Reminders

"Master of the Mansion お館様"

Gravel bit into the side of his cheek, forcing Tanjirou to arise from a restless slumber. His heavy eyes pried open only to see a blurred image of pebbles that lay beneath him. Cold air forced its way into his heavy lungs, making it harder to breathe. His jaw ached painfully with a small groan escaping between his teeth. 

By moving, Tanjirou found himself retrained by harsh rope. They tugged and inched at his already sensitive skin.

"(Y-y/n)... Nezuko?" The words breathlessly slipped through in his foggy state.

"He still cares for that Demon knowing what they are? How flamboyant." The loud unfamiliar voice forced his vision to clear. He shot up, glancing in every direction for a single sign.

Nine people all turned to look at him. An older woman stepped forward, holding out a glass of water. "Be careful, your jaw is still injured." A warm smile tugged on the edges of her lips.

The woman shifted around, letting Tanjirou catch a small glimpse of your unconscious form.

You lay on your back, haori stripped and well defenseless. She carefully picked you up and let the water glide into your mouth.

He scooted closer, barely able to move due to the constraints. Tanjirou leaned over your motionless body, barely able to make a decent threat to stay away.

The woman leaned back with a slight hint of concern. "It's alright. I'm not going to do anything rash to them." His Rosewood eyes scanned her carefully before allowing her to continue.

"Now that's taken care of! We can get to your trial!" One of them blurted, loudly. "You're on trial Due to you having violated demon slayer corps; Traveling and concealing two demons."

Tanjirou's heart sank into his stomach. Violence ran rampant through his head. Only you and Nezuko remained.

His heart slowed yet his blood ran twice the speed, shooting through every limb.

"Stop talking about them like that! They aren't some trash or objects!" Everyone gave him a look, one of distaste and hate. He leaned over your body as if to protect it, not as he could do much.

Being this close, he noticed the burning red crawling along the exposed skin, blistering and flaking. Almost as if hives crawled along your neck.

"You mean these demons...?" Before Tanjirou could question anything, you were taken from beneath him. Held by your ankle and thrown about like a used rag.

His surging blood heated to a boil, spreading throughout his limbs like a raging wildfire.

In a heartbeat, a sword sliced through Nezuko's box, and the male dropped you onto the cold rock.

"You're deluded!" He grabbed a lock of your hair, raising to press your paled cheek against his. Tanjirou struggled against the bound ropes. Seconds ticked by until they loosened.

He still couldn't get them off by the time the Male's sword rose from its sheath once more. This time, slicing down your cheek.

"I said stop it!" Tanjirou's arms and legs moved before he even knew what was happening. The ropes tightened against his skin forcing his thoughts into action.

Before the male could move, Tanjirou's forehead collided forcibly with his. Blood splattered across his white hair and scares. The force alone knocked him over.

"Cease this, Master will be here soon." Veins popped out of the male's neck while his eyes grew dark with anger. He raised the sword, never taking his eyes off Tanjirou who leaned over your unconscious form.

A sharp bell reverberated through the air. All Nine people moved in a line on their knees. Another male pinned Tanjirou to the ground while forcing you to sit on your knees.

It grew ghost quiet, nothing but the soft rhythmic birds calling out to another sounded against the soft grass.

Soft footfalls against wood signaled a person walking in. Two others followed. A man, rather young, with short hair smiled softly at a distant sky.

White eyes scanned over nothing. "Tell me, how beautiful is the sky today?" His voice was soft and firm, something of an older brother to a younger sibling.

A young white-haired female soon joined in to respond. "It's a clear day with no clouds. A slight breeze."

"That's nice to hear, it's also nice to see my children today." Those snow-white eyes slowly gazed over each person, stopping to study before moving on. The male took a seat by the sunlight edge and his hands folded neatly in his lap.

"It's simply been too long. Now I've called you here to accept the fact I have decided to sanction the situation with Tanjirou and Nezuko and the descendant."

The group before him flew into an uproar. Spilling out insults based on sparse judgments.

The male chuckled harshly. His hardened hand grabbed your cheek, forcing you to the floor. "How can you let such an abomination live? They're a key to putting him in his place."

"... Tell me, would you say such a thing to me? A distant descendant of the very same demon?" The male grew quiet while glancing at the colored stones beneath him.

"Just because they're a direct descendant does not mean they're our enemy. They have killed their own kind for the sake of another." The silence grew heavy.

"You, Sanemi, will leave them be. They've suffered enough."

His hand clenched the stones. Words bubbled up in his chest but he forced a different set-out. "As you wish, Master."

"Please listen! Nezuko has never hurt a human ever! (y/n) either, leave them be! Please!" Tanjirou's voice fell upon deaf ears. No one except the master even looked in his direction.

"Yes, young one, allow me to show you." One of the girls read aloud a message from Urokodaki, vowing that he, Tanjirou, and Giyū will all commit seppuku if anything happened.

"On the other hand, (y/n) has shown promising efforts to resist the urges Muzan constantly pushes on them. Although limited contact since they were young, it seems Muzan has no control over them or Nezuko."

A rebuttal echoed amongst the crowd, forcing Tanjirou's stomach to drop.

"Sir forgive me for interrupting you once again but I cannot allow these demons to live. There isn't any proof that they won't hurt anyone." Sanemi's gaze flickered towards the box with his dominant hand twitching.

Sanemi grabbed Nezuko's box and you then threw them into the shade of the master's house. You tumbled a bit before landing on your side. Your blood staining the wood floor.

The green blade slid across the fleshy skin of his forearm, oozing out his goopy blood. It gathered into a stream, falling delicately onto your (s/t) skin.

A small drop landed on your cheek. It rolled down leaving a small trail of pink, a mixture of blood and sweat. Like a lifeless body, remained still. Not a movement, not even a twitch, except your light erratic breathing.

Slowly she fully emerged from her box. Her eyes were dead set on the bleeding flesh set in front of her. Her hand clenched trying to calm herself. Even though she tried, she couldn't keep the saliva from seeping through her muzzle.

"Don't you want the blood you demons hunger for?"

(An- ayo, I'm not dead. On the outside at least.)