CHAPTER 2: A BURST OF CONFIDENCE.
"When you are a plain girl it's kind of difficult to be in love with a popular guy".
Like a mantra, that statement lingered in her mind. She should have known better before reading that stupid girly magazine.
Bad Aoi, bad.
Aoi Kanzaki, a second-year student at Kimetsu high school, was looking at the crowd of noisy girls around the most charming guy her school had: Kamado Tanjirou. She could understand why girls liked him so much, in the last popularity poll (not that she followed it, of course not) he was the number one. He even had won the "Mister Kimetsu" contest at the scholar festival. His smile had every girl on their knees and his kindness and unselfishness were the big traits that made people feel fuzzy inside, plus he was very handsome. Exotic, she had heard girls calling him that due to his red hair and red eyes. However, he was kind of a trouble magnet so he always was surrounded by strange people. Like his two best friends, for example, who were equally rebellious, popular and handsome...
...and had an equally bunch of noisy admirers.
She sighed as she looked at the little blue bag she had in her hand and blushed. She had to give it to him, she had to. It was her goal of the day. She looked again at Tanjirou just in time to see him join his two best friends on the corridor, each one of them followed by their...ahem...groupies, who were laughing at something she was sure it wasn't that funny.
Overacting, she narrowed her eyes.
She couldn't believe she was so indecisive, insecure and nervous. She was so bold at other things like scolding, quarrel and give orders. She was kind of famous for being so serious and bossy but was hated for being "so full of herself". Thanks to that habit a lot of people bad mouthed her yet she always tried to ignore them as she built an invisible barrier around her. Worst was that the ones who started her hellish reputation years ago were those girls, the ones that were around those three boys, when they learned that the popular boys knew her and were something like friends.
She sighed. Tanjirou was the boyfriend of her cute and beautiful foster sister Kanao since their first high school year and because of that he always spent time at the Kocho residence, aka the Butterfly State, the family house who had adopted them which was a famous local clinic too. Anyway, that was how she had met him, had met his friends and had entered in his circle.
She gasped quietly blushing and hiding behind the wall.
That was how she had fallen in love with him too. Too much time with him had made her notice his good sides. She often thought her brain was not working right. No, definitely she had hit her head hard while she was sleeping and without noticing it.
Maybe her habit to bump her head against a wall when her patience runs out was numbing her brain.
Every girl in her right mind would fall for Tanjirou, not for the wild, brute and unmannered mountain best friend of him Hashibira Inosuke. The guy couldn't even remember well her name! She had made a list of pros and cons of that...that caveman and she had noticed, with a horrible groan that scared the whole house one day, that the pros were winning...by far. She was in love with him for a lot of reasons too...she also had a list of that. He was the first person to talk back to her after she had scolded him (surprising her a lot). He always had the guts to quarrel with her asking why she was so uptight and serious. He always sneaked to the kitchen every time he knew she was cooking because he loved her food. He always praised her cooking with a cute grin making her insides float. She loved his innocence and his stubbornness. And he always defended her when people bad mouthed her.
And she could go on and on with her reasons and she wasn't even thinking in the way he made her feel and in the desire flame that always lit on her gut when she saw him flex those amazing iron muscles or when he put his abs on display...
No Aoi, don't start…
Even if they always quarreled and insulted each other, he always managed to leave her without words at the end. His actions were completely unpredictable.
...Ok, I do know why I like him so much...
"You should confess to him" Aoi blushed more when she remembered the big sister of the house Shinobu Kocho smiling at her after noticing her feelings (Aoi had stared at his back for more than a minute with the "love eyes", according to her). "The boy is kind of a brute also cute but well all boys are clueless, you should tell him how you feel".
"Is that how it worked to you Shinobu san?"
"My case is different Aoi-chan. He was a teacher, hated talking and well I always made fun of him, but I knew it was meant to be" Shinobu smiled mischievously.
"Hey, how about you give him something he likes?"
And, well, Aoi ended up making cookies. She was part of the cooking club and had made cookies for him only. One, because she knew he liked it and two, because he had asked for cookies when he won a staring contest she had proposed after reading in a magazine (that dreadful horrible magazine she has sworn she will burn as soon as she gets home) that the ninety-five percent of couples involved in a staring contest kissed after a twenty seconds. She had felt so stupid and disappointed when it didn't happen, just because when she had closed her eyes to get close to him he shouted: "I WON!"
She liked a guy with the mind of a five years old toddler, of course.
