Chapter 7: Elements of Nature
If someone were to walk along the paths of that quiet forest, they would only enjoy the beautiful mountain scenery along with the wonderful sight of snowflakes falling quietly from the sky. However, the sound of metal clashing and the slight gusts of wind disturbed the pleasant peace of the place, the result of the combat of 2 young swordsmen.
Tanjirou had to praise the great skill of the young black-haired man. His movements were fluid and calm, but at the same time strong and forceful. The objective of these was any critical point to knock it down but never in any area that affects any vital organ, demonstrating great precision. The mastery of time to attack, dodge or block was also perfect, in addition to his physical capacity making him extremely fast and agile.
For someone so young it was a unique achievement, it was undoubtedly a prodigy, if it were not for his age, Tanjirou could swear that he was a Hashira and would undoubtedly defeat him before even brandishing his Nichirin.
Luckily for the former Tsugikuni, he had 60 years of experience from his past life as a Demon Slayer and had countless ways to incapacitate powerful opponents.
Tanjirou finally saw an opening in his opponent's stance and took advantage to launch a stab to the left side of his abdomen, unfortunately he was quickly blocked, but this caused the Kamado to launch a strong kick against the other side, knocking him down and sending him away. The redhead would continue his siege in an attempt to knock his opponent out of combat or snatch his Nichirin, his was cracked and about to break from the rust and the attacks he had to block so if the fight went on too long, he could have a lot of problems defending Nezuko without a weapon.
The Demon Slayer, of course, wasn't going to allow this.
"You're not really going to leave the demon, right??" The young man finally spoke in a calm but disinterested tone as he dodged the slash straight to his chest and spun around to cut the redhead.
"No, I don't want to do that "he replied as he crouched down and threw another stab at the swordsman's left side "She's my sister, even if she is a demon, she hasn't hurt anyone, she doesn't even try to attack me despite the bleeding wound on one of my arms" He pointed out trying to reason.
"P-ple-aaas-ee, let m-my br-ro-thhhee-r gooo"Nezuko spoke in fear, surprising them both.
"That doesn't matter" the young man argued, moving away a few meters. "She's a demon and she can attack someone at any time."
"Perhaps, but the future is not something we can know. As long as she doesn't drink a drop of blood or eat a single piece of human flesh, she will remain Nezuko Kamado, my little sister."
Tanjirou suddenly began to feel a dampness on his back and hearing small sobs, he could assume that it was Nezuko who was the cause, he could perceive the aroma of sadness and happiness in her, something that made the Kamado very happy, because it demonstrated his point about his sister's humanity.
The black-haired young man could only shake his head, frustrated at having to spend more time than necessary outdoors on a freezing winter day "And who are you to defend that demon??" he asked frustrated.
Tanjirou could only let out a drop of sweat at the question, especially since he had already specified his relationship with Nezuko "I am Tanjirou Kamado, her older brother, and as such, my sacred duty is to protect her from anyone who wishes to harm her, be it demon or human."
"She's not your sister, once you become a demon, there's no turning back"
"But she didn't become one of her own free will, why punish her for a destiny she didn't choose??"
"How do you know that??" he questioned with considerable skepticism.
"Isn't it obvious?? I've lived with her and taken care of her since she was a newborn. Nezuko is the kindest and most caring girl who has ever existed. She doesn't seek power, she only seeks to make our family happy, that's why someone like that would never become a creature as tragic as a demon."
Those words slightly confused the young black-haired man, he felt that something inside his mind was moving, as if trying to show him something he should see or remember, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't achieve anything.
He could only frown, wondering why the boy and the demon had confused his mind, perhaps it was some Blood Demon Art?
"What is your name?" Tanjirou asked.
"Muichiro Tokito"
"I beg you Tokito-san, allow me to show you that my sister still have a trace of humanity in the depths of her heart, spare her life"
Tokito could only shake his head again while slightly raising his Nichirin "A demon is a demon, and my duty is to kill them"
In an instant, the young swordsman disappeared from Tanjirou's sight, moving at a speed much faster than normal as he waited for the perfect moment. The redhead quickly imitated the movement to avoid any surprise attack or offensive, generating a fog that covered the entire meadow, greatly reducing vision.
