, this confused Giyu, for Kagaya could have just sent a crow to deliver the message to Urokodaki, or even have someone become pen pals with him.
But no, he chose to let Giyu be the one to travel to the cabin, acting like a messenger boy.
It was here did Giyu realize that Kagaya purposely did this, as a way for Giyu to speak more to his former teacher. Kagaya probably, knowing the man, knew of Giyu's struggle, and perhaps used the situation with Tanjirou and Nezuko to push Giyu back into a sphere of people to get him out of his shell.
Giyu looked on, regardless of what the purpose was, he wasn't the type to reject nor deny the master's orders, so he did what Kagaya asked him to do.
It's been a day since the whole incident, and the only major worry was Kanae's condition. It was still unknown what long-standing injuries she would suffer, due to the strain on her eyes and lungs, but he did see a different side of Sanemi when Kanae was brought in for intensive treatment.
But aside from that, the demon slayers that could be retrieved alive, were alive, and mostly well. They could take a couple of days of rest, whilst Kanae would need a week.
Kagaya had indeed planned to directly, through himself, coronate the surviving demon slayers of the current Final Selection himself, to congratulate them for surviving what was, a tragic and unexpected development.
Of course, the master was also at work, in collaborating with Shinobu to discuss the plans for a safe place to put the next Final Selection. The fact they lost the battleground to train and test new demon slayers was a huge blow.
They had to decide a new destination, whilst also finding a way to keep outside demons out. All this time, thankfully, aside from the updates by the Kasugai crows.
Once the issue seemed to have stabilized, however, many of the Hashira were allowed to go their ways, baring the missions they may find, which in the future could involve trapping demons into a new Final Selection.
Still, the fact that an Upper Moon demon was able to identify such an important place for the demon slayer corps cast a lot of speculation as to what could happen next in the future.
Could the demons soon find where the Hashira and the Ubuyashiki Estate were?
They didn't need a repeat of the last time a leader for the Demon Slayer Corps was assassinated by a traitor demon slayer.
Giyu sighed. He was currently heading to meet with Urokodaki, to see if Tanjirou and Nezuko survived, and even stayed over for the week.
The reason was that Kagaya himself wanted to coronate the demon slayers himself. He didn't want the new demon slayers to be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of Hashira's.
However, some of the more brash Pillars were probably going to go to see if they could find a tsuguko. That was it.
He knew that Tengen, Kyojuro, and Obanai were all going to see.
However, it was rather redundant since two of the three demon slayers to survive were already Tsuguko's.
That meant the three were going to fight over the one lucky demon slayer that survived. That was going to be something.
As Giyu saw the cabin of Urokodaki, the same place he had seen countless times already over the past year, Giyu had a sense of nostalgia, once again.
"Guess I won't be able to escape that feeling, huh…" Giyu thought to himself, as he eventually knocked.
The masked face of Urokodaki was the first thing Giyu saw, and even with the mask on, Giyu knew Urokodaki was happy to see him.
The two sat down and began to talk about simple things. All the while Giyu pondered.
He knew Urokodaki valued his time greatly with Giyu. Even if the boy was awkward and quiet, Urokodaki knew the reasons, including the struggles and past he underwent.
Most of the time, Giyu's injuries were due to demons. Or at least, that was what Giyu wanted people to believe in.
Unfortunately, when Sabito died, Urokodaki discovered a disturbing trend that Giyu had. It was something he had to assist his student to get out of. It was a terrible spiral that if Urokodaki had not gotten Giyu out of, he could have died or risked his health.
Even if Urokodaki had managed to get the worst out of Giyu, the boy still suffered, even to this day. Urokodaki was glad that Tanjirou and Nezuko were able to give Giyu some sense of motivation he needed to live on, and with a purpose.
As the two sat down, he noticed that the two individuals weren't back yet.
"Are they back, yet, and do you know?" Giyu asked Urokodaki after a bit.
Urokodaki shook his head, clearly a bit tense about what could happen next. "Not yet. We should expect to hear from a crow around 24 hours after the event. However, from what I've heard, things were complicated with the fire."
"It was. But despite that, we'll have to wait…" Giyu sighed, as he got up and stretched.
Urokodaki for his part got up and went inside, presumably to make some furniture, something he was getting into.
Giyu decided to go back to an area he would always go to for his soul, at least that was what Urokodaki said.
It was the sound of water. Both by a river and a nearby waterfall. Sometimes Giyu wondered how the waterfall could fall like this continuously for as long as it could. He realized the human mind just wasn't meant to engage in the large numbers of how much waterfalls into the river every day.
Despite the questions like that, it calmed Giyu. It gave him some sense of a castaway to filter out any of the bad and negative parts of his life.
It was therapeutic, at least that was what Urokodaki would say.
Once he finished, he went back, but not before he saw a crow, all familiar to both Urokodaki and Giyu, flying in their direction.
Almost immediately, the two of them tensed. Giyu for a second had lost all the progress of calamity he had gotten from meditating from the waterfall and river, but he kept calm.
Eventually, the crow opened its beak and mouth, to speak the next words that could either haunt or present the two of them with relief.
"Caw! Tanjirou Kamado and Nezuko Kamado have defeated the Hand Demon responsible for the deaths of 55 demon slayers, including 14 of Urokodaki's disciples!" The crow squawked, immediately giving both Urokodaki and Giyu a sense of massive relief.
They both could calm down, with large stress relief.
After all, death was inevitable. Even for demons, they could die unexpectedly.
The two of them looked at each other, with the same emotion. Guilt.
And yet, they both were happy, knowing that all the deaths of the innocent people the hand demon had killed and eaten, were now freed.
Freed from the belly of the monster. Giyu could sigh, as he kneeled on his knee.
"Sabito… Makomo… You both are now free… You all don't have to continuously suffer… Please… Accept my apology for being unable to stop the demon, having to rely on Tanjirou and Nezuko…" Giyu clasped his hands.
Almost as soon as he got that, he felt two small pairs of arms pat his back. This caused Giyu to turn his back in suspense.
But nobody was there.
Giyu sighed, perhaps thinking it was the ghosts of Sabito and Makomo there with him, congratulating him, or cursing him for their deaths.
Giyu wasn't sure.
But what he knew, was that at least one major demon in his life was dead.
