the little paths we find ourselves upon

By: Aviantei

[Twelve Shots of Summer: DECK 4/12]

[Parameters: "VI-Lovers" & "VII-Chariot"]

April

Unexpected visits
finding the strength to stand up
no matter the night

"And that should settle things," Natagoro-san said to Zenitsu and I as we sat before him. "Kuwajima-sama, Agatsuma-sama, you two are now the official owners of the Thunder Estate."

In some part of my brain, I'd known that those words would one day be said, but that preparation didn't make them feel any more real. I didn't know when, but Zenitsu and I had clutched onto each other's free hands with no intention of letting go. I did my best to breathe, connect with myself in the way I'd had hammered into me by Sensei's training, but it wasn't anywhere near enough.

I'm way too overwhelmed for any of this shit.

Except it didn't matter how overwhelmed either of us were; it was our new reality, so we'd have to face it. Zenitsu was sniffing in the precursor to tears beside me, though, so I'd take the first step and let him walk with me. Dipping my head in a formal bow, I said, "Thank you for all your hard work, Natagoro-san."

Natagoro-san bowed in return, meeting my formality with formality in a way that seemed surreal that I was on the receiving end of it. "Of course. Jigorō trusted me with this, after all. It was the least I could do." There was a wistful smile on his face, and it occurred to me that there was so much Zenitsu and I didn't know about Sensei. He'd been a Hashira before becoming a Cultivator and taking us all under his wing, but Natagoro must've known a different side to him that we hadn't seen. "Still, I know the two of you will more than take care of this place, so that's all that I need. Even so, if there's anything else you want help with, reach out to me. I may not be able to use a sword the way Jigorō-sama could, but I have plenty of other experience I can share."

Zenitsu and I both smiled, though I knew my own expression was weaker than usual. Still, it was assuring to know that we didn't have to wander through the whole situation without any guidance, but I couldn't help but think about other possibilities.

The conversation of inheritance was one I would've liked to have several years down the line, whenever Sensei passed away of old age. I would've liked to have not just me and Zenitsu here, but Kaigaku as well, a gift shared amongst three instead of a burden split upon two.

Zenitsu squeezed my hand again, reminding me that he was there, that at least I hadn't been left alone. If that had been the case—well, I don't think I would've made it through. Zenitsu was different, and we had Canon to prove it, but I was still glad we didn't have to deal with the alternatives. "I'm sure the two of us will have plenty of things to ask you about," Zenitsu said, to which I nodded my agreement.

"Well, as I said, my door is—" Natagoro-san cut off, and I couldn't blame him. From a distance, there was the sound of a crash, then pounding footsteps growing closer. My battle instincts tensed up, though I didn't have a sword on me, and I glanced to Zenitsu, hoping he'd have a much better idea of what was going on, but he'd already gotten to his feet, saying more to himself that anything, "What the hell does that idiot think he's doing—"

Idiot? Yeah, that didn't quite click anything to me, and I was about to ask for a proper explanation before one became no longer necessary.

"Coming through, coming through! Inosuke-sama is on the scene!"

Ah, I thought, I see. And then followed by my out loud: "Wait, what the fuck is Inosuke-kun doing here?"

Now, I had no issue with Inosuke coming to visit. He was a friend, after all, an important comrade that Zenitsu had made, and I considered him a kōhai of mine. It was just that I hadn't expected him to visit at all, hence our confusion—but maybe that was on us for expecting Inosuke to do anything as polite and mundane as warning someone he was going to stop by their house and not go charging through the halls?

Yeah, I could take the blame for that one.

I stood up, flashing Natagoro-san an apologetic smile before following Zenitsu into the hall. Inosuke had already barged his way into the house, and he rounded a corner at top speed, almost knocking over a vase of flowers. I was willing to call it a win he hadn't just burst through the walls to find us; I'd just gotten legal ownership of the place, goddammit, so it'd be cool if it didn't get torn up right away.

"Found them!" Inosuke shouted the moment he spotted us, cackling his usual over the top lap.

"It's nice to see you again, Inosuke-kun," I said.

Zenitsu scoffed. "What's nice about this? He broke into our house! Hey, stupid boar, it's time you learned some manners. Since we're not fighting all the time anymore, it's gonna be rough on you and everyone else if you keep acting this way!"

"There you are!" shouted another familiar voice, and soon Aoi had turned the corner into the hall as well. Within a few seconds, she had marched up to Inosuke and started lecturing him with zero fucking remorse. "I told you not to go and make a mess since we're guests! Besides, I came here to check on Rairi-san's recovery. Don't go adding any more stress, or I won't make you extra food for a week!"

It was rather impressive how quick that threat made Inosuke freeze in his tracks. Whoa, Aoi was powerful. Then again, Inosuke could be rather simple a decent handful of the time, so maybe food was the best approach?

Oh, geez, are we gonna have enough food with Inosuke-kun here? Well, it wasn't like we couldn't go out and just buy more.

