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"Excuse me!"
The old woman straightened up on the paddy field, shielding her eyes as she squinted up at the road. There was a boy there, but the sun was shining too brightly to properly see; she placed a hand below the line of her eyebrows to be able to study him.
"I'm sorry to bother you! Do you perhaps have a spare umbrella that we can buy off from you?"
The boy was smiling politely, and his tone was even and warm. She looked him up and down, and felt her heart sink at the sight of the scar on the young boy’s forehead. Such scarring was sure to intimidate the young ladies, despite that charming smile. Stuck to the scarred boy's hip stood another boy, a wary expression on his face. He was clutching the chequered haori of the other as one would cling to their big brother. Though, what captured the woman's attention most was his bright blond hair. This was truly an odd pair of kids!
The old woman's face didn't change in the slightest during her thought process. She just furrowed her brows. "Hmmm, there should be an old umbrella somewhere that I can give away. But there's no need to pay for it, children. I was about to throw it away, anyway."
The scarred boy's lips curled into a radiant smile, but he was already reaching for the pocket of his black uniform as he walked closer to her. "We're very thankful! Please accept this amount, at least, since we're taking it with us, and most likely won't return."
He handed a couple of coins to her despite the furious tugging on his haori by the blond boy, which went perfectly ignored by him. Her brows shot up on her wrinkled forehead. Accepting the coins, it seemed to be the price of a brand-new umbrella. She hoped these kids weren’t just playing an ugly prank on her.
On the road behind the boys, suddenly came a monotonous thumping noise. Its volume gradually grew. She tilted her head to see, and almost fainted in the middle of the paddy field.
A wild boar, sitting on top of a muscled boy's body was rushing straight in their direction!
Her legs buckled, almost completely losing all their strength and her horrid fear must have been displayed on her face because the scarred boy whipped his head in the direction of the beast and then back at her.
"No, no, he's with us! That's just a mask. We're, ugh, hunters. We hunt for wild animals!" This polite boy was suddenly making such an ugly face, cheeks puffed up and eyes rolled backward, that her fear was replaced by utter confusion. The blond boy was nodding his head on his side.
"He doesn't have manners and acts like a beast since he grew up in the wilderness. Don't mind his savagery." The scarred boy elbowed him, expression returning to normal. The blond yelped in a high-pitched voice, muttering something about a bias as he rubbed his arm up and down.
The boar-boy-beast reached hearing distance, and holding something dark in his hands, yelled in a rough voice, "Kentarou! Look what I've caught!"
They all turned to see, and in the hold of the savage was a dark blue bird the size of a rooster, its round eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets in shock. It laid in an obedient posture, but its feathers were ruffled to their uttermost, making it seem even bigger and exotic.
"You can cook it!" The blond scurried away from him, cursing under his breath, but the young boy called Kentarou only made a pleasantly surprised sound. He was quick to offer a gentle smile, reaching to pat the head of the boar delightfully when he stopped next to him in a cloud of dust.
"Good job, Inosuke! It must have been hard to catch."
Inosuke, as previously called, giggled manically, jumping up and down on his feet like some overexcited animal. "Of course not, it was the easiest thing to do!"
"Incredible, Inosuke!"
“None of you would be able to do it after me! I provide for the team!”
“We can cook a delicious meal from it! We’re thankful, Inosuke.”
The blond face-palmed himself loudly, but the two boys didn't seem to acknowledge him as one cheered on the other. Inosuke huffed like he just ran a marathon, and trying to brush off how pleased he was feeling with the praises he received, looked around. He only just noticed the perplexed old woman. "What are you doing? Are we robbing her?"
There came the sound of another facepalm. "Don’t talk like that! We've just bought an umbrella, you moron!"
"Umbrella? What's that for? Where is it?"
The old woman swallowed, raising her trembling fingers to point in the direction of her house. "It should be probed up by the wall."
Inosuke cackled inhumanely, and the peasant’s bones shook with his voice. "I'll go get it for you!”
Before disappearing ahead on the road, he shoved the bird into the arms of the blond. He started screaming in terror, almost dropping the animal which began to cry in an unpleasant, shrill voice. Kentarou attempted to soothe him, quickly grabbing the bird from his hands and yelling after the boar masked, "It's a stick around the length of an arm, Inosuke!"
Then he turned to the farmer, bowing deeply. "We apologize for bothering you. Thank you for your kindness, I hope you'll have a pleasant day!"
The blond bowed too, though not as deeply, big tears running down his cheeks as he did so. They hurried after the boar masked, he only just slacking after the other, while wailing pathetically, “Tanjirou! He’s killing me! I almost got a heart attack! Do something, don’t encourage him! Don’t laugh!!!”
The farmer craned her neck after them for a long time, bewildered. She only just noticed the swords on their hip, and the big wooden box on Kentarou's (Tanjirou's?) back, jumping up and down as they ran.
She wondered briefly if she should have warned them about the approaching storm, but they soon completely disappeared from sight.
Tanjirou admired the red oil-paper umbrella, trailing his finger on the wooden hilt. As he opened and rotated it in his hands, the sunshine bore through the ragged paper in the form of pinkish light and escaped in white through thousands of tiny punctures. Inosuke seemed just as impressed as Tanjirou did, watching it with fixation through the eyes of the boar hide.
Zenitsu scoffed.
“Why did you pay for it? She was willing to give it to you free, and look at it! No sane person would pay a single yen for something like that.” Zenitsu was sulking, his previous tears already long dried on his skin as a result of the distance they've covered.
There was still a long road ahead of them. The demon of their mission was waiting for them on the other side of the mountain, in a tiny, nameless village. The forest around the mountain, Tanjirou's crow have warned them, was said to be a place where unfortunate things kept happening and were better to avoid. Despite the warning words, Tanjirou didn’t like wasting time, and Inosuke was fond of mountains so they were originally planning to cross it. But, Zenitsu successfully convinced them otherwise (begged, for hours). In the end, they’ve agreed to follow the road. It may take more time, Zenitsu said, but at least we get to slay the demon alive. Don’t you think that’s reasonable, Tanjirou?!
Tanjirou hummed, holding the umbrella above their heads. Inosuke and Tanjirou walked side by side under it as Zenitsu refused to join them.
“I think it’s pretty. I’m sure there’s a method which with the holes can be mended.”
“Why close them?” Inosuke cut in. “It’s prettier like that!”
Zenitsu snorted. “It destroys its purpose. It’s used against rain.”
