In the snow peaked mountains, a constant crunch of snow could be heard through the trees. The source of this crunching was a boy, panting and sweating as he sprinted through the cold air. On his back, he carried an unconscious girl with terrible wounds. Every few steps he took, a drop of blood fell to the pure white ground, dying it a deep crimson as it left a noticeable trail. If one were to follow this trail, they would arrive at the top of the mountain and find what used to be a quaint little home, one that would be an absolute dream for someone who wanted a peaceful life.

This dream house, in the span of one night, became a nightmare for the survivors of the Kamado family.

The boy running was Tanjiro: The eldest, and now only, son of the Kamado's. He wore a checkered green and black haori, his eyes and long hair (that was tied into a ponytail) were a deep red, and there was a small scar adorning his forehead. The pale and bleeding girl on his back was his younger sister Nezuko: The only other living Kamado was dressed in a light pink kimono, tied with a red and white checkered obi, as well as a brown haori over the kimono. With the way she was bleeding, Tanjiro was fearful that she too would soon leave him.

He still wasn't quite sure what had happened, and he hadn't had a good time to try and gather his thoughts. But then again, there would never be a good time in a situation like this. So he tried to recall the events of yesterday.

The events that led to the slaughter of his loved ones.

Despite the small home, it was a family of 7 that occupied it. They were charcoal sellers and it was nearing the end of the year, so Tanjiro wanted to descend the mountain and venture to the town that resided at the bottom and sell as much charcoal as he could so that his family could have a good New Years celebration, where everyone could eat their fill. His siblings Hanako and Shigeru begged to go with him, but as he was taking a basket instead of a wagon, he wouldn't be able to them back up the mountain when they got tired, so they had to stay. He asked Takeo to cut a bunch of wood for him, and after thoroughly embarrassing him, he left to begin his journey.

Before it could begin though, he ran into Nezuko, in her arms was their youngest brother, Rokuta. After a brief talk, he was off again. Once he reached the town, he was greeted warmly by everyone that saw him. A boy ran to him while being chased by an older woman. She was claiming that he had broken her vase, but the boy swore he didn't do it. He begged Tanjiro to smell it and tell her that he was telling the truth. Tanjiro, with his unnaturally strong sense of smell, did so, and told her that it smelled like a cat. Once that was cleared up, he began to sell his goods.

It took him all day, but he had sold all the charcoal and began making his way back up the mountain, only to be blocked by old man Saburo. Saburo was a bit of a loner, living at the base of the mountain, but outside the town. Though Tanjiro only vaguely remembered most of yesterday, this memory was crystal clear. 

"Tanjiro, it's dark out. You should stay the night with me." He said concisely. He was never one for drawn out conversation.

"Don't worry Saburo! I have a good nose so I won't get lost or hurt or anything!" Tanjiro smiled as he responded.

"Just come on. Get inside." He repeated firmly. He never normally acted like this, so Tanjiro was a bit concerned.

"No I-" He began, but what Saburo said next silenced him.

"Just get in here. Before the demons show up."

He went inside, whether it was to ease the old man's nerves or his own, he didn't know. Saburo offered him a small meal for dinner. After eating and thanking the man for the food, he was given a place to sleep. And yet, his mind wouldn't rest. Not without answers to the questions eating at his mind. 

"Hey, Saburo? What do you mean when you say demons?"

"There have always been man-eating demons that roam the night. They're faster than us, stronger than us, and almost invincible."

"Well these demons, they can't enter your home, can they?"

"No. They can, and they do."

"If that's the case, why haven't they eaten everyone yet?"

"Because the Demon Slayers protect us."

Tanjiro let the conversation end there. He thought that Saburo was simply lonely, his wife and son having died before he settled in the town. He thought that Saburo was just scared that something would happen again. He resolved bring his siblings and visit him sometime soon. To show him that there was nothing to fear.

To show him that he was safe.  

The last thought he had before he drifted off was one he now knew was entirely wrong.

There are no demons...

When he woke up, he bid his goodbye and left, resuming his ascend so that he could be home. However, around half-way through the climb, Tanjiro smelled something that made his blood run cold.

Blood.

So. Much. Blood.