The demon that not only harmed Urokodaki mentally but also the demon that killed his only former friends.
The other demon, Giyu knew would be harder to find. The demon that killed his older sister, was in front of his eyes.
Giyu had to see his elder sister being absorbed by the demon, and if it wasn't for Giyu's blood causing the demon to revolt and run away, Giyu too could have died.
While a part of Giyu wished he was the one to kill the demon, out of revenge for his friends, he was ultimately glad that the demon was dead.
However, in Giyu's mind, that only meant that he had to be the one to personally kill the demon who killed his elder sister.
That is if the demon was alive. There could be a chance that the demon was dead already.
But this also confirmed that Tanjirou and Nezuko were alive. At least the first signs.
"How are the Kamados?" Giyu asked the crow, clearly wanting confirmation.
"Caw! Tanjirou Kamado and Nezuko Kamado are both alive! However, Nezuko is asleep from the battles!" The crow explained as it began to flap awake.
Giyu looked at his crow and petted its head. He didn't want his old crow to overwork himself, so Kagaya had instructed a second, younger crow to be a messenger for Giyu.
Because Kanzaburo was a paranoid crow as well, and worried that he would be discharged from serving Giyu, which the young man did not want at all. At the very least, he convinced his crow to calm down on the work he was given.
"That's great news…" Giyu sighed as he went to sit down, his nervousness preventing him from staying in one place, even if his face didn't show it.
In the end, he had to thank Tanjirou and Nezuko. They had done something that no other demon slayer had been able to do, for Urokodaki.
But to see that the two demon siblings had done something so significant for Giyu, he now fully trusted the demon siblings. They had done something immeasurable for Giyu that he was forever in their debt.
Tanjirou and Nezuko were true, good demons. No, they were good humans. Being called a demon or human did not represent the two.
They were angels, who truly meant good for their actions, clearly as both Urokodaki and Giyu hugged each other, apologizing to their respective loved ones for the circumstances.
And through it all, Giyu knew exactly what to do to pay Tanjirou and Nezuko back.
To protect them with his life. He was thankful to them, and now Giyu knew the two were like family to him.
For the time being, Urokodaki knew how Giyu was feeling.
He couldn't train his students well to slay the demon, and every demon slayer that was killed was a fault of his own.
Even though the killer of Sabito and Makomo were now gone, Giyu still felt a sense of inferiority.
Giyu sighed, "Perhaps I should have been the one to go in and seek the Hand Demon for revenge…" Giyu thought but he knew it was not working like that. He had completed the Final Selection, he couldn't go back in.
As for the other news, Giyu and Urokodaki spoke about the state of the Final Selection, with the help of a crow giving them updates on what has happened.
The main topic was that Kanae had once again run into Upper Moon 2, and unfortunately was injured badly to be sent to the infirmary. Thankfully, she would recover it seems.
However, what got the attention of the two of them, was the description of an individual who had temporarily held the demon back for enough time to get Kanae out for recovery.
Almost immediately, both Giyu and Urokodaki had a good idea who that demon slayer was.
And while it seemed that many of them weren't able to decipher the other characteristics of them, the fact that they risked getting exposed by the Hashira, was something they had to make sure was not seen as suspicious.
However, knowing Kagaya, besides any lower-ranked demon slayers, which was unlikely, many of the Hashira were probably just thankful that Kanae was still alive.
But the significance of this was now since both of them survived, they had completed their test. They now had protection. Unfortunately, even then the risk of execution was still there. All this was doing was building up a case against execution when inevitably, the two demons are caught up in the Hashira.
Urokodaki and Giyu hoped that Kagaya's approval and blessing of the two siblings would be enough to bypass all the other Hashira's speculation.
In the end, Giyu and Urokodaki wouldn't have to wait any longer, for during nighttime, they saw the figures of Tanjirou and Nezuko walking up the mountain.
Almost immediately, both Urokodaki and Giyu rushed over to hug the two demons.
"You're alive… Thank god…" Urokodaki mumbled.
"We heard you beat the Hand Demon… Thank you so much…" Giyu gave the two a small smile, something he rarely did, but was appreciated.
"I-It's not a problem…" Tanjirou sighed, clearly tired and wanting to sleep. "Can we rest…? I've been carrying Nezuko since the Final Selection…"
"Of course, let's get you both inside." Urokodaki motioned for the two to come in.
Once they did, they immediately got themselves comforted in the house, as Nezuko gave a noise of contentment for being placed on a softer area for her back.
Tanjirou gave a warm smile at that, seeing his sister sleeping and happy. However, it wasn't seen by anyone.
"Tanjirou, I think we should let the both of you get some sleep. We can go over everything tomorrow, is that fine?" Urokodaki asked.
Immediately, Tanjirou looked to Giyu, "Do you have to go back to your master?"
Giyu shook his head, "I can stay for a bit."
"Besides, I don't think they would need me." Giyu thought in his mind, making sure not to say that one out loud.
And so, the two left the Kamado siblings to rest, all the while they went with their activities and hobbies, minus the panic and stress they had for whether they survived or not.
The two, who originally were harsh on the demon siblings, thinking they would fall to their demonic instincts, slowly proved themselves to be demons in control, or even human-like in almost every way.
It made both of them wish that neither of them were demons. Or, for the goal Tanjirou was heading for, a cure to become human once again.
Once they managed to get some rest, the four of them were inside the cabin, clearly about to discuss everything.
"I want you to tell me everything, that both you and Nezuko had undergone during the Final Selection." Urokodaki started.
Tanjirou nodded, and he began to explain everything he first went through during the Final Selection.
He explained how the two split up because they wanted to prioritize saving any demon slayers that were trapped in the area first.
That was when Tanjirou explained his encounters with a couple of demons and a demon slayer. However, Tanjirou made it clear that the demon slayer, who apparently could consume demons, did not seem to know he was a demon.
"So, Genya Shinazugawa was the individual Tanjirou encountered." Giyu thought to himself, as he got the information.
And before then, he explained Nezuko's side of the story, once again, with Nezuko telling Tanjirou about their blood connections, and Tanjirou explaining what Nezuko was saying.
Once that was done, Tanjirou then explained the moment he and Nezuko both were involved in the slaying of the hand demon.
Both Urokodaki and Giyu sighed in relief at the story. The sheer amount of details Tanjirou gave to them about the fight showed them that Tanjirou was not lying about encountering him.
