The Mission That Made Us

Get Rest, You'll Need It

Voices, tanjiro hears voices calling him name faintly. He can't hear the direction but it feels like it's coming from the east. In a dream where his family is alive. It very much well be a nightmare, considering what happened years ago. Family slaughtered by demons, becoming a demon slayer. He has no memories of it at this moment.

He follows the voices, suddenly getting sweaty and his pace is slowing. Unknowingly, the voices get louder  yelling his name. Tears drop from his eyes, his anxiety is sky rocketing at the moment. He ponders where the voice is, and who's voice it was.

A deep voice, but he recognizes it. He rushes towards the voice more and more untill tanjiro reaches his house. When he gets to his families home, the house reeks of fresh blood. Tanjiros face turns pale, blood running face and hearting his heart beat.

What happened while he was gone? As he was running towards the house there was a faint demonic laugh, clearly from a girl. The scarlet red blood of his family spewed out of the entrance. His vision starts shaking and he can't focus.

He Runs.
He Runs.
He Runs.

He's getting no where, he's struck in place. he ran about 30 feet and now he's 4 feet from the entrance.
Blood.
Blood.
Blood.

His family's murderous screams bring tanjiro to his knees. How could something, or someone, do something like this. A few seconds go by without any noise, he hears footsteps exiting his home.

Thud.
Thud.
Thud.

The tears roll onto the snow, turned deep red, as thick as paint as it's not melting with snow. His expression is full of emotion, not happy, not angry, but sorrowful. He doesn't understand what just happened.

A demon walks out. The heads of his family members in his hands. He's holding on to them by gripping their hair, eyes skewed out of their heads, mouths missing teeth and tongues cut in half.

Tanjiro runs at the demon, somehow getting farther. He starts shaking violently. The demon runs towards tanjiro, stopping infront of him. The demons head spins around his body, revealing the face of Nezuko.

"Nezuko.." Tanjiro screams her name in the dream, but somehow hearing himself say it softly in a sleepy tone.

Suddenly he feels a violent shake in the ground, seeing the red and yellow flash again. He doesn't know that he's seen it before, but it just feels memorable.

Tanjiro looks around him before looking back at the demon that's now staring at tanjiro.

"My oh my.. such a pretty face, you'll be the best and tastiest human of all.." his voice sends shivers down tanjiros spine. Tanjiro screams as the demon jumps at him, but his head slices off. The demon screeches as he starts decapitating.

Tanjiro cries more and more, untill he feels a pair of hands on each shoulder.

Tanjiro turns arou-

Tanjiro jolts up. He accidentally head butts Rengoku.

"Ow kid! You really do pack a punch with your headbutts!" Rengoku laughs it off, as he sits next to tanjiros now awake body.

"I'm so sorry! But what am I doing here? And where am I?" Tanjiro is clearly lost and confused.

Rengoku laughs at the sight, "your at the butterfly mansion, healing from your snapped shin."

"Oh. So that's why I blacked out." Tanjiro says, now out of breath form moving so quick and talking. "Why am I sweating so much? Wasn't I just asleep?"

Rengoku coincidentally was wondering the same thing. "What happened in your dream? you kept moving and groaning, even talking. It seemed like a bad dream so I went to check up on you. While you were asleep I kept calling your name aswell." Rengoku had a semi-worried look, the other part of sympathy.

Tanjiro looked around confused, "I didn't dream when I was asleep though?" Tanjiro looks down at rengokus hand, that was subconsciously placed onto tanjiros knee cap.

"Are you feeling alright then, kamado?" Rengoku was so kind to tanjiro. Tanjiro expected him to be harsh to him, like the other two hashiras had been. Tanjiro was staring at Rengokus hand placement now, zoned out in thought.

Rengoku was a little confused when he didn't answer his question, and followed his gaze, realizing his left hand was on his lower thigh, Rengoku quickly takes his hand off, apoligizing under his breath.

Tanjiro looks up at Rengoku, and meets his eyes. Rengoku smiles and tanjiro turns a light shade of pink, only a small amount so Rengoku doesn't notice.

"I apologize for not answering sooner, but," tanjiro continues, getting up and moving to the side of the bed, sitting with rengoku. "Yes I am fine, just a little hazy."

Rengoku nods. Tanjiro stands up now, taking a step forward.

They both hear another crack, as tanjiro falls to his left, but before that happens, Rengoku stands up slightly and grabs tanjiros hand. Rengoku pulls him as he sits back down again.

Rengoku picks him up from this leg that he had fallen onto, bridal style, and Carries him back into his bed. "It's probably good if you don't get up for a bit."

"Also, practice recovery breathing. You can help circulate the blood better doing that and it'll help heal your bone in no time!" Rengoku stands up, heading towards the door.

When Rengoku reaches for the handle, Aoi slams the door open and hits Rengoku straight across the face.

"Ow, oh wow.. I really didn't expect that Aoi." Rengoku says, head spinning and gaze dropping too his feet.

Tanjiro looks shocked and holds back a giggle as Aoi breaks into a series of apologies. Rengoku and her going back and fourth with "it's okay, I'm fine" and "I'm so sorry mr Rengoku". After that is over, Rengoku leaves the room and Aoi tends to Tanjiros wounds.

Rengoku sighs and the door closes behind him. "Rest well and heal up tanjiro, you have a big mission in two days."

Aoi knew about the mission, but tanjiro stared at the door confused. "What is he talking about?"

"You'll find out, kamado."

Tanjiro had no understanding on what was happening, a mission? Nobody had told him anything. Tanjiro fell asleep from the anesthesia so the pain wasn't too bad.

Two days later, tanjiro was training everyday, back to his full health since he didn't suffer too many injuries from mount natagumo. Tanjiro was eating food with Rengoku, when he spoke up.

"Kamado, there is a mission today, but you can only bring your sister. Inspire and zenitsu must be left out of it." Rengoku smiled.

"Okay Rengoku sir, will you be going too?"

Rengoku kept his composure so tanjiro didn't notice if he was lying or not. "No it will be a solo mission. You must leave in 2 hours, goodluck and try come back alive!" Rengoku smiled cheerfully, but tanjiro noticed something was off.

Why was I going alone? Why weren't inosuke and zenitsu going? Why did Rengoku mention my sister? Why is there a new faint in the atmosphere.. it's almost like he's lying?

Thoughts and questions kept coming into Tanjiros mind. He wondered about the mission, and for the next two hours, he ate, took a short nap, trained a little bit and was set off on the mission.

Unknowingly, Tanjiro was being followed.