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It's easy to lose track of, in between everything else, but Tanjiro had been officially part of the Demon Slaying Corps for less than three months by the time its top ranked members nearly decided to execute him. It was a jarring moment. Unfair and ugly.
Tanjiro never wanted to be here. He'd followed Tomioka's letter half because he was afraid the other would kill either him or Nezuko if he didn't. He'd trained with Urokodaki first because he was confused and the man seemed to know what was going on and then because he'd gone too far to turn back. He passed the final selection more for Urokodaki's sake than anything else, wanting to give the man who'd taken him in some hope both in his students and himself. He took up the sword because he believed no one should suffer and, until he found a cure, this seemed like the best way to ensure that.
None of this has anything to do with demon slaying. That, to him, is almost incidental.
There was no joy or justice in killing demons. There was the rush of the moment- kill or be killed, move or die, go go go. And after that only a heavy feeling, a sad sort of satisfaction. For a little while he hadn't understood how strange that was in the organization he was a part of. He blames it on the first slayers he met being Zenitsu and Inosuke.
Inosuke was barely a demon slayer mostly because no one cared enough to kick him out. Zenitsu was barely a demon slayer in that he was more afraid of backing out than staying on. Tanjiro was barely a demon slayer in that he barely wanted to slay demons. They made a merry trio, their own little bubble of weirdness.
And then came Natagumo Mountain. The puppeted broken bodies of fellow slayers had horrified him but also confused him. The threads were light, but no lighter than ordinary webs- they were easy to avoid or break if you were paying attention. It made him wonder how more than half a dozen slayers could have fallen for this trap.
And then it was just the moment, this moment, kill or be killed, save or fail, Lower Moon Five and Nezuko and nothing else in the world besides that. Rui's death- his stricken expression and shiny eyes had struck some deep chord in him. The desire to hold him close and comfort him, the way he might have done for one of his own siblings, had blotted out everything else. In that moment nothing had mattered except that Rui was a younger brother and Tanjiro an older brother. That was all there was.
To have Tomioka stomping on that had brought to surface every nasty resentment he'd ever had about the man. If he hadn't been practically paralyzed he'd have fought him.
But even worse was that- he'd thought the moment was over. That normal time and priorities were reasserting themselves now that the more experienced slayers were here. And then they'd started talking about killing Nezuko. The woman's mocking tone as she asked if he knew his sister was a demon. The false pity in her voice. Between one second and the next it was back to kill or be killed. And then someone- probably a Kakushi- knocked him out.
He'd woken up in pain and tied up. Not even sitting down or anything- just thrown on the gravel like a rice sack. Even rice sacks probably got let down more gingerly. And then he was face to face- or really face to boots- with a group of people only a little older than him but definitely more important.
The Pillars.
The most insufferable people he'd ever met. The way they dismissed his arguments had made his blood boil. It had taken every ounce of self-restraint to not say Well the only proof we have that you won't eat humans is that you haven't yet so I don't see why you would agree. They treated Nezuko more like she was a wild animal than a person and for a few moments he'd been genuinely terrified he was about to watch his last remaining family crumble into dust.
At least the Corps' Master seemed more reasonable. Or at least more willing to accept payment in the lives of others. The letter was a shock to him. It seemed unnecessary and cruel. His own life maybe he could understand. Even Urokodaki perhaps- he had harbored Nezuko for years. The only thing Tomioka was guilty of was doing nothing. An absence of action. Would they really demand the death of one of their own- a leader among their own- over just that?
Yes, apparently. Tomioka didn't seem surprised. Whether the calm he maintained was genuine or just another placid mask was impossible to tell. He denied nothing at least.
He'd have thought he'd be free with the so-called trial concluded but instead he'd been whisked away to the Butterfly Estate. A compound meant for rest and recovery of injured slayers. It was sunny and clean and smelled so strongly of wisteria it was making his own nose itch.
I don't want to be here he'd thought. I don't want to be here with the people who were going to kill my sister hours ago.
