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Combine stress, grief and fatigue?
You get Kanzaki Aoi.
With the Kocho sisters gone, and Kanao being an active demon slayer, the responsibility of being the master of Butterfly Estate fell on her shoulders.
"Akari! I'm hungry!"
And the loud voice of Hashibira Inosuke waking her up from her almost nap is not what she needed right now.
Gritting her teeth, she faced him. "You just ate ten rice balls! Ten!"
This man is the perfect definition of glutton, having about the same appetite as the Love Pillar.
Ow. Thinking about the deceased Love Pillar hurt her heart again.
"Boss Inosuke wants more!" He whined like a little child. A tick mark formed on Aoi's forehead. Any time, she felt like she was gonna burst trying to handle a man as stubborn and loud as Inosuke.
"Argh, fine!" She faced a kakushi who was cleaning a table, "Kakushi! Give this dumb boar a whole basket of rice balls!" The kakushi looked at her confused, before nodding his head and exiting. Inosuke grinned behind his mask. "Haha! That's more like it!"
Aoi noticed Zenitsu walking out of the room. Seconds later, he was followed by Nezuko. She smiled at what she saw and that smile fell when she heard the boar snort.
"Seriously," Aoi went near him. His bandages were covered in blood. "If you keep moving like that, your stitches are gonna reopen." She slapped the back of his head and he yelped. "Oi! What's the big idea, slapping the king of the mountain?"
"You dumb king! I had a hard time refining your joints! What kind of knucklehead would even think of dislocating his own joints, huh?!" She shouted while grabbing his neck.
"Ow, ow! Hatori, let go!" He said it like he was in pain, but Aoi heard his cackles underneath the mask. She let go of him. "Tch. My name is Aoi, you idiot. You really are messed up."
He removed his mask and glared at her. "You are the only one who has survived after calling me an idiot many times!"
"Oh really? And why is that?" She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. She may have been hallucinating when she saw his beautiful face flush.
"Why should I tell you?!" He spat back. She felt annoyance creep at her. "Listen here, you-"
"That," Uzui suddenly cooed, "style of flirting is not flamboyant." His three wives beside him nodded in agreement. Inosuke tilted his head curiously while Aoi furiously shook her head, blushing. "I'm not- I mean, we're not-!"
"What's flirting?" Inosuke asked. Uzui and his wives gaped at him while Aoi shrugged at them. "He's a battle junkie, but innocent as a baby."
"A flirt means really strong." Uzui said, smirking. Aoi snapped at him for lying. "Hey!"
"Oh!" The pretty boy stood up. "I'm a flirt! Aori, I'm a flirt!" He puffed his chest proudly. Aoi rolled her eyes at his idiocy. "Please stop using that term. It's embarrassing."
"Huh?!"
"Inosuke!" Nezuko entered the room, holding Zenitsu's hand. "We're getting ready to go! Pack up now!" She said and the boar stood up and raised his fist in the air. "All right!"
Aoi looked at the blushing blonde and gave him two thumbs up. He smiled widely in return.
"Where's Tanjiro?" Aoi asked, looking around. Zenitsu spoke, "I saw him walking towards the garden earlier."
"Let's call him, Zenitsu-kun?" Nezuko asked, smiling. The blonde giggled (weird) and trotted holding her hand. "Okay!"
When the two were out of sight, masked Inosuke faced her again. "What was that about?"
Aoi sighed. "You'll know when you're older."
"But I'm the same age as you!"
"Your age, but not your brain!" She said. "Anyway," she put a big sack on his hands. Inosuke peered inside and his mouth opened. "That's for you, Inosuke." Inside the sack were rice balls. "Safe travels."
"Amuri..." he said and removed his mask. Inosuke looked at Aoi with sparkling eyes and a warmth he never felt before filled his chest. To Aoi and the rest of the people in the room's surprises, he hugged her tight and placed a kiss on her forehead.
"Oh?" Uzui cooed.
"Yes!" His three wives cheered.
"Ridiculous." Sanemi grumbled.
He let go of her after a minute, flashing a radiant smile that left everyone in the room astounded. Aoi always forgot that Inosuke was a very good-looking boy, disregarding his microscopic brain. He put his mask back on and pointed at himself. "Inosuke will visit you!"
Tanjiro peeked from the door and signaled for him to come. Hauling the sack, Inosuke waved at them. "I will be leaving now! Bye, Awari!"
"It's Aoi, darn it." Aoi said, wiping a tear from her eye as Inosuke was far away. She smiled at his direction, but the smile fell as she felt many scrutinizing stares at her back. "Stop that!"
_
A few months later, Aoi woke up because of a familiar voice banging on her door.
"Aberi! Inosuke is here!" He shouted, waking up everyone in the estate. Aoi rubbed her eyes and opened the door. She planned to glare at him, but didn't when she saw what he was carrying.
"Flowers?" She whispered, loud for him to hear. He handed it to her and grinned. "I took them while I was walking towards here. Haruko said that if I visit, I bring flowers!" She received it and smiled at him. "Haruko? Oh, you mean Nezuko?"
"The girl that kisses Monitsu, whatever her name is."
"K-Kisses?!"
After that, Inosuke visited at least once a month, giving her flowers or fish. He'd teach Sumi, Kiyo and Naho the basics of swordmanship or help her with poor cutting skills in the kitchen.
"Hey, Ahari." He called her while she was stirring soup in a pot. "What is it?"
"Gonpachiro's sad, I can feel it." He said blatantly and Aoi felt a bit amused at his awareness. "Does this have something to do with One-eyed purple?" Aoi sighed, recognizing the owner of the nickname. She sat down across him.
"Kanao is... she rarely comes home. When she does, she drops off medicinal herbs and rests for an hour before leaving again. I think she's pressuring herself to rid of the remaining demons here, but what for?" She asked him. He shrugged as he chomped on his rice. "How would I know?"
The girl frowned at him. "And here I thought you were getting better at feeling for others."
"I am getting better! I'm best at everything!"
"Oh, shut up."
She then began to ponder on her relationship with the handsome boy. An old lady once mistook them for a married couple, and for once she found her inner self having those thoughts.
What's it like being married to Hashibira Inosuke?
Aoi internally slapped herself after for having such thoughts.
Two years later, Tanjiro and Kanao were together again, and Aoi couldn't be more happier for her friend.
"Kentaro's happy again." He chimed in once while they were hanging laundry. Aoi set down the basket and sighed happily. "I am so happy for them."
"I feel like I'm left out." His statement stopped Aoi in her tracks. She stayed silent, urging him to continue.
"I mean, Bakatsu and Neguro are getting married. Monjiro and One-eyed purple are together again. What's in it for me? Am I even meant to meet someone?" He ranted like a child and pouted. Aoi laughed and patted his shoulder.
"Oh, Inosuke. Love is a very slow process. You cannot rush it to make it true."
"How do you know that? Do you love somebody, Akari?" He asked her eagerly, green eyes gleaming with curiosity. Aoi's face flushed a bit as he looked at his deep emerald eyes.
"I do have someone in mind." She said, smiling.
Looking at that someone made her feel giddy. This beautiful boy is the only one who made her feel like this and for once, she wished that he would take the hint.
And for the love of God, he did.
Inosuke blinked and held her hands within his warm, muscular ones. Recovering from shock, she squeezed his hands and smiled warmly. He grinned at her.
"I have someone in mind, too."