Chapter Text
You were having strange dreams lately. Dreams of your friends—but not quite. Of sword battles, of monsters that lurked in the night, of good versus evil. You had always been a vivid dreamer, but recently your dreams had gotten too much. And they were always of the same topic.
Demons.
It was nonsensical. Demons didn't exist—not in the way your dream portrayed, so different than all of the supernatural movies you found funny to make your scaredy-cat friend Zenitsu watch. Maybe there was a meaning underneath it all. Probably anxiety. Considering finals and college entrance exams were fast approaching, there was no doubt to where that anxiety was stemming from. That's all it was... Right?
"[Y/n]? Are you okay?" The gentle voice broke you out of your thoughts, and you looked up at your best friend with wide eyes. Kamado Tanjirou—you two had been best friends since childhood, when he had protected you from a couple of older kids bullying you. "The final bell rung."
Ah. So it did. The classroom was almost empty, save for your friend group that was patiently (er, not-so-patiently in one person's case) waiting for you. Off to the side, two of your friends—the aforementioned Agatsuma Zenitsu and Hashibara Inosuke were arguing about... Something. With Inosuke, you never knew. The last member of your group, Tsuyuri Kanao, was waiting ever-so-patiently off to the side, her eyes boring into you.
"Um. Yeah. Sorry." You stood up, stretching your stiff muscles out. "We're still on for studying today, right?"
"You don't have judo today?"
You involuntarily winced at Tanjirou's question. "Um... No. Since Soryu-sensei... you know... club activities have been postponed." It was the talk of the school recently, the death of your beloved teacher and his daughter. A car accident—his daughter had been in Nezuko's year, and had been a lovely person. It hadn't even been a month. You didn't think, even if judo started back up, you'd be able to bring yourself to go back.
Tanjirou's gaze softened. "Sorry. Let's head out, then."
"Are we studying at your place?" Kanao asked, tilting her head. When Tanjirou confirmed you all would be heading over, your group began to leave the classroom.
"I'll meet you all over at Tanji's," you told them. "I need to stop somewhere first."
"Oh, I'll go with you!" Zenitsu immediately jumped at the chance, reaching to grab your arm and most likely cling onto you. Used to the blond's antics, you stepped away and twirled out of his range with a deadpan.
"Absolutely not."
Bidding the group 'goodbye', you went on your little detour. You bought flowers from a nearby store, and then headed to your destination: the graves of your beloved teacher and his daughter. There was somebody else already there, a person you knew well. He had been a year above you, and the two of you had been in judo together. He tended to hang around a group of people that you absolutely did not care for, but he himself wasn't bad.
"Hakuji." You greeted him softly, placing the flowers on the grave. The cold, January air bit at your nose, although you had been careful to bundle up. Hakuji had no such reservations. He wasn't shivering, but you couldn't help but wonder if he was cold.
If he heard you—which he most certainly did—he didn't acknowledge you right away. You didn't push for a response. Hakuji had been particularly close with your teacher and his daughter. His own parents died when he was young, and you had heard that Soryu-sensei had practically taken him in. To lose so many people in his life tragically...
You unraveled the scarf around your neck gently looping it around him. He didn't startle, meaning he knew you were there, and his gaze finally flitted over to you. His eyes were slightly puffy and red, as if he had been crying, but you didn't acknowledge the fact. In fact, you said nothing, opting to stand by him silently. If he wanted to talk, he'd talk—and you'd be there to listen. You weren't going to force him to do so, though.
Finally, he spoke up. "The others don't understand," he murmured lowly. "Perhaps Michikotsu... but certainly not the rest." You knew who he was talking about—his other friends had all graduated and moved on to university already. You all lived in a small town, so everybody knew everybody, and you knew full well the group that Hakuji hung out with. Especially one man in particular, although you hadn't had to deal with his harassment since he moved onto university (and you had blocked him on all social media, just in case).
"Why do you even hang out with them?" you found yourself asking, frowning. "Kyo would be more than happy to hang out with you. His friends aren't total assholes." Hakuji's lips quirked upwards at your jab towards the people he hung out with, but he didn't deny it. Muzan and his little clique were assholes.
"You wouldn't understand." He was right—you didn't. This wasn't the time or place to push into it, either, so you didn't. "Kyojuro has been helpful, though. He's at least been there." It didn't surprise you. Your brother and Hakuji may not have been besties, but Kyojuro was also in judo and there had been at least a camaraderie between the two. You were glad somebody else had been there for him. You tried, but there was only so much you could do.
