2

"Is that all?"

I asked my fellow slayers-in-training. All of them are groaning on the ground in pain after I easily dispatched the entire group on my lonesome.

After Shinjuro took me in I became his Tsuguko. In other words, I am his designated apprentice and one who would eventually become a Hashira. That is just what I need. With the power of a Hashira I could better protect my family.

People hail me as a genius, a prodigy, the child who invented a Breath Style all on his own through dancing. They didn't see the hard work that I had put in since I was four, the nine years of hard work that I endured to reach this point. I didn't bother to correct their misconception. After all, they are not entirely wrong.

Wielding a blade just feels so natural to me. I am not a genius in using a Breath Style but it seems that I am one when it comes to wielding a blade. Everything that I was shown when it comes to the blade, I simply learnt it after watching it once. It was after experiencing this that I truly felt that the higher beings who placed me here did this for the sole reason of protecting the Kamado family. Why give me such a gift if not to protect them?

Shinjuro taught me his Breath of Flames and I did not refuse. The Breath of the Sun may be the superior Breath Style but there's no harm in learning more. After all, the Breath of the Sun is what gave birth to the other forms of Breath Style. There might be something to learn from learning more.

I never told Shinjuro the truth about the Dance of the Fire God and he simply accepted my explanation of me figuring out how to use a Breath Style through a dance. It's not exactly a complete lie anyway, I am not supposed to know about the Breath of the Sun. At least, not yet. So, in tribute to the Dance of the Fire God, I simply named my Breath Style the Breath of Fire to distinguish the difference between my Breath Style and his. Flame and Fire may be words with the same naming, but Demon Slayers are strict when it comes to naming their Breath Styles. Mixing the two words up is a great disrespect to the respective Breath Styles because they are fundamentally different.

Thus, I am the user of the Breath of Fire, not the Breath of Flames. Shinjuro and Kyojuro are users of the Breath of Flames, not the Breath of Fire. There is a very distinct difference.

"Haruto!"

"Kyojuro." I greeted politely with a nod of my head. Practice has ended and I am about to retire to my room for the big day tomorrow. Tomorrow will be the day where I will participate in the Final Selections.

"Here, a good luck charm that I specially went to the temple to get for you!" Kyojuro cheerily handed to me a small cloth bag the size of a small pebble. "Can't believe you are entering the Final Selection only after a month of being here, but it's you after all! I expect nothing less!"

"You speak too highly of me. You are strong too." I replied with a smile. If there's anyone that I can refer to as my friend, it is probably him. It may only be a short month, but his amiable personality and cheerful demeanour makes it hard for even me to ignore him.

"I will catch up to you someday, just you watch! I will become a Hashira too!" Kyojuro said excitedly with a clenched fist. "Then we can go demon slaying together! Breath of Fire and Breath of Flames! The fiery duo! We will set our hearts ablaze!"

"I will look forward to it." I said as we continued to walk ahead with Kyojuro keeping the conversation going. Being a Demon Slayer is not too bad. At least I met another kind-hearted soul that can make me genuinely feel emotions like a true human being again. If my memories serve me right, in canon, Kyojuro died in the line of duty while investigating a case about a train. I remembered it taking place not long after Tanjiro officially joined the Corps as an official member.

On account of our friendship, I will prevent that from happening to Kyojuro as best as I can.

"Black, huh?"

Even my swordsmith was taken aback by this colour. It is an inauspicious colour to have for a Demon Slayer if their blade turns black. I, however, simply don't care.

"Thank you for your hard work." I thanked my swordsmith and let my Kasugai crow perch on my shoulder. "I will get going now. I will be sure to put the blade to good use."

I left, letting the Kasugai crow point the way forward for me. It just so happens that home is in that same direction as well. I could give my family a visit on the way to my destination and clear the area around my home of any demons while I'm at it.

"Onii-chan!"

"Hello, Nezuko."

I caught Nezuko in a hug, who was the first to spot me and ran up to give me a hug the moment she did. Tanjiro put down the firewood in his hands the moment he saw me as well and our siblings followed suit.

"Onii-chan!"

"Haruto!"

