Breath of the Rifleman

Hello my fellow readers and welcome to the first chapter of my new Demon Slayer story, suggested by fellow reader Noble Eight with assistance from Lonetaker on the details. As always if any of you have any ideas or suggestions feel free to let me know. Now without further ado, onto to the new story!

Winter: The Mountains of Japan

The entire world was black and white, as was the usual for this time of year. The forest stood silent at the moment as all the other living creatures had taken shelter from the wind and snowfall. Or to be precise, most of the living creatures in the forest had taken shelter. What broke the silence and drowned out even the gentle sound of the wind and snowfall were the hurried steps of a lone figure running with all of his might, following the one other color that appeared on the ground, the color red.

It was not the red of leaves that had yet to decay or petals from a flower that had somehow managed to survive the initial cold. No, this was the red of blood, the blood of his only remaining friends. 'Why did this happen again?' thought the boy frantically as he ran along the trail of blood, straining his eyes for even the slightest sign of movement ahead of him, 'please be okay. Please let me make it in time!' His frantic breaths came out as mist from his mouth as snow flew up behind his boots.

His black pants and white shirt were covered by an animal skin hakama of sorts that flowed in the wind while some fabric coverings adorned his wrists and hands which were currently cradling a rifle. 'And to think I'd only just seen them all smiling yesterday,' thought the boy as he looked down to check that his rifle was loaded for what must've been the eighth time, 'this shouldn't have been able to happen and yet some way somehow.' He let the thought drift away as memories of yesterday came to the surface.

The Day Before: The Mountain Forest

'Alright Subaru, let's see what this one's got,' he mused as he slid down a small embankment to check one of the many traps he and his father had set up on the mountain. Every few days they would have to move them to a new location to insure the wildlife didn't catch on and start avoiding certain areas, though with winter in full swing it was getting difficult to hunt in even the more plentiful areas. A point which was further exemplified as he came upon yet another empty tree snare. 'Looks like we're gonna have to head into town again today for some extra supplies,' thought the hunter with a sigh until he was broken from his thoughts by the sound of high pitched screaming.

"Oh please tell me he didn't," said an annoyed Subaru as he hefted his Murata bolt action rifle and pulled the bolt back slightly to insure it was loaded before rushing towards the sound of the panicked yells. As for the owner of the yelling, he was currently running from a rather agitated boar.

"I'm sorry I disturbed you, I didn't mean too!" yelled the dark-haired boy as he ran full tilt through the woods with a bundle of firewood in his arms. "I just wanted a bit of firewood, I didn't mean to intrude!" His response was angry snorting as the large tusked mammal continued to gain on him until the boy swore he could feel the beast's nostrils right on his heels. Thinking quickly, the boy jumped and rolled to the side as the large animal charged past him, dropping his load of firewood as he did so before reaching a hand towards the hatchet sheathed on his waist. "Please, I really don't mean any harm."

In truth, he probably should've expected this wouldn't work as the animal turned and stomped on the ground furiously, scraping its hooves in preparation to charge again. "Please, let's both just go home now alright." The hoofed animal snorted one last time before charging at the boy who unclipped the sheath on his belt but still refused to draw the hatchet. Then, as the distance closed to just a few feet, a shot rang out, causing the boar to jerk in mid-run as a rifle bullet passed through its heart.

The beast crashed to the ground and slid for another couple of feet, stopping at almost arms-length in front of the frightened boy as he looked towards the source of the rifle shot. "Blast it all Tanjiro I told you one or even a few boars were around that area," said Subaru as he got up from his half-kneeling position and cycled the bolt on his rifle to eject the empty cartridge which he quickly scooped up out of the snow.

"Subaru," said the now named Tanjiro as he brushed some of the snow off his green and black-checkered hakama, as well as out of his hair where a small scar was present. "I swear I went where the smell of the boars was the weakest."

"And I told you that they'd know you were there even if some foliage was obscuring you," reminded Subaru as he helped his friend up, "good as you are with animals there are some that don't want to be reasoned with."

