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yellowcanna · 4 years

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Summer Sleet

Summary:

When Kamado Tanjirou first saw him, he was mesmerized. The young boy had never met anyone as beautiful as Tomioka Giyuu. Ink black hair with skin as white as the snow around him and eyes that reminded Tanjirou of the sea...he was the Omega of every Alpha's dream.

When Tanjirou's family was slaughtered at fifteen, he never expected to be pulled from the mundane life of a human and into the world of Alphas and Omegas. He also never expected that he only has five more years to live, much less falling in love with his mentor.

Rating: T

Genre: Yaoi, Fluff, Comfort, Omegaverse

Pairing: Tanjirou x Giyuu (Alpha Tanjirou, Omega Giyuu)

Author: Yellow_Canna

Chapters: 2/3

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CHAPTER 2

AUTUMN DRIZZLE

Dear Giyuu-san,

How have you been, Giyuu-san?

It’s been a week, but I’ve settled at the Butterfly Estate. Kochou-san and everyone here are very kind to me and Nezuko. I’ve been continuing my training and haven’t stopped using the Total Concentration Breathing you’ve taught me. I’ve also met Kochou-san’s Tsuguko, Kanao-san. We’re training together every day. Kanao-san is very strong, we’ve fought ten matches so far, but they were all ties.

Nezuko is also doing great! It seems that she has a talent in medicine and is learning under Kochou-san with the other Omegas in the estate. Nezuko has been making lots of friends; one of them is Aoi-san, an Omega who is the same age as her!

I’ve also met two other Alphas my age! One of them is Zenitsu! Like me, he was born in the human village and knew nothing about Alphas and Omegas. It was the retired Thunder Hashira that found and raised him. He might cry a lot, but he's strong when he put his all into it. Though he tends to cause a lot of trouble to the girls here...

The other friend I met is Inosuke. I’m not sure how Inosuke ended up in the Corps, all I’ve heard was that he was born in the mountain and raised by a boar. The Breathing Techniques he uses are called Breathe of the Beast! He created them all by himself and he’s super strong in close combat! He's a really amazing person!

It’s been fun here every day, but I still miss the times with—

“Heeey, Tanjirou!”

“Ah, Zenitsu!” Tanjirou looked up from the letter he was writing. Zenitsu was standing by the door, having half of his head poking out and looking at him as if Tanjirou was the biggest scum on the planet.

“Z…Zenitsu?” Tanjirou blinked, not sure why Zenitsu looked and smelled so…angry.

“That's the second time you've written a letter since you got here," Zenitsu stated sourly, remaining half hidden behind the door and glaring at him with one exposed eye.

“Uh…yes?” Tanjirou blinked, wondering what was wrong.

“Whenever you write, your heart rate even spikes.” The blonde added.

At that, the redhead’s face began to heat up and that was all Zenitsu needed to kick open the door and jab a finger at him.

“I KNEW IT! YOU HAVE A SECRET LOVER DON’T YOU, YOU BASTARD!!”

“Zenitsu! It’s the middle of the night! Quiet down!”

“SHUT UP!! YOU TRAITOROUS BASTARD! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW JEALOUS I AM?! WHO IS THE LUCKY GIRL?!”

“It’s not like that, Zenitsu!”

"YOU LIAR! I CAN HEAR YOUR HEARTBEAT SPIKE FROM DOWN THE HALL!!"

“It’s just one-sided!” When Tanjirou shouted that out, Zenitsu immediately stopped screaming. He stared at Tanjirou with wide eyes before a disturbing smile broke over his face.

“Tanjirou~! If you have any love problems, you can share it with your best friend here!” What Zenitsu really wanted to say was for Tanjirou to share some pain so he could feel better at all the rejections he has gotten over the years.

Tanjirou looked down at his half-written letter.

“The person I like is an adult. He doesn’t see me as anything but a kid.”

“Adult?!" Zenitsu gapped as he stared at Tanjirou in a new light. Even he didn’t dare to propose to an adult! Such boldness! “Don’t tell me it’s…Kochou-san?!”

“No!” Tanjirou was a little flustered at the accusation. “It’s…he’s called Giyuu-san.”

“Giyuu?” Zenitsu furrowed his brows. That name was familiar, but where did he hear it from? One thing’s for sure, it wasn’t anyone from the Butterfly Estate. Zenitsu had memorized all the girls’ names on day one.

“Wait…” Zenitsu paled as a name that matched with Giyuu suddenly flashed by his mind.

There was only one person he knew with that name.

After all…who doesn’t?!

But it couldn’t be, right?

“T-Tanjirou…” Zenitsu held up a shaky finger as he pointed in his companion in disbelieve. “D-Don’t tell me this Giyuu is that Water Hashira, Tomioka Giyuu?!”

“Zenitsu, you know Giyuu-san?” Tanjirou beamed while Zenitsu fell over.

“YOU’RE IN LOVE WITH THE WATER HASHIRA?!”

“QUIET DOWN!” The voice of the girl howled from the doorway.

The two boys immediately snapped their mouths shut and looked to the doorway. There stood Kanzaki Aoi, in all her fuming glory. “Stop screaming in the middle of the night and go back to your room!”

“Hiiie!” Zenitsu tried to shrink away, but the raven-haired Omega was having none of it. She grabbed the Alpha by the back of his collar and yanked him out of Tanjirou’s room.

Tanjirou watched the leave, closing the door behind them as they go. The redhead let out a small chuckle before turning back to his letter. He didn’t care if anyone knew about his crush on Giyuu. He didn’t think it was a shameful feeling that he should hide, nor did he have any intention of hiding it.

He picked up his brush again and continued writing.

The very next day, Tanjirou had his Kasugaigarasu go deliver his letter. The first time he tried getting the crow to send it, the Kasugaigarasu—or Matsuemon Tennouji as it called himself—nearly pecked his eyeballs out.

The bird gave him a long lecture which basically came down to—how dare you want the great me to deliver letters for you?!

It was only after Tanjirou had promised the crow with high-quality food did the crow begrudgingly agreed. The crow flew off reluctantly, but returned ecstatic and wouldn’t stop pestering Tanjirou for more letters.

It wasn’t hard for Tanjirou to learn why. On the crow, the young Alpha could smell tuna—fatty tuna, as well as scents of other seafood like salmons and shrimps. He couldn’t help but smiled knowing that Giyuu had fed the picky crow for him.

During his stay in the Water Estate, Tanjirou was no stranger to the Kasugaigarasus’ diet. He sometimes helped the Kakushis feed the crows, and seafood was not on those crows’ menu.

Giyuu’s scent was heavy on the crow as well, which meant that he must have been the one to take care of his crow, not anyone else in the manor. Knowing this made Tanjirou all warm and fuzzy inside. He didn’t mind that Giyuu never responded to any of his letters. Just knowing he had received and read them was good enough for him.

Tanjirou watched the crow took flight with the letter gripped tightly in its talons. He stood there, staring until the bird was nothing but a speck of black in the blue sky before he turned—only to yelp and jump back in surprise.

“K-Kochou-san!”

Standing right there behind him, with her face only an inch away, was the Insect Hashira—Kochou Shinobu.

The female Omega was wearing that usual smile on her face with her orchid purple eyes locked on Tanjirou.

“A wonderful day today, is it not?” She asked brightly.

“Yes, it is!” Tanjirou responded automatically.

“I’ve heard of an interesting rumour, Tanjirou-kun~” She closed in on Tanjirou again. “That you are in love with Tomioka-san?”

Tanjirou was only stunned for a second before a smile stretched across his face.

“Yes, I am.”

Kochou blinked, obviously not expecting the boy to be so upfront. She stared at Tanjirou for a moment before she broke out into a laugh. This wasn’t her usual strained laugh, but a genuine laugh from the bottom of her heart.

“Well then, I wish you the best in wooing him.” She chirped as she walked away, her butterfly kimono fluttering around her as she moved.

She was already plotting all the things she could do with this information. More than that, she was curious to see just how far this boy can get into Giyuu’s heart. When she first heard it from the Love Hashira, Kochou honestly didn’t believe a word. After all, it was hard to imagine an aloof Omega like Giyuu was capable of any affection.