"Sorry to make you come out all this way, Aoi-chan," I said, stepping around Inosuke. Zenitsu stayed behind, staring at his frozen friend in a similar amount of awe. "I hope the trip wasn't too bad?"

"It wasn't a problem. This way's a lot better than making you do all the traveling since you're still getting used to things. Sorry about him, though," Aoi said, pointing to Inosuke over her shoulder, where Zenitsu was poking him in the side, in awe at his lack of reaction. "I told him I didn't need a bodyguard since the demons are gone now, but he insisted."

Well, that was rather nice for Inosuke—or maybe he'd just wanted to go on an adventure? I would never try to pretend that I had any idea what the hell was going in that boar mask-covered head of his.

"Rairi-sama, Zenitsu-sama, I'm so sorry!" Kimiko called, sounding out of breath as she rushed to join us. "I tried to tell him that you were busy with an important meeting, but he wouldn't listen."

Zenitsu waved his hand through the air, a deadpan look on his face. "You don't need to apologize. This boar-head doesn't listen to anyone, so there's not anything you could've done, anyways."

"We were also finished, too," I said. "Please don't worry about it." Ah, though it was kinda a bit rude to leave Natagoro-san behind in the other room whenever he'd gone out of his way to meet us at home instead of his office. I clapped my hands together. "Why don't we all settle down and have some lunch together, then? Kimiko-san, sorry to impose, but could you make a meal for five today? I'd like to invite Natagoro-san to join us as thanks."

"It's no issue at all, Rairi-sama," Kimiko said, dipping into an elegant bow before setting off for the kitchen.

Inosuke twitched back to awareness. "Food? What's on the menu? I'm starving!"

Aoi scowled at the same time that Zenitsu threw up his hands. "Inosuke-san, don't be a bother!"

"You're as awful mannered as always, aren't you?"

Yeah, a little bit of a ruckus wasn't so bad after all.

"So, how have you been adjusting to everything?"

Our stomachs full, Natagoro-san headed home, and Zenitsu volunteering to distract Inosuke for a while (Inosuke had shouted something about wanting to explore the nearby orchard, so off they went), that left just me and Aoi to head to my room so she could give me a checkup. I'd spread out my futon for a bit of cushioning, sat down, and pulled off my pants and prosthetic to give Aoi better access to my leg.

"I mean, I've been overall okay?" I said, for once unsure of the exact words that I had in mind. Well, when in doubt, run your mouth and hope that it got you where you wanted to go. "It's not easy, and there's a lot of time I can't stand to walk when I know I wouldn't have had any issues before, but I'm getting used to getting around. Plus Zenitsu helps me out a lot, so we haven't run into any big issues." Now that I'd gotten a taste for them, receiving piggyback rides was at least a plus side of my impacted mobility.

Aoi nodded, continuing her examination with a pure focus. I'd heard that she felt some guilt for passing Final Selection but not being able to stand being on the front lines, but I felt that this sort of work suited her way better, anyways. "That's good to hear. I know you're still adjusting to the basics, but this is the part where you need to think about your long-term mobility goals." She looked up, cobalt eyes earnest and serious at once. "If you keep going as you are now, you won't have any issues with a regular life. If you want to be athletic, you should push a little bit further, too, and I can help you set good checkpoints so you're not going too far and damaging yourself."

"And if I'm going to pick up Thunder Breathing again?" As far as I was concerned, doing so wasn't even an option; it was essential.

"Then you're going to need to be even more careful, but you also can't slack off." That was about what I expected, but if it wasn't any more complicated than that, I doubted Aoi would've brought it up in the first place. "Total Concentration: Constant will be able to do a lot for your healing, yes, but it also can overextend you if you're not careful. For a while, you'll want to use Total Concentration for your recovery, but not while working on your rehabilitation and muscles."

"That makes sense." It wouldn't be easy, considering after so many years of using it, I almost couldn't remember how not to, but it was either figure it out or not be able to carry on Thunder Breathing, so that was that. "If you don't mind me asking, do you have a rough long-term plan in mind for recovery? I…don't want to mess this up."

I couldn't afford to mess it up.

Aoi nodded. "I have some ideas, but I'll be able to give you something much more concrete after we complete your check-up today. We can also do some exercises while Inosuke-kun and I are staying here, but you're going to want a doctor that lives nearby to help out." Right, I couldn't just expect Aoi to drop everything every couple of weeks to come take care of me. She, just like the rest of us, had her own life to live. Even if she continued to do medical work, asking her to move here just to help me recover was nonsense. No matter my concerns, Aoi smiled at me. "I'm glad to help, but I'll feel a lot better if you have someone that can check on you in an emergency, okay?"

