Surprissseee!!
Double Update!
WARNING: Swearing
(edited as of 3/21/24)
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Weeks had passed since you and Tanjirou forged forwards on a path of pure torture—of beginning your training for Total Concentration Breathing Constant.
Unable to sleep, you sat atop the butterfly estate, reveling in the peacefulness beneath the flickering stars. You inhaled, the lingering scent of rain filling your nostrils.
Easiness washed over you, your eyes fluttering shut as you focused on your breaths.
Though, you couldn't help your mind from wandering—it were as if your thoughts were in a constant state of activity.
'Damn.. I'm actually getting the hand of this! For once, I'm not falling behind..'
You tilted your head upwards, opening your airway.
'Breathe slowly. Deeply. Let the air encircle my body.'
You weren't one to mediate—you were far too hyper to do so. However, it seemed this time was an exception.
'Meditation increases your concentration level, I think? I'm pretty sure Dad said that.. but, I don't really remember.'
You exhaled deeply, your cool breath weighing heavy. It ever so slightly fogged in the air due to the chilliness.
One way or another, you had pictured Haganezuka giving you your sword. You weren't sure how your mind had wandered that far, but a sense of guilt rang in your chest.
'God. I feel like a fool. He went through all the work of making me a sword, and it just.. never changed. No wonder why the guy hates me.'
'I'd hate myself, too.'
With the self-deprecating distractions of your mind, you quickly lost the rhythm of your breaths. You choked, sharply inhaling.
'Shit, focus! Focus on your damn breaths!'
"Hello there!", A familiar voice chirped, breaking you out of the cages your mind had locked you in. You snapped your eyes open in an instant, flinching.
Startled, you turned to the feminine voice, surprise washing over you as you came face to face with Shinobu. You blinked, unable to form words as you stared.
"You're trying hard out here. Even though your friends are resting right now..."
You swallowed, finally gaining control of your thoughts, "Oh— ah, hi, Shinobu. I couldn't sleep. You almost made me pee my pants, haha.."
In turn, Shinobu chuckled, sitting down next to you, "I can see that! I apologize. Though, I can't help but wonder, are you lonely by yourself? Being here alone, and all?"
Taking a moment to ponder, your expression softened, "Sometimes. But, even though Tanjirou and I are doing this by ourselves, it motivates me when thinking about how I can teach everybody else."
She smiled, nodding, "You have a kind soul, (Y/N)."
'Do I, really?'
A silence that teetered on the line of comfort and tense engulfed you both. Unable to handle the silence for any moment longer, you spoke up, "Hey.. why did you even bring us to your estate?"
Shinobu ever so slightly turned her head to you, "Everyone officially recognized Nezuko's existence. Plus, you were all extremely injured. Also, I'd be lying if I said that you and your... abilities didn't intrigue me."
Her words faltered, just before she confidently stated, "And then.. I wanted to entrust my dream in you."
You widened your eyes.
'Shit, shit shit! She's supposed to be saying this to Tanjirou, what the hell do I have to do with it?! Fuck!!'
"A dream? But.. why in me?"
"My dream is to get along with demons. I'm sure you can do it. As for why; well.. you seem like a driven and determined young woman.", Shinobu softly spoke.
You reeled your mind for any key details you'd been missing in the specific scene that you were now living out.
Turning to Shinobu, you reluctantly questioned, "Are you.. angry, Shinobu?"
She stilled, her mask of an expression falling—her lips parting in complete shock.
"I'm able to easily read other's emotions", you scrambled, hoping to sell the lie, "Even though you're smiling all the time, I can't help but notice that you're angry."
Seeming to process your words, Shinobu looked forwards—as if she were ashamed for being found out, "I—I guess so. I might usually be angry. From the moment my beloved big sister got slaughtered by demons, every time I saw the tears of the people whose loved ones got taken away by demons, every time I hear shrieks of despair.. the anger inside me grows larger."
You stayed silent, allowing her to speak her truths, "I have repulsive feelings that I can't help. I'm sure... the other pillars can relate. You see, my sister.. she was a kind person like you. She sympathized with demons and humans, despite their differences."
"I could never think that. Having pity on those who have killed innocent people? That's crazy talk. But... if it's how my sister, Kanae, felt.. I must follow in her footsteps. If there is a way to end all this, without killing anything else, I must continue to think about it. I will not let the smile, which my sister said she loved, burn out."
You allowed a brief pause of silence to settle, before adding, "But it's just.. a little tiring, isn't it?"
Surprised, Shinobu abruptly turned to you, falling silent as she awaited for you to continue.
"I.. know how it feels—to try and convince yourself to think everything's okay, even if you're not whatsoever. I.. I'm actually in a similar situation."
