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They were still a few hours from the nearest Wisteria House when Rengoku abruptly stopped. Tanjiro, who had been limping at his side, nearly tripped as their mutual rhythm was thrown off. “Rengoku-san?”
Rengoku didn’t respond, but held up a hand to indicate Tanjiro wait. Then he lifted his nose into the air and took a long, deep breath.
His head snapped to one side, looking off and up into a crop of dense trees. “Let’s go this way!” Rengoku announced, and started off into the shrubbery.
Tanjiro stuttered and, as quickly as he could with his injuries, hurried after Rengoku to grab the sleeve of his haori. “Rengoku-san, wait! Where are you going?”
“We’re taking a detour,” he announced, tossing his usual grin over one shoulder. “It will be fun, I promise!”
“I don’t doubt you,” Tanjiro responded neutrally, “it’s just that… Shouldn’t we be getting to the Wisteria House as soon as possible? Your injuries…”
“This will help with all that,” Rengoku insisted, and shifted so that he could catch Tanjiro’s hand rather than have the younger slayer hanging off his clothes. “In fact, this will likely help us a lot! The journey there won’t feel nearly so long if we take a break now.”
“But…”
“Tanjiro!”
How could he fight with those bright, honest eyes, and that open smile? Rengoku’s hand was warm around Tanjiro’s own, and he felt very safe. Their last fight had been with five demons, and while not dire given Rengoku’s status as a hashira, it had been an unexpected and long battle. Tanjiro thought it’d be best to focus on getting somewhere they could rest as soon as possible, especially before night fell again. But… He trusted Rengoku with his life. So Tanjiro simply nodded and held Rengoku’s hand in kind, allowing the older man to lead him through the wood.
They ended up going along a path headed northwest, and more uphill than the southward direction they’d been instructed to follow by villagers early that morning. Tanjiro worried briefly about how much backtracking they’d need to do, but before he expected it, Rengoku announced they’d arrived.
It was a natural hot spring. The pools of hot water had been hidden away by the rough face of a nearby cliff and shrouded by bamboo trees. At this time of day, their shadows disguised the small, lightly-trodden path leading to the base of the stone outcropping.
“Wow!” Tanjiro watched Rengoku begin to strip down, nervous excitement mounting. “I’ve never seen a natural spring like this before.”
“Is that so? We were coming at this one from a new direction, so I didn’t realize it was here, but I smelled it! I’ve been here before, actually.”
“Really?”
“Years ago, yes! Come on now, Tanjiro, you can’t go in with your clothes on.”
It was only with a minor amount of blushing that Tanjiro removed his clothing and followed Rengoku into the water. It was very hot, hotter than Tanjiro might have expected, but the heat made his skin prickle in a pleasant way and seeped into his sore muscles. With an indulgent sigh, Tanjiro eased completely into the water, eventually sitting with only his head and shoulders uncovered.
“Wow! Rengoku-san, you were right, this feels…” Tanjiro sighed, closing his eyes. “Very nice…”
“Tanjiro.” His tone made the younger man look over. Rengoku was closer, one arm out — a silent invitation. Tanjiro realized what he was asking — and saying — and it made his already pink cheeks redden even more.
“Sorry! Right… Kyojuro.” And Tanjiro shifted in the water, moving until he was pressed against the older man’s side, secure under his arm. Rengoku’s grin widened. “Thank you for bringing me here.”
“I’m glad the opportunity presented itself! You know, we’re very lucky — for most, it’s not healthy to stay in springs this warm for very long. But because of the breathing techniques we use, our bodies are used to such temperatures! In fact, we thrive on it!”
Tanjiro nodded along, intrigued and pleased to hear they could enjoy the springs for a longer time. It definitely made sense that the heat would be too much for most people after too long — even Tanjiro, now quite used to keeping his body at higher temperatures for his dancing technique, could feel how the simmering heat might be too much after a while. If he’d brought Nezuko with him on this trip, she might have already needed a reprieve from the spring, even with her being a demon.
For a few moments, the two of them simply laid back and enjoyed the water. It really did a lot to soothe the hidden aches and pains, ones both the slayers had been content to ignore until they found a place to rest. Tanjiro knew they would both feel very refreshed once they’d gotten out and cooled down; the rest of the way to the Wisteria House no longer seemed like such a tedious walk.
Without warning, something touched Tanjiro’s side, and he jumped slightly. Without meaning to, he let a frantic giggle escape his lips as he scooted away from his companion. “Ah! Kyojuro, was that you?”
Kyojuro looked just as surprised as Tanjiro at his reaction, but in the very next moment, those eyes were bright with mischief. Tanjiro only had enough time to squeak half a protest before the hashira is upon him, both hands now sneaking beneath the water to poke and tickle Tanjiro. “Kyojuro!!”
Their battle was brief but raucous, with a lot of laughter and a lot of splashing. At one point, Kyojuro lifted Tanjiro bodily out of the water to crash him back down where the water is deepest. The shock of it — cool mountain air on his naked, wet body, only to be thrust back into the dazzling heat — was enough to daze Tanjiro into submission. His body went limp and once his head was out of the water, he sputtered, "I surrender! You win!”
“Excellent!” Kyojuro wrapped both arms around Tanjiro, but this time it was to hold him in his lap. “And now I will claim my prize.”
Tanjiro was about to ask what he meant, but then he felt warm lips against the back of his neck. He gasped in surprise, then sighed as Kyojuro’s grip on him eased, hands beginning to wander and grope at him beneath the hot water. Tanjiro wondered just how far his companion was going to go… They’d done some things out in the open before, and it had definitely been quite exciting, but Tanjiro always fretted over someone coming across them at times like that. If Kyojuro tried to slip his hand a little further, to touch Tanjiro there…
But he didn’t. Kyojuro hummed and laughed as he pulled back a bit, firmly rubbing Tanjiro up and down his sides. “I find I’m very excited, now, to get to that Wisteria house!” he proclaimed, voice a little deeper than usual with apparent lust. Tanjiro already felt much too warm to manage a blush, so he simply pulled himself away, out of Kyojuro’s lap to ease himself out of the water in an attempt to cool off. He sat at the edge, keeping his feet submerged as Kyojuro followed suit. The water running off his body looked… very, very nice.
“Why is that, Kyojuro?” Tanjiro asked with a smile, grabbing fistfulls of his hair to wring out some of the water.
“Because then we will have a bed to share,” was the older man’s answer, and he leaned over to steal a kiss.
As he pulled away, Tanjiro giggled. “Yes, yes, well…” He shifted until their thighs were touching, and wrapped his arms around Kyojuro’s. “I’m glad we’re here together, just now, as well. Let’s enjoy it before we head off.”
“Whatever you want,” Kyojuro replied, a warm and easy love in his voice.