"I've been instructed to forge blades for Inosuke. I will be very happy if they prove useful to him" Kanamori mused as Y/n and Tanjiro sat cross-legged in front of him and Inosuke sat on the porch, admiring his swords. "They're beautiful. They glow a dull indigo-grey tinge. A somber color. It's a great color for a blade"
"That's wonderful. Inosuke's blade had so many chips..." Tanjiro agreed, completely ignoring Haganezuka who was pulling his cheek.
Inosuke stood up and trotted over to an area with rocks.
"Eh? Inosuke?"
The boy didn't answer, peering at rocks, trying to find a good rock and throwing bad ones behind him. He crouched down and finally found one suitable enough, slamming it down into the blade of the katana. The group of 4 shrieked, some out of fear and some out of amusement.
"I'll rip you to shreds you damn brat!!" Kanamori growled, charging at Inosuke.
"We're sorry! We're sorry!" Tanjiro apologised frantically, holding him back.
"Speak for yourself!" Y/n laughed, nearly crying from laughter.
--
"I just had the most peculiar interactions" Tanjiro mused and sat down on his bed.
"What happened?" Y/n asked and turned to the foot of his bed to face the red head, rolling to his stomach in the process.
"Well, Kocho was checking my jaw to see if it's alright so I asked her about the breathing form I was using while fighting Rui, but she denied ever hearing of it. She just recommended we talk to the flame pillar. Then I walked outside and bumped into that rude guy from final selection" Tanjiro rambled.
Y/n bit at his lip. "Have you considered..." he trailed off, debating speaking up about sun breathing. On one hand it could solve the mystery, but on the other hand he could be wrong and the way they 'killed' Rui could've been a freak accident. His eyebrows furrowed at his inner dilemma.
"Are you okay? You look sick" Tanjiro asked. "Do you want to take a walk for fresh air?" he continued with a sweet smile.
"Yes please" Y/n nodded.
--
The duo made their way down the gravel paths, having a quiet conversation in the meantime. Tanjiro's red eyes fell on a specific young girl sitting on a porch.
"Oh, hello, Kanao!" Tanjiro waved. Y/n sent a small, cool nod in her direction. "We're gonna depart now. Thank you for everything" the red head lit up. Kanao just smiled in response. The two boys watched as she took out a coin, intrigued. She flipped it and watched it land. The result was tails.
"I just followed orders. No need to give me thanks! Goodbye now" Kanao stated plainly with a small smile.
"What did you just flip?" Tanjiro asked.
"Goodbye" Kanao brushed him off.
"What is that?" Y/n pipped up.
"Goodbye"
"Money?"
"There's something written on the heads and tails. Why did you flip it?" Tanjiro continued, sitting down. "It turned a lot"
Seeing as Kanao didn't really have a choice, she just answered. "I decide to flip this when I'm not being instructed. I decided whether I should talk or not. Heads meant I wont, tails meant I will. It was tails, so I talked" she explained simply. "Goodbye"
"Why cant you describe on your own?" Tanjiro pried. She didn't reply. "Kanao, what happened?"
"It doesn't matter. None of this matters, so I cant decide anything on my own" Kanao replied.
"Isn't that pessimistic?" Y/n asked.
"I don't think there's anything in this world not worth caring about. You have a small voice in your heart, Kanao, but its important to abide by orders too" Tanjiro pondered. "Can I borrow that?" he asked and pointed at the coin.
"Um... sure..."
"Thanks!" Tanjiro chirped and snatched it, moving to the grass area. "I'll settle it through a flip!"
"Settle what?" Kanao asked.
"Whether or not from now on you'll listen to your own heart!"
"Oh! That's such a good idea!!" Y/n exclaimed and jumped up, running towards Tanjiro. He forcefully flipped the coin into the air. It rocketed into the air, whooshing up into the sky and turning quickly. Kanao just watched in shock.
"Wait! We need to call it! Heads!" Y/n screamed. "Heads means you live how you want!"
"Uwah, I flipped it too high!" Tanjiro panicked. "Where is it, where is it? Where'd it go?" he reached a hand out. "Got it!" he informed as the coin fell in it. He hurriedly made his way over to Kanao, Y/n at his tail. The 2 watched intently as Tanjiro revealed the coin to be...