Oh, I was worried about. It wasn't like that a foreign feeling—anytime I'd taken on any sort of damage, Zenitsu would break down in tears, for starters—but I also wasn't used to thinking too much about the danger I'd been in. It was a survival mechanism, I'd bet; I mean, if I panicked every time I went into battle, I never would've picked up a sword in the first place. And once I'd learned Total Concentration: Constant, most of the injuries I'd sustained hadn't been that big a deal anymore, since they could recover way faster than the norm.

Figures I manage to worry people even when there aren't any demons to fight, though. Between Yushirō and Aoi, I was making a reputation among the medical practitioners in my life. Not sure if I like that one.

"You're way too good for us, Aoi-chan," I said, because that was just fact. It took Aoi a moment to recognize my meaning, surprise flickering across her face before she went back to observing my leg with intense concentration. At least she wasn't petty enough to prod at me to get revenge. "I was surprised that Inosuke-kun came with you, though. What's all that about?"

"Beats me. He's gotten all clingy since a couple months ago, but he's been trying to behave a little bit more, so it's fine. I mean, he's stopped eating food without permission, so that's a start." Good thing the two of them had come together then, because I had no idea how we'd manage that issue on our own. Still, those pesky end of Canon notes were cropping up in my mind again, so I was curious how things were going between the two of them. "He keeps talking like the mountain by the Manor is his new territory, too, so I guess you could say he's moved in? I…haven't thought much about it."

"Are you going to be staying at Butterfly Manor, then?" With Kochō gone, no one was left to be the master of the house, and with the Demon Slayer Corps gone, it wasn't like they had much purpose for the place.

Still, it was complicated, because Aoi, Sumi, Kiyo, Naho, and Kanao were all orphans, and Kochō had been the one taking care of them—a wild thing to think about, considering she and I had been the same age. But unlike Zenitsu and I, who were close enough to adulthood and had the support system Sensei had left for us, Aoi and Kanao were a bit younger (not by much, but enough), had no direct adults around, and the rest of the girls were literal children, so finding the ideal answer was…messy.

But no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't make that decision. Just Aoi could.

"I want to stay," she said after a while as she lifted up my thigh to closer inspect the scar tissue. "Since I lost my family, I don't have anywhere else to go, and neither do Kanao, Naho, Kiyo, or Sumi." I hummed to show I was listening, but otherwise didn't interrupt. Despite the weight of her words, Aoi's hands remained steady as she continued her check-up. "Besides, I don't know if I could think of any place besides Butterfly Manor as home now."

I understood that feeling way better than I cared to admit. I remembered my old world before being isekai'd, but it was getting hazier and hazier. I doubted I'd ever forget—Jaden would live on in my memory always—but could I even still call that house home now that I had the Thunder Estate?

I didn't know, and I was just a bit scared to discover the answer.

But there was no need to dive into introspection while Aoi was processing some shit, so I set that bundle aside (like a fucking coward) and said, "I don't think there's anything wrong with that. If you want to stay, then you should stay." It would be hard for her some days, just as hard as it was for me to walk past the courtyard where Sensei trained us, to look up and expect to see Kaigaku eating dinner with us when he wasn't there, but it wouldn't be impossible. "Aside from that, what do you think you want to do?"

It wasn't all that different from the conversation I'd had with Kanao a few months ago, but that didn't make it any less important. Even without the fact that Aoi had been serving as my main medical practitioner, she'd become my friend, and I liked being the sort of person who knew what was going on in their friends' lives, thanks. If there was ever a time to catch up on those matters, the present was as good of an opportunity as any.

"I want to turn Butterfly Manor into a public clinic," Aoi said without any hesitation. I let out an oho of approval, stopping myself just short of applauding her resolve. "Just because the demons are gone doesn't mean that there aren't people that need help. With all the work I've done to help Slayers, I know how to handle a lot of intense injuries, and I think having a specialist for that sort of stuff will help the area a lot. It'll be a little tricky because not all the patients will know Total Concentration to speed up their recovery, but it'll be worth it." And then, a bit softer as a wistful expression settled upon her face, "Shinobu-sama made so many discoveries. I don't want that knowledge to go to waste."

"…That sounds like a great goal." I mean, I was a little bit biased, considering Aoi's ambition wasn't all that different from mine, but that didn't change the facts. Besides, wanting to use your skills to help people was the kind of thing I could always get behind. "You're super hard-working, you know. I'm sure you'll be able to make that dream a reality, Aoi-chan."

"I'm going to try my best." Seeming to be done, Aoi set my thigh down and sat back, picking up a notepad to start scribbling reminders to herself. Curious, I leaned forward, but the angle wasn't enough for me to make out what she was writing, so I let it be. "Okay, I don't see any signs to be concerned about here. Still, I need to do some more active observation to make sure. Rairi-san, are you up to doing some exercises with me now?"

I reached for my crutch, expecting to need it. "The courtyard is great for this kind of stuff. I'll show you the way, Aoi-chan."

My everything hurt.

