𝐏𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐄𝐓 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐎 , ᵏⁿʸ (discontinued)

Chapter 1

⚠️ — descriptions of violence and gore

Puffs of cold air escape his mouth in a frenzy as he quickly shrugs off the empty basket on his back, dashing toward the limp bodies of his siblings with a scream. He dropped to his knees and hovered his shaking hands over Nezuko's lifeless body. Her pale arm draped over Rokuta in a last attempt at protecting him. "What—" he stammered.

"What happened...?" he asked no one in particular, slowly turning his attention to the wide-open door of his home. His eyes broadened in horror at the sight. His oscillating hand slapped over his mouth to keep the bile down his throat.

There lay his entire family, bodies limp and bloody. Their once joy-filled eyes were now glazed with permanent expressions of fear. Most of their bodies were shredded up, revealing their digestive systems for the world to see.

His pupils shrunk, and his eyes watered. "Mom...Hanako..." he muttered, fear-stricken eyes trailing over each dead body. "Takeo...Shigeru, (Name), Rokuta..." he turned back toward his only other sister, quickly checking her pulse for sure.

She was warm.

He rushed to pick her up, hauling her onto his back carefully. "Nii-chan..?" He froze, nearly dropping the girl on his back. But, instead, he slowly turned toward the voice, limbs freezing up at the sight of his 'dead' sister. Her (color) hair seemed almost black at how much blood was in it, and her tiny hand was equally red as she reached out to her brother with the bit of energy she had left.

"(Name)!" he screamed, his shaky voice mixed with fear and relief. Then, making sure not to drop Nezuko, he shuffled over to his injured sister, kneeling to pick her up gently. Her skin was warm but was chilling by the minute. Tanjirou didn't bother to adjust, so he was comfortable, quickly dashing off in search of help.

Tears pooled in his eyes as he stumbled down the familiar snow path. The exact way he had taken to the village and back. His shoulders slumped with exhaustion, but he forced himself to carry both his sisters, desperate to save them. He ignored his red-tipped fingers and flushed red nose.

He heaved in the frosty air, paying no attention to how his lungs crystalized under the cold weather. Instead, everything seemed to distract him, steering his attention away from his siblings.

Nezuko's hand twitched, and her head slowly lifted from Tanjirou's blood-soaked shoulder. Her movements were sluggish, her face was pale, and her teeth weren't always sharp. She growled lowly, tossing her head back and baring her newfound fangs at the sky.

Tanjirou, startled, tripped over the deep snow and tumbled down a small cliff. The fall wasn't very far, but the thick snow cushioned his landing considerably. Then, quickly, he realized that he was no longer carrying either of his sisters and panicked. Yet Nezuko brought another growl to his attention, and he looked in her direction, surprised at the appalling sight.

Nezuko, who had been on the brink of death just a second ago, was standing on her feet with no signs of pain whatsoever. At her feet sat a disheveled (Name), slowly rising to her feet with the help of a tree.

Tanjirou gasped, stepping toward the two in haste. "(Name)! Nezuko!" he took another step forward. "Are you okay? Please don't hurt yourselves. I'll carry you to the village!"

Nezuko snapped her head up suddenly, fangs bared and eyes veiny. She pounced on Tanjirou, claws painfully digging through his scarf and into the flesh of his shoulders. He yelped and stumbled back at her strength, toppling to the ground with Nezuko straddling his waist. He grabbed the ax he had brought with him for safety and used its wooden handle to lodge between Nezuko's strong jaw.

He hesitantly looked away from Nezuko, searching the space behind her for (Name). Sweet, little (Name). He wondered what his family did to deserve such a horrible end. Was it because of (Name's) stubbornness? If so, he'd make sure she listened from then on. "(Name)?!" he called out, nearly releasing his grip on the ax in relief when he received a reply—a muffled one, but a reply, nonetheless. "Hold on! Just hang on, okay?! Your big brother will protect you!" (Name) didn't reply that time.

She tried hard to suppress the almost instinctive starvation but found herself drooling helplessly anyway. She didn't want this. She didn't want to eat people. So then, why did she feel such an unbearable desire for human flesh? She wanted it to stop. Please stop.

"Try your best, Nezuko! Try to hold it off!" Tanjirou shouted, arms becoming fatigued as she grew in size. Her eyes watered, and paunchy tears flooded her snow-white cheeks. Droplets stain Tanjirou's own as he gazes into her slit pupils longingly.

An unfamiliar smell invades Tanjirou's sensitive nose, and he veers just in time to avoid Nezuko's head from being cut off from her neck. In return, the man cleanly cuts off his ponytail. His eyes immediately dart around in search of two different things. Finally, he sighs when (Name) stumbles to her knees beside him, blood dripping down her arm in fat clumps. Their assailant stood tall above the trio. Katana clutched tightly in his dominant hand. His ponytailed black hair swayed in the harsh atmosphere, though he seemed unaffected.

"You protected it." he pointed out. "Why?"

"She's...They're both—" Tanjirou stuttered with surprise. "They're my younger sisters!" So those things are your siblings?" he scoffed. "How pitiful."