♪───Ｏ（≧∇≦）Ｏ────♪
The next 3 weeks was a fucking hell.
Not only was Inosuke very persistent in teaching you how to use a breath, or make one of your own (He insisted that it was easier to just make one for yourself, but you beg to differ.), but Tanjiro would sometimes train you in secret as well. And by that, you were training during the night.
Then Zenitsu, when you were taking breaks from training, he would offer you help as well.
You had to admit, you preferred his method the most. You guessed it was because he understood better than the other two how hard this was, so he was very patient with you. But at the same time, he set goals for you that challenged you and at the same time were in your range of abilities.
You always used Tanjiro's nichirin blade when you trained with the boys. Inosuke's blades were too dangerous for you with their chipped sides.
At some point, you had an alarm set in the morning so you could get used to waking up early again. And everytime the alarm went off, one of the boys would try to destroy your phone so they could go back to sleep.
They even took turns everyday to try and assassinate your poor phone. Tanjiro went first, then Zenitsu, then Inosuke.
When you weren't training, you were teaching Tanjiro English the best you could, sometimes Zenitsu and Inosuke would join as well.
Tanjiro and Zenitsu tried so hard to teach you the basics of Japanese, but all three of you ended up crying at your own stupidity (At least, you and Zenitsu were.
Tanjiro cried because he thought he was a horrible teacher. Which, according to the manga, he actually is a pretty bad teacher. But you were also just stupid.
You learned basic phrases necessary for when out onto the field killing demons. Like "Hurry", "Stop", "To your left", "To your right" etc. Inosuke would teach you insults for you to say to Tanjiro and Zenitsu.
Unsurprising anyone (only Tanjiro), the insults were the only things you could say right and the easiest for you to remember. Tanjiro tried to scold the boar child for tainting your pure soul (Sure...Tanjiro...), but Inosuke was having a field day when he heard of this, so he couldn't care less.
And when you weren't teaching or being taught, you were using your free time to train on your own.
The last part really fucking surprised you.
You had never even made the effort to study for school, or to do your homework. This was much more taxing than anything else. Yet here you were, in the early 1900's, training yourself VOLUNTARILY to learn how to use a breath and to swing a sword.
You learned that you actually did better without a sword. You had a strong swing when you punched, and your leg muscles were strong too. You thought about maybe learning martial arts, but you did need a nichirin blade to kill demons. So you didn't entertain the idea as much as you wanted to.
You remember in those 3 weeks, you wrote a will as a joke, but now you are seriously thinking about updating it.
You guys were going to leave for Mt. Nata-something soon today, and you were so nervous.
You and Nezuko were in the spare room you were originally supposed to sleep in, the boys were getting their last check up. You sat against her box in your robe, Nezuko sitting in front of you in her smaller form. You were braiding her hair upwards, and on top, sat the rest of her hair which took forever to make into a bow.
You were so proud of it, you were about to take your phone out to take a picture of it, but you heard a knock against the floor.
"Miss (Y/n), the doctor is ready to see you now," Your new Grandmother calls.
"Give me a moment please!" You respond.
You got up and rushed Nezuko to get into her box. Once she was inside, you made sure to close it before sitting on your knees.
"Okay, you can come in!"
——
You and the boys waited together in front of the doctor to hear his verdict. Zenitsu on your left, then Tanjio on your right, and Inosuke next to him.
"You're fully healed." He says.
"You will be getting discharged today," The old woman who took so much care of you translated.
You all sighed in relief. So now it was time to pack up and hit the road.
——
"I am really tired," You slowly said.
"I...em..." Tanjiro pauses for a moment, "reelly tired."
You grinned and let out a short laugh before clapping your hands and giving him a thumbs up: "Good job, Tanjiro!"
Tanjiro blushes and beams at the compliment, about to respond until you both heard flapping wings.
You look over and see that it was his crow! Tanjiro cupped his hands together so the crow hopped onto his hands. (Tanjiro actually told you the crow's name was Tennoji! How neat!)
"North-northeast! North-northeast!" Tennoji informs, "Your next mission is north-northeast! The three of you are to go to Mt. Natagumo! Head to Mt. Natagumo!"
"Three?" Tanjiro frowns, "What about (Y/n)?"
You look at Tanjiro when he mentions your name.
"The girl will stay! She will stay! She is not a Demon Slayer so she will stay!" Tennoji replies.
Tanjiro was stunned. No way was he going to leave you! Wasn't there another way to go about this?
