After defeating the ginormous demon together, both Kagami and Tanjiro thought it'd be best to go off on their own. It was to prove they were worthy of becoming Demon Slayers if they could survive out on their own for the next 7 nights. They bid each goodbye, good luck, and ran far away from each other.
Kagami felt like she could do anything at that point. The demon they defeated together was by far the toughest and biggest one she's ever faced. Though, it wasn't the time to get overconfident. That could certainly mean her death and she won't be able to make her father proud like she promised.
During the day she slept and rested as much as she could. Then, during the night, she survived by running and fighting demons that crossed her path. Rain pelted the ground obscuring her senses and she could hardly see in the darkness of the trees, nor hear any incoming demons or feel the ground shake from approaching footsteps. She advanced with extreme caution; her eyes trying to look past the giant droplets of water and hear past it splattering across the ground. When she encountered her first demon of the night, it was less than pleasant.
"I'm asking for a friend! Do you know how to turn a demon back into a human?" she had screamed at them as they got caught in prickly thorn bushes.
He didn't answer her. Instead, he screamed and pushed himself off the ground, launching for her. With her sword bursting aflame, she sliced his head off and watched his body get consumed by fire. Even when she got no answer, she didn't have time to relax; three more demons jumped out of the forest and ambushed her!
"Dragon Breathing, First Form! Breath of Fire!" she screamed hailing a fire ball in the direction of one of the demons.
She caught aflame, dying instantly, but the other two demons weren't fazed. They kept advancing towards her and jumped for her! She kicked one away and deflected a hit from the other but she was suddenly swept off her feet! She yelped as she toppled to the ground, her back hitting the ground hard, knocking the breath out of her. Her vision was hazy but she watched the two demons approach her with victorious smiles on their faces. No! She won't let them win!
As she tried to jump on her feet, something fast began to approach from the forest behind her. Their footsteps were hard and heavy stomping across the ground coming towards her!
Kagami gasped watching a large shadow jumped out of the trees and into her sights. She frowned and quirked an eyebrow at the mysterious stranger that came to her rescue; he wore a large gray boar head, wore no shirt revealing large and toned muscles all over his arms and abdomen, as well as baggy hakama pants fastened with a belt of brown fluffy fur. What caught her off guard was his weapons! He duel-wielded swords with jagged edges! She's never seen anything like that before!
Kagami would've blushed seeing someone like him coming to her rescue but was unsettled by his laughter.
"Ahaha! Ready or not, here I come!" he cackled underneath his boar head and charged for the demons.
She gasped seeing how vicious and ferocious he attacked! She thought he would've attacked high but, instead, he attacked low! Somehow, it worked! The demons weren't expecting him to attack from an extremely low angle were subsequently killed in less than a few seconds. He attacked and acted like a wild animal prepared for a fight! It was unlike anything she's ever seen! He made it look so easy! Where the hell did he even come from?
As the demons fell to the ground dead, disappearing into nothing, Kagami stood on her feet and moved to thank him when he suddenly whipped his boar head towards her. She felt hostility and malicious intent even if she couldn't confirm it from seeing his face.
"Hey! I'm not going to fight you!" she quickly assured him sheathing her sword. She raised her hands in the air to show she was unarmed and spoke again, "I just wanted to say thank you for helping me with those demons."
Even at that, he turned his whole body towards and raised his sword. Suddenly, he charged!
Kagami barely had time to whip out her sword and deflect his low strike. Their swords collided and sparks flew in the air all around them. Why the hell is he attacking her?! They're both working towards to becoming Demon Slayers! It is not a competition as to who gets to become one first, it is only about survival! She couldn't understand why that boar-headed freak was attacking her when she clearly made it known she meant him no harm!
"What the hell?! We're supposed to be helping each other, not fighting one another!" she screamed at him before pushing him off. She watched with a scoff as he got back into a fighting stance. At that sight, she angrily huffed, "You know what? I take my thanks back! You threaten and attack after saving me?! You don't deserve it! Now, shove off before-!"
