Ascend The Multiverse|多元宇宙を昇る [Kny x Black!Reader x Countryhumans]

Twenty Eight| 二十八

His hoarse voice went dry. Was this a dream? Had the exhaustion made him hallucinate his sister standing before him, awake for the first time in two years? "Hey! Nezuko!" He dropped his stick while calling out. "You...you're awake?'

Hearing the voice she turned on her heel to the left, her pale pink eyes meeting his own red ones. The light pink kimono, the long, dark-brown haori that reached her calves, the small pink ribbon on the left side of her head and the bamboo muzzle on her mouth. All that he had seen multiple times as she was asleep. What he had missed the most was her eyes looking at him, awake and alive. Tanjiro began to make a dash towards her down the small steep of the road and Nezuko did the same but going up.

"Nezuko! Agh!" With a pained grunt and too much exhaustion, he tripped and fell on his face. Pushing himself to his knees, Tanjiro then felt cold hands wrap around his head and getting pulled to someone's chest. That alone was enough to erase all doubt in his mind. This was real, everything was happening in real time. He defeated the boulder in Nezuko's honour, went to the Final Selection and survived and now as an extra gift from the gods, Nezuko was awake at last.

Tears immediately streamed down his cheeks, hugging back his sister desperately. All the exhaustion he felt from the long journey back home was worth it after all. "Why? Why did you fall asleep like that? Never waking up once!"

Back at the house, the three remaining occupants had stepped out to watch the scene between the reunited Kamado siblings. Urokodaki's breath hitched, clearly in disbelief to see Tanjiro alive after the event. Now it was clear that the 'curse' that had plagued him and made him lose eleven trainees was gone for good.

[Name] and her demon companion watched as the elderly man walked over to the brother and sister with restrained happiness and a deeper emotion before following behind him.

"I was afraid you were going to die, you know!" Tanjiro was still sobbing in Nezuko's shoulder, the demoness faintly aware of the man she called 'brother' and the overarching desire to protect him from harm's way embracing him. Sakonji then knelt beside the two and wrapped his arms around them. The tengu-masked man couldn't help but get emotional seeing the boy he cared for return safe and sound. If one looked closely, tears were streaming down the side of his face.

Tanjiro then felt another warmth engulf him from behind, one he found himself subconsciously leaning into. [Name] had her arms extended around the three in an effort to provide comfort. Her dark brown eyes glanced up to Kokushibou who kept a distance from the group. Extending up a hand, she silently invited him to join in. However the demon simply turned his head away, uncomfortable with the thought of embracing more than one person, something he had only done with his female companion.

Frowning, [Name] let her hand drop and continued hugging the rest, a bit discontented that Kokushibou had not bonded with Urokodaki and the Kamado siblings as she had hoped. She did understand him, but was not happy about it. Maybe one day he would grow to bond with other people apart from her.

After the group hug, Tanjiro wanted to catch up with everything. How had they been doing while he was gone? When did Nezuko wake up? What would this mean for her? He also wanted to share his experiences about the Final Selection. All of his questions were shut down by a stern Urokodaki who demanded him to rest.

"I will send for a doctor to come and check on your injuries. Until then, no moving from your bed." Sakonji's words were firm and unwavering as the burgundy haired male began to protest. "But--"

"Urokodaki is right, Tanjiro. You are terribly exhausted and injured. We will talk tomorrow morning after you have rested." [Name] doubled down with an understanding smile. "I'm sure Nezuko would love to hear what her brother has been up to."