♪───Ｏ（≧∇≦）Ｏ────♪
You didn't have time to give yourself a vibe check after your check up with Aoi, a Kakushi had come to you with a sword-smith and a handful of different ores.
Before the Kakushi left for the village, they were told to bring a swordsmith who spoke English, or a sword-smith who spoke the most English.
His name was Eno Gerik (Or Gerik Eno for the Americans like yourself), and he was such a sweetheart! He was blonde, he didn't bother wearing a cover for his hair. He also had a normal clown mask similar to the one Haganezuka had in the anime.
You had a feeling that Gerik will be staying in your life forever.
You think Inosuke just left to take a bath, his boar's hide was still here in the room. Zenitsu and Tanjiro watched quietly from the redhead's bed as the swordsmith sat next to your bed on a stool.
He had laid out 6 different ores in front of you on a red cloth, 3 in a row on top, and 3 more on the bottom. Tanjiro and Zenitsu wanted to help you choose the best one, but of course, you needed to do this yourself.
You hum an impromptu song as you look over each rock in front of you.
You're sure that the rock is surrounding the ore the sword-smith will be using, part of you just wanted to pick the largest one, but you knew better than that.
You absentmindedly brought your fist into your hand, popping your fingers and knuckles with a loud, disturbing pop. Tanjiro flinched, and Zenitsu jumped.
You did the same with your other hand. It got the same reaction.
You picked the fourth ore, it felt heavy, and the rock surrounding the ore was pretty thin, crusting off with the slightest touch. You threw it up and down slightly in your hand, you can see a sliver of gold and silver underneath.
You look at the sword-smith and hand him the rock.
"I have a request."
"And what is it?" The sword-smith asks, taking the ore.
"I... I think I'm more skilled in hand-to-hand combat, but I haven't gotten the opportunity to practice much, but I think I'll do better with melee weapons," You furrow your eyebrows together, "I have a lot of upper body strength, and my leg muscles are pretty strong. I was a Pole Vaulter for 3 years, too, so that might have something to do with it."
"A Pole Vaulter?" Gerik asks.
"Yeah, it's basically using a long, flexible pole as an aid to jump over a bar. The highest I managed to get was about 5 meters off the ground." You nod, "To be a Pole Vaulter, you need to have a high degree of coordination, timing, speed, and you need to be really good at gymnastics too."
You refuse to mention the amount of mobility you gained from committing crimes back in the day.
"That's quite impressive," Gerik nods in amazement.
Gerik began putting the other ores into a separate bag while the one you had chosen was kept out for another bag, "To vault yourself off the ground at that height, your upper body strength and agility must be incredible. So having a shorter blade other than a sword might be more beneficial for you. But also, you can probably maneuver a linger weapon with flexibility. Strong leg muscles can mean you are also light on your feet. So, you might be skilled in more than one style, so I will do my best to create a weapon that will be best suited for you."
You sigh in relief, "Ah! Thank you so much! I really appreciate you doing this more for me! If there's anything I can do, please let-"
"-You don't need to do anything in return, Mistress. I am useless without swordsmen like you, so really I should be thanking you." Gerik cuts you off.
"Well, I'm just as useless without sword-smiths like you as well. So really, you need me just as much as I need you. But still...all I did was pick out an ore, and you're doing the rest of the work." You frown, "I feel bad that I can't do more."
"If you really feel that passionate about it," The sword-smith stands up, "Then you will test out the weapons I will create for you, and tell me which one is the most compatible for you. The feedback will be more than enough repayment."
"Wait, 'weapons'?" You ask with wide eyes, "Y-You mean you'll make me more than one?"
"Yes," He looks at you through his clown mask before walking away towards the door, "I should be back in a few weeks. Have a good day, Mis-"
"-Excuse me, sir!" Tanjiro calls out to him, "Can you please wait a minute?"
You, Zenitsu, and Gerik look over to the redhead who suddenly got off the bed.
"What is it?" Gerik asks.
"I don't know English, and (Y/n) doesn't know Japanese. A-And I know this is inappropriate, but I really need to explain some things to her," Tanjiro drops to his knees and bows, "P-Please be our translater for a moment!"
You raise an eyebrow at Tanjiro, curious of what he wants.