Growls, screams, and laughter of demons began to surround them from the darkness of the forest.
"-Before exactly that happens!" she growled before getting into a fighting stance along with him, hoping he'll turn his murderous rampage on them instead of her.
Instead of going back-to-back with her to face the demons, the boar-headed freak blew out giant balls of steam from the nostrils of his mask before taking off! He ran in the direction of the demons laughter and screams all by himself without another word! Is this some sort of joke or competition to him? It didn't make any sense at all!
"I hope I never have to be rescued by you again!" she screamed after him with an angry huff before running in the complete opposite direction of him, hoping to never run into that freak again.
For the next few nights, Kagami fought hard but alone against the rampaging demons out for her blood. Very quickly into the nights she would get exhausted, she ran and never stopped fighting nights in a row with only getting minimal sleep and rest in the middle of the days. She hadn't seen or heard of Tanjiro since their battle together. She hoped he was doing alright and finding answers on how to save his sister. The boar-headed freak on the other hand should be humbled before becoming a Demon Slayer! That jerk was going to kill her if they weren't interrupted by demons!
Holding her side painfully, Kagami ran and ran before stopping in the middle of a clearing, panting hard. Her arms and legs wanted to fall off, her lungs wanted to collapse, but she forced herself to breathe evenly. Then, she noticed there was a soft breeze, a breeze that didn't speak of incoming enemies but of calm and peace.
She lifted her head and her vision was filled with the familiar glowing purple aura. Her eyes widened when they landed on the thousand purple flowers that hung from the branches of trees surrounding her.
"Wisteria flowers?" she mumbled out curiously... and grinned. "I made it."
As the sun came up over the horizon, Kagami saw the sunlight reveal a large staircase leading upwards into somewhere. She pain-achingly trudged up the steps and came to another large clearing devoid of grass with stone step-way leading to a small table at the end. The table was covered by a purple cloth hiding lumpy items underneath it. Before the table stood a few people. Her eyes only needed a small glance to realize many had died on their journey to becoming a Demon Slayer. The many people she had saw in the beginning had dwindled to just the four standing around uneasily. She didn't see the boy she had rescued from the large demon on the first night. He must've ran off but if he wasn't there with them now he must've died. It left a bitter taste in her mouth.
She walked forward past a girl wearing a pink and green butterfly ornament fastening her black hair into a side ponytail, a yellow and orange hair boy shaking violently in his white and yellow triangle pattern haori, a boy with a buzzed cut leaving a lump of hair on the top of his head in a purple, sleeveless yukata, and... Tanjiro!
"Tanjiro!" she couldn't help but gasp out.
Tanjiro turned quickly at the sound of her voice and smiled widely when he saw her. "Kagami! You made it! I'm so glad!" he exclaimed hurrying to her.
Kagami met him halfway and engulfed him in a quick hug. "I'm glad you made it too! They were very rough nights, huh?" she joked slightly.
"You can say that again," he chuckled wincing as he placed a tender hand against the wound on his head. The bandage around it was already getting soaked with blood. At Kagami's concerned and worried eyes, he quickly shook his hand at her, speaking, "Don't worry about it. I'm fine. Nothing rest cannot fix."
Before Kagami could speak, two people spoke in unison, "Welcome back, everyone."
At the very front, before the table, were the two white- and black-haired girls that greeted them at the beginning of Final Selection. Their black eyes still unsettled Kagami greatly as well as the small grins on their lips.
"Congratulations," the white-hair girl began.
"We're pleased to see that you're safe," the black-hair girl continued.
Before they could continue with the ritual, the buzzed cut boy scoffed from beside Kagami, "So? What am I supposed to do now?" He was brazen, angry, and impatient from the look of his face. He soon scowled, "Where's my sword?"
