Chapter Text
Shinobu the insect hashira had just gotten back from explaining her plan for killing the demon who killed her older sister, Kanae to Kanao
She was a little stressed thinking about it. Would Kanao be able to keep up with the demon long enough? If not, will she get assistance? If not she…she would-
But before she could fully get her thoughts in order she felt someone tug on her uniform. She turned to see a boar head staring right at her, it was Inosuke Hashibira
"Oh hello Inosuke. What's wrong?"
"....I'm injured" he said bluntly and quickly
"Oh my that isn't good, would you like me to treat your injury?"
"Hmm" is all Inosuke said
"Wonderful, come on this way" she said while grabbing his hand and walking to a room
They entered the room and Shinobu began to examine inosuke's injury. He had damaged his arm somehow. Though Shinobu knew it was because inosuke was….being himself
"Inosuke, do you know where Tanjiro went? I was supposed to check on his leg injury today" she asked as she began the checkup
"Hey said he was going to get the guy with the hanhan haori"
"You mean Tomioka san? That's great! We've been trying for a long time to get Tomioka to join us in activities"
This was met with a few moments of silence before Inosuke replied with, "You sure do like the guy don't you?"
Shinobu let out a tiny gasp and blushed. She didn't think that someone could find out she liked Tomioka san that easily
"How….how did you know?"
Inosuke let out a laugh. "I could sense you getting happy and all fuzzy! I lord Inosuke have amazing mountain senses!"
Shinobu paused before saying, "no one has known that quickly, it took Mitsuri a few months to know…"
Inosuke laughed and said,"Hahaha! My senses are unrivaled!"
"Wait a second, how do you know the feeling of liking someone?"
"Because genjaroi makes me feel the same…"
It took the insect hashira to realize that inosuke was talking about tanjiro
"He…makes you feel the same way? So you love him?"
“Love? What do you mean?”
The insect hashira then realized that she was going to somehow explain to Inosuke what exactly romantic love is. She sighed to herself as she got herself mentally prepared for the conversation that was about to happen.
“Well you see, people can like other people in many different ways, you can love them like a sibling, guardian, or partner.”
Inosuke tiled his head in confusion upon hearing the word, “partner,”
“Love when it comes to a partner is often called, “romantic love,” it's where you feel a strong connection to someone…” Shinobu paused as if she was thinking of how she felt about Giyu
“You feel the urge to be with them all the time, and anything they do lights up your day and makes your heart pound rapidly.”
Inosuke sat in silence, as the words Shinobu said circled in his mind.
After a while he put the pieces together.
“HAAAA!!!??? So….so does that mean I like tenkario!? As a partner like you said!?”
Shinobu giggled seeing inosuke confused and flustered was a funny sight to behold. She then nodded her head, “Yes, yes it does.”
“Ooohh….”
“Now it's worth knowing that just because you feel like that about someone doesn't mean that they too share those feelings,” Shinobu said thinking of the one who tried giving her a revealing outfit.
Inosuke immediately froze up and his expression changed, it seemed that he was picturing how things might go down.
“That’s the thing about love…you don’t know for certain if the other sees you the same way…they could not see you that way…and…after you confess they could possibly not want to be with anymore…but,” Shinobu paused as she looked up at Inosuke and gave him a reassuring smile, “I’m certain everything will go well for you if you tell him.”
Inosuke stared, his heart began to feel fuzzy…really fuzzy, so warm and fuzzy that he was scared of how warm his heart was. Inosuke calmed himself down and looked towards a window,
“You sure do know a lot about this….and have a lot of faith in be…but you still didn’t tell half and half guy have you?”
Shinobu was taken aback, she didn’t expect to be called out like that…though she knew Inosuke wasn’t wrong, despite having feelings for Giyu she hadn’t told him of her feelings, “....Yeah….I haven’t.”
There was an awkward silence with neither person knowing what to say…….then….Inosuke decided to speak up
“Hey….Ms.Shinobu…,” Shinobu looked up, “Yes?” she asked
“What if we both tell them? And see how it goes?…..It beats just keeping these feelings to ourselves….”
Shinobu thought for a moment…..would it be worth it? Would they both succeed in being with the people they loved most….what if things went wrong? What if they both got rejected and things go south….
Shinobu was about to declined, but then Inosuke spoke, “Heheh! I know Genkario will accept me! I’m the King of the Mountains! He’d have to be stupid to not accept me! Plus he’s a really nice guy! He wouldn’t let me down!”
(“...He has a point…”), Shinobu thought, both Tanjiro and Giyu were nice people(though one was more evident with their niceness), if things did go wrong neither would leave Shinobu or Inosuke behind, they would still be friends with them, with the friendship still as strong as ever….though a bit awkward…but with her plan….wouldn’t it be cruel to confess only for her go to through with her plan?
Shinobu thought on that for a while as Inosuke watched her think. Shinobu then came to the conclusion:
It’d be better to confess and to try to have a relationship…than to not let these feelings go and keep them until her death
“Alright Inosuke…Let’s do it.”
“Hehe! Yeah! It’s a promise!” Inosuke yelled as he aggressively pulled out his pinky towards Shinobu
Shinobu stared, surprised at his action…but then smiled and wrapped her own pinky around his
“Right….It’s a promise”