Chapter 2 - Encounter

As Haru walked, seemingly lost in thought, a clear 'SNAP' of breaking twigs sounded behind him. Alert, he turned his head, hoping that the demon from before was not following him. However, he saw his follower behind the trees, not expecting it to be a person!

'Maybe this is my chance to get information about this place and to find a doctor. And possibly somewhere to stay?' Haru thought while also commenting in serious resolve, 'I can't die of blood loss now and waste my only chance of survival.'

"Who… are you?" Haru said warily.

"My name is Tanjiro, kamado Tanjiro… are you okay?" The figure responded in a soothing and worried tone while looking at his sorry state. Haru could feel the sincerity in Tanjiro's words and knew that he was not a threat.

Tanjiro was making his way back home in the mountains after spending the night at old man Saburo's house. Saburo was worried about Tanjiro's safety when he was going to go home at the same time it was getting dark; he believed that demons could appear at night. So, Tanjiro decided to stay and make his way back up the mountains in the morning as the sun rises.

Haru scrutinized this person called Tanjiro Kamado. He was a young man of average height with an athletic and muscular build. He had messy black hair with maroon tips, combed back to expose his forehead, and a scar on the top left. His wide and deep crimson-red eyes combined with his white pupils gave him a unique aura. He wore a chequered, black, sea-green haori over a white robe and black pants. Around his neck was a wrapped azure scarf that looked knitted and made carefully and precisely.

"Hmmm," 'What do I look like?' Haru thought absent-mindedly while now gazing towards Tanjiro's earrings. It was then he noticed something familiar yet unfamiliar. "Hanafuda… earrings…" He mumbled seemingly encaptivated.

It was then Haru remembered where he had seen these Hanafuda earrings pictured with an image of the rising sun over the mountain was from. 'Demon Slayer!?' Haru thought in a stupor, nearly blurting out. 'This Tanjiro is the main character for demon slayer, meaning that I had… Transmigrated into the demon slayer world!' Haru thought again in a state of shock.

"Your bleeding! And not covered properly for the winter" Tanjiro hurriedly voiced in concern, disturbing the distressing revelation Haru came up with. Haru looked at himself, he was wearing thin black pants and a tube-sleeved kimono-style black top as well as a pair of wooden geta sandals.

'Is this made of silk?' he wondered internally.

"Don't worry, I'm okay, I just need to see a doctor and bandage my wounds, then I'll be all right in no time" Haru replied unbothered by his state now that he knew where he transmigrated to. Tanjiro looked at him, "You need to seek immediate medical attention! As the nearest town is far away you can come to my home, I will ask my mother to tend to your wounds" he said in a kind-hearted and thoughtful manner.

"Thank you" Haru replied gratefully but in a forced manner. He inwardly felt pity for Tanjiro as he already knew that his family… was dead. They were killed by the progenitor of the demons – Muzan!

Tanjiro then led him from this snow-filled forest into the mountains where he lived. While Haru was guided by Tanjiro to his home, he was lost in thought thinking about the demon slayer world.

'Dammit! Why did I only read 2 volumes of demon slayer?' Haru thought in frustration as he knew that knowledge of the future was essential to his survival.

"Sorry, what's your name? I did not ask before, seeing as you were in a ruffled state." Tanjiro spoke in forgetfulness.

Interrupted in his thoughts, Haru replied "My name is Haru, Kage Haru, meaning 'Spring Shadow'."

"What a nice name, has a great ring to it" Tanjiro then said in interest.

Haru was embarrassed because this was not his actual name but that of the body, he was just an evil spirit possessing this body at this point.

"Not to be rude but how come you were following me from behind?" he suddenly asked Tanjiro putting him on the spot.

"No… I was going back to the mountains from the town and on the way smelt blood lingering in the air just outside of the forest making me nervous. So, I thought that I would follow the scent which led me to a trial of blood on the ground and then began following that which led me here," Tanjiro explained truthfully.

"Oh, I thought something else was following me" Haru then said thoughtlessly.

"Something else?" Tanjiro curiously asked wondering if it was the thing that got hurt him.

Knowing that he had messed up, Haru responded "Never mind that, how could you even smell blood from the outskirts of the forest?" He then questioned with faked curiosity on his face, trying to divert the topic.

Tanjiro did not notice the change in Haru. "Oh that, I have always had a sharp sense of smell, it has been beneficial to me in many ways," Tanjiro said with a bright smile on his face.

"That's cool, I suppose, it reminds me of dogs" Commented Haru in jokingly way while laughing.

Embarrassed, Tanjiro replied," I'm not a dog! I just have a great sense of smell" as a matter of fact.

They both then began to get familiar with each other as they walked, quickly becoming friends. Haru then began to feel light-headed due to blood loss but just ignored it as Tanjiro said that they were nearly there.

The wound on his chest stopped leaking with blood long ago as it had already clotted with dried blood, probably from the cold air. However, strangely enough, Haru began to feel itching on his chest after walking with Tanjiro for a while.

This was an initial sign of the wound healing which was quite strange to him as he was inflicted with it a few hours ago and normally it takes a few weeks for it to heal properly. Therefore, suggesting that his body had high vitality and vigour – which was a good thing for him.

While Haru was lost in thought about his injuries, Tanjiro suddenly caught a scent of blood in the wind – this time not light, but so dense that he could even make out the distinctive metallic scent it held. Whenever happiness is destroyed, there's always…

"The smell of blood!" Tanjiro exclaimed while frowning, running in the direction where he lived.

"Wait up" Haru shouted, chasing after him up the snowy forest of the mountains.

Tanjiro ran until he was just outside his house. Breathing heavily as if in agony, he stood there frozen and visibly shaken at the bloody scene he witnesses.

The door of his house was wide open, and a huge trail of blood dragged across the floor to two figures that lay bloodied on the snow. It was his sister huddling with his younger brother, both covered in the shedding of crimson red blood.