Previously:
A gentle breeze gleamed through the air as I crouched down to Tanjiro with a large smirk, peering on at his half-shocked, half-terrified expression. I held out a hand in friendliness as Nezuko's defensive stance broke down, leaving her to only watch me. Tanjiro, still shaking from shock, accepted the handshake.
'It really has been such a long time..
..right Tanjiro?'.
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A few hours later.
Y/n PoV
A deafening silence engulfed the bloody scene as we all gave our sincerest respects to the massacred family. Numerous burials stuck out of the glistening snow, all of which were messily created from nearby sticks and stones, as the miserable stench of blood wafted through the chilling air. It had taken a few hours, but the mini-cemetery had finally finished construction. My gaze drifted over to the gleaming blue of the sky, it's majestic glow staring right back at me. Clouds of cotton slowly danced through the blanket of blue, morphing and changing into disfigured shapes. Humongous trees of brown scattered through the mountainous region as a canvas of glistening white slept upon it. I finally turned my gaze back to the siblings, whose gazes were glued to the burials in nostalgia, desperately trying to piece together happy memories of their past.
"Takeo.. Hanako.. Shigeru.. Rokuta.. Mother.." Tanjiro murmured to himself as his face scrunched up, avoiding the urge to cry. I gave him a soft pat on the back in comfort as his little sister clenched his hands, probably also feeling Tanjiro's despair. Suddenly, Tanjiro, who was still on the verge of tears, swiftly turned his back to the cemetery, his glistening eyes glaring at the mountainous landscape afar. "Your name.. was Y/n, right?" Tanjiro asked as he wiped his tears with his backhand. I nodded as minute sniffles came from the young boy.
"Y/n.. do you know a way.. to turn demons.. into humans?" Tanjiro questioned, his eyes slowly regaining composure. My gaze wafted over to Nezuko, who was silently comforting her brother, as I rushed through my memories, trying to gain any sort of helpful answer.
".. Yes, I do." I answered as Tanjiro's eyes gleamed up in surprise, a burst of unwarranted joy flowing through him. "But, you'll both need to become stronger if you want any chance of doing so.". Tanjiro nodded diligently, his prior despair suddenly vanishing, as he turned to Nezuko, shouting in gleeful joy.
'Stronger than God itself.' I silently thought to myself, continuing my previous thought. The siblings leapt in anticipation, crunching the snow beneath their feet. Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind, illuminating me with an insatiable curiosity.
My gaze immediately turned to Nezuko, sharpening and focusing, as I vaguely examined her vein and chakra systems, looking for any unnatural signs. Lines of pink flushed through her chakra system as a mysterious, almost demonic, reddish chakra followed suite, rushing through her chakra system in an invasive pattern; Uncle Muzan's chakra. However, unlike every other normal demon, whose chakra would've been completely engulfed by Uncle Muzan's in seconds, Nezuko's chakra seems to be having a battle against Muzan's; a war, perhaps. I shook my head, shaking off my complex thoughts, and continued to peer on at the sibling's tantrum of joy.
After a few minutes of jumping and singing, the duo turned back to me, their beady eyes thirsty for curiosity.
"Y/n, how do I become 'stronger'?" Tanjiro asked he swiftly put up two hands, imitating a boxer's stance. "Is it like this?".
"That man who attacked Nezuko." I explained as Tanjiro nodded, his eyes seemingly taking notes on everything I was saying.
"He was a Demon Slayer. If you want to be stronger, then you'll need to be a demon slayer as well." I answered as I slowly took a few steps down the steep mountain. The clueless siblings clumsily followed behind, desperately trying not to lose me.
"How do you become a demon slayer?" Tanjiro asked. A deep sigh blew out of my mouth as I slumped my dominant hand high up into the air, not daring to say anything. Suddenly, the flaps of a bird swooped over our heads as Itachi, my Kasugai, landed on my shoulder.
"Tell the old man that I've finished my mission." I murmured as the crow nodded before loyally soaring away to Urokodaki's cabin.
"Just follow me and I'll introduce you to an old man: Sakonji Urokodaki. He'll train you to be a fine Slayer.". Tanjiro nodded, slightly confused due to the vague answer, and silently continued to follow me as we all treaded down the snowy mountain.
