Roots Of Wisteria

Chapter 6

Tanjiro's POV:

These crutches are sort of annoying to walk with... You and Tanjiro had just left the Final Selection area earlier, and were now making your way back to Urokodaki's. But.. her hand feels so warm and gentle on my back. He thinks back to a few days earlier, when the larger demon had attacked the two of you, and he had gotten knocked out. You had protected him during this, but had gotten hurt in the process. He felt a little guilty about that.

However, what kept coming to mind when he thought about that time was after that. He thought about how soft your hands felt on his cheeks, and the look on your face when you were caring for him. It made him happy, and he smiled slightly.

"You know, you're amazing." You say suddenly.

"What?" Warmth rises in his cheeks, to his embarassment.

"Well, like.. earlier with that angry kid. And.. with fighting. And just sort of you." As she speaks he becomes more flustered, tripping over nothing. She looks somewhat surprised but immediately helps stabilize him again, holding his shoulders still with her hands.

S-she's gonna feel my heartbeat-! He looks away. "Oh, ah, yeah... thank you." Out of the corner of his eye he sees you smiling, slowly pulling her other hand away.

You had always been friends, since both your families had been. Even so, the two of you were irreplaceable to each other. You had both always been very close. Recently though.. she's been making me feel sort of.. dizzy.

Y/n's POV:

It's night time as the two of you approach the house. There's a loud bang and you look up in surprise. Before you stands Nezuko, who has apparently kicked down the door. Tanjiro sees her and shouts in surprise and happiness. She sees the two of you, and rushes over to you.

In a flash, she is before you, and tackles the both of you into a hug. You're surprised for a minute, then reach your free arm around to hug her back, your other arm still around Tanjiro. You tightly squeeze them both, and then notice that someone else has also joined the hug, Urokodaki. There are tears everywhere, and it makes you start crying as well.

...-

You and Tanjiro have mostly been relaxing, with some occasional exercises, while you recover from your injuries and wait for your swords.

The three of you remain somewhat childish, playing simple games and brushing each other's hair. You enjoy it very much.

The days go by happily, and soon enough there's a knock at the door.

The man to deliver your swords stands outside, with a red mask and hat. Tanjiro tries to invite him in but the man ignores and speaks over him.

You get up from where you were sitting, walking up behind Tanjiro and grabbing one of his hands to watch the scene closer.

He tells the two of you about the swords he makes and what he'll do to you if you break them, clarifying some thinks with Urokodaki, whom he apparently knows.

Eventually, he gives you your sawords, starting with Tanjiro.

"With your hair being that lucky reddish tint, I'm betting you'll get a red sword." The man says, and Urokodaki agrees. You watch carefully as Tanjiro lifts the sword. In his hands, the sword remains as it was for a moment, then is overtaken by a shadowy black.

The man and Urokodaki seem disappointed, however Tanjiro seems relatively amazed.

"What does black mean?" He asks, looking up from his sword.