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Chapter Text

Tanjirou slipped on his black-and-green haori over his thick padded yukata. He ran his hands over his hakama, still trying to get used to wearing them after growing up years simply wearing komon kimono. As a male omega, it was traditional to wear less masculine clothes to show your dynamic. But wearing hakama was much more practical when travelling down to the nearby village to sell the charcoal.

Tanjuro, his alpha father, always proudly proclaimed how he's truly blessed by the deities for giving him six omega children. He always reminded his children to embrace their dynamic proudly and Tanjirou had never felt anything but comfortable being an omega. He had taken his lessons such as cooking and sewing like a duck to water. He had the practice of proper mothering when Takeo, Hanako, and Shigeru were babies until they were toddlers. When Rokuta was born, Nezuko wanted her turn on the lesson and Tanjirou watched how wonderful she was taking care of their youngest baby brother.

Ever since his father passed away, their hardships became harsher in each new season and he tried to shoulder as many responsibilities as he could. It didn't matter that he's an omega. All of his siblings; Nezuko, Takeo, Hanako, and Shigeru had shared the responsibilities with minimal complaints even though they were still children. He was still the eldest son and had lived through thirteen summers. He just wanted to lessen the burden of his omega mother by taking care of all of them.

He tied his hair into a ponytail before caressing one of his hanafuda earrings which he inherited from his father. His heart clenched painfully, missing his father very much even though he had mentally prepared for his passing as he had been sick for nearly a year. After all, his father never hid his sickness from the whole family. A few days before his death, Tanjuro had talked to his eldest son alone.

"There are so many things that I won't ever be able to do as a father. Things like threatening your alpha if they don't treat you right," he laughed at his own joke and Tanjirou could only smile back. "I wish I could see you grow into a man, and married and have children," he continued as he brushed Tanjirou's hair with a wistful smile. There's a painful twinge in his chest as the older man spoke, tears started to blur the sight of his father.

Tanjirou threw his arms around his father, squeezed his eyes shut as he tried his hardest not to cry. "I don't want you to die," he breathed into his father's robe. His father embraced him back as he played with the curls of his hair.

"You have to be brave when I'm gone. I wanted you to know that I'm so proud of you. You're a very strong omega, Tanjirou." Tanjuro tapped his nose lightly. "And you've got an amazing ability in scenting, unlike anyone." He pressed a kiss on his forehead and smiled. "If you ever felt lost, just trust your nose and your omega instinct." It had felt like the last important lesson from his father on that day.

"Tanjirou."

He snapped out of his thoughts. He must have been so lost in his memories of his late father that he didn't realise he's already outside of the house with the basket of charcoal on his back. His omega mother, Kie, had looked at him with fond exasperation. "Your face is all black. Come over here." She reached out to Tanjirou with a clean cloth. He must have wiped his sweat with his hands after he picked up all the charcoals and ended up with dark soot all over his face.

His mother told him there's no need for him to go since it's snowing but had relented in the end when Tanjirou told her about their family needing food for New Year which would make the rest of his siblings happy during this hardship. Winter had always been harsher for them than any seasons because they cannot hunt animals and there were no vegetable crops that would grow so the Kamado family had to usually rely on buying food from the village. Selling the charcoals was the only way to get some money and food to survive this long winter.

After a few minutes delay trying to stop Hanako and Shigeru from following him, listening to Takeo who complained that he's chopping woods on his own, and ensuring Nezuko who was carrying a sleeping Rokuta on her back that he would stay safe, Tanjirou walked on the familiar mountain trail almost two hours. If it wasn't snowing, he would have reached the town in an hour.

The villagers had greeted him with a warm smile and sometimes pity in their eyes. He knew how they looked at him. An omega with cracked lips, his face pale from the cold wind which made the burnt scar on the top left of his forehead even more prominent. He had hardship shown all over his face, his clothes, and his rough hands.

Tanjirou usually ignored it and greeted everyone with a friendly smile. He sold all the charcoals, helped with some chores, even identified the culprit that broke a vase, and lastly, he helped all the excited female and male omega who flocked around him.

"Tanjirou, can you scent this handkerchief? I hope she is the one for me!"

"Please smell this scarf. Is he my fated alpha?"

Sometimes, two or three alpha would approach him shyly and ask him to smell something belonging from their intended omega.

"Does her scent show that she will be mine?"

"Did you smell him, Tanjirou? I hope I'm his mate."

Tanjirou had an uncanny ability to scent one's fated mate. It was well-known around the village. The first time it happened, he's nearly approaching his seventh summer. He had joined his father to the village and sold charcoal to the head of the village. Tanjirou scented something in the air and had blurted out to his father that a young alpha farmer and the omega son of the head of the village were fated mates because their scents were almost a match and seemed to reach out for each other. The adults who heard of this had merely laughed as if he's merely jesting. But a year after that, they were married and since then had been so happy together they had several children years later. Along those years, Tanjirou had made several predictions of fated mates based on their scents and not once he had been wrong. The whole family had joked that Tanjirou received more payment just from scenting future mates than selling charcoals.

Fated mates were a dream come true for every alpha-omega pair. The deities made them for each other which made them truly blessed. Fated mates were eternal soulmates. They were the kind of couple with a happily ever after story. Because of that, fated mates usually have more children and have a more harmonious relationship in the family than alpha-beta, omega-beta and even beta-beta pairs. However, not everyone was lucky enough to meet who they were destined for. So, they were many who would settle with their partner whose scents were compatible with theirs. Tanjirou always prayed to the deities that he would be as fortunate as his own parents who were fated mates.

Sometimes, Tanjirou wondered how he would react if he found his own fated alpha among the scents in the air. He hoped it would not happen so soon. A few more years to mature, Tanjirou had a muted scent that signalled others he was merely an omega child. Once he's a few months from his first heat then his scent would change to entice compatible alpha to be his mate. Usually omega reached their first heat at the age of sixteen and alpha would get their first rut at the age of seventeen. There were cases of those who had their heat or rut earlier and that only happened due to certain environments or triggers that had to force them to mature early.

The thought of heat and to mate with a stranger made Tanjirou feel anxious. He wasn't ready yet. He couldn't comprehend being intimate with someone. Since Tanjuro's passing, his mother was afraid that he might mature early and had started educating him about mating. It had been a very awkward and embarrassing talk. But Tanjirou would comfort himself that the deities would give him a kind and gentle mate, that his alpha would treat him with respect and love like how his parents were to each other.

-

Tanjirou felt lighter in his chest with the nonexistent weight of the empty basket on his back. He was happy he had money that can buy food to last the family until New Year day. He also bought a bag of uncooked rice and raw meat that was wrapped with leaves that his family could feast on tomorrow.

"Hey, Tanjirou. Are you returning to the mountain?" Saburouji called out to him. The old beta man whose wife had passed away a decade ago, had been a friend to the Kamado family even before Tanjirou was born. He made beautiful wagasa and sold them to a few villages. Tanjirou rarely saw him out of his house during winter as Saburouji usually busy preparing ceremonial wagasa for weddings in the spring season. "It's dangerous to travel at this time."

"My nose can smell anything. I'll be fine." Tanjirou trusted his nose, which was able to scent for any wild predators in the mountain such as bears and wolves. Even though the sun had already set and dark shadows creeping up along the mountain trail, Tanjirou wasn't afraid of anything.

"A demon will attack you!"

It sounded preposterous and Tanjirou nearly laughed, thinking that the old beta was simply pulling his legs, but he caught the scent of genuine fear from Saburouji. Tanjirou was feeling nervous suddenly. His omega instinct told him that he's not safe to walk alone through the mountain trails without an alpha to protect him.

He agreed to stay the night at the old man's house. The beta had prepared a simple dinner; freshly cooked rice with hot shinshu miso soup filled with several pieces of white tofu and dried seaweed. Saburouji told him stories about demons prowling at night and eating humans while Tanjirou was enjoying his delicious warm meal. In his entire life, never once he heard about demons. Even his father had never mentioned them but had always warned his children to never wander outside the house once the sun started to set.

"Can demons enter a house?" Tanjirou asked as he prepared himself to sleep early so that he could go back home at dawn. Saburouji was kind enough to lend him his wife's old futon which he apologized for, if it smelled musty since he had not aired them since the beginning of winter. Tanjirou did not mind. He could fall asleep almost on any surface.

"Of course they can," he replied and Tanjirou felt the slightest trickle of anxiousness creeping in. He pulled his blanket tighter around himself as he murmured, "Then the demons would eat everyone."

"There have been hunters who call themselves demon slayers since a long time ago. They protect us and kill these demons."

As Tanjirou was falling asleep, he told himself there's nothing for him to be worried about because demons did not exist.

-

The scent of blood was so heavy, Tanjirou nearly suffocated by its pungent smell. But he kept running towards his house until he saw two bodies on the snowy ground. He froze. Nezuko with Rokuta in her arms, blood all over them and on the snow. His heart dropped to the pit of his stomach. There's so much blood. Blood. Everywhere. Blood. Nezuko. Blood. Rokuta. Blood.

He didn't know how he could move his legs after that, getting closer to them, towards Nezuko and Rokuta's cold bloody bodies. His nose twitched as a more penetrating scent came from inside the house. His gaze turned into the house and bile rose to his throat; Mutilated bodies of his mother and the rest of his siblings scattered all over the small living room. Blood on the walls. On the floor. On the doors. All over okaa-san. Hanako. Takeo. Shigeru. Everywhere. Blood. He felt numb. And cold. He's trembling. It's harder to breathe.

He touched Nezuko and Rokuta first since they were just within his reach. Their bodies were as solid as ice from exposure to the frigid cold. Their death must have happened many hours ago while Tanjirou was sleeping peacefully, comfortably and warm. He should have never agreed to stay the night with Saburouji. He should have not gone to the village to sell charcoal. He could have stayed with his family, protecting all of them from whatever that had killed them. Bears, maybe. Or wolves. Demons.

He fell to his knees, unable to move his legs to step into the house. He knew there's nothing he could do from touching what's left of his mother and the rest of his siblings. Hanako's dead eyes were wide open in horror and Tanjirou knew that image would stay with him for the rest of his life. The scent of death hung in the air as if time had not touched them after death, like the moment had been frozen for Tanjirou to see the final moments of his family.

This was a dream.

No. A nightmare. A crazy nightmare that he wished he could wake up from now.

He screamed until his voice hoarse.

He cried until there were no more tears to shed.

He prayed to the deities to take him, to plunge something sharp into his chest, to open up his body and tear open the tissues and muscles, break all his ribs and eat his heart.

He should have perished with the rest of his family.

Tanjirou wanted to die.

-

Tanjirou had no idea how long he stayed frozen on the ground. The snow fell relentlessly as the world kept moving on. Most of his legs until his thighs were buried under the snow. It's cold but it didn't matter because everything inside him had already died. Died with Nezuko. Died with okaa-san. Died with Hanako, Takeo, Shigeru, and my sweet baby brother, Rokuta.

The snow continued to bury him and the cold was drowning his lungs. It's a painful way to die but he deserved it.

Then, Tanjirou smelled him.

He heard running footsteps coming towards him. The person had stopped the moment he reached his house, breathing harshly through his mouth, as if he had rushed through the mountain for many days to reach Tanjirou.

Tanjirou scented shock and grief and anger from the person. But under those scents, he sensed something sweet, earthy and the telltale spiciness that indicated the person was an alpha. His voice was soft and deep when he spoke, "I'm too late. I'm sorry. If only I was fast enough- I should've-" There was a pause. A hand touched his shoulder. "I'm so sorry."

Tanjirou finally stirred and realised how it's getting harder to breathe. His head shifted towards the person standing beside him. He noticed the katana first in the young man's hand, the haori, the black gakuran, and then his gaze finally met summer blue eyes. The smells of lilac, almond and cedar wood wrapped around Tanjirou like a blanket. The alpha smelled like hope, future and eternity. His breath hitched. The alpha actually smelled like home. The omega knew this person as if they had been born for no one but each other. My fated alpha.

Fresh tears springing to his eyes. He reached out without a second thought and grabbed the mismatched haori, instinctively seeking comfort from the alpha as he pulled himself closer to the young man, crying even harder into the other's chest. The deities were truly ruthless and kind to Tanjirou, for his mate found him on the same day when he had lost everything in his life.

-

Giyuu had been tracking through the forest non-stop for two days without any rest until he reached the foot of the mountain. He had stopped a moment to sense the demonic presence in the mountain. He felt them and his nichirin blade was hungry for their blood. So the past hours he had been running towards the top of the mountain as if his life depended on it, like there's something important that he had to protect. Along the way, he had killed three demons but his alpha instinct was still agitated.

As a demon slayer, he had mainly trusted his human instinct which had always helped him to survive a fight with bigger and stronger demons. Unlike now, his alpha instinct didn't work hand in hand with his instinct as a man. This time was different though. His gut told him something terrible had happened in the mountain, it's the way how quiet the trees around him are, how there's a sense of ominous at every climb he took. His alpha instinct was howling at him to be faster and he wondered if he had imagined the wailing sound among the wind. It might be an animal that had gotten hurt in a trap, but the thought that it might be a human had made him push his tired muscles at its limit. He fought against the falling snow that fell relentlessly, nearly blinding him. His haori and gakuran were soaked to his skin and his wet hair plastered all over his face and his neck.

What felt like forever or a few hours, he finally smelled it. He barely felt the cold as he kept running and running until his lungs were filled with the scent of blood and death. Then he saw the boy. Most of his lower body was buried in the snow. White pure snow landed on his burgundy hair like an icy crown and there was ice hung on the boy's eyelashes like pretty diamonds. He looked like a doll, broken and strangely beautiful. Giyuu might think the boy was frozen to death if it wasn't for the puff of hot air emitted from those almost-blue pale lips.

He staggered on his feet and stopped. He sucked in as much air as he could, feeling his sore muscles screaming in relieved from the rest. He looked around and saw the two bodies next to the boy and the other mutilated bodies inside the house. The way they were killed struck a chord in his chest. It was cruel and messy. Years of being a demon slayer, he never got used to it. Remorse surged in his heart for the boy. He blamed himself for being too late, for not being faster. Frustration and guilt burnt inside him.

Giyuu apologized, and he started rambling, which was so unlike him, and he's disappointed with himself for being unable to apologize properly. He stretched his fingers and brushed the boy's cold shoulder. "I'm so sorry."

He's not sure what exactly happened, but the touch had kindled something inside the boy, because next thing he knew, the boy had a strong grip on his haori that he almost lost his balance. The boy cried with his face buried into his wet gakuran, his head barely reached Giyuu's chin. An odd piercing feeling struck him as he listened to the boy crying his heart out. Giyuu covered him with one arm, albeit feeling awkward for doing so as he's not the type of person to offer comfort to people. Besides, people do not seek comfort from him either. He's Tomioka Giyuu, the Water Pillar. He was supposed to be aloof and guarded. But this boy seemed so tiny and fragile that it strangely affected Giyuu. He could almost taste the muted sweet scent which indicated the boy was just an omega child.

Surprisingly, his alpha instinct had settled down and that's an unusual sign. Giyuu wished he had the time to analyse further about these peculiar feelings. The boy was already suffering from hypothermia and would die if he didn't get some heat in his body soon.

-

After a long moment of bawling his eyes out with unbidden tears, Tanjirou managed to calm down. He was flustered when he realised how closed he was to the other young man. The alpha's scent was strangely appealing that he wanted to rub himself all over the other man so that the other's scent would be stuck on him. He wanted this scent to stay with him forever. He recoiled at that thought suddenly.

"Wh- who are you?" he swallowed, utterly embarrassed with what he almost wanted to do. He hoped the alpha hadn't caught his depraved thought. What was wrong with him?

The raven-haired man leaned away so that they could see each other. "Tomioka Giyuu. I'm a demon slayer," introduced the alpha.

"Demon slayer?"

"I hunt demons and kill them."

Tanjirou turned to look at the dead bodies of his family. So demons did exist. Demons killed my family.

It's still hard for him to swallow the knowledge of the existence of demons and demon slayers. He wondered how Saburouji had known about them. He stared at the alpha in front of him. Tanjirou noticed how inexplicably handsome the young man was, how his blue eyes reminded the omega of the pretty night stars, how his pale skin made the alpha look ethereal against the snowy background. He was so distracted with how appealing the alpha's face was that he missed when Tomioka said something to him.

"Your body needs to get warm before the cold kills you, kid."

He blinked. "Huh?"

The other furrowed his eyebrows and pushed Tanjirou not so gently towards the house. "Change to something dry and then get yourself back here. I'll make a fire here. Then we'll bury your family."

Tanjirou had to go inside his house through the back to avoid the slaughtered bodies of his family. He was already shivering as he pulled his soaked clothes off. He grasped whatever robes that he could reach, which happened to be his thick juban and Nezuko's bamboo-patterned komon kimono and tabi socks. Nezuko and he had the same body size so they shared the wardrobe since they usually wore each other's clothes. He decided to forego the hakama and took the hanhaba obi, expertly wrapping around his waist in a simple knot.

He looked around his room and his eyes caught on the kakejiku hung on the wall. It's a painting of the Fire Deity dancing with fire orbs. It was the only thing that had been passed down from his ancestors. His heart broke as he realised no one but him would inherit this kakejiku, just like how Tanjirou would be the only one to remember the Fire Dance that had been taught by his father. There's a lump in his throat and Tanjirou felt unbidden tears started to well in his eyes as he thought of Nezuko's smile, his siblings' laughter, and his mother's humming. Before he could break down into tears, he quickly tied his padded boots, then took his soaked haori from the floor and left the room.

-

The snow had stopped falling so Giyuu successfully made a campfire to dry himself. Luckily there were chopped woods and from there it only took him a minute or two to finally create a decent size of fire. If only he was able to change into something dry. He thought of asking the boy if he could borrow a yukata with his size but decided he would be imposing on the boy who was already grieving too much.

He stacked up some woods so that he could sit on them while he's warming himself in front of the fire. When the boy finally appeared, he still looked himself but different. He looked more of an omega in the kimono, soft and sweet. He had a burnt scar at the top left of his forehead but it did not lessen the boy's innocent beauty. His hair had the beautiful shade of burgundy and eyes had a lovely tint of auburn. His eyes were swollen and there were tracks of dried tears all over his ruddy cheeks.

The boy needed to get closer to the fire. So he called out. "Come here, kid."

What he didn't expect was the little omega to sit close to him and wrapped both arms around his waist. Giyuu tensed as the boy held him tightly. The omega even snuggled his head under his armpit. He frowned at the boy. Is he trying to share body heat with him?

"I'm soaked." He reprimanded the omega.

"I don't mind," came a muffled reply.

It's normal for omega to seek comfort so maybe the boy was still seeking one from him. Giyuu tried to relax and released soothing pheromones. He felt the other loosen up more against him. What a strange child. Children had never been warm to him, regardless of their dynamic, even if he used his pheromones to indicate he won't hurt them. The boy's body language showed he trusted Giyuu to protect him from harm. It's even stranger that his alpha wanted to protect this omega and soothe his fears away.

Giyuu thought it would be alright if he allowed himself to be less guarded just for one day. Eventually, he and the boy would part ways. He would move on to kill more demons while the boy would live with one of the villagers, and hopefully, no demons would come to harm him after this. After he left this place, he promised himself to get a pouch bag of wisteria to send to the omega.

-

Tomioka helped to bury his mother, Nezuko, Hanako, Takeo, Shigeru, and Rokuto's bodies or what's left of them. There were six mounds and he noticed the other alpha went to the other side of the house as he gave Tanjirou some privacy to give prayers.

Tanjirou offered the wrapped meat and rice in front of the mounds as offering to their spirits in the afterlife. He cried again, for the umpteenth time that day, feeling absolutely miserable that he cannot be with his family anymore. Loneliness crept inside and it made him depressed even more. There's a painful squeeze inside his chest every time he breathed, as if mocking him that he was still alive while the rest of his family were buried in the ground. He prayed to the deities to give him the strength to carry on with his life when he only felt darkness inside him. In this dark tragedy, Tomioka seemed to be his only source of light.

He suspected the alpha didn't know that they were to be fated mates. His scent still indicated he was an omega child. It would probably take three more years until his first heat. And that's more than enough time for Tanjirou to get used to Tomioka and hopefully, for the alpha to see him as a potential mate.

With a heavy heart, he finished his prayer by bowing in front of the graves and kissing the snowy ground. Tears continued to drop. He missed his family so much that it ached. If he stayed here, he would end up drowning himself in grief and be mad for the rest of his life. No. He wouldn't stay here. There's nothing for him here anymore. The deities had led his fated alpha to find him. It's a sign, he thought and felt more determined with his decision.

Tanjirou would go with Tomioka Giyuu no matter what.

Chapter Text

"Watch your step, kid," Giyuu chided lightly when he saw the boy tripped on the snow. They were tracking back down the mountain as fast as they could. He wanted them to reach the village before nightfall.

"Tanjirou. My name is Kamado Tanjirou."

"Hn."

The boy pouted at him and Giyuu simply gave him an unimpressed look. He didn't care about the boy's name. He would leave him eventually to one of the villagers.

"Call me Tanjirou," the omega reminded him again.

Giyuu ignored what he said and turned back to the trail that would bring them to the village at the foot of the mountain. He noticed the omega was struggling to keep up with his pace. With what had happened that day, the boy must have been emotionally and physically exhausted, and his body had been through hypothermia just nearly an hour ago. If Giyuu slowed down, they might not be able to reach the village before dusk. At the same time, he couldn't expect the omega to keep up with him. He could protect the boy against any stray demons in the mountain but he didn't want the omega to be exposed to more violence after the trauma he had to endure with the death of his family.

He stopped in his tracks and there's a tiny yelp when the boy bumped into his back. Giyuu turned around to catch the other's attention. "We need to get to the village as soon as possible. I can't risk us being stuck in the mountain any longer when I'm not sure how many demons are still around. So I'm going to carry you."

Giyuu watched the little omega's cheeks bloomed into a rich rosy hue that spread all the way to his ears, and even reached down his neck. "Uh, alright. How?" asked Tanjirou.

He studied the kimono that Tanjirou was wearing. If the boy had worn a pair of hakama, it would be easier for him to carry the boy on his back. He bent on one knee and extended his arms to the boy. "Place your arms around me."

The boy went to him without any hesitation. Giyuu blinked in surprise when he felt the other already snuggling on his neck as two tiny hands grasped the back of his haori. He tensed the moment he felt a hot breath close to his scent gland. He scowled at the boy. "Oi, what is wrong with you?"

The omega leaned back to look at him with wide confused eyes that were still swollen and red-rimmed. The boy was reacting as if what he did was an innocent act. His auburn eyes were even prettier at a closer look and Giyuu didn't like how the alpha inside him was feeling a bit possessive of this boy suddenly. He growled unbiddenly.

"Tomioka-san?" asked the boy, puzzled with Giyuu's reaction. Maybe Tanjirou was acting out his omega instinct without knowing what he's doing to Giyuu.

"Nothing." He held Tanjirou securely, one arm under the other's knees and the other supported the boy's back. Then he continued trekking down the mountain as fast as he could while constantly looking out for the sun's position in the sky.

-

Tsurumi, the head of the village, was sympathetic when he listened to the demon slayer's story. Tanjirou was covered with a thicker robe, a hot tea cupped in his hand as Tsurumi's wife, Yuuta, rubbed his back soothingly. The scent of another omega comforted him but it also made his heart ached as it reminded him of his family.

"We'll take care of him. Thank you for bringing Tanjirou here." Tsurumi looked worried and hesitantly asked, "Did you find the demon who…" he trailed off and Tanjirou caught the old alpha glanced at him.

"I've killed three demons before I reached the kid's place. I'm not sure if the killer is among one of them," the young alpha responded but Tanjirou could see a small frown on his face. He looked disappointed with himself that he wasn't able to identify the demon who slaughtered Tanjirou's family.

Tsurumi nodded his head and then bowed to the raven-haired man. "We are truly grateful for what you did, Tomioka-san. Why don't you stay here for the night."

"Thank you but I have to leave-" the alpha paused midway, his eyes met Tanjirou, his gaze was curious. Only then Tanjirou realised he had whimpered out loud and there was a heavy distress scent that he unconsciously gave out. Tsurumi and his wife looked at him in varying degrees of concern. He was embarrassed and immediately avoided everyone's gaze, especially Tomioka.

Yuuta seemed to catch on something because she implored the raven-haired alpha to stay the night with them. "It's snowing again and it looks like there will be a storm. It's better to stay here. A nice meal and a hot bath would be good for you. Think of it as our token of appreciation for what you did for Tanjirou."

Tomioka gave in reluctantly with a nod. Tanjirou let out a sigh of relief.

Tanjirou was offered to sleep in a room that once belonged to their omega's son which he had predicted his fated mate years ago. He took a hot bath and had his dinner accompanied by Yuuta. Not having Tomioka there made him lose most of his appetite but he tried to eat as much as he could as he didn't want to show he's being ungrateful and rude. When he laid on the futon, he wasn't able to sleep for long hours. His chest felt heavy with grief as he thought of his family. First, it was his father. Then, it was everyone else. Tanjirou cried into his pillow, his chest heaving with so much pain and sorrow. Everyone he loved had died and he was truly alone now.

-

Tanjirou woke up with a restless feeling. He changed his sleeping juban into the plum blossoms-patterned komon that had been placed next to his futon by Yuuta. He couldn't find himself the time to appreciate what he's wearing as the restlessness in his chest grew heavy. When he came to greet the head of the village and his wife who had just finished their breakfast, he noticed Tomioka wasn't around.

"He had left earlier at dawn. There was a strange crow that flew inside here and it talked to him!" Tsurumi told him.

Tanjirou was aghast that Tomioka had left without saying goodbye to him. Tears started to gather at the corner of his eyes. "Did he say where he's going?"

Tsurumi had a concerned look on his face. "Tanjirou, is there something you need from him?"

Tanjirou avoided looking at the older alpha. He tried to rein in his tears from falling as he thought of a reply without making himself sound like an ungrateful person towards the old couple who were trying to help him. When Tanjuro passed away, they had offered his family to stay in the village. They were concerned that Kie had to take care of all his young omega children with a baby. They were always kind to his family. Tanjirou hated himself for being a brat and not wanting to stay with them. Before he could come up with something, Yuuta surprised them when she said, "Why don't we let Tanjirou go to Tomioka-san. If he couldn't find him, then he can always come back here."

-

Yuuta asked Tanjirou to wait as she put six okaka onigiri inside a small wooden box. She handed the bento to Tanjirou. "For you and your demon slayer." Tanjirou blushed at her words but managed to convey his thanks with a stutter.

His meagre belongings consisted of Nezuko's komon and his haori. So he packed all of them into a kinchaku bag that Yuuta gave him. "Why?" Tanjirou asked nervously. "I mean, you could have told me it's dangerous to go to Tomioka-san. I might even encounter a demon before I could reach him."

"And would it stop you if I had said that?" asked the old woman.

Tanjirou shook his head bashfully. Yuuta smiled kindly and stated, "You scent-marked the alpha."

"Huh?" Tanjirou glanced at her. He knew about scent-marked as his parents usually did it on each other. Yuuta pointed at her own neck, where her scent gland was. Tanjirou avoided looking at her permanent bonding mark around her scent gland, feeling like he was invading her privacy just by glancing at it. "You scent-marked him right there. For an alpha to allow you to do that on his intimate and vulnerable area indicates you're very special to him."

Tanjirou blushed. He didn't even realise he had done such a thing to the raven-haired man. He remembered nosing against the other's neck while they went down the mountain. He felt flustered even more. He didn't realise he was scent-marking the alpha. He thought Tomioka had smelled exceptionally pleasant and his omega instinct had wanted to imprint that subtle scent of lilac, the mouth-watering smell of almond, and the rich cedarwood scent in his memory.

Tanjirou noticed the twinkle in her brown eyes. "I still smelled your scent on him this morning before he left. You know, my mother used to tell me that a compatible omega's scent, even from an omega child, is hard to disappear on their intended alpha." Yuuta started to fix Tanjirou's hair and his komon as she continued, "I used to wish that I would meet my fated mate but the deities gave me Tsurumi. I accepted him and I was grateful because he was very kind to me and gave me a beautiful son. When your nose predicted my son's fated mate, I secretly hoped it was true and prayed to the deities. And look at him now! He was so happy with his fated alpha and they gave me so many grandchildren. So, tell me, Tanjirou. Is your demon slayer the one for you?" She asked, her eyes shone brightly with excitement and Tanjirou couldn't look away even though he felt himself blushing even more.

He finally admitted, "My nose had never been wrong about this." His gaze dropped to his hands. "But I'm still an omega child. It's going to be a few years until he notices I'm his fated mate. Anything can happen within those years." Like Tomioka falling in love with an omega and permanently bond with said omega forever. Or Tomioka got himself killed by a demon, and that's something Tanjirou refused to think about.

She curled a strand of hair over his ear. "Now that's what I call a blessing from the deities. You and him have some time to get to know each other without the mating instinct. Not all fated mates get an opportunity like that." Tanjirou remembered the lesson from his mother that once the mating instinct appeared, you and your mate wouldn't think of anything except wanting to mate until the bond turned permanent.

"After some time, Tomioka-san may want to court you," added Yuuta. He felt his own cheeks heated again, and it seemed like he's spending most of his days nowadays either crying or being flustered.

Before Tanjirou left the house, he bowed his thanks to Tsurumi, hugged Yuuta one last time and left with a wave. Tsurumi mentioned the name of the village that he heard from the weird talking bird. Luckily, the distance to that village only took a quarter day.

Tanjirou tried to walk and run alternately and hoped he could catch up with Tomioka as soon as possible. It's almost nightfall by the time he reached the village. He didn't know where to start or how to find the alpha. He never felt utterly lost before. He even tried to search for him through his nose but there were too many scents in the air. There was the combination of spicy scent from alpha, sweet fragrance of omega, and tartly beta smell mixed with mouth-watering aroma from food sold in the street.

Hoping he wasn't wasting his time, he decided to walk around and asked random stall-keepers if they had seen a young man with blue eyes, messy hair in a loose ponytail, wearing a gakuran with a mismatch haori, carrying a katana, and probably had a talking bird with him.

Nobody saw him and an old beta man who was selling oden had the gall to tease him that he's probably imagining this person. "Are you sure he's even real? He sounds like a fairytale prince with a weird fashion sense."

The omega sighed and kept moving on. He's starting to feel more and more distress as the minute went on without a glimpse of the raven-haired alpha. What if Tomioka had already left the village?

Tanjirou, if you ever felt lost, just trust your nose and your omega instinct.

Remembering his father's advice, he closed his eyes and tried to centre himself. He raised his nose in the air, scenting for a specific smell in deep concentration. There's something dark in the wind but he also sensed the subtle whiff of the familiar scents. Alpha. He didn't realise he was walking towards the scent, bringing him closer to the source. That's when Tanjirou encountered his first demon.

-

Giyuu was extremely confused as the heaviness kept growing inside his chest. He wondered if he had done something wrong? His alpha instinct was restless just like the days leading him to find Tanjirou half-buried in the snow surrounded by his dead family.

He could smell Tanjirou on him and it made him a bit heartsick. He wanted to see the omega before he left but his kasugaigarasu had appeared and told him of another demon sighting. He had to stop himself several times from turning back so he could at least say goodbye. He thought about last night. How the boy had been distressed when Giyuu was planning to leave.

When the alpha finally found a demon in the middle of feasting on a human, his frustration and anger were at a boiling point so it was a relief that he could just let it all out and be as violent as he wanted to be. The demon was weak but he toyed with it for a while. Punching, kicking, cutting its flesh here and there with his nichirin blade. He only decapitated the demon the moment he sensed another one. It was not far from where he was. Strangely, the boy's scent seemed thick in the air. He grumbled a few curses.

He ran immediately to where the other demon was, guided by his instinct, both human and alpha. The dark menacing scent overpowered the other sweet smell and got stronger and stronger as he kept running, his nichirin blade ready for more blood. When he reached an empty street, that's when he saw the demon fly through the air and slammed into a familiar figure that he thought he wouldn't see again.

"Tanjirou!" he screamed, terror gripped him. He positioned himself in an instant and leapt at the demon with his katana aimed at its most vital anatomy; the neck. His heart pounded so loud and hard, it might as well burst out from his chest.

Please be alive. Please. Please. Please. Deities, I would do anything as long as he's alive.

Before his blade reached the demon, he caught sight of Tanjirou grabbed the dirt from the ground and shoved right into the demon's eyes. It pulled back and howled in annoyance. Giyuu was proud of this little omega. There's fire in that tiny body. The unexpected move just saved Tanjirou a few seconds from being killed. In a flash, he beheaded the demon with a satisfied grunt. He watched the demon's head roll a few times on the ground before he turned towards the omega.

Tanjirou was staring at him with wide admiring eyes and Giyuu felt just a little self-conscious. Then, realising the kid wasn't supposed to be there in the first place, he glowered at him. He noticed a red kinchaku bag hanging around one of his shoulders. The colourful plum blossoms pattern on his kimono caught his eyes and Giyuu momentarily distracted at how Tanjirou looked in it. Lovely and pure. Like winter blooms.