But where else could he go? Tamayo, probably. She was a doctor- probably an even better one since she had centuries to hone her craft. In the brief span of time he'd known her she'd been infinitely more gentle and helpful than any of the upper ranked slayers. He wanted to be back with her with a ferocity that surprised him.
But even if they let him go injured they would want know where to. What would he say? To a doctor I know. How does she know about demons? Well see, she actually is one! That would certainly go over well. Tomioka had nearly been executed with him for not killing a newborn demon like Nezuko and he was a Pillar besides. They'd probably kill Tanjiro before he drew another breath, letter or no letter.
And Tamayo and Yushiro... they'd hurt Nezuko, who'd never touched a human in her life. They would have killed her laughing. Tamayo and Yushiro still subsisted on blood- reasonable as far as Tanjiro was concerned and even now there was a thought in the back of his head to ask if Tamayo could modify Nezuko to do the same. The slayers would rip them apart first and never question that it was the right decision.
Lastly Inosuke and Zenitsu were also here. Tanjiro felt a sense of comfort from them. With the dawning realization that he was the odd one out among slayers he felt a little better being with similarly strange people.
The Butterfly girls were nice enough at least. Sweet and helpful, if a little brutal. Ultimately well meaning. They treated Nezuko warily but not unkindly. They let her sleep in a room with the windows boarded up and one of the younger girls even brushed her hair.
It wasn't the worst time of his life, but he was still more than glad to be out of there.
Being placed on a mission with the Flame Pillar had stuck him as strange. Whatever could a Pillar need the help of three slayers with less than a year of experience for? He wondered, half frustrated and half amused, if he was going to be assigned only missions with Pillars so they could keep an eye on both him and Nezuko.
He hoped not. Back before this whole debacle he'd used to open the box and let Nezuko walk along with him when they traveled at night. It made no sense to keep carrying her when he didn't have to. She'd also started taking the gag off when there were no other humans around, as she gained confidence in herself again. She wasn't able to speak yet but they'd passed several fun nights on the road growling back and forth at each other and that had been a good time.
Somehow he didn't think they'd be able to do that with a Pillar watching them. So the box it was for Nezuko, even through it felt bad to be carrying her around like luggage. It turns out to be for the best in the end, since it spares her from Lower One's cruel trick and leaves her awake to free the rest of them. There's some twisted irony in there but he's too busy fighting (and dying) to work it out.
The rage he feels towards Akaza is possibly the first time he's understood the rest of the slayers. Maybe. He wouldn't know what they felt but Tanjiro felt the same impotent rage towards Upper Moon Three that he used to feel towards the bullies in town. Children or young adults who were just strong enough to kick those with the least power around. Each and every one of them, Akaza included, ran away at the first hint of someone more powerful showing up, too cowardly to face the consequences of their actions. He'd never been able to do anything about it back then too and it was a special brand of frustrating that even after all the training and killing he was still stuck with just yelling and throwing things after them.
He's shipped back to the Butterfly Mansion less than a week after leaving it and he wants to smash the walls. He doesn't. But he wishes he could.
Nezuko is awake for a little while this time at least. After seeing her fight to defend humans the slayers seem to have warmed up a bit toward her. The room she has isn't locked any more, for one. The Butterfly girls also seem more willing to interact and even play with her. Kanao has apologized for trying to hurt her too. They still won't let her leave the estate or practice her Blood Art through.
Recovery this time is only marginally less difficult, but the training makes up for that with a vengeance. After coming face to face with an Upper Moon, though, he can't help but feel it's still not enough.
Patience, he reminds himself, there's still the Lower Moons to collect blood from- and he could kick himself for forgetting to collect any of Lower One's blood. Or at least asking Inosuke to collect some. It’s not so much that he trusts the other boy’s subtlety as he trusts Inosuke to take any excuse to stab a demon. But then again if Yushiro’s cat had shown up out of nowhere there was a chance there would have been uncomfortable explanations to give so maybe it’s all for the best. There are other Lower Moons to collect blood from.
Regardless he resolves to go ask Tamayo if she managed to do anything with the sample he did get. As soon as he can stand without fainting.
