Zenitsu's POV:
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The sun was shining, the birds were singing. Not a single demon in sight. How beautiful. I was fully recovered by now, sitting alone on a bench in front of the Butterfly Estate.
Tanjiro, Inosuke, and I had decided that this would be our last day at the Butterfly Estate, as we didn't want to burden Miss Kocho any longer. It was late summer, yet still pleasantly warm as if it were midsummer, even though the grass-green leaves on the trees were slowly changing colors.
Suddenly, I felt two muscular arms wrap around me from behind. I didn't startle, knowing exactly that it was none other than Inosuke. I chuckled and placed my hand on his, which he had placed on my chest from behind.
"Hey..." I heard his voice by my ear. It was crazy; even though Inosuke was still hyperactive 24 hours a day, he could also be so calm.
"Can... Can I sit next to you?" he asked cautiously.
"Of course!" I laughed and pulled him onto the bench next to me.
"The weather is really nice, isn't it?" I said with sparkling eyes as I dreamily looked towards the sky.
"Mhm..." Inosuke made a sleepy sound and leaned against me.
"Hey, say something too! If I keep talking all the time, it's so cringe!"
Inosuke looked surprised all of a sudden. "What... What is 'cringe'?" he asked confused. I burst into laughter when I saw his bewildered expression.
"Hey, what's so funny!?" "Oh Inosuke, you don't even know that..." Inosuke playfully crossed his arms, looking mockingly offended.
"You don't need to know weird words to be the king of the mountains!" I started laughing again, and Inosuke joined in. "You know what's really crazy, Inosuke?" I finally asked after a few minutes.
"Actually... Well, we're completely different... I mean, we're complete opposites, you know? I mean, you're confident, and I'm not. You're brave, and I'm not, and-"
"Yeah! I'm the cooler-looking one of us!"
Inosuke tossed his hair like a model, and we both burst into laughter again.
"But overall, you're right! We are opposites! But you know what?" He brought his face closer to mine. "I... I like it that way!" And with those words, he kissed me. Then, as he turned away with a smile, I turned bright red.
"Awwww! That's too cute for my heart, Inosuke!!!" I covered my face with my hands. Now it was Inosuke who started laughing.
"But you know, what we haven't decided yet?" Inosuke asked after a few seconds. With an innocent look, I removed my hands from my face.
"N-no!"
"Who's stronger, of course! Actually, I would challenge you to a fight, but since I don't fight against myself..."
He came closer again.
"I HAVE TO TICKLE YOU!"
I squealed as Inosuke started tickling me.
"HEYYY!!! INOSUKE!!!!! I DON'T LIKE THAT!!!!" I laughed and tickled him back in retaliation. After a few minutes, we were both tired and back on the bench.
I had laid my head on Inosuke's shoulder, and he had taken me in his arms. I wanted to try something... but... Oh, I'll just do it now! With a cat-like leap, I sat on Inosuke's lap. Inosuke immediately turned bright red.
"HEY... WHAT... WHERE... UH..."
I giggled.
"Ohhh, you're sooo cute when you don't know what to say!"
I poked him gently in the cheek. Inosuke smirked, still with slightly red cheeks.
"You're killing me, you know that?"
Then he hugged me tightly.
"I love you..."
I actually wanted to tell Inosuke in that moment why I had practically come back from the dead that night... But I think that would ruin the moment... I'll just tell him later... I hugged him back tightly and whispered, "I love you too..."
-4 years later -
"And, um, yeah... That's basically how we met..." I sat somewhat tired next to Inosuke, my husband. Ino, on the other hand, sat across from us with wide eyes.
"Ewww, I didn't want to know all those details!!!" he said, scrunching up his face. Typical. But maybe he was a bit too young at 4 years old to understand something like 'love'.
"And- Uh- And what happened next?" he finally asked.
"Well..." Inosuke started again. "Then, exactly a year ago, we got married!" He took my arm and showed our hands, each with a golden wedding ring on the ring finger.
Inosuke smiled at me. It was still the same smile as four years ago... I loved it so much.
"Aha, and... Uh... There were monsters back then?"
Inosuke and I both almost simultaneously sighed.
"Well, that's a bit complicated..." I began again.
"So, back then... There were a lot of villains who wanted to harm us and others, you know? But very often, they couldn't help being so evil because they were all controlled by a really, really evil monster!"
Ino now looked somewhat scared.
"And... did that monster... hurt people too?" he asked fearfully. I took Ino's small hand.
