Our Halcyon Days || Reader x Tanjiro | RESUME 2022!

* t w e n t y - t h r e e *

The first thing you saw upon turning the corner

was a maimed and bloody corpse.

Your first reflex was to gag, but you bit down on your tongue and turned away. Timidly, Teruko asked from behind you, "Wh- what is it?" Forcing the strain out of your voice, you replied, "No, it's nothing. That way leads to a dead end. We should hurry on this way."

Don't look back, is what you wanted to say, but you knew many children who aired on the curious side, and you'd rather not test Teruko.

So you lead her forward, sword lax at your side, but ready to be swung at a moment's notice.

The clean, orderly hallway stretched on, and you passed many sets of doors to different rooms without interruption. Tanjiro, Zenitsu, Teruko's brother, or the demon -- whichever one you'd stumble upon next was a mystery. The quietness was starting to get to you, and you scolded yourself for being fazed by such a trivial thing.

Bump.

As you passed yet another set of doors, you heard a noise come from the room. You halted, tugging Teruko so you came face to face with her, and put your finger to your smiling lips. She held her hands close to her chest and nodded attentively twice, and you patted her head.

With that, you steeled your resolve and slid the door open.

"Ah!"

A boy was kneeling tensely in the center of the room, an orange haori draped across his shoulders. His pants were stained with blood near his right shin area, though judging from the amount the wound wasn't too grievous. He looked similar to Teruko and her brother.

There's a drum in his arms? It looks similar to the ones attached to the demon of this house.

"Hey-" you started, but the boy only gave a look of pure terror and raised his hand to beat the drum. Your entrance must've gave him too much of a start. "Hold on. Wait-!"

"Big Brother Kiyoshi!"

Teruko burst out of hiding and ran forward to greet him.

His hand froze in place just in time, his palm a mere inch away from touching the surface of the drum. "...Teruko!"

Shocked, he let the drum drop onto his lap and roll onto the floor as Teruko shot into his arms. A sigh of relief escaped your lips -- two of the siblings were reunited, and both are confirmed to be safe.

Kiyoshi finally pulled away, glancing at you briefly before looking back to his sister. "She- she is..?"

You stepped forward and crouched so you were not looking down at them. "My name is (L/n) (Y/n) of the Demon Slayer Corps. I'm here to defeat the demon who has sought to hurt you, so rest easy!" From within an inner pocket of your haori, you extracted a small container of healing cream, a masterful creation of Lady Tamayo's.

"Kiyoshi," you said, looking directly into his eyes, "you've worked hard to survive all alone. And it seems like bravery runs in the family," you added, grinning widely, "since both you and Teruko have loads of it. Now let me see your injury -- this medicine will do wonders."

His wide eyes began to tear up, and he put his hand across them to hide it. "Big Brother," mumbled Teruko, starting to cry a bit herself. They were stressed; their reactions made sense. Heck, you'd be more concerned if they didn't start crying. You were happy for them, and yet... your smile began to fade away.

The bond between siblings and family was pure and sweet; and like anything valuable, its absence from you made you ache.

You dug your nails into the palms of your hands.