New Beginnings

You might be wondering, how did he even get here? Long story short, his entire family was killed.

His name is Kamado Tanjiro, currently 13. Tanjiro was a coal burner to a family of 6 before they were all slaughtered by a demon, while his younger sister, Nezuko, was turned into a demon by said demon.

Obviously it was extremely traumatizing to Tanjiro. The teen tries his very best to not bawl his eyes out everyday. He had to, since he can mourn later when the demon who ruined his life is ashes to the wind by his very blade and a cure to turn her sister back into a human could be found.

Tanjiro is training to be a Demon Slayer and a member of the Demon Slayer Corps, whose main job is to obviously, hunt and slay demons.

In order to join the Corps, Tanjiro must pass the Final Selection, a test used as an entrance exam to join the Demon Slayer Corps.

But in order to get to the Final Selection, Tanjiro must train until he felt like dying. And that is what he's about to do.

'Today's my first day training with Urokodaki-san to become a Demon Slayer, I must not disappoint him!' Tanjiro shouted in mind determinedly while huffing proudly.

He had became his student after he passed a test set by Urokodaki. Said test was for him to reach the bottom of the mountain to where Urokodaki's house was before dawn.

After triggering a bunch of traps and getting himself covered in a bunch of dirt, Tanjiro passed the test and became Urokodaki's student.

The red haired boy looked down at the puddle below him and studied his appearance in it. Tanjiro is a young boy of average height with fairly tanned skin.

He has ruffled, dark hair with burgundy tips, combed back to expose his forehead, and wide, dark red eyes with white pupils that appear lighter around the lower section of his irises.

Tanjrio also has a scar on the top left of his forehead. He also wears a distinct pair of hanafuda earrings, with the image of the rising sun over a mountain.

Tanjiro was skinny, and he knew he needed to change that since he would be wielding a katana. His musings were disrupted when Urokodaki, his sensei tapped him ln th shoulder.

He looked at his sensei, Sakonji Urokodaki. His teacher is always seen wearing a tengu mask that covers his entire face.

Urokodaki is also wearing a cloud-patterned jinbei kimono with navy colored pants which are fastened at his shins by white kyahan guards.

"What are you waiting for, Tanjiro. We don't have all day, let's start now."

"Yes, sir!" Tanjiro replied enthusiastically. Urokodaki motioned Tanjiro to follow him.

"Listen carefully." Urokodaki requested as they walked towards the forest.

"The Demon Slayer Corps have numbers around a few hundred. The Corps isn't officially recognized by the government, however they still operate in secrecy which means that Demon Slayers cannot openly carry their swords in public."

"By maintaining a low profile and avoid drawing unnecessary attention, they can carry out their duties covertly and effectively. The Demon Slayer Corps relies solely on the resources provided by the Ubuyashiki family for its daily operations. "

'This Ubuyashiki family might be the leader of the Corps. It's leader might be a very strong person.' Tanjiro thought as Urokodaki kept talking.

"Within the Demon Slayer Corps, there is a group of elites known as the Hashira who are the most powerful ones in the group. You have encountered one of them, Tanjiro." Urokodaki revealed. Tanjiro widened his eyes, immediately knowing who the person was.

'That man, Tomioka Giyu..... He's a Hashira? Wow.... What kind of demon did he kill to achieve that position?' Tanjiro thought about the man who spared him and his sister.

If he meets him again, he would have to thank him for sparing his sister and letting him train under Urokodaki.

"Are you even paying attention?" Urokodaki suddenly asked him.

"One question, sensei. How do Demon Slayers kill demons? Normal weapons like axes don't work, so what kind of weapon do they use?" Tanjiro asked him. Urokodaki nodded and looked back forward.

"They use a special blade called Nichirin Swords. Nichirin Swords are forged from a unique ore that constantly absorbs sunlight which you know are one of the only major weaknesses of demons."

"Decapitation by Nichirin Sword is one of the only ways a human can kill a demon. Almost all Demon Slayers use Breathing Styles, swordsmanship styles that utilize Total Concentration Breathing to kill demons."

Okay, now Tanjiro was lost. Breathing Styles? Total Concentration Breathing? What do they mean? He donned a confused expression and tilted his head at Urokodaki who wasn't surprised at the boy's confusion.

