Demonslayer X Male Reader Oneshots Kanao x Reader

Thanks @altea7832 for the request!
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“I’ll always protect you but I need you to take care of yourself for a bit.” Kanao looked at me, wide eyed and beautiful as always. It made me chuckle softly, pulling her in to place a gentle kiss on her nose. The soft blush on her face was well worth it but there was still the underlying sadness behind it all. I didn’t want to go but her expression was enough to make me want to stay if I had that choice.

“I’m going to miss you,” she softly whispered, her fingers fiddling with my haori distractedly. It hurt to hear the soft pleading in her voice but this wasn’t my choice to make but orders I had to listen to. Even though we could still communicate through letters, I was going to miss her painfully and I knew she was going to miss me just as much.

“Three months sounds like a long time but it’ll be over before you know it. I’ll be right back in your arms in no time. I swear to you, I’ll return no matter what it takes,” I promised, holding her tighter to accentuate my point. The flicker of fear in her stare matched my own apprehension but there was no way I’d go out easily when Kanao would be waiting for me back here. No matter what it took, I’d always find a way to end up here with her.

“I’m going to miss you,” she repeated sadly, tears pricking her eyes. It wasn’t fair that she was incredibly beautiful with everything she did even as she cried softly in my hold. I felt my own tears fall as I hugged her close, peppering her head in goodbye kisses that I desperately hoped wouldn’t be the last. I had to make it back to her even if I was being purely selfish by doing so.

“I’m going to miss you too,” I whispered back, grabbing her hands to hold between us. She clasped tight, not wanting to let go. I almost wished she didn’t but when it was time for me to leave, we seperated and every amount of space between us felt like too much.

~~~

I hated not having her with me, not waking up with her smile being the first thing I saw, not feeling her kisses or hearing her sweet voice. All I wanted was to go back home but I had to put my duty first as a demonslayer. This village even after months just could never feel like home without Kanao here as well.

Wherever I went, I imagined I saw her in the crowds. When the wind blew, I thought I could hear her beautiful laugh. At night when I had a moment to look at the sky, I swear I saw a constellation shaped like her. She was around every corner and the face of my dreams. It made me homesick with just the thought of her.

My long mission never truly became dangerous until the final month. The horrible truth of my job was that I was meant to act as an informant while also being the bait for demon activity. People were going missing left and right before turning up dead and it was my job to try to find a way to get into contact with the murderer. It was risky and there were several nights that I prayed for my survival so I could go home eventually.

Now it was the dreaded night when I knew that I’d see the demon. I could feel it with every step I took into the forest and away from safety. Death carried in the air and made me shiver as I fiddled with the hilt of my sword still in its sheath. I kept a picture of Kanao in my mind to give me strength as I heard a branch snap behind me as something lunged at me, far too fast for me to unsheath my sword in time.

~~~

Kanao POV

I wandered around the Butterfly Mansion, lost in a trance that I hadn’t been able to break out of since the day y/n left on his months-long mission. Time was cruel and made each day stretch extra long as if targeting me to torture. It made me feel helpless as I paced around the perimeter. Even Shinobu noticed my daze, trying to help me through this ache in my chest but failing.

Ever since y/n’s letters stopped arriving, I’ve been panicking over all that could’ve happened. Shinobu assured me that he could’ve been busy but the nightmares I’ve been having every night told me it was much worse. After a bit of time, Shinobu stopped trying to console me as if she suspected what had happened but didn’t want to tell me otherwise. If she had any information on what had happened to y/n, she didn’t tell me.

It was starting to hurt more and more with each day that passed without word from y/n. I broke down more often in tears, crying for him to come back home to me. I wanted to hold him, to run my fingers through his hair as he told me he would always come back to me. He did promise me and he never broke his promises. I was starting to worry that this was one promise he couldn’t keep though.

The days went by agonizingly slow until the planned date of y/n’s return had already come and gone without him ever arriving. I didn’t move from my bed after that, crying until I had no more tears left. I couldn’t understand why he hadn’t come back other than his death and it only filled me with indescribable pain that swallowed me up. My appetite vanished soon after, followed by Shinobu’s anxious pleas to get me out into the sunshine. What was the point without him though?

It wasn’t until a whole long month later that I found the slight motivation to move after the sounds of cheering and crying roused me from my troubled sleep. I couldn’t understand what was causing such happiness outside when the world was so bleak and gray. It filled me with bitterness and jealousy but I was too tired to let those feelings turn to anger. Within those emotions though, was a spark of hope that guided me.

Rolling out of bed with a small groan, I trudged through the halls of the Butterfly Mansion till the sun blinded me and a hush followed. I didn’t even get a chance to blink the bright light out of my eyes before arms were wrapping around me, holding me tight in a way that only one person did.

“Kanao, I promised I’d be back. I’m sorry it took me so long,” a painfully familiar voice whispered into my ear as I clung tight to his haori. Tears trailed down my face as I began to sob into y/n’s shoulder, my grip on him tightening as if he’d disappear if I let go. For all I knew he might. It felt like a dream for him to be back in my arms again.

“Thank you…thank you,” I cried out, not exactly knowing who I was thanking. Whoever had brought him home to me, whether it was himself or some other force, had my full gratification. Cuddling against his neck, I whispered all my fears knowing that they were no longer able to occur. I was never going to let him leave me again.