Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“ ‘Great pride’? ‘Luck in battle’?” Inosuke thought out loud.

“Jeez, this guy is totally clueless.” Zenitsu thought.

“Well, yeah, now that you mention it, it’s kind of difficult.” Tanjiro pondered. “ ‘With great pride’... I guess it means that you know your place and that you behave properly so that you’re never ashamed of yourself.” Tanjiro explained

“Huh?” Inosuke said.

“And the old lady is also praying for our safety.” Tanjiro finished explaining.

“So, what is this ‘place’? What do you mean, ‘never ashamed’?” Inosuke asked.

“Well it’s-” Tanjiro began.

“What does it mean to ‘behave properly’? Why in the hell would that old hag pray for our safety anyways? She has nothing to do with us. Then, why?” Inosuke continued to ask.

“Oh…” Tanjiro quietly said.

“She has no clue what her own place is, does she?” Inosuke pointed out.

Tanjiro thought for a moment, before puffing out his face as he sped up from a jog to a run.

“He sped up!” Zenitsu thought.

“I won’t get beat!-” Inosuke shouted, before cutting himself off.

The space around them began to shift strangely. The environment around seemed to quickly darken until all they could see was each other. The next instant the darkness quickly retreated, except they were somewhere else now. The forest was replaced with dark walls, with low tables and tatami chairs. At the front of the room is a large black box that none of them have ever seen before. In the middle of the room there seemed to be a gap, separating the room into two parts.

“Ahh! Where are we?!” Zenitsu screeched, huddling up close to Tanjiro.

“Where are we? There wasn’t a demon nearby, and they aren’t active during the daytime.” Tanjiro thought, quickly drawing his sword.

“How did we get here, Gonpachiro?!” Inosuke shouted.

Then the darkness returned again, but this time it was concentrated. It swelled in size, but it quickly shrunk after a moment. Inosuke and Tanjiro readied themselves, but instead it was a group of nine slayers. They instantly drew their swords as well.

“Eh? Shinobu? Kyojuro?” Mitsuri asked, lowering her sword.

“Where the hell are we?” Sanemi shouted.

“There’s a demon nearby.” Muichiro pointed out.

“Young slayers! Do you know what has happened?” Kyojuro asked.

Then another mass of darkness appeared again, and again swelled and retreated again. This time only seven people appeared. Except, they aren’t other slayers. It is a family, with two adults and five kids. The father also seemed quite sickly as well.

“Master?” Tengen asked, very confused.

“Amane where are we?” Kagaya asked.

“We seem to have been brought to a strange room along with our children. The Hasira and a few Mizunoto slayers are here as well.” Amane explained.

Then another group was brought. It almost seemed like the groups being brought are coming quicker and quicker. This time a group of three people.

“What?” Sakonji asked.

A group of seven people were brought right after. The group of people being brought was speeding up! A new group was brought, this time having four people, before the previous group could say anything. Panic began to spread as a group of five appeared right after. Would more people get dragged to this room as well.

“Ahh! Hotaru, where are we?” Kotetsu shouted.

The room was filled with panicked and confused voices as many people began talking at the same time.

“Master! Are you ok?” Gyomei asked.

“Tanjiro, who are all these people?!” Zenitsu shouted.

“Aoi, what’s going on?” Sumi asked, as the three girls huddled near her.

“Big brother..?” Genya mumbled.

“Suma, calm down!” Makio shouted.

While everyone was trying to calm everyone, a voice spoke that stood out to everyone.

“Welcome, I’m sure you all are very confused.” Someone spoke, though no one could figure out where the voice was coming from. “I have brought all of you here for an important event. Rest assured, no harm will come to any of you while you are here.” The voice explained.

“Where are we?” Shinjuro shouted angrily.

“This is the theatre room. A majority of the event will be taking place here. Beyond the door, behind the boy in a checkered black and green haori, is the living room. You may rest there while the event is not happening. Connected to the living room is a large kitchen which has a pantry that will be restocked nightly. There is also a garden for those who may want to take a stroll, and a long hallway with bedrooms. The room will list how many beds are inside and can be locked for privacy.” The voice explains.

“Bedrooms?” Some pondered out loud.

“Please make yourselves comfortable while the last group is being brought over.” The voice finishes.

Most were hesitant to move, but Tanjiro decided to open the door behind him. It slid into the wall revealing the large living room and garden the voice spoke about. There were plenty of tables near the garden, as well as bookshelves poking out of the corner. Everything inside looked very high quality, it had to easily cost billions of yen to furnish. The current and previous hashira along with the Ubuyashiki family grouped together to begin discussing the situation. Others began looking around the room for any obvious escapes.

Then, on the other side of the room, that same darkness appeared. It brought three groups; one group had six, the second had seven, and the last had two. These weren’t people though, they were demons. All the active slayers readied their weapons as an oppressive aura filled the room. That group of seven all had kanji in their eyes that said upper moon, which many of the slayers were focused on. Seething anger and fear filled the room, but only one person dared to speak.

“Muzan Kitbutsuji!” Tanjiro shouted, catching everyone's attention.

As if on queue, Nezuko kicked open her box to come stand side by side with Tanjiro. The room looked ready to erupt into chaos as many people readied to fight, but then everything stopped. Everyone looked as if they were about to fall over, yet no one moved an inch. It was as if time froze, but everyone was aware.

“Now that all the viewers are here, some ground rules are needed. First, no harm comes to anyone. From Breathing styles to Demon art, from murder to even just a punch. None of it will happen with the intent to harm a viewer. Second, none are allowed to enter a locked bedroom. It is to ensure absolute privacy for all whether you sleep or use the room for any other purpose. They are sound proofed as well so there is no worries of conversations being heard. Third, there will be a set viewing schedule. 10am to 1pm will be viewing time, then a break will be given from 1pm to 5pm. After that 5pm to 8pm will be the second viewing block, then you are free to do whatever you please beyond these two viewing times. Everyone will be given a fifteen minute warning before the viewing times begin, so you have adequate time to finish what you are doing. Fourth, you are not allowed to take anything from the garden. Nothing is dangerous there, I just enjoy keeping my garden well maintained.” The voice finished explaining

Then, everyone unfroze. Most were able to catch their balance, but some did stumble.

“Ubuyashiki, he is right there. If I can kill him, I’ll be rid of these demon slayers that have been a thorn since the Heian era.” Muzan thought to himself, reaching out an arm.

But nothing happened, he was suddenly frozen again except everyone else seemed to be moving.

“What the hell?!” Sanemi shouted, also seemingly frozen as well.

“Rule one, no harm to anyone is to occur. You will be frozen if you attempt to harm anyone, even through unconventional means like shoving or shapeshifting. Knowing your personality, Muzan, you should know that you are included in this rule as well.” The voice pointed out.

Muzan gritted his teeth, but was eventually able to lower his arm after giving up. Some slayers grinned, seeing Muzan being powerless as a human against a demon. Then Shinobu froze as well, but only for a second.

“Well, it seems the rule is quite enforced. I only had to think about attacking before freezing.” Shinobu pointed out.

Sanemi scoffed, eventually sheathing his sword.

“Ohhh, so how does this strange power work?” Douma asked.

“All you all need to know is that any effort in harming someone will have you frozen until you decide against the attempt. If there is persistence after that, stronger measures will be taken.” The voice explained, sending a chill down everyone's spine.

If being frozen is the first measure, what would be beyond that?

“Now, before anyone is allowed to leave, introductions are in order. I will announce those who have been invited to this event. Firstly we have the Ubuyashiki family. We have Kagaya, Amane, Hinaki, Nichika, Kiriya, Kuina and Katana…” The voice explained.

The black box flashed on as each name was called, showing the appearance of each person. It made some uncomfortable how easily hidden information was willingly being shared to demons.

“...Next we have the nine hashira. Giyuu Tomioka, Mitsuri Kanroji, Obanai Iguro, Sanemi Shinazugawa, Gyomei Himejima, Muichiro Tokito. Shinobu Kocho, Kyojuro Rengoku and Tengen Uzui…” The voice continued.

“How did someone get this information? Master's family is meant to be hidden away, but they have their names and even appearances.” Some of the hashira pondered.

“...Next are the retired hashira. Sakonji Urokodaki, Jigoro Kuwajima, and Shinjuro Rengoku. Next are the slayers which are Kanao Tsuyuri, Tanjiro Kamado, Zenitsu Agatsuma, Inosuke Hashibira, Genya Shinazugawa, and Kaigaku Inadama…” The voice continued on.

“How did they get everyone's name?” Tanjiro wondered nervously.

“Eek! The voice knows me!” Zenitsu thought.

“Last for the human side is the non-slayers. Aoi Kanzaki, Sumi Nakahara, Kiyo Terauchi, Naho Takada, Nezuko Kamado, Hotaru Haganezuka, Kozo Kanamori, Tecchin Tecchikawahara, Kotetsu, Senjuro Rengoku, Hinatsuru Uzui, Makio Uzui and Suma Uzui.” The voice said.

“Human side?” Many wondered.

“For the Demons. I will be mentioning both demon name, as well as human name if their demon one is not the same. Muzan Kibutsuji, Tamayo, Yushiro Yamamoto, Nakime Otokawa, Kokushibo or Michikatsu Tsugikuni, Douma, Akaza or Hakuji Soyama, Hantengu, Gyokko, Gyutaro or Gyutaro Shabana, Daki or Ume Shabana, Enmu, Rui or Rui Ayaki. Please get acquainted and return to this room by ten am.” The voice finally finished.

The screen flickered off after showing the last demon. A countdown replaced it, giving everyone two hours of rest.

“One more thing, Tanjiro Kamado and Nezuko Kamado, please meet me in the garden.” The voice told them.

~[1:58:54]~

So far, it has been a confusing mess. He and his friends are kidnapped and brought to a strange room with many other people, as well as other demons. It’s quite unnerving, but no one can do much about it.

“Tanjiro, are you sure about going?” Zenitsu asked.

“I’m sure things will work out, they must have something important to tell us if they want to speak privately.” Tanjiro reassured him, and himself.

“Hm!” Nezuko hummed in agreement.

“Keep an eye on Inosuke, alright?” Tanjiro told him, turning to leave with Nezuko.

“Hey! Don’t leave me with this guy!” Zenitsu called out, but the two of them kept walking.

It didn’t take long for them to make it to the garden, but the only issue is the sun. The glass room allowed the sunlight to cover every inch of the lush garden. It looked more like a forest, but he’s never seen trees like this before. Suddenly a strange wispy thing appeared in front of them, he wasn’t sure if he should be surprised at this point.

“Follow.” The creature called out, a voice smooth like the breeze.

“Ah, my sister is unable to come. The sunlight would burn her.” He explained.

“Safe, rule one.” It told him, which puzzled him.

“Hm?” Nezuko hummed, tilting her head to the side.

“Wait! So the sun won’t burn her because of the rule?” He asked, puzzled.

“Yes, follow.” The thing asked again.

Hesitantly, he followed the thing. Nezuko seemed nervous, but eventually followed into the sunlight as well. He watched as the sunlight slowly began to envelop her, but nothing happened. Not a single singe or smell of smoke, his sister was walking in the sun again.

“Nezuko.” He mumbled, smiling brightly.

“Hm!” Nezuko hummed, waving her arms in the air.

“Please follow.” The thing told the two.

“Right, sorry.” Tanjiro apologized, but couldn’t wipe the smile off his face.

He grabbed Nezuko’s hand as the two were led deeper into the garden. They didn’t walk very far in before he realized why a guide was sent. The place was like a maze, with many other paths branching off. They twisted and turned as the entrance quickly disappeared into the foliage. He couldn’t help but take in the sight of all the new trees and flowers as they followed the strange thing. Eventually they made it to a small clearing where someone was sitting. They looked normal, wearing a plain pale blue kimono with a deep blue hakama. They had straight blond hair, though it wasn’t as bright as Zenitsu’s hair.

“Welcome Tanjiro, Nezuko.” they spoke, which he instantly recognized as the voice.

“Hello.” Tanjiro greeted, while Nezuko hummed.

“Thank you for your help guiding them, ልፕረጎ.” They spoke, the last part being some strange pronunciation.

“Ah, thank you.” Tanjiro told the creature.

“Why don’t you two take a seat?” The person asked, gesturing to the other side.

He listened, but he still couldn’t shake a strange feeling he had about the person. They were kind and seemed normal, but it’s like something is missing. He knew it couldn’t just be him either, Nezuko was uncomfortable as well by them.

“I will be blunt here, we will be viewing the future. With how it works, I decided to show it through your family's future. It will also include your family’s past as well.” The person told him.

“... What?” He blurted, sitting stunned.

He glanced over to Nezuko, who also had a look of utter confusion on her face as well.

“It’s a pain to explain all the details, but it’s possible and we are showing it to you and the viewers.” They explained, sighing heavily while staring off.

“So, you can show us the future?” He absently asked, still trying to process everything.

“Yes. I just want to share ahead of time so you can mentally prepare. We will be starting at the beginning of this, so I wanted to give you that courtesy.” They explained.

So, everyone will be seeing the future through his family? What does that even mean?! It’s all so confusing. He and a lot of other people have been brought here to see the future, but through his family? How does it even work?

“What do you exactly mean my family, Mr?” He asked.

“Call me Clover.” Clover told him.

“Right, so what do you mean by that Mr. Clover?” He asked again.

“I’ll let that be a surprise.” Clover smirked.

“Hm…” Nezuko grumbled, setting her head on the table.

“Well, it’s best if you two leave. Your friends are in a bit of a ruckus right now.” Clover told him, looking off in a direction.

The wispy creature returned from the path, while Clover seemed to suddenly vanish from sight. It was as if they had never been here in the first place… That’s what has been bugging him! Clover doesn’t seem to have a smell of any sort. He couldn’t tell because of all the other floral smells, but during the entire conversation there wasn’t even a slight shift in anything. Nezuko must’ve been able to tell something was off as well, but it’s as if this spot was meant to throw them off.

“Follow.” The wispy creature called out.

“Let’s go Nezuko.” Tanjiro said, grabbing her hand.

“Mm.” Nezuko sighed.

The two of them leave, diving back into the colorful forest.

~[1:57:21]~

It's quite a strange place everyone has been brought to. A building in an unknown location, with things beyond anyone's understanding. Demons, creatures many have sworn to hunt and kill, are unable to harm them here. And it is the same for them, being unable to slay them.

