Chapter Text
—snap—
Nezuko breathed in, small hands held out to the crackling fire, the warmth spreading through her thin frame as the head of the Kamado family added another log while Tanjiro nearly tripped over his own feet as he helped their father bring in wood from the outside.
A laugh escaped, her cheeks puffing out as one of her small hands went up to cover her mouth, violet-colored eyes twinkling in delight as Tanjiro sighed in frustration. At the same time, Takeo and Hanako looked on, even smaller hands clutching Nezuko's robes. Kamado Tanjuro smiled at his eldest, reaching out a calloused hand to ruffle the auburn-tipped hair that matched his own, Tanjiro being the only one to inherit the unique eye color. "There's no need to be in such a hurry to grow up, Tanjiro."
"But I want to be a Demon Slayer," Tanjiro said, his mouth twisting into a frown as he looked at their father.
Their father continued ruffling Tanjiro's hair, much to her older brother's annoyance, resulting in Nezuko attempting to hold back a laugh. At the same time, her younger two siblings started clamoring for tales of Demon Slayers. "Be glad we live in an era where demons showing their faces is rare, Tanjiro," their father said, turning to poke the fire, resulting in another snap from the crackling fire. "Demons are..."
There came a pause, their father looking at the radio, frowning, then shaking his head.
—forgotten—
"Forgotten just like our village," Nezuko thought to herself as her father stood, heading over to the radio, clicking on the radio over which—
"All Might's done it again," the radio announcer declared with great gusto, "Rescuing an entire bullet train this time around."
"What is a bullet train?" Tanjiro asked.
Their father turned his head, his lips pressed into a frown as he returned to the old-fashioned fire pit, rubbing his neck. "Modern Japan. Perhaps you'll get to travel to Tokyo or one of the other big cities one day and get to see one."
Nezuko's eyes widened, showing awe and excitement at the idea, while Tanjiro's fists clenched in excitement. "Are heroes like All Might a new kind of Demon Slayer?"
Tanjuro sat, glancing back at the radio as it went into details regarding the recent events of All Might rescuing the bullet train. "They don't slay demons," Tanjuro said, his head tilting in amusement. "But I guess they would be the modern manifestation of supernatural abilities. Same with the villains they fight."
"Aren't the villains demons?" Tanjiro asked, sitting down and sighing as he gave up on the logs he'd brought in.
"Demons," Tanjuro muttered. "No. That mistake..." There came a pause as he turned his head back, a smile spreading across his face. "Why don't I tell you one of my stories?"
"I don't want to!" Hanako cried out. "Demons are scary, and I don't want to become a demon!"
Nezuko frowned, then said, "It's a death sentence, isn't it?"
"That..." Tanjuro frowned, placing a hand on his heart. "Demons lose their humanity the moment they become a demon, but they lose the ability to go out into the sun, I think, because they lost their humanity, right?"
"I don't want to hear!" Hanako covered her ears while Takeo poked her, frowning, when—
The sound of an infant crying made their heads turn to the other room in their small home, everyone stiffening as the midwife stepped out, grinning. "It's another boy, Kamado-san."
"Ah," their father said, starting to get up, his entire body straining from the illness that wracked his body. "A name for the new one? Shigeru, I think."
...
"Stay inside."
Tamaki's cheeks puffed out in frustration, his hands clenching as he looked as his older brother Giyu slipped on his sandals, non-plussed by the disappointment on Tamaki's face or the sound of frustration Takami let out, but then—
"It's not safe."
"But Giyu!" Takami cried out. "I want..."
"You don't know what you want," Giyu said, turning his head to look at Tamaki. Their older sister Tsutako placed a gentle hand on the top of Tamaki's head, but Giyu's mouth twisted into a rare smile. I'll take you out when I get back from my breathing style training, alright?"
"But then," Tamaki let out a sigh. "The sun will have gone down."
"Giyu will make it back before then," Tsutako said, gently ruffling the top of Tamaki's head.
The look on Giyu's face — Tamaki watched his older brother's facial features twist in mortification, the corner of his mouth twitching as he attempted to protest, squeaking out the name of his teacher and how Urokodaki sensei wouldn't let him leave so quickly.
Tamaki looked up at Tsutako, who continued giving Giyu a look that said Giyu wouldn't want to argue with her. Her fingers stopped ruffling Tamaki's hair, instead turning to run a finger along Tamaki's pointed ear, the ear that—
He let out a yelp at the sudden tickling sensation, his cheeks flushing red, his fingers reacting—
A yelp came from his older brother, and then Giyu took off, running from—
Tamaki stared, wide-eyed and confused at his fingers, or more of the strange octopus-like tentacles that were once his finger. Letting out a squeak, he held his hand out to Tsutako, tears welling in his eyes as he fought back crying. "Demon! Demon, Tsu-chan!"
He let out a sniffle, the tears falling at the sight of a frown on her face, remembering how Giyu took off as he did, but then—
Tsutako took his hand, the hand with the tentacles, and gently pulled him to the door of their home, out into the sunlight, showing him—
"See?" Tsutako said. "You don't burn in the sunlight. Thus, you're not a demon, right?"
"But what's wrong with me?" Tamaki choked out.
Tsukako's eyes turned back to the inside of their family home, and then she took the same hand, the tentacles retreating, leading him towards the television, sitting him on a cushion in front of the device. She turned a knob, the television clicking on, then reached up to adjust the antenna until they got a signal.
"All Might's done it again!" the news blared. "He's rescued an entire bullet train from falling into the river!"
Tamaki sucked in his breath as the colored moving image flickered in and out for a brief moment. Yet, he saw the footage of All Might hurrying up behind the train to grab onto the end, using his feet to brake, preventing the bullet train from veering off the end of the tracks that smoked where someone or something blew the bridge over a river to pieces.
A small finger pointed, and dark eyes twinkled as Takami looked at his older sister. His mouth formed a circle as the blond-haired man let out a laugh before saying, "I am here! Plus Ultra!"
"Go beyond," Tsutako said, sitting down next to her. "That's what you are. But it's okay that you're different than Giyu, right?"
"Right?" Tamaki asked, frowning. He was still not following, yet he glued himself to the television to watch the news about heroes, seeing different ones, including some that might be called demons like himself.
A hand on the top of his head broke Tamaki's attention away from the television. He looked up at Giyu, who smiled at him. "Heroes?"
Tamaki nodded his head as Giyu sat down next to him, not noticing how Giyu's mouth awkwardly opened in an attempt to apologize, not noticing how his older brother glanced away, looking ashamed, only noticing the way Giyu ruffled the top of his head despite startling him the way he did with the awakening of his Quirk.