Demon Slayer: The Strange Demon

by Blackdrag-rose

Swordsmith: Village of Smiths

Pinkamena found that it was two months after the battle with Daki and Gyutaro that things started to happen, as Inosuke finally got up and refused to take any of the medication that was being given to him, causing her to sigh as she pinned him down with some of her power. She really had no idea why he resisted what Aoi and the girls had to give him, only that his mountain upbringing must have caused him to reject the various medicines he needed to heal from their battle with the Upper Moon siblings, but she did her part to make sure he got the healing his body required. Zenitsu showed up every now and then, mostly because it was a safe place he could rest in after his missions, though she had a feeling it was for Nezuko, who remained in her box nearly all the time, save for when it was nighttime and was under Pinkamena's watchful eye, just to make sure nothing happened to Tanjiro's sister. In addition to them there were a few other Slayers who came and went, all injured by some of the Demons that rested all over Japan, but it seemed like all of the remaining Upper Moons were simply hiding in the shadows, after discovering that one of their number had fallen recently.

In the end she was fine with that turn of events, as it allowed the lower ranking members to do their job while the Hashira readied themselves for whenever another Upper Moon was sighted, and whenever she didn't have missions she kept up her own training, mastering the techniques she had access to. One thing she did was pull Nezuko into her world and trained with her, as she wanted to see how the berserk Demon fought and how to fight against someone like her, even though it was a little harder to do so since Nezuko wasn't angry with her, not like what happened with Daki or her brother. That, in turn, lead to her calling on the echo of Daki to aid in the training sessions, as in she would appear, Nezuko would get upset and draw out more of her demonic power, and then Pinkamena would fight her for a time, allowing her to see what sort of fighter Tanjiro's sister was and help her regain control of herself. Her attempts were to ensure that Nezuko could control her demonic side, in case she was forced into battle again, and she proved to be a better learner than her brother, as she tackled whatever Pinkamena had for her and always braced herself for whatever was next, though she did restrain her to the training ground so she didn't run off to the Storehouse.

While that was going on they received word from Hotaru, about fixing the chips in Tanjiro's blade or even replacing it if it had been too damaged during his fight with Daki, only for Pinkamena to find that he sent her friend what was basically a bunch of hate mail, claiming that the smith hated Tanjiro and that he had no sword for him, save for returning the blade that had been chipped.

On the day that was exactly two months following their battle with Daki and Gyutaro, as Pinkamena had been keeping her eyes on what date it was, Tanjiro finally woke up and those who were in the Butterfly Mansion were happy to see that he had awakened at long last. Of course one of the Kakushi had berated Kanao when she failed to announce that Tanjiro was up again, as she wanted to give him some time to regain himself before crowding him with people, though it wasn't long before Aoi and the girls came running to check on him, while Pinkamena slipped in through the window, without ruining it like Inosuke would. Speaking of the boar Slayer he was lingering on the ceiling of the room, like he had been spying on his friend while he was resting and recovering, and, sure enough, it wasn't long before he was shouting at Tanjiro and some of the girls were talking about how Shinobu claimed that Inosuke was like a honey badger. Such a thing told her that it might be in an attempt to figure out more about his odd abilities, especially when he claimed that he was able to dislocate most, if not all, of his joints and move his body with ease, or how he could shift his organs to avoid permanent damage, which he claimed made him immortal, even if the others thought he was just an idiot.

From that point on Tanjiro rotated from sleeping in his bed, to sitting up and eating to regain his strength, to standing up and stretching with the young girls, pushing his stamina back to what it had been like before the fight with Daki and her powerful brother, even though it was clear that it would take some time for that to happen, given the two months he had spent in his permanent bed.

"Hey, did Hotaru send me a new blade while I was sleeping?" Tanjiro asked, on the afternoon of the seventh day after he had woken up, where Pinkamena found that he and the girls were in the middle of one of their stretching sessions, trying to get his body back into shape so he could head out and deal with some of the Demons that were plaguing the land, just like Zenitsu and Inosuke were doing, "I would assume that he did, since I only chipped it last time, or maybe he fixed it up and sent it back, so he wouldn't have to forge a brand new blade."

