Candles || Kokushibo

🖤48: ʜᴇʟᴘғᴜʟ ʜᴀɴᴅs🖤

      Tanjiro has been here how long? He can't really tell because he is restricted to a house not far from where he was previously and is still unable to move. He still had to return and fight with his family, but he is now trapped with three people—two of them have a familial odor, and the third is his own uncle, who doesn't appear to recognize him. Even with all his efforts, he is powerless. Nothing seems to move when he attempts to move his hands or even a finger, and he begins to sweat profusely. Panic increases for the Kamado with each passing minute.

      The other three don't appear to trouble him in any way, even his outfit. They even sat next to him on the floor with their hands softly placed on his head to ensure that he was as comfortable as possible while in the living room. The other two accompanying Yoriichi, especially the other man, were clearly concerned about the boy. However, when he discovered that the other male's name was Sumiyoshi, he became even more confused than before. It was as if he had traveled back in time, yet he still couldn't do anything about it. Sumiyoshi is currently sitting next to Tanjiro, his hand resting on the teenager's forehead and his side lightly touching him. He frowns visibly as he looks down at his features, which resemble him nearly exactly. He delicately touches the bruise above the boy's left eye, but immediately draws away when Tanjiro makes a pained grunt, and his brows twitch slightly. The elder Kamado lets out a brief breath, wounded by his own mistake. He replaces his hand on the boy's head, keeping his gaze fixed on the younger man.

      "Sumiyoshi." Yoriichi walks back inside the home, Sumire in his arms, casually pulling on his long maroon hair. "You seem to be attached to that boy." He sits down on the floor, the young child in his lap. She reaches out and softly pokes Tanjiro with a puzzled look in her pink eyes, skimming over his facial features, before looking up at her father right next to him, unsure what's going on. "He looks just like me." He raises his crimson eyes to his friend, staring at his calm expression as Sumire practically climbs him and starts playing with his long hair once more. Yoriichi remains silent, not seeing the need in saying anything but also comprehending what he was saying. He knows as he looks down at the younger Kamado that his Kamado friend could tell people they were brothers and they would believe him. Yoriichi, however, was more focused by the teenager's earrings than his appearance. They were identical to his, yet he still wore his, so where did he obtain these? Actually, where did he come from? It's as if he popped out of nowhere, and if a demon done this, he would have sensed him and protected the boy.

      As time went on, Tanjiro's anxiety only grew. He adored his elder brother and his uncle, but he had to keep fighting Muzan in order to keep his family safe. Yes, spending time here was relaxing. He enjoyed it when Sumiyoshi made sure to grasp his hand or cling to him like glue because it made him feel warm and welcome. He can't remain here for very long, though. Tanjiro inhales deeply while attempting to make his body move, beginning with his fingertips. The issue was that his body was nearly entirely numb, so he couldn't tell if he was moving or not. However, because he was so desperate at the time, this didn't hinder him. His body starts to tremble a little, which catches Sumiyoshi's attention. "Yoriichi!" In a panic, he calls the other man since he is unsure of how to help. The small boy does not listen, and his sole desire is to get up and leave wherever he is. He longs to return to his loved ones at home. He wants to turn every member of his demon family to humans, just like he did with Nezuko. He wants to sleep next to his father, uncle, and all of his siblings so that he may live his life normally.

      The other family, meanwhile, was furious. The demon king was audacious enough to poison Tanjiro, but they believed Kokushibo when he claimed the boy was still alive. They had no option but to fight, but even if they had, they wouldn't give up. They were willing to die to be rid of that fuckwit. The sun would rise in less than an hour, and they could still do a lot more than they had anticipated. They had wounds, but they weren't so bad that they had to stop fighting or even be restrained because of them. Furthermore, even though they were harming him quite a bit, they still needed more. Yoriichi's knowledge caused their swords to become red, which affected Muzan's ability to recover quickly. They weren't the only ones, though, who were becoming increasingly agitated.