Awwww! Thank You So Much! Hes So Cute!

Awwww! Thank you so much! He’s so cute!

Gift for a friend

Half demon tanjiro my style,drawn for my good friend @silvertoothpanther

Just a gift to let you know how much I appreciate you!!!

Half-Demon! Tanjiro AU

Chapter One:

The End is Only The

Beginning

Warnings: LOTS of angst and quite a bit of violence!

Word Count: 3010

The sun had finally risen over the horizon and it seems that the battle had finally come to an end. The giant infant-like form of Muzan had finally disappeared, leaving the surrounding slayers devastated and wounded. “Lord Kamado! Lord Kamado!” One of the Kakushis yelled as they knelt down beside the form that was Tanjiro Kamado.

The young boy looked like he was on an unconscious state. His head was facing the ground as he sat on his knees. Tanjiro’s remaining arm was limp as he sat there, back facing the sun. Giyuu Tomioka, who had also been severely injured along with many other slayers, took his place in front of the young boy.

“He’s not breathing and he has no pulse!” The Kakushi yelled out in pain. Giyuu’s eyes widened in horror when the news rang in his ears. The others around them weakly looked up at them with the same look of horror. Giyuu fell to his knees and took the remaining hand of the boy. “I’ve failed to protect you again…Forgive me.” He lowered his head in shame. “I always receive protection from others..”

The dam had finally broke as everyone started to mourn Tanjiro’s death. So many lives were lost during the final battle..so many..and his death was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Inosuke and Zenitsu trudge their way towards the young slayer, tears filling their eyes.

Something rumbled within Tanjiro’s body. He slowly started to lift his head up, but nobody noticed due to their grief. “In my place..you must destroy..the demon slayers!” Muzan’s voice rang in Tanjiro’s head as his wound healed and he opened his eyes. They were scarlet..just like Muzan’s.

The young boy immediately swiped Giyuu away from him. The Water Hashira fell back, perplexed as to what was happening. Tanjiro jumped away from the group and roared ferociously. His arm had completely regenerated and he was snarling at them like a hungry beast.

“T..Tanjiro?” Giyuu spoke weakly as he looked upon the boy in absolute terror. Tanjiro raised his regenerated arm to his mouth, wiping off his saliva. “No way..Tanjiro?” Zenitsu winced as he was held up by a Kakushi. Inosuke stared at the boy in disbelief. Tanjiro looked straight at Zenitsu, eyes shining with hunger.

Off in the distance, Nezuko Kamado came running closer and closer to them. Her humanity was flickering within her. Due to Tamayo’s medicine, her body was having a hard time deciding whether or not she was a demon or a human. Nonetheless, she was going to do what she had been doing for the past few years..Defend her brother.

“Oni-chan!” Nezuko called out to her brother as she steadily approached the scene. Tanjiro looked at her and snarled, causing the girl to yelp. “Get back!” Giyuu yelled as he picked up his sword, grunting as pain surged through his body.

Strangely, Tanjiro only stared at the young girl. He looked like he was dazed, like he had no thoughts behind his eyes. Then, the young boy cried out. His roar cut through the skies like a knife through butter. Tears flowed down his face as he struggled to speak. “Grr.ge..get..GET AWAY FROM ME!”

Everyone stopped and stared at him in disbelief. What was going on? Was he fighting back against Muzan’s control? Tanjiro snarled as he looked for a way out. The young boy bolted directly for Nezuko. “No!” Inosuke yelled as he rushed to protect her. Nezuko covered herself with her arms, preparing for the attack.

But the demon did a strange thing. He jumped over both of them, using them as stepping stones, and ran off into the forest. Zenitsu struggled out of the Kakushi’s grasp and landed on his knees. With tears filling his eyes, the blonde watched helplessly as Tanjiro ran. “TANJIRO!!” Zenitsu screamed in agony as the last glimpse of the young slayer disappeared.

The mess that the battle had left was extremely scarring. Many had died and needed to be buried. Kiriya and his sister, Kanata, came to assess the damage. “Where’s young Kamado?” Kiriya asked tiredly as he walked over to where Muzan had been killed.

