Demon Slayer: The Demon Hunter

Word count: 1545

<—>

...But it wouldn't come.

Caught in a whirlwind of despair and hopelessness, mixed with the searing pain he was enduring, Fujino hadn't realized he was still alive, that he hadn't met his end yet. He was so entrenched in his suffering that he believed he would be trapped in this agony forever, even beyond death.

As a result, he overlooked the fact that his chest felt unburdened, that nothing was holding him down, and that he could breathe more easily despite the pain.

It was only moments later that the truth dawned on him: he was still alive. 'A-ah, I'm... S-still... alive?'

With great effort, he opened his eye, and to his surprise, he didn't see Rui looming over him or any threats ready to strike. In fact, it felt as though he was completely alone. As his other senses began to awaken, he noticed a sound in the air... a growling?

Raising his head, he spotted a girl in front of him, wearing a dark-brown haori and having long, wavy black hair. He couldn't see her face since she had her back turned to him.

In the distance, he caught sight of Rui, his kimono smeared with dirt and blood, nursing a broken nose, his eyes brimming with rage. It appeared that both he and the mysterious girl were locked in a tense standoff.

Before anything could happen, a loud, anxious shout broke the silence, "Nezuko!"

<—>

"Nezuko, are you really okay? Do you feel unwell? If something's wrong, please let me know!" a concerned voice inquired, worry etched on their face.

That voice belonged to none other than Tanjiro Kamado, and he was addressing his younger sister, Nezuko Kamado, who had been transformed into a demon two years ago.

Tanjiro had ventured into the mountains with their wild friend Inosuke and his sister Nezuko, who was concealed in her wooden box, following orders from a Kasugi crow. Their task was to investigate the increasing demon activity in the area and assist any demon slayers they might encounter.

However, they didn't find any slayers; instead, they encountered tiny spiders, which they dealt with, although Inosuke, being his stubborn self, tried to crush them with his bare hands and ended up with his clothes tangled in webs.

Then they faced a spider with a body that merged with a human head. The battle would've been quick, but they were ambushed by smaller spiders that had human heads, which the spider claimed were humans transformed. They had to fight carefully, ensuring they didn't harm the smaller ones, and surprisingly, even Inosuke was cautious during the skirmish.

Fortunately, they managed to subdue the main spider, but not without getting separated from Inosuke, and Nezuko suffered a bite in the process.

This was the same bite that had turned those slayers into demons, something Tanjiro was desperate to prevent; it was already heartbreaking that his sister was a demon, but the thought of her becoming like them was unbearable.

And now, in the present, Tanjiro was fussing over Nezuko, anxious about her well-being, to which she responded by gently patting him on the head.

"I'm so relieved, Nezuko. I honestly don't know what I would do if I lost you," he said sincerely, pulling her into a tight embrace.

"Mmph!" she murmured softly, her voice muffled by her muzzle, and she comforted him by softly patting his back. Then, she showed him her hand, where the bite mark had faded from a deep purple to its normal hue.

Tanjiro let out a sigh of relief he didn't realize he was holding. With his sister health is better, it was time to find Inosuke and continue their mission as planned.

"AAAAAHHHHH"

Suddenly, a piercing, gut-wrenching scream echoed, startling both of them.

"What was that?!" Tanjiro shouted, quickly scanning the area from where the scream originated, gripping the hilt of his sword tightly. His body was tense, and his heart raced. He took a deep breath, using his keen sense of smell to detect any nearby demo—

"Nezuko! Where are you going?! W-wait up!" he exclaimed, disbelief washing over him as he saw his sister dash toward the source of the scream. Without hesitation, he sprinted after her.

As he chased her, a scent hit his nose that nearly made him gag and slow down, not because it was foul, but because it carried a sense of danger and pure malice. A chill ran down his spine; it was the unmistakable presence of a demon, and a powerful one at that.

Yet, his sister was running straight toward it.

"Nezuko!" Panic widened his eyes, and he ran even faster, desperate to reach her before she got hurt.

He burst through a bush and was confronted with a shocking scene: his sister standing protectively in front of a corpse, growling at something. That something was a demon, and Tanjiro instantly recognized it as the source of the dread he felt.

