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As Tanjirou walks back from his village, after selling all the charcoal in his basket, he finds a rare creature in the middle of the woods. He's only 17, but he knows a lot about spirits and deities because his father used to tell stories about them.
The moment he notices the many tails on that fox, he realizes that's not a mortal creature. Instead of white, like many animals in the area, this fox is almost orange with hues of red and yellow, like it's made of fire; or at least that's what it seems to Tanjirou when he looks at it under the sunlight.
He takes a few steps back and realizes that the creature is lying in a strange position. It must be hurt... and then, Tanjirou notices the blood on one of its paws. It seems like it had a fight with an evil spirit or something.
Tanjirou hesitates; he wants nothing more than to help it, but his mother warned him about not getting in the immortal creatures affairs because they say nothing good comes from it.
But Tanjirou can't stay still while a creature is suffering, it doesn't matter if it's immortal or powerful enough to emerge from its own ashes. He needs to help it.
Carefully, he approaches the fox, who immediately turns its fiery eyes at him, watching his every movement with curiosity and a bit of mistrust.
"I'm not going to hurt you," Tanjirou mumbles. "I promise. I just want to patch you up."
It seems the fox trusts him after all because it doesn't growl at him when the redhead kneels next to it and takes a couple of things from under his haori. He always carries some medicine with him in case something bad happens on his way back; that place is more dangerous during dark hours.
Tanjirou examines the wound carefully and realizes it's nothing to worry about, so the creature must be exhausted from the fight. He cleans the zone carefully before applying an ointment that's made to prevent a cut or an injury to get seriously infected.
After finishing bandaging his paw, the fox manages to sit in front of him. It's a big creature, even if it hadn't that many fluffy tails he would've guesses it wasn't a normal fox just by its size.
"Here, I wasn't that hungry when I reached the village so you can have what's left of my bento. It's not much, but it'll help recover a bit of energy."
The fox starts wagging its multiple tails which encourages Tanjirou to pet it once. In response, the fox nuzzles against his hip.
"Alright, it was a pleasure to meet you!" Tanjirou says, prompting the creature to move its pointy ears behind, before making a sad sound. "I'm sorry, I can't stay any longer. I have to go back home and it's getting late. This place is not safe after the sun sets."
The redhead takes his basket, securing it against his back before he starts walking back home.
Then, he listens to the unmistakable sound of the creature's paws on the snow. Tanjirou turns around and realizes the fox is indeed following him.
"I know you're grateful, but I really can't take you home, I-" Tanjirou sighs when the fox gets even closer to him, like it's his guardian from now on. "I'm grateful for your protection, but I don't think..."
He stops when he realizes that the fox is staring at him with such and intensity and determination that it's clear it's not going to leave Tanjirou's side anytime soon.
Tanjirou sighs, but he can't help petting it again.
"Alright," he gives in, watching with amusement as the fox wags its tails again. "You can come with me. If that makes you feel good."
He has a feeling his mother is not going to like his new companion.
***
His siblings are waiting for him at the entrance and Tanjirou gently scolds them all for exposing themselves to the cold weather. However, he still gives them all a hug, even Takeo, who claims he's too old for that sort of thing.
That's when Rokuta notices the creature behind Tanjirou.
"A doggie!" The little kid points, in the safety of Tanjirou's arms.
"No, it's not a dog, It's a-"
"Kitsune," Nezuko finishes for him, narrowing her eyes towards the creature. She's a very smart girl, so it doesn't surprise Tanjirou when she figures out exactly what happened when she notices the bandage around the fox's paw. "Did you help it?"
Tanjirou blushes, knowing his mother gave him specific instructions. It doesn't help that the creature decides to nuzzle against his hip in that moment.
"I couldn't let it suffer. It was bleeding!" Tanjirou almost pouts, knowing he broke one of the rules.
Nezuko calls their mother, who steps outside with a very concerned expression when she sees the fox. However, she calms a bit when she realizes that her eldest didn't ask for any favors in return.
"You should leave now," Kie says firmly, staring at the creature. "I know you protect this area, but Tanjirou doesn't need you anymore. He's safe here."