“Sakonji, it's been some time since we've last seen each other in person. You still wear that Tengu mask.” Jigoro pointed out.

“Yes, it could've been an enjoyable encounter if not for the current situation.” He told his old friend.

“You should be over in the Hashira meeting.” Jigoro jokes.

“It's long past our time. These new Hashiras are quite adept, just take Rengoku's boy being a hashira not too long after Shinjuro's retirement.” He told Jigoro.

“Mh. I'm sure they'll figure out something. I spotted some games amongst the bookshelves, how about we have a round at Shoji?” Jigoro asked.

“I don't see why not.” He chuckled.

~[1:56:58]~

“Seems as if the voice wasn't lying, couldn't hear a peep through the walls. Are you sure you were shouting?” Tengen jokes.

“Please don't rile them up to shout again, Rengoku's already loud as is.” Shinobu asked, while Kyojuro laughed.

“If that is the case, then I believe we can have this meeting safely, Master.” Gyomei pointed out.

“Right-” Kagaya began.

“Hello, sorry to intrude.” Clover said, knocking on the side of the door.

Many instinctively reached for their swords, but became frozen.

“Sorry to spook, but I figured this was the best timing.” Clover apologized.

“How bold to approach without any of us noticing!” Kyojuro exclaimed.

“Gyomei, Kagaya, Obanai. Can you three close your eyes for a moment. It will make the adjustment less shocking.” Clover explained.

“And why should we trust you?” Obanai asked coldly.

“Well, I'll do it anyway. Closing your eyes won't make it as shocking though.” Clover explained with a sigh.

“Can you perhaps explain what you mean by it?” Kagaya asked.

“Well, you'll need to be able to see for the event.” Clover explained.

“Do you mean that you'll be giving us sight then?” Gyomei asked.

“Yup. It's not permanent so it will fade once you leave this place, but while you're here you should be able to see just fine.” Clover grinned.

“Really?” Kagaya asked.

“Yup.” Clover said, making a pop noise after the p.

The three of them hesitantly closed their eyes and waited. Yet, Clover made no move to do anything.

“Alright, you should be good to go.” Clover told the three.

“Eh? You didn’t do anything?” Mitsuri pointed out.

“I knew it was-” Obanai began to speak, but paused.

“Well… It’s a blessing that I have the chance to see all my children again.” Kagaya smiled.

“The world is so colorful…” Gyomei mumbled, putting his hands together for prayer.

“Take full advantage of the opportunity. My garden is quite beautiful in full bloom.” Clover told them.

“How were you able to do such a thing? It's impossible through known medicine, could it be related to your strange powers?” Shinobu asked.

“It's so great that you all can see now! Obanai, you can help me bake now since you're able to see fully.” Mitsuri told him.

“Yeah.” Obanai said, looking away.

“Hey Muichiro.” Clover called out, snapping the boy out of his daze.

“Hm?” Muichiro hummed.

“Remembering should be a bit easier now. Brains are a bit tricky, but for now recalling should be a bit easier now.” Clover told him.

“Huh, You are very strange! I can't even tell if you're human. All your oddities are quickly adding up.” Kyojuro pointed out.

“Could even be a demon.” Sanemi grumbles.

“Thank you?” Muichiro said, looking confused.

“Could we perhaps get your-” Gyomei began to ask, but stopped.

In the bustle of the sudden change, none of them noticed Clover somehow slipping away. It unsettled them how it could come and go without them noticing, despite all the years of training.

“I believe there is much to discuss about our situation.” Kagaya announced.

“I'll get the door.” Tengen said, closing it.

~[1:56:50]~

“I don't have time for this. Nakime, return me to the Infinity Castle now.” Muzan ordered.

“Yes Lord Muzan.” Nakime answered, strumming her biwa.

A moment, then another. Nakime strummed her biwa a few more times, but nothing happened.

“Forgive me Lord Muzan, it seems I cannot access the Infinity Castle.” Nakime told him nervously.

Muzan sighed heavily, trying to get his temper under control. It was frustrating to begin with being ripped away in the middle of his research, but being stuck with a room of humans who wanted him dead enraged him further. With the forced ceasefire, they are much bolder to show their distaste. Disrespecting him with their glares of hatred, instead of cowering like the ants they are.

“Useless, all of you.” He muttered under his breath.

Kokushibo and Akaza have already tried breaking the walls of this place, but not even a dent was left. Considering how they were all suddenly kidnapped here without notice, something wrong is going on here. It's like the world beyond the walls doesn't exist, not even a peep of noise outside.

~[1:50:02]~

“What are all of these things Monitsu?!” Inosuke shouted, pointing at the appliances in the kitchen.

“How should I know? I don't know what's going on either.” Zenitsu grumbled.

“Hm, I've never seen anything like this either. It has a different look compared to everything else here.” Douma pointed out.

Zenitsu froze upon the sight of the demon. Despite not doing much, he could feel the oppressive aura the demon was giving off. His instincts were going haywire and he wanted to scream his lungs out.

“Who are you?” Inosuke asked, clearly also having felt the aura.

“The strange thing announced everyone's name, but I don't mind giving a refresher! I'm Douma.” Douma said all too cheerfully.

“Oi! Quit with that! You're ruining my drink.” Shinjuro shouted.

“Oh my, how incredulous.” Douma pouted, but Zenitsu could feel the weight lift a little.

“Let's go Inosuke.” Zentisu said, grading and running off with Inosuke before he could reply.

“Oi! What are you doing?!” Inosuke shouted, trying to wrangle free.

“Zenitsu! Inosuke!” Tanjiro called out, having just left the forest.

“Hm!” Nezuko called out as well, waving at the two.

“Nezuko?! What is she doing outside her box?” Zenitsu asked, trying to keep quiet.

“Well, no one can hurt each other so why not?” Tanjiro pointed out.

“You're just going to trust that stranger?!” Zenitsu quietly shouted.

“Clover seems nice? They told me you guys were in trouble and they gave me a guide for the garden.” Tanjiro explained.

“Who is Clover?” Zenitsu asked, confused.

“I think they're the one who brought us here. They're a bit odd though, I couldn't smell anything from them. It was like they weren't even there.” Tanjiro pondered.

“You saw who brought us here? I'm going to fight them and become the ruler of this room!” Inosuke interjected.

“Idiot.” Zenitsu thought.

“They were able to bring everyone here without us noticing, you have no chance.” Zenitsu told Inosuke.

“Huh?! I am the Mountain Lord Inosuke!” Inosuke shouted.

“So, you somehow survived the Final Selection.” Kaigaku jeered.

Zenitsu visibly shrunk in on himself as Kaigaku made his way over.

“You couldn’t uselessly cling to master anymore, so you moved onto these two?” Kaigaku scoffed as Zentisu looked away.

“Who are you? I don’t like the way you’re talking to my friend.” Tanjiro interrupted.

“Tanjiro, it's fine, let’s just go.” Zenitsu spoke up.

“You consider this wimp your friend? You should just ditch him, all he does is whine and mope.” Kaigaku told them.

“He can do way more than that! I may have not known him for very long, but I’m sure he’s much more capable than you say he is!” Tanjiro shoots back.

“Hm!” Nezuko chimes in as well.

“Wow you really-” Kaigaku began, but paused after looking at Nezuko.

“What are you doing hanging out with a demon!” Kaigaku spat.

“This is my younger sister. She’s not like other demons, she doesn’t eat humans!” Tanjiro boldly claimed, which caught everyone’s attention.

“A demon that doesn’t eat humans? You must be delusional.” Kaigaku told him.

“Tanjiro, let’s just go.” Zenitsu said, more insistent this time.

“Oh, you’re trying to leave now with the traitor?” Kaigaku asked

“Just leave me alone Kaigaku.” Zenitsu snapped back.

“So now you grow a spine?” Kaigaku taunted.

“How many times have I asked you to leave Zenitsu alone?” Jigoro asked, finally intervening.

“Gramps…” Zenitsu mumbled.

“Master!-” Kaigaku began.

“I already know. Sakonji told me already, just leave them alone for now.” Jigoro interrupted.

Kaigaku huffed, but he did as he was told and left. Zenitsu let out a deep sigh, as if he was holding his breath the entire time.

“Thank you! You must be Zenitsu’s master.” Tanjiro greeted.

“Yup, you’re Sakonji’s last pupil right? He told me everything already.” Jigoro told him.

“Oh, so you must-” Tanjiro began.

“Ah. Let me stop you there. I’m still not fully convinced, but I’ll believe you for now.” Jigoro sighed.

Well, that’s better than rejection, right? Compared to Kaigaku’s reaction, it's a great response.

“Zenitsu, come say hi to me later.” Jigoro chuckled, leaving them be.

“A-alright.” Zenitsu answered.

“Your master is nice.” Tanjiro pointed out.

“Yeah…” Zenitsu mumbled.

“I don't like that Laguna guy.” Inosuke huffed.

~[1:29:35]~

The Hashira began making their way out of the room they had disappeared to, which seemed to change the tension. The humans felt more safe, but still concerned at the same time. If a fight were to break out, many people would still be caught up in the crossfire. They didn't know how long they could trust that rule to stay in place for, or if someone would figure out some sort of loophole.

“Did you guys figure something out?” Senjuro asked, hurrying over just a little too quickly to Kyojuro.

“Not quite. The walls of the building seem impossible to break currently. Shinobu and a few others offered to search the greenhouse to see if there is a way out, but we figure that might be impossible as well.” Kyojuro calmly told him.

“Oh, so we're stuck here with…” Senjuro said, glancing over to the few demons scattered about.

Most of them kept to themselves, only ever staring at anyone that wandered too close. One seemed a bit too keen on talking with other people though, even approaching slayers multiple times.

“It seems so. Worry not! We will figure out something. If we were brought here, there surely has to be an exit!” Kyojuro states.

~[1:29:21]~

What a waste of time. He doesn’t even need to fight to know everyone here are just a bunch of weaklings. On top of the rule that they can’t fight? It’s the most useless thing he’s done, and he can’t do anything about it.

“My, my Akaza. Are you just going to stand in the corner and sulk?” Douma asks.

“Leave me alone.” He grumbled.

“Aw don’t be like that Akaza. Think of it like a break! I always take a break during the day with my members.” Douma told him cheerily.

“I don’t care.” He told him harshly.

“Geez, why is everyone so mean here? Can’t we just be friends, Akaza?” Douma asks.

He wants to punch his jaw off. There’s just something so grating about his voice that he can never pinpoint. Especially the way he says his name. He can feel his body freeze though, such a dumb rule. He forces his anger to calm enough that he just walks away.

“Akaza, where are you going?” Douma asks, following after.

“Away from you.” He grumbles.

“Don’t be so mean Akaza.” Douma whined.

That voice said something about the bedrooms being soundproof, might as well try. He weaved through the cluttered room and began making his way down the hallway. He found the closest open room and slammed the door shut before Douma could get inside.

“What are you-” Douma began to ask, but stopped after he locked the door.

Finally, some peace. For whatever reason, it seemed the noise blocking only activates after the door has been locked. Either way, he can finally get some peace and quiet from him.

~[1:27:49]~

Despite the terrible situation, it’s been more helpful than he first expected. Not only have they learned the appearance of Muzan Kitbutsuji, but also the appearance of the Upper Moon as well. When they return, it will make it much easier to track down the Upper Moon to launch an attack. He’s sure he heard a few reports about demons that look like them, though his returned sight won’t be much help outside of this place.

“From the sounds of it, we still have some time before whatever is going to take place. There’s not much else we can do but wait.” Amane told him.

“Yes, I guess we can use this time for something besides hunting demons.” He answered back.

“Father, could we go check out the greenhouse?” Nichika spoke up.

“Hm… I don’t see why not.” He pondered.

It feels a little bit like a betrayal to what he and the past generations have worked towards. But, a break for his family would be nice. After all they are doing to help him make up for his terrible physique.

~[1:24:03:]~

This kitchen has all sorts of strange devices in it. She recognizes some of it from her own kitchen, but they are much more compact than what she has. Wandering inside, she explores what is kept inside. It should be fine, right? That person did say it would be restocked every night, so that means they expect them to take stuff out?

“Whoa! There’s so much food here!” She blurts out, opening the large door in the middle of the kitchen wall.

There’s so many shelves inside and so many ingredients! She doesn’t recognize all of them, but she can spot stuff like flour and sugar. The bags are so big as well, this amount easily costs more than what she buys every month! Just how much money did this person have? Especially since they said it would be restocked nightly, which means they have even more than what’s inside. If this spot stores all the ingredients, then what about the large silver thing right next to it?

She cracks it open and can feel the cold air coming out. It must be a fridge then, but like everything else it seems different to her own. Like the pantry, it has plenty of ingredients as well. Were they really allowed to just grab these whenever they liked?

“What are you doing Mitsuri?” Obanai asks.

“Oh! I was just taking a look since I was getting kind of hungry. There’s so much here I feel a little nervous just taking it without asking.” She explained.

“... They were the one who dragged us here, it’s only right of them to provide food for us.” Obanai told her.

“Eh, I guess that’s true. Especially since we might be here for a long time…” She thought out loud.

~[1:01:23]~

Despite the demons around, people start to slowly settle in. Many just spend time in the living room, scouring through books and games to try and pass the time. Some visit the garden. Even if the demons can't do anything it's still unsettling being so close. A few visit the bedrooms, mainly to check out whether or not the voice was right. Only Tamayo and Yushiro are still in the viewing room. Right during their arrival, Yushiro used his Blood Demon art to hide away him and Tamayo. With the chaos and many demons around, they've gone undetected in the past hour.

“To be brought so close to that man…” Tamayo mumbles, gripping her kimono tightly.

“Don't worry Lady Tamayo, I'm sure we can figure a way out of here.” Yushiro tries to comfort her.

“Hello there! I seem to notice you two still haven't left the viewing room.” Clover says, having randomly appeared.

“You must be the voice that brought us here.” Tamayo says, calming her nerves.

“How dare you spook Lady Tamayo!” Yushiro shouts.

“Yushiro.” Tamayo says, making him back off.

“Just wanted to see why you two are so hesitant to leave.” Clover asks.

“There's a man here that I want to avoid completely.” Tamayo vaguely answers.

“Hm, even though the rules make it so the man can do nothing to you two?” Clover asks.

“Yes. How are you able to see us?” Tamayo asks.

“Hm, let's just say I have a few tricks up my sleeve. Got any more questions? Pick something interesting though.” Clover asks.

