51. Conquer The Sun

Mitsuri arrived just in time and rescued both Hana and Tanjiro from the demon's grasp. The siblings fought together with the Hashira before going after the main body of the demon.

Hana, Tanjiro, Nezuko and Genya ran through the forest in search of the main body of the demon.

"I can smell it!" Tanjiro called out, his nose twitching. "The scent is faint, but it's coming from that direction!"

They ran into a small clearing which was dominated by a massive tree.

"That is it!" Hana pointed. "The demon is inside that tree!"

As they approached, the ground began to rumble. The tree groaned and started to moving in rapid , sliding through the dirt to distance itself from the demon slayers.

"It's running away?" Genya growled, his face still twisted in his half-demon state. "Not on my watch!"

Genya lunged forward, taking a massive swing with his blade. But the tree reacted with terrifying speed. Huge roots shot upward like spears, catching the four of them and hoisting them into the air.

"Huhhhhh!" Hana gasped, digging her fingernails into the rough bark.

The tree began to swing wildly, trying to shake them off like insects.

Hana looked over and saw Genya doing something that made her gasp. He was leaning forward, his jaw unhinging slightly, and he began to bite the wood.

"Whoa! He is biting it!" Tanjiro shouted, his eyes wide with shock as he clung to a branch nearby. "Genya! Your teeth are crazy strong, but won't that give you an upset stomach?"

"Genya, are you alright?" Hana yelled over the rushing wind. Her heart was hammering against her chest. "Is that... safe?"

Genya didn't answer. His eyes were focused, his teeth sinking deep into the demonic timber. With a final, powerful jerk of his head, he ripped a massive chunk of the tree away. The structural integrity of the moving trunk failed, and the entire mass came crashing down to the forest floor.

Hana fell backward, hitting the ground hard. The world spun for a second, but She instantly rolled to her feet, raising her nichirin sword immediately.

Nezuko stepped forward, her hand slashing through the air. Pink flames erupted instantly, engulfing the fallen tree. Hana and Tanjiro raised their swords.

"Hinokami Kagura!" they shouted together.

Their blades, wreathed in fire, sliced through the burning wood. The tree exploded into splinters of charcoal and ash. But as the smoke cleared, the space where the demon should have been was empty.

"Where did it go?" Hana thought, her eyes darting frantically. "It was right there!"

"It could not have gotten very far!" Tanjiro said, his voice grim.

They turned their heads and saw a tiny, pathetic figure scurrying through the underbrush.

"You bastard!" Tanjiro yelled. "Don't run away from your responsibilities!"

Hana felt a surge of cold anger. She ran forward, her boots kicking up dirt. "You are not getting away! Not after what you did to everyone! No matter what!"

The chase continued. The demon was incredibly fast for its size. Genya, fueled by his transformation, ripped a small tree out of the ground and hurled it like a javelin.

"Stop, you stupid moron! Enough is enough!" Genya growled.

Hana was panting, her vision beginning to blur at the edges. "We're reaching our limits." she thought. "..If this continues he'll get away."

"He is so fast!" she gasped out loud. "I am not going to let him run!"

Using a final burst of strength, Hana bolted ahead. She ignored the screaming pain in her muscles. In a flash, she was side-by-side with the tiny demon. She raised her blade, the fire of the Hinokami Kagura covering her sword.

"Slash it! Just slash it!" she screamed in her head.

As she brought the blade down, the demon's head spun around and growled at her. Its face was a mask of weeping, manipulative sorrow.

"Do you not feel at least a little bit sorry for me?" the demon growled.

Hana's eyes widened. Before she could complete her swing, the demon's body underwent a grotesque transformation. It grew instantly, towering over her. It was no longer small and weak. It was a giant of pure spite.

The demon reached out and grabbed Hana's face with both of its massive, stone-cold hands.

"Do not you dare bully the weak!" it screamed, its voice a deafening roar.
Hana felt her skull groan under the pressure. The demon tightened its grip, his thumbs pressing into her temples. A sharp, white-hot pain exploded in her head. Her grip on her sword lossen, her hand clawing uselessly at the demon's thick wrists.

