𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐦𝐞, 𝐩𝐥𝐬? || [ 𝘣𝘯𝘩𝘢 𝘹 𝘻𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘴𝘶!𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳 ]

𝟎𝟏𝟏 || 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐭? 😔 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭

hi pooks i'm back for like one chapter 🥺

...

.•° ✿ °•.

❝ 𝙉𝙊𝙊𝙊 𝙒𝙃𝙔 ❞

°•. ✿ .•°

...

"Guess we're... not going home, huh?"

You pursed your lips at your own words.

"Ah..." Tanjiro furrowed his eyebrows beside you. "Right. If... any more demons show up here — which at this point, I doubt that it won't happen with that red-headed demon doing what she has been — we need to be here."

You glanced down at your lap as you tapped a melody gently on the hospital chair's arm rest. "Yeah, I guess."

There was a heavy moment of silence while you, Tanjiro, and Nezuko sat in the hospital's waiting room, nearly no bustle in the building due to it being a relatively peaceful morning so far (it was still, like, seven in the morning, much to your chagrin); the whole "Upper Moon Five showing up" being an exception, of course.

"[Name]...?"

You looked up at Tanjiro's inquiry.

"You... seem troubled. Any time that red-headed demon is brought up, I can smell," he squinted. "Distress. Anger... and a bit of confusion?"

You paused in surprise, before letting an awkward smile twitch itself onto your face. Of course Tanjiro could see right through you, couldn't he?

"Um... yeah." You looked forward into nothing, pouting a bit. "I don't know if she remembers me, but I, uh, definitely remember her."

His eyes widened in alarm. "W-what—?"

"—she used to be a disciple with Zenitsu, another guy, and I, under my granddad too. The lightning hashira? Mm, I guess I've— actually, yeah, Zenitsu and I have probably told you about him before." You inhale to slow yourself down, then hum in contemplation. "I don't mean to trauma-dump, but ehm..."

Tanjiro was listening intently, his gaze nearly searing into your soul — it was a bit terrifying, but you shrugged it off. "Hm, I thought she had died."

You stared at your nails, still neatly painted with a clean fiery-red.

"She didn't come back from a mission once, just a few weeks after we passed the Final Selection." You straightened your back a bit at a sudden thought: "Hey, you were there too! At the Final Selection, right? You must've seen her," you smiled gently, tilting your head at him.

Tanjiro was still shocked into oblivion — how could you muster up such a gentle expression in face of such a story? There was no doubt this red-headed demon, or rather, your friend, had consumed multiple humans by this point, and she likely didn't even remember you.

"...Tanjiro? Are you okay?"

What? Shouldn't he be asking you that question? How could you just shove off your own feelings in favor of asking for his well-being?

"Um... because, you're— you're, uh, just acting off... and it's sort of weird..."

Oh— oh shit, he forgot you could hear his emotions and thoughts, especially with the waiting room being as quiet as it was—

"Yeah," you deadpanned a bit. "I'll be fine, don't worry about me."

Tanjiro paused to simmer in his thoughts a bit longer, before responding, "How... how can I not, though...?"