"I swear, Nezuko, if it weren't for your brother, I would have suffocated Agatsuma in his sleep," Yua complained to the demon girl.
They were in Nezuko's dimly lit room at the Butterfly Mansion, sitting on the bed. Like any other day since leaving the Wisteria Mansion, the older girl was combing the younger girl's hair.
Normally, Yua would sing, and Nezuko would hum along, but today, Yua felt the need to vent.
They had been at the Mansion for a week, getting treatment and rest after their battles at Mt. Natagumo.
Only Yua was ready to commit murder.
Zenitsu hated to take his medicine and any day (Any Day!) he whined about it like a little pussy.
That's why Yua had decided till it was time for their medication to take refuge in Nezuko's room.
Ema would come to pick her up when it was her turn for the medication, so she enjoyed the tranquillity of being with the demon girl.
Nezuko cooed and patted her head.
Yua sighed heavily and leaned her head back against the wall.
"I just can't take it anymore," she muttered. "Zenitsu's constant whining is driving me insane."
The Demon Girl continued her head pats, offering silent support.
Taking a deep breath to calm herself down, Yua continued, "I know he's scared and in pain, but so are we all. He needs to woman up and deal with it like the rest of us!"
Nezuko nodded in agreement, understanding the frustration that Yua was feeling. They both knew that they had to stay, yet it was becoming increasingly difficult with Zenitsu's constant complaints.
Closing her eyes, Yua took another deep breath, trying to calm herself down.
She knew that she couldn't let her anger get the best of her, especially if she wanted one day to be a respected Hashira. Hashira's stayed calm in any situation.
Sadly, Yua had anger issues, and she knows this.
Just...she was constantly pissed at anything!
It didn't help having a whiny crybaby around you when you were like this.
The midnight blue-haired beauty needed to work on her patience and anger management; however, it was difficult when Zenitsu was constantly pushing her buttons. The day they were healed up again and back in action couldn't come sooner!
For now, Yua would continue to seek solace in Nezuko's room, doing her best to keep her frustrations in check. Nezuko kept patting Yua's head, offering silent comfort.
This had to be enough.
Otherwise, Yua might just suffocate Zenitsu, and Tanjiro wouldn't stop her!
One sure way to end her career as a Demon Slayer and disappoint her grandfather. This would certainly surpass Uncle Noritaka's sudden disappearance! At least she would never have to see her grandfather's face again. The only ones she would miss are her father and the rest of her family.
And Nezuko.
Alright, also Tanjiro.
And even Inosuke.
Oh well.
There was a knock on the door, and Yua called for the person to come in.
"Hello, Ema-chan! Is it time for my medicine?" Yua greeted her with a smile, while Nezuko waved at the girl.
Ema held a glass in one hand and waved back at Nezuko with the other.
"You got it, Yua-nee," she replied, handing over the glass. Yua took her medication without hesitation.
"Yua-nee, Shinobu-sama is in your room with the boys. She wants to talk to you and them," Ema informed her.
"Alright, thanks for letting me know, Ema-chan."
With a sigh, Yua stood up from the bed and gave Nezuko a goodbye kiss on the forehead, which made the demon girl purr happily.
Taking Ema's little hand, they walked together to the patient's room.
As the little girl had said, there was the Insect Hashira in the room.
Did Yua want to know why Zenitsu hid behind Tanjiro?
No, probably not.
"Kocho-Sama.", Yua said, bowing. "Ema-Chan said you wanted to talk to us."
Shinobu turned with a smile to her. "Ah, good, Yua-Chan. I already asked Tanjiro-Kun and Inosuke-Kun. Do you think you are ready for rehabilitation training?"
Fucking finally!
Yua bowed again.
"Of course, Kocho-Sama. I can't wait for it."
(*)
Two weeks had passed since Yua, Tanjiro, and Inosuke started rehabilitation training. During the time his friends were away, Zenitsu mostly slept, or when his sparrow Chuntaro came to visit, he would talk to him.