A while later..
No PoV
"You don't need to pay!" An old man cried out, his stern voice echoing through the peaceful, yet lonely and dark landscape of mountains and hills. The squawk of a raven flew overhead as Tanjiro fumbled through his pockets, ignoring the man's request. A tattered bamboo basket swung in Tanjiro's clumsy hands as he pulled out numerous silver coins from within his pocket.
"Please! This is some change!" Tanjiro humbly pleaded, his voice conspicuously louder than previously. The man disappointingly shook his head.
"You don't have to!" He cried, yelling even louder. A flock of crows rushed out of their nests, shocked by the ensuing racket.
"Please! Have it!" Tanjiro screeched, forcefully slamming the minute coins into the old man's battered hands. The man yelped in pain as Tanjiro, in an unusually formal and serious manner, excused himself, rushing back into a swarm of trees.
Soon, after an exhausting sprint through a maze-like forest, Tanjiro reached the side of a minute stone mountain. The thriving green and the tall, thick trees shocked Tanjiro, since the poor mountain boy rarely ever got a chance to travel far from home. Tanjiro rushed over to Y/n, who was blankly leaning against the wall of the mountain, staring off into the night sky, as usual. His unusual yellow hair, unnaturally symmetrical scars on his cheeks and uncommon blue eyes blew a pint of curiosity into Tanjiro, but the kind boy decided not to ask about it.
"Y/n! I'm back!" Tanjiro announced, still panting from his sprint. Y/n's gaze turned over to the boy, a wide grin on his face.
"I heard you arguing with someone. Who was it?" Y/n asked, pushing himself off the mountain's steep wall. Tanjiro chuckled at the thought, but swiftly dismissed it.
"Anyways, where's Nezuko?" Tanjiro questioned, calmly peering over his shoulder for the small girl. Y/n's expression suddenly came to a standstill as his face dropped down to the ground. Despairing shadows covered the boy's eyes as his mouth opened, but nothing came out. A jolt of fright brushed through Tanjiro as Y/n's hands clenched in furious rage.
"Nezuko.. she..",
Y/n stopped, trying to fumble together any coherent sense of composure. His face scrunched up as his teeth gritted against each other, clattering with a deafening racket.
"Tanjiro.. I'm so sorry.. she..
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.. got eaten by a dinosaur." Y/n stated, trying his absolute hardest to not burst into laughter. An ensuing silence followed as Tanjiro blankly stared at Y/n, slowly comprehending what he just heard. Soon, unable to hold in his laughter, Y/n came howling out with laughter as a confused Tanjiro peered on.
"Dinosaurs.. are real?" Tanjiro mumbled to himself. Tanjiro's remarknonly made Y/n laugh harder, his screeching howls comparable to a wolf's. The boy soon fell to the ground, still howling and laughing, as Tanjiro blankly stared at him, his maroon eyes delving deeper into confusion.
Soon, a petite figure walked up to Tanjiro from behind, her gleaming pink eyes slightly concerned for Y/n's health. She tapped Tanjiro on the shoulder, to which the boy replied with a screeching yelp, shocked at the fact that Nezuko, by an absolute miracle, hadn't been eaten by a dinosaur. Tanjiro clenched her shoulders and proceeded to wildly shake her, just to make sure she wasn't a ghost.
"I'm so glad you're alive!" Tanjiro cried as a confused Nezuko peered on. Y/n's tantrum of laughter ensued as Tanjiro blew out a sigh of relief.
"Being attacked by a dinosaur must've been horrible!". Nezuko twitched her head, displaying her confusion, as she walked up to Y/n, who was rolling on the ground in laughter.
"What happened? Are you choking?" Nezuko mumbled, her illogical gibberish somehow being understood by Y/n. The poor boy tried his best to explain what had happened, which seemed to be extremely hard due to the fact that he was howling with laughter, but as soon as he finished, Nezuko started to chuckle. A confused Tanjiro simply peered on as the duo laughed and laughed and laughed.
A while later..
Tanjiro, due to having a concerning lack of humour, left Nezuko and Y/n by the mountain to go and try and repair the tattered bamboo basket. After a while of searching, the mountain boy stumbled upon a swarm of bamboo stalks to use, and soon went to work. Using many techniques his father and mother had taught him when he was little, he swiftly managed to repair the poor basket.
