The wind whispered through the hollow streets of the ruined capital as Tanjiro sat beside Sakura. She had stopped trembling, though faint traces of fear still clung to her eyes. Tanjiro's presence — steady, warm, unshakable — seemed to calm her like a small flame in endless darkness.
After a long silence, he spoke softly.
"Sakura… the man who saved you that day. Can you tell me how he looked?"
Sakura blinked, surprised. "He…? Why?"
"Because," Tanjiro said, meeting her eyes, "if someone was strong enough to take down demons while protecting you… I might know him."
Sakura hesitated, searching her memory. Then she began slowly, carefully.
"He had black hair, very dark… almost shining when the lights hit him. His eyes were sharp… like he wasn't afraid of anything. Blue… I think. He didn't talk much. Just fought." She motioned with her hands awkwardly. "He wore something strange, not normal clothes… like those old samurai warriors from pictures. A long black jacket… and he held his sword like he'd been training his whole life."
Tanjiro froze.
Black hair. Piercing blue eyes. Silent, disciplined, with the spirit of a still lake and a blade that cut cleaner than wind.
There was no doubt.
"…Giyu-san," Tanjiro whispered, breath catching in his throat.
Sakura tilted her head. "Giyu? Who's that?"
Tanjiro rose slowly, shock and relief colliding in his chest. "He's… someone I once fought beside. A Demon Slayer like me. One of the strongest."
If Giyu's alive… then the world hasn't fallen completely.
Maybe the Corps survived.
Maybe there were still pockets of humanity hidden in the ruins.
Tanjiro felt something warm bloom in his heart — hope he hadn't felt since waking in this new Tokyo.
Sakura tugged at his sleeve. "Tanjiro… are you okay?"
He smiled faintly. "Yes. In fact… I'm better than okay."
Her small stomach growled loudly in the silence.
"Ah—!" Sakura covered her face in embarrassment.
Tanjiro chuckled for the first time in a long while. "Alright, I should've known. You haven't eaten in days, have you?"
"I… d-don't know."
Tanjiro placed his hand on her head gently. "Wait here. I'll get food."
---
He walked through the ruined streets, using his smell to track down even the faintest scent of preserved food. Eventually, he found a broken-down grocery store — its windows shattered, shelves dusty and empty. But behind the counter, trapped beneath a fallen board, were a few half-crushed packs of biscuits and two sealed loaves of bread.
"They'll do."
He brushed away the dust and carried them outside.
Sakura's eyes sparkled as if she'd been given a feast. Tanjiro gave her most of the food — biscuits, bread, and even some packaged snacks. He sat beside her, quietly chewing his share.
Sakura munched on a biscuit, then looked up shyly.
"Tanjiro… who are you really?"
He took a breath.
"I was… once a Demon Slayer."
She blinked, confused. "A demon slayer? What's that?"
Tanjiro stared toward the distant skyline as he answered.
"There used to be an organization — people who dedicated their lives to defeating demons. We protected humans from attacks in the night."
He tightened his fist.
"Because demons couldn't walk under sunlight. It burned them instantly."
Sakura's biscuit slipped from her hand.
"But… they were outside when the sun was out…"
"Yes," Tanjiro said quietly. "That shocked me too."
He told her — not everything, but what she needed to understand.
"Something terrible happened. Muzan… the king of demons… took control of my body. I died that day."
Sakura gasped softly.
"But here I am now," Tanjiro continued, eyes steady. "Somehow alive again. And I'm searching for my sister, my friends… and whoever still survives."
Sakura hugged her knees. "I see…"
He smiled gently. "Don't worry. I won't let demons hurt you again."
She studied him for a moment — the calm certainty in his voice, the gentle fire in his eyes.
"Tanjiro…" Sakura whispered, "I want to help you. I know every corner of Tokyo. Every alley, every subway station. My parents used to bring me here every week… It was our place to relax."
Tanjiro felt something warm twist in his chest.
Her determination… her courage despite loss… reminded him of Nezuko.
He looked at Sakura's small hands, shaking slightly but clenched with resolve.
She's just like Nezuko…
A quiet vow formed in his heart.
I'll protect her too. With everything I have.
He nodded gently. "Then I'll rely on you, Sakura."
A faint smile appeared on her face — the first genuine one since they met.
Tanjiro stood and stretched, sensing the faint breeze shift directions. "We should move. If humans are hiding or if Giyu-san is alive, they must be underground or in shelters."
Sakura jumped off the table. "Then we should start with the subway! People always go underground in emergencies. And Tokyo's subway connects everywhere!"
Tanjiro nodded. That matched his own conclusion.
"Lead the way."
Sakura puffed her tiny chest proudly. "Yes!"
Together, they walked toward the broken staircase leading down to the subway tunnels. The world around them was silent — painfully so. Windows blown out, streets filled with dust, cars frozen where they stopped years ago. It felt like Tokyo had become a massive graveyard.
Yet in the middle of all that stillness walked a little girl… and a Demon Slayer who had died once before.
"Tanjiro," Sakura asked softly as they walked, "do you think we'll find survivors?"
Tanjiro's eyes hardened — cold, determined, filled with the weight of two thousand years of battle.
"We will," he said firmly. "And I'll protect every one of them. I won't let Muzan do this again."
Sakura nodded, believing him completely.
The subway entrance loomed ahead — dark, silent, and cold.
Tanjiro tightened his grip on his blade.
"Sakura… stay behind me."
She grabbed the back of his haori.
"Okay."
And together, they stepped into the darkness — the first steps of a journey to find the living… and to kill the Demon King who had stolen their world.
Because Tanjiro Kamado had returned.
And this time, Muzan would face not the kind boy of the past—
but the cold, immortal swordsman forged across 2000 years of suffering.
A storm was coming.
And Tanjiro walked straight into it.