Winds, Waves, and Chains

Prologue

Hello everyone and welcome to my newest Demon Slayer story! This is another commission requested by fellow reader, Mokashi, detailing the adventures of a demon slaying family. And if you'd like a commission yourself, swing by my Pat reon and take a look! You'll also find news about what's happening each week along with scene samples from other stories. Now then I think that's everything save for this last part: All properties belong to their respective owners. Now with that out of the way, let's start this new story!

In The Mountains of Japan

The sky was gray, overcast by clouds as a cold wind blew. The noise nearly drowned out the sound of two pairs of hurried footsteps as a mother and father rushed towards the nearby town they lived just outside of. The snow fell hurriedly, almost as if it wished to be another obstacle in their path, but the parents would not be stopped so easily, not when the life of their child was on the line. "Just hold on son," the father, a man who went by the name John Keller, pleaded while carrying him bridal style, "we'll get you to the doctor, it's going to be okay."

He was a fair-sized man, albeit not huge, standing at about five foot eleven with short blond hair and blue eyes. His grey kimono top and brown pants seemed to blend into the landscape somewhat even when he was in motion. Little surprise, considering he often hunted these very mountains. The wife, a woman named Mary Keller, had long dark hair, brown eyes, fair skin and wore a blue haori over a yellow kimono. She was shorter than her husband, standing at only five feet three inches.

Currently her hair was tied back with a white cap that she normally used for cleaning, a chore she'd been preparing to do until they'd discovered their injured son, Jonathon Keller. He had his mother's long dark hair but his father's eyes and looked to be a little ways into his teenage years. The couple had tried for more children over the years but so far only the one had made it into this world, and they'd be damned if he was going to leave it so soon. Still, they were trying to piece together what exactly had happened before they'd gotten home that led to all of this.

The same questions kept repeating themselves in their minds. What happened, who or what did this, and could they save him? Naturally, the memory of what came before also replayed itself in their heads. After all, it had begun as any other day.

The Day Before: In the Mountains

The first rays of sunlight were falling on the land, meaning it was time for the wildlife to begin stirring. One such creature was a boar, who made its presence known by the sound of its snorting as it lumbered into a small clearing in the trees. When it found a promising spot, it stuck its nose in the snow and began rooting, attempting to dig into the ground beneath. That is until a sudden shifting nearby drew its attention.

The boar looked up, sniffing the air for anything abnormal. Its eyes roamed the area for a couple minutes, spotting some snow that had dropped to the ground but otherwise, nothing else seemed to have moved. Satisfied that its meal wasn't being disturbed, the boar bent back down to keep rooting. A sharp crack rang out then, echoing through the trees and scaring the nearby birds away as a bullet hit the side of the boar and lodged itself in the animal's heart.

The tusked mammal instinctively tried to run but only made it a few steps forward before falling over onto the ground, dead. A figure shifted and stood up then, a layer from an earlier snowfall sliding off of him as he did so. He pulled back the white hood he'd had on his head, running a hand through his hair before approaching the downed animal, his lever action rifle at the ready. The man had been hunting long enough to know that underestimating an animal and not approaching with caution could spell disaster, not just for the hunt but for the hunter as well.

Fortunately, luck was on his side today as he carefully prodded the downed boar, quickly finding it to be dead. "You're not huge but you'll do for a couple meals," John remarked before slinging the rifle over his shoulder and pushing the boar over onto its side. He pulled it along the ground for a few yards by its legs before reaching a sled he'd hidden in some foliage and got to work strapping his prey onto it. He wasn't a weak man by any stretch of the imagination, but trying to carry a full grown boar all the way back home would be exhausting and leave him somewhat vulnerable to other predators who might try to take a bite out of him or the boar.

'That's right,' John recalled suddenly, 'I heard recently that a pack of wolves might've moved onto the mountain recently. We're going to have to think carefully about going into town today or tomorrow.' But he needed to get home first before they did anything, so John picked up the pace a bit and made his way to the little abode in the forest they called home. It was a wooden, rectangular building with a slanted roof that only consisted of three rooms.

