Tanjirou gasped, waking up with a start. His hands trembled, clutching the sheets of the bed he lay on. He slowly sat up with stiff movements, squinting his hazy eyes and blinking. The intense rays of sunlight caused him to wince, shutting his eyes immediately before opening them once more to readjust his vision.
A sterile scent filled the room—sharp, like alcohol. It felt odd. Normally, he's used to waking up to the fragrance of wisteria flowers in the Butterfly mansion or wisteria houses after a night patrol of taking demons down. Unless he was in neither.
He didn't feel injured, just a little dizzy and wobbly. Two curtains were placed on each side of his bed, obscuring his vision to see the rest of the room. He placed his palm to the side of his face, processing what had happened until now. Training, explosion, crow summoning, running with Tomioka, Hashiras gathered, traps... Muzan.
His heart leapt, recalling everything in his mind. That's right! Everyone had their lives on the line, yet here he was. How could he be sleeping through this? Yet...
Something doesn't seem right.Tanjirou thought, then he shook his head.No, no time to ponder; I have to go join in the battle and help Mr. Tomioka.
He tossed the blanket aside, looked at his belt, and then checked the bed with a furrow of his eyebrows.Where's my sword?
At that moment, the door slid open, revealing a tall man standing in the doorway. Unruly black hair rested on his shoulders, studying the awakened slayer with a tired gaze. His black underground hero uniform and capture weapon moved in sync with his stride movements towards his bed.
So this is the kid Kendo and Monoma mentioned. The other two should be occupying the other beds. And like they said, these aren't familiar faces. So how were teenagers able to get into U.A. without setting off a single alarm?Aizawa's head raced with questions.
He recalled earlier when he and Vlad King had confiscated the swords mentioned by the two students. They gave space for Recovery girl to check on them, only mentioning they'd wake up in another hour.
The slayer's heart strummed in his chest, his eyes scanning Aizawa for some sort of reassurance or an explanation. He had no clue of what's going on or his whereabouts; most of the objects he's laid eyes on were unfamiliar to him. His body trembled, his hands wringing with shallow breaths.
To him, he gave off a whiff of an earthy scent, one that Tanjirou had no idea what it was. Tired? Calm? Dismissive? Blunt? The boy's mind spiraled from the different scents he could pick up, but there was a distinct one. It was minute but there. Care and worry.
"Kid, it's okay now. You are safe." Aizawa had already taken a seat beside the bed, placing a firm but consoling hand on his shoulder. He hoped he was doing it right so as not to make the boy uncomfortable. His gaze softened, taking in the shaking features of the young teen. Slowly but surely, the boy managed to calm down.
He's trying to help me?Tanjirou blinked, raising his head to meet Aizawa.There's something unsettling and in-between about his presence.
Can I trust him?I don't smell any hostility from him, but... there's something else.
"Thanks for the ride, Aizawa." A voice cut through his thoughts. Nezu popped out from Aizawa's capture weapon, holding a cup of tea in hand with elegant fashion and frankly normal to him. Aizawa gave the principal a blank stare, momentarily distracted by the small, stout. That was when it clicked in Tanjirou. A mouse can't talk unless...
It's a demon! This should be a blood demon art or an illusion or dream state, like with the battle with lower moon one on the Mugen train!His fists tightened as his suspicions grew.
Aizawa observed the boy's quick change in demeanor. His eyes were full of determination and coldness. The softness was gone in an instant. The man widened his eyes in realization, and just as he was about to use his capture weapon, he got roughly shoved to the desk with his side by Inosuke, who was upright and awake. Before Tanjirou could react, The curtain beside him was flung open, Zenitsu tugged him, and the three boys dashed into the hallway.
"Took you long enough, Senpachiro!" Inosuke yelled at Tanjirou before putting on his boar head mask.
"Inosuke! Zenitsu! How did you—?" Tanjirou looked at the duo, confusion and relief etching his voice.
"We woke up and saw one of the demons. It would have been much trouble carrying you, so we waited for the right time." Zenitsu explained, his face pale with fear.
"Monitsu wanted to stop me from beheading one of them. He kept watching us like a creep." Inosuke grumbled, his mind recalling Monoma.
"You idiot, how do you expect us to slay them without our swords?!"
