Tanjiro's POV
Basking in the growing warmth of the morning sun dowsing the area in syrupy light, I'm patiently sitting on the front porch of the butterfly estate, lightly tapping my finger on my thigh. When I woke up this morning, I found myself alone in (y,n)'s room. It wasn't too much of a surprise when seeing my arms were scarce of the girl, especially since I know the finish of her trial is today.
Even though I'm hopeful of what master Ubuyashiki will decide, I can't conceal the obvious fact I'm concerned about (y,n). This job really means a lot to her, and today will be a sorrowful moment for the both of us if she loses that very profession.
I combed my hand back through my burgundy locks, drawing out a low yawn that's been fizzling up in my chest. "Please be ok (y,n)..." I mumbled beneath the shadow of my breath, closing my eyes with a sigh as I threw my head back.
Last night's events faintly painted masterpieces in my mind as the wind traced a thin line past my ear, bringing me back to the wonderful evening. Even if it was shaky at the start, I can say that the previous night was far from forgettable. I can vividly recall it now, the ghosting memory of (y,n) cradled in my strong hold under the blanket we were using, letting me smooth down her ponytail as I whispered sweet nothings next to her ear. Even if we attempted to be modest, somewhere in the night; our legs got tangled together, and that only brought her ever so close to my chest, allowing me to feel the soft way her bosom rose, and fell with the rhythm of the words that sung out from her mouth in their own tired melody.
It'll be an eternity before began to forget that moment, that night, the evening that would bound us together by nothing more than a red string tied to our pinkie fingers.
I opened my eyes, looking towards the path that trails up to Shinobu's property. My heart did a miniature flip on the inside when seeing just who I've been waiting for the entire time, slowly walking up to the butterfly mansion. (y,n) lifted her gaze up to me as she got closer, gifting me a shaky smile as tears lazily ran down her flushed cheeks. Why is she crying? Wait... could this be... did she actually have to retire as a slayer?!
Please, let it be anything but that!
I hopped onto my feet and rushed over to the (h,c)-headed warrior, taking her hands into mine.
"(y,n), what happened?! What did Master Ubuyashiki say?" I asked, while cupping my other hand on her cheek. I wiped away the warm tears with my thumb, looking into her eyes pleadingly. I'm shocked when (y,n) lets out a pleasant laugh, resting her hand on my shoulder as her tears glistened against her (s,c) skin..
"I get to keep my job as a demon slayer!" My squad-member smiled joyfully as she fluidly drew out her words, making my eyes widen as I processed her statement in my mind.
"Really?!" I returned the joyous smile as tears burned at the waters of my eyes from immense happiness, and I blinked them away when (y,n) gave an ecstatic nod for an answer.
"Thank goodness!!" I kissed her forehead in relief before pulling her into a loving hug, nuzzling my chin into the crook of her neck as she released quiet laughs against my shoulder. We don't have to worry anymore, there's no need to fret about the terrible thought of her losing her job!!
This is a dream come true!
"Heh... thank goodness..." I repeated my words in a softer tone, sighing happily while I closed my eyes. My heart is running absolutely wild right now, and it's becoming almost impossible to contain my gleeful emotions. (y,n)'s going to be able to continue fighting alongside my sister and our friends, and... she'll be able to stay here with me for as long as time will tell.
Kyojuro's POV
Sporting a perky pep in my step, and my bright smile showing shinier than usual... If that's possible, I'm making my way through my family's estate, humming happily. I'm still excitedly digesting the news of (y,n)'s trial, I'm overjoyed to know that she'll be able to keep her job! Such a high-potential warrior is exactly what Demon corps needs!
I slowed my walking to a stop when glancing over at the door to my right, dropping my smile as I looked at the shoji door that leads to one particular area of the Rengoku estate. My father's room. The air around this place feels so stale, the atmosphere; gruff and uninviting. It's been this way ever since the incident with my mother. It's now that I've remembered why I'm walking around the home, instead of training like usual.
(y,n)'s breathing technique, Dragon breathing, is still a complete mystery to me. No matter how persistently I go back to Demon corps' archives, staying up to the light of dawn, searching here and there for even a glimmer of a mention to the method of fighting, I can't seem to uncover a single mystery about Dragon breathing!
How can something so powerful not have a single wink of information backing it up?!
