A/N:
i have several more chapters written for this and it's taking everything i have not to just post them all at once
as a side note, if you didn't catch it/understand from last chapter: since they're twins, Tanjiro and Hitoshi each have a hanafuda earring. Tanjiro's is in his left ear, and Hitoshi's is in his right.
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Tanjiro trudged through the snow, expelling clouds of cold air from his lips, as he carried Hitoshi on his back. He was awake, and he's still warm, Tanjiro thought, forcing himself to keep moving even as his aching feet and back protested. Maybe someone, a doctor, can help him .
He glanced back at Hitoshi, briefly, before jerking his gaze away when the sight of empty, violet eyes flickered within his mind. He'll be alright , Tanjiro told himself, forcing himself to change his line of thought when tears began pricking at his eyes. How did something like this even happen? Was it a bear that was too hungry to hibernate?
He wondered what something like that meant for Hitoshi. If he'd happened upon his siblings bodies, or if he'd been forced to watch helplessly as his family was...
He shook his head, remembering the hatchet he'd slid under his belt. The hair it had pinned to the wall, its scent reminiscent of mold and having belonged to none of the Kamados.
Did that mean that they weren't the bear's first victims? Or that it wasn't a bear at all, but just an awful, inhuman person?
Either way, Hitoshi must've gotten their attention by throwing the hatchet. Nobody would've noticed him, otherwise. Even Tanjiro was hard-pressed to catch his scent if his brother didn't want to be found.
He hoped Hitoshi didn't blame himself, if that were the case. For all that he was lazy and seemed apathetic, he did love their family. He always helped out, even more than Tanjiro sometimes, despite how often he complained. And he was always the one, whenever their mother wasn't available, to step up and try to take care of their siblings. He'd even baby Tanjiro every now and then, as if he were his elder brother by over a decade, rather than his twin.
Tanjiro felt his weight shift, then, as something akin to a growl rumbled in his ears. He tried to compensate for the sudden change, but despite his best efforts, he found himself stumbling instead, catching sight of Hitoshi's wide, violet eyes as the two of them were sent careening over the edge of the cliff.
He scrambled in the air, only to let out a grunt when his back hit the snow. Well , he thought with a slight grimace, guess the snow isn't all that bad.
He heard the snow crunch nearby, and immediately, he jerked upwards to see Hitoshi trying to push himself upwards. "Hitoshi!" he called out, shooting himself to his feet and trekking towards his brother, "Are you alright?! You shouldn't be trying to get up yet; let me carry you into town!"
His brother opened his mouth to speak, but instead of a word, a low growl rang throughout the air. Both of them blinked in surprise before Tanjiro furrowed his brows.
"Is something wrong with your throat?" he asked, concerned. "Can you not speak?"
Hitoshi frowned. "T-tan—"
"Ah!" Tanjiro interrupted, waving his hands around worriedly, "Don't try to speak if you can't! I don't want you to make your injury even worse!" Hitoshi's expression turned into something resembling exasperation, but before either boy could begin to speak, Tanjiro's head jerked to the side, nose catching upon the scent of saltwater and cedarwood.
A man dashed into the clearing with narrowed eyes, hand on the hilt of his sword, before his gaze softened at the sight of a bloodied Tanjiro and Hitoshi.
"You two," he murmured, "Do you belong to the family at the base of the mountain?"
Tanjiro blinked, startled, then glanced at a suddenly blank-faced Hitoshi. "A-ah," he let out, his wary gaze settling upon the man's sword. It didn't smell of blood, and he doubted a simply sword could cause so much damage, but... "Why? Do... do you know what happened there?"
The man's scent was tinged with guilt, looking at the brothers' bloodied clothing. "So you do," he surmised. "It was demons," he told them, causing Tanjiro's thoughts to stall, "They were the ones who attacked your home."
"...Demons?" Tanjiro echoed, remembering what Old Man Saburo told him. But... demons aren't real. His stomach churned, and he thought back to the gruesome scene he happened upon; the torn clothes, the splintered floors and walls, the terrible, overwhelming stench of blood. Are they...?
"Yes," the man replied, dipping his head slightly. "I apologize. If I'd come half a day sooner, your family might've survived."
How ? Tanjiro wanted to ask, but he was interrupted by the sound of a humorless-sounding snort. He, along with the swordsman, glanced at Hitoshi, who seemed uncomfortable with the sudden attention, pursing his lips and looking downwards.
"I'm sorry," he said to the man, forcing himself to tear his gaze away from his brother. I'll have to talk to him later, he decided. He shouldn't feel guilty about this. He's only one person, after all. If I were there, too, instead of selling coal, or even if I'd taken everyone else along like Hitoshi and the others wanted... He took in a breath and shook his head. "My brother is injured," Tanjiro continued, choosing to save his previous train of thought for later. "He can't speak right now."
The man looked briefly confused, glancing at Hitoshi's neck. Tanjiro, too, looked at his brother, frowning once he saw that the bruising he'd had before seemed to have disappeared. And his hair, too, looked oddly colored... Tanjiro pursed his lips and shook his head. I must just be tired, he concluded as the swordsman nodded, or it's a trick of the light. "I see. And what will you do now?"