The main room, which doubled as a kitchen, and two bedrooms. The bathroom was a wooden outhouse next to their home, positioned in such a way that the smell wouldn't blow back towards them. Now admittedly they were sharing one bedroom a fair bit right now due to the cold, but both parents hoped their son, Jonathon, would soon be big enough that he'd no longer need his parent's warmth. 'Though Mary will be kind of sad when we all stop cuddling for warmth,' the hunter mused.

But Jonathan was already in his teenage years and was capable of handling several responsibilities, he could even stoke a fire on his own now. 'Perhaps this is the year Mary will finally let me take him hunting.' Speaking of his wife and son, the front door of the house slid open to reveal the boy who came out to greet him.

"Dad, you're back!" Jonathan cheered before going to examine the boar he was pulling behind him, "and you managed to get one so early today!"

"I think it's a sign," John handed the rope of the sled to his son who started pulling it around to the side of the house, "I believe we're going to have a good year." He might not be allowed to hunt yet but that didn't mean he couldn't help skin the hide and cut out the meat.

"One lucky hunt doesn't mean the rest will be lucky after it," Mary chided while walking out of the house. She currently had a white cleaning gown on over her clothes as she'd been cleaning the inside of their dwelling. "But I certainly won't mind if you happen to get lucky again."

"I doubt I'll ever be any more lucky than having this little family," he pulled his wife in and gave her a quick kiss, "but it is the new year soon, so it can't hurt to hope."

"Speaking of," his wife whispered to him, "we're about out of sweets. We need to run into town to get more."

"Does that include those snacks Jonathan likes so much," John whispered back. Mary nodded in confirmation.

"What do you think, want to surprise him?" The dark-haired woman had a slight glint of mischievousness in her eyes.

"I don't see why not," John shrugged, "but for it to be a real New Year's surprise, we'll have to head out early tomorrow morning. You know Johnathan, he can sniff those things out like a dog. He'll find them long before we actually make it to celebrating if we bring them in too soon."

"What are you guys whispering about over there," said son poked his head out from the side of the house.

"Just making a shopping list," the hunter assured with a dismissive wave, "I think your mother wants to come along with me to town and see if they've brought in vegetables."

"Ugh, no thank you," Jonathan grimaced before pulling his head back.

"Does that mean you don't want to come to town with us," Mary hid her smile at the question.

"Not for vegetable shopping," her son called back, "I can watch the house so you two go on ahead."

"And be bored for most of the day," John teased, "You know you'll have to stay barricaded until the afternoon, right?"

"Yes, and I know how to barricade against wolves!" Jonathan poked his head back out, "it'll still be more interesting than vegetable shopping!"

"I guess that settles it then," his father shrugged, "the two of us will run into town tomorrow and you can wait here until we get back. Sound like a plan?"

"Yeah I'm fine with that," their son agreed, "now could you bring a bowl out or something, this boar's got more meat on it than I thought." The married couple laughed before heading inside and getting everything prepped for lunch and dinner. They also tended to whatever chores needed to be done and got some things together for the trek to town tomorrow. Interestingly, the night seemed to come surprisingly quickly that day and before long, the family went to sleep for the evening.

The Next Day

"Remember," John called as he adjusted the basket hanging on his back, "just because someone knocks it doesn't mean it's us."

"I know," Jonathan crossed his arms while standing in the front doorway, "you'll call out to me first before I undo the barricade. We've done this before."

"It never hurts to be cautious," Mary slipped her own basket onto her back, "or to review ways to be cautious. Now, we may get a little held up at town depending on how talkative everyone feels, but even with that being an issue we should still be back by midday at the latest. If we're not, you know where the leftover meat is and I trust you won't burn the house down trying to cook it."

"I made the flames jump one time," their son rolled his eyes good-naturedly, "but alright, I promise not to burn the house down until you get back."

"That's about the best we can hope for," John and Mary turned to go, "take care of yourself, son, we'll be back after a while."

