#KENTAROOO

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Inotan Fanfic: The Height of Friendship - Chapter 1

Shorties

Synopsis: Inosuke's excitement knew no bounds when he finally surpassed Tanjirou and Zenitsu in height. But a series of incidents lead him to believe that being taller than his companions comes with drawbacks, leaving him feeling left out and dejected. Determined to lift Inosuke's spirits, Tanjirou hatches a plan. Zenitsu is sceptical about the feasibility of the hare-brained scheme, but decides to put friendship before sensibility. Will the plan succeed, or will it backfire?

Main Pairing: Inotan (Inosuke x Tanjirou)

Secondary Pairing: ZenNezu (Zenitsu x Nezuko)

Setting: Canon AU, 3 years after the main story ends

Wordcount: ~9000 words across 3 chapters

Chapters: 1 2 3

Status: Complete. 4th story in the Series: Where the Wisteria Always Bloom.

While this story can be enjoyed on its own, readers who have read the previous installments in the Series: Where the Wisteria Always Bloom may appreciate certain references and throwbacks that are included. If you can spare the time, I do recommend reading the earlier stories in consecutive order before diving into this one.

To recap, our main characters reside together in the Kamado family household, and they operate an eatery in the neighboring town known as the Wisteria Garden. In this installment, Inosuke and Tanjirou are 18 years old, Zenitsu is 19, and Nezuko is 17.

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It was a tranquil and serene morning in the Kamado household. The sun was just beginning to filter through the windows, casting a warm glow over the kitchen. The smell of breakfast cooking filled the room, and Zenitsu felt content as he stood next to Nezuko, helping her stir the miso soup. She hummed quietly, a sweet melody that complemented the gentle clinking of utensils. Zenitsu smiled as he listened to her voice. It was a good singing voice, he noted, and it was always in tune – unlike her brother's, thank heavens.

As Nezuko stirred the pot, she glanced over at Zenitsu, silently asking for the salt. He knew exactly what she wanted and handed it to her with a small smile. Nezuko's face lit up in the cutest smile ever, and she thanked him with a grateful nod. They worked together in comfortable silence, each knowing what the other needed without having to say a word. Zenitsu couldn't help but feel like they were a married couple, enjoying each other's company and the peaceful morning.

He was so engrossed in his fantasy that he failed to register the sound of feet pounding heavily against the wooden floor. A boisterous voice broke the peace. 

"Good morning, shorties!" Inosuke yelled, a little too loudly for Zenitsu's taste.

Zenitsu’s knees buckled as he felt a forceful hand press against his head. He yelped in protest as his hair was ruffled hard. Nezuko received the same treatment, but her hair was nowhere near as messy as Zenitsu's after Inosuke was done with him.

"Good morning, Inosuke. You're energetic as always," Nezuko laughed as she smoothed down her hair.

"Of course! I always have more energy than any of you! Now, where's the third shorty?"

Zenitsu grumpily pointed in the direction of the open window, where he could see Tanjirou pulling weeds in the backyard.

Without further ado, Inosuke leaped through the window, nearly knocking over the pot of miso soup. He charged at Tanjirou, bellowing “KENTAROOOOU!". Zenitsu could hear intense ruffling of hair, followed by the sound of rough kisses being planted on Tanjirou's face as Inosuke enveloped him in a bear hug.

"Crazy boar," Zenitsu muttered under his breath, closing the window. He was glad he had the option to not look at them, but he still had to listen to the sound of their kissing, and it made him cringe.

Nezuko chuckled at Zenitsu's reaction and smoothed out his messy hair gently. "He's just a little excited. I'm sure he'll stop doing this once the novelty wears off."

"Little is an understatement," Zenitsu grumbled, stirring the miso soup with less enthusiasm than before.

*

When they first moved into the Kamado household, Inosuke had been all fired up to discover the makeshift height measurement that the Kamado siblings had used to measure their growth over the years. The wall was dotted with etches marking their heights, a physical testament to their growth and development. Inosuke had sworn that he would outgrow his new family members, and had immediately started a rigorous routine of stretching exercises each day.

