After being sent off in the early morning hours by their friends Yua and Tanjiro, with Nezuko in her box made the journey to the Moon Mansion, the home of Yua's family, the Mochizuki.
They were making good progress on foot and even met a kind man with his carriage, who drove them toward the Mochizuki Estate.
The two Demon Slayers passed their time talking and singing. They couldn't slack off in Tanjiro's Total Concentration Training, now could they?
Yua quite enjoyed the journey to her home with the company. This was the first time she brought a friend over, and she felt a bit like a normal 17-year-old
It was a nice feeling.
"Your family will be okay with Nezuko?" Tanjiro asked now.
His worry wasn't without reason. They would enter a home full of Demon Slayers.
Tanjiro had experienced how hostile the Hashira's had been to Nezuko, the Wind-Hashira even hurt her, before Oyakata-Sama told them how he recognised Nezuko as a Demon Slayer, so she wasn't to be killed.
Entering a home full of people who could kill his sister in one instant made him nervous.
"Don't worry, I wrote about your situation to my father.", Yua reassured with a small smile. "He promised my family wouldn't go against Oyakata-Sama's orders. Nezuko is safe. Also, I would help you protect her from them if they attacked her."
The boy stared at her in disbelief.
"You really would go against your own family for me and Nezuko?" Tanjiro stuttered.
As an answer, Yua reached out and petted his shoulder.
"I love Nezuko like she is my own sister, and I'm fond of you too. For me, you guys are family too."
Her confession made Tanjiro feel all tingly and happy. He felt the blush rising in his cheeks, how his heart beat faster, and the butterflies in his stomach flying wildly.
His crush on Yua just got bigger.
Shyly, he squeezed the hand on his shoulder.
"You are for us, family too.", he told her.
For a second, he imagined Yua as his bride, not that he would tell anybody, or how it filled his heart with happiness.
Yua gave him a thankful smile. She was also happy that the Kamado siblings loved her as a sibling. Vehemently, she would ignore this vision of herself as a bride with Tanjiro as her groom on her side.
Nope, not thinking about it all or what it meant.
Soon, they entered the little wisteria forest of Yua family home.
It reminded Tanjiro of the forest on Mount Fujikasane where Final Selection was held.
Just as pretty and mysterious.
They passed under a Torii with a half moon on it, following the way up a little hill.
After a few minutes, Tanjiro could see another Torii behind it, an old, traditional house which also had a half moon and the Kanji for Mochizuki over the entrance door. Around it grow beautiful flowers of any kind. You could tell that the garden was tended with love.
Before the house stood a tall man. He was wearing the Demons Slayer uniform and a green Haori with swirls on it. The man had long midnight blue hair in a ponytail and grey eyes.
That must be Yua's father since they looked so alike.
"Papa!" Yua called racing up to her father, who was smiling happily.
They hugged each other tightly, and Yua's father swung her around.
Seeing this loving moment touched and made Tanjiro miss his own father. Discreetly, he wiped away the tears that had begun to fall.
"Oh, moon bunny, it's so good to see you." Yua's father told her, placing her back on the ground and petting her head. "Did you grow a bit?"
"I don't know, maybe.", Yua answered, then turned to Tanjiro and waved him over. "Papa, this is my friend I told you about. Kamado Tanjiro, follow swordsman of the corps and in the box is his little sister Nezuko. Tanjiro, this is my father, Mochizuki Haruto."
Tanjiro bowed before the man.
"It's an honour to meet you, Mochizuki-San."
"Ah, young Tanjiro, it's okay to call me Haruto. I'm happy that Yua found some friends. Any friend of hers is welcome here.", Haruto chuckled, friendly.
"Alright, Haruto-San." Tanjiro smiled back.
Then Haruto got all sober as he told his daughter: "Your grandfather is expecting you in the Tea Room, moon bunny."
Of course, Yua got scared. She had stayed away from home for months and was only raised to Kinoto.
Her Grandfather would give it to her.
"Yua, are you okay-"
"It's alright Tanjiro.", she interrupted him. "Just go with my father, I'm sure one of my aunts is currently making lunch."
With that, she stepped into the house and made haste to the Tea Room.
"I'm back, Grandfather.", she announced as she entered Grandfather's realm.
Like she was taught, she made a deep bow, waiting till her grandfather gave her permission to raise and sit before him.
