AN: I thought it would be neat to try and do a short Tanjiro POV to match each chapter of Wasurenagusa/KiMtbS. This one is more of an experimental style as well. Muzan smacks Tanjiro into a wall and he's fading in and out of consciousness and having trouble thinking properly. I can't seem to format this the way I wanted to, but it was supposed to be kind of experimental and show lapses of consciousness/confusion more. If you look at my ao3 (energonbunny) you'll be able to see it how it was meant to be seen.

Tanjiro stoked the fire and leaned back against the wall with a sigh. His mother watched him with an amused look but didn't say anything about his obvious agitation. In his defense, they all tended to get like this when one of them was gone. His mother was out there, just as awake as he was, and all of his younger siblings had even opted to sleep out in the main room with them instead of their shared bedroom. They were all feeling Nezuko's absence—but Tanjiro felt it perhaps the most keenly. Nezuko was only gone because he'd been too much of a wimp to ignore Rokuta's crying.

"I don't think she'll try to return tonight," Kie said.

For the eighth time. His mother gave a sheepish smile when he gave her a pointed look. Nezuko's potential return was the only reason they remained awake.

Tanjiro heard movement in the snow outside and rolled his eyes, "See? I knew she'd be stubborn."

Kie didn't bother to comment that he probably would have done the same thing and Tanjiro cracked open the sliding door to the outside. Immediately they could see that the figure out there was much taller than Nezuko and poorly dressed for the freezing weather in a fancy suit of some kind. The man even had a hat on, though how he had managed to keep it in place with the wind constantly blowing against him was a mystery.

"Oh, dear!" Kie exclaimed.

"Sir!" Tanjiro called, "Are you lost? Please come in and get warmed up!"

"How kind of you! I appreciate it, it's freezing out here," The man had a pleasant voice.

The man walked closer and Tanjiro was able to look at him better as he entered the light. He was obviously a city man between his clothes and his walk. It was hard to tell his age because his skin was unmarred with wrinkles and his fair complexion rivaled Nezuko's. Some of his hair fell down to his chin while the rest of it was tucked up under the hat.

The stranger stepped up onto the porch and several things happened at once. Tanjiro opened the sliding door the whole way so he could enter, the wind shifted directions and shared the stranger's scent, and the stranger's eyes fell just to the right of Tanjiro's chin.

"Those earrings…"

A chill ran down Tanjiro's spine as he registered the scent. His nose was telling him that this man was a predator, and though he couldn't see any blood on him there was still the faint scent of old blood on him.

"Boy, tell me…" The smile on the man's face dropped and his eyes shifted to something cat-like, "Those earrings, where did you get them? Because," The man went on with a pleasant tone, "Those shouldn't exist. Don't you know that, you idiot child?"

"Sir," Kie stood up. "Are you drunk or just belligerent? They're a family heirloom, so I assure you that they have nothing to do with you."

His mother couldn't smell the man's scent and wouldn't have a good view of his eyes from so far away.

"Okaa-san, don't-"

The man moved faster than Tanjiro could keep track of even though he didn't blink. The man was suddenly right next to him and Tanjiro felt a searing pain on each ear and put his hands up automatically to cover them, feeling his own blood start to pour out as he belatedly realized that the man was now holding his hanafuda earrings in one hand.

"Heirloom, you say?" The man gave a dark laugh, "Then that makes this easy. I'll just kill you."

Something whipped out and knocked Tanjiro into the wall beside the door, pain exploding in his head and darkness blooming behind his eyes.

"TANJIRO!"

…everyone was screaming…

"STOP IT!"

He struggled to sit up but nothing listened to him and he couldn't get his eyes to focus.

"SHIGERU!"

Shigeru? Why could he hear Hanako sobbing and Rokuta screaming?

Tanjiro forced himself to sit up despite how much his body yelled at him. He saw two Takeo's rush at the stranger with a scythe and both of them got cut in half—

"ROKUTA, RUN!"

Was he dreaming? He had to be. That was the only thing that could explain the bloodbath in front of him. He had to—

"STOP! PLEASE STOP!"

—had to wake up!

"Pathetic."

Tanjiro's air was cut off as he was lifted by his neck. He tried to kick out at the stranger but it was…

"Is this all that's left of that horrid man's legacy?"

…useless.

"You're all so weak."

Pain. Pain running down his chest and to his knees; head pulsing with each heartbeat. Fingers tingled and lungs burned.

"Why even try to fight it?"

Why couldn't he wake up?

"Why don't we see what you become?" Another laugh. "See how much you can handle."

The worst pain Tanjiro had ever felt consumed him. It felt like he was burning from the inside out. He could feel it down to a cellular level as everything inside of him was torn to shreds and made anew.

Was he screaming?

"It figures you couldn't even handle that much. What a disappointing night."

Was he…

HurtsithurtspleasestopithurtsIcan'tstanditpleasepleaseplease

Dying…?

The pain wouldn't stop. Tanjiro couldn't even breathe because of it. He prayed for death to free him from it.

Why couldn't he die?

…Rokuta.

He was staring at Rokuta and Rokuta wasn't moving.

Why wasn't Rokuta moving?

Tanjiro couldn't feel any pain anymore. Even the burning sensation in his veins had ceased.

He was dying. Each inhale was a struggle and he could feel his heartbeat slowing down.

Rokuta. He had to get to Rokuta.

He had to…

Tanjiro couldn't get anything but his arms and head to move, but that was enough. He used his arms to pull himself to Rokuta, dragging his useless body across the ground.

He kept blacking out before he could get there.

"...ku..ta…"

He tried to pull Rokuta's body to him but couldn't work up the energy.

Rokuta was so cold. Why was he cold?

He needed to…

Pink. There was something pink on Rokuta's wrist…

Tanjiro let out a long exhale and couldn't work up the energy to breathe in again.

Pink. Flower... gonezu...

Pink... flower... Nezuko…

At least Nezuko was…

…safe.

"Onii-chan!"