She lowered her head. Shit, how she will pass the wall of girls around them and give the cookies to him without being targeted after? Not to mention the girls will hate her more for sure. She peeked at the group from her hiding spot and frowned when one girl took Inosuke from the arm to tell him something in the ear. With great satisfaction the blue-haired girl saw him pull his arm off her grip and yell "don't touch me woman!" and with a major great satisfaction, she concluded the guy wasn't interested in any of his fans. She narrowed her eyes, she couldn't blame the female population to liking this guy. Inosuke was gorgeous with his black green bluish hair, his green shining eyes and his delicate factions. Add to that his killer body, built muscles and washboard abs he always put on display thanks to his aberration to buttoned shirts (she always stared at his sinful hot body having the worst kind of urges). And what was worse, for some reason every time he rejected someone and acted like a brute and cursed, the girls sighed and turned in a puddle of goo.
He was the true bad boy.
Delicacy was not his forte but the self-imposed title "mountain king" was appealing to them in more than one way.
Maybe it really was impossible for her. She was just a "plain girl", a boring girl who always passed as too angry and too serious for her age, who was always frowning and "envious of the popularity of the stylish girls" (she was starting to believe some horrible comments about her) and had no style neither cuteness. Maybe Inosuke didn't like her too, only wanted to eat and that was why he always was around her. Maybe it was a lost fight and maybe love wasn't for her...
"Aoi san you ok?"
Aoi turned startled to the sweet voice she had heard. In front of her was the little sister of Kamado Tanjirou, Nezuko. The sweet stunning cute girl smiled. She always had though Nezuko was gorgeous with her long black-red hair and her sweet red-pink eyes. She liked her eyes, Tanjirou also had unique red eyes. Why she wasn't like Nezuko and...
For someone?" Aoi was brought to earth and followed Nezuko finger, noticing she was pointing the little blue bag in her hand.
Shoot...busted...
"I- Nezuko chan! How are you?" Aoi squeaked hiding the package on the pocket of her skirt but the always observant Nezuko grinned. One day, Tanjirou had brought her to the state and since then they had become very good friends. Besides Nezuko liked to spend time with Shinobu and the girls at the Kocho residence. Knowing the feelings of the pigtailed girl, Nezuko grabbed her by her hand and, grinning, pulled her towards the group.
"NICCHAAAAAN, ZENITSU-SAN, INOSUKE SAN I FINISHED MY CLUB!"
"Oh Nezuko, that's great!"
"About damn time hey!"
"Nezuko chan good work!"
Nezuko passed through the girls not giving them the same importance Aoi was. The blue-haired girl averted her eyes when they frowned at her as they stopped talked. Oblivious to the hateful eyes or just not caring about it at all, Nezuko hugged her brother and Inosuke, then kissed Zenitsu, her boyfriend, on the cheek. "I'm ready to go home, thanks for waiting for me!" she grinned "By the way, I found Aoi-san on my way!"
Aoi blushed as she waved at the trio.
"Hi Aoi san! Waiting for Kanao?". Tanjirou smiled. "If you like we can wait together, she had texted me, she will finish soon-".
But he stopped and sniffed the air.
"Aoi san you smell like cookies!" His happy bright smile appeared and Aoi could swear she saw shining stars behind him while his fans went into jelly mode. "Was that what you made today at the cooking club?"
Blushing, Aoi nodded noticing that a certain green-eyed boy had invaded her personal space and was sniffing her hair. "You do smell like cookies Akai" then it clicked to him.
"HAHA! YOU MADE ME COOKIES FOR WINNING THE STARING MATCH RIGHT!?"
"STARING MATCH!?" The crying echo of the girls at the background came but was ignored.
An excited Inosuke looked at her expectantly like everyone present. Nezuko was jumping a little, eager in anticipation and Zenitsu and Tanjirou were surprised Aoi had made something for their friend. Bickering to each other was their usual greeting until one of them was lost at words. That was why they were dumbfounded when the blue-haired girl trembling, red like a tomato and embarrassed pulled the small bag from her skirt pocket and offered it to him. "He-here! Don't get used to it...I always keep my promises".
Soon Aoi got lost in that shining face (that was sparkling with a light she couldn't tell where the hell it came from), those excited round green eyes and that smile of complete happiness. He beamed at her and pulled her in a quick, bone-crushing hug after taking the little bag. Drooling thanks to the delicious smell of recently made cookies, he opened it and started to engulf them as Tanjirou and Zenittsu shouted "share with us!" as they charged at their friend to steal some. Soon, his cute grin was too bright for her and she looked aside blushing, failing in noticing the hateful stares of their audience but seeing the smug smile Nezuko was making at her.