"Yua-Senpai, Tanjiro and Inosuke were taken away by the Hashira, Lady Kochou, and started something called "Rehabilitation Training". Zenitsu told Chuntaro, who was sitting on his head. "Lady Shinobu's voice is totally unique. I don't think I've ever heard anything like it. It lacks regularity, and it scares me a little. But when she was treating the people who got turned into spiders, she sure seemed like a goddess. No wonder everyone ran to Lady Shinobu in tears. Not only that, but she's unbelievably cute! I bet she could make a living on her looks alone. So, this cute lady has taken Yua-Senpai Tanjiro and Inosuke to Rehabilitation Training to rebuild their stamina. And any minute now…"
The door of the patient's room opens.
First steps in Yua, who has her hair in two buns, looking tired, but in contrast to the half-dead Tanjiro and Inosuke, you could call her energetic and lively.
"...they'll be back in this kind of state."
"Welcome back, Yua-Senpai, Tanjiro, Inosuke!" Zenitsu greets them.
The only girl gives him a thumbs up before she crawls into her bed, falling asleep the moment her head lies on the pillow.
Her loud, unladylike snores accompanied Tanjiro and Inosuke hobbling to their beds.
"How did it go today?" Zenitsu asked while the other males lay down to sleep. "What happened? What's the matter? Hey…"
"Sorry." Tanjiro crooked out.
"Don't mind us.", Inosuke groans.
"You gotta tell me about it! I'll be joining you a little late starting tomorrow!", Zenitsu screamed nearly pissing his bed.
As an answer, Yua just snored louder.
After a good night's sleep, the midnight blue-haired beauty was ready to tackle rehabilitation training.
She was the only one in their group who acted normally. Tanjiro and Inosuke resembled the walking dead, while Zenitsu held tight to Tanjiro's shirt and mumbled how scared he was.
Yua would be lying if she didn't hope that rehabilitation training would reduce Zenitsu to a pathetic heap of a human being.
He deserved it for being such a constant headache in her life.
If she couldn't kill him, at least give her the satisfaction of seeing this.
Soon, they arrived at the room designated for rehabilitation training. Aoi was already there, accompanied by the four little girls who were sitting beside four futons. Kanao was perched at a small table.
The four Demon Slayers took their places in a seiza position before Aoi, waiting for instructions.
"All right, since you'll be joining us from today, Zenitsu, I'll explain the process again now.", Aoi began. "You'll start over there."
She pointed at Ema and her friends beside the futons, explaining after having been bedridden for so long, those girls would make their bodies limber again.
They demonstrated it on Inosuke, pulling his legs and arms, till he cried and landed in a heap on the floor.
Next up was reflex training with Kanao, and Tanjiro was the victim of this exercise.
On the table in front of them were cups filled with medicated water. The objective was to throw the medicated water at each other, but if your opponent blocks your cup before you can pick it up, you can't move that cup.
Needless to say, Tanjiro had no chance against Kanao and ended up soaked from head to toe after this demonstration.
"Last up, full-body training.", Aoi said with Kanao ot her side now. "In simpler terms, you'll be playing tag. You'll be up against me, Aoi, and Kanao over there."
"Excuse me. May I ask you something?" Zenitsu asked in an eerie voice.
Suprisend Yua raised an eyebrow at him. What was up now?
"Hm? Is there something that's not clear to you?" Aoi asked back.
Zenitsu simply gets up and walks toward the door.
Okay...?
"No, it's just… Come on,Tanjiro and Inosuke."
While Yua frowns, wondering what is going on in Zenitsu's head, the other two males don't move, which angers the blond-haired one.
All the girls, including Yua, wince at Zenitsu's screams as he drags his two friends outside, shouting.
They can clearly hear what Zenitsu's issue is.
He is upset with Tanjiro and Inosuke for leading him to believe that rehabilitation training was a nightmare. In his eyes, it's actually paradise—being surrounded by beautiful girls, touching them, and being touched by them.
Aoi left eye twitched, the little girls frowned, Kanao is blank-faced and Yua just crosses her arms and tells them: "I should have cut off his dick when I had the chance!"
After a few minutes, the boys returned.
Like the horny idiot he is, Zenistus giggles and lets himself be stretched by the four little girls like it's nothing.
He seems to be in heaven!
Yua makes a face, even though she, who is naturally more flexible than her male friends, has to stop herself from crying out in pain when she does it.
"That guy has what it takes.", Inosuke grumbles angrily. " I'm always fighting back tears from the pain, but he's laughing."
"That's what happens when you are a horny horndog, I bet he is a closet masochist.", Yua shares her own theory, of why Zenitsu can handle the stretching.