"Were it not for the kind nature of (Y/n), I would have refused. But she is a sweet girl, so I hope whatever you have me say to her, will be nothing horrendous," Gerik nods before walking over to the stool he was previously sitting on.
Tanjiro smiles in relief as he stands back up, "Of course! Thank you so much!"
You furrow your eyebrows together in confusion, but you say nothing.
"What do you want me to say first?" Gerik asks as he sits down.
"Please tell her... 'I'm sorry I upset you during the meeting when I said I didn't want you to join. I'm just...I'm really scared you'll get hurt being a Demon Slayer. I don't want you to be in pain, and I just want you to be safe. You can take care of yourself I know, but I care about you and I don't want to see you get hurt'."
"Mistress," Gerik calls to you, "Kamado had asked me to tell you that he is sorry for hurting your feelings during the meeting. He's worried for your safety and he doesn't think he'll be able to handle seeing you get hurt. He cares a lot about you, and he only wants to see you happy."
Okay, so Gerik spiced up his words. So what? His wife is emotional, he knows what a woman wants to hear in moments of apologies.
You kind of deadpan, "Did he really just ask you to stay so you can translate for him?"
"Yes."
You sigh, "I'll keep it short then. 'Tanjiro, it's okay, I'm sorry I overreacted. But I wouldn't have chosen to become a Demon Slayer if I thought it would make me miserable. I was just scared you wanted to leave me behind'."
You sort of lied. You chose to stay in the Demon Slayer Corps because you felt unreasonably responsible for everyone. You wanted to help everyone survive. But you meant it when you said you were scared of being left behind.
"She apologizes in return if she had made you feel guilty. (L/n) says that it makes her happy being together with you as Demon Slayers. Though, she was afraid your reasoning in wanting her to not join was because you wanted to get rid of her." Gerik says.
Okay, so Gerik spiced up his words again. So what? He knew already that this boy was a sap for her, he just needs to speed up their relationship, and hopefully speed this up too. He wants to go home to his wife. She smells like cotton candy and he misses it.
Tanjiro's cheeks flush pink.
You... were happy being with him? Even if it meant being a Demon Slayer?
"I-I would never want to get rid of you!" He cries, "I really like you! A lot!"
Gerik opens his mouth to translate, but Tanjiro finally caught up to what he just said.
"-I-I-I-I mean, not like that! I-I meant like-like as a wife-" He stutters as he blushes furiously, "-I-I MEAN-You are very beautiful! A-And you're so kind and you smell so sweet-"
Zenitsu was staring at Tanjiro like if the redhead could be better than this (He really can't, Zenistu). You literally had no idea what was going on with him. Gerik raises an eyebrow from behind his clown mask.
"-N-Not that I just smell you or anything whenever I'm next to you because your scent is addictive! Because if that was the case, then that would mean I do it every time you were by my side! And you're always by my side! B-But I-I don't do that so-Oh Gods, why can't I stop talking-"
"-Tanjiro." You say softly, "What are you-"
"-I-I'm sorry! Is what I'm trying to say!" He shouts.
You just blink as he hides his face in his hands. Not like it did anything to hide his embarrassment, the tip of his ears were red.
".....Right... To sum it all up, he said that you mean a lot to him. So he is sorry for the misunderstanding." Gerik trails off.
Gerik decided to spare the boy and just say that. And he couldn't even understand half of what Tanjiro was saying anyway. He was stuttering so much and was talking too fast.
"Oh!" You smile at Tanjiro, "It's okay. I'm just glad we cleared this up, Tanjiro!"
"(L/n) is forgiving you. I did you the favor of not telling her everything you said," Gerik sighs and stands up, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I want to go home to my wife."
"Y... Yes... thank you again." Tanjiro mutters from his hands.
"I will be leaving now, Mistress," The sword-smith bows to you.
"Alright, please be safe. And thank you for this. Sorry for keeping you." You smile apologetically.
He nods before finally leaving you all.
You look over to see Zenitsu and Tanjiro staring at you.
You raised an eyebrow, the corner of your lip twitched up in amusement, "Can I help you?"
Zenitsu and Tanjiro blushed in embarrassment from being caught. They looked down at their lap, pulling out your phone that was hiding under the covers from when Gerik had arrived.
Aoi then walks into the room, "(Y/n)!"
