(Check out this awesome redraw of Reader chan and Tanjiro doing the Barbie movie meme. This was drawn by Moon The Wolf on Quotev and she did a waaayy better job than me.)
Rengoku quickly turns around with a baffled expression on his face. Tanjiro and Inosuke are also looking at you with their eyes comedically widened. Even though you can't feel your arms due to Akaza's weight, you are beaming with pride that you managed to send Akaza flying away from your future husband. Not to mention you also avoided Rengoku's eye from being crushed.
"That was very reckless of you, young (L/N)!" Rengoku scolded.
Your body deflates as your cheeks burn red from embarrassment. "I know...I could've hit you when I spun Akaza around...I'm sorry..." You apologized.
Rengoku's face softens at you. "But nice job. I admit I was in trouble and you saved me. So thank you. I'm in your debt." He smiles.
Your blush deepened when hearing his praise. Your smile also returns.
"As expected from my strongest underling!" Inosuke praised.
"I knew you'll help Rengoku san eventually." Tanjiro smiled. But he quickly loses it when the foul stench is returning fast. A couple of tree branches break and some of them land in front of the group. "Rengoku san!" Tanjiro exclaimed.
Akaza jumps out from the woods and lands a decent distance from Rengoku. His face is fully healed from the impalement from your blade. You expected him to be angry, but instead he looks amused.
"You really got the jump on me, Little Slayer. I didn't sense your battle spirit at all. But you still have a long way to go if you want to have a chance to beat an Upper Moon. That can only happen if you become a demon. After all, I bet that's why Lord Muzan wants you. I can see why Kyojuro thinks you're special." Akaza smiles.
Rengoku immediately steps in front of you, not liking how Akaza is looking at you.
"Spare me your compliments! Like I said before, Rengoku is not dying today!" You sneered at him.
"He won't...unless he agrees to become a demon." Akaza replied.
"Never!" Rengoku shouted. Akaza playfully shrugs his shoulders before dashes towards him. Rengoku also runs towards the demon with his sword raised. "Third Form: Blazing Universe!" He aims his blade upwards at Akaza. The demon's grin widened as he dodges it. Rengoku changes his stance and swings his sword around in a different direction. "Fourth Form: Blooming Flame Undulation!"
Akaza jumps back and takes on a different battle stand. "Destructive Death..."
"Fifth Form: Flaming Tiger!"
You imagine a fiery tiger running up to Akaza.
"Disorder!" He takes off running towards Rengoku with his fist raised. "Come at me...Kyojuro!"
He throws a punch at him, which Rengoku ducks down. Rengoku aims his blade for the neck making Akaza jump back in the cloud of dust. No one can see where Akaza is hiding.
"No way! Is that it?! Did he win?!" Inosuke shouted.
The dust clears to show Akaza already grew out a new arm to replace the one he lost. Rengoku is panting rather heavily from the shattered ribs he has suffered. Blood drips from his mouth and onto the ground. Your eyes widen when you see his hand struggling to grip his sword.
"Don't tell me it's over. I won't have you die on me. Don't you see that fighting to death in that frail human body will never measure up to mine? Those impressive attacks that you inflicted upon me have already healed completely. Not even Little Slayer can delay your death when she threw me back. You, on the other hand, have shattered ribs and damage to the internal organs all irreparable. If you were a demon, you'd heal in the blink of an eye, and those wounds would be but mere scratches. In the end, a human can never surpass a demon." Akaza ranted.
You gritted your teeth in anger. It took every ounce of strength not to attack him. Since he's here to not only kill Tanjiro, but he's here to abduct you too, then you have to stay behind Rengoku for now. If you were to attack him, he'll simply overpower you and snatch you right up. Rengoku would live, but you'll be fucked.
"Come on, Sun. We need your light." You softly prayed.
A burning aura surrounds you all as Rengoku grips the hilt of his sword. You gasped at how warm and welcoming his flames felt. Even Akaza is in awe of his battle spirit.
"So this is how it is, then." Akaza gasped.
"I..." Rengoku lifted his sword up and took a battle stand. "I will see my duty fulfilled! No matter what it takes, no one shall die here!"
Rengoku smiles at the demon as he sets his heart ablaze. Akaza looks like he's having an orgasm from the way his body shudders from Rengoku's aura.
"What an impressive fighting spirit. To press on, despite your bodily injuries! That brilliant strength of mind! And that ironclad stance!" Akaza begins to laugh. "Now you have to become a demon! Just imagine! We'd be able to fight each other for the rest of eternity!"
Set your heart ablaze. Overcome your limits, Rengoku thought.
"I am the Flame Hashira, Rengoku Kyojuro! Ninth Form: Rengoku!"
