The Dancing Star
Chapter 24
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.
With Tanjirou and Nezuko
"No!" The swamp demon yelled out before he felt his chest being slashed by Tanjirou.
Even as the demon cried out, Tanjirou continued to slash the demon, as a form of retribution for his actions.
"Stop yelling, scum," Tanjirou told the demon as he was panting.
The swamp demon had been continuously slashed across his body, and with Tanjirou continuing his assault, he left no room for the demon to relax.
"You ready to give up some information?" Tanjirou asked.
The swamp demon, who was surrounded by a pool of his blood shook his head. "You don't understand! I cannot simply talk about the master! It's forbidden!"
Tanjirou eyed the swamp demon, "Guess that'll have to continue."
He lifted his blade, causing the swamp demon to raise his stumped arms out, as he was hoping they would have regenerated quickly.
Alas, his energy was being used up. Regeneration took a lot of energy, and the swamp demon was no special demon.
He needed to find a way to escape where he was in.
And thankfully, he managed to find a leeway out of this.
Tanjirou was about to strike down at the Swamp demon, when just behind Tanjirou a black figure came out of the puddle, kicking Tanjirou to the side.
Tanjirou skidded across the ground, as his figure was stopped by the building.
The boy growled as he watched the two figures go inside the swamp, whilst a new one remained out.
"Looks like I'll have to treat you the same," Tanjirou responded, not deciding to give this demon any form of hesitance.
He did not see any reason to let the demon mourn or live any further.
It was time.
He gripped his blade tightly, as the puddle opened up again, and another three demons came out.
"Seems your sister is going to drown in the swamp." The three swamp demons exclaimed with a grin.
For a bit, Tanjirou was a bit uncertain of this, before he grinned back. "Are you sure about that? My sister is a strong individual. Besides, are you not aware of the Kamado lungs?"
This caused the swamp demon to raise an eyebrow at that, "What lungs?"
"Our ancestors lived high in the mountains for five centuries. Not only that, but we burned coal as a profession. Our lungs adapted to the environment of thin air." Tanjirou explained.
Almost immediately, the swamp demon's eyes realized. "Damnit, the girl's a demon too, she's probably going to stay alive…"
"Not if I slay you down and forced you to break the blood demon art," Tanjirou explained.
That was what Tanjirou was going to say, as he saw the three replicas regenerate accordingly. But what he did see was that one of them was regenerating a tad bit slower.
"Must be the real copy, since that is the one that would use up energy" Tanjirou told himself.
He could easily strike three demons down with a strike.
Hinokami Kagura. Ninth Form: Sun Halo Dragon Head Dance
Tanjirou quickly lifted his shichishito high in the air, before he launched out to strike at the three demons.
However, only two of them quickly managed to jump back into the puddle, whilst one, the original and rea copy, was struck in the posterior top of his head.
"Damn, you!" The swamp demon exclaimed in rage as he knew only one of his eyes remained now.
Tanjirou tried to maneuver himself in a swift, fluid motion, but the copies at least could react extraordinarily fast.
On the bright side, it seemed that Nezuko would be able to fight the two copies.
It was necessary because they had to destroy them three without causing harm to any bystanders.
Tanjirou felt the hair on his back stand up, and reflectively swiped back towards the direction, his blade hitting the air as the swamp demon dodged.
Tanjirou sighed, for he found himself playing a game of cat and mouse.
…
Nezuko seemed to be having a more typical battle by comparison.
Whereas Tanjirou was trying to find where the real copy of the swamp demon would open up, Nezuko had the two copies to face.
The copies had the strength of the real swamp demon and were ironically stronger since he only had to expend energy on creating them. The clones could regenerate on their own.
This meant Nezuko had to hope Tanjirou could eliminate the real swamp demon, or that if Nezuko defeats both the copies here, then she would be freed.
She had no problem with the actual dimension. The only problem was that she couldn't swim, but the air was comparable to the mountain she used to live in.
As she eyed the two demons, she thought about what to do.
One of the copies immediately tried to grab her blade, and she instinctively kicked the copy away, however, the other copy grabbed her leg and began to elbow her thigh.
This caused Nezuko to yell in pain at the sudden pain she was feeling. She couldn't even use her dagger. At least she still had her blade.
From this position, there was only one form she could use to be useful.
Water Breathing, Seventh Form: Drop Ripple Thrust, Curve
Nezuko quickly gripped her blade and stabbed forward, timing it correctly to stab her blade in the demon's arm and bicep.
The swamp demon replica yelped at the sudden pain he was feeling from his arm, forcing him to retract it from Nezuko's thigh. Nezuko quickly placed her blade in her holster, before she lifted her free leg, using her hands as a support, and lifted the demon.
The demon was swung around due to the swamp environment until he got dizzy and let go. The other replica couldn't even retaliate due to being hit by the other figure, and the added fluidity of the environment made the momentum last longer.
Nezuko sighed, unsheathed her blade once again, and this time, eyed the two, who were slightly roughed up.
Although her thigh hurt, the pain was slowly fading as she once again focused on the two demons.
They had almost gotten her right there, and it was difficult to move.
She would have to rely on rather stationary movements.
Not to mention that because there was no ground, she had no place to build strength from.
Ironically, making her slashing and stabbing strength weaker than if she had solid ground.
Water Breathing, Second Form: Water Wheel
All Nezuko had to do with this was spin her body around, which whilst a bit slower than before, still maintained its strength similar to the other times.
She swung her sword across in a circular pattern, preventing the two figures from getting close to her.
The recoil and the quick recovery allowed Nezuko to slash toward one of the replicas. However, she was too slow to follow it up.
"Seems I must rely on one strike at a time… This is annoying…" Nezuko thought to herself. "Unless I can use a form that is torrent enough to move the objects around me… That's it!"
Nezuko had the idea and was waiting for the two replicas to come close to her again.
Even if she didn't strike them, it would place her at an advantage regardless. The demons tried a two-pronged attack on Nezuko, causing her to realize she was a bit too late.
She bent her body back, before tumbling to get away from the other demon.
She then saw the hands of the other demon trying to slash her, which it did, on the back.
Thankfully it was shallow, and despite hissing in pain, Nezuko was fine. She could get through this.
As the two demons tried to twirl, in a curved form to strike Nezuko, she kicked one away and clashed with another.
She was twisting her body to keep up with the demons. Using her free hands, she yanked one of them and make the two collide with each other.
This time, she was able to conserve the momentum in the same direction as the demons, and now she decided to strike.
Water Breathing, Sixth Form: Whirlpool
Nezuko whirled herself quickly to generate a whirlpool, of what this time was green swamp water, due to the surrounding she was in. This allowed her to be away from a less amount of swamp water and thus made her slightly faster because she was able to move easier.
This also had the added benefit of striking the two demons, confusing them with what was happening.