“He’s gone..” Giyuu had fallen back on his knees, wiping tears from his eyes. “Gone? Do you mean..he’s dead?” Kanata put her hand over her mouth, sickened. “No..He ran..He’s..” Giyuu tried to mutter the awful terrible words. “He’s a demon..”

Kiriya’s eyes darkened as he felt shame overcome him, like a weight inside of his stomach. He shook his head to shake off any haunting thoughts, but it was to no avail. “Forgive me, Tomioka. The losses that have taken place in this battlefield..have destroyed us all..”

“We can’t just sit here and wait for him to come back!” Zenitsu gritted his teeth, turning to face their leader. “We have to go search for him!” Everyone looked at him in awe. Even after all that fighting, he was still willing to get back up. “But we can’t find him like this!” Nezuko cried out, knowing that they would all get killed.

“Miss Kamado is right.” Kiriya inhaled, relief resting in his heart. “We will take you to the Butterfly Estate to heal and recover. In the time being, I will send out tracking teams to search for your friend.” The young leader nodded to the crowd that had perched above them. They cawed before taking off to the woods where Tanjiro was last seen.

Everything looked like a haze to the young boy as he ran. His breathing was irregular and his heartbeat pounded within his chest. However, this was strange. Demons weren’t supposed to breathe or have heartbeats. Tanjiro collapsed on the floor before roaring in anguish.

“Why are you fighting me, boy?” A familiar, demonic voice echoed through Tanjiro’s mind. “Grrr..GET OUT OF MY HEAD!” The boy screeched, digging his sharp claws into the bark of a nearby tree. “You are mine, boy! You will fulfill my dream!”

Tanjiro then saw himself in the black and empty battlefield. There was nothing here, no movement, no light, no sound, nothing. “Is this my mind?” Tanjiro asked himself as he looked up. The boy’s eyes widened when he saw Muzan in his final form. The demon king was panting, tired from the war. “You..will be..MINE!”

His ferocious whips went straight in for the kill. Tanjiro thought he was helpless. There was no one here who could help him. However, he noticed how the whips were much slower than they were and took a fight stance. With great precision and strength, Tanjiro deflected the sharp whips.

Muzan’s eyes widened in shock before quickly reverted back to a furious expression. “So this is how you want to be..fine!” Muzan flung his whips more and more at the young boy, but it didn’t seem to do any good. Tanjiro quickly deflected the whips and only edged closer to Muzan. “I’m not giving up my body to you!”

Days passed without a hint of Tanjiro’s whereabouts. Everyone at the Butterfly Estate started to grow weary as more and more time passed. Naho, Kiyo, and Sumi tried their best to raise everyone’s spirits. Even Aoi tried making a special feast to relieve their tension, but nothing worked.

Inosuke usually passed the time by wandering around the mansion or training, but he didn’t speak a word. For the boar, this was incredibly worrisome. Normally, he couldn’t stay quiet, but the disappearance of his friend..seemed to break him.

Zenitsu ended up taking Tanjiro’s disappearance the worst though. He usually had the door to his temporary room locked. He hardly ever came out to interact with the world around him, so much so that he began to starve himself, saying “It just doesn’t feel the same without him here.”

Nezuko tried her best to help everyone’s spirits alongside the girls, but her efforts failed. Her body was still teeter tottering between being a demon or a human, which exhausted the poor girl. She mourned for her brother every night that he wasn’t there to hold her hand. Nezuko often wondered if this pain would ever end.

After three days of Tanjiro’s absence, a crow flew by the Butterfly Estate. Since everyone was waiting impatiently for any news, they noticed the bird immediately. “Caw! Caw!” The bird screeched. “The master has news! The master has news!” Aoi opened the front door of the mansion and let the bird rest on her shoulder.

“What’s the news?” Aoi asked tiredly. She felt drained like all the others, but she did get a small sense of hope. “There haven’t been any unexplained human deaths in the past three days! Caw!” Aoi’s eyes widened. “There..there hasn’t?”

Unbeknownst to her, Nezuko was listening intently from the right hallway. All she wanted was just a little bit of good news about her brother. She craned her neck closer, intrigued by the bird’s words.

“That is correct! Young Kamado’s whereabouts are still unknown, but the tracking teams are working hard to find him!” The crow cawed as it preened its wing. “I see..thank you.” Aoi’s voice sounded both relieved and anxious. She was glad that no more had died, but she was still deeply worried about Tanjiro.

