Broken Wings- Shinobu x Fem. Reader

Impossible

The morning sun was beginning to rise, the soft glow of the sun was being shone through the windows. The old woman was still out cold, and the ice prison was still holding up, giving the impression of steel more than ice. Tanjiro and Shinobu had barely talked any by this time. Tanjiro visibly shaken up, and Shinobu having a million thoughts running through her head at any given time. The mood of the room was uneasy, and uncomfortable. Shinobu couldn't take it anymore.

"What happ-"

"I couldn't do anything. I was powerless. I was scared. I was weak."

Shinobu watched as Tanjiro began speaking, he was trembling, but whether it was from the cold or his own breakdown, Shinobu couldn't tell. "Hey, hold on-"

Tanjiro interrupted her.

"You were dying, I could feel it. There must have been something laced on the glass bottle, but as I watched your face drain of color and your body turn cold, she walked in." Tanjiro stopped shaking and looked to Shinobu, a shiver was sent down her spine by the sudden eye contact. Shinobu started shaking her head, letting out weak and disoriented laughs of disbelief. "Tanjiro, that's one sick joke you're playing." She stood up, brushing the dirt and debris off her pants. She walked to where Tanjiro was sitting and grabbed his chin, aggressively lifting it to look her dead in the eyes. "Don't play with me child. Even in my state, I am much stronger than you." Tanjiro felt the grip she had on him. It scared him. But he was not lying or playing any tricks on Shinobu. He knew how unjustly cruel that would be. When Shinobu finally released the grip she had on his chin, Tanjrio broke away. He was breathing heavily, he forgot to remind himself to breathe while in her grasp. Shinobu started to walk towards the door, only casting a glance at the old woman. Before she could get far, Tanjiro leaped out towards her ankles bringing Shinobu crashing down.

Shinobu turned back glaring at Tanjiro, "What the hell has gotten into you."

Tanjiro stared back at her, this was one of the moments where he acted without thinking, there was an unmatched sadness in Shinobu's eyes, and she was one step away from making an incredibly poor decision.

"I wasn't lying Shinobu."

This time Tanjiro tried assertive, maybe that's what he needed to reach Shinobu. She scoffed, gently kicking her feet away from Tanjiro to pull them closer to herself. "I know." Shinobu sighed, her whole world was crashing down onto her. "There's just no way though Tanjiro. It's more than impossible. She's dead by now. Long gone."

Tanjiro shook his head, slowly crawling forward to where Shinobu was sitting. "But it's not, she was there! Right in front of me! She saved up, she's the one who imprisoned the old lady. She opened the vitals and fed them to you. You know I am clueless when it comes to all the different medicines and herbs and whatnots you have." He watched as Shinobu looked the other direction, "Ah c'mon Shinobu, you have to believe me."

Shinobu sighed, "It's not that I don't believe you, it's that I can't. She's dead. Gone. If I were to believe you it would go against everything I've ever known." Tanjiro understood what Shinobu meant and he thought about what she said. What if it did go against everything Shinobu ever knew? It wouldn't be the first time that Y/n forced Shinobu to destroy everything she's ever known. Not to mention Shinobu was able to throw it all away in order to live a life with Y/n. This was possible.

Suddenly it hit Tanjiro, he looked back at Shinobu, her face dropped. She looked as if she had just seen a ghost. She started mummering no, while tears pricked at the side of her eyes. "Don't tell me-"

Tanjiro sighed, his whole body moving while doing so.

"Shinobu, hear me out. What if she isn't alive, not in the way she used to."

"A demon, Tanjiro are you saying what I think you're saying"

He moved directly in front of Shinobu, looking down on her, both hands on her shoulders.

"Shinobu, I believe that Y/n may be a demon.

Like on demand, tears streamed out of her eyes. Shinobu was crying, then came the sceams. The blood curdling screams came next, Tanjiro felt his blood run cold as he held Shinobu. Their sadness became one, as they both cried like little children. Their harmounus sobs eventually stopped, and the morning sun was now higher in the sky, and people would be waking up any moment now. People would come to check on the old lady and see the messiness of the room, and the passed out lady. They had to begin moving again.

Shinobu stood up first, then gave a hand to Tanjiro to stand. "We have to keep moving. This is only the beginning. We understand what exactly we are looking for now." She casted a friendly smile to Tanjiro, "That is thanks to you after all." Tanjiro nodded, "I assume we continue through the village and up the mountains? I think she was assuring us we were on the right path." Shinobu hummed in agreement as they made their way through the door, and out the edge of the village. As Shinobu took the first step forward out of the village, she felt a slight tug of her hand backwards. She turned and looked at Tanjiro.

"When we find Y/n, what will you do Shinobu? Follow your duty as a hashira? Or follow your heart?"

Shinobu felt shocked by the sudden question, this was a question she was not sure of herself. She wanted the answer to be situational, if Y/n didn't pose a threat surely there isn't a need to kill her? Right?

"I'm not sure, no need to ask controversial questions yet. We'll burn that bridge when we get there, we're still plenty away from that issue."

What Shinobu didn't realize is that this question would require an answer much sooner than she expected.

"Yeah..sure."

Together, they walked out of the village. Preparing for the next phase of their mission to find Y/n.