Finally, Tanjirou explained about his brief fight with a very strong demon, as the boy put it.
"Eventually, Nezuko got tired, and so I put her down to rest when I noticed a commotion going on." Tanjirou continued. "That was when I saw a human girl and a demon boy fighting. The girl looked to be losing and about to get hurt more, so that was when I intervened."
This confirmed both Giyu's and Urokodaki's theories. They had said a mysterious demon slayer had interrupted and stalled just long enough for Kanae to be moved away and into treatment.
Tanjirou was the slayer responsible for that. The irony that a demon had saved a Hashira's life from another demon…
"I tried to fight the demon, but even with at my utmost best, he ended up blowing me away, and I got injured. It took around a couple of minutes for me to heal and recuperate before I began to head back, with Nezuko on my back of course." Tanjirou finalized, as he seemed content with the story he explained.
That was until he noticed the somewhat shocked looks of both Urokodaki and Giyu.
"Did I do something?" Tanjirou asked.
"Tanjirou, do you have any idea if the demon thought or had an idea, that you, yourself, were a demon?" Urokodaki asked.
Tanjirou shook his head, "He smelled very annoyed with me. That was it, besides a hint of fear. But he didn't seem to be wondering anything about me. He just saw me as a nuisance to get rid of before getting back to the main dish." That seemed to have lowered both of their fears.
"Well, even I struggled to realize Tanjirou was a demon, so probably the demon himself was unable to see that Tanjirou was indeed a demon," Giyu concluded.
Urokodaki then turned to Tanjirou, "What you encountered was both Upper Moon Two and the Flower Hashira."
"Huh? Upper Moon?" Tanjirou looked confused.
"Yes. Upper Moons are the upper half of the Twelve Kizuki that directly serve Muzan. They are often considered the strongest demons in his arsenal, besides himself." Urokodaki answered the question Tanjirou was going to ask.
"And the Pillars, or Hashira?" Tanjirou asked.
"The Hashira are the strongest demon slayers. Every demon slayer is given a rank once they complete the Final Selection, usually starting from the lowest, and thus they would need to rise the ranks as they complete missions and slay demons." Giyu explained, "To become a Hashira, you need to be the previous rank below, and slay 50 demons, of which a Twelve Kizuki is to be included." Giyu explained.
"Wow…" Tanjirou mumbled, "That's a lot, what rank did you beat?"
"I beat Lower Moon three," Giyu revealed.
"Wait, lower moon?" Tanjirou asked.
"Right, the Twelve Kizuki's are divided into the stronger, upper moons, and the weaker, lower moons. The lower moons are usually capable of killing many demon slayers, and it takes the Hashira to kill them, besides a select few strong demon slayers. The Upper Moons are designed to kill many of the Hashira's." Giyu explained.
"Many of the Hashira's within the Sengoku period were capable of killing an Upper Moon on their own, alas, the reason for this is unknown, especially since many died in their early to mid-twenties," Urokodaki added to the explanation.
Immediately, Tanjirou's eyes widened and his entire body shuddered at the realization he was facing.
"So, you mean to tell me, I witnessed the power of some of the strongest individuals…?" Tanjiru asked, clearly a bit nervous about that. "No wonder they smelled so strong…" Even Tanjirou's hands were shivering from the realization.
"The fact you are alive after fighting an Upper Moon is remarkable, and you may be placed on the radar for both demons and demon slayers," Urokodaki warned.
Tanjirou, who mistaken the warning for a sense of disappointment, looked down, "I'm sorry…"
"No, don't be. We're just thankful you are alright, especially if the Upper Moon and the Hashira are unaware you are a demon." Giyu tried to soothe Tanjirou, as he felt that Tanjirou was self-blaming.
"Why is that?" Tanjirou asked, "The demon slayers I understand, but the demons?"
Urokodaki eyed Giyu, motioning for him to tell Tanjirou.
"You see, it is highly rumored that Muzan can see through the eyes of other demons." Giyu started, "Of course, Muzan is just one person, meaning he cannot see inside every demon at a time. As a result, he will usually prioritize the strongest of the demons, the ones within the Twelve Kizuki."
Urokodaki then came in to explain something. "In a way, your sense of smell can help you determine what demon you are getting involved in for a fight. If your smell can tell you how strong a demon is, that correlates with the chance Muzan will have looked through the demon's eyes." Urokodaki warned Tanjirou.
"W-What about me and Nezuko, then…" Tanjirou asked, looking to face a sleepy Nezuko, "If we're demons, wouldn't Muzan be staring at us?"
Giyu shook his head, "I have a feeling that since the two of you have retained your humanity, he has no reason to. Plus, if he accidentally turned you into a demon, he might not even be aware of you looking through your eyes. Both could be the reason."
At this, Giyu sighed, "I may have to speak to the master more about this, however." Giyu pondered.
"That's a relief… Although since Nezuko always sleeps, he couldn't get much out of her." Tanjirou responded, a bit confident.
All the while Tanjirou was thinking to himself.
"That demon did smell very strong, very pungent, and disgusting, almost to the point of wanting to faint. It was very close to Muzan's smell, but not as potent… By contrast, many of the other demons were mere disturbances I could smell in the air…" Tanjirou thought to himself, trying to find a way to use his nose to detect a demon's strength. "Not to mention the feelings they could show…"
"Anyways Tanjirou, I think you and Nezuko have succeeded remarkably. However, I'm pretty sure that Oyakata-sama is already aware of this. We will see what happens regarding your coronation into new demon slayers, but I am aware that he also needs to get the others into the corps." Urokodaki explained.
Tanjirou obliged as he went to go sleep, not before making sure Nezuko was comfortable. Tanjirou went to sleep, as he would tell Nezuko everything Urokodaki and Giyu had informed him about.
As the two watched Tanjirou head inside, they turned to look at each other. "SO what do you think about this?" Urokodaki was the first to ask.
Giyu looked up as he scratched his chin, "I do feel hopeful that the demon was unaware that Tanjirou was a demon, as the mask and the overall closeness he is to being a human, was engaging. However, I am more worried about Kanae's reaction."
"How is she doing, by the way?" Urokodaki asked, referring to Kanae Kocho.
