𝐎𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐓𝐒 ➪ 𝖨𝗇𝗈𝖳𝖺𝗇𝖹𝖾𝗇.

{𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋} 𝐀𝐍𝐍𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐀𝐑𝐘 𝐎𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐓: 𝙒𝙖𝙨 𝙞𝙩... 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙖 𝙡𝙞𝙚?

um heyyyyyy : D! ik it's been like eons since I last updated and this one-shot was supposed to be published IN MARCH but I've been busy with school and loads of other shit

it's been like 9 months, man

Anyway— this was supposed to be published for the 2nd anniversary of this book, but here we are! :]

this one-shot is shit

Tanjiro's POV:

"It's your fault. YOU killed them."

Those same words haunted me as I drowned in a river of tears. I deserved all the pain and suffering given to me, none of it was even remotely close to the pain and suffering that I caused, but at this moment I didn't care.

I didn't mean to.

I felt as if I had no control over my body during what happened, my memories are hazy and the pictures are blurry but the one thing that I can remember was the feeling of their flesh and blood decorating my hands and face.

"Good boy, make sure to get the rest of the meat off the bone."

The metallic taste of blood coating my mouth in such a disgusting way that I soon began to feel sick in the stomach. Nothing could erase the painfully vivid smell of blood out of my skin, for it had become a part of me whether it belonged to me or not.

I hated it. I hated myself. I would have killed myself before hurting those I held close to my heart, but I did everything but kill myself. For I was scared... scared to die. So scared to die that it overpowered how scared I was to live at the time, it was a cowardly move to resort to giving myself to that man because I was scared to be killed by the people I so-called trusted with my life.

"Tanjiro, what's the matter? You're shaking."

"It's nothing, I-I'm just feeling a bit ill. I-I think I just need to... lie down."

How could I be scared if I trusted them with my life? What was there to be scared of?

It was their job to kill horrible creatures such as me, but I thought that maybe, just maybe they'd make an exception for me once they saw how I had no choice. How I could not join their sides once more as I'd always have. I wanted them for once to join my side.

"STUPID, STUPID, STUPID, STUPID, STUPID!"

But I should have known better than to expect such a pathetic thing from them seeing how they had reacted to my sister. She had her whole life ahead of her, but they crushed all her hopes and dreams with just the slash of a blade to her neck.

"Nii-chan, do you think they'll accept me?"

"Of course, Nezuko! Once they see how you're not a threat to them, they'll love you, I'm sure!"

It was unfortunate for her to die that way but there was nothing I could have done. Just like there was nothing I could have done to escape the smell of blood, screams of despair, and vivid pictures of death. There was only so much a person could do and I had unfortunately reached my limit.

"It's okay... I'll take care of you. Just do what I ask and you'll be safe. I'm all you've got now since they've all turned against you."

I took comfort in those words. For what he said was all true, I had no one else. No one to talk to, no one to go to for help, no one to help, no one at all... except him.

Or so I was told.

"Yes, Muzan-sama?" I said upon being summoned to the infinity castle once more, I was in the middle of relaxing near a waterfall with Kokushibo. For some reason, it gives me an oddly familiar feeling when I'm near it. "You called for me?"