He snapped out of his embarrassing thought and stalked towards the boy. "You're supposed to be at the head villager's house! Did you cause some trouble and they chase you away? Do you know what would happen to you if I came a few seconds too late?! You would've been killed!"

Tanjirou looked surprised. It was immediately replaced with a scowl and he snapped back at the alpha, "Why did you think that I would cause some trouble?! And nothing happened to me! You came and save me!" The boy looked at the ground and murmured, "You always do."

His alpha instinct preened at the acknowledgement of successfully protecting the omega. He had to squash it down instantly. Before he could say something, the boy suddenly raised his head with a beatific smile. "You finally said my name!"

He was taken aback. What a strange kid to be happy about something as silly as Giyuu calling the boy's name.

"Let's go, kid. I'm sending you back."

"No!"

He felt a vein popped on his temple and Giyuu had to restrain himself from doing something he would regret like throttling the boy. It's not a proper way to treat an omega, especially towards a child who was probably ten or eleven years old. He never asked how old the boy was but he looked tiny and it would surprise him if Tanjirou was older than he thought.

"I want to be with Tomioka-san!"

Giyuu blanched. He figured out what was happening now. Unable to calm down, he shouted, "What is that supposed to mean, you brat?!" This is bad! This kid is not supposed to be infatuated with me!

So what if he was drawn to the fire in the boy especially when the omega defended himself from the demon. So what if his alpha instinct was feeling protective over this little omega. He would not mate the boy under any circumstances. His sweet omega scent was not only muted but unappealing, a normal defensive instinct that prevents adults from mating with those who have not matured yet. To find out the kid was infatuated with Giyuu felt wrong.

Tanjirou instinctively bared his neck and Giyuu immediately calmed down at the submissive gesture. "I want to stay with you. I can clean, cook, sew, and I'm good at growing vegetables!"

Oh. He discreetly sniffed the air around Tanjirou and only caught the scent of honest admiration for the alpha. Giyuu sighed in relief. So he just wanted to be Giyuu's servant… and a vegetable farmer maybe.

"I already have servants in my estate."

"Oh. I see." The boy looked defeated, his shoulders dropped, and Giyuu felt bad. But he suddenly perked up, his auburn eyes wide with shock, "Servants? You have more than one servant? Wait- did you say estate? Are you a son of a daimyo?!"

What kind of bullshit was this boy saying? He can't imagine himself related to a rich, powerful lord. He's the Water Pillar. The Demon Slayers Corps gave him a house and he needed more than one servant to maintain his place. He also had several lands under his protection. The Water Pillar's lands covered a few thousand hectares of forest and five small villages. He had several kasugaigarasu that watched over these places and would report to him if any demons trespassed. The land where he found Tanjirou was included as well. That's why he felt responsible for the omega.

"Stop spouting stupid nonsense, kid. I was given a big house that needs a lot of maintenance."

He made his decision then and stared levelly at auburn eyes. "Fine then. You can stay with me and work as long as you want. I'll pay you a weekly wage. There's also a small empty land not far from my home where you can grow your own vegetables once spring arrives." Before he even finished his sentence, the boy had bounced excitedly right into him. "Thank you! Thank you so much!" His voice muffled as he embraced Giyuu tightly. For a little omega, he certainly had strong arms.

He allowed the boy to have his moment for a few seconds. Then Giyuu pulled back and before he thought of his action, he bent on his knees and offered his arms. Tanjirou looked puzzled at his gesture.

"You want to carry me?"

Giyuu suddenly had the weirdest urge to facepalm himself in embarrassment. He didn't act on it, of course. His face remained stoic as he responded sarcastically, "I'm surprised that you got here less than a day. You're already struggling to keep up with my pace. If I have to wait for you, we would have taken a month to reach my place!"

He expected Tanjirou to glare at him but just like the first time, he leapt into Giyuu's arms without hesitation. And like before, the boy was nosing near his scent gland and Giyuu instinctively tensed before he relaxed. He wondered if the omega was conscious of his act, if he knew he was scent-marking him. Since he was just a child, Giyuu did not have the heart to admonish the boy. He reasoned that the omega probably finds the act itself to be comforting. Instead, he told the boy to stop it because it's ticklish. He wasn't exactly lying. Tanjirou ceased his scenting and mumbled a whispered apology into his skin.

Giyuu tried to maintain an indifferent look after his stomach rumbled unexpectedly. Tanjirou blinked at him before he removed something from his clothed bag with one hand while the other still looped around the alpha's neck. He showed him a bento with an excited smile that Giyuu thought he would be blinded soon if the boy kept doing that to him. "Yuuta baa-san made okaka onigiri! Let's eat this together, Tomioka-san."

Giyuu grunted as a response while ignoring the tiny tug at his heartstring for this little omega.

-

Before they left the village, Giyuu stocked up on dried food such as mezashi and sweet hoshigaki and filled up two pelts with drinking water for their four days journey back to his manor. If they weren't travelling during winter, he could be back home in less than three days.

The little omega had not complained even once of whether he's feeling tired or cold or hungry. Instead, Giyuu found him relaxed and content in the alpha's arms. He would ask questions about demons and demon slayers. Giyuu was not much of a talker so he tried his best to provide a succinct answer. Most of the time, they simply remained silent and enjoyed the quiet moments.

It wasn't a burden to carry Tanjirou in his arms as the boy's weight felt almost nothing. Despite being bundled in a thick-padded kimono and haori, Giyuu had felt the boy's ribs and swore to make sure Tanjirou ate as much as his age should be. He was relieved to see the boy had a good appetite. Tanjirou enjoyed eating the hoshigaki and Tomioka was secretly amused to see the boy's mouth usually painted in the exact shade of the persimmons. He even gave more than half a portion of his mezashi to the boy, glad that he had the foresight to buy more of those dried fish. Tanjirou had been hesitant when he realised he's eating more than Giyuu but the alpha had been adamant about it. He felt oddly satisfied as he watched the boy reluctantly eat everything since he didn't dare to waste the food.

Giyuu avoided staying longer outside once night fell. The temperature usually dropped dangerously low and the alpha didn't want to risk dying of hypothermia by sleeping in the forest. He made sure to follow the roads that would lead him to the shelters that were familiar to him.

Whenever they were close to the shelters, the alpha would let the boy down on his two feet and Tanjirou would silently trudge through the snow next to him. Temples were offered as an option for sheltering demon slayers if there were no Wisteria manors or inns available around the area. The monks always provide clean water and some fruits for the demon slayers. They stayed warm in one of the prayer's rooms and slept on the tatami floor. Giyuu always laid a few feet away from Tanjirou, but when morning came, he woke up to find the little omega snuggled in his arms with his haori covering most of the other's body. It happened every night that by the third night, the alpha didn't bother to sleep too far and just laid right next to the boy. On the final morning of their journey back home, the alpha had woken up and studied Tanjirou's face that was half-hidden under his haori. He wondered how this boy had no qualms invading his personal space and how Giyuu had all but given up trying to put the distance between them.

As more light started to filter through the shoji window, he untangled the boy's limbs around him and was sidetracked for a while when his gaze fixed on the boy's hanafuda earrings. Somehow, it's design reminded Giyuu of talismans. He wondered if there's a story behind those earrings. Once he got up, he went to wash his face, brushed his loose ponytail carelessly and fixed his gakuran so that he looked tidy enough to present himself to the deities. He knelt in front of the raised table where all the statues of deities were lined up. The Sun Deity was the tallest statue among the rest so he fixed his gaze on it and started praying.

Usually his prayer involved asking the deities to bless his parents, Tsutako and Sabito's spirits in the afterlife as well as praying for his well being. But with the other's presence, he started praying for the omega's health and protection. It felt strange to pray for Tanjirou but it's even stranger when he didn't pray for him.

He knew he made a rash decision to let the boy live in his manor. But it would be good for the omega. He would be protected and safe. He would have good food in his belly and grow into a healthy omega.

Giyuu had decided he wouldn't burden himself with attachment and made sure to put Tanjirou at arm's length. "Good morning, Tomioka-san." A sleepy greeting whispered beside him. His gaze flicked to the half-asleep omega who was yawning drowsily, and when their eyes met, the boy's mouth stretched, grinning from ear to ear. Giyuu grimaced inwardly at such a blinding sight while ignoring the warm feeling in his chest. After all, nothing good would come out of being attached to someone who had a smile that could rival the summer sun.

-

After four days of travelling and no encounter with any demons, they finally arrived at a village. Tomioka had stopped carrying Tanjirou and let him explore around and look at the stalls that sold interesting crafts and accessories. The villagers recognized Tomioka and greeted the raven-haired alpha with a bow of respect. They glanced at Tanjirou with a curious look but mostly just ignored him, others offered food to the young alpha as they thanked him for his protection. If the alpha hadn't told Tanjirou that he's one of the high-rank demon slayers, Tanjirou would have thought that Tomioka wasn't the son of a daimyo, but a royal prince with not only the way how the people respected him but the size of his house the moment he'd seen it.

Tomioka's estate could be a palace. Not like Tanjirou had ever seen one. But the place was huge. The living hall of the manor itself was large enough to fit four of his family's humble house from the mountain. There was a wide wooden engawa veranda facing the most beautiful view Tanjirou had ever seen in his life. It was a garden, so massive and pretty with winter flowers like red and burgundy hellebores, orange witch hazels, yellow jasmines, and pale blue creeping phlox adorning the ground. Tanjirou was already looking forward to seeing what other flowers would appear once spring arrived. There were several trees with blooming purple and pink wisteria flowers surrounding the manor. Tanjirou found it's odd for the wisteria to bloom during winter. There's a private chaniwa garden with step stones and stone lanterns which Tomioka said led to the other side of the manor where the tearoom was.

Tomioka showed other rooms with fusuma separating and distinguishing different areas of the manor. In one of the rooms, Tanjirou glimpsed a tokonoma where a bronze koro was situated between a drawn picture of a woman and a scarred fox mask. He was curious about it but held his tongue from asking about them.

"This shall be your room," Tomioka showed him a spacious and almost empty room with a low table and a blue-coloured zabuton for sitting. Next to the oshiire closet was a wide shoji window.

"I'm sleeping here on my own?" Tanjirou wasn't used to sleeping alone. Surrounded by five siblings, they had slept together in one bedroom. Even Tanjirou was comfortable sleeping during their four-days of travel because he was able to fall asleep with the alpha right next to him. Truthfully, the thought of sleeping with Tomioka sounds more appealing than sleeping alone in this room. Of course, he wasn't expecting to share the same room with the master of the household. That would be inappropriate especially if he's going to be one of the servants.

"Is there something wrong?"

"Ah! No. Nothing's wrong. I appreciate all of this. But I should stay with the other servants," he babbled hastily.

Tomioka stared at him for a long moment, the silence was uncomfortable and a scent with a tinge of disappointment from the alpha. Tanjirou wondered if he had offended the young man.

The alpha's mask of indifference unbudging when he replied, "That's fine. Let me introduce you to my servants and they could show you their room."

Expecting a group of servants for such a big place, Tanjirou was surprised to find there were only two servants, a beta woman and a beta boy. The boy introduced himself as Agatsuma Zenitsu and was two years older than him. He had easily warmed up to Tanjirou but the older woman, Kanya, was suspicious of Tanjirou's presence. She reprimanded him for disrespecting Tomioka by not referring to the alpha with a proper title. Both Kanya and Zenitsu called Tomioka 'Shishou-sama'. But Tomioka put an end to it and said he's allowing Tanjirou to call him by no other title but his name since the omega wasn't an official staff under the Demon Slayers Corps. She reluctantly acquiesced and instructed Zenitsu to show him what needed to be done around the manor.

Tanjirou was given four sets of iromuji kimono. They all came in a similar blue colour. The silk of the kimono was the softest that Tanjirou had ever touched and it made him realise that even a housemaid could wear something luxurious. The kimono were accompanied by four identical grey-coloured hanhaba obi. On the other hand, Zenitsu wore a similar coloured yukata with a grey obi.

Tanjirou insisted he wasn't tired and spent most of the day following Zenitsu to observe the work around the house. Some rooms needed to be clean every day and Zenitsu showed him the many expensive ornaments and paintings decorated around the manor that had to be taken care of carefully. The beta explained none of them belong to Tomioka as they were only used to spruce up the manor. The Demon Slayer Corps had furnished the place according to the Pillar's taste or so they thought.

"Shishou-sama is a simple man. He's not the type to buy this kind of crap. He said they're useless! You can't even use them to kill demons! The only things he owned in this manor are his clothes, his collection of scrolls, and those stuff on the tokonoma," Zenitsu remarked proudly of Tomioka's simple lifestyle. After that, he helped Zenitsu to dig out the snow that was piling up outside the engawa and entrance of the manor. Tanjirou had barely seen Tomioka around until after dinner.

"Shishou-sama wanted to talk to you," Kanya told him as she handed a teapot and two cups on a tray. "Don't forget to strain the tea before you serve it."

Tanjirou managed to carry the tray into the main hall without tripping. He saw the raven-haired alpha sat on the plush zabuton with a scroll on his hand. He was wearing a dark grey yukata. His hair still tight messily but it still did not lessen how good-looking the alpha was. The omega placed the tray on the table and poured the tea into a cup through a strainer. Tanjirou was surprised to see no leaves but green twigs and stems caught inside the strainer. The light green coloured tea has a unique aroma that the omega had never smelled before. He figured the other cup was for him so he poured for himself as well.

When he served the tea to Tomioka, the alpha finally raised his head. "Thank you," he murmured his appreciation before he sipped the tea in a way that made Tanjirou thought elegant. Tanjirou blew his tea and when he took the first sip, a burst of sweet nutty flavour filled his mouth.

He looked at his cup with amazement. "What's this?"

"Kukicha. Instead of leaves, other parts of the tea plants such as the twigs, stalks, and stems were used for tea." His eyes met Tanjirou’s. For the first time, he could see something soft and gentle on the alpha's face.

"How are you holding up? I hope you are able to adjust here. I can see that Agatsuma is treating you well. Kanya is a bit strict since she had served two Water Pillars before me. But give her time. She'll warm up to you soon."

Feeling utterly pleased that the alpha was concerned for his well being, he smiled at the raven-haired man. "I'm doing fine. Kanya is treating me well too. She even emptied some drawers and let me have them for my clothes." Then Tanjirou bowed his head. "I promise I will work hard! I appreciate everything you’ve done for me, *goshujin-sama!”

Tomioka choked on his tea and coughed into his hand. “Tomioka-san?” Tanjirou asked worriedly. Did he say something wrong?

“Nothing.” He waved his hand indicating he’s alright. The omega noticed the slight flush on the alpha’s cheeks as he carried on reading his scroll. Tanjirou returned to his tea. He recalled back earlier on when Tomioka offered him the room. He wanted to ask if he had offended the alpha but the moment between them was too pleasant to be interrupted. He didn’t want to break this peaceful atmosphere. So he chose to stay quiet and enjoyed his time with Tomioka.

-

Zenitsu was kind enough to share his knowledge about the alpha's responsibility as the Water Pillar since Tomioka never explained it in detail. He talked about the other Pillars and mentioned how the Demon Slayers Corps used to be an illegal organization until recently when there were more demon attacks on government servants. And then there's the elusive kasugaigarasu that Tanjirou was curious about.

It was during his third day on a midmorning when he saw one of the 'talking birds' for the first time. Tanjirou was serving a freshly brewed, roasted genmai tea to Tomioka when a crow flew into the room and started talking to the alpha. He had shrieked in surprise and only then he felt the pain sensation on his hand where the tea had spilt from the cup.

Tomioka waved the crow away. "Tell me about the mission later." Then he reached for the omega. "Let me see your hand, kid."

Zenitsu had burst into the room, his eyes were wide with fear as he looked around the room as if expecting some demons attacking them. "Shishou-sama?"

"Agatsuma, can you get some cool water and honey?" Tomioka's voice was calm and steady.

He immediately left to do the alpha's bidding. Tomioka offered his palm and Tanjirou place his hand there. "Are you alright?" the alpha's voice was laced with concern.

"I'm fine, Tomioka-san." He noticed the small frown on the alpha's handsome face. Tanjirou apologized hastily, "I'm sorry about just now! I've never seen a talking bird until today."

"That's one of my kasugaigarasu. I have a few of them and they reported to me if they came across demons or when Oyakata-sama send me a mission."

"Who is Oyakata-sama?"

"The leader of the Demon Slayers Corps."

The light-haired beta entered the room with a tray carrying a bowl of water and a small jar of honey. Tomioka told him to go and Zenitsu left without a backward glance after he set down the tray. Tanjirou watched the alpha clean his hand with the cool water which felt like pins of needles pricking his skin. He bit his lips to stop himself from moaning in pain. Then Tomioka wiped the surface with a clean cloth and covered the reddened skin with a thick layer of honey. Tanjirou felt grateful that he won't be suffering as bad as the last time when he got the burnt scar on his forehead. There's a long strip of cloth that Zenitsu had prepared on the side of the tray and Tomioka used it to cover the burn wound.

He's a good alpha. Without realising what he's doing, he had scooted himself closer and leaned his forehead on Tomioka's chest. The alpha's pleasing scents were more potent in such close contact and it soothed his omega instinct. He felt the other tense and a second later, he smelled a touch of fondness from the alpha. "Thank you, Tomioka-san," he murmured in embarrassment. He couldn't believe that he wasn't able to control himself. He was just so overwhelmed with feelings for his fated alpha that he just wanted to be close to him.

He raised his face and watched the neutral expression on the man's face. He saw something tender in his blue eyes. It was reassuring that at least he hadn't done anything wrong. Tomioka lifted his hand and brushed the side of his face, tracing the burnt skin there.

"How did you get this?"

"A brazier fell on me."

"Did it still hurt?"

"No. It happened a few years ago."

They stayed that way for a second, the air between them felt static as he felt Tomioka's fingers lingering against his burnt scar. He could scent a low simmer of anger from the alpha. Did Tomioka find his scar ugly? Suddenly feeling self-conscious of his own disfigurement, he pulled back and turned his head away from the alpha's touch.

"I- I'll clean this up and brew fresh tea for you." He scented the surprise and confusion from the alpha before it disappeared. The alpha's expression remained neutral but his blue eyes no longer held any warmness. It's like staring into a winter icy lake. Frigid and unyielding.

"There's no need for the tea. I need to see my kasugaigarasu." He stood up and left the room. Sometimes Tomioka would be kind and gentle to him and before he could appreciate it longer, the alpha suddenly became cold and guarded. Tanjirou tried not to feel disheartened about it. But he still did.

Chapter Text

The alpha in him had been dismayed when he offered a private room but was refused by the omega. Giyuu wanted to make the boy comfortable in his manor and he didn't know how or what else to provide the boy. The omega's first rejection had put a blow to his alpha's pride so Giyuu didn't try to offer anything else. Instead, he observed the omega closely for more than a month. And that's when he noticed something that he didn't see when they were simply strangers to each other.

Tanjirou was undoubtedly lovely in the eyes and there was something graceful in the things that he did, even as simple as pouring tea. Or perhaps it was just his alpha had a tunnel vision on the boy since he was the only omega in this household. But what caught his attention on how humble and kind the boy was. He never asked for anything and never complained. He was always willing to do more work and help out as much as he could around the manor. He treated Kanya with respect and was friendly with Agatsuma. Then, when it came to Giyuu, the omega would be affectionate with him. He wondered what he did to deserve such fond attention from the boy. Once or twice Tanjirou would try to scent mark him when it was just the two of them having tea together in the living hall.

He ignored how the wall he built between himself and the boy had gently frayed when Tanjirou met his gaze with dimples on his cheeks, how his mask slightly cracked when he watched the boy became excited to find the first bud of spring growing in the garden, and how the glass casing around his heart had a few more fractured lines when he caught the boy giggling breathlessly as he listened to Agatsuma's silly stories. It was endearing to watch the omega and Giyuu hated himself to be allowed such indulgence.

Giyuu tried to put distance between them, he had even forgotten about it when that one time he touched Tanjirou's scar, swept with his own anger of not being there for the boy when that incident happened, even though they hadn’t met yet. The omega pulling away from him had caused a sting in his chest but it had reminded him why he should not be attached to Tanjirou. But Tanjirou had not stopped in his relentless effort of affection towards Giyuu.

He was glad of the constant missions sent to him by Oyakata-sama and the reports of demons on his lands from his kasugai garasu. At least that way he could be physically distant from the omega, but in the manor, Giyuu always felt guilty when he pushed Tanjirou away. Eventually, he did not have the heart to do that anymore and spent their tea time together in a pleasant atmosphere.

Most of the time they didn't talk, Tanjirou would be sitting on the zabuton opposite of him, enjoying his tea quietly while watching Giyuu cleaning and oiling his nichirin blade. Sometimes, Giyuu would read a scroll and Tanjirou would ask of its content. Giyuu's reading material was of a variety of genres that ranged from mythology stories to imperial poetry. The alpha had started to secretly look forward to their tea time together.

Today was a bit different though when he arrived at the manor, Agatsuma had wailed in high pitch asking for forgiveness since he forgot to get some salmons while Kanya apologised profusely that she wasn't aware of Giyuu coming back a few days early so she wasn't able to prepare his favourite meal. They made such a big fuss just because today was his name day. Honestly, he didn't even remember he turned twenty today. All he knew was that, he finished his mission earlier and was glad to be back in the manor. And now being reminded it was his name day, Giyuu just wanted to be left alone. Being twenty meant another year without his sister and his best friend in his life.

After his lunch, he found solace in his study room where he kept all his scrolls. He busied himself reading about the adventures of *eight samurai half-brothers who were descended from a dog and Giyuu wondered how on earth he had this story among his scrolls collection. Tanjirou, who probably wasn't told by the others that he wanted to be alone or just didn't bother to allow him to be on his own, knocked on the shoji door and slid them open before he could say anything. Tanjirou stepped into the room with a tray carrying a cup of hot tea. Giyuu noticed there was only a single cup. So the boy did know that Giyuu didn't want any company but had been kind enough to bring tea for the alpha. His chest swelled with fondness for the omega.

Tanjirou placed the tea in front of Tomioka, and then declared with excitement, "Kanya and Zenitsu told me about your name day a few weeks ago. So I made something for you."

Giyuu looked on with surprise when the omega pulled out a handmade gamaguchi bag from the pocket of his sleeve. It had white waves pattern against the blue fabric. Tanjirou smiled brightly as he offered his gift. "Congratulations on turning twenty, Tomioka-san."

He took in the sight of the omega in front of him, his pretty auburn eyes shining brilliantly as sunlight filtered through the shoji window to kiss those lovely eyelashes. Giyuu swallowed and tried to focus on something else. Like the gamaguchi in Tanjirou's hand.

Giyuu accepted it and admired the neat hand stitched on the fabric. He opened the bag and found a black hakuro mamori talisman tucked inside. He read the inscription on the talisman and felt amused. Yakuyoke. It's to protect him against anything evil. It didn't work like the wisteria when it came to demons but Giyuu was charmed by Tanjirou's innocence.

"Thank you, Tanjirou." He felt himself smiling just a tiny bit and saw the way Tanjirou's eyes traced the curled of his lips. Blush creeping up the omega's cheeks and Giyuu was somewhat captivated. Tanjirou made his name day a little special and he decided it wasn't so bad to be twenty.

-

It was glaringly obvious that Tomioka was rarely at the estate. Tanjirou was only able to see the young man not more than three times in a month and the longest he ever stayed was up to five days before he had to leave for a new mission. The omega made sure to distract himself with other mundane housework so that he wouldn't feel Tomioka's absence acutely.

Despite that, Tanjirou felt a constant ache in his chest which he also attributed with missing his mother, Nezuko and the rest of his siblings. On some nights, he felt their loss so intensely that he couldn't sleep and when he actually did, the next morning he would wake up on a damp pillow with dried tears on his cheeks.

Sometimes, Tanjirou had nightmares. He's in the mountain, buried in the snow and unable to move while he watched in horror of his family being eaten by that same demon who had attacked him in the alley. Occasionally, his dream would change and he was back in that alley. The demon still attacked him but Tomioka had never come to rescue him. He always woke up right after the claws of the demons ripped his heart out or when the big sharp fangs sank into his neck and pulled his head off cleanly from his body. It was fortunate that he never woke up from those nightmares with a scream or something that caused the other's sleep to be disturbed. He didn't want to burden anyone with his bad dreams.

It all came to one night, close to three months after the death of his family, that he had a dream of his mother, Nezuko, Shigeru, Hanako, Takeo and Rokuta. They sat around him with sad eyes. Nezuko had held his face in her hands but his mother was the only one who spoke, "We're sorry for leaving you, Tanjirou. Please take care."

Once he was wide awake, he immediately got up, fumbled through several sliding doors and finally stumbled into the engawa. His breath started to hitch as unbidden tears were falling to the floor. Tanjirou covered his trembling lips to muffle his sob. It hurt so much that times like this he had wished he died with his family so that he wouldn't have to endure this pain.

Tanjirou flinched in surprise when a robe, with the unmistakable smell of the only alpha residing in the manor, was placed on his back. Tomioka sat next to him, his body facing the garden as his eyes fixed on the moonless sky while his hand ran behind Tanjirou's back up and down. He leaned against the Tomioka’s chest as he cried for a little longer. The alpha's soothing pheromones was helping Tanjirou to calm down after a while. But it took him another long moment to finally able to speak, "I'm sorry if I woke you up."

"There's nothing to apologize for, I couldn't sleep," replied Tomioka.

It made Tanjirou curious. "What do you do when you can’t sleep?"

"Meditate."

His nose twisted at the thought of doing something as boring as meditation. He smelled a tiny bit of amusement from Tomioka. He glanced at the alpha which prompted the man to ask, "So, do you want to tell me why you were crying?"

Tanjirou flushed in embarrassment as he dropped his gaze on the wet patch of the alpha's yukata. "I miss my family," murmured the omega. Then he leaned towards the alpha and hid his face on Tomioka's neck, scenting the skin near his scent gland as he comforted himself with the smell of sweet lilac, the enticing almond, and the rich cedarwood. The alpha's hand on his back was no longer moving. It was heavy but comforting. It felt like a brand to his skin, like the alpha's hand was marking his soul. His omega felt tremendously pleased and it wanted to be scent marked by the alpha. Tanjirou had to force himself to stay put and just revelled in the alpha's soothing pheromones.

He was falling asleep in the alpha's arms when Tomioka quietly coaxed him to go back to the room and sleep. The next morning, Tanjirou had woken up to see an amused look from Zenitsu. He blushed when he realised he'd been sleeping in Tomioka's haori. Zenitsu chuckled. "Don't worry. Kanya didn't see it since you were hidden underneath the blanket. Or she would get aneurysm if she caught you with Shishou-sama's haori."

After he finished his breakfast with the others, Tomioka stepped into the kitchen and called for him. "Follow me. I want to show you something."

When they're out of earshot, Tanjirou glanced at the alpha, "Uh, your haori- I washed it so I'll return it to you after it's dry."

"Alright. Did you sleep well?" his voice sounded soft and tender and it made Tanjirou's heart flutter.

"I did. Thank you, Tomioka-san."

The alpha led him to a familiar room. On his first day, Kanya had already warned him it's a sacred room that Tomioka would spend for some hours when he's in a peculiar mood. Tomioka invited him inside and the first thing Tanjirou discerned was the sandalwood smell filled the entire room that came from the koro. He followed the alpha until they stood in front of the tokonoma. Something was different about it since the last time he caught a glimpse of the place.

He gasped. His family's kakejiku was hung on the wall.

"I went back to your family's house on my last mission. I wanted to bring back something for you that you can remember your family. I thought this looks important. I'm sorry if I made a wrong assumption."

"No. This- it's my family's heirloom. My family prayed mainly to the Fire Deity and this painting displayed the rituals of the Fire Dance." Tanjirou turned to look at Tomioka with a watery gaze. "Thank you for bringing it back." He gazed back at the Fire Deity and knew what he wanted to do for the alpha. "Since I didn't get to do it this year, I'll dance for you for next New Year."

There's a tiny twitch at the corner of Tomioka's lip before it disappeared. He wondered if he was simply imagining it. He asked, "What's the dance for?"

"It's a ritual to show your appreciation to the Fire Deity for His blessings and protection from all evil and diseases."

What Tanjirou didn't say was that there was more than one dance ritual. One for the ceremony which was important to do every New Year from sunrise to sunset. The other dance, which Tanjirou wanted to do for Tomioka, was a courting dance. The steps were different for alpha and omega and his father had taught him both so that Tanjirou could pass them down to his children. The last dance ritual which Tanjirou had witnessed every year until the year of his father's passing was the dance between mates. Tanjuro and Kie would dance together once the sun started to set. He had learnt both too so that he could teach the other steps to his mate. One day, Tanjirou and his alpha would perform the dance together. His breath hitched when he imagined Tomioka stood behind him and held his hands as they moved together.

"I'll look forward to seeing you dance," the alpha told him. Tanjirou's mouth suddenly felt too dry to give a verbal response so he simply nodded.

Tomioka pointed at the drawn picture of a beautiful lady. "This is Tsutako. She's my sister." He nudged his head at the fox mask and said, "That belonged to Sabito." Summer blue eyes stared into his eyes as he told Tanjirou about them, "Our parents passed away when I was still a baby. So my sister had taken care of me. She’s like a mother to me who loved unconditionally and like a father who always protected me from everything. On that night we got attacked by demons, she hid me and got killed along with her intended mate."

He watched Tomioka reach out to touch the fox mask. "I met Sabito when we were trained together to be demon slayers. He was my best friend. He's like a brother that I never had. But he sacrificed himself to the demons just to protect me."

Tanjirou had always suspected that there's sorrow behind those blue eyes. To find out that the alpha had suffered similar fate brought a painful ache in his chest. He wondered if the deities had made them as fated mates because their lives were connected through grief and tragedy and they would understand each other.

"Since then onwards, I told myself to be strong so that I could be the protector. I want to protect everyone so that they won't have to die for me."

Tomioka touched his shoulder. "This room is where I reminisced fond memories of them. You can do the same in this room for your family."

Tears started to gather in his eyes but Tanjirou didn't shed a single one. He was so deeply moved that Tomioka had shared his painful history and this room where he kept his fond and precious memories of his loved one with Tanjirou. He gave the alpha a radiant smile. "Thank you, Tomioka-san."

The deities had indeed blessed Tanjirou with Tomioka as his fated alpha.

-

Tomioka had not been in the manor for almost three weeks and it made Tanjirou worried sick that by the second week, he started praying relentlessly to the deities every morning and night without fail. He even thought of writing a letter and used one of the kasugai garasu to send it to the alpha. But he's afraid the young man might be displeased that Tanjirou was using the crow for something silly and unimportant. Then, on one fine evening, the alpha finally came back to the manor but this time, he wasn't alone.

Tanjirou, Kanya, and Zenitsu were staring at a weird individual that had a human body with the head of a boar. He was sitting on the wooden floor of the genkan with his hands and feet tied with a rope. His upper body was bare, and he only wore hakama pants with boar fur adorning around the waist area.

"Do not try to escape again," Tomioka warned the other before he removed the boar head and started untying the rope.

Tanjirou had to blink several times to make sure his eyes were not playing tricks on him. It was a boy, probably the same age as him, with the prettiest face he had ever seen in his life. His omega instinct was suddenly on high alert as it felt intimidated. It took him a second to finally notice that the boy gave off a beta scent. He mentally sighed in relief. He had been anxious from the moment he saw the alpha entered the manor while carrying a half-naked person.

"His name is Hashibira Inosuke. The Demon Slayer Corps wanted to punish him for attacking other demon slayers and stealing their katana. He even tried to fight with the other Pillars. Oyakata-sama decided he's better off working as a servant in a household while he learns-" Tomioka flashed a look at the boy, "-to be civilised."

He gave one last warning to Inosuke. "If you run away, I'm not bringing you back here. I'll let other demon slayers to haul you back and let the organization deal with you."

Then he started to walk away as he told them he's going to his room to rest while they show the boy around the manor. Tomioka's voice sounded weary, and the alpha looked slightly haggard as if he hadn't slept for quite some time. Tanjirou spotted some stubbles on the alpha's cheeks and it caused his pulse to race. Even though the raven-haired man appeared exhausted, pale, with a week of unshaven facial hair, Tomioka still looked unbelievably handsome.

Tanjirou wanted to go to the alpha but knew that Tomioka expected them to deal with Inosuke first. He heard Kanya sighed next to him. "Zenitsu. Tanjirou. Please show him to our room first and then catch him up with the works around the manor. I am going to prepare dinner for Shishou-sama so I'm trusting you two to deal with him." She left them and now it's only Tanjirou, Zenitsu and Inosuke staring at each other.

"This is not fair at all! Look at him! He has the face of an omega and the body of an alpha!" screeched Zenitsu, that took Tanjirou by surprise. Out of many things to say about this strange boy, Zenitsu had to mention his appearance first. Tanjirou couldn’t help but feel envious of those defined muscles. No matter how long the omega had been carrying charcoals down the mountain in the past and now labouring from dawn to dusk around the manor, his dynamic wouldn't allow his body to be anything but slender and petite.

Tanjirou smiled kindly as he went closer to the boy. He tried to ignore the boy's piercing glare that seemed to warn him to stay away. "Hello, Hashibira-san. I'm Kamado Tanjirou," then he pointed at the light-haired boy next to him. "And this is Agatsuma Zenitsu. The woman that was here just now is Kaguya Kanya. We'll be working together in the Water Pillar's household."

