Chapter Text
As a demon slayer, Tomioka Giyu would never have thought, even as a joke, that he would drink tea at the same table as a demon.
But here he is.
A girl in a pink kimono with a pattern, just a child, about twelve years old, sits and cries because of the death of her entire family.
And the picture is truly terrifying. There is a pool of blood at the threshold of the house, as if someone was crawling in the hope of salvation...
But he never made it.
The door is broken and lies on the floor, very close to his own feet.
The walls were painted crimson, as if these people were thrown into the walls like a ball.
A woman in a purple kimono (or it once was) lies with a broken neck in an unnatural position and looks at the doorway. A look of horror appeared on her face.
What could she see? It's better not to ask such questions.
Obviously nothing good.
Four children in different parts of the house, and all had broken arms or legs.
(He should have been faster)
The one that looks older than all of them is holding an axe.
A girl, even younger than the one sitting next to her, was thrown closer to the stove with her leg bent in the opposite direction.
A boy of about six with a dislocated arm was crawling towards the door to the distant team.
The youngest, a baby... Something flattened his chest, causing it to become deformedly flat.
Their skin has long since become cold, their lips have turned blue, and their tear tracks have dried up. Giyu hated these incidents. They haunted him in his dreams and reminded him of his incompetence.
This is the price of his lateness.
But the strangest thing is that he could not notice any bite marks.
Some demon just wanted to abuse their bodies... Why? Was there any meaning to this?
Cruelty for the sake of cruelty. Who was this monster? What was his plan? And the main question is, why? What was it needed for?
The head begins to spin, from the sight of corpses, from the smell and everything in general.
The girl, he thinks her name is Nezuko Kamado, swallows tears, quietly whispers, begs that this is just a nightmare. A nightmare, and soon she will wake up, come home, and the house was not attacked by an unknown demon. Everyone is alive and well, the blood has not stained the floors and walls.
A terrible sight that makes your blood run cold.
The demon sitting opposite her is her older brother. Salty tears roll down his cheeks and he whimpers quietly.
Between the rude and pitiful sounds, the words “N-N-Nezuko.. do-don’t cry... e-everything will be alright... I- I promise.”
His clawed hand gently squeezes her palm and there is nothing foreign in this action.
How did it come to this?
──────
- No, Tanjiro, although your fever has become less noticeable, it has not disappeared anywhere! Onii-chan, for Hinokami's sake, get some rest! – The girl in the pink kimono puts her hands on her hips and continues her speech in a tone that does not tolerate argument. – Seriously, we already discussed this. You don't have to be strong always, okay? I know you want to throw us a New Year's Eve feast, but... Grrr, please take care of yourself.
But stubbornness is a Kamado family trait, so the older brother does not back down.
- But I feel much better already! Selling coal is my responsibility as the eldest son! - Despite the protests, he continues - And I must take care of this family!
-Who will look after you then? - a question that took the red-haired boy by surprise.
An awkward silence hung in the room.
They would have continued to stand there if Kie Kamado, their mother, had not arrived in time.
- Tanji, - the woman called affectionately, tucking an unruly strand behind his ear, - Nezuko is right, you need to fully recover. You know yourself, we can let you rest.
- But, mom! What if something happens along the way? What if Nezuko gets sick too? What then?
- Nothing will happen onii-chan! I have a good feeling about coal sales! - the second eldest child declared loudly.
-Then I will cure you both. - the woman answered laconically, which finally interrupted the argument.
The two women looked at the boy with the scar expectantly, causing him to give up.
- aagr, okay! But make sure you take everything with you! - Tanjiro said with a frown.
- Okay, okay, I’ll take everything, - his younger sister convinced him.
-Warm haori?
- Wait a minute! - she quickly throws this piece of clothing over her shoulders.
- Scarf? - he holds out a blue rectangle of fluffy fabric.
- Yes, yes, now, - this is not the answer that Tanjiro wanted to get, so he comes closer and ties it around his sister’s neck himself.
- Hey! It's ticklish! - the youngest laughs loudly and any frown of her brother crumbles.