"She's recovering fine, from what I've heard from the Wind Hashira, who's been very arrogant and loud about the girl's condition, the ice in her lungs may cause her to take longer to recover her breathing. And thankfully, her left eye doesn't seem to be blind so she will make a recovery. Both the younger Kocho and Tsuyuri were worried for her wellbeing, but I think everything will work out." Giyu explained.
"I'm glad." Urokodaki answered, "Have you tried speaking to her and the others?"
Giyu looked down, sighing. That was all Urokodaki needed.
"Giyu." Urokodaki looked at the Water Hashira. "You don't always need to avoid talking to people."
Giyu eyed back at the masked, former Hashira, "I'm afraid I cannot. The damage is already done, and many within the Hashira already hate me." Giyu explained, "I shouldn't even be in the Hashira, that role belongs to Sabito."
Urokodaki sighed, a bit frustrated, before he smelled Giyu's internal fight. "You know, Giyu. I have a nose like Tanjirou's, perhaps a bit weaker, but still potent. I can smell a sense of inferiority in you."
Giyu remained quiet despite this, deciding to not think of anything right now. Of course, it was somewhat difficult, but portraying a tranquil, calm mask was something Giyu could always do. "I'm afraid that whatever you tell me, it won't change my opinion."
"You've managed to achieve an impressive role because of your performance. You've already defeated a Lower Moon. I'm pretty sure if Sabito and Makomo were here to see you, they would be very proud of you." Urokodaki explained.
"Unlikely. They probably hate me for making them save my life…" Giyu thought before he clammed up, not wanting Urokodaki to catch that. "Got it."
Urokodaki sighed. It was just like before. Despite everything he told Giyu, he would just nod without thinking sincerely. He was just doing that to get Urokodaki off his back.
And yet, Urokodaki didn't want to push Giyu away, so he decided to change the topic for now. "How about we figure out what to do regarding Tanjirou and Nezuko now."
Giyu nodded, as the two began to go over everything they wanted to reveal to Kagaya. Whilst it was highly likely he already knew, it was important for the three to be speaking directly about these two. That was how important the demon siblings were.
It took quite a time, but Kagaya was glad that Kanae had survived her second encounter with Upper Moon 2. Giyu in addition informed Kagaya about Tanjirou and Nezuko's involvement in the Final Selection, to help contain the demons within the area.
In total, around five days had passed since they came back, and Giyu was even sent out for a mission critical for the Kamado siblings. The actual messaging took three days, and Giyu himself took two days after that to return.
Of course, Kagaya was content with the progress, especially with Tanjirou being a reason for Kanae's current alive status.
Once that was done, they learned what Kagaya would be doing for the two special demon slayers.
After his children coronate the current demon slayers who passed this year's Final Selection, Kagaya, and his children would meet at Giyu's Estate.
"Oyakata-sama wants to coronate Tanjirou and Nezuko himself…" Giyu revealed as he read the note the crow had given back.
This caused both Urokodaki and Giyu to stare at each other.
Unfortunately, Tanjirou and Nezuko were awake at this time, and they immediately began to panic.
"Will we be alright…?" Tanjirou asked.
"I think so, he wants to coronate the two of you himself is all," Giyu explained. "However, you will be traveling with me to my estate."
"All four of us will make this journey, each of us carrying a box in case it is during the day. There, you will be coronated by Oyakata-sama, and around a week later, will you both receive a proper nichirin blade, that will change color according to the user." Urokodaki explained.
"As for your blades, you both will be choosing the orbs you want your blade in right now," Giyu explained.
Immediately, Tanjirou's eyes widened at that. "Wait, what?!"
In response, Giyu brought out a multitude of orbs that Urokodaki had kept in storage.
"There's so many!" Tanjirou exclaimed in shock, Nezuko was behind him, now awake and nodding as she was about to do the same thing.
Tanjirou could see the overall quality of the orbs, clearly amazed, before he looked towards Nezuko who was also eyeing the orbs with intrigue.
"They're so pretty!" Nezuko exclaimed, and Tanjirou chuckled softly at hearing his sister.
"They are, Nezuko," Tanjirou responded as they looked over.
"What is the purpose of the orbs again?" Tanjirou asked, wanting some form of confirmation.
"Under many circumstances, these are sun orbs. They are placed on the blade of your choice, which will then give you a color that corresponds to the qualities of a demon slayer. They differ for every demon slayer's skill and attributes." Urokodaki explained.
"For example, both of your current nichirin blades are already forged in a solar orb, that is responsible for absorbing the sunlight needed to decapitate demons successfully."
"I see." Tanjirou nodded, as he was beginning to understand the whole quality of the nichirin blade. Nezuko too seemed to have understood the explanation they were given.
"However, we will soon see the color of your blade, when the new nirchirin blades come," Urokodaki explained.
As Tanjirou began to ponder everything, he had a sudden memory engulf him.
It was a rather short memory, however, but it was a memory of something he held close to.
Tanjirou danced.
It was something he was well known for. Particularly in the village. This was usually during the celebration for New Year's Eve when he was kicked out of the house.
Tanjirou would dance whilst the fireworks would go, and even though he could hear them, he never once saw them.
The Hinokami Kagura was a tradition of the family that Tanjirou held close to his heart, not only by nature but also by nurture.
To say his home life was less than stellar was an understatement. His father and mother looked down on him, because of his inability to perform breathing styles.
Why did they even want Tanjirou and the other siblings to learn breathing styles? Tanjirou didn't know.
But all he knew was that because of those breathing styles, Tanjirou was the subject of being scorned immensely.
Even his siblings, except Nezuko, stayed their distance, for they didn't want to suffer from any more beatings and punishments.
The line of punishment and abuse was always in the back of Tanjirou's mind, but there were occasions where it would skew the line incredibly.
All this time, Tanjirou took up the Hinokami Kagura to cope. It was his way of being at ease with his current life.
However, it wasn't perfect. He still held resentment and questioned, for himself.
Even with the environment Tanjirou lived in, he still blamed himself.
He never once questioned his parents why they had to learn breathing styles, but only why he was struggling so much. Why he was the one to have to suffer how he did?
His father specifically was a topic of debate for Tanjirou recently. Whenever Tanjirou hears about his father, he doesn't want to hear from him, either out of fear that he would be critiqued for his worthlessness again, or because it would remind Tanjirou of his worthlessness. However, even Tanjirou himself knew of the criticalities he played for the Hinokami Kagura.
