"Give me your hand."
You were jolted at the sudden voice calling out to you in the midst of your train of thoughts. Looking up, your eyes surprisingly met with a pair of emerald-colored ones. Similar to how rare the actual emerald stones are that you read about in the books, it's not often that you get to see Inosuke without his mask on.
Has he been awake this whole time? It can't be helped if he was struggling to fall asleep. He literally took a longer nap than usual today and was fully awake as dinner was served.
Still, you were a bit bewildered by his sudden words just now. Why would he ask for you to reach out one of your hands in the first place?
Unless..
'No.. He couldn't have possibly noticed. Not even Tanjirou-san nor Zenitsu-san even brought it up earlier..'
"What.. Is it, Inosuke-san?" You asked while looking away for a moment. The tension building up between you two didn't quite help at all.
Inosuke didn't specify which hands he asked you to extend, so being cautious of your little "secret" possibly getting caught, you extended your left hand instead without a second thought.
"There's nothing wrong with my hand.. See?"
You subconsciously lower your voice, waving your uninjured hand as if it'll somehow work to convince the person in front of you.
However, Inosuke was not having it one bit.
"Oi (M/N), don't mess with me. Your other hand, damn it! Show me!"
It didn't take a minute for Inosuke to briskly stomp his way towards you, not letting you react in time as he was quick to catch your other hand that you tried to hide behind your figure. You could only yelped in response, roughly getting dragged closer towards him.
..What Tanjirou said back then was practically right. Inosuke's facial features does look quite petite when seen from this up-close.
His action just now startled you, making you unable to form proper words as your mouth went agape slightly because of the close range.
"Hah! SEE!? I was right!"
He pointed at the scar that was left on your right hand. It was simply from when you were preparing dinner with Hisa, but thanks to your recklessness, it was an accident that even made the old lady surprised herself.
At first glance, it may seem like nothing major for some people, but it was quite the frightening experience for you.
You couldn't just easily brush off the sickening feeling growing in your stomach. In truth, even now and then, it's a fact that you're still afraid of getting a little too close to any flame sources. The flaming red hues and fiery sensation are things that you never wanted to get too close to, and that warmth emitting from it never truly gave you the comfort a normal person would've normally felt, at least not anymore.
But obviously, it was close to impossible to avoid everything that's related to using a fire, especially when you were a traveling merchant with only a minimal amount of resources to use for your daily necessities. Sooner or later, you're bound to have to cook and prepare something yourself, especially back when you didn't have the money to even purchase a bowl of ramen from a street vendor.
That's why you offered Hisa to help without a second thought; you assumed that you already overcame your fear long ago. You assumed that everything around you is gradually becoming even more.. Approachable, what with after meeting several new acquaintances from the past month or so.
It was a nice thought to think about, knowing how far you've come up until this point. One might even say that it somewhat left a hint of warmth in place of the heat from an actual fire.
But now.. You might just have to think twice before coming to a conclusion about yourself. Were you really able to overcome your fear in the first place?
If so, what was it that made your body tremble from the moment you accidently burnt your hand? It was just a simple accident that even most children can handle, yet why were you so stunned from it?
Sometimes it's hard to understand what your own heart is trying to tell you, and it hurts knowing that you're still afraid of something that you thought you overcame long ago.
The infinite thoughts and questions that kept overlapping with one another is driving you insane the more you ask yourself about it—just what do you even plan to achieve from asking them in the first place?
Maybe.. You were just afraid of getting those horrible nightmares back. Maybe you were just scared of your companions finding out the truth; scared of failing to overcome it in time; scared of being a coward and couldn't face your problems properly; scared of–
"Idiot! You could've just told me earlier!"
Huh?
That grumpy yet loud voice rang inside your head, quick to turn your attention away from getting yourself consumed by your own negative thoughts. Inosuke rolled his eyes seeing your dumbfounded look, slightly pouting before he continues his words.
"It's the boss' duty to look after his underlings!" he exclaimed, not releasing his grip just yet. "Didn't I tell you once that you're my number one underling?? If you need help, just say the word and I'll come for you!"
"Am I wrong!?"
He inched closer towards your face, slightly taken you aback by his sudden outburst especially in the middle of the night like this. It was all beginning to go silent once more, and the fluorescent lighting upon the place was not too dark, but not too bright either. Inosuke's eyes at this point were practically as if they emitted a fine glow, given how bright they seemed to you when you look at them closely in this distance.
There was also a hint of determination hidden behind those emerald colors that followed his words just now.
But.. Was the place truly become quite given how his heartbeat became faster seeing your dumbfounded look this up-close? This feeling in and of itself is still unfamiliar for him, but maybe it was just simply coming from his anger from the fact that you didn't rely on him more—your own boss! If you were to get hurt, he'd be the one to blame for not being capable enough to look after you!
Yeah, that must be it!
"..Well, I AM the great Inosuke-sama! So, I'm never wrong even without hearing your answer."
