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Tanjiro rowed his shoulder to push past the crowd of the agitated street. It wasn’t very wide, 5 meters or so, maybe because of the amount of space stalls and shops occupied on both the right and left sides of the path. However, it was long. Very long. So long Tanjiro had been making his way down the street for several minutes, and still hadn’t reached his destination. But he guessed the trip was worth it. The place emanated with a whole atmosphere of festival, busy with bright red fabrics on the stalls and warm coloured lanterns hanging from threads going from one house to the other. Hot oranges were among them, along with capes of shining gold resting on the balconies, these last ones so close together they almost formed a second floor of life and light woods. Every single person arbored their most gleaming and sheeny clothes, adorned with different sewed patterns such as dragons, flowers, or silver threads of smoke.
The constant overwhelming noise of people shouting, laughing and singing resonated throughout the place like a gong in a temple of hysterical spirits. Every so often, a firecracker would be lit and propulsed upwards, tracing colourful glittering lines amongst the ink black sky.
The burgundy-haired boy closed his eyes for a brief second, appreciating the sounds merging into one big background noise as he prevented fatigue from taking over him. It had been so long since he’d felt so warm and safe.
Although he had no reasons to; the place was far from safe, crowded with mercenaries, Demon Slayers, demons themselves and thieves as well as assassins. The slender alleys coming out of the main street like veins from a heart hid many scrunched and observing eyes, jumping from one head to the other, looking for wealthier preys. In their tight darkness, Tanjiro had no doubt the place was ideal for demons to conceal themselves.
This was precisely why Miss Tamayo and her companion Yushiro had chosen the area to disappear from all undesired sight. And it was also why Tanjiro had left his younger sister Nezuko in the care of the demon doctor and her assistant; he knew she’d be safe here with them.
Eventually, his tired footsteps became audible against the paved ground as he reached an alcove in a house.
There were less people surrounding the habitation, yet still enough for it to be near the agitation. The house with two floors seemed quite old, although it had been decorated with red and gold sheets to fit in with the rest. One of the windows had a plank crossing the middle to keep some light from entering, and the surface of the walls were full of tiny cracks. It was placed not far before a flight of stone stairs descending to the lower area of the town. At this point, the street became wider and others joined in like a tangle of roots each going their own way through the city.
A movement caught the fighter’s eye to his right.
A slim figure emerged from the vault of the wooden alcove. A boy wearing dark blue hakama pants and a neat white shirt entered the light of a yellow lantern over their heads. His green hair with fading black tips and luminous lavender eyes brought a feeling of security and cleanliness with them. Yushiro kept a hand on the alcove, his face slightly annoyed and his eyes darting in all directions.
“Don’t be too happy to see me.” Tanjiro sarcastically chuckled.
The other gave him a disdainful look as he shrugged. When he spoke, his voice was medical, emotionless yet tinted with an almost inaudible relief.
“You’re late. Come in.”
The Demon Slayer complied and moved swiftly to the door the demon was holding open for him. As he stepped through, Tanjiro recognised the talisman: a symbol drawn on a white piece of paper above the door.
A concealing charm, Yushiro’s best tool. The boy was gifted with the ability to work with illusions, a power which could come in very handy when one needed to flee or hide. And which could even reveal itself useful in combat if a demon mastered the art of it. Tanjiro did not have an exact idea of how powerful Yushiro exactly was, but he had a strong hunch that it was much more than the boy had suggested. Tamayo being very strong herself, Tanjiro was sure her assistant must be one hell of a fighter. From the information he’d picked up on, Yushiro’s Blood Demon Art granted him the ability to mask or reveal something’s presence using a talisman. He called it Blindfold.
But as complex as playing with illusions was, Yushiro was still experimenting and trying out spells. He had certainly been a demon for a long time now, but the fact that neither him or Miss Tamayo ate or fought humans had led to him having to train with restricted measures. Given that he couldn’t just storm outside and cast spells all over the place and potentially accidentally kill humans, the boy had had to take his time. The fact that his mistress always chose very urban areas to live didn’t help. But it was how they managed to survive. Miss Tamayo being a doctor, she could easily ask for a blood prelevement on one of her patients and peacefully get food from a consenting human without harming anyone. This also allowed her to have a cover in case anyone doubted she could be a demon. No such creatures would normally work around blood and flesh so calmly. Adding to that, it was only normal for nurses and doctors to work during night shifts and get rest during the day, which permitted her to stay safe away from the sun.
Inconveniently, this was before. Miss Tamayo and Yushiro were no longer able to do any of what they’d been used to doing for so long.
The first time Tanjiro had met the pair, they were hiding in another city. However his and Nezuko’s arrival had led demons working for Muzan straight to the woman and Yushiro. This had resulted in their former house being destroyed and them having to leave rapidly to look for another hiding spot.
