(A/N: Here we are, the second chapter, and I'm excited for it. This is where the story really starts to kick off and I'm very eager to show you what I have in store.
This chapter does take place in episode one, so I'm gonna warn you that the blood will be graphic. It won't be until the latter half of the chapter, but just be warned.
That's all I needed to say, so I hope you enjoy your time reading this. I'll try not to make it too long, but I can't make any promises, so sorry ahead of time.)
I-X-O~Y~O-X-I
Eight years passed since Kouhai was taken in by the Kamado family and given his name. In that time, two more children were born, two sons named Shigeru and Rokuta. However, where two lives began, two more ended, Tanjuro's mother and Tanjuro himself passed away.
Life had always been rough, but it was especially so after Tanjuro died the previous year, and even more so with the New Year approaching without him to perform the family's kagura dance, the Hinogami Kagura. When Kouhai first saw him perform it, only weeks after he began living with them, he was in awe of how such a sickly and frail man could dance for hours on end, until the sun rose to bring forward the New Year. Now, Tanjiro would be the one to perform the dance as the firstborn.
He had faith in him, he knew he could do it, he used to copy his father's movements. He tried copying the dance, but he was never able to be as good as Tanjiro, and not nearly on the same tier Tanjuro once held. Perhaps it was because he was not related by blood? It did not bother him, it was not as though he would ever get the chance to perform it.
In the days before his death, he called Tanjiro and Kouhai to his bedside to give gifts to his eldest children. Tanjiro received the hanafuda earrings that had been passed down for generations. While Kouhai received his orange and black checkered haori.
Work was as difficult as ever with him gone and all the children did what they could to make Kie's life easier without her husband. He did every chore that was asked of him, he chopped wood, burned charcoal, picked vegetables, gathered water from the river, and cleaned around the house.
He never complained about the amount of work he had to do, he simply did his share of what everyone else had. He considered it his way of thanking and repaying the family for sheltering him for these past years.
He was told that he did not need to do all of it if he thought it was too much, but he wanted to. There was no other way he could think of, even though four of the other children did not remember life before him because they were too young or had not been born yet.
To them, he was as much their older brother as Tanjiro was, albeit quieter than the slightly younger teen. It was a joke among the younger children that he was like a wolf, silent yet talkative when he wanted to be, loving towards the family yet often withdrawn and hostile to others.
It was honestly not purposeful, he simply disliked most of the villagers and only felt comfortable around them. There were only a few people outside of the family he could feel relaxed in the presence of.
With less than a couple of weeks away before the New Year, work around the house needed to be finished quickly. A snow storm always seemed to precede or immediately follow the year's onset.
He chopped logs that he and Tanjiro had spent the previous day cutting together with his hatchet. The younger teen was already burning charcoal to take into the village and he was preparing firewood for Kie to use for cooking.
"Hey, Kou." He looked up from his work to see Takeo with his own hatchet sitting on his shoulder.
"Hi, Takeo," he replied. He began to put the sliced logs into a basket to take into the house.
"Need any help?" he asked.
"I'm already done," he responded.
He pouted, "Why do you always chop wood without me?"
He stood up, smiling down at the ten-year-old and ruffling his hair, causing him to blush and puff his cheeks. He picked up the basket and walked around him, taking it inside. It was heavy, but he was used to the weight.
Stepping into the house, he took the wood to the kitchen, where Kie was counting vegetables. He assumed she was preparing to cook a meal, it was the afternoon.
He set the basket on the floor, the sound of weighted straw creaking against the wood caused her to turn and smile, she often forgot how quiet he could be, "Thank you, Kouhai."
He rubbed the nape of his neck, "You're welcome."
"I'll have to get more vegetables for tonight," she said to herself, glancing down at the greens on the counter.
"I can do it, if you want," he offered.
He volunteered to do every chore that needed to be done, something that she appreciated. His second-nature to immediately offer to do the work was something the younger children picked up as well, trying to emulate their oldest sibling.
Kouhai had left the door open and she noticed Tanjiro preparing to leave. He was so much like his father, working hard to provide for the family, even if it was dangerous with the ground covered in ice and snow.
