#KnY fanfiction | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

mysicklove-main · 11 months

Text

Parings: Yandere! Rengoku x Fem! Reader

Word Count: 14.3k (Part 1/3)

Warnings: This chpt is pretty chill so, overprotectiveness, slight possessiveness, vague meanings, rengoku personality does 180s, character injury, minor character death, gore (demon eating human and reader gets impaled)

Summary: Meeting the one you have idolized for years is a once in a lifetime experience. So, you live it up, baking him all the treats in the world. When you finally befriend him, you believe that everything is going great. But he keeps saying strange things, and is acting like he isn't leaving by the end of the week...

𝐅𝐈𝐂 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓

Growing up, you have always idolized demon slayers. Your father was one, and he told you and your brother everything about them from a young age. Sure, it may have scared the daylights out of you, but at least you were forever prepared for the real world.

He had planned to teach both of you the ways of a slayer, but he passed early into your childhood. With your mom passing at birth, it was only you and your older brother. The two of you made do with the loss.

Instead of following in your father’s footsteps, the two of you lived a simple life. The both of you live in a small cottage, just on the outskirts of a village. You woke up early every morning to sell fresh baked goods to the villagers, while your brother traveled west, aiding the sickly, and making money through donations. He always came back after one week of being gone.

When the two of you are together, you always are reminiscing over the stories your father once told. Most of the time referring back to how he met the Hashiras.

By god, you idolized them. You have always dreamed of meeting them like your father did. He described them as the most skilled people on the planet. The protectors of the human world. His words couldn’t help but draw you in. You wanted to know everything about them. How they trained, how they spoke, how they lived.

You daydream all the time about meeting any of them.

Specifically, the son of the man who once saved your father from death. Who granted him an extra three years with you. You have fond memories of how your father used to mention how strong the boy was from such a young age. The boy who was built to protect.

You dreamed of meeting him. You were a plain girl who lived a normal life, so you couldn’t even fathom the thought of being your age and fighting off demons. The thought of him drew you in and you vowed to someday find him.

You knew what he looked like. Your father went into detail about the child. The boy who looks like the flame. Fiery hair and eyes.

You shiver in glee like you always do when you think of your idol. He has to be your age by now, maybe a little older. You wonder what he is like, of course, he has to be unbelievably strong, but was he arrogant because of it? Or was he kind? You didn't care, you just want to see him. Talk to him. Just one time. That's all you needed.

“Hey, Y/N!” Your brother calls as you begin your journey toward the village. You turn, to see him in front of the house, his travel backpack on, and waving at you.

You frown. “You're not leaving right?” You respond, and the waving arm hesitates. He had just got home yesterday, he usually stays for a week before leaving.

“I have to! I just got word that someone needs my help.”

You sigh but nod. He always was so kind. “You'll come back? In a week?”

He grins at you, that bright smile he inherited from your father. You wish yours was as bright as his. That's part of the reason he was loved by all. “Always. I'll be back in a week’s time. Be good without me!”

You throw up a hand, waving him goodbye. “I will! Be safe!” You call and he smiles in return, before turning his back on you and beginning his journey.

You sigh when he disappears, sensing something amiss, but brush it off. Your worries always got the best of you, and you needed to focus.

Alas, you begin to walk forward and toward the village.

You are greeted by your regulars, and many of the elderly come up to you to complain about how big you are getting. You always have to remind them that you are not a child anymore, but nevertheless, they never seem to get it.

The villagers have always been kind to you, and you were forever grateful. With the lack of parents, it was nice to have someone to turn to for affection.

Currently, you were walking around and greeting the villagers, with your hands completely full of fresh goods. A handful of people approached you and paid their dues, with a warm smile. The business was going well, and you were having a nice time chatting with the villagers.

You see a dark hooded figure in the distance, walking quickly toward you. Politely, you make your way to the other side of the road to avoid the stranger. You slightly nod to yourself and continue forward.

Suddenly, at a couple steps away they switch back into your lane and run completely into you. Their shoulder knocks into yours and you wince. Black gloved hands move quickly and you can see them snatch the money in your pocket. You can’t seem to do anything, because the force of his shoulder has sent you falling backward.

You land on your backside with a groan and watch all of your baked goods tumble across the pavement. Immediately you look up toward the stranger, but he was gone. So, you turn back toward the ground and try to scoop up any of the pastries you can.

They are all ruined. You try not to let it get to you, but it hits you hard. You sit on your knees on the hard pavement and clench your fists, trying not to cry. All that time you spent baking and selling was for nothing. Just for some thief to steal your hard work from you.

A shadow stands in front of you, but you ignore it, too focused on yourself to deal with another kind villager. You don’t want to lash out at them.

A booming male voice says, “Are you alright?”

You jump at the sheer power of the stranger’s call but continue to keep your head down. Tears were now pooling in your eyes and you quickly wipe them away. “I'm okay. It's fine, you can go now,” You mumble, but the shadow doesn't move.

“How could I leave a maiden in need?” He continues, still abnormally loud. You shake your head and sigh, before grabbing the remaining pastries and putting them back in their holder. When you begin to stand up, you feel a strong arm, grab onto yours and help ease your way up.

You finally look up to take in the man’s appearance and your eyes widen. Eyes and hair of a flame. A fire kimono. A sword connected to his side.

This was him. The man you have wanted to meet your entire life. It had to be.

Your mouth hangs open as your mind blanks. He frowns slightly. “Are you alright, ma’am?”

“Its…It’s you,” You say breathlessly, not caring at the moment how strange you may sound.

He frowns even more at your vague statement. “Oh! Do you know me?” His voice causes some heads to turn, but he seems to ignore it, almost used to the stares.

You blink at him. You are at a loss for words. He was here. You didn’t actually think this would happen. It was supposed to be just a dream.

A couple of seconds go by.

He instead changes the subject at your silence. “Well! I see that you dropped these.” He points to the now dirty danishes. “How upsetting! I wanted to buy some. Will you make more?”

This seems to snap you back into reality and you begin to ramble nervously. “Oh…Yeah. A thief knocked me over and took my money. Just my luck, huh? But i'll be back tomorrow with fresh ones.” You're blushing. You didn’t say or do anything embarrassing, but the fact that you are finally in his presence is making you squirm.

He smiles and you tear your eyes away from him, a wobbly smile pulling at your face. “Great! I'll buy the whole bunch in advance!” He hands you a huge stack of money and you gape at him. He just handed you two days worth of cash.

“Sir, this is way too much!” You splutter, beginning to hand him back the money. He just laughs in return. His huge body tilts back with the booming noise.

“Nonsense! It's to compensate for what the thief did to you.”

“Are you sure sir? You don't have to do that.”

“I want to. As long as you promise to make more of those danishes!”

His kindness makes you beam and the words slip out of you before you could stop them. “You are so generous, sir. As expected of such a high-rank demon slayer!”

You knew you sounded like a total fangirl, clutching your fists with sparkles in your eyes, but you didn’t care. The fact that you weren’t freaking out right now was impressive.

He cocks his head to the side, the soft smile never falling. “You know who I am?”

“Of course, I know who you are! The flame harisha. One of the strongest demon slayers out there. I am a huge fan, sir!” You grin up at him, setting the ruined danishes aside, and he lets out another powerful laugh.

He didn't seem as shocked that you knew about demons as you thought he was going to be. Or maybe he was just hiding it pretty well. “I didn't know I had fans!”

You hum with a frantic nod. “If everyone knew what you did for us, you would have millions of fans!”

He places a hand on your shoulder and you buzz with happiness. “You are too kind, ma’am. But please don't give me so much praise! I am only doing my job.”

You shake your head, “You’re being way too humble! You have no idea how great you are.” You pause, coming back to reality. You don't want to annoy the slayer with your useless rambling, he was a busy man.

You sigh and instead, bow. “Thank you for everything. I won’t take up your time.” Your voice is quieter and more controlled but still expresses your immense gratitude.

You grab your stuff and head home with a gleeful look in your eyes before he could even say anything.

A second goes by and you begin to daydream about the types of danishes you are going to make for him. Suddenly, you feel a presence, so you turn to your side to see him walking beside you, a small content smile on his face. You almost jump, his movements were so silent, how did he catch up with you so fast?

When he notices you take in his appearance he turns to you and grins. “You’ll be back tomorrow, right? I must dine on some of your baked goods!”

You match his intensity with a wide smile. “Of course. I wouldn’t lie to you, sir!”

“Please, call me Rengoku.”

“Of course, Mr. Rengoku!” You are buzzing again. Two conversations you have had with him and now you know his name. You couldn’t wait to tell your brother all about this.

“Great! I’ll see you tomorrow…” He pauses, turning toward you, hinting for you to continue.

“Y/N.”

“Tomorrow then, Miss Y/N. Stay safe!” And just like he appeared, he disappeared in a matter of seconds, while you are stuck red in the face from your idol saying your very own name.

You could die happy.

You woke up extra early the next morning. The goods had to be absolutely perfect. You were determined for him to like them. You even used some frosting to draw little orange flames on them. You hoped he didn’t think they were lame. It’s definitely a very good possibility he did.

When the sun rose, you grabbed your iteams and quickly headed down the hill. The quicker you got there, the better. You didn’t want them to get cold.

The town was extra busy that day. More people greeted you on the streets and you had to apologize to many that you weren’t selling today. After all, he bought every single one.

Your head hung high and you were practically skipping around the town, beaming at anyone and everyone.

You don’t seem to notice the small curb in front of you. You run into it, and screech when you begin to fall forward, not knowing what to do. You could drop your danishes and save yourself from pain, or you could move the basket up and brace yourself for a harsh fall straight to the face.

You weren’t about to let Rengoku’s desserts get ruined.

Just as you were about to hit the floor you stop. You feel a hand on your shoulder, as you stare face to face with the ground. You clutch the pastries. “Miss Y/N, its a pleasure seeing you here!” The familiar voice calls and you turn red out of sheer embarrassment at the situation you are in.

He pulls you back with just one hand and you have to physically restrain yourself from fangirling. He held your entire weight with one hand like it was no big deal.

You quickly turn around, trying to ignore the fuming of your face, and hold out the pastries to him. “Here! I hope you like them!” You exclaim while pulling the lid off to show him the decorated buns. You take in a deep breath and wait.

His eyes seem to sparkle when he takes in the frosting and you take this as a good sign. He smiles wide and grabs one of the goods. Without a second thought, he plops the entire thing into his mouth.

He chews in silence, and you could almost hear your heartbeat pound as you wait for his thoughts.

With a swallow, his eyes fall back to you, and he says, “Tasty!”

You beam instantly, matching his wide smile. “You think so?”

“I know so. These are one of the most delicious baked goods I have ever had!” The gleeful buzzing is back, you knew that your baking was good, but to hear it from his mouth was such a gift.

He puts both hands on both of your shoulders and you freeze at the touch, internally freaking out. “Come with me, Miss Y/N. Let us eat them together!” He exclaims, before snatching the goods from your hands with one hand and pulling you behind him with the other. You don’t have room for protest.

He leads you to the edge of the town and plops himself on a curb behind a small restaurant, and faces the hill you live on. You sit next to him, and he doesn’t seem to care about personal space, because almost instantly he is crowding yours.

You’re going to have to get used to this, you can’t freak out anymore than this.

He opens the box again and hands you one of the goods, but you pull away. “Those are for you, Mr. Rengoku. I can’t take something you bought!”

But, to your dismay, he grabs your hands, places a baked good into them, and shuts his fingers over yours. “Eat!”

You weren’t going to ignore his demand, so you pick up the bun and begin to nibble on it. He stares, waiting for a reaction. You smile hesitantly, “It’s good!”

“Right!” He exclaims before placing another danish into his mouth, with another loud, “Tasty!”

You begin to laugh at his antics. The way he yells, the way he dragged you away like it was nothing, and simply how enthusiastic he seemed to be. He was a strange man, but you couldnt help but like him even more.

He looks at you as he chews, while you throw your head back in a laugh. “Is there something funny?” He asks, glancing around the area. It was just the two of you.

“You are just so…so human!”

He mimics your smile, even if he is totally lost at your vague statement. “Well, I'd hope so!” He says before taking another huge bite.

Your smile softens as you stare at the food in your hands. “It’s just, I thought you would be different, you know? A Hashira, shouldn't you be super serious or arrogant?”

He swallows his bite and looks out toward the hill. His voice comes out softer, “You idolize me too much Miss Y/N. I am nothing but a man who must protect the weaker people of this world.”

“But do you want to? You aren’t forcing yourself to do this because of your father, right?” He turns to you with slightly wider eyes and blinks. The two of you remain in silence for a couple of seconds.

But then he grins, with the tilt of his head. He places a massive hand on the top of your head and you freeze. “Not to worry, Miss Y/N. I love what I do. I wouldn't change it for the world,” He says, slightly ruffling up your hair.

Another couple of seconds go by as you think of what to say. But he speaks up before you do. “You knew my father?” The man prompts, turning his attention directly on you. It makes you nervous, his watchful eyes seem to take in your every move.

You press on either way, tearing your eyes away so you can focus. “No, but he saved my father about ten years ago. So, I am forever indebted to the Rengoku family. I cannot thank you enough, Mr. Rengoku. Even if it wasn’t you who saved my father, you and your family have protected so many people. Saved so many. It's incredible, really, you're incredible,” You hum and he continues to stare.

You continue, you have been waiting to tell someone this, specifically him, so you couldn’t stop the rambling. “All of the Hashira are. For years I’ve daydreamed about meeting them. You specifically.” You glance up at him and quickly look back down in embarrassment when you see his small smile. “I've always idolized you all. It’s strange to think, we are the same species, but you are someone who risks their lives daily to kill demons, why I sell pastries to keep food on the table. It’s kinda embarrassing when you think about it…” You trail off, taking another bite of the good to keep yourself distracted.

Seconds go by and you begin to get uncomfortable. You turn toward him to meet his watchful stare. His fiery eyes seem to look through you. “I’m sorry, did I make you uncomfortable? I said way too much, please just enjoy the bun, I'll be quiet, I promise!”

He sets the danish down and your eyes follow it with a slight frown. He forcefully grabs your hands and you quickly look up shocked at the sudden touch. “Thank you for the kind words!” He yells and you cringe slightly at the volume. “But like I said yesterday, we are just fulfilling our duty. You are not indebted to anything. And Miss Y/N please don’t think that way! You don’t have to kill demons to be great, you know. Being this good of a baker is way more important than someone like me!”

The way he says it throws you off. It all sounds so genuine like he truly believes that what you are doing is important. He definitely knows how to make someone feel special. “T-Thank you, Mr. Rengoku!”

He smiles wide. “Please, call me Kyojuro! I think we are going to be friends, Y/N!”

You are taken aback. You didn’t think you would ever be friends with someone like him. It makes you grin. “You really think so?”

“Yes! Besides how else am I going personalized fresh goods from a pretty lady?” He says, gently letting go of your hands so he can point to the wobbly icing drawing of a flame located on the center of the bun.

Your face fumes, both from embarrassment at his compliment and the ridiculous decoration. You wave your hands in front of your face. “It’s nothing! You deserve much more sir—Kyojuro.”

“Nonsense! How could anyone deserve something so magnificent!” He declares, loud and full of pride.

It made another small laugh slip through your lips. It was endearing to see how passionate he was about the smallest things. He was unreasonably kind to you.

He grins with a small hum, when he sees you smile, before shoving another bun into his mouth.

“Tasty!”

And just like that, you made friends with a Hashira.

The two of you were quick to get closer to one another. I mean it was simple really, you interviewed him on his entire life story, while he happily explained. You bring him goods every day, and no matter how much you reassure him it’s fine, he always insists on paying you the full amount.

But nevertheless, you have been avoiding the question that hangs in the air. Why are you here?

You don't want to know. There has to be a demon near or else he would never come to this small town. You fear that when you ask that question it’s going to spur his leave. It’s been four days now. He has to be on his way soon.

You've grown attached even in this short period of time. He has to have that effect on others; you wouldnt believe him if he said otherwise. He was the type of person who people couldn’t help but be drawn to. It made you feel possessively good that he was spending time with you rather than the other villagers.

A shoulder bumps into you while you are lost in your daydream. You flinch back and into Kyojuro. He glances down at you and then snaps his gaze back to the man that knocked into you. In less than a heartbeat, the Hashira steps in front of you and grabs onto the jacket of the stranger. You could barely even process what was happening.

“Sir, I’d ask for you to apologize. You’ve disrespected a lady,” His voice is tight, but the Hashira smiles at the man. It makes you gulp.

You realized quickly that Kyojuro is…overprotective. It made sense though, his whole job is to protect people, but these were humans he was protecting you from. And most of the time they weren’t even doing anything amiss. Simple things like, a salesman having a snarky tone at you, a man trying to flirt with you for your service, a small child almost tripping you, or now, someone who accidentally bumped into you.

He never gets truly upset, the smile is still plastered on his face, but the tone is always sharp, dangerous even. His voice was powerful naturally, so to hear it shift was intimidating.

You grab onto his arm before the man could speak. “It’s fine, Kyojuro. It was my fault, I wasn’t paying attention.” You turn to the man and quickly bow in apologies.

His gaze sharpens, and you see his eyebrows begin to furrow at your actions. He didn’t seem to like this.

The man remains in his grasp. “Hey, you can let him go now,” You say, moving your hands to his fingers to try to coax them open.

His eyes remain locked on the man who was now struggling in his hold. “Apologize, sir.”

“Kyojuro, I said-”

He cuts you off, his loud voice cutting your train of thought short. “He touched you, so he must make up for it.” He smiles at you, but this time it doesn’t feel the same as it usually does. The malice in his voice is unhidden.

“I’m sorry! Can you just let me go you crazy bastard!” The man complains, grabbing at the Hashira’s wrist to pull himself away.

In an instant, Rengoku drops him, and the man scampers away, mumbling curses underneath his breath.

You sigh, your gaze following the man that beginning to disappear into the crowd. When you turn back around, Rengoku is staring at you, the familiar small smile on his face. “Was that really necessary?” You whine.

He huffs a small laugh, before placing a hand on your head. Something he seems to do as a sign of affection. “Of course it was! I can't let you be treated that way!”

His usual smile is back and you find comfort in it. In these moments he was always different, but he always snapped back to usual not long after. So, you tend not to dwell on them.

“Whatever you say, Kyojuro,” You hum, before changing the subject. “C’mon, let's head back to my place, I wanna teach you something!”

He pauses, eyes slightly widening. He has never been to your place before. The two of you tended to stay in the village, spending daylight hours with one other. You have never asked him over, and at this time. It was almost evening.

It made him concerned. Do you invite other men over to your place? He knew you idolized him, but if you had met Tengen or Giyuu first, would you have invited them over as well? It made him feel strange to think about it. You were too accepting, you should be more cautious of inviting people over. The two of you only met a couple of days ago.

“You don’t have to go if you don't want to…” You say, your voice unsure at his original silence.

He snaps back to reality, and blinks at you a couple of times, before grinning wide. “I would love to go!” He bellows, causing heads to turn.

You’re used to it by this point, so you grab his hand and lead him up the mountain.

He looks massive in your small cottage. It wasn't just his height. It was his overall frame that made him look so out of place. It wasnt built for a Hashira to live in.

You decided not to comment on it, you didn’t want to hurt his feelings. Besides, a demon slayer needs a frame like that. It was rather intimidating.

You lead him into the kitchen, pulling him away from the shrine dedicated to your parents. He didn’t comment on it, instead bowing low and letting himself be dragged.

You begin to pull out your baking materials, while he stands and watches, occasionally asking if you need any help, to which you deny with a hum.

Finally, once settled you dramatically slam your first on the table, and look up at him with a smile. His eyes follow your fist in a confused, but delighted stare. “I am going to teach you how to bake!” You exclaim, hands thrusting into the air with excitement.

His eyes light up. “Tasty!”

You in turn roll your eyes, the smile still plastered on your face. “That's the goal. I hope that you can make your own goods when…you know.”

His eyes soften, and his voice drops. “I leave?”

“Yeah.”

He walks over to you, and he uses his hand to lightly trace the area near your temple, bending down slightly to meet your gaze. “Don't worry about that for now. We've got time.”

Your mind travels back to that question.

Why are you here?

You ignore the recurring thought. It never seems to leave you alone. It wasn’t worth thinking about it. You were here with your idol, and that should be enough for you. Just meeting him should have been enough. You found yourself getting greedy.

You nod into the touch, blushing slightly, when he pulls away with a hum. You never got used to how physically affectionate he was.

He seemed to think nothing of it, constantly brushing his hand against your body. You’ve thought it was an accident at first, when his hands lingered on your hips for a second too long, or when his hands seem to twitch when they graze yours. But when he led you through a crowd with a hand on your back, it made you realize how touchy he must be.

You didn’t mind of course. If he was showing any affection toward you, it had to be a blessing. Demon slayers would kill to talk to a Hashira, nevertheless, be friends with one.

“So where do we begin?” Rengoku prompts, rubbing his hands together as to prepare them for heavy work.

You laugh, cutting your thoughts off, and begin the lesson.

It turns out he is horrible at baking. For all of the talents he was gifted with, the kitchen was not one of them.

He tried, truly he did, his face is covered with flour, and whenever you asked if he needed help, he pretended that he was doing completely fine. It was cute, really.

But, after twenty minutes of struggling to follow your commands, you saw him begin to get frustrated. His brows were pinched as he tried to knead the dough, way too hard than usual. His fingers dug into it, and you heard his noises of annoyance under his breath.

You walk over to him and stand next to him, before reaching over to put your hands on his. “Gently, Kyojuro. Like this.” You murmur, before guiding the both of your hands to knead the dough, gently this time.

His hands are much larger than yours, and you struggled to move them, but he went completely lax under your hands. He lets you lead them into the repetitive motion, while you mumble instructions.

His silence becomes deafening. Rengoku isnt one to stop talking, especially in situations like these.

You glance up at him, to see that he is staring at you. His eyes are opened wide, his mouth curled up in a small content smile. “What?” You muse, automatically removing your hands from his. His smile drops when they leave.

“That's the first time you touched me.”

“What? No, it’s not, I feel like the two of us are always somehow touching one way or another.”

He barks a laugh, shaking his head. “Yeah, but I always initiated them. You touched me, Y/N!”

You turn red. “Am I not allowed to?” You say, trying not to let the embarrassment get to you.

“Of course not! Please, feel free to touch me at any time and anywhere!”

“Don’t say it like that!”

“What? I am merely speaking the truth. I enjoy it immensely when you touch me, Y/N!” Your hand covers his mouth before he could get anything else out. He blinks at you, before closing his eyes with a wide smile. Probably grateful you were touching him again.

