Author's Note: AAAND ANOTHA! IVE NEVER CAME UP WITH A DECENT ACTION SCENE BEFORE BUT ILL TRY! also omfg, I wanna do so much more with the characters and stuff! I was listening to Jenny by Studio Killers (A FUCKIN CLASSIC) and I was like, thinking to myself,,,YO, THIS SONG WOULD HELLA BE THE DYNAMIC FOR KANAO AND MC, so I RLLY RLLY RLLY! wanna do something abt their relationship. SOOOO, HERE'S THIS CHAPTER!
Warning: Swearing
Disclaimer: Bruh, I don't own Kimetsu no Yaiba, all rights go to Koyoharu Gotōge. Please support the official release!
Continued...
"Now, I guess I should get rid of that demon before anything. As soon as I kill that guy, we should be ejected right out of this cave," I smiled confidently, giving them a determined nod before turning back to the problem at hand. To my surprise, the demon was limply hanging from the sword embedded in the rock, as if he had given up.
My eyes narrowed. No way this mufucka had simply 'given up'. Whatever that bitch was doing, I'm gonna slaughter his ass.
Wordlessly, I walked just underneath my sword, squinting up at the demon, whose eyes were closed. Still not saying a word, I jumped up, grabbing the handle of my sword and swinging my body forward, only to SLAM my foot up the demons ass.
He yelped and immediately sprung up, writhing as he clawed at the cave ceiling. "Fuck you," I said before putting my feet right above? me and pulling with a great amount of force, causing my sword to yank out from the ceiling fairly easily since the demon's weight loosened it a bit.
As expected, the two of us started falling to the ground. Difference being I managed to land on my feet without a scratch. The demon plopped onto the ground with a groan, and I figured that I could finally defeat him. But before I could position my sword correctly, he lunged at me, causing me to let out a scream before quickly side-stepping to the right, causing his claws to miss my face by a few hairs. Wait- hairs. HAIRS.
Oh. My God.
I KNOW, this MUFUCKA. DID NOT. JUST CUT MY FUCKING HAIR.
I stared at the locks of hair scattered around the ground on my left side before snapping my gaze up to the hair on my left side that was now hovering just above my shoulder. My lips twitched into a nervous smile before I brought my gaze back to the demon in front of me who was ready to lunge at me. Just before he could, though, I growled angrily and zoomed to him first, swinging my fist and screaming as I sucker-punched him, "THAT WAS MY HAIR YOU BITCH!"
I heard a crack as my fist made contact with his jaw, pride swelling within me at the showcase of my raw strength. He growled and swiped at me with his claws, causing me to hiss as he scratched my right cheek. "Fucker!" I hissed, swinging my sword right at his neck and quickly decapitating him.
His head plopped to the ground, his body following not too long after. 'Rest in peace, bitch,' I thought coldly as I watched his body slowly disintegrate. 'Aaaand surprisingly, that was very anti-climatic. Oh well, just means I get to go home early!'
I let out a heavy sigh before turning to the others, who stared wide-eyed at me. I was about to run over to them before a black vortex appeared below us, sending us falling into the abyss, our screams following behind.
I gasped as I felt my body transfer through the portal before being sent onto the ground of the dirt road, where I originally was. The other four from the cave followed right after me, falling right in front of me. I scrambled off the floor and approached them as they shakily stood up, helping each other. The sky was still dark, meaning I hadn't been too long in the demon's lair.
"Is everyone okay? No one's hurt?" I asked, scanning the children first before glancing at Sayuri. Everyone shook their head, sniffles coming from the children. I breathed out a sigh of relief before blanching. "Okay- um. I guess we should bring you all home, yeah? I'm sure you all wanna go back to your families, ne?" I said with an awkward smile, eyes turned upwards. "Y-yeah. Um, do you need my help?" Sayuri asked me, still shaken up. I shook my head, "We've all had an extremely rough night. Now that the threat's been eradicated, you should go home and recover from this. Though with what you've seen, I doubt this night'll leave your mind in a while."
She slowly nodded and fumbled nervously with her yukata sleeves before she bowed deeply to me. "Thank you, for saving me. I'll never forget what you've done for me and the others!" she choked out, her voice wobbling. I smiled and chuckled tiredly, running my fingers through my short locks as I slid my sword back in its sheath. "It's my duty as a demon slayer. You're an extremely lucky girl, Sayuri-san." She stood back up and nodded before giving me a final curt bow and walking away, stumbling as she turned down a street.
