Chapter Text
Deep in the forest, past the fields of grain that carpeted the valley below, sat a large house, drooping sadly against the green tree backdrop.
On the porch, a makeshift “family” stood nervously, awaiting their next instructions. Under the full moon, high in the sky, the light reflected off of their pale silhouettes, each face flush with the fears so desperately hidden. A neutral face to mask the true emotions and lock away disobedience.
Above them, perched precariously on the slouching roof of the family home, a small figure balanced on intersecting threads. His stature and build were delicate, leaving only his eyes to betray the power he held.
As he tiptoed down to the ground, all eyes snapped to his illuminated frame. The silence between them was tense as they waited for his cue, but no one dared disturb it, lest they fall on the wrong side of Rui’s web. Finally opening his mouth to speak, the words falling out of his mouth left the family stunned, a feeling compounded as he reached for a thread and pulled himself away.
“We’ve been ordered to leave the mountain, pack everything up by tomorrow night.”
———
Laying out a pale hand, Rui smoothed out the wrinkled edges of an old map onto the floor. The detailed terrain was drawn in faded ink, and as he surveyed the options before him, Rui pondered the instructions given by his Master.
Though he could hardly admit it to himself, not worth the risk, it was disappointing that his family was being forced to take up the hunt alongside the others. Practically everyone in the Kizuki knows it to be a wild goose chase, save the occasional ambitious upstart, so why now?
No matter. He pledged his devotion to Master on the night he was saved, and thus he will follow His orders as they are given. In the very least, he was allowed to keep his family. As long as they were together, it would be fine.
Now… where to begin. It would need to be somewhere similar to his own home, but far enough away that it was new territory. Obviously with food nearby.
Perhaps here?
No, the city is far too close for comfort.
Maybe over here?
The area seems alright, but--. Ah, there's a Hashira estate nearby. That wouldn't do for his family.
What about-- hm, this looks promising. Not so isolated that his family will starve, but far enough away that any stragglers could easily be caught. It’s perfect.
Mount Kumotori. Seems like a nice place to start.
—+—+—
As he finally arrived back home, Tanjiro set the woven basket on the ground, stretching to relieve his muscles after the long trek. The sky above him was just beginning to lose its brightness as the sun slipped down the horizon.
Perfect! He made it in before dusk hit. And since he'd sold all the stock he had brought down the mountain, he could afford to grab some new cloth for his siblings while in town. Nezuko had said she wanted to replace Takeo’s haori for his birthday. Tanjiro had hoped the teal fabric he picked out would suit his brother well.
“Brother!!!!”
Turning quickly, Tanjiro opened his arms in anticipation of the little boy, laughing a bit as his brother barreled right into his chest. With a smile, he pulled Shigeru up into his arms and greeted his mother.
“Ah! Mom, I sold almost all of the basket I brought down, so if I can take another trip before winter is over, we should be set for a good while longer!”
Tanjiro shifted Shigeru onto one arm as he fumbled through his pockets for the money he'd made.
His mother smiled warmly and grabbed it from his outstretched hand, pocketing it so her hands were free to carry Shigeru again. Tanjiro grabbed the fabric from the basket, pausing for a moment to wipe his forehead.
“Oh, you bought cloth in town? That should be perfect for Nezuko to work with. You got it from Sato, right?” He hummed in confirmation, “Wonderful. You know how I love Hayashi’s patterns, but I can never trust her blue dye. I’ve known some designs to fade over only one season because of it.”
Scoffing, she hiked Shigeru higher on her hip and led Tanjiro back to the main house.
“I always told her, you know, that she should just stick to warm tones in her fabrics, I mean she does them perfectly, but she never listens. Ever since she took that trip to visit her sister in the city, she’s been all over the blues again.”
“I thought she’d finally gotten over them years ago when she nearly dyed her hands blue for good, but I suppose when inspiration strikes--”
Chuckling lightly, Tanjiro slipped his shoes off at the door. Mom loves to talk about her friends from town, she always knows where to find the best quality of anything they need to buy.
As he passed through the doorway he spotted Nezuko, who was tending to something that smelled a lot like dinner. As she jumped up to greet him, his sister nodded approvingly at the fabric he'd chosen, “That'll be perfect for Takeo's coat.”
“Good color?” Tanjiro asked, taking over for her at the fire as she carefully stored the fabric away. Nezuko grinned in response. “He’ll love it. Especially since it matches yours.”
“What matches who’s?” Takeo asked from the doorway, setting down his hatchet and taking a second to wipe some of the sweat off his face.
“Oh~ it’s nothing,” Nezuko replied, her grin curling into a smirk, “You’ll see soon enough.”
“Wha- Oh, come on tell me--!” Takeo whined, stopping as he saw Tanjiro and huffing, “Whatever, it’s probably something totally lame.”
Nezuko rolled her eyes and shot her older brother a Look at that. She took a seat at the fire again and shooed the other two off to clean up.
—+—+—
Absently plucking at her biwa, Nakime smiled, recalling the recent meeting of the Kizuki.
Lower Five is finally on the move… This is sure to be interesting.