Kamado Tanjiro picked up the charcoal and left the house early in the morning. He descended the mountain to sell them at the town located at the foot of the mountain.
......And that afternoon, Tanjiro returned home just before sunset.
* * *
Sunset was early in December; by five o'clock the world outside had been engulfed in darkness.
The Kamado family were getting ready to sleep; Tanjiro was pulling out the mattresses from the closet, having finished bath earlier than everyone else. Since he had descended the mountain today, his family gave him the privilege of taking the bath first when it was the warmest.
His younger sisters Nezuko and Hanako, having finished bathing after Tanjiro, helped him align the mattresses on the tatami flooring. Their mother was currently in the bath with 5-year-old Rokuta.
"Thanks for helping, Nezuko, Hanako." Tanjiro called to his sisters as he sat down on the floor. After his body was warmed up by the bath, the fatigue from going down and up the mountain was weighing on him.
"It's nothing, Onii-chan." Nezuko replied with a smile.
Nezuko was 13 year old, and was growing into a beautiful woman. Unlike Tanjiro, who took on their father's brown hair and dark-red eyes, Nezuko took after the characteristics of their mother - long straight black hair, fair skin and large pale-pink eyes lined with long eyelashes. Her fair looks were popular in the town, and whenever she visited the streets for shopping, shopkeepers would lower the price of their merchandise.
"You must be tired from the mountain road, so don't push yourself." She told her older brother.
"I'm fine, I'm used to it." Tanjiro nodded back with a smile of his own. "I'm glad I sold all the charcoal today, though - I want everyone to have a feast on New Year."
"Oh! I want to have rice cakes!!" Hanako said, hugging Tanjiro, her eyes shining. Hanako was 9 this year, who looked just like Nezuko when she was younger except for her hairstyle and eye colour. With straight black hair cut short to her shoulders, she had the same red eyes as Tanjiro. She had a firm personality and always fought with her brothers Takeo and Shigeru - but were really soft around Nezuko and Tanjiro.
"Rice cakes... that'll be great, huh?" Tanjiro patted Hanako's head, who wriggled her body happily in response
Nezuko narrowed her eyes kindly as she watched the two siblings interact.
"Oh! I just remembered... I think we're out of soft rice right now." Nezuko thought for a second, then continued. "I guess I'll go to town tomorrow to buy them."
"I will go with you, Nezuko." Tanjiro said, facing her. Nezuko shook her head.
"No, I'll take Takeo with me. The two of us can carry a bag each— you should rest, Onii-chan."
Tanjiro frowned. "Really? I don't mind going down again...."
Just then, the door slid open with a loud sound, cutting their conversation off. Two boys came rushing in with their cheeks tinted red from the cold.
"Aah, it's so cold!!" 12-year-old Takeo cried as he patted snow off his spiky hair. A year younger than Nezuko, he was an energetic boy who was always the loudest one in the family. With black hair and red eyes, his face held close resemblance to Tanjiro.
Takeo was currently in a growth spurt and approaching Tanjiro's height. As an older sister, him surpassing her height was something Nezuko was secretly resentful about.
Following after Takeo, Shigeru, Hanako's twin brother, entered. Aged 9 as well, he had a smaller build than his twin sister, but was just as energetic. His head was shaved short into a buzz cut, on which snow had piled up.
"Welcome back." Tanjiro greeted the two boys with his smile. They had been outside, cleaning up the workplace in which the Kamado family made charcoal. They had extinguished the fireplace and stored up the firewood so that it wouldn't get dampened in the snow.
"Is it snowing that heavily?" Nezuko asked Takeo, who nodded.
"Nee-chan, I think it'll be a blizzard tonight!" He said.
"The wind was strong too." Shigeru added. "I think the snow will pile up tomorrow!"
Nezuko and Tanjiro looked at each other.
"I guess it'll be difficult to descend the mountain if it's that bad...." Nezuko shrugged.
"Anyway, Nii-chan, let's play in the snow tomorrow! It's been a while since it's snowed this much!" Takeo called to Tanjiro as he climbed up on the mattresses.
"Snowball fight!" Shigeru said excitedly and followed onto the tatami flooring.
"Hey! Don't step on them!" Hanako complained as the two boys stepped on the mattresses the girls had just laid out.
"Why should I care?" Takeo shrugged in a provoking way and jumped down on his mattress. He loved to tease Hanako that way.
