Blossoming Fissure | Tanjirou Kamado

32. Something doesn't click

"Dear Senjuro," Yuu has gotten used to writing. "I already know you told me I should lean more on you, and although you say you want to help me as much as I want to help you, I still don't like the idea when you're going through what you're going through and my problems are just events from the past that come back from the earth to haunt me. But I think that this deserves to be shared and, to honor your kindness, I'll accept your offer of opening up to you just as much as you open up to me."

Before they reach the place, there's already screaming.

Genya grabs his shishou's sleeve and tugs for him to stop. He does not like this.

"I think that what happened that night isn't as clear as I had at first thought."

"It's weird," he voices his thoughts out loud, "a demon wouldn't make such a ruckus if they weren't a suicidal idiot."

'At least not if they were strong enough to come out of a fight unscathed,' those words stay hanging above them, because he doesn't have the bravery to say them outloud. None of them talked about the fact that it was Aya's village, either.

"I'm probably to blame, for running off and leaving Ayaka alone in there. I won't insist because you've told me many times that to blame myself over things I can't change isn't good for me, so I'll follow your advice, because I know that you don't like seeing me like that, so I'll drop it.

The thing is that I know Ayaka and she has the tendency to only see what she wants to see. I'm scared this is one of those occasions.

I clearly remember there were two demons and that the fire got started when I dropped a lamp. I also remember that my parents were dead by then, too."

Himejima-shishou hums, having already heard the distant yelling long ago, he guesses, or at least much earlier than him.

There was a new demon feeding off humans somewhere in Himejima's district, so he got sent on a mission to kill it. It just so turned out that Genya had been there the moment he did.

He expected it'd be like any other mission; quietly scout out the demon, find its location and finally hunt it down by either cutting its head off or watching it fade away under the sunlight. But it seems that is not the case.

"But the only person who knows what happened after I left is Ayaka, and that she told Tanjirou that she barely knew Takeshi doesn't fit the memories I have of seeing them together almost all the time.

I would deeply want it not to be like this and be able to trust her, but for Ayaka, who once cried as a kid when she accidentally crushed a spider, the task of killing someone she loved might have been too much for her."

There's a little form in between the fire that does not recoil from it, quietly standing in the middle of it all like this world is theirs and theirs only, and the only place where they can be is in the center of the stage.

"Looking back on it, I can't help but doubt her version. Just thinking about it gives me nightmares, but if there's a chance, a tiny, little chance-"

They both approach it carefully, giving quiet, little steps fearing it might scare it.

"Hey, are you okay? What happened?" Genya starts, taking his hand off the gun on his belt.

But the boy who must not be much older than Genya turns his head to them, raises his arms in the air towards what little is left standing of the wooden buildings, flashes a pearly, fanged white smile-