Meeting The Family

With the help of Nakime, Muzan and Tanjiro found themselves in the inner sanctums of the Infinity Castle that only the Upper Moon demons, along with the Demon King himself knew of its existence and no one else. Tanjiro blinked as he couldn't figure out what had just happened. Just a second ago, they were standing outside in the freezing cold on top of a mountain and in a matter of seconds, they were in some sort of strange maze of a castle. Although Tanjiro was just born and his first memories were still fresh, he knew that this place was special and couldn't be just any ordinary building. The walls around them continued to rotate and stretch, and it was hard to determine which way was actually up or down. "Father, just where are we? This place is strange." Tanjiro said as he gulped nervously. There was an ominous aura in the atmosphere that made even a demon like himself feel uneasy. "This is our home. This place is called the Infinity Castle, and only the strongest demons know about it. Many demon's have heard of the Infinity Castle but have never had the pleasure of visiting. Only those I deem worthy are allowed to venture into my home." Muzan replied back to him.

A female demon with long black hair that covered her face who was sitting on a red cushion in a kimono while holding a Biwa, had appeared in a floating room above them. "Welcome back, Lord Muzan." She said as she greeted her master. Muzan looked up at her and tipped his fedora to her as he greeted her back. "Nakime. Thank you for heeding my summons. This young demon behind me is special, and I've decided to take him under my wing. I need you to summon the Upper Moons. I want to introduce my son to the rest of the family." Tanjiro's head perked up when his father said that. This was the first time he ever mentioned about them having a family. Tanjiro had just assumed it was going to be the two of them, but this new world of demons still had many surprises left for him to discover it seemed. "Family? Are you saying I have siblings, father?" Tanjiro asked inquisitively. Muzan chuckled as he looked back at his heir and rubbed the top of his head, much to Tanjiro's surprise. "Sort of. All demon's technically aren't related. But all demon's stem from me, so in a sense yes. They are family. The Upper Moon's are my top warriors who I've entrusted much of my blood too. I wouldn't label them as siblings but maybe more like your aunts and uncles."

Muzan turned his attention back to Nakime who quickly went on to perform his request as she strummed the cords of her Biwa. "Nakime is the real controller of the Infinity Castle. It's her blood demon art, and I've found her so incredibly useful that she is now one of my greatest confidants. This castle wouldn't exist without her so keep note to shower her with respect Tanjiro. Now then, the Upper Moon's should be here any second." Muzan said as he sat down in a red velvet armchair. A similar chair appeared next to him and he looked at the chair and gestured for his son to take a seat beside him. Tanjiro hesitated for a moment feeling quite shy, but he still sat down. A double wooden bamboo sliding door appeared in the air and slid itself open, and the demons started pouring through the door one by one and landed in front of them. The first one to come out was a tall looking man with long black spikey hair similar to Tanjiro's and wore a purple and black kimono with a katana strapped to his waist. But his most striking feature was the six demonic eyes that he had. Tanjiro looked at him with admiration as he could sense the intense power that was emanating from him. Muzan smiled as he looked at his ranked number one who he trusted the most over any other demon. "Kokushibo. It's been awhile."

The demon known as Kokushibo placed his arms in his sleeves and bowed before he took a seat in crisscross fashion. "It's been over one hundred years in fact. What's with the sudden call Lord Muzan? Surely it's not business related." Kokushibo said as he looked up at his master and couldn't help but notice the young demon who took his place next to him. The first thing Kokushibo noticed was the Hanafuda earrings that he wore, which he was all too familiar with. It had been centuries since he had seen them and thought that he would never see them again. He didn't need to ask anymore questions about why the Upper Moon's were being summoned now that he had seen the young demon. "Ah. It seems you've noticed already. Those earrings did belong to your older brother after all. But I'll explain once the others get here. I have splendid news to share with all of you." Muzan said as he smiled, which was unsettling to see as he hardly ever did that. After Kokushibo, the remaining five Upper Moons came out from the door and now all of them were officially assembled. The second highest ranking demon, Doma, who had beautiful rainbow hewed eyes was the most ecstatic out of all of them to see that they were once again reunited after along time of being apart.