"Hmph." With a rude snort, the boy turned away his head with his chin held high.

Appalled by such a response, Zenitsu stalked towards the boy angrily and grabbed him by the shoulders. "Oi, you pig- ACK!" Inosuke had slammed his forehead into Zenitsu. The light-haired beta covered his swelling forehead while howling in pain. A moment later, Kanya had burst into the living hall and yelled at Zenitsu to be quiet so as to not disturb Tomioka.

Tanjirou had expected the alpha to appear and see the chaos that was unfolding in the living hall but as Kanya continued to berate the crying Zenitsu and criticized Inosuke for acting rude, the omega realised Tomioka must have known this would happen and wanted to escape from it. Perhaps Inosuke had done the same thing in front of the Demon Slayer Corps leader. He did mention that Inosuke had tried to fight with the other Pillars.

Tanjirou hid his quiet laughter behind his hand. He was certain it would be livelier in the manor house now.

-

Within a month, Kanya complained of suffering constant headache because Zenitsu and Inosuke had a weird rivalry going on between them. It became ridiculous when they competed on who hung more clothes at the dryer when there were not many clothes that have been washed or who aired the most futon when there were only five used futon with an additional three more futon for guests to use.

Fortunately, Inosuke had been oddly submissive towards the omega ever since Tanjirou headbutted Inosuke into a coma just because the boy had been hysterical after being banned from the kitchen. Kanya was mortified that Inosuke had eaten all of the food during his second day in the manor and since then he was no longer allowed to enter the kitchen except during mealtime.

Sometimes when the omega wanted to get away from all the excitement, Tanjirou had found a pond in the middle of the garden. He was excited to watch the pretty nishikigoi swimming happily in the water. Kanya had been feeding them all this time and Tanjirou had begged to do it from now on. Once while he was feeding the fish, Inosuke found him.

"Hey, Subakiro! Shishou is waiting for you in the main hall." Tanjirou sighed inwardly. The only thing that annoyed Tanjirou was when Inosuke never got any of their names right. Sometimes he wondered if the beta did it deliberately. He had called the omega as Monjiro, Kentaro, or worse; Gonpachiro. Other than that, Inosuke never used honorific so when he called Tomioka as 'Shishou', Kanya was near frothing at the mouth as she reprimanded Inosuke. Tomioka was unfazed and had commented that Inosuke had improved since their first meeting. Tomioka's praise had done something to Inosuke and since then the boy had looked up to the other alpha and was always seeking more praise from him.

He turned to the beta who, as usual, refused to don his yukata and only wore the blue hakama pants. Kanya had all but given up to force the boy to wear clothes like a civilised human being. At least he's not wearing the boar head anymore.

"Oh. Alright, then. Can you help with the rest of the feeding?"

"Sure. Have fun with your date."

"It's not a date!" Tanjirou fumed, trying hard not to blush but knew he's failing anyway. "He just wanted to bring me out to show me something!" Then he stomped away from Inosuke. He was annoyed that the other boy had dared to suggest the outing was a date.

Earlier that day, Zenitsu had told him that the alpha was searching for him. Tomioka always did his workout routine before he took his morning meal so Tanjirou knew where to find him. When the omega entered the training room, he was struck by Tomioka who looked exceptionally good-looking in a black keikogi. It was just a simple robe for training but it never failed to make Tanjirou's heart racing so fast especially when the alpha was flushing from exertion as he moved effortlessly around the room with his bokken slashing through the air. The alpha's face remained stoic but his blue eyes instantly lighted up when he caught sight of Tanjirou. When Tomioka took a break, Tanjirou finally approached him.

"You wanted to see me?"

"Can you make your afternoon free today? There's a place that I want you to see."

"What is it?"

There's a tiny lift at the edge of the alpha's lips when he simply replied, "It's a surprise."

The omega spent the entire morning until afternoon mulling where Tomioka wanted to bring him but nothing came to mind.

When Tanjirou arrived at the living hall, Tomioka was waiting for him. He's wearing a pretty blue yukata, slightly darker tone than Zenitsu's robe. A black obi fastened the yukata securely. His attire complimented the blue of his eyes and Tanjirou couldn't help it but admired the alpha openly. Tomioka looked so handsome and somewhat distracting.

"-housework?"

He blinked. "Huh?" Scratch that. Tomioka could be pretty distracting since Tanjirou missed out most of what the alpha said to him. Tanjirou blushed under the alpha's scrutiny. He dropped his gaze to the ground, trying to hide his heated cheeks.

"I asked, what were you doing before I called for you? Were you busy with some chores?"

"I made sure my afternoon is free like you asked me to. So I was just feeding the koi fish."

Tomioka nodded approvingly. "Very well. Let's go."

Tanjirou hadn't bothered to change his iromuji into something else. He hadn't owned any kimono other than Nezuko and Yuuta's komon. Besides, Tomioka didn't tell him where exactly they're going so it wasn't like Tanjirou needed to dress up or something. They walked next to each other and Tanjirou realised the alpha was trying to follow the omega's pace. The young man's careful consideration made him have butterflies dancing in his stomach.

The smell of sweet spring from the flowers filled his nose as they walked along the road. He noticed some of the trees were starting to flourish. In a week or so, these trees would have fully bloomed cherry blossoms.

Tomioka stopped in front of an empty field. Tanjirou looked on, wondering about the purpose of the land. "This can be your vegetable garden," the alpha stated.

Tanjirou perked up and was brimming in excitement as soon as he understood what the alpha had implied. "This entire field? Just for my vegetables?!"

"You did say you're good at growing vegetables so I will hold you to your words. Agatsuma and Hashibira could help you."

"Thank you, Tomioka-san! I'll grow healthy vegetables and cook them for you!"

Some vegetables would grow during spring and others only produce during summer or autumn season. So Tanjirou thought of checking out some seeds first. Maybe he could get them from some farmers or he could buy them from that one particular shop in the village.

"Tomioka-san, let's go to the village!" He pulled the alpha by the sleeve towards the main road.

"Must we go now?" Tomioka sounded exasperated but he let himself tagged along.

Tanjirou rambled on about growing crops on the mountain and how the pasture soil would be different than the one on land. He was so distracted telling Tomioka the differences between manure and fertilizer that he nearly tripped on his feet when the young man stopped him.

"Tomioka-san?"

He regarded how the alpha looked a little nervous as he eyed the road leading towards the village. "I forgot about the festival today."

Tanjirou brightened up. He loved festivals and was eager to see it. "Can we check it out?" Without waiting for an answer, he ran towards the village. He picked up some scents and the noises got louder and louder as his feet brought him closer to the village.

He heard the alpha called out his name and went after Tanjirou. Upon reaching where the crowds were gathered, the omega pushed through the throng of people that were lining up at the side of the road. His eyes went wide as he stared at the floats carrying giant phalli. One specific float displayed a huge phallus with its protruded knot. Tanjirou blushed, realising what kind of festival it was; Kanamara Matsuri. A festival that particularly celebrated the alpha's fertility. Tanjirou had attended several Kanamara Matsuri with his family and knew the significance of it. The fertility of an alpha was revered as a blessing from the deities as they play an important role in breeding submissive dynamics.

He looked around and saw several alpha-omega pairs with quite a few thick red strings tied from the alpha's waist to the omega's waist. They symbolised a bonding pair with the alpha's lower region connected to the omega's womb. Alpha-beta pairs were uncommon but Tanjirou scented a small group of them with their link red strings too. Others had a single red string tied around their waist without tying to someone else and that showed either they came alone or they came with their intended mate.

Tanjirou knew what he should do on this auspicious day. He turned to the alpha. "I want to go to the temple and pray."

Tomioka raised an eyebrow, surprise painting his face. "Who are you going to pray for exactly?"

"For you," Tanjirou responded with a huge grin, and was aware that he probably looked silly. It didn't matter because he wanted to do it.

"Tanjirou!" The alpha growled. He was glaring at the omega with his face flushed in anger. Tanjirou flinched, then faltered. Did Tomioka not want Tanjirou to ask the deities for a blessing for the alpha? His omega curled itself, suddenly feeling inadequate and unworthy for the man before him. After all, Tanjirou was just no one to the alpha.

He dropped his gaze to the ground. "You can stay here and wait for me. Or you can go back first. I'm still going to the temple." He knew he was being stubborn but he was still determined to do it. He was Tomioka's fated omega and he had every intention to ask for blessing from the deities. He wouldn't be a good omega if he cannot do something important like that during Kanamara Matsuri. It was just unheard of. His mother had always done it every year for his father. Why couldn't he do the same for Tomioka?

Tanjirou stalked towards the temple. After nearly four months staying in the manor and visiting the village at least biweekly, he knew the way around the village well. He had also been to the temple a few times.

Despite the disagreement they had, he scented the alpha following him and Tanjirou felt relieved that Tomioka was willing to let the omega do what he wanted. The omega was aware that if the raven-haired man had truly not wanted Tanjirou to do this, he could use his alpha pheromones to stop him.

Once they arrived at the temple, Tanjirou went straight to a stall and look through the display of ofuda talismans, omamori charms, ojuzu beads, onenju beads and at last, his gaze landed on the akai ito that the monks had called as the red string of fate. He held the thick red string and paid for it. Ignoring the alpha's heavy gaze on his back, Tanjirou went inside the main prayer room where a few people were kneeling on the floor praying. Some came in pairs and Tanjirou scented at least two pairs of fated mates were praying together. Some appeared alone like Tanjirou. The omega went to one corner of the room and knelt on one of the spaces. He prayed to the deities for Tomioka, asking to bless the red string in his hand; to grace with good health, protection and- Tanjirou squirmed and felt his cheeks grew hot- fertile for fruitful procreation in future mating. He also thanked the deities for blessing Tanjirou with a worthy fated alpha and asked for continued guidance to be a deserving mate in Tomioka's eyes. The feeling as being unworthy still lingered in his chest but he tried not to let that affect his prayer.

After he was done, he sauntered back to where the alpha was waiting. Some people who noticed the Water Pillar greeted him with a bow but most of everyone was too distracted with the festival. The raven-haired man looked devastatingly handsome and Tanjirou was suddenly captured with a silly fever. He wondered how he could be so lucky to have a fated alpha like Tomioka.

He presented the string to the alpha. "Please accept your akai ito, Tomioka-san. It had been blessed by the deities."

Tomioka picked it up with a soft thank you and tied the akai ito around his waist, making a wonderful accessory against the black obi. Tanjirou was placated, glad that he had played a part in the ceremony during an auspicious day.

A hand brushed Tanjirou's hair. "Wait here," Tomioka told him. His heart stuttered as he watched the alpha go to the same stall, paid for the akai ito and stepped into the praying room. It's uncommon for alpha to pray for another omega or beta during the Kanamara Matsuri since it was after all a celebration for the dominant dynamic. Tanjirou took comfort in the fact that Tomioka actually cared.

Tomioka seemed to take his time praying so Tanjirou watched the people around him. As he distracted himself with scenting fated mates discreetly among the intended pairs, he didn’t notice that Tomioka was next to him until he heard, “Sorry it took so long.” He jumped in surprise and saw Tomioka had one hand hidden behind his back while the other was holding the akai ito.

"It was fine."

Tomioka offered the string to him. "I prayed for your health and happiness. Please accept your akai ito."

His pulse was racing as he took the string. "Thank you, Tomioka-san. I will cherish this."

Then Tomioka pulled out his hand that was behind his back which revealed a two-tone white-pink flowerhead of pretty ajisai in the alpha's grip. He wondered where the man had picked it from and tried to recall if he had seen the shrubs around the temple. Tomioka gave him a contrite look. "My behaviour was unacceptable. I hope you will forgive my rudeness." Tanjirou was touched. After all, hydrangeas were symbolised as an apology.

Tanjirou accepted the flowerhead and stared at Tomioka with adoration. His positive values were seemingly endless in the omega's eyes. Even if the young man had not apologised, he would have forgiven the alpha a thousand times. "I forgive you," he murmured, and then he plucked one tiny hydrangea and tucked it behind his ear. He looked up and caught a strange wonder in those summer blue eyes.

They walked away from the temple and Tanjirou was delighted to see his own akai ito tied around his stomach as it bounced against his hanhaba obi every time he stepped down the stairs.

"Is that you, Tomioka Giyuu?"

Tanjirou paused next to Tomioka and blinked at an old omega man with shockingly white hair. He saw a tiny curl on the alpha's mouth as he greeted the old man, "Komiya-san. How have you been?"

"I'm well. I'll probably live another five more years. Give or take." Komiya turned his wrinkled eyes at Tanjirou. "What do we have here? What is your name, child?"

Tanjirou beamed brightly. "My name is Kamado Tanjirou. It's nice to meet you, Komiya-san."

Komiya flashed a fond smile at the alpha. "Giyuu, you have been truly blessed by the deities. Your intended omega is very beautiful and well mannered.”

Tomioka was trying to correct him. "We're not- uh, he's not-"

He gave the alpha a pointed look. "Don't defy the deities, Tomioka Giyuu!" Then he patted Tanjirou's head. "My child, you have to be patient with him." He waved at them and ambled away, leaving two flustered boys in his wake.

Tanjirou was still staring at the old man's figure as his words kept ringing in his ears. My child, you have to be patient with him. A weight that he had been carrying around in his chest was finally lifted and replaced with an acceptance. Tanjirou knew right there and then that he and Tomioka were going to be alright.

Tanjirou tugged the alpha's sleeve to get his attention. "Let's go find our vegetable seeds, Tomioka-san!"

-

In the end, they weren't able to buy any vegetable seeds because the only shop that sold them was close due to the Kanamara Matsuri. Their walk back to the manor was quiet but comfortable. Giyuu was glad that at least he had made amends with the omega. But the lack of conversation forced Giyuu to keep recalling the strange words from Komiya.

Don't defy the deities, Tomioka Giyuu!

It had been a warning, or more like he had been chastised by the deities.

He had prayed for the omega's health and protection and asked the deities to give Tanjirou a happy future in which he would get a respectable mate that would treat the omega right and would put him above everything. Giyuu determinedly ignored his alpha instincts being incensed at the thought of Tanjirou with an unknown alpha. He tried not to let his peculiar feelings for the boy sway his prayer.

After he was done, his chest had still been heavy which he blamed it on himself for hurting Tanjirou earlier on. He had growled, nearly using his alpha voice to command the omega to go back to the manor instead of going to the temple just to pray for him. Strange feelings had surged through Giyuu when Tanjirou spoke of his intention. It had made him blushed that his first instinct was to lash out at the omega in anger. Giyuu hated himself.

On his way out from the prayer room, he saw hydrangeas decorating all over the meditation corner and the alpha knew it was a sign. He was fortunate that Tanjirou had a big heart and had easily accepted his apology.

Giyuu glanced furtively at the boy walking next to him and wondered why he tried so hard not to get attached to him. As if feeling the other's gaze, Tanjirou turned to him and a shy smile bloomed on his lovely face. Giyuu momentarily forgot how to breathe and thought how undeniably precious the boy was.

When Giyuu arrived at the manor, his kasugai garasu informed him of a new mission. Giyuu immediately knew it was going to be long days of travelling and hunting demons that can stretch to more than a week because the mission was directly under Oyakata-sama. What made it worse was it had to be a joint mission with some of the Pillars. Not like they're the worst people to be stuck with but Giyuu preferred to go on solo missions. He hoped it wasn't a joint mission with that foul-mouthed and bad-tempered alpha. He wondered how the hell did Shinazugawa end up as a Pillar in the first place with that kind of attitude.

Truthfully, he was actually avoiding all the Pillars ever since their last meeting. He had been irritated with every single one of them when they were being curious and had harassed him with questions as to how and who had scent-marked Giyuu. Then he had to suffer through Uzui's stupid advised about relationships. How Uzui's three omegas could stand the annoying alpha was beyond him. It seemed that he cannot avoid some of them for much longer and he's not looking forward to this joint mission.

Before Giyuu left, the first thing he did was to keep the akai ito safely in one of his drawers. He still felt guilty of his awful behaviour and knew the flowers weren't enough even though the omega had forgiven him. Giyuu swore to make up with the boy once he's back after his mission.

After he changed his clothes into the Demon Slayer Corps' gakuran, slipped on his haori and grabbed his nichirin blade, he stepped out of his room and noticed Kanya was waiting for him. "Will you be back for hanami?" she asked.

"I don't know. Why?"

"The cherry blossoms are going to bloom beautifully this year. I want those three brats to enjoy them. You should go too."

"I don't have time for that."

Kanya smiled softly at him. There were times when she acted less like a servant to their master but more of a mother urging her child to do something. "Shishou-sama, you deserved to act like your age and sit down under the cherry blossoms, enjoying good food and good company."

He gave her his usual unimpressed look. "What about you?"

Kanya scoffed, "I'm pushing fifty and had my fair share of youthful activity. Besides, I need at least one day break from those brats. Inosuke was just too energetic and he kept pulling Zenitsu into silly competitions. Don't get me started with Tanjirou. That boy had compulsively cleaned the entire manor several times in a day when you weren't around. My head hurts every time I see the three of them in one room."

Giyuu blinked. He had noticed that the floor of the engawa had been shining too much recently so finding out that the omega was overworking around the manor was concerning. He's going to talk to Tanjirou about that.

Then the thought of spending a day of hanami with three energetic boys made him worry. Was it a good idea? He's not much of a talker and he couldn't entertain them with stories. He's always aloof and his presence would probably kill all the joyful mood.

As if reading his thoughts, Kanya assured him. "Don't worry. Those three adore you in their own way. You took in Zenitsu because you promised his sensei, you brought Tanjirou here because you wanted to keep him safe, and you accepted Inosuke from Oyakata-sama because you knew whatever punishments the organization will inflict on that boy is going to be worse than the crime he committed. You're a good person, Shishou-sama." Her smile widened. "Just spend one day with them for hanami, that's all I ask."

Giyuu sighed and pulled out his gamaguchi that Tanjirou made for him. He took out some money and handed them to Kanya. "Buy them some new spring clothes for the hanami."

Kanya looked triumphant because she understood that was Giyuu's way of saying he agreed to spend time with the boys. Besides, Giyuu could reason with himself that he's simply babysitting them to make sure they wouldn't destroy all the cherry blossom trees and traumatise the villagers.

He gave her a farewell nod and started to walk away when Kanya suddenly stopped him. "Oh, one more thing, Shishou-sama. What colour and patterns would you like to see on Tanjirou's kimono?" Kanya asked, her question sounded innocent to his ears but there's an odd gleam in the old beta's eyes.

An image of Tanjirou with a tiny white-pink ajisai flower tucked behind his ear instantly appeared in Giyuu's mind. A warm feeling curled inside his chest. "White kimono with pink flowers," he uttered absentmindedly. Upon realising that, he tightened his grip over his nichirin blade. He couldn't believe he just said that out loud. He sounded like a possessive alpha who wanted the omega to wear only what he pleased. He didn't want to dictate what Tanjirou should wear. "But it's all up to Tanjirou. Let him choose." He immediately left without glancing back at his servant.

When he reached the genkan, Tanjirou was already there. He never failed to wait for Giyuu at the genkan before he left for any of his missions. It didn't matter at what hour or whether he was busy with some chores, Tanjirou would unfailingly be there to see him out. There was one time Giyuu had an urgent mission that he needed to leave in the middle of the night and was surprised to find the omega was waiting for him, looking so soft and half-asleep. It had made him want to reach out and scent mark the boy. He wouldn't do it but his control was starting to slip. It was maddening how Tanjirou kept crashing all the walls around him.

The boy watched him as he switched from the uwabaki slippers to the specialised boots issued by the Demon Slayer Corps. He stood up and looked at the boy. He didn't know what caused him to tell Tanjirou, but he did it anyway. "When I come back, all of us should go to the hanami together."

Tanjirou looked ecstatic as he bounced on his heels. "Really? I can't wait! I'm sure the others would be excited as I am!"

Giyuu gazed upon the omega fondly and had the sudden urge to touch the boy. His fingers almost grazed that sweet face but at the last second, decided to lightly caress the hydrangea still stuck lovingly behind the omega's ear. He caught sight of the tip of Tanjirou's ear turning red and was thrilled by it.

He started to head out and said, "I'm leaving."

"Please come back safe," the omega responded.

Tanjirou's blushing face stayed with him during the entire mission. He might have been a little distracted and had to put up with Kochou's teasing, but Giyuu held that image close to his chest like it's something utterly precious that would soon to be barred from him.

Chapter Text

Tanjirou rarely dreamt, or more like, he rarely remembered what he dreamt of. His sleep was no longer disturb with nightmares despite the phantom ache making a home behind his ribs. He figured that feeling will stay with him as long as he's alive.

Then one night, he had a dream. It's not necessarily considered a peaceful one nor did it seem like a nightmare. It's just strange, and so disjointed, like cut ribbons scattered among the wind. He was in a place with nothing but shadows and fogs. And in that wide bleak land, there stood a familiar figure with his back facing Tanjirou. He was wearing the mismatched haori that the omega had gradually learnt to love by its sight which reminded him of hope, smell that made him recall of home, and touch that stirred up a memory of a comforting hug under a moonless sky. But the person who wore it was more significant and had been Tanjirou's bright light at the end of the tunnel.

Except, in this dream, the alpha was different; a ghost, a shadow, a dark shade of a person that once known as Tomioka Giyuu. His hair was short, it was no longer long and tied in a loose ponytail. But the major change that made the omega shuddered in horror was the empty space at the right sleeve of the haori.

Tanjirou had opened his mouth to call out the alpha, but nothing came out. His throat croaked, a hoarse sound escaped while words stuck at the pit of his heart; Giyuu-san… don't leave me. Tanjirou woke up, feeling heavy and out of sorts. The foreboding clouds followed him the rest of the morning and he wondered if there's a tree with hard, twisted branches that had grown overnight inside him.

"Tanjirou."

He snapped out of his thoughts and realised he's been holding his shiozake with his chopsticks halfway to his mouth for quite some time. "Is something wrong with the salmon?" Zenitsu frowned in concern.

Inosuke leaned towards the salted fish that was still hanging between Tanjirou's chopsticks, his eyes wide with desire as he licked his lips. "Give the shiozake to me if you don't want it!"

He shot a glare at the other boy. "No! It's mine!" Tanjirou immediately shoved it into his mouth and chewed it determinedly. He pushed back whatever thoughts of his strange dream and prayed that would be the last time.

Kanya set down her tea and spoke to the three of them. "Once you finish your breakfast, we're going to the village to get a set of kimono for the hanami."

Tanjirou perked up and smelled the excited scents from the others. "It's a gift from Shishou-sama so a tailor-made kimono for each of you will be perfect." Kanya gave Inosuke a pointed look. "Be in your best behaviour. I expect you to wear the entire kimono during the hanami."

It took them almost half an hour to prepare for the journey to the village amidst the chaos created by the two beta boys. Zenitsu was screeching like a dying animal while an irate Inosuke was strangling him because the light-haired beta had flung the boar head out of the room when the other insisted to wear it. Tanjirou slammed their heads with his fists and screamed at them to calm down. Kanya had stayed away from the excitement and simply waited for them patiently at the genkan.

Kanya brought them to a modest-looking gofuku shop in the middle of the village. They went inside and the first thing Tanjirou noticed was a sweet citrus smell that came from a vase with pretty peonies in various colours. They changed their footwear into the uwabaki slippers for guests and stepped further inside the place where everything looked neat and organized with beautiful fabrics hanging on displays. Tanjirou saw a boy weaving white silk which formed a fine-looking fabric. The pure white material reminded him of a shiromuku to be worn by the submissive dynamic on a wedding ceremony.

He had a sudden image of himself in shiromuku, standing next to Tomioka who was wearing an elegant montsuki kimono. Tanjirou blushed and mentally berated at himself that this wasn't the time to be daydreaming about getting married to one specific handsome alpha.

The dark-haired boy raised his head and saw them. He stopped weaving and came over to greet them warmly, especially at Kanya. Since the three of them were new to him, the boy introduced himself as Murata. Tanjirou scented him as an omega. His smell appeared fresh and sweet that indicated the boy just recently matured. It lingered in the air very strongly as a signal to other unmated dominant dynamics. He peeked at Zenitsu who seemed interested by the other omega's scent. Inosuke, being a year older than Tanjirou, was still a beta child so the scent didn't affect him at all. Kanya greeted back with an equal amount of warmth in her tone and congratulated him for being a fully grown omega.

"Where's your grandfather?" Kanya asked.

The boy's mouth pressed into a thin line. "He's not feeling well this past few days so it's just me in the shop."

"Oh. I shall visit him tomorrow then. I'll bring a pot of tonjiru for him."

"He would love that," replied Murata, a smile graced his lips once more.

After Kanya told him the purpose of their visit, Zenitsu and Inosuke were ushered behind a bamboo partition to decide their omeshi kimono. Pastel yellow lemon colour with diamond patterns for Zenitsu and rich green forest colour with hexagonal patterns for Inosuke's omeshi. Kimonos for dominant were simpler so Murata didn't take too much time with them.

Kanya allowed the two betas to wander around the village when it was the omega's turn.

Murata asked for his preference between furisode and cho-furisode. Tanjirou wasn't sure as he never wore a formal kimono. His parents can never afford to have one for their children anyway. Kanya thought it would be better for the omega to wear the lighter cho-furisode, rather than the formal furisode which was heavier and had sleeves that would drag all over the ground.

"What colour would you prefer for your kimono? What about patterns? Cherry blossoms, perhaps?" Murata asked.

Tanjirou glanced at Kanya helplessly. The older beta sighed. "Tanjirou, it's alright. Shishou-sama wanted you to choose what you like."

He bit his lip nervously. He had grown up wearing komon most of his life and only wore iromuji in the manor. The omega had never worn something expensive and luxurious like the furisode. He could discern how each fabric was handmade with high-quality silks and how the beautiful pictures and patterns were painted and sewn in excellent details.

Kanya finally took pity on the omega. "Let's keep this a secret between us, alright. Shishou-sama did mention he would love to see you in a kimono with the design of pink flowers but then decided the design is up to you."

"Oh." Tanjirou felt his cheeks warmed. "That's thoughtful of him." It was actually endearing. Tanjirou thought it wouldn't be a problem to wear a kimono with pink flowers. Besides, he would love to see Tomioka's reaction once he saw Tanjirou during the hanami. He turned to Murata and asked, "Do you have any fabric with pink flowers?"

Murata led him to where there were colourful fabrics with a variety of flower patterns hanging above a sideboard. "Do you have any specific flowers that you like? Carnation? Wisteria?"

Tanjirou shrugged. "It doesn't matter to me as long as the flower symbolises something positive."

They looked at several fabrics and Tanjirou knew why nothing had caught his eyes. He wanted something that looked exactly like the one that Murata was weaving. "Is there anything white with pink flowers?"

Murata hummed as he looked around the shop. Tanjirou saw a few light cream coloured fabrics but nothing like the one he wanted. Murata started to apologise when suddenly his eyes went wide as he realised something. "Oh. I can use the one I'm weaving right now. I'm almost finished with it and by tomorrow I can start painting flowers on it."

Tanjirou frowned. "But isn't that for a wedding garment?"

"It's just a white fabric for now and nobody has requested for a shiromuku. I can turn it into a cho-furisode." Murata looked so excited that he started telling Tanjirou in detail how he would paint a few mixes of mauve and scarlet coloured flowers with the pink ones. Tanjirou thought it was a lovely idea.

The omega glanced back at the peonies in the vase at the entrance of the shop. He immediately knew what flowers he wanted on his kimono.

After Kanya had made the payment, and Tanjirou promised to visit Murata whenever he's in the village, they left the gofuku shop to find Zenitsu and Inosuke. Luckily the two boys were just sitting in a stall across from them, enjoying their sticky tri-coloured dango.

"You know, I was a bit surprised that you chose a white kimono. It seemed that you and Shishou-sama do think alike." Her lips stretched into a kind, wistful smile. She then took a longer stride and left the omega to trail behind her. "Like fated mates," she murmured under her breath, as if she didn't want the omega to hear her, but Tanjirou did. Loud and clear.

Tanjirou flushed with pride as he felt a rush of excitement run through his body. He couldn't wait to see Tomioka.

-

The number of demons were bigger than what Giyuu had anticipated so the mission had been as long as nearly two weeks. Many demon slayers had been badly injured and unfortunately, a few were killed. His heart clenched as he saw some of them cried for their fallen comrades. He felt a deep sense of sorrow and guilt that he wasn't able to do enough to save them. But he remained expressionless and pretended in front of everyone that he wasn't affected by their death.

Giyuu left Kochou and her team of kakushi at the mountain without a word. The female alpha was used to Giyuu missing as soon as a mission was completed. The alpha wanted to go home as fast as possible so that he wouldn't miss the hanami. Giyuu kept telling himself it had nothing to do with him feeling the absence of a certain little omega. However, it would certainly give the alpha a peace of mind just to see Tanjirou again.

Giyuu had used one of his kasugai garasu to send a short note to his old servant to tell the kids to go first and choose a spot; Giyuu will find them once he arrives. He figured Kanya would have prepared bento for everyone so he visited a town nearest to one of the Insect Pillar's lands and went to buy some wagashi for the boys to eat during the hanami. The shopkeeper carefully placed the two dozen sakura mochi into two separate boxes that were decorated with painted pictures depicting spring season and wrapped them in a furoshiki. Giyuu had never eaten the mochi but felt confident the boys would love them.

He ran, hoping he could catch the mid-morning train. The village was at the final stop so he would still be stuck for a few hours inside the train. He couldn't miss it or he would just miss out the hanami altogether. On the way to the station, Giyuu was passing several shops when something caught his sight. It was a pure white peony kanzashi pin. He peered at it intently for a moment. The silk that was weaved together to create the delicate flower was soft under his touch. Without a second thought, Giyuu paid for it.

When he finally arrived at the village, the street was nearly empty so he assumed most of the villagers were either at their homes or in the field where all the cherry blossom trees were. The alpha knew he should at least go back to the manor, take a quick bath and dress appropriately. But for the first time in his life, Giyuu was extremely impatient to see Tanjirou and allowed himself to be guided by his alpha instinct that sought the omega's presence desperately.

Giyuu saw people sitting and laying down on picnic mats, congregating together as family and friends. He felt on edge as he realised there were more people around than the Kanamara Matsuri. He was hoping they would be distracted with their own company and wouldn't notice the Water Pillar at all.

He inwardly sighed. His mismatched haori and gakuran were already drawing attention to himself. Even now, a few people started noticing him. He never liked the attention. He should have gone back to the manor and changed into a yukata or something. His gaze flitted from one group to another, searching for that one face that had persistently stuck in his head for the past weeks.

"Tomioka-sama."

A sense of dread filled him. He eyed the older woman suspiciously. She was with a young omega girl and that's never a good thing in his opinion. "I want to express my gratitude for making us feel safe from demons. We can't thank you enough. Oh, let me introduce you to my daughter. Her name is Harumi." His stoic face was unbudging as he glanced at the girl. She blushed and smiled bashfully at him. Ugh. He had no time for this.

"Ah, how wonderful to see you here, Tomioka-sama!" He mentally groaned. Oh deities, not another one. This time it's an older man with his young omega son. He pierced with an indifferent stare at them, but either they were clueless or they pretended not to notice, the man kept talking. "Have you met my son? Yasuharu matured just a month ago and-" He was cut off by another woman who pushed him away with her shoulder. She pulled her two omega daughters to stand in front of the alpha. "Tomioka-sama, we're so happy to see you here! These are my daughters, Madoka and Hanako!"

At least, during the Kanamara Matsuri while Giyuu was waiting for Tanjirou to finish praying, he had to endure only one attempt of a mother who thought his omega son would be a good companion for him. Giyuu wondered what the purpose was for them to introduce their omega children. He didn't become a Water Pillar to socialise with these people. He thought his aloofness was a dead giveaway that he's not interested to be anyone's friend or even as an acquaintance. Maybe he had done something bad in his past life that he usually ended up in this stupid pointless circumstances.

Perhaps he should just walk away and miss out on the hanami. His chest tightened as an image of a disappointed dark red-haired omega appeared in his mind. As if his mind had conjured the person to appear, he heard Tanjirou's voice, "Tomioka-san! We're over here!"

Everyone turned to face the owner of the voice. He caught sight of the omega. He stood there, unmoved like a stone as he kept looking.

Staring at Tanjirou, he discovered, was something like sipping a much too sweet sake and eating too many sugared manjuu. It made him feel light-headed and made his stomach convulse. With the pretty pink, purple, and red peonies all over the front of the cho-furisode kimono and spreading all the way to the sleeves, Giyuu was struck at how utterly pretty Tanjirou looked in it.

He recalled one haiku he had come across a few times in his reading:

My very soul, it seems,
Has stolen into every stitch
Of the robe you wear. *

He must be so worn out to remember such a silly haiku. The omega rushed towards him and the alpha caught him in his arms. A sweet, clean scent filled his nostrils.

"I'm so glad you're finally here!" His voice muffled into his gakuran, the curls at the top of the omega's head tickling his chin. Instead of his usual ponytail, those burgundy curls were tied into a small bun.