"Mother." I greeted her with a smile on my face. "I'm back. I cannot stay for long, however, but I'm back regardless."

"Look at you! Are you hungry? Need some water? Quick, come in!" My mother dragged me into the house without giving me a chance to speak. I let her fuss over me, knowing that this is the only way she knows how to show her love for me.

"Welcome back." My father greeted me the moment he saw me. His gaze travelled to the sword tied to the belt on my waist. It caught my siblings' attention as well.

"Wow! A real sword!"

"Yes, a real sword." I said with a laugh as I patted Takeo on the head. "It's dangerous, so don't touch it, okay?"

"Can we see you swinging it?" Hanako asked excitedly. "Can we?! Can we?!"

I blinked in bafflement. On second thought, it is not a bad idea.

"Your big brother just reached home! He must be tired! Let him rest first!" My mother chided as she handed me a cup of water, which I accepted with thanks and drank it. My mind is still thinking about what Hanako said.

"Want to see me dance the Dance of the Fire God with a sword?" I asked my excitable siblings after giving the matter some thought. I don't know if what I am doing right now can prevent Muzan from appearing here and I don't want Tanjiro to end up having to slay demons if I have a say in it, but if things really do get to that point, I need to at least try and equip Tanjiro with the skills that he may need as soon as I possibly can. Tanjiro has a good memory, hopefully he can remember what I will show to him today. I am no Yoriichi, but I am the closest to replicating his feats right now.

As expected, my siblings agreed to my proposition with a cheer. Father simply looked on with a gentle smile.

I walked out to the clearing outside, making sure that my siblings are at a safe distance away. My parents and my siblings sat on the porch to watch me as I slowly got into a stance and unsheath my sword in slow motion.

And so, I danced.

"So you are the Lower Moon One, huh?"

I had to leave my home after staying there for a single night. I am on duty and I have to investigate a case the Corps pointed me to. Taking a detour to visit my family and checking the nearby areas for any demons already took up some time. I cannot delay any longer.

I just didn't expect to meet a Lower Moon One right off the bat. Talk about luck. I don't recognise this particular demon from my memories, but whatever. A demon is a demon.

"Hah! Another of you annoying slayers? DIE!"

The Lower Moon One lunged. I concentrated as I took a stance, my hands on the handle of my blade and sheath. The demon's movements appeared before me in slow motion and perfect clarity, just like how when I faced my very first demon.

Even if it is a Lower Moon One that I am facing now, its movements still appear so slow, so clear. It's so easy to pick out every single detail and identify all of its openings that it is laughable. Is this demon just that weak, or have I become really strong without me realising it? I remembered that in canon, Tokito Muichiro became a Pillar after a mere two months of training. It is entirely possible to achieve the strength needed of a Hashira in a short period of time. Have I managed to do something similar too?

Ah, I have daydreamed too much. The Lower Moon One is now a little too close for comfort.

And so, I drew my sword from its sheath in one single motion. I got to the back of the Lower Moon One without any difficulty.

There was a dull thud and I turned back. After seeing how the headless corpse of the Lower Moon One is disintegrating right before my very eyes, I turned and walked away. There is no longer any need to remain here any longer. I got what I need here.

This encounter with the Lower Moon One is a check that I need. I already have the strength to possibly go up against an Upper Moon if I can take down the Lower Moon One this easily.

I can better protect my family like this. I am a step closer to my goal.

I will protect my family no matter what it takes.

"Kamado Haruto, do you accept the title of Fire Hashira?"

Just a few days before, Shinjuro suddenly retired for no reason and gave up on the blade. His passion for demon slaying just evaporated without any reason. There's a missing slot among the Hashiras and it's not like all nine slots were filled in the first place and coincidentally, I had just proved myself worthy of such a title by slaying a member of the Twelve Demon Moons all by myself. To Ubuyashiki, my feat came at just the right time because I could replace the position that Shinjuro left vacant. It helps that Shinjuro originally designated me as his successor.

"I do, Oyakata-sama." I said as I knelt in front of him. Reading about him from a manga was one thing, interacting with him is another thing entirely.

This man, he has my full respect for what he does. I don't have any other words to say.

