Interlude: Tsuyuri Kanao
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Guest review answers
Guest: Tanjiro has good throwing skills, we see them sometimes and he rarely misses his target. I believe this chapter will not disappoint when it comes to TanKana moments, hehehe.
Guest: Thank you! Took me a bit but here is the update, I hope you like it!
Guest: The TanKana scenes are here! I hope you like them.
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I'm back!
This chapter contains copious amounts of TanKana (and I'm so happy about it~ hehehe)
Without further ado, on with the chapter!
Disclaimer: I don't own Kimetsu no Yaiba.
Tsuyuri Kanao is not someone easily surprised. While this is most likely a consequence of her closing up her heart and not thinking for herself, it has been very useful during her, admittedly short, time as a Demon Slayer.
No matter where a demon attacked her from or what sort of Blood Demon Art they had, she was able to react accordingly with little more than a 'oh, so it can do that' as a reaction.
However, for the first time in a long time, she was genuinely shocked speechless.
She had just come back from a mission and was walking to her room, passing through the garden when it happened.
"Ah, Kanao!" Someone called out to her as she walked by.
Someone calling out to her so enthusiastically was strange in itself, while she doesn't get along badly with any of the other members of the Butterfly Estate, none of them call out to her like that so she was slightly surprised to hear that tone but the thing that genuinely shocked her was the owner of it.
Standing on the garden, a sling on his left arm and a wooden sword on his right while wearing the patients' uniform was Kamado Tanjiro.
"It's been a while, how are you?" He asked happily after walking up to her.
Kanao didn't answer, she just stood there staring with slightly wide eyes.
"Kanao? Are you alright?"
The black haired girl blinked twice and finally regained her senses.
"Ah, yes…" She nodded. "I was surprised to see you… when did you come back?"
"Two days ago…" He said before pointing to the sling on his left arm. "When we went to our first mission with Rengoku-san we ended up finding a Lower Moon; I thought my arm was broken during the fight but, according to Shinobu-san, it's just a cracked bone; she even let me train as long as I don't overexert myself." Tanjiro explained. "What about you? I'm guessing you just came back from a mission?"
"Yes, that's right… I was going to report to my Master."
"Ah, sorry for stopping you then." The red haired teen stared for a second. "It doesn't look like you're injured, that's good; give Shinobu-san my regards."
"Ah… hm." Kanao nodded and saw Tanjiro go back to his spot on the garden to train, staring for a second longer before turning her head and walk away to give her report.
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Before she realized, Kanao had reached Shinobu's room and knocked on the door.
"Come in." Shinobu called out from inside.
Kanao silently did as told, closing the door behind her and taking a seat in front of the Insect Pillar.
"Welcome back, Kanao." Shinobu greeted happily. "How did the mission go?"
"It was alright, I defeated the demon." The younger girl answered simply.
"Any injuries?"
"None."
Shinobu watched her for a few seconds as if inspecting her before nodding.
"Alright, I'm happy to hear that."
Usually, that would be the end of their conversation.
Kanao would get up and bow with an 'excuse me' before going to rest for the day.
Yet, this time, Kanao still sat there.
"Is there something else?" Shinobu asked after a few seconds of silence.
Kanao flinched slightly before moving a hand to her pocket and taking out her coin, flipping it in the air.
The Insect Pillar stared with a hint of curiosity in her otherwise calm expression as it landed.
Internally, and unknowingly, Kanao let out a sigh of relief when she saw it came out as 'tails'.
"I saw Tanjiro on my way here." She began, fidgeting without realizing.
"I see." Shinobu's smile widened. "Did he do something?"
"Ah… no…" Kanao trailed off. "He said to send his regards."
"Fufu, I just saw him a few hours ago." Shinobu giggled. "Was that it?"
"I… I was wondering how long he'll stay." Kanao finally said.
"You could just ask him~" The Insect Pillar said, her smile widening with each syllable. "About a week and a half, maybe two weeks; depending on how long it takes his arm to fully heal."
"I see…"
Shinobu blinked in surprise since, for a second, she saw what looked like a genuine smile in Kanao.
"I'll go rest now." The Tsuguko said.
"…alright; have a good rest."
Once Kanao left the room, Shinobu rested back on her chair and looked at the ceiling.
'Kanao is definitely changing… and it looks like Kamado-kun is the reason.' The Insect Pillar thought. 'Fufu, what a strange feeling; being happy that she is changing like this but being vexed that I couldn't be the one to help her come out of her shell.' Letting out a giggle, Shinobu turned back to her desk. 'Well, it's not as if I'll stop watching over her.'
Shinobu went back to her work in a much better mood than before.
A few days later.
Tanjiro fell onto a routine easily at the Butterfly Estate.
Have Aoi's food for breakfast, train as much as his injured arm allowed him to, talk with the caterpillars during breaks and participate in the Functional Recovery Training with Kanao.