His visit ends up getting delayed by another two weeks since he’s on a mission as soon as he’s out of rehabilitation training but he finished it without any injuries major enough to warrant the Butterfly estate. He gets patched up at the first Wisteria House willing to have him and heads towards Asakusa.
It’s still bright, still loud, still strange. Nezuko refuses to come out of the box this time which is fair but it does make walking around even more difficult. He forges on until he finds a quiet enough area to call out to Kimaru. The tabby cat manifests out of thin air with the characteristic sound of bells and he knees close to him.
“Any chance you could show me where our friends are?” he asks, petting him gently. It feels a little stupid talking to cat but if he delivers the samples it stands to reason he’d know where to.
Sure enough after receiving his fair share of pats the cat arches up and then dashes sideways. It’s not the most dangerous workout he’s ever had, chasing a cat through a busy city but with the lights and the trams and the crowds it’s definitely up there. They end up in a quiet alleyway that looks, to all appearances, like it dead ends in a wall. And then Kimaru jumps straight through it. Tanjiro has to feel his way around a little but eventually finds a section that looks like wall but has the consistency of water, rippling as he runs his fingers over it.
He passes through with only a moment of disorientation and then he’s on the other side. The place looks just as he remembers- a large sturdy house in a vast courtyard. This late in the fall the trees are all red and yellow and brown. Different than the pale blossoms he saw last time, but no less beautiful. Kimaru is pawning at the door as he approaches and just as he’s stepping up Yushiro opens it. For a second he doesn’t seem to notice Tanjiro and bends down to pick up the cat. Both his mannerisms and his expression are so much gentler than Tanjiro knows them it’s almost like a different person.
Then he lays eyes on the two of them and it all shifts to scowls again.
“You!” he says “What are the two of you doing here? Come to bring trouble again?”
“No,” Tanjiro replies “Just for a visit- if that’s alright,”
Yushiro’s face contorts a little more but he holds the door open and gets out of the doorway.
“Personally, I would be happy to send you on your way but if you came all the way here again I suppose we could ask Lady Tamayo first.”
Tanjiro, despite himself, feels a smile beginning to tug at his lips. Yushiro’s animosity is, somehow, a breath of fresh air. It’s a dislike with no grand justification and no pretenses. The other just dislikes Tanjiro, for whatever reason. It’s much easier to shallow than the other forms of contempt he’s been on the receiving end of, lately.
This time, Tanjiro gets dumped in a waiting room while Yushiro goes and finds Lady Tamayo. Personally, Tanjiro suspects it’s all for show, considering the superior senses demons have probably mean Lady Tamayo knows they’re here already. But it’s fine. The wait gives him the time to get Nezuko out of the box and help her make sure all her clothes are staying on right after growing to a more normal size. They both end up curled up on room’s carpet. It’s thick and has an almost hypnotic pattern woven into it. By the time Lady Tamayo comes to get them Tanjiro is leaning back against one of the chaos and Nezuko is curled up with her head in his lap, tracing every white thread with her eyes.
He fumbles a little on what to do, torn between manners and not waking Nezuko up. But before he an decide his sister gets off of him on her own and by the time Tanjiro is standing up she’s already walking towards Tamayo. The other woman seems a little confused by this, at least until Nezuko tugs her into a hug and wraps her arms around her.
Tanjiro can smell her scent spiking with disbelief-gratitude-fondness as she hugs back. It’s brief but it kills any reservations Tenjiro might have and he goes in for a hug as well. It’s a little embarrassing but Lady Tamayo gives a very good hug, so it’s mostly just nice. She’s slightly cooler than an average human, but her arms around him are secure and with his head tucked away in her shoulder Tanjiro feels safer than he has since Urokodaki hugged him after the Final Selection.
“Welcome,” she says, after they separate. “I’m very glad to see you are safe. It’s been quite a while without any message from you so it’s good to know nothing has happened to you,”
“Ah,” Tanjiro says, sheepish all over again. “I apologize about that. I haven’t gotten any new samples and I didn’t want to make Kimaru run around for no reason,”
“You can make him run around,” she says, amused “It’s what he’s for. And,” she adds. “Knowing you’re faring well isn’t no reason,”
Before Tanjiro can reply Yushiro breaks in with a scoff.