"I know, I'm sorry," apologized Tanjiro as he looked at the now dead animal, "did you really have to kill it though?"

"It was that or watch you get trampled," replied Subaru as he kneeled by the body and checked to make sure it was dead, "besides this is not quite the tragedy you think it is. Given that this happened right as we were starting to run low on meat, I can only assume the mountain spirits have decided to smile on us." The hunter then proceeded to put his hands together as he gave a quick prayer of thanks.

"I suppose it is your way of life as a Matagi," said Tanjiro, "could you at least prepare it behind the house or somewhere out of sight?"

"Now that you mention it I was planning on stopping by today," replied Subaru as he slung his rifle across his back and hefted the body of the boar up onto his shoulder. Ordinarily he'd drag the body to insure he wasn't spotted and mistaken for another animal by other hunters, but his Father was the only other hunter he knew of around this area and he was checking the snares on another part of the mountain. And besides, he knew his friend's younger siblings always found this little feat impressive. "I can't promise I won't show your brother how to do some of the preparations if he asks."

"I suppose if Mother approves of it he'll be fine to learn," admitted Tanjiro as he gathered up his dropped pile of wood before the two of them trekked back to the Kamado household, Tanjiro's home. It was a relatively simple stone and wood cottage with a well-constructed, wooden triangular roof over top of it that also sported two more levels of wood to help stabilize it. Several stacks of firewood sat around the entrance with a basic two-wheel flat cart parked just to the side. As was something of a routine for the two, both boys split off to take care of their respective tasks, with Subaru field-dressing the boar while Tanjiro got to work loading up charcoal into a basket.

It didn't take long for Tanjiro's mother, Kie Kamado, to notice their presence as she walked out, still wearing her white cleaning garments with her hair tied up in a white cloth. "Tanjiro, your face is covered in soot again, and did I hear Subaru out back?"

"Yes he is," replied the boy as his Mother got to work cleaning his face with a white rag, "he managed to shoot a boar today."

"That boar wouldn't happen to have come from the area he told you not to wander into too, would it?" Asked his mother with a quirk of her eyebrow.

"Well not exactly," said Tanjiro nervously, "he shot it outside of the area-."

"That it had chased you too," said Subaru as he came walking around the house while using a wet cloth to clean some of the blood off his hands, "though I should be thanking him. He saved me the trouble of tracking it down."

"And this is exactly why I don't think you should go to town today," his mother said with a hint of worry, "just the snow is dangerous enough this time of year."

"I know," admitted Tanjiro, "but I'd like everyone to have a full belly for New Year's. So I want to sell as much charcoal as I can."

"You don't need to work that hard," Subaru pointed out, "I already plan on leaving half the boar meat here. Between your mother and your sister it should serve quite well for dinner."

"It was actually our hope that you and your father would join us for dinner on New Year's," said Tanjiro's mother with a smile as she stood up, "It wouldn't do for our family friends to be eating alone during the holiday."

"That'll depend on whether or not I can get back from town before sunset," replied the hunter, "you know how my father gets around night time." Tanjiro's mother gave a knowing nod as a couple little voices suddenly sounded in their direction.

"It's brother, brother's back and he brought Subaru too!" exclaimed a pair of young children as they came bounding over to the three. One was a girl with shoulder length black hair and purple eyes while the other was a boy with extremely short dark hair and the same color eyes. "If you're both going into town then I'm going with you!" said the little girl.

"Oh no you're not," said their Mother, "you still can't walk as fast as either of them."

"But mother," said the boy disappointedly with a stomp of his foot.

"With all of the snow they can't use the cart today," explained Kie, "which means neither of them can give you a ride when you get tired."

"Brother," whined the younger sibling as he hugged Tanjiro while the younger sister continued to plead their case.

"But I can help, I've helped you before Subaru," said the younger sister.