His father was the one who told him about the dance and indirectly made him pursue it more. Because it was the only thing Tanjirou could take pride in dancing for.
Especially when his parents always told him how pathetic he was at everything else, except for dancing, and coal burning.
Whenever Tanjirou tried to cook, or clean, he was deemed a failure, because Nezuko and the younger siblings could do it better.
None of Tanjirou's siblings wanted to be around Tanjirou for reasons previously mentioned, and so someone else took the spotlight, Nezuko.
It was almost like Nezuko was the eldest sibling in the family, whilst he was cast as the forbidden sibling. The target for what not to be.
He was the family's image of what not to be.
And it cast an everlasting effect on Tanjirou. Even Tanjirou began to think he was a being of no worth. A being who was just a punching bag for the family. He had the scars of burns from abuse to showcase and even the memories of each semblance of harsh punishment.
But none of that went into Tanjirou's mind more than the idea of him being worthless and useless.
The very birthmark that his parents and family hated, which was hypocritical since his very own father had the same birthmark as him, that was before Tanjirou became a demon, and it became red and ragged.
Whenever Tanjirou thought about his father and mother, it was a mixed bag. While he hated them for the poor treatment, including kicking him out of the house during a blizzard, their advice had helped him, particularly his father with the dance and breathing styles.
And as Tanjirou danced, he picked up an intriguing blade that always made Tanjirou stop and admire.
The wooden blade he would hold whilst performing the Hinokami Kagura.
It was a blade with a strong foundation heading straight out.
But what intrigued Tanjirou were the extra layers that protruded out of the main blade.
The left side of the blade was closer to the handle, sticking curving to stick away from the handle, followed by a zigzag-like pattern. There were three protrusions on the left and right of the blade.
This was called, a Shichishito, or a seven-branched sword.
And yet, even when Tanjirou held it, it was almost natural for the dance. Almost like the blade was perfect for him to dance with.
Tanjirou was never the type to question, but he most definitely questioned the design of the blade.
Seeing the blade reminded Tanjirou of the dance, which always had a positive effect on his mind. It made Tanjirou feel, that even if he was useless at everything else, he did, he could at least do this one thing.
After all, if he was good at one thing, he should hone it down to be the best at it.
He was most definitely not going to be adequate at anything he did, according to his family, so he would dance to the best of his abilities.
As Tanjirou danced in the temple he was assigned, he failed to see the surprising figure of his father, Tanjurou, watching him.
And through the moments he was there, he gave his son a warm smile filled with pride. He was proud of his son for being able to be so efficient in the Hinokami Kagura.
But Tanjirou never saw him. He was too entranced in his mind of tranquility, due to the dance he performed to notice.
Besides, Tanjirou had to enjoy the time of peace he could get, before he had to return home to a place where he would always be on edge, where his body was always tense, and always clenched, waiting for anything that would be thrown at him.
And through constant trials of running across the mountain to sell, and burn coal, to even practicing the breathing styles to little avail, Tanjirou lived a hard life. Coupled with the scorn, abuse, punishments, and isolation he faced from most of his family, it made him love the Hinokami Kagura more, not just personally, but also to conform to society.
Tanjirou didn't realize it just yet, but he had let society be the indicator of his worth and actions. Not himself. He had a voice and heart for everyone.
Except for himself. He relied on what his parents would say about him to dictate his worth and value. Tanjirou felt that his opinion was redundant, and worthless, unlike what other, more respected and refined members of society said.
And so, when it came to sticking up for people, Tanjirou was fine with that, when it came to himself, he felt like he didn't deserve the right to stick up for himself.
If society and his family saw him as a failure, then he was. That was just how he learned to live. His heart was only focused externally, not giving out any self-love, for he felt he doesn't deserve it.
After all, who would love a man of no value?
As Tanjirou picked up his Shichishito, he had a sense of peace, as it reminded him of the very dance that empowered him, and made him temporarily forget about the poor treatment he had received all his life.
"Um, are we allowed to pick anything other than a nichirin katana?" Tanjirou asked.
This surprised both Giyu and Urokodaki.
"Yes, you can, some members of the Hashira get their unique variant of a blade, but why?" Giyu asked, "Do you have an idea of what kind of nichirin weapon you want?"
"I think so…" Tanjirou mumbled, as he looked down, a bit nervous.
"Well, I can send it and see if the swordsmiths can make it." Giyu explained, "Just let me know what kind of nichirin weapon you want."
Tanjirou nodded. "Understood. Nezuko, what kind of nichirin weapon do you want?"
Nezuko shook her head, and Tanjirou nodded before turning back to face them, "Nezuko said anything works for her, however, she did say to make hers longer, or to also include a dagger."
"I see." Giyu nodded, "I'll make sure to inform them of your preferences."
Both Tanjirou and Nezuko nodded. "Thank you!"
"So, remember, when the two of you get your nichirin weapons, they will have a color to represent an affinity for your spiritual core. For example, Giyu's blade is pure blue, representing an affinity for water breathing." Urokodaki explained as Giyu raised his blade to represent it.
Both Tanjirou and Nezuko were somewhat excited now, for they wanted to see their weapons as quickly as possible.
…
And that was soon to be, as before they all knew it, a week had passed.
Some things occurred on the spot, for example, Giyu leaving, deciding to eventually attend the delayed Final Selection inauguration for the demon slayers that survived everything that occurred.
That left Tanjirou, Nezuko, and Urokodaki on their own. However, neither of them minded, for it reminded them of the simpler times when the two demons were training under the former Hashira.
All in all, it was a pleasant time. In addition to the idea of travel, Urokodaki allowed them to travel during the night so that the inauguration could be held in the day inside.
While Tanjirou was a bit nervous about the potential that someone might interrupt it, Giyu had told them that nobody ever visits his mansion.
He lived a sad, lonely life.
"Poor guy."
And so, none of them had much to worry for. Giyu had been communicating with the Master about the events, and also the swordsmiths so that they could ideally get everything on time.
Once the week had passed, Urokodaki called for the two. Immediately, both Tanjirou and Nezuko answered and rushed over, knowing they were about to head out.
"So what does Giyu's mansion look like?" Tanjirou asked.
"I don't know, he's never invited me," Urokodaki revealed.