- There’s no point in ignoring the scarf! You'll only catch a cold your neck! - he really tries to keep his face stern, but seeing her smile and hearing her quiet giggles, he also forgets and laughs loudly, not daring to let go. - Okay, okay, fine! - he answers after a couple of seconds of tickling that his younger sister gave him and pulls away.
Red eyes carefully watch how neat fingers straighten her hair.
- Do you remember the rules? Be careful..., - but he is gently interrupted.
- I’ll be careful, I won’t walk in the dark, if anything happens I’ll stay the night with Mr. Saburo, I remember, - she says with a smile.
- Wait, you forgot something important! – Oni-chan proclaims loudly
- Hm? - She is quickly pulled forward by the shoulders and quickly kissed on the forehead.
- that’s it, now that’s it! - Nezuko bats her eyelashes once or twice when she realizes what happened and bursts out laughing again.
- Well, that's it! Now I'm definitely going! - the girl laughs when she leaves the house.
──────
She watches the snow-covered mountain landscape with awe. The blizzard calmed down closer to morning, covering the trees with a white blanket. For their area, this winter turned out to be very warm and pleasant. The wind did not try to get under the clothes and freeze them to the bone. The sun shone brightly in the clear sky, reflecting off the frozen rivers.
If she got closer to the cliffs, she could see the village where will be trying coal later in the day
The villagers at the foot of the mountain where Nezuko and the rest of the Kamado lived have always considered them an example of a good family. It is not surprising, because the children loved and respected their mother and father with all their hearts, despite the difficult fate, everyone was loved, each of her family learned the value of affection and care and everyone was happy to share them with every other brother, sister and parent.
They were never spoken ill of, they were respected and those who were always welcome.
And the villagers had many reasons for this.
The father of the family, the late Tanjura Kamado, faithfully sold excellent quality coal, was always kind and polite. Few people have seen him without a relaxed smile on his face, and even more so, no one has ever seen him angry, or doing any bad unforgivable things. On the contrary, he sought to help everyone, repeating as a mantra that good always comes back.
Their mother, Kie, is beautiful on her face and has always been calm and modest. A sweet woman who rarely came down from the mountain, but was always courteous and respectful to everyone around her.
The eldest son and their older brother, Tanjiro was an angel in the flesh.
He is hardworking, like his father (and this speaks volumes), always with a bright smile on his lips and always helping out the villagers. Then he will fix the door, then he will move heavy boxes, sniff out any problem (literally), he will calm the child down and bring a doctor to old and sick grandmothers or will help light the fireplace for them.
And he will always be friendly. He says that it is not difficult for him to help others, and almost always refuses to take payment for work (in the whole village, only one woman, old and gloomy, was able to put even more money into his hand than originally agreed and force him to accept it). He is always kind and has taken away the best features of both parents.
He was quite smart, handsome and people were always attracted to him.
She had felt his care and absolute love for her many times.
She never asked questions: is she beautiful, is she loved, will there be someone who can protect and support her in any endeavors? Because I always knew the answer was «yes».
Tanjiro always, when braiding her hair, casually notices that a beauty like her is doomed to be the one who will receive marriage proposals from all sides.
Whenever she helps him, she hears praise and gratitude. He always gently reminds them that their family is a team, and together they are capable of anything!
Coming to him with any difficulties, she always receives love and support. He always reminds affectionate that their family is a team and they are capable of anything together!
Whenever she is scared of something, he always takes it upon himself to protect his family, no matter how big or small the threat.
The village was bustling with life as always, children were playing snowballs, adults were shopping, talking about something pleasantly and smiles sparkled on their faces.
- Coal from Kamado, buy it, do not pass by! - The girl exclaimed loudly at the entrance to the village.
A couple of people immediately approached her. It's been a common occurrence lately.
Many were interested in Tanjiro's condition, shared the family way of brewing tea to make him feel better, asked about the welfare of her descent, someone was interested in coal, etc.
- Yes, he's better now, he'll rest for a few more days and he'll be just like new!
- Yes, I will definitely give him your wishes!
- Coal? Now, now, I'm coming!
- Here you go, thanks for the purchase!
