warmest winter

Chapter 1

"Tanjirou? Are you going to sell charcoal after your breakfast?"

The boy in question hesitantly looked up from his nearly empty of bacon, eggs, grits, and toast. Deciding against talking with a mouthful of food, he nodded.

Nezuko said nothing in reply and resumed her organizations of the various jams and jellies she'd made earlier that morning. Tanjirou wolfed down his food—nearly choking on it—and hurriedly put on his boots.

Nezuko had scolded him the previous night about going down the mountain, that there were bears and demons around the area.

It seemed ever since Nezuko returned home last year from her job at the hotel, the word "demon" would send her into a crazed paranoia. She was covered in blood, barefoot, and crying, and going on and on about "Demons killing everyone". He'd never known what happened, only that a lot of people died that day, and the hotel was closed down after that. Since then, she never left the house. Shortly after the incident, she wouldn't come out of her room during the day. She'd sneak out at night, and come back around dawn. Ever since then, she'd been persistent about preventing him from going outside. If he went out and came back home, would Nezuko finally feel safe? Would she go back outside again? He could only hope.

Bears? Unlikely, but possible. Demons? That wasn't just unlikely, it was impossible. Regardless of this, he was determined to go out and sell charcoal; Christmas was coming soon, and he'd set his eyes on a new kimono for Nezuko. He was sure, he thought, that she would be back to normal.

He stepped outside and closed the door behind him, sharply intaking the cold mountain air. He felt alive again; as much as he liked staying inside the house and reading comics, there was something about the brisk air, the pearly white snow, and the nature around him that just gave him a rush of adrenaline. He wanted to play in the snow and climb trees as he'd done when he was younger, but he knew he couldn't. For Nezuko's sake.

Tanjirou ran excitedly up the mountain, nearly slipping on snow or stray branches, sending them tumbling down the peak. He'd finally procured enough money to get that kimono Nezuko wanted. He wanted to tell her, but he wanted to surprise her. Knowing her though, if she saw him coming through the door smiling so brightly, she would know something was going on, and tickle him until he could take no more and spilled the beans. Even when he didn't smile, it was like she was sensitive to every tiny change in Tanjirou, so she always knew when something was going on. Still, it wasn't going to be like that. Not this time, not on his watch. He would sleepover at his friend's house and go to buy the kimono in the morning.

Still, he was unable to contain his excitement. Initially, he was going to go straight to bed after he was finished, but his longing for the thin mountain air and nature was strong.

I'll stay outside until sundown, he thought to himself. No harm done.

He unsheathed the basket from his shoulder and took off his coat. Just as he was climbing a tree to get a sense of his current surroundings, there was rustling in the bush behind him. Instinctively, he drew his knife from his pocket and waited, holding his breath. It was dead silent, save the chirping of the birds and the swish of the tree branches. Tanjirou's face started to turn blue when a flurry of gray flew towards him. He clumsily fell off the tree branch onto the ground and was face-to-face with a boar's head. He struggled to get up, though its hands gripped his wrists tightly and held them to the ground. "A human?" the boar snorted. "Why are you here?"

Tanjirou didn't answer; it was bad enough he'd been knocked to the ground by a boar, but it was a boar. It was talking. And it had a human's body. He thought about the warning Nezuko gave him about the demons wandering about the mountains; is this what she meant?