“Rumor has it that he’s fighting back for control of his body! Caw!” Aoi looked at the crow with a dull expression. “Do you think he’ll succeed?” She asked. “Beats me!” The crow shook his wings and flew off into the sky. “Well, that was helpful.”

Nezuko couldn’t believe what she just heard. The fact that her brother hasn’t eaten in days both worries her, yet relieved her. She was glad to know that her brother was fighting for his body, but she was also terrified for him. She shook her head and immediately ran off to see Zenitsu.

Everything in the mansion felt cold and dead as Nezuko ran past it all. She stuck out like a warm color on a painting of the ocean. She halted once she reached Zenitsu’s door and knocked lightly. “Who is it?” A tired and empty voice called to her. “It’s me, Zenitsu.” Light footsteps could be heard from the other side before the door lock clicked open.

Zenitsu looked at Nezuko with a deadpan stare as he opened the door. The poor child had severe bags under his eyes, indicating his lack of sleep, and he looked like he lost a few pounds. “Nezuko, is something wrong?” The young girl shook her head. “Not with me.”

“What do you mean by that?” He tilted his head slightly, perplexed. Nezuko sighed then forcefully entered the dark room. “Hey! I-“ Zenitsu protested against this, but quickly realized that there was no use. The room was almost completely dark. It was a wonder how he could even see in here.

Papers littered the hardwood floor, making the floor appear nonexistent. However, the letters by Zenitsu’s mangled up futon caught her attention. The young girl went over to the ratted futon and picked up a rather nicely written letter. It was from her brother..

Tanjiro had sent this letter to Zenitsu when he was training at the Swordsmith Village. This one in particular was about Tanjiro’s curiosity about Genya. Tear marks stained the paper, forever etched like time. Nezuko turned sympathetically back to see the blonde, who was fiddling with his haori sleeves nervously. “Zen..”

“I-I’m sorry, Nezuko.” Zenitsu’s golden eyes couldn’t contain the sorrow he felt any longer. The blonde fell to his knees and sobbed into his hands. Nezuko immediately rushed towards him, wrapping her arms around him like a mother. “It’s okay, Zenitsu. I miss him too.” She tried to speak soothingly, choking back tears of her own.

“They’re going to kill him, Nezuko! I know it!” Zenitsu sobbed into her chest. “Once they find him, they’re going to kill him!” Nezuko’s expression only softened even more. “Zenitsu, what makes you think that they’ll kill him?” The blonde looked up at her, golden eyes flowing like waterfalls. “You saw what happened to him! He’s a demon! He’s probably killed over fifty people by now!”

Nezuko shook her head. “No, Zenitsu. He hasn’t killed anyone.” The young girl wiped away some of his tears. “What do you mean?” Zenitsu asked in a confused tone. “Well, a crow came by earlier today and told Aoi that there haven’t been any unexpected human deaths as of recent.”

“Really?” Zenitsu sniffled. “Do you think that..” He cut himself off before he finished the sentence. Zenitsu didn’t really believe that Tanjiro could conquer Muzan’s control completely on his own. “He might be able to, Zenitsu. We don’t know for sure, but I have a good feeling about this.” Nezuko disagreed.

Zenitsu looked around at the messy, dark room. He breathed deeply and looked back at Nezuko. “Don’t worry.” Nezuko smiled reassuringly. “We’ll bring him home.” Zenitsu returned the smile. “Alright.” Nezuko took his hand gently and helped him out of his cage.

The endless fighting was beginning to wear on both Muzan and Tanjiro. They grew more exhausted with every whip and slash they threw at each other. As the time passed, Muzan only grew more agitated. “How dare you resist me?! I can make you immortal!” Muzan roared ferociously as he flung three spiked whips at the slayer.

“That’s at the cost of human life! I’d rather die than kill anyone else!” Tanjiro yelled as the whips wrapped around his sword. Muzan tightened them, hoping to break his sword. However, this action failed and the whips only turned to dust. “What?!” The demon king roared, enraged.

