49
(By the way I think I'll start the district arc next chapter I think)
The sun was beginning to set over the Rengoku estate, painting the sky with golden streaks. You stood at the front path, your bag slung over your shoulder as Kyojuro helped adjust the strap gently.
"You sure you're strong enough for the walk back?" he asked, gaze warm but filled with concern. “It’s not short.”
“I’ll be fine,” you smiled. “I have two bodyguards with me.”
You motioned your head to Mitsuri and Obanai, who stood nearby. Mitsuri waved brightly with both hands, while Obanai just grunted and looked away, his snake curling lazily around his neck.
Kyojuro glanced at them both and hummed. “…Take breaks. Don’t let them push you too hard.”
You rolled your eyes, playful. “You act like I’m going to war, not a stroll.”
“Well,” he laughed, “you do have Obanai with you.”
“I HEARD THAT,” Obanai called without turning around.
Senjuro ran out one last time and hugged you tightly. “Y/N!! Thank you for protecting my brother!! And for scolding Dad! You were so cool!”
“Aww—Senjuro,” you chuckled and knelt slightly to squeeze him back. “You’re cooler. Stay strong, yeah?”
As you stood, Kyojuro reached out and gently hooked his pinky with yours. “You’ll visit again?”
“I’ll bring sweets next time,” you said.
He nodded firmly. “Then it’s a promise.”
Mitsuri cleared her throat. “Y/N-chan~! We should get going if we want to make it before full dark!”
Obanai was already pacing ahead a little.
You turned one last time to wave. Kyojuro and Senjuro waved from the path as you began your walk down the road.
Mitsuri walked beside you, chatting cheerfully about the clouds and the flowers blooming along the way, while Obanai kept stealing glances at you from the corner of his eye.
You didn’t notice. You were too busy admiring the sky
The journey back had been… loud.
Mitsuri filled the entire walk with stories — about the food she’d tried, funny missions she’d been on, and how she once mistook a giant beetle for a demon. You laughed through most of it. Obanai trailed behind, silent except for the occasional annoyed grunt.
By the time the Butterfly Estate came into view, the sky had turned a soft indigo.
“I’m so glad you’re doing better, Y/N-chan!” Mitsuri beamed as she helped you up the steps of the Estate. “Shinobu’s going to be so happy you’re back in one piece!”
“She’ll be more thrilled that I didn’t break my stitches sneaking snacks,” you grinned.
“I knew you were sneaking snacks!” Mitsuri gasped, playful, as she poked your side. You stumbled a bit — only for her to immediately steady you, her hands warm at your waist. “O-oh! Sorry, sorry!!”
“I’m good,” you said, but you didn’t miss how Obanai suddenly walked ahead of you both, jaw clenched tightly.
“Is he okay?” you whispered to Mitsuri.
she shrugged, "he's always like that"
ⓉⒾⓂⒺ ˢᴷᴵᴾ
The sun had dipped lower in the sky by the time you arrived back at the Butterfly Estate, Obanai walking ahead silently with Kaburamaru curled around his neck, while Mitsuri stayed beside you, rambling sweetly about how much she missed Shinobu’s tea.
As soon as you stepped past the gate—
“Y/NNNNNNNN!!!”
A yellow blur tackled you.
“GAHH—Zenitsu!?”
You stumbled back as Zenitsu wrapped his arms around your waist, dramatically sobbing against your chest.
“I thought you weren’t coming back! I was ready to write poems about my broken heart!”
“Dude… I was gone for like a 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗲 .”
“EXACTLY!!” he wailed louder.
You looked past him and saw Tanjiro standing just behind, smiling so brightly it almost hurt.
“We missed you, Y/N,” he said kindly. “Are you feeling okay now?”
“Yeah. I just needed some rest. Rengoku’s house was… fun.”
You smirked a little at the memory, but didn’t say more.
Just then—
“Y/NNNN!! GET DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW!!!”
Inosuke leapt from the actual roof of the Estate and landed beside you in a puff of dust, arms crossed and huffing.
“Inosuke!? WHAT—”
“I was looking for you all morning!” he declared. “I climbed every tree, chased every crow, and Aoi yelled at me four times!”
Nezuko peeked out from behind Tanjiro’s shoulder with a soft “mmhm!” and ran over to hug your arm tightly, letting out a pleased little coo when she felt your warmth.
You blinked, heart suddenly so full it ached a little.
"...You guys..."
Zenitsu, still clinging to your sleeve, sniffled. “Don’t get us all emotional now…”
And then—before you could say anything else—Tanjiro reached out and gently took your hand.
