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Impulsive thought's were pretty easy to control. Not to mention that they didn't often come up. Yet for some reason, the voice that normally told her no, when the impulsive suggested appeared, seemed to have taken a complete leave of absence.
Sumiko looped the porch that surrounded the butterfly mansion. She and the other two members of her unofficial team, Zenitsu and Inosuke. The trio had come back from a few demon hunting missions with broken bones, and haphazardly patched wounds to get some rest and recharge before they headed out again. This was meant to be their final day in recovery.
Sumiko walked along the porch and intended to ask Inosuke if he wanted to train. She didn't spare with Zenitsu unless it was sword based. Because he was annoying. Seriously how many smacks to the head was it going to take before that idiot understood that being a creep during hand to hand sparing was unacceptable?
Sumiko spotted Inosuke sitting on the porch with his shoulder resting against one of the wooden poles. A smile pulled up at the corner of her mouth and she was about to ask him if he'd like to spare. Which, obviously, he wouldn't say no to sparing ever. Before she could get the words out of her mouth, Inosuke let out a low rumble of a noise that she had heard plenty of times before. She crept closer, moving softly to not disturb him. She peeks over his shoulder to see the even rhythm of sleep.
He was unconscious. Totally unaware of the world around him. He must look pretty peaceful.
Take his mask.
Sumiko had never had that thought before but...she was curious to see if she could get it off his head. She reached forward and grabbed the side's. It'd be easy but his head was leaning against the pole. Maybe...
She reached forward and carefully cupped his head and pulled it away from the pole. The snoring continued so, with the motions of a tarantula, she eased the mask up slowly. Moving ever so slowly, until she could hold his head with one hand and pluck the mask up and off with the other and finally eased her hold, until his head was resting on the pole again. She let him go and suppressed a giggle when he snored even louder than before. She quietly snuck away wondering how long it would take him to notice it was gone. Once out of his immediate sight she turned the mask over in her hand's able to observe it on her own for the first time.
The fur was course to the touch and the eyes an almost thin membrane. The snout was stiff but flexable under her hand. She didn't push it too hard making sure her motions were gentle. She flipped it over to observe the inside of it. This too was made of a tanned skin and had a strong odor. What should she do with it now?
Wear it.
Again, Sumiko found she couldn't argue. So she pulled it on over her head. She let it settle into place. The thin membrane of the eyes did allow her to see through it though it was weird. If she focused on the eyes, she couldn't see past it but if she ignored the membrane, she could see through it. It created a big blind spot in front of her though, especially the area down towards her mouth as it was blocked by a snout. Interesting. The inside was a bit warm too and the long snout allowed for comfortable breathing. Of course, there was also the smell. It could only be identified as simply, Inosuke. Musky was certainly in there too. Along with scents of rain and earth. Yeah, she could get used to this.
Time to show it off.
Giggling manically, she set's off. Her first stop was to visit the assistants, she knew the girls must have been in the kitchen preparing food for everyone. She snuck around to the side of the house hoping no one else spotted her. After being here so many times it was pretty easy to find the kitchen door. She crept low to the ground to make sure she was about the same height as a boar. She poked her head around the side of the door to peer inside.
Sumiko could see the girls hard at work preparing food for the injured slayer's in their care. She waited until none of them were close to any boiling pots before making her presence known with a piggy noise. The girls stop mid conversation and turn to look.
"Is that Inosuke?" Naho asked her braids shifting as she tilted her head.
Kiyo pointed a ladle at her as if brandishing her own sword, "No food for you mister. Not until it's time to eat!" She declared.
Suppressing the urge to giggle she pretended to sniff at the edge of the door and look away, careful to keep the human parts of her body away from the girls line of sight.
"Wait, that's not an actual boar is it?" Sumi asked.
Sumiko let out little noises through her nose that Inosuke had taught her a long time ago that was meant to be some boar language and carefully eased herself out of sight.
"What's a boar doing here?" Kiyo asked quietly.
"Should we chase it away or get Mister Inosuke to take care of it?" Naho asked.
"I don't know, he might just invite it in to eat." Kiyo muttered.
Sumiko popped her head back around the corner the boar's head turned to stare at them as the girls startled at the sight.
"What are you two doing?" Aoi demanded as she entered the room and saw what the girls were looking at. She scowled. "You're going to have to try harder than that if you want to sneak in here to get food." She scolded, no doubt who she assumed was obvious.
Sumiko let out little animal grunts and tossed her head a little.
"What?" Aoi took a step back.
