Chapter One: Memories of the past.
It was a cold winter morning. Tanjiro was getting ready to sell charcoal, the boy was wearing his usual clothes wich were a simple white kimono with a red haori, his hanafuda earrings were white with a red sun symbol and black lines surrounding the sun to represent the clouds, he also had long and wavey black to red hair that reached his waist with long bangs, like his father Tanjiro liked to keep his hair in a Ponytail, his kimono and black hakama pants were tied with a white cloth but his haori was left open and untied, the boy had the same skin color as his father.
'You know...that...you...need not...do this ' Michikatsu said to his son as he kneeled down to wipe the black soot off Tanjiro's face, he was worried for his little boy...this was the first time that Tanjiro would be going out alone and by himself to sell charcoal...he worried about his child's well-being especially in this harsh winter, ' are you all right dad? i learned from you and your the best!' said Tanjiro trying to reassure his dad, the now thirteen year old boy wanted his family to have a good new years fest and wanted to buy his sister Nezuko a new kimono wich is why Tanjiro Insisted on heading down to the village and selling charcoal. Takeo, Hanako and Shigeru wanted to come with Tanjiro but father didn't let them, he reminded them that Tanjiro couldn't use the wagen this time so he wouldn't be able to bring them home when they get too tired to climb the mountain,the three young children were upset by this but Tanjiro promised them that he will buy them sweets from the village wich made them feel better, he then went to say goodbye to Nezuko and Rokuta.
'I put Rokuta to sleep so he wouldn't cry when you leave he has been lonely since mother passed away...every one has gravitate to you and father ever since mother and grandfather passed ' said Nezuko as she was carrying little Rokuta on her back. After saying farewell to his family Tanjiro took one last look at his family and waved them goodbye. Tanjiro took a big breath and began descending the mountain, this was home, for a moment Tanjiro just wanted to stand there and admire the trees but he had to get his family their new years fest and get Nezuko her new kimono. Tanjiro had arrived at the village that was situated at the bottom of the mountain where he was greeted by a sweet old lady. Tanjiro then began his round selling charcoal and helping the people of the village. A man came asking for Tanjiro's help the man was accused of breaking a vase, with his exceptional sense of smell Tanjiro was able to determine that the culprit was a cat. Tanjiro and his family were well loved by their village, they would always help the people when ever they came down from their mountain home to sell their charcoal and the people would purchase the charcoal to show their gratitude.
Tanjiro had finally finished selling his charcoal and was about to go home but Subaru an elderly man who lived at the village had warned that it was too dangerous to travel here at night due to demonic activity in the area and he insisted that Tanjiro should stay at his house for the night and return home the next morning. Tanjiro was capable of defending himself against demons he was a well-trained and capable swordsman and he had defended himself in the past. Tanjiro would always help merchants that were traveling by his area so there were many times where Tanjiro was forced to defend himself against bandits but old man Subaru warned that demons are not like any of the highway men that Tanjiro had fought before in the past and that he couldn't in good conscience let Tanjiro wander alone at night. Tanjiro obliged and agreed to stay at Subaru's for the night if only to ease the old man's conscience. Subaru was relieved he had prepared one of the spare futons and cooked dinner. Tanjiro ate his dinner and then went to sleep. Tanjiro felt sympathy for Subaru the old man had become very lonely since his family died he wondered if they were murdered by demons?...his warning reminded him of the stories that his grandfather used to tell him about demons, he was definitely going to bring his siblings with him the next time he visited old man Subaru.
