FAILURE. | rui x reader

v.

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"Can you hear me?" A gentle voice reached your ears, and you slowly opened your eyes to see such kind eyes staring at you with concern. His eyes made you remember of the log crackling in the drawing room, the warmth that comes with the flames, and the screams that drags your crime to the blood that stained the pristine—

You gasped for the thin air, clawing your throat with your one good hand. It burns, the air, your eyes, and the remains of your heart. "Everything is alright, you're fine now." He silences your panic with a hush, and the burn that filled your throat with its anguish. Looking at him, you can feel his sincerity, and the tenderness of one's heart. When was the last time someone calms you in the times of agony? Your heart rate slows to a steady rhythm; tapping in a harmony only you can hear. He did not instill fear or hatred, instead, you feel... safe. It was a weird feeling, but calming nonetheless.

"There we go, you're okay now." He lifted a water bottle to you lips, as you drank from it greedily, relieving your parched throat.

"My name is Kamado Tanjirou, what's yours?"

You uttered your names softly

"It's nice to meet you, Y/N. I'm sorry I didn't have any antidote to the poison, I'm... so sorry." His sun stained eyes reflected regret and sadness.

"You don't need to be sorry; it's never your fault, the poison seems to circulate slowly, only my right hand feels numb." The boy looked at you with tenderness to his eyes, he pitied your conditions, sympathy overflowing from him. He started treating your wound, though it wouldn't matter, your estimated time of death would most likely be a few hours before sunrise.

"You're a demon slayer aren't you?" You tried to find another thing to distract his mind.

"Yes, they are pitiful creatures really, demons. After all, they used to be humans. My family was killed by one." He then told you stories of his journeys while dressing your arm. A pressure immobilization bandage, you recall, tying the section of your shoulder in a tight knot to stop poison circulation. If you had met in different circumstances, you knew he would be a great friend, being the first person to show you kindness of no bounds.

How a slight sun ray could bring forth the growth of many things.

You felt a spark of guilt, the feeling of blood thirst towards the boy is no more. The more you listened to his voice, the more your heart twists, this boy lived a life so different to you, he lost so many things, yet he shows compassion to anyone, and even felt pity for demons, creatures he slays for a living.

You hated the world for what it is, living your life full of contempt, until this boy shows up, he told you tales of his two friends and how he lived his day to day lives fighting off demons, to find a cure for his turned sister. It was a melancholic tale, as if he's talking about his downfall, yet he spoke with a faraway gaze, as if viewing the bright future. He was far too kind for his own good, spending his time for a dying girl rather than going through with his mission. His calloused hands, definitely not a hand of a child, bandages your right arm securely.

"I thought you were a demon the first time I stumbled upon you, your anger and rage was so overwhelming, and I could smell it from miles away." The boy had a comical look on his face, his eyebrows lifted, eyes wide, as if he was about to delve into another story of his adventures.

"Smell?"

"Ah, it wasn't that I was saying you smelt bad... Oh no, I just insulted you more didn't I? It's just that I have a perceptive sense of smell, I can sense people's feeling through it." The boy rambled on, as you smiled humorously at his antics. You can't help but to chuckle at his words, he looked sheepish. When was the last time you laughed sincerely? The mood lifted considerably. "I know you didn't mean to say that. Please tell me more of your stories." And he did, throughout the time he delicately bandages your arm, he continues, through the sadness and happiness. The boy didn't know why he felt so comfortable telling his tale to a stranger. It was as if he finally found a long lost friend, knowing that the girl in front of him was halfway to the path of death, he felt like his throat was constricted.

Times passed, his hands cease to work on your arm, instead he continued on his tale, memories that are not yours flows to your mind, imagining the misery, joy and pain the boy went through. After a while, both of you went silent, as he finished his own tale, ending it at the time he met you.

"I'm not going anywhere, I'll stay beside you until sunrise, the demon slayers told me that help is on the way." He told you quietly. You knew that you should have been dead right now, and he should be on his way to complete his mission, yet you were stalling him in his path. Waiting for sunrise felt like an eternity.

"Thanks. But, I think it's time for us to part, there is a demon you need to kill, and someone you need to save. So, thank you for being my first friend." You lifted your eyes as you made eye contact with the flame-eyed boy. He gave you a broken look, but he realizes this as well. "Promise me something... Stay awake until the Hashiras and help comes. As you said, the poison seems to circulate slowly; you just have to keep-" You didn't understand half of what he was saying, yet you nodded your head slowly, his voice, fading bit by bit.

"I'll see you soon, I'll still be here." You said to him, avoiding the word 'goodbye'.

He gave you one last look and nodded, before tracing his way to the demon, forcing himself to not look back.

—

Voices started to be heard. Tanjirou is on guard, as he placed his hands on the hilt of his katana. He looked back; to see that he was already too far away, vision of the figure slumped in the tree was obscured by the lines of trees. His heart grows heavier, as he now focuses on two figures, bathed in the ethereal moonlight. A boy stood, the boy's red sclera found his own.

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a/n: im so sorry for the decrease in my writing quality ;-;