Kagami walked through the still forest surrounding Mount Sagiri. She held a map awkwardly in her hands, turning and twisting it in every which way trying to determine if she was on the right path or not. She needed to head towards Mount Fujikasane in order to take the Final Selection exam but how could she when she didn't know anything outside of her home? Her father would go pick up food, necessities, and the like while she trained with her katana. He never took her with him and she never volunteered to go for or with him. All he wanted her to do was just practice and she always obeyed.
That was a big miscalculation on both their parts.
She had no idea how to read a map! She also had no idea where the nearest village even was! She determined she was walking through Mount Sagiri because she passed by a nice local rice farmer who said so. She also warned Kagami of the demons roaming the forest and people going in never to come back out. What a scary thought.
Kagami was tough and brave, and it was going to stay that way. She may have never encountered a demon or got into a real fight before, but hopefully sheer will and determination will keep her alive.
Looking down at the map and the greenery surrounding her multiple times, she tried to determine the strange markings matching the ones around her. "So, the triangles... must be the mountain," Kagami muttered to herself looking at the grass-capped mountain looming above her. She then pointed a finger at two parallel lines going through the triangles. "This must mean a trail. The trail I am on at this very moment, right?" She stopped right in her tracks and buried her face right in the map, eyes squinting and eyebrows twitching. Frustration and anger seeped into her core and she couldn't help but belt out, "What the hell are the rest of these symbols supposed to mean?!"
Her fists shook in the sky and her scream echoed through the trees. Black birds, crows, and sparrows alike flew out of forest in fright, cawing and chirping in dismay.
Perhaps she should go back to that rice farmer and ask for directions towards Mount Fujikasane. She didn't think she needed to when she had a map! It didn't help she was nearly out of water, down to the last crumbs of food in her pack, and the sun was starting to set beneath the horizon. If the rice farmer was right, demons would soon come out of hiding and begin prowling the forest for any more of naive victims. Going back to the rice field was no longer an option, she was simply too far away and who knew if she accidentally took detours from the main path. She must keep going forward.
Shoving the map away in her pack, and with a hand on the hilt of her katana, Kagami began to tread forward carefully. The bright orange and yellow streaked sky began to slowly darken as time went on. She didn't see a single person, demon, or creature for the past hour she had walked. A river would've been nice but she couldn't hear any form of running water and she didn't know if one was indicated on the map. She was afraid of eating the berries poking out of the bushes around her thinking they could be poisonous.
The growling of her stomach was all she could hear. That was until the sun finally went down.
Her growling wasn't the only thing piercing through the night. She gasped when the bushes rustled beside her and suddenly came to life. Multiple slits for eyes appeared from within and began to slowly make their way towards her. Kagami quickly drew her katana and held it tightly in both of her hands aiming it towards the menacing bushes. Her sword shook slightly in her hands but she drew in a deep breath, steadying herself. At first, she thought it was hungry mountain cats thinking they found their first meal of the night. Then, when they revealed themselves in the moonlight, she realized they were no cats but demons.
The faces of people with pale skin, fangs protruding out of their mouths, their yellow slit eyes waving hungrily all over her, and the growls escaping their mouths. Their lips were quirked upwards in large smirks, their tongues sloppily licking their lips, and the stench of dirt and blood radiating off of them.
"Well, well, look what we have here," a demon with glowing blonde hair cackled as he approached on all fours.
Kagami snapped out of her frozen state and aimed her katana at the demon but realized another was slowly approaching from her right. She took multiple steps back to give herself some room and space away from those monsters.
The demon to her right giggled out, "Looks like we have a lost little birdie," flipping her red hair over her shoulder.
More demons of all shapes began to approach from all around her circling her in a small make-shift cage! Her sword began to shake violently in her hand, her heart racing, her fore-head sweating, and tears began to prick Kagami's eyes. These were the type of monsters she was hoping to fight when becoming a Demon Slayer. They were more horrible, vicious, and scarier than what the stories spoke of. Blood stained their clothing and dried around their mouths, their long fingernails coated in dry skin, and their eyes promised torture. She wasn't at all ready to face them! She thought she was but she was horribly mistaken!
The red hair demon giggled again, "Aw, looks like the birdie is going to cry!"
"What do you plan on doing with that toy, huh?" they laughed all around her circling on their fours, feet, and hands with devilish smiles on their faces.
