Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It has been ten years, Aoi reminds herself. She sits by the futon, patting the young Kamado children as they fall into their afternoon slumber. Young Kamado Yuki was already four, and she was capable of spinning the most imaginative stories. Little Kamado Touya was finally able to walk around on his own, toddling along at the tender age of two.

Ten years. So much had changed.

Aoi tucks a strand of hair behind Yuki’s ear as she slumbers away. It had been years since she had done the same for the three girls. Sumi, Kiyo and Naho are well into their teenage years and well trained in providing the supportive nursing care to Kanao’s role as a doctor in their new hospital. Kiyo had even decided to train under Kanao as a doctor as well. With their help, Aoi could focus more on the management and expansion of the new hospital, even with the pitter patter of children’s feet running through the Butterfly Mansion.

She looked back at the little hands that clenched onto her sleeves even as they slept quietly. Her little niece and nephew occupied much of her time – Kanao had to balance caring for many of the patients in the hospital, training Kiyo, and tending to Tanjiro’s weakening body. Tanjiro - whose breaths grew more strained with each moment that passed. And so, she soothed the children to sleep with lullabies while they fussed for their parents who were only across the hall.

It had been ten years, and yet Aoi was still terrified.

She was still helpless.

Useless.

She couldn’t stop the march of time that seemed to have the lives of the retired slayers in its tight grasp.

Just a measly few years after the end of the war, both the Wind Pillar and Water Pillar joined their comrades in the mountain of graves. She felt the sharp edges of the broken families they left behind, leaning on each other in a mosaic that was poorly pieced together, with pieces that kept falling out.

Aoi avoids looking in their eyes. Because - and perhaps this is Aoi’s own fault - she sees the women these widows would have been, if not for the untimely deaths of the Kocho sisters. She sees echoes of Kanae’s kindness in Shinazugawa’s wife, and gentle poise in their son. She sees Shinobu’s playful cheer in the child Tomioka left behind, an imitation of his mother. Perhaps, she thought, these children would have been her nephews - if Kanae and Shinobu had lived.

Aoi rubs her eyes hard, willing the tears not to spill. She needed to stop. To stop putting faces of the dead onto the living.

And yet, every time she sees Yuki and Touya’s faces shine with pure eagerness, she can’t unsee Tanjiro’s face echoed there as well - an echo of a time before he was so ill. It was bad enough that Nezuko, Zenitsu and Inosuke had temporarily moved into their guestrooms. There was no telling which day would be the last. Aoi had sent out a crow earlier today to inform Tanjiro’s aging cultivator of the news that the next few weeks would probably be his student’s last. She pitied the elderly man, having all of his students pass to the next life before he did.

She heaves a sigh, staring out at the rain as it poured down outside the children’s bedroom. With the children asleep, she allows herself a little time to let her guard down just a little. She wraps her arms around her knees where she sits - the sliding door opened just enough to relieve the stuffy summer air inside the room.

Perhaps she was a bit more tired than she thought, for when she blinked her eyes open, she gasped to see Inosuke crouched in front of her, staring at her through the crack in the doorway. He was dripping wet on the engawa. She whipped her head around to see the children still sleeping before opening the door just enough to stick her head out and hiss at him.

“What do you think you’re doing out in the rain like this? We don’t need another sick patient. Get back inside!”

She stuck a hand out the door and pointed sideways, toward the entrance. God forbid he walked into the children’s bedroom with water dripping onto the floor. She gave him a menacing look before shutting the door in his face.

~ • ~

He leaned back in surprise at the hostile hiss but stood up, pushing a long ponytail of wet hair away from his face. He still struggled with this bare-face-thing and his hair sticking to it when wet was the worst of it all. He didn’t like the attention people gave to him with his mask off, but he was trying to get used to it more every day. And the wearing-clothes-thing too. He supposed it would be fine. But the fabric-sticking-to-his-body sensation was terribly uncomfortable in the rain.

He walked down the engawa, head tilted to the side as he wrung out the water from his ponytail. When he reached the entrance, he declared his hair was dry and that he had no use for the towel that Sumi offered. Sumi laughed in response, and tossed the towel onto his head anyway. He felt his haori being peeled off one arm while he toweled his face dry with the other.

“You don’t want Aoi nee-san to yell at you again, do you?” Sumi teased “You better get into the bath and warm up quickly then!”

“Well at least these clothes would still be dry if I didn’t have to wear them!”

Sumi snorted, pulling the haori off his other arm. She wasn’t flustered at the sight of his bare skin. No one was at this point. He pulled at the leather cord holding his hair together and held onto it with his teeth while drying his hair off.

“Hashibira!” They heard Aoi shout from down the hall. The two shared a wide-eyed glance before Sumi pushed him and he ran towards the bath with all his might.

~ • ~

“What took you so long?” Aoi chastised him as he finally made his way into the bathroom. “The water is going to get cold just waiting for you.”

“Well I –”

“Hurry up and get yourself warm already.”

She quickly shut the door behind her, ignoring any sort of protest he might have for cutting him off. She really couldn’t stand the sight of him. Now that he had his mask off, that pretty face of his could make her feel – too much. Too many things in too many ways that she was uncomfortable with. She couldn’t stand it at all. Those feelings that she really shouldn’t – couldn’t! – didn’t have time to feel.

It was easier to focus on the busy work she had to do. She made her way to the kitchen to prepare a snack for the stupid boar head man that would steal their dinner otherwise. (Not that he has done so in the last few years.) Just keep working. She still needed to finish the bookkeeping for the last month and check the stocks for the medications. (Just keep working.) And after preparing dinner, she really needed to finish writing the donor appreciation letters that she just kept putting off for the last three weeks. (Just keep working!) And review the applications for additional staff –

“Auntie Aoi…” A quiet voice called from kitchen door. She bit her lip. Inosuke's running must have woken up the little ones she worked so hard to put to sleep.

"I'm coming!” Aoi called out, “Just give me a few – Ack!"

A couple of rambunctious boys ran into the kitchen, straight into Aoi and tumbling over the little Kamodo kids who were hiding around the corner, knocking the little ones down.

“Daiki! Souta!" Aoi sharply called out, reorienting herself and patting down the sniffling younger ones, “What did I say about running inside? You've knocked over both your cousins! Come over here and apologize right now!”

Aoi had completely forgotten about the Agatsuma twins - and as they paddled back over she realized there was dripping water all over the place. She rubbed her face with her hands and sighed. It was going to be a long day.

~ • ~

Inosuke submerged himself in the warm bath that Aoi had prepared, mindlessly blowing bubbles just below the surface. He was annoyed at Aoi. He was only outside because he was looking for her after all. Tanjiro had talked to him earlier today, and when a dying man tells you to do something, you really have to do it.

“Look after Aoi-chan, can you do that for me, Inosuke? Kanao says she has been crying alone."

Inosuke grumbled at the memory. It's not as if he wasn't already trying to help.

"You're the best at making her laugh. Can you keep her happy?"

Tanjiro was wrong. Nothing he did stopped her from crying and tearing her hair out when she was alone. He practiced his reading and writing every day, just like he promised Giyu, but he still couldn’t make heads or tails of Aoi’s accounting books. He kept his mask off and wore clothes so he wouldn’t embarrass the girls when he escorted them to town, just like he promised Sanemi, but people still laughed at him for wearing things wrong. He distracted the Agatsuma twins outside while she put Yuki and little Touya to sleep - and she still ended up hissing at him.

He wasn't just annoyed at Aoi. He was annoyed at himself - he couldn’t do anything to help.

The door to the bathroom slid open and Inosuke was met by the twins jumping into the bath with him.

“Uncle Ino! You're here too!”

“You gotta help us! Auntie Aoi is gonna make us do chores after this bath!”

"Yeah and it's not our fault!”

The hyperactive boys kept splashing more water out of the tub with their antics. Inosuke folded his arms, tilting his head to the side.

"What's not your fault?” The man asked. The two looked at each other before one hesitantly spoke up.

"She fell down, and Yuki and baby Touya also fell down. B-but we only bumped into them!”

"Yeah, it's not our fault they can't stay standing! They're so lame – ouch!”

Inosuke gave each of them a good knock on the head, and they suddenly quieted down. It wasn't like him to not be on the side of having fun.

“Did Aoi make you apologize?"

They nodded quietly.

“Good, because I would hit you again if you didn't!"

“Whaaaat? But we were just playing – oww!"

Inosuke gave Souta another hard knock on the head.

“You can't hurt weaker people, no matter how much fun you're having. You gotta protect them. You're older," Inosuke growled at them.

The twins exchanged another sidelong glance as they nursed the growing bruises on their heads.

"Understand, minions?" Inosuke prompted them for a response.

“We understand, Lord of the Mountain” they parroted back to him, as if it were the hundredth time they've said the exact same phrase.

“Good," Inosuke nodded with satisfaction, “if you understand, then we can play more after. But you gotta do the chores first.”

"But why chores?” Daiki muttered under his breath.

"Because Aoi said so, and we listen to Aoi.”

"But I thought the Lord of the Mountain doesn't listen to anyone!” Souta protested.

“But you listen to the Lord of the Mountain and the Lord of the Mountain says we gotta do the chores!”

"That's no fun!”

"Yeah! I don't wanna listen to the Lord of the Mountain anymore!”

“You don't have to listen to me if you can beat me in a fight. Can you do that?"

The twins crossed their arms indignantly.

“Of course not, you're bigger than us!”

"Yeah! We're only seven years old!”

"Then you listen to me until you can beat me.” Inosuke crossed his arms with finality.

The twins sighed, they knew it was impossible to beat Inosuke. They challenged him every weekend, and not once had they been able to pin him down in a wrestling match, not even two against one.

“We do chores first before playing, got it?" Inosuke confirmed with them.

“But Auntie Aoi told us we can't play outside anymore."

“Yeah, she got mad at us for making the floor wet."

Inosuke climbed out of the bath, drying himself with one of the available towels.

“Then we won't make the floor wet. Get up and dry yourselves first." He tossed a couple of towels onto their heads.

Inosuke pulled on a light summer yukata before he left the bathroom to look for Aoi. As he pulled his hair back into a ponytail, he sees a couple of small faces peeking at him around the corner.

“Hey kiddos. Where’s your Auntie Aoi?”

They disappeared around the corner, and he followed them into the kitchen where he saw an empty plate with a few leftover crumbs – and Aoi sitting on the floor, eyes closed, leaning against the kitchen cupboards.

“Shhh,” the little ones put a finger to their lips, as they turned to Inosuke. He copied their motion and smiled at them before quietly putting the empty plate into a basin to be washed at another time. He wrapped his arms around Aoi’s sleeping figure and silently lifted her up. The little ones tiptoed out of the kitchen with Inosuke following behind. They make their way over to Aoi’s room, where they had been sleeping the last few nights.

Inosuke feels the footsteps through the vibrations in the floorboards before he hears Nezuko and Zenitsu’s chatter through the hallways. Yuki ran ahead, loudly shushing them while Touya lagged behind her. Nezuko immediately quieted down and came around the corner, nodding her head in understanding at the sight of Aoi in Inosuke’s arms.

The twins? Nezuko mouthed, using her two hands to mimic two people running.

Bath. Inosuke mouthed back silently, tilting his head back towards the inside of the house.

Aoi shuffled in his arms, groaning. Nezuko gave Inosuke a warm, slightly smug look as she shuffled over and opened the door to Aoi’s room for him. She whispered something to Zenitsu before giving her offended husband a quick smack on his arm. She then turned to Yuki and Touya, ushering them away from Aoi’s room despite their quiet protests. Inosuke gave Nezuko a nod of thanks.

Inosuke heard the door shift behind him as he carried Aoi into her room. He tucked her into her futon and took a seat beside her sleeping figure. Her face was stiff with stress even as she slept. Her mouth and hands shifted every few minutes. He sighed, propping up his chin as he watched her fitful rest.

He felt helpless.

Useless.

Chapter Text

Aoi’s heart pounded with nervousness and she fiddled with her fingers. In front of her, Tomioka answered a few questions posed by the city officials, filling out some paperwork and stamping his seal a few times. The setting felt oddly familiar - as if she had seen this exact scene before. Aoi heard some affirmative sounds from the officials and Tomioka’s conversation with them seemed to be ending.

Aoi blinked, and she was outside the magistrate’s office, turning to Tomioka.

“Thank you, Tomioka-sama. I wouldn’t have been able to get this hospital registration completed without you.”

“That’s not a problem,” He responded, “though I wonder if I was the best person to help…”

“Well, it would have been difficult to ask the former wind pillar or sound pillar for help…” She shuddered at the thought of all the yelling and misunderstandings that those two might have caused, “and I wanted to be able to do this as independently as possible. The Master has already supported us far beyond what most hospitals and clinics receive from their sponsors.”

Tomioka nodded. She knew he would understand. She continued on to ask him,

“And just so that I can keep a consistent story if there are any future questions, what kind of relationship did you declare us to have in order to complete this paperwork on my behalf?”

She saw a slight pink tinge on his cheeks as he hesitated. Somehow, she knew his answer already.

“Just… that you are my sister-in-law.”

Aoi wondered how he had pulled that off - but she supposed that the family registries for all the demon slayer members were somewhat messy and hard to understand, if not entirely missing. When she blinked again, she was in the kitchen of the butterfly mansion.

Ah - this must be a dream. No wonder she felt as if this had already happened before. The loud shouts and stomping that she heard were from Shinazugawa and the silly boar man arguing and chasing each other throughout the house. She vaguely heard Kanao talking to her,

“I’ll be leaving to spend some time with Tanjiro over the next week - Nezuko-chan insisted.”

Aoi nodded soundlessly, continuing to stir the rice porridge in front of her.

“Will you be lonely on your own?”

Aoi stared into the pot. Would she be lonely? Before she could answer, a gruff voice responded,

“Why would she be lonely? Aoi is going to marry me.”

Aoi spun around, shocked at his declaration. Inosuke swiped a rice ball from his dedicated plate of food and marched off, as if he had said nothing out of the norm.

“Aoi-chan? What – explain what that means! Aoi-chan!” Kanao’s voice sounded like it was getting farther and farther away.

The next moment, she was flipping through a few elementary level textbooks - material that Shinazugawa had dropped off. He stated he refused to spend any more of his energy sparring the boar-man until all the lessons in these textbooks were completed. Aoi saw a second copy of the textbooks in Shinazugawa’s arms. (For his own son, she supposed, preparing for a future that he would not be alive to witness.)

“Get up - you have two swords and two arms. You have no excuses.” A quiet, severe tone. That must be Tomioka.

She looked up to see Inosuke flat on his back, panting, while Tomioka stood in front of him, pointing a bamboo sword towards the boar-headed man.

“One more try, I’ll definitely beat you!” She heard Inosuke’s excited voice.

As they clashed and fought, she heard Tomioka berating the younger man. But it had nothing to do with swordsmanship.

“Is this your way of showing your resolve? Is this just a game to you?”

“It’s not!” Inosuke spat back, steeling himself for another attack. Tomioka parried all of Inosuke’s swings easily.

“Why do you think Shinazugawa has refused to keep sparring with you? What’s the point of this if you can’t support the person you care about?”

“I can protect!”

“Protect against what? The demons are gone, and until you take that mask off, put on some clothes and carry yourself like a respectable man, you will not be able to protect her against anything.” Tomioka’s sword caught Inosuke in a blind spot at the side, and sent Inosuke rolling towards Aoi. Inosuke ripped off his boar mask and handed it to Aoi before jumping back towards Tomioka, both arms raised with swords in the air.

Aoi looked at the boar mask in her hands, but it somehow twisted and turned into a white chrysanthemum. She rubbed her eyes, now filled with tears and sorrow. Inosuke took her hand - and she she looked up, she saw him without a mask, his hair tied behind him, and dressed in a formal black kimono. Tears raced down his cheeks as well. He looked her in the eye, his voice quieter than she has ever heard it.

“I promised him, and Shinazugawa too. I’ll stop hiding.”

Aoi shook her head, confused. Inosuke continued,

“I have to stop pretending that I can just fight everything to protect you. I didn’t get it back then, but I think I understand them now. No amount of fighting could have stopped them from dying.”

Aoi felt a few sobs escape her lips before she broke down, crushing the flower stem against Inosuke’s hand. He tightened his grip around her hand. She felt a few fingers wiping her tears off her face. Everything was dark and bright all at once.

Aoi blinked a few more times, and she found herself at home, on her bed, with a slightly older Inosuke beside her, holding her hand and wiping her tears away. The sound of the heavy rain outside and the smell of the bamboo mats confirmed that she was truly awake now. She struggled to sit up and then turned to the man beside her. Aoi wondered at the strangely soft look on his beautiful face. He cupped her face with one hand, his brow slightly scrunched with worry.

He had really changed over the past ten years.

