My Instincts Never Lie || Demon Slayer Nezuko

16. Origins

--2 years ago--

"Ni-chan!" Nezuko watched her mother and siblings wave goodbye to Tanjiro starting with a basket full of coal on his back. He raised his brows, stopping to let Nezuko come to him. "I put Rokuta to sleep before he could watch you leave for work. He'd been looking for you the whole morning." She turned to show their brother was strapped to her back after rocking Rokuta in her arms for half an hour.

Tanjiro stroked Rokuta's head. "I feel so bad leaving him after dad died."

"He'll be alright, Ni-chan, we all will... Oh, where's your hatchet?"

He scratched the back of his head. "I dunno. It's been missing all morning. I think the younger ones took it."

A puff of her breath dissipated into the frigid air. "Don't worry, just get to work and I'll handle it."

His lips curled in a soft smile, straightening his backpack of coal before heading into the snowy forest. "See you for dinner then!"

"Bye! Come back safely!" she called out after him, then readjusted Rokuta's position. "Now, let's go find the others, okay Rokuta?" He didn't reply of course but she took his sleepy babbling as a yes.

It was the usual scene at home. Kie lugged 2 baskets in her arms and Hanako half a basket whilst Shigeru bugged around his sister and Takeo grumpily went to chop some wood. Nezuko had heard his disappointment earlier about cutting them without Tanjiro and giggled from afar as the family showered him with unwarranted affection—he was always the butt of Hanako and Shigeru's tricks much to Kie's chagrin.

"Mom, here, I can take that. You were up all night," Nezuko whispered, carefully untying Rokuta from her and cradling him in her arms.

"Oh no darling, I'm fine. I can handle this."

"Nee-chan can you take my basket?" Hanako asked, lifting it to her face. "I-I can hold Rokuta instead—he said he loves me the mostest."

"No way! Yesterday Rokuta said I'm the best," Shigeru replied, kicking some snow at Hanako. She returned the favour, going back to forth until Kie spoke up. Those two fought the most, being so close in age, but for their mother they were much easier to handle against each other rather than when they worked together.

"Stop that, you two. We'll be done with our chores by lunch time. You'll have the rest of the day to do other things."

"Mom's right," Nezuko said, kneeling down to her sibling's level. "Hanako, why don't you take some of the mom's basket, and Shigeru, you should be helping Takeo right now. We all have to work together while Tanjiro Ni-chan's out working hard for us."

"Then after we can really play?" Shigeru asked.

"Yes, I promise. We can all play in the snow later and surprise Ni-chan when he gets home. Got it?"

"Got it!"

"Wait, not so fast!" she called out and stepped in front of them before they could run off. "Did either of you take Ni-chan's hatchet?"

They shook their heads and were gone before Kie could finish hauling some clothes into Hanako's basket. Nezuko squinted at them. 'They have it,' she thought to herself, planning on interrogating them further after she prepared lunch.