After they got home, Tanjiro was surprised to find Zenitsu and Inosuke waiting at the front of his Estate. "Zenitsu! Inosuke! I haven't seen you two since Mount Natagumo. How have you both been?" he said cheerfully. "You dare act like that?! Since you became a Hashira, I've had to go on Mission's alone! I've almost died multiple times! The only thing that got me through it has been the desire to see Nezuko again! But that doesn't change the fact that you abandoned me! What do you have to say for yourself?!" the blonde shrieked at him.
Tanjiro rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "sorry Zenitsu. I didn't mean to make you feel like that. But you smell like you've gotten even stronger since then! I'm glad!" he replied. The Thunder-Breather leapt forwards and started pounding him on the head with both hands, "I'M NOT ANY STRONGER YOU IDIOT! HOW DARE YOU LEAVE ME TO FIGHT DEMONS ALONE! REPENT! PROSTRATE YOURSELF! APOLOGISE FOR LEAVING ME ALONE TO DIIIIIEEEEEEE!" Zenitsu demanded hysterically.
Kie gently but firmly grabbed Zenitsu's arm and moved the older teen away from her Son. "Eh heh. Anyway, would you both like to come in?" Tanjiro asked sheepishly. "Will there be Tempura?!" Inosuke demanded to know. "Uh, I don't have any on hand, but I can make some?" Tanjiro replied. "Alright!" the boar-masked teen cried, running into the house. Looking back at Zenitsu, he found the other crossing his arms and refusing to look at him as he entered the house. But he did take off his shoes at the Genkan. Tanjiro and Kie followed the two.
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"I can't believe so many members of your family are immune to the sun now Tanjiro! If any other Demon's had gained that immunity, it would be terrifying!" Zenitsu said, partly in fear and partly in awe. "Well, I'm just glad they won't die. The only one's who aren't immune to the sun yet are Shigeru and Rokuta. Judging by the pattern, Shinobu thinks the two of them should gain immunity in a few months" Tanjiro explained. "I'm not sure what will happen with Muzan. My family beat him pretty badly after he turned them, so I don't know if he'll come after them or not. Either way I'll protect them, no matter what it takes" Tanjiro said firmly.
"You're so brave. If Muzan was after me, I think I'd just die" Zenitsu said, trembling. "Either way, if he wants my family dead, or to absorb them to conquer the sun himself, I won't let him near them. He almost took them away from me the first time. Never again" Tanjiro said darkly. "Yeah! And I'll help! With the King of the mountain on your side, that Buzan guy won't know what hit him!" Inosuke cheered. Tanjiro smiled gratefully, "thank you Inosuke. I really appreciate the support" he said. "Anyway, I was going to do some training today. Would you two like to join me?" Tanjiro asked.
"Hell yeah!" the boar-masked teen cried, grabbing his twin Swords from the floor beside him. "Zenitssu?" Tanjiro asked, turning to look at the yellow-haired teen. "Um, okay, I might do a bit of training," the Thunder-Breather agreed, "but nothing crazy! I know you're a Hashira now, but we're not, okay?!" he cried. "Of course. I wouldn't push you too hard, especially if you really think you can't keep going. But if you push yourself even a little in training, you'll get stronger as a result, then you won't have to be scared when you fight Demon's. Right?" Tanjiro asked. "I-I guess. I could try for a bit" Zenitsu replied.
"I'm glad you decided to train with me Zenitsu. Thank you" Tanjiro said gratefully. "By the way," the other Swordsman began, "is, uh. Is Nezuko awake?" the blonde asked shyly. "Sorry Zenitsu, she's gone back to sleep" Tanjiro replied. "Oh. Okay" the other boy replied. "So, are you ready to train?" the young Hashira asked with a smile.
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Zenitsu collapsed to the ground, gasping and panting, "I can't- can't train anymore!" he wailed. Tanjiro and Inosuke continued to train for a few more minutes, before the front door opened. Everyone stopped what they were doing to look over at the door. Hanako stepped out of the house, her red eyes seeming lighter in the sunlight, while her black and pink hair were a lighter shade as well. "Oh, Hanako. Were you looking for me?" Tanjiro asked with a smile. "Ah. Fff- ffff-" the young Demon girl tried to speak, but couldn't form the word properly.