The girls didn't seem fazed at his interruption. They merely answered, "First, we shall issue you all uniforms. We will take your measurements, after which your rank will be engraved. There are ten ranks in all; Kinoe, Kinoto, Hinoe, Hinoto, Tsuchinoe, Tsuchinoto, Kanoe, Kanoto, Mizunoe, and Mizunoto. Currently, you are at the lowest rank, Mizunoto."
"And our swords?" the boy scowled again.
The white hair girl nodded her head at him. "Today, you will choose the ore for your swords. However, the swords will take ten to fifteen days to complete." The boy groaned heavily in annoyance at the answer, shaking his head. "But first," she continued but stopped when she clapped her hands twice.
Kagami was confused until she heard multiple 'caws' and heard the beating of wings. She looked up and saw three black crows swirling all around the air above them. Then, they rushed for them, their talons grabbing onto their dirty, tattered haoris. Tanjiro, Kagami, and the blonde boy immediately freaked out at the crows trying to perch on their arms while the angry boy and dreamy-look girl simply let the crows land on their outstretched arms. Kagami hesitantly followed suit and watched as the crow that had been pulling at her sleeve calmly sit on her shoulder. The crow bumped its head on hers lightly before making itself comfortable. Huh, these crows are tamed.
"We will now assign each of you your own Kasugai Crow," the black- and white-hair girls spoke.
"Kasugai Crow?" Tanjiro asked her curiously.
"These Kasugai Crows can be used primarily for communication," the girls explained but Kagami's eyes landed on something that was definitely not a crow.
The blonde boy who was still shaking violently held up his hand and asked, "Uh, isn't this a sparrow?" Perched on the blonde boy's hand was small tiny sparrow who let out tiny chirrups and chirps. Considering the boy's cowardly demeanor, Kagami believed the sparrow is suited much better for him than a crow.
"I don't need this crap!" the angry boy suddenly screamed into the air. He threw his frantic crow away from him and growled at the two girls in the front. "Who the hell cares about some stupid crow?!" he screamed again before stomping his way towards them. Without hesitation nor holding back, he roughly grabbed a tight fistful of the girl's white hair. Kagami, Tanjiro, and the blonde boy gasped at the angry boy's action. "I want a sword, you hear? Hand it over right now! The Demon Slayers' sword! The Color-Changing Katana!" he began to demand angrily but someone grabbed his arm.
Tanjiro grabbed the angry boy's arm and demanded, "Take your hand off of her! Or I'll break your arm! Now!"
"Who the hell are you? Let's see you try it!" the angry boy seethed at him.
The blonde boy next to Kagami began to shake violently once more, screaming, "Ahh! Wh-Wh-What do I do?!"
Kagami huffed and stalked forward towards the pair. With her hand on her sword, ready, she stopped beside the angry boy and hissed, "He said let go of her."
The angry boy's eyes darted back and forth between the steel-looking Tanjiro and the furious Kagami. Then, they landed on Tanjiro's hand gripping his arm. His hold on the boy's hand tightened and Kagami swore she heard a small crack emitting from within. The boy immediately withdrew both his arm and hand away, screaming and grunting in pain. He cradled his arm to his chest, staring daggers at Tanjiro who still stood protectively in front of the white-hair girl. His eyes dared him to try and hurt one of them again.
"Are you finished chatting with each other?" the black-hair girl asked them, her and the other girl's demeanor never changing.
Soon, the girls had walked up to the table covered with a purple cloth and pulled it off. There 15 large lumpy rocks about the same size, shape, and color were scattered across the table. Each one was un-unique and very bland looking.
"Now then, please choose an ore. The ore for the sword that will annihilate demons and protect you will be of your own choosing."
All four of them stood in front of the table and just stood there without saying a word. Not one of them walked up and grabbed a piece of ore for their sword just yet. Kagami didn't know which one to choose but knew it must be an extremely important decision if no one walked up and grabbed one blindly. It's a sword that will be with them and protect them for the rest of their lives. How could Kagami choose one with her lack of knowledge on ore or Demon Slayer swords?
