Chapter 2: A Deal with the Hero of Hellfire
Tanjirou continued sitting on the bed while he was lost in his thoughts and cleaned and polished his Nichirin with the help of some bandages he found in one of the drawers in the room. He didn't really know what to do, on the one hand, he wanted to go outside to find the Butterfly Mansion or some place known to demon slayers,to find out about the status of his friends and the Hashiras. His mind still unconsciously wandered into the last memories of the battle and a feeling of worry constantly haunted him as he remembered the horrible injuries they suffered to protect him from Muzan. He desperately hoped that a tragedy had not occurred but the internal cuts he detected with the transparent world made him fear otherwise.
On the other hand, Tanjirou had no point of reference to know exactly where he was, without orientation, he couldn't look for any of the Demon Slayer bases and he could end up lost for a long time, in addition to probably having the police after him. It was a miracle that the Mugen Train guards didn't see his face when they chased him with Zenitsu and Inosuke for having Katanas without being police officers, in this case they had seen him and healed him, but Tanjirou was not so innocent as to believe that they would let him go free after showing up at the strange place wounded, bloody and with a weapon on him. Oyakata-sama warned of the importance of staying away from the law, since technically the Demon Slayers were mercenaries and assassins at the service of a powerful family, something that was completely illegal, despite fighting demons and helping people. If you ended up in prison, it was difficult for the Ubuyasiki to help for fear of discovering the corps.
As tempting as it was to escape, it was best to stay in the hospital and wait for everything to take its course. At least Tanjirou ruled out the possibility that he was in a hostile place, seeing the great kindness of the doctor who treated him, even so, it was better to stay alert and look for a way to reach an agreement to obtain his freedom or find a crow to send a message of help to Aoi.
"Perhaps I can go out at night and check the surroundings to draw up an escape plan in the coming days"thought as he looked out the window at the beautiful sunset that was about to form.
The sound of the door brought Tanjirou out of his thoughts, quickly getting out of bed while being alert for any sign of danger. He was surprised to see not the doctor, but a tall, strong man,who seemed close to middle age, if Tanjiour looked at his facial features, but his body was toned, worthy of a Hashira. The short hair was a couple of shades darker than his, but both were red. The turquoise eyes expressed a serious and imposing look that could easily intimidate anyone.He wore a strange dark blue suit with metallic parts. But what activated Tanjirou's mental alarm was the fire coming out of the man's body and that did not seem to cause him any harm.
For Enji's part, he was also analyzing the young man in front of him. He looked quite healthy, between the holes in his clothes his defined muscles could be seen, although he was wearing a strange black uniform that looked like the classic high school outfits that were used many years ago, in addition to a green Haori with black squares. His hair was a deeper crimson red than his own, and he had equally bright crimson eyes, you could almost see embers coming out of them. The curious mark that extended along the right side of his forehead also caught his attention, it was red and had a curious flame shape although the barely perceptible texture of the skin indicated that it could be the result of some burn. Although what surprised him the most was the cold look that he gave him at the moment of appearing while pointing at him with his strange black Katana. He looked like a predator waiting for his moment to attack, causing enormous tension between them.
Enji was very tempted to start an attack to test the boy's reflexes and alertness, but he decided to leave it for another time. The look he conveyed was that of someone who knew what he was doing, who was trained to kill and who intended to do it. In a hospital full of injured people it could be very serious negligence to start a fight with an individual like him.
Endeavour had seen that look in the eyes of the most dangerous villains in Japan,but he never thought he would see it in someone as young as his youngest son. He once heard that you could read a person's life through their eyes, and he could tell that the young man in front of him had had an enormous amount of pain and suffering throughout his short life, but also dedication, discipline and kindness. Which increased his curiosity even more to know who this boy with no history whatsoever was, who seemed to have come out of nowhere. "Calm down boy, I don't come to hurt you" Endeavor raised his hands in surrender while he extinguished the flames on his body.
Tanjirou just ignored the stranger's words and remained in the same position as he analyzed the man through the transparent world. Thanks to the occasional lessons that he had with Shinobu on anatomy and medicine he was able to perceive, within his limited judgment, that the man had no abnormal modification in his body, and his smell was not even close to resembling one. If he had to describe it, he would use Shinjuro Rengoku as a base, along with a strange pleasant smell that was quite difficult for him to describe and without the constant smell of alcohol.
"He can't be a demon, they can't be in the sunlight, but if he is a human, how could he create fire from his body? He doesn't even use total concentration breathing or flame breathing." In his detailed analysis he noticed a very particular kanji on the man's belt that made one of his hands instinctively touch the insignia that adorned his Nichirin.
"Rengoku-san..." he muttered nostalgically as he remembered to the deceased flame hashira.
"Did you say something kid?"
"Huh?" Tanjirou quickly came out of his thoughts while he put away his Nichirin. "I-It's nothing, forgive my insolence for pointing my katana at you." The swordsman then bowed in regret.
