Tanjiro walked up to you looking around suspiciously, as if he was afraid someone was following him, despite his great sense of smell. You knew he was practicing using the breathing techniques constantly, so it confused you, why was he approaching you when he could spend his time doing something useful? When he got close enough, he waved to you leaning in to whisper something. He wasn't much younger than you, but he was taller than you by just a hair. When you leaned in to hear what he wanted to say, he began softly. "I've been hearing rumors about you attacking a civilian, are they true?"
You leaned away with a huff and a roll of your eyes, "Depends on what you count as 'attacking'."
"Physically harming someone."
"Then yeah, I sure did." You didn't have to explain yourself to him, and both of you knew that. Even if you wanted to defend your side, it would be him to judge you according to what you just said.
After a moment of awkward silence between you two, Tanjiro spoke simply, "Why?"
"The guy tried to get handsy, then threatened the child I was with." You shrugged without a care in the world.
"Shouldn't you try and defend yourself from these rumors then?! You obviously weren't in the wrong! It was self defense-"
"People could argue that it wasn't complete self defense. Besides, I don't have the time to waste on correcting some exaggerated rumors. Let people gossip about what they want to, isn't hurting me any." You interrupted him with a finger in the air. He nodded before noticing it was wrapped in white bandages and raised his brow.
"Did you injure your hand?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah. I had a grip test with the man who threatened the boy. He had several injuries on his hands. Far worse than the bruising he did to mine." You explained without skipping a beat. "I went to far, and that's what some people will argue."
Before your conversation went any further, you watched a woman walk into the garden. She had the typical uniform on, with a wrapped arm and head. You could tell just by looking at the way she stared at the ground she was shy, and when she lifted her head, her jaw dropped and her eyes widened. "(Y-Y/N)-san!" She shouted with glee. You froze with confusion clearly expressed on your face.
"Am I really that famous now-?" You shuddered at the thought.
"Famous? No, no, we met at the final selection! Do you not remember?" She spoke with sudden confidence. The final selection... it was something you still had no recollection about.
"Eh? Of course I don't remember. I lost all memories of that week and what happened. Sorry..." the woman looked surprised before smiling softly. It turned into a small chuckle.
She inhaled to get control of herself once more, "I can see how your behaviors can be confusing now. I only got to know you for a week or so, and never saw you again. But that week was detrimental to my improvement. The words you spoke to me... it was surprising. You saw right through me, and despite the obvious age difference, you called me a kid..." she let out a small laugh and looked at the ground. "Anyways, I wanted to thank you for letting me tag along that week..."
You narrowed your eyes before uncrossing your legs and standing up. They carried you, swiftly, towards her and stopped right in front of her bowed head. Without hesitation, your hand met her chin softly and pulled her gaze to your face, "What's your name?" You asked unexpectedly. The question seemed to surprise even you as Tanjiro watched the encounter from his spot on the ground.
"U-uh, M-Mitsuko."
"Do I intimidate you?" Your tone wasn't at all deceitful or intimidating, in fact, it was more inviting and sweet. You had asked out of general curiosity since she trembled more the closer you got to her.
Tanjiro didn't know what to do, "u-uh, (Y/N)-san...-"
"Snowball! I was wondering where you went! How was the festival, did you enjoy it?" Kyojuro's loud voice boomed from the entrance of the garden.
You immediately backed away and smiled brightly with a large wave, "Hey! It was fun, and helped me relax a little. If I'm being honest, I've been tense since the last assignment Oyakata-sama gave me, so it really loosened me up! Oh, and make sure Senjuro knows I'm sorry for causing him trouble, I didn't know a man could be attracted to me in such a way- and would go as far as threatening those I'm with-" you nervously placed a hand on the back of your neck with an awkward smile.
"He already knows, you told him multiple times before you left! Besides, it wasn't your fault, and you said he was drunk, right? A drunk man has his desires!"
"That doesn't mean I had to be his desire..." you mumbled to yourself and refocused on Kyojuro. "Anyways, did you need me for something?"
He thought for a moment, not breaking eye contact, "I would like to discuss something with you, yes, but I would prefer it be in private!" You sweatdropped, but gave a curious nod.
"Sure, sure." You turned to face the shy girl, "Hey, Misuko. I'm really sorry I don't remember you or what happened between us, but even if I tried to remember, it wouldn't help any. But I can tell you're strong, even if you hide it behind shyness, I can sense the incredible strength you harbor underneath! I hope to see you again some time, but I gotta go now! Bye~"
Mitsuko went wide eyes as tears began to run down her face watching you run towards the entrance to the beautiful garden of flowers. "Thank you..." she whispered and heard the gate close harshly.
