Training, Start!
Reader's POV
I fell asleep again didn't I?
groaning at as I tried to push myself up, I opened my eyes to see myself laying down beside Nezuko, looking around in shock, I tried to push myself up only to wince and hiss, looking down to my thighs, I saw them bandaged, a little pink due to it bleeding still,
Right, I forgot we finally had that nasty shrine battle, but. . . who carried me here? most importantly who bandaged me?
looking up when the door opened, only to see a shocked Tanjiro, quickly trying to push my up and dashing to Tanjiro, only to be stopped by him hugging me, his arms under my armpits as I almost collapsed from the pain in my thighs,
"are you alright !?!? you shouldn't be walking around like this, you're still injured, come on lets get you back down."
Frazzled and only understanding the words "shouldn't be walking" and "back down" I tried to pry Tanjiro's arms away from me and forced my legs to at least stand up, I pushed myself away from Tanjiro, standing up on my wobbly legs, he kept protesting and quickly grabbed my arms again keeping me upright,
"I'm alright! I'm- I'm alright, I swear-" giving Tanjiro a strained smile although strained, he sighed and still continued to push me towards the futon I was previously laying down on,
"wai-"
"you're still unwell-"
"I'm feeling fi-"
"stop trying TO GET U-"
"I swear I'm doing fine-!"
"SILENCE!"
Stopping in our positions frozen, Tanjiro above me pushing me down onto the futon, and me propped up on one arm and the other pushing his head away, looking away from Tanjiro's squished face, to Urokodaki's who was standing by the shoji door, arms crossed, although you cant see his face, it clearly showed that he was annoyed, quickly sitting up properly along with Tanjiro pushing himself up right and scratching the back of his neck,
" you are not okay, clearly you are still hurt and you must rest IF you want to get better, if you are injured and unwell then I WILL NOT train you, do you understand me?"
Sitting still and actually thinking about what Urokodaki said,
He said he'd still train me, but. . . I'm going to be left behind what should I do to at least help me? maybe try to practice the total concentration breathing before hand? I mean. . . I could. . . try?
Slumping down onto the futon, I reluctantly nodded my head and sighed, looking back up and saying
"fine, I'll stay" Tanjiro happy with the decision I made he gently laid his hand on my head and gave me gentle head pats, flushing at the gesture, Urokodaki then spoke,
"Lets go"
Oh he's officially training now, gosh, I'm so left behind
before Tanjiro could leave I quickly grabbed his hand that he used to pat my head, I squeezed it and smiled, looking up at him,
"good luck and be careful, okay?" Pausing to look at me, he smiled and squeezed my hand back just as tight,
"I will, focus on getting better okay? I'm off" with that, he left.
Now all left is, how exactly do I practice total concentration breathing?
Taking deep breaths in slowly and exhaling, repeating over and over again, only to choke on my breath when my ears starting ringing and I could hear my heart beat fast,
Ack-! god my diaphragm what the hell! how do they do this! I cant give up, I wont give up! come on (f/n) you can do this.
sitting up and doing the breathing exercise I did a while ago, continuing even if it made me light headed, I pushed myself up to stand up and go to the other room, walking with a limp, I looked around for water, beside the cooking space in the middle of the room, was a medium sized guard filled with water, sighing relieved I grabbed it, wincing in pain when I had to bend down a little to grab the guard, drinking it as soon as it was opened,
maybe I can practice this breathing technique better when I'm sitting straight up or standing, yeah, I think I'll do it sitting up, my legs can't do chicken shit. . .
walking back to the room Nezuko and I were placed in, I sat down beside the table, seeing that there was a spare notebook, I lit the candle up and grabbed the brush that was beside Tanjiro's journal,
If I'm not going to be able to train then, I can at least try to write down the up coming events since Nezuko doesn't wake up in 2 years, it doesn't help that I have a goldfish memory. . . maybe I can write down things to prevent deaths, yeah, that sounds like a plan, but. . . I'll start from the very beginning.
smiling at myself I started to write down everything that happened to me in the past months and how it partially changed the events from the anime, faltering when I wrote down about the 'incident' but pushing through it, and continuing to what's supposed to happen in a few months till the next few events that actually show up into the anime.