I faced the other three children, who were trembling and teary-eyed, most likely traumatized by the whole ordeal. 'I hope I don't fuck this up, oh my god,' I thought worriedly. A small smile formed on my lips as I crouched down to them. "You three were so brave. It's okay now, you're safe," I said softly as Miko hiccuped and wiped her eyes. "Th- the monster's gone?" she gulped. I nodded, my eyes soft. "Yup. No more monster. Your badass aunt is gonna take you all home, yeah? So you can go back with your family." She slowly nodded as I got back up, the three of them huddling close to me. I looked down at them, "Okay, who lives the closest to here?"
They all went silent before Nagato spoke up. "I- I live just down this street, actually..." I hummed, "Perfect. I'll walk you home one-by-one, that way I know you'll be safe at home."
After I delivered Nagato and Miko back to their homes, I bid them goodnight as they thanked me before going inside their homes. Finally, it was time for Nozomi to return home to her brother.
"Nozomi-chan," I spoke up, causing her to look up at me with tired eyes. "Tobi-san is waiting for you. He's been waiting all night for me to bring you home! I'm sure he'll be glad to see you're safe and sound, right?" I smiled at her, patting her head. She gave me a small smile and nodded, grabbing onto my hand as we reached her home. Izuna was snoring away as he was slumped over on the stairs, Tobi sat on the porch, his eyes bloodshot and half-lidded, looking as if he had just cried his eyes out. His eyes shot open as he spotted us, me waving at him as I held Nozomi's hand.
"NII-SAN!" she cried out, letting go of my hand and running towards her brother. "NOZOMI!" He yelped, scrambling off the porch and running over to her, scooping her up and swinging her around as the two siblings sobbed in each other's arms. Izuna groaned and sleepily opened his eyes, only to follow suit in shooting up and running over in disbelief. All the while, I stood by, watching the reunion with a nostalgic look in my eye and a soft smile on my face.
"Nii-san, a demon took me away with other children, and nee-san saved us! She slayed the demon!" Nozomi exclaimed, clutching onto her brother's yukata as he held her. "Huh? Demon?" Tobi and Izuna glanced at each other before looking over at me. "What happened? Who was the culprit?" Tobi asked, walking up to me with Izuna in tow. Izuna's eyes widened, "And what happened to your hair? And the scratches on your face..." I waved him off, "Oh, well, the demon your sister mentioned put up a fight, and so I killed him." They gaped at me before Izuna nervously chuckled, "Yeah, 'demon'. So you killed them? What about the other children?" I nodded, "I don't know if you know them, but there was a teenage girl, Sayuri, and two other kids, Miko and Nagato. I took them all home before Nozomi."
Izuna nodded and snapped his fingers, "Yeah, I think I know them. Thank you for saving them, we definitely owe you one." He bowed to me gratefully, Tobi putting Nozomi on her feet and following. "Yes, thank you for bringing home my sister. If there's anything you need, I-" Tobi said before I shook my head and interrupted him, "No, it's fine. No need to thank me, I was just doing my job." They stood back up and Izuna tilted his head. "So what is your job, exactly?" I smiled, "I'm a demon slayer."
I watched in amusement as they squinted at me before Nozomi jumped up, "It's true! She really is one! She has a sword and everything!" I nearly cooed at how adorable she was, but decided that I'd better start heading back. "Heh, anyways, I'm off! Goodbye, now!" I waved at them as they bid me goodbye and their thanks, feeling proud that I managed to save people today and complete my mission.
Morishi flew to my shoulder as I walked, clicking his tongue. "How long until we reach home?" I tiredly asked, sighing. "Two hours at this rate," he squawked. I groaned loudly, throwing my head back. "I just wanna sleep!"
Two hours later, I finally arrived home, the sun not even up yet. It was probably around...4 AM? I didn't know, and my sleep-deprived mind didn't care.
I tiredly made my way through the gates, into Mitsuri's home, and finally arriving in my bedroom, kicking off my sandals as soon as I shut the shoji door. I set down my sword and undressed, yawning as my exhausted limbs unbuckled my belt, dropping my pleated skirt on the floor. Shrugging off my jacket, I unbuttoned my white shirt before reaching into my dresser and sliding on a comfortable yukata, ready to sleep after the journey. My hair was fucked up, dried blood was smeared on my face, and my cuts weren't cleaned. But that was something I'd worry about tomorrow, right now, I SLEEP!