Not just in a physical sense, but in an emotional sense, too—though the latter paled in comparison to the former. My entire body was burning, each and every cell enflamed in an agonizing way. It was the kind of pain that made you want to quit, to surrender everything, but it also empowered you in a way that had just as much addictive potential as the burn of sake as it went down your throat, made you crave more. After all, once you endured that pain, wasn't there going to be a reward waiting on the other side, an undeniable ecstasy?

I mean, I was turning into a demon.

Ever since picking up a sword, my nails were kept short out of pure practicality, but now they were longer, sharpened into claws that didn't have to worry about breaking at inopportune times. Elongated incisors felt too big for my mouth, felt like a miracle that they didn't draw blood as I ran my tongue over the pointed tips. Both my legs were whole and strong, never to be lost again, because even if someone cut part of me off, it would just grow back. I had just one weak spot, the oh so fragile place where my neck met my shoulders.

The pain coursing through me felt like a sign of just how weak I'd been as a human, that no matter how much strength and skill I'd built up, I'd never be able to surpass the demon I was becoming.

I'd thought there would be a thirst to it, a craving for blood and flesh. Every other Slayer I'd talked to who'd ever seen a newborn demon had talked about it, talked about how the transformed had wanted to eat so bad that they'd eat anyone nearby—even their lovers, even their family. Nezuko, of course, being the Protag's sister, was the exception, but I didn't think high enough of myself to think that I would be the same.

And yet, I didn't crave anything.

Oh. That's 'cause I already ate.

I don't know how I hadn't noticed. Blood was everywhere, soaking through my clothes, painting my skin red. The pain of transformation had long subsided, and my stomach was full. I'd eaten someone, I'd eaten someone, I'd eaten someone—

"Thank fuck," Kaigaku's voice said from somewhere I couldn't see, "now I don't have to kill you."

I screamed, jerking away from the sound. The sensation of blood lingered on my skin, hot and sticky, though it was gone, absorbed in that weird way that I'd seen happen with demons I was fighting before. I tried to get up, tried to run, but something caught around my feet and wouldn't let me up. I kicked at it, making no progress at all. Everything around me felt dark, not even my new night vision able to pierce through the shadows, and I reached for my sword, praying for anything to protect myself, but of course it was gone, leaving me with no line of defense. I made a few swipes at the darkness, hoping to at least use my new demonic strength for something, but it didn't work, I was still trapped—

A hand landed on my shoulder.

I breathed—hooray for Sensei's training which made me able to pull off Total Concentration while having a panic attack!—swinging back an elbow in retaliation. The blow whiffed, but at least whatever had grabbed me had let go. "Rairi, it's okay—"

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Nothing was okay about this, was okay about what I'd done. Maybe to Kaigaku, who'd worked to drag me to his side and succeeded, would think so, but I just couldn't. What was I supposed to think was okay? "You don't get to say that, so just shut up!"

Still without a sword, I used my arms to cover what minor distance I could to keep away, though the blows were sloppy, and they didn't hit anything. Instead, I was the one that received a full body tackle, the force winding me enough to break my Total Concentration: Constant and making my head bounce on the floor, not even the semi-pliable tatami able to ease the aching in my skull from that one.

"HEY, GET YOURSELF TOGETHER ALREADY!"

It took me way too long to recognize I was being shaken back and forth, and it took me even longer to recognize that Inosuke was the one shouting at me while doing so, considering he was down the boar mask I associated with him. It didn't line up at all with where I thought I was. "Inosuke-kun," I said, speaking nothing but my genuine thoughts in that moment, "what the fuck?"

"That's what I oughta be asking you!" Well, never thought I'd see the day when Hashibira Inosuke was scolding me, but you could experience something new every day, huh? "You're the one who just woke up and started thrashing around. That's Zenitsu over there, dumbass!"

I choked on my own words, eyes darting across the room. Sure enough, Zenitsu was there. He didn't look hurt, but he did look worried, and I processed way too fucking late that he must've been the one I was pushing away. And yet he was still there, still hadn't abandoned me despite everything, and I had no idea what cosmic gacha I must've won to have him in my life.

"Shit," I said, which was the correct response. "Shit, shit. Zenitsu, sweetie, are you okay?"

"I'm fine." He didn't sound like he was lying, and he maneuvered around Inosuke with a semi-wide berth. "You don't have to worry about me. You sounded like you were having an awful nightmare." He reached out a hand, careful not to move too fast, and I clasped his fingers in mine and held on tight.

It's okay. You're okay, Rairi. You are a fucking student of Thunder Breathing. Get your shit together.

Except I didn't want to get my shit together. I wanted to cry and bawl and curl up in my blankets and never come out, and I wanted Zenitsu to hold me while I did it. I slumped forward, flopping half my weight onto him. He yelped, looking between me and Inosuke, before giving in and pulling me even closer. There was a wet little flicker against the palm of my hand before Kaburamaru slithered up my sleeve. They tended to come and go as they pleased, but they always managed to show up after a nightmare, as if they'd always done such a thing, which was sweet, but also something I had no capacity to process at the moment.

