Unforgiving World (Tanjiro x OC)

Chapter 19

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"Amaya, please. Just let me walk on my own, I promise I'm okay." Amaya stubbornly shook her head as she guided their way through the forrest in search of a doctor, Tanjiro secured on her back and Nezuko's box strapped to her front. The burden was heavy, carrying two people after defeating her older demon brother and getting poisoned on top of that, but Amaya was all kinds of stubborn. After she had her dream, or rather vision, about her brother, she finally realized what Tanjiro meant to her.

He was someone she wanted to keep close, someone she trusted and someone she cared for. And now that she realized it, well let's just say Amaya is very protective of the few people she cares for. "Amaya, don't ignore me! You're straining yourself!" whined Tanjiro for the umpteenth time that day, but the girl simply refused to let him have his way. "No can do. You got hurt because of my own business so just enjoy this while I'm allowing it, redhead", responded Amaya with annoyance, making Tanjiro huff out a breath as he pouted. 

He himself was quite surprised by Amaya's shift in behavior, but he couldn't say he disliked it. Challenging her brother seemed like it helped her cope, which was a very good thing in Tanjiro's book. But it made her so damn overprotective, he didn't know how to deal with her being like that just yet. For now, he'd just keep trying to make her slow down, because judging by the way her breaths were getting heavy and her grip was slipping every once in a while, she was pushing herself too far. He wished she'd be able to voice her feelings more clearly, but for Amaya, accepting them was still easier than explaining them out loud.

Despite all of that, Tanjiro still hadn't really recovered from just a few moments earlier. Emotionally, I mean. Amaya's smile... It was absolutely breath-taking. The way the rising sun bounced off her features and her eyes shone with the tiniest sparkle made him feel like his heart would simply burst out of his chest. He wished he could stare at her smile all day long, though that would be creepy... Still, he could've sworn that smile was the prettiest thing he'd ever witnessed and it made him spot all sorts of different things about Amaya's appearance.

When she smiled, she had the smallest dimples in her cheeks and her eyes had the cutest crinkle in the corners of them. Don't even get him started on her lips... He's too embarrassed to go that far. But he felt like he was starting to see Amaya from a completely different perspective and Tanjiro wasn't at all opposed to that idea. He wanted to see all sides of her, but even with the sudden change in her behavior, he didn't know how to handle such things around her yet. He wasn't sure if she'd clamp up as soon as he'd mention anything of the sorts so he wanted to be as careful as possible, which he was fine with. 

But still, he wouldn't let any opportunity go to waste. And in the meantime, he'd stay as thoughtful and respective as possible. He didn't want to follow Zenitsu's path after all, so he knew the basics of what not to do when you like a girl. All he really wanted to do was make her feel safe, at ease and never uncomfortable with anything he did. He wanted her to feel loved, it was as simple as that. But... isn't the word 'love' coming off a bit too strong? Tanjiro wasn't sure, he'd never experienced it after all. Sure, he loved his friends and his family, but those were a different kind of love, he felt it.

He really didn't want to over think it now, so instead, he decided he'd try to find a way to get her to stop putting too much weight on her shoulders for him. He hated when people struggled because of him, so he really wanted her to take a breather herself. He raked his brain for the right thing to say, though it proved to be difficult. Amaya had shot down each and every one of his pleas along the way and he was left speechless. He hadn't realized just how perceptive she could be, it was giving him a run for his money. Amaya was stubborn as hell, but luckily, so was Tanjiro.

"Amaya, you know I'm not keeping quiet until you let me walk. I'm fine, I promise. I don't want you to feel as if you're owing me something", tried Tanjiro, only earning a side glance and a raised eyebrow from the girl he was talking to. "Hm. No", responded Amaya simply, the boy groaning out loud as he dropped his forehead on her shoulder. Damn it... So pleading didn't work, huh? What else could he try? "Okay... If you let me down now, I'll... help you train for an entire month!" bargained Tanjiro, trying out a new tactic to test the waters. Amaya scoffed and shook her head, continuing her trek without even as much as a glance of recognition.