The full moon basked them in its light, and luminated the path they were walking. The crickets were fully out now and the croaks of frogs sung with them in the night.

Zenitsu could hear wingbeats above them as Tanjiro's crow continued to lead them to wherever it was that he wanted them to go. Zenitsu really hoped that they would reach their destination soon, every limb in his body was aching from head to toe.

The right side of his neck tingled uncomfortably warm. He raised a hand to the red gland touching it inquisitively. How long had Tanjiro been scenting him there? He touched the skin and the heat immediately subsided against his cool fingers.

Ah that felt nice.

Zenitsu closed his eyes as he took in their mixed scent that circled around him. His hurting muscles relaxed a little, it was almost like a relaxant.

Huh.

He never knew that scenting had benefits like that. He was almost glad that Tanjiro had scented him otherwise he probably wouldn't be so relaxed right now.

He glanced at Tanjiro who was walking beside him. Watching as his checkered haori swayed behind him.

Almost.

Soon they reached a house with a symbol on the double doored entrance.

"It's a Wisteria Family Crest..." Tanjiro said.

Zenitsu saw Chuntaruo fly over the wall from the house and he let his arm out for the sparrow. He landed smoothly on his arm and Zenitsu brought a finger to scratch at the birds head feathers.

"I was wondering where you were Chuntaruo!"

Then Tanjiro's crow flew down and Tanjiro gave him a hand to land on.

"Rest time! Rest time! Since you've sustained injuries, you're to rest until you're fully recovered! Caw!"

"Eh? You're sure it's okay to rest? I just fought a demon while injured, you know"

"Ke-ke-ke"

"Ke-ke-ke?" Tanjiro looked at the bird questionably.

Then Inosuke grabbed the crows tail tugging at the bird to hold it in place.

"Let's eat this thing"

"Nani!?" The bird squawked fearfully and it began to sweat nervously as Inosuke repeatedly tugged it.

Zenitsu jumped, making his sparrow fly to his head.

"Yes?" An old lady, looking around her early seventies, had answered the door.

"Oh! Sorry to bother you so late at night!" Tanjiro apologized for the late intrusion.

Zenitsu shook as he eyed the old lady, what person could sound so freakishly quiet! Nothing! Absolutely nothing! Everything living made a noise. How could this old woman lack such a thing? She barely had a sound!

There was only one conclusion that pieced itself in Zenitsu's mind.

"A monster! It's a monster!" Zenitsu uttered.

"Hey!" Tanjiro whipped his head around to reprimand Zenitsu, it was just a kind old lady, how could he say such a thing?

"Who the hell are you?" Inosuke's voice demands.

"Eh-" Tanjiro looked back to see Inosuke walking over to the elder women.

"Ah, I see you're a demon hunter" She said respectfully and bowed at Inosuke. She gave them a warm smile that reminded Tanjiro of his grandmother.

Inosuke poked at the old lady's round hair bun "you look pretty weak"

"Hey!" Tanjiro shouted at Inosuke.

"Please, come in" she said, opening the door for them to enter.

Zenitsu walked behind Tanjiro clutching the wooden box on his back.

The three followed the old lady through the door and entered a front garden. It had a pond to their left and multiple trees that were properly taken care of littered the spacious area.

She walked quite briskly ahead for having such a tiny stature.

And Zenitsu definitely noticed. Who wouldn't!

"That lady sure walks fast!" Zenitsu said warily, narrowing his eyes at her back while she walked to the house entrance.

"This is where you'll be staying" she said pushing aside the sliding door to a small hallway. They turned a corner and she opened another door to a room.

There on the floor, lilac clothes were neatly placed on the tatami floor.

Zenitsu felt his gut drop.

"A change of clothes" she said sweetly and walked out of the room to let them change.

Zenitsu only watched with dread as the old lady walked away and out of his sight. He could barely hear her walk down the hallway! She couldn't be human!

He only looked away from the door the hag had gone through when Tanjiro called his name.

He looked at what the other was offering him. It was one of the lilac yukata's.

Oh, right.

He took it tentatively, the soft fabric against his fingers feeling very nice. These were great quality.

When he pulled it closer to his face he caught a whiff of something familiar.

He looked up to give Tanjiro a look.

Tanjiro didn't understand why Zenitsu was looking at him like that though.

"Seriously?"

Zenitsu gestures to the yukata in his hands.