"Destructive Death: Annihilation Type!"
This is it! I have to do this now!
Both enemies...no...both warriors ran towards each other and clashed. The impact made a loud explosion of dust and dirt, obscuring Tanjiro's vision.
"Rengoku san!" Tanjiro cries out.
Rengoku slices Akaza's right arm in half while the demon laughs. He then aims at Akaza's neck, but Akaza pushes the blade away. The blade cuts him down and Rengoku pulls his sword away. He was about to go for another thrust at the demon when he felt something around his abdomen.
The smoke is clearing leaving Tanjiro shaking in anticipation. Rengoku san. Where is he, Tanjiro wonders. Rengoku's figure is now visible to him. There. Tanjiro squints his eyes to see that Rengoku looks shocked and devastated. Why do I smell self loathing coming from, he ponders.
His questions are soon answered when the smoke finally clears up. What he saw devastates him to his core. In front of Tanjiro, is Rengoku with his sword raised up and your chains wrapped securely in his abdomen. The Flame Hashira has his eyes widened to see you taking the killing blow for him. Akaza's fist is now inside you as blood comes out from your mouth. His fist didn't go through your body like it did with Rengoku in the original story. Akaza realized too late that you jumped in to take the hit. But he wasn't too late from stopping himself from going all the way through.
"AAAAHHHHHH! AHHHHHHHH!" Tanjiro screams in anguish. Tears are rolling down his eyes seeing you dying at the literal hands of a demon.
You did it! You actually did it! You saved Rengoku! The story has successfully changed for the better....Albeit at the cost of your life. And the sanity of your friends and your crush. Speaking of sanity, Akaza looks like he's about to have a mental breakdown.
"N-N-No...I-I....eeugggh...aaaahhh..." Akaza trembles to speak. He doesn't know what to do. Does he pull his arm out so that a woman's blood stops staining his hand? Or does he leave his fist in to stop you from bleeding out?
But there's one more thing that shook him at his core. Instead of seeing you, your face begins to change. Akaza sees a beautiful girl with black hair tied into an elegant bun with a snowflake pin on it. Like you, she also has blood running down her mouth and chin. He has never seen this girl before, yet she looks so familiar.
"(Mispronounced name)...You can't die..." Inosuke gasped. Like Tanjiro, tears are rolling down his eyes. Stop crying, you baby! A true warrior doesn't cry, he thought. But Inosuke remembers your smile. He remembers how you taught him your sacred language. He remembers you teaching him your special dance moves. "You're not allowed to die on me! As your master, I order you to live!" Inosuke cries.
Mother...I have failed you...I couldn't protect everyone. I'm so sorry, Rengoku apologized.
"Y-You have to become a demon now! Say you'll become a demon! If you do, you'll live! Become a demon...please." Akaza pleaded.
You slowly bring your hand over to Akaza's arm. Great Gods this hurts like hell! With every breath you're trying to take, you could only feel the heat of your blood drowning your lungs. He doesn't feel the small pinch of the needle from the syringe you stab him with. You softly grip his arm as you coughed out more blood.
"I'm...sorry...Hakuji..." You softly apologized. You have doubts that he heard you say his real name since you could only whisper it. Then you suddenly gripped his arm with your other hand as hard as you could. You turn your head around to face the three Demon Slayers. "Everyone! CUT HIS FUCKING HEAD OFF! CUT IT OFF NOW!" You screamed.
Rengoku, Inosuke, and Tanjiro looked stunned for like half a second. Then they quickly shook off the thought of you dying and replaced it with determination to kill a demon. All three drew out their swords and ran for Akaza. Rengoku got to you first with his sword raised up. His fiery passion courses from his heart onto his veins.
"Flame Breathing-"
Akaza interrupts him by punching out a shockwave which unfortunately blasted Rengoku away. He also takes down Tanjiro and Inosuke as he was flying away. You gritted your teeth in pain as you tried to turn your head around to face them. Akaza firmly, but gently grabs your chin to make you face him. His golden orbs tremble with guilt and fear.
"You're going to die if you don't become a demon. Do you understand? Your wound will heal once you become one of us." Akaza stated.
"I....Cough...Cough...will not!...I...refuse to be a monster like you..." You rejected.
"Get away from her!" Tanjiro shouted. He quickly gets back on his feet and runs towards you two. He takes a giant leap while holding his sword up high.
"Stay outta this!" Akaza yells. He once again punched a shockwave at him. Tanjiro gasped when he felt some of his ribs break. He struggles to get back up as he's coughing out blood.
Your eyes widen upon seeing that. What the..? That never happened in the original story. Did I make things worse? "Tanjiro..." You moaned.
