In the dim, warm light of the inn, Tanjiro sat at the counter, savoring a rare moment of ease. His mission had been postponed, and he was enjoying a cup of tea when a woman entered the room. She moved gracefully, her eyes lingering on Tanjiro longer than any passerby's had in recent memory. Catching his gaze, she smiled, and Tanjiro's cheeks flushed slightly. She was elegant, yet there was something mischievous in her look that he couldn't quite place.
After a few exchanged glances, she drifted over, seating herself beside him. They struck up a conversation, and Tanjiro found himself caught between her wit and beauty. They shared stories, Tanjiro speaking carefully and distantly about his travels, and the woman sharing tales of her time moving from village to village, "searching for something," she'd said, trailing off with a smirk. Soon, the evening took a more flirtatious turn, laughter punctuating their conversation, and Tanjiro, usually reserved, found himself loosening up in her company.
Finally, she took his hand, guiding him to her room. Inside, she looked up at him with an almost predatory gleam in her eyes. They kissed, the moment charged with an energy that Tanjiro wasn't used to, and as he pinned her down gently, his hand steadying her shoulder, a sudden spike of instinctive alarm flared up inside him.
Move. Now.
He leapt back just as a clawed hand lashed out, slicing through the air where he'd been mere seconds before. Tanjiro rolled onto his feet, drawing his sword in a flash. As he steadied himself, he looked back at the woman—only she wasn't exactly a woman anymore. Her once soft features had twisted, her eyes now gleaming red, fangs bared in a mocking smile.
"Shame," she sneered, voice deeper, sultrier. "I could've had fun with you."
Beside her, a second figure materialized—a male demon, stepping out from the shadows. His expression was amused, eyes flicking between Tanjiro and the woman with a mocking grin.
"Didn't mean to interrupt," he said with a lazy stretch, eyes glinting. "But I can't just let her have all the fun. Besides," he added with a shrug, "there's something satisfying about watching a warrior squirm."
Tanjiro raised his sword, sighing in mild exasperation. Out loud, he asked the female demon, "Why wait so long to show your true form? I might've been more on board, with you displaying your curves like that, you sexy demoness!"
Then, without a beat, he turned to the male demon. "And you—seriously? You're here to cockblock another?"
Inwardly, though, he couldn't help but think of a wise, if crass, warning his father used to say with a smirk and a shake of his head: "Never put your d where it doesn't belong, boy, especially if you value it."
Steeling himself, he faced them with a smirk that caught the two demons off-guard. "Well, I guess there's no fun in dragging this out," he said, tightening his grip on his sword.
The two demons lunged, but Tanjiro moved with calculated grace, weaving between them with an almost casual focus. His blade flashed, carving arcs through the air. The female demon shrieked, her smugness dissolving as Tanjiro's blade sliced through her form. The male demon, realizing too late the skill Tanjiro possessed, tried to escape, but Tanjiro's sword found his neck in a clean, swift cut.
The room fell silent, dust settling as the demons dissolved into ash. Sheathing his sword, Tanjiro looked around the room, now torn apart from the brief skirmish. His pulse still raced, and he felt a rueful pang of frustration.
The inn was no longer an option for a quiet night's rest. With a resigned sigh, he slipped out, finding a secluded spot just within the woods. Alone under the stars, he lay back against his pack, gaze turning upward as his heart finally began to settle.
One thing was certain: his father's advice would certainly stick.