Kagami didn't know who to point her sword at. Each demon was a threat and they all wanted to kill her. Their maniacal laughs pierced her head and she couldn't seem to think straight! Her head began to pulse to an unknown fast rhythm sending strikes of pain throughout her brain. She clutched her head with one hand as screams began to fall out of her lips. She felt her sword slipping through her fingers and her hopes began to fall with it.
Is this how she dies? Before her journey can even begin?
Suddenly, Kagami felt warmth emitting from her katana. Her fingers immediately tightened around the hilt and she felt power course through her, clearing her head of all cackling, laughter, and pain. When she regained her composure, her eyes widened at the sight of her sword. The blade was bursting red and orange flames and her handguard began to glow a powerful yellow. She hadn't noticed it before but when she gazed at it she realized it closely resembled a Chinese dragon wrapping itself around the top of the hilt with its mouth wide open. Its eyes burned a furious red and it sent the radiating heat outwards from her hands throughout her entire body. Her body began to glow red and the wind surged all around her, engulfing her in a small vortex. The heat was hot but not to the point where she felt as if she were melting. The surge of energy flowed through her so fast and so powerful it nearly knocked her off her feet. She's never felt this much power or energy before in her life. Never has she seen it happen before either!
The demons surrounding her quickly cowered in fear over the sudden shift of power, hiding in bushes and behind trees for cover. They thought they were going to have a tasty meal that night, that a small delicate flower wandered stupidly into the forest and they were going to pluck her from the ground ripping out her roots. Not that night, Kagami was anything but a delicate flower. She was a dragon!
Wielding the power as if she had her entire life, she let out a scream as she twirled on her feet slicing her sword through the air aiming directly to the demon who called her a little birdie. A blast of flames shot out of her sword and immediately engulfed the demon. The demon screamed and cried, clawing the air for help by her fellow demons. They all watched horrified as her body began to melt into a boiling pool of flesh and blood onto the ground.
"Holy crap," Kagami gasped out staring at the puddle that used to be a demon. She actually killed a demon! Her first demon!
She wanted to celebrate but knew it would have to wait. The demons that had watch their friend die quickly turned their vengeful gazes on her. She didn't waste any time on spinning around... and running away!
Kagami sprinted down the trail with the demons hot on her trail. She could hear the vulgar words they were calling her, laughing and screaming for her death. With her sword still burning her hand, she whirled around and once again twirled on her feet, slashing her sword in the demons direction. Another blast of fire shot out of her sword and engulfed another demon leaping out of a tree. She didn't have time to make sure he died. The screams of agony and the smell of flesh burning was enough for her to know that demon wasn't going to chase her again. Unfortunately, it only gave the demons more reason to kill her!
She suddenly fell face first into the ground when something had wrapped itself around her ankle and pulled backwards. Looking down, she groaned in disgust seeing the large purple tongue tethering her to the ground. She moved to slice the tongue off but her hand only clutched air! How-? Impossible!
Sitting a couple feet away was her now-dim katana. It laid on the ground pulsing lightly before going out. NO!
Kagami screamed when she was suddenly dragged across the ground. The demons once again swarmed her with large smiles, barring their fangs and claws out at her.
"No more waiting! Let's just kill her now! AHAHAHA-!" one of the demons had screamed before being kicked hard in the face.
Kagami gasped seeing his head fly off his body and roll away across the ground. Someone landed beside her and she heard a menacing growl erupt from their throat. She slowly looked up and saw a girl younger than her holding her arms out-protecting her! She wore a light pink kimono with a long, dark brown haori over, long black hair with flame-orange tips that had reached past her elbows, a large piece of bamboo gagging her mouth weirdly secured around her jaw with a strip of red cloth, and... large pink slits for eyes! Kagami went rigid and gazed at the hand in front of her. That's when she noticed the long claws extending from the girl's fingers. A demon!
In terror, she tried to quickly back away as the demons hissed at the girl in front of her but the tongue kept her securely in place.
"A demon defending a human?! How disgusting!" one of them screamed.
Without hesitation, the girl raced forward and punched the demon so hard his lower jaw was ripped free of his face. He screamed and clutched his face in agony, his tongue lolling about. With the demons distracted, the girl stomped on the tongue around Kagami's ankle so hard it burst open like a bloody wound. The demon screamed and cried just as Kagami jumped on her feet. The remaining demons focus was no longer on her but on the girl.
It confused Kagami greatly. She's a demon... but she's defending her. She has no idea who Kagami even is but she still stepped in to save her. When she picked up her sword from the ground, she had half a mind to run away to safety and freedom, but she didn't. If her father was still alive, what he think if she told her she ran from a fight and the person who protected her? He'd be disappointed and angry. He'd say he didn't raise her to run from a fight. That she should've stayed and fought.