You look up and smile. You had asked (You mimed for like 30 minutes) Aoi if you could start the training today since your injuries weren't preventing you from moving. Aoi complied, but she was going to have to keep a close eye on you.
Tanjiro watches you as you leave, and once you weren't in ear shot, he turned to Zenitsu: "When Inosuke comes back, there's something I need to tell you two. It's about (Y/n)."
——
The rehabilitation training was an actual living hell!
You were the only one to participate for today, which was actually better for you. You figured that if the boys were here, you'd feel embarrassed about not being as physically fit as them, and not being as great as them.
The 3 younger girls were constantly giving you encouragement and compliments, at least, you think so. They were always smiling at you and their tones were excited. It really encouraged you to try your best!
Aoi would try and give you constructive criticism, but you couldn't understand her, so she would physically show you how to improve, and you'd really appreciate it! You got the hang of adding her advice on your own, and you realized it really did help you out in the long run!
Kanao wouldn't talk to you though, she would only look at you with her smile. But you've seen enough pretenders to know that it was only for show. It's not like she was malicious towards you, or gave you the stink eye, she just made no effort to talk to you or emote to you. Not even flip her coin to decide whether to talk to you or not.
It hurt your feelings a bit, but you didn't hold it against her.
You understood where she came from, and what she's been through. But you were hoping to be friends with her. There weren't a lot of strong female representations in Demon Slayer, and Kanao was amazing on her own. You just needed to give her time, slowly but surely.
Your lungs were burning while training, though.
Technically, you were 16, but your breathing problems were telling you, you were 97.
You weren't used to all this, the training you did with the boys were more tamed compared to this. You had to request a break an hour in. You were in your sports bra and the pants they have given you, though you rolled your pants up as much as you could.
You were laying on the ground, stomach resting against the cool floor.
You were in a star shape position and it was fucking magical.
You hear the door open but you ignore who it was. You might pass out right here. The floor was so nice, so comforting, it reminds you of all those tantrums you would throw.
"Hello, (L/n)!" You hear a familiar voice call to you.
You roll yourself over, your body facing up. Shinobu leaned over you, greeting you with a smile, so you smiled back.
"Sup?" You raise an eyebrow.
She hums, "I have a message for you from Rengoku."
You furrow your eyebrows together at the only word you understood: "Rengoku...?"
"Yes, yes!" Shinobu giggles, "Though, I do wonder how I will be able to tell you so you can understand!"
You push yourself up to sit properly, wondering what she would want to tell you about the Flame Pillar. Maybe she just wanted to say he left for his mission today? But why would she even tell you that?
Shinobu's face brightens up.
She holds up her right index finger: "Rengoku!"
You nod for her to continue.
She makes the 'okay' sign with her left hand: "(L/n)!"
You nod, hesitantly.
Where... was this going?
She inserts her finger into the hole multiple times rapidly.
You balk at her suggestion, your face bursting into a red hue.
You turn your head away while covering your eyes, "Dude! What the hell?!"
Aoi blushes too: "Wh-What?!"
"Ah," Shinobu stops and looks at Aoi, "Rengoku has left for a mission this morning. He wanted me to give a message to (L/n) for him!"
"Well, what did he say?!"
——
"Before I leave, Kocho, I was wondering if you can do me a favor!" Rengoku smiles at the shorter woman.
"What is it, Rengoku?" Shinobu asks.
"I was hoping you can relay a message to (Y/n) for me!" Rengoku smiles passionately.
"'(Y/n)'? Already on a first name base with her?"
Rengoku laughs off his slight embarrassment, "Can you tell her, that once I get back from this mission, I will be expecting a passionate, intense, and intimate greeting! I hope she can put her words from yesterday to good use!"
"Passionate...? Intense...? Intimate...? Her words from yesterday...?" Shinobu blushes slightly at the implications, "O-Oh my! I...I-I don't know how I will tell her, none of us can speak English! But I will try my best."
——
"HE SAID THAT?!" Aoi was blushing hard.
Shinobu nods, "Yes, though I am very lost on how to tell her. I don't want her to be surprised when Rengoku makes a move, so I think we should try and tell her now."
"(L/n)," Shinobu calls to you.
You look up at her with a red face, "Yes?"
"Rengoku wants to have rough sex with you once he returns! Can you understand me?" Shinobu tries to annunciate her words.