Then, Tanjiro took a small whiff of the air before moving forward. She watched curiously as he walked up with confidence and grabbed an ore from the middle of the table.
Kagami, taking a deep breath, walked up and hovered her hand above an ore. The wind softly blew to the right and her hand followed. Then, upwards but to the left slightly. The breeze had left her with the ore at the very top of the table. She grabbed the hefty rock and bounced it in her hands. This was to become her new sword. How exciting!
Then, the excruciating part began. The journey home.
Kagami held her side painfully, limping heavily on one foot, as Tanjiro used a large stick to help him walk better. Her insides, her chest, abdomen, legs, ankles, and arms were sore and in excruciating pain. Her lungs burned and wheezed when she tried to breathe and her head was beginning to spin from the walk home. She could see Sagiri Mountain looming just ahead but the sun was already beginning to set. There shouldn't be any demons around but she was worried she wouldn't make it back to Mr. Urokodaki's in the state she was in.
"Tanjiro," she choked out in between gasps. "I'm sorry, I couldn't find anything on how to turn Nezuko back into a human," she grunted taking one limp forward at a time.
Tanjiro weakly lifted his head at her and grunted, "It's ok, I'm just... so naive and a fool. None of the demons I encountered were even in a state to be able to talk. All they did was attack me and try to kill me right away. I'm... sorry... Nezuko."
Suddenly, he collapsed on the ground. Kagami gasped, whimpered at the quick intake of breath, and fell to her hands and knees beside him. "Tanjiro! Are you okay?" she choked out. His eyes were open and shaking, he couldn't even move his head to meet her gaze. "I know everything hurts... but we must keep moving. Please, Tanjiro, let's go home."
At first, he didn't move and it scared Kagami to the core. She was afraid she would have to carry or drag him home but she was much too weak and too tired to pull another human being. Then, he hesitantly nodded and slowly rose to his feet. Together, they slowly limped back towards Mr. Urokodaki's house. They followed the road past the farms and up the mountain slope. When the sun was finally gone, and the sky completely dark, they stood on a small hill overlooking Mr. Urokodaki's house. The lights were on within and no noise was coming outwards.
"We made it," Tanjiro began to speak but immediately lost his voice.
The door to Mr. Urokodaki's house was suddenly kicked down from the inside. They both stopped in their tracks and watched with blurry vision as a girl walked out. She wore pink kimono, has beautiful pink eyes, and had a green bamboo tied to her mouth. It was... It was Nezuko!
"Nezuko!" Tanjiro screamed dropping his walking stick to the ground in surprise. "You... You're awake?!"
Nezuko walked a few paces and turned her head, her large eyes falling on her brother. Without waiting another moment, the two siblings immediately moved towards each other and engulfed one another in a tight hug, collapsing to their knees on the ground. Tanjiro immediately began bawling in Nezuko's shoulder, holding her tight, as he cried, "Why... Why'd you fall asleep like that? Never waking up once! I was worried you were going to die!"
Kagami smiled and rushed forward. She fell on her knees beside them and wrapped her arms around her friends, tears leaking out of her eyes, until she felt another pair of arms. She lifted her head slightly to see Mr. Urokodaki wrapping his arms around all three of them, large tears spilling out from underneath his mask and dripping to the ground as he embraced them all.
"Tanjiro, Kagami, you came back to us alive," Mr. Urokodaki whispered happily in the air.
Kagami smiled widely and melted in the embrace.
They're home. They're finally home.
Kagami took the longest bath she's ever had in her life.
She sat in the wooden tub letting herself soak in the heated water, bubbles rising and popping in her face, as she sighed, laying back even further. She watched the dirt and blood she was coated in slip off her skin and mix in with the water, changing the color from crystal clear to a sloppy reddish-brown mess. Even though the water had become filthy from her seven days of running, sweating, bleeding, and fighting, Kagami had no intention on leaving that bathtub soon.
Not like she had the strength to do so anyway.