"Tanjiro," she uttered as he put a basket of charcoal on his back. He turned around in response, his face was covered with ash and soot from the furnace. "Your face is all covered in soot. Let me clean you up." She knelt down in front of him and wiped him with a cloth, "You know, you really don't have to go. All this snow could be dangerous."
"I want us to have a good New Year's celebration, where everyone can eat as much as they want. So I'll sell as much charcoal as I can," he replied insistently.
She smiled at her first born, the same soft smile that all of her children loved to see, "How thoughtful. Well, if I can't stop you, then at least take Kouhai with you."
Though he had already volunteered for another chore, he could not refuse, not when one of his younger siblings needed him, "I'll go."
"I guess four hands are better than two," Tanjiro laughed.
"Hey, bro!" Shigeru exclaimed as he and Hanako ran up to their siblings and mother. "Are you and Kouhai going to town again today?"
"I'm coming with you!" she said, her hands in fists to show her insistence.
Takeo came around the house with his hatchet still in hand. He looked disappointed to see Tanjiro already with the charcoal on his back.
"No, you're not. You know you can't walk as fast as Tanjiro and Kouhai can, sweetie," Kie told her.
"Oh! Come on, Mom!" Shigeru stomped his foot.
"No way. They're not going to be able to use the cart today, which means they can't give you a ride when you get tired," she informed them. Both of them were upset by their mother's words.
"Tanjiro! Kouhai!" he cried as they ran up to the older boys, clinging to their clothes.
"I wanna come with you!" she begged, burying her face into Kouhai's robe. "I promise I'll help out."
He patted her head as Tanjiro did the same to Shigeru, as the younger teen chuckled, "That's very generous of you, Hanako." She looked up at him with a hopeful face. "But, no, you're staying home today." Her expression fell and she buried her face in the older boy's clothing again as tears began to well up in her eyes.
He rubbed her back and smiled down at her, "Don't cry, Hanako."
Tanjiro gently pushed the younger boy away and knelt down in front of him, similar to how their mother often did, "Sorry, Shigeru, you are too. But we'll bring back goodies, okay?"
His face lit up, "Promise?"
He nodded, "Yeah." He grinned and laughed. Kouhai gently pushed Hanako away and he stroked her hair, "And Hanako, I'll read for you when we get home later."
"'Kay!" she chirped.
He chuckled again, "Good girl."
"Thank you for doing this, Tanjiro," Kie smiled.
"Of course," he responded.
"And Kouhai, thank you for going with him," she smiled at him as well.
"No problem," he nodded, returning the smile with a small one.
"Time for us to head out. Hey, Takeo? Do me a favor while we're gone, chop as much wood as you can, okay?" he asked.
"Yeah, I was already gonna do that anyway. But I was kinda hoping the three of us could do it together this time. Why do you guys always do it without me?" he grumbled, pouting.
"There, there, now," Tanjiro patted his head to cheer him up.
He smacked his hand away, his face flushed, "Cut it out, would ya?!"
"You're blushing, Take!" Shigeru teased.
"Shut up, you brat!" he yelled, his cheeks pink.
"There, there, now," Tanjiro repeated as he patted his head again, Kouhai joining him.
He stepped back from them, "Told you to cut it out!" Everyone laughed at him, even Kouhai, though he kept his mouth covered.
The two boys started to leave and their mother and siblings waved goodbye. Kie had insisted they take leftover rice balls from the night before in case they were gone for a long time, which Kouhai carried in an indigo cloth.
"Come back as soon as you can, okay?" Shigeru called out to them.
"Be safe and see you when you get back," Hanako added.
They waved back and proceeded to leave for the village. Only a handful of steps away from the house, they encountered Nezuko, who carried the sleeping Rokuta on her back.
"Hi, Tanjiro, Kouhai," she smiled.
"Hey, Nezuko," Tanjiro greeted as they walked up to her.
"I have to put Rokuta down for a nap now, otherwise he would throw a fit." She glanced back at the toddler, "Ever since Dad passed, he's been glued to you both."
'Because I look like him with his haori,' Kouhai thought solemnly.