Aoi sighs and hides her face. She would have never expected that from the Flame Pillar!
You shake your head slightly while shrugging your shoulders, "I-I don't understand..."
"Hmm..." Shinobu stands up straight, "This is a challenge. I wonder how Kamado and your other friends were able to communicate with you."
——
Shinobu and Aoi then spends the rest of your training hours trying to explain what Rengoku had wanted to say. It took a very long time for you to finally get it.
And for a moment, you thought Shinobu wanted a round with you.
You honestly wouldn't have minded, she was hot.
But then you realized why she was constantly saying the Flame Pillars name.
Ah... He wanted to...
You fainted from sheer embarrassment. Kanao had to carry you back to the hospital ward.
You were a useless virgin. But you can't be blamed!
This Greek God of a man with abs so fine you can grate cheese on them wanted to do the seggs with you!!
——
Tanjiro, Zenitsu and Inosuke were sitting on Tanjiro's bed, looking at your sleeping form that was brought in by Kanao. She didn't explain why you were knocked the fuck out, she only smiled at them and left.
Before she came in, though, Tanjiro had just finished explaining your situation to the blonde and the boar.
They were having a hard time processing what they had just learned about you.
You're from the future? And a different Universe?
Zenitsu's eyebrows were furrowed together in concentration. Inosuke had put his boars hide on, he didn't like feeling exposed where they can easily read the expression on his face.
It would explain a lot, but then.... that would just mean they couldn't just take you back to America. You were kind of stuck here forever now, weren't you?
They were all quiet, not really sure where to go from here, but then they heard the door open.
Lucky for them, Shinobu walked into the hospital bay and made her way to your bed where everyone else was gathered around.
"Are you all worried about her? She's okay, she just received some news and she fainted from embarrassment." Shinobu giggles.
None of them said anything.
"Ah, Kamado, I'm assuming you told them about (L/n)?" Shinobu asks quietly.
Zenitsu, Inosuke, and Tanjiro turned their gazes to the Pillar.
Tanjiro nods, "I did."
"I know how much this may be shocking to you two, Agatsuma, Hashibira," Shinobu starts.
"We can't even help her get back home," Zenitsu frowns, "Do you know how devastated she'll be when she realizes that too?"
"When we see someone who is precious to us in a hopeless situation, we'll always feel like we could've done more to help, but the reality is, we did the best we could. Even if there was something more we can do, we can't trouble ourselves if it'll hurt us in the long run too." Shinobu consoles, "But...I imagine (L/n)'s been aware of this for a while."
"But...aren't we just useless then?" Zenitsu mutters, "We can't even-"
"-You're not responsible for anyone's happiness but your own. There's only so much you can do for someone without hurting yourself in the process." Shinobu smiles, "You can't help anyone if you can't help yourself first. You all need to take this one step at a time. You three can start helping her by learning more English when you can."
Shinobu makes her way across the room towards the door, "Dinner should be ready soon, so please wake her up."
Dinner? Was it that late already?
"Yes, thank you," Tanjiro replies.
Shinobut gives them one last smile before leaving the room.
Inosuke huffs before getting off the bed, "Well, wake her up then!"
"Ah, but she's sleeping..." Tanjiro mutters.
"She can go back to sleep after we eat," Zenitsu pouts, "She can't just sleep on an empty stomach just because you don't want to wake her up!"
"But, she looks so peaceful!"
"All sleeping creatures look peaceful!" Inosuke shouts, "Just wake her up!"
"But-"
"But nothing! Just-"
"-Can you talk any louder?!"
They all jumped and shouted in surprise at your voice, turning their focus on you.
You had propped yourself up to sit up properly. Glaring at them with a heated gaze. The glare fell after like a second and you smile before getting off the bed.
Bad idea.
You got off the bed too quickly, causing your knees and ribs to ache in protest. You shout in pain, clutching your sides as you hunched over.
"(Y/n)!" Zenitsu cries.
You were about to ask why he was crying, but you never got the chance when he suddenly hugged you.
You furrow your eyebrows before hugging him back, confused: "You good-"
"AHHHH! I'M SORRY I'M NOT SMART ENOUGH TO LEARN ENGLISH FASTER!" He sobs loudly, "BUT I PROMISE I'LL START TRYING A LOT MORE SO WE CAN FINALLY TALK TO EACH OTHER AND YOU WON'T HAVE TO BE SAD ANY-"
"Zenitsu!" You pull him back to look at him in the eyes in concern.