"And we'd both appreciate it Hanako," said the hunter as he patted her on the head, "but your mother's right. I've already saved your brother once today and I doubt I'll be as lucky twice in a row."

"Eh!" exclaimed Hanakon in a mixture of surprise and disappointment.

"And you'll need to stay too Shigeru," said Tanjiro as he kneeled down to look his younger brother in the eye, "but don't worry, we'll bring back plenty of goodies."

"You will?!" said Shigeru, the thought of little snacks cheering him right up.

"I don't know what this 'we' stuff is all about, but I might get something," said Subaru with a shrug.

"And I'll read to you once I get back Hanako," said Tanjiro as he patted her head. The girl nodded in understanding as her smile returned. "Alright then, I guess we'll be off, and Takeo." His comment drew the attention of another boy who was almost the spitting image of him with a green checkered scarf around his neck, "chop as much wood as you can."

"Sure I guess I'll do it, but," Takeo pointed at Subaru, "only if Subaru lets me fire off his rifle again."

"Can you assure me you won't fall flat on your rear this time," said Subaru as he pointed at the hunting implement, "I guarantee the recoil isn't any lighter today than it was then."

"I can handle it, I just wasn't ready last time," pouted the boy as he turned his gaze to the side, only for Tanjiro to start patting him on the head.

"There, there Takeo," he said with a friendly smile.

"Oh just get going already!" exclaimed Takeo as he did his best to hide his embarrassed face. The little scene got a laugh out of everyone as the hunter and charcoal seller set off for the town. But there were two more faces to greet them just before they left.

"Big brother, and Subaru," said a girl just under Tanjiro's height with long black hair tied into a neat bun and eyes similar to her other siblings. She currently had a large white blanket wrapped around her pink kimono which helped her carry the small infant on her back.

"Oh Nezuko," said Tanjiro as he and Subaru approached, with the latter hanging back a bit out of habit.

"I was putting Rokuta here down for a nap to keep him from making a scene at the two of you leaving," explained Nezuko as Tanjiro patted the infants head, "You know how he gets ever since dad passed away, and everyone loves to follow you."

"Yes, including the boar chasing him earlier this morning," commented Subaru, earning an embarrassed look from Tanjiro.

"And that's why I'm happy you're around Subaru," said Nezuko with a smile, "you're the only one who's able to take care of my big brother when he gets into trouble."

"It's practically a hobby at this point," replied the hunter as he absently scratched his cheek, still somewhat avoiding the girl's gaze.

"Well just remember that you don't have to wear the eyepatch around us," said Nezuko, "the townspeople might be a little put off by scars but it doesn't frighten any of us."

"I'll remember that," said Subaru with a small smile, "anyway the sun isn't getting any higher so we'd best be off."

"Have a safe trip," said Nezuko with a wave as the friend and brother departed down the path towards town, making a quick stop by Subaru's home to drop off the boar meat and hide.

In the Town

As was the usual, the trip took a fair bit of time with their progress slowed slightly by the snow. But before long the two of them were once again greeted by the sight of numerous wooden buildings, most of which were single story, with telephone poles dotting every corner. And much like the forest, everything was covered in snow. The two of them split up once they entered, with Tanjiro taking his usual selling route while Subaru headed for a corner of the town that was packed with varying shops and stalls.

"Oh Subaru," said an elderly woman in a red robe as he approached one of the stalls, "I suppose it's not a great surprise that you came down from the mountain, but it looks like you brought Tanjiro too."

"You know how he is Nui," replied Subaru, "just wants his family to have a good New Year's."

"He's not the only one," replied the old woman as she pulled a few items out from under the counter, "I saved these just like you asked me too, and I made sure even Tanjiro couldn't sniff them out."

"Thanks, I owe you one," said Subaru as he placed several coins on the counter in front of him, only for Nui to push nearly half of them back towards him.

"And I still owe you and your father for getting rid of that bear that was prowling around outside the town walls, so consider this discount my way of saying thank you." The elderly woman replied.

