Tanjuro was spending time with his children, when an urgent letter from Kagaya came. The Demon read it over quickly, before walking to the door, "sorry everyone. Kagaya has an urgent mission for me. Hopefully I'll be back soon" he said, as Shigeru, Hanako, Rokuta, Hiroshi, Shuya and Koto began making noises of disappointment and upset. "Papa!" Rokuta wined, reaching up for him with tears in his eyes, Koto also trying to clutch onto Tanjuro. "Sorry. But I'm sure this is important. I'll be back as soon as I can, okay everyone?" the Demon asked, hugging the two toddler's in his arms. "Do you know what he wants Dad?" Takeo asked.
"No, not yet. Hopefully I'll finish it quickly. Takeo, Genya, can I could on you two to look after the younger kids?" Tanjuro asked. "Of course Dad! We'll look after everyone" Takeo agreed. Genya nodded in agreement. Tanjuro grabbed his Sword and left the house, waving as he did. As the Demon King made his way to Kagaya's house, he wondered what this Mission was about. It really must be important if the man couldn't even tell him what it was in his letter. As he reached the Master's Estate, he met Kagaya's two oldest daughters at the door. Tanjuro bowed to them, "Lord Kagaya asked me to come here. May I see him?" he asked.
"Come with us Lord Tanjuro" one of the white-haired girls said, both the Sister's leading him into the building. The Demon followed them into the house. As they reached Kagaya's room, the door was opened, and Tanjuro saw the man sitting at a table, a white-haired woman sitting next to him. "Tanjuro. Thank you for coming. Please have a seat" Kagaya asked. The Demon King knelt on the floor in front of the man, "So, what did you want to speak with me about Sir?" Tanjuro asked. "I wanted to send you to a very important place. The Swordsmith Village. I have seen that there will be a large danger there, and I have already sent Kyojuro and Mitsuri on ahead. Please head there to help them" the Master asked.
"Of course. I'll do my best Sir. I'll let my children know and then head out" Tanjuro replied. "Actually, you'll need to wait for a Kakushi to bring you to the Village. The Swordsmiths are our greatest asset in the fight against the Demons. As such, no Slayer is allowed to know the route to the Village for their safety. I know you aren't under Muzan's control, but we can never be too careful" the woman explained. "I apologise Ma'am, but I don't think I've met you yet" Tanjuro said, looking at her. "This is my Wife, Amanae" Kagaya replied. Tanjuro nodded, "I see. And that makes sense Lady Amane" he agreed.
"I will let you explain to your children about your new Mission and prepare to leave. I assume you will be bringing all of your Demons with you?' the Master asked. "Probably. It's better to be safe than sorry. The more forces I have with me, the better we'll be able to defend the Village from whatever danger is coming" the Demon Kamado replied with a nod. "Alright. I will have everything prepared. Please take care of any business you need to before you leave" Kagaya said. Tanjuro nodded, "I will" he then stood up and left the room. As Tanjuro walked back home, he wondered if he should bring Kie with him as well. He would ask her, after all, she hadn't been this present in almost 2 years.
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"So Tanjiro, Nezuko, as the two oldest, I want you to help Genya and Sumi look after all the younger children" Tanjuro explained. "Of course Father. Please be careful, alright?" Tanjiro asked with a frown. The Demon King pat his Oldest Son on the head, "we'll be fine Son. I'll see you when we get back" he said with a smile. After saying goodbye to all of his other children, Tanjuro entered the house to say goodbye to his Wife. Kie was sitting up and watching the world through her bedroom window. No sunlight was coming through, so she was safe. "Hi love" he said with a smile.
His Wife turned to see him, smiling happily. She stood up and ran to him, stuttering out a: "T-T-Tan-ju-r-ro!" as she did. The Demon King hugged her close, kissing her on the lips hard. "How are you doing Kie?" he asked her, stroking her hair gently with a loving smile on his face. "Good. Th-th-the k-kids came to s-s-see me to-day" Kie stuttered with a bright smile. "I'm glad. I just wanted to tell you that I've got a very important Mission, so I have to leave for a while." Tanjuro explained, his smile turning apologetic. Kie blinked up at him, "I can g-go with y-you" she said. "No, it's too dangerous. Please Kie, I'd feel better if you stayed with the children" Tanjuro replied.