"Stop... let go..." she wheezed.
Her vision started to lighten, turning into a hazy white. Her eyes began rolling back into her head. The world was slipping away.

"Do you not feel at least a little bit sorry for me?" the demon asked again

"Hana!" Tanjiro and Genya lunged at the demon's arms, trying to pry the massive fingers off her head. They pulled with everything they had, their muscles bulging.

"Let her go!" Tanjiro cried out.

Nezuko lunged forward, her pink flames burning the demon's arms. The distraction was enough. Genya managed to yank Hana backward, catching her as she collapsed. Tanjiro raised his sword followed up with a powerful blow to the demon's chest, sending the monster reeling backward toward the edge of a steep cliff with tanjiro sword implanted in the demon's chest. The demon fell, but as it went over the edge, it dragging Tanjiro down into the abyss.

"Tanjiro!" Hana screamed, her voice cracking.

She and Nezuko rushed to the edge and leapt down without a second thought. They tumbled down the rocky slope, landing hard on a lower ledge.

Hana groaned, her head throbbing from the demon's earlier grip. She opened her eyes, shaking her head to clear the fog. Her heart stopped.

The demon's head was gone. Tanjiro had managed to decapitate it  but the body was not disintegrating. The headless torso was standing up, its movements jerky and terrifyingly fast. It wasn't dead.

"It's going for the village!" Hana realized.

The headless monster started to sprint toward the hidden paths where the swordsmiths were resting. Hana tried to stand, but her legs were shaking so hard she fell back down.

Then Hana's eyes widen as she realsied something. She looked up to see the sun rising over the mountains.

"The sun," Hana whispered. Her voice rose into a scream of pure terror. "Nezuko! Nezuko! The sun is coming!"

Hana and Tanjiro both scrambled toward Nezuko.

"Nezuko, get down!" Tanjiro yelled, his voice distraught. He threw himself over her, trying to use his body to shield her from the first rays of light that touched the ground. Hana crawled to the other side, spreading her haori out to create a shadow.

But it wasn't enough. A ray of sunlight hit Nezuko's leg causing her to let out a pained, garbled cry. Her skin began to smoke.

"No, no, no!" Hana cried, her tears flowing freely. "Shrink your body, Nezuko! Shrink right now! Get small! Hide!"

Nezuko was wailing, covering her face as her skin began to crack and burn.

Hana looked up. The headless demon was closing in on a group of swordsmiths who were too injured to run. They were cowering, waiting for the end.

Hana's mind was a whirlwind of panic. I have to save Nezuko. I can't let her burn. But the people... the demon is going to kill them. Tanjiro is too hurt to go alone. What do I do? What do I do?

"Tanjiro, go!" Hana shouted through her tears. "Go and stop the demon! I will stay! I'll hold her! I'll find a way!"

"Hana.." Tanjiro was shaking, his face pale with agony.

Hana looked at him, her heart breaking. "It will be alright, Tanjiro. Just go. Save them."

Nezuko continued to scream in pain. Hana looked up at the cliff and saw Genya trying to climb down, but he was too far away. Tanjiro was stumbling, limping toward the demon, but he fell to his knees. He was too weak. He couldn't make it in time.

Hana clutched Nezuko, her body trembling with an anxiety so deep it felt like she was dying. She looked at the sun, then at the demon, then at her sister. She couldn't choose. She couldn't leave her sister to burn to death.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Hana whispered into Nezuko's hair. "I can't leave you."
But then, Hana felt a sudden, forceful push.

Nezuko, despite the skin peeling off her face, despite the smoke rising from her body, used her legs to kick Hana away. She pointed toward the demon and the cowering swordsmiths.

"Nezuko, no!" Hana cried out in agony.

Nezuko looked at her. Her eyes were calm. She smiled, a soft, beautiful smile that looked completely out of place on her burning face. She nodded at Hana showing her a thumbs up telling her it was alright.

Hana felt like her heart was being ripped out of her chest. She stood up, her legs moving almost on their own. She turned and ran toward Tanjiro, catching him by the arm to help him up.

"Tanjiro! The heart! It's in the torso! Aim for the heart!" She screamed, her voice a raw, jagged thing.