"Wow…" Tanjirou mumbled as the three figures began to walk home. Urokodaki of course placed back his wisteria incense to prevent any other demons from infiltrating his home.
Tanjirou of course smelt the wisteria, but it was more akin to the Final Selection when burnt. Therefore, while it did linger and annoy him, that was all it did.
While of course talking about trivial things, such as Urokodaki promising to make them some newer and more quality-designed masks, Tanjirou explains why he loves the mountains.
It was a basic and surface-level conversation the two had, Nezuko just listened, and all the while Tanjirou and Urokodaki talked it out.
It felt like a father-son conversation, and it made Tanjirou wish he had a fatherly figure who cared for him and showed him warmth.
He wished his actual father could have been like this if he wanted them to learn breathing styles.
In the end, that was his life, and he had to move on.
Once they made it to Giyu's estate, they were all a bit impressed by how spaced and clean it was. It seemed for the most part very traditional and calm. Nothing memorable, but comfy enough for a settlement or place to reside.
"Sorry, I only have a bunk bed for visitors, but it's never been used. I've dusted it out to the best of my abilities." Giyu explained as he let the three inside his estate.
"It's very roomy…" Tanjirou commented.
Giyu only nodded, not knowing if he should take it as a compliment or an insult. Tanjirou probably meant it as a compliment, he thought.
As the two remained inside, they were waiting patiently for what was to come.
And eventually, it did.
With a quick knock on the door, Tanjirou and Nezuko reacted with their faces turning towards the door.
"Remember you two, get away from an open door, we don't want the sun to burn you both," Urokodaki warned, causing Tanjirou and Nezuko to realize before they moved further inside the estate, a bit embarrassed.
Once they were getting accustomed, they saw three new figures.
Two of them were children. One had black hair, the other had white hair.
Otherwise, the two children both were wearing purple vests alongside a green belt. The other one, with white hair, was wearing the same accessories.
The only difference was the hair color.
"Are they twins?" Tanjirou thought to himself.
"One of them is a boy, and the other is a girl," Nezuko told Tanjirou through their mind.
"WHAT? They both look the same!" Tanjirou exclaimed, somewhat shocked at this.
"Surprised me as well," Nezuko responded.
However, it's the male that generated the most attention.
Not just from Tanjirou and Nezuko, but also from Urokodaki and Giyu.
The male in question seemed a lot younger than what Tanjirou would have expected from a supposed leader. He had black hair, a white robe, with a belt similar to their waist. However, the most notable feature of the individual was the curse mark that encompassed his upper face. It seemed to be just below his eyes, with the pupil faded, to the point of potential complete blindness.
The male was the leader of the corps that Urokodaki and Giyu had both mentioned.
"What was the term name the two of them called him?" Tanjirou asked Nezuko.
"I believe it was Oyakata-sama." Nezuko clarified, to which Tanjirou nodded.
"Thanks." With that Tanjirou awkwardly bowed his head.
"Um, it's a pleasure t-." Tanjirou began to stutter, clearly not knowing how to say these things.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, uh… Oyakata-sama…" Tanjirou mumbled.
Kagaya for his part looked impressed, and smiled, "It's great to meet you both as well, Tanjirou, and Nezuko." He nodded.
Giyu and Urokodaki also looked impressed, mainly because the first impression must have gone very well.
"As I've heard from Giyu and Urokodaki, the two of you have done phenomenal things during your missions and tests that you have been given. As the two of you probably know now, I've been the one to personally hand-pick the missions you two have gone to." Kagaya explained, "The reason for this is simple. All these demons were responsible for killing demon slayers, mainly new."
"I understand, and as promised, Nezuko and I have slain every demon we were ordered to," Tanjirou confirmed.
"That's not the entire story," Kagaya explained, startling the two demons. "I've known that you've also slain some demons that were outside of the mission. I was told by a crow that you sensed a demon outside of the mission and chose to slay it."
"Yes, that is true." Tanjirou nodded. Giyu and Urokodaki looked making sure everything was alright.
"I'm glad. You have strong morals boy, even as a demon. I've held onto the hope that you two would become demons of unimaginable use for the demon slayer corps. Being able to retain your humanity, and to stop yourself willingly from falling under your demonic desires, I cannot stress how rare it is for demons to do that." Kagaya explained further, "In all my experience, there were only two demons who have broken free of their demonic desires and became human-like."
"Wait really?" Tanjirou asked. He and Nezuko weren't the only ones?
"Yes, some of the demon slayer corps know of them," Kagaya revealed. "This demon works closely with the Kochos."
This was something that surprised Giyu.
"So, both Kocho siblings are working with demons too? Of course, considering Kanae's nature… But Shinobu's is more surprising…" Giyu thought to himself.
"Have you approved of this?" Giyu asked.
"Of course, the demon in question has been a loyal ally for centuries," Kagaya explained.
"I see," Giyu mumbled.
"Anyways, I am extraordinarily content that both you and Nezuko have managed to contribute a lot, and more so. Even managing to save some demon slayers, including a Hashira from an Upper Moon, whilst remaining mostly unknown. It is a feat that represents the endurance and loyalty you both have for your morals. You both have shown your willingness to protect others and to train hard. You both, despite being demons, have not shown any threats of consuming humans, and instead choose to fight alongside them, against demons who make this world a cruel place. And for that, I shall formerly, welcome the two of you, Tanjirou Kamado, and Nezuko Kamado, into the demon slayer corps." Kagaya smiled, "I hope you enjoy your experience and hope to see a lot of good things coming from you."
And so, Kagaya opened his book, and with the help of his children, began to write Tanjirou and Nezuko's names into the book, which included the date they were introduced into the demon slayer corps.
If Tanjirou could read properly, he could see four names that were recently added.
However, he couldn't make out the words, as they were upside down and not accessible for long enough.
Tanjirou and Nezuko eyed Kagaya and bowed respectively. "Thank you for this opportunity, we will not let you down, Oyakata-sama."
Kagaya smiled, "Even if the two of you are demons, your personality and morals are very human-like. I can't tell if you truly are a demon or not, Tanjirou."
Tanjirou nodded, "I am who I am, and I will let my actions and morals speak for who I am. I am a demon slayer, and I will be a successful one at that. I will not be seen as worthless or a failure." Tanjirou announced, with determination.
