Disclaimer: Demon Slayer is not mine. This fanfic is a translation.
Enjoy Reading!
---
-Location: Tamayo's Residence, Second Floor-
At the same time Tanjuro reads his letter.
Tamayo was lying on the table with her breathing heavy. Her forehead was covered in cold sweat as she took in air like a drowned man being brought back to life.
The room she was in had its windows and curtains closed so tightly that not even a ray of sunlight could penetrate.
Tamayo's whole body trembled as she sat up and held the table with her hand. Her face was pale, and she was looking very weak.
After resting for a while, Tamayo finally snapped out of her trance.
"...not enough." She muttered, frowning as she stared at the drop of blood on the test strip in front of her.
A faint mist was drifting from the blotch.
After her experience with her husband and daughter, she's been working nonstop. Constantly trying new ways of experimenting with Tanjuro's blood and occasionally fainting for no reason.
However, this time she didn't meet with her family anymore, nor did she fall into hell. As if the first time ride was the only premium privilege she will ever get.
During this experimenting period, Tamayo discovered another change in Tanjuro's blood.
Click.
She put the test paper with the blood drops into the box beside her.
Her other hand quickly wrote her observation, theory, and result in her notebook.
If you look closely at her bare arms that were revealed by her kimono sliding down as she wrote, there were several needle holes that had not recovered yet.
Yushiro was taking it all in when he entered the room to bring Tamayo some refreshment. His eyes looked at her with concern.
As soon as Tamayo finished her writing, she made her way down to the basement of the mansion.
With a syringe in her hand and test tubes in the other, Tamayo lifted the wooden door, revealing a staircase that leads to the basement.
"Hm? HMMM!"
A muffled noise was heard, and a tied-up figure began to struggle desperately.
Tamayo stopped in front of the cage of the captured captive with a lit candle to light her way.
"I'm sorry... it must be painful." Tamayo crouched down and looked at the "person" in front of her with a little sympathy.
The candlelight reflected on the man's face, revealing a grotesque figure with bulging veins and exposed fangs much longer than normal. The man is a demon.
His eyes and mouth were bound by a white cloth, and his limbs were shackled with an iron chain laced with wisteria flowers.
The man was a demon that Tamayo picked up near Tokyo, and he hasn't eaten a human yet.
Muzan turned him on a whim when he walked leisurely on the street.
Tamayo lowered her eyes slightly, feeling sorry for the demon in front of her.
[]—Blood Demon Art—[]
[]—Wakuchi: Shikaku Mugen no Kō—[]
(tr. Blood Bewitchment: Scent of Illusory Blood, Visual Dream)
Tamayo reached out and scratched several wounds on her arm with her fingernails. Crimson blood immediately flowed down, and a fragrant smell permeated the air.
"Hmm..." The demon twitched his nose, getting intoxicated by Tamayo's blood. He soon stopped struggling and slowly collapsed to the ground.
After confirming that the demon was completely unconscious, Tamayo plunged the syringe into the artery of his arm. Injecting the orange-yellow liquid inside.
Tamayo sat there quietly for a long while, carefully observing the demon for any changes that happened.
It seems she found what she was looking for, but the result was still unsatisfactory.
"...just a little bit more."
---
---
---
-Location: Butterfly Mansion-
Several days passed after Tanjuro received the replied letter.
Kie and the Kamado's children stood at the entrance of the mansion, bidding farewell to their father.
"Good morning, Kamado-san."
A member of the Kakushi squad stood at attention beside Tanjuro. He was to be Tanjuro's escort to his destination.
"I'll lead the way for the journey to the Swordsmith Village."
The Swordsmith Village is the place where swordsmiths who know how to forge the Nichirin blades live.
It is an important stronghold of the Demon Slayer Corps; thus, the road to the village is handed down orally by the Kakushi members to each other and the Kasugai crows.
"Very well." Tanjuro nodded and took the handed white cloth and tied it around his eyes.
Even with his eyes covered, though, Tanjuro can still see his surroundings through the Transparent World.
After his eyes were covered, the Kakushi carried Tanjuro on his back and took off in the direction of the village.
"Have a good trip, Father!"
Nezuko raised her hand high and waved it, and Tanjuro waved back.
During their stay in the Butterfly Mansion, Nezuko and the other kids had a clear understanding of the story and jobs of the Demon Slayer Corps.
And being told the fantastical and spiritual news that broke their world view, the Kamado children underwent some changes.
Tanjiro and Takeo followed the trio of kakushi that helps with rehabilitation (Sumi, Kiyo, and Naho) to continue basic physical training every single day.
The younger brother, Shigeru, also began to learn the dance of the Hinokami Kagura.
"Is Father going away again?" Shigeru tugged at Tanjiro's sleeve as he looked at his father being carried by the kakushi, waving his hand too.
"It's okay." Tanjiro assures him with a smile. He took his brother's hand in his own.
"The place he's going to this time is very safe." He nodded.
"Nothing will happen."
"Ok." Shigeru pursed his lips and said nothing more.
Tanjiro tightened his grip on Shigeru's hand slightly. His eyes watched his father's departing figure with determination.
He also needs to become stronger.
Strong enough to protect their family.
...
...
Time passed and evening came.
The sun gradually set in the west, and night greeted the horizon.
After a twist and turn and a lot of climbing
The kakushi and Tanjuro finally arrived at the entrance to the Swordsmith Village.
"We're here, sir."
The kakushi was changed several times during the travel; thus, this kakushi was a stranger to Tanjuro. He squatted down and settled Tanjuro behind him.
"You can take off your blindfold now."
"Thank you." Tanjuro stripped away the cloth covering his eyes and got off his ride.
The first thing he saw was the beautifully lit streets.
The torii gate was the entrance, and a wall of woods was as high as two people stacked together. The road from the entrance was dirt and pebbles.
The bonfire crackled at the gatepost, providing the surrounding environment with light.
There was still some time before the sun completely set.
A familiar voice spoke out behind him.
"Namu Amidha Butsu."
Himejima Gyomei's burly figure was towering at the entrance of the village, and a group of swordsmiths wearing the fire god masks gathered near to watch the spectacle of a man.
He was wearing his monk's robe with his hands clasped together. In his hands, he was holding a string of Buddhist beads.
At Gyomei's side was a kakushi member who was bent over and whose legs were shaking uncontrollably.
"I could have followed you here..."
Gyomei bent over slightly and put his hand on the back of the kakushi. Two lines of tears flowed down his cheeks.
"You don't have to force yourself." Gyomei said worriedly to the kakushi who carried him here. His eyes, even though he's blind, were staring straight at the man.
"No...!" The kakushi supported himself on a tree beside him. He's still gasping for breath as his face turns green. "This is the rule! Even if you are a Hashira, you can't break this rule!"
His whole body seems to be breaking down, though.
Gyomei straightened his back hearing this and fiddled with his prayer beads.
He was silent for a while.
"What a precious persistence... Thank you." He said to the kakushi who insisted on carrying him to the Swordsmith Village.
Tanjuro withdrew his gaze and glanced at the kakushi who had carried him here.
For some reason, he seemed to detect a hint of relief from the man's body.