“I don’t need that. I have this.” Inosuke stopped to strike a pose, tugging on the ears of the boar hide proudly and flexing his arms. Tanjirou halted too, waiting for him. Zenitsu rolled his eyes.
“I honestly don’t think that’s pretty convenient.”
“A weakling like you could never pull it off anyway.”
Zenitsu’s cheeks reddened. “I would never put something gross like that on my head! I wouldn’t even touch it! I wouldn’t even touch it with the tip of my fingers even if I had to die!”
Inosuke growled, yanking off his mask. Zenitsu, immediately beginning to back off, started screaming. “Nooo! Don’t you dare! Tanjirou!”
Tanjirou laughed, offering a placatory smile to Inosuke. “I think it’s nice padding. You should teach me how to do taxidermy, once we'll have some time.” Tanjirou, even though he gave his smiles easily, always meant them. Inosuke’s exposed face flushed.
“Of course, Boss Inosuke could teach many things to you,” he said almost offhandedly. His arms were crossed before his narrow chest, head slightly turned away. The oil-paper cast pale freckles of light on his skin, dancing across his bulging muscles. Tanjirou watched his eyelashes flutter, mesmerized before he caught himself and turned away.
“I-I would love to teach you things myself if you think that’s an acceptable repayment.”
That caught Inosuke’s interest. “Like what? Something cool? Ah! The secret behind your rock-hard forehead?!”
“I don’t think I can teach you that,” laughed Tanjirou.
Inosuke clicked his tongue, stuffing back the boar hide on his head. “You have to think of a good way to repay me, though!”
“I will, I will.”
Zenitsu gasped, suddenly stopping in his tracks and beaming at Tanjirou. “What do you need the umbrella for? Do you perhaps want to give it to Nezuko?”
Tanjirou hummed thoughtfully.
“That’s a really good idea if I understand what you’re thinking of, but I'm afraid it may be a little too risky. Though, we could buy some material in the city and put something like a drape over it...” Zenitsu giggled excitedly, probably picturing Nezuko under the sun. Tanjirou regarded him with a sad smile tugging on his lips. Nezuko was sleeping soundly in the darkness of her box. She was still exhausted from their previous fight, and haven't much woken in the past days. Tanjirou tried not to worry beyond measure.
“Then, do you smell rain?” Inosuke asked.
Tanjirou nodded. "I’ve been smelling it since this morning, truth be told. Since we will already take a long time on our journey, I thought it would be better if we weren't forced to take breaks. I’m afraid it may not protect us much, though...”
Tanjirou tilted the umbrella, and they peered at the clear and bright blue sky. Only its edges were tinted with the whites of innocent clouds.
Inosuke scoffed. “Who needs a break because of some stupid water?”
When evening rolled around, there came a blast of savage wind, roaring like a beast roused from its slumber. The trees crackled around them dangerously, bending and swaying like they weren’t truly connected to the ground.
Tanjirou halted his step and dug his heels into the dry soil of the road. The blue bird broke free from his hold, flying up in a hysterical cloud of feathers.
The hair was flouncing around Tanjirou’s face, almost blinding him. Zenitsu was a little lower on the road, holding the sleeves of his haori up before his face to shield it from the dirt that the wind has suddenly snatched up.
“What the hell...!"
“The storm is here!”
“Storm?! Didn’t you say rain?!”
They shut their eyes as a new gust of wind almost stole the ground from under their legs. It carried a weird, spicy scent. It was weirdly familiar, a little like... Zenitsu. Tanjirou’s eyes snapped open when he realized what it was. Electricity.
Tanjirou whipped his head arpund, looking for their loudest companion. Cold licked up on Tanjirou’s spine when he couldn’t find him anywhere. “Where’s Inosuke?!”
Panic seeped from his voice.
The first drops of rain already hit their backs. Tanjirou glanced behind himself just in time to catch a thunder roll above the foothills. It ran through the sky like an enormous cobweb, and the sight chilled him to the bone. The roar that followed got Zenitsu clinging to his ears with both hands; he made a pained sound.
Looking up, the sky above them was gradually turning purple-blackish.
“Isn’t it coming too quickly?” yelled Zenitsu. “Did we anger the gods somehow?! Are they coming for me?! Wasn’t it enough to strike me once?! Tanjirou! Don’t leave me behind!”
Tanjirou was already farther up on the road but halted in his steps to wait for Zenitsu, whose face was once again wet and blotchy with tears. Tanjirou’s voice was almost lost in the high wind of the growing storm.
“Try to cling onto my haori and don't let go! We need to find Inosuke!”
Zenitsu smashed onto his side, but then remained and held on to his clothes for dear life. He brought his other hand upon Nezuko’s box to support it against the wind.
It knocked onto their side in new and stronger waves, pushing them closer to the line of the woods. They needed to focus on every step they took to proceed, and began walking up slowly on the road. Tanjirou had suspected that Inosuke went ahead, but why did he just disappear into thin air?! Why didn’t he say anything?!
Zenitsu, probably hearing the erratic beating of his heart, scoffed. “That dumbass always runs around like a rabid dog. Don’t worry about him!"
“He didn’t say anything! What if something happened–”
When Inosuke appeared ahead of them on the road, they both groaned with relief. His boar head was swaying on his head as he dashed towards them, and was yelling like a madman, his rough voice and cackling piercing through the wind in fractions. He was enjoying the situation, judging from the way he waved towards them with both of his blades held up.
“Isn’t this crazy?! Isn’t this crazy?! It’s roaring like an angry beast!!”
“Inosuke...!! Put away your swords!”
“I’m gonna fight—”
A new gust of cold wind almost blew them over, and Tanjirou was unable to look ahead or hear what he was saying. Zenitsu’s grip was painful on his arm. When it has passed, Zenitsu whispered ahead of himself with a terrified expression.
“Did he just say he’s gonna fight the storm...?”
They whipped their heads up in sync. Inosuke was crouching, holding onto both of his blades. It seemed he pitched them into the road to keep himself on the ground. He was almost snatched up.
With the wind almost diminished, the rain began falling harder, ramming them painfully. Zenitsu almost toppled over, pulling Tanjirou with himself.
He yelped. “Something hit my head...!”
Tanjirou glanced up. The sky was angry purple, and waves of heavy, dark clouds furled in the middle like giant snakes. He witnessed as thousands of tiny white dots darted towards them as if the whole world suddenly slowed down. Hailstones, he realized. Tanjirou immediately brought up his hands to protect the top of Zenitsu’s head. If it hits a bad place, the injury could be fatal.
“Inosuke! Go into the woods! The woods! Do you hear me?!”
