Candles || Kokushibo

🖤28: sᴡᴏʀᴅsᴍɪᴛʜ ᴠɪʟʟᴀɢᴇ🖤

      Tanjiro groans in exhaustion as he lies flat on his stomach, remaining motionless even while Mabel nudges him. "Nii-chan?" Akaza pats the teen's head while chuckling at his immature conduct in an effort to reassure him. He smoothens out his white hospital clothing on his back while keeping his attention on the back of his head. "I'm sure it's alright, Tanjiro." He groans once again as he carefully raises himself into a sitting posture, his body still painful from his rehabilitation. As Mabel pulls on his arm, he yawns and tears start to gather in his lovely red eyes. Tanjiro smiles unexpectedly as he stands on his feet, recalling something. "Oh, did I get a new sword while I was sleeping? I chipped the old one." Naho flinches alongside him, her words faltering, prompting Kokushibo to lay his hand on his hip. As Kiyo pours tea into a few cups and arranges them on the table, she pauses and turns to face the small gathering as she starts sweating. "Haganezuko-san sent some letters. Would you like to see them?" Tanjiro moves toward the table, but he has a strong sense that the phrases he included in those letters weren't really appropriate. Akaza stands behind the demon with six eyes, lightly grasping his sleeve as he watches his younger brother unfold the pieces of paper. The Kamado's face pales as he reads, driving Kokushibo to come forward and yank them from his grasp.

      Kokushibo scans the text that have been sloppily handwritten on each page. His expression turns darker. "What the hell is this? Does that swordsmith want to die?" His deep voice makes the three young girls shudder, and Sumi ends up grabbing on his black hakama. "Papa, calm down please!" Akaza approaches the taller demon from behind and starts to gently pull at the back of his clothes. "Kokushibo, please relax." He holds on tight as he looks down at the females next to him. "Is it possible to speak with his swordsmith directly?" While the females grinned as they released the six-eyed monster, Akaza relaxed his arm, which was still holding onto his clothing. "There's a village full of swordsmiths!" Kiyo informs him while jumping slightly, but stops when Naho begins to do the same as she speaks. "I'm sure Ubuyashiki-sama will let Tanjiro go."

      And he did. The two former upper moons hide from the sun under the gate while Tanjiro converses with a female kakushi. Kokushibo takes Mabel in his arms as Sumiyoshi and Akaza quietly speak, occasionally chuckling. Mabel tugs on her father's hair, causing him to look at her with his many eyes. "Where are we going?" The two other men who are standing next to them give her a quick glance and smile at how cute she is. Akaza looks at her maroon eyes. "We're taking a little vacation together!" Sumiyoshi smiles and nods as her look changes to one of enthusiasm. "We're going on an adventure?" She moves her legs fast back and forth as the adrenaline rushes through her. Even though the trip to the village didn't take as long as they had anticipated, the non-demons found it to be quite unpleasant. Unfortunately, they had to be transported there while wearing blindfolds, earplugs, and, for Tanjiro, nose plugs. The woman carrying the young Kamado additionally had to hold the three demons who remained within the box, while the man walking alongside her was carrying both Sumiyoshi and Mabel. However, when the blindfold was eventually removed, Sumiyoshi was left with little choice but to marvel at the structures in front of him. The elder Kamado moves slowly along while carrying Mabel as she chuckles, his ears barely hearing the joy in Tanjiro's voice.

      "Sumiyoshi." With a puzzled expression on his face and inquiring eyes, Akaza leans closer his adopted sibling. "I'm interested as well, but we're about to see the village chief." He followed the pink-haired demon along the walkway and inside a building, enjoying the cool breeze that gently brushed over his face. He doesn't even know how to feel because everything around him felt so drastically different from his time-frame. It was easy to see why Tanjiro was so joyful because everything was so serene and lovely. He wished he could relive this experience together his wife and children. He knows they'll enjoy locations like these. Such an experience would make them the thrilled.