Doom & Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Xover

Chapter 7 (MODIFIED)

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Tanjiro was taken to Shinobu's household which was called the Butterfly Mansion. It's a large building, comparable to that of the headquarters he was just at. There, he found Inosuke and Zenitsu resting. Apparently, Zenitsu had followed after them when they left him behind and he found his own batch of trouble along the way. Due to their injuries, they were to undergo rehabilitation to get themselves back in shape. This would put the trio out of commission for a little bit as they focused on recovering their strength. However, the first day was spent focusing on their injuries and cleaning them up. The following day would be when rehab began for the boys.

Tanjiro was now resting in bed along with his comrades, each of them asleep because it was late at night. The boy had difficulty sleeping, tossing and turning in bed because of a nightmare he was having. He was seeing it again, the day everything changed for him: the night he had lost his family.

Due to his father being absent, Tanjiro was the man of the house as he had to take care of his numerous siblings. Nezuko was the eldest amongst the siblings besides Tanjiro. He had to sell charcoal they collected to the nearby town to make money so his family could survive. However, he took longer than expected and decided to stay the night at a friends house just to be safe. When he came back home in the morning, he was greeted to the sight of his massacred family. Their corpses strewn across the floor with blood painting the walls. Only Nezuko survived the attack because she had become a demon. He later found out it was by Muzan's hands that his family was taken from him.

That was two, long years ago but the memory haunts him day and night. He could only imagine the screams of his family and his little siblings crying out his name as they were slaughtered one by one. Why? Why did it have to be his family? Why was he the one to meet this untimely fate? He lives with a constant regret eating him up from the inside. He couldn't forgive himself for trying to play it safe and come to his family's aid. Maybe, if he had come sooner, they would still be alive. It's his fault for being so weak and allowing his family to die while he was taking a luxurious nap at someone else's house.

The horrific imagery flashed through his mind and it soon overwhelmed him as his eyes shot open. He stared at the ceiling before his vision became blurry due to the tears welling up. He couldn't hold it in as they rolled down his cheek and stained the pillow he was resting on. Tanjiro silently sobbed as he covered his face. He was just a thirteen year old when his life changed, yet, he was the oldest amongst his siblings. He had to put up a tough facade around everyone because they went to him for help. To everyone, he is a shining example of wisdom and leadership. However, he never has anyone to go to for that same help, no father or father-figure to seek out for wisdom when facing hardships. He's been forced to bear everything on his own for so many years. As a result, he can only let his bottled up emotions release when he's all by himself, as to not discourage anyone else around him.

He has to be strong for Nezuko and the people around him, because they also don't have anywhere to look. However, a fifteen year old can only handle so much. He's still trying to understand the ways of life, attempting to organize his thoughts and feelings at every turn while everyone else expects him to know the answers because they're in the same predicament.

Perhaps, that's why he gravitates towards the Hellwalker so much. The Hellwalker possessed many of the same qualities his father had. They were fearless, strong, and always took initiative, but most importantly: They were caring. Under all that rage within the Hellwalker: there was a caring side that looked out for others. It's because of these traits that Tanjiro became so fond of the Hellwalker. He only knew the man for a day but his actions spoke louder than any word could describe. That's why he was overwhelmed with sheer joy when the Hellwalker defended his sister even though he hates demons with a passion. It was a true act of kindness that the boy would not soon forget.