Manic ☆

[ 19 ]

"Nezuko!"

Tanjiro ran to his younger sister's room with a smile that could put the sun to shame. Nezuko heard her older brother through the door and slid the door wide open for him to enter, he entered the room and embraced his sister in a tight hug.

"Nezuko, I've gotten closer to [Name] liking me more!" Tanjiro said with a happy smile. His sister's heart raced as she heard the words that rolled off of his tongue. He was getting closer to being [Name]'s significant other? Nezuko nibbled into her bamboo muzzle as she looked at her heart-stricken brother.

He sighed happily "I admit that the measures I took were...a bit drastic." She looked at him quizzically as she quirked her head to the side; he answered her internal question with a shit-eating grin.

"But they told me that they needed ME after my efforts!" Nezuko's eyes widened in excitement then she smiled at her brother's success "Hm! Hm!~"

"Though—" he continued "—it was a bit of a challenge to take care of an older man." He rubbed his shoulder as he rolled it around. He looked back at his sister who had a face of realization on her face - he laughed softly at her face - he cupped her face with his hands, he spoke to her lowly  "Oh don't be so shocked, Nezuko, you are aware that I'm not stupid right?"

His teeth widened to a sick smirk "I was aware that you felt the same toward [Name]" She turned her eyes away from her brother but was violently slapped by him to keep her attention on him and fell to the floor; her bamboo muzzle being slapped off as well.

"Don't you dare turn away from me while I'm speaking to you."

She held her face as a red mark started to slowly form on her cheek - horror was stricken on her face - he sighed heavily as he stroked the back of his hand. Tanjiro walked slowly and walked to her with a dark expression, Nezuko crawled backward quickly and she then backed up into a wall.

"What's wrong with him?! I don't like [Name] like that! They're only admirable!"

Tanjiro grabbed the collar of her shirt and brought her up to his face, "You're my little sister and I made a promise to our parents that I would protect you no matter what." She whimpered under his grip as she struggled to get free "You haven't been an issue for me ever since we were younger and even now, so, I have no use being rude toward you. I'm only being rough with you because I love you and want you to understand."

She nodded slowly. "Good girl." He smiled softly - he let go of her clothes - and brought her into a gentle and warm hug. Nezuko's head raced with a million thoughts as to which why her brother was a completely person. Why was he more aggressive? Why was he so different? Why? Why?!

"Nezuko—" her breath hitched "—Please don't be so tense. I was just gonna offer you a proposal." He pulled away and stared softly into his little sister's beautiful pink eyes, he pushed a hair that was stuck to her face behind her ear, and he began to speak sweetly as if his voice was honey

"Do you want to share [Name]?"

She was taken aback by the sudden proposal but Tanjiro could see that she questioned it. "Well, of course, you would have to do your fair share of contributing to making [Name] like you and need you as well." He gently stroked her hair and smiled contently. She nodded hesitantly, he giggled, he then reached for her bamboo muzzle beside him.

He wrapped the muzzle back into place but stopped when he finished. He gently caressed her cheek and sighed. "I'm sorry for slapping you, Nezuko." He looked sadly at her cheek but was surprised when his sister held his hand and forced a small smile under her muzzle. He started to tear up as he held her closely - she rubbed circles in his back to comfort him - she hummed softly.

"He was only rough to me to get some sense into me, what was I thinking?, Tanjiro's just keeping me safe and wanting [Name] to take care of us, that's all!"

She thought and nodded to herself as he let go and wiped away the remaining tears that were left. "Now." He said as he held his little sister's hand in his own rough bigger hands.

"Will you do anything to have [Name] love you too?"

Nezuko shrugged her shoulders as she held her brother's hand - tanjiro grinned ear to ear - he gently squeezed her hand, "Then please help me get Zenitsu out of our way of taking [Namw] away from us." Nezuko hesitatingly looked at Tanjiro, he saw her hesitation and slowly dropped his smile. "What? Do you not want [Name]'s love?" She quickly shook her head and squeezed his hand; needing to show that she was on Tanjiro's side.

Tanjiro then looked at her sternly and pointed a free finger at her in between her eyes, "Then you'll do whatever is necessary for [Name], right?" Nodding without hesitation this time, Tanjiro smiled and nodded along with her, he patted her head.

"Good girl! Good girl! Now—" he raised her small hands against her chest and got close to her face, only inches away "—Let's take care of a pest for [Name]'s well-being because Zenitsu is only dragging [Name] down and taking them from us. That's not good, now is it?" He asked Nezuko. Of course, she shook her head. Tanjiro grinned and continued.

"Right. Now the sooner we take care of him the sooner that [Name] will be in our arms and love us too!" He had a tint of pink on his cheeks as he gripped his little sister's small fragile hands. She looked down and looked uncertain about his situation.

She didn't see anything wrong with taking care of something that was in the way of the only thing that's keeping you sane, I mean—

—- who wouldn't want to do whatever it took for your only source of happiness to keep smiling?

Quiet and rushed footsteps dashed away from the room that the two siblings talked in.