Conversation fizzled out, and you didn't force it. The two of you stood a couple more moments in silence before you decided it was time to head back over to Tanjirou's house. "I'll see you around?"
Hakuji looked over at you, before giving you a small smile. It seemed almost forced, but you said nothing on it. "See you around, [Y/n]. Maybe we can spar sometime soon."
Bidding him 'goodbye', you made your way over to Tanjirou's house. Above you, the dark clouds gave way to light snow.
"AGH, this makes no sense!"
Complaining, you all but threw your head onto the kotatsu table, your maroon-haired friend chuckling at your overdramatic nature. You felt him pat your head reassuringly—not that it helped much.
"You can get through this, [Y/n]! It's only history and English, you're doing well in every other class!"
Even with just two exams to study for, it just felt like too much.
"Why do we have to study for stupid finals anyways?!" Inosuke complained. Zenitsu was beside him, sobbing dramatically into his history book—Kanao was the only other one seeming to take this seriously.
Moving your head to the side so you could look at him, your cheek pressed against the cool table, you pouted. "I think I'm gonna perish, Tanji. There's no way I'm going to pass."
Tanjirou didn't have to worry about much. Save for mathematics, which you had helped him with, Tanjirou was doing decently well in all of his classes. Him and Kanao had no reason to worry or study as hard as you, Zenitsu, or Inosuke, but you appreciated the help all the same.
As patient as always, Tanjirou patted your head once more before withdrawing his hand. "You'll pass. Besides, you're going to need to study if you want to keep your scholarship."
Frustrating as it was, your friend was right as always. You had gotten accepted into the University of Tokyo on a sport's scholarship, but that would mean nothing if you didn't keep your grades up. Sitting up, you puffed your cheeks out and glared at the history book as if it was the reason for all of your problems.
"So what are you struggling with?"
Tanjirou leaned over your shoulder as you stuck your tongue out in dismay. "The Taisho Period. The shift in politics is way too confusing here. I wish I could have a way to travel back in time so I could learn firsthand, aghhhh."
Chuckling at your words again, Tanjirou began to help you with your notes. "Would you really be able to handle yourself in the Taisho Era?"
". . . Probably not."
Zenitsu had quit crying, perking up as if he heard something. Moments later, the door to Tanjirou's room slid open, revealing his younger sister as she peeped her head into the room. Of course—not only was Zenitsu's hearing scarily good, but he always seemed to have a small crush on Tanjirou's sister. And well, actually, any women—especially if they paid attention to him. Good ole' Zenitsu...
"Okaa-san figured you both could use some tea. How's studying going?"
Brightening up at the refreshments, you flashed her a cheery smile. "Thanks, Nezuko! And it's going horribly."
Zenitsu mirrored your sentiments, and Inosuke didn't even bother to respond, immediately beginning to eat the snacks laid out for you all. Kanao lightly whacked his hand away before he could take too much (as he often did).
As if to punctuate your complaints amidst the chaos, you lifted your forearm to your forehead and dramatically leaned back as if you were about to faint. This made Nezuko giggle. She often hung out with your group, and was by now far-used to their craziness. She was only a year younger than you after all, and at least she had a year more of high school left.
She didn't have to worry about the fear of finals before graduation.
Thanking Nezuko just as brightly as you did, Tanjirou shook his head. "[Y/n] is doing great, she's just lazy."
"Hey!"
Nezuko giggled at the light bickering. "I thought you would have certainly gotten your smarts from your older brother. He also goes to UTokyo, right?"
You were a bit affronted by being compared to your brother, but didn't take any genuine offense to it. "Yup," you confirmed. "Kyo will be in his third year when I get there."
Humming, Nezuko came up and patted your head as well, giving a sweet smile. "I'm sure you'll do wonderful on your exams," she reassured you. "You two have fun studying, Hanako wanted me to do her hair again."
"W-wait, what about me, Nezuko?!" Nezuko, at Zenitsu's whining, patted his head too. If flowers could visibly bloom around somebody, they'd be blooming around Zenitsu. Simp.
With that, Nezuko left the room, leaving your group to continue studying.
. . .
"AGH, how am I supposed to remember all 21 demands, too?!"
Taking a break from the intense studying session, you threw yourself backwards and hit the traditional tatami flooring with a loud THWUMP, feeling exhausted. Kanao peered over at you, amusement sparkling in her eyes.
