Chapter Text
The fluorescent lights of the city were now turning into the soft, orange glow of occasional street lamps as Tanjirou frowned up at the moon. He tried not to grimace when he felt the wind comb through his hair and make it even messier than it already was, but that wasn’t the biggest issue he had with the breeze. He could feel the way it was pushing at his skin, how it was almost tugging on his clothes and his wrists in the direction it wanted to go, and there was no doubt in his mind that this was what that pink-haired demon meant by the wind will guide you.
Tanjirou was always sensitive to the air, a direct result of him being a Wind Breathing user, and the wind was always so soft and gentle with him, eager to work as his weapon whenever he used a form. But tonight the breeze was almost harsh in the way it tugged at his earrings and the faint smell of demon was carried through its gusts.
Tanjirou stopped abruptly as the wind suddenly changed and it blew almost straight into his face. He growled and wanted to send back his own gust when it aggressively tugged him in a different direction - if you don’t want me going this way then just do it so it doesn’t feel like you’re trying to blow my face away.
He jolted when Agatsuma bumped into his back and he turned around in time to see Agatsuma scrunch up his now pink nose and rub at it while saying, “the hell? What, something wrong, mutt? Damn, that hurt.”
Tanjirou was well used to the rise of irritation in his chest as he stared at Agatsuma, but he wasn’t prepared for something else along with it. There was something warm and pulsing and indescribably filling as he looked at Agatsuma and slowly traced him out in the moonlight. His face was a soft pink as his delicate fingers rubbed against his nose, long, dark strands of his hair were gleaming silver in the light, and he smelled so sweet and so lovely that Tanjirou looked up at the stars and tried to count them to calm himself down.
He’s straying me from my path, Tanjirou thought to himself, and for so long that had been his goal - stay on his destiny, don’t lose his footing, and turn Nezuko back into a human like she belonged. He hadn’t let Sanemi and his earth-shattering wind push him away, hadn’t been fazed when Nezuko had to wear a bamboo muzzle, hadn’t faltered when he went charging into Final Selection with only the goal of survive in his mind, but with Agatsuma it was like he was tilting Tanjirou’s world on his axis.
Tanjirou should have been mad, and a part of him was, because how dare someone so small and so stupid and so obnoxious make him feel like he was floating instead of grounded, but the worst part was that most of him was only in awe. That was the word, awe, because that was the only way that Tanjirou could describe how he felt.
Agatsuma was loud and awful and annoying but he was also so much more. It was like someone had taken what seemed like a butterfly made of glass but in reality it was made out of steel, because that’s what he was. Unbreaking, unyielding, and - Agatsuma frowned up at Tanjirou and asked what was wrong but he ignored him in favor of tracing out the faint freckles on his cheeks - beautiful.
Agatsuma had kept him back and anchored him when that vile woman had been inches in front of Tanjirou. At that moment his blood had boiled and so had his wind, and he grimaced at the thought of what he’d look like had Agatsuma not been there. I probably wouldn’t even be breathing.
“Getting your head stuck in the clouds again?” Agatsuma asked sarcastically, and Tanjirou blinked before scowling at him. He might be beautiful but he also makes me want to knock him to the ground.
“The demon is manipulating the winds,” Tanjirou muttered, and his eyes narrowed as he took a small sniff of the air and the smell of ashy demons circled around him. “We’re getting close.”
“They didn’t seem that bad.”
“No,” Tanjirou said. “They didn’t.”
It was strange then how the wind seemed to lead them straight to a barren wall. He inspected it with narrowed eyes to try and find what made that wall so special, but it seemed to be made of the same material as the rest of it, with slightly worn gray bricks. He let out a startled noise when the wind whistled impatiently and shoved him forward, and he instinctively raised out his arm and caught Agatsuma in time as they were pushed through the wall like it was made of nothing but air.
“Careful,” Tanjirou murmured, steadying Agatsuma with a hand to his shoulder and waist when the other boy stumbled into his side.
“Thanks,” Agatsuma said, and there was something softly sweet and embarrassed in his scent when he straightened up and glanced at Tanjirou with pink cheeks. Tanjirou stared and he had the faint thought that it was like someone had dusted cherry blossom petals onto his skin before Agatsuma crossed his arms and said, “where are we?”
The courtyard they were in was immaculately kept and organized with the sweet smell of just blooming flowers filling the air. It was curious how when before, Tanjirou hadn’t seen and not even smelled such a place, which was a little ridiculous to think about because there laid a beautiful if not modest mansion right in the yard. Tanjirou frowned and held Agatsuma a little closer when he sniffed the air and there were the unmistakable scents of the two demons from before.
“That took you long enough!” The demon with strange marks on his face and arms shouted from the doorway of the house. His impatient scowl didn’t match the cheery color of his bubblegum pink hair, and neither did his grating words as he crossed his arms and said, “are your skills as a Wind Breath user really just a play? How typical of a puny human!”
