17. Wisteria Family Crest

After burying the bodies of the victims, Hana, Tanjiro and Zenitsu prayed for them.

"HE'S AWAKE!" Zenitsu exclaimed.

"Whyy" Hana ground in annoyance

"FIGHT ME! FIGHT ME!" Inosuke dashed toward Zenitsu, causing him to automatically run too.

"WHY ME?!" the blond shouted. "GO AFTER TANJIRO OR SOMETHING!" he cried.

Zenitsu then ran toward Hana and hid behind her.

Inosuke stopped dead in his tracks. "What the hell are you guys doing?" he demanded, pointing at Tanjiro.

"It's a burial," Tanjiro explained. "You help out too, Inosuke. There are still people who were killed inside their house."

"What's the point of burying the corpses of people?" Inosuke spat. "I'm not doing that! I'm not helping out! Forget that fight me!"

'Man, he really is a loon. What does he mean, what's the point?' Hana thought.

Tanjiro spoke up softly, "I see," he said pitifully with a sad smile. "You can't do it because your wounds are hurting you."

An irk mark appeared on Inosuke's forehead. Did the boy just underestimate him?

"That's okay," Tanjiro continued, stepping closer. "After all, we all have different pain thresholds. Moving everyone who died outside and burying them is a lot of work. Zenitsu, Hana, and I, along with the children, will do our best, so don't worry!"

"You should get some rest, Inosuke," Tanjiro added. "Sorry to ask too much of you!"

Inosuke finally snapped. "DON'T UNDERESTIMATE ME, DAMMIT! I'LL BURY A HUNDRED NO, TWO HUNDRED OF YOUR CORPSES! JUST WATCH!"

After burying all the corpses, Tanjiro and Zenitsu proceeded to set prayers for each of them.

Inosuke, on the other hand, had absolutely no manners he didn't bother. He was too busy clashing his head against trees, hoping to get a harder forehead.

"What is that person doing?" Teruko asked. Her eldest brother shushed her.

"You better not look" Kiyoshi warned, making Shouichi shake his head.

Just then, a loud caw erupted above.

"DESCEND THE MOUNTAIN! DESCEND THE MOUNTAIN!"

"T-That crow is talking!" Shouichi muttered.

"Just don't think anymore," Kiyoshi sighed.

"okay..." Teruko nodded.

"ALL RIGHT! FOLLOW ME!" Tanjiro's crow cawed. "FOLLOW YOURS TRULY!"

Hana, Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and the siblings began preparing to descend the mountain.

"OI!" Inosuke shouted. "WHERE ARE YOU GOING?!"

"We're descending the mountain," Tanjiro answered.

"We're not done with our battle yet!" Inosuke snapped.

"Come on, we're heading down," Hana urged, ushering the siblings ahead.

"HEY, I'M NOT TIRED!" Inosuke chased after them. "LET'S FIGHT!"

"I won't have it! I won't have it! You can't go, Shouichi! You're powerful Shouichi. You're the one who's gonna protect me!" Zenitsu cried, shaking Shouichi clinging to his waist. Hana pulled him away.

"Can't you see Shoichi doesn't want to stay?" Hana asked.

"Please don't leave me behind!" Zenitsu continued crying.

"Stop that right now!" Hana chopped Zenitsu's neck, silencing him.

Hana's crow flew ahead and landed in front of Kiyoshi. "Hold out your hands!" It spat something onto his palm. He screamed.

"That will ward off demons. Carrier of the rareblood, keep that on your person!" the crow explained.

"It smells of wisteria," Hana added.

"Wisteria?" Kiyoshi echoed.

"It's a flower that demons can't tolerate. You should hold onto that," Hana said.

"DEMON REPELLENT! DEMON REPELLENT!" the crow repeated.

"We're truly grateful! We can get home on our own," Kiyoshi said, leaning on Shouichi.

"Take care now," Hana waved.

"Be safe!" Tanjiro smiled, holding a passed-out Zenitsu, while Inosuke continued ramming trees in the background.

"Fight me! I swear I'm gonna find a weak point and bring you down, loser!" Inosuke shouted.

"My name's not 'loser'! It's Tanjiro Kamado!" Tanjiro corrected.

"Gonpachiro Kamaboko! I'm gonna bring you down!" Inosuke yelled, unaware he had said Tanjiro's name wrong.

"Who are you talking about?!" Tanjiro fumed.

"That'd be you!" Inosuke shot back.

"I don't know anyone by that name!" Tanjiro said.

'What have I gotten myself into' Hana sighed.

"Can you talk any louder?" She snap making them flinch and shup up immediately.

It was now dark. Hana, Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke finally arrived at their destination, and the first detail they noticed about the place Tanjiro's loud crow directed them to was a large gate with the word Wisteria on it.

"Time to rest! Time to rest! Since you've sustained heavy injuries, you are to rest until you are fully recovered!" Hana's crow sat on her shoulder, staring up at her with big eyes flapping it's wings happily as she pets it.

Tanjiro gazed upwards at the bird. "Are you sure it's okay to rest...? I just fought a demon while injured, you know..."

"Ke-ke-ke." The crow replied.

"Ke-ke-ke..?" Tanjiro repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"Let's eat this thing," Inosuke said, making the bird gasp.

"No, Inosuke." Hana looked at him sternly, though he couldn't see her face.

All of a sudden, the front gate swung wide open, revealing a small old lady. "Yes?" the elder questioned expectantly with a kind smile.

"Ah..." Tanjiro began. "Sorry to bother you so late at night!"

"A-a monster, it's a monster..." Zenitsu stuttered.

