𝑅𝑒𝓂𝑒𝓂𝒷𝑒𝓇 𝑀𝑒 [ ObaMitsu fanfic/ R-(MA)] Kimetsu No Yaiba

Chapter 39 - Bruise for two

Chapter Song: Cafune - "Want Me Out" & Heylu - "Butterfly"

These few chapters take place simultaneously, though each couple is in a different location..

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1hr before

Kanae walked into her bedroom and turned on the lamp by her bed as Sanemi followed quietly, closing the door behind him. She sat on the edge of her bed, bending forward as she tried to tug off her boots. Pain flared in her wrist, and with a frustrated sigh, she lowered her head, letting her hair hide the tears that began to spill. She bit her lip, fighting the urge to cry as she struggled to pull off her boots with her injured hand. But tonight, everything felt too heavy. Doma's taunting grin, the repeated punches Sanemi threw—her mind replayed it over and over.

Sanemi shrugged off his jacket, draping it over her desk chair before silently sitting in front of her. Without a word, he took her hand, gently pulling it away from her boot. His fingers undid the laces, but the silence between them was thick, suffocating, with the night's events hovering over them.

"Thank you," Kanae whispered, her voice barely audible. She stared at the bruise on her wrist, Doma's grip still painfully imprinted in her skin. Sanemi held her hand, cradling it with an almost tender reverence.

"How are you feeling?" he asked softly, his eyes fixed on her bruised wrist, but she could see the turmoil flickering in his gaze.

Kanae tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, staring at the ceiling as tears blurred her vision. Her voice was fragile, trembling. "Shocked... scared... nervous," she confessed.

Sanemi glanced up, their fingers entwined, but she avoided his eyes, focusing instead on his knuckles—bruised, swollen, and still smeared with Doma's blood. "What happened to you back there?" she whispered, the words barely holding together. "I've never seen you like that before."

He tensed, shoulders rigid, jaw clenching as he relived the fight. She reached for his face, her hand gently guiding him to look at her. "Sanemi, please... what's going on?" Her voice cracked, the weight of worry thickening her words.

"Just... drop it," he muttered, pulling away and standing abruptly. He grabbed his jacket, making for the door, but Kanae stepped in front of him, heart pounding.

"No! I'm done with this, Sanemi! You can't keep hiding." Her voice broke, her tears falling freely as she shoved him back, ignoring the pain in her wrist. "I'm done pretending! You want me to ignore your bruises and forget tonight like nothing happened? That you nearly killed someone? I deserve to know what's happening to you!"

Sanemi's face twisted in anger, trying to contain the storm she'd unleashed. "What do you want me to say, Kanae?! That I'm okay? I'm not! Do you want me to explain why I'm bruised? I'm not fine! You want me to be fine with the way you dressed tonight?" His voice rose, his frustration spilling out. "Every guy in that club was looking at you, and you want me to be okay with that? Do you really think dressing like that doesn't lead to trouble?"

Her hand slapped across his face, the sound loud and final. Sanemi's face turned, and when he looked back, his eyes were burning with pain, but she didn't back down, standing her ground.

"Don't you dare turn this on me, Shinazugawa," she hissed, her voice barely a whisper but sharp enough to cut. "We agreed to go together, and I dressed up for you, not for anyone else. I never looked at anyone else." Her voice cracked, but her defiance didn't waver. "You don't get to hide behind that. If you want to destroy yourself, go ahead. But don't you dare drag me down with you."

She shoved him again, her cries echoing in the silence. Sanemi took each shove without a word, his back pressing against the desk, his eyes softening with a sadness that seemed to swallow him whole. He reached out, his fingers brushing her wrist. "Kanae, stop. You're hurting yourself."

"NO! I'm done, Sanemi! I'm done watching you fall apart!" Her voice broke as she pounded her wrist against his chest, tears streaming down her face. "I can't live this way, knowing I might lose you!"

