Under Their Care || Kamoboko Squad x child!reader

Chapter 1

I always loved playing outside with my big brothers and sisters. They all played tag and hide and seek with me, it was so much fun! The cold snow crunching beneath my feet as the icy air pinched my face, but it was the best time of my life.

"Tag, you're it y/n!" My eldest sister Yuki laughed while poking my shoulder then running from me. I laugh and begin chasing my siblings around, I was pretty fast so I was super close to tagging them!

I decided to aim for my brother Haturo, he was 2 years older than me, so he's 9. I kept chasing him till I eventually tagged his back and laughing as we all run from him.

"Hey, no fair! You only went after me!" Haturo whined, he folded his arms and pouted, clearly a very sore loser.

"Maybe you're such a slow-coach she saw you as an easy target!" My other brother, Dai, teased. He was 12 but really mature for his age, maybe even more mature than Yuki, she's 16.

We all played together till the sunset, Mother was cooking dinner and we could all smell the savoury goodness. Beef ramen, our favourite.

We were tired and decided to sit and chat until our dinner was ready.

"Who wants to hear a ghost story?" Fumiko, my 10 year old sister suggested. Everyone agreed, but I was scared so I clung to Dai's arm which he wrapped around me for comfort.

Fumiko begins to tell her story in a spooky voice. "They say at houses just like here, on nights just like this..demons emerge from the forest and attack large families and eat up little girls and boys for their dinner!" She taunted, pointing to Haturo and I.

Dai could sense I was scared, so he spoke up. "That's just a tale, it's not real, right Fumiko?"

Fumiko smirks. "It is true! Remember Mother was speaking about that Kamado family? They say they were all found dead in their house, all except the eldest son! I say he was eate-"

"That's enough, Fumi.." Yuki says sternly and everyone goes silent.

Suddenly, Mother calls us all in for dinner and we race into the house for our ramen. We all sit at the table and eat hastily, we were ravenous.

Everyone was chatting while we ate, but I felt a slight uneasiness, I thought I saw something moving outside.

"I think somebody's in the garden.." I say with a worried tone.

"It's probably nothing, Fumi's stories always scare you like this." Yuki smiled.

"No, I'm really scared..I think there is something outside!" I plea.

"Stop being a baby y/n!" Haturo taunts.

Suddenly an unknown, gravelly voice, is heard next to us. "The girl is right, I was in the garden.."

We look and see a tall creature, maybe 7ft, standing in the doorway. He has sharp nails, bumpy skin and a terrifying grin.

We all stand out of our seats in fear. Haturo tries to make a run for it, but the demon attacks him and kills him swiftly in one hit. That's when we all start screaming..

I see my family getting murdered one by one, just how Fumiko described happened the Kamados.

I slipped in a puddle of blood and lay helpless on the ground, watching all my siblings and my mother die.

The demon heads my direction, laughing wildly, I bury my head in my arms, getting ready to feel the deathly hit, but it never comes. Instead I hear a thud, like something fell to the ground. I didn't dare to peek my head up and check though.

I felt myself being lifted into someone's warm arms, yet I still didn't shift. I kept my eyes closed tightly. The arms I was in didn't feel like they meant harm, but they meant comfort instead. I felt...safe. I realised I was slowly drifting off to sleep, I fought to stay awake, but I failed miserably.

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"Why did you take the kid!? Couldn't you have left her for the wolves to eat?" A funny voice complains.

"Yea Tanjiro, I'm not ready to look after a child!" A different voice whines.

"Shush, you'll wake her! Please, I couldn't just leave her! She's so small, so innocent, she deserves life!" A kind voice pleads.

I slowly open my eyes and look at the 3 teenage boys in front of me. One had yellow hair and an annoyed expression, one had a weird pig mask and he didn't wear a shirt, he must be insane. There was another boy, sitting next to me, he had red hair and earrings.

"You're awake! Good morning!" The red haired boy chirps. "My name is Tanjiro Kamado!"

My jaw drops slightly, Fumi's story was definitely real, this was the Kamado boy himself!

"...are you alright? I understand last night would have been awfully difficult.." Tanjiro says, frowning, empathy in his red eyes.

I stay quiet. I felt too shy to talk, plus I did you want to talk about my family. I turn my head away from him.

"See, kids are just brats!" The lemon haired boy exclaims.

Tanjiro glares at him. "Zenitsu, she's gone through a lot for a little girl." He then turns his attention back to me with a soft look on his face. "Don't listen to him, talk whenever you're ready, ok?"

I nod nervously and look around at the three of them. I wanted to call out to my family, to Yuki, Dai, Fumiko and Haturo...but I couldn't...I'd never see them again...I couldn't bring them back...

I burst into tears and buried my head into the mat I was sitting on. "I want Dai! I want Yuki and Fumiko! I want Haturo! I want Mother!!" I sobbed. The rude lemon boy seemed stunned and Tanjiro rubbed my back in a comforting manner. I didn't know what to do...

I feel a sharp poking into my rib and raise my snotty tear filled face to see the pig headed boy poking me and groaning. "Stop crying! Why does it keep crying!? Shut up!!"

I stare at him for a moment before giggling, he seemed funny and he poked me where I was ticklish.

The boar boy stared in confusion. "It's laughing, whys it laughing!? You got a problem with me, huh!?"

Tanjiro groaned and the lemon boy glared at him as he went crazy, acting like a silly clown, he reminded me of Haturo.

Tanjiro clears his throat before speaking up once more. "Little girl, you should get some rest, it's still rather late." He had concern in his face and kindness in his voice, he reminded me of Dai, always looking out for me.

I nod and lay my head down to try get some rest, the 3 boys leave the room to give me peace.