Chapter Text
Prince Kamado Tanjiro has a pretty simple morning routine; wake up, wash up, change into his usual attire, black pants, a green undershirt with a black vest and a black jacket, have breakfast with his family and talk with his parents and siblings.
That is usually the way things go for him and this morning wasn't different.
"Are you really sure about this, Onii-chan?"
The subject of the conversation, on the other hand…
"What if that girl is just trying to get close to you to then kill you?"
Nezuko and Takeo, the second and third child of the Kamado family asked in turn.
Unlike him, the two had black hair, Nezuko's being long and reaching to her waist while Takeo's was short, the three shared the same red eyes, although Tanjiro's was a darker shade.
Takeo was wearing a similar outfit to his older brother, although the jacket was blue, while Nezuko wore a simple pink dress with a hemp leaf pattern and a dark brown coat that is currently resting on the back of her chair.
"She wouldn't have saved me if that's the case." Tanjiro answered calmly, making sure to keep his voice down as to not alert his youngest siblings that were currently talking with their parents.
"Maybe she just wanted to make sure no one else gets to you before she does." Takeo countered.
"I appreciate the concern but you don't have to worry, her scent is not that of a bad person." The oldest of the three said, his siblings visibly deflating when they heard that.
"If you say it like that, then I can at least give her a chance." Nezuko eventually said. "Just be careful, please."
"…I'll still keep an eye on her, just in case." Takeo followed, still looking reluctant about the whole thing.
"It will be alright, you'll see." The red haired prince assured them with a smile, taking the last bite of his breakfast. "Well, I have to get going, thank you for the food."
"Take care." The rest of the table said in unison as he got up with his plate in hand and walked to the kitchen.
"Hm? Your Highness, we told you, you can just leave the plate at the table and we'll retrieve it later." A woman with long black hair tied in a ponytail and a beauty mark under her left eye, wearing a white dress below a green apron said with a smile.
"I know Hinatsuru-san but I don't want to add to your workload, even if it's just by a little." He answered happily.
The woman, Hinatsuru, just giggled, they have had this conversation many times before and, if she was honest, she had given up on convincing him to let his plate at the table a long time ago.
"Very well, thank you, I wish you have a good day."
"Likewise." He let his plate down, she had practically dragged him away from the sink the one time he tried to wash it himself, and said goodbye before leaving, not before grabbing his sword and strapping it to his waist.
As he made his way through the castle, Tanjiro greeted the various workers around the castle, from the butlers, to the maids, to the soldiers; he knew everyone there by name and always made sure to say hello when he saw them.
They all greeted back, most in a formal manner as they bowed while the ones that have worked there the longest do so with a simple 'good morning' as they continue with their duties.
Eventually, he reached his destination, the training grounds.
As he expected, almost everyone was doing their daily drills, with a man with long black hair that sticks up in tufts and tied in a low ponytail, wearing full plate armor without the helmet at the front.
The Kamado waited until the man called for a break, by his count it should be in around a minute or two, before going to talk with him.
"Alright, take a five minute rest and then we continue." The man said, his face completely expressionless.
Almost everyone let out a sigh of relief, a few even sat down on the floor while breathing heavily.
"Giyu-san, good morning." Tanjiro called out as he walked up to him.
"Ah, Tanjiro, good morning." Tomioka Giyu greeted, still with the same expression. "What are you doing here?"
"I was wondering if I could talk with Kanao, is she here?"
"She is with Kocho."
"Oh, already?" The Kamado asked in surprise.
"She has a great aptitude for battle." The black haired man answered plainly.
"Thanks, I'll let you get back to work." He turned to the soldiers. "Do your best everyone!" He cheered for them before walking away.
"Tomioka-san." One of them called out, earning his attention. "We are ready to continue." Everyone stood ready and nodded in agreement.
Giyu nodded back before beginning the exercise once again.
.
.
While Tomioka Giyu takes care of the exercises for the regular troops, he also serves a second function, to find the most talented from them and, if he thinks they're up to it, offer the option to receive higher level training; the next level of said training is administered by the Kocho sisters at a building past the regular training grounds.
As Tanjiro walked inside he heard the sound of wooden swords clashing and, at the center of it, saw two women.
Kocho Kanae a woman with pale purple eyes, long dark hair that reached just past her waist with a pair of green and pink butterfly hairpins on either side of her head and wearing armor with a pattern that resembled butterfly wings, the current head of the Kocho house and one of the best knights in the kingdom, was currently sparring with Tsuyuri Kanao, the girl that saved him from an assassin barely a week ago, and then confessed to also be an assassin after his life at the time, with her hair in a side ponytail and wearing a simple white armor.
"Oh, Tanjiro-kun." He turned to where he heard his name to see another woman, smaller than Kanae but wearing a similar looking armor, with black hair that fades into purple at the tips, purple eyes and her hair tied back with a purple butterfly hairpin.
"Good morning, Shinobu-san."
"Good morning, what are you doing here?" She asked with a smile after approaching to stand beside him. "The training session is almost over if you came because of that."