"For somebody so energetic, I can't believe how wiped out you are after three hours of studying... Didn't you do three different sports this year?"
"Four, actually," you corrected her, not bothering to sit up. "And that's different! Physical stuff is completely fine . . . But all of this mental athletics is turning my brain into mush!"
Tanjirou snorted, standing up. "I'll go bring some more snacks. A break would do us all some good."
As if Zenitsu and Inosuke weren't already breaking. Zenitsu had fallen asleep, his face smushed in the history book, and Inosuke was currently drawing... well, something. It looked like a bunch of chaotic scribbles, but you were sure to him it meant something. Maybe. You never knew what was going on in that man's head.
With that said, Tanjirou left the room, leaving all behind for a bit. Kanao was the only one still studying diligently, barely acknowledging Tanjirou as he left. Heavily, your eyes fluttered shut.
Just a quick nap . . . Tanjirou or Kanao will wake me up before I actually fall asleep . . .
Sure enough, you awoke to one of your friends gently shaking you, and you grumbled, ready to push them away. However, something was wrong. You had been certain that you were in Tanjirou's room, legs heated under the kotatsu and the soft yellow lighting in his room lulling you to sleep.
Eyes fluttering open, you squinted at the harsh light that assaulted your vision, sun spots sparkling around you for a moment as you rapidly and blearily blinked. Hovering above you was Tanjirou, worry written all over his face, although he seemed . . . Different.
Above him, instead of the ceiling, was a canopy of trees which sunlight penetrated through—beyond that, an almost cloudless blue sky. It was a strange contrast to the January weather you all had been dealing with, where it was snowy and gray and just downright dreary outside.
And speaking of which . . . Why the hell were you lying outside in the grass? Where were the others?
"Miss, are you okay?"
It took a moment for you to realize that Tanjirou was speaking to you, and you slowly propped yourself up into a sitting position, rubbing at your eyes as if that would help you wake up anymore.
So formal . . .
Clearing your throat, you were displeased to realize it was pretty dry. "Where—Where am I? What happened?"
Your questioning clearly didn't make Tanjirou feel any better as his eyebrows knitted together in worry. "I don't know . . . I was just walking through this forest and saw you collapsed on the ground!"
What? You were in a forest?
Your reaction time was a bit slow as you studied Tanjirou's face to see if this was a prank. He was a pretty open person, and could never keep a straight face when he tried to lie. Instead of seeing a wobbly and nervous grin, though, or a flushed and guilty expression, you were met with pure concern for you.
". . . Is this a prank Zenitsu or Inosuke put you up to, Tanjirou?"
Your friend froze, eyes widening and mouth dropping in an 'o'. "How do you know my name? I'm certain we've never met before!"
"Excuse me?"
The confusion on his face worried you, and your own eyebrows drew together. "Did you hit your head or something? We've been friends for over ten years now, Tanji."
There was no realization crossing the teen's features, and you felt a pit in your stomach start to form.
There's no way . . . He really doesn't recognize me?
Tanjirou himself looked unsure, but seemed adamant on having never met you before. On top of that, he was clearly unnerved.
"You know my name, and you don't give off the scent of a liar . . . Okay!" The exclamation at the end made you jolt, and he swiftly apologized for the scare. "If we're really friends, what's my birthday!"
"July 14th," you answered immediately with a deadpan.
"Oh . . . My favorite color?"
"A soft orange. It reminds you of the sunrise."
With your spot-on answers, Tanjirou was only growing more and more unsure, and he ran a hand through his hair.
"I'm sorry, miss, but I really don't know you . . ."
You hated to admit it, but you did believe him. Tanjirou wasn't the kind of person to trick you or lie to you like this, although at this moment, you wish he was. If he was really telling the truth, then what did that mean? What was going on?
Convinced this might be a dream, you pinched yourself hard, fingernails leaving crescent-shaped indents in your skin. The pain made you grimace as Tanjirou let out an exclamation at the sudden act.
"This isn't a dream . . ."
Frowning, you finally pushed yourself to a stand, Tanjirou following suit. You were still in the clothes you had worn to Tanjirou's to study in, although they were definitely a bit dirty. Brushing off your shorts, you noticed your school bag was also with you, although some of the contents had spilled out of it, the bag on its side.
