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BRAM BRAM BRAM!
Aoi and Kanao didn't even flinch when they heard the loud, aggressive knocking on the door, immediately knowing who it was.
"Inosuke! Stop being so noisy, Nezuko is still sleeping you know!" scolded Aoi opening the door to the rabid male she had grown to love. Inosuke scoffed. "Yeah, Yeah whatever. Just hurry your asses up, I wanna get going!"
Kanao, who had been silently listening to Aoi and Inosukes bickering as per usual, just gave a soft chuckle as she packed the last item into her bag.
She tapped on the two others shoulders giving them a look that said "Are you two going to keep arguing or are we actually going now?'
Aoi and the Boar boy begrudgingly stopped their bickering and headed out the door.
Eventually, the three finally made their way to Inosuke's pick up truck, not before Aoi gave him a lengthy lecture about how he should be "helping the ladies with their bags as it's the "gentlemanly" thing to do.
They pulled out of the dorms parking lot and began their 8-hour car drive towards their home village.
------
Somewhere during the 2-hour mark, Kanao brought up the topic of their childhood, starting a marathon of bringing up memories of the past.
"Hey Inosuke, remember the first time we met?"
-----
6 - year- old Aoi was walking beside through the forest following the yellowish dirt road as she carried the pale of water in her arms. She had been off to collect a bucket of river water to wash her clothes with. She had to learn how to take care of herself quite young, knowing how to do most things some adults struggle with. Her parents were rarely home, always busy with their separate jobs so learning basic life skills were more of a necessity than for most kids her age. By now, she had learned how to cook basic meals, wash her clothes and go shopping at the village market.
Back to the task at hand, she put the bucket down in the corner, taking a minute or two to rest. Her legs had grown tired she felt herself grow hungrier by the second. Suddenly, she heard a loud...grunt? She swung her head in the direction of strange noise, her small pigtails swaying with her. She saw a small pack of baby boars, about 3 or 4, barreling towards her along with a little boy charging along with them.
Aoi was squinted to get a better look at the boy, the sun obscuring her vision a bit. When she got a better look she saw that said boy looked about her age, had shoulder-length blue and black hair (which looked thoroughly knotted), with only a set of brown pants on ("How vulgar!" Aoi thought,) and gleaming green eyes locked on her as he sprinted aggressively towards her.
He and the boar came to a halting stop right and front of her. "HEY, YOU!" the young boy shouted. "Um, hi? What do you want?" responded Aoi crossing her arms to show that she really wasn't in the mood for any antics.
"FIGHT ME!"
"...what?"
"FIGHT ME!" repeated the mystery boar boy with a shit-eating grin on his face. Aoi glared at him. She isn't very fond of brazen people with no manners. "Who even are you?"
The boy seemed to light up even more like he'd been waiting for this question. " HASHIBIRA INOSUKE! DON'T YOU FORGET IT!"
"Ok Mister Hashibira, can you please leave me alone? I have to get home," said Aoi picking up her pale, hoping this conversation would end quickly. Inosuke scowled at her comment. "FIGHT ME!" he said as he got closer to her, his boar knocking Aoi off her feet, causing her to spill the bucket she had been carrying around for god knows how long at this point.
"HEY! what was that for?!" exclaimed the girl, scowling profusely. Aoi had always hated disruptive people, and this Inosuke fella had just disrupted and ruined all her hard work!
"You know what? I will fight you. Bring it on!" said Aoi her face determined and stance ready for a spar.
The young boy's face sported a wide grin, as he charged towards the girl with his boar obediently stepping out of his way.
Just as he was about to attack her he felt a sharp kick to his shins. He fell to the ground harshly, face planted into the dirt road. Before he could even question what happened he felt two hands holding down his legs and a heavy force keeping him down." H-HAAH?!" exclaimed Inosuke as he flailed his arms around trying to get out of Aois grasp. "Nuh-uh. You wanted to fight right? Is it because you thought you would win, boy?" said Aoi, tone smug as ever.
Inosuke kept resisting until he tired himself out. "Fine, you win," gasped Inosuke, finally accepting defeat. Aoi let out a small scoff as she got off his back, dusting herself off and fixing back her blue dress. "That should teach you to no- huh?" Aoi stopped her sentence as she heard the laughter of the boy as he regained his strength and got himself off the ground. And boy, was it quite a laugh. "What are you laughing at?!" shouting Aoi, losing the patience she had just regained.
"JOIN MY PACK!"
"....what?!"
--
"You were, and still are, out of your mind!" said Aoi recalling their first meet. Inosuke just let out a hearty laugh in response. Kanao felt a little out of place since she wasn't involved in the said retelling, but she chuckled along as to not make things awkward. Aoi noticed Kanao's distress and quickly switched the topic to something that she could be involved with. 'Hey Kanao, do remember the first time you spoke to me and the girls?"
---
Aoi and her little cousins Sumi, Kiyo and Naho (12 and 4 respectively) were visiting the Butterfly Mansion, the grandest place in the village. The Kocho sisters, Kanae and Shinobu were nice enough to allow the sick and injured to heal at the said mansion, earning the name of the village medical clinic. Aoi and her cousins visited there often, not because they were injured but because it was a nice safe place to camp out in since their parents were never home.
