"It feels somewhat lonely, doesn't it?"
Senjurou placed the tea tray on the table and crouched next to Tanjirou. The demon looked sad, but he always was when grounded to the house without his dear sister. Tanjirou had covered himself snugly in a blanket. Only his face peeked from underneath. If only the boy hadn't been so upset, Senjurou could have fawned over his cute look openly.
Tanjirou should have been sleeping, as the sun still shone brightly, but instead, he gazed beyond the open shoji doors with worry written all over his face. From there, both of them could see the vast garden in which his older brother currently trained Nezuko and her other slayer friends.
Yet again on your own. Must be hard on you...
It had been a pleasant surprise to find that Kyoujurou would take some time off from missions and train the young slayers at Rengoku Estate. It meant that for the next few months, Senjurou could finally spend some quality time with his older brother. Even their father seemed pleased by that prospect, at least in the beginning. He quickly soured back to his usual mood the moment Kyoujurou showed up at his doorstep with a demon.
Senjurou could still recall that fateful night. Kamado Nezuko placed a wooden box on the floor, and under the intense gaze of Rengoku clan, a young boy peeked his head outside. He had lovely maroon eyes and an intriguing scar on his forehead. But when Senjurou first noticed the bamboo muzzle, he started to have doubts about Kyoujurou's sanity for bringing a demon inside their home. If he wore something like that, how couldn't he be dangerous? However, his older brother would have none of that.
"Senjurou, I entrust this little demon to you while Nezuko is busy training!" Kyoujurou announced cheerful as ever and the rest was history.
In the following weeks, Senjurou learned why Tanjirou actually needed someone to look after him. He had a curious nature that landed him in a lot of troubles, especially with their father who still didn't accept his presence at the estate. He had this dangerous habit of sneaking out of his box to look for his sister. Doing that with a retired pillar that hated his guts spelled disaster. So Senjurou took his duty very seriously and watched over the boy like a hawk.
"You know you should be sleeping, right?"
He brushed soothing circles on Tanjirou's back, but the demon only grumbled and huffed.
"But last night you fainted at the dinner table because you were so tired. Remember that? You shouldn't force yourself to stay awake. Demons like you need a lot of sleep!"
At the last night's supper, they were all caught in a lively conversation when suddenly Tanjirou dropped his head on the table with a heavy thud. It was a miracle the wood didn't crack on impact. Senjurou didn't know if he should laugh or cringe. Tanjirou looked just like a small version of their father when he had too much to drink.
"You were so cute though! All drowsy and all. But Nezuko got really worried about you. She asked you nicely to sleep during the day."
Tanjirou shook his head in refusal yet again.
"It is all right. In a way, I get why you don't want to sleep. I've been in your place many times. I understand your sadness..."
He sighed as he gazed at his older brother. Kyoujurou seemed as full of energy as ever, with a smile brighter than the sun itself. If only Senjurou had more strength and dexterity, he could have trained alongside him.
"I had to stay behind too and watch my family from afar." Senjurou cast his eyes downwards as his brows furrowed slightly. "A long long time ago, my father was Pillar too. Just like my brother, Kyoujurou. He always had other slayers training at our estate. But I was too young to do anything other than watch them."
He could still recall one memory in which he and Kyoujurou were peeking from behind the sliding screen at their father. He had received a new sword and he was in the process of assessing it. Meanwhile, he and Kyoujirou giggled and imagined themselves wielding it. But it turned out that only one of them was meant to go that path.
"And then my brother became a slayer to follow in our father's footsteps. He has immense talent as a swordsman and quickly rose in ranks. But when it was my turn to take on the noble slaying duty… I couldn't do it. I was too weak."
By that point, their father had already withdrawn into himself and met Senjuro with total indifference, while Kyoujurou struggled to maintain his rise on the slayer hierarchy after Shinjuro's blow to the family name.
"But it is alright...It gets easier to bear as time goes-"
Senjurou stopped his train of thoughts when he felt Tanjirou embrace him tightly. The little demon nuzzled his face in his chest and whined softly as he studied Senjurou's eyes. It still stunned Senjurou at times how full of emotions Tanjirou could be. In the beginning, he worried that the demonic side had devoured all the boy's humanity, but time and time again Tanjirou proved himself to be as compassionate one can be. His eyes were filled with thousands of words that warmed Senjurou's soul.