He began sprinting. He hoped that everything was okay. He prayed that the smell was from a wounded animal. That Takeo had just cut himself with the axe. Maybe mom had wounded herself while making breakfast?

He kept trying to sooth himself, feeding himself hope that whatever this was, it was just a small accident that could be fixed in no time. And yet, the hole in his stomach kept growing, and his legs carried him faster and faster.

His lungs burned with every frigid breath he took. His legs ached, burned, cramped, HURT.

But he kept pushing.

And then, his home was in view.

Also in view, was the lifeless bodies of Nezuko and Rokuta.

Blood spilled across the once white snow. 

Tanjiro would have fallen to his knees if he hadn't started running towards them on instinct. Nezuko was holding her arm over Rokuta, as if trying to protect him from whatever had done this to them. But he noticed that it wasn't just snow that they were laying on. There were broken pieces of the shoji door that had once been attached to the house. 

And then, Tanjiro smelled. So much blood... just to his left.

Slowly, he turned his head towards the home, and this was the moment he had broke. Inside, was the broken, bloodied, and mutilated corpses of his family.

He took a step forward, and even now, he isn't quite sure why. Was he going to check and see if anyone had survived? Assess their wounds? As said, he didn't know why he moved, but he did know what made him stop.

A new smell. It wasn't blood, nor was it animal. It wasn't human though either. What was it? 

Horrific.

A dark, overwhelming smell that made him lightheaded.

Plugging his nose, he still ended up going inside. The only effect achieved from this was a feeling he would never forget. The feeling of ice cold and lifeless skin pressed against his own. He stumbled back outside, trying desperately to hold himself together as he pressed his hand to Rokuta. 

Cold.

He was failing. Coming undone. Tears flowing to his cheeks leaving salty trails that frosted over. He pressed his hand to Nezuko.

...

Warm?

WARM!

He couldn't believe it. Nezuko wasn't gone yet! He can save her if he gets to a doctor.

Pulling her from the ground and hoisting her up to his back, as well as grabbing the hatchet Takeo had used the day prior, he steeled himself to travel down yet again.

As the eldest son, he had failed.

He had failed because he wasn't there to protect his family, or at the very least try.

He would NOT fail to save Nezuko!

And thus, here he was, trying desperately to keep the one thing that had yet to be taken. He didn't know how long he had been running. The only thing that made him sure time had passed was Nezuko's fluctuating temperature. He was absolutely sure that this was the fastest he had ever run, and yet he felt like he was moving at a snails pace. 

A movement caught his attention. It was a slight twitch from Nezuko, like she was trying to wake from a bad dream. The twitching only grew, until a groan sounded from her, followed by what seemed to be a growl. The sudden movement and noise distracted Tanjiro, and he turned his attention to Nezuko. This proved to be a mistake, as only moments later he slipped on the snow, falling into a small valley and losing his grip on Nezuko in the process.

Landing on his back, Tanjiro expected to be greeted with an explosion of pain. Instead, he was met with a soft landing, the newly fell and soft snow acting as a cushion.

"The snow saved me... but I only fell because of the snow." He thought to himself dismally...

"AH! NEZUKO!" He blurted, remembering the other reason he fell. Launching to his feet, Tanjiro scanned the area, expecting to see a floored Nezuko. Instead, she was standing, her head held down and her normally black hair turned into a fiery orange near he waist. He hadn't noticed that before, and it  definitely hadn't been like that before...

"Grrr..." Another low growl echoed through the valley, as Nezuko took a step forward. Tanjiro didn't notice it though, far too concerned with her health to notice any of her strange actions.

"Nezuko, you don't have to walk! Please let me carry you again!" But as he got closer, he finally began to notice the red flags. The nails that were far too long for her, the sounds she was making, the drooling...

"ARRG!" Nezuko roared as he pounced at Tanjiro, finally looking up at him only to reveal that her eyes were completely different. Where she once had dark pink eyes, they were now a light pink, growing a shade darker towards the center, as well as a vertical black slit where her pupil would be. The eyes of a predator.