No, he wouldn't have said that.
He would've told her to defend and protect the person who helped her. No matter what color they were, who they were, or what they were, they risked their life to save her and she must do the same for them.
Before Kagami could run back into the fray, a boy roughly her age jumped out from nowhere and landed in front of her, his katana ready. He wore a black and green checkered haori over a white robe and black pants. His black hair with dark red tips was ruffled, his hanafuda earrings swaying in the wind, and his dark red eyes were trained on the demons surrounding her and the girl. Who are these people? Where did they come from? Were they lost travelers, or did they live around there and heard her scream for help?
"Leave her alone!" the boy screamed angrily at the demons who cackled at him. "I do not wish to fight you but I need you to leave this girl alone."
The demons hollered louder and one of them spat, "Do not wish to fight us? How sweet! It'll be easier to kill you, then!"
The boy looked taken back but didn't loosen his stance when he spoke, "I need to know. Do any of you know how to turn a demon back into a human?"
Kagami's head whipped to him in confusion, and so did the demons'.
They didn't hesitate to laugh some more until they doubled over, clutching their stomach and wiping the tears from their eyes. "Turning a demon back into a human, mortal? Now, why would you do such a thing? Even a lesser demon would never choose to turn back human. Who would turn down immortality? A-HAHAHAHA!" a demon laughed out loud before training his hungry eyes on them. "Sorry to break it to you, kid, but there is no "cure". Only death!" he screamed before launching himself on them.
The katana in Kagami's lit up so fast it nearly caused her to drop it in fright. She quickly regained her composure and twirled before slashing at the demon, engulfing him in fire just like the others. The boy looked shocked when Kagami didn't hesitate to do one massive twirl and sending fire spitting out all around her, swallowing each demon until they no longer took any physical form.
When it over, Kagami fell to her knees, panting, sweating, and let the katana clink to the ground. Both of her rescuers slowly stopped panting and let out large sighs. The demon girl then turned to Kagami. She expected the demon girl to race for her but instead she just stood there with her head tilted to the side slightly. Her eyes that were once slits were back to normal. Her big pink eyes just stared at Kagami in curiosity.
"Th-Thank you. I thought I was done for," Kagami gasped out still trying to capture her breath.
The boy placed away his katana and he peered down at Kagami with sad, kind eyes. "You're welcome, although, you and my sister did most of the work," he chuckled lightly.
"Sister?" Kagami choked out.
The boy nodded his head and laid a hand on the demon girl's head, who began to nuzzle into it lovingly. "This is my sister, Nezuko. She was turned into a demon a while ago and it's my mission to turn her back into a human," the boy explained with glint of determination in his eye. The demon girl nodded her head in confirmation, the same bit of determination in her eyes too.
Kagami slowly stood on her feet, dragging her katana back in its sheath, and asked, "You're planning on becoming a Demon Slayer, then? To help your sister?'
"Yes, I am to be trained by Mr. Sakonji Urokodaki and we were about to tune in for the night when we heard you scream," the boy explained as he began to walk away with his sister, Nezuko, by his side. Kagami quickly followed behind him, letting him continue, "I am experienced but... I was told I needed official training. Is that why you've come as well?"
Rubbing her arms self-consciously, she answered, "Well, I've already been trained by my father. I was on my way to Mount Fujikasane for the Final Selection exam when I got ambushed by those demons."
"I think you're going to do amazing. The way you effortlessly took them down with that cool flaming katana of yours was pretty extraordinary," the boy spoke kindly, closing his eyes with a large smile and a small chuckle.
Kagami quickly averted her eyes and felt heat rise to her cheeks. Her heart fluttered slightly and she mumbled quietly, "Thank you." Then let her heart drop, speaking, "If only I knew the way to Mount Fujikasane. I'm hopeless at reading maps and taking directions from strangers. I do not know the path from this mountain to that mountain."
The boy nodded his head in understanding, then spoke, "It's pretty dangerous out right now. Why don't you stay with Mr. Urokodaki, my sister, and I back at his cabin?"
"No, I shouldn't intrude-" Kagami quickly began to protest-.
The boy waved away her complaints and chuckled. He then took her and Nezuko by the hand and began to walk down the trail towards somewhere. As they walked, no more demons disturbed them. They only heard the hooting of owls, the howling of wolves, the singing grasshoppers, with the fluttering fireflies keeping them company.
