Slayers And Heroes

The Mission

A clear sky is shown above the mansion. The garden was filled with white gravel and stones. Select trees were around providing several shaded spots. Kneeling down on the gravel were two individuals. One had dark red hair and dark red irises in his eyes. He also had a scar on the top left of his forehead and wore hanafuda earrings. The other had dark hair with purple tips and purple irises. She also had a butterfly clip in her hair, holding a ponytail. They both carried swords and wore black uniforms underneath a green and black checkered haori and a white haori, respectively. In front of them was the back deck of the mansion. Sitting cross-legged on a mat on it was a boy with black hair and purple irises.

"Master, is there something you needed us to do?" The boy asked, looking at the boy.

"There is, Tanjiro Kamado. We have received concerning reports of a powerful Demon near Kyoto. I know this shouldn't be possible, since all of the hostile demons should have been destroyed in the final battle against Muzan, but our crows have been telling me that there is still a demon in the world," he responded.

"Could it be that someone else somehow became a new demon progenitor?" Kanao, the girl, asked, also looking at the boy.

"Possibly. I know you both want to remain home, but if this truly is a demon, we can't let it continue to live."

They both nodded and rose to their feet. They were then taken by the Kakushi a fair distance away from the mansion and were guided by their crows for the rest of the way.

"Isn't this exciting, Kanao? We finally get to go on a mission together," Tanjiro said with a smile on his face.

"Yes. We get to go on a mission together. Just the two of us," Kanao said, smiling nervously as blush crept on her face.

"Hey, are you alright? You don't have a fever, do you?"

Tanjiro placed his still good hand on Kanao's forehead.

"I-I'm fine!" She said, flustered.

Tanjiro withdrew his hand from her forehead.

"Well, if you insist." Tanjiro just dropped it at that.

The entire trip, Tanjiro didn't notice that Kanao was a blushing mess. Even if he did notice, he probably wouldn't know why. Their crows finally descended down when they were close enough to the area after night had fallen. It was around then that Kanao finally asked a question that she felt needed to be asked.

"Are you sure you'll be able to fight?" Kanao asked.

"If I use Sun Breathing, my strength seems to return to me. Honestly, I'm more worried about the demon going into one of our blindspots. With my sense of smell, it shouldn't be able to, though," Tanjiro said.

"So it is true. My Master really is dead," they heard echoing around them.

It was then that Tanjiro smelled it. A powerful, terrible stench. It was far more powerful than any of the Upper Moons that he had previously fought. This stench... it was much closer to Muzan Kibutsuji than it was an Upper Rank. He and Kanao drew their swords.

"It's not worth it to gruesomely kill two half-blind kids. So I'll make your deaths quick," the voice continued.

Behind us! Tanjiro thought.

"Sun Breathing: Fire Wheel!" Tanjiro called out.

He backflipped, unleashing a vertical slice that caught the demon about to attack them off guard. The sword glided up the demon's back, missing the attempted decapitation. The demon stopped in the shade of the forest.

"Augh! Damn! Just like Yoriichi! A Sun Breathing user!"

It turned around. Its eyes were blank. All they had on them were white dashes in place of pupils.