❝ we're running in the moonlight
we're dancing in the open waves
you're hangin' for a good time
something that'll make you stay. ❞

- moonlight, chase atlantic.

[honestly... if i had to pick a song that would describe y/n and tanjiro, it would be snowfall by oneheart, but the slowed version. it just fits them so badly, and i love them with my whole heart.]

━。゜✿ฺ✿ฺ゜。━

Y/N sighed as they ran after Mitsuri. The green-and-pink haired woman decided to sprint down the hill after an encounter with a certain black-haired Shinazugawa.

All they heard was crying after he had turned away after Mitsuri tried to introduce herself and ran off - in the exact same fashion as when they had first met him.

It was funny to see it from a different perspective, knowing he didn't mean any harm - he was just rather... shy. It made him even cuter in Y/N's eyes.

"Mitsuri-san, stop running!" Y/N only yelled, just as they were coming up to the village.

All they got in response was, "Ohhhh! Ohhh! It's you, Tanjiro-kun! Tanjiro-kun!"

Y/N put their hand on their forehead and sighed once more, "Of course Tanjiro-kun is here... Next thing you know, we'll have an Upper Moon on our hands with his god damn luck..."

"W-Watch out!" Tanjiro shouted back, hands up in defensive, dotted eyed, "Please be careful! Your breasts are this close to spilling out!

Y/N snorted out a laugh as they continued running. Tanjiro was funny without even trying sometimes.

As the Moon Hashira stopped at the end of the stairs, they watched as Tanjiro pull Mitsuri's borrowed red haori over her chest to cover her breasts in a respectful manner - Y/N had to applaud him.

"Ahhh! Listen to me! Listen, will you?"

Y/N walked over as Mitsuri cried on her knees, Tanjiro just continuously staring with dotted eyes.

"Just now, up there, I got ignored! I said hello, but he ignored me!" Mitsuri cried, then pointed at Y/N, "Y/N-san you saw it! He ignored me!"

"Who ignored you?"

Y/N covered their mouth with their hand and let a few chuckles slip out, letting this one play out.

"I don't know!" Mitsuri answered, "So, I asked him his name, only to be ignored! Isn't that awful? I'm a Hashira, you know!"

Y/N wouldn't lie and say the way Mitsuri was crying and waving her hands about to deliver her sentences wasn't cute. They put their hand on her head and pat it gently.

"And now all the good vibes I got from my bath have been canceled out!"

Tanjiro and Y/N looked at each other with a smile in greeting, Y/N giving a soft giggle. (Tanjiro's eyes definitely softened but no one but he had to know that).

"I hear that dinner will be ready soon," Tanjiro looked back down at Mitsuri, "It's supposed to be matsutake rice!"

"Whaaaaaat?!" Mitsuri squealed, hands on her cheeks as she smiled with eyes glistening with glee, "For real?"

The Love Hashira got up and started skipping away. Then stopped. Then turned around and grabbed Y/N's hand and began skipping away again, dragging Y/N along with her.

"Dinner tonight is matsutake rice! Oh, yes it is!"

Y/N just resigned to their fate and let them be dragged by the beautiful woman.

-

By the time dinner was served, Mitsuri had calmed down and Y/N was slowly munching on some matsutake rice. They weren't much in the mood for talking, having relaxed in the hot springs and felt quite off today. Even with that odd feeling, the h/c haired Hashira had a lovely day; spent some time with Muichiro when he had wandered into Y/N but coincidence (but also not), spent some time with Mitsuri until the Shinazugawa incident, and now they were in the company of the sunshine himself, Tanjiro and Nezuko.

"Wow, that's impressive!"

Y/N looked up to see the bowls piled on top of one another as Mitsuri sweatdropped

"I really only nibbled today!"

Y/N sighed, poking Mitsuri, "Eat as much as you want, Mitsuri-san. No one will judge you here."

Tanjiro nodded in agreement, "I'm going to eat plenty, too, so I can get strong!"

Y/N nodded, tilting their head towards the red-haired Slayer, showing their agreement.

"Oh! I almost forget," Tanjiro spoke after, looking at Mitsuri, "The guy you met at the hot spring was Shinazugawa Genya, who was my fellow swordman."

"What? Is that so?" Mitsuri gasped, turning to Y/N, "That the man you go and give food to!"

Y/N hummed as the Love Hashira continued, "That would make him Mr. Shinazugawa's younger brother, right? But... Shinazugawa-san said he didn't have a younger brother. I wonder if they're on bad terms. That's just heart-wrenching..."

"Is that right?" Tanjiro mumbled with a small frown, "I wonder why..."

"Hey... Y/N-san, you're friends with them both, right?" Mitsuri turned to the h/c haired in curiousity.

"Hmm. It's not my place."

"That's fine!" Mitsuri smiled brightly at them. Just as she was about to speak again, she was interrupted by a small Nezuko getting in between her and Y/N, a hand on each their laps.