"Sadly not." Pinkamena replied, where one of the girls, who had been sitting off to the side and had been preparing some herbal tea to help with Tanjiro's recovery, got up and collected the letters that had been sent while he was sleeping, so the moment he was done stretching he could see what his smith had sent him, where his face paled once he opened one up and saw the markings on the page, "Apparently he's upset and returned the last blade he made for you, chips and all, so he did nothing to it and left it in the state that Daki put it in."

"But... But I only chipped my blade this time around." Tanjiro said, staring at the letters he had been given and could have sworn that he smelled Hotaru's hate for him, since he had damaged yet another blade and someone had sent him a letter inquiring about replacing it, though it was easy for Pinkamena to see that he was distressed, "I mean, I could understand this if I had actually broken the blade during our battle with Daki and Gyutaro, given what happened to the other ones he made me... Rui cut the first in half and Akaza smashed the second... but I only chipped the blade this time!"

"People often damage their blades in battle, right? Then that means Hotaru is the one being difficult here." one of the little girls stated, as she had been thinking about it since a crow arrived with the first letter, before the other letters arrived, and this was the idea that she had come up with after spending a week thinking about it, something that caused the others to pause for a moment before they started to chow on some large rice crackers.

"Yeah, maybe you should head to the village? You know, talk things out with him?" one of the other girls inquired, which Pinkamena thought might be a decent idea in the grand scheme of things, as there was a chance that Hotaru might be a lot more calm around the other smiths, though given how he reacted when delivering Inosuke's swords, well, there was a better chance of him raging at Tanjiro.

Since it seemed clear that Tanjiro was going to have to go to the Swordsmith Village, as it was called, Pinkamena called for a crow to come to them and drafted a short letter for Kagaya, since she knew that he had to give them permission to head to one of the most sacred and secure places for the Corps. This wasn't the same as heading to Kagaya's place, using a path that was altered more than the one that lead to Hotaru's village, because it was the power behind the Corps' ability to take down their demonic enemies, as without the Nichirin Blades they wouldn't be able to kill Demons. It was a place Muzan, in her mind, was gunning for and had likely ordered his followers to find so they could cripple the Corps, because without all of the swordsmiths making weapons, and keeping them prepared for whatever the future held, the battle power of them all suffered. It made sense that it would be hidden and that only those who were given permission would be allowed to go there, and since Kagaya trusted her, more than some of the Hashira did, this gave their leader a way to ensure that, if for some reason an Upper Moon found the place and attacked, no one would be harmed and they would survive an attack, a fact he would no doubt think about.

The following morning, following the arrival of a crow, Pinkamena and Tanjiro found a female member of the Kakushi just outside the Butterfly Mansion, where she found that the messenger bared a letter informing them that Kagaya was letting them visit the Swordsmith Village.

"Hello there, I will be guiding you to the Swordsmith Village, on Oyakata's orders." the Kakushi said, though as she did so she glanced from Tanjiro to Pinkamena for a moment, clearly unsure of something she had been told and what was right in front of her, especially since there were two of them and one of her.

"Its very nice to meet you. My name is Tanjiro Kamoda, and this is Pinkamena." Tanjiro replied, bowing his head while his friend nodded a little, as he wanted to show respect to everyone, even Demons when Pinkamena thought about how he treated Daki and Gyutaro in their final moments.

"I cannot give you my name, since I am serving as your guide, but it is nice to meet you as well." the Kakushi stated, which showed them that Kagaya was being cautious about the protection of the Swordsmith Village, something Pinkamena was fine with, before she pulled out what appeared to be a blindfold and some earplugs, surprising Tanjiro for a second, "Due to the fact that the village is hidden, and is one of our greatest secrets, I will be carrying you on my back, though to be sure you don't know the way you'll have to wear these items... plus some nose plugs, given how strong your sense of smell is. In order to keep it safe, its whereabouts are kept a secret and, after a set period of time, we'll be stopping so I can hand you over to the next Kakushi, who will take you further along the path and repeat it once they reach the next point, until both of you reach the village. Oyakata said that we only needed a single Kakushi for this, as he trusts you, Pinkamena, enough to overrule our general rule about keeping the Swordsmith Village safe... so, um, I guess you'll be following us and keeping out of sight, or something along those lines?"

