Quiescent | Dororo X KnY

Training Interlude #3 - Written in Her Heart

School camp was a blast.
Coming back to school wasn't.

I've been away for too long now, so here's a little gift of appreciation for this wonderful (and weird) community ^^

Being the one to take care of her brother is something Nezuko had countless thoughts on back when their life was simple.

Before everything happened, Nezuko could only watch her older brother from behind as he selflessly volunteered himself every time there was either an issue or a job opportunity for Tanjiro to do and/or fix.

It always worried Nezuko whenever Tanjiro came home from a small job, covered in dirt, soot, and even some small scratches or bruisers littered on his skin. It worries her even more when Tanjiro smiles with a ‘I’m fine’ leaving his lips, ignoring his own problems while actively tending to others’ problems.

It frustrated Nezuko to no end whenever she brought her concerns to Tanjiro himself, only for the latter to wave it off.

Combined with his enhanced sense of smell, Tanjiro was a force to be aware of when it came to others too.

Kamado Tanjiro was very well known to be highly stubborn - 'thick-headed' like their mother back in their age - and always valued the emotions and feelings of everyone and everything around him. Even if it costs him his own time to worry about his own health and safety.

So Nezuko was actually not surprised when she came back down the mountain to their shelter, to see Tanjiro, along with small animals such as foxes, cuddling by the desk in the Kamado siblings' shared room.

Though the animals were surrounding Tanjiro like a large discoloured blanket from the shoulders down, Nezuko could clearly observe Tanjiro holding a brush, with his hand just hovering above the parchment. His brows and eyes were creased and narrowed in concentration, his shoulder-length locks tied to a high ponytail with some stray bangs either swept back or kept loose.

"Brother…?" Though she knew Tanjiro couldn't hear her, she could never grow out of the habit of calling her older brother every time she saw him. It reassures her that Tanjiro was still there.

Here, alive, and constantly fighting with his life on the line.

Since, currently, the 'opponent' for the fight was his inability to read what exactly he was writing. Nezuko could only giggle softly at the cute messy writing her usually tidy and mature older brother wrote on the parchment.

Even now, he’s still determined to do everything…

Sometimes, Nezuko feels guilty; she was training for the sake of her brother, throwing herself into danger every day, honing her muscles and instincts befitting of a warrior.

She wanted to be the one her brother is depending on now, since Tanjiro is now believed to be handicapped with his senses shut down.

And even then, he still wants to write… when it's practically impossible to do so...

Since writing would be a lot harder for someone who is virtually blind, Nezuko could only shake her head and walk up to Tanjiro, determined to help him in any way possible when it meant satisfying his thirst for knowledge and usefulness.

He's that stubborn, for our sake...

She held his wrist gently, acutely aware that she startled Tanjiro by the slight jolt with his writing hand. Nezuko guided him in no hurry, writing with a slow and even pace, stopping every now and then when she felt a slight shake in Tanjiro’s wrist.

When they both went to bed that night (more accurately, Tanjiro waiting outside and Nezuko sleeping), Nezuko could only stare at the ceiling in thought.

Though she would never admit it, after her brother turned, there was always something peculiar with his behaviour that she couldn’t place her finger on. 

Whether it was with fighting, interacting with others, even when writing with Nezuko, something was missing...

Brother… Why would he want to write… When he’s blind and deaf…?

Something about Tanjiro writing when he had these handicaps aroused her suspicion. However....

Brother… will always be Brother...

Nezuko's memories of his determined, stubborn yet gentle and kind personality to all those around him and towards the things he does washed her doubts away in slow, peaceful waves.

As sleep overtook her body, her eyes blurred with the image of her brother, brush in his left hand, the sound of his hanafuda earrings echoing through her mind.

I will not let Kami take you away from me…

please...

Apologies for the short chapter, but returning to school with a million emails and assignments coming through from having no WiFi during camp virtually pulled my brain out of its creative zone, so...