Noticing that the surroundings have become too quite, Inosuke quickly move away before roughly releasing your hand. He also abruptly release an annoyed sigh, putting his mask that he put away earlier back onto his head before stepping away to head back inside.
"..Pfft!"
And yet he quickly turn around once more.
"HUH?! DID YOU JUST LAUGH AT ME?"
It honestly took you a few seconds to process what had happened. However, Inosuke's actions were so sudden that you just couldn't help it.
You're not sure yourself whether he was genuine saying it, or all of that just now was just because he wanted to be praised more for caring about his 'underling'. The latter was most likely his true intention, given his overall nature to begin with.
Even so, you did wonder for a second why did his words left a somewhat sense of.. Secure? What was the exact reason for you to feel this way, though?
Nonetheless, you were flattered by him, but it's hard to express your gratitude towards him who took the liberty to attempt to make you feel better. The atmosphere has definitely become even more lively compared to when you were alone moments ago.
But, did you really have to giggle out of all the other replies you could've given to him?
Still.. Even if there is the smallest chance that he was truly genuine with his words..
..That thought in itself manage to leave a tiny smile upon your lips.
"...Thank you, Inosuke-san. Not to worry, though, Hisa-san had already took care of this scar for me, so let's hope it'll get better soon."
You then took a few steps closer towards him so that you two could stand side by side.
"Come on, let's get inside. It's getting pretty cold out here," with that being said, you could somehow already tell that Inosuke is now giving you a dumbfounded look even with his mask on.
"Hmph. This is nothing! I'm already used to this coldness even without my clothes on!"
"Right, right. But it's even better to not get sick because of it, otherwise you won't be able to defeat demons if you catch a cold."
"How dare you underestimate ME! I'll show you just how strong I am even when I'm sick!! Just shut up and take care of that scar of yours first!"
Well.. Even with the difference in both of your status—as a 'boss' and 'underling'.. Your steps seem to be in sync tonight.
—————
Inosuke was caught up by his own thoughts to the point of not realizing his surroundings. The demon child was gone out of sight—nowhere to be found. Not long after, he stare blankly at the bandages wrapped neatly around one of his arms. The girl who helped him replace his bandages whenever the doctor couldn't come for their weekly check-ups has always been like this; neat yet simple.
He just has to ponder why that girl has always seem to want to take care of him, even if he outright refused her treatment several times already. Inosuke doesn't like the overall affection, obviously. He felt like he was being underestimated, and even more so while being cared for by a girl like her.
Why can't she just leave him alone? He lived in the mountains for so many years, and even without her presence back then, he can still survive all by himself! Heck, Inosuke was able to survive the Final Selection just from using two stolen swords and breathing forms that he created himself! Doesn't that add the more reason for her to leave him alone??
Inosuke has always claim himself as the 'boss' or the 'king'—whatever he felt like being called at the moment—who have found his own underlings under the names that he kept wrongly mention, as if only once in a blue moon that he's able to say them correctly out loud.
Knowing that he now plays the role of a boss (obviously the strongest one out of them all), he becomes even more confident with his own strength. That's why he kept on trying to persuade them into having a duel with him. His underlings should've been grateful that they were given the chance directly from the boss himself!
The feel of being able to 'boss around' your own underlings is great. Definitely! That euphoria of knowing that you won't be practicing your swordsmanships alone and you can even fight against your own underlings is what drives Inosuke to keep on pushing forward to become even stronger. Plus, they were not some of the weak ones he'd thought they all were.
Maybe.. Even her. He had to admit.
Finally being able to stand up, he quickly turn his head left and right, preparing himself before dashing forward to continue his search for his missing underling.
How was it all again? Inosuke vaguely remember the first time they actually met, as all he could only remember is that his head and abdomen was throbbing in so much pain that he didn't even bother to focus on anything else, except maybe fighting demons and getting out of that mansion.
Burying those damn corpses was a lot of work to do, though, but the great Inosuke-sama can always pull the tasks off. He accepted the challenge from his soon-to-be underlings anyway because it pisses him off with how the two of them seemed like they're underestimating his strength. The girl herself was one of the two, along with that other red-haired boy.
The yellow one? He looks meek to him, so Inosuke doesn't pay much attention back then.
Perhaps that's where it all started. She kept on insisting for him to stay put and rest, not realizing that she 'destroyed' his pride as the strongest fighter among them all. But, Inosuke knew what was her true intentions already, so her act of kindness won't work. Nope! He just knew that she was Gonpachiro's accomplice. They might even have planned something else for him because they're jealous of his strength and wanted to take him down. Fortunately, Inosuke was too smart to be fooled that easily. In the end, he even managed to take the role as their boss later on!
He expected nothing less from himself!
The slightest amount of praise or anything won't affect him, or rather, they've never affected him at all. Especially not coming from a girl like her.
"Then, what about you.. Inosuke.. san?"