"In fact, everyone seems to follow you wherever you go," she continued as Tanjiro gently patted Rokuta's head.
"Can you pick vegetables later?" the older teen asked her.
She nodded, "Sure. I'll head up the mountain as soon as I can."
They walked down the path to the village as she watched them leave. She would have waved goodbye if she could, but she had to support their youngest sibling.
"I'll see you when you get back," she told them with a smile.
He waved at her, "Yeah, you too."
Kouhai merely raised his hand, "See you later."
With the good-byes to their family members done, they proceeded with their journey down the mountain. It would take them quite a while to get to the village, but the weather was calm with only clouds covering the sky, which meant it would be easier than other times.
The most difficult obstacle was the snow, it was thick and top layers were completely turned into thin sheets of ice. It was not completely stable either, the snow could easily collapse beneath them and they would be trapped.
Kouhai untied the rice balls and took one out, "Tanjiro, want a rice ball?"
He was not hungry yet, but there was no harm in a small snack, "Sure, I'll split one with you."
He broke it into halves, managing to do so without dropping too many grains, which would not have been possible if it was fresh. He gave one half to Tanjiro and started to eat his own.
The younger teen was almost finished with his half when he noticed rice grains on his brother's face and laughed, "You've got some rice on your face, Kou."
He wiped his face with his hand, "Did I get it?"
"Yeah," he replied, the laughter still clear in his voice.
It took them nearly two hours to get down the mountain, it would have taken longer if they were able to take the cart with them. They walked into the village and quickly started trying to sell the charcoal.
As usual, Tanjiro did all of the necessary talking. "Hi, do you need any charcoal?" he asked a shopkeeper.
"I'm good, thanks," he said, smoking his pipe.
"Well, thanks for your time anyway. Let's go to the next place, Kou," he told him. He nodded.
He followed him to the next door, where he did the talking while he waited silently. It never bothered him, he could never be a good merchant, he did not have the same talent to talk to people like he did.
They walked through the village, asking people if they needed charcoal, still with Tanjiro doing all of the talking. They always seemed so happy to see him, while avoiding the older teen like the plague, most still despised him since the day he wandered into the village.
He was like a stray dog in their eyes, one that just happened to be taken in by a kind family. But if something happened to his family, they would see the stray dog turn into a wolf.
Some villagers started asking for help with tasks, such as fixing carts and carrying wood. Tanjiro, being the kind-hearted boy he was, agreed to help out. By extension, Kouhai would have to help them too.
Taking out another rice ball, the older boy thought as he ate, 'Your heart's too big sometimes.'
He heard a 'meow!' somewhere at his feet and noticed a cat in the alley he stood near. The fur on its tail stood on end, it had just run away from something.
An older teen with bruises on his face and bloody nose frantically ran up to Tanjiro, carrying a cloth in his hands. "Tanjiro! You've gotta help me!" He unwrapped the cloth to show the broken pieces of a once beautifully crafted plate, "I've been accused of breaking this plate! Can you give it a sniff and prove that I'm innocent?"
Without hesitation, he sniffed the broken plate, "Smells like a cat."
"See?! I told you!" he yelled at the middle-aged woman who accused him.
It always amazed him how powerful his sense of smell was, it had to be as keen as a canine's. His ability to distinguish the unique scents of people, animals, places, and objects was unparalleled.
He heard the cat again and dropped a piece of his rice ball, finishing the last bite to help with one of the many jobs Tanjiro accepted. It was not as if the middle-aged woman and older teen were the kindest to him.
Hours passed as they went around the village selling charcoal and helping people, and by the time they were done it was already sundown. They left the village and headed for the mountain to start their long hike home. It was always harder climbing up the mountain and it would take longer with how dark it would be in a short time.
Kouhai looked up at the twilight sky, "It's late."
"Yeah, but at least we sold out," Tanjiro replied, as optimistic as he normally was.
They passed by a house that sat further from the village, similar to their own but not nearly as far. Before they could go any farther, they heard a man's voice, "Boys!"
They stopped in their tracks and saw a middle-aged man standing in the window. It was the owner of the house, Saburo, whose family died many years earlier, though the circumstances had always been strangely yet understandably vague. He was one of the few villagers Kouhai could tolerate, he was as kind to him as he was to the family.