"I suppose I'm finished." Tanjiro mumble to himself, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead. Slumping the bamboo basket on his back, the boy slowly treaded back to the stone mountain, still pondering the existence of dinosaurs. Soon, he reached the edge of the mountain, but found nothing but a minute hole in the side. His eyes frantically fluttered across the tree-heavy landscape, but could find no sign of intelligent life. But, just as a burst of fright flew into the poor boy..
"Boo!" Y/n suddenly exclaimed, his body hanging onto a nearby tree branch, using his legs as an anchor. Tanjiro yelped back in fright, falling onto his bottom, as a few minute chuckles came from Y/n. Tanjiro followed suite before once again realising that Nezuko had disappeared.
"Don't tell me.. Nezuko got eaten by another dinosaur?!" Tanjiro exclaimed in shock as Y/n shook his head, leaping off the tree branch.
"She's in there." Y/n stated as he swiftly landed on the green grass below, pointing towards the unusual hole on the side of the mountain. Tanjiro diligently nodded as he slowly crept over to it, peering into it's dark, spooky depths.
"I can't see her," Tanjiro responded, peeking his head closer into the cavern. Suddenly, a head popped out from afar, distressingly staring back at Tanjiro.
"My sister's a mole." Tanjiro murmured to himself as Y/n chuckled from afar.
"She decided to go inside once the sun started to peek through the clouds." Y/n explained, walking closer to the hole. Tanjiro chuckled as Nezuko slowly moved closer to her brother, curious as to the basket he brought along with him.
Suddenly, Y/n grabbed the basket and wandered inside, a comforting grin on his face.
"Can you fit in here?" Y/n asked, pointing towards the bamboo basket. Nezuko diligently crept inside, but soon fell disappointed as the basket tumbled over, with Nezuko's legs protruding out.
"She.. might be a tad too big for the basket." Tanjiro said, looking back at Y/n.
"She can grow and shrink, can't she?".
Suddenly, Y/n's gaze jolted over his shoulder as he stared into a vast emptiness. He silently nodded as Tanjiro cluelessly peered on, slightly frightened at the ghost-like voice. However, Tanjiro stood silent, pretending to ignore the voice.
"Nezuko, can you shrink?" Y/n asked, repeating the 'ghost's' question as a minute grunt came from within the basket. Soon the demon shrunk to the size of a minute child, being able to snuggly fit into the basket effortlessly. Tanjiro watched on in awe as Y/n gave off his signature grin, as though he had been reminded of something pleasant.
'Just like Master Choji.' The blonde boy thought to himself as a warm bubble of nostalgia flew into his stomach.
"Tanjiro, let's go." Y/n abruptly stated as he confidently strided out of the hole, clearly impatient. Tanjiro diligently nodded, slumping the basket over his shoulders, as he fumbled behind Y/n, following the unusual boy. A relaxing, green leaf dangled through the air as it landed on Nezuko's basket, shining with it's majestic fresh texture.
A while later..
Blinding darkness crept through the mountainous landscape, it's unbearable black as dark as the beautiful night sky. Shimmers of lights looked down to the trio, persistently glowing through the impenetrable black of night. A messy, almost dirty path of soil wiggled through the land as sturdy, sharp trees scattered everywhere, illuminating the darkness with a majestic green. A blanket of snow, whose depth was relatively light compared to before, blew through the night breeze as puffs of white cold blew out of the trio's mouths.
Nezuko, due to the lack of sunlight, now rode with Tanjiro and Y/n, walking alongside them silently as Y/n lead the way, confident in his strides. Her hands tightly grasped her brother's, a few chilling jolts of fear striking her spine as she nervously followed the dirt path below. Tanjiro, whose body had been illuminated with a fire of determination, impatiently anticipated his training as Y/n, whose blank expression had stood invariant this whole time, calmly walked up the dirt path, his hands in his pockets.