Tanjiro looked at her, then at Nezuko, and back. His eyes cleared. Together, they lunged at the headless demon. They swung their blades with every ounce of strength

The twin flames of the Hinokami Kagura met in the center of the demon's chest. With a final blow the heart was pierced. The demon finally began to crumble into ash.

Hana dropped to her knees immediately. She clutched at her chest, her breathing coming in short, ragged gasps.
"I am sorry... Tanjiro," she choked out. She tried to hold back the sobs, but they tore out of her throat. She felt weak. She felt like a failure for leaving her sister. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."

She was breathing heavily, her vision tunneling as she gripped the dirt. "Nezuko... she's gone... I let her burn..."

Tanjiro crawled over and hugged her tight. "Hana, look. Look at me. We wouldn't have been able to defeat it without you. You did what had to be done."

Hana couldn't hear him. She just kept sobbing and whispering "I am sorry" over and over, her head tucked into her knees.

"Lady Kamado! Lord Kamado! Look over there!" One of the swordsmiths said pointing behind them.

Hana slowly turned her head. Her breath caught. Her eyes widened at the sight.

Standing on the grassy field, bathed in the bright, golden light of the morning sun, was Nezuko. She wasn't smoking. She wasn't burning. She was safe.

"Good morning," Nezuko said. Her voice was small and sweet.

"Nezuko?" Tanjiro gasped. He let out a wail of pure joy and sprinted toward her, throwing his arms around her. He was sobbing, telling her how glad he was, how he couldn't believe it.

Hana sat on her knees, unable to move. She blinked, her tears covering her vision. She was shaking so hard her teeth were chattering.

"Ne-zuko?" Hana whispered, her voice barely audible.

Nezuko looked at her and smiled again. "Good morning," she repeated.

Hana finally broke. She scrambled to her feet, stumbling and tripping over the uneven ground until she reached them. She threw herself at her siblings, leaning her weight against Nezuko's shoulder.
"I am so glad you are fine! I am so sorry for leaving you! I'm so sorry, Nezuko!" Hana rambled, her words tripping over each other as she clutched Nezuko's hand.

"Thank goodness! Are you really alright?" Tanjiro asked, still crying.
The three of them held each other. The swordsmiths who were watching began to weep as well.

"Thank you two so much for saving us!" one of them called out. "We never could have forgiven ourselves if Nezuko perished!"

After a long moment, the adrenaline began to fade. Tanjiro's eyes rolled back, and he fainted right there in their arms.
"Tanjiro! Tanjiro!" Hana called out in a panic

Nezuko gently took Tanjiro's arm and hoisted him onto her back. "It's okay," she seemed to signal.

They began the long walk through the field. Hana walked quietly behind them, her hand occasionally reaching out to touch Nezuko's arm, just to make sure she was still there

They eventually met Muichiro and Kotetsu.

"Tanjiro! Hana!" Muichiro said, his voice softer than usual.

Tanjiro stirred on Nezuko's back. "Hey... Tokito..."

"Thank goodness you are safe," Muichiro added. He looked at Hana and then at Tanjiro.

"Thank you for the sword." Tanjiro said weakly.

"I should be the one to thank you both," Muichiro continued, a genuine, peaceful smile on his face. "Because of you, I recovered something precious that I had lost. My memories... my heart."

Tanjiro looked confused, his brain still foggy. "Huh?"

Muichiro just smiled. "It is all right. Thank you from the bottom of my heart."

Suddenly, a loud, cheerful voice broke the silence.

"We won! That is amazing! We won, thank goodness!"

Mitsuri came sprinting toward them, her face covered in dirt but her smile as bright as the sun. She wrapped all of them and pulled them in a massive, bone-crushing hug.

"We actually won! Thank Goodness! We're all safe!" She said.

Nezuko looked up at her and whispered, "Thank goodness."

Mitsuri gasped, her eyes going wide as she realized Nezuko was standing in the sun. She let out a squeal of joy and hugged Nezuko even tighter, spinning her around.

Hana stood slightly to the side. The tears were still running down her face.

"Thank goodness." Hana muttered softly.