"You too," Jonathan waved as his parents set out. Snow had fallen the night before, turning the landscape white and was stubbornly remaining so far due to the current temperature.

"Certainly not the most ideal weather I've seen for a new year," Mary observed as their feet crunched in the snow.

"If we're lucky it'll melt once the sun gets all the way into the sky," her husband pointed out optimistically while shifting the lever action rifle he used for hunting. In this particular instance he was only bringing it along for protection against wild animals, but if all went well he wouldn't have to use it.

"I hope so," his wife mused, "we've been in this country a good few years now, but I guess the weather's unpredictable no matter where you go. Still, it feels kind of ominous to me."

"If that's the case, I hope you remembered to bring your revolver," the hunter smiled good-naturedly, "I left mine back at the house for Jonathan to use."

"Of course I brought it," she opened her kimono slightly to reveal the hidden holster containing an 1861 Navy Revolver, "honestly, I could probably make this trip myself."

"Mary," John shook his head, "Jonathan's been a teenager for a couple years now. Eventually he's going to have to be able to do a lot of things on his own."

"I know," she sighed, "it's just hard knowing he's reaching that age now where he can go out, find work, a home, a woman. I know the children in this country are often given a lot of responsibility at a young age, but is it so wrong that I want him to be around a little longer?" Indeed, the Keller family were not native to Japan, at least in most part. It turned out half their family were actually Japanese natives who ventured over from their homeland a couple generations ago.

One wouldn't know it at first because Mary had changed her last name to Keller upon getting married, but she was of Japanese descent. Her family had an odd way of initiating John when they found out the two planned to get married. They made him learn this odd dance which had been taught to her as well when she was a child. It was probably learning about this tradition that made her husband interested in travelling to Japan in the first place.

Needless to say, they'd fallen in love with the land during their visit and had decided to move here to start their family. There were some objections, of course, but the couple had just felt like this was the place they belonged, especially when they discovered such a cozy house in the mountains. That last bit John credited to his wife's intuition. For whatever reason, as random as it was, she got these feelings about things, at least in relation to the family.

That being said, John hoped the ominous feeling Mary was getting now was only related to the weather and not something else. But those thoughts, along with other concerns, were put out of his mind as they arrived in town. The people there greeted them warmly as they had in years past. It had been a little odd at first when they'd moved out there.

The townsfolk had been surprised at how good their Japanese was despite possessing seemingly little to no Japanese blood themselves. But John's skill as a hunter and Mary's skill in both cooking and sewing won them over soon enough. Unsurprisingly, this meant Mary had been requested a time or two to sew some things, so part of their trip was delivering those completed projects while seeing if there were any more piling up. Likewise, John would have to haggle with one of the local merchants who brought him and a couple other gun-toting hunters bullets for their hunting implements. He also sold what he could of the boar he'd shot yesterday.

Thankfully, the townsfolk were conscious of the fact that it was New Year's Eve and were kind enough to let the best seamstress they knew off with no projects for the time being. This of course meant more might pile up later but that would be a concern for another time. The main concern they had right now was grabbing a bit of dango, Jonathan's favorite little treat. It wasn't always available in the town so when it was they always tried to get some.

They'd once pointed out, jokingly, that their son was probably getting a little old to be eating little snacks like dango. Naturally his response was that adults ate dango too and that even if they didn't he'd continue to eat dango until the day he died! The family had all laughed after that, happy that their son was at least clever enough to notice the little joke. "This might be a lucky year after all," John remarked as he made sure their son's little surprise was secure.

"Lucky that we got a hold of some before it ran out," Mary agreed as they walked along the snowy path out of town and back to their home, "I hated seeing that disappointed look on his face last year when they ran out early."

"Disappointment is an occasional part of life," her husband reminded, "but even I have to admit I'm happy we won't have to see him sad about it again this year."

"And with me making everyone's favorites tonight, I think we're going to have a wonderful new year," his wife smiled. A voice called out to them then as they walked by a small house on the side of the road.