"Hey," Inosuke said, no longer shouting but still stretching the reasonable social definition of an inside nighttime voice, "did they pass out again?"

"No, you dense boar. They want a hug. You never cease to surprise me with what you don't get." That said, Zenitsu just sounded half exasperated, the rest of his tone almost affectionate. "They're not gonna lash out anymore, so you don't have to worry." Zenitsu started to pat at my hair, his touch beyond comforting. "Rairi, do you want to talk about it?"

I shook my head. "It…was another demon dream." I'd had enough of them by now that Zenitsu had a good idea of what I'd experienced, so there wasn't any need to go into the gross details. But it didn't matter how many times I ran through the similar scenario, it still left me feeling awful every time. Just one wrong move at the right time, and I…

Well, I could've done a lot of things. Zenitsu wouldn't have fought back, after all.

"Thank you," I said instead of the infinite number of apologies I could have wasted my breath on. "Thank you for waking me up." I couldn't help but feel that I hadn't changed at all since Mugen Train, that I was still someone who couldn't tell the difference between nightmare and reality. Down a sword and down a leg, I was limited in how much serious damage I could cause right out of bed, but what would happen in the future whenever Zenitsu and I no longer had separate rooms, whenever we slept beside each other more than the occasional night? Welp, I didn't feel like confronting that thought, so changing the subject it was! "Thank you, too, Inosuke-kun. I appreciate it."

Inosuke grumbled something I thought sounded like, "…making me feel all fluffy," but it didn't seem as important. "I sensed that there was a lot of movement, so I thought you two were sneaking in some training without me. Of course I wasn't going to stand for it!" Well, whatever had made the situation work out in the end, I supposed. "I haven't had a good fight in ages, and I didn't find anything good, either. Hey, Monitsu, you owe me one!"

"Huh? Why do I owe you anything? Muscle-headed boar!" And yet Zenitsu sighed, sounding beyond resigned. "Well, I guess Senpai's not in good enough shape to do it, so fine, we can spar tomorrow or something."

"It'll be a good opportunity for Aoi-chan to see some Thunder Breathing up close so she can make me a rehab plan, anyways," I said, which seemed like useful information. I'd been meaning to ask Zenitsu to do a demonstration for her, but if we could calm down Inosuke a bit in the process, it seemed like two birds with one stone and all that.

Zenitsu, recognizing the merits, nodded. "You hear that? We'll spar tomorrow, Inosuke, so go back to bed so we can all get some rest. Rairi, do you want me to stay with you now?"

"Yes, please." I didn't have any idea how much longer it would take me to fall asleep, but I didn't quite feel like spending that time alone, regardless. Having gained a mostly clear head back, I set about untangling myself from the blankets and Zenitsu helped me straighten out the futon.

Inosuke, watching with an amount of concentration that would've been unnerving if I weren't already used to him, tilted his head. "Heheh, Kairi, are you getting too scared to sleep on your own? No need to worry; Inosuke-sama will join you and stand guard!"

It didn't matter how much of a blabbermouth I was; I would never ever admit that suggestion made me feel the slightest bit relieved, though I had no real intention of taking him up on it. Zenitsu, looking beyond unimpressed, said with no hesitation, "No way in hell."

"Huh? Why not? More people around is better than just two when you're freaked out, right?"

"That doesn't matter! Rairi's my betrothed, got it?"

"What the hell is that weird word? They were the one that woke up in a panic, but are you still half asleep? You're talking nonsense."

"It's not nonsense! You wouldn't like it if I said I'd sleep in the same room as Aoi-chan, would you?"

"Now you're making even less sense!"

While Zenitsu worked himself up into a conniption and Inosuke sounded as bewildered as ever, I let them at it, tucking myself into bed. They may have been a couple of bickering fools, but they'd work themselves out in the end. It was comforting, in a way, to know that they could still fight over little things, that the world would move on no matter what sort of darkness my nightmares shoved at me. And besides…

The door slammed open, revealing Aoi with her hair down from its customary pigtails but her face in its customary look of disapproval whenever her patients (or Inosuke in general) did something stupid. "What in the world are you doing in here making a racket. It's the middle of the night, you two! Go to sleep!"

In the end, and following a lengthy lecture from Aoi, all four of us ended up sharing my floor, and the next morning found Inosuke half sprawled out over Zenitsu while Aoi and I left them be before getting ready for breakfast.

There had been zero chance whatsoever of Inosuke forgetting about the promise of a fight. When it came down to it, he was the member of the Demon Slayer Corps I worried about the most. I mean, yeah, he was self-sufficient af, being a feral gremlin mountain child, and I didn't think he'd die or anything…but fighting demons had also been a very productive use of his particular personality and skills. Based on what Aoi had said, I didn't expect him to disappear into the wilderness, never to be seen again, but also was Inosuke going to be, like, okay?

Godspeed, Aoi-chan. You need all the luck you can get.

