fire & water (TanjiroxReader)

Chapter 73:Bloody hands

Tanjiro's POV
  "(y-...n)... (y,n)?" That's my voice... right? The one that can barely be heard over all the other voices that are ringing through the air. I think it is, but I can barely even recognize it up to this point. What was once a brave and harpy tone has now been reduced to a dismal octave to better fit with it's owner's emotions. It's losing its will to draw out more words with each silent passing second, weakening, and cracking like glass. I can feel my voice leaving me... drip by drip, and it spills, the abandonment shows in my hoarse calls.

    My hands are crimson red... stained from the lifeline of (y,n). It's everywhere. On her clothes, on mine, across the ground, and the scent has been lingering everywhere for such a long period of time that I've become nose blind to it. it' s making me sick to my stomach, choked up and queasy when going over the ominous fact- repeating, thinking that all this blood... Is from her.

    "(y,n)!!!" I shook my partner's limp shoulders as I said her name again, but I can't expect to get anything out of my pleas at this point. It's Entirely pointless. The girl has closed her eyes for the final denouement of the battle, already said her last few remaining words before falling into a peaceful, silent state, expression taken by the serenity of a sleeping seraph among the clouds, many would describe. The story ends, and concludes with the protagonists getting their wish of what was to be a "happy ending".

    Joyous as all get out.

    My name... that was the last phrase on her lips. It came in a wisp of a beautiful little voice after she'd stayed trapped in the humble company of disorientation, long lost in her own mind while in my arms. It looked like she was daydreaming, eyes holding clouds of feebleness and all. Her words felt like angel touches, brushing and tracing out musical notes through my ears- anyone would be entranced, but not me. It scares me-... frightens me beyond reason!! Because it's me... I'm the one who heard that last sentence, and now I'm the very individual who questions if that term of 'last sentence' threatens to go to the extreme of things... an ultimatum that I've seen far too many take.

    "-Lady Kocho! What happened here?!" I looked over near the Butterfly Mansion with my tears falling from my eyes through my winding momentum when hearing a voice unfamiliar to me, catching the eyes of many readied and prepared Kakushi standing on the other side of the battlefield. There's a lot of them for sure, some checking around with absolute shock in their eyes, other's already running to the two Hashira opposite of my friends and I, though there's one leading the majority group, already running up to the insect pillar, aid kit and supplies in hand.

    Shinobu met the helper at the high point of their run, stopping them abruptly while she went to address them.

    "I'll discuss that later, we need to get to work! We have six wounded slayers here, one in serious condition, and one in critical! Several of you come with me, the rest tend to the others, and you if can, I need at least two individuals to call up more assistance! I don't know if anyone in my estate has been injured, so we need to cover as much ground as possible!!!" She quickly ordered around the Kakushi who've come to her assistance and gestured them in different with her uninjured arm for them to follow her lead.

    They all branched out into different directions, several going to each group of slayers, and the rest- including the woman leading this all- came running towards (y,n) and I, eyes strictly set on my squad mate.

    The masked helpers came as scattered faces for my watering eyes as they crowded around us too, talking among themselves in hurried conversations of quick-thinking when assessing our condition. "I want four of you to take the (h,c)-haired one into my estate so I can treat her there with better supplies, the rest stay here with Kamado!"