Chapter Eight:
Him

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

He smiled, his eyes gently fluttering open. He felt especially happy, considering he was well aware that last night wasn't a dream. He got up, the warmth of the kakefuton leaving his upper body. He hummed in satisfaction, the sweet smell of a certain confectionery treat reaching his nose. That confectionery treat was mochi; Ichigo mochi, to be specific.

He pulled the kakefuton off his lower body, the cold winter breeze hitting him through his clothing. He shivered, his feet touching the cold tatami as he left the comfort of his futon. He reached his arms above his head, yawning as he stretched. 

Sliding the door open, a soft breeze hit his face, slightly blowing on his burgundy locks. He smiled, seeing a meal prepared for him by the table. He watched Y/n place the mochi onto a plate, then placed the plate on the table. 

His heart skipped a beat. Every little thing she did always enticed him, one way or another. Their eyes met the moment Y/n turned around. He began to wonder. When was the last time he saw Y/n's eyes look so warm? They had always looked so cold, and they always will. But to him, he saw a burning flame of passion; her eyes always made him fall in love all over again. 

"Good morning, Y/n," Tanjiro greeted, finally stepping out from the room provided to him. Y/n nodded; it was her form of a simple greeting. "Morning. Otoo-san is setting up outside. Have a nice breakfast," she said rather bluntly, turning back to the counter to prepare some tea. Tanjiro smiled at her, then strode over to the table. 

It had officially been a year since Urokodaki took Tanjiro under his wing. Traning was atrocious at the start, but he eventually got the hang of it. Albeit it didn't seem like it, Y/n had a huge role in his training. She stood by the sidelines for the most part, but she was always so rough on him whenever Urokodaki asked for her to train the burgundy-haired boy. 

Her words, although harsh, meant a lot; he knew there was no sort of hidden message through it. She was painfully straightforward; her words could stab you through your chest like a knife. But once you succeed, her poetic words of praise make up for her words of encouragement, which more often than not, come out as insults.

Fighting her was harsh, but it was what made Tanjiro stronger. Although, that can't really be said, considering he STILL hasn't beaten her in a spar. The small thump in front of him snapped him out of his thoughts. It was a cup of tea that Y/n placed in front of him. He smiled. "Ittadakimasu!" He exclaimed, picking up the chopsticks Y/n set out for him. 

He watched Y/n sit across from him, quietly sipping from a cup of tea. Tanjiro furrowed his eyebrows. "Aren't you going to eat?" He asked her. She looked up at him, shaking her head softly. "I'm not hungry..." She trailed. "But you're the one who always tells me to eat more so I can get stronger!" Tanjiro argued. 

Y/n let out a breathy chuckle, slightly shocking Tanjiro. "I sound like a hypocrite now, don't I? Don't worry. It's just that I hate eating breakfast. It makes me feel sick. I'll eat lunch, that's for sure," Y/n said. Tanjiro sighed. "If you say so..." He trailed. 

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

He closed his eyes, hands on his knees as he hunched over, gasping for air. The cold atmosphere made him shiver, his sweat making him feel even colder. He looked up a little, his vision shaky. He vaguely saw Y/n come up behind Urokodaki, while his sensei continued to stare at the tired boy in front of him. 

"There is nothing more I can teach you," Urokodaki spoke, his rough voice sounding prominently through the air. His eyes snapped open. He looked up at neck-breaking speed, giving his wise trainer a clear look of shock. Y/n sighed, turning around and walking off somewhere else. 

Had a year already passed? Yes, it had. But how come he felt as if he isn't done yet? He's done his best. He worked hard, trained hard; it was all for his sister. And yet, there was a part of him saying that it isn't over yet. That something even harder is just right at his life's door. 

"The rest is up to you. Prove to me that you are capable of advancing to a higher level," Urokodaki said. Tanjiro let out a breath, then straightened his posture. He looked up at Urokodaki, seeing the man staring right back at him. 

"Come with me," Urokodaki demanded bluntly, turning around and walking into the forest. Tanjiro tilted his head in confusion but followed Urokodaki either way. They walked silently on the dirt path, the only sound being the whispers of the wind and the crunching of dirt beneath Tanjiro's zori sandals.

Urokodaki stopped, making Tanjiro stop as well. He looked around, seeing that they've arrived at a clearing. At the center of the clearing was a boulder. It stood tall and proud, a bit of snow piling on top of it. 

"Split this boulder in half. If you succeed, I will let you proceed to the final selection," Urokodaki muttered bluntly. Tanjiro's eyes widened. He looked at the boulder, overwhelmed by the size. It looked like it was triple his size. 

He glanced at the side, noticing Y/n standing there, staring at him bluntly. 'Is that even possible..?' Tanjiro questioned silently, his eyes darting back to the boulder. He gripped the tsuka of his sword, glaring up at the boulder. 