As the months turned into years, they continued to mark their height on the wall, gathering together to help each other etch the latest measurement above their heads. Two summers had passed since they started, and Nezuko’s height had remained relatively stagnant. But in that time, Tanjirou, Inosuke and Zenitsu had all grown taller and apparently at an equal rate. There was barely any difference between their heights at first. Inosuke kept trying to cheat by stretching, claiming that it was a reflex action when Zenitsu called him out for it. But slowly and surely, it became apparent that even without trying, Inosuke was getting a little taller than Zenitsu and Tanjirou.

"Stop being so cocky, we're still growing and I'll surpass you next time!" Zenitsu had declared when Inosuke started calling them "shorties." But their height difference continued to grow, with Inosuke finally emerging as the clear victor by the third summer. His height was now a full three-finger-widths taller than both Zenitsu and Tanjirou's, who remained the same height as each other.

And so the nickname "shorty" stuck, with Inosuke's arrogance over his victory reaching a new height - pun intended. He would often put his hand on their heads and ruffle their hair whenever he felt like it, a gesture that always elicited groans and protests from his companions. Zenitsu thought it was simply ridiculous because Inosuke still had to stand on his tiptoes to ruffle their hair, which meant that he really wasn't that much taller than them, but he was still milking that three-finger-width difference for all it was worth.

Interestingly, and thankfully for Zenitsu, Inosuke did not brag about his handsome face. Zenitsu supposed Inosuke thought he was born with it and hadn't worked for it. It wasn't a representation of his capabilities, so he didn't care for it. On the other hand, he had worked hard on his stretching every day, which he was proud of, and had thought that outgrowing the others was a result of his hard work and strength. Zenitsu knew this was absolute nonsense and that Inosuke had simply won the genetic lottery with both his looks and his height. Not that he would admit it, but despite saying that he didn't care about a silly thing like height, he had religiously done the same stretching exercises that Inosuke did every day in hopes of growing taller. Meanwhile, Tanjirou hadn't even bothered.

Still, whenever Inosuke demanded praise for his achievement, Tanjirou would comply and compliment him for his hard work and perseverance. Zenitsu wondered whether he was really ignorant or just indulging his boyfriend.

It's not that Zenitsu was jealous, of course. Nezuko was petite, and he was just the right height to give her a sense of security. He couldn't care less whether he was the tallest among them or not. But Inosuke's insufferable antics didn't stop at hair ruffling.

Whenever they needed something from a high place, Inosuke would be the first to grab it. He'd hold it out of reach, wave it around, and even stand on his toes, stretching his arms further to increase their height difference. Tanjirou and Nezuko found it amusing, but Zenitsu was always irritated.

Tanjirou would entertain Inosuke with cheesy compliments like: "Thanks for helping me, couldn't have done it without you," "You're the best," and "I know I can always count on you." The mushy statements gave Zenitsu goosebumps all over, but they pleased Inosuke, and he would return Tanjirou's belongings without further fuss.

Zenitsu, on the other hand, couldn't bring himself to spew nauseating compliments like Tanjirou. Inosuke would bully him for it, making him jump up and down to get his stuff and Tanjirou would have to come to his rescue by distracting Inosuke. Zenitsu found it to be such a waste of time.

"Can't you do something about him?" Zenitsu complained to Tanjirou after Inosuke walked off with a smug grin on his face, having scored a glowing compliment and a kiss from his boyfriend.

"Why?" Tanjirou asked, genuinely perplexed. "It's normal behaviour from Inosuke."

"Looks like being with Inosuke has warped your sense of normal," Zenitsu snorted.

"Perhaps," Tanjirou sheepishly scratched his head. "But he's not bothering anyone."

"He's bothering me ! He's your boyfriend. Can't you control him?"

"Of course not, he's his own person," Tanjirou replied. "Besides, you know what he's like. He doesn't like people telling him what to do. He means no harm, and the novelty will wear off soon. Just be a bit more patient with him."

Zenitsu groaned inwardly. These Kamado siblings were too optimistic for their own good. He knew he was on his own and he would have to take matters into his own hands if he couldn't take it anymore.

*

The opportunity presented itself unexpectedly. Inosuke had taken the bouquet of flowers that Zenitsu had put together for Nezuko and waved it over his head. Fortunately, no damage was done, but it made Zenitsu more anxious than usual since it was a present for Nezuko. After he managed to grab the bouquet back, he huffed in annoyance and said, "You think you're some hot shot, but you're just bullying someone because of your size."