The creature doesn't look convinced, but it leaves, prompting Kie to sigh in relief.
"I don't understand..." Tanjirou mumbles after a while, after apologizing profusely for disobeying his mother. "What's the problem with being kind to a kitsune? It didn't hurt me. Actually, it was quite affectionate!"
"That's exactly what I'm afraid of," Kie says, confusing him even more, as they all walk back inside the house.
When it's time for Tanjirou to bring more logs home, the fox appears again. The redhead knows he should ask it to leave, but he doesn't have the heart to do that.
So the creature watches as Tanjirou cuts some trees, and, after learning what's exactly the human wants, the fox cuts a couple with one of its many tails.
Tanjirou is quite a bit surprised, but grateful nonetheless.
"Thak you," he tells it after petting it a couple of times, and he giggles when he hears the fox purr in response.
After weeks, Tanjirou starts understanding what it wants, just by listening to its growls, purrs and even staring at its movements. The fox trots next to him happily, like a very devoted puppy and even grows in size in order to help the human carry the basket with charcoal.
The villagers not only get used to its presence they truly believe it's a blessing from the gods. An elder woman always watches the odd pair with amusement in her eyes.
"Do you know kitsunes can shape-shift, boy?" She asks, as she observes how the fox behaves around the human.
"Yeah, but this one hasn't..."
"Oh, but he will eventually," she cuts him off, smiling with amusement. "Do you know why he's here?"
Tanjirou shakes his head; he notices that she keep referring to him as he, maybe that's how the redhead should think about him from now on. For some reason, it feels appropriate.
"He wants you as his bride," the woman mumbles, chuckling when Tanjirou blushes to the tip of his ears.
He looks back at the fox in order to make sure the woman is joking, but the creature only wags his many tails, like he agrees.
In order to focus on the task at hand, Tanjirou pushes away those words from his head. When they're back home, Kie rolls her eyes the moment she sees the fox, trotting happily next to her oldest son.
After months, she kinda got used to the creature's presence, but she still told him to leave once she noticed the fox wanted to stay outside, right under the window of Tanjirou's room.
"Alright," she sighs, arms crosses over her chest as she stares at the spirit. Kie is a small woman, but she always manages to look intimidating when she wants to. "What do you want? Talk to me."
The moment the fox hears those words, he starts shining before taking the shape of a young man with fiery eyes and hair. He's dressed like a warrior, with a katana hooked under his belt.
He's very handsome and tall. He has the body type of someone who's seen battle many times, and it makes him look a bit intimidating. However, he smiles kindly and bows respectfully in front of Kie.
"My name is Rengoku Kyojuro and I'd like to ask permission to court your beautiful son Tanjirou."
The redhead blushes to the tip of his ear upon hearing those words, and when he turns around he notices that Kyojuro is already staring at him, with an adoring smile on his lips.
"It's..." his mother sighs, looking a bit sad out of the sudden. "It's different with you. Sure, I'm glad he gets to marry the person he loves eventually, but if he marries a spirit I know I might no see him again and I'm not sure if I'm ready for that."
"I would never take Tanjirou away from his family," Kyojuro assures the woman. "I'll come here instead and build myself a house next to yours if necessary."
After a while, Kie seems to trust the spirit's words because she nods. Behind her, Nezuko is still frowning at Kyojuro. It'll take even longer to get the sister's approval.
"You may court him, if that's what he wants."
Then, with a joyful smile on his face, Kyojuro turns around and drops to his knees in front of Tanjirou, prompting him to blush even more. Close to them, he hears his mother telling everyone to get back inside to give them some time alone.
"Would you allow me to court you, Tanjirou?"
This is an immortal spirit that, for some reason, thinks the redhead, a simple charcoal seller, is good enough to be his spouse. He's been there for Tanjirou these past few weeks, helping him with his taks, and protecting him from danger. He can tell Kyojuro has a good heart.
"I'd love to." He mumbles, still a bit insecure if Kyojuro is making the right decision, but when hungry lips meet Tanjirou's, all his doubts vanish in a second.