"Heeey!!" Hanako pursed her lips together in anger and rushed at Takeo, who laughed and evaded her. Picking up a pillow, he threw it at Shigeru.
"You did it~!!" Shigeru, laughing as well, threw back the pillow, which hit the back of Hanako's head. Now heated up, Hanako picked up her own pillow and threw it --- accidentally hitting Tanjiro.
""""Ah."""" The voices of the four other kids in the room, including Nezuko, cried in unison as the pillow dropped from Tanjiro's face. His expression was hidden as his head drooped down.
Silence followed. And then...
"Haha! Now you've done it!" Tanjiro, grinning mischievously, rushed at Hanako and picked her up. Laughter filled the room as Takeo and Shigeru joined in, tackling over each other.
"....Haah." Nezuko sighed weakly with a tired smile. She closed the main entrance and locked it shut.
At the same time, from the back of the house, their mother and Rokuta came out from their bath, dressed in their night kimono.
"Ah, mom." Nezuko turned and called.
Their mother - Kamado Kie - was a beautiful woman with long black hair tied behind her head in a bun and large pinkish-purple eyes. She had a calm and mild personality, which showed on her kind expression.
In her arms was Rokuta: only aged five, he was doted on by the entire family - as the youngest child, perhaps it was unavoidable that everybody was soft on him. His eyes were half-closed as he sleepily bobbed his head.
The four children playing on the tatami floors - Tanjiro, Takeo, Shigeru and Hanako - all froze in their movements and looked at Kie, then stared at Rokuta half-asleep in her arms.
Kie smiled kindly at the four, who all had guilty expressions on their faces. They had now quieted down so that they wouldn't disturb Rokuta who was about to sleep.
"Takeo, Shigeru, it must've been cold outside. Take a bath while it's still warm."
"O-Okay." "Got it."
The two boys nodded obediently and quickly made their way towards the bath.
As they passed in front of Nezuko, she quietly gave them both a finger flick on their foreheads.
"Ow!?" "Ouch!?"
Wincing and holding their head in pain, they looked up in protest.
Nezuko shook her head with a sigh. "Quickly, now..."
""Yes....""
The two boys, heads drooping, entered the bath. Kie was observing her children's' interaction with a soft smile.
* * *
As they were getting ready for bed, Nezuko noticed something on the floor.
"Ah...." She picked it up and recognised it as one of the hanafuda earrings that Tanjiro wore on his ears. It looked like the string on it had snapped.
"Onii-chan. Your earring's fallen off." Nezuko patted Tanjiro's shoulder and showed the hanafuda to him.
"Oh... the string's snapped. Maybe it's time to replace them." Tanjiro muttered.
"It's been a while since we last fixed it, huh? I'll change the strings for you tomorrow." Nezuko told Tanjiro. "You should take it off for tonight."
"Yeah. Thanks, Nezuko." Tanjiro unpinned his earring on the other side and handed the pair to Nezuko, who put it away into a drawer.
* * *
As the night deepened, everyone was in their respective beds, covered in blankets to protect themselves from the cold. Nezuko could hear the soft breaths and snores from the other family members.
She looked to her side, where Hanako slept. Next to Hanako was Tanjiro — his eyes were closed and was fast asleep. A smile formed on Nezuko's face as she gazed at her older brother.
As I thought... he denied it earlier, but he must've been tired after all.
Nezuko pondered about how after their father - Kamado Tanjuro - passed away, Tanjiro had become the pillar of their household, taking on the father figure for the younger children. He supported their family by working the hardest - burning charcoal, descending the mountain every week to sell those charcoal.
Our life's been difficult since Father passed away. Nezuko thought.
But... we are managing by. Takeo's growing up quickly. And once Hanako and Shigeru become older, the burden on Onii-chan should lessen.
Smiling softly, Nezuko rubbed Hanako's hair. She could feel her consciousness starting to fade into a comfortable sleep.
As long as we have each other.... we will always be happy.
With that thought, she drifted into sleep.
* * * * *
Everything was dark that midnight.
Just as Takeo predicted, a blizzard was assaulting the mountaintop house. However, the Kamado family, living where they lived, were used to such weather and were soundly asleep.
--Until Tanjiro's consciousness awakened all of a sudden.
He sat up in his blanket, rubbing his eyes. The air was ice cold, but something warm was pressed against his body under the blanket.