Meanwhile back at home the Tsugikuni family were enjoying a nice family dinner. Michikatsu was preparing a stew for tonight's supper and since he can't taste normal food he needed help from his children, he would ask them to taste the food and give their feedback so he can make sure the food was properly seasoned and cooked. 'Dinner is ready ' Michikatsu said as he put the food on the table, his children were sitting on the dining table and striking casual conversation with each other 'Awww stew again! ' complained Shigeru, 'Be grateful for what we have! if it weren't for father and Tanjiro we would be eating vegatble scraps!!!' Scolded Nezuko , ' Now Now Children calm down and let's eat before dinner gets cold ' Michikatsu ordered his children, once the children got their first bite of the stew they were absolutely delighted 'Ahhh father's cooking is amazing!' they all shouted together except for Shigeru who was trying and failing to hide his delight this made Michikatsu laugh he then sat Rokuta on his lap and began spoon feeding his youngest child, after supper the children all went to bed they were worried why Tanjiro missed dinner that wasn't like him they thought that he was still out selling charcoal...they hoped that he will come home soon.
Once his children were fast asleep Michikatsu went outside to set on the porch, he did what he always did every night before he went to sleep, thinking and contemplating his life and remembering his past, he had changed so much over the course of five hundred years it was unbelievable, when he was born with his twin brother Yoriichi back in the sengoku era five hundred years ago twins were seen as a bad omen they were seen as harbingers of family feuds and conflicts, their mother Akeno didn't care...she loved and accepted both of them despite the bad omen...their father Senshi on the other hand was never able to love and accept them both due to the bad omen, he ended favoring the younger twin Yoriichi. In the beginning their father favored Michikatsu and horribly neglected Yoriichi he even tried to kill Yoriichi when their were just born, their mother was furious and saved Yoriichi by convincing her husband to send their second born to a temple to become a shinto priest wich lord Tsugikuni accepted, but every thing changed the day that Yoriichi beated Michikatsu's sword sensi. Michikatsu couldn't beat his sensi no matter how hard he tried but Yoriichi who everyone dismissed as weak was able to beat sensi in just three hits,the sensi was one of their father's subordinates and reported what had happened that day to the twins father and from that day on their father had reversed his sons possessions and status in the household. Michikatsu had been replaced, now Yoriichi had all their father's love, care and affection while Michikatsu became completely neglected and was going to be abandoned once he reached the age of ten and sent to the temple, and then mother died due to an incurable illness and everything became worse. After their mother's death his little brother Yoriichi had ran away from home leaving him alone with their abusive and cruel father who would later abandon him as well leaving Michikatsu as an orphan and forced to fend for him self at a young age and a few years later once he turned eighteen he ended up marring a woman named Tsukihana, his relationship with Tsukihana was very different than what he and Hinata had, while they have grown to care about each other and they lived happily and Peacefully together Michikatsu and Tsukihana were never in love with each other they didn't have any romantic feelings or connection with each other it was an arranged marriage...they didn't choose to marry each other like how he and Hinata chose each other, and as for why Michikatsu and Tsukihana stayed together for so long and got married in the first place?...it was for survival...back in the sengoku era japan was torn by civil-war and the Tsugikunis were one of the smallest clans so they had to be smart and make strategic alliances with the bigger clans in order to survive. Michikatsu became the Daimyo or head of the Tsugikuni clan after his father disappeared and Tsukihana was the daughter of the Daimyo of a very large and powerful clan so Michikatsu proposed to Tsukihana and they got married securing an alliance between the two clans. Michikatsu and Tsukihana were blessed with two children a son who they named Masamune and a daughter who they named Ryūka. He was living peacefully until the day he was finally reunited with his twin brother Yoriichi who had saved his life from a demon that had killed all of Michikatsu's subordinates, the feelings of envy and jealousy that he had towards his brother since childhood had returned and he abandoned Tsukihana and his two children to join the demon slayer corp and then he encountered the demon progenitor himself Muzan Kibutsuji, driven by his envy for his brother Yoriichi and his fear that his moon breathing would be lost due to his death Michikatsu had accepted Muzan's offer and he joined him and became a demon just