Tanjirou growled and he bristled, but he had to grab Agatsuma’s elbow to keep him from falling over in his own shout when he snapped, “and has anyone told you that your attitude is more prickly than a fucking cactus?”
The demon squinted at Agatsuma through narrow yellow eyes and he harumphed, lifting his hand and inspecting his nails like Agatsuma was nothing more than a disinteresting insect. It made Tanjirou’s hackles rise, especially when the demon sneered and said, “who the hell are you? His little girlfriend?” The demon picked at his nails and then laughed sharply. “You’re not even beautiful.”
“Why you little - “ Agatsuma screeched.
“Shut the hell up!” Tanjirou shouted over him. His blood was practically boiling and it was a wonder how there was no steam shooting out of his ears with how angry he was. He wasn’t quite sure why it felt like a dragon was ready to roar inside of him out of his outrage but there was one thing for certain - Agatsuma was many things but ugly wasn’t one of them. “Don’t call him ugly you - “
“Akaza-kun. Are you causing trouble for our guests?” Whoever spoke had a soft, lulling voice like it was practically made to cradle the ears of those listening. Tanjirou watched with narrowed eyes as the pink-haired demon immediately fell silent and straightened his back like he was about to witness something glorious, and out from the doorway stepped the other demon.
He seemed almost completely human if it weren’t for his slit pupils, but there was a certain softness in his face that made up for it. His kimono flowed with him like a river of black and silver as he smiled and bowed generously at them. “Welcome, demon slayers.”
“Who are you?” Tanjirou said, and he tugged Agatsuma behind him, hand already resting on the hilt of his sword and his shoulders tense. He felt Agatsuma’s hand rest on his arm and squeeze gently, and he forced himself to breathe deeply, quelling his emotions as he lifted his chin and stared at the demon straight in the eyes.
“I am Kibutsuji Muzan,” he said, and he bowed again, this time with a sleeve held up to his face like he wanted to hide the fangs that dug gently into his lower lip. He smiled apologetically at him and waved a hand at the pink-haired demon. “This is Akaza, my companion.”
“Your most loyal servant,” Akaza said, and it startled Tanjirou how smooth his voice was compared to the roughness of it before. There was the scent of deep devotion in his smell, and Tanjirou had to blink before he got lost in it.
“Please, come in,” Muzan said, and he led the way inside, Akaza right behind him.
Tanjirou looked up at the house and couldn’t find any malice in it - if he had to describe it with one word then it would have been inviting. There was something soft and lovely about the golden lights from inside and the sweet smell of cherry blossoms in the air, but there wasn’t just Nezuko that Tanjirou had to look after, now. It wasn’t just Nezuko that Tanjirou cared about.
He turned around and glanced down at Agatsuma who had part of his face resting against Tanjirou’s back. When he peeked up, Tanjirou caught a glimpse of his pink cheeks and the sweet, saccharine smell of plums in the air. He stared and he wondered how someone could be so beautiful, and he couldn’t help it as he smiled gently and said, “alright?”
“Mhm,” Agatsuma murmured, and he wiggled in place like he wanted to say something but didn’t know the words to say. He sighed and shot a look at the house. “I guess we should follow. I didn’t hear any lies.”
Tanjirou nodded but just as Agatsuma was walking towards the door, his hand reached out and snagged on his fingers. Agatsuma looked at him with flushed cheeks and he was radiant under the moonlight, his skin soft and dewy while his small hand curled around Tanjirou’s. It amazed him how someone with such nimble fingers could lift a sword and be so strong, and it made something in his chest squeeze when he saw Agatsuma’s gaze soften and lips turn up slowly into a smile.
“Don’t let go,” Tanjirou said, and it was uttered quietly but it was firm. There were so many meanings behind those simple words that he couldn’t possibly explain in that short amount of time, but when Agatsuma squeezed his fingers and nodded with a sparkle in his eyes, he could almost imagine that they both understood.
The house was just as inviting as it was on the inside as it was out, and the air smelled of sweet and mellow tea as Muzan poured them both a cup and slid over a plate of apple slices. Tanjirou took a sip of the tea and was pleasantly surprised by the taste of it, and it was in that moment that he wished time could freeze itself.
Nezuko was sprawled across his and Agatsuma’s lap as she hummed happily to herself and swung her legs, and Tanjirou ran a gentle hand down her head, softening when she leaned into the touch and nuzzled his fingers. Agatsuma peered up at him under his eyelashes and he smiled just behind the rim of his cup like he could feel Tanjirou’s love for his sister, and Tanjirou wanted to lean into him, wanted to breathe in plum blossoms for days and see if Agatsuma would smear some of his kindness across his cheek if he touched him.
The air was warm and so was the tea, and for the first time in a long time, so was Tanjirou’s chest.