"Kasumi no kokyu: Ni no kata, Yaekasumi"
To say that Tanjirou was surprised was an understatement, he never expected to see a Breathing different from the ones he had invented, much less from someone so young.
But right now wasn't the time to think about that, he quickly tried to dodge the various slashes that were going straight to all sides of his body, some managing to avoid them and others impacting superficially on her limbs or impacting on Nezuko's body, causing her several screams of pain.
"The mist is too dense to see and my sense of smell can barely perceive the smells due to some managing to avoid them cold, it's time to end this quickly"
"Ichi no kata, Suiten Togasum"
With an abrupt change of speed, Tokito launched himself against Tanjirou's back, heading towards Nezuko, who could only cling to her brother's warm body and close her eyes, praying for a miracle to save them both.
"Mizu no Kokyu:Minamo Giri"
Now it was the Slayer who was very surprised, not only by the fact that his thrust was completely blocked, but that it was done by a breathing technique.
But Tanjirou would not stop there, taking advantage of the moment he launched 2 slashes that cut off a large part of his enemy's dominant arm.
Muichiro could only grunt in pain and mentally scold himself for his carelessness, even with the wounds, he grabbed the hilt of his Nichirin tightly and jumped himself against Tanjirou again."Kasumi no kokyu:Roku no kata, Tsuki no Kasho"
"Hono no Kokyu:Shiranui"
The flow of water from Tanjirou's Nichirin changed into a fiery orange fire that burned brightly, causing a large flash that slightly blinded Muichiro, causing the attacks to miss and be more easily dodged. With a change of speed, Tanjirou dashed directly against the Slayer's left shoulder, but Muichiro managed to recover and block the attack at the last moment.
"Perfect" Tanjirou thought when he saw the awkward position of the black-haired man. "Kaze no Kokyu: Jin Senpu - Sogi"the redhead quickly used the power of the wind to put more pressure on his Nichirin, causing Muichiro to slowly lean back slightly.
Suddenly, Tanjirou's Katana broke and he quickly turned to the side to dodge Muichiro's body, who lost his balance due to the force he was using before to support Tanjirou's weight. Taking advantage of the moment, the Kamado dashed towards him and made several superficial cuts on his arms and legs, sending him away and clearing the fog thanks to the small cycle that was formed.
Without wasting any time Tanjirou grabbed Muichiro's Nichirin and got into a fighting stance as he scanned the entire place for any other opponents, luckily he was alone. He was finally able to let out a sigh and relax, the fight had been exhausting and with the strain of keeping Nezuko safe he barely had time to regain some energy.
"It's over" he finally said as he approached his wounded opponent.
Nezuko finally got off his back and returned to her original form, sadly staring at the image of the wounded swordsman, who was unconscious"D-di-e-e-d?"
Tanjirou shook his head"No, he's just unconscious, but what I did was wrong, we don't have to attack them, our duty is to protect humans from demons, understood??"
Nezuko just nodded as she watched Tanjirou use the Katana to cut small pieces of her own clothes to cover Muichiro's cuts.
Involuntarily Nezuko could feel her throat constrict and saliva begin to filter through her mouth due to the pleasant smell of blood that was in the environment. For a moment her mind demanded that she push her brother away and satisfy her own hunger with the body of the young man who tried to kill her, but Tanjirou's words still echoed in her head, as a constant reminder to suppress those heinous instincts that tempt her to slaughter and devour human flesh.
"I must not attack humans, I must be strong to protect my brother"
When Tanjirou finally finished, he covered him with his yukata to protect him further from the cold, now that the Slayer was incapacitated he had to wait for him to wake up
"perhaps I could reason with him and find information about the Demon Slayer, with the tragedy of my family, I had no more excuse to fight the demons again and finish what I couldn't in my past life"
An unusual scent interrupted the Kamado's thoughts, or rather scents, he could detect a very considerable amount of fragrances wrapped in a strong wisteria extract. He barely had time to react when a strong gust of wind was about to cut Nezuko in half, if it weren't for his sense of smell, his dear sister would be dead at that moment.