Tanjirou pulled Zenitsu with himself, signaling with his free hand for Inosuke to move. The boy stood still for a painfully long moment in the middle of the road. Tanjirou watched helplessly as thousands of ice stones hit his exposed skin before he finally followed Tanjirou's order. He yanked out his blades from the wet ground and rushed towards the forest.
Behind them, the sky exploded in the colors of a feverish storm.
The situation was not much better amongst the trees.
The long branches did shield them from the worst of the hail, but some still found their way through them. Tanjirou hissed when one hailstone fell directly on the delicate skin of his neck.
Zenitsu was trembling by Tanjirou’s side. “My head hurts...!”
“We’ll find shelter in a minute, let me look at your head.” Tanjirou quickly skimmed over his skull with his fingers but felt nothing yet. He supposed the spots that were hit will grow twice their size in an hour, but won't show just yet. “Can you walk? Let’s find Inosuke!”
Zenitsu nodded, collecting himself apace.
They ran as fast as they could, their velocity slowed by knobby roots and the grabby underbrush. The ground was uneven and soft, and their sandals sank into it with every step they’ve taken. After being slapped in the face with a branch, Zenitsu exclaimed, “Where is that idiot boar?!”
Light flashed, followed by a boom. Tanjirou felt the land vibrate under his legs, the taste of voltage on his tongue. Lightning struck somewhere near.
Zenitsu, his sensitive ears especially tormented, wailed pathetically. “Did something catch on fire?! It’s over for us if a forest fire starts!!”
“I don’t smell fire!” Tanjirou said. In truth, his nose smelled so many things he wasn’t sure of anything.
Yanking away hanging moss, he finally caught sight of Inosuke. He was a couple of trees away, crouching on the ground. Tanjirou’s heart swelled from relief, tears filling his eyes as he stumbled forward.
“Inosuke!”
He raised his head, barking happily. “Did you hear that blast?! It was incredibly loud! I thought Zenitsu might have been struck!”
Zenitsu yelped indignantly in between two gasps. Tanjirou ran up to Inosuke, brows furrowed. Leaves and dirt stuck to every part of his body from the rain, and Tanjirou saw the redness of little cuts all over his skin, but he seemed fine. Then...
“Why are you crouching on the ground...?”
Inosuke immediately jumped to his feet, huffing like the question insulted him. “I just tripped in some branch. I’m not injured!” Tanjirou observed him closely. Inosuke was nearly as bad at lying and keeping secrets as him. He gasped when he caught sight of the source of the wrongness; Inosuke’s right ankle was swollen twice its size!
“Don’t lie! What happened?!”
“I told you, I fell! But it’s nothing! I can still run faster than you!”
Tanjirou shook his head firmly, his brown hair flouncing around his face. “You absolutely can’t put weight on that. Wait a minute.”
The storm was still rampaging around them, but Tanjirou appeared deadly calm as he slipped off the wooden box from his shoulders and turned to Zenitsu. The other boy watched him with a mix of bafflement and curiosity. “Why are you taking it off? Are you letting Nezuko-chan out?”
“She didn’t give sign of being awake. Could you perhaps carry her? I wouldn’t entrust her to just anyone.”
Zenitsu’s entire face lit up as he screeched happily, shouting over the roars of the storm. “Tanjirou! Just a moment ago, it sounded like you were offering me her hand! Could it be?! Am I dreaming?!”
“That’s not something I can do, stupid! Don’t waste time!” Zenitsu took over the box in a daze, still mumbling something incoherent. Tanjirou crouched in front of Inosuke.
“Climb up!”
“Hahh?! I told you I can walk, Gengoro!! Don’t think I–” A single glance over Tanjirou's shoulder was enough to completely silence Inosuke. After only a second of hesitation, he climbed up without a word and held into Tanjirou’s upper body with both hands. He did not look at either of them.
Waking from his trance-like state, Zenitsu wanted to comment on Inosuke’s sudden obedience, but as his ankle came into view, he pulled up his nose. “That’s too ugly!”
Tanjirou nudged Inosuke a little higher on his back. “You’ve spent more time here than we did. Did you perhaps see a place where we could take shelter?”
Inosuke grunted. “There should be some rocks higher up. We could look there.”
“Very good. Let’s go!”
The breaks were longer in between every thunder by now. The hailstones have mostly ceased and were replaced by heavy rain. It was bucketing down richly and with similar vigor, as if the land had been arid for years and was now determined to swallow everything the sky could offer. Tanjirou’s damp hair stuck to his forehead, and sweat ran on his body. He was starting to feel extremely cold.
He could feel how chilled and wet Inosuke’s body was too, flushed against him. He was a pleasant weight, overall. It felt right to have him so close by, feel strong legs in his hands, a muscled chest against his back, and a low voice in his ears. He was careful not to run too close to the trees, afraid of further injuring his dangling leg.
With Inosuke’s instructions, they’ve easily found the craggy slope close to the leg of the mountain. It was shallow but steep, sloppy greenery twisting alongside the lumpy stone surface.
Tanjirou’s brows creased, and he yelled for Zenitsu. “Help me look for a nook!”
They separated; Tanjirou searched the right side and Zenitsu went left. The ground was even more uneven here and his sandals kept slipping on the wet surface of the gravel. By the time Zenitsu shouted that he found something, his legs have twisted several times and he would have fallen if not for Inosuke putting his weight to the right direction every time, keeping him balanced out.
To where Zenitsu has called them over, an obscure hole carved into the stone. It seemed low but wide enough for a person to fit through. As far as Tanjirou could see it, it continued in a long, pitch-black tunnel.
Zenitsu stood by the side, his expression crossed with worry. “Don’t you think some animal dwells there?”
“Then we can eat it,” Inosuke grunted, cracking up Tanjirou. His laughter ended in coughs.
“W-we do have swords, Zenitsu. Also, I don’t think we could find anything better than this at the moment, and bears wouldn't fit in there.” Zenitsu whined at the mention of bears, but Tanjirou has already crouched down. Inosuke didn’t utter a word as he climbed off, careful not to land on his injured leg. Tanjirou only glanced at him from the corner of his eye, aware of his unusual silence.
“I’ll go in first,” Tanjirou said, and no one seemed to be in the mood to argue with him. Zenitsu was nodding feverishly and Inosuke remained silent. Tanjirou climbed in and inclined with his hand to follow.