"Ah, Lord Muzan! It's so good to see you again!" He said playfully with a misleading grin. His eyes glanced over to Akaza who was ranked as third, and he scooted closer to the demon he loved to tease the most. "It's especially lovely to see you again my dear Akaza." He said to the slightly shorter demon with pink hair and blue tattoos that traced his body. Akaza glared at him and without saying a word, swiped at his face cleaving his jaw completely off. Tanjiro looked down in shock at the random act of violence. They were supposed to be family right? So why were they hurting each other? He could tell right away that his new family was going to be a rowdy bunch. Doma's jaw instantly regenerated as he wiped the blood away from his face on the sleeve of his shirt. "Still as hostile as ever I see." He said to Akaza who just continued to glare at him. "Speak to me one more time and I will kill you, you cockroach." Muzan cleared his throat to regain everyone's attention. His patience was beginning to ware thin but he didn't want to lose control in front of his precious Tanjiro. He needed to show some restraint if he wanted to keep the newborns trust, at least just for now anyways. "Let's push all the petty squabbling to the side. I didn't summon you all here to see you fight amongst one another. I have someone I'd like you all to meet." He said as he crossed one leg over the other as he leaned back in his chair.

"This young man next to me is named Tanjiro. And starting today, he is my son. You all may consider him to be your prince, am I understood?" Muzan said with a powerful tone behind his oddly calm voice. The demon's looked shocked, all except Kokushibo, as they started talking amongst themselves. What did he mean by his son? Why was this little weakling getting so much respect from their Lord Muzan? Each of them had served as an Upper Moon for hundreds of years but yet they didn't even get treatment like that. So what made this brat so special? "I don't mean to speak out of turn my lord, but why should we call him our prince? From his smell, he can barely even be considered a true demon. He is much too inexperienced to be given a high honor like that." Said Gyokko, a strange looking demon who's misshapen body was sticking out from a glass vase and the position of his eyes and mouth were swapped. Muzan glared at Gyokko because of his insolence for speaking out of turn, which made the strange demon immediately shut his mouth. "He is my son because I say he is. Do I need to give you fools a reason? Tanjiro is special and possesses a skill that none of you could ever offer me. Compared to you, his existence alone gives him the rightful title to be the son of the Demon King."

The demon's stopped talking, afraid that if they continued to pester Lord Muzan's good mood, they would all be in for a world of hurt. Daki, who was the lowest ranking Upper Moon was the only one who still seemed unconvinced. She loved her master more than any of them, and if anyone deserved to be sitting by his side then it was her. "He's still a weakling from our standpoint Lord Muzan! Just what special skill could a child like him possibly possess?!" She said as she stood up and was preparing to throw a tantrum like a child herself. She was the last person to be judging Tanjiro for his age when she was known to be very immature at times. "I'm glad one of you asked." Muzan said as he smirked. "Tanjiro is my greatest creation. He will be the first demon to conquer the sun." Doma's eyes widened with excitement at the prospect. How interesting, he thought to himself. This was an unforeseen development! Now he had another new toy to play around with! "How excellent! I see you're one step closer to achieving immortality my lord!" He said, obviously kissing ass which made Akaza beside him click his tongue in disappointment.

"Yes indeed. It is very exciting. Tanjiro is the only one capable to continue my search for the Blue Spider Lily. Which is why I have decided to adopt him as my own. You are his family now, and as his elders I expect you all to help guide him through his new life as a demon and protect him. If anything happens to my day walker, it won't just be your heads that will be rolling." Muzan said as he let his true demonic aura slip out to prove just how serious he was by that statement. Tanjiro who was still sitting beside him, felt his barely beating heart almost come to a stop just by feeling that creepily dark aura. His father was one he definitely needed to avoid angering. He was immensely strong and he finally understood why everyone called him Lord. He truly was the King of Demons. "Speaking of which, I have a special order to give to a few select of you. Kokushibo and Akaza. I entrust you to teach him how to fight and help him grow stronger." Kokushibo raised a brow, but still seemed stoic unlike Akaza who stood up in utter shock and defiance. "Are you asking me to train him because of what I think?" He said as he gestured to Tanjiro's Hanafuda earrings. "Yes. The whole reason why Tanjiro has the potential to conquer the sun is all because of his human lineage. He is a descendant from a family who knew your brother's sun breathing technique. I need you to teach him swordsmanship so he can access his Slayer's mark, just like how you have."