Well, it didn't matter what the future had in store, because the present involved a sparring match. If it were a normal fight, we could've just used the courtyard, but Inosuke was involved, and neither Zenitsu or I could imagine him showing restraint. We'd just inherited our estate, dammit; we didn't want to have to repair it already.

Lucky for us, the full extent of our property contained several spaces to handle people learning dangerous techniques. When you compared it to something like Water Breathing—which still packed a punch but was very much slotted in the elegant department—Thunder Breathing was fast and hard to control as a beginner. As such, Sensei had dragged first me, and then my kōhai, out to the hillside as we began to pick up the forms, and it was there we went for our battle.

After so much training, Zenitsu had a much finer control over his moves then when he first started, and that was multiplied by an even greater factor when it came to his specialty, the Hekireki Issen. From what I'd seen, it might've given him an advantage to be in a closed capacity, since he could use various footholds to bounce off of, but the orchard felt like a no-go for something like this.

Because, come on, what the fuck even was Inosuke's Beast Breathing?

I'd seen bits and pieces of it while helping the Protag Squad learn Total Concentration: Constant, and nothing about it seemed like it should work. The short version was: Inosuke did what he wanted, slapped Total Concentration on top of it, and it worked out. I wasn't about to call it an issue, seeing as he was skilled enough in it and he'd used it to survive until the end, but one of Shimizu's notes had mentioned he'd just chucked his swords at an opponent—the fucking Upper Moon Two at that—and called it a move!

"Ah, I get it. Inosuke-kun is just an enigma we mere mortals can never hope to understand."

"You can say that again," Aoi said beside me. While Zenitsu and Inosuke were stretching out, we'd taken up a vantage point by the lone, thunder-struck tree at the top of the hill. Kimiko had been kind enough to make us a picnic basket for the day, which Aoi put down in a safe spot, saying it would be a good way to distract Inosuke from fighting if things went too far. "Man, I hope this fight burns up some of that energy of his. I'd like it if he calmed down, at least a little bit."

I could do nothing but give a wry smile as I settled down onto the grass to watch. "Sorry, Aoi-chan, but I don't think that's all too likely."

She sighed. "I know, I know, but let me dream a little, okay?"

"Okay, listen up, Boar-Head," Zenitsu said, pointing his bokken right at Inosuke. Were it not for the distance between him, the wooden practice place would have been right up in Inosuke's boar-mask nose. "I don't mind sparring a bit, but we're going to try our best not to seriously injure each other, got it? The victory condition is when the opponent gives up or whenever their sword breaks. Got it?"

"Yeah, yeah, I heard you the first time!" Inosuke was jumping in place, raring to go, though there was something a bit humorous about him swinging around a couple of practice swords that I couldn't quite place. "Sheesh, you always go on and on about pointless stuff, you know."

"I mean it, dammit. You break these rules, and I'm not gonna fight with you ever again, got it?"

Taking a critical hit, Inosuke flinched.

Aoi called out, "You break the rules, and no special snack plate for you for a month."

Inosuke doubled over, taking massive damage, resulting in a KO before the match even started. I, not having any suitable threats to add to the pile, didn't add insult to injury, but I was sure Inosuke understood that I wouldn't be pleased if Zenitsu got hurt in any serious way.

"Fine, fine, I get it!" Inosuke let out a pure wild child scream, steam coming out of the nostrils of his boar mask (there were just some things in the world that weren't worth asking questions about, I'd learned). "Even with your dumb rules, I can still kick your ass, so let's go."

Zenitsu got into his ready position, holding his bokken at his hip. "Alright. Here we—go."

Having spent so much time in actual combat, there was no real signal that they were starting other than Zenitsu zipping out of his spot to swing at Inosuke in a Hekireki Issen. Knowing him as well as I did, I had no trouble tracking his movement—it was nothing compared to his Honoikazuchi no Kami, after all—but Aoi yelped, not being as lucky. All things considered, since I'd trained in Thunder Breathing, if I couldn't keep up, that would be an issue.

Glad at least one of my skills hasn't gotten rusty from disuse, I thought, clenching my hand as if that would make the hilt of a sword appear in my grip. Ah, fuck, I so wanna do some training right now.

Though plenty of other opponents wouldn't have been able to respond to so quick of an opening offense, Inosuke's senses were off the charts. Not one to dodge unless necessary, Inosuke blocked with both his blades, tossing Zenitsu off before charging in in his own attack. From there, it became a furious exchange, so much so that I wondered if their bokken would be able to last. Like, yeah, those things hurt, but reinforced wood was very different from a Nichirin sword, but I also supposed that meant there was a time limit on the fight one way or another.

I chuckled, and Aoi gave me a look. "Oh, nothing," I said. "I was just thinking that I'm pretty sure Inosuke-kun would fight without stopping if we let him."