"Oh, hello, Mr. Saburo," Tanjiro greeted the man.
"Hi, sir," the older teen addressed politely, though his voice was as flat as the blankness on his face.
His younger brother chuckled silently at his greeting. He never tired of enjoying the rare times his older sibling opened up to others.
"Don't tell me you two plan to head up the mountain?" Saburo inquired, clearly concerned.
"We are," Kouhai answered.
"You mustn't go this late, it's dangerous," he said.
"We'll be fine, I have a good nose," Tanjiro told him, smiling reassuringly at the man's worries.
He stepped away from the window and slid open the door, "You both can come in and stay for the night."
It was clear that he was not going to allow them to go up the mountain, so they relented and went into his house. He started preparing a meal and got bedding for them out of a closet.
The food was soon done and the boys started to eat, while Saburo smoked his pipe; they assumed he ate before he let them into his house. The meal was good, but not as good as Kie's food, at least in Kouhai's opinion.
When Tanjiro was finished, he brought his hands together to give his thanks, "Thank you for the meal."
The older teen did not do the same, as he was still eating, though he was almost done. He only had the last of his rice and green tea to finish.
He finished a couple of minutes after his younger brother and gave his thanks, "Thank you."
They settled into the beds, allowing themselves to relax in the comfortable, unfamiliar bedding. It was not the first time they stayed in his house, but the last time they had was years ago when Tanjuro was too weary to carry them home in the cart. They tried to rest their bodies, but both had questions occupying their minds.
"Mr. Saburo? You said it was dangerous to head up the mountain, why is that?" Tanjiro asked.
He was silent for a moment, but he answered, "Because once the sun goes down, that's when the demons come out."
"Demons?" the younger teen repeated. Kouhai turned his head in Saburo's direction, listening.
"Ancient man-eating monsters that crave human flesh," he explained. "No one knows when they first appeared, all we do know is that they can't attack when the sun is out. The sunlight is fatal to them."
"These demons, they can't come into your house, can they?" Tanjiro asked again.
The man took in a deep breath from his pipe, exhaling quite a bit of smoke, "They can."
"But wouldn't they just… eat everyone?" he questioned, almost hesitant to ask.
"That's why we have the Demon Slayer Corps to protect us." He emptied the ashen debris in his pipe and set it down. "They operate from the shadows and do what they can to kill demons."
'Demon Slayer Corps?' Kouhai thought, his eyes slightly wide. 'Why does that sound familiar?'
He stood up from the floor and proceeded to put the lights out, "Enough of that. Now, you boys get some sleep, you can leave at first light."
He left for another room, leaving the two in the dark. Neither could sleep, they stared up at the ceiling, as if it could lull them.
"Poor Mr. Saburo," Tanjiro thought out loud, whispering, his voice high enough for his older brother to hear. "He must be so lonely after his family died." He glanced next to him, at the boy whose eyes did not pry from the ceiling. "Maybe we should bring our younger siblings for a visit some day? How does that sound, Kou?"
"That's fine," he replied. He turned on his side, facing away from the younger teen, "Go to bed, Tanjiro."
"Right," he let out a sleepy and almost embarrassed laugh. "Good night."
Before long, Tanjiro had fallen asleep, as indicated by his soft, steady breaths. Kouhai, meanwhile, could not stop thinking about what Saburo said about demons and the organization that fought them, and why its name was familiar to him.
'What the hell is the Demon Slayer Corps?' his tired mind questioned as he closed his eyes for the night.
Morning came when the first light of dawn shined into Saburo's house, coming to a rest on the faces of the boys. Tanjiro groaned tiredly as he opened his eyes, reaching his hand up to rub them. Kouhai sat up, his head hung, his hair a mess despite being tied up, and his eyes still closed.
The younger boy smiled up at his brother, holding down a laugh, "Morning, Kou."
"Morning," he replied in a low, sleepy voice.
He yawned as he crawled out of the bedding and stood up, while Tanjiro sat up. He watched as the older teen drank some water from a small barrel to wake himself up.
