hikarunara || muichiro toxito x oc

twenty-one: shine

"let me go." muichiro calmly says, not budging under tanjiro's grip. he punches the red-head in the stomach, illiciting a groan.

"why would you hit a kid?!"

"he wouldn't give me the key." muichiro deadpans. he sends his eyes to tanjiro's box, remembering that hikari's friend was in there.

he didn't remember her name, however.

"shame on you! how would hikari-chan feel about this?!" tanjiro says, utilizing the pillar's one weakness.

in response, the younger teen's face hardens. tanjiro's eyes widen in surprise as the blue-eyed boy steps forward, harshly looking at the fifteen-year-old.

"bring her up again, i'll snap your wrist." muichiro threatens as he snaps free of tanjiro. tanjiro grabs the child, who begins releasing a string of insults and curses.

"you're just worthless." muichiro deadpans. "you serve no true purpose. the only reason you exist is to forge swords for the demon slayers. in fact, this conversation is a waste of time, when i could be saving people."

"you mean smooching the dumb girl you snuck in." the boy grumbles. muichiro raises his hand once more, prepared to backhand the boy.

"oh-em-gee! hikari-chan!"

mitsuri's scream is heard throughout the whole village. tanjiro fights a smile, whereas muichiro just stares in confusion, his hand still lingering in the air.

tanjiro snaps back to reality, remembering muichiro's harsh words. he slaps the younger boy in a fit of anger.

"you were too cruel!" tanjiro scolds. "yes, they forge our swords. but they are a key part to our work! without the swords they forged, we wouldn't be able to slay dem-"

muichiro knocks out tanjiro, bored of his monologue that he wasn't actually listening to.

he turns to the boy, snatches the key, and takes off.

-▪︎☆♡☆▪︎-

as muichiro battles the mechanical doll, his mind wanders to hikari. tanjiro brought her up, and the mist pillar felt his entire body go through a factory reset.

ever since hikari told him what happened, it was like his life began to flood through whatever amnesic barrier his mind had set up. it was as though a hurricane full of memories had finally arrived to the coast, and the levees entirely gave out.

even when he made eye contact with tanjiro, muichiro wasn't fully there. tanjiro had noticed it, of course. the way that muichiro seemed to be seeing two things at once- the present, and the past.

he was caught in the eye of the storm. memories- the debris- could be caught here and there in a few quick glimpses. muichiro was spinning around, panicking at the sight of the storm around him.

he could see a boy in a dark yukata, his face displayed in a frown. he could see the calm gaze of the woman who once mothered him. red eyes of a father that died in an effort to save his ill wife.

he could see her yellow kimono. her green eyes always did stand out, even in the darkness. her eyes were like a star in the night, always glimmering. though she now felt light years away.