"I came to see Kanao, I have a few things to do and I wanted to ask her if she'd like to accompany me." The Kamado answered truthfully.
Shinobu's smile seemed to fall for a moment but it was quickly back in place.
"Is something wrong?"
The Kocho let out a sigh, knowing that he wouldn't miss that.
"That girl… there is something wrong with her."
"Wrong?" The prince repeated with a frown.
"I'm not sure what you told her to get her to follow you but… she doesn't do anything unless ordered to; we agreed to let her stay with us but for the past few days, Nee-san has had to tell her that the food during dinner is hers and she can eat without worry."
"That's…" Tanjiro trailed off, not knowing what the right word would be to describe that.
"Something must have happened to her, not that we asked, she won't open up to two strangers, but just keep it in mind."
"I will, thank you."
Just then, a thud was heard and the two turned to see Kanao on the ground with Kanae pointing her practice sword at her and smiling.
"That was very good, you almost got a hit in." She praised.
"…Thank… you…" Kanao answered between breaths.
"Hm? Oh, good morning Tanjiro-kun." The woman greeted after noticing him.
Kanao did the same and quickly moved to one knee.
"Your Highness."
"No need for that, I actually prefer it if people don't take a knee when talking to me." Tanjiro said.
The black haired girl stood in position for a few more seconds before standing up, although she kept her eyes on the ground.
"As you wish." She said simply.
"What brings you here?" Kanae asked to break the silence.
"I have to go do a few things in town and I was wondering if Kanao would like to come with me."
The Tsuyuri looked back up, her eyes wide in surprise.
"What do you say?" He smiled and waited for an answer.
Kanae and Shinobu did the same and, eventually.
"…if… if you're fine with me." She said.
"Of course!" The Kamado assured her. "We have to go in around twenty minutes, is that enough time for you to get ready?"
"Um, yes, I believe it is."
"Great! Please meet me at the East gate, I'll see you there." And with that, Tanjiro turned around and left.
Fifteen minutes later, East Gate.
Tanjiro stood next to the gate, waiting for Kanao to arrive so they can go.
"I apologize for making you wait." He turned around and saw her walking a bit too fast towards him, her armor replaced with a lighter model of gray color and a white cloak over it, her hair was still in a side ponytail and a sword was resting at her waist.
"Not at all, you're actually earlier than I expected." Tanjiro assured her. "Shall we go?"
"Yes."
The two turned towards the gate and began to walk out.
The Sun Kingdom is not that large, most of its territory consists of the one town where the royal family resides with fields making up the rest of the territory; said town, though, was very lively.
People could be seen walking around almost everywhere, some attending to their jobs while others spent time with friends.
"Oh, good morning Your Highness."
"Good morning!"
And almost all of them stopped to greet Tanjiro in some way, the Kamado happily returning the greetings.
"What do we have to do in the town?" Kanao asked once they reached a relatively low populated area where they could talk without someone suddenly greeting the Prince.
"Well, let's see…" The Kamado trailed off and began to count with his fingers. "I have to go check an order for weapons we had prepared, then pick up some sweets I promised my siblings, then make sure the workers repairing the town have the materials needed, and get more ready in case they don't; that's what I remember at the top of my head but I have the list with me." He palmed his breast pocket. "Thanks for coming with me."
"Don't mention it." Kanao replied simply. 'I had almost forgotten how many… I guess 'tasks' would be the words, he does despite being a Prince.'
The red haired man is strange routine for someone of his status was the best chance for an assassin to move in and kill him, she would know, it's what she was going to do at first, the fact that he never brings any bodyguards with him made it-
The Tsuyuri's eyes suddenly widened, something that the Kamado didn't notice since she was walking behind him.
'Of course, there was an attempt on his life not that long ago, that's why he is bringing me with him when he usually goes alone.' A strange feeling appeared on her chest, one that she couldn't quite place but she shrugged it off. 'I asked His Highness to allow me to protect him.' Nodding to herself, she began to watch her surroundings; she was already paying attention out of habit but now she was actively making sure there was no one that wanted to attempt something against the scion of the Kamado family.
Kanao wondered if this is what 'feeling silly' means.
After she realized what she was here for, she had begun to ensure people with anything resembling a weapon kept a certain distance from Tanjiro; it was particularly awkward when they met with the blacksmith that the Kamado had mentioned and she made sure that he didn't get closer than ten feet, prompting strange looks from both him and Tanjiro.
When he asked what she was doing, the Tsuyuri didn't have a good answer, as socially awkward as she is due to her upbringing, even she realizes that the way she acted was strange; especially since in her prior investigation she had discovered that this blacksmith has been under the employ of the Kamado family for many years, even if someone tried to bribe him, there was no way they could pay enough to make it worth betraying them.
.
'I wonder what that was about.' The Kamado wondered, carrying three bags while Kanao was carrying another three.
After they left the blacksmith, the two began to walk back to the castle.
Activity in the town was dying down since it was getting late, the sun about to disappear in the horizon to give way to the night.
'Guess I won't know unless I ask.'
