𝕭𝖔𝖓𝖉𝖘 [Tanjiro Kamado X Reader] (Kimetsu no Yaiba)

~chapter forty-four~

3rd Person Pov:

Standing on top of the train, the demon said: "Have a nice sleep~ Forget how to breathe~ So the demons will reap~ Your bellies from underneath~" He chuckled, continuing: "It's fun, isn't it? They began having happy dreams. They're sleeping deeply and can't wake up anymore."

The dream the sleep Demon Enmu showed them doesn't stretch to infinity. The dreamer ends up in the centre of a circle. There is an area of unconsciousness outside the dream. The 'spiritual core' lies in the unconsciousness area. If this is destroyed, it's owner will become mentally crippled.

The girl inside Rengoku's dream was the first to reach the realm of unconsciousness. Fire was burning everywhere, and it was uncomfortably hot. She quickly spotted the spiritual core, raising the tool she got from the Demon Enmu. Without any hesitation, she went to destroy the core. But she suddenly stopped, gasping for air.

In the real world, Rengoku's reflexes kicked in, causing him to grab the girl by her neck, preventing her from continuing to harm him. Even though these Demon Slayers have fallen under Enmu's technique, they are sensitive to a thirst for blood and there is a possibility that they can break through the technique.

That is exactly why Enmu planned to use humans to destroy the spiritual core of the Demon Slayers. He intended to kill their physical bodies himself. When people have lost their spiritual core and they are about to be killed, they won't offer any resistance.

But Rengoku moved. When he was trapped in a technique which shouldn't allow him to move. The girl who entered his dream didn't give off a thirst for blood, but Rengoku's body sensed her presence through his instinct.

If his spiritual core was destroyed, he would become incapable of battle. Which means he would be unable to fight. The girl cannot move because she is suffering stress in the real world. And Rengoku cannot move any further because he has not reason to kill humans. The two of th them are now caught in a deadlock.

Tanjiro

"Where's Nezuko?" asked Tanjiro, looking over at his younger brother, Takeo. He answered: "Onee-chan went out to get some plants." "Huh? In the afternoon?!" asked Tanjiro, his eyes wide. "Is that bad...?" asked Takeo, glancing at Hanako in confusion.

"Ah, no..." said Tanjiro, trailing off. Why was he acting like this? "Tanjiro, could you prepare the bath? This might take some time." requested their mother, making him nod. "Sure. I got it, I'll do it now." he confirmed, heading outside.

There, he noticed a girl with (e/c) eyes standing behind a tree, watching him silently. He felt like he recognized her, but before he could recall from where, he tripped over the buckets he wanted to get. As he looked back up, the stranger was gone, leaving him to wonder if he was imagining things.

Grabbing the buckets, he went towards the river, looking down into the water. There, he saw a person that looked exactly like himself, just older. It looked like that person was trapped underwater, wanting to desperately tell him something.

He quickly put the bucket in the water, trying to get rid of the strange reflection. However, that same reflection got a hold of him, pulling him into the water. "Get up! They're attacking! A dream! This is a dream! Wake up! Get up and fight!" called the older Tanjiro.

Slowly, Tanjiro remembered that he was on the train, and that this was a dream. He closed his eyes tightly, trying his best to wake up. However, as he heard Takeo saying: "Nii-chan, gimme the pickled radish.", he opened his eyes, staring at his family. Hanako kept on bickering with Takeo as Tanjiro realized that he couldn't wake up.

Back in the real world, the wooden box opened, and Nezuko fell out of it. She looked at Rengoku, who was still holding onto the girl that was currently in his dreams. Nezuko was utterly confused, then noticed her brother.

He was talking in his sleep, breathing heavily. "I have to wake up... It's a dream... I have to get up..." Nezuko went towards him, gently shaking him, attempting to wake him up. As soon as she noticed that that didn't work, she headbutted him. Slowly lifting her head up, blood started to drip from her forehead as she teared up, suddenly igniting her blood.

Tanjiro

His body ignited in that very same fire, causing his siblings to freak out. "Onii-chan!" "What do we do about the fire! Nii-chan!" they called out, helplessly watching as their beloved brother seemingly burned right in front of them.

Tanjiro was able to pick up the scent of Nezuko's blood. Within the next second, he was back to his usual self, his hair shorter, and wearing his uniform again. 'I'm waking up! Little by little...' he thought, turning to face his siblings.

"Onii-chan, are you okay?" asked Hanako, tears falling from her eyes. Tanjiro looked at the ground, then said: "Sorry... I have to go. I have to go back now. I'm sorry." Then, he started running, his siblings calling after him.

"Where are you going, Onii-chan?" He stopped in his tracks at the sudden voice, his dark red eyes wide. He turned to face Nezuko, who smiled at him, saying: "I got a lot of vegetables today. Ah, mom, Rokuta."

"Tanjiro..." trailed their mother off, carefully eyeing her oldest son. "What's wrong? Why do you look like that?" 'I wanna stay here forever. I wanna turn back and head home. If this was real, I would just stay here like this forever. If this was real, everyone would be happy now.' he thought, turning away from them.

'Nezuko could also be under the blue sky, in the light of the sun. If this was real. IF this was real. I would've just come here to burn some coal today. I would've never touched a sword before. IF it was real... IF IT WAS REAL! But I lost them already! I can't go back!' With that, he started running.

"Onii-chan, don't leave us behind!" called his youngest brother, Rokuta. Tanjiro couldn't stop the tears that were falling down his face as he continued his way.

'I'm sorry. Sorry, Rokuta. We can't be together anymore. But your big brother always thinks about you. He thinks about all of you. I think about saying thank you a lot, I think about saying sorry a lot, I will never forget you all. You will always be next to my heart. So, please, forgive me.'

The man that was supposed to destroy his spiritual core had just entered the realm of unconsciousness. His eyes widened as he saw the beautiful sky. "This is so beautiful. It's just infinitely vast. It's so warm." he said, looking around.

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Picture from:

https://cz.pinterest.com/pin/484699978654549032/