He blankly stared around in the darkness until his eyesight adjusted and he could see the faint outline of what was around him.
As his mind slowly started to clear up, he looked down at the source of warmth on his side. He realised that Hanako had snuck into his blanket and was sleeping next to him.
Further right to her slept Nezuko, who had shifted towards Tanjiro's mattress to cling onto Hanako - she was probably unconsciously seeking warmth from her younger sister.
On the other side, to Tanjiro's left, slept Takeo. On the other side of the room, Kie, Rokuta and Shigeru slept clung up together.
Tanjiro slowly rubbed his forehead.
Why did I wake up...? He thought.
Something doesn't feel right....
All around him, the house creaked under the heavy wind from the blizzard.
Tanjiro fumbled around until he found a match, with which he lit a small flame and lighted up a candle. The sudden light that arose in the darkness blinded his eyesight for a few moments, until his eyes readjusted under the brightness. Hanako wiggled and covered her face with the blanket, shielding her eyes from the light.
"....Onii-chan...?"
"....Nii-chan...?"
From Tanjiro's left and right, Takeo and Nezuko shifted and slowly opened their eyes. They were squinting for a while until they clearly seemed to be awake.
"Are you all right?"
Nezuko asked in a hushed voice, as not to wake Hanako sleeping between them. Takeo was also frowning with a worried expression.
Tanjiro was still staring into the air. He was still searching for the source of the weird sensation that had woken him up.
...Until he finally noticed a faint smell that was in the air, that seemed to have came from outside. It was a smell he had never smelt before.
"What's this smell.... no, stench......?" Tanjiro quickly covered his nose - the stench had given him an urge to vomit all of a sudden.
"Is this... the smell of... blood?" Tanjiro whispered almost to himself.
Tanjiro stood up. I better check outside...
As he shifted, he accidentally woke up Hanako, who sat up. "What's wrong, Onii-chan...?"
"Is someone here?" Takeo asked. On the other side of the room, their conversation was waking their mother up.
"No, er..." Tanjiro muttered, wondering what he should explain. Then....
Knocks sounded on the door.
"Excuse me."
A smooth voice of a man called behind the locked door.
Did someone get lost in this weather? Nezuko wondered to herself. Before she could get up to answer the door, Hanako rose with an excited tone.
"It's a guest!" She stood up and tottered towards the door.
"Hey!" Tanjiro called after her. "It might be dangerous to go out alone..." He quickly followed after Hanako to the door.
Hanako unlocked the door and slid it open -- the cold air outside rushed into the house. Tanjiro stopped in his tracks behind her and instinctively covered his nose.
"Ugh....?" He staggered lightly.
What is this smell.... it's like... the blood of thousands of people had been mixed together....!! It's thick... and heavy...!!
A man was standing behind the entrance.
Nezuko could barely see his figure from inside the house: he was a young man with a tall and slim build. He wore black European suits and long white pants - an attire unfit in this climate atop a mountain. He had a slick wavy black hair and a pale face -- his eyes were hidden beneath the white hat he wore.
"I apologise for a late visit." The man said with a small smile.
"....Hanako." Tanjiro called softly and pulled the girl towards him, hugging her to his body. He faced the man who was emitting a powerful stench of blood.
"Who... are——"
The man stepped into the house. Tanjiro instinctively took a step back with Hanako, intimidated by his odour.
"Excuse me."
As soon as the man said, they saw his arm blur slightly.
Five simultaneous slashes cut across the two children, just like a claw mark.
A slash went across Tanjiro's face, another went down his shoulder and split it open.
The rest of the slashes landed on Hanako, who was in front of Tanjiro - large cuts appeared at her neck, torso and legs - wounds that instantly erased the life out of the small body.
Nezuko watched as two of her siblings dropped soundlessly to the floor, spraying blood.
The man walked past their bodies and faced the inside of the house, where the rest of the family were. There was a dead silence as Kie, Nezuko and Takeo stared back at the man's blood-red eyes, frozen in shock.
His gaze passed uninterestedly over Kie, then over Rokuta and Shigeru, who were slowly shifting out of their dreams.
"Those three look mediocre...... and here..."
His sight slid past Takeo, then stopped on Nezuko.
"...hm. Perhaps that girl would do."
A pillow flew into the man's face, then soundlessly dropped on the ground.