“I doubt this is interesting, but I would like to know your name.” Tamayo asks, still guarded.

“Call me Clover. Actually I should probably inform everyone else of my name, though trying to figure it out adds to the fun.” Clover grins.

“Alright Clover, why have you brought us here?” Tamayo asks.

“Already want spoilers, huh? I'll make it a game. Someone here already knows. Shouldn't be that hard to figure out.” Clover tells her, still grinning.

Something is off about them. Despite her heightened senses, she can't tell Clover is there. Visually, she can see them. Everything else is telling her there's nothing there though. They can seemingly appear out of thin air as well, which makes it impossible to find them.

“What are you? You're not human, or a demon. It's as if you're something that's not supposed to exist.” Tamayo asks, carefully wording her sentence.

“Oh man, wish I could tell you. Though, not really.” Clover answers.

“What do you mean?” Yushiro interjects.

“That information is classified, I wouldn't want to cause more problems already.” Clover answers, their grin seeming more inhuman.

“Why are you actually talking to us? You haven't said a word since you last spoke to everyone, so why talk to me?” Tamayo hesitantly asks.

“Well, I got a little tired of waiting. I figure I'd find someone to chat to for a few minutes, and your history makes you quite a smart one to talk to.” Clover answers, only further confusing them.

“Do you think Lady Tamayo's time is something you can just take up whenever you want?” Yushiro grumbles.

“Well, I'm sure Tamayo doesn't mind. There's many questions floating through everyone, but I don't want to ruin the fun by answering everything at once. Your history makes you two more hesitant to talk to everyone in this room, so anything said here will already be heavily filtered.” Clover replies, chuckling.

Again about it being fun. Do they not understand the tension in this place? It's like a room of oil, one spark and everything burns. Preferably, everyone doesn't want to be here.

“What's so fun about this situation?! There are at least thirty humans here, strong ones at that! As well as the Demon King and his Upper Moons!” Yushiro shouts.

“Eh, there's important information for everyone. Though, you could have a bit of a kinder tone.” Clover smiles, though it doesn't reach their eyes. “Ah, I’m just messing around.” Clover laughed.

One thing for sure is Clover is not human. Something is deeply wrong with them, she just can’t place what. It’s like they don’t understand the gravity of the situation at all, almost as if this is just a game.

“What is your goal in bringing all of us together? You said there’s important information for everyone, but you bought demons here as well. Wouldn’t the benefit of showing both humans and demons only cancel each other out?” Tamayo asks.

“Well, it’s not like it will be completely useless. Just because everyone has the same pieces doesn’t mean they’ll use them the same.” Clover answered, seeming distracted by something.

“ሠቹረረርልክ’ፕሃዐ፱ጎክፕቹዪህቹክቹ?ጎ’ጮ፪፱ነሃሠጎፕⶴነዐጮቹፕⶴጎክፏ.” Clover spoke, yet neither of them recognized it.

“What language was that?” Tamayo asks.

“ቻጎክቹ,ቻጎክቹ.” Clover huffed. “Won’t be answering that either, see you.” Clover said bluntly, vanishing before their eyes.

Tamayo sighed, like she had been holding a breath in. Something is deeply wrong about everything, and she desperately did not want to be here. Who could Clover be talking about though? Perhaps it’s the Kamado siblings, but can she risk approaching them with so many people around?

~[59:59]~

“ነፕቹየልነጎጋቹ,ጎርልክⶴልክጋረቹጎፕ.” Clover said, sighing.

“ክዐፕነዐ፪፱ነሃክዐሠ,ⶴ፱ⶴ?” A voice asked.

Clover sighed, not taking their eyes away from the task. Out of all the times, it had to be now?

~[5:00]~

Things were peaceful, tense but peaceful. The demons and humans stay mostly separate, besides Nezuko and the occasional interaction from Douma. The tension was starting to become too much for some. It was as if someone sealed a hornets nest and shook it, the second the lid came off everything would fall apart. So, no one opened the lid. At some point though, the lid would break.

From the viewing room, a small horde of wispy like creatures began to make their way through the room.

“Time. Come view.” The creatures said softly, approaching each person.

Some jumped at the opportunity to do something besides stew in the tension, others were much more hesitant to listen to the strange things request.

“Are we finally going to start the thing we came here for?” Sakonji asks.

“Yes.” One wispy creature answered.

“Fine, fine. I’m coming.” Shinjuro sighs.

“Follow.” The wispy creature says.

“Kanamori! These things are creeping me out!” Kotetsu whines.

“I’m sure things will end up alright, Kotetsu.” Kozo tries to comfort him.

Slowly, everyone trickles into the viewing room. The demon side is led to the room across from the human side. Groups begin to form at tables, mainly being the groups they showed up with. The Hashira intentionally placed themselves at the table closest to the demons, still very wary of them. Meanwhile the non-slayers sat as close as they could to the wall. The demons, as expected, all took tables as far as they could from each other. Most of the wispy creatures that guided everyone inside faded away, but two remained to close the door and then faded away.

“Great! All of you entered without any issues! Please look towards the large black box, also known as a television, as the event will be starting soon!” Clover announced, their voice still being impossible to pin.

“Aren’t you going to explain why you dragged all of us here?” Obanai asks.

“You’ll figure it out really quick!” Clover said.

The tv flickers to life and begins to load in something.

-The scene opened in the middle of a snowstorm, with a thick layer of snow covering the ground. Panting could be heard along with the sound of snow crunching under someone’s foot.

Chapter Text

The scene opened in the middle of a snowstorm, with a thick layer of snow covering the ground. Panting could be heard along with the sound of snow crunching under someone’s foot.

“Oh… so that’s what Clover meant by the beginning of this…” Tanjiro thought, sighing sadly.

Nezuko glanced over seeing the pained look on Tanjiro’s face. She scooted over and leaned onto his arm to try and comfort him. He glanced over and gave a small smile.

“Thank you Nezuko.” He whispered just barely over the noise.

The trees around were bare of their leaves as the blizzard made it nearly impossible to make out distant shapes. The angle changed to show Tanjiro and Nezuko, who was bleeding out of her head.

The room erupts into chatter at the revelation. Theories and questions are passed around as to what is going on.

“Huh?! Kentaro, you’re on the thing! But you’re way smaller!” Inosuke shouts, a mixture of amusement and confusion.

“Inosuke…” Tanjiro tries to calm the boy down.

“Kamado boy! You don’t look surprised in the slightest as to what is going on. Is there something you know?” Kyojuro asks.

“Ah, I was told that we would be reacting to the future. I didn’t fully believe it until now.” Tanjiro explains.

The angle changed again to his feet, each footstep having his feet buried to his ankles in snow.

“You didn’t think to tell anyone?” Sanemi loudly scoffed.

“Ah, well…” Tanjiro began to fumble

“It’s alright. I doubt many would’ve believed even if you had told us.” Kagaya interrupted.

“His voice is so calming.” Tanjiro thought.

“Where did you hear this from though?” Kagaya asked.

“Well, Clover told me when we met in the garden.” Tanjiro explained.

Then it changed again, showing the trail he left in the snow along with splatters of blood staining parts of it red.

“Uh, who is Clover?” Kiyo spoke up.

“We believe they are the person who brought us here, though there is something off with them.” Amane explained.

It panned back to Nezuko who was clearly unconscious and actively bleeding.

“How? How did this happen?” Tanjiro thought, still breathing heavily as he trudged along.

Tanjiro was taken aback by the sound of his own voice. Even if it was his younger voice, that’s not how he remembered sounding.

“Whoa, we can hear him thinking. This Television thing is really weird!” Tengen laughed.

“It feels a little weird, kind of like we’re invading his privacy.” Mitsuri pointed out.

It changed perspective again showing the panic on his face as he carried Nezuko on his back.

“Nezuko, don’t die! Don’t die on me! I’m going to save you no matter what! I won’t let you die!” Tanjiro begged, panting heavily between each word.

“How sad…” Mitsuri thought.

It changed angles again, showing how far into the forest he was and how there was no village in sight.

“I swear your big brother will save you no matter what!” Tanjiro declares, as he gets farther and farther away.

“How awful! I can’t imagine how I would feel if I had to carry one of my siblings through a forest while they were hurt! Good thing she survived.” Mitsuri points out, making Tanjiro rub the back of his head.

“I’m just glad she’s alright.” Tanjiro chuckled nervously.

A scoff could faintly be heard from somewhere, though with all the noise it was hard to pin point.

The screen faded to black and a new scene settled in. It showed Tanjiro picking up a basket of charcoal. The blizzard was gone and instead showed a building with plenty of logs stacked nearby.

“Tanjiro?” Kie called out.

A flurry of emotions swelled up in Tanjiro’s chest. It was comforting to hear his mother’s voice years later after her death, but another part of him was crushed at that fact. He glanced over to Nezuko who also had a scent of sadness, patting her on the head to comfort her.

“Hm?” Nezuko hummed, confused.

“Yeah, I’m alright.” He told her.

He turned towards his mother, showing a good view of his face. His hair was longer and his face was covered in a thin layer of black soot.

“I feel bad for Tanjiro, seeing this must be bringing back all those memories…” Zenitsu thought, hearing the two siblings' mood drop.

Muzan on the other hand scowled. Those earrings haunt him no matter how many years since the slayer’s passing.

“Your face is covered in soot.” Kie told him, as she wiped down her hands with her apron.

“Come over here.” She told him. She pulled out a rag and began cleaning the soot off his face.

“It's dangerous with all this snow. You don't have to go, you know.” Kie warned him.

“Well, I want everyone to eat their fill on New Year's, so I'm going to sell as much charcoal as I can.” He told her.

“You and your mom are such kind people!” Mitsuri tells him.

“I agree! You’re a very hard working young man! It is great to see people like you amongst our members!” Kyojuro boasts.

“Uh, thank you!” He thanked them, surprised at their compliments.

“Thank you.” Kie told him, a soft smile appearing on her face.

“Big bro!” Shigeru called out. “You're going into town again today?” Shigeru asked as he and Hanako ran over.

“I'm going with you!” Hanako stated.

“If only they had…” He thought to himself.

“Oh no, you’re not. You know you can’t walk fast like Tanjiro.” Kie intervened, getting back up to her feet.

“Mom!” Shigeru protested.

“You may not. Since he can’t use the cart today, he won’t be able to give you a ride when you’re tired.” Kie told the two.

The two kids looked away and pouted at their mother’s rejection.

“Big Bro!” Shigeru whined, running over to hug Tanjiro.

“I wanna go with you! I promise I’ll help you!” Hanako begged.

“Thanks, Hanako.” Tanjiro said, patting her head.

Hanako’s face began to light up in excitement.

“But you’re staying home today.” Tanjiro told her gently.

“Ehh?” Hanako whined, her smile replaced with sadness.

“You too, Shigeru. But I’ll get you tons of goodies, okay?” Tanjiro told him, kneeling down.

“Those kids are just so adorable, Lord Tengen!” Suma whispered.

A few of the watchers rolled their eyes at the lovey dovey looks Tengen was giving his wives.

“Really?” Shigeru asked.

“Yeah.” Tanjiro answered.

Shigeru chuckled and Tanjiro turned his attention to Hanako.

“And Hanako, I’ll read to you when I'm back.” Tanjiro told her, rubbing her head.

“Okay!” She said, smiling.

“That’s a good girl.” Tanjiro told her.

“Thank you so much, Tanjiro.” Kie thanked him.

Nezuko sighed at the sight. They always looked up to Tanjiro. He glanced over to her and shared the same wistful look, it was hard not to miss them now.

“Sure. Okay, I’ll be heading out now.” He told them.

He turned towards Takeo, having walked over to see what the noise was about.

“How many siblings do you have, Tanjiro?” Senjuro asked.

“We have four siblings. I’m the eldest, Nezuko’s the second eldest, Takeo is the third, Hanako is the fourth, Shigeru is the fifth, and Rokuta is the youngest.” He smiled.

“You must be very close with them.” Shinobu tells him.

“Ah, how could you tell?” He asks surprised.

“You talk about them so brightly.” She answers.

“Will you chop as much wood as you can?” Tanjiro asked.

“Sure, I’ll do it, but…” Takeo said, looking away. “I was hoping we could do it together.” He said, pouting a little.

Tanjiro walked over and began patting the top of Takeo’s head.

“There, there.” He said in a soothing tone.

“What’s with that all of a sudden?” Takeo shouts, swatting Tanjiro’s hand away.

“You’re blushing, Take!” Shigeru points out loudly.

“H-Hey, you shut up!” Takeo shouts again.

A couple people chuckled at the sight, mostly those with younger siblings.

“There, there.” Tanjiro begins patting again, now with two hands.

“I said cut it out!” Takeo says, trying to be taken seriously.

Kie, Shigeru and Hanako begin laughing at Takeo’s desperate attempt to seem mature, with Tanjiro joining in as well. It cuts to Hanako, Takeo and Kie waving goodbye.

“Hurry back, okay?” Shigeru shouts as he cups his hands, waving after he finishes.

“Be safe, okay?” Hanako shouts as well.

Tanjiro continued to walk away, waving back to them with a bright smile. As he walks, he runs into Nezuko with Rokuta fast asleep.

“So that’s what she looked like before becoming a demon…” Zenitsu thought.

A few others glanced back towards Nezuko, somewhat confused on the small difference between her and the television version. The room had dimmed though, making it hard to see.

“Big brother!” Nezuko calls out.

“Hey, Nezuko.” he says, stopping.

“I was putting Rokuta down for a nap, or he’d make a scene when you leave. He misses Dad a lot after he passed away. And everyone follows you wherever you go.” Nezuko told him.

“I am sorry for your loss.” Gyomei chimes in.

“It’s alright, it’s been a long time since his passing.” Tanjiro tells him.

“Regardless, it is respectable that you picked up the mantle as head of your home. Especially at a young age, how old were you during this?” Kyojuro asks.

“If I remember correctly, I was about thirteen. I was around eleven when my father passed.”

Tanjiro reaches out to rub Rokuta’s sleeping head, smiling warmly at his younger siblings.

“See you later!” Nezuko shouts as he leaves once again.

“We don’t have an easy life, but we’re happy. But life could change suddenly like the weather. It shifts and moves on. It’s not like it always stays sunny, and it’s not like it ever snows endlessly.” Tanjiro thinks as he treks down the mountain.

“This is just a waste of time, nothing has happened at all.” Obanai whispers to himself.

“Now, now, be patient.” Amane told him.