'I'm gonna fail... My sword will break...' He thought to himself. He lowered his head, squeezing his eyes shut. His grip on the tsuka of his sword tightened, even more, his fist beginning to shake. 

'I can't fail... If I don't do this, Nezuko might stay as a demon forever..!' He thought. "Tanjiro," Y/n called sternly, snapping Tanjiro out of his thoughts. He turned behind him, seeing Y/n. Urokodaki was nowhere to be seen. Y/n's head was held up high, her hands were clasped behind her back, her gaze as cold and stern as ever; she always looked so elegant. 

"You're scared. Scared of failure," Y/n called out, shocking Tanjiro. She wasn't wrong. Had she heard his thoughts? Was he radiating a certain aura? Y/n sighed. "I know you're scared because I've been there too. Failure is inevitable. But once you succeed, you grow stronger," Y/n stated, making Tanjiro's eyes widen.

She was encouraging him. This time, without any berating comments. He smiled fondly, still a little off guard. "Now go ahead and try. Everyone is afraid of falling, but only failures stop at that. So don't stop now, unless you too, want to be a failure," Y/n shot harshly, making Tanjiro sweatdrop. There it was. The usual, somewhat encouraging, harsh comment. He sighed, smiling a little.

He can't let her down.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

He groaned in frustration, slamming his forehead against the large boulder. The food Y/n left him for lunch was still untouched. The sun was already setting, and yet he still hasn't made any progress. Today was the day that marked his sixth month of trying and failing.

His body ached, but at this point, he wasn't sure if it was due to fatigue, or if it was a byproduct of his frustration. At this time of day, Y/n would be around; she'd be watching him or giving him food to replenish his energy.  However, she was nowhere to be seen. 'A meeting...' Tanjiro noted, dropping to his knees as he let go of his sword.

He looked down at his hands, scarred from all the times he's tried to succeed. It's been days since he started getting these wounds, which meant it had been days since he first attempted to hide them from Y/n.

He groaned loudly, slamming his forehead on the boulder. "Am I no good?!" He questioned, clenching his fists. Sweat trickled down his forehead as he slammed it back into the rock again and again.

"Silence!" A voice exclaimed. Tanjiro flinched. He pulled his head away from the boulder, his eyes slowly trailing up.

There stood a boy in a yukata, adorned with green and yellow hexagon patterns of all sorts of shades. His hair was a nice shade of peach, thick strands spiking in several directions, varying in length. His face was hidden behind a kitsune mask, a scar-like design on the side making it stand out.

"A man shouldn't whine, it's unseemly," said the boy, his annoyance clear in his voice. He pulled his arm back, preparing to strike. "A demon slayer bears their suffering in silence," the boy claimed.

Tanjiro's eyes widened at the statement. Y/n was never vocal about her pain. There were some missions when she would come back home, clothes tattered and stained with her own blood, wounds open and prone to infections, and yet, she'd always insist that she was fine.

Then, there are the times when she comes back more tired than usual. It was only the following day that he and Urokodaki would find out that someone had died in the mission.

He could sense Y/n's frustration, sadness, anger, and self-resentment. And yet, she keeps quiet. She continues to give him her signature small smile. No matter how tired she is, no matter the pain she bears, no matter the lives lost because of her mistakes, she keeps quiet and keeps moving on.

He sees it now. Y/n is the ideal demon slayer.

"Isn't that what you want to be?" The boy asked, tilting his head a little. Tanjiro's brows furrowed, his lips pressing into a thin line. The boy jumped off the rock, propelling himself towards Tanjiro.

"Then start acting like it."

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

The soft flapping of her pink robin's feathers had her stopping in her tracks. She turned around, seeing a piece of parchment strapped to Iro's leg. She turned to the helper that insisted on accompanying her, holding out the bags she was had. "Could you please take these and head back to the estate?" She asked. The woman nodded, taking the bags and turning to walk to the estate.

Y/n turned back to Iro, untying the piece of parchment from her leg. It was a letter from Oyakata-sama.

Good day, Y/n.

I've received notice from several rank-and-file demon slayers about an ominous town they had stumbled upon during a mission.

According to them, it was deathly quiet, save for the occasional cries for help. The group that was sent there had disappeared as soon as they stepped in, and are currently unreachable.

However, one managed to deliver a message before disappearing. According to the townspeople, they are hiding away, for a demon is rumored to abound somewhere in the town.

I assumed it was time to call a Hashira, so I would like you and Sanemi to go in on a joint mission to find and slay the demon, and hopefully recover all the lost slayers.

Sincerely, Kagaya Ubuyashiki.

She folded the piece of parchment,  then handed Iro a pouch of her favorite treat. "Please lead the way, Iro," Y/n asked. Iro chirped, then began heading southeast. She tucked the letter into one of the pockets in her haori, made sure her sword's scabbard was strapped to her belt properly, then ran to follow Iro.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

"Took you long enough!"