"But what does that have to do with me?! I don't need to teach him how to fight if Kokushibo is already going to do it!" Akaza said as he stomped his foot down and growled. Tanjiro started to feel like he was becoming a nuisance. He just got here and met everyone, and already his presence was disrupting everyone's day. He didn't want to be a burden to anyone more than he already was. "Uhm, father… If he doesn't want too then he doesn't have to teach me." He said as he looked at Muzan trying to settle the dispute. But Muzan just raised his hand to quiet everybody back down. "That is not a decision for you to make. I've already made my choice. And it's not like I'm choosing you just to punish you, Akaza. But I can give you a punishment if you continue to defy me if that is what you want. You should be honored that I am giving you responsibility over my Tanjiro." Akaza began to back down as he stared at the ground, but he still had his fists clenched tightly. "But why me? What could I possibly provide the brat?" Muzan stood up from his seat as he approached his top generals who all looked down at the ground to avoid his gaze. "You're the only one I can trust because you are the most levelheaded behind Kokushibo. You and Tanjiro are more alike than you might think, and I think you would be a wonderful teacher in showing him hand to hand combat." Muzan said as he crossed his arms.

Akaza felt his heart start to quicken slightly as he heard his master give him such a wonderful compliment. Did he really mean it when he said that? That he truly thought that he was the most levelheaded among the Upper Moons? "I see… well then, if it is your wish my lord then I will teach him how to fight. But don't think I will go easy on him in the slightest. My training is very rigorous." Muzan smiled slightly as he raised Akaza's head. "I don't expect you to go easy on him, just don't kill him in the process. Now then, if that's all settled, you are all free to leave except for the two I entrusted to train my son. Now go." Nakime strummed her Biwa and expelled the other four from the Infinity Castle, and now only Akaza and Kokushibo remained. Muzan turned to his son with his glowering eyes which made Tanjiro start to sweat slightly. The Demon King chuckled after seeing his son's nervous demeanor. Another reason he needed Kokushibo to train him was so that maybe he could get rid of his remaining human tendencies. It was apparent that his human heart still remained, but as a demon, he really needed to be taught a lesson on how to let that go. "Don't ever give in when it comes to commanding demons that are lower than you, Tanjiro. You are their prince now. They have to do anything you say, I'll make sure of that. So don't be afraid to be cruel when you need to be. To a demon, power and status mean's everything."

He then walked over to Tanjiro and knelt down in front of him and carefully began to caress his hands, which made Tanjiro feel warm and welcomed. "You are my precious day walker. Only you can find the Blue Spider Lily so that I can finally fix my incomplete form and become a perfect being. Once you are strong enough and I know I can trust you to scout alone during the day, I will also entrust to you command over the Lower Moons. But you need to prove to me that you can handle all of that first, understood? I'm trusting you. Only you can do this for me which will also benefit all of demon kind." Tanjiro felt a blush spread across his cheeks as joy began to rise inside of him. He didn't know what it meant to have a father, or what it meant to be a family, but deep down, he somehow understood. He had an overwhelming urge to make Muzan proud of him and he dearly wanted to protect his newfound family. "You can count on me father! I will not fail you!" He declared proudly. Standing to the side was an impatient Akaza and Kokushibo who were waiting for the two of them to finish speaking. "You coming Tanjiro? The sooner we start training, the sooner you will grow stronger. It takes years for a demon to reach Upper Moon status, but under the guidance of two current Upper Moon Demons, you will undoubtedly be on par with us in just a few years. Are you ready for the trials ahead?" Kokushibo asked his new protégé. Tanjiro finally stood up from his seat and he passed Muzan and ran to catch up to them with a bright gleaming smile across his face. "Yes sir!"

A cold winter night had passed since Nezuko and Takeo witnessed their older brother slay the rest of their clan, and they had no choice but to sleep in the place they once called their home where the bodies of their mother and siblings still remained, less they wanted to freeze to death outside. Once the morning sun rose over the horizon and they had awoken, they felt anything but refreshed. Neither one of them had gotten any proper sleep as their brains were plagued by nightmares with images of the tragedy that had just befallen them. While Nezuko went to work preparing the two of them breakfast, Takeo was outside hard at work digging up graves so that they could properly put their fallen family members to rest; which was a task that was much too heavy to fall on a ten year olds shoulders. As Takeo dug, his mind raced with hateful thoughts as he imagined getting his revenge on his older brother, if he could even call him that anymore. He loved his brother and wanted to be like him so badly, but the thought of Tanjiro choosing to become a demon was something he couldn't wrap his mind around. He wanted so hard to believe Nezuko that the mystery man was the one to blame, but seeing Tanjiro be so friendly with him made him sick to his stomach just thinking about it.