...heads.
"It's heeeeads!!" Tanjiro screamed and jumped into the air triumphantly.
"Whoo-hoo!!" Y/n cheered and fist-pumped.
"Good luck!! People are driven by their hears so your heart can grow stronger than ever!!" Tanjiro took her hands in his. Y/n could feel a pang of jealousy in his chest, but he brushed it off. "We'll see you again!" Tanjiro waved goodbye and ran off. Y/n quickly followed.
"Why was it heads?!" Kanao asked, hesitant to believe him.
"Chance!" Tanjiro smiled. "Besides, if it were tails, I would've flipped it until it landed on heads! Stay healthy!" he trotted off, leaving Kanao alone in stunned silence.
--
After everyone said their goodbyes, the group finally left. Mordecai entrusted them with Zenitsu's life, threatening them, very graphically depicting what would happen to them if the blonde were to die. Turns out the brunette wanted to go solo for a bit and that he was very, very dangerous. The group stood in front of a train, waving Mordecai goodbye as his train sped off into the horizon.
"Eeeh?!" Zenitsu wailed. "We have no orders?! We should've stayed with Shinobu!"
"No, our treatment's done and we've been cooped up in the same place for a month" Tanjiro dismissed the idea, silently taking Zenitsu's punches.
"We didn't have to leave!"
"Well... It's easier to make a move for when we do get orders..."
"Idiots..." Y/n sighed in frustration and massaged his temples.
"Hey! Hey!!" Inosuke barked. "What is this creature?!"
"I don't know" Y/n mused and folded his arms in front of him.
"The thing is the master of the land! It controls the land! There's no mistaking its length and intimidating aura! It may be sleeping now, but don't let your guard down!" Inosuke hissed.
"No. It's a steam engine" Zenitsu explained.
"Shush!" Inosuke ordered. "Calm down! I'll attack it!"
"It could be the guardian spirit" Tanjiro proposed. "It may not be a good idea to attack it"
"No. I'm telling you it's a steam engine. Do you know what that is? It's a vehicle that carries people" Zenitsu explained blankly.
"Eh? Is that what the crow was talking about?" Tanjiro asked.
"Crow?"
"Pig assault!!" Inosuke shrieked and headbutted the train with full force.
"Yeah!" Y/n cackled and followed his lead, slamming his forehead into the trains wall. He stumbled back, extremely dizzy and head throbbing. "Oh god..." he muttered and blinked a couple of times. "Tanjiro..." he pawed around until his hand reached a green checkered haori. "Tanjiro, can you make my eyes stop spinning?" he asked and leaned against him.
"Oh dear..." Tanjiro sighed and comfortingly put his arm around Y/n's shoulder.
"Inosuke, for Christ's sake, stop headbutting it! You're embarrassing us!" Zenitsu ordered.
"Hey! What are you doing?!" a group of police officers demanded. "They have swords!! Call the police!!"
"Crap crap crap!!" the blondie screamed and grabbed everyone, dragging them to a secluded corner to get away from the cops.
"It's the fuzz! Run!!" Y/n yelled excitedly and skipped forward, hopping with the thrill of being chased.
While in hiding, Zenitsu scolded the group, using Y/n as a dummy to demonstrate how to hide their swords, who, in turn, wailed in pain.
"Ow!! Get off me, you cruel idiot!" the h/c barked and clocked him in the face.
"Y/n!" Tanjiro exclaimed in horror. "Apologise!"
"He was the one who hurt me!"
"Now!" Tanjiro insisted. Y/n seemed to shrink a little under his demanding voice. Quietly muttering a petty apology. "Crap... I shouldn't have yelled at you, I'm sorry" the red head apologized softly, rubbing the top of the other boys head. He beamed.
"Yeah, its whatever" Y/n smiled.
"Inosuke, are you dumb?!" Zenitsu barked and turned to the boar. "They're in plain sight, moron!"
He was right. Inosuke had shoved his swords into the back of his pants so that they rested on his bare back.
