The Kamado Demons quickly recovered and got to their feet. "Well! He said you were strong! You kids might be fun to play with after all!" the Temari Demon cried, throwing her balls at them again. Nezuko growled and kicked the ball back, while Takeo zipped out of the way of the arrows the male Demon was using. Takeo grew flowers on his elbows and the backs of his legs. Then he shot towards the Temari Demon. "You can't get me so easily!" the woman Demon cried, throwing a Temari Ball at him. But Takeo kicked it back with so much force that it took her legs out from under her- literally.
She shrieked as she fell to the ground. "What the heck you brat?!" she cried. Shigeru grew a spear out of his arm bone. He threw it at the Temari Demon, who was just pushing herself up after regrowing her legs. The spear lodged into her back, pinning her to the ground. "Are you kidding me?!" the other Demon cried incredulously. With the Temari Demon immobilised, Tanjiro ran to behead her with his sword. However he was suddenly thrown to the side with high force. Tanjiro gripped his Sword tightly, trying to keep from losing his hold on it.
Hanako suddenly shot into view, cushioning him as they crashed into a tree. "Hanako!" Tanjiro cried in worry. Tamayo and Yushiro suddenly appeared again, "there's another Demon controlling the arrows!" Yushiro called. "What arrows?!" Tanjiro called, as he pulled his younger Sister protectively into his arms. "Seriously, you can't see them?!" the other Demon replied in annoyance. As Tanjiro dodged more Temari, Yushiro scoffed and pulled a piece of paper from his Kimono, "I'm lending you my sense of sight! At least you can behead the Temari woman then!" he said.
He threw it at him and the paper floated over to him and attached to his forehead. Tanjiro blinked as he could see red arrows now. He dodged a few, "thanks Yushiro! I can see the arrows now!" he replied. "Then hurry up and behead her!" Tanjiro looked down at his youngest Sister, "can you help me Hanako?" he asked. "Mhm!" the black and pink-haired Demon girl nodded, determination in her eyes. They stood up, and Hanako ran off in search of the other Demon. Tanjiro decided to quickly check on his family before heading after her. He ran back into the house, "is everyone alright?" he asked, checking everyone else for injuries, despite knowing that they would be healed by now.
His Mother ran over to check on him, alongside his Siblings and Miss Tamayo. "I'm okay Mom, everyone. Hanako is still fighting outside though. We should help her" Tanjiro told them. Kie nodded seriously. The family headed over to where Hanako was fighting the Arrow Demon. "You grimy little urchin!" he yelled, as the little Demon girl kicked him, "stay away from me!" the enemy Demon held up his hands, and Tanjiro saw eyeballs in his palms. They closed and more arrows shot through Hanako's body and threw her away from him. Nezuko caught their little Sister in her arms. Takeo ran up and moved to punch him, dodging the arrows moving towards him.
"Argh!" the other Demon snarled as the attack connected. Tanjiro ran towards the Demon, "Water-Breathing, Second Form, Improved: Horizontal Water Wheel!" he called, slicing the Arrow Demon's head off. Tanjiro landed on the ground again, and turned to see the rest of his family running up. "It's over. I can't smell anymore Demon's aside from all of you, Miss Tamayo and Yushiro" he said with a smile. "You defeated both Demons Tanjiro?" the Demon Doctor asked. "We did. My family helped me" Tanjiro replied with a grateful smile. "I'm glad. Are you hurt at all?" Tamayo asked.
"No, I'm alright, thank you" Tanjiro replied. "That's good. Now we need to get ready to leave. Despite those other Demons not seeing us, we're too close to Kibutsuji now. It's too dangerous for us to stay here" Tamayo replied and began to walk back inside her house.
ĐŚ·ĂÙ
After taking samples of the Kamado Demon's blood, Yushiro gave him several special syringes to gather Demon blood with. "Our cat Chachamaru will come to retrieve the samples for us. Now, we need to get going quickly. Yushiro, take care of the woman and her Husband" Tamayo ordered. "Right Lady Tamayo!" he replied, hurrying away. Tamayo looked over at the Kamados again, "take care of yourself Tanjiro" she said with a bow.
