A Carnations Regret |KNY x Reader|

|Chapter Nine, Wishful Camellia|

"How are you feeling?" Tanjiro asked as I stood behind a folding screen. I sat on a stool without my top, holding a blanket close to my chest as Yushiro cleaned the wounds on my back. I yawned, pressing my face against the blanket and breathing in the rosy smell.

"Tired," I said. Yushiro scoffed, pressing a damp cloth against my bare back. He spread some ointment on the wound, standing up.

"Alright. Now bandages," Yushiro said, grabbing a roll of bandages. He started to unravel the bandages, passing them to me to wind them around my chest. After a few minutes of passing the roll of bandages back and forth, the bandage had reached its end and he was trying to tie it in the front, out of my way. "Keep this on for a few days," he said, fiddling with the end of the cloth.

"You got it," I said, watching carefully as his slender fingers tied the end of the bandage around one of the first layers. He looked up, our eyes meeting. The dim light filtering through the folding screen displayed a warm checkered pattern over his skin, skillfully lighting up his eyes just enough to make the breath in my throat hitch. Having moments like this made being a Demon Slayer worth it.

I wrapped the blanket around me, walking out from the bolding screen's cover. I fell next to Tanjiro, on the futons Yushiro set out for us. "Mmm...night," I said, feeling the mouse climb onto the nape of my neck and Hoshi curling the in crook of my arm.

"Thanks for letting us stay, Yushiro," Tanjiro said. I waved my hand, agreeing through muffled grunts. Yushiro soon left, turning off all the lights, save for the little camellia night light. There was shuffling and someone laid next to me. I looked over, finding Nezuko climbing under the blanket I was lying on.

"Alright, here," I said, moving under the blanket (much to Hoshi and the mouse's dismay), and Nezuko smiled, curling up under my blanket. Half of her back hung out from the blanket, so I grabbed Tanjiro's bedding, and pulled him over. Tanjiro looked at my arms, before looking at his own.

"You're so strong, Y/n," he said in awe, to which I just grinned, flexing my muscles more. Pro of training with Aki: muscles to impress boys with. "I hope I can be as strong as you one day," Tanjiro sighed. He pursed his lips, staring at his palm.

"I'd rather you not," I said, tracing the divots and hardened skin of his palm. "I got strong through means I hope you never go through." I didn't even have to look up, I could feel his curiosity. I sighed, lying on my back. "My aunt trained me. I come from a long line of...demon slayer associates." I stared at my palm, telling him everything. It felt like scraping heavy mud off of my skin, and finally being able to breath and feel the breeze again.

My family hasn't had a single demon slayer in the family since the major battle with Muzan. She passed on the role to the eldest of each of her children, to be the guardian of artifacts from the time, in hopes they could be used to one day defeat Muzan. That tradition was kept until my mom. Something happened, which resulted in her younger sister, Aunt Aki, becoming the guardian.

Each guardian teached the next guardian differently. And it just so happened that Aki's preferred teaching method was exploiting weaknesses and harsh spars that left me throwing up several times. It didn't help that she hated my mom. I didn't tell Tanjiro, but there were times Aki had nearly killed me during training, whether by blood loss or suffocation. Talk about family bonding.

"I'm glad you didn't go through it," I said, finishing my story. I looked over at him, smiling, "because I'd be worried you'd come out like me."

"You're not bad," Tanjiro said, confusion evident on his face.

"You're just too kind to realize that I am. Night, darling."

●●●

The next day, we left. Of course, that was after Yushiro explained our "temporary alliance" first. He gave us old looking syringes, saying that stabbing these into a demon body will automatically draw its blood. Once blood was drawn, a cat would show up...? I was kind of distracted during the whole speech by Nezuko wanting to play Omochio Tsukimasho. I taught her a bit of pattycake after I lost four times in a row.