"No! I can't swallow it!", a loud scream echoed through the usually so peaceful halls of the butterfly estate. But now that a certain blonde had been enrolled into the sickroom, those quiet moments were slightly more limited.
"Do we really have to go through this every day?", Kanao asked the shaking Zenitsu with a disapproving look on her face, "After all, you came here critically injured. So, take your medication now!"
You only sighed at the display like every morning. Then, after you quickly downed your own medicine, which left a bitter aftertaste in your mouth, you swung out of your bed and walked over to Zenitsu, who was blinking down at the cup as if it would attack him any moment with its taste.
"Come on Zeni!", you sat beside him and acted as if you were cheering him on, "You can do it! Imagine all the things you will be able to do again, if you regain your limbs!"
The boy sniffled and looked at you with teary eyes.
You thought about things like swinging a sword again, cooking, no too big clothes anymore and generally just being able to reach stuff better again.
Zenitsu however had other things that came to his mind. For example, if he would regain the full length of his limbs, he would finally be able to hug you properly again! With these short arms, he was not even able to engulf you all the way and it stung his heart. He wanted to be able to hug you to your heart's content...and to his.
Suddenly a determined look spread on the blondes face and in one simple motion, he drank his medicine.
At that you smiled to yourself proudly, giving the baffled Aoi a thumbs up.
"I really don't get how you always do that...", she murmured, while she handed Tanjiro his cup of medicine, who retorted a grateful thank you and drank it without a single complaint. Zenitsu was the problem child and Tanjiro the saint it seemed.
When Zenitsu had finally emptied his own cup, he immediately stuck out his tongue and made a noise that signified the disgust he felt towards this type of beverage.
You chuckled at Aoi's statement from before "I don't know myself. I guess he just needs the right motivation."
Aoi hummed in thought to herself "I will just leave that one in your care then."
"Fine by me! I get how he can be a lot to handle sometimes", you nodded in understanding as Tanjiro sweat dropped at the interaction "You're acting like he is a child..."
"Well, are we wrong?", Aoi replied immediately and the both of you laughed together.
"HEY!", Zenitsu now protested slightly offended, "I'm right here! I can hear everything you know- AND I'm not a child!"
"Aw, my little baby doesn't like the taste of the medicine", teasingly, you leaned closer towards the boy, "Do you want it fruit flavored next time?"
Aoi and you broke out into laughter again, while Zenitsu only looked away abruptly with a blush forming on his face as he stuttered out slight protests. Even though, he felt a little embarrassed he could not help himself but to be slightly excited at the closeness of you in that moment. It would never fail to make his heart skip a beat. Also, in your tone he could hear that you had no ill intend with your words whatsoever, which he of course already knew beforehand though.
Also Tanjiro joined in the laugh with his adorable small giggles and he was glad, that everyone seemed to be in good spirits today. And he could say that it was thanks to you. After all, every time Zenitsu was throwing a fit and Aoi was close to getting mad at the boy, you deescalated the situation with ease. He was so thankful for the way you handled things. It was also nice to see you laugh like this.
"You seem to be doing well!", a new voice interrupted the laughing and everyone halted to see who had entered the room.
"Ah- Murata!", Tanjiro spoke with relief upon seeing the black-haired male.
"Hello!", he waved friendly and you waved back at him "It's really nice to see you're okay too!"
Murata smiled and scratched his neck "Yeah...After all, a lot happened that day, right?"
"Definitely", you nodded with a chuckle and gestured towards one of the wooden stools in the room, "Come on, sit down and let's chat for a bit!"
"Gladly", he smiled at your offer and walked towards one of the chairs and pulled it in front of Tanjiro's bed. You also made your way towards you friend's bed to be part of the conversation.
Zenitsu looked at you and the unknown male in confusion. He was also slightly sad that you left his side. Besides, he did not like the way this guy smiled at you one bit...
"I'm also glad that you're all right", Tanjiro started, when all of you settled down around him. He even wrapped part of his blanket around you for more comfort, which made your heart fill with warmth.
"Well, my body was almost dissolved, but I was pretty lucky. I heard that you're severely injured though?", Murata spoke and then turned his head towards you "And what about your injuries? You seem to be pretty well again already!"