Her muscles ached, her lungs burned, and everything that was a part of her body screamed in protest every time she moved just slightly. It took everything she had to lift her arms to scrub her hair, abdomen, legs, and face clean. Every scratch and cut that adorned her body stung when it met soap, every broken bone or bruised skin pierced her body, and all she could do is bury the harsh pain inside of her. She bit her tongue, held her breath, and sighed it out shakily before continuing to clean herself.
By the time she was done, and dressed in warm new clothes provided by Mr. Urokodaki, Tanjiro and he were sitting on their mats across from each other.
Tanjiro's head bandage was replaced with a new one, all the dirt and scum that stained his body was scrubbed clean, his wet red hair neatly combed back, and the clothes on his back were changed to something newer and less tattered, like hers. His face held determination and sadness. It seemed she had just walked into him telling Mr. Urokodaki about the demon they encountered and defeated during Final Selection. The demon that boasted killing the rest of his students and eating many of the aspiring Demon Slayer students.
"I see," was all Mr. Urokodaki could manage to speak... at first. "You killed that morph demon," he soon softly added.
Kagami and Tanjiro looked at each other, briefly, before answering in unison, "Yes."
Mr. Urokodaki's head dropped slightly and Kagami could only imagine what he could be thinking at that moment. That red tengu mask hid every thought and feeling she could possible read from Mr. Urokodaki, but it prevented her from doing so. Maybe he did it for that purpose. To make sure no one knew what he was feeling or thinking.
"At last," he finally mumbled. He lifted his head up and gazed at the two of them. "I'm truly impressed you made it back. You should know, there are several kinds of demons. The demons with special "Blood Demon Art" are the ones with supernatural abilities."
Kagami gasped quietly. Supernatural abilities?
"You may have to fight those demons, as well, from now on. And battling them will be far more difficult than anything you've known until now. Even so, Tanjiro, Kagami, I'm sure you'll be fine."
A blush crept up on Kagami's cheeks and she grinned widely at Mr. Urokodaki.
It really seemed like he believes in them, both her and Tanjiro. It was a strange feeling... to have someone confirm her existence, strengths, and skills. Someone who was starting to act more and more like a father to her. It was funny thinking back on it. Mr. Urokodaki wanted nothing to do with Kagami when they first met. Then, at that moment, he was proud of her for beating the trials, for surviving the Final Selection, and having the utmost faith she will do well as a Demon Slayer, even against demons with unnatural abilities. She could hardly remember times where her own father expressed gratitude and pride towards her; one when she was only a small child and the other right before he died.
Kagami is starting to feel like she's finally getting the recognition she deserves.
"So," Tanjiro started, looking in the direction of the closed doors next to them, "Seems like Nezuko is a whole lot different from the other demons. Do you think it could be because of those bloody art thing?"
Mr. Urokodaki shook his head and sighed, "No, I don't think so. I wouldn't consider it a Blood Demon Art." At the defeated look on Tanjiro's face, he quickly pressed on, "This is only a guess, but I believe Nezuko is recovering her strength by sleeping instead of consuming human flesh."
So it's true, then. Nezuko is completely different from the other demons. Kagami had a hunch when Nezuko swept in to save her life, not caring she was human, and fought off the other demons who threatened to kill them both. It was amazing and horrific to watch at the same time. Even though Nezuko is a formidable fighter as a demon and could hold her ground against any odds, Kagami knows Tanjiro will still do whatever it takes to turn his little sister back into a human.
*15 Days Later*
It had been two weeks since Kagami and Tanjiro survived the Final Selection and became official Demon Slayers. The wounds, broken bones, sore muscles, and bruised skin had almost fully healed. They were supposed to be resting from their injuries but Kagami and Tanjiro continued training whenever they could.
Slacking off after surviving the exam was distasteful to the both of them it seemed. Kagami wanted to continue training, fighting, and surviving in Sabito and Makomo's memory. Even though she only knew them for a little while, they did train her and Tanjiro to make sure they lived and destroy the demon who took their and many others lives. They were merely ghosts but Kagami will always think of them as her friends.