She blushed more...
She made a mental note to give fresh bread to her friend as a thanks the next day.
...
"So you gave the cookies!" Smiling, Shinobu clapped contently as Aoi nodded. They were having a girl-chat in the living of their house. "And confessed?"
At the negative sign the younger girl made, Shinobu sighed. "But he walked me home!" Aoi shouted and then blushed. "He hugged me too when I gave him the cookies". Then she hid her face on her hands. "Should I confess? and if he doesn't like me in that way?".
Shinobu thought for a moment and then grinned. "Maybe we need something more shocking for him". Aoi looked at her wide smile. "Something that will make him turn to look at you as soon as he sees you".
"And what would be that? Cookie perfume?"
Shinobu smiled more. "Makeup!"
Well, makeup was too much of a word for Aoi. In reality, what Shinobu was offering was a cute lipstick. Soft and pink and went perfectly with her skin and face. Shinobu had even woke her up early to make up her hair, changing her pigtails style with a cute loose bun decorated with the butterfly clip Aoi loved so much. The blue-eyed girl had never thought about changing her style or using makeup before, she was sure nothing aside her usual style suited her. Different styles were for sweet and stunning girls like Kanao or Nezuko, no plain and boring girls like her.
But damn! The new style was giving her confidence.
For the first time after years, Aoi went to school walking with so determination, face forward and never wavering at the intimidating glares she received. It was evident the cookie incident hadn't been forgotten by some girls. Even Kanao was surprised at the smooth calm expression Aoi had, the frown being her trademark expression. The blue-eyed girl even had noticed some guys looking at her direction while she went to her classroom.
But the final stage was in her classroom. She was kind of lucky (sometimes not so much as she was the only one who could break their fights and quarrels with a shout) to share the classroom with the popular trio. Opening the door, she greeted her surprised (their stunned expressions giving a sense of pride to her heart) classmates and walked to her desk, which was beside Inosuke, who was beside Zenitsu and behind Tanjirou.
She was sure that ordeal was a god gift to her.
"Aoi chan, you look great!" Zenitsu said as he grinned at her.
"Yeah, so cute!" said Tanjirou smiling.
She thanked them while she noticed Inosuke sleeping over his desk. When disappointment came through her face, Zenitsu, as observant as his girlfriend, kicked the desk slightly to wake the raven up. Inosuke still sleepy groaned a curse and opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was her. She blushed a little expectantly as he remained silent staring at her till their homeroom teacher entered. While they stood and greeted him, he muttered.
"That suits you very well".
And Aoi while widening her shining blue eyes blushed, looking at him perplexed. Noticing her blush was for him, he smirked playfully saying something like "kings never get fucking wrong" at her before returning to lay over his desk to keep sleeping.
Was he flirting with her? She had no clue but she felt she was standing in a cloud.
...
Aoi was glowing with confidence and happiness but she was still unsure about the confession. They were in the second year of high school, almost adults and she couldn't do something so...so normal? She sighed as she looked at her reflection in the mirror of the bathroom. She indeed looked different. Her hair in a loose bun and her light lipstick made her look very...she dared to say cute. For the first time in a long time, she noticed her round blue eyes, fair skin and girly face. She even looked down at her body and started to feel her curves. Her hands passed from her sides to her waist to her hips, sculpting her frame. She smiled thinking Shinobu knew what she was talking about.
It took only a day for her to see things of herself that she hadn't seen before.
"Get a grip on yourself girl". Aoi turned at the group girls she knew very well that were blocking the school bathroom door. "Inosuke kun only likes your food not you". They chuckled as a mean girl smirked. "They only put up with you because you are friends with Kamado Nezuko and sister of that Kanao girl".
"Sadly you are the ugly duckling in comparison to them"
Aoi frowned at them. She felt too good for that shit really. She had a great day. Inosuke had looked at her, had praised her and had kind of flirted with her. Not to mention the day before, when he had hugged her and then walked her home insisting that she should give him cookies every time she had club activities. She had discovered she wasn't plain, she even saw herself cute. She did feel good and those girls were only trying to bully her without reason.
She frowned.
