"Well, that wasn't so bad," Tanjiro tried, a feeble attempt to break the stifling silence. "Was it?"

The quartet of Demon Slayers were returning to the Slayer compound after responding to an alert in the mountains. A demon was said to have been terrorizing the villagers of a small community, taking multiple during the night and then leaving their bare skeletons strung up in the town square like cabaret trophies.

Tanjiro, his sister, and their friends had arrived at the community and promptly slain the demon, but the encounter had led them all more shaken than they cared to admit. As seen in the way that Nezuko barely moved in her box upon Tanjiro's back, Zenitsu was practically comatose on his feet, and even the loud Inosuke was unusually quiet for once.

But at least none of them died, right?

After Tanjiro's makeshift peace offering, there were a few more moments of quiet. Then Zenitsu spoke up, lowly at first, "Wasn't so bad?" He repeated again, louder, "Wasn't so bad? Really Tanjiro?"

The red head winced. Zenitsu's growing tone hinted that he was quickly delving into his signature shriek. Tanjiro was surely in for it.

"That thing literally stripped the skin and bone off of its victims and strung them up as lanterns!" Zenitsu continued, steadily reaching a fever pitch. "That alone should have warned us to run away! And when we actually saw it, it was even worse! IT HAD FOUR HEADS, TANJIRO! FOUR! AND WE HAD TO SLAY ALL OF THEM!"

"One for each of us to slay!" Tanjiro offered weakly. "It helped us work together as a team, at least."

Inosuke gave his piece to the conversation with a small grunt. "Speak for yourself - I could have taken that demon down all by myself!" He spoke gruffly through his hollow boar mask, slashing his serrated swords through the air defiantly. The action was weaker than usual, conveying his true exhaustion. "Besides, what's Blondie whining about? It's not like we got any major injuries."

"MY MENTAL INJURIES AREN'T MAJOR TO YOU?!" Zenitsu wailed. If looks could kill, the one he gave Inosuke at that moment would have dropped him dead in a snap. But instead of commenting to the Beast Breather directly, he stopped walking and planted his feet firmly on the dirt road. "That's it! I've had enough - I NEED A VACATION!"

Both Tanjiro and Inosuke jumped back from the blonde Slayer in shock; even Nezuko made a sound of surprise inside her box. A vacation? What was Zenitsu talking about?

"A vay-KAY-shun?" Inosuke sounded out, more confused than anything. "Uh... what's that?"

"It's a period of time when people stop working and go somewhere else to relax!" Zenitsu explained, though his biting tone hadn't diminished one bit. Tanjiro flinched when his piercing glare rounded on him. "Which is what we need! RIGHT NOW!"

Both the redhead's eyes and his nose went darting into the woodlands around them. No one was within hearing range, but that could quickly change if Zenitsu didn't shut his mouth. "Please, Zenitsu," He begged quietly, waving his hands and using a placating tone to indicate that the blonde slayer should lower his voice. "We're Demon Slayers - we can't take a vacation! Besides, what would the Hashira think if we suddenly decided to leave them high and dry?"

"HUH? What do you care what the Hashira think? Aren't you technically one of them now?" Zenitsu asked hotly, jutting an accusing finger in Tanjiro's face. "Or did I mishear that entire conversation between Mr. Uzui and that Serpent Breathing Hashira in the Entertainment District?"

Tanjiro hadn't heard that conversation himself, but that didn't mean that Zenitsu hadn't - his sense of hearing was as strong as Tanjiro's sense of smell. It was very unlikely that he'd misheard the conversation between the two Hashira, let alone hadn't heard it at all. Besides, he himself been hearing rumors throughout the Demon Slayer Corps that he was high in the running to become Tengen Uzui's replacement.

The very thought made him sick to his stomach.

When he saw the dejected look on Tanjiro's face, Zenitsu gave a triumphant smirk. "Yeah, that's what I thought. So as a Hashira, you think you can ask the Demon Slayer Corps leader to give us permission?"

The Water Breather grimaced and clenched his fists. "It hasn't been decided yet!" He defended himself. "Besides, if I become a Hashira, don't you think it would be better to stay in their good graces? I'm got sure leaving them to fight while I run off to go on vacation is the right thing to do."

"Yeah, and why would anyone want to relax?" Inosuke added; he let out a vicious snarl and showed off his swords again, putting a little more energy into the display. "The fight's where all the action is!"

Zenitsu's stare shifted between the two of them, an expression of stark disbelief on his face. His mouth opened and closed like a fish on land before he grit his teeth and bellowed to the sky, "I AM SURROUNDED BY PLEASURE-DEPRIVED MANIACS!! AM I THE ONLY ONE THAT UNDERSTANDS PROPER VACATION PROCEDURE?!"

"Hey, that's a little harsh!" Tanjiro debated, backing even further away from the blonde meltdown in front of him. Personally, he was insulted. He knew how to have a good time, right?

But as he thought about it, it came to his attention that he couldn't remember the last time he'd done something purely for himself. There were the few times when he'd helped himself to the local merchandise and sights when he was traveling through one town or other, but that was when he was demon-hunting. It had been fully on business. And then there was also the time when he, Nezuko, and their friends spent a few months in the Butterfly Mansion without working, but that was more for medical recovery than anything. He mostly remembered the pain of physical therapy delivered by the Butterfly Trio than any actual relaxation.

Looking back even further, he realized that he'd never even had a day off, or a "Me Day", as he'd heard other people call it. His family wasn't wealthy, so he had to work every day to make sure there was food on the table. Winter was double time - triple time to get his younger siblings gifts for the new year. Same with Nezuko, same with their parents, same for every single member of their family. Vacations sadly did not exist for the Kamado family.

