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Kamado Tanjirou was seated on top of a foreign hillside, basking in the warmth that caressed his skin in the evening sunset. He watched the exquisite scenery that lay before him. As the sun slowly dipped below the horizon, it illuminated the forest leaves into a golden orange and rays of the falling sun shone behind the many trees and mountains. Skies were turning blue and the breeze blew across his face, carrying Tanjirou's now long crimson locks along with it.
A lopsided smile formed on his face, both self deprecating and nostalgic, as he reached his left hand up into the dusk sky, slightly tilting it. The many scars of his previous battle were invisible since his hand was an almost-pitch black among the setting sun and he could only make out his black ring, secured tightly on his fourth finger. Tanjirou sighed, letting out a breath he did not realise he was holding. He observed the round ring that gripped tightly around his finger, keeping some of the warmth that the now biting cold of the night had stolen.
"How chilling," mumbled Tanjirou, smiling wistfully. "Are you able to witness the melting warm colours of the sun now, Muzan-sama?"
Muzan.
That name never failed to spark feelings of joy, anger, trepidation and most of all, a choking desolation he only experienced another time when he lost his dear family. He recalled the elation he felt whenever he saw his master's (or lover's) lips curl up little by little, the irrepressible pleasure of every trace of his finger on his skin and every fond memory that they shared. Then, he recalled the extreme hatred and fury which grew rapidly the moment he had gained his memories back about Muzan murdering his family, seizing what was most dear to him only to replace it with himself? How dare he? How fucking disgusting. How fucking cruel. A killer.
He hated him, but he loved him so much more.
Tanjirou always watched from afar how Muzan longed for the sun. The many times he opened the window with quivering hands, reaching them out with hopeful red eyes begging the sun for mercy. However, the sun was always searing with heat, forever unforgiving. Tanjirou's heart always broke for Muzan whenever he would swiftly retract his arm before it got burnt to a crisp again and again.
Tanjirou imitated the action he remembered, retracting his hand from the night sky and pulling it close to his chest, feeling the aching of his heart. As worried as he was at that time for Muzan, he never understood why he was so desperate to see the sun again.
"Muzan-sama.. You radiate as much warmth as the sun."
He remembered blurting out those exact words to Muzan and how his master's expression morphed into one he had never seen on his face before. His eyebrows slightly raised and eyes teary with gratitude, before he embraced Tanjirou and told him three words that he would hold for the rest of his life. This was as sincere as Tanjirou could get — Which was in fact, quite an extreme range. When the sky bled into navy hues and nightfall was upon them, Muzan always replaced the warm feeling the sun gave him. With the many gestures of affection he always received, the many nights they had spent together, it filled Tanjirou with a comforting warmth no one else could bring. He clasped his other hand around his ring, blinking away the tears that threatened to spill at any moment.
"You really did love him, didn't you?"
Surprised, Tanjirou snapped his head back to where the gentle voice had came from. As he had predicted, there stood a young girl with soft violet eyes and a sympathetic smile plastered on her face. Her hair hung loosely over her shoulders and down her back since she had chosen to let it down after retiring as a demon slayer, with two butterfly ornaments fastened neatly on each side of her head. The Insect Pillar successor's hands were behind her back as she looked right back at Tanjirou, hair swaying in the wind.
"Ah, Kanao-san," greeted Tanjirou, shifting his gaze as he was startled out of his musing.
She nodded in return, slowly settling beside him as the grass rustled leisurely in the wind. Kanao's eyes were already lost in the navy blue sky, in the sea of brightly lit stars becoming more visible by the minute. The former Breath Of Flower user inhaled the relieving smell of nature and earth that the trees below the hills brought her, before releasing it and letting out a deep sigh. How refreshing.
"Does the night sky evoke something?" questioned Kanao, rotating her head to face Tanjirou, who was already looking at her. "You seem quite conflicted."
"Yes," Tanjirou admitted. "It really, really does."
Silence ensued after that and sounds of the lively crickets filled the air. Kanao could see through him, the frustration that was building up inside him as he spoke. Her sharp eye easily picked up how he constantly furrowed his brows as he tried to rationalise his thoughts. Not only was he angry, but hurt. Even without an enchanced hearing, she could sense the hurt in his voice and if she was to say she was not bothered by it, that would have been a complete lie.
"I understand," Kanao smiled, amused at Tanjirou's confusion as he raised an eyebrow at her. "I've once experienced heartbreak before."
