Demon home

[Scene: A young boy, Tanjirou, carries his sister, Nezuko, on his back through the snow. Nezuko is bleeding from a wound on her head.] Tanjirou (Thoughts) How…? (Thoughts) How did this happen? Nezuko, don’t die! Don’t die on me! I’m gonna save you no matter what! I won’t let you die! I swear your big brother will save you no matter what! [Scene: At a small cabin in the mountains, during the morning. Tanjirou takes up a basket of charcoal on his back and is preparing to leave the house.] Kie Tanjirou? Your face is covered in soot. Come over here. [Action: Kie comes out of the house and wipes Tanjirou’s face with a towel.] Kie It’s dangerous with all this snow. You don’t have to go, you know. Tanjirou Well, I want everyone to eat their fill on New Year’s, so I’m gonna sell as much charcoal as I can. Kie Thank you. Shigeru Big Bro! Tanjirou Hmm? [Action: Tanjirou’s younger brother and sister, Shigeru and Hanako, come running to Tanjirou. Another brother, Takeo comes out from behind them.] Shigeru You’re going to town again today? Hanako I’m going with you! Kie Oh no, you’re not. You know you can’t walk fast like Tanjirou. Shigeru Mom! Kie You may not. Since he can’t use the cart today, he won’t be able to give you a ride when you’re tired. Shigeru Big Bro! [Action: Shigeru runs to Tanjirou and clings onto him.] Hanako I wanna go with you! I promise I’ll help you! [Action: Tanjirou pats Hanako’s head.] Tanjirou Thanks, Hanako. But you’re staying home today. Hanako What~? Tanjirou You too, Shigeru. But I’ll get you tons of goodies, okay? Shigeru Really? Tanjirou Yeah. And Hanako, I’ll read for you when I’m back. Hanako Yeah! Tanjirou That’s a good girl. Kie Thank you so much, Tanjirou. Tanjirou Sure. Okay, I’ll be heading out now. Takeo, will you chop as much wood as you can? Takeo Sure, I’ll do it, but… I was hoping we could do it together. [Action: Tanjirou walks over to Takeo and pats his head.] Tanjirou There, there. [Action: Takeo jumps away from Tanjirou’s hand.] Takeo What’s with that all of a sudden? Shigeru You’re blushing, Take! Takeo Hey, you shut up! Tanjirou There, there. [Action: Tanjirou continues patting Takeo’s head, and Takeo jumps away again.] Takeo I said cut it out! [Action: All of the family laughs, and Tanjirou sets out for town with his three siblings and Kie watching him.] Shigeru Hurry back, okay? Hanako Be safe, okay? [Action: As Tanjirou walks off, Nezuko appears, carrying their youngest brother, Rokuta, on her back.] Nezuko Big Brother! Tanjirou Hey, Nezuko. Nezuko I was putting Rokuta down for a nap, or he’d make a scene when you leave. He misses Dad a lot since he passed away. [Action: Tanjirou pats Rokuta’s head lightly.] Nezuko And everyone follows you wherever you go. See you later. [Action: Tanjirou continues making his way toward town.] Tanjirou (Thoughts) We don’t have an easy life, but we’re happy. (Thoughts) But life could change suddenly like the weather. It shifts and moves on. (Thoughts) It’s not like it always stays sunny, and it’s not like it ever snows endlessly. (Thoughts) And… whenever happiness is destroyed, there’s always… the smell of blood. [Scene: In town during the morning. Tanjirou has made it down the mountain. He speaks to townsfolk down the street.] Woman 1 Well now, Tanjirou! I can’t believe you came down from the mountain on a day like this. You’re such a hard worker! You might catch a cold, you know? Tanjirou This is nothing, really. Do you have enough charcoal? Man 1 Hey, Tanjirou! Tanjirou Hmm? Man 1 Can I have some charcoal? Man 2 Thanks for fixing my sliding doors the other day. Woman 2 I’ll need some charcoal, too! [Action: A door opens behind Tanjirou, revealing a woman holding a boy by the scruff of his clothes. The boy has blood coming from his mouth.] Boy Ah, Tanjirou! Oh man, perfect timing! [Action: The boy runs over to Tanjirou. He kneels and shows a bundle to Tanjirou.] Boy I’ve been accused of breaking this plate! Help me out, will you? Sniff it! [Action: Tanjirou leans down toward the bundle holding the shattered dish and sniffs it.] Tanjirou I smell a cat. Boy You see?! Woman 3 Oh my, so it was a