This was certainly going to be interesting.

The Insect Hashira wasn’t joking when she said the rumour had traveled around. By noon, everyone knew about Tanjirou’s crush on his mentor and caretaker. Many even came to ask him about it. The Alpha never denied anything and always happily answered any questions that were asked. With Tanjirou so openly talked about his feelings like this, many people gradually lost interest in his love life.

By the evening, the impact of the news had already died down.

“You…like the Water Hashira?” Aoi had come over to where he, Zenitsu, and Inosuke had been sitting during dinner. She had a deep frown on her face as she stared at Tanjirou.

“Yes.” Tanjirou smiled as he repeated the answer for the umpteenth times this day.

The furrow of Aoi’s brows deepened. She looked like she wanted to say something, but Zenitsu beat her to it.

“But you said it yourself that he just sees you as a kid. He’s an adult and on top of that, a Hashira!”

“Is he strong?!” Inosuke immediately asked over his mouthful of food.

“Of course he’s strong! What part of he’s a Hashira don’t you understand?!” Zenitsu yelled. “And don’t speak with your mouth full! That’s disgusting!”

“I’ve heard that the Water Hashira is an extraordinarily beautiful Omega.” Aoi suddenly said, still looking straight into Tanjirou’s eyes.

Zenitsu and Inosuke stopped fighting, not because of Aoi's words, but the sudden change on Tanjirou’s face.

The boy’s cheeks were dusted in light shades of pink as his lips stretched out in the brightest smile any of them had ever seen.

“Yes, Giyuu-san is the most beautiful person I’ve ever met!” He said as if it was something for him to boast about.

“…I see. Then if you’ll excuse me.” Aoi grabbed her tray of food and left, stomping across the cafeteria and disappearing from their sights.

“Aoi-san seemed angry for some reason?” Tanjirou tilted his head, not sure what had he done to displease the girl.

“You don’t know how to read the mood, do you?” Zenitsu muttered while Inosuke went back to stuffing his face.

“What do you mean?” Tanjirou asked with such an innocent tone that just made Zenitsu wanted to punch him in the face.

"So…is the Water Hashira that pretty?” Zenitsu asked, deciding to change the topic back. There was no way he’ll tell Tanjirou about his popularity with the girls here.

“Yes!” Tanjirou said with such confidence that it made Zenitsu a little curious of what this Water Hashira looked like. Just a little.

“Well, whatever, no one can be prettier than Nezuko-chan!”

Tanjirou smiled as Zenitsu swoon over his sister like usual. Despite being an Alpha, Zenitsu grew up with humans, so the blond only had eyes for females.

The redhead took another bite of his food and wondered what Giyuu was doing right now. Although they had only parted for three months, it felt like forever. He wanted to see him so much that it hurts. He wanted nothing more than to rush back to the Water Estate, just to get a glimpse of Giyuu and see how he's doing.

Three more years—he would tell himself whenever his feelings became too unbearable.

All he needed to do was to wait for three more years. In these three years, he’ll become strong. He’ll become so strong that Giyuu won’t be able to look at him like a child that needed to be protected.

“Inosuke, let’s spar after this!”

“Now you’re talking, Monjirou!”

“It’s Tanjirou!”

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“Hmm…exquisite~”

“Why does a bird know such big word…?” Murata muttered, the corner of his lips twitching as he watched the Kasugaigarasu picked out another slice of tender meat and swallowed greedily.

No, more importantly, why the heck was a bird eating out of their Hashira’s bowl?!

He was certain that this stupid crow was purposely choosing dinner time to come back. The feathery creature was rolling around on their Hashira’s lap with said Hashira’s hand gently stroking its feathers!

Whenever it wanted food, all it had to do was reach up and stick that filthy beak into the bowl in Giyuu’s hand to eat the food specially made for the Omega!

The gyudon made for the Hashira just turned into plain rice! That flying black chicken even ate the eggs and pickled ginger!

Murata wasn’t the only one frustrated. The Kakushis were also glaring at the crow. Some of them were even leaking out tears from anger. A couple of minutes ago, the chief came running with the kitchen knife when he heard that damn crow had come to eat their Hashira's food again. It took everything from the other the kitchen staffs to drag him back into the kitchen before he was spotted by their Hashira.

Giyuu was blissfully oblivious of his people’s internal crises as he looked down when he felt a tug on his sleeve. The bird was looking at him with those beady black eyes. Giyuu glanced at his bowl of rice before carefully using his chopsticks to pick out the rice that was soaked in the meat juice and held it to the bird. The Kasugaigarasu gobbled it up happily. When some of the juice dripped down the side of its beak, Giyuu used his finger to carefully wipe it off.

Finally satisfied, the crow flipped over on Giyuu's lap with its wings sprawled. Giyuu resumed his dinner (rice), only to stopped when he heard snapping sounds of wood.

He glanced across the dining room to where the Kakushis and Murata were sitting on the other side.

“What’s wrong?” He asked, blue eyes spotting the broken chopsticks scattered over the tatami, all of them snapped in two.

“N-nothing!” Gotou quickly laughed it off while trying hard not to let the veins on his forehead show. “It must be those merchants again! They keep selling us broken goods! I’ll give them a good lecture the next time I see them!”

“…I see.” Giyuu nodded, easily buying the lie and not even questioning it. This made Gotou felt extremely guilty as if he had betrayed his Hashira's trust.

“T-there’s some salmon daikon in the kitchen!” Gotou shouted. “Would you like me to get you some, Tomioka-sama?”

At the mention of his favourite food, Giyuu’s eyes light up a little and nodded.

Gotou brightened. He jumped onto his feet, about to run off when the Kasugaigarasu spoke.

“I want some too!”

THAT DAMN BIRD—was all of their thoughts as Gotou’s happy spirit was instantly swallowed by rage.

After a long, painful dinner (for the Kakushis and Murata), the devil finally left. The Kasugaigarasu flew away with such large belly and it was a wonder it could fly at all. They stared at the cloudy night sky, wondering if there could be a chance of a lightning bolt striking that damn thing down.

Of course, those were just wishful thinking. Even if a lightning bolt was to miraculously come down, they all knew that bird would survive. Of all the Kasugaigarasus they have, Tanjirou’s was the most capable one since it was Giyuu who raised it. While insanely intelligent, the downside was that aside from training, Giyuu pretty much gave it anything it wanted.

In other words, that crow was spoiled rotten.

Since Giyuu’s personal crow was getting too old, that Kasugaigarasu was trained to become the Hashira’s next crow. When Giyuu had given it to Tanjirou, they were all overjoyed. They thought at the very least they’ll have a couple of quiet years, but no. That damn bird was exploiting every opportunity it has to act even more spoiled than before! If it was in the past, even that crow wouldn’t dare to roll around in Giyuu’s laps and eat his food!

It knew Giyuu needed it to look after Tanjirou and was using it to its advantage!

Later that night, Murata headed for Giyuu’s room, carrying a tray of snacks the kitchen had prepared considering half of Giyuu’s meal went into a certain bird’s stomach. After knocking a couple of times, Murata found that Giyuu wasn’t in his room, so he headed for the garden. Just as he thought, Giyuu was sitting there, bathed in the moonlight as blue eyes gazed upon the letter in his hand.

The Hashira looked up when Murata approached him before turning his eyes back to the letter.

“Is that from Tanjirou?” Murata asked curiously, receiving a soft nod from Giyuu. He down set the tray of snacks next to his Hashira. Just as he thought about leaving, his eyes trailed to the letter in Giyuu’s hand and finally asked the question that had been bothering him for a while.

“It’s been four months. Are you sure you’re not going to reply? He might be waiting to hear from you.”

“…There’s no need.” Giyuu responded, eyes never looking up from the letter but his tone leaving no place for Murata to continue the conversation. With a quiet sigh, Murata walked away, but not without looking over his shoulder and to the lonely back of his Hashira.

No one ever talked about it, but they were all worried since Tanjirou had left…especially how he left.