"Hey you!" Tanjiro rebuked. "That's impolite!"

"Who the hell are you?" Inosuke marched toward the woman.

"I see you're demon slayers."

"You look pretty weak." Inosuke poked the old lady's hair.

"Hey" Tanjiro snarled.

"Come in, come in..." the lady smiled.

They all stepped through the wooden doors and followed the old lady.

"That old lady sure walks fast!" Zenitsu said.

"This is where you'll be staying." Hana followed her into the house. "Here's a change of clothes. And here is your meal," the lady said.

They all went into their rooms and got dressed in the clothes provided. Hana had her own room.

She stepped out of her room to see Tanjiro punching Zenitsu's head. "Let's go."

They all sat down and said a small "Itadakimasu" before digging in.

Inosuke grabbed handfuls of food and shoved it into his mouth.

"Use your chopsticks," Zenitsu said.

Inosuke ignored him, continuing to use his hands, stealing other people's food with a grin.

"If you're that hungry, you can have this too," Tanjiro offered Inosuke food, which made him scream in anger. Inosuke declined and angrily shoveled more into his mouth.

A their meal the old lady entered the room with a doctor.

"Yes. Severe." He nodded after checking on them.

"Who would've guessed that all four of us had broken ribs?" Zenitsu muttered.

Inosuke pushed his bangs aside, revealing the giant red lump on his forehead from Hana's kick. "This knot hurts more than my ribs," he muttered, earning a nervous chuckle from the girl.

"Sorry about that..." Hana apologized sheepishly.

"Hey, you'd better apologize too!" Zenitsu chimed in, glaring at Inosuke. "I was beaten to a pulp! Say you're sorry!"

"I'll pass," Inosuke replied stubbornly.

"Say you're sorry!" Zenitsu insisted more harshly.

"I'll pass."

"Just say you're sorry!" Tanjiro added, agreeing with Zenitsu.

"If you're gonna be like that, we're not eating together with you anymore." Zenitsu stated firmly.

"Huh?" Inosuke raised a brow. "Why does that matter?"

"Meals always taste better when you are together, you know?"

Tanjiro nodded. "He's right about that." Hana nodded.

"Did you guys hit your head or something?" Inosuke grumbled.

A moment of silence passed.

Before he could do anything, Zenitsu spoke up. "Who are you to talk?!" he yelled, pointing at Inosuke's forehead.

"Is there something I can help you with?" a voice echoed from outside-it was the kind old lady.

"Monster!" Zenitsu flinched, sitting upright as he saw the shadow of the lady outside the door.

Tanjiro groaned, collapsing back into his sleeping position. "Quiet down, will you?" he whispered-shouted at the timid boy.

"Speaking of which," Tanjiro said, "why did you join the corps, Inosuke?"

"Hm..." Inosuke began. "A member of the Demon Slayer Corps barged in on me on my mountain. We competed to see who was stronger, and I seized his sword."

Zenitsu and Tanjiro exchanged sweatdrop expressions.

"And then I heard about the Final Selection," Inosuke continued proudly, "and that demons exist."

Tanjiro smiled. "So that's why you joined the Demon Slayer Corps. And hey, so you and I both grew up in the mountains, huh?"

"Huh?!" Inosuke glared. "Don't lump me in with you! I don't have parents or siblings! Testing my strength against other living creatures is my only pleasure!" He rotated his boar-hide around his head to fit it back in place.

"Is that right?" Tanjiro sniffled. "Well, okay then..."

Suddenly Hana got up "I'm gonna go sleep now. Goodnight everyone!"

Suddenly, Zenitsu's question dropped the temperature in the room. "Hana-chan before you go....." He avoided eye contact, sitting back up. "No one asked, so I'm asking myself Why are you traveling with a demon?"

Silence..

"Zenitsu," Hana said gently, a small, kind smile on her face. "You knew about that and still protected the box, huh? You really are a great guy. Thank you so much."

Zenitsu rolled around on his bed. "You really shouldn't heap so much praise on me! Hana-chan" he giggled maniacally hugging his pillow..

"I've got a keen sense of smell," Tanjiro said, pointing at his nose. "I knew from the start that you were a kind and strong person..."

Zenitsu's face darkened. "No, I'm not strong," he stated. "Don't give me that. I still haven't forgiven you for stopping me from bringing Shoichi along."

Tanjiro opened and closed his mouth, unsure of what to say. Suddenly, his box rattled.

Zenitsu jumped to his feet, shouting, "It's trying to come out! It's trying to come out!"

"Hey, hey! It's alright!" Hana tried to calm him.

"How can it be alright?!" Zenitsu freaked, stomping left and right.

"It's trying to come out! It's trying to come out!" He started screaming freaking out.

"Calm down, Zenitsu" Hana tried.

Suddenly the door of the box opened freaking Zenitsu even more

"Oh my gosh! It's not even locked?"

"P-P-Protect me! Someone please protect me!" Zenitsu cried hiding behind Hana.
Then Nezuko came out causing Zenitsu to gasp in shock.

Tanjiro smiled brightly at Nezuko "Zenitsu, Nezuko's my-"

"Tanjiro" Zenitsu interrupted him looking depressed.

Hana and Tanjiro looked at each other confused.

"Just who do you think you are? So, you have been traveling with a girl this cute?With a girl this cute in tow, day after day, you've been traveling,and you've been on cloud nine the whole time, huh?" Zenitsu shrieked.

The rest of the night was total chaos with Zenitsu screaming and bawling at Tanjiro while Hana just walked out of the room too tired too deal with all the drama.