Tanjiro makes just a confused sound.
Next, Zenitsu will undergo reflex training with Aoi.
The pig-tailed girl reaches for a cup, but Zenitsu quickly covers her hand and pretends to throw a cup of water on her. Instead, he squeezes her hand gently.
"I would never splash tea on a girl.", he has the gall to say and are these sparkles around him?
Not only does Aoi make a disgusted face, but Yua isn't far behind.
"Horny bastard!", the midnight blue-haired girl mumbles.
After that, it's time for full-body training, also known as playing tag. Once again, it's Aoi against Zenitsu. He dashes around the room quickly before leaping at her and wrapping his arms around her chest.
"I win!"
For that, he gets smacked around by Aoi. Yua can't help but cackle, serves him right!
"I won the battle but lost the war!" Zenistus proclaims with bruises and wounds all over his face.
Once again, Yua grimaces. He must really be a masochist if even Aoi's strikes don't humble him!
Next up is Inosuke against Aoi.
Since he doesn't want to "lose" against Zenitsu, he managed to beat Aoi at anything.
"Boarhead, can you not be more gentle!" Yua scolds.
There are two extremes in this situation. Zenitsu sees himself as a divine gift to women, while Inosuke is indifferent to gender altogether.
Typically, Yua prefers a gender-neutral perspective, but she particularly cares for the girls in the Butterfly Mansion.
She dislikes witnessing them being treated poorly.
Anyway, now it's her turn.
She endures the stretching, can splash Aoi without problems, and catches her quickly.
"Good Yua-San, you are healing nicely," Aoi praises.
In turn, Yua just bows and thanks them for their help.
It's Tanjiro's turn next. He has no problem facing Aoi, but then it's time for them to compete against Kanao.
The boys are complete disasters and can't manage to beat her at anything.
Only Yua seems to be getting close to defeating Kanao.
During reflex training, Yua almost throws the medication at Kanao's face, but Kanao is still faster.
Later, when they play catch, Yua streaks her white cloak.
The seventeen-year-old girl chases Kanao all over the room, always just barely touching the Tsuguko of the Insect Hashira.
Our male Demon Slayer watches her in awe.
"Yua-Senpai is something else.", Zenitsu gushes with heart eyes. "She is so fast and elegant in her movements!"
"She still can't beat coat girl.", Inosuke points out, even if he has to admit that she does way better than any of them.
"She is a Kinoto and for four years, a Demon Slayer. It would have surprised me if she wasn't better than us at this.", Tanjiro reminds them, looking transfixed at how Yua gets closer and closer to catching Kanao.
He knows that "Moonlight Beauty" was a nickname created to mock her; however, the older girl truly is as beautiful as the moon. If he could, Tanjiro would gaze into her otherworldly grey eyes for hours and stroke her lovely midnight blue hair to his heart's content.
Hearing his own thoughts makes him blush, and he tries to push them away. Tanjiro knows he has a little crush on her. How could he not, especially when he can smell how kind and good she is? She hides behind a mask of roughness and toughness, but it only conceals how desperate and lost she truly feels.
She sings with an angelic voice, cares for Nezuko as if she were her own sister, and is gentle with the younger ones. Even with him and the boys, she is caring in her own way. Okay, she definitely has it out for Zenitsu, but he understands her perspective.
Zenitsu is a shameless flirt, even if he is a good soul.
However, he knew he couldn't let his crush develop further. He had sensed how Yua had panicked when he admitted during their last private conversation that if she relied on him, it wasn't a problem for him, and he wanted it.
If things went any further, it would only break his heart.
So, he decided to be content with just her friendship.
(*)
"Bunch of little pussies!", Yua cursed with her arms crossed as she walked back to their room with Tanjiro after another day of intense rehabilitation training.
"Yua-Senpai, I know you are angry at Inosuke and Zenitsu, I don't like it either that they don't come anymore to the rehabilitation training." Tanjiro agreed with her at that point. "But cursing them out like that, it's not very nice."
In answer, Yua snorted and fixed one of her buns.
"Look at all the fucks I give, Kamado. Look at them! There are none! You know what pissed me off? Not that they don't come, that they are demotivated, that they can't beat a girl! This is sexism plain in simple. If Kanao-San were a man, I bet with you they still would turn up."
"You really think so?"