cat? Boy I told you it wasn’t me! Man 3 Tanjirou! Can you give me a hand with this luggage? [Scene: At night. Tanjirou is making his way back up the mountain.] Tanjirou Jeez, it’s late already. I’m glad they’re sold out, though. Saburou Hey, Tanjirou! Tanjirou Hmm? [Action: Tanjirou turns around toward Saburou in his house at the base of the mountain.] Saburou Are you gonna go back to the mountain? You’d better not. It’s too dangerous. Tanjirou I’ve got a great sense of smell, so I’ll be fine. Saburou I’ll put you up for the night. Come on. Get back here. Tanjirou But… Saburou Don’t argue! Come on! Before the demons show up. [Scene: In Saburou’s house. Tanjirou is given a meal and finishes it.] Tanjirou Thanks for the meal! Hey, Old Man Saburo, what are demons like? Saburou Man-eating demons have always prowled the land once it gets dark. That’s why you should never stroll around at night. If you’re done eating, go to bed. You can set off for home at first light. [Action: Tanjirou lays down for bed.] Tanjirou These demons wouldn’t come inside your house, would they? Saburou Yes, they’d come in. Tanjirou Then, everyone would get eaten up by the demons. Saburou That’s why the demon hunters protect us by slaying them since way back when. Lights out now. Go to sleep. [Action: Saburou turns out to lights.] Tanjirou (Thoughts) Old Man Saburo is all alone after losing his whole family, so he must be lonely. (Thoughts) I’ll bring my brothers and sisters next time and say, “You don’t have to be scared. There are no demons. You’re safe.” (Thoughts) But, come to think of it, my grandma used to say the same thing when she was alive. [Scene: The next morning. Tanjirou is leaving for the mountain.] Saburou You be careful now. Tanjirou Okay! (Thoughts) Whenever happiness is destroyed, there’s always… [Action: On his way home, Tanjirou sniffs the air.] Tanjirou The smell of blood! [Action: Tanjirou races up the mountain and arrives at his house. He stops in his tracks. On the ground in front of the door are Nezuko and Rokuta, surrounded by a pool of blood.] Tanjirou Ahhh!!! Nezuko! [Action: Tanjirou runs to Nezuko and kneels down beside her.] Tanjirou What happened? What’s going on?! What happened here?! [Action: Tanjurou turns to look into the house. He gets up and walks only a few steps inside.] Tanjirou Mom… [Action: Tanjirou falls to the ground. Kie and all his siblings are dead, and the walls and floor of the house are covered with blood.] Tanjirou Mom… Hanako… Takeo… Shigeru… Nezuko… Rokuta…! [Action: Tanjirou runs down the mountain, carrying Nezuko on his back.] Tanjirou (Thoughts) Nezuko’s the only one who’s still warm! (Thoughts) If I can get her to a doctor, she might survive! (Thoughts) How did this happen? (Thoughts) Was it a bear? Was it a bear that wasn’t able to hibernate? (Thoughts) I can’t breathe! The air’s so icy! My lungs hurt! (Thoughts) Keep moving forward! Move your legs faster! (Thoughts) We still have a long way to go before we reach town. Hurry! (Thoughts) I won’t let you die! [Action: Nezuko’s fingers twitch.] Tanjirou (Thoughts) I’m gonna save you no matter what! (Thoughts) I swear your big brother will save you no matter what! [Action: Nezuko awakens. Her eyes are completely white, and she begins growling.] Tanjirou Ah! Nezuko Uraaa!! [Action: Nezuko pulls on Tanjirou’s shoulders, and the two go tumbling down a cliff.] Tanjirou (Thoughts) Oh no! Ahh!! [Action: Tanjirou lands on his back in the snow.] Tanjirou (Thoughts) I was saved by the snow. I slipped because of the snow to begin with. Nezuko? [Action: Tanjirou looks around for Nezuko. She stands far from him, barefoot and head hung low.] Tanjirou Nezuko, are you alright? You don’t have to walk! I’ll carry you to town, okay? [Action: Tanjirou runs over to Nezuko.] Tanjirou Nezuko! [Action: Nezuko raises her head. Veins pop from her face, and her teeth are sharp. She lunges toward Tanjirou.] Nezuko Arhh!! Tanjirou Wah! [Action: Before Nezuko can bite him, Tanjirou takes the axe from his belt and puts the handle between Nezuko’s teeth. They struggle, but Nezuko pushes Tanjirou down into the snow. Tanjirou continues