Opposites - Inosuke x Zenitsu

10. Letter

Inosuke's POV: 

What was that? Sounds like paper being dragged on the ground... I slowly woke up: I was still in bed, at the Butterfly Estate. I had a dream... a nice dream... Someone important promised me something... But I didn't know who that was. I sat up and immediately saw the empty beds next to me. Tanjiro and Zenitsu were gone!! I wanted to get up and go look for them... But then it dawned on me that I had no reason to. I didn't admit it, but it was true; Zenitsu had broken my heart.

First, the idiot kisses me out of nowhere, and then suddenly it's a mistake?! Was it my fault? Was it because of the hug??! Did I really ruin everything with that? I did say I didn't need any romance... but what if I was wrong? Wait?! Me, Inosuke Hashibira, be wrong?! Never! I was the boss and I was always right! And that little brat named Zenitsu was the perfect example that I should never fall in love again! But still, somehow, I felt shattered inside when he said it was a mistake. Honestly, I had hoped that... I don't know... maybe he'd ask if we wanted to be together or something. But then he just left me hanging!!! I had even... had some hopes... that we could really be together, but I couldn't change it now. I was just a shadow of myself, and it was all his fault!!!

But... what was that weird paper noise? Eventually, I slowly sat up and looked around; a letter? I got up and went slowly to the doorway where the letter was. If Tanjiro had tried to teach me how to read a few months ago, I wouldn't have had a clue what was written there. When Tanjiro had suggested it, I yelled at him, saying that the great Inosuke Hashibira didn't need something useless like reading. I was so angry, but he kept pushing me to learn. Eventually, I was somehow glad he had "forced" me to practice because now I knew what was written there: 'To Inosuke' was written on it, and a small heart drawing was on the back. Huh? Who would write me a letter?! Moreover, in the middle of the night! Someone had apparently slid it under the doorstep. I opened the envelope. It said:

' Inosuke: Meet me tomorrow at 12:00 noon at the pier, by the Butterfly Pond.

Signed: ... '

Huh? I turned the letter and the envelope. No sender? And why were there hearts everywhere? I put the letter back into the envelope. Who wanted to meet me? Should I go there, or was it perhaps a trap? I just went back to my bed and placed the letter under my pillow. I think it's best if I sleep again for now. I can think about it tomorrow...

Zenitsu's POV:

 The person who had put their hand on my shoulder was none other than: "Tanjiro..." I sniffled. Tanjiro smiled gently at me. "W-what are y-you doing here?" I asked in a broken voice, wiping my teary eyes with the back of my hand. "I woke up, saw you weren't in bed, went looking for you, and found you out here," he said quickly. I looked away because I was embarrassed to cry like this in front of him. I had cried in front of him many times before for every little thing. But now I was crying about something that wasn't a small matter to me. That's why, for the first time, I felt bad after Tanjiro saw me like this. Tanjiro sat down next to me, but I didn't dare look at him, so I just stared at my reflection in the pond. "Is everything really okay?" Tanjiro asked after a few seconds of silence. I just nodded silently, even though I knew everything was far from okay with me. For Tanjiro, the question probably wasn't even necessary, because shortly after, he asked, "Is it about Inosuke?" Suddenly, all my emotional barriers broke, and I started crying heavily. Tanjiro seemed almost as surprised by my sudden crying as I was, but he still tried to help me. So, he hugged me, just like Inosuke had done. But this time, I couldn't calm down, and I only wished even more that it was Inosuke who was hugging me. He asked again cautiously, "Did you guys fight-" "NO!!!" I interrupted him, still sobbing. Now I looked him straight in the eyes; "I MIGHT HAVE FEELINGS FOR INOSUKE, THAT'S WHY I KISSED HIM, BUT I THOUGHT IT WAS A MISTAKE, I BROKE HIS HEART WITH THAT, HE'S NOT TALKING TO ME ANYMORE, I FEEL REALLY TERRIBLE, I CAN'T UNDERSTAND MY FEELINGS MYSELF, I HAVE TO LIVE NOT BEING A SICK FANBOY OF NEZUKO ANYMORE, I'M PROBABLY 99.9% IN LOVE WITH INOSUKE, AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO!!!!!"