It is lightly snowing, however there are a few birds outside. The snow softly crunches under his feet as he carefully walks down the somewhat steep slope.

“And… whenever happiness is destroyed, there’s always… the smell of blood.” He thinks, while it shows the snowy village up ahead.

“How ominous.” Kagaya sighs.

“I hope nothing bad happens.” Kotetsu whispers to Kozo.

The village is quite active. There are people wandering the streets. Some clean the snow away from the entrances of their homes.

“Well now, Tanjiro!” A woman calls out. “ I can’t believe you came down from the mountain on a day like this. You’re such a hard worker! You might catch a cold, you know?” The woman praises him.

“A boy like him is even liked by his village, how horrible.” Gyutaro thinks.

“This is nothing, really. Do you have enough charcoal?” He asks.

“Hey, Tanjiro! Can I have some charcoal?” A man calls out not too far down the street. “Thanks for fixing my sliding doors the other day.” The man thanks him as well.

“I’ll need some charcoal too!” Another woman calls out.

Not far behind him, some rumbling can be heard from inside. A man quickly sides the door open trying to get away from a woman, his nose bloodied from a beating.

“Tanjiro!” He calls out, quickly spotting the boy. He frees himself from the woman's grip and rushes over. “Oh man, perfect timing! I’ve been accused of breaking this plate! Help me out, will you?” The man begs, presenting the shattered plate to Tanjiro. “Sniff it!” He begs again as the woman walks from behind.

“ ‘Sniff it’? What an odd request!” Kyojuro exclaims.

“I have an enhanced sense of smell.” Tanjiro answered.

“Woah, how does that work?” Kiyo asked

“Can you smell the flowers from the garden?” Sumi asked.

“Yes, I can smell them.” He answered.

Tanjiro takes a few quick sniffs from the plate, quickly figuring out the scent.

“I smell a cat.” He states, looking towards the furious woman.

“You see?” The man says, turning towards her.

“Oh my, so it was a cat?” The woman says, looking more surprised than angry now.

“I told you it wasn’t me!” He shouts, partly angry and relieved.

“Tanjiro! Can you give me a hand with this luggage?” A man asks, standing next to a large pile of boxes and bags.

It cuts to night time with Tanjiro returning up the mountain. The basket full of charcoal is now completely empty.

“Just useless blabber, when will something interesting happen?” Akaza thought.

A similar sentiment was beginning to drift around with many other watchers. Despite the promise of future knowledge, so far it had been nothing but a boy’s past most had not even known until today. A few people shifted in their seats antsy, whether from boredom or discomfort.

“Jeez, it’s late already. I’m glad they’re sold out, though.” He thinks outloud as he makes his way back up.

“Hey, Tanjiro!” A man calls out, catching Tanjiro’s attention. “Are you gonna go back to the mountain? You’d better not. It’s too dangerous.” Saburo tells him.

“I’ve got a great sense of smell, so I’ll be fine.” Tanjiro tells him.

“I’ll put you up for the night. Come on. Get back here.” Saburo insists.

“A smart call, demons wander at night. Even if not demons, there is plenty of wildlife that would be a danger.” Shinobu explains.

“But…” Tanjiro mumbles.

“Don’t argue! Come on! Before the demons show up.” Saburo warns.

“A smart call.” Obanai chimed in as well.

The scene then cuts to Tanjiro quietly enjoying dinner in a brand new change of clothes.

“Thank you for the meal!” He thanked Saburo joyfully.

He took a quick sip of the green tea, quietly pondering.

“Hey, Old Man Saburo, what are demons like?” He asks.

“Man-eating demons have always prowled the lands once it gets dark. That’s why you should never stroll around at night.” Saburo explains as he lays out bedding for Tanjiro.

“He must’ve come across one if he knows about demons.” Jigoro pointed out.

“If you’re done eating, go to bed. You can set off for home at first light.” Saburo tells him.

Another cut happens and Tanjiro is laying under covers.

“These demons wouldn’t come inside your house, would they?” Tanjiro asks.

“Yes, they’d come in.” Saburo answers, inhaling and exhaling a puff of smoke.

“Then, everyone would get eaten up by the demons.” Tanjiro points out.

“That’s why the demon hunters protect us by slaying them, since way back when.” Saburo explains, tapping the ashes out of the pipe. “Lights out now. Go to sleep.” Saburo states.

“Old Man Saburo is all alone after losing his whole family. So, he must be lonely. I’ll bring my brothers and sisters next time, and say ‘You don’t have to be scared. There are no demons. You’re safe.’ But, come to think of it, my grandma used to say the same thing when she was still alive.” Tanjiro thinks.

Tanjiro couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed at his ignorance. He knows better now, he can help others now.

It then cuts to a picture of young tanjiro sitting in the lap of his elderly grandma while they looked outside on a sunny day. His grandma smiled brightly at his look of excited curiosity.

“Aw! You look so cute!” Mitsuri squealed.

Tanjiro got a bit flustered at the compliment, though he could smell someone's rage towards him.

The next morning came, and Tanjiro was outside with Saburo who was seeing him off.

“You be careful now.” Saburo warns.

“Okay!” Tanjiro replies, hurrying back up the hill towards home.

The snow from last night re-covered his tracks from yesterday, making it a smooth flat ground. The sounds of a crow caws in the distance as it pans across the mountain range Tanjiro lives at.

“Whenever happiness is destroyed, there’s always…” Tanjiro thinks.

On his walk up, Tanjiro suddenly stops in surprise. He takes a quick whiff of the air before his eyes go even wider in panic.

“The smell of blood!” He shouts to himself, quickening his walk to a run.

Tanjiro mentally prepares himself, he remembers that morning vividly even years later. Nezuko leaned into him, trying to comfort him. Suddenly, the screen paused.

“Hello everyone, just to warn those with faint of heart, the sight shown may be a bit much for some. Feel free to look away.” Clover suddenly spoke up.

“That can't be a good sign…” Senjuro said.

“Thank you for the warning.” Kagaya thanked them.

“This won't be the first time, but this is the only time I'll give you a warning since this is the first one. Though, everyone here is already aware of how demon and human interactions end.” Clover explained, the screen resuming.

The logs stacked up nearby the house have a thick layer of snow still resting on it. Then it cuts to Tanjiro, staring almost silently ahead of him. The only noise he is making is heavy breathing after running so far. A shudder begins to take over the breathing as he looks at his home. There in the snow, bloodied and still, was Nezuko and Rokuta.

Tanjiro winced at the sight while a few of the non combatants gasped. It was a horrible and familiar sight for most. It just reaffirmed many people's opinions on the eradication of demons.

The snow was stained a blood red as Nezuko had a protective hand wrapped around Rokuta’s head.

Tanjiro let out a pained noise as his face twisted into despair.

“I don't like this.” Kotetsu cried quietly, looking away at the sight.

“Plug your ears.” Kozo whispered, trying to comfort the boy.

Aoi helped block the view of the television for Sumi, Naho and Kiyo as the three of them plugged their ears. Zenitsu couldn’t help but glance over to Tanjiro, feeling sorry for him. It must be awful for Tanjiro and Nezuko to experience this awful memory again.

The demons though were enjoying the sight much more, being so desensitized and sometimes gaining pleasure from seeing humans suffer.

“Oh, what a glorious sight. Their pain etched into their face.” Enmu thought to himself.

He quickly abandoned his basket on his back, rushing towards the two of them. He quickly knelt beside them, desperately wanting to grab them but unable to make himself do it.

“This feels like an invasion of Kamado's privacy.” Mitsuri whispered.

“It does not feel right to watch this.” Gyomei agreed.

“What a cruel thing to do, replaying someone's memory of losing their loved ones…” Kagaya mumbled.

“Nezuko! What happened? What’s going on?” He asked, Nezuko still motionless.

He set his hands down on her, panic and adrenaline rushing through his body.

“What happened here?” he begged to know, mistakenly looking inside his home.

Panic slowly turned into soul crushing misery as he walked into his home's doorway. He instinctively put a hand on the frame, but paused before entering.

Tanjiro held his breath for a second, trying to center himself. Nezuko smushed her face into his side, she did not like the sight either.

“I'm going to fight the screen, I don't like how it's making Gonpachiro feel.” Inosuke said, reaching for his katanas.

“Don't cause a scene you idiot!” Zenitsu hissed quietly.

“Why not?! I don't like that thing!” Inosuke argued.

“It's fine Inosuke, it's been years now. I'm feeling better.” Tanjiro told him.

“Fine.” Inosuke snorted, pushing his swords back into their scabbards.

“Mom..?” He asked weakly.

His breathing became shallow at the sight, a look of total and terrible shock as his legs began to crumble under himself. His entire family was a bloodied mess. Red painted the walls and floor as the blood seeped into their clothes. No one had survived, they just stared at him lifelessly.

“Mom… Hanako… Takeo… Shigeru… Nezuko… Rokuta…” He weakly called out with a warble.

“I can't watch anymore!” Mitsuri said, trying to wipe the tears out of her eyes.

“It’s so sad, Lord Tengen.” Suma mumbled, wiping tears away.

There was a sudden cut to Tanjiro running again, this time down the trail and with Nezuko on his back. There was a blue kimono as well resting on top of her.

“Nezuko’s the only one who’s still warm! If I can get her to a doctor, she might survive! How did this happen? Was it a bear? Was it a bear that wasn’t able to hibernate?” He thought, desperately fighting for each breath as he ran.

“I'm so glad your sister ended up ok Tanjiro!” Mitsuri told him.

“Your sister surviving a demon attack is quite fortunate.” Jigoro added on.

“I can’t breathe! The air’s so icy! My lungs hurt! Keep moving forward! Move your legs faster!” He shouted at himself as his legs slowed down.

“I hadn't even noticed how much I improved over the last two years.” Tanjiro thought, comparing his current physical fortitude to the past.

“We still have a long way to go before we reach town. Hurry! I won’t let you die!” He promised.

It panned over to Nezuko’s hand, which began to twitch a little.

“I’m going to save you no matter what! I swear your big brother will save you no matter what!” He promised again.

Nezuko began to sit up, eyes looking blank. She groaned as she leaned back, her teeth suddenly sharpening and her veins bulging.

Despite the earlier confrontation with Kaigaku, many didn't know that the demon they were arguing about was Nezuko. With the Hashiras being in a meeting as well, only a few people actually knew Nezuko’s true nature. With much more visible demons walking around, many glanced over the girl without focusing on her. When the reveal came with her transformation on screen, the room erupted into chaos.

“What is a slayer doing with a demon?! That is traitorous behavior.” Sanemi shouted.

“Oh my, now things make sense as to why the girl survived.” Shinobu sighed.

“Why would a demon want to hang out with you slayers?” Daki questioned incredulously.

“How horrible, to have a family member be turned into a demon.” Gyomei said, beginning to pray.

With all the chaos, the screen was paused so as to not skip over any important details.

“We should have him beheaded for treason.” Obanai pointed out.

“Now things are getting interesting.” Akaza smiled.

“My sister is different from the other demons, she has never harmed a human being!” Tanjiro argued.

“That's impossible. If a demon goes without flesh for long enough, they become like a wild animal.” Rui said blankly.

“Hm? This demon doesn't seem to be under my influence…” Muzan thought.

“She's different! She doesn't need to eat humans.” Tanjiro retorts.

“How does she sustain herself then? Even us Upper Moons need to eat.” Douma asks.

“She ቹቹየነነረዐሃ-” Tanjiro tries to say, but that same strange tongue comes out of his own mouth.

“Sorry to intervene! However, spoilers are strictly prohibited. Any time someone tries to spoil it, it will be censored. Any and all questions will be answered as you watch, so the screen will resume now.” Clover interrupts.

“Hmph, and I was curious to know.” Douma sighs.

“We aren't done with this yet!” Sanemi tried to argue.

She began to wiggle around, desperately trying to get free from Tanjiro’s grip. He looked back in surprise as his sister continued to growl.

Sanemi scoffed at the blatant disrespect from Clover.

She shook both of them around, making them lean towards the cliff side. A misstep near the edge made both of them go flying off the side of the cliff, Nezuko breaking free as they fell.

A few people gasped in surprise, but calmed their nerves as they could see the snow farther down.

“Oh no!” Tanjiro thought as he began to scream from the fall.

A loud crunching sound rang out in the silent forest as the snow concave around Tanjiro’s body. He laid there in shock, breathing just as hard as earlier.

“I was saved by the snow. I slipped because of the snow to begin with.” He thought to himself.

“Or it's because of that demon on your back.” Sanemi said not so quietly.

“Sanemi.” Kagaya said calmly.

Sanemi bit back his anger, everyone was letting it go so easily.

“Nezuko?” he called out, sitting up to look around.

He frantically looked around until he spotted his sister standing not too far off.

“Nezuko, are you alright? You don’t have to walk!” He told her, hurrying over to her.

“I’ll carry you to town, okay? Nezuko!” He called out, watching her not react at all.

A few slayers instinctively tensed up as if they were about to get into combat.

She looked up with a harsh glare, veins bulging and gritting teeth. Before Tanjiro could react, she lunged at him with a loud growl. He was caught off guard as she tried to take a bite of his shoulder, only missing because of his hand placed against her shoulder.

“Your sister isn't any different from any other demon.” Obanai pointed out.

“Hm!” Nezuko hummed, offended at the remark.

“I know it looks back, but she never hurt me.” Tanjiro argues.

She pushes against him hard as he desperately tries to keep her mouth away from his body. Tanjiro is forced to lean back to avoid getting bitten, giving him the chance to grab his hatchet and lift the handle between him and his sister. She bites down hard on the handle and continues to press her body weight onto him. They topple backwards into the snow as Nezuko continues to try and attack him.

“It is a bit hard to believe your point, Kamado!” Kyojuro adds on.

“Sh-She’s… a demon!” He finally realizes, seeing her slit pupils and sharp canines.

“I just remembered what Old Man Saburo told me. Nezuko’s a man-eating demon? No! Nezuko's been a human ever since she was born!” He thinks, as it shows a picture of him and baby Nezuko.

“However, she no longer has Nezuko’s scent. But it wasn’t Nezuko’s doing! She was lying as if she was protecting Rokuta, and there was no blood on her mouth or hands.” He thought, while Nezuko gets more and more frustrated as more veins bulge and presses harder onto the handle.

Some were split between feeling bad for Tanjiro, having to handle the fact his family had passed and his sister becoming a demon. Others had less sympathy, thinking the boy was delusional

“And there was one more… There was one more scent!” He argued.

