Chapter Text
Shinobu Kocho hated dating Tanjiro Kamado.
Perhaps that wasn't the best way to phrase it; Shinobu loved dating Tanjiro. When they were together, the world didn't feel painful. The rage was gone and she felt at peace, happy to be spending her time with somebody who made all the bad things go away.
She just happened to hate his chronic urge to get injured so monumentally that he didn't wake up for months. She wanted nothing more than to murder the upper rank who had injured him, but alas, Gyutaro had been slain by Tanjiro himself, which may not have made her feel immediately better but did at least give her flooding emotion some brawl. The second she'd been informed, she had left Kanao to endure the rest of their current assignment to return home to see him. She felt bad, but nothing would have been worse than not seeing him one last time.
When she had arrived, she found Master Ubayashiki to be waiting beside him. She was silent as the master spoke to himself, his prayers for Tanjiro's survival echoing with her own.
"Kocho... You should come and have a seat." He said after a moment, turning his head to look over at her. His smile and his voice made her feel like crying, and in a flash she had seated herself on the bed beside Oyakata-Sama and Tanjiro. "Doesn't he seem quite peaceful right now?"
"He does..." She said quietly, desperately trying not to sob. "Master."
"It would be too hard for you to speak much right now. It reminds me of other's situations so much it frightens me... but I believe he too will not shuffle off this mortal coil."
"I.. I believe the same, Master, but the possibility he doesn't is what I feared most when I was returning home. I don't want him to leave me..." The instant the tears left her eye, Ubayashiki's hand moved up to wipe them away, his smile never wavering.
"Tanjiro will not leave you. He has no intention of leaving any of us." Kagaya's conviction left no room for argument, what was said was to be believed, and that belief was what she needed most.
"I thank you, Master Ubayashiki."
"Do not. Instead, thank Tanjiro. Without him and Nezuko, I fear that Tengen would have been killed rather than merely injured, though a shame about his eye. The moment he is awake, please let him know that I am forever in his debt not just for ensuring his survival, but decapitating Gyutaro as well. You picked a fine swordsman, truly remarkable." The master didn't stay long afterwards, with his two daughters and Amane escorting him from the butterfly mansion.
When Shinobu was alone with Tanjiro, she locked the door and blew out the candles, then returned to the side of her unconscious partner. The week had been too long, and Tanjiro being injured had weighed on her too much. Disregarding grace and dignity, she threw her shoes and extra accessories that would be otherwise uncomfortable off of herself and onto the bed aside from Tanjiro's. Once finished, she crawled into bed beside her boyfriend, doing her best to cuddle against him without exacerbating his injuries from battle. She couldn't help weeping once in a while before she managed to sleep, wishing he would wake up and reassure her too. She fell asleep by his side, hoping and praying that he'd be awake once she herself woke up.
However, Tanjiro didn't wake up on the first day. Nor the second, and then a week, then a month went by and Tanjiro remained completely unchanged. He was still on the mend, still fighting to stave off death's cold embrace, and Shinobu hated every second of it. Still going on missions was the worst of it, but it was in tandem with being the only thing that could keep her facade from shattering. If she just kept killing demons and hoping everything turned out ok, then eventually something would have to give.
It was two months later that something finally changed. Returned from a mission with Kanao, the two girls had set off immediately upon returning home to bring flowers to Tanjiro, still unresponsive in his bed. Kanao had prepared the vase while Shinobu had ran to find flowers she knew he would like, hoping that it would help even a little in bringing him closer to waking up via his sense of smell jump starting the boy.
Once she returned from that task, the first thing she heard upon entering the butterfly mansion was a loud shattering noise from the hospital ward. Quick as a flash, Kocho was in the room with her sword at the ready, only to be met with her Tsuguko leaning over Tanjiro, and the culprit of that shattering noise was likely the vase that was now lying broken on the ground.
"Kanao, what's wrong? Why did you... drop.." Her voice faltered when she reached her student's side, having caught the eye of the boy who until only minutes ago had been asleep. Her peak of irritation, alongside the dam of emotions breaking once relief crashed down upon her when he flashed his beautiful grin that told her, finally, things could start to be ok again.
"Hey, 'Nobu... Kanao told me I was asleep for months... You must be pretty upset, huh?" Tanjiro mumbled, his tired voice telling her this bout of consciousness wouldn't last. Without skipping a beat, she was in bed with him, arms wrapped around him and face shoved into his chest to avoid her tears being seen. "Yeah... Thought so." His gaze flicked to Kanao, who was watching quietly as her master and Tanjiro lay together. "Hey.. Kanao? Do you think you could let everybody else know I'm ok? I don't think I'm gonna be moving much just yet." He chuckled dryly, wrapping an arm around Shinobu and pulling her closer. Kanao didn't respond, just turning away to run from the room and off to find the others within the butterfly mansion.