Giyuu felt self-conscious of himself. He probably smelt like shit. The last time he cleaned himself in the river was several days ago and his clothes were filthy, especially his haori. He was certain that he had dirtied the omega's kimono. But when his gaze landed on the soft rose coloured fukuro obi that was tied into a butterfly knot at the back of the omega's waist, he was wholly endeared by the sight that he forgot to move Tanjirou away from him.

Giyuu then noticed how every eye in the field was drawn at the omega. Tanjirou raised his face and their gaze met. "Welcome back, Tomioka-san." His hanafuda earrings swaying gently with his movement. The scent of happiness from the omega was so contagious that he almost forget all those eyes staring at Tanjirou.

His face remained impassive as he tried to rein in his alpha that wanted to growl at everyone, especially at those unmated alphas that were gazing at the omega child curiously. He squeezed the boy in his arms lightly in response. "I'm glad to be here now."

He turned his head at the others who were staring at them with a mix of disbelief look and prying eyes. "I've got to get going. It was nice seeing all of you." It was the most polite way he could say to them to leave him and Tanjirou be. Fortunately this time, they left without any fuss.

Tanjirou cupped his elbow. "Is everything alright? You look tense." The omega must have sensed his discomfort. Giyuu placed his hand over Tanjirou's. It was unintentional but he's too tense with his surroundings to let go. "I'm just a bit tired. But I'm fine."

A look of concern furrowed Tanjirou’s brow. “Are you sure?”

He sighed. “Trust me. I’ve never been better.”

"Alright. I believe you." Tanjirou's palm slid out from under him and before he began to feel anxious that Tanjirou might move away from Giyuu while surrounded by these people who wouldn't stop staring at him, the omega surprised him by grabbing the alpha's hand right away. He led Giyuu to the two betas who looked excited at his arrival.

At least they were getting further away from those people that made Giyuu wanted to swing his nichirin blade at them. They were eyeing Tanjirou weirdly and it made the alpha irritated. He was able to concentrate on the warmness that spread from the omega's hand. It was so warm that it extended all the way to his chest.

The boy eventually let go once they're at their picnic mat. Giyuu examined Agatsuma and Hashibira's omeshi kimono. Honestly, he was quite impressed. He had given Kanya nearly an entire month of his wage and had expected for a high-quality ready-made kimono. These were tailor-made and looked much better. It was money well spent.

What's more impressive is that Hashibira wasn't even taking off his omeshi. He knew the boy was itching to get rid of at least the outer part of his robe but there's a stubborn look in his eyes as he waited for Giyuu's praise.

"Everyone looks nice," he nodded approvingly.

"Shishou! Whose kimono looks nicer? Mine or Konitsu?"

Giyuu was aware he had to choose his answer wisely. "Definitely yours."

Hashibira howled in excitement as he jumped around their picnic mat while Agatsuma rolled his eyes at the younger beta.

Giyuu apologized that he was late. They must have been there for quite some time when he saw the half-empty bento that belonged to the three boys. "It was fine. We planned to stay here longer and watch the sunset," Agatsuma told him.

Tanjirou pulled Giyuu by his sleeve to sit next to the omega. He offered the alpha a cup of sake. As he drank his rice wine, he heard the light-haired boy teased the other beta, "I'm surprised you wouldn't dare to compare your kimono with Tanjirou's."

Hashibira smirked, "Why would I even do that? Shishou only has eyes for Gonpachiro."

Giyuu nearly choked on his drink. Tanjirou stammered, "Sh- shut up!" The omega's cheeks were as red as the scarlet peonies on his kimono as he scowled hotly at Hashibira. Tanjirou grabbed a bento box and removed its cover. He placed it in front of the alpha.

"Tomioka-san, I made this for you. I hope they taste good." He bit his lower lips as he fiddled with his gold-coloured obijime that was tied around his obi.

Giyuu decided to ignore Hashibira's embarrassing remark and scanned the content inside the bento. It was so pretty, like he's seeing a miniature garden in a wooden box. There was sweet rice that had been cooked with azuki beans, steamed carrots and pickled daikon radish. They formed into pretty red, orange, and yellow flower shapes. Purple cabbage and green spinach stem were turned into sprigs of lavender that he sometimes saw in the hills of Nagano. There were also boiled eggs, fried chickens, and fried salmons set up neatly in another partition inside the bento. His stomach grumbled when the delicious whiff from the salmons reached his nose.

He felt himself smiling at Tanjirou. "I can't wait to eat this. Thank you for the meal."

He almost forgot the wagashi that he still held in one hand and set the two boxes on the mat. He silently gestured at the three boys to open them. Tanjirou and Agatsuma removed the cover for each box while Hashibira shaking excitedly behind them. They gasped at the pink-coloured rice cakes beautifully wrapped with cherry blossom's leaves.

"Ah! They're too pretty to be eaten!" Agatsuma wailed.

"Then don't eat them! I'll devour all of these!" Hashibira was drooling as his trembling hands attempted to reach for the sakura mochi.

Agatsuma pushed him off from the mat with a disgusted look. "You gross me out!"

"What the fuck you did that for?!" He grabbed Agatsuma from the picnic mat and they started pulling each other's hair while rolling on the ground. It's good that they at least knew not to rip their expensive omeshi.

Giyuu now understood why Kanya needed a break from them. He looked around to see they were farther away from all the other groups of people. He suspected Tanjirou must have chosen this specific spot. The boy must have known this would happen. At least the rowdiness weren't disturbing most of the people nearby them, except a few dirty looks thrown at the two betas.

"Should I stop them?" he asked Tanjirou.

The omega reached for the sakura mochi without looking away. "I think they both need to let out all that excess energy." His eyes went wide the moment he took the first bite, moaning in pleasure. "This is so delicious!"

Giyuu was secretly delighted with Tanjirou's reaction. Following the omega's lead, he ignored the two boys and picked up his chopsticks to start eating the food in his bento. On his second piece of fried salmon, he suddenly remembered the kanzashi. He put down his chopsticks and withdrew the floral wrapper from his pocket.

"I bought something for you," he said as he showed the gift. He wanted to make up for his rude behaviour last time by presenting this lovely hair accessory. But he wouldn't say it to the omega. He had a feeling Tanjirou wouldn't accept it if Giyuu told him that.

His mouth opened wide in awe once he took out the hairpin from inside the wrapper. "Oh, I love it!" Tanjirou gave the alpha a beatific smile. "Thank you, Tomioka-san!"

Then he turned so that the back of his head was facing Giyuu and the kanzashi was raised towards the alpha. "Can you pin it to my hair?"

Feeling nervous all of a sudden because he had never done this before, Giyuu took the kanzashi from the boy's grip and then awkwardly pinned it into the dark scarlet curls. He had not known Tanjirou would wear a peony kimono. He had felt right the moment he saw the peony kanzashi. It's like the boy was fated to wear flowers that symbolized being brave and strong. It suited the little omega.

Tanjirou turned back to face him. Giyuu watched a delicate white petal landed on his scar. His own fingers twitched, wishing he could pick it up. He recalled Tanjirou's refusal when he touched his scar. Giyuu wouldn't dare to make the same mistake.

"How do I look?" Tanjirou cocked his head, the petal fell off to the ground from its perch. He had hoped it would remain there longer.

Feeling peculiarly playful which was odd because it's been too long since he felt this way, Giyuu wanted to tease the omega. "One could mistake you as Ko-no-Hana."

He received a giggle from Tanjirou. It might not show on his face but Giyuu was incredibly pleased that it worked. "Then the Spring Deity's husband might mistake me as his wife and spirit me away."

"I won't let any deity or anyone take you away," his response was immediate and Tanjirou went beet-red. “I promise to keep you safe,” Giyuu vowed to him. The thought of Tanjirou being taken away by anyone- whether they were demons, or humans, or even the deities- gave a painful lurch in his chest.

Tanjirou opened his mouth to say something but stopped when Agatsuma and Hashibira plopped themselves down in front Giyuu. They looked like they had exhausted themselves and quietly grabbed a piece of the sakura mochi.

The hour passed easily with Tanjirou asking him about his mission. Giyuu omitted a lot of details especially about the demon slayers that had been killed and simply told them about the infestation of demons in Nataguma Mountain.

Hashibira spoke of his encounter with demons when he was stuck in a demonic house. That was where he was rescued by several demon slayers. But he ended up in a fight with them and that's how he was brought to the Demon Slayer Corps. Tanjirou shared his nearly fatal brush with a demon back in the alley where Giyuu had rescued him.

Agatsuma then told them how he never actually met face to face with a real demon, as he would usually run away the moment he heard of their appearance. So the scariest thing ever happened to him was when he got struck by lightning.

"That's how my hair turned from black to this beautiful golden colour," he told them as he played with his hair.

"You're lying!" Hashibira accused him. "If you were struck by lightning, you should be dead by now! Your hair is not even gold! It looks like an ugly yellow-orange mop!"

"I'm telling the truth! And how dare you insult my hair?!" Agatsuma screeched back.

Giyuu tuned them out and grabbed the last rice cake that the boys left for him. He took a bite and found the sweetness contrasted perfectly with the salted cherry leaf. The unique flavour melted delightfully on his tongue. Tanjirou was right indeed. It was delicious.

Most of the villagers had left as the temperature got colder. It was quiet when the sun started to set because Tanjirou and Hashibira had fallen asleep next to each other. So only Giyuu and Agatsuma were watching the evening sun swallowed by the earth. Halfway through it, Giyuu's sight fell on the sleeping omega, the rays from the sunset lingered on the boy, making him appear like an ethereal, fiery blossom. The golden image seared in his eyes, like an endless loop, and Giyuu wondered if he would encounter this more often in the future. If only they could stay this way forever. But just like the sunset, it ended too quickly, and Giyuu felt bereft as he was left gazing at the shadowed visage of Tanjirou.

Giyuu and Agatsuma packed up the empty bento boxes and flasks of sake and water into a kinchaku bag. The alpha watched the two sleeping boys. They looked so peaceful that he hesitated to wake them up. So he decided to carry the omega in his arms while Agatsuma grabbed Hashibira and tossed him to the ground, probably hoping that would wake him up. Despite the rough tumble, the beta continued to sleep. The older beta folded the mat and put it inside the kinchaku bag. Then Agatsuma turned back to the younger beta and Giyuu could see the boy was contemplating to kick Hashibira awake.

"Let the kid sleep. You can carry him on your back," he told the beta. Agatsuma sighed but complied with the alpha's command. He was able to manoeuvre the younger beta on his back.

They walked back to the manor in a comfortable silence without any unnecessary small talks. Holding the omega closed to him, Giyuu noticed the boy had more weight than before. Tanjirou's ribs were no longer jutting out under his touch like last time. He was pleased Tanjirou was filling up nicely. His alpha felt a surge of protectiveness over the omega.

Deities, just let me protect him a little bit longer, he prayed silently. One day, Giyuu must let the boy go and allow Tanjirou to determine his future; find a good mate, have a family, grow old. Tanjirou would no longer be his to protect. He never felt this way before with anyone but Giyuu had come to a realisation how he hopelessly adored this omega. That's all to it. Nothing more, nothing less.

He heard Tanjirou mumble sleepily into his chest, "Giyuu-san." His heart skipped a beat. He watched the sleeping omega in awe, as if Tanjirou held the answers to each and every mystery in this world.

Chapter Text

It's that time again. When his chest felt heavy and his limbs refuse to move. The darkness within his soul had shackled his entire body and now he's a prisoner trapped in his mind of nothing but guilt and pain. Giyuu wasn't sure how long he had been that way, laying on the futon listlessly, staring at the beams of the roof above his head. It could be days or months or a year. He could have wasted his entire youth just like that, remain motionless like a statue. He could distantly hear the sound of cicadas outside his room. Everything felt so far, far away from him.

It had been quite some time since he felt this hopelessness inside him. The last time had been before he found Tanjirou on the snowy mountain. The recent distraction of having an omega child and a beta child living with him and the increasing number of missions had occupied his mind for months. It's a wonder he had a mental breakdown right now.

He prayed for a mission today so that he wouldn't stay this way. But he knew that going to a mission while he's like this would turn Giyuu acting more destructive than usual. It happened once and he ended up with a broken arm with half of his gut spilling out of his body. Kochou had refused to use her kakushi to treat his injury so that the alpha would learn his lesson. Oyakata-sama had to send his private doctor, Tamayo-sensei, to Giyuu. It had been one of the worst days Giyuu had to endure in his life.

There was a quiet knock on his door. "Shishou-sama." The older woman entered and took a glimpse at him once. She knew what was happening. He thought he saw Kanya shook her head sadly.

"I'll tell the others not to disturb you." Then she stepped out of the room and leave Giyuu alone. Yes. That's what he wanted. To be alone. He wanted nothing more than to just remain that way until the end of the world or to just disappear into the tatami floor and let the earth swallow him.

The heat inside the room gradually got warmer as the morning sun rose higher. Daylight creeping inside his room and replacing the lingering shadows at the corner of his eyes. His dark mood wasn't diminishing so he resigned solemnly to his fate for the rest of the day. Suddenly, he heard his shoji door slide open and someone stepped inside without announcing their presence.

Giyuu was too listless to even feel annoyed at this person. The telltale scent of hinted sweetness that indicates an omega that had not reached maturity yet reached his nostrils and right away, he knew who was the intruder. The little warm body sat next to his after setting down something on the low table.

"Tomioka-san, I bring breakfast for you. Um, it's actually lunch since it's already midday."

Giyuu remained quiet and lifeless. He felt himself floating between emptiness and sadness. Was he supposed to say something back? What should he say? He's not hungry? Go away?

"Tomioka-san."

The invisible weight of the entire world was pressing on his chest. Maybe he had suffocated and died; Now he was nothing but a body without a soul.

Something small and soft touched his hand. "Tomioka-san."

He kept staring into nothing. The feeling of absence overwhelming him to the point that he could have cried if it wasn't so painful to cry in the first place.

Something lay on Giyuu's chest, soft burgundy curls spread like a waterfall over him.

"Giyuu-san." The word sank into a tiny hollow of his chest; it sounded like heartbroken.

The alpha felt himself stirring. He weakly gripped the hand in response as another raised into the air and buried his fingers into silky-soft curls. He opened his mouth, forcing his words to come out. His voice hoarse from disuse, "What are you doing here, Tanjirou?"

A smothered breath, almost like a sob, escaped from the omega. "Kanya told me you're not feeling well and ordered us to leave you be. But I'm worried. I couldn't just leave you alone."

"You shouldn't see me like this." His tone was bitter. After months of hiding behind a solid facade, what would Tanjirou think of seeing him this way? Pathetic? Shameful? Worthless? He thought he could keep up being a strong figure for the omega.

He gently pushed the omega to the side and sat up. He had to get out. The heat inside the room was suddenly stifling. He grabbed his last night's yukata, wore it over his juban, and clumsily tied his obi.

"Don't follow me." He stepped out of his room and went to the entrance hall. His feet slipped on his geta slippers before walking out of the manor.

The summer sun was smouldering and the heat was choking his lungs. But that still did not deter him from getting away. The deities, however, seemed to be in a humorous mood because a few steps later, there's a voice calling out to him from behind. "Tomioka-san."

He walked faster. "Wait, Tomioka-san!"

He paced himself into a jog. "Giyuu-san! Don't you dare run away from me!"

When his given name was called by Tanjirou, it caused a stirring in his heart. He turned around and growled at the omega, "Why can't you leave me alone?!" If he had been on his right mind, he would be aghast at himself for snapping at the boy like that.

Tanjirou bare his neck. His alpha immediately calmed down as he watched the omega slowly approach him.

"You want to know why won't I leave you alone?" Tanjirou spoke the moment he stood right in front of the young man.

With his neck still expose to the alpha, as if Tanjirou was daring for Giyuu to bite him- to place something more permanent than a mere scent mark that Giyuu had been yearning to do so for months- the omega shouted, "Because you found me and now we're stuck together! For better or for worse!"

What? He blinked at the omega, puzzled with his statement. Giyuu noticed the red-rimmed eyes but there wasn't any track of tears on the omega's crimson cheeks.

Tanjirou abruptly moved closer to him and stood on his toes. Both arms reached out towards him and cupping his face between his small palms. "I may not be able to make it all go away." Tanjirou traced his face with his fingers like he's made of glass. "But I can always be here, every single day of your life, just to remind you that you're capable of getting through whatever pain you're suffering or any memories that are still hurting you."

Giyuu had a sudden epiphany. It was a strange notion but he thought, right at that moment, he would let Tanjirou tear his chest open, climb inside him and curl behind his ribs. Maybe, just maybe, Tanjirou could be the one to erase the darkness inside him.

Looking at the omega in amazement, he murmured absentmindedly, "Why did you grow up so fast?"

Tanjirou dropped his hands, auburn eyes avoided his gaze as rosy hue painted his cheeks brighter than a moment ago. "I'm not going to stay as a child forever. My name day was half a month ago. I turned fourteen this summer."

Fourteen. Huh. Fourteen. It felt too soon.

"Do you feel a bit better?" Tanjirou asked him worriedly and Giyuu realised he had remained silent for quite some time. The young man nodded his head. He wouldn't let his depression drag him down today. If not for himself, for Tanjirou's sake then.

"Since we're already out here, let's take a walk and I'll show you my vegetable garden," Tanjirou declared excitedly.

"It's hot."

Tanjirou chuckled. "Says the one who went out at a time like this. Besides, it's the middle of summer."

Feeling uncharacteristically petulant, Giyuu repeated, "It's still hot."

"You know what we should eat to cool down? Zaru soba!" Tanjirou bounced eagerly on his heels, all traces of concern gone from his face and his scent. It was so easy to make the omega happy. Tanjirou checked the inside of his own yukata's sleeve as he muttered quietly, "I hope I bring some money with me since it's obvious he's not bringing any- Thank deities I did!" Since the start of the summer season, Kanya had allowed Tanjirou to replace his iromuji to yukata similarly worn by Agatsuma and Hashibira. Giyuu found that no matter what clothes Tanjirou wore, he always looked pretty in them, even if they're as simple as a plain blue yukata.

The omega brandished his gamaguchi in front of him. "We are destined to eat zaru soba today!"

Giyuu was tempted to roll his eyes. Tanjirou tugged on his sleeve. "Giyuu-san, want to have a zaru soba eating contest with me?"

Giyuu tried to ignore the fluttering of his heartbeat when Tanjirou said his given name again. He wondered if he should mention anything about it. He didn't mind it at all, truthfully. He had been calling the omega's given name since the first day Tanjirou insisted him to do so. So this could be the natural progression from Tomioka-san to Giyuu-san for the boy.

"What about my breakfast?"

Tanjirou shook his head. "By the time we get back, Inosuke would have eaten everything! He's not one to waste food. It doesn't matter if the food belongs to who, but as long as it's a leftover or someone leaves their food for some time, it will be gone no matter where you hide it."

They walked together under the cloudless sky towards Tanjirou's vegetable garden. When they arrived, the omega showed him about ten different kinds of vegetables from edamame to myoga ginger. Tanjirou was so proud of how well they were growing that he started cooing adorably at them as if they're his children. Giyuu had to restrain himself from expressing his amusement.

Then Tanjirou dragged him to a quaint-looking shokudo restaurant near the edge of the village. Giyuu wondered how exactly did he get from waking up feeling like it's the end of the world to him sitting next to Tanjirou and slurping his soba as fast as he could. Naturally, Giyuu had won by eating six servings and even finished Tanjirou's final and fourth zaru soba since the omega complained how his little stomach was on the verge of exploding.

Giyuu watched the omega who was having a hard time walking back to the manor properly with his bloated stomach. He may not be better today or tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow, but the alpha decided, as long as Tanjirou was with him, Giyuu would find the darkness inside him just a little bearable.

-

It had been a fortnight since the day Tanjirou had seen how human the alpha was. He didn't see it as a weakness. Instead, Tanjirou had realised how strong the alpha must have been to go through all that pain by himself.

Tanjirou had Tomioka to lean on the past eight months while the alpha had no one and suffered alone for years. Tanjirou wanted the alpha to rely on him too. He might be young, not even a fully grown omega, but Tanjirou wanted to carry Tomioka's burden.

He was so worried sick about Tomioka that day, and he still did now. Without the raven-haired man's presence in the manor for several days already, his concern for the alpha had gotten worse to the point that sometimes he couldn't sleep. Just like right now, he was scrubbing the floor of the tearoom because his troubled mind had made him so antsy that he needed to do something. He wanted to keep himself busy until he's exhausted and couldn't think straight.

He froze when he heard a noise. Tanjirou squeaked in fright when he glanced a sudden movement at the entrance of the tearoom. His heart was thundering so fast behind his chest that it might as well burst out from his throat.

"Tanjirou." It was a familiar soft voice belonging to the one face that had been constantly at the forefront of his mind for the past few days. The light from the ivory moon illuminated from behind Tomioka and made the raven-haired man look like a celestial being that had come down to visit earth.

"Tomioka-san." He placed his hand over his chest as he thought he's going to die of a heart attack. He's putting all the blame on Zenitsu and Inosuke who had been sharing ghost stories ever since the temperature at night was getting unbearably hot. Feeling chilled to the bones by just the thought of being watched by the sinister Mokumokuren or hearing a creepy noise by the malevolent Hachishaku-sama had made all three boys hiding under the blanket until dawn. It didn't help that Zenitsu had recently told a spine-chilling story about the ghost of the first Water Pillar haunting the manor.

Tomioka must have just come back from his mission and he looked rumpled and tired. He stared at Tanjirou with a furrowed brow. "Why are you cleaning the tearoom in the middle of the night?"

Tanjirou blushed in embarrassment, as if he had been caught doing something he's not supposed to do. "Uh- I- I'm sorry." He bowed, hiding his flushed face. Kanya had talked to him a few times about his compulsive cleaning and told him to hold it back. He couldn't repress the urge that it felt maddening to restrain himself.

"I can't sleep," he mumbled. He refused to tell Tamioka how he's worried about the alpha until he couldn't sleep.

He heard the alpha heaved a sigh. "I've been meaning to talk to you about this matter. This isn't the right way to tire yourself, Tanjirou."

Tamioka headed out of the tea room and told Tanjirou to leave all the cleaning tools and follow him. The alpha brought him to his room. Kanya was the only one cleaning the alpha's room so Tanjirou had never been inside except on his first day when he was shown around and on that day when he sneaked inside just because he was concerned about Tamioka.

He looked around, never having the opportunity to observe the room since he was too distracted about Tamioka's well-being before this to notice his surroundings. The room was decorated sparsely with a wardrobe and a low table. Tanjirou had a hunch that Tomioka lived in this place as if he wouldn't want to stay for a very long time. Did the alpha plan to leave the manor one day and live somewhere else? Zenitsu once told him the previous Water Pillar was killed in action. Did Tamioka reckon he wouldn't live long enough to grow old? He shivered at his own morbid thought.

The raven-haired man laid his nichirin blade on the low table, lit up the candle, and took off his haori. Blue eyes flicked to him. "Take off your clothes."

Tanjirou jolted. A stone lodged at the pit of his stomach. Tomioka wanted him to take off his clothes?!

He watched as the alpha walked to the wardrobe but he could hear the unmistaken sound of a belt being unbuckled loudly in the room. He paled. Did the alpha want to- to-

This isn't the right way to tire yourself, Tanjirou.

Tanjirou wasn't naive; he knew what two people could do. His mother had even talked to him about the mating between an alpha and an omega. But it usually occurred between two consenting mature individuals.

Did that mean Tomioka wants to do adult stuff with him?! Tanjirou didn't want this and he wasn't even mature yet!

Tanjirou looked at the closed sliding door, contemplating escaping. He clenched his fists as his heart thundered loudly behind his chest. Fated mate or not, Tanjirou wouldn't let Tomioka touch him inappropriately! He couldn't believe Tomioka can be such a pervert! If he escaped, the young man could grab him easily since the alpha was much taller and had long legs. That's it. He's going to headbutt the alpha-

"Change into this."

He jumped back into awareness and turned to see Tomioka placed some folded clothes on the low table. They looked like a white keikogi with black hakama pants. Only then he realised the alpha had replaced his gakuran with his usual black keikogi. He was tying the straps of his hakama pants into a square knot as he gestured with his chin towards the clothes for Tanjirou.

"I hope they fit you. I wore them a few years ago when I was still training in Sagiri Mountain under Urokodaki-" His brow furrowed as he watched the omega in concern. "Are you alright?"

Tanjirou immediately collapsed to his knees and bowed in front of the alpha, his forehead smacking painfully on the tatami floor. "Please forgive me, Giyuu-san!"

He was so ashamed of himself. He wanted to slap himself for his mistake. How could he have thought such a thing about Tomioka. Of course the alpha wouldn't do anything to him. If the young man had wanted to do something to Tanjirou, he would have done it a long time ago. Besides, living more than half a year with the alpha, Tanjirou had never once smelled any lustful scent from Tomioka. He should have used his nose earlier to comprehend the situation. He should be punished by the deities for accusing his own fated alpha as a pervert when he had depraved thoughts regarding the man.

Ah, what's equally embarrassing is that he had said Tomioka's given name at the heat of the moment just like last time. Deities, he was stupid and had embarrassed himself in front of the master of the household.

He smelled the alpha standing closer to him. "I don't understand. What's to forgive you?"

Tanjirou raised his head, a watery gaze met the steel-blue eyes. He swallowed. How was he going to explain to Tomioka of the misunderstanding? "It's- uh- It's nothing," he mumbled shamefully.

Tomioka tsked and bent on one knee in front of the omega. His hand brushed Tanjirou's forehead tenderly. "This looks a bit swollen. Are you hurt? I have an ointment that can relieve the swelling and help you with the pain." The omega dropped his gaze, his cheeks heated with more shame. Here was the most perfect alpha he had ever met in his life treating him with respect and kindness after Tanjirou had accused him of such an awful thing. He really didn't deserve Tomioka.

"I'm fine. I have a hard head, you know." Tanjirou playfully knocked his forehead with his fist, trying to show Tomioka that he was alright. "Don't worry. The swelling will go down soon."

Tomioka didn't look appeased by Tanjirou's explanation but he nodded reluctantly. "If you say so." Then the young man stood up and brought the keikogi to Tanjirou.

"Remove your komon and wear this over your juban," he instructed the omega. Tanjirou untied his hanhaba obi and took off his outer robe which he considered as his most favourite komon among the ten sets that Tomioka had given him.

The komons were his name day's presents for the omega. Tomioka had apologised that he couldn't do something as personalised as Tanjirou's gamaguchi. But the omega dismissed his ridiculous thinking and expressed his thrilled over the gifts. He had never received expensive silk komon with beautiful and unique patterns. His favourite had been the one he's currently folded into a neat pile. The komon was painted in black, green and white seigaiha patterns. The wave crest reminded him of the Water Pillar's symbol that was displayed on several paintings.

Only the songs of the night crickets that came from the garden filled the room. Tomioka's gaze on him, while he slipped on the keikogi, was heavy and made it hard for the omega to enjoy the peaceful atmosphere. The alpha gave a few brief directions on how to wear it properly but it was hard to concentrate when his senses were filled with the mouth-watering scent of the alpha from the training robe. After Tanjirou tied the obi, he put on the hakama pants. It was long and ended touching the floor.

The omega had butterflies dancing in his belly when Tomioka suddenly stood close to him and helped to raise the pants so that Tanjirou wouldn't step on the hem of the hakama. Then he wrapped the straps around Tanjirou's tiny waist a few times. The young man tightened them and ended with a cross over the front of his stomach, tying the straps into a neat little bow instead of the square knot like the alpha's.

He was curious why the both of them were wearing keikogi in the middle of the night. Besides, the alpha had just come back from his mission. He should be resting.

Tomioka eyed him. "The keikogi is a little big on you and the hakama is too long. We'll make do with that for now." He patted Tanjirou's head which caused the omega to blush. Tanjirou wouldn't mind wearing this for the rest of his life if it meant he would be constantly covered by the alpha's scent. It's as close as being scent marked by the alpha. He hoped he could keep the keikogi with him after this.

"Let's go to the training room."

Tanjirou fiddled with the bow knot nervously as they left the alpha's room. He wondered if Tomioka was planning to teach Tanjirou sword-fighting? "What are we going to do?"

Tomioka didn't seem to be in a hurry as he matched the omega's pacing next to him. "I'm going to train you how to fight."

The raven-haired man claimed it would make the omega sleep better after they're done. They arrived at the training room and Tomioka started to light up the lanterns.

"But I'm an omega."

"There's nothing wrong with your dynamic. Some of the Pillars are omega. So does Oyakata-sama."

His eyes grow wide at that information. "But Zenitsu mentioned he's a beta."

"Only the Pillars are privy to that information."

Tanjirou trailed after the alpha who moved to the side of the room to lit several more lanterns. He added, "To have fighting skills means you could protect yourself against anyone who wants to hurt you. Demons aren't the only creature in this world that could harm you. There are alphas and betas out there that enjoy taking advantage of weak omegas."

Tomioka lit the final lantern before turning to face Tanjirou. "Besides, when you have your own family in the future, you don't need to rely on your alpha. You could be equal with your mate and protect your children. I believe you could be a strong omega who fights to live."

Tomioka paused, frowning a little. "I've been doing some thinking these last few days. If anything happens to me, then I can't be there for you." Tanjirou swallowed, suddenly the dream he had last time came into his mind. He hoped it would never become a reality.

"So I realised the only way for me to protect you is to train you to be strong. Then you can be the person that you'll be proud of in the future." Tanjirou felt his own chest flutter and Tomioka might as well have stolen all the air from his lungs with his words.

He felt himself suddenly swept up in flames of determination. Tomioka was willing to train him and why would he refuse such an opportunity? He had to be crazy to reject it. He was getting even more excited just thinking about the training. "I would like you to train me then!" He beamed at the alpha.

Tanjirou watched Tomioka's lips curl a tiny bit before it was swiftly hidden under his mask of indifference. "Good. Let's start-"

"Wait!" He cut off the alpha. "You just came back from a mission. You're not tired? Isn't it weird to train me in the middle of the night?"

Tomioka shrugged. "I'm fine. And you think it wasn't weird enough for me to find someone scrubbing the floor in the middle of the night?"

Tanjirou pouted which caused a soft snort to escape from Tomioka. He never heard such a sound from the raven-haired man. Did the alpha almost laugh at him? Tanjirou felt a surge of happiness inside him. If Tomioka trained him to be a strong omega, then Tanjirou would do his best to make the raven-haired man smile more and laugh easily.

But before he could start planning to do that, there was something that he had been dying to ask ever since the word had escaped between his lips in the heat of the moment.

"Tomioka-san."

The alpha hummed in response.

"Can I call you by your given name?"

The alpha's gaze turned gentle. Once upon a time, those eyes resembled frosty winter lakes but now, they glowed like the summer stars that guided lost wanderers.

"Giyuu," the alpha stated. "Since you allow me to call you Tanjirou, there's no need for you to call me Giyuu-san. Giyuu is enough."

"Giyuu," Tanjirou breathed, like a gentle prayer. The word rolled into his mouth like a honeyed candy, melting on his tongue and slipping into his bloodstream, coursing right into his pulsing heart. Giyuu, he decided right there and then, had become the most beautiful sound his mouth had ever uttered.

Chapter Text

Tanjirou smelled the passing of summer with the dawn of autumn, in the way of how the scent of the breeze - crisp, cold, and fresh wet earth - dancing in the air. It was odd that for a summer child, Tanjirou had loved autumn more than any other seasons. He was attracted to autumn not only for the smell, but of how the world turned into a neverending burst of sunsets. The season of fall was truly beautiful in its charming way. If spring had their flowers, then autumn certainly had theirs in the form of golden honey leaves.

With the summer's turn for its slumber, it also put an eternal sleep to Tanjirou's adolescence view towards Giyuu. With the autumn roused from its rest, it awakened the omega's journey to maturity. Perhaps not in a physical sense as an omega yet, but of feelings that he hadn't thought in a way before the touch.

The touch. Tanjirou emphasised it like it’s the end of everything and the beginning of something. Like a broken vase and there’s nothing that could be done to put those pieces back together. Like it’s the point of no return.

Giyuu's touch, for once, had become something for Tanjirou to look forward and yet at the same time, something he dreaded. Not because he feared it, but it's something that made Tanjirou confused. It became something he wanted. Something he desired. It made Tanjirou hunger for it. It was a strange feeling because he never exactly felt this way before. Even if he did, he had never truly noticed it until now.

With the alpha’s touch, he was persistently running hot. There was nothing new with the constant beat of his heart but this time, Tanjirou gradually realised there’s more to it than just feelings of simple affections for Giyuu.

Of course, Tanjirou liked his alpha and it's normal for him to feel excited and fond for the young man. After all, Giyuu was his fated alpha, his soulmate, his eternity. But it's definitely strange for the omega to feel the low simmer of heat in his belly whenever Giyuu was close to him nowadays.

Giyuu had touched him before; carried Tanjirou in those strong arms as if he weight nothing, and had been enveloped in the alpha’s comforting embrace. He even slept for three nights right next to the alpha as they shared warmness from the winter’s chill air.

But nowadays, Giyuu's touched come with something more; the way the alpha's muscles moved lightly around Tanjirou, the subtle brush of his incessantly messy hair against Tanjirou when they're too close, the reassuring heat of the alpha that made his omega swoon and felt protected.

