X: WHEEL OF FORTUNE

and he trusts her, he knows she will always go to grand extents just to keep him safe. it was a little frightening, to be so indebted to someone, as he was to her. however, he breathes alongside her — temperature slowly starting to lower, nausea slowly subsiding.

there was a thick swallow, before he lets go of his last breath — having calmed down enough to think.

"…it's difficult sometimes," he confesses, "may i be vulnerable for a moment, kocho-san?"

even as he calms, kanae doesn't yet move away--she lingers so near, holding onto his hands tightly: grounding him, i'm here. even if he were to retrieve his hand from her, she would not draw away from him in her desire to soothe and care for him.

indeed, she blinks in surprise upon hearing that question, caught off guard by it but remains quick to gather her wits once more.

THAT'S IT! that's his sister! —be quiet.

gaara grasps desperately to a sense of calm. immediately, he notices her eyes and her claws (immediately sparking a likeness to what lay dormant inside naruto uzumaki). there's a blink of shadowed eyes, before he kneels down to her height.

could she speak with that bamboo in her mouth?

"my name… is gaara," spoken slowly, trying to be as non-imposing as possible, "your brother said your name was nezuko."

and then, grains seem to gather along the ground. he does not reach for her, but a small tendril of sand slithers over slowly to her — curious and inquisitive.

oh, he does know tanjiro! nezuko seems to relax somewhat then, a tension held in her shoulders gradually releasing as she nods her confirmation, "mmhm!" yes, i'm nezuko.

and then pink eyes notice the moving sand, head tilting as she listens to gaara's explanation. keep safe...yes, protect. protecting is important. she protects humans, too.

a hand curiously reaches out, fingertips touching the softness of the sand as if she were trying to figure it out, yet nezuko doesn't shy away as she had been moments ago.

and gaara too, seemed to let go of a breath he'd been holding onto. it was relieving that the corps would handle it — or at least, that's what he innocently believed in the other's words. the relief eventually makes its way to his expression; a small smile easing its way to his lips.

the other's presence was… comforting.

"your help is valuable," he says, "you'll be paid for your work here — you may stay as long as you like."

and then, an extension of a hand; mild-mannered and non-intrusive. gaara takes the time to offer a firm handshake; symbolic of their new partnership.

truth be told, the more thought tanjiro put into it the less absolutely certain he were...but it were too late now! he'll just have to figure things out and make the best of it. after all, there's no way he could trouble gaara even more.

so tanjiro openly smiles as he takes gaara's hand in a firm handshake, albeit unavoidably rough courtesy of the callouses worn into his hands. tanjiro hoped gaara didn't mind too much...

an oblivious blink of shadowed eyes, "…your sister?"

he immediately thinks about temari; always much taller than other girls her age, more muscular, and about one-thousand times meaner. if gaara (or kankuro for the matter) tried to have her fit inside a box so small, he was sure she'd behead him with her fan.

…what a blessing to have a sister that's even a little less wrathful.

however, gaara eventually pulls himself out of his mess of thoughts with a clear of his throat. he looks back to tanjiro.

"i won't inquire more," he states, "but it's important that you're both given a place to rest. a box isn't something i'm willing to accept — not for her, at least."

as if he'd not expressed worry at all, with a calming energy to him — he turns away from tanjiro.

it almost seemed as if tanjiro were nervous for a moment--not everyone is very accommodating towards nezuko, especially as a demon. on one hand, the empathy in tanjiro meant he could understand the hesitation, the fear others showed...but he still hopes, selfishly, that they too will come to see nezuko for who she is and not what.

to come to accept her, until humanity can be returned. it is a hope he clings steadfast to.

but gaara seems willing to accept her as is, and tanjiro softly lets out a breath he didn't realize he were holding. indeed, gaara's refusal to accept the box is touching, in away. even without knowing, he still thought of her comfort--it doesn't go unnoticed by tanjiro.

"i see. your assistance will be greatly welcomed," a nod of acknowledgement from the kazekage — before eyes travel over to the wooden box carted on tanjiro's shoulder. whispers of an ancient beast licked at his thoughts, and it was unfortunate that gaara had yet to learn how to ignore it.

there's something alive in that box, the beast inside spoke.

"…kamado-san," gaara says a little stiffly, as shukaku tried to sense what lurked alongside tanjiro, "it goes without saying, that you're aware of my status as a vessel; my thoughts are not alone."

a plain, but still bold statement. did tanjiro know? much was to be revealed.

the shift in demeanor didn't go unnoticed--tanjiro subconsciously straightens, almost as if he nearly expected to be either quizzed further or scolded somehow. a certain eagerness to face whatever may come, however it turned out for he held trust in gaara.

a blink of ruby eyes, as head subtly tilts in thought, "oh, is that what it is?" that unusual scent that lingered around the other, as if gaara were standing within a haze. as if his nose were detecting two beings, not just one. then again, did gaara know tanjiro could smell such things?

upon gaara's question, he's quick to wave hands in a reassuring gesture as if he could simply brush away any concern. "of course not! this is just nezuko! she's my sister, she won't hurt anyone, we swear it!"

and he was struggling to take deep breaths — the ache in his ribs much-too-great. it was yet another day where he'd been left for her to care for, after another battle with a demon. however, it seems something was on lee's mind — it was as if he'd seen a monster.

she were nearby, preparing medicine to help his ache so that lee could rest and give his body time to heal--only a matter of time before he must return to the battlefield. yet, kanae quickly realizes something is amiss, mere moments before lee's words.

"yūmaaaaa~!" he wriggles up to his twin, pressing shoulder-to-shoulder, "i'm hungry — let's go find somethin' to eat!"

he knew dōma were rapidly drawing close, but it doesn't cross yūma's mind to move out of the way--instead he meets his elder force with a lean into him, pretended confusion just as quickly replaced with wide grin.

"you wanna hunt tonight, dō-chan? it's been soooooo long!"

"i tried to do better," words spoken softly, as akaza sits alone in the snow, "and i tried to make things right."

however, there's a tightness in his chest that refuses to disappear.

"but i don't — i don't know where to go from here," and then, "i miss you."

and it pains her still--to see him suffer so. he were so gentle and so kind, why did the world insist on grinding him beneath uncompromising heel? koyuki couldn't understand it, but...however pained and marked and broken, she does not hesitate to draw close, to reach out to him.

hakuji. why did he call him that—? he said the name with so much emotion; so much love that a creature like him didn't know how to cope with it. it was something different from him, oil trying to mix with water — but it was too late. akaza had transformed into something unforgivable.

(but not unrecognisable).

"you shouldn't love me," spat out venomously, "don't you smell it on me? i've killed hundreds, i've killed thousands — and i'm happy. i'm happy to be a murderer."

"…why are you apologising?" the sudden realisation as words strike deeper than any sword, "you — you haven't done anything wrong."

a warped mirror, broken shards looking back at him and yet shugō cannot bring himself to feel anything more than sorrow--despite akaza's words, his claim, it is sadness that meets him.

hakuji had been such a caring, such a gentle child. he can see him still, buried beneath far too much pain and far too much suffering. he knows his son well enough to know hakuji would have never become as he is now without such tragedy befalling him, shugō doesn't have the heart to dare to imagine it.

how much pain has he endured, to reach this point?

"because i were not there for you," he had thought it were for the best. if he were not in the way, hakuji wouldn't feel obligated to steal for his sake. he could have chosen an honest path...but perhaps it were short-sighted of him.

"i wished better for you, and could not provide it--i couldn't fulfill your mother's last wish in caring for you."