This gave Tanjiro the opportunity to attack. He quickly ran towards the demon king, sword aiming at his neck. Solar flames burned from the sword as it sliced Muzan from the crook of his neck and down to his belly. “Crap!” Tanjiro gritted his teeth as he jumped back. “Grrragh!” Muzan growled in pain as he gripped his chest.

“You will pay for this..” Muzan snarled as he tried to run at Tanjiro. The young slayer prepared for an attack…when Muzan’s feet turned to dust underneath him. The demon king fell with a grunt at Tanjiro’s feet. He sat himself up on his elbows and looked back to see his body turning to dust.

“What did you do to me?!” Muzan roared angrily, trying to swipe at Tanjiro’s ankles. The young slayer quickly backed away when a sudden chill filled the air around them. Metal scraping the floor could be heard in the distance. Tanjiro looked around the empty, black environment for the source of the sound.

Muzan’s eyes widened in pure terror. “No! NO! I’m still fighting! I’m not done yet!” The demon king wasn’t yelling at Tanjiro, but to whatever was in the distance. “What’s happening?” Tanjiro asked himself. This was all too confusing for him.

“He’s come for me..”

Four hooks, that seemed to be on chains, emerged from the darkness and pierced the demon king right in the chest. Muzan screeched as he tried to claw away to safety, but it was no use. Tanjiro fell back, watching the gruesome scene. He looked up to try to see what this thing was.

All he could see was a bright, blinding red light. The chains started to retreat back into the darkness, dragging Muzan with them. The demon king screamed as he was being dragged away and he left claw marks from when he was trying to escape.

Muzan’s screaming was cut off as soon as he wasn’t visible. Tanjiro gasped in horror, having no clue what he just witnessed. Ash flew by the young slayer as he stood up and looked directly in the red light. The light then started to envelop the environment. Tanjiro tried to cover his eyes from the blinding light, but it quickly overcame him.

The young slayer’s eyes flickered open as he woke up. The sun was shining brightly upon him and he put his hand up to block it. “Wha-what happened?” Tanjiro said softly to himself as he tried to regain his balance.

He stood up and immediately hit his head on a thick tree branch. “Ow..” Tanjiro rubbed his head. He looked around his surroundings. The young slayer quickly found himself next to an abandoned shed and a small pond on the outskirts of a nearby town.

“I..I need to get back.” Tanjiro panted weakly as he turned to run back. However, the tired boy only tripped over his feet and nearly fell into the pond. “That was a close on-“ Tanjiro stated at his reflection. Instead of seeing a scar where his right eye was poisoned, he saw two scarlet demon eyes staring back at him.

Tanjiro yelped and fell backwards. He crawled away from the reflection as if it were a vicious beast. This can’t be happening! This must be a dream! The young slayer raised his hand and felt around his upper jaw. Low and behold, he felt two small fangs where his human canines should’ve been.

The young slayer’s head felt like it was spinning. He couldn’t believe what was happening! Was he really a demon? If so, why isn’t he attacking everything around him? He tried to stand up once again, almost tripping on the same branch he hit..and must’ve broken.

Tanjiro leaned against the shed for support. He looked at the rusted door..which he was taller than? There’s no way he should be taller than a door! Granted, it wasn’t one of the common sliding doors, but it was still a door! His breathing only grew heavier with each passing second.

Wait, breathing? Demons weren’t supposed to breathe! Tanjiro put his index finger on the bottom of his wrist. There he felt..a pulse! What was going on? What happened when Muzan was defeated? He had no clue. Tanjiro raised his hands in front of his face, seeing sharp demon claws on every callused finger.

“What am I?”

Author’s Note: This is the first of many chapters of my AU! This has been my comfort AU for quite a long time and I hope you guys like it as much as I do! The first few chapters may be quite angsty, but I promise that it’ll get more comforting soon.

The young demon child yelped and sprang up like a scared cat. Despite being frightened, he did not bear his fangs or claws. He definitely wasn’t a threat. The demon child only looked at him in fear. Are you going to try to eat me too? He asked in a soft, small voice.

A small child demon with jaguar ears, paws, and a tail was curled up against a tree, crying. His pitch black eyes with blue jewel-like pupils were streaming with tears. His ragged navy blue kimonoi, which looked way too big for him, and his black pants were covered in claw marks. His messy, shirt, black hair was dirty and had specks of blood in it.