"Say you're gonna become a demon! Just say it!" Akaza pleads with you again. "I refuse to let you die, you hear me! You can't die-" He suddenly stops himself from yelling at you. From behind you he can see the once dark sky is becoming lighter. A few rays of light shine through the gray clouds. This could only mean one thing. Aw crap! The sun is coming out! I need to find shelter quickly, Akaza panicked.
You know what's happening. You can feel the warmth of the sun and not to mention Akaza suddenly being scared shitless. He tried to pull his arm out of you, making you cry out in agony. Hearing you cry, stunted him for a bit. Putting all of your remaining strength in your arms and hands, you gripped his arm tighter than ever. I know this is pointless...but it's worth a shot...
"You're not getting away!" Rengoku screams. He suddenly appears next to you and plunges his sword down on Akaza's neck. Akaza gasped at Rengoku's newfound strength. He tries to throw a punch at the Hashira, but he quickly blocks it with his other hand. Rengoku looks like an untamable beast trying to kill his prey. "You'll pay for harming my Tsuguko!" Rengoku rages.
On any other day, you would've cheered and kissed his feet. But at least he acknowledged you and knowing that, you feel you can die peacefully.
The two of them struggle for what seems like hours. Rengoku trying to cut off Akaza's head and Akaza pushing Rengoku's arm back. You hear a couple of footsteps running behind you. Tanjiro and Inosuke are running towards Akaza with their swords drawn. This is their second attempt to cut his head off.
"Don't worry, Underling! Lord Inosuke will save you!" He cries out. "Beast Breathing, Fang One: Pierce!"
Before any of those two blades manage to get contact with his neck, Akaza forcefully rips his arm out and begins to run towards the woods. Rengoku tries to go after him, but he too begins to cough out blood. All his broken ribs and damage to his internal organs are catching up to him. He tries to ignore the pain, he really did. But his body gave out and he collapsed on his knees.
You also collapsed due to not having Akaza who was keeping you steady. Before your back makes contact with the grass, you feel somebody catching your body. You look up to see it was Inosuke who has you in his arms and has your head laying on his broad chest. His entire body trembles as he can feel your heart and breathing slowing down with each second. If it weren't for the mask, you'll be able to see tears and shots running down his face.
"You're so....warm....Inosuke." You stated.
Inosuke pressed your body up against his ever so gently. "Maybe my warmth can save you." He cries.
Tanjiro's blood boils in ungodly rage. He hasn't felt such rage since the night he met Muzan in Tokyo. Not even Enmu got him this angry. He ran towards the woods and took a deep breath. With all of his remaining strength, he throws his sword straight at Akaza's chest.
"DON'T RUN AWAY! I'M NOT DONE WITH YOU, COWARD! TURN AND FACE ME! FACE ME! YOU MOTHER FUCKER! FUCKER! BITCH BOY! YOU FUCKER SIMP!" Tanjiro screamed.
This brought a smile to your face that you managed to get Tanjiro to curse in broken English. I'm glad I can hear him speak English before I die.
Akaza on the other hand isn't smiling like you. Hearing Tanjiro call him a coward triggered something in him. What the hell are you babbling, kid? Don't you have a brain inside that head of yours? I'm not running away from you! I'm running from the sun! This is all your fault! If you had died, then both Kyojuro and the girl would've been in my grasp, he raged.
"DON'T FORGET THAT THE DEMON SLAYER CORPS IS ALWAYS FIGHTING YOU DEMONS IN THE DEAD OF NIGHT, WHERE YOU HAVE THE ADVANTAGE! WE'RE NOT LIKE YOU AT ALL! WE DON'T REGENERATE AS FAST, AND WHEN WE LOSE A LIMP, IT'S GONE FOR GOOD! DON'T RUN AWAY, YOU FUCKER! YOU'RE A COWARD! A FUCKING COWARD! RENGOKU SAN AND (Y/N) CHAN ARE STRONGER THAN YOU'LL EVER HOPE TO BE! MUCH STRONGER! YOU DIDN'T WIN AGAINST THEM! THEY KEPT EVERYONE SAFE! RENGOKU SAN FOUGHT YOU TO THE VERY END AND (Y/N) CHAN PROTECTED RENGOKU SAN FROM YOU SO THAT NO ONE WOULD DIE! YOU'RE THE ONE WHO LOST! THEY WON! RENGOKU SAN AND (Y/N) CHAN ARE THE TRUE VICTORS!" Tanjiro ranted. More tears rolled down his eyes as he sank to his knees. He felt he let everything out. "AAAAAHHHHHHH!" Now he let everything out.
"There, there, Tanjiro. If you keep screaming you'll lose your voice." You softly spoke.