"Oh, John, Mary," an older man with short dark hair and a black robe called, "how are you two today?"

"We got everything we needed while in town, so I'd say pretty good," the hunter responded while shifting the load on his shoulders and adjusting his grip on his rifle.

"What about you, Saburo," Mary called back, shifting her own basket to keep her balance, "are you feeling well lately?"

"I'm doing about the same as always," he assured while pulling out a pipe and lighting it.

"If you don't have any plans for New Year's, would you like to come along with us," John offered.

"That's very generous of you but no," Saburo shook his head while taking a drag on his pipe, "these old lungs aren't what they used to be, I'd only slow you down."

"Worst case scenario we get back a short time after dark," Mary estimated, "and even if it's longer than that we know the way like the back of our hands."

"No doubt you do," the old man shook his head, "but you need to get back before dark. When night falls, the demons will begin prowling. In fact with this overcast weather, they might be celebrating their own New Year's feast early."

"That line again," John sighed, "I've been all over these mountains the last few years. Certainly I've found the tracks of some weirdos wandering through from time to time but nothing to suggest these demon monsters you keep talking about are around. What's keeping these man-eating beasts from getting us, anyway?"

"The Demon Slayers," Saburo answered without a hint of joking in his voice, "they protect us from the demons. They always have and hopefully always will."

"You know you can just say so if you don't want to go," Mary sighed as they turned to leave, "but if we see these fabled slayers we'll be sure to thank them." The couple continued their trek back up the mountain then, thinking little of the warning they'd received.

Early Evening: The Keller Home

"It's so overcast right now," Mary observed while looking up at the cloudy sky, "would you call this potentially snowy weather?"

"Unfortunately, I think it's a high possibility," John glanced up, "I'm glad we got some extra wood put in the house before we left. We're going to need a larger fire tonight."

"Bring the shovel in too," his wife suggested, "I don't think we'll get snowed in, but it helps to have something to clear the path."

"A little bit of prevention can go a long," he paused as they came up on the house, noticing something was off.

"What is it dear," Mary squinted her eyes, "why is the door open?"

"I don't know," John set his load down next to the firewood with his wife following quickly after. They both had their guns at the ready as they approached the house.

"Jonathan," he called with his rifle raised, "Jonathan it's us? Say something if you're there." They received no answer as the duo continued to approach. The hunter glanced at his wife who shot him a nervous look, her hands shaking as she cocked the hammer on her revolver.

The rifle-wielding man moved quickly into the house then, both his eyes and gun roaming quickly around the room, noticing the door had been torn off. Mary came in after him, both hands on the revolver as she moved into the other section of the house. "Jonathan, Jonathan!" She raised her voice, actual worry now creeping in. The pair discovered then that the back door was also open, almost as if it'd been flung open.

It was when he looked out the back door that the hunter's eyes widened. "JONATHAN!" He yelled, rushing out, doing only a cursory look around before kneeling by a broken form that was his son. His eyes were closed and the snow was stained with a puddle of blood, the result of a bleeding wound on his back.

"No, no, no, no," Mary tried not to panic as she moved in and put her son's head on her lap, "it's alright, you're going to be alright."

"Check his pulse," John got up and moved to head back in, "I'll get the bandages." His wife nodded and felt the boy's neck along with the wound on his back. Amazingly, Jonathan was still alive, at least for the time being. But his breathing was shallow and the warmth coming from his body was little.

It didn't take long for John to return with the needed bandages, his rifle left in the house. "Help me get his shirt off," he instructed as they went to work dressing their son's wound. Even with their frantic movements John had enough time to get a look at the injury. It was a slash across his back, but not the kind of clean cut that one would see from a blade.

John had seen some wounds from blades before and wounds caused by beasts. This particular one was strange because it was like a giant talon or claw had torn into Jonathan's back. But he'd worry about what caused this situation later. "Alright," the hunter did his best to remain calm, "the wound is dressed."

"We need to hurry and get him to a doctor," Mary insisted, "that cut, it was starting to look infected."