You started to move his face slightly to the sides, trying to see if he had any injuries you were blind to: "Why are you crying? What happened? What's wrong? Was it Inosuke? Do I need to kick Inosuke's ass?"
"Hah?! What are you saying my name for?!" Inosuke blew steam out of the boar's nostrils, "You wanna fight?!"
You'll never understand how he does that.
"Bro, why y'all screamin' and crying?!" You ask frantically.
"Inosuke! She's not trying to fight you!" Zenitsu tries to reason.
"Well, (B/n)'s definitely not saying she-"
"It's (Y/n)! You idiot!" You curse in frustration.
"WHAT DID YOU SAYYYYY?!"
Zenitsu start cackling, "HAHAHA! YOU WERE THE ONE WHO TAUGHT HER THAT! IT TOTALLY BACKFIRED!"
"YOU WANNA FIGHT, MONITSU AND (B/N)?!"
"IT'S (Y/N)!"
"IT'S ZENITSU-"
"Um, guys-"
"-WHAT?!"
"-WHAT?!"
"-WHAT?!"
Tanjiro was suddenly met with the heated gazes of Zenitsu, Inosuke, and you.
He smiles timidly, pointing past them: "The food is here..."
You all snapped your heads to where he was pointing at. Sumi, Kiyo, Naho, and Aoi were staring at you guys as if they had given up all hope for your future.
You grin, then usher Inosuke, Tanjiro, and Zenitsu to sit on their beds. Once they did, you helped out the girls to give the three boys their trays of food. You made sure they were all set before sitting yourself down at the foot of your bed against the wall.
Tanjiro smiles before getting up with his tray. He walks to your bed and sits himself down close next to you. You sigh through your nose before giving him a smile.
"Oh, you think just because you think she smells good and wanna marry her, you get to keep her to yourself?!" Zenitsu cries.
Tanjiro blushes red and tries to explain himself, but Zenitsu was already off his bed and making his way towards you two with his food. Zenitsu puts his tray down and climbs up on your bed, sitting next to Tanjiro.
"Huh?! You think you can just leave me out?!" Inosuke shouts.
"Weren't you the one who said it was pointless to eat together?!" Zenitsu argues.
Inosuke threw off his mask and took his tray. He stood up on his bed before jumping to Tanjiro's bed, then onto yours.
You three shout in surprise when the bed bounced from the sudden weight. Inosuke grinned before sitting next to Zenitsu, ignoring Zenitsu's face of displeasure.
You laugh at their antics before shaking your head.
"Thank you for the meal." Tanjiro and Zenitsu say in unison.
You and Inosuke didn't pray, but you actually waited for the two of them before you started to eat.
You couldn't help but feel a bit sad, though.
You knew that after the Infinite Train Arc, it was all just downhill from here.
You were convinced Gotogue was a sadist. Like, yeah, okay, it made one hell of a story. But it was just... so sad. You knew you couldn't save everyone, that was just a fleeting hope. But it doesn't mean you were going to not try.
The best you can do for right now, was save Kyojuro.
You blush, remembering what Kyojuro did after the trial with Tanjiro.
HE GAVE YOU "LET ME FUCK YOU" EYES! AND HE HELD YOUR CHIN!! AND BRUSHED YOUR HAIR AWAY FROM YOUR FACE!!! THEN SHINOBU TELLS YOU HE WANTS SOME FUCK WHEN HE SEES YOU AGAIN!!!!
DID THAT APPLY WHEN YOU GO TO THE TRAIN?!?!
WAS HE GOING TO FUCK YOU ON THE TRAIN OR WHAT?!?!?!
OH GOD, WERE YOU EVEN READY TO GET ABSOLUTELY RAWED ON THE TRAIN?!?!?!?!
You were only 16 and a half! Sure, this was the Taisho Era, but you were a virgin child who's only experience was hardcore masturbation!
Kyojuro was totally going to rock your fucking world, wasn't he?!?!
So first, your scent and sound was sad. And it worried Zenitsu and Tanjiro. Then you got horny. Then you got flustered! Then you were panicking! Now you were horny again!
What the hell were you thinking about while eating?!