Luminous (KNY X READER)

Thirty-Four

The door to your room slides open causing you to perk up, curiously turning your head towards it as you wonder who is visiting you so late at night. It's been hours since you've been put in a room all by yourself, given fresh bandages on both your eyes and your wrists, then left alone. Nobody has visited you until this moment which left you wondering if your friends were disappointed in you. If they hated you for being weak.

You push the thoughts away as you address whoever it is still standing at the door. "Hello? Who's there?"

"Is it really you?" The words come out in barely a whisper, making you tilt your head in confusion. "After all these years... have you finally come back to me?" He closes the door behind him as he steps further into the room. You remain silent as he walks closer to you, flinching only slightly when his calloused hands suddenly cup your cheeks. His thumbs brush against the bandages, eyes glossy as his heart practically breaks. "What happened to you?"

You breath hitches in your throat as you feel his hands travel towards the back of your head, dipping beneath your hair as his fingers begin to undo the bandages. "Wait!" You reach up, gripping his wrists tightly in fear.

"It's okay, (N/N)." The familiar nickname you haven't heard in years makes your heart stop, your eyes widening just as the bandages fall from your eyes.

"Nemi?" The name falls from your lips in a shaky whisper. Your hands reach towards his face this time, cupping his cheeks as you stare at him in disbelief. You can't really see him, but the blurry figure in front of you can't be mistaken for anyone else. You can easily make out his puffy white hair, the same as it was all those years ago when you last saw him.

Sanemi stares at you with unseen sadness, his gaze tracing over the scars littering your face. As your hands trace over his face, a frown pulls at your lips as your fingertips brush against the familiar feeling of destroyed skin. He remains silent as you run your fingers over his face, following the three scars as you gauge how large they are. The frown only grows as you realize that they span farther than expected, going past the middle of his face. With furrowed brows you begin to trace your hands lower, unexpectedly meeting the bare skin of his chest where you can feel even more scars marking him.

"What happened?" You question sadly, unbothered by the intimate gesture as you continue to rub at the scars on his muscular chest.

"I asked you first." His voice comes out a bit strained as he places his hands over yours to stop their wandering.

You lightly shake your head as you huff. "I don't know what happened to me. All I really remember is waking up somewhere different with someone who said he was a family friend, telling me that mom had to go somewhere else for a while. She never returned, and at some point he left and never came back either. I've been traveling since then and eventually decided to become a Demon Slayer."

Sanemi sighs, mentally debating with himself if he should tell you what he saw all those years ago. The destroyed room drenched in blood on the very same night his mother became a demon. Yet, as he looks as your already saddened face, he decides against it. If you don't remember, then that's fine, but he won't be the one to make you remember what happened that horrible night. In his opinion you're blessed to not know what happened. He wishes he could forget.

"My mother became a demon." Knowing this story will be difficult to tell, he wraps his arms around you before laying down, pulling you with him. You curl into him, resting your forehead against his bare chest as he rubs his hands across your back. "I went out to look for her one night when she hadn't returned yet. I discovered that she had been changed, and I tried my best to keep her away from the house but I couldn't. She killed all of my siblings that night except for myself and Genya. I had no choice but to kill her, otherwise she would've killed us as well."

"I'm sorry I wasn't there for you, Nemi." You wrap your arms around his waist, hugging him tightly. "I wish I could've been there to ease your pain. To help you through that. I hate that I was taken away from you and Genya, leaving the both of you alone in your time of need. But, we're together now, at least. I promise to be here for you from now on."

"You don't have to worry about me. As a Hashira, I should be the one protecting you." He pulls back slightly, forcing you to look up at him with your clouded eyes. "Why did you become a Demon Slayer? Why would you throw yourself into such a dangerous situation when you can't even see?"

"I became one to help Tanjiro and Nezuko." You fail to notice his fists clenching against your back, his jaw just as tight. "During my travels, I met Tanjiro. He took me to meet his family, and they took me in. I lived with them for a while and became a part of the family. One night while Tanjiro and I was away, his family was attacked by Kibutsuji. Everyone was killed except for Nezuko who unfortunately became a demon while protecting the youngest. Tanjiro and I didn't get there until morning, long after everyone had already died."

You pause, shifting a bit as you hold him a bit closer. "We tried to get Nezuko to a doctor since she was the only one still alive. We were only about halfway down the mountain when she woke up. Giyu showed up trying to kill her believing her to be the demon that killed her family, but he was proven wrong when Nezuko instead protected Tanjiro from him. That's when he decided to send us to his old trainer, Urokodaki, in order to be trained to become Demon Slayers."

A part of Sanemi is extremely annoyed that Tomioka would allow a demon to live. What gave him the right to make that decision? Another smaller part is annoyed at you calling the Water Hashira by his given name- just how close are you two? However, a small part of him is thankful. If it wasn't for Tomioka and Urokodaki putting their lives on the line, you would've been executed. So many people putting their lives on the line for a demon made Oyakata-Sama more willing to hear things out. To force them to give a counter argument that could outweigh the lives on the line.

Hearing your name during that meeting felt like being drenched in ice cold water. Realizing that he was fighting so hard for you of all people to be executed. The girl he once loved all those years ago. A childish crush, one that lasted longer than he would ever admit. A love that came back the moment he saw you again. And to think he almost lost you due to his own hatred and wrath towards demons. He was more than willing to have both Tanjiro and the demon girl killed, but your name had him faltering. He had to push everything away, pretend that he wasn't affected by your presence. Pretend that he was still all for the execution.

He's thankful for the demon girl rejecting him. If she had attacked, you would be dead right now rather than lying in his arms. He would be visiting a body in the morgue rather than your room. He would be touching a cold lifeless body rather than the warm very much alive one currently in his arms. He's not sure if he could handle that. Not after getting you back after believing you to be dead all these years.

Looking down, he finds you to be asleep against his chest, arms still tightly wrapped around him. A soft smile forms on his serene face as he leans down far enough to press a kiss against your forehead. "I've missed you, more than you'll ever know. I promise to protect you with my life, and to fight with everything in me to keep you by my side."

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🔆TAISHO SECRETS🔆

🔅Having you in his arms as he slept gave Sanemi the best nights sleep he's had in years

🔅Sanemi is glad you didn't ask about Genya as he knew you'd be upset with him for abandoning him

🔅Sanemi wishes he had tried searching for you all those years ago instead of just assuming you were dead

🔅Before leaving the village, Sanemi and Genya stopped by your home only to find a broken door and a room covered in blood. They were both incredibly heartbroken at the sight

🔅Sanemi doesn't want to leave your side ever again

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