For the latter, Kanao kept her own left arm behind her back during the reflex training; he is more or less tied with her when using both arms so having him try and wrestle a victory with just one would be useless and he wouldn't get any training done.
However, he couldn't help but feel restless. Part of it was because he would prefer to be on missions and collecting demon blood to send to Tamayo, he still feels bad that he couldn't get any blood from that Lower Moon, but the thing that was at the front of his mind for now was that he was being watched.
'…yeah, this isn't just a feeling, she is definitely watching me.' Tanjiro thought, noticing Kanao at the corner of his eyes. 'Does she maybe need something…? Well, only one way to find out.' Finishing his latest repetition, he wiped the sweat on his forehead with his sleeve before turning to the black haired girl.
"Kanao, did you need something?" The girl blinked, staring at him, her entire body looking tense. 'Hm? This scent… fear?' Tanjiro frowned as he identified the scent. "A- eh?"
Before he could say anything Kanao ran away and inside the main house.
'…did I do something to scare her?' He wondered. 'It might not be a good idea to go after her right now but… what could have scared her?' The red haired teen wondered as he went back to training. 'I don't think I've done anything to make her afraid of me, have I?'
He thought back to the interactions they had but nothing stood out for him.
'Let's see… we didn't really interact during the Final Selection, we didn't even see each other until we were both out. The next time I met her was when Makomo brought Genya and I here after the trial… then the Functional Recovery Training… we talked right before I left for Rengoku-san's Estate too but… hm?' Tanjiro frowned. 'If I did something then it was probably during that conversation but she didn't seem upset back then… I'll try asking her later.' With his mind made up, he went back to focusing completely on his training.
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.
'Well, she is definitely avoiding me.' Tanjiro didn't need his nose to be able to tell that; every time they caught sight of each other, Kanao would smile politely, bow and leave without letting him get a word in. 'I thought she might need to do something at first but this has gone past that point now…'
"Hm, Tanjiro-san?" His thoughts were interrupted when he heard Kiyo's voice. "Is something wrong?"
"Ah, well… sort of." He said. "Do you know if something happened to Kanao recently?"
"Recently… well, yes, actually." The little girl nodded. "She has been helping out more with chores and even bought everyone here sweets; she had never done that before."
"Is that so?"
"Yes; why? Did something happen between you and Kanao-san?"
"I'm not sure, it feels like she's avoiding me but I can't think of why."
"Hmm…" Kiyo frowned in thought. "Now that I think about it, the change began around the time Tanjiro-san and the others left for Rengoku-sama's home."
"Is that so?"
The two crossed their arms and frowned in thought.
'Could it be that I said something bad during our last conversation before I left?'
"Um…"
"Yes?"
"I think the best way to know would be to ask her directly but you said she is avoiding you… ah! I know!"
"What is it?"
"Shinobu-sama told her to help you train, right?"
"Yes; she was helping me with the Functional Recovery Training earlier today too."
"You have to do the training again tomorrow, you can ask her then." Kiyo said happily. "I don't know why Kanao-san is avoiding you but she won't skip on her duties; I'm sure of it."
"I see." Tanjiro smiled and patted her head. "Thank you, Kiyo-chan, that helps a lot."
"Don't mention it."
The next day.
Just like Kiyo said, Kanao showed up to help with the recovery training.
'Hmm… she still has the scent of fear around her.' He thought.
There was no outward sign of it, she still looked like she was smiling politely and waiting to being the training as usual, but there was no fooling Tanjiro's nose.
"We have other things to do so we'll leave you to do the training." Naho said, Kiyo and Sumi nodding in agreement.
Truthfully, Kiyo had told the other two about the situation with Tanjiro and Kanao and asked that they go with her so they can talk.
Tanjiro mouthed a 'thank you' to the three before they left and turned to Kanao who had already sat down to do the reflex training.
The Kamado sat on the opposite side as if he was ready but neither made a move.
They usually have someone give a signal to begin in this situation but it was only the two of them this time so Kanao didn't know when they should begin.
"Excuse me." Tanjiro said calmly. "Can I ask you something?"
"…what is it?"
"Did I do something to scare you?" He asked with a frown.
"Eh?"
"I can pick the scent of fear from you when you see me and you always run away when I call out or turn to you… can you tell me what I did to cause that?"
"Ah… it's not that." Kanao answered slowly.
"Then?"
"Are you… are you angry with me?" She asked, glancing away.
"Hm? Why would I?"
"Back in the Natagumo mountain… I kicked your head and broke your jaw… and I chased your sister."
"In Natag… that was you?!" Tanjiro exclaimed with wide eyes.
Kanao looked down and nodded.
"I didn't even know, I was so exhausted back then that I couldn't recognize you." He admitted. "Wait… so you were worried that I was angry at you for what happened back then?"
Kanao nodded once more.