What he was saying was true. You tried to keep a little bit of space between the two of you. Even if he enjoys physical contact, you didn’t want to catch him on a bad time and have him snap on you. Honestly, you don't want to do something that may make him upset, because the idea you have of him in your mind would be tarnished. You like how you see him now.

“Are you done now?” He nods frantically under your hand. You pull away and he beams at you. It was rare to see him not smiling honestly.

He turns back to the dough, a determined look on his face. “Alright, I believe I can do this! Gently this time!”

You nod and stand close to him as he begins to try to knead the dough.

Too soft. Way too softly. It looked like he was afraid to touch it. You sigh. “Kyojuro, I don't think this is going to work.”

His body snaps over to you, his eyes wide and looking a little panicked. “What’s not going to work?” He splutters.

It was the first time he didn’t look like a Hashira in your eyes. He looked like a regular man, who also have their fears and worries. But you have no idea what he seems to be worried about.

You place a hand on his lower arm and tilt your head to the side in a soft grin. His eyes flicker to it, and his body seems to jolt at the touch. He focuses his stare on you. “You baking. I think you should stick to demon-slaying, hmm?”

“But how am I supposed to eat these delicious goods?”

You pause, using your other finger to tap your chin. “You could visit me from time to time and I can make them for you.”

He stares at you, a small frown on his face. He seems to do this a lot, you’ve taken notice too. The staring. It’s like he goes into a whole different world when he looks at you. Sometimes he would speak on what he was thinking about, others he would change the subject.

It seemed that he felt like talking today. Even if the results shocked you so. “Or you could live with me!” He exclaims so loud you swear you saw your porcelain cups shiver.

You blink at him. He smiles in return, and grabs both of your hands, cupping them in his own. “What?”

“I said, you could live with me!”

You shake your head, eyes flickering to your hands in his hold. “No, I know what you said, but what are you talking about? I can’t just pick up and move in with a guy I just met, simply because you like my danishes.”

His smile falters. “It will be more than just you baking for me, I promise Y/N. Besides, we met four days ago and we seem to get along perfectly! Do you not trust me?”

“Of course I trust you, you are a Hashira after all. The world has to trust you.” He doesn't seem to like this answer. His smile drops completely now, and his eyebrows slightly furrow. You gulp, not wanting him to be upset at you. “I mean–It's just that I can’t leave my brother alone! I have to stay here and watch the house when he is gone!”

He drops your hands, the smile returning. “Of course! The brother. You are so kind, Y/N, really.” His hand lands back on your head, ruffling the lose strands. His voice seems to be just barely strained, and the grip on your head is a tad bit harsher than usual. Not enough to hurt, but enough to notice the difference.

It’s not that you don’t want to go with him. It would be a dream come true to live with a Hashira. But you weren’t dumb. You knew that underneath the kimono and the blade by his side, he is still a man. A strong one at that.

The thought made the image of him in your head start to blur once more. You are getting too close to him, and although it was nice to be his friend, when he leaves you don’t want to think of him any differently.

You focus on the task at hand. You fix your hair quickly, while he laughs gently. You beam back at him. “Well, lets finish teaching you how to bake!”

“Right!”

Tomorrow your task was to pick up necessities from the village next door. Stuff like flour, cloth, string, baking supplies, and maybe, if you made enough this week, a new pair of shoes. You go on these trips once every three weeks. They took about the whole day, as it was about a five-ish mile walk and you needed to visit many different shops.

So, you couldn’t see Rengoku tomorrow. The thought made you a little sad, but the two of you had seen each other for five days in a row. You didn’t want him to get sick of you anyways.

The two of you sat on the bank of the nearest river. Him filling up the containers for you, even when you tried to stop him, reassuring you that you could do it by yourself. He didn’t listen of course.

It’s silent between the two of you, instead listening to the sounds of the river passing by. His leg is touching yours. You don’t know if it’s purposeful or not. “I’m leaving tomorrow,” You hum, trying to start up a conversation.

Silence. Your eyes flicker to him. He stares at the ground, eyes wide, and darting back and forth along the grass, as if trying to process something. His hand grips his kimono. “Where?” He breathes, after a couple more seconds of thick tension.

You try to laugh it off, confused by the mood shift, and his eyes snap toward you. Recently, he has gotten more…serious. It made you even more afraid that he was beginning to not like you. “Where?” He questions again, his voice louder this time.

“To the next village over. Need some supplies. It will only take a day,” You reason, and you swear you could see his body begin to relax.

And suddenly, as if nothing happened, he turns to you with a grin on his face. “Of course! We shall go together!”

You blink at him, the thoughts of him getting sick of you resurfacing. Besides, he had a mission to do, you know he did, whether he told you or not. “I appreciate that, Kyojuro, but I kinda wanna do this alone.”

His grin falls in a heartbeat, and his eyes become wide again. Similar to how he looked yesterday. Panicked. “Are you sick of me?”

“What? No! Of course not. How could I ever get sick of you?”

He huffs, turning toward you. “Then we go together!”

“But,” You continue, causing his smile to drop. “I think it’s a good idea for us to spend some time apart. We’ve only just recently met, and we have spent every day together.”

“That’s true! But we are enjoying it, are we not?”

“Well yeah, but we may not…soon.”

“Why?” He begins to move closer to you. You can almost feel his breath on your skin. The proximity makes you shiver.

“Because…Because I don’t know! That’s just how it works.”

“I will not enjoy spending time with you, Y/N. I hope the same for you.” He says that now, but you don’t believe him truly. It’s human nature for one to need alone time. It was strange that someone like him who works alone most of the time doesn’t understand it.

Your head is scrambling for something else to say, and without meaning to you tell him what you have been wanting to know for so long. “Kyojuro, what are you even doing here?”

He falters at this and your own eyes widen. You didn’t mean for it to come out like that. “I’m sorry–I meant, It’s just…are you on a mission out here?”

He smiles at you, his gaze soft, like you say anything, and still, he wouldn’t be mad at you. “Yes. There is a group of demons near the woods. I’m here to end them!”

His story sounds plausible, but you weren’t stupid, he was a Hashira. This mission should have ended after at most two days. And not only that, you haven’t heard of any people going missing. Was he saving them and taking his time to kill the demons?

Rengoku wouldn’t do that. The flame Hashira would never leave demons walking on this world willingly. He must be planning a strategy to kill them. He must be.

But you’ve heard stories of how his father took down hundreds with little to no trouble. Was Rengoku weaker than you thought?

You couldn’t stand the thought of the glorified picture in your head being damaged.

So, you nod. “Well, you should probably stay here to protect the villagers in case something goes amiss?”

“Don’t you worry, my Y/N! Demons don’t come out in the day! The villagers will be completely fine with my absence. Please let me come along! I will not be a nuisance!”

He seems adamant about him coming, and you didn’t want to be a bother. So, with one last sigh, you nod and give in. Besides, you wouldn’t ever be sick of him, and you couldn’t help but cling to the idea that maybe he wouldn’t be either.

The Hashira accompanied you on your journey the next day, grinning the entire time while carrying your bags.

Two days have passed by. You’ve been with him for six days in a row now, and honestly, you’ve never been better. You were wrong about the idea of getting sick of him. Nothing about him steered you away.

In fact, you believe that you have started to have a crush on the Hashira.

Not that you would ever admit it. It was a ridiculous idea, but you couldn’t help but fall for him. It wasn’t even him being a Hashira that drew you in now, it was his personality. Sure, he would always make you feel safe and protected from harm, but it was the way he smiled at you that made your heart flutter. The way he was always so polite, and treated you with the utmost respect.

You haven’t experienced many people like him, so like a moth to the flame, you began to fantasize about what it would be like to be with him.

But, it was naive of you. He was bound to leave soon. A group of demons has ought to be killed soon. If not, his master would surely call upon him soon.

You were growing too attached to him. It was weird to think about how you would have to start doing everything alone again. How silent everything is going to be again.

If you went with him, what would life be like for you?

You throw the thought out. You couldn’t leave your brother alone, he’s all you had left. The two of you needed each other to survive.

“I feel jealous of whoever you are thinking about, Y/N,” Rengoku calls from behind his shoulder, as he helps you put away some dishes. He turns to you with a smile on his face.

You laugh lightly, beginning to get used to his teasing. “Aw, too bad you’ll never know.”

He sets the dish down and begins walking over to you, with a small smirk and raised eyebrow. You don’t move. He approaches you, much too closely as usual, and you try to refrain from blushing. “What?”

“And if I make you tell me?” He questions, eyes staring deeply into yours.

“Hmmm, how?”

His smile widens at your tone. “I have some ideas!”

You laugh at this and jab a finger into his chest. “You, my Hashira, wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

He blinks at you. “You know just what to say to make a man blush!” He exclaims, the familiar loudness returning. It was true, his face seemed to have a twinge of pink.

It took you a second to understand. You didn’t mean it like that. The “my Hashira” was only supposed to tease him in turn. It made you fume from embarrassment. You begin to scramble to explain yourself, but he places his large hand on your head again.

His voice goes softer. “But my flame, that isn’t true. Please don’t doubt me. I wouldn’t hesitate to end someone if anyone hurts you. It’s my job to protect you.”

The seriousness in his voice makes you uneasy. “A demon right? Not a human?” You question, sounding way more nervous than you should be. The way he said it made you really think about how strong he truly is. Without a second thought, he could kill you or anyone if he wanted to.

This thought confused you. Rengoku would never hurt you, nor any human, why does the thought seem to leave a chill down your spine? How are you having these thoughts, when not even a minute ago you were thinking about potentially leaving with him?

He stares at you, the smile not leaving his face. “Exactly,” He says, and then removes his hand from your head, to turn back to the dishes. He was always booming with confidence, why did he sound so doubtful?

Why are you questioning a Hashira’s morals?

You have to get your mind off the subject. It was making things complicated and you were allowing paranoia to get the best of you.

You creep up next to him, grabbing the clay cup from his hands, and away. “Kyojuro, do you remember the time I showed you how to bake?”

He turns to you with a wide smile, eyes lighting up. “Of course! They were delicious!” Well, yours were. His didn’t turn out as well. You gave up on teaching him how to bake correctly, and he didn’t seem to mind at all.

“Well, you must pay a price for my knowledge,” You hum, turning your back towards him to hide your smile.

“Not to worry, I will pay for all the ingredients!”

You roll your eyes at the offering. “A different price. I did you a service, now you have to do me one.”

Footsteps approach you rapidly, and suddenly his chest is against your back. You jump at the feeling and crane your head to look up at him.

Two bright eyes stare down at you, blinking owlishly. His hands fall to your shoulder, and his smile is different this time. It seems more like a smirk, rather than a grin. But still, you could tell that the man was practically gleaming. “What type of service, Y/N?”

His low voice startles you, and you flush at the noise. As on instinct you jump away from his hold and turn toward him. “Not that type of service!” You scramble out, trying and failing to keep your cool.

He laughs at this, and you clench your fists in embarrassment. “I apologize, I was teasing you, Y/N!” When you don’t respond, he continues, tone lighter than before. “I am at your beck and call, what do you need from me?”

“I would like for you to teach me some basic self-defense mechanisms.”

His eyes sharpen in an instant, the laugh in his voice gone. “Why? I will protect you.”

You frown at him, not expecting this reaction. “When you leave, Kyo.”

“You don’t need to protect yourself, I said this earlier. I will not let anything touch you. It’s my duty.”

“When you leave,” You repeat when he doesn’t get the memo. He’s acting like he could protect you even when is gone for his next mission.

His eyebrows furrow and his voice comes out flat. “Do you want me to leave?”

It feels like an accusation.

“What? No, but its inevitable.”

He grabs onto your hands and holds them tightly. It feels more than a regular friendship hold, it seemed desperate, but you were too engrossed in the situation to even think about that. “It doesn’t have to be that way.”

You try to pull away, but he holds them in place. Your voice goes softer, almost as if you were soothing a small child. “I can’t go with you, Kyojuro and you know that. My brother needs me.”

His smile drops in an instant and his face turns cold. “Fine. I’ll teach you. Let’s go outside.” The swordsman says cooly, dropping your hands and beginning to walk toward the door of your house.

Regret fills your veins. You have never seen him upset at you, and you have no understanding of what you did was wrong. He should know that the two of you living together was strange. Unless he was asking for marriage? But that doesn’t seem right, he hasn’t made any romantic moves on you and he would need your brother’s blessing to even be considered.

Or was it asking him to train you that made him upset? But that also didn’t make any sense. Wouldnt he want you to be more protected? Learning basic self-defense is something that everyone should know, and could possibly save your life.

He was so confusing. In one second he’s smiling at you with stars in his eyes, and in the next, he seems to be a completely different person.

Who was he, really?

You scramble toward the door.

He stands in front of you, back facing you. His figure stands tall, and his hair gently falls on the top of his shoulder. Even from far away, he oozes with power.

You tip-toe your way over to him, gulping when his eyes flash to you the second your feet land on the pathway. You smile awkwardly at him, and he in return nods his head with a huff. He turns around to face you. The two of you stand in front of one another in silence.

You begin to apologize, the strange mood was not something you intended, but he cuts you off. “To begin, take out the knife in your pocket.”

You flinch, staring at him in shock. You never told him about the knife you store in case of emergencies. It’s hidden beneath enough fabric that nobody could feel it on you even if they patted you down.

He watches you begin to scramble for an explanation and laughs. The powerful noise throws his head back, with the return of the smile. Another strange shift in his personality. But you don’t mind it at the moment. The cold shoulder he gave you worried you. The laugh makes you feel more at ease immediately, almost forgetting completely about the knife.

“I saw a glimpse of it when you reached for the top shelf!”

A simple explanation. Obviously, it had to be, you were being dramatic, Rengoku would never do anything weird. So, you just nod at him and reach into the cloth to pull out the steel blade.

It was nothing fancy, but your father gifted it to you when you were younger, so you treasured it deeply.

“Great job, Y/N! Now attack me,” He beams, stepping a couple of feet away to give you running room.

You blink at him, trying to ignore the borderline embarrassing encouragement. He said it like you actually did something great. “What?”

“You heard me! Attack me! Pretend I am the thief from a couple of days back!” You do what he says without much hesitation. You asked to be trained, and he knows exactly how to do it. Besides, he was a trained swordsman it’s not like you were going to actually land a blow on him.

You charge at him and swing the knife up toward his shoulder. As expected, he dodged immediately. He now stands behind you. “Again!”

You shift your feet toward him, clenching your teeth as you take another strike, this time aiming for his neck. Like before, he seems to disappear. An arm grabs onto your wrist. He quickly moves your hand positioning on the blade, huffing when satisfied. “That was great Y/N!”

You nod your head, ready for some pointers or any sort of criticism. But Rengoku just stands a couple feet away, and waits for another attack. You grip the knife, and try a different strategy, instead aiming for his feet. It’s useless, he jumps away. “Creative!”

You huff from the exertion and glare at him. Frustrated at the lack of advice, you speak up. “You are supposed to be teaching me.”

He flashes you a grin. “I am!”

“No, you’re not. Your toying with me. How am I supposed to get any better?”

“I actually think you are great at self-defense! And with me around you will never be in danger. I think its time to head inside for the night!”

When he turns to walk away, you jump in front of him, clutching the base of the knife. “Kyo, this is training for when you are gone.”

His eyes flicker to the blade, and for a moment, his voice is flat. “If you want to continue, keep swinging at me.” You obey his command and try to slam your arm into his shoulder. He continues, voice now expressing more of his emotions, “Why do you keep bringing that up? We will deal with that later!”

You scan the area for where he landed after the dodge. “Your mission is bound to end soon. I know how these things work, my father told me about it. You will leave and it will be soon.”

With a swipe to his collarbone, he jumps back behind you, and you feel his hand caress your neck. You shiver at the soft touch of his calloused fingers. His breath is right next to your ear. “Are you forcing me away?”

You clench your teeth at this and try to turn to him, but he has already moved. “Why do you keep saying these things?”

“Because it sounds like you want me to leave. Is that it, Y/N? You’re sick of me already?”

Another swing, you're so worked up that you don’t even care where to aim at.

“No! My god Kyojuro, you are acting so strange!” In an instant, you feel the blade come in contact with flesh and you freeze. Your heartbeat picks up, eyes wide, as you stare at the Hashira.

Blood drips from his hand and feel yourself pale. Your pulse picks up when the Hashira eyes for the first time during this training leave yours. He hisses out in pain and you watch his eyes widen at the wound.

“Oh. Ow.”

You immediately rush over to him to make sure he was alright. You grip his hand, mind trying to grasp anything your brother has taught you. You half drag him to your cottage, dropping the knife midway. He follows behind you silently, holding his hand up to try to slow the bleeding.

You push him into the nearest chair, and scramble toward the first aid kit your brother left.

When you return, he’s staring at you silently, like he is waiting for some sort of reaction. You pay no mind to it, trying to stay focused on the task at hand.

You kneel down in front of him and he jumps, grabbing onto the chair with the other hand. You glance at him with a raised eyebrow, before grabbing his hand and beginning to clean the wound. “I'm sorry. I should have been paying attention. I didn't mean to.”

“Hmm. It really hurts.” His tone comes out whinier than you have ever heard before and you begin to really panic. He was a demon slayer, he must get hurt all the time, and if this was hurting him, then it must have been a sensitive spot.

When you pour alcohol on the injury, he hisses and you place a hand on his leg to try to comfort him. You feel his gaze on you, as you hold back tears, the guilt tearing ruthlessly at you. “I’m sorry. What can I do to make it up to you?”

A smile begins to resurface and you feel better almost instantly. “No more lessons?!” he says, placing the other hand on your head again.

Why was he so insistent on you not being able to protect yourself? Wouldnt he feel better knowing that you can be safe on your own?

Maybe he has some sort of traumatic past for self-defense that you don’t know about? You don’t know much about him, so that does sound like a reasonable answer.

“Of course! I promise I won't ask again.”

He beams down at you and your heart begins to pound, like it has been the past couple of days. “Great!”

You nod at him, and his eyes flicker to the hand still placed on his leg. You immediately pull away from him, embarrassed, but he grabs it before you can fully remove it. “One more request.”

You try your best not to blush, as he places the hand back on his leg, and begins to rub his thumb over the back of it. His voice softens, and his stare is unwavering. “You have to dote on me. I’m injured, so you can't leave my side until I have healed.”

You blink slowly, but nod your head automatically. It was his dominant hand that was injured, so he may struggle with basic tasks. Plus, you didn't mind not leaving his side. It’s not like the two of you have not been glued to one another since you met. It wouldnt be that big of a change. “Of course! I'll take care of everything. You don’t have to lift a finger. I’m sorry again, Kyojuro.”

He smiles, with a tilt of the head and picks up your hand, giving it a gentle, but affectionate squeeze. “Nonsense! But Y/N, I need you to promise not to leave my side. Do you understand?”

The intensity in his words makes you hesitate. “Until you are healed?”

His words become more frantic, and the grip on your hand tightens. He refuses to look away from you, the bright eyes seeming to peer into you. “Yes. Can you promise me?”

You had no idea why he was so insistent about this right now, but you give in immediately under his stare. “I promise I won't leave your side.”

He stands up, pulling you up effortlessly with him.“Good! Now, don't you think its time for bed!”

You pause for a second, completely forgetting about the fact that he was spending the night. At night he was off slaying demons, or so you assumed, so you never really saw him past sundown. You glance at the hand and sigh, he must have to stop because of you. You ignore the ache in your heart. You already apologized, it was the best you could do.

“Sure. You can sleep on my brother’s cot. He isn’t here.”

He uses your hand to pull your forward, so you had to look directly up at him. You are used to the forwardness, so when you collide with his chest, you don't even question it. “You just promised,” He says with a cocked head.

“But you won’t need any help when you're sleeping!”

He throws his head back in a laugh. “You never know! Besides, I think–” He hisses out and his eyes fall back to the injury. Your own eyes widen and quickly cup the injured hand, worry plastered on your face.

You are quick to reply, not wanting to make it harder for him. “Okay. I'll bring the cot into my room!” You scramble out, before heading into your brother's room and beginning to drag it over.

He starts to walk toward you, as to help you, but he stops midway. He glances at his hand, and then sighs gently, fidgeting as he watches you move the cot by yourself.

Once finished you turn to him with a small smile. “I am going to get ready for bed. I can lend you my brother’s sleep attire?”

“It’s okay! I have clothes under my kimono that I wear to bed.” He says, already peeling himself from the top layer of clothing. You slam the door shut immediately, and you hear the booming laugh from behind the door.

As you head back to wash your face, your mind travels back to the incident. No matter how you think about it, it was strange. He dogged every single one of your attacks without even a hint of a challenge. It was like he wasnt even taking you seriously.

So how did you land a blow? You were just a regular girl and he was a trained Hashira, ready to defend himself at any moment.

Was this on purpose?

But Rengoku wouldn’t do anything sly. He was always kind to you, and a Hashira. Hashira’s don’t trick people, they protect them from people who scheme.

He must have been distracted from the whole self-defense thing. You should really stop doubting his morals.

Out of the corner of your eye, you see a slightly burnt piece of paper on the floor. About the size of a letter.

Immediately, you wander over to it, confused because you haven't received a letter in a while. Plus, you would have read it before and why was it opened?

When you bend down to pick it up, a hand lands on your shoulder. You jump back in shock, to see a shadowed figure.

You know it’s Rengoku, even in the darkness, his figure is very much defined. But the presence still makes you unnerved. Maybe it’s the fact that you can’t see his smiling face in the darkness. “Kyo?”

His voice is flat. “C’mon, Y/N. Let's go to sleep.”

Your eyes flicker toward the paper on the floor. “Sure, one second I just need to–”

“In the morning. Please? I can’t go to sleep if you aren't there.” You feel the brush of the bandages on the back of your neck. It makes you shiver, and remember his injury. You clench your fist for a second, but sigh and turn around.

He was right, it will be there tomorrow, and besides it would be hard to read at this time anyways. “Right.”

As the two of you lay next to one another, his non-wounded hand brushing over your face, you make small talk. The two of you whisper in the dark and laugh over nothing important.

He tells you stories of the demons he slayed, and you unconsciously lean even closer to hear them. He is powerful, and kind, and smart, its overwhelming that someone like him is next to you.

You see a hint of a smile in the darkness. “What are you thinking about?”

“You are so cool Kyojuro.”

His body rumbles with a laugh, quieter than usual since its late and the house is silent. “You praise me too much.”