Nezuko managed to split the bodies of the two of them with their waists, however, she couldn't find their necks, so they were still alive.
Nezuko knew now it was a game of preventing them from reconnecting the rest of their bodies and so she cut across the lower bodies until they dissipated, leaving the upper bodies of the two only using their arms to swim.
The replicas were now hampered immensely, and couldn't rely on their outmaneuvering speeds, meaning Nezuko would have an easier time killing them.
Plus, with the water going away from her for now, she was able to move around her area better.
Water Breathing, First Form: Water Surface Slash
Nezuko took the opportunity to slice one of the demons down, aiming for his neck.
The swamp demon seemed to realize what was going on, and with a mighty swipe, caused some of the swamp water to be splashed, causing a large enough ripple to distort Nezuko's vision to barely miss it.
The swamp demon sighed in relief, but Nezuko was far from done.
She continued with the strikes, as the other swamp demon replica continued to try and backslash Nezuko.
And it wasn't until the two demons pounded on her arm and leg did she realize not to underestimate them even if they were missing half of their bodies.
One of the demon's hands reached for her neck, trying to squeeze it out, and the other tried to get the nichirin blade separated from her hands.
She couldn't allow this, especially since she was feeling herself being dragged into the swamp water yet again.
She used her sword to stab into the face of one of the swamp demon replicas, and used the other, once her hand was freed, to yank the neck of one of the swamp demons.
Once freeing herself, she tried to aim her sword to strike the neck of one of the demons, but that failed and she only managed to strike the shoulder of the demon.
"Damnit, I need more strength!" Nezuko yelled out as she decided to focus on one of the demon copies specifically. "Getting rid of one will make it a lot easier to handle one unless it regenerates…"
With a swift motion knowing the swamp demon would try to once again try and strike Nezuko down, she turned her attention to the one not expecting to be struck.
Without any form of warning, Nezuko went low and burst outwards towards the demon who was a bit father.
Water Breathing, Ninth Breathing: Splashing Water Flow, Turbulent
Nezuko had managed to maneuver herself through the environment.
With another mighty strike that was powerful enough to cause the water within the dimension to react to the sheer speed and strength that Nezuko was placing into her blade, it went and tumbled its way toward the replica swamp demon.
But Nezuko was not fast enough, and this time, the swamp demon dodged back, causing Nezuko to overextend her blade.
The swamp demons chuckled at Nezuko's error, until she used her other hand, with slashed the unsuspecting replica in the neck.
"What the" The swamp demon reacted before he was kicked away from Nezuko with her legs.
She then rushed towards the free demon, and that was when he saw what Nezuko did.
"You shit! You managed to get your dagger in your free hand!" The swamp demon replica exclaimed, clearly pissed.
"Say what you want…" The other replica mumbled as he was trying to keep his almost severed neck from separating his mind and body. "My neck hurts."
Nezuko sighed, she had multiple opportunities, but striking the neck was a lot harder than she thought.
"I must continue, unless…" Nezuko seemed to have gotten another idea. "let's see if this works."
Nezuko calmed herself and remained still.
She eventually saw what she wanted, and acted.
Specifically, once she spotted the demons at their farthest positions, exactly to her left and right, she decided now was the time to act.
Water Breathing First Form, Modified: Serene Waves
"This is to end it now!" Nezuko exclaimed in her head, as she immediately went to her right, to end one of both of the swamp demons.
With that, she charged to the right, striking the swamp demon with an upward slash, before she kicked towards the demon, plunging the dagger right in his chest, before she jumped off.
"Ah, you annoying girl!" The replica exclaimed, but Nezuko was not intending to kill this demon. She then charged toward the other demon who had also been trying to get involved but was too busy running as fast to dodge the strike.
Nezuko blitzed through the terrain, having gotten accustomed to the watery environment, before she flipped herself, using the momentum carried over to slash the replica of the swamp demon across his neck.
The replica immediately froze up, before it manifested away in more watery fluids. It was almost like the skin was dissolved, and the blood was turned to water just like the demon art she was in.
While she wanted to sigh in relief, she then prepared for the onslaught of the other demon.
However, that was when she clashed repeatedly with the lone replica.
"You little bi-" The swamp demon didn't get to finish, as Nezuko socked her fist right into his mouth with enough strength to make him cough out blood as his teeth shattered.
However, what did surprise Nezuko, was that shortly after that blow, the replica demon began to fade away, almost like it was dissipating.
That made Nezuko raise an eyebrow, as the next thing she knew, she was on the ground cobblestone, in the real world, with the night-time dark blue sky radiating the world around her.
She could feel a large swat of air coming in that her lungs could handle.
And through it all, Nezuko stared at her hands, questioning, "Did I just break that replica with a single punch to the face…?"
…
As Tanjirou continued to engage in the real clone of the swamp demon, he continued to converse, whilst also showing his disgust for the swamp demon.
It was an example of when Tanjirou did not see fit to spare or show regret to a demon.
All this time, he had been mostly able to keep his cool, but to see a demon be so neglectful of human life infuriated him.
Tanjirou knew what it felt like to be neglected, and thus he had a personal reason to be angered beyond being an outsider.
And as Tanjirou ruthlessly charged and engaged in the Swamp Demon, he left no room for his opponent to talk.
"Do-" He couldn't even warn Tanjirou what he was doing. The swamp demon tried to jump up into a building, but Tanjirou quickly caught on, catching his feet before he swung him back painfully toward the ground.
Hinokami Kagura, Fifth Form: Setting Sun Transformation
The swamp demon tried to counterattack Tanjirou by seemingly stomping on him, however, Tanjirou leaped high into the air before he struck low. Because the Swamp Demon had just switched from being on top to now being at the bottom, it confused him entirely what had happened.
All he could feel was a pain on his shoulder, and he realized that his shoulder had protected his neck from the boy's blade.
"This kid is a monster?!" The swamp demon thought as he backed up, eyeing Tanjirou with a bit of fear. "That attack was something else… And he's brutal, giving off a sense of ruthlessness…"
Tanjirou eyed the demon firmly. He was going to kill him.
"I will kill you, demon scum," Tanjirou repeated to himself.
The swamp demon could sense the aura change from the boy. He went from being very careful and generous to the human boy when handing him the girl the swamp demon was to eat, to now showing nothing but sheer disgust and anger at the demon.
Two emotions the demon knew too well.
But there was another emotion that the demon could sense from Tanjirou.
Was it worthlessness? Hopeless?
The swamp demon was unsure.
Tanjirou's eyes narrowed as he realized the swamp demon was trying to close the distance and get too close to comfort Tanjirou.
And it made sense given the weapon he had.
"So he wants to get very close to me in thinking I would be uncomfortable in swinging my blade, huh? Well come and get some!" Tanjirou gritted his teeth as he got ready.