"We'll need to hurry then," John picked his son up bridal style, "close the doors on the way out as best you can. Do you still have your revolver?" His wife nodded.

"It'll have to do, I can't carry my rifle and him at the same time and I've got no idea where the other revolver went," the hunter decided, "try and stay close. Who or whatever did this might still be around." Mary again nodded as they closed both doors and hurried back down the path from which they'd come. By this point, snow had started to fall and the wind picked up.

The eerie howling served to raise their fear as it seemed to promise more pain to come. 'I thought I'd have gotten used to this by now,' John did his best to breathe as they continued to run, 'the cold air in my lungs is making it harder to run and that's on top of carrying Jonathan.' Mary wasn't doing much better. She ran with one hand on the holstered firearm in her kimono, only keeping up right now because John was carrying their son.

'I never thought,' she breathed heavily while the crunching of the snow under her feet slowed, 'I'd actually hate the town being a ways away.' When she thought back, it was amazing they'd never had an emergency like this before. The last time any of them had gotten sick, they'd been able to use a cart they had for hauling firewood and other necessities to take John to town. But it hadn't been snowing then and he hadn't been about to die.

'Don't think about it,' Mary told herself, 'just keep running. We'll be in town before we know it and the doctor can look at Jonathan. He's going to be okay, everything's going to be okay.' If only she'd known in that moment that 'okay' didn't necessarily mean the same as before. It started when Jonathan suddenly began to move in her husband's arms.

"Jonathan," he glanced down, "try not to move too much. The wound isn't fresh but it hasn't entirely stopped bleeding, either. Just save your strength, we'll reach the doctor soo-what?!" His son began thrashing in his arms, forcing him to stop next to a short drop-off, "son, calm down it's-GAH!"

He leaned back on reflex, feeling a cut on his cheek as he noticed the boy's nails had grown longer. The movement caused him to stumble back towards the drop-off. "NO!" Mary reached out desperately in an attempt to grab her husband and son. But instead of keeping them from falling, she lost her own balance while holding onto their sleeves, causing her to be pulled off the path with them.

The two parents let out a cry as they fell onto the snowy floor below. "Ha, ha," John found himself on his back, breathing heavily as he looked up at the grey sky. 'The snow broke my fall,' he realized while managing to sit up, 'but I might've just been lucky.' "Is everyone alright," the hunter asked, managing to catch sight of his wife getting up on her hands and knees.

"I'm fine," Mary answered between breaths as the adrenaline in her system went down a little, "wait, where's Jonathan?" The two looked around for a moment and found him standing a few feet away, his head hanging down. 'How'd he get all the way over there,' John wondered briefly as they hurried over to their son. "Jonathan, Jonathan are you alright?"

A groan came in response to her question. "Jonathan, let your father carry you," Mary insisted, "you need to save your strength right now or-."

"RAWR!" Jonathan raised his head then, staring into the sky for a moment as his body seemed to tense up. The two parents saw his enlarged canine teeth then as a protrusion suddenly sprouted on the left side of his head, a protrusion resembling a horn!

"What in the world," John gasped in surprise. He didn't have long to wonder what was happening as the next thing their son did was tackle his mother to the ground.

"Rawr!" The altered boy snarled while trying to bite down on Mary. On instinct, she drew the revolver from her robe but was unable to use it as Jonathan clamped his teeth down on the barrel.

"Jonathan, Jonathan stop!" She begged, "it's me, your mother!" John moved around and grabbed the shoulders of their son's clothes, attempting to pull him off. 'He was never a weakling,' the hunter admitted, 'but he's never been stronger than me.' That's when a sudden realization came to him, one that he didn't want to admit but there was no other explanation he could think of.

It was what Saburo had been talking about. Their son, someway somehow, had become a demon! 'It must've been whatever attacked him,' John reasoned, 'to think that demons can turn others into demons!' "Son, son listen to me, it's your parents. We're right here, don't you recognize us?"