Looking across Zenitsu's seething form, he saw Inosuke's muscled frame drop almost dejectedly. He probably never had a vacation either, though most likely for a very different reason.

"THAT'S IT!" Zenitsu declared after a few minutes of outraged twitching. He grabbed both Tanjiro's and Inosuke's wrists and tugged them closer until all three of them were nearly pressed face to face in a squished triangle. "I AM TAKING BOTH OF YOU ON A VACATION TO SOME FAR OFF TOWN!!" His hot breath filled the small space as his wide mad eyes swiveled between the two Slayers. "I AM TEACHING YOU THE FULL EXPERIENCE! NO MISSIONS, NO DEMONS, NOTHING BUT US, SOME COLD DRINKS AND SOME BEAUTIFUL LADIES~" His voice became dreamy as his mouth tilted upwards from a disgusted scowl into a pleased grin.

"So that's why he wants to go," Inosuke whispered to Tanjiro through his boar mask. "He just wants to get with a girl."

Tanjiro giggled, but Zenitsu immediately took offense and tore their small trio apart. "How DARE you?" He accused, getting up beneath Inosuke's boar snout. "How DARE you assume that I would even CONSIDER going somewhere simply to hang out with a woman when I have my dear Nezuko?" In the blink of an eye, he was out of sight and his voice, now surprisingly gentle, came floating over Tanjiro's shoulder. "Right, Nezuko? You want to go on vacation too, right? A little time to relax and all that?"

"Nezuko, you don't have to answer that-" Tanjiro said hurriedly, but the small sounds of his demonic sister scraping against the walls of her box in agreement reached his ears. The redhead groaned and awkwardly angled his arm to tap the wood in annoyance. "Traitor," He hissed before turning his attention back to the blonde Slayer. "Stop influencing my sister, Zenitsu!"

The Thunder Breather rolled his eyes and huffed while Nezuko whined within her box, as if to say "Well, excuse me for wanting to have some fun!"

Tanjiro sighed, yet resolved to standing his ground. He put on his "big brother knows best" face and took a stance on the trail, hands planted firmly on his hips. "That's it, I'm putting my foot down on this - no vacation and that's final!"

But the defiant party would not back down so easily. Zenitsu fixed watery eyes and quivering lips to his expression, and the weight in Nezuko's box shifted as she pressed against her brother's back. "PlEEEEAAAse, Tanjiro?" Zenitsu pleaded with his hands in prayer. "If you won't do it for me, at least do it for our dear Nezuko! Don't deprive her of one luxurious day off, please!"

"Don't use my sister against me!" Tanjiro bristled, but even he felt his guard crumbling against the circumstances. It was all too painfully familiar - Nezuko used to hug his back like this whenever she wanted a favor. And Rokuta would make those same eyes at him whenever he wanted a second helping of dessert. Very rarely had Tanjiro successfully resisted these advances, and whenever he had, he felt like a horrible brother afterwards.

Using my love for my family against me, he griped, a vein protruding out of his forehead as nervous sweat broke out on his face. Damn these two.

Zenitsu was still staring at him with big eyes, and Nezuko was still pressing beseechingly against his back. Inosuke still hadn't announced his stance on either front, and Tanjiro hoped he would stay that way. He didn't think he could handle three beggars that reminded him of his family.

Even two proved too much for him. "FINE," He finally huffed, his firm stance slouching. "I'll run it by Mr. Ubuyashiki,"

Zenitsu and Nezuko started to celebrate, but then an outraged yell rang out, "WHAT?!" Everyone turned to see Inosuke's boar head staring between the two Slayers. "HEY - NO ONE ASKED ME WHAT I WANTED!"

Tanjiro winced, but turned to face the Beast Breather fully. "Oh, I'm sorry, Inosuke," He said calmly. "What do you want to do?"

Inosuke growled and hoisted his swords. "Well, I say NO!" He declared. "Vacation just sounds like a waste of time, and who needs that? All we need to be active is a good fight with a demon every now and then! So I say no vacation!"

Everyone in the group was quiet for a few minutes. Then Zenitsu darted forward with a furious expression. "DO NOT TRY TO RUIN MY VACATION, MOUNTAIN BOY!" He bellowed in Inosuke's snout. "I HAVE WAITED FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY SINCE THE DAY I JOINED THE CORPS AND STARTED THROWING MY LIFE INTO DANGER ON A DAILY BASIS, AND I AM NOT GONNA LET SOME BOAR HEADED FREAK GET IN THE WAY NOW!"

Inosuke took a step back, then took two steps forward, meeting the blonde Slayer in the middle. "I'M TELLING YOU, WE DON'T NEED IT!" He screamed in his face.

"AND I'M TELLING YOU, WE DEFINITELY DO!" Zenitsu yelled back, spit flying.

It was obvious that a brawl was imminent, so Tanjiro decided to take his leave. "I'm going to continue on to the Butterfly Mansion," He called tiredly over his shoulder as he continued on the trail. "Just be sure to be back before nightfall." A series of loud grunts answered him, letting him know that the fight had already begun.

Tanjiro sighed, imagining the bruises they were sure to come back with. "What are we going to do with those two?" He complained to Nezuko; she groaned as if to say she didn't know.

But as much as I hate to admit it, Zenitsu has a point, Tanjiro thought to himself. It would be nice to get away from the battle for a while. Me and Nezuko haven't had a day off from working since the day we started, either at home or during the Corps. It might actually be... relaxing to not have to rush off to do anything for a few days.

Besides, it's only a vacation. What could go wrong?

—————

2087 words.

Tanjiro doesn't know this yet, but the Kamaboko squad is in for a whirlwind of surprises...