Let Me Down Slowly (Kamado Tanjirou x Agatsuma Zenitsu from Demon Slayer)

Part 13: Feels Like This

After days of walking, the trio finally stopped in front of the large gate of Asakusa. Inside was a bustling city with crowded streets and screaming shop vendors. Despite being nighttime, it was blindingly bright. The lights illuminated every corner of the city. Tanjirou admitted the first time he was here he wasn't used to this many scents at once. He still wasn't used to it.

Zenitsu stared at all the sights Asakusa had. To the lights hanging from the ceiling and the array of dishes they had in store. The running children and happy families made Zenitsu think they were having a festival of sorts. The people appeared so joyous, it made Zenitsu envious in a way. The laughter and cries were mixed so perfectly that Zenitsu couldn't tell the difference. While he was standing around, a few kids bumped into him, running in laughter, but he was still inside his own world.

Tanjirou nudged the dazed boy out of his trance. He couldn't help but snicker at the sight of the doe-eyed blonde and patted Zenitsu's head. "I know. Asakusa's a big place, huh?"

"It's so pretty!" Zenitsu pointed at the lights. He quickly withdrew them after he realized he looked like a lame country bumpkin. But he didn't stop his eyes from wandering all the other sights. "I wonder if they're having a festival."

Tanjirou didn't know what hit him. The way the starry-eyed blonde looked at everything with wonder made Tanjirou's heart sing. The scent Zenitsu was giving off was happiness, a scent the blonde hadn't been emitting for a long time.

"Beautiful..." Tanjirou muttered. The lights of Asakusa bounced off Zenitsu's hair just right. It made the blonde look... blinding.

"It really is!" Zenitsu said, unaware Tanjirou's comment was directed at him.

Tanjirou smiled and pulled Zenitsu closer. "Let's go." Tanjirou instinctively took Zenitsu's hand, as an elder brother would. At this point, Tanjirou was too busy getting to his destination and Zenitsu was too occupied taking in all the things Asakusa had to offer that they didn't realize their fingers were tightly intertwined in the other.

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"There you are," A white-haired boy scoffed, standing up after sitting down on a bench stained with spilled alcohol. "I've been waiting for you all night. What took you so long?!" Yushiro clicked his tongue.

Upon seeing his face, Zenitsu squinted. "Hey, you look familiar..."

"Hah?! Oh, you're the demon Tanjirou was talking about."

Zenitsu cringed at the word 'demon' as if it didn't describe him perfectly. "What's your problem," He grumbled.

"Did you say something?!"

"Nothing important!" Zenitsu whistled.

Yushiro rolled his eyes. "C'mon. We don't have all day." He turned his back and started walking to a beaten path.

"Where are we going?" Zenitsu turned his head to Tanjirou.

"To Ms. Tamayo's mansion," Tanjirou answered. "This guy is Ms. Tamayo's right-hand man." He pointed at Yushiro.

Zenitsu shot Tanjirou a concerned look. A look that says, "Should we really be trusting this guy?".

Tanjirou smiled gently. He held Zenitsu's hand tighter, making the blonde flinch. His eyes automatically wandered to their tangled fingers. Have they been holding hands this whole time? The raven-haired boy's palm was more rugged and bigger than the blonde's. The calluses and rough skin just made Zenitsu stare at it longer. Reluctantly, Zenitsu let go of Tanjirou's hand, even if his eyes were still gazing at it.

The two walked behind Yushiro. The demon was treading the road quickly, only occasionally glancing behind his shoulders. It wasn't until he saw a peculiar expression on the blonde's face that he became intrigued.