"Is something wrong?" He asked, tilting his head, the earrings jingling. Zenitsu thought he looked cute like that.

Wait what-

He shoved the thoughts away. Ah, that wasn't good. Tanjiro's scent must be making him ill.

Yeah that's it.

"I wasn't even looking away for five minutes and you already covered your scent on my yukata?" Zenitsu scowled at him with a raised eyebrow.

Tanjiro blinked at him, and then at the yukata, and then did another once over.

Oh.

Had he done that? Tanjiro didn't even realize he had. Was the scenting making Zenitsu uncomfortable?

"Ah, sorry Zenitsu, I can trade you this one if you like" Tanjiro suggested to the yukata in his hand.

Zenitsu brought the yukata to his chest holding it there.

"No, is fine," he mumbled looking away with a faint blush.

"But," Zenitsu looked back up to the clothes in Tanjiro's hand. He couldn't just allow himself to be covered head to toe in the smell of Tanjiro while the other lacked his. He knew it was only his Omega talking, yet he couldn't stop his next words.

"It's only fair if I scent yours too, to make it even"

Tanjiro smiled, something in the back of his head, feeling happy and accomplished at the display Zenitsu showed.

"Sure!" Tanjiro said, eagerly handing the clothes over, he didn't hesitate for a moment. Zenitsu slowly took the yukata. He was lifting it up to his neck glands when he saw Tanjiro watching intently.

He blushed and squeaked at him "D-don't watch me! That's weird!"

"Haha!" A triumphant laugh rang in their ears.

Both Omega and Alpha looked behind them to the other side of the room where Inosuke was. Said boy posing with his hands on either side of his hips his chest high in confidence.

"I win! Slowpokes!" Inosuke laughs again and part of the yukata Inosuke was wearing was hanging off his waist. The sleeves tied in a knot at the front, leaving his chest bear for the world to see.

The thing looked like the bottom half of a dress. The clothes hardly even on the guy. And the sash on the ground in a pitiful lump.

"Idiot, you didn't even put it on right!"

"Oh yeah?! Prove it weakling!"

...

"And here is your meal"

Zenitsu's eyes widened with horror, how did she make all that so fast! With that much food it should have taken at least an hour! And they had only gotten dressed in their sleepwear in under fifteen minutes!

He knew it, she's a monster and she was fattening them up to eat later!

"SHE HAS TO BE A MONSTER, TANJIRO! THAT OLD LADY'S A MONSTER! SHE'S SO QUICK IT'S EERIE! SHE'S A MONSTER! A MONSTER HAG-"

Tanjiro smacked Zenitsu upside the head to get him to stop talking so rudely. She wasn't a monster, she was human. She had no scent of demon and she was kind and sweet.

She left again so they could eat and Tanjiro had to yank Zenitsu by the collar of his lilac yukata to stop him from staring at the door again from where she left.

As soon as they sat down, Inosuke was shoving fistfuls of food in his mouth, crumbs flew just about anywhere and Zenitsu truly believed the guy was a pig instead of a human.

"Use your chopsticks" Zenitsu said to him. He'd end up with a stomach ache or worse starting choking and Zenitsu didn't not want to deal with a first aid emergency.

A grin broke out on Inosuke's face when an idea lit up in his head.

Zenitsu watches as Inosuke snatched a tempura from Tanjiro's plate. He gapes at the scene.

The nerve of this guy! He's definitely asking for it! He looked at Tanjiro wondering how he would react. Tanjiro blinked, he grabbed a small bowl of food.

"Oh! Inosuke, if you're that hungry, you can have this, too" He smiled.

"Ugh!" Inosuke growls.

"Here!" He offered the food again.

"No!" Inosuke continued to angrily eat his food. Zenitsu chewed the inside of his cheek. He's totally forgotten about the box! Give me a break, you thug, moron! Eyelashes!

...

"Your bedding"

"THERE SHE IS TANJIRO! THE MONSTER HAG-" Zenitsu cried as they walked into a different room.

"Ack-"

"Please, wait here" She says as he walks out.

Suddenly Inosuke springs forward and lands on one of the futons in the most oddest position Zenitsu's ever seen.

"First come first served! I'm taking this one!" He pats it smugly. It was another obvious taunt to Tanjiro, he can't believe Inosuke was still trying to get into a fight with him.