Hinokami Kagura, Thirteenth Form: Celestial Sunspot Strike
Tanjirou quickly gripped his blade, as he felt his blood boil, and the air he breathed in take place across his body.
He felt his blood and air going to places across his hands, but not as much to his legs.
That was fine since he needed to emphasize a quick strike to deal with a close-range opponent.
And before Tanjirou and the swamp demon even knew it, Tanjirou violently rotated his body and sword, some parts of the swipe being quick and brutal, and others being slow and painless. Tanjirou opted for the former, for he had no reason to hesitate against this demon.
The swamp demon was struck, but to his surprise, his arm was missing now.
The swamp demon cursed, "Damnit! I need to find a way to bring my other replicas back, otherwise, this boy may easily decapitate me!"
The swamp demon eyed his surroundings before he knew what to do.
It was a, 'in the moment,' but the swamp demon knew better than to not question the circumstances. He needed to eliminate this threat.
Blood Demon Art: Self-replication (4)
The swamp demon seemed to have been able to replicate himself one more time, now having four copies. Two dealing with Tanjirou, and two dealing with Nezuko.
This made, what he thought, the fight equal for them.
Tanjirou gritted his teeth. "Coward… Just going to continuously have replicas do your fighting for you?"
"Shut up." The swamp demon mumbled. He knew this boy wasn't going to spare his life, so it was best he did whatever he could to stay alive.
And as he eyed the boy, Tanjirou could smell a sense of deviousness coming from the swamp demon.
Immediately, Tanjirou's eyes narrowed, as his blade connected and clasped with the charging figure of one of the swamp demons.
"Where do you think you are going?" Tanjirou asked as he clenched himself to keep the swamp demon away.
"What do you think? I'm taking back my meal." The swamp demon smirked, and it was here did Tanjirou realize that the replica, or the real one was going after Kazumi and the unconscious girl.
Tanjirou's eyes widened at the realization that he had fallen for a relatively simple trick.
"You demon…" Tanjirou mumbled as he tried his best to get between the Kazumi and the demon.
But it was too late, one of the swamp demons kicked Kazumi away from the area, hitting the building from his back painfully. A yelp of pain was heard from him, as the demon picked up the unconscious body of the girl.
"No!" Tanjirou yelled in agony, as he saw the replica starting to dig into the girl.
Hinokami Kagura, Twelfth Form, Flame Dance
Tanjirou quickly swiped at the demon, who was crouched down, which he dodged. A part of Tanjirou wanted to continue with the form, but he placed himself in front of the girl and the demon.
But when Tanjirou looked down to see if the girl was alright…
He looked down.
The girl had a gash, and blood was profusely coming out.
The demon seemed to have purposely been trying to puncture the jugular vein and the arteries in the neck, to consume as much blood as they could in the shortest amount of time.
Needless to say, the girl would be dead within a minute or two. To Tanjirou's horror, the girl's eyes widened, as if she was seeing the final moment of her life, in Tanjirou's arms, staring at the mask, and yet the black hue, red eyes of Tanjirou.
The girl for her part, gasped, trying to say something, but she couldn't. Her throat was bloodied, and the neck almost looked like it was snapped. All this time, she was trying to say something, but she couldn't.
Tanjirou didn't need to see what the girl was thinking.
"Why couldn't you save me?" That was what Tanjirou was thinking. He didn't need to hear the voice of the girl. All he needed to see was the face and the moving mouth and lips of the girl.
Before Tanjirou knew it, the girl was dead.
And there was nothing Tanjirou could do to stop it. He looked down and immediately prayed for the poor girl. Her eyes remained open, as her bodily functions ceased.
The blood around her body stopped pouring, indicating the heart had stopped pumping blood. To Tanjirou's horror, her body was already getting cold. He didn't think the bodies of the dead would get cold that quickly.
Needless to say, Tanjirou was beyond traumatized, as if he wasn't already.
"I'm so sorry… I'm sorry for being unable to save you when I had the chance…"
Tanjirou looked down, however, before he could get back up, he heard his father once again.
"He's a useless kid who's unable to use a sword effectively. I don't think he'll be useful." The voice of his father immediately came back to Tanjirou, and he sighed.
"Father's right… I am a failure… I was always a failure…" Tanjirou looked down. In his mind, what he thinks he did was unforgivable. "I failed to save that girl from this demon… all because I was weak… I am horrible…"
Tanjirou sighed as he blamed himself entirely for this ordeal.
He should've been the one able to die and take the blow from that demon. But because of his inaction, somebody has just died in front of him for that.
Tanjirou shuddered, as his mind already began to do this.
"You don't deserve the position you are in… You failed to protect this girl, you deserve to be cursed by her…" Tanjirou looked down, as his fists clenched.
"Aww, what's wrong you demon slayer? Can't handle a bit of death? A bit of violence? A bit of torture? Weren't you the one who was torturing me?" The swamp demon asked.
"Shut the hell up, you ass." Tanjirou darkly responded to the swamp demon.
The swamp demon for his part looked somewhat stunned, as if thinking that Tanjirou wasn't capable of being even scarier.
As Tanjirou continued to think about everything, he knew everything.
"Of course, I know what it's like to be tortured, Muzan did that to me… Of course, I know violence, I grew up around it… Don't question me about who I am, I'm not like you, you scum." Tanjirou told himself, as he got up.
"I would have at least thought with this fight you would have learned to understand the importance of human life." Tanjirou explained, "But I see now that it is impossible."
As Tanjirou spoke those words, he focused on his breathing. Something he had been doing in the process of walking and fighting.
It was total concentration breathing constant. Of course, performing the very advanced breathing method whilst remaining still, talking, walking, or even sleeping was relatively easy for Tanjirou.
But getting to keep it still whilst performing vigorous activities was a different story.
It didn't matter if he remained still and tried to break gourds while he remained still, it was a different story when the rest of your body is panting for air, after an intense bout of exercise, whether it be demon slaying, or even something as trivial as running.
And so, Tanjirou's breathing constantly would improve as he continued to fight and maintain the advanced technique.
It wouldn't be easy, but it was something he was willing to work towards.
If he could master it, then he could have an easier time slaying Muzan.
That, and to protect Nezuko. That was all he needed to do.
While he couldn't protect the girl from being consumed and killed by the demon, Tanjirou knew it was his job to at least slay the demon.
Alas, he already failed in his purpose, would this make a difference?
Of course! He may have failed at protecting the girl, but he could at least succeed in slaying this demon.
Perhaps he should stop caring about the other humans, for now, focus on killing the demon, and then get any human treatment after.
With his shattered mind made up, Tanjirou breathed in tightly, as he felt his body accustomed to the advanced breathing techniques.
And Tanjirou could feel his body heating up. He was going to push the limits for this, and that was that.