They passed the usual rooms making their way to the backroom, where they stayed. Aoi took note of the usual route, past recovery room 4 to 8, down the hallway and past the bedroom door that was always locked. Aoi was aware of whose room it was. The bedroom belonged to the girl the Kocho Sisters adopted, Kanao. She was about her age and always had her hair in a side ponytail with neatly trimmed bangs. Though she had seen the girl before (and is certain that she had seen her as well), Kanao never seemed to talk to her, or anyone really. She had always seemed to lurk behind her and the girls when they were playing games, always watching but hesitant to go join them. Aoi had often gone to invite her to play or train with her, but Kanao always ran before she got the opportunity to get a word out.
But today was going to be different, she's sure of it.
As usual, she saw that Kanao was sitting in the doorway, watching Aoi and her little cousins play around. Aoi had assumed she would be there so she devised a plan beforehand.
She said that she was going to prepare a snack for her and the girls just loud enough so that Kanao could hear as she made her way to the door. She hurried past the shy girl and headed to the kitchen where she swiftly prepared raspberry jam sandwiches, the girls favourite.
Aoi placed the sandwiches on a big plate which she used as a makeshift platter and filled a pitcher with fresh lemonade she had made earlier that day. Somehow, she juggled the plate, pitcher and 5 separate glasses all the way back to the doorway and she sat down next to Kanao who surprisingly hadn't run off yet.
"Perhaps she thinks I'm just setting these down to regain my balance," thought Aoi as she set down the last glass. She called over Sumi, Kiyo and Naho for their snack and soon enough she had her 3 cousins chattering away, getting jam all over their faces. Aoi giggled at the sight.
Soon enough she turned her attention to Kanao, who had been silently watching her little cousins eat.
"Hey, Kanao right?"
"...."
Aoi picked up the plate of sandwiches (much to her cousin's dismay) and gestured towards Kanao who had yet to speak. "Want one? It's raspberry jam," said Aoi trying to make her voice and demeanour as welcoming as possible. Kanao hesitated. After what felt like forever she gave a silent nod at took one of the crustless sandwiches.
Aoi took one for herself as she not-so-subtly tried to see if Kanao liked it or not (she was more focused on whether Kanao liked her or not but she wouldn't ever admit that).
Aoi was slowly starting to lose hope. What if she really just didn't like her?
"...."
"T-thank you, Aoi"
"Huh?! U-Uh I mean of course! You're welcome!"
----
"Eh?! You're telling me she had been talking to you since then?! She never used to talk to me," said Inosuke looking at them from the car mirror, a tiny pout on his face. Kanao laughed. "I never used to talk to you because you were god awful keeping quiet. You know how much I hate noise."
This just seemed to upset the male more.
Aoi just watched as Kanao and Inosuke argued, a rare occurrence indeed.
During the argument, Aoi got a glimpse of Inosuke's hair close up. "Inosuke." The hot-headed boy immediately recognized the tone of voice Aoi was speaking in and turned all his attention towards her. She not so gently attempted to run her fingers through his hair, with little to no results. Inosuke heard Aoi inhale, which was a telltale sign he was about to be lectured about something.
"Inosuke Hashibara! It's a complete bird's nest in here! Do you even brush your hair? Brushing your hair should be a part of your daily routine you know. I will never understand how you're so negligent with your hair when you're so good at doing hair! Remember how good you were with the girls?"
-----
"Inosuke!"
"Haah?!"
"Its your turn to do the girls hair. Ive already laid out what you'll need for you. Go." said Aoi,face stern and her arms crossed.
Inosuke grumbled in annoyance but still got himself ad headed towards Sumi, Kiyo and Naho's room. He didn't dare defy Aoi when she had that look on her face.
He soon entered the girls' room, sitting on their bed and calling out to them.
Sumi was the first to sit down in between his legs, so he could properly deal with her hair. Inosuke grabbed the towel provided for him by Aoi and dried off Sumi's hair, wet from just having it washed. He tried to be as gentle as possible, though he still heard a tiny "Ow!" from underneath him. Perhaps he needed to stop drying her hair so haphazardly. He passed the comb through her damp locks, trying to get out any knots or tangles. When he satisfied with his work, he began parting her hair in two to make her usual low pigtails. Lastly he place her blue buttfly clips onto her pigtails, finishing the whole thing off.
He repeated the process for the the other 2 and he marched off to Aoi with them, expecting praise.
Aoi inspected her little cousins closely, staring intently at their hair.
Inosuke began getting impatient l, but remained silent.
"You did well, for a boy."
"WELL OF COURSE I DID, BECAUSE IM NOT JUST A BOY, I'M THE GREAT HASHIBIRA INOSUKE!"
"Sigh...."
-----
"Well whatever!" shouted Inosuke in retaliation, glaring at Aoi from the car mirror.
"Um, Inosuke I think you should pay more attention to the road, we just missed our turn.." muttered Kanao.
Without saying a word (or at least nothing intelligible) Inosuke swerved, turning the car around which was met with the terrified screams of the girls in the backseat.
When the recklessness stopped and they began driving down the dirt road towards their village, Aoi promptly gave Inosuke a good slap on his nape.
"Are you INSANE? WE COULDNT HAVE DIED!"
"BUT WE DIDN'T DID WE?"
"INOSUKE IN SWEAR TO-"
Kanao just watched as the two did their usual routine, stomach churning from the stunt Inosuke has pulled.
She disliked yelling, she's never been a fan of screaming matches. But for a brief moment she thought that perhaps she didn't mind this, this wasn't so bad.
Ehh, maybe she's been around Inosuke too much.