𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐑𝐚𝐢𝐧 : 𝐓. 𝐊𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐨

Chapter 21- Hold me close

"So, what made you want to bring me here?" I ask with a smile looking up at him. He looked at me thinking for a moment, "W-well..." The slayer stumbled over his words. soon a smile emerged on his face.

"I wanted to spend time with you!" He finally said trying to hide the way his cheeks got even redder. My face heated itself as I smiled. I playfully patted him in the back "that's so sweet!" I stopped and without thinking threw my arms around his shoulders.

Tanjiro gasped and I could feel him tense up under my touch, but soon enough he loosened up and wrapped his arms around my waist "You think so?" he said softly, his warm breath bouncing off my neck. I nodded pulling away "Of course! and I don't think we have been able to have a good time to ourselves without having a demon to handle." I nudge him in the arm.

This reminded me so much of when I first met him, the way his red eyes shined in the moonlight and the way his burgundy locks flew past his face in beautiful swift motions when he performed his breathing technique. Tanjiro's face was mesmerizing.

I blinked realizing I had gotten lost in letting my eyes explore the boy's facial features, "A-ah! sorry!" I turn and start walking again, "we should keep going..." I say speeding up. "Oh okay!" Tanjiro says quickly chasing after me.

"You okay?" he politely asks me not letting go of the fact that I started at him for a good 30 seconds. I looked over letting our eyes meet. "Yes, I was just thinking."

"Oh, well I know a lot is going on right now." He said with a sigh. I nod in response. "Did you know about demons before you joined the corps?" He said changing the conversation.

"Well, I heard about them but never met one until the day I tried to run," I reply after reminiscing about the past. "What about you?"

Tanjiro crosses his arms, "well, no. But an old man once told me about them. But it was very hard to believe." His usual bright smile started to weigh down by the memories.

Demons are truly assholes huh?

"Looks like we are here!" He beams back up changing the subject again. The ramen shop in front of us was small but very nicely decorated. It was a small minko looking house with the sign "ramen" written on a sign in kanji. Lanterns were decorating the outside and a nice pot of flowers too.

Tanjiro walked towards the door opening it for me. "Thanks!" I said running up the small porch steps into the shop. Inside there was a counter and a few tables and chairs, there was a little shop where you could buy a yukata and kimono.

"What would you like?" Tanjiro said breaking my line of concentration. My (e/c) eyes traveled over to the menu as I read the list up and down.

Ramen.
Soba.
Sōmen.
Yakisoba.
Shirataki...

"Can I have some shirataki?" I say with a polite smile. Tanjiro nods and tells the person over the desk. He guides me to a seat and we sit down.

"So uh.. about that plan." He brings up the plan to defeat Okumuru. I tense up but I listen. "Are you sure you're willing to be bait?" Tanjiro exhales softly. I nod quickly "If it will defeat him of course." I smile trying to shoo off my fear. Tanjiro returns the smile before closing my hands in his.

"I promise I will protect you." He closes his eyes trying to imagine a good ending. I chuckle "I know you will. And I will protect you." I say softly. Tanjiro opens his eyes, "I appreciate that!" He laughs letting go of my hands.

"Fighting demons for a living with you sounds like a dream," Tanjiro says sitting back in his seat. I feel my face heat up before I nod "I'd love to do that with you too! But we are going to defeat muzan together." I put my hands in my lap.

"Demons." The owner of the shop murmured as he put our food on the table. "A demon killed my family when I was younger." The man said wiping his hands with a rag on his uniform. Tanjiro looked up at the man with sympathetic eyes. "I decided to open this noodle shop in honor of my brother." He smiled.

The man was around his twenties. pretty young. "I'm sorry about that sir. well, we are demon slayers." Tanjiro says with a soft smile. "Nobody came to save you...?" I ask looking down at my food. The man shook his head "No. I wish they did." His smile faded "I will leave you two love birds to have your own the moment now, enjoy!" He waved goodbye as he walked back into the kitchen of the small shop.

I picked up my chopsticks and swirled the noodles around. The sauce in the noodles mixed around creating a nice smell in the air, a relaxing sigh escaped my lips before I pick up some of the noodles and eat them.

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Tanjiro waved at the shop owner as we left the shop. It was already dark out and the air was kind of salty. "Do you smell that?" Tanjiro asked looking around.

"Unfortunately I don't have to most amazing smelling like you do." I giggle "What does it smell like?"

"Blood," Tanjiro says. Immediately my mind wandered. Another demon? really? there was been a lot of them around lately. "Well, I suppose we should follow the smell?" I gesture to around us. Tanjiro nods.

"You lead the way!" I smile rubbing my hands together, Tanjiro nodded turning and began walking down the dirt path that lead down a hill.