"But-"
"-The three of you are to go to Mt. Natagumo! The girl will stay!" Tennoji insists before flying off Tanjiro's hand and flying off.
"Tanjiro..." Zenitsu mutters.
You furrow your eyebrows together and looked between him and Tanjiro, "Tanjiro?"
Tanjiro lets out a heavy sigh, "Get...ready."
His accent was heavy and 'ready' sounded more like 'raded'. But you nod your head and leave to the other room to get dressed.
"What did you say?" Inosuke asked.
"She's coming with us," Tanjiro says, "Like I said before, I'll watch her. So you two don't have to worry about her."
Zenitsu frowns, "Tanjiro, your bird just told you-"
"-Shut up, Monitsu!" Inosuke interrupts, "(B/n) has been training with me this entire time! She'll be just fine!"
Inosuke obviously had a lot of doubt, and of course he wanted to argue. But... admittedly, he wanted you to tag along as well. And even though Tanjiro said he'll protect you alone, Inosuke will make sure to keep an eye out for you as well.
Zenitsu groans at Inosuke's comment but says nothing else. You've only been training for 3 weeks! That's not enough time to learn how to fight demons! And you didn't even have a blade of your own!
It was so tiring being the only one with a working brain cell.
——
You met up with Tanjiro and the others outside of the gates to the Wisteria home. You wore the Demon Slayer uniform you were given with your black hoodie over it. Your backpack filled with your things and a few large books on English the old woman had let Tanjiro keep so he can continue learning.
"Where did she get that?" Zenitsu asks, blushing from seeing you in a skirt.
——
"Excuse me," Tanjiro smiles.
"Yes, sir?" Hisa smiles up at Tanjiro.
"One of my friends, she doesn't have a Demon Slayer uniform. I was wondering if it was possible for you to get her one?"
"Miss (L/n) is not a Demon Slayer, is that correct?"
"I-I...Ah, no. She-she's not..."
"Would it not be safer for her to stay here with me? I understand she is a foreigner."
"Yes...It would be. But I...."
Tanjiro couldn't find a valid reason why he wanted you with him, just the fact he felt uneasy at the thought of you not being with him.
"Well, do you have her measurements?" Hisa asks, "It would be difficult getting her a uniform without having her size."
Tanjiro blushes in shame and embarrassment as he handed the woman a piece of paper with your measurements.
It was the first night we all had arrived. You were taking a bath, and so were Inosuke and Zenitsu.
While he was waiting in your shared room with everyone, the old woman came in, saying that your clean clothes were done. In the spur of the moment, Tanjiro had a thought of asking for a uniform for you.
When Hisa left, Tanjiro reached into your bag, remembering he saw a book filled with papers in there. He ripped out a page and searched your bag for something to write with.
He felt like a crook going through your personal belongings like this.
He wouldn't be able to face you after this!
(He was able to face you after this, and dance with you, too.)
Tanjiro found a bag filled with wooden sticks that were different colors! And those shiny tubes (You told him this material and other similar ones were called plastic!) had colored caps! He almost got distracted by them, he picked the darkest, shiny tube and pulled the cap off.
He scrunched his face up and held his nose. That smell was so strong, what the hell was it? He tried his best to ignore it so he could write against the paper. Black ink appeared where he drew the tube across the paper.
He shook his head before looking at your clothing. Tanjiro was pretty good at guessing the measurements of things by observing them closely, but just in case, he added a few more centimeters to the shirt and skirt.
He put the cap back on the shiny tube before putting it back in the pencil bag and into your backpack, folding the clothes; he got up and rushed out the door to find the old woman.
——
"I have no idea." Tanjiro turns his body around so Zenitsu couldn't see his 'lying face'.
It's not like it mattered though, Zenitsu could totally hear he was lying.
You smile as you look over to your new comrades, dreading the trip to the mountains. In the anime, the Kamaboko Squad left the Wisteria house in the morning, as you were all doing now, and arrived at the mountain by dark.
Hisa came out of the gates, holding a rock and flint.
"We're heading out now," Tanjiro smiles, "Thank you for everything."
You see Tanjiro and Zenitsu bow, so you did the same, hoping you didn't look forced.
"Now then, for good luck." She smiles.
"Thank you so much!" Tanjiro grins.
Tanjiro and Zenitsu turned their backs towards the woman. You and Inosuke watch with curious eyes. You knew it was for the purification ceremony or whatever, but you were still scared of getting set on fire.