*Rui had heard the smaller boys quiet cries from a short ways away and had decided to investigate thinking that one of Douma's younger cult members had accidentally gotten caught in one of his webs. You then hear him call out to you from the tree next to you in a quiet voice as he tried to sound more calming. Luckily this is not the first time he has encountered a frightened child that is younger than him and it most likely would not be the last* "Hello there, is everything alright?"

Half-Demon! Tanjiro AU

Chapter Two:

Smoke Signal

Warnings: There’s still quite a bit of angst, but it does have a happy ending!

Word Count: 2150

Darkness surrounded Sanemi’s mind as time passed. It had been three days since Tanjiro’s disappearance…and Genya’s death. Sanemi’s last sibling..the last person he truly loved..was gone. He isolated himself from everyone. Whenever he did show his face, he dared not to speak. In a way, his behavior was very similar to how Giyuu used to act.

This was strange to the both of them, since Sanemi would often criticize Giyuu for his avoidant behavior. Yet here he is now, sitting on the back porch of his estate with his eyes staring at the ground. The Wind Estate was usually quiet, even when Genya was here, but now it felt empty.

A knock could be heard from the other side of the mansion. Sanemi knew who it was and silently stood up to greet them. The Wind Hashira slid open the door and stared into the empty house. It was clean and nothing had been touched since Genya’s passing. Training swords, both of wood and steel, were hanging on racks that were leaning against the side walls.

In the middle of the room stood a table. There wasn’t much that was special about it, say for a purple bonsai tree that Genya had gifted him. Sanemi couldn’t take his eyes off of the tree. His brother gave it to him as an apology for blaming him for their mom’s death. At the time though, Sanemi only spat in his face and shrugged it off. He wished Genya would’ve known how much he cherished the tree and how he actually did care about him.

It was too late now. Sanemi shook his head before walking past the table. Shadows crawled on the gray walls and sliding doors as Sanemi walked past. The only light that shone in the house came from the back and front doors. Sanemi saw the outline of the only other Hashira to still be alive as he approached the front door.

He slid the door open and immediately covered his eyes with his hand. The sun beamed down at his face with a harsh glow. Once his eyes adjusted, Sanemi looked at the Water Hashira, who was standing before him. “Good morning, Shinazugawa.” Giyuu greeted him in a tired voice.

“Morning..Why did you come here?” Sanemi didn’t seem agitated, just tired. “I just wanted to check up on you.” Giyuu’s eyes seemed oddly warm towards the Wind Hashira. “I’m fine, Tomioka..Just leave me be.” Sanemi went to walk back inside when Giyuu put his hand on the closing door. “No you’re not.”

Sanemi only sighed as he walked back through his estate. The Water Hashira followed him, observing the dark surroundings. Truth be told, he truly felt sorrow for his fellow colleague. He understood how Sanemi was feeling at this very moment. After Sabito’s death, Giyuu isolated himself from everyone, much like Sanemi is doing now. Giyuu knows personally how miserable he must be feeling and he doesn’t want anyone else to feel the same misery that he felt.

The Wind Hashira took his place back on the back porch, this time staring at the training ground. Giyuu stood behind him, eyeing the beautiful bonsai tree. It was the only source of color in the house, the only source of comfort. He looked back at Sanemi with an empathetic expression. He took off his haori, which held significant importance to Giyuu, and laid it comfortingly on Sanemi’s shoulders.

Sanemi looked up at him with disbelief and curiosity, but said nothing. Giyuu sat down next to him, scanning the Wind Hashira’s training grounds. “Sanemi..” Giyuu said with a heavy heart. “It’s not your fault.” Sanemi looked up at him with shock and a bit of anger. “Why would you say that?”

Giyuu closed his eyes before looking at him with warmth. “I know that you think that it’s your fault. You think that you could’ve saved him if you just tried harder.” Sanemi said nothing as he looked away, knowing that Giyuu was telling nothing but the truth. “Why are you telling me this?”

Giyuu sighed heavily, “Because I feel the same.” Sanemi widened his eyes, a realization had hit him. For the longest time, he couldn’t stand the way Giyuu acted. However right here and right now, he understood what the Water Hashira had been going through. Everything made sense and they truly weren’t so different after all.