Kagami and Tanjiro had been expecting their Nichirin swords for the past 5 days when they suddenly heard wind chimes.
They stepped outside of Mr. Urokodaki's cabin and watched as two mysterious people approach from the road. One of them wore a sunflower-patterned haori and a large, woven hat with hanging floral wind chimes, purposefully covering their face. With every step the person took, the wind chimes with cling together softly, echoing in the wind. The other wore a red and white rose-patterned haori and didn't bother with a hat. Their red hair was braided upwards in a large bun, a style Kagami hasn't ever seen before. Although, she couldn't see their face; it was covered by a pink Hyottoko mask.
When they approached, they stood there silently on the patio.
"Uh, hi there," Kagami greeted hesitantly.
The one on the left spoke first, "My name is Haganezuka. I have forged Tanjiro Kamado's sword."
Then, the other spoke, "My name is Watanabe. I have forged Kagami Yamato's sword. We're here to deliver them."
Kagami tried to hide her surprise that her sword-maker was a woman! She hadn't heard of any female sword-makers! Then again, she was on top of that mountain for 2 years training. It would be hard for her to get news about anything. Even so, Kagami bowed to Watanabe deeply. Tanjiro immediately followed suit, bowing to his sword-maker.
"We're so sorry. I'm Tanjiro Kamado, this is Kagami Yamato. Please come inside," Tanjiro greeted and took a few steps inside but his sword-maker, Haganezuka, sat down on the front steps.
He grabbed Tanjiro's sword from his back, held its clothed box in his hands, and gently unfurled it, speaking, "This is the Nichirin sword. And I forged it myself."
Both Kagami and Tanjiro stood awkwardly in the doorway seeing Haganezuka completely ignore him. He instead kept caressing the box with adoration.
Tanjiro tried again, standing the doorway, asking awkwardly, "Um, do you wanna come in and have some-?"
"The materials for a Nichirin Sword are obtained from the mountain closest to the sun. Scarlet Iron Sand and Scarlet Ore. These produce steel that can absorb sunlight," Haganezuka continued speaking completely unaware of Tanjiro's awkward composure, pointing upwards towards the sun.
Kagami hoped her sword-maker wouldn't be the same as Tanjiro's She hesitantly looked to Watanabe, who still stood silently in front of her, and asked, "Would you like to come in?"
"Yes. Please do not mind my colleague. He gets rather... passionate about sword-making," Watanabe didn't hesitate to answer before walking inside the cabin.
Kagami and Watanabe sat on their knees across from each other, with Mr. Urokodaki looking on in curiosity. Both women just looked at each other for a long moment. Kagami gulped when she didn't say anything. She couldn't tell what Watanabe was thinking but she could tell the sword-maker was gauging her forged sword's new master.
The wind around her sword-maker was warm, steadfast, but also soft. She was beginning to learn what type a person would be by the air surrounding them. From the first introduction, she could tell Watanabe was a woman of few words, unlike Haganezuka who still had Tanjiro trapped outside, and only spoke when she needed to. She wasn't an introvert, or anti-social, but more so that talking is useless when nothing needed to be said. Even then, by the way Watanabe held herself, she took pride in her work and didn't let the idea of being the only female sword-maker keep her from doing her work.
Watanabe swiftly hefted the covered box from her back and balanced it in her hands. Carefully, she unwrapped it and opened it, revealing a black handle spotted with tiny specks of gold with the sword hidden inside a long black sheath splattered with red dots. Kagami almost expected to see a dragon hand-guard like her mother's sword but saw it was a regular solid red and black circle. She hid her disappointment and took in a large breath.
She carefully grabbed her sword from Watanabe and held it in her hands. It was light, sturdy, and felt powerful.
"The sword changes color when held in the hands of their new master. Nichirin Swords are also known as "Color-Changing Katana"," Watanabe finally spoke when Kagami did nothing.