She sighed and backed away from his touch, wiping the wetness from her face with the back of her hand.

“What time is it? How long was I out for?”

"It's past lunch time, I'll go get you some food," Inosuke stood up, flashing a confident smile at her. He didn't expect to see a horrified expression on her face.

"Past lunch?" Aoi brought her shaking hands up to her face, “No, there's no way. I can't – I couldn't have slept that long. I was supposed to meet the pharmacy director, I have letters that are overdue… I –”

“Aoi!" Inosuke bent down and clapped her hands in his firm grasp, “Breathe. Let me get you something to eat first.”

Aoi stayed frozen in her futon while Inosuke left the room, her lungs barely able to move.

She failed.

That was all she could think of.

The hospital, her grieving sister, Tanjiro dying, the three girls, the patients… The convoluted juggling act that was her life … she failed to keep it together. She had to be reliable, so that when everyone else was breaking apart, she could stay firm.

And now she couldn't do a thing.

What a failure she was.

She couldn't do anything.

How weak, how useless. Even after all the demons were gone, she was still useless.

When Inosuke returned to get room with a platter of food, Aoi could only take one quick look at his soft, concerned face, and she broke down bawling. She felt her chest cave in as she sobbed, her breath barely coming in gasps, suffocating her. Her hands clutched the folds of her yukata, digging her fingers into the fabric. The frustration of being absolutely useless, weak, a complete failure - all of it - poured of out of her eyes and mouth as she cried.

“Why!" She wailed, "Why am I useless!”

~ • ~

Inosuke put a gentle hand to her back. It confused him, how she could say such a thing. Aoi? Useless? The one who patched up all his wounds when he was reckless? The detailed nurse that kept track of the medications that did or did not work on him. The capable woman who ran all of the logistics behind the growing hospital. The gentle but strict aunt who herded the kids away from the patient rooms. The strong sister who held onto the crying Kanao every night as they watched Tanjiro fade away.

Compared to her, Inosuke could barely be helpful at all. He couldn't even protect her from this pain that she felt. He was the one who was useless.

But how could he explain all that? He wasn't good at explaining.

He could only hold her while she cried. The harder she sobbed, the tighter he pulled her into his chest. Her tears soaked through his clothes, and her fists pounded on his chest as she begged him for answers that he did not have.

Chapter Text

“Inosuke-kun! You’re up early!”

Inosuke rubbed his eyes as he turned towards Nezuko, preparing food for her kids in the kitchen. He mumbled a response before leaning on one of the kitchen counters, chin in his palm. 

Nezuko tilted her head in curiosity, observing the sleepy man muttering something along the lines of “daily food”, “preparation” and “groceries”. 

“Ah! Inosuke-kun, are you worried about Aoi-chan’s usual role in preparing the food?”

Inosuke blinks a few times before trying to vigourously shake the sleepiness from his head.

“Mhmm - yeah. But I can’t cook.”

“Maybe we can come up with a plan together - Let me just finish this up and we can chat with Kanao-chan about taking over some of Aoi-chan’s tasks.”

Kiyo pokes her head in the kitchen and pipes up, “Did you need me to grab sensei for you? She and I just finished preparing some medicines for the early morning.”

Nezuko turns around and nods, “That’s a great idea, Kiyo-chan! It would be good to have you and Sumi-chan here too.”

“What about Zenitsu?” Inosuke asks.

“Oh, he’d be so grumpy if we woke him up this early!” Nezuko responded with a sigh.

“Lazy-ass freeloader” Inosuke muttered. Kiyo snorted.

~ • ~

Nezuko was quick to prepare breakfast for all of them and shoo her boys out of the dining room once they finished their food. As their laughter left the halls, she yelled after them, promising that there would be hell to pay if they skipped school again today. Then the women planned out the rest of the day. Inosuke listened intently while he ate, and quietly admired the girls for how much hard work they seemed to coordinate on a regular basis.

“I think I should be able to take care of the food preparation for us as well as the patients until Aoi-chan gets better,” Nezuko puts a finger to her cheek, pondering ideas, “It’s a good chance for me to get Daiki and Souta doing something helpful and stay out of trouble too.”

“Are you sure, Nezuko-chan?” Sumi asks, “You’ve been watching over Tanjiro-san while the rest of us aren’t able to - that in itself is helpful! We don’t know when Tanjiro-san might be conscious for a bit.”

“Of course! You’ve all been so generous and hospitable to us - it’s only right for me to help out. Besides,” Nezuko hesitates before flicking her eyes over to Kanao, “I’m sure we all want to be by Tanjiro’s side. Not just me.”

The mood turns somber for a moment. Kiyo and Sumi exchange looks.

“I was checking the pharmacy stock earlier,” Kiyo added, “I could check the rest of the house for things that need to be restocked.”

“I think her recent stock counts are in her journal,” Kanao shook her head, “There’s no need to do that again so soon, but maybe we can check if she has a shopping list?”

Inosuke pulls out two journals from his sleeve, handing them to Kanao.

“Ah, thank you. Those are her clinic and residence trackers. How did you find them?”

Inosuke’s eyes brightened and he proudly piped up, “I read them – oof.”

Kiyo threw her seat cushion at Inosuke, “You read her journals? What else did you read on her table? That’s her private space you –”

“You can read?” Sumi exclaims, cutting Kiyo off. 

“Wanna bet?” Inosuke smirked, crossing his arms. 

“He can!” Nezuko claps her hands in an effort to retake control of the situation. The two teenage girls continued bickering and pestering Inosuke, not that he was helping with all his goading. Aoi was always better at this, Nezuko contemplated wistfully. Kanao tugs Kiyo’s sleeve and motions for her student to calm down. Nezuko took the chance to redirect the conversation.

“Isn’t it impressive? He’s learned so much over the past few years, even while working! So, Kanao-chan,” Nezuko hastily adds, “What do you see in the journals?”

Kanao hums while flipping through the most recent notes. 

“Looks like there’s already a shopping list prepared for the clinic, several urgent letters to reply to… and a meeting with the pharmacy owner in town this afternoon. Inosuke, you were going to accompany her to that meeting, weren’t you?”

He scratched his head. He vaguely remembered Aoi mentioning some sort of meeting with a stuck up merchant.

“That’s right,” he replied, nodding his head, “I’ll just tell him Aoi’s sick.” 

“Do you even know where to find the pharmacist?” Kiyo questioned, with a doubtful edge to her voice. Inosuke shrugged. Kiyo sighed. Kanao’s quiet voice soothes the tension.

“We can just send Naho a crow to ask her to guide you to the pharmacy. Sumi?”

Sumi smiles brightly at Kanao and salutes the young doctor.

“Reporting for service!”

“Why don’t you spend the morning going through the clinic shopping list with Inosuke-san so he knows what to get?”

“And!” Nezuko pipes up, “By the time the two of you finish the morning laundry, I should have a list of groceries to suffice for the next few days of cooking!” Kanao smiles, thankful for her sister-in-law’s support.

“Kiyo and I will reply to any urgent to letters after we finish our morning rounds. Sumi, could you and Inosuke-san watch over Yuki and Touya until I'm done with the morning rounds?” Kanao nods toward Inosuke and Sumi.

The door to their dining room opened before either Inosuke or Sumi could respond. Zenitsu walked into their discussion with his hair a mess, sat himself beside Nezuko and nuzzled into her hair, muttering something about breakfast. Nezuko’s face turned bright red and raised her hand to push him off but it was too late.

“Yeowch! The hell? Inosuke! What was that for?” Zenitsu curls up in the fetal position on the floor after being kicked across the room by Inosuke. 

“For being a dumb freeloader, that’s what.” He grabbed the empty dishes in front of everyone else and stomped out of the room.

Zenitsu looked up at his wife in confusion. Nezuko just laughs.

~ • ~

“And this is the last thing that we need for the clinic - replacement sheets.” Sumi pointed to the two baskets of dirty sheets that Inosuke held at his hips. She set down the sleepy Touya onto the engawa and wrapped him tighter in his blanket. Yuki skittered around Inosuke’s feet.

“With how often we change and wash them for the patients, they are starting to get pretty worn out. We’ll need to replace at least half our stock - probably enough to cover every bed we have for a night.”

Sumi went through the motions of the laundry, submerging the bedsheets in a large basin of soapy water and stepping on them to ensure a thorough wash. Inosuke took advantage of his height, hanging up the futons used by the residents onto laundry lines. He gave a beating stick to little Yuki and the two of them beat all the dust and germs out of the bedding. Before long, Touya was crying and Yuki was running over to her younger brother, soothing him with a cute lullaby. 

Inosuke looked up to see Sumi squeezing the last of the water out of her wet kimono and stepping out of the wash basin, glancing over at the little Kamados with worry. He gave her an encouraging shove toward the kids, shooting her a smile before he reached down to pick up a soaking sheet, starting to wring the soapy water out of the cloth. 

Sumi smiled brightly and ran over to the kids, pulling out a few straws and a small vial of soapy fluid, teaching them how to blow bubbles, one of their mother’s favourite pastimes. 

Inosuke focused his attention back onto the laundry - the motions that were starting to become second nature to him, considering how much time he had spent helping Nezuko back at home. The sheets felt coarse beneath his fingers, and various spots were starting to thin out - with barely anything holding the fraying edges together. He distinctly remembers the sheets being a bit more comfortable whenever he was staying here as a patient.

“Looks pretty bad, huh?” Sumi popped up beside him as he hung up the sheets to dry. 

“Yeah - they feel like… shit, really,” Inosuke wasn’t sure how else to describe that texture, but he tried, “It’s all thin and scratchy.”

“Yeah - when the Corps was still active, the Master always sent us money to replace these sheets since they would get worn out so fast. We were washing them multiple times a day because they would get soaked with blood all the time. There was no point in buying nicer sheets since they got replaced so fast.”

Sumi sighed, reminiscing. She looked up at the blue sky, and the wet sheets slowly drying in the summer breeze. 

“But since the demons are gone, we stopped replacing them. I suppose the low quality of these sheets are starting to show themselves.”

Inosuke nodded in understanding, “So you want me to buy some of this fabric that feels nicer?”

Sumi gave him a sunshine smile, “Yes! If you could! I have to sew them together before Naho’s baby is born - I bet we’ll have even less time on our hands when that happens!”

Inosuke grinned back, pointing to himself with a thumb.

“Alright then, you can leave that to me!”

Sumi laughed, and then looked back at the kids, now running around the yard without a care. Inosuke sensed something change in her breathing. Her lips twitched, betraying some feeling behind that stiff smile.

“You know, Inosuke…” 

He tilted his head.

“It’s so nice having you here. I wish you were here more often. And I think… I think Aoi nee-san was finally able to rest because of you.”

Inosuke watched Sumi’s lips quiver and he panicked. He didn’t understand what she was saying. He didn’t know what to do. 

“Nee-san’s fever was pretty bad this morning, wasn’t it? She’s been pushing herself so hard… for so long.”

Sumi undid the string keeping up the sleeves of her kimono, and wiped her tears dry with her loosened fabric. 

“Can’t you stay with us? Nee-san – and I – we are so relieved when you are here. You accompany us to the market so no one bullies us. You’re actually so helpful with our chores. And nee-san – she only lets herself cry when she’s with you,” Sumi sniffs before lifting her head in determination. She clutches the front of Inosuke’s yukata. 

“You - you do love her right? Don’t you? Kanao nee-san said that you promised to marry her a long time ago. Why can’t you stay? Please…” Her determined face crumpled and she broke down into sobs. Inosuke gingerly pats the crying girl on the back. His mind felt blank, and he had no idea what to do, how to answer. This wasn’t a beast or demon he could slay. It wasn’t a problem he could beat up. 

Chapter Text

Inosuke whistled as he leaned against the entrance of the general store’s entrance. He was much more used to populated areas now - the constant human vibrations coming through the ground no longer unnerved him, but still irritated him somewhat. He kept whistling to cover up the constant overload of sensations. 

“Yo! Hashibira-kun! Is that you?” A loud voice called through the crowd of people walking past. Inosuke searched the crowd until he saw a familiar face - it was one of the hunters in town. Inosuke smiled and nodded, waving back enthusiastically. 

“Hey! Yo! Yeah it’s me! How’s it going?” Inosuke greeted back as the hunter drew closer, “No troubles with bears or wolves lately?”

“Not lately, thanks to your previous help! You sure you don’t want to join us? We’d make a killing with you on our team, and I promise you’d get a big share of the profits!”

Inosuke waved off the suggestion, “Nah – I got other things I hafta do. But let me know if there’s a difficult situation, happy to help if you guys get stuck.”

The door to the general store slid open, and a pregnant young lady stepped out, a few packages in her arms, which Inosuke swiped immediately. 

“Ah, is this your wife?” The hunter asked Inosuke with a wide smile, “That would explain the other things you have to do!”

The woman looked back with confusion, and smiled gently before replying, “No, I’m the school teacher’s wife. The two of us are just helping the hospital with some errands for the day.” 

“Ah,” The hunter looked away, a slight redness on his face, “I guess I won’t bother you then. Anyway, Hashibira-kun, do take my offer seriously! See you around!” 

Inosuke waved off the hunter wordlessly before turning to the young woman.

“You good, Naho?” He asked, “You can’t carry all these things by yourself. Aoi and Senjuro would kill me.”

She laughed. “Oh calm down, they need to learn that I’m not completely incapable just because I’m expecting. Besides, there are still a few more months before the baby comes along,” Naho paused before continuing quietly, “They should focus their thoughts on Tanjiro-san.” 

Inosuke smirked, “You’re pretty strong for a little girl aren’t ya?”

Naho simply brings her kimono sleeve up to her lips and shakes her head, turning around to start walking down the street. Inosuke can tell from the glint in her eye that there was something she wasn’t saying. He follows her with the packages tucked under an arm. 

“Hey Naho – are we going to the pharmacist now? The stuck-up merchant? Or are we going to get the fabric? I’m pretty sure you were going to say something just now. What were you going to say, huh?” He pestered her as she held her gentle smile and serene pace. 

Naho hums, eyes flicking toward Inosuke with playfulness while they walked. He stared down at her inquisitively. She nodded to him in a show of adult-like respect. 

“The fabric store, Hashibira-san,” She gestured toward the building in front of them with formality. Inosuke cast her a confused glance before he slid the door open and stepped inside, Naho following behind him. 

Bolts of fabric of all colours and textures were displayed around the store, and Inosuke fixed his gaze on the cluster of white coloured fabric at the back of the store. 

“Oh, welcome! What can I get for you today?” The merchant piped up. Inosuke glanced at Naho, who stayed silent and gestured back at Inosuke. He balked. Was he supposed to take care of this himself? 

“A little girl can’t take care of a monetary transaction, Hashibira-san,” Naho whispered to him before giggling and waving down the merchant.

“Sir, I brought my friend here to buy some cloth, though I don’t know what he really needs. Is it alright if I sit down while he browses?” 

The merchant’s gaze flicks towards her pregnant belly and then quickly rushes to get a stool to her. Naho thanks him graciously. The merchant then turns to Inosuke.

“So what are you looking for today? We have a great selection that I’m sure will meet your needs!”

“Bedsheets! Lotsa them,” Inosuke replies at once. 

“What is ‘lots’, sir?” 

Inosuke ran the math - ugh, math - in his head. They had three main hospital rooms, with ten beds each. 

“I think… Thirty?”

“Thirty of what? Sheets? Fabric Bolts? You sound like… like you have no idea what you’re doing.”

The merchant snorts with laughter. Inosuke huffs. What a dick , he thinks before pointing to the plain white bolts of fabric at the back of the store.

“Two or three of those. Like, those rolls of fabric. One that is good for bedsheets.”

The merchant’s laughs calm down a bit, and he wipes a tear from his eye. 

“Okay, sure, let me bring you one that’s good for bedsheets.”

Inosuke crosses his arms and grinds his teeth to prevent himself from punching the lights out of the merchant. When the merchant hands the bolt of fabric to him, Inosuke glares at him. 

“This is shit fabric,” Inosuke commented. The merchant startles. 

“What do you mean? It’s standard fabric for bedsheets. It’s long lasting and well-woven with cotton.”

“I got no idea what you mean, but it’s rough and scratchy. I can feel every thread rubbing into my fingers.”

The merchant waves off Inosuke’s concern, “Trust me, I know what I’m doing. This is the good stuff. Now are you gonna buy it?”

Inosuke glared at the merchant before putting the bolt onto the counter. He pulled out his bag of coins and stares at the merchant before swinging the hefty bag across the merchant’s face. 

“Fuck you !” Inosuke shouts at him, “I don’t wanna buy anything if all your stuff is this shit!”

“Inosuke!” Naho calls out, struggling to get out of her seat. Inosuke looks back at her and puts the pouch of coins back in his sleeve. He gestures for her to stay seated. Steeling his gaze back onto the merchant, he glowers down at the man nursing a growing bruise on his face.

