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It was a bright and sunny day at The Butterfly Estate. The weather was the perfect temperature, where the sun managed to make things feel warm and cozy, instead of humid and sweaty. Aoi was out in the back folding the freshly dried white sheets. It fascinated her how the influx of people going in and out of the estate had shrunk considerably since the Demon Slayer Corp. put an end to Muzan Kibutsuki, but how that had little to no effect on the load of laundry that seemed to pile up each day. She would be more frustrated about it, if she didn’t find something oddly soothing about folding clothes and sheets. It kept her mind off of things, off of how much she wished Shinobu was still here.
Aoi finished folding the sheet that was in her hands and when she went to place it in the basket, something about it seemed off. She felt like the basket should be filled up higher than it where it was, but maybe she’s been too distracted, and hasn’t made as much progress as she thinks.
She ignored it for now and went on to pull down the next sheet from the wire. She grabbed the sheet by it’s two corners and aired it out, the way it rolled in the air was pleasing to her eyes. It was then that she got a strange feeling, like her instincts were trying to warn her about something. She continued folding the sheet, something she’s done so many times she could do it in her sleep and went to place it in the basket. The basket that is now empty. Now she knows she wasn’t making anything up, she looked around and the only two people she saw out here were Kanao and herself.
Kanao was sitting on the wooden floor of the estate with a butterfly on her finger. She was looking at Aoi with a smile on her face and Aoi got the feeling that Kanao knew something about all of this.
“Kanao?” Aoi asked.
“They told me not to tell you,” she admitted with an amused smile.
“They?” Aoi questioned. She knew this wasn’t Kanao’s doing, so that made her jump to the next logical conclusion. “Sumi, Kiyo, and Naho, right?”
Kanao didn’t respond, but the smile that was still on her face confirmed everything for Aoi.
Aoi stuffed the folded sheet in the basket and quickly made her way to find the three culprits behind this.
“Good luck, Aoi,” Kanao said as Aoi stormed past her.
Aoi heard the sound of giggles and three pairs of footsteps running far away from her. She looked more mad than she currently felt, the girls liked to play this game . . . a lot, much to Aoi’s misfortune, but this was the first time since Shinobu’s passing since that they’ve done this game. So now instead of frustrated, she was glad, they were- they all were so sad after finding out, but the fact that they can finally find it in themselves to play. Well, that’s worth playing this game of hide and seek hundreds, if not thousands of times.
She chased after them, relying on her sense of hearing to tell which way they ran. She finally found her way to the right hallway and she’s sure she has them cornered.
“I wonder where they went, they wouldn’t be here would they?!” she yelled out, playing along with this game of theirs. She quickly swung open a door, only to reveal an empty room. “Not here, huh?! Hm!” she said as she slowly made her way down the hallway.
She heard the sound of giggles and hushing. Got them.
“I wonder where they went?!” she said, pretending to be unaware. “Guess I’ll go look somewhere else!” she said in an attempt to throw them off.
She tiptoed over to the end of the hallway, they were just right around that corner. Anticipation building up inside her, already picturing their faces once she catches them.
“GOT YO- AH!” she screamed after she had jumped out. Instead of being the scarer, she ended up being the scared one. “Inosuke!” she yelled out. She was used to his mask, but it can cause quite the fright if you’re expecting to see three little girls instead. “Sorry, Inosuke. I was expecting someone else,” she quickly explained. She knew she shouldn’t feel embarrassed considering this was Inosuke of all people she was talking to. The same Inosuke who was excellent at abrupt entrances, she had no doubt that if things like that were awarded he would win it every single time. Regardless, being caught in such an act is mortifying, Inosuke or not.
“Good!” Inosuke announced. “You have to do a lot better than that to scare, the great Inosuke,” he went on to say, while pointing towards himself with his thumb.
“Hmph, like I’d even bother scaring you,” she said while crossing her arms.
“What’s that supposed to mean?!”
“Figure it out!” she yelled, the truth was she didn’t have an answer, it was just something she said out of pride. The girls , she remembered. She’s not going to let Inosuke distract her. “Have you seen Sumi, Kiyo, and Naho?”
“No.”
“Okay. See you later, Inosuke,” she said, before promptly going back to her hunt for the blanket thieves.
“Oi!”
“Not right now, Inosuke!” she said as she swung open the door to another empty room.
“I’m leaving,” he said. Aoi’s steps suddenly came to and abrupt halt as the word 'leaving' echoed in her head.
“Leaving?” she asked as she turned around to face him. “Leaving to where?” she asked in disbelief.
“Home,” he answered.
“Home?” she asked, her jovial mood suddenly plummeting.
“That’s what I said, didn’t I?”
“I heard you!” she said, but her retort sounded weak.
Home? She questioned. When everyone had started to leave weeks ago and Inosuke had stayed, she thought that Inosuke had felt that this was his home. If he truly felt like this wasn’t his home, their really wasn’t anything she could do or say to get him to stay. What would that even sound like, Stay, Inosuke, stay, because I wa-, it already sounded ridiculous.
“Well, safe travels, Inosuke,” she said. Then turning her head to look away from him, because there’s no way she’d let Inosuke see her upset over him.
“Aoi,” he called out.
“Yes?”
“Oi, Aoi, look at me,” he said as he suddenly invaded her personal space.