"Well… I honestly didn't even know it was you so I couldn't be angry in the first place." Seeing how the black haired girl tensed up he quickly added. "Ah! But I'm not angry at you even now that you told me!"
"…really?"
"Really; I was carrying my sister whom you thought was just a demon at the time so I can't blame you for that... well…"
"What is it?"
"I admit I'm a bit upset that you tried to kill Nezuko, even if I can understand why."
"…I'm sorry for that."
"I accept your apology." Tanjiro smiled.
"Eh?" Kanao raised her head and looked him in the eye. "…just like that?"
"I don't think you were going after Nezuko out of malice, I already said that I understand why you were attacking her and you just apologized so I don't see any reason to be angry." He explained. "Ah, I would like to ask that you apologize to her as well, though."
"…alright." Kanao nodded, a small smile forming in her face. "I'll do that the next time she wakes up."
"Thank you." The Kamado's smile widened. "Now, we should start with the training; thank you as always."
The Tsuguko nodded.
"Ah… we don't have anyone to give us a signal." Tanjiro thought out loud. "Kanao, do you have your coin with you?"
"Hm? Yes, why?" She tilted her head slightly in curiosity.
"Can you flip it? We can use the moment it touches the ground as our signal to begin."
Kanao nodded, took her coin out and flipped it in the air before focusing on the cups in front of her.
The moment the 'cling' of the coin was heard, two hands shot out in an attempt to lift the cups.
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A few hours later
"Ara~ Ara~; I see you two are still hard at work." Shinobu said with a smile as she walked inside the training room.
Tanjiro and Kanao both stopped 'playing tag' and turned to her.
"Good afternoon, Shinobu-san." Tanjiro greeted while Kanao nodded in her direction as a greeting. "Is something the matter?"
"You seem to have lost track of time Kamado-kun, you had a check-up for your arm about half an hour ago."
"…ah! I'm so sorry!" The red haired teen said in a panic.
"It's alright, I don't think you did it on purpose." Shinobu assured him. "Still, I have other things to do, so could you follow me so I can give you that check-up now; I'm sorry Kanao but can you handle the clean-up here?"
The Tsuguko nodded, not looking bothered by the request.
"Thank you for the help Kanao, I'll see you later." He waved at the Tsuguko as he followed the Insect Pillar out.
Kanao stared at the two's retreating backs, a voice at the back of her mind whispering for her to say something.
Quickly, she flipped her coin.
'Tails, I call out to them; Heads, I don't.' She caught it in the back of her hand and, almost imperceptibly, frowned at the result. 'Heads… hm, did I just… wished it was tails?' That question brought forth a bundle of thoughts, thoughts she didn't know how to make heads or tails of.
She had never had any thoughts regarding the results of her coin, one way or another, it didn't matter because 'nothing matters to her'. Suddenly faced with the notion that the result 'matters' made her stay rooted in place and staring at her coin.
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"…nao! Kanao!"
The Tsuguko snapped to attention and saw Aoi in front of her, one hand on her shoulder and moving her.
"Are you alright? I was calling out to you for almost a minute."
"Ah…" She muttered, not knowing what answer to give. "I… I have to put the things away…"
Pocketing her coin, she turned to the table and cups and began to put them away; using the task to get her mind off the thoughts that made her freeze.
All the while, Aoi watched over her with a worried frown.
The next day.
Tanjiro and Kanao had just finished another round of the Functional Recovery Training and were putting away all the cups.
"Hey, Kanao."
"Yes?"
"Do you have time after this?"
"Hm?" She thought for a moment. "I don't have anything to do today; is something wrong?"
"No, I just wanted to ask for your help with a move of the Hinokami Kagura."
"…I'm sorry, the what?"
"Ah! I never told you, did I?" He chuckled sheepishly. "It's a dance that is passed down my family, I combined it with Total Concentration Breathing when fighting in Natagumo and the results were stronger than the Water Breathing Style I had been using before then."
"I see."
"There is one move in particular that I'm not certain if I can pull of properly, I did it once, but I want to make sure it wasn't a fluke." He finished. "So… can you help me?"
Kanao pulled out her coin and was about to flip it when Tanjiro gently placed his hand on top of hers.
"…I'd rather you helped me because you want to, not because of the coin." He said calmly.
"Ah…" Kanao's body tensed as she stared at his hand on top of hers, not knowing how to respond to that declaration.
"Don't worry, I'm not upset." Tanjiro quickly assured her. "I don't know why you have to flip that coin but I understand that just me flipping it back then and telling you to follow your heart won't magically make you stop using it… but I don't want to make you help me just because the coin said so." He smiled warmly before removing his hand. "I'd still appreciate your help if you're okay with it but you can always say no if you want; I won't be upset."
"Then…" Kanao flipped the coin. "Heads, I help you… tails, I don't." She said before catching it.
Tanjiro looked at her hand, waiting for her to reveal the result..