His throat was dry from yesterday's labor, the tea from dinner had soothed it somewhat, but it had caught up to him during the night. He let out a quiet, rasped groan that only reached his own ears as the cold water poured down his throat; it was almost painful.
He wiped the wetness from his lips and asked, his voice clearer now, "Are you ready to go home?"
He got up from the bed and started to roll it, "I am, but let's clean up for Mr. Saburo first."
The younger boy felt something cool against his temple, seeing a small cup of water his brother brought to him. He took it from him, drinking it as Kouhai rolled his own temporary bed.
"So, you two are leaving?" They looked up to see Saburo standing at the entrance of his hallway.
"Yeah, we really should get home, so our mother doesn't worry too much," Tanjiro answered.
"Better sooner than later," the taller teen added.
He knew he could not keep them at his house any longer, they were too insistently obdurate on getting home. "Alright, well, just be safe on your way up."
The younger teen pulled the basket to his shoulders and bowed respectfully, "We will, and thank you for everything, Mr. Saburo."
Kouhai bowed his head, "Yes, thank you."
All three stepped outside and the two teens waved goodbye to him as they resumed their way up the mountain. Just as normal, the younger boy waved fully with the kindest smile, while the older boy only raised a hand with a slight smile that he was uncertain if the man could see.
He had always felt insecure about his lack of emotion in his greetings and departures, it was one of the many reasons why he thought Tanjiro was better than him when it came to most things. His family and Saburo had never judged him for it, unlike many of the villagers who snidely criticized him, often shamelessly in front of his face.
Saburo watched them leave until they were out of sight and turned his gaze up to the sky. The sun was over the horizon and clouds were quickly moving across the sky, partially blocking it. It would not be long before it was completely covered.
'I have a bad feeling,' he thought dreadfully as he went back inside his house.
It was much easier to see where they were going with the morning light, even if they were confident that Tanjiro's sense of smell would have been able to get them home in the dark. It had been some time since they were climbing up the mountain at such an early hour.
The morning got later and the light brighter, and the clouds covered the sun, making it colder than it would have been normally at that time of day. It was an easier trip with a lighter load, but it felt as long as the previous day's trek with the steepness of the mountain and gravity forcing their feet deeper into the snow. In reality, it was nowhere near as long, not with them starting with Saburo's house instead of the village.
Kouhai's stomach growled, he looked down and placed a hand on his abdomen. He wished they had not finished the rice balls, not that they would have been any better at a couple of days old.
They approached a tree they used as the "close to home" point, it was as old as their house and never touched by an axe owned by the long line of charcoal burners. As they passed it, Tanjiro caught a concerning scent and his eyes became wide.
He gasped, "The smell of blood!"
He ran ahead, leaving Kouhai, who quickly went after him, now also concerned. As he chased after his younger brother, he could not overcome a strange feeling that suddenly arose within him; dread, perturbation, and oddly recognition.
As these sickeningly nostalgic feelings came to him like a tidal wave, he had not realized that he caught up to Tanjiro and managed to run past him. He stopped just in front of the house… and nearly collapsed to his knees.
At first glance, nothing seemed out of place; the wood was stacked with not one log out of place, the cart still laid broken with its wheel partially buried in the snow, and the hatchets the boys used were impaled into the stump of a long-ago cut tree. One glimpse around the house, however, and the gruesome scene was shown.
A large crimson puddle was soaked into the snow and just at the edge of it, the wooden doors were destroyed, as if someone was thrown through them, creating a sizable hole. Laying in the red snow were two bodies, both motionless.
Tanjiro came up to him and immediately saw the icy pool of blood. He ran up to it, kneeling beside the bodies, his mouth was open as he tried to say something, but no words came out. It was Nezuko with her arms wrapped around Rokuta, as though protecting him from whatever did this to them.
Hesitantly, he looked into the house through the broken doors and saw the bodies of their mother, Takeo, Hanako, and Shigeru, all lifeless and covered in blood. The walls, floors, and even the ceiling were painted crimson; it was an absolute bloodbath.
