Taken (muzan x reader)

1. Stranger

My life had always been normal...regular...constant. Everything was the same everyday: I'd wake up, eat, do my daily chores which included taking care of mother, spending time with my brother, finding my own piece and quiet during the day and then finally going to bed.

The one thing that never felt normal was the feeling of eyes watching me at all times. Ever since I was small, I always had the feeling that something was out there, just beyond my sight, keeping a watchful eye on all I did.

We lived on the edge of a forest. Our large house facing away from the forest and the front, facing a large field and mountains ahead. Right where the forest began, so did a hill. It was a steep incline upwards. We were in the centre of a valley, seemingly well protected.

Considering our location, there were a lot of animals around so maybe that factor could contribute to the constant feeling of being monitored. It didn't feel right. There was a difference. The pair of eyes that seemed to bore through my very soul were not of an animals. They felt cold, watchful, but never malicious. I never once felt I was in danger, just being observed.

Despite this strange feeling I would still venture out into the night. I had to rebel in some way.

My father was a hashira. This meant he was always gone. In fact we hadn't seen him in over a year. I didn't mind though. He was off protecting the world, and we weren't doing too bad. Father would send us money every month so that kept us more than afloat.

I only have a few memories of him, but at least that's something. The one thing he always reminded me to do was to stay indoors during the night. We knew of the existence of demons, hence my father being a hashira, but I was never worried. I had never actually encountered one before, and we hadn't had any reports of demons in our area. We were only an hour or so walk from the city yet never once did anything come here.

Maybe that was the reason for my confidence. I always felt that I was protected, and that nothing could hurt me, no matter what I did.

So, every night once my family went to sleep and all the lights were doused. I'd venture out, taking a small knife with me; I hid traps all over the forest.

I'd always reassure myself saying: This is healthy, this is good, you need to get out from time to time. That and my curiosity was what drove me out almost every night. Well...that and another thing.

Recently I had discovered something, or someone in my walks out in the forest.

One night when I went out, checking my traps for rabbits or other animals, I saw someone, sitting in the moonlight by a pond. He wore a clean, black suit and had on a white fedora to contrast his sleek raven hair.

I sat at the top of a hill behind a tree, watching his movements. I watched him long enough to realize he was fishing. What a strange man I thought. I had never heard of anyone fishing at such a late hour, but who was I to judge? I was the one checking traps at night.

His movements were slow and steady. Then I saw his rod bow. A fish...

He waiting a few seconds, to let the fish take the bait before reeling in the string and pulling up a decent sized fish. I watched him do this three times more, each time putting the fish down beside him.

I don't know what it was about him but I couldn't look away. This was the first time the feeling of being watched had ceased. It felt almost like I was now the watcher, instead of being the prey.

The last time he pulled up a fish, he stood up. He turned and looked up the hill, almost exactly in my direction. I gasped and hid behind the tree for cover. I breathed in the cold night air, laughing to myself. I got so lost in watching him that I hadn't thought of what would happen if he turned around.