to push Nezuko away with the axe handle.] Tanjirou (Thoughts) Sh-She’s… a demon! (Thoughts) I just remembered what Old Man Saburou told me. (Thoughts) Nezuko’s a man-eating demon? (Thoughts) No! Nezuko’s been a human ever since she was born! (Thoughts) However, she no longer has Nezuko’s scent. (Thoughts) But it wasn’t Nezuko’s doing! (Thoughts) She was lying as if she was protecting Rokuta, and there was no blood on her mouth or hands. (Thoughts) And there was one more… There was one more scent! [Action: Nezuko’s body trembles.] Tanjirou Sh-She just grew in size! (Thoughts) And she’s getting stronger and stronger! (Thoughts) While I was sleeping carelessly at Saburou’s house, they were murdered brutally like that! (Thoughts) I know it must’ve hurt! You suffered, didn’t you? (Thoughts) I’m so sorry I couldn’t save you. (Thoughts) If only I could help Nezuko at least… (Thoughts) But she’s too strong for me to push her back! Nezuko! Hang in there, Nezuko! Don’t give in! You gotta hang in there! [Action: Someone is running toward Tanjirou and Nezuko.] Tanjirou Don’t turn into a demon! You gotta stay strong! Hang in there! Hang in there! [Action: Tears fall from Nezuko and drop onto Tanjirou’s face. Tomioka reaches Tanjirou and Nezuko. He jumps into the air to attack Nezuko, but Nezuko realizes his presence. Before she can attack, Tanjirou pushes her out of the way, causing Tomioka to cut off some of Tanjirou’s hair. Tanjirou and Nezuko are blown back into a tree.] Tanjirou (Thoughts) What the… (Thoughts) Who’s that? (Thoughts) A sword? Tomioka Why are you protecting it? Tanjirou She’s my sister! She’s my younger sister! [Action: Nezuko begins growling again and trying to get away from Tanjirou.] Tanjirou Nezuko! Nezuko Uauhhh! Tomioka You call that thing your sister? [Action: Tomioka launches himself at Tanjirou and Nezuko, ready to strike. Tanjirou moves to protect Nezuko, but realizes that she is no longer under him. When he looks up, Tomioka is holding her in the distance by the scruff of her clothes.] Tanjirou Nezuko! Tomioka Don’t move. Tanjirou Ah... Tomioka My job is to slay demons. Needless to say, I’m going to decapitate your sister. Tanjirou Hold on! Nezuko hasn’t killed anyone! Back at my house, there was another scent that I’d never smelled before! That’s probably the one who killed my family! It wasn’t Nezuko! I don’t know why she turned into something like that, but… but still…! Tomioka It’s quite simple. Because her wounds were exposed to demon blood, she turned into a demon. That’s how man-eating demons multiply. Tanjirou Nezuko would never eat humans! Tomioka You gotta be kidding. Just now, you were about to be devoured. Tanjirou You’re wrong! I’m sure she knows who I am! I won’t let her hurt anyone! I’m going to turn Nezuko back into a human! I swear I’ll heal her! Tomioka She can’t be healed. Once you become a demon, you can never go back to being human. Tanjirou I’ll find a way, no matter what! So, please… don’t kill her! I’ll hunt down the one who slaughtered my family! [Action: Tomioka readies his sword to kill Nezuko.] Tanjirou I’ll make everything alright! Please! Please!! Don’t do it! (Thoughts) Don’t take anyone else from me. [Action: Tanjirou gets on his knees and bows with his head to the ground.] Tanjirou I’m begging you not to… Please… don’t kill my younger sister! Please don’t do it. I’m begging you… Tomioka Grr… Don’t ever give others a chance to murder you! Tanjirou Wha… Tomioka Stop that pathetic groveling! If it was the least bit effective, your family wouldn’t be dead! Can a weakling who can’t take the initiative in such a situation heal his sister?! Hunt down the enemy?! Don’t make me laugh! The weak have no rights or choices! Their only fate is to be relentlessly crushed by the strong! The demons might know how to cure your sister! But don’t think that a demon would respect your will or wishes! Naturally, I have no respect for you, either! That’s reality! Why did you throw yourself over your sister earlier? Was that your way of protecting her? Why didn’t you swing your hatchet? Why did you show your back to me? All those blunders led to your