✾ ❃ ✾
Naminé Yamada wishes to kill demons.
Followed by the nightmares of her past, Naminé dedicated her life to strengthening herself mentally and physically ever since the death of her mother, hellbent on avenging her somehow. Though it seems that...
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"You're saying the demon seemed to get stronger?" Zenitsu asked while walking through the halls with Naminé, the pair carrying a tray of tea to share with the others--Naminé forcing the boy to help with chores since he was so rude to their hosts.
"Yes. When its tongue struck me, it almost went crazy. But not only that. It looked as if it grew right in front of me." Naminé recalled the strange demon she faced back at the drum house and how mighty its bloodlust grew once it finished lapping up her blood.
With everything that happened afterward, she hadn't had much time to ponder on it. But while they remained here healing their injuries, it was all she could think about. So much so that she couldn't help but blurt it out to Zenitsu when she recruited him to help the host.
"Do you think you have that rare blood that the crow was talking about? Like Shoichi?" His eyes were trained on her as he awaited her answer, the slayer focused on whatever she might say next. It was easy to see just how much this was bothering the girl what with the small, purple bags beneath her pale eyes. Zenitsu knew he didn't have much to offer the strong slayer except for some stuttering words and mock courage--he wasn't powerful like how the rest of them were. So seeing her like this . . . it left him feeling unsettled that he couldn't provide her some sort of answer.
If he could help ease her mind in any way, he would like to.
"I'm not certain. I don't really have anything to compare it to, so I can't say . . ."
Swallowing the lump in his throat, his words came out shaky as he struggled to get them out. "I-I'm sure everything is fine, Naminé! If it was that, you definitely would have known about it before now! A-And Tanjiro and the others won't let anything happen to you s-so don't worry, okay?"
Naminé vibrant eyes pierced right through him, their intensity enough to make Zenitsu's entire body shiver. Had he said something wrong? He knew how he must appear to others. He knew he wasn't skilled or brave like those around him--not for lack of trying--but he knew he was far behind than the average slayer. Maybe she didn't believe--
"I've been meaning to tell you, Zenitsu, but I think you're stronger than you know."
The slayer's feet came to a halt.
A smile soft as sunlight spread across Naminé's face. "What you did for Nezuko back at the demon house was very selfless. You also did your best to protect Shoichi from those demons. That proves you are brave, Zenitsu. Or, at the very least, that you try to be. I want to apologize. I might have judged you too harshly when we first met."
All Zenitsu could do was stare ahead at the girl's visage, fighting back the stinging in his eyes. For so long now, ever since departing from Grandpa, he hadn't really felt seen by anyone. Or hadn't even felt worthy of being seen by those he respected.