Total Concentration - Hinokami Kagura, First Form: Dance
Breathing out considerably, Tanjirou charged out toward the replica of the demon, which had been the one responsible for slicing the neck of the human girl.
The replica swamp demon's eyes widened in shock at the sudden increase in speed Tanjirou was unleashing himself.
He tried to raise his arms to redirect the strike, but Tanjirou effortlessly cut through the tendons and the muscles.
Plus, the replica was a rather skinny demon, and thus Tanjirou was able to plunge his blade deep enough to cleanly slice the replica of the swamp demon.
Tanjirou looked at the actual replica of the swamp demon, who suddenly twitched as the swamp demon felt fatigued enshroud his body.
"Shit! He cut off one of my replicas! I can feel my entire body being hit with a large amount of fatigue…" The swamp demon mumbled as he clenched his body forward.
Tanjirou seemed to notice this.
"So, want to tell me about Muzan?" Tanjirou asked.
"I cannot." The swamp demon mumbled back.
"Very well, let us continue with your punishment," Tanjirou responded, showing very little care for the demon he was fighting, and had witnessed kill an innocent teenage girl.
He hoped Kazumi was alive, but knowing the circumstances, he probably failed to protect him as well.
As if the swamp demon was about to get back up, Tanjirou quickly retaliated.
Hinokami Kagura, Fourth Form: Burning Bones, Summer Sun
Tanjirou quickly spiraled his slash in front of him towards the swamp demon, causing him to be brought back down, clearly unable to resist the pain of the strike.
However, what Tanjirou didn't realize was that the swamp demon had listed another one of his replicas, further causing him to lose more energy and feel more fatigue. This gave Tanjirou more room to slash the swamp demon.
He was not going to let him escape anymore.
He did make sure to look around him briefly, but he couldn't sense any other replicas coming out.
The swamp demon remained silent.
Tanjirou lifted his blade close to his throat, as Tanjirou crouched down.
"Now, want to tell me about Muzan?" Tanjirou asked once again.
"My answer is still a hell no…" The swamp demon answered.
Thinking Tanjirou would just slice him with his blade, what surprised the swamp demon was that instead, Tanjirou retracted his blade, and bit deeply into the neck of the swamp demon.
The swamp demon howled in pain, although no noise came out since his throat had just been consumed.
"That was how that poor girl felt, and you showed no remorse, and no regret for your actions. Karma is certainly a fun concept, is it not?" Tanjirou asked.
The swamp demon couldn't talk, for his neck wasn't even regenerating.
"Oh right, you can't talk, that sucks." Tanjirou commented, "Guess I'll enjoy myself a bit more."
And Tanjirou did. He plucked the arm of the demon's arm and ate it whole. The swamp demon couldn't yell in pain, nor regenerate his lost limbs.
Meaning he was a human being eaten by a demon.
The difference was that they both were demons and although the swamp demon wasn't completely sure, he at least knew that the boy was something abnormal.
In the end, Tanjirou eventually sliced the swamp demon's neck off, which had the effect of getting Nezuko out of the swamp dimension.
At this, Tanjirou sighed in relief, although he did immediately feel a sense of guilt and sadness, for being unable to protect the girl and Kazumi.
"Neuzko, I failed to protect the girl…" Tanjirou revealed.
Nezuko who had gotten up, immediately looked down, before patting Tanjirou, "Please don't blame yourself for that… It's the demon's fault."
"I guess…" Tanjirou thought to himself, as he got up.
"Let's check on Kazumi, and then be on our way," Tanjirou explained.
"Of course." Nezuko nodded.
Thankfully, it seemed that Kazumi was alive and awake. Aside from his face being dirty, and his back hurting from the damage, he was fine.
Well, as fine as one could be.
"What do you mean, go on with my life? I lost my fiancée, everything! And you expect me to try and live on? What would you know?! You're just a kid!" Kazumi exclaimed.
Tanjirou sighed, "I may be, but that doesn't mean I don't know tragedy. You think every kid doesn't go through trauma and tragedies?" Tanjirou asked. "Let me ask you this. Why do you think we're out here? If I was this young, shouldn't I be with a family?"
Nezuko looked down, clearly wanting to add more.
"Our family life wasn't good… and ultimately, even after that, the circumstances we live in is hell," Tanjirou explained, as he and Nezuko removed their masks, showing their almost demonic features. Even if Kazumi was confused with Tanjirou, he confirmed it.
"We both are demons, fighting on the side that may not even accept us," Tanjirou explained.
Nezuko then went up to Kazumi and handed him a hair tie, Satoko's.
Immediately, Kazumi's eyes widened, at both of the realizations.
As Tanjirou and Nezuko placed their masks back on, Kazumi tried to grab Tanjirou's hands.
But Nezuko blocked him.
"It's alright, Nezuko," Tanjirou explained, before he grabbed Kazumi's hands, and looked at him with a small smile.
"I hope you can remember and cherish what moments you spent with her while you could. Hope you recover fine." That was all Tanjirou told Kazumi before they both were on their way.
"Wait! I'm sorry!" Kazumi exclaimed to the two demons, "Did this happen to you as well…?" He asked, which caused the two of them to remain still.
But through it all, Kazumi got the answer from that small action. He could see that the siblings had gone through a lot, and were only trying to help others.
He shouldn't have gotten angry at them, for asking such a simple question. He shouldn't have yelled, but rather, thanked them for their hard work in getting rid of a demon.
Even if it was too late. It is too late to ask for Satoko to come back. Now, he had to bear the reality that he would spend the rest of his life without his lover and fiancée. He wouldn't experience the joy of being married, without thinking of her and the tragedy that faced him.
"Both of their hands… Even as demons, I could see the hardness and roughness from the training they did… I could feel the pain they have… The scars in their brains… It's so much, especially for the boy…" Kazumi mumbled in his mind before he started to cry.
He cried for the loss of Satoko, cried for the pain the Kamados went through, and also for the justice that was served.
But even with justice, that would not bring back his fiancée.
All this time, both Tanjirou and Nezuko heard the wails of Kazumi, which soured their moods. All they could think about was revenge.
"Do you see the suffering and disregard for human life? Do you find this amusing, Muzan? Is this the world you want to leave behind?" Tanjirou asked Muzan as if he was in his mind.
"I will kill you, Kibutsuji Muzan, not just for my sake, but for all the other people who have died in your hands." Tanjirou mumbled, "If not me, then my little sister will kill you."
"I won't forgive you, for the damage you've caused this world. After all, you were the one who came into our house and killed our family, torturing me to death, and turning us into demons, so expect your karma to come for you." Tanjirou mumbled as he gave an unexpected scowl, as his eyes had become darker briefly, as he sought vengeance on the demon who had turned his life into hell, torturing him, and turning his sister into a demon.