"Who was that?" He asked, walking down the path with crossed arms. His cape like haori fluttered in the wind giving off a peaceful and hypnotic sound.
You just shrugged, "Apparently, I met her during the final selection and changed her life..." your voice was carried away with the wind. It was starting to annoy you, since your hair was getting in your face. With a huff, you pulled your hands up to tie your hair up more securely so it would stop bothering you. Kyojuro glanced towards you multiple times, watching you struggle with the wind.
"Need a hand?"
Your gaze shifted to him, "Uh, yeah. I actually could." It was unenthusiastic, but not because you didn't want the help, you were just focused on the troublesome task at hand.
He slowed down and shuffled in behind you, taking the hair band from you and braiding your hair more efficiently than you could have done even without the wind. After a few minutes of braiding, he finally sighed and tapped your shoulder with his hand. "All done!"
"Thank you, I was on the verge of pulling it all out." You laughed with ease.
"But your hair is so long and beautiful, why would you want to do such a thing?" He asked just as enthusiastically as ever. It made you choke on air as you busted out laughing. You couldn't breath, much less say anything to answer his question. It confused him, why were you laughing so hard?
"That- that was...- that was a joke-" it was hilarious to you, that he took your joke seriously.
He hummed and faced forward once again, "Well, I'm glad you were just joking." It seemed to injure his ego that you found it so funny he misunderstood you. But come on, it was funny that he didn't understand the joke. You slyly hooked your elbow with his and skipped while still laughing lightly.
You slowly calmed down, and began, "Don't pout, it was genuinely funny. But I'm sorry if it upset you that I laughed." He glanced towards you then shifted his gaze back.
"No need for apologies. It would be petty to dwell on the past about something so ridiculous." He slightly pulled on your elbow, beckoning you closer to his side. "Besides, that little fit helped me get you closer." He grinned watching the surprise fill your cheeks. Immediately, you pulled away and shoved his lightly.
"Get over yourself." You laughed before realizing you had no clue where you were. Looking around, you saw a familiar structure, but didn't know where you'd seen it before which only reminded you of how you felt when you first lost your memories. You'd been here before, multiple times in fact. It was clear just by the heavy feeling in your chest.
"Welcome to the Rengoku residence! Like I said, I'd like to speak with you privately, so I figured this would be a great place to do it!" He practically squealed while watching you inspect the place. It was an admirable building, such great architecture.
You hummed, "Did I live here for any long period of time?... I feel like I did..." you mumbled to yourself walking around slowly. You were about to stumble onto a land mine of attitude when Kyojuro grabbed your wrist with a conflicted grip.
"Let's not bother him right now." He said plainly leading you in the opposite direction. You glanced back a few times, but couldn't tell what Kyojuro was so afraid of you seeing or who you would meet. After leading you to a secluded part of the building, he sat down with a cup of tea. "I wanted to talk to you about rumors that have been spreading. It's about a train and people going missing."
Blankly, you replied, "Sounds creepy." and sat down across from him with your braid neatly laid on your back.
"I wanted to know if you wanted to join me on this, I could use the extra help!" His enthusiastic tone returned. A small smile tugged at your lips.
"Of course I'll help, but don't be so modest. We both know you could handle this with ease." You sipped quietly on your tea, focusing on the rim of the cup, and not his face.
He tapped his fingers on the wood beneath him, "But with you there, I'm guaranteed to get it done, probably better than on my own."
With a small shrug of your shoulders, "Gee, thanks. Glad to know I'm appreciated by someone at least."
He gave a questioning expression, "We all appreciate your hard work, Snowball. You're strong, and I'm glad you decided to join the demon slayer corps. You have more to offer than myself, and I really am glad I got to know you."
You scoffed at his words, "I already told you, knock it off. Modesty is great and all, but to much modesty is just an insult. Give yourself more credit, you're strong too." You smiled kindly, "So please don't compare yourself to anyone else because you have your own set of skills that no one else does."
"You always were quite wise!" He laughed loudly, his voice ringing off the walls and bouncing back to you.
Without any more wasted time, he filled you in on the details of the rumors and missing people cases. This was going to be a rough one-
Trains- you hated those things called trains.
A/N: I didn't proof read this chapter, so if there are any grammatical mistakes, please be patient with me! Hope you enjoyed!