Wisteria beneath the moonlight ll Kimetsu no yaiba

一 cruelty

"Um, O bāchan," A young girl asked, sitting on her grandmother's lap. Her old frail arms showing the long years she's endured, combing through her grandchild's long black hair. The old woman hummed in response as the girl turned around with bright inquisitive eyes.

"Could you tell me about the demons again?" Her eyes shone a bright violet like her mother's eyes, a trait different from all her siblings.

"Why do you wanna know that? I've told you the stories many times,"

"Please! I promise this will be the last time!"

"Well, it all started many centuries ago, before I was even a little girl..."

"Tanjiro? Fujiko?" a voice called out from behind the pair. "Your faces are covered in soot. Come over here,"

The two obliged, walking over to their mother who was waiting with a cloth. She crouched down begin wiping the dust off their rosy faces.

"It's dangerous with all the snow. You don't have to go, you know," she said with worry as she moved on to the younger one.

"Well, I want everyone to eat their fill on New Year's, so I'm gonna sell as much charcoal as I can. And besides, Fujiko is coming with me so we can watch each other," he said glancing at his younger sister as his mother wiped the coal dust off her face.

She looked at her children with a smile, "Arigato,"

"Nii-san! Onee-chan!" a little voice called from behind. They looked over to be greeted with the faces of their younger siblings. Meanwhile, Kie was fixing her daughter's haori and layers. "Are you sure you can fit the snow boots? They still look quite big on you..."

"Daijōbu Kachan, I put on a bunch of socks so they fit just fine,"

The woman looked at her daughter with concern, knowing how much she wanted to help out with the 'man' chores since her husband passed away. She was wearing Tanjiro's old boots since he outgrew his and was wearing their father's, but it was still much too big on her.

"You're going to the town again today?"

"I'm going with you!" Hanako said, Shigeru beside her with a smile on his face.

"Oh no, you're not. You know you can't walk fast like Tanjiro and Fujiko,"

"Kachan!"

"No. SInce they can't take the cart today, they won't be able to give you a ride when you're tired,"

"Onii-san!" Shigeru yelled, latching onto their eldest brother. Hanako came up to you with pleading eyes. "I wanna go with you Onee-chan, I promise I'll help!"

A smile graced your face as you bent down, petting Hanako's head. "Arigato, Hanako. But you're staying home today,"

"Ehhh?"

"You too Shigeru," Tanjiro started, resting his hand on the younger Kamado's cheek. "I'll bring you lots of goodies, okay?"

"Really?"

"Yeah,"

"Hanako, if you help Kachan and Nezuko I'll teach you how to make the origami crane and read to you, 'kay?" I said, hoping that would make this would cheer them up.

"Okay!"

"That's a good girl!"

"Arigato, Tanjiro, Fujiko,"

"Okay, we'll be heading out now," Tanjiro said, helping Fujiko put on the charcoal basket on her back despite her protest.

"Takeo," Tanjiro said, looking at his brother standing behind the group. "Will you chop as much wood as you can?"