"As for my parents, I wouldn't forgive them for what they did to me. I wouldn't forgive them for forcing me through the abuse and training that I failed, and for not letting me eat as well… Sometimes not let me sleep on a bed, and throw me out in a blizzard and cold… I hope you stop coming into my mind…" Tanjirou grumbled, as his own eyes showed a sense of darkness and vengeance.
It seemed that even the brightest, happiest, and most optimistic could be corrupted by the dark realities of the world outside.
With Kanae
A rather tall girl of her age, Kanae Kocho was ironically seen as the polar opposite of her younger sister, Shinobu Kocho.
Whereas Shinobu showed a very stern, serious, and sometimes aggressive tone, Kanae by contrast was more kindhearted, outgoing, and open regarding what others thought.
Shinobu was short, somewhat aggressive, and hot-headed. She was fine with giving people a piece of her mind, not caring about what others thought.
Kanae, by contrast, was more intrusive in her thoughts. Whereas Shinobu was always the type to speak her mind and say some hurtful stuff towards Giyu when he just remained quiet, Kanae was more willing to make sure everyone got their points across.
Shinobu was a warmonger, and Kanae was more of a peacemaker.
It was well known that out of all the demons, Kanae had the most tolerance for them, whereas Shinobu was not as tolerant.
Shinobu blamed and hated demons for killing her parents.
It wasn't anything new, since Shinobu had witnessed her family get killed by demons at a young age.
And their family was wealthy and well-off. So, to have demons remove such an integral and supportive parent within the family, was critical for the two sisters.
But still, Kanae wanted to understand demons, and Shinobu wanted to eliminate them. That was part of the reason why she had developed an interest in alternative methods for killing demons, whilst also helping demon slayers.
However, this was further emphasized in Shinobu's passion once she realized she was physically too weak to be able to ever decapitate demons.
Whereas Kanae was strong and elegant, Shinobu was struggling with a standard nichirin blade. For this, Shinobu focused on wisteria and the likes of poison, as it was a way for her to fight against demons.
But despite the Kocho's sisters being completely different in personality and physical appearance, they were still family.
Heck, they even had a large family in the Butterfly estate.
The estate was known as being amongst the liveliest of the rest, with the Ubuyashiki Estate. After all, considering the kids residing in Kagaya's estate, it did make for a lively environment.
By comparison, many considered the water estate to be among the loneliest of the bunch.
Regardless, Kanae was always open to the questions of the world. She was always curious. Whereas Shinobu was focused purely on the art of killing demons painfully and uniquely.
Therefore, when Kanae woke up in bed, she was dumbfounded.
While she was somewhat confused and forgetful of what happened, she eventually had a good idea of what happened.
A demon slayer, a mysterious one at that, had saved her.
It was something almost unbelievable.
The Upper Moons were something that was estimated to take 3 Hashira to successfully take down. This meant that any demon slayer in their right mind would know that it was almost suicidal to try and fight with an upper moon, no doubt Upper Moon Two.
This was critical in Kanae's mind.
"Why would a demon slayer, a seemingly normal one at that, dare to try and pick a fight with an upper moon?" Kanae asked as she was trying to walk across the hallway. It was, in a sense, her way of strengthening the injuries and loss of muscle she had.
Specifically, her chest and left eye.
Her lungs specifically had been damaged due to the blood demon art of the upper moon, and her left eye was harmed from the strain under her final form.
Thankfully, her vision in her left eye wasn't partially lost. Some vision was lost, but she was still able to see through it.
And so, as Kanae continued to walk across the hallway, a week since the fight of the Final Selection, she was trying to decipher anything about the mysterious demon slayer.
She was intrigued by the fact that a seemingly normal demon slayer, with a mask, had no qualms about picking a fight with an Upper Moon.
In addition, if what they were believing with the trivial scanning in the aftermath of the battle was accurate, then the mysterious slayer was most definitely alive, for his body was not recovered within the Final Selection.
She suffered the most injuries, but considering her left leg was not proper ever since the first fight, she was glad to still be alive regardless.
The sheer fact she was able to withstand the full-blown power of Upper Moon Two for a bit was enough of an achievement and even a miracle for her.
But a demon slayer that was NOT a hashira, managing to land a strike on the Upper moon? Kanae either thought the upper moon was weaker, or that the demon slayer was unusually strong. It had to be the latter.
As Kanae continued onwards, she decided she would need to speak to Kanao.
However, she had been going on some missions with Shinobu in the meantime. Because Kanao had without permission, made her way to the Final Selection, Shinobu wanted to test Kanao's capabilities by seeing her fight demons with her own eyes.
Kanae saw this as a good thing because it showed that Shinobu and Kanao had become closer overall.
This was something Kanae wanted to see. Both of her sisters get along. As Kanae continued, she decided the first thing to do was ask the master about it.
No doubt he would have the names of those demon slayers written down.
The master was a busy individual, with all of the demon slayers that he was to assemble and give off missions individually.
All these times, Kagaya was a reliable individual, who was never really the type to hide secrets.
So it was to Kanae's shock and interest that Kagaya seemed to have been unable to answer what she wanted.
As Kanae made her way over to the Master's mansion, she asked one of his children if they could get the master out.
"Of course! We'll get him out for you."
With that, Kanae waited outside, sitting by the porch, to let her leg rest.
The sounds of calm, quiet, and collected footsteps caught Kanae's ears as she turned her head to see Kagaya facing her.
"Is there anything you need, my child?" Kagay asked.
"Yes, Oyakata-sama. What happened to me after I lost consciousness during the battle with the upper moon?" Kanae asked.
At this, Kagaya's smile turned to a more thoughtful one, with a neutral expression.
"The demon was forced to run after the threat of the sun coming up. As for you, the kakushi and the others were able to escort your injured body to a nearby facility for treatment." Kagaya explained.
"But how did the demon not finish me off? I could have sworn there was a demon slayer that interrupted." Kanae explained, "I might even remember the actual appearance of the demon slayer."
"You do?" Kagaya asked.
"Yes, and maybe even some of the kakushi and some demon slayers would remember. If she wasn't with Shinobu on a mission, I would have asked Kanao." Kanae explained.
"I see, well from what I can show from the records, only four demon slayers survived after attending the annual Final Selection," Kagaya explained in response to Kanae's assumption.
"Seriously? But that demon slayer, none of the kakushi found a figure that matched that of the description." Kanae explained.
"It seemed to be a male with a mask of two different symbols, he had a white and blue haori with waves on them, and from what I could tell he had dark red hair, I think," Kanae explained.
"Is that so?" Kagaya asked before he had the hold of one of his children read a book of the demon slayers they'd formerly accepted.
"I'm sorry, my child, but we don't seem to have any knowledge of that demon slayer…"
Kanae looked down, a bit surprised by this, "So perhaps that demon slayer is not a member of the corps? If that's the case, then how did he have a nichirin blade?" Kanae asked.
