39 (edited)
You slowly woke up, a yawn escaping your lips… but you stopped midway.
Your eyes shot open.
Right—the dream. Yoriichi. The cave. The weird, weird feelings.
You shot up, looking around frantically, scanning the area. You saw Tanjiro lying on the ground, peacefully snoring like a baby. And right in front of him—
Nezuko.
She was about to headbutt her brother’s face with surprising force—until she caught sight of you.
Her pink eyes widened. “Mmmph!”
Without hesitation, she ran up and hugged you tightly, tears already gathering in her eyes. She pointed at her brother aggressively, as if saying: “This snoring idiot made me cry.”
“Nezuko—headbutt him. Just like you were about to. C’mon,” you mumbled while petting her hair. “Wait… does she know her Blood Demon Art yet? I should try—”
But your thoughts were cut off by the sound of her soft sobbing. Her head trembled slightly against your chest.
And then—
WHAM!
She headbutted Tanjiro square in the forehead. A crack echoed through the train car. But instead of knocking him awake...
Her forehead started bleeding.
“Nezu—wait, don’t—”
WHAM!
She slammed her head into him again, but this time—flames ignited briefly from the impact. Her Blood Demon Art flared up with her emotion.
And in that moment—
Tanjiro’s dream
The quiet lake shimmered.
His reflection—no, a version of himself beneath the water—was screaming.
“Wake up! It’s a dream! All of it! We’re under attack—you have to fight! TANJIRO, WAKE UP!”
The world around him burned to cinders. Flames flickered everywhere, licking at his clothing—but he didn’t feel pain.
Suddenly—his uniform was back. The weight of his blade at his side. His eyes sharpened.
“That’s right… I’m on the train.”
He turned around—
Hanako and her younger brother stood there, concern filling their eyes.
“Tanjiro? Are you okay?” Hanako asked. “Y/N wanted to talk to you—”
“I’m sorry.” His voice cracked. “I have to go back. I need to save everyone. I’m sorry...”
“Oni-chan!” his little brother called after him.
But he was already running, faster than before.
If the demon who created this illusion is still nearby… I have to find them. I have to end this.
Then—
“Tanjiro?” a soft voice called.
He froze.
Nezuko stood there holding a basket. “Where are you going? I picked a bunch of veggies from the mountain. Come eat!”
And then—you were there too. Standing with the rest of his family.
“Oh, Tanjiro?” your voice chimed. “Weren’t you getting water?”
“Why are you dressed like that?” Hanako asked.
His heart squeezed.
I wish I could stay... I want to stay here. I want this. A world where nothing went wrong. A world where everyone’s alive... where Nezuko smiles in the sun. Where I married Y/N.
But—
“If that happened... I wouldn’t have met Inosuke, or Zenitsu… or Tomioka… or Y/N.”
He clenched his fists and ran forward, faster than before.
“TANJIRO! DON’T LEAVE US!”
His family’s voices echoed behind him. His eyes stung.
He was crying. But he didn’t stop.
‘I’ll never forget you guys.’
And with that—
Tanjiro drew his sword.
Without hesitation, he stabbed it into his own neck.
Back in real life
Tanjiro’s eyes fluttered open.
His breathing was shaky, panicked.
“...Tanjiro!!” you gasped, eyes wide as you rushed over.
“Y/N!” He immediately hugged you, tight—maybe a little too tight. His face was flushed, and you could feel how fast his heart was beating.
His brain was still half in the dream—still remembering the version of you who wore a kimono, called him ‘darling,’ and braided Nezuko’s hair.
Then he sniffed the air sharply.
“Wait… this smell… the tickets!”
He looked down, eyes wide in realization. “We were put to sleep when the tickets were punched!!”
You nodded. “Yup. Saw that one coming.”
“That’s why… I smelled fear and hatred when I got close to you earlier, before the guy did anything. The scent was so off—wait…”
He turned to you slowly.
“…So you already knew?”
You hesitated. “…Kind of? Okay fine! I knew! But I wasn’t 100% sure, okay?!”
Tanjiro blinked at you, then tilted his head.
‘How did she know...? When did she figure it out? Was she just pretending the whole time?!’
“…You’re scary smart sometimes,” he muttered, then grinned.
“Scary hot smart,” you winked, brushing some dust off his shoulder.
He choked on air. “P-Please focus.”
“Okay, okay, demon hunting now, flirting later.”
Nezuko groaned from beside him, still holding her slightly bruised forehead.
“Also, tell your sister to chill. She literally KO’d herself headbutting you back to life.”
End of chapter
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