“Faring well? Lady Tamayo, don’t tell me you can’t smell how the idoit’s ripped his stiches,”
“I haven’t ripped anything,” Tanjiro shoots back “It’s not stitched.”
“All the same,” Lady Tamayo says, gently “Could I take a look at whatever it is? Considering your profession I’m not sure I’m comfortable with you walking around smelling of blood,”
Tanjiro opens his mouth to tell her that it’s alright and she shouldn’t bother but he’s interrupted again by Nezuko this time.
“Yes, check,” she says. The words are garbled and rough but it’s always a joy to hear her speak.
Tanjiro may be a demon slayer and strong enough to kill Lower Moon One but he suspects three demons would have no issue hoisting him up regardless of what he thinks so he sighs and accepts his fate of being gently prodded onto an exam table. He takes off his jacket and shirt as Lady Tamayo goes to prepare her supplies and Yushiro looks at him like he’s expecting Tanjiro to make off with their painkiller supply. Nezuko finds a chair to sit in and curls up there, shrinking a little to fit.
When Lady Tamayo comes back she zeroes in on the bandages around his waist and starts unwinding them and gently peeling away the other layer under that. There’s blood crusted on it and it pulls uncomfortably at the skin which makes him grimace. Usually he’d just take it off and deal with the pain and the open scabbing. Instead Lady Tamayo sprays something cool that stings a little over the bandages as she unwinds them. It makes unpeeling them from the skin much easier and much less damaging.
It’s difficult to see her, since the wound goes from the middle of his back towards his waist and she’s mostly behind him. By the way Yushiro’s expression somehow turns ever stormier he can guess that he’d done something wrong with it.
“Who treated this?” Lady Tamayo asks.
“Someone at a Wisteria House,” Tanjiro answers.
“Someone!” Yushiro explodes “Not a doctor that’s for sure! Look at that! How can you see that and not stitch it up!” he sounds so offended it almost loops back around to being funny.
“I can’t,” Lady Tamayo says firmly “Yushiro, go get the needle and thread while I clean this up.”
“Yes, Lady Tamayo,” he says and then he’s off before Tanjiro can get another word out.
“Tanjiro,” she says “Could you hunch over a little more so I can tell for sure how big this is?”
He does as he’s told and she hums a little before picking up some gauze and putting something that smells surgical and sweet on it to and rubbing it around the wound. He can’t help but flinch a little whenever she brushes against the edges of it but she doesn’t seem bothered by it. After she’s done with that she starts prodding it and gently trying to pull the edges apart. As soon as she does that, he can feel a fresh trickle of blood flow out that she wipes with a considering hum.
As she’s doing that Yushiro comes back in with a tray with scissors, needles, thread and another two instruments that Tanjiro doesn’t know.
“I think,” she says “That I will have to break the scrabs to stitch this properly. I was hoping they’d come off on their own, but apparently not. Is that aright with you Tanjiro?”
“Ah, I was actually going to say,” He starts “I don’t know that stitching it is the best idea. I’m sure it would heal better that way but given where it is I don’t know how I’d manage to take the stitches out on my own and I don’t want to risk not being able to get to a Wisteria House and leaving them in too long,”
“What?” Yushiro says. “Why would you need to find someone, your sister’s right there isn’t she?”
A special sort of silence falls over the room. Nezuko stands up straighter from where she was curled up in a chair.
“I- ah” Tanjiro says. He’s fumbling a little, confused and embarrassed. “I hadn’t… through…” he trails off seeing the way Yushiro’s fists are clenching and finished off with a meager “Please don’t punch me again?”
“Do not.” Lady Tamayo says firmly, looking at Yushiro.
It seems to work since he unclenches his hands and relaxes from where he was bunched up like a spring. Even his expression smooths out, through displeasure still lingers in the corners of his mouth and eyebrows.
