Within Her Eyes - Kimetsu No Yaiba

3. Tanjiro

      Tsukiko was surprised to see a certain yellow haired boy among the many people at the final selection. Not because she knew him. This was entirely different.

She had seen him sobbing on the side of the road and had approached him to make sure he was unharmed. The second he met her eyes she knew that she had made a terrible mistake.

He immediately latched onto her haori. The boy had been a blubbering mess, but his grip was unbreakable. He kept shouting about dying soon so he needed at least one kiss from a girl before he died.

It took help from two other boys passing by to get him off her. She didn't want to repeat what had happened, so she took a long route around to give him a wide berth. This resulted in her arriving almost last, just before a red head with a scar on his forehead came in.

"Greetings everyone," two young siblings appeared in front of the group. One with black hair and one with white, but both with peculiar eyes. Tsukiko related to them.

The two began explaining how final selection would work. Tsukiko absorbed it all in a serious manner. If she missed a second she might die.

She looked around at the wisteria trees that kept the demons trapped in the mountains. It was hard to believe that they bloomed year-round from where they were to the base of the mountain. If she clipped some of the flowers could she use it to protect others from demons?

The real shock came when the two girls told the group that they had to survive a whole seven days on the mountains with the demons. She had not expected final selection to last so long. Tsukiko understood now Hashimoto's worry and big meal before she left.

"Now let's begin the final selection," the two voices carried over the crowd.

Tsukiko's body sprang into action and she sprinted right into the woods away from the others. She came to a clear area where the sunlight came through strong. She closed her eyes and smiled up at the sun.

She would have to sleep during the day in the broad sunlight. Hashimoto had informed her that with a enough shade a demon would be able to strike.

Tsukiko looked about her to observe her surroundings. There was still plenty of time until nightfall and she wanted to be on full alert tonight. Tsukiko just shrugged her shoulders and began taking off her haori.

"Hey you wearing the veil over your eyes!" A voice called out to her from the trees. The boy she saw arrive last emerged from behind the trunks. "What are you doing?"

Tsukiko was abrasive for a moment until she got a good look into his eyes. Behind them she saw nothing but goodness and honesty. Tsukiko gave him a small smile.

"I am going to sleep now so I will be ready for tonight. The demons only emerge at night so we must sleep during the day." Tsukiko spread her haori out on the ground. She noticed the redhead's fixed stare on her veil. "Oh, I see just fine. I am alright."

The redhead nodded his head at her in embarrassment. Tsukiko had realized that he thought she was visually impaired. His good nature caused him to see if she was alright to be fighting demons.

"I am Kamado Tanjiro. Please allow me to rest with you." Tanjiro had known that the demons could not come out during the day. He had the same thoughts as Tsukiko to sleep during the day.

Tsukiko's smile grew wider. "I am Eto Tsukiko. Please join me."

She swiftly began laying down on her haori and Tanjiro moved to lay next to her. As soon as she was positioned in the center of her haori, Tsukiko grabbed both of the sides and pulled them around her so that the cloth covered all of her but her feet.