The whole confession was a huge surprise to them, but once they got over that, they were thrilled. After all, they all thought Giyuu would just…well, live out the rest of his life like this. They never once thought their reclusive Hashira would have an admirer—even if that admirer was his own Tsuguko.

Sure Tanjirou was a child right now, but he’s an Alpha. On top of that, they were only six years apart. For Alpha and Omegas who live out an average of three hundred years, this can’t even be considered an age gap.

Murata didn’t worry about Tanjirou, because he knew that boy would follow through his words. But he knew Giyuu even longer and knew that Giyuu wouldn’t so easily accept the boy’s feeling, even when he comes back as an adult.

“Aaaah! Why is it so complicated?” Murata furiously scratched his head and looked up to the night sky.

Just like this, the seasons quietly begin to pass.

The flowers of spring withered the land began to warm under the blazing sun.

The colours of summer leaves began to change, painted into red and gold.

The frosty air blew from the north, plucking away the last leaves of autumn.

Snow melted as winter ends.

The cycle continued to repeat, never-ending.

Live goes on within the Water Estate. It was a quiet peaceful life they led, yet they had never found it to be so mundane until they welcomed the two children into their home. Now that those children were gone, a hole has been left in the manor, unable to be filled up.

Every week, Tanjirou’s Kasugaigarasu was sure to show up at the Water Estate to deliver Giyuu a letter.

No one knew what the content of those letters was, but they knew that Giyuu never once wrote anything back.

He never even had the Kasugaigarasu deliver a verbal message.

Despite that, the Hashira would always be sitting in the garden before dinner, staring at the sky expectantly.

Then finally…three years had passed.

It was July and in the middle of the scorching summer heat.

Since the Water Estate was on the mountain top, the heat was welcoming as everyone worked. However, as they work, they couldn’t help but feel anxious. After all, it was July 14th, the day of Tanjirou’s birth. It was also the day that he will undergo the painful process of the growth spurt.

No one slept that night.

They were all waiting impatiently for the news.

Did Tanjirou make it?

He has to make it…the Insect Hashira was the one who checked his body.

A whole day has gone by, yet no news of Tanjirou came.

On the third day, just the Kakushis were breaking down from the lack of sleep; a Kasugaigarasu flew to the manor. It was a Kasugaigarasu from the master himself, announcing to them that Tanjirou had survived the growth spurt.

The boy they knew was now physically and mentally an adult.

The Water Estate threw a huge celebration before everyone retired to their bed.

The only one that stayed outside was Giyuu.

He stood in the garden beneath the drizzle, eyes gazing off into the distant sky.

Since then, the Kakushis had cleaned up the manor in preparation for the Alpha and his sister’s return. When days passed and still without a sign of the siblings, they convinced themselves that Tanjirou must be still worn out after the change.

Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months.

Neither of the two children they once knew returned. There weren't even any more letters from Tanjirou’s Kasugaigarasu. Under the pressure of the Kakushis, Murata hesitantly asked Giyuu if he could maybe send out a message to ask if the two were alright.

Giyuu, worried about the Kamado siblings’ safety as well, sent out a letter to the master. The response he received was that after recovery, Tanjirou and Nezuko had gone to other Hashira’s regions. The master didn’t specify which, but it was enough to confirm that those two were safe.

Since sending that one letter, Giyuu never wrote a second one. The Kakushis and Murata didn’t believe that Tanjirou wouldn’t come back, but under Giyuu’s stern order, they no longer talked about it.

Tanjirou had made his choice.

He wasn’t going to return to the Water Estate.

Perhaps now that he had grown into an adult, he realized just how foolish his feelings had been.

Life in the Water Estate went on, like the steady stream of flowing water.

With the coming of autumn, the mountains were dyed in beautiful shades of vibrant colours. Two Kakushis were at the front door sweeping the endless leaves being blown into the manor when their Hashira appeared.

“Tomioka-sama.” They bowed to Giyuu who nodded, acknowledging their existence as he walked by them.

There were no words from their Hashira as they quietly watch him leave.

They waited for a good half an hour before they dare to speak. After all, Omegas have very keen senses and on top of that Giyuu is a Hashira. His ability wasn’t something they dare to underestimate.

“Tomioka-sama hasn’t been himself lately…” The female Kakushi sighed.

“Can you blame him?” Her companion muttered, keeping his voice as long as he could. “Even now, I can’t believe that Tanjirou-sama hasn’t come back.”

“I’m telling you, something must have happened!” The female beta hissed. “We should—”

“What? Ask Tomioka-sama to look for him?” The male Beta cut her off. “What if Tanjirou-sama and Nezuko found elsewhere to live?”

“But…but…” The female Beta looked like she wanted to argue, but couldn’t come up with anything convincing.

“Either way, Tomioka-sama has been going to the spring again this year.” The male Beta said, changing the topic as he looked towards another mountain in the distance. With the speed of an Omega, Giyuu could easily cross the land and arrive there in a matter of minutes, but instead, he chose to take his time to stroll over.

“Is it really alright to let Tomioka-sama go alone like this?” The female beta frowned disapprovingly. “So far nothing has happened, but what if—”

“If what?” A third voice suddenly cut in, startling the two as they whirled around to see the head Kakushi standing right behind them.

“Gotou-san!”

“You two sure have guts gossiping behind a Hashira’s back like this.” Gotou huffed with his arms crossed over his chest.

“W-well, we’re just worried…” The female beta scratched the back of her head sheepishly.

"If there was danger, we'll just get in Tomioka-sama's way." Gotou sighed. "Even in Heat, Tomioka-sama can still take down any Alpha that tries to approach him. Now if you understand, get back to work! The leaves are piling up!”

“Eeeeeh?” The two betas whined, but they have no choice but to continue sweeping.

◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌

As the sun slowly sank into the horizon, Giyuu arrived at his destination at the top of the mountain. His face was flushed and his head was spinning. He stood in front of the small spring with water gently flowing down the rocky edges of the mountain. At the heart of this tiny spring, there was a crack within the rocks, continuously providing fresh water from deep within the heart of the mountain.

The raven pulled out his sword, setting it on the edge of the spring before he began to untie his kimono. He took off the outer layer, leaving only his inner white kimono as he folded the clothing and set it next to his sword. He then removed his socks and sandals, setting them neatly onto the rocks.

The moment his bare feet touched the water, the Omega shivered lightly and heaved out a small breathe of relief. He sank into the water, letting the coldness envelop his feverish body until the water reached up to his neck. He rested his head against the edge of the spring and closed his eyes, letting the water to nurse his broken body.

Despite seemingly resting, Giyuu was spreading his senses around him. He was listening to every little sound and smelling the changes in the air. He didn't need to see the darkness behind his eyelids to know the sun had gone down.

The crisp night air filled his nose as the melody of crickets rang next to his ears.

A chilly breeze blew by, brushing some of his raven hair into his face as the rustling of leaves echoed into the night.

At that moment, Giyuu’s eyes snapped open in alarm as he caught a faint trace of scent in the wind. Although it was only for a moment, Giyuu knew what he had smelled.

It was the smell of an Alpha.

His eyes dilated and his body instantly sprang into action. He grabbed the sword by his side, unsheathing it as his blue blade glowed under the moonlight. He leaped out of the spring in a splash with droplets of water flying around him.

He waved his sword, creating a flow of water around him.

Breath of Water Fourth Form: Striking Tide.

Giyuu’s eyes were locked on a particular red maple tree as he swung his sword forward.

Catching a blur of shadow darting out from behind the tree, Giyuu changed the course of his blade, chasing after that figure. He only saw a flicker of red light from the other’s sword before flames burst out, meeting his strike head-on.

The moment the two blades collided, a burst of mist erupted around them, created by the water and fire. While Giyuu couldn’t see through the heavy mist blowing out from between their clashed sword, he was able to see the blade of his enemy.

His eyes narrowed at the crimson flames erupting from the other’s blade. The first person that came to his mind was Rengoku. After all, that is the only Alpha Giyuu knew with red blade and Breathe of Flames technique, and this person before him was not Rengoku.