Another month later and about 13 more missions completed, I finally managed to wield a whip with much less struggle now! Shit, it was hard though. Surprisingly, Mitsuri invited Kyojuro to watch my training, and given the fact that he trained Mitsuri throughout this whole process too, it helped immensely to speed up the process. I became hell of a lot more flexible now, although I still struggled to do a few positions, it was all coming together fairly well, along with my writing! I could actually write a few basic sentences!
...Although Obanai keeps saying that my writing is literally like an infants, I won't let that get me down! Why? BECAUSE I KNOW DEEP DOWN OBANAIISALILBITCH HE SAYS IT BECAUSE HE CARES! ...Right?
Sadly, I haven't been able to see my boys since I left the Butterfly Estate due to training and missions. And most days I had off, I was so exhausted from training that I didn't want to do anything but sleep the day away, so I never got the opportunity to visit. Fortunately, Mitsuri decided that we'd end training early yesterday since she wanted to spend time with Obanai, how sweet! It was Saturday today, so that means I get the day off. And since I'm not absolutely WRECKED from yesterday, why not visit my adoring boyfriends and friends? So I hurriedly slipped on my uniform and slapped on some eyeliner and rouge, heading out the door to see my loved ones.
It didn't take too long before I got close to my location, running as fast as I could to reach it. 'Ohhh shit, I can't wait to see them! Oh my GOD, it's been for-fucking-ever since I last saw them, hugged them! Bro, been feelin' so touch-starved, even with Mitsuri. I need some lovin'!' I excitedly squealed to myself as I ran down the dirt road, nearing the mansion.
I slowed down as I neared the gates, anticipation growing in my chest. My heart thumped loudly in my chest as my cheeks heated up from excitement, I just couldn't wait to surprise them! I peeked behind the gates, scanning the area only to find it empty. 'Perfect!' I giggled quietly to myself, running into the building quietly to make my way around to the infirmary.
I hadn't run into anyone yet, thankfully. Although I did almost run into Naho, who was running around with laundry in her arms. I managed to get up on the ceiling Inosuke-style, avoiding her. I let out a sigh of relief and dropped down before going back on my way.
Finally reaching the infirmary room, I perked up as I heard muffled voices behind the door. Pressing my ear to the door, I listened in.
'...Last mission was hard!...Almost got my arm!...' I heard a voice cry out in a whiney tone. I smiled to myself, Zenitsu.
'...Be more careful...Train more...' I heard Tanjiro lightly scold him, making me giggle at his caring nature.
As they continued to talk, I decided it was time to make my appearance!
"OH, YA'LL WANTED A TWIST, EH?" I yelled from behind the door before SLAMMING it open, walking in and making eye contact with my wide-eyed boys before striking a dramatic pose with a sideways peace sign to my forehead. "C'MON, SEASON TWO! IT'S TIME TO GET SICKENINGGG!" In an act of boldness, I lifted my leg up behind me to the side and fell back, bouncing onto the floor and somehow successfully performing a death drop on my first try.
"Lana/Lana-chan/Yana!" Zenitsu, Tanjiro, and Inosuke rushed over to me from their spots on the bed, immediately assisting me to get up. "Oh my goodness, that looked like a a bad fall! Are you okay?!" Tanjiro fretted, looking over me. "Why would you do that?! Are you hurt anywhere?" Zenitsu cried out, looking over me as well.
I laughed and dusted myself off before bringing them into a group hug, a wide grin on my face. "I'm fine! I did it on purpose. I miss you guys," I sniffled dramatically, nuzzling my face into their shoulders and inhaling their comforting scents. The combined smell of linen, charcoal, flowers, and an earthy scent was something I'd never get enough of. And thankfully, I guess Inosuke took a shower since there was a lack of the stench of a BARNYARD FARM ANIMAL.
"Lana-chan, y- your hair!" Zenitsu exclaimed as I got off of them. I giggled and fluffed the ends of my short locks. "Do you like it? I think it's super cute!" I chirped, tilting my head towards the side and peeking up at them through my lashes.
