Inosuke genuinely feels it, the feeling of utter calm, absolute peace. the gentle sunlight barely sneaks into the room as sun is only rising, and birds gently start to sing in the background.
The warmth of a bed and a loving family. It feels like home.
Inosuke belongs here.
he lifts one of his hands, taking it to rest on his love witch's hair. he lowly hums, and he barely moves his head as he nods.
this is perfect. this is home. Inosuke does not fear going back to sleep, because no one can ever take this away from him.
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Meanwhile...
After having walked for who knows how long, her tired eyes finally distinguish her former home: the butterfly mansion. The daze in which she was put through comes to an end as she bumps into someone.
When she looks up, she meets with gentle crimson orbs, belonging to the equally gentle Tanjiro Kamado.
"Aoi-san! Long time no see!" But his expression changes as he perceives the bags underneath his eyes, the bruises and cuts on her legs plus the torn fabric over the skirt of her dress. Even blood was visible.
Whatever happened to her?
Taking her by the shoulders, Tanjiro eyes Aoi concerned, "What happened? Are you hurt? What happened to Inosuke? Aoi san, please answer me!"
"What's going on here?"
The redhead turns at the voice that suddenly spoke up. A woman with curly brown hair and sunkissed skin is watching the scene in confusion, walking towards the two of them releasing her hand from the katana sheathed on her hip.
"Cherry!"
"Aoi?" She blinks, as if not believing her eyes. The girl is in such a bad shape that it's scary.
"Aoi, what happened? Is she okay?"
"I-In... I..." She starts to stutter in a low voice as if she doesn't have any energy left.
Out of the weakness, said girl's leg give up on her, almost making her fall; if it wasn't for both of them, she would have added another bruise to the collection.
"Hang in there, Aoi." Cherry says as she wraps an arm around her waist. "We should take her to Shinobu, Tanjiro. She's hurt and obviously exhausted."
"Right."
Tanjiro scoops the injured girl up and, the brunette following behind, they both get her to the butterfly mansion, where Sumi, Kiyo and Naho attend her wounds as they wait for the Insect Hashira to come back.
"What could've happened to her?" Cherry and Tanjiro wait outside the room, leaning against the doorframe.
"I'm not sure, but Aoi came all this way on her own."
"Do you think it has something to do with Inosuke?"
He hoped it didn't.
------------------------------
— inosuke hashibira.
Alexandra kisses the warm muscle of her lover under her and promptly falls asleep, not dreaming of anything but a restful darkness. Her lithe hand holds onto the tiny hand of her and Inosuke's creation.
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At the Butterfly Mansion
" And she sent m-me away! I felt like I couldn't even control myself!" Aoi cries before she wipes her tears on her apron. " It felt like a blood demon art!"
Gasps ring though the persons surrounding her. Shinobu is wide eyed as one of her girls tells her the story.
A demoness? Having a child and manipulating a high member member of the Demon Corps into caring for it. She had never heard of it but things have been stranger.
Tanjiro was the first to speak. " Inosuke would never! He is a demon slayer just like the rest of us!" Cherry was at his side and calmed him down with a hand on his shoulder.
" We need to find it and do something! Before something happens to him! He's in a whole demon's nest! And we need to protect the rest of the corps! What if they decide to go after a hashira and do the same?" Aoi cries out before beginning to sob again.
Zenitsu was leaning on the edge of the door.
" Um...I'm afraid of demons the same as anyone else but I don't think she's a demon."
" WHAT?"
Aoi marches right up to the yellow haired boy and gives him a prompt slap.
Another set of gasps ring out. Cherry then quickly moves to hold Aoi back from Zenitsu. " How dare you! You don't know what I saw! I saw the love of my life get ripped away from me! She took him from me! That demoness WITCH manipulated him!" The pigtailed girl screams at him before fatigue gets the rest of her and she collapses.
Shinobu moves to give her a light sedative just so she can sleep off the heartache.
" We'll have to do some reconnaissance. See what we are up against before we attack. If it is a nest of demons pretending to be humans or luring humans, they might try to lure us as well." Shinobu speaks.
Zenitsu is on the verge of tears at the slap. Tanjiro rubs his shoulder in comfort. " She isn't a demon Tanjiro!" He tells him. "She's like a majo! A sorceress!" He tries to explain like from children's fairy tales.
Tanjiro gives him a sad look before nodding. " I don't know what to believe Zenitsu, but Shinobu is right. We will need to investigate before we get Inosuke back. He could be in terrible danger!"
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Back at the Witch's cottage
Inosuke wakes up to an empty arm and his little boy's foot right in his face. He feels a sense of joy in seeing his little one's feet so black with dirt. It's how he lived as a child.
A smell breaks his concentration.
Alexandra is in the kitchen making a porridge of rice along with runny eggs and some braised salmon from Aoba's first catches. She is deep in concentration over her caudon and is bind to the tall King of the Mountain behind her.