"What did you call me, Chupitsu?!" Inosuke retorts.
That's right... Our swords...Tanjirou sniffed the air, catching a scent of rage. Not from his friends but something darker, something more dangerous.
"EEEEEK! RUN, YOU GUYS, THE DEMON LOOKS PISSED!"
He looked over his shoulder to Aizawa. To say the pro hero was mad was an understatement. His eyes glowed red, and his hair stood hovering in the air. Tanjirou couldn't believe he almost trusted this guy. He was certain that he was a demon now.
The three slayers took to their heels, using the total concentration breathing technique to enhance their physical sprint. Aizawa, briefly surprised, muttered about dealing with a new problem at the school, picking himself up and going after them.
As the three ran, Tanjirou caught sight of a Mohawk teen looking dazed in the middle of the hallway. "Genya!"
Genya perked up, swiftly looking over his shoulder and alarmed by their upcoming pace. From afar, he spotted Aizawa pursuing them and abruptly joined in their run. "The hell is going on, and who's after you guys?!"
"Obviously a demon, Kenya!" Inosuke remarks, earning an irk mark from Genya, who was immediately relieved on seeing his comrades.
"Still can't pronounce my name, huh?"
The four took a sharp turn on a corner. The male students from Class 1-B exited the changing room, taken aback by Tanjirou and Inosuke sprinting above their heads while Zenitsu and Genya slid beneath them and continued their run without stopping.
"So...that happened?" Awase tilts his head, breaking the awkward silence.
Those guys from earlier are up and running?Monoma frowned, seeing Aizawa pass by shortly after in hot pursuit.
Up ahead, a door flung open, revealing a girl with a butterfly pin, her hair packed into a side ponytail, and wearing a demon slayer uniform. Her face was etched with anger, glaring at one of the second years trying to flirt with her.
"Kanao!" Tanjirou shouts, relieved to find another friend of his. She didn't notice them until after kicking the second-year boy aside.
Her expression was still filled with fury but flickered off at the sight of the boys. They skidded to a stop, forming a loose circle.
"So you also met the demons too?" Genya asks. Kanao nodded, her shoulders falling.
"It's a coincidence, I guess. For all of us to meet each other." Genya continued with a relieved expression. Tanjirou nodded in agreement. At least they had each other, which was good.
"I can hear him. He's getting closer." Zenitsu warned, whipping his head around. "Let's stick close, alright?"
At the school P.E. grounds, Hagakure shook her head, tearing her eyes away from the school building. Her mind danced internally at the thought of seeing a half-naked boar-headed teen and a few unfamiliar faces with her homeroom teacher pursuing them. Frankly, she zoned out of the already concluded training session as Midnight began to announce the results of the race.
"Hagakure, are you listening?" Mina asked, eyeing the invisible girl in her sportswear.
"Uh... Yeah, sorry, I zoned out there." She said, waving her invisible hand, which Mina had no idea of. The invisible girl turned back to Midnight, now on the phone with someone, until she ended the call. Midnight stared at her phone for a moment, then looked up at Class 1-A.
"That's the end of class for today. You are free to head back to change." She said, dismissing the class. Everyone nodded before going back into groups while chatting with each other. As for the invisible girl, she certainly hoped she wasn't getting paranoid and shrugged it off, rejoining the others.
Aizawa observed from the stairs, eyes narrowing at the newcomers who had joined in the fray. The slayers descended swiftly down the stairs, moving without yet a sign of fatigue, while the pro hero simply used his cloth-like scarf to help himself slide down enough to catch up to them.
No weapons in their possession. No Hashiras. Only plain enemies in their eyes as they banded together, brushing past the group of support and general course students.
"Damn, blood demon art!" Zenitsu sighed in frustration, squinting at the man. He had enough of these demons. They turned another corner, their eyes lit with hope. Seeing a door wide open, the sun's rays reach the doorway.
Just as Tanjirou was about to reach the door, a wall of cement slammed down in front of them, startling them. They quickly turned to see two otherdemonsclosing in. Hardened and cold frowns were apparent on their faces since their only escape option had been snatched.
"Are these the teenagers you talked about on the phone?" Cementoss turned to Eraserhead.
