By the time everyone had completed their lap around the mountain, it was getting dark. Tengen spoke up again, "alright, good job. You've all gotten a little better at least. Get some rest tonight, we'll continue this tomorrow!" he proclaimed. Tanjiro climbed to his feet and began heading back, a serious look on his face. 'I need to get my temperature and heartrate higher if I actually want to train with this Mark. Even with what Shinobu told me, I can't hold back because of that. No matter what, I need the power it gives me to protect everyone, and make them all human again!' Tanjiro remembered his life with everyone when they were all humans. On Mt Kumotori, peacefully making Charcoal, and playing with his Siblings, not worrying about anything.
'If we can go back to that, even if only until I turn 25, I don't care what happens to me. My family are the ones who've been suffering all this time' he thought, clenching his fists. Tanjiro walked back slower, lost in his thoughts. Upon opening the door to the area they were staying in, he found the Corps Members laying around the room. "Hey everyone. So who's making dinner?" Tanjiro asked. "Urgh, too sore to move. And too hungry to have any energy" one of the other Slayers groaned. "Well, I can make dinner" Tanjiro replied. "Thanks" another young man sighed. Then they watched with wide eyes as the Hashira expertly grilled fish and rice balls. "Oh wow! That smells great!" one Demon Slayer said excitedly, a bit of drool coming from his mouth.
"Here, the rice balls are ready. The fish should be done soon too" Tanjiro said with a smile. As they started eating their rice balls, the lower ranked Slayers gained blissful smiles, "so good! Lord Kamado, how are you such a good cook?!" "Well, I did used to be a Charcoal burner before everything happened" Tanjiro explained. "Oh, that makes sense! Ha ha!" the other man replied with a grin.
"If the Rice Balls are this good, how will the fish taste?! I can't wait!" another teen said excitedly. "This grilled Miso Rice Ball is great too!" Tanjiro watched everyone eating happily with a soft look on his face. He remembered eating meals with his family. 'We'll be able to have that again soon' he thought.
ĐŚ·ĂÙ
The next days passed by quickly for Tanjiro. Between the training and his 'dreams' it was the final day of Tengen's training for him before he knew it. "Alright! We're going to do a special training tonight! Follow me!" the former Sound Hashira called, running off. The Demon Slayers ran after the man as fast as they could, Tanjiro being the closest to him. They finally stopped in a dark forest clearing. "Now! For this exercise, I will be acting as a Demon. You all have to defend yourselves against me. Demon Slayers should have trained reflexes to fight in the dark, as that is most Demon's domain. And Tanjiro, you try to defend anyone you can from me!"
Tengen went silent, and the Demon Slayers looked around nervously, "stay calm everyone! Focus on the hostile presence near you. That way, you can find Mr Tengen!" Tanjiro called. The Sun God Hashira checked to see if he could smell the man. It was faint, but he could track his scent. 'He's a former Shinobi. Of course he's adept at hiding his presence. Luckily my sense of smell has gotten better since I started training!' Tanjiro turned around, "from the back!" he cried. The Demon Slayers at the back of the group turned just a split second too late, and were knocked down. Tanjiro managed to block the next strike, and a huge gust of wind was created due to the force used.
"Hah! Now that's a flashy block!" Tengen cried. The two Hashira exchanged a flurry of blows. "They're so fast!" one Demon Slayer cried. Struggling not to get knocked down from the wind produced by the clashing Hashira. "If he can do that while being younger than us, we can fight too!" one young man cried, picking up his Bokken and rushing to join the assault. More Demon Slayers joined him. "Everyone!" Tanjiro said in joy, seeing his subordinates gaining courage. "Let's get him!" another young man said.
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Everyone except Tanjiro was on the ground exhausted. "Urgh! You guys! If you can't even take me on when I'm retired, you'll never survive the other Hashira's training programs!" Tengen groaned. "Maybe not, but I believe that Lord Tanjiro can help you all end Muzan! And so, we'll keep training so we can support all of you!" one Demon Slayer said firmly. "Me too!", "you can count on me!", "I'll do my best to help you all too!" and other similar things were called out. Tanjiro and Tengen both smiled, "alright then! You all get back to work! And Kamado, it's time for you to go to Tokito now. Keep getting stronger, you hear!" the former Sound Hashira said.
Tanjiro nodded, "I will. No matter what!" he said firmly. The Uzui's waved goodbye to him as he ran towards Muichiro's residence.
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Kie watched over her children as they slept, before looking out the window. She hoped Tanjiro was doing well. She stood up and walked to the door leading outside and exited the house. Urokodaki looked up at her from where he sat on the Engawa. "Mrs Kamado. Are your children asleep?" he asked. Kie nodded, "yes," she replied, but paused, "Tanjiro is training now" she said. The masked man nodded, "he is. He is training with the other Hashira at the moment, so I'm afraid he won't be able to come home for a while" he replied. The Demon woman frowned, looking back at the house where her other children were peacefully sleeping.
"My family, is in danger, aren't they?" she asked haltingly. "We're not exactly sure. With how powerful you all are, it's honestly a question weather or not Muzan will try to come after all of you or not. We just have to be careful, just in case" Urokodaki replied. The Mother nodded, steely determination in her eyes, "we won't go down, easy. We'll protect, each other no matter, what" Kie swore. The masked trainer nodded, "that I'm sure of" he agreed. She turned to go back inside, "would you like, some food? I'm going to make, rice for everyone" the Kamado Matriarch asked. "That would be nice Ma'am" Urokodaki replied.
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Tanjiro reached the Mist Estate quickly. He slid open the door, and saw his friend knocking down a Demon Slayer with his Bokken. Muichiro pointed the wooden Sword at the young man's face, "if you can't even handle this, you're guaranteed to be devoured. You can't give up when facing a Demon" the Mist Hashira said coldly. He then glanced to the side and lit up when he saw Tanjiro. "Tanjiro! You're here! I knew you'd get through Tengen's training fast!" Muichiro said with a bright smile. The Sun God Hashira entered the Dojo, "you're looking well Muichiro. I'm glad you're fully recovered after the Swordsmith Village!" Tanjiro said in relief.
"How is your family?" the black and green-haired 14-year-old asked. "They're alright. Urokodaki-Sensei is looking after them for me" Tanjiro replied. "Alright, are you ready to start training?" the Mist Hashira asked. "I am!" the Kamado replied. "Good! Let's do it then!" Muichiro replied with a grin.
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That night after they all went to bed, Tanjiro had another dream.
(Tanjiro's dream)
After that, Michikatsu's Swordsmanship instructor decided to give the boy a Bokken for fun, and taught him a few simple moves with it. When Yoriichi attacked the man, he hit three weak points on his body, flipping him around to send him crashing on the ground unconscious. After that Yoriichi was trained by his Father's personal trainer, and named his successor. But Yoriichi decided not to be a Swordsman anymore. He despised the feeling of striking someone else. All he wanted was to play with his Brother instead. Later, he was moved into Michikatsu's bedroom, while his twin was given the tiny room Yoriichi once had.
Days later, after their Mother had died, Yoriichi decided to run away, since he only wanted to live a simple life, and not the one his Father chose. He ran for a full day and night, not feeling tired once, and only stopping upon reaching a rice paddy. It was there he found the girl who would later become his Wife.
Tanjiro woke up, starting to feel a little worried. How many nights was it that he'd had that dream now? He was sure it wasn't natural to have such a vivid dream so often. But he had no time to dwell on that. He had to go to Breakfast now before training with Muichiro started again.
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Tanjiro ran around the Dojo and traded blows with Muichiro, "yes! That's great Tanjiro! Just like that!" the younger boy praised. The other Demon Slayers who'd had their turn with the young Hashira watched, bruised and exhausted at the sides of the room. Finally the training was over for the day, "okay! That was excellent. Keep that up and you'll be finished my training in no time!" the Mist Hashira said. "Thank you!" Tanjiro replied. "Alright, training is over for today" Muichiro said, walking out of the Dojo.