"Huh?" Inosuke replied.

"Don't you always say that losing to someone smaller than you is soul-crushing? With that logic, winning against them is nothing to be proud of. Yet now you keep making fun of the fact that you can hold stuff out of my reach like it's something to be proud of."

Inosuke's smug grin vanished, replaced by a confused expression. He stared at Zenitsu, as if trying to size him up to see if he was really smaller.

"You see, if we're about the same build, but you're taller than me, then you're obviously occupying more space than me. That makes you bigger-sized than me. Makes sense, doesn't it?" Zenitsu explained.

Zenitsu knew he wasn't making much sense. Their height difference was slight, so their size difference was negligible. But that didn't matter. What mattered was that Inosuke thought it made sense, and he could tell that it did. Inosuke now wore a slight frown and a thoughtful expression on his face as he tried to process Zenitsu's words. 

“Have fun thinking,” Zenitsu patted Inosuke on the shoulder and walked away, feeling triumphant. Inosuke would probably forget all about it the next time, but for now, he had made his point.

*

A few days had passed, and Zenitsu was tending to the laundry when he noticed something peculiar about Inosuke’s hakama pants. An outline of a boar's head was carefully embroidered on the hem, a work of art that only Nezuko could have produced. Zenitsu was curious and couldn't resist checking the other pants, but no such adornment was present on any of them. He felt a pang of jealousy, wondering why Inosuke was the sole recipient of Nezuko’s cute embroidery.

Upon questioning Nezuko, she replied with motherly affection, "Inosuke has grown taller and needs longer pants, so I extended the hem accordingly. But I embroidered that boar's head to differentiate his pants from yours and nii-chan's . I know you three share clothes quite often, and I don't want you accidentally taking Inosuke's pants."

"We don't share clothes," Zenitsu informed her. "Inosuke just takes whatever fits him. But it's a good idea, Nezuko-chan. Now he won't have an excuse to take our clothes anymore. Thank you!"

But Inosuke, with a sour expression, made it clear that he didn't care. "I'll wear whatever I want!" 

He snatched a random pair of pants that was clearly not his from the laundry basket and ran off with it.

Nezuko looked worriedly after Inosuke as he disappeared. "He doesn't look happy," she remarked.

Zenitsu, however, brushed off Inosuke's behaviour. "Never mind that ungrateful boar, Nezuko-chan. I'll wear your handiwork," he assured her.

The next day, Zenitsu put on the pants as promised, but the length was too long, and he had to stop frequently to roll up the hem, grumbling inwardly at the inconvenience.

*

As the days went by, Zenitsu noticed a shift in Inosuke's behaviour towards their height difference. Gone were the days of him calling them “shorties” or playfully ruffling their hair. He also seemed less enthusiastic during their morning training sessions, putting in the effort he always did but not his usual level of competitiveness. Even when he won a sparring session, his typical smugness was nowhere to be seen.

Zenitsu knew he should be happy since he had always thought Inosuke was too cocky for his own good, but something felt off. He couldn't shake the feeling that his words from earlier had affected Inosuke. Tanjirou had picked up on it too, observing Inosuke with concern etched on his face and asking him if something was bothering him. But Inosuke would always dismiss it with a brusque "Of course not! Nothing bothers me!"

It wasn't until one fateful day that Inosuke finally reached his breaking point.

Zenitsu fancied himself as a romantic gentleman and always asked for Nezuko's permission before kissing her. But Inosuke, being the savage he was, had a different idea of what constituted a romantic kiss. He would often charge at Tanjirou, grabbing his face and planting a kiss on his lips without warning whenever the mood struck him. Zenitsu couldn't help but burst out laughing when Inosuke's nose collided with Tanjirou's iron forehead, resulting in a heavy nosebleed that took a full twenty minutes to stop.

Tanjirou was quick to apologize for not paying closer attention, but Inosuke blamed himself for being taller.

"I wish I was shorter," Inosuke muttered miserably, his voice nasally due to his pinched and bloodied nose.