As of now, the current Hashiras are Himejima, Uzui, and Urokodaki. It surprised me to see Urokodaki here, but I must be still at an early point in the world's history. In canon, he was a Hashira after all. One look and I can tell that Urokodaki is old. He will probably retire very soon.

And so, with the other current Hashiras watching, I became the Fire Hashira at thirteen.

One step closer to protecting my family from Muzan.

"These are the children who I had saved that day. Their bodies should be suitable for learning the Breath of Water. Please take care of them, Urokodaki-san."

It was entirely by accident that I saw the exchange of words between Himejima and Urokodaki that day. Beside them are two girls about my age. Is Urokodaki taking in disciples?

Nevertheless, it's none of my business to pry into this matter, so I continue to walk ahead. My ears still pick up on their conversation nonetheless.

"I will. I am going to retire soon, so this is as good a time as any to gain some teaching experience before officially becoming a cultivator to pass on the Breath of Water to future generations. What are your names, girls?"

"I am Kocho Kanae. This is my younger sister, Kocho Shinobu. Please take care of us."

I cannot help but let out a mental huff. Them, huh? Who knew? Was the Breath of Flower and Breath of Insect derived from the Breath of Water? I really could not remember if there was such a detail.

I continue to walk on ahead to the room that I had been kindly given in the Corps HQ. As a Hashira, I am given the privilege of having a personal room all to myself. Once I've slept a bit to recover from the mission that I've just returned from I will be going back to training. I need to be able to dance from sunset to sunrise under extreme conditions if I want to even have a small chance to face Muzan himself.

Problem is, how can I create such extreme conditions for training? It's not like I can ask the Upper Moon Demons to act as my sparring partners. Maybe if I ask a fellow Hashira to spar with me? Not too sure about Urokodaki or Uzui, but Himejima would probably agree. He's a kind man.

With that thought in mind, I paused in my tracks before turning to walk in Himejima's direction. Might as well. I could probably learn a lot from someone like him. I may have somehow learnt how to use the very first Breath Style in existence but that does not make me omnipotent. I need more experience and practice.

"Himejima-san, Urokodaki-san." I greeted them with a bow which they returned. We may be equals in rank, but they are still my seniors. Certain etiquette needs to be adhered to, especially when I'm still a child. It does not hurt to be polite.

"Kamado-san." Himejima greeted back with both palms pressed against each other in a motion of prayer. "It's nice to see you return back safely from your mission. Is there anything we can help you with?"

"About that…"

Beneficent Radiance

I deflected Himejima's axe with a slash of my blade. I can see it now, the resemblance between the various Forms. It is during the sparring that I am going through now together with Himejima and Urokodaki that I can see the similarities between the different Forms. I can see how the initial Forms that branched out from the Breath of the Sun had evolved into what they are today.

Fighting Himejima and Urokodaki is definitely an enriching experience. They have experience in spades and that showed. The only thing that I have going for me is the mastery of my Breath Style, allowing me to keep going without rest now that I am able to dance from sunset to sunrise after nine long years of hard work and practice. All I am able to do at the start was to defend against their attacks, but I am beginning to be able to perform my own counter against theirs. Somehow, I can understand some of their moves they used because I can see the faint similarity between our Forms. Once I understand how their Forms worked, countering them becomes easier.

Dragon Sun Halo Head Dance

I continued my dance as I made my first real offensive move against Urokodaki. I had seen what all ten of his Forms from his Breath of Water can do and I am starting to understand how Yoriichi created it. The same applies to Himejima and his Breath of Stone. With that, I can begin my offensive.

I don't need to win, I just need to be able to dance until sunrise.

And so, I continue to dance.

"How did you do that? You are about the same age as us! How old are you even?"

"Thirteen this year." I replied as I took a huge gulp of water Himejima had kindly offered me. As I had suspected, as of now, I cannot dance till sunrise if I am engaged in an intense fight. Right now, I could only manage to last about an hour while sparring against Himejima and Urokodaki at the same time. I don't think I did badly considering who my opponents are, but I can definitely be a lot better.

I need to be able to complete my dance from sunset to sunrise when fighting against Muzan. I need to be able to do that as soon as possible.