When she had sold about half of the basket, suddenly a strange premonition squeezed her chest.
Something is bound to happen. Something is not very good... But what and why?
Her intuition had never failed her. This feeling is more the ability to notice the slightest changes in anything than something paranormal (although this was also the case.)
With the help of this feeling, she drew attention to the too pale tone of oni-chan's face and prepared a futon and tea for him in advance.
The premonition was not too strong, as if it was something that had not yet decided what it wanted.
Somewhere behind her, there was a pitiful cry and a promise that he was not to blame for anything
- Tanjiro, help me! - The man shouted as he ran out of the building, followed by a woman with a colored cloth.
- Tanjiro! - He continued.
- I'm sorry, could you not scream? Tanjiro is still recovering from his illness, but is there anything I can do to help? - Nezuko tilted her head questioningly.
Despair, bargaining, hatred and finally acceptance were reflected on the young man's face in a split second.
The woman next to him started talking about how he broke one of her expensive plates.
- Oh, that's it... Hmm, I don't think I can help much, but let me take a closer look? - Hope flashed in the man's eyes.
Not that it matters much.
After examining the fragments in the light more closely, Kamado noticed something
– Wool. A cat must have been playing on the table and brushed the plate away, - she commented, showing a fur on the tip of her finger.
–Oh, gods, Nezuko! You're a hero! I will always pray for you! – the man is full of gratitude
– Well, wow...– the woman is stunned – Then I'm sorry, so you weren't lying.
The man continued to reproach the woman that she did not believe him, but he turned out to be right, he said something about the miracle family of Kamado and that life in this village is based only on them.
Nezuko just laughed, turned away and went on trading.
– It must be my premonition, this is a warning about this situation – she thought with relief
A few more hours passed, the sun was sinking below the horizon, giving the sky lovely shades of pink and purple.
From time to time, while she was trading, she caught her breath from anxiety, but she attributed every single one to stress, concern for her brother, or minor troubles that had happened today.
But for some reason, this feeling grew stronger every time.
It's not good.
In the end, she went home at sunset. If she doesn't stop somewhere for the night, she will walk most of the way in the dark, and only the moon will illuminate her path.
– Nezuko! Where are you going in the dark? Come in here soon, there's nothing to hang around! – Oh! Old Saburo – you can stay with him for the night.
-hello!– she greeted he, heading for the door – And I was wondering whether to stop or not! Well, if you invite me, I'll come in. – She chirped cheerfully.
Entering a small but cozy house, she took off her outer clothes and started a conversation.
About the weather, about the past day, about how she feels, about her family, and so on.
– It's better to keep your head down at night, or the demons will go hunting – the old man mentions it once.
– Demons? – the guest asks in surprise at dinner.
- Yes... – For some reason, there is regret in his voice – Demons hunt only at night, because they cannot go out into the sun.
–Mmm... – Kamado chuckles. It makes her think about something – Can't they come into the house?
To her question, the man just sighs and lights his pipe.
– They can. – He takes a drag on his cigarette before continuing. – Demons... no one knows where they came from, why they are afraid of the sun and wisteria flowers... But two things are known for certain: – he calms down for a while while taking another puff of tobacco – The first is that demons eat people. And the second is that the demon slayers are fighting them. Fighters, hunters, slayers or assassins. It doesn't matter what you call them, what matters is that they win, they fight for the lives of ordinary citizens, thereby protecting us...
Her heart was squeezed by something. Just like in the square, just like when she was selling coal and when she was walking uphill, she felt uneasy again.
It must be just stress.
Or everything is much more trivial. He'll hear enough silly tales about demons, so she's imagining things!
Besides, Tanjiro has a great nose, if danger is approaching, he will know about it even before it knocks on the door.
Everything will be fine with them, tomorrow when she goes up the mountain, her family will meet her, they will have breakfast and continue to live as they have always lived.
Right?
After a couple of hours, there was no sleep in one eye. The sticky feeling of panic only intensified until it reached its peak a few hours before dawn.
No matter how much she tried to convince herself that everything was fine, that she had nothing to worry about, she couldn't.