"Nezuko, on my back!!" Tanjirou ordered, Nezuko quickly shrank again and clung to Tanjirou's back, any temptation for human flesh was instantly replaced by the enormous fear of death.
The redhead quickly launched a wind thrust to block the whirlwind that was heading straight towards him, revealing a white-haired man with several scars and a strong scent of anger. Unfortunately, the visits did not end there, a wavy cut headed at full speed to the left of Tanjirou, who could only block with difficulty the attack produced by another black-haired man with mismatched eyes.
The Kamado was ready to counterattack with the Water Breathing, but a flash completely blinded his sight, in addition to altering his hearing and slightly stunning him, luckily, the redhead's blessed sense of smell was not affected and he was able to detect the presence of another person, managing to move away to a position where he could not be ambushed until he could regain his senses.
Another figure appeared behind him before he could recover from the stun, so he could only turn around and put the Nichirin in a vertical position to try to cover the attack or use his own body as a shield so that Nezuko would not be damaged.
At the end he received a large horizontal cut along his chest and shoulders and was sent flying by the brutality of the attack, causing a grunt of pain, luckily he was able to cushion the fall thanks to the snow, although that did not prevent his body from shaking slightly from the pain.
"AHH!! I'm so sorry!! I didn't mean to hit you!!" a high-pitched voice apologized, which Tanjirou safely deduced came from a young woman.
"Don't worry Kanroji" another deep voice intervened, with a clear tone of disgust "That brat deserved it by defending a demon"
"Iguro is right" supported another male voice with a confident tone "It was impressive to see how he could not only see our attacks, but could block or even dodge them despite being stunned, but that doesn't justify his actions in attacking a Demon Slayer to save a demon. Poor Tokito, that will definitely leave a stain on his record for his promotion to Hashira"
"Stop talking!!" a fourth voice intervened "Listen kid, we have an important mission so don't waste our time. Hand over the demon and we will let your crime go"
"Crime??" the female voice asked with concern "Shinazugawa-san, don't you think he's being too strict? They're children and they must be scared"
When Tanjirou finally regained his senses, he was able to identify his new attackers, who were also Demon Slayers, to his dismay. One was a woman with pink hair and green tips with a whip-shaped Nichirin, something that the redhead considered as unusual as the... revealing outfit she was wearing. She's probably the one they call Kanroji.
Then there was a black-haired man whose expression was stoic but with a flash of annoyance, he had a bandage covering his mouth and a whitish snake coiled around his neck, as well as having a Nichirin curved in different directions.
The third was a silver-haired man, with a smile as bright as the jewels he wore as an ornament. He was very tall and his muscles made him look impressive, especially with the heavy Nichirin swords.
Finally there was a white-haired man full of scars and an expression of anger and annoyance, as if Tanjirou's presence was a personal insult, he was the only one who had a normal Nichirin and he could recognize him as the person who attacked him first with Wind Breathing.
Tanjirou couldn't help but worry considerably at the new events, especially since he could feel Nezuko's body trembling with fear and anguish. Without a doubt this encounter was very different from his first encounter with the corps, both in his past life with Rengoku and in this life with Kocho. He had to find a way to reach an agreement peacefully or Nezuko's life would be in grave danger.
"I can't let you kill my sister. I understand their reasons for wanting to kill her, but I hope you can list-"
"Shut up, kid" interrupted the man with two-colored eyes "we don't have time to beg or complain, we have important matters, so gi-."
"No" faced with the refusal of the dialogue Tanjirou launched himself at full speed against his attackers in a surprise attack "Kaze no kokyu: Jin Senpu - Sogi"
The greenish wind gusts of Wind Breathing enveloped the body of its user in a horizontal cyclone that protected him from the ambushes of the other swordsmen. The black-haired man didn't have time to react in time due to the surprise of seeing a Breathing, as well as Tanjirou's speed. If it weren't for his white-haired companion, he would have received a strong horizontal cut on his abdomen, although the force of the attack was greater than expected, because he still received a little slash on the lower part of his chest.
"Damn it!! How do you know that technique!!?? When I'm done with you, I'm going to beat everything you know out of you!! Kaze no kokyu: Go no kata, Kogarashi Oroshi!"