The hero couldn't help but frown at the previous whisper, but decided to ignore it and focus on Tanjirou's behavior. "Good manners, it means discipline and discipline along with that murderous look show that the boy is at least a fighter." he thought, while trying to get as much information as possible. "Don't worry, I should have let you know before coming in,so how do you feel?"
"Fine, I appreciate the interest, my body feels renewed and full of energy," he exclaimed happily, still unable to believe that his wounds were healed so easily.
Endeavor was very glad that the extra money he used to have the best doctors at the hospital attend to the young man as soon as possible, would have allowed for an almost instant recovery so he could be put on a battlefield as soon as possible."I see… your name is Tanjirou Kamado right?"
Tanjirou simply nodded in response. "That's right, and can I know your name?"
The hero was very surprised that he couldn't recognize him wearing his hero suit and showing his quirk exposed "I am Enji Todoroki,Japan's number 2 hero,but you can call me Endeavour."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Endeavor-san" Tanjirou again performed another bow that pleased, again, the pride of the fire hero.
"Well, with the formalities out of the way, I have to ask a few things about what happened when you were found unconscious and bloody." Receiving Tanjirou's nod, the hero proceeded with the interrogation."Tell me, do you remember anything about what happened before you fell unconscious??"
Tanjirou repeated the question in his mind for a long time, the last thing he remembered was being absorbed by a giant mass of flesh before waking up in the hospital"I was in a forest, fighting alongside an…evil being that had killed many people. He tried to escape and I followed him. Afterwards I can't remember anything else."despite the safe environment, the redhead with Hanafuda earrings still didn't trust the people of this place, so he decided to omit the detail of the demons and not involve his friends in this, if they were dangerous, it could make them a target.
Enji felt that there was more information hidden, since he remembered the doctor's preliminary report, mentioned more people in the first statement, but decided to let it go for now, seeing Tanjirou's cooperative behavior
"At least the disorientation seems to be somewhat accurate in the cause of the attack along with self-defense.That might keep the polivce away for a while," he thought as he worked out in his mind the report he had to deliver."Could you tell me the name of the villain??"
"Muzan Kibutsuji" His name wasn't important, he was dead and doubted they would find anything about a man who lived hidden for hundreds of years.
"hhmm... that name doesn't ring a bell, and what about your family? Where are they??" he asked, not surprised by the change in the young man's calm expression to a more melancholic one.
"Dead..."He replied with an empty tone in his voice.
Enji could assume that the event must have been painful for the boy, so he also ruled out any type of family abuse."I'm sorry for your loss"expressed in an apologetic tone.
Tanjirou just shook his head."Don't worry, it was a long time ago, they're in a better place now" He said he was trying to recover from the bad taste in his mouth from remembering his beloved family.
"Have you been living with any relatives??"
"I don't have any family, I've lived alone in the mountains" If he didn't mention the Demon Slayers before, he wasn't going to mention Nezuko under any circumstances.
"I see one more thing, what does your quirk consist of?? I saw that you emitted crimson flames when you attacked the delinquent and I really found them fascinating"
"ah,again, that thing called Quirk." Tanjirou frowned at the question. Everyone in this place seemed to have a strange obsession with it, and unfortunately the name didn't give any clues as to its meaning"Maybe that was what causes Endeavour-san's flames"he thought, trying to find a way to respond. The only thing Tanjirou could use as an excuse is the sun breathing, but giving information about the original breathing style could be, again, counterproductive.So he decided to use something that only his family knew."That's Hinokami Kagura. It is a dance that allows me to accumulate fire to fight stronger enemies with a Katana."
"Fight??enemies?? Katana??then you must be some kind of swordsman"Endeavour thought as he searched for more clues in the statements to confirm some of his theories"well, I think that will be all for today,now, I would like to propose a deal to you kid."
"what deal would it be Endeavour-san?" The kamado asked skeptical about what he could offer and more importantly, what he wanted from him.
The hero was meditating on his words for a while, looking for the best way to convince him to accept his proposal, so he decided to put him between a rock and a hard place"I'll be direct, you have committed direct murder in front of several witnesses, even if you are a minor, the victim was a criminal and you did it without being fully conscious, it is still a very serious crime. The police are demanding your head for a trial and without a legal guardian or money, you will not have an adequate defense to avoid jail and even less to pay for medical services that you received."
Enji's words fell like a bucket of cold water on Tanjirou's mind, he did not remember anything about killing anyone other than Muzan but they were accusing him of a serious crime and he had no means or influence to get away with it. Worse still, without his crow he could not send a message to Oyakata-sama to try to help him, nor could he go out to look for them. Now the idea of fleeing the place and risking being pursued by the law seemed much more favorable than staying, anyway he would also be in a cell if he did nothing to prevent it and at least he could find refuge with the Demon Slayers while he tried to solve the misunderstanding.
"Luckily for you"said the hero, interrupting the younger redhead's thoughts"I can help you with that. I am a well-known hero and as an officer of the law, I can keep you free and defend any charges you receive for those crimes, plus I can also pay your hospital bills and cover any needs you have. You will receive a home, food and clothing."
