together in the framed ocean | g. tomioka

11 - Delusions of Grandeur

Goodnight.

-

"AH," you jump out of bed, examining your surroundings. I'm at Shinobu's. Even with the windows closed, chills crawl up your skin as you start to remember how you had gotten here in the first place. Giyu. A lot was clouding your mind.

"Y/n?"

"AH!" You scream.

"AH!" The other screams back.

You and Tanjiro both fall back, scaring each other, but Tanjiro banged his head on a mini table that stood behind him. "Tanjiro!" You shoot out of your bed, rubbing his head.

"I am okay!" Both of you sigh, relaxing on the floor.

Kaw

Opening the window Mosu, your crow, flies in.

"Good morning Mosu-"

"Go to the town in the South! South! Go south!"

Town in the south? No other information... I nodded, petting Mosu's little head.

"So you'll be leaving soon..."

With the look of worry on Tanjiro's face, you couldn't help but feel sad. Not as an older sibling but as a Hashira, you pat Tanjiro's back. "As soon as I can, I'll be back," you smile.

He nods, smiling back.

"Actually, I just came here to tell you I'm almost done with the rehabilitation training. Kanao and the others have been a lot of help to me!"

Kanao. Kanao. Where have you heard that name... Then you realize. "Kanao, as in Shinobu's Tsuguko?"

"Yes. She is very strong!"

He smiles widely with his eyes closed and you naturally switch back to your older sibling self. "Tell me more about her," you say, leaning in.

Your question seems to catch Tanjiro quite off guard and he looks down. Besides Kanao's talents as a demon slayer, he didn't know much about her at the time because of her lack of words.

"Hm, I see." Even for someone like Tanjiro, it is surely hard to get Kanao's heart to open up. At times, even you had trouble. "Well, you for sure have a lot of time to get to know her!"

His face lit up. "Yes! I'll train harder just like she's been doing!" He says raising a fist.

-

Tanjiro stands beside the front gate waving at your figure that disappears into the distance. Hm. The town in the South. The journey down is a few hour trip on foot, so it is expected for you to arrive around the evening time when it is dark.

The floral scent and blooming flowers signify spring's coming. The freezing winters are over, and the air is different. Warm but still cool. You slow down and look down at your palms. Towards the west the sun sets, and you hold up your hand to the bright semicircle. Something major is going to happen. Whether it is positive or negative is still a mystery. You couldn't tell, but you knew it would change the course of your future drastically. Everyone's future.

...

I've never been around this area... Nor did you even know of its existence. The town you have arrived at is pitch black during the night. Nothing like the bright, lively town you grew up in. Just as you are about to enter the front gates, you realize the demon's scent lingers around from somewhere outside the village grounds. Good, the townspeople should be safe then. The smell leads you into a forest a few miles away from the village, but it continues deep within. All is silent at this time of night, besides the hushed rustling of crunchy leaves and dead grass underfoot. There seem to be no living beings in the forest.