I watched with pride as Tanjiro and Zenitsu flushed, although I couldn't tell with Inosuke since he had his boar mask on.
"I- I think you look cute! Very cute!" Tanjiro exclaimed, steam practically puffing from his ears. "Lana-chan looks adorable! Let's get married right away!" Zenitsu cried out, foaming at the mouth.
"Oh-em-geeee, stawp! Ya'll are makin' me blush," I giggled, holding my heated cheek and giving them a limp wrist motion in exaggeration. Despite my dramatic-ass actions, however, I was sparkling at the praise, my ego swelling with every reaction. I looked over to Inosuke, who was strangely quiet.
"Inosuke? Whaddya think?" I urged, beaming.
He stood for a moment before puffing from behind his mask and letting out a fierce battle cry as he charged at me, Zenitsu and Tanjiro screaming in panic as he lunged. I laughed and reached out, shoving him off roughly, Zenitsu squawking in shock and Tanjiro watching in surprise. He staggered to the side before running at me again, huffing, "FIGHT ME!" "Later, ya weirdo! I wanna catch up with you guys!" I snorted, bringing him into a headlock.
"Don't make me break out the German suplex!" I squealed as he wrapped his arms around me and lifted me up. "German...suplex?" Zenitsu muttered in confusion, tilting his head. "Guys, we shouldn't be so rough in the infirmary room," Tanjiro said in exasperation, though he had a fond smile on his face.
"And, like, holy shit was that demon so far up his own ass, I swear dude, he had it fuckin' coming," I ranted, recounting a recent mission I went on as the four of us sat circled around in a grassy area in the garden, butterflies fluttering around us. Surprisingly, Kanao wasn't in the garden when we had arrived, which Tanjiro informed me she was away on a mission. Bummer! I wanted to see her so badly, I missed my friends so much!
"HAHAHA! YOU MEAN THE DEMON SHOVED HIS HEAD UP HIS OWN ASS?" Inosuke howled with cackles, listening intently as I spoke. I let out a laugh, "No! I mean, shiiit, that would've been a sight. But I mean that he was hella confident and assumed he'd come out on top." "I guess we've all had our own run-ins with some weird demons," Tanjiro chuckled to my right. "It's always so scary on my own, I wish you were with me Lana-chan! Uh, so I can, uh, protect you, of course!" Zenitsu slumped before stumbling over his words, his chest puffing up. I leaned over to my left side until I was completely laying on Zenitsu's lap, where I stared up at him and smiled, my eyes squinting. "I know you would, you're my hero!" I cooed, puckering my lips and sending him kisses. He flushed and beamed, "A-anything for you!"
I sat back up with a yawn before smiling and continuing, "Anyways, how-" "Lana-san?!" a high-pitched gasp said, causing us to turn around to see Naho standing on the porch of the Butterfly Estate. "Hey Naho! It's been a while!" I smiled at her, raising my arm high above me as I waved. She smiled and waved back before turning around and calling inside the building, presumably calling Kiyo and Sumi.
I was proven correct, as the two other butterfly girls rushed out to see the commotion. As they spotted me sitting with Inosuke, Tanjiro, and Zenitsu, they all waved excitedly rushing over to greet me.
"Hey guys!" I laughed, happy to see the small trio of adorable girls so excited to see me. "Lana-san, your hair!" "You look so pretty Lana-san!" "How've you been?" All three surrounded me, eager to catch up. I grinned and patted their heads, "Awe, thank you! You guys are too sweet!" I squealed, flushing at their cuteness. "I've been good! A few wild missions here and there, but training's been going going fine and stuff! How about you guys? Busy with chores and patients here?" The three girls nodded before they all went on a tangent about reckless demon slayers ending up in the infirmary room, leaving me chuckling at the annoyed looks on the girls' faces.
Not too long into the conversation, Sumi was interrupted by Kiyo, who glanced over to the building before waving at someone. "Kanao, welcome back!" Kiyo called out, drawing my attention towards the open shoji doors where Kanao stood, smiling at us. To my surprise and delight, her smile seemed more genuine, more warm than the default one she wore the first time we met. I was glad to see that I managed to break her in with Tanjiro's help! That means POSSIBLE RECIPROCATED FRIENDSHIP! WHOOOOOOO!