After the graves were dug, Nezuko had just finished making them food when she stepped outside to call for Takeo to come inside real quick so that they could eat. "Takeo, take a break for a second. Come eat while the food is still hot. After we're done, let's work together to hold the ceremony, okay?" She said as she smiled at her little brother who continued to look dejected. She sighed as she walked over to him and grabbed him by his hand and dragged him into the kitchen part of their house where they sat down and started to eat. It was hard to focus on eating though when their now quiet home was once filled with the sounds of laughing children. The silence was beginning to become deafening. Their dining table felt all that much bigger since it was just the two of them now. "So, we need to come up with a plan about what we need to do next. We can't stay here forever now that mother is gone. Tanjiro is still out there somewhere and we need to find some answers. I remember from the stories father used to tell us about demons and how their was a group of samurai who alone stood against them. If demons are real, then maybe these samurai are real too. After the funeral, we should depart as soon as possible." Nezuko said blatantly to try and break the silence.

Takeo poked his food around on his plate having no appetite at all. In fact, he was feeling resentful towards his sister for pretending like they weren't having a meal only a few feet away from the corpses of their loved ones. "Yeah, whatever you say big sister…" He said as he leaned forward and placed his head on the table as he sighed deeply. Nezuko frowned, feeling like a total failure. She knew it was going to be hard from here on out, and Takeo was too young to understand. But they can't just continue to wallow in their sorrow. They needed to think about the future and keep moving forward if they wanted to survive. She knew that if their mother was still alive, she would have said the same thing. "I'm trying my best Takeo. You don't think I'm sad? I'm devastated! You can be mad at me all you want for trying to keep things positive, but if we were both sad then neither one of us would go anywhere. It's my responsibility to take care of you now! And we can't continue to stay in this house! It's time for us to move on!" She said as she started to lecture him, but Takeo just stood up and slammed his hands on the table with his face turning the color red.

"Who said you had to take care of me?! I never asked you too! If you want to leave to try and save our bastard of a brother then go ahead! But I won't be going anywhere! I'll get stronger all on my own and take care of our home! So go if that's what you want so badly! I DON'T NEED YOU!" SLAP! Nezuko had leaned over the table and smacked her brother across the face, leaving him stunned as he sat back down and held a hand up to his now stinging cheek. Nezuko gasped as she covered her mouth. She had never hit her brother before, or hurt anyone for that matter, but she just couldn't stand to hear him talk like that anymore. "Takeo, I'm so sorry!" She said as she went to grab his other hand that was still resting on the table, but he drew it back before she could touch him. She sighed in defeat as she stood up, deciding she was done eating. "I'm sorry. Really. But one day, you'll realize that there's consequences to your actions and the words you say. You don't have to ask me to take care of you, it's my duty. And because I love you. You're the only one I have left Takeo; don't you realize that?" She said as her eyes sunk and her smile turned upside down as she began to cry. Takeo started to feel guilty because of how he made his sister weep. He didn't want to fight with her, but he was just so bitter inside that every little thing was starting to set him off.

Takeo crawled around to meet her on the other side of the dining table as he slowly wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her as tightly as he could. "No, I'm the one who should be sorry. It's not your fault so I don't know why I'm directing my anger at you. I'm just so sad Nezuko. I miss them so much that it hurts!" The two embraced each other as they finally had a heart to heart conversation, revealing their true feelings. Yes, they were both hurting on the inside. But it was going to take the two of them together and leaning on each other if they ever hoped of healing the wounds that now scarred their hearts. After having cried for awhile and letting out what they needed too, they went back to eating so that they could have enough energy for the long grueling path ahead of them once they packed up to leave the one place they ever called home behind. Once they finished breakfast, Nezuko started packing them their bags while Takeo started bundling up the bodies of their mother and siblings, and together they pulled them outside and buried them in the ground where they finally put them to rest. They knelt down in front of their graves and began to pray, hoping that their souls were at peace and that they all made a safe trip to the afterlife.

