Day 5: Hug

Welcome again!

Alright, theme of the day is 'Hug/Monarch butterfly (Tanjiro… haha, sorry, the meanings are positive attitude, enthusiasm and tranquility… so yeah, Tanjiro)'

Alright, bad jokes aside.

Remember to check out the tumblr and twitter for more content!

Without further ado, on with the chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own KnY

Kamado Tanjiro is an honest person.

This is one statement that anyone who knows the red haired swordsman would immediately agree on; it was a fact, really, like saying that the sky is blue or that Inosuke is loud.

He isn't just honest with other people, Tanjiro doesn't even lie to himself, whether it's about his ability with the sword or any other matter, he doesn't try to think of excuses or think he is better than he actually is; which is why he can say this with certainty.

'I like Kanao.' To himself that is. 'What do I do…?'

Tanjiro was currently outside the Butterfly State, after training for a while his thoughts moved to the Tsuyuri which had immediately broken his concentration and rendered any further attempt at training pointless.

So, in his confusion, he began to tap a nearby tree with his forehead, hoping to find the reason for it, eventually arriving at that conclusion.

'When was it that I began feeling like this?' He wondered. 'It wasn't back in the Final Selection or when I first stayed here…' The Kamado began to think back on his interactions with Kanao while still tapping the tree with his forehead, hoping for some enlightenment. 'I always thought she was cute, even though she barely talked and through that smile that didn't reach her eyes, I can say for certain that I always found her cute but… it was after the first time I stayed here that I began to think more about it.' Tanjiro crossed his arms and closed his eyes, keeping his head glued to the tree instead of tapping it.

'Her smile turned from just cute to beautiful, I realized how pretty her eyes are, how she cares about Shinobu-san and the other members of the Butterfly State, like that time Aoi-san and Kiyo-chan were taking their time coming back from shopping and she immediately went to try and find them, or the time Inosuke almost dropped that box on top of Naho-chan and she covered her.' A blush rose in his face when he thought back on how happy she looked that Naho wasn't injured. 'Even though she said she didn't care about anything and needed her coin to decide, those were definitely her own decisions and will… ah, I see.' Tanjiro's eyes opened. 'There wasn't any single moment; I just fell for her the more I got to know her.'

Sighing contently at figuring that out, Tanjiro moved back from the tree.

Thud

And immediately head butted it.

'But what do I do now? I've never liked anyone like this before!' While he had wondered how having a girlfriend would be back in his hometown, before he learned about demons, he never had the time to actually look at any girl like that.

Oh, there were girls he found cute and he did talk to some of them from time to time, but it never went beyond friendship at most since he always prioritized helping his family.

Whenever his father, mother, or even his siblings would mention that they don't want to burden him to the point he misses out on life, he would only smile and answer 'You're my family, you're never a burden' and leave the rest of the Kamados with no way of retorting.

Tanjiro doesn't regret that decision, he would do it all again in a heartbeat… but he does wish he knew more about how he is supposed to tell Kanao his feelings.

"Ngghh." The swordsman groaned, beginning to repeatedly head butt the tree like he did with the boulder that was his last task back when he was still training for the Final Selection.

"Hm, Tanjiro-san."

The Kamado stopped and turned around to see the 'caterpillars' looking at him worriedly.

"Are you alright?" They asked in unison.

"Hm, oh… yeah, sorry, I'm just trying to wrap my head around something." Tanjiro answered sheepishly.

"Can we ask that you don't keep hitting the tree while thinking?" Naho asked.

"Don't worry, I have a really sturdy forehead, I won't get hurt from head butting a tree." The red haired teen assured them, looking strangely proud about that fact.

"We know." Sumi said.

"We're more afraid that you will end up toppling the tree or breaking it in half if you keep going." Kiyo finished before the three pointed at the spot Tanjiro had been head butting the tree, showing that it was slightly dented.

"Ah… sorry, I'll stop." He said, scratching his cheek in embarrassment.

"I didn't know something could have you this… uhm?" Naho trailed off, trying to come with the right word.

"Worried?" Sumi offered.

"Absorbed?" Followed by Kiyo.

"I think 'preoccupied' would be accurate." Tanjiro said to the three. "But what do you mean by that?"

"We always feel like any problem can be solved when you're around." Kiyo answered happily.