Nezuko began to slowly grow in size, pressing even harder onto his body and the hatcher handle.

“Sh-She just grew in size!” He exclaimed, panic seeping onto his face.

The two continued their struggle, making sweat bead on Tanjiro’s face. He struggled hard against her while she continued to growl like a wild animal.

“And she’s getting stronger and stronger! While I was sleeping carelessly at Saburo’s house, they were murdered brutally like that! I know it must’ve hurt. You suffered, didn’t you? I’m so sorry I couldn't save you.” He apologized, tears welling in his eyes.

Tanjiro gripped his pants hard, even years later he still feels awful letting his family suffer such pain.

“If only I could help Nezuko at least! But she’s too strong for me to push her back!” He thought, the handle ever so slightly lowering more than it raises.

“Nezuko! Hang in there Nezuko! Don’t give in! You gotta hang in there!” He cried out, tears dripping down his face as his face flickered from sorrow to worry.

The screen cuts to a pair of feet rushing quietly on the snow, no other defining features besides the Demon Slayer leggings.

“Ah, a slayer is coming to the rescue!” Sumi cheered.

“Don’t turn into a demon! You gotta stay strong! Hang in there! Hang in there!” He desperately shouts to her.

“That won't work.” Obanai scoffed.

The pressure slowly gives as a teardrop hits against his cheek, making him gasp in surprise. Nezuko begins to cry, no longer growling.

“Odd, it almost looks like she recognizes her brother…” Amane wondered.

It cuts back to the runner, revealing slowly a half red half green and yellow checkered haori. It cuts to the slayer's face, showing ragged black hair and blue eyes.

“Oh, It’s Tomioka! Say, why is the demon still alive?” Shinobu asked cheerfully.

“It's obvious he fell for that delusional speech.” Sanemi chimed in.

It pans back to the siblings, going over the shoulder to show Giyuu jumping down, ready to cut Nezuko’s head off. Nezuko begins to turn to face him, but Tanjiro quickly grabs her throat and rolls the two of them out of the path of the blade.

“Oh, fast reflexes!” Kyojuro pointed out.

A flash of surprise appears on Giyuu’s face as the blade cleanly cuts Tanjiro’s ponytail off. A breeze kicks up, sending snow flying and blocking the vision of the siblings. Tanjiro and Nezuko uncontrollably roll across the floor gripping onto each other until Tanjiro hits his back against a tree. Nezuko then shrinks back to normal size as Tanjiro locks eyes with their attacker as he turns to face the two, sword still in hand.

“What the… Who’s that?” He wonders, Giyuu readying himself again.

“Woah, he’s strong. I’m going to fight him.” Inosuke says, reaching for his swords again.

“Is fighting all you think about?!” Zenitsu hissed, grabbing a hold of the pelt around Inosuke’s waist.

“When do I get to fight?” Inosuke asked, snorting.

“A sword?” He thinks, reading the engraving that says ‘Destroy Demons’.

“Are all these new Mizunoto’s this weird?” Murata thought, watching the nearby table.

“Why are you protecting it?” Giyuu asks, while Tanjiro subconsciously has his arms wrapped around his sister.

“She’s my sister! She’s my younger sister!” He explains, Giyuu’s eyes narrow at the statement.

Nezuko began to start kicking up a fuss, desperately trying to get out of her older brother’s grip. Tanjiro kept a firm hold on her as she clawed at the air in front of her and growled like an animal.

“How unflamboyant, holding onto that thing like that.” Tengen sighed.

“Nezuko!” He said, straining to keep her near.

Giyuu only watched, no reaction or movement towards them at all.

“You call that thing your sister?” He asked.

Tanjiro turned to defend his sister, worry still painted on his face. But, he hesitated. He glanced back to his sister, growling and fighting like a cornered wild animal. That's when Giyuu made his move, quickly rushing at the two of them almost silently. Tanjiro leaned forward again, ready to cover his sister’s body. But, as his arms hit the snow, his sister vanished. He opened his eyes in surprise and looked around desperately to find her. Giyuu had grabbed his sister with such ease, only needing to hold her arms behind her back. She struggled and growled at him, but his grip was strong and unwavering.

Kaigaku scoffed, how could a traitor like that have even made it as a slayer?

“Nezuko!” Tanjiro shouted, quickly getting to his feet.

“Don’t move!” Giyuu shouted, keeping that same blank face as always.

“My job is to slay demons. Needless to say, I’m going to decapitate your sister.” He explained.

Sakonji quietly sighed. Even though he hadn’t heard from Giyuu since the end of Final Selection, he was as blunt as ever.

“Hold on! Nezuko hasn’t killed anyone! Back at my house, there was another scent that I’d never smelled before! That’s probably the one who killed my family! It wasn’t Nezuko! I don’t know why she turned into something like that, but… but still…” Tanjiro begged, pleading to Giyuu.

“It’s quite simple. Because her wounds were exposed to demon blood, she turned into a demon. That’s how man-eating demons multiply.” Giyuu calmly explained, still showing no sign of struggle to hold Nezuko.

“Nezuko would never eat humans!” Tanjiro retorted, taking a step towards him.

“You gotta be kidding. Just now, you were about to be devoured.” he pointed out bluntly, almost as if he was tired of hearing this spiel again.

“Can't believe I'm agreeing with Tomioka for once.” Obanai said.

“You’re wrong! I’m sure she knows who I am! I won’t let her hurt anyone! I’m going to turn Nezuko back into a human! I swear I’ll heal her!” Tanjiro shouted, panicking at the thought of Giyuu following through.

“She can’t be healed. Once you become a demon, you can never go back to being human.” Giyuu explained once more.

“I’ll find a way no matter what! So, please… So, please don’t kill her! I’ll hunt down the one who slaughtered my family! I’ll make everything all right! Please! Please!” Tanjiro pleaded as Giyuu began to raise his sword.

“As harsh as always, Tomioka.” Shinobu sighed.

“Don’t do it!” He cried out, the sword being raised at his sister while Giyuu continued to look at him.

“Don’t take anyone else from me.” He thought, a memory of his family waving at him flashed in his mind.

Tanjiro kneels to Giyuu, doing as deep of a bow as he can.

“Oh I feel so bad. It has to be scary being so close to losing another family member so soon.” Mitsuri said, wiping away a few stray tears.

“I’m begging you not to! Please! Don’t kill my little sister! Please don’t do it! I’m begging you…” He asks, his voice warbling as he fights back tears.

A silence settles upon the scene, even Nezuko growling stops. But then, Giyuu reacts strangely. He silently grits his teeth, looking down from the sight. A visible anger bubbles up in him as he tries to fight it down.

The Hashira stared in somewhat surprise, they rarely see much emotion from the water Hashira. Seeing him become angry is quite a shock. Even surprising Sakonji and the Ubuyashiki family. Sakonji rarely saw him get mad, almost never furious. Kagaya had never even seen him get mad before, always being so quick to depart after meetings.

“Don’t ever give others a chance to murder you!” He shouts, rage dripping from each word as his calm expression turns to anger making Tanjiro gasp in surprise.

“Oh my! That's quite harsh Tomioka, to hear it come from you is a surprise.” Shinobu says, poking his arm.

Giyuu doesn't reply, simply glancing away from Shinobu.

“I’m quite surprised as well, to see such a display of anger from you is unusual." Gyomei added on.

“Stop that pathetic groveling! If it was the least bit effective, your family wouldn’t be dead! Can a weakling who can’t take the initiative in such a situation heal his sister?!” The man continues to shout, making Tanjiro slowly sit up in shock.

“To think someone as unflamboyant as Tomioka would have so much anger in this situation.” Tengen says, looking shocked.

“Hunt down the enemy?! Don’t make me laugh! The weak have no rights or choices! Their only fate is to be relentlessly crushed by the strong! The demons might know how to cure your sister! But don’t think that a demon would respect your will or wishes!” He shouts, thrusting Nezuko forward as she growls at the man.

“Do you think so highly of yourself to not even bother to show half that much emotion towards us?” Sanemi asked, Giyuu glancing away again.

“He seems almost as upset as he did at the end of our Final Selection.” Murata thought back, remembering how he had to give the news.

“Naturally, I have no respect for you either! That’s reality! Why did you throw yourself over your sister earlier? Was that your way of protecting her? Why didn’t you swing your hatchet? Why did you show your back to me? All those blunders led to your sister’s capture!” He shouted, pointing his sword towards Tanjiro who continued to sit in shock.

“I could’ve skewed her along with you!” He finishes his rant, Tanjiro beginning to slowly cry from the verbal beatdown.

“That was quite a speech there, Giyuu.” Sakonji said.

“Wasn’t it just a bit harsh though?” Mitsuri pointed out.

“Being a Demon Slayer is a harsh world. There’s no room for weaklings.” Shinjuro told them.

“Don’t cry. Don’t despair. Now’s not the time for that. I know you’re devastated. Your family was massacred and your sister’s become a demon. I know it’s painful. I know you want to scream. I get it. If only I’d gotten here a half-day sooner, your family might not have ended up dead. But there’s no way to turn back time. Feel the rage. The powerful, pure rage of not being able to forgive will become your unswerving drive to take action!” He thinks, still scowling at the young boy sitting across from him.

For many, it rang quite deep. Many lost their loved ones to demons, or could understand the feeling of being late. Wishing to have arrived just a little sooner to save someone else. To hear it from Giyuu was odd for them. Giyuu rarely or at all ever speaks his mind, so it was odd and almost feeling a little invasive to hear his own thoughts. Likewise, Giyuu quickly understood Tanjiro’s discomfort at having his own past thoughts shared with everyone.

“With such a fragile resolve like yours, you can’t protect your sister or heal her… or get revenge for your family!” he thinks, raising his sword back up towards Nezuko.

“No!” Tanjiro shouts, finally broken out from his stupor.

Giyuu stabs Nezuko in the shoulder without any hesitation, making the girl scream out in pain.

“Stop!” Tanjiro shouts, finally kicking into life.

He quickly grabs a rock and chucks it at the man, which the man easily blocks with the handle. Tanjiro rushes towards the hatchet which fell out during the fall, another breeze kicking up snow to block everyone's vision. He rushes around to the side of the man, a rock in one hand and hatchet in the other. As he passes by a tree he throws the rock at the man from the corner of his vision, which he dodges easily. He rushes at the man, both hands behind him as he screams.

“A straightforward attack, driven solely by emotion…” The man thinks, anger flaring up again.

The other slayers agreed. It was a pathetic attack, one driven by emotion.

“You fool!” He shouts, placing a hard hit with his handle into Tanjiro’s back.

Tanjiro clenches his body as the impact rattles his body, fighting to stay conscious. He loses the fight though, fainting from the blow. Nezuko stares in shock, becoming silent once again. Something seems off though.

“Where’s his hatchet?” The man ponders.

Or they at least thought, having now learned the hatchet was missing.

He glances up just in time to see the hatchet flying towards his head, dodging just in time as the hatchet buries itself into the tree behind him. He glances at the hatchet, running the scenario through his mind and on screen to try and understand what happened.

“Did a normal person almost get an attack on a Hashira?” Tengen asked, baffled at the sight.

“That is some smart thinking, even if it was a very dangerous move. You could have killed someone!” Kyojuro pointed out boisterously, unfazed and smiling still like normal.

“I hadn’t really thought it through fully.” Tanjiro said, feeling his face redden from embarrassment again.

He really did get lucky that Giyuu had noticed the hatchet, otherwise things may have gone completely different.

“Just before he hid behind the tree, he hurled that rock towards me and, at the same time, tossed the hatchet in the air. He hid his hands as he pretended to attack so I wouldn’t realize he was unarmed. He knew he couldn’t beat me. He tried to bring me down after I struck him! This kid…” He thought, staring at Tanjiro with a shocked expression.

Nezuko began to growl again, fighting to break loose from his grip. Being off guard, he wriggled her hands and turned towards him. He tried to bring his sword up in time, but he didn’t receiver fast enough as she placed a hard kick into his gut. He was sent flying back, digging his feet into the snow to stop as soon as possible. Nezuko lunged towards the unconscious Tanjiro while Giyuu could only watch.

“First the boy and hatchet, then a newly transformed demon? Not so strong are you?” Sanemi scoffed.

“Damn! She’ll devour him!” He thought as a claw reached towards Tanjiro.

Something strange happened, something he’d never seen before. His eyes widened in surprise as a thought passed through his mind.

“Nezuko… It wasn’t Nezuko! She’d never eat humans!” Tanjiro’s voice rang out.

Nezuko came to a sliding halt in front of him, arms held out and body crouched to protect him. She growled angrily at Giyuu before charging at him.

This was a shocker for everyone. Most thought Tanjiro’s words were nothing but baseless statements, a family member saying whatever they could to keep their family member alive. This however, was a lot more concrete proof. For millennia, the demons thought that eating humans was just a part of being a demon. To see one break those confines, it interested them.

“Perhaps that demon may actually find a solution to my problem that has plagued me.” Muzan smirked.

Tanjiro could feel a shiver go down his spine suddenly, unsure of what may have caused it. Likewise, Nezuko felt a sense of discomfort from nowhere.

“Long ago, someone once said the same thing, only to be devoured by a demon.” He thought, readying himself to fight.

“When a demon is starving, it will kill and devour even its own parents or siblings. Because they’re nutrient-rich. I’ve seen it happen more times than I can count.” He explained as an image of the scenario playing on screen.

“This girl has been wounded, and she’s expending energy to heal those injuries. She must’ve drained a vast amount of her strength as she transformed into a demon. That means she’s severely starved at this moment, without a doubt.” He thinks as he dodges and counters attacks from Nezuko.

“She must’ve wanted to feast on a human right away, even if it’s her own brother… Yet, she protected him instead, and she even intimidated me…” He wonders as Nezuko jumps over him and leaps off a tree at him.

“Tomioka does have a point, Tanjiro’s claims may have more sway than we first thought.” Kagaya said, thinking about what implications it has.

He sheathes his sword as she charges at, the gap slowly closing until they’re looking eye to eye.

“I wonder… These siblings might be… different from others.” He concludes, chopping Nezuko’s throat with a bare hand to knock her out.

“So, that’s what caused you to spare the siblings.” Shinobu says, looking at Giyuu.

“It’s still a traitorous act to not slay that demon.” Obanai points out.

She quickly fades to unconsciousness, the screen turning black as her eyes close. A scene of Tanjiro on the ground with his dead family members plays, all kneeling at him. They sigh sadly as their mom leans over.

