The days in the Ubuyashiki mansion had passed in a blur of training, missions, and unspoken sorrows. Muichiro Tokito, despite the quietness of his heart, had slowly begun to acclimate to his new life as a Demon Slayer. His mind often drifted back to the loss of his twin brother, Yuichiro, especially in the quiet moments before sleep, but during the daylight hours, he forced himself to focus on the mission. He had a purpose now—one that could not be sidetracked by grief.
One morning, after a particularly grueling training session, Muichiro was called to the main hall for a meeting. He was still covered in sweat, his muscles sore from the swordwork drills, but he knew that the Ubuyashiki family had a way of making the urgent feel important, regardless of how tired he might be.
As he walked through the mansion’s long, narrow corridors, he noticed the absence of his usual companions. There was no one else around, and the quietness felt heavy—like the calm before a storm. The heavy doors to the meeting room creaked open as Muichiro stepped inside, greeted by the leader of the Demon Slayer Corps, Ubuyashiki Kagaya.
"Muichiro," the man’s voice was soft but direct. "We have a new assignment for you."
Muichiro bowed slightly in acknowledgment, though his mind was still half elsewhere. Kagaya's dark eyes met his.
"I’m assigning you to work with a few other Demon Slayers on this mission. You’ll be traveling with Tanjiro Kamado, a recent recruit. His group has encountered a new demon threat, and we believe his strength could be of assistance."
"Tanjiro Kamado?" Muichiro repeated, his brow furrowing. The name was unfamiliar, but it didn’t matter. He was used to working alongside strangers, each of them bound by the same purpose—to rid the world of demons.
"The mission will be dangerous," Kagaya continued. "Tanjiro has a strong sense of justice, but he is still young. You will be working as his senior, guiding him when needed."
Muichiro nodded curtly. He didn’t particularly enjoy working with others, but if this Tanjiro was capable enough to join the Demon Slayer Corps, then he would prove himself in battle.
---
As Muichiro traveled to the mission’s rendezvous point, he found his thoughts drifting to his twin brother. **Would Yuichiro have wanted me to do this?** he thought to himself, staring at the sky. **Would he have wanted me to keep going after everything that happened?**
But those thoughts faded as soon as he arrived at the meeting point. He was in a dense forest, the scent of pine filling the air. There, in the clearing, stood a boy around his age—or perhaps a little younger—his messy brown hair tied back, wearing the familiar black-and-tan Demon Slayer uniform. Muichiro couldn’t help but notice the boy’s posture, an air of sincerity about him that reminded Muichiro of his own lost innocence.
"Muichiro Tokito, I presume?" the boy said, smiling warmly. His eyes were filled with determination, and yet there was something undeniably kind in them. "I’m Tanjiro Kamado. It’s a real honor to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you."
Muichiro didn’t respond right away. His gaze lingered on Tanjiro for a long moment, studying him in silence. Tanjiro had a certain energy about him, something bright and alive that was both jarring and refreshing in the midst of the sorrow Muichiro carried. He was the first person in a long while to approach Muichiro with such genuine warmth.
"Let’s get to work," Muichiro said, his voice flat and emotionless, though part of him wondered if it was right to be so distant.
---
The mission they embarked on was straightforward: a demon had been terrorizing a nearby village, and it was up to the Demon Slayers to eliminate the threat. However, as they approached the village, they encountered something more troubling than they had expected.
The demon wasn’t the mindless, ravenous creature they were used to dealing with. It was different. More intelligent. And more dangerous. It moved swiftly through the village, attacking in the shadows, and seemed to have an unnatural ability to blend into its surroundings.
Tanjiro had already caught onto the creature’s scent, his sharp senses honed from years of living in the mountains. But Muichiro noticed something else about Tanjiro—something that stood out in the chaos of battle. The boy’s determination was unshakable. Even when the demon wounded him, leaving deep gashes across his chest, Tanjiro never faltered.
Muichiro had never seen anything like it.
It was the first time in a long while that he felt something stir within him—something beyond the apathy he had become accustomed to.
Despite his earlier distance, Muichiro couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of protectiveness over Tanjiro as he fought. The boy’s will to fight for the lives of others, for justice, reminded him of the family he had lost. He didn’t know why, but Tanjiro’s sincerity—his warmth—reached something deep inside him that Muichiro had buried under layers of grief.
The battle continued, and the two Demon Slayers worked in tandem. Tanjiro’s breathing techniques were flawless, his movements sharp, but Muichiro’s style was something else entirely—fluid, almost ethereal, like the mist that rolled through the mountains where he had once lived.
The demon, realizing it was outmatched, tried to escape, but Tanjiro was quick. He leaped forward, slashing through the air with his sword, just as Muichiro followed suit, his movements so swift that he seemed to disappear and reappear in a heartbeat. Together, they cornered the demon in a narrow alleyway, and with one final coordinated strike, they decapitated it.
As the demon dissolved into ash, Tanjiro collapsed to his knees, exhausted from the fight. Muichiro stood nearby, watching him in silence. For a moment, he felt a strange sense of pride—something he hadn’t felt in years. He had seen many people fight for others, but Tanjiro fought as if the lives of others were as precious as his own. It was something Muichiro could hardly understand, yet it drew him in.
Tanjiro looked up at him, a smile breaking through his bloodied face. "We did it," he said breathlessly. "Thanks for the help, Muichiro. You’re really strong."
Muichiro didn’t answer right away, but he could feel the corners of his lips twitch. "You fought well," he said, his tone softer than he intended.
Tanjiro’s eyes brightened. "Really?" He seemed genuinely pleased by the compliment, his face lighting up in a way that made Muichiro’s chest tighten.
For a brief moment, the two of them stood there, the setting sun casting long shadows over the village. The wind rustled through the trees, carrying with it the scent of the forest. The peace that followed the battle was almost too much for Muichiro to bear. He wanted to speak more, to tell Tanjiro something—but he couldn’t find the words.
Tanjiro wiped the sweat from his brow, wincing as he touched the wound on his side. "I’m really glad I met you, Muichiro," he said, his voice steady despite his pain. "I’ve always admired the Hashira. But now that I’ve seen you fight up close... I know I can get stronger too. We can both become even stronger together."
Muichiro felt a warmth spread through his chest at Tanjiro’s words, a feeling he hadn’t known in years. **Stronger together?** he thought. For the first time since the death of his family, Muichiro didn’t feel completely alone.
Maybe… Maybe he could let himself care again. Maybe he could learn to fight for someone other than himself.
Tanjiro stood up with a groan, and Muichiro’s eyes followed him. Tanjiro’s determination, his kindness, his unyielding belief in others—it all made something stir deep within him. Something that made the weight of the past a little lighter to carry.
---
That night, as the two of them sat around a campfire, Muichiro found himself looking at Tanjiro in a way he hadn’t before. There was something about the boy that made Muichiro feel… not quite whole, but closer to being healed. The idea of being with someone who valued life so deeply, someone who never stopped smiling despite the pain, was both comforting and unsettling.
He didn’t know what this feeling was, or why it had begun to grow in his chest, but as Tanjiro smiled at him again—genuine, untainted, and full of hope—Muichiro felt a small crack in the wall around his heart.
He didn’t know where this connection with Tanjiro would lead, but for the first time in a long while, he allowed himself to hope.