Thinking back on your treasured twin, you subconsciously cracked a smile, "I haven't seen my twin brother in years. We were separated. I try to act like it doesn't affect me; that I'm fine. But I'm not. I know it's unhealthy, but I can't help it."
"But.. I like to think if he were here, he'd tell me off for getting in my head about it. I'd like to think he'd console me—say that it's okay to not feel okay. And.. I'm sure your sister, Kanae, would say the same."
You turned to Shinobu, meeting her watchful gaze, "If your sister truly cared for you—which I can positively say she did—she'd want you to act how you truly feel."
She seemed to fully take in your words, surprised at your sudden act of wisdom. Her eyes softened, "I.. thank you, (Y/N). Your words mean more than you could know."
She then reached in her haori pocket, "Before I forget, I came here to give you something," she handed you a scroll, "I'd been delivered this a few months ago, by an owl. It's written in English. I can't understand much writing, but I made out your name."
You paused, your heart dropping.
'That's.. holy shit, I think that's Eli's letter! It's what Mr. Owl said, before Natagumo Mountain..!'
You nervously opened the scroll, swallowing with anticipation.
'Dear, (Y/N)—AKA Moron,
Seriously? Could you be any more of a klutz? Honestly, it's concerning enough that I'm not even that surprised—more concerning than all your broken ribs.
Anyways, grumpy pants and I have been hanging in there. I—obviously—have been carrying the missions! My back hurts from coming in clutch.
I basically seduce the demons with my good looks—yeah, I know. Impressive, no need to worship me.
We just finished a mission, and we're taking a short break in this bummy wisteria house in a... city, somewhere. Okay—I have no clue where the hell we are, but.. whatever.
It doesn't help that Sōta is the most boring guy to ever exist. He won't even entertain me in this shitty, run down wisteria house. It's practically snooze city.
Jokes aside, be careful. I don't want you to get your ass whooped indefinitely—living without you seems like a nightmare. And.. try not to stress yourself out too much.
I'll hopefully catch up with you soon, but until then.. smell ya later!
With tons of farts,
Hugh Jass.'
Without realizing, your lips had curved into a wide, toothy smile. You slowly closed the scroll, chuckling beneath your breath, "Thank you, Hugh told me he had sent me a letter, but I never received it."
You turned to Shinobu, "I guess you had it the whole time, haha! His owl isn't the smartest companion bird out there.."
Returning the smile, Shinobu hummed, "Anytime! I should be on my way now. Please do your best, (Y/N). When I imagine you doing your best in my stead, I feel relieved.. it makes me feel much better."
With that, she left without a single additional word.
You grasped the letter tightly within your palm, "..I'll do my best, no matter what."
『✦』
The days following your conversation with Shinobu had seemed to flash by in a blur—you'd gotten completely caught up with training.
Then, despite trying to convince Tanjirou otherwise, he presented futon beaters to the triplets.
You had begged and pleaded with Tanjirou not to do so—not to put either of you through the torture, but it was futile.
"We want you to help us with our training! If either of us stop doing Total Concentration Breathing Constant, beat us hard with these, please!", Tanjirou confidently spoke.
In turn, the triplets accepted the peculiar request.
And so, began the nights of absolute terror.
Both of you were overwhelmed with pressure on your shoulders: if either of you messed up while sleeping, you'd both get beaten awake.
Bruises and contusions littered your figures, and it wasn't before long that somebody noticed.
"What the hell happened to you guys?" Eli questioned one morning, just before your joint training with your companions.
"We slept horribly," Tanjirou started, sweat dropping.
"Oh really? That sucks. Not me though, stay safe."
And then, just when things seemed to appear hopeless after ten days, you and Tanjirou began to get the hang of it. The triplets presented your pair with intimidating, large gourds.
The size of the gourds only fueled your determination.
You each blew into the gourds, the cheers of the butterfly triplets echoing behind you.
"GO FOR IT, GO FOR IT, GO FOR IT!"
Finally, after all the raw, hard work you and Tanjirou had placed into your training, you each were able to shatter your gourds.
"IT BROKE!!" Tanjirou excitedly jumped and cheered, followed by the triplets.
Meanwhile, you had stared at the broken gourd in complete and utter disbelief, your mouth slightly agape.
It hadn't really felt real; you never expected to be able to pull it off.
You blinked, completely stunned, "We— I.. did it..? Huh..?"
'Maybe, I'm not so weak as I thought I was.'
Bittersweet tears trickled down your face as you cupped your cheeks with your hands, crying out, "I did it..! The training... holy shit, it paid off!!"