Suddenly, a waft of unusual sweetness blew down onto the trio, heightening their senses. Y/n, taking a sharp, deep breath, immediately rushed up the mountain path as Tanjiro and Nezuko fumbled behind, a chilling fright rushing into them. Soon, the trio arrived at an old-fashioned temple, whose mouldy wood had clearly been damaged by time, as they abruptly stopped, mentally preparing themselves to look inside. After a freezing moment of realisation, Y/n, taking initiative, barged into the temple as a harsh breeze of blood fired through his nostrils. His hands instinctively flew to his hips as two shadow-dark blades teleported into his hands. Tanjiro and Nezuko gaped at the sight, looking over Y/n's shoulder's, as a captivating urge froze Nezuko in place.
A pair of lean, horrid demon eyes snapped back at them as drops of blood soaked the wood below. A massacre of flesh and guts were painted across the ceiling and walls as the greyish demon slowly turned it's horrible head towards the trio, a menacing red glow emanating from his eyes.
"This is my turf! Get out!" Demanded the demon as he rose to his feet, revealing his stubby stature. Thick, sharp blades sprouted from within his fingertips as a breeze of confusion blew over him, a rush of realisation flushing through him.
"What's a demon doing with a demon slayer?". The demon, despite his clear confusion, swiftly shook his body into an offensive stance; bending his knees, leaning on his back leg, two hands up, as his blood red eyes stood invariant. Y/n glared back silently as the grip on his blades loosened until they were hanging by a thread.
A minute droplet of blood fell from within the demon's mouth as he suddenly lunged towards Y/n, his gaping jaw anticipating a juicy bite of flesh. Y/n, with a hint of confidence, let his blades fall to the ground as he clenched the demon's arms, propelling the monster into the ground. The demon smashed through layers of mouldy wood below as Y/n's blades vanished, leaving no trace of their existence. A puddle of blood slowly oozed out of the demon as he tiredly slumped over to his feet, somehow recovering from Y/n's assault in seconds. Tanjiro, in a stage of absolute fright, instinctively took a step back as Nezuko's eyes invariantly stared at the delicious food splattered across the temple, desperately resisting the urge to feast.
"Tell me your name." Y/n demanded as the demon ominously cracked his neck in anticipation. A wide grin stretched onto the monster's face, revealing a multitude of bloody teeth. Suddenly, the demon once again lunged towards the trio, absolutely ignoring Y/n's request. With a mist of impatience, Y/n gripped the demon by the neck and threw him, once again, into the wood flooring below. A mist of debris flew into the air as Y/n clenched the demon's right arm, ensuring the demon's captivity. Menacing dark shadows covered Y/n's face as the demon struggled to leave his grasp, but it was in pitiful vain; Y/n's grip was too strong.
"All I had wanted was a nice, simple chat." Y/n sighed, seeming genuinely dissapointed. Y/n's grip suddenly tightened as an audible crack emanated from the demon's wrist. Pressure befell the beast as the force of Y/n's hand pressed the demon's legs deeper into the dry, coarse soil below.
"You know, sitting around a dinner table, talking abou-" Y/n continued as the demon grew restless. Slicing off his own wrist, the demon found itself free of Y/n's captivity. Lunging at the boy, the monster found itself attacking with full murderous intent.
Boom!
Dust flew up into the air as Tanjiro opened his jaw for a scream, only to be cut off by the scent of Y/n. The debris would quickly settle, revealing the blonde boy to be sitting atop the back of the demon, who now found itself kneeling on all-fours.
"-about our day whilst having a sip of my delicious green tea. How's that sound?" Y/n chuckled without restraint, staring at the demon who had now been reduced to nothing more than a chair. Enraged, the beast screeched.
"I will murder you!" It bellowed, sending a bloody fist to Y/n's face at lightning-speed. Tanjiro stood paralysed at the sight, which had changed drastically in the matter of seconds. With a mischievous grin, the blue-eyed boy let out a singular amused chuckle.
Tanjiro PoV
Y/n stood in the centre of the bloody, stenching room, valiantly glaring at the blood-thirsty beast facing him. The demon stood before Y/n as the blonde boy's arm flew to grip its neck, endangering it with the concept of death.
'What.. What had happened?" I thought to myself in pure shock. Just a moment ago Y/n had been sitting atop the demon, chuckling as a hurling fist inched towards his face, until the duo had seemingly teleported into their new predicament. There wasn't a single break between the two scenarios; as if the pair had used magic to move faster than human comprehension.