He leans closer, and the two of you are only a couple of inches apart now. “It’s true. Do you know what I give to be like someone like you?”

The face petting stops for a moment. “I don’t like that idea. It’s too dangerous out there for you. I like the thought of coming home to you, with fresh goods in your hands. Safe and away from any threats”

Your face heats up at the words. He makes it sound so romantic, and to be honest, you don’t mind the idea. But your brother should be home any day now. “I can’t live with you. You know this.”

He hums at you. “What if I told you I have fallen for you?” He murmurs, his voice low and soft. His calloused fingers return to tracing your face.

Your heartbeat picks up, and he must have noticed, because he chuckles lightly. “You like me?” You say, eyes wide, wishing desperately to see his face better in this moment.

“Is that outlandish?”

You look away, instead focusing on the shadows of your fingers. “Well…I don’t know. I’m just surprised.”

“I thought my intentions were clear. Please forgive me, if I confused you.”

It made sense that he was pursuing you. All the stares and the adoring touches. You just didn’t want to think of the possibility of someone as amazing as him liking you. Didn’t want to think of the fact the two of you won’t work out. “No, you didn't, it's fine. I actually like you too…But you are leaving.”

“Come with me. Live with me. I will treat you well. We can be happy together.”

At this point, the two of you were going in circles. You have had this conversation multiple times, and still, he doesn’t seem adamant about giving up. “I won’t leave my brother alone.”

He rolls himself on top of you, most likely annoyed that you weren’t looking at him anymore. He rests his body on his forearm, and his hair brushes your face. His voice is in a hoarse whisper. “You are too kind, Y/N. Think about yourself for once.”

You try your best to ignore the position. His body seems to engulf your own, and it makes you feel unreasonably small, but you’re unwilling to back down. “You know I can't do that. You know what it is like to have a sibling.”

His eyes become wider, and more desperate looking. You can’t meet his stare. “What if he was gone? You would come with me, right?”

Your head snaps back to him, and you look at him in shock. “Why would you say something like that?” You seem to hiss out.

At your tone, he becomes meeker, as if he was hiding into himself. He rubs his forehead against yours, with a hint of a whine in his throat. “Do you even like me?”

You immediately regret what you said, and instead begin to grow concerned. You have never seen him sound so upset before. “I do. I promise I do!”

His head falls into your neck, and his body begins to tremble. “You're causing me so much pain, my flame,” he whines and you begin to internally freak out.

Rengoku was never one to get his emotions involved. He was always upbeat with you, and the fact that he was so hurt over this must mean something big to him.

You place your hand on the back of his head, to try to get him to calm down. He was your idol, and now crush, you didn’t want to see him hurt, but you love your brother.

“If my brother found somewhere to live and be happy with, I would go with you. But he isn’t looking for a wife currently. So, I can't. I would love to, but I can't. I’m sorry, Kyo.”

In a heartbeat, his mood switches. He pulls his head out of your neck and begins grinning from above you. He rubs his nose onto yours, and you on instinct scrunch it up in surprise. “You want to. That's all I need. You want to live with me. Thank you. Thank you, so much!”

He rolls the two of you over so now the both of you are on your cot, with your head on his chest. You smile lightly at him, glad whatever you said finally made him calm down.

His non-dominant hand rests on the back of your head, and you blush, finally taking in a new position. His body expels warmth, and you find comfort in it.

Savorying the last amount of time you have with him to the fullest. It’s getting harder to ignore the ache in your chest whenever you think about him leaving.

Slumber begins to take a hold of you, and you listen to the rhythmic sound of the man’s heartbeat.

A couple of minutes go by, and you hear a whisper near your ear. “My flame?”

You hum and try to hold back a smile. “I like the nickname.”

He chuckles, and your body shakes from the force of it. “Me too. But Y/N, make sure you come back to me. Always. Do you understand?”

You yawn, in your half-sleep state, but mumble out a, “Okay.”

He sighs, and he continues to pet your hair affectionately. “Good. Goodnight. Sleep well, Y/N. Tomorrow is going to be an eventful day.”

But you couldnt hear his warning. You had already fallen asleep the second after you agreed to his strange request.

You are awoken at 2:50 AM the next day by frantic whispers and aggressive shaking to your body. You blink a couple of times and flinch at the harsh light in your face.

Your pupils begin to constrict to the light, and your eyes scan the figure in front of you. Your brother was shaking you awake, with panicked eyes and a lantern in his hands. “What are you doing here? You were supposed to leave!”

He drags you from the cot, and you stumble forward. Your mind finally begins to awake, and you regain consciousness of the situation at hand. “Brother? What’s happening? Are you okay?”

He grabs your hand and pulls you through the small house, scrambling through cupboards looking for something. When he pulls out your father’s sword, you gulp.

He heads back over to you and begins to drag you away. “Didn’t you get the letter? You are supposed to be heading east by now!”

“What’s happening?” You reason again, voice louder and more panicked. He turns to you, and you jump at his appearance, finally able to see him clearly. His hair is a mess, he’s slightly trembling, and he looks like he hasn’t slept in days.

He grabs onto your both shoulders, and his voice coming out frantic. “A demon. Or maybe multiple. I got messages that people have been disappearing from towns, and some of their….remains have been scattered around villages. It’s traveling from village to village, and yesterday it hit the town where we get our goods. Five innocents are gone and our village should be next. Tonight.”

You stare at him, eyes wide in shock. “Why are you here? You shouldn't have come!”

“I was going to grab fathers sword. We need some sort of protection while we wait until the demon slayer’s corpse comes.” He doesn’t know how to use it, he's a healer, and neither do you, but it was better than nothing. Especially if the two of you were without a home until everything clears up.

“Grab your knife. Everything going to be okay. Just trust me. Everything is going to be fine,” He mumbles, seemingly trying to comfort himself more than you. He begins to drag you toward the door and you begin to reach in your pocket for your father’s knife.

It wasnt there. You lost it when you cut Rengoku.

Your eyes widen when you finally realize his disappearance. You turn around and quickly scan the room before your brother pulls you completely outside.

“Kyo-” A hand covers your mouth immediately.

Your brother looks at you in pure fear, and you feel your own bubbling up at his gaze. “Quiet. We have to be as silent as we can. It could be near,” He whispers at you, and you nod from behind his hand.

Your eyes dart around the area for the demon slayer. But he is nowhere to be found. He’s probably out looking for it by now.

But he’s injured. Is it really okay for him to be fighting in his state?

Your brother removes his hand from your mouth and begins to drag you forward, a sword in one hand and your hand in the other. You gulp and follow him in the darkness.

A couple of minutes go by and the two of you haven’t said a word. The both of you had heard eerie noises, and you swear you heard a woman’s scream far off in the distance.

Your mind flashes back to all of the villagers you have gotten close to. It was better not to think about it. Rengoku should be there soon.

The two of you took the path into the woods. It was not the normal path to take when heading eastward, but it was safer. You both knew the woods well, and the chances are the demon is raiding the village. That’s what they have targeted the last couple of days at least.

Suddenly, you hear a growl to the right of you guys. Your brother freezes, and you run into the back of him. Your heartbeat picks up, and the hair on your neck rises. Your brother is trembling in front of you.

You turn to noise to see three bright yellow eyes staring at the two of you. A deathly aura creeps on the two of you, and it’s pin-drop silent.

Your brother grabs you by the shoulders and pushes you forward yelling out, “Run!”

As on instinct, you turn back to him to pull him with you, but he’s gone. As if he vanished into thin air. The eyes disappeared as well.

A mass amount of dread and fear weighs on top of you, as you begin frantically scanning the woods. Your heartbeat is pounding in your chest and you’re shaking out of your wits. “Brother? Brother, where are you!”

Tears begin to form in your waterline, and you begin running, searching desperately for any trace of him. In the back of your mind you know your not going to be able to do anything, but it doesn’t stop you from trying.

You wish Rengoku was here. He would be able to find your brother in a heartbeat, but he was most likely in the village. Where the demon should have been. But it doesn’t stop you from calling his name desperately for help.

Which is exactly how you attracted your very own demon. Your brother told you to be quiet, and you should have listened better. Fear made you naive.

It was standing in front of you, its eyes seemingly pinning you down. It was smiling at you, showing off its razor-sharp teeth, and you take a step back. You were trembling, alone, and defenseless against the demon.

“What’s a young girl like you doing out here alone?” The voice was high in pitch and shrill. A step toward you.

You don't respond, eyes darting around for an exit, while the demon continues to laugh and move forward, closer toward you.

You turn around and run. You dont have many choices in this situation and you rather take a chance than be a sitting duck.

It didn’t work, but you knew it wouldn’t. The demon grabs at your leg and pulls you back toward him. You fall forward onto the ground and hiss at the feeling of rock digging into your skin. You are being pulled backward, and the clawed hand on your ankle makes you shiver.

“I think I will take my time with you,” The being coos, licking a stripe up the back of your leg.

Tears stream down your cheek as try to kick it off, to no avail. It’s going to tear your limps apart and eat you. Your brother is not going to be saved, and your family line is going to end.

With your last plea, you begin to scream. Loud enough to most likely alert every living being in the forest. Even the demon hisses out in annoyance.

Suddenly, there is a flash of orange and red. A flame.

You hear the plop of a sliced head a second later, and the slicing sound of the demon’s arm being physically removed from your leg. You cringe at the sound, but relief immediately floods your veins.

You turn your head to the side to see Rengoku, slightly frowning in concentration while he sheathes his sword. When he catches your eye, he smiles, and the comforting action makes the tears continue to flow.

He's holding you in an instant, crouched on one knee while wrapping his arms around your figure. His eyes are wide with slight panic, and his grip on you is tight. In any other situations, it may have been overbearing, but you craved the warmth.

His voice is hoarse and seemed to have a waver in it. “I was so scared, my flame when I couldn't find you. I thought you really left me. Or something worse had happened to you. The thought makes me feel ill. Tell me, why were you in the woods? You weren't supposed to be in the woods!”

You take a couple of deep breaths to calm yourself down, while he runs his hands up and down your body as if reassuring himself that you are actually there. “We were trying to–” You freeze, eyes widening and immediately squirming in his grasp. “My brother. We have to find my brother! A demon has him!”

His hold on you doesn’t let go, and your movement is futile. He stares into the distance as if almost entranced by something. He doesn’t say anything for a long second, but when he does, his voice seems to be in a whisper. “Does it now?”

You don’t pay attention to the tone, too distracted by the thought of your brother being on the verge of death. “Yes! So we have to go. Kyo, we don't have time!”

He hums, and the grip on you loosens, allowing you to stand up, and away from him. He stands in front of you, calm and composed while staring at you. You, on the other hand, are scanning the woods frantically trying to figure out where the demon is and failing miserably.

“Let’s go this way,” You say with uncertainty, pointing to the direction where you had last seen him. When you take a step forward, a hand grips your wrist, and you make eye contact with his owl-like eyes.

“You will stay. I will find him for you. It’s too dangerous for you.” The statement is unwavering as if it was a command to you, with no room for question.

“But-”

“Don't be afraid, my flame. I will place you in a tree, safe and hidden from harm.” He didn’t understand that you did not care for your own safety, it was your brother that you were concentrated with.

You turn to him with pleading eyes. The idea of you sitting here while your brother could be getting murdered, makes you feel sick. You need to be there for him the second Rengoku saves him. “Please, I won't get in the way! I can help, please just don’t leave me behind.”

His eyes widen at the statement, and he grips onto your shoulders with both hands. “I would never leave you behind. Never in a thousand years. But I am not the type of person to put the one I care about in danger. You will sit on a branch until I grab you. Safe from harm.”

He scoops you up with ease, and you jump with slight surprise. Then, he walks over to the nearest tree. “Please?” You plead for the last time, and he smiles at you.

“Everything will be fine, my love. After tonight, everything will be perfect. Just let me do this.” He murmurs and you sigh, and allow him to do whatever must be done.

He walks up to the nearest tree and eyes it, before making a small huffing sound. Then he holds you in one arm and jumps. Way higher than a normal man would be able to you, and your eyes widen in shock.

He grabs onto a branch and pulls the two of you up, while you continue to stare at the fact that he is doing this effortlessly with one hand. He sets you down onto the branch, with your back leaning on the trunk for support.

You glance down and gulp. It was way higher than you expected, but Rengoku didn’t seem to notice it. He is balanced on the branch with ease and instead is focused solely on you. “You will be okay, do not fret. If anything goes amiss, shout for me and I will come running.”

You nod your head and he smiles softly. He begins to turn around but pauses when you grip his kimono. “You will save him right?”

He blinks at you and sightly frowns. “Everything will be alright.”

You believed him.

You were an idiot. An idiot for believing him. An idiot for jumping out of the tree in the first place.

Not long after Rengoku left you, you heard your brothers scream.

You acted on pure instinct. You moved within a second, trying to climb down the tree. The Hashira made it seem easier than it was to maneuver on the tree. You slipped and fell.

You hissed when you landed on the floor. Very much close to breaking your legs, but you got lucky. You stand up and try to ignore the pain shooting up your spine. Then, you turn toward where you heard the noise.

It was during your sprint you realized you made a mistake. What were you going to do against a demon? How are you going to help your brother? He was the one medically trained, not you. Aren’t you just going to make things worse? You could be killed too.

But you were too deep in it now. Tree trunks turn into a blur as you continue to run, your legs throbbing with every step.

You notice a figure and stop immediately. When you catch your breath and notice who it is, you cover your mouth. Your father’s sword lays next to the curled-up body. There was so much blood, he was barely recognizable.

But you couldn't keep your eyes trained on your loved one. Crouching above him was a demon, chewing.

Nausea hits you like a train and you’re forced to take a step back. You dont have it in you to scream for help. Would Rengoku even get here in time?

Where is he? What was he doing all this time? He told you everything is going to be fine, why is your brother laying in a pool of his own blood?

You continue to stare, the fear making you immobile. You take in the demon. It was strange, nothing like the one you had last saw. It was trembling before the body, as if afraid of something. It’s letting out disgusting wavering whines and cries, between each bite.

Your thoughts are cut short.

A shiver runs up your spine, and you freeze. You see the hair on your arms begin to raise, and your breath catches. Your eyes flicker back to the body, and the demon hasn’t moved.

A nail as sharp as a dagger, trails its way up your arm, and you begin to tremble. You feel the power the demon emits, and it is different from the one before.

You shouldn't have moved. You shouldn't have left the tree.

You hear the horrific noise before you can feel it. Your eyes flicker to the space right above your hip, to see the long fingernail peering out. Through you. And in an instant, you hear the squelching noise, and the finger is gone.

Like a dog lapping a bone, you hear the demon lick its finger clean and shiver.

You hear frantic, nervous mumbles behind you. “Just a taste is fine. It’s alright if I have just a taste. I didn’t kill her, just wanted to try it…” The being that made your skin crawl, sounded absolutely petrified. You didn’t know of what, and you didn’t want to find out.

But, you didn’t have time to ponder. Your kimono is turning a deep red, and you feel the blood beginning to drip down to your legs. You fall to your knees with wide eyes, not knowing what to do. If you don’t wrap it, you are sure to bleed out within minutes.

The demon behind you panics, frantically telling himself that you aren’t going to die and everything is fine. But you’ve tuned it out.

You look up toward your brother again and freeze. Just a couple feet to the right of the two figures was a man leaning against a tree. The fiery hair that you could pinpoint in a crowd makes him recognizable in less than a second.

Rengoku was watching your brother get devoured with a blank stare.

The loss of blood had to make you see things. Or maybe it was the fear. Something had to be wrong with you. He would never do such a thing.

You clutch at your side with your hand. “Kyo?” You mumble, and his head snaps toward you, somehow hearing the call. He removes himself from the tree in an instant, and he stares at you with wide frantic eyes. You’ve never seen him look so petrified.

In a blink of the eyes, and a flash of a flame you hear the demon behind you getting beheaded. “She isn’t dead! You promised! I was–” Another slicing sound and silence.

He’s by your side in the next second. He’s tearing off his kimono in an instant. “What are you doing here? Y/N, you're not supposed to be here! Fuck, the bleeding.” He’s tearing apart the cloth with his teeth, and wrapping it around your torso. You don't notice the shaking of his hands.

You feel dizzy and weak, from the mix of the bleeding out and all the other beatings you sustained. You can’t focus on his words, you are staring at your brother.

You miss the panic of his words. The way he trembles in front of you. “It's going to be okay. Don’t worry, I will take care of everything. It'll be okay.”

The demon has scrambled off, and it was just his mutilated body left behind and the sword. Tears well up in your eyes, and your brother’s now lifeless eyes stare into yours.

You point to him and Rengoku follows your finger. Your words are soft, broken. “Help him. Please.”

But he ignores you. You're being lifted again, the callused hand putting a decent amount of pressure on the wound. He leads you back to your house, while your left staring at the body left in the grass.

You're exhausted, you can't fight him. For the last time, you plead, “Help him.” before closing your eyes and slumping against his body.

“It's going to be alright, my flame. I won't let anything happen to you. I will protect you now.”

491 notes · View notes

xxlady-lunaxx · 25 days

Text

Unspoken affection | {SaneGiyuu}

Theme: FLUFF

Note: i, for the first time, will see if I can try writing this as if it wasn't a oneshot meaning they won't already like each other bc it'll end up like 3 words if they do

A sprinkle of ObaMitsu

I started this Feb. 23, apparently 😭 mar.29 when i finished ;;

×××

Giyuu had been one of the first Hashira. The third, in fact. After Tengen and Gyomei.

He gotten along well with them, although... 'getting along' were relative words. More so, they tolerated each other. Giyuu didn't really talk much, opted to stay silent. Gyomei was comfortable with that and Tengen appeared not to mind because, though he was very talkative, he preferred when it was quieter as his hearing was sensitive.

So, Giyuu got along with the Hashira, mostly. Kanae came along sometime later. She was very cheerful and the polar opposite of Giyuu, but she was kind and didn't mind his quietness. He found that he didn't mind her presence much, albeit he still acted the same.

And then Sanemi arrived.

He was like the disruption of the peace created within the Hashira. It was irritating.

When he went to his first meeting, he had erupted in anger at Kagaya and had been shouting at him. It was loud. And then, after the meeting had ended, the other Hashira had berated him for this.

Giyuu had stood by the side, deciding not to meddle with Sanemi. If he was always going to be an... explosive pomeranian, Giyuu should steer clear from this man.

Which was what he did. Mostly.

But it became obvious that it wouldn't be very easy when Sanemi decided to start bothering Giyuu, pestering him about being so quiet and unanswering. Normally, Giyuu would've ignored these irksome questions, but Sanemi was annoyingly persistant. And so, so very loud. Which was why he worked up the courage to respond, only to be talked over.

And thus began Giyuu's hate for Sanemi.

×××

When Sanemi had first become a Hashira, he had found himself in an almost feverish state. He was constantly tired and worked almost like a robot, doing things as if he had been programmed to. There were few times he felt like he could escape that, feel actually human again.

He found anger was a nice fuel of humanity to him, so he took it out on others, reveling at the feeling of temporary normalcy that came with it. It went away quickly and silence often brought back his numb, robotic state back, so he snapped at nearly everybody, making himself rather loathed personality-wise.

He didn't mind, not really. The only person he could care about what they thought of him was Masachika. And he was dead. So it really did not matter.

There was one Hashira whom he had decided to bother more than the others. Giyuu Tomioka, the Water Hashira. He was a really quiet person, rarely responding or speaking unless necessary. Because of Giyuu's ignorance, Sanemi found himself hovering around him more, feeling almost refreshed when immediate mirrored anger wasn't repelled back at him. It was annoying, of course. But annoyance meant he could feel. And feeling meant being... as okay as he could be.

Giyuu spoke only a couple times to him in response. Four, to be exact. His voice was quiet and collected, but a hint of irritation could be detected if you really paid attention. He was an interesting person, so full of mysteries and so closed off. Something else, besides his unbroken silence, drew Sanemi in. Like an old box in the far corner of the house, waiting to be opened and explored, except nobody was allowed to open it. Nobody was willing to, either. As if afraid something horrid would come out. Albeit it looked innocent on the outside, there was the small chance it would be filled with something terrible. To the point that even the box itself feared it's own being and refused to open up.

But Sanemi was curious.

Time flew on as usual—it never did stop, not for anyone or anything—and Sanemi grew less mechanical, more human. He found himself able to make skips in his usual schedule, able to live a bit more freely, despite his tightly programmed daily life.

He would use his occasional free time to wander around. He rarely actually spoke to anyone, only giving or following orders, occasionally engaging in small talk with some of the Hashira. But other than that, he kept to himself.

He was curious about Giyuu, however, which brought a bit of searching into his free time.

He would walk around, down random paths, looking for new places. Giyuu was one of the few Hashira's houses whom nobody knew where it was. Kanae's was free for anyone's knowledge, given that it was used for nursing people back to health often. Tengen invited the Hashira to his house from now and then, Kyojuro—who had become a Hashira recently—wasn't closed off about sharing and, though he didn't display it to the world, he did tell people if they asked.

Even Sanemi's, a select few knew.

But Giyuu's.

Giyuu's was only known to his crow, at this point, as he usually declined giving the knowledge to anyone. And something about that was peculiar to Sanemi. Like, what if there was an emergency? Would Giyuu simply live with the fact that whatever could happen might happen because nobody knew where he lived?

Although, it wasn't the worst thing possible, it was just something that set Giyuu aside from the others.

There was a lot that separated the Hashira from each other, of course. But Giyuu had something else that just... caught Sanemi's eye. Over and over again.

×××

Giyuu found himself growing more and more distant with the Hashira with each passing day. They already kept to themselves mostly, none of their schedules really overlapping, so it wasn't much different. But he started to avoid more so than mind his own business.

As the years past, more Hashira joined. Giyuu didn't feel connected to them, didn't feel like he could be like any of them. It was noticeable. And some of the Hashira tried to include him.

Although, include was a relative word. Some of them were kinder with it, but there were obviously those who were more... forceful. Like Sanemi.

Sanemi was, and had been since the day he'd became a Hashira, one of the most—or the most—irritating Hashira. He seemed apt to making Giyuu's life feel like that of a rat being chased by a cat, but not as life-threatening. Unless you counted going insane as life threatening.

One day, Sanemi had gone up to Giyuu—somehow having found him as he finished training somewhere in the clearing of a forest.

"Oi, Tomioka," he shouted, over the rush of water. There was a river, a loud one at that, that cut through the forest and skimmed along the edge of the field that Giyuu had found.

Giyuu turned. The weather was hot, so he had taken off the top of his uniform, folding that and his haori and placing it aside.