"KANAO! HIII!" I shot up from my spot on the ground, eagerly waving at her with a grin on my face. Oh man, it had been so long since I last got to talk to her!
"...!" Her eyes widened before a red hue bloomed across her pale complexion. I watched in slight confusion as her demeanor became timid, her eyes drifting down and her posture seeming to shrink on herself. 'Is she...is she scared of me or something? Maybe I was a bit too fucking wild the last time we talked and I scared her off? Damn, I can't remember...' I thought to myself worriedly, hoping I didn't just lose my chance at befriending her. My arm faltered, slowly dropping to my side as I watched Kanao fumble awkwardly.
The others watched us in confusion, noticing the weird tension that suddenly appeared. Tanjiro awkwardly coughed before getting up and waving at Kanao as well, greeting her as well. "Kanao-san!" He smiled, drawing her attention to him. I watched in slight hurt as she didn't hesitate to wave at him, her demeanor relaxing, unlike with me. 'Okay, not gonna lie, that shit HURT, but it's not her fault for feeling intimidated by me, I guess.'
After we greeted Kanao, Tanjiro invited her over to sit with us, which, kudos to him for wanting to make her feel comfortable by spending time around the others, but honestly I thought it was kind of a bad idea since I didn't want there to be an awkward tension between us if she couldn't relax around me.
"Hey! So, how was your mission?" I asked her with a friendly tone, thinking that maybe my obnoxious behavior was what made her feel uncomfortable. I might as well go with a normal, friendly approach. "It was fine. Nothing I couldn't handle," she said curtly, pointedly avoiding eye contact. I faltered but kept a small smile on my face. "Really? Nice! I know there's not much you can't do, haha!" I internally cringed at my stiff words but tried keeping my hopes up.
An awkward silence befell our group as we thought of what else to say. My stomach churned in on itself as anxiety began festering within me, and although I wouldn't exactly call it fear, I felt scared of speaking up again, should it lead to another cringe-worthy attempt at conversation.
"Kanao, did you notice Lana-san's hair? It looks pretty, right?" Sumi spoke up with a smile on her face. Kanao paused, her eyes flickering to me before she nodded, a small smile on her face. "Y-yes. It looks lovely on her." I beamed and chuckled, "Thank you! But I think you're lovelier."
Kanao's eyes widened before her cheeks turned red again, causing me to giggle at how easily flustered she is with my harmless flirting.
"Lana, Nezuko misses you a lot!" Tanjiro said as the awkward tension finally disappeared. "Oh my gosh! I miss her so much dude!" I gasped. "You read her the letters I send, right? I don't want her to think I forgot about her or anything!" I whined, throwing my head back. "Of course! She's always happy when you send letters to us. But we all missed you, it's been around two months already," Tanjiro smiled, scooting closer to me.
"I missed all of you guys too! Oh man, I've been wanting to see you guys for so long! But training directly under a pillar, sometimes two at that, is so exhausting," I groaned. "My poor Lana-chan! But I'm really happy to see you after so long! I missed you!" Zenitsu exclaimed before copying Tanjiro and moving closer to my side.
"I missed you too! C'mere, put your head here," I gushed before patting my lap. Zenitsu's pretty yellow eyes lit up before he complied, plopping his head onto my lap and sprawling out on the grass. As I began petting his hair, Sumi, Naho, and Kiyo all stood up, excusing themselves as they had to help Aoi with lunch. I waved them off with a, "Say 'hi' to Aoi for me!" before continuing to run my fingers through Zenitsu's golden locks.
About an hour later of talking about whatever was on our minds, the three girls, along with Aoi, came out carrying plates filled with onigiri, soba, tempura shrimp, all bomb-ass dishes! All made by four hard-working girls with too much to do.
"Hello Lana-san! How are you?" Aoi lit up, smiling as she placed a dish in the middle of our group, Zenitsu was off my lap a while ago and was back to my side. "Good!" I chirped, scooting back to make room for her. Her eyes snapped towards my hair, and, to my delight, she complimented me. "Oh wow, you cut your hair! It looks great!" I beamed and thanked her before we all sat down and dug in to the delicious meal.
"You stupid boar head! That was my tempura shrimp!"
"GRAHAHA! YOU'RE JUST TOO SLOW, MONITSU!"
"Guys, there's enough to go around!"
"Tanjiro's right, fellas. Calm down now ya'll, I'm just tryna EAT."
