𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐭, var!kny x reader

chapter 75

❝ when i look at my reflection in the mirror
i feel like i'm lost, stuck in the dark
wandering in the deep fog
i'm star lost. ❞

- star lost, stray kids.

[ thank you. ]

━。゜✿ฺ✿ฺ゜。━

Y/N's eye widen completely as Tanjiro's arm regenerated on its own, about to take a swipe at the Kakushi on his left.

Thinking on their feet, the h/c haired grabbed Giyuu and shoved the Kakushi out of the way with their body, quick enough just for him to miss by an inch.

Y/N fell to the floor with the weight of Giyuu's body, and quick leaned him against the wall of the building they had fallen in front of.

"Rest well, Giyuu," Y/N murmured as they caressed his black hair, biting their lip hard enough the skin broke just to not to cry, "You're somewhere better now, and it won't be long before I join you."

"Huh? Wha...? What?! Tanjiro? Why?"

Y/N looked back to see Tanjiro, in all his demonic glory - saliva dropping from his fanged mouth, red eyes slitted exactly as Muzan's once was, and hands with claws as sharp as nails.

"GET BACK!!" Y/N yelled as they began to run back towards them.

Just as he was about to attack the Kakushi, he yelled out in pain, using his arms to shield him from the sun.

Picking up their sword on the way as Tanjiro fell to the ground, screaming in pain - which, in their heart, hurt just as much as the death of their loved ones - and moved in front of the Kakushi, "MOVE! GET AWAY FROM HIM, DON'T BE SO IDIOTIC!"

"But Tanjiro is—"

"I KNOW!" Y/N let out in a growl, voice hoarse and scratchy from all the yelling, all the crying, all the fighting. From everything today, "ANYONE WHO CAN STILL FIGHT... GRAB A WEAPON AND FORM UP!! TANJIRO HAS BECOME A DEMON! WE HAVE TO KEEP HIM UNDER THE SUN AND BURN HIM TO DEATH! KILL TANJIRO BEFORE HE KILLS ANYONE!!"

Keeping their e/c eyes on him, just as he stood up, Y/N forced their sword forward - against all the cells in their body telling them no, don't do it, against their own pain, ringing in their heart like a symphony of ravens - and piercing Tanjiro in the back, pushing him into the grounds.

'Please... Tanjiro...' Y/N felt tears spill from their eyes once more, gritting their teeth together, 'Please, not you too, I need you... I can't let you live like this...'

The sound of burning flesh stopped, and Y/N couldn't believe their eyes... The sun... stopping burning Tanjiro.

With a shove that almost seemed too gentle to come from a demon, Y/N was shoved back with a hit to the head just as Inosuke came in, stopping the second attack that Tanjiro was about to throw at them.

"WHAT'RE YOU DOING?!

The world spun, vision swirling.

'Get... up.'

"Get up, my child..." Tsukuyomi's voice whispered, "He needs you, and it's time you fulfil what you were always born to do."

With that, Y/N blinked away the dizziness - whether that was from the hit to the head, or the blood-loss, or both, it didn't matter.

"This is the person who saved you and your sister! THEY'RE OUR ALLY!"

The image in front of them would haunt them, the way Tanjiro was crouched, a hand covering the lower part of his face, eyes glaring with hunger, hatred, resentment.  The snarls that resembled a wild animal, hungry for blood. For flesh.

Tanjiro lunged at Inosuke, who looked as if he were about to cut through Tanjiro's neck... only to stop a small bit away, unable to follow through with his promise.

Y/N moved, blade long forgotten. The only thought going through their head was to protect Inosuke. Protect Tanjiro from killing anyone. You were always going to die, it's not his fault.

"Y/N!" They heard Inosuke yell - one of the only times he spoke their real name. And for a moment, they let the relief fill their body, knowing he wasn't hurt.

They held tightly onto the new Demon King's body, their only arm wrung around his neck and forcing his head into their shoulder. They never once let go, even as they felt sharp canines pierce their flesh, the trickling feeling of blood dripping down onto the floor. A push against them made their eyes look up into the soft humanised hues of pink that belonged to Nezuko and smiled, letting their head fall onto her own forehead in comfort, as they couldn't hold her. Tears gathering in both of their orbs, slipping down their cheeks like a waterfall cascading.

"My dear brother, I'm so sorry..." Nezuko could only yell, her voice pained and strained; face wet from tears, and red from overexertion . "I'm sorry I didn't understand for so long. I put everything on your shoulders. Why is it you who always as to suffer? Why do kind people who struggle everyday get trampled over and over?"

"It's frustrating, but don't give in! It's almost over, so don't turn into a demon...  Let's go home. Let's go back home."

Y/N felt Nezuko grab onto the both of them tighter, her fist bunching up the back of Y/N's ripped and bloodied haori.

"It'll be over soon, my darlings."

Just as Y/N spoke those words, the sound of flesh ripping was heard first, then the exploding, unbearable pain erupting from their torso.

They let out a shaky breath, and dared to look down.

A bone spine-like flail had impaled them straight through their back, coming out of their stomach. Straight through the same scar that had once been made by their friend, months ago.

With glaringly determined e/c irises, Y/N pushed forward, driving the flail even further and hugged Tanjiro even tighter as Nezuko sobbed even harder. Only to force Tanjiro into a slight chokehold to hold him still with the last bit of their strength as he continued to snarl, saliva dripping from his mouth like a rabid animal.

Y/N only let Nezuko's head fall onto their shoulder. Their blue haori beginning to soak from the tears - as if it hadn't been soaked enough form the blood anyway - and snot.

"Shush..." Y/N whispered gently to the Kamado siblings, wishing for this to be all over. "It'll be over soon, you will be okay. You've been strong enough, now lean on me and I will protect you both."