The answer he received was more growling as the boy turned demon continued to bite into the steel of the gun while his claws started to sink into Mary's shoulders. "Please Jonathan," she begged, "we're right here, we're almost to town so please, hold on just a little longer." Her husband continued to pull to no avail. "I'm sorry we weren't there but we're here now, that monster won't hurt you again so please, come back to us!"

These words finally seemed to do something as Jonathan's growling quieted down. The hunter noticed this and stopped his own pulling to see what was going on. Mary blinked her tear-stained eyes then as she noticed something falling on her face. Jonathan was crying.

Perhaps it was the memory of his attacker or the realization that he was attempting to harm his own parents, but for the moment, their son appeared to be back to his senses. John released his grip temporarily and moved to try grabbing his son's waist. But the sudden sound of running footsteps alerted him to someone coming. "Honey stay down!"

John yanked his son back just as a figure came in swinging something. Whatever it was, the force of it was enough to send both father and son flying as they collapsed onto the ground. When they looked back, a young man was standing before them. He had long, unruly black hair tied into a messy ponytail.

His choice of clothing was odd, characterized by baggy black pants and a long-sleeved button-up shirt. It was like some kind of uniform but even odder was the haori he wore which was completely red on one side and green with yellow diamonds on the other side. It was almost as if he'd stitched together two separate haoris into one. "Why are you protecting it," the stranger asked, his cold blue eyes showing little to no mercy.

"This is our son," John explained, glancing at the black-bladed katana the stranger was holding, "we're taking him to the doctor." 'What's going on now,' the hunter tried to make sense of everything, 'I thought swords were banned in the country these days. What's a swordsman doing here of all places?'

"You call that thing your son," he asked coldly with no trace of sympathy in his voice.

"Yes we do," Mary confirmed while sitting up, "and we need to get him to the doctor. If you're not here to help then leave us alone!"

"I am here to help," he stepped towards the man and his son, "but first it seems I need to teach you something." Everything happened quickly then, the stranger moved forward so fast that John only had time to try covering Jonathan's body with his own. But when he did, he realized that his son was gone. They discovered him several feet away, struggling while the stranger used one hand to bind his wrists behind his back.

"Jonathan!" Mary leapt up in an attempt to get closer.

"Don't move," the swordsman ordered. Both John and Mary stopped short with the hunter backing up a bit. "My job is to slay every demon I find which means I unfortunately have to decapitate your son here."

"But he hasn't done anything," Mary assured desperately, "he wasn't like that when we found him. Another demon attacked him and turned him into that!"

"It's no surprise," the man responded in an almost bored tone, "it's how demons multiply. Your son was exposed to demon blood that seeped into his wounds. Now he's a demon, the same as the rest of them."

"But he may not be," the boy's mother countered, "how often have you encountered a demon who's just turned? If we can get him to the doctor there's a chance we can do something for him."

"I'm afraid that's out of the question," the swordsman coolly stated, "not once in their entire history has a demon ever turned back into a human."

"They said the same thing about several other diseases in history," Mary shot back, "how would you know if you never tried yourself?!"

"The Demon Slayer Corps has some of the foremost experts on demons," the stranger narrowed his eyes as a blanket of snow passed between them, one of many that had done so in the last couple minutes, "if there was a way to cure demonification, it'd have been found already. But so far, the only thing that's worked is this." He readied his blade to slice off Jonathan's head, "their death."

"Fuck that!" Mary drew her revolver and pointed it at the one threatening her son, "if you won't try it then we will!"

"Think about what you're doing," the swordsman didn't flinch, "I am not your enemy here, the one who turned your son is. While it is regrettable, know that I will find-." He felt a presence move behind him then and whirled around, his sword up as it blocked the blade of a knife.

"You need work on looking then!" John taunted while slashing with his tanto. Being a hunter, he almost always carried a knife or a gun on him. The feel of it was so familiar these days he sometimes forgot he was wearing it. But not right now.

