Luminous (KNY X READER)

Twenty-Eight

Lying on the ground, your body aches painfully as you try your best to get up. Tanjiro and Inosuke have been fighting for a while at this point leaving you and Zenitsu in the care of the children. You wave them away as they try to help you, far too focused on the fight happening to care about yourself. While Inosuke caused you harm, you don't wish for him to become injured as well. He helped you without needing to, and he only hurt you when you stopped him from doing his job as a Demon Slayer. You can't fault him for that.

You also know that Inosuke isn't one to hold back which makes you worry for Tanjiro as well. The boy is still injured from your last mission together and likely sustained a few more while in the mansion, so you fear that he may collapse at any moment. Thankfully, he manages to land a rather devastating headbutt against the other boy which makes you flinch as the sound reverberates through your ears.

Apparently the blow was enough to make Inosuke falter, his mask slipping from its secure place on his head before dropping onto the ground. It's at this moment that you wish you could see as you hear your two companions complimenting his feminine and attractive features. You want to see what he looks like. From riding on his back you know he's muscular so the thought of a feminine face belonging to that body is almost unimaginable. Maybe he'll let you feel his face later so you can get an idea of what he looks like, much like you were trained to do years ago.

"(Y/N), are you alright?" Tanjiro makes his way over to you right after placing his haori atop the now unconscious Inosuke. Kneeling down, he can't help but to frown as he notices the blood covering your bandages along with the bruises forming along your jaw and cheek. Reaching up, he gently uses a handkerchief that was stored in his pocket to wipe away the slowly drying blood covering your skin.

"I'm fine, Tanjiro." You give him a soft reassuring smile which admittedly helps relieve some of his worry. You grip his wrist with a gentle hold, making him drop his handkerchief at the sudden grasp. Tilting your head, you place his hand on your cheek, allowing him to cradle your face momentarily before letting him go. "You needn't worry about me. You should focus on taking the bodies of the deceased from the mansion to bury them. We shouldn't leave them to rot."

"Right!" Tanjiro quickly stands up and heads towards the mansion in a hurry. He was a bit too flustered at your actions and needed something to distract himself from his beating heart and racing thoughts. You gave him the perfect excuse to abruptly leave by mentioning burying the deceased.

Zenitsu is quick to follow, wanting to help with the process. The children leave as well, going to collect stones to mark the graves. This leaves you alone with Nezuko who has fallen asleep at this point. Wrapping your arms around this box, you rest your cheek on top of it, pressing your ear to the wood as you listen to Nezuko's gentle breathing. "I'm glad you're okay." You whisper the words despite the sleeping girl being unable to hear you. At least, that's what you think. But even if she's dead asleep the girl can hear you loud and clear, a small smile appearing as she dozes happily.

Quite some time passes as you listen to the others work. They work diligently as they collect and bury every body they manage to find, and you feel a bit bad that you're not helping. It's not that you don't want to, either. It's just that any time you even remotely move either Tanjiro or Zenitsu will snap their attention towards you, lightly scolding you for trying to do anything strenuous while injured. You can't help but to scowl in annoyance, mentally yelling that they're injured too. Why is it perfectly fine for them to stress their bodies further, but you aren't even allowed to stand up? Do they really view you as that weak?

That question feels as if it's answered the second Inosuke wakes up, being put to work almost instantly. The boy was literally unconscious from colliding heads with Tanjiro just seconds ago and yet they're allowing him to help with the deceased. They really must view you as weak. That's the only plausible explanation. Just the thought makes you pout, a frown settled on your face as you ignore the two boys once they approach you after finishing burying the bodies.

You continue to ignore them even as Tanjiro's crow flies overhead informing everyone to descend the mountain. As Tanjiro puts the box containing Nezuko on his back you stand up, wobbling slightly before managing to catch your balance. Tanjiro goes to ask if you need any help only to freeze as he watches you march away. His heart squeezes in his chest as he realizes that he upset you. It's a misunderstanding, really.

He simply didn't want you to overwhelm yourself even further, knowing that being inside the mansion must've been difficult for you. You had to rely on Inosuke- a complete stranger- in order to get around the house which shows that your senses weren't fairing well in the constantly changing environment. Plus, you were injured even more on top of the injuries you previously experienced. He truly just wanted to allow you a moment to relax and gather yourself again without the stress of worrying about something he and the others could easily handle. Perhaps he should've explained his reasoning sooner to avoid such a misunderstanding that's resulted in you ignoring him.

You don't get very far before you're suddenly grabbed and tossed into the air. You let out a startled yelp, instantly clinging to the surface you land on which you quickly recognize as Inosuke's back. The boy cackles manically as he holds onto your legs. "C'mon minion! Let's race the others down the mountain and show them that nobody can beat Lord Inosuke and his minion!"

"Wait a second, you guys!" Zenitsu calls out, not wanting the boar boy to put his filthy hands on you once again. Unfortunately Inosuke takes off in a sprint leaving everyone else behind. All you can hear is Inosuke's laughter and Zenitsu's screams. "You stupid boar! Put her down!"

It doesn't take long for everyone to make it down the mountain after splitting off from the children. Thankfully once at the bottom of the mountain Inosuke stopped running as he declared himself the winner of the race, completely unaware that he was the only one taking part in it. It isn't until you all reach the Wisteria house that he finally sets you down allowing you to walk on your own. You do have to admit you were a bit thankful that he carried you down the mountain as your body was incredibly sore and your head still ached terribly. You hate to admit it, but the others were right to refuse your help earlier. You would've just gotten in the way. You'll have to apologize later once you get a chance.

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🔆TAISHO SECRETS🔆

🔅Tanjiro doesn't know why he was so flustered by you simply pressing your cheek into his hand. All he knows is that his heart started beating super fast and his cheeks felt warm

🔅Zenitsu was extremely jealous when he saw the interaction

🔅Inosuke feels bad for beating you up but doesn't really know how to show that he's sorry so he's resorted to helping you despite you not needing it

🔅Inosuke doesn't want to make it too obvious that he's helping you so he made it seem like a race against the others