The interior of the tunnel was low and progressing was tough, but Tanjirou pushed forward, not bothering to acknowledge the chunks that stood out of the walls and caught on his skin. If his nose was right, the tunnel should heighten soon and they’ll be able to stretch out their limbs, maybe even find a dry spot to sleep on. Tanjirou felt miserable about probably not being able to properly take care of his friends' injuries in the dark.
“Uh, it’s even wetter in here...” Zenitsu mumbled from behind Nezuko’s box which he was pushing in front of himself. Inosuke was in the middle, buried in silence still. Tanjirou hoped they could get out soon and he could look him over. “You sure you’re not leading us towards some cave lake?”
Tanjirou hummed, contemplating. “I hope not. I’ll be careful.”
“That doesn’t make me feel better! What if you slip in the dark?! What if we all slip and drown? I can’t die just yet! How am I gonna marry Nezuko? Tanjirou, can Nezuko swim?”
Suddenly, his face crashed into her box, which was unable to progress forward from Inosuke’s legs.
“Huh? Why did we stop?”
“I see some weird light ahead...” Tanjirou whispered, his voice wary.
Zenitsu yelped, then plastered his hands to his mouth. He began whining through them, his fingers barely doing anything to decrease the volume. “Did we run into some demon cave?! Tanjirou, tell me you’re joking!”
Tanjirou was silent for a moment. At last, he sighed. “You guys stay here. I’m gonna check out what it is, and I’m going to come back for you, alright?”
Zenitsu began wheezing, the stress too much for him. Both Inosuke and Tanjirou could easily picture his crying face, snot running from his nose. “Tanjirou is too kind, sacrificing himself for us!”
Inosuke snorted. “It’s not a sacrifice, stupid. He isn’t that easy to defeat.”
Tanjirou regained some of his composure from finally hearing Inosuke speak in his rough voice again, and smiled. “Thank you for believing in me, Inosuke. Can you take care of Zenitsu and Nezuko while I’m away?”
“Easy,” Inosuke said. “Hurry back.”
“I will,” he said, and began crawling forward, following the glowing light ahead of him.
Tanjirou has never seen light like this. The closer he got, the stronger the light’s unnatural blue tint became. Was it blood demon art? Was it some kind of illusion? He was taking deep breaths, sure to carefully savor the taste, but the scent didn’t change. If he could believe his nose, they were the only living beings inside the cave.
Stopping in his tracks, he stared ahead of himself. There was enough light now that he could see that this was the end of the tunnel. Farer, it became wider and the glowing increased, painting the rocks in a shade of light blue. He put a hand on the hilt of his sword, slowly advancing towards the end.
Just a little more. His heart was drumming loudly in his chest.
He stopped at the very edge and gathered the courage to peek over. His breath caught in his throat when he saw what was inside.
The source of the light was the ceiling of the cave; all over it was glowing in a blue, alien color. Whatever was emitting it, it hung down in the form of a strange plant with plump leaves which illuminated the entire interior. Tanjirou was mesmerized by the sight.
Slowly, he pushed himself over the edge of the tunnel and ended with both feet on the wet ground of the cave. He needed to jump a little, but he would be able to help his friends down safely. He studied the glowing plants, but he knew they were too far up to reach. They were truly beautiful; their color reminded him of the tips of Inosuke’s hair.
“Zenitsu! Inosuke! You come now, it’s safe!”
He could hear Inosuke's excited bellow and Zenitsu's indignant cry. “Don’t leave me behind, you stupid boar!”
In no time Inosuke reached the edge and peeking over with the boar mask still on his head. His voice was shaky as he said, “No way...!”
Zenitsu was behind him, trying and failing to see forward. “What do you see? What is it, Tanjirou?”
Inosuke answered instead of him, his previous weird mood seemingly completely gone. He cackled as he always did, in his own, ominous but adorable way. “It appears that we’re in the stomach of a mountain deity, yellow-head!”
“Huh?!”
Tanjirou chuckled. “It’s alright, Zenitsu. Come, Inosuke, I’ll catch you.”
Inosike was hesitating which meant that he was contemplating offer, though Tanjirou couldn’t see his expression. “No need!” he exclaimed then out of the blue, and he threw himself over the edge; like he was diving headfirst into water. Tanjirou moved forward by instinct and threw himself to catch the boy. Instead, he ended up under him, and they lay on the ground in a heap of wet limbs.
“Huh?! Tryna ambush me now Gonpachiro?!”
“Inosuke, your ankle...”
“What about it? I can’t even feel it anymore.”
Zenitsu screeched from above their heads, “That’s not a good sign, stupid!”
Inosuke climbed off of Tanjirou, grumbling something irritated under his breath and standing over to the side. He could only do so with half a leg.
Tanjirou moved to help down Nezuko and Zenitsu, and the blond boy whistled appreciatively as he looked around. "You weren't joking, this looks otherworldly! I've never seen plants like these before..."
Suddenly, he whipped back around at the box left on the ground. His face betrayed his joy, and his voice jumped an octave. "Nezuko!" By the next second, Tanjirou could hear the soft scratching of claws on the wooden surface too, and Zenitsu and he moved at the same time, the both of them eager to let Nezuko out.
The girl blinked slowly at first, as her eyes took some time adjusting from the total darkness to the foreign light of the cave. She appeared unharmed if clothes and hair a little rattled from their haste journey through the woods. Soon, she took notice of the glowing plants, and crawled out, growing into her original size with ease. She pointed at the plants in excitement and her eyes searched Tanjirou's face for his reaction.
"Yes, I've noticed them too, don't they look beautiful, Nezuko?" Nezuko hummed, agreeing, and nuzzled to Tanjirou's legs. The boy crouched down to pet her head. "I hope you dreamt of something nice." The girl made another row of pleased noises, and Tanjirou felt his previous anxiety begin to melt away at seeing her awake and full of energy. He wondered if her little sister would remember these particular plants once she became human again, or the storm that they've ran from.
Finally, all four of them were in a safe and relatively dry place, and the roar of the storm was reduced to a background noise behind them. Tanjirou felt relieved and incredibly exhausted at the same time. "Now, everyone, let me take a look at your injuries."
Zenitsu plopped down to the ground, wincing as he did so. "Our injuries can wait. We're gonna freeze to death if we don't do something about our clothes first."
Tanjirou nodded, shivering unconsciously. "You're right. Let's get rid of them."
He dropped his haori, then pulled on his uniform, and the material made a disgusting, sloppy sound as it separated from his skin. It was hard to peel off. Tanjirou was honestly surprised it hasn't started bothering him sooner.