However, there was no doubt that his strength was on par with that of a Hashira.

Giyuu could tell the moment their swords clashed. Due to the Heat, his body was greatly weakened but he should still be able to overpower most Alphas and Omegas. Right now, Giyuu was putting all his strength into his sword, yet the hand holding the sword blocking his was steady. That meant whoever this Alpha was, he wasn’t putting all his strength into meeting the Water Hashira’s attack.

For someone with such strength and capability, there was no way Giyuu wouldn’t know of him, which meant he’s not part of the Corps.

This was a rouge.

Giyuu gritted his teeth. Of all time to encounter a rouge Alpha, it has to be when he’s in Heat. Though that was no excuse for being weak.

The raven-haired Omega leaped back, breaking away from their deadlock before charging towards the Alpha again.

“Please wait!” The Alpha in the mist shouted. His voice was deep and a little hoarse. Just the sound of the Alpha’s voice nearly made Giyuu’s legs give out, but the raven bit down on his tongue. The pain from his throbbing tongue immediately cleared his head as he swallowed the coppery blood pooling inside his mouth.

In an instant, the two of them were engaged in a high-speed battle. Echoes of metals rang from the mountain top as Giyuu attacked the Alpha with smooth and quick swordsmanship. Despite not being able to see the enemy clearly, all his attacks were aimed at the enemy’s vital spots.

It was only after the first initial exchanges that Giyuu noticed something wrong.

This Alpha wasn’t attacking back. From the very beginning, he had only been defending from the Omega onslaught…

“Giyuu-san! It’s me!” The voice yelled again.

Giyuu frowned. He was certain he didn’t know anyone with that voice. As for scents…due to the heavy water vapours in the air, the scent was diluted, but Giyuu was certain sure he had never smelled this scent before.

Had he not been in Heat, Giyuu might stop, but he was. In his current weakened state, he can’t afford to make any mistake. It was possible that this was part of the enemy’s trick—to pretend they were acquainted to get his guard off. Such underhanded tactics weren't uncommon among the rouges and sadly, these tactics have worked many times.

The Omega slashed his sword down as their blades clashed again.

“Giyuu-san, it’s Tanjirou!”

That made Giyuu stop. He froze, sword stopping mid-swing as he stared at the silhouette of the person within the mist.

Giyuu only a stream of bright flames as the mist around them were evaporated, revealing the face of the Alpha Giyuu had been attacking.

“Tan…jirou?” Giyuu stared in shock at this boy—no, this man in front of him.

The man was half a head taller than Giyuu with long auburn hair tied into a ponytail that flowed down his back. His bangs that were once combed back were now framing this man’s face. His facial structure had become sharp and define, losing baby fat from his child's body. Those rounded ruby eyes grew narrower, giving him a more mature look.

And finally…that red birthmark on the left side of the boy’s forehead.

There was no mistake.

This was Tanjirou.

“Giyuu-san.” The man in front of Giyuu smiled. Despite how different he now looked, that smile never changed…

“Are you stupid?!" Giyuu roared the second he got over the shock. Anger distorted his face as he glared at the Alpha that was now taller than him. “I could have hurt you! Why are you on this mountain?!”

“I’m sorry!” Tanjirou hastily sheathed his sword and held his hands up. “I was on my way to the Water Estate, but then I smelled Giyuu-san so I—”

“If your nose is functioning then you should realize that I’m in Heat! Don’t you know it’s dangerous to go near an Omega in Heat?!”

“I’m sorry, Giyuu-san!”

Giyuu couldn’t stop the anger from rushing out. He had never felt such rage before. He was angry at Tanjirou’s carelessness, but more than anything, he was angry at himself. Now that Tanjirou’s body had changed, it was only natural for him not to recognize his voice and scent. Had Tanjirou not been able to block and deflect his attacks, he could have killed him.

“Leave the mountain! Right now!” The Omega ordered. Perhaps it was the rush of anger, or perhaps he had been shouting too much and used up more oxygen than he was breathing in. His vision suddenly turned black for a second—or at least, it felt like a second to him.

When Giyuu came to, he found himself cradled in Tanjirou��s arms. The redhead was stroking Giyuu’s back as Water Hashira gasped for breath. Each breath he took in, Giyuu found his lungs being filled with the Alpha’s warm summer scent. This only further fueled the flames he had been trying to suppress inside him.

“Giyuu-san!” Tanjirou held Giyuu tightly as he looked down to see the Omega squirming in pain.

Tanjirou immediately picked up Giyuu and ran over to the spring. With great care, Tanjirou lowered the Omega into the water. The moment the Alpha's hands touched the water, he realized just how cold this spring was. Just for being in the water for a couple of seconds, his hands were already starting to grow numb.

After setting Giyuu into the water, Tanjirou took off his crimson kimono with black patterned flames. Since changing into his adult body, his old kimono didn’t fit anymore, so Tanjirou was given this one by Rengoku.

He folded his kimono and lifted Giyuu’s head. He paused for a second, unable to help but marvel how soft the raven hair before tucking makeshift pillow underneath. The moment Tanjirou’s fingers left Giyuu, the Alpha heard a soft sigh escaping Giyuu’s pink lips.

That made Tanjirou dropped his gaze and gawked at the peaceful sleeping face of his mentor. The instant he began to stare, he could no longer pull his eyes away.

Giyuu was truly stunning. During these years apart, Tanjirou could only see the man in his dreams…but here he was right in front of him. He was even more beautiful than he remembered. Perhaps it was because his body had finally grown up. Right now, Tanjirou wanted nothing more than to hold Giyuu in his arm and smell the exotic scent exclusive to the Omega.

Realizing what was going through his head, Tanjirou snapped out and swallowed the saliva threatening to leak out. He hastily averted his eyes—only to land on Giyuu’s body.

Tanjirou’s face exploded into various shades of red.

Giyuu’s body…or rather that kimono on his body…it was practically see-through!

The white fabric was barely hiding anything on the Omega’s body as it floated within the water! Since Tanjirou had been so busy blocking Giyuu’s attacks before and trying to explain, he hadn’t looked away from Giyuu’s eyes. And afterward, because Giyuu collapsed, the only thing going through his head was how to help Giyuu.

Never once did Tanjirou took notice of Giyuu’s body…until now.

“Hn…Tanjirou?”

“Y-yes!” Tanjirou sputtered, face burning even hotter as he ripped his eyes away from the Omega’s body. The moment he saw the pain Giyuu’s face, the fire burning in him was quelled and was replaced with worry.

The Alpha leaned over the spring and carefully put a hand against Giyuu’s cheek. “Giyuu-san, are you alright? Is there anything I could do?” He asked in a hushed whisper, as if afraid he'll startle the Omega by speaking louder.

Giyuu groaned as he closed his eyes and leaned into the warm palm against his cheek. Tanjirou stiffened, but didn’t pull away and just continued to watch Giyuu. Eventually, Giyuu’s breathing began to even out, falling back into slumber.

Tanjirou smiled as he slowly pulled his hand away. The feeling of the Omega’s soft cheek lingered in his palm. His eyes then dropped down to the Omega’s neck. When Giyuu had turned his head, his hair fell to the side, exposing the scarred mating gland on the left side of his neck.

Tanjirou had seen it before, but he never thought much about it in the past. Now…now he knew exactly what that scar meant. During these years, training wasn’t the only thing he had done. He had also been learning more about both Alpha and Omega dynamics.

He had also met up with Urokodaki who came to visit him after hearing him staying at the Butterfly Estate. Reuniting with Urokodaki led him to learn more things about Giyuu…such as his Heat.

Due to their long lifespan, having offspring was hard for Alphas and Omegas. In their entire life, an Alpha Omega couple might only get one child. Though if they mate with a human or Beta, the chance of having children will be higher, but unless the Alpha or Omega came from a strong bloodline, children born from humans or Beta were generally weaker.

That’s why Alpha and Omega have something called a mating cycle. For Alpha, this was called a Rut. For Omega, it was Heat. During this cycle, their body’s fertility will go up to heighten the chance of producing offspring.