"What is it, Nezuko-chan?"

Y/N watched with fond eyes as Mitsuri laid Nezuko on her back and tickled her lightly. The smile Nezuko had on under her bamboo stick and her giggles made the Moon Hashira's eyes become soft, just watching the way the two.

"There, there!" Mitsuri grinned, "There are five of us siblings in my family, and we all get along... so it's hard for me to fathom. I thought, 'Those Shinazugawa brothers are scary!'"

"Genya still hasn't shown up. I was hoping that we could at least have a talk..."

Y/N wasn't listening in the conversation, just watching as Nezuko cuddled into Mitsuri like she was her older sister or mother, and they couldn't help the small smile slipping on their face.

"I don't think he's coming. I heard the villagers saying that he never takes meals... I wonder if he brought something with him."

"I wonder if he's all right." Tanjiro muttered, "I'll bring him some rice balls later..."

Mitsuri smiled at red-haired, "Good idea! Y/N-san usually done it alone as they're the only one who can get him to eat, but let's do it!"

Y/N's eyes snapped to Mitsuri at hearing their name, making hum in question.

"We're going to take some food to Shinazugawa, Y/N-san." Mitsuri smiled at the zoned-out Hashira, making them nod. "You usually take food to him, right?"

"Yes, I do." Y/N stood up and took the spare plate they always asked for and waited for the others to catch up.

"Would you like me to carry that, Y/N-san?" Tanjiro asked, red eyes looking at them with kindness.

Y/N smiled at him, "If you don't mind, I'd appreciate that."

Tanjiro grinned and gently took the plate from their hands. Just as their hands were free, one side was taken by Nezuko, who was now holding both Mitsuri and Y/N's hands.

A small chill went down their body, making them subtly look to their right. Seeing a familiar long red-haired transparent man, they smiled.

"Have fun?" The Moon Hashira whispered. Their smile widened slightly upon see the man nod.

"Y/N-san... there's something you need to kn—"

"Nezuko-chan! Nezuko-chan!"

Yoriichi quietened down at Mitsuri's voice, making Y/N look at him in confusion, to which he shook his head. "Later."

Y/N hummed quietly in acknowledgement.

"You know what?" Mitsuri said, "The sight of these rice balls is making me hungry again! Don't tell anyone, okay?"

All she got in response was Nezuko's small hums, a small grin peaking out from her bamboo stick.

It was silent except for Mitsuri's humming for a few moments, until Tanjiro broke it.

"Why did you join the Demon Slayer Corps, Kanroji-san?"

Mitsuri opened her eyes and turned her head back to Tanjiro, "Hmm? Me?"

She stopped walking and put her hands on her cheeks, blushing. "This is embarrassing! Oh dear, what should I do?"

Y/N smirked at Mitsuri, knowing exactly why she joined, and found it funny (and endearingly cute). They knew she didn't need someone to become an amazing person, she was already perfect in the h/c haired's eyes.

"You want to hear? Well, it's... to find people with whom I'll be spending eternity!"

Y/N looked at Tanjiro, seeing him sweatdrop with his mouth open in shock.

"I mean, any girl would prefer someone stronger than herself, right? Because we want to be protected! Do you know what I mean? Or maybe it's hard for a boy to understand! See, Hashira are powerful, right? But it's not like you can just meet up with one! So I knew I'd have to become a Hashira myself and I worked really hard!"

During Mitsuri's rant, Y/N was giggling to themselves as Tanjiro's face become increasingly more confused but accepting, his 'eh' getting longer. The h/c haired Hashira gripped Nezuko's hand tighter as they tried to keep themselves from laughing, making the demon sister look up at them in awe. She began to swing their arms back and forth in a way to get their attention.

Y/N looked down to see Nezuko reaching her arms up, hands opening and closing in a fist.

"Oh... I haven't done this in a while."

The Moon Hashira grabbed Nezuko under her arms and lifted her, hugging her to their chest. Nezuko cuddled into them, tucking her head under their chin, head resting gently on their collarbone. They looked down at the small demon and smiled, eyes softening in quiet gentleness reserved for the demon sister.

Y/N used their right arm to secure Nezuko and raised their left arm to caress her hair, stroking it.

"Comfy, darling?" They whispered to her, only getting low hums of delight and comfort. "Good."

Noticing that the two Slayers had been quiet whilst they held onto Nezuko, they looked up to see Mitsuri and Tanjiro staring with bright grins. The red-haired supported a light crimson blush on his cheeks, whilst the Love Hashira's face was bright red, eyes glimmering with love.

"I haven't seen you do that in a while, Y/N-san..." Tanjiro whispered, his smile still prominent on his face.

"Mhm... It's been a while," Y/N muttered back, glancing down at the demon who let out a small yawn. "I think she missed it."

"She does this often?!" Mitsuri squealed, "Y/N-san, you're so cute! You'd be so good with children!"

