The forest was shrouded in an eerie silence, the wind whispering through the trees like a secret only the night knew. Tanjiro stood alone in the clearing, the weight of the night pressing heavily against his chest. Nezuko's body, lifeless in his arms, had been carried back to the camp and buried in the earth by the others, but her absence still hung in the air like an unspoken truth. Every step, every breath, felt empty without her.But the emptiness inside Tanjiro wasn't just from Nezuko's loss. It was the hole that Muichiro had left—a hole that had grown over the days, pulling him deeper into a void where even vengeance felt insufficient.He had watched Muichiro slip farther and farther away from the person he had once called a friend. He had seen the obsessions, the madness that had consumed him. And now, in the stillness of the night, Tanjiro had come to a painful realization. His anger toward Muichiro, the hate that had burned in his chest after Nezuko's death, had begun to wane. *What if Muichiro didn't truly know what he was doing?*That thought clawed at Tanjiro's heart, a truth he could no longer deny. The boy he had once trained with, fought beside, laughed with—Muichiro was still in there. Somewhere deep inside, hidden beneath layers of confusion, pain, and obsession, he was still the same person. The same person who had cared for him. The same person who had wanted nothing more than to protect those he loved.Tanjiro closed his eyes, the memory of their last conversation echoing in his mind. *"I've chosen for you."*Muichiro's words had stung like a bitter poison, but Tanjiro understood now. Muichiro hadn't known what he was doing. His heart had been so consumed by his obsession with Tanjiro that he had been blinded to the reality of their situation. Blinded to the truth that Tanjiro couldn't belong to anyone—not in the way Muichiro wanted. Tanjiro couldn't be claimed or controlled.Still, the question lingered in his heart, unanswered: *Why had Muichiro done it? Why had he killed Nezuko?*The answer wasn't simple, and perhaps Tanjiro would never truly know why. But as the night deepened, the bitterness in his chest began to soften. He couldn't hate Muichiro. Not anymore. He couldn't carry the weight of that hatred on top of the grief he already carried. His mission had always been to protect others—to help those who couldn't protect themselves. But now, the mission felt more complicated than ever. Could he help Muichiro? Could he bring the boy back from the abyss he had fallen into?A sudden rustle in the trees broke his thoughts. Tanjiro spun around, his breath catching in his throat, as a familiar figure stepped into the clearing, emerging from the darkness.Muichiro.He was wearing his Demon Slayer uniform, his sword still strapped to his side, though he didn't seem ready to fight. His expression was unreadable—emptied of all emotion, as though even his very soul had been worn thin by the weight of everything he had done."Tanjiro," Muichiro said quietly, his voice hoarse. He stepped forward slowly, almost as if unsure of his place in the world anymore. His pale eyes flickered toward Tanjiro, but he didn't seem to meet his gaze directly, as though afraid to look him in the eye. Tanjiro's heart tensed. Part of him wanted to turn away, to run, to shout, but his feet remained rooted to the ground. He had already been running for so long. Running from the pain. Running from the truth. "Muichiro..." Tanjiro spoke his name, his voice soft and calm despite the storm inside him. The wind blew gently, carrying with it the scent of the earth and the remnants of the rain that had passed through earlier. Muichiro stood in the center of the clearing, and for the first time in so long, he looked lost. His shoulders were slumped, his head lowered, as if the weight of his actions was too much to bear."I came to see you," Muichiro said, his words so quiet Tanjiro almost didn't catch them. "I don't expect forgiveness. I don't deserve it. But... I need to tell you, Tanjiro... I'm sorry. For everything."Tanjiro's heart wavered, but he kept his composure. "You've done terrible things, Muichiro," Tanjiro said, the weight of those words hanging heavily between them. "Things that can't be undone. But..." He hesitated, searching for the words. His voice faltered slightly, as if the words were foreign to him. "But I understand. I understand that you weren't thinking clearly. You were lost. You couldn't see past your own pain."Muichiro's face twitched, his eyes briefly flicking up to Tanjiro's before falling again. "I thought... I thought I was protecting you. I thought I was doing what was right," Muichiro murmured. "But I... I couldn't protect you. I couldn't even protect myself. And now... now I've taken everything from you. I've destroyed everything you loved."Tanjiro's heart clenched as he watched Muichiro crumble before him. The boy who had once stood tall beside him in battle, so full of potential, was now broken. Tanjiro could feel it—the rawness of Muichiro's regret. The hollow space he had carved into his soul by his actions. "You didn't destroy everything, Muichiro," Tanjiro said gently, his voice full of compassion. "Nezuko's gone, and I... I'll never forget her. But I understand now. You weren't yourself. You were hurting. I don't know what happened to you—what you saw, what you felt—but I know you're not a monster."Muichiro raised his head slightly, eyes blinking rapidly as if trying to clear away the tears he couldn't let fall. "I killed her, Tanjiro," he whispered hoarsely. "I killed your sister. How can you say that?"Tanjiro stepped forward slowly, his eyes steady on Muichiro. "Because I know you didn't do it out of malice. I know you weren't trying to hurt me. You were trying to bring me to you. I don't think you understood what you were doing. I think... I think you were lost."Muichiro closed his eyes, his chest rising and falling with a silent breath. He didn't look like the boy who had once stood beside Tanjiro, who had shared his hopes and fears. He looked like a boy who had been swallowed whole by his own darkness. "I was lost," Muichiro admitted, his voice barely audible. "I thought that if I could control you, if I could keep you to myself... then maybe I could feel whole again. But I was wrong. I don't deserve your forgiveness. Not after everything I've done."Tanjiro's chest tightened. He was torn between the desire to push Muichiro away for what he had done and the deep empathy he felt for the boy standing before him. In Muichiro's eyes, Tanjiro saw a reflection of his own suffering. He saw someone who had been consumed by grief, by loneliness, by an insatiable need to hold onto the one thing that mattered most. Tanjiro lowered his sword. He wasn't going to fight. Not now. "I don't know if I can forgive you yet, Muichiro," Tanjiro said quietly, his voice firm but not harsh. "I don't know if I can ever forgive you for what happened to Nezuko. But I'm willing to try. I'm willing to help you, if you'll let me."Muichiro looked at him, disbelief flickering in his eyes. His shoulders trembled slightly, as if the weight of Tanjiro's words had shattered something inside of him. "Help me?" Muichiro echoed softly, his voice barely above a whisper.Tanjiro nodded slowly. "You're not alone. You don't have to be lost anymore. I know it won't be easy, and I know it won't happen overnight. But we can move forward. Together. That's what I want."A long silence stretched between them. The forest seemed to hold its breath, as if waiting for an answer.And then, after what felt like an eternity, Muichiro slowly nodded. His eyes filled with something that resembled hope. "Thank you," Muichiro whispered, his voice trembling with emotion. "I don't deserve your kindness. But... I'll try. I'll try to be better."Tanjiro smiled softly, a hint of warmth returning to his eyes. "That's all we can do. Just try."As they stood there in the quiet of the forest, surrounded by the heavy weight of their shared past, Tanjiro knew that this was only the beginning. The path ahead would be long and uncertain, but for the first time in a long while, he felt like there was hope again. Not just for Muichiro, but for himself as well. Together, they would try. And together, they would heal.
the endddd