Then the alpha’s scent became more prominent as well; his sweet lilac aroma, his mouth-watering almond scent, the whiff of spicy cedarwood and now, the smell of the salt on his skin. Tanjirou had the weirdest urge to taste it with his mouth. He was shocked and embarrassed by his own depraved thought.

Sometimes Tanjirou swore he could hear the alpha’s heartbeat. Most of the time, he would be so distracted by the existence of Tomioka Giyuu that Tanjirou ended up embarrassing himself when the young man told him to repeat the steps and he wasn’t able to do it properly because he couldn’t remember half of it.

Fortunately, Giyuu was a kind and patient teacher. What surprised the omega the most, Giyuu’s method of training was unconventional. His reason was because he’s not teaching Tanjirou to be a demon slayer.

"Fight dirty, Tanjirou. Kick the alpha right at the balls. That would definitely teach them a lesson," he told Tanjirou bluntly which caused the omega to wince and be embarrassed at the same time. Being a male omega, he has testicles that didn't have similar functions like the alpha's but he knew how sensitive they were.

Giyuu taught him how to throw a punch, trained him to connect his kicks on target, showed him how to swing the bokken, even allowed Tanjirou to wield his nichirin blade. Giyuu would stand behind him, cover Tanjirou’s hand with his as they held the grip of the blade together.

"Be careful," he warned gently right at Tanjirou's ear and the omega shivered. He would try to pay attention to the glinting blue light that the blade reflected when it met the sun. Blue. Pretty blue. Just like the wielder's eyes. If someone asked Tanjirou what's his favourite colour, he would answer blue. Always blue.

When Giyuu fixed his shoulders or repositioned his arms, "Keep your elbows close to you to guard your vulnerable area," Tanjirou felt the skin there tattooed with tiny fiery embers. When the young man had manhandled Tanjirou and pinned him down to the training mat during a light sparring, the omega thought he might just die right there and then from a heart attack. His own heart was probably doing more workout than his own body. The heat as their bodies pressed together enfolded him in a weird haze. The weight of the alpha caused a strange thrill running through his spine.

Giyuu had stared down at him with a concerned look. "Are you alright?" Tanjirou could only respond with a nod of his head dumbly.

He had never felt so puzzled with his body before this. He wondered if it was normal. He wished his mother was still around to explain to him. He yearned for Nezuko’s presence so that Tanjirou could talk about his feelings. He’s not sure if he could talk to anyone about this matter. He’s not close to any omega in the village except Murata. But he’s not comfortable broaching this subject to the other boy.

Perhaps this confusing feelings and strange effect on his body was just part of being fourteen.

-

When Giyuu left for a mission, Tanjirou would spar with Zenitsu and Inosuke. They were willing to train with him and Tanjirou had invited them to train together. They gave so many stupid reasons to Tanjirou and he wondered if those two intentionally let the omega spent more time with Giyuu. The two betas were being silly but he was secretly grateful to them.

Tanjirou was surprised to find out Zenitsu was rather good at sparring. He asked how Zenitsu learnt to fight and who had trained him but the boy refused to say anything about the matter. So Tanjirou decided not to pry after that. Besides, everyone had the rights to keep their secrets.

Sometimes, he would spar with Inosuke. The younger beta tended to fight in an underhanded manner which taught the omega to be creative in his attacks. Unlike Zenitsu, Inosuke would boast how he had fought with every animal in the forest. Tanjirou still couldn’t believe that he was adopted by a boar and the boar head was once his adopted mother’s.

Sparring with the two betas made Tanjirou realise how his body was only affected when it came to Giyuu. He wanted to figure out what exactly was happening with his body but he’s not in a hurry. He’s fourteen with all the time in the world.

-

There was something different in the alpha’s scent. Even the man himself was behaving oddly. Tanjirou could smell the dominance and possessiveness rolling off the alpha. He also felt it in the way how Giyuu’s grip on him tightened when they sparred or whenever they sat together after dinner, Giyuu tended to watch him more than reading his favourite scrolls.

Curiously, he wasn’t scared away by it and even more peculiarly, his omega seemed to be flattered that he has this alpha’s attention and feeling possessive over him. But Tanjirou was worried if perhaps Giyuu had something in his mind that made him act this way.

“Is something bothering you?” Tanjirou asked him after three days tolerating the alpha’s puzzling behaviour.

Giyuu blinked, as if only realising what he had been doing, and that was staring at the omega while his Man’Yoshu scroll left abandoned on the table.

Tanjirou added, “You’ve been odd. Your scent seems more potent than usual and you’re staring a lot of times. None of these make me uncomfortable. I’m only worried about you.”

"I'm just-" Giyuu paused, his brows furrowed. They were quiet for a moment or two. Tanjirou was waiting patiently as Giyuu was deep in thought, trying to find an explanation for his weird behaviour. He saw something dawned on the young man. A slight flush painted on his cheeks. He suddenly palmed himself with one hand, groaning faintly.

Tanjirou was troubled to see the young man distressed about something.

“Giyuu?”

Blue eyes peered at him hesitantly. “This is going to make you uncomfortable.”

“What do you mean?”

He dropped his hand and sighed. “I think I’m in my pre-rut.”

Now it was Tanjirou’s turn to blush. “Oh.”

“Am I making you uncomfortable?”

Tanjirou shook his head. “No.” He had never seen Giyuu in a pre-rut or rut before. Instinctively, an omega would avoid an alpha nearing their rut. But Tanjirou didn’t feel that way and due to the main reason that his omega instinct felt safe with his fated alpha.

He fidgeted, wondered if he should ask, “Is there anything that I can do to help you?”

Giyuu’s eyes steadily went wide and Tanjirou felt his own face burned with embarrassment. He stammered, “Wh- what I’m trying to say, d- do you have cravings? Maybe I can cook something that you desire?”

Tanjirou was taken aback when a muffled laugh could be heard from the young man. Giyuu was hiding his mouth behind his hand and his eyes get squinty. The omega’s heart skipped a beat and thought Giyuu looked absolutely adorable like that.

After he was able to recover himself, Giyuu gazed at him warmly. His lips quirked into a tiny smile. It was so staggering to see Giyuu being this soft and tender. Was this part of being in a pre-rut? The strange heat that had been appearing every time he’s with the alpha felt like a bonfire swept over the inside of his belly.

“Alphas do not have cravings like omegas.”

Huh. He cocked his head curiously. His mother never talked much about alphas and the only source of knowledge regarding the dominant dynamic had only been through his father. "Um, do you nest?"

Giyuu shook his head. “Pre-rut alphas only have the intent to dominate and mark what belonged to them.”

His mouth felt dry. Tanjirou asked anyway, “Do you want to dominate me?”

Something flickered on his expression before it was replaced with an unreadable expression, the warmness was no longer there. The air between them was uneasy all of a sudden. Deities, he's so stupid. Why did he have to ask him that? Stupid Tanjirou.

Instead of answering Tanjirou’s question, Giyuu responded, “Don’t worry, Tanjirou. I’ll give you my words that I would never harm you.”

The next day, Giyuu left for another mission. Tanjirou was worried that he had to go while he’s in a pre-rut. He kept reminding himself that the young man would be alright and prayed to the deities to protect the alpha especially when he’s in a vulnerable state.

Two days later, Tanjirou just came back from his vegetable garden, his arms were full with two baskets of goya melons. It was the only vegetable that Kanya had requested for Tanjirou to plant. None of the boys, including Tanjirou, liked the bitter taste of the melon vegetable until Kanya had cooked goya champuru. The bitterness was barely there once fried with tofu, egg, and meat or fish. It was so delicious that the three of them had finished everything in their bowls.

He stepped inside the living hall, daydreaming of eating a delicious meal as Kanya had planned to fry the goya melon with pork belly when he saw Inosuke chasing after a crow who had a piece of ohagi in its beak. It was probably stolen from Inosuke while he’s eating it. Zenitsu was at the engawa and he was folding a small piece of paper.

Tanjirou placed his baskets on the floor and pointed at the note in Zenitsu’s hand. “What’s that?” He knew it must be a note from Giyuu. He hoped the alpha would be back soon and could spend his rut safely in the manor.

Zenitsu replied, “It was a message from Shishou-sama. He’s not coming back for another week or so.”

His heart dropped. “Did something happen to him?”

The light-haired beta seemed hesitant to tell him. “His rut is coming so he’s not coming back here.”

Tanjirou was confused. Why couldn’t he spend his rut in the manor? He would be safer and comfortable in the manor. “Where is he spending his rut?”

The omega jumped in shock when Inosuke threatened loudly at the crow that he would eat him who seemed to be mocking the boy by intentionally flying just out of Inosuke's reach. He knew this crow. Matsu-something. He couldn't remember its name. Giyuu had once told him, unlike the others, it was the only kasugaigarasu that had an arrogant personality. Fortunately, it respected Giyuu and had been polite to the alpha, but once in a while, it enjoyed terrorizing the three boys whenever Giyuu wasn't around.

He turned his gaze back to Zenitsu, and saw him smiling nervously. “The Butterfly Estate.”

Tanjirou froze. Something must have shown on his face because Zenitsu raised both hands, as if trying to calm him down. “Shishou-sama never had his rut here. He had to be at Kochou-sama’s place whenever his rut hits him.” It seems like the light-haired beta’s words are making it worse.

Kochou-sama? Wasn’t that name belong to the Insect Pillar? Giyuu has been with this person every time he has a rut?!

Zenitsu started to babble in a panic of how there was also a lot of alpha and omega living in the Butterfly Estate. The beta realised it wasn't the right thing to say to Tanjirou and sputtered, "But I swear Shishou-sama wouldn't be interested with anyone there, even Kochou-sama! She's an alpha!" he exclaimed nervously.

Inosuke joined in the conversation and interrupted the other beta, "Shishou doesn't look like the type to cheat on Montarou."

“Kamado Tanjirou.”

Everyone stopped and stared at the crow that had suddenly spoken. It perched on one of the ceiling beams, the half-eaten ohagi dangle in the claws of its feet.

"The Water Pillar is fine. Stop worrying about your mate and just do your job. All of you! Do your job!" It cawed haughtily. Then the crow spread its wings and flew out of the manor.

“Did the crow just tell us to do our job? Who the hell does he think he is? Our boss?!” Zenitsu screeched indignantly.

“Once I get my hands on you, I’ll eat you up until there’s nothing left of you!” Inosuke shouted angrily at the retreating figure of the crow.

Tanjirou was just too surprised to say anything. The fact that the crow just talked to him for the first time and had referred Giyuu as his mate had rendered him speechless. Could animals sense fated mates?

-

Eight days had passed and Tanjirou knew Giyuu would be back to the estate anytime soon. Tanjirou was tidying the tokonoma. He threw the ash inside the koro and cleaned it. He filled it with a new agarwood bark and lit it up. As he was placing a vase of chrysanthemum flowers between Tsutako’s picture and Sabito’s fox mask, he heard the familiar footsteps before he smelled him.

Giyuu!

Ever since he started training with the alpha, Tanjirou noticed that the young man had distinctive footsteps; steady like a calm heartbeat and light as though he's stepping on water. Tanjirou pulled the shoji door to the side and ran out of the room.

He missed Giyuu so much that eight days might as well be eight years to the omega. It felt like Giyuu was everywhere in the manor except he’s not truly there with Tanjirou. It’s maddening that he felt the alpha’s absence so acutely that it became a constant ache behind his ribcage.

“Welcome back, Giyuu!” Tanjirou greeted excitedly.

He noticed first that the man wasn’t wearing his haori. Then, he smelled a foreign scent but his omega instinctively knew what it was. The scent of an omega’s heat was all over Giyuu.

A lump sat like a stone in his stomach.

“I’m back-”

Tanjirou ran past the alpha.

“Tanjirou?” He distantly heard Giyuu call out to him.

He ran and ran and ran. The cold crisp air was suffocating him. The chill wind felt like blisters against his face. The autumn leaves kept on falling around him like fallen hearts.

He didn't know how long he ran, but he kept going and going. He wished he could just run back to his house on the mountain. He wished he had never gone down the mountain that day. At least, he would have never met Tomioka Giyuu in this lifetime.

He kept running until he almost tripped. He staggered in exhaustion as he was gasping for air. His whole body was in pain, his lungs were on fire and there was an inexplicable ache in his heart. With hands on his knees, gripping the bones like they’re the only solid thing that tethering him without falling apart, the omega hunched to the ground. Something ugly was clawing through his throat as he watched broken pieces inside him turning into teardrop after teardrop, tainting the ground with his grief.

It seemed there’s something out there other than the death of his family that still could hurt Tanjirou, and that’s heartbroken.

-

There's a garden inside him that he grew for Tomioka Giyuu. It bloomed wildflowers that grew unruly without restrain, watered by the mere existence of his fated alpha. But now, the butterflies with broken wings had sneaked into his garden.

“You look quite pale. You’re not feeling well?” Zenitsu asked.

Inosuke narrowed his eyes as he searched something on Tanjirou’s face. “Is that the reason you’re not sitting with him? You’re sick?”

“Yeah, I think I’ve caught a cold,” he replied sheepishly, feeling a little guilty for lying at his friends.

Tanjirou had been avoiding Giyuu the whole day. He didn’t go to the training room at all and had been hiding most of the time either in the kitchen or anywhere else as long as he’s not in the same room with the alpha.

It was just after dinner, and at a time like this, Tanjirou usually brought his tea to the living hall and he'll be spending time with the other man. But this time, he stayed in the kitchen and reasoned he should be practising making dango for the tsukimi. Zenitsu wanted to join in while Inosuke wanted to stay and hoped to sneak away a few dangos from him. So Kanya had brought the tea to Giyuu and when she came back to the kitchen, she gave Tanjirou a pointed look which he pretended not to notice.

He was kneading the dough and felt more and more disappointed that he couldn't be with Giyuu for the tsukimi. He had been looking forward to the festival and wanted to pray at the temple with the alpha. Then they could sit together under the night sky and watch the moon while nibbling on tsukimi dango. Now he wouldn’t be able to do that with Giyuu. His chest felt a little heavier, a little weaker, and a little more broken.

The next day, he continued avoiding the alpha. He refused to even meet the young man’s eyes when they passed each other and only gave a terse greeting before moving away briskly. He spent hours in his vegetable garden with Inosuke just to get away from the manor. They were able to harvest a lot of vegetables especially kabocha pumpkins. While on the way back to the manor, he saw Zenitsu stepping out of the gate.

“Where are you going?” he asked the light-haired beta.

“To buy some charcoal so that we could grill the sanma fish tonight.”

Tanjirou promptly dumped all the kabocha pumpkins out of the basket and into Zenitsu's arms. "I'll get them." Then he ran to the village, leaving behind Inosuke and Zenitsu.

Charcoal. He’s good at getting charcoal. He’s even better at making charcoal. Matsu pine woods were great to create fast-burning charcoals which turned into kuro-zumi. Ubame oak woods were the best to produce slow-burning charcoal and resulted in beautiful shiro-zumi. He sighed heavily. Who was he kidding?! He's trying hard to distract himself and finding a way to avoid entering the manor. He needed to be somewhere else where he couldn't smell the alpha. At least Giyuu had removed that filthy scent from him. Earlier on, Tanjirou had glanced on the other's neck and noticed there wasn't any mark on his scent gland. Good. It meant the omega hadn't made any permanent bond with Giyuu. Good. Good. Good.

Ugh. Not good at all. It still pained him to think about this omega sharing their heat with Tanjirou's fated alpha. He's so furious! How dare this omega touched Tanjirou's alpha? How dare Giyuu did this to him?! But it's not like Giyuu was aware Tanjirou was his fated mate. Tanjirou couldn't stop the alpha from rutting with a partner or knotting an omega in heat. Tanjirou was a nobody to Giyuu.

He wasn’t aware he had been stomping towards his destination with a seething face and everyone around him was giving him a wide berth. He paused when his scent suddenly appeared. He turned around and glared at the raven-haired man who had been following him.

Giyuu stared at him for a moment. Then he handed him the household’s gamaguchi. “You forgot to bring this, so Agatsuma told me to give it to you.”

The omega narrowed his eyes suspiciously. Since when did Zenitsu is brave enough to tell the Water Pillar to do something? Well. Good thing he had the money now. It would be embarrassing to buy the charcoal and find out he didn’t have anything to pay them.

"Thank you," he muttered, trying to rein in his temper. But his anger rose when he looked at the young man once more. His ridiculously handsome face was grating on his nerves. Curse this alpha for making him feel so helpless and wretched and in love-

Wait.

What.

WHAT.

“Have I done something to upset you?” Giyuu asked.

“I just want to be left alone!” he hissed back. His heartbeat racing in panic.

His gut twisted in a knot when he smelled the obvious hurt from the alpha despite the stoic expression. But his blue eyes were like an ocean of misery. Tanjirou regretted that he had snapped at Giyuu like that. Just because he caused Tanjirou pain didn't mean that the young man deserved the same.

They stood like that across each other for a heartbeat or two, then Giyuu nodded his head, silently agreeing to leave him alone. He watched the alpha’s back growing smaller and smaller in his sight. He waited for his feelings to grow numb, to shrivel, to disappear just like how Giyuu finally vanished among the sea of people as they went about their daily lives. But it didn’t.

For every beat of his heart, and for every step that Giyuu took to get further away from the omega, it didn’t change the fact that Tanjirou was irrevocably in love with Giyuu.

-

He was on his way back to the manor with the basket of charcoal tied to his back when he heard a familiar voice calling him. He turned to see Murata running to him with a furoshiki in his hand and another carrying a bucket with fresh salmons filled to the brim.

“I’m so glad to bump into you. Can you give these to the Water Pillar? Tell him to please accept my endless gratitude.”

He took the bucket first and then the furoshiki, turning it around as he tried to figure out what’s inside. “What’s this?”

“Tomioka-sama’s haori.”

Tanjirou blinked. “Huh?”

Murata chuckled nervously. "I was careless when I was on my way to the shop yesterday. No wonder I have been cleaning the shop from top to bottom and having all those weird cravings for the past few days. If Tomioka-sama hadn't found me when my heat appeared, I think something awful might happen to me. He was kind enough to cover me with his haori so that other alphas couldn't smell my heat. Luckily my grandfather gave me something to suppress my heat as soon as he got me home. Or else I would have killed myself with the way I acted towards him. I really embarrassed myself! I don't think I would be able to face Tomioka-sama for the rest of my life after what happened yesterday!"

Murata added with a surprise look, “I never meet any alpha that is resilient against an omega’s heat, you know.” He raised his hand and whispered behind it as if he’s going to say something sensitive. “I didn’t even smell any arousal from him. He wasn’t affected when I threw myself on him. He was just extremely annoyed with me!”

He dropped his hand and looked at Tanjirou curiously. “I hope you don’t mind me asking. I was curious if you scent marked- eh? Tanjirou?”

Tanjirou had already whipped around to run back to the manor. “I’ve got to go! I’ll talk to you next time!” His chest was pounding as he thought back all his childish, selfish, and disrespectful thoughts about Giyuu.

Stupid.

Stupid.

Stupid.

STUPID.

STUPID TANJIROU.

Deities, he’s such a huge idiot.

Maybe he never truly deserved Giyuu.

-

“He left for a mission?! How long had he left?” Tanjirou asked, dread pooling at the pit of his stomach.

Inosuke took the basket of charcoal to the kitchen while Zenitsu grabbed the bucket of salmon and dropped it next to him.

Zenitsu shrugged. “I think the kasugaigarasu informed him of some demons entering one of his lands. So he left as soon as he changed and took his blade with him.”

“But he needs his haori! It’s going to be cold!”

Zenitsu raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure you just want to give him his haori?”

Tanjirou dropped his gaze to the floor, feeling the guilt eating him inside. “And I need to talk to him.”

“Well, you just have to wait until he comes back.”

Tanjirou shook his head. He’s not going to let this misunderstanding between them festered into weeks if Giyuu’s mission was going to be longer. He didn’t want them to part in such a harsh way. He didn’t mean it when he said he wanted to be left alone. He wanted to be with Giyuu. He had decided, almost a year ago, in front of the graves of his family, that he would be with Giyuu no matter what.

“I’ll just go now and find him. You said he’s going to the train station. Maybe the train hasn’t left yet.”

“By the time you reach the train station, it will be night time. There won’t be many people in the station and you might encounter demons! You’re going to get yourself killed!”

Tanjirou glowered at him. “I’ll be alright. I’ll just bring a bokken with me and hit them where it hurts.”

Zenitsu seized him by the shoulders and shook Tanjirou frantically. He screeched in frustration, “You don’t hit demons where it hurts! You cut their heads! Didn’t Shishou-sama tell you that during your training? Ah! Why are you so stubborn?! Fine! If you’re planning to get killed, at least defend yourself properly first!”

Zenitsu let him go immediately. “Stay here. I get something real quick for you.”

Inosuke entered the living hall a second after Zenitsu left him. “So what exactly are you going to do once you meet Shishou?” the boy asked Tanjirou.

“We’ll talk,” he answered.

Inosuke twisted his nose and crossed his arms. “Tch. That’s boring.” Then he smirked at the omega. “You should kiss him.”

Tanjirou spluttered. “K-kiss?!” He never imagined himself kissing Giyuu. He liked Giyuu. Well. He loved the alpha. So should he be kissing his alpha?

“I noticed the weird atmosphere between you and Shishou today. He looked really sad, you know.” Tanjirou flinched when Inosuke said that bluntly to his face.

"So you should say you're sorry and kiss him." Inosuke nodded sagely as if he had an experience in this situation.

“When have you become an expert with this kind of thing?”

“I am the God of Giving Great Advice! So heed my advice, Kanjiro!”

Tanjirou snorted. It’s ridiculous that Inosuke, and even Zenitsu, seemed to be invested with his relationship, not like there’s any relationship between Tanjirou and Giyuu. It was just a platonic relationship between an alpha and an omega, except the omega harboured feelings for the alpha while the alpha didn’t.

Giyuu might like him like that once Tanjirou mature but that would take another two years or so. Before Tanjirou could say something else, Zenitsu appeared with a nichirin blade.

“You- you have this?” Inosuke tried to touch it but Zenitsu slapped his hands away.

Tanjirou asked curiously, “Were you a demon slayer before? That’s why you know how to fight? You said you never face a demon before this. But how come you own a nichirin blade?”

Zenitsu shot him a pointed look. “You won’t be able to catch up with him if I’m going to answer all of your questions!”

Tanjirou pulled out the nichirin blade from its sheath and examined it closely. He thought all nichirin blades are blue. It seemed that each blade was different. This one was yellow with a strange pattern that looked like lightning. It was a little heavy but lighter than Giyuu’s. He was relieved that Zenitsu’s nichirin blade would protect him from demons. He returned the blade to its sheath.

The beta put a belt over his obi, took the blade from Tanjirou’s hand, and hung it there. He beamed at the light-haired boy. “Thank you, Zenitsu.”

He smiled back at Tanjirou. “Inosuke and I will distract Kanya so that she won’t notice you’re missing for a while.”

Tanjirou tied the furoshiki around one of his shoulders and ran out of the manor but not fast enough that he heard Inosuke hollering, “Go get your alpha and kiss him!”

Tanjirou felt his cheeks heated. He wouldn't dare to kiss his alpha but he was going to hug Giyuu and swore he would never ever let him go.

-

Zenitsu was right. By the time he arrived at the train station, the day was already over and night had crawled in with the starry sky. It would have been a lovely time to glimpse at the constellations but the moment he saw the train, he had completely forgotten about the stars. It was Tanjirou’s first time at the train station and to see a train. He was quite amazed at how huge the train was. How many people could be inside? How did it move?

Wait. This wasn’t the time for him to be distracted! He needed to find Giyuu first. He went to one of the doors that led inside the train. Before he could step through it, a man in a uniform similar to a policeman stopped him.

“Hey, kid. Where’s your ticket?”

“Ticket? What’s a ticket?”

“You need to buy a ticket to get inside the train.”

“Oh. I’m searching for someone. Tomioka Giyuu. He’s the Water Pillar.”

The man gave him a bored look. “Look, kid. I’ve heard the same thing over and over again from people like you just to get a free seat. I don’t care if you’re looking for the Water Pillar or the Emperor, no ticket means you can’t go inside.”

Tanjirou sighed and moved away. Maybe he could try to sniff out Giyuu’s scent through the windows of the train. The station was nearly empty of people so he could hear clearly of a heated conversation going on not far from where he was.

“If you didn’t fall asleep, we wouldn’t have missed our stop and stuck in this fucking boonies!”

“I’m sorry, brother.”

“Now we’re wasting our time and our money for new train tickets-”

While Tanjirou was peering through one of the windows, someone suddenly bumped into him. He lost his balance and fell to his butt with a painful grunt. 

“Oi, watch where you going- hey, is that a nichirin blade?!”

Tanjirou raised his head and his eyes were wide open in fear as he saw two very frightening scarred-face alphas looking down at him; one had a spiky white hair and the other had a messy dark hair in a rather odd manner and some part of his head was in a buzz cut style.

“You don’t look like a demon slayer to me! You must be a thief who stole that nichirin blade!” The white-haired man accused him.

Tanjirou replied indignantly, “I’m not a thief! It belonged to my friend!”

He seized Tanjirou’s arm and pulled the omega roughly to stand on his feet. “You’re coming with us.”

“Let me go, asshole!” Tanjirou tried to twist his elbow but the man tightened his grip.

“Stop struggling! Only demon slayers are allowed to own this kind of blade. So I’m bringing you to our leader to decide on your punishment!”

“Uh- brother, he’s an omega child. You don’t have-”

“Shut the fuck up, Genya!”

While he got distracted with the dark-haired alpha, Tanjirou swung his foot and kicked between the alpha’s legs with a lot of force. Fight dirty, Tanjirou. He heard Giyuu’s voice in his head. The white-haired man howled in pain and released Tanjirou right away.

Tanjirou recoiled when a pair of arms wrapped around him. “D- Don’t think you can g- get away from us!” Tanjirou didn’t notice how the boy seemed uncomfortable holding him, and even blushing brightly as he pressed Tanjirou to his body so that he couldn’t move.

Trust your instinct. You’re quite good at it. Giyuu had reminded the omega of that night when he flung the dirt at the demon’s eyes. So Tanjirou surged backwards and headbutted the boy. He yelped and immediately let Tanjirou go. The omega caught sight of the boy covering his bleeding nose. He winced. He must have broken the alpha’s nose. 

“You fucking brat! I’ll make you regret what you did!” The white-haired man shot out his hand to grab Tanjirou by his neck. The omega gasped in pain as all the air from his lungs vanished.

“Brother, stop! You’ll kill him!” Genya’s muffled shout barely reached Tanjirou’s ears as he grappled and clawed the hand, choking him. Unbidden tears began to fall as he struggled to breathe. He tried to scream but a strange guttural whine escaped from him. 

Suddenly, a well-known smell reached his nose. It was so familiar yet different at the same time. He recognized the smell of dominance and possessiveness, but the blazing scent of hunger for blood with intent to kill flared through the vicinity that even Tanjirou’s omega instinct shuddered in fear by the violent pheromones.

“Shinazugawa! I’ll fucking kill you if you don’t release my omega now!”

The gripped around his throat instantly disappeared and Tanjirou collapsed in a heap. Before he lost his consciousness, Tanjirou reached out to that scent that was intimate to the omega and whimpered, “Alpha.”

Chapter Text

Giyuu was feeling strangely unhinged lately. Just with the brush of Tanjirou's burgundy curls, the sound of the air escaping between those scarlet lips, the sight of his sun-kissed neck, but most of all, the mere whiff of Tanjirou's omeganess, had turned his alpha instinct in an overdrive to want, want, want.

It was odd that this omega child emitted such a sweet smell, as if Tanjirou was in the cusp of maturity. But that's impossible. The omega should remain as unattainable as a falling star. Fascinating but forever beyond any alpha's reach.

During their spar, Tanjirou stared at Giyuu with his lovely doe eyes, breathing heavily from exertion between his palms. Giyuu would be lost in the haze of his alpha instinct which sought to possess the omega while his human sense would wonder if Tanjirou's ribcage was made of stardust.

When they're sitting together at the living hall, Giyuu couldn't help himself but traced the omega's face with his eyes as though mapping an unseen constellation. And the stars in the constellation were calling out to both Giyuu and his alpha as if saying, 'Look at me. I'm pointing to where you are meant to be.'

He snapped out of his weird haze when Tanjirou talked to him about his odd behaviour. Only then, Giyuu realised he was like that because of his upcoming rut. He was so embarrassed, acting like a delirious alpha in the presence of his fated mate. He decided to go to the Butterfly Estate and wait for the appearance of his rut. His alpha disagreed though, but he bullied his pre-rut alpha to be level-headed. It’s not safe for Tanjirou while he’s like this.

Luckily the opportunity came when he had a mission at a nearby land. It took him less than a day to kill all the demons with some help from other demon slayers before he headed off to the Butterfly Estate. By the time he arrived at the Insect Pillar's manor, he was already in a feverish state.

Kochou had looked at him with narrowed eyes. "Your rut isn't supposed to come now."

Unmated alpha rut once a year so it was easier to track one's rut. The last one he had was early winter of last year. Once he bonded with a mate, he would rut simultaneously with his mate's heat. Unless his mate chose to suppress their heat, then the alpha wouldn't get in a rut as well.

"I'm not sure what's happening with my body," he replied with gritted teeth.

"I think something must have triggered your rut.” She had a teasing gleam in her gaze and added, "Or someone."

Giyuu scowled heavily at her. He had no time to think who the fuck had triggered his rut. No omega in heat was near him recently. The only thing he needed now was a room to put up with his rut that hopefully wouldn't last as long as a week.

Alphas were not meant to be unmated for so long. As each year passed by, alpha's rut would become more painful. So most unmated alphas chose to have a companion who would sate their rut. The only person he knew who remained unmated and without a partner to help his rut was Urokodaki and that was commendable. Giyuu could take medicine to suppress his rut but the side effects such as lightheadedness and lack of concentration could last as long as a month and that's not something every demon slayer would want to go through.

And like every year, Kochou asked Giyuu if he wanted to have someone to take the edge off even for a day. She proposed several of her kakushi or nurses who volunteered themselves to help an alpha's rut. He shot down the offer immediately with a low growl.

Despite the mad urge to knot someone was palpable, he still felt wrong about it. Unlike Kochou who rut every year with the help of a partner, mating without any strings attached left a bad taste in Giyuu’s mouth. If he must mate with someone, it was because he and the person had formed a union; through a soulbond and marriage. Others would say Giyuu has an orthodox view but practising the traditional way of courtship and marriage was due to his belief in receiving approval from the deities. These steps were crucial in determining one's future in marriage life and the deities would bless the couple such as having healthy children.

Other than that, Giyuu had a pertinent reason that he had not shared with anyone else, even with Kochou. He couldn't simply copulate with someone without repercussion to himself and a certain clan. It had been a long time since he had thought about it. Ever since the appearance of Tanjirou in his life, Giyuu had almost forgotten of the arrangement he had agreed to.

Once he got his own room, he gave a silent prayer to the deities and hoped his rut wouldn't be too painful this time. It took one more day for him to finally descend into a mental state of delirium and lust as the fire in his loin grew into a wildfire. At the peak of his rutting, Giyuu heard a familiar voice in his head, "Do you want to dominate me?"

Giyuu could see himself pinning the omega under him, biting, licking, and marking that sun-kissed flesh where his scent gland was. Giyuu worshipped every inch of his honeyed skin with his hand as though it was as precious to him as gold is to a dragon. The omega positioned himself on his knees and hands, his peach-coloured buttocks raised for the alpha to ruin and to own. Giyuu spread those cheeks and revealed a lush pink heat with dripping slick. As he plunged his cock in that tight wet passage, he heard a muffled grunt from the omega below him. He pushed deeper and deeper and watched the omega blossom underneath him like spring's first rose. His earrings swung with the rhythm of Giyuu's thrust as a lewd moan escaped between those ruby lips- "Ah- ah- Giyuu!"

Giyuu fisted his knot that grew more swollen by the seconds. He groaned as thick ribbons of cum pulsing out of his cock. Giyuu shook violently, both by his own orgasm and the shocking revelation of who exactly he fantasized to mate. His heart was thumping loudly like the beating of a taiko drum.

Fuck. Fuckfuckfuckfuck. He was utterly fucked.

-

When his rut ended six days later, all he felt was a burning shame eating him from the inside out. His rut had been less painful this time but he suspected it's due to him pleasuring himself to oblivion with the vision of Tanjirou being bred until he's swelling with a child. Giyuu wanted to throw up. He had turned into a despicable person who preyed on someone as innocent and sweet like Tanjirou. What's worse, Tanjirou was an omega child and that made him the worst kind of pervert.

He must have been looking so out of sort as he was leaving the manor because Kochou clucked her tongue when she glanced at him. "It will be painless if you just find a companion."

"I don't want to hear this again," he rebuked her.

"Maybe once your little omega has reached maturity, he could help with your rut-"

"No!" He snarled harshly at her. "Don't talk about Tanjirou like that!"