"I can follow you guys without being seen, and I can hide you and our allies from our enemies as well," Pinkamena said, as with her power there were a lot of things she could do to make sure the path to the village was safe from their enemy, just as Kagaya intended since she was sure he was allowing her to go without a real reason to visit the smiths, and it seemed like the Kakushi were being briefed on her presence during this event.

For a few moments no one said anything as the Kakushi explained everything once more, just to make sure Tanjiro knew what was going on, that no one member of her group knew where the village was and both they and the crows that lead the way were swapped out, to ensure the safety of the Swordsmith Village. Once he was ready to go, and Pinkamena had taken off Nezuko's box to make things lighter for his guide, the Kakushi made sure everything was in place before picking him up and ran off with him on her back, all while Pinkamena silently followed them. Based on what she knew Kagaya's place was supposed to be hidden by more complex measures, as in his actual residence and not where he met the rest of the Slayers, though she knew that soon he'd be forced to spend the rest of his days in his mansion and that he was most likely going to die before they finally brought about Muzan's downfall. Part of her was paranoid about something, as she had spent a great deal of time thinking about it before this day and determined that every time they left the Butterfly Mansion, on a big or important mission, she and Tanjiro ended up bumping into an Upper Moon, just like when they went looking for Kyojuro and found Akaza, or helped Tengen and found Daki and Gyutaro.

Pinkamena hoped she was wrong about this, that they were heading to the Swordsmith Village and might end up facing an Upper Moon Demon, given the trigger seemed to be leaving the Butterfly Mansion, and that this would be a simple visit on their end, but she had a feeling that something bad was going to happen.

While they traveled, however, Pinkamena stopped every now and then as she scanned the area they were in, as she just wanted to be sure that no one was following them, both Human or Demon since some Demons used Humans to do some of their dirty work, before tracking down her friend and his guide. Whenever Tanjiro was moved from one Kakushi to one of the others she noticed that he would thank whoever was carrying him, showing appreciation for their hard work, while also entrusting himself to whoever would be guiding him next, which she found the Kakushi enjoyed. Another thing she was able to determine was that the crows seemed to be leading them in random directions, across bridges and up hills, all to make sure the location of the Swordsmith Village was safe from Muzan's forces, and the further they got from the rest of humanity the less she felt anything demonic. Eventually they reached a forest that seemed close to the area that Mitsuri was in charge of, if her memory was correct, where she discovered a small village, with a number of tall buildings that the tall treeline covered, that had to be their destination, since the Kakushi was slowing down.

Sure enough the Kakushi removed the restrictions she put on Tanjiro, allowing him to see, hear, and smell everything that was around him at the moment, and once she was sure the coast was clear Pinkamena landed before retrieving Nezuko's box from her personal domain, since it had been the easiest way for her to carry her, all while Tanjiro figured out that a hot spring was nearby.

"You should head to a large house that's down to the left of here, as the village elder is awaiting your arrival," the Kakushi said, informing them that there was something they needed to do before tracking down Hotaru, to speak with the smith about the blade and his refusal to even repair the chips, before he bowed his head towards the pair, as he was done with his part in all of this and it was time for him to rest for a time.

After saying thank you, and bowing their heads as well, Pinkamena and Tanjiro followed his instructions and found their way to the building in question, where two smiths were waiting for them, both wearing masks, and a third, smaller smith sat in the middle of the chamber they were brought to, causing the pair to sit down so they could speak with him about Tanjiro's smith.

"Hello there, I am the Chief of this village, Tecchin Tecchikawahara. It is very nice to meet you two." the smaller smith said, something that interested Pinkamena far more than Tanjiro, as this was the one who forged her blade a long time ago, after she cleared the Final Selection and sent in her chosen piece of ore for someone to work on, before he shifted ever so slightly as he focused on them, "I may be the smallest in the village, but I am the very best at our craft and my blades are usually reserved for the Hashira. Now, Tanjiro Kamado, lower your head so it touches the mat."