A fire burned brightly in the dead of night. It had been a full week since Tanjiro’s disappearance. The young slayer had been hunting rabbits to survive. He had one roasting above his makeshift fire. Tanjiro only stared at the flames as his mind drifted away.

Although it was killing his heart, Tanjiro chose to stay away from his friends. He didn’t know what had happened to him and he didn’t know if he would rip them to shreds on accident. The younger missed them with every fiber of his being, but he thought that it would be best to isolate himself. At least, that’s what he told himself.

Despite still being a demon, he hadn’t had any cravings or instinctual behaviors. He acted just like his human self and he still had his memories. Regardless of that, Tanjiro convinced himself that he was a danger.

Unbeknownst to him, a Kasugai Crow was servailing the area. It cawed softly as it perched on a nearby tree. The crow swirled it’s head and saw the rising smoke. The bird’s eyes widened as it realized that it was a man made fire. Perfectly controlled and well placed. The crow shook its body as it spread its wings, taking off to the night sky.

Giyuu had chosen to stay with Sanemi. He knew that the Wind Hashira would need some time to recover and doing it alone would just make it even harder. Surprisingly, Sanemi let him do this. He understood that he really needed the company and although he would never admit it, Sanemi did enjoy Giyuu’s presence.

They sat together on the back porch, eating some rice balls after a long day of training. The two Hashiras sat there in silence, but their spirits weren’t too low. “Caw! Caw!” Sanemi’s crow came swooping in. “Hm? What is it?” Sanemi grumbled as the crow sat in front of them.

“There has been suspicious activity in a nearby town! Caw!” Both Hashiras’ eyes widened. “Suspicious activity? What do you mean?” The crow ruffled its feathers. “A fresh fire has been spotted by an abandoned shed! Rumor has it that the fire looks man made! Caw!”

“Really? Do you think it’s him?” Sanemi’s voice sounded both concerned and curious. “There’s a high possibility! Caw!” The two Hashiras looked at each other. “I can’t believe it..” Giyuu said with relief and hope.

Then, loud footsteps could be heard running towards them. “Coming’ through!” The familiar voice of the boar slayer called out from the woods. Inosuke, Zenitsu, Nezuko, and Kanao emerged from the forest and skidded to a stop right in front of the Hashiras.

“We..we just got the news.” Nezuko panted heavily as she tried to regain her breath. Their clothes were patched up and their wounds were covered with clean bandages. Giyuu stood up and dusted off his clothes. “You four are looking better. Glad to see that you’re recovering.”

The Water Hashira went to grab his sword from the rack against the left side wall. Sanemi did the same except his sword was on the right. They swiftly placed their swords into their personal scabbards and faced the group. “Tomioka and I will be heading off.” Sanemi said plainly as he walked past them.

The group just looked at them, dumbfounded. “We’re coming with you!” Zenitsu demanded. Giyuu looked up at them and tilted his head. “No you’re not. The Hashiras can handle this. You’ve done enough.” Sanemi didn't turn to them when he said that. If it comes to it, he didn’t want to kill Tanjiro in front of his friends. That would crush them.

“We’re not asking, Tankenmi! We’re going to find him!” Inosuke yelled like a sergeant before crossing his arms. Sanemi nor Giyuu said anything. “Please..if he really can’t control himself..if we really have to fight him..you’ll need more than just two Hashiras. He is the new demon king after all.” Kanao pleaded with a pained voice.

“She does have a point you know.” Giyuu sighed softly. Sanemi only turned his head slightly before huffing. “Fine..” Both Giyuu and Sanemi bolted into the forest with incredible speed. “Alright! Hahaha!” Inosuke laughed maniacally as the group of slayers followed them. “Okay, Monjiro! Here we come!”

Tanjiro was curled up in the corner of the abandoned shed. The nights were cold here due to the walls not being completely sealed. All he had for light was a single candle. He was able to figure out that he can manipulate solar flames by trying to use his Sun Breathing to light the candle.

The young slayer mewed to himself as he sat there. Longing had taken over his heart and with each passing moment, he only missed his friends more. He still remembered their individual scents. Their all too familiar marks that their bodies gave off. Tanjiro wished that he could smell them again.