"Ah- Oh-", you slightly stumbled over your words, "I always heal pretty fast, I'm kind of durable you know haha", to avert the attention from you, you leaned your head onto Tanjiro's shoulder for a short amount of time, "But Tanjiro will probably take a while to heal."
Said boy nodded at you with a small smile on his face at your sweetness "That's right."
Murata then turned towards Inosuke, who was laying silently in the bed next to you all "And what about boar boy? What's wrong with him? Hasn't he lost his voice or something?"
"He has been through a lot, so you'd better leave him alone", Tanjiro pointed out with a worried look on his face.
"Poor Inosuke has been a bit down lately", you said gently, while gazing at him with worry yourself.
Murata wanted to say something, but closed his mouth again when he saw your distraught expression. It clearly was not a matter for him to comment much on.
Then, Zenitsu chirped up "Angel, Tanjiro! Who's this guy?" He was quite curious now and he also felt a bit excluded, which made a small cute pout settle on his features.
"This is Murata, who fought with us at the Natagumo mountain", Tanjiro explained and said boy introduced himself after he had blinked a bit in surprise at the way the blonde referred to you "I'm Murata. Nice to meet you. Say, what happened to your arms?"
"I almost turned into a spider. My arms and legs became short."
"And that is exactly why you should take your medicine without always complaining about it!", Aoi swooped in and took this opportunity to scold the blonde, "You can't always expect [name] to take care of you like an infant!" The girl was fighting for your honor here.
Zenitsu flinched back a few inches "But it tastes so bad! It's much worse than what I could stand! And I know I shouldn't bother [name], but-"
"No buts!", Aoi accusingly pointed a finger into the boy's face, "[name] needs their own rest and it is going to be your fault, if your limbs don't grow back to normal!"
"You're mean! You're way too mean to me!", Zenitsu complained as tears stung in his eyes.
"You have no idea how lucky you are! Only by taking your medication and spending more time in the sun, you'll shed your residual effects. Don't be so ungrateful!", Aoi shot back relentlessly.
Then, Zenitsu ran away from the girl's harsh but truthful words to hide behind Tanjiro and you "I don't want to! I don't want anything that tastes bad!!"
"Zenitsu, listen to Aoi! She knows what's best for you-", you wanted to work your magic, but were interrupted by a sudden pressing gloomy aura in front of you.
"You seem to have a great time...", Murata, the cause of the depressing vibe, muttered out loud.
"W-What do you mean?", Tanjiro asked a bit shocked at the sudden mood change from the boy.
At that, he started to rant from his heart "I was called to the Pillars' meeting to give a detailed report on the Natagumo incident. It was hell. The Pillars are really scary. They said that our former members are so atrociously undertrained, it made us tremble in fear. They also pointed out that some of us were disobedient in the Natagumo mission. They started asking us who their trainers were. For someone of my rank to hear such things from them...", quiet steps made you look up in between Murata's rambling, "The Pillars are scary!"
"Hello~", a chipper voice suddenly resounded from behind the muttering boy, which made him immediately spring up and step away for a bit of a distance "Lady Kocho- A Pillar!!"
"Good day!", said woman only sweetly greeted again.
Murata hurriedly bowed in a ninety degrees angle and hurried out while screaming "Good day to you too! Goodbye!" With that, he slipped out of the door so quickly, that you would have missed it if you had blinked even for once.
"Ah, well goodbye", Shinobu now turned herself towards Tanjiro and you, her gaze slightly lingering on you for a moment longer, "Hello [name] and Tanjiro, how are you two feeling today?"
"Much better already, thank you", the boy softly answered as you nodded at the pretty woman before you "Mhm, thank you for everything!"
Shinobu gifted you a closed eyed smile "Good, I'm happy to hear that!", she opened her eyes again, "Then it's time for your rehabilitation training."
Your eyes widened as you realized which horrors were awaiting you beyond the comfort of your hospital bed now. In an instant your form slightly shrunk, while a more solemn expression was now on your face. These next few weeks are going to be torture..., you whined in your head, already dreading the experience.
Tanjiro noticed that change in your scent and asked a bit confused "Rehabilitation training?"
