Solar Blade

Leaving

Tanjiro stared intently at the peculiar pair of masks cradled in his hands, each one crafted with intricate details that caught the dim light of the setting sun. The masks were small and delicate, their surfaces adorned with symbols that hinted at age-old traditions and untold stories. He couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to these seemingly simple items than met the eye.

"Warding masks?" he murmured to himself, the words tumbling out as he tried to make sense of their significance.

"Yes, now get some rest before Final Selection. You cut your boulders just in time, for it's tomorrow," Urokodaki spoke, before sliding the door closed.

Tomorrow?! So he had been cutting it close with the boulder. Thank goodness Sabito and Makomo had been there to guide him, otherwise, he'd have missed the Final Selection without knowing it. Tanjiro placed the blue mask just next to [Name]'s futon. It was such a strange, yet thoughtful thing for Urokodaki to give to them.

As he lay down on his futon, he looked at Nezuko. She was still asleep, wasn't she? He sighed softly as he rolled over on his side. They'd both leave for a few days, without Nezuko knowing. He clenched his fist tightly as he swore that they'd both return to Nezuko, alive. Tanjiro closed his eyes.

𐙚˙⋆.˚

[Name] wakes up early in the morning. As they drearily rose, they became aware of something placed on their futon. Was that, a mask? They reached out grabbing it with their hands. Yes, it was indeed a mask. As they turned to see Tanjiro, they saw that he still slept, but he had a similar mask next to him. His was red and white, while their own one was blue and white.

[Name] stood up, grabbing their blade. Seeing the blade slightly out of place from where they had placed it, they frowned. Oh well, at least it was there. As they tightened their grasp around the blade, they suddenly felt a strange cold air. Oh right, whenever they touched their blade, it was cold. Thanks to Douma.

[Name] rolled their eyes, before throwing the blade back on the ground. The clatter woke up Tanjiro, who jolted awake. [Name] chuckled as Tanjiro scanned the room, looking for any danger. Once Tanjiro saw that the room was empty, he sighed, before getting to his feet.

"Good morning, [Name]. Ready for Final Selection?" Tanjiro asks.

[Name] tilts their head in confusion.

"Oh! Urokodaki didn't get to tell you last night. Final Selection is today! And you know that little fox mask? Urokodaki wants us to wear ours because it's made to protect us from harm," Tanjiro spoke.

"Slow down, Tanjiro. It's early," [Name] spoke before picking their blade back up again.

"Oh. Okay," he responds, his voice disheartened as he takes his own mask and sword.

𐙚˙⋆.˚

The two of them kneel by Nezuko's side. This was their last goodbye for a long time. Though they would only be away for a week, Tanjiro thought that it was last forever. He wasn't used to not having Nezuko nearby. He just had to trust that Urokodaki would take care of her during their absence. He takes her hand, gripping it tightly.

"I promise we'll come home. We promise," Tanjiro whispers before letting go of Nezuko's hand.

𐙚˙⋆.˚

Urokodaki stands outside of the house, watching as Tanjiro places his sword back inside his scabbard. [Name] was still inside, grabbing one last thing. He didn't know what else they needed. They had a sword and their warding mask. What else would they need? Tanjiro saw as [Name] emerged holding a small white bag. His eyes widened as he saw [Name]'s hands and wrists covered in bandages. Just like when Tomioka had accidentally cut them.

Tanjiro's eyes drifted to the small white bag. As [Name] joined his side, they opened the bag sightly. Inside, he saw needles, threads and little bits of food. Smart. He nodded and [Name] closed the bag. He had almost forgotten that [Name] could sew and knit. All this training had turned their focus away from craft for so long.

"We're all set, shall we go?" [Name] asked.

"Yes, let's," Tanjiro speaks.

The two of them took a few small steps forward. Tanjiro had his warding mask strapped to the side of his face, yet [Name] covered their face with their own mask. Their mask looked much like Makomo's. It seemed very innocent, yet it hid a dangerous beast behind it. Tanjiro then turned around abruptly, waving to Urokodaki.

Before Urokodaki waved back, Tanjiro shouted, "Say hello to Sabito and Makomo for me!"

Tanjiro only sees Urokodaki nod. It seemed much slower and resigned. He turned back to [Name] seeing their head tilted to the side. Oh, that was right. They wouldn't know Sabito or Makomo yet. He was the one who had been training with them. [Name] cut the boulder all by themselves, so Sabito and Makomo wouldn't have had to help them. He supposed he'd just have to explain them to [Name] on the way!

As the two walked away, Urokodaki couldn't take his eyes off Tanjiro. "How do you know the names... of those dead children?"

A/N

Hello! Thanks for taking the time to read this! I found this chapter quite interesting to write! Also, I completely forgot about [Name]'s sewing/knitting/crotcheting skills so I kinda threw in the needles again. Also, can someone please explain whether the contestants ate during Final Selection?! I'm so confused about that! Also, I'm going to be writing Douma's name as Douma from now on and no longer Doma. 

Question: If you could become any KNY character (in the timeline of KNY), who would it be?

Taisho Era Secret: [Name]'s warding mask reminds them of the snowmen they'd make as a child.