"You are a year younger than me!" Kanae pointed a finger at me, which I pointedly ignored. Urokodaki had allowed them to watch and asked Himejima and I if they could do that, saying that this might help them realise what being a Demon Slayer means and how high they need to climb in order to be a Hashira. I personally don't really care about the arrangement and neither did Himejima, so the sisters stayed to watch.

"So? It's not like demons will care how old you are when you face them. To them, we are all the same. We are simply food."

My words seemed to provoke a reaction out of Shinobu, who clenched her fists upon hearing what I have to say. Kanae, not so much.

"After seeing you spar with Urokodaki-san and Himejima-san, I think… I want to strive to be a Hashira too." Kanae spoke softly as she looked down. "You showed us that with enough hard work and practice, even us children can become a Hashira. With that kind of power, we can stop demons from inflicting pain on humans."

"Then do so. Don't just speak, do it." I told her in reply before getting up from my seat and bowing in Himejima and Urokodaki's direction. "Thank you for today, Himejima-san, Urokodaki-san. Sorry for the trouble."

"It's no problem at all, Kamado-san. To be a Hashira at your age and to fight against me and Himejima at the same time for an hour is already an impressive feat. I look forward to seeing what you can do when you are older."

"We are fellow Hashiras, Kamado-san, please do not stand on ceremony. If you ever need a sparring partner again we are more than happy to help you. Namu Amida Butsu."

With a grateful bow I turned and left. The Demon Slayer Corps are really made of some of the nicest people I had ever met.

Somehow, it made me feel like I can continue to feel the warmth which my family had helped me to feel again.

Two more years passed. Things had largely remained the same.

I made regular visits back home and I will give as much money I could possibly give to my family, money that I earned by becoming a Demon Slayer. It's enough to get my family to live a relatively better and comfortable life. Father's illness is easier to handle now that we can easily afford the medicine he needs. I would show my siblings the Dance of the Fire God with my Nichirin Blade every time I returned because they love it when I do so, saying that my dance is simply breathtaking. So, I danced. I also make sure to come back every new year to dance on father's behalf since Tanjiro is still a little too young to be able to master the dance and father is still a little too sickly for me to be comfortable with him doing it. Being able to go back home every new year to visit my family is a small request I ask from Oyakata-sama, one which he grants without hesitation.

I also gave each of my family members a small packet of wisteria flowers for them to carry them on their person as a "good luck charm". Mother loves the smell of wisteria incense I brought back and she burned them every night like I asked her to. Like this, I can sleep a little easier at night knowing that they are slightly safer from demons. I regularly check the surrounding area near our home for demons and clear them out if I spotted any, but I cannot be there all the time. Now with the wisteria incense, things are looking a little better.

Urokodaki had retired from the Corps and now focuses on teaching the future generation the Breath of Water as a Cultivator. Kanae and Shinobu became official members of the Corps and I see them around sometimes. I have no idea when Kanae will become a Hashira but that isn't really my concern. I'm not exactly here to make friends. My only goal is to protect my family from Muzan.

Kyojuro had become a Demon Slayer as well. His father, also my teacher and predecessor, is now a shell of his former shelf. I don't know what made him turn out that way and if canon provided an explanation, I could not remember why. I have a feeling that him learning about the existence of the Breath of the Sun was the reason but I have no concrete proof. In any case, he had taught me the Breath of Flames and I passed on what I knew to Kyojuro. If I do not do so, the only other way for Kyojuro to learn the Breath of Flames would be him trying to figure everything out from just three volumes of books.

Kyojuro and I would sometimes partner up for missions. I don't speak much in the first place and I'm not exactly here to make friends. He's the only exception thus far. Having him around makes things a little less boring because his chatty and cheerful nature brightens up my otherwise dull routine. It helps that he is enthusiastic about training with me.

"Look at the angle and height in which I hold my sword, Kyojuro. A small difference, but leading to very large changes. This is how you do the Ninth Form: Rengoku."

