𝞖𝙞𝙨 𝙐𝙣𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝘿𝙚𝙨𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙖𝙣𝙩//𝙆𝙣𝙮//𝙁𝙁//𝞐𝙐

E l e v e n

Yasu's POV

We both hold out our earrings, too stunned to speak. 

"Gimme that," I say, snatching the earring out of his hands. He doesn't mind.

I take a closer look. Same pattern. It looks kind of worn out. This can't be a coincidence. 

"So.. our ancestors knew each other?" I speak up, and Tanjiro nods.

"I guess so."

I place the earrings on his hands. "Tanjiro, what kind of breathing style do you use?"

"I use water breathing or this breathing called Sun breathing." He answers. Two breathing styles? I didn't know you could do that. "How about you, Yasu?"

I pause for a moment. I feel like I can trust him. He looks kind and everything. "I didn't master any breathing styles... but when I encountered strong demons yesterday I used... Moon breathing?"

"Strong demons? Moon breathing?" You gotta tell me all about this!" Tanjiro exclaims, patting the chair beside his bed. 

I sit down, take a deep breath and tell him all about what happened with the uppermoons. I leave Kota out though, because I don't want to feel that much guilt again. I feel guilty for even thinking about her name.

"Oh, wow-" Tanjiro mumbles after I'm finished talking. "That must've been scary."

"It kind of was..." I mumble. "Oh, you said you used Sun breathing?"

He nods in response.

"Can you teach me?"

---

Tanjiro taught me a dance. He said it was passed down in his family for generation, possibly from my ancestor. 

"I think I can do it now." I say, raising my sword. 

"Great! Just an advice; your lungs might feel like they're burning a little." He mentions, chuckling. 

"EEEEEK!!! HELP ME ANGEL!!!" I hear a screech coming from behind. Wait, weren't those guys with Tanjiro? That weird boar guy and screaming dude!

They both charge towards me.

"STOP!" I yell. They both slide to a stop. "We shouldn't be in a mess when we haven't even introduced each other. Hello, my name is Yasu. What are your names... uh, sirs?"

"Agatsuma Zenitsu, Yasu-chan!" The blond hair guy says, smiling like a simp.

"Hashibira Inosuke!" The boar guy shouts into my ear. 

"Nice to meet you all." I smile. 

Zenitsu, or Agatsuma-kun (since he's older than me) startes at both of us. "Wow, you guys somehow look similar. Not as smiliar as siblings, but your hair colors are basically the same!"

Huh. Never actually noticed that. 

"Hello," A tired voice comes from behind us. The mist pillar!

We all bow except for Hashibira-kun. That guy has no respect.

"Hello, Tokito-kun!" I grin, waving a little. "How are you?"

"I'm sleepy. Did you get home safely after you dropped by my estate?" He asks, and I just stare at him for a few seconds. He remembered that?

"Yes-" I answer, rubbing the back of my neck. "Sorry I left without saying anything."

"It's fine," He says. "I see you're training. Though I believe you should be the one training them, Yasu. You're clearly stronger."

I'm a bit flustered by the sudden compliment, but he sounded a little too harsh. Without an apology, he walks away.

"That was..." I mutter. "Kind of mean."

"It's fine! We already know how strong you are. Rengoku-san dropped by when you were at the final selection and told us all about you!" Tanjiro... wait I've been calling him by his first name this whole time? Kamado-kun answered, smiling.

"CAW, CAW!! YASU!! NIGHT PATROL AT A NEARBY VILLAGE!! TONIGHT!! CAW!!" My crow squawks, and I cover my ear. Can't it squawk more... quietly?

"I guess I got a new 'mission'. Kamado-kun, thank you for teaching me the dance! It was helpful. I'll make sure to try it out later!" I bow.

"Of course. No need to be so formal! It was fine when you called me by my first name." He smiles and pats me on the shoulders. "We'll treat each other like siblings!"

I nod, smiling back. I wave back at Agatsuma-kun and Hashibira-kun before heading off to prepare for the night patrol.

---

It was dark and the only thing brightening my path was the full moon. At least it was a full moon today.

I've been walking for ages, or it felt like ages.

"Hey crow, are we there yet?" I ask, shouting towards the black sky.

"ALMOST THERE, CAW!"

I nod, groaning. I'm already tired. I knew I should've gotten some sleep in the afternoon. Little bits of energy helps!

Up ahead I can see a faint light. The village must be near. I pick up my pace. My stomach is grumbling, and I really want some food. 

I enter the busy streets filled with chatter. Looks like a perfect place where a demon might pop out and slaughter everyone. 

I walk over to a stall that says 'udon'. It's my favorite food so why not eat it? I'll worry about the patrol later. Gotta feed my stomach first.

"Hello! What would you like?" A friendly-looking man comes over, wiping his hands on his apron.

"I would like the best kind of udon you sell here!" I say, looking at the menu above. I really can't choose.

"Alright! Just a few moments, please!" He bows and disappears out of view into the kitchen hidden behind the walls.

While my food is getting ready, I take in the surroundings. The village is big, but not that big. A few stores, restaurants and inns. The village where I used to live when I was younger was bigger than this. Well I guess I didn't really live in that village, just outside of it.

"Your food is ready! I hope it suits your taste." The man came back with a bowl of fresh-made udon. He places some chopsticks on the table also.

"Thank you!" I say, grabbing the chopsticks and digging in. The flavor melted in my mouth.

Of course it wasn't as good as Rengoku-san's or Senjuro's cooking, but it was still good. Homemade food is always the legendary one.

i finish the bowl in a matter of seconds. The man comes back to check on me, and widens his eyes.

"Whoa! I guess you were really hungry!" He laughs and takes the bowl away. "That will be 1300 yen."

I give him the money with both hands. "Thank you! They were delicious!" I bow, and he bows too.

"Of course! Please, come back soon!"

---

I've been walking around the village for quite a while. No demons showed up yet. At least I didn't see any.

I glance sideways into the shops, looking at the colorful kimonos. They looked really pretty, but those will be hard to fight in-

"Oof-" I grunt, bumping into someone. "Sorry! I should've looked where I was going!" I apologize, scurrying back.

I rub my forehead and look up. It's a person with western-looking clothes. He must be wealthy. Of course I bump into someone who has money and power.

He turns back, glancing over his shoulders.

His plum-red eyes meets mine, and I freeze in my spot.