"Breathing Styles are swordsmanship styles that makes use of a breathing technique known as Total Concentration Breathing. "

"Total Concentration Breathing is a breathing technique which involves expanding one's lungs to intake as much air as possible, accelerating one's blood flow and heartbeat while increasing their inner body temperature, resulting in their bones and muscles becoming more uh.... excited I guess you can say. " Urokodaki scratched his head before looking at Tanjiro.

"Basically, Total Concentration Breathing essentially enhances the user's physical traits and capabilities. Everything is enhanced, strength, speed, durability, and mental abilities like a faster thought process and reaction time needed to keep up with their superhuman bodies."

"It is extremely important that you learn a Breathing Style and Total Concentration Breathing. They are the keys in raising your survival rate while fighting demons." Urokodaki said with his ever so serious voice.

Tanjiro nodded, his expression already serious even before Urokodaki started talking. Now isn't the time to relax, now is the time to improve.

"We start now." Urokodaki suddenly turned around to look at him. Tanjiro stopped walking and stood diligently.

"100 pushups, 100 situps, 100 squats and a 10km run before noon." Tanjiro gulped at the numbers.

"You may begin the pushups. It doesn't count if you don't have the right form. Same with the situps and squats."

"Y-yes s-sir.... "

.

.

" Come on boy, you still have the squats and the run to complete!" Urokodaki shouted at Tanjiro who groaned while he was lying down with his face in the dirt.

"I-I can't..... It's t-too much...." Tanjiro stuttered out weakly. Behind his tengu mask, Urokodaki gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes.

" Listen here boy!! "

" Ahh!!" Tanjiro yelled as Urokodaki picked him up with one hand and held him by the collar. The teen gulped as he stared straight at the menacing tengu mask.

"I thought you wanted to kill the person who killed your family! How can you do that if you keep bitching like that! There's demons out there terrorizing innocents, devouring them as we speak and you still have the audacity to complain?!"

"I know it's painful and I know you feel like dying, believe me I've been in your position more times than I could count! But if you don't suffer first how can you get stronger to kill them?!"

"Now, complete those damn exercises! I also need to teach you how to swing a sword today, so get on with it, soldier!" Urokodaki dropped Tanjiro onto the ground.

Tanjiro looked down at the grassy ground with a frown on his face, tears threatening to fall down his eyes. It was all still too much for the 13 year old Tanjiro to handle.

One minute he was a coal burner selling charcoal so he could earn money to have a feast with his family for New Year's, and the next minute they're all dead, his sister was turned into a demon and now he's training his ass off to work for a secret organization.

Never in his right mind he would expect this horrific tragedy to happen. They were all happy, he was happy, even without their late father, but someone just had to take them, his happiness away from him.

What did he do to deserve all of this pain?

Urokodaki sighed in understanding. During his time as a Demon Slayer, even before he became the Water Hashira, he'd seen too many families and loved ones taken away by demons.

And Tanjiro was the same, he understood that but the boy had a perfect chance for revenge. That loss can create something else, motivation to get stronger and kill the demons so that thet could never do the same to other families.

He smirked under his tengu mask, noticing Tanjiro get up. Tanjiro silently entered a squatting stance and began performing his squats.

Urokodaki smirked wider as he saw the look in Tanjiro's eyes, one so menacing that he's never seen in many.

A look of fiery determination.

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"You must be very tired huh, Nezuko? You've been sleeping for a whole day now." Tanjiro whispered while he was sitting beside his little sister Nezuko, who was sleeping soundly on a futon.

Nezuko is a young girl with fair skin, a slender build, and sharp, light pink stiletto nails. She has long black wavy hair that turns a flame-orange color as it passes her elbows.

She wears a light pink kimono with an asanoha (hemp leaf) pattern, the lining a paler pink, secured by a red and white-checkered hanhaba obi with an orange-threaded obijime and a green obiage.

Her haori was folded neatly to her side.

Nezuko also wears a small pink ribbon on the left side of her head to keep her hair out of her face, along with the bamboo muzzle Giyu Tomioka gave her, which is secured around her jaw with a strip of red cloth.

"I'll find a way to cure you, that's a promise that I'll never break." Tanjiro smiled as he patted her head affectionately. He sighed and looked at his hands.

They were pretty rough for someone as young as him. Such was the burden of a big brother who became the backbone of the family after his father passed.

[Synchronization Process Starting...]

"Huh...."

To be continued...