Am I Home? (Demon Slayer x Fem!Reader)

Chapter 8: A New Challenge

The days after followed the same routine.

You never bothered to look at the corner of your room anymore. Sleep came and went, some night worse than others as nightmares plagued you. Times you had breakfast in the mornings after a nightmare were hard on you. You had to ensure the girls of the Butterfly Estate that you were ok and that you'll get better rest the following night.

Then it was on right to recovery training. You were plowing through Aoi faster as the days passed. Getting closer to beating Tsuyuri at the tea game.

By no means was it boring. Being able to be active after so many weeks on bedrest was great. You could feel how your body was getting stronger. All the exercise was keeping your mind occupied from the lump of clothes in the corner of your room.

There would be days that you would find yourself sitting on the engawa* drinking some tea with Tsuyuri. It was on those days that you could find yourself either fully relaxed in the atmosphere you and Tsuyuri created. Or you would have to briskly blink the tears from your eyes as you stared holes into the wall, your mind spiraling back to the nightmare and pain of how you got here in the first place.

Your thoughts would always go back and forth. How were sucked into the manga? Was there any way to go back? Continually you had to remind yourself that you were getting stronger. That this was the best way to help you find a way back home. Sometimes you had to physically shake your head to rid yourself of those thoughts, right now, you just had to survive. Tsuyuri would then give you a look at your actions. Her brows would furrow minutely, her hand moving to the coin in her pocket, but you were fast enough to wave her questioning glance off. Opting to tell her it was nothing that she should worry about before going back to the tea in your hands.

Then, one morning, you woke up feeling the best you ever had since entering the world. There was no soreness that you could feel on your body, and you didn't have a nightmare that night. Sparing a glance to the corner of your room for the first time in a while, you bounded out for some breakfast before training started for the day.

Naho, Kiyo and Sumi perked at the sight of your well rested demeanor. Aoi even spared you a smile as the six of you ate. Tsuyuri was quiet as usual, only nodding her head in greeting as you entered the room. 

The food was the same as always, and made you miss the simple meals you would have with your family, but you didn't have any of those thoughts today. No, you were buzzing with some sort of energy as you ate. 

It didn't take long for you and the rest of the girls to finish, moving quickly to the training room to go through the stretches. No thoughts of the days before in your head, only words of encouragement. This was the day, you could feel it in your bones. You let out a determined breath as you deepened your stretch with the girls. Their own words supporting you through it all.

After a warm up with Aoi (succeeding in stopping her from getting you wet with tea,) Tsuyuri sat across from you.

You let the smile drop from your face as the two of you stared each other down. Not even letting yourself blink, you watched as her hand stretched out to the cup right in front of you. Quicker than you thought, you moved before Tsuyuri could breath.

Her eyes were wide, feeling the cool liquid of the tea seeping into her hair as she watched your straight face morph into an elated expression. The sparkle in your eyes was stronger than ever as you tried your best not to cheer for your own progress.

Wiping the tea from her hair, you followed Tsuyuri to the mats for the final part of the training. It was at this moment that you calmed your heart rate. Getting too excited would be your downfall. You were suddenly pulled into your memories of back home, when you would be either playing a game with your siblings or a sport with your friends and teammates. Any time you had gotten cocky with even the slightest success, something would always knock you down from that pedestal.