𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐌𝐎𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐄 / Tanjiro x Reader

𝐓𝐖𝐎

                   𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞 - 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐂𝐥𝐮𝐛
°.•.°.•°.•°.                                                  .°.•.°.•°.•°
SIX DAYS LATER.
Running around and killing demons was exhausting. You felt the fatigue catching up to you as another demon jumped in front of you. He snarled and held a large stone in his grip. His disgruntled brown hair draped over his red face and he wore a dirty, torn, white robe.

   Your palms began to sweat but nonetheless, you unsheathed your sword and prepared for an attack. He threw the rock at you and you easily dodged it, but he unexpectedly grabbed you by the ankle. His nails dug into the skin of your ankle and the uncomfortable feeling of his nails against your bones made you cringe. You yelp and sever his hand with your sword while knocking him backwards with the handle.

The demon's hand lay limp at your ankle, the blood from your wound began to pool at your foot. You stood unsteady and drew your sword back, feeling yet again for disarray in the air. When you felt the only weak spot pointing at the middle of his neck, you sliced at his neck. His head rolled off clean and landed on the ground.

   You panted and carefully stow away your sword. The demon's head rolled until it crashed into a nearby tree. "Thanks for the fight," you sigh and wipe your hands before rubbing your eyes. Now that you had open wounds on your body, you'd have to be careful. The slightest exposure to demon blood could ruin your entire career. Limping, you traveled along the mountain path.

   After a few minutes of the whistling wind and still trees, the familiar vibrancy of wisteria met your eyes. You sucked in a breath of relief before tears formed on your waterline. After days of fighting, you had finally made it. You quickly blinked away your tears and stumbled onto the clearing. You allowed your fingers to graze against the blooming wisteria.

Continuing on the path, you kept walking until the dirt changed into tiles. The sun began to rise and straight ahead you spotted four other participants: a girl with black hair and a calming demeanor, an angry looking boy with a mohawk, Zenitsu, and Tanjiro. Although you were expecting it, you thought perhaps a few more people would have made it. Looks like you were the final survivor.

   Tanjiro turned and locked eyes with you. Butterflies fluttered in your stomach and you couldn't contain the smile crossing your face. "Star?" he whispering, smiling widely at you. Oh, how you missed being called that. You sped over to him and melted into his embrace. He picked you up and spun you around, the both of you giggling like children. Finally, he had set you down and stared straight into your eyes. Tanjiro cupped your face with warm hands and chuckled once more.

   "I didn't expect to meet you here. When did you decide to become a demon slayer?" He stared at you, bewildered, and he let his hands slip down to yours. You held both of his hands gently, feeling the calluses that were probably caused from training. "Well, someone from the Demon Slayer Corps recruited me and I decided to let him mentor me." You attempted to sincerely smile at him, but you knew he wouldn't fall for it.

His gaze softened at your expression and he brought a hand up to cup your chin. "Well," he began, "I'm proud of you for making it this far. Besides, we'll be able to go on missions together!" Tanjiro smiled and tugged you into a tight embrace. You rested your cheek against his shoulder and stood still, not ever wanting to leave his arms.

   The hug didn't feel long enough. Eventually, the both of you pulled apart with difficulty as the murmuring of Zenitsu filled your ears.

  "I'm a goner," he whimpered. You rolled your eyes and let your hand trail down Tanjiro's arm before officially departing from his warmth. Placing a hand on Zenitsu's shoulder, you smiled and tilted your head. "I'm glad to see you here, Zenitsu." Your words seemed to slightly relax him, yet his posture was still tense. You tore away from him when you saw the twins approaching once again.