In order to have mating cycles, they must first need to be mated.

Only mated Alpha and Omegas can smell the special pheromone rolling off their partner during the mating cycle. It was said that the smell was like a sweet aphrodisiac. Unmated Alphas and Omegas may able to smell a Rut or Heat, but they won’t be affected. That was what made this dangerous, as these unmated Alphas and Omegas could use it to their advantage.

Alphas and Omegas suffering Rut or Heat were extremely vulnerable, as their bodies were greatly weakened for the sake of mating. There were always people who might exploit that—such as rouge Alphas and Omegas that had no morals of their own.

Giyuu was a victim of that.

From what Tanjirou heard from Urokodaki, Giyuu had been forcefully marked during the attack on the Water Estate. The attack back then was nothing more than a hunt for the rouges. After all, the Alphas and Omegas in the Water Estate were nothing but children.

They hunt them down, slaughtered them and those unfortunate to catch their eyes were forcefully marked. Giyuu was one of those that got marked. He was also the only one to survive as the others couldn't accept being marked and committed suicide.

The moment Giyuu was bitten by an Alpha, Sabito was fortunately nearby. He was able to kill the rouge by catching him off guard before using his sword to shave off Giyuu’s marred scent gland. Since the Alpha had just begun to inject his pheromone into Giyuu, the pheromone wasn’t given the chance to spread into the Omega’s body before Sabito cut it off.

Nearly mating then losing his scent gland made Giyuu’s body go into shock—making him incapable of fighting. Had this happened after Giyuu turned into an adult, the scent gland wouldn’t have grown back. But since he was a child, the growth spurt reshaped Giyuu’s body and his scent gland was grown back, but the scar left by Sabito’s blade remained.

The empty scar on his scent gland made Giyuu’s body think that he had mated and since then Giyuu would suffer the burn of Heat every year in autumn. The only way to subdue the Heat was through the spring water exclusive to this mountain. The coldness helped maintain his body's temperature from reaching too high while the rich mineral content in the water nursed the Omega's body.

Just the thought of everything that Giyuu had suffered through made Tanjirou angry. It also made him wanted to gather the Omega into his arms and treasure him as he should be.

Ruby eyes shimmered beneath the autumn moon as they gazed gently at the person lying in the water.

“Giyuu-san…” The whisper of his beloved’s name was carried away by the gentle breeze. Despite how that person was within an arm’s reach, Tanjirou found himself unable to cross the barrier separating them.

◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌

When Giyuu opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was a familiar ceiling. He frowned, feeling that something was off, but his head was too drowsy to come up with any proper thoughts. He raised an arm and covered his eyes.

He lay until his mind began to function again. Memories of the night slowly drifted back, pieces by pieces.

The moment Tanjirou’s face flashed across his eyes, Giyuu was instantly awake. He shot up, looking around to find that he was back in his room. He looked down at the white kimono on his body. It wasn't the same one he had been wearing, but a thicker one…one that he always used for sleep. From it Giyuu could smell a faint whiff of Murata’s scent, meaning the other Omega must have been the one who changed his clothes.

Giyuu pushed the quill off his body and hurried to the door. The moment he slid it open and took a step into the hallway, he stopped. There was something soft and silky right under his foot…

The raven-haired man dipped his head and saw a lock of auburn hair being crushed under his pale foot. The Omega quickly pulled his foot away as if he had gotten turned. Ocean blue eyes followed the hair until they landed upon the person sitting right beside his doorway.

“Tanjirou?”

The Alpha was bathed within the bright moonlight as he smiled up at him.

“Giyuu-san.” Tanjirou greeted as he stood up. When Giyuu had to lift his head to meet the other’s gaze, he was reminded of just how much the other had grown. “How are you feeling?”

“…I'm fine," Giyuu replied before frowning at the sky that was still dark. "How long was I out for?"

"Two nights now," Tanjirou answered.

Giyuu nodded. That would explain why it was still nighttime.

The Hashira looked back to Tanjirou before remembering how soft and silky the hair felt when his foot accidentally stepped on it.

“You grew your hair out.”

“It just became like this after my growth spurt.” Tanjirou laughed weakly as he brushed some of the longer strands of hair off his shoulder. “I hadn’t found the time to cut it yet. I’ve been busy training under the other Hashiras.”

Giyuu just nodded in understanding. The two stared at one another for a moment before Tanjirou smiled and took a step forward.

“Giyuu-san—”

Giyuu didn’t know what came over him. The moment Tanjirou stood that step, Giyuu became hyperaware of how close they’ll become so he took a step back to maintain their distance.

Tanjirou seemed stunned at Giyuu’s action, the rest of his words forgotten.

The Water Hashira instantly regretted his action. It wasn’t his intention to hurt the other. He didn’t know what came over him. He glanced at Tanjirou, but instead of looking sad or hurt, the Alpha was…smiling.

“Giyuu-san is finally looking at me.”

Giyuu’s dark brows furrowed. Why was Tanjirou talking as if he had never looked at him before?

“I love you, Giyuu-san.”

The Omega's breathing hitched.

“There hasn’t been a day gone by without me thinking of you. Becoming an adult only made me realized how much more I feel about you.”

“Tanjirou, I—”

Giyuu struggled to find a way to phrase his words. He didn’t think that after all these years, Tanjirou would still tell him this. Except this was different now…now, Giyuu can no longer tell Tanjirou that he was just mistaking his feelings. It was also at this moment that Giyuu thought that perhaps when he told Tanjirou he had misunderstood his feelings, he was also finding an excuse for himself to not face the issue head-on.

“There are better Omegas for you.” Giyuu sighed, turning his head away. “There are many Omegas within the Butterfly Estate, surely—”

“Giyuu-san!”

Giyuu stiffened at the change of Tanjirou’s tone. Although it was only for a split second, Giyuu had felt a dangerous sensation coming from the Alpha.

“Please don’t belittle my feelings for you." Tanjirou breathed out slowly as if trying to control something inside him from bursting out. “The one I love is you, Giyuu-san, and that won’t change.”

“…It wasn’t my intension to belittle your feeling.” Giyuu explained, eyes still refusing to meet the Alpha. “There are simply better options for you. You’ve become strong, Tanjirou. There’s no need for you to be bound to someone like me.”

“Then why aren’t you looking at me when you say that, Giyuu-san?” Tanjirou demanded.

Giyuu’s hands underneath his sleeves slowly curled into fists. His nails dug into the palm of his hand, leaving small crescent dents from his blunt nails.

The Water Hashira didn’t know how to respond, so he settled with not responding at all. He turned to walk away, but he didn’t get far when a large hand grabbed his, stopping him in his track.

Giyuu turned to see Tanjirou standing behind him, his grip on his hand tight, but nowhere near painful.

“Tan—”

“I, Alpha Kamado Tanjirou, formally challenge the Water Hashira, Omega Tomioka Giyuu to a duel!”

Giyuu sucked in a sharp breath as he stared at the Alpha as if he had gone crazy. Perhaps he has.

“The location of the duel will be at Oyakata-sama’s manor in one week.”

“Do you know what you’re saying?” The Water Hashira demanded.

“I do.” Tanjirou tightened his grip on Giyuu’s hand. “If you want to reject me, you can ignore my duel request. But if Giyuu-san would give me a chance, I will prove to you that I’m worthy of standing beside you.”

With that, Tanjirou released Giyuu's hand. He turned to leave but seemed to remember something so he looked back to Giyuu who was still rooted to the spot.

"Also, I would appreciate it if Giyuu-san does not insult the person I love.” With that, Tanjirou was gone.

In just matters of seconds, Giyuu knew that Tanjirou had already left the Water Estate.

Tanjirou really did become strong.

Giyuu stared at the empty spot Tanjirou once occupied. He retreated into his room and closed the door. In the darkness of his room, Giyuu leaned back against the shoji and looked down at the hand Tanjirou had held. He could still feel the lingering warmth of the Alpha on his skin.

After fighting an inner war with himself, Giyuu hesitantly brought that hand up to his face and took a small sniff.

