structure.

on cue, you emerged from the mansion, your arms laden with the weight of four corpses. tears welled in your eyes as you carried the lifeless bodies, you always felt somber when innocent people's lives get taken away by demons.

"it's pointless to bury the remains of living organisms! who do you think you are!? i'm not helping! compared to that, how about you fight me!'' inosuke's challenge hung in the air, his defiant stance and sharp words cutting through the solemn atmosphere. tanjiro paused, considering his response carefully before a subtle smirk played at the corners of his lips.

"oh, i get it! it's because your wounds still hurt, that's why you're unwilling to help, right?" tanjiro's words were deceptively gentle, yet there was a hint of taunting beneath the surface. it was a calculated jab at inosuke's pride..

"it's okay! everyone has different levels of pain tolerance," tanjiro continued, his tone light but the underlying message clear. "we need to dig holes after carrying the dead out of the house, and burying people is a really tiring job. zenitsu, y/n, and the kids are all more capable than you, so it's okay! inosuke, just go and get your well-deserved rest!" tanjiro's smile remained fixed, but there was a knowing glint in his eyes, acknowledging the blow dealt to inosuke's ego.

"HUH!?!? don't underestimate me! no matter if it's a hundred or two hundred corpses, i'll bury them all!! i'm a better grave digger than anyone else," inosuke declared defiantly, his determination shining through despite the bruises and injuries he had sustained.

and with that, inosuke dashed outside the mansion, his energy undiminished as he set out to fulfill his self-imposed task of burying the deceased. meanwhile, you finished the solemn task of burying the four corpses you just carried out.

as you placed the last shovelful of dirt over the freshly dug graves, you solemnly placed incense on top of each mound, a gesture of reverence and respect for the departed souls. bowing your head in prayer, you offered words of solace and hope for their journey beyond this world.

"may the jade emperor find you a place in his jade palace, and may you live with eternal joy in the jade palace, or in your next life," you murmured softly, your voice carrying the weight of sincerity and compassion as you sent your heartfelt prayers skyward.

in that quiet moment of reflection, surrounded by the fading light of dusk and the hushed whispers of the wind, you found solace in the belief that even in the face of tragedy and loss, there remained hope for peace and eternal rest in the embrace of the divine.

as tanjiro finished his silent prayers, he turned to you with a curious expression, prompting a question that had been lingering in his mind. "hey, y/n... are you not japanese? i keep hearing you mutter your prayers in another language," he inquired, his tone gentle yet inquisitive.

"oh... uh... no, i'm not. i'm chinese," you replied with a warm smile, noting the slight surprise in tanjiro and zenitsu's reactions as they absorbed this revelation. "how did you get here to japan then?" tanjiro pressed further, his curiosity piqued by your intriguing backstory.

"i don't really remember. i do recall living in china, but i don't remember how i got here to japan," you explained, opting for a partial truth as you skirted around the details of your arrival. "i just woke up in the middle of the forest, and gyomei took me in," you added, choosing to reveal the role of your caretaker without delving into the finer details of your past.

"who's gyomei?" zenitsu interjected, his curiosity evident as he joined the conversation. "he's my caretaker, he also trained me," you replied with a fond smile, a sense of gratitude and respect evident in your words as you spoke of the mentor who had played a significant role in shaping your life.

as the group made their way down the mountain, finished with burying the deceased, the crow suddenly spat out an incense bag filled with wisteria, a potent tool known for its ability to repel demons. with a silent understanding, it was decided that the older sibling, bearing the blood of marechi, would carry the bag.

"thank you all so much. we'll be going home by ourselves now," the older brother expressed his gratitude as the group finally parted ways, each heading towards their respective destinations.

following tanjiro's crow in a daze, you found yourself lost in your thoughts, the fatigue from days of relentless missions weighing heavily on your shoulders. the conversations around you faded into background noise as exhaustion threatened to overtake you completely. it was only zenitsu's sudden outburst about shutting tanjiro and inosuke up that snapped you back to reality, reminding you of your surroundings.

finally, the crow led the group to a house adorned with the crest of wisteria, a symbol of protection and sanctuary. "hoot, you may all now rest. the injured will rest until fully healed, hoot," himawari announced from her perch on your shoulder, her voice a comforting reassurance amidst the weariness that enveloped you.

at long last, you could finally rest. 

━━ 𖡼.𖤣𖥧𖡼.𖤣𖥧 ━━

taisho secrets!
─ you genuienly cannot believe how you sliced a demon's neck while just throwing it. it was definitely just pure luck.
─ on the process of performing a german suplex on inosuke, you felt his abs. they were rock hard.

─ you actually went easy on inosuke, hence why you got thrown off. he didn't need to know that though.
─ shoichi genuienly sees zenitsu as a wimp, and you as a pretty princess warrior
─ on the way to the wisteria house, you genuienly felt so tired you could pass out on the spot
─ zenitsu is genuienly in love with you
─ while you were exploring the mansion, you were actually humming to TWICE songs ( yes, you're an once )

━━ 𖡼.𖤣𖥧𖡼.𖤣𖥧 ━━

author's note. . . holy shit balls im sooo sorry i didnt update yesterday!! i was very sick, i still am now but its manageable :D also!! new longest chapter!!! this has 4,160+ words!! one last thing, thank you so so kucb for 300 reads!! it means a ton T__T AND KEEP COMMENTING IT MOTIVATES ME ALOT HEHEHEHE

━━ 𖡼.𖤣𖥧𖡼.𖤣𖥧 ━━