Chapter Twenty Nine: Should Have Been


Enmu was standing on top of the locomotive on the Mugen Train. The demon was muttering to himself about how lucky the passengers were, that they will die while they sleep!. For Enmu all humans were the same, Demon Slayers or not...their hearts...their spiritual core, lead them, and once it is destroyed, they are trapped in a sleep that they can never awake from again. Enmu then sensed that Tanjiro was continuing to fall deeper into his slumber as the young swordsman dreamed of being reunited with his family.


Back inside the Mugen Train


Zenitsu was falling deeper into his sleep, he dreamed of being in a peach tree forest with Nezuko as his girlfriend, the couple had reached a river and Nezuko said that she can't swim so Zenitsu carried her on his back and then they traversed the mountain with his Thunder Breathing.


Inosuke on the other hand dreamed that he was leading a cave expedition with Nezuko who was a rabbit, Tanjiro who was a racoon dog named "Ponjiro" and Zenitsu who was a rat named "Chuitsu". As they were exploring the cave, Inosuke and his underlings had encountered a beast which was the Mugen Train and they proceeded to charge ahead and attack it.


While Kyojuro dreamed that he was back home at the Rengoku Estate sitting before his father Shinjuro to tell him of his promotion into a Hashira. However Shinjuro dismissed his son's achievement calling it worthless, saying that Kyojuro will never amount to anything just like him. Kyojuro then headed outside where he saw his little brother Senjuro. The boy asked his elder brother about their father's answer hoping that that he will one day be acknowledged as well if he becomes a Hashira. Kyojuro remarked their father's change in behavior, he was never like this before?!...Shinjuro once held the mantle of Flame Hashira but he unexpectedly quit?!...their was also a time that their father was enthusiastic about training them.

"And Senjuro, you're different from me! You have a big brother!. And he believes in his little brother! Whatever path you walk you'll be a great person! You have a burning passion in your heart! So let's do our best! Let's work hard in life! Even if we're lonely!" said Kyojuro, their family has fallen into a deep grief and sadness ever since their mother Ruka died, their father had had started to suffer from severe depression and alcohol addiction, which made Kyojuro very worried about him, Kyojuro also felt sad for his little brother, unlike him Senjuro did not have any memories of their mother since he was just a baby when their mother died, so Kyojuro had to step up and be there for his family. Senjuro teared up...he was so touched by his brother's kind words and he was proud to be his brother's moral support.


The four children tasked by Enmu had managed to enter the Demon Slayers dreams by using a rope made of Enmu's Blood Demon Art. The Lower Moon One explained that the dream world contains a border to the realms of the subconscious, and that they can pass it once they entered the dream and locate its edeg and the demon instructed them to destroy the Demon Slayers spiritual cores to cripple them. The girl who was tasked with Kyojuro had found the edeg and crossed the border with an awl made with Enmu's bone.

As she traversed the the unusually hot and fiery realm of the subconscious, she managed to locate Kyojuro's spiritual core, she moved in to destroy it, but Kyojuro suddenly grabbed her throat while both were still unconscious, causing the girl in the realm to be crippled and unable to move!, the girl was stunned and amazed by Kyojuro's incredible instincs despite being fully asleep!.


Back With Tanjiro


Tanjiro was playing with Rokuta while his father Michikatsu had decided to make them rice crackers as a treat.

"Oh can i have some too please!" said Takeo, Hanako and Shigeru also wanted some rice crackers.

"Don't worry i will make enough for everyone now who wants to help?" said Michikatsu, and Takeo, Hanako and Shigeru all rushed to help their father. Meanwhile the boy who was tasked with Tanjiro had entered the dream and overheard the Tsugikuni family, while outside Tanjiro was chipping down wood for a fire. Once Tanjiro fulled the basket, he headed home, the boy saw something very strange, a six eyed monster hiding in the shadows that looked like his father?!.

"Oh my God!" Tanjiro shouted he was absolutely horrified at the sight of the creature, but then the monster suddenly disappeared, he dismissed it as just just a fragment of his imagination, and reached down the river to full his buckets with water, and then he saw too reflections in the water!... on was his and the other was the monster that he had just saw!.

"Wake up!" the two reflections said together as they pulled Tanjiro into the river's water. They warned Tanjiro that he is under attack, making him realize that he truly is still on the train and asleep. The reflections beg him to wake up and fight, driving Tanjiro to run home. Once he made it home and into his living room, Tanjiro was now fully aware that he was in a dream but was unable to see away to escape.


Back With Nezuko


Nezuko was the first one to wake up and she was shocked when she saw her brother and the Demon Slayers unconscious. She saw Tanjiro whispering that he needs to wake up, and she tried everything to wake him up!, Nezuko grew frustrated so she headbutted Tanjiro in a effort to awaken him...she failed and ended up on the floor with her head bleeding from the impact, she began to cry but she tried again, causing her Blood Demon Art to activate. In the dream Tanjiro became engulfed in Nezuko's flams, much to the confusion and worry of his siblings. He smells her blood and became covered in more fire, regaining his Demon Slayer uniform and Nichirin sword, realizing that he was slowly waking up. Takeo and Hanako asked if he was all right. Tanjiro answered that he needs to leave and apologized.


Tanjiro was running out of the house!. He sprinted into the woods, believing he must find a demon in the forest, he came across Nezuko who was returning with a platter of vegetables that she had foraged from the forest, the rest of the family also arrived and Michikatsu asked Tanjiro if he was all right...but he didn't answer to his family's concern, instead he wished that he could stay here as his voice began to break and he started to cry. He wished that he could go back and by all rights he was meant to do so, returning to his old life of making charcoal and looking after his family. If it never happened...if Muzan never came, they would all still be alive and his father wouldn't have been abducted.

Instead he walks on ahead his steps heavy with the wight of his family's deaths. He accepted their deaths and the fact that he can never be with them again. Seeing his oldest brother leaving, Rokuta cryed out to him and tried to chace him, making Tanjiro cry again as he apologized that they can never be together again. He runs out further, whispering that they will always be in his heart no matter what. Meanwhile the boy with tuberculosis who had entered into his dream had came across Tanjiro's realm of subconscious but found it unusually peaceful.


Outside the train, Enmu became confused that the children seemed to be taking a while since none of the spiritual cores have been destroyed yet, but he didn't dwell on it. Meanwhile Tanjiro had realized that he was trapped in the dream but he could sense the scent of a demon in the air. Wondering how he will save everyone, he was suddenly met by a man who looked like him...he weared the same hanafuda earrings as him as well as the same kimono except his didn't have the Kanji (kill/ destroy) written on the back. Tanjiro recognized this man...it was his uncle Yoriichi!.

"Take up your blade, there is something you need to cut!" said Yoriichi before he disappeared. Tanjiro unsheathed his Kyokokukamusari, he realized what he had to do to wake up and escape the dream. Steeling his resolve and positioning his sword, he yelled out as he pushed the sword onto his neck.


Author's Note: this will not be the last time we will be seeing Yoriichi also Tanjiro's other grandfather (his father's father) will be making an appearance.