But the young boy did. Tanjiro caught their scents as he sniffed the air. At first, he was relieved, but panic soon overcame him. “No! They can’t find me like this! I’ll hurt them!” Their scents were vastly approaching at incredible speeds.

Since the scents were coming from past the door, he knew that he couldn’t take that route. Tanjiro looked around him, only to see a shattered window near the top of the shed. “That’ll work.” Tanjiro sunk his claws into the rotted wood and he started to climb up.

Unfortunately, his new, large body was too heavy for the wood to withstand. It cracked and nearly caved in, causing his body to fall with a loud thud. “He’s in here, guys! I can hear him!” A hopeful Zenitsu yelled from the other side, causing Tanjiro to yelp in anguish.

Then, a sword sliced through the door, splitting it in half. Giyu rammed his body through the broken door, causing splinters to fly everywhere. He looked up at the young slayer with wide eyes. Tanjiro pinned himself to the back wall of the shed. “No! Please..stay back.” He pleaded.

The rest of the group followed Giyuu in. The rest of the Kambako squad looked upon him in wonder, while Sanemi placed a hand on his sword. Tanjiro was on the verge of a panic attack. His breathing was incredibly heavy as his eyes darted from one person to the next.

“Tanjiro..it’s really you.” Nezuko whispered as she stepped closer to him. “No! Stay away from me!” He whimpered, causing the others to look upon him in shock. “I don’t want to hurt you.” The poor boy was shaking horribly. He was terrified.

“Your sound is mostly the same.” Zenitsu sighed, relieved. Everyone turned to him, confused. “His sound..it’s the same kind and gentle sound that he once had. It just has some soft growls and purrs now.” The Kamboko squad and Giyuu lowered their weapons, but Sanemi didn’t.

“I just don’t want to hurt you. I have no idea what happened to me and..I..I.” Tanjiro couldn’t mutter another word as both fear and sorrow gripped him. “But you’re not attacking us now.” Giyuu spoke in a kind and calm manner. “If you truly were a demon, you’d be trying to kill us right now.”

The dam had finally broken and Tanjiro fell to his knees, sobbing. “I’m so sorry I left you! I just didn’t want to hurt you!” Nezuko, Zenitsu, and Kanao immediately went to embrace him. Tanjiro pulled them into a hug and mewed softly.

“Well that wasn’t too hard!” Inosuke laughed. “You too, Inosuke!” Nezuko pulled him into the hug, causing him to yelp. Giyuu only smiled, happy that Tanjiro was finally found.

“So..What exactly are we going to do about this? I mean he’s a demon!” Sanemi spoke harshly. “I don’t think he’s a full demon. He has his memories and morals, so he isn’t going to be a problem.” Giyuu sighed heavily. “All we can do now is tell everyone the good news.” Sanemi only nodded to Giyuu’s response and looked back at the young slayers.

Sanemi’s crow immediately took off, spreading the word. “Young Kamado’s been found! Caw! Young Kamado’s been found!” Aoi peeked her head out from the Butterfly Estate’s window, relieved. “Thank the stars.” Kiriya sat in the old meeting room of his father’s mansion, the crow perched on his arm. “So, he’s a demon, yet he has his memories and morals.” He chuckled to himself. “Maybe he’s something new..maybe..he’s a half-demon.”

R-really? He’s amazed by your skill and your humility. From what I’ve heard, most demons wouldn’t hesitate to move up in the ranks. Strifles purrs softly as you pet him.

A small child demon with jaguar ears, paws, and a tail was curled up against a tree, crying. His pitch black eyes with blue jewel-like pupils were streaming with tears. His ragged navy blue kimonoi, which looked way too big for him, and his black pants were covered in claw marks. His messy, shirt, black hair was dirty and had specks of blood in it.

*Rui had heard the smaller boys quiet cries from a short ways away and had decided to investigate thinking that one of Douma's younger cult members had accidentally gotten caught in one of his webs. You then hear him call out to you from the tree next to you in a quiet voice as he tried to sound more calming. Luckily this is not the first time he has encountered a frightened child that is younger than him and it most likely would not be the last* "Hello there, is everything alright?"

I literally headcanon that Kokushibo loves sweets, so this makes me so happy!!!

Still in a funk :-[, heres Koku eating some yummies..