like him, and then fifty years later Yoriichi died. Michikatsu will never forget that night...it was a blood moon and he was out searching for the blue spiderlily when Yoriichi approached him, it was sad that his little brother was now just an old and blind man but it was also a shock...he had thought that Yoriichi had died at the age of twenty five due to the curse mark!...he was also shocked that his brother was crying!...Yoriichi usually had a dead emotionless face...he never thought that Yoriichi was even capable of crying...he under estimated Yoriichi because of his old age...Yoriichi had slit Michikatsu's throat and was about to decapitate him!...but Yoriichi died before he could deliver the killing blow...Yoriichi died standing his little brother was so strong even death couldn't bring him to his Knees...Michikatsu was so consumed by rage...the only person that could ever kill him was now gone...and he was now stuck in his hideoue demon form forever...what made him even more outraged was that Yoriichi did not die by his sword...he died to old age!..in his rage Michikatsu mutilated his own brother's corps..he cut his dead body in half with his sword and then...and then he saw it...he saw the flute that he had made as gift for Yoriichi when they were children. Michikatsu could feel the tears running down his cheeks...demons are supposedly heartless creatures incapable of crying or feeling any emotion...he had thought that he had lost his human emotions when he became a demon...but her he was crying and morning for his ded brother, he...he had always envyed Yoriichi and thought that his younger twin never cared about him...he had horribly miss judged his little brother.Yoriichi had held on to the gift that he made for him...despite everything he had done to him,this...this was the moment that Michikatsu regretted the path that he had taken but it was too late for him now he can't come back from what he done. Michikatsu still holds on to the now broken fluet to this day...after Yoriichi's death Michikatsu had lost his purpose in life,he had fallen into a deep loneliness that a normal person can't comprehend...after Yoriichi the rest of his family had eventually grown old and died as well and then his whole entire clan had been wiped out by two hundred years of civil-war,and then one day Muzan ordered him investigate rumors about a possible sun breathing family, now that was a suprise for the uppermoon one because he thought that himself and Muzan had utterly massacred all the people who learned sun breathing from Yoriichi shortly after he died anyone who learned even one form of sun breathing was killed in the massacre but it seemed that they had missed one family. Michikatsu wasn't sure about the Kamados but over time he had grown to love and care about them deeply they were the first people that he cared about since Yoriichi died,Hinata was so special...she was a queen among women he was blissed to have her as his wife and the mother of his children and Tanjuro was the father that he wished he and Yoriichi had...and even though they had passed away the Kamados will never be forgotten...after five hundred years Michikatsu had finally found love and happiness he loved and enjoyed the simple life that he has now and he was happy to be a father again, all his children are loved and cherished by him and with six little ones running around there was never a dull or boring moment..wich...was quite strange because Michikatsu had always remembered that his life as a human was peaceful yet so very dull and boring,and yet behind all that happiness was a deep sense of guilt and sorrow, ever since the day that he had married Hinata, Michikatsu has been torn by guilt, he felt like he was trying to replace the family that he had lost and abandoned, he also felt that someone like him who has committed so many horific things in his life is unworthy of love and happiness, this is why he was keeping his status as a demon and as the uppermoon one a secret, deep down he knows that no one not even his own family would love and accept him if they knew the truth about him and knew of the horific sins that he had committed and how he treated his own brother...they would hate and denounce him and he would not blame them...a monster like him does not deserve any love or sympathy.
Michikatsu then got up and went to his futon to sleep for the night, as a demon he didn't need to sleep but that didn't mean that he couldn't enjoy sleep if he wanted too, also he needed to sleep at night in order to protect his secret...the Tsugikuni family were sleeping peacefully when all of a sudden their shoij door burst open!!!
Author's Note: will i hope you all enjoyed this chapter and thank you for reading, i hope that the information about the Tsugikuni Twins back story is corrected, and because the names of Michikatsu's father and his wife and children were never revealed i decided to come up with my own, Senshi means warrior, Masamune sword these name are vary fit for a samurai
and Ryūka means dragon flower and Tsukihana means moon flower.