They put on their winter clothes to make sure that they stayed warm as they traveled down the mountain together. Nezuko wasn't as accustomed to the terrain as Tanjiro was, but she was knowledgeable enough to cut their trip down by at least an hour if she made sure that they took the right short cuts. She then helped to put on the heavy woven basket on Takeo's back which contained enough rations to last them a few days, while she carried her own basket that contained even more food along with some extra clothes for them and tools they could use as weapons if they met any bandits or other demons on the road. "Are you ready Takeo?" She said as she looked back at her younger brother who was still lingering behind. Takeo stared at their home just one more time taking it all in, before they left and never came back. He had begged for a long time to leave this mountain, but never did he want that the circumstances of his first time leaving to be because of something like this. He took in one last deep breath so that he could engrave the scent of their home in his mind before he turned around to rejoin his sister. "Yes. I'm ready. Let's go." He said as he grabbed ahold of her hand and soon enough, they started walking away leaving their former lives behind.

By now, they had been walking for a couple of hours and were still nowhere near making it to the bottom of the mountain. Nezuko looked alarmingly at the sky as the sun was once again blocked out by thick snow clouds. The blizzards had been relentless lately and didn't seem anywhere near to letting up anytime soon. "This doesn't look good. If we don't make it to the village before the snow falls, we might be forced to seek shelter. It doesn't look like it's going to start snowing yet, but we should still try and hurry. Think you can keep up Takeo?" She said as she looked back at her brother who looked like he was already starting to get tired from walking for so long. It was his first time ever making a trip like this, and he was finally starting to understand why his elders were always so against him leaving whenever he asked to accompany one of them to the village. To think his older brother and sister made these trips all by themselves and have done it alone multiple times! It was totally daunting! He stopped walking for a second to catch his breath but smiled bravely so that his sister didn't start worrying about him. "Y-yeah. I'm okay big sister. Let's keep going!" He said determined, but Nezuko was having her doubts. "We can stop if we need too. It's better to be safe than sorry if you think you're starting to reach your limit. We can take a break if you want."

Suddenly, Nezuko heard the rustling of foliage which caused her to become alarmed and she placed a finger to her lips to signal to Takeo to try and be as quiet as possible. It seemed like they weren't alone, and unlike Tanjiro, she didn't have his acute sense of smell. But what she did have was her wits. They both hunched low to the ground as they listened to see if the sound was drawing closer and sure enough, the rustling only got louder. Nezuko pulled Takeo close to her body as she reached into her basket and pulled out a sickle to defend themselves. Takeo reached underneath his Haori and pulled out the axe he was taught how to use just in case he needed it. They waited for a second just to make sure that the danger had passed, and once they didn't hear anything anymore they thought that the coast was finally clear. Nezuko let out a sigh of relief as she stood up. "Okay, I think the danger is gone now. That was a close one…" But then her blood ran cold when she saw a black figure lunge above them from the tree tops accompanied by a maniacal laughter. It was a demon! It must have sensed their presence and decided to go higher up so that they couldn't detect it, and when they let their guard down that's when it decided to strike.

"Takeo! Look out!" She said as she ran forward and shoved her little brother out of the way, only for the demon to land on top of her instead and pinned her down. The demon had black skin and seafoam colored hair with black and blue eyes with one devilish horn on one side of its head. The demon snarled at her with drool dripping from its mouth. It went to bite down into her neck but Nezuko quickly held her sickle up and forced the handle inside of its mouth, stopping it from sinking its teeth into her. "Run away Takeo! Get as far away as you can and don't stop running!" She commanded him, but Takeo didn't move as he was frozen in fear. As he watched the demon attacking his sister, he started having flashbacks of when Tanjiro brutally murdered their family, and it was like he could hear their screams all over again echoing in his ears. He clutched his axe tighter as he clenched his teeth. There was no way he was going to run away this time, not when he could do something about it. He let out a battle cry as he ran forward and swung his axe into the demons back, causing it to release a shriek as it stumbled off of Nezuko with the axe still lodged into it. Nezuko quickly stood up and ran for Takeo, grabbing his hand and forcing them to make a mad dash for it.