Kagaya pondered. In truth, he never wanted to lie about this to his children about the secrets of the demon slayer corps. This was a case where he had to.
The Hashira's were not tolerable for any members of demons assisting in the corps.
And they couldn't be blamed, for they all had a traumatic experience with demons, which catapulted the reasons why they fight against demons in the first place.
So to tell them a demon slayer who had been working very hard did not exist hurt Kagaya, but for their safety, he had to do this.
Not just for Tanjirou and Nezuko, but also for Urokodaki and Giyu.
"Have you spoken to anybody else about this?" Kagaya asked.
"I was planning to, but I'm currently focused on my recovery. The vision in my left eye has not fully recovered yet." Kanae explained.
"I hope you get better, my child." Kagaya smiled.
"Of course, the same goes for you, Oyakata-sama." Kanae responded kindly, "And I'll inform you if I have anything else about the mysterious demon."
"Understood," Kagaya responded.
Once Kanae left, she immediately knew something about what Kagaya said was weird.
Not only had he stated he was unaware of such a figure, but that also the slayer did not pass the Final Selection arc.
From what she could understand, that mysterious demon slayer, had no seeming connections to the corps, and is not even written down in the data books of Oyakata-sama. Not to mention that he seemingly had a nichirin blade despite having no ties to the corps meant two things.
Either, the individual had a spare blade as a result of an ancestor's belonging, or…
The individual was a demon who had managed to take the blade of a demon slayer they killed and has been fighting since.
There was a problem with the latter. For starters, the individual openly helped demon slayers, not hurting them, and the blade was not colored. Many demon slayers were usually able to activate their color, besides a few select.
This meant that the mystery slayer had gotten the nichirin blade legally.
However, Kanae realized the more she delved into the topic, the more confused and interested she got.
This was especially true after she had gone to the house of the Thunder Estate, and requested to meet with one of the demon slayers who survived the Final Selection, as was taken in as the Sound Hashira's tsuguko.
"May I speak with Agatsuma?" Kanae asked.
"Why would you want to talk to someone as pathetic as him?" Tengen asked.
"It's an investigation to further understand what happened to the Final Selection," Kanae explained, not giving more information.
"Is that so? I guess I can let you see him. But I warn you, he's a bit…" Tengen mumbled.
"A bit what?" Kanae asked.
"WA! I don't want to go out and get hurt and train nonstop ag-" The sound and cries of a yellow-haired immediately stopped once he saw the figure of Kanae standing.
His face immediately blushed as he tried to get back in the house.
"Alright kid, this lovely and flamboyant lady wants to talk to you about something, so you need to answer her as honestly as possible, got it?" Tengen asked as he grabbed Zenitsu by his haori and hoisted him up.
It was rather comical in Kanae's opinion, and perhaps a bit adorable.
"Yes, Agatsuma, I would like to speak to you about your experience with the Final Selection." She explained.
"Me! Why?!" Zenitsu exclaimed, clearly getting riled up over remembering the events within the Final Selection.
"As you probably know, the events within the Final Selection this year were not planned, nor anticipated to fall that quickly. Besides, I also wanted to ask personally, did you ever encounter a demon slayer with a mask?" Kanae asked.
"A demon slayer with a mask…?" Zenitsu thought, before his eyes widened, "Yes! I did! She's a strong fighter, and even with the mask, she shows beauty in other ways!"
This caused a bit of a whirlwind for Kanae.
"She? The demon slayer was she...? I mean, perhaps it's a possibility, but I could have sworn the individual I ran into was a boy…" Kanae thought.
"Was this demon slayer just shorter than me?" Kanae asked.
"No, she was shorter than me." Zenitsu explained, rubbing his head, "I couldn't tell anything else other than her hair was long, with some nice tips at the end. I could have sworn the slayer was as she." Zenitsu explained.
"Was she a demon or human?" Kanae asked.
At this, Zenitsu tried to remember, but he sighed, "I'm sorry, Kocho-san!" He started to wail as if he did something incredibly wrong.
"What happened?" Kanae asked, "Are you alright?"
"No! I was too busy entranced by that mysterious beauty I couldn't even tell if she was a human or demon!" Zenitsu exclaimed, "Why?! Why must my world always be this cruel!"
"Oi, shut up you loud brat." Tengen slapped Zenitsu on the head, effectively shutting his crying and loud mouth up.
"Ow…"
But while she was confused about what she was told by Zenitsu, she did have perhaps another hypothesis that could explain it.
There was more than one of those mysterious masked demon slayers.
The next person Kanae would have to ask was the tsuguko of the Stone Hashura, Gyomei, as well as her tsuguko, and adopted little sister, Kanao Tsuyuri.
She had two choices, and she decided to go with her very own adopted sister.
"Kanao?" Kanae asked, knocking on the room Kanao would stay in. It was effectively her room to sleep.
The girl in question opened her door, and Kanae could see her youngest adopted sister staring at her. That was usually how she responded to her, and so while it was a bit strange to the outside, for Kanae and Shinobu, it was normal for this.
"I would like for you to explain what you saw about this masked and mysterious slayer in the Final Selection," Kanae explained. "Did you see a masked slayer?"
Kanao nodded, "I did."
Because this was a matter that Kanao's master and sister had been requesting for her, she didn't feel the need to use her coin for this. After all, her caretaker and sister was the one telling her to do something.
Perhaps Kanae should have worded these questions differently, but she digressed.
"Can you explain to me how you met this individual?" Kanae asked.
Kanao seemed to be thinking, either deciding whether to flip her coin or deciphering how to properly explain the events. It was the latter.
"When I was discovered by the kakushi, they were in the process of taking me back towards the entrance of the Final Selection. That was when we encountered the slayer you're referring to." Kanao stated at last, "Not to mention he was carrying an unconscious demon slayer, whom I recognized as an attendee of the event."
"Who was the person he was carrying?" Kanae asked.
"Genya Shinazugawa," Kanao confirmed. Kanae pondered. She was planning on intervening with the younger brother of Sanemi about this, but now that he had been taken in by them, said it all.
And this worked with the other stories she was hearing.
Once she had gotten this down, plus combined with the proper consistencies that were happening, Kanae now figured that there were a total of two masked slayers that Kagaya was not telling her about.
Whilst not much was known about the shorter, female masked slayer, as only a few Kakushi and Zenitsu were the ones to witness her, there was more information on the male masked slayer, due to a relatively 'publicized' fight with the upper moon.
Kanae knew that if that masked slayer did not intervene when he did, she would have probably been dead, just because no other demon slayer would intervene or dare to fight an upper moon.
They were just too intimidating.
But Kanae was unsure if the masked slayer was gifted, lucky, or oblivious.
Not to mention the strange anomaly that the master had not only recognized the masked slayer but also indicated they weren't members of the demon slayer corps said a lot.