"Fifth form!!??" he thought enormously surprised to see a new technique of one of his Breathings.
The redhead was forced to use the transparent world for the first time in the duel to dodge the first wind slashes but the growing amplitude of the tornado and the constant increase in power forced him to block the attacks with his own wind slashes, otherwise he was going to receive a major injury.
"Iwa no kokyu: Jamongan - Sokyoku" Taking advantage of the direction of the wind, Tanjirou turned in a jump on his sword to exert control over the whirlwinds of wind and launch a stab directly to one of the white-haired man's shoulders to crush him against the ground. Although two of his teammates were not going to allow it, getting in the way of the attack.
"Oto no kokyu: Ichi no kata!! Todoroki!!"
"Koi no kokyu: Ichi no kata: Hatsukoi no Wananaki!!"
The pink-haired girl's long-range slash allowed her to undo and block the gusts of wind while the powerful blow of the 2 swords completely nullified the rotating stone thrust, in addition to destroying the stone splinters thanks to the strong sound wave of the blow.
"UZUI YOU, HUGE IDIOT!! YOU LEFT US ALL DEAF!!"
"SHINAZUGAWA-SAN, CAN YOU SPEAK LOUDER??!! I CAN'T HEAR YOU!!"
"DID YOU HAVE TO USE THAT TECHNIQUE WHEN WE WERE NEXT DOOR!!??"
Uzui could only laugh embarrassedly while scratching the back of his neck "Sorry, I got a little carried away by the excitement and forgot that the others were very close"
"Kaminari no kokyu: Hekireki Issen!!!" Taking advantage of the dizziness and confusion, Tanjirou took the opportunity to run at top speed, gathering electrical charges to launch a chain attack against everyone.
Uzui, however, was able to predict the movement and quickly managed to deflect the attack against him and Shinazugawa, but that caused the thunder to go directly against Kanroji, who was oblivious to what was happening.
"Hebi no kokyū: Go no kata, En'en Choda" Iguro charged forward in a twisting and winding motion, to the rhythm of Tanjirou's electric spins and movements, managing to counter each of the slashes until the Kamado had to move away to recover.
"Serpent, sound and love, those are quite a few variants, but none of them have movements similar to Sun Breathing, could they be completely independent styles??"
"Awesome!!"Kanroji exclaimed excitedly, seeing Tanjirou's yellowish flashes" Uzui-san, Shinazugawa-san!!Did you see it??!! He can use many Breathings styles!!"
"I agree" the aforementioned nodded with a huge smile. "You would be a flashy Demon Slayer, if you leave the demon, we could pretend this never happened and train you."
"She isn't a demon, she is my sister, you can't kill her for something she never decided."
"Regardless of what happened, she is a threat to the people of this area, it is best to end her suffering now that she is weak" Iguro argumented.
"Also, you've used several Breathing forms, so you should know the real danger of one!!" Shinazugawa exclaimed quite angrily.
"Do we really have to do this??" Kanroji asked with disappointment "I understand the demon thing, but it would be a shame to kill such a cute boy"
"And a great swordsman" Added Uzui" but I agree with Kanroji, the kid has potential and it doesn't seem like he's officially joined the Demon Slayers"
"We warned him several times, he brought his fate on himself" Iguro replied curtly and then ran towards Tanjirou "Hebi no kokyu: San no kata, Toguro Jime"
" I guess you're right" sighted Uzui "Oto no kokyu: Shi no kata, Kyozan!!"
""I'm really sorry, I hope you can forgive me" said the pink-haired girl sadly "Koi no kokyu: San no kata, Koi Neko Shigure"
"Kaze no kokyu: Hachi no kata, Sho Rekkaza Kiri"
They all ran at top speed, concentrating the power of their elements on the edge of their Nichirin to use their techniques at the same time against the Kamado, who seemed to remain calm with his eyes closed, concentrating on the environment.
"Tanjirou!!" Nezuko shouted, quite alarmed when she saw that her brother was not moving at all.
In Tanjirou's mind, there was no stimulus coming from the outside world, he only perceived the faint beat of his heart flowing calmly through each of his limbs, the soft wind that ran through his lungs and the growing heat that began to generate each of the cells of his body.
