⚠️ Warning/s: Death, Violence, Negative thoughts.⚠️
Flashback:
Akaza refused to fight me, saying he doesn't fight women. This gets on my nerves, but he'll have to deal with it as I'll try, with my new skills, to interfere if I can without being a burden. I want to help Rengoku in the fight, and make sure he doesn't lose. I will not let him lose.
Y/N POV (Age 14):
Akaza and Rengoku began to fight after Akaza attempted to kill Tanjiro because he was 'weak'. This infuriated both me and Rengoku so I quickly joined in on the fight. My Galaxy Breathing combined with Rengoku's Flame Breathing gave us the edge in the fight, however, I had to step out when they picked up the pace a lot more.
If I continued to stay, I would only get in Rengoku's way. However due to my high intellect and intuition, I, unfortunately, came to the conclusion that if things continued this way Rengoku would lose. He's human, he cannot regenerate his arm as Akaza did, but if they were both human Rengoku would win.
Akaza seemed to see it the same way as me, urging Rengoku to become a demon, yet Rengoku rejected his proposal. They wouldn't be able to fight for eternity as Akaza wished, and I knew that if I didn't step in soon, Rengoku would get killed.
It all seemed to go in slow motion when I saw Akaza's fist aiming for Rengoku's chest. Sprinting at full speed, I dashed towards the fight as merely a blur. Yet the moment I got there with my sword, I swung down and cut Akaza's arm a moment too late. It had already plunged itself into Rengoku's chest and I had just set him free.
Taking Rengoku's place, I forced Akaza to fight, to make up for my dreadful mistake, yet there was nothing I could do. He refused to fight, preferring to run when the sun began to rise than to risk his life and fight on.
Tears filled my eyes as I was fuelled by anger, and so were Tanjiro and the others. He grabbed his sword, used Sun Breathing, and threw it straight through Akaza's chest as he was running.
"DON'T RUN! STOP RUNNING YOU COWARD!" He yelled, trying to get Akaza to change his mind and return after seeing the deadly glare he gave him.
Unless he wanted to die, Akaza had no choice but to flee, so that's what he did, narrowly missing the sun's rays.
Running over to Rengoku's side, I couldn't help but let a few stray tears spill. "I-I'm so sorry, I couldn't save you, I was too late! It's all my fault, if I had taken the blow so your efforts wouldn't be wasted, or if I prevented the blow in time— Even if I had just let it happen, you could have had a chance before Akaza could escape, I could have held him in place! I'm so sorry, I-" At this point I was bawling my eyes out, bowing for forgiveness. Luckily no one other than Rengoku heard this, so I was spared their pity.
"Shh, I forgive you, you tried your best, there was nothing more you could do. You have incredible abilities, you have it in you to become a Hashira or someone more someday." Due to his comment, tears streamed down my cheeks as I pulled him in for a hug. He was like an older brother to me, even though I barely knew him.
He returned the hug swiftly. "But I couldn't save you..." I geared up against his chest, "And now you're- you're- I can't even say it, how pathetic," A half-hearted chuckle resounded from my throat, as he wiped my tears away and lifted my head to face him.
"Please, don't blame yourself. I'll be leaving this world and there's nothing we can change. So please don't mourn too much, and try to move on. Of course, that's easier said than done, but try to be there for the others and they'll be there for you. Solidify the bonds you already have and create many more. I believe in you, (Y/N). You can do it. You can do anything if you put your mind to it." Saying all of this with a smile, Rengoku made me half-heartedly smile in return.
"Arigatou (Thank you)." My smiling facade still remained.
"Nandemonai, (It's nothing), can you bring Tanjiro over, please? I don't have much time left and there are some things I would like to say to him." He said, the smile still plastered on his face.
"O-Of course, I didn't mean to waste your time-" I stumbled.
"It wasn't a waste if it was spent with you, imouto (little sister)." His acknowledging me as his sister made me cry even more, and share a genuine smile, but nevertheless, I brought Tanjiro over to him and left them alone.
What would I do now that he's gone? Is he going to be okay? Why couldn't I save him? Was I just not strong enough?
All these questions raced through my head as I pondered what to do next, then I reached a conclusion. I'd train to be incredibly strong so this never happens again. Never will someone I love die in front of me, and that's a promise.
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Editing: Complete.
Sorry that this chapter is quite short, writer's block is coming back for me and it's making it harder to write. I almost cried writing this anyway, and I hope that you all enjoy it! I'll try to pick up my motivation and write again, but if that takes a while, I'm sorry in advance.