She started pushing him away by his mask. How annoying, she thought, but she knew that this was what she was going to miss. No matter how hard she tries to ignore it, this place will never be the same without Shinobu and Kanae here, but with Inosuke, it was like he brought back life within these walls.
“Come on,” he said as he persisted in his attempts at getting them face to face.
“Ugh,” she groaned, when she realized that not looking at him says more about her than looking at him could. “Fine! What is it?” She asked as she dropped her hands from his mask, and faced him.
“Tanjirou told me to never leave without properly saying goodbye,” he explained.
Tanjirou.
“So here,” he said, sounding agitated by feeling obligated to do such a task, before he then took off his mask.
She’s seen him without the mask several times at this point, but the novelty of his bare face hadn’t seemed to wear off yet. She realized he must be pretty serious about leaving if he’s going this far. A fact she's forcing herself to accept, no matter how it may make her feel.
“Goodbye, Aoi,” he said with furrowed brows.
Her mind was scattered with thoughts of what she should say versus what she wanted to say.
Before either of them could say anything, they were suddenly bombarded with an attack of multiple white sheets. Leaving the two of them completely covered and tangled up in a pool of white.
“Surprise Attack!” Sumi and Nayo shouted.
“Just wait till I get my hands on you three!”“I’ll tie you three into one big knot, how does that sound?!” Aoi and Inosuke yelled at the same time.
“Let’s run,” Kiyo said, before the girls made a quick exit.
Aoi and Inosuke were doing their best to get out of this maze of blankets when they suddenly bumped into each other.
“Aoi,” Inosuke said as he lifted the blanket up so they could see each other more clearly.
“Inosuke,” she said. Having to look up even more consider how close they're standing, giving her a good look into his green eyes and the way his long hair looked softer in this light.
“Don’t cry like a baby when I’m gone, alright, The great Inosuke Hashibara, will be back before you even know it,” he said.
He’ll be back, she thought.
She’d been worried he was gone for forever, when he planned on coming back this entire time.
“You’re so stupid, Inosuke!”
“Oi!”
“You had me thinking you were leaving for good! Why didn’t you start with that?! You made it sound so-,” she started yelling before Inosuke suddenly leaned in brushed his nose against hers. Her heart started racing and her face suddenly felt warm. “What was that?” she asked, before covering her nose with her hand.
“Isn’t it obvious?” he asked.
“No,” she said, but then noticed how pink his cheeks were. It only seemed to make heartbeat flutter even more. She remembered how he raised and she now gets a good idea of what Inosuke was going. She dropped her hand from her face, and wondered how she ended up here, with Inosuke of all people, but her heart didn’t seem to want it to be anyone else. “You like me, Inosuke?” she asked. She watched as his eyes widened and now he was the one who was unable to look at her.
“Isn’t what I did earlier an answer," he grumbled.
“I’m not a boar, you know?”
“Of course, I know.”
“Right, so . . .” she started, willing herself to not back out. “For people, it’s like this,” she said and pushed herself up onto the tip of her toes to press her lips against his. His lips felt a bit chapped, but managed to still be soft at the same time. Excitement bloomed inside of her, never imagining a kiss could feel so nice. “You see,” she finished, after she pulled away from him.
Inosuke grinned wildly at her and she somehow felt even warmer under his gaze. He put her hand on the back of her neck and pulled her into another kiss. The part of her that wanted to reprimand him quickly faded away, because Inosuke seemed to be a quick learner at this. They continued onto a marathon of chaste kisses, excitement bubbling over more and more with each continued one. The need to breathe eventually won over and them being trapped inside a fortitude blankets was only making that situation worse.
They finally managed to get themselves free and Aoi gathered the now dirty blankets into her arms.
“We should do more of that when I get back,” Inosuke said. Aoi’s face grew warm again, wondering if being under the sheets is what made her feel more bold.
“Maybe if you’re good,” she said as she tried to compose herself.
“What are you trying to say?!” he asked and Aoi couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m better than good, I’m great.”
“If you say so, Inosuke.”
“I’ll prove it to you.”
“Good luck with that.”
“Just wait and see, Aoi.”
“I won’t hold my breath.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?!”
“What it sounds like.”
“Well what I’m hearing is-,”
“Shouldn’t you be leaving,” Aoi said, abruptly putting an end to this weird banter they’re doing.
“I am!”
“Then hurry up!” she said, acting as if she wasn’t going to miss him the moment he leaves.
“I just need to do one more thing,” he told her.
“And what’s tha-,” she started to say, before Inosuke caressed his nose against hers once again. She couldn’t handle how fuzzy it made her feel, and how red it probably made her face look.
“I’ll be back!” he said after pulling away. Then proudly putting on his boar mask.
Stupid, stupid, stupid boar, Aoi thought as she couldn’t get the feeling in her chest to calm down. “Hmph,” she hummed.
“Stay out of trouble for Kanao, alright,” he said.
“You’re one to talk!” she said in disbelief.
“I don’t get what you mean. Anyways, I’ll be going now,” he said, before finally taking steps away from her.
“Good riddance,” she said, her fond voice betraying the words that were said, and the smile on her face towards his retreating figure only made the words even more hollow.
Little did Sumi, Kiyo, and Naho know that they’d have Inosuke Hashibara to thank for leaving Aoi too distracted to remember that she had revenge to enact, well only for today, let’s see if tomorrow they’re so lucky.