The only other reliable place I can possibly look to for answers is the former flame pillar, the older copy of myself I call my father. Unfortunately, I don't know if he'll be willing to answer my questions, or if he's sober enough either. His bad drinking habit tends to get in the way of socializing with him, on the few rare occasions when he does try to socialize at all. But, hey! I can't chicken out when I still have the chance to request his help!
I raised my hand up in preparation to knock on the wooden barrier, but before I can take action, the man roughly opened the door to his room, glaring at me with his fiery dark eyes, the exact same color that my irises are. It seems he's noticed me. "Father, hi!"
"What the hell do you want? It's the middle of the morning." The retired slayer spat out as he scratched his stubble ridden chin, growling like an angry wolf at the interruption of his alone time. Laughing loudly to play off his harsh comment, I give him my signature cheeky smirk, crossing my arms over my chest.
"Actually, It's the early afternoon! Anyways, would you mind answering some questions of mine?" I titled my head to the side, looking at him hopefully as he shot daggers at me through his gaze. Maybe this won't be so bad, what if this is the moment when he'll finally try to spend some time with his eldest son- !
"No. Go away." ... Never mind.
I took a step back when the man grumpily snapped at me, attempting to close the door to stop me from bothering him anymore, but I'm not going to let him win so easily! I have a strong feeling that he's the only other person I can turn to for the history of Dragon breathing, and I don't want to end this day knowing nothing more than I've already gained!
Swiftly wedging my foot in between the partition and the wall, I halted the door's movement before it closed all the way, determined to get my point across. "Please reconsider! I'll be out of your hair before you even know it!"
"Get out of the doorway!! Shit, why are you so stubborn?!" The man groaned in vexation as he looked at me through the opening, flashing me a sharp grimacing frown. My smile flatlined at the annoying pain of my heel being stubbed, but I give no acknowledgment to it. On normal occasions, I try to stray away from my father with my brother, but in a time when I'm really serious about something that involves him, I refuse to let him push me out of the picture like always!
Using my smart mind to my advantage, I think up something quickly, just to make my family-member pay attention for a fleeting moment. "What if we come to an agreement? You know, a win-win situation!" I grinned happily as my father blanked out at the statement, dulling the force he's been using to shut the door. I've called his bluff.
"If you answer my questions, reasonably and honestly, ahem... I promise not to bother you for the next two weeks!" I laughed, using one of my hands to slide the shoji door up wider, releasing my foot from the cramped position. I looked down at my leg as I shook the pain away, watching as thoughts drove through the former Hashira's eyes. My suggestion is something that my father craves constantly. Unlike my little brother, Senjuro, who always steers clear of him at all costs, I'm more daring when straying closer to the forbidden dungeons of the unforgiving family member. To my father, I'm that one noisy mosquito he just can't seem to kill.
He's bound to say yes to my deal.
"Hgrm... make it three weeks, two goes by too quickly." I perked up cheerfully when my father finally gave in after some thought, combing his hands through his tangled locks as he moved out of the doorway. Yes, my plan succeeded!
"Got it!!" Showing him a promising thumbs up, I waited for the man's next sentence as he groggily scratched his chest under his simple yukata.
"What'd you wanna ask me?"
"I was wondering, do you possibly know anything about Dragon breathing?" Now with the full opportunity to question the man, I spoke up about my curiosities, tucking some of my long blonde and red hair behind my ear. It's just for a second when I see his face bloom up with acute shock, if my intuition is correct, his reaction shows that he must know something about the mysterious technique.
"... Come in, try not to trip on anything..." My father cautiously warned me as he and I stepped into his dark and dreary room. My nose is abused with the sharp twang of an alcoholic smell as he leads me to the kotatsu table of the room. Bottles of sake are scarcely strewn around the floor, I can't tell which ones are full or empty. I've known for a while that the man has a problem with cutting down his alcohol intake, but just seeing how unkempt his room is, I'm partially being reminded of the issue.
He sat down at the table when releasing a grunt, gesturing for me to plop down on the other side. Starting off simply, he rested his head on one of his hands whilst grumbling out a husky exhale. "Beginning with it's relativity, Dragon and Flame breathing are closely related to each other. They both resonate around the element of fire, meaning that a good portion of the attacks focus on quick and powerful movements."
"Oh, so is Dragon breathing derived from Flame breathing?" I crossed my legs under me to get into a more comfortable position as I placed one of my hands on the kotatsu, looking to my father as he rolled his eyes at my 'ignorant' comment.