“Listen here you asshole - I can already sense that you are lying about good stuff. I don’t know how you usually do business around here, but you better not mess with me or anyone else from the Butterfly Mansion Hospital. Do that, and I’ll make sure you eat shit . Got it? ”

“W-wait! I get it!” The merchant sputtered, waving a hand up in surrender, “I didn’t know you were from the hospital, I’ll get you some good quality fabrics.”

Inosuke crossed his arms as the merchant scuttled away to the back, going through the various bolts of fabric. He heard Naho’s gentle voice behind him.

“Inosuke-san… there was no need for that… we still need to have a good relationship with him.”

He glances back toward Naho, unimpressed. 

“Seems more like he’s the type to rip you off if he doesn’t respect you. At least now he’ll take you seriously since he knows I’m here.”

Naho sighed. She would bet a pretty penny that it was the Wind Pillar that had trained Inosuke how to bargain in a marketplace, not Tanjiro, Zenitsu or the Water Pillar. The merchant returned with a variety of bolts, clearly all made of various fabrics. After a quick feel of each one, Inosuke picked a bolt, of which the merchant quickly supplied a few more. Glancing back at Naho, the merchant provided a surprisingly reasonable price before Inosuke carefully counted out the money and handed over the proper coins and banknotes.

When they left the shop, Naho cheerfully clapped Inosuke on the back. 

“You did well there! I guess I can actually leave the rest of this to you then.”

“What, you didn’t think I could buy things?”

“It’s not that - I know you can buy things - but evaluating quality, bargaining, leaving an impression on a merchant - I didn’t know you could do it so well. Who taught you all this?”

“I figured it out myself! I watch you guys, ya know!”

Naho raised an eyebrow.

“Well, and like, the hunters too. I watch them do their buying and stuff.”

“Oh, I wasn’t aware that they beat up and threaten the merchants.”

Inosuke shot her a look of confusion. 

“Whaddya mean? You gotta be straight with merchants, none of that greeting and fooling around.”

“Mhmm. Was it the former Wind pillar who taught you to negotiate like that?”

“Yeah - wait I mean - no way! I figured that out myself!”

Naho laughed as they made their way down the street - She wondered how the meeting with the pharmacist would go. Taking a deep breath, she lifted a hand to shade her eyes from the late morning sun, as she tried to make her voice as light and nonchalant as possible.

“You know, Inosuke-san… This new pharmacist has been giving Kanao and Aoi a really hard time for a while. He even bullied the other herbalist out of the town. We can’t afford to lose our only source of medicine, but he keeps threatening to stop selling to us if we don’t agree to his prices.”

“The hell?” He stared back at her. “Why didn’t anyone tell me this? How long has this been going on? Why didn’t anyone do something about it?”

“Maybe half a year” Naho nervously pushed a lock of hair behind her ear, “It’s one of the previous pharmacist’s pupils, and we didn’t want to get on the previous pharmacist’s bad side… We still sometimes contact the old pharmacist for rarer substances and equipment since he moved to Tokyo.”

“And that’s supposed to be an excuse to let him bully you?” 

“We don’t try to get walked all over, you know,” She sighs, “He just doesn’t take us seriously. The previous pharmacist was friends with the Master’s family, but I guess this one doesn’t know all about the demon slayer organization.”

“So I just gotta prove to him that I’m a demon slayer? There’s lotsa stuff I can–”

“No, Inosuke-san,” Naho rubs the bridge of her nose in frustration, “This person probably doesn’t know or care about demon slayers. Besides, the organization doesn’t exist anymore. We need to find a way to support ourselves outside of that.”

“So… I can’t threaten the guy. And I can’t show him any cool moves.”

“Yeah. We need you to be… Polite, you know?”

Inosuke rolls his eyes. 

“Okay, okay. Fine.”

Chapter Text

A young man sat by the counter of the pharmacy, flipping through his account books, muttering impatiently. He tapped his fingers on the counter, the rhythm distracting him from the rising anger at having to wait for a woman . When he looked up, he nearly jumped at the sight of Inosuke, leaning over the counter yet still towering over him. Inosuke pushed his ponytail past his shoulders and flashed a confident grin to the irritable young man. 

“Hey - you the pharmacist around here?” Inosuke chatted, looking around for a stool. The young man pulled a stool around the counter and offered it to the larger man in front of him.

“Why yes, I am. Misono Harayuki, nice to meet you,” the young pharmacist answers, flipping his expression to a charming smile. 

“Nice to meet ya,” Inosuke returned the greeting, not bothering to introduce himself. Misono seemed to chatter away regardless, eager to sell to a new customer. The man’s various words and chatter was lost to Inosuke as he clenched his jaw beneath his smile. He recited Naho’s instructions in his head as he listened to the pharmacist’s rambles – be nice, be gentle, be friendly. Get to know him first .

“I have some rare herbs, I’m sure a cultured man such as you would understand their value, please take a look at these carefully preserved medicine stocks - they work wonders.”

Inosuke peered down at the boxes of dried herbs that Misono presented to him, and laughed. Inosuke saw those very same herbs blooming fresh every year on his childhood mountain. 

“Mountain herbs?” Inosuke couldn’t help but ask, to the pharmacist’s surprise.

“Why yes! These are special cultivars, grown only near specific shrines in the west. ”

Inosuke bit back his comments, chanting Naho’s instructions in his head – be nice, be gentle, be friendly . He froze his facial muscles in a smile, and pinched the bridge of his nose at the oncoming headache. Maintaining a smile while dealing with idiots - that must be what gave Aoi headaches so often. Inosuke just nodded with a fake smile. 

“I can’t tell you how glad I am to meet a nice young man like you, sir. Someone who understands the value of these herbs. Would you believe that I was waiting for a woman earlier? One that claims to be running a hospital.”

The pharmacist laughed. Inosuke’s eyes widened, recognizing what the pharmacist must be talking about. 

“The previous pharmacist here was such a fool - I’m sure he hadn’t realised that even the so-called doctors at this hospital are also girls. That one that calls herself the administrator is the worst, though. She thinks she can negotiate with us medical partners. Hilarious.”

Misono leaned over with a mischievous look, whispering the next few words in Inosuke’s ear.

“Girls like that are better off in the kitchen, or better yet, our beds, don’t you think?”

Inosuke couldn’t hear Misono’s laugh over the blood pounding through his head. He couldn’t remember Naho’s instructions anymore.

In a flash, he grabbed the pharmacist by the throat and pulled the man’s face close. 

“I guarantee that Aoi does more in a day than you have ever done your whole life,” Inosuke spits out, glaring into the wide eyes of the pharmacist who was desperately clawing at the grip around his neck.

Inosuke felt his fingers scream with the desire to smash the man’s head onto the countertop, but instead he stiffly peeled his fingers back one by one, releasing the pharmacist. The man stumbled back, gasping for air. Glowering down at the pharmacist, Inosuke added,

“And if you ever, ever come anywhere near the Butterfly Hospital – I will kill you.”

…It wasn’t until Inosuke was out of the pharmacy that he felt his senses start trickling back to him. 

“... shit.”

~ • ~

This time, Aoi knows it’s a dream. Maybe it’s the feverish haze around the butterfly mansion. Maybe it’s the sharp pitch of Shinobu’s voice, or the sway of certain flowers in the garden that haven’t been planted since Kanae’s death. Or, perhaps, pounding of her blood in her ears as she stuck the straw target over and over again, with no result. She took a deep breath in.

Total Concentration. Water Breathing. First form: Water Surface Slash –

She swung the wooden sword with all her might, using her whole body’s momentum to push the blade across – but it merely bounced off the straw dummy, as if there was barely any force behind the swing to begin with. Aoi dropped her sword and panted, her hands on her knees. She could barely think, with her arms still tingling with the leftover energy from the swing. Behind her, she heard a hard thwack - Shinobu was practicing with a real sword, piercing her blade right through her wooden targets. 

“You can’t kill a demon with that kind of resolve.”

A smooth, deep voice, and yet the tone was scathing. Aoi looked up to see an older teenager, his messy hair tied behind him, clad in a patient’s uniform and a mismatched haori over his shoulders. His piercing gaze was locked on Aoi - he was also a water breather, if she remembered correctly. 

“How dare you!” A girl’s sharp cry came from behind her. Shinobu marched past Aoi to give the boy a smack across the face. He didn’t flinch, but shifted his glare to Shinobu instead. 

“I’m not wrong.”

“That’s not how you encourage people, you prick !” Shinobu lifted her arm to deliver another blow before the hand was caught by another. 

“Now, now, Shinobu, let’s calm down first.”

Kanae’s gentle voice had a relaxing effect on them all - except perhaps the patient with the peculiar haori. 

“Tomioka-san just defeated one of the twelve demon moons, he may well be the Water Pillar soon. We should treat him with respect.”

Tomioka simply looked away. Shinobu rolled her eyes and pulled her arm back from her sister’s grip. Kanae smiled.

“And Tomioka-san, please be gentle with my sisters. They are all I have.”

Aoi felt Tomioka’s steely gaze on her once again. She shivered at the cold of his glare.

“It’s kinder to stop them ahead of time, Kocho. They will die without enough resolve.”

Kanae hummed, before putting a hand on his shoulder, as if to comfort him. 

“If you cage those you love, they will only have regret and resentment.”

Something changed in Tomioka’s eyes, Aoi could feel it. This person was a dangerous storm. He brushed Kanae’s hand off his shoulder before stalking away toward the recovery wards. An angry Shinobu chased after him, yelling something about owed apologies.

A cold wind blew past them, and something felt distinctly different – it was a sudden, hollow feeling. A light snow started to fall. A painful emptiness echoed from the chambers of the mansion.

Aoi turned around to see Kanao’s empty eyes staring up at the Victory Tree, its branches bare and lonely. Aoi watched small puffs of breath leave Kanao’s mouth into the cold air – the only clue that she was a living being rather than a doll. 

Behind, a few low voices conversed. The Wind Pillar and the Stone Pillar. They passed by her and Kanao quietly, and the Wind Pillar placed a bouquet of white narcissus flowers at the root of the Victory tree.

“Alas, if only she hadn’t chosen this path.”

The Stone Pillar’s deep voice echoed through the silent garden.

The Wind Pillar whips his head around, his voice just as stormy as ever.

“Don’t you dare. Kanae was an excellent demon slayer. A Hashira. She should be honoured as one.”

The Stone Pillar placed a hand on the Wind Pillar’s shoulder, which the latter tried to shrug off unsuccessfully.

“Why honour her as a Hashira if you would have loved her either way? She was not deeply beloved because she was a Hashira. She was beloved as Kanae.”

“And she was a Hashira because she was Kanae.”

“So honour Kanae. With all your regrets and sorrows of what could have been or should have been. Lay them down now, lest they make you waver.”

Aoi watched as the Wind Pillar kneeled in front of the flowers, shaking. It felt like a scene in a dream. The two Hashira were as still as a statue while Kanao and Aoi looked on, mesmerized. After what seemed like forever and moment, the Wind Pillar stood up and turned around, his face obscured by his messy hair. As he walked past the two girls, he paused briefly to put a gentle hand on each of their heads. For a moment, Aoi glimpsed the face of the Wind Pillar: both softer and more tormented than ever before, tears streaking down his cheeks. He withdrew his hands quickly and rushed away. The Stone Pillar approached them, and Aoi felt herself draw closer to Kanao at his large, imposing figure. The man removed his green haori and settled it over the two young girls, easily drowning both of them in its warmth. 

“Stay warm.” She heard his low, rumbling voice before he, too, disappeared without a trace.

~ • ~

Inosuke almost completely forgets about the interaction with the pharmacist when Naho brings out some tempura.

“What? No shrimp?” 

Inosuke’s complaint seemed to irritate the man across from him. Shinjuro, clicked his tongue while flashing a glare at Inosuke. Unimpressed. He breathed out a heavy sigh when Naho brought him a cup of tea. Naho settled down beside the two men, eager to hear from Inosuke how the meeting with the pharmacist went. Meanwhile, Inosuke focused on his tempura. 

“Fatsia sprouts? Tanjiro would have loved this,” Inosuke commented, avoiding the look in Naho’s eyes. 

“Hashibira-san, Naho asked you a question,” Shinjuro pinched the bridge of his nose, trying his best to ward off the oncoming headache. 

“Haa? Sorry, didn’t hear over the sound of the tempura in my mouth,” Inosuke flashed a food-filled grin in Shinjuro’s direction, which made the older man cringe.

“So, Inosuke-san, were you able to chat with the pharmacist? Was he okay with you or me taking over communication for Aoi nee-san for the time being?” Naho urged, reminding Inosuke of their conversation in the market before they went separate ways.

Inosuke avoided Naho’s searching gaze, his mouth focusing on the almost-too-hot, oily, crunchy texture of the delicious tempura. His fingers felt empty after he slipped the last piece of fried food into his mouth, so he wrapped his hands around a teacup, tapping away at the hot ceramic. 

“Don’t worry too much,” Inosuke smacked his lips as he finished chewing the last piece of food and took a sip of the tea. “He won’t talk to Aoi anymore.”

“What do you mean? Didn’t we only need to ask him for a temporary arrangement while nee-san gets better?”

Inosuke waved her concerns aside. “I said don’t worry about it.”

Naho’s typical gentle countenance seems to harden a slight bit, before she took a deep breath and sighed. 

“You’re the one who is going to face the consequences from Kanao nee-san and Aoi nee-san if he is offended in any way, you know that right?” Naho fiddles with her sleeve nervously. “I’m not around to help much anymore, I really need you take this seriously.”

Inosuke shrugged, “I’m not afraid of some half-blind girl.”

“And Aoi nee-san?”

Inosuke ignored her. Naho huffed with frustration and turned to her father-in-law, bowing slightly.

“Father, may I please visit the Butterfly Estate? I would like to care for my sister who is ill.” 

Inosuke felt a slight twinge of guilt, but turned away, trying to brush the uncomfortable feelings away. Shinjuro sent another glare towards Inosuke before turning to Naho and sighing. 

“Only under very specific terms. First, send off all of Inosuke’s current baggage to the estate with one of our staff. Second, you do not carry anything or strain yourself in any manner. You are to provide emotional support, not practical support. Do not forget you are in a precarious state. Third, you provide an update to us each day by crow. Return once your sister improves.”

“Understood.”

Naho stood up and left the room. Inosuke tilts his head, confused. 

“Can’t I carry the stuff? What’s with sending people back and forth?”

“And the groceries?” Shinjuro finally snapped back at Inosuke, “She told me about your errands after this. Naho happens to be pregnant, in case you were too blind or dumb to realise. I won’t let her risk anything while she’s delicate. Knowing how irresponsible you and the Agastuma twins are, I can’t trust any of you to look out for her.”

“I’m very responsible!” Inosuke snaps back, standing up to intimidate the older man, “I would never let anything happen to her.”

“And yet, from what I hear, you can’t even follow her instructions when talking to a mere merchant.”

 “That man will never come near Aoi again,” Inosuke’s eyes flashed dangerously. Shinjuro raises an eyebrow.

“Explain.”

Inosuke balls his hands into fists, before looking away, muttering.

“I don’t need to explain anything. He isn’t worth the time.”

“Oh? And you think the hospital can operate without medicine?”

“I’ll – I’ll figure something out. Aoi is better off not meeting him. Naho too, and any of the other girls.”

“I fail to see how this will lessen the burden on the hospital staff. I already loathe the idea of allowing Naho out. If you will figure something out, it had better not involve her in any way.”

“Yeah, yeah. I get it.” Inosuke plopped back down, resting his chin in a palm.

The sound of chattering boys echoed from outside the room, before a couple knocks were heard and the Agatsuma twins burst into the room.

“Uncle Inosuke! You’re here!”

“Are we gonna try out the dojo here?”

“Are you gonna take us back to the Butterfly Hospital?”

“Naho-san said we’re going shopping too! Can we get a treat on the way?”

Senjuro emerged into the room and put a firm hand on each of their shoulders, calming down his hyperactive students. He bent down and instructed them kindly.

“It sounds like there’s a lot that you and your uncle Inosuke need to get done, why don’t we start making our way to the gate so that you can get started soon?”

The two boys smiled up at their teacher, gave an uncharacteristically obedient bow, and answered simultaneously.

“Yes, Sensei!”

They rushed over to pull Inosuke to his feet and nearly dragged him out of the Rengoku estate. After a quick greeting to his father, Senjuro followed behind. Naho was already waiting at the gate, with another staff member laden with a large pack on their back. Their little group met up, double checking all the items that Naho would need for the next few days.

