Spider Lilies

00004

Taisho Era, Japan

No One's p.o.v:

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Butterfly Estate

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After the kakushi bowed to Rin and left, the pillar sighed and quickly made his way to the infirmary while holding Nezuko's box in his other hand while Tanjiro sat situated on his back in a piggyback manner. Stopping under the shade of a bonsai tree Rin gently set Tanjiro down on the ground along with Nezuko's box, unwrapping his haori from the box Rin folded it gently. Knelling down on front of the boy Rin gently touched Tanjiro's jaw and moved it around a bit to different positions.

"Does it hurt when I move it around like this?"

Tanjiro gave a hiss as the pillar moved his jaw quickly to the side and nodded. Releasing the boy's jaw Rin placed his hands in his lap and looked at the estate building.

"I just want to find out the extent of your injury so that we know how to properly treat it and make sure that it heals right. When your jaw starts to fell better I'd like to find out how you met my very quiet friend Giyuu. I would never think that he would befriend such a sweet boy like you, you're such a sweetheart. Despite what all the things my sister says about him being disliked I think that he's quite likable under his tough guy act. Enough about that though, do you think that you can walk the rest of the way to the infirmary? I don't mind carrying you but my back is beginning to hurt from my injury." Rin asked with a gentle smile as the boy nodded in return. Putting his hands together Rin gave a pleased sigh. Standing back up he helped Tanjiro to his feet and waited till the boy had gained enough balance before lifting Nezuko's box off of the ground and pulled the straps over one of his shoulders.

Walking beside the ruby eyed teen up to the infirmary Rin held his haori in his unoccupied hand as they made their way into the building, the sound of loud whining meeting the two males ears. 

"Excuse me if this comes off wrong but why did you choose to side with Tomioka so quickly after the letter was read even though you yourself lost family to Kibutsuji..Why didn't you choose to side with the other Hashira?" Tanjiro asked looking up at the pillar who stopped to listen to him. Quietly thinking to himself for a moment Rin thought about why he did so and smiled.

"I..He has a good heart even though he seems like he can be quite the opposite. I knew Giyuu ever since he first became a Hashira, he never spoke much to the others but every once in a while him and I would talk. We were in the same state of mind, we both lost people we cared about which made it easier for us to talk to one another. I've shared some of my darkest secrets with him and him to me as well, I've trusted him with more things then I can with Shinobu. That's why I sided with him and your guys's teacher, I trust Giyuu's words as much as I do my master's words." Rin said with a smile as he placed a finger on his chin. Tanjiro gave a slow nod at his answer, still slightly confused at what the arachnid pillar had said before a thought struck him.

"So, were you two together at some point? Or are you lovers in secret? I could smell a strange scent coming from both of you, it smelled of admiration and love but also denial and frustration. It mostly came from Tomioka though I could smell just a bit of it coming off of you when you guys were standing by me." Tanjiro inquired tilting his head in curiosity. Becoming silent Rin stood there frozen as a blush creeped up his face and to the tips of his ears. Looking down at Tanjiro Rin's eyes blew wide seeing that the boy still held the same expression.

"Whaa? No! We were never together and we aren't secret lovers..."

"Then do you two like each other? Is that it?"

Looking down the hall in embarrassment Rin's blush still held but it now became a darker shade making Tanjiro gasp in shock at the realization of what was going on.

"I've never though of it like that..Shinobu always told me that Giyuu did like me but I thought she meant it as that he liked me in a friend way and not the other way..and I've liked him for a few years despite that I was in an arranged marriage to Yuu before everything that happened to him. Wait, please don't tell him that I told you this. If you do I'll be destroyed and my sister will tease me for as long as I live, please Tanjiro I beg you not to!" Rin said bringing his hands up in a praying motion as he got on his knees. Gripping onto the teen's pants Rin began shaking him vigorously making Tanjiro yell to try and tell him to stop.

"Alright! Calm down I'm not gonna tell! Just stop shaking me so violently, I feel like I'm gonna fall over!"

~

"FIVE TIMES! I gotta take this five times? A day?" a loud voice yelled as Tanjiro and the arachnid pillar walked into the infirmary, "And I have to keep taking this medicine for three months? If I take this, I can't eat anything, you know! I mean it's really bitter! It's such an ordeal!"

Raising a brow Rin let Aoi walk ahead of him as the dark haired pillar set down Nezuko's box by the door, Tanjiro following behind as the young girl walked over to the blonde crying.

"So, you mean my arms and legs will heal by just taking medicine? For real? Listen, are they really gonna heal? Tell me how they're gonna get healed!"

Walking over to the crying blonde Rin gently tapped his shoulder and held his hand near his mouth as he gave a small smile.

"Excuse me, could you please not shout so loud. You're scaring the girls because you keep shouting about. And yes that medicine is really going to heal you, my sister and I made sure that it would fully work on any type of wound so no need to worry your little head about it. I suggest that you give Aoi and the girls a bit of respect, they work very hard to make sure you young fellows get your strength back so you can return to the fight." bringing his hand down Rin's smile turned into a still sweet one but with slight anger hiding within it as the male was still chattering away, "If you don't stop yelling we're going to have to tie you up so that it's easier for us."

"Zenitsu." Tanjiro said with a happy smile seeing that his friend was okay, him calling out the blonde making the mentioned male let out a cry, "Are you okay? Did you hurt yourself? So you did come up the mountain after all!"

The blonde who now had gone quiet with his hiding in the pillow turned to look at the two males, "T-Tanjiro." Zenitsu quickly latched himself onto the boy and began rubbing his face on him.

"Tanjiro! Listen to me, will you? I got stung by this stinky spider, and the poison hurt like crazy, okay? And that girl's been yelling at me all this time! I hate my life!" Zenitsu whined making the red head slightly worried.

"Zenitsu, did you get smaller or something?" Tanjiro asked noticing that the blonde looked shorter. Zenitsu pulled away from Tanjiro with an unpleasant look on his face.

"I almost got turned into a spider. My arms and legs are really short now." explained the blonde making Rin's eyes widened.

"Is that right? Where's Inosuke? Have you seen Murata?" Tanjiro said, concern lacing his words. Zenitsu looked behind him to the other bed where the mentioned boar masked teen laid bedridden. 

"I don't know about anyone named Murata, but Inosuke's right next to me."