There Are No Limits (Sanemi x Reader)

Chapter 11

-(Y/N)'s POV-

He appeared beside me, his gaze darkening as he saw what I held. Before I could say anything, he snatched it from my hands, anger flashing across his face as he turned and stormed out of the house. I wanted to say something, to ask him what happened here, but he was already gone.

I followed him outside, where he was standing on the hill, staring down at the village, his face tense and closed off. "Shinazugawa," I called, but he didn't respond.

The crow flapped down to us, nodding to signal that the mission was complete. I took a breath, finally letting the tension of the evening go, and walked over to where he stood, grabbing his arm. He looked down at me, surprised, as I started dragging him back toward the main road.

"What the hell are you doing?" he snapped, trying to pull back.

I didn't let go. "I'm taking us out of here," I said firmly. After a moment, he relented, walking beside me, though his eyes kept straying back to the picture clutched in his hand.

When we reached the wisteria safe house, I guided him inside. We sat down across from each other in a small room lit by a single candle, and an older woman soon brought us food and some spare clothes. Sanemi barely touched his meal, his gaze fixated on that old photo.

"Alright, enough of this," I said, putting my food down. "What's wrong, Shinazugawa? I can't read your mind, you know."

He looked up, eyes hard. "Why do you care?"

"Because," I said, "it's obvious that something bad happened here. And we're supposed to be partners, right?"

After some back-and-forth, he finally spoke up. "Fine. But if I tell you, you're going to share your story, too. No holding back."

I hesitated, memories of my own past flashing through my mind, and instinctively my hand went to my prosthetic arm. I didn't know what he would think if he knew the whole truth. But he was trusting me... So maybe I can trust someone... him... Just this once. So, after a pause, I nodded.

"Alright, I'll tell you everything."

(Y/N) kept pressing me to tell her about my past, stubborn as usual. I sighed, feeling the weight of the memories that I tried to avoid. But maybe this was the kind of "bonding" Oyakata-sama always encouraged between us slayers. Still, it felt like opening an old wound.

"This is pointless," I muttered, but she just gave me that determined look of hers and said it was better to let some things go. She even stumbled over her words, admitting that maybe she could stand to let go of some things, too. Her cheeks flushed a bit, and I glanced away, not really sure how to respond.

The old lady brought us tea, a dark blend, not green tea, but it was rich and comforting. I sipped it slowly, feeling a bit of calm settle over me, and we decided to change into the clothes she provided. Afterward, we sat across from each other, the tea between us. I hadn't really told anyone my story in years, and it took me a second to find the words.

I started small, mentioning my siblings, the way my mother cared for us even when things were rough. (Y/N) listened closely, her eyes focused, and for some reason, that made me want to keep talking. It felt... good, talking about them, like I was sharing a part of my family with someone who actually cared.

Then she had to ask about my father, the abusive waste of space that he was. I told her he was a violent drunk who got himself killed in a brawl, something that didn't surprise me or anyone else. She frowned in disgust, nodding like she understood. We sat in silence for a moment before I took a deep breath and went on.

"One day," I explained, "my mother never came home, so I went out to look for her. I hadn't been gone long when I heard screams coming from the house. I sprinted back, but when I got there, it was too late. My siblings, my whole world, were dead, except for Genya..." I hesitated, the memory too heavy, too raw, but (Y/N) urged me to continue.

I told her how I'd seen a figure in the room, a monster that looked like a wolf. "I charged it without thinking, diving through the window to drive it out, and felt blood covering my hands before I even realized they were cut. I grabbed an ax from the shed nearby, lunging at the "wolf," but it fought back, tearing into me. These damn scars... they're the price I paid." I groaned as I put my hand to my face.

"As I hacked away, finally bringing it down, the sun began to rise. That's when I saw the truth, the "wolf" wasn't a monster but my own mother..." My stomach twisted as I told her this, feeling like I was reliving it. "And then, as if it couldn't get worse, Genya ran up and saw me standing over her. He looked at me with those wide, horrified eyes, and all he could say was "murderer." It broke something inside me that day... something I'll never get back." I look toward (Y/N) before my hands.

I stopped, looking down, the weight of that night pressing down on me again.

(Y/N) sat there, stunned into silence for a moment, before she finally said, "Sanemi... that wasn't your fault. You did everything you could to protect your family."

Her words should have helped, but they didn't. Guilt and regret were things I'd learned to live with, and no words could change what happened.

Before I could respond, she shifted, getting up and moving to sit behind me, her back pressing against mine. I wasn't used to this sort of closeness, but I didn't pull away. She spoke softly, as if afraid to disturb the quiet.

"I killed someone too... so you're not the only one."

~~~ ~~~

Thank you all for reading this new book, I've been thinking about writing this for a while, but never had the time to do so, but now I have a little bit of time to do so.  I have written 13 chapters in one day but decided to publish 10 so that y'all had plenty to read for now, and to see if y'all are interested in this story.