Blubbering to yourself, Tanjirou and the girls eventually took notice of your soft sobs. Shocked and caught off guard, Tanjirou frantically spluttered, "(Y-Y/N)?! WHAT'S WRONG?!"
Locking your gaze with Tanjirou, you broke into a run toward him, a wide smile taking over your features, "TANJIROU!! IT— HAHA!! IT BROKE!!"
Catching him off guard, you jumped into his arms, causing you each to fall to the ground, fits of giggles overtaking each of you.
It was comforting, able to celebrate such an important milestone. It offered a strange sense of hope for you—that you were more capable than you'd originally thought.
Bursting into overjoyed laughter, you yelled out as you pinned Tanjirou to the ground, "IT BROKE, IT BROKE, IT BROKE!! WE DID IT, TANJIROU!"
Tanjirou's eyes crinkled with laughter, "WE DID IT, (Y/N)!! THEY BROKE!"
Perhaps you'd gotten swept up within the moment, or maybe it was the fact that your emotions had peaked.
But you found yourself abruptly pulling Tanjirou in for a passionate kiss—cupping his cheeks within your hands.
Tanjirou quickly responded, snaking his hand across your nape and pulling you closer.
It was perfect. There was nowhere else you'd rather be—
"WAHH!! THEY KISSED, THEY KISSED!!"
And, never mind. You'd completely forgotten your audience.
You each pulled back, lovingly gazing into each other's eyes—not daring to break the intense eye contact.
"WHAT DO WE DO?!", Kiyo squealed.
"LET'S GO!! HURRY," Sumi shouted.
The trio frantically ran away, their footsteps gradually growing quieter the further they ran.
Heat rushed to your cheeks as you realized what had just happened. Breathless, you blurted, "I completely forgot they were there.."
Tanjirou's cheeks seemed to mimic yours: bright red and hot. Nonetheless, he let out a chuckle, "Me too."
『✦』
Now managing to successfully and constantly use Total Concentration Breathing, both you and Tanjirou were now able to properly challenge Kanao.
Everyone stood as spectators, watching as you dueled Kanao in the reflex training portion. Once each of you bid each other good luck, you awaited for Aoi to count you down.
However, you couldn't help but realize Kanao had refrained from using her coin to talk to you—strange.
"Okay, three.. two.. one, go!" Aoi announced.
Almost instantly, you each whipped your hands in every which way, constantly blocking each other repeatedly.
In the background, you were far too focused to make out your companions cheering for you.
You bit your lip, completely and utterly entranced on your main objective: to splash Kanao.
'Don't fuck up, don't fuck up!'
And then, it happened.
You had successfully pulled out one of the medicated teacups out without getting blocked. However, due to your excitement, you pumped your arm upwards instead of splashing Kanao.
"YES!!" You cheered.
In return, the teacup slipped out of your hand, and inevitably ended up drenching you within the stinky medicinal water.
Silence engulfed the room.
Until..
"PFFT— WHAT A GODDAMN IDIOT!" Eli laughed.
With your eyes widened, you whipped your head between Kanao and Aoi, "W-WAIT!! IT STILL COUNTS, RIGHT? RIGHT?!"
Stifling her laughter, Aoi nodded, placing a fist to her lips, "Yes— haha! Yes— pfft, it does! Pfft—!"
You excitedly shot to your feet, jumping up and down in celebration, despite being covered in medicinal water, "YES!! AHAHA!!"
Following the reflex training, the game of tag soon commenced. Now that you could finally chase Kanao without lagging behind, it proved it to be easier than you thought.
Kanao gracefully weaved and dodged at your attempts to capture her—just able to slip from your grasp each time.
Eventually, after a few minutes of relentlessly chasing her, you tightly grabbed ahold of her shoulder—ensuring not to grasp her too hard.
Following your trials, Tanjirou had been able to obtain the very same successful results as you.
With the two of you pulling it off, and officially completing your training, you pulled yourselves in for a celebratory hug. Even the triplets joined in, high-fiving the both of you.
This caused a harsh, rude awakening for the rest of your companions. Eli, Zenitsu, Inosuke and Sōta quickly sobered up to their lack of effort.
"Well, dammit.." Eli mumbled.
Able to perfect the technique, you and Tanjirou offered to help and teach everyone else on how to succeed.
"Basically, you perform Total Concentration Breathing to the point where your lungs wanna go: 'BOOM, BOOM!' And that's when you want to stop!" Tanjirou exclaimed.
You nodded along, "Exactly! Then after, you get a bit of an adrenaline rush that goes like: 'SHWOOO!' And then it feels like your heart goes: 'BANG!!'"
