Slow Burn - Kanao x Nezuko - GirlxGirl - KanaNezu - NezuKana

The Apple

"Thank you for the help, Nezuko!" Shinobu clasped her hands together and patted the demon on her head. 

Nezuko smiled beneath the bamboo muzzle, glad to help Lady Kochou (even if it had been only a few towels). 

Shinobu's smile seemed to twitch as she kindly asked Nezuko to leave her office so she could get some work done. Nezuko nodded and obliged, listening to her soft footsteps on the wood floor of the mansion.

It was daytime, around noon, so Nezuko avoided the front of the mansion where the most windows were. She knew her big brother was still sleeping in his room, recovering from fighting the awful spider demons. I wish brother and the others had regeneration, Nezuko thought as she walked toward the kitchen. They're so reckless with their lives as they fight demons. They can't just get back what's lost.

Nezuko wandered into the kitchen, one of the rooms with the fewest windows, and slumped down onto a chair. Nezuko wondered what she should do; sleep, look for something else to do, sew? 

As she pondered her next hobby, Kanao entered the kitchen. Nezuko turned at the sound, her eyes wide. Kanao didn't notice her for a half-second. Nezuko just looked at the grace of her footsteps, the beauty of her flowing hair, and the gorgeousness of her shiny purple eyes.

Kanao turned quickly on instinct of someone watching her, but when she realized it was just Nezuko, her nerves eased. Kanao nodded respectfully at Nezuko, then went back to retrieving food from the cabinet. 

Nezuko was still replaying Kanao's graceful nod in her mind when the girl sat down across from her at the table. 

Neither spoke, but communication was not an issue. Nezuko placed her fingers on the edge of the table, her long demon claws placed just over the wood. Kanao had a single apple in her hand-- a red delicious. Nezuko remembered how there had been red delicious trees at the base of the mountain where she grew up. She remembered the red apples. She remembered the happy memories of picking them with her siblings; happy memories now turned sad. 

Kanao seemed to notice Nezuko's forlorn state, and grabbed a kitchen knife to cut the apple in half. Kanao offered the other half to Nezuko. As a demon, Nezuko refused, not having the stomach to digest it. She nodded in thanks, but did not take the apple. 

"You... can't have it?" Kanao spoke softly, with a voice carried by angels across the table and into Nezuko's blessed ears. The demon sat up straighter, hoping she didn't hurt Kanao's feelings. Nezuko nodded, feeling bad for refusing the apple (even though she couldn't eat it anyway). 

"Oh, alright." Kanao smiled at Nezuko again, seemingly unbothered. Kanao left the severed apple half on the counter for another person to find and eat later. 

A few moments passed and Nezuko still felt kind of bad, even though Kanao has seemed fine with it. Nezuko pointed to the window (whose sunlight she tactfully avoided) and made a little "Hmph." sound at Kanao. 

It took the slayer a moment to process what Nezuko was trying to convey, but she eventually nodded slowly. "You want to go outside later?" Kanao asked softly, her question reaching Nezuko. 

"Mhm." Nezuko nodded. 

"...okay." Kanao said. She bit into the apple and red delicious juice poured onto her chin. Nezuko observed Kanao lap the golden juice from her index finger before standing. The slayer pushed in the chair and crossed the kitchen to leave and waved a quick goodbye to Nezuko, who returned the gesture.