A/N: WARNING There are spoilers from the Demon Slayer Manga passed this point chapter 184 and up. You have been warned.

Clicks and snaps from the fire's ember echoed throughout the hollow sky pillar.

"My name is Tanaka Arisu, I have been searching for my sister, Hatsuko."

Tanjiro's head snapped up at the girl's voice. She was looking out at the dark expanse, sadness wafted off of her.

"It was not always like this, you know," the girl's voice trembling, "we didn't have to always... hide like this." The girl shielded her face with her hand, Tanjiro smelled salt. He inched over to give her a hug, but the girl gently pushed him away. Tanjirou shifted away, looking anywhere ut the girl. Arisu sniffled, before wiping her nose on the dirty long sleeve shirt she wore. "There was a time where we could go out whenever and meet up with friends or when we had jobs," she chuckled, "to think I would go from hating my job to hoping I would find food, next." She raised her legs, holding her bandaged calf as she changed her sitting position, "I wish I could have told my mother how much I loved her..."

Tanjiro understood that feeling.

"I know my sister's alive," the girl had a look of determination, "before you- before I got attacked, I escaped from a containment facility run by those beasts in human skin." Tanjiro shivered at her tone and the strong spicy scent of anger. "One of the beasts spoke of a 'ghoul restaurant,' talking about sending one of the freshly caught out to them for easy cash," she twiddled with her fingers, not making eye contact, "my sister and I were part of that catch." His eyes caught hers, she turned away.

"This guy, said he went by 'puff,' knew some people who knew where this resturaunt was, he gave me directions to the hideout and caused a diversion. I don't know if he's still alive, but I know I am indebted to him for his cause."

Tanjiro tended to the fire. He noticed the girl shivering and gave her his haori. She sniffled and he smelt salt in the air, once more.

"People keep having to take care of me but I can't take care of them! I keep being at the mercy of others! And I lose my family because of this! I should just-

Tanjiro laid a hand on her shoulder, locking eyes with her.

"Please do not finish that sentence, miss." The woman's eyes changed from teary to fury and kicked him with her good leg. Tanjiro fell and tumbled a distance. Arisu struggle but balanced herself on both legs. Her bad leg twitched at the pressure.

"No! I will! I deserve to die! I deserve to die for being so WEAK!" her face turned red from rage, contorted in either pain or in anger.

Tanjiro slowly sat up looking up at the angered girl, in a quiet voice, he spoke.

"It shouldn't matter. Whether you are strong or weak, you deserve to live."

He didn't know if she collapsed from the pain or from his words.

He wrapped her in his haori. She had passed out and he let her sleep. It had been a long day, for both of them.

Tanjirou yawned and sat down. Someone needed to keep watch. He wished Zenitsu or Innosuke had spirited away with him to.... Wherever he was.

-clunck!-

"Huh?"

-clunck! clunck!-

Tanjiro turned to the box. It laid on its back, shuffling across the ground.

Tanjiro chuckled.

He got up from his spot on the floor, before making his way over to said box.. He undid the latch-

-FWOOOM!-

He was knocked onto his back at the rush of air. Out of the box, one of his sister's legs was stretched out. He watched as the leg retracted and a child version of his sister's face emerged, brows furrowed and eyes angry. Her bamboo muzzle still attached.

"Hmm!"

Tanjiro sat up bewildered, before chuckling at his sister's pouty face. She scrunched her face at his laughter, before smacking the box with her stubby clawed hands.

"Hmmmm! Hmm hmmm hmmm! HMMMM!!!"

He was pretty sure she was mad about him not letting her help.

He walked over to the box and patted her head in consolidation. Nezuko purred at the attention she received from her brother, eyes closed in contentment. Nezuko retracted from her brother's hand and stretched out her hands at her brother, clenching and unclenching her fists. She wanted to be picked up.

Tanjiro gave her a warm smile. Nezuko made a happy sound at his beaming. He picked her up and brought her closer to the fire. He watched as his sister curled near the fire, playing with a nearby leaf. After awhile, his mind wandered over to his recent battle.

It was oddly easy.

Usually demons were very protective of their necks. Tanjirou would've chalked it up as a younger or more immature demon. But this demon acted as if it didn't expect him to land a hit at all. What's even more surprising, was that the demon gave off a scent of surprise when he chopped off its legs. Tanjiro thought about it.

Do demon slayers... not exist in this world?

That's not possible, after all, the demon did call him a 'dove.' Is that what demon slayers are called here? Tanjiro's eyebrows furrowed. He would need to find out more on this peculiar place.

"hmm?"

Tanjiro turned to his sister, before focusing on what she was looking at.

Arisu moved in her sleep, before flinging off the checkered haori that she was wrapped in. Finally she succumbed to real world, by waking up. She sat up and yawned, before stretching. She tensed at the audience she had while awakening. She was in the process of saying something before she blurted out something else that came to mind.

"Why does that girl have bamboo in her mouth?"

Tanjiro remembered that the girl never met his sister.

"Oh! U-uhm, it was originally to keep her from biting people.... It broke, so... she went without it, for awhile."

I don't remember fixing it... after that fight with the demon moon.. It already surprising seeing Nezuko not burn in the sun.

Tanjiro tensed as memories rushed to him.

We were fighting Muzan-

He slumped as his memories blurred.

Did we.... die?

"Is she a Ghoul?" The fear that emanated off Arisu, made Tanjiro tense once more. She might do something reckless in her fear.

"Uhm.... I'm sorry?" Tanjiro scratched at his chin, he heard her mention the word at some point.

The girl sighed, before facepalming. Thankfully it dulled her fear, just a little.

"Does she... eat humans?" Tanjiro took a second to process the girl's words.

"No, she hasn't. She actively rejects it."

The woman shifted in place.

"Has she... attempted to eat people, though?" Tanjiro gulped.

He didn't want to make her uncomfortable, after all, he just saved her from one demon attack. She was probably much safer in his care, than she would be on her lonesome. But, he couldn't lie to her. Tanjiro sucks at lying, he cries the instant he begins to speak the fake truth. So he did the best thing.

"...Yes." The honest demon slayer may have had his face aimed at the worn rock floor, but he could smell the immense choking fear that radiated off the woman. She crawled away from the fire.

"Bu-but! It only happened two times! The first was when I found her like this! Right afterwards she had been attacked by demon slayer! After I defended her, she defended me! The second time she lost control after protecting me from a very powerful demon!" Tanjiro treaded slowly closer to fearful woman. Her scrawny form rattled at the adrenaline. She would be hard to convince-

Tanjiro realized that they had not eaten in a few hours. Arisu's stomach growled, she grasped at her abdomen. Her face contorted. She must have not had a good meal in a while.

Tanjiro sighed, they would have this discussion later. Food and water were more important. He walked closer to the woman, only for her to crawl away.

"Please, I know you're are scared of my sister and think I wish you harm. But we need to eat eventually, and it's not safe for us to be separated. You're injured and the next best option is for me to leave you with my sister." The woman only curled on herself and hid her face in her legs. After a long indescirnable amount of time, Tanjiro sighed.

He looked at his sister, who happned to be playing with a pebble she found. He crouched next to Nezuko and patted her on the head. She purred.

"Please protect her, Nezuko." His sister looked at him with her big round unnaturally pink eyes, before making a sincere 'hmm' noise.

He left into the ominous grey.