Shinobu clapped her hands together to portray a certain excitement "Exactly!", then she slipped into your vision again, with a hand cupping her mouth as if she would tell you a secret, "Ah, don't make such a sad face little [name]! I'm sure you're going to do great!"
You let out a long deep sigh and murmured "You're scaring me, Shinobu-san..."
Said woman chuckled and for a moment you had the feeling it was her earnest reaction "Now now, you don't need to be scared at all! I could always be there to cheer for you!"
Another short whine mixed with a sigh escaped you "...That does sound very tempting."
When nothing came back from her as a response you opened your eyes again and froze. Her expression was resting, completely neutral and for a short split of a second there was a certain warmth in her gaze. However, that warmth was gone as fast as it appeared and her resting expression was replaced with the woman's usual plastic smile.
"Then", she joyfully cheered, "Let's start!"
***
Two weeks had already passed when Zenitsu was sitting alone in the sickroom, waiting for the others to return. Chuntaro, the little sparrow, had made itself comfortable on top of the boy's blonde hair.
As Zenitsu combed through his locks, while gazing into a small hand mirror in concentration, the boy thought to himself My angel, Tanjiro and Inosuke were taken away by the Pillar, Ms. Shinobu, to commence their rehabilitation training.
Zenitsu looked up again in contemplation, his eyes glued to the wall for a few moments Shinobu has a unique sound, that gave me a feeling I never felt before. It's fickle and scares me a little. But in restoring those who turned into spiders, she was like a goddess. Everyone shed tears of joy as they approached her. Besides that, she is very beautiful. Not as beautiful as my angel, but she could live through a day with just a smile.
"And everyone followed her to undergo their rehabilitation training, Chuntaro", the boy now spoke out loud, making the bird chirp, "They soon should-", Zenitsu stopped when he heard the door being slid open, revealing three shriveled up and drained figures that could be identified as Tanjiro, Inosuke and you.
They always look so exhausted when they come back, Zenitsu's face now slightly twisted in worry as soon as he saw you tiredly blinking your eyes to stay awake for the last few steps towards your bed, My poor angel!
"Welcome back my angel, Tanjiro, Inosuke. How did it go today? What happened?", while Zenitsu was asking about the training curiously, the three of you trotted robotically towards your beds, slipping under the covers when you got close enough.
You had been so tired today; you would not have cared, if you would have fallen and slept on the floor. Your whole body was aching and you had the feeling even breathing was too much for you right now.
"Tell me, what's going on...?", Zenitsu inquired with a weak voice.
"I'm sorry", Tanjiro spoke without an ounce of emotion.
"Just don't ask", Inosuke grunted, with the blanket all the way up over his head.
"We're just tired...", you, who had barely made it into your bed, murmured already drifting away to sleep.
"Why don't you just tell me?! I'll be in the same boat as you by tomorrow and I need to be mentally prepared!", not even Zenitsu's scared rant made anyone react in the slightest, not even you.
You were just utterly drained today. Talking was too much of a hassle...
Before you completely dozed off though, you could not help but think that the rehabilitation was also kind of fun in some way. After all, the three little girls were incredibly sweet to you, Aoi and you had many laughs together, plus you also got the chance to spend more time with Kanao. There was now this little part of you, that already looked forward to the next training session...
Does that make me a masochist...?
***
The next morning, everyone was on their way towards the room where the horrors of the rehabilitation training took place.
Zenitsu was clinging onto your arm with clattering teeth, while he was rambling something along the lines of "I'm scared" and "I don't want to go."
You were still a bit worked up from yesterday, but now you were able to at least try to calm the blonde's nerves "It's going to be okay...I'm sure it won't be a problem for you...only hurts for a little..."
The boy let out another screech of anxiety "Hurt?! What's going to hurt?"
But before you could answer his pressing question, all of you had already entered the room and lined up before Aoi, who had been awaiting you four.
"Morning Aoi", you smiled at her with tired eyes, waved at the little girls in the back and Kanao, who was now gazing your way as if she also had been looking forward to seeing you again. However, you were still so drowsy that you could have imagined it.