"That's right, Tanjiro-san is always positive and likes to deal with any matters in a straightforward manner." Naho nodded in agreement.

"Yes, so we thought that there wasn't something that could have you like this." Sumi finished with a wide smile.

"…you're right." The Kamado whispered, looking as if someone just told him the answer to all his problems. "Thank you!" He quickly patted the three's heads before running off… only to stop and turn around. "Sorry, can I ask you an odd favor?"

"Eh? Y-yes." The three said.

"Can you please tell me to 'do my best!'?" He asked, completely serious.

"Wh-what about?" Naho asked.

"Just tell me that, please!" The swordsman requested.

The 'caterpillars' looked at each other for a moment before nodding and looking back at him.

They took a deep breath and.

"Do your best!" They yelled in unison.

"Thank you!" Giving them another smile, he really did run off this time.

.

.

Like many other times, it was fairly easy to find Kanao thanks to his sense of smell.

This time, he found her inside the training ground along with Inosuke, Zenitsu and Shinobu, currently playing the cup game with the first one.

"I'm telling you, you may snatch a victory every now and then but she's better at this than you." Zenitsu said with a grin.

"Like I'd lose! One more time!" The masked teen demanded.

"Ara, ara, you're really energetic." Shinobu commented, acting as the referee for their match. "Oh, Tanjiro-kun, did you need something?" She asked, noticing his entrance.

"Yes, I need to tell Kanao something." He answered, walking towards the purple eyed girl.

Said girl stared at him in confusion, trying to figure out what he could have to tell her.

Taking a deep breath, Tanjiro sat in seiza in front of her before speaking.

"Tsuyuri Kanao, I like you!" He said loudly, with a blush that matched his hair.

…

…

No one moved, no one even breathed for a few moments after Tanjiro's confession.

"TAN-ghfj."

"What is- ghgh." Whatever Zenitsu and Insouke were about to say was interrupted when Shinobu grabbed both of them from the back of their shirts and quickly dragged them out to give Tanjiro and Kanao some privacy; slamming the door shut.

Kanao just stood there, blinking repeatedly as if trying to process what she just heard.

"… you… you like me?" She eventually said.

"Yes!" The Kamado nodded.

"Like… like you like a friend or…?"

"No, more than a friend! I like spending time with you and I would like for us to be more than friends!" For all of his blushing, Tanjiro was, surprisingly, not stuttering in the least.

Was he nervous? Certainly, he could feel his hands shaking and he's pretty sure that his throat shouldn't feel as dry as it did but, he won't beat around the bushes, it's just not how he is. The best way he has of conveying his feelings is by saying them loud and clear, that's what Kiyo, Naho and Sumi helped him realize before.

'What's this?' Kanao wondered as she continued to stare at Tanjiro; she could tell he wasn't lying, she has never heard him lie in the time they've known each other and the seriousness in his expression was too real to be faked, she would know, her eyes could tell something like that. 'Tanjiro… he…' Suddenly, the image in front of her began to blur. "Eh... what?"

"Kanao?! Are you okay?!" The red haired swordsman asked worriedly.

"I'm… I'm crying?" She asked to no one in particular in disbelief as she felt something wet falling down her face. "Wh-why…? I'm not sad at all, just the opposite… so why?" The Tsuyuri continued to wonder even as she used her hands to try and stop her tears to no avail. "I… I'm not sad Tanjiro, I'm really happy that you have feelings for me, I swear… but the tears won't stop." She tried to explain, fearing that she just gave Tanjiro the wrong impression.

"You're happy?" The Kamado asked a bit dumbfounded. "Then… is that a yes?"

"I…" Kanao sniffed before momentarily moving her hands off her face and gave Tanjiro a radiant smile that the tears did nothing to diminish. "I will probably cause you a lot of problems… but please take care of me."

The smile that spread across Tanjiro's face at hearing her words was the widest Kanao had ever seen.

"Of course!" He said, immediately moving closer and hugging her close. "I'll make you happy, I promise!" Tanjiro vowed, some tears beginning to fall from his eyes as well.

"sniff Yes!" The Tsuyuri said as she hugged him back.

Day 5 everyone!

So, I hope you haven't run out of insulin because I still have two more days of TanKana Week to write about, hahaha.

As always, I hope you enjoyed and don't forget to check out the tumblr and twitter for more content!

Until tomorrow!