“I’m sorry for the hasty meeting, Tanjirou-san, Zenitsu-san. But we have to keep off of Tamayo’s radar so I had Akaza-kun lead you here with the wind.” He smiled at Tanjirou. “I was counting on your sensitivity to it to lead you here. Without it, you never would have found this place.”
“I still think this is a bad idea,” Akaza said.
“Oh, hush,” Muzan waved him off, and Tanjirou rolled his eyes when Akaza straightened and it seemed like sparkles were flying off of him.
“What happened to the man on the street?” Agatsuma asked, and he set down his cup with a gentle clink. It was like that noise was some sort of switch because the air became firm and tense once again, the gentle atmosphere gone and Tanjirou mourning its loss. He glanced down at his hand that was gently wrapped around Agatsuma’s and he squeezed it softly, nodding when Agatsuma shot him a grateful glance. “Is he okay?”
“He and his wife are alright,” Muzan said soothingly, and Agatsuma sighed in relief as he slumped into Tanjirou’s side and he wrapped an arm around his shoulders to steady him. Tanjirou wondered how much it pained Agatsuma to see someone in so much pain and not being able to do anything to help, especially when he knew that Agatsuma was gifted in the medical field. He squeezed Agatsuma’s shoulder. I hate to see you hurting. “I managed to minimize the effects in time. The man will have an affinity for rawer meat and a sensitivity to sunlight but he’ll live out as a human.”
Tanjirou clenched his hand around his tea and released a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding the entire time. He tried to anchor himself with the warm weight of Nezuko across his lap and Agatsuma’s hand squeezing his as he said, “so it really was her, then.” That bitch who killed my family.
“Yes,” Muzan muttered, and he smiled limply at Nezuko. There was a sort of deep sorrow to his scent, like how the sea would smell before a storm or when clouds gathered for a hurricane. It had Tanjirou nodding at Nezuko and watching as her face lit up and then scrambled over to Muzan, humming behind her muzzle and pawing at his sleeves curiously. “She is the one who turned your sister into a demon.”
“Can you change her back?” Tanjirou somehow choked out. It was a simple question but at the same time it felt like it held the weight of the world. His heart was pounding rapidly and he was sure that he felt a bead of sweat run down the back of his neck. This was what he’d been working for all these years, he told himself. The hell he went through with his training, the brutal teachings of Sanemi and the pain of Final Selection - this was, in the end, what he had been trying to reach, had always been trying to reach.
“I cannot,” Muzan said, and to his credit he seemed genuinely disheartened by his own answer, but Tanjirou had to close his eyes in order to keep from - from what he didn’t know, but something so his emotions wouldn’t spill out. He hadn’t expected much but his hopes had been high, and that was just the issue, he thought bitterly to himself. This was just another bump in the road but it currently felt like a mountain. “I’ve studied demons my whole life and yet I don’t have the cure. However, I am able to turn humans into demons just like she can - it’s how Akaza came to be my companion.”
Akaza grunted.
“But if you gather the blood of the Twelve Demon Blooms,” Muzan said, and there was something lilting in his voice, curiously enough. His eyes were like gems in the light of the room, glowing with opportunity and his lips curling into a hopeful smile when he bowed his head to Tanjirou. “Then I could synthesize a reverse serum for you.”
Tanjirou stared and it was like there were bursts of colors around him. He suddenly couldn’t breathe but his heart was practically vibrating in his chest and he clutched a hand over it, clenching his shirt and hunching over slightly as he stared at his tea but didn’t truly see it. He couldn’t believe it. Was his work really going to pay off? After all this time, all the pain and the anger and the training - he had always held his head high but he had known that realistically there was a very real chance of never reaching his goal, yet here Muzan - a demon nonetheless, wasn’t that ironic - handing him his solution on a silver platter.
“Kamado,” Agatsuma stuttered, and when Tanjirou looked at him he looked just as breathless as he felt. His cheeks were pink with delight and the bridge of his nose went red when Tanjirou cupped his face and pressed their foreheads together. Agatsuma’s hands were shaking as they wrapped around Tanjirou’s and held them closer. Tanjirou drew in a shaky breath and all he could focus on was the sweet, salty smell of plums and tears and when he slowly opened his eyes, he saw that crystalline droplets were clinging to Agatsuma’s lashes like diamonds as he smiled at him. “You’re so close.”
Tanjirou laughed and it felt amazing, loose and loud and so much like how he used to laugh before tragedy and blood hit the floor. He gently swiped a thumb underneath Agatsuma’s eye, rubbing away a tear and grinning at him fiercely when Agatsuma hiccupped ang giggled at the touch. “Just a little more.”
“Just a little more,” Agatsuma repeated, and it sounded like a promise.
The air smelled of plum blossoms and seawater and hope. Tanjirou held Agatsuma - his partner, his companion, his friend - and prayed to the gods that that promise would be kept.