"Good morning [name] and everyone", Aoi acknowledged and smiled at you for a short moment, before she got serious and went straight down to business, "Because Zenitsu will commence training today, allow me to go through this one more time. First, you go there", Aoi pointed towards the girls in the corner around a few mattresses on the floor, "Since your body has turned stiff and bedridden, those girls will help you with it." Currently, they were working on Inosuke, making the boy cry tears of pain as the pulled at his limbs with all their might.
"Next, is reflex training", Aoi continued and pointed towards a table with Kanao and a very focused Tanjiro, "There's some herbal water in these cups. You will splash it on your opponent. If your opponent stops you before you raise your cup, you can't move it."
Everyone turned their attention towards Tanjiro, all of these pairs of eyes wondering if he would make it this time...well except yours. You were already anticipating the poor boy's failure. Not because you thought his reflexes were bad, but because you simply knew the future.
"Begin", Aoi's announcement was followed by a splashing sound, which ended up drenching Tanjiro with some slightly smelly water. Kanao was so fast, he could not move his hand at least an inch to even try and react.
"Again", Aoi demanded and gave her signal with another "Begin."
This time, Tanjiro managed to grab a hold of a cup. However, it was immediately covered by a hand, stopping him from using it to defeat Kanao and within the next second, Tanjiro got splashed again. The smell almost carried itself all the way over to you, making you twist your face in a grimace. Man, I won't be able to drink herbal tea for a while...
"That's all", Aoi declared and let Tanjiro off the hook for now.
"Last but not least, it's full-body training. Or in simple terms, playing tags", Aoi explained the last station, while you were currently trying your best to catch up with Kanao, who you were supposed to catch, "Me and my assistant Kanao will be your opponents."
You slid on the floor, trying to fasten your speed, but ultimately failed and completely slid out of the picture past Kanao, almost crashing into Aoi. Another failed attempt.
"I'm sorry...", you apologized, sprawled out on the floor like a starfish. Kanao then took it upon herself to take one of your feet and drag you towards the trio of boys, who were sitting lined up again before Aoi.
"Thank you Kanao", you mumbled as you slowly sat up, which made Aoi and the girls in the back giggle. You were always adorable when you were tired.
All of a sudden, a hand was raised "Excuse me, can we take a time-out?"
The stern voice of Zenitsu shook you out of your trance like another splash of herbal water.
"Huh? Is there something you're not clear about?", Aoi asked in slight puzzlement at the usually so electric young boy.
The blonde slowly got up and turned away with his head hung low "No, I have something to take care of. Come here, you two." He gestured at Tanjiro and Inosuke.
"Forget it", the boar masked boy declined as he was about to fall into your lap from exhaustion.
"THAT WASN'T A QUESTION! I TOLD YOU TO COME, DIDN'T YOU HEAR ME?", Zenitsu's abrupt yelling zipped through the room, making everyone freeze in shock for a moment. Even you, who knew this was coming. Sometimes the blonde could be really scary, if he was angry enough.
Zenitsu did not hesitate any longer and grabbed the two boys by their collars, dragging them outside while screaming out loud "Follow me, you pieces of scum!!"
Tanjiro was kicking his feet and trying to resist his iron grasp, but could not escape.
Inosuke only angrily grunted "What are you up to?!"
When the door behind them closed, everyone stared at that spot. Of course, the yelling was still very much audible, even if they had left the room and went outside. So, naturally all of you listened in. Not like you had much of a choice though.
"Now kneel for me. Kneel up straight! You idiots!", Zenitsu's angry voice came through the door and was answered by Inosuke's gruff tone "What are you trying to do?-" The sound of a thump could be heard, an impact slightly shaking the door.
"Inouske!", that was clearly Tanjiro's concerned voice, "How could you Zenitsu? Apologize to Inosuke now!"
"What is going on out there...?", one of the girls asked worriedly and you only shook your head "I'm so sorry you all have to put up with this..."
You were interrupted by another one of Zenitsu's yells "IT'S YOU WHO SHOULD APOLOGIZE TO ME! BOTH OF YOU, APOLOGIZE TO ME! YOU WERE BOTH IN HEAVEN, YET YOU ACT LIKE YOU WERE IN HELL! YOU'VE BEEN ABLE TO BE AROUND GIRLS ALL DAY. THEN YOU COME BACK TO ME LIKE YOU'RE HALF-DEAD. WHY? BOTH OF YOU APOLOGIZE TO ME! I WANT YOU TO STAB YOURSELVES!"