About 8 attempts to prevent Inosuke from stealing everyone's food later, lunch was finished. Aoi and the other three had gone off again shortly after, more chores to do, unfortunately for them.
"And so, there were five," I sighed, wondering what we could do. "Hey, guys? Let's go shopping or something," I suggested, rolling from my sprawled position on the ground.
"Shopping?" Tanjiro questioned. "Yup! Let's go to a nearby shopping place and just do whatever!" I smiled, sitting on my legs. "Sounds like a good idea! We have nothing better to do anyways," Zenitsu nodded, giving me a grin. "SHOPPING? LIKE...BUYING FOOD AND STUFF?" Inosuke questioned, tilting his head, the round blue orbs of his boar mask staring unblinkingly at me. I looked at him and nodded eagerly. "Yeah! We can buy food and a shitton of sweets!" I exclaimed, watching in amusement as he immediately shot up and began demanding we go.
I looked over at Kanao, who quietly watched us with an indifferent look on her face. "You coming with us, Kanao?" I asked her, drawing her attention. She paused to think about my offer before she quietly nodded, which formed a grin on my lips. "YAY! Alright then, you guys should get your money and stuff, and then we can leave!" I cheered as the three boys scrambled inside the building to retrieve their yen.
I laughed and gazed after them with an adoring smile on my face, feeling absolutely ecstatic to spend time with some of the people I loved. There was a peaceful silence before my eyes snapped over to Kanao, who to my surprise, immediately looked way from me. Was she staring at me just now?
"What's up, Kanao? You doin' okay?" I casually asked her as we waited for the boys to come back.
"Y-Yes! I'm doing fine," she replied, still facing away from me. Though something that peaked my interest; her ears were red.
Okay, maybe, just maybe, I was really deep up my own ass, but I'm starting to think Kanao is less intimidated by me and more attracted towards me. I'm not fucking oblivious, I can tell when something's up. Of course, I'm not gonna immediately off-the-bat assume that this is the case- Kanao having a crush on me- so I'll just leave her to her own devices until she wants to tell me.
And if she does?
I mean,
of course I'm deeply loyal to my two current official boyfriends, Tanjiro and Zenitsu. I would literally trade the world for them, anything for them. I love them so fucking much, it hurts sometimes. But that brings me to the question, what if Kanao actually does like me, and what if she asks me out despite knowing that I'm in a committed relationship? Of course, had I not already been dating my boys, I would say Yes! on the spot. I'm literally so fucking gay for everyone in this damn world. But honestly, I would bring it up to Tanjiro and Zenitsu, see what their thoughts on it would be, and depending on their answer, I'd-
"We're back! Let's go!" Tanjiro exclaimed, walking back outside with the other two boys right behind him.
'I'll think about this later, I don't think anything will happen anytime soon, anyways. I'll just proceed to friend-flirt with her like I do everyone else and see what happens,' I shrugged to myself before beaming and waving at them. "Alright! Let's go then," I chuckled before looking over to Kanao and nodding my head over to the front gate. She gave me a small smile and nodded before we were off, running down the dirt road to whatever city we'd reach first.
"OH MY GOSH, LOOK AT THESE HAIRPINS! DUDE, THEY'RE SO CUTE!" I gushed, peering down at a glass case displaying various hairpins and accessories, all very appealing to the eye. Kanao stood next to me, looking down at the case as well while the other three boys were a few ways away from us looking at some trinkets.
I'm sure as everyone fears, Inosuke would definitely cause a huge fucking ruckus in the marketplace, so somehow, I managed to get him to behave on the promise that we'd go buy whatever he wanted. Within reason, of course!
"Indeed, they'd be pretty on you," Kanao said softly, looking down at a particular hairpin. I blinked at her for a moment before pretending to stare back into the case.
'She's actually pretty bold right now, much different than earlier today when she wouldn't even respond to me,' I thought before shrugging it off and smiling up at her. "No way, you'd totally be gorgeous wearing any of these things!" I exclaimed as she peered up at me, a blush forming on her face. "In fact, your butterfly pin is so beautiful on you! Man, I'd love to get one of my own. Do you know if Shinobu has them hand-crafted?" I asked her excitedly.