'Tails.' The two thought in unison.
But, before Tanjiro could say anything, Kanao flipped it again.
The Kamado's eyes widened in surprise but he remained quiet.
Kanao caught the coin once more and revealed the result.
"…it's heads." She said simply.
Tanjiro smiled, the same smile as when he said goodbye to her after their first real conversation, and nodded.
"Thank you, Kanao!"
"D-don't mention it." She answered, suddenly finding a spot on the floor very interesting. "But… I'm not sure you should be using a technique of a Breath Style in your condition." She pointedly stared at his left arm, still on a sling.
"Don't worry, Shinobu-san told me yesterday that I'm allowed to train techniques as long as I don't overexert myself." He quickly assured her. "I can't spar but this is just to check that technique and see if I can actually use it."
Kanao nodded before going to a rack in a wall, grabbing two wooden swords and passing one to Tanjiro before walking a few feet away.
"I'm ready." She said, preparing her sword.
"Thanks again." Tanjiro said still smiling before his expression turned serious and holding the sword with his uninjured arm. "I'll try to strike you once, I can't really spar or follow-up so that will have to be enough for me to check."
Kanao nodded, her expression neutral and her eyes scanning his stance in preparation of whatever technique he was about to unleash.
Tanjiro didn't give any outward sign that he was about to move before suddenly dashing forward, his sword poised for an horizontal slash.
Kanao prepared to parry the strike but, just as Tanjiro was about to get in her range, he disappeared from her view.
Her eyes widened in surprise for a split second before she moved her sword to her left, blocking Tanjiro's strike from behind her and parrying it upwards.
"Ah… guess I still can't do it properly." The red haired teen said with a sigh as he relaxed his stance. "Thank you for your help, Kanao."
"That's wrong."
"Hm?"
The girl turned to him.
"You… disappeared from my sight, I couldn't see you at all." She began. "Was that the purpose of that technique?"
"Yes, it's called 'Fake Rainbow'." Tanjiro nodded. "I only used it effectively once before, although I'm not sure if I actually managed to do it or I just caught my opponent by surprise when I moved. Anyway, what do you mean that I'm wrong?"
"Your technique was effective, I couldn't see you at all when you moved."
"But… how did you block my strike then?"
"It was a reflex." She pointed to her eyes with her left index finger. "I noticed when you were charging at me that your eyes focused on my left side, when I lost sight of you I just reacted and moved my sword there." To Kanao's shock, Tanjiro's face lost all color as if he'd just seen a ghost. "E-eh? Tanjiro?"
"…Sabito is going to kill me." He whispered.
"W-what?"
"He helped me train before I went to the Final Selection and having a tell like what you mentioned is one of the things he, quite literally, beat out of me; I can't believe I still do that." He said in a quiet voice while looking at the ground.
"Ah, no, that- you don't have to worry!" Kanao suddenly yelled.
"Eh?"
"Ah, sorry." She said, much more quietly. "It wasn't that obvious of a tell, I barely caught it at all, I'm sure most people couldn't catch it."
"…really?"
"Yes, I've been told that I have very good eyes, it's only because of it that I could see where you were aiming." Kanao assured him.
"I see." Tanjiro let out a sigh of relief. "So that's why, I was really worried for a second."
"S-sorry." She looked down.
"Ah, no, you don't have to apologize." He quickly replied. "By the way, I had a feeling your eyes were special back during the first time you helped me with the Functional Recovery Training." He said to change the subject.
"Is that so?"
"Yes, it was just a feeling but a lot of times it felt like you were moving your hand to block the cup I was trying to lift before I even started to move mine."
"Ah… I can do that sometimes." She nodded.
"Do I glance at the cup I'm going for like I did just now when I tried to catch you off guard?"
"That too… but it's more of a movement of your shoulder and the way your body leans towards a certain cup that I usually catch when we're doing the reflex training; I can't just look at your eyes or I can't be completely sure which cup you're going for, even if it gives me a hint."
"That's amazing!" Tanjiro praised. "Your eyes are amazing, Kanao!"
"E-eh? That… thank you." She mumbled, glancing at the floor.
"You're welcome." He said before a thought crossed his mind. "By the way, can you tell me what Breath Style you practice?"
"I use the Flower Breathing."
"Oh, what kind of Breath Style is it?"
"It's…" Kanao paused for a moment to think of the right words. "I'm not sure how to explain it… is it okay if I just show you some of the forms?"
"Of course! I'd love to see them." The red haired teen nodded happily before moving towards the wall of the room to give her space.
Preparing the wooden sword, Kanao considered which forms to use for a few moments before moving.