"Yes. It hurt people very badly too." "But Ino, your two strong parents easily defeated it!" Inosuke chimed in, lightly punching me in the side.
"Yeah! We defeated it with the help of others!" Ino now looked somewhat relieved. "Phew... And when you got married, did you then adopt me?"
Inosuke thought for a second, but I was quicker with the calculations: "Not immediately, but almost! Two months later."
Ino grinned. "And then did you guys kiss?"
I looked at Inosuke for help, but he just looked back at me cluelessly.
"Uh... Yes (?)" Inosuke answered a bit puzzled. But Ino just laughed.
"Eww! Kissing is sooo gross!" I giggled awkwardly.
"Gross? Gross?!" Inosuke stood up with a mischievous grin. "Just wait, I'll show you what your Demon Slayer dad can still do!"
He took Ino and lifted him up.
"Nooo, Dad, don't do that!!!" he laughed. Inosuke and I chuckled as well, and Inosuke gave him a kiss on the forehead.
"I love you so much, Ino, never, never, ever forget that, got it?!"
Ino laughed. "I love you too, Dad!"
Playfully offended, I stood up. "Heyyy, don't I get a kiss too?" Ino laughed even more, stretched out his little arms, and pulled me close to the two of them.
"Of course, Dad! I love you just as much!"
I gave him a kiss on the forehead too.
"Thank you, my sweetheart," I smiled.
"And what about your poor husband?" Inosuke asked, now also playfully offended.
"But of course!" I smiled, took his head in my hands, and kissed him lovingly.
Oh, this moment could have lasted forever... if Ino hadn't interrupted us.
"What are you doing? Stop that, it's weird!" We both laughed. Suddenly, the doorbell rang.
"I'll get it!" Ino shouted happily, and Inosuke let him down.
"Can you see who it is? I'll check on the little one, okay?" Inosuke asked.
"Sure," I smiled and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "Papa! It's Michio, Nao, and Hino!!!" I heard Ino's voice echoing through the hallway.
"I'm coming!" I called back and walked a bit faster. When I reached the door, three new faces were already looking at me. Hino Uzui, the 6-year-old daughter of Kyojuro Uzui and Tengen Uzui, Nao Hayashi, the son of Nezuko Hayashi and Murata Hayashi, and finally, Michio Kamado, the daughter of Tanjiro Kamado and Kanao Kamado.
"Hello!" I greeted them friendly, and the three children greeted me back. Even though they were all only 4 to 6 years old, they were very polite!
"Daddy, can I go out and play with them, please?" "Yes, Mr. Hashibira, pleeeeease!!!" the others begged as well. I sighed. "Alright... but be back by dinner, okay?"
"Hurray!!!" The children laughed and rushed outside. "Oh, they won't be back by dinner..." I heard a familiar voice next to me. Of course, it was none other than Inosuke. He held our little daughter Kishi in his arms, whom we also adopted a few months ago.
"Is she sleeping?" I asked quietly.
"I think so..." Inosuke replied, and I took her in my arms.
"Finally some peace..." Inosuke yawned, stretching his arms. "Shall we put her back to bed?"
I nodded. "Yes, I think she's quite tired too." He gave me a kiss on the cheek, and I giggled as we went to her room together to put her to sleep.
"She's so cute!" I smiled as Kishi peacefully slept in her bed again.
"Yes, she is. Almost as cute as you..." He poked my cheek gently. "Cute?!" I asked disdainfully, pushing him over so that I was above him. "You seem to have forgotten who's the older one here!" Inosuke grinned, and before I could do or say anything, he had turned me around, exchanging our positions effortlessly!
"But you seem to have forgotten who's the stronger one, sweetheart!" I blushed instantly. "Ohhh mannn!!!! When you call me that, it sounds kinda weird!" Inosuke laughed and lay down next to me.
"Do you know what I was thinking about earlier, Zenitsu?" I turned my head to Inosuke.
"Once you talked about us being complete opposites, but there's this saying: 'Opposites attract,' right?" I looked deep into my husband's eyes and brushed a strand of hair from his face.
"Yes, you're right..." I laid my head on his chest, and my breathing gradually calmed down.
"Inosuke?" "Mhhm?" "I love you." "But I love you more!" "No, I." "No, I." "No, I love you infinitely, and there's nothing more than infinite!" "Well, then I also love you infinitely!" I laughed before we kissed again. Then we looked deep into each other's eyes, and as if we knew it exactly, we said simultaneously: "I love you."
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