“I’m sorry to leave you behind, Tanjiro. Take care of Nezuko for me, all right?” She asks, quickly cutting to Tanjiro grabbing onto a jacket.

Tanjiro quietly gasps, he was sure he had just imagined hearing his mother’s voice. Does that mean she actually spoke to him?

He’s still laying face down in the snow, but next to him is Nezuko. She is now wearing the jacket he grabbed in a rush, along with a bamboo muzzle of sorts. She is alive. He stares in surprise, tears dripping down his face. He gasps quietly.

“You awake?” Giyuu calls out.

He quickly sits up and grabs a protective hold onto his sister, staring at Giyuu in confusion.

“Go see an old man named Sakonji Urokodaki who lives at the foot of Mt. Sagiri. Tell him that Giyuu Tomioka sent you. She seems to be all right since it’s cloudy now, but never let her be exposed to the sunlight, okay?” Giyuu explains, before running off faster than Tanjiro can see.

“How kind of you to recommend me, though I would prefer it if you didn’t call me old man. I was your master afterall.” Sakonji sighed.

“Sorry.” Giyuu mumbled, glancing away.

Tanjiro continues to stare in shock, trying to grasp how Giyuu went from seeming hell bent on killing his sister to sparing her instead. It cuts back to Tanjiro praying over five graves while Nezuko stands nearby, having changed clothes as well. Nezuko stares blankly at the sight.

“Let’s go.” He whispers, grabbing onto her hand.

He takes a glance back, regret pooling into the bottom of his stomach. He forces himself to look away from the sight, steeling himself for the journey ahead. The two of them go jogging off into the forest instead of taking the path to the village. The scene slowly pans out, showing the long journey ahead. The screen cuts to black, showing the text that says ‘Episode 1: Cruelty

“What an aptly named episode.” Amane sighed.

“Feel free to discuss anything, though I won’t give you too much time since we have much more to cover.” Clover suddenly spoke up.

“What should we do Kamado and Tomioka? Both of them willingly broke the rules of the corp and spared a demon, not to mention bringing it along.” Muichiro speaks up.

“I say we behead them both.” Sanemi says.

“As well as Urokodaki, it’s clear he also knew about the demon as well and did nothing.” Obanai adds on.

“I am well past my age of being able to slay demons, you want to rope me into this?” Sakonji says.

“Beheadment is impossible. Even if we were to try and do it, it would violate one of the rules of this place.” Kyojuro points out.

“I think it’s best if we do this in private.” Kagaya points out.

“Aw, and I was enjoying listening to you all discuss.” Douma sighs.

It is a bit frustrating for everyone, having to be around demons already puts people on edge. To also have to wait to discuss anything for after the viewing blocks also adds to that frustration.

The scene opens up with a crow flying high in the sky over some rice fields, cawing loudly as it shows more farmland.

Chapter Text

The scene opens up with a crow flying high in the sky over some rice fields, cawing loudly as it shows more farmland.

Back to boredom, it almost felt taunting to some of the demons. They were dragged off to this room out of nowhere and forced to watch some moving pictures on a ‘television’. To them, it was a waste of time. Especially since how it taunted them with the daylight, showing humans walking around freely in the sun. Muzan gripped hard onto the table, though it too seemed indestructible like the walls.

“Excuse me. Would it be okay if I took that basket, straw and some bamboo?” Tanjiro asked, cutting to ground level.

“Sure, you’re welcome to it, but that basket’s full of holes.” A man answered, showing him and his wife tending to the field.

“Yes. I’ll pay you for it.” Tanjiro told him.

“No, that’s all right. I mean, it’s a basket with holes.” The man said dismissively.

“Yes. I will pay you!” Tanjiro tells him again.

Mitsuri opened her mouth to say something, only to quickly close it again. She shouldn’t talk to a traitor of the Corps, the other Hashira will stare at her!

“No, it’s all right. You can have the bamboo and straw for free too.” The man says again.

“But I’m still paying you!” Tanjiro says defiantly, digging through his pockets.

“I said it’s okay! You’re one stubborn kid!” The man tells him, surprised at the insistence.

“Please accept this, although it’s just small change!” Tanjiro practically shouts, grabbing the man’s outstretched hand and slapping the money in it.

The man grabs his wrist, shouting in pain as he drops the change.

“Thank you very much!” Tanjiro tells him, jogging off with the basket on his back with straw and bamboo in hand.

A few people let a chuckle escape, watching Tanjiro being so hard headed and kind to refuse not paying the man for a broken basket and excess supplies. Even Tanjiro chuckled at himself, remembering the exchange even years later.

The next scene shows a snowy mountain range, no village in sight for miles. Cutting down to a small cave in a cliffside, Tanjiro is there looking inside with his materials set not far off to the side.

“Nezuko?” He calls out into the cave.

“Huh? Nezuko?” He calls confused, leaning further into the mouth of the cave.

“She’s gone!” He says worriedly, showing the inside of the small cave with no sign of Nezuko.

The next moment, Nezuko pops her head out from the ground. It’s much more clear now that Nezuko had dug a hole, with a small dirt pile not too far away.

“Hehe, she’s like a mole.” Naho giggled.

“There she is.” He says to himself, very relieved.

Nezuko sighs uncomfortably as she looks outside, with her eyebrows knotted together in discomfort. Singing begins to play as ink seemingly flows down the paper-like background as if it were in water, with the black transforming into a water and cloud pattern.

The unexpected singing caught quite a few people off guard, especially with how loud it was compared to what was being played shortly beforehand. A couple people had to plug their ears for a second before finally adjusting to the sound.

“Oi! You’re gonna give us all headaches with that!” Shinjuro shouted.

It didn’t go unnoticed by how Senjuro flinched at the yelling, or how tense Kyojuro got. Obanai and Mitsuri glanced sadly at the two. While neither of them stayed around Shinjuro as much, they still had somewhat of an understanding of what their father was like behind closed doors.

White text appears on the screen reading out ‘Episode 2: Trainer Sakonji Urokodaki’. Loud drums and a biwa strums in the background.

Shinjuro scoffed, also getting ignored as well. It didn’t help his mood that he had already run out of alcohol as well, having found none in the kitchen. If not for this stupid place, he’d already have more again.

Tanjiro stares concernedly into the cave, having been surprised.

“Nezuko…” He mumbles.

“She dug a hole? My kid sister’s turned into a mole.” He thought to himself.

“Hehe, she kind of does.” Kanata quietly giggled to herself.

Nezuko sighs again, showing her discomfort towards the sunlight even more.

“And she’s frowning! She must really want to avoid the sunlight.” He thinks, feeling even more sorry for his sister.

“Of course a demon wants to avoid sunlight, they burn up and die in it.” Kaigaku sneers.

“Yes, I know now…” Tanjiro said, trying his best to be nice.

Zenitsu grips onto his pants, feeling angry towards his senior for disrespecting his friend. Yet, he couldn’t gather up the guts to say something to defend Tanjiro, even though Tanjiro defended him earlier. Meanwhile Inosuke just stares at Kaigaku, snorting through his mask. He really doesn’t like that Karugu guy at all. Maybe he should just beat him up. Monitsu and Kentaro keep telling him not to though.

“Wait there for a second!” He tells her, standing back up.

He works on improving the basket, using his hatchet to cut bamboo. He then works on weaving the bamboo around the basket, packing it tightly together.

“Nezuko? Nezuko? Think you can fit inside this? I want to keep moving during the day, too. I’ll carry you, okay?” He asks, having entered the cave with the repaired basket.

“Hm, quite ingenuitive.” Tecchin points out.

“I was curious as to what he would use those items for.” Kozo agreed.

Nezuko just stares at the basket for a while, sighing heavily.

“Can you fit? In here? Basket.” Tanjiro says, slowing his speech down.

Nezuko climbs out of the hole, walking into the basket on her hands and knees. She pushes into the basket as she tries to walk into it fully, surprising Tanjiro a little. She finally gives up and flops onto the ground, partway into the basket.

“So cute!” Mitsuri squeals internally, putting her hands up to her cheek and smiling brightly.

“She kinda protrudes, huh?” He tells himself.

“I can’t believe she grew up. Seems like yesterday that she was tiny.” He thinks back wistfully, reminded of the days from her child-like behavior.

“Nezuko? Remember how you became big like an adult earlier? Do you think you can do the opposite? Get smaller?” He asks, having a sudden realization.

“Smaller, Nezuko! Smaller, Nezuko! Get smaller!” he cheers, patting her back lightly.

Nezuko climbs back further into the basket, grabbing the edges and setting it upright as she falls inside. Her protruding legs slowly shrink until her and her clothes disappear into the basket. There’s a bit more wiggling until her head pokes out again, now much smaller and sitting inside comfortably.

“It’s so cute! I really want to say something!” Mitsuri squealed internally again, remembering her own siblings at that size.

Sanemi rolled his eyes at Mitsuri, always doing something ditsy.

“Good job! That’s a good girl Nezuko! I’m impressed!” Tanjiro tells her while patting her head, making her quietly chuckle.

It has now become evening as an orange glow shines on the snowy mountain. Crows caw loudly in the distance.

Gyomei couldn’t help but smile a little. Even though he got to see the garden from a distance earlier, the world was so much more than he ever expected. Perhaps he should take a walk around the garden, it is becoming more clear the demons will be unable to harm someone.

"Mt. Sagiri? If you want to go to Mt. Sagiri, you’ll have to cross over that mountain, but… The sun’s about to set. Are you really heading there with all that luggage?” A woman’s voice asks.

Tanjiro walks along the path, panning out far across a field to show a young boy hopping alongside him. They both stop as they walk up to a woman, who turns to face Tanjiro.

“It’s dangerous, you know?” The woman tells him.

“I’ll be careful. Thank you very much.” Tanjiro affirms, bowing to the woman.

He continues walking down the trail, entering into a forest.

“People have gone missing lately! Try not to lose your way!” The woman shouts to him, resting a hand on her son.

The slayers instinctively knew a demon was strolling about. It isn’t unusual for a couple people to go missing, but the way the woman said it was obvious more than a few people disappeared. Nezuko hummed unhappily, she had remembered that night and her struggle. Tanjiro comforted her, placing a hand on her head, a bittersweet smile on his face showing he remembered the same.

Tanjiro turns back to wave at the woman, not stopping on his journey. The woman waves back. It has become nighttime, with the moon high up in the sky. Owls call out in the dark forest as he and Nezuko walk down the trail. A light up a hill catches his attention as he can see the temple’s light.

“There’s a temple over there. There’s light leaking through, so someone must be there. Let’s check it out.” He tells his sister, holding her hand.

“Hm, I was curious as to how Tanjiro fought off the demon before I arrived.” Sakonji thought.

“You seem to recognize that temple, is that where you met the boy?” Jigoro asks quietly.

“Yes, I had found him there with a ጋቹጮዐክ-” He tries to answer, sighing as his speech becomes intelligible.

Jigoro hummed in annoyance as well. Whatever was being done to prevent them from ‘spoiling’ seemed to be quite attentive.

He’s suddenly taken aback by something as his eyes widen in shock and horror. He glances around anxiously, trying to find something.

“I smell blood!” He says outloud

“Not again…” Senjuro thinks, glancing away from the screen.

Aoi and Amane turn their bodies to be ready to block the gruesome sights again. They did not need a warning to know something was wrong. The younger kids' stomach twisted as they realized quickly after that another gruesome sight was going to be shown.

“This mountain path is pretty rough! Someone must’ve gotten hurt!” He says, quickly rushing up the temple’s stairs.

Tanjiro couldn’t help but feel awful again. Even though he had no clue about the demon, he still felt awful at being unable to prevent innocent people from losing their lives that night.

They quickly make it to the top, rushing inside of the temple. The door is worse for wear, the paper windows having decayed someone and leaving small holes. He quickly slides it open with both hands.

“Are you all right?” He asks, gasping in shock at what he sees.

Loud squelching noises can be heard as it shows a pale man crouched down inside.

People mentally cringed at the noise. It was deeply unsettling, and still uncomfortable to those who had been accustomed to the carnage demons leave behind. The demons, however, were simply curious at how they tasted. A few of them have gone a couple days without anything, so it did make them salivate a little at the thought of food.

There are small green lines along his upper arms, thighs and calves. The basket slips off his back as it shows multiple men laying inside the room, very much dead with parts of their bodies missing. The man stops eating, holding onto one of the dead men’s arms.

“What the hell? This is my turf. If you break into my territory, I’ll make you pay!” The demon tells him, sharp teeth coated in blood as some sits on his face.

“It’s a man-eating demon!” Tanjiro thinks, horrified at the sight.

“No kidding…” Murata thought blankly, sighing at how long it took Tanjiro to realize.

Nezuko stares intensely at the sight of the dead men, breathing heavily as she begins to salivate a lot. The demon licks some of the blood off his fingers, humming in surprise.

“Seems like your not so innocent demon still craves for humans.” Obanai pointed out.

“There’s something off about you. Are you both humans?” The demon asks, standing back up.

Tanjiro takes a small step back in surprise, staring the demon down. The candle suddenly goes out, plunging the room into darkness with only the moonlight to illuminate the space. The very next second, Tanjiro shouts in surprise as the demon launches at him.

A few slayers have to quickly stop themselves as their instincts kick in, making them draw their weapons in defence. It even catches a couple demons off guard, forgetting it was shown through a screen. It certainly didn’t help that the boy was sent flying towards their direction.

The two of them launch off the engawa of the temple and go flying through the air, the demon ready to impale him with his hand. Tanjiro doesn’t hesitate and grabs his hatchet, slicing at the demon’s throat.

Sakonji hummed in surprise. He did berate the boy for being so indecisive, but his instincts for battle weren't awful before he trained him. Had it actually been a nichirin blade, that demon would have been dead already.

The demon lets go, his head flying back as blood sprays out from his throat. He flips through the sky and lands on his feet as Tanjiro lands butt first onto the ground. The demon laughs as he raises a hand to his throat.

Some fighting, finally something that at least piques his interest somewhat. Though these weaklings don’t interest him much.

“A hatchet, huh? Not bad. But a scratch like this… should heal in no time. The demon tells him, looking back up towards Tanjiro.

The skin makes an uncomfortable squelching noise as it fuses back together, no sign of the cut besides the blood coating his throat.

Kotetsu had to fight back from gagging at the sound, why do they have to play all these gross sounds!

