u think last chap was bad ?
this is only the beginning. >:)
(for this chapter, everything is back to normal:
Standard - Japanese
Bolded - English)
(edited as of 4.16.24)
WARNING : Swearing , Violence , Blood
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Springing back into reality, you jolted upwards. Your chest tightened as you released choked sobs, your heartbeat running wild within your ears.
You had killed your mom. Again.
Your gaze fell onto your shaking hands, to which you slowly rose. It was as if you could see the bloodstains themselves—though, your hands were stainless in reality.
"Mom, oh— oh fuck," You breathed out, your voice cracking. "I'm a monster— no, no— fuck!" Your sobs grew louder in volume, and drastically more intense.
You buried your face in your trembling palms, frantically attempting to wipe away the tears that streaked your cheeks. You hiccuped and gasped—unable to comprehend what had just happened.
It wasn't before long that the guilt and grief turned into boiling, bubbling rage. Rage at Enmu, who had placed you under the delusion; who had forced you to murder your own kin.
It was just like molten lava ran throughout your veins.
You released a heartbreaking scream, slamming your sword into the side of one of the seats. It offered little release.
You needed to hurt someone; more specifically, Enmu.
Your breaths escalated into minor hyperventilations, as you soon—despite trembling—rose to your feet.
Pulling your wedged sword out of the destroyed, wooden seat, you grasped it tightly; so tight that it turned your knuckles white.
You didn't have control of your body. It was blinded by pure, fiery rage.
You stumbled, your jaw clenched so much that your teeth ached. Your eyes pulsed with complete infuriation—your movements rigid and somewhat robotic.
Completely turning a blind eye to your slumbering companions—along with the children attached to ropes—you stalked past them, heading for the train car's exit.
The urge to kill had never felt stronger.
You roughly grasped the handle, ready to fling the door open, until a small, childlike hand yanked your free arm.
Snapping out of your rage-infilled stupor, you turned, locking eyes with Nezuko. Her brows furrowed worriedly, a ghost of a frown over her muzzle.
She sadly hummed, gently yanking your arm once more.
Breath hitching, you dropped your sword, thrusting yourself back into reality and out of your blind anger. Your knees locked, just before completely giving in.
A gasp slipped past your lips as you cried out, "I killed— I killed her! Nezuko, I..! Enmu, he—!"
In an attempt to offer solace, Nezuko encased your shaking hand within hers—her clawed thumb gently rubbing circles on the back of your hand.
As she wordlessly guided you to calm down, you released a breathless exhale, your bottom lip trembling as you blinked away the last of your tears.
Sniffling, you lowered your head. "Thank you. I— thank you, Nezuko. I.. I can't keep crying like this. I can mourn later."
Dragging a hand over your damp, puffy eyelids, you stood back to your feet, returning your sword to your sheath. In order to ease Nezuko's concerns, you forced a strained, shaky smile.
"I'll be okay," You reassured, offering a gentle squeeze to her hand.
In turn, she reluctantly nodded, blowing out a sigh of relief.
Finally regaining a sliver of your composure—which would have to be enough for now—you turned back to your unconscious friends.
You stepped forward, cringing once catching sight of Rengoku choking one of Enmu's minions. Your gaze flickered to the ropes.
'The ropes. I forgot completely.'
It was then that you realized you hadn't had a rope tied to you, nor was there one tied to Eli and Sōta.
The storyline hadn't changed there, at least.
"Nezuko, you burned Tanjirou's rope, right?" You inquired, looking to Tanjirou's charred rope. "Could you burn everyone else's, too?"
With a nod and a hum of confirmation, she made her way to Zenitsu and Inosuke, promptly setting the ropes ablaze with pink flames.
Making your way over to Nezuko's box, where Hoshi curled asleep, you slid back onto the ground, breathing deeply in an attempt to soothe your rampant thoughts.
You still couldn't get over the dream itself. It felt so.. real; so right.
You were naive to believe that you had made it back to the modern era; that you lived a life of normalcy still.
Your mind replayed back to the moment you'd seen her head decapitated, causing your eyes to briefly widen.
"Fuck, mom. I'm sorry," You whispered as you lowered your head.
