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It was after the battle with the Upper Six.
Kanao walked in Tanjiro's room, holding a flask of flowers and some food, just in case he woke up.
Kanao studied the calm sleeping face of Tanjiro, her face filled with worry.
It was the most emotions she had felt throughout her life for now.
She couldn't help but worry about the flame haired boy laying down on a sickbed in front of her. As she set down the things, she felt something flutter in her heart.
What is this feeling?
Kanao wondered as her cheeks tainted pink at the sight of Tanjiro's face. He looked so calm, so in peace, and kind of... Attractive?
Kanao covered her mouth as this thought crossed her mind.
She had made herself flustered with only the sight of Tanjiro. What is she going to do if he wakes up? This is bad, she doesn't even know how she feels about him yet but... This may have just made her realise lots of things...
"Make your own choices" is what he told her.
Yeah, she can make her own choices now...
She leaned forward, looking at Tanjiro's face, the scar on his forehead, his calm expression.
Her lips met the skin on his cheek, slightly grazing the skin. She pulled back, with a slight smile on her face.
-TIME SKIP BABY-
It was after the final battle vs Muzan. Kanao has changed a lot since then.
She looked over to Tanjiro, then her eyes widened. Her lungs drew in the warm air from the sun, as she looked at the broken form of him. The one she loves. The one she chose to love.
A series of things happened afterwards, Kanao couldn't keep her mind going straight. All she knew was that Tanjiro turned into a demon, and her katana fell out of her hand. "Tanjiro..." That's the only thing that she said, the only thing on her mind.
She had decided that this is the guy Kanae told her she'd meet one day when she's older... There's no way she's losing him now. No. Way.
Weirdly, her body unconsciously started moving.
What...? Where am I going? I can't... I can't control my body...
She thought as she ran towards the boy who's slowly becoming a demon... No. The demon king. The new demon king.
"Kanao!"
Who... Said that? She can't recognise the voice... Zenitsu? Shinobu... No she's... Dead... Who...? The water hashira...?
She wondered who that distance voice came from, but her brain is fuzzy, her eyesight blurry with... tears? And the sounds she heard was just a high stinging sound.
She reached him, there's something in her hands... She realised she took one of the syringes from Shinobu's box before she took off.
In front of her was a familiar face she has known for a while now, but yet it is unfamiliar. The peace in his expressions was gone. It was filled with... anger?
Tanjiro noticed the girl next to him and unleashed another attack. She dodged, while thinking how to give him the cure.
Only one thing came to mind... The final form...
...but she would lose the eyesight of her other eye too...
...but it's him...
...my own choice.
Kanao ran towards the current demon king and...
"Flower breathing... Final form: Equinoctial Vermilion Eye!" She shouted in her head.
She jumped up.
Her vision locked onto one spot on Tanjiro's body, everything is in slow motion for her so she could move precisely.
That's the final form.
It enhances her vision and speed.
This is it.
The one she used once with Douma, the one that even the strongest demon would find hard to defeat.
"Please...!" She said softly before stabbing the syringe into Tanjiro's side and injecting the cure.
Her vision blurred and everything went upside down.
She was caught by the water hashira as she fell and watched from a safe distance as the demon king slowly...
...slowly...
...turned back into the demon slayer. The one she set her mind on.
Tanjiro is back.
Tired. Is what she felt... But she had to get to him.
She ran.
She didn't notice how she could still see with her left eye, though.
(It's only partially blind on her left and completely blind on her right btw)
"Tanjiro...!"
She said to the boy, kneeled down, smiling at her as she reached him.
-Few years later- (I LOVE TIME SKIPS YAY)
Kanao and Tanjiro were sitting on a futon in the training place at the butterfly mansion.
(They have futons for stretching remember?)
They were watching Aoi train, as Tanjiro gave her tips here and there.
(Aoi was supposed to be using water breathing and Tanjiro knows that so... Ya)
(Also don't ask me why Aoi is still training after all demons are dead just assume that she could idk, pass down the sword art or something...)
They were holding hands, Tanjiro and Kanao. They could hear the bickering of Nezuko and Zenitsu in the other room. Inosuke watched Aoi train while peeking through the door.
The peace Kanao thought she would never have.
She leaned her head onto her partner's shoulder slightly, but Tanjiro notices and let her head rest on his lap, while their fingers locked, as if forbidding them to ever separate.
He looked down at her, that damn smile she loves. "Just rest, love you..." His voice trailed off as she dozed off, her tiredness taking over her after taking care of most things around the mansion.
In her dream, she saw them. Two familiar figures.
Kanae... And Shinobu.
Tears welled up in her eyes.
They turned towards her and smiled. "Kanao..."
Such a warm embrace...
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry I couldn't cry over your death... I'm sorry I hadn't shed tears back then... I was sad, I just didn't know why I couldn't cry..."
Kanae looked at her adopted sister, with such kind eyes even the wind pillar would be calm from.
"No one is blaming you, silly... It's okay... You were still healing from your trauma back then... I don't blame you."
Kanao tugged at her shirt right where her heart was and cried... With two hands comforting her.
"There there Kanao..."
"Did it hurt...?"
"When I got eaten by Douma? It stung a bit at first but not at all. It was surprisingly peaceful."
"If I had came earlier I- I-"
"Shh... It's all okay now..."
She talked to them for like ages.
"You found your soulmate, didn't you Kanao?"
"E-ehhhhh?!"
Kanao blushed profusely, how did she- oh wait she probably saw in heaven.
Kanae smiled warmly at Kanao.
"I'm so glad..."
Shinobu nodded along.
The two sisters grinned at the sight of a blushing Kanao, while patting her head.
After a while, it was time to go. Kanao thought she'd have a hard time saying goodbye, but she decided that she should let them go and move on with her own life.
Where she had someone who loved her as much as she did to them.
Upon awakening, the first thing she felt was the warm sensation on her lips.
She saw Tanjiro smiling down at her, just pulling away.
"Morning..."
It's actually afternoon, but who cares?
Kanao sat up and told Tanjiro about her dream.
"I'm so happy for you... At least you got to talk to them!"
"Yeah... Also, I forgot to tell you something"
"What is it?"
Kanao grinned as she told him what she did a few years ago. After Tanjiro got into a coma from the Upper Six fight. The slight cheek kiss.
"Oh? So you've decided I was the one since then?"
"Y-yeah..."
"You're so adorable, did you know that?"
"Ehhh...?"
She smiled as she looked at her lover, who smiled right back at her.
It was a happy life despite all the things she had experienced in the past.
It's all over.