Tanjiro barely had time to react, jumping ever so slightly back to avoid the lunge. He wasn't prepared for how fast she attempted another one though, so he was forced to bring out his hatchet to defend himself. Holding it between himself and her, he watched in terror as she bit into it, revealing her incredibly sharp teeth and fangs. Her strength was different as well, he noticed this while he was being pinned to the ground by her. This was when Tanjiro's scattered mind finally put the pieces together.

"She's... she's a demon!" He thought both in fear, and in sadness.

"Nezuko. A man-eating demon?! But th-that can't be possible. She's been a human ever since she was born! She was human yesterday!... but she doesn't have her normal scent anymore." His mind was already in tatters after the days events, but the internal war going on now was threatening to destroy it entirely. 

"So Nezuko changed into a demon... and killed everyone? No! That can't be! She was laying over Rokuta like she was trying to protect him! And there was no blood on her mouth and hands!" Tanjiro thought while his body instinctively fought off his sister. 

"I was sleeping like a baby at Saburo's, and you were all being murdered in such horrible ways. It must've hurt so much! You all suffered, didn't you? I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" All Tanjiro could do was cry as he continued to struggle.

"I have to help her. I couldn't save her then. I'll save her from this. I have to! But she's too strong for me to push her back." Finally, the war had ended, and Tanjiro looked at Nezuko, tears streaming from his face. He gathered his strength, all he could at least, before screaming out to her.

"NEZUKO! PLEASE, DON'T LET IT TAKE YOU! YOU'VE GOTTA HANG ON! YOU'VE GOTTA STAY STRONG! PLEASE!" He listened for a reply from her as he screamed, but all he got in return were more growls. As his hope began to fade, he noticed something different about the tear continuously streaming down his face.

They were no longer his.

He looked up and saw that Nezuko was no longer pushing against him, but instead, she had begun to cry alongside him. And when he looked into her eyes, though still inhuman, they were distinctly her. As though a fog had dissipated and allowed her to see clearly again.

He too saw clearly, and the silhouette of a man in the sky with a long gleaming object was very clearly aimed at Nezuko. 

Thinking quickly, Tanjiro grabbed Nezuko and tackled her, rolling the two of them narrowly out of the way, Tanjiro's ponytail being cut straight off. The force behind the slash blew the wind away and lifted snow from the ground up to several meters ahead of the strike. The siblings rolled until Tanjiro back hit a tree, stopping both of them. At this time, Nezuko seemed to either fully collect herself or run out of energy, as she finally shrank back down to her normal size.

Tanjiro made sure Nezuko was unharmed before looking up at the man who just attacked them. He had black hair and sharp blue eyes residing in his emotionless face, and he wore a haori split down the middle: One side being a solid red, and the other being a repeating pattern of green, yellow, and orange squares. In his hand, he held a dark blue blade. As Tanjiro began to sit up, the man turned to face him.

"Why are you protecting it?" He asked coldly.

"Because she's my sister! I was taking her to get help!" Tanjiro spoke, but as he did so, Nezuko began trying to struggle out of his grasp, whatever clarity she had obtained earlier now gone. The man saw this, and his eyes narrowed.

"You call THAT your sister?" He asked before bursting forward with speed Tanjiro hadn't thought possible. Tanjiro shut his eyes tight and dropped down to the ground, trying to cover Nezuko with his own body. But as his arms hit the ground and he opened his eyes, Nezuko was nowhere to be seen. He looked around frantically for a few moments before turning his gaze to where the man had been previously standing. And he was there, as though he never even left. He had definitely moved though, as evidenced by-

"NEZUKO!" The girl was now held with her arms behind her back. Tanjiro shot to his feet and began to move to her when the man addressed him again.

"Don't move." He said sternly, stopping Tanjiro dead in his tracks.

"My job is to slay all demons I come across. Which means I'm going to have to behead your sister now." His icy voice never faltered as he said this.

"No! Nezuko's never hurt anyone before! At my house, there was another scent, one I've never smelled before! That's the one that killed my family! Not Nezuko! I don't know why she's changed into this, but still!" He plead their case, but the man still didn't seem to care.

"It's simple really. Her wounds were exposed to demon blood. Its how the man-eating monsters multiply."

"Nezuko would never eat a human!" Despite the situation and all that had previously occurred, Tanjiro spoke in Nezuko's defense with confidence. However, this only seemed to irritate the man.