Enji's words alarmed Tanjirou more than calmed him. Even though the man was a hero, something the swordsman still couldn't quite understand the meaning of, he also doubted that he would help him with his situation out of charity. He highly suspected that his interest in him was related to the sun breathing, something that he would not under any circumstances reveal to anyone he didn't trust.
"And what do you want in return Endeavour-san?"finally asked.
"I want you to stay with me and my family.I will have your provisional custody until you come of age. To pay your expenses,you will work for me in my agency.I saw that you carry a Katana with you, so I guess you must know how to use it in combat, right??"asked, receiving a nod from Tanjirou"Then your skills can be useful to test new graduated heroes. If you prove your worth, perhaps I could pay for your tuition in a hero academy and make you an official member.
"I could do that," he thought out loud. He doubted that normal people would give him any trouble, being a high-ranking Demon Slayer himself and with the valuable experience from his fight against Akaza and Muzan.
"Also, I want you to train my son Shoto."Enji added, making Tanjirou have a confused expression"He's your age and I want you to help him improve his combat techniques and convince him to use his fire quirk. He refuses to use it and it stops him from improving, so I want you to make up for lost time by improving his fire skills with your quirk"
"I understand, but why me??Your son and I are supposed to be the same age, wouldn't it be better to find someone with more experience??"asked curiously, searching for an answer to the man's obvious interest in his abilities"
"Nowadays there aren't many people who have an innate skill with the sword, I could see it a little when you cut that villain, in addition to your quirk. Both in my agency and in my family, we have many fire quirk bearers, I know everything about them and never in my life have I seen anything like those crimson flames that you could create. I was only able to analyze it for a short period of time, but I could see that it is clearly a very powerful evolution of any fire quirik, both for its ability to control my own flames, and to cause burns in people immune to fire attacks. The first time I felt it, I could almost swear that those flames come from the sun itself and without a doubt, your power can help us improve a lot."
Once Tanjirou confirmed Endeavor's interest in solar breathing, he decided to take a moment to meditate on the proposal.He had to admit that the offer was quite generous, although he didn't fully understand what a hero school was.But if Tanjirou accepts, he would have to wait for a crow or Kakushi to locate him to free him, something that could last days or weeks and he did not know if he could withstand the pressure and uncertainty about the health status of the others. He also did not completely trust these strange people, with abilities similar to blood demon art despite being human, and constant mentions of concepts he had never heard before, such as quirks, heroes or villains…. Endeavor's interest in breathing techniques also worried the kamado about the problems it could cause if they discovered the Demon Slayer Corps. They needed calm more than ever after the final battle.
"Well, boy??Do you accept it??"asked somewhat irritated by the long time the young man was silent.
The hanafuda earring swordsman wanted desperately to reject the offer and leave, but with the information they had, it was already too late for that. He had no choice if he didn't want to harm his companions. At least he wouldn't have to worry about how to survive these days.
"Okay, I accept your proposal, I greatly appreciate your generosity Endeavour-san" he said while bowing deeply. Enji right now couldn't stop smiling with joy. He quickly gained custody and the boy's will, and was able to confirm that he was a fighter, with a very likely ability to master his quirk. If Tanjirou managed to teach his fighting style and replicate, even partially, that crimson fire to Shoto, it would make him the first candidate to be the new symbol of peace and finally surpass All Might himself.
"Great!! Then come with me, you've already been discharged from the hospital, so we have nothing to do here." With everything said, the hero left the room heading for the exit, followed by the red-haired young man who watched him with curiosity.
"So…where are we going, Endeavour-san??"
"It's too late to be able to test your skills, so the best thing would be to go to my house so you can rest and be in the best physical condition. You can meet my son and start training with him. Luckily, tomorrow is Saturday and we will have all day to see what you are capable of" Tanjirou just nodded in response while they both remained silent, lost in their thoughts. The kamado was still worried about his current situation and hoped to find a solution soon to return to Nezuko. Enji had a part of his mind on the murmurs that Tanjirou said when he saw him for the first time in the hospital, he was sure that he had said a name, and he was even more sure that the name mentioned he had heard before, but he was unable to remember what he said or where he heard it, slightly frustrating his good mood.
A/N:Well, this is the second part that was going to be in chapter 1. Poor Tanjirou, he will have to act as a therapist in one of the most dysfunctional families in this anime. Although if anyone can overcome the heated conflicts and icy hatred of the Todoroki it is undoubtedly young Kamado. Also someone with an affinity for the sun and water combines perfectly in a family of fire and ice. I have seen a comment about whether Tanjirou has a quirk and as I said in the prologue, he does NOT have a qurik and is NOT going to develop one of his own. It must be taken into account that in the world of MHA, no one knows the breathing styles, nor the increases in power and ability that they grant to the user, so if a hero sees a person with physical abilities superior to any athlete, in addition to an enormous resistance to wounds, he would think that it is thanks to a quirk and not the total concentration breathing or the enhanced breathing (breathing technique created by Tanjirou that allows him to stop bleeding and increase resistance if he is injured or recover energy quickly). Anyway, I hope you liked it, if you have any ideas, don't hesitate to send them to the PM.
Thanks for reading :)