'Those blasts of snow,' the stranger realized while continuing to block the slashes, 'this man used them to cover his movement into the trees. But for him to move so quietly and erase his presence like that, it's not something a regular person can do.' However, the element of surprise had been John's greatest advantage and now that it was gone, all he had to fall back on were his physical abilities and limited knife skills. Both of which were lacking as the swordsman kicked him in the stomach and sent him flying back into a tree, hard.

"John!" Mary ran forward. Oddly, the sight of his injured father seemed to enrage the now demon boy who twisted in his grasp and tried to bring his heel swinging towards the stranger's head. He was forced to let go and leap back a few feet while the demon moved away. His mother, however, stopped short and fired her revolver.

"Shit," he cursed under his breath while dodging out of the way of the bullets. 'Neither one of these people hesitated to attack,' the swordsman closed the distance and swatted the revolver out of the woman's hands with his weapon before hitting her in the neck with the end of the handle. It was strong enough to knock her out as Mary collapsed at his feet. There was no time to check if she was okay as he ducked a claw swipe and then blocked a kick with his forearm that sent him sliding a few feet back.

'He wasn't that strong a moment ago, is his transformation really not complete yet?' That would be another matter to consider as his eyes widened. The demon boy was moving towards his mother. 'He's going to eat here!'

The swordsman rushed forward with his blade ready to take the demon's head. But then he faltered when the boy moved in front of his mother, his posture not threatening but protective?! The young man blocked a claw swipe with his sword before leaping away. 'What's going on,' he tried to make sense of things, 'if this boy is really a newly turned demon, he shouldn't be acting like this.'

It went against nearly everything he knew about demons. Their digestive systems changed to process the flesh of humans, no other foods seemed to do when it came to their altered physiology. What was more, newly turned demons used up a lot of energy transforming and this boy had the added stressor of being injured beforehand. He no doubt used up a lot of nutrients to heal and should've been craving a feast.

He'd seen it happen so many times, demons eating their own friends and members of their own families when they first turn. They shouldn't be able to rationalize until later. But this boy was focusing his attention on the demon slayer, getting angry at him for hurting his family. The Swordsman couldn't pass this off as a simple case of a demon defending its food.

'Does it have something to do with this family being foreigners?' The Stranger wondered, 'No, that isn't right either, I've seen foreigners turn too. Whatever the case, I can't deny the possibility that this boy, this family, might be different.' He made a decision then, praying that he wasn't wrong.

As the demon boy continued to swing his claws at him, the slayer deflected his attacks away with his left hand before switching his blade to backhanded and jamming it into his stomach. The strike was powerful enough to send him sliding back but not enough to knock him unconscious. The boy changed tactics then, leaping up and jumping off one tree after another in an attempt to disguise his angle of attack. The swordsman remained calm and sheathed his weapon, watching his moves carefully.

When the demon finally attacked by leaping in with another claw strike, the stranger shifted his head out of the way and hit him in the neck with a chop strike. That finally did the trick as the boy's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he collapsed to the ground, unconscious. "Now, let's hope I'm making the right decision," he mused.

A Short Time Later

It was dark, John couldn't see anything. At least not at first. A silhouette became visible in due time, but it was a figure he didn't recognize. 'So things have been set in motion,' the figure mused in Japanese, 'I'm sorry the burden has fallen to you, but now you only have one option if you desire to protect your family.' John awoke with a start then as the memory of what happened before he blacked out returned to him.

"Mary! Jonathan!" He sprang up on all fours, breathing heavily until he found both his wife and son, thankfully still alive, next to him. Mary was already starting to stir. As for their son, he was wrapped in his haori and had a metal bit covering his mouth. It had been fashioned in such a way that it could be tied around the back of his head to hold it on.

"Honey," his wife groaned, "are you, oh Jonathan!" She hugged her son and was quickly joined by her husband. "I'm so glad you're alive!"

"That is the case for now," the duo jumped slightly as they turned to see the stranger from earlier leaning against a nearby tree. Mary discovered her gun had been returned to its holster and pulled it out. "There's no need for that, I've decided not to kill your son."

"Then why are you still here," John interrogated while continuing to hold onto his son protectively.

