Nezuko took Tanjiro to their house to change, they were upset with the sight they saw, but cleaned up and buried their family. Tanjiro and Nezuko changed into some clean clothes and set off for a cave to sleep during the night. They found one and Nezuko left in the morning to find a way to transport Tanjiro during the day.
She went on some farmland and found a basket with bamboo, straw, and a basket. She talked to the farmers who lived there.
"Would it be okay if I took that basket, straw, and some bamboo?" Nezuko asked, pointing to the items she listed.
"Sure, you're welcome to it, but that's basket's full of holes." The farmer replied.
"Yes. I'll pay you for it." Nezuko said.
"No, that's alright. I mean, it's just a basket full of holes." The farmer said kindly.
"No, I will pay you!" Nezuko said, reaching for some change in her pocket.
"No, it's alright. You can have the bamboo and straw for free, too." The farmer responded.
"But I'm still paying you!" She said.
"I said it's okay! You're one stubborn girl." The farmer said.
Nezuko slapped some change into his hands.
The farmer's hands stung from the force she used to put the change in his hands.
"Please accept this, although it's just small change!" Nezuko bowed and collected her items and started running off.
"Thank you very much!" Nezuko exclaimed.
"Ouch!" The farmer exclaimed.
Nezuko finds the cave she and Tanjiro stayed in and called his name.
"Tanjiro? Huh? Tanjiro? He's gone!" Nezuko grabbed some of her hair in stress, but calmed down when her brother's head appeared in from a hole in the ground.
"Oh, he's here." She muttered.
It was daytime, so Nezuko had to block the sun so Tanjiro wouldn't burn.
"Tanjiro..." she said.
'He dug a hole? My brother has turned into a mole. And he's frowning...! He must really want to avoid the sunlight.' Nezuko thought sadly, slightly shaking her head of what her sibling had turned into.
"Wait for just a second." Nezuko started crafting the materials she bought into a nice basket that blocked all sunlight from entering with her bare hands.
"Tanjiro. Tanjiro, can you fit inside this? I would like to keep moving during the day, too. I'll carry you, okay? Can you fit? In here? Basket." Nezuko pointed, trying to guide her brother along the way.
Tanjiro dove head first into the basket, but he didn't quite fit.
"I think you're a little too big for it, huh." Nezuko giggled.
'I can't believe he grew up. It seems like yesterday he was tiny with me.' She thought.
"Huh? Tanjiro. Remember how you became big like an adult earlier? Do you think you could be the opposite. Get smaller?" Nezuko asked.
"Smaller, Tanjiro. Get smaller!" Nezuko slightly pushed Tanjiro, and Tanjiro was kind of annoyed by this unwanted guidance.
Tanjiro flipped the basket right side up and dived into it.
"Huh?" Nezuko wondered.
Tanjiro then shrunk to make himself able to fit in the basket.
"Ohh! Good job! That's a good boy, Tanjiro! I'm impressed!" Nezuko praised while patting his head softly.
Tanjiro was beaming with pride and happiness, he seemed to love praise.
In the afternoon, Nezuko is carrying Tanjiro in the basket and asked around for how to get to Mt. Sagiri.
"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? It's dangerous, you know." A woman warned Nezuko when she asked for directions.
"I'll be careful." Nezuko replied.
Nezuko started walking away when the woman shouted, "people have been going missing lately! Try not to lose your way!"
Nezuko turns back to wave at the woman and then continues again.
It's nighttime and Nezuko let Tanjiro out of the basket because he was scratching the insides, itching to be out of that tight space. They walked together, hand in hand, until they found a temple with lights lit up inside.
"Oh. There's a temple over there. There's light leaking through, so someone must live there. Let's check it out!" Nezuko pointed out, and they started running to the temple.
Then Nezuko stops and smells the air, blood is the only thing she smells.
"I smell blood! This mountain patch is pretty rough! Someone must've gotten hurt!" Nezuko exclaimed, dragging Tanjiro with her to the temple.
Nezuko slides the doors to the temple open quickly.
"Are you alright!? Ahh, what the hell!?" Nezuko screams and drops the empty basket when she sees a demon feasting on humans, devouring their corpses.
"What the hell?!" The demon exclaimed, "this is my turf. If you break into my territory, I'll make you pay!"