He skimmed a hand along the bared skin of his arms, feeling up the sore spots where he got hit. Fortunately they didn't hurt much, but as he rubbed an absentminded palm over the wound on his neck, he winced from the sensation. That's going take some time to heal.
He glanced around the cave. Zenitsu quickly undressed as much as he could and was now attempting to squeeze out the water from his hair, all the while cursing under his breath. Nezuko was walking around aimlessly, inspecting the place and occasionally still glancing up at the ceiling, mesmerized by the sight of the plants.
Inosuke was the farthest from their group, having sat down when Tanjirou wasn't looking. His exposed torso looked even more sickly in the blue light, and Tanjirou acknowledged with worry that he haven't made a move to get rid of his mask or pants.
"Inosuke, are you alright? We said that we should get rid of our clothes. We're going to get sick otherwise."
"I don't get sick." Inosuke said, but it lacked its usual energy, and he did yank off his hide. His revealed face was pale, his bangs and locks of his hair plastered to his skin with sweat and rain.
Tanjirou decided to approach him. "Can I look at your leg?"
Inosuke nodded, but he looked off to the side, clearly sulking. Tanjirou sat down before him, inspecting the state of his ankle.
It hasn't swelled much bigger from its previous size, but Tanjirou could imagine it has already turned some angry, unnatural color under the fabric. When he reached out to touch it very carefully, a visible shudder ran through Inosuke.
Tanjirou chewed on his lips as he muttered an apology. "Let's try and take off your shoes."
Inosuke grunted his consensus, and with mutual effort, they peeled off the sandals. Tanjirou could see the boy's pinched expression through the whole process, but he didn't make a single peep, and Tanjirou wished desperately that he could lessen his pain some way.
With his shoes off, Tanjirou could finally see more of the injury. He doubted they could pull his swelled leg through the narrow end of his pants.
In the meanwhile, Zenitsu wandered close. He was hugging his bare chest and was shivering bodily as he crouched down by their side. He was only wearing his undergarments.
"That's no joke. Do you think it's broken, Tanjirou?"
"I'm not sure. I hope it's just sprained. What do you feel, Inosuke?"
Inosuke scoffed. "It's nothing for me!" He then attempted to move the foot of his leg to prove his point. It did twitch, but made Inosuke cry out, arms shooting out to hold down his own leg. Both Tanjirou and Zenitsu winced.
"Don't do that, idiot!"
Tears were gathering in his eyes, but Inosuke was able to pull his trembling lips into a forced smirk. "See? It's not broken. You are the weaklings!"
"We did not even imply that you're a weakling, I sad you're an idiot," Zenitsu mumbled, but it was barely coherent through the chattering of his teeth. Tanjirou could feel himself start trembling too, rather violently.
"We need to find a dry spot, and lie down our driest clothes there," Tanjirou instructed, discarding the last of his uniform. Zenitsu nodded and jogged away, beginning to search the area. "Can you get your pants off as far as you can, Inosuke? Don't bother to try to fit your ankle through it, though."
Zenitsu staggered where Nezuko was sitting. He suddenly felt a little self-conscious about his bareness, but Nezuko didn't seem to mind or care. Zenitsu sighed, relaxed, and felt up the ground with his fingers. Surely, it was hardly wet and relatively smooth. "Good job, Nezuko-chan!" he praised, and Nezuko preened at the compliment.
Zenitsu swiftly laid down as many clothes as he could, the driest pieces they had, but most of them ended up at the end of the cave, piled into a soaking wet ball. The moment he was finished, Tanjirou and Inosuke began making their way towards him. They looked pitiful, a miserable-looking Tanjirou supporting a miserable-looking and limping Inosuke. They were near-naked to boot, too.
"I hope all of this is going to be funny in the morning," Zenitsu drawled drily.
All of them felt droopy from exhaustion, but they tried to arrange themselves in a comfortable position by each other's side. None of them could bother to feel embarrassed to huddle so close, desperate for a friction of warmth, but it was still a tad bit too intimate. Tanjirou attempted to not look too closely at Inosuke. The partial darkness was of great help.
He hissed as chilled skin met his own, and the ground was biting cold even via several layers of fabric.
"I used to huddle like this with the boars in the winter," Inosuke said in a matter off fact tone. An image of a tiny Inosuke, sleeping by the belly of giant hogs swam before Tanjirou's eyes. It painted an adorable but heavyhearted picture. "Their fur was always warm, though."
Zenitsu hummed tiredly. "We could use the help of some boars ourselves."
Tanjirou agreed. As soon as they slid close, they seemed to absorb the other's infinitesimal body heat in mere of seconds, and their skin was still somewhat clammy, their hair damp. None of this seemed to work.
He glanced at Nezuko for help, and the girl moved to drape her near completely dry haori over them without a word. Then, she huddled close herself, sheltering them from the frigid wall of the cave, and Tanjirou could feel her growing several sizes.
"Thank you," Tanjirou said, trying to twist around to show his grateful smile. But Zenitsu's arm snaked around his middle, keeping him in place, and Inosuke shoved his face into the crook of his neck. Two pairs of legs tangled with his own, and Tanjirou could already feel something that jointly resembled heat. He leaned into the touch, pulling Inosuke as close in front of him as he was able to. The proximity felt heavenly.
They now fit together like puzzle pieces.
Tanjirou was distantly aware of Nezuko adjusting the haori around their naked forms, and clawed fingers running through knots in his hair. He sighed into the touch, and relief washed over his exhausted mind. He felt safe knowing his sister was there to look out for them, awake and ready if there was a need for it.
Slowly, he drifted towards unconsciousness, savoring the gradually but surely growing heat between the bodies of his partners.
Tanjirou woke to acute pain in his lower back.
There was a stubborn rock digging into it, and Tanjirou could not fathom how he did not notice that before. He blinked his eyes open, and his gaze met the mysterious blue plants hanging above his head. They seemed to glow a little less brightly than last night, perhaps because it was daytime.
Tanjirou perked his proverbial ear, trying to listen for the familiar sounds of a storm, but he heard nothing. It seemed it has calmed, and it was once again safe to venture outside.
Despite their circumstances, Tanjirou happily noted that they successfully kept each other heated. Tanjirou could feel his sister's reassuring presence behind them, radiating inhumane body warmth. Zenitsu clung to his back with the strength of several men, and Inosuke was completely plastered to his torso, face shoved into his chest. The sight might have made him flustered beyond measure on any other occasion, but he could feel Inosuke taking uneven breaths against his skin, and see the side of his face glisten with sweat. Tanjirou untangled a hand to feel for the other boy's forehead.