It was as if a rush of adrenaline had suddenly overcome his body. Giyuu felt his heart pounding faster and his blood boiling inside his veins as his senses were engulfed by the Alpha’s heavy scent. Giyuu let out a sharp gasp as he fell onto his rear. His legs were shaking so badly that he could no longer hold himself up.

The Omega pulled his hand as far away as possible from his face and leaned back against the shoji. To think his body would react so violently at Tanjirou’s scent…something like this should only happen if their bodies were compatible.

Giyuu shook his head to clear his thought.

No, it must be the Heat still affecting his senses.

The Hashira crawled into his futon and pulled the quill over his head. He decided to get some sleep and refused to think any more of this matter.

Unfortunately for him, Tanjirou had no plans to give Giyuu any more time.

The very next day, Giyuu woke to the entire Water Estate in an uproar.

The moment he stepped outside of his room, he was greeted with the entire residence of the Water Estate gathered by his door. They were all looking at their Water Hashira with complicated gazes. Before Giyuu could even ask, Murata stepped up and handed him a letter. The letter was delivered this morning by none other than Tanjirou’s Kasugaigarasu.

On the front of the letter were the words, “Duel Request”.

It was no wonder why all the Kakushis and Murata were looking at their Hashira like that. In their world, duel can only mean one thing.

Tanjirou was challenging Giyuu for his hand in marriage.

Duels were old practices used by Alphas and Omegas in ancient times. Back in those days when power meant everything, the Alpha would challenge Omega in a match to show that they were worthy of standing by their side and become a father to their future children.

Duels must take place under public eyes with other authoritative figures attending to ensure the fairness of the fight. Should the Alpha lose, it means that that Alpha was not worthy of becoming the Omega’s mate and can never go near the Omega ever again.

Nowadays, such an extreme method of courtship was no longer used. Alpha and Omegas would just get together normally like how humans would. Though duels were not used anymore, it wasn’t forgotten. Since Giyuu—a Hashira—would be involved in this duel, then that meant the master of the Corps himself will need to be present, as well as the other eight Hashiras as witnesses.

Murata felt like fainting just thinking about it.

What in the world did that boy learn during these years?! Didn't he know that if he lost, then he could never go near Giyuu again?! No, before that, if Giyuu rejected Tanjirou's duel, then the result will be the same!

“Tomioka-sama!” Gotou stepped up and bowed respectfully at his Hashira. “Will you be…accepting the duel?”

Giyuu opened his mouth, but no words could be formed. The Water Hashira couldn’t find an answer to that.

Was he going to accept?

The Omega stared at the letter in his hand as his heart skipped a beat.

The next couple of days passed by agonizingly slow…but it wasn’t slow enough for Tomioka Giyuu. Since receiving Tanjirou’s challenge, the raven-haired man could be seen sitting in the courtyard every day instead of training.

From early morning to late in the night, he would just…sit there.

No one dared to go near him, nor do they dare to talk around him. Everyone in the Water Estate agreed to not go near the yard unless absolutely necessary. None of them wanted to disturb their Hashira, though that didn’t stop them from peeking at the Omega from afar.

Since then, the entire Water Estate became even quieter than usual.

Aside from eating and sleeping, the Water Hashira was basically a stone statue.

It was fine.

Their Hashira needed to think, they understand.

This was a big decision to make.

The Kakushis all understood that. However, when the fifth day rolled around, they could no longer keep their cool and were starting to panic. There were only two more days, and their Hashira didn't seem like he was going to graduate from being a statue anytime soon.

After a long debate, they threw out poor Murata into the garden. When it comes to these sorts of conversation, it was only natural for Omega to have a heart to heart talk with another Omega.

Murata never wanted to curse these Kakushis so much, yet he knew there was no going back.

“T-Tomioka-san…” He had intended to shout out the Hashira’s name, but the moment his mouth opened, his short-lived resolve crumbled into pieces. In the end, his call to the Hashira was barely louder than a mouse’s squeak. If it was under normal circumstances, even a mouse’s squeak wouldn’t escape Giyuu’s hearing…yet it did.

Giyuu continued to doze off in a trance, completely oblivious to Murata’s approach.

“Tomioka-san…?” Murata called again.

There was still no response.

“Tomioka-san?”

“…”

“Tomioka-san!”

“…”

“TOMIOKA-SAN!!” Murata screamed with all his might, causing the Kakushis hiding in the distance to jump in fright.

Ocean blue eyes blinked as Giyuu moved for the first time since sitting down that morning.

“Murata.” He called the other Omega’s name as if just realizing he was here.

“T-Tomiok-san! D-do you want to t-t-talk?” Murata stuttered, constantly tripping over his words as his heart raced.

Giyuu looked at him, then he looked back to the garden.

Murata stood awkwardly.

What did this mean?

Was this a yes?

Or a no?!

“You met Tanjirou.” Giyuu suddenly said.

Murata blinked. He stared at Giyuu while his head rapidly worked to decipher just what that sentence meant. It took a while, but once he understood, he immediately let out a loud (fake) laugh in hopes that Giyuu wouldn’t notice the momentary silence.

“Y-yeah I did!” He laughed nervously. “Man, I couldn’t believe it when I saw him! He grew up, hasn’t he?!”

Murata sweated as he waited for Giyuu’s response. After what felt like an eternity, Giyuu nodded. Letting out a small breathe, Murata slowly and carefully sat down next to Giyuu—keeping half a meter’s distance of course.

“How do you er…see Tanjirou, Tomioka-san?”

That seemed to be a bad topic to bring up as Giyuu looked down at his hands that were on his lap. His lips slowly turned downward and his brows furrowed.

"Aaah!" Murata shouted while sweating bullets. "Speaking of that night! Tanjirou was…he uh…he was um…"

Murata wrecked his brain to come up with something, but that ultimately failed. Just when he thought this conversation was hopeless, Murata suddenly remembered the look on Tanjirou’s face that night.

The way the Alpha was cradling a dripping wet Giyuu so tightly in his arms with his face filled with worries…he looked like he might cry.

“Tanjirou’s seriously in love with you, Tomioka-san," Murata said without giving much of a thought.

The Hashira looked at his companion in surprise.

“I was scared to death when he came knocking at my room with you in his arms. Since it was dark I couldn’t see properly thought he was a rouge…”

Murata didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at the memory of that night.

Scare was an understatement of the century.

Murata had nearly died from a heart attack when he saw a tall Alpha standing in the dark with an unconscious Giyuu in his arms. Murata was instantly reminded of that day when the Water Estate was under attacked. He screamed before the Alpha could even open his mouth to say anything. In an instant, the entire manor was awake with Kakushis flooding towards them.

And then…well, they all screamed at the sight of an unfamiliar Alpha in the middle of the night holding onto their Hashira. Since Murata was standing at the doorway of his room, his sword was lying beside him. He grabbed his sword while the Kakushis grabbed anything they could use as weapons.

Some picked up rocks while others ripped off branches from a bush nearby…

It took a lot of shouting back and forth (mostly on their end) before they realized that the Alpha was Tanjirou, not some rouge that broke in.

“He was worried because he couldn’t wake you up no matter how much he tried, and with your Heat ended, your body turned cold due to the temperature of the spring. Even after I assured him that you’re fine, Tanijrou insisted on watching over you in case something happens. He sat outside your door for two whole days and nights, waiting for you to wake up.”

“…I see.” Giyuu mumbled softly.

“Well! T-that’s all I have to say! Sorry to disturb you, Tomioka-san!” Murata stammered before running off, leaving Giyuu alone once more.

The next day came and it was bound to be another restless night for all of them. The duel was tomorrow, yet the Water Hashira sat in the garden as usual. None of the Kakushis could even work as they watched at the Omega from the distance with panic written all over their faces.

They all tried to convince themselves that it was alright, that there was still time left.

It may take months for them to travel on foot to the master’s manor, but for an Omega like Giyuu, it should only take two to three hours.

There was plenty of time—or so they told themselves.

As the sun slowly fell and the stars began to shine across the night sky, they were getting more and more worried.

Giyuu still didn’t move.