She struck the flint against the stone twice, sparks flying out.
"What do you think you're doing, old hag?!" Insouke raises his fist.
"Dude! Chill!" You shout, holding him back.
He was too strong for you, so Tanjiro had to help.
"What are you, a moron?!" Zenitsu shouts, guarding Hisa.
"Hah?!"
"She's striking sparks for good luck! It's a purification ceremony!" Zenitsu explains, "Because we're gonna go on a dangerous mission!"
"TEH!"
Hesitantly, oh so hesitantly, you and Tanjiro let him go.
"Always live your lives with great pride. I wish you luck in battle!" She bows before turning to you, "Please be careful, Miss (L/n). Demon Slayer or not, you will always be welcomed here free of charge."
You smile, your heart swelling up at her words, "Thank you very much for your kindness."
The three of you bow your heads before all of you start to run towards your destination. It wasn't even 3 minutes later when Inosuke was back on his shit again.
""Great pride"? "Luck in battle"? What does that mean?" Inosuke asks.
"Well, yeah, now that you mention it, it's kind of difficult," Tanjiro pauses for a moment to figure out a way to explain the words to Inosuke, "With great pride"...I guess it means that you know your place and that you behave properly so that you're never ashamed of yourself."
"Huh?"
"And the old lady is also praying for our safety." Tanjiro finishes.
"So, what is this "place"? What do you mean, "never ashamed"?" Insouke demands for the answers.
You wince at his tone. You don't remember a lot about this part, but this conversation could have gone better if they both just listened to each other.
"Well, it's..."
"What exactly does it mean to "behave properly"?" Inosuke rants on, "Why in the hell would that old hag pray for our safety anyway? She has nothing to do with us. Then, why? She has no clue what her own place is, does she?"
You groan internally.
Inosuke! I probably have the answer to these questions if I remembered them all correctly! But I don't know how to say it!
You honestly don't think he's being blunt to be rude. Inosuke was raised in the mountains, of course he would be curious of all the cultures he never had the chance to properly learn.
But of course, being raised in the mountains made him socially inept.
Tanjiro huffs before speeding up ahead.
You balk at his actions, along with Zenitsu and Inosuke. Inosuke growls before speeding ahead of you and Zenitsu.
"I won't get beat!"
"Wait up!" Zenitsu cries.
"Guys! Come on!" You whined, trying to keep up.
It's not like you couldn't keep up, you've ran away from cops and criminals before. But it's just so early in the morning!
Zenitsu looks behind himself to look at you, he slows down to meet your pace. You gave him a smile in gratitude.
"Thank you, Zenitsu!" You smile.
——
The mountain was a lot bigger than you expected, and fucking freakier in real life than the anime. It was so dark out, you considered taking out your phone for it's flashlight, but you decide against it.
"Hold up!" Zenitsu screeches, "Would you mind waiting a second?"
"Zenitsu? What's wrong?" Tanjiro asks as you all stared down at him.
Zenitsu had tears in his eyes, sitting on the road while hugging his knees to his chest.
"I'm scared, all right? Now that we're nearing our destination, I'm so scared!" The blonde cries.
You furrow your eyebrows and smiled, "Zen-"
"-Why the hell is he sitting?" Inosuke cuts you off, "How creepy is that?"
"Who are you to talk, Pig Face?!" Zenitsu shot back, pointing towards the mountains, "Don't tell me you're not getting any vibes from that mountain!"
You three turn around to look where his finger was pointing.
You remember all the fights, and everything that happens here, but you don't really remember it all in the exact order.
And to make it worse, you are really tired from running all day. You feel like your brain is running of jet-lag and you can't really focus on what's happening in the moment either.
It made you nervous, and it made you scared. You turn back to Zenitsu and crouch in front of him.
He just needs encouragement and a push, right? Everyone needs it from time to time. Even when they don't admit it.
You smile and took his hands into your own, "Come on, Zenitsu."
Zenitsu turns red at your actions.
"What good will it do to just sit there?" Tanjiro adds.
"I told you, he's just creepy," Inosuke insults the blonde.
You sigh in slight annoyance at Inosuke's tone, having a good idea of what he said. Zenitsu was annoyed too.
"I am not in any way creepy!" Zenitsu rips one of his hands from your hold to point at Inosuke, "I'm normal! Me and (Y/n) are the normal ones! You guys are abnormal!"
You raise an eyebrow at the mention of your name. It feels like it's always Zenitsu adding you into these conversations.