"Making others feel ugly won't make you feel better, it's the lowest thing you can do!" She said as her hands came to her waist "You know what!? With your mean words the only ones you are hurting are yourselves! Even if you call me ugly, full of myself, nerd, slut and go on I know none of that is true! Don't you understand that the meaner you are, the strong and forward I get?".
"You girls are the typical coward bullies"
And those girls saw fire.
...
"Oi Where the fuck is Aoku? School it's over, I wanna go home"
"Its Aoi-chan pig head and I don't know, maybe the bathroom?" Zenitsu was playing with his cellphone a little surprised Inosuke was waiting for Aoi to go home. He must really want cookies.
Damn glutton.
"Maybe she is with Nezuko, she told me she was so excited Aoi was trying a new style" Tanjirou grinned "She looked really cute today!"
Inosuke arched an eyebrow as he poked his ear with his pinky. "Today? I always think she is cute"
"HUHHH!?"
"You know what cute means right idiot?" Zenitsu turned startled at his friend as he rolled his eyes at him.
"I'm not that fucking dense, Monitsu" he then huffed as he crossed his arms over his chest "I have been playing around with you too much time stupid love birds. Even I would fucking catch things up quickly"
"Did he called us love birds?" Tanjirou turned to Zenitsu.
"Our baby boy is growing Tanjirou!" Zenitsu cried.
Just when a vein of anger popped on Inosuke forehead and he opened his mouth to yell at them, Nezuko entered their classroom abruptly.
"NICHAN! AOI SAN IS IN A FIGHT!"
"Huh?"
...
"COME ON! I ONLY SAID THE TRUTH TO YOU ALL!" Shouted Aoi on the floor, protecting herself from the hands of the girls who had pushed her without warning. She noticed they had pulled her bun and completely messed it by force. She was slapped by one of the "insulted" girls too. Not being one to be intimidated by something so brutal plus her new burst of confidence, she stubbornly defended herself as she slapped back.
Soon her face had a red swelling on her right cheek and she felt messy and dirty. She kicked one girl to free her arms from her grip but, immediately after, she was pinned to the floor again and she hit the back of her head. She groaned in pain, slowing down her reactions. A girl roughly rubbed a piece of towel paper over her mouth, taking off her lipstick.
"Maybe if we cut your fuking hair you will learn your place, stupid ugly!"
Were they serious? Messing with her hair bun and her lipstick weren't enough? Hitting her wasn't enough? Humiliating her wasn't enough? Would cutting her hair satisfy them? Not to mention it was dangerous. You could get hurt stupids! She also could get hurt, but it seemed they didn't care much about that. She widened her eyes when she saw the scissors near her face and squeezed her eyes shut scared. Suddenly, she heard a slam indicating the door of the bathroom was open.
"WHAT THE FUCKING HELL ARE YOU DOING!?"
"Inosuke kun" one girl muttered, making Aoi open her eyes as every move came to a halt. "Thi-this is the girl's bathroom".
"LIKE I FUCKING CARE ABOUT THAT!" He yelled seeing Aoi at the floor and with teary eyes. His face showed his growing anger as his hands turned in fists. He hissed in anger and fury, his voice smooth, deep and scary.
"Get away from her dammit or will fucking make you".
The girls over the little Kanzaki flinched standing up trembling. "You - You should have heard what she told us! She is so full of herself and-"
But they never finished what they were saying because like a flash Nezuko and Kanao passed Inosuke, came running towards them and double kicked them with a force that made the bullies land on the floor.
"Four versus one is cheating!" Said Kanao hand on her hip frowning.
"You should at least invite us to the party Aoi chan!" Nezuko grinned angrily.
Startled, a messed Aoi sat up watching how Nezuko and Kanao defended her. She couldn't believe it. She was so surprised and shocked. What a day...Inosuke had flirted with her, she had been bullied, she had been hit and had hit back, she had been rescued by the guy of her dreams and she had so wonderful friends that were fighting for her. Stunned, she turned at the door of the bathroom and saw how Inosuke excitedly cheered at the girls while Tanjirou and Zenitsu were shouting telling them not to do much damage. Kanao and Nezuko could be deathly when they were angry.
What a day...what a day for her to wake up.
Aoi laughed, so loud and carefree the fight, cheers and worried whines stopped as she stood up from the floor with the scissors in hand. She walked towards the bunch who had tried to cut her hair and grinned at their surprised faces. "Do you honestly think I will be depressed over a short hair?". Smiling she pulled her long hair to the side. "Think again idiots!", and cut it over her shoulder.