Just as he feared, Inosuke was running a fever.
They had no time to waste.
"Nezuko, Zenitsu ...Inosuke, it's time to go." He felt Nezuko shift behind him slightly, showing that she was awake, but only received a half-hearted grunt from Zenitsu. "We need to get up. The sun should be up, and we can dry our clothes by a fire."
That seemed to catch Zenitsu's attention. "You sure it's already morning?"
"Yes, I'm almost certain."
Zenitsu hummed. "I would try to listen for birds, but I doubt they would sing after a storm like last night. Alright, let's get up."
They sat up, Tanjirou carefully disentangling from Inosuke's hold, but the boy didn't even stir.
Both boys groaned as they stretched. Everything hurt, Tanjirou noted, not just his lower back. The cuts and bumps that he did not feel last night now stung sharply, and there was a telling soreness in his throat. It will be a surprise if they don't all develop fevers.
"This is terrible," Zenitsu mumbled snottily. Tanjirou felt for his forehead, and the boy winced. He thankfully didn't burn to the touch like Inosuke. "My head hurts, Tanjirou..!"
"I'll look it over in the sunshine. We'll look for water to chill down the bumps too. Try not to move your head too much."
"Bumps?!" Zenitsu exclaimed, feeling up his scalp. He yelped when he found a few nut-sized lumps with his fingers. "Tanjirou, what the hell?! Walnuts are growing from my skull!"
Tanjirou pried his fingers off gently, stopping him from further injuring himself, and turned to Nezuko behind them. She has already transformed back to her original size and was blinking at him sleepily.
"Are you alright, Nezuko? Sorry that you had to take care of us."
Zenitsu immediately snapped out of his panicking and took Nezuko's smaller hands into his own. "It's only thanks to Nezuko that we all didn't freeze to death! Thank you, we'd be nothing without you! We don't deserve you!" He was getting all teary-eyed and Nezuko frowned at him, though not unkindly. "Thank you, thank you, Nezuko! We'll never be able to pay back your kindness!"
Tanjirou smiled at his antics but perfectly agreed. If it wouldn't have been for Nezuko's demon nature, they might not have seen the light of the next day. He was thankful but despised putting a burden on his sister. He would have gladly risked hypothermia if in exchange he had Nezuko back.
As if sensing his line of thought, Nezuko turned to him, eyes squinting in lieu of a smile. She made a noise that sounded suspiciously like "it's alright, big brother."
Tanjirou felt his heart clench, but allowed himself a small smile, reaching absentmindedly to pat Nezuko's head. He desperately needed to brush her hair once he had some time. But first.
Now, only Inosuke was still asleep. He nudged him, carefully. The boy didn't move an inch.
"He has a fever," Tanjirou said to the others, worry lacing his voice. All of them turned to the sleeping boy.
Zenitsu moved closer and shook him gently.
"Oi, idiot boar, wake up. You can sleep as much as you want once we climbed out, but we can't carry your heavy arse out. Do you hear me? We desperately need the strength and wisdom of our leader and boss, Hashibira Inosuke!"
Inosuke abruptly shot up. It didn't even seem like he understood the words told him just a moment ago. His face was a sickly pink. He looked far worse than last night as he stared at them with glazed over, unseeing eyes. Tanjirou swallowed.
"Inosuke, are you with us? We need to climb out. Do you think you can do that?" Tanjirou reached out for him, and Inosuke immediately nuzzled into his hand like some sort of animal. It was endearing, but an action a bit too vulnerable for Inosuke.
"I'm hot," he mumbled out eventually, breath ghosting over Tanjirou's skin.
"Sure you are," rolled his eyes Zenitsu.
"We need to leave the cave out so we can dry our clothes in the sun, and then we can break your fever. Do you hear me, Inosuke?" He nodded against his palm. "Good. Once you feel better, you can catch that blue bird again, and I'll promise to cook it for you."
Inosuke jumped up suddenly, fuelled by some unknown energy that allowed him to disregard his injuries and act like his natural madman-self. "The bird! Where's the bird? When did it disappear?" He twisted his torso to look for it and stumbled. Tanjirou was up in an instant, supporting his weight.
"It flew away in the haze of the storm, Inosuke. I'm sorry."
Inosuke deflated against him, and Tanjirou tightened his hold. Zenitsu shook his head. "You can catch it anytime, can't you? With your skill, I mean." Inosuke did not react to the praise, and Zenitsu sighed. "Now that you're awake, can we get out? I'm done with the bonding experience, and ready to put on some dry clothes."
Tanjirou nodded, and with the assistance of Nezuko, they gathered up their belongings. They pulled on a few relatively dry clothes, but Tanjirou still felt the chill of the previous night slowly beginning to creep back into his bones.
Their eagerness to leave allowed them to finish everything in minutes. Tanjirou quickly climbed up to the mouth of the tunnel and offered a hand to Inosuke, who was, thankfully, was once more willing to act compliant.
They left swiftly, the queue ending with Nezuko. She was carrying her own box and sent a last, lingering look at the glowing plants of the cave as she disappeared after Zenitsu.
Frankly, the forest after the storm painted an incredibly pathetic picture. Like the sky retched all over it, offered Zenitsu, and Tanjirou couldn't help but agree with the metaphor.
Several young trees were twisted out of the ground and held on with only a few measly roots connecting them or with their trunks broken into two. Dead leaves and dirt dried around everything through the morning, painting everything a dirty brown. Tanjirou regarded the bodies of small animals with pity as they passed by, battered to death by hailstone and the furious wind. Zenitsu was right, there was a deadly silence, only the ghost of yesterday's air current whistled between the branches. Nature was not in a benevolent mood yesterday.
On the bright side, the sun was up, small but present at the edge of the sky. It was promising to be a day just as warm and dazzling as the previous, hopefully without any rain and thunder and hailstone.
Nezuko was secured in her box and was riding on Zenitsu's back again. Tanjirou was trailing a little behind them, letting Inosuke take his own pace. The boy kept dozing off and his skin felt more scalding with each passing minute.
"Huh. I just remembered," Zenitsu said, voice smug. "I was the only one telling you that this forest is left avoided, wasn't I? Look what we got into! I was right all along, huh!"
Tanjirou frowned. "We did listen to you and didn't even attempt to enter the forest, Zenitsu. It ended up saving us, at the end of the day."
Zenitsu whined, whipping around. "Would it hurt you to show some appreciation for me, Tanjirou?!" He jabbed an accusing finger towards them, almost looking teary-eyed. "You're so strict with me, but you keep showering Inosuke with your love! How is that fair?!"
