I woke up in a Tesco's parking lot at like the early hours of the morning with some random ass people.

They were pretty chill tho, I got given a pack of crisps.

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{third POV}

'Manipulate him'

Akaza did just that.

The day was long, hashira scouting the woods and nearby villages.

All the while Tanjiro had those words ingrained into his mind while being exploited by Akaza; 'everyone only likes you for your body... slut'

They rang continuously in his mind to the point Tanjiro found himself believing the statement as Akaza played with him like a toy.

The two's encounter stretched well past the night and into the early hours of the day just before the sun peaked through the clouds.

Akaza stood up from the boy he left on the floor; dress torn to pieces leaving him near naked on the floor, his body was horrendously littered bite marks, the occasional one still bleeding freely.

Pulling up his trousers, Akaza slipped the ropes back on Tanjiro's hands and quickly checked the sky for the sun before grabbing Tanjiro by his hair "I've had fun, well done for being so obedient Tanjiro" Akaza praised, dropping his head back to the floor before he sped off into the more shaded areas of the woods.

His whole body ached horribly, hands red raw from the constant constructing of the ropes and the crisp morning air itching at his bleeding skin.

His legs trampled vigorously as he attempted to push himself off the floor; however it proved quite hard with his hands tied.

"Come on Tanjiro... I need to get back to... Nezuko" he wheezed, speaking to himself for motivation.

Falling back to the floor in a heap of pain, Tanjiro gritted his teeth and shuffled to where his torn dress laid discarded on the floor.

He managed to wriggle into the clothing and cover his exposed body; hot salty tears staining his slightly soiled cheeks as he forced himself to a stand.

'Everything hurts...'

'I wonder if anyone will notice I'm gone?'

'Probably not'

Tanjiro thought as more tears lined his slitted eyes, his movements unstable as he very slowly wobbled through the forest, following his nose back to the butterfly mansion.

It was a hard journey for the poor boy, the constant falls and mental motivation proving to take a toll on even the simplicity of remembering the smells of his friends.

However he stayed strong; mentally blocking out the memory of last night so he wouldn't recount such a horrific experience.

It was like a defence mechanism really. His mind was working to patch up the wound inside his thoughts which would cause many sleepless nights and probably even worse.

If you don't understand, let me explain it like this; say a zebra was cornered by a lion which was almost indefinitely going to be eaten. The zebra would have to undergo being eaten alive which would be excruciatingly painful wouldn't it? So in order to make its death more pleasant, the zebra would undergo a state of disassociation to make it less traumatic, or it could temporarily enter an out of body state and loose all conception of what is going to happen to it.

This is what was happening to Tanjiro; he had undergone something so physically draining and traumatic, his mind went into a protective state of disassociation which meant he was technically awake but had no idea what was happening to him, almost as if unconscious.

This natural defence mechanism, can actually prevent severe PTSD and other anxiety related disorders.

So Tanjiro was lucky in a fucked up kinda way.

All he knew right now was that he was in pain and needed to get back to Nezuko.

It took him ages to reach the butterfly mansion; he had used almost every ounce left of his strength to push himself past the door and collapse in the garden.

"Mr Tanjiro!" One of the butterfly girls yelled worriedly, rushing over to the boy as he laid panting on the floor; the other two gathered around him and attempted to tend to his wounds but he gently pushed the girls away; sending them a wobbly smile before dragging himself through the door and towards Nezuko's room.

Everyone was out searching for him so only the butterfly girls were present, and they couldn't really do much to stop him.

They watched horrified as his legs trembled like a small leaf in a violent storm; beaten and abused body bleeding freely out on the floor as he trudged through the hallways, minimal clothing covering himself as it hung loosely around his hips and shoulders.

His face scrunched with pain every time he moved, features contorting with every agonising step.

"Tanjiro please go to the medical room!" One of the girls yelled, tugging on the torn dress.

Tanjiro gritted his teeth and finally got to Nezuko's room, opening the door somewhat painfully as his sore eyes laid sight of his peacefully sleeping sister.

She hadn't woken up in a while... it was just like when he was first training in the mountain to become a demon slayer.

For the first time, Tanjiro cried tears of relief and joy; making his way over to the bed and curling himself in a ball next to Nezuko; seeking the warmth and comfort of his sister.

He sniffled continuously and wrapped his arms around Nezuko's peaceful figure; emmer inf himself in her calming scent which he loved dearly.

"Do you think he'll be ok?" One of the girls whispered, nudging her friend in the arm "yeah, we'll get someone to pick him up and take him to the medical room later..."

The three left the siblings alone; understanding that Tanjiro simply wanted to be alone.

Soon the dull overcast clouds be an to shower the earth with a misty blanket of rain. It wasn't overly heavy rain, nor was it very light. It was just in the middle.

As the watery alphabet of clouds cascaded onto the roof; it created a relaxing and melodic sound echoing through the mansion. The delicate pitter-patter lulling Tanjiro's aching body to a peaceful state as his slow regeneration began to kick in, eyelids heavy as the deep marks in his skin steadily sewed them self's together.

All the while he laid cuddled into Nezuko's side, allowing himself to be shut off from the world.

As Tanjiro slumbered, the hashira stilled their movements at the first few droplets that trailed streaky paths on their skin.

They were scattered everywhere, however they all looked at the same sky. The dull velvety sea of low forming clouds as it floats in gentle waves, as if gravity is a soft music from the earth, a sweet beckoning serenade. Each drop bequeathes itself unto the cooling air, creating a splendour of dull colours enriched by the glossy shine of the soft rain.

They started to make their way back to the mansion, forced home by the rain however they didn't knew that they would find exactly what they were looking for once they arrived back at home.

Everyone smiles, because in that moment, the water and the light have become a golden flower, an echo of life bursting into the night.

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I found a dead worm on the road and tied a string around it so I can walk him around.

Btw next chapters will be slightly nicer 😅