꧁Chapter 4꧂
◇Session 3◇

༺A dead man's final words.༻

"Don't you find it weird how Haganezuka doesn't get even slightly mad at you when you break a sword? I mean this was the first time but he's attempted to murder me on multiple occasions now." Tanjiro asked me slightly depressed and incredibly confused.

Tanjiro and I where walking to Kyojiro's estate to speak with the former flame Hashira as well as give our condolences.

The walk was pretty silent and awkward so I guess he wanted to break the silence.

"Well he did explain it to me the day he gave me my new sword. To make it simple I'm the excuse to brag to there blade smiths, about blade smithing. Since I guess you didn't get the color he thought you would get?" I replied slightly looking over to him as we walked.

"No, he thought I would get red, ended up getting black." he answered.

"Well after seeing some of his other works and asking other slayers who have him as their smith and asking them about how he acts towards them." I recalled, pausing slightly.

"He tends to only really work on a katana when he either one: likes you. Or two: the sword quips his interest.

Oh, or three you give him dango." I continued, now that I think about it, this sounds somewhat like bribery.

Tanjiro stays silent for a second. "I don't know how to make dango, and my sword is pretty plain." His aura turn into a soft pink, indication of embarrassment.

"Don't worry, I can teach you! My mother would always make sweets like that for celebrations." I respond happily.

"Speaking of your family, I was wondering.. Do you inherit your aura seeing abilities or is it a teaching? How does aura seeing work anyway?" He asked, closest to his body is a flair of yellow, curiosity.

I think for a moment. In technicality it's both a teaching, and inherited. Since you need to actually know what the colors of each aura mean.

"Mainly it's a teaching but you still have to be born with the ability and all that. I have some books from the L/n estate that Nakime and Rui got interested in, all about the past history of the L/n bloodline and this ability that many of us share. No clue what brought up this interest for those two but it keeps them occupy while sitting in the box all day." I reply to his question.

Instinctively I look to my back but I quickly reminded myself that the two are still at the butterfly estate.

"I have a question for you then, how in the world does the whole 'smelling emotion' and smelling things far away from you?" I ask Tanjiro.

He pauses for a short second, pondering how to explain it.

"Well each emotion has a different smell, for example; depression has a slightly stronger scent, the kind of smell that makes your eyes watery. Oh, and everyone has a different smell too, Nezuko smells faintly like a demon but she still holds the smell cherry blossoms when she was human! Zenitsu smells strongly of plums! Inosuke smells like wood. You and Nakime have a similar similar scent, which is hyacinths, you also smell like wisteria when we're on missions though. Is it a perfume? " he lists off.

Mentioning the wisteria perfume I began wearing on missions in case things go south after what happened to Kyojiro.

I nod to Tanjiro's question.

We stayed silent for a bit, it was pretty awkward but soon enough we got to the Rengoku estate.

Senjiro was at the front of the home, sweeping dirt from the entrance. The moment I saw his face I felt crushed. Kyojiro was a dear friend and a large influence on who I've been shaped as growing older, yes.

But he was still so young, his own brother who he, without a doubt in mind, held close, had died in battle without a chance to say goodbye.

Even though Tanjiro and I had come to speak Kyojiro's last words, it wouldn't be the same.

Hell, Kyojiro might as well have raised him due to his father being an alcoholic with temper issues.

Rengoku's crow landed on Nezuko's box, using it as a resting place after flying for so long.

"Are you Senjiro?" Tanjiro asked him, as we made eye contact.

Tanjiro and I bowed slightly before he continued to speak.

"I take it you already know of Rengoku. I.. I'm sorry. Before he died he asked us to deliver some messages to you and your father. Y/n and I came to pass them on."

Senjiro stayed silent for a moment.

"I'm aware of what happened to him. Thank you for delivering his words- are you alright? Your pale as a ghost! " he asked before his father appeared.

"Knock it off! Whatever he left means nothing anyway. Why would he become a swordsman when he had no talent to begin with? No wonder he died!" he continued to spout nonsensical insults about him. Calling him a fool of a son, worthless, and more that was completely wrong.

I could feel my blood boil with each word he managed to spit out in his fairly drunken state.

'Don't. He's not worth it' I glance to my left, opposite of where Tanjiro was. I see that woman, she's been appearing more often now.

