Our Halcyon Days || Reader x Tanjiro | RESUME 2022!

* f o r t y - f o u r *

Everything was quiet.

Everything was dark.

There was no sense of direction in the black void, only your sense of consciousness; even that, you felt slipping away with each passing second.

The ground beneath you was no ground at all, more like a lake with a surface of glass.

From the overbearing shadows in front of you approached a figure, outline hazy and undefined.

Tanjiro?

Disappointment struck when it turned not to be him, but Ren.

At that moment, your body seemed to form and you found your voice.

"And after you saw how happy I was that you were alive, you betrayed me anyway."

He seemed unfazed by your accusation and just shook his head. "I didn't betray you. I'm helping you."

You narrowed your eyes. The situation in the corporeal world was unclear, and made you anxious to return — if that were even possible. But first you wanted answers.

"I didn't ask for your help, Ren."

"Consider it as repayment for what you did for me at the Hellfire... At least, what you attempted to do."

You flinched as the flashbulb memory hit you instantly.

Tiny hands, a child's hands, poking out of the burning rubble, already burned and covered with blood. An acrid smell from the mess that was Ren's house. The boy who you'd spent your childhood beside was going to die a cruel, unfair death, and though in your heart you knew your efforts to save him were futile, you tried nonetheless.

The last you saw him was when he was nearly buried in the flaming wreckage.

You shook your head. That didn't matter anymore. Who either of you were back then would have no bearing in the present, and it was Ren who decided that the moment he betrayed your trust.

He's an enemy, you convinced yourself. And nothing more.

"You call this 'helping me?'" You criticized, gesturing to the surrounding void. "Wiping my memory? So I can live in blissful ignorance as my comrades give up their very lives for the cause?"

You stepped forward, unable to control your indignation. "How about helping humanity? Giving info on Muzan, or — I don't know — maybe finding the Demon who ruined any chance we had for a normal life?!"

When at last, true anger flashed in his eyes, you knew you'd struck a nerve. He swiftly closed the gap between the two of you and seized you by your collar.

"I don't think you understand, (Y/n). The gravity of your situation. You honestly think you can beat that monster?" It was his turn to scoff. "F*ck no."

He glared, two inches away from your face. You glared right back as he continued, "Revenge doesn't suit you. And neither does dying a pointless death."

He released your collar and took a step back, his expression softening.

"We're the same. I can tell. You've suffered many sleepless nights, riddled with guilt that doesn't belong on your shoulders. Just forget the pain you've ever suffered. Forget having to fight for your life..."