Deciding not to question why Sanemi was here, he cocked his head in question. "What?"

Sanemi seemed taken aback that he'd been responded to, but went on. "Uhm. Kanroji said that she wanted to invite all the Hashira on some shit sleepover and said I had to ask you to come," he said impatiently, his eyes flicking up and down, as if inspecting Giyuu.

"Oh. I won't go," Giyuu murmured. There was no reason to. It wasn't like the Hashira would actually want him to go.

Sanemi raised an eyebrow. "I figured."

"Then why did you ask?"

"Because Kanroji would get mad if I didn't. Which would induce ear-piercing cries about why," Sanemi snorted, rolling his eyes. He crossed his arms. He was sweating and the air was humid today, causing his hair to stick onto his skin.

"Ah."

Giyuu sheathed his katana, pulling his hair out of the ponytail to adjust it.

Sanemi watched him curiously, as if there was something to figure out.

"What?" Giyuu asked, upon noticing this.

"You never take down your hair," Sanemi said simply.

He was a lot less shout-y today, it was unsettling, almost.

"Okay."

They lapsed back into silence as Giyuu re-tied his hair back up, his hands sticky with sweat. The only sounds were of the rush water and the occasional bird from up ahead.

Sanemi wasn't leaving, which was curious. Especially since his eyes seemed to be tracking Giyuu, as if he was put in charge to guard him.

"...do you need anything?" Giyuu asked finally, growing uncomfortable.

"No," Sanemi murmured, turning away.

Confused, Giyuu watched as Sanemi left, without so much of an explanation. Odd.

×××

Fuck.

That day, that one day, that one stupid fucking day.

The sleepover thing was a lie. There hadn't been any sleepover. It had been an excuse to find Giyuu.

Sanemi hadn't figured he'd have any luck, so when he'd seen Giyuu there he'd instinctively called out to him. He'd managed to hide his surprise enough and masked it with the question he'd made up. Luckily, Giyuu had shot it down. Because if he hadn't...

But that was beside the point. It wasn't the question that made Sanemi panic. No, of course it wasn't.

It was the fact that when he had seen Giyuu there, he had... felt. Something. Something different.

Usually, anger was his key to reality. But, then, he hadn't been angry then. He had felt something else, something true. He couldn't distinguish it, being in some stupid trance when he'd felt it. But he knew that it was different.

So now he was tearing at his hair, wishing he'd figure it out because it was eating him alive now, and had been since the day he'd seen Giyuu there.

Giyuu without his-

No.

No, he wouldn't think about it. He wouldn't picture how Giyuu looked with his hair down, no shi... Shit. He shouldn't be thinking like this. He wouldn't!

Fuck.

Sanemi stood and grabbed his katana, pushing it into his belt and gritting his teeth in frustration. He stomped to the front of his house, slamming the door open and unsheathing his katana.

He brought the sword above his head and slashed down.

One. Two. Three.

Don't think about Giyuu. Don't think about him.

Twelve. Thirteen. Fourteen.

You hate him, remember? He's stupid.

Thirty six. Thirty seven. Thirty eight.

His boring responses and his way of ignoring.

Sixty four. Sixty five. Sixty six.

The way he distances himself, how he doesn't talk.

Ninety eight. Ninety nine. One hundred.

His stupid blue eyes and stupid black hair.

One hundred and forty one. One hundred and forty two. One hundred and forty three.

His stupid voice you want to hear every day. His stupid mouth you want to-

Sanemi threw his katana down in frustration, kicking the handle and making it skid away, hitting a small boulder a few feet from him.

He ran his hand through his hair, biting his bottom lip furiously until it bled.

"Goddammit," he hissed, the metallic taste of blood filling his mouth.

He sighed and sat down, burying his face in his hands. Fuck. What the fuck was he supposed to do now?

×××

Sanemi's uncharacteristic behavior had caught Giyuu's attention. It wasn't in his full interest, of course, but it was enough to make him curious. Yes, the weather had been hot and it made some people drowsy but... it hadn't ever visibly affected Sanemi enough to make him so quiet and... yeah.

Which made Giyuu wonder, was Sanemi ever quiet? The only time he could think of the scarred Hashira being silent was... when in Kagaya's presence. Meaning, only twice a year. Which meant it was very rare.

So, upon this realization, Giyuu decided he would try to figure it out. It wouldn't hurt to try getting along with Sanemi, right? Besides, maybe that would mean less yelling. And he would have something to do.

For a while, he forgot he was going to find out the reason of Sanemi's random personality slip, as it had completely left his mind; Sanemi wasn't exactly a priority to him.

But then he ran into Sanemi again one day, who seemed to be in a subdued mood, not even bothering to acknowledge Giyuu.

They were in the middle of a town, though, so it wasn't completely unreasonable.

Giyuu watched Sanemi carefully for a bit, before turning to continue buying his food.

Once he had paid and left, he turned back, noticing Sanemi instantly. He approached him cautiously, looking up curiously at the store the Wind Hashira had walked into. A sweets store? For pastries, mochis, and bread? Was he buying something for someone?

Giyuu hovered inside the store uncomfortably. A woman glanced at him and he quickly adjusted his haori over his katana; when people saw it, they usually called for security. He would know from experience.

Sanemi appeared to have noticed him immediately as he gave Giyuu an annoyed look, picking up a box of mochi that had been put down for him on the counter.

He walked towards the exit, muttering to Giyuu as he passed.

"The hell are you doing here?" he hissed between his teeth, his voice low.

The store was filled with a low chatter by the people around them and Giyuu quickly followed Sanemi out, deciding he didn't want to stay in this enclosed space with an almost intoxicating smell of sugar.

Back outside—and thank god for the fresh air—Giyuu and Sanemi walked quietly, side by side, through the streets.

The box, Giyuu noticed, was full of ohagi. Who liked ohagi? Mitsuri, maybe? He wasn't aware that Sanemi and Mitsuri were on good terms.

They continued in silence for a couple minutes until they reached a part that wasn't as crowded.

Sanemi stopped then, resulting in Giyuu stopping as well. They turned to each other and Sanemi glared at him.

"Were you stalking me or something? I saw you staring, earlier," Sanemi said, crossing his arms, the box of ohagi clutched in one hand.

"I wasn't," Giyuu mumbled.

"Right." Sanemi rolled his eyes. "Why'd you follow me into the bakery, then? You didn't buy shit."

Remembering the ohagi, Giyuu changed the subject. "Who is the ohagi for?"

"...The fuck does that have to do with anything? And it's not for anyone, I'm eating it"—he uncrossed his arms here, tapping the box—"And you didn't answer my question, dipshit."

Completely ignoring the last part, Giyuu said, surprised, "You like sweets?"

Sanemi raised an eyebrow. "And you like ignoring me. What the hell does my taste in food have to do with shit??"

Giyuu frowned. If Sanemi ate things like ohagi often, why wasn't he nicer? Like Mitsuri!

"Oi, you going to answer my question?" Sanemi snapped, waving the box in front of Giyuu's face.

"What question?" Giyuu asked, drawing blank.

Sanemi groaned. "I can't tell if you're really that stupid, or if you're just pretending."

"I'm... not pretending," Giyuu mumbled, confused.

"Goddammit, never-fucking-mind," Sanemi sighed, turning. "I'm going to go. Don't follow me."

Giyuu's frown deepened but he nodded, watching Sanemi walk away.

Sanemi was in a peculiar mood that way. Although he was still as fiesty as ever, he didn't shout as much as usual. His voice was quieter. It was almost pleasant. Almost.

×××

Giyuu had been quite talkative that day. Had a randomly curious nature, followed by a million questions. Sanemi couldn't tell if he liked this or if he hated it. On the one hand, it was nice to hear Giyuu's voice a bit more. On the other, he was being ignorant and nosy as fuck. But... he seemed curious as to what Sanemi was doing. Was he interested in-

No. That was stupid thinking, and being a Hashira did not allow stupid thinking!

Sanemi had been deep in thought about all of this for a couple hours now and was eating his ohagi whilst he walked towards... Where was he again?

He looked around, confused, and found himself standing admist a bamboo forest, water from a supposed river could be heard in the background. There was a house, a little ways forward, which was nestled comfortably in a small man-made clearing in the forest. The ground was gritty, like thickly packed sand, and it made a slight crunching sound as Sanemi walked towards the house, curious.

He'd never been here before.

He looked around, his eyes catching onto everything. Then he realized there was approaching him from behind and he turned, noticing the motion of a person, entering the clearing. He quickly hid by the side of the house, waiting for the person.

Their footsteps were moderate but precise, and they grew closer to the house before pausing and suddenly moving quickly to where Sanemi hid.

Fuck.

But then the person came into view and...

"Tomioka?"

Giyuu blinked at him, his hand dropping from his katana. "What are you doing here, Shinazugawa?" he asked quietly, his brilliant blue eyes flicking over Sanemi as if he was searching for an answer written upon his body.

"I was just walking and ended up here somehow." Then, with a realization, Sanemi said, "Do you live here?"

Giyuu gave a hesitant nod. "I wasn't aware I told anyone of this place."

"You didn't. I don't know fuck where I am," Sanemi said, retreating from his hiding spot to stand in front of Giyuu.

"Ah. Hello, again," Giyuu murmured. He turned, walking to his front door and unlocking it, opening the door.

Sanemi nodded, standing awkwardly.

Giyuu glanced at him. "Are you busy?" he asked.

"No," Sanemi said. "My next mission is just patrol shit, and it shouldn't be too far."

"Okay. Do you want to come in?" Giyuu offered, stepping inside.

Sanemi raised an eyebrow. "Are you going to drug me with tea?"

"...What?"

"Nevermind. Sure."

Giyuu nodded, motioning for him to come inside.

The interior of Giyuu's house was modest, kept mostly simple—which made sense given that the Hashira didn't usually devote their time to decorating their house. Except Mitsuri, maybe.

Sanemi closed the door behind him, looking around. "Why do you never tell anyone about your house?" he asked, absentmindedly.

Giyuu didn't respond, getting something from a different room.

Sanemi sighed. "You don't like responding, do you?" he asked pointedly, following Giyuu into what appeared to be the kitchen.

Giyuu glanced at him, then handed the albino male a teapot. Steam was filtering through the top, making Sanemi's hand feel humid and hot. He placed it on the knee-high table, confused why he'd been handed it. Giyuu gave him two cups in following and he poured the tea into them, watching the steam swirl and dissipate into the air.

Sanemi picked up one of the cups, the warmth from the tea seeping through the cup and warming his hands. Giyuu sat down across from where Sanemi stood, picking up his own cup.

It was silent as the two Hashira sipped their tea, neither having anything to say. Sanemi looked up, taking in the sight of Giyuu who sat quietly, his cup clasped in his hands, his eyes cast down, watching the swirl of the liquid. He looked cute this way, really. He always looked so subdued but it was adorable.

Honestly, something must be horrible wrong with Sanemi if he was thinking like this. He couldn't stop, somehow. Which was irritating to himself, almost worrying, really. Mostly annoying. He didn't want to be thinking about Giyuu 24/7, didn't want to be unable to look at Giyuu without falling into a fucking puddle.

He was fighting so hard to keep his composure at the moment, hoping beyond hope his face wasn't red. It was so fucking stupid, to look at Giyuu and think, God that man is so beautiful. Had he, or had he not, hated him before? Albeit, it hadn't truly been hate...

"What?"

Sanemi looked up at the sound of Giyuu's voice, startled by the sudden noise in the previously hushed room.

Giyuu was staring at him, his eyes wide. It was tripping to see him whenever he showed emotion. It was unnatural on his face.

"What?" Sanemi asked. He placed his cup down on the table, having finished his tea a couple minutes ago.

Giyuu's mouth opened and closed soundlessly before saying, quietly, "You... think I'm pretty?"

Sanemi blinked. "The fuck are you-" ...Oh. Oh, oh god, he must've said it out loud, he must've told Giyuu without even realizing that-

Giyuu put his cup down as well, biting his lip. His face was mostly impassive, though, and it made everything... so much worse.

"No. I, uhm, I didn't... I didn't mean to say that-" Sanemi stuttered, worsening matters. He should've just said it was a joke, or something, what the hell was wrong with him? He was stumbling over himself, backing away. Why was he so nervous? This was Giyuu, for fucks sake! He didn't actually care! ...Right?

Giyuu stood as well, nearly knocking down the table in the process. He steadied it and moved forwards, reaching an arm out to grab Sanemi's wrist—instinctively, most likely—but Sanemi had retreated already, was out the door and heading towards the front.

Giyuu followed him quickly, stopping him before he opened the door.

"Shinazugawa?"

And then it was like words suddenly stopped existing and Sanemi froze, his eyes flicking around nervously. "W...What?" he asked, his voice meek and timid. Disgusting. Why was he being like this? God, he needed help. What the fuck.

"Did you... Did you mean it?" Giyuu mumbled, his hand clasped around Sanemi's wrist. The feel of his palm was warm and, though his hands were calloused from years of training, his hand was almost soft.

"Mean what?" Stupid. This was stupid, Sanemi was stupid, everything was-

"What you said about... me."

Yes. He meant it. Meant more than that.

"No."

"Oh."

Giyuu let go of Sanemi's wrist and his arm fell to his side.

There was an awkward moment of silence and then-

"...sorry. Bye, Shinazugawa," he said quietly, opening the door for Sanemi and backing away slightly.

Sanemi didn't move for a second, his body feeling numb for no reason.

"Are you leaving?" Giyuu asked uncertainly.

"...Yes," Sanemi said, regaining feeling in his body and quickly making his way out.

He shut the door behind him, walking quickly through the clearing and back onto the path outside of it. He looked from his left to right then, deciding he didn't know where the hell he was, turned left and broke out into a slow run, his pace quickening by the second.

As he ran, he felt as if his lungs had deflated, and he breathed heavily through his mouth, as if suddenly he had lost the ability to run.

What the hell was that? Why had he acted like that? What the fuck was wrong with him?

×××

Giyuu was in a panic. He was panicking because:

1. Sanemi had found his house somehow.

2. Sanemi had been quiet for the longest time possible for him.

3. Sanemi had been drinking tea with Giyuu inside Giyuu's house... quietly.

4. Sanemi said that Giyuu was beautiful... then went on to deny it.

5. Sanemi had been so awkward.

6. Sanemi had then proceeded to run away after Giyuu had caught hold of his arm.

What the hell had just happened?!

×××

Sanemi was also panicking. Waaay worse.

He found Obanai quickly and, in the most incomprehensible way, recounted what had happened.

Obanai stared at him, confused and irritated. "What? Will you slow the fuck down and catch your breath first?"

Sanemi ignored him, deciding to explain in a faster way. "I think I like Tomioka."

Obanai crossed his arms. "Okay?"

"'Fuck you mean, 'okay'?!" Sanemi snapped.

"It was obvious that you liked him, idiot," Obanai said. He rolled his eyes. "Is that all? A stupid revelation everyone but you already knew? If so, I will be with Kanroji, thank you very much."

"Oh my god, think about something other than your girlfriend for once!!!" Sanemi groaned. "And what the fuck do you mean, 'everyone already knew'? I didn't even know!"

"Riiighttt, this is a massive waste of my time, I'll be off now," Obanai said, turning away.

"Bitch," Sanemi grumbled, watching Obanai practically skip off to Mitsuri.

He sighed, sitting down on the ground, leaning against a random tree that just so happened to be there.

He buried his face in his hands, wishing he knew the answers to the world. And wishing he wasn't thinking about Giyuu.

×××

Sanemi had suddenly become a person that Giyuu could be more than mildly interested in, someone he needed to find something out about but he didn't quite know what. And given that Sanemi had basically run away from him the last time they'd met, Giyuu opted to talk to Obanai about Sanemi.

Upon approaching him and asking him about Sanemi, Obanai simply said, "He fell in love with someone," and gave no other explanation before leaving.

Almost frustrated by this response, Giyuu searched for someone else who could tell him a little something about the Hashira he'd always wanted to avoid.

He went to Mitsuri next, whom was known for her friendliness and perhaps she had managed to speak a bit with Sanemi before.

She didn't say much, only burst into a fit of giggling when he asked about Sanemi.

Giyuu just stood there awkwardly, unsure what to do.

Mitsuri told him, then, that perhaps Sanemi was acting like this because he liked someone.

Which only made it all the more annoying.

Shinobu, Tengen and Kyojuro only gave similar answers to those of Obanai's and Mitsuri's. So, Giyuu gave up asking the Hashira and quickly tracked down Genya.

Genya was surprised to hear the question.

"Aniki?" he'd said. "What do you mean?"

"Yes. That's what he said. Then he left," Giyuu said blandly.

"Oh. Uhm." Genya hesitated. "I don't know. I don't know him as well as I used to."

"Oh."

There was a moment of silence.

"What do you know about him, then? Be it not of his present self," Giyuu asked.

"Uhh... He's really good with children! He cared for me and my younger siblings really well, as if he was our father," Genya said, a smile slowly spreading on his face. "He was really kind. I remember he would do anything to help Mother when she needed it, even did most of the things she usually did just so she could sleep well that night."

Giyuu raised an eyebrow. "He sounds very different."

Genya frowned. "I'm sure he's still like that..."

"Mhm. Go on."

"Alright. Uhm..." Genya then proceeded to go on a rant about the most random facts about Sanemi, from his favorite food—ohagi—to the friends he'd had in the past.

Giyuu listened with interest, not realizing there could be so much character to a man who seemed to make it his life goal to annoy people.

At the end of Genya's rant, he had said, "he might like you, you know, if he said that. Or he was thinking about someone else?" Genya concluded, referring to Sanemi calling him beautiful—then claiming he didn't mean it.

"Like me?..." Giyuu asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Mhm!" Genya waved, walking away. "Tell me if anything happens!"

"Alright..." Giyuu watched him leave, then turned back to his own thoughts.

Like him? Why would anyone like Giyuu? And, of all people, Sanemi! Although, it would tie together with what the Hashira had said, given that they'd all said that Sanemi had 'fallen in love.'

But... how? And why?

×××

Sanemi successfully managed to avoid Giyuu for about three days before he was found. He had been walking down a path after his mission, on his way home, when he ran into Giyuu. Giyuu, as it turned out, had had a mission near Sanemi's and had also been on his way home.

"Shinazugawa?"

Sanemi's heart stopped. Fuck.

Giyuu was standing there, his expression all innocent and unassuming and... God. Yes, yes he looked like a fucking god.

"What?" Sanemi snapped, fighting against the heat that rose in his body. Goddammit.

"I've been looking for you..." Giyuu said, stepping forwards to be face to face with the Wind Hashira, his gaze curious, a contrast to his usually impassive expression.

"...Why?" It's not because he's interested, it is not. Sanemi's eyes flicked anywhere but to Giyuu's face and he pursed his lips uncertainly.

"I wanted to ask you about something," Giyuu replied, tilting his head slightly. "...Why won't you look at me?"

"Why the fuck are you so talkative?!" Sanemi asked, his voice coming out more irritated than he'd intended. His heart seemed to be working again; or maybe not. It beat quickly, too quickly, and his breath came out forced and quick.

"Are you okay?" Giyuu's voice was concerned, he frowned. "Your face is red..."

"Fuck off. It's... 'cause I was running a lot. And you aren't answering me," Sanemi mumbled, turning his face away.

"Oh." Giyuu paused, seemingly forgetting what he was doing here. "I wanted to ask you some-"

"I get it, you want to ask me something. Get the fuck on with it! I don't have time to waste on your shitty ass," Sanemi said, crossing his arms. Why was he acting like this, as if he could barely control his emotions anymore. It was stupid, and annoying.

"...Sorry." Giyuu pouted. "Do you... like me?"

Sanemi froze. "What?"

"Do you like me?..." Giyuu repeated.

"No, I heard you, don't fucking repeat it," Sanemi gritted out. "Why the hell would you ask that?!"

"...I was... wondering about your behavior. It was peculiar and I... couldn't fathom why you had acted like that," Giyuu said quietly. "I asked the Hashira and your brother and... they all said you liked someone—though Genya said that, more specifically, you might like... me?"

"I..." Sanemi was at loss for words. He couldn't like Giyuu! Not that stupid, quiet, bitchass bastard! Except, it would make sense. It would explain why he always felt so... Oh my god, he needed to get out of here. He couldn't bear having Giyuu's annoyingly pretty eyes staring at him curiously, as if he hadn't just dropped the worst question he ever could.

"No. No, I hate you! I don't like you! Fuck off!" Sanemi shouted, turning and quickly running off, not looking back.

Fuck.

×××

There was something wrong with Giyuu.

When Sanemi had left, shouting that he didn't like him, Giyuu had felt a pang in his chest. As if he was disappointed.

Why would he be? He'd never cared much what Sanemi said before. And yet...

And yet now he suddenly cared, suddenly wished to know why. Why what? Why everyone claimed Sanemi had fallen in love? Why Sanemi had called him beautiful? Why Sanemi seemed to hate him so much? Why he felt like it all actually mattered?

He had trudged home, nearly bumping into several trees in the process. Then he had flopped onto his futon and proceeded to stare at the cealing, re-thinking his life. The image of Sanemi from earlier flashed in his memory. Sanemi, his cheeks flushed,—from running???—his eyes averted and face scrunched from anger. He looked like an angry dog, really. But cuter.

Wait. What?

No, no, not cute. Sanemi was never cute.

Giyuu sighed, dropping a hand onto his forehead and running his hand through his hair, closing his eyes. What the fuck was wrong with him?

×××

It was dark and raining, though the air was warm. Sanemi was trudging through a muddy forest without a clue to where he was going, exhaustion dragging him down. He was soaked to the bone and shivering despite the warm weather. As he walked, he noted that somebody was somewhere around him. He kept his guard up, quieting his footsteps as he continued on. Then, at an intersection of the path, he bumped into... Genya.

Genya had his arm over his head and had apparently only just noticed Sanemi, skittering backwards in his surprise. "A-... Aniki?!" Genya said, startled.

Sanemi grumbled. Of course it was him. "What?" he asked, irritated.

"Uhm. I was on a mission," Genya mumbled.

"What, are you going to bleed to death now??" Sanemi said, noticing the blood staining Genya's clothing. "Quit the fucking Corps if you're going to be so useless at your job."

"No! I'm fine! It's a light wound. And I won't quit!! I'm not useless!" Genya insisted, pouting.

Sanemi rolled his eyes. "Then get your ass to Kocho's. I don't want to deal with you right now," he said, turning away from his (not) brother and stalking away.

"Wait- Aniki-" Genya called out, following him.

"Fuck off! And I'm not your brother!" Sanemi snapped, not turning to look at him.