sister’s capture! I could have skewered her along with you! (Thoughts) Don’t cry. Don’t despair. Now’s not the time for that. (Thoughts) I know you’re devastated. (Thoughts) Your family was massacred, and your sister’s become a demon. (Thoughts) I know it’s painful. I know you want to scream. I get it. (Thoughts) If only I’d gotten here a half-day sooner, your family might not have ended up dead. (Thoughts) But there’s no way to turn back time. (Thoughts) Feel the rage. The powerful, pure rage of not being able to forgive will become your answering drive to take action! (Thoughts) With such a fragile resolve like yours, you can’t protect your sister or heal her, or get revenge for your family! [Action: Tomioka glares at Tanjirou and readies his sword again to kill Nezuko.] Tanjirou No! Nezuko Arghhh! Ahhh!! [Action: Tomioka stabs Nezuko in the chest.] Tanjirou Stop! [Action: Tanjirou throws a rock at Tomioka, who bounces it off his sword. Tanjirou then gets up, grabs his hatchet, and runs through the trees, continuing to throw rocks at Tomioka. When he gets close enough, Tanjirou runs toward Tomioka to attack.] Tanjirou Arghhhh!! Tomioka (Thoughts) A straightforward attack driven solely by emotion… You fool! [Action: Tomioka hits Tanjirou with the butt of his sword, knocking Tanjirou out cold. Nezuko stops struggling and stares at Tanjirou’s body on the ground.] Tomioka (Thoughts) Hmm? Where’s his hatchet? [Action: Tanjirou’s hatchet comes flying through the air from above, striking the tree behind Tomioka’s head.] Tomioka (Thoughts) Just before he hid behind the tree, he hurled that rock toward me and, at the same time, tossed the hatchet in the air. (Thoughts) He hid his hands as he pretended to attack so I wouldn’t realize he was unarmed. (Thoughts) He knew he couldn’t beat me. (Thoughts) He tried to bring me down after I struck him! (Thoughts) This kid… Nezuko Uaar!! [Action: Nezuko breaks free from Tomioka’s grasp and kicks him away. She runs toward Tanjirou.] Tomioka Damn! She’ll devour him! [Action: Nezuko kneels in front of Tanjirou’s unconcious body to shield him.] Tanjirou (Flashback) Nezuko… It wasn’t Nezuko! She’d never eat humans! Nezuko Graahh! [Action: Nezuko lunges toward Tomioka. She begins attacking him. He dodges her attacks.] Tomioka (Thoughts) Long ago, someone said the same thing, only to be devoured by a demon. (Thoughts) When a demon is starving, it will kill and devour even its own parents or siblings because they’re nutrient-rich. (Thoughts) I’ve seen it happen more times than I can count. (Thoughts) This girl has been wounded, and she’s expending energy to heal those injuries. (Thoughts) She must’ve drained vast amounts of her strength as she transformed into a demon. (Thoughts) That means she’s severely starved at this moment, without a doubt. (Thoughts) She must’ve wanted to feast on a human right away, even if it’s her own brother… (Thoughts) Yet she protected him instead, and she even intimidated me… [Action: Nezuko jumps to a tree and lunges at Tomioka again. He sheathes his sword.] Nezuko Grr!! Tomioka (Thoughts) I wonder… These siblings might be… different from others. [Action: Tomioka strikes Nezuko at the side of her neck, knocking her out cold.] [Scene: In Tanjirou’s unconsciousness. Tanjirou is lying face down. Kie and his dead siblings surround him.] Kie I’m sorry to leave you behind, Tanjirou. Take care of Nezuko for me, all right? [Scene: In the real world. Tanjirou is still face-down in the snow. He grabs onto the nearest thing he can. Nezuko is laid down next to him on her back. She has a bamboo gag in her mouth, attached by a length of fabric tied around her head.] Tanjirou Wha… Tomioka You awake? Tanjirou Ah…! [Action: Tanjirou gets up and moves to protect Nezuko.] Tomioka Go see an old man named Sakonji Urokodaki who lives at the foot of Mt. Sagiri. Tell him that Giyuu Tomioka sent you. She seems to be alright since it’s cloudy now, but never let her be exposed to the sunlight, okay? [Action: Tomioka disappears in a flash. Tanjirou returns home to bury his family.] Tanjirou Let’s go. [Action: Tanjirou and Nezuko head down the mountain.]