He covered his mouth with both hands as he felt the bile rising in his throat, trying to force it back down. His vision became blurry with tears cascading down his cheeks like restless streams.
He removed his hands from his mouth, the backs wet with tears and the palms coated with saliva. "W-w-w- wh- what h-happened?!" his voice trembled. "Mom… Takeo… everyone! A- a bear…?!"
Kouhai knelt down on the opposite side of Nezuko and Rokuta, placing his fingers on both of their necks, desperately feeling for a pulse. Rokuta was gone, there was no pulse and his body was cold; Nezuko, however, her body was still warm and she had a thready pulse.
"Tanjiro, take Nezuko to get her help," he told him, his voice full of rare emotion; sadness, fear, and the slightest hint of hope. "I'll search the house."
"R-right!" he stuttered in his response.
He carefully lifted their younger sister to his shoulders and ran off to the village. Kouhai jumped to his feet and stepped into the house, careful not to immediately set foot in blood.
He checked Takeo and Shigeru, who were nearest to him and laying very close to each other, but both were cold. Their mother was against the wall with Hanako behind her, as though they had fallen at the same time, they too had no heartbeat.
That meant he, Tanjiro, and Nezuko were the only survivors, and there was still the chance that she would not survive her injuries. Their family once had ten, then eight, and now it was down to three. The family that took him in, raised him as one of their own, was nearly extinguished in one night.
He looked down the corridor to the kitchen, seeing a basket of recently picked vegetables on the floor, spattered with blood. The vegetables he offered to get, the vegetables he asked Nezuko to pick.
It was not fair! Why was he still alive and unharmed while the rest of the family was dead or dying?! He was not one of them by blood, it should have been him!
He felt a wetness stream down his cheeks, flowing across the contours of his face and joining together on the underside of his jaw, only to drip down to the floor. When had he started crying?
He looked at his hands, they were covered in blood! How did he not notice before? It looked as if he was the one who committed the atrocious act!
'No! No! It wasn't me! It wasn't me!' he mentally screamed as his hands trembled.
Looking past his still-shaking hands, he noticed a sickening detail that neither he nor Tanjiro took note of, parts of their bodies were severed and flesh was torn open, leaving gaping holes. None of the body parts were missing, they were still in the house, some nearby and in good condition, but others were spread throughout and unrecognizable.
It should have disgusted him, he should have been nauseous, his bloodstained hands should have been pressed firmly against his mouth as he struggled to force his vomit to stay in his stomach… and yet, he could not attest to the latter two. No, instead of feeling sick, his stomach growled as it had done earlier; growled in hunger.
The longer he stared at his family's bodies, the more his stomach growled, as if yelling at him to sink his teeth into the bloody scene. Saliva made its way into his mouth, almost threatening to overflow.
'Oh, no! I can't… actually be considering this, am I?!' He gripped his hair, his wrists against his ears, forcing him to listen to his rapid pulse.
He ran out of the house, leaping off the deck into the snow, landing on his hands and knees. For a few feet, he crawled in the snow as he hyperventilated, the ice melting against his palms and washing away some of the blood. He forced himself to stand and proceeded to run as fast as he could.
'Tanjiro!' he thought, gasping for breath. 'I have to find Tanjiro!'
He followed the prints made by Tanjiro's zōri, which were still visible despite the gradual snowfall, hoping to catch up with his younger siblings. He hoped Nezuko was still alive and he hoped Tanjiro was alright.
The further he ran from the house, the growling in his stomach gradually decreased and he could feel his hunger die down. He could think much clearer than before and whatever he felt then had melted away as well.
He saw Tanjiro's footprints lead along the ledge of a ravine, where he saw where it looked like someone had slipped and fallen. He quickly went to the spot and looked down to see if they were there.
Past the trees, he bore witness to a scene that made his heart momentarily stop. A young man wearing a mismatched haori, who could not have been more than a few years older than him, was holding a sword to Nezuko as he restrained her with his other hand, while Tanjiro was on his knees, crying, begging with him to release her. While he was glad to see his sister alive and on her feet, he could tell that something happened to her. She was struggling in the man's grip, borderline thrashing against him, and growling like a feral animal. Her eyes were like a reptile's and her canines were elongated and sharpened like fangs. Her nails mirrored her teeth, resembling claws and talons.