Tanjiro turns around to see you smiling weakly at him. Your eyes are half lidden as you struggle to stay awake. (Y/N) chan!" Tanjiro exclaimed. He runs over and slides next to you. He gently takes your body from Inosuke and has you in his arms. He tightly embraces you as his tears fall on your face. "I got you." He whispered.
Inosuke didn't mind that he's no longer holding you since you and Tanjiro have the strongest bond aside from Nezuko. But still, he couldn't help but to grit his teeth in frustration that he's not the one comforting you.
"Thank you...for keeping me warm...Lord Inosuke... You're a kind...master." You rasped while smiling.
"Don't die...(Mispronounced name)...Please don't die! I won't allow it! You're going to live! Do you understand me?! You're going to live...(Y/N)!" He sobs.
"Inosuke, you got my name right!" You gasped. He doesn't respond. He instead sinks down to his knees and begins to sob uncontrollably. That's weird. Inosuke may have shed some tears when Rengoku died. So why is he falling apart for me? I'm not worthy of his tears.
"Inosuke's right, (Y/N) chan. You're not going to die, you hear me! YOU CAN'T DIE! YOU PROMISED ME YOU'LL TELL ME EVERYTHING ABOUT YOURSELF! YOU PROMISED WE'LL DEFEAT DEMONS TOGETHER! WE PROMISED UROKODAIK WE'LL NEVER BE SEPARATED FROM EACH OTHER! AND WHAT ABOUT YOUR PROMISE TO YOU BROTHER?! HUH!? HOW ARE YOU GOING TO SAVE LEO IF YOU'RE DEAD!? THAT'S WHY YOU CAN'T DIE! YOU CAN'T LEAVE THIS WORLD WITHOUT FULFILLING YOUR PROMISES!" Tanjiro wails.
Your eyes widened a bit upon hearing Leo's name. You were so busy focusing on saving Rengoku's life that you completely disregarded the fact that you might get killed in the process. Now you're leaving Leo all alone in this world. He's forever a prisoner in Douma's grasp. Tears begin to build up in your (e/c) eyes.
Leo...I'm so sorry, baby. I'm sorry that I couldn't rescue you. I'm sorry that you never got to meet Bethany because of me. I've done nothing but to cause you to suffer. I truly am the worst older sister in the world. I can't do anything right.
The tears are now free falling from your face as you stretch your arm out to Tanjiro. He clasps your hand with his as he stares at you. "I can feel myself fading. So let me tell you about myself. I am selfish. I'm the most selfish person in the world."
"No you're not! Stop saying such terrible lies about yourself!"
"But I am. You'll understand once you hear my request from you."
"Having a request isn't selfish! You're one of the kindest people I have ever met!"
"I know I made lots of promises to you and with you. But I know I won't be able to keep any of them, I'm still going to make my request. How selfish is that? I didn't keep my promise to you and I have the audacity to ask for a favor from you. See? I'm really selfish."
Tanjiro's entire body violently trembled while shaking his head at you. "I-I...what is your request?"
"Save my brother, Leo. Once you find him, protect him until there's a cure to turn demons back into a human. Promise me that."
"I promise, (Y/N) chan. I promise I'll be by your side the day we save him."
"That's not what I...Thank you, Tanjiro." You smiled. You turn to face Rengoku who is standing a few feet in front of you. His magma eyes looked to be devoid of any life, his radiant smile is long gone, and his beautiful aura is a musky gray color. Rengoku's flame has been extinguished. He's been staring at the trio with his mouth gape open the entire time. "Hey...you've been uncharacteristically quiet, Rengoku san. Please say something." You begged.
"I...I don't think...I..." Rengoku looks down at the grass, avoiding eye contact with you. Then his eyes harden as he curls his hands into fists. "Why did you do that, (L/N) chan? As a Hashira, it's my duty to be killed before my juniors. You're still young and have so much potential. It pains me to see a beautiful flower about to wilt before it could fully bloom. I'm sorry I was so weak that you felt like protecting me. I'm a failure of a Hashira. And I'm a failure of a son. I hope you're able to forgive me." Rengoku apologized.
"You have nothing to apologize for. I didn't protect you because I think you're weak. I protected you because you're strong. You are an inspiration to us, Demon Slayers. We need your kindling flame to burn through the darkness and despair. Your presence alone can bring comfort to anyone. The Demon Slayer Corps needs you more than ever. So don't you feel bad about what is happening to me because I'll do it all over again." You assured him.
The sun has fully come out and the rays bathed you with it. Akaza's arm starts to disintegrate, which makes you bleed out more since there's nothing to keep the pressure on. Your vision starts to blur from the blood lost and the
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