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

~chapter fifty-one~

3rd Person Pov:

"Get outta here!" yelled Akaza, trying to pry Rengoku off of him, but he wouldn't let go. "Inosuke, move!" called Tanjiro, and the boar man did so. He ran, using both of his swords to try and injure Akaza.

With wide eyes, the high ranking Demon jumped up, resulting in the loss of both of his arms. But he regenerated them as quick as he could. The sun was slowly but surely rising, which caused him to panic.

He began sprinting, running into the woods for cover. Tanjiro and (Y/N) couldn't just let him go like that. (Y/N) took off running after him, while Tanjiro took in a certain breath, throwing his sword after the fast Demon.

The sword pierced his chest, but he couldn't stop. No matter what. If he stopped now, he would be dead, killed by the sunlight. (Y/N), however, had no intentions to let him get away with what he did.

She had tears in her eyes as she held her sword in her non-injured arm, taking in a certain breath. She unleashed the water breathing, ninth form, Splashing Water Flow, Turbulent. Without any kind of hesitation, she used this technique to make herself even faster, while still dealing out some damage.

She managed to slice parts of his back, missing the neck by mere inches. However, Akaza was not having it. He realized that he couldn't just simply run away with her following, since she could easily catch up to him.

So, he took the opportunity she accidently presented. While trying to use another breathing technique, Akaza kicked her in the stomach, sending her flying back into a tree. Then, he continued to run.

"Don't run away, you coward! Don't run away!! The Demon Slayers always fight you in the darkness of the night, when it's advantageous for you! We're humans in flesh and blood! Wounds don't just simply close up! And the limbs we lose won't ever come back!" yelled Tanjiro, tears rising to his eyes.

"Don't run! You damn coward! Compared to the likes of you, Rengoku-san will always be more amazing! He's strong! He's not gonna lose! He never let anyone die! He fought to the end! He protected to the end! You're the loser! And Rengoku-san is the winner!" he yelled, not able to hold his tears back any longer.

Inosuke, too, began to cry, realizing that the Hashira was not gonna make it. So, Rengoku smiled. "There's no point in shouting a lot now. The wound on my stomach is opening, and you and (Y/N) don't have any minor injuries either. Kamado, if I die, it will be my loss." 

(Y/N), barely able to keep herself on her feet, managed to somewhat walk over to them. She was breathing heavily, blood dripping down her temple. "R-Rengoku-Sensei... Please tell me y-you'll survive..." she managed to say, not sure if she really wanted an answer.

She stopped right in front of him, and he said: "Let's have a final chat, (Y/N)." She couldn't stop the tears from falling from her eyes anymore. So, she cried. "I just remembered some things when I saw the dreams of my past." he began.

"You should try to go back to my parent's house, the Rengoku house. There should be some notes which the Flame Hashiras of old left behind. My father often read those, but I never read them, so I don't know what's inside them. But there may be some record about this 'Hinokami Kagura' Kamado was talking about."

(Y/N) nodded at his words, making sure not to interrupt him in his final moments. Rengoku knew that, and he appreciated it. He continued: "I want you to tell Senjuro that he should proceed down the path that he thinks is right, as his heart tells him to. Tell my father to take care of his health."

He then smiled, saying: "And also, (Y/N), Kamado, I believe in your Sister. I accept her as a member of the Demon Slayers. Inside the train, I saw that girl protect the humans despite her bleeding out. Those who risk their lives to fight Demons and protect humans are Demon Slayers, no matter what anyone else tries to say."

Determination took over his expression as he said: "Live with your chest high. If you get knocked down by your own weakness and cowardice, flame up your heart, grit your teeth, and move forward. Even if you stop in your tracks and cower, you're not gonna stop the flow of time. Don't be saddened by the fact that we're all reaching the end."

"Rengoku-Sensei..." muttered (Y/N), the tears never once stopping. "Don't worry about me dying here. If you're a pillar, it's natural to become the shield of your juniors. If you're a pillar, you do the same thing as everyone else, no matter who they are. Young buds can't get plucked." he said.

Rengoku smiled at her, saying: "(Y/N), my Tsugoku, Kamado, Inogashira, yellow boy, you all have ways to grow. And next time, you all will become Hashiras who will support the Demon Slayers. I believe in you. I truly do."

(Y/N) couldn't hold it in anymore. She began crying loudly, being overwhelmed by the whole situation and the pain she was feeling, physically and mentally. With a final, bright smile, Rengoku took his last breath before dying.

Time skip: a bit later

Zenitsu had finally arrived at the scene, his brown eyes wide. "When the train derailed, Rengoku-san used a lot of techniques. The damage to the passenger cars was kept to a bare minimum." He was hesitant to continue, choosing his words carefully.

"For him to die... I can't believe it. And an Upper Moon Demon actually came?" "Yeah..." answered Tanjiro, tightly, but carefully, hugging (Y/N), who was still crying uncontrollably.

"Why would an Upper Moon come here like that... Was he that strong? That can't..." "Yeah..." Tanjiro, placing his head onto (Y/N)'s shoulder, said: "I hate it. Even though I should've been able to help him out, there was another thick wall right in front of me. I couldn't get to him. It felt like I was stumbling then, so, can I even become like Rengoku-san...?"

Zenitsu, too, began to cry, the situation finally sinking in. "R-Rengoku-Sensei..." cried (Y/N), gripping Tanjiro's Haori tightly. She couldn't believe it. He died. He died, and she couldn't do anything to prevent it.

If she would have just gotten up to fight Akaza, if she would have just pushed herself above her limits, then maybe, just maybe, Rengoku would still be alive.

"I-I don't get it... Why? We fight to protect humankind, so why do we have to suffer? Why do we have to lose the people close to us? I-It's just not fair." said (Y/N), slowly losing her strength.

"Don't go spewing out timid ass words! All that talk it pointless! He said that he believes in us! Don't think about anything else except living up to it! Creatures that die just return to the earth! He won't come back, even if you bawl about it! Don't cry, even if you feel regret!" yelled Inosuke, crying underneath his boar mask.

"No matter how miserable you are, how embarrassed you are, you just have to keep living!" Zenitsu said: "But you're crying, too... There are tears coming out of that headpiece." With that, Inosuke headbutted Zenitsu, yelling: "I ain't crying!" It didn't take long for the Kakushi to find them, thanks to Inosuke's yelling. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Picture from:

https://www.pinterest.ch/pin/661536632768384808/