In compensation, Tanjiro had proposed to let the pair take some of his precious blood in exchange for them looking after Nezuko whilst he was away on dangerous missions.
His sister knew drinking human blood was bad and actively refused to hurt anyone, but Tanjiro was aware of how much effort it cost her to restrain herself.
The last thing he wanted was to make her suffer.
“Over here.” A voice called to his right once he’d stepped into the house.
Yushiro disappeared behind a wall, calling Tamayo’s name to inform her Tanjiro was here.
The Demon Slayer stepped into the living room through a large door without a leaf maintained by black wooden beams. He ran his hand on the surface, appreciating the polished feeling and smell of tea that filled the clean house.
One thing very good about doctors was that their habitations were always kept sanitised and hygienic.
Tanjiro’s gaze dropped to the room in front of him. The floor was made of a wood as dark as the door’s, mostly covered by a big comfortable white rug. In the middle of the room was a mattress, a blue and white checkered cover pushed back by someone who’d stood up from it. Tanjiro guessed that’s where his little sister had spent the last nights. Next to a door to his left when looking inside the room was a set of tea cups and a beautiful ivory teapot.
The lightbulb hanging from the ceiling projected a bright light yellow around the room, adding some warmth to the clinical atmosphere of the space.
The young fighter heard a soft voice speak to his left, coming from what he supposed to be the bathroom. He propped the box he was carrying on his shoulders down against the wall.
Soon, a beguiling flowery smell filled the room as a woman wearing a purple kimono adorned with sewed red roses stepped in. She was pushing a small and excited Nezuko forward.
As soon as the demon girl spotted her brother, her eyes lit up with stars and she ran on her small legs to jump in his arms.
“Onii-chan!!” She managed to articulate.
Miss Tamayo had been helping Nezuko with learning how to speak again, and the girl was doing a great job whenever her bamboo gag was off.
Nevertheless, hearing his little sister say words she hadn’t said ever since her transformation brought tears to Tanjiro’s eyes as he hugged her tight.
“I’m happy to see you too.” He said in a hoarse voice as he held tears back.
A hazy scent of lavender came to add itself to the other flowers’ smell in the room. Tanjiro lifted his eyes up to see Yushiro next to his mistress, a judging look on his face.
“She just had a bath, so she should be all clean now.” Tamayo stated.
She addressed the Kamado siblings with a warm smile. Tanjiro’s eyes dropped to the adorable little demon still hugging him and playing with his hair. He separated himself from her and gave her a little head pat. The girl smiled with all her pointy teeth and giggled. Her hair had been tied on the sides with a shining red thread and the holes and patches in her pink kimono had been sewed neatly back.
“You repaired Nezuko’s kimono too? Thank you, you didn’t have to!”
Miss Tamayo blushed and laughed, a crystal clear laugh that was both professional and genuine.
Yushiro’s lips pressed to form a slight pout at the sight. His short temper could get him jealous in seconds and make him extremely protective of his mistress.
“That? Oh that was nothing. I mean she was being so adorable, I thought I’d arrange it for her.” The woman answered, a smile still spread across her lips.
“Have you been a good girl then?” Tanjiro chuckled to his sister.
The small girl nodded vigorously.
“Mhmmph!”
“She has.” Declared a male voice from above.
The Demon Slayer’s eyes shot up to fall on two lavender pearls staring down at him, glowing preciously next to Tamayo. Eyelashes fluttering like butterflies, Yushiro cleared his throat as a rosy colour spread on his pale skin.
“Good.” Tanjiro’s hand patted and caressed his sister’s head some more under her appreciative hums.
A strange silence grew in the room, Tamayo was quick to break as she proposed to make some tea.
The boys politely accepted and both of them motioned to sit on the fluffy white rug.
The sound of his dark green coat with black patterns wrinkling as he sat down reminded the human the reason for his visit.
“When do you want to take my blood?” He asked nicely, hoping to sound as indifferent about it as he could.
He trusted Tamayo and Yushiro fully, yet he couldn’t help but feel uneasy at the thought of having his blood taken away from him to feed his hosts.
“How nice of you, I was going to ask when you felt ready. Is now okay?”
Tanjiro nodded.
“Let me go get what I need, I will be back in a second.” Tamayo replied after putting the lid on the teapot.
She carefully held her kimono in her fists as she stood up and headed for the entrance. The sound of her footsteps on the cracking wood quickly faded as the woman climbed up the old stairs.
The two boys were left alone in the room with Nezuko, who was presently rolled up on her mattress, eyes closed and breathing slow.