“It’s alright Tanjiro,” she says, turning to him. “Removing stitches without training, as a demon and a young demon at that isn’t easy. You weren’t wrong to not think of it as a possibility. However, I cannot let this wound go untreated in good conscience. If Yushiro teaches Nezuko how to remove stitches, would you allow me to help?”
Nezuko speaks before anyone else.
“Yes,” she says. Her voice is raspy but her face is as fierce and determined as he’s ever seen it. How could he ever say no, faced with that.
“Yes, alright,” he agrees.
Yushiro’s frown remains but he gestures Nezuko closer, and they settle at a table behind him. He can’t see what they’re doing but he can hear Yushiro speaking. It’s easier to focus on that than on Lady Tamayo threading the needle carefully.
“It’s tempting to use your claws,” Yushiro says “But you don’t have nearly as much precision with them as you think and they’re a little curved at the top. If you do that you can end up snagging threads and tearing the wound open again,”
Yushiro is a good teacher, explaining the basics without veering off course but also without omitting anything. The pull of skin and the sharp stings of the needle almost fade into the background as he listens to him talk.
By the time the wound has been stitched and redressed Tanjiro feels heavy and tired. A yawn escapes him even as he’s getting off the exam table.
“If it’s not too much to ask could we-” another yawn makes him break off midway and he blinks to clear his vision a little “Could we stay the night?”
“Yes, of course,” Lady Tamayo agrees. “We’ll talk more when you wake up,”
Lady Tamayo shows both him and Nezuko to a room with two beds set up and a window with thick curtains. She also insists they both change out of their travelling clothes and into something more comfortable. Tanjiro tries to refuse, doesn’t want to be more of a bother, but Yushiro is already tugging on his haori and grousing about how he smells like dirt and stale sweat.
“Trust me,” Yushiro deadpans. “This is more for us than for you,”
In the end they end up going to sleep in some borrowed pajamas from the infirmary, at what must be close to dawn.
He doesn’t know exactly when he wakes but when he does he finds a tray with a few onighiris, a peach and a thick slice of honey cake in the room with him, as well as a teapot and two cups. Nezuko is still asleep by the time he finishes eating and all he can do is set a tea cup next to her and hope she wakes up before they have to leave. She, understandably, panics when she wakes up in the box.
A little fumbling around the house lets him find a window that he carefully cracks open, making sure to block most of the sunlight with his body. It looks to be around midday, or maybe a little later. In the sunlight the autumn leaves glint like jewels and he spends a few minutes transfixed by the sight.
He stays there until he hears a cough and a creak from behind him and he turns without thinking. A ray of sunlight escapes past him to pool on the floor and Yushiro jumps back almost three steps, even through he’s nowhere near it. His fingers are clenching and unclenching around the bundles of cloth he’s carrying.
“Could you please close that up?” he asks. His voice isn’t trembling but it’s strained and while he’s clearly talking to Tanjiro his eyes are fixed on the small beam of light on the floor like it’s going to jump up and bite him.
Tanjiro feels his face heating up with embarrassment and closes the window quickly, fixing the blinds back in place.
“Sorry!” he says “I’m sorry I’m- I just wanted to know… the time,” he finished a little pathetically.
“Daytime,” Yushiro snaps at him.
He marches up to Tanjiro and shoves the bundles at him.
“Here- you shouldn’t walk around like that,” he says “When you’re done, we’ll be on the first floor.”
Tanjiro manages to nod and goes back to the room he came from to change. Neuko is still asleep and shaking her gently yields no results besides a grumble so he goes down the stairs alone. Tamayo and Yushiro are both sitting at a table in a large room, with a pot of tea between them.
As soon as he sits down Tanjiro is nearly overwhelmed by how much there is to say and how much he wants to say it. He can’t decide exactly what’s most important so he decides to start at the beginning.
He tells them about meeting Zenitsu and Inosuke (Yushiro’s baffled face as he says A boar head? And we’re the savage ones?) and about the drumhouse (The sample you sent was very useful Tanjiro, thank you.). He doesn’t mention the Wisteria Crest House because that feels a step too far, though. After that he talks about Natagumo Mountain and Rui and feels a little vindicated the somber expressions he receives. It’s good to see someone treating it like the tragedy it was instead of a triumph.