"That bear was a problem for everyone," Subaru argued, "besides we got more than our fair share out of it already."

"Then this will be my New Year's discount celebrating one year without a bear harassing us," countered Nui, "and a good luck wish that you'll actually tell her how you feel this year."

"For the hundredth time I have no idea what you're getting at," replied the hunter half-sarcastically as he took the items and packed them into a cloth bag, "I just happen to notice she liked these sorts of things is all. Now I'd best get the rest of my errands taken care of before nightfall, or my Father will be hunting 'me' down."

"Do tell Saburo we said hi and that he should venture down a little more often," said Nui with a wave as Subaru went on to his next bit of business: shopping for supplies and other assorted necessities. This in and of itself didn't take all that long. What did take some time, however, was Tanjiro somehow managing to get himself roped into helping nearly every person in town, again.

Near Subaru's Home: Later that Evening

"I've said it before and I'll say it again," remarked Subaru as the two of them marched up the path towards the mountain, "you lose track of time far too easily."

"I just helped a few people was all," said Tanjiro as he rubbed the back of his head in slight embarrassment.

"Half to three quarters of the town is not a few people," Subaru replied, "and the funny part is I might not even be exaggerating when I say that."

"Well either way I managed to sell out of the charcoal," said the dark-haired boy with a smile, "and since you came along we're now carrying twice the goodies for everyone back home."

"Yeah about that," said Subaru as he saw his own home coming up, "I don't think we'll be making it back up the mountain tonight." Before Tanjiro could ask what he meant, a dark-haired man wearing a green jacket over his white robes poked his head out of the main window of the one story house. This man was Saburo Genjirou, the father of Subaru Genjirou.

"Ah, there you are Subaru," said the man, "I know I told you to be back before nightfall."

"And the Kamado's told me to keep an eye on him," replied Subaru as he cocked his thumb towards Tanjiro, "wanna guess how many of the townspeople needed his help again today?"

"Well at least you made it here before it got too late," admitted Saburo, "but you both need to get inside now."

"But I should be fine," said Tanjiro, "I've got a great sense of smell so I won't be in any real dang-."

"You've pushed your luck enough already today," said Saburo in a tone that invited no argument, "We'll put you up for the night so get inside. Before the demons come." This statement confused the charcoal selling boy a bit as Subaru put a hand on his shoulder and began to lead him inside.

"Trust me there's no reasoning with him when he gets like this," said Subaru, "your mother will understand if we explain it to her tomorrow." His friend still looked a bit unsure, but eventually complied as they filed into the house. It was relatively simple on the inside with two rooms and sparse furniture, mainly a few tables for eating, field-dressing game and working on hunting implements. The only decorations were a few blue umbrellas with kanji written on them and a collection of furs hanging on the wall.

At the moment, Saburo was busy tidying up while Subaru alternated between eating and cleaning the barrel of his rifle. This meant that Tanjiro, who was eating from his own little table, was the first to finish his meal. "So, uh, grandad Saburo," he said, "these demons you've mentioned over the years. What kind of creatures are they exactly?" This question caused Subaru to pause in his cleaning, while his father only faltered for a moment in pulling out the beds.

"They are man-eating beasts that prowl the land at night," Saburo answered, "they have always lived among us and are the reason you shouldn't go strolling around casually at night. Now if you're finished eating, you and Subaru should go to bed. You can set out for home at first light and don't wait for Subaru. He and I will be checking the traps before then." Tanjiro still looked unsure about their reasoning, but did as he was told, climbing under the blankets of his sleeping mat with Subaru following shortly after.

"These demons, could they come inside your house?" Questioned Tanjiro.

"Not this house," replied Saburo as he lit up a pipe and took a short drag on it before pointing to a small tree with purple flowers near the door, "that is a wisteria plant which is hated by the demons. If you recall I had Subaru deliver one to your family as a gift as well."

"But that means there are those whose houses they can go into," said Tanjiro, "so why don't they eat all of us?"