"I am fine! Really! See?"
He smiled widely and touched his forehead to Tanjirou's. The demon seemed to replicate his emotions, for his eyes sparkled happily while Senjurou hugged him back.
"How about we do something together? Just the two of us to pass some time. Would you like that?"
Senjurou had the perfect activity in mind.
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He stirred the carp lightly in the pan and watched it sizzling. The delicious aroma of fried fish filled Senjurou's heart with joy. If there was something that brought him happiness in his mundane life, it was cooking. No doubt his friends would appreciate the food after all the hard training. A nice surprise indeed!
"Tan, can you check the rice? Is it done?"
Tanjirou paused in confusion trying to process Senjurou's question. The moment he stepped in the kitchen, he had been somewhat overwhelmed by everything happening around him. So Senjurou took it slow and tried his best to make Tanjirou feel comfortable. He gave him easy instruction, so the little demon could feel included, while the blond handled all the actual cooking. The preparation stage was the most demanding, but as soon as the ingredients were ready, he had no doubts that Tanjirou would have fun shaping rice balls with him.
Senjurou fluffed the rice one last time and put the fish on the cutting board. He took a deep breath and watched the fruit of their work. Now they were truly ready to start.
"You know what we are doing, Tan?" He asked cheerfully as he took out more spices from the shelf. "We are making rice balls! "
Tanjirou came to the counter and leaned over. Senjurou took it on himself to make the first rice ball under the demon's curious gaze. He mixed the rice with all the ingredients and scooped some in his palm.
"Ah, the rice is still somewhat hot. When we do the rest, better wait until it cools down a little. "
Senjurou hummed happily as he took some tender fish piece and put it in the middle of the rice.
"All right, now watch closely how I do it!"
When he heard that, Tanjirou crossed his arms and focused hard. That pose seemed so familiar that Senjurou couldn't help himself but burst into a fit of laughter. Without a doubt, Tanjirou could bore holes in that poor rice ball judging by how intensely he stared at it. His older brother would be proud.
"I love your determination! Such a great cooking partner!"
Senjurou carefully molded the rice ball into its final shape and handed it to Tanjirou.
The boy's face lit up in recognition as he stared at the little rice ball in his palms. He brought it to his face and inhaled its aroma deeply. Senjurou felt oddly moved by his action, and got a tinge of sadness the moment Tanjirou moaned softly. How long has it been since he ate something like that? No doubt his loved ones also made it before. But could he even eat human food?
Would it be bad if he tasted it?
Senjurou looked guiltily in the direction of the door. His brother and the other slayers were still training outside, while his father was probably drinking his heart out in his room. Nobody would ever find out.
"Tanjirou? Do you want to try the rice ball? C-can you eat normal food?"
Before the demon could answer, Senjurou closed the door to the kitchen, and for good measure, he crouched down next to Tanjirou. The boy followed suit while grasping the rice ball as if it was the most precious treasure in the world. Hunched behind the counter, they were safe from the kitchen's windows.
Senjurou hands trembled slightly as they undone the muzzle and gently took it out. For the first time, he stared at Tanjirou's lovely face and tried to imagine him as a fellow human. No doubt he would have been close to his age, maybe even his friend or something more if destiny had other plans for them.
The demon opened and closed his mouth to stretch his tired jaw. In the next seconds, Tanjirou stuffed his face with the rice ball. He took such a big bite that Senjurou was ready to jump in and snatch the food from his hands. They were NOT supposed to be eaten in one bite!
"Take it easy! It's all right, you don't have to hurry."
Tanjirou munched loudly on the rice ball and moaned in delight after every single bite. Senjurou endured as much as he could, cheeks getting redder and redder, but in the end, he gave up. The blond cupped his cheeks in embarrassment and turned his back to the demon. He couldn't take such high praise for a simple rice ball.
"W-was it tasty?" He eventually asked when he no longer heard the boy eating.
He had perhaps expected to hear some sort of hum or maybe a growl in approval, not to get jumped by the little demon in what could only be considered a bear hug. Tanjirou locked his arms around his shoulders and nuzzled happily at his neck.