You pull Zenitsu to stand up with you, at the same time, Tanjiro snaps his head towards the mountains. You stare at the redhead in worry, waiting for the cue to start running to that guy who crawled out of the forest.
You would go on ahead to help the Slayer, but you didn't want to seem suspicious. If you want to blend in, you have to act at least when everyone else does, if not, a few seconds later or earlier.
"What? What's wrong?" Zenitsu squeezes your hand in nervousness.
"What is this smell?" Tanjiro mutters.
That's your cue.
"Tanjiro-"
Tanjiro ignores Zenitsu's call and starts to run towards the forest. You immediately follow the redhead, dragging Zenitsu with you. Inosuke starts to run once he saw you three run. You guys ran in a hurry, and when you got over the hill, you saw that demon slayer with the nearly invisible threads attached.
Your heartbeat quickens in anticipation, anxiety, and fear
They stopped running when they saw him, but you let go of Zenitsu's hand and keep running towards him.
He looks up at you and stares you with wide eyes, tears threatening to spill: "H-Help me."
Your heart drops as you skid to a halt before dropping to your knees in front of him.
You can see the fears in his eyes, the way his voice shook. You didn't need to understand what he said, that was enough for you to know he was begging for your help.
"He's got our uniform on!" You hear Tanjiro say, "He's a Demon Slayer! Something must've happened!"
You can hear Tanjiro and the rest running again.
You try to wrack your brain for a solution to get the threads off of him before he would be pulled back. The threads won't be strong since he was all the way out here.
Impulsively, you pick up the Demon Slayer's nichirin blade and started to swipe around his back, hoping that this would work. You met some resistance as you wave it over his backside.
"Are you all right?!" Tanjiro asks as he finally reached you, "What happened?!"
Tanjiro, and Zenitsu and Inosuke too, were so confused as to why you were just swinging the sword over his body, but Tanjiro didn't bother to voice it. Maybe it was an American thing?
You hear the quiet sound of a thread being pulled, seeing the slight lift of the Demon Slayers hips.
In a panic, you reached over his back side and swiped again. This time, the material that hit the blade made a louder snap, and his hips drop to the ground.
He wasn't moving anymore, he looked up at you with tears running down his face.
You let out a heavy sigh of relief, the adrenaline leaving your body once your brain registers that you saved his life!
His fate was to die and you saved him! You drop the sword and helped the Slayer up on his knees and hug him.
"Wh-(Y/n)! What just happened? Why are you crying?!" Tanjiro asks, your scent was strong in relief.
You ignore Tanjiro (You didn't know what he was saying, anyway.) to pull away from the Slayer.
You take the Demon Slayer's nichirin blade and helped him up. He wasn't badly injured, he could most definitely make it to the Wisteria house without a problem.
You give him his sword and shove him away from the mountain: "Go! Run away!"
He looks at you with wide eyes before noticing you are without a nichirin blade.
He nods before handing his sword to you. He might need it to protect him if he were to run, but you just saved his life. He knew that if you weren't there, he would've died. This was the least he could do, he could always ask for another one.
He would definitely get stronger too, and then he'll meet you again later to properly thank you. Then he'll make you his friend, and he'll protect you for as long as he lives.
You look at the Slayer in surprise as you hold onto his blade. He gives you a nod and smile before running from the forest.
"Please! Be safe! All of you!" He calls out before turning around.
You watch him run, but quickly shake your head, remembering why you four were here in the first place.
"Tanji, Ino, Zen! Let's go!" You turn to face your friends.
Tanjiro stares at you in shock and admiration before nodding his head.
But then he froze.
His hand shook as he stared up at the mountain.
"Right, let's go."
Tanjiro makes no actual move to walk.
Inosuke walks past him, bumping his arm into Tanjiro: "I'll go on ahead. You can follow me, shivering. This is making me hungry."
"Inosuke..."
You walk ahead as well, standing next to Inosuke.
"Let's do this," You nod at the wild teen.
"(Y/n)..." Tanjiro was impressed with you.
You were scared, there was no questioning it, he could smell it with his excelente sense of smell. But here you were, rushing in without another thought, and you weren't even a Demon Slayer with professional training.
It was really admirable and encouraging (And attractive.)
Inosuke laughs before running into the forest with you and Tanjiro running behind.
You turned to Zenitsu for a moment, "Come on, Zenitsu!"
You gave one last smile before turning back around to catch up.