𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭

Part 25: Kamado Tanjirou

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ABANDONED CHURCH, WEST MIST VILLAGE
AN HOUR BEFORE SUNRISE

"*caw, caw! Defeated! Upper Moon Six- Douma, has been defeated! The area has been cleared, no demons left detected! *caw, caw! I repeat! Defeated! The Flower Hashira Tsuyuri Kanao has beheaded the Upper Moon Six Douma! 30 minutes more before sunrise!" 

The crow delivering the news is Kanao's kasugai crow, Ichigo, and she was swirling in the dawn sky frantically scanning for the area. The kakushis will be here soon to inspect, clean and provide immediate first-aid for the injured slayers in the battlefield. Ichigo flies low to find her master, Tsuyuri Kanao, in the arms of a young man wearing an all-white yukata, his mint green hair fluttering softly in the aftermath breeze. From the looks of it, Kanao is heavily injured and needs proper medical care. 

And from a good distance, a certain redhead Hashira Kamado Tanjirou was rushing down the dirt path in a desperate attempt to meet his comrade? Joint-mission partner? Acquaintance? Just who is the Flower Hashira to the Sun Hashira, this is from the small point of view of an innocent crow having to carry the task of observing things from midair or whenever her master requests upon her presence in certain cases. But again, from the looks of it, Ichigo ponders with little too much of concerns- that fond look in the Sun Hashira's eyes is certainly not meant for an ordinary comrade. 

Then again, the Sun Hashira is fond of everybody who's kind to him. Maybe the crow Ichigo was forced of seeing things. 

"Kanao! Kanao!" Tanjirou pauses on his track, a meter away from the broad back seemingly shielding Kanao from being seen at his position. He was breathing hard, somehow in need of extra air as his throat gets tangled with invisible knots. 

Tanjirou needs to see if Kanao is safe first, whoever that man is should be his next priority; for him to suddenly appear out of thin air after a bloody battle against an Upper Moon and snag Kanao into his arms like some sort of knight in a shining armor, it just doesn't sit well for Tanjirou. Or in more simpler words, the Kamado Tanjirou wishes so bad for himself to be in that man's position. So, so bad. 

"I can feel you staring, Kamado Tanjirou." The man shifts to hoist Kanao up in a bridal style. 

That annoyed lilt in his voice, the all-too-familiar scent of herbs and fresh paints lingering in the cold air, monotone and stern cold expression across his pale facade, Tanjirou flinches as his nose is put on to use in identifying the man. 

"Y- Yushiro-san?!" Tanjirou almost fell over once he connects the dots, eyeing Yushiro with a look of longing and relief. "So it's you! Goodness, I thought you were someone else!" 

Yushiro stares back at him in a bored manner, chancing a glance between him and the woman in his arms, a frown settles in perfectly to intensify his coldness towards the Kamado. 

He opens his mouth, and his fangs shone in Tanjirou's direction, "Screw your greetings, Tanjirou. Just what the hell were you doing? She's losing too much blood, yet you still allow her to keep fighting and personally beheaded a fucking Upper Moon? I thought you were at least a bit smarter than this."

Hearing that makes Tanjirou jolt back, the words enough to be as painful as a slap to his face, he really wishes for Yushiro to do that instead of attacking him like this. Tanjirou bites his bottom lip, stares down, ruby eyes creasing with dread, his nails digging into his palms to the point of almost piercing through the flesh. He admits that he was acting really pathetic, and it might have costed Kanao her life if things didn't go the way exactly as she planned, Douma would've killed her ruthlessly and Tanjirou would be a second too late to even pull her out of that hell.