Aoi nodded, looking almost sage-like. "For sure. It's a wonder he hasn't torn up Butterfly Manor with all that energy he has. Although…" She frowned, watching the fight that was escalating by the second. "This isn't as helpful as I hoped it would be for getting an idea of what you're going to be doing with Thunder Breathing."

"Yeah…I'm sure if we asked Zenitsu later, he'd be willing to go through the forms so you can get an idea of the drills and whatnot."

In the end, our resident dumbasses managed to bust their bokken at the same time, because of course they did. Considering the amount of abuse they'd put the poor things through, it wasn't surprising. If you wanted to be technical about it, Inosuke had busted just one of his swords—so thus he declared himself the victor since he had a weapon remaining, but that was an argument I had zero stake in, so Aoi and I just left him to it to set up lunch.

"Too bad it's too late in the year for Hanami," Zenitsu said, glancing upwards halfway through his onigiri. "Not that this tree would have anything to show if it did."

I reached over to grab some of the tamagoyaki. "We managed to get a pretty good view while we were visiting Tanjirō at Butterfly Manor." It had been the time of year and all, Tanjirō having the very Protag and symbolic awakening as the lone cherry tree in the courtyard had been in bloom. "Though I guess the wisteria are always in bloom there, so maybe that doesn't count…" Part of me was curious about how the hell the Demon Slayer Corps had managed to get always-blooming trees on their side, but considering we all had magical talking crows that could receive intel over a long distance, maybe it wasn't worth questioning.

"If you want to come and do Hanami at our place next year, you're more than welcome to it," Aoi said, loading up some teriyaki chicken onto her plate. Inosuke, not looking that interested in the conversation, had requisitioned all the tempura for himself. "Before the name changed to Butterfly Manor, it used to be the Flower Manor, you know. That's part of why the garden's so big."

"Oh, right, because Insect Breathing didn't exist until Kochō-san invented it." That the mere mention of her name didn't bring an immediate sense of gloom to the conversation was a sign that, little by little, we were all starting to move on. "Does that mean that the former Flower Hashira was the one who changed the name?" I'd never met Kochō Kanae, but based on what little of her I'd read about in Shimizu's journals, it seemed like the sort of thing she'd do. After all, she was the type to not even bat an eye about swiping the young Kanao from being sold into servitude, who hadn't been bothered by the young girl's lack of initiative and suggested using flipping a coin to make decisions instead.

Not that Kanao-chan needs stuff like that anymore, I thought, but it was neither here nor there. I was sure both Kochō Shinobu and Kanae alike were proud of the progress both of their adoptive younger sisters had made.

Aoi, being the sole one of us four who'd known Kochō Kanae in the first place, nodded. "Back then, Butterfly Manor hadn't had a Hashira in it for quite some time. If I'm recalling right, there's just the one Cultivator for the style nowadays, so not too many Slayers learn it, though it's not that hard to be compatible with." That made sense, seeing as it was an offshoot of Water Breathing. "In any event, she thought it was a bit silly to have a place named after just her—not to mention since Shinobu-sama couldn't use Flower Breathing to its full potential, I don't think Kanae-sama wanted to remind her of that fact. So she renamed the place after both of them, and that was that."

Ah, it had been a while since I'd thought about how much sway Hashira had in doing whatever the fuck they wanted, though I suppose it wasn't like anyone had gotten hurt. It was just funny to think about how many cultural heritage spots and whatnot had had their name changed once just because someone felt like it.

"Kanae-san sounds like a fun person to be around," Zenitsu said, which I could agree with. That said, I had no doubt her sister's whimsicality had driven the much more serious Shinobu up the wall on occasion.

Aoi nodded, a wistful sort of smile on her face, and I stuffed the last bits of my tamagoyaki into my mouth before standing up, just resisting the urge to hop up to my feet. One day, I'd be able to do so without issue, but I didn't feel like making Aoi's job any more complicated than it needed to be, and all the more so because I knew what I wanted to do next had a pretty high chance of testing her patience. "Hey, Inosuke-kun, can you pass me the leftover bokken, please?"

Inosuke glanced between me, the bokken, and the food before offering the weapon to me. "This is the weapon of a champion, Kairi," he said with the utmost seriousness (Zenitsu almost choked on his onigiri, though I couldn't tell if it was from laughter or shock). "Handle it well."

"Will do, Inosuke-kun." And then, to Aoi, was giving me a look of the utmost suspicion, "Relax. I'm not about to go out of my way to make a mess. There's a couple of basics I can do without needing to worry about moving my legs too much."

Which might have been a little bit of a lie, since the foundation of any good swordplay was in the footwork. But Aoi at least knew enough of the basics to be recommended to Final Selection, and she didn't call me out just yet, so I assumed I was good to go. Focusing extra hard on my stance, I gripped the bokken in my hands, falling into the rhythm of basic practice swings.

While I hadn't touched a weapon while I'd been bedridden, I'd started on reconditioning myself to the basics not long after I had my prosthetic back. I'd been taking it in small bursts, and my arms had ached at first, but now I could handle a standard warm up without much issue, and it wasn't long until I'd completed the reps.

