It all fell down ~ Demon Slayer Fanfiction

Chapter 13: Guilt

(i may have jumped to another fandom, but i'm not stopping until this book's done!)

Shinozuka Koboshi

"Taeko? Taeko!"

Shinozuka had walked around the mansion's garden for a minute, away from the group, and from the leader of the Corps. He hoped that Taeko didn't run off very far. If that were the case, that would be very concerning.

He continued to call out her name, hoping that she was nearby, or if she had heard him. He was really worried for her, since the two were friends before all of this. He had looked around the garden for a few moments before seeing a familiar brunette girl sitting near a small pond.

Taeko's legs were brought up to her body, and her head was buried in her knees. Shinozuka had sighed quietly in relief, before slowly walking up to her, not wanting to scare her. "Tae...?" He muttered. The brunette girl then lifted her head up, then slowly turned around to face Shinozuka. She had sighed softly, before looking away. "What are you doing here?" She had asked in a quiet tone of voice.

"I... came to check on you." Shinozuka replied simply, crossing his arms. He then sighed once more and cleared his throat to speak. "Taeko... I know how you feel. I know that you aren't ready to accept such a position in the Corps. But you mustn't-"

"Blame myself? For what even happened?" Taeko had asked under her breath. She had looked away from the boy once more, before burying her face in her knees once more. "The leader may have thanked me and the rest of you for being here, but I still can't accept it. I can't accept the fact that some people still cared and wanted to look for me."

The nature breathing demon slayer then quietly walked over to an empty spot next to Taeko, then sitting down next to her. He then placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You know... it wasn't your fault that things turned out like this."

"You're just saying that, Zuka."

"No, I mean it. It wasn't your fault that Tanjiro had turned into a demon against his own will. Even if you did try to save the others, you either would've been killed, or turned into a demon along with the rest of them."

Shinozuka noticed Taeko slowly lift her head up, making eye contact with the boy. The saddened look remained on her face. The boy then frowned. "And if one of the two things happened... then I wouldn't have met you again. And I wouldn't have met the rest of you."

Taeko had stared at Shinozuka for a few moments, and a surprised look came on her face. Shinozuka had chuckled a little. "I'm... I'm really happy that you're still here, and in the flesh, Tae. I would've been running around alone, confused if you had died, or turned into a demon like the rest of them."

Taeko's teal eyes had started to fill up with tears. However, she quickly looked away, making Shinozuka frown. "You... you don't mean that... I know you probably still resent me after what I did..."

"Taeko, stop it."

"Huh?"

Shinozuka placed a hand on Taeko's shoulder again, slowly making her turn around to face him. His calm and relaxed expression turned into a serious one. Very serious for that matter.

"You need to stop blaming yourself for what happened. Because none of that was your fault. I may not have been there by your side when all of this happened, but I was there. And I know for a fact that the others wouldn't want to see you as a demon either, even if it came to this. I know Tanjiro wouldn't want to see you as a demon either way. Neither would Zenitsu, or even Inosuke. Even Nezuko would agree." Shinozuka's tone of voice turned a bit sad as he mentioned Inosuke in the last sentence. Only Taeko knew why.