He doesn’t tell them about the strange memories and the breathing pattern he uncovered there, less because he doesn’t trust them and more because he doesn’t want to spend an hour explaining breathing patterns at all.
He takes a second to drink some tea, steeling himself for remembering the meeting with the Pillars. It’s difficult to recall without feeling the panic rise up again but neither of the other two hurry him or comment on the way his hands clench around the cup. Yushiro definitely looks like he wants to offer a piece of his mind but Tamayo squeezes his writs tightly and he keeps his mouth shut. Tanjiro is grateful for it. As nice as it would have been to hear Yushiro get angry for him instead of at him for once he doesn’t need to hear how unfair and cruel it was. He already knows that and is trying to put it behind him.
He talks about the Butterfly Mansion and gets interrupted several times with questions about various therapies and exercises he did which he recounts to the bets of his ability. The best of his ability, admittedly, also involves a lot of complaining. It’s nice to see Tamayo and Yushiro smile, even when it’s clear they’re laughing at him. He also talks about the Insect Pillar and her sword since it’s strange and memorable (Tanjiro… do you think you could ask this lady if she were willing to part with some of her special poison? Probably seeing his expression Tamayo adds You don’t have to tell her who I am- just that I’m a doctor interested in toxins. If she says no maybe try to tell her I know of demons and want to help but beyond that if she still refuses that’s just how it is.)
He talks about the Mugen Train then. About the Flame Pillar’s power, enough to shake the train when he moved, and about Lower Moon One’s plot of merging with the train (Did you say he became the entire train? Tamayo asked looking confused. Yes! It was very strange. It was- Tanjiro, it should have been impossible. A Lower Moon shouldn’t be able to do something like that). He talks about how the train completely derailed after the fight was over (You do know what momentum is, right? Yushiro asks disbelieving) and about the passengers scattered around.
He talks about Upper Moon Three. Just the mention of the name makes both of the others stiffen and, to Tanjiro’s shock, Yushiro even growls a little. He tells them about how he appeared out of nowhere to challenge the Flame Pillar. About the way he kept offering him to become a demon over and over again. He can’t quite look at Yushiro when he tells them the sun came up in and forced Akaza to retreat.
He tells them as much as he can about the kind of recovery training he underwent this time and finally about his latest mission, briefly.
“And then I came here,” he finishes. “I wanted to… see you. Last time we met was cut short so. I wanted to see what you’ve been doing.”
“I’m glad you dropped by, Tanjiro,” Tamayo says. “We’ve been well- no more attacks or anything like that since then. I don’t think I ever actually told you what I do- I work the nightshift at one of the local hospitals. During the day I make medicine or take house calls sometimes. Yushiro helps with making the medicine and in general.” A small smile blooms on her face “He also paints.”
Yushiro looks like he’s reconsidering the windows so Tanjiro decides to take a little of the heat off of him “That’s great! I… well I’m sure it’s nothing like it really but when I was young I used to use leftover coal to draw on the house walls.”
If looks could kill Tanjiro would be a bloody puddle on the ground with the way Yushiro is looking at him. Tamayo’s smile has gotten wide enough that he can see the fangs in her mouth.
“That sounds wonderful,” she says “I’m sure we have some charcoal around here if you’d like to pick it up again.”
Three days later, when he leaves, he does end up going away with a stick of drawing charcoal and some sheafs of paper. He’s not sure when he’ll use them or even if he will, but they’ll be useful for writing the letters Tamayo insists he send from now on.
“At least once a season,” she says firmly “At least to let us know how you’ve been.”
He promises and then he’s on his way to catch a train to a town close to where his crow told him his next mission was. This time at least the ride is uneventful.