The demon quicky recovered as it pulled the axe out from its flesh, and the wound started stitching itself back together. The siblings ran as fast as their legs could take them, but the more they ran the more their lungs started to hurt from the icy dry air. "Don't look back! Just keep running! Hopefully it stops following us if we can get a safe distance away!" But Takeo felt like he couldn't go on anymore. His legs were beginning to cramp and his chest felt like it could freeze up at any moment. He started lagging behind as his pace became slower, and all together he fell to his knees as he started gasping for breath. Nezuko stopped running as she turned around to see her brother who looked like he was about to collapse, and she knelt beside him and held him protectively in her arms. "Takeo! Stay with me! Just breathe slowly, okay? Slow, long deep breaths! You'll be just fine!" She said as she started stroking his hair to try and get him to relax and get his breathing under control. But when she looked up, the demon that had attacked them was fast approaching at an alarming rate. Nezuko didn't know what else to do; they were trapped. She couldn't just leave her brother behind but she also knew that she didn't have the strength to fight either.

She clutched Takeo closely as she huddled down and covered him with her body and closed her eyes tightly, anticipating for the worse to come. She could feel death knocking on their door the closer that the demon got. She wasn't ready to die, and she felt so ashamed that she couldn't do more for her little brother. She had failed; their journey was about to end before it even began. In that short moment that felt like it was lasting forever, she prayed with all her might to any god that was listening that they would be saved and be spared from death's cold embrace. They couldn't go out like this! Not yet! The demon was now right on top of them with its hand held high in the sky ready to descend it's disgustingly long claws down to finish them off. This was it, Nezuko told herself. They were about to die. "Water breathing style: First form. Water surface slash." Said a calm voice that brought serenity just from hearing it. With her eyes still closed, Nezuko took a peak as she pried one eye open and watched as the demon's severed head plopped down onto the snowy ground in front of her, and she heard the sound of a loud thud as its body fell backwards and started to disintegrate. She uncovered Takeo who by now had passed out and she looked up to see the face of their savior.

He was a young man probably no older than the age of nineteen. He had long black hair tied back in a ponytail with striking blue eyes that looked like two deep pools of crystal clear lakes. He wore a half red, half green and gold Haori atop a black uniform and held a katana in his hand that was covered in the demon's blood. "Are you both alright?" He asked as he helped Nezuko to stand up. "Y-yes… thank you!" She said in astonishment. He had taken the demon down in one fell swoop. Just who was this man? The blue eyed stranger nodded, happy to hear that they were fine before he turned his back on them and started to walk away but Nezuko grabbed him by the sleeve stopping him. "Wait! Don't go! I need to know, but how did you kill that demon? Just how are you so strong?!" She asked; every question in her head popping out of her mouth all at once. The stranger turned to her with a stoic expression but still obliged to answer her questions. "My name is Giyu Tomioka. I'm the water Hashira for the Demon Slayer Corp. I was ordered to come here because we received a report that the Demon King was spotted in the area. I was sent to report my findings back if I found any valuable information." He said with little to no emotion in his voice. Nezuko smiled brightly, perhaps he was one of those samurai's that she had heard from her father's stories after all.

"I think we can help each other! My name is Nezuko Kamado, and last night my family was slain by… by a demon." She said heartbroken, hating to call her own brother a demon. Sadly though, it was the truth. But maybe their goals were aligning and this was the god's will that they ended up meeting like this. "I think I know about this Demon King that you speak of. But in exchange for my information, I ask that you help accompany us to the village nearby. You're strong and we won't be able to survive if another demon tries to come and attack us. Does that sound fair to you?" She said with a determined look in her eyes hoping that he would agree. Giyu placed a finger to his chin as he contemplated his options and hummed while he thought. "Very well. I will take you to the village. I just hope that you're not lying to me. My time is very precious you know. Anyways, how is the little one? Is he hurt anywhere?" He said as he pointed to the unconscious Takeo in Nezuko's arms. "Yes, he's unharmed just very exhausted." Giyu nodded as he knelt down and allowed Nezuko to prop Takeo onto his back. Then all three of them started on their path down the mountain together. And for the first time since last night, Nezuko saw a glimmer of hope that everything was now going to be alright.