Inosuke let the twins twist and turn his arms in impossible manners, dislocating any joints as needed – he couldn’t hear the twins’ chatter over the strange feelings he had while he watched Senjuro and Naho in front of them. Senjuro wrapped Naho in an extra layer, instructing her not to overwork herself, and she smiled back warmly – no, affectionately? It was not just a warm smile – it was different. There was a tension between them, but it wasn’t an aggressive tension like the one between Nezuko and Zenitsu. It didn’t feel like the calm warmth between Tanjiro and Kanao either. Senjuro looked up to see Inosuke staring at them and looked away, his face reddening. Inosuke could hear Naho laugh before she reached up to touch her husband’s blushing cheeks. 

“Ewww, is Sensei going to kiss Naho-san?”

“That’s so gross!!” 

Inosuke snapped his arm joints back together before grabbing both twins by the arm and swiftly exiting the gate. A nagging twinge in his chest told him that they should probably give the couple a bit of privacy.

“Are you grossed out too, Uncle Inosuke?”

Inosuke looked down at the twin that said this - Souta? Daiki? He couldn’t remember which one this was. Regardless, he smacked the boy on the head.

“It’s not gross. Just let them do what they need to do.”

“Oooo, then do you want to kiss someone, Uncle Inosuke?” The other twin piped up.

“Is it Auntie Aoi?” 

“I bet it’s Auntie Aoi!”

Inosuke had half a mind to knock both of these boys out.

“Shut up. I don’t want to kiss anyone. I want to finish our errands faster so I can get back and eat.”

Chapter Text

It was as if everything was covered in a layer of nightmares. The first thing she noticed were the bandages around her fingers. She brought her hands to her face - they were expertly and tightly wrapped, and she could feel the coolness of the ointment on her skin. Aoi gripped the blankets around her, looking to the side to see other recently qualified demon slayers lying in the other patient beds, quietly snoozing away despite the morning sunlight streaming through the window. That boy wasn’t there, though. She tried to sit up, and a pinching pain seemed to radiate down her left leg. She struggled to pull herself up, leaning back on her elbows, and pulling the blanket aside to take a look at her legs. Her left leg was covered in a thick cast, and the rest of her body was littered with bandages. 

She closed her eyes, trying to pray away the oncoming memory, but it was no use. She watches as her treated leg morphed into a bleeding mess, covered in dirt and flashing with hot pain. She grit her teeth and looked around for whatever she might be able to use. Somewhere in her mind, she knew it was only the first night of the final selection. She would die here if she couldn’t splint her leg properly. She looked around the bushes where she was hiding, and snapped off a few straight branches, wincing as the effort made the pain worse. Using a sharp end of a branch, she ripped strips of cloth from her haori. She glanced down at her wound tentatively, a wave of nausea passing through her when she saw some bone sticking out of her shin. She took a deep breath, praying to the gods that her screams were only in her head while she tried to set the bone back into place as quick as possible. 

She quickly turned around in her hospital bed, opening one of the cabinets by her bed to find a bucket, and promptly threw up. The nausea was worse than the pain now. Aoi heard a bit of shuffling and lifted her head up to see Shinobu, clad in her sister’s butterfly haori, approaching her slowly with a small basin of water and a towel. Shinobu took a seat at the edge of the bed, gently wiping away the excess bile from Aoi’s mouth and chin. Aoi saw Shinobu’s eyes - a sense of sadness and quiet fury. Shinobu lifted a hand to brush some hair away from Aoi’s face.

“You did well surviving, Aoi. You did so well.”

Aoi shook her head, she felt as if there was darkness swallowing her whole once again. Snapshot of scenes flashed in her head. A bubbling brook sparkling in the morning light, tainted by her blood. Grinding medicinal leaves between two rocks. Applying the makeshift poultice on her wounds and her leg. Wrapping her leg in leaves and cloth before re-splinting it. Aoi took a breath. She was safe now. She wasn’t here anymore. But her mind whirled, her mind re-imagining all the possible plans out outcomes, most of which would leave her dead on the mountain or in the stomach of a demon. She leaned on her sword to stabilize herself as she crawled eastward toward the exit. Pain and exhaustion drowned her as she dragged herself closer to the rising sun.

“I – I couldn’t kill a single demon.”

Aoi rubbed her eyes, her mind must be playing tricks on her. One moment she was recovering in the hospital, another moment she was back in the forest. Aoi looked up to see the suppressed torment in Shinobu’s eyes. Her adoptive sister, older by only a year, and yet a graceful, talented doctor, only a few kills away from Hashira rank. Somehow, Shinobu glowed in her eyes. The young master of the butterfly mansion reached out to Aoi but somehow Aoi could feel her getting further and further away. Aoi couldn’t kill a single demon.

Her vision was crowded with the images of maggots crawling on dead bodies as she tried to hide amongst the rotting corpses. Her ears rang with the last shrieks of never-to-be demon slayers, demonic laughter and the crunch of bones following soon after. She blinked and found herself backed up against a row of thick, thorny brush with a demon’s multiple eyes zeroed in on her. She shut her eyes tightly and waited, but nothing happened. She peels her eyes back open to see a younger boy with long dark hair - maybe about 10 years old or so, crouching in front of her. He didn’t have a single scratch on his pretty face, staring up at her curiously with aqua blue eyes. She blinked a few times, and opened her mouth to ask –

“Is that sword you have just for decoration?” The young boy asked, his tone quiet and flat. 

She snapped her mouth shut. She looked down at her hands, which had yet to even pull out her sword since the beginning of the test a few days ago. She almost laughed. At this point, it was more a walking stick than a sword. 

“Why’d you come if you can’t fight?” he asked, still staring up at her. She stared back, her mouth empty of answers.

“I guess you forgot how to talk too?” he tilted his head. She looked down, and he followed her eyes down to her makeshift splint.

“You know, you’re gonna have to just ignore the pain and fight anyway if you want to survive.” 

Aoi felt her heart shattering as she realised - she would die on this mountain.

“I know…” her voice croaked quietly. Tears blurred her vision and she felt a warm hand on her face, brushing the tears away.

“Aoi… come back to me.” It was Shinobu’s voice. Aoi closed her eyes and forced herself to imagine the feel of blankets, the smell of antiseptic, the sound of snoring patients. 

“What if…” Aoi hesitated to ask, her eyes shut tight in fear of Shinobu’s reaction, “What if I can’t kill a single demon? If I can’t even draw my sword?” 

She felt nauseous at her own pathetic cowardice. She felt tears stream down her face, and she focused on her breathing, trying to push the thoughts of demons away from her mind. She didn’t want to remember how she could barely find enough strength to stand in the presence of demons, her hands unable to grip her sword. She didn’t want to remember every time she was saved by that mysterious boy that appeared whenever she was about to die. She didn’t want to remember how he looked back at her with confusion on his face, her sword still not drawn. 

She smelled wisteria and lavender. Thin arms wrapped around her, and Aoi finally opened her eyes to see Shinobu holding her, sunlight glinting off of the purple butterfly clip.

“You don’t have to fight, Aoi”

Shinobu drew back, cradling Aoi’s face in her hands.

“Just stay here until you feel ready. Your quick first aid on the mountain kept your leg intact - I’m impressed. Why not help me treat patients here while I’m away? That would help me feel better about leaving the hospital anyway.”

Aoi looked down, a dark feeling of guilt and shame crawling up from the pit of her stomach. She nodded. There was nothing else she could do.

“Yes, Shinobu-sama.”

Shinobu’s smile faltered for a moment before combing her fingers through Aoi’s tangled hair.

“An army doesn’t only consist of soldiers, Aoi. Even the Master doesn’t fight.”

~ • ~

“Alright, go find your mom.” Inosuke instructed the twins as he lowered their groceries onto the kitchen counter. The young boys skittered away and Inosuke stretched his cramped arms. He reached into the pocket of his sleeve to pull out the receipts that he requested from each of the vendors. Aoi usually did something with these… Inosuke tapped his chin with the slips of paper, trying to remember. She probably wrote something down in one of the tracking notebooks. He made his way to her room and knocked on the door before sliding it open a little to see Kanao getting up from the side of Aoi’s futon, the latter still asleep.

Kanao opened the door further, moving to the side to let Inosuke into the room. He searches her desk for a paperclip, clipping the receipts together and putting the receipts on her desk.

“Are those the grocery expenses?”

“Yep,” Inosuke replied, joining Kanao by Aoi’s side. 

“Thanks for getting those receipts. I’ll get Naho to update all the account books, since she got the receipts for everything else you picked up today.”

Inosuke tilted his head. Naho? She would be leaving soon right?

“Should I learn how to do that instead?”

Kanao looked up at him in surprise. 

“Oh – that’s an interesting consideration,” she commented slowly.

“What?” Inosuke glanced at her, “You think I can’t do it?”

Kanao looked down at Aoi’s sleeping face.

“Hm, I feel like there might be other things that you could help take over. I feel like Aoi nee-san would want more control over the account books than most other things. Besides,” Kanao breathed out a quiet laugh, “Account books are all math.”

Inosuke stuck his tongue out at her, which made Kanao giggle even more. 

“By the way,” Kanao started, “What exactly happened with the pharmacist? I got a rush letter from him.”

Inosuke’s face instantly scrunched into a snarl. He practically spit out his next question.

“What did that disgusting man write?” 

Kanao hummed.

“He actually gave us a pretty good ongoing offer for some of the medications that we request on a regular basis. But he said he refused to come here to deliver, I had to pick them up. He also said he refused to speak with Kanzaki Aoi-san and her husband,” Kanao laughed at the last part.

“Husband?” Inosuke asked.

“I was confused too. Did you threaten him to not talk to nee-san or something?”

Inosuke avoided her eyes.

“Not exactly, ” he mumbled. To be honest, he didn’t entirely remember what he said to the man, only that his whole body felt like it was boiling over with fury.

The corner of Kanao’s lips quirked upward in a slight smile. She sighed and hugged her knees, looking back down at the sleeping Aoi.

“Well, I don’t mind going to town to get the medications, but it would still be far less hassle if a man could go instead, or if a man could accompany me. I guess you’re not an option for this pharmacist, though.”

It was Inosuke’s turn to sigh.

“Does it have to be this pharmacist? Can’t we source the medication from somewhere else? Grow and process our own? I can find mountain herbs pretty easily, too. Just get the rest shipped in from Tokyo.”

“What did this man say to make you hate him so much?” Kanao tilted her head curiously.

Inosuke continued staring at Aoi’s figure, counting her breaths. His eyes darkened, and he shook his head.

“It doesn’t matter,” Inosuke muttered, “just ignore him. Can’t we just have our own pharmacist? Doesn’t Sumi like gardening and mixing medication?”

“Our own pharmacist, like when Shinobu-sama was here?” Kanao considered, “That might cost a lot… but it could also be a source of income, if we could actually compete against the pharmacist in town – that might actually not be a bad idea.”

“You already know he’s ripping people off.”

“Yeah,” Kanao laughed, “thanks for the idea. Let’s talk about it more when nee-san gets better. I’ll keep thinking about it.”

She stood up and stretched. 

“I’m going to check on Tanjiro and the other patients while you watch over her, then.”

Inosuke nodded and refocused his attention on Aoi, the sounds of the door sliding open and closed barely registered in his mind. Her face was flushed and feverish, the towel on her forehead barely helping. Her breaths came short, fast and shallow. Inosuke cursed himself for not being able to help. He ran his hand under the edge of the blanket, looking for her hand. Once his fingers brushed by hers, he gently pulled her thin hand out of the blanket. 

He gently pried open her tight fist and traced around each of her fingers, keeping his breathing in sync with the rise and fall of his fingers around hers. It was a technique that Aoi herself had shown him, years ago, to calm him down, to control his emotions when it felt like they would swallow him alive. It always seemed to work better when he was tracing her fingers rather than his own. Yet, today, it didn’t seem to be working. Whatever this feeling was in his chest, it was bothersome and heavy. He sighs, linking his fingers with hers. 

Everyone around him seems to be so sure that he’s in love with her. But it doesn’t feel right to him. His feeling wasn’t tingly the same way that Nezuko described. It wasn’t the burning passion that Zenitsu tried to explain, when he tried to compare it to Inosuke’s thirst for power and recognition. It didn’t feel like gentle tenderness that Inosuke could sense when Tanjiro saw Kanao. It was not like the atmosphere between Senjuro and Naho, a tension so thick it was like a suffocating, warm blanket.

Or – perhaps it was all of them and more. None of those descriptions seemed to match perfectly. Aoi was passionately impatient, and so was he. But there were also times when he could barely breathe around her warmth. There were times when he felt like time stopped when she smiled. And there are times, like now, when touching her felt like an aching need, but also overwhelming at the same time. He ran a thumb over her fingers in his hand. What a confusing thing - this feeling.

He lifted the towel from her forehead – it was already warm. He soaked it in the basin of cool water before wringing it out and replacing it onto her head. Aoi’s face scrunches up the same way it did when she complained about headaches. He could see her mouth move slightly, as if she were silently muttering. 

He sighed. She is always so complicated, so stressed, and so caring at the same time. Being beside her felt like drowning in a storm, the air crackling with lightning and hail pelting down. He wishes he could rescue her. He wonders how she can even breathe with all the pressure she is under. Maybe that’s what Tanjiro meant by making her happy - help her breathe? How does he help her breathe when she never lets him pull her out of this storm? He would do anything, as long as he knew what to do. He wishes he could just kidnap her from this complicated place and escape these complicated feelings. If they had met in the mountains, it would have been so much simpler. They could be mates and just be happy. But there were people who were important to them here, in these complicated human places with complicated human feelings. She was important to everyone. To everyone, not just him.

She is wonderful and worrisome. He is frustrated and confused. 

~ • ~

Shinobu said he had just completed final selection. When Aoi saw his eyes, they were flickering with a familiar terror. Aoi stayed quiet and professional while treating his wounds, and while he gave her a polite nod of thanks now and then, his despondent gaze never met hers. He was decidedly very different from his older brother that visited. (They must be brothers, Aoi thought, both with bright blonde-red hair and eyes. Yet, Aoi couldn’t help but think that the brightness in the younger brother’s eyes seemed to be muted.) She only heard him speak when she left the room, when he was visited by his brother and another demon slayer with black hair and mismatched eyes. She left for her chores quickly, unwilling to eavesdrop on conversations that she is sure must be difficult for the young survivor.

His name was Rengoku Senjuro, she learned as the days and weeks passed. He was quiet and cooperative. She didn’t comment on his downcast disposition. It was an accident when she stumbled upon him crying in the training dojo. She was just going to check that everything was cleaned up after rehabilitation training, when she realised that he was still there, curled up in a corner, holding what must be his new sword, still in its sheath. Quietly she left the dojo, grabbed a small pouch of rice crackers and returned to the dojo. She hesitated at the doorway, unsure of this – did he want space? They hadn’t really spoken since he started treatment here. 

“Here” She crouched in front of the younger, newly minted demon slayer, and offered the pouch of rice crackers.

Startled, he nearly jumped and snapped his head up with wide, owlish eyes. He hid most of his sniffling face behind his sleeve. She searched the pockets of her white smock with her free hand before offering him a handkerchief. He gingerly accepted that offer and wiped his eyes and nose.

“Thanks,” he whispered, hesitantly taking the pouch of crackers from her hand. She settled beside him, leaning against the wall of the dojo. 

He opened the pouch, picked up a cracker, and took the tiniest bite. She remembered his brother, Kyojuro, being a big eater, taking bites of food so big that she scolded him multiple times to slow down lest he choke. Yet Senjuro seemed to be the opposite. She supposed even biological siblings could be very different.

“I’m sorry,” She heard his quiet voice and turned to see him still staring down at the cracker that he bit into. 

“Hmm?” Aoi was confused, “Sorry for what?”

He sighed.

“Sorry for staying so long. I seem to be taking up a lot of your time. All the other final selection survivors have recovered and left.”

Aoi just shrugged. 

“That’s fine, you can stay as long as you need.”

He took another bite of his cracker, and she stared up at the ceiling. She wondered if it was even a good idea to sit with him. She closed her eyes. 

A few moments later, she heard him ask a question.

“What do you do when there’s no way forward?”

She looked back at him, this time he returned her gaze. The first time that she really saw him look at her. She blinked.

“No way forward?”

He nodded, looking down at his newly forged sword on the floor. She followed his gaze to the sheath of the sword. Aoi sighed.

“To be honest, I don’t know.”

He looked back down at his crackers. She looked back up at the ceiling.

“I passed final selection too,” she said quietly.

He took a bite of the cracker.

“I couldn’t kill a single demon,” she continued, “I couldn’t even draw my sword once. I was terrified.”

He stuffed the rest of the cracker into his mouth.

“It’s been a year since then. I haven’t gone on a single mission. I don’t know if I even remember a single technique that I spent years training for.”

His lips trembled, and he brought his knees up to his chest.

“Shinobu-sama said that armies don’t only consist of soldiers. But it feels like an excuse, doesn’t it?”

She heard him sob beside her. She closed her eyes. 

