Chapter 2- Nightmare

I woke up very early in the morning, scribbling a note to Saburo-san, before readying my basket and walking through the doors, the mountain looked as weird as it did any day, yet I could smell that the animals had returned. Amidst all these smells, however, I could sense another. Warm, fresh blood. The scent of my family was scattered along the winds. I rushed up the mountain, and the basket on my back snapped from the speed at which I ran. 

The Hanafuda earrings on my ears, danced in the air resistance as I ran forward at breakneck speeds, tears forming in my eyes as I smelled the scent of blood mixing into snow. The hut we lived in was not too far, the scent became stronger, and so did the scent of a foreign body. It cannot be described as a scent, it was a vile stench, something that was not human by nature...

My family lay scattered on the floor, their lifeless forms bathed in the soft light of dawn. The air was thick with the stench of death and decay, a foul miasma that turned my stomach and made my head swim.

But amidst the wreckage, there was a glimmer of hope – my brother, Tanjiro, lying still but alive, his chest rising and falling in shallow breaths. Relief flooded through me as I knelt beside him, my fingers trembling as I reached out to touch his cold, clammy skin.

But as I drew closer, I saw the truth – Tanjiro was no longer the boy I knew and loved. His once warm and gentle features were twisted into a grotesque mask of pain and rage, his eyes glazed over with a hunger that chilled me to the core.

And then, without warning, he lunged at me, his teeth bared in a snarl that sent a bolt of terror coursing through my veins. I stumbled backward, my heart pounding in my chest as I realized what had happened – Tanjiro had been turned into a demon, a creature of darkness and despair.

Tears streamed down my cheeks as I backed away, the weight of the truth crashing down on me like a ton of bricks. My brother, my dearest Tanjiro, was lost to me, consumed by a darkness that I could not hope to understand.

But even as I mourned the loss of the brother I once knew, a fire ignited within me – a fierce determination to save him, no matter the cost. With a cry of anguish, I gathered him into my arms and fled, the weight of his broken body a heavy burden that I would carry to the ends of the earth.

But as I ran, Tanjiro stirred, his eyes blazing with a hunger that made my blood run cold. And then, with a snarl of rage, he attacked, his claws tearing into my flesh as he sought to consume me whole.

As Tanjiro's claws tore into my flesh, a surge of pain shot through my body, but I refused to let it weaken my resolve. With tears streaming down my cheeks, I fought against him, each blow landing with a heavy weight upon my heart.

"T-Tanjiro, please!" I cried out, my voice choked with emotion. "It's me, Renjiro, our older brother! Don't you recognize me?"

But there was no trace of recognition in his eyes, only a feral hunger that drove him forward with relentless force. I dodged his attacks as best I could, my movements fueled by desperation and love, but it was clear that I was no match for the demon that my brother had become.

With each passing moment, the gap between us widened, until at last I found myself backed against a tree, with nowhere left to run. Tanjiro loomed over me, his breath hot against my skin, his eyes burning with an insatiable hunger.

And then, in a moment of clarity, I saw it – a flicker of recognition in his eyes, a spark of the brother I once knew buried beneath the darkness. With a trembling hand, I reached out to him, my voice barely a whisper as I spoke his name.

"T-Tanjiro, please," I pleaded, my heart breaking with every word. "You're stronger than this. Fight it, brother. Remember who you are."

For a moment, it seemed as though he heard me, as though the bond between us was strong enough to pierce through the darkness that consumed him. But then, with a guttural mumble, he lashed out once more, his claws slashing through the air with deadly precision.

I closed my eyes, bracing myself for the inevitable blow, but it never came. Instead, I felt something soft and warm wrap around me, shielding me from harm. Opening my eyes, I saw Tanjiro standing before me, his eyes filled with pain and regret.

With tears in my eyes, I reached out to him, pulling him into a tight embrace. "It's okay, Tanjiro," I whispered, my voice choked with emotion. "We'll get through this together."