"Call it a whim," he explained, "you're wife isn't wrong, I personally have never tried curing a demon. I still doubt that it's possible but I also can't deny that this situation is different than anything I've encountered in my years as a demon slayer."

"So it's true," Mary's eyes widened slightly, "we should've known, if demons really exist then the demon slayers must exist too."

"The Demon Slayer Corps is not officially recognized by the Japanese government," the stranger revealed, "since all of our missions basically happen during the night and the demon's corpses disappear upon death, having definitive proof of their existence has been difficult. We also have to operate secretly so as not to give the demons a chance to strike back at us. This conflict of the night has been going on for centuries now."

"Then why tell us all of this," John asked, "why not leave and tell the Corps to leave us alone?"

"Because I'm going to offer you the only chance you may have of curing your son," the swordsman pushed off of the tree he'd been leaning against, "this may come as a surprise to you, but many demons actually revel in being the monsters they are. If word gets out that someone is searching for a cure to demonification, you may become targeted. So, in order to protect yourselves and your son, the only option you have is to become demon slayers."

"Us, demon slayers," Mary shook her head, "we're just ordinary people."

"I was just an ordinary boy before I became a slayer," the stranger revealed, "and despite your claims our fight just now demonstrated that you have potential even despite being older than the usual candidates. You can become slayers, but it will be the hardest thing any of you have ever done in your lives. Should you succeed, however, you'll be able to protect your son." The two parents glanced at their still sleeping son, weighing their admittedly very limited options.

"What do we have to do," John questioned for the both of them.

"Set out for Mt. Sagiri as soon as possible," the swordsman instructed, "at the foot of the mountain is an old man by the name of Sakonji Urokodaki. Tell him Giyu Tomioka sent you and he will show you the path to becoming a slayer." He turned to go but seemed to remember something and turned back to them. "One more thing, since it's so cloudy right now your son is safe, but don't ever let him get exposed to sunlight, it's lethal to demons like him."

In a sudden flash of movement he was gone, the movement of the snow and his footprints the only proof he'd ever been there at all. The couple looked at each other before looking down at their son, the decision already being made before they even bothered to think about it.

The Next Day: The Keller Home

It was dark by the time they finally returned home and their exhaustion made any further travel impossible. So they slept and when they awoke they found their son had also awoken. Jonathan was now far more docile than before, showing no signs of wanting to harm either of them. It was no surprise at this point, they'd known he was still in there somewhere when they saw his tears.

Still, they kept the metallic muzzle on his face and worked to devise a way to travel with someone who couldn't be exposed to the sunlight. When that was done, the parents worked to tidy up the house, fix the doors, and get it ready for their extended leave. There was no telling when they would come back or even if they would be making it back, though they preferred not to think about the latter of those options. When the parents were finally satisfied that they had enough supplies and other provisions, the family stepped out of their home.

Mary sighed as she closed the door behind them, her hand resting on the place that had been their home for over a decade and a half now. Mercifully, and in some ways ironically, the cloudy weather had persisted into the next day and appeared like it would last for some time today. With luck, it would be enough for them to at least make it off the mountain. John thought about saying a few words for this moment, but he couldn't think of anything to say that wouldn't sound somewhat patronizing in some way.

So he finally decided on just two simple words. "Let's go," the hunter motioned for them to begin their trek. Mary nodded before taking their son's hand and the family proceeded forward. It would be the first step on the hardest journey they'd ever take as a family. A journey filled with monsters, horrors, twists and turns, enemies and friends, and for some even love.

Not to mention, some of the strangest things they'd ever see in their lives. This is their story, of the family who became slayers of demons. The path of Winds, Waves, and Chains, has begun.

And so our newest Demon Slayer story has begun! Are we off to a good start? Let me know in your comments and reviews along with what you liked/disliked or if you've got any neat ideas for future chapters. And don't forget to check out my Pat reon for news about this and other stories along with scene samples and even commissions! Stop in next time as our family of heroes seeks out the Water Breathing Cultivator! 'Til then.