•𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘• 𝑲𝒏𝒚 𝒗𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔! 𝒙 𝑭𝒆𝒎! 𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓

Chapter 4 | Sakonji Urokodaki

*second person p.o.v.*

The two of you walk down the dirt road, hand in hand. "Mt. Sagiri? If you want to get to Mt. Sagiri, you'll have to cross that mountain, but... the sun's already setting. Are you really heading there with all that luggage? It's dangerous." The mother warned.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure to be careful." You reassured the lady. "Thank you very much for your concern." You and Tanjiro bow down before walking away.

"People have gone missing as of late! Make sure you don't get lost." You and Tanjiro also wave with a smile and continue walking.

Soon, nightfall came and it was now dark. You held one of Nezuko's hand and walked. Since it was night, Nezuko could now walk freely.

"Hm? A temple? If the lights are on, someone might be around. Let's go check it out. Stay close." You said, but suddenly froze.

"I smell blood." You say. "I smell it too. Let's go!" The three of you ran up the steps and to the temple, opening the doors to see a demon feasting on humans.

"What the hell? This is my turf. If you set foot into my territory, you're gonna regret it!" The demon said. You pushed Tanjiro back slightly, stepping a foot in front of him protectively.

...

You took out a blade and went to go stab the demon's head, when a hand grabbed your shoulder. You jumped and turned around.

"Who are you?!" Tanjiro exclaimed. "You won't be able to finish him off with that." The man with the tengu mask said. You didn't even hear his footsteps. "Then how can i finish him off?" You asked.

"Don't rely on someone else! Can't you use your own head?" The man said. 'Fine.... if stabbing won't work, crushing the head might get me somewhere. It's my last resort.' You thought.

You grab a big rock and stand in front of the demon head, pondering in your head how you should crush it.

"Do you think crushing it would work, Y/n?" Tanjiro asked. "I don't know. I guess we'll have to try and find out." You muttered in reply.

'I'll have to strike it more than one time to crush through its skull.... it'll be a very painful death. Isn't there anything else to use? Something i can use to finish it off in one blow?' You thought, staring at the ground.

'This kid isn't going to cut it. They both have sympathy for the demon, which keeps her from making a clear decision. They're facing a demon, yet the scent of kindness still remains in both of them. How does one's empathy extend out even to a demon? Giyuu.... these kids will never make it.' Urokodaki had thought.

The demon woke up and looked around him. It then clawed his hands at you. "You bitch! I'll kill you! I'll fucking eat your guts! Get over here! Dammit! I can't go to you, so you come to me!" The demon exclaimed.

You looked to your left to see the sun rise. You faltered too long. Once the sun hit the demon, the demon lit on fire and burned away, his scream fading away into nothing.

You dropped the rock and stared at the empty spot where the demon once was with wide eyes. "He's gone with that much sunlight?! No wonder Nezuko shrinks away from it!" Tanjiro said.

"Wait.... where's Nezuko?" You and Tanjiro look around for your younger sister. You both ran into the temple and see Nezuko in the basket with the white cloth draped over her head.

You and Tanjiro sigh out in relief. "How about that man with the tengu mask?" Tanjiro asked, walking around the temple to see the man praying by the graves of the people who were killed.

"Excuse me." You spoke. He stood up. "My name is Sakonji Urokodaki. I suppose you are the ones who Giyuu Tomioka sent my way." He replied.

"Yes, my name is Y/n Kamado." You said. "My name is Tanjiro Kamado! And our other sister's name is Nezuko, and.... " Tanjiro trailed off.

"Y/n, Tanjiro. What will you do if your sister devours a human?" He asked. It seemed that the two of you pondered too long, because the old man had slapped you both across the face.

"You're both too indecisive! You're simply too slow at making decisions. You couldn't finish off that demon before daybreak. Do you know why you couldn't answer my question right away? It's because your resolve is too weak. There are only two things you can do if your sister devours a human. Kill your sister! Then cut your own stomachs and die! That's what it means to continue staying by your demon sister's side." The man said.

"Commit to memory that such a thing should never occur, no matter the circumstance. Your sister taking the life of an innocent person is the one thing that must never come to pass. Do you understand what i'm saying?" You nod.

"Yes, i understand." You and Tanjiro said.

"I'm going to test you both to see if you're fit to become a demon slayer. Get your sister ready and follow me!" Doing as ordered, you and Tanjiro wrapped the basket up and took Nezuko with you as you ran behind Urokodaki. You couldn't even hear his footsteps.

Urokodaki was also very fast for an old man. He was way ahead from you and Tanjiro. You panted as you tried your best to keep up.

Once you made it to his home, you and Tanjiro were hunched over as you panted heavily.

"N-now have we.... passed the test?" Tanjiro asked. Urokodaki took the white cloth covering his head and opened the door to his home.

"The test begins now. We're going to climb up the mountain. " He replied. Tanjiro gasped with his mouth agape as you groaned, walking into the house and setting up a futon for Nezuko.

"I'll make sure to take care of your sister in the meantime." He reassured. "We'll leave her in your care then." Tanjiro said.

You three walked up the mountain silently. It was now nighttime, and there was a layer of fog that covered the mountain. Your legs felt numb, and the air got thinner.

Finally, Urokodaki had stopped. "Now find your way back to the house at the bottom of the mountain. This time i'm not going to wait until daybreak." The fog covered him and with that the old man disappeared.

"That's it?" Tanjiro asked. "Yeah, i guess so." You shrugged. You both looked down the mountain, then began running.

While running, Tanjiro tripped on a rope. You jumped over it and saw Tanjiro get hit in the face with rocks.

"Tanjiro!" Your younger brother fell into a pit, but luckily, you grabbed his haori and time and pulled him out.

This time, you tripped over a rope. You quickly retracted your foot and looked around frantically.

A wooden log slammed into your back, sending you to the ground. "Y/n! Are you all right?!" Tanjiro exclaimed as he helped you up.

"I'm fine. But we'll never make it to the house if we keep on falling into the traps! The air is thinner up here, too!" You exclaimed.

You and Tanjiro panted, trying to get in a good breath of air. 'This is gonna be one long journey...!' You thought.

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(1240 words)