Turning his head, the boy smiled and spoke, "Oh, where are my manners? I forgot to introduce myself. My name's Tanjiro Kamado. It's nice to meet you."
Kagami stared at him in wonder. His dark red eyes that held so much kindness and optimism left her speechless for a moment. They've barely met and he was already being so nice to her by offering her a place to stay for the night. As if his smile were contagious, she smiled back and replied, "My name's Kagami Yamato. It's nice to meet you, too."
They both continued smiling at each other before continuing making their way to wherever they're staying with Mr. Urokodaki.
Kagami, Tanjiro, and Nezuko walked up to a small cabin in the middle of the forest lit up by a few lanterns. As they approached closer, Kagami saw a man standing outside with his arms crossed. He had short silver-colored hair, wore a cloud-patterned jinbei kimono and navy colored pants, and a red tengu mask fastened around his head by a thin strip of black cloth. By the way he was standing, he didn't seem too pleased by Tanjiro and Nezuko's abandonment... but Kagami could also understand he wasn't too keen on his new guest.
"I see the demons are dead and you brought a new friend," Mr. Urokodaki, who Kagami presumed, huffed in Tanjiro's direction.
Tanjiro nodded his head and smiled at Kagami. "Nezuko and I only helped slightly. Kagami here defeated them all with techniques and power I've never seen before-!"
"Praise her all you like, I'm not training her," Mr. Urokodaki suddenly cut him off.
Tanjiro's eyes widened at him in disbelief. Nezuko looked back and forth between her brother and Mr. Urokodaki in confusion. Noticing Tanjiro opening his mouth to speak in favor of Kagami, she only stepped forward and bowed her head to his mentor. "I'm sorry to impose, Mr. Urokodaki, but I did not come seeking your training. I was on my way to Mount Fujikasane when I was ambushed by demons. Tanjiro Kamado and his sister are modest and humble. They are formidable fighters and helped save my life when I was about to give up," she began to explain keeping her head bowed. Then she added, "I only seek shelter for the night. I'll make a swift exit in the morning."
Straightening her back, Kagami watched Mr. Urokodaki's arms unfold and stare her down. "You're traveling to Mount Fujikasane to take the Final Selection exam, I presume?" he asked.
Kagami nodded her head. "My father trained me to be a warrior ever since I was a small child and I want to make him proud by becoming a Demon Slayer."
"You'll never get far fighting like that. Your technique is sloppy, you hold back fighting against demons who wouldn't do the same for you, and you give up easily. Becoming a Demon Slayer would be a suicide mission. You should just give up and go home," he almost snapped at her.
She recoiled and felt her heart plummet to the pits of her stomach.
Father... I'm sorry...
Tanjiro gasped in horror, "Mr. Urokodaki!"
"Tanjiro! Nezuko! Inside, now," he commanded them pointing a finger to the door.
Tanjiro planted his feet on the ground and exclaimed, "No! I'm not leaving Kagami Yamato out here by herself. She deserves to be trained by you to become the best Demon Slayer she could be! If Giyu said you can help me, then that means you can help her too. If you say she has no chance of succeeding, you have the power to make sure she does!"
Suddenly, Mr. Urokodaki's head snapped to Kagami. His demeanor suddenly softened slightly and all hostility she felt in the atmosphere dissipated. She felt she could breathe easier but nearly shrunk away when he took multiple steps towards her. Without a word, he held out a hand, palm facing up, towards her. No words needed to be said that he wanted to examine her katana. Carefully unsheathing it, Kagami gingerly placed it in his hand and he immediately began to examine the hilt, twisting and turning the sword every which way.
He was silent for a moment then he breathlessly spoke, "The dragon."
Kagami nervously messed with her fingers. "It was my mother's," she only said.
"I see," was the only thing he muttered before handing her back her sword. Before she could sheath it, he suddenly asked, "What technique did you perform with the sword against those demons?"
Balancing her katana in both hands, Kagami twirled on her feet and slashed her sword downwards. Nothing happened. She didn't expect anything to happen with her sword not lit up. "The sword was on fire and the dragon looked alive with its eyes flaming red when I tried the technique. A blast of fire would spit out of the sword and hit the target, engulfing it in flames and melting it almost instantly," she quickly explained.
"Breath of fire," Mr. Urokodaki then said to her. "The technique is called First Form: Breath of Fire. It spits a ball of fire in whichever direction you slashed your sword. It's as hot as the sun and will engulf your target, killing them almost instantly."
