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(*)
Do you know the feeling when your body slowly wakes up? When the dream you had still clung to you, and you start to feel your body again, as hearing comes back.
This moment before fully being awake, when all seems so real and unreal at the same time?
Tanjiro was currently in this state.
A part of him knew he was waking up, another part still was caught in the dream about the happy days he had with his family.
Before blood and death and the pain of being left behind, only Nezuko as an anchor to this world.
As he was in this state, the red-haired boy heard a soft and beautiful voice singing.
"Finally, you've given me
A reason to be strong
And we'll stand
Hand in hand
Till the end
As my body's shaking
The future is out there waiting
For me to grasp the light
That's trembling just like my hand
I gotta keep it safe from fading
That's all that I want"
He had never heard a song like that.
It touched something deep in his heart, like whoever sang understood what he was going through.
"The subtle scent of midnight
I spent all thirty nights
I glare up at the stars
Staring into the sky
The path I see before me
I know only I can change it
That's all that I need
Finally, you've given me
A reason to be strong
And we'll stand
Hand in hand
Till the end"
Being strong, going hand and hand, till the end…it fit him and Nezuko so much.
Tanjiro wanted to become stronger to protect Nezuko, to one day turn her back into a human.
They decide to stay together, whatever may come, holding each other's hands tightly.
He felt how a tear slipped down his closed eye.
"As my body's shaking
The future is out there waiting
For me to grasp the light
That's trembling just like my hand
I gotta keep it safe from fading
That's all that I want
The subtle scent of midnight
I spent all thirty nights
I glare up at the stars
Staring into the sky
The path I see before me
I know only I can change it
That's all that I need"
Slowly, he opened his eyes, waking up. Tanjiro needed to know who sang so breathtakingly beautiful!
What he saw first was Zenitsu, sitting, his knees up and arms around them, while his head rested on them. He stared with formal heart eyes into the corner of the room where Yua and Nezuko had slept.
After yesterday, when Tanjiro had explained to his fellow slayers his and Nezuko's story, Yua had taken Nezuko without a second thought under her wing.
The older girl pulled out a fifth futon from the closet, put it beside her, and told them that his sister should sleep in a bed and not in her box.
Then Yua proceeds to dress Nezuko in one of the kimonos of the Wisteria Mansion, of course in the bathroom, and even puts his sister's hair in a side braid, since apparently, if you had long hair, it was best to braid it before going to sleep.
Tanjiro was happy that Nezuko liked the attention she received from the older girl. He swore his sister even purred at Yua at one point before they all settled down for the night.
Now in the morning he follow Zenitsu's line of sight and saw Nezuko happily humming along, while Yua was behind her combing her hair.
It took a few seconds before Tanjiro realised the amazing singer was Yua!
A little surprised sound came out of his mouth, then suddenly, a hand, Zenitsus, clapped over his mouth.
The blonde boy hissed in his ear: "Don't ruin this moment! I never heard such angelic singing and humming! Nezuko-Chan and Yua-Senpai are divine beings, and we shall humbly listen to their voices!"
Not like Tanjiro wanted to interrupt, he was just surprised.
When Nezuko was still human, she liked to sing while she worked on her needlework.
It was amazing hearing the voice of his sister again.
Yua-Senpai was what surprised him.
From what he had learned of her and smelled…she was tough and rough, yet loving and gentle to younger ones.
Singing so heartbreakingly beautiful, with such a melodious and soft voice…it nearly didn't fit her.
Nearly.
Tanjiro had smelled the deep and strong insecurity in Yua-Senpai and the overwhelming smell of loss.
She was complicated.
Maybe he could catch a moment with her to talk and understand her better.
The midnight blue-haired beauty finished singing and combing Nezuko's hair.
"All done, Nezuko-chan," she said, adjusting the elaborate braid she had just finished. "Now you look even prettier!"
The demon girl let out a cute squeal, marvelling at her braid. She then turned and hugged the older girl tightly.
Yua chuckled at Nezuko's affectionate gesture, embracing the younger girl in return.
"These two are so lovely!" Zenitsu sighed dreamily. "The most beautiful women on Earth!"
"Agatsuma, your words mean nothing to me," Yua countered, as Tanjiro envisioned a giant boulder labelled 'Rejected' falling on Zenitsu.
The blonde cried out in despair.
"Your voice is beautiful, Yua-senpai. It's truly something to be proud of," Tanjiro told her honestly.
Yua made a little bow in his direction. "Your words honour me, Kamado-san."
"That's so unfair!", Zenitsu wailed, tears streaming down his cheeks. "Why do you accept Tanjiro's compliment and not mine?!"
"Because Kamado-san doesn't try to get into my pants, Agatsuma," Yua replied deadpan while giving the cooing Nezuko some head pats.
At that, Tanjiro shot Zenitsu a disapproving look. He could sense that his new friend didn't have the purest intentions.
The blonde moaned more and flopped down on his futon.
Meanwhile, Inosuke was the only one sleeping through all the commotion.
(*)
During their stay at the Wisteria Mansion to recover from their wounds, the group of four Demon Slayers and a demon established a daily routine.
Yua and Nezuko were always the first to wake up. The two girls would take a bath together, and while Yua sang, she would comb Nezuko's hair, creating a beautiful new hairstyle for her each day.
Zenitsu often woke up to Yua's singing, enchanted by the melodies as he admired both young women in their company.
Tanjiro was the next to rise; he always made sure to compliment his sister on how lovely she looked and praised Yua for her beautiful singing voice.
Inosuke was typically the last to wake up.
After everyone was up, they would enjoy breakfast together and find ways to pass the time, whether it was sharing stories from their childhoods or recounting their experiences as Demon Slayers.