"I don't think that's Inosuke, Aoi." Naho whimpered.
Sumiko stood slowly and watched as the girls gaped as she rose higher.
"See it is Inosuk--"
Sumiko climbed up the side of the wall using the tiny ledges to go even higher than normal.
The girls let out screams and clung to one another. "What the hell is that?!" They all cried and Sumiko couldn't help but laugh and step into view.
She gave a deep apologetic bow. "Sorry, I couldn't help myself." Before they could say anything she took off again to find someone else.
The girls watched her go and share confused glances. "Um, what was that?"
Aoi let out a sigh, "Lady Shinobu once mentioned that Demon Slayers, due to enduring death, and injury and trauma so often that they have odd ways of coping with the stress that comes with it. Seems Sumiko is finally having her own coping moment."
The girls watched on quietly for a moment, until it was broken by a soft question. "Where did she get that boar's head mask though?" The other girls startled with the realization that, it was a very good question, "You don't think it belongs to Master Inosuke? He's rather attached to it. You don't think he'll be too upset, right?"
The other girls just felt their shoulders sag knowing full well, they'd have a screaming boar to deal with, it was only a matter of time.
---
When Genya found himself landed in the butterfly mansion, which wasn't very often. He could count on things being pretty normal. Unless Sumiko and her battle partner's were about then chaos was sure to rein, and loudly. So far it's been normal. He thought that he'd be able to get by with minimal stress. Until he opened his eyes.
Large blue wall-eyes awaited him as he woke up. He sucked in a shocked breath but didn't attack. He had enough experience with the stupid boar that it would just lead to more trouble.
"What are you doing here, you stupid boar?" Genya demanded angrily, body tensing in anticipation of a fight.
"Good Morning to you too, Genya." A cheerful familiar feminine voice spoke.
Genya blinked, his eyes shifted to take in what the boar's head was attached, he spotted the green and black checkered hayori and the familiar demon slayer uniform. The voice was familiar too.
"Sumiko?" He asked.
She waved, "Hi!"
"Why are you wearing that boar's mask?" He asked next, shifting to sit up a bit higher.
"Felt like it." Sumiko replied, as if that explained everything.
"Does Inosuke know you have his mask?" Genya asked next. He can't imagine that the wild child would part with it willingly.
The boars head tilted in a way that made it seem almost cute. "Not yet." Sumiko replied, cheerfully. He could easily imagine that she was waiting for that little discovery and was comfortable letting it be a surprise.
"You know he's going to beat you up for the theft right?"
The boars head tilted lightly before, her arms crossed and head tilted back snout pointed towards the ceiling. "Beat me up? Maybe, but I kinda doubt it. Inosuke doesn't beat me up when he's mad. At least not in the way you're thinking. Plus Zenitsu is dumb enough to offer himself up as a punching bag when he thinks he's being noble and Inosuke is more than willing to take him up on that offer." Sumiko laughed and rubbed at the fur on the back of the boar's head in something akin to bashfulness. "You know once, Inosuke and I got into an argument over directions. It was pretty heated and when Zenitsu showed up, Inosuke immediately wailed on him. Kind of like: Sumiko told Inosuke he was wrong, and Inosuke didn't like that, so he decided to go after Zenitsu for it." She laughed.
Genya couldn't help but join in on the laughter. He didn't quite get it but he knew she kept her hands full with those two. Plus he could only have sympathy when she was stuck dealing with Zenitsu so much.
"Anyway, I came here to see you. Me and the boys will likely be heading off soon enough. There are a few demons popping up north from here. We'll likely have to separate and our crows will do their best to keep us, for the most part, together. Maybe you'll join along the way when you're better." She suggested.
Genya can't help feeling a little color touch his face at that. Guilty thoughts popped across his mind, he controlled his more inappropriate thoughts but his more romantic one's were harder to control. Female Demon Hunters, at least at the higher ranks were few and far between, not necessarily the fault of the women as most of the training tended to be geared more towards physical strength almost exclusively and didn't really try to work towards the women's strengths. Honestly, he thinks the main reason Sumiko had lasted this long was due to being both hard headed and driven to save her remaining sister. It also likely helped that she had such a close bond with her battle brothers.
She was admirable, someone to look up too, someone who could be so soft and kind to a motherly degree but also so damn ferocious and brave in the heat of battle, a one of a kind. He won't lie that his mind would often play with fantasies of starting a family with her as embarrassing as those thoughts were.