She looked around, before seeing a patch of wild flowers in the grass beside the house. She ran over to them, before kneeling in the grass. "Oh. You wanted to pick flowers? Okay, just don't go too far Hanako" Tanjiro said. "That's still so weird to see. No offense Tanjiro" Zenitsu said, watching the youngest Kamado daughter. "It's fine. my family has always been different since the day they were turned." Tanjiro replied with a happy smile. Inosuke watched the young Demon with a tilt of his head.
"What's she doing?" he asked in confusion. "My little Sister is picking some flowers Inosuke" Tanjiro explained. "Why? Does she eat them?" Inosuke asked. "No. She just likes the bright colours. She thinks they're pretty" he replied patiently. "You mean like sparkly acorns?" the boar-masked teen asked. "Exactly. Acorns are sparkly and pretty to you, and flowers are pretty to Hanako" Tanjiro explained. Once she'd picked a bunch, (that were mostly weeds, and had been crushed by Hanako's strength) the young Demon girl went back over to her Oldest Brother.
"Here" she said, holding them out for him. "They're for me? Thank you very much Hanako. What a lovely gift" Tanjiro said gratefully, patting her on the head. Hanako laughed, before running back inside the house. Tanjiro watched her go with a gentle smile on his face. "Well," he placed the flowers down on the Engawa, then turned back to Zenitsu, "let's continue training now" Tanjiro said.
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A few hours later, everyone headed back inside the house, "I'll get the baths ready. Are you two staying for dinner?" Tanjiro asked. "N-no, I'm okay, th-thank you" Zenitsu replied, turning his head to the side to see Takeo glowering at him from the doorway to another room. "Alright. I hope you have a safe trip back to the Butterfly Mansion" Tanjiro said. After the two had had their baths and gotten dressed again, they left the Hinokami Estate.
Tanjiro got dressed after a nice long bath, wondering what he should make for his dinner tonight. As he did, another thought occurred to him. His family were already very different from other Demon's. what if they could eat human food now too? Rokuta ate that chicken with no problem. Tanjiro decided to make plain rice balls for dinner, and give some to his family to see if they could eat them. That should be safe enough for a test, right?
Tanjiro cooked up a big batch of rice balls, though they were pretty misshapen sine he only had one hand to work with. "Okay everyone, dinner is ready!" he called. His Mother and younger Siblings walked over curiously. Hanako was the first one to grab a rice ball, though she squished half of it. then she shoved it into her mouth, probably due to her hazy memories from being a human. She chewed slowly, her cheeks comically puffed up due to the amount of rice in her mouth, with pieces on her face as well.
Kie, Nezuko and Takeo too one each and began to eat. They seemed fine. Shigeru tilted his head, picking up a lose clump of rice from the floor and putting it into his mouth. After a moment, he spat the rice out. 'So everyone whose conquered the sun can eat human food, but Shigeru and probably Rokuta can't. Although, Rokuta did eat thar cooked chicken before too. Maybe I could try cooked and raw meat for the two of them later' Tanjiro thought. He pat Shigeru on the head gently, "don't worry Shigeru. We can try something else for you later, okay?" he asked.
After his family had finished the Rice Balls, they all went to bed and Tanjiro cleaned up the bits of rice all over the floor. Tanjiro got changed into his sleeping Kimono and lay down with everyone once that was done. 'When I wake up I should write to Miss Tamayo to let her know about this. Even if it's not that big a deal, most Demon's can't eat human food at all' he thought to himself.
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After a few months, Tanjiro's wrist was healed enough for him to fight again, and he went on a Mission against a Demon whose Blood Demon Art could vibrate things. He managed to kill the Demon, at the cost of his blade. It snapped in two from the vibrations. Tanjiro stared at his broken Sword. He had heard stories about what the Swordsmiths did to Slayers who broke their blades. "Well, since it's my first time breaking it, maybe Mr Haganezuka will go easy on me?" he asked himself nervously.
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After sending out a request for a new Sword, Tanjiro got a response two weeks later. "Go die!", "I have no Sword for you!", "I hate you" Tanjiro whimpered, hanging his head in shame, "it was an accident!" he whined miserably. "What was an accident Tanjiro?" Mitsuri asked, as she entered the room. "Ah! M-Mitsuri! When did you get here?!" Tanjiro yelped. 'I didn't even hear her come in!' he though. "I came to visit you, and heard about your Sword" Mitsuri replied, kneeling down in front of him.