Nobody moved an inch as they watched how Aoi's blue silky and beautiful hair fell from her hands to the floor. She grinned at her attackers as they looked at her dumbfounded and somehow she saw them so small and insignificant. She felt so confident and powerful that she ignored the steps that came behind her.
"That was so sexy damn it".
Faster than her reaction, Inosuke turned her around by her arm and leaned over her face, capturing her lips in a fervent kiss and in front of all the people in there. After two seconds. she heatedly kissed him back. She purred against his mouth when his hands run from her sides to her hips and his arms circled her waist pulling her to his chest. She moaned when he put his tongue inside her mouth, playing with her own tongue making her blush more as her arms slowly went around his neck deepening his kiss and giving him more access.
He was good and she felt an urge to jump and cross her legs on his waist.
But he broke the kiss before she could succumb to her desires.
The handsome dark green eyes full of lust frowned at the bullies. "This bullshit ends now!". Then he kissed the forehead of a still dazed Aoi and hugged her. Her face and hands came in contact with his hard bare chest and she felt electricity run through her spine. Inosuke leaned his lips to Aoi's ear and told her something about going to continue what they were doing as she nodded, hiding her face on his chest as he bit her ear lobe. The girls cried defeated as Nezuko and Kanao hugged each other and jumped happily for their blue-haired friend. At the door frame of the bathroom, Tanjirou smiled defeated and Zenitsu cleared a tear off his eye like a proud father.
But both of them felt goosebumps and flinched as everyone froze when a smooth deep voice came from behind the two boys who couldn't help but tremble, turning their heads slowly to look behind them.
"Fighting in the school is prohibited".
They found a comical but scary stoic face near their own.
"Boys in the girl's bathroom is forbidden".
"Shi-shit, it's Tomioka-sensei".
...
Explaining the whole situation to Tomioka sensei was tiring as she blamed all on herself, leaving the guys, Nezuko and Kanao outside the matter. The calm Tomioka sensei sighed and told her he will only punish the ones who started it all, meaning the bully group and Aoi herself. So After being scolded and suspended for two days, Aoi prepared to leave school. Turning to the door of the classroom, she heard Tanjirou scolding Nezuko (who was hugging Zenitsu for protection) and Kanao who only nodded quietly and fervently. She chuckled knowing the Kamado boy was as proud as Zenitsu of their girlfriends as she heard them say goodbye to her.
And then it came, that voice that made her whole body tremble in anticipation.
"Aoi".
Reddening, she stared at Inosuke leaning at the doorway smirking at her. She gulped as a rush of confidence washed her once again. Walking towards him, bag in her hand she looked up to him and he leaned again to her face and kissed her. She liked his kiss was exactly like him. Wild, savage and unpredictable. Her bag came to the floor as her hands fisted the collar on his open shirt pulling him as she moaned quietly, making him pull her to his body and deepen the kiss. One of his hands didn't stop on the small of her back and went a little lower as her hands got lost on his hair. They broke for air and resumed their task, not thinking at all. He pushed her to a desk and she sat over it and roamed his chest with her hands. When his lips got to her neck and his teeth grazed her skin she moaned feeling him suck her flesh and licking the red spot he had made. He licked his lips smirking at his masterpiece and then at her. She leaned her forehead over his chest, he softly touched a strand of her now short hair and grinned.
"This suits you too Aoi".
"And that mark too"
She blushed.
"Well it seems we can't continue today so, let's go home!"
He grabbed her bag with one hand and with the other grabber her hand pulling her to the exit.
"So you are suspended for two days" he chuckled as Aoi nodded.
"Well, maybe I should also be absent for two days!" he grinned at her when she looked at him in horror. "You will be lonely without the amazing me!".
"OF COURSE NOT!" She lied.
"HUH!?" He retorted.
...
The bright smile blinded her and at the same time scared her.
"Did you win the fight?".
"I think so..."
"Giyuu said you were so mature about it"
"I-I think so..."
"Did you confessed?"
"I - I -I think so..."
After frowning at her for almost ten seconds at the doors of her home, Shinobu hugged (ahem squeezed) the girl till she couldn't breathe.
"I'M SO PROUD OF YOU! LET'S GO FIX YOUR HAIR! WE ALSO ARE CELEBRATING YOU HAVE YOUR FIRST BOYFRIEND!"
"And that you beat those jealous bitchy girls!" Shinobu black aura and smile came as the girls at the Kocho residence flinched.
But Aoi couldn't be happier.