Chapter 1 : Fate.

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-𝟏𝟗𝟏𝟑

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Is it really that bad to live in a village? Was the effort worth it?

Tanjiro carries the chrcoal, smiling to his family. "I'm going now, mom."

"Tanjiro," his mother called him, before speaking again, "your face is all black,Heome here"

he walked to her, she wiped his cheek with a towel gently. "It's okay if you don't go... Because it's dangerous when the snow is falling" she said with a concerned face.

"It's almost the new year, and everyone wants to eat their heart content. I'll only go sell a little charcoal." Tanjiro said.

Kie sighs in relief as the cold breath escaped her mouth, "thank you."

He was about to walk away until his brother and sister called him. "Brother! You're going to the village today?" his little brother asked with a grin, "I want to go too!" his little sister joined. Kie approached them, "no, you can't walk as fast as Tanjiro."

"B-but mom!"

"No."

Tanjiro started to walk away, waving at them.

"Be careful"

"Please come back quickly..."

Tanjiro smiled at them. Slowly fading away from their sights.

He stopped when seeing Nezuko, she was carrying Rokuda, the youngest sibling in the family.

"Brother," she smiled, before speaking again, "I just lulled Rokuda to sleep... Because he'll start making an uproar," she smiled softly.

Tanjiro patted Rokuda's head gently, "he's just lonely because dad died... And anyways, I'll need to go now," he said before waving to Nezuko.

"Take care!" Nezuko smiled.

Step by step, he walked in the village, being surrounded by the villagers. "My my, Who is it if it's not Tanjiro?" one of them greeted with a warm smile. Tanjiro was really admired by the villagers there because of his kindness and affection, they always welcomed him.

"TANJIRO!!! HELP ME!!!" a man screamed for Tanjiro's help, he looks like he got beaten. "P-please smell who broke these dishes!!!" he begged for help.

Tanjiro leaned to the broken dishes, sniffing it... "It smells like a cat."

"Really?" the man who beaten him said, looking dumbfounded. "Yes!! I told you it was a cat!!!" he yelled.

Few hours later,

"It's getting dark..." thought Tanjiro as he looked up at the dark sky, it's almost night. He keeps walking until a man stopped him.

"Hey! Tanjiro?? Are you returning to your home?" the man asked him from the house window. "You can't, it's dangerous."

Tanjiro looked at the man for a second before speaking, "it's okay, I can smell anything, it will be fine."

The man's face suddenly turned serious and concerned, "the demons will appear."

At the man's house, he explained, "the demons has existed since long ago, they are able to eat humans. And that, it would be a problem to walk at night, they'll usually roam at night. So it's best if you sleep here and return tomorrow."

Tanjiro laid on the floor mattress, wondering something. "Does the demons enter people's houses?" the man looked at Tanjiro for a second, before answering, "they can enter..."

Tanjiro thought to himself, "that's pretty scary... But, demons are fake, they are not real.. Although, grandma has told me the same thing back then before she died..."

𝘛𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘯, 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥.

Fear. Shocked... Nezuko and Rokuda is lying down on the snowy ground, being surrounded by blood.

His jaw dropped open, his eyes widened as he saw that. "What is... What!?" He ran to Nezuko and Rokuda, his voice is shaky, "how did this happened!!??" he scent blood behind him, turning his head there.

!?

He is even more terrified than ever, blood are everywhere inside the house, filled with his dead family.

He scent that Nezuko was still alive, he decided to carry Nezuko, walk through the snow.

"How did this happen...? Did they got attacked by a bear...!?" he thought to himself, clearly traumatized from what he saw just now. He can't help but let the tears roll down his face.

Feeling choked, it was painful to breathe, the air was too cold.

"I have to walk faster..."

"I won't let her die..."

"I will definitely save her..."

"Your big brother will definitely save you, Nezuko!"

Just so...

"GAHHHHHHHH!!!!" Nezuko groaned loudly, making Tanjiro shock. He fell from high together with Nezuko.

"Oh crap! I slipped...!!!"

He fell to the ground. "Thank god... The snow... It saved me..." he thought before waking up from the ground, "NEZUKO!" he shouted, trying to find her. Thankfully, he did found her, but... She doesn't seem so great..

She is standing with her head down, still covered in blood. Tanjiro seemed concerned, "Are you okay!? I... I can... I can carry you to the village, you don't have to walk...!!" he said as he takes a step forward towards her.

"Nezuko...?"

She groaned, her pupil are sharp and her veins are showing, she immediately attack Tanjiro. Thankfully, he blocked it by using his pickaxe, they both fell to the ground.

And so she bit stick of the pickaxe, clearly losing her mind.

"Nezuko... She's a demon...? So Mr. Saburoji was correct..!? No... No... Nezuko is not a demon... She's a human... Since she was ever born..." he paused at the middle of his thought, before continuing again, "but the smell is... Different from the normal Nezuko... Although, there's no blood on her mouth and fingers..."

He struggled to block Nezuko from eating him, before noticing something. There's... Another scent...

I...!!!

Nezuko's body is getting bigger, much bigger than Tanjiro himself, her strength are also increasing.

"Nezuko!!"

"Try your best, Nezuko! Try your best to hold it off! Pull yourself together, I believe in you!!! You can do it!!" that was when Nezuko's tear came down her face, dripping down to his face.