"Please-"

"Shut the actual fuck up," he said, turning and pushing Genya to the ground.

Genya slipped on the mud and fell on his back. He frowned but stopped following Sanemi who walked away, through the forest.

Sanemi looked around, trying to figure out where the hell he was. He noticed a path that looked vaguely familiar to the left and he followed it, his steps slow. He let out an exaggerated sigh every now and then, wishing he could just stop Genya from being Genya for once.

He looked up and found that, as the path went on, there was one part that entered into what looked like a bamboo forest. Ah. Giyuu's house.

He contemplated going inside for a minute before deciding to just walk past it, not wanting to deal with Giyuu asking if... No, he wouldn't finish the sentence.

So he trudged on. Then, to his luck, he heard his name being called out. He turned with a sigh, meeting Giyuu's gaze. "What is it?" he asked, his voice coming out harsher than intended.

"Uhm. Shinazugawa, what're you doing outside now?" Giyuu asked. "It's raining, you should get inside unless you want to get a cold."

"Yeah, well, I have no fucking idea where I am. I'll be fine," Sanemi said, shaking his head.

"Come inside!" Giyuu insisted. "I have a mission I have to get to in a bit, I think, but it'll be fine. You can stay here so Kocho doesn't kill you for getting sick."

"Fair enough..." Sanemi sighed, caving in. He followed Giyuu inside, slipping off his shoes.

"You should bathe and change," Giyuu said, looking Sanemi up and down. "I'll put extra clothing and a towel in the bathroom and make an extra futon for you."

"Alright. Thanks," Sanemi said, wondering why the hell Giyuu was talking to much.

Giyuu nodded and went off to do what he had said, leaving Sanemi standing in the hall.

×××

After Giyuu had made sure that Sanemi had everything he might need—putting out a tray of food next to the futon as well—he quickly wrote a note explaining that he would be out on a mission and that Sanemi could sleep or whatever he wanted while waiting.

He left the note on top of the futon and grabbed his haori, slipping it on. He picked up his katana, pushing it into his belt, and heading outside into the rain.

The mission was easy—the demons being surprisingly incompetent for a Hashira to be called there. And, after making sure the surviving rank-and-file Demon Slayers were alright, he made his way home. Unfortunately he'd been held up by the other Demon Slayers so dawn was already approaching.

The rain had settled to a light sprinkle, almost non-existent, and the sky was brightening as the sun slowly arose.

Back home, Giyuu quickly bathed and changed, then went to look for Sanemi. He entered his room and found Sanemi entangled between the sheets of his futon. The food was half eaten and the note sat on the tray.

Giyuu almost smiled at the sight. It was really nice to see the humanity in Sanemi; it was rare. He slipped into his own futon and closed his eyes, falling asleep soon after.

×××

When Sanemi awoke, light was filtering through a window. He ran a hand through the mess of his hair, moving the blankets off of him. He looked to his left and saw Giyuu fast asleep. He smiled—then quickly frowned at himself for smiling—and turned to his food, which was mostly cold now. Regardless, he ate the rest of it. Once he finished, he picked up the tray and took it to where he presumed the kitchen was, washing his bowls.

As he dried his hands, he heard Giyuu walking and turned.

Giyuu was at the doorway, looking quite illegally adorable in all his sleepiness, his hair messy as hell. He blinked wearily at Sanemi. "Good morning."

"'Morning," Sanemi returned, nodding. "It's strange to wake up actually in the morning."

Giyuu nodded back. "Mhm."

"Are you hungry?"

"A bit."

"Want me to make something?" he offered.

Giyuu raised an eyebrow. "You can cook?"

"Don't look at me like that. Of course I can, what kind of eldest sibling would I be without knowing how to cook??" Sanemi scoffed. "I'll show you."

"I wouldn't want to bother you, it's fine," Giyuu murmured. "I can make myself something."

"What, canned tomato sauce? I'm making it. I took your question as a fucking challenge," Sanemi said, pushing Giyuu out of the kitchen. "I'm going to use whatever the hell you have in here, by the way!!"

Giyuu called back a complaint in response.

Sanemi grinned and started scouring the kitchen for ingredients, deciding he would make the most elaborate food he could with what he found. Literally for no reason at all.

×××

Sanemi had called Giyuu in to eat—after he had waited for an hour—and now, sitting before him, was... The most food he'd seen in front of him in his life since... Since he was thirteen. No, well, not the most. But it reminded him of when Tsutako had guests over and she wanted to make the food be the best it possibly could be.

"Uhhm. Thank you..." Giyuu said, still in shock.

Sanemi smirked. "Who can't cook now?!"

"It wasn't even a challenge!" Giyuu whined.

"Mhmmm, well now it is! Whatever you don't eat I'm sending to Rengoku probably. Or Kanroji. Either of them will eat it without a question," Sanemi said, crossing his arms. "Now, eat."

"Why're you feeding me???" Giyuu huffed, though he sat down and picked up a fork that Sanemi had laid down for him.

"Because I never do this anymore and I was bored. And I didn't feel like training yet," he said simply, sitting down across from Giyuu. "Why, do you not want to eat?"

Giyuu shook his head. "No, no, I do. You're just being so nice today-"

Sanemi rolled his eyes. "Fine, I'll stop being nice." He stood and walked to the other side of the table and smacked Giyuu's head. "Eat!!"

"I... I preferred you when you were nice..." Giyuu admitted, quickly starting to eat.

"Exactly. Besides, you can't be questioning me when you're talking as much as Rengoku today," Sanemi pointed out.

"No' af mush," Giyuu mumbled through mouthfuls of food.

"Hm. True. And don't talk with your mouth full or I'll squeeze the food out of you," Sanemi threatened, going back to his side of the table and plopping down.

Giyuu glared at him but finished chewing before responding. "What are you, my mom?"

"Yes, I'm your mom now. Manners!!" Sanemi shouted, picking up a piece of bread and chucking it at Giyuu.

"Hey- Parents don't do that- I think-" Giyuu whined, picking up the bread and putting it on the table.

"You 'think'??" Sanemi asked incredulously, starting to eat.

"My sister raised me," Giyuu said with a shrug—then realized what he said and quickly stuffed food in his mouth, wishing he wasn't being so open suddenly. Something about Sanemi's atmosphere today just made him so comfortable, though. His teasing manner—and not in a rude way. Like... Sabito.

"Ah. Nice," Sanemi murmured, picking up a cup and filling it with tea.

"Mm. Thanks for the food, again," Giyuu said, giving him a slight smile.

Sanemi raised his eyebrows at the smile, but said nothing of it, simply nodding. "Sure."

×××

Back at his own house, Sanemi was changed in his uniform again. He laid the clothes Giyuu had let him borrow down and- Oh shit, he had taken them home- He contemplated going back to Giyuu's house, then decided he'd rather not bother and headed outside to train.

His mind was filled with thoughts of Giyuu—Giyuu's smile, his house, just him in general—and he found it hard to concentrate on his training. So, only ten minutes after he'd started, he promptly gave up, deciding to do something else and set out on a walk.

Over the next few days, Sanemi found himself mostly alone. Although there was the occasional nod from Obanai when they passed by each other, he was mostly solitary. Days were busier now, with demons multiplying each second. The past dull of life seemed to have faded recently, however, which made him not mind the constant missions. In honesty, he felt relieved. But he had a feeling Giyuu had something to do with his life feeling like life again, a fact which he preferred to ignore. There was no way in hell he would ever admit to anyone that he liked Giyuu, because it was Giyuu. If it were literally anyone else, he would've just told them. But Giyuu?? The 'I'm not like you' quiet-ass bastard who was way too cute than he should be allowed to be—who was a stupid, oblivious fuck??? Him??

Nah.

Honestly, Giyuu seemed to have it figured out though. So hopefully Sanemi wouldn't have to clarify. Because if he did, then they were better off not interacting at all.

×××

"He likes you, it's obvious," Shinobu said, rolling her eyes. She taped the bandage around Giyuu's wrist and let go of his arm. "Anyway, I'm done. Don't force your arm past its limits, know your own strength, idiot. Or weaknesses, if you may."

Giyuu blinked. "I don't think he likes me. He said he didn't."

"Does Shinazugawa seem like the type to be honest when it comes to this?" Shinobu asked, raising an eyebrow. She stood, putting away her supplies.

"He's annoyingly honest," Giyuu murmured, standing as well.

"Fair point. But! Keywords, 'when it comes to this.' He wouldn't just straight up say, 'Hey, I like you.' Doesn't sound like him," Shinobu said, picking up a pen and tapping Giyuu's nose with the tip of it.

Giyuu batted the pen away, shaking his head. "No, he seems like the type to do that."

"Hm. Not with you, then," she said, grabbing his non-injured hand and forcing the pen into it.

"I don't need this," Giyuu said, trying to give it back.

"You do. Sign this," Shinobu said, shoving a paper in his face.

Giyuu eyed it. "What is it?"

"You're overworking yourself. This gives you permission to have a break," she said impatiently. "Write your name there."

"...No. I'm alright," he said, frowning.

She sighed. "Worth a shot. I'll just forge your signature. Anyway, back to Shinazugawa."

"Hey-" Giyuu whined as she snatched the pen and paper back.

A smile as sweet as a lemon spread across her face. "Yes?"

"...You're a pain, Kocho," he grumbled, sitting back down.

"That's all? Very well, let's go back to the topic of your boyfriend. Now, tell me, do you like him?" she asked, leaning closer to him.

Heat seemed to flicker into his cheeks and he fidgetted with his sleeve. "No..."

She laughed. "I'm not Uzui but I could hear your lie from miles away."

"I'm not lying..."

"Okay, well, tell me this. Since all of this"—she waved her hand over him, as if it would explain anything—"has happened, you've been, one, talking more, two, a lot more expressive, three, more distracted. And... four? You're blushing. When I asked you, you turned red."

"I did not!" Giyuu said indignantly, although he was sure he only turned redder.

"You're annoying. You're like a child," she said, exasperated. "Fine. Be it your way. But he does like you, mark my words. So if you two end up dating, I get to say 'I told you so.' Also, I better be the first person you tell."

Giyuu frowned. "We won't date. I don't like him, and I'm sure he doesn't like me."

"Suit yourself." She hit his head with a ruler that she'd apparently conjured out of nowhere. "Now get out. I have more important things to deal with."

Giyuu sighed and stood, quickly leaving before she decided to bother him again.

There was no way what she was saying was true. Why the hell would Giyuu fall for... Sanemi?! And vice versa. It just didn't make sense...

×××

"You're going to be the death of me," Sanemi said, sighing. Giyuu was currently on his back, clinging on for dear life, as Sanemi stalked to the ravenette's room.

Sanemi had finally decided to bring back Giyuu's clothes—once he'd worked up the courage to willingly visit him—only to find Giyuu collapsed on the ground having apparently been training for some hours and hadn't been hydrated enough.

"I'm sorryyy," Giyuu mumbled into Sanemi's shoulder.

"Save your apologies for Kocho, you better hope she doesn't barricade you in your room," he said, rolling his eyes. He kicked down Giyuu's bedroom door and marched inside, dropping the Hashira on his bed. "Sleep."

"I'm convinced you're trying to mother me," Giyuu said, a hand drapping over his forehead and obscuring his eyes. "First you cook me food and now you make me sleep."

Sanemi scoffed. "Your fault for being so incompetent. And I'm not your mother. What, do you want me to be? Want me to kiss you goodnight?"

Giyuu raised his arm to look at Sanemi. "Would you do it?"

His eyes were curious, a striking blue. Usually they seemed to hold no life in them, no emotion, no passion, no nothing. But there was a glint to it now, seeming to light up Giyuu's face like a beacon.

Sanemi swallowed. "Would you ask?"

Giyuu's lips curved in a small smile. "Touché."

Sanemi sighed, shaking his head—more at himself. "You're stupid."

"I'll sleep now," Giyuu informed him, pulling the sheets over himself.

"You better. I'm staying here 'till you sleep."

"What?! You creep," he whined.

"Either that or I tell Kocho," Sanemi said, set on his decision.

"...Fine, stalk me all you want," Giyuu said, frowning and closing his eyes.

Sanemi smiled to himself, leaning against the wall and waiting.

The room drew to a quiet hum, the only sound being the two Hashira's breathing. After a while, Giyuu's breath finally calmed into a slow, settled sleep, his face relaxed and soothed.

Sanemi stepped towards the bed quietly, hovering over him. He knelt beside Giyuu and, once he decided that he really was asleep, started to step away. Then he paused, his eyes trailing to Giyuu's lips.

He immediately struck down the idea, mentally berating himself for even thinking it. He parted the dark locks resting on Giyuu's forehead, placing a gentle kiss there before quickly fixing the Hashira's hair and retreating from the room, making his way outside.

The cool air hit his face as he stepped out, but he barely noticed it, heat flickering in his cheeks as he walked out of the clearing and into the path that would lead him back. God, why was he such a mess...

(i loved writing that sm)

×××

Giyuu was a light sleeper.

Anyone in the Demon Slayer Corps had to be, or they wouldn't even pass Final Selection. So, of course, he had awoken. Though he had been too sleepy to comprehend why he had woken up so randomly, and so quickly, at the time, he quickly realized it once Sanemi had left.

Now he lay, curled up in a ball, his face buried in his palms, mentally screaming. Because.. what the hell had just happened?! But... he wasn't complaining.

Wait- Why not-

He pulled the blanket over his head, engolfing himself in the darkness. No, this wasn't better. It only made his face hotter. He sat up, the cool air bursting upon him. He fanned himself, trying to calm his heartbeat.

Fuck, he was in love, wasn't he. He was in love, he was in love with Sanemi Shinazugawa. He was a fucking mess.

×××

"...You look like Tomioka just kissed you," Obanai said, crossing his arms and leaning back against a tree.

Sanemi had found him, after a while, and was trying to get his thoughts together, pacing up and down on the side of the path. "He didn't! I did!"

"Wait what-" Obanai said, standing up straight and leaning towards him. "What do you mean?!"

Sanemi let out a half-sigh, half scream, raking his hand through his hair. "Not... Not fully, just on his forehead. And he was asleep. BUT STILL!!"

Obanai slumped back against the tree, rolling his eyes. "Coward," he coughed.

"Oh, shut the fuck up. It's not like you have kissed Kanroji yet," Sanemi spat, stopping in front of Obanai.

"Yeah, well, unlike you, I have still been way more successful!!" he retorted. "All you have done is eat breakfast with him!! Meanwhile, I've eaten lunch and breakfast with her many days, gone on walks with her, bought her gifts, hugged her..."

Sanemi rolled his eyes. "Yet you haven't told her that you like her."

"Hey! You haven't told Tomioka either!!" Obanai pointed out.

"Righhttt, and who, exactly, has liked their crush for longer?? Hmm? Oh, right! You!" Sanemi laughed. "Your arguments are pitiful."

"You're freaking out about kissing Tomioka on the fucking forehead when he was asleep, don't call me pitiful," Obanai grumbled.

"Hm. Fair enough," Sanemi decided.

"Look, take Tomioka out on a walk or something equivalent to a date, for all I care. But if you keep ranting about how you kissed him on the forehead without him knowing then I'm going to find Tomioka and tell him how you feel. I don't give a fuck anymore," Obanai told him, moving away from the tree and walking back onto the path.

Sanemi turned towards him. "Consider it the same for you. I don't know how long I can stand hearing you talk about Kanroji. 'Oh my god! Kanroji told me we can eat lunch together, just like yesterday, and the day before, and the day before, and the day before, and the day bef-'"

"I GET IT!!!" Obanai snapped, rubbing his temples. "Fine. You stop, I stop."

"Deal."

Sanemi grinned. "Have fun eating lunch with her again. Or, rather, watching her eat lunch."

Obanai pushed him. "Fuck off."

×××

Sanemi had kissed him. He'd kissed him, he had kissed him, oh my god, Sanemi had-

Well. It could've just been to the joke from before. About 'kissing him goodnight.' BUT STILL. AND GIYUU HAD BEEN ASLEEP(ish).

Which made it all the more... Confusing. Maybe Sanemi saw him only as a sibling or a child or something. He did keep taking care of him, which didn't even seem coincidental anymore. As if, assuming one could believe in fate, they were being purposefully brought together. Constantly in each other's ways. ...Not that Giyuu minded.

In fact, he liked spending more time with Sanemi.

The fact of which was a huge shock to himself. Hadn't he just hated Sanemi?

Well. Things always changed, no...?

Maybe this change wouldn't be bad, though. Maybe he should try embracing it.

Giyuu found himself constantly distracted by these thoughts as he went on with his days. But, surprisingly, he didn't come across Sanemi for a while. Either Sanemi was avoiding him—which was reasonable, yet disappointing—or their schedules just kept them apart from each other. Whatever the reason was, Giyuu ended up going in search of Sanemi, wanting to clarify the ki...

No, he wouldn't say it. Wouldn't think it. He preferred not to feel as if he would have a heart attack—an abnormal heartbeat and flushed face...

He sighed, mussing up his hair so it covered his face, continuing to walk briskly down the path. He avoided some Demon Slayers who had seemingly popped out of nowhere and were attempting to talk to them, mentally berating himself for not being careful and getting unwanted attention. Just as he was about to give up and let them talk to him, he noticed Sanemi somewhere in the close distance.

He sped up, ignoring the calls of the other Demon Slayers who trotted behind him.

Sanemi looked up upon all the noise and seemed to be holding back laughter at the sight of Giyuu's pleading gaze. He cleared his throat, grabbing Giyuu's arm and pushing him behind him.

"The hell do you want?" he asked the others, glaring at them.

They all shrank back. One of them spoke up timidly, his voice shaky. "W... We just wanted to talk to Water-Pillar-sama..."

"I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. See, I need him somewhere. You all can go now," Sanemi said, waving them off.

"But-"

"I said I need him. You said you wanted something from him. Need is more important than want, fuckers. If you don't leave now, maybe we can see how well you can weild your katanas against a Hashira," Sanemi said, a hand hovering over his katana handle.

"Shinazugawa, there's no need to-" Giyuu started.

Sanemi shushed him, turning back to the Demon Slayers. "So? What will it be?"

They seemed to hesitate for a second before deciding it wasn't worth it and collectively agreed to leave, scampering away.

Sanemi turned back to Giyuu, a smirk growing on his face. "Got people falling on themselves for you now, hm?" he teased.

Giyuu sighed. "Will I have to find someone else to shoo you away?" he asked.

"I was joking- The hell did they even want from you, though?" Sanemi said, crossing his arms.

"I don't know," Giyuu murmured.

"Right." An awkward silence spread between the two and they stared at the ground, unsure what to say.

"Uh. Now that you're free, guess I'll be taking my leave-" Sanemi said, appearing to want to dash away. His cheeks were dabbed in a dusty pink as he stepped back.

"Wait- Shinazugawa, I wanted to ask you something," Giyuu said, grabbing Sanemi's wrist as he remembered why he had been outside in the first place.

"Which is?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Giyuu paused, glancing down at his hand which was still clasped around the scarred wrist of the other Hashira. Sanemi's pulse was fast. Why?

"Uhm. A few days ago... when you told me to sleep," Giyuu started quietly, unsure how to go about it. Then, deciding that there was no use stalling, he blurted out, "Why did you kiss me?"

Sanemi stared at him, in shock apparently, then let out what sounded like a muted scream, burying his face in the hand Giyuu wasn't holding. "God, you were awake...?" he mumbled, sounding as if he was regretting everything. Which he probably was doing.

"I... woke up when you did that," Giyuu murmured.

"...Of course you did," Sanemi said.

Giyuu cocked his head to the side. "Can I ask you something, Shinazugawa?"

"What now...?" he said with a sigh, running his hand through his hair—or, more, tearing at his hair.

"Why is your heartbeat so fast?" Giyuu asked.

Sanemi looked up, glaring at him. "Stop asking questions I'd rather tear my chest out than answer," he grumbled.

Giyuu raised an eyebrow. "What-?"

"Nevermind."

"Okay..." Giyuu let go of his wrist. "Will you answer the questions?"

Sanemi hesitated. "What happens if I don't?"

"I'll... ask Genya for help?..." Giyuu said slowly, knowing it would irritate Sanemi—and hopefully convince him to speak.

Sanemi's eyes narrowed. "Fuck, fine." He let out an exaggerated sigh, then without warning reached up and clasped his hands on either side of Giyuu's face, pulling him closer.

Giyuu's eyes widened and he felt himself flush at the proximity, his stomach deciding to do some acrobatic trick of Mitsuri's, followed by what appeared to be a bunch of Shinobu's fluttering around.

"Shinazugawa...?" he mumbled, his voice muted from his own shock.

×××

Do it. DO IT.

Sanemi let out a breath, his eyes searching Giyuu's. He found no sign of resistance, only question and surprise.

"Listen. If you hate this, just push me away. I won't resist," Sanemi advised, his tone as serious as he could force it to be with his heart flying circles in his ribcage, as if trying to break free.

"Do wh-"

Before Giyuu could finish, Sanemi fit his mouth against the Water user's, one hand tangling in the dark locks of Giyuu's hair, the other slipping down to his waist. He paused when he got no response, and started to move away, but then arms wrapped around his body, pulling him closer and back into the kiss.

They stumbled through the embrace, their legs tangling with one anothers. He didn't know who finally pulled away, but when they did, the two stood there, Giyuu resting his head on Sanemi's shoulder, their breaths harsh and quick—not solely from the kiss.

Then, as if just realizing what they'd done, they scrambled away from each other, looking like embarrassed puppies.

Giyuu was the first to speak, his voice meek—not that Sanemi could blame him. "Do you... like me?" he mumbled.

Sanemi frowned. "I thought I told you to stop asking me questions like that."

"Like what?"

"Questions that I'd commit seppuku before answering," he said, crossing his arms.

"...Sorry," Giyuu said, pouting.

"You better be. Also, the answer should be fucking obvious. If it's not, then you're stupid." Sanemi rolled his eyes, stalking towards him and grabbing Giyuu's arm. "We're going somewhere private now. C'mon."

Giyuu nodded quickly, following him. "I'm not stupid," he muttered, more to himself

"Hm?"

"Nothing."

×××

Since then, Giyuu and Sanemi avoided each other. Mostly from embarrassment and neither wanting to bring up the topic again. After they had left the public eye, they had made out for a bit, being too shy—which was definitely not a word that would usually describe either of them—to talk about anything. It had been exactly a week, two days, four hours, and thirty one minutes since they had parted ways—yes, Giyuu had been counting.