"I wouldn't mind us traveling together a bit more." He admitted, scratching lightly at his cheek and looking away.
"I'd love for that to happen."
He glanced up maybe to talk more, but the sight of that boars head sitting on her shoulders, found his next words robbed from his mouth. "Uh, do you have to keep that on?" He asked.
"Yep." She declared with full conviction.
"Ah. Okay." He replied, there was no way he could talk to her in the way he wanted with her wearing that mask.
----
Zenitsu made his way through the butterfly mansion gate, relief sang it's sweet song through his body. Warmed by the protection of the sun above and the relief in knowing he only needed to be called a short way's away to deal with a demon and it was all over relatively quickly. He couldn't wait to tell Sumiko and Inosuke about his trip.
He arrived to find the courtyard empty, saddened by the thought that there were no cute girls to greet him after his chivalrous venture into pariels of demonic combat. Oh well, he'd have to share his stories once he found them. He was sure Sumiko would be impressed by his stories. At least a little bit.
Entering the courtyard, he's greeted by the typical sight of flora meant to feed and provide breeding grounds for butterflies as they fluttered about as some of the few true long term occupants of the grounds. Approaching the main door's, he spotted an unusual sight, Inosuke, mask free, and asleep on the porch.
He'd prefer Sumiko or even Aoi but Inosuke would do. "Hey!" He kicked the boar's foot, "Wake up! Is this the kind of greeting a hero gets?" He complained.
Inosuke sat up with a shout. Blinking to the present and looking up to see Zenitsu casting a shadow over him.
"What? You disturb the sleep of the mountain king! How dare you!" Inosuke snapped, stabbing an accusing finger up at Zenitsu's face.
"Excuse me for letting my friend know I made it back alive." Zenitsu muttered, rolling his eyes.
Inosuke scoffed dismissively. "You complain as if you'd die but I doubt there is even a scratch on you."
Zenitsu was actually a bit taken aback by his declaration. He wanted to say something to that but instead what came out of his mouth was simply, "Where's your mask?"
"Huh?" Inosuke asked surprise painting his abnormally feminine face.
"You're not wearing your boar's mask. I thought you only took that off when you were eating."
Inosuke's hands flew to his head, fingers digging into soft black and dark blue tipped hair, and a pinky brushing over soft faintly pink lips. "AAAHHH!! Where's my face!?" He stood up and quickly looked around the top of the porch but found it empty of any fur covered masks.
Inosuke whirled on him. "It was you wasn't it? You stole my crown!" He shouted, getting in his face.
Offense ripped through Zenitsu's body, "Why the hell would I care about that dirty ugly thing. If you wear it than the girls will avoid you constantly, as they should, you frog mouth." Zenitsu snapped back. He lifted his arms and turned in place to show he didn't have it. "See nothing."
"Well It couldn't have disappeared!" Inosuke snapped, "Did you hide it somewhere? Huh!"
The sound of creaking wood reached Zenitsu's ears and he could only stare as he saw a checkered haori come into view with an ugly boars head sitting at the top. A few steps and she was directly behind Inosuke.
"Inosuke? Have you lost something? Have you checked under the porch?" She suggested, tactfully.
Zenitsu gaped at the sight. Such a pretty girl, hiding her face under such an ugly looking smelly thing. How abominable.
"Oh! Yeah!" Inosuke dove to look under the porch. Sumiko stepped closer and crouched down to watch the king of the mountain look fervently. "I don't see it!"
"Don't worry Inosuke, I'm sure if you look around a bit more you can find it. What did you lose?"
Inosuke shoved himself up, a finger pointed at his face as he locked eyes with Sumiko, "What's it look like? I lost my--" His words stop dead on his tongue as he processed what he was looking at.
"What? Is there something on my face?" Sumiko asked, the faux concern in her voice was the picture of hilarity.
"Traitor! You stole my face!" Inosuke made a wild grab for it, but Sumiko easily leaped over the two boys and bounced back from one leg to the other, until she was a good distance away.
Sumiko laughed, "How dare you accuse me of such a thing." She pointed to the boars head, "This is my mask now. My new face. It's cute right?" She stuck a pose which, if she hadn't worn the mask, might have looked cute but it clashed hard.
Zenitsu doesn't get the chance to express that opinion before Inosuke is rushing past him to reclaim his crown.
"You got some nerve stealing from me underling!" He shouted and made an attempt to grapple her, but she dodged each move easily, whirling around his motions with the ease of a dancer. It was infuriating and delicious to Inosuke's battle hungry mind.
"Underling?!" She declared haughtily. She grabbed his fist and pushed him forward and sent him to the ground with a kick to the rear. He easily rolled back to his feet and facing her again. The grey brown fur of his mask fluttering around her was doing something to him, making his guts squirm in a way that felt so odd. "I am no mere underling. I am the new Queen of the Mountains!" She announced with a witch like laugh. It made Inosuke's skin shiver.
"The queen of the mountains, huh?" He felt those shivers run up his back, it tasted sweet like honey on his tongue. "Well, you have to fight me to get that title! So called Queen of the mountains!"
"I'll fight but only if you can catch me first!" She declared and took off, diving behind a large boulder that was set up in the front garden. Inosuke was quick to run after her and try to cut her off but found she'd already turned and was running around the other direction. Around and around the boulder they ran with Sumiko laughing manically.
Zenitsu watched this all go down with bemused wonderment. Inosuke continued to loop around the boulder while Sumiko sat atop the boulder and watched him run. Eventually, Sumiko let out a laugh, giving away her position. Inosuke looked up to see her and she quickly stood and struck a pose. "The queen of the mountains reins supreme! Out with the old king, in with a brand new queen! Ha! Ha!"
"Get down here you!" Inosuke shot up just enough to grab her ankle and pulled. She let out a shriek but used Inosuke's shoulder as a step off point and hoped away. Inosuke, not one to be beat, quickly shifted and launched himself after her. The sparing was an easy thing for the two of them to fall into. Sumiko deflecting his blows but delivering them back three times as strong with calculated strikes that winded the boar. But Inosuke went in with everything he had, every punch to try and get through her defenses and deliver a strike but such a thing was no easy feat when they could read each other so well. If he wanted his crown back, he had to do something unexpected!
He launched himself forward as if to deliver a head butt but at the last moment he brought his arms up to wrap around her waist and knock them both to the ground. She dug her elbow into his back but it wasn't enough to stop him and they both hit the ground.
He scrambled up her body and grabbed his mask back pulling it off her head to reveal a mane of warm red locks that spilled across her shoulders and spread along the dirt like wild fire. Her eyes a shocked red that played with shades of pink and purple.
"I win!" He shouted and moved to put it on but that was his mistake. He underestimated her. She locked her legs around his waist and flipped them so she was now seated on his stomach, pinning him in place with a maniacal grin that twisted his stomach. Her hands moved quick to try and grab it but he did everything he could to keep it away. Darting his hands around or to knock hers away or dodge her attempts to catch him but eventually she did. Her hand ripped the mask from his grip and held it above her head like a prize.
"ALL HAIL THE MOUNTAIN QUEEN!!" She shouted grinning down at him.
Ugh! Why the heck was his brain okay with accepting defeat! What was wrong with him! Was she more suited to the role? No! He needed to take back his crown! He couldn't accept this attack to his pride.
With her arms raised high it left her middle wide open. He looped an arm around her waist and swapped their positions again, sending her into the dirt and pinning her hands above her head with a free hand. It was about the only point where he had her pinned but with his waist between her legs she couldn't kick him either without making it obvious. Victory was his--!!
There is a sudden savage kick to his side that sends him rolling across the dirt.
"Inosuke! How dare you act so indecently towards a lady!" Zenitsu snapped, as Inosuke clambered up to his knee's to glare back.
"We were sparing like always moron, there is nothing indecent about it." He snapped back. What could have possibly been indecent. If anything she was indecent for making his guts squirm!
Zenitsu offered Sumiko a hand up but she knocked it aside and stood up herself. "Well that was fun but I think it's about time we all settle in and eat so Zenitsu can tell us how his mission went." She motioned for the blonde boy to follow while walking up to Inosuke who remained on his knee's as she approached, eyeing her warily. She offered him a kind smile and settled the mask back over his head again, he couldn't help but feel like he was being properly crowned in that moment. She offered him a hand and he took it, standing tall. She smiled at him and that giddy feeling ran wild on his insides.
She then reached up and slapped the snout of his boar's head sending it spinning all the way around and making him blind. "All the tempura will be mine!" She pushed his chest and sent him to the ground.
"Aye! Wait!" He stood and tried to give chase while adjusting his mask at the same time to see her jump the porch and duck inside leaving him to give chase with the desperate hope that he could stop her before she ate it all.
Zenitsu couldn't believe what he'd watched unfold. Was that absolute beauty of a woman actually in love with a beast like Inosuke? Impossible. And yet...