'Flower Breathing, Fifth Form, Peonies of Futility.' The Swordswoman took a step forward and began to swing her sword, first in a downwards slash that reached at around the height of a person's neck, as soon as it reached a spot where it would have cut, she moved the sword to her left and slashed horizontally until she reached the same spot, she repeated the motion with a diagonal upwards slash going from right to left, then a diagonal downwards one from right to left and finally an horizontal one from right to left; each slash flowing from one to the other. 'From here; Sixth Form, Whirling Peach.' Kanao jumped as if to dodge an attack and spun in mid-air, using the rotation to add strength to her swing and performing an horizontal slash while upside down before gracefully landing on her feet.
She held the stance for a moment before letting out a huff of breath and relaxing.
"Those were two of the Flower Breathing forms." Kanao said as she turned towards Tanjiro.
The Kamado was staring with wide eyes and his mouth slightly open.
"Tanjiro? Is something wrong?" She called out, confused at the look he was giving her.
"Ah! No, sorry, that… that was beautiful Kanao." He said sheepishly.
"…eh?"
"The way you swung your sword, the movements were different but it reminded me of how I felt when I saw my dad perform the Dance of the Fire God; I could never take my eyes off, the Flower Breathing is a beautiful style."
"..." Kanao could only stare, tilting her head slightly. 'Out of everything he could say about the Flower Breathing… he calls it beautiful?' A small smile formed on her face. 'I didn't expect that at all.'
"Thank you, Tanjiro." She finally said.
"Don't mention it, thank you for showing me." Tanjiro said happily. "Oh, would you like to see some of the forms of the Dance of the Fire God?"
"…as long as it doesn't affect your injury, then yes." Kanao nodded. "I can show you the other forms of Flower Breathing as well if you want."
"I'd love to see them!"
They spent the rest of the afternoon showing and explaining the principles behind their techniques.
.
.
As Tanjiro noticed that the sun had gone down, he turned to Kanao.
"Maybe we should stop for today."
The black haired girl nodded when she noticed the lack of light as well and the two left the wooden swords back in the rack.
"Ah, do you want to see if Nezuko wakes up today?"
Kanao almost nodded but flinched, then moved a hand to her coin and flipped it.
"…yes." She answered after seeing the result.
"Alright, let's go."
.
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A short walk later, the two arrived at the room the younger Kamado is using.
Tanjiro quietly opened the door and walked in, Kanao following behind him.
To the red haired teen's delight, his sister was sitting on the bed.
"Nezuko." He greeted, approaching with a smile. "Did you sleep well?" He asked while patting her head.
Nezuko nodded and mumbled a 'yes'.
"I see, that's good." Tanjiro said before turning to Kanao. "There is someone else here to visit you; do you remember her?"
Nezuko turned her eyes from her brother to the Tsuguko.
Kanao unconsciously tensed up, wondering what her reaction would be.
After around a minute of Nezuko squinting, frowning in thought and tilting her head to the sides; she shook her head 'no'.
"Well… do you want to explain, Kanao?" Tanjiro offered.
She almost went for her coin before she remembered why she came here.
'I already said I would apologize… explaining myself is part of that.' Kanao thought, taking a deep breath and walking a few steps closer.
"I… saw you at Natagumo, I thought you were just another demon and tried to kill you." She said before placing holding her hands together and bowing. "I'm sorry."
"Hn!"
Kanao glanced up to see a happy expression on the younger Kamado.
"Looks like she forgives you." Tanjiro translated with a smile of his own.
The Tsuyuri let out a sigh of relief and stood straight once more.
"Thank you."
Nezuko nodded twice before suddenly looking sleepy.
"Hm? Nezuko?" Tanjiro called out.
She gave him a sleepy smile under her muzzle before falling asleep again.
"…ah, hehe." Tanjiro chuckled. "You forced yourself to wake up so I wouldn't worry, didn't you?" He said with a smile before tucking her in. "Thank you, Nezuko; sleep well."
With those words, he turned towards the door and Kanao followed him out.
"Looks like she doesn't hold what happened at Natagumo against you." Tanjiro said happily as the two walked away from the room, passing through the garden.
"Yes." Kanao nodded. "I wasn't sure if she would or not."
"Nezuko was never one to hold grudges." The older Kamado said with a smile. "Not that she ever had a reason to hold one… well, before that happened, at least." His smile disappeared as he said the last part.
Kanao tensed up at the change of demeanor.
"…is everything okay?"
"Ah! Sorry, I got lost in thought." Tanjiro said. "Thanks again for helping me train and for apologizing to Nezuko."
"You're welcome… are you sure you're okay?"
"Hm?"
"It's just… your smile doesn't looks the same as always." She revealed.
"…you really have good eyes, Kanao." He chuckled sheepishly. "I just remembered what happened the day Nezuko was turned into a demon." Tanjiro looked away sadly.
'Eh…?' Kanao felt a pang in her chest at the sight.
"I'll be fine, thank you for worrying." He said, smiling honestly this time.
'It's better but… still not the same.' The Tsuguko thought. 'Why did he…?'
She took out her coin once more; she only tossed it once.