"Are you joking? If I had gotten here any later than I had she would've devoured you."

"You're wrong! She wouldn't hurt me! She knows I'm her big brother! And I won't let her hurt anyone! I'll turn her back into a human! I WILL heal her!" 

"She can't be healed. Once someone becomes a demon, there's no coming back."

"There IS a way! There has to be one! I'll find it! Please! Let her live! I'll hunt down the one who killed my family! I promise I'll make everything right again! Please!" Tanjiro continued to beg, but the man said nothing and began to raise his sword, pointing it straight at Nezuko. As all seemed to be over, Tanjiro's arms dropped to his sides and he fell to his knees, broken.

"Please... don't take anyone else away from me." While thinking this, he lowered his head until it touched the snow, his hands moving to sit beside his head.

"I'm begging you not to... Please... don't kill my little sister! Please don't do it. I'm begging you..." His voice came out weak and shaking, but the man heard him. And it angered him. His clenched his teeth before yelling at Tanjiro.

"Don't ever give others the chance to kill you!" His words, though still cold, held a ferocity that startled Tanjiro, forcing him to look up and catch the man's gaze.

"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?! 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! Naturally, I have no respect for you, either! That's reality! And earlier, 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! I could have just skewered the both of you and been done with it!" The man berated Tanjiro as the boy could only stare at him in dismay. But on the inside, the man's thoughts were very different than what he was speaking out loud.

"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 unyielding drive to take action! With such a fragile resolve like yours, you can't protect your sister or heal her, or get revenge for your family!" As the stream of thoughts ended, he raised his sword, and to Tanjiro's horror, plunged it through Nezuko's shoulder.

Her growl shifted to a wail of agony as blood poured from the wound, further staining her already dirty kimono.

"NO!" Tanjiro screamed as he grabbed a rock and chucked it from his seated position. The man simply blocked it, but Tanjiro was expecting, already moving to grab his hatchet and another rock as he ran behind the trees, hoping to block sightlines. Right before he passed behind another tree, he threw the rock, which was simply side-stepped.

The man watched in disappointment as Tanjiro rushed at him, yelling with his arms holding the hatchet behind him.

"A stupid decision made out of anger. You are a fool!" As he finished the sentence, he slammed the hilt of the katana down on Tanjiro's back with such force that his eyes turned white, and he passed out instantly, crumpling like a marionette with it's strings cut. Upon seeing his body limp on the snow, Nezuko ceased her thrashing and just starred in what could be considered shock. The man was also quiet upon seeing Tanjiro lay there, his hands having fallen to a place where they could now be seen by him. No hatchet in sight. The barely audible sound of something whirling towards the man was heard through his keen senses, making him look up just in time to see the hatchet falling through the air. His head just barely moved to avoid it, with it hitting and cutting deeply into the tree behind him. He turned his head to look at Tanjiro, now in astonishment.

"I see. He knew he couldn't beat me one-on-one, so he planned on taking me out after I had subdued him. When he went behind that tree, he threw the hatchet while my attention was on the rock." As he stared, Nezuko suddenly became violent again, though notably, it was much more deliberate than the thrashing she had been doing earlier. This time, she focused on just her arms and back, taking advantage of his shock and tearing her arms away from his grasp before kicking him away. As he skidded backwards, she made a move to her brother.

"Dammit, I lost focus and she got loose. She's gonna eat him!-" His thinking stopped however once he caught view of the sight in front of him. Tanjiro's words from earlier replayed in his head, now louder than when he first said them.

"NEZUKO WOULD NEVER EAT A HUMAN!" Nezuko stood in front of Tanjiro in a wide protective stance, her sights set solely on their attacker. She rushed forward and attacked, though her strikes were easily blocked, evaded, or parried by the experienced man.

"From what that boy told me, she only just transformed today. That along with healing all of her wounds? She must be starving. All she wants is to eat someone, and she was going to do that before I got here. But something's changed. She protected him, and her attacks are clearly trying to keep me away from him. Maybe... maybe these two are different." With that though, he sheathed his blade. Nezuko had been jumping from tree to tree, and when she saw he put his weapon down, she leaped off the tree, aiming for him. Her snarling face relaxed a bit once she was incapacitated with a chop to the neck.