Slowly, Kagami unsheathed her blade and watched, with wide eyes, as the silver blade began to bubble and change color. From the hilt towards the tip, the silver was quickly swept away and changed into a bright red color. A small gasp left her mouth when the sword began to glow a slight yellow, revealing the body of a dragon embedded within the blade.
Her mother's dragon! It wasn't the hand-guard but on the blade itself!
"Red, just as I suspected," she heard Watanabe speak with pride.
Mr. Urokodaki nodded his head, agreeing with her.
Kagami was confused by what Watanabe meant. "Excuse me, Ms. Watanabe, but what do you mean you suspected red? Is it a common color for Demon Slayers to get?" she asked her.
"No, it is not. Only wielders and descendants of the flame could possess a red Nichirin sword," Watanabe started to explain. "I heard you are a Dragon Breather. Dragon Breathers wield, carry, and manipulate the flame, perhaps even fire itself, to their use. I haven't met a Dragon Breather before and I jumped at the opportunity of making a sword to be wielded by one just as my father did. I incorporated the dragon not as the hand-guard but within the blade."
Just as her father did?
Kagami carefully placed her sword down and grabbed her mother's from nearby.
"This was my mother's. It's a Demon Slayer Nichirin sword. It reacts to my power and breathing style. Is it... a Dragon Breather sword?" she asked Watanabe slipping it into her hands.
Watanabe unsheathed the sword and began to carefully examine it at every angle. The sword-maker sliced it through the air, hearing it ring, fingering the dragon hand-guard, and more. Soon, she slipped the sword back into the sheath and nodded her head, handing it back to Kagami. "This is my father's work. I recognize his style, and he's the only other sword-maker I know who created a sword for a Dragon Breather. It is highly likely your mother was a Dragon Breather, too."
This... revelation almost sent Kagami reeling. Her mother was not only a Demon Slayer but also a Dragon Breather? Her father willingly kept so many secrets of her mother from her. Especially the secret of her death.
Father... why keep all of this from me?
"Take pride knowing you are carrying on your mother's work and walking in her footsteps, child," Watanabe spoke, nodding her head, before standing up. She bowed her head towards Kagami, who returned it, and left the cabin.
Kagami didn't know whether to feel pride, hatred, or fear. What if it was her mother's work that got her killed? What if walking in her footsteps means dying without ever knowing her child? What exactly happened to her mother? She wanted to know more than anything, especially now that her mother could've been a Demon Slayer. She had some of her questions answered but more and more kept popping up. She just wished her father wasn't so secretive and closed off about the subject.
She was forced back into reality when Haganezuka suddenly attacked Tanjiro outside.
Yelling, she quickly ran towards them and tried to pry the man off of Tanjiro, who held his black-blade katana in his hand. Haganezuka was screaming about wanting to see Tanjiro's blade turn red and not black, what a waste of time, and how it should've been red. With Tanjiro's family working coal and flame, he thought he would finally see a blade turn red, but instead watch it turn pitch black. Kagami and Tanjiro looked at him as if he was crazy while fighting him off.
As soon as they managed to pry off Haganezuka, they heard crows squawking right above them. Tanjiro and Kagami's Kasugai crows fluttered to the ground and turned their heads, squawking, "Tanjiro Kamado and Kagami Yamato! Here are your orders!"
"Wait, they can talk?" Tanjiro asked out loud just as confused as Kagami.
"Make your way to a town to the northwest! Young girls have been vanishing there! Night after night, at least one girl will vanish into the night! Hunt down the demon lurking there and kill it! Tanjiro Kamado, Kagami Yamato, prepare yourself well for this task! This is your first assignment as a Demon Slayer!"
First... assignment?
Kagami and Tanjiro turned to each other and nodded their heads determinedly. Gripping their new swords in their hands tightly, they silently vow to take down the demon hunting young girls into the night. She promises no one else will die to that foul demon!
Time to be the Demon Slayer she trained so hard to be.