B. L. U. E. (InoAoi // Inosuke x Aoi // Kimetsu no Yaiba)

Chapter 7: The Words of Tanjiro II

"Tanjiro is awake."

Inosuke darted to Tanjiro's room and left Aoi alone in the corridors.

Upon hearing the news, he knew she had her own work to do. Aoi ran to her research room, grabbed a few concoctions, her notebook and changed her clothes.

Due to the training earlier and her little game with Inosuke, she had to switch into her spare uniform and slip her white nurse apron on top.

Aoi tried to get prepared as quick as possible. She was worried that Tanjiro's friends might be too rash and attack him with questions when he was still deprived of energy and had to get more sleep.

She wasn't wrong. When Aoi was trying to get hot water from the kettle, the others were doing a bad job of interrogating Tanjiro.

Kanao tried to stop Nezuko, Zenitsu and Inosuke, but she was exhausted and her voice wasn't reaching.

Tanjiro was blinking, slowly and groggily as if his eyelids had glue under them. He couldn't manage even one answer to his friends. He was trying to make sense of the whole room, understanding the fact that he was brought to the manor to get treated.

Seeing his friends that had not changed much meant that he was not unconscious for too long.

It was great seeing his two best friends, his sister and his favourite girl all healthy and waiting for Tanjiro to respond to their questions.

Inosuke jumped onto the bed. He was used to this that he knew where to step in order to not hurt Tanjiro. His feet avoided his limbs as he crouched on the mattress.

"Oi, Gonpachiro! Remember me, the great Lord Inosuke?" he asked, pointing one thumb to his own face.

Tanjiro grumbled, but it was inaudible for anyone to hear. Inosuke was disappointed. He wanted Tanjiro to say his name first before anyone else when he became conscious.

Zenitsu tried to push him off the bed. "Get off, Inosuke! Seeing your face will make him unconscious again!"

Inosuke was stubborn. He didn't even slightly fidget from his stance. "The hell, Monitsu? He'd want to see me first before you!"

Nezuko tried to get in-between them. "Stop it, you two. Tanjiro is glad to see us together, but I don't think we should be fighting—"

"Why don't you stick around Akako like you always do and leave us alone?!" Inosuke spat, bringing his forehead to Zenitsu's. Nezuko flinched to hear her name so badly pronounced by Inosuke.

"Just get off! This is not the way to treat a person who just woke up from a coma," the yellow-haired man lectured, pushing his forehead as hard as he could.

All three of them didn't realize that Kanao was already gone from her seat.

Seeing the commotion and Tanjiro trying hard to make sense of his surrounding worried her. He still needed time to recover and looking at his friends fighting and bickering weren't really a good thing.

She went to the only person who could stop them from fighting, especially to tame Inosuke down.

Who else than Aoi Kanzaki?

Kanao looked for Aoi in the research room, but the bittersweet smell that circulated around the chamber proved that she was there earlier.

She dashed her way to kitchen and exhaled once she heard the sound of pouring water. Kanao went in, panting and breathless.

"Aoi-san," she called out, her hands on her knees as she tried to regain her breath. "Help."

The girl with the blue outfit turned her head in concern as she poured water from the kettle to a cup and a bowl. "What's wrong? Did something happen to Tanjiro?"