" This. . . seems about right, I guess I'll write down on the back what changed with me in it ? " tensing up and facepalming realizing that I was talking to myself,
"great, one day without Tanjiro and I'm already talking to myself, sigh. . . eh it's not like anyone else is watching." shrugging my shoulders I continued to write and draw what some of the demons upper and lower moons look like,
It's funny how the anime style here is considered realistic. . . maybe I could use this to my advantage.
wincing when my thighs started to ache feet go numb from sitting down on my knees, I closed the journal and put the brush back beside Tanjiro's journal, finally feeling the effects on sitting on my injured legs, deciding to crawl towards the futon I was previously sleeping on, I tucked myself under the blanket, facing Nezuko, I grabbed her left hand and traced her palm,
it's going to be okay Nezuko, I know you wake up but, I miss our talks and us cooking together, I just hope that this 2 years pass by quickly. . .
Falling asleep as I absentmindedly traced her hand I grabbed,
I didn't notice her hand twitch and gently grip my hand .
~ 1 year later ~
Reader's POV
laying on the floor holding my sword I kept panting, dirty and sweaty despite it actually snowing,
"That's it, I've thought you all I can, the rest is up to both of you, you have to prove that you are both capable of advancing to the next level, come with me"
I cringed at the feeling of getting lightheaded from sitting up too fast, gripping my head with my right hand, I slowly pushed myself up with my left that was still holding the sword,
a-already?!?! I knew I said the year would pass by quickly but i-i'm going to meet pinky soon?!?!?! AAAAAAAAAA
walking hand in hand with Tanjiro, lost in thought as he was leading us where Urokodaki was leading us, I was snapped out of my fangirling thoughts as he spoke,
"If you both can cut these boulders in two, I'll allow both of you to the final selection."
a-ah. . . this. . . diffidently was not in the anime, there's two boulders. . . how'd he even get these two here?
Walking towards the slightly smaller one that was across of Tanjiro's I touched it, actually feeling it if it was real,
oh sweet gosh darn diddly fiddle sticks, this shits actually real, oh how do I do this now? I know were supposed to get help from the one and only boy pinky, but to actually cut a boulder, myself? how. . .
"Urokodaki ? wait, hang on a second ! Urokodaki !" grabbing his left shoulder I squeezed it tight and shook my head 'no' to him, signaling that he wouldn't comeback until we actually do progress on slicing the boulder, sighing he nodded and patted my hand, looking back at the boulder in front of him,
"you're right, I guess that I should continue now, even if it seems impossible" letting go of his shoulder I walked a little bit back words as he unsheathed his sword and took his stance, seemingly still in thought as he glared holes into the boulder,
Ohhhh, here it comes!
Clang!
"hgngn!" laughing and falling to the floor as he cringed and shivered from the feeling of his sword hitting the boulder, he then started stomping his foot on the ground red at the ears and cheeks as he tried to make me stop laughing,
"it's not funny! why don't you try striking your boulder !" finally stopping from laughing, I wiped some of the tears that escaped from my eyes as he pouted, but then smiled when he checked his nichirin blade,
"at least it didn't break, but. . ." he trailed off taking a stance again, ready to strike the boulder only to get the same result like last time, humming as I watched him continue despite actually not achieving anything,
after all these months of training and just spending time with him, I've actually got to know him, as a person and not as the anime character in the anime, despite me being silent, he's actually learned to talk with just some gestures or sound ques from me , I've never been this motivated to actually succeed because of him, just for him and Nezuko, I'll try.
raising my own nichirin blade I striked the boulder,
Clang!
"ack-!"
"(f/n)-chan !"
Reader's POV
six months has passed as Tanjiro and I kept training the same regimens Urokodaki has made us do before, push ups, sit ups, breath styles, and more, but it seemed like Tanjiro was at his wits end,
striking the boulder over and over not even caring if the blade broke he dropped it, falling to his knees, looking at his hands that were wounded from all the training, I quickly grabbed his hand and got the spare bandages I had from the side of my obi, wrapping both of his hands gently as to not hurt him but tightly enough that he can train with them not falling off,
I'm already tuckered out, and yet he's here still trying, very hurt and tired he really wont relent huh?
Leaning on my boulder as I cradled my hands, I watched him slam his forehead on the boulder screaming,
"uagh! come on Tanjiro! you can do this!"
"Silence!"
both gasping in shock, I quickly looked up at Tanjiro's boulder there sat the one and only Sabito sitting on top of it, like a boss holding his own wooden blade,
"It's unsightly to whine, so knock it off."
AKSDLKAJDKLJASD OH SHIT HES HERE IM GONNA-
"A demon slayer bares his suffering in silence, isn't that what you want to be? then start acting like it. " standing up from his position he jumped down in a spin and attacked Tanjiro, blocking his blade he then kicked Tanjiro under the chin so hard he flew back,
" you're slow, weak, and immature, that's not what I call a demon slayer."
oh gosh, here we go again.
~ chapter end ~