What happened in the time they were separated? How long were they a part? What happened to Nezuko? Who was the man with the sword? Why did he capture Nezuko?
He watched as Tanjiro stood up and ran behind a tree for just a brief moment, throwing a rock and his hatchet at the same time. Immediately after throwing them, he ran towards the man with his hands positioned in a way that gave the illusion he was still holding his hatchet.
His eyes widened when he realized what his younger brother was doing. It was his instinct to put others, especially their siblings, above himself, even if it meant he suffered in the process. He knew it well, after all, he was the one who did so most extensively and inadvertently taught it.
'This is a suicide mission!' he thought, panicked.
Without hesitation and unwilling to wait a second longer, he leapt off the ledge. He had to stop his brother from getting himself killed by the man's sword.
"Tanjiro! Nezuko!" he shouted the names of his siblings as he fell from his jump.
The swordsman looked up to see the falling teen before returning his attention to the one running towards him, who also took notice and had a shocked expression on his face. Within a second, he used the butt of his hilt to knock out the younger boy and spun his body ever so slightly with his grip still upon the girl, he turned his sword in his hand and swung it upwards, hitting the eldest with the dull side of the blade and throwing him aside. The moment the older teen landed in the snow, the hatchet impaled itself in the tree near the man's head.
Realizing what the shorter boy had done and momentarily impressed by his actions, he turned his attention to the newcomer. Despite being hit with his sword and the rough landing, he was still conscious and in the process of standing up. It was something else that impressed him; although the contact was brief, he was certain that enough force had been applied to incapacitate someone twice his size.
As he gazed at the teen, his mind wandered back to what occurred only moments ago. He had not sensed his approach or even heard his steps in the snow until he started shouting. It was unusual and disconcerting for a swordsman like himself.
'He called out their names, are they siblings?' he mentally inquired, taking note of his hair color. The boy lifted himself up and he saw his face, 'No, that's not it, not by blood anyway. Still, it's clear he cares about them, adopted maybe?'
"Who are you?" he questioned. His voice was flat, but he could detect fear and concern, along with a bit of sadness and anger.
"I'm with the Demon Slayer Corps," he responded, his own voice similarly flat. "Your sister was turned into a demon, and your brother was trying to stop me from killing her."
"Demon Slayer Corps?" he repeated.
That was the second time in twelve hours that he heard that name and he still had no idea what it meant or why it was so familiar to him. For the moment, he did not care about what he said about his siblings, about Nezuko turning into a demon and Tanjiro trying to save her, all he wanted to know was why it sounded familiar.
His still-bloodstained hands made their way into his hair and he trembled in place. The longer he trembled, the more violent and erratic it became, making the swordsman unsettled and vigilant.
He noticed how tense his body and nerves had become, his grip on his sword was tight, 'Why am I so on guard right now? As impressive as his endurance may be, he's nothing but an unarmed human. Still…'
His attention was fully focused on the distraught boy, giving the girl her chance to escape from his hold. She ran towards the other boy, her claws reaching out to him.
Reacting quickly, he gripped his sword with both hands and ran to intercept her before she could get to him. 'No! She'll kill him!' He glanced back at the shaking teen, 'Was this his plan to save his sister? No, I think she saw an opportunity to escape and feed, and took it.'
Returning his gaze, he realized he was too late! She was within a suitable reaching distance to grab and devour her brother!
He dug his heels into the snow when instead of feeding on her unconscious sibling, she crouched in front of him with her body facing him, her hand shielding his face from view. She was not trying to kill him, she was protecting him!
"Nezuko! Protect Tanjiro!" he heard the teen behind him yell.
As if obeying her eldest brother's plea, she leapt towards him and slashed her claws in the air, trying to scratch him. He countered each with his sword, narrowly cutting into her hands and arms. A bit of blood sprayed out, further staining her already crimson-stained kimono.
"Nezuko would never eat a human!"
The boy's words echoed in his head, someone else had said the same thing to him when their own sibling was turned into a demon, only to be quickly devoured. How many times had he seen it? How many massacres had he seen? How many broken hearts?
