Returning Home

Kamado Akina’s POV

I sigh deeply, but bow to Oyakata-sama, accepting my swords and mission.

“I would not ask this if-”

“I know, Oyakata-sama.” I soothe him, standing up straight as Nezuko comes up behind me, gently grasping my shirt as Zenitsu lets out a small whimper. “If Rengoku needs help, though, the situation must be very dire. Do you know what direction I am headed for?”

“Yes. Are you familiar with the Mugen Train line?”

“Oh, I hate trains.” I grumble, he lets out a soft laugh, a hand gently grabs my wrist, not quite able to wrap all the way around it. “Yes, Tanjiro?”

“You’ll come back right?” He asks me quietly, looking up at me with big eyes full of fear, “You’ll come back to us again, and-”

“Tanjiro, this is what I do.” I gently kneel down, letting Nezuko and Tanjiro gather in close and grab me in as many places as they want. “When the other Hashira need help, I am who Oyakata-sama sends. Me. Okay? I always come back, no matter how long the fight or the recovery takes.”

“Your sister has endured more than anyone here knows or is capable of understanding.” Oyakata-sama states, I give him a small scowl as I hug my siblings close, “She’s stronger than you realize.”

“Either way, I need to leave now, you guys.” I tell them, gently petting their heads, “Boys, I need you to keep up your training while I’m gone, okay? Nezuko, if it’s dark enough, watch them from the porch and yell if they lag too much, okay? If you can’t, then ask if Tomioka or Ubuyashiki-san can watch them.”

“Rengoku, why…” I stare at him as he holds the bags of boxed lunches, he stares at me as I stand on the steps of the station, “...y’know what? I don’t want to know.”

“I’ll share?” He offers nervously, a small bead of sweat sliding down his temple as he stares at me. I sigh heavily, shaking my head at him as an old woman chuckles at us - her granddaughter looks much more worried than she does. “I-in my defense, they smelled tasty and I didn’t get to eat mine last night and-”

“And you have two hollow legs when it comes to home-cooked meals, I swear to God.” I grumble, stalking forward to take one from him and swing it onto my back. “Thank you two for dealing with my…eccentric cousin, here.”

I lean close to the granddaughter, covering my mouth like I’m sharing a secret with her.

“I’d be lying if I said he wasn’t dropped on his head as a child - I was the one to do it, after all!”

“Akina!” Rengoku gasps, scandalized, “You would never!”

Both the grandmother and the girl erupt into laughter as I give them a conspiratorial wink, and Rengoku smacks my arm belligerently - tricked all too easily into playing the role of younger cousin.

“Just like I would never throw you over that wall?”

“That was on a dare! We were kids!”

“Uh huh - and I was a kid when I dropped you. Now why don’t we board the train, Rengoku?”

“But you-”

“We’re gonna be la-a-ate~” Rengoku huffs loudly, snorting steam and smoke at me, but we bow to the bento sellers, and board the Mugen Train. They laugh as they wave us off, Rengoku pouting as I drag him along.

We settle into our seats, Rengoku happily digging into some of his bentos, me stowing most of mine overhead, and at the first holler - I pinch his ear.

“Ow ow ow - Akina! Why are you pinching?!”

“It’s rude to shout like that in an enclosed space! Did Auntie and Uncle teach you nothing?!” I scold, the train’s whistle blows overhead - the first warning. “Good, we’re leaving soon. No more shouting out of you.”

Rengoku grumbles about food appreciation manners, but digs into his bentos much more quietly. I open the first bento I left out, and eat it silently.

When the train whistle blows a second time, and starts to move, I nudge Rengoku.

“Maybe think of slowing down a little, eh?” I offer, closing my bento neatly, he pauses in eating his seventh box to stare at me, looking very dumbfounded, “It’s going to be a long trip, little cousin. You should save your food - not to mention the attendant would probably be thankful for not having to carry so much each trip!”

“B-but they taste so good!” Rengoku protests, looking ready to cry, and I sigh as I pat his head, gently waving for the nice train attendant to come over.

“M-May I, uh, take your…oh golly, that’s a lot of bento boxes!” The attendant says, staring slightly at the growing pile in Rengoku’s lap, I give her an apologetic smile.

“I’m so sorry, ma’am,” I apologize as Rengoku finishes his seventh box, and I grab his hand as he reaches for his eighth, “He’s just a little hungry and didn’t think to have dinner before coming on board! We would appreciate it very, very much if you took these now, since he’s still eating.”

I let my exasperation creep into my voice before dropping my head at the end of it, and she lets out a small laugh before quickly clamping a hand over her mouth. (Rengoku looks very offended from what I can see of him.)

“Of course, of course!” She tells me, “Here, let me get yours as well!”

