Fumiko Nanami

Backstory

Fumiko's family didn't always live in the woods. Her mother was a flapper who would sing at bars, while her father was a musician who would perform anywhere he could get a gig. After playing a song together they fell in love and became quite popular in the city. However, money got to their heads and they began fighting, almost to the point of divorce. They eventually came to their senses and realized what money was doing to them. They quit their music careers and spent the last of their money building a house far off in the woods where they could live happily together and without the pressure of the world's eyes on them. All that remains of their past lives are some old records and photos scattered around everywhere.

A little while after, Fumiko was born. Her parents were ecstatic to have a child and they made sure to spend every moment they could with her. Her mother taught her how to garden and sing, while her father showed her how to play the piano and climb trees. They would spend every night singing together and her parents would often tell her about their lives in the city. When Fumiko was around 7, her parents went out for an evening walk and told her they would be back in an hour. An hour past. Then two. Then five. Until the sun came up.  Fumiko looked everywhere for her parents, hoping they just got lost, but she found nothing. No signs if they were dead or alive, or if they were even there to begin with. It was as if they just flew away without a word. 

For the next 7 years, Fumiko lived completely alone, with her cat as her only family member. She continued to develop the garden her mother left behind and even started growing new plants. She grew herbs, foragers food, and even some pretty purple flowers. She eventually learned to make medicine with the plants she grew and developed a unique taste to help her determine what herbs would be good for medicine. She eventually started wandering away from home during the day, looking for food, sketching new plants in her journal, and climbing trees in hopes to find some trace of her parents. She thought about leaving her home many times. She knew where the city was, they had maps. But something kept her there. Though she knew it was a lost cause she stayed in the forest year after year with the little hope she had left.

One day a demon slayer by the name of Chizuyo was assigned on a mission, to get to her destination faster her crow had decided to guide her through the forest. However, this proved to be more challenging than expected, as even the crow found herself lost in the gigantic and hectic forest. After a few days of wandering around completely lost, Chizuyo finds herself face to face with Fumiko, who was perched on a tree branch looking for something. What you may ask? No clue. Fumiko introduced herself and told Chizuyo that she seemed sick and offered her a place to stay. Chizuyo agreed wearily and the two found themselves in Fumiko's cottage.

Fumiko gave Chizuyo food, water, and some flowers to help her feel better. She also gave her some medicine she had recently made to help with hunger pains. Even though Fumiko had a wisteria garden, Chiuzyo was suspicious of her, thinking she might have an ulterior motive. However, after some talking and reluctantly singing some songs with Fumiko, Chizuyo eventually calmed down and was even able to sleep for a while. However, her rest was interrupted by a presence. Chizuyo hadn't noticed before due to her lack of food and water but there was a demon a little way away. Even if the presence was faint Chizuyo knew that she couldn't just ignore it. She woke up Fumiko and explained the situation. Fumiko quickly got out of bed to help her, and despite Chizuyo's protests, she came along. To help pinpoint the location, Fumiko tasted the dirt and torn-up trees to find the direction, while Chizuyo used her sense to find the general location. They eventually came upon the cave the giant demon was sleeping in. At first, it seemed peaceful enough, but then it got a sniff of Fumiko and Chizuyo. It rosed from its sleep and bared its teeth at them like an animal. It snarled and pounced at Chizuyo. Chizuyo did everything she could to keep Fumkio safe and eventually slayed the demon. After its death, Chizuyo and Fumiko wordlessly walked back to the cottaged. Fumiko patched her up and then went to her room. After an hour or so she came out with a packed bag. She asked Chizuyo to take her to a place where she could help the slayers. She couldn't fight but she could be of use as a medic. Chizuyo agreed and after another day of rest, they head off. Fumiko took one last look at her house, picked up her cat, and walked off with Chizyuo. She was ready to go. 

After a couple of days of travel, they made it back to the Butterfly Estate. Fumiko immediately began her medic training, while Chizuyo took time to heal from their journey as not she was not fully recovered yet. Fumiko learned how to care for the slayers, and refined her knowledge of herbs and medicines. She even gave the patients some of her own handmade medicine. She was even on the cleanup crew for a little while as a part of her training. A year passed and although she was still new, Fumiko had past knowledge of plant and herbs which made learning much easier. She eventually meet Insouke, along with Tanjiro and Zenitsu. She even went along with them sometimes. Fumiko's training is almost complete, and she can't wait to help out the slayers with her abilities!