If it wasn't obvious, you each absolutely sucked at explanations. Tanjirou had begun to bang his fists in the air, while you waved your arms like they were cooked spaghetti noodles.
"Is... this supposed to help us? You guys suck at this," Eli bluntly said.
"Yeah, you guys really do suck at this," Sōta added.
Suddenly, Shinobu appeared behind you and Tanjirou, lightly grasping your shoulders, "These two understood the skills of Total Concentration Breathing Constant. By continuing to do it all day and night, your base stamina will rapidly increase."
She then offered an enthusiastic close-eyed smile, "And well, I call it basic, but it's a rudimentary technique! But to understand it, you need a considerable amount of effort!"
'No shit, you do.'
She first approached Inosuke, shaking her head as she crossed her arms, "It's only reasonable if you can do it. But if you can't.. there's nothing we can do about it. Nothing.."
It were as if a switched was flipped in Inosuke; all thanks to his competitive spirits, "HAH? OF COURSE, I COULD DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT! DON'T LOOK DOWN ON ME, I'LL RIP YOUR BREASTS OFF!!"
You spluttered, your eyes widening at Inosuke's obscene threat.
"Please do your best, Zenitsu! I'll be cheering for you the most," She feigned ignorance to Inosuke, instead trying to butter up Zenitsu.
"O-OKAY!!" Zenitsu blurted, attempting to cover up his heated cheeks.
Finally, she turned toward Eli and Sōta, "If you start training, I'll make sure your sensei, Tomoe stays far away from here! I know how much of a hassle she can be."
The two boys were immediately hooked.
Within nine days, after pulling all their shit together, they were able to succeed.
"WE DID IT, DAMMIT!!", Zenitsu cheered.
"I AM A MAN WHO GETS MORE CHEERS THAN ANYONE ELSE!" Inosuke boasted.
"WE DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT TOMOE-SENSEI!! HAHA!!" Sōta and Eli simultaneously, and relievedly exclaimed.
One thing was for sure, though: Shinobu was most definitely a better teacher compared to you and Tanjirou.
But hey, you got an A for effort, at least?
『✦』
"UNO, BITCH!" You exclaimed, slamming one of your last cards down.
In the Taisho Era, there were no such things as an 'Uno' deck of cards, and so: you and Eli had decided to teach everybody how to play with a regular deck.
Inosuke groaned, slamming a fist to the ground, "GAH!! YOU'RE CHEATING, (M/N)!! STOP CHEATING, STOP CHEATING!!"
You stuck out your tongue in retaliation as Zenitsu placed a card down, "Can somebody switch the color, already? This is my last red card.."
"You're not supposed to let us know, dumbass! How many times do I have to explain it to you?! Aren't you supposed to have supersonic hearing?!" Eli exasperatedly replied.
"I do!! Will you— god!! Stop shaming me, this is my first time playing this game!!" Zenitsu cried back.
Sōta snickered, glancing at Zenitsu's deck—his deck which was completely exposed, "Zenitsu has three greens, two blues and a yellow."
"H-HEY!! STOP IT!!", Zenitsu snapped, hugging his cards to his chest.
Tanjirou suddenly burst through the door to the room, excitedly calling out, "(Y/N), INOSUKE!! THEY SAID OUR NEWLY REFORGED NICHIRIN BLADES ARE COMING!! RIGHT NOW!"
You and Inosuke immediately perked up, snapping your heads Tanjirou's way.
"WAIT, REALLY?!" You joyously called.
"YOU SERIOUS?" Inosuke added.
Tanjirou nodded his head vigorously, "YEAH, I HEARD IT FROM TENNOUJI, MY CROW!"
As you and Inosuke frantically stood to your feet, Eli groaned, "Wait! What about the game?! You can't just—"
He deadpanned, watching as the three of you ran out of the room without regarding him, "They're already gone."
You, Tanjirou and Inosuke bounded through the halls of the Butterfly Estate—it was a surprise you hadn't gotten scolded by the roaming kakushi.
"HURRY UP, SLOWPOKES!" You impatiently yelled back, running ahead of the two.
"OKAY, OKAY!!" Tanjirou laughed out in return.
Meanwhile, Inosuke jumped into the air, "YAAHOOOO!!"
You and Tanjirou were the first to make it to the gates, and, after a bit of waiting, two figures could be seen in the distance. You both waved enthusiastically.
"WHAT'S UP, HAGANEZUKA!!"
"HEY, HEEYY!!"
Tanjirou then shouted, politely greeting the swordsmith, "IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME, HOW HAVE YOU.."
Tanjirou paused, blinking owlishly as he was able to make out Haganezuka drawing closer, a knife clenched furiously within his hand, "..BEEN.."
