3. Urokodaki Sakonji

Together, Hana and Tanjiro dug graves for their family, laid them to rest, and prayed quietly.

Hana wanted to cry. Every part of her longed to break down, to scream, to let it out. Her family was gone...and now, watching Tanjiro's tears fall, she wanted to cry with him. But she couldn't...she couldn't let him see her like that.

If Hana crumbled, if she showed them her pain, it would shatter their strength. They would lose hope..And she couldn't allow that. Not for Tanjiro. Not for Nezuko...They needed to believe everything would be alright, even if Hana herself didn't believe it.

So she swallowed it..She hid the tears, buried the sorrow. She forced herself to smile for them, even though it ached inside. Because if they saw her standing strong.....maybe they would keep standing too. Hana didn't get to be vulnerable. So she gulped her sorrows and comforted her siblings.

As they walked through the snow with Nezuko, Hana found a cave for them to rest in and went off to gather supplies. She collected bamboo, straw, and a basket from a nearby farmer.

After Returning, she and Tanjiro prepared a basket for Nezuko.

"Smaller, Nezuko! Get smaller!" Tanjiro said as he patted her.

She pushed herself into the basket and tipped it upwards, fitting her whole body inside and sitting up properly. She blinked slowly.

"Nezuko!" Hana squealed.

"Good job! That's a good girl, Nezuko," Tanjiro said while patting her head.

With Nezuko secure in the basket, Hana led the way.

"Let's keep moving, Tanjiro. We'll save her no matter what."

Night had fallen as Tanjiro, Hana, and Nezuko made their way toward Mt. Sagiri.

"Hn... a temple?" Hana whispered, noticing faint lights in the distance.

"Let's go, We might find something there."

But before they could approach the temple, a roar pierced the air.

Suddenly, a demon jumped from the shadows.

"This is my turf! You dare step here?!" it growled.

Hana stepped in front of Tanjiro drawing her blade.

"Stay back, Tanjiro!" she warned. The demon jumped on her and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Hana!" Tanjiro managed to cut the demon's throat causing it to back off.

"A hatchet, huh? Not bad," the demon said while holding his bleeding neck looking at Tanjiro. "But a scratch like this... it should heal in no time."

Suddenly, his wound started healing. "See that? The bleeding's stopped already."

'No way!?!'

Tanjiro clutched his hatchet, ready to attack. However, the demon was too fast for him and tightly pinned Tanjiro by his neck.

Hana was about to hit the demon, but before she could land a hit, it caught her wrist and slammed her on the ground.

Suddenly, the demon's head flew off his body caused by Nezuko's kick. The head hit a tree, while the beheaded body dropped on the ground.

After a lot of struggle Tanjiro and Hana finally managed to trap the demon's body to a tree with the hatchet.

Hana was about to attack the demon. As she lunged, a hand grabbed her shoulder, spinning her around.

"Don't rely on brute force alone," a deep voice said. A man wearing a tengu mask stepped forward. "You can't defeat him like that."

Tanjiro blinked. "Then... how do we stop him?"

"Use your head. Observe. Understand." The masked man gestured toward the demon.

Hana and Tanjiro looked at each other, wondering what the man meant.

Fine... if stabbing won't work, crushing the head might get me somewhere. It's my last resort, Hana thought. Then she grabbed a big rock and stood in front of the demon, pondering how to strike it.

I'll have to strike it more than once to crush through its skull... it'll be a very painful death. Isn't there something else I can use? Something I can finish it with in one blow? Something quick and less painful... she thought, staring at the ground.

'These kids aren't going to cut it. They both have sympathy for the demon, which keeps them from making a clear decision. They're facing a demon...yet the scent of kindness still remains in both of them. How does one's empathy extend even to a demon? Giyuu... these kids will never make it' Urokodaki thought.

The demon stirred and clawed at them.

"You! Get over here! I'll eat your guts out! Dammit! I can't reach you, so you come to me!" it snarled.

The demon lunged, but the first rays of sunlight pierced through the trees. It screamed, its body igniting and burning away into ash. Tanjiro and Hana stared in shock.

"It... it burned? From sunlight? No wonder Nezuko shrinks away from it" Tanjiro said.

"Where's Nezuko????"

Looking around, they found Nezuko safe in the temple, wrapped in her basket. Hana exhaled, relieved.

Then they went to see the masked man who had buried the the bodies of the victims and was paying his respects.

"I am Sakonji Urokodaki. Giyuu Tomioka sent you to me. You, Tanjiro and...?"

"Hana," she said, stepping forward. "And Nezuko is our sister."

Urokodaki's gaze hardened.

"Hana, Tanjiro. What will you do if your sister devours a human?" the old man asked.

The question left the siblings deep in thought, the man smacked them both across the face.

"You're both too indecisive! You're simply too slow at making decisions. You couldn't finish off that demon before daybreak. Do you know why you couldn't answer my question right away? It's because your resolve is too weak. There are only two things you can do if your sister devours a human kill your sister, then cut your own stomach and die! That is what it means to continue staying by your demon sister's side," the man said firmly.

"Commit to memory that such a thing should never occur, no matter the circumstance. Your sister taking the life of an innocent person is the one thing that must never come to pass. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

They nodded.

"Understood." Hana said.

"I'm going to test you both to see if you're fit to become demon slayers. Get your sister ready and follow me!"

Doing as ordered, Hana and Tanjiro carried Nezuko in her basket and followed him down the mountain.

He was way ahead of them. Hana panted as she tried her best to keep up with the old man.

Once they made it to his home, Hana and Tanjiro panted heavily.

"Now have we...passed the test?" Tanjiro asked.

Urokodaki took the white cloth covering his head and opened the door to his home.

"The test begins now. We're going to climb up the mountain," he replied.

Tanjiro gasped with his mouth agape as Hana groaned, walking into the house and setting up a futon for Nezuko.

"I'll make sure to take care of your sister in the meantime," he reassured.

"We'll leave her in your care then," Tanjiro said.

The three walked up the mountain silently. It was now nighttime, and there was a layer of fog that covered the mountain. Hana's legs trembled. She was extremely tired.

Finally, Urokodaki stopped.

"Now find your way back to the house at the bottom of the mountain. This time I'm not going to wait until daybreak."

And with that, the old man disappeared.

"You alright?" Tanjiro asked.

"Yeah, Let's go" Hana shrugged.

They both looked down the mountain, then began running.

While running, Tanjiro tripped on a rope. Hana jumped over it and saw Tanjiro get hit in the face with rocks.

"Tanjiro!" He fell into a pit, but luckily, Hana grabbed him and carefully pulled him out.

"Tanjiro! Are you all right?!" Hana exclaimed as she helped him up.

"I'm fine. Let's keep moving. We have to get there before dawn."

---

Meanwhile

Urokodaki was helping Nezuko rest, getting her comfortable on the futon.

'What was Giyuu thinking, sending them to me? Urokodaki thought. The boy has skill, but his resolve is weak. The girl, though... she's truly focused on protecting her siblings. That determination might just carry them through...'

Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted by a loud bang on the door. Quickly, he snapped his head toward the noise.

Hana and Tanjiro had made it down the mountain before dawn.

"Hana Kamado and Tanjiro Kamado. I accept you as my students," he said.