He stopped at the door, "oh, Tanjiro. Did you want to come with me tonight? The other Hashira are training against each other" he asked. "Which Hashira?" Tanjiro asked in interest. "Shinazugawa and Obanai are going to be there tonight" Muichiro replied. "Ah" Tanjiro remembered the two men in question, knowing that they were the ones who didn't like his family, and Shinazugawa was the one who had stabbed his family members. He frowned, "no thank you. I'll train by myself if that's alright" Tanjiro replied. Muichiro frowned, but nodded, "alright, you don't have to come. I'll see you tomorrow then" he said in reply. "Don't overdo it too much!" Tanjiro called as his friend left his Estate. "Heh, except that's the whole point of this training Tanjiro!" the other Hashira joked back as he waved.
As he left, Tanjiro slid the door closed and headed back into the Dojo. He touched his Mark again, with that Bastard coming for my family, I don't have time to be choosy about this. I have to protect everyone. Besides, Shinobu is working on a cure for the Mark. So I have no excuse!' Tanjiro thought to himself. He picked up his Bokken again. "Increase my temperature and heartrate. You can do this Tanjiro" he said calmly, before beginning to go through the moves of the Hinokami Kagura. The faces of his Mother and Siblings flashed through his mind, and he felt his heartrate pick up.
His Demon Slayer Mark spread over his forehead for a moment. 'Don't stop. Keep going. Focus!' Tanjiro thought. He swung his bokken through the air, going through the Hinokami Kagura forms. As he completed one lot of forms, Tanjiro found that his breathing was labored and sweat covered him from head to toe. The teen collapsed to his hands and knees, gasping and coughing. "It's *pant* not enough. "I'm not strong *pant* enough yet! I have to protect, my family!" he gasped.
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The next day, Tanjiro continued his training with his fellow Hashira. "That's it Tanjiro! Good! Keep going just like that!" Muichiro said with a smile. The two continued until Tanjiro's Bokken slipped out of his hands and went clattering across the floor. "Damn! I got so close to activating my Mark again!" Tanjiro groaned. "Again? Have you managed to activate it since the Swordsmith Village?" Muichiro asked in interest. "Well, I'm pretty sure I got it to work last night, but for some reason, I can't do it when sparing with other people" Tanjiro explained.
He moved to pick up his training Sword, while the Mist Hashira hummed in thought, "what were you thinking last night when you activated it?" he asked. "I was thinking about my family, and how I couldn't afford to falter in this training for their sakes. It helped that I know Shinobu is working on a cure for the Mark, so I'm less likely to die if I achieve it again" Tanjiro replied. "Well, try to keep focusing on that then. Keep those thoughts in your mind, and you might improve with the Mark" Muichiro suggested.
"I've been thinking about how a Demon killed my twin Brother, and the rage I felt back then. I've managed to sustain my Mark for a few minutes myself that way" he added. "I understand. I just need to think about things that cause me to get to that point emotionally and physically" Tanjiro agreed. "I'm sure you can do this Tanjiro. You're the strongest person I've ever met" Muichiro said with a smile. "Oh no I'm not, not really." Tanjiro replied. "You are! Despite everything you've been through, you haven't let those experiences change you. You've only gotten stronger. Not many people can do that" the Mist Hashira said.
"It's only thanks to my family that I haven't changed. I think, if they had all died that day, I wouldn't have been able to handle it. But they're all alive, and they're still my family. As long as I have them, I will become as strong as I need to be to save them!" Tanjiro said. Muichiro nodded, "I believe in you Tanjiro. I know you'll manage to cure your family and turn them back into humans again" he said with a smile. "Now, it's lunchtime. Go meet up with the other Demon Slayers. You can't train if you don't eat" the other Hashira said.