As they walked through an alley, Tanjiro turned his head to ask her what happened back then when his nose caught a scent.
Not a moment later, three robbed figures appeared, one behind Kanao and two in front of Tanjiro making them drop the bags.
The black haired woman quickly unsheathed her blade and spun around, blocking a strike from the figure's short sword.
"The boss says hello." He, judging by the voice, said flashing a crazed grin.
Kanao felt her body shiver at the words, she should have expected this, there was no way the boss would just let her leave like that but then realized that, if she was the objective, then these three would have waited until she was alone.
"Your Highness!" She called out, pushing the man back and then trying to go to Tanjiro but the man quickly recovered and forced her to block another strike.
.
Tanjiro saw the two men approaching, daggers at the ready.
'The one on the left will get to me first.' Taking a deep breath, he unsheathed his sword and parried the first assailant's weapon upwards, the momentum sending him backwards, tumbling slightly.
Knowing that he is still in danger, he side-stepped the second one is attempt at stabbing him and then brought down his sword to his wrist, hitting it with the flat of his weapon with enough force to shatter it, making him let go of the weapon and fall to the ground in pain.
The other assassin had barely recovered his footing when the Prince rushed him, holding his sword with only his right hand he used the left to grab the arm that was holding the dagger and then head-butt him as hard as possible, making them fall unconscious.
"Kanao!" He turned around and saw that the black haired woman had already managed to bring the third assassin to his knees, a hand clutching the place where his right hand used to be.
"Your Highness, are you al…" She trailed off when she saw the other two assassins, one unconscious and the other clutching his wrist in pain.
"I'm alright, how about you? Any wounds?" He walked to her, sword still at the ready, and looked her up and down. "Good, doesn't look like you're injured."
"Kehehe." The man that Kanao was fighting chuckled, although he was clearly in pain. "The boss couldn't believe it when rumors of you disobeying orders came in but I guess it's true."
"…" The Tsuyuri stayed silent and averted her eyes.
"Where is this boss of yours?" Tanjiro asked, making sure to keep the other two assassins' location in mind.
"Hah! Sorry, in our organization, we don't babble." He flicked his remaining wrist and three throwing knives appeared.
Tanjiro and Kanao immediately raised their guards and prepared to block but there was no need.
The two daggers went past him and into the head and chest of the other two assailants.
"Stop!" Tanjiro yelled but the third one stabbed himself with the remaining knife, his body convulsing for a few seconds before going still.
"…it's poison, they're already dead." Kanao said; she didn't need to check to know that.
Letting out a sigh, the Kamado sheathed his sword.
"Let's call this in and go back." He said with a sad look before bringing two fingers to his mouth and whistling.
A crow soon appeared at his location and Tanjiro told it what had happened before it flew off to relay the information.
After the guards came to clean the crime scene, Tanjiro and Kanao finished making their way back to the castle with bags in hand.
Tanjiro had been talking while they were in the town but now he was quiet, a downcast look on his face.
"Are you alright, your Highness?" Kanao asked quietly after a while.
"I'll be fine, I just don't like to see people die." He answered. "Thank you for your concern." His smile was small but it was still genuine.
"…may I ask you a question?"
"What is it?"
"If you are skilled enough to protect yourself, why did you ask me to come?"
The Kamado stopped on his tracks and turned to her, confusion clear in his expression.
"What do you mean?"
"You just had an attempt on your life less than a week ago so I understand that you asked me to come with you so I could protect you but I'm not sure if it was necessary from what I saw."
"What…?" Tanjiro trailed off, still confused. "That wasn't the reason I asked you to come with me."
"It… wasn't?" This time, Kanao looked confused at him. "Then why?"
"From what you told me, I thought you probably didn't have many chances to just walk around town so I wanted to give you one." He answered. "Besides, I wanted to get to know you a bit better, I've invited every new knight or worker that comes to the castle so we can talk… oh, so that's why you were acting so strange." The red haired man suddenly said as if he just had an epiphany.
"Well… yes." The Tsuyuri admitted.
"Hehe, I appreciate it; thank you for protecting me." Tanjiro chuckled.
"It was nothing… from what I saw, you could have probably taken care of that assassin from a week ago on your own."
"Maybe, but you definitely saved me."
"If you were able to-"
"Who knows if I was?" The Prince interjected calmly. "I think I could have taken care of that assassin, yes, but that doesn't change the fact that you jumped in and saved me; who knows if he could have gotten a lucky hit or something like that?"
He stopped walking and turned around so they were face to face.
"I really appreciate that you protected me, Kanao." The red haired man smiled widely. "And I had a lot of fun today, I usually do these tasks on my own so having you here really helped." He looked her in the eye before asking. "Would you like to come with me to town next time?"
Kanao's eyes widened again before, for the first time she can remember, her lips curved upwards into a smile.
"Yes!"
"Great!" Tanjiro said back with his own smile before they continued walking, Kanao, while still behind him, moving considerably closer.
'She has a beautiful smile.' The Prince couldn't help but think, a blush appearing on his face.