Her voice shattered in the room as she stepped back, as if his touch scorched her. She spun around, disappearing into the bathroom and slamming the door, leaving Sanemi alone in the dimly lit room, the air thick with the ache of their broken words.

Kanae's retreat felt like a final blow, the sound of the door slamming ringing in his ears. The silence that followed was unbearable, pressing down on him, squeezing his chest. He slumped onto the edge of the bed, staring down at his bloodied knuckles, remnants of Doma's face smeared on his skin. The dull ache in his hand was nothing compared to the pain hollowing him out inside.

He looked away, feeling the weight of his guilt like an anchor pulling him under. Thoughts of leaving, ending everything to escape the nightmare he'd become, gripped him. But every time he thought about walking away, flashes of her smile, her laughter, her love kept him rooted in place.

With a heavy sigh, Sanemi forced himself to his feet. He headed to the kitchen, opened the freezer, and grabbed an ice pack for her wrist. As he turned to go back, he noticed Mitsuri emerging quietly from her room, dressed in oversized clothes, as if she was hoping to slip by unnoticed. In her hand, she held a small first aid kit.

Without a word, she walked over and offered it to him with a hesitant smile.

"Thanks," Sanemi muttered, his voice rough from the earlier shouting. He paused, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry about the yelling."

Mitsuri gave him a nervous, understanding smile. "It's okay. I'm not exactly one to talk," she said softly, her tone a mix of awkwardness and compassion.

Sanemi managed a small, tired smile in return and reached out to ruffle her hair before taking the kit. "Thanks," he repeated. Turning to leave, he added quietly, "Go easy on him... It's hard on him too, you know."

He didn't wait for her reply, stepping back into Kanae's room and closing the door softly behind him. Mitsuri stood alone in the darkened living room, her thoughts swirling. She was left there with the echoes of the night, the heavy weight of her own unresolved heartache pressing down on her.

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As Sanemi sat silently, Kanae emerged from the bathroom, dressed in an oversized t-shirt, her damp hair clinging to her shoulders. Her eyes briefly met Sanemi's, who sat stiffly in her desk chair, his posture tense, weighed down by the events of the night. He barely looked at her as he spoke, his voice rough but soft.

"Sit." He gestured for her to sit on the bed, and she reluctantly settled down.

Without a word, he gently took her wrist, pressing the cold pack against her inflamed skin. Her sharp intake of breath echoed, but she stayed silent, enduring the pain.

"Keep it there," he murmured, his voice distant as he reached for the ointment and bandages. His movements were slow, deliberate, as if he were pouring his unspoken apologies into each careful touch.

Kanae's tears spilled over as she looked at him, her voice fragile but resolute. "Let's... end this. End us."

Sanemi froze, his hands halting mid-motion. "If that's what you want," he replied softly, his voice void of the usual fire, almost as if he were calling her bluff.

Her tears flowed freely now, her heart breaking as she forced the words out. "Maybe it's for the best. We're toxic."

His jaw clenched, but he didn't look at her, focusing instead on her wrist. "We're not toxic, Kanae. I just have things I'm dealing with that you can't handle."

Her voice cracked with pain. "You think I want to see you destroy yourself? Do you expect me to watch this every day? Am I supposed to just live with this, even when we're married?"

Sanemi stilled, her words piercing deeper than anything he'd imagined. Marriage, the future—they were things he'd never dared to consider, not with the darkness he carried. He swallowed, voice a faint whisper. "When I become an officer... when he's locked away... it'll be normal again."

Kanae's eyes widened, a mix of confusion and heartbreak filling her gaze. "Who?" Her voice was strained, and tears blurred her vision. She reached for him, cupping his face, her hands trembling. "Sanemi, who's hurting you? Please, tell me."

But he just looked at her, his silence a wall she couldn't breach. She searched his eyes, desperate to understand, but his quiet was a void that her love couldn't reach.