[[[ ily guys and all your comments. Thank you to everyone that supports this book, and I hope that the upcoming finale will be satisfactory to you all. I spent a lot of time trying to find an ending that is both realistic, and tolerable. If it is not to your standard, please understand that this book was especially hard to write due to all of the angst :'>]]

The next day

It's Saturday. Now, normally on Saturday, things would be going very smoothly. You could've been watching tv or doing something that doesn't induce tons of unnecessary stress.

But today, shit is going to hit the fan.

You dragged yourself out of bed, took a long shower, and decided to throw some clothes on and head straight to the place that he would be in. For once, you could afford to swallow your pride and ask for help—maybe even benefit from it.

As you walked, your world was heavy with complete silence. This time, you even lacked sorrow, or remorse. If anything, you could've felt regret. But you still didn't know if you'd even done anything to warrant this...entire fiasco.

After alll that you'd been through, and the things you put yourself through afterward, you still wound up feeling lost again.

Caught in a downward spiral in your mind, wondering why would she do this..

And as if to turn a full 180, a little burst of hope fluttered in your gut when you heard the indication that you were close to your target. The sound of a whistle being blown, and murmurs of approval among students.

With them, Tanjiro climbed out of the pool and shook out his sopping maroon locks—completely reminiscent of the last time you were here.

"Incredible time improvement, Kamado." The coach praised him "even your form looks better"

Tanjiro smiles lightheartedly at the compliment "Finally."

He then sighed and you could hear how tired he was by his voice

"You've been practicing hard lately. Why don't you all take a 15 minute break?" The coach offered

The group agreed quickly and laid out on the pool chairs by the fence to relax, opening up an opportunity to talk to him.

You swallowed hard and  approached the fence.

Here goes nothing

Tanjiro was sitting with his back to the bars of the fence, a short distance away from the rest of the team.

"....hey." You whisper, wrapping your hands around the fencing

He jolts up quickly  "—AH!"

You flinched at his response and he immediately looked apologetic

Despite the fact that you were waiting for him to say something, he didn't outwardly apologize. In fact, his expression changed to one of thinly veiled frustration.

"Why are you here?" Tanjiro asked

Stunned into silence, you raised your thumb to your lips and began to nibble at the nail for a moment. Why is he angry? Is this a bad dream?

Tanjiro gave a sharp sigh and turned away

"Wait!" You piped up

He side eyed you over his shoulder

"It's about Mako..." you mumble

Reluctantly, Tanjiro turned to face you again. His disposition remained stiff, as if he were holding back a lot of emotions.

"Don't say anything." Tanjiro huffed

You raise your eyebrows at him in shock "why??"

"Just please don't. I can't deal with this anymore."

You watched his fists clench at his sides. He seems to be having a really hard time—his calm persona is already slipping, and it's only been one minute with you.

"What??" A chill runs down your spine

He shook his head and looked down at his feet

"Tanjiro, what is this about?? You said you would help me, " Your grip tightens on the fence "YOU PROMISED."

He refused to look at you

"Tanjiro?" You rush forward, but are unable to do anything on the other side of the fence "Tanjiro, just give me another chance—I swear by everyone that I will make things right this time!"

Those words seemed to be the last straw

"Stop talking."

His words hit you with so much weight, you froze.

Your eyes locked on him, and your throat tightened with anxiety. You watched as he massaged his temple with both hands in a circular motion, as if to the cog wheels turning in his brain again.

"Even after everything that's happened, I still try to think of what you want." He muttered

You inhale to speak, but he cuts you off

"I try to do everything that I can to help you, but then you go off on your own, tell me to leave you alone and now you're back?!"

It's not true! I never left

I wanted you to be with me. All I wanted was for someone to be there...

Was what you wanted to say, but you knew it wasn't true, and the guilty look on your face gave it all away the minute Tanjiro spotted you approaching the fence. You didn't care about him.

Tanjiro is in so much pain..and I did this to him.

Now pressing as closely as you could to the cold metal between you and Tanjiro, your only option left was to persuade him "But—remember what you said? Back in the beginning of the year?" I need you. I can't do it alone."

Unconvinced, Tanjiro folded his arms over his chest
"...how can I trust those words? How do I know you aren't lying?"

"...I think—no, I know, that you've been using me. I suppose it was my fault for assuming that I could get closer to you this way." He sighed

There's only one method you have left

Dropping to your knees, you clasped your hands together, making an almost embarrassing display of remorse for all to see

"I can't prove myself unless you give me the chance. So please."

Tanjiro stared down at you in bewilderment. And for a moment you thought the maybe he would consider helping you. That he'd pack up everything and run out of class right now, and the two of you would go on to fix everything together. At least for a second everything felt like it would be alright.

"No." He stated flatly, turning away "goodbye, (Y/n)."

Helplessly, you watched as the red-haired boy tread back to the edge of the pool, and lined up with the rest of his class as if nothing had happened. As if you were never even there. 

After trekking tirelessly into the woods adjacent to your house, you crouched in the familiar hiding place between the bushes around this abandoned building. 

Aside from just looking old, the building looked like it had been ravaged by stragglers who stole wooden planks and the unforgiving weather that stripped away faded paint

As far as you knew, no one had ever lived there, at least not in your life time.

When what felt like at least 10 minutes had passed, you made your swift decent upon the front porch and knocked on the door. There's no point in sneaking around anymore, if it's just Makomo there now. You remind yourself that this is what she wanted; for you to chase her.

A moment and a half passes, of just complete silence. Blood is rushing in your ears like they're full of water. 

A pale face peers out at you through a dime-sized crack between the door and the frame. It's her.

This is it. It's all over. We are all going to go home, and feel safe again.

Why am I shaking?