"They call it the 'infinite train'" Tanjiro explained the history behind it. "We should find Rengoku here, but it seems he's already boarded"
"I'll go buy our tickets" Zenitsu informed and started heading to the ticket booth. "Stay quiet and be good"
"You got it!" Tanjiro gave a thumbs up.
--
"Wah! We're in the belly!!" Inosuke screamed at the top of his lungs. "This is the beginning of the fight!!"
"Shut up!" the blondie ordered. "Rengoku is a pillar? Do you know what he looks like?" he turned to the red head.
"Yeah, he has flashy hair and I remember his smell" Tanjiro nodded. "He's close..."
"Flashy hair like that?" Y/n asked and pointed at a big waft of bright red and yellow hair. "He sounds the same as I remember"
"Tasty!!" the assumed Rengoku screamed. "Tasty! Tasty! Tasty, tasty! Tasty!!"
The group ran over to him, staring in shock. Y/n could barely contain his laughter.
"That guys the flame pillar?" Zenitsu whispered to Tanjiro.
"Yup"
"Not just a glutton?"
"Yup" Tanjiro sighed. "Uuh... excuse me... Re-Rengoku..." he stammered.
With big, bulging and intense eyes, the flame Hashira harshly turned his head to the group. "Tasty!!"
"Asah- I mean, Jesus!" Y/n yelped at the intensity of the pillars eyes. He turned a little red with embarrassment at how he nearly said his mentors name, who, admittedly, did look like Jesus.
"I uh... I understand that, thank you" Tanjiro stuttered.
--
"Hm! I see!" Rengoku yelled. "I dunno! This is the first time I've heard of 'dance of the fire god'!"
"Maybe its-" Y/n piped up, but he got interrupted.
"I'm actually delighted to see that you were able to apply the dance your father performed into a fight, but enough of this story!" the pillar grinned and changed the subject.
"Huh?! Could I have a little more—" Tanjiro was also cut off.
"You should become my Tsuguko! I'll look after you!!" Rengoku suggested. "The breath of flames has a long history!"
"Please wait! Where are you looking?!"
Rengoku proceeded to go on a long ramble about nichirin blades and the derision of flame breathing. "Young Mizogushi!"
"Sir!" Tanjiro sat up.
"What colour is your blade?!"
"I'm Kamado! And its black!" Tanjiro replied sternly.
"Black?!" Rengoku laughed whole-heartedly. "That's rough!"
"Is it rough?" Tanjiro asked.
"I've never seen a pillar with a black blade! What's more, I understand that you don't even know what kinda swordsmanship to master!"
The train skidded to a start, the wheels turning in a stable patter and a ghastly whine left the whistle.
"You'll train at my place! Be at ease!"
Inosuke and Y/n were snickering to each other. "Okay, okay" the e/c eyed boy laughed and pointed to the window. "I bet..." he scratched his head. "...Tanjiro's earrings that you wont stick your head out of that window"
"Tanjiro!" Inosuke hollered. The red head looked up. "Your earrings! Fork 'em over!" he cackled and stuck his head out of the window. "Uwaaah! So faaaaast!"
"I wanna try! I wanna try!" Y/n insisted and stuck his head out the window, letting his tongue hang out his mouth like a mutt.
"That's dangerous, morons!" Zenitsu grabbed them by their haori's.
"Lets go run, Y/n! Have a race and see who's faster!"
"Yeahh!"
"There are limits to idiocy!!" the blonde screamed.
"Its dangerous on here too! I dunno when the demon will show up!" the hashira piped up.
Zenitsu slowly turned to him. "D-d-d-demon...? Demon?! You're kidding! A demons gonna appear?!"
"Sure will!"
"It will?! Nooo! So we're going to a place with demons but ones gonna show u here?! Noo!! I'm getting off!"
"In a short period of time, more than 40 people disappeared on this train. We sent a number of swordsmen here, but none of them have ever reported back. So that's why theres a pillar!" Rengoku explained.
"I'm getting off, I'm getting off!"
"Gosh... I'm worn out..." Y/n sighed and moved from the window, plopping himself next to Tanjiro.
"We didn't even do anything!" Tanjiro laughed.
"And? I'm still drowsy!" the e/c eyed boy whined.
"Let me... look... at your tickets..." a ghoul-like conductor murmured as he neared the group.