I can barely hear her words over my brain screaming at me to yell back at him. How dare he speak of his own son in such a manner.

He drinks some more sake while spouting even more nonsense, spilling some of it.

He's gotten worse since I last saw him.

Last time I saw him I was much younger though, oblivious to what was truly happened in the world.

"No surprise he got killed." he continued as Senjiro sighed while looking down, holding back tears.

"Give me a break! The funeral is over Senjiro. It's high time you moved on with your damn life!" he began yelling, Senjiro began sniffling as he cried, clutching onto the broom.

I kneeled to his level, covered his ears and held him in an embrace.

That woman was right he's not worth yelling at. Right now I need to comfort the son that he apparently doesn't know how to behave around, or raise for that matter.

Tanjiro stepped in front of us.

"Now wait just a moment. Don't you think your being too harsh? Show some respect for your own son!" Tanjiro argued

"And who the hell are you? Answer me or get off my property!" he yelled slurring some of the words.

"I as well as the one comforting your child are with the demon slayer corp! If you just looked at our uniforms you would have already-" Tanjiro was interrupted by the loud sound of his sake falling to the ground.

I glanced back to Senjiro, he seems to have calmed down I let go and stand next to Tanjiro. Subconsciously making sure Senjiro was behind me.

Kyojiro's father stood there, shocked.

"I get it now, you're a sun breather aren't you?!" he angrily points at Tanjiro.

"What do you mean by tha-?!" Tanjiro was interrupted once again and put into a hold on the ground by the man.

I try to grab Senjiro but he went to his father's side. Yelling for him to stop saying Tanjiro was in pain.

His father slapped him across the face making him fall to the ground.

Tanjiro looked back but before he could do anything I kicked the man off Tanjiro.

"How dare you lay a hand on him!" I yell, helping Tanjiro get off the ground and getting Senjiro away from him.

(Authors note: I just really wanted to hit Shinjuro ngl-)

"Why are you so hostile towards him anyway?! Insulting your dead son, striking your own child.. Are you out of your damn mind?!" I yelled

"Despicable. You L/n's coming to mock us after everything we've been through?!" He yells back

"Since when? My family sent a letter giving our condolences and I came along with him to give his dying words, like he asked us to! How I that mocking you?!"

"We're here to help! " Tanjiro added

He paused, looking at us angrily, fists clenched.

"An L/n and a Sun Breather would never help people like us. I know all about those earrings of yours!" He replied still fuming while pointing at us. Tanjiro looks nervous.

Shinjuro then began to explain that the first and strongest technique of breathing, every technique derived from Sun Breathing.

"Don't get cocky you two! I can still put both of you in your place!" He yelled once more.

Tanjiro was about to start yelling at him but I got his attention, I glanced at him showing I would take over.

"Shinjuro Rengoku. Tell me, how do you think we feel seeing you insult someone we looked up to not to mention your own son. You were devastated but you act as if you and you alone only mourned his death." I grit my teeth.

"You believe that you have the right to do anything because you're mourning, well guess what! There are people other than you! Your son is still just a child, a child! And he's basically raising himself! And you dare tell him to quit mourning because the funeral passed?! Not to mention hit him?! What kind of father are you?!" I yelled at him my jaw clenched.

"Kyojiro was a good, and honorable man! You're the one who's a fool! He died protecting hundreds of people! So what have you done that makes you so much better?! All you do is sit there and drink!" I yell, my hands clinched in a fist, seething in such rage I've never felt before.

Shinjuro 'tch'ed and walked away to get more sake, I turned to see Tanjiro and Senjiro's shocked faces.

My rage falters and I calm down, was I too hard on him? He is mourning both his wife and his son.. Maybe I should apologize later..

"Senjiro are you alright?" I ask, worried, he responds with a nod and we continue what we were doing earlier.

When we get back to the butterfly estate Zenitsu is running away from Inosuke as usual, Nakime and Rui watching from a distance under some shade. I can't help but smile when I see them.

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OH MY GODDDDDSSSS THIS TOOK ME SO LONG TO MAKE 😭😭😭😭
WORD COUNT: 1752
AAAAAAAAAA HOPE YOU ENJOYED IMA GO CRY IN A CORNER NOW AT HOW LONG THIS TOOK-