"Why don't you visit the Swordsmith Village and ask your Swordsmith about your Sword in person Tanjiro? I can even come with you, since I need my Sword to be tweaked as well" she asked. "I can do that?" the Hinokami Hashira asked. "Of course. You have to ask the Master first though. The Village is hidden to keep it safe from Demon's. And so is the path to the Village. The Master needs to grant you permission to go, and the Kakushi have to carry you to the Village blindfolded" Mitsuri explained.
"Wow. That is hidden well. Alright, I'll ask him then!" Tanjiro decided.
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Tanjiro was granted permission to travel to the Village and have his Sword replaced. Luckily he had a spare on hand. Now he just had to decide who to bring with him. A shudder went through Tanjiro's body, he had a bad feeling about the Village. Maybe he should bring everyone with him this time. But having most of his Demon family out of their boxes might scare the Kakushi or Swordsmiths. So putting everyone back in their boxes was the only solution.
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"I'll be taking you to the Village today, and my colleague here will pull your cart. Due to the nature of our jobs we can't tell you our names, but I promise the Kakushi will take care of you all Lord Kamado" the female Kakushi explained. "Thank you very much" Tanjiro said with a bow. "Please cover your eyes, and put these nose-plugs in too. The Village is hidden, so you can't know the route" the woman continued. "Alright." Tanjiro agreed. He did so, and the lady picked him up onto her back. As they started running, he heard the sound of his cart moving. Tanjiro relaxed, as his family seemed to be asleep.
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After several Kakushi changes, Tanjiro was set on his feet and his blindfold was removed. "Wow!" he cried in awe. The Village was made up of Blacksmith forges. "I can smell a Hot Spring!" Tanjiro said, smelling the sulphur in the air. "That's right. Please visit the Hot Springs after you visit the Leader of the Village. If you follow that road, you'll get to a big building. That's the Chief's home" the Kakushi explained. "Right. Thank you very much" Tanjiro said with a bow.
Then he headed towards the Village Chief's home. "It's nice to meet you Hashira Tanjiro Kamado. I am the Village Chief, Tecchin Techikawa. I may be the shortest person in the Village, but I'm also the most important" the old man explained. "It's a pleasure to meet you too. Thank you for allowing me to come, and especially to bring my family with me" Tanjiro replied gratefully. 'It's no problem. In fact I would like to meet your family Lord Kamado. It's been a long time since I've had many children visit me" Lord Techikawa said.
The two guards sitting beside the Chief stiffened, but didn't move for their weapons. Tanjiro went and brought his family's boxes inside. "Almost my whole family is immune to the sun now, but I thought you might be wary of them if they were out of their boxes" he explained. He opened the boxes, letting his family out. His Mother and Siblings exited their boxes, most of the younger children laying on the floor around Tanjiro.
Kie held Rokuta in her lap, and Hanako and Shigeru hugged Tanjiro. He wrapped his arms around both of his younger Siblings, rubbing their backs. "So many children. I'm sorry your family became Demons Lord Kamado" the Chief said sadly. "It's okay. I'll turn them back into humans again, no matter what" Tanjiro replied.
Well, unfortunately, Hotaru has disappeared. We're looking for him as we speak. If we can't find him in a week, I'll assign you a new Swordsmith. For now, please relax and enjoy your stay Lord Kamado" Techikawa said. "Thank you Sir" Tanjiro said with a bow.
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"The Hot Spring is this way. Your meal will be prepared in the meantime" a Swordsmith said, leading Tanjiro to a set of stone stairs. "Thank you" Tanjiro said with a wave. He let his family walk up the stairs themselves, except for Shigeru and Rokuta, who stayed in their box. "Wow! This Hot Spring is amazing!" Tanjiro said. He got undressed, then helped his Siblings do the same. "Uh, excuse me!" a voice called. Tanjiro looked to see a tall boy through the steam. "Oh! I'm sorry. I didn't see you there! You don't have to leave, I don't mind" Tanjiro said kindly.
