The eye of the storm (Sanemi x Reader)

41| Darkness

"(Y/n)-chan, that's not how you do it," Tokito said, watching as I folded the wrong corner of the paper for the fourth time.

With my tongue sticking out, nose scrunched, and eyes wide with concentration, I was giving this my all, but somehow, I still couldn't manage to make a decent paper dragon. Who in their right mind invented such a stressful hobby? Frustrated, I tossed the deformed creation onto the table. It looked nothing like a dragon—more like a very unique duck. "Ugh, I give up. This is way too hard."

After a morning of fruitless training with Tanjiro, we'd decided to call it quits. My inability to pull off even a single technique had left me so frustrated that it wasn't doing anyone any good. I'd bumped into Tokito after that, and as soon as he saw me, he latched onto the sleeve of my haori and wouldn't let go. He was still upset because, during the last Pillar meeting, I'd promised to come back and spend time with him, but I never did. With all the chaos surrounding Sanemi's sprained ankle, along with the turmoil in my body because of our first kiss, it had completely slipped my mind. So, to make up for it, Tokito dragged me to his mansion, and now here we were-folding paper figures to "relax."

Relax? More like pull-my-hair-out stressful. My frustration level was approaching the danger zone.

"You have to fold it like this to make the dragon," Tokito said calmly, showing me how to do it step by step. But, just like with Tanjiro, I couldn't mimic his movements.

"It's impossible," I blurted, every word dripping with frustration. "I don't think I'm cut out for this. The only thing I can fold properly is a paper plane, and it doesn't even fly."

I picked up the sad little paper plane I'd made earlier and, with a determined throw, launched it into the air. It promptly nosedived straight to the floor, crumpling upon impact. I stared at the crumpled plane on the ground. It's me, I thought, resting my chin in my hand.

"You have to sharpen the tip," Tokito instructed, effortlessly folding a sheet of paper into a plane. Then, with a quick flick of his tongue, he moistened the tip and launched it. Of course, it sailed smoothly across the room. "See?" he said, like it was the easiest thing in the world.

A small breeze from the window caught the plane, shifting its path, and the tip ended up smacking me right in the temple.

"Ouch," I muttered, rubbing the spot. Tokito burst out laughing.

Despite myself, I smiled too. Seeing him this happy was rare, and I couldn't help but enjoy it.

"Hey, (y/n)-chan..." he murmured after a few moments of silence, during which I was still struggling with my hopeless attempt at a paper dragon. I wasn't giving up yet, though. Not completely.

"Mhm?" I mumbled, eyes narrowed in concentration as I tried to fold the paper just right.

"Where were you at dinnertime last night?" His tone was calm, but there was a subtle edge to it, a hint of indignation. The question made my hands freeze mid-fold. A bead of sweat trailed down my back.

Tokito's gaze was sharp, a silent warning that any lie would be sniffed out in seconds. But there was no way I could tell him the truth-not without it being completely misunderstood, or worse. "I was at home," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. My throat felt painfully dry.

"No." The moment that word left his lips, I knew I was in trouble. “I went to your house to confront you about breaking your promise, only to find out you weren’t there.”

Dammit.

"Oh, right... I went out for a walk. Just needed to clear my head," I quickly improvised. Seemed reasonable, right?