He was just gazing up to the stars before a hand came up to grip onto the left sleeve of his kimono. It was a gesture of Giyuu’s that everyone in the manor was familiar with. Whenever their Hashira was down or if something was troubling him, he would grip the side of his kimono that belonged to Sabito just like that, as if seeking comfort.

Quietly, the Kakushis exchanged glanced with one another before they shuffled away, leaving Giyuu truly alone for the first time in days.

When morning came, Tomioka Giyuu was no longer in the garden.

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#giyuu x tanjirou #tangiyuu #tanjirou #giyuu #kny fanfic #kny #demon slayer #tomioka giyu #Kimetsu no Yaiba #kamado tanjirō

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nova2837me · 3 years

Text

[主杏千，副炭義]交棒（ABO+生子）

※原作向if線，大哥沒死，只是左眼瞎了+內臟受損，其他柱、鬼殺隊隊員、主公一家、三哥也都沒死，宇髓以外的人沒被斷肢。無慘的死被動讓愈史郎以外的鬼都變回人類，三哥目前以人類身分贖罪著。

※請當這是一個不會爆發二戰的和平時代

※ABO味其實不重

※桃壽郎視角

　　「……老爺爺老奶奶把桃裡迸出的孩子取名為桃太郎，細心養育他長大。成人後，好善樂施的桃太郎聽聞有鬼在欺壓百姓，便集結路上結識的狗、猿猴與雉雞，一同前往鬼島討罰惡鬼。」千壽郎闔上童書，輕揉與自己如出一轍的焰金髮色，「詳細內容明晚再說吧，該熄燈睡覺了，桃壽郎。」

　　桃壽郎不住呵欠，他今日隨父親做了許多訓練，又幫著母親做家務，眼下已然十分困倦。他撐著最後一絲精神，拽來千壽郎的袖口，「桃壽郎不是撿來的孩子對嗎？雖然名字和桃太郎很像，但祖父說桃壽郎的樣貌一看就是煉獄家親生的！」

　　千壽郎止不住笑，這孩子認真起來像杏壽郎，夜深人靜時卻像他一樣愛想東想西。讓桃壽郎躺好、替他蓋好被子後，千壽郎一邊輕哄幼子，一邊回答，「嗯，桃壽郎是在父親與母親的愛中萌生、母親懷胎十月後誕下的孩子。但不論我們之間是否存在血緣，父親與母親永遠都會愛著桃壽郎的，因為桃壽郎就是桃壽郎，是我們最最親愛的孩子啊。」

　　「桃壽郎也最愛父親大人、母親大人還有祖父了！」

　　煉獄家不掩藏愛意，因為一旦錯過就難保下次再有機會。據說從前不是這樣的，聽長輩們轉述是某次任務後才開始，父親在那天後失去了左眼，內臟也嚴重受損，甚至一度瀕死。狛治叔叔多次說過後悔過去做過的種種，唯一慶幸的便是留下杏壽郎一命，桃壽郎也感激他當初沒有趕盡殺絕，否則自己就無從出生，且母親和祖父想必會非常非常難過。

　　如今世間已無鬼，他聽過一遍又一遍不同人、不同視角出發的殺鬼故事，卻只能運用想像力填補畫面。叔叔阿姨們身上無不是過多的傷疤，只要沒丟掉小命，缺胳膊斷腿都是些小意思，為換取和平他們豁出了一切，這才讓桃壽郎一輩的孩子能高枕無憂，以至於天天縮在母親懷中撒嬌入睡。

　　他的父親和祖父都曾是這樣懲奸除惡的英雄，桃壽郎對此驕傲不已。他曾不小心聽到父母談話，或許數個月後這個家能再度迎來新生，桃壽郎下定決心，為了即將到來的弟妹，定要視父親為楷模，練就出兄長該有的風範。

　　他甜甜地睡去，做了個甜甜的夢。

　　幾天後是他童年最黑暗的回憶，他生平頭一次體會什麼叫「天塌下來般的恐怖」。冥冥之中被吵醒，發現那是母親的哭吼聲，這不是吵架，他聽得出父親拼命想安撫母親，最終卻無力回天，只得被母親趕出臥房。

　　過半會兒是急促的步伐，他的房門被拉開，祖父一把扯過被褥蓋過他的頭，抱著他要他安心睡。他瞪著大眼，母親聽來是那麼悲慟，他怎麼可能睡得著？他想探出床外，祖父卻摟得他無法動作，越是掙扎越難以動彈，急於脫逃的慾望幾乎要化作烈火自喉中竄出。

　　不要、不要、不要、不要、不要！

　　為什麼不讓他去見母親？父親呢，父親在哪？母親還再哭，但父親沒有出聲，父親離開了嗎？父親去了哪裡？

　　他扭動著，用著尚不成熟的炎之呼吸，彷彿前方有惡鬼造就了這一悲劇。

　　想要劈開、想要掙脫禁錮、想要得知真相。沒人願意告訴他是怎麼回事，焦急是螞蟻在皮膚上面爬、在血管裡頭鑽，他只要再過一秒就能變成大半夜裡放聲尖叫的壞孩子，桃壽郎吸足了氣，眨出積在眼眶中的鹹淚——

　　他被迫煞停。

　　細微的啜泣擊中了他——他的祖父哭了。

　　桃壽郎緩了下來，碰碰碰的心跳如雷貫耳，世間吵雜被蒙上一層薄霧，耳鳴又聽不清。他渾身燥熱且濕黏，熱汗浸透了睡衣，呼出的氣又增高了溫度。桃壽郎蜷縮起來，像是出產前的嬰兒，他知道現在所有人都顧不得他，祖父擁抱的手寬厚卻顫抖著，他現在只能做個好孩子。

　　不論如何，做個好孩子。

　　四年後他十歲，身高長高了，體重變重了，食慾更旺盛，訓練自然也加倍苛刻。桃壽郎從不敢懈怠，身為煉獄家的「獨子」，他必然會扛下一家之主的責任，面對生離死別時不會一蹶不振，堅強地將煉獄一脈的信念傳承下去。

　　這絕不輕鬆，在生死面前，無法釋懷和不願接受都是常態。他曾很喜歡池裡的一條錦鯉，就養在他們家後院，和其他數十條錦鯉一同。某天那條錦鯉死了，誰也找不出原因，誰也無能為力，他直到用手抹臉才發現自己早就淚流滿面。

　　長輩們都很強大，他們不輕易展示出脆弱，卻也令人更加擔心。桃壽郎知道他們無刻不想放聲大叫，失去摯愛的苦楚豈是幾天幾年就能平息。

　　那個事件的隔天，日昇將他喚醒，父母反常的不在自己臥室，而是在客房睡了一宿。母親對他的態度一如既往，只是碩大的杏眼腫脹眶紅，整個人肉眼可見的憔悴，父親要他別打擾母親休息，並帶他去幫忙代母親煮早膳的祖父。

　　母親只吃了幾口粥，父親勸了也沒有用。「今天就別做太多訓練了，陪在母親身邊吧。」父親這麼對他說。

　　母親向他道了歉，就在父親和祖父被支開後不久。父親明顯想留在母親左右，卻在母親堅持下被祖父帶離。

　　「昨晚那麼大的聲響吵醒你了吧？抱歉喔，桃壽郎。」

　　諾大的手在頭上輕輕梳理，亂翹的髮梢卻怎樣也無法撫平。他被教育說謊是不對的，但比起讓母親更加受傷，還不如讓自己承受謊言的罪孽。

　　「桃壽郎一整晚都睡得香甜，並沒有被吵醒！發生什麼事了嗎，否則母親大人怎會說這樣的話呢？」

　　撫摸頓了一頓，母親眨了眨泛起水光的眼瞳，對他笑道，「沒什麼。桃壽郎真是個善解人意的好孩子呢，謝謝你。」

　　在退出房間、闔上門扉的那一瞬間，桃壽郎才終於讓眼淚不受控地淌下。

　　他第一次穿上喪服，在僅四人參加的喪禮下將他無緣的弟妹送往彼岸，那裝有骨灰的小瓷瓶明明是首次見到，卻令他有股無與倫比的熟悉感。

　　或許，是在他年紀更小、沒多少記性的時候……

　　桃壽郎到達了目的地。

　　他將伴手禮交給該家族的長男，熟悉地往後院走去。要說這裡是他的第二個家也不為過，打從懂事起他便時常來叨擾，畢竟這有兩個與他同齡的孩子，父親母親也樂見他能擁有玩伴。

　　日立風清，桃壽郎在緣側見到他要找的人，「今天天氣真好！早安，炭彥！義一君今天也依舊這麼可愛啊！」

　　穿雲巨響嚇到了正被哥哥逗弄的嬌小幼兒，義一咻的一下躲進二哥懷裡，惹得炭彥哈哈大笑。桃壽郎單膝跪地，接下炭彥手中的波浪鼓隨即轉動，「抱歉嚇到你了！我是來幫你慶生的，義一不久前滿周歲了對嗎？恭喜你啊！」