Tanjiro did so immediately, almost slamming his head into the mat that they were sitting on, though to show respect, and not to appear to be overly rude, Pinkamena lowered her head a little as well, though she was sure the two other smiths shared a light chuckle at her friend's expense, before Tecchin let Tanjiro have some dough cakes and offered her some as well, which they took before he spoke again.

"Unfortunately, Hotaru has gone missing and we are trying to find him, so please be patient with us." Tecchin continued, a fact that told them something interesting, Tanjiro's smith had to be sulking after being told to work on his client's blade again, even though he disliked the fact that each of the blades he has made so far have either been broken beyond repair or shipped in battle, "Interesting fact, but I gave him his name... and he keeps badmouthing me because of how cute it is. He's also been like this, ever since he was small, throwing tantrums whenever he's upset or angry about something, then he'll go off and sulk somewhere, usually hiding from everyone until he's ready to come back... though this time its his own fault for creating a Nichirin Blade that can actually break. Pinkamena, may we see your blade?"

"Certainly." Pinkamena replied, where she pulled the scabbard and blade from her sash and handed it over to the smith in front of them, something that caused his fellow smiths to turn their heads towards it as Tecchin drew it, finding that her blade was pristine and well maintained, undamaged from all of the fights she had been in, "Thank you for forging it, as it has served me well in the battles I've been in."

"This is what a Nichirin Blade is supposed to be: unbreakable and well maintained." Tecchin said, though Pinkamena could tell that he was pleased to see that his work was in pristine condition, that there were no chips or cracks that would force them to make another one for her, even though she knew that an Upper Moon could break such a blade, after seeing the battle between Akaza and Kyojuro.

The other smiths informed them that they would track Hotaru down and seize him so he could get back to work, which caused Tanjiro to ask that they not become too violent with him, otherwise he was sure that the smith would blame him in some manner, before Tecchin sheathed the blade and returned it to Pinkamena.

"Tanjiro, we've heard that your body, while healed enough to travel and resume your training, hasn't healed to the point that you're sent back into the field," Tecchin remarked, switching to the Slayer that wanted to come here in the first place, who was patiently waiting for them to speak so he could learn what was going on, "so if Hotaru doesn't resume work on your blade by the time the crows come for you, we'll have someone else do it in his stead... also, we have some wonderful hot springs that do wonders for the body, so I would suggest you visit it during your stay. Pinkamena, Oyakata sent word about why you joined Tanjiro on his journey to our village, so if you want to get to work setting up, um, whatever it is that you set up, then be my guest."

Pinkamena smiled as she bowed her head, thankful for Kagaya sending word about why she was coming along, since she didn't need any work done on the blade that she carried at all times, though once that was done she and Tanjiro headed outside, following the smith that would take them to the springs, but she had a feeling that things were going to get more interesting for her and her friend.

Comments

[badninja]

I wonder how badly this battle will go for this Upper Moon? It feels like they all keep underestimating Pinkamena. I wonder if any will realize that their boss could be the only one to stand up to her, or that she can be out in the daylight.

[Blackdrag-rose]

11282889 Actually, there are two Upper Moons in this arc, those being Gyokko, Upper Moon Five, and Hantengu, Upper Moon Four.

[Blackdrag-rose]

11282889 Also, about the walking in the sunlight comment, you have to remember that no one, not even her closest friends, know that she can walk in the sun with no issues, as everyone in the Demon Slayer Corps believes that it's Chaos World's power helping her out, while at the same time the Demons assume that, as a Demon, she can only be out at night... literally no one knows of her sun walking power.

[Mr Lore miser]

My man this is a pretty interesting story so far but if you don't use that Michael Jackson meme anywhere I'll be highly disappointed

[Mourningmist]

11283160
But she’s able to use sun breathing style. Even upper moon 1,who is youroichii’s brother, couldn’t do that without extreme pain.

[Lucasnike123]

Music for this arc: