40 The storm (1)

Tomioka sipped his warm tea, feeling the night chill seep thru his skin. Tanjiro had yet to return, and Tomioka had been waiting outside in the cold for hours. The Kamado household had been nothing but kind to him during this time. A little while ago, Tanjiro's mother had come out, offering Tomioka a warm drink and a blanket, which he now had draped over his shoulders.

"Hey, mister, are you good with swords?" Takeo asked, his eyes locked on Tomioka's blade with an expression of awe.

Tomioka shifted his gaze to the boy, then calmly replied, "I think I'm alright."

Takeo's eyes sparkled with excitement, and he continued eagerly, "Can I ask you something, then?"

Tomioka merely nodded.

"Could you teach me something?" Takeo's voice was hopeful, but the swordsman remained unmoved, his expression unchanging.

"Can't," Tomioka responded bluntly, earning a disappointed frown from the boy.

"Are you sure you just can't handle swords properly?" Takeo teased, smirking, but Tomioka gave no reaction.

"You're so boring, mister," Takeo sighed dramatically, giving up on the idea, though his gaze lingered on the weapon with clear admiration.

"Takeo, please don't be rude to Mister Tomioka," Nezuko chided gently, stepping outside to join them. She frowned at her younger brother.

"I was just joking, sis. Mister didn't take any offense, right?" Takeo glanced at Tomioka, who remained stoic.

"I am not angry," Tomioka replied, his tone as neutral as ever.

As the Kamado siblings continued to keep Tomioka company, he smiled a little, but soon he felt a presence coming through the forest. Tomioka moved his gaze in that direction, his expression turning serious. The figure was still out of view, but Tomioka could sense someone approaching. 'Tanjiro?'

As he looked toward the forest, a figure slowly emerged over the hill. Tomioka instinctively placed himself between the siblings and the figure, still far away, but his narrowed eyes slowly widened as he focused on the creature.

A sudden chill ran down the hashira's spine. His body stiffened, eyes narrowing as he sensed the eerie presence approaching, a presence that filled the air with dread.

The Kamado siblings looked at him in confusion, startled by his abrupt change in demeanor. Tomioka scanned the area once, then again, and one more time to make sure he wasn't seeing things. Far off in the distance, a figure moved slowly toward them. His heart pounded as he squinted to discern the shape through the fading moonlight.

"Please" Tomioka muttered to himself. But as the figure came into clearer view, a sickening realization dawned on him. "No...!"

Takeo, oblivious to the tension, cheered, "It's Tanjiro!" But Nezuko, standing beside him, wasn't so sure. The figure was too tall. Her instincts told her something was very wrong, it wasn't her brother.

Step The demon took a step forward

"That's not your brother," Tomioka growled, his usually calm voice now edged with anger and frustration. His hand tightened around his blade, which seemed to react under his grip.

"Nezuko!" Tomioka barked, snapping her out of her momentary shock. "Take your family and run, don't stop until sunrise!" There were still around 2 hours until the sun would rise, 'To much time...'

Step He took another.

Nezuko hesitated, still unsure of what was happening. "Mister Tomioka, are you—"

Step And another.

"LEAVE, NOW!" Tomioka's voice was a thunderous command, his eyes filled with urgency. Nezuko flinched, grabbed her brother's hand, and sprinted back inside the house to gather their family, her heart racing as she rushed to wake everyone.

As they hurried to safety, Tomioka's mind raced. 'Why? Why is he here?' The approaching face drew closer, the unmistakable aura of menace growing stronger. Tomioka's heart sank as he realized who it was. The face had an unnaturally pale skin complexion, he was elegantly dressed.

Tomioka's crow landed on his shoulder as he spoke. "Inform the master and the other Hashira that Kibutsuji Muzan has made an appearance!" His words startled the crow, even it felt the gravity of the situation as it flew off immediately at top speed.

The demon stopped a small distance away, staring at Tomioka with a cold smirk. "What a coincidence," the demon said, his voice dripping with malice as he recognized Tomioka. "I came here to relieve some... frustration, and I find myself standing before the source of it."

Tomioka's blue eyes locked onto the demon's scarlet ones. There was no mistaking it. His worst fear had materialized before him.

"Kibutsuji Muzan!" Tomioka spat the name with venom, his blade cutting the air as he swung it in rage, his body trembling with anger and dread.

Muzan's smirk quickly faded into a look of disgust. "Keep that name out of your mouth." the demon lord growled surprised that his identity was uncovered instantly.

He raised his hand, and in a blur, it morphed into a grotesque mass of flesh, splitting into dozens of whip-like tentacles with sharp blades that lashed out toward Tomioka with terrifying speed.

Tomioka's eyes widened in alarm, his entire world narrowing to this moment. He had no room for error. One misstep, and he'd be dead. 

While a single drop of blood could be fatal to Tomioka, at that moment, that was the least of his worries. let alone his blood being a deadly poison, a single hit from the demon could tear him to pieces.

fuuu Giyu took a long breath of cold air

Although he had no thoughts of dying just yet, he knew he wouldn't be able to take on the demon king now, he will die if he did.

Tomioka decided to not think of his life now, but to the reason he couldn't run. At best, he could buy some time for the Kamado siblings. With a deep breath, he whispered, "Water Breathing, Eleventh Form: Dead Calm."

His body went limp, muscles relaxed, mind focused solely on the oncoming attack. Muzan's tentacles cut through the air, aiming to shred him to pieces, but Tomioka's sword flashed.

With fluid precision, he deflected the upcoming tendril, redirecting the monstrous strikes behind him. The clashing of flesh and blade echoed through the forest like thunder, but Tomioka could feel the weight of the assault bearing down on him.

He couldn't block Muzan by himself, Tomioka was forced to retreat with each passing second as Muzan closed in, his attacks growing dangerously closer to landing.

Tomioka gritted his teeth, struggling to keep up with Muzan's relentless barrage. 'One wrong move, and it's over' he thought, beads of sweat forming on his brow despite the cold.

Trees caught in the aftermath of Muzan's assault began to topple, each of his strikes aimed to crush, overwhelm and to destroy.

'I can't back down until they're at a safe distance,' Tomioka growled, pushing himself to his limit. His blade began to heat, turning a bright, glowing red as his fury and desperation surged within him.

He could feel the power of the Slayer Mark helping him use the red blade at its maximum potential.

Tomioka slashed relentlessly, but in an instant his eyes narrowed in frustration, he noticed an upward strike he couldn't dodge or redirect, he had to withstand it directly. Gritting his teeth, he raised his blade to shield himself.

With a deafening crash, Tomioka was sent flying dozens of feet into the air, his hands trembling from the impact as he soared above the towering trees. A deadly height, one that could easily claim the life of any human.