But—finally—they had decided to meet again, talk about it more formally. Rather, Sanemi had invited Giyuu to lunch and Giyuu had agreed. He stood, waiting, in front of a restaurant. Apparently Sanemi had reserved a table but had forgotten to tell Giyuu, so now he was awkwardly hovering in front of the restaurant wishing Sanemi would hurry the fuck up.

After a few agonizing minutes of waiting, Sanemi appeared at last, looking out of breath. His hair looked oddly neat and well kept—unlike usual—and he had a smell of flowers wafting around him.

"Hey," he said, nodding to Giyuu. "Sorry for keeping you waiting. Iguro wanted me to help him with something then Kanroji came by, carrying like fifty bottles of perfume and wanted to test them out on me..." He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

A smile crept up Giyuu's lips. "So that's why you smell as what I'd imagine a bee would during the summer?"

"Shut the fuck up," Sanemi said, opening the restaurant door and tugging Giyuu inside.

After they had found their table and ordered some food and settled down, Sanemi rested his arms on the table, clasping his hands together and turned to Giyuu. "So!" he said, as if trying to say something he most definitely did not want to say.

"Hm?"

"...I hate how little you talk," Sanemi grumbled. "You only ever talk to ask the most embarrassing shit ever."

"...sorry??"

Sanemi laughed, sounding uncharacteristically nervous. "Yeah, no, nevermind. Let's just wait for the food."

Giyuu nodded, his heart beating faster than a humming bird's wings.

They waited in silence, conspicuously avoiding each others eyes.

When the food finally arrived, they took the opportunity to busy themselves with eating, pretending like they both had things they wanted to discuss but couldn't bring it up. Halfway through the meal, Giyuu gave up and said, abruptly, "Are we dating?"

Sanemi all but choked on his food, grasping for a cup of water. Giyuu hurried to help him, panicking.

After he had calmed down, Sanemi said, "I'm convinced you're trying to kill me, Tomioka."

Giyuu apologized again. "I didn't mean for that to happen..."

"I know. I was joking. Seriously, you really are stupid," Sanemi deadpanned.

"I'm not!" Giyuu whined.

"See, that was also a joke. Okay, maybe it wasn't. Also you sound like a child. But, uhm, back to the topic," Sanemi said, his tone switching completely.

They lapsed back into silence, staring at each other awkwardly.

"...are we, then...?" Giyuu mumbled, unsure what to make of the atmosphere.

"Uhm." Sanemi coughed, trying to think of a response. "Do you want to?"

Giyuu frowned. "Yes... Do you?"

Sanemi pushed a bowl of salmon daikon towards Giyuu, folding his hands on the table. "Then we're dating."

"What? But you never said if you-"

"I literally did, just not directly. But if you need me to spell it out to you then, yes. I do. And since you do too, apparently, then we're dating," Sanemi told him.

"...okay!" Giyuu said happily, taking the bowl with a small smile.

"Mm. How is your smile so small yet it lights up your whole face..." Sanemi said, resting his elbow on the table and head in his hand, laughing gently.

"I'm smiling? Sorry," Giyuu said, his lips quickly curving to its usual neutral state.

"Why sorry? Your smile isn't terrifying," Sanemi said, frowning.

"Kocho said it's weird," Giyuu mumbled.

"Well fuck her, then! It's not weird, it's... cute."

He flushed. "It's not cute!"

"Says you." A playful smirk rising upon Sanemi's face. "Anyways, hurry up and eat. I don't feel like waiting forever."

"Aren't you going to eat?-" Giyuu asked, looking up from his bowl.

"I finished."

"...oh."

××× (it's js sillyness from here on out)

Sanemi and Giyuu had come to a mutual agreement to not tell anyone of their relationship, or mostly keep it private. Both for the reasons of disliking gossip. From Tengen and Shinobu in specific. They were 99% sure that, if by any way, their relationship would become public knowledge, Tengen and Shinobu would have fun making up theories and teasing them day and night.

So, despite everyone somehow knowing that Sanemi liked Giyuu, the only people that knew of their relationship becoming real were Obanai and... Obanai. Just him.

Sanemi had said that they could tell their closest friends—as long as they swore not to say anything. Giyuu said, quite exactly, "I don't have friends."

Which... lead to Sanemi having to comfort him.

But all was said and all was done and the two found ways to meet in private between missions and training, managing to keep their relationship a secret for a surprisingly long amount of time. Of course, nothing ever lasts, and the Hashira eventually caught on.

Sanemi was a lot better at hiding it, just snapping at Giyuu all the time like usual—which he assured Giyuu that whatever he said wasn't what he truly meant, until they were alone. But Giyuu, on the other hand... Well, Sanemi assumed that he'd be alright at acting given that his face was always so irritatingly impassive. He'd assumed wrong, however, and eventually found that out.

In his attempt to fulfill Sanemi's wishes to not get the word spread out—and Giyuu was dreading the time when Shinobu would find out—Giyuu kept up the act for a good couple weeks. But, since Sanemi would act a lot more affectionate with him, he was less and less used to the previously usual aggression shown to him by his boyfriend (in public) as the days past.

Needless to say, Giyuu was the reason they were exposed. Which unfortunately happened in front of the whole Hashira—right before one of their biannual meetings with Kagaya.

×××

Giyuu had entered the garden a few minutes after Sanemi, on the opposite side, not wanting to cause suspicion. He stood by a tree quietly as the other Hashira trickled in.

Mitsuri bounded up to him, talking about something he wasn't necessarily listening to, his gaze set on Sanemi who was trying to obscure Obanai's eyes from seeing that Mitsuri was talking to another man.

Supposedly noticing the gaze, Sanemi looked up and glared at Giyuu, raising an eyebrow as if to tell him to snap out of it.

Shinobu noticed this.

"Ara ara, are you two fighting again? I'm surprised you haven't shouted at him yet, Shinazugawa," Shinobu commented, a sly smile forming upon her lips.

Sanemi rolled his eyes. "Shut the fuck up, Kocho."

"No need to be so harsh," Shinobu tutted, crossing her arms and shaking her head disapprovingly.

Gyomei agreed. "And please refrain from swearing."

Mitsuri had stopped talking, looking from one Hashira to the other.

Tengen laughed. "Well, there's been a lot less tension between Tomioka and the dog," he remarked, grinning at Sanemi.

"WHAT DOG?!?!" Sanemi shouted, stalking over to Tengen.

Obanai rolled his eyes. "Stop shouting."

Giyuu stood watching everything and wondering if he should speak given that he seemed to be apart of this argument. "What dog?"

Sanemi pointed at Giyuu, though he faced Tengen. "SEE?? THERE IS NO FUCKING DOG."

Gyomei frowned. "Do not shout, you will disturb the Master."

Sanemi let out a breath. "Fine."

Giyuu walked over to where Sanemi and Tengen stood. "Is Shinazugawa the dog?" he asked quietly.

Sanemi let out a gritted scream, looking ready to explode. Tengen looked equally like a timed bomb at its last second, although for completely different reasons.

"I'MNOTADOG!!!" Sanemi screeched, grabbing Giyuu by the shoulders and shaking him.

Giyuu ducked down, stepping away from Sanemi. "Okay."

Gyomei let out the longest sigh in history as Shinobu supressed a laugh.

"My, my, you're talking a lot today, Tomioka-San!" she said, looking up at him.

"Oh."

Sanemi rolled his eyes. "Well he should stop talking, he sounds like Uzui when his wives get a paper scratch," he said, crossing his arms.

"Is that supposed to be an insult?!" Tengen gasped, looking mildly offended.

"You're the one panicking when they so much as cough!!! You're all 'OH NO ARE YOU OKAY?! Nooo, KOCHO HELP ME!! DON'T DIE ON ME, PLEASE DON'T DIE ON ME—'" Sanemi said, pitching his voice higher.

Giyuu frowned. "I don't sound like that," he and Tengen said in unison—although Tengen with a considerably larger amount of theatrical flair.

"Oh yes you do! And I mean both of you!" Sanemi said, placing his hands on his hips.

Gyomei shook his head and went to go stand next to Muichiro who was staring at a beetle in his hand.

"...I do?" Giyuu whined.

Tengen seemed to have gotten over it quite quickly and was completely unfazed now.

"And worse!" Sanemi said, a mocking smile curving his lips.

Giyuu bit his lip, looking down.

Obanai sighed.

"The fuck are you looking at??" Sanemi asked, raising an eyebrow at Giyuu who wouldn't meet his eyes.

Tengen's mouth curved into an 'o' and he backed away quickly, whispering loudly to Kyojuro, "Shinazugawa just made Tomioka cry-"

"He cries??" Kyojuro whispered back, seeming to think they were actually being quiet.

Tengen shrugged and leaned against a tree, watching.

"...Why are you crying-" Sanemi said, fighting the concern that rose in himself. "You a baby???"

Giyuu looked up at him, pouting, unwilling to respond.

"Ara ara, looks like you shouldn't have said that about his voice! I would be offended as well if you compared my voice to Uzui's," Shinobu said, shooting a mischevious look at Tengen who appeared wounded.

Sanemi frowned. "It wasn't even that bad of an insult," he scoffed, trying with all his might to make Giyuu act fine without saying anything.

Giyuu sniffed loudly, ignoring Sanemi. He promptly turned away, stomping to the back of the garden and crossing his arms, acting as if he was waiting for Kagaya.

"Oooohhh-" Tengen said, a tone of amusement entering his voice. "I didn't know Tomioka could be so petty."

Shinobu raised an eyebrow. "Neither that he could be so affected by what Shinazugawa said."

Sanemi, fed up, sighed and stalked towards Giyuu, pulling him into a hug. "Giyuu, I didn't mean shit, I like your voice, okay??" he murmured, placing a kiss on Giyuu's nose. "Don't ignore me."

Giyuu seemed to brighten up instantly—which made Sanemi irritated because it had probably been an act then—and nodded. "Okay!"

"...ARE YOU TWO FINALLY DATING-" Kyojuro said, much too loudly.

"I FUCKING TOLD YOU SO!!!" Shinobu shouted triumphantly.

Obanai shook his head with a sigh. "Well it was going to get out sooner or later."

Sanemi shot a glare at them. "Oh, fuck off."

Giyuu rested his head on Sanemi's shoulder, a small smile playing on his face.

×××

"I thought we agreed to keep it a secret..." Sanemi whined, as he and Giyuu were on their way back home.

"I'm sorrryyy," Giyuu said, pouting.

"Mmmhmm, well, I'm not giving you cuddles for three weeks now!" Sanemi told him, quickening his pace.

"WHAT?? NO-" Giyuu shouted, chasing after him.

Sanemi laughed, turning and abruptly stopping Giyuu, placing a kiss on his cheek. "I told you to work on differentiating a joke from a serious comment, Giyuu."

"...Well I'm trying!" Giyuu insisted, huffing. "...you're not going to take away my cuddles, are you?"

"No. That would be taking away my own, anyways. But! I'm still not letting you off. Which means I'm not making you salmon daikon for the rest of the week," Sanemi said, dragging Giyuu down the road.

"Awh..." Giyuu whined, trotting after Sanemi.

"Be glad it's Friday."

××× (this last part is completely random and has nothing to do with anything but I js wanted to write this)

Sanemi pushed Giyuu down, pinning him to the floor. He fit his lips to Giyuu's, closing his eyes. Legs wrapped around his waist as Giyuu clung onto him and Sanemi tangled his hand in the tangled mess of his boyfriend's hair, pulling him deeper into the kiss.

"Sa...nemi," Giyuu breathed between kisses, his face dusted in pink.

Sanemi pulled back, letting him breathe. "Yes?" he murmured, resting his lips upon Giyuu's forehead in a gentle kiss.

"I love you," Giyuu said quietly, his arms tightening their embrace around Sanemi's torso.

Sanemi smiled. "I love you most," he said, pulling Giyuu back into a kiss.

"Tha's... not fair...!" Giyuu whined, trying to avoid the kisses.

"Mhmm, I'm not fair at all then?" Sanemi said, peppering Giyuu's jaw with kisses.

"Nooo..."

Sanemi laughed. "Do you not love me, then?"

"I love you!" Giyuu insisted, turning back and catching a kiss on his bottom lip.

"Love you too, darling."

×××

« Word count: 11,420 »

ELEVEN THOUSAND, FOUR HUNDRED AND TWENTY WORDS OF PURE FUCKING FLUFF.

anyways back to writing angst ;v;

will y'all forgive me for getting lazy and making it rushed because it took me over a month to actually finish this (loss of motivation+procrastination+rereading+editing+long asf+stalling)?

55 notes · View notes

the-lady-writes-what · 2 years

Text

I can be a better boyfriend than him

Based off this song by Dove Cameron

(Shinobu running to steal your girl)

Fem!Reader x Shinobu Kocho, slight Fem!Reader x Sanemi Shinazugawa (but not for long😏)

Modern AU!

Sanemi is a terrible boyfriend. He’s far more interested in his games and parties than you. One night, he drags you to a party to show you off as his “hot piece of ass” before abandoning you to go drink himself half to death. A mutual friend of yours sees Sanemi treat you like garbage and offers to be your “date.” Only, Shinobu has seen you quite often on campus and can’t imagine why you stick with Sanemi when he just uses you. Shinobu makes her move to steal you from him.

Content: oral and fingering (reader receiving), toys, hickies, body worship, multiple orgasms, cheating

🔞NSFW Content Below the Cut! 18+ Only! Minors DNI!🔞

With Sanemi’s hand on your hip, he pulled you with into the house you’ve never been to. He assures you that he knows the owner, who also happened to be the host of the raging party no doubt upsetting the neighbors. Pulsing music pierced the night air as he opened the front door like he owned the place himself. You recognized some of the partygoers from the college campus, even a handful of the freshmen. At least one of the new meats, as Sanemi called them, were roped into chugging contests with actual alcohol. Cigarette smoke, Mary Jane, and Axe body spray was pungent in the air. There was so much of it that you had a migraine just after stepping in with your boyfriend. You recognized Tengen slumped on the couch surrounded by his three girlfriends. The surprising part wasn’t that he was able to juggle all three of them, it was that they all knew about the other and were happy to share him, and each other if the rumors were true.

Sanemi guided you along passing the odd four-person romance and into the kitchen. There, four of Sanemi’s teammates on the football team were making small talk. Each had a red Solo cup in hand or a beer bottle. At least in the kitchen, a littler further away from the pounding music, you could hear yourself think.

“Ah! Sanemi! You made it. I was just about send the search party to look for you! Oh! And who’s this?” Kyojuro was the brash blonde with red tips like fire. From what you’ve heard, he’s loud and little eccentric, but kind-hearted.

Sanemi tugged you closer to him as if you weren’t already standing directly next to him. His calloused fingers squeezed you harder, possessively.

“This is my girlfriend, Y/N,” Sanemi answered before you had the chance to answer for yourself.

“You? Managed to pick up a girl with your attitude? Color me surprised.” This came from Obanai, the most eccentric of the lot. He had a thing for snakes and despite his own venomous personality, he managed to score dating the head cheerleader Mitsuri Kanroji. The fact that he was talking about Sanemi getting a girlfriend when he had his own personality issues was more than a touch ironic.

“Play nice, Obanai. We wouldn’t want to scare off Y/N before Sanemi gets the chance!” Kyojuro laughed.

“Fuck you,” Sanemi growled.

In the other room, a small crowd chanted “Drink, drink, drink!” followed by muffled cheers and laughter. You couldn’t tell if whoever won the chugging contest won or was currently puking their guts out on the carpet. Either way, you didn’t have a way of checking on them for yourself. Sanemi’s hand remained tight on your hip as if he was afraid of you disappearing into thin air. You ignored his hand and politely accepted a drink Kyojuro made. It was a cocktail for lightweights; he probably didn’t want to make Sanemi’s girlfriend drunk at her first college party. You stood at Sanemi’s side, fighting the urge to dig out your phone from your purse and appear rude in front of his friends. You listened to their small talk, to their locker room stories, and discussions about the next big game. Sanemi squeezed your hip when he mentioned about bringing his good luck charm next time.

“Hey, I got the pool table set up in the basement. Anybody want to play with me?” Asked Kyojuro.

All agreed, even Sanemi. You weren’t expected to follow into the basement, but that didn’t stop Sanemi from pulling you onto the counter and kissing you hard.

“Oi, Sanemi! I thought you were joining us?” Asked Kyojuro.

“I’ll be right fucking there! Just give me a minute!” Sanemi shouted over the music. He turned his attention back to you. “Don’t let any fucker lay a finger on you while I'm gone, kay?” He pressed his hand up your skirt and between your legs, fingers grazing your clit. “Be a good girl for me and I’ll reward you real nice when we get home, okay?”

You couldn’t help but shudder under his touch and roll your hips towards his hand. You nodded in acceptance.

“Good girl.” Sanemi husked. He kissed you hard again, practically making you choking on his tongue.

He left you breathless when he walked away to join his friends. You remained sitting on the counter. It wasn’t like you knew anyone at the party beyond familiar faces in the cafeteria or campus rumors. Who were you supposed to talk to? The best route for now was to find a cozy corner away from the loudspeakers blasting music and do something on your phone.

Nearly every room was occupied. You somehow managed to find an armchair in the living room and plopped down. It wasn’t far from the loudspeaker, but you didn’t have any choice. You whipped out your phone and flipped through the same three apps while trying to ignore Tengen making out with one of his girlfriends. It didn’t help matters that anyone who wasn’t kissing Tengen was making out with the other girlfriend. The blatant display of polyamory was pretty much on brand for Tengen, but accidentally glancing up almost...almost...made you wish you were one of them. Which one, you couldn’t tell. Sex with Sanemi was pretty hot, but in public was neither that passionate or affectionate.

Eventually, the music didn’t bother you as much. It became an annoying background noise you got used to. You flipped through your social media, reading fanfiction, go through a couple rounds of a game, then back to check on your socials. This cycle went on for almost two hours. You rubbed your eyes when the blue screen of your phone became too much for you to handle. It should have been about time for you to leave if you begged him nicely. But, just before you got up from your chair, somebody crossed the room to greet you. It wasn’t somebody from the football team, but you shared a few classes with her: Shinobu Kocho.

“Are you not having fun?” She asked.

You shrugged. “I’m not really a party person.”

“Oh? Well, that’s too bad. I was going to ask you for a dance. You look kinda bored sitting there,” said Shinobu.

“A dance?” You repeated.

“Yeah. There’s no harm in that is there? Unless...I’ve made you uncomfortable?”

“No!” You accidentally shout. You cleared your throat and tried again, softer this time. “No, it doesn’t bother me. I came to the party with my...boyfriend.”

“Boyfriend?” Shinobu looked around. “You’re dating Sanemi from the football team, right? I don’t see him anywhere.”

“He went to shoot some pool with his teammates. I was about to ask him if we could head home already.”

“Well, would you indulge me in a little dance before you leave?” Asked Shinobu.

You thought for a moment. Sanemi never said anything about dancing with another girl. He just said, or rather implied, not letting a guy touch you. Which you really wouldn’t be doing. Girls dance with other girls at parties, right? Besides, he might find it hot to catch you dancing innocently with a girl. At least, that’s what you hoped for. Sanemi might not even come upstairs to catch you in the act. He was too busy hanging out with the boys than preventing you from letting Shinobu take your hand.

The dance floor was small and could only occupy four couples at a time. The speakers were dialed down some and played a slow, smooth song, the kind of music only couples danced to. It felt momentarily inappropriate to let Shinobu put your hands on her shoulders and have her hands safely on your waist. Any guilt or shame was swept away with the music. You swayed together at arm’s length apart. Shinobu smiled sweetly at you like she had a dirty secret she wanted to tell only you. Out of the corner of your eyes, you spied the other couples clinging to each other and nuzzling faces into necks. At least one was making out while standing up and swaying side to side to the song.

When the song ended, there was a pause between music. This gave Shinobu ample opportunity to lean forward and close the gap between you.

Shinobu whispered in your ear before the music started blasting again, “If you were my girlfriend, I wouldn’t have left you for a minute.”

She slipped away from you and made her way to the stairs. Your eyes followed her until Shinobu stood at the foot of the stairs. She looked back at you expectedly. You gulped and looked around. There was no red-faced boyfriend about to tell you off for letting Shinobu whisper sweet nothings in your ear. Like a moth to the flame, you followed her. Shinobu took your hand and let her lead you to the second floor. She and Kyojuro rented the house together, so it wasn’t weird to have her name a butterfly-decorated placard hanging on a door at the end of the hallway.

Shinobu’s room was lit by soft light. The music, conversations, and laughter was drowned out when she closed the door. In a moment, you were devouring each other, lips on lips and tongue exploring each other’s mouths. Your hands and hers reached for each other’s clothing and gently pulled them off. Shoes were kicked away and sock peeled off. You landed naked on Shinobu’s bed with your lips glued to hers. You reached up and unclipped her hair, letting it fall past her slender shoulders. Shinobu laid on her side and kissed her way down your body.

Her lips pressed wet kisses down your throat. Shinobu lightly suckled on your neck, leaving little bruises on your skin. In the moment, Sanemi was so far from your mind that you didn’t tell her to stop. She caressed your breasts rather than roughly grope them in the way Sanemi was wont to do. She kissed and licked your nipples until they were hardened peaks. Her hands ran up and down your waist. Your mind had grown hazy with lust. Goosebumps erupted all over your flesh as one of Shinobu’s hands delved even further south. Her soft hand caressed your waist then your stomach before traveling lower. She gazed into your eyes while her hand paused on your lower belly.

“May I touch you down there?” Asked Shinobu.

The words were stuck in your throat. All you could do was enthusiastically nodded.

Shinobu smiled at your response. Her hand grazed between your legs. Shinobu found that bundle of nerves Sanemi rarely paid attention to and rubbed it between her fingers. Your back arched off the bed. Shinobu switched her hand’s position and delved two fingers into your warmth and worked your clit with the heel of her palm.

“My goodness, you’re so wet for me, Y/N. You’re so beautiful like this. Do you know how often I thought about stealing you from him?” Shinobu cooed.

Her mouth latched onto your breasts while she fucked your pussy with her fingers. Shinobu’s fingers were neither too thick or too skinny. Just right. And they felt smooth rubbing against your walls. Shinobu’s technique was more sophisticated than anything Sanemi could do. After a few minutes, he’d get bored and stick his cock in. Shinobu liked taking her time and getting you to where you wanted to be. You squeezed around her fingers, gushing around them sooner than Sanemi ever could. Shinobu left kisses down your body. She kissed your skin all the way down to the apex of your thighs, which were still slick.

“May I?” Shinobu looked into your eyes while her head was between your legs.

