OO2. ( CHAPTER TWO )
( charcoal boy )
BLINKING AT THE MONEY he'd been given with underlying happiness, y/n stared up at daitan with an expectant look, almost eager to hear the 'this is for you' they would utter.
"go to the market. fetch food and charcoal." taken aback by the unexpected command, he stared, mouth agape.
rising to his feet on viewing the subtle raise of their eyebrow, he pat makoto's head and shimmied out of there.
left to his own quietude and company, y/n raised his head to the sky and watched the clouds pass by in harmonious succession.
simple life, basic sustenance. only a few things were required for a comfortable life, yet for one's pleasure, the needs were endless. from lavish garments to flavorful food that would eventually lay unfinished. each unnecessary, but important.
there was a different between wealthy and rich, he recalled. to be rich was to be vain, to lay claim on the most worthless things. to be wealthy was to be satisfied. to no longer have the selfish want the rich seemed to possess.
y/n and his family were the rich, daitan the wealthy.
locking the tainted thought into the darkest depths of his void-filled heart, he pulled his haori closer to his torso.
hearing the distant murmurs and hawking akin to a crowded marketplace, he hastened, making deep imprints and dirtying the pure white snow.
"wood! wood!"
"sakura mochi!"
a cacophony of squalls mingled into one unified clamour, echoing through the gaps of the trees and disappearing into the deep interior.
a relatively small market, rudimentary in its structures. a town, with one or two houses serving as shops, ready to sell.
shuffling to one of them, y/n felt his pockets for money and fished it out.
"uh, do you— do you have tofu? for kids?" blood rushed to the surface of his skin, painting his cheeks and the skin below his jaw a soft red. the owner stared at the small boy in front of them with a relaxed bearing, hoping to calm his tense posture.
"i might have everything you are looking for son. did your parent send you a list?" he fumbled for the paper daitan had given and placed it on the elder's outstretched palm.
"ah, i think i do have all! all, except— hmm, coal." their eyebrows knit together, a perplexed expression bleeding through and settling on their face. the handwriting was written with such swift strokes it was difficult to decipher.
"you can get coal from tanjiro, i think he'd be coming by the time i'm done getting your things." they smiled.
fiddling with his fingers, y/n nodded and kept to himself.
"COAL! COAL!"
a boyish voice yelled out. as though the words were a siren's call, the residents popped their heads out of their houses to see if coal had indeed arrived.
"tanjiro! give me coal please!"
"me too!"
tanjiro smiled with glee, cheerily reaching into his basket. y/n struggled under the weight of the edibles, staggering to the coal boy.
he winced when his back stung with the pressure, it gravitating him to the harsh ground below.
"uh, coal?" recoiling, he stared at the male now in front of him, unsure of how to act.
the corners of tanjiro's lips lifted, the scar on his forehead gliding upwards, "sure!"
he took time to take note of the scar imprinted onto his skin like a brand, and conjured up several conspiracies regarding it's origin.
"say, how did you get your scar?" observing coal boy's expression, he panicked when he saw a slight furrow of the eyebrows.
"i'm sorry i shouldn't—"
tanjiro straightened and answered without pause, "it's okay! i got it when i was protecting my brother from a boiling kettle."
'what the hell'
"oh, alright. does it hurt from time to time?"
'are you kidding me.'
tanjiro dipped his head down in thought, raising his hand to massage his nape. "sometimes, yes." he sheepishly uttered.
making no other initiation, y/n took the coal and turned to leave.
"wait! can i know your name?"
"uh, y/n?"
"you have pretty eyes y/n. farewell!" tanjiro grinned that boyish smile of his and set off.
y/n knelt infront of a small pond, the water converted into a solid, a work of the biting freeze that enveloped the area. facing the ice which acted as a semi-clear mirror, he observed, confirming if indeed he had pretty eyes, or tanjiro had played a cruel joke.
(e/c) eyes stared back, soft, and afraid.
they looked alright.
𝗦𝗢𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗥,
© 𝗢𝗥𝗫𝗛𝗘𝗨𝗦, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟮