|·Idiots With Swords·| Inosuke X Reader

23

The training session had begun and became officially known as 'pillar training'. Anyone ranked lower than a pillar was to train with them one by one.
Usually, the pillars would only train their 'successors' and no one else, like I was trained, and that was mainly because they were busy. Pillars had too many things to do, like protecting their assigned regions, gathering information on demons, and improving their own swordsmanship. But ever since Nezuko managed to be the only full demon to conquer the sun, the demons just stopped showing up. It was like the calm before the storm and because of that, the pillars only had to focus on night patrol and day training.
Currently, I'm still healing, but I get to join in with the training in 7 days. Zenitsu is in here with Tanjirou and i, bitching and moaning about how he doesn't like it, and of course it goes right over Tanjirou's head.
"Oh! I see! Amazing!" He said with an excited grin.
The blonde wasn't having it. "No it's not. Its horrible. It's a living hell. Who thought of this crap? That piece of shit should die."
"Well. That 'piece of shit' is the man who raised me." I said with narrowed eyes. "So what's good? Catch me out back, how about that..... Bitch."
When the tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife, Tanjirou jumped in easily. "The secret trick to getting better is partnering up with people who are stronger than you! Confronting the strong will make you use your breaths more and make you even stronger!"
"You moron I'm already stronger than both of you." I sighed in annoyance. "Good luck here bitch." I left the room and in the hallway I clenched my fist tightly before mumbling, "show me my rank."
The number 2 appearing where there was once a 4. How the hell.. Maybe Aoi will know something about this..
I wandered the halls until I found her outside folding linens. "Oh, (y/n). You felling better?"
"Much." I said as I moved across from her to help fold a very large blanket. "Hey, I have a quick question."
She raised an eyebrow at me, "what?"
"I feel like such an idiot for not knowing this, but how fast do ranks normally change?" I said with a frown.
Aoi shrugged, "it usually depends on the situation I suppose. Any normal demon slayer would move up the ranks and it would take about 5 or so years before the reached a pillars rank. A tsugoku like yourself would maybe take 3 years. And then only 2 if one was exceptionally skilled. Why do you ask?"
I flipped the blanket and finished folding it myself before placing it in the laundry basket. "Back at the Red Light District, I was ranked as a Hinoto. Then between the time I spent recovering from that attack, and the most recent attack on the swordsmiths village.. My rank changed."
"Ranks move down more often than one would like, (y/n). No need to be ashamed." Aoi teased lightheartedly, but her smile fell when she realized my face was serious. "Wait.. What happened?"
"I'm labeled as Kinoto. One level before the pillars." I said with a grin plastered to my face. "I just.. I'm so confused.."
Her eyes were wide and then she dropped the clothespin, "you're lying. Lemme see." I showed her and she had to look twice before she grinned proudly. "Look at you. Climbing ranks like climbing the stairs! That's crazy!"
"Oh its crazy alright.." I huffed with a frown. "But I can't be a pillar yet.. Shinazugawa is still the wind pillar, i can't take that position yet!"
Aoi looked around suspiciously before leaning in close, "yeah, but you don't have to be the wind pillar.. Don't you also use a completely different breath?"
My eyes widen in realisation, ".. Holy hell on a stick.."
She grinned proudly, "You can't deny that would work in your favor!"
"I.. I mean thats.. I don't know if I c.." I stuttered nervously. "..thats all I've wanted for a very long time! B.. But I can't leave my idiots down here to fight alone. You know this, Aoi."
Aoi nods after a moment, the easiness in her mood dampened. "Of course I know. You seem really attached to them."
"The fuck I am. Those idiots would jump off a cliff, and then to it again, just to see if they'd break as many bones as they did the first time." I said with an annoyed sigh.
"Oh come on, I'm sure it's not that bad." Aoi waved off my words dismissively.
I deadpanned, "Inosuke walked into a tree, fell back, and then stood up and did it again, this time challenging the pine tree to a fist fight."
"But, Tanjirou's not like that though-"
"The moron spent 5 minutes staring at a weird shaped rock because he was convinced it was a forest spirit in disguise."
"T..then the blonde-"
"Threw that rock at a tree, it bounced back and hit him in the face. He screamed how the gods were after his head."
"Oookay.. Maybe they're that bad.." She said with an exasperated sigh. "I don't know how you feel with them."
"Its the drugs."
"W..what?"
"Nothing."