Shaking, you nodded your head.

Shinobu didn’t hesitate lowering her head to your clit and giving it a suckle. By instinct, your hands went to thread Shinobu’s hair around your fingers. You tugged and pulled on it like reins as she worked your pussy. You arched your back off the bed as Shinobu’s fingers delved into your insides once more. The room echoed with the sweet slurping noises Shinobu made with her mouth on your slit. Her tongue made love to your clit until you unraveled over and over again.

Once she had you panting in her bed and your thighs covered in slick, Shinobu shifted on the bed to reach into her bedside table. From the drawer, she produced a bottle of lube...and a double-ended dildo. You gulped at its size, and understood the bottle of lube.

“Is it too much? We can stop here if you’re uncomfortable,” said Shinobu.

“No! Please. Fuck me. I want to feel you against me.” You whimpered.

Sanemi who?

Shinobu let you prep the toy yourself. She smiled as you marveled at the toy you’ve never laid eyes on before. It was a long piece of flesh-like pink silicone. The toy was shaped vaguely into a ‘U’ shape with the blunt ends molded into cocks. However, handling the toy in Shinobu’s room with her sitting on the bed with you, men were furthest thing from your mind. You lubed up the tip, stroking it like a real cock before putting the tip to Shinobu’s cunt. You looked into each other’s eyes as she sank down on the toy. Shinobu grabbed the other end and gave it the same treatment. She kissed you when you took in the toy with minimum effort.

Hands wrapped around your waist as you and Shinobu rocked in time on the toy. She laid sweet kisses on your face, neck, and breasts. You held her back and kissed all the same spots on her porcelain skin.

“I love you...I love you. I love you.” Shinobu confessed. Her hand slipped between your legs again and played with your clit.

This time, you returned the favor. Your lips locked on hers as you fucked yourself on the fake dick. Shinobu smelled so sweet. Her skin felt so nice and her hair was fun to play with and tangle your fingers in. She sighed and moaned when you gave it tender pulls as you road together. You ground harder when her fingers played with your more. You matched Shinobu’s movements. The room filled with feminine sighs and moans. You didn’t notice how loud the bed rocked against the wall. The closer the two of you got to reaching the precipice, the tighter Shinobu held onto you. She pulled you into a hug, pressing her breasts against yours the faster she ground against the toy.

Your eyes rolled into the back of your head as pleasure seared down your spine. By a miracle, you and Shinobu moaned as you reached orgasm at the same time. Juices were flowing and the scent of sex filled your lungs. Shinobu pulled the dildo out of your first. Another gush left you sobbing at the toy’s absence. She pulled the other end out of her own body, cleaned and wiped it off, and put on a bathrobe to leave the room. Shinobu left you alone, dazzled and hazy in a puddle of juices on her bed, for a few minutes. She returned with warm, damp cloths to wash each other off.

Even after all that, Sanemi didn’t appear to be in a hurry to come look for you. You helped Shinobu change the sheets of her bed and crawled under the blankets with her. Sanemi didn’t come up the stairs to see you snuggled up with Shinobu, completely naked with your clothes discarded all over the floor. Nor would he see the smug look on Shinobu’s face when she kissed your forehead and held you close.

“I’m going to be a better boyfriend than him,” Shinobu murmured against your hair as you both drifted off to sleep.

540 notes · View notes

artsycervidae · 2 months

Text

Chapter 8 of Moksha is up

It's a fight scene. Gyutaro v. Hinata.

Also special thanks to my readers. I've nearly broken the 50,000 word count.

#demon slayer #kimetsu no yaiba #gyutaro shabana #daki shabana #demon slayer oc #kimetsu no yaiba oc #ume shabana #demon slayer fanfiction #fanfiction #kny fanfic #kny fanfiction #kny oc #kimetsu no yaiba fanfiction #kimetsu no yaiba fanfic #demon slayer fanfic #kny #gyutaro #daki #ume

5 notes · View notes

dxncingwithastrxnger · 6 months

Text

1. capturing the sun

A/N: Hello everyone!! I bring to you my very first demon slayer fic!! I've been in the kny fandom for awhile with many fic ideas coming to mind, but this is the first time I've actually written it out. This is also the first story for Inotan Week!! I hosted my own list of prompts for this year, you can find the post here!! I really hope you enjoy this story, I have a lot of plans for this AU, tbh, so I can't wait to write it all out. This is actually a bit shorter than my usual chapters, but it felt right to end it where I did and the other chapters will definitely be longer!! Happy reading!!

Inspiration Post

Pairings: N/A (The romance hasn't started yet, lmao)

Prompt: Day 1 - Fantasy

Summary: The King of Kirauai receives an unexpected visit.

Tag(s): Angst, death threats, death, kingdom customs(?)

Word Count: 886

Song Inspiration: N/A (Me? :0 Not using a song lyric for a title? :0)

Not beta'd, all mistakes are my own.

~*~

[Author Masterlist]

[Series Masterlist]

[Read on AO3]

~*~

[Chapter 1] [Chapter 2] [Chapter 3] [Chapter 4] [Chapter 5] [Chapter 6] [Chapter 7]

~*~

King Inosuke, ruler of Kirauai. Also known as “King of the Mountains” or “the Boar King”. A fearsome, ruthless man who took his place upon the throne by force. He’s cruel, cold, he laughs at the pain of others and he’s never apologized a day in his life. That is the reputation he must uphold. Because without such a reputation, no one takes him seriously.

And so, when the Sun Warrior, Kamado Tanjiro, throws open the doors to his throne room and rushes across the royal blue carpet leading right to him, he keeps his face neutral and unsurprised. In truth, he really wasn’t surprised. He was well aware that Tanjiro had been making his way to him. The trail of destruction and bodies he left in his wake was difficult to miss. So many of the King’s Boar Knights lost due to this red-haired man who wields the power of the sun. All of the death left the King sick to his stomach, but so did the thought of destroying the man storming towards him.

Not surprised to see him here, no, but extremely saddened instead. He had been hoping that he’d never have to actually look Kamado Tanjiro directly in the face, but it appears his wishes did not come true. Sighing internally, he narrows his eyes as he looks down at the man intruding in his place. He gives his guards a wave of his hand, telling them to hold off. He’d like to hear what the Warrior has to say.

“Kamado Tanjiro.” King Inosuke calls out, his deep voice echoing throughout the large room. “I was wondering when we’d officially meet.” He says calmly.

“Inosuke Hashibira!!” The Warrior shouts, a fierce, determined expression on his face. “I have come here to kill you!!”

The King can’t help the laughter that bursts from his lips, his amusement surprising himself. “You? Kill me?” He questions, his words filled with a level of arrogance that people never believe he was actually born with. “What makes you so sure you could do such a thing?”

Anger starts to bleed through into the Warrior’s expression. “I refuse to accept anything less. I’ll kill you if it’s the last thing I do.” The redhead grits out, his arm extending out in front of him in order to point his sword at the King sitting upon his throne.

King Inosuke’s face falls into a cold mask, his voice completely monotone. “Do you truly think that killing me is going to do good for this country? That you’re going to help the people by getting rid of me?”

"Don’t you realize what you’ve done!?” The Warrior exclaims, expression filled with rage, the flame mark on his forehead flaring. “How far you’ve gone!?” His grip on his sword visibly tightens, but it’s also clear that he’s shaking. “How many people have died to achieve this world domination of yours!?" Tears prick at the man’s eyes and the King tries to shake off the quivering of his limbs at such a question. At the reminder.

"769.” He states simply, without hesitation.

"...What?" The man before him falters slightly, though he tries to hide it.

"769 people died to achieve my plans. I counted them, and had each of their names etched on my throne so I never forget what my victory cost the world.” The black-haired man explains. “Now tell me, how many have you killed to see me dead?" He demands.

Tanjiro falters at his words. "I didn't..." He shakes his head, the fierce look in his eyes returning. "The only ones I killed were your men!! Those who were already killing others!!"

King Inosuke, leans forward atop his hand-carved throne, expression unreadable. "Yes, and I'm asking you. How many have you killed, Monjiro?"

For a few minutes, there's nothing but silence. Neither of them move from their positions and it's only the King who can see all the emotions flickering across the Warrior's face. Only the King knows how spooked the man before him is.

"I-I-" With a stuttered gasp, the sword slips from his hands, clattering to the marble floor.

"How many have you killed?" The question whispers through his mind on repeat.

Another gasp and he falls to his knees, chest heaving. "I-I don't-" He clutches his chest, to rip his heart out or attempt to calm it down, no one is certain. "How many have I- What have I- What-I-"

Nothing coherent falls from his lips, as if the man is unable to truly process the question he's been asked. The King watches him with a frown and hard eyes, though if anyone looked closely enough, they would see the shine of tears. But no one realizes their King is on the verge of weeping. He's too far away from them, and none of them dare to get closer.

King Inosuke nods to his guards hovering behind Tanjiro and they immediately grab him under his arms and start dragging him away. The Warrior never even registers what's happening to him, too far into his own head to realize that his body has been captured. The King didn’t realize how easy it would be to break him. He finds himself questioning if doing it was actually a good thing or not long into the rest of the day.

~*~

A/N: What do you all think?? This AU is quite interesting and I LOVE fantasy settings like this, so I'm super excited. One thing, Kirauai, the name of their country/continent, is meant to be pronounced as "Keer-uh-way". But anyways, please, tell me what you think!! Feedback from my readers is always so important to me!!

~*~

Lemme know if you'd like to be added to the taglist!!

8 notes · View notes

chaepink · 7 months

Text

DAY 8: 7 MINUTES IN HELL | RUINED ORGASM

tanjiro is just so innocent and adorable that you can't help be mean to him when the two of you are paired up for 7 minutes in heaven

⋆ ࣪. ❤︎ PAIRING ⸻ tanjiro kamado x reader

⋆ ࣪. ❤︎ WARNINGS ⸻ dom!reader, mean!reader, shy!virgin!tanjiro, dom/sub dynamics, praise, dacryphilia, begging, hand job (in a cramped closet), ruined orgasm, mention of drinking, college au, 7 minutes in heaven

⋆ ࣪. ❤︎ WORDS ⸻ 2.5k words

KINKTOBER EVENT

It was supposed to be a harmless party. You only went there for the food and for some fun with your friends, not to flirt or hookup with anyone. But when one of your friends dragged you to a crowd of people, telling you that they were playing 7 minutes in heaven, you were too tipsy to say no.

So here you are, sitting in a circle with some strangers and friends as the glass bottle in the middle spins around to decide which two people would go into a closet and do who knows what.

Minutes pass as the first pair gets chosen which turns out to be one of your friends and her crush. Good for her, you think, watching as they make their way towards the closet designated for this game.

Seven minutes pass and you hear an alarm ring to signal the end of the first pair.

You grimace a little when you see two people exit the closet, the girl giggling and the guy smirking at his friends with a hand around her waist. You see them leave the room and your mind immediately assumes they're going to fuck later.

Maybe you should leave the game, you're not really looking for a hookup at the moment nor a significant other.

"andddd the next pair is [name] and tanjiro! Please make your way towards the closet over there."

You snap out of your train of thought and widen your eyes, your head snapping towards the middle. You weren't expecting to be chosen so early in the game, especially with such a huge group playing.

Normally the person you usually get paired up with isn't your type, which ends up with the two of you just sitting in the closet in awkward silence as the seven minutes count down.

But as you look up from the bottle in the middle take a look at tanjiro, you can't help but think he's rather cute with his face already bright red, pretty eyes, and stuttered replies to his friends' teasing.

You remember seeing him around a few times as well as in a few of your classes at the back of the room by himself. He's always either reading a book or typing on his laptop.

The one time you two were paired up for a class project he was still quiet but weirdly enough, he avoided your eye contact whenever you were talking to him and throughout the whole project, he was all red and stuttering. You assumed that he didn't like social interaction and that's why he was acting so weird with you.

Even now, you haven't even realized that he was at the same party as you.

As you stand up, you see him sneaks a glance at you and he only turns even redder when he notices that you've caught him looking at you. To ease his nerves, you offer him a small smile which he quickly turns away from.

Your friends loudly cheer you on and you can only laugh at them, rolling your eyes at how drunk they are.

You make your way to the designated closet and open it to find a dimly lit room. You sit on the floor, patiently waiting for tanjiro. The strong smell of alcohol floods your nose and you slightly cringe.

Seconds pass and a small thought in your head wonders if tanjiro is actually going to enter or not. It would be awkward enough for you two to just sit here in silence but it would be even worse if he didn't come in at all and you were left to spend all seven minutes in here alone.

Your thoughts get interrupted by a quiet knock and a certain squeaky voice asking a question.

"Can i- Can i c-come in?" There's a slight pause and before you can answer, you hear the same voice speak again . "P-Please?"

You giggle at his cute mannerism and the way he nicely asked to enter.

"Yes tanjiro, you can come in." From outside the door, tanjiro feels his heart beat faster at the way his name came from your mouth. Even though you said it rather normally, it was the fact he heard you, his crush, say his name.

The door opens and you see Tanjiro enter, noticing the faint blush still on his face and the nervous expression that he has on.

He shuts the door and hesitates where to sit on the floor before he opts to sit side to side with you—far enough so that he hopes you wouldn't feel uncomfortable but still rather close due to how little room the closet offered.

The two of you just sit there in awkward silence as you take glances at the boy from the corner of your eyes. You notice him blush a little and let out a nervous cough before turning his head to look away from you, leading you to realize he may have noticed you looking at him.

"Oh sorry." You curse at yourself for embarrassing yourself like that before you quickly regain your composure. "We don't have to do anything if you don't want to, of course. Like we can do what we're doing right now and sit here in silence the entire time."

You notice him cringe at the mention at how, instead of doing what you're normally supposed to do during 7 minutes of heaven, the two of you are just sitting here in silence.

But its not as if tanjiro thinks he has the guts himself to even do anything with you in this closet. He's sure he'll make a fool out of himself if he even tried to talk to you!

You realize what you just said and widen your eyes. You place a hand between the two of you as you lean your face closer to him to apologize. Tanjiro has to hold back a shiver when he feels your body coming closer.

"I didn't mean it like that it's just-"

You can't find anything else to say as words die on your tongue but soon your eyes start to roam his body, noticing the way he's sitting. His right knee is pressed against his chest as his left is straightened across the floor, leading you to notice the rather obvious bulge in his pants.

"Holy shit are you hard right now?"

You notice him freeze up before quickly bringing his left knee to his chest, covering his bulge from you.

"N-No."

Even with the dim light, you're sure your vision didn't betray you. You lean even closer to him, the alcohol in you only giving you more confidence. You grin at the blush on his face.

"Don't try to hide it, i'm sure i saw correctly Tanjiro." Deciding to have a little fun with him, you move to whisper into his ear.

"You know, i can help you if you want." Tanjiro shivers at the feeling of your hot breath on his ear as he tries to silence a whimper but you hear it anyways.

He squeezes his legs together and covers his face with his arms.

"Please." You barely hear the small plea he lets out but you grin when you realize what he's begging for.

"Please what, hm?" You tilt your head at him in feign confusion. He slowly raises his head to look at you with a flushed face and tears in his eyes.

"Please help me, it hurts."

Something in you yells for you to absolutely make those tears in his eyes fall and you coo at him as you begin to crawl towards him, leading him to quickly move backwards and into a wall.

You have him backed against a wall as he squeezes his eyes shut, avoiding your stare yet again. His legs are slightly open and you use your hands to push them apart, exposing his his bulge to you.

Your hand ghosts over the bulge, making him gasp.

"When did you get this, huh? Did i cause this?" He nods slowly and you tap his cheek with your other hand. "Words, baby. I can't do anything if I don't know what you're thinking about."

Tanjiro whines at the pet name as he slowly opens his mouth to answer.

"Y-Yes." Your heart swells at how adorable he's being as you ghost over the bulge again.

"That means i have to fix it, doesn't it? Since i caused it in the first place."

He immediately widens his eyes and looks at you. Before he could say anything, you place your full hand on the bulge and squeeze. Tanjiro throws a hand over his mouth to muffle the moan he let out but you quickly shove the hand away with a 'tsk'.

"I wanna hear how good im making you feel, tanjiro. Let out your noises for me, alright?" Tanjiro can only open his mouth but nothing comes out, the words he was going to say dying on his tongue.

So he nods. He awaits another squeeze but instead your hand trails up his pants and grips the waist of his pants, feeling the heat radiating from his body.

"Be a good boy and take this off, yeah?" You don't have to say it twice as Tanjiro rushes to follow your command, quickly unzipping his pants and shimmying out of it before haphazardly throwing it somewhere in the cramped closet. Then he sits back down in front of you, eyes wide and waiting for your next order.

His obedience and rush to follow your commands only spurs you on even more.

Your eyes rake his body and you watch as Tanjiro turn shyer after realizing how he just acted. Your eyes trail from his red face to his still covered chest and down to his crotch where the bulge is still visible.

Squinting your eyes a little, you're able to make out a small wet patch on his underwear where his dick is. God, is he so pathetic.

You lazily trail your nail up and down his dick, a mere thin material separating you from where you know Tanjiro wants you the most.

Sure you could just make him cum right then and there but of course, whats the fun in that?

A sly grin appears on your face.

"You're already so hard and I've barely really done anything, isn't that right?" You can't help but laugh, making Tanjiro turn red in shame and embarrassment.

"What? It's almost like you're a virgin or something." Tanjiro halts at that and his reaction makes realization dawn on you. Oh.

"Shit, are you actually a virgin?" You raise your eyebrows when Tanjiro shyly nods. But weirdly enough, you don't mind that he's a virgin. Something in you screams for you to absolutely ruin him.

"If thats so," you murmur at him. "Then don't worry, i'll make you feel good."

Without hesitation, you slip his dick out of his underwear, revealing it to the cold air which makes Tanjiro shiver. You notice how red it is, most likely from how uncomfortable it was in his pants. Wrapping a hand around it, you watch as pre drips from the tip and down. Slowly, you begin to pump his dick up and down.

Tanjiro chokes on his spit as the sudden shock of pleasure. The tightness and warmth of your hand and the way you're squeezing his dick has him throwing his head back against the wall. His jaw goes slack at the addicting feeling. He's masturbated before but nothing can compare to how you're stroking and touching his dick.

Soon enough, whines and moans—all coming from him—fill the room. It's not long till you begin to speed up, your thumb rubbing his tip and gathering the pre that escaped from the top.

The contrast of your softness before and your demeanor now has his head spinning.

"O-Oh god."

"How's it feel, Tanjiro?" You say, teasingly. Sure his adorable noises that are loud enough for someone outside the door to hear tell you enough about how he's feeling but you think it'll be cute if he tries to tell you verbally.

"It f-feels so good. Please- ah! Please! K-Keep going.."

He squeezes his eyes shut and bites his hand to keep his noises quiet. You notice small tears threatening to fall from the corner of his eyes.

"Let those tears fall, Tanjiro. I want to see you cry from how good you're feeling."

He feels something weird stirring in his stomach at that. Something inside him wants to listen to your orders, to have you praise him. So when the pleasure continues to rack up his body, he feels those tears falling down his face. You feel him begin thrusting into your fist eagerly and you coo at him. His dick begins to leak out even more pre, coating your hand in the substance.

"So eager, aren't you?" He nods rapidly, preferring not to say anything in fear on embarrassing him due to just the amount of noises escaping him. The room floods with the wet sound of your hand against his dick. It sounds so lewd that Tanjiro lets out a whimper.

"Such a good boy."

The feeling in his stomach grows bigger and its almost like a coil about to snap. He feels the need to tell you.

"[N-Name] please! I'm so c-close pleasepleaseplease-"

He speeds up his thrusting, wanting so bad to get to his high. It feels so close yet so far but when you suddenly lift your hand off his throbbing dick, his orgasm suddenly feels too far. The loss of warmth around his dick hits him before the lack of pleasure does and he's quick to snap his eyes open to look at you.

He panics at the feeling of his orgasm fading away and he quickly grabs your hand.

"W-Wait please!"

You click your tongue in displeasure, making Tanjiro instantly drop your hand. You admire the sight in front of you. His hair is ruffled up, button up shirt stained a little from his cum, and dick out and hard. The position he's in looks so sinful with his legs spread out to show his whole body to you.

"[Name] why did you stop!" He cries out, feeling his dick throb. It's so hard it hurts. "I-I was so close!"

You only give him a small smile. "You haven't been keeping track of the time have you?"

He doesn't get it but then it hits him, the game you two have been playing. Though before he could say anything else, he hears a voice shout from outside.

"7 minutes is up!"

He stares at you in shock. Did you know that it was almost time and that's why you teased him like that? Realization dawns on him, you're so mean.

"Did you-" You slightly shrug but the grin on your face gives it away. You knew that time was almost up and so you gave him the pleasure of a handjob only to rip away the feeling at the last second. You gave him a glimpse of what actual pleasure feels like and left him addicted and wanting more.

Tanjiro can only stare when you stand up to brush off your pants. "Well you heard them, time's up."

You grin at him and make your way towards the door, feeling his eyes on you the entire time. But before you leave him in the closet, you decide to tease him just a little more.

"Find me after this party, alright? Maybe next time we can do something longer than 7 minutes."

And then you shut the door, leaving Tanjiro blushing red and hoping to run into you later again. Sure, you're mean. But he realizes how much he loves it when you are.

note: lol this is so unrealistic cause this is def longer than 7 minutes. its fiction tho

🏷️: @Vealize21 @fabitheraven @sourissue @jksstuffposts @gallantys @tired-of-life-86 @ineedsleeporilldie @aphoneixnamed-angel @flawlessvictorymentality @wowonamo @euphiroo @saintravey @tomiokx @archer-fb @d1gitalbathh @lifesucksweswallow @rxflen @Aspengagrimlin @ilovemenwhowhimperandbeg @laraleafs @vampcubus @22rhianna2006 @katebaku7710 @mysicklove @uniquebeautylove1 @willburzone

947 notes · View notes

stelsundarkstar · 5 months

Text

Since i had a feeling that the 3rd chapter was going.. seemingly nowhere, i did this:

so now i don't have to worry about it being "too long" or "too smutty".

#fanfiction #kny fanfic #kny fanfiction

4 notes · View notes

mysicklove-main · 11 months

Text

Mitsuri was at a loss when you told her that she may need to cut down on the PDA. She didn’t even know what “PDA” stood for. Of course, ironically, she asked this while rubbing her forehead against the back of your head while the two of you were having breakfast with Rengoku.

