Another

Chapter 24: A New Plan?

Nezuko and I dug around the various little compartments and drawers, searching for some new clothes. These yukatas were a tad bit too small for us, and it's super cold in here, even with the fire burning. Nezuko stayed to look in the room, while I searched in the common room. So far, I haven't found anything.

There was a rapping sound on the wall behind me. I turned, finding Nezuko standing there with a blanket around her shoulders. I raised my brows. She sighed and shook her head side-to-side.

I groaned, falling down flat on my back. I knocked my head on the wooden floor, feeling a slight twinge of pain that disappeared as quickly as it came. Nezuko snickered, and sat down on the floor above me. I cranked my head back, finding her quietly staring at the flickering flames.

I turned onto my stomach. There was a slightly audible click of my joints as I fully relaxed against the cool floor. I softly exhaled, watching the dancing forms of red and orange devour the wooden logs we threw in earlier.

I rested my head on my folded arms, entranced. From the corner of my eye, I noticed Nezuko massaging her wrists, rotating them round and round as she tightly gripped it with her other hand. I nudged Nezuko's leg with my hand, gesturing to her hand when she pouted. She placed her hand in mine, and I began kneading her wrist as she looked passively back to the fire.

Since we couldn't find some new clothes, that meant we had to wait for Urokodaki-san in our yukatas. The material was thin, and too small. It was so cold in here.

As if she read my mind, Nezuko threw in another log from the pile behind her. Embers flew everywhere, glowing brilliantly for a few seconds before sputtering out into warm ash. I sighed contentedly, a wave of rejuvenating heat almost burning my face with its prickly warmth.

Nezuko squeezed my hand, smiling gratefully as I let go. She flexed her hands, allowing her fingers to crack as she extended them out. I propped my head up with one hand, the fire capturing my attention once more. Uncertainty was biting at my mind. How would Urokodaki-san react once he saw us? Would he be happy? Did he miss us? What if things changed while we were asleep?

I groaned, resting my head on my arms. My nose brushed against the wooden planks, the dust floating up making me sneeze. I stared at the floor, mind wandering to the last conversation I had with Urokodaki-san before I fell asleep. He told me about his wife, and his son and daughter. He said that he had faith in us, because even if we were oni, he believed in our humanity. He had told me that he felt we were ready for the Final Selection. We were ready to become slayers.

I absentmindedly traced my finger against the sanded surface of the ground. Nezuko was busy running her fingers through her hair, doing her best to detangle it after who knows how long of sleeping. Her hair coiled into a small pile on the floor behind her, shifting with every brush of her fingers.

I reached back to my own scalp, gauging how long my own locks had grown. Judging by how far my arm extended, I'd say it was perhaps a bit short of mid-back. Before our rest, it was just under shoulder-length.

Nezuko sighed, pulling the hair away from her face. The blanket fell from her shoulders, and she narrowed her eyes at it, as if it were to blame. I rolled my eyes. Nezuko glanced up at me, and blew a raspberry in defiance to my snickers.

"Onii-chan." Nezuko flicked my forehead harshly. I glimpsed up questioningly at her. Nezuko shook her head in mock disappointment before slapping my back with more strength than was needed. She only laughed as I rolled around on the floor, hissing in pain.

I went limp, feigning death as I peeked at her from the corner of my eye. My baby sister was softly smiling at the fire, lazily playing with her hair as the fire crackled and glowed. She was deep in thought.