Finally, at first light, Nezuko hurried out of the house, not forgetting to say goodbye to Saburo and wishing him a good day
– Mr. Saburo, thank you for letting me spend the night, have a nice day! – she wished, as soon as she threw the basket over her shoulders.
– And the same to you, be careful.
──────
The sky is gray, as is the general mood of Nezuko. It was cool and without the bright sun overhead, she felt uncomfortable.
The narrow path was covered with snow last night and now everything is white. The branches of the fir trees were covered with snow, as if covered with a blanket, the roofs of the houses visible from the cliff were hidden from prying eyes.
Not even anyone's footprints are visible.
Nezuko's chest tightened with worry.
It was too quiet on the mountain.
Birds at this time usually always sang loudly, rare crows cawed somewhere in the distance and did not stop, now they do not leave even tiny traces of their presence.
Wild boars, to be honest, a meeting with one of them would not be welcome, but they always screamed loudly or roared furiously.
The trees, even taking into account today's wind, did not rustle.
It was as if someone had scared them all away.
The shallow bruises under her eyes on her young and neat face looked out of place, and if her instincts were deceiving her, as soon as she crossed the threshold of the house, she would immediately be told about it.
Mom will be surprised and try to find out what happened to her daughter.
Rokuta on her mother's back will wake up and immediately reach out to a familiar face with her little hands. She quickly ruffled the hair on his head and would move on.
Oni-chan will send her to sleep as soon as he sees her. Next, his quiet, hoarse voice will be heard, which will claim that from the next day, he will go and sell coal, because his little sister should not drive herself like that.
Her sister will call her to breakfast and start telling her about the day. For the hundredth time, he will read the fairy tale, venerated by his older brother. To share a memory of a beautiful bird or how Takeo and Shigeru argued over some small thing, or something else.
Having made the decision to win upward to quickly make sure that everything was fine, Kamado’s eldest daughter discovered that the air in their mountains was too dense and thick.
She braked sharply and listened to her feelings.
Her Heart was pounding even harder than before. The hair on her head stood on end and her breathing quickened.
Why does the air smell so distinctly of blood?
A heavy iron taste pooled at the base of her tongue and her head began to spin.
For the smell to be so distinct, more than one liter of blood had to last... Um, maybe a bear? The bear was wounded for some reason... He probably became the reason for this overwhelming silence.
Something told her not to hope too much.
Running had never been difficult for her, after all, most of her strength was concentrated in her legs, and therefore, after running at the highest speed she was capable of, she found herself in the yard in a few minutes.
.
..
...
The world began to spin
Is the picture that lies before her eyes real?
– NO, NO, NO! – she didn't recognize her own voice–No! What happened here?! Tanjiro! Mom! – the basket on his shoulders seemed too heavy and was instantly thrown into the snow by the trail. – Rokuta! Shigeru! Hanako! Takeo! – she shouted the names of her relatives in a variety of ways, hoping that they would hear.
The seconds it took to cover the distance from the starting position to Tanjiro seemed painfully slow.
With trembling fingers, she cupped his face. His eyes were closed, one of his arms was stretched out, and the other in front of his face. It was like he was crawling somewhere.
Tears welled up in my eyes. They were tears of relief.
It's still warm.
How long had he been lying like that?!
What happened at all?
Was it a bear that woke up?
She could only get an answer if she turned her head towards the door. Gradually. No sudden movements.
Her blood froze in her veins, and if she hadn't already been sitting on her knees, she would have definitely fallen.
Her gaze darted from corner to corner and stared in horror at every dent in the wooden walls, every crimson ingrained stain, every joint of her family bent in the opposite direction.
Why?
Neither she nor anyone from her family has done anyone any harm to other people! No one had a reason to deal with them so cruelly!
So why is the air soaked with their blood?
She didn't have the strength to look away, just not to see this horror, just not to notice new details like the hole in the door or the shiny tracks of tears on her younger siblings.
There was a growl at her side and someone's thin fingers squeezed her shoulders.
A second passed before she was forcefully turned around and pressed against a warm chest in a green haori.
– N-Nezuko? I-It's you? – her brother asked through the growls and snarls