Soon the Demon Kamado's had climbed into their boxes and Tanjiro headed off with his family. As the sun rose, the Demon Slayer left Asakusa. "South-Southeast! South-Southeast! The next place you need to go is South-Southeast!" his Crow cried as it flew ahead of him, crying out his next Mission to him. Tanjiro stopped in the road with his cart, holding up his hands, "I heard you! You don't have to keep squawking it at me, I'm going!" he replied, having to yell over the Crow. "PLEASE!" A voice screamed. Both Tanjiro and his Crow paused all talking in shock, looking ahead of them.
They found a teen with bright yellow hair kneeling on the dirt and clutching onto the Kimono of a teenage girl. "PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE MARRY ME! I'M BEGGING YOU, PLEASE!" The blonde yelled desperately. "What on Earth?" Tanjiro asked in confusion.
ĐŚ·ĂÙ
"PLEASE! YOU'RE MY ONLY HOPE! PLEASE MARRY ME!" The teen yelled as a Sparrow flew frantically over to Tanjiro. It chirped quickly at him. Tanjiro nodded at it, "alright, I understand. I'll do something!" he replied. The Sparrow gave him a hopeful look. Tanjiro rushed over to the two, grabbing the other teen boy and pulling him away from the girl. "What do you think you're doing?! She's clearly not interested in you!" Tanjiro scolded. "Hey! Don't get in my way! That girl is madly in love with me-! YAH!" He cried as the girl suddenly slapped him in the face. She continued to slap him as the teen made sounds of pain, forcing Tanjiro to have to pull her away from him.
"When did I ever say I was in love with you?! I only stopped to check on you because you were crumpled up all dishevelled on the side of the road!" the girl cried. "Huh?! You mean you didn't do that because you loved me?!" the blond asked, heartbroken. "Considering I have a Fiancée, and I've already tried to tell you that, obviously not!" the girl snapped. "Well you seem just fine to me now, so goodbye!" she stormed away. "Wait! Please!" the blond teen sobbed. "Come on" Tanjiro muttered, looking at the Blonde. "Why did you have to interfere?! I missed out on getting married because of you!" Tanjiro stared at the other teen.
"What are you looking at me like that for?! Stop it!" he cried. "My name is Tanjiro Kamado! And you are?" Tanjiro asked, trying to divert the conversation. "Tanjiro?! That's good to know! I'm Zenitsu Agatsuma." The now known Zenitsu introduced himself. "You were at Final Selection, right? You saved me back then" Zenitsu asked. "Oh! You were there too, weren't you? I remember seeing someone with blonde hair there" Tanjiro replied. "Can I ask why you became a Swordsman?" Tanjiro asked. "I got conned by a woman and racked up a lot of debt. The man who took it over for me was this tough as nails instructor.
The training was so hellish I just wanted to die! I thought I would get killed during Final Selection since I'm so weak! But since I survived, this nightmare continues to haunt me! I'm so scared! I don't want to fight Demons! I know one is going to kill me! My brain is going to get sucked out through my ears! NOOOOOOOOO! PLEASE SAVE MEEEEEE!" Zenitsu screamed in terror. "Hey, are you okay?" Tanjiro asked in concern, as the other teen panicked. He thought about how to handle this. In the past, when he and his Siblings were much younger, there were times when the younger kids would get scared of monsters in the dark (which turned out to be a completely reasonable fear, what with the existence of man-eating Demons).
They would get so scared, they were practically inconsolable, and all Tanjiro could do was hold them, rubbing their backs as they cried. Eventually his Brothers or Sisters would calm down and stop crying, feeling safe again. Pulling on those experiences, Tanjiro gently rubbed Zenitsu's back. "It's okay. If you passed Final Selection, that means you're able to defend yourself from Demon's. Even if you're scared, you've been able to survive this long haven't you? So have more faith in yourself Zenitsu. I promise you'll be okay. And besides, you have training to fight the Demons and protect yourself. Think about how much more afraid civilians without that training must feel? That's why we're here, to protect them when they can't" he said gently.