Tanjiro cleared his throat, a little embarrassed. He didn’t quite know how to act around Yushiro. The boy was quick to yell at him, eventually throw a hit to his belly and come up with sarcastic replies.
The Demon Slayer let his look fall on the boy next to him, tracing a path from the top of his light green hair to the navy blue of his pants. The demon always kept an impossibly clean look, giving him a perfect doctor appearance. From the light grey of his shirt to the white of the kimono he was wearing over it, all in him appealed to neatness and simplicity. The only touch of bright in his look were the bewitching lavender purple eyes that mesmerised Tanjiro so much. They reminded him of the comfort and magic he felt whenever he crossed the path of a wisteria tree. Along with the colour of his eyes, Yushiro also radiated this hypnotising lavender scent that filled the room whenever he was present.
Which actually had led Tanjiro to the conclusion that, given that Miss Tamayo’s powers were based on flowers, every time she created a demon, she gave away one flower. Hence why she emanated a smell from each and every flower except lavender. Yushiro’s scent.
“Cut the staring out.”
“Huh?”
“I can feel your eyes on me. Stop it.”
Tanjiro’s face erupted with blush when he realised how he’d been eyeing the demon for several moments.
“S-Sorry.”
He bit down on his bottom lip hard, cheeks and ears burning.
“Thank you for taking care of Nezuko.” He said to change the topic.
“It’s nothing.” Yushiro replied with a shrug, his eyes focused on the wall next to him. “Miss Tamayo likes her.”
“And do you?”
“Nah she’s too young for me.”
“What—? No not like that!” Tanjiro panicked.
The demon’s shoulder shook and his eyes closed as he tried to contain a chortle.
“I know, I’m just messing with you.”
“Oh…”
Their eyes met and both boys erupted in a brief laughter, conscious of the ridiculousness of their situation.
“I see you two are now getting along.”
The boys both turned towards the entrance to see the wise demon eyeing them softly. She was carrying with her a little white box with a red cross painted on the side.
She made her way towards them and put the small suitcase down next to Tanjiro. She kneeled in front of his arm and rolled his sleeve up. She put some sanitising liquid on a cotton pad which she used to clean the surface of the crook of his elbow, where the upper arm and forearm met.
“Are you ready?” She asked gently.
Tanjiro nodded calmly and the lady expertly pushed the thin needle of a syringe into the vein of his left arm. A slight stingy sensation crawled up to his shoulder, but overall he did not feel any pain. It was somehow calming to feel the pulse of his blood exiting his vein to appear as a crimson liquid into the syringe. He just had to focus on the pretty face of the doctor to forget that blood was taken away from his own body. The lady withdrew the syringe and emptied it into a blood pocket. She repeated the process on his other arm and in a matter of seconds she was done and the syringe was back into the suitcase. Only a discreet tingly feeling was left running up and down Tanjiro’s arms.
“Thank you.” Miss Tamayo said with a warm smile. “This will go to good use.”
“I don’t doubt it.” Tanjiro declared shyly.
The woman nodded and reached for the now hot teapot. She poured a milky brown liquid into their cups.
“Almond milk tea. It’s very sweet.”
Tanjiro brought the steaming beverage up to his lips and took a careful sip. A warm milky and nutty scent spread on his taste buds, filling him with memories from a childhood that seemed so far away now. When his mother would be in the kitchen while he observed the snow falling like a thousand white stars to the cold ground.
“It’s very good.”
Tamayo was about to offer another one of her gentle smiles when Yushiro abruptly put his cup down.
“ Demons .”
He stood up swiftly and took a step forward. Before he could take a second, his body had disappeared from sight. Vanished.
“Incredible…” Tanjiro heard himself breathe out of amazement.
The creaking of wood under Yushiro’s footsteps quickly faded as this sound was muted by the demon to conceal himself fully. The entrance door swung open and closed itself, as if the wind had possessed it for a short moment.
Tanjiro felt his curiosity overgrow and had to ask the question which had been on his mind for a while.
“Miss Tamayo?”
“Yes boy?” The woman said with a worried tone.
“How powerful is Yushiro? As in, how powerful he really is.”
Silence reigned as the seconds passed, the demon’s face neutral and thoughtful.
“Let’s say…” She finally let out. “That my assistant could annihilate an Upper Moon if he put his mind to it.”
Tanjiro’s eyes widened at the mention of Muzan’s closest and most powerful warriors. Was Yushiro really this tough? He could hardly believe it, yet the way the boy had simply vanished into thin air was there as an ultimate proof.
A cold breeze entered the room as the door was pushed open and closed gently. Light footsteps were heard again progressively before reaching their normal noise.
“Just some weak newbies. They shouldn’t be able to see the house now.” A crystal clear voice said from the middle of the room.
