‹Demon Slayer Nezuko› : A Kimetsu no Yaiba Story

Chapter 1: The Smell of Blood

Kamado Tanjiro picked up the charcoal and left the house early in the morning. He descended the mountain to sell them at the town located at the foot of the mountain.

......And that afternoon, Tanjiro returned home just before sunset.

* * *

Sunset was early in December; by five o'clock the world outside had been engulfed in darkness.

The Kamado family were getting ready to sleep; Tanjiro was pulling out the mattresses from the closet, having finished bath earlier than everyone else. Since he had descended the mountain today, his family gave him the privilege of taking the bath first when it was the warmest.

His younger sisters Nezuko and Hanako, having finished bathing after Tanjiro, helped him align the mattresses on the tatami flooring. Their mother was currently in the bath with 5-year-old Rokuta.

"Thanks for helping, Nezuko, Hanako." Tanjiro called to his sisters as he sat down on the floor. After his body was warmed up by the bath, the fatigue from going down and up the mountain was weighing on him.

"It's nothing, Onii-chan." Nezuko replied with a smile.

Nezuko was 13 year old, and was growing into a beautiful woman. Unlike Tanjiro, who took on their father's brown hair and dark-red eyes, Nezuko took after the characteristics of their mother - long straight black hair, fair skin and large pale-pink eyes lined with long eyelashes. Her fair looks were popular in the town, and whenever she visited the streets for shopping, shopkeepers would lower the price of their merchandise.

"You must be tired from the mountain road, so don't push yourself." She told her older brother.

"I'm fine, I'm used to it." Tanjiro nodded back with a smile of his own. "I'm glad I sold all the charcoal today, though - I want everyone to have a feast on New Year."

"Oh! I want to have rice cakes!!" Hanako said, hugging Tanjiro, her eyes shining. Hanako was 9 this year, who looked just like Nezuko when she was younger except for her hairstyle and eye colour. With straight black hair cut short to her shoulders, she had the same red eyes as Tanjiro. She had a firm personality and always fought with her brothers Takeo and Shigeru - but were really soft around Nezuko and Tanjiro.

"Rice cakes... that'll be great, huh?" Tanjiro patted Hanako's head, who wriggled her body happily in response

Nezuko narrowed her eyes kindly as she watched the two siblings interact.

"Oh! I just remembered... I think we're out of soft rice right now." Nezuko thought for a second, then continued.  "I guess I'll go to town tomorrow to buy them."

"I will go with you, Nezuko." Tanjiro said, facing her. Nezuko shook her head.

"No, I'll take Takeo with me. The two of us can carry a bag each— you should rest, Onii-chan."

Tanjiro frowned. "Really? I don't mind going down again...."

Just then, the door slid open with a loud sound, cutting their conversation off. Two boys came rushing in with their cheeks tinted red from the cold.

"Aah, it's so cold!!" 12-year-old Takeo cried as he patted snow off his spiky hair. A year younger than Nezuko, he was an energetic boy who was always the loudest one in the family. With black hair and red eyes, his face held close resemblance to Tanjiro.

Takeo was currently in a growth spurt and approaching Tanjiro's height. As an older sister, him surpassing her height was something Nezuko was secretly resentful about.