"It's so ticklish! Stop it!" Senjurou laughed as he tried to shoo him away, but with no success.
Tanjirou seemed bent on showering Senjurou with affection and the blond enjoyed every single moment of it.
"Say, Tan. You won't tell anyone about this, all right?" He cooed as he petted his hair lovingly. "This could be our secret!"
Unsurprisingly, his cooking partner nodded eagerly. No doubt the little troublemaker looked forward to the next cooking lesson.
"Good. Now I'm afraid we have to go back to work! Brother and everyone else must be starving!"
Senjurou put the muzzle back on while he beckoned Tanjirou closer to the counter.
"It is very easy! Just do what I do and we will be done in no time!"
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It took them much, much longer than Senjurou anticipated. Tanjirou had many gifts, but filling rice balls was not one of them. A lot of oddly shaped rice balls later, he managed to finally make a few that looked somewhat passable. But Senjurou still kindly put each one of them on the plate together with the properly shaped ones. After all, they were the fruit of Tanjirou's labor.
The blond had to admit. Seeing Tanjirou next to him knead the rice with such fierce determination, was one of the most adorable pictures that will forever remain in his mind.
"All right! This one is the last! Now let's fill these baskets with them!"
Senjurou placed three small baskets in front of him. One for him, one for his father and one for Kyoujurou and his guests.
"This one is yours, Tan! Put as many as you want to eat!"
The little demon hummed in acknowledgment and studied rice ball after rice ball. His eyes sparkled with excitement and honestly, Senjurou shared his feelings as well. He couldn't wait to sing praise to the boy in front of everyone else.
Eventually, Tanjirou singled out one rice ball and picked it up in his hand. But instead of putting it away, he offered it to Senjurou.
"Is this for me?" Senjurou had to admit that he fawned way too much over that simple act.
Good thing they were alone in the kitchen.
Tanjirou nodded with determination and Senjurou took the rice ball in his palms carefully. Without a doubt, it was shaped by the demon. But the odd appearance made it even more special in Senjurou's eyes. He took a bite out of the rice ball and hummed in delight. For some reason, it tasted even more delicious than the bits he had munched on while they were cooking.
Passion really makes food tasty, hmm!
"It's soo good, Tan! I love it so much! So, so much! Thank you!"
For once Tanjirou seemed bashful enough to simply hide his face in Senjurou's chest while he gave him another heartfelt hug.
"But we can't let the food get cold! Let's continue dividing them, all right?"
He reached out for the other food and started arranging it in the baskets. Tanjirou was extremely helpful too, handing him rice ball after rice ball. It was so endearing watching the boy think for a few moments before picking a questionable looking rice ball from a sea of proper ones. But it still melted Senjurou's heart every single time. The blond thanked him sweetly after each one and he could swear the little demon's cheeks deepened in color more and more.
"All right, this basket is filled! Dad will be delighted to eat these, I'm sure!"
But perhaps I should keep it to myself that a demon made them.
The moment Senjurou finished that sentence, Tanjirou's whole demeanor changed. He never saw someone go so quickly from bliss to distress. He couldn't understand what had happened in the mere seconds that passed. Senjurou quickly went over his last exchanges but couldn't see anything that could offend his demon. So he quickly moved to a much scarier possibility.
"A-are you feeling sick? What's wrong?" Senjurou studied him intensely but couldn't see anything wrong with him at first glance. " Are you feeling bad? You want to throw up?"
Oh, God! What if the rice balls will make him sick? Oh, God!
He was already panicking and ready to run to his brother for help when Tanjirou gripped his hand and stopped him from leaving. He brushed his cheek against his palm in what Senjurou assumed was the demon's way of soothing him.
"Are you fine, Tanjirou?" He asked once again worried and this time the boy nodded eagerly.
When he tried to grab the basket in Senjurou's hand, it struck the blond what had triggered that distress in the demon.
"There are still a lot more rice balls left for you! Think of how excited will be everyone else to taste your great food! Let's be nice and share, all right?"
Tanjirou eyes widened in what disbelief, but in the end he still dropped his hands in defeat.