Tanjirou blushed. "That's not true... I appreciate you a lot too, Zenitsu. I love you guys equally."
Zenitsu scoffed, sending him a look. Tanjirou pulled in his neck like a turtle, not daring to glance at Inosuke.
Zenitsu turned back around, and Tanjirou could almost hear him rolling his eyes. "Of course, of course."
After a minute of silent walking, it was Zenitsu who spoke up again. "What are we going to do about that demon now, anyway?"
"Not much," shrugged Tanjirou, careful not to jostle the limping Inosuke by his side. "We all need medical treatment and Inosuke won't be able to stand on his leg for a few weeks. I'll inform my crow once we'll meet again."
Inosuke stiffened by his side and muttered something.
He spoke in such a small voice Tanjirou missed it. His tone on the other hand made his chest tighten with worry, and he tried to search his expression in confusion. Inosuke's expression was closed off. "What did you say, Inosuke?"
Zenitsu clicked his tongue. "He said he's sorry. Are you up and about that again? No one's angry at you for getting injured, dumbass."
Tanjirou saw Inosuke's lip wobble. He grew a little louder as he mumbled, "Kentarou was mad."
Tanjirou stopped in his tracks, dumbfounded.
"Me? Inosuke, I was not mad at you. I wouldn't ever be mad at you for something like this."
"You were angry," insisted Inosuke, staring ahead stubbornly.
Zenitsu stopped too, turning to look at them. He and Tanjirou shared a look, but Zenitsu only shrugged lightly. He had no idea either.
Tanjirou frowned. He could not remember doing anything that could have implied that to the other boy, but yesterday was a blur. While he was thinking, Inosuke continued haltingly, gaze cast downwards. "In the forest, when you found me... and you saw my leg, and you made me... made me climb onto your back and you gave me, gave me this look..." By the end of his sentence, Inosuke was sobbing, big tears running down his feverish cheeks.
Tanjirou was speechless. He was seriously misunderstood. He moved to cup Inosuke's face between his hands without a second thought, forcing him to meet his eyes.
"Inosuke, I was not angry with you! I was so scared that you got hurt and I wanted to keep you safe... When you disappeared, I didn't know what to do, I was so afraid something might have happened to you and then I..." Inadvertently, Tanjirou began to cry too, the feelings of yesterday's returning tenfold. He wondered if Inosuke would have ever opened up about this if he weren't near delirious from running a high fever.
Inosuke shook his head fervently, eyes pressed shut. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry, Tanjirou, I was being so weak..."
"Don't say that!" said Tanjirou sharply, but made sure to soften his voice as he pulled him into an embrace. Inosuke's hands went to his back, but his hold was uncertain. "I'm sorry, I'm not angry or was at all. A bit with myself, because I let you get injured–"
Inosuke cried with a new ferocity, his words nearly becoming incoherent as he mumbled, "It was not your fault, Gonpachiro! Why are you being so–!"
It was Tanjirou's turn to shake his head. "So what? I'm still sorry, Inosuke. Please don't ever think that I would think you weak for something like that." He let himself calm a little, continuing in a composed tone.
"You're strong and incredible, you're my precious family. I don't want you hurt because I ...we all love you. Please, don't call yourself weak..."
He trailed off, catching his breath, and felt Inosuke's tears roll down his naked skin. He was way too warm, but as he felt his hands tighten around him, Tanjirou felt like he never wanted to let go of him again.
They stood like that for a long moment, chest to chest, letting their emotions roll off and dry like the forest around them.
What snapped Tanjirou out was a hand, placed ever gently on his shoulder. He looked up and met Zenitsu's troubled expression.
"Tanjirou, I think he passed out again." Tanjirou peered at the boy in his arm, ever gently disentangling him, and surely, he was sleeping peacefully, tears still clinging to the tips of his eyelashes and fever-sweaty skin.
"Can you help him on my back? I'll, I'll carry him..."
When Inosuke finally woke, the sun was high in the afternoon sky and the air had warmed. Life has already returned noisily to the battered land with the buzzing of bees and the chattering voices of thousands of birds.
Tanjirou remained by Inosuke's side while Zenitsu returned to the village for medicine, food, and fresh clothes. Inspecting them in the sunlight, they found that their robes were torn on multiple places, fabric destroyed to the point where needle and thread became useless.
Inosuke still woke to the sight of Tanjirou mending whatever he could on his checkered haori, expression pinched from concentration. Inosuke sat up and a piece of wet fabric slipped from his forehead into his lap as he did so. Tanjirou jumped a little in surprise from the sound. He was by his side in a second, brushing away his fringe and pressing his fingers to his skin.
"Inosuke! How do you feel? You're still a little warm."
"I'm fine, stupid." Inosuke's tone was purposefully flat, and he withdrew from the touch. Just to do something, Inosuke examined the material in his lap, a perplexed expression on his face. Tanjirou followed his line of sight. "What's that?"
"A piece of my undershirt. I'm using it to lower your fever." Tanjirou took it and frowned. "It's best if I change it though, it's beginning to take up your body heat again." Tanjirou folded it neatly, then raised his head to Inosuke once more. The boy turned his head away sharply, refusing to meet his eyes.
"Inosuke..." Tanjirou said, feeling his heart sink.
He only received a grunt. Inosuke turned to observe the meadow around them.
Zenitsu and Tanjirou discovered it not far from the forest and settled down in a dry spot where they could light a fire. Coincidentally, they found the old paper umbrella lying on the ground. It seemed it has not traveled much on the back of the wind, though it was now in a state of angularity and most of the oil-paper was missing. They put it over Nezuko's box regardless, which now rested under an oak sapling behind them.
They considered moving Inosuke back to the village, but his fever needed immediate attention, and they were afraid of worsening the injury on his leg. That's why Zenitsu ended up returning to the village alone.
He didn't even complain about having to walk the distance or about the dangers of what might happen to him alone on the road. He did seem anxious, but Zenitsu was more worried for Inosuke, even if he refused to explicitly express that. He seemed to think that Tanjirou was the most qualified to nurse him back to health, as the boar whisperer of their team.
Just before parting, he also not so subtly implied that he and Inosuke are ought to finally talk.
Tanjirou knew he was right. He presumed this was the finest opportunity they were going to get.
"Inosuke, listen..."
For the first time that day, Inosuke met his eyes. Tanjirou swallowed, playing with the hem of his shirt.
