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Chapter Text

There were topics Inosuke couldn't talk about.

Like for example, Shinobu's death.

The words caught in his throat and his breathing became heavy.

Sometimes he wanted to tell Tanjirou and Zenitsu to get rid of the pain that filled his chest, however, as illogical as it sounds; he felt that no one, not even they would understand.

No one was going to be able to measure how greatly affected he was when he knew that he would never see her again and the so maternal feeling he felt with her was now lost forever, for the second time.

No one except Kanao.

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Maybe it was because she had been there when it happened.

Or because they fought together with the same anger and bitterness, brandishing their nishirintos towards a common enemy under the same line of thought and that inevitably made Inosuke feel closer to her.

Maybe it was the tears they shed together and the shared pain they felt at seeing Shinobu's brooch, which seemed to scream at them that there was no time for this, that it wasn't over yet and they had to move on.

Now that he thought about it, maybe that's why he felt that Shinobu's death was not entirely over.

There were many things that for Inosuke were uncertain and that he didn’t know how to define, but he was sure of something, it was that he needed to talk to her, his friend.

Hashibira felt more insecure than ever before when he came to fetch her from her room at the Butterfly Estate. He knocked weakly on the door, with no hope that she would actually open it for him.

All the hairs on his body rose at the moment Kanao opened the door in her pajamas, hair down and eyes wide, a sleepy expression on her face.

“...Inosuke?”

She asked tenderly, tilting her head to the side and he uncomfortably looked away.

“...Sorry for waking you up”

Watching her sideways, a calm smile showed on the girl's lips.

“Is something wrong?”

When she told him so, with that genuine concern written on her face, it was impossible for him to lie.

“ Can I talk to you?”

If he had seen himself, he would have understood why Kanao nodded as quickly as she did.

The pain was palpable in his usually fierce gaze and his voice, which used to be so loud and rowdy, sounded like it was about to break.

Signaling him to wait a second, Kanao closed the door and quickly changed her clothes into her demon hunting outfit, secretly embarrassed that he had seen her in pajamas.

When she came out, he quietly watched her for a moment, not sure what to do. Yet, Inosuke clung to her skirt, unsure, his vision blurred and his mind went over every time he had passed with her.

Kanao grabbed his hand and guided him like someone who is overprotectively guiding a little boy to his house, except that she led him to the roof of the mansion.

Silently, they sat down.

Seeing their clasped hands, Inosuke finally felt the courage to speak.

“When I saw her, I thought I knew her from before.”

Kanao squeezed his hand and it reassured him more than he had expected.

“Her presence calmed me down. It was as if someone was hugging me and laughing sweetly with me.”

She listened carefully and that made him speak more.

“And even if in the end it was not her, but my mother...”

The memory of his mom was one he couldn’t forget. He had never met her, however...

“I miss her.”

Shinobu had been the closest one to a mother figure he had ever had and she had inadvertently earned a place in his heart.

“I miss her scolding. And her medicines that smelled bad. And her smile. And her...”

« Pinky Promise »

His eyes burned, his chest was heavy, he had a knot and a jumble in his stomach; He wanted desperately to let go of everything and yet a part of him refused and shouted for him to hold back.

Unable to fully analyze it, Tsuyuri's hand came to his head, guiding it delicately to rest on her shoulder, conveying a security and warmth to Inosuke that he had never experienced before. He trembled slightly as Kanao's slender fingers began stroking his bluish hair in smooth movements and then, in a sweet voice, she whispered to him.

“It's okay to cry, Inosuke.”

Crying, which was such a natural thing, was still hard for Kanao.

Neither fear nor anguish nor anger could make her cry.

And even if she wanted to, the most she could do was sweat. The only time she had allowed herself to cry was when she lost her teacher, who was also her sister and friend.

She’ll have to work on it.

After all, habits were not easy to erase.

Then, in a moment of inspiration, she said.

“If you want, cry for me.”

And the tears, which for days had wanted to come out, came out in a torrent that did not stop for what felt hours, while Kanao gently caressed his hair and hugged him, trying to convey all comfort she could offer to him, letting him know that it hurt her as much as him, that she was sorry, that she cried along with Inosuke in her thoughts and in her heart, that Shinobu's death would probably hurt them forever, but that she would be there to comfort and accompany him whenever he needed.

Chapter Text

When the turmoil in his heart finally subsided, the moon rose above them in all glory. Inosuke's eyelids were puffier than he wanted to admit, tired and sore from crying so much.

However, he was so comfortable in Kanao's arms that he never wanted to let go.

So they stayed like that for a few moments.

It was calm, safe, warm and comforting. Inosuke felt that he could fall asleep at any time.

Then his hypersensitivity warned him of small drops slowly falling down on his head. He separated from the girl to see what was happening and noticed that she was quietly crying.

And maybe it was because he was tired.

No, not even for that...

But Kanao, who was smiling sadly at him under the starry sky, reflecting the landscape and his image in her purple eyes, looked heartbreakingly beautiful.

So much so, that it made him forget how to breathe and his heart and stomach gave a 360 degree turn, to float along with the lost stars in her gaze, shining in the mirage of the small and few tears that slipped down her cheek.

His chest ached to see her cry like that and without thinking; he got closer than he should.

The girl's slightest crying stopped in surprise and the flash in Inosuke's emerald eyes hypnotized her, robbing her of every particle of air in her lungs.

And before she could say anything, between the whispers of the crickets and the night breeze, he kissed her.

Sweetly and instinctively, as if Inosuke hadn't been able to process what he was feeling and instead decided to just act it out. It lasted just over a few seconds and by the time they parted; he finally realized what he had done.

“S-Sorry, I-I’m-”

Stuttering as he had never done in his life, he was so nervous that he just wanted to hide under his boar mask and bury himself in a hole to never to come out again.

Looking desperately at her, Inosuke was inadvertently able to witness the most precious sequence he had ever seen.

Kanao's surprised face blushed in a tender pastel pink, then went to cute carmine and finished with a furious red, then covered her lips with both hands, as if she didn’t believe what had just happened.

Inosuke's heart was beating so hard that he clutched his chest tightly, believing it was going to come out of his body.

She looked so ethereally precious and gentle, the way her gaze sparkled with emotion had him slightly dizzy and embarrassed.

He didn't know what to say or what to think or what to do about how impulsive and fast everything had been, but Kanao kindly and shyly grabbed his hand and muttered.

“My heart was not ready for that...”

So what did that mean ---?

Before he could even finish thinking about it, Kanao rested her lips on his, with so much affection and care that Inosuke felt himself melt under her touch.

As they parted, he could tell how excited and flushed her face was. He couldn't help but think that she looked adorable this way and that he would give anything to put that look back on her, when she bravely whispered to him.

“Let's slow down, okay?”

Inosuke could only nod at the same time he felt that happiness was leaving his body in the form of small pompons, while looking at Kanao with love and kissing her again, experimenting with this feeling that burned in his chest, because tonight he obtained much more than he could ever want.