"Tanjiro."
"Yes?"
"Could you… could you tell me… about what happened to you and your sister?"
"Eh… I don't mind but, why?"
"…I'm not sure." She said with a small frown. "I… I think… I want to know… why you joined the Demon Slayer corps… no, that's not it but…" Kanao trailed off, her frown deepening in thought.
"…it's alright, I don't mind telling you." Tanjiro said. "We should go sit somewhere, this might take a while."
"Follow me." Kanao gestured for him to follow and began to walk.
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Kanao brought him to what could be called her 'spot' at the garden of the Butterfly Estate; the same spot he found her when he flipped her coin.
The two sat down side by side, only the half-moon providing any light.
"So… where should I begin…?" Tanjiro thought out loud. "I lived in a mountain with my parents and my siblings…"
The Kamado told Kanao about where he grew up, their business as charcoal sellers, the Dance of the Fire God his father used to perform, as well as some other stories from his childhood; gleefully remembering the good times.
His demeanor changed when he said how his father was sickly and died and once more when he told her the events of the day he came back home and found his family killed.
He explained how he had to fight Giyu to save Nezuko and how the Water Pillar's Tsuguko spared them and told him to go to Mt. Sagiri.
"I vowed before leaving home… no, I think it was when Tomioka-san told me that Nezuko was turned into a demon, that I would find a way to make her human again." He said, his right hand clenching around his knee. "If you ask me why I joined the corps… then that's my reason, I want to turn her back into a human and this is the best, and possibly only way, for me to do it."
"…" Kanao stared at him speechless, unsure of what she could say after hearing his story; saying 'thank you for telling me' somehow felt inappropriate.
"Kanao?" She was brought out of her thoughts when he called her name.
"Sorry, I just don't know what to say."
"It's alright, you don't have to say anything." Tanjiro assured her, looking up at the night sky. "Did you figure out why you wanted to know?"
"...no." Kanao shook her head. "But… I'm glad you told me." She smiled slightly. "I'm not sure if it's inappropriate to say that but… I appreciate that you shared your past with me."
"You're welcome." He smiled reassuringly. "If you don't mind me asking, why did you join the corps, Kanao?"
"I wanted to repay Kanae-nee-san and my Master for taking me in." She answered simply. "They have taken many people in… only Aoi, Kiyo, Naho, Sumi and me are still here, though."
"I see… where were you before they took you in?"
Kanao's eyes widened slightly at the question.
"Ah, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to." He quickly added. 'Her scent changed when I asked that.'
The black haired girl didn't say anything, just sat there frozen; she could have been confused for a statue with how still she was.
Around a minute later, she took out her coin and flipped it.
'Heads, I tell him; Tails, I don't.' Kanao thought before catching the coin. 'Tails.' She glanced at Tanjiro.
The Kamado was waiting patiently for her to tell the result.
'I…' Biting her lip, she flipped the coin again. 'Tails again.' She flipped it once more without waiting.
And again, and again, and again.
'…all of the results are tails…' She thought, her body tensing without realizing.
"Kanao." Tanjiro called out, gently moving his hand over hers and covering the coin. "I'm not sure what you're deciding but it seems like you really want to talk."
It's true, she wants to; she may not realize it consciously and still 'let the coin decide' but the fact that she flipped it so many times is proof that a part of her wants to talk.
"If you can't talk until the coin let's you then take your time." Those words made her look up to him and he smiled reassuringly. "I'm not going anywhere, you can keep tossing the coin as long as you want; I'll wait."
The tension that was built until now seemed to vanish at his words and Kanao took a deep breath.
"…thank you." She said before flipping the coin again. '…tails.' She glanced at Tanjiro who's expression hadn't changed. 'It's okay… he'll wait.' That knowledge brought a small, genuine, smile to her face as she flipped the coin once more.
And again, and again, until finally.
'Heads.' The coin gave a different result. "…I'm not entirely sure where I lived, no one ever told me, but the houses were shoddy and the people… they weren't anything like your family or the people of the town you described… barely anyone talked with each other." She gave a faraway look, as if she was talking about someone else. "The living conditions were bad, I don't think I ever took a proper bath before coming to the Butterfly Estate and my parents… I don't know what it is that I did wrong but they hit me many times, at first it was because I asked for food when I was hungry but when I stopped asking, it was because my stomach rumbled, then… anyway, one day I just stopped caring." Her expression remained neutral as she said all this, not giving the slightest sign of emotion. "Something… 'snapped', I'm not sure how to describe it, but being hungry or filthy or anything… it just didn't matter to me anymore. It wasn't long after that when my parents sold me to a man, he tied a rope around my waist and took me away; I'm not sure where, I didn't bother to ask anyone, I just followed that man to wherever he was taking me." Although unconsciously, her mouth curved into a small smile before she spoke the next part. "Kanae-nee-san and my Master stopped that man and asked what he was doing with me before 'paying' for me." She stopped for a moment, as if waiting for a question, but when she glanced at Tanjiro he was just staring at her with a sad look in his red eyes that made her look away. "A-anyway… when I say 'paying' I mean that Master took some coins from a pocket, threw them in the air and, in the confusion, grabbed the rope around me before her and Kanae-nee-san took me away." Kanao glanced towards Tanjiro once again to see the same look. "W-what is it?" She asked, turning to look at him fully.