　　小小的孩童探出頭，瞪大眼賭確信眼前的確是熟人後，這才脫離哥哥的懷抱。

　　桃壽郎遞上禮物，除了父母、祖父的份，還有他自行做的木製玩具。義一捧起玩具後笑了，興奮地叫炭彥也來看看。

　　「家父家母幾天後會親自登門拜訪，那天我應該就不來了，還得有人幫祖父張羅午膳才行！」

　　義勇的發情期與千壽郎相近，以至於他們現在都處於無法見客的階段，只不過這次炭治郎提前帶義勇去了溫泉旅館，千壽郎則是在家休息。彼方端著茶水點心出現，抱起么弟並餵食起地瓜泥，桃壽郎品著茶，將這一場景烙印於心。

　　意外之喜，嗎。

　　他油然記得接獲義勇叔叔三度有孕的消息時，母親縱然喜上眉梢，卻難以壓下眼底的欣羨。

　　十四歲，在寒梅綻放之際，他前往下一任務地點。

　　世間已無鬼，但需受幫助之人仍在。儘管這是一份毫無報酬的工作，他也想將這份助人的信念繼承下去。

　　當然，他還是有正經工作的！他煉獄桃壽郎啟是個只會啃家族老本的無能之輩！

　　披上父親的披風，今天也毫無波瀾的完成任務。時間已晚，這個村落沒開設旅館，桃壽郎便打算借住民房，明日一早啟程回鄉。路上他遇見了兩個孩子，衣衫襤褸且氣色不佳，看起來嚴重營養不良。

　　兩個孩子縮在轉角，對上眼時前方的男孩驚了一下，隨即將更加年幼的女孩護在身後，並拉著女孩逃離現場。「那是村裡的孤兒，兩人的父母都死了，也沒其他親戚能依靠。雖然很可憐，但大家也都生活困頓，實在無法再多負擔一口人了。」讓他借住的老人家說。

　　「但這樣看來，他們隨時可能死去，特別是現在天寒地凍，不餓死也會凍死。」

　　「是啊……這就是命啊……」

　　他於心不忍便決心尋找，一宿過去卻沒找著半個人，這村落有太多能供孩童躲藏的地方，他又是首次前來，比不過在此出生長大之輩。明天……天亮後他再來找一次，要再不行，希望他早課期間他們能自行出現，啊但是他一旦認真鍛鍊就會完全聽不見外界聲音……

　　這可不行！桃壽郎往臉上揍了兩巴掌。

　　一定！一定要把這兩個孩子帶回去！

　　等他意識到時間時，太陽已經日上三竿，桃壽郎急忙左右環顧，尋覓那倆孩子的身影。

　　沒有嗎……桃壽郎按下失望，正想往嘴裡塞上幾口食糧再去找人時他發現——有兩個小賊正偷吃著他包裡的乾糧。不但吃得津津有味，男孩在發現他的視線後還將沒吃完的份藏進身後。

　　他們……有點可愛啊！

　　桃壽郎並不介意對方偷吃，相反的，他反希望對方能多吃一點。他的食量大歸大，但少吃一頓也死不了，「吃不夠的話這裡還有！」他把衣兜裡藏著的地瓜乾拋了過去，被男孩一把接住。「想保暖的話我有帶額外的衣服，拿去穿吧！」

　　男孩對他的好意頗有戒心，但想必是餓壞了，嘴巴一刻沒停下咀嚼。桃壽郎靠近觀察，他終於知道竈門兄弟為什麼那麼愛看義一吃飯了，這畫面真的很療育啊！

　　男孩把最後一口食糧餵進女孩嘴裡，轉身問他，「你在幹什麼？」

　　「我在看你們吃東西！」

　　「……不是，我不是在問你這個，我是說你……你就這麼讓人吃光你的食物嗎？！還穿你的衣服？！這種等級的布料連我都知道不便宜，你是有錢人家的少爺吧，如果穿髒了破了我們可賠不起！還是這就是你的打算，施恩然後勒索我們，把我們抓去賣錢？！」

　　桃壽郎眨了眨眼，「我想讓你們吃飽穿暖，僅此而已！」

　　男孩的表情看起來快要吐血，一張小臉憋得透紅，他握住女孩同樣凍傷的手，不再直視桃壽郎，而是將視野朝向地面，「所以，你是可憐我們，想把我們也納入施恩的對象。」

　　「嗯姆，你要這麼理解我也不能說你錯！」男孩握實了拳頭，不甘地緊咬牙關，「我只是在貫徹我的信念而已！不僅僅是因為我的家訓，我自己也想這麼做：身為強者要幫助弱者，待這些弱長成為強者之後，他們也會憑一己之力去幫助其他弱者！如果你很介意受我幫助這件事，那就變強吧！然後去幫助更多的人！」

　　「……你很強嗎？哪有人自吹自己是強者的……」

　　「跟我的家人、我所認識的其他長輩比起來我不算強！但有朝一日我希望能與他們同樣強悍，甚至超越他們！」

　　男孩似是受到影響，稍微放鬆了身體，並抽出衣物替女孩披上。「照你這麼說好了，那我要怎樣才能變強？一場大雪就能瞬間奪去我們的性命，整日吃不飽穿不暖的，和你這種豐衣足食的大少爺比起來，我們簡直——」

　　「當然可以！你和小女孩，你們兩個都可以變強！」桃壽郎打斷了男孩，「只要你們成為我的弟子——」他楞了愣，彷彿看到炭治郎、善逸和伊之助對他談笑的光景，隨後他笑了出來，惹得男孩女孩都滿容疑問地望著他。他不是他父親，他也不為鬼殺隊工作；他不需要收繼子，他想用自己的方式來守護這個世界，「只要你們成為我的弟弟妹妹就可以啦！」

　　「他們就快到了！」

　　不亞於身後這弔詭少年的宏亮嗓音爆炸開來，真禾被從小睡中喚醒，睡眼惺忪地環視四周。兩個幼兒被一位少年扛在身上，自稱煉獄桃壽郎的少年大笑幾聲，鍥兔感到腰上一緊，接下來待他能注意到時，三人皆已在半空之中。

　　好可怕，好厲害。看似笨重卻輕盈地不得了，健步如飛也就算了，居然隨意一跳便能登上數十丈的高空。

　　他能夠做到嗎？想起少年信誓旦旦地說他們一定可以變強，鍥兔嚥了口口水，不明所以的，他相信自己絕對能行。

　　他們在空中翱翔，房子、人、世間萬物都變得渺小且遙遠。桃壽郎的速度慢了下來，視野從制高點慢慢降低，那裏有一棟宅邸，巨大卻不奢華，門口站著三個人，與桃壽郎的髮色如出一轍。

　　啊啊是嗎，這裡就是桃壽郎的家——

　　「我們到家了！」

　　思想即被打斷。

　　然後，被火一般的熾熱攬在懷中。彷彿，要把周遭積雪都給融化似的。

　　多年後他謹遵家訓，在這個沒有鬼的世界中，自豪並貫徹到底。

Fin.

#demon slayer #kimetsu no yaiba #kyousen #tangiyuu