It would take more than a single honorific for him to let his guard down. But, perhaps he'll do it, just this once. She is one of his underlings now, and he wouldn't be a good kind of boss if he were to keep on staying cautious towards her. Plus, he can tell that she's just trying to get used to call his name, might as well let her call him by his first name from then on.
Although, he once wondered why it gradually became an odd situation whenever he's not able to find her anywhere.
Well, Inosuke is a caring boss, after all. These feelings are probably just him being a good boss worrying about one of his underlings. It's completely reasonable that he looked forward to the girl bringing in his food for dinner, because that's what every servants must do in the first place; to faithfully serve their king.
His worries eventually did prove to be right after all! If he didn't confront her about the scar she got, then it would just make him look like he didn't care about her at all—as his underling, of course. Inosuke wouldn't be able to repay the kindness he received every time she takes care of him if he turned out to not notice sooner.
Of course, Inosuke doesn't want his underlings to get weak at fighting, so he can't help but to ask himself after confronting her about her condition. Will her hand be all right? Would it bother her if another mission come up? Will it recover fast enough? Of course, the only reason he asked these questions was because it'll be a nuisance otherwise for him to have to protect her in the battlefield.
Though, if one would ask him, he doesn't think that she needs to be protected at all time after knowing her better. At least not in the battlefield, as he just knew that she's more than capable of fighting for herself.
But STILL, that didn't give her the right to hide everything from him, of all people! At least, he has as much rights to know about her well-being! What makes her think that hiding everything will solve her problems anyway?! Was she born stupid?? She should've just taken him as the proper example!
The more he thinks about it, the more it confuses and frustrates him. Inosuke doesn't even like to think in the first place!
But.. Then again, if it's about you..
..Then he might just have to.
And that is why from a single turn around the corner, Inosuke immediately halted his steps. Someone with the name he kept mispronounced—eventually becoming the first ever person that he ever wants to learn to pronounce her actual name correctly; someone who took the liberty to teach him how to read occasionally, pointing out his mistakes more often than not with the tenderness of her finger gliding across the pages they're trying to learn that day.
"If you can't handle the crowds that much, why don't we hold hands and stay close to each other? That way, we both won't get separated."
—
"Look, there's a fried food stall over there. Wanna come over, Inosuke-san? You love tempuras, don't you?"
—
"Hashibira.. Eh? Uh, w-why did you mix up my name with your surname??"
"What? Got a problem or something?!"
"I- Well, no..? And, yes..?? It's just that it came out of nowhere.. Is all.."
"Your surname's hard to read! It's easier like this."
"W-what kind of reasoning is that..? Here, let me just write it down in katakana for you instead. If you say something like that out loud, other people could get the wrong idea, you know? I don't want that to happen."
"AAAKH! YOU'RE TOO CLOSE! GET AWAY FROM ME!"
Someone who admitted to be a part of the Demon Slayer Corps, yet why was it that the one thing he noticed first-hand was that the surface of her palm felt comforting to the touch? Surely enough, years of training and improving her swordsmanships should've made her hands to be all rough and left a lot of bruise marks all over it. Did she casted a spell or something??
However, all questions aside, the girl that he saw to resemble a lifeless doll moments ago only stood there merely meters away from his position—yet now the only difference is that she's back with that familiar warm presence that made his heart feel all fuzzy as of late.
In fact, she's close.. She's there. You are there.
Following his earlier thoughts that haven't left his mind completely, for once, Inosuke failed to comprehend the situation. His words failed to form sentences, the moment his eyes laid upon your figure after what felt like an endless loop of going around in circles in the mere hope of finding one another.
"Inosuke.. san? I-is that–"
You spoke in between your rapid breathing. Your eyes were dim under the narrow hallway, yet he could tell that they weren't as lifeless as the ones from the illusion that took your form a while ago.
Underneath the boar mask he always kept on, Inosuke was..
..Relieved?
..And to hide it further from you, he didn't think twice before running up to you in a fast rate–
–and immediately ram his head against your figure.
-._-._-._- Tidbits -_.-_.-_.-
(1.) It wasn't that the other two didn't notice something was off about you, it's just that Inosuke was the first one who's bold enough to come up to you to confront about it.
__________ __________
~Here Ends Chapter 26 : His Number One Underling~
—
~Next Up - Chapter 27 : What's Worth A Bond to Keep~
————
(A/N) : I'm not going to come up with an excuse anymore ajshdhs, but I thought to myself that I might as well upload this. It's getting quite dusty here–
I kinda miss the old me who uploads consistently, but then again, I get easily burnt out, so as of now I'm trying to write in my own pace (although that could also mean I'll upload like, twice a year if I'm being nice lmao). Hopefully the quality of my writing improves with this new arrangement!
Surprisingly, as a book that went on hiatus for more than a year, we managed to reach 200k+ readers!! 🤧
I want to thank you all who stayed, and want to also express my deepest gratitude towards new readers who took your time to read this random fanfic you came across in this platform <3
Not sure when you'll be hearing more from me tho, or getting a new update soon at that. But, all I can say is, we're quite getting into something next time 🫢