It was eerily quiet.
Yua felt the sweat dripping down from her forehead.
Thanks to her aura-densing, she knew her Grandfather was not happy.
He was pissed off.
What hurtful words would he hurl at her?
"Ah, the lost daughter has returned.", he spat, not even letting her rise from her bow. "You stayed away a long time from home."
"I'm sorry, Grandfather."
"Did I give you the permission to speak, girl?!" he growled.
The midnight blue-haired beauty started to shake in fright; she felt all clammy and like throwing up. She had never seen her grandfather like this.
She knew she had to tread carefully, but she couldn't help but ask, "May I know what I have done wrong, Grandfather?" Her voice was barely above a whisper.
Mochizuki Makoto let out a deep sigh and finally gestured for her to rise and take a seat. She did so hesitantly, trying not to make any sudden movements.
"You dare to stay away from home for months," he said sternly. "Then you have the gall to send a letter asking about the Hinokami Kagura Dance, not even telling us what rank you are now."
Yua felt a pang of guilt in her chest.
He was right. While she was healing from her wounds, she actively avoided sending letters home. She was afraid to reveal that she was now just a Kinoto and worried about the consequences she might face as punishment. When she finally decided to write to them, she still didn't mention her rank because of that fear and instead asked for something else.
"I apologise, Grandfather," she said sincerely with a deep bow, her forehead touching the tatami mats. "I was in the wrong, I will do better."
He nodded slowly, still eyeing her critically.
"You better," he warned. "The future of our family depends on it. Now your rank."
Yua stayed in her position, not daring to raise. Maybe if she stayed demure, her Grandfather wouldn't verbally hit her.
Yeah, right, she was just scared looking into his cold, grey eyes and seeing hatred in them.
"Kinoto."
It was still for a long time, Yua started to feel pain in her body because she had stayed in the bow so long, till her grandfather shouted: "Kinoto! KINOTO?! You dare to show your stupid face in this house after months, daring to ask about the Hinokami Kagura Dance, and you are only a Kinoto?! You are a disappointment! A waste of space! Oh, why are you the only one who can use Moon Breathing? Why have the gods punished me with a talentless granddaughter like you? You are not worth it to be a Moon Breathing User!"
Tears welled up in Yua's eyes, however, she refused to let them fall. She knew her grandfather was harsh, but this was a new kind of harshness.
"I understand, Grandfather," she said softly, still not daring to look up at him. "I will work harder and strive to become better."
Makoto let out a snort of disgust.
"You better," he said coldly. "Because if you don't, you will disgrace our family."
Yua nodded silently, feeling the weight of his words on her shoulders. She knew she had a lot of work to do if she wanted to prove herself worthy of being a Moon Breathing User.
But no matter how hard it would be, she was determined to make her grandfather proud and show him that she was not a waste of space after all.
What else was there for her in life?
She was born to become a Hashira and make her family a respected Demon Slayer one in the Corps.
This was her only right to existence.
Suddenly, both inhabitants of the Tea Room nearly jumped into the air as the door opened.
"I'm sorry to disturb you!"
It was Tanjiro!
In disbelief, Yua turned to him.
Tanjiro fixed her Grandfather with such an angry look that Yua wasn't even sure if this was really the Tanjiro she knew.
This was a completely new side of him.
"Who are you, boy?" Grandfather hissed angrily. "You dare to disturb me and my granddaughter talking."
"With all due respect, sir, you didn't talk to your granddaughter; you insulted her! And I will not stand around hearing you insult Yua. Yua is my friend and one of the strongest people I know! You are in the wrong about her!" Tanjiro shot back.
Makoto narrowed his eyes at Tanjiro, clearly not pleased with the interruption. Yua watched in shock as her friend stood up to her grandfather, defending her honour. She had never seen anyone do that before!
"How dare you speak to me like that?" Makoto growled. "You are just a mere Demon Slayer. Probably not higher than Kanoe."
Tanjiro didn't back down; his expression was unwavering. "I may be a lesser rank, but I know a good person when I see one. And Yua is one of the best."
The room fell silent as the two men stared each other down. Yua held her breath, unsure of what would happen next.
Then her grandfather gasped and pointed at Tanjiro Hanafuda-Earings.
"You have the earrings?! Of course, this red hair and red eyes...the scar on your forehead! You are a Sun Breathing User!"