Tanjiro, Nezuko, and Kagami stared at him in both confusion and awe. "You know what she performed?" Tanjiro asked him.
"It's a breathing style no one has performed or seen in decades, and centuries before that. It's profoundly rare, to the point where it's still considered a myth. Anyone who attempts at it ultimately fails or is burnt to a crisp," Mr. Urokodaki explained much to their amazement. "It's a power only few could handle."
Kagami looked down at her sword in wonder. She was able to perform a breathing style everyone else was too afraid to attempt.
Then, Mr. Urokodaki began to walk towards his cabin. "I may not know much but I can teach you what I know," he spoke standing in the doorway.
"Wait! So does that mean...?" Tanjiro gasped out with a smile.
"Yes, I will train your friend Kagami Yamato," Mr. Urokodaki finalized.
Tanjiro and Nezuko cheered for her with large smiles. Kagami smiled widely at her new friends and then at her new mentor. She sheathed her sword and bowed deeply at him. "Thank you, master, I will not forget your kindness and I will not fail you," she spoke and straightened, beaming.
Tanjiro, Nezuko, and Kagami rushed inside the cabin. As Tanjiro got dinner started, Kagami sitting on the floor beside the pot, she watched Nezuko lay herself in a small bed, wrap a blanket around her, and began to fall fast asleep without eating. Kagami was extremely curious of Nezuko. She was a demon but she acted totally different from the demons that ambushed her in the forest. Those demons were bloodthirsty and merciless. Nezuko didn't bat an eye at the fact Kagami was a human, she didn't join in for her blood but instead fought off her attackers. Tanjiro as well; he didn't hesitate to jump in and help her fight them. They were extremely kind people who would help strangers who needed it.
"Here you go," Tanjiro spoke handing Kagami a wooden bowl full of steaming hot stew.
The stew wafted through her nose and made her stomach growl at an unnatural volume. Tanjiro paused hearing it but they both laughed it off. Kagami grabbed her wooden spoon and ate some of stew. Her eyes widened in delight and she took multiple bites. Tanjiro chuckled at her and offered his bowl when she finished hers. She grabbed it sheepishly and took more bites as he grabbed another one.
"I'm glad you like it," he laughed with a bright smile.
Kagami nodded her head eagerly. "It's delicious! I haven't had a meal like this in so long."
"My mom used to make this stew for me and my siblings. It was our favorite," Tanjiro spoke with a smile but it quickly faltered. The light in his eyes suddenly dimmed and fell solemnly to his bowl.
Used to. Siblings.
Kagami stared at the sole sibling of Tanjiro and the empty cabin that did not hold anyone else but them. The pain in his eyes was all that he needed to tell her. One sister who is a demon, used to, and the pain he tried to hide made it obvious. She softly set her bowl down and mumbled, "I lost my parents, too."
Tanjiro's eyes slowly lifted to hers. "You did?"
She nodded her head with a painful smile. "I never knew my mother. She died shortly after I was born. It was just me and father for the longest time, but then he..." her voice cracked and failed her at the memory of him dying right in front of her. She hugged her arms and took in a deep breath, stifling her sniffs and holding back her tears. She released it and sighed out, "Just know you're not alone anymore. You have a friend in me now."
Tanjiro's smile reappeared. "Thank you. You have a friend in me as well," he said kindly.
Kagami smiled at him and glanced over at Nezuko. She bit her lip and groaned internally to herself. She knows she shouldn't pry but her curiosity does get the best of her sometimes. "I know you said your sister was turned into a demon but... what exactly happened?" she asked softly.
Anger quickly replaced all kindness on his face. Tanjiro's calm demeanor quickly changed to one of hate. He spat out, "A demon slaughtered my entire family. Through his blood, my sister was turned into a demon. My mission... is to turn her back into a human. I've been told it's impossible, hopeless, and she would be just another mindless demon waiting to take another human's life, but they're wrong! I will turn her back into a human! It's my duty as her older brother! But, to do that, I must first become a Demon Slayer."
Kagami's eyes wavered at the sight of him. His determination, his bravery, his courage, it was all contagious and admirable to see. He was becoming a Demon Slayer to save his sister. She was becoming a Demon Slayer to make the world a better place from the demons. Perhaps they could work together to help get the other what they want.
Tanjiro could help Kagami rid the world of awful demons and she could help him turn his sister back into a human. They could both become the Demon Slayers they were meant to be.