He caught the flickered of surprise in her eyes and Giyuu didn't care what she thought about the way he acted. She had crossed the line the moment she suggested Tanjirou be treated like a whore. Kochou had never met Tanjirou so she didn't know that Tanjirou was sweet and kind and humble and was meant to be love and treasure like how the earth cherished the stars so ardently that it would catch them every time they fell.

Kochou looked chastised. It was the only sign she showed to Giyuu that she wouldn't mention it anymore. Without saying goodbye, he turned around to walk out of the estate, ready to go back to his manor. He took a few steps when he caught Kochou's words teasing him in the wind, "Never knew you can be so romantic for your little omega."

-

On his way back to the manor, he had come upon a familiar boy. He was writhing in pain on the ground and it took him a few seconds to discern the smell released by the omega. It was sweet but almost nauseating.

He took off his haori and covered the boy. It wasn't hard to carry him as the omega practically latched on him like a limpet. The boy was struggling to hump on the alpha and he had half a mind to knock the omega unconscious. The thought that the boy might get rape by some alphas was the only thing preventing Giyuu dumping him to someone else. And the omega kept trying to rub against his scent gland. He growled sharply which caused the boy to whine in fright but he stopped nosing Giyuu's neck after that.

It was fortunate he remembered which house Komiya lived in because the slick from the omega had left a huge wet patch through his haori and its spreading to his hand where he placed it under the boy's knees. He grimaced at how disgusting he felt at that moment. He couldn't wait to throw the boy to his grandfather and rushed back to his manor to get rid of this repulsive slick that was starting to spread all over the front of his gakuran. He had no idea that an omega could slick this much. Would Tanjirou slick- Stop! Bad thought! Think about something else! Think about how he'll burn this uniform once he's back at the manor! He looked forlornly at his haori; a reminder of Tsutako and Sabito. He couldn't get rid of that so he's going to wash it several times with hot water.

A familiar old omega man came out from his house and his wrinkled eyes were wide open as he saw Giyuu and his grandson. "Oh dear, come inside quickly!"

Before Giyuu left, Komiya told him the haori would be returned after he washed and got rid of the smell. Then he reminded the alpha to take a bath as soon as he's back at the manor. "Don't want your intended omega to think you're cheating on him," he winked at Giyuu.

He flushed when he remembered Komiya had mistaken Tanjirou as his intended omega. But he wondered why Komiya said Tanjirou would think he's cheating on him? What was there to deceive?

-

Giyuu had been taken aback when Tanjirou ran away, leaving a trail of sour smell in the air. He stood there for a long time, eyeing the empty engawa. Did Tanjirou hear the beating of his heart faster than the humming bird's wings the moment he saw the omega? Perhaps the omega saw the perverse on his face, or caught a whiff of his carnal sin in his scent.

Tanjirou must have thought he was a disgusting alpha. He was supposed to be Tanjirou's guardian. Not an alpha who had been consumed with desire for the omega during his rut.

The entire day passed like a blur to Giyuu like he's floating through everything; seeing everything in the eyes of someone else and touching everything in somebody's hands. Perhaps he took his bath. Perhaps he burned his uniform. Perhaps he ate dinner. He barely noticed Tanjirou wasn't serving his tea and sitting with him.

He was a bit relieved the omega wasn't around him, honestly. He wouldn't be able to see Tanjirou in the eyes and thought of stealing the air from those lips. He might commit seppuku on himself by just breathing in the same room as the omega.

The next day went by the same way and he scarcely remembered Agatsuma put the gamaguchi in his hand and told him to run after Tanjirou who was heading off to the village to buy charcoal. When he saw the omega again, he was struck by Tanjirou's beauty even in anger. His long burgundy curls were tied into a ponytail and they swayed in the wind. He looked like the Sun Deity; fierce and beautiful.

"I just want to be left alone," Tanjirou told him. It had been almost a year ago that he promised himself he wouldn't get attached to Tanjirou. How the hell did Tanjirou lodge in his heart like clinging vines?

Now look what I've done to myself.

Giyuu stood there as though he's a rock, and felt bitter emotions crashing into him like ocean waves. He was so numb that he didn't even notice he's back at the manor until a kasugaigarasu informed him of demons trespassing one of his lands. Several demon slayers were already there to eliminate the demons. Giyuu decided to check on them and make sure they're not injured and none of the demons had escaped.

He immediately went to his room to change. One would think he had no intention to stay there longer if they saw how sparsely decorated his room was. But that was the arrangement after all. Being the Water Pillar and staying in this manor had been temporary.

The same crow followed him inside and was perching on one of the candlesticks, one foot sticking out to show Giyuu a roll paper tied to its claw. It was a request to see him from Oyakata-sama and the rest of the clan, and an important name day celebration that he must attend. It had been nearly a year since Tanjirou came into his life and he had forgotten about his future obligation. But reality was catching up with Giyuu.

-

Giyuu sat inside a private couch that mainly catered to government officials and high-rank demon slayers. He had caught two familiar scents in the station. He trusted the Shinazugawa brothers on his land and knew if anything went wrong, his kasugaigarasu would inform him immediately.

His alpha instinct suddenly alerted to a distress scent and it felt like he's back at the snowy mountain and the alley last winter. Then he heard the call. It was a high pitch with a strange cadence that only his alpha knew instinctively. It sank and hooked all the way inside his soul that he darted out of the train, not caring he had pushed some people out of his way.

When he saw the Wind Pillar strangling his omega, he felt a profound rage so convoluted inside him that all of his human senses abandoned him.

"Shinazugawa! I'll fucking kill you if you don't release my omega now!"

Whether it was by instinct or surprise, the white-haired alpha released the boy instantly and Tanjirou dropped like a heavy sack. He was trying to back away but it was too late as Giyuu lunged forward with a feral snarl. "Oi! What the fuck?!" the other man shrieked.

Giyuu slammed his knee brutally on the other's gut, pressing sharp painful pressure on his kidney and immobilizing the alpha. He swiftly threw a punch right at the jaw and a sharp strike to the throat so that he couldn't breathe. He deserved to feel exactly how Giyuu's omega had to suffer. He would break every bone on his face and destroy his larynx. The man underneath him was choking and the sound was heaven to his ears. He repeated his blow on the jaw and throat, the raging violence inside him grew.

"Choke and die, you bastard!" He howled fiercely. The other alpha tried to land some punches on Giyuu. But he easily caught one of his fists - the same one that had strangled his omega - and snapped his wrist which caused the other to scream in excruciating pain.

Giyuu snarled viciously, "You have to pay with your blood and broken bones!" People were shouting around him but he ignored them. He threw more punches on the man and slammed his fist on the other's nose until he felt the cartilage broke. Blood started to spill from the alpha's broken nose, his broken skin, and his busted lips. Giyuu was going to drain all of the alpha's blood for what he did to his omega!

There were arms around him trying to stop him. He growled in anger as he hurled more blows until all the blood splattering everywhere and all over himself. His fists were slippery and made a squelching sound every time they smashed on the bloody flesh. The concentrated metallic smell in the air heightened his alpha's bloodlust that he was grinning cruelly from ear to ear.

His alpha had taken full control so all Giyuu wanted was to kill and taste the blood on his tongue. This man underneath him was his prey and he would tear him to pieces. He was just about to bite his neck, to rip his prey's jugular vein when he felt a sting at his own nape. His entire body froze all of a sudden.

That's when he noticed a calico cat sat across from him, near to the bloody mess that was supposed to be Shinazugawa's head. Then the cat suddenly disappeared and another sting on his neck caught him off guard. Giyuu immediately blacked out.

-

When he became conscious, he was aware of the warmness on his right fist despite the dull throbbing pain all over his hand. He also noticed the strange texture of the bedding underneath him so he figured he’s not in a futon but a bed. He's obviously not in his manor. Giyuu opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was cascading burgundy curls on his pillow. Only then he realised someone was sharing the bed with him. His scent was thick and cloying in the air which he found strangely soothing.

This person's scent took him back on that one summer day. Tsutako had shown him a field of blooming peonies to calm him down. He had cried for hours after some children called him a cursed child since he had no parents. It wasn't the beautiful sight that made him stop crying, but the scent of the peonies. Since then, Giyuu always thought it was a fragrance that came from paradise and this person smelled like one.

He blinked drowsily a few times and finally realised it was Tanjirou, sleeping so cosily that even Giyuu was tempted to go back to sleep. The reason his right hand felt warm was because he's holding Giyuu's bandaged fist and setting it right on his little chest. Giyuu felt those calm and steady heartbeats almost matching his own. Was this a dream? He studied the sleeping omega; cheeks like ripe sweet peaches and mouth like a budding silky rose.

His nape that was covered with strange bruises that beckoned Giyuu, like a lost ship to a lighthouse and next thing he knew, he was already moving and had his nose buried in dewy skin. The smell was pleasant and calming that he eventually fell asleep with the smell of peonies followed him into his dream.

-

Giyuu was gazing over the colourful peonies under the blue summer sky and the warm hand he was holding belonged to Tanjirou.

-

The next time he was awake, he could hear the wood crackling at the fireplace and the sound of fabric rustling. The warmness next to his body had already gone. He was alone on the bed. So it was just a dream. Tanjirou wasn't in the bed with him. Wait. Where was he?

He opened his eyes and froze. The leader of the Demon Slayer Corps was sitting in a chair next to his bed. He tried to sit up but was stopped by a hand gently holding him back.

"That's alright. You're a patient and a guest here so there's no need to be so formal with me."

Oyakata-sama gave his usual kind smile as he studied Giyuu closely. "I was informed by the police based on all eyewitness accounts on what had happened. They say you're trying to protect your omega."

Huh? His omega? What was the older omega trying to imply? He frowned as he tried to recall back what happened. He was certain there was a fight. He could only remember bits and pieces of him trying to protect Tanjirou from something… or someone?

"Tanjirou is my ward so it is my duty to protect him," he replied absentmindedly as he raked his brain. There was an alpha- No. Two alphas and Tanjirou. But one of them had done-

He immediately sat up when he remembered what exactly happened to the omega. "Where is Tanjirou?!"

"He's resting. He was missing for a while but Tamayo found him and ushered him back to his room. As far as I know, his neck is swelling, he has some bruises too, and there’s a mild problem on his vocal cord. Tamayo will talk to you more about it later."

Oyakata-sama crossed his arms and sighed. "Giyuu, I'm not trying to reprimand you. I just want you to know you had inflicted a lot of serious injury to Sanemi. You fractured his wrist, dislocated his jaw, and broke his nose that it's already beyond repair. At least Genya came out unscathed out of this whole altercation."

Giyuu was slightly horrified. He couldn’t believe he had lost control to his alpha instinct until he went berserk. But his alpha didn't feel an ounce of guilt. The Wind Pillar deserved all of that.

“Chachamaru had to tranquilise you twice. I had to send my kasugaigarasu to the police before they arrested you and instructed the kakushi to bring Sanemi and Genya to recuperate in Shinobu's place while you and Kamado were brought here. What Sanemi had done to Kamado was wrong but what you did to Sanemi was worse than what he deserved. Fortunately, the Shinazugawa clan did not seek any retribution for what you did to their heir and even apologized for what happened to Kamado."

His partially-blind eyes shifted into something thoughtful. "For you to be willing to take in someone as your ward… that’s new. Did you know that we have many organizations that are willing to take in orphans?"

"He insisted on staying with me." Giyuu didn't tell Tanjirou offered to work because it was illegal to have someone not under the organization to be working in the Pillar's household.

"He's safer in my manor. Anywhere else and he would be killed by demons or harmed by other alphas," he added.

"No one is safe from anyone or anything. If he has his heat he might not be safe in your manor too."

He tensed. What he did during his rut came back to haunt him. He would forever be burned with the guilt and shame until his dying breath. Why the hell did his alpha desire Tanjirou? And what about him? Did he truly want Tanjirou or was it just his alpha seeking the closest compatible person that could be its potential mate?

"I swear I wouldn't do that to him," he vowed solemnly.

The older omega nodded. "Yes. I believe you. And that's why the clan chose you out of all the other alpha Pillars. You will do well for this family."

Giyuu sometimes wondered what he possessed that the Flame Pillar did not. Rengoku would have still been the best choice. When Oyakata-sama revealed to him two years ago that he had been chosen by the Ubuyashiki clan, he had accepted it without a second thought. There was nothing else in his life except exterminating every demon on the face of the earth. If he had to sacrifice his entire life for this clan, then so be it.

But since the appearance of Tanjirou, Giyuu had started to see his future differently. He wanted to live in a world of sunshine gaze and wind-chimes laugh for as long as he could. Because a world without Kamado Tanjirou was a world of darkness and silence, and it was not a place that Giyuu would want to live in.

Oyakata-sama changed the subject and gestured at something leaning against the folded byobu that separated the bed from the sitting area. "Yours and Zenitsu's nichirin blades are here."

He blinked. Wasn't the other blade supposed to be in the manor with the light-haired beta? He saw his folded haori on the chabudai table. How did that get here too?

"How is the boy?" The older omega asked.

"Agatsuma is doing well," he answered.

"It must be hard for him after Jigoro's death."

A beautiful omega with bright intelligent eyes came into the room. "Oyakata-sama, it's time for you to take your medicine. Yushiro is waiting in the garden room."

With a gentle smile that never seemed to cease no matter in whose presence, Oyakata-sama stood up and told him to get some rest. "I hope you and Kamado feel better tomorrow and can enjoy the celebration of Kiriya's sixteenth name day and the tsukimi. We will have a meeting with the rest of the family the day after."

The other omega didn't leave with Oyakata-sama because she wanted to check his hands. Giyuu knew Tamayo-sensei as the private doctor of the Ubuyashiki clan. He noticed his injured hands but he didn't feel any pain which he attributed to the painkiller that might have been injected into his bloodstream. She unwrapped the bandage and Giyuu could see the right one looked much worse than the other. It was his right fist that had caused all the breaking and dislocation bones of the Wind Pillar and the alpha didn’t regret it one bit.

"You were lucky you didn't break any of your fingers so these are just lacerations and bruises," she remarked.

Once she was done wrapping his hands again, Giyuu asked her about the omega. "How is Tanjirou?"

"Despite the strangulation attempt on him, Kamado-san seemed to be doing mostly fine." She paused as if preparing to tell him something he wouldn’t like. "He lost his voice and I hope it's going to be temporary. There’s bruises on his neck and swelling on the throat area. I've given him a few shots for both his pain and the swelling. For now, he has to be in a strict soft food diet to ease him in swallowing his food until the swelling goes down."

The anger he had for Shinazugawa came tenfold and he wished he's at the Butterfly Estate now so that Giyuu could stab his throat with his katana. Seemed like broken bones weren't enough.

"Can I see him?" He asked, unaware he's starting to growl. He wanted to see Tanjirou now with his own eyes and look at the extent of damage that Shinazugawa had done to him.

"I won't allow you to see Kamado-san if you don't calm down." She must have scented his anger in the air so Giyuu tried to take a deep breath.

"That's good, Tomioka-san. Take another deep breath and then you can follow me. And since Kamado-san is your ward, there's something important I need to discuss with the two of you."

Giyuu took another deep breath. Like Oyakata-sama had said, he had inflicted more punishment on Shinazugawa than he deserved. So it's enough. For now. If in the future, the Wind Pillar did as much as looking at Tanjirou the wrong way, he would give the alpha more than just broken bones.

Once he felt himself settled down, Giyuu rose from his bed, slipped on the uwabaki slippers and followed Tamayo to Tanjirou's room. It was only a few fusuma panels away from his. He noticed he was not in the headquarter's building or the main mansion but one of the Ubuyashiki's guest houses.

His heart clenched as he watched Tanjirou on the bed playing with a calico cat, the same one who had stabbed him twice with a tranquilliser. He wondered what kind of sorcery Tamayo and Yushiro put on Chachamaru to have such ability. Just like the kasugaigarasu, Chachamaru had an important role in the organization too. The calico cat usually appeared out of nowhere every time a demon slayer alpha went berserk. Its little brown bag on its back, filled with several syringes of tranquillizer.

Tanjirou raised his gaze when Tamayo stepped inside his room. Auburn's eyes lit up the moment they met Giyuu's. His face was brightly flushed as if he had a fever.

"Tanjirou," he whispered, a name that was as dear as his own. He clenched his fist as he saw a mixture of red and purplish bruises on the little omega's neck. The things he would do to Shinazugawa if he saw that man again. He frowned as he looked closer. That was odd. The bruises were exactly as he remembered in his dream.

The burgundy-haired boy opened his mouth as if trying to say his name but all came out was a quiet croak noise. His chest was caving in painfully that he quickly went in and reached out to Tanjirou. Chachamaru jumped away from the omega's laps as Giyuu pulled him into a hug. He ignored the stare from the doctor. Any other time, he wouldn't dare to do this in front of anyone but this time, he just wanted to feel Tanjirou's heat in his arms. He rubbed one hand up and down the omega's back while the other brushed the wispy curls. He scowled when he touched the other's forehead. The omega was actually having a fever.

"I'm sorry," he said. He's sorry that he wasn't able to protect the omega properly. He had trained Tanjirou to protect himself but how the hell could he do that against a Pillar's strength like Shinazugawa. It was impossible. Maybe he didn’t need to break more of Shinazugawa’s bones but he could have a word about his temper and the way he treated an omega. Maybe the white-haired alpha should learn a thing or two from his younger brother.

Tanjirou pulled away and wrote something on a piece of paper that had been placed on the side table.

No. I am sorry.

Giyuu frowned. "Why are you sorry? It's not your-" Tanjirou covered his mouth with one hand and gave him a look. Then he wrote some more words.

I'm sorry I avoided you. I was upset about something. I didn’t mean what I said to you.

He frowned. Before he could say something, Tamayo coughed to get both of their attention.

"Tomioka-san. Kamado-san. There's an important matter I want to discuss with you both and it's regarding Kamado's condition as an omega. Don't worry. It's nothing life-threatening."

Giyuu acted on an impulse and grasped Tanjirou's hand to provide some physical comfort to the omega. He flushed the moment he realised what he had done.

Tamayo didn’t show any reaction to what she had witnessed. Instead, she immediately broke the news without beating around the bush. "Kamado-san is in pre-heat."

Giyuu paled. Pre-heat? But Tanjirou was just too young! "He's not showing signs like he's craving or nesting."

"That's because it's a mock pre-heat. He’s just having a fever now. Unlike other dynamics, only omega children went through them for at least a year before their first heat. Since Kamado-san is only fourteen, this is quite early to have them as most omega children get theirs when they're fifteen. Based on my calculation, he will be getting his first heat by next winter."

Giyuu released his soothing pheromones when he sensed Tanjirou's anxiety. To endure one's first heat must be frightening for every omega. He had gone through the same fear for his first rut.

"It was obvious that what happened to him last night had put a stress on his dynamic and triggered his body to undergo pre-heat much earlier. But I suspected he had gone through something similar before this. Like the death of a family member which triggered an emotional stress similarly as life-threatening stress. So last night was just the final push."

"How does the pre-heat of an omega child different from a mature omega?" It would be irresponsible if he couldn't understand what's going on with Tanjirou.

"The sole purpose of an omega child in pre-heat is to let the body get used to the fluctuating heat temperature and other symptoms such as flushing and cramps. So that during a real heat, the body didn’t go into shock with the sudden changes. This particular pre-heat also signals the body to release relevant hormones in helping the growth of his hip bones and strengthen them in preparation of mating and pregnancy. He will occasionally get fevers like this until he gets his real first heat."

She turned her kind gaze at Tanjirou. "I'm sure your mother had mentioned some of these to you, Kamado-san."

Tanjirou was pointing at his nose and his scent gland. Tamayo chuckled. "Ah, that's true. Your scent is changing too."

Tanjirou's scent had been distinctively pleasant to his nose. Giyuu felt his mouth dry as he remembered the lovely sweet peony fragrance.

Tamayo added, "I suggest Kamado-san should stay in the Butterfly Estate from now on until his first heat pass."

He froze and was suddenly overcome with anxiety as the thought of Tanjirou being far away from him. He swallowed the lump that had appeared in his throat. "It takes a year until his first heat. So he'll be there for that long?"

"Yes. There's nothing for you to worry, Tomioka-san. He'll be safe there and the nurses would monitor his growth properly, especially one as young as Kamado."

One whole year without Tanjirou by his side. He knew that one day he would let the omega go but this felt too soon. Could he even do it?

-

Tanjirou had refused to let him go, he even pulled Giyuu to sit on the bed with him. He had whined and griped, making all sorts of noises and Giyuu knew it must be painful on his throat. The moment the doctor broke the news that Tanjirou would be taken away to the Butterfly Estate, it caused the omega clinging to Giyuu desperately.

Tamayo left them after that while Giyuu remained with Tanjirou, half-sitting and half-laying on the bed as the boy sniffled and whimpered in his arms, his whole body still blazing with fever from his pre-heat. Despite his chest in a knot of emotions, Giyuu tried to stay calm so that his soothing pheromones could continue to comfort Tanjirou. The omega didn't try to do anything else except latching to him as though Giyuu was his lifeline.

"Everything is going to be alright when you're in the Butterfly Estate. You will meet a lot of omega there and make friends with them."

Tanjirou shook his head a few times. It hurt him to see Tanjirou like this. He wished the boy could stay in the manor until it's time for his heat. But Tamayo was right. The boy's growth should be monitored by the nurses before his first heat and Giyuu wouldn't let his own selfishness prevent Tanjirou from growing into a healthy fully grown omega.

Giyuu soothed him with a promise, "I'll visit you whenever I can."

If he's not busy with missions, he would see Tanjirou. He's just not sure how often he could visit the omega. His heart twinged as he imagined the manor would be less lively without Tanjirou in it. Agatsuma and Hashibira would miss their friend. Kanya would not show it or say anything about it but he knew the old beta had a soft spot for the omega after months of staying under the same roof. She would be sad to see Tanjirou leave.

When Tanjirou finally fell asleep, he untangled himself from the boy and covered him with the thick blanket. He added more wood into the fireplace as the temperature started to drop. Then he stepped out of the room and felt like he's leaving a piece of him behind.

Giyuu sent a note to the manor to tell Kanya and the others that Tanjirou was with him and sent another note to the headquarter for any updates about last night's mission. The guest house had a karesansui garden so he sat on the engawa, trying to ease his anxiety by admiring the samon pattern of the gravels around the arrangements of rocks. He wondered if Tanjirou were to leave permanently one day, what would he do? Would he allow that to happen? Did he want to keep Tanjirou by his side? Of course he did.

His heart started to race. Maybe he could- No. He couldn’t. It was too late. He groaned aloud and dropped his head to his knees. His fate has been decided and there’s nothing Giyuu could do about it.

-

The next morning, he wondered if he was dreaming again. Tanjirou was in the bed with Giyuu, sleeping like a newborn baby, looking so soft and endearing. One of his bandaged fists was covered with two small hands and placed it against Tanjirou's chest. His tiny heartbeat was steady and peaceful, matching his own. The scent from the omega was apparent and inviting to his alpha. Tanjirou still smelled like blooming peonies in summer. As the omega's first heat gets closer, he would have an additional smell like something fruity or woodsy or an exotic aroma that one couldn't name mingling together with the current sweet floral scent that Tanjirou had.

Giyuu didn't know how long he was staring at the boy while being comforted by Tanjirou's sweet scent until he saw those eyelashes fluttering like ruby petals. And they unveiled auburn eyes like the birth of dawn.

Tanjirou was the most beautiful boy that he had ever seen in his life, and probably the only one who ensnared Giyuu like a butterfly in a net. Without so much of a reaction, the omega moved closer, their hands snuggled comfortably between their warm bodies, and went ahead to curl himself cosily against Giyuu as he closed his eyes.

The alpha suddenly realised this wasn't a dream. It was real. Tanjirou was real. His scent. His heartbeat. His warmness. Everything was real. Giyuu felt more awake than a second ago. His pulse started racing.

"Tanjirou, what are you doing in my bed?" He didn't know why he was whispering but the moment seemed too precious and soft to be broken with loud words.

Tanjirou made an inaudible sound but remained immobile with his eyes stayed shut.

"I don't think you're allowed to be here."

Tanjirou responded with a soft mewled, pressing himself closer than before until there was no space between them anymore. Was he trying to climb inside Giyuu?

He didn't mind Tanjirou in his bed but he's certain the others do. He should carry the boy back to his room before Tamayo or the servants make their round and find out Tanjirou was missing. Before he could move, he heard the click sound of the shoji door.

"Kamado-san. You shouldn't sneak in here again."

Again? So that means last time wasn't a dream too?

He glanced at Tamayo standing inside the room. She nodded to Giyuu with a silent greeting.

"Let's go back to your room," she coaxed Tanjirou. The boy shook his head like a petulant child and hid his face in Giyuu's chest. The doctor chuckled and Giyuu blushed.

"Fine, then. I'll ask the servant to send your bowl of okayu here. Tomioka-san, do you mind if Kamado has his breakfast here with you?"

"I don't mind at all. Thank you."

Tamayo then proceeded to check on both of them. Tanjirou blinked drowsily as she palpated his neck and asked Tajirou to open his mouth so that she could see if the swelling had gone down. The swelling was still there but she declared his fever had subsided.

After that, she moved on to Giyuu and took off the bandage. She commented how it’s unfair that the deities only bless alpha with a fast healing ability. Since all the cuts have been closed up and the bruises on his fists were left with pale yellowish colour, Giyuu didn't need to use the bandage anymore. At least an alpha's healing ability worked less on broken bones so he was secretly pleased by the Wind Pillar's extended suffering.

Once the doctor left, Tanjirou wanted to go back to sleep but Giyuu stopped him. "You must get clean before you eat breakfast."

Giyuu took the bowl and cloth from the bedside table next to him and placed them in his laps. A servant had replaced it with warm water while Tamayo-sensei was checking on them. Tanjirou decided to sit cross legged in front of him. He soaked the cloth first, squeezed out the water, and then lightly rubbed the cloth over Tanjirou's brows first. Then, he moved to the scar on the side of his temple, his cheek, his nose, his mouth and his other cheek. Tanjirou was sighing happily and butted against his hand like a kitten. Giyuu felt himself smiling at how adorable the boy was.

He soaked and wrung the cloth once more before brushing it over Tanjirou's neck. He's gentler and more careful on the bruises. He was relieved to see the omega's scent gland was unharmed. Once he was done, he set the bowl and the wet cloth back on the side table. When he turned back, he saw auburn eyes glimmering softly with adoration.

All of a sudden, he became conscious of his inexplicable affection and shameful lust for Tanjirou. These feelings were filling him up to the brim that he might as well be carrying an ocean inside him. Before he knew it, he cupped Tanjirou's cheek and ran a thumb against the slope of it as their eyes locked on each other. In the deepest recesses of his mind, Giyuu was aware that Tanjirou was no longer unattainable as the falling star.

A knocking sound shattered the heavy atmosphere between them. Giyuu dropped his hand quickly as if he had been burned.

The shoji door was pulled to the side and revealed an omega boy with hair like the midnight sky and eyes the shade of a ripe plum fruit. His opulent wisteria kimono made him appear as a distinguished upper-class omega.

He stepped inside and was followed by three servants who carried meals that meant for three people to eat. They set down the meals and placed three zabuton around the chabudai table before they left the room quietly.

"Good morning, Giyuu-san. *Haha-ue told me you were here since yesterday. I thought it would be lovely if we all can have breakfast together."

He seemed unfazed when he looked at Giyuu and Tanjirou sitting closely together on the bed. Instead, he gave the red-haired omega a kind friendly smile, the same one that Oyakata-sama would always give to the Pillars.

He was quite surprised to see Kiriya, one of Oyakata-sama's children. He thought the boy would be busy in preparation for tonight's celebration. The Ubuyashiki clan was well-known for hosting the most marvellous tsukimi but no doubt this year was going to be more magnificent. After all, it was Kiriya's sixteenth name day and his debut to the society as a fully grown omega, as obviously indicated from his scent tingling Giyuu's nose; fresh, sweet with a mix of earthy smells. Not as tempting as Tanjirou's scent, he thought absently. He was somewhat suspicious of the other's presence without a chaperone due to his sickness that he inherited from Oyakata-sama. Besides, the last time they met was two years ago.

"You must be Giyuu-san's ward, Kamado Tanjirou."

And two years ago was when the alpha accepted his role as the Water Pillar-

"I'm Ubuyashiki Kiriya, Giyuu-san's promised mate."

-which bound Giyuu to the heir of the Ubuyashiki clan and the future leader of the Demon Slayer Corps.

Chapter Text

"If you ever felt lost, just trust your nose and your omega instinct."

Tanjuro had said those words to him a few days before he passed away. But all Tanjirou remembered that day was a smile in his father's eyes and the lingering smell of grief on his robe. And grief had been his constant companion like a well-worn scarf, but it felt more like a noose around his neck nowadays.

He didn't know why exactly right at this moment - just like that time when he was searching for Giyuu and afraid to be left behind - he remembered his father's words. His nose had caught the scents in the air; indifference from the alpha and only kindness from the other boy. His omega instinct was on an alert, trying to determine if this strange omega was a rival for Giyuu's affection.

How could he be a rival when he's already promised to my alpha?!

The familiar tightness in his chest was back. He couldn't move even if he wanted to, but that's probably the best. No more running away from a conflict. He needed to face this head-on.

Scenting the air once more, discreetly and deeply, the omega knew there was something wrong with the entire situation. It's not a reunion between promised mates. He's more certain this was a meeting between two strangers.

Kiriya's introduction had caused some sort of unpleasantness in the room but the omega seemed unperturbed as he bowed smoothly at them. Giyuu had risen from the bed and returned with a lower bow than he normally did with other people back in the village. Tanjirou had nearly forgotten to respond back and quickly stood next to Giyuu. He was embarrassed when he bowed clumsily.

Kiriya raised one delicate hand towards the sitting area, so pale like a white jasmine. "Shall we?"

Like a true noble birth omega, Kiriya moved with a dignified manner. His furisode with painting of purple wisteria flowers that looked almost alive seemed to be the most expensive robe Tanjirou had ever seen in his life. The long and heavy fabric whispered across the wooden floor as he took dainty steps towards the sitting area. Even without smelling his sweet scent, the elaborate flower knot of the pink obi on his back was a beacon to every alpha that he was a fully grown unmated omega.

He felt utterly self-conscious on how he must look to Giyuu. When he woke up on his first day in this place, he was already dressed in a set of simple purple jinbei. And now being in the same room with a beautiful omega that wore the most expensive furisode, Tanjirou was affected and felt uneasy by the whole display. He bit his lips as his heart dropped. He must have looked plain and ugly with his uncombed hair and dry cracked lips in Giyuu's eyes.

A hand reached out and grasped Tanjirou's wrist. "Are you alright?"

His heart skipped a beat when he realised Giyuu must have noticed his discomfort and was trying to make him feel better. The gesture eased a little of the knots in his chest. He hummed in response and nodded. Then he pulled his wrist, replaced it with his palm and now they were holding hands. He didn't know why he had done that. He just felt holding his alpha's hand was the right thing to do at this moment. He was delighted when Giyuu squeezed his hand back. He gently drew Tanjirou towards the chabudai table with their breakfast waiting for them.

Kiriya sat on the zabuton as graceful as a crane and when the boy flicked his gaze to their entwined hands, he stayed quiet. Surprisingly, Tanjirou wasn't able to discern any other scent except mild curiosity. Tanjirou tried to be stealthy as he nudged his zabuton with his foot so that he would be sitting closer to Giyuu. But his action didn't escape the two people in the room.

"He seems very attached to you, Giyuu-san," Kiriya spoke. Tanjirou blushed and bowed his head.

"Tanjirou isn't comfortable with strangers," murmured Giyuu as he gently tugged the omega to sit on the zabuton and then pulled the bowl of okayu closer to Tanjirou. It wasn't like that but it's less embarrassing than Giyuu finding out how threatened he felt by Kiriya's presence.

His arm brushed against the alpha's as he sat and was relieved that the man didn't try to move him away. He released Giyuu's hand when they started eating their breakfast.

Tanjirou couldn't help himself but surreptitiously observed the other omega closer who was eating his meal in such a refined manner as to how a noble birth was taught; the way how he gripped his chopsticks, how he took a bite of his steamed white rice and tsukemono, how he held his cup and sipped his tea. He wasn't used to seeing such things that he thought Kiriya behaved so delicately and utterly weird at the same time.

Kiriya had straight black hair like silk with the shades of cloudless night and his skin as fair as the moon. Just from his porcelain complexion, it showed Kiriya's wealth and status in the society. He was beautiful and flawless and smelled kind. He was completely opposite of Tanjirou; an orphan from a poor family with an average feature and a burn mark on his face and had tan skin from toiling too long under the sun. He scrutinised Kiriya's hands and knew they must be soft like the first bloomer of spring, unlike Tanjirou whose rough palms were probably similar to the bark of an oak tree.

In between a few bites, Kiriya would ask Giyuu about Kanya's well-being and how his past missions but the alpha merely gave brief and succinct answers. He could sense that Giyuu wasn't being intentionally cold to the other omega. It was just Giyuu being exactly himself when he was with someone he's not close to. It reminded Tanjirou how Giyuu had once treated him the same way when they met the first time. Kiriya didn't smell like he was offended as he kept on smiling and even met Tanjirou's gaze politely a few times.