Running your fingers through [h/c] hair, your lips thinned. ". . . I have no clue what's going on," you admitted, taking in Tanjirou's appearance. Earlier, you had noted he looked a bit different, but only now did you really notice the differences. On his forehead was a large scar—the scar itself wasn't too surprising, when Tanjirou was younger he had accidentally bust open his head and had to get stitches, but this . . . It was much bigger and very prominent instead of a thin pink line. Furthermore, his clothes were strange to say the least, although you were somewhat comforted to recognize the hanafuda earrings he always seemed to wear.
". . . You are Kamado Tanjirou, right?"
Tanjirou nodded once, and seemed to be taking in your appearance as well, as if you were the strangely dressed one. Maybe for the weather, you could admit you were dressed a bit strange considering you wore shorts in January, but that wasn't the point here. Tanjirou's outfit seemed traditional, a uniform you didn't recognize paired with a green and black checkered haori that added color to the otherwise monochrome wardrobe. You, on the other hand, were in black tights under shorts and a slightly-oversized sweater in your favorite color. Perhaps a bit worn down from how often you wore it, but it was still extremely soft.
His gaze settled on your feet, confusion once again sinking in on his features.
"Where are your shoes?"
You looked down, only to notice that you were, indeed, barefoot. The only thing separating your feet from the grass were your tights, and you pursed your lips. If you came here straight from Tanjirou's room, of course you wouldn't have had your shoes on—that would just be disrespectful.
Huffing, you didn't respond, instead crouching down to gather your belongings and shove them back into your school bag, as well as taking them into stock. Your bag, per usual, was a disastrous mess. Your math and chemistry books were still in there; on top of that, you had a pencil case, a bag of homemade cookies you had meant to give to Tanjirou's mom as thanks, your earbuds and phone charger, wallet, perfume, a lighter, a pack of gum, a multi-tool, a horror manga you had been in the middle of reading, gloves, and various pieces of sticky notes and scrap paper that were crumpled up at the bottom. Most importantly, your phone was in there and you immediately lightened up, picking the bag up and pulling out your phone.
"Oh? What's that?"
You gave Tanjirou a weirded out look. "It's my cellphone??"
Unlocking it, you saw that you didn't have any service. That was to be expected if you were somehow in the middle of a forest. According to your phone, it was still January 16th, the time showing it was mid-afternoon. In the span of minutes, then, you had appeared in the woods. How was that possible?
Shaking your head, you beckoned Tanjirou to come over opening your photos app. The first photo to pop up was a group photo of your friends in your year—you, Tanjirou, Inosuke, Zenitsu, and Kanao. Nezuko and two of your other friends, Murata and Aoi, were also there, the eight of you posing cheerily for the photo.
"Whoa . . !"
Tanjirou looked impressed as you showed him the photo. "See? We're all friends!"
The 17-year-old was still not entirely on board, shaking his head. "That looks so real . . . But I don't know anybody else here save for Nezuko."
Your face dropped at his words. "You really don't . . ?"
He shook his head, and your expression dropped. He was definitely telling the truth, but at the sight of your crestfallen expression he began to panic, his hands waving around in a hasty attempt to reassure you.
"I-I do believe you, though!"
That was something, but it didn't really help your current predicament. Did you die? Was this a really vivid dream? A hallucination? Shit, were you in a coma?!
A hand on your shoulder jolted you out of your panic, and you looked up at Tanjirou with widened [e/c] eyes.
"Why don't you tag along with me? I'm on my way to a nearby village, and you can stick with me for the time being."
The kindness in his voice was something you were familiar with by now, and you gave him a warm smile, nodding once. "Thank you, Tanji."
The teen flushed and looked away, starting to walk before stopping and turning back around, eyes big in realization. "Oh! I never asked for your name!!!"
The panic made you snort in dry amusement. "Rengoku [Y/n]." It felt weird to introduce yourself to somebody you had known for so long, but you supposed it couldn't be helped. As the two of you walked, you paying extra attention to where you stepped considering you had no shoes, you struck up conversation.
"Soooo where were you heading before you found me?"
Tanjirou glanced over at you. "There's a nearby village where younger girls have been disappearing, so I'm going to go check it out!"
"What . . ?"
Once again startling himself, Tanjirou held up a finger. "Oh, I should tell you! I'm a demon slayer, and pretty sure that it's a demon taking those young girls! This is my first mission!"
You nodded once, as if this was the most reasonable thing you had heard in the world, before the weight of his words hit you like a ton of bricks, halting you in your footsteps.
"I'm sorry, you're a WHAT?!"