A cup of hot tea drove out the chill.
Tanjuro set his cup down and began the Fire God rite.
Let the kids romp—putting on the ritual robes was Aniki's job… Tanjuro had laid them out earlier on a cushion, waiting for someone. Thankfully, that someone had arrived.
Wide sleeves… the twisted shimenawa… the fire-character mask hiding his face. Tanjuro helped Roy to his feet, stepped down into the yard, and stood ready.
Roy leaned against a pillar and watched quietly…
The man drew a long breath—opened with Dance—moving like a flicker of flame.
Mother Kie came out balancing a tray of tempura; the just-fried shrimp perfumed the air. The kids, worn out from play, swarmed—only to be smacked back one by one. "Let your Onii-san eat first!"
No one would test Mother's glare. Takeo and Shigeru pulled their hands back and watched Roy with big eyes.
Roy smiled, pinched one and popped it into his mouth, and kept his gaze on Tanjuro's dance, while behind him came the clatter of "slower," "leave some for your brother."
Once, twice—Tanjuro danced, enraptured, like a small fire spirit. A sweep of his sleeve shook down a flurry of snow… Slowly, Roy narrowed his eyes—something was off—
Why did Father's steps carry more rhythm than his?
"Nii-san—want more?" Tanjiro, with half a shrimp in his mouth, wrestled two from his brothers and offered them over… but Roy didn't notice. He stared, aura glazing his eyes, mind opening to a single term—
Transparent World!
The highest state is to live clear.
Untroubled by the ordinary, wholly absorbed, truly no self, no other, no thought—then, with "me" as the center, perception expands, grasping all around, making the best choices—slowing an opponent's motion, tracing an attack line, seeing the weak point in the strike.
In sum—
"Nothing new under the sun…" Roy murmured.
"Nii-san—what did you say?" Tanjiro blinked.
"I said: nothing new under the sun."
[Notice: Hatsu "Eye That Shatters Illusion" loaded. (Note: based on Ren visualization of the "sun," host can pierce falsehood, pre-read the foe by 0.1s.)]
Fwoop— Two bright flames kindled in Roy's pupils. Tanjiro's hand paused mid-offer. Meeting Nii-san's gaze, a chill ran through him—as if he'd been seen through skin to soul. He snatched back by reflex—Roy had already read it, caught his wrist, and flicked one tempura into his own mouth.
Tanjiro rubbed his eyes. Were Nii-san's eyes… glowing?
Crunch… Roy chewed and scanned the yard, then fixed back on Tanjuro. Without turning: "Nezuko—don't let Hanako suck her fingers."
By the brazier, Nezuko glanced over—Hanako was playing with the new bamboo dragonfly, how could—another glance, and the tiny hand slipped off the tail and went straight into her mouth.
Nezuko: "…"
She looked at Roy's back. His "suns" had already winked out—0.1 seconds. The world in his eyes had briefly collapsed into lines, then snapped back.
Hatsu… the natural outgrowth of Ren; like "stretch & sticky" for Hisoka… "control & possession" for Illumi… "steal & collect" for Chrollo… "heart & buddha" for Netero…
What is "I"?
"I am the sun. I may patrol in heaven's stead and drive off darkness; or blaze a thousand beams and shine on the world… Yoriichi, you must have thought this way too."
Kagura of the Fire God—Flame Dance…
In the snow, Tanjuro finished the last form and stopped, barefoot… A gust lifted the mask's corner. On the veranda, Roy stared—hazy—almost seeing a man.
Deep-red hair, a flame mark at the brow; through life and death he overlapped Tanjuro's silhouette and smiled gently: "Rōichirō, help me out of this."
"Yes."
Roy blinked—Father sat beside him, back turned, the rope knot waiting at his shoulders…
Roy loosened it—and with it, the knot of doubt in his chest loosened too. More sunlight came in.
"This is a perfect New Year's Eve," he thought.
That night, after the family feast, after long idle talk, he grabbed Takeo and Shigeru by the scruffs, took Tanjiro, and returned to the west room with its warm bed. They lay down without undressing.
Up in the hills you don't hear firecrackers like in town…
Silence…
After a day of noise, the little ones fell fast asleep… Tanjiro lay next to Roy, eyes closing and opening, still too excited to sleep.
"Hey, Nii-san—are you asleep?" He rolled to look at Roy. Aniki was… longer? No—taller. Head to toe, a full head above him now; before, only half. He measured himself and pouted.
"Sleeping," Roy said, eyes shut.
"…"
Anyway—
"When are you leaving?"
"Tomorrow."
"Mm—huh? Tomorrow?"
"Yes."
"Why so soon?"
He couldn't even warm the bed…
"Because time is tight." Roy counted. Two years until the youngest, Rokuta, would be born.
That was when Muzan would come—and kill the Kamados.
He had no habit of delay. From the first day he became this house's eldest son, he had decided to strangle that scum in the sunlight ahead of time—let him taste the merciless sun!
Tanjiro fell silent. He opened his mouth to ask—because of demons?—but seeing Nii-san didn't wish to talk, he yanked the blanket over his head.
Night deepened; breathing rose and fell in harmony against the storm outside…
The foolish otōto fell asleep.
Freed of the disturbance, Roy slipped from bed, threw on a coat, and slid the door—
On the veranda a man warmed a pot of tea by the brazier. He watched his ever-taller eldest son and said, astonishingly:
"Rōichirō—congratulations. You've awakened the Transparent World."
~~~
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