She doesn’t understand that it makes people slightly uncomfortable when she rubs her hands up your chest while in public. Or when she randomly sits in your lap and coos at you while talking to somebody. Or how making out in public is considered taboo, which she has tried and tried again.

She also seems to have little shame about boasting the sexual life between the two of you. Blushing bashfully about it while going into the specifics to a totally stranger. Only stopping when you physically have to cover her mouth.

So, no matter who you meet, in matter of seconds they know that the two of you are together.

It’s almost like she can’t help but show everyone about how in love with you she is. How everything you do seems to light up the world for her.

You love her, you do, but when she starts kissing your neck while you mid mission, you realized that maybe she might need to tone it back a little.

So, one day you sat her down and told her. It went way better than you thought. You reassured her that she is welcome to touch you whenever she likes when the two of you were alone, and she agreed.

For the first two days, everything was fine. Sure, you felt strangely cold without her warmth constantly around you, but other than that, completely fine.

By day four she was twitchy. You caught her staring at your hands more times than you can count. You could feel her gaze burning into you whenever you talked to someone and the way she seemed to slowly sit closer and closer to you.

Day six, she was giving you tight praise that would make you raise your eyebrows. “Nice work!” and “So cool!”. Not unheard of, but six days ago it would have been “Oh my! My lover is so cool and strong! Eeeee, i’m blushing! How am I so lucky!” while peppering your face with kisses.

And finally, a week later you realized that maybe showing PDA was not negotiable in your relationship.

You were talking to Tengens wives who, before you met Mitsuri, had tried to get you to marry Tengen and join them. Of course that lifestyle was not for you, and now they only see you platonically.

Mitsuri knows this. She has even talked to the three about it and is completely fine with you being friends with the three of them.

Of course you only have talked to them when she is conveniently placed in your lap. Or when she just happens to mention what the two of you did the night before.

But that can’t happen anymore. The two of of you were trying something new, and she was fine with it.

But why is Suma clinging onto your arm like that? And why are you standing so close to Makio and Hinatsuru. Is what they are saying so funny?

She wasn’t going to do anything. Jealously is a hideous emotion and she didn’t want you to see her in a different light.

Tengen walks up to the four of you and she narrows her eyes. Her fists clench when she watches him pat your head in greeting. Are you blushing?

She can’t stand it anymore. So, she takes a deep breathe and skips over to you. She throws her body onto yours and wraps her arms around your neck with a squeal. “My love! I missed you!”

You try to crane your head to look at her, confused on the sudden burst of affection. “Mitsuri—”

“What we’re you guys talking about? Oh tell them about the other night, tell them!” She cheers, blushing and closing her eyes. The four others glance awkwardly at each other, obviously not wanting to hear the tale.

“Actually, my wives and I have got got be going now. I’ll see you around!” The four wave goodbye and you return it with a sigh, knowing exactly what happened.

She giggles into your neck and you can’t help but chuckle with her. "Really?" You tease, reaching back to play with her hair.

"I wasn't lying! I really do miss you!"

"We saw each other twenty minutes ago."

She blushes and pouts. "I don't like this new P-D-A rule. I want to touch you all the time!"

You take a deep breathe. You kinda had to agree with her, it was unnatural to have her not by your side all the time. Her touch always brought comfort. "Hmm. I think you're right."

She visibly brightens, eyes widening and legs kicking up. "So you'll let me touch you!"

"But can we try to tone it down on missions and when I'm trying to focus."

She flips you around with ease. Her strength is still something you still have to get used to. "Are you saying I'm distracting?"

You grin lazily. "Im saying that whenever you are in the room, I can't stop imagining you naked."

She turns pink, and lets out a girlish squeal, before leaning forward and connecting her lips with yours.

And so the two of you never learnt to deal with the PDA. But she's the hashira of love, can you expect her to be any different?

#drabbles #kny mitsuri #Mitsuri #mitsuri kanroji #mitsuri x you #kny fanfiction #mitsuri x reader #reader insert #x reader #mitsuri kimetsu no yaiba #kimetsu no yaiba #kny fanfic #mitsuri fanfic

254 notes · View notes

xxlady-lunaxx · 7 days

Text

Silent comfort | {ShinoGiyuu}

Theme: Hurt/comfort??

Note: for no reason, i've suddenly been drawn back to ShinoGiyuu again-

×××

Shinobu sat in a panicked state, her back pressed against the wall of her room, her hand to her chest. Her breathing was heavy and she blinked rapidly, trying to stop the tears from forming in her eyes.

Calm down, calm down, calm down.

It was like a mantra as she repeated it over and over in her head.

Nightmares are for children. Calm. Down.

That was a lie. But the worse she felt about it, the more she would will herself to stop having them.

Calm down, you can't let this keep happening, calm down.

It had happened time and time again. Sometimes, she was afraid to sleep. To dream. She would stay awake, staring at the curtains barely containing the midday sunlight from seeping through.

Count to ten, she would tell herself. She wished she wasn't so childish. So idiotic. Why was she like this? She only had so much time to rest, why was she wasting it on panicking? God, how incompetent was she?

She vaguely registered the click of a door opening, footsteps.

She let out a shaky breath, her bangs slipping over her eyes. Her knees were drawn up to her chest and she sat there, curled up. She felt constricted, her ribcage closing around her heart, her lungs, and then-

A steady hand on her upper arm brought her to a lilting sense of reality. She blinked up at whoever it was. At first, their face glazed from her gaze and she didn't recognize them. But she caught the green and yellow hexgonal pattern printed upon fabric that brushed her leg as the hand moved up to her shoulder, tightening comfortingly.

She blinked again, tears she was holding back blurring her vision.

"T...Tomioka-San?" she mumbled, biting her lip to keep her emotions from spilling over. Why was he here?

"Kocho...," Giyuu murmured. He had knelt down in front of her, eyebrows creased in worry. It was the most emotion she had seen on his face before and it startled her. She forgot herself for a moment, until she felt a drop sliding down her cheek.

She mentally cursed herself, waiting for the inevitable nag from Giyuu to pull herself together. Only it didn't come. Instead, his hand rested upon her jaw, thumb grazing her cheek. She held her breath, slowly raising her gaze to meet his.

Giyuu's eyes were intent, the blue dark from the lack of light. "Are you alright?" he asked quietly. His hand still rested on the side of her face, drawing circles on her cheek.

"I... What're you...?" Her question trailed off, unsure where it was going. What was he doing here? What was he doing?

"You told me to come for a check-up. Aoi directed me here when I arrived," he said simply, gaze searching her face for an answer to his own un-asked question.

"I'm... sorry," Shinobu said, letting out a breath. She had forgotten about that. She was being stupid, now. Humiliating herself in front of him, making him comfort her.

"For?"

Her eyes flit down, not wanting to see his expression. It would be blank, no doubt. Uncaring. Or would it be mocking? Thinly-veiled disgust? She couldn't blame him. She was a Hashira, for god's sake. Yet here she was, crying over a stupid nightmare. Pathetic, that's hat she was.

"No... Nothing. Give me a minute, we can get to your check-up now," she mumbled, sucking in a shaky breath, trying to pull herself together.

There was movement, though she didn't know exactly what. Then Giyuu was sitting next to her, side by side. He took her hand, which had rested previously on her knee, cradling it.

"Tomi... What?" she said, surprised. This wasn't the response she had expected.

She glanced at him, but he had drawn his knees up like she had, hands holding the one of hers tenderly. He entwined his hand with hers, clasping it gently.

She watched him, his face slack but soothing. She didn't understand. Why was he being so kind to her?

"You don't have to talk," he said quietly, noticing her staring at him.

"Your... check-up?" she said meekly.

He shook his head and said nothing more, his thumb circling on the back of her hand. It sparked a memory in Shinobu's mind, bringing her tears to the near edge.

Kanae, hugging her after their parents died. Kanae, telling her it would be alright before Final Selection. Kanae, holding her hand like this, comforting her after she had gotten injured. Kanae, her quite presence as her life slowly faded.

Shinobu looked down, resting her forehead on her knees. Her breath was harsh again and she fought the urge to cry. She had embarrassed herself enough in front of Giyuu.

Yet Giyuu seemed to notice this, lifting her hand so she turned her attention to him, pursing her lips together to contain herself.

"You... don't have to hold back," he murmured. "It's okay."

And somehow, those words brought her to her limit, tears quivering as they slowly slipped down, creating crevices in the thinly layered make up she had put on earlier.

Giyuu nodded then changed their positions carefully, scooting closer and drawing her onto his lap so she was curled up in his arms. He rubbed her back, resting his head against hers.

"It's okay," he repeated. "It's okay."

She nodded to his words, silent sobs breaking through. And suddenly it wasn't because of her nightmares anymore. She didn't know what it was. But she felt safe there, for a moment. For once, after so long, she felt that he wasn't lying. The words didn't seem like an empty promise right now.

His thumb, though hardened from the years of fighting, wiped her tears away so tenderly. She leaned her face into his palm, her eyes fluttering close. He led her through breathing, helping her calm herself.

He breathed in carefully and she copied him, her breath stuttering with a hiccup. He rubbed her back, leading her through breathing out. In and out, in and out.

She leaned against his body, his arms wrapping around her.

"Thank you," she murmured.

He didn't answer, instead placing his lips carefully on her forehead. It felt... right. She didn't know how, it just did. So she let him, let him hug her, let him comfort her. Let herself enjoy it, eyes closed.

"You should rest," he said softly.

She didn't protest, feeling somehow both emotionally and physically exhausted. As she drifted off to sleep, she thought she heard him say something, though she couldn't be certain of it.

"It'll be fine," he whispered. "I love you."

×××

« Word count: 1144 »

By far my favorite oneshot i have written recently :333

23 notes · View notes

the-lady-writes-what · 1 year

Text

Akasa's Secret Little Wife, Part 1

As a slayer, it is your sacred duty to eliminate the plague that are demons. Having lost your team, you foolishly attempt going after one of the 12 moons by yourself. It is your great fortune that it is Upper Rank Three of the Kizuki, Akasa, has a strange habit for a demon. He doesn't kill women.

Three times you tried to kill him. Three times you failed and walked away alive. Not wanting to kill and devour you but also wanting to avoid punishment by Muzan, Akasa locks you in a small house where only he can reach you. Akasa becomes deluded over time and comes to see you as his little wife.

Content: non-con touching, rough handling, fighting, spitting (giving and receiving), slight choking

Warning: violence, gore, blood and bodily dismemberment, death, cannibalism and blood-drinking, non-con touching, attempted forced feeding of human flesh, forced blood drinking

Dead Dove, Do Not Eat!

🔞NSFW Content Below! 18+ Only! Minors DNI!🔞

Dead Dove, Do Not Eat!

The First Night

Earth leeched blood from your fallen comrades. Their bodies were twisted and torn apart. You'd seen what wild boars did to people who got too close, but even boars stopped. The demon kept going even when his victory was assured. You stayed your ground as your captain ordered, he'd been the first to die. You watched from behind the tree how Upper Rank Three of the Kizuki punched a hole into your captain's chest, spraying blood and meat everywhere. The demon tore out his throat with bare fangs, nearly decapitating your captain with one bite. Sour bile filled your mouth as you watched the demon drink the blood and meat the flesh of your captain's throat with a satisfied smirk. The next two slayers on your squad lasted about as long as your captain.

The first was a young man who wasn't much older than you though he pretended to him. The demon hadn't yet finished licking the captain's blood off his mouth when the slayer came running towards the enemy. His sword glinted like a sliver of silver in the moonlight. He aimed the blade at the back of the demon's neck. Just it seemed that it would make a clean slice and avenge the captain, the demon was gone. It hadn't run away, it just simply disappeared from where it had been standing. The slayer couldn't stop the motion of his sword coming down. He cut into thin air and nothing more.

You stifled the scream in your throat when the demon appeared behind him. A pair of tattooed hands reached inside your comrade and came out the other side of his ribs. The demon grabbed hold of his bones with blood glistening off his fingertips. It yanked the ribcage from out the back. Your comrade's spine collapsed like a column of child's building blocks. The demon dove into his innards, feasting on the red, meaty organs.

Two other slayers tried to cut him down, striking at his arms. The blades came down. The demon grabbed the swords with bare fingers and snap them. Your stunned comrades lost precious seconds looking bewildered. The demon decapitated one and tore off the arms of the other. His arms were wrenched free of their sockets and the flesh of his torso with the ease of a child ripping the arms of a doll. The demon ate his heart while he bled to death. It didn't eat any more bits and pieces of your comrades. A small mercy.

The fifth member of your squad stood in the shadows. He backed away from the demon, who hadn't yet noticed him. You couldn't blame him. Three upper ranking slayers had been killed within minutes. You'd be running too if you weren't afraid of the demon finding you. Whichever one of you made a sound first was going to be the one to die. The smallest noise would alert the demon whose eyes were scanning the clearing for anymore slayers to kill and devour.

You remained where you stood behind the large oak tree. You could make your escape once the demon was finished devouring your comrades. You covered your mouth and nose to dull the sound of your breathing. You could barely see your remaining comrade step away from the battlefield. The demon's eyes glowed in the dark like lanterns from Hell. It scanned the clearing and the forest; it hadn't yet spot either of you.

SNAP!

It was not you. You saw the vague shape of your comrade freeze. The crunch of a branch cracking underfoot could be heard across the clearing. Even your human ears picked it up. The demon snapped its head towards the sound. Your comrade screamed, dropped his sword, and fled into the dark woods. The demon was upon in minutes. You didn't see this death, but you heard it. There would be no sound like it in your living memory. He howled like a wounded dog, Whatever the demon did, his cries assured it was without mercy and full of anguish. Then, silence.

You stared at the bodies bathed in moonlight. The red of their blood pooled around them and gore glistened off of pale skin. You stepped around the oak tree. Unsheathing your sword, you crouched forward. If you were going to die, it would be with honor and with your comrades. You stepped over the bodies and limbs across the clearing. Your heart was a beast inside of your chest, pounding at your ribs. Your body moved slowly as if resisting. You didn't really want to die, but there were more important things and you weren't wasting your life like a coward.

The demon stepped out from the thickets and shadow. It was covered in red. Blood dripped from its fingers. You stilled your arms and tightened your stance. The demon would not see you tremble like a frightened little girl.

It did not leap upon you as it did with the others. It stood there. Its glowing eyes flicked to your naked sword pointed at its chest and then to your face. Those strange, demonic eyes stared at your face far more than was comfortable. Yet, it did not move.

"Make your first move, demon. I'm ready," you said.

The demon cocked its head to the side. "You would die if I did that. Just like the other slayers. Just like all the other humans I've killed. Aren't you afraid?"

"I am but that's not important. Even if I do die, I can least die knowing I went down swinging. My captain and my comrades will see me soon, and they will know I died beside them, fighting to avenge their deaths!"

The demon scoffed. It laughed at you. Laughed. The aggravating sound was almost human. Your hands tightened around the grip of your sword. Losing all patience, you sprinted forward and let out a wordless scream. All of your fear and rage went into the cry. It might be the last sound you make, but it was defiant in the face of the enemy. The demon would surely kill you, of that you had no doubt. It could kill you, but it wasn't going to make you give up and die with a whimper.

All the demon had to do was slide to the side. Your sword sliced open the demon's palm. The ground was so slick with blood that you slipped in the wet grass and fell on your backside. Your battle cry seemed now a wasted effort now that you lost all remaining dignity. The demon looked over you as it licked its own blood off its hand. A mouth full of sharp teeth twisted into a smirk.

"I would have let you live, you know. I don't fight women. A matter of principle but you're the first to admit fear and still come at me with a sword. If I wasn't a member of the Kizuki, you might have stood a chance. Get up. Show me how good of a fight you can give me, little girl."

You ground your teeth. You hated whenever someone called you girl, let alone little girl. You weren't past eighteen yet, however girl wasn't right. You were a woman. Young but still a woman. Not a child. You leap to your feet and swung.

The demon danced around you. Its feet moved faster than you could imagine. It moved with grace, you hated to say. Its blood-streaked torso dodged your sword at every turn. It wasn't going to let you near its neck. You screamed in frustration. Logic fled from your mind. You just wanted to make it bleed.

Rage filled you. You attacked without strategy. The demon couldn't predict your next moves anymore. Its eyes widened as your blade managed to slice him up. It raised its arms over its face. You cut it faster than it could heal. All your power came from that fire bursting out of control from your belly. Watching your comrades be killed and eaten, be taunted by a demon, it was too much. You slashed and slashed until bits of flesh covered the front of your uniform. By the time your mortal body began to cave into its stupidly fragile nature, you cut into the demon's flesh down to the marrow. The bones peaked out between corded pink muscle and white flesh.

"Are you finished? Is that all you got?" Asked the demon.

You fought to control your breath. You tried and failed to regain control with a breathing style. All you saw was red. You screamed again and ran forward.

The demon saw an opening. Like a fool, you left your abdomen wide open for attack. You didn't realize the mistake until it was too late. You saw it coming and said a quick prayer to whichever god might be listening to carry you off quickly from this plain.

The demon punched you in the gut. Pain sent you reeling backwards. When you looked down to see the wound, there was no blood. Your life essence did not pool around you. You did not have a hole where your intestines should have been. It hurt, but you were alive. You raised your head in time to see the demon coming at you again.

It leapt through the air, landed on one leg, and swung the other at your ankles. Knocked off your feet again, you missed falling on your backside by a narrow margin. You dug the sword's tip into the ground to keep off and used it as leverage to heave yourself upright. Flesh and steel met. The demon attacked with its bare arms. The wounds from before healed. It stared at your face instead of looking for another opening.

"You're...marvelous." It said with almost a sigh.

"Go fuck yourself!" You shouted back. You weren't going to take compliments from a demon who just ate your captain and squad members.

"Language," the demon chuckled.

With a well-placed palm, he struck a pressure point in your shoulder. Pain rippled through your arm. The shock made your hand spasm and loosened the grip on your sword. The demon struck your other shoulder before you got the feeling back. You cursed and fumbled forward to grab your weapon. The demon kicked the back of your knees. This time, you fell forward. Next to your head was the dismembered arm of your fallen teammate. Your teammate's blood matted into your hair and smeared across your face. You didn't have time to gasp in horror or gag at the sight of it. The demon kicked you so hard in the ribs to make you roll over.

Something broke. You heard a bone snap under the demon's foot.

You grabbed at your side. The stars above winked at you as if saying goodbye. Then the demon was on top of you. It straddled your waist with bone-crushing thighs threatening. It held something in its hand. Your eyes adjusted and could allowed to gasp. It was your teammate's severed arm. The demon held it up to your eyes as a gruesome trophy.

You reached up to throw it away from you with one arm and claw at the demon's face with the other. Grabbing both of your wrists and pining them above your head with just one hand was child's play for this demon. It brought the arm to its mouth and ripped a piece of flesh with those sharp teeth. You should have looked away but felt compelled by fear to stare in horror. The piece of a former teammate and friend dangled in the demon's mouth. To your horror, the demon did not swallow and eat it in front of you. Instead, the demon lowered its head towards yours, human meat between its teeth.

"NO!" You screamed.

You writhed and squirmed beneath the demon and kicked your legs. It was much stronger than you. Holding you down and force feeding you pieces of your friend didn't take any effort. Its face drew nearer to yours. You sealed your mouth shut. The flesh bit touched your lips. Sour bile rose in your throat and you gagged. You fought not to vomit then and there. The moment you opened your mouth, the demon would make you eat him. Your screams were muffled with your lips sealed tight.

Satisfied with the torture or realizing it wasn't getting anywhere with this method, the demon pulled away. It tossed back its head to swallow the hunk of meat. You watched its throat bob as it devoured yet another piece of your friend. It tossed the severed arm behind its back and it landed with a wet thud.

The demon turned to its free hand. You stared at each other as the demon sank its fangs into its own arm. It bite its wrist. Blood fell all over the center of your uniform. The sticky, sickly cold substance bled through the layers of clothing to your skin. It freed your wrists just so it could grab your jaws and squeeze them until it forced your mouth to open. You clawed at its arms but nothing could stop it from pushing the fresh wound into your mouth and forcing you to swallow its foul blood.

The whole time it forced you to drink from its wrist, the demon smiled. The demon's blood poured into your mouth and down your throat. You gagged and pulled at the arm. Only when the wound healed and the blood stopped trickling into your mouth did the demon wrench its hand away. You gathered some of your spit mixed with its blood and spat on its face. The dark pinkish blob landed on the demon's cheek. It swiped it away with a thumb stained as if with indigo. It squeezed your mouth to stay open. It spat a great wad of its own into your (forcefully) waiting mouth.

"Keep fighting me. Let me see you fight until I drive it out of your spirit. I want to hear you whimper while you fight me off. Go on. Show me more," said the demon.

A hand came around your throat. The demon didn't squeeze enough to kill you, but just to the point of hurting. You felt something hard and unyielding on your stomach. You looked down between your body and the demon's. The thing that was prodding at your stomach...Oh dear gods. No! You fought harder, kicking and flailing and clawing at the demon.

"I've never felt like this before. Then again, I've never fought anyone with half as much ferocity as you. Courage. Yes. But you? Your something else entirely. You're like a...tiger. You fight me tooth and nail. Tell me, would you bite me? Attempt to tear my throat out with those blunt human teeth? I wonder what it would feel like if you tried." The demon rambled.

"Lord Tengen, they went this way!" A voice shouted.

The night had been so clear that you heard it from a great distance. All the fighting scattered the nighttime birds and crickets. More voices came and pounding feet. Reinforcements arrived! A little too late, you might add. You glanced at the bodies around you and felt the cooling blood of your comrades settle on your skin and in your hair.

The demon's weight on top of you disappeared. You glanced up to find it gone. You stared up into the sky, stars still winking at you. More feet, more noises, more voices. You laid still as a corpse until the familiar uniforms of the Kakushi came into view.

"This one's still alive!" Someone shouted.

Your breathing came out in ragged breaths. A tall, muscular figure stood over you.

"L-Lord Tengen...I'm sorry. I...I failed. I couldn't, I couldn't avenge them. It...overpowered me." Hot tears ran down the side of your face with nowhere else to go. They stung to the point of making you squint at the Hashira now kneeling beside you.

"You're alive. Which means, you get to fight the bastard another day," said Tengen.

The Kakushi carried you off from the clearing on a stretcher. You could have walked, it wasn't your legs that were broken. However, you weren't sure your legs would have worked anyway. Your mind kept going back to the demon looming over you. its body pushing its pelvis into you. You shuddered to think what would have happened had reinforcements not found you in time. The Kakushi carried you for long miles. You let darkness consume you just as the first rays of sunrise brushed your cheek.

18 notes · View notes