You didn't have much time to wallow in your thoughts, as Tanjirou quickly resurfaced back to consciousness. Gasping and breathing erratically, he clutched his throat with widened eyes.
You snapped your gaze to his, immediately wiping your tears and shooting to your feet. You tumbled toward him, enveloping him within a tight hug.
You weren't sure if it was to reassure yourself, or comfort Tanjirou.
"You're awake," You exclaimed, burying your head into the crook of his neck.
As if it were second nature, Tanjirou returned the hug, his arms slinging around your shoulders. "(Y/N)!"
It wasn't before long that he stiffened; cringing at your intense scent of conflicting emotions. They were so strong, he was practically suffocating in it all.
Abruptly, he pulled back, cupping your cheeks within his calloused hands—his thumbs gently rubbing against the tear stains.
"What happened? Is everything okay?" Tanjirou whispered, his tone concerned. He took his haori sleeve, gently wiping the tears away. "Your scent.. it's devastatingly intense."
Knowing you wouldn't be able to bluff your way out, you released a brief exhale. A hint of embarrassment filled your chest.
"No. I— I'm really not okay, right now," You lowly admitted. "I.. almost lost control of my temper. The dream that I had? It.. it was fucked."
Trailing off, silence soon ensued you. Shaking your head dismissively, you grasped his hand within your own, pressing your lips to the back of his hand.
"The details don't matter," You started. "I'm just relieved you're okay. Besides, we have a demon to take care of."
Scanning your features for any trace of a lie, Tanjirou pressed a soft kiss to your temple. "I understand completely. And if you want to—"
"I had to kill my mom to wake up," You blurted.
Tanjirou completely stilled, his eyes slowly widening as he processed your words.
Before he could reply, you stood up, trying to appear nonchalant. "I'll be okay. I.. don't know why I just said that so suddenly." Luckily for you, Nezuko approached Tanjirou, which distracted him perfectly.
"Nezuko, you're okay! Thank god," Tanjirou exclaimed, crouching down to her level to briefly hug the girl. He then stood to his full height, looking around the room.
"Everyone's.. asleep..?"
"Yeah. I tried waking them up earlier, but it's no use. Nezuko burned their ropes, though. Yours too," You replied.
"Ropes..?" Tanjirou questioned, his brows furrowed confusedly. He then examined Enmu's minions. "Who are these people?!"
Wiping the very last of your tears away, you sniffled. "They work for the demon; his name is Enmu. I saw them with him before he put me to sleep. I.. didn't see it coming."
"Enmu, huh?" Tanjirou mumbled. "What did he look like?"
"I only saw a part of him. It was only his hand. It was covered in eyes, and I'm pretty sure—if I read the kanji correctly—that it said 'dream' over and over again—."
"(Y/N), BEHIND YOU!!" Tanjirou quickly interrupted.
Tanjirou just barely tackled you out of harm's way, though you felt the stinging sensation of a knife swiping your cheek.
Whipping your head to face the culprit, you came face to face with one of Enmu's minions: a girl with twin braids. Harshly grasping a knife in her hand, she glared daggers at you each.
Creating distance between the girl, you rested your hand on the sheath of your sword, swallowing.
"DON'T GET IN THE WAY! WE CAN'T HAVE SWEET DREAMS BECAUSE YOU GUYS SHOWED UP!!" She yelled in anger.
Soon enough, without having time to truly notice, the three of you were surrounded by Enmu's minions. The girl who'd attacked you bellowed angrily to the boy with tuberculosis.
He was the only one not willingly attacking you.
"BACK US UP, IF YOU'RE AWAKE! I DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR TUBERCULOSIS, I'LL TELL THAT MAN YOU'RE NOT BACKING US UP, SO YOU WON'T DREAM ANYMORE!"
Tanjirou shared a skeptical glance with you, just before he swallowed. "Sorry, but we have to go and fight." With that, he hit the children's pressure points, causing them to fall unconscious.
Though, he left the boy with tuberculosis standing.
"You want to have happy dreams, don't you? I know that feeling. I wanted to keep dreaming, too," Tanjirou frowned, watching their limp bodies.
"Are you alright?" You softly asked, stepping toward the boy.
