"I feel… great, Yoizumi-nii!" Tanjirou puffed out his cheeks, raising both arms to show his brother a 360-degree view.
Yoizumi chuckled helplessly, gently patting his younger brother's small head. How could he forget that Tanjirou, like him, was someone who couldn't quite articulate things?
"Yoizumi-nii, what exactly is this thing?"
Tanjirou was still a bit curious, looking up at his brother and asking.
Lowering his gaze, Yoizumi's sapphire eyes met his younger brother's bright crimson ones. He slowly shook his head, a gentle smile gracing his lips.
"Tanjirou doesn't need to know. It's good for Tanjirou, that's all."
Yoizumi didn't intend to tell his younger brother. Since the risk was gone, there was no need for Tanjirou to know.
His younger brother would live a long life.
"Tanjirou, go bring Nezuko over." Taking out another vial of medicine, Tanjirou's gaze was immediately drawn to the blue liquid.
He stared blankly at the liquid in his brother's hand, and a guess suddenly formed in his mind.
Tanjirou's breathing suddenly became erratic, his heart pounded, and the rise and fall of his chest visibly increased. His lips trembled, and it took Tanjirou a long time to find his voice.
"Yoizumi-nii… is this…?"
He was afraid of being wrong. This was something he had yearned for for too long… Although he didn't name it directly, Yoizumi knew exactly what Tanjirou was referring to. He revealed a relieved smile, then nodded firmly at his younger brother.
With just that simple action, Tanjirou's eyes uncontrollably welled up, and instantly, his clear eyes overflowed with tears of joy.
He had waited for this day for too long… Swallowing the sourness in his throat, wiping away the tears from the corners of his eyes, Tanjirou didn't want to waste a second and immediately ran towards Nezuko's scent.
Staring at his younger brother's somewhat stumbling back, Yoizumi slowly looked at the vial in his hand. The image of the sensible and bright girl from his memory reappeared in his mind.
"Brother Yoizumi."
Nezuko happily held a basket of wild vegetables, presenting it to him. On her tender little face, there was no resentment towards the difficult life, only contentment with the current peaceful days.
"Look, I found so many wild vegetables again."
Her clothes were a bit old, and there was a cut on her wrist, blood staining her sleeve. But Nezuko didn't mention it; when it was pointed out, she just smiled shyly at Yoizumi.
"I didn't even notice."
…Because the pain was unbearable, she squeezed her eyes shut. Hanako and Mao, beside her, carefully leaned close to their older sister, their small eyes filled with worry.
"Is older sister okay?"
Yoizumi carefully disinfected his younger sister's wound and bandaged it with a clean white cloth. Seeing her entire little face contorted in pain, he sighed softly, telling her to remember to call him when she went into the mountains in the future, as it wasn't safe for her to go alone.
Nezuko raised her hand, which her brother had wrapped up like a bun, and even managed to curl her fingers, playfully scaring her younger siblings who were nearby.
"It's okay, if I encounter danger… I'll flick its forehead!"
"Oh no, run, Hanako!" Mao covered his head and shouted.
Watching Mao and Hanako run off, Nezuko turned back and gave Yoizumi a bright smile.
Yoizumi helplessly tapped his younger sister's forehead.
How could that be… In reality, Yoizumi looked down at his younger sister's innocent and clear eyes, then gently stroked Nezuko's head. Nezuko, not understanding, tilted her head back and blinked.
She sensed a subtle emotion between her two older brothers. She looked at Tanjirou, who was shedding tears nearby, then at Yoizumi, who was smiling faintly at her with pursed lips.
"Brother?" Hearing his younger sister's confused voice, Yoizumi half-squatted down and placed the uncorked blue vial into Nezuko's small hand.
Yoizumi gazed at his younger sister gently, saying softly,
"You'll get better, Nezuko."
Tanjirou stepped forward and gently held his younger sister's hand, calling her name in a gentle voice.
Nezuko's innocent pink eyes seemed to understand something, her gaze brightened a few shades, and she drank the liquid in her hand.
Yoizumi reached out and caught the test tube that slipped from his younger sister's hand. Tanjirou supported Nezuko's falling body, his brow slightly furrowed with worry.
"Yoizumi-nii, is Nezuko okay?"
He picked up his younger sister, laid her on the bed, tucked her in, and stared at Nezuko's tightly closed eyes.
She'll be fine… For now…
Just wait.
"Tanjirou…"
"Hmm? What's wrong?"
Suddenly called by his brother, Tanjirou instinctively responded.
Yoizumi let out a heavy sigh, his eyes slightly red, his sapphire eyes clouded with an unclear mist. In Tanjirou's memory, Yoizumi-nii always stood with a straight back, but now, it was bent as he lowered his head.
His brother's usual clear and moist voice was somewhat hoarse.
Tanjirou heard Yoizumi-nii say,
"I'm sorry, Tanjirou…"
"I couldn't… protect… them."
"Even though… I promised you."
Hearing this, Tanjirou anxiously grabbed Yoizumi's arms, tears streaming down his face. For a moment, Tanjirou was so distraught he couldn't even speak, he could only desperately shake his head at his brother.
How could this be Yoizumi-nii's fault?
How could it be?
It was all the fault of that abominable Kibutsuji Muzan!
After a long while, Tanjirou finally found his voice, choked with emotion.
"Yoizumi-nii, don't think that way!"
"This has never been your fault!"
"How could I possibly blame you? Your being alive is already the greatest blessing for me."
"How could I blame you?"
Tanjirou's tears fell onto Yoizumi's hand, hot tears that, through his skin, seemed to merge with his bones and blood, blurring Yoizumi's vision.
The indistinct figure of Tanjirou in his blurred vision seemed to transport him back to the time when Tanjirou found him amidst the heavy snowfall.
His limbs were frozen, powerless, he could only watch helplessly as the white snow slowly… slowly… covered his body. Before his vision was completely buried by the fine snow, a pair of hands first cleared the blankness before his eyes.
Yoizumi hugged Tanjirou tightly.
This time… no one would take his family from him.
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