His Wife frowned, seeming to concentrate hard, "Shizu, is g-going?" she asked. "Yes, because she's one of my Demons" Tanjuro replied, unsure where his Wife was going with this. "Y-your, other D-Demons are going?" Kie continued. "Yes, why?" the Kamado Patriarch asked in confusion. "I can go too. I a-am a Demon like th-them" she finished. Tanjuro frowned. He understood her reasoning, but still- memories of the battle at the Entertainment District came to him. Yes, Gyutaro had been his enemy at the time, yes, he had apologized since then, and yes, Kie would have been fine, being a Demon too. but still, the idea of any of his family, especially his Wife being in so much danger again made his heart ache.
Tanjuro hugged Kie close, "I know you want to help me love, and I appreciate that, I really do. But if anything happened to you out there, I- I don't know if I'd be able to take it" he replied softly. Kie cupped Tanjuro's face and looked up at her Husband with focused eyes. It was clear that she was putting her all into being so lucid right now. "Please. Let me help you" she said, before her eyelids drooped, and the awareness in her gaze faded. Tanjuro caught his Wife just as her energy ran out and she fell asleep in his arms. He sighed, "alright Kie. I'll bring you with me"
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Soon everyone was ready to leave. Tanjuro was the only one with anything to take with him, those things being his Sword, cleaning supplies for it and Kie in her box. After all of their children said goodbye to them, the group headed out to meet the Kakushi who would take them to the Swordsmith Village. Being that they were all Demons who weren't under Muzan's control, the situation was a bit trickier than normal for the guides. Usually, they would block off all senses, and carry the Demon Slayer to the Village on their backs. But 1. None of the Demons were controlled by Muzan, as was already said, and 2. Blocking off their senses wouldn't really work, since they were Demons.
The Master had given them permission to go to the Village as a special Mission though, so they would have to make it work. After a lengthy conversation, it was decided that since none of them were under Muzan's control, it would be fine to just guide them to the Village, instead of doing everything else. So the group set off, running down the road. It took several days and many guide swaps to reach the Village. And that was including the explanations to the new guides.
But they eventually did reach the Village. "Wow. So, everyone who lives here is a Swordsmith?" Yukito asked. "Yes. And to keep their identities safe from Demons, all the Swordsmiths wear masks to hide their faces. That way, even if a Swordsmith is captured by a Demon, they can't betray their family or friends" the male Kakushi who'd guided them replied. Tanjuro nodded, looking at all the people waring Hyokotto masks, "that makes sense." He agreed. "The Chief of this Village lives at the back of the Village. Just follow this road and you can't miss his house. Please greet him first to explain you Mission Lord Kamado" one of the other Kakushi, a woman told them.
"Of course. Alright everyone, let's go" the Demon King agreed, before beginning to lead his Demons down the road.
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"I am the Chief of this Village, Tecchin Tecchikawahara. I may be the smallest in the Village, but I am also the most skilled man here. The Master of the Corps has told me about you all. You are Lord Tanjuro Kamado, the Demon King who is against Muzan, and is also a Demon Slayer?" the Chief asked in interest. Tanjuro nodded, "yes Sir. And these are my Demons. Please introduce yourselves everyone" he asked. Shizu bowed her head, "I'm, Shizu Shinazugawa. Nice to meet you Sir" the short Demon woman said. "Good job Shizu! You've gotten a lot better at talking" Tanjuro congratulated with a smile. Yukito nodded to the old man, "my name is Yukito. Thank you for letting us all come here" he said gratefully.
"I-I'm Sayuri. It's nice to meet you Sir" the little Demon girl said shyly, hiding behind Tanjuro, who pat her on the head. "I'm Gyutaro, and this is my little Sister Ume" Gyutaro said, trying his hardest to be polite. Lord Tanjuro didn't ask much of them, but politeness was one thing he did insist on. "My name is Hakuji. Thank you for your hospitality Sir" Hakuji said gratefully with a bow. "Well, I must thank you properly for your assistance. I understand that none of you eat, is that right?" the old man asked. "That's right Sir" Tanjuro agreed. "Hmm. How about unlimited access to our Hot Springs? They are remarkable, and can heal just about anything! Please, make yourselves right at home" the old man said, as he waved them off. As they were led to the Hot Springs, Tanjuro smiled, "Kie might like to have a bath too, if they're as steamy as I think they are" he said.
"HEY! TANJURO!" a familiar voice called. The group looked up the stairs to the Hot Spring to see Mitsuri running down towards them with a bright smile on her face, Kyojuro was right behind her too, both were waving happily at them.