Under the soft, dappled light of the training grounds, Tanjiro felt an unusual peace as he finished up a session under Obanai's scrutiny. He took a deep breath, enjoying the brief respite when he noticed Kanao lingering nearby. Her delicate figure was framed by the greenery, her usually guarded expression softened as she watched him.
"Kanao!" he called, smiling brightly as he approached. "It's great to see you here."
Kanao returned his smile, her eyes warm as she replied, "Tanjiro. I didn't expect to run into you during training, but I'm glad I did."
They stood together in a comfortable silence, both watching as others trained around them. Slowly, Tanjiro noticed Kanao's expression shift as she seemed to be lost in thought. He reached out, gently touching her shoulder.
"Kanao, is something bothering you?" he asked, his voice gentle.
Her gaze fell to the ground for a moment before she looked back up at him, eyes filled with a mixture of sorrow and resolve. "It's about Shinobu," she admitted softly. "She…she has a plan."
Tanjiro listened closely as Kanao explained Shinobu's risky idea of allowing herself to be absorbed by Doma, the Upper Moon who had killed her sister, Kanae. Her voice quivered slightly as she revealed Shinobu's intention to poison herself with Wisteria, hoping to bring him down from within.
Tanjiro's face grew somber as he listened. When she finished, he took her hand in his own, his voice steady and reassuring. "Kanao, I won't let that happen. We'll do everything we can to make sure Shinobu doesn't have to go through with that. I promise."
Kanao's eyes shimmered with unshed tears, and her voice was barely a whisper. "Thank you, Tanjiro. Knowing you're here…it helps more than you know."
Tanjiro's heart raced as he looked at her, feeling a newfound warmth grow between them. He gently brushed a tear from her cheek, his touch lingering. "I'll always be here for you, Kanao."
A quiet understanding passed between them, their fingers still intertwined. They didn't need words to express the bond growing between them—one that felt deeper and more powerful with each moment they shared. The training ground, usually a place of harsh discipline, now felt like a sanctuary.
Meanwhile, Inosuke had found himself forced into bedrest after pushing himself to the limit. As much as he protested, insisting he could handle more, he finally had to relent, and Aoi Kanzaki was tasked with his care.
Aoi was in no mood to hear any more of his grumbling, though. She huffed as she pressed a cold compress to his forehead. "If you keep pushing yourself like this, you'll end up back in rehabilitation."
Inosuke blinked up at her, confused by her scolding tone but secretly enjoying the attention. "Why do you care so much, huh? You're always hovering."
Aoi's face flushed, and she set her jaw. She'd spent enough time hiding her feelings and watching Inosuke fumble through training and recovery with the subtlety of a boar. She decided, right then and there, that enough was enough.
"Inosuke," she started, her tone uncharacteristically serious. "I…I think I'm in love with you. I also think I want to marry you!"
He blinked, processing her words for a moment before grinning widely. "Okay!"
Aoi's heart raced. She hadn't expected him to agree so readily, yet he was nodding with an almost childlike enthusiasm. But then he tilted his head, frowning in confusion. "Wait…what's 'marry'? Is it something we eat?"
Aoi sighed, fighting back a laugh as she explained what she meant. By the end of it, Inosuke's brows were knitted in concentration, his expression softening as he finally seemed to grasp her feelings.
"Oh…" he murmured, his voice uncharacteristically quiet. "So…it's like training but for life?"
Aoi nodded, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Yeah, Inosuke. It's like training together, for everything that comes next."
Elsewhere, Zenitsu was focusing with a single-minded intensity that was rare for him. His affection for Nezuko had always been obvious, but after Tanjiro challenged him to prove his worth by defeating an Upper Moon alone, his feelings took on a new gravity.
Each day, he trained with unmatched dedication, knowing that his love for Nezuko was more than a simple crush. It was a reason to become stronger, to rise to a challenge that was as much for himself as it was for her.
Zenitsu also found himself teaching Nezuko how to speak again, and despite his bashfulness, he took the role seriously. Slowly, under his guidance, Nezuko was beginning to form words, each syllable bringing a bright smile to her face and a swell of pride to Zenitsu's heart.
With Obanai's training complete, Bell and Tanjiro headed to Sanemi's training grounds, where he was awaiting them with crossed arms and a hard glare.
"This training's going to be simple but brutal," Sanemi announced with a smirk. "I'm going to keep striking. You two just try to keep up. If you can't, then maybe the Corps doesn't need you as much as you thought."
Bell and Tanjiro exchanged a glance. Sanemi's reputation for intense, almost sadistic training sessions was well-known, but they weren't about to back down.
The training began, and Sanemi's strikes came at them in rapid, punishing succession. His movements were precise and ruthless, his strikes relentless. Every time Tanjiro or Bell thought they'd blocked his blow, he followed up with another, leaving no room for rest.
Sweat poured down Tanjiro's face as he struggled to keep up with Sanemi's barrage of attacks. He gritted his teeth, feeling each strike reverberate through his bones, but he pushed through, determined not to falter.
Bell, for his part, met Sanemi's strikes with unwavering focus, deflecting and countering with an intensity that caught Sanemi off-guard. The more Sanemi pressed, the more Bell seemed to relish the challenge, a fierce grin on his face as he kept pace.
Eventually, Sanemi pulled back, a grudging respect in his gaze. "Not bad," he muttered. "Looks like you two can hold your own."
Bell and Tanjiro exchanged tired but triumphant smiles. The training had been brutal, but they'd endured, gaining strength and resilience with each strike.
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