“It hurts, doesn’t it?”

~ • ~

Inosuke could feel the rhythm of running through the floor before someone slammed open the door behind him. He looked up, somewhat startled at Kanao panting before him. 

“Inosuke, bring nee-san to the surgery room. Now . This is an emergency.”

Inosuke picked Aoi up into his arms and ran after Kanao to the surgical treatment room. Kiyo was already there, gloves on, swiftly wiping down every surface with antiseptic. He placed Aoi  down onto the operating table and he felt a tug from behind. He turned around to see Naho, gesturing for him to follow her out of the room. Sumi rushed into the room, and he heard them scrambling as Kanao shouted out instructions.

“Kiyo, recheck blood acidity and get an injectable dose of sodium bicarbonate. Sumi, set up a drip for dextrose and sodium bicarbonate.”

Inosuke peeked inside at the chaos. Kanao and her two assistants were already masked and gloved. Aoi’s yukata was practically torn open as she lay on the table. Kanao hovered over Aoi’s sleeping form, pressing her stethoscope against various spots on Aoi’s chest. Sumi was connecting an intravenous drip to Aoi’s arm and Kiyo was in the back of the room, hunched over some lab equipment. 

The door closed in front of him.

“Inosuke-san…” 

He looked down at Naho, whose tilted eyebrows and slight frown almost mirrored her husband’s concerned face. 

“Let’s sit down. My sisters know what they are doing.”

Somehow, her voice felt far away. His legs felt like lead. He felt a gentle push away from the room. He didn’t want to leave.

Chapter Text

Inosuke could barely see what was in front of him while Naho pulled him back into Aoi’s room and sat him down. He still felt Aoi in his arms from when he carried her to the surgical room. He couldn’t help but feel like she was getting lighter and thinner in his arms every time he replayed it in his mind. Naho bent down to put a hand on his shoulder. He roughly pushed her hand away, already irritated.

Inosuke could feel the tense atmosphere radiating from the operating room, even if he could not see or hear what was going on. 

“Inosuke-san. I need you to calm down.”

Naho’s voice seemed to exist in his head for a second before he forgot what was just said. His attention was still on the operating room. 

Nezuko and her boys popped their heads into the room. Her eyes widened at what she saw, and she crouched down to whisper in the ears of her sons. They nodded seriously and ran off. Nezuko approached Naho tentatively.

“Hey,” she started gently, “what’s going on? I heard some commotion.”

Naho turned around, holding her trembling hands close to her chest.

“Nezuko-chan, can you get Zenitsu-san as well?”

Nezuko nodded seriously and left quickly to fetch her husband. Naho took a seat across from Inosuke. His head snapped up to glare at her.

“What’s happening?” he demanded harshly. Naho sighed.

“I promise I’ll tell you as much as I know once Zenitsu and Nezuko get here, okay?”

“No. Tell me now.” 

Inosuke’s eyes flashed dangerously. He lifted an arm to try and grab onto Naho when he was suddenly pinned down.

“What the hell are you doing ? That’s Naho!” Zenitsu yelled at him while pressing his shoulders down to the floor. Inosuke just growled back. The blonde man slapped Inosuke across the face.

Inosuke blinked, bringing a hand up to the cheek that was just hit. What was he doing? He flopped his head back onto the floor. What was going on? Why couldn’t he think straight? 

“Inosuke-san. Zenitsu-san,” Naho called to them calmly despite her trembling hands.

Zenitsu let go of Inosuke and they both sat up, listening attentively to Naho.

“I can’t tell you for sure what is going on, but I’ll tell you what I know,” she paused to take a deep breath, “Kiyo sometimes draws blood from Aoi nee-san and Kanao nee-san to practice lab skills. She told me a few moments ago that she had drawn some of Aoi nee-san’s blood today. She saw some signs of infection, and was going to keep checking to see if there’s anything else she can find wrong.”

Nezuko held on tightly to Zenitsu, and he patted her head absentmindedly in return. 

“For now, we should wait for Kanao nee-san to get back to us and let us know what has happened since then.”

Wait? Wait? He hated waiting. Inosuke could feel the ends of his nerves frying off as he itched to do something. Aoi was in danger. His fingers curled into fists. His roughly cut fingernails dug into his palms and drew blood. His attention focused on the operating room, the tension from the room pulsing through the air and the floor until it reached his skin. Every second seemed to pass with increasing slowness. The blood collecting in his palms started to drip onto the tatami floor of Aoi’s room. Everyone held their breath.

It was an eternity later when Inosuke felt the tension from the operating room waver. He felt Kiyo and Kanao’s footsteps through the flooring. Everyone looked up as Kanao stepped into the room with Kiyo behind her. They joined everyone on the floor, removing their gloves and face masks. The group remained silent, waiting to hear the doctor’s update.

Kanao took a deep breath.

“There are a few lab instruments that Kiyo has been recalibrating lately. When she tested the blood acidity strips today, Aoi nee-san’s blood kept coming back as too acidic, but it tested as normal on all the other patients.”

Kanao furrowed her brow and brought her fingers to her forehead, puzzled.

“Acidosis is dangerous. Sumi is currently monitoring her, but there’s not much we can do unless we figure out why this is happening. Do any of you remember anything happening with her?”

Nezuko looked up at Kanao, shaking her head.

“She seemed fine to me until she fell asleep two days ago. Where did you find her asleep, Inosuke?”

“In the kitchen,” he replied tersely.

“Right,” Kanao mumbled, “At that time, she seemed to have a fever, so we gave her some ASA and let her sleep. Yesterday, her fever seemed to be getting worse, so we administered another dose of ASA.”

Zenitsu and Nezuko looked at each other, confused. Inosuke just looked down at the tatami floor, picking away at some of the loose fibres. What happened over the last few days? She had been sleeping almost the whole time. Except when –

“Oh,” Inosuke suddenly looked up at Kanao, “she woke up after lunch yesterday. She was really upset and crying a lot. When she finished crying, she said she had a really bad headache, and took some medication on her desk and drank some tea. She couldn’t sleep after that, so she took a different medication and then eventually fell asleep again.”

“What did she take?” Kanao asked.

Inosuke shook his head, he had no idea. Kiyo rolled her eyes.

“She didn’t wake up when I checked on her today,” Kiyo updated the group, “but her breathing was really fast and shallow.”

“Ah, you’re right,” Inosuke realised that he had the same observation.

“Did her breath smell fruity to you, Inosuke?” Kiyo stared at him meaningfully.

“The smell of her breath?” he repeated, confused, “I’m not Tanjiro. I don’t notice those kinds of things.”

“My god, you’re useless in the most annoying ways,” she muttered, “Is there anything else that you noticed and failed to let us know?”

“Not that I can think of.”

Kanao interrupted their conversation, “Inosuke – do you think you can point out the medications if you saw them?”

He thought for a second. 

“Yeah, I think so.”

She stood up and motioned for Inosuke to follow her over to Aoi’s desk. There were shelves of bottles surrounding the desk, with additional bottles on the desk and an unfinished pot of tea. Kanao poured out a bit of the tea into the teacup beside it and smelled it before giving it a sip.

“Willow bark…? No, not quite.”

Inosuke glanced around at the bottles on her desk and opened each one to check its contents. 

“Ah, Kanao – she took this one to help her sleep,” he pointed out a bottle filled with white powder. 

Kanao looked at the label. Sodium bicarbonate?

“Are you sure she said it was to help her sleep?”

Inosuke nodded.

“She was holding onto her stomach like she was in pain, and it seemed to get better with this.”

That seemed to make more sense to Kanao, since her confused look seemed to fade. Inosuke pointed to another bottle, filled with small white pills.

“That’s the other one that she took with the tea, before she was able to sleep properly.

Kanao picked it up. More ASA?

“How many did she take, Inosuke?”

“Not sure, it looked like a small handful.”

Kanao whipped her head around, with eyes wide with astonishment.

“Are you sure?”

Inosuke tilted his head, confused.

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure. She poured some of it in her hand and swallowed them a few at a time with the tea.”

“Oh no,” Kanao muttered, “Why would she do that?”

“She said she had a terrible headache after crying. She drinks this tea a lot when she has headaches, and she sometimes takes this medication with it. I think she has a notebook that she writes in when she takes her tea.”

Kanao flipped through some of the notebooks on her desk. She landed on a page that made her catch her breath.

“What is this…”

“Sensei? Did you find something?” Kiyo approached them from behind.

Kanao handed the book to Kiyo. The younger one flipped through the book, eyes widening the more she read through it.

“She’s been distilling salicylic acid from willow bark tea? Sensei! It says here she’s been drinking it multiple times a day, and her intake of ASA has been increasing for weeks!”

“What’s wrong?” Inosuke asked, feeling agitated by all the medical terms.

“Fever… too much ASA… stomach pains… headaches…” Kanao muttered to herself before taking a deep breath and sighing.

“Kiyo, I want you to go through this notebook and carefully take note of what might be going on long term. Let’s sit down with the rest of the group. I think we’re going to need everyone’s cooperation.”

~ • ~

The first time that she saw him again after final selection, she was excited to say hello. A talented young boy who had saved her multiple times throughout that harrowing week of her life - she was eager to thank him and perhaps find a friend in him. But the next time they met, he simply looked at her blankly.

“Do I know you? Get out of the way.”

Aoi felt her heart drop. After that instance, it didn’t seem to matter how many times Shinobu re-introduced her. The boy would not remember her name for more than a minute. He rarely appeared at the butterfly mansion, after all. Shinobu had smiled wryly at the boy the second time he was delivered, injured, to the butterfly mansion. It was several weeks after Aoi abandoned her sword.

“Tokito-kun, huh? I was only made hashira a few weeks ago after years of training and hard work. Can you believe this kid is already slated to be a hashira once he recovers?”

Aoi looked at Shinobu - she couldn’t be talking about the same person, right? The young boy who passed final selection with her? Not even two months ago?

“I’ve never heard of such a young child becoming a hashira, nor someone with so little experience. I wonder how he will fare.”

Aoi could see a shine and amusement in Shinobu’s eyes, a look that she would never have with Aoi. 

So Aoi decided to forget about being friends. She followed Shinobu’s instructions on re-training the young hashira candidate, but he passed each of her tests without any struggle and left without a word. Shinobu arrived to test him the next day, which amazed Aoi. An 11 year old boy, still recovering from injuries, going up against an active hashira, and matching the hashira in speed, flexibility and reaction time. Aoi’s only consolation was that he at least broke a sweat when matched against Shinobu.

“Oof”, Aoi sputtered as a damp, sweat-soaked towel was thrown at her face. She peeled the disgusting object off her face. The boy walked away silently. Shinobu just looked on with an exasperated sigh.

Aoi opened her mouth to protest his rude treatment, but he had already rounded the corner without a backwards glance. Shinobu gave Aoi a strained smile and a gentle head pat before leaving as well. Aoi looked around the dojo to see broken gourds, spilled tea, and pieces of shattered cups. She sighed. It would be a long clean up.

When Aoi was finally done cleaning, cooking, serving and washing the dishes, it was late into the night. She started to pick away at her own dinner without much of an appetite. To her curiosity, she heard some squeaking floorboards, prompting her to take a peek outside of the kitchen.

It was that infuriating, rude boy! Trying to tiptoe his way out of the estate!

“Hey!” Aoi whispered loudly. He didn’t respond.

Frustrated, Aoi ran up to him, pulling on his sleeve. He was at least a head smaller than her, yet her pull did nothing to stop his momentum. He pulled his sleeve out of her grasp and continued walking out.

“You can’t just leave!” Aoi whispered again, as loud as she could without waking anyone else in the mansion. 

He looked back briefly and narrowed his eyes.

“Know your place. I need to actually go kill demons.”

His words felt too scathing for a voice as young as his. She blinked a few times. He was gone by the time she was able to sense her surroundings again. A hand landed on her shoulder. Aoi jumped up and whipped her head around to see Shinobu looking toward the corridor that the boy had just left empty. 

“Don’t take it personally, Aoi. He’s just like that.”

Aoi fiddled with her hands, feeling like a failure, an outcast. 

~ • ~

One of the patients was an absolute headache. After Shinobu had gone out of her way to develop an antidote to the poison and a regenerative medication, this demon slayer had the nerve to reject all of the medication that was offered. The three girls had called her in for support since he seemed to refuse his medication whenever they reminded him. She checked the chart:

我妻善逸 
[Agatsuma Zenitsu]
生日：明治31年9月3日（土）
[DOB: Meiji 31 September 3, Saturday]
164.5 cm, 58 kg

History: 
Inability to remember anything before 12 years of age, no known family histories, hometown unknown.
Scarring suggests potential old whip injuries
Typical training background. 
Final Selection completion 大3/12/07 [Taisho 3, December 7]

Main concern: 
Blood demon art related to Lower Moon 5 - spider transformation venom
Approximate venom injection time - 00:30 4月23日 [12:30 AM April 23]
– 大4/4/23 胡蝶 [Taisho 4, April 23 Kocho]

Treatment:
Wisteria Antidote provided at initial contact approx. 03:45 4月23日
Unable to provide any invasive care when pt asleep or unconcious. Pt must be awake or medically sedated.
Regenerative medicine required 5x daily - powdered formation taken with wisteria tea.
Vital signs stable, no other concerns
– 大4/4/23 胡蝶 [Taisho 4, April 23 Kocho]

He doesn’t want this medication. I told Aoi nee-san. He wants to be reminded to take medications. Reminder schedule: 6:00, 10:00, 14:00, 18:00, 22:00. Finished reminders at 10:00, 14:00 and 18:00 today.
– 大4/4/24 中原 [Taisho 4, April 23 Nakahara]

Med reminder at 22:00 completed. Reviewed risks of not taking medication. Pt aware of risks. 
– 大4/4/24 神崎 [Taisho 4, April 23 Kanzaki]

He can’t remember if he took meds after being reminded at 6:00. I reminded him again at 10:00, 14:00. He’s upset and wants other medications. I told him that other medications won’t work because this is what Shinobu-sama told him to take.
– 大4/4/25 寺内 [Taisho 4, April 24 Terauchi]

He said that eating is difficult after taking meds. I told Shinobu-sama. I reminded him to take meds at 18:00 before dinner.
– 大4/4/25 高田 [Taisho 4, April 24, Takada]

Checked throat for swelling and allergic reactions to medications, none found.
– 大4/4/25 胡蝶 [Taisho 4, April 24 Kocho]

The rest of the updates were all similar. Continuous complaints, refusal to take medication followed by frenzied worrying about taking the medication on time – for a full month. Aoi pinched the bridge of her nose, a migraine already forming in anticipation of this difficult patient. It was early in the morning, and she had been up all night, carefully measuring and grinding out the medicinal herbs needed for the next two days. It was an absurdly large amount due to the influx of affected slayers from Natagumo. After packing the appropriate amount of medication into five packets, she picked up his file and meds and marched over to the patient quarters. 

“Oh no no no NO! Someone’s coming! With my medications! I don’t wanna take it! YAHHH!”

She heard the screaming from around the corner. It didn’t deter her. She had a job to do.

Opening the door wide, she saw a shivering lump beneath blankets where the yellow-haired slayer should have been. Ignoring the tantrum, she placed the medication on his nightstand. 

“This is your early morning medication reminder. It is now 6 in the morning. I’m going to get your wisteria tea. Be prepared to take your medication.”

The others that had been hospitalized with this patient were rousing from their sleep, already anticipating the rehabilitation training that would start before breakfast. Aoi tuned out the rest of the loud complaints from Agatsuma while she left to prepare the wisteria tea in the kitchen. Sleepily, she was thankful that the three girls had been taking over the stretching portion of the rehabilitation. If Aoi could cook breakfast quickly, she could potentially take a small nap before starting the rest of the training for the day.

“Aoi nee-san?” Aoi saw Kiyo peeking into the kitchen.

“What is it?” Aoi asked, as she watched the kettle.

“Zenitsu-san starts rehabilitation training today… So could you help us explain it to him this morning?

Oh. Right. Aoi held back a sigh. She didn’t want the young girls to feel hesitant about asking for help.

“Alright, I’ll do a briefing when he joins this morning. I’ll make sure he’s cooperating before I leave to make breakfast. Does that sound alright?”

Kiyo’s eyes lit up and her shoulders relaxed. 

“Yes! Thank you nee-san!”

The water finally boiled and Aoi measured out the wisteria tea for their infamous uncooperative patient.

~ • ~

“We get to TOUCH the girls! They’re gonna MASSAGE our bodies! When we play with the cups, our hands will touch! When we play tag, we can GRAB them! They each have nice chests, great butts and strong thighs! When they pass by, they smell good! It’s a joy just to look at them! JOY!”