"But you have been dealing with this for way longer than us", Aoi pointed out and threw an almost disturbed glance at you, not having completely heard what the blonde was ranting about outside, because she had been focused on your words.
"What are you talking about?", Tanjiro's voice from the oustide however was immediately stopped by another outburst of Zenitsu "SHUT UP, YOU BROAD-HEADED OLD FOGEY, I'M NOT FINISHED!"
Everyone inside the room blinked at that.
"You would flirt with girls here, they would massage you, and stroke your fingers while playing cups! And on top of everything you were able to see [NAME] drenched with water and cutely tired ALL DAY! When clothes get wet, they STICK to the body so you both had the opportunity to ogle MY angel when I hadn't!"
Hold up-, your eyes widened with shock. This conversation was going a lot differently than you had expected and remembered. You furrowed your eyebrows "What the-"
"This guy-", Aoi clenched her fists in anger, while Kanao only blinked in confusion along with the little girls.
"YOU SHOULD'VE ENJOYED IT! ONLY SEEING ALL OF THEM IS ENOUGH OF A BLESSING, OKAY?! ESPECIALLY MY ANGEL!! YOU'RE BLESSED, SO BLESSED!!"
"Are you kidding me?! What do you mean blessed? I lost to someone smaller than me, so I was demoralized", Inosuke spoke up after Zenitsu had propelled himself into the air full of excitement. Tanjiro was only blankly staring at the blonde, completely disappointed in humanity.
"Oh you poor boy!! You never even were close to a girl before, now were you?! After all, you were raised in the wild, so you're such a late bloomer! You wouldn't even recognize true beauty if it slapped you right in the face!", Zenitsu boldly claimed with no hesitation.
It was almost like you could hear Inosuke irking through the door "I'm so pissed!! I've been close to girls and none of them have been a match for me!"
"This isn't about fighting!! No wonder no one thinks you're attractive!"
"HAH?! I'm very attractive! I'm strong and I have a toned back!"
Zenitsu and Inosuke argued back and forth a few more times. All you could do was shake your head in disapproval, while Aoi grew angrier by the second.
"You know what?", the pigtailed girl then spoke up, "From now on, we won't splash [name] anymore. We won't give this idiot the pleasure!"
You blinked up with slight confusion, while Kanao nodded eagerly and the girls gave their approving thumbs up and cheers.
"Don't worry", Aoi put a hand on your shoulder and raised her fist into the air with a determined expression adorning her face, "We won't let this pervert get to you!"
So, the girl squad united with the objective to protect you from a certain blonde. Little did they know, that Zenitsu would never dare to even lay a finger on you without your permission. After all, he had nothing but respect and love for you. He was just very outgoing with his wildest dreams-
Good thing, you knew that though.
Still, after the three of them returned into the room. First thing you did was smack the blonde on the back of his head for causing such a ruckus and having his mind in the gutter.
Zenitsu profusely apologized to every girl in the room and asked you for forgiveness on his knees. Of course, you granted it to him. You were never able to be mad at him for too long.
Even after all of that, Zenitsu was not able to resist his fantasies of closeness, which spurred Inosuke on to put up a fight now more eagerly than before. It seemed like his fighting spirit was back again. Both of them won against Aoi that day, but no one was able to go out as a winner against Kanao.
Also at the end of the day, you had been the only one that was not soaked in stinky herbal water. And it would stay that way for the rest of the rehabilitation training.
Some might would say it was favoritism from the girls, but none of the boys ever complained about it. After all, they were somehow happy that you were not drenched with a cold liquid like they were. All of them would take another splash of smelly water if it meant you could stay clean...
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-4252 words
[name] after listening to Zenitsu's rant: I am very uncomfortable with the energy that he has created in the butterfly estate today-
Hey there everyone!
In case you haven't seen it yet, I changed my update schedule and added three days! So now you can expect updates after around ten days at max. Sorry if some of you beautiful people were wondering were the update was!
I hope you still enjoyed it! We will see each other in the next chapter. Until then, stay safe <3