Zenitsu thought Inosuke would get over it once his nose had healed, but he was wrong. Without his usual air of cockiness, Inosuke looked worn and depressed, making Zenitsu regret all the times he had wished Inosuke would change.

"I've never heard anyone wish they were shorter, and you're not even that tall," Zenitsu tried to reason with him. "I mean, have you seen Tengen?"

"I don't care about that old man," Inosuke said dully. "I just want to spar and share clothes with both of you and not break my nose when I kiss Tanjirou."

"We can still spar on an equal footing and share clothes. I was just joking the other day, and our height difference really isn't significant. And as for your accident with Tanjirou, that was bound to happen regardless of your heights because you charge at him like a wild boar. If you stop doing that, there won't be any accidents."

But Inosuke was as stubborn as a boar. Once he made up his mind about something, it was hard to change it. Soon, he fell into a depression, and his gloom blanketed all of them like dark clouds. He even stopped getting up early to train with them.

Since the disbandment of the Demon Slayer Corps, they had lived together as a close-knitted family for three years, but there was still so much about Inosuke that mystified Zenitsu. Apparently, he wasn't the only one. Even Tanjirou, who spent more time with Inosuke than anyone else, seemed just as bewildered by his behaviour.

“He can't be satisfied, can he?” Zenitsu grumbled to Tanjirou during one of their morning trainings, which had temporarily turned into “how to get Inosuke out of depression” discussions. “He was the one who wanted to outgrow all of us, and now that he's done it, he's all depressed.”

Tanjirou sighed. "I think it goes beyond the height issue," he ventured. "Inosuke likes to prove himself, but he also thinks of himself as our leader. So he wouldn't like the idea of being singled out from us. I'm sure it stems from a desire for friendship and camaraderie, but he just doesn't know how to express it."

Zenitsu shook his head in disbelief. "I mean, I kind of get it, but still, imagine being depressed over such a stupid reason."

"We aren't in his shoes, so we can't judge his reasons for being depressed," Tanjirou said. "We can only do our best to get him out of his funk."

Zenitsu let out a heavy sigh, feeling the weight of the situation. "Fine, what ideas do you have? I'm all out."

Tanjirou furrowed his brow, thinking hard. "Since he wants us all to be the same height, both of us will have to be taller."

“And now you're not making sense too,” Zenitsu scoffed, throwing his hands up in frustration. “I hate to say this, but I think I've reached my peak when it comes to growing, and so have you. But if you have an actual feasible plan on how we can grow taller in a day or even a few, I'm all ears.”

“Grow taller in a day huh…” Tanjirou pursed his lips contemplatively. Suddenly, he jumped to his feet, startling Zenitsu, his face alight with excitement.

“I've got it! I know how we can do that!”

“Do what?!” Zenitsu demanded.

“Grow taller!” Tanjirou exclaimed.

“What? No, you really are not making sense. I was being sarcastic, in case you didn’t realise.” Zenitsu rolled his eyes.  

"I have an idea, but… I think I can only get the stuff ready by tonight. I'd better go work on it now. Thank you, Zenitsu! That was a brilliant idea!" Tanjirou gave him a quick hug and dashed off without further explanation.

“I'm surrounded by loonies,” Zenitsu concluded, his face contorted in a mixture of frustration and amusement. As he lowered himself onto the grass, the earthy scent of the field filled his nose, calming his senses. He took a deep breath and tried to relax, mentally prepping himself for whatever Tanjirou had in store for them, and dark clouds for the rest of the day.

*

After dinner, Zenitsu finally had a chance to speak with Tanjirou about his mysterious plan. The sky had darkened and the sound of crickets filled the air as Tanjirou beckoned him to the backyard, making sure not to alert Inosuke. Unfortunately, Inosuke caught a glimpse of Zenitsu, but he simply went straight to the bedroom without saying a word. Zenitsu realized that Inosuke's condition must be bad, and they needed to put their plan into action immediately, regardless of how crazy Tanjirou's plan might be.

When he arrived in the backyard, he saw two pairs of sandals standing tall above the ground. He moved closer and examined the footwear, which had a unique design unlike any of the traditional sandals he had been accustomed to wearing. The soles were raised on a single narrow block right in the centre, which would give the wearer the appearance of standing on short stilts. He remembered they were called tengu geta, after the mythical tengu demon who was usually depicted wearing these. Zenitsu had seen performers wear them at festivals and processions, and he always wondered how they managed to keep their balance without toppling over. 