And, then, with a shift of my stance, I breathed.

"Kaminari no Kokyū—Ni no Kata: Inadama."

The bokken flashed through the air, sparking with the familiar lighting as I traced the five rapid strikes with precision. While not the basics of basics like the Hekireki Issen, the Inadama was no doubt the form that put the least amount of strain on the body—and, most important for my case, the legs. Of course, in a real fight, just standing there was asking to get your head kicked in, but it was a good move for me to ensure I wasn't out of practice with all of Thunder Breathing for the time being.

Satisfied with my work, I let out a small sigh of relief. If nothing else, I had this to keep me connected to the dream I had, to the duty I'd inherited from Sensei. I could make it work. But for the moment, I was way more impressed that Aoi hadn't started lecturing me for popping off a breathing technique without warning her.

Glancing over, I found it was because she was staring at me in pure awe. I'd come to expect such expressions from Zenitsu (who was, in fact, doing the same thing), but it was strange to see it from someone else, and even more so since Inosuke had gotten distracted enough from his meal to join in on the fun.

Come to think of it, if you swap Aoi-chan for Tanjirō-kun, it's not all that different than back when I was training them… No, wait, wait, wait, why do I always end up with this kind of attention? I didn't ask for any of this!

Whether it was because he at last snapped back to his senses or because he could hear my mounting panic, Zenitsu cleared his throat. "Sorry, love, but whenever you show off the forms, it's hard not to stare. You make them look so beautiful after all." I'm happy to hear that, since that's kinda my whole ideal and all, but don't go pairing that with your pet name for me, please! My heart can't take it! And in front of Aoi and Inosuke, too (though maybe I didn't need to worry much about Inosuke, all things considered)! Regardless of my inner distress, Zenitsu smiled that sunshine smile of his, and I couldn't even be mad at him anymore. "Right, Aoi-chan?"

"Huh? Oh, right!" Having been addressed, Aoi was right back at attention. "Maybe it's because I haven't seen a lot of Thunder Breathing, but I didn't know your forms could even look like that." She sounded a bit breathless, so I knew she was sincere, though that just made my embarrassment rise. Maybe I needed to rethink this whole teacher thing if I couldn't handle being looked up to whatsoever. "I can see why you're so determined to try and pass them on. Let's see, that one looks like you're fine to use for now, but I'd still need to have a description of the others before I could make any calls. Thunder Breathing has six total forms, plus Zenitsu's seventh now, so…"

"Talk, talk, talk!" said Inosuke, who seemed to be bristling with energy all over again. A glance at Zenitsu indicated this was another one of Inosuke's moments where he processed his feelings the one way he knew how: shouting. "Come on, Kairi, we should fight. No wait, you're still recovering—hurry up and get better so we can fight soon, you got it?"

"Haha, okay, Inosuke-kun." It was his way of encouraging me, after all, so I'd take it.

"Aaagh, what am I supposed to do with all this energy. Mon—"

"I'm not fighting you again, you stupid boar! Sit back down!"

"Fine, be that way. Come on, Kairi, I'll take you on a run!" And before I could even ask for an explanation, Inosuke had rushed over to me, all but tossed me onto his back, and took off at a sprint. "Boar Rush! Inosuke-sama is coming through!"

"Hey, hey, boar, where do you think you're going with them?!"

"Don't be too rough with Rairi-san and hurt them again, you hear me?!"

Whether or not Inosuke did hear the two of them was unclear, seeing as he burst out into near maniacal laughter as he ran, and I couldn't help but laugh with him. The sun was high, the air was fresh and racing by, and the world felt fun and joyous without a single sign of a cloud overhead or in my heart.

I could feel it. The day whenever I'd be able to run around like this again on my own was coming, and I swore I'd be ready for it.

[Author's Notes]

Inosuke is just 100% Chariot energy; I could not think of a better Arcana matchup if I tried. Aoi is def more the mother/Empress energy, but I went the Lovers route just more to represent the couples that were involved this time, and I think it worked out well!

Thanks to doudouchinois and Firfirfamira6 for the favorites on og walk steady this past week! It makes me glad to see that people are still finding their way to this series and enjoying it!

Not me regretting that I couldn't use Mitsuri for Lovers, though; mistakes were made on my part.

I am also interviewing for a job I super duper want this week, so wish me luck! Getting this position would be exactly what I've been working for for several years now, and I am hoping it works out.

Hey, look, it's me promoing beta Punk Trash Noiz again, who continues to make sure this fic reads well and my typos don't ruin the experience. Last week they wrote another House of the Dragon one shot, "miles to go," which I did the beta for! They're amazing, so check them out! If that fandom isn't your thing, they also have some Kimetsu fics you can check out!

Next Saturday: May, featuring the prompts "VIII-Justice" and "IX-Hermit." Please look forward to it!

[06.24.2023]