Chapter Text
Tanjirou loved his sister. He would do anything for her. He's already decided he will. He does not regret following her into these woods, even if no one ever goes near it. He does not regret standing up for her against this hooded figure and most certainly does not regret giving up his freedom for hers. Even when this intimidating presence pulls back the fabric to reveal a boar's head, he does not waver. Sure, she shouldn't have wandered into the woods he stalks, and she definitely shouldn't have tried to take some of the fish from 'his' pond to eat, but that does not give this man the right to claim her. He can't actually own the entire woods. Yet, the creature grabs his baby sister by the arm and spouts how she will become his underling, which makes Tanjirou nothing short of furious. So, he has no choice but to offer up himself instead. He would rather die than see Nezuko put in this position. He sentences himself to what most in his village consider equal to an early grave, living with the beast in the woods.
So, that's why he's saying goodbye to his sister, whom he worked so hard to save. She brings him a bag of his things and promises to get him out. He thanks her but knows deep down he can't escape this. He knew that when he volunteered. Nezuko will be safe with Mrs. Tamayo; he knows it. She knows better than anyone how to care for a demon with humanity. He says his final goodbyes and is left to face the man who put him in this position. They walk in silence to wherever this guy is bringing them. He isn't looking at Tanjirou, but he feels like he's still watching him. After a couple of minutes, he couldn't stand the silence anymore.
"I'm Tanjirou."
Finally, the man actually faces him. However, Tanjirou doesn't know if that will make him feel better. The beady eyes of the boar stare through him. He can't tell if he's imagining things, but he doesn't quite see any movement. He can't read him at all.
"Huh? Why should I care?" The boar huffs down at him, and Tanjirou realizes he is actually a bit taller than him despite how big he makes himself look.
"Well, you'll have to call me something."
The boar thinks for a minute.
"Nah, you're just an underling. Names don't matter to Lord Inosuke!"
He isn't really scared anymore, just annoyed. This guy is arrogant. Tanjirou can smell it oozing off of him. He seems so tough but isn't even wearing a shirt. At least when he was covering his head earlier, he had something on, but he threw his cloak into the pond to try and scare him away. Sure, he had pretty big muscles, but Tanjirous were just as big, if not bigger. Usually, he is patient, but after this guy grabbed his sister so aggressively and dismissed his name as if he were trash, he just wanted him to go back to not talking. He scoffs a bit despite himself but takes note of his name.
"You know, everyone had me thinking you were a demon. It's kinda funny, considering you're a demon slayer."
Inosuke turns his head so fast it moves a little too far than humanly possible, making it more apparent to Tanjirou that it's a mask.
"Huh?? How'd you know that Taprio?"
"Tanjirou." He corrects, "And I figured that cause you're wearing those uniform pants and wielding those Nichiren swords, you're a demon slayer. Also, cause you're very muscular. Plus, it doesn't help that up close that boar head is really a mask." He smiles at him semi-passively aggressively, he does have to admit. Sue him.
Inosuke does not take this kindly, huffing and puffing the rest of the way. God, this guy really needed that ego check. Well, nobody's perfect. He's still a human, and a demon slayer, no less. He should at least try to get to know him. He's sure deep down there's some reason why he's like this. Honestly, there's no good reason for him to lose patience, but there's just something about this guy.
Soon enough, they come upon a large-looking house, seemingly out of nowhere. It looks old and abandoned, but there is a little sign with a boar head on it outside, so he's sure it's Inosuke's home. They both step inside, and Inosuke immediately takes Tanjirous's bags out of his hands. He thought he was trying to be hospitable, but he just threw the bags across the room, leaving Tanjirou with only his sword. Before he can say anything, Inosuke points one of his jagged swords in his face. It doesn't have a guard, so Inosuke could easily slip and cut his hands. Very irresponsible.
"Fight me."
Tanjirou looks at him like he's grown another boar head. "What? Is that why you wanted an underling? Just so you could fight them?" He's stood in the middle of an old house that looks more like a cave than where someone lives. He looks around and can already tell he's gonna really hate it. He can't complain about work, but this place seems uninhabitable and will take a lot of effort to clean it.
"Fight me!!"
Inosuke charges at him with his swords, which Tanjirou barely blocks in time. "What is your problem?" Tanjirou doesn't wanna fight this guy, but he keeps coming at him with attack after attack. He continues his defensive stance until Insouke is fuming.
"Coward!! Coward!! You're a demon slayer, fight me!!" Suddenly, Inosuke takes him by surprise and nicks him on the cheek. This guy is good; he can barely keep up with him. His body moves in such crazy ways that it's easy to see why people might think he isn't human. He moves like a wild animal.
"Stop that! I don't want to fight you, dude!" Finally, Tanjirou sees an opening. He drops his sword and runs towards him, grabbing him by the shoulders and headbutting him hard. Inosuke yells at him until he collapses on the floor. Thank god. He rubs his forehead as he looks around. He could definitely escape, but he doesn't know his way back. Plus, this guy is kinda dumb. He is sure that he can befriend him. Or at least make him cooperate. No one deserves to live like this. Inosuke clearly can't take care of himself; the least he can do is clean up a little before he leaves. He'll take off tomorrow. At least, that's what he tells himself as he picks up a nearby broom and cleans up the floors before curling up in a corner and sleeping up against his bag on someone else's floor.