The initial pain and shock about Kiriya’s role as the alpha’s future mate had ebbed away and now gradually replaced it with anger. He was glad he couldn't speak properly yet or else he might just tell the boy to leave and never come back. Or he might scream at Kiriya, or Giyuu, or to both of them.

Was this the reason Giyuu had never shown any interest in him? Because he was loyal to Kiriya? But why did he sense that they were like strangers to each other? How could they become promised mates when they didn't have feelings for each other?

Tanjirou snapped from his thought when Kiriya suddenly spoke to him. "Do you mind if I call you Tanjirou-san?"

Tanjirou inclined his head. Kiriya's smile grew wider. "I hope to see you and Giyuu-san attend tonight's celebration. My little sisters will lend you one of their formal attire. Would that be alright with you, Tanjirou-san?"

Kiriya brightened up when he nodded in response. Yesterday, Tamayo had told him of a tsukimi and a name day celebration. She mentioned as well that the head of the Ubuyashiki clan was looking forward to seeing him. He didn't want to be rude to his host after allowing them to stay at their place and aiding him and Giyuu with their injury. At first, he had been afraid that he might see the two scary alphas around but Tamayo assured him they were placed in a different location, somewhere far away from them.

Kiriya turned his attention to the alpha. "We have prepared your suit for tonight. The servants will send them later. Do you prefer black or white ties?"

Giyuu shrugged nonchalantly. "I have no preference. Any colour will do."

Tanjirou wondered what sort of clothes Giyuu was supposed to wear for tonight. He had never heard of suit and tie. Shouldn't Giyuu wear the montsuki kimono for such an important celebration?

Fortunately, Kiriya didn't have any intention to stay long because once they finished their meal, the boy stood up and was preparing to leave the room. He and Giyuu stood up as well and waited as Kiriya opened his mouth to say something, but he pressed back his lips together.

He looked hesitant all of a sudden as his eyes flickered to Tanjirou before swiftly returned to the raven-haired man. "I've come to ask Giyuu-san a favour. I hope you would escort me to my debut."

"I refuse to leave Tanjirou alone," Giyuu bluntly replied.

"Perhaps you could place Tanjirou-san under the care of our trusted servants."

"I don't trust them to protect Tanjirou."

Kiriya dropped his gaze, his cheeks flushed in embarrassment. "Very well, then. I'll see Giyuu-san and Tanjirou-san tonight."

The omega bowed at them and both Giyuu and Tanjirou bowed in return. Then he left the room quietly. The servants came in and took the empty bowls and cups into a tray and cleaned the table.

Tanjirou had mixed feelings with what he had witnessed. His omega felt a vicious satisfaction to watch Kiriya being rejected by Giyuu, but Tanjirou pitied him at the same time. For the most part, he was confused by the absence of disappointment in Kiriya's scent, unless the omega hid it well.

As soon as the servants shut the shoji door, the hurt and anger came rolling in like an avalanche. Tanjirou whipped around to stare icily at the alpha before him. Giyuu was taken aback by his sudden change of behaviour.

Oh yes. He was very angry at the man. He had been distressed when he thought his fated alpha had been sharing his rut with an omega in heat and he just had a traumatic experience of nearly being killed by a crazy alpha. And then now, he's finding out Giyuu was promised to an incredibly beautiful and kind omega that was probably a thousand times better than Tanjirou!

Another wave of irritation swept over him that he took the pillow from the bed and threw towards the alpha’s obnoxiously handsome face. Giyuu promptly caught the pillow before it hit him which just pissed the hell out of the omega. So he picked up everything he could - the extra pillow, the blanket, all three zabuton - and hurled at the alpha. It was infuriating to watch Giyuu dodging all of them.

"Tanjirou? What's gotten into you?" Bewildered at his frantic behaviour, Giyuu tried to approach him. The ache in his chest grew heavier and before he realised it, Tanjirou jumped on the alpha. He pressed his face into Giyuu's neck, inhaling deeply those sweet floral and luscious nutty smells mixed with the rich earthy and spicy odour of the alpha.

Guided by the most primal instinct of his omega, Tanjirou avoided the alpha's scent gland and shifted his mouth towards where the shoulder and the neck met. He nipped the skin there through the clothes.

Giyuu flinched, whether in pain or shock, or probably both, but as if understanding what was happening, he felt the alpha relaxed immediately and there was a hand brushing against his hair. "Hey, Tanjirou. It's alright. I'm not going anywhere."

Tanjirou pulled back and reached for the hand in his hair and bit the wrist, marring the skin there with another teeth mark. He growled. This alpha is mine. Mine. Mine. Mine. Always mine.

Giyuu made a soothing sound, shushing him as his wrist remained trapped between Tanjirou's teeth. The hazy cloud in his head lifted after a few seconds breathing in the alpha's calming pheromones. Tanjirou gasped, letting go of the wrist immediately. His eyes were wide in shock, horrified by his own crude behaviour.

What had I done?!

His mother had mentioned this; a feral omega that sought to possess their alpha would leave biting marks. It was a primitive way of being territorial as opposed to scenting, unless it's a mating bite. How could he let himself act this way? He couldn't believe his omega was being stupid and barbaric! He was so ashamed!

He closed his eyes and whimpered, feeling utterly contrite for acting like a deranged omega and ended up hurting the man. He forced his throat to work even though it felt like something was scratching the inside of his neck. His voice cracked, "S'rry."

At any other time, he would have rejoiced that he was able to say something. But his attention was suddenly diverted when a hand lifted his chin and a warm voice speaking to him, "Look at me, Tanjirou."

He let his chin be guided but refused to open his eyes. He heard Giyuu added tenderly, "Open your eyes. Let me see the sunrise again.”

The sunrise? His eyes opened in surprise and he looked right into Giyuu's eyes; everlastingly blue like the summer sky. His heart fluttered at the strange fever in the alpha's gaze. Giyuu tightened his hold over his backside which caused Tanjirou to squeak in embarrassment. Only then the omega noticed he had both arms gripped desperately around the alpha while both legs were wrapped around Giyuu's waist.

The alpha was carrying him with only one arm under him as if he's as light and small as a child. The hand that he had bitten was still resting under Tanjirou’s chin. The heat on his face rising as the alpha's scent - thick and intoxicating - invaded his lungs, his head, and maybe, everything inside him. Their bodies were pressing so much closer together. All thoughts of anyone else disappeared as their eyes transfixed on each other. How astounding to feel like they're the only two people in this universe.

Giyuu looked different. Nevertheless, this was Giyuu that Tanjirou fell in love with; someone that he knew intimately like the beating of his heart.

This was the man who gladly spent an entire day with Zenitsu to catch salmons at the river, who willingly taught Inosuke to write and read and praised the boy whenever he got his kanji right, who happily foraged as many yomogi leaves as he could at a nearby forest so that Kanya would be able to make her favourite kusamochi.

This was Giyuu who put a spoonful of honey into his mouth instead of his tea when he thought no one was looking, who took a stroll around the garden before the sunrise while everyone was still sleeping, who recited romantic waka while he cleaned and oiled his nichirin blade when he was by himself.

This was the alpha who was born for him, who was necessary to exist so that Tanjirou could continue to breathe in this world. And if they were to live a hundred more lifetimes, then Tanjirou shall belong to Giyuu in each one.

The omega's heart threatened to beat right out of his chest as he witnessed the alpha's nostrils flare at Tanjirou's scent and the expression on his face transformed into a vivid hunger. His spine shivered involuntarily. The atmosphere suddenly turned heavy.

Deities, he wanted so badly to kiss this man! How would it feel? Would it be as wet as the dew drops on morning blooms? Would it be ticklish like the evening breeze playing with his hair?

For the second time on that day, a knock suddenly broke the heated moment and the shoji door was pulled to the side. Tanjirou drew a sharp breath when a strange man with a tengu mask stepped into the room.

"Oh? Am I interrupting something? I could come back later."

-

"So what's that all about? Kiriya is your promised omega and yet, that little one is your favoured omega."

Giyuu glowered at his mentor. It had been embarrassing to have Urokodaki caught him in a compromising position and to top it all, this old man seemed to be in his rare teasing mood. Urokodaki had always been a father figure to Giyuu. The alpha may seem serious but most of the time, he's a pretty laid-back old man. And it was weird to be teased, out of all people, by his own mentor.

"Don't look at me like that, Giyuu. You cannot lie to my nose. The little one likes you and you obviously like him too."

Giyuu felt all the blood rushed to his face. He smelled amusement from Urokodaki.

"I never would have thought to see you like this about someone."

Giyuu turned away from Urokodaki's sight even though it wouldn't do much to hide anything from him. After all, the old alpha had the best sense of smell than anyone else he knew.

He watched Tanjirou a few feet away from him, looking at the blooming water lilies in the lake. Purple, pink and white wisteria swinging above them like the most glorious pendants made of petals. Despite the gorgeous backdrop, Tanjirou's beauty still stood out.

It didn't matter the omega was wearing a rumpled jinbei from yesterday and his burgundy curls tumbling messily around his shoulder and back. Giyuu would still want to run his fingers through each ringlet and would claim Tanjirou to be perfect as he was, even if he turned into a possessed omega and bit Giyuu like earlier on. Giyuu wasn't sure what exactly had happened but it was pure instinct his alpha submitted to the omega who suddenly behaved territorial over him.

Then there was that thing going on between them. He had felt the strange hunger overcame him when the scent of sweet peonies, rich and cloying in the air, consumed him into a state of senseless desire. Everything about Tanjirou was maddening; his enticing smell, his lovely heat in Giyuu's arms, his sweet breath colliding with his own. If Urokodaki had not interrupted them, he might do something that he would regret. This wasn't the best circumstance to act on his feelings.

It had been awkward to introduce Tanjirou to Urokodaki after that. Luckily his mentor immediately suggested they all should take a walk outside of the guest house. Ubuyashiki's land was vast; the headquarter of the Demon Slayer Corps, the main mansion for the entire clan and the extended relatives, a few guesthouses and several shrines were spread out around the area.

There was a massive garden right in the centre with a couple of magnificent torii gates surrounding the place and the other buildings and grand shrines. But Tanjirou had stood in silent awe as he took in the stunning sight of the myriads of wisteria trees. Giyuu told him to explore around and Tanjirou quickly ran off in excitement. Giyuu wondered about Tanjirou’s mood swing. It was not even half-day yet and he had witnessed many emotions on the omega.

"Well, the reason I'm here is to tell you the government decided to meddle in."

Giyuu wasn't surprised. The government always liked to get involved with the organization's business. If not because of the many cunning but stern interference from the previous leaders including Oyakata-sama, the Demon Slayer Corps might be taken over by the military since a long time ago.

"When Shinazugawa attacked Kamado, it became a violent crime against a civilian who is under the protection of the Emperor. Shinazugawa's punishment will be heavier now." Urokodaki sounded grim. "They think the demon slayers are getting uncontrollable for being violent in public. Oyakata has to punish you as well for attacking another demon slayer just to show those bastards that we can be docile like the military dogs."

Giyuu sighed. He had somewhat expected this to happen. It would just be a show to the government that he would be punished harshly. But Giyuu understood he would be sent away to a different region. If he’s unlucky, he might be exiled temporarily in one of the northern islands.

"Will I be sent away to Rikubetsu? Or as far as Etorofu? And for how long?" Giyuu just hoped he wouldn't be stuck in either place for the entire duration of the winter season. Most demon slayers were sent to any of the northernmost villages in Hokkaido as punishment. The people who mainly lived there were the Ainu and less than a hundred demon slayers were living there to protect them from demons.

"It hasn't been decided yet, until tomorrow."

"What will happen to the lands under my protection?"

"They will automatically fall to the other Pillars nearby."

Giyuu nodded. That would be Kochou, Tokito, and Kanroji.

The unexpected pre-heat seemed to be a silver lining in this situation for Tanjirou. The omega would be protected under the Insect Pillar when he's not around. Other than his old mentor, there's no one else but Kochou that Giyuu trusted to take care of Tanjirou. He believed the female alpha would do anything to keep everyone safe under her roof. He wasn't worried about the other three in his manor since he had a feeling Urokodaki would stay there temporarily until he's back.

Urokodaki crossed his arms as he leaned against one of the wisteria trees. "Now back to the issue of your favoured omega. What are you going to do about it?"

It should be terrifying, of how natural it was, to fix his gaze at Tanjirou and feel the tug at every one of his heartstrings. He’d never felt this way with anyone else. Flustered, he averted his eyes back to his mentor.

If only I could turn back time.

"Is it possible to cancel the arrangement?"

He smelled surprise before he heard the old man burst into laughter. "I thought you'd let yourself quietly suffering and secretly pining for-"

"Shut up." He snapped at the old alpha without any heat in his tone. "So is it possible?" He asked again once Urokodaki had calmed down.

His mentor's voice was firm when he replied, "Of course. Oyakata wouldn't hesitate to break off the arranged marriage once I tell him the boy is your fated mate."

Surprise trickled through him as his heart stopped. He breathed, "What?"

The thought of Tanjirou, the omega who was unexpectedly thrust into his life, as his fated mate took root inside him and a different kind of warmth like nothing he had ever felt before grew and spread through his body. He was suddenly captivated by the little frame of the boy whose back was facing him. Like an invisible string connected between them and Giyuu was tugging that string for the other's attention, Tanjirou turned around and pierced him with a look. He had seen this same look for nearly a year. He had seen it on Tanjirou when his smile turned contagious, and his laughter became equally infectious. When Tanjirou was lost in his thoughts as he twisted his curls in a finger. When Tanjirou was angry with tears at the corner of his eyes. When Tanjirou flying up to his arms and-

Deities, he had almost kiss Tanjirou back then!

The omega raised one hand and waved at him. Giyuu swallowed. There was a peculiar feeling nestled exactly behind his left ribs. He hardly even noticed that he waved back at Tanjirou.

"Are you certain?" He mouthed faintly, his heart pounded loudly in his ears.

He sensed Urokodaki eyeing him with a serious look. "My nose had never been wrong about this. Kamado Tanjirou is your fated mate."

Chapter Text

It's strange how one heart linked to another through pain. His wound and Tanjirou's wound. His grief and Tanjirou's grief. Their tragedy is almost similar that Tanjirou understood him as much as he understood the boy. Perhaps that's why we are fated mates.

Urokodaki had left shortly after that. He approached the omega who was peering at him with furrowed brows. Giyuu tried to act as normal as possible without showing any telltale sign of how he wanted to do nothing more than pull Tanjirou in his arms and place a similar possessive bite mark on the boy's shoulder and wrist just as Tanjirou had done on him. He furtively took a deep breath and tried to maintain his stoic expression.

He cleared his throat, hoping his voice wouldn't indicate how high-strung he felt at the moment. "Do you want to walk around some more or do you want to get some rest at the guest house?"

"Stay out here long?" Tanjirou whispered in a hoarse and cracked voice. His chest tightened again when he heard Tanjirou's speech reduced to such sound. He was mourning for the omega's sweet voice. But he was also relieved that the boy was able to talk and it wasn't a mere fluke that Tanjirou spoke earlier on. It would probably take a week or so for Tanjirou to be able to talk normally.

Giyuu nodded and offered his palm before he noticed what he had done. Before he could draw back, Tanjirou took his hand. This was the second time they held hands. The touch was like fire in his veins that went straight to his trembling heart. He swallowed. He could do this. Tanjirou wouldn't notice if he could act as usual like he always did.

They strolled around the garden and saw certain areas were closed off for tonight's celebration. A group of servants were rushing with strings of lanterns in their arms and had nearly collided into them. Giyuu led Tanjirou to another section of the garden where instead of a lake, there was a long stretch of canal with a yakatabune boat parked on the side. Through the open windows, Giyuu caught sight of several servants hanging lanterns and arranging the furniture inside.

Some of the guests would take a ride in the yakatabune tonight for the tsukimi, enjoying their sake and reciting waka under the moonlight. To most alphas and omegas and even the betas, it might be an exciting and somewhat romantic ride in a lavish boat. But to Giyuu, it's where all the high-status alphas have a little contest among themselves while showing off their artistic prowess to the rest of the submissive dynamic.

Wisteria trees grew along the man-made river and they took a walk on the pathway next to it. The light from the sun pierced through the veils of wisteria petals and moved in dazzling kaleidoscopes against burgundy curls and sun-kissed skin. Giyuu couldn't think of anything else except how right and complete he felt being with Tanjirou. The thought was terrifying and exhilarating at the same time.

He tried to think back all the previous months they lived together. He wondered if there were signs he had missed or chose to ignore that indicate Tanjirou as his fated omega. Of course he noticed the scent marked on him that never disappeared even though Tanjirou rarely scented him. Perhaps that had been one of the signs.

He had always been inexplicably drawn to the omega like a moth to a flame since their first meeting. Then he went through his rut with the thought of knotting Tanjirou and filled him with his seeds to the brim. He had imagined the omega's tiny frame swelling with a child. Were those considered as signs too or merely his shameful and perverted lust that had been harbouring inside him for Tanjirou?

But he had resisted all this time. Tanjirou's age and his status as an omega child had been part of the reasons why he refused to see the boy as a potential mate. Even the omega child's scent had been repulsive to Giyuu during the first week but his nose had gotten used to it quickly and eventually, a scent he didn't mind having on his scent gland.

At the end of the day, it didn't matter. Because sooner or later he would be bound to Tanjirou since the deities had deemed them to be.

This affection he had for Tanjirou might have been there before he realised it, creeping between his ribs like an old friend, unfolding so naturally under his skin. With every look and every touch they shared, he was undeniably certain he had found his true destiny. Even if his mentor had not mentioned Tanjirou as his fated mate, Giyuu would still find the true meaning of life within the boy.

He truly wanted Tanjirou to be the sun to his moon. He tightened his hold over the other's hand.

"Tanjirou."

The boy squeezed back his hand, humming in response.

"I-" He paused. "It's nothing."

He changed his mind. He decided Tanjirou shouldn't know what they were for now. It's too early and the circumstance was unfavourable for the both of them. First thing first, the arrangement needed to cancel as soon as possible.

-

In mid-afternoon, Kanata and Kuina, two omega girls in their sailor dress came and asked permission from him if they could bring Tanjirou to the main mansion.

One of the twins reached out to hold Tanjirou's hand. "We always wanted a younger sibling. It's no fun that Kiriya is older than us so we couldn't dress him up."

The other twin held Tanjirou's other hand. "We're so excited to dress Tanjirou-san in one of our pretty evening gowns."

Tanjirou glanced at him for a moment, then he gazed back at the two girls and asked nervously, his voice still cracked a little. "What's that?"

One of them replied, "It's like the dress we are wearing now but it's much longer and prettier."

"We ordered new undergarments in your size this morning and it just arrived," the other twin added.

He suddenly had an onslaught of images of Tanjirou in white lace chemise and silk stockings with little bows. He gulped. Get your mind out of the gutter, Giyuu!

He cursed Uzui who shoved a book to his face that has pictures of half-nude male and female omegas in their undergarments exposing more skin than it's proper. Uzui had declared about nagajuban being unsexy and that Japanese omegas should wear something similar like the French omegas that were depicted in the book. He planned to buy the same undergarments for his mates and urged Giyuu to order one for 'the omega who scent marked you' which pretty mean it's for Tanjirou. He was disgusted by Uzui's suggestion and the Sound Pillar almost ended up with a black eye.

"You would look lovely in green chiffon."

"I disagree. You would look radiant in blue tulle."

Chiffon? Tulle? He's completely lost. And when he glanced at Tanjirou, the boy looked a little bemused as well. At least he no longer seemed nervous and instead, there was a curious expression on his face.

"I hope you don't mind to try both dresses and see if you prefer my green chiffon gown or Kuina's blue tulle dress."

"We have other gowns that you can try too if you wish."

Kanata looked at her sister. "Why don't we all choose each other's dress?"

Kuina approved. "That's a wonderful idea!"

The twins immediately turned eager eyes at Tanjirou. He was worried at first that the boy wouldn't find the girls agreeable since Tanjirou didn't like Kiriya. But Kanata and Kuina seemed to have a different effect on him. Maybe because they were at the same age as Tanjirou.

Tanjirou looked at him, there's a gleam of excitement in his eyes. He must have been deprived of dressing up like most omega tend to do. The alpha remembered how excited Tanjirou had been when he gave the omega several sets of komons. This must be his first time to dress up with other omegas in his age. Giyuu nodded. "I'll find you later."

As soon as Tanjirou left with the twins, Giyuu was suddenly swarmed with servants bringing him his own set of clothes.

He knew Japan was gradually embracing the lifestyle from the Western countries but Giyuu was never fond of wearing most of their clothes. He wished he could just wear a formal kimono rather than wearing this stiff white dress shirt with a tight white waistcoat and that awfully heavy and tight-fitting black tailcoat.

A servant helped him with the cufflinks and was baffled to see a bite mark on his wrist. Giyuu pretended not to notice and asked his help with his bow tie. He put on the white gloves and looked at himself in the mirror. All he required was a top hat and a cane and he would look like one of the Western gentlemen. Luckily he didn't need them this time. The only thing he liked was the dark pants and patent shoes. He's an old-fashioned alpha so he still prefered the montsuki kimono.

He hung his nichirin blade over the side of his hip. Now he felt more like himself.

-

Tanjirou had never seen such pretty-looking undergarments in his life until he wore them. Whatever the thing called as corset, was basically a torture device for omegas. He didn't mind the rest such as the chemise, petticoat, and even the stockings with the garter but the corset was so uncomfortable that he couldn't wait to get rid of it. The twins, both reminded him of Hanako and Takeo which caused his chest to twinge, had asked him to try a few dresses until one that had caught his eyes, rich scarlet fabric with onyx-coloured beads.

It was easier to wear a gown than a furisode. The fabric was very smooth and airy and the skirt moved effortlessly whenever he twirled around. A long thick ribbon weaved between his curls and a string of snow pearls was placed around the crown of his head. He had refused when the servant wanted to replace his earrings with something else. Then one of the twins mentioned his hanafuda earrings still matched with the colour of his gown and after that, his earrings were left untouched.

He had to put on a pair of tight elbow-length gloves which took as much time as wearing the stockings. While the twins changed to their evening gowns, the servant had painted his face with pearl powder which also covered most of his scar, coloured his cheeks with patches of rouge, and tinted his lips with poppy petals. When he finally slipped on the satin slippers, he looked at himself in the mirror.

Kanata stood behind him. "You look so beautiful, Tanjirou-san."

Kuina sighed dreamily. "Every alpha will be looking at Kiriya and you."

Tanjirou grimaced. He and Kiriya only want a specific alpha's eyes.

They left the twins' shared room shortly and Tanjirou followed the girls to a different area inside the mansion. A large group of omegas were standing in the middle of the room and his nose picked up a certain scent from all of them which indicated they were related to the twins.

Kiriya stood out like a beacon among all of the omegas who wore gowns since he was the only one who wore a magenta furisode with a gold-coloured obi. Kiriya looked even more beautiful than he had been this morning. He looked like every alpha's dream come true.

He slowed down, stepping hesitantly towards the group but one of the twins turned around and pulled him along by his arm. They introduced him to everyone and Tanjirou was right when all of them turned out to be cousins, nieces and nephews. There were another pair of twins who happened to be Kiriya's eldest sisters. Kanata and Kuina let him be on his own after that.

Trying not to be rude to Kiriya, the only person he hasn't greeted yet, he walked to the omega and bowed to him. The anger and sadness sprung up inside him. Just by acknowledging this boy existed for his fated alpha made him want to claw his own chest.

Kiriya spoke suddenly, breaking the tense atmosphere between them. "You have been blessed by the deities, Tanjirou-san."

He eyed Kiriya warily. The omega wasn't smiling at him this time. He had a cool expression on his face. His scent didn't indicate any negative intention though.

"What do you mean?" Tanjirou rasped cautiously. He hated that he couldn't talk normally.

Kiriya looked around them as if wanting to make sure the others were not nearby enough to hear their conversation. The boy leaned towards him, "The rest of the clan and even my sisters aren't aware of this yet. But Haha-ue had decided to cancel the arranged marriage."

Someone called, "Kiriya, it's time for your debut."

Kiriya swiftly stepped back and turned to a woman who looked similar to the both pair of twins. She was also wearing a furisode and smelled oddly like an alpha but also a beta. One of them wasn't her real smell. He's certain of that. But to everyone's nose, they probably could smell her beta scent only. Tanjirou assumed she must be Kiriya's other parent.

A kind smile finally graced Kiriya's lips as he looked at the woman and the rest of his family members. "I'm ready." Everyone became excited and they all moved to a closed entrance guarded by a few servants.

Tanjirou didn't follow them. He was frozen in his place. He couldn't exactly comprehend what exactly was happening to him but he needed to see Giyuu. His omega was seeking his alpha so badly that sometimes it really hurt. Like right now. Tanjirou rubbed his chest. It was one of the strangest feelings he had nowadays.

Tanjirou noticed that ever since the pre-heat, he no longer could stand being without Giyuu for too long. He wasn't able to sleep alone anymore because he just needed his alpha's presence to ease the weird painful sensation inside his gut. Even his sense of smell has been more peculiar than before. He couldn't stand other alphas' smell without wanting to touch any part of Giyuu that he could reach, letting the alpha's scent stick to his skin. Holding hands with the raven-haired man had helped to ease the strangeness that's gradually taking over his body. Maybe his pre-heat was to blame too and had caused him to act crazy and possessive over Giyuu just like what happened earlier this morning.

After listening quietly to Kiriya introducing himself to the guests and waiting for the claps to die down and the voices of people conversing taking over, he stood waiting behind the door until all of the Ubuyashiki omegas no longer blocked the stairs.

Tanjirou sneaked out of the door. The stairs led to a garden with colourful lanterns hung making the entire place look like he just stepped into a magical land. He held his skirt as he stepped down the stairs, hoping he wouldn't trip and fall and make a spectacle of himself with his clumsiness.

As he finally reached down the steps, he felt a few curious eyes on him. He avoided looking at anyone and quickly went to search for Giyuu. He sensed one of the alphas tried to approach him but he quickly evaded the person. His small body made it easier for him to slip in between people without being noticed. If he had worn a furisode, it would be harder for him to move. The light gown was able to make him move faster as well. Except the corset was slowly killing his back. He hated it.

He was contemplating searching for the alpha in the tengu mask, trying to remember how the old man smelled like, and that's when Giyuu's scent reached his nostrils. He followed the scent and when he finally took in the sight of Giyuu, he thought all the air from his lungs had left him.

He was talking to someone but what caught Tanjirou’s attention was the clothes he's wearing. Everyone else was wearing the same thing as the alpha did but nothing can beat the sight of the raven-haired man.

Even though he still had his messy ponytail, Giyuu was breathtaking. He was utterly and undeniably attractive in a way that made the heat in his gut flare like a forest fire.

The man he was talking to, who strangely smelled like a mix of omega and beta, was the only one wearing a montsuki kimono. Just like the woman he met earlier on, one of this man's scent wasn't real and he's certain everyone who didn't have his acute nose would think this man was a beta.

Tanjirou went to Giyuu in excitement but quickly realised he had a grim look as the other man was saying something. His forehead creased and shoulders tense. He smelled angry. Tanjirou's heart dropped. Was Giyuu unhappy that his arranged marriage to Kiriya was cancelled?

Giyuu's nose twitched and steel blue eyes turned to him. Giyuu stared at him in awe, as if he's seeing Tanjirou for the first time. He felt his cheeks burned. It's like that time when Giyuu saw him in his furisode during the hanami. The way he looked at Tanjirou made his heart soared and his knees weak. The man in the montsuki kimono let out a huff of laughter which snapped Giyuu out of his stupor. The alpha's face turned bright red.

Giyuu beckoned him, his voice tender. "Tanjirou, come here. There's someone I want you to meet."

Tanjirou walked towards the alpha and faced the stranger with the mixed scents.

"Hello. I am Ubuyashiki Kagaya, the leader of the Demon Slayer Corps and the current heir of the Ubuyashiki clan. I’m delighted to finally make your acquaintance."

"Kamado Tanjirou. I’m pleased to meet you too." He whispered back in his hoarse voice. He gave a respect bowed in greeting. He didn't expect to meet Kiriya's other parents and the man who was leading the demon slayers. He scrutinised the other’s features and saw the resemblance between Kiriya and the elder Ubuyashiki. He wondered the real reason the man had to hide his true dynamic.

"I’ve heard great things about you from Giyuu. Are you interested in being a demon slayer?"

He blinked in surprise. Is this some kind of a test? He glimpsed at Giyuu. The alpha's face was unreadable. Tanjirou gazed back at Ubuyashiki and answered firmly, "No."

He never had the incline to be a demon slayer and neither did Giyuu offer him to be one. He was happy living under the same roof with his friends and taking care of Giyuu’s needs. Maybe, just maybe, if the circumstances had been different, he might choose to be a demon slayer. But in this lifetime, he's comforted to be where he was now.

He realised the man was half-blind when the other's eyes weren't meeting his but somewhere to the side of his face. The smile on his kind face grew gentler. "I see."

Then he spoke to Giyuu softly, "Just think about it. We'll discuss more tomorrow." Giyuu tensed again and Tanjirou could sense the embers of anger from the alpha. Something was going on.

"Please enjoy the night," Ubuyashiki told them before he left.

-

There were probably more than a hundred guests attending tonight's celebration, a mix of local and foreign people whose skin were oddly white, unlike any person he had seen.

He was hoping to meet other Pillars but Giyuu stated only exclusive guests from other distinguished clans and government officials were invited. That explained why some of them wore a military uniform and had a frightening commanding air around them.

They stopped at a table filled with unfamiliar food. "Take what you want and let's get out of here."

He wasn't hungry so he took the one he's familiar with such as the yakiguri and the tsuki mochi and placed it in the napkin that Giyuu handed to him.

Tanjirou showed Giyuu a glass flask with a cloudy liquid.

"You want amazake?” Giyuu asked. “Are you allowed to drink with the condition of your throat?"

He nodded. Tamayo didn't say if he must avoid drinking but he had missed the taste of amazake and felt nostalgic about it. His mother usually made it for the whole family, using just a little amount of sake so that his younger siblings could drink them as well.

Giyuu slipped the flask behind his coat. He murmured in a slightly playful tone, "No one would miss it. So it's ours." Tanjirou giggled.

Giyuu held his hand and led him away from the crowd of people. They walked on the same pathway they took this morning. The autumn moon seemed bigger and more beautiful than any other nights. He wished he was able to enjoy the moment better without the stupid corset digging painfully into his flesh and bones. It could be a romantic walk under the moonlight. He could pretend they were together. And Tanjirou could press himself to Giyuu. And Giyuu could let go of their hands and slip an arm around him. And Tanjirou could lift his head. And Giyuu could lean in-

Sound of laughter broke the peaceful ambience. The yakatabune was passing by them across the canal. The noise grew quiet as a voice started:

"Think not of things, my beloved!
Have you not me- who would go,
If need be, through fire and flood for you?"*

A different voice replied:

"I shall think of nothing more now.
To you I have yielded, my dear;
Upon you my soul leans."*

Then loud cheers erupted from the people inside the yakatabune. Tanjirou winced at the loud noises. "That looks fun."

"There's nothing fun once all of them are drunk," Giyuu replied.

He didn't know why but he felt confident to talk more with Giyuu despite his cracked whispery voice. So he thought he might tease the alpha just a tiny bit. "I think you could recite something better than they did."

"No."

"Come on. Give me something."

"I can't remember any."

Tanjirou scoffed, "Liar."

Giyuu remained quiet for a heartbeat or two, then in a low voice, he said:

"You found me at my nadir
When despair attained new heights
I was cold to you
Unfeeling
You drew me out
Made me feel
Nourished my soul
Made me love again."**

Wow. His heart pounded as he felt the rush of blood to his face. His voice croaked, "That's beautiful. Who wrote it?"

"It was something I made up," Giyuu shrugged.

"Oh."

If they were romantically involved, he would have thought the alpha was trying to court him.

He suddenly recalled Kiriya's words to him about their arranged marriage. He asked just to see if Giyuu was aware of it. "Do you need to see your promised mate later?"

"Kiriya is no longer my promised mate. Oyakata-sama agreed to cancel the arrangement…" he trailed off, a frown marred his face again. His jaws hardened. There seemed like a 'but' in his sentence. Tanjirou wondered if there was untold damage. Maybe that has been the cause of the alpha's ire. Ubuyashiki must have required Giyuu to do something in exchange for a broken engagement.

"Giyuu?"

The man shook his head. "It's nothing." He pointed to a bench facing the lake. "Let's sit over there."

Tanjirou didn't want to force the alpha to tell him if he didn't want to. He'll just ask him again next time. So he sat down, and remembered to take off his gloves when he saw Giyuu put away his own, and thanked the alpha as he accepted his mochi. They ate in a comfortable silence and shared the amazake. A thrill ran through his spine every time his lips touched the mouth of the bottle where Giyuu's lips had touched too.

After he ate the last tsukimi mochi, Tanjirou peeled the skin of the yakiguri for Giyuu. He didn't think he could eat the kuri nut since his throat started tingling again. He felt Giyuu's eyes on him.

Tanjirou cocked his head. "What?"

"You still got mochi on your mouth."

Tanjirou wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"You missed it."