She pondered for a moment before nodding. "I think she does. I'll ask if she can make one for you, if you'd like." I gasped, stars in my eyes as an excited blush spread across my face. "Yeah, yeah! Oh my gosh, that'd be so cute!" I squealed, thinking about having a pretty butterfly pin of my own.
Kanao muttered something under her breath, and I pretended not to notice before looking back down at the hairpins. "I think I'm gonna buy, like, a shitton of hairpins right now," I announced to her before beckoning over the stand owner and motioning towards a couple of different hairpins I liked.
"Tanjiro, ya think Nezuko would like a new kimono?" I asked him as we sifted through a rack of various colorful silk kimonos, the others off wandering around on their own (Well, Inosuke on his own with Zenitsu babysitting him, LMAO).
"That's a good idea, Lana! I've been meaning to get her a new one, but it kept slipping my mind. Although..." he looked down at the price tags. "...Are you sure you wanna get a kimono from here? It's quite expensive..."
I snorted and waved him off, peeking over at him as I pulled a peach-colored kimono with a beautiful and intricate flower pattern off the rack. "It's my money, don't worry about it, babe! Besides, I'm loaded from saving up all that money from missions. Don't worry your pretty little head about money, 'kay? If you want anything, just tell me and I'll get it for you." He stared at me with a soft expression before blinking and protesting at the last of my words. "Wha-?! No! As your boyfriend, I should be the one paying for you!"
I didn't take it as misogynistic or anything, I knew Tanjiro was just a lil gentlemen who was very traditional in terms of courting. But despite his protests, I gave him a smooch and told him not to worry about it, leaving him squawking as I went over to pay for the expensive silk kimonos for me and Nezuko.
"Zenitsu-kun! Look at the fox masks!" I exclaimed, pointing at two hand-carved fox masks. One had lightening shaped cuts along the cheeks, the eyes closed with small holes to see through while the one next to it had flowers carved on the cheeks, its eyes also closed but turned upwards to appear more joyful. The masks were good-quality, the carving expertly done. But obviously, it was absolute garbage compared to Dad's work! At least, in my eyes.
"It's literally us!" I giggled, noting the resemblance of the lightening fox mask to Zenitsu.
"Oh, yeah! We should-!" Zenitsu grinned before glancing at the price and trailing off and giving me a guilty look. "Erm, well, maybe I could buy you something that's a bit cheaper? Sorry Lana-chan, I wanna buy you a lot of things, but I'm afraid if I buy you even one mask, it'll be all my savings...Maybe next time-?" "What?" I cut him off, raising a brow.
"Huh?" Zenitsu questioned. "Whaddya mean, 'huh'? It's not like I was gonna make you buy it. Besides, you don't gotta buy anything for me! Being here with you is enough," I laughed, kissing his cheek.
"But- wha, huh?" He stumbled over himself, not knowing what to say. "If you think I brought you guys here because I expect you to pay for my all stuff, you're dead wrong. Now, c'mon! I know you were looking at that blue yukata from earlier, let's go see how much it is and I can buy it for you," I snorted, grabbing his hand and leading him down the crowded street, not knowing that he was staring at me in awe.
'I definitely gotta marry her! Yeah, she's the one.'
"INOSUKE! Don't go near the porcelain shop, I'm sure you'll find it boring," I exclaimed, grabbing his hand before he wandered off again.
God knows what'll happen if you put Inosuke in a store full of fine china.
"Can we go get more candy?!" He groaned, trailing behind me and looking around at the stores. Many people stared at us as we walked down together, which wasn't surprising considering there was literally a shirtless man with the head of a boar following some girl down the marketplace.
"Yeah, bet. I wanna get a shitton of konpeito, let's go," I nodded, spotting a sweets store not too far from us and heading towards the building like a man (and a boar) on a mission.
We stepped into the store, a small bell ringing to announce our arrival. Looking around, the store was definitely modeled after a western tea shop, just filled with various types of sweets and pastries instead.
"Oh! Look, we can fill up this bag with as much sweets as we want!" I beamed, grabbing a paper bag and unfolding it. Inosuke grunted in delight as we walked around the store, looking at the different types of candy they had.
"Get some more chocolate for Lord Inosuke!" Inosuke ordered me as he trailed behind me. "Yup, right away, sir!" I chirped, grabbing a handful of chocolate bars imported from England. Man, I could not wait to just pig out later and eat a shitton of sweets.