"I can't wait to see what you will do, young Kamados." Kagaya smiled before he got up.
"I shall let my children introduce the two of you to your uniforms, the process of the ranks, and everything you need to know about demon slayer corporation. Once again, I welcome you to the corps."
"Thanks, Oyakataka-sama!" Tanjirou called out as the male allowed his children to come up.
"The dress for the demon slayers is made of a material that can absorb the attacks of a low demon rank. As for the ranks of the demon slayer corps, there are ten total ranks. There is Mizunoto, Mizunoe, Kanoto, Kanoe, Tsuchinoto, Tsuchinoe, Hinoto, Kinoto, and Kinoe. There is also the highest rank, Hashira, which is enabled as a Kinoe who under the ranks slays 50 demons, including a Twelfth Kizuki." Kiriya explained.
"Thank you." Tanjirou accepted the uniform and decided to wear it over his black and green checkered coat, which now gave him a haori.
Nezuko chose to wear a pink haori with a brown coat covering her arms and legs from the cold.
"Looking good, my children." Kagaya gave Tanjirou and Nezuko one last compliment before he and the other children walked towards the corner.
"Um, is everything alright?" Tanjirou asked.
"Of course, Tomioka, did you inform the two siblings what else would be happening?" Kagaya asked.
"Of course, Oyakata-sama, I informed the two that they both would be not only coronated as demon slayers but would also receive their nichirin weapons today," Giyu explained.
Tanjirou and Nezuko's eyes widened in realization. "Oh, sorry Tomioka, I forgot." Tanjirou scratched his head in embarrassment.
"It's alright, Tanjirou." Giyu nodded back.
Eventually in line with what they were talking about. Both Tanjirou and Nezuko heard the sounds of a knock, followed by the door opening.
Eventually, the individuals in question were allowed in.
The first thing both Tanjirou and Nezuko realized, was the Noh theater mask. Some stuff Nezuko had seen before in the festivals of the village, with usually comical expressions that made Nezuko laugh.
The man was carrying some long wooden boxes whilst mumbling something in annoyance. Both could tell the man was short-tempered and as a result, would be best to not get on his bad side.
"Is that the swordsmith?" Tanjirou asked Urokodaki quietly, to which he nodded.
"This is indeed the swordsmith we were talking about. He is the one who will bring the nichirin weapons made from the ore you picked back then. He will be giving you both a customized weapon that you told them." Urokodaki then stated once the man carefully placed down the boxes.
"Why is he wearing a mask?" Tanjirou suddenly asked.
"They are vulnerable targets for demons, so to hide their identity, they wear these masks," Giyu explained.
"I am Hotaru Haganezuka!" The swordsmith, called Hotaru revealed.
"Holy crap, he's tall!" Tanjirou exclaimed as he had to stretch his head up to face his mask.
Suddenly, Hotaru eyed Nezuko, before he mumbled, "Are you a demon?"
"She is, yes," Urokodaki confirmed.
"Are you serious?! You made me design these stupid specific weapons for this demon?!" Hotaru yelled before he turned to Tanjirou.
"You! You better not be a demon too, right?!" He asked, but when he got no answer from Tanjirou, he yelled harder, "RIGHT?!"
Tanjirou scratched his head, confirming to Hotaru what he was thinking.
"I'll kill you! I've worked my butt off for this and now I've learned they'll be given to these demons!" It took the comical help of Giyu and Urokodaki to keep Hotaru back from killing both Tanjirou and Nezuko.
"It is alright, Haganezuka. They are demon slayers, approved by me." Kagaya smiled at the swordsmith. "Also, it is great to see you again."
This caused Hotaru to remain silent, before he yelled, "I'm seeing the master! This is my lucky day!"
Tanjirou wanted to laugh at the comical nature of Hotaru, but he digressed. At least they were able to calm him down.
Before he knew it, he noticed something, "Wait, you're a child of brightness!"
"A what?" Tanjirou tilted his head.
"The red eyes and red hair! You've worked with fire before, right?" Hotaru asked.
"I mean, our family burned coal…" Tanjirou answered.
"Close enough! I might get to see a red blade! Double the luck on my lucky day!" Hotaru exclaimed in glee.
"We're the children of the Kamados. What is a child of brightness?" Tanjirou asked.
"WHAT?! A child of brightness is destined to be some of the strongest swordsmen ever!" Hotaru exclaimed.
"They say those within our families with the birthmark on our foreheads are destined to be phenomenal sword fighters." Tanjirou wasn't sure why, but Hotaru's comment reminded him of his father when he was younger.
"Eh! Whatever, you just give me a red blade! You boy have red hair and earrings! Let's just see the colors of your blades then!" The swordsmith exclaimed.
Both Tanjirou and Nezuko nodded, as they opened their respective boxes.
"You go first, Nezuko." Tanjirou motioned for his sister, who nodded a thank you.
Tanjirou noticed, that Nezuko had a rather typical nichirin blade, alongside a smaller dagger that she could pocket with her free hand.
"Very smart…" Tanjirou commented.
Nezuko remained there once she opened it.
"You need to hold it in the air." Hotaru deadpanned, and as Nezuko blushed in embarrassment, she held both her sword and dagger in the air.
Just as expected, Nezuko's blade and dagger began to change color from the base to the tip.
It turned dark blue, with a hint of light pink on the sides.
"What a nice color." Urokodaki commented, "As expected of a water-breathing user, however, the light pink is unusual."
True to his statement, some parts of Nezuko's dagger and katana were a shade closer to light pink.
"What does that mean?" Tanjirou asked.
"Not sure, but considering how most of Nezuko's blade is the usual blue color, I would assume it means she's affluent in water breathing," Urokodaki explained.
Tanjirou agreed, for when it came to learning and using water breathing, Nezuko was far more skilled at it than he was.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, what's new? You!" Hotaru pointed at Tanjirou who looked alarmed, "Now, it's your turn!"
"Alright…" Tanjirou mumbled as he took out the blade.
True to what he requested, what he got was the seven-branched blade he wanted, the Shichishito.
Tanjirou marveled a bit in awe at the design.
"Why the hell did you want a seven-branched blade?" Hotaru asked as both he and Tanjirou got into a little spat, unaware of the weird look Kagaya was giving toward the blade.
"Why does that seven-branch sword sound familiar…?" he asked himself.