He immediately let out an alarmed scream, "GYAAAHH!! W-WHAATT!!"
Just before Haganezuka nicked Tanjirou, you tackled him out the way, grunting as you both hit the ground, "MOVE IT!"
You then angrily turned to the deranged swordsmith, "H—HAGANEZUKA, WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?! DO YOU HAVE BRAIN DAMAGE?!"
The man stalked over to the two of you, complete fury seeping from his words, "HOW DARE YOU BREAK MY BLADE," He then looked to you, "AND HOW DARE YOU SIMPLY LOSE IT?! DAMN YOU BOTH!!"
As Tanjirou stood to his feet once again, he nervously blurted, "I'M SORRY!! B-BUT ACTUALLY, I WAS GONNA DIE!! MY OPPONENT WAS SUPER STRONG.."
You stood up alongside him, chiming in, "ME TOO! I MEAN— I FORGOT TO PICK IT UP WHEN RUNNING FROM SHINOBU— BUT.. BUT I HAD THE SAME OPPONENT!! A TWELVE KIZUKI!"
Haganezuka aggressively poked your faces, "NO, LIKE THAT HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH IT! IT'S YOUR FAULTS! EVERYTHING IS BOTH YOUR FAULTS! THE BLADE WAS BROKEN, AND LOST, BECAUSE YOU'RE BOTH WEAKLINGS, THAT'S WHY!"
Finally, he furiously yelled, "I'LL KILL YOU BOTH!!"
And so, he began to chase the two of you around, a murderous aura seeping off of him.
Once his antics died down, you all had sat down to receive your new Nichirin swords.
Honestly, you weren't excited—not as excited as you were the first time. Because you knew that your blade wouldn't change color.
It'd serve as a reminder of your self-worth: that it was nothing; pointless.
Kanamori, Inosuke's swordsmith raised his hand, "Well, Haganezuka is a very passionate person... he loves blades more than anyone else."
You blinked, completely exasperated by Kanamori downplaying Haganezuka's behavior, "You're kidding, right? You call that passionate?! The man tried to murder us!"
"NOT A WORD, YOU USELESS, WEAK BRAT!!" Haganezuka snapped.
Kanamori cleared his throat, feigning ignorance to your statement, "Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Kanamori. I was told to forge the blades for Inosuke. I would be beyond happy if they were useful to him while in battle."
"Ahh.. they're beautiful. They glow with a dull indigo-grey tinge. It's a great color for a blade," He said, handing the swords to Inosuke.
"That's great! Inosuke's swords were extremely chipped, so it's good that he's able to start fresh!" Tanjirou enthusiastically smiled.
"What does it feel like to grip it? To be honest, this is the first time I've made blades for a dual wielder. It was a bit out of my comfort zone.. but I made it work," Kanamori asked, waiting in anticipation.
Without a word, Inosuke abruptly stood to his feet before jumping off of the engawa. Kneeling down, he picked up a nearby rock, before he began to smash it into his swords—chipping them purposefully.
"Alright, now we're talkin'!!" Inosuke proudly exclaimed, holding his blades up while admiring his work.
Tanjirou held back a lunging, furious Kanamori, "I'LL RIP YOU TO SHREDS, YOU DAMN BRAT!!"
Feigning ignorance to the scene taking place, you turned to Haganezuka, wanting to get the exchange over with, "Can I have my sword, now?"
"I don't know why you'd want to see it. It's not like it matters, it doesn't even change color. It's a real waste of my talent," He exasperatedly sighed, handing you the unwrapped blade.
'Asshole.'
You took the sword, trying to appear nonchalant even if it tore you up inside, "Whatever. It gets the job done, so that's enough."
You then paused, suddenly wanting to take charge—to stand up for yourself. You were sick and tired of his attitude; of his rudeness.
"You know what, you can insult and ridicule me all you want. I know it may seem like I'm 'average' to you, but I'm a much better slayer than you think. I've saved lives—and hell, I'm pretty fucking good at doing it." You started, ignoring the sudden silence that fell upon the room.
With a deep inhale, you continued, grasping the sword tighter as you kept eye contact with Haganezuka, "So, I don't give a fuck what you think of me! Because at the end of the day, you're just a mean, old, rotten— why are you looking at me like that?"
You couldn't feign ignorance to his stare any longer.
"Th—The sword.. it.." Haganezuka started, pointing a shaky finger to your blade.
You slowly widened your eyes, hesitantly turning to your sword—your breath hitching at the sight before you.
"It.. changed color..?"
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Word Count : 4083
(edited a/n: none!)
extra long chapter AND double update? yup. thank me later.
see ya in the next update!