“See that? The bleeding’s stopped already.” The demon taunts, smiling toothily at him.

Tanjiro gasps in surprise. Meanwhile, saliva drips down from Nezuko as she is still standing at the door. Her hands are gripped into fists as she breathes heavily. She continues to stand still, looking at the sight of the dead bodies and unmoving.

“You got this Nezuko!” Zenitsu internally cheered, though he did feel a little stupid cheering for something that already happened.

Tanjiro begins to try to stand up, but the demon moves faster than he can watch. He lands hard on Tanjiro, forcing him back to the ground as the demon grips his neck and places his foot onto his thigh. Tanjiro quickly grabs the demon’s arm in an attempt to not get choked out

“He’s so fast! And he’s unbelievably strong!” Tanjiro thinks, squeezing one of his eyes hard from the pain.

“You won’t get me twice! All right. I’m going to snap your neck!” The demon boasts.

Nezuko is still unmoving and salivating, her breathing becoming even heavier. Tanjiro shouts in pain, making Nezuko’s pupils become cat-like. She quickly rushes towards them, running up to the side of the demon. She kicks the demon’s head full force, sending the head flying off the body.

“Hm!” Nezuko hums, pointing at the screen while looking at Obanai.

Obanai says nothing back, but his veins flared from anger. Those Kamado siblings were starting to piss him off. Tanjiro smiled nervously, trying to get Nezuko to stop pointing.

It smashes into the nearby tree, groaning in pain. Tanjiro stares in shock seeing the demon’s head on the ground nearby, making a surprised ‘ehh’ noise. He glances back to the demon’s body, making the same surprised noise again. He whimpers in shock as the demon’s body falls down onto him, no longer gripping his throat. He quickly shoves the body off and makes his way onto his butt. He stares up at his sister who is sighing heavily from exhaustion.

“Sh-She killed him! Oh, but wait! He’s a demon, so…” He thinks in surprise as the demon’s body slowly sits up, reaching towards him.

“N-Nezuko…” he begins to ask, before another violent kick swings not far from his head.

A few of the younger kids squeak out from shock, not expecting such sudden movement again.

The demon’s body goes flying this time, hitting another tree not too far off. It lays still on the ground once more.

“I don’t believe this! Did he just move without his head?!” He thinks in shock, staring at the demon’s body.

“You bastards! One of you is a demon after all? You gave off such a weird vibe! What’s a human and a demon doing teaming up?” The demon shouts in anger, his head squirming on the ground as veins protrude all around his face.

“What a pathetic demon, couldn’t even tell a human apart from a fellow demon.” Gyutaro thought, quietly laughing to himself.

“He’s actually talking!” He shouts, gaping from shock.

The demon’s body comes sprinting at them, slamming a kick on the ground not far off from Nezuko. Dust comes flying up, which Nezuko quickly sprints out of. The demon’s body gives chase, slashing at her wildly. He grabs ahold of both of her arms as Tanjiro quickly grabs his hatchet.

“Stop it!” He shouts, charging at the two.

The demon’s head crawls over, having grown two arms, and leaps at Tanjiro.

“Did you seriously fight a demon before being a slayer? It’s so creepy too!” Zenitsu hissed, lifting a hand to partly cover his eyes.

“Kick his ass Soichiro!” Inosuke laughs like a maniac.

His shouting catches him quite a few strange and irritated glances which he doesn’t seem to notice at all.

He quickly changes his hatchet’s swing towards the demon, who bites down on it with his teeth. He grabs onto Tanjiro’s shoulders, nails digging into his clothes. Tanjiro tries to push the head away, but can’t break out of the grip. He glances back over to see the demon throw nezuko onto the ground.

“Nezuko!” He shouts, watching the body stumble over and placing a hard kick into her stomach.

The demon repeatedly kicks her, making her whimper in pain. The demon then grabs onto her shoulder and throws her deep into the forest, quickly jumping after.

“Nezuko!” He shouts again, looking back over to see the demon’s hair starting to wrap around the handle.

“He sure shouts that name a lot…” Makio mutters in annoyance.

“He cares for his sister a lot, don’t be so mean.” Hinatsuru quietly tells Makio.

“What’s the deal with this guy? Growing arms from his head! I gotta save Nezuko!” he thinks as hair starts to wrap around his arms.

The demon’s wild smirk slowly changes into one of confusion as he watches Tanjiro lean his head back far.

“Out of my way!” Tanjiro shouts, swinging his head forward fast.

A loud crack noise rings out as he makes contact with the demon’s skull. The demon immediately lets go, flying back with the hatchet still wrapped up in his hair. A bright red spot forms on the demon’s as he struggles to focus his eyes.

“Wow! Quite a strong head you have there!” Kyojuro notes.

“Thank you, I got it from my mom.” Tanjiro answers awkwardly.

“Hard as a rock!” The demon thinks.

Tanjiro then grips onto the demon’s hair, surprising the demon again. He winds back up again, glaring at the demon.

“That head of his…” He watches as Tanjiro swings his head again.

Tanjiro grunts loudly, making hard contact with the demon’s forehead again.

“Like a rock!” The demon thinks, his eyes rolling back into his head.

“Headbutting a demon twice! How flamboyant!” Tengen adds on.

“Haha, that demon can’t handle your headbutt unlike I can!” Inosuke boasts.

“You fell unconscious too!” Zenitsu points out.

“Nuh uh!” Inosuke argues.

“Would you shut up you boar headed freak?” Shinjuro shouted, rubbing his head as a headache came on.

Tanjiro, without hesitation, grabs onto the handle of the hatchet. He plants his feet as he winds up a throw. He screams as he chucks the hatchet, making the hatchet and the demon go flying through the air.

“You wanna go?!” Inosuke shouts, shooting up to his feet.

“That’s enough.” Gyomei interrupts, spooking Inosuke.

Inosuke huffs again, but reluctantly sits down as he can feel Gyomei’s oppressive aura pressing against him.

The demon screams in surprise as the world spins. The hatchet digs deep into one of the trees not far off, trapping the demon in the spot.

“Thank you, Gyomei.” Kagaya says.

“What a fighting spirit that big guy has! If not for these stupid rules, I could see just how strong he is!” Akaza thought with a smile, before sighing in disappointment.

“Okay!” Tanjiro says, running off towards Nezuko and the demon’s body.

“I wrapped my hair around his hatchet to grab it, but it got tangled up! Damnit!” the demon shouted, being unable to move his arms.

“Nezuko! Where are you?” Tanjiro shouts, his voice echoing in the forest.

He glances around for a moment, deciding to take off a direction at seemingly random. He weaves through the brush into a clearing where the demon is beating down on Nezuko. The demon places another kick into Nezuko’s jaw, sending her to the ground.

“Nezuko! Stop it!” He shouts, tackling the body.

Unfortunately, the two had been fighting near a cliffside. Tanjiro shouts in surprise as the two go sailing off the side.

“Oh my!” Amane says in surprise.

Nezuko quickly reaches out, snatching the collar of his haori. The demon’s body continues to fall, flying neck first into a large rock at the bottom which makes a loud crack sound. The body slumps over as it cuts back to the demon’s head, spitting blood out from his mouth before he slumps over as well. Clearly having passed out, one of his arms hangs out above the handle as he had started to wiggle free.

“That demon was no problem for my minion.” Inosuke cheered.

Crows caw loudly in the distance as Tanjiro unsheathes a knife. He stands in front of the passed out head, unsure of what to do.

“I wonder if there are tons of demons out there. This isn't the scent that was lingering in my house. That was a different demon… But… I gotta finish him off… or he’ll attack more people!” He wonders, his breath slowly picking up into a panic.

“So… I gotta do it!” he reaffirms to himself.

“There it is, that overflowing empathy and hesitation. He’s improved, but how much?” Sakonji thought.

“Hm. Seems like he was a bit rough when you first picked him up.” Jigoro pointed out.

“Hm. Empathetic as well, made him indecisive.” Sakonji added on.

Nezuko stares blankly at the demon, uncaring about it or his brother’s panic. Tanjiro’s breath continues to speed up, becoming raspier and heavier.

“Do it!” He tells himself, sweat dripping down his face.

“He kind of sounds like me when fighting demons.” Zenitsu thought.

Tanjiro could still remember how panicked and worried he was. It’s odd seeing it from an outside perspective, he only remembered the panic. So much has changed in two years. Nezuko hummed to catch his attention, making him glance over. She leaned into him to try and comfort him, feeling bad about not doing so in the moment.

“Thank you Nezuko…” He trailed off, smiling.

A hand suddenly reaches out from behind him, patting his shoulder to catch his attention. He gasps in shock, freezing his panicky breath as he glances behind. He gasps in surprise, seeing a red face with a long nose behind him. Someone wearing a tengu mask.

“You can’t finish him off with that.” Sakonji tells him.

“Your mask is kind of scary now that I think about it.” Mitsuri points out.

“Thank you.” Sakonji chuckles.

“Eh?” Mitsuri says, confused.

“A Tengu mask! I didn't hear his footsteps!” He thinks.

“H-How can I finish him off?” He turns to Sakonji.

“Don’t ask me! Can’t you use your own head to figure that out?” Sakonji answers, surprising Tanjiro.

“Mean and blunt as always Sakonji.” Tecchin sighs.

“Have to be blunt when training new slayers.” Sakonji shoots back.

“If stabbing’s no good, I’ll have to crush his head!” He thinks to himself, glancing towards the piles of rocks.

He takes a step forward towards the head, now holding a large rock in both hands.

“To crush his skull and smash it completely, I guess I’m going to have to pound him with this rock many times. I bet he’s going to suffer. Isn’t there anything I can use to kill him with one blow?” Tanjiro thinks, hesitating again.

“Such kindness for demons will only get you killed.” Obanai points out.

“I agree! Demons are creatures who will not hesitate to kill you, empathy will only be a detriment if unchecked.” Kyojuro adds on.

“Why even feel bad for them? They’re demons that deserve to die.” Muichiro adds on.

Blue wisps start to float across the screen in front of Sakonji’s face, not acknowledging it at all.

“How crude coming from a brat like you. Such a shame too, I could make a pretty artwork piece with your head.” Gyokko sighs.

“Who would think something like that is art?” Muichiro shoots back.

“You little brat-! You just don’t know what art is.” Gyokko starts, before calming down.

“This kid isn’t going to cut it.” Sakonji thinks.

“How blunt.” Tanjiro quietly coughs in surprise.

It shows Tanjiro surrounded in the blue like wisp as some pours off of him, the background going completely black to show them better.

“Ehhh? What is going on? What are those wispy things coming off Kamado? Did that actually happen?” Mitsuri asks.

“I don’t remember seeing anything of the sort.” Sakonji ponders.

“He’s too kind and can’t make decisions. He’s facing a demon, yet the scent of kindness remains. He has empathy for even a demon. Giyuu… He’s never going to make it.” Sakonji sighs.

“There are some artistic liberties when it comes to certain things. Smell can’t exactly be shown through a television, so colored wisps like that can be used to show what Sakonji and Tanjiro smell.” Clover explains, sounding somewhat distracted.

“Oh, thank you!” Mitsuri says, getting no response back.

The demon eventually comes to, his eyes shooting open in shock. He quickly glances around at the scene, checking himself as well.

“I blacked out. Is my body dead, then? I feel sick!” He thinks to himself, finally glancing up to see Tanjiro in front of him.

“You bastard, I’ll kill you! I swear I’ll devour you! Get over here! Damnit! I can’t go to you, so you come to me!” The demon begins to demand angrily, swiping and clawing the air in front of him.

Quite a few people think about how pathetic the demon looks, demanding someone to just walk over and be eaten. Had it not been for the fact it was just a television, some may have even slashed the demon themselves if they heard it’s pathetic rambling.

“I faltered too long. Now the sun’s coming up!” Tanjiro thought, glancing over in surprise as sunlight began to leak from the trees.

“Hey, are you listening, brat? Hey, come here, you! Are you listening, you brat?” The demon continues to shout.

His demeanor quickly changes as he looks over in panic to see the rising sun. He raises his arms up as a hissing noise sounds out. His skin quickly changes to red, then to black as he shouts out in pain. Fire burns from his body as he claws at his own head in futility. Soon his body is engulfed in red and black, with the black flaking off as ash. He quickly falls apart as the ash continues to burn into nothing, leaving nothing behind. Tanjiro, having just stared in silence at the scene, drops the rock in shock. He lifts a hand to his mouth as he takes a step back, gasping in shock.

“Good riddance.” Sanemi sighed, annoyed from the demon’s grating voice.

“He’s gone with that much sunlight?! No wonder Nezuko shrinks from it!” He thinks, suddenly remembering his demon sister.

“To not even realize how deadly the sun is for your sister, how can you be so ignorant about how to protect your family?" Rui told him.

“I’m not ignorant anymore. I can protect my sister just fine now.” Tanjiro huffed.

“Hm!” Nezuko hummed in agreement.

He glances around in a panic, realizing no one is surrounding him.

“Nezuko? Nezuko?” he shouts, panic etching into his face.

He quickly books it towards the temple, rushing up the steps. He sighs in relief, seeing her huddled up in the corner with a blanket wrapped over her head as she sits in the basket.

“Aww, makes me want to hug her.” Mitsuri sighs

She quickly realizes she had said it out loud as a few people gave her confused glances. Her face turns a bright red as she covers her face with her hands.

“Sorry.” She mumbles.

“Nezuko…” He mumbles.

“O-Oh, that’s right. Where’s that man?” He says outloud, looking around again.

Tanjiro walks over to see Sakonji is not far off, praying over piles of dirt that act as graves for the people who died.

“He buried the people who got killed.” He thinks, walking over towards Sakonji.

“Good to see you still hold our ideals close to your mind, even after retirement.” Kagaya said.

“Um…” Tanjiro trails off, stopping a distance away.

“I’m Sakonji Urokodaki. I’m assuming you’re the one Giyuu Tomioka sent my way.” Sakonji asks.

“Yes! My name is Tanjiro Kamado! My sister’s name is Nezuko, and…” Tanjiro begins.

“Tanjiro… What will you do when your sister devours a human?” Sakonji asks, catching Tanjiro off guard.

Sakonji walks towards Tanjiro, quickly backhanding the boy. Tanjiro doesn’t react much, only glancing back over and putting a hand to his reddened cheek.

Tanjiro felt like he was reminiscing a lot. Well, he was, they are watching his past after all. Still, he remembers how much that slap hurt. It’s the wake up call he needed long ago though.