'It's a man-eating demon!' Nezuko thought, scared out of her wits.
Tanjiro sees the corpses, and then he starts salivating furiously at the mere sight and smell of them.
"Huh? There's something off about you two. Are you both humans?" The demons asks.
"Eek!" Nezuko squeaks.
The demon charges at Nezuko, knocking them both down to the bottom of the temple's stairs.
"Ahh!" Nezuko screams.
Then she uses her hatchet to slice his neck open. The demon smirks and laughs.
"Hahaha... a hatchet, huh? Not bad. But a scratch like this... should heal in no time." The demon smirks.
The wound on the demon's neck heals almost immediately, only a small bit of blood on his neck left over.
"See that? The bleeding stopped already." The demon chuckled.
"Ack!" Nezuko squinted, horrified at what she just saw.
Tanjiro is still looking brainlessly at the corpses. Then the demon pounced onto Nezuko, pushing her to the ground.
"Urk!" Nezuko groaned.
'He's so fast! And unbelievably strong!' She thought, trying to push him back.
"You won't get me twice! All right. I'm going to snap your neck!" The demon exclaimed.
"Aghh!" Nezuko groaned in pain, not having enough strength to hold him back any longer.
Tanjiro heard Nezuko's cries, and quickly made action. He ran down the steps of the temple, and head butted the demon's own head off swiftly.
"Grrrar!" Tanjiro growls.
The demon's head bounces and hits a tree.
"Gah!" The demon exclaimed.
"What...? What!? Eeek!" Nezuko exclaimed.
Then the demon's body fell limp, Tanjiro shoved it aside for her.
"Wah!" Nezuko gasped.
'H-He killed him! Oh, but wait! He's a demon, so...' Nezuko thought.
The headless body then reached for Nezuko.
"T-Tanjiro.." Nezuko strained.
"Urrgh!" Tanjiro growled, he punched the body into a tree.
'I don't believe this... did the demon move without his head?!' Nezuko thought, shocked.
"You bastards!" The demon's head shouted.
Nezuko screamed for a short second.
"So 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?" He asked, clearly enraged.
'He's actually talking...!' Nezuko was shocked.
The headless body turns to Tanjiro, it jumped in the air in attempts to kick Tanjiro.
"Urghh!" Tanjiro presumably yelled in pain, but it was muffled because of his muzzle.
The body continues to attack Tanjiro.
"Stop it! Ahh!" Nezuko charges with her hatchet towards the headless body while the demon's body parts attack Tanjiro.
The demon growls and then Nezuko screams.
Nezuko stopped the head with her hatchet, but then the demon grabs her shoulders.
"Tanjiro!" Nezuko shouts.
"Urgh... Urgh...!" Tanjiro groans, getting thrown into the forest even more.
Tanjiro groans more.
"Tanjiro! Grr... ahh!" Nezuko is starting to get angry.
'What is the deal with this guy!?' Nezuko yells in her mind.
Then the demon's hair starts wrapping around the handle of the hatchet.
'Growing arms from his head! I've gotta save Tanjiro!' Nezuko thought.
"Hmm?" The demon seemed confused when Nezuko's leg started to twitch.
"Get out hell of my way!" She exclaimed, lifting her leg and kicking the demon that was attached to her hatchet.
"Gah!" The demon exclaims in pain.
'Hard as rock... that leg of hers...' the demon thought.
"Grahh!" Nezuko yells and kicks him again.
'Like a rock...' the demon decided.
"Ahhhh!" Nezuko threw the hatchet, with the demon attached to it, and it gets pinned to a tree.
"Okay!" Nezuko starts running towards Tanjiro's direction.
"I wrapped my hair around her hatchet to grab it, but it got tangled! Dammit!" The demon exclaimed.
Deep in the forest, Nezuko is searching for Tanjiro.
"Tanjiro! Where are you?" Nezuko shouts.
Nezuko continued running, searching for Tanjiro. Then she saw Tanjiro getting kicked by the demon's body.
"Urghh!" Tanjiro groaned.
"Tanjiro! Stop it!" Nezuko yelled, tackling the body.
The body and Nezuko went tumbling off a cliff side, why did Nezuko have to be so unlucky?
"Ahhhh!" Nezuko screamed.