"Because the demon slayers are at work protecting us, as they have for centuries," replied Saburo plainly before tapping his pipe on the side of a pot to empty the ash, "Now it's lights out, so go to sleep you two." Neither of the boys gave any argument to this demand as they rolled over, though Tanjiro reasoned that he and his son must simply be lonely after losing the rest of their family and decided he'd bring his brothers and sisters along next time. Though now that he thought of it, his Grandmother had once said something similar once upon a time.

Near the Kamado Household: The Next Day

Today had started out much as yesterday had with Subaru and his Father rising just before sunrise and setting out into the wilderness. When Subaru had first been learning to hunt, he'd tag along behind his Father in order to watch and learn the ways of the Matagi. Now that he was older, more experienced, and with a lot of convincing, the two hunters would often split up to cover more ground. It allowed them to check the traps more efficiently, which given the short days this time of year was essential.

And much like yesterday, Subaru had stated his desire to his Father that he wished to stop by the Kamado household again to drop off a few things he'd picked up in town. His old man had actually chuckled at that, remarking that he hoped Nezuko liked whatever he'd picked out. This led to a somewhat flustered Subaru saying it wasn't like that before stomping off into his usual section of the woods to check the traps once again. That was where the similarities to yesterday and the many days before it, ended.

In hindsight, Subaru should've known something was wrong sooner as he finished checking his snares and began making his way towards the Kamado's. The forest had gradually grown quieter and quieter until his footfalls in the snow were all he could hear. His sharp eyes also picked up the tracks of several animals all heading in a similar direction, away from his destination. And most of them were a couple hours old.

The hunter himself wondered if his killing of the boar yesterday had frightened off several of the woodland creatures, but brushed the thought aside as he checked his cloth bag one more time. 'I really do hope they like this stuff,' he thought with a hint of worry, 'I've never been particularly good at giving gifts that aren't pieces from animals I've hunted.' A flash of color caught his attention then as the Kamado residence came into view, the color of red. Dropping the bag and pulling up his eyepatch to make sure he wasn't seeing things confirmed his worst fears. There was blood on the ground in front of the Kamado family's door.

Subaru broke into a run then as moved in to determine the source of the blood, the body of Rokuta. "Rokuta!" exclaimed the rifleman as he kneeled down and rolled the child over, not caring if blood was getting all over his hands as he felt for a pulse, and found none. "Mrs. Kamado what is-?" His voice caught in his throat as he gazed through the door at the scene before him. Blood coated the floor, the walls and even some parts of the ceiling as Tanjiro's mother and Hanako's still forms were leaning against the wall lifelessly with their eyes shut.

The middle of the floor was just as horrifying as the bodies of both Takeo and Shigeru lay, with the former's lifeless eyes staring right back at him. 'What did this, who did this?' Thought Subaru as he stumbled forward, setting the body of Rokuta against the wall as he stared at some of the wounds inflicted on them. Small claw marks that had cut deep into their flesh seemed to be responsible as well as the presence of bites that had taken one or two chunks out of their limbs.

At first glance one would assume a bear had done this, except now was the time of year they hibernated and even if they failed too, he and his father had made damn sure that not a single one was near their family of friends. Another possibility was one of the larger cat predators or wild dogs, but they'd have eaten the remains, which only left one possibility in Subaru's mind: a demon had done this. The hunter grasped his head as images began to play out in his mind, images he'd thought he'd gotten under control. But they were back, and so was the pain as Subaru howled in anguish. 'Not again, please not again!'

They'd just been alive yesterday. Now Shigeru, Hanako, Takeo, Rokuta and their mother were all-. His breath hitched then as he realized something, Nezuko and Tanjiro's bodies weren't among the others. Bolting to his feet, the hunter rushed back outside where he'd found Rokuta and took a second look at the snow. Two sets of footprints led away from the house but only one pair was fresh, and with splotches of blood here and there along the trail.

