Until death do us part (Manjiro Sano x reader)

2

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First-person pov

Mikey was only in elementary school when his mother fell ill.

Once I heard the news, I came with him to visit her a lot. Even with all of that, Mikey still stayed Mikey. He was always so strong, mentally, and physically.

-As a 12-year-old he could beat up high schoolers, no matter how big they were. And at the same age, he had the mental strength to keep moving after both of his parents died. I really wanted to be like him, I always have. But at the end of the day, no one could ever be like him, except Mikey himself. So all I could do, was stay by his side and support him through everything.

And that is just what I did.

I remember it clearly, the day I heard him speaking to his mother. Actually, it was the last time he'd speak to her. I remember him gloating about how he won some fight, I smiled to myself, feeling proud of him. But what he said after stuck with me until this day.

"Weak guys always cry so fast!" he beamed, "I am not going to cry. That's why mom, I'm going to protect you, so come back home."

My whole expression softened as his words. We were just kids, and he felt the need to protect everyone around him. He even convinced himself that crying made him less strong. Hearing him talk about how much he hated "weak" people flipped a switch inside me somewhere. Did he hate me for being that way? Did he secretly resent me for not being as strong as him? For crying, for not being able to fight the same way as he can? Is that why he always had to protect me in situations where I couldn't protect myself? He felt obligated to be strong for everyone, so he could protect us. The mental strain that probably has on him, is heavy.

From that day on, I refused to be weak in front of him. I was going to protect him, no matter what. That was the only thing that mattered to me.

Hearing him say goodbye to his mother is what hurt me most, he said it as if he'd see her again the next day. I could hear the tears in his mother's voice as she told him she loved him, and told him that it didn't make him weak to cry. It didn't seem to occur to him that she would really be gone soon. As soon as I heard his footsteps get louder, I turned my body to face the door. As soon as I saw his figure in the doorway, I ran up to him, and threw my arms around his waist. He looked shocked at first, but slowly hugged me back.

"N/N...? What's wrong?" he asked cautiously.

I didn't let go for a few seconds, but when I did, my hands stayed on top of his shoulders.

Looking him in the eyes, I gave him the warmest smile I could offer.

"Oh, nothing." I giggled.

"I just love you, that's all!"

I let go of his shoulders, and turned to enter his mother's room.

"Wh- huh?!" he gawked from behind me, "hey! don't say things like that!"

I giggled to myself as I approached Mrs. Sano's bed. Once I saw her, my expression faltered. She looked so pale, she had lost all of the color in her face, and it made me feel horrible.

"Mrs. Sano..." I smiled sadly, reaching out for her hand.

She smiled at me in response and squeezed my hand.

"Y/N...can you promise me something?" she whispered.

"Y-yes of course! Anything you ask of me, I'll do!" I blurted out.

She smiled at me, attempting to laugh without coughing.

"Could you...please look after my Manjiro for me when I'm gone? I'm afraid that one day...he'll lose himself to this new mindset he's forced on himself," she begged, her eyes full of sadness.