Hisa was so nice to even give them a few board games, and it was a struggle to help Inosuke understand what board games were good for and why they were played.
Within the Wisteria Mansion, there was a small library where they spent time reading. Yua attempted to teach Inosuke the basics of reading. Even when the wild boy was reluctant, she would grab him by the ear and make him repeat the Hiragana alphabet. Tanjiro also tried to assist, but he used a gentler approach.
One night, while they enjoyed dinner, Zenitsu joked that Yua was like the father of their group, while Tanjiro was the mother.
This made Tanjiro blush and then even more as the young woman just said: "I would marry Kamado, hell, even Hashibira, before I would consider going on a date with you, Agatsuma!"
Zenitsu's wails could be heard from kilometres away, meanwhile, Inosuke asked them what the heck marriage was. So they spent the rest of the night explaining it to him.
The wild boy took this as a chance to rile up Zenitsu the following days, more than happy to remind him that the older girl would rather have him than even consider Zenitsu for a second.
Tanjiro and Yua had to separate Inosuke and Zenitsu; only Nezuko seemed to find the scene amusing, giggling as she watched.
Once the situation was under control, Yua looked at Tanjiro with a deadpan expression and said, "Our kids are terrors, husband."
Tanjiro let out a small squeak, feeling his cheeks flush. He couldn't understand how Yua could say things like that so casually, without any embarrassment.
The scent she gave off indicated that she was just teasing and didn't see him as her spouse.
Though he couldn't quite grasp why, Tanjiro felt a twinge of disappointment.
When they all began to feel better, they started to help around the mansion. However, Yua and Tanjiro had to encourage Inosuke to join in.
Currently, Tanjiro was hanging up the freshly washed clothes with Yua and realised that they were finally alone for a moment. This was his chance to get to know her better.
"Yua-Senpai, can I ask you something?" he began.
"Sure, Kamado-San. What is it?" Yua responded.
"I don't want to overstep any boundaries," he assured her. "It's just been on my mind these last few weeks."
"You can tell me, Kamado-San. I can see from your aura that you have only pure intentions."
"Right… I forgot that for a moment. Also, Yua-Senpai, when you told us you wanted to become a Hashira, why did I sense so much grief, sadness, and anger from you?"
This stopped Yua in her tracks as she hung up the clothes.
The bitter smell of anxiety reached Tanjiro's nose. Oh no, he didn't want to burden her!
He couldn't even say sorry, as Yua hissed in feigned anger to mask her anxiety. "Kamado, get your nose checked. I don't feel that way about becoming a Hashira. It's an honour that my family was skipped over for centuries, even though we are the strongest slayers! It's my duty, and I'm proud to be the one to finally achieve this goal!"
Maybe she could convince herself of these lies, but Tanjiro sensed her deep despair.
"Yua-Senpai, I see us as friends. I can smell your true feelings. It hurts me to see you in such anguish. Did anyone ever ask you if you wanted to walk the path of a Demon Slayer?" he asked, trying to hold back his tears.
The seventeen-year-old girl stared straight ahead, still as a statue, a single tear rolling down her cheek.
"No… no one asked me," she admitted in a broken voice. "But that's not important. I have a duty to my family."
"But what about you?" Tanjiro pressed.
"Enough, Kamado. Let's never talk about this again."
With that, she turned and left him alone with the chore.
Pained and sad, Tanjiro looked after Yua.
"Awesome, Tanjiro." he chested himself. "You made it worse!"
A part of him screamend to go after the older girl, but he could smellhow she wanted to be alone.
So he respected her wishes and continued with the chore.
(*)
Yua knew she was being a coward, yet she couldn't handle Tanjiro's pure concern for her.
He was the first person who ever asked her whether she wanted to become a Demon Slayer.
She just couldn't deal with it.
His gentle and kind aura was a temptation; it made her want to hug him and share all her worries.
He reminded her of Kioko, her mother.
This wasn't good.
It could lead her astray from her goal of becoming a Hashira, of finally being accepted by her grandfather and the entire Demon Slayer Corps.
She had a duty.
That was why she was born into this world: to cleanse the Mochizuki name of the sins of their forefathers. Nothing else could matter—not even herself.
Yua was an instrument.
"The only wish I have left in this world is that you find your happiness in life, my blossom."
Her mother's last words before her illness took her came rushing back to Yua's mind.
Kioko had been like Tanjiro, a gentle soul who loved both her and her father with fiery passion.
Her mother had fought tooth and nail against her grandfather, wanting Yua to decide whether she would become a Demon Slayer or not. But after learning that Yua was the only one who could use Moon Breathing, it had become a lost fight.
Yua remembered how often her mother would hold her while she cried from the wounds she sustained in training, her aura softly comforting her.
A tear escaped Yua's eye, which she quickly brushed away. Tanjiro was dangerous; it was clear he would be easy to love. And love was the last thing Yua needed in her life.
Love wouldn't bring her closer to being a Hashira. She needed to stamp out this feeling before it could blossom.
So for the next few days, Yua kept her distance from Tanjiro. She would talk to him, and they would laugh with Zenitsu and Inosuke, but she worked hard to avoid being alone with the redhead. She still took care of Nezuko because she liked the demon girl.
It was easier to love her since it was completely platonic.
Despite her efforts to stay distant, Tanjiro's words lingered in Yua's mind. It was a constant struggle to ignore them. More often than not, she wished her cousin Sayako were there. She needed someone to vent to about this emotional turmoil. Sayako would surely have a clever idea to help fix the situation.
It was a mess.
Days went by, and they healed, slowly getting back on their feet.
Soon, it would be time for a new mission.
Hopefully, this would help Yua forget the emotional turmoil she was experiencing.
One could only hope.
(*)
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