To say that Aoi hadn’t anticipated something like this would have been a lie. Her ears hurt even though Agatsuma was screaming at his friends outside of the training dojo. Could she even trust that her sisters would be safe in this disgusting boy’s presence? Her fingers rubbed at her temples as she and the girls listened to the rest of his rant spilling through the windows. 

She turned to the three younger girls.

“Stretch them out, but don’t let them touch you with their hands or feet, understand? Kanao and I will take care of the other training.”

They nodded obediently. Kanao continued to stare off into the distance. Aoi had no concerns about them touching Kanao - they wouldn’t be able to. In that case…

“Kanao-sama,” Aoi turned to address the talented young demon slayer, “Please knock any of them out if they touch or hurt Kiyo, Sumi or Naho.”

Kanao turned to look at Aoi and blinked, nodding once. Aoi let out a brief sigh. At least the three girls would be safe while she cooked breakfast.

~ • ~

Aoi felt another wave of nausea hit her like an unrelenting wave. No matter how many times she bathed, it felt like she still felt Agatsuma’s gross hands all over her body. But she had no more time to try to scrub that feeling off - everyone else was waiting for dinner. Yet, she found herself still mulling over the incident as she prepared the food.

She tried to reason with herself, to try to make it better. At least it was her being groped, not the younger girls. Besides, if she was a well-trained demon slayer like Kanao, she would have been able to evade such a fate. It was her own fault anyway… right?

When she rinsed her hands, even the water felt filthy. It ran over the areas of her hands that Agatsuma had forcefully restrained during the medicinal tea reaction speed test. She would have preferred to be splashed in the face, or hung upside-down by her ankles than to be used for that filthy man’s sense of pleasure. 

A sharp pain seemed to bring her back to her senses. Looking down, she realised she had cut into her nail and the tip of her index finger instead of through the radishes that she was preparing. She rinsed the cut, wrapped it up quickly and continued cooking.

It wasn’t as if her body had much value to the demon slayer corps anyway, she reasoned. She hadn’t touched her sword since final selection. Might as well serve her fingers on a platter as well, just for Agatsuma. She chuckled humorlessly. 

~ • ~

“That doesn’t matter. You helped me, Aoi. So now you’re a part of me. I’ll think about you when I go into battle.”

Aoi blinked, staring back at Tanjiro.

“If I get hurt again, I’ll ask for your help!”

He waved as he ran off. 

Looking back down at the laundry in her hands, Aoi wondered if perhaps Tanjiro was too kind for his own good. If he carried pieces of everyone he came across, his burden would grow too heavy too soon. She shook her head. He would forget about her soon, she was sure.

But still. She let herself smile just a little. It was nice that someone even considered remembering her like that. 

~ • ~

Kanao took a deep breath before entering the small room set aside for Tanjiro and Aoi. It was late, and she couldn’t sleep. Her heart, which had been racing all day, couldn’t seem to calm down. In the dark room, the light from her lantern flickered gently as she set it down on the nightstand between the two beds.

A quiet movement makes her turn to look at her sleeping husband. A little lump near Tanjiro’s shoulder moved out from under the blanket, revealing Kaburamaru. The white snake lifted its head to greet Kanao and licked the air, as if sensing her unease. Kanao lifted her arm toward the snake, and it slithered up her arm and around her neck, burying itself in her loose hair. She quietly pulled out a stool and sat by Tanjiro. 

After a few minutes of silence, Kaburamaru peeked its head out from between her black locks and licked her nose, comforting her. She tries to smile.

She lifts Tanjiro’s arm out of the blankets with practiced ease, and measures his heartbeat on his wrist. It was weak, but steady.

“You missed quite a day today, Tanjiro,” She whispered quietly, “Gita-kun and Genki-kun both dropped by after school today to pay you a visit, but you were still asleep. They said that they would be back in a few days to see you with their mothers. The boys really admire you, you know, especially since you cared for them so much after their fathers passed away.”

Kanao tried to blink away the oncoming tears, focusing on happy things. Happy things.

“And you know Ayaka-san loves to hear you talk about the time that you spent with Tomioka-san. It would be nice if you could be awake to chat with her a bit. Gita-kun also loves hearing about his father, it’s a shame he never got to meet him.”

Kanao fiddled with her sleeves.

“Himari-san said she would bring some mountain herbs for us to make tempura for you. I’m sure you’d love it…”

She paused. Aoi would normally be the one to cook that tempura, right? But Aoi… Kanao looked behind her at the other bed, where her older sister lay sleeping.

No. Happy things, Kanao reminded herself.

“Himari-san always teases Ayaka-san for being such a hopeless romantic, but Himari-san herself always makes ohagi for Genki whenever he comes home from school. Did you know that? Genki said he’s getting tired of it, but I’m sure that would never stop Himari-san.”

Kanao sighed. She was bad at thinking happy thoughts.

“Uzui-san said he would visit tomorrow and his wives would help us prepare dinner. It will be more festive than usual, it seems. His kids will be here too. They would also love to spend some time with you.”

She added a little more oil to the lamp on the nightstand. The flame flickered within its paper walls.

“Naho has come over to stay for a bit. She’s helping with watching over the little ones while Nezuko and Sumi work on chores around the house. The twins came to visit you yesterday while Nezuko was watching over you, like usual. She had to stop them from writing all their newly learned words on your face.”

Kanao let a smile slip onto her face. She took Tanjiro’s hand in hers.

“Yuki and Touya are waiting for you to wake up too. Yuki has a list of things to tell you once you wake up. She reminds me every day. She said she is trying to be patient by waiting until daddy wakes up before telling you, since you can’t remember what she said while you are asleep.”

Her smile trembles, and she brings Tanjiro’s hand to her face, resting her eyes on his knuckles.

“Tanjiro… how will I survive like this?”

Her tears spill onto his fingers. Her quivering hands hold onto his rough palm a bit tighter. She tries to control her shaky breath.

“I can’t do it, Tanjiro. I can’t… can’t even realise when my own family is suffering around me.”

A sob wrenched out of her throat and she put his hand back down on the bed. She buried her face in her hands and wept quietly. Her heart felt empty and worn. She was scared, so scared. 

She knew, as a doctor, that there would be lives that she could not save. There was no way, even with Kiriya’s support in her research, that she could have reversed time for Tomioka or Shinazugawa. Not even her husband. But she had thought that she would at least be able to handle this . Making their days more comfortable. She thought she could do it. She thought she had it all under control.

But it turns out it wasn’t her that had things under control. It was Aoi all along, wasn’t it? Working in the background so quietly that no one had noticed why things seemed to work so smoothly at the hospital. She had never meant to sacrifice her sister’s health for this. She felt the nauseating guilt settle deep in her stomach.

“Tanjiro… If it were you, I’m sure you would have noticed the issues with Aoi’s health right away. You always somehow manage to never leave anyone behind. But I…”

She looks down at her wet, trembling hands.

“I don’t know how. How am I going to do anything without you? Please don’t go… don’t leave me yet.”

“... Kanao?”

She gasped, her eyes wide. Looking up from her hands, she saw a blurry image of Tanjiro’s eyes, barely open. She wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled at him. He was awake.

Chapter Text

“Come closer,” Tanjiro whispered as he slowly blinked the stickiness away from his tired eyes.

Kanao shifted to sit at the edge of his bed, wiping the tears off her cheeks, determined to keep a smile on for her dear husband. He lifted a hand to cup her cheek and thumbed away the last bit of wetness lingering there. Leaning into his hand, Kanao brought her own hands up to gently hold onto his arm.

“How are you feeling?” Kanao whispered and shuffled closer to him.

Tanjiro pulled his hand away and stretched it up and to the side.

“I’m just a little tired. A bit achy, but happy to see you again.”

He chuckled as a blush ran across her cheeks. 

“I dreamed of you being so happy, what brought you to such tears, anata?”

Kanao’s smile dropped a little and she focused her eyes on her fidgeting hands. 

“It’s nothing for you to worry about, Tanjiro.”

Tanjiro lifted the corner of his lip and dipped his head downward, tilting her chin up to catch her gaze in his.

“You know that I’ll only worry more if you don’t tell me.”

Her lips trembled and tears clouded her vision again. 

“I know,” Kanao’s voice cracks as she whispers back, “But I – I’ve done something terrible , Tanjiro.”

Her gaze flickered to the side, towards Aoi who was sound asleep on the other side of the room.

“Who’s that?” Tanjiro asked, squinting to see better out of his one good eye. The dim light of the lamp beside him casted shadows around the room, barely illuminating the lump in blankets in the bed across from him. 

“It’s Aoi,” Kanao sighed.

Tanjiro furrowed his brow in confusion before looking back up at Kanao.

“What happened?”

He put a hand on Kanao’s head, his fingers brushing through her soft hair. She took a deep breath.

“I… I was being so selfish. I didn’t even notice how hard Aoi nee-san had been working. A few days ago, nee-san fell asleep in the middle of the day. I only realised something was wrong after she was asleep for days .”

Kanao hung her head in shame, resting her forehead lightly on Tanjiro’s shoulder. Her tears fell silently onto his hospital gown. 

“You’re the least selfish person, Kanao. I’m sure there has been a lot on your mind,” Tanjiro murmured soothingly. He turned his head to press a light kiss on her cheek. 

His steady heartbeat, as weak as it was, brought her unease down to a lull. She sighed, her breath coming out heavy. 

~ • ~

“Make way! Critical injuries! “

Aoi whipped her head around at the call, her pigtails flying around her face. She rushed over toward the voice, and quickly opened the large gate to the butterfly estate. Her feet tip-tapped quickly down the stone stairway that led down to the main road, and she waved down the kakushi that were carrying injured slayers up the path.

She suddenly froze when she saw the familiar outfits: a black and green checkered cloak, a yellow haori with white decorations… and a kakushi carrying a half-naked man with dark, blueish hair. It took her a second to recognize the half-naked one as Inosuke, his head bobbing up and down with the kakushi’s steps. The boar mask was being carried by another kakushi lagging behind, in less of a hurry, with a wooden box slung over their shoulder as well. 

Her heart caught in her throat for a moment. These were the boys that insisted on leaving in her place, with the Sound Hashira.

She saw blood still dripping onto the stone steps as they climbed and she raced back up to the Butterfly estate, running into her master’s office immediately.

“Shinobu-sama,” she panted as she tried to catch her breath, "Tanjiro, Zenitsu and Inosuke are back.and they're heavily injured, all three of them!”

The Insect Hashira frowned, looking up from a letter she was reading. A crow, perched on her shoulder, squawked at Aoi.

“FOUR SLAYERS INJURED! CAW! FROM MOST SEVERE TO LEAST SEVERE: HASHIBIRA INOSUKE, KAMADO TANJIRO, UZUI TENGEN, AGATSUMA ZENITSU. CAW!”

Folding up the piece of paper in her hand, Shinobu slipped it in her sleeve and nodded at Aoi.

“Prep both surgical theatres for me. We will operate on Inosuke-kun and Tanjiro-kun first.”

Quickly, Aoi ran out of the room and called for the three girls as she made her way to the surgery rooms. Sumi, Naho and Kiyo came running, having dropped each of their respective tasks. Aoi conveyed master Kocho’s instructions and the four of them went to work. They brought out all the surgical tools onto a cart for easy access and sanitized the operating table one last time. 

“Naho!” Aoi called out, “Come with me to prep the other room! Sumi, Kiyo, stay there in case Shinobu-sama needs you!”

The girls nodded, wide-eyed but calm. It was not their first time dealing with a medical crisis.

Naho moved into the next room with Aoi, repeating the same procedures as the previous room. Within minutes, a few kakushi arrived with Tanjiro on a stretcher between them. The kakushi counted down and shifted the patient onto the surgical table. Aoi wasted no time cutting his clothes off and scanning every inch of his body, assessing his injuries.

“He was able to talk to us and move around a little bit when we were transporting him,” the kakushi notified Aoi before bowing out of the surgical room. 

She turned her attention back to the patient. A bleeding jaw. Several large blooming bruises around his legs and his torso. A slice across his shoulder. Two broken fingers.

“Naho! Get his blood pressure! We might need to deal with some internal bleeding.”

Aoi pulled out her stethoscope, but was interrupted with Kiyo’s voice behind her.

“Aoi-san! Shinobu-sama said to come quickly once you stabilize Tanjiro! Inosuke’s in really bad condition.”

Just hearing that made Aoi’s skin prickle. It was rare for Shinobu to ever ask for backup.

“132 over 75,” Naho reported the blood pressure, which made Aoi breath a small sigh. Within normal range for a demon slayer in battle. At least Tanjiro wasn’t bleeding out. 

“Okay. Kiyo, Naho, stay with Tanjiro and continue to take his blood pressure. Sterilize his wounds and get them ready for stitching. Splint his fingers as well.”

They nodded and set to work. Aoi quickly washed her hands in the nearby sink and headed next door to Inosuke’s room.

Aoi’s jaw dropped.

Shinobu was starting a blood transfusion on one arm and barking orders at the three kakushi, one of which was trying to get a blood pressure measurement on the other arm, a second who seemed to be taking out some of the wound packing in his abdomen, and a third that was strapping down Inosuke’s legs to the table, yelling at Inosuke to calm down. Inosuke himself seemed to be grunting and slurring some type of nonsense. Sumi was on a stool, grabbing books off a bookshelf.

“What’s going on?” Aoi asked, disoriented already.

Sumi looked over with teary eyes.

“He won’t go to sleep. We’ve tried every sedative and anaesthetic. We can’t fix his internal injuries if he keeps on moving around. ”

Shinobu finished setting up the blood transfusion and wiped her brow with her forearm before looking up at Aoi.

“Do you have any ideas Aoi? We’ve tried our usuals - chloroform and ethers, but he keeps coughing them out or throwing up. None of our traditional medicines are working either.”

Aoi’s mind buzzed with information. She ran over all the anaesthetic medications she knew in her head.

“Morphine or atropine?”

Shinobu shook her head. 

“Those are too similar to thorn apple, which he isn’t reacting to at all.”

What could Aoi possibly think of that Shinobu hadn’t already thought of? Her heart began to sink. She looked over at Sumi flipping through the books to show Shinobu. Each time Sumi lifted a book, Shinobu would simply glance at it and shake her head before requesting a new page.

Then the thought came to her. The books that she got from the Water Hashira had mentioned something new in Western medicine.

“Wait, Shinobu-sama,” Aoi spoke up, “Barbiturates.”

Shinobu paused. Looked up at Aoi.

“That… could work in combination with chloroform… worth a try. He might not keep coughing out the chloroform if we give him a dose of barbiturate first.”

So they tried.

~ • ~

Shinobu sighed, flipping through Inosuke’s chart. Aoi sat beside him, wiping away the sweat on his forehead with a towel. Inosuke’s eyes remained half open, his breath panting.

“I still have no idea how he’s alive, or why he’s still running a fever.” Shinobu snapped the chart shut with one hand. “We’ve done what we can at this point. Is his body fighting off the remnants of the poison or just finishing up its healing? Is he in multi-organ failure? It’s hard to tell.”

Aoi’s mind wandered to Tanjiro, Zenitsu, the Sound Hashira – all patched up and sound asleep. But Inosuke stayed in a half-awake delirious state after the surgery. She stared back down at Inosuke’s suffering form. The heavy breathing, the shaking, the sweating. She felt her eyes start to water.

This was the fate she was spared from, when they took her place.

No – she most certainly would have died if she went instead. He was suffering because he spared her life.

Her hands fisted around the towel she held in her lap. Tears dripped down her face. Shinobu’s hand rested gently on Aoi’s head.

“It’s not your fault, Aoi.” Shinobu murmured softly, a tinge of regret in her voice.

“I – I could have gone. I would have died but I could have gone.” Aoi found herself blubbering out. “We – what if we lose him? I – I can’t believe I ever thought badly of them –”

“Don’t think of that right now,” Shinobu hushed her, “Just focus on doing what you do best, Aoi. You’re my best nurse. If anyone can support him now, it’s you.”

Aoi dried her tears with her sleeve and looked up at Shinobu with a determined face. She nodded.

~ • ~

“Are you sure you don’t want to try another painkiller?”

Inosuke rolled his eyes and grimaced as Aoi took the thermometer out of his mouth. He crossed his arms and turned his head to the side, pouting.

“No, I don’t want any more icky stuff. Haven’t you guys tried everything already?”

Aoi sighed in response. She looked down to check the temperature reading. Normal, no signs of infection. 

“Not everything,” she answered him, “most, though. You’re just resistant to so many medications.”

“I don’t know what resistant means,” Inosuke moaned, covering his eyes with his bandaged arm.

Aoi clicked her tongue. “It means that medicine doesn’t work on you.”

“Poison doesn’t work on me!” Inosuke snapped back. “Where is my mask?”

“I’m working on it! Be patient.” She took a deep breath, trying to tame the impatience growing inside her. “The hide was half shredded when you came back from Yoshiwara. Blankets off now. It’s time for your massage.”