The Ninth Form of the Breath of Flames has some resemblance to Solar Heat Haze and Dance of the Breath of the Sun, that much I could tell. Shinjuro teaching me about the various Forms of the Breath of Flames when I was his Tsuguko helped a lot in my understanding about the relationship between the Breath of the Sun and Breath of Flames too. Now, I want to pass on that understanding to Kyojuro. The more Hashiras and more powerful they are in the future when the inevitable fight with Muzan comes, the better. I can better protect my family this way if the Corps is stronger.

I made a powerful dashing slash and obliterated the target, performing the Ninth Form: Rengoku.

"Did you catch that?"

"I think I understand now!" Kyojuro exclaimed with passion as he took his own stance. "I simply need more burning passion in my heart!"

He dashed off and did his own rendition of the Ninth Form. From how he adjusted the way he held his sword, he had gotten what I was trying to teach him for the past hour.

Well, good for him.

"We need to get a move on." I told him as I picked up my belongings. "We still have a mission to complete."

"You are absolutely right, my friend!" Kyojuro said with unrivalled enthusiasm. "It's time to show the demons our fiery determination! Let's burn them down to the bone!"

"Only you can be so cheerful all the time, Kyojuro. Only you." I shook my head in amusement. I mean, our next mission destination is a disease-infested slum. Only he would be so enthusiastic about going to such a place.

"As Demon Slayers, we all have a duty to protect the weak who cannot protect themselves from the demons! Those who were born strong have a duty to protect the weak! I cannot back down! Isn't that what it means to be a Demon Slayer, Haruto?"

"I guess so." I mused. "I mean, I wouldn't know. I did not become a Demon Slayer out of any noble sense of duty or compassion from my heart. It is out of a selfish wish that I join the Corps, I only become a Demon Slayer so that my siblings don't need to be one."

"Well, I still think that is a respectable reason, my friend!"

I looked at Kyojuro with wide eyes. My reason, respectable?

"Fire up your heart, my friend! Family is important, is it not? To willingly put yourself in danger for the sake of your family is a respectable reason too! We become Demon Slayers so that other people do not need to experience the pain and horror others have gone through, so that they don't need to be a Demon Slayer! You need to stop having such a low view of yourself, Haruto! Set your heart ablaze! Look forward! You are the Fire Hashira!"

I cannot hide the faint smile on my face even if I tried.

"... Thanks, Kyojuro."

"Anything for you, my friend! Onward we go! Let's burn the demons out of existence!"

"Are you two alright, ladies?"

Kyojuro appeared onto the battlefield with that usual cheery expression and a smile on his face, sword drawn and ready to battle. I simply walked up nonchalantly to join him. I don't see any real threat among the group of demons here, although I do see two familiar faces among the Demon Slayers that Kyojuro just saved.

"K-Kamado-san?"

"Kanae, Shinobu." I replied to Kanae. "Please leave this to Kyojuro and I. Both of you should leave with the other Slayers."

"We can still fight!" Shinobu exclaimed. A quick visual assessment from me confirmed this fact. They are not injured to the extent that it will hamper their abilities or get in our way.

"Very well. Just don't get in our way." I replied in a monotone. As a Hashira, I have a duty to slay demons, protect the Corps, my fellow Demon Slayers and innocent humans, and guide the next generation, but that's it.

I'm not here to make friends, I'm simply here to protect my family in the best way I know how.

"T-There's a Lower Moon Two nearby!" Kanae quickly relayed what she had learnt. "It's hiding out of sight somewhere, using the group of demons ahead to distract us from finding it!"

"I see. Can I trust you two to work with Kyojuro to handle the group of demons here? I will find the Lower Moon Two."

"Leave it to me, my friend! I will protect my fellow Slayers with my life!"

"Thank you."

I dashed off without another word, easily cutting a path through the group of demons in order to find the Lower Moon Two. The three of them can deal with whatever demons I had left out. The three of them are not weak by any means, they are the ones who will be Hashiras in the future.

The keen sense of smell I inherited from my father revealed to me the Lower Moon Two's location. I didn't bother to find out what its Blood Demon Arts is, because I won't even give it a chance to use it.

I sheath my sword the moment I dashed past the demon. Another demon from the Twelve Demon Moons down.

One more step closer to protecting my family from Muzan.