Chapter Text
Tanjiro was going to ignore it- really, but the scent of such pure sorrow was nearly enough to knock him right out the second his foot touched the water of the river. It was like a blanket was lifted from his head when his foot slipped just a little bit on the wet rocks and dipped into the water.
He hadn’t even made it to the “trainer” that Mister Tomioka told him about. He wasn’t ready to defend himself, much less Nezuko. And yet- he found himself wading through the shallow river anyway.
The trek wasn’t difficult- in fact, it was almost concerningly easy. The river was both shallow and narrow, not to mention it wasn’t moving all that quickly. The banks of the river were easy to climb, such a subtle climb in steepness that even a little kid could probably do it. The first few minutes of walking towards where the smell was originating was peril-free as well, mostly flat, open dirt with a few clumps of trees and decently large berry bushes spotted around.
Then, all of a sudden, that wasn’t true. He crossed some kind of invisible threshold- the once sparce collection of trees suddenly took up his entire view, like a towering, all-consuming barrier of plants no matter which direction he turned. The midday sun, which was just shining brightly above head, was now nowhere to be seen- complete darkness should have enveloped him, and yet he could see just fine.
It took a little bit for Nezuko to start to react, beginning to squirm and make short noises from within the basket he carried. He did his best to pacify her, but all his words of comfort seemed to do was cause more irritation. In all honesty, Tanjiro became hopelessly lost likely immediately, and was really just trying to find sunlight again.
While stumbling about like a fawn, Tanjiro suddenly tripped on a root he somehow hadn’t noticed- and he tried to catch himself on nearby branches, but it was as if all of the trees decided to pull away from him. Instead of catching himself, something else reached out to catch him.
Soft, slim arms wrapped themselves around Tanjiro, lifting both him and Nezuko with ease. He was so startled by suddenly not being on the ground that it took a moment for Tanjiro to actually react. What shocked him out of his frozen stance was a giggle sounding out above him. He tried his best to blink away his confusion and let himself focus on the person, the child?, in front of him.
They had to be a kid, and yet Tanjiro’s brain refused to connect the youthful face to the body holding him. This person was, in all honesty, simply adorable. They were short, short enough that Tanjiro could feel his haori dragging on the ground as he was carried off (and how frightening is that? He hadn’t even noticed when they started walking). Tanjiro couldn’t quite tell if they were a boy or a girl- but that didn’t really matter, truthfully. Regardless- they had a cute face, with large, shimmering blue eyes and poofy, white- or silver? hair that flowed wildly around their head like a trapped cloud. He couldn’t quite see what they were wearing, not without awkwardly shifting his body and turning his head, but from what he could see- it was childish. Their clothing was bright green, standing out vividly on their dark skin, and was layered and frilled like the bottom of some pretty dresses or maybe the petals of open flowers. From atop the person’s head sat a large, drooping, similarly-green hat. It looked like one of the buckets he’d cart water in, except it was painted to look like a frog, with bright red cheeks, a yellow “throat” rim, and large, bored-looking lime eyes at the top.
It took a second for Tanjiro to realize that they’d stopped moving, he got distracted observing his savior (or captor??). A similar giggle sounded from the person, though this time more open and louder, and Tanjiro quickly turned his head away from their piercing, curious and yet knowing, gaze- only to come across a view he’s certain he’ll never forget as long as he lives. They had stopped just before a cliff, finally breaking through the dense foliage, and could now see into what was certainly a deep ravine once upon a time.
Now, though, it was the resting place of the most exquisite building Tanjiro is likely to ever see. Even from high above the palace, and that’s certainly what it was- no plain home could compare to the sheer size and grandeur, Tanjiro could tell it was absolutely massive. It all appeared to be one building, or at the very least most of it was one connected structure, and yet it had the size of an entire village. There were towers and longer, sloping roofs, and walls and all kinds of other parts of the palace- all of the main walls were a beautiful, sparkling, sky blue, almost white, and the roofs were various blacks, deep blues, and greens. Waterfalls and rivers poured down from the cliffs around the palace, forming pools around the building and yet not overflowing into it. Flowering trees of all kinds sprouted around the area, so vibrant they managed to stand out against the palace’s majesty.
“Hold tight, dear.” The person said quietly, their silky voice managing to ride the wind easily to Tanjiro even as a sharp breeze moved passed them on their perch.
Tanjiro did as he was told, gripping onto the enchanting person tighter than he initially intended. His extra caution was not worthless though- seeing as, no sooner did he begin to loosen his grip again, the person leapt right off the cliff. His first instinct was to scream or even try jumping out of their arms and onto the cliffside rapidly moving out of his grasp. Apparently sensing his intention, the person wrapped their arms around him- in a way akin to how a mother hugs her child- so his arms letting go did nothing to detach him from the person.