"Their auras tell me this!" she shared with him and turned to the younger male with a raised eyebrow. "You don't smell it on them?"
"I don't think I would know what sexism is supposed to smell like.", he answered sheepishly.
"Well, anyway." Yua contined a bit disappointed and here she thought Tanjiro nose could do it. "I don't care anymore. Let them be weak and pathetic. I'll continue to work hard and become stronger than any of them."
Tanjiro nodded in agreement, understanding Yua's determination and drive to succeed. He admired her strength and resilience, even when faced with adversity.
"Master Tanjiro, Lady Yua?" Sumi suddenly called out to them.
The two Demon Slayers turned to see the four little girls from the Butterfly Mansion behind them.
"What's wrong, sweetie?" Yua asked gently.
The girls played shyly with their hands until Sumi and Ema stepped forward, each holding a towel.
"Here's a towel for you," they said in unison.
Yua and Tanjiro thanked them, which made all four girls happy smile, and wiped the seat of the day away from their faces.
"Um, Master Tanjiro, do you maintain the Total Concentration Breathing state around the clock?", Kiyo wondered curious.
Confused, Tanjiro looked at her, while Yua put a pointer finger on her lips. "Huh, I never asked him that, good point."
"No, I don't. I've never done that.", he answered Kiyo and turned then to Yua. "Is that even possible?"
The Kinoto nodded.
"I'm currently using it all day, every night, and around the clock," she told him with a little grin.
That shocked Tanjiro.
"WHAT?! Even just using that technique for a short time really takes its toll on me?! And now you tell me you use it all the time, Yua-Senpai?!"
Then something which had him wondering made sense to him.
"Is that why you could bet Kanao-San today in rehabilitation training?!"
"Uhm, yeah."
"Why didn't you tell us this sooner?!"
"It never came up," Yua shrugged nonchalantly as Tanjiro's soul left his body. He was in utter disbelief.
"All of the Hashiras, Miss Kanao and old Demon Slayer families like the Mochizuki can do it!" Sumi piped up.
"Please work hard at it!" the four little girls pleaded.
"I think we broke him, girls." Yua laughed and fawned over Tanjiro with her towel. "That was too much for him."
This made the four little girls giggle cutely, which made Tanjiro's soul come back.
"Alright. Thanks! I'll give it a try!" the red-haired boy swore.
(*)
The next day, Zenitsu and Inosuke refused rehabilitation training again; in turn, Yua called them sexist pigs as she walked out the door with Tanjiro to go there.
After they finished, they both walked out to the courtyard of the Butterfly Mansion. Yua stood before Tanjiro with her hands on her hips as he looked at her determinedly.
"Alright, since you have asked nicely, I will teach you how to use the Total Concentration Breathing," Yua said.
The red-haired boy bowed in thanks. "I'm really thankful, Yua-Senpai!"
"Don't mention it. Also, first, show me how long you can do Total Concentration Breathing. I need to see what I'm working with."
Tanjiro nodded and did as told.
While he did it, Yua counted the seconds. He was going good for five minutes, then it started to go downhill from here.
The boy had the feeling his lungs would explode and collapse in one. It hurt so much, it made Tanjiro feel faint. His body nearly met the ground, but thankfully, Yua was there to catch him.
"Okay, I will be honest, that was really weak," Yua told dryly. "Even my little cousin Hikari can do it for 10 minutes without problems, and she is four!"
From Tanjiro came only a pathetic sound as he lay there in her embrace, his head cushioned by her soft breasts. If he could, he would blush, but he was too out of it.
The midnight blue-haired girl shook her head and patted his head awkwardly. "There, there. I will get you there."
She would be lying if having Tanjiro's face on her breasts didn't make her feel things. Never had she been so close to a boy, especially one who made her feel emotions she tried her hardest to ignore.
Unknown to them, the four little girls, Kiyo, Naho, Sumi and Ema, were watching them.
"It's so cute that Master Tanjiro is shorter than Lady Yua.", Sumi whispered.
"He looks like a baby, adorable!" Naho agreed.
"They two look good together.", Kiyo said.
"They look like two pieces of a puzzle!" Ema gushed. "Like Yin and Yang in person."
"We need to get them together!" all four of them agreed.
The little matchmakers decide to bring their new favourite couple-to-be some food and snacks since they worked so hard every day.
(*)
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