"Truth be told, I know I can be overprotective at times. I never wanted to act angry with you, but I got nervous. You know, I sometimes wish that you weren't so prone to neglecting your injuries."
He risked a glance at the other boy. His eyes unconsciously followed the cuts and purple-green marks covering his torso but stopped his gaze from flickering to his probed up leg. He didn't want to anger him.
Inosuke crossed his arms before his chest and huffed an annoyed breath. "I'm more than capable of taking care of myself, Tantoro!"
"You're allowed to get hurt, Inosuke."
Inosuke uncrossed his arms and jabbed a finger into the other boy's chest. Tanjirou recoiled.
"Don't you know, Tanjirou?! The boss never gets hurt! How am I supposed to take care of my underlings if I'm hurt?!"
Tanjriou frowned. "You're allowed to get hurt because you have your underlings, Inosuke. You have us, and we'll take care of you when you need us to."
Inosuke chewed on his lips. Tanjirou moved closer to him, taking his hands into his own and beginning to stroke a rough thumb back and forth over it in a soothing manner. Inosuke's skin was soft and warm. He didn't move away from his touch, this time.
"You're important to us, Inosuke. You're much more than a boss, or a teammate, or... a simple friend. You're family. We care about you because we..." Tanjirou allowed his eyes to flutter shut, taking a deep breath. He felt the need to correct how he expressed himself to the feverish Inosuke a few hours ago. "I love you. I like you, Inosuke. Do you understand what that means?"
Raising his head, he met Inosuke's intent gaze head-on. His face seemed neutral if brows the tiniest bit furrowed, but his green eyes were clear, and were focusing solely on Tanjirou. He felt warmth rise on his neck and cheeks.
Tanjirou spluttered, suddenly very embarrassed, and let go of Inosuke's hands at once. The touch seemed to burn, suddenly. He drew them to the hem of his shirt instead so he can start playing with them again. "Originally, I wasn't planning to tell you that, truth be told. You're my precious family regardless of how you feel. I know you aren't interested in stuff like this, and you especially don't need a burden like my..."
Inosuke's arms shot out to stop the fumbling of his anxious hands. "Gonpachiro, I like you too."
Tanjirou paused, trying to quiet the hammering of his heart. He studied Inosuke's face, but it remained mostly still. The slight pink at the side of his cheeks must be a product of the fever, he reasoned.
Tanjirou took another deep breath.
"Inosuke, I, I don't like you the same way I like Nezuko, or... the way I like Zenitsu. What I mean is–"
Inosuke chuckled. "You mean like mates, right? Easy." And with that same breath, Inosuke leaned in and pressed a chaste kiss to Tanjirou's lips.
A pause. Then Tanjirou spluttered, producing a row of very embarrassing sounds.
"...Inosuke?!"
It was over in the blink of an eye, and was nothing more than a peck. Tanjirou still felt a tingling that bordered on electric on his lips, setting his face aflame.
Inosuke grinned with what was now definitely a blush on his cheeks. "I'm not clueless or anything! I saw people do this in the city!"
Tanjirou did not remember when Inosuke might have seen that, considering the other boy refused to let go of his sleeve and stayed by his side whenever their travels forced them on the busy streets of cities but that's where he first saw two people on top of each other in such an intimate way too. It wasn't much of a lesson for him though, but unlike Inosuke, he had seen his father and mother share affectionate kisses in the past. He would rather take that as an example for future kisses.
His mind halted. Wait, future kisses...?
He shouldn't have assumed anything about Inosuke. It was natural that he was curious about certain things too, like most people their age. But Tanjirou's thoughts ran wild, and his next question slipped out without his will, "But, do you love me?"
He felt embarrassed, demanding an answer in such away. They were young, and Inosuke was Inosuke. But love was important to Tanjirou, because he only wanted to kiss the person he loved, wanted to settle down with them, wanted to marry and grow old with them. He had to make sure that Inosuke and him was on the same page.
Inosuke scoffed as he tossed his hair back over his shoulder. "I don't know about love," he said, just as Tanjirou expected. "But Monitsu keeps teasing me about you when you can't hear it. He honestly gets on my nerves." Tanjirou chewed on his lips. That's what Zenitsu did with him too.
Inosuke took a deep breath. It seemed he wasn't yet finished. "But you're the only one who makes me feel like, like all warm and fluffy and stuffy and confused. At first, I thought you were using some secret technique to disarm me but now I know you're not the kind of guy who uses underhanded techniques..." Inosuke trailed of, absentmindedly pulling on the weed around them with his fists. "I don't know what love is, but I like you a lot, Tanjirou."
Tanjirou was on cloud nine. He even said his name right.
He squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them again. Inosuke was looking at him, green eyes big and uncertain. Tanjirou scooted closer.
"Can I kiss you, this time?"
Inosuke nodded. Tanjirou leaned in and pressed his closed lips to the other boy's, letting them linger there just a second longer. Inosuke's lips were just a little dry and chapped, but the press felt very pleasant, and Tanjirou found himself savoring this new sensation.
His heart was beating in the back of his throat as he pulled away, but Inosuke wasn't looking at him. He was looking across his shoulder, brows furrowed and eyes wild.
"There's that stupid bird again!" he snarled and jumped up.
He was gone before Tanjirou could attempt to grab him, and began skipping down the meadow with half a leg. Tanjirou turned around, perplexed, and surely, there was the same kind of bird sitting on a branch by the road, dark blue feathers gleaming in the afternoon light.
With how quickly the bird reacted to Inosuke's sudden approach, it might just have been the very same bird. It flew away before Inosuke could get two meters within its reach.
Huh. Was he just interrupted by a bird? Tanjirou had the growing suspicion that this was going to happen a lot.
But as Inosuke staggered back towards him, pouting in a way that was so Inosuke, and muttered, "I was going to capture it for you," Tanjirou didn't mind it that much anymore. He hugged Inosuke close and pressed a kiss to the top of his head.
"You're going to need to stay lied down, Inosuke," Tanjirou chided gently. Inosuke groaned, but he didn't sound too disappointed as he snuggled close.
A little while later, when Zenitsu arrived back, carrying a bag of meat and vegetables and some ointment the very same old lady they met yesterday gave him, he found the two boys sleeping together on top of Tanjirou's haori. The scene wasn't unfamiliar, but there was something different about the way Tanjirou buried his head into the other boy's chest, posture tranquil, and Inosuke hugged him back, even if he usually threw his limbs in four different directions like a starfish.
Zenitsu sighed, not half as annoyed as he sounded, and began making his way towards them. "It was about damn time, idiots."