Both teenagers were more than confused.
"That's why you asked about the Hinokami Kagura Dance.", the elderly mumbled, rubbing his chin. "Now it makes sense."
"I don't know what you are talking about, sir, but apologise to your granddaughter.", Tanjiro growled angrily, his red eyes ablaze like the sun. "She doesn't deserve your harsh and unnecessary words."
This only made Makoto laugh nastily.
"You may be the chosen one of the sun, but you have no authority here, boy. This is the realm of the moon, and I'm the clanhead. I can do as I wish."
To show Tanjiro he meant it, Makoto suddenly grasped Yua by one of her hair buns, which made the 17-year-old shout in pain, tears streaming down her face.
Tanjiro could only stare in shock. He had never seen family members treat each other this way!
"She is merely an extension of my will.", Makoto uttered arrogantly. "She was only born to be a Hashira. She doesn't have any other reason for existing: I can do with my Granddaughter as I wish!"
From one moment to another, Yua felt like her grandfather would rip her hair out, then suddenly his hand went slack and a terrible crunch was heard.
Tanjiro had headbutted her grandfather!
Yua's mouth met the floor, while her Grandfather was knocked down by Tanjiro's headbutt.
The room fell into stunned silence as Makoto lay on the ground, clutching his nose. Tanjiro stood over him, his fists clenched at his sides. Yua couldn't believe what had just happened; she had never seen anyone stand up to her grandfather like that before.
"You can't treat people like that," Tanjiro shouted, glaring down at the older man. "Especially not your own family."
Makoto looked up at him, his eyes filled with anger and disbelief.
"You dare to strike me?" he spat out, wiping blood from his nose.
"You deserved it," Tanjiro said firmly. "No one deserves to be treated like that. You are a bitter old man who bullies his own family for his enjoyment because he couldn't become a Hashira. You should feel ashamed of yourself. Instead of seeing what great progress Yua made, you are obsessed with her becoming a Hashira. Even dirt is better than you! I met demons who showed more humanity than you...you piece of shit!"
With that, Tanjiro helped Yua to her feet.
Yua felt a rush of gratitude towards her friend. She had been so scared and alone at that moment, but Tanjiro had come to her rescue without a second thought.
She realised she could always count on him to have her back.
As they left the Tea Room together, Yua felt a sense of relief wash over her. She knew there would be consequences for what had happened today, but she didn't care anymore. For the first time in a long time, she felt free - free from the weight of her grandfather's expectations and free from the fear that had held her back for so long. With Tanjiro by her side, she knew she could face anything that came her way and come out stronger for it in the end.
Maybe that's why she did what she did next. No one has ever defeated her honour quite like that.
She must show him her feelings!
Softly she called out Tanjiro's name, he turned to her, opening his mouth, probably to ask her if she was okay, however, Yua leaned down, placing her ahnds on his cheeks and leanend down to kiss him soflty on the lips.
Tanjiro was shocked by Yua's sudden gesture.
He couldn't believe the girl he was crushing on was kissing him! Was he dreaming?!
If so, he never wanted to wake up!
Loving, he wrapped his arms around her curvy waist and tilted his head to the side, so their lips could fit better together.
For both, it was their first kiss, so they were a bit clumsy, yet it was the best kiss of their life.
As they separated a bit, Yua looked down at Tanjiro with tears in her eyes, both of them breathing heavily.
It was madness that she had done it; love had no place in her life, but...how could she not love Tanjiro after he faced her biggest fear and saved her?
Maybe she could love him and be a Demon Slayer.
She only knew she always wanted to be on his side.
This was the only sure thing in her life.
Softly, she smiled, and Tanjiro returned her smile and brushed gently a tear from her cheek. "
Are you okay?" he asked softly.
Yua nodded, feeling a surge of love for him in her heart.
"I'm more than okay," she whispered back, leaning in for another kiss.
This time, she slipped her tongue in his mouth. Tanjiro froze for a second, clearly not expecting this, before he met her tongue shyly with his own. Yua plunders Tanjiro's mouth passionately, trying to coax him to kiss her the same way.
Damn, she felt a molten ball of desire in her stomach. Something in her wanted to devour Tanjiro!
The young man let out a soft moan, which struke like lighting Yua core, clenching around nothing, before she pressed him against the wall and sucked his upper lip.
