◇INDIGO◇ (Inosuke x OC)

Chapter 10

Okay, I'll show you something you might like. Look! It's a sparrow in a hand. Isn't it cute?" Tanjiro laughed as the bird chirped in his hand. The kids relaxed slightly.

"So tell me, what happened? Is this your house?" He asked.

"No. This is... this house. It belongs to a monster! They took my brother. We were on the road one night and suddenly, there was a monster I never saw before. It didn't notice us. It only took our brother." The boy stammered, on the brink of tears.

"They went into that house, right? So you trailed them all the way here? That's terrific. You did great." Tanjiro congratulated them. I walked over to the two, feeling them tense.

"No worries. This is my friend, Kazumi." Tanjiro reassured the children.

"We followed our brother's blood trail
because he was injured." The boy choked out.

"Injured?" I repeated, looking towards the big structure, which I now knew was a house.

"It's okay. We'll take down the bad guys
and save your brother." Tanjiro comforted them.

"Really, you'll do that?" The girl squeaked.

"Sure." I gave them a gentle smile.

"Tanjiro, Kazumi? Tell me what sound this is? The noise is making me uneasy. Is it a drum?" Zenitsu's voice wavered from the front of the house.

"A noise? I don't hear anything." Tanjiro stated.

"Me neither." I looked around, sensing something near. Before I could spot it, something flew out of the house. It splattered on the ground, and the kids screamed.

"Don't look!" Tanjiro yelled, and ran towards the thing.

"Are you okay? Are you all right? Pull yourself together!" Tanjiro held it, and I assumed that it was a person.

He mumbled something before dying.

"Tanjiro, isn't that the two kids..." Zenitsu trailed off, and the house rumbled loudly, making Zenitsu and the kids scream.

"Is this your..." Tanjiro put the body down.

"That's not him. Our brother wore an orange kimono." The boy confirmed.

"I see. They must have caught a number of people. I promise that I'll bury you
once I get back." Tanjiro stood up.

I looked around again, spotting the thing I was looking for. A spirit. I knew I'd sensed one.

"Hold on." I held my hand up, and Tanjiro paused. I walked towards the silhouette, which was hiding behind a tree.

"Go away!" He shrieked, and I stopped. A little boy?

"I'm not going to hurt you. I promise." I smiled, and he gripped onto the tree harder.

"Pinky promise?" He asked, reluctantly holding his hand out.

"Pinky promise." I softly stated, wrapping my pinky around his.

"What is she doing?! Does Kazumi have a screw loose?!" Zenitsu cried to Tanjiro.

"No, that's you. Kazumi can see spirits." He replied, and Zenitsu choked.

"SHE CAN WHAT?! DON'T TELL ME SHE'S TALKING TO ONE RIGHT NOW!" He shrieked, and I tried to ignore him.

"Why are you out here?" I asked, and rested his head against the tree.

"There are monsters in there. They took my mommy." He hiccuped, and I pat him on the head.