"Oh, yes! Konpeitooo, my favorite!" I squealed, rushing over to the container filled with colorful, star-shaped sugar candy.
"What is that?" Inosuke demanded, his hands on his knees as he closely observed the contents of the container.
"Konpeito, it's sugar!" I smiled, reaching in and scooping a large serving of the candy into the bag. I reached in and grabbed a couple before holding them out to Inosuke. "Try some! They're really good," I urged. He huffed and snatched the little sugar stars from my palm before lifting his mask to reveal his mouth and tossing the candy inside, chewing obnoxiously as the sugar crumbled in his teeth.
He placed his mask back on and let out a grunt of approval. "More!" he ordered, and I complied, shoveling about a quarter of the container into the bag, which was growing a bit heavy. Nothing I couldn't handle of course!
About a few hours later, my wallet was much lighter than it was earlier, we decided to head back. I carried about four large bags in my arms, all filled with clothes, accessories, and food I bought. The other four had their own items as well, although Tanjiro and Kanao held only one bag each, probably not wanting to spend too much in one day. Zenitsu had two bags and Inosuke held three. Although Tanjiro and Zenitsu pleaded to let me let them carry my things, I refused and playfully asked if they considered me a weak girl that I couldn't even carry my own things. That immediately shut them up, not wanting to upset me, which definitely amused me.
"Well, while I'd love to stay longer, I gotta head back before dark. I wouldn't want Mitsuri and Obanai all over the place to find me cause' she thinks I've been swallowed whole by a demon," I said with a sorrowful sigh, not wanting to depart from my precious ones so early. We stood right inside of the Butterfly Estate gates and I had handed everyone things I had bought for them.
"I understand. Be safe on the way back, okay?" Tanjiro nodded understandingly, placing a kissing on my cheek. "Thank you for buying Nezuko a new kimono. I'm sure she'll love it!" He smiled gratefully at me.
"Of course! Man, I really wish I could've seen her today," I sulked, sighing sadly. "Next time, maybe," Tanjiro reassured me.
"Lana-chan, don't gooo!" Zenitsu whimpered, embracing me tightly. "I knowwww," I whined. "I don't wanna leave either, but I gottaaaaa. Keep your yukata safe, alright? You can wear it whenever we go to a festival or something," I smiled at him, petting his hair.
"Okay, I'll make sure to save up lots so I can buy you everything you want!" He nodded at me before I lightly booped his nose. "Noo, you don't gotta buy me anything, period! Ya weirdo, save your money for food on missions or something. Don't worry about me!" I snorted before turning to Inosuke.
"Don't eat too much candy all in one go or you'll get sick, then you'll hate eating the candy. Alright?" I told him, patting his head. "Hmph! Whatever!" He huffed, crossing his arms, reminding me of a fussy little kid. "Since we didn't fight today, next time for sure!" I smiled at him, patting his bicep. That seemed to lift his mood, as he then cheered, "You better prepare yourself next time, then! The Great Inosuke won't be so easy greeting you as today!"
I laughed and gave him a hug, only to beam as he hugged me back just as tightly. "I'll send you a letter soon, don't worry," I said, releasing him and finally turning to Kanao.
"Hey! I had so much fun today with you guys! I'm really happy you decided to come along," I grinned at her. She gave me a smile and nodded, "Me too. I hope we can do this again sometime." I nodded eagerly, "Of course! I'll try forcing my ass up on weekends more often so I can see you guys!"
With that, I spread my arms open, gently waving them around as an invitation. "Goodbye hug?" I asked, respecting her boundaries.
She paused before hesitantly walking into my arms, wrapping around her warmly. I smiled as I felt her arms slowly wrap around my waist before we departed.
"See ya," I chuckled before grabbing my bags off the floor and heading towards the front gates. "Bye guys! Look out for a letter soon!" I exclaimed. I would've waved, had it not been for the bags in my arms.
"Bye Lana!" "BYE!" "LANA-CHAN, BE SAFE!" "Bye, Lana."
I smiled to myself as I walked away from their waving forms, slowly growing smaller and smaller as I went further down the dirt road.
I glanced down at one of the smaller bags in my arms, peering at the shiny gold hairpins clinking together.
I cackled, "Awe shit, the Red Light District is NOT ready for my obnoxious ass to be singing on the streets!"
...To be continued...