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She had never wanted to kill Uzui Tengen so badly until now.
As Zenko looked at herself in the mirror, she wanted to tear the Sound Hashira to pieces for doing this to her and maybe cry. Her hair, which she had worked so hard to keep intact all these years as a demon slayer, was completely ruined. The strands were uneven, sticking out like a sore thumb, and one side was longer than the other. No matter how much she tried to brush it to hide it, it wouldn't work. Her left side reached up until the back of her neck, while her right side reached her shoulder.
Tears welled up in her eyes as she threw the hairbrush at the floor, completely giving up on trying to fix her hair. It was completely ruined, and there was nothing she could do to fix it. She choked out a sob, just looking at herself in the mirror. She looked so ugly with her face patched up from the fight and her hair was a mess. She wanted to crawl into a hole.
'Tanjiro will surely hate me now. I look so ugly. Even the women at the Red Light District were prettier than me, and now they're even prettier than me.' she thought, her mind running rampant already. She wondered how Tanjiro was with a girl like her. A crybaby, weak girl. Maybe she was just hindering him. She buried her face in her hands, just wanting to cry herself to sleep.
"Zenko?" she perked up when she heard Tanjiro's voice outside the door, the sound of his soft and kind heartbeat filling her ears "Is it alright if I come in?"
"Ah- Y-Yeah, just a moment!" she answered, wiping away her tears with the sleeves of her hospital gown. She quickly got up, walking to the door and opening it. Behind it was Tanjiro, smiling ever so warmly at her. It made her heart flutter, her cheeks burning a faint shade of pink as she let him enter her room.
"Sorry if I was bothering you, it's just that I... really wanted to see you." the boy shyly admitted, a hand fidgeting with his own hospital gown. Zenko's gaze softened as she shook her head. Tanjiro was just the sweetest boy ever.
"It's fine. I was just..." she trailed off, her eyes averting. Tanjiro raised his head up, his eyes widening slightly when he saw the state of her hair.
"Your hair..." he whispered, his voice growing quiet. Zenko nodded.
"It... got like this during the battle against the Uppermoon 6." she explained, not wanting to talk about it. Tanjiro's gaze softened at that. She was sure he could smell the sadness she was feeling.
"I see..." he whispered. There was a small beat of silence, neither of them saying anything. Zenko didn't say anything, because she was waiting for it. Waiting for him to break up with her. However, when she felt his hands on her hair, she opened her eyes. He was running his fingers through her damaged hair. Her eyes widened slightly.
"Wh-"
"Ah! Sorry, it's just- I-I've always been... curious about your hair. And even if it's uneven, it's... It's really pretty, Zenko." Tanjiro admitted, his cheeks burning a pale red. She could hear his heart speeding up ever so slightly, it made her own heart skip a beat. A shy smile slowly made its way to her face, looking at Tanjiro with such joy, with such adoration, with such love.
She rested her head on his shoulder, taking him by surprise. He looked down at her, his eyes slightly wide. However, his gaze softened when he saw her expression. The way she wanted to hold back happy tears, her cheeks fully pink and her eyes filled to the brim with emotions. Tanjiro wrapped his arms around his girlfriend, a soft smile on his face. Another beat of silence passed, the two holding each other with nothing but love.
"Hey, Tanjiro?" she called softly. He hummed in question, waiting for her to continue.
"Is it okay if you... help me cut my hair?" she asked. He looked down at her, surprised. However, he nodded.
"If that's what you want, Zenko."
Tanjiro nervously held the scissors in his hand while kneeling down on the floor, Zenko sitting still right in front of him. Yes, he had agreed to help her cut her hair. But the thing is, he was really nervous about messing it up. What if she doesn't like how it ends up? He never wants to see her cry. Especially because of him.
"Tanjiro, your heart is beating like crazy." she spoke, her beautiful voice bringing him out of his thoughts. He sucked in a harsh breath. He completely forgot about her amazing hearing.
"Sorry, it's just- I don't want to ruin your hair. I know how much you care for it." he said. Zenko turned her head to him, a soft smile on her face. It made his heart jump.
"It's fine. I trust you, Tanjiro." she told him. Her scent was of honey and kindness, her smile was beautiful. He gulped, nodding.
"Right." she turned her head back around, looking at the mirror again. Tanjiro took a deep breath, slowly nearing the scissors to the longer section. He meassured the strands with his sight before he started snipping, cutting the hair so it reached the back of her neck. He was definitely nervous, his hands sweating and shaking as he cut the hair. When he finished, he looked at his work.
A few strands looked shorter, but other than that, it looked good. He smiled in relief, brushing the strands that fell on her shoulder and back. "I'm done, Zenko. What do you think?" he asked. The girl looked at her reflection in the mirror, her eyes widened slightly. Tanjiro put the scissors down, expectant.
"It's so cute! Thank you, Tanjiro!" Zenko beamed, hugging her boyfriend. The boy yelped, surprised. However, her words brought a big smile to his face. He was really glad she liked it.
"Ah, hey, turn around for a moment. I'm gonna do something." he told her. She nodded with a curious look, but doing as Tanjiro said. He grabbed the bows on the nightstand, the bows she always used to tie her hair into the adorable braids she had when they first met. Carefully, he grabbed a bit of her hair, braiding it ever so gently before he wrapped the bow around it, a small little braid hanging from the left side of her head. He did the same with the other bow, making a small little braid on the right side of her head. He smiled softly as she looked at herself in the mirror, her eyes lighting up ever so slightly.
"Tanjiro..." she whispered.
"You always like to braid your hair, right? I know it's not much, but back when I was younger, I used to braid Nezuko's hair, as well as my other sister's." he admitted, laughing softly. Zenko turned to him, a smile on her face. She leaned in, pressing a kiss to his cheek. He let out a muffled gasp, his face positively burning at the action. He looked at her, his heart beating faster by the second.
"You're really amazing... I've never met someone so kind and sweet like you." she admitted, one of her hands slowly reaching out and grasping one of his. His gaze softened.
"Zenko..." he whispered. His body moved before he could think, his arms wrapping around her and pulling her to a hug. She melted onto the affection almost immediately, her head resting against his chest. He buried his nose on her head, taking in her scent. Honey filled his nostrils, a smell he has grown used to, a smell he loves and a smell that has become a part of his daily life.
"I love you."
"I love you too."
They both leaned in, sharing a sweet and long kiss. A kiss that washed away Zenko's insecurities and worries.
When Nezuko came out of her box, she saw her brother and Zenko laying on a bed, the two of them asleep in each other's arms with smiles on their faces. Behind her nuzzle, a smile formed on her face. She walked towards them, pulling up the covers of the bed to wrap them around it, letting them rest with warmth. She was sure they were tired after the mission in that district, with the fights against those strong demons.