Candles || Kokushibo

🖤8: ғᴀᴍɪʟʏ ᴍᴇᴍʙᴇʀs 🖤

      Tanjiro's legs begin to shake more violently as cold sweat pours from his chin. He hesitates to leave his current position but continues to consider his strange question. He knows these earrings, right? Where did they originate before being passed down through the Kamado bloodline? Who made him these earrings so that he could envelop the boy with a threatening aura as he is holding the man's daughter? He is unable to respond to the strong demon due to his irregular breathing. "I asked you a question, boy." The teen knows he's holding himself back because of the five-year-old he's cradling in his arms, but his deep voice is laced with hatred. Hatred for Tanjiro and those earrings, which he is all too familiar with. Mabel digs her face into his clothes as he feels her shudder in his arms. "Daddy is scaring me." The moment she whimpers, the Kamado can detect a faint whiff of remorse emanating from the stranger behind him. A sudden rush of wind hits the demon's face, but he doesn't react, simply noticing that only his hair moved and not the others.

      "Turn around." He gives the boy orders. Even though he doesn't want to, he cannot avoid it. He will probably not live to see another day if he rejects him, and the same is likely for Nezuko. Based just on this man's aroma, he knows that neither of the two would survive a minute of combat with him. He gently turns around while maintaining his attention on the snow-covered ground that is now covered in mud from the snowmelt. Mabel shifts her face, revealing her right eye while concealing the other half of her face beneath his haori. "Please don't be mad at nii-chan." Kokushibo exhales and moves a little closer to the two. Tanjiro continued to hold back from gazing up into the demon's eyes. He approaches the teenager carefully and stops in front of him as he becomes aware of her stained kimono. "Mabel." She turns to face the adult as he calls to her softly, but she doesn't let go of the clothes that belong to Tanjiro as she tightens her grip on it. "What happened to your kimono?" She dramatically changes her attitude and extends her arms in the direction of her adoptive father. When Kokushibo lovingly holds her, Tanjiro lets go of her but maintains a lowered gaze out of concern for upsetting the upper moon. "It got dirty, but nii-chan got me another one! It made me think of you, Daddy!"

       "Oh? Is that so?"  Tanjiro's arm is covered in her new kimono, which she neglected to bring with her. His trembling frame does not slow as he detects his stare on him. Not on him; rather, on his earrings. “Look up.” He moves slowly in doing so. His disbelief causes his eyes to widen. The man's six eyes are fixed from his earrings to his crimson pupils. But it's the kanji in his eye that grabs Tanjiro's attention. Upper Moon One is her father! Although she appears to be content with him, any other person would presume that this girl is doomed. Is she the only human he has allowed to live? 

      Mabel gives her father's long bangs a gentle tug. "Daddy, nii-chan wasn't feeling good earlier." While Kokushibo doesn't avert his gaze from Tanjiro, he can see where this is leading. "Tea makes me feel better!" His six eyes are fixed on the boy's red eyes, seeing the sweat trickling down his icy skin. His eyes, which are still wide with fear at the towering creature, give off the appearance of being pallid. "That's true."  The adult hums and then opens his three left eyes after closing them. "So I suppose... we shouldn't keep... our guest waiting."  His powerful voice sends shivers through his spine, his body remaining chilly as Kokushibo slowly moves past the boy, his eyes never leaving his crimson ones. When Tanjiro eventually turns his gaze away, he is unable to restrain himself because his legs collapse under him. His body lies slouched on the soggy ground among the wet leaves.

      It's astonishing that the next thing he knows, Mabel is sleeping on his lap in the living room of the upper moon. Tanjiro strands his fingers in her black hair while the demon makes tea in another room. She carefully shifts her petite body into a more comfortable posture, which calms his breathing. He locks his eyes shut and buries his face on the top of her head as he hears faint footsteps behind him. Despite having his nose pressed up against Mabel's coconut-scented hair, he can still smell the mint. He doesn't need to be reminded twice that the tea is what is emitting the minty smell. He catches a glimpse of the green liquid swirling in the tiny clear cup. "You never answered... my question." His six yellow eyes gradually climb to his red ones. Right, the terrible smell that brushed against his nose prevented him from responding earlier. He was too terrified to even blink at the towering man for fear of being killed there. But he can only surmise that Mabel is to blame for his current survival. "These earrings belonged to my father." He responds as carefully as he can, trying to keep his breathing in check as his grip on the girl begins to relax a little.