Everything moved quickly, the sights and smells passed by in a blur (though that intense sadness, which never lessened but seemed to calm, remained eerily stagnant), and Tanjiro was safely on the ground before he knew it. The person, who released him once their feet touched the soft grass below, walked off into the palace with the speed of someone determined and yet the movements of someone on a relaxing stroll. Tanjiro was right, by the way- the palace was absolutely massive up close. With it close enough he could reach it in only a few steps, the walls seemed to stretch on forever- far higher than he could hope to see over, that’s for sure.
The spike of anger, fear, and frustration brought Tanjiro’s head back from the clouds and he looked around for a moment only to see the person, standing almost entirely hidden in the palace, holding Nezuko’s basket in a single hand and wearing a playful smile on their face. He couldn’t bring himself to fear for his sister’s safety, the person showed no signs of aggression in any way, but he still felt uncomfortable watching her be carted away- so, he ran. He chased after the person who, by the increased sounds of their giggles, was thoroughly enjoying the game of cat and mouse they’d apparently started.
He has no idea how long he chased after the spirit-like child, yet he never grew tired or hungry. Truthfully, Tanjiro felt as though he could have continued playing forever. It was as if all of his fears and worries simply melted away, carried off by the child’s laughter. It was only when his thought turned towards his family, and his emotions became darker, did the game end. Nezuko was returned to him- though no longer in the bamboo basket he’d made for her. No- instead, the child apparently gifted her a new box to be carried in. It was, like everything else he’d seen in the palace, exceptionally beautiful. The box was a little bigger than the basket had been, but felt incredibly light- even with Nezuko inside. It was made of the same kind of wood that the trees growing everywhere were made of- a deep red and purple color with black lines running through it like little streams. On one of the long sides were brown straps, they looked like leather but felt cool and soft when Tanjiro put his arms through them. On the opposite side was a door bound by silver hinges and a silver latch. There was a cloud-shaped window at the top, but instead of glass- the window was filled with an odd, grey, foggy material- not quite see through, and not quite solid. Sparkling silver raindrops were painted, or perhaps carved, into the door- falling from the cloud window. The bottom and both remaining sides were blank, showing the natural beauty of the wood. The top of the box had a similar golden latch system and a much smaller door, though this door was made entirely of the odd not-glass instead of just having a window of the material. Most importantly- Nezuko loved it. She cuddled into the box and immediately fell asleep. Tanjiro took a moment to just admire the serenity around him and the precious scene before him.
The child led him, quietly, to a room that looked like many they’d passed previously- though this room had sun carvings all along the bottom of the walls, the windowsills, and the door. The inside was cozy- a fluffy, maroon canopy bed, a fireplace- already lit, and an emerald table with a matching door-sized mirror and a plush chair. Tanjiro turned to express thanks, suddenly feeling exceptionally tired, only to find the child gone. Deciding to just thank his surprising host in the morning, or whenever he woke up- it was hard to tell what time it actually was down here since it constantly seemed to possess the light of dawn, Tanjiro let himself fall into a deep slumber.
He woke with a type of energy he hadn’t felt since he was a little kid, running around and dancing without a care in the world. There was a small feast on the table, and the smell was what initially woke him. There were bowls of rice and noodles, salads and fish, various sweets. Nezuko was awake again, still energized by this mysterious place they’d found themselves in, and… eating? She was eating- what appeared to be oranges, but they were a vibrant red. They smelled incredibly sweet, and she was devouring them by the handfuls, not even bothering to peel them. He could only sit and watch as his sister, whom he was terrified for the longest time he’d lose like the rest of his family, ate bloody oranges like a little kid with chocolate. The sight made him shed a few tears.
Tanjiro was carefully packing away the food they couldn’t eat in one sitting, placing it into the compartments within Nezuko’s new box (and wow was it bigger on the inside! He could actually hear Nezuko walk around in the box when he closed it) when Nezuko ran outside to enjoy her new freedom- only to let out a shrill sound of terror before vanishing entirely. Tanjiro ran outside, not even realizing he’d grabbed ahold of the box, only to find himself in the air. He fell hard and fast, shocking himself into full awareness when his unprepared body hit cold water. In the ensuing panic he managed to get himself onto dry land, with Nezuko safely hidden away from the now-revealed sun, and looked back only to find it gone. Everything. The entire palace, the whole valley, that person, all gone in an instant. As Tanjiro lifted himself from the ground, his mind and awareness properly returning as he returned to his mission of finding Mister Tomioka’s teacher, he swears he could hear the sound of a giggle on the wind.