Subaru charged out of the door then, unslinging his rifle as he began running down the path where the footprints led, surmising that it must've been Tanjiro given the size of the footprints and the fact that he would've been the only one wearing boots at the time. But this also meant he had to hurry since he only saw one set of tracks which led him to believe Tanjiro was likely carrying a very injured Nezuko if the traces of blood droplets were anything to go by. And it was these droplets and the footprints he focused on as the rest of the forest went by in a blur with snowflakes and icy wind pelting his face. 'Please be alive, please be alive,' he begged over and over again as he winded around the twists and turns of the path, his gaze always on the trail in front of him, until it veered off suddenly and disappeared over a short drop into another part of the forest below.

And looking out into the trees below he saw them, in a terrible situation. Tanjiro was on his knees as a man with a coat colored red on one side and spotted with yellow and green on the other held a sword to Nezuko's throat. And for anyone else it would've been hard to see, but for Subaru, he noticed something was incredibly wrong with Nezuko as she struggled like a wild animal against the man's single hand which held both her wrists behind her back. It was almost like she'd lost the ability to reason properly.

But that was something he would sort out with Tanjiro later. For now, he fell forward near the edge of the cliff in a prone position, supporting the rifle with his left arm as he aimed down the sights at the unknown threat. Even though Nezuko was being held slightly to the right of her captor, there was still too great a chance he'd hit her if he aimed for the center mass, so he settled for the next best target, the man's head. For the moment, he seemed to be in the middle of some kind of speech, like he was berating Tanjiro for something.

Whatever it was Subaru didn't care, but it gave him a bit of time to breathe in and slow his rapidly beating heart rate. In and out and in he continued to breath, slowing down each time until he let out a half breathe. In that same moment he steadied his rifle as it lined up with his target, and pulled the trigger. Even after years of doing so there were still shots that surprised him, and this was one of them as it soared right on target at the man's head. But today was a day for more unwelcome surprises than welcome as the man somehow managed to notice the bullet and move his head to the side just barely in time to avoid the projectile as it buried itself in the tree behind him.

Subaru didn't even have time to curse as he went to cycle the bolt and put in another round, but as he was doing so, he noticed that Nezuko managed to use the moment of distraction created by his shot to break free of the man's grip and kick him away with a strength her body shouldn't possess. "Run Nezuko!" Yelled Tanjiro as he grabbed his hatchet from the ground where it had apparently fallen and charged the sword-wielding attacker. But their foe recovered quickly and slammed the back end of his hilt into the side of Tanjiro's neck, knocking him unconscious as he fell into the snow.

Nezuko charged in and swiped at the man, forcing him to jump back before Subaru fired another shot that clipped his sleeve. 'Damn he's fast,' thought the hunter as he cycled the bolt and loaded another round, 'I barely have time to aim and what's with Nezuko?' His family friend hadn't said two words and only seemed able to growl and snarl as she stood over Tanjiro protectively. For some reason this seemed to surprise their attacker as Subaru aimed for another shot.

But the growling girl either hadn't noticed or didn't care about the gunfire as she rushed the man again, moving at a speed she'd never possessed before as she continued to swipe with her, clawed hands? It was another question the hunter would have to figure out later as he tried and failed to line up a good shot due to the fast movements of both fighters. 'No more sitting by then,' he thought as he got up and jumped down into the snow below, nearly stumbling over with the impact before taking aim again to see if he had a better shot.

Unfortunately, his target must've noticed and seemingly appeared on his right side. "You're aiming at the wrong person," he said as Subaru attempted to swing his barrel towards the man, only to have it knocked straight out of his hands by the strongest kick he'd ever seen. The force was enough that he stumbled and fell backwards. But in one smooth, practiced motion, Subaru drew a Schofield revolver and fired just as he hit the ground. Even if the man hadn't been inhumanly fast the shot still probably would've missed, but he did succeed in making him move back which gave him the chance to fan the weapon's hammer and fire off three more rounds.