Zenistu stared up at him with wide, tear-filled eyes, but he seemed to have calmed down. His scent gave off a feeling of awe, "you really think I can do it?" he asked. Tanjiro smiled, "I know it Zenitsu. You can be brave even if you're scared. That's what bravery means". After a few minutes, the other Demon Slayer had relaxed, but he still looked tense. He glanced over at Tanjiro's cart, and, after a moment of pause, opened his mouth to speak, "Tanjiro-" he was cut off though by Tanjiro's Crow speaking up. "Run Tanjiro! Run Zenitsu! Your next Mission is up ahead!" it cried. And just like that, Zenitsu burst out again: "AAAAAAHHHHHHHH! THAT CROW IS TALKING TO US!" He screeched.
"It's okay. Kasugai Crows can talk, that's how they give us our Missions. And it looks like one is coming up. Will you help me Zenistu?" Tanjiro asked him with a warm smile. The blonde blushed, "uh, well, I guess, if you'll be there too, it won't be so bad. But I still don't think I can beat any Demons!" he replied quickly. "As long as you try, that's the important thing. I'll be there too, so we can work together, okay?" Tanjiro asked him. After a moment, Zenitsu had wiped his eyes and gotten to his feet.
ĐŚ·ĂÙ
They arrived in a clearing in the forest nearby. Finding a seemingly abandoned house. "Hey Tanjiro, what is that creepy sound? It never stops, and sounds like, a drum" Zenitsu asked. "Drum?" Tanjiro asked, "I can't hear anything, but there's a strong scent around this house." "Smell?" the blonde Demon Slayer asked in confusion, before he gasped softly, "there are kids-" he muttered. Tanjiro turned in the direction Zenitsu was looking and saw two scared children clinging to each other in the shade of the trees. "Why are there kids here?" Zenitsu asked. Tanjiro frowned. Even from here, he could smell the terror coming off of the two, if their traumatized expressions weren't enough of a giveaway.
He put a kind and gentle smile on his face, and slowly approached the children, hands out in front of him, "hello. Are you both okay? Do you need help?" he asked gently. "I-I- w-we-" the boy swallowed and nodded hard, "yes, we need help! Please Mr, our Older Brother got taken into that house by a monster!" the Older Brother called, beginning to cry. "Can you tell me what happened? I promise I'll save your Brother, but I need to know as much information as possible" Tanjiro asked softly. The younger girl clutched her Brother and clenched her eyes shut, trembling and whimpering. "W-we were walking down the road at night, coming back from selling homemade fabrics that we weave.
It was our family business. Our parents died of illness last year, so we were the only ones left who could work. As we were walking down the road, this, th-thing appeared out of nowhere and grabbed our big Brother. It dragged him away without even noticing us. We followed them here by using the traces of his blood on the ground, but we were too scared to go into the house. We waited out here for hours, but no other monsters came. We didn't know what to do next though" the boy sobbed. "You were both so brave, great job!" Tanjiro praised them. He really meant it too. That must have been terrifying for the children, but they pushed on anyway. Not that he wouldn't have done the same if it was one of his younger Siblings that got snatched by a Demon.
"I'm going to go save your Brother, I promise. Wait here, okay?" Tanjiro asked. "B-but! What if another monster comes?!" the little girl asked in fear. "Don't worry, these monsters can't go out in the sun, so if you stay out here, you'll be safe. Can you two be brave for just a bit longer?" Tanjiro asked. The children's expressions firmed a bit, "okay. We will" the little girl replied. Tanjiro pat the two on their heads gently, like he would with his own Siblings, "good ob. We'll be back soon" he said with a gentle smile. "Let's go Zenitsu" Tanjiro said, pulling his cart towards the house.