Tanjiro paused, frowning. "What?"
"Your family is dead," the swordsman said bluntly, causing Tanjiro to flinch. "So what do you plan on doing? Will you try to pick up the pieces of your old life, or will you rebuild a new one?"
Tanjiro opened his mouth to speak, only to close it a moment later. I... I don't...
"Y- you ," Hitoshi rasped out, catching Tanjiro's attention. "W-what?"
The swordsman furrowed his brows, and Tanjiro realized that he wasn't sure what Hitoshi was trying to ask. "Ah," he let out, "I think he's asking what you are."
There was a brief pause before the man gave a slow blink, looking towards Hitoshi. "I am a demon slayer," he replied. "I hunt man-eating demons, just like the one that attacked your family."
"A demon slayer?" Tanjiro echoed, eyes flicking to the man's sword.
Hitoshi, meanwhile, stared at him before stepping forwards. "Kill me," he said simply, startling both Tanjiro and the demon slayer.
" What ?" Tanjiro blurted out, horrified.
"Kill you?" the demon slayer repeated, furrowing his brows.
"I," he said, pulling up his lip to reveal fangs and sharpened fingernails, "Demon. Y-you kill d-demon."
The demon slayer tensed, hand moving back to the hilt of his blade. "You're a demon," he said, expression flickering between confusion and anger.
"No!" Tanjiro said, looking between the two with wide eyes, " No . 'Toshi is a human. He's always been a human."
The demon slayer grimaced before smoothing out his expression. "Demons aren't born," he said, keeping his gaze on Hitoshi. "They're made. When a certain demon's blood enters a person's wound, they transform. That's how man-eating demons multiply."
"'Toshi would never eat anyone ," Tanjiro denied, looking between the demon slayer and his brother with wide eyes.
The man faltered, then tightened the hold on his blade. "That doesn't mean he won't try."
Hitoshi grimaced. "H-have," he admitted. "N-Nez'ko..."
Tanjiro felt a brief flash of horror before he shook his head vehemently. "But you didn't. You stopped, and then you were disgusted. So you're different." He swallowed, looking back at the narrow-eyed demon slayer. "A-and," he continued, injecting confidence into his voice, "One day, you'll be human again. I'll become a demon slayer, and I'll find a way to cure you."
Hitoshi, if anything, looked even more horrified than before. "No!" he shouted at the same time as the demon slayer scoffed.
The two shared a brief look before the slayer spoke. "He won't get better," he said, pulling his blade free from his belt, "A human who becomes a demon cannot go back."
"But you thought he was human before!" Tanjiro pointed out, causing the man to twitch. "I told you, he's not like them! He won't eat anyone - I won't let him! And I will, I swear I'll find a way to cure him! And..." He turned his gaze onto Hitoshi. "I'll find the demon who killed my family, and I'll kill them."
Hitoshi's brows furrowed as he stepped towards his brother. "T-tanji—" he began, only to be cut off when the demon slayer leapt in between the two, sword placed against Hitoshi's neck. He looked hurt, briefly, before a resigned expression came over his face.
"Stop!" Tanjiro shouted, feeling his pulse skyrocket. "I can't... I can't lose Hitoshi too," he continued, glancing back at the demon slayer's blade before dipping his head. "Please. Don't kill my brother."
"D-dumbass!" Hitoshi shouted, followed by the slayer's, "Never leave yourself so defenseless in front of the enemy!"
Tanjiro flinched, looking up at the man, who suddenly looked - and smelled - incredibly angry.
"Stop bowing so pitifully!" the demon slayer continued, "If that worked, your family would still be alive! How can a weakling like you, who bows when it's time to fight, to kill or be killed... How can such a man cure his brother, or even find his enemy? If you want something... You must fight for it!"
Even Hitoshi looked surprised at his outburst, before seeming conflicted on whether to agree, laugh, or scold Tanjiro for putting himself into danger in the first place.
"The meek have no power and no options," the demon slayer continued, breathing out clouds of air, "The strong will crush them in every way! Demons might know how to cure your brother, but no demon will respect your whining and begging!"
The demon slayer scoffed. "And for that matter, I don't respect you either! Even a demon has shown more initiative than you!" He breathed out, glare piercing through Tanjiro, "Before, why did you try to leap towards your brother? Did you think that would protect him? Someone stronger than you, from someone stronger than him?" he asked angrily. "Why didn't you try throwing that hatchet? Why did you present yourself so openly? I should have skewered you both!"
The man paused, looking slightly conflicted before pressing the sharp edge of the blade, rather than the flat side, to Hitoshi's neck. He pressed the blade into Hitoshi's flesh, causing Tanjiro to scramble upwards to stop him. Upon realizing that he wouldn't get anywhere near them in time, he grabbed a half-frozen rock, launching it at the demon slayer and forcing him to block the projectile with the hilt of his blade.