"I'm so proud of you!" Shinobu managed to say after a minute, having managed to control her bout of joyful tears. "Upper six... but I was so scared you'd die any day now... I'm so glad you're awake."
"Heh... Me too. It was Nezuko who saved everyone, you know?" Shinobu noted that his tired voice had gotten even more tired, and detaching herself from him to take a look at his face, she noticed his eyes were practically shut as well. "I'm so glad that everyone lived... Mr. Uzui... Zenitsu..." He leaned his head back into the bed, staring up at the ceiling in confusion. "Inosuke?"
"Yes, darling, Inosuke survived as well. Safe and sound thanks to you and your sister. You should get some rest now."
Tanjiro shook his head, trying to raise a hand and point a finger. "No... Ceiling."
Following his gaze, she looked up to the ceiling, struggling to fully process what was going on. "Inosuke... What?" She asked defeated, not able to feel angry at him when her elation was at it's peak as it was. There was the boar headed boy, holding on desperately to the rafters in the ceiling but otherwise doing just fine hanging out above the bed the two were currently in. "I suppose privacy wasn't to be expected, but..."
"Just glad... he's..."
"TANJIRO!" A symphony of voices rung out, and rushing into the room came the three young hekpers of the butterfly mansion and the kakushi Goto whom Tanjiro had befriended. Kanao ran in shortly after.
"You had us scared to hell and back, you know. When I found you, it was pretty bad, for you and the other two." Goto said with a nod, having begun talking about the aftermath of the battle after the tearful reunion with a now awoken Tanjiro. "The sound Hashira was the first one up, he just walked off. Scared me, if I'm being honest. That yellow haired punk is doing fine too, and as for the boar guy..." Goto stared blankly at a very nonchalant Inosuke, who was now standing on the foot of the bed after another outburst.
"And... Miss Aoi?" Tanjiro asked, and as if on cue, the noises of banging and rushing in the hallway could be heard, shortly followed by the door to the room bursting open, allowing the young woman wrapped in sheets to fly into the center of the room, quickly tearing off the cloth to be able to see properly. In no time at all, she too was beside the bed crying, singing her woes about how grateful she was to him and how scared she was that he wouldn't have survived.
"I wanted to go in your place... cause I knew you wouldn't want to take on that mission. Mr. Uzui needed help though. Only made sense... we would go, yknow?"
"Hm." Shinobu hummed to herself, finally bothering to stop just clinging onto Tanjiro as the room became more crowded. "I think that's quite enough activity for now, don't you all? Tanjiro seems to be falling asleep again, after all."
"'S fine, 'Nobu.. not even tired." He mumbled again, his slurred tone betraying his words.
"I'm going to go ahead and say I don't quite believe that." She said with a concerned smile. "Say goodnight to everybody for now, Tanji."
"Goodnighttt..."
Most of the guests in the room couldn't help but wish to stay and make sure he remained stable, but all of them were aware that being left in the hands of the insect Hashira was the best option they could ask to have. After saying their goodbyes to the nearly passed out Tanjiro, who was only awake by sheer force of will, the guests in the room exited one by one, with only Shinobu remaining by the end.
"Aren't you gonna sleep in your own bed?" He asked as he watched her shed her accessories to prepare for bed.
"Like hell I'm being anywhere but with you right now." She said with a heavy tone of finality, sliding into the bed beside him. She slipped her hand up to his chin, not wanting to rub over his wound directly in case it still hurt. "That bastard hurt you so much... I'd kill him if you hadn't already."
"Heh, sorry..." He wheezed out, leaning into her touch. "Beat ya to it."
"Guess you did, now sleep."
"Yes, ma'am." After that, he was silent, and it wasn't more than half a minute before he had finally managed to pass the barrier into a calm sleep. Shinobu couldn't help but stare at his features, burning every change she noted about him into her mind, as if afraid any moment he could be taken and she may somehow forget. Hoewver, not even the worst tirade of thoughts could keep one from sleep forever, and eventually she too managed to shuffle to the land of dreams, contently curled against her boyfriends chest.
The day after he had awoken from his coma, Tanjiro was already up on his feet, albeit shakily. Shinobu was almost surprised that he was already trying to stand, but seeing as total concentration constant was in and of itself constantly improving the body, he was never particularly inactive beneath the surface level. Despite that, he still ended up relying on her for support whilst they moved through the butterfly mansion to the veranda for Tanjiro to get fresh air.
"Wow." He said breathlessly as they stepped outside, staring up at the sky. "I guess it makes sense it'd feel like I last saw the sun just yesterday, huh? Two months is hard to believe."