Y/N grimaced at that, "It's more like I'm only good with Nezuko-chan... but I supposed so." They looked at the plate in Tanjiro's hands, then back at the two, "We should get going and give Genya-kun his food so we can sleep too."

"Yes!" Tanjiro grinned, ever the one to be kind, "We need to be well-rested tomorrow!"

The three (plus the small demon that was now sleeping silently in Y/N's arms) walked in silence to Genya's room, only to find the door open, and the room empty.

"Genya doesn't seem to be here."

Before any of the others could response, a kakushi called, "Kanroji-san," The three looked at the kakushi, "They'll be done honing your sword soon. We'd like you to come to the workshop to make some final adjustments." She then turned to Y/N, "I have been told that your box will be done by tomorrow, L/N-san. Himeko-san told me to tell you to see her late evening tomorrow."

"Of course," Y/N smiled at the kakushi, "Thank you."

"Oh my, it looks like I have to go now." Mitsuri mumbled, slightly sad to leave the siblings and Y/N.

"Please don't mind us. I'll be happy to walk you over."

"That's all right, I'll probably be leaving in the middle of the night after I say goodbye to Y/N."

Y/N felt a small tap on their cheek, making them look at Nezuko who pointed at the floor. Knowing what she wanted, they gently let Nezuko down and watched at she ran and hugged Mitsuri in a tight hug.

"Oh, but..." Tanjiro muttered sadly, a frown on his face.

Mitsuri smiled at the red-haired, "Tanjiro-kun... We might not live to see each other again, but let's fight the good fight! You took on an Upper Rank demon and survived. That kind of experience is priceless! Nothing can ever top what you've learned from firsthand experience."

Y/N thought back to all the fights that had a massive impact on their life - when they first beat a Lower Moon, fighting Kibutsuji... Seeing Akaza and Kokushibo... Fighting Upper Moon Six. They could only agree with what Mitsuri was saying. Those fights has helped shape Y/N into who they were right now, and they knew they would continue to grow, especially with the help of Yoriichi.

They also knew Tanjiro would only continue to grow at a strong and fast pace - that's just who he was.

Mitsuri kneeled in front of Nezuko and pat her head, "It's equal to five years, no, ten years of hard training! Right now, Tanjiro-kun, you're far stronger than you ever were before."

She stood up and smiled, raising her hands into fists, "Kanroji Mitsuri is rooting for the Kamado siblings!"

Y/N couldn't help but look at Mitsuri with smile, a small blush on their face at the small giggle she let out.

"Thank you very much!" Tanjiro smiled as Nezuko hugged Mitsuri again, "But I've still got a long ways to go. Uzui-san and Y/N-san just let me win, that's all! I'll work even harder.. to defeat Kibutsuji Muzan!"

Even though Y/N wanted to lightly smack his head for that small sentence as he did his fair share in that fight, the fact he continued even when he was likely on death's door... They couldn't help but admire his spirit and determination.

"Oh!"

They could feel their heart burst with love for the red-haired beside them, the look on his face portraying his promise. Y/N couldn't help but love him even more.

"Tanjiro-kun, you've been granted permission for a long stay like Y/N-san, right?"

"Uh, yes, that's what I've been told..." Tanjiro glanced at Y/N, "Long stay?"

Y/N nodded, "Yes, they've been trying to find Haganezuka-san for a while now. He's my swordsmith, along with Himeko-san who is currently the one making my box for Akaza."

Tanjiro hummed in acknowledgement, knowing exactly what they meant.

Mitsuri looked at Y/N and smiled. Y/N raised an eyebrow, and it took a second until they realised what she wanted them to do. Both Mitsuri and Y/N looked at kakushi who only sweatdropped and blushed at the look.

"Y/N-san, why don't you tell him, then we can go look at my sword together!"

"Hmm, all right." Y/N then turned to Tanjiro, moving him so his back faced everyone else, and began whispering in his ear. "They say there's a secret weapon in this village that will make you stronger, try to find it, okay? If you need any help, then come find me."

Y/N turned and walked towards the waiting Kakushi and Love Hashira. Mitsuri turned around to follow the kakushi, but waved and smiled at the duo. "Bye now!"

"I'll see you later, Tanjiro-kun, Nezuko-chan." Y/N smiled at the siblings. They saw the small sad wave Nezuko was giving them, Tanjiro was just staring in shock.

Y/N had left just as blood gushed out of Tanjiro's nose.

The rest of the night went by quickly as Y/N sat in silence, watching as Mitsuri answered any of her swordsmiths' questions and suggestions. It took a few hours, but finally, Mitsuri's sword was finished and she was leaving.

"Be safe, Mitsuri-san." Y/N mumbled into her neck as they held each other in a tight hug. "It's been fun."

"Of course!" Mitsuri grinned at the Moon Hashira, "You be safe also! My patrol area isn't too far, so send a crow if you need anything!"

"I will."

Y/N watched at Mitsuri left with a kakushi, a small pit forming in the bottom of their stomach.