Tanjiro's soft, wanton whimper was music in Yua's ears!
Yua couldn't believe how natural it felt to be with Tanjiro like they were meant to be together.
Like two pieces of a puzzle.
Like Yin and Yang.
Like the Sun and Moon!
As they pulled apart, because they still needed to breathe, a string of spit was between their lips, which snapped, as Tanjiro murmured: "I don't know what the future holds for us, but I do know that I want to spend it with you."
His beautiful red eyes were full of love and admiration, as well as clear desire, which pleased Yua greatly.
Fuck, she knew she would never get tired of Tanjiro soft moans and his utterly wrecked look.
The young woman wanted to do more things, wanted to see how else she could turn the younger boy into a mess.
But for now, she just kissed his forehead and caressed his cheek.
"Be mine?" she asked simply, hoping she had interpreted Tanjiro's look of love right.
Nothing in the world wanted Yua more than to call Tanjiro her lover, her boyfriend.
Tanjiro's heart beat so hard, he was sure Yua had to hear it. Blush as red as his hair formed on his cheeks, and he felt faint.
Good thing, Yua was still pressing him against the wall, or he would have turned into a puddle under her feet!
The girl of his dreams wanted to be with him!
What else could he say then: "I'm yours, forever."
I love you is what he wanted to say.
Marry me, is what his heart screamed.
However, he knew it was too soon to utter these words, even if Yua looked...erm...ready to devour him on the spot.
Tanjiro couldn't describe it better.
No one had ever looked at him with love and lust like Yua did. It was tempting to just give in; he was just a man, too, but Tanjiro had self-control. Giving in could lead to complications, and he wanted a good relationship with Yua.
Something which would last a lifetime and even beyond.
Meanwhile, Yua smiled brighter than the sun, like she hadn't smiled since her mother's death.
"Fuck yes, my beautiful boy, you are all mine now.", Yua purred hotly, which made Tanjiro gulp nervous but still happy.
That's when both heard a female voice calling: "Wow, that was some hot shit! Daaammmmnnnnnnnnnnnn!"
Poor Tanjiro jumped nearly to the roof, as Yua deadpanned and turned her head to the intruder.
Of course, it was Sayako!
"Hello you pain in my butt, you have splendid timing as always."
While Tanjiro resembled a mortified tomato, Sayako giggled with a shit-eating grin.
"I'm a lesbian, but even I got hot seeing you both making out with each other. Leave something for tonight."
"You are so weird, Yako. Also, don't you mean wedding night?" Yua said calmly, even if her hormones were more than eager and willing to have intercourse already.
"Oh, please." Sayako snorted. She wasn't blind! "You're gonna deflower the little redhead the first chance you get, YuYu."
"Charming."
In moments like this, Yua hated how well Sayako knew her. Yes, she would have probaly dragged Tanjiro to her room to at least suck him off (even if it was the first time for her) had her cousin not interrupted them.
What could the blue-haired girl say? She was better with physical affection than words and wanted to show Tanjiro how much she adored him.
It was like a dam had finally broken in her, because she wasn't lying anymore about her feelings for him.
Poor Tanjiro resembled the sounds he made and how red in the face he was a teakettle.
Yeah, seemed like her boyfriend wasn't ready for such a step.
Or at least he was embarrassed about it in front of other people.
Kissing his temple, Yua took his hand to calm him down.
"Ignore my stupid cousin, Tanjiro. Sayako likes to rile people up."
"I'm here, you know."
"Sadly."
Huffing, Sayako walked up to them and made a little bow.
"Whatever, it's nice meeting you, Tanjiro-Kun. I'm as Yua said, Sayako, her cousin, 15 years old and Kakushi of the corps."
Finally, Tanjiro calmed down enough to greet Sayako back with a bow and a smile.
"Ah, you are a cutie.", Sayako cooed, petting his head. "Take good care of my cousin, please?"
"I will, I promise!" he shouted.
"Also did you break our shit grandpa's nose or something, everyone heard a loud crunch?"
"He did.", Yua confirmed proudly of her love. "Grandfather is licking his wounds. I don't think he will come out of the Tea Room."
"Then we will have a nice lunch. Come, you two, food is ready."
So they followed Sayako to the dining room, where the rest of the Mochizuki family was already waiting excitedly.
(*)
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