"It wasn't an easy two months, to be honest." Shinobu admitted, carefully leading him to the steps to sit down. Fortunately for him, the pain of his wounds hadn't lasted through the coma, so she could poke, prod, and otherwise touch him with little worry of harming him.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make everybody so worried about me."
"As if you had a choice, don't apologize." Shinobu said sternly, putting a hand on his arm. "You did everything you could. Even Tengen said that the fact you're alive is a miracle because of how severe those wounds of yours were."
"Tengen... So Mr. Uzui came by?"
"Of course he did. Every five days, he would bring his wives and sit by your bed to pray for you. They said they were all indebted to you, too, so it's safe to say that they don't want you apologizing for getting injured."
Tanjiro smiled in relief, leaning into her. "That's good to hear. I was so afraid that he was going to be killed."
"You'd almost all be dead if not for your sister. She saved the three of you who'd been affected by the poison."
"Thank goodness for that. How is Nezuko now?"
"The last I saw, her hair was being styled by Aoi and the other help."
"That's adorable."
"Quite."
After that short exchange, the two sat in silence for a bit, Tanjiro drinking in the sunlight while Shinobu simply enjoyed the relaxing feeling. Hours may have passed and she wouldn't have noticed, reveling in the fact he was back with her.
Eventually though, the silence needed to be broken, and Tanjiro was the one to finally do it. "Hey, 'Nobu?"
"Yes, my dear?"
"Did a new sword ever get delivered to replace the one that got chipped in my battle with Daki?" A few moments went by without response, and when he looked to see her face, her mouth was turned up in a cringing frown.
"About that... I did speak with the chief of the swordsmiths, but when we finally got responses from your swordsmith, Mister Haganezuka, he responded with some rather... disturbed letters. Angrily scribbled things such as, 'I have no sword for the likes of you.' If I had to guess, this swordsmith of yours has a rather short temper and a history of stubbornness." Tanjiro grimaced, nodding in response to her assertion. "I suppose I wouldn't know what that's like, I have a wonderful relationship with my own."
"It's not like I don't try to explain to him why my swords keep getting messed up. It's only been my fault once now!" He whined, his head drooping in defeat. "It makes sense he's so angry, I guess... Oh, but I only chipped it this time too! And even after I beheaded Gyutaro, he still won't understand." He said dejectedly, sulking in his newfound guilt and disappointment.
"Well, it isn't as though swords aren't bound to break in deadly battles such as those. I'd suggest asking to be assigned a different swordsmith as soon as you can."
Tanjiro frowned but nodded in agreement, sighing. "I really want to convince Mister Haganezuka to get me a new sword but... Maybe it would be for the best. I'm going to try asking for a sword from him just one more time in person, though."
"I won't stop you trying. Just keep in mind some changes aren't all bad. You can request to go there, the master will most certainly affirm your request." Tanjiro nodded at the advice, having little more to say. Shinobu decided it would be a good time to change up the topic. "I hear Tengen has retired from the demon slayer corps officially today. He says he believes you'd already be fit to join the ranks of the Hashira, though some others still have doubts and you've not technically fulfilled the requirements anyways." Meeting her expectations, Tanjiro didn't look sad at all, just nodding in understanding.
"I'm ok with that. Mister Uzui did most of the work after all, I just managed to finally slice Gyutaro's head off by the end of it."
"Regardless, you went through hell and back. Master Ubayashiki thanks you."
"I hope I can hear that straight from him once I've killed an upper rank on my own." Tanjiro said without a hint of doubt in his voice. "Matsuemon! I can smell that you're nearby, come here!"
It took a moment before Tanjiro's crow came flying over the fence, landing onto Tanjiro's outstretched arm. "Finally able to use my name, huh, Tanjiro? Give me your orders!"
"Please let Master Ubayashiki know I need to head to the swordsmith village as soon as possible!"
"Please get me some rice?" The crow asked tentatively, to which Tanjiro nodded. "Then I shall go at once!" The crow squawked loudly and flapped his wings, making his ascent to get word to the master.
"It will likely be a day or two before the master approves your request due to you having just awoken." Shinobu warned before continuing with her own thoughts. "Since it will be a bit before you can go, though, that means the two of us will have plenty of time to spend together."
"I'd like that. Once I get my new sword, it'll be right back to the usual business of powerful demons putting me back in a hospital bed." Tanjiro said with a chuckle, though it was laced with bitterness at the loss of time. "Maybe one day I'll heal fast enough to not end up unconscious for months."
"Perhaps, but there isn't anything we can do about it just yet. Would you come with me to the Corps cemetery now? There's somebody there who's been waiting to meet you."
The first thing Tanjiro noted when laying eyes upon Kanae's grave was how beautiful and well kept everything was. The grave site looked as though it had just been created, yet it had been there for more than two years. When he mentioned this to Shinobu, she smiled wistfully, clasping her hands together.