"Yeah, they may be teenagers, but they are skilled." He faced the slayers with his hair down, and his eyes reverted to normal. "Look, we are not the bad guys, alright? We would just take you in for questioning. How did you get in here without the security alarm going off, for example?"
Genya clicked his tongue, his mistrust evident almost like he was facing Upper Moon four all over again.
"Don't underestimate the lord of the mountains; I'm going to murder every one of you demons!" Inosuke screeched.
The pro heroes took a mental note of what he said. Aizawa narrowed his eyes at the slayer. Murder every one of us demons?
"Seriously, I need you all to calm down. We can sort this out." Aizawa said tiredly, raising his arms at his side.
"HOW THE HELL ARE WE SUPPOSED TO CALM DOWN WHEN WE ARE SURROUNDED BY DEMONS, HUH?!" Zenitsu screeched. Aizawa deadpanned at his ridiculous yet humorous expression.
This kid has a strong pair of lungs...
Nevertheless, the slayers didn't lower their guard at all. If anything, it spurred them further, especially Inosuke.
"Beast Breathing, Eighth fang: Explosive rush!" He charged straight at the cement hero. Cementoss momentarily gaped, taken by surprise; he formed a cement wall, but unfortunately a moment too late, as he was tackled aside.
Kanao leaped towards Eraserhead, aiming a powerful kick. Quickly, Aizawa tugged his scarf, wrapped her leg, and flung her to the door, but she regained balance, briefly landing on the door and rebounding for a faster kick.
As she leapt, Aizawa came face-to-face with the burgundy-haired teen, who delivered a headbutt to him.
What kind of forehead does this kid have?
Aizawa staggered back with an inaudible grunt. Kanao's kick connected with his back, sending him to the ground. Genya and Zenitsu seized the chance, grabbing for the scarf. But Aizawa recovered quickly, making the fabric float and pulling them off balance. Just then, Present Mic arrived.
"STOP MESSING AROUND, KIDS!" Present Mic's voice echoed into his loudspeakers, to Zenitsu's dismay. The blonde slayer winced, clutching his ears, while Inosuke flinched at the sudden loudness. The teens, unaware of the pink ambiance invading their senses.
Something was off. Tanjirou sniffed the air again, feeling dizzier than earlier. Kanao raised her leg above Eraserhead, opting to knock him out, but he caught it and tossed her at the boy, who caught her before his knees buckled. He collapsed backward, Kanao landing on top of him in a heap.
"You are late, Nemuri." Aizawa sighed, picking himself up.
"Is that your way of saying thanks, Shouta?" Midnight's voice broke through, her playful smirk fading to seriousness. "So, care to explain what you were trying to tell me on the phone?"
Nezu appeared from his capture weapon, ignoring the tiresome look his colleague sent his way. "Looks like you've wrapped things up here."
He's been watching this entire time.
"I'll reach out to Detective Tsukauchi about this case. In the meantime..." Nezu began, glancing at Aizawa's injury. "You should go see Recovery Girl."
Aizawa couldn't agree more. A bleeding forehead from a headbutt, and he was pretty sure he broke a few ribs from the impact landing of the kick from earlier.
・・・・・
Taisho secrets
*Aizawa concluded that he had found new problem children, specifically Tanjirou and Inosuke.
*While Monoma kept an eye on the slayers earlier, Inosuke rolled on his bed, prompting the blonde to take off his mask, and was stricken to see he had a beautiful face underneath.
#Preview
"I AM HASHIBIRA INOSUKE! LORD OF THE MOUNTAINS! GOT THAT, MINIONS! WE WILL DEFEAT THOSE DAMN DEMONS!" Inosuke cackled confidently, pointing at the four.
"Like hell, I'll call you that !" Genya retorts.
"You want to fight me?" Inosuke challenged. The other three stared blankly at the two quarreling.
"I can't believe we got caught by demons. This isn't how my life was supposed to end!" Zenitsu cried with tears streaming down his cheeks. Kanao and Tanjirou blinked at the three making a nuisance.
Tanjirou sighed, looking at everyone. "We have to escape. No matter what, we have to join the others to fight against Muzan. Let's fight together."
"Next, Chapter 5: Meeting the pro heroes, interrogation."
To be continued...