Suddenly, a hashira came right towards them. Noticing it, Tanjiro immediately rolled with Nezuko to the side, dodging his attack.

The hashira stared coldly at them, holding a katana. "Why did you protect it?" he looked annoyed, clearly not agreeing with Tanjiro's act.

"She's... She's my... She's my younger sister!!" Tanjiro said with a concerned face, he loved Nezuko so much and he needs to protect her since she's the only family member alive.

"GYAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!" Nezuko groaned, Tanjiro hold her to prevent her from attacking the hashira. "That thing, is your younger sister?" the hashira said as he gave them a cold stare.

Before Tanjiro could even say anything, the hashira immediately ran to them. Tanjiro tried to protect Nezuko, but before he could even do it Nezuko was in the hashira's hand. She was groaning really hard, while the hashira looks like he doesn't give a single damn about it.

"Don't move," he said while holding Nezuko. "My job is to slay demons, of course I'm going to kill her."

"Please wait, she hasn't killed anyone!!" Tanjiro begged for his mercy, "Nezuko is different. I don't know why she's acting like that!!! But-" before Tanjiro could even finish his words, the hashira cutted. "It's simple. If you bathe and open wound in demon's blood, you'll become a demon." he said, before looking at them with a cold stare, "that's how a man eating demon increase their number."

"Nezuko hasn't eaten any people!!!" Tanjiro protested. "Really? Just now, you looked like you were about to be eaten." the hashira replied.

Tanjiro protested again, "I won't let her injure anyone! I'll turn her back into human!! I'll definitely cure her!!!"

"There is no cure. Once you become a demon, you will never turn back into a human."

"I'll find one! I'll also find the one who killed my family! I will take care everything! So please...!!! Please stop!!!" he yelled, before bowing down to the ground. "I beg you... Please don't..."

The hashira seemed quiet for a second... Before snapping.

"CURE YOUR SISTER? SEARCH FOR THE ENEMY? IT'S HIGHLY RIDICULOUS!!! FOR THE WEAK, THERE ARE NO RIGHTS OR OTHER CHOICES. ENTIRELY WITH FORCE, THE STRONG CAN MAKE OTHERS SURRENDER, MAYBE THE DEMONS KNOW HOW TO CURE YOUR SISTER. HOWEVER, I DON'T THINK THE DEMON LORDS WILL RESPECT YOUR WILLS AND REQUESTS! OF COURSE, I DON'T RESPECT THEM EITHER. THIS IS REALITY, WHY? JUST NOW, YOU WERE FALLEN UPON BY YOUR SISTER, THEN YOU PLAN TO PROTECT HER LIKE THAT??" he paused for a second, before swinging his katana to front, "WHY DIDN'T YOU SWING YOUR AXE? WHY DID YOU SHOW ME YOUR BACK? WHILE FALLING, YOU PLAN TO TAKE YOUR SISTER! IS IT OKAY IF I KILL YOUR SISTER IN FRONT OF YOU!!!???"

Tanjiro's breath is even shakier than before...

Don't cry, don't despair, don't do those things now. I know that you were knocked down, your sister that killed your family became a demon. It's painful, isn't it? You want to shout, don't you? I understand. Only a half day, if I arrived then, your family probably won't be dead. However, the time cannot unwound.

Be furious. Say that it's unforgivable, a strong pure anger. Let it become an unshakable driving force such that your limbs can't be moved.

Frail resolutions will not save, not cure your sister. Will not defeat your family's enemy.

"Sto-" Tanjiro said,

The hashira began to swing his katana towards Nezuko.

"STOP!!!" Tanjiro immediately throws rocks on the hashira. Although, he managed to block it with a surprised look on his face. Tanjiro began to run towards him with his pickaxe and started to swing it towards him. Unfortunately, he got hit by the bottom of the katana which made him faint.

But...

"Where's the axe?" the hashira looks dumbfounded, feeling something off. Suddenly, the axe flied towards him and landed ONLY few inches from him.

"When he was running behind the trees, he threw rocks and threw the axe upside. He hid the fact that he's unarmed, with his changed posture..." the hashira thought, "this kid..."

All of a sudden, Nezuko groaned and kicked him, running to Tanjiro.

"Crap!-"

But not as his expectation, Nezuko instead protected Tanjiro. The hashira was really shocked about what he saw.

Then, he decided to make her faint...

....

Darkness... That's... Calming...?

"I'm sorry for leaving you, Tanjiro. Please take care of Nezuko." Kie said with a gentle tone. Slowly fading away...

He woke up next to Nezuko who is still unconscious, tears running down his face. The hashira approaches them. "Are you awake?"

"Visit the elder named Urokodaki Sakonji at the foot of Misty Mountain. Tell him that Tomioka Giyuu sent you." he paused before saying, "because the light isn't increasing, it should be fine. Don't take your sister out under the sun." after saying that, he immediately disappears to somewhere else.

Praying for Tanjiro and Nezuko's family souls at their house after buried their bodies. With now a muzzle on Nezuko's mouth which is tied around her face.

"Let's go" Tanjiro holds her hand, running somewhere

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...CHAPTER 1...

...END...

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1899 words

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