As he stared at the footwear in awe, it suddenly occurred to him that Tanjirou probably hadn’t brought them here for him to admire. Dread began to creep into Zenitsu's heart as he analysed his new predicament. Surely, Tanjirou wasn't suggesting that they wear them? He would definitely fall and break his ankle. Even with Tanjirou's overly optimistic nature, he couldn't possibly not see the potential danger in this plan.

Zenitsu gazed at the two pairs of tengu geta with apprehension, eyeing the thin wooden teeth precariously balancing in the centre of the soles. He was already imagining himself tripping and tumbling face first into the dirt, his ankle twisted in an awkward angle.

“So… what are these for?” he asked tentatively, hoping that he was wrong and that Tanjirou had more intelligent plans for them.

“For us to be taller!” Tanjirou said brightly, his face lit with enthusiasm.

“Umm... how?” Zenitsu asked, already knowing the answer but still clinging to a sliver of hope that he had misunderstood.

“It’s very simple! You just slip them on and you’re immediately taller!” Tanjirou said, removing his own sandals and placing a foot onto one of the geta. “Like this! See?” He lifted up the other foot slightly, causing the geta to wobble unsteadily.

Zenitsu watched with a mixture of fascination and horror as Tanjirou struggled to maintain his balance, his arms flailing as he tried to steady himself. With a sudden lurch, Tanjirou retracted his foot and stepped back, causing the geta to fall on its side with a loud thud.

“You see, this is a moronic idea! It won’t work out!” Zenitsu exclaimed.

“Don’t worry! We just need practice!” Tanjirou said, the optimism in his voice refusing to be quelled.

“Can’t you get the ones with double teeth?!" Zenitsu cried. "You know, those that people wear in rain or snow? At least they are practical and you can actually walk in them!”

“Sorry but no one sells them in this dry summer weather,” Tanjirou explained. “Besides, they aren’t nearly high enough. I had to get these from the performing theatre. The teeth were originally even higher but I sanded them down!” Tanjirou said with a triumphant smile, as though it was something to be proud of.

Zenitsu groaned and buried his face in his hand. “Even the oiran geta would have been easier to walk in.”

“Oh I did ask the performing theatre for those, but they didn’t have any in our size.”

“I was being sarcastic. I can’t believe you actually considered that,” Zenitsu shook his head. He eyed their new footwear in disdain.

“And what do you think will happen if he wants to spar with us while we’re wearing this? I’m not doing it, I’ll break my ankles.”

Tanjirou was silent for a while. It was clear that he hadn't considered that. Then, beaming sunnily, he said, “It’s fine, we’ll cross the bridge when we get to it!”

Zenitsu let out an exasperated sigh. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing from his usually strategic and rational friend. He was forced to conclude that being with Inosuke had not only warped Tanjirou's sense of normal, it had also warped his sensibilities.

Chapter 2

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Author's Notes: This fic is primarily from Zenitsu's POV, and therefore focuses more on the friendship dynamic between our favourite trio, as well as his opinions on Inosuke and Tanjirou. I tried my best to visually describe the tengu geta, but just in case it's not getting through, here is a link to a photo on Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ajpscs/754626544

As you can see, it's really tall and Tanjirou would have to sand it down so it doesn't exceed three finger widths. Inosuke being the tallest of the trio is a headcanon of mine. As he was the shortest of the trio in canon, I thought it would be amusing if he ended up taller than them all, and naturally, he would gloat about it before regretting it in some "Inosuke logic" way. Although I did some research at the time of writing this fic, I haven't come across any official information about their eventual heights (if they did grow taller). However, since this is my fanfic, my headcanon still stands regardless. I won't specify their final heights to leave it to your imagination. But, do any of you have headcanons about their eventual heights? I'd love to hear them! Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed my fic, it’d really make my day if you could drop a like, reblog, and/or comment to let me know! This story is also published on AO3 where you can comment anonymously! Although I mostly write for myself, your encouragement keeps me motivated to post and share my work.

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