"No way!" the other boy claimed, climbing out of the water and snatching up his clothes and a large bag. The teen rushed off through the forest. "I guess he's shy" Tanjiro said to himself. Soon the whole family was in the hot water. Nezuko was swimming around, Shigeru and Hanako were playing and splashing each other. Kie was sitting with Rokuta in her arms, who was squealing and splashing in the water. Takeo was leaning his arms out of the water and relaxing. Tanjiro sighed in bliss.
Baths were nice, but there was something about Hot Springs that made it even better. After a while, the Kamado's climbed out and got dried and dressed. Shigeru and Rokuta climbed back into their box and the family went back to the building they were staying in. As his family went to sleep, Tanjiro tried to think of what he could do now. A knock on the door caught his attention, "Lord Kamado, your meal is ready now" a voice called. "Oh, thank you!" Tanjiro replied, going to the door and taking the tray of food, "this smells great. Can you thank the cook for me?" he asked.
"Of course. Please enjoy it, and let me know if you're still hungry afterwards" the Swordsmith replied, leaving the room. Tanjiro sat down to eat, thinking about that other teen he'd met at the Hot Springs. "Maybe we can talk later" he said to himself.
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Later that night, there was a knock on the door of his room. Tanjiro looked up from where he was doing Hanako's hair into a plait. (Mitsuri had finally managed to teach him how to do hair, and his little Sister's were very excited about it). "Come in!" Tanjiro called, trying to tell who was there by smell, but unable to due to the smell from the Hot Springs. The other teen he'd met earlier poked his head inside the room. "Um, hey" he said awkwardly. "Oh! Hello again. I'm sorry if I scared you earlier today by having my whole family at the Hot Springs. I didn't mean to" Tanjiro said apologetically.
"Oh, uh, no, you didn't scare me. I was just surprised, that's all. I didn't know there was, anyone else like us" the teen said, voice lowering as he talked. "Huh?" Tanjiro asked. "I'm Genya by the way. Genya Shinazugawa" Genya introduced himself. "Tanjiro Kamado. Nice to meet you Genya. What did you mean, anyone else like you?" Tanjiro asked curiously. The mowhawked teen looked over at his bag, well, you're not the only one with a Demon family member" Genya replied, moving over to and opening the bag. A little Demon girl with light purple eyes and purple-streaked black hair peeked her head out of the bag. "Oh!" Tanjiro gasped in surprise.
"This is my youngest Sister Teiko. She was turned into a Demon several years ago now after our Mom was turned and attacked our family. Our Older Brother Sanemi got her outside to protect me, but I didn't know she was a Demon. He managed to knock her out in time for sunrise. I didn't understand what was going on, and thought 'Nemi had killed our Mom. I screamed at him, called him a murderer. After sunrise, when Mom wasn't, around anymore, and 'Nemi had left, I went home to burry my Siblings but, she was still breathing. I tried to take her to the Doctor, but that was when Teiko woke up and tried to attack me" Genya explained.
Tanjiro frowned, "what happened?" he asked. "I stopped her from biting me and tried to call out to her. I hadn't been able to protect any of my Siblings, or my Mom, but I knew I had to protect Teiko, no matter what. She suddenly stopped attacking me, and ran into the next room away from me. I could hear her crying. All I could think to do was to go in with her and hold her while she sobbed. After that I buried the rest of our family, and discovered pretty quickly that my little Sister couldn't go into the sunlight anymore.
I used that bag to carry her, and left to find a way to save her. And now we're here" Genya explained. "I'm so sorry about your family. Really. It must have been horrible to come home to that" Tanjiro said sympathetically, remembering how painful it had been to go home to Muzan attacking his family. "Oh no, we were all home that night except for our Mom. 'Nemi went out to look for her, and it was close to dawn when she came home and, you know" Genya replied. "You saw it happen?! Oh my God, I'm so sorry.
I watched my family get torn apart multiple times while fighting Muzan after he'd turned them into Demons, but I didn't witness the initial attack! But at least you managed to protect your little Sister. I promise, once my ally has created the cure for Demonization, I'll share it with you, so that Teiko can become human again" Tanjiro said solemnly. "Wait what?! A cure?! There's a cure being made? By who? Miss Kocho?" Genya asked excitedly. "Eh, it's a bit of a long story" the Sun God Hashira replied with a chuckle. The other teen looked so excited though, that Tanjiro couldn't help but give in.
As his Siblings and Teiko inspected each other, Tanjiro told the older Shinazugawa about his meeting with Miss Tamayo.