Perhaps the kakushi told him they were assumed dead? But that was impossible considering they wouldn't have gotten burnt up, and their bodies would've recovered.
This meant that Kagaya knew something nobody else did, and perhaps placed them down as deceased to prevent others from looking into them.
Kanae had a strange intuition that this was the point and the reason why she was intrigued by the slayers. Sure, saving her life was a part of it, but the aftermath and seeing how the master had labeled them deceased without any evidence was strange.
Kanae didn't even need to speak to Genya, but for the sake of consistency, she decided it would be best to.
And as she made her way over to Gyomei's estate, she knew it would take a bit for her to make it, and considering the boy may have been out on a mission, she knew that either she would get some information out from Genya, or none.
As Kanae made her way over to the estate, despite her leg and chest hurting, she needed to get the exercise so that she could strengthen her body once again. The fight against Upper Moon Two regardless of how it was placed, had damaged Kanae considerably.
As she made it towards Gyomei's estate, she was surprised to see Tokito around the area.
"Hello Muichiro, what are you doing?" Kanae asked.
Tokito, for his part, remained looking up. "Wait for Himejima. He's currently inside."
"Understood, but can I please speak to Shinazugawa?" Kanae asked Tokito.
"Why? The Wind Pillar is elsewhere, and doesn't usually come to Himejima's Estate to pray." Tokito responded, and Kanae sighed, clearly knowing Tokito had gotten the wrong mission.
"I meant the younger brother. Something mysterious occurred during the final selection, and I'm getting to the bottom of it." Kanae explained.
"Is that so? Well, he is currently here, resting from his first couple of missions." Tokito explained.
"Thank you, Muichiro, enjoy your day," Kanae smiled sweetly to Tokito before she made their way over towards the entrance.
Gyomei's entrance to his estate was always relatively unique, in that it was a beaded entrance.
As Kanae walked in, she immediately was wide-eyed about how large the mansion is.
"Makes sense, considering how tall he is." Kanae thought to herself as she focused onward.
"Shinazugawa!" Kanae called out.
She had done this for a bit before she noticed the figure behind a door.
"Shinazugawa?" Kanae knocked on the door for Genya's room, causing the younger brother to be relatively confused.
"What is it?" Genya asked, "You're probably looking for my brother, huh?" He quickly asked after realizing that the individual was Kanae.
"No, Ily looking for you," Kanae responded.
"How so?" Genya asked, "What could you possibly need me for?" Genya reiterated. Kanae knew that Sanemi's younger brother was just as hotheaded as the elder brother. Must have been the Shinazugawa bloodline, but for some reason they were extra loud.
As Kanae explained what she wanted to hear from Genya, his personality became a lot more tamer. She could see a sense of confusion and thought process that was going on.
This was strange since it confirmed to Kanae that Genya was pondering, and having a decent experience with it.
Just like that, he was thinking about what and how to explain what he would say.
"I was unaware that there was a girl slayer with a mask, but I'm pretty sure I've met the boy. He and I fought a particularly strong demon. He seemed to have been stronger than me, but nothing out of the ordinary, besides…" Genya mumbled.
"Besides what?" Kanae asked.
"He might be like me," Genya explained.
"How so?" Kanae asked as this intrigued her.
"I think he consumes demons to gain their powers," Genya revealed, clearly showing a large swat of confusion as if I was invading Genya's mind constantly.
"He's like you with that?" Kanae asked.
"Yeah, because before I fell unconscious from slaying the demon, the slayer I was with seemed to have turned to that similar of a demon, almost like a hybrid…" Genya explained.
"A hybrid?" Kanae asked, "That certainly could be a problem… But even then… If he could be a demon, then why didn't he attack any of the demon slayers…"
"He might just be someone who eats demons. Again, like me. I never felt terrified when I was around him… He was relatively nice to me, albeit a bit serious." Genya explained.
That seemed to have gotten a bit of confusion toward Kanae.
"So this masked demon seems to be a hybrid of some sort…" Kanae thought to herself, "But judging from what Shinazugawa told me, he doesn't seem to be a demon…"
This was still confusing to Kanae, rly was having more questions.
"Is this masked demon slayer able to consume demons to get stronger? Then this could help with the evidence that he may still be alive and out there…" Kanae thought, "Especially if he can regenerate like a demon when he consumes them."
And Kanae continued to think, she gave Genya a nod and thank you before she heads out.
All this time she was thinking.
After gaining some intel from Zenitsu, Kanao, and Genya, she had a bit more information, not just about the masked slayer who saved her life, but also about another masked slayer who was a sibling.
Perhaps they were siblings of demon slayers who chose to remain close? Sibling demon slayers were relatively common, almost as common as a sole, surviving family demon slayer.
So, the fact that there was a sibling of demon slayers who were outside of the corps slaying demons, without seeming to be a part of the corps, Kanae had her work put out for her.
After all, she needed to think of something whilst she was recovering. Shinobu would be on her case, making sure she wouldn't be outside as much.
And so, since Kanae got the information she would have gotten if she had called them over, or even probably none, since some probably wouldn't have come to interact with her while sleeping.
As Kanae continued to ponder, she eventually picked up on something.
In particular, the design of the shirt that the demon slayer wore.
According to both Zenitsu and the others, both of the demon siblings had their respective outfits.
However, the boy in question was wearing something intriguing.
In particular, the shirt had the properties of waves, specifically, water.
This meant that the individual was trained by someone who was a practitioner of water breathing.
And yet, the boy didn't even use water breathing from what she saw. The boy used some variation of Flame Breathing, judging by the style, breathing, and aesthetics that her eyes could only see thanks to her training for demon slaying.
So not only was there the talk about this mysterious demon slayer but also the breathing style he used, for it was something nobody saw.
Kanae was tempted to ask Rengoku about this, but eventually decided she would on her deal with this. For one, it was something that impacted her, since the boy saved her life, and two, seeing Kagaya suppress the information only made her more intrigued and wanting to decipher what was being untold.
All this time, whilst Kanae continued to ponder, she was eventually confined to her bed after Shinobu had gotten upset that Kanae was up without her recommendation.
As a result, Kanae was told to get back in her bed.
Even Shinobu's elder sister knew not to rile up Shinobu was she was mad.
However, Kanae knew this was also because of a specific individual also riling Shinobu up.
"Tomioka! Get back in your bed!" Shinobu exclaimed in a rage, and Kanae chuckled.
Giyu Tomioka was among the Hashira's who always was certain and willing to take as many missions as much as the corps could give him.
He was a hard-working individual, and what this meant was that he was among the most frequent Hashira to always be required to be checked out for injuries.
This was particular because he would expose himself to demon attacks a lot more.
For Kanae, this was something she was against. Not that they shouldn't always be out, but she thought Giyu was out fighting demons way too much.
He never spent time within the area, and it was here did she realize, that Giyu had been trying to stay away from the butterfly estate as much as possible.
