Fluttering Lotus Petals

Chapter 12: Two Lotuses, Intertwined

[Name] was currently freaking out on the inside. On the outside, too. Tanjiro had yet to wake up after two whole months. Zenitsu had woken up a day after the incident and was healed by [Name]. Inosuke was healed as well, given his severe injuries from the battle.

Every night, instead of training the various Pillars—including Rengoku and Kanae, who turned to each other instead—and Nezuko, he stayed by Tanjiro's bedside, clutching at the sheets tightly. He did nothing else but watch over him every night. His friends tried to pry him from Tanjiro's beside, but try as they might, [Name] insisted on staying.

"Why can't you just heal him?" Inosuke had asked bluntly.

It wasn't to say that [Name] hadn't tried. He used his Blood Demon Art on Tanjiro the first change he got. It didn't fail, per se, as all of Tanjiro's physical injuries, like the slash from Daki's sash or the hole in his jaw from Gyuutarou's sickle, had been healed.

Except Tanjiro stayed in a coma regardless.

He had stared down at the figure in the bed with expectation, waiting to see Tanjiro's fiery eyes flutter open. But instead, they stayed shut.

Time slowed to a crawl without Tanjiro's sunny deposition. Though [Name] had been alive for centuries, he felt as if he had aged another two hundred years.

"Please wake up," [Name] whispered, cupping the unconscious Slayer's cheek. "I miss you."

———

Tanjiro eventually did wake up, and [Name] started busying himself in training the Pillars once more.

It was a huge relief for the demon. Seeing Tanjiro in bed, eyes shut, face bereft of that warm smile, [Name] felt as if the moon had eclipsed his precious sun. The world was shrouded by darkness, and he could not bear it. He had lived as one with the shadows. He had seen the inside, the outside, all around— [Name] did not want to experience that again.

And so, when Tanjiro rose from his bed, red eyes shining brightly, his mind, which had bombarded him with destructive thoughts, calmed. It was peaceful now. And [Name] could happily go about his day-to-day business as usual, no longer anchored with fear.

"Tokito-san! There you are!" [Name] called as he burst through the woods. Tokito had asked him for a training session at his estate, yet the estate was conspicuously empty when he arrived. "I was looking all over for you! I—"

The short boy turned, lowering his broken blade to the ground. A young swordsmith and Tanjiro were there as well, staring at the two of them in confusion.

[Name] gasped at the sight of the mechanical doll before him. Even though it had six arms and was chipped in several places, [Name] could still recognize who the doll was modeled after: Tsugikuni Yoriichi.

"What are you doing here?" Tokito asked, deadpan and straight to the point.

[Name] cocked his head. "You asked me to train you for a week?" he answered, although his eyes lingered a little bit longer on the doll.

Tokito had specifically requested for [Name].

"Oh, I forgot," Tokito mumbled. "Sorry."

"It's alright—" the corners of [Name]'s mouth lifted into a soft smile. "You can only do so much when you're alone, so that's why we have people to work together and support each other! I'm happy to help, because I care about you!"

Tokito's eyes glimmered momentarily. "...Wait, what? What did you just say?"

"That I'm happy to help and I care about you!"