Before Nezuko started falling, Tanjiro grabbed the collar of her clothing but the headless body continues to fall. The body fell on its chest, a sharp rock impaling it. Nezuko swore she could hear the demon scream in agony by her hatchet.
Nezuko and Tanjiro ran back to the demon. Nezuko found a small blade on the ground and picked it up, unready to kill the unconscious demon.
'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. So... I gotta do it!' Nezuko thought, her hands trembling.
Nezuko's breathing gets harder, she thinks, 'do it!'
Nezuko feels a hand get laid on her shoulder.
"Ahh...!" Nezuko yelps. Tanjiro stares at the man.
Nezuko turns around and sees a man with a red tengu mask covering his face.
"You can't finish him off with that." The man says.
'A tengu mask! I didn't hear his footsteps!' Nezuko thought.
"H-How can I finish him off?" Nezuko asked.
"Don't ask me. Can't you use your head to figure that out?" The man says to Nezuko. Tanjiro tenses up.
"O-Oh..." Nezuko hesitates.
'If stabbing is no good... I'll have to crush his head!' Nezuko thought.
She's kneels down and picks up a fairly large rock.
'To crush his skull and smash it completely, I guess I'm going to have to pound him with this rock many times. Isn't there anything I can use to kill him in one blow?' Nezuko thought frantically.
'Ahhh... this kid isn't going to cut it. She's too kind (you're wrong about that) and can't make decisions. She's facing a demon, and yet her scent of kindness remains. She has empathy for even a demon. Giyuu... she's never going to make it.' The man, Urokodaki, thought.
The demon regained its consciousness.
"Ughh..." the demon groaned.
'Ah... I blacked out. Is my body dead then? I feel sick!' He thought.
"Ahh!" He exclaimed when he saw Nezuko.
"Grrr! You bastard, I'll kill you! I swear I'll devour you! Get over here! Dammit! I can't go to you, so you go to me!" The demon yelled, trying to reach her with his arms.
'I faltered too long. Now the sun's coming up!' Nezuko thought.
"Are you listening, brat?!" The demon yelled, but then it screamed in agony.
It disintegrated immediately.
"Ah...!" Nezuko yelled.
'He's gone with that much sunlight!? No wonder Tanjiro shrinks from it...' Nezuko thought.
"Huh. Tanjiro? Tanjiro!?" Nezuko yelled, on the brink of tears.
She ran back to the temple, and was relieved to see Tanjiro hiding in his basket.
"Tanjiro... ah... oh right, where's that man?" Nezuko asked.
Tanjiro pointed outside, faltering a little. Nezuko ran to the side of the temple and saw the man on his knees, praying.
'He buried the people who got killed...' she thought
"Umm." Nezuko said.
"I'm Sakonji Urokodaki. I'm assuming you're the one Giyuu Tomioka sent my way." Urokodaki asked.
"Yes! My name is Nezuko Kamado! And my brother's name is Tanjiro, and..." she was cut off.
"Nezuko... what will you do if your brother devours a human?" Urokodaki asked, standing to face her.
"Huh...?" Nezuko asked, taking a second to process the question.
Urokodaki slapped Nezuko across the face. It stung, too.
"Ah..." Nezuko gasped slightly.
"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 brother devours a human. Kill your brother! And slit your own belly and die! That's what it means to travel with your brother who became a demon! But that must not happen no matter what. And best you not forget.
Your brother, taking the life of an innocent person... that's one thing that must never happen. Ever! Do you understand what I'm saying?" He lectured Nezuko.
"Yes!" Nezuko was quick, to avoid being slapped again.
"All right, now I'm going to test you to see if you're fit to become a member of the Demon Slayer Corps. Now, carry your brother on your back and follow me!" Urokodaki commanded.
Nezuko nodded and scooped up her brother, who had shrunk into the basket. She grabbed it and headed on her way to follow Urokodaki.
Urokodaki began running through farmlands, while Nezuko lagged behind.
'He's so fast! Just how old is he anyways? And, like earlier, I'm not hearing any footsteps at all! Tanjiro... I know it must be jarring, but please be patient! Well... being patient is all you've ever known...' Nezuko thought while running.
She flashed back to one of her favorite memories with Tanjiro.
"Your fixing your haori again?" Nezuko said.
"Yeah! This haori is my favorite!" Tanjiro said, sewing up the cloth perfectly, "I'd rather the younger kids get more food to fill them up than have you buy one for me!"