"What did you do to them....!!!" Takeo, breathing heavily, shouted as tears rolled down from his eyes, which were widened in anger. He had thrown the pillow at the man.
Veins silently appeared on the man's forehead. His red eyes narrowed.
"No...!!" Kie noticed the man's anger flare towards Takeo. She rushed out of her bed to shield him.
In that instant, the man's arm blurred again.
Slashes appeared on Kie, who was in the trajectory between the man and Takeo. At the same time, slashes landed on the back of the room where Shigeru and Rokuta were.
All three of them dropped to the floor before they could produce a single cry.
Takeo turned to Nezuko. "Nee-chan, run——"
The man, who had now stepped onto the tatami, swung his arm again.
Something caught Takeo's body and flung him to the other side of the room, where he landed near Rokuta and Shigeru. Blood soaked his kimono, and he didn't get up anymore.
".....Ah." Nezuko finally emitted a sound - a short, shocked cry.
The man was now standing in front of Nezuko, looking down on her with his red eyes.
"You." He said quietly. "You become a demon."
He extended his hand with nails that were elongated into sharp claws. He swung down ————
"Nezuko—!!!"
Tanjiro jumped between Nezuko, receiving the man's claws on his back.
"...!!"
The man widened his eyes in surprise. Tanjiro's blood splattered on the floor.
Tanjiro groaned in pain and slouched on Nezuko. Blood flowed continuously from his back, his shoulder, and from the massive cut on his face.
"O...Onii-chan...." Nezuko, recovering from her shock, managed to catch Tanjiro in her arms.
"How lucky you are... to not die from my attacks earlier." The man said nonchalantly at Tanjiro.
"Haah.... haah...."
Tanjiro's breaths were heavy and ragged - sounding like blood had filled his lungs. He turned his head with the little energy he had left, and glared at the man — his eyes burning with hatred and rage.
The man narrowed his eyes, and his mouth contorted into a smile.
"Yes... I like that look in your eyes. I guess I'll choose you."
He extended his hand and clasped it into a fist, his claws sinking into his skin. Blood dripped from the man's fist and dropped onto Tanjiro's back, into his wound.
"Ahhhhhh!!!????" Tanjiro gritted his teeth and grunted out a cry of pain.
"Onii-chan....!!" Nezuko cried and hugged Tanjiro as he started thrashing around.
"I will allow your sister to remain as a human." The man said, smiling down at Tanjiro. "With your wounds, you're going to need food anyways."
Nezuko gritted her teeth together. She snapped her head towards the man, her expression twisted in anger. "How dare you——!!"
The man kicked his leg up, and his boot made contact with Nezuko's forehead.
A dull sound rang at impact. Nezuko dropped on her back from the shock, having lost consciousness.
"I'll keep your sister alive... so you can have a fresh meal as a demon." The man said in an amused tone, then turned around, making his way towards the entrance.
"....Da...mn.... it....." Tanjiro let out as he crawled in his injured body, towards Nezuko.
My body is burning.... my heart is beating fast..... what... did that man do to me...?
He extended his hand touched his sister.
"Nezu............ Ugh!!??"
Something was churning inside Tanjiro. Every muscle in his body tensed, and his vision turned bright red. He could feel his blood coursing through his body becoming thicker and thicker.
Every cell in his body were writhing.
——"You. You become a demon."
He remembered the man's words towards Nezuko.
Did that man... say a demon...? I'm going to become... a demon....!!??
He tried to reach towards Nezuko again, but couldn't lift his arms. His red vision was now darkening.
No... don't lose consciousness......!!
If I lose my consciousness, it'd be the end!!
Nezuko is still alive!! I have to protect her!!
I can't become a demon...!!
I have to... protect.........
* * * * *
* * * * *
* * * * *
Thanks for reading first chapter! I didn't intend to make it this long, it's just that my love for Kamado family went beyond the roof after watching the movie....
Here are a few things to note:
- Nezuko is 13 and Tanjiro is 14, a year older than they were in the original story. This is because Tanjiro was 13 when he started training; I wanted Nezuko to be the same age. Ages of other characters are the same.
- Because Tanjiro had his earrings off, he escaped death by Muzan (though he was turned to a demon). This is for reasons manga-readers should understand.
- Nezuko has learned the Hinokami Kagura along with Tanjiro from their father.
From the next chapters on, Nezuko's adventure starts. Have fun!!