"That's fine. Sleep wherever you like"

"Where do you want to sleep, Zenitsu?" Tanjiro asked. Zenitsu looks at the other two futons.

"Um"

"AGGGRRRHHHAA!"

Before Zenitsu could process what was happening a pillow had struck his face with more force then he thought a pillow could have and he stumbled back.

"Zenitsu!"

He was definitely not taking the bed next to Inosuke. No way.

"Agrh you stupid boar what was that for!" Zenitsu yelled as he grabbed the pillow from the floor to throw it back. To his disappointment Inosuke had dodged it easily.

Zenitsu huffed and stormed over to the very far futon and plopped himself down, crossing his arms. Tanjiro then took the middle one thankfully separating him from Inosuke.

Zenitsu glared at one of the walls silently. He hoped that Inosuke wouldn't be around much, he was to much to handle!

Zenitsu then thought of something to relax. He lifted the lilac flowered blanket and tried to shape it into a circle but there wasn't enough stuff to really do that and it only ended in a half circle. He pouted at the sight.

It wasn't nearly enough to satisfy him.

Tanjiro and Inosuke watched curiously as Zenitsu shuffled the blanket around him. He had even gotten up to grab his sunset haori to mix in the pile. When he got up again, this time to check the closet, he saw Zenitsu's face lit up as he saw two more blankets and another pillow.

Tanjiro only decided to interrupt his little escapade for blankets? When Zenitsu had settled back into his pile of blankets and was rearranging the stuff, seaming to be in his own world.

"Um, Zenitsu, what are you doing?"

Zenitsu jumped at being called out so suddenly and he almost forgot about the other two. He blushed but didn't halt his organization.

"I'm making a nest"

"Eh, a nest? Like what birds do? Why?" Inosuke propped himself up "Are you going to lay eggs?" Inosuke asked. Zenitsu looked horrified at Inosuke's reasoning, but the implication left him blushing.

"Wha- No! People can't lay eggs, idiot!" Zenitsu yelled.

"Well then what's a nest for?!" Inosuke yelled back.

"G-guys, It's late" Tanjiro tried saying to quiet them.

"It's for comfort, why not try it yourself!"

"I'd make a nest way better than you ever could!"

Zenitsu groaned "Whatever"

Tanjiro turned back to Zenitsu but before he could get a word out, the door slid open revealing the sweet old lady and a man with a black bag that looked like a doctor. He saw Zenitsu flinch in the corner of his eye.

"Here is the doctor" The old woman said.

"Hello" he greeted with a smile.

They all got up to sit in front of the doctor, except Zenitsu who refused to leave his nest all of a sudden. But it didn't seem to bother the doctor as he said it was fine since he knew it was something Zenitsu would feel more comfortable in.

The doctor examined Tanjiro, Inosuke and then Zenitsu last. And confirmed that they had severe injuries. He told them how to take care of them and what not to do at this stage of their recovery.

As the doctor was packing up his stuff he laughed fondly at how Zenitsu was still trying to fix up his nest and was ignoring everyone in the room.

"It's been a long time since I've seen an Omega" He said.

"Huh? Omega?" Tanjiro tilted his head at the Doctor. Zenitsu's head shot up when Tanjiro had spoken.

Omega... he felt like he's heard of that word somewhere before. He couldn't remember where though.

"Oh, do you not know?" The Beta asked.

Tanjiro shook his head.

"Well it's not unusual if you don't"

"Is that a secondary gender?"

"It is" He confirmed as he zipped up his bag

"It's not often you see them, they are so rare to come by these days. Last I met one was a young girl almost forty years ago"

"Whoa that long?!" Tanjiro gaped. Where they really so rare?

He nodded "And since I'm a doctor I see lots of people due to my career, but is surprising how much of them have dwindled throughout the years"

"Why is that?" He asked, intrigued.

The doctor shrugged.

"I'm not too informed on the history of Omega's but i know that they have a very low birth rate in general, so it may just be that they are harder to find because of that"

"Oh"

Tanjiro wondered if Mr. Uradaki had ever met one.

"But i do know the quirks of Omega's" He smiled at Zenitsu who tried hiding away and getting comfortable in his nest.

"Is that nesting thing Zenitsu's doing part of it?"

"Does it mean he will lay eggs?" Inosuke butted in.

The doctor laughed at Inosuke's question.

