63
You stopped in your tracks, reaching into your pocket to pull out the thing Tamayo had originally given to Tanjiro — the syringe meant for collecting demon blood.
𝔽𝕝𝕒𝕤𝕙𝕓𝕒𝕔𝕜
"Tanjirooooooo!! What’s this?" you asked, tilting the syringe in your hand. You already knew what it was, but you played dumb to avoid raising suspicion.
"Oh, y/n that’s a syringe made to collect demon blood. It’s for... well, something important," he said, stopping mid-sentence like he was trying to word it carefully.
"Mhm, cool cool. Can I keep it?" you asked nonchalantly.
"U-Uh?! No!! Sorry, y/n, but I can’t-"
"OH C’MON! Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of it," you cut him off, rolling your eyes dramatically.
He hesitated, clearly battling between logic and your deadly puppy eyes.
"Fine… but promise me you won’t break it." His face turned slightly pink.
"Pinky promise Tangerine!" you beamed before immediately snatching it from his hands and tucking it into your pocket.
𝔼𝕟𝕕 𝕠𝕗 𝔽𝕝𝕒𝕤𝕙𝕓𝕒𝕔𝕜
Now, standing over the pile of blood that had once been Gyutaro and Daki, you quickly knelt down and drew it into the syringe. Just as you sealed it tight
Meow.
A small, adorable cat appeared from the shadows, its fluffy body trotting toward you with the tiniest backpack strapped to its back.
"There you are!!" you squealed softly, instantly forgetting the trauma of nearly dying five times. You crouched to pet it, and the cat purred contentedly against your hand.
"Here ya go, little delivery legend," you whispered, slipping the syringe carefully into the pack. The cat gave a soft meow in response before disappearing into the smoky air like a mini ninja.
You stood up, dusted off your hands, and stretched. “Alright. Job done.”
Then you casually strolled back toward the others, busted and bruised but with the same energy as always.
"I’M BACK, BITCHES!" you yelled, waving dramatically.
"Y/N!! There you are! You took longer than expected!" Tanjiro called out, relief clear in his voice.
You rolled your eyes with a grin. "Yeah yeah, I’m still alive though."
Your gaze flicked to the side and landed on him.
Obanai Iguro.
He was standing there, judging you with those slit eyes of his like he always did.
You didn’t miss a beat.
"YOU FUCKING WHY ARE YOU LATE, HUH?!"
You launched yourself at him without hesitation, tackling him to the ground like you were a linebacker in the Super Bowl.
Obanai: "Wha-?! GET OFF ME-"
You: "NO. FEEL MY RAGE AND AFFECTION, SNAKE HO! "
You placed your hand dramatically over your heart, grinning like the little menace you were.
“Did you forget our moments together, snake boi?” you asked, fake-gasping like a soap opera character.
Obanai’s eye twitched. “Wha-no! Don’t be ridiculous,” he muttered, his voice somehow flat and flustered at the same time. He tried to look away, but the faintest pink dusted his cheeks. “I just… didn’t expect you to survive.”
You narrowed your eyes playfully, leaning closer. “Oh? You were worried about me? I’m touched.”
“I wasn’t worried,” he lied poorly. “I just thought it’d be inconvenient if you died, that’s all.”
“Mmhmm. Sure, Iguro. Totally sounds like someone who didn’t check up on me five times during recovery.”
From a few feet away, Tengen Uzui was watching the entire exchange like a hawk, his jaw clenched and his eye twitching. His wives stood near him, looking between you and Obanai.
Suma sniffled and blinked through her remaining tears. “Uzui-sama… Who’s that girl? She’s really pretty…”
He didn’t take his eyes off you. “Hopefully… my new wife.”
That caught everyone off guard including his own wives. Makio raised a brow. “Excuse me?”
Uzui snapped out of it and looked at her quickly. “What I meant was-uh-it’s complicated.”
You were too busy fake-flirting with Obanai to notice Tengen dying inside.
You twirled a lock of your hair with mock innocence. “Aww,I should die dramatically more often.”
Obanai gave you a sideways glance. “Please don’t. It’s already exhausting keeping track of your nonsense when you're alive.”
“Snake boy, I’ll take that as affection.”
“I didn’t mean it as a compliment.”
“Oh, too bad. I only hear what I want,” you winked, then skipped back over toward the rest of the group where Tanjiro was standing, bewildered but smiling.
“Welcome back, Y/N,” he said, his eyes soft. “It really means a lot that you’re okay.”
You gave him a two-finger salute. “Alive, injured, and still hot. What more could a demon slayer want?”
Uzui, still behind you, muttered under his breath, “Tch. Obanai doesn’t deserve her.”
And somewhere not far away, Obanai muttered back, “Neither do you, loudmouth.”
You ignored their bickering, your eyes catching Tanjiro's glare—intense, focused. But the second he realized you were watching, he quickly turned away, pretending like he hadn’t been burning holes into Zenitsu’s back with his eyes. You didn’t comment. You were too tired for drama.
Instead, you limped over to where Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke were huddled. Inosuke had one arm wrapped lazily around Zenitsu’s neck, practically choking him in a brotherly headlock, while Zenitsu was in full-on panic mode.
The second Zenitsu saw you approaching, he screamed your name like it was the most dramatic moment in history.
“Y/N-CHANN!!”
Before you could blink, he launched himself at you, full-speed, tackling you to the ground in a chaotic mess of limbs and sobbing.
“Calm down, big baby I’m hurt!” you groaned, wincing as your back hit the ground again. “You trying to finish the job or something?”