"Nezuko! Are you—" he started, but stopped short as he noticed the corpse, which was still alive despite its condition. His surprise deepened when his dark-red eyes locked onto brown ones.

"Y-yuki-san!" he stammered, kneeling beside him and taking in his injuries. Both legs were severed, and one eye was damaged. The sight twisted his stomach into knots.

He remembered him, Fujino Yuki, the man who could transform into a demon during the final selection and had defeated the hand demon, the very one responsible for the deaths of all of Urokodaki's students, including Makomo and Sabito.

Tanjiro felt a spark of hope that Yuki might hold the key to curing his sister, and he longed to see him again, though he wished it were under better circumstances.

"T-tanjiro..." Yuki gasped, struggling to breathe due to his injuries. Tanjiro could sense a mix of despair and relief emanating from him.

"Is that your sister?" he asked, causing Tanjiro to tense up.

He had forgotten that Fujino didn't know he had a sister, especially one who was a demon. His thoughts wandered back to how easily he had defeated the hand demon. Would the same fate befall his sister?

"I don't have much time, I nee—"

"Boy, boy... Is that your sibling?" Rui interrupted, pointing at Nezuko, which made her uneasy. He was trembling, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"So what if she is?" Tanjiro replied, feeling defensive about the question.

Rui remained silent, caught in a dilemma. Demons killed and ate humans; it was a fundamental truth. But what stood before him was different. A demon who not only refrained from harming her brother but also shielded him by standing in front of him.

This bond between them... He craved it, he yearned for it, he desperately wanted it.

It felt more genuine than any relationship he had with his "family."

He would obtain that bond, no matter the cost.

"Boy." He raised a finger to his lips, signaling for silence. "There is only one fate awaits you when you confront me: death."

Tanjiro opened his mouth to respond, but Rui cut him off. "You can escape that fate by giving me your sister. She will become my little sister starting today," he proposed.

Tanjiro stared in shock. He couldn't believe what he was hearing; surrendering his sister to that demon? Even Nezuko was looking at him with worry.

"I'll also spare the trash if that's what you want. Though I doubt he'll last long," Rui added.

Fujino suddenly grabbed Tanjiro's foot, causing him to flinch at the unexpected touch. "Tanjiro, I need... a lock of hair from your sister... I don't have much time."

Now this guy was asking for his sister's hair? Was there something special about her that he didn't understand? Other than her being adorable, of course...

"Just give it to me for Kami's sake! Stop looking at me like that!" he shouted, desperation clear in his voice.

"O-okay" Tanjiro was no pushover, especially when it came to family. But for some reason, his instincts urged him to comply, so he quickly snipped off a lock of her hair and tossed it to Fujino.

He turned to face Rui, his face morphing into a fierce glare in his eyes. "I refuse. There's no way in hell I'm giving my sister to anyone, especially not to someone like you! You must be out of your mind if you think I'd ever accept that offer!" he declared, anger evident in his tone, while Nezuko responded with a defiant "Hmph."

"That's okay, I guess" 

Strings shot down from above, latching onto Nezuko and wrapping tightly around her, digging in and causing her to bleed, eliciting a muffled cry of pain. The strings then hoisted her up right before his eyes, and he felt paralyzed.

"Nezuko!" he shouted with all his might, horrified to see his sister in such pain.

"I'll just take her. You should have graciously accepted my offer and moved on, but you Humans never learn," he said calmly, moving his hands around to manipulate the threads into a spiderweb-like pattern before launching it at Tanjiro. It expanded and drew closer.

Tanjiro raised his sword, the sixth form of water breathing on the tip of his tongue, but before he could execute it, he heard Fujino's voice behind him.

"Wind blade!"

<—>

Taisho-era secrets!

Rui had no intention of letting Tanjiro and Fujino go. The moment they turned their backs, he intended to kill them, ensuring that his new sister would completely forget about her brother and devote herself only on him.

<—>

Apologies that this chapter took longer than I thought, and the conclusion of the fight will end in the next one. Stay tuned.