𝐞𝐮𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚 [kimetsu no yaiba oneshots]

sleep | tanjirou

A huge lump formed in your throat. There was pain building up in your chest. You gritted your teeth while your eyes teared up at the sight of your father's old scarf laying on your bruised and calloused hands. You blinked, letting the tears fall on your cheeks. Soon, small droplets of tears turned to waterfalls as you remembered the horrible fate that your family met on that day.

You had to keep your eyes from closing shut. You didn't want to miss the very moment your mother finishes cooking. Eating food that was served hot was something you always strive for. But to your dismay, your eyes began to give up. It felt heavy and your head slowly drooped - but you heard the doors of your house slide open. And it only meant one thing, "Father!" You hopped off of the counter with arms wide open and pulled him in for a tight hug.

Several minutes later, you were all happily munching on the food, it was a blissful time for you. But unfortunately, fate had other plans. Loud crashing was heard from outside. Your father wasted no time and headed outside. Your mother held you close, "Don't worry dear. Your father is strong. He can handle it." You only tugged on her kimono tighter.

It was only a few seconds, but you could hear grunts of pain. Your nails dug deeper into your mother's kimono. It was stupid of you to think about, but there was a voice inside your head - telling you to run outside. It overpowered you. You tugged yourself out of your mother's grip. You blocked out her screams for you to come back, you just wanted to get out there.

You were certainly stupid to run outside. You were certainly stupid to have your eyes see the terrifying sight before you. You knew that from that day - that this very moment will forever be lingering inside the deepest archives of your brain. Your legs were wiggling, your hands were shaking. You didn't know what to other than being silent.

With all his remaining strength, he pushed his body to you, hissing as the pain worsened. He pulled off his scarf and wrapped it around your neck. "(Name)... Take this and run as fast as you can." Tears formed in your eyes, "Don't look back. Just run." And like what your father does every time, he smiled even though there was no more hope.

Everything happened in a flash like a lightning strike. Your father's head was pounded against the ground by the hand of a demon. You yelped and began to run as fast as your little legs can take you. You held the scarf close since you knew this was going to be the only memory you're going to have of your family.

Your grip on the scarf tightened; your knuckles turning white. The sadness that laced your face quickly became anger. After running away from the situation, the demon killed him and your mother with haste. With the demon's unbelievable speed, he managed to catch up to you by pulling back the scarf on your neck. You were sure that it was your final moment. But a demon slayer rushed to your aid and sliced the scarf in half, which allowed you to breathe with ease once again. The demon slayer didn't manage to kill the demon though. He had run away before his nichirin blade could even graze his neck.

Now here you were, staring at the very demon that had killed your family. He really had the nerve to show up after all these years. He must have a death wish when he presented the second half of the scarf right up your face. "Oh! Look how much you've grown up!" The demon mocked as he clasped his hands together. You were seething with rage, your ears rang with his terrible and raspy voice.

"Your father must be so proud to see you as a demon slayer - oh wait - I killed him! Isn't that funny?" You finally reached your boiling point. Veins popped up on your forehead as you unsheathed your katana and gave the last blow. His head, bloody and bruised, rolled over the dirty ground. Suddenly, a wave of exhaustion washed over you as your knees finally gave out. The last thing you saw was your burgundy-haired friend, Tanjirou.

• • •

You slowly regained consciousness and the first thing you felt was the pounding of your head. You brought your fingers to your temple and began massaging it, but it only made things worse. You forced your eyes open and realized you were no longer laying in the forest's rocky dirt, instead you were inside the Butterfly Estate. You pushed yourself up from the bed and scanned the surroundings.

It looked like you were the only one inside the room. The three beds beside you looked messy as if the other three had rushed to somewhere else. "Great, I'm all alone." You muttered under your breath. Then, you heard the door slide open and a familiar green and black checkered haori came into view. Your eyes softened, relieved that at least someone was here with you - better yet, it was Tanjirou.

It was a blessing that you met him. He was the one who helped you go through the trauma. Ever since you joined him in his missions, he introduced you to two new friends. Even though they were quite annoying, you were glad that you met them. It made you feel - happy.

Tanjirou rushed to your side and gently pushed you back down, "You shouldn't get up (Name)-san!" You smiled at him, "Don't worry Tanjirou, I'm not going to die or something." You joked, giving a hoarse laugh. Despite your joke, he could only look at you with concern. When he saw you laying on the ground unconscious, his heart nearly froze. You meant everything to him.

He placed a paper bag on the desk beside your bed, "What are those?" You asked him as he pulled out a brown glass bottle filled with a green, thick liquid. "Shinobu-san asked me to buy you some medicine. I think these are supposed to help you sleep." The green liquid sloshed around the bottle as he gave it a little shake. After this, he poured some on a spoon.

He playfully parted his lips as he brought the spoon up to your face, "Ah!" He said. You couldn't help but think about how adorable Tanjirou is. Your face burned up as your mouth engulfed the medicine. He placed the back of his palm on your forehead, "You feel a little bit hot, (Name)-san. You should get some rest. Hopefully, the medicine works well."

You fell asleep with a giddy feeling as the last thing you saw that afternoon was his sweet smile.

"Don't look back. Just run."

You woke up gasping for air, your heart couldn't stop beating fast. It was like déjà vu, recalling the time you had to run away from that demon. You had your hand on your chest, wishing that this pain would stop. Your thoughts couldn't stop racing and it made you frustrated.

You steadied your breathing and laid back down. As much as you didn't want to shut your eyes, you had to. You needed rest for tomorrow's recovery training and it would suck if you had to endure losing to Kanao every now and then. You repositioned yourself on the bed and pulled the bedsheets up to your face. Forcing your eyes to close, the picture of your family flashed into mind.

You knew you were a lost cause. Who cares if you're going to fail every trial at the training tomorrow? Who cares if your eyes would be bloodshot? You just didn't want to remember any second of that moment. You decided you won't sleep tonight. You were fortunate that your breathless pants were blocked by Inosuke's loud snoring.

You quietly got out of bed and briskly made your way outside and to the rooftop. The Butterfly Estate was truly like a treasure since it has one of the best spots to view the moon. You laid on the tiles and had your eyes fixed on the magical glow that the moon radiated. And all you really did was stare.

"(Name)-san?" Your head snapped to the side and met Tanjirou's big, brown eyes. The moon's glare was reflecting off of him and it made him look mystical under its light. You rubbed the back of your head, "Did I disturb your sleep Tanjirou? I'm sorry about that." He sat beside you and looked up to the moon, "It's alright, I couldn't sleep well either."

"You know, if you're having those nightmares again, you should've woke me up, (Name)-san." He reassured. You shrugged, "I don't know... I guess I just needed to escape." You averted your gaze from Tanjirou and hugged your knees. You began to feel vulnerable and tears formed at the brim of your eyes.

Then, you felt something warm wrapped around you. Tanjirou's breathing tickled the nape of your neck. You could feel his burgundy locks fall to your shoulders, "You can sleep now, (Name)-san because I'll be here by your side." You closed your eyes as you deepened the hug. He brought his lips to your forehead and gave it a kiss.

"Thank you, Tanjirou."