In turn, he nodded. "I.. I'll be okay. Thank you, please be careful."
Tanjirou joined your side once more, lightly setting a reassuring hand on your shoulder. "We will," He smiled.
Soon, you, Tanjirou and Nezuko approached the exit door, the wind slapping each of you in the face. With your hair blowing wildly, you turned to Tanjirou, catching a glimpse of his disgusted expression.
"Eugh... this smell.. it's so pungent!" Tanjirou complained.
Without another word, he heaved himself on top of the train, soon reaching down a hand for you to grasp.
With the help of Tanjirou, you quickly followed him to the top of the train. It took everything you had not to be blown off the top.
Leaning down, Tanjirou locked eyes with Nezuko. "It's dangerous, so wait! Go wake everyone up, okay? We need all the help we can get!"
Nezuko—despite looking torn—reluctantly nodded, before pivoting on her heel and running back inside the train.
『✦』
Fighting against the severity of the wind, the two of you ran across the roof of the train. You carefully watched where you placed your feet—you had no desire in falling off the train.
"I wanted to stay in my dream, too," You blurted, slightly shivering from the cold gusts of air. "I'm sorry. I wish I could've prevented it all. I was the only one not asleep for a while."
"It's not your fault, (Y/N)," Tanjirou urged. "You couldn't have done anything. What matters now is that we protect the passengers on the train, and get rid of this damn demon."
You nodded, forcing yet another strained smile.
"What you said to me back there, about being here if you want to talk about it? That offer stands for you too, Tanjirou. I mean it," You softly reassured.
Tanjirou's features softened with your words. "I was with my family again. They were all alive—even Nezuko was human again. But.. it was fake. It.. really fucking hurt."
"I'm sorry." You didn't know what else to say.
If only you'd prevented Tanjirou from falling asleep, if only you figured everything out sooner.
You were an idiot. You hated yourself for that.
Shaking his head, Tanjirou offered a gentle smile. "It's not your fault, really. I'm just.. processing still."
After a few moments, he added.
"I'm sorry, too. About your mom. That's— it isn't right. I'm going to make sure this demon pays."
"He will pay," You reassured. "And, like you said to me, it's not your fault. But.. I appreciate it."
Within minutes, you had both arrived at the very front of the train, where you encountered the mastermind behind it all: Enmu.
As if he sensed your presences, he slowly turned, sadistically flashing a smile. "Oh, you're both awake? Good morning! You could've slept a bit more, you know."
You weren't sure how it happened. But as soon as you came face to face with Enmu once more, the sweltering rage that you had doused instantly flamed up.
You slowly unsheathed your sword, your heart pulsing wildly through your ears. Your blood rushed vigorously through your veins—red hot with anger.
"I showed you an especially nice dream. You know, I could've shown you a dream where your entire family was slaughtered," Enmu shrugged, looking to Tanjirou.
"Well—not for you, little girl. I would've played nice, but you had to be.. just so stubborn falling asleep in the first place. So.. I made you kill your mom! What a nice exchange, hm?" Enmu taunted, his eyes darkened.
"I'm going to pluck your limbs off, one by one, and make it more painful than you could ever imagine," You snapped, seething with pure loathing.
"Don't thoughtlessly trample your way into other's dreams!" Tanjirou yelled, unsheathing his sword. "I'll make you fucking pay for hurting (Y/N), in such a cruel way! I won't forgive you!"
As if you each were on the same wavelength, you simultaneously called out.
"Water Breathing, Tenth Form, Constant Flux!"
You surged toward Enmu—a graceful dragon erupting from your twinkling blade, lethally swirling the cool metal.
"Go to sleep," Enmu hypnotically chanted.
Your eyes involuntarily rolled to the back of your head, your body quickly falling limp.
The next thing you knew, you stood frozen in a black abyss—bloodstains covering the floor you stood on.
Focusing on the figure in front of you, you could just barely make out the terrified expression your mom wore. Her once loving, soft hazel gaze had turned traumatized; forever ruined.
"(Y/N).. please—! Please don't do this!" She pleaded.
You could've sworn you felt bile rise up your throat.
"You're.. not real!" You yelled, just before you drove your sword directly into her neck once again.