Back to reality, Nezuko started tearing up, but wiped it off, 'I swear I'll turn you back into a human! I swear to buy you a beautiful haori someday, too! Everything I couldn't do for the others... I'll do for you!'
In the late afternoon, they reached Urokodaki's house, Nezuko set down a sleeping Tanjiro and asked, "N-Now, have I... passed the test?"
"The test starts now. We're going to climb a mountain." Urokodaki said, folding his arms behind his back.
"Ahh...!" Nezuko gasped, she had to go up a mountain, when she just ran a long distance?
Nezuko laid Tanjiro on a futon and gave him a small hug before she left.
"I'll make sure to take care of your brother for you." Urokodaki said politely.
"I'm counting on you, sir." She bowed in thanks.
Later in the night, Urokodaki leads Nezuko to the mountain.
'I'm so exhausted... my legs are starting to buckle... I'm starting to feel dizzy, too.' Nezuko thought, shifting her weight from one foot to the other to keep herself conscious.
Urokodaki stops.
"Ah..." Nezuko starts to relax.
"Now, from here, go back down to the house from the foot of the mountain. This time, I'm not going to wait until daybreak!" Urokodaki commanded, disappearing into the thick mist.
"What?" Nezuko asks, confused.
'Is that all? I see. He thinks I'll get lost in this thick fog. I just have to get back by daybreak, right? That's easy! I've already got a great sense of smell. I've already memorized Mr. Urokodaki's scent!' Nezuko smirked.
She starts running down the mountain, but trips on a tripwire hook.
"Wah!" Nezuko groans.
Suddenly, tons of rocks hit Nezuko's face as she looked around.
"Gah!"
'Rocks?' Nezuko yelled in her thoughts.
She takes a few steps to the side and falls into a tiger trap.
"Ughhh..." she groans.
'A tiger trap! I get it now, there's traps all around! So that's the whole ordeal, huh?' Nezuko gets cocky and climbs out of the trap, tripping another hook.
'Uh-oh!' She starts frantically searching for the trap.
A large log came from behind and hit her.
"Ow!" She exclaimed.
'Shit, shit, shit! If I keep walking into traps like this, I won't make it down the mountain by daybreak! And besides... the mountain is... this mountain's air is too thin here! It's way thinner than the mountain I used to live on! That's why I'm gasping for air like this and feel so dizzy!' Nezuko thinks, her vision blurring by the second.
She continues running with all of her strength, itching to reach Urokodaki's house.
'Will I make it back? I might pass out! No! I gotta make it back!' Nezuko stops.
'Get your breathing under control... and sniff out each of those traps!'
"Hah!" Nezuko laughs.
She starts running again, but triggers a tripwire, sending logs on ropes flying her way. She manages to doge them by ducking under them. As she goes further down the mountain, she avoids more and more traps.
'Right! I've got it! I got it! Traps set by human hand have a slightly different scent after all!' Nezuko continues running and sniffing out the traps.
But she didn't pay attention for this one, she landed into a trap that flings her into the air and then she didn't have a very soft landing.
"Oof!" Nezuko exclaims, rubbing where she fell briefly before running again.
'But that doesn't mean... I'm suddenly athletic enough to dodge every one of these traps! I'm going to make it back no matter what!
'Tanjiro!' Nezuko pushes herself to her limits running full speed down the mountain, avoiding every trap she can.
At Urokodaki's place, he watches the sky begin to turn light, but the door slid open to reveal Nezuko saying, "I... Have... Returned..."
Nezuko falls to the ground, but still conscious.
Urokodaki flashes back to the letter Giyuu sent him about Nezuko,
'Forgive my abruptness, Mr. Sakonji Urokodaki.
I'm sending a girl you way who wants to become a Demon Slayer swordsman.
She was brazen enough to attack me unarmed. Her family was slaughtered by a demon, and the surviving older brother has become one, but I have determined that he will not attack humans.
I can sense something different about these two.
Like yourself, she seems to have a keen sense of smell. Perhaps she'll find a way to break through and become your heir apparent.
I am asking you to train her.
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.' The letter stated.
"I accept you as my student, Nezuko Kamado." Urokodaki said, with his arms again folded behind his back.
"Yay..." Nezuko muttered before passing out completely.