“That sounded like it hurt a lot…” Senjuro mumbled.

“Too slow! You’re just too slow at making decisions! You failed to finish off that demon before daybreak! Do you know why you couldn’t answer my question right away? It’s because your resolve is too weak! There are two things to do if your sister devours a human. Kill your sister! And slit your own belly and die! That's what it means to travel with your sister who became a demon! But that must never happen no matter what. And you’d best not forget. Your sister, taking the life of an innocent person… That’s the one thing that must never happen. Ever! Do you understand what I’m saying?” Sakonji finishes ripping into Tanjiro, turning away.

“Harsh as always.” Jigoro said.

“Hm, harsh indeed.” Tecchin agreed.

“I’m not hearing it from you two.” Sakonji argued.

Shinjuro quietly grumbled in the corner. He needed a glass of water or something.

“Yes!” Tanjiro answers without hesitation this time.

“All right, now I’m going to test you to see if you’re fit to become a member of the Demon Slayer Corps. Carry your sister on your back and follow me!” Sakonji orders.

Tanjiro breathes heavily as the two of them run down a dirt path surrounded by fields. Sakonji is much further ahead and running without making a sound. The gap between them slowly widens as Tanjiro struggles for air.

“He’s so fast! Just how old is he anyway?” Tanjiro wondered.

“Old enough to outrun you.” Sakonji chuckled as Tanjiro turned a bright red.

“And, like earlier, I’m not hearing any footsteps at all! Nezuko, I know it must be jarring, but please be patient! Well, being patient is all that you’ve ever known.” Tanjiro thinks to himself.

It cuts back to a memory of the past, Nezuko sitting on her knees as she stitches her kimono.

“Nezuko. All your life…” Tanjiro thinks.

“You’re fixing your kimono again? I guess we’ll have to buy you a new one.” His past voice rings out, while his present self looks.

“No, no, it’s all right! This kimono’s my favorite!” Nezuko’s past voice says as she turns to face him.

Something about this scene gave Nezuko a headache. She understood that Tanjiro and her were on screen, but trying to think back to that moment hurt. It felt like a foggy, distant moment that she tried to grasp but couldn’t. She felt like she had to remember, but didn’t know how.

“There, there Nezuko, it’s fine.” Tanjiro said calmly, patting her head.

“I’d rather the younger kids got more food to fill them up!” Nezuko’s past self says, smiling brightly.

Sanemi brushed off the memory that crept into his mind. He gritted his teeth in frustration, how dare that damn demon make him think of that. Genya silently bit his lip, he dearly missed his younger siblings and mother. If only that day never happened, maybe he and… He quietly gripped his pants tighter in anger.

It returns back to the present, looking at the basket on Tanjiro’s back.

“I swear I’ll turn you back into a human! I swear I’ll buy you a beautiful kimono someday! Everything that I couldn’t do for the others… I’ll do it all for you!” Tanjiro declares, as it pans out to show the gap between him and Sakonji has grown even bigger.

“Turn a demon back into a human? How arrogant of you thinking it’s possible.” Kokushibo finally spoke.

It sent shivers down many people’s backs. They could feel just how strong he was when he spoke. Being near Muzan and Kokushibo is a whole different experience than hearing them speak. Some of the non-slayers felt as if they couldn’t even breathe.

It has become the evening again, with Tanjiro doubled over and breathing hard. He gasps for each breath as if it will be his last.

Then, that oppressive aura suddenly vanished like it had when everyone first appeared. Kokushibo glanced around, confused as well.

“Wow, such a hostile group. Please remember rule one though, that scary aura of yours was choking out some of our viewers.” Clover chimed in.

The few that couldn’t breathe gasped greedily for air, their hands shaking from the adrenaline pumping through their bodies. The children felt it especially hard, requiring comfort from their guardians.

“N-Now, have I… passed the test?” Tanjiro asks between each gasp of air, sitting on his hands and knees in front of a house not too far into the forest.

Then a horrifying thought crossed Shinobu’s mind. Was that a loophole of the first rule?

Sakonji doesn’t answer at that moment, instead turning to the building. He slides the door open and takes off his head covering. It shows his full head of gray hair, showing his older age.

“The test starts now. We’re going to climb a mountain.” Sakonji announces.

How nostalgic, it reminds him of when Sakonji was training him for final selection.

Tanjiro can only gasp in despair, already being exhausted from just the run over. Tanjiro finishes setting his sister down inside, having fallen asleep during the run.

“I’ll make sure to take care of your sister for you.” Sakonji comforts him.

“I’m counting on you, sir.” Tanjiro hesitantly tells him.

It has become night again, and the two of them are deep in the mountain. Fog blurs the entire mountainside, making it hard to see more than 20ft ahead of you. Animals run about, making all sorts of noises as the only sounds they make are their footsteps. Eventually, Tanjiro begins to gasp for air as the venture further into the mountain.

“Spooky.” Naho mutters.

“It’s scary too.” Sumi adds on.

“I’m so exhausted. My legs are starting to buckle! I’m starting to feel dizzy, too.” Tanjiro thinks to himself, staring at the forest floor.

Eventually Sakonji stops in front of him, confusing him.

“Now, from here, go back down to the house at the foot of the mountain. This time, I’m not going to wait until daybreak!” Sakonji tells him, disappearing into the fog.

“Is that all? I see. He thinks I might get lost in this thick fog. I just have to get back by daybreak, right? That’s easy! I’ve got a great sense of smell! I’ve already memorized Mr. Urokodaki’s scent!” He thinks with a smile, blissfully unaware.

Giyuu and Tanjiro internally cringed at that thought. Sakonji wasn’t that kind to have something like that be the only challenge. Giyuu remembered his first attempt, it went very poorly as he expected it to go for Tanjiro’s first attempt.

He begins his descent down, running down at top speed. Only for him to trip on some hidden rope, stumbling forward. He glances around in a panic, the faint sound of something flying through the air catches his attention. He glances over, only to get pelted.

“Rocks?!” He thinks, stumbling to the side.

“I assume you no longer hold such an expectation when it comes to handling demons?” Sakonji asks.

“Yes, it was very eye opening.” Tanjiro nervously chuckles.

He tries to regain his balance, only for the floor to give under him. Leaves go flying up as he falls into the hole.

“A pitfall?” He wonders, looking up to see dirt around him with the moon being his only source of light.

“I get it now. So, there are traps all around! That's the deal, huh?” He realizes, climbing out of the hole.

“Traps that high up in the dark? He’s going to get injured.” Aoi comments.

“It is a test after all.” Sakonji tells her.

Unfortunately, he places his hand down on another piece of rope. He quickly backed up, yanking his hand far away.

“Uh-oh!” He panics, leaping away from the rope.

He scans around for any more flying objects, only to hear the sound of something large swinging behind him. A log attached to a rope slams right into his back, making him go flying off the trail.

A few people cringe or gasp in shock as the log smashes into Tanjiro. Giyuu can only quietly exhale through his nose, understanding the pain and suffering Sakonji put Tanjiro through for the test. At least he didn’t start out with knives in the pitfalls and used rocks for the flying objects.

“What kind of test is that?!” Murata thinks, glad that Sakonji wasn’t his trainer.

“How… intense.” Kozo sighs, now seeing first hand the training slayers go through.

“Crap, crap, crap! If I keep walking into traps like this, I won’t make it down the mountain by morning! And besides, this mountain… This mountain is… The air’s thin here! It’s way thinner here than on the mountain where I used to live! That’s why I’m gasping for air like this and feel so dizzy!” He gasps, desperately breathing for air.

He pushes on, running down the mountain at full speed again.

“Will I make it back? I might pass out! No! I gotta make it back! Get your breathing under control… and sniff out each of those traps!” He halts, sliding in the leaves.

“Oh! So you can smell traps as well? That nose of yours is quite interesting!” Douma chuckles.

“What a useful skill to have Kamado.” Gyomei tells him.

The background turns black again as Tanjiro closes his eyes. It shows those same wispy trails on the path, more cyan this time. It wafts around him a couple times, brushing past his nose. His eyes shoot open, a look of determination on his face. He quickly runs off once more, tripping over a rope.

“Hm?” Sakonji wonders.

He continues running past as a log gets sent flying right behind him. Another one shot not far behind as well, making him leap forward. Another log gets sent flying right where he was standing as he stumbles forward. He stumbles over another hole, barely being far forward enough to roll forward as a wood plate slams down on the hole.

“Oh.” Sakonji finally realizes.

“Something the matter?” Jigoro asks.

He dodges one high rope, but trips over the next as another log goes flying at him. He barely dodges once more, continuing to run forward. More, much smaller logs, get sent flying at him. He nimbly dodges them, keeping himself at a fast run pace.

“Now I know why he had so many injuries…” Sakonji sighs.

“Right! I’ve got it! I’ve got it! Traps set by human hands have a slightly different smell after all!” He thinks, continuing to run forward.

Originally, he had thought the boy just couldn’t quite smell out all the traps due to the thick fog. Now though, he realizes it was reckless abandonment of his well being traded for speed is how he ended up that injured.

“Something the matter, Mr. Urokodaki?” Tanjiro asked, smelling the confusion.

Right after that, a bamboo shoots out from underneath the ground, slamming right into his body. He gets sent flying up and back down into the ground, dust kicking up from the landing.

“But that doesn’t mean… I’m suddenly athletic enough to dodge every one of them!” He worries, blocking three falling bamboo shoots as the smash into his arms a couple times.

“I was hoping you had realized you could smell the traps and be able to dodge them, slowing down to avoid tripping the next one. Being hit by many traps would slow you down.” Sakonji explained.

“Oh, I was just so focused on making it back in time.” Tanjiro explained.

“I’m gonna make it back no matter what! Nezuko!” He shouts internally, stumbling forward

The moon shines down brightly between the gaps in the leaves, slowly fading to show his sleeping sister back at the house. Sakonji tucks her into bed, having prepared a futon for her to sleep more comfortably on. Sakonji glances back at the window, seeing the sky outside brighten ever so slightly. The door then slides open, showing a battered and bruised Tanjiro. Dirt and blood stains his clothes and he breathes heavily as he leans into the door frame. His hair is a mess as blood drips down from his forehead and mouth.

“Oh my, I hope you gave the boy some proper medical treatment. Some of those traps seemed quite dangerous for someone with no training.” Shinobu pointed out.

“Worry not, he did.” Sakonji affirms.

“I… have… returned.” he announces, collapsing to his knees.

“Forgive my abruptness, Mr. Sakonji Urokodaki. I’m sending a boy your way who wants to become a Demon Slayer swordsman. He was brazen enough to attack me unarmed.” Giyuu’s voice suddenly right out as it fades to a crow flying over.

“Oh, it’s nice to hear your voice again Giyuu.” Shinobu says, poking his shoulder.

First his own internal thoughts? Now private letters? Such careless intrusion on his life.

The crow lowers down towards Sakonji’s home as he steps outside, with the crow landing on his arm. Sakonji unties the paper around the crow’s ankle, with the crow bowing before taking off once again.

“Hm, no shame in exposing private letters now?” Sakonji asks, but no response came.

“His family was slaughtered by a demon, and the surviving younger sister has become one, but I have determined that she will not attack humans. I can sense something different about these two. Like yourself, the boy seems to have a keen sense of smell. Perhaps he’ll find a way to break through and become your successor.” Giyuu continues as Sakonji finishes reading the letter.

“Hm? What do you mean by that Tomioka?” Shinobu asks, her smile waning into confusion.

Sakonji sighed heavily. He was hoping such thoughts would subside with time, but that letter only proved they had grown. Giyuu simply glanced away from Shinobu.

“I’m not like you guys.” Giyuu tells Shinobu.

He returns back inside his home, returning quickly back outside again with his head covering on and no paper in hand. He slides the door closed and tucks his arms inside his kimono before taking off down the trail.

“There you go on again with such an arrogant attitude, you think you’re too good to be a hashira?” Sanemi argues.

“Arrogant? I don’t smell arrogance from Mr. Tomioka?” Tanjiro thinks to himself.

“I am asking you to train him. I realize that this is a self-serving request, but please forgive me. I hope that you will take good care of yourself in your endeavors. Yours truly… Giyuu Tomioka.” Giyuu finishes, showing him standing high up in the mountains as it snows.

“So you do realize your own arrogance?” Sanemi smirks.

“What part of that request is self-serving? I’m a little confused?” Mitsuri points out.

“Yeah, and what about the whole successor thing? Didn’t you train under him as well, that would make you the successor.” Tengen points out.

It returns back to the present with Sakonji standing not far from Tanjiro, who had passed out in the door frame. His breath is still ragged as sweat gleans off his face. The sun outside slowly begins to rise, the sunlight slowly illuminating outside.

“I accept you as my student, Tanjiro Kamado.” Sakonji tells him.

A new voice cuts in the conversation as the screen fades to black, with text appearing on the screen.

“Time for a Taisho secret! Mr. Urokodaki’s age is actually-!” The voice begins to say.

“ክዐ!ጎፕዐረጋሃዐ፱ጎጋጎጋክ’ፕሠልክፕፕዐነⶴዐሠፕⶴልፕየልዪፕ.” Clover? Suddenly cut them off.

“Kill joy.” The voice mumbled.

“... Taisho secret? About my age?” Sakonji mumbled, baffled by the interaction.

“There seems to be a little confusion about what you mean Tomioka, would you be willing to clarify?” Kagaya asked.

He did not like this one bit. First his own thoughts shared for everyone to hear, then private letters? It was beginning to make him really uncomfortable. Would he even be the only one that has such private information shown like this?

“He has his reasons, I’m more concerned how this Clover person is readily sharing such private information. Especially since it’s clear they did not get permission from either of my students to do so. To do this in front of demons as well is very shameful.” Sakonji pointed out.

“He is right, such cruelty to defile someone's privacy in such a manner.” Gyomei added on, putting his hands together for prayer.

“We don’t want to be here watching this either.” Daki groaned.

“Have nothing to say? We know you can hear us.” Sanemi growled.

Again, silence. It only further irritated the groups. It was a waste of time so far and an invasion of people’s privacy at best. Whether it be because they are constantly on edge from being around demons and humans, or how Clover has behaved so far, or some other third factor that no one could pin, they were all becoming very anxious and angry.

The scene opens with a brush writing onto a table, a faint glow from the candle illuminating the wooden walls. A stack of bound paper sits not too far away as the brush glides along smoothly.