Broken Wings- Shinobu x Fem. Reader

Frostbite

At last they were sitting at the edge of a village. 

It took them much longer than Tanjiro expected to get through the worst part of the mountain due to a plethora of factors, such as fatigue, cold, and wild animals. The sun was beginning to go down and Tanjiro hadn't had a shower in days, and it was painfully obvious. Shinobu took the lead as they walked through the gates of the village. Her small figure somehow looked bigger with her strutting through the village, one hand on her sword and the other by her side. She also didn't quite smell the best. Her hair was tangled, with her butterfly clip hanging on for dear life with every step she took.

People were watching as they walked by, the children hid behind their mothers, and young women whispered to one another as they stared.

Shinobu walked right through a group of 3 men, she slightly bumped a tall man. His brown hair swished to one side of his face, making his forehead look twice as big as it truly was. Shinobu offered a quick apology as she continued to walk. Tanjiro protectively stood behind her. He couldn't do much with his current strength but he could smell trouble in the air....and Shinobu. Getting safely to the hotel was the first priority for him.

"Little Miss Lady, I don't mean one to judge, but what exactly brings you here...with your little brother?" He shifted his eyes to Tanjiro who glared right back at him. Shinobu looked up from the ground and raised her hands to her side, looking defenseless.

"I assure you we aren't here for trouble, both this boy and I are from the Demon Slayer Cooperation. We have been informed of a serious mission involving a demon not too far from here. We have a hotel for the night before we begin our work." She stepped aside, unblocking her path from the man. "So we will be going." Right before she could continue walking, two of the other men standing with the tall man circled around Shinobu, pushing Tanjiro out of the way like he wasn't there.

"There aren't any demons here. We took care of it. You can take your leave." The man's expression was dead. Staring down onto Shinobu, she looked like a mere child standing next to the three tall men. One of the guys reached to grab Shinobu sword, Tanjiro raced to get to him, he tried to stop him, he had to get there in time.

But.

When he reached the circle of men, Shinobu had jumped out of the circle and slapped the man who reached for her side.

"Now. If I needed assistance I would have asked for it. Did your mother never teach you to not touch women without permission?"

The man stood stunned at the gesture. Tanjiro looked around desperately, he knew he couldn't take these men in a fight if one were to appear, and he wasn't sure Shinobu could either. While it was true Shinobu was faster, these men were definitely stronger. His eyes darted around the snow covered village, he noticed that the sun dropped faster than he expected and the women and children of the village all retreated back inside their respected homes. All that was left in the open with the setting sun was Shinobu and the three men. Every situation ran through Tanjiro's mind, and it was hard for him to imagine a good one.

One of the men cracked his neck, the other his fingers, and one slipped out a small pocket knife out of his shoe. Tanjiro perked up, they were slowly closing in on the space between them and Shinobu. There it was. That stupid, bland looking smile Shinobu wore on her face. Tanjiro wondered if Shinobu was aware of the knife the one man held.

The original man with the brown hair and large forehead whom Shinobu bumped into licked his lips. Tanjiro shuttered. But the worst part about the gesture wasn't the lewdness of it. But the shape and color of his tongue. His tongue was ragged, and had a slightly green color to it. Tanjiro smelt the air again, but this time he was running with his sword drawn straight into the circle.

'How could I have been so stupid.' Tanjiro thought as he sprinted towards the people, the reason while Shinobu kept her cool, wasn't because she didn't care. But because she noticed the men's true identity before he was able to. Tanjiro knew yelling would only cause a ruckus and cause the villagers to worry, so they had to figure this out quick, and silently.

Shinobu drew out her sword and in a quick move forward placed it in the 'mans' stomach, it instantly threw him into his true demon form, with green skin and red eyes that could haunt Shinobu for the rest of her life. Almost like clockwork Tanjiro came from above, cleanly slicing off his head. Shinobu offered Tanjiro a smile and spoke gently, "I thought you would never catch on.". The other two now seemed more skittish, one dashed off to the left, up a trail that led further up the mountain. While the other shreked and turned his skin to an acid like liquid. It was a suicide move. Shinobu watched as the acid-borne demon slithered to the ground, he was yelling. His voice made so much noise. Shinobu raised her nose to him as she walked away. Leaving small footprints in the snow from where she was. Tanjiro hopped over the decaying body and took off his head, in an attempt to quiet it.

An old lady came out of a small, well lit building. Her eyes were hidden behind her glasses as she stood in the doorway. Shinobu instantly fell to the ground holding her leg, while Tanjiro stood in front of the decaying demon body. As soon as Tanjiro guessed the darkness would offer him pity, he walked over to the old lady, "Many apologies, but my older sister has injured her leg. We didn't mean to make any noise, but it seems she tripped over a rather large.....rock."

The old lady nodded and opened the door a little more, revealing a warm and cozy home. "My home is yours if you need it." She looked over Tanjiro's shoulder to see Shinobu hovered over her leg. It was getting colder. Tanjiro looked back at Shinobu. The old lady added, "I don't mind sharing, but please make up your mind, it is quite cold, as you can most likely can tell."

Shinobu nodded, and Tanjiro made his way over to her, giving her fake assistance as she rose to her feet. Together they waddled inside of the lady's home. It was warm. Tanjiro felt like melting as soon as he stepped foot inside. The lady walked over to the stove where she revealed a turnip soup she had been cooking. Shinobu and Tanjiro both sat down near the table as they gratefully thanked her.

"Now that I've shared my home and food with you," The old woman started as she sipped her tea from a chipped handmade clay cup, "I'd appreciate the truth."

Tanjiro looked up, Shinobu sat cross legged with a satisfied smile across her face.