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❖ ── ✦ ──『✙』── ✦ ── ❖
IT WAS NOW THE NEXT MORNING AND YOU AND TANJIRO WERE VENTURING THROUGH THE VILLAGE.
"i wonder what weapon kanroji was talking about. maybe a sword? maybe it's buried or something! this is exciting! like we're on a treasure hunt!"
you nod, looking around.
"this is a really great place, but the hot spring smell is strong. hmm.. and not being completely healthy is hampering my nose" he tells both you and neUko (who was listening from her box)
"and i want to find haganezuka, but.. hmm?"
you blink, tilting your head slightly.
"a child? and.. who's that?"
you blink, "oh, he's a hashira. the mist one, i'm pretty sure. i think his name was muichiro tokito" you say monotonously, it was the first time you had spoken in about a day, so your throat was a bit dry. but nobody really questioned it, considering you barely ever speak.
"get out of here! whatever happens, i won't give you the key! and i definitely won't tell you how to use it!" you tilt your head,
are they fighting?
you blink as muichiro raises his hand, but they go slightly wide as muichiro mercilessly smacks the young boy to the ground.
the boy grunts as muichiro pulls him upward.
"stop! what're you doing?!" tanjiro shouts, running forward as you walk behind him.
"let go of him!"
tanjiro grabs his arm, attempting to pull it away.
"you're really noisy. who are you?" muichiro says softly.
"what are you doing to that child?! let go of- ungh!" tanjiro struggles to pull muichiro's arm off the boys collar.
"you let go" muichiro says darkly, whacking tanjiro in the stomach.
you frown.
tanjiro hacks and coughs, you bend over slightly, rubbing his back.
"you're incredibly weak. i'm surprised that you got in the demon slayer corps. hmm?" his gaze turns to tanjiro's back, "that box feels strange. do i sense a demon? what's in there?"
he goes to touch it but tanjiro smacks his hand away, "don't touch that" he says angrily.
you stand by awkwardly, unsure of what to do.
"are you all right?" tanjiro asks the boy muichiro was holding.
"hey.. lemme go!" the boy resists, flailing his arms, "you must be upset. that was close!"
"go away! i.. won't give the key to anyone"
you tilt your head in question.
"even if they torture me! never! it'll break next time!" the boy shouts.
"have you been trained to withstand torture? even most adults can't endure it, so it's impossible that you could. you appear to be an exceedingly dumb brat. so what if it does break? why not make it again? while you're rattling on and on and on and on with your nonsense.. do you know how many people will die? that's what it means to interfere with a hashira. your time and a hashiras time have completely different value. if you used your head just a little, you'd understand. swordsmiths can't fight. they can't save someone's life. they only have the ability to make weapons"
you purse your lips.
"so come on.. thekey!" muichiro orders, the boy still refuses.
"know your place in life, and act accordingly. because you aren't a baby"
muichiro raises his hand again but tanjiro smacks it away.
"what are you doing?"
"i.. just.. really don't like this! why are you acting like this?! the lack of consideration! it's mean and cruel!"
"cruel..? but it was nothing. you-"
"maybe so! what you're saying is basically true, but.. while it isn't technically wrong.. the swordsmiths are important and do curcial work! they're different from swordsmen but they still have incredible skills! i mean, we couldn't do anything if we didn't have actual swords! swordsmen and swordsmith need each other! we're both part of the fight! we just each fight in our own place!"
you blink at tanjiro's outburst, you felt pretty useless in this situation, you had nothing to say.
"sorry, but.. i don't have time for this pointless conversation"
and within the second muichiro had run over and knocked tanjiro unconscious, you sweat-drop.
muichiro holds his hand out and with more than a bit of hesitation, the boy handed it to him and the next moment he was walking off again.
❖ ── ✦ ──『✙』── ✦ ── ❖
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