Tanjirou lifted his Shichishito in the air, as it began to manifest its colors.
Tanjirou closed his eyes, before opening it, only to see black.
Pure, pitch black. Starting on the base of his blade, making it towards the branches and tip. No other color was visible. Just the purest black anyone could ever see. If Tanjirou kept his Shichishito in the dark, it would be impossible to see.
Still, the black blade was not expected and only gave more questions.
"WHAT?! I was expecting a red blade! Damn you faker!" Hotaru got violent as he tussled with Tanjirou comedically.
"What's wrong with black?" Tanjirou asked as he separated himself from Hotaru.
"It's not bad, per se, but rather those with black blades don't live long, and struggle to learn breathing styles," Urokodaki explained.
"Well, you can say that part was right." Tanjirou deadpanned.
Hotaru for his part pointed at Tanjirou, "Worthless… Why did I have my hopes up on you…" That statement caused Tanjirou's eyes to widen.
That word… That statement…
"So useless... So hideous... So worthless... Why was I ever threatened by you..." That one word... Worthless.
It was enough to cause a large host of problems for Tanjirou mentally.
That word stuck inside Tanjirou's mind, like a parasite. The word controlled what Tanjirou thought about himself, and how he acted and motivated himself.
Not only did his father call him that, but so did Muzan.
While a part of Tanjirou's journey to this was so that he could find a cure for both himself and Nezuko to turn back into demons, he also knew that going down this particular route was a way for Tanjirou to feel like he was worth something.
He didn't want to be called useless and worthless. It was something that haunted him from his past.
And his past had a lot of things he could go back and remember, which he didn't.
Just before, the swordsmith mentioning about him burning coal, he had to suppress the memories where his father would burn the coal just to then burn it on his stomach and thighs. It was painful.
Or even the times he was kicked out in the blizzard, with nothing more than his clothes and a book. Not to mention that his clothes would be tattered by the beatings he would receive before.
All this time, Tanjirou would be called names that would continuously be reinforced. Even by his siblings, whom Tanjirou never once blamed.
Tanjirou didn't even blame his parents, he blamed himself. It was just how he grew up. Never once question the antics of his parents. If the child got hurt, it was the child's fault for not working hard enough.
Therefore, Tanjirou was conditioned to blame himself. Of course, as Tanjirou looked down at his Shichishito, the very blade he would elegantly swing as he performed the Hinokami Kagura, he felt a bit more confident about himself.
He was still able to dance, and with that exact dance, or at least a variation, he was able to save people from demons, slay demons for their actions, and be pretty damn good at it.
Tanjirou firmly grasped his hands on the now-black Shichishito and sighed in relief.
Tanjirou was not worthless. At least he hoped he wasn't anymore.
He was something. He was a demon slayer. He was a demon, who killed demons. Why else would not be worthless?
He hoped that he was building the worth in values and character he brought in. He hoped that as he went through with this, he would eventually be seen as useful and reliable.
Not unlike his home life, where he was seen as the epitome of failure by his parents.
"This has to be one of the darkest and blackest blades I've ever seen. Coupled with the branches, and you have a very menacing blade…" Urokodaki commented.
"Well, I am glad that everything worked out well. I think my children and I will head out now. I will see you all later. Also, Tanjirou and Nezuko, like I've said before, but I see great things being done by the two of you." Kagaya smiled before he heads out.
Hotaru for his part mumbled as he left the house, leaving the four individuals inside yet again.
Tanjirou and Nezuko sighed in relief, but before the two could rest more, something surprised the two.
"Caw! Tanjirou Kamado and Nezuko Kamado! Head for a town to the North! North after night! Young girls are disappearing!" A crow descended before landing next to Tanjrou.
"Huh?" Tanjirou asked, very confused.
"Caw! I am your messenger, Kasugai crow! Call me Matsuemon Tennoji!" The crow exclaimed, puffing its chest out with pride, before eyeing Tanjirou's now exposed face, and then Nezuko's exposed face.
Only then did Matsuemon panic. "Ah! A demon!"
Matsuemon began to fly around erratically.
While Tanjirou and Nezuko tried their best to catch it, Urokodaki and Giyu merely deadpanned at the sudden events circulating them.
"Looks like I should have told them about the crow, and vice versa…" Giyu mumbled to himself, as he sighed and raised a hand to his head.
Today was already a stressful day, it didn't need to be more…
A.N / A calmer chapter after the few action-packed chapters, this time Tanjiro and Nezuko, are FINALLY after 22 chapters, I know, official demon slayers. A long time has passed, but they've reached the milestone. You might have noticed that Tanjirou's nichirin weapon, instead of a standard katana, is a seven-branched blade like the one he uses during the Hinokami Kagura. Fun fact, Kokushibo's blade is three-branched. It further emphasizes the connection Tanjirou has to the dance and how much he relies on it for demon slaying and his mental sanity. As for Nezuko, a simple dagger will fit her since she will also be using her demonic strength against demons, and having a weapon that can kill them puts her at an advantage.
As for the coronation of the three slayers, we will have some POVs going back to them for the reasons of the events that occurred within the Final Selection. Finally, while the color was expected for Tanjirou, Nezuko's is a bit interesting, which we will see why later. Also just now in the story, we will start to see Tanjirou's blood demon art manifest itself, for the air he consumed from Douma will foreshadow the blood demon art that Tanjirou has. Finally, if you all have some ideas on some demons and blood demon arts, I'll gladly take them into account. Because of spoilers, Zenitsu, Inosuke, Kanao, Genya, and Aoi will be seen a lot more in the future!
Character Profile:
Hotaru Haganezuka: Male, 37 years old
Status: Alive, Human
Height: 6'3" (191cm)
Weight: 207Ibs
Kagaya Ubuyashiki: Male, 22 years old
Status: Alive, Human
Height: 5'11" (180cm)
Weight: 143.5Ibs
Abilities:
Tanjirou Kamado:
Shichishito: A seven-branched sword that is the main weapon of choice that Tanjirou will use. It provides him some mental calamity due to its reminder of the Hinokami Kagura. As a result, he will think he is dancing when fighting with the blade.
Nezuko Kamado:
Dagger: Whilst Nezuko uses a standard nichirin blade, she also has a dagger in her possession a result she is to utilize her demonic state, for it can provide her a way to slay demons.