"Haha, no, it's something that makes an Omega feel safe and secure by surrounding themselves with smells of blankets, pillows and clothes of what they like"

Oh, so that's why Zenitsu stuffed his haori in there too.

"Are Omega's strong?" Inosuke asked the doctor.

"They can, but they are physically weaker than Alpha's and Betas, it's just an Omega trait that's common"

"So Monitsu is weak!"

"Inosuke..." Tanjiro pleaded.

The Doctor only smiled and continued.

"Omegas are very different from Betas and Alphas, emotionally, mentally, physically and biologically as they can have heats, PCG, nesting, marking and other common things among our secondary genders"

"Something unique about Omegas is that when distressed they produce a more sour scent then Betas. And when Omegas are around Alphas and Betas they trust, they tend to be more calm, if in a pack"

"And I assume that's why he hesitated when I got close to his nest, since you two must be partners" he pointed to Tanjiro then Zenitsu.

Tanjiro blushed and he could hear Zenitsu make an embarrassed sound behind him.

"O-oh n-no, i-we just scented because Zenitsu liked my scent and it kept him calm during our mission"

The doctor nodded, understanding "Well then, I'll be going now, take care!"

As the Doctor left closing the door Tanjiro looked over to Zenitsu who was as red as a tomato, but was still trying to fix up his nest. Hasn't it been half an hour since he started?

At some point Zenitsu finally stopped but he didn't look content. He stared at the blanket around him like he was trying to figure out the world's most complex puzzle.

Then he looked around and settled his eyes on him.

"T-tanjiro?"

"Hmm?"

"Can, can you ask the old lady for me if i could get some more blankets?" He played with his fingers nervously.

M-more? He already had five stuffed around him. It looked like a nest for an eagle it was so big. He was sure three people could sit in there.

"You want more?"

Zenitsu nodded and the begging look in his eyes couldn't help but make Tanjiro feel bad if he didn't comply with his request.

"Alright! I'll go find some more" Tanjiro gave a smile as he got up from his futon. Zenitsu brightened and he smiled back at Tanjiro.

"Thank you, Tanjiro"

He nodded as he stepped out of the room they were occupying and into the dimly lit hallway. He walked around searching for the lady, and decided seeking her out by smell would be the better and faster choice.

When he did find her she had been washing the last of the dishes from their meal.

"Sorry to bother you so late!" Tanjiro apologized.

She shook her head and asked what it was he needed.

"Well, it's not me that needs it but Zenitsu, he was asking if there were any more spare blankets"

"Oh, I see the Omega?" She nodded in understanding and gestured him to follow her.

"Come"

"So you know Zenitsu is an Omega too?" Tanjiro asked as he followed her down a hallway. She nodded.

"I knew as soon as I let you three enter at the gate"

"Oh"

Perhaps more of the older generations knew about Omega's. Then again he wasn't too knowledgeable about a lot of society, as he hadn't known how much advancement that had happened until he went to Tokyo and he saw all those tall buildings and tallies.

It sure was overwhelming.

"Are you an Omega too?" He asked as his sniffed the air, she had that smell that most old folk had with a hint of flowers.

She shook her head as she shuffled through a closet.

"No I'm a Beta, ah here are some" She says as she brings out some blankets of varying colors and sizes. She handed them to Tanjiro with a warm smile.

"Here you go dearie, hope this helps keep your Omega happy"

"Ah, it's not like that, were just friends" Tanjiro says shyly as he takes the heap of neatly folded blankets.

"Mmm" She hums.

"So, do you know why Omegas are so rare?" Tanjiro asks her.

"Well, from what I heard from the Demon Slayer Corps. Was that it's because of the Demons you fight"

"Hmm?"

"I know from my family that hundreds of years ago there were probably just as many Omegas as there are Alphas and Betas, but when Demons started becoming more common, Omega's were an easy target for Demons and were often hunted the most"

"Oh" Tanjiro listened intently as she spoke. From what the Doctor said before it made sense if Omega's were physically weaker that they would be the easiest target for Demons.

"Many Omega's had rare blood called Marechi, and this just doubled the amount of Omega's killed throughout the century"

Tanjiro remembered how his crow had told him about Marechi Blood hours ago.

"Is there anything else you'd like to know?" She asked him as she closed the closet door.

"No, that was all for now, thank you, miss" He thanked her graciously and turned to head back to the room where Zenitsu was waiting.

He was walking back when something struck his nose and he heard loud voices.

Oh boy.