Some scouting around the region finally leads him to the cursed clearing locals swear up and down materialized out of nowhere two years ago. Upon arriving, he realizes that it’s not really a clearing- at least not in the traditional way. Another day, he thinks tiredly, another bog. It’s a waiting game in the end. He can’t go into the water without being attached and the demon can’t come out without risking herself. In the end the demon’s hunger wins out and she tries sneaking past him in the dead of night. She might have succeeded if Tanjiro were alone.
Instead he comes out of his light doze to the smell of blood and the sight of Nezuko’s claws damn nearly ripping off half the other demon’s face. It heals, of course, but it’s one hell of a call to action. After that the fight is, at least, not awful. The demon’s Blood Art is, predictably, tied to the water, seemingly able to make the level rise and fall as she likes. It’s tricky but it’s not nearly as deadly as it could be. At some point it does submerge him to his hips but that’s the worse it gets. Eventually he manages a clean swipe with little damage to himself.
The head bounces off the ground a little, towards the water and the demon- somehow- shrieks. Tanjiro catches on quickly and manages to grab it so that it doesn’t actually go in the water.
“Thank you,” she gasps “Thank you, I’m sorry, not again, just not again.”
Her headless body flails a little and as Tanjiro is carefully holding her disintegrating head Nezuko grabs her hand and squeezes a little, comfortingly. That seems to settle her down enough that in a few seconds there’s only a sigh left of her and then not even that.
Tanjiro looks at the bog. He’s tired and he’s drenched and even through it’s not life threatening he can feel that an elbow isn’t quite right. Everything in him begs for rest. He gives a sigh that comes from the depths of his soul and gathers up as many of the ashes as he can as Nezuko carefully folds the soggy kimono.
He rests in the forest that night and in the morning, he finds a sunny spot in an actual clearing to bury the clothes and ashes in. After a minute of hesitation, he decides to save the obi. The locals said the swamp showed up two years ago. There’s a chance this girl’s family is form the town and still alive. If that’s the case they deserve some kind of keepsake.
He asks around that day. It takes a little digging, mostly under the guise of continuing his investigation, to finally find one of the girl’s old neighbors, mostly by asking about the very first of the disappearances. She’s an old woman who looks distrustful but is helpful enough. The girl’s name was Tsuyame. Her mother and father were found dead at the same time she disappeared. A wild animal attack. She had a brother too and he left after she went missing.
Tanjiro nods along, like he’s gotten used to doing and when she’s done he pulls out the obi.
“I found this out in the forest. If her brother ever comes back, would you mind giving him this?”
The woman’s hands skim over the fabric, still damp and a little rotten from being submerged for so long but eventually she takes it with a decisive nod.
“I don’t know if he’ll appreciate it,” she says “But I’ll make sure he knows of it at least.”
Tanjiro nods and thanks her and then sets along the path back to the teahouse he saw on the way here. If he’s lucky they’ll have a room too. He puts Nezuko down as gently as he can, trying not to disturb her. She always sleeps for a few days after every fight and he doesn’t want to get in the way of that. He orders something to eat and takes out his map as he waits.
Broadly, he has two objectives- gather more blood for Lady Tamayo and asking for some poison from Shinobu for Lady Tamayo to study.
Since he’s already on the road, it makes more sense to start looking for the Moons. But he has no idea how to go about that. He could wait and hope he gets assigned to a mission that happens to involve one of them- a very real possibility considering the kind of luck he seems to have. But how long could that take? Weeks? Months? Too long in any case.
So, the Butterfly Mansion is his best bet both for more information on the Demon Moons and for some wisteria poison. He’s not exactly happy at the prospect of showing up on their doorstep again so soon but he doesn’t know where else he could go for that kind of information.
Tracing the route on the map he already feels tired at the prospect of the hike ahead of him. There’s enough Wisteria Houses on the way, but whether or not they’ll have him- and Nezuko- is always a bit of a gamble.
He breaths in to calm himself down. The air circulates through his body and into his blood. Scents swirl around him. Nezuko’s faint demon smell from beside him mixing with the lacquer on the box. The food and people in the tea house. Stirred dust and animal smells drifting in from the outside.
He’ll rest here for a few days he decides. A few days and then he’ll start on the road again.