Inosuke turned his back to her, a pout on his face.

Aoi ripped his covers off.

“Aw come on! Why do you have to do this every day? I’m already wearing the stupid tight socks!”

“You don’t want to get a blood clot forming after that surgery, do you? Come on, you should be used to this by now.”

Aoi firmly squeezed his calves in her hands, the scarred leg resistant to movement. She worried - she always worried, but this she worried more - that she was not strong enough to make a difference. She squeezed her hands tighter.

“H-hey, that tickles!” Inosuke laughed, kicking her hands off of his legs and shoving his foot into her face.

“Don’t kick me!” Aoi protested. Inosuke just sniffed, looking away guiltily.

“Not my fault it was ticklish.”

Aoi huffed, crossing her arms. “Do it yourself, then! I’ve just about had it with you!”

She turned on her heel and marched out the door, ignoring Inosuke’s jeers of “I can totally do this by myself, I don’t need you!”

“That’s right, you don’t need me,” she muttered to herself, shutting the door behind her, “Nobody needs me. You’re perfectly fine on your own.”

“That’s a funny little lie,” Shinobu’s light voice appeared behind her. “If I remember correctly, you’re the one who stayed with him the whole time, exercising his limbs when he could barely move, and monitoring him for infection since we couldn’t find a working antibiotic for him. In fact, I don’t think we could have operated on him in the first place without your suggestion for his anaesthetic.”

Aoi wanted to protest. She wanted to turn around and cry and yell and cling to her older sister. She wants to insist that no, he wouldn’t have been in this state if it wasn’t for her. That it was all her fault to begin with. That she was neglecting her duties by giving up on him.

But she kept her mouth shut and clenched her fists tight. Turning around, she bowed her head to the master of the estate. “Shinobu-sama.” She greeted her.

Shinobu sighed wistfully, sending Aoi an affectionate glance before looking toward the closed door.

“The only thing we need for him now is a painkiller that works on him. I suspect he’ll be just a little easier to work with once he is no longer suppressing his pain.”

“Yes, Shinobu-sama.” 

~ • ~

It happened about a week or so after Tanjiro woke up. Aoi was rushing back to the kitchen to fetch the finished food for the patients, followed by a certain boar-headed stinker who was vying for extra food. Perhaps it was because she was distracted, thinking about the Wind Pillar’s recent visit for a whole host of new stitches. 

When she stepped down into the kitchen, her foot slipped sideways and she bent her ankle at a strange angle while trying to land.

Inosuke was instantly behind her, an arm around her back for support.

But that didn’t stop the deep pain radiating from her ankle. She winced and sank down to sit on the ground for a moment.

“Huh? Did you hurt yourself?” He asked curiously. He knelt down beside her, tilting his boar head as he looked down at her ankle.

Aoi simply nodded, the pain intense enough to mute her for the moment. She looked down at her reddening ankle, her hand hovering above the joint. 

“Do you need me to help? I know how to do leg massages now too!” He piped up eagerly.

Aoi’s eyes widened as she realised he was talking about the leg massages that she used to do for him while he was bedridden. She couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.

“A twisted ankle won’t cause deep vein thrombosis,” She giggled, “But thank you for the offer, Inosuke.”

For a moment, there was silence as he stared at her. She blinked, a little confused at his sudden quiet.

“You’re really pretty when you laugh,” he remarked, voice filled with awe.

Her face heated up immediately and she slapped him across the shoulder. He brought a hand up to block her attack and angrily pulled her hand towards him.

“Why are you hitting me? I didn’t say anything wrong,” He protested through gritted teeth. He had been trying so hard to be on his best behaviour today. Why was she angry now?

She twisted her head to the side, trying to hide her embarrassment behind her bangs. 

“You – don’t say such empty words! Any face would look better than that boar head!”

He ripped off his boar mask with his free hand and pulled her even closer, her face just inches from his.

“Say that to my face!” Inosuke roared at her. She squinted at his loud voice, but opened her eyes to see his sparkling emerald orbs.

He was beautiful. She had to admit that he was perhaps even more beautiful than Shinobu. Aoi shifted her eyes to the side, unable to keep looking at the face in front of her – a reminder to herself that she was not comparable to such beauty by any means. 

She pulls her arm out of his grip and turns away from him, trying to get up. Balancing herself on her good leg, she limped toward the food in the kitchen.

“Hey! What do you think you’re doing? We’re not done talking here!”

“Unlike you, I have things I need to do. Dinner won’t serve itself to the patients.”

“But… your ankle.” He tilted his head, confused. Barely a second passed before his eyes lit up with an idea and he jumped to his feet. He fitted his board mask back on his head and lifted his arms up towards her, his fingers wiggling in anticipation. 

“I’ll carry you!” He yelled out, causing Aoi to cover her ears in annoyance. 

Within a moment, he sweeps her up into his arms and cackled with joy, feeling useful. 

“What – Inosuke! What are you doing?! Put me down!”

“No way,” He laughed, “Something feels funny with your ankle, you can’t even stand properly.”

She groaned, starting to feel a little dizzy with the way he spun her around the kitchen.

“What next, what next?” He asked excitedly. She buried her head in her hands.

“Please put me down, I’m going to get sick if you keep moving around like that.”

“Oh, oops.” He put her down on a nearby stool, and she breathed a sigh of relief. 

“Can you just fetch Sumi, Naho and Kiyo while I prepare the servings? That’s really all I need.”

“On it!” He rushed out the door.

Aoi suddenly felt the room to be emptier than before, but she brushed the uncomfortable feeling away. Stacking up the bowls and platters, she began to lay out servings as efficiently as she always did. Before long, the three girls were at the kitchen door, along with Inosuke.

“What are you doing back here, Inosuke-san?” Aoi narrowed her eyes. “You will get your food in time, you better not steal anyone else’s food.”

“I’m here to carry you!” He exclaimed with glee. The three girls giggled at the idea. “You’ll get around faster if I help you!”

“It— It’s fine, really. The girls can serve the food.”

Discontent without a role, he watched as the three girls eat picked up a platter of food to serve and hoisted one of them up onto his shoulder. Kiyo screamed as she was lifted high, barely managing not to spill the contents of the food. Sumi and Naho gasped at the display of strength.

“Inosuke!” Aoi chided. 

He turned toward her, stretching out his other arm. 

“Come on! Let’s go!”

Sumi and Naho looked back at Aoi with shining eyes. They clearly wanted to see her ride the board headed man. Part of her wanted to insist that they just go ahead without her, but she couldn’t find the heart to let them down. 

With a sigh, she picked up a tray of food and nodded. 

Sumi and Naho cheered, their pigtails and braids bouncing in excitement. Kiyo widened her eyes as Inosuke scooped Aoi up with one hand and lifted her up onto his opposite shoulder.

With a cackle, Inosuke bounded down the hall, with Kiyo and Aoi screeching at him to slow down, Sumi and Naho following behind with bright laughter. 

They quickly arrived at one of the patient rooms, and Inosuke slowed down, putting Kiyo down. Seeing Tanjiro’s bright smile, Aoi hid her face behind the tray of food, her face burning up in embarrassment. Seemingly sensing a tension between them, Inosuke set Aoi down on a chair beside Tanjiro. 

Turning around, he saw Sumi and Naho setting down their trays of food beside patients. With a swoop of his arms, he picked the two of them up and set them onto his shoulders. The two girls screeched with laughter and he started running back to the kitchen. Kiyo, after setting down her tray in front of a patient, ran after them.

Tanjiro coughed lightly and Aoi turned around, straightening her face that she had only just realised was smiling.

Setting his food down on his lap, Aoi took a seat on the stool beside his bed.

“Are you alright?” Tanjiro asked softly.

Aoi nodded and looked down at her feet.

“Just a sprained ankle.” She mumbled, embarrassed.

Tanjiro hummed and frowned, tilting his head to take a look at her feet.

“Be careful, we don’t want you hurt.”

Aoi nodded, thankful for Tanjiro's noticeably normal reaction, at least in comparison to Inosuke.

“Inosuke is surprisingly helpful, isn’t he?”

The two of them look toward the door where he had disappeared with the three girls. 

Aoi found herself smiling.

“Yeah, I suppose you’re right,” She acquiesced, “He’s childish and he’s silly, but he cares.”

It was true, she supposed. He cared about making people happy. She supposed that was why people wanted him around, why people treasured his presence.

“Inosuke is a wonderful, valuable person.” Tanjiro turned toward her, “and so are you, Aoi-san.”

Aoi blinked. Then laughed.

“No, no. please don’t put me on a pedestal like that. I’m just a useful tool.” She waved away the suggestion.

“Then, tell me, Aoi. How did so many of the injured from the final battle survive? There were dozens of people critically injured, and yet most of them survived.”

Something didn’t add up. The final battle? Looking up, Tanjiro transformed in front of her eyes in a dreamlike manner. Within moments, his hair grew longer, his skin dried up, his left arm went limp. Tanjiro’s breathing became laboured and he looked up with a weak smile. 

It was him, but older. 

She remembered - it has been ten years.

Her head swirled in confusion. She knew she was dreaming. But Tanjiro was still talking.

“You’ve been the bedrock of support for everyone at the Butterfly Mansion, including Kanao. We couldn’t have asked for a more competent leader.”

No, no. Something wasn’t right. She was no leader. She could never replace Kanae or Shinobu. All she did was help Kanao a little here and there. And yet, she still couldn’t handle it well –

“Not all leaders are the same. A leader in war is not the same leader that we need during a time of peace.”

She looked up, it was dim. The chattering of other patients disappeared into the background. The weak, sickly Tanjiro in front of her took her hand.

“You spend so much time caring for others, Aoi. It’s time you took care of your own heart.”

She shook her head, confused. Her vision spun. Tanjiro just chuckled.

“It’s time to wake, people are worried about you, Aoi.”

~ • ~

She knows it’s dark. She doesn't want to open her eyes, it’s comfortable in the dark. As comfortable as it could be at least. She knows she doesn’t want to move. Her head hurts. Her stomach hurts, everything aches. She can feel herself sweating. 

But something feels nice. Her hand has a warm pressure on it, as if someone had been massaging it.

Carefully, Aoi pried an eye open and saw Inosuke looking back at her. 

He suddenly widens his eyes, seeing her awake, and plants his face down on her blankets. She blinked slowly, confused. When he sat back up, she swore she could see the glimmer of tears in his eyes. 

He stood up and turned away, muttering.

“I’m going to get Kanao.”

He left the room swiftly and closed the door behind him.

She carefully sits up and looks to the side to see Tanjiro still sleeping in his bed. She wonders if it was him in her dream, holding her heart.

In a moment, the door slams open and Kanao rushes in, throwing her arms around Aoi.

Aoi could feel Kanao’s trembling. 

“I’m sorry, I’m – I’m so sorry, nee-san. I’m sorry –”

Kanao sobbed into Aoi’s shoulder. Aoi lifted a hand and patted her sister’s hair. 

“I – I’ve been so focused on Tanjiro that I completely – your condition . I can’t believe – Oh Aoi-nee. Please never scare me like that again.”

“It’s alright,” Aoi managed to whisper out.

“No.” Kanao lifted her tear streaked face from Aoi’s shoulder. “It’s absolutely not alright! Why didn’t you say something if you weren’t feeling well?”

“I didn’t want to burden you, Kanao. You have children, Tanjiro and the whole hospital to care for.” Aoi reasoned quietly.

“The hospital? The hospital ? Aoi, you’ve been running the hospital!”

Aoi shook her head gently, brushing stray hairs to the side of Kanao’s face.

“No, I was just doing some small things to make life a little easier for us. I’m sorry I failed.”

“Nee-san… you…” Kanao’s lips trembled. He face twists through a number of emotions and settles into something like calm anger. Something Aoi hadn’t seen on Kanao’s face since Shinobu’s death. 

“Nee-san, tell me the truth. How much aspirin did you take yesterday?” Kanao stands up straight and began her clinical palpitations of Aoi’s stomach. Aoi winced at the sharp pain in her abdomen.

“I – I don’t remember,” Aoi admitted.

“What symptoms do you have right now?”

“Nothing serious –” Aoi hesitated when Kanao narrowed her eyes, “Um. A headache. Stomach pain. I’m really just tired and a bit achy. What day is it?”

“It’s been a full two days since you collapsed in the kitchen. Inosuke says that you briefly woke up yesterday and took a handful of aspirin along with willow bark tea.”

Aoi winced at the mention of the tea.

“We found your trials on that tea on your desk. It’s a precursor to aspirin – you can’t just combine medications like that,” Kanao reprimanded her sister.

Aoi sighed.

“I know. I was just hoping that I could find an alternative to aspirin. I don’t want to use too much of what could potentially be saved for patients.”

“Nee-san. Listen to me.” Kanao held Aoi’s face in her hands. “You overdosed .” 

Aoi went quiet. Her eyes widened at the thought.

Kanao finally dropped her hands to her sides. Aoi looked down at her fidgeting fingers. 

“Why are you taking so much aspirin and willow bark tea to begin with?” Kanao whispered.

Aoi shifted her gaze to the side. She paused before answering.

“Headaches. It's just headaches.”

“Since when?”

“I don’t really remember when the headaches started… and I know I’m taking a lot of painkillers, but…”

“Be honest. Have you been getting heartburn from these painkillers?”

Aoi bit her lip and nodded slightly.

“...I’m confiscating the aspirin and the tea.”

“Please don’t, Kanao – the headaches are unbearable.”

“You’ve been burning up - I suspect you’ve gotten yourself an infected stomach ulcer from all those painkillers.”

Aoi twisted her fingers in her hands nervously. She didn't want to admit that Kanao was right.

“I… I know but…”

“ That is the problem, nee-san,” Kanao snapped, pulling one of Aoi’s wrists out, pointing at the thin, bony structure, “Look how thin you’ve gotten! I don’t know how long you’ve had stomach pains for, but Sumi says you haven’t been eating properly for weeks . 

“As your doctor, no more aspirin. No more willow bark tea. No more work at all. Not until you figure out another way to relieve those headaches.”

“I’m – I’m sorry…” Aoi stuttered, her eyes filling with tears. She brought her arms up to hold herself tight, partially cushioning the blazing stomach pain that was getting worse. “I didn’t mean to cause you more trouble…”

“Aoi-nee… I didn’t mean to snap. I just – you’ve been taking care of us so much and – ” Kanao clenched her fists by her side nervously. The vision from her one good eye blurred with tears. Her voice quivered and her jaw was set tight. “It’s my fault too. I… never realised how much you’ve been supporting us. You always claim that I’m the one in charge of the hospital but really, you’ve been managing the entire estate this whole time in shihan’s place, haven’t you? It’s even on the hospital paperwork that Tomioka-san completed for us.”

Aoi’s lips trembled. 

“That’s just a piece of paper,” Aoi mumbled, “It’s just there to help you do your work, Kanao.”

“You…” Kanao’s tears dripped down her face, onto Aoi’s bedsheets. “You never take credit for doing anything. Why?”

The silence between them lay heavy and thick. Kanao felt like her sister was in a whole other world. Unreachable.

“Aoi. I don’t need Shinobu nee-san or Kanae nee-san here right now. I… I need you Aoi.”

Something in Aoi snapped, and she cried. 

~ • ~

Zenitsu and Nezuko were ushered in with the kids, while Kanao excused herself, saying she needed some time before she sees the rest of her patients this evening. 

Nezuko immediately put her arms around Aoi and Zenitsu crossed his arms with a smile as he watched. 

“How are you feeling?” Nezuko asked in a hushed tone. She pulled away to put her hands on Aoi’s cheeks. Aoi could feel the bed dip at her feet, seeing the Agatsuma twins climb on, pulling their younger cousins up onto the bed as well. 

“Auntie Aoi - are you going to be okay?” One of the boys, Souta, asked, holding tightly onto Kanao’s daughter, Yuki. 

Zenitsu ruffled his son’s hair and shushed him.

Aoi smiled up at the kids and at Nezuko and Zenitsu. Opening up her arms, she gathered the little Kamado Touya into her lap and brushed her fingers through his hair.

“I’m alright, I didn’t realize I caused such a fuss.” Aoi looked away, embarrassed.

Nezuko then turned around and ushered another person in - Naho.

Aoi’s eyes widened, and instantly flickered to her pregnant belly. Naho stepped forward, taking Aoi’s hand and cradling it against her wet cheek.

“You have no idea how worried we have been,” Naho whispered.

Squeezing her way between Nezuko and Zenitsu, Sumi dove next to Naho and squeezed Touya and Aoi in her arms.

“Thank goodness, oh thank the gods you’re finally awake!” She cried.

Behind Zenitsu, Kiyo stood stiffly, her hands fisted by her sides. Seeing this, Nezuko smiled wistfully and gathered the kids off the bed. She picked up Touya from Aoi’s arms and shooed the kids and Zenitsu out of the room.