But once again his target moved quicker than even his eyes could accurately follow as he leapt back and to the side, dodging every shot. Nezuko came rushing in then with a swipe that narrowly missed her attacker's throat before, jumping up and leaping off a tree back towards him! Even more amazingly, the man managed to sheathe his sword before striking her on the side of the neck with a powerful chop while she was still in midair. The girl gave a slight yelp of surprise before falling to the snow, unconscious.

"NOOO!" yelled Subaru as he leapt back up, cocking the revolver's hammer as he did so and leveled it at the man.

"Hold on," said the sword wielder calmly as he closed the distance between them in an instant and knocked the revolver out of his hand with his sheathed weapon, "you need to-UUFF!" No sooner had he knocked the revolver from the hunter's hand than Subaru rushed forward, finally landing a hit on the attacker as he barreled into him. To what must've been the swordsman's second surprise that day, Subaru didn't stop his momentum as he actually managed to pick the man up and run for a few feet before slamming him into a nearby tree. A grunt of pain escaped his target's mouth as the hunter pinned him to the tree with his left arm and pulled out his hunting knife from the sheath on the back of his belt before stabbing it backhanded at the man's head.

But his blade only met the bark of the tree as his quarry seemingly vanished yet again. "Forget it, I'll just have to calm you first." Those were the last words Subaru heard as he whirled around, only to be met with a full force chop into the side of his neck that sent him against the tree. The pain was much greater than he expected as his vision swam. 'Nezuko, Tanjiro.' Those were his last thoughts before he blacked out.

A Short Time Later

"I'm sorry we had to leave you behind," said the voice of Tanjiro's Mother, "I'll send your love to your family, so please, take care of my son and daughter." Subaru sat bolt upright as he took in his surroundings. He was still in the forest where he last saw Nezuko and Tanjiro, as well as-.

"It seems you're both awake now," said the voice of the attacker from earlier. Subaru whirled around and reached for his hunting knife, only to notice it was gone while Tanjiro moved over his sister protectively. For whatever reason, she'd yet to awaken. "If you want to help her, go to the foot of Mt. Sagiri and find an old man named Sakonji Urokodaki. Tell him you were sent by Giyu Tomioka."

"Urokodaki," repeated Subaru, "but he's-, so that's what you are."

"The girl is alright for the moment thanks to the clouds," said Tomioka, "but never let her be exposed to sunlight." That was the last thing he said before vanishing in a flash of pure speed, too fast for either of them to follow. Subaru let out a sigh as he noticed his hunting implements were leaning against the tree Tomioka had just been and went over to collect them.

"Subaru," said Tanjiro as he cradled his sister in his arms, "do you know who that was?"

"Him specifically, no," replied the hunter as he holstered his weapons and slung his rifle over his shoulder before walking over to the two, "but what I do know is the man he mentioned, Urokodaki, is a trainer for demon slayers."

"How do you know that?" Questioned Tanjiro.

"The same way I know what's happened to Nezuko," said Subaru as he put a hand on the girl's cheek, kicking himself for not realizing it earlier. The gentle girl was now a demon. Tomioka had seen fit to put a bamboo muzzle over her mouth which did little to mar the girl's natural beauty in his eyes. In fact becoming a demon seemed to have done little to affect her appearance. But it was still unacceptable. "What I don't know is if there's a way to turn her back, but if there is-."

"We'll find it," said Tanjiro with determination in his voice despite the tears in his eyes, "no matter what we have to become we'll find a way to save her, I know we will!"

"Or die trying," agreed Subaru with his own face set in determination. That day was the beginning of what would become a truly arduous journey for all of them.

And so it has begun, the quest to return everyone's favorite little demon back to a human! And here's hoping we're off to a good start so tell me what you think of the first chapter in your comments and reviews and feel free to suggest any neat ideas you might have for future chapters. Oh and to answer a likely question right off the bat, he'll be using his current weapons for only another chapter or so before he obtains his main ones. So, Be sure to stop in next time as our new heroes encounter more trouble on the way to Mt. Sagiri. 'Til then.