With that, you propelled back into the realm of consciousness, stumbling as you regained your footing. Pushing back on your heel, you lunged for Enmu again—undeterred; thirsty for revenge.
"Sleep," Enmu's voice hit your ears once again.
You were met with your mother's presence once more. She brutally sobbed, her knees buckling beneath her weight.
"(Y/N), PLEASE—!"
You turned away, wedging your sword in her neck before she could continue.
'It's not real. It's not real. It's not real.'
Your vision was tinted red; red with complete infuriation and hatred. You'd never felt so goddamn angry in your life.
You knew you'd be traumatized after this. For killing your mother so many times. After all, you had killed her once before—and even that, you still struggled to cope with.
You were only eight when she'd died. It was a day you'd never forget.
If only, you looked both ways before crossing the street. If only, you hadn't been so oblivious. If only, you hadn't decided to play catch with your brother that day.
If only, your mother hadn't tackled you out of the way, just before she got hit by the car. If only, you had taken the brute force instead.
It was laughable, really. How you'd gotten your mother killed because of your own ignorance.
Life had never been the same since. You missed her every single day.
In turn, you grew up without a mother. On top of that, you had to deal with unrealistic expectations from your father.
He grew somewhat detached after the death of your mother; short-tempered, if you will.
But now wasn't the time to grovel in the past.
"Don't you dare mess with my mom like that! I'll fucking kill you!" You screamed, your throat aching from the volume.
As Tanjirou reawakened from his dream for the last time, he added. "My family would never say those things! No matter what!"
"Don't insult," You both shouted simultaneously.
"Me or my mom!" You finished.
"My family!" Tanjirou roared.
With that, you both slashed Enmu's neck in one fell swoop.
His bloodied, decapitated skull went flying, limply rolling on the train's roof.
You skidded to a stop next to Tanjirou, mentally preparing yourself for the upcoming battle. You knew the battle wasn't even close to over.
Enmu wasn't dead. Yet.
You hardened your glare as you faced Enmu, trying to appear as fearless and strong as you could—even despite your shaking limbs.
As expected, Enmu attached his separated head to the slimy, pink mutated flesh that sprouted from the train.
"That man told me to capture you, girl. Along with having to kill you, boy—along with the pillars, of course. Only now.. I truly understand how he felt."
Tanjirou's face immediately dropped—his cheeks having lost all remaining color.
"Somehow, I feel as if both of your very existences make me twitch in anger! Hey, earring boy, your expression is lovely! The fear and realization—it's perfect!"
Enmu then zeroed in on you.
"But you— you seem bored, nonchalant even. Ab, I was expecting a much more show-worthy reaction," He paused. "Hey, want me to tell you why I didn't die? Even though you slashed my neck? Fine! You see—"
You scoffed, unimpressed.
"Whatever. It's not your actual body, not your real head. While we were counting sheep, you—of course, bring the pussy you are— merged with the train."
"Trust me, asshole. Nobody gives a flying fuck about your 'devious' plan. Nobody gives a flying fuck if Kibubooty wants to capture me. Nobody gives a fuck that he wants 'earring boy' dead!"
You grasped your sword tightly. "And, come on! Nobody cares about your ego—that certainly needs to be fucking checked! Rot in hell, you bitch!"
Seemingly unfazed by your outburst, Tanjirou added confidently. "Well kill you before you can hurt anyone!"
"You've got quite the mouth, brat," Enmu started, his veins bulging with anger. "I'll make sure to rip off your tongue, then."
He then moved backwards. "Have fun protecting all the passengers, by yourselves." Enmu then merged into the train—melting away completely.
Releasing a sigh, you turned to Tanjirou, who'd already bursted into immediately action. "Let's go, we have to wake everyone up!"
As he sprinted toward the cabin, you released a groan. He had an accidental tendency of leaving you in the dust.
"Wait for me," You called, following him in suit.
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Word Count: 3045
(edited a/n: thanks for 10k votes!! <3)
sorry for late update + shorter chapter than usual today, i've been experiencing writers block and motivation issues !
i hope you all understand, and i promise i'll try and post regularly soon!
see ya in the next update !