"..How unlikely," Tanjirou muttered, before his eyes widened at what he just said. "Wait! I mean- I never thought of you as a person who would fall in.."
Kanao sniggered at his embarrassment, before shaking her head to tell him that it was okay. Tanjirou's face still burnt with a crimson red that it almost blended in with his eyes. Grinning, she shifted her gaze down as she fidgeting with her fingers. Tanjirou could smell the slight scent of melancholy that snaked around her, and he could not help but wonder.
"I knew a boy with an undying kindness and brave heart," she started. "Everyone could easily pick it up. He looked so kind, was so kind, he ignited a fire in me that had been resting in the dark for way too long."
She took a glance at Tanjirou, and continued.
"He was once bright, bubbly and especially ambitious. He put everything into his one goal," beamed Kanao, looking up at the star-scattered sky. "I remember this one summer afternoon, he instilled in me this newfound spirit and I decided something on my own free will for the first time."
She reminisced the times she had as a young teenager, jabbering excitedly about the many encounters with this boy. Tanjirou had never seen her giggle so much as her face went bright red. He remained quiet, eager to listen to her as she recounted her past experiences. She mentioned that they had even fought side by side once and trained together! It aroused his curiosity even more. Was this man a fellow demon slayer?
However, she suddenly went silent. Tanjirou surveyed her, spotting the slight frown that had formed on her face. She opened her mouth after a short while and her voice had gone thin, as if it could shatter at any time if he was not careful with his words.
"One day, I-It just all stopped." Kanao stuttered, trying to keep her composure. "He never talked much to his friends anymore. He never dreamed anymore. The spirit in him disintegrated into ashes because of his own significant other."
She said those last two words with such hatred and disgust that he could sense the aversion in her voice. One tear rolled down her right cheek and along her structured face. She quickly wiped it away, resuming.
"But, I realised that day that sometimes, something you long for can be so far away. You can stretch your hand as far as you want but you will never reach it. Especially so with feelings."
Kanao took Tanjirou's left hand and placed it on her heart.
"Still, you may have a fragment of what they left behind, just like your ring given by him, and for me, my own free will. And that's already enough. "
Tanjirou's eyes stared at her, completely at a loss for words. Tears were teetering on the edge of spilling but he held them in his crimson eyes. When did she become such a conversationalist? Was it to make up for her silent years? He had been so pessimistic, mulling at his own misfortunes and had never looked at it in the way that Kanao just showed to him. He promptly leant closer to Kanao, embracing her in a warm hug.
"You must've felt so horrible seeing the one you love hurt so much," murmured Tanjiro. "Thank you, Kanao. Thank you for showing me this perspective and being so strong."
Kanao raised an eyebrow, but returned the hug soon after. She had said it herself. That was enough, and it will forever be enough for her. She breathed in Tanjirou's scent, and even without a sharp nose, he smelled of burnt charcoal that resembled his mournful state. It saddened Kanao, but she did not bother to say a word about it. Content gradually filled her heart and she melted into the hug.
Tanjirou felt her rest her head on his shoulder and all he could wonder was how tired she must have been. Mentally. Physically. Fighting for her sisters, fighting for her friends and fighting for her loved one only for those attempts to be completely futile.
"I wonder, did Muzan.." Kanao gulped, numbed with the bitter taste that formed in her mouth. She slipped out of the hug, returning to her previous position. "..have any plans for marriage?"
Tanjirou's eyes shifted to his pitch black ring, admiring it in all its failed glory. The youngest Kocho sister tilted her head, awaiting his response.
"Yes, yes he did," mumbled Tanjirou, eyes skimming over the skies and the grass and everywhere. "He wanted us to live quietly after he annihilated the demon hunters. Man, I should have known better to reject that offer."
A knowing smile formed on Kanao's face.
“No,” Kanao replied. "You would have agreed either way because you loved him."
Tanjirou shot his head at her, his jaw dropping slightly in surprise at her meticulous eye for attention. He shook his head, a small chuckle escaping his lips as he admired his ring.
"You really know me well, Kanao-san."
A comfortable silence ensued between them. Kanao's eyes shifted back and forth from Tanjirou to the teeming stars across the sky and Tanjirou's gaze was fixated on the crescent moon that rose in the midst of their conversation. The world was quiet and their grievances faded with the gentle breeze. All they could hear was the rustling of the grass and the steady, deep constant breathing of each other that they had mastered from their years of training.
This was enough, was it not?