A feminine gasp was the only thing that finally managed to catch his ears, followed by a "stop!!" that was ignored by everyone, if that was indicated by the gusts of wind that were still heading towards him, but Tanjirou took that moment as a sign, his moment had come and without wasting time, some luminous reddish flames were quickly generated in his Nichirin.
"Hinokami Kagura: Retsujitsu Kokyo" Tanjirou used 2 side slashes of fire to block all the blows, the reddish fire easily consumed the energy of the other Breathings as they continued to lunge at their attackers in a fierce offensive.
"What the hell is this!!???" Iguro exclaimed quite surprised as he tried to block the fire with his Katana.
"Multiple Breathings and now a variant of his own, oh boy!! you are full of surprises!!" Uzui said excitedly as he spun his Nichirin to create a wind shield that counteracted the passage of the flames.
"Burn!! Burn!! Burn!!" Kanroji shrieked very scared, trying to push the fire away with quick lashes.
"Do you want to stop pulling out tricks and die already!!??" Shinazugawa shouted furiously, the gusts of wind tried in vain to suppress the intensity of the flames.
Tanjirou took advantage of the Slayers' trouble and launched himself straight at each of them. Iguro's snake hissed loudly, drawing its owner's attention, only to see the redhead extremely close to him
"Damn, Hebi no kok-!!"
"Hinokami Kagura: Shayo Tenshin" Tanjirou managed to dodge the offensive by jumping into the air, doing a backflips in the air, passing over the black-haired man before performing a singular horizontal slash, which cut Iguro's shoulders and upper back, who could only grunt in pain and fall to his knees, bleeding deeply as he unsuccessfully tried to maintain his grip on his Nichirin.
His next target was Uzui, taking advantage of the closeness between him and Iguro he launched a quick slash at his left leg, which took him by surprise and he couldn't help but leave him in an uncomfortable position, with much of his weight resting on his right leg to avoid falling.
"Oto n-!!"
"Hirin Kagero" Tanjirou rushed to move to launch a slash at the only point of support, the heat mist allowed him to dodge the chains that joined Uzui's weapons and hit a scorching blow, which made him fall completely to the ground. The Kamado took advantage of the position to climb on his back and jump straight to Kanroji, who was still completely distracted by the flames.
"Kasha" he flipped into the air and unleashed a singular vertical slash in a circular motion to swiftly cut the muscles of her arms and legs, making her scream terribly in pain, something that greatly angered Iguro and tried to launch himself with his Nichirin with difficulty, only to receive a burning slash in his chest and fall against the snow, barely with energy to stay conscious.
Before Tanjirou could look around for his final opponent, he had already launched himself at the redhead in a powerful whirlwind, ready to kill the Kamado brothers. Nezuko, unable to bear to see her brother suffer, climbed onto Tanjirou's shoulders and jumped to put herself between him and Shinazugawa while growing her body to use as protection, greatly surprising both combatants.
Before Tanjirou could react a figure stepped in the middle of everyone and with a quick movement of a pink Katana he dispelled the tornado and grabbed the white-haired boy by the neck, throwing him away from the teenagers and momentarily ending the fight.
With difficulty due to exhaustion and blood loss, Tanjirou stood in front of Nezuko to defend her from a possible new attacker, but his concern was replaced by great surprise at a female figure he instantly recognized as she turned around to look at him sternly.
"Kanae-san?" The redhead asked when he finally saw the Flower Hashira he had saved a few years ago.
She now had a much taller and curvier figure, her face had finer and more delicate details, different from those slightly rounded features characteristic of her final stage as a teenager, in addition to wearing a white Haori with bluish flower-shaped prints.
"Kanae??!!What the hell are you doing!!??that brat is protecting a demon!!" Shinazugawa exclaimed, quite annoyed, something that was ignored by her.
The woman's gaze softened slightly upon hearing her name come from the redhead's lips. "It's good to know that you remember me Tanjirou" she noted as she observed the various wounds and blood that covered his clothes" and I see that you've been having trouble recently"
He could only smile slightly tired at the little joke "more than you imagine, but could I ask why you are here along with several Demon Slayers?? This is the first time I have seen someone from the corps around this area"
Kanae only looked away to the side of her back before finally offering an answer "That's because we are on a very important mission, that's why almost all the Hashira are here along with other Slayers"
"The 4 I fought mentioned something about that topic, but what is so important to bring them to this place??"