Shinazugawa's voice echoed through the empty fields, making Y/n roll her eyes. "You weren't here much longer before I was, Shinazugawa-san."

Shinazugawa clicked his tongue, turning away from Y/n and walking ahead. "How many?" Shinazugawa asked. Y/n tilted her head. "Pardon?"

"How many demons do you think are in here. They've been killing the shit out of lower ranks," Shinazugawa muttered. He stopped, looking over his shoulder, seeing Y/n frozen in place with her eyes closed.

Y/n shook her head, sighing. "Just one." Shinazugawa raised an eyebrow. "What's with that tone of yours?" Y/n opened her eyes, looking straight at him.

"Something isn't right."

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

"I hear multiple heartbeats, but only one belongs to a demon, five belong to humans, and the rest are unidentifiable," Y/n said, leading the walk through the ghost town of a village.

"And? Why do those other heartbeats matter?" Shinazugawa said, trailing closely behind her, looking at the dull buildings surrounding them.

"Simply put, there are fake heartbeats." As soon as Y/n voiced her conclusion, the ground shook. The two glanced at each other, running to hold on to something sturdy.

Y/n ran to grab onto a pillar on the building beside her, but as soon as she took a step towards the building, the ground caved in on her.

"L/n!" She heard Shinazugawa call.

Her surroundings were dimly lit, the ground she was falling to dangerously close. "Breath of water, second form," she muttered, bracing herself as she fell closer and closer to the ground. "Waterwheel." She pivoted her body, the form softening the impact. Beside her, Shinazugawa landed with a quiet thud.

Shinazugawa groaned, getting up. "What the hell was that?" He grumbled, rubbing the sore spot on his back.

Y/n shrugged, looking around. The place was dark, the only lighting coming from the hole they fell from. That light didn't reach far, in front of them was darkness. However, a small glow emitted from far away. Squinting, Y/n could see it was a firefly.

"Is that a firefly?" Shinazugawa said, dusting his clothes off as he got off the ground. "I think it's a spirit. It might be here to guide us," Y/n muttered, taking a few steps towards the firefly to get a closer look. She flinched as Shinazugawa walked past her, speeding towards the firefly. He looked over his shoulder, glaring at Y/n. "Let's follow it."

Y/n groaned, quickly catching up, following closely behind him. "We aren't sure where this will lead us," Y/n said, voice firm as she placed a hand on Shinazugawa's shoulder. He continued to run, shrugging her hand off, turning to her. "You said you think it would guide us, right? Only one way to figure out if you're right," Shinazugawa said, walking ahead once more. Y/n sighed, following him.

The firefly flew ahead of them quietly, leading them down an ominous tunnel. Further down the path, they could see a bright light coming from a big opening.

The firefly stopped, lurking a few feet away from the opening. Shinazugawa went ahead once more, stepping into the large opening.

The eerie feeling in the tunnel dissipated immediately upon entry. Inside were thousands of more fireflies. Crystals of different colors decorated the cave, reflecting the light the fireflies gave. The cave split into three paths, each leading to a dark tunnel once more.

Y/n furrowed her eyebrows, grumbling. "I don't think it was right to follow the firefly." Shinazugawa rolled his eyes. "Quit your babbling. We're safe. Besides, you're into this kind of scenery, aren't you?" He retorted, resting hands on his hips as he looked around. "Not if we're in something that's most likely demon territory," Y/n muttered.

Suddenly, a scream echoed down the path in the center. Y/n dashed towards the path, making Shinazugawa flinch. "Oi! L/n! Where are you going?" He called. He groaned, walking towards the path she took. However, a call had him stop in his tracks.

"Sanemi!"

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

In the distance, a demon could be seen lounging at a Man. Beside him, the half-eaten corpse of a woman lay lifeless, while a little girl hid behind him, shaking as the demon grabbed onto the man's shoulders.

Y/n squinted her eyes. "I'm not gonna make it."

Just before the demon could bite into the man's arm, a small glint, seemingly the light of a firefly reflecting off metal, caught Y/n's eye. Not a second later, the demon's head slid off its shoulders.

Before her stood a hooded demon slayer, flicking off blood from his sword before tucking it back into its sheath. Y/n bit the inside of her cheek, sword hand cautiously ghosting over the tsuka of het blade.

"A hooded demon slayer that uses the breathe of water? I don't recall Urokodaki-san ever mentionung you." Y/n said, slowly appriaching the figure.

"I'm sure he hasn't. But that doesn't matter. Surely you remember me," a familiar voice replied, the figure's pale hand reaching for the hood. He pulled it down, Y/n's eyes widening as he turned around, a familiar pair of gentle, lavender eyes meeting hers. "Right, Y/n?"

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

Tidbits:
63) The boulder Tanjiro was given has the same height and width as Y/n's

64) Y/n is still sorting her feelings. Although she's sure that she still does have feelings for Tanjiro, she's unsure of what to do now that she knows that her feelings are reciprocated