"No, it's the other way around. When our family's signature technique was created by our ancestors, somewhere along the line, us Rengokus picked up some of the traits from the Breath of the Dragon." I lifted an eyebrow at the man's remark, becoming confused because of what I already know.
For as long as I can remember, I've thought that Flame breathing was created from Sun breathing alone, just like all the other main breathing techniques. But, to be told now that that isn't completely correct, I'm questioning the very breathing style that I've focused my entire career around.
Seeing the dumbfounded streak in my eye, my father branched out from the conversation to explain things in much more detail. "Before you start goin' off the fritz, know that the Breath of the Flame does have some properties from Sun breathing. It just has two feathers from different flocks." He paused to glance over at the side.
"The technique of the Dragon isn't just another breathing style you find off the street. Even if it's not the main original, it is the only other breathing technique created from scratch, like Sun breathing. Sometimes if you focus really hard, you can see flickers of Dragon breathing in other techniques." I drew out a surprised gasp at the information, widening my eyes as things started to make more sense to me. Just like a foundation to a house, this technique was made all on it's own, being the most important portion of the metaphorical building.
How wonderful.
"Sorry to burst your bubble, but... if you're so curious about the Breath of the Dragon, then I'll have you know that you won't be able to learn it."
"Hm? Why?" My expression blanked when the man speedily deadpanned, making me raise an eyebrow. I haven't been intending on learning any new techniques, but now that he's mentioned it, I've only become more interested to see what the issue is.
"See, Dragon breathing is what us slayers call... a Dead Breath." My father, while bringing his elbows up to the table, let out a loud yawn, closing his eyes to blink their drowsiness away.
"A Dead... Breath?" I repeated the term with a befuddled hum, not understanding the reason for the choice of strange wording.
"Compared to Sun breathing, which is the practical modus operandi throughout Demon slaying, Dragon breathing has never been that popular among slayers, because of how difficult it is to use. As time has passed, the number of users has plummeted drastically since... no one has attempted to re-learn it. Eventually, a-all the slayers who once knew how to harness the power of the Dragon's breath died off, taking the secrets of the technique down to the grave. With them gone, and there being no records to secure the memory of the breathing style, Dragon breathing was left to... drown in forgotten histories."
"I think I get it... without any intact memories of Dragon breathing, and no one left to use it, in a way... it died along with its users. Hence the name; Dead Breath." I nodded my head along to my words as I chewed up the information, watching as my father nurtured a deep yawn from within his diaphragm, acting like an elderly lion about to nap. I'm trying to rationalize everything he's told me, but none of his answers have given an explain how a kanoe rank slayer like (y,n) is able to use Dragon breathing.
"Yeah... *yawn*... you got the right idea. It'd be a m-miracle if even one slayer is still using it to this day... that technique is damn strong, I-I'm talkin' about Hashira level type of shit." My father trailed off as he began to profusely slur his words, and his head swayed while his eyelids struggled to stay open. Crap! I don't think I have much time before he won't even have the sensibility to answer any other questions, I have to get the answers to a few more things before he falls asleep!
"I-if I remember... not only the last dragon pillar, but the last person to use the breathing style... d-died over... hgrm... two or three years ago? Beats me..."
"Before you answer anything else, tell me; did the last Dragon pillar take any students under his wing?!" I straightened my back up, praying that my father will at least respond with a yes or no.
"I d-don't... grhmm... I don't... know..." He managed to mumble out deeply before his head began to bob up and down, rumbly snoring following soon after he fell asleep... Sitting the hell up. Lets give a round of applause ladies and gentlemen, this man is truly amazing. I don't think I'd ever be able to fall sleep in such an uncomfortable position, even in my most exhausted states.
He might be faking this all, but by now; I think it's best if I just leave him be. He deserves it. I sighed happily while standing up from the kotatsu, walking back to the door of the room. "Thank You very much for answering my questions, I'll make sure to uphold our agreement." I whispered to the sleeping man as I exited the room, closing the shoji door behind me.
The information I've been given has been nothing short of helpful, I really didn't expect for this little interview to be such a success! Then again, there are still some things I want to see, and there's only one person who I can go to for this.
"Looks like I'll be paying someone a visit!" I chimed, my thoughts mainly on (y,n).