Sun Breathing : First Form

3

-S... So what should I do to finish him off?

Tanjiro was perplexed, not only was this man wearing a Tengu mask but he hadn't even heard him arrive.

-Try to think instead of asking! the man retorted.

Maybe I don't need a blade.

I'll try to smash his head in with a stone.

-And you there. Help him instead of standing there.

The man shouted at Miyuki.

The girl looked at him, confused. Thinking about how to kill someone had never crossed her mind.

-I'll take care of it! Tanjiro exclaimed, eager to spare his sister this dilemma.

If I want to pulverise his bones properly, I'm going to have to hit him a lot.

That's just cruel. He's going to suffer horribly. I need to find something faster.

Behind Miyuki and Tanjiro, the old man was watching them, annoyed.

I couldn't do anything with those kids. They have too many scruples, they can't make up their minds.

The boy, even in the face of a demon, I can feel the sweetness of kindness in him. He feels pity for these monsters.

The girl is even worse. The idea of having to kill this demon hasn't even crossed her mind. It's inconceivable to her, you could see it in her eyes when I asked her to help the other kid finish off the monster.

I came here because I'd heard that two children were wandering around on their own. I thought they'd make good killers but... They'll never make it.

Meanwhile, the demon had regained consciousness.

I'd lost consciousness! I think my body's dead, I don't feel well...

The day suddenly dawned.

-Oh!" exclaimed Tanjiro. It's dawn, I've been hesitating so much I didn't see the time go by.

-ARRRGH!!!

Miyuki and her brother both gasped. They turned to see the demon turn to ash.

-AAAAH!!! ARRRGH!!! continued to scream until the demon could scream no more. Indeed, it was now completely gone.

Miyuki and Tanjiro were in shock.

Wow! The sun disintegrated him?

-Where's the man in the mask? Miyuki suddenly asked.

The two of them turned to see him kneeling and praying in front of what was obviously a freshly dug grave.

He buried the demon's victims... Tanjiro thought.

He went to see him anyway, to make sure he was all right. Carrying all those bodies couldn't have been easy at his age!

-Sir... began the young boy.

-I'm Sakonji Urokodaki. I'd heard that two children were wandering around and I wondered if they had the potential to be trained. Your family was massacred by a demon, weren't they?

-Yes, that's right. By the way, my name is Tanjiro Kamado and my little sister is Miyuki.

-So Tanjiro, answer me this: what would you do if, on the one hand, your sister was about to fall off a cliff, but on the other, a demon was about to devour an innocent?

The young boy didn't know what to say.

Mr Urokodaki slapped him, causing Miyuki to cry out in surprise and rush towards her brother.

The young girl glared at the old man.

-Too slow! You take far too long to make decisions. If the sun hadn't done the job for you, the demon would still be hanging on the tree right now!

Tanjiro held his cheek, overwhelmed by Mr Urokodaki's reproaches.

-You should have been able to answer my question instantly. You lack determination. If the situation I confronted you with ever arises, there will only be two things left for you to do. Kill the demon by sacrificing your sister and then kill yourself. Is that clear?

-YES!

Then Urokodaki turned to Miyuki.

-If you had to protect an innocent from a demon by sacrificing your life, what would you do?

-I'd die to protect," replied the young girl immediately.

Tanjiro glanced at his sister, had she always been so determined?

-Good answer, good tempo. But saying it isn't enough, you have to prove it.

He turned round.

-Right, then. Now I'm going to test you to see if you have what it takes to become demon slayers. Take your sister on your back, I've noticed she's injured. I'll test her later.

Tanjiro turned to his sister.

-Miyuki?!? When did this happen? And why didn't you tell me?

-That's when the bags gave way earlier. I didn't want to worry you, big brother, and then I could walk," she grimaced.

Tanjiro sighed; when his sister had problems, she never said anything and kept everything to herself. Miyuki always had a smile on her face. He should have known she wouldn't tell him about his injury.

The young boy took his little sister on his back.

He looked at Urokodaki with a determined gaze.

-We're ready! Tanjiro exclaimed.

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And here's a new chapter 🤗. I hope you like the story because I'm really pleased to be writing it, in collaboration with @Glawdys_chan. That's it!

Elaine