Chapter Text
Not long after your conversation with Tanjirou and his companions, even after you expressed interest in beginning your training immediately, you fell asleep on the futon you'd brought up to the room. Your exhaustion had caught up to you after everything that had happened. You were so tired, but you were constantly being jolted awake by nightmares. Images of Miss Furukawa's pale, bloody face, of the demon's mouth full of needles. When you woke again, it was evening, and the only one left in the room was Tanjirou.
The evening light was filtering through the window in slants across the floor, casting everything soft gold. You slumped back onto your pillow, chest heaving. Someone had re-wrapped your wrist and removed your haori. It was folded beside your head. Tanjirou had probably been the one to do it. Your breathing was heavy from your nightmare. You couldn't remember what your dream had been about, but you curled up under the blanket further, squeezing your eyes shut.
Tanjirou was just finishing with a letter he was writing, blowing on the ink to dry it before he folded the paper. His eyes met yours and he smiled.
"Are you feeling better?"
You rubbed at your eyes, sleep still heavy in your system. "Nightmares."
Tanjirou pressed the pads of his fingers to the characters that decorated the page, testing to make sure they were dry. When hid fingers came back clean, he rolled the paper up tightly, tying it to the leg of a large black crow that you hadn't noticed sitting on the ledge of the open window. It flew off with a squawk and was gone.
"Nightmares? Do you remember what they were about?"
You folded your hands. "Miss Furukawa... that demon... I... I don't remember it all."
Tanjirou's eyes were gentle. "I won't make you talk about anything you're not comfortable with. I had nightmares too, though. After Nezuko was turned into a demon. So I know how you feel, (Y/N)."
You looked at the wooden box that sat beside him, knowing without a doubt that Nezuko was inside. No movement or sound came from her.
"Can I really learn to defend myself?"
Tanjirou nodded. "I don't doubt you can. You're pretty fast from what I gathered. The demon back at the house would have easily caught up with you if you weren't. And if that scratch says anything-"
"No. I didn't get that from the demon. Before it actually attacked, I heard movement in the room where Miss Furukawa's body was. I fell down the steps and back into the garden. I cut my wrist in the fall."
Tanjirou blinked, smiling a little. "Regardless, I don't think you would have gone down easily."
Tanjirou pressed his palm to the side of your face, and you involuntarily leaned into the tender touch. His skin was warm. "I'll help you, okay? You can get strong. You'll learn to fight. We can buy you a sword or borrow one of Urokodaki's."
You nodded. "I think that sounds great, but who exactly is Urokodarki?"
Tanjirou blushed. "Oh, I suppose I forgot to tell you. Urokodaki was my teacher. He's a former Hashira, the highest rank someone can have as a demon slayer. He also trained Tomioka Giyuu, the current water pillar of the Demon Slayer Corps."
"Why is it called the water pillar?"
Tanjirou folded his legs under himself. "Demon slayers learn a breathing technique that allows the user to fight on par with demons, therefore making it easier to slay them. I myself use Breath of Water because I was taught by Urokodaki. I also use a technique only taught in my family called Dance Of the Fire God. All of the Hashira have mastered a technique like this."
You swallowed. "If I want to become a demon slayer, do I have to learn a technique?"
Tanjirou considered this. "I don't know, but I think so. It certainly makes battles easier, even if it takes practice and focus to learn how to use one. The technique makes it so the demon slayer fights on the same level of power as a demon. If a demon slayer didn't learn a breath style, he or she'd have to either be very physically fit, abnormally strong, or just very lucky. I don't think I've ever met a demon slayer who didn't have a breath style."
You pressed your lips together. "Will you teach me one?"
Tanjirou chuckled awkwardly. "I can certainly try, but I don't know how much success I'd have. You'd be better off learning it from Tomioka or Urokodaki."
You chewed your lip. "And Tomioka is the current water pillar, right?"
"Right. I sent a letter to him and another one to Urokodaki. What I'm hoping will happen is that Tomioka will, if he isn't on a job, get permission or take the initiative to give you some training and possibly accompany us. I'd rather you not be separated from me, but Tomioka might want to take you somewhere he can more easily train you. I'll hopefully get a written response soon, the crows belonging to demon slayers tend to be faster than any normal crow."
You pressed your thumbs together. "I'd at least like to learn how to use a sword as soon as possible."
Tanjirou smiled. "That I can teach you without much of a problem. Inosuke is also an accomplished swordsman, but he'll need some convincing if you want him to help you."
You furrowed your brow. "I think we might just end up arguing the whole time."
The door to the room slid open, and someone you'd never seen before entered. It was a young man, maybe a year or two older than you. He had navy hair that faded into a lighter shade of blue with wide, feminine green eyes. He had a pretty face, you decided. It contrasted starkly with his well-built chest and arms. There was a towel sitting dangerously low on his hips.