...

...

...

"Tanjiro." A soft voice - his mothers voice - rang and though the boy could hear it fine, he couldn't respond. He couldn't move to face the woman the voice belonged to either. The voice didn't seem to care though, as it soon continued.

"I'm sorry we can't stay with you. Please Tanjiro, take care of your sister."  Though calm, her words were shaky, as though they physically pained her to say.

"We love you, both of you, so much... Now, wake up."

And as soon as the words were spoken, Tanjiro's eyes opened as his hand gripped something. It was cloth, and bundled in the cloth was a sleeping Nezuko, who was biting on a piece of bamboo. Unsure of what was happening, his first instinct was to pull her closer to himself.

"Calm down." The man's voice called from beside Tanjiro as he leaned against a tree.

"You want revenge? Go to Mount Sagiri, look for a man named Sakonji Urokodaki, and tell him Giyuu Tomioka sent you. And keep that bamboo on your sister for now." A quick and curt final statement as he left, disappearing into the snowy forest. Tanjiro watched until he was gone before bringing himself to stand. He was sore, but he and Nezuko were alive, so he'd deal with it.

After waking his sister, he resolved to do as the man (Now Giyuu) said and travel to Mount Sagiri. But first, he had something important to attend to. 

The two walked back up the mountain together, back towards the massacre. When they arrived, Tanjiro dug graves for his family and gently placed each of them into the holes before covering them.

On his knees and crying, Tanjiro placed his hands together, offering a prayer for them.

His final goodbye.

Once done, Tanjiro, hand-in-hand with Nezuko, left for Mount Sagiri.

-Elsewhere - One day later-

"Send this to Urokodaki immediately. Thank you." Giyuu said to the crow sitting on his shoulder as he finished tying a note to its leg. The crow nodded before flying off.

"Send what to Urokodaki?" A voice called from behind, making Giyuu jump slightly.

"I've asked you multiple times to not just barge into my estate."

"To be fair, I've never barged in. You just didn't know I entered."

"Yes, that's barging in. Anyway, why are you here Jin?"

"Because you seem to have forgotten that the Master has assigned a mission to us and you're late." The now revealed 'Jin' said nonchalantly. He had black hair tied in a bun, and he carried 3 swords. A katana and tanto on his hip, with a wakizashi on his back. He wore a red head band with a small rectangular gold plate in the center of it. His uniform was a white and red armor, and in his hand was a snarling white mask. On his back was a red cape with a flower design.

(By the way, for those of you players, this is the Avenging Spring dye. Mostly because it's my favorite. For those that haven't seen it, images below. Also for his sword, the sheath is Storm of Clan Sakai but inverted colors. So white on the lower half with dark grey/black storm clouds at the top. I think it would look cool and fit with the mostly white armor.)

"Oh. I'm sorry." Giyuu replied after remembering Jin was correct.

"It's fine, we should have some time before the demon strikes again. But before that, what did you send to Urokodaki?" Jin asked while tilting his head. Giyuu hesitated for a moment, before speaking up.

"I found a brother and sister in my last mission. Their family was killed and the sister was turned into a demon, and yet she protected her brother when I knocked him out. She had only just turned, so she was definitely starving, but she recognized him as someone important enough to defend. So I sent them to Urokodaki for training. I know I violated the code by not killing her, but I just feel like these two are different and why are you staring at me like that?" Giyuu finished his rather serious explanation with a question as Jin was staring at him with wide eyes. Jin shook his head before smiling a bit.

"Hmm, maybe I should pay our teacher a visit sometime." He pondered aloud, earning a look from Giyuu.

"Why?"

"Because someone has the usually distant Water Pillar interested, and naturally, I'm now interested too."

"Well, whatever. Let's get on with this mission." Giyuu said, already exiting his own home, being followed quickly by Jin, who was already putting his mask on.

It was time for a new hunt to begin.

Hello everyone. Long wait for a chapter but I hope it was good. I know there wasn't much of Jin, but after a chapter or 2 (because we have to get through the beginning plot first lmao), I'll give you some story on what happened after he was sealed, and more importantly, after the seal broke. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I hope to see you next time in Of Demons And Ghosts. Have a great day y'all!