"That mission is you" answered a soft and serene voice.
When Tanjirou turned back to discover the cause, he could see with some concern a group of approximately 20 people all disguised in black outfits that covered their faces, along with at least a dozen swordsmen, who had their Nichirin pointing with clear nervousness in the direction of Nezuko, but there didn't seem to be any intention of attacking if it was not necessary, something that slightly calmed the elder Kamado.
But of all of them, there were 4 that caught the attention of the former Tsugikuni.
The first was a girl who had Kanae's previous Haori, in addition to a notable resemblance to the aforementioned, except for the black hair with purple tips that flowed freely over her shoulders and dark violet eyes.
Another was a very intimidating looking man of enormous size, who seemed to shed tears for some reason,while praying and praying for the well-being of his companions.
The third was a black-haired man with blue eyes and a stoic expression, but without the touch of annoyance of Iguro, who only observed the place waiting for any order or indication. He was wearing a Haori with 2 different halves, something that made Tanjirou curious.
Lastly, and the one that stood out the most to Tanjirou, was a blond man with reddish tips like his eyes of both colors and a tense smile on his face. He must definitely be a relative of his former friend, Enjiuro Rengoku.
In the middle of all the crowd,there was a couple both on top of a float to surely move faster, they seemed to be the cause of all this conflict. One was an adult woman of absolute beauty, wearing a set of bluish robes, which covered her tall figure. Her facial features were also extremely beautiful, with reddish and thin lips, short hair as white as snow itself and purple eyes that looked with enormous admiration and hope at the redhead.
Then there was the man next to him, with another set of white robes for the cold, with slightly long black hair, pale skin like the woman's and a serious injury that covered the upper part of his face, including his white eyes, lacking function and yet, they were staring at Tanjirou fixedly, as if somehow he knew he was there.
Of all the people she expected to meet on this day, she never thought she would meet him specifically. They may have never met, but his identity was more than evident, both by the man's physical features, and by the number of high-ranking Demon Slayers escorting him.
"Ubuyashiki" everyone was extremely surprised by the fact that someone outside the corps knew the name of their leader,although the aforementioned did not seem to react at all, he only continued to observe and analyze the 2 Kamados.
After several seconds, the man's calm voice rang out again throughout the place, slightly calming everyone, including a fearful Nezuko, who was still possessively clinging to Tanjirou's injured arm.
"It's a pleasure to meet you Tanjirou Kamado, Kanae told me a lot about you."
Tanjirou put away the stolen Nichirin while bowing as a gesture of goodwill, but still alert in case he was completely engulfed "The pleasure is mine Oyakata-sama."
This was undoubtedly a unique opportunity, if all went well, he could finally receive help to improve his physical abilities, learn more about the Breathings and most importantly, ensure the safety of his sister. Otherwise, he would have to use the mark and pray that he could get away as quickly as possible and get out alive.
N/A:Well well, it seems that the introductions have finally arrived. At first it was going to be only Muichiro and Amane who would find Tanjirou, but reading another Kimetsu story I remembered that Kanae knew of Tanjirou's existence, and if Kagaya heard that there was a boy with crimson eyes and hair who was able to use different breathings and face the Upper Moon 2 for several minutes, I'm sure he would do ANYTHING to recruit him, and of course if he's there, then the Hashiras must go as escorts, just in case.
If Muzan comes to realize that there is no sun and decides to finally use his brilliant mind to go out and check the bodies of the Kamados, he will have the best/worst day of his life, depending on whether he can kill all the Hashiras and Oyakata-Samoa or if he has 6 heart attacks finding a miniature version depending on Yoriichi (Spoilers: It won't happen lol).
Anyway, now it's time to see what happens, will Ubuyashiki accept Nezuko? Will Tanjirou have to use all his potential to defeat the Hashiras and the swordsmen that surround him? Will Muichiro remember that all this has happened? Well, we'll have to wait to find out. By the way, I wish you all a happy new year!!
Thanks for reading :)