With a breath, he launched himself forwards, hatchet hidden behind his sleeve, before throwing it upwards in the man's direction. The demon slayer failed to notice, focusing on his frontal attack, and just before he jammed the back of his blade into Tanjiro's back, Hitoshi's hand slipped below the object, allowing Tanjiro to scramble backwards.
"You—" the demon slayer began, only to suck in a sharp breath when he was forced to dodge the spinning hatchet, head jerking to the side. He watched, wide-eyed, as it was embedded into a tree, before looking between Tanjiro and Hitoshi, the latter having been pinned to the demon slayer's side.
Said slayer opened and closed his mouth several times before forcing out an exhale. "I see," he said. "Your plan was to strike me down after I killed you."
"I-idiotic pr-protagonist!" Hitoshi blurted out, veins bulging on his forehead. His words dissolved into unintelligible growls as he thrashed around, ending with something that sounded like, " Suicidal d-dumbass! "
"Wha—" Tanjiro began, only to let out a grunt when Hitoshi bucked the slayer off to bonk his fist against his brother's head. "Well you were just gonna let Slayer-san kill you," he replied with a frown. He felt guilty when Hitoshi looked briefly distraught, but he forced himself to continue. "You're all I have left, 'Toshi," he said, gaze softening, "I can't lose you, too."
Hitoshi flinched at that, glancing back at the tense-looking slayer. "I...," he let out, swallowing. For once, Tanjiro could clearly smell what his brother was feeling; guilt was rolling off him in waves .
"It's not your fault," he murmured, and Hitoshi's full body twitched. Tanjiro realized, then, that the alterations to Hitoshi's form weren't just a trick of the light. The ends of his hair really were purple, his eyes were partially slitted, and his nails were akin to claws. "I'm sure you did what you could, 'Toshi. I don't blame you."
"Y-you should ," Hitoshi replied, expression twisted.
Tanjiro frowned. He'd seen his brother upset before, but he'd never looked so... guilty before. "Well...," he said after a moment, "If you want to make up for it, then I guess I could use a partner," he offered, causing Hitoshi's face to scrunch in confusion. "That demon won't know what hit him, if we go after him together. Or... as you'd say," he continued casually, "We'll fuck that bastard up."
Hitoshi stared at him, bewildered, before snorting. He then started chuckling into his clawed hand before dissolving into full-blown laughter, shoulders shaking. Tanjiro couldn't help but laugh along with him, especially when the demon slayer began looking at them as if they were crazy.
When their laughter finally died down, Hitoshi grinned, fangs on full display. "Y-you bet."
The demon slayer finally spoke up, then, lips pursed. "You're both serious about this, aren't you?" he asked, looking them over. When the brothers shared a glance and a resolute nod, he hummed and, in the next second, a small stick of bamboo was in his palm. "Take this," he said, tossing it towards Tanjiro and forcing him to scramble to catch it. "Fashion it into a muzzle for your brother."
When Hitoshi's expression showed his clear offense, the demon slayer looked at him with a flat expression. "Anyone who looks at your teeth will know that there's something off about you. And you said it yourself: you were close to attempting to eat one of your family members." Both Tanjiro and Hitoshi winced at that, but the slayer continued, unperturbed. "Think of it as insurance."
Tanjiro glanced over at Hitoshi, who wore a grimace but was looking at the muzzle consideringly. He didn't want to force his brother to have to wear it, but...
"Maybe you'll find something later to replace it," the slayer said, drawing both brothers' attention once more. "But for now, that's what's available."
Hitoshi looked unhappy, but nodded at Tanjiro nonetheless. "Alright," Tanjiro replied, then added, "But only for now."
The demon slayer nodded, then stepped backwards. "Go see an old man named Sakonji Urokodaki, who lives at the foot of Mount Sagiri. Tell him that Giyuu Tomioka sent you." He glanced up at the sky. "Your brother should be fine because the sun isn't out today, but don't let him directly into the sunlight. And never let him eat a human."
Giyuu disappeared before either teen could reply, and after a full minute, Hitoshi huffed, eyeing the stalk of bamboo that the slayer had cut.
"F-fuckin' weirdo."
Tanjiro, despite himself, couldn't help but laugh.
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A/N:
canonically, Nezuko's mind is reduced to that of a child's primarily because, subconsciously, she pours *all* of her focus into becoming resistant to the sun
Hitoshi does *not* think to do that, so he's more in control of himself
plus, his quirk was based on speaking, so i figure he'd re-learn how to talk again pretty quickly
if you're wondering what Hitoshi was thinking during this chapter, he was primarily blaming himself for everyone's deaths
being who he is, though, he's suppressing these feelings & he's using humor as a coping mechanism, which is why he seems to bounce back so quickly even though he most definitely isn't feeling a-okay
also, the reason he tries to get giyuu to cut his head off is because he doesn't want tanjiro to have to be a demon slayer for his sake, because he apparently forgot that tanjiro is a protagonist that exudes major amounts of 'never give up' energy
aaaaand, apologies for how much of this was just pure canon, but hitoshi hasn't really changed enough yet for this to be any different
i liked the chapter when i wrote it, but i read it too many times and now i'm not sure if it's terrible or not. fun.
yAyYyY