“I’m so sorry, Y/N!!!” he wailed into your shoulder. “I was so damn worried! I-I thought you were gonna die and I’d never get to see your beautiful face again and-”
“Shhh” you hushed him, patting his head as if soothing a toddler. “Calm down, Zen. I’m alive. See?”
You smiled weakly, your voice still laced with exhaustion. Zenitsu melted into your side with a dramatic sniffle, like a golden retriever who’d been left home alone too long.
Behind him, both Tanjiro and Inosuke were staring. Hard.
Tanjiro had that stiff smile again, like he was trying really hard to pretend he wasn’t about to body slam Zenitsu for touching you. Inosuke’s arms were crossed, his boar mask tilted down, fists flexing.
Zenitsu, clearly feeling the pressure of those intense stares boring into his soul, slowly peeled himself off you with a nervous, shaky chuckle.
“Ahahaha Y/N-chan! Y-you need to rest! Yeah, haha, I’ll just, uh, stand back here! Over here! Like... way over here.”
You blinked. “You good?”
He nodded too quickly. “YEP! Totally good!”
You squinted at him. “...Weirdo.”
You pushed yourself to sit up, brushing off the dirt and loose bandages clinging to your uniform, and looked at the boys again.
“You two okay? You’re not secretly dying on me, right?” you asked, trying to sound casual even though you were still aching from the battle.
Tanjiro stepped closer, eyes soft, voice low. “We’re okay now… thanks to you.”
Inosuke just grunted, but you could tell by the way he hovered close that he was glad you were still breathing too.
You sighed and leaned back on your hands. “God, y’all are so dramatic. I get tackled by one guy and suddenly the rest of you look like you’re ready to start a fight club.”
No one denied it.
You just rolled your eyes.
Your body finally gave out as you slumped back into the soft dirt, your breathing quiet but steady.
“I feel tired, Yoriichi…” you mumbled in your mind, your voice sounding distant even to yourself. Every muscle ached. Your thoughts were fuzzy, like static on a broken screen.
There was a pause. Then that calm, steady voice responded from somewhere deep inside you.
“Well… rest.”
His tone was flat, emotionless but beneath it, there was something else. Something heavy. Protective. Maybe even… sad.
You let your eyes slip shut, his presence wrapping around you like a blanket.
Your obnoxiously loud snoring echoed through the air.
"WAHH Y/N-CHAN!! Look at her! She’s totally knocked out!" Zenitsu wailed, already inching closer with sparkles in his eyes. "I’ll carry her! It’s only right for a beautiful princess to be in my arms "
"Back off, Zenitsu. I’ll carry her "Tanjiro said with a calm smile, but there was tension behind it. His hand was already reaching out when
Zenitsu blocked him. "Uh no? I literally called dibs Tanjiro!"
They were this close to arguing again when Inosuke, without saying a word, swooped in like a beast on a mission. He lifted you into his arms gently. No yelling. No chaos. Just… shockingly soft handling.
Zenitsu and Tanjiro froze.
Inosuke stared down at you.
You, mouth slightly open, arm flopped over your chest like a dead fish, were completely out cold.
His face turned red under the mask.
"Wh...what the hell is this feeling?! Why does my chest feel like it’s being headbutted from the inside?!"
He blinked hard, trying to shake the weird fuzzy warmth rising in his gut. Still, he didn’t put you down.
“…She better wake up soon or I’m gonna explode or something,” he muttered, tightening his grip just a little as he carried you away.
"WAIT HERE YOU BOAR HEAD!!" Zenitsu screamed, face twisted in righteous rage as he bolted after Inosuke like a man on a mission. "PUT HER DOWN RIGHT NOW!! SHE’S FRAGILE.A PRECIOUS FLOWER—YOU’RE GONNA DROP HER, YOU UNCULTURED FOREST DWELLER!!"
Inosuke didn’t even flinch. He kept walking, your body still cradled in his arms like you were the rarest treasure he’d ever looted. "I’M NOT GONNA DROP HER, DUMBASS! I’M STRONG!! STRONGER THAN YOU, THUNDER DORK!!"
"THEN USE THOSE MUSCLES TO PUT HER DOWN GENTLY!"
"NO! SHE'S MINE NOW!"
"YOU CAN’T JUST SAY THAT!!"
Tanjiro trailed behind, running a hand down his face, sighing heavily. “Guys… please. She’s literally unconscious.”
"YEAH AND IF YOU KEEP YELLING SHE’S GONNA WAKE UP AND KILL US ALL!" Inosuke barked.
As if on cue, your body shifted slightly. You mumbled something unintelligible in your sleep.
Zenitsu immediately gasped. “SHE’S TALKING! SHE’S HAVING A DREAM ABOUT ME, ISN’T SHE?!”
"No, dumbass, she’s probably dreaming about food," Inosuke argued, puffing his chest out. “Or me. Probably me.”
"I swear, if I find out you made her uncomfortable-"
"I DIDN’T!! I’M HOLDING HER NICE AND GENTLE, OKAY?! LIKE A DAMN PILLOW!"
"OH MY GOD YOU ARE THE PILLOW!!"
Tanjiro finally snapped, raising his voice just slightly. "Guys, shut up before she wakes up and throws hands."
The two froze.
You groaned faintly, lips twitching. “...Why is the floor growling…”
Inosuke tensed. “CRAP SHE’S WAKING UP!”
He immediately sat down against a nearby tree and adjusted you in his lap carefully, one hand behind your head like you were royalty. Zenitsu dropped to his knees beside you in dramatic tears.
“Y/N-CHAN, IF YOU CAN HEAR ME, STAY ASLEEP UNTIL THE IDIOTS CALM DOWN-!!”
Tanjiro just rubbed his temples.
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