"I'm so sorry that happened to you, Kanao." He answered.
"Ah… thank you." The black haired girl answered simply.
"Are you alright?"
"Yes."
"…really?"
"Hm?"
"Since you started telling me this… it's like you're suppressing your scent."
"My scent?"
"I have a good nose and I can even tell other people's emotions by their scent." Tanjiro explained. "Your scent when you started to tell your story… I'm not sure how to explain it properly but it felt as if it was trying to hide."
Kanao frowned at that.
"I don't know what to say… I don't think I can control my scent."
"I doubt anyone can." He smiled thinly. "Are you really?"
"Eh?"
"Are you really alright, Kanao?" Tanjiro asked again.
"…it doesn't matter." Kanao answered after a few seconds.
"It does matter." In contrast, the Kamado said that immediately.
"…" She stared at him, the seriousness in his expression surprising her, before answering. "I… I know I'm not." Kanao finally said, although her expression didn't seem to reflect that as she smiled her polite smile. "It's a fact, I've known for a long time that there is something wrong with me-"
"No." Tanjiro interrupted her sharply.
"What?" Her eyes widened in surprise.
"If someone could go through what you went through and genuinely be alright… then I can't help but think there must have been something wrong with them to begin with."
"What… what do you mean?"
"Kanao, there is nothing wrong with you, the wrong thing is what happened to you and what that caused you; not with you." He said firmly.
Kanao's eyes opened wide at that sentence and an old memory surfaced to her mind.
Flashback
"You should have told us you fell and hurt your knee." Kocho Kanae said as she gently cleaned a wound on Kanao's left knee.
The girl just stared at her, not even wincing when she applied the alcohol to clean the wound.
"Why didn't you tell anyone, Kanao?" She asked. "If Aoi-chan didn't tell us we wouldn't have known."
"It isn't something that I should bring attention to." Kanao answered in monotone.
"Why not? It may not be a serious wound or anything but it must have still hurt, right?"
"No, it didn't hurt."
"It didn't?"
"It can't hurt, if something hurts then I get hurt more; so it didn't hurt."
Kanae almost looked like she was about to cry when she heard her say such a thing with her usual monotone tone.
"Kanao." She placed the gauze down and then slowly and gently placed her hands on Kanao's face. "Do you think anyone here will hurt you for saying that something hurts?"
"…no?" It was said more as a question than as a statement.
Carefully, Kanae wrapped her arms around the smaller girl and hugged her.
"No one here will be upset if you say that something hurts; you can always tell me or Shinobu or anyone else without worry." She moved back a bit to look her in the eye. "I know that words alone may not be enough to convince you but I give you my word, if you're ever not okay or something hurts then you can always tell us. None of us will be angry at you for that."
Kanao just stared impassively, unaware of what she should say.
Kanae gave her another gentle smile before she spoke.
"You told us what happened before we found you and I can't begin to imagine what that must have been like but I can be sure of one thing. It wasn't your fault."
"Isn't there something wrong with me and that's why that happened?"
"No." Kanae, usually cheerful and smiling gently, said that with such a seriousness that Kanao couldn't help but flinch. "Kanao, there is only one thing I can say for certain, there is absolutely nothing wrong with you." She said before hugging her once again. "There will come a time when you'll be able to open your heart and decide by yourself once more, until then, please just remember what I've said."
Kanao remained still in her arms for a moment before nodding.
End of flashback
After remembering that conversation, Kanao looked down with a small smile.
"You remind me of Kanae-nee-san."
"Hm?"
"She told me something similar once." The black haired girl said while closing her eyes. "She also said that there will come a time when I'll be able to decide by myself."
"I believe she was right." Tanjiro said softly.
"…me too." Kanao nodded, looking at him in the eye. "I think she would have liked you."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"I'm glad to hear that." The red haired teen smiled. "Is this change of subject your way of saying you don't want to talk about this anymore?"
"I just… don't know how I'm supposed to talk about it." She answered. "Maybe I'll know one day."
"Feel free to ask me when that day comes if you want."
A smile formed in Kanao's face.
"I will."
After their conversation that night, the two grew obviously closer.
There wasn't a big change in their routine except that Kanao began to aid Tanjiro in his training outside of the Functional Recovery Training, at his request, but they could be seen doing most things together unless Kanao had something to do at the Butterfly Estate.
This continued for five days until Kanao's crow relayed new orders for her.