Why does he seem familiar?
"Oi, there's a hot spring in the back." He turned, focusing his attention on you. "Girls like that sorta thing, yeah?"
You definitely knew this guy. His voice was low and gruff, not unlike... Oh!
"Wait, are you Inosuke?!" You cried.
Inosuke gave you a quizzical look. "Of course I am, who else would I be?"
You felt yourself grow warm. "Right, of course you are. I just didn't expect your face to be so..."
His gaze hardened. "So what?"
"Feminine?" Tanjirou offered.
"Pretty," you said, immediately regretting it.
Inosuke took utter offense to this. "Excuse me? Did you expect me to be ugly?!"
You put up your hands defensively, fingers spread. "No! I didn't know what to expect!"
"You expected me to be ugly, didn't you?!" He cried, puffing himself up.
You struggled to find the proper words to answer him for a few seconds.
"I literally just said no...?"
He looked like he was about to pop a blood vessel, but Tanjirou cleared his throat.
"Let's calm down, alright? No need to-"
"Shut up, Takeo!"
"My name is Tanjirou! Leave (Y/N) alone, I'm sure this is a lot for her, and this probably isn't helping."
You silently thanked Tanjirou, relaxing back onto your futon with a huff. You wanted to learn to fight, to take back the power the demons stole from you, to avenge everyone they'd taken. You wanted to be able to hold a sword and use it. And you had to get stronger. Tanjirou was more than willing to help you, that much was clear. But you didn't know how you would even start leaning a 'breath technique,' as Tanjirou had called it. How long would the training take?
You knew full well that you were in over your head, but you couldn't turn back.
"I want to learn."
Your statement cut through Tanjirou and Inosuke's bickering, eliciting a beat of silence.
"Learn?" Inosuke said, "learn what?"
Tanjirou had a sort of encouraging pride in his expression, his smile gentle.
"I'm sure you'll be great. We-" he looked sharply at Inosuke, "will teach you the basics as soon as we have access to a training sword. Self-defense will also be necessary, so you can spar with me until then."
"Oi!" Inosuke cried, indignant, "don't leave me in the dark!"
"She wants to learn to fight."
You worried your lip between your teeth. "Yeah, but there's something else."
Tanjirou raised his eyebrows expectantly. "And what is it?"
You paused, withering a little bit under Inosuke's withering look. You turned away so your back was to him, facing Tanjirou fully.
"I want to become a demon slayer."
Inosuke made a face. "You have-"
"Are you sure?" Tanjirou said, cutting Inosuke off, "what you'll go through during that time will be incredibly dangerous. Urokodaki doesn't often take students, so it's iffy if he'll take you, and-"
"You mentioned Tomioka. What about him? Or you?"
Tanjirou chuckled. "I'm no master, (Y/N), there's only so much I could teach you before I'd need to learn more myself."
"I'm sure about this," you said, "demons took my family, everyone I've cared about. If I attract demons with my blood, I want to learn how to defeat them, or I'll never feel safe again."
The crow from before came bursting through the window, a message clipped to its leg. You found it odd how fast it had traveled.
Tanjirou thanked the bird, removing the paper from its leg, unfurling it to read.
Inosuke leaned slightly over to see what Tanjirou was looking at, then turned away, seemingly uninterested in reading what the letter had to say.
"That settles it then," Tanjirou said, rolling the paper up, "you'll begin training soon. And in the field."
You paled. "What?"
"Tomioka is a busy man. He said he'll help you, but he's still a demon slayer who takes jobs. You can either accompany him or he can accompany us. He advises the former."
You didn't want to leave Tanjirou and the others, not for a strange man who you didn't know, even if Tanjirou himself was a strange man. Well, young man. You'd guess he was barely eighteen, which wasn't any older than you.
"No, I'll take the latter," you said, "I'd like to stay with something familiar, even if only slightly. If that's okay."
Tanjirou smiled. "It's fine with me, but Tomioka might have other ideas."
You blinked. "How do you mean?"
"Tomioka Giyuu is on his way to this village as we speak. He has a job in two days, so he'd like to collect you as soon as possible."
You scowled. "I wouldn't like to be collected. I want to stay here."
Tanjirou looked thoughtful. "I'll talk to him and see what we can work out. He should be here by tomorrow morning. Take a bath if you want and go back to bed, okay? You need your rest. It's going to be a long day tomorrow."
You sighed, rising from the futon, stumbling from the wave of dizziness that washed over you.
"A bath sounds good. I'll see you after."
You had a lot to think about, and you really needed to do it alone. The road ahead was going to be dangerous.
But it was a necessary evil if you wanted your life back.
And you wouldn't let your fear stop you.