Aoi smiled when she looked up to see Kiyo standing in the back, but noticed someone missing.

“Where did Inosuke go?” Aoi asked. Sumi and Naho looked at each other.

Zenitsu popped his head back in.

“Right out here,” he grinned as he announced it, just as he got yanked back out of the room.

Aoi could hear a scuffle outside the room, a bit of incoherent yelling from both Zenitsu and Inosuke, before the girls were finally blessed with silence. 

Sumi started laughing first, and within moments everyone in the room was giggling away. It was as if all the built up tension had finally left the room. 

Brushing the tears away from her eyes, Naho smiled.

“Inosuke-san has been beside you the whole time,” She mentioned with a sparkle in her eye. 

Sumi sat up straight and piped up, “Oh that’s right! He’s also been helping around the house a lot! It feels like he’s always with the kids or doing some of our chores and errands.”

Relaxing a bit, Kiyo put a hand on her hip. “Clearly, he’s wanting to take some load off of you, Aoi nee-san. So just admit that it’s alright for you to rest.”

“That’s right, nee-san. Please just take a break. We’re here to help you.”

“No going back to your room to work on your projects!” 

Aoi looked around at the three of them and hesitated. 

There was so much she needed to catch up on. Two days of rest was already far more than she had anticipated. She bit her lip, trying to think of a solution.

“We’re not leaving until you promise us to rest,” the three of them chimed in together.

Aoi smiled at them weakly.

“I – I promise I’ll do my best.”

Kiyo and Naho sighed, while Sumi frowned. But they knew better than to push further. 

“I guess I’ll just have to make sure Inosuke-san forces you to listen to us.” Sumi commented before standing up to grab her two sisters and dragging them out of the room. 

Inosuke? Aoi wondered what they meant, and how Inosuke had anything to do with the situation.

The man in question re-entered the room when everyone else left.

His eyes shifted to avoid her gaze. He poured a cup of water, handing it to Aoi wordlessly.

Aoi sipped the cup, watching his strange composure. For a moment, she almost sees his typical cheerful self overlaid on his image. She knew something was deeply wrong.

“Are you… upset with me?” Aoi asked quietly.

He opened his mouth and closed it again, but still wouldn’t look at her. His bangs covered his eyes and he turned away.

Aoi couldn't help but laugh at the strange situation. 

“What do you know,” A corner of her mouth lifted in amusement, “Lord Inosuke is at a loss for words.”

He flicked his head up suddenly, and she saw his face red and tear-streaked. Oh . Her heart dropped.

“Why would you hurt yourself with that medication instead of coming to someone, anyone , for help?”

“I…” She stuttered, feeling pathetic repeating the same excuse over and over again, “I just… didn’t want to be a burden–”

“Since when have you ever been a burden to me? Haven’t I always been the one to burden you? Can’t you let me have a turn to care about you?” 

Aoi looks down at her hands in frustration. She was tired. 

It was the same argument, again and again.

Why wouldn't anyone understand? 

Would Inosuke understand, when no one else could? 

“Because,” Aoi murmured reluctantly, “I'm not like the rest of you. I'm not important, not useful, not unique or strong. I'm just… Aoi.”

“That doesn't make any sense.” 

Aoi sighed in defeat and lay back down in her bed.

Inosuke seemed unable to sit still, digging his nails into his arms. After what felt like ages of stretched out silence, he stood up.

“Just. Listen to Kanao this time, ‘kay? Or I'll make you.”

He stalks out of the room and she's left in the quiet of her and Tanjiro’s breathing in the dim room.

And she wondered - how did Inosuke come to be so bothered? Did she really upset him? Why couldn't he, why couldn't anyone understand? She just wants them all to smile and be carefree again. 

She's tired. And she's in pain and feverish and feels an overwhelming guilt all at the same time.

“I need to get better soon,” she mumbled to herself, “Get better so I can apologize and be of use to them again…”

Chapter Text

Dear Aoi,

I hope you are keeping warm and safe at home, this winter has been particularly harsh. Remember to layer yourself with enough blankets, don’t just ignore your own needs 

I’m sure you have done well caring for the injured after that battle. It is my most sincere hope that the battle has gone well and that you, along with everyone else, no longer have to fear demons any longer. 

As I have explained to Kanao, I do not anticipate surviving this battle. The demon responsible for Kanae nee-san’s death is a sadistic, cruel creature that savours female flesh. I plan to kill him with wisteria poison that I have stored up in my body. I have yet to think of any other way to ensure victory and redress for nee-san’s death. I am sorry for leaving you and the rest of the girls without much notice. 

And yet, I’m confident that you will fare well. You may not wield a sword, but your determination and your talents in healing make you a valuable asset outside of battle and war. Please do not think little of yourself. I have always felt comfortable leaving the hospital in your care.

As the eldest now, I leave everything to you to do as you like. Should you decide to continue managing the Butterfly Estate and Hospital in my stead, please feel free to peruse all my books and notes. There is a notebook that will be especially helpful to you, one that Kanae nee-san left to me when she passed. I have left it at the back of the top drawer of my desk in case you would like to take a look. 

I am proud of the work that you have done as my apprentice, but I am even more proud of you as a sister. I loved you very much Aoi, you were like family to me. I regret that we could not have been closer. I wish we could have had more time together.

I wish you, Kanao, Naho, Sumi and Kiyo all the best. Live your life to the fullest. Smile. Find happiness. Do what brings you joy.

Take care of yourself and each other,

Kocho Shinobu

 

~ • ~

Aoi looked up to see Kanao and the three younger girls all sniffling and tearing up as they read their letters. 

Kanao lifted her head, and looked away in shame.

“I’m sorry… I couldn’t tell you anything.”

Aoi took a deep breath. She would think about that later. Maybe. When the silence of the night enveloped her and roared in her ears. 

But for now, she shook her head.

“Shinobu-sama… is gone. There’s nothing we can do to bring her back now.”

Naho clung onto Sumi and Kiyo, and the three of them shifted closer to Aoi, finally leaning on her lap like the children they were supposed to be.

Aoi patted each of their heads tenderly, and looked up at Kanao expectantly.

“What were Shinobu-sama’s instructions? What do we do now?”

Kanao blinked.

“My letter didn’t have any instructions. Shihan only instructed me about the battle.”

Aoi glanced down at her letter again. That couldn’t be right. Kanao was Shinobu’s direct tsuguko. 

“Should you not be inheriting everything, Kanao-san?”

Kanao simply shook her head.

“You spent more time in the hospital and at the estate, Aoi-san. We will have to lean on you now. Will you lead us?”

Aoi’s stomach twisted in uncertainty. Lead them? Lead them where? What should they do next, now that the demons were defeated? 

“I… I’m no master. But as… as your sister – I can take care of things while we figure out what to do next. I think Shinobu-sama wants us to be free to choose what we want to do.”

~ • ~

“Ah, Water Hashira – I mean. Tomioka-sama. Could you wait a moment?”

Tomioka paused on his way out the door, looking back at Aoi quizzically.

“I… I got a letter from the Master, I’m not sure what to do. Could… could you assist me?”

Tomioka nodded silently, holding out his hand. Aoi handed the letter over and fiddled with her fingers as Tomioka read through it quickly. He glanced over at Aoi before handing the letter back to her.

“The Master just wants to meet with you, Tsuyuri and the others. Is there a problem?”

“I – Is this a mistake?” Aoi stuttered, “Why was it addressed to me, when Kanao was Shinobu-sama’s tsuguko?”

“Tsuyuri’s status as a tsuguko has no meaning now that there are no more demons. Have you not been managing the estate for far longer?”

He held her gaze steadily for a few moments before turning to leave once again. She quickly reached out a hand to grab onto his sleeve.

“Wait! Wait – I …” Aoi could feel her face flush with embarrassment, “I have never met the master before. Could you… take us there?”

~ • ~

Aoi, Kanao and the three little girls sat in a neat little row on the clean tatami mats. One side of the room was open to the garden, the late June breeze warm against their cheeks. The former Water Pillar sat behind them and Aoi turned her head to glance back at him every few minutes. He sat still and calm. 

When Kiriya and his sisters entered, the butterfly estate sisters and the former Water Pillar bowed deeply.

The Master took a seat and greeted them.

“Please raise your heads.” He smiled at each one of them. “It’s good to see you, Aoi, Kanao, Kiyo, Sumi, Naho. And Giyu.”

Hesitantly, Aoi and her sisters lifted their bodies to sit up straight. 

Kiriya and his sisters carried a polite, even smile, holding themselves with the grace of an elder, despite being younger than all of the butterfly girls. 

“My family and I would like to thank you for your hard work and gracious care toward all the demon slayers that were injured in battle. Without you, many more would have perished.”

Aoi blinked, confused at Kiriya bowing low to the ground. His sisters followed suit. Feeling absolutely mortified, she looked around and saw Kanao with her forehead to the floor, bowing to Aoi in thanks as well. Aoi flicked her head back to see Tomioka smile softly and bow his head. She looked down to see the three girls looking up at her in confusion and apprehension, unsure of what to do.

“I – we… of course, Master, Kanao-sama, Tomioka-sama. Please don’t lower your heads like this.” Aoi clutched her kimono skirt with anxiousness. “We have done nothing but follow Shinobu-sama’s training. It is thanks to you and the rest of the demon slayers that we can live in peace.”

Kiriya lifted his head slightly, his eyes slightly shimmering.

“And for not being able to prevent the deaths of Kanae and Shinobu, I apologise deeply. Instead of protecting them, our family was an accomplice in their deaths, especially with Shinobu.”

Aoi wanted to cry. She wanted her sisters back. She wasn’t ready to address this raw wound that the Master had just reopened. But she steeled her resolve. 

She looked up at Kanao, who had just sat up. Kanao was misty eyed. 

“I’m sorry too,” she whispered to Aoi.

Aoi dug her fingers into her palms and looked down, gathering her thoughts. After a moment of silence, she looked up to face the Master. She replied to him with a voice of determination, even if it wobbled a bit from her lasting grief.

“I know that if there was any other way to destroy the demons, you and your family would have protected them. Kanae-sama and Shinobu-sama have always shared your goal of saving as many people as possible. We can’t possibly hold their deaths against you.” 

Kiriya nodded as a tear trickled down his face. He and his sisters sat up, and he pulled out a small wooden box from his sleeve.

Sliding the box over to Aoi, he spoke up gently.

“This is for you, Aoi. To support yourself and the rest of the Butterfly Estate. It includes Kanao’s portion, as she has declined to receive it individually.”

Looking down at the box, she realised it must be filled with a large sum of money. Aoi looked over at Kanao, who just avoided her gaze shyly. 

As Aoi took the box into her hands, she felt the weight of it settle on her heart. Not only did it contain money, but it also contained the hopes and dreams of everyone at the butterfly estate.

She clung to the box tightly and bowed to Kiriya, accepting the responsibility.

~ • ~

Aoi opened her eyes to a dimly lit room. Looking beside her, she sees Inosuke sitting between her and Tanjiro’s bed. His head hung as he sat on the chair, his arms and legs tightly crossed and lightly snoring. How strange, Aoi thought. Inosuke almost never crossed his legs like that. She wondered if she was still dreaming. She tried to rub her eyes, but an intense pain in her head bloomed as soon as she touched her face.

Inosuke opened his eyes as he felt her shift in the bed. Seeing her awake, he jumped up, poured a cup of water and mixed in some portioned medication. 

“Hey,” he whispered, leaning closer to her ear, “Kanao said this is for you.”

Aoi simply squinted at Inosuke, her brow furrowed. She covered her ear with a hand and groaned in pain. Inosuke put the glass back down and gently helped her sit up. She held her head and bit her lip.

She glanced to the side to see the cup of medication that Inosuke had just prepared. She began to reach her hand out and Inosuke quickly brought the cup to her lips. She took a few sips before her eyes widened and she gasped in pain, holding onto her stomach. 

Inosuke leaned over to rub her back gently, pressing the rim of the glass against her lips to encourage her to keep drinking. Aoi drank a few more sips before pushing the cup away from her mouth, panting. Her bangs were wet with sweat and she leaned against Inosuke’s shoulder, unable to keep herself upright any longer. 

The rhythm of his hand on her back and the solid presence holding her body up gave her a slight feeling of comfort despite the searing pain in her head and her stomach. Aoi found herself closing her eyes, the medication starting to soothe her stomach pain a little. 

Before long, she was asleep again, leaning against Inosuke.

~ • ~

Inosuke scooped up some of the clear river water into his hands, seeing himself in the wobbling reflection. Kiyo’s annoying voice repeated in his head, sputtering nonsense that he didn’t understand.

“Aoi nee-san could have died this time. Don’t you get it yet? Hurry up and make a move, before you lose her to your own regrets.”

He splashed the water on his face, trying to cool his head down. Turning around, his nerves prickled as he just noticed a group of people on the path. The Uzui family. Inosuke let out the breath he was holding. The Uzui family always unnerved him, they were able to trick his sensing ability and it made his hair stand on end.

Making his way back to the butterfly mansion, he glanced over at the tall man, surrounded by his wives and children. The man in question lifted his head and grinned before hopping on over to give Inosuke a slap on the shoulder.

“Hey shorty, didn’t see you around while I was visiting Tanjiro. Turns out you were out here the whole time!”

Inosuke nodded, making his legs walk faster. He didn’t walk to talk to Uzui. He wanted to get back home. He needed to check on Aoi. He had tasks to help with. He had more to learn - about reading and writing and managing a hospital.

“Whoa, stop right there, young man.” Uzui puts a second hand on Inosuke’s other shoulder, twisting him so they faced each other. “There is definitely something wrong with you.”

“What is it?” Inosuke snapped, impatient, “You looking for a fight?”

Uzui just laughed, “There you are. Thought we lost you for a second.”

Inosuke tried pushing the former Hashira’s hands off his shoulders with no success. 

“Where do you think you’re going? Let’s chat!” Uzui plopped a heavy arm around Inosuke’s shoulders, redirecting him downhill, away from the estate. “Zenitsu told me something very flamboyant about you and I’m offended you’ve never mentioned it to me!”

Inosuke clenched his hands into fists.

“What did that bitch say about me?” Inosuke spit out, making a note in his head to pummel the blonde man later on.

“Wow, that’s some attitude! He was only worried about you, y’know?”

“There are other people to worry about.” 

“Hm, hm. Yes, indeed. Like Aoi?”

Inosuke stopped in his tracks, glaring back at Uzui.

“What do you know?”

“Only what I can hear,” Uzui shrugged with a grin on his face.

“So what did you hear?” Inosuke grit through his teeth.

“That your heartbeat,” The taller man jabbed Inosuke in the chest, “is going wild.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Uzui finally lets go of him, and crosses his arms with a sigh.

“Does Aoi even know that you love her?”

“Didn’t you say you were finished visiting Tanjiro? Fucking leave!” Inosuke practically shouted.

“Ah, I get what Zenitsu was worried about now,” Uzui simply tilted his head in amusement, “You don’t even know that you’re in love, do you?”

“I’m gonna – mmph!” A hand slapped over Inosuke’s mouth and he pulled the hand off his face roughly. Makio crossed her arms angrily.

“Our kids are here. Can you stop cursing?”

Inosuke glanced over at the four kids surrounding Hinatsuru and Suma. A slightly older kid tried covering the ears of their younger siblings, sending a confused and worried look toward Inosuke.

He sighed and muttered a quick sorry.

Uzui laughed at this and waved his wives away, saying he needed a man-to-man talk with Inosuke. The young man in question shot Uzui a confused look.

“Now for you, Inosuke,” He waved the young man over towards another path, “You remind me of Shinazugawa sometimes. You rash little wind breathers.”

“I developed my own breathing style, don’t lump me in with anyone else!”

“Calm down,” Uzui roughly ruffled Inosuke’s long hair, pulling some of his hair out of the ponytail. “I know I wasn’t around the Butterfly estate as much as Shinazugawa or Tomioka, But I’m still here if you need advice or help.”

Inosuke looked up at Uzui, offended.

“I don’t need your help.”

“I have three wives.”

“So what?”

“I know how to make a woman happy.” Uzui bragged in a sing-song voice.

Inosuke just shook his head in disbelief

“Who do you think everyone came to for relationship advice? Yours truly, of course.”

“You’re lying,” Inosuke snorted.

“No, it’s true. Your little friends came to me for help - Zenitsu and Tanjiro both. And not only them, but Shinazugawa and Tomioka as well.”

Inosuke paused. He was surprised to hear that people he admired and looked up to, the former Hashira, were ever in a state where they needed advice.

“So?” Uzui smirked, “Do I have you interested?”

Although Inosuke scoffed and turned away with his arms crossed, Uzui could tell that the young man was cracking. He leaned down to Inosuke’s ear.

“How about we take this over to my place, discuss it over some drinks?”