"There are many who come here every single day to clean it. That is the same for many of the demon slayer corps members who have died recently. Friends of them who are swordsmen, or kakushi, and so on." She looked as though she wished to cry, but she held her smile steady, looking down at the grave.
"That's really sweet. I hope people do that for me if I'm killed in battle."
"Do you forget your own triumphs, darling?" Shinobu said, tilting her head. "You'd be buried as a Hashira even without ever gaining the title."
"That's a pleasant thought." He said quietly, before changing the subject. "You haven't talked about your sister much before, have you?"
"No, and I didn't know if I ever would before I died. I don't wish for her memory to be preserved by just me, however."
Shinobu knelt at the front of the grave, gesturing for Tanjiro to do the same. She gently removed a bundle of flowers that had been placed overtop a glass pane. Within it was a picture, one which depicted a younger Shinobu standing beside a woman who bore striking resemblance to her.
"Wow." Tanjiro murmured breathlessly. "She's beautiful."
"Isn't she? I think she would have loved to meet you. She was so kind, just like you."
"I wish I could have met her. She was the Flower pillar, wasn't she? She must have been a really impressive swords woman."
"She was, and unlike me, she could decapitate demons. Nobody said it, but they were afraid I wouldn't measure up since I'm physically weak. Of course, my poisons have proven that I can handle the spot. Even so, I wish she were here still."
"I know how that feels. She'd be so proud of you if she saw what it is you could do now, I'm sure she would." Tears pricked at the edge of her eyes, and she wrapped Tanjiro up in a wordless embrace. She remained silent, but still shuddered, and Tanjiro sighed before returning the embrace, speaking gently to his partner. "I know you don't like to, but you can go ahead and cry. Nobody will see, just like last time."
She wanted to listen to his words and let herself go, but she pulled back and wiped her eyes. "I'll let myself cry again once the demons have been slain for good. Until then, I just want to keep smiling... for her."
Tanjiro frowned in concern, but relented and kissed her softly on the lips. "I'll smile with you, then. Me and Nezuko both." His conviction warmed her heart, and she silently thanked her sister as she leaned against him, quietly watching the grave. The two of them were content to stay there for a time, the silence occasionally broken as the two shared stories of their siblings from when they were younger.
Eventually, though, they'd come to be interrupted, after all, they weren't in a private place, though it surprised them to see who had come to visit. Shinobu noticed Sanemi the second he'd entered the cemetery, having been headed in their direction. His eyes were shut, but he looked happy, a slight upturn to his lips. He didn't notice they were there until he had gotten close to Kanae's grave, opening his eyes to reveal the grave, and the two sitting in front of it.
"Hello, Shinazugawa. Have you come to visit my sister as well?"
Knowing he couldn't just step away now, Shinazugawa nodded, rubbing his neck. "I saved a kid. I was comin' by to talk to her about it."
Tanjiro was clearly shocked by how kind he sounded, just as he had during the Hashira meeting months ago. His tone could even have been described as soft, something that he had never seen. He felt bad, and so he said, "I'm sure that Kanae would still like to hear about it... Would you mind if we heard, too?"
Even though he frowned, Sanemi relented, grunting and sitting down peacefully in front of the grave, crossing his legs. "Please just don't interrupt. I'll be gone in a few minutes."
True to his word, the wind pillar didn't stay long, briefly regaling to Kanae's grave the story of how he saved a young boy who had nearly been killed by a demon. He almost seemed cheery as he spoke, speaking as though he was still talking to the girl herself rather than her memory. Throughout it, Tanjiro could smell the overwhelming sadness of the wind hashira, who to his credit never allowed his voice nor his expression to break once.
When he had finished, it seemed as though he intended to leave without speaking to Tanjiro or Shinobu any further. However, just before he left, he turned and spoke softly. "Hey, Kocho? Did your sister... Did Kanae ever talk about me?"
"She did. She was very fond of you. She would be proud of the slayer you have become." She hoped it would make him feel happy to hear it, but it seemed to do little for him. He didn't give a response, just giving a longing glance to the grave, before he sped off in flash, leaving the two in silence.
"I think we should get back to the mansion now, I'm sure Aoi has cooked something by now." Tanjiro said, though when he stood, he noticed she made no attempts to follow.
"Go on ahead, I'll be right behind you." She flashed him a smile and waved him off before looking back at the grave. "I think I'd like to tell my own sister about my wonderful boyfriend now."
As he walked off, he could hear Shinobu begin talking to the grave alone, standing around for a minute to hear what she was saying. It was sweet, and as she talked, he noticed the smell in the air began to match that sweetness. Content to return home and wait for her, he made his way back to the butterfly mansion to prepare for a journey to the village of the swordsmiths.