Not that his tactic helped, as Kagaya would always make sure Shinobu would treat and give him a checkup.
Of course, neither Giyu nor Shinobu wanted this, but because it was the master's orders, it was something they did.
But as Kanae remained in her room, she had begun to notice something disturbing when it came to the two.
"I don't want to be here!" Giyu yelled. This surprised them and made Kanae herself jump from her seat.
Giyu never yelled.
Hell, he rarely talked.
So the fact he was yelling, something must have happened to result in this.
Kanae quickly got up and made her way to where Shinobu was.
But what she saw was something she didn't expect.
Shinobu rly been trying to inject Giyu with some medicine, perhaps to help stop and prevent infection, and Giyu was frantically moving away. He had even kicked Shinobu in the chin just to escape.
"Damnit, Tomioka! You just kicked my chin!" Shinobu groaned in pain as she held her chin.
Kanae looked onward, confused, before she stood in between the door, trapping Giyu inside.
"Let me go, Kocho…" Giyu mumbled as he tried to get out of the room.
This weirded Kanae and Shinobu out, for Giyu was never the type to look frantic, or even show expression.
To Kanae and Shinobu, Giyu was someone who always kept to himself, with a rather quiet and emotionless expression. The very expression that could easily be seen as gloomy.
But Giyu was now panting, a hand pressed to his chest, and another shaking as if he had tried to strike out, to defend himself.
That alone made Kanae confused, as to why Giyu was acting out and even trying to defend himself.
"Shinobu, what did you do?" Kanae asked.
"I just was going to inject him with some medicine! That's it! I've been doing this for a long time with him after his missions… I don't know what's so different here…?" Shinobu mumbled as Giyu was being held down by the two.
Even if Shinobu wasn't that much help, the fact Kanae was able to keep and slow Giyu down made two bodies harder to escape than one.
"Tomioka, sit still!" Shinobu yelled, "Or else I will sedate you!"
This seemed to have only made Giyu more worried and paranoid, as he once again looked frantic, and tried to escape, fighting harder.
"Gah!" Shinobu yelled out, "Stop this!"
"What's going on?" The sound of Aoi echoed as she turned around and saw the commotion. She immediately saw what was happening and her eyes widened, in both shock and confusion.
"Is he alright?!" Aoi asked, as she quickly got into the fray, but was stopped by Kanae.
"I don't think so, he might be suffering from a panic attack…?" Kanae half asked half answered as she assumed that this was the only reason that could cause Giyu to act up erratically like so.
"I'm going to sedate him," Shinobu said at last, and she tried to inject a different needle into Giyu.
But this made him yell in shock, as he grabbed Shinobu and yanked her off his back, of course, her body landed on one of the beds.
Giyu then turned to Kanae, as his eyes were frantically going around as if trying to find a way to get past her.
"Tomioka, is everything alright?" Kanae asked, and Giyu doubled over, coughing out saliva somewhat harshly.
"Tomioka, you need to lie down… Come on…" Kanae mumbled as she tried to help Giyu get to a nearby bed.
But once again, Giyu didn't want to.
"Feel like dying… Can't…" Giyu mumbled as his breathing got labored.
The next thing the three butterfly inhabitants saw, Giyu passed out, his body hitting the ground as his eyes closed up.
Shinobu and Kanae quickly placed him back on the bed.
"He's got a fever… Seems the incident has caused him to stress a lot. It would be better to keep his body cool." Shinobu analyzed. "But yeah, the labored breathing, the mumbling, and the trance he was in, seems to be a panic attack…"
"But why did he suffer one?" Kanae asked.
"I don't know." Shinobu sighed, "That was perhaps the most shocking thing that happened today."
"You could say that again, guess Tomioka isn't the person we thought he was," Kanae explained before she decided to head back to her room, pondering more about the identity of this mysterious slayer.
Shinobu sighed, "Why did Tomioka freak out over a simple needle…"
A.N / So first off, Tanjirou and Nezuko manage to finish off the Swamp Demon, that is that. They will move on to another demon shortly after. As for the more interesting half, Kanae. She is NOT romantically intrigued nor attracted to Tanjirou in any way. She is intrigued by his identity because of his mysterious persona. It's natural, and everyone is naturally curious if they see something unusual. That is the case here. Also, I am setting up the plot for Giyu, since he will play a more significant role in the story. I'm trying to keep the fights somewhat tame, for I want to make sure Tanjirou and Nezuko show a healthy improvement and rise in the skills of their demon slaying. Anyways, see you for chapter 24!
Also, Giyu will be looked at for a bit as the star of the s bit, especially perhaps in the next chapter even, though I'm not entirely sure yet. For now, we're making progress, and we'll soon encounter some fun scenes.
Character Profile:
Giyu Tomioka: Male, 18 years old
Status: Alive, Human
Height: 5'10" (178cm)
Weight: 155Ibs
Kanae Kocho: Female, 19 years old
Status: Alive, Human
Height: 5'7" (170cm)
Weight: 132Ibs
Shinobu Kocho: Female, 17 years old
Status: Alive, Human
Height: 5'0" (152cm)
Weight: 92Ibs
Genya Shinazugawa: Male, 15 years old
Status: Alive, Human
Height: 5'7" (170cm)
Weight: 157Ibs
Kanao Tsuyuri: Female, 15 years old
Status: Alive, Human
Height: 5'2" (157cm)
Weight: 112Ibs
Zenitsu Agatsuma: Male, 15 years old
Status: Alive, Human
Height: 5'4" (163cm)
Weight: 130Ibs
Swamp Demon: Male, unknown age
Status: Dead, Demon
Height: 5'9" (176cm)
Weight: 135Ibs
Abilities:
Tanjirou Kamado:
Hinokami Kagura, Thirteenth Form: Celestial Sunspot Strike (Yes, I know the thirteenth form is taken, but that will technically become a combination move from forms 1-12): Tanjirou motions his body, quickly swinging it across his body with the aim of elegantly or ruthlessly swing his blade in a controlled single, and sometimes multiple strikes. The form either is elegant, offering a painless death to demons, or ruthless, offering a huge bout of pain for the demon. It is both Tanjirou's fastest and slowest Hinokami Kagura form.
Nezuko Kamado:
Kamado Lungs: Once again, because of the atmosphere Nezuko grew up in, plus centuries of burning coal and living atop the mountains, Nezuko has lived a life where her lungs have become resilient to stressors. The result is that she was able to hold her breath, and even breathe mostly fine whilst under the swamp dimension.
Swamp Demon:
Self-Replicate: Whilst being able to summon clones that can regenerate, if they are defeated by a demon slayer, it causes a large amount of energy loss and fatigue to be inflicted onto the Swamp Demon. In addition, if the real demon was eliminated successfully, then the rest of the replicas would too be defeated.