“Let’s sit in the garden for a bit, okay?” he said.
You nodded.
So the five of you ended up under the shade of a tree in the courtyard—Nezuko snuggled up to your side, Inosuke randomly trying to arm wrestle a tree branch, Zenitsu braiding flowers into your hair (unasked), and Tanjiro just watching it all with soft laughter.
For a few minutes, everything was calm.
Just you, the soft wind, and the people who felt most like home.
Time skip to tomorrow
The sunlight filtered gently through the paper screens of your room, warming your face just enough to stir you awake.
You stretched and blinked blearily at the ceiling. Was it really morning already? Your body still ached a little from the whole “hole-through-the-stomach” thing, but... you felt better.
Before you could even sit up—
BANG!
"Y/N!!! YOU AWAKE YET!?"
Inosuke’s voice rang through the courtyard like a war horn.
"NO! GO BACK TO SLEEP!" you shouted back automatically, flopping onto your pillow.
“Too late!!” came Zenitsu’s dramatic wail as he flung the door open and slid inside like a theater actor in distress.
He gasped dramatically at the sight of you sitting up. “You're alive! Glorious! Radiant! And so well-rested!”
"...You saw me last night,” you deadpanned.
Before Zenitsu could drape himself over you like a fainting noble, Tanjiro peeked in behind him with an apologetic smile. “Sorry... they insisted on seeing you first thing.”
He held up a small tray. “I brought you breakfast! Shinobu said you need protein, so—rice balls and soup.”
Nezuko peeked out from behind him with wide eyes and a bamboo muffled "Mm!" as she offered a little flower she’d picked. It was crushed and slightly wilted... but adorable.
You reached out and took it gently. “Thanks, Nezuko.”
She beamed and snuggled up next to you on the futon like a sleepy cat.
Inosuke suddenly burst in through the window instead of using the door.
"I FOUND MUSHROOMS IN THE BACKYARD! Wanna see?!"
"NO."
"TOO BAD, LET'S GO!"
Zenitsu dragged him back by the scarf, grumbling, “Let Y/N breathe first, you boar-headed menace—”
While the boys bickered loudly, Tanjiro just laughed quietly and sat next to you, handing you the tray. “We really missed you.”
You smiled and looked around the room, your heart full.
“Yeah… I missed you guys too.”
You sat under the shade of a sakura tree in the garden, watching Zenitsu and Inosuke in the middle of another dramatic argument. Something about whose forehead was stronger. Or maybe it had escalated to who could eat more dango in one sitting. You weren’t sure anymore.
"You're cheating!! You stuffed three at once, you gluttonous pig!!"
“HAH?! Say that again, yellow hair!!”
Clink—crack.
A bowl shattered.
“...That was Aoi’s bowl,” you muttered, shaking your head. “They’re so dead.”
Tanjiro laughed beside you, his hand gently brushing yours on the grass. “They never change, huh?”
You turned to him. His smile was relaxed, the sunlight catching in his warm brown eyes, soft as always. For a second, you just stared, heart thudding a little too fast.
"Not even a little," you said. Then added teasingly, “Though I think Zenitsu’s gotten better at screaming. His lungs are terrifying.”
Tanjiro chuckled. “That’s true.”
A soft breeze rustled the trees, carrying with it the scent of spring and fresh grass. You glanced at the door to the estate—Nezuko was still inside, fast asleep in her box.
It was just the two of you now.
"...Thanks," he said quietly after a pause.
You looked at him, blinking. “For what?”
“For... everything. For protecting Rengoku-san. For being so brave. For always being with us. For... making me laugh.”
He gave a sheepish smile and rubbed the back of his neck. “I guess I just think about it a lot.”
Your throat felt tight for a second. The way he looked at you—it wasn’t loud or dramatic like Zenitsu, or competitive like Inosuke. It was just gentle.
“I’d do it again, you know,” you said. “For you guys. For you.”
He blinked, surprised, his cheeks beginning to tint that familiar soft pink.
“Oh. Um—Y/N—”
You reached out and brushed a fallen cherry blossom from his hair.
“Got it,” you said softly.
He stilled completely, eyes wide. His voice dropped to a whisper.
“Y/N...”
Before he could finish, a yell echoed across the garden:
“STOP PUTTING DAN-GO IN YOUR NOSE, INOSUKE!!”
You both jumped slightly before laughing, the moment broken but your hearts still racing. Tanjiro looked down, flustered, but smiling.
“Maybe… we can talk more later?” he asked.
You nodded, your voice light and honest.
“I’d like that.”
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