“Oh, you can? I don’t want it to be too much trouble!”

“It won’t be!” She laughs easily, but the eight bento boxes sway slightly in her arms and Rengoku suddenly looks nervous and ashamed of himself.

“Are you sure you’re okay getting that, Ma’am? I can-”

“It’s alright, sir. I’ve got it!” She totters off cheerfully, Rengoku hesitates, but the bento is open anyway, and I steal a piece of meat from it. He gawks in offense, and I smirk at him. The door opens and a familiar group of scents meet my nose, I frown, pausing and sniffing the air for barely a moment before raising an eyebrow.

“Looks like we have company.”

“Lack of violence says the human kind.” Rengoku whispers back, one of his eyebrows twitching slightly, “How many?”

“My kids.” His lips twitch, I pinch his leg sharply, he winces, “Shut up before I put you in the corner, brat.”

“Uh…M-Mom?” Zenitsu calls shyly,

“‘Mom’?! We’re really going with the ‘Mom’ plan!?” Inosuke whisper-snarls behind him as I turn, putting an elbow on the back of the seat rudely as I raise an eyebrow at the three boys, “Uh, hi Mom…”

Tanjiro snorts quietly at Inosuke, then gives me a nervous grin as he shifts his feet. “Uh, w-we-”

“Oh, for crying out loud, sit down.” I bark at them, pointing at the seat across from us, they shuffle nervously forward, the three of them having to work for a moment before squeezing into the seat with Nezuko’s box going on the floor between us all. “Inosuke, bang on the window like I heard in the other traincar and there will be no sparring or dueling for a month, understand?”

Inosuke gasps like I’d just gutted him, and Rengoku snorts softly.

“Wow, he really does love dueling.” Rengoku mutters, I elbow him softly, “What? The rest of us have got to talk about something!”

“Yeah,” I state dryly, looking at him disapprovingly, he immediately stares down at the bento in his lap. “You ‘talked’ about us.”

“Um… D-did we miss something?” Tanjiro asks weakly, quickly climbing over Inosuke and settling next to the window - most likely a preventive action, as an older brother. (I feel a small flash of pride, recognizing that habit in my baby brother.)

“You missed a lot of things, but you don’t have the experience I do yet.” I tell them gently,

“Clearly the rest of us don’t either.” Rengoku mutters under his breath, I feel a vein start throbbing in my temple, the boys lean away nervously. “Oh shit.”

“Rengoku Kyojuro, I swear-” I inhale deeply, holding it for a count of ten before exhaling - like my first Cultivator taught me. “Nevermind. Boys, what are you doing here?”

“Karasu said it’s a territory that forty people died-” Tanjiro starts, fiddling with the sleeves of his haori anxiously,

“The train came to life and ate them.” Zenitsu whispers hoarsely, sounding terrified,

“I want to fight the-” I cover Inosuke’s mouth on instinct, knowing that whatever he calls the train is about to be stupid enough and loud enough to draw attention.

“Inosuke, it is called a train. The name of this train is Mugen.” I state slowly, in a whisper, he grumbles under his mask, and I let go of his mouth.

“Why do your hands smell like food if Googly Eyes is the one eating?”

“Because he gave me a few bentos - are you three hungry?”

“Yes please!”

“Ooh, those sound good!”

“Yeah, gimme some!” I grin tiredly, but quietly stand up-

Rengoku gently grabs my waist.

“I’ve got enough down here, Akina, let me give them some.” He gives me a small smile, some stray pieces of rice stuck to his cheeks. I return his smile as I settle back down, and quickly help pass out bentos and chopsticks and napkins because those are mandatory Inosuke, and then I clean Rengoku’s face.

“So why are you three really here?” Rengoku asks them quietly, once everyone has settled, they all go still-

-the light goes off.

“Carefully.” I whisper, Rengoku goes still next to me, “Carefully, now.”

The light goes back on, I unfasten my haori quickly, revealing my swords fastened at my hips. Rengoku and I stand up as the light flickers again, and we quickly step into the aisle. Rengoku faces the caboose, I face the engine, the boys stare at us-

-the light goes off again.

“Stay in your seats, kids, we’re in a demon’s territory.” I whisper, Zenitsu gasps, Inosuke and Tanjiro share a look, Nezuko cracks open the door of her box-

-the light turns on, and a demon stands in front of the door to the next car.

Immediately, people scream and scramble away, it roars-

-my hands wrap around each side of it’s face, my body twisting up and right right right.

CRACK

RIP

It’s head bursts free from it’s neck, blood spraying through the air as I land in between the two seats to the left of the door.

“Knock knock, demons,” I drop the head as the body sinks to the floor, dissolving to ash, “It’s me, Death.”