Little Devil - Inotan

Goodbye

After getting everything together for the night, Nezuko glanced at her beloved brother with visible uneasiness.

"Tanjiro..." She began, "I'm not sure I can take you with me tonight. I always try to take you anywhere I go to keep you safe, but there is just this feeling I have that if I take you, you'll be exposed to more danger."

The demon glanced back at her, not saying a word. Nezuko breathed in, adjusting her skirt and heading towards the door.

"I don't know what this night holds for us, but if anything happens, I want you to be safe, so please don't get involved. The other slayers already disapprove of you, so if they were to see you with us tonight, they might take advantage of it and behead you." Before closing the door behind her, she whispered, "please don't follow us."

Once his younger sister was out of sight, Tanjiro scratched the box next to him out of anxiety. Should he follow, or not? Which was the right decision? What Nezuko had yet to realize was that her words might have sounded more selfish than she intended. Of course, Tanjiro cared about Inosuke just as much; he should be allowed to go! In fact, who cares about his safety? The ombre blue slayer always crosses his mind, still concerned for his well-being, and... what he meant the night before. He had made up his mind. Although his decision will disappoint his sister and lose trust, he had to go. He had to be with his beloved.

Nezuko and Zenitsu walked through the silent forest, occasionally stepping on little branches, causing the place to echo.

"So you didn't bring Tanjiro with you." The blonde spoke.

"Yes. I have a feeling something might happen to him. I mean, what if we get caught? We're not supposed to be doing this so they might behead him as a punishment on everyone's behalf!" The pink haori girl held onto her forearms as if she were cold, "I-I could never let that happen. I know he cares about Inosuke, but he's already an easy target, so... I'd rather keep him safe."

Zenitsu stared at Nezuko, not knowing what to say next.

"Nezuko-chan, I understand your concern, and I agree with you. But at the same time, I can tell that he's feeling devastated. I mean, he is in love with that idiot." He stated, his mind recalling Inosuke and his fights with him, making his face look tired. How could he possibly like him?

"I already know that! I want my brother to be happy, but this is just for tonight. After we bring him back, he'll be able to spend a lot of time with him to make up for it, and they'll be happy." Nezuko smiled, finally calming down a little.

The boy smiled, looking ahead. They had reached their destination. They entered without problems, and even though they expected security, there was no one there. It was concerning, but they brushed it off. The duo headed underground, where they kept the prisoners, and by the entrance, there was a key hanging from the old-looking wall.

"Wah! Could this be the key that opens the cells?" Zenitsu exclaimed.

"I'm pretty sure! this place doesn't have any security, and they also leave the key like this; it's like they're asking us to rescue him." The female slayer facepalmed.

They tiptoed down the long hallway of cells until they reached the end, where Inosuke was. They could tell by the presence they felt; it was easy to tell. They're slayers, after all.

'It's been two whole months since we last saw him.' Nezuko's eyes slightly swelled up with tears, but she quickly wiped them off. She looked at her partner, and he nodded back, telling her it was ok to make the first move.

"Inosuke, are you there?" She asked with some hesitance in her voice.

"Come on, man, we gotta go, so hurry up and show your annoying face to us!" Zenitsu teased, yet he smiled, excited to see his friend again.