◇INDIGO◇ (Inosuke x OC)

Chapter 30

Rengoku's death devastated all of us. The idea of such a strong and warm man dying was beyond discouraging, and it left a lot to think about.

Despite how heartbroken I might feel, I've got to keep fighting. I've got to push myself and continue training to get stronger. It's what Rengoku would've wanted. He wouldn't want us to mope around crying over his death, but instead use it to motivate us to do better.

I feel as if Rengoku's murder was hardest on Tanjiro. I hadn't heard him laugh even once. He would usually just sit in silence on his bed in the butterfly mansion as Nezuko comforted him. It was hard to think about Tanjiro so messed up.

Currently, I was sitting at a table eating dinner with the boys. It was late, probably dusk, and I heard Tanjiro groan.

"Oh man, if Ms. Aoi hadn't calmed him down for me he would've kept chasing me until noon." The boy sighed, talking about the blacksmith that had chased him around for losing his sword.

"Would anyone like seconds?" Aoi asked as she walked in rolling another cart of food.

"Hell yeah!" Inosuke yelled before scarfing more of his food down. I sighed, not really hungry anymore.

"Thank you, for yesterday. You too Sumi, Kiyo, and Naho." Tanjiro spoke up, the three smaller girls laughed and Aoi scoffed.

"There's no need for thanks." She replied, setting more food on the table.

"Speaking of Haganezuka, what's he up to now?" Zenitsu asked, referring to the blacksmith.

"Last I saw him, he was out sitting on the veranda eating rice dumplings." Aoi answered.

"And it seems like finally he's back in a good mood!" Kiyo added, and Tanjiro let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness." He muttered.

"I bet you didn't know, rice dumplings are his favorite food in the world." She added.

"So if he's upset, you should try and buy him some." Sumi finished and Inosuke laughed in excitement.

"Get me some while you're at it!" He threw his hands in the air, and a small smile stretched across my face.

"I could make some with Aoi for you later." I offered, putting my chopsticks down.

"Really?!" Inosuke yelled as he lit up. I hummed in reply as I nodded. "Awesome!" He screamed in excitement, and a small laugh escaped my lips. It was good to see Inosuke acting like himself again.

○●○

Months went by as we continued to train, both our bodies and minds recovering from the train incident. We were occasionally sent on small missions when we were needed, quickly wiping weak demons out.

Everyone was improving little by little as we were given time to heal. Zenitsu wasn't as terrified anymore, and he wouldn't cry as much. Don't get me wrong, he was still definitely jumpy, but he's better than when I had first met him. Inosuke is even more enthusiastic, becoming more hot-headed than he already was. While Tanjiro's spirits had lifted, finding comfort out of the people around him.

I was determined to become stronger. I needed to be more firm in both my physical and mental state, yearning for a sense of confidence.

I was taking a break from my training, standing outside in the scenery with Kanao. I enjoyed her calming presence, and I believe she enjoyed mine.

"Have you been sent on any missions lately?" I asked the girl, knowing she usually went out with Shinobu since she trained under her.

"No." She softly replied. I noticed that Kanao would usually nod or shake her head with anyone else, but since she was aware I was blind, she'd usually give me short verbal replies to make things easier for me.