"B-but- Tanjiro-!" Zenitsu whimpered, trembling. The Kamado sighed, "if you really don't want to come, then stay out here with the kids, okay?" he asked. The three other's watched Tanjiro walk towards the house.
ĐŚ·ĂÙ
After getting under the shade of the doorway, Tanjiro turned to his family's boxes, "anyone who wants to help me can. But I want the rest of you to stay in your boxes, okay?" he asked. Shigeru and Hanako's boxes opened, and the two younger Demon's climbed out of the cart. "W-w-we will help" the little Demon girl replied. Tanjiro looked a little worried, but nodded, "okay. Thank you both then" he replied gratefully. Tanjiro, Hanako and Shigeru then entered the house together, finding a darkened entranceway.
"Let's go" the oldest Kamado said, as they began walking together. The Demon children's red eyes glowed in the darkness of the house, as Tanjiro sniffed the air. "I can smell at least three different Demon's in this house. Along with a unique scent of blood" Tanjiro said, looking around. A growling sound was heard behind him, and the Demon Slayer turned to see his Siblings covering their noses as saliva dripped from their mouths. "Hey guys, what's wrong?" he asked, immediately turning to kneel in front of his younger Siblings to check on them. "Smell- h-hungry" Shigeru whimpered, trying to swallow his pooling saliva before it leaked out of his mouth.
Hanako covered her mouth and clutched her stomach, panting heavily. Tanjiro frowned in worry. They hadn't reacted like this since they were newly turned. He placed a hand on each of their arms, "will you be okay? You can go back outside with the others if it's too much for you both" Tanjiro said gently. Both young Demons shuddered, but Hanako clenched her fists, "I, want to h-help y-you" she said, shaking her head and breathing through her mouth. Shigeru shuddered, before taking Tanjiro's hand as tight as he dared, "I won't, l-lose control. I slept a lot in the last few days, so-" he screwed his eyes shut.
It was true, but the smell reawakened his buried hunger tenfold. Before the two Demons could make a full decision about weather to stay with their Older Brother or return to the rest of their family outside, there was the beat of a drum, and suddenly the three of them weren't in the front hallway anymore. "The room changed!" Tanjiro gasped, looking around. He held his Brother and Sister's hands tightly, wondering which of the Demon's that he could smell was responsible for this. Wanting to check a hunch, he had his two Siblings stay in the same spot, before moving back towards the door.
Slowly he pushed it open a little, wary of sunlight spilling through and burning his younger Siblings. But to his surprise, on the other side of the door that formerly led outside, was an empty room. Tanjiro slid it open more, confused, "the front door leads to a whole different room now! This must be the Blood Demon Art of one of the Demons in this house" he said. "What do we do Tanjiro?" Hanako asked him, still struggling against the enticing smell that caused her stomach to burn with hunger. "We have no choice but to continue through the house. I want you both to stay as close to me as you can. That way I can keep an eye on you both, and keep you from running off, okay?" Tanjiro asked the young Demons.
"O-okay" Hanako managed out. Both his Siblings clutched onto his Haori tightly as they travelled through the house. They moved carefully through the building, before coming across a dead body. With the delicious smell of blood still in the air, Hanako and Shigeru nearly lost control of themselves and went after the body. But Tanjiro pulled both of them into his arms, covering their eyes with his hands. "It's okay. Just breathe through your mouth and don't look at it. You guys can do this" he said firmly. Shigeru shuddered, while Hanako let out a growl. "Find something to ground yourselves with. Something calming and safe. Okay?" Tanjiro suggested.
His Siblings breathed deeply as they carefully maneuvered past the body, before entering another room. This one was empty. Before they could do anything else, a huge Demon with drums growing out of his body stepped into the room. "More pests! You should respect other people's property!" he yelled, hitting a drum in his stomach. "Look out Brother!" Hanako cried, as she and Shigeru body-slammed Tanjiro out of the way. The two Demon children were sliced into pieces. "Hanako! Shigeru!" Tanjiro cried.