Yushiro’s body emerged from the contours of the wall behind him, rendering him able to be seen again. He smoothed the top of his head, eyes darting around the place nervously.
“Thank you, Yushiro.” Miss Tamayo told him as she stood up and dusted her kimono.
Tanjiro followed her action and turned to the sleeping girl curled up on her mattress. He walked over to her and shook his sister’s shoulder gently. Nezuko awoke with a yawn and rubbed her cheek on her brother’s familiar hand.
“I think it’s time for us to be on our way.”
The boy stood up and dragged the sleepy demon up to her box. It was designed for her to sheltered from the sun in the day and give her a place to rest. Tanjiro would carry her on his back safely. Nezuko crawled into her box, reducing her size so she could fit, and rolled in a little ball cozied against the wooden surface.
“I’ll escort you out of town.” Yushiro declared.
Without waiting for an answer, he grabbed Nezuko’s box and slid it over his shoulders.
“Wait! I can do that. You don’t have to.” Tanjiro protested.
Yushiro ignored him and pushed the door to exit the house. Tanjiro gave a quick thankful bend over to Miss Tamayo and hurried behind the demon boy carrying his little sister.
He caught up with the demon outside the house.
“Which way are you headed?” Yushiro asked.
Tanjiro was about to reply but his voice was stopped at the sight he was met with when turning around towards the house.
Instead of the latter, was standing a purely dull wall with no doors or window. A perfectly casual, uninteresting wall next to some random stairs.
“Woah…”
“Quit staring, you look weird. This is nothing.” Yushiro told him off, hiding a blush at Tanjiro’s impressed reaction.
“Sorry.”
“So where are you going?” The demon hurried him, looking slightly annoyed.
“Oh erm—” The boy cleared his throat. “I’m heading back to Sagiri Mountain.”
“This way.”
Tanjiro followed Yushiro into a tight alley in front of them which seemed to lead only to even tighter pathways. The space was too narrow for the two boys to walk next to each other, so the Demon Slayer was forced to walk behind the greenette.
Normally, Tanjiro knew better than to follow demons through dark lost alleys, but Yushiro was one demon he could trust. Nevertheless, he sometimes felt uneasy at the thought the boy in front of him drank human blood to sustain himself.
The human chased the thoughts away from his head. Yushiro was not a murderous monster and would never hurt him. On top of that, being connected to Tamayo and not Muzan had for effect to lower his need to eat humans. Yushiro needed way less blood than his mistress to survive.
“I told you to quit the staring.”
“You’re literally in front of me !” Tanjiro shot back.
The walls around them were too close together to allow anything else to be in their way, meaning the only thing he could look at was the demon walking ahead of him.
“That’s not a reason…” He heard the boy mumble to himself.
After several minutes of navigating through the maze of impossibly tight streets, the two boys and the demon girl still resting in her box reached the end of town. There, the houses stopped and the countryside began.
A small path started at their feet before meandering through the hills up ahead.
“Well,” Yushiro handed Nezuko to her brother. “this is where our ways part. Good luck.”
Right as he pronounced those words, a small white, black and caramel coloured cat appeared behind Yushiro. It meowed before jumping straight onto its master’ shoulder.
“Hey I recognise you!” Tanjiro chuckled as he extended a hand to pat the cat’s head. The animal purred appreciatively and rubbed its head back on the Demon Slayer’s palm.
“It’s so cute.”
“It’s not the only cute thing around here.” Yushiro said with a pout.
“Don’t worry, you’re cute too!” Tanjiro declared jokingly.
The demon boy’s face took a pink tint, his eyes avoiding Tanjiro’s.
“That… That’s not what I meant.”
The burgundy-haired boy chortled.
“Did you mean Nezuko is cute too?”
“She is, but no.” Yushiro gulped nervously. “’Say if I had to choose the cutest out of the Kamado siblings I wouldn't choose your sister.”
Tanjiro stepped back, feeling heat spread across his cheeks. He brought his hands up to hide the fiery blush on his face.
“Hey Tanjiro… Be careful out there.”
Yushiro’s voice was filled with something Tanjiro had never heard from the demon to him before: care.
The Demon Slayer shook his head to bring his thoughts back into place.
“I will. Th-thanks.”
He turned heels, his sister on his back and feelings all over the place. He started trotting straight ahead of him as the sun rose slowly, casting yellows and pinks on the grass and trees. The greenette’s gaze on his back was too intense to be ignored. Without looking back Tanjiro shouted:
“Quit staring!”
He smiled widely, waiting for a reply, eyes still focused straight forward.
“I’ll miss you idiot!” Was the barely audible answer he got.
“Me too...” Tanjiro whispered once he was out of Yushiro’s sight.
And he meant it.