Giyuu held his chin and his thumb brushed against his lower lip. Tanjirou was breathless as he found himself gazing into the deep blue sea. His mouth trembled under Giyuu's fingers.

He watched the alpha's face turn crimson like the colour of passion. His pulse was racing. If only Giyuu could love him - even if his love is like a drop of water - it would be like an ocean to Tanjirou.

Giyuu started, "Tanjirou-"

The sound of fireworks exploded startled them both to pull away. He avoided Giyuu's gaze in embarrassment. What was that? It truly felt like something was happening. He clearly smelled Giyuu's affection for him.

He got distracted eventually with the fireworks. They burst into a thousand colourful fireflies lighting up the sky. It was captivating to watch.

Once the firework show ended, he couldn't ignore the pain anymore. He should have told the servant not to lace the corset too tight even though the twins said it was supposed to be like that. He's getting rid of it. He stood up and faced the alpha.

"I want to take off my clothes."

Giyuu blinked at him.

"Help me unbutton my gown."

Blue eyes wide open in shock. "A- are you d- drunk?" Giyuu stammered uncharacteristically.

"Who gets drunk from drinking amazake?! I just want to get rid of my corset!"

The alpha scowled. "There's alcohol in amazake. Lightweight can get drunk from it."

"Giyuu, I can't breathe!"

It must have been something on his face or his scent because all of a sudden, the alpha stood up and turned him around urgently to reach the buttons on his back. Giyuu was ripping all the buttons and removed his gown, and then he pulled his petticoat over his head. The movement behind him suddenly ceased. The alpha was probably stumped with the cross-lacing of his corset.

"Cut those ribbons!" His voice was raspier than usual.

He heard the sound of a blade moving behind him and before he knew it, he felt his body sag in relief as the corset dropped heavily to the ground. Only then he realised he was only left wearing a thin, semi-transparent layer of his chemise with his stockings.

He blushed. Deities, this was the most embarrassing thing to ever happen to him! He just wanted to hide somewhere and die!

Giyuu had a shock expression as well. He's probably realising what he had done until Tanjirou in a state of almost undress. Tanjirou whispered timidly, "I need my clothes back."

Giyuu looked around and that's when they both realised the petticoat and the gown were floating in the lake. Giyuu must have flung them away with his entire strength while he was panicking about Tanjirou.

Before the omega could react, they suddenly heard voices coming towards their way. The raven-haired man quickly took off his coat and wrapped it around Tanjirou. His toes curled as the alpha's scent that came from the coat filled his nostrils.

When two beta men appeared, Giyuu growled a warning at them. They jumped and stared at Giyuu and Tanjirou for a second. They must have made some kind of conclusion in their minds and gave them a sheepish smile.

"Oh, sorry!" "We're leaving now!"

They turned back to where they came from.

"Hah, kids these days. They have no patience and just do it right in the middle of the garden."

The other swatted his friend's shoulder. "Back when I was young, I did it all the time with my wife in the forest! I couldn't do it properly with the in-laws around."

What the- Did they just-

Giyuu suddenly hunched forward and suppressed his laughter behind his hand. His shoulders shook as he kept laughing. Tanjirou broke into a fit of giggles too. He couldn't believe they thought that he and Giyuu were going to 'mate'. Beta's sense of smell wasn't as strong as alphas and omegas so they couldn't really smell arousal from others.

Once they calmed down, they shared an amused look. Tanjirou gazed at him. Giyuu had a beautiful flush on his cheeks, looking as handsome and stunning as ever. The alpha sighed. "I'll pay the twins for the gown."

He picked up the corset and handed it to Tanjirou. “You’re no longer properly dressed. I think it’s best to leave now before someone else found us and thought I had dishonoured you or something worse.”

If something like that happened, Tanjirou wouldn't hesitate to kick their balls or punch them in the face if anyone dared to think his alpha that way.

Giyuu then offered his arms, "Can I carry you back to the guest house?"

Tanjirou pulled the alpha's coat tighter around himself and dipped his head shyly. "Yes, please."

This would be one of those moments that Tanjirou wouldn't be able to forget for the rest of his life. It would definitely be one of those stories he wouldn't mind sharing with his children in the future.

Chapter Text

Tanjirou had snuck into Giyuu’s bed sometime in the middle of the night and woke up in the morning with the absence of the alpha. His omega instinct seemed restless without the alpha, but Tanjirou wasn’t worried since Giyuu had mentioned last night he had a meeting with the Ubuyashiki clan early in the morning.

He nuzzled into the pillow, inhaling Giyuu’s scent, as he listened to the songbirds chirping sweetly outside the windows. The lightness in his chest felt almost foreign to him. It’s been too long since he felt this way. 

Last night had been silly and embarrassing. He shuddered as he remembered the corset. He would never touch that torture object again. But being carried by his strong alpha with the smell of amazake mingling with lilac sweetness on his skin made him forget that he was half-naked and in his last layer of undergarment. No omega should be caught themselves in such a compromising position unless they’re mated. 

But he didn’t regret last night. Today he woke up incredibly happy which he suspected was attributed to the cancellation of the arranged marriage. For the first time, he knew that everything would be alright. 

After he took his bath, making sure to wipe off the remaining make-up on his face, he entered into his own room and found Tamayo waiting for him. And that’s when he realised his throat hurt whenever he tried to talk.

“It’s my fault. I should have warned you and Tomioka-san that you couldn’t take sake. Alcohol will irritate your throat.” Tanjirou felt bad that Tamayo had blamed herself. It wasn’t anyone’s fault but his.

Unfortunately, he’s back to writing on a piece of paper since his voice mostly croaked and rasped in the most humiliating sound. Tamayo assured him by tomorrow he will get back some of his voice.

“You will be leaving tomorrow to the Insect Pillar’s estate. Tomioka-san declined our kakushi to accompany you on your journey and insisted on sending you, himself. The alpha who hurt you is also recovering there. You won’t be seeing him around since the place is divided into two separated buildings for the dominant and the submissive dynamic. Besides, he will be leaving soon to serve his punishment.”

Tanjirou bit his lips. He felt as if he was partly to be blamed. The scary white-haired man had hurt him, but hadn’t the alpha received enough punishment from Giyuu’s fist? He had heard from Tamayo how Giyuu had lost control, beating up the other man and broke some of his bones.

As if Tamayo knew what he was thinking, she patted his head. “Oyakata-sama is a fair man so he will make sure the alpha deserves a reasonable punishment.”

Tamayo then gave him a shot for the inflammation of his throat. Before she left him to take his breakfast, she announced she would visit him in the Butterfly Estate. “I requested from Oyakata-sama to check on your progress at least once a month. So I’ll be seeing you again.”

The moment the doctor stepped out of his room, he immediately dug into his food. Tanjirou was so hungry that he finished his bowl of okayu served with a side dish of saba shioyaki just in a few minutes. A servant came to tell him that Kiriya wanted to see him. He wondered about Kiriya’s motive to invite Tanjirou to the main mansion.

Once he was satisfied that he looked presentable in his fresh set of jinbei, he left the guest house with the servant. The smell of wisteria was thicker in the air with the pink and purple petals drifting around, replacing any traces of autumn. There’s no doubt Tanjirou would miss the wisteria garden once he left this place. 

When he reached the entrance of the mansion, he noticed a large group of alphas, both men and women, in their military uniform. With cigarettes hanging between their lips, looking bored while some of them were chatting among themselves, Tanjirou couldn’t help himself feeling nervous just by glancing at them.

The servant led him to a room where he saw Kiriya sitting in front of a mirror while brushing his long midnight hair. When he noticed Tanjirou, he put down his tokigushi and stood up. They bowed at each other in greeting. Kiriya was dressed in a pale lavender cho-furisode with short sleeves. His obi was tied in a simple ribbon knot. It was a less formal kimono than the previous robes he wore. 

Despite that, Tanjirou still felt inferior. Kiriya was prettier and Tanjirou was envious of his fair skin. An omega with skin as a pale as the snow had always been admired and regarded as a superior omega in the society. With Kiriya’s background from a high-status family, the omega would easily get any alpha in the world, even the royalty, to ask for his hand. Of course, Tanjirou did not wish for whiter skin to be sought by every alpha but he wondered if Giyuu preferred him to be light-complexion as well. 

“Tamayo-sensei told me you need to rest your voice today.” Kiriya walked towards the other side of the room and disappeared behind a byobu screen. 

“You don’t have to talk on my account. I just want to give some farewell gifts before you’re leaving tomorrow.” When he appeared from the screen, he was carrying two sets of kimonos with a few kanzashi with different types of flowers.

As Kiriya was arranging his gifts on the chabudai, he suddenly said, “I like Giyuu-san.” 

Tanjirou blinked in surprise. The omega continued, “I was a little disappointed when Haha-ue called off the arranged marriage. I used to imagine Giyuu-san would make a proper husband. Then when I think about it properly with an open heart, I honestly wouldn’t die for him.” 

Kiriya met his eyes with a peculiar calmness. “You obviously would. For that, I am relieved Giyuu-san isn’t my promised mate anymore and I’m happy he would be with someone who deserved him.” 

He was shocked that Kiriya knew his feelings for Giyuu. It must have been his own scent longing for the alpha. Kiriya’s absence of devotion for Giyuu was also surprising. The other boy was being truthful. He smelled it clearly. There wasn’t any farce in his expression either. It was a harsh fact and it was easier to not pity Kiriya for the broken engagement.

The awkward tense moment was suddenly lifted when Kanata and Kuina stepped into the room. They noticed the gifts on the chabudai and praised how charming the kanzashi were and how the colour of the kimonos suited Tanjirou. 

Kanata turned to them. “Have you seen all those soldiers out there? Just looking at them is making me nervous.”

Kuina sighed. “Hinaki said it’s like nichiro sensou all over again.”

Tanjirou froze. It was almost a decade ago that the country was fighting against the Russian. He barely remembered during those times except one day his father wasn’t around for quite some time. Tanjirou was about to enter his fourth summer and Nezuko was still a toddler. His mother was in her early pregnancy with Takeo. It was the only time when his mother had given birth without his father’s presence. 

By the time Tanjuro had come back to them, he had a big scar on his forehead. When he asked about it, his father had laughed and said he fought with a bear. It was only years later that Tanjirou found out his father had been involved in a war. The scar was from an explosion when a fellow soldier stepped on a land mine and Tanjuro had been hit by it as well. Whenever his father had the distant gaze in his eyes, Tanjirou would wonder if his father had left a part of his soul in the snowy land of Manchu.

“Well, we have to get used to their presence now. We will be seeing more of them since the Emperor agreed to help the British Empire and declared war against the Germans,” Kiriya replied.

There’s a war coming? None of the omegas notice the dread feelings surging inside Tanjirou.

“It must be a pressing matter if the military is seeking help from the Demon Slayer Corps now,” one of the twins stated.

He recalled Giyuu looking angry as Ubuyashiki was talking to him. Tanjirou could barely listen to anything else after that except the sound of the rush of blood in his ears.

-

He missed the Water Pillar’s manor. He wanted to go back there and sought comfort from Kanya’s cooking, Zenitsu’s stories, and Inosuke’s random competitive streak. He wanted to go back to the training room and hold the bokken. He wanted to feed the fish in the pond and stare at the flowers in the garden. He wanted to see his vegetables and coo at them for growing so well. He wanted to go back to the time before his pre-heat, when everything was simple and the enemy in this world was demons.

His omega was lashing out, angry that the alpha would be taken away from him. Tanjirou, on the other hand, remained rooted where he’s sitting. He lost his appetite and couldn’t even look at his lunch without feeling sick. He was worried for Giyuu. If Giyuu was going to fight in a war, the alpha wouldn’t be able to visit him as he promised.

He smelled Giyuu before he heard the man entering the guest house. The alpha finally appeared before him with a weary expression, his lips curled downwards. It took him a moment to be aware of Tanjirou’s presence. Once he did, it was replaced with a soft gentle look that caused his heart to flip.

“Tanjirou.”

“G’yu-” His voice broke and he started coughing. He forgot that he couldn’t really talk.

Giyuu immediately went to him and slid a hand on his back, rubbing up and down in a soothing motion.

“Tamayo-sensei told me what happened to your throat. I’m sorry it got worse.”

Tanjirou shook his head. He didn’t like that Tamayo and now Giyuu blamed themselves for what happened to his throat.

“Why aren’t you eating? Is it too painful for you to swallow? Do you need me to get Tamayo-sensei?”

The omega instantly clung to Giyuu, wrapping both arms around the alpha, his face buried to Giyuu’s chest. He shook his head in response. He felt the other relax. He let himself wrapped in a blanket of sweet lilac, rich almond, and a tinge of cedarwood.

Giyuu managed to coax him into eating his meal. He reluctantly leaned away and stared at his food. He swallowed a spoonful of the okayu that already went cold and took a bite on his ohitashi. Giyuu was looking at his radish so he picked it up with his chopsticks and offered it to the alpha.

A twitch of a smile grazed Giyuu's mouth. “Thanks but I had my lunch during the meeting. Go ahead. Eat your food. Or do you want me to feed you?”

Tanjirou blushed and resumed eating his meal under the watchful eyes of the alpha.

The rest of the day was spent clinging to Giyuu like the man was an extension of his flesh. Giyuu didn’t seem to mind at all. 

The alpha then showed him a trunk that he recently bought. “I heard Kiriya gave you some gifts. So I thought it’s best to pack everything in here.”

Tanjirou handed his gifts when the man volunteered to pack for him. Their fingers were constantly in contact like a secret kiss. He caught himself thinking about last night. Giyuu had touched his lips tenderly and the smell of utter affection was palpable in the air. After that the man had held him in his arms as if Tanjirou was as precious as gold dust. The alpha had been too sweet to him lately and he wondered if, maybe, Giyuu might have liked him too. 

When Giyuu gazed at him with soft bright eyes, touched his head, then tucked a stray curl behind his ear, he wanted to ask; Do you adore me? Do you love me? Do you desire me? 

When night crept in and it’s time to retreat to his room since they have to leave early tomorrow morning, the cold grip over his heart came back with a vengeance. 

He would sneak into Giyuu’s bed and sleep next to his alpha but for tonight, he wanted to smother his grief into his pillow.

The alpha had not mentioned anything to him, hadn’t even shared with him what happened during the meeting, hadn’t said that there’s a war going on out there.

Are you going to leave me without saying anything?

-

The morning went by in a blur the next day.

He barely remembered receiving his shot on his shoulder for one last time. Tamayo told him his swelling had completely gone and his throat would be in a better condition to talk today.

The alpha in the tengu mask had dropped by for a while to give his well wishes. He hadn’t seen Ubuyashiki and Kiriya but the twins had said their goodbyes with suspiciously wet eyes. They promised to write letters. Kanata embraced him and didn’t let him go. She chuckled in his ears and whispered how Giyuu had tried to pay her for the gown.

“Did you fall into the lake or did you actually go for a swim that night? You should have let Kuina and I tag along! The water might be cold but it would still be fun!”

A servant had fished out the gown and the petticoat from the lake and fortunately, they were in good condition. Kanata had slipped a furoshiki to his hand which contained his dried petticoat.

His cheeks burned. She didn’t wait for a response and let Kuina pull her away so that her twin sister had her turn to hug Tanjirou.

Giyuu was waiting for him after he placed Tanjirou’s trunk at the back of the motor car. He bowed at them and quickly got inside with Giyuu.

It was the first time he rode on a motor car. It was also his first time seeing the city. All the shops looked completely different than the one in the villages. Even the people looked prettier and more handsome. But no matter where he looked, he couldn’t help but noticed the military men and women on the streets.

“Giyuu,” his voice cracked as he called the alpha.

“Hmm.”

“Are you going away?” He avoided looking at Giyuu.

A pause. “What?”

“Kiriya told me there’s a war.” Why aren’t you telling me anything?

A gentle hand grabbed his shoulder and moved him so they were facing each other. Giyuu looked surprised and Tanjirou’s chest throbbed. It seemed like Giyuu didn’t have any intention to tell him.

“I-” He broke off as his gaze averted to the driver at the front seat. “We’ll talk later.”

He wanted to sulk, he wanted to pull away, but he’s weak for Giyuu. He would go to the end of the world, cut his flesh, break his bones, and bleed for Giyuu. He would do anything for him, and like Kiriya said, he would die for Giyuu. So he let himself enfolded in the other’s arm and laid his head on the alpha’s shoulder. He shut his eyes and let the whole world disappear in the darkness except the two of them.

-

Back in the Water Pillar, they stood at the gate with Tanjirou’s trunk set next to him. The motor car had only left them for a second when the gate suddenly flung open and Zenitsu was the first one to appear. 

He was wailing forlornly while squeezing the life out of his body. “I’m so worried about you! I thought you had been killed by demons or kidnapped by some pervert alphas! Then I heard an alpha hurt you and Shishou-sama beat the crap out of that bastard!”

Inosuke was half-strangling and half-shaking him. “I’m not worried at all! I know Shishou will save your ugly ass! But it’s so boring without you here, Bantaro!”

He barely noticed Kanya and Giyuu were talking in hushed tones. Kanya then turned to look at them. “Zenitsu. Inosuke. Please conduct yourself properly in front of Shishou-sama. Do you need my help to pack your stuff, Tanjirou?”

“Eh? You’re leaving again?!” Zenitsu shrieked in surprise but stopped when Giyuu shoved his nichirin blade to him. Zenitsu hugged his blade and beamed at the alpha. “Thank you for taking care of it, Shishou-sama!”

Since he couldn’t talk properly even though his throat felt better than yesterday, Giyuu took it upon himself to explain to the two beta boys about Tanjirou’s condition that needed him to stay in the Insect Pillar’s manor. Tanjirou accepted Kanya’s help and they both went inside the manor first. 

His belongings were swiftly packed in a kunicha bag. He decided to leave his family’s kakejiku. He’s coming back to the Water Pillar’s manor so there’s no reason to take it with him. His chest hurt as he thought of Giyuu wouldn’t be able to see him performing the Fire Dance this coming New Year. 

Lost in his depressing thought, he didn’t realise Kanya had stood up and left the room until Giyuu was sitting next to him, eyeing at his meagre belongings.

“Is that all?”

Tanjirou nodded. 

Giyuu sighed. “About just now. I don’t know how to tell you this. I couldn’t keep my promise to visit you for quite some time. I’m going somewhere with the army.”

His heart dropped. He had prepared himself the whole day and night for this moment and it still hurt when he heard it. “You’re going to the war,” he whispered brokenly.

“I’m going to the war to fight demons.”

Tanjirou cocked his head and gave him a befuddled look. “What do you mean?”

“The Emperor needs help to exterminate demons on the lands that our soldiers had taken over from the Germans. I’m going with a team of demon slayers so I wouldn’t be fighting on my own.”

“Where?”

“Some of the islands in the South Pacific.”

“How long?”

Giyuu lifted his fingers and touched the omega’s curls. Tanjirou noticed the alpha loved playing with them. “I don’t know. Oyakata-sama said this war might drag on for years when more countries are involved now.”

Tears started to gather around the corner of his eyes. His chest felt heavy with grief. He couldn’t stop or protect Giyuu from death. If only he could follow Giyuu to the war. Unfortunately, only alphas were allowed to be soldiers. Even betas were considered weak due to their less favourable strength. Alphas could last in a fight for several days without rest when they went berserk and that made alphas the greatest asset in any wars. His father once confessed to Tanjirou how he and the rest of the troop had gone berserk for full ten days while fighting the Russian.

“Don’t worry. I’m not in the front line.”

There were so many things he wanted to say but at the same time, he knew nothing would make the alpha stay. 

“When are you leaving?”

“Soon. But for now, I will be here with you until you settled in the Butterfly Estate.”

A stray teardrop fell. Why did the deities have to separate them now? What if his fated alpha died? What if Tanjirou forever lived on with a hole in his heart? Would he be spending his heat alone for the rest of his life? The thought of sharing his heat with some strange alphas sickened him. He wouldn’t be able to stomach it unless it’s Giyuu. 

Would Giyuu change his mind if he told the alpha that they were fated mates? He doubts it. It would make the situation worse and Giyuu would suffer with guilt for leaving him. If only he had the guts to confess his feelings to the alpha.

“I don’t want you to go.” I love you.

Giyuu tugged at his curls lightly. “I wish I didn't have to go.”

I love you just as I love your smell, your touch, your voice, your pain, your flaws- “But you have to,” Tanjirou whispered brokenly.

“I’m sorry.”

He had promised in front of his family’s graveyards that he would follow Tomioka Giyuu no matter what. But this time he couldn’t do it.

-

Angry had been an understatement. Giyuu had been outraged to the point that he almost walked out of the room that was filled with hypocrites. The generals, mostly. The Ubuyashiki clan stared at him with pity in their eyes. Only Oyakata-sama looked at him with absolute trust and he knew right at that moment he wouldn’t be able to say no to the other man.

“You have to assist the military in the extermination of demons. It’s either that, or you will be absorbed into a unit that will be fighting in the front line against the Germans.”

Urokodaki wasn’t happy with the outcome. “You told me he wouldn’t be involved in the war.”

The leader of the Demon Slayer Corps had merely responded with, “Our soldiers need us.”

“All that alpha strength would be a waste if he’s exiled in some godforsaken islands,” a grey-haired general calmly added. 

“One of my men saw him at the train station when he went berserk. It was incredible when he beat the other alpha into a pulp! His violence is what we need in our troop!” One of the generals’ voices boomed loudly in the room.

Oyakata-sama had warned him during the tsukimi that he could only interfere much and was able to make Giyuu as part of a team to assist the military.

He asked why couldn’t the soldiers wield the nichirin blade and kill the demons? 

Unfortunately, the top brass thought it was a waste of time and it’s better for the soldiers to concentrate in fighting human enemies while the demon slayers exterminate all demons on the lands they had successfully took over from the Germans.

Rengoku had been the first to volunteer to lead a team of demon slayers to China. Giyuu, on the other hand, was forced to lead another team to the South Pacific. Oyakata-sama refused to let the military use the rest of the Pillars and reminded the generals the civilian’s lives were more important and they needed the protection from the remaining Pillars and demon slayers.

“How about Shinazugawa?” he asked Oyakata-sama once everyone had left the room.

“He will be sent to the North and protect the Ainu from demons. Nobody wants the Russian to step foot on our land so he will patrol along the border with the army too.”

Giyuu inwardly winced. It’s going to be winter soon and that means the white-haired alpha would be suffering in a painfully cold and harsh environment. 

Before he left the Ubuyashiki’s mansion, Urokodaki apologized to him. “I didn’t expect this. I thought you will still be stationed somewhere in our country.”

“It’s bound to happen. If not me, other Pillars would be sent instead.”

He was relieved that Kochou was spared and would remain here to protect everyone from demons. She would protect Tanjirou. But most of all, he was glad that omegas and betas were not allowed to be soldiers. Tanjirou, Agatsuma and Hashibira would be alright here.

Giyuu watched the sun breaking through the puffy clouds like a poet’s dream coming into life. It was a beautiful day to enjoy the last rays of sunshine before dusk eventually rolled in. A beautiful day to say goodbye. He shook off his morbid thought. 

He waited patiently as Tanjirou said his farewell to Kanya, Agatsuma and Hashibira. The boys planned to visit Tanjirou once a month while Kanya promised to look after his vegetable field.

“Ready?” Giyuu asked after the boy waved at them one last time and walked to him.

“I have no other choice,” Tanjirou’s cracked voice answered him. He offered to carry his kunicha bag but the omega shook his head, tightening his hold over it.

-

Giyuu planned their journey to the Butterfly Estate on foot. He and Kochou had made sure the forest was free from infestation of demons so it was safe that even Tanjirou could be on his own. 

They took a well-worn pathway usually used by the villagers. “There’s no shrine nearby so we’ll spend the night out in the forest.”

“I love sleeping under the stars,” murmured Tanjirou.

The crunching leaves under their footsteps, the rustling of little animals crawling into their hides, the flapping wings of birds flying from one tree to another were the only sounds that accompanied them on their travels. The delightful smell of dried leaves and wet earth were more intense now that they were deep in the forest. Tanjirou’s omega scent still was the most comforting smell among everything though.

Before they left, he made sure Tanjirou was comfortably dressed in thick padded komon with his checkered green and black haori that the omega had brought with him from the mountain. He didn’t want the boy to get cold at night.

He caught sight of the fading bruise on Tanjirou’s neck. During the mid-autumn festival, those bruises were covered under the collar of his pretty red gown. Now he could only glimpse them a little above the collar line of his komon. All of a sudden, his alpha’s urge to possess Tanjirou - to scent mark and bite him so that when Giyuu left, no alpha would dare to court the omega - was so overwhelming that he had to bite his tongue to reel in his alpha.

It wouldn’t be fair to Tanjirou if he subtly marks the omega with his scent unless he asks.

He suddenly recalled Tanjirou being bitter and angry with him not so long ago after he had spent his rut in the Butterfly Estate.

“Why exactly were you mad at me?”

Tanjirou stopped in his tracks. Giyuu explained, “You told me you were sorry and you didn’t mean what you said to me. But you never explain to me why you were upset.”

Tanjirou still avoided Giyuu’s eyes as he replied with a raspy voice, “I don’t like how you smell of another omega in heat.” 

Then he lifted his chin and his eyes narrowed, glaring at something that Giyuu couldn’t discern. “I don’t like anyone’s smell on you. I hated it.”

His auburn eyes finally made contact with him. “I also hated it when Kiriya referred to himself as your promised omega. I couldn’t stand the thought of anyone else being close to you. Call it petty jealousy but that’s how I felt.”

His heart swelled so much that it hurt. He was relieved. This simple revelation had validated something that he couldn’t put a name yet. “It wasn’t petty. I’d say it’s endearing that you felt it that way,” he told Tanjirou. The omega stared at him in wonder.

They didn’t say anything else after that but something tangible and soft and warm was forging between them. Giyuu held out his hand and Tanjirou took it. 

They ate their onigiri and hoshigaki, enjoying the mix of saltiness and sweetness in their mouths as they warmed themselves from the campfire Giyuu had made. 

He saw the colour of the persimmons stained on Tanjirou’s mouth and remembered when he brought the omega child to his manor. Their trip had almost been similar like this except he spent most of the time carrying the little omega because of the snow.

“What do you usually dream about?” Tanjirou asked him as they were getting ready to sleep.

“A field of peonies.” Giyuu turned to him. “You?” 

Tanjirou smiled. “Trees with blooming lilacs.”

-

As the morning sun rose higher to the sky, Tanjirou grew bolder and entwined their fingers, swinging their hands as they walked as if they were two kids. Giyuu was utterly endeared by the omega’s childishness.

It was nearly afternoon when they reached the Butterfly Estate. Their kasugaigarasu must have informed them of their arrival because a beta girl was waiting for them in front of the gate. Either she hadn’t realised that they were still holding hands or she was too polite to show that she noticed it.

She bowed respectfully. “Welcome to the Butterfly Estate. Shinobu-sama is currently on a mission and sends her regards to Tomioka-sama.” 

Then she nodded at Tanjirou. “My name is Kanzaki Aoi. The rest of the staff and myself will take care of you during your entire stay here.”

Kanzaki invited them for lunch and informed them the meals would be served an hour later so, in the meantime, she suggested Tanjirou settle first in his room.

A little beta girl introduced herself as Takada Naho led them to a room that would be Tanjirou’s for as long as he stayed there. There’s a shoji window that can be opened and it had the view of the garden. Instead of a futon, the Insect Pillar’s manor was equipped with beds for the comfort of their patients. The bed was set next to a table and a chair which was adjacent to the window. 

The girl left them alone and Giyuu helped Tanjirou to unpack his stuff. He picked up the white peony kanzashi and remembered how he had bought it spontaneously for the omega. He wondered if his alpha had always known his little omega would have the smell of peony. 

He put the kanzashi on the table. “Matsuemon will be serving you from now on. It would be easier and faster for you to receive letters from others.”

“Will you write to me?”

“I’ll write to you no matter how far I’ll be.”

The logistics would be a bit of a headache but once the letter reached Japan, Matsuemon would be able to send the letter promptly.

“I know not, alas, when shall we meet again.*” Tanjirou touched the bed frame with a faraway look.

“How can I but pine after you?*” He mumbled almost inaudible due to the hoarseness of his voice but Giyuu still caught the words that came from a famous tanka by Yosami. The boy must have seen it in the scroll that he read before he left for his mission and spent his rut in the Butterfly Estate.

He was suddenly consumed with a peculiar longing. Fated omega or not, Tanjirou had brought out feelings within him that were more than a simple infatuation. This omega was his soulmate and Giyuu wanted their bond to be validated. He wanted to court Tanjirou.

“Marry me,” Giyuu suggested impulsively.

Tanjirou whipped around. His large eyes staring at him in shock. His mouth opened in a silent gasp. 

He felt his own face burning in embarrassment. Deities, what on earth had caused him to blurt out like that? He wanted to ask if he could court the omega and it seemed his traitorous tongue had other plans and made a pact with the deepest desire of his heart. This was absolutely humiliating! Tanjirou would see him as a foolish pervert alpha-

He scented the air to figure out if he had offended Tanjirou. Giyuu was never good at reading people but this time, he thought he understood the look on the omega and the sweetest smell reaching his nostrils. His pulse was racing as he thought that Tanjirou wasn’t upset. 

Tanjirou was curious and seemed to anticipate something from him. His alpha approved of the omega’s reaction. So Giyuu trusted his alpha’s instinct and pulled out his kaiken, one of his weapons that he always brought with him like his nichirin blade.

“I mean- I would like to court you first, of course. Then, if you’re willing, please marry me and be my mate.” He offered his kaiken. It was also made of the same oar as his blade. Giyuu offering his dagger showed his intention that he wanted Tanjirou to use it not only to protect himself when he’s gone but also to wield it in his shiromuku during their wedding. 

He was tempted to say they were fated mates, that it’s inevitable for them to be together. But decided to let Tanjirou find out when it’s time.

Tanjirou reached out with one hand, almost touching the kaiken and asked, his voice trembling, “Why?”

Because I know neither time and distance can change my affection for you.

“Because you make me want to grow old with you,” was what he murmured instead. He had always thought he would die young, sacrificing himself to fight demons until his last breath. But now, he couldn’t do that anymore, he wouldn’t dare to die when Tanjirou needed him.

Tanjirou’s cheeks bloomed like those pretty red peonies. 

“You like me?” The omega asked breathlessly. His head tilted in a kittenish way. He was utterly adorable and Giyuu’s chest expanded in a way that wanted to pull Tanjirou and caged the omega with his ribs.

“Yes.”

“You admire me?”

“Yes.”

Tanjirou flushed even brighter than a second ago. “You adore me?”

“Yes.”

“You desire me?”

He wouldn’t be surprised if he touched his own cheeks, they would be hot. “Yes.”

“Truly?”

“Yes. I know this must be a surprise to you but please believe me,” Giyuu knew he’s rambling at this point, “-when I say I had once thought of you unattainable like the falling stars, that I could just look at you from afar and never reaching out but now-” 

He took a step closer to the omega. “There’s nothing in this world makes sense if you can’t be mine-” 

Damn it, this was mortifying. He lowered his voice, “If I can’t be yours.”

If someone had told him in the past that he would be baring his soul to his fated omega, he would think they’re out of their minds and knock their heads with the hilt of his nichirin blade.

He didn’t regret any of the words though. He might die in the war. He might be killed by a German’s bullet or by a demon’s bite. Tomorrow might be the end of the world and he would still stand here and ask for Tanjirou’s hand.

The omega dropped his gaze to the ground shyly, his heart-shaped face that Giyuu adored was painted prettily in crimson. He looked even younger when he’s like this. Tanjirou was only fourteen. He’s twenty. There was a six years gap between them. It occurred to him that he had been wholly alone in this world without his soulmate for six years. Was that the reason why he suddenly felt so content some time during that summer while looking at the field of peonies? He had been six that time and it might have been the birth of his fated omega into this world.

“Do you feel the same-” He choked when he realised this feeling might be one-sided, that he might have made a mistake. He tightened his grip over his kaiken. Despite Tanjirou being his fated omega, he’s just too young - still fourteen - to feel anything for Giyuu.

Tanjirou snapped his head. “I lov- I do!” 

His eyes blazed with a heated look as he confessed fervently, “You made me feel wretched for months! It’s worse that my life belongs to you since the first time you lay your stupid pretty blue eyes on me! The sad truth is, I simply cannot imagine a life without you.”

Giyuu was rendered speechless and wondered if he was supposed to feel this warm feeling for such contradicting words in a supposedly romantic confession. 

Tanjirou’s scarlet eyelashes fluttered, seeming to brush his cheeks. He finally placed a hand on the kaiken. His voice rasped even more but his words were uttered loud and clear. “Survive this war and come back to me. I don’t care in whatever state you are after this, what injury you suffer or if you cripple or- oh, Giyuu! Just come back to me! I’ll hunt you down if you don’t and beat you up and show you how even more miserable I have been!”

The omega took the kaiken and smiled beautifully at him with teary auburn eyes. “I want to be your mate if you let me. So yes, I will carry this as my omamoritou and marry you.”

Oh.

Oh.

Without hesitation, Giyuu pressed Tanjirou to his heart, inhaling deeply the peony perfume on burgundy curls and thought, this is what falling in love is like.