Once she confirmed them and told Shinobu, she went to see Tanjiro who, unsurprisingly, was swinging his sword.
His arm had almost healed and he would likely be discharged in three more days, four tops, according to Shinobu.
"Ah, Kanao!" Tanjiro called out happily when he noticed her presence. "How are you doing?"
"I'm fine… I have a mission."
"Oh, I see." Tanjiro looked surprised for a moment but his smile returned after a moment. "Do you know how long it will take?"
"I'm not sure but… there is a chance I might not be back before you go."
"Ah, I thought that might be the case." He smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry about it, we both have to take care of our missions; I'll send you a letter once I'm back at Rengoku-san's Estate."
"Thank you." Kanao nodded. "Take care."
"You too, good luck in your mission."
With another nod, Kanao turned around and grabbed her things before leaving for the mission.
Two days later.
Fortunately, Kanao's mission didn't take nearly as long as she thought; the demon was arrogant and literally announced its presence to her the first night she arrived to the site.
Not that the arrogance was completely unfounded but she was still able to dispose of it with relative ease and go back home.
She could have stayed at an inn for another day to rest a bit but, after flipping her coin, she decided to go back the day after defeating the demon.
It was night time as she entered the Butterfly Estate and the first face to greet her was, once again, Tanjiro.
"Ah, Kanao!" He called out happily. "Welcome back."
"I'm back." Kanao answered. "Oh, is your arm healed?" She asked, noticing the absence of the sling.
"Yes, Shinobu-san said that I can go on missions again starting tomorrow."
"I see…" The Tsuguko trailed off. "I'm glad."
"Thank you; how are you? I didn't think you would be back so fast."
"The demon announced its presence the first night I arrived so I was able to come back sooner than I thought; it didn't manage to wound me."
"I see." Tanjiro said before stifling a yawn. "Sorry, I was about to go to sleep and go back to Rengoku-san's home tomorrow."
"Oh, you should go then; I'll report to my Master and go to sleep as well."
"Alright, I'm glad you came back uninjured, good night." He waved as he walked away.
Kanao waved back and only dropped her arm when Tanjiro turned a corner and she couldn't see him anymore.
.
.
"Ah, Kanao, welcome back." Shinobu said happily.
The Tsuguko wasn't surprised to see her awake and at her desk working, it was a normal occurrence to see her pull an all-nighter, even outside of missions to slay demons.
"I'm back." Kanao answered. "I managed to defeat the demon, I didn't get any injuries." She said, not wanting to keep her awake more than necessary.
"I'm glad to hear it." Shinobu said after taking a moment to look her over for any wounds. "I'm glad you're back, you can go rest now."
"Um…"
"Is there something else?"
Shinobu saw her take out her coin and flip it, feeling a sense of deja-vu, until she caught it and saw her frown.
Before the Insect Pillar could ask if something was wrong, her eyes widened when Kanao flipped the coin again and smiled slightly after seeing the result.
"I… have a request."
"…"
"Master?"
"Oh, sorry." Shinobu apologized, recovering from the shock. "A request, you say?"
"Yes… I…"
The next morning.
Tanjiro had gotten everything ready the night before for his departure and said goodbye to Shinobu, Aoi and the caterpillars so he was now walking quietly towards the exit of the Butterfly Estate, Nezuko's box secured on his back.
He expected to leave quietly without waking anyone up so he was slightly surprised when he saw Kanao standing at the door.
"Kanao?" The red haired teen said in surprise.
"Ah… good morning." She greeted.
"Good morning." He said back as he approached. "What are you doing here?" Tanjiro asked, noticing a bag on her back and her sword at her waist.
"I… I'm coming with you to the Flame Estate."
"…eh?" The Kamado blurted. "Wait… really?"
"Y-yes."
"Why? I mean, I don't mind but… I thought you had to stay here since you're Shinobu-san's Tsuguko."
"I already asked permission from her, she gave the ok." Kanao answered.
"Oh…" Tanjiro's surprised expression turned to a happy one. "Well, in that case, please take care of me from now on." He said with a bow.
"L-likewise." She imitated him before they left together for the Flame Pillar's home.
And done!
I told you Kanao was going to get a lot more involved in the story now! Hehehe.
You know, I found it kind of hard to write about Kanao; I think it was because I sort of had to balance out how much Tanjiro's influence was helping her to how much she still depends on the coin.
Her still using the coin but flipping it several times after Tanjiro's words is one of my favorite headcanons.
Before I finish:
One
I made a discord server for TanKana; if you're interested in joining, please send me a PM at my account (Manu259) or the twitter account 'TanKana Estate ( TankanaW)'
Two
There is a TanKana fanzine in the works as we speak; if you want to follow it, look up 'Efervescenes: A TanKana fanzine' in twitter or tumblr.
As always, I hope you enjoyed and don't forget to leave a comment.
Until next time!