'A hungry demon will devour anyone, including its own family members.' It did not matter to them who it was, spouses, children, siblings, parents, they were all on the menu. 'And yet, despite that, she's fighting her instinct to kill her own brothers. Could it be that maybe, just maybe, these three are different?'
As she swung her arm to strike him again, the side of his hand collided with her neck. She fell into the snow, lying unconscious at his feet.
He contemplated raising his sword and beheading her; it would ensure the safety of the two children if she awakened feral. With a sigh, he put it back in its sheath at his waist and returned his attention to the other teen.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
He was much calmer than before, though clearly still distressed. He was silent for a while before he answered, "I'm not hurt."
'I suppose that's the kind of response I should expect,' he mentally sighed. He started to walk away and without looking back, he told him, "I'll be back in a minute. Yell if she wakes up."
He only watched him leave, he could not argue with him even if he wanted to. He was a man of few words, much like himself, he could almost feel a sense of camaraderie and irony.
'Is this how everyone felt with me all these years?' he thought.
The young swordsman returned with pieces of bamboo and went to Nezuko, kneeling beside her. He held each piece over her mouth, judging the size and its proportion to her face.
"What are you doing?" He looked up to see the eldest standing near his younger siblings.
"I'm making a muzzle," he replied.
"A muzzle?" he repeated. He frowned in realization, "For Nezuko?"
"It's so she's not tempted to bite anyone," he explained.
He disagreed with it, his sister was not an animal, but he understood why he was making it, "I see."
He found an appropriate piece and put a pinkish cloth through it. He was about to wrap it around her when a slightly bloodstained hand stopped him.
"Let me do it. Please," he requested.
He nodded and gave him the makeshift muzzle, "Alright."
Carefully, he lifted her head and tied the cloth around the back of her neck. He held her chin to open her mouth, seeing how sharp her teeth really were, and set the bamboo.
The older teen watched the entire time as he did it, not trusting him not to destroy it because the girl was his sister. He knew it must have been hard, he must have still been in shock, and he was still able to put it on her.
"I'm Kouhai Kamado," he heard him introduce himself.
He stood up and leaned on a nearby tree, "Giyu Tomioka."
Tanjiro awoke after a while and reached beside him, gripping Nezuko's kimono. He sat up and looked around, seeing his older brother and the swordsman, and noticing the muzzle in his sister's mouth.
"Head to Mount Sagiri and look for a man named Sakonji Urokodaki, tell him Giyu Tomioka sent you two," the older teen instructed. He looked up at the sky, "It's cloudy now, so she should be okay, but don't ever let her be exposed to sunlight."
With that, he disappeared from view, leaving the three children. Tanjiro looked down at Nezuko before looking up at Kouhai.
"What should we do now?" he questioned.
Kouhai thought about it, wondering what the right thing to do would be. He began to walk away, beckoning his brother to follow him, "Let's go home."
They returned to the house and for the rest of the morning, dug holes to bury their family. Once they were in the ground, they used rocks to mark their graves. They hardly said anything the whole time, neither boy could find the right thing to say.
Both prayed for the souls of their mother and siblings, while Nezuko stood nearby, having been changed into her favorite pink asanoha pattern kimono. They hoped that if God or Buddha found them, that they were given peace in the heavens.
Tanjiro grabbed their sister's hand and exchanged a glance with his older brother, both nodding, "Let's go."
As they walked away from their graves, from the house they grew up in, Kouhai grit his teeth and clenched his fists, 'Whoever did this, I will never give up until you're burning in Hell!'
I-X-O~Y~O-X-I
(A/N: 7,000 words?! Oh, geez. I really didn't want it to be this long, but what's done is done. Hopefully everybody found it to be a good read. :)
I won't lie, I really struggled not to cry when they discovered Kie and their siblings dead, so I won't blame you if you did too. Kouhai's scene was especially difficult to get through, I was so close to crying.
Happy New Year's Eve, everyone! This will be my last update of 2024 and hopefully this is a good send-off into the new year. Once again, Happy New Year's Eve and Happy New Year!)