However, judging from the demon's own expression, it seemed to be just as clueless as me. Shocked at how fast Y/n had not only negated his attack, but turned it against himself, the demon stood frozen upon Y/n's gaze. A menacing scent suddenly blew out of Y/n, urging the demon to begin squirming for an escape route.
"Tell me, what was your name?" Y/n repeated with a hint of anger. The demon's struggling abruptly stopped as the menacing demand echoed throughout the land. The stench of fear blew through the demon as a slight weakness flushed through the its legs.
"I-I.. can't remember," the demon responded, seemingly obedient towards Y/n due to shock. A sigh blew out of Y/n's mouth as his grip on the demon's neck tightened. Bringing his right palm up towards the sky, the boy revealed a black sun tattoo engraved onto it.
"How sad.".
A moment of silence ensued as Y/n stretched the tattooed hand towards the grey monster. Slowly, his hand soon covered the demon's face as his stern, blue eyes glared invariantly. The demon, helpless and distraught at his own powerlessness, emanated a scent of regret as Y/n's eyes slowly came to a shut...
Suddenly, a blur of black burst through the room. A duo of shadow-stained katanas found themselves in Y/n's grasp, both of which let out a clear, singular message: death. Red liquid showered the wooden walls and floor, covering the dried, human blood that had been spilled beforehand. The stench of rot crashed into my throat as my hands flew up to my nose instinctively.
And in just a fraction of a second, the battle had been decided.
Suddenly, the demon's body froze inhumanely, as though he were a robot, as his grey, blood stained skin blew away into ash. Soon, the demon's body had disappeared, with no trace of it's prior existence other than it's victims. Y/n's empty hands fell to his sides, as though they had consumed the duo of katanas that they had fought with just a moment ago. Turning his blood-stained face over his shoulder, the boy let out a gleeful grin.
"You guys alright?" He smiled, unfazed by what had just occured. Shook to my core, both in disbelief and in awe, I faintly nodded. Patting me on the shoulder, the blonde boy strode out of the temple rhythmically, the fragrance of optimism unwaveringly bellowing out of him. Following suite, Nezuko, who had now conquered her hunger, and I crept out of the temple.
No Pov
A light, majestic sunrise welcomed the trio, easing the confusing and demeaning mood. The poor stench of blood soon disappeared as Tanjiro and Y/n admired the beautiful expanses of daylight, completely ignoring Nezuko, who already had swiftly leapt into her basket at the sight of sunrise.
Suddenly, a dark, almost ominous shadow looked over Y/n's eyes as a rush of adrenaline tingled through Tanjiro's fingers. A moment of pure silence echoed through the land as the shadow invariantly glared at Y/n, inspecting his unusually yellow hair. Unexpectedly, the shadow's hands flew up to Y/n's face and gripped onto Y/n's cheeks, pulling them in all directions angrily.
"Ow!" Yelled Y/n as the shadow's hands fell to it's sides, releasing their grasps. Y/n, rubbing his sore cheeks, peered up at the strange old man, whose silly, almost scary, red goblin mask stared back. Blue, cloud-patterned clothing surrounded the man as pricks of snow-white hair flew up from his shallow scalp. Y/n's face blew to a smile as the goblin-man slowly opened his mouth.
"I knew you would come back eventually." Urokodaki stated stoically, albeit with a hint of sorrow. Y/n chuckled in response, as Tanjiro cluelessly peered on, pondering the man's identity.
"Y/n, who is this?" Tanjiro whispered to his friend anxiously, intimidated by the man's unusual fashion choices.
"This man," Y/n announced with pride as he crossed his arms and puffed his chest. "Is the your new master and teacher; the one and only Sakonji Urokodaki!" He continued, staring at Urokodaki as if demanding that the old man take up his role as Tanjiro's mentor. Shocked at the news, Tanjiro instinctively bowed at the man in an awkwardly formal fashion. A sigh came out of Urokodaki.
"All you ever do is give me more students, Y/n." The man murmured tiredly before turning away from the duo. Suddenly, the man patted Y/n's puffy yellow hair and he took a stride away, confident in his steps. Frantically, Tanjiro rushed over to grab Nezuko's basket as Y/n hurriedly rushed behind Urokodaki, hoping not to get lost within a labyrinth of trees.