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He can hear them.
Those feelings of regret, the way their heart scream in agony. They were all ringing in his ears, creeping into himself like venom. He kept absorbing these pain, and it had been going on for months now.
The sounds never stopped, and it drove Zenitsu crazy.
He decided to take as many missions he could as soon as he had fully recovered. He chose to do them as far as possible from the Butterfly Estate so he wouldn't hear the sounds.
Zenitsu was starting to regret it because during that very moment, while skillfully hiding himself behind the crates, the booming sound of heavy footsteps from the decoy demon came right behind the boxes and threw the wood all over him. His heart shot up to his throat and triggered a high-pitched scream from him.
The tall, bulky demon came looming over him, its bloody fangs bared at him. That thing couldn't get any scarier once it growled right at his smaller figure and raised its claws.
Zenitsu did the most natural thing and bolted out of there. These demons were really scary and he regretted not bringing Inosuke with him, when the boar head even volunteered to help him. He wasn't cruel enough to bring someone who nearly got stabbed in the heart and just woke up from a coma, though.
Anyways, Zenitsu was 100% sure he would die in that mission. Everything in this village was creepy, even though there were only two demons in it. When he entered during the day, everything seemed pretty normal - bright sunny day with a few people sending him polite smiles and glances. The villagers were all minding their business as if nothing was wrong.
But it was all facade! Chuntaro was sure he led him to the right place and he would never doubt his sparrow and he was so right. Everything perfect had something imperfect in them hidden somewhere. He knew so much, and the sounds from their heartbeats were irregular, as if they were being restrained.
It was suffocating him, and so he tried his very best to investigate. One older guy approached him, probably just older than him by three years or so, and he looked troubled. He was screaming deep inside of him which made Zenitsu flinch even before they met eyes. The guy's deep brown eyes were narrowed and trembling and it didn't take a genius to figure out that he needed help.
"A-are you the hunter?" The guy tugged into his sleeve, almost making him scream.
Zenitsu just stared at his fearful eyes and nodded almost hesitantly. Few glances landed on them and so the guy pulled him into a more secluded place.
"Why are you dragging me as you please?!" Zenitsu snapped and with both of them being all jumpy and paranoid, they exchanged screams for half a minute until Chuntaro angrily pecked at the top of his head.
"S-sorry, but I need your help!" The guy was desperate and it was resonating in his ears.
"Don't yell, okay?! I'll help you!"
Zenitsu was just saying that but even his knees were trembling. The sounds from everyone were too eerie and it was making him paranoid like something was just hiding in the dark, waiting to gobble them up-
"Why are you making that face…" Zenitsu trailed off and slowly turned around to where the guy was looking at.
All courage and the talk about saving thrown at the window, Zenitsu buckled his legs to run away from the creepy dark corner together with the equally terrified stranger. At the middle of the morning, two guys went running like madmen.
Having calmed down, Zenitsu grabbed the edges of the taller guy's yukata and had him bent down slightly. "What's your deal?! It was just a cat!"
"But you ran away too-"
"That's not the point!" With all the sudden sprints and screaming, maintaining Total Concentration Constant got harder. He used a lot of his energy already and this man was not of any help.
After getting back into track, Zenitsu's ears caught a feeble sound from inside the house they stopped at.
"Why?" The guy inquired, a brow raised.
Zenitsu didn't want to elaborate to the person what kind of noise he picked up. It was more like the sound of chewing and gnawing at flesh in broad daylight. It was from a demon, and a hand instinctively held onto his katana.
"It's here."
Zenitsu looked around and none seemed to pay them attention. Some were purposefully avoiding eye contact, as if they knew something.
He really wished he brought anybody with him because how the hell was he supposed to beat a big ass strong-sounding demon which was currently having a feast inside a totally not suspicious house? Zenitsu grabbed fistfuls of his hair and pulled them in a show of his agony. The guy just looked at him as if he was a poor creature.
"Perhaps you're doubting me now, aren't you?" Zenitsu deadpanned.
Shamelessly, he received a nod.
__________
The name of the guy he met was Satoki. Satoki-san led him to his home, since they really couldn't do anything under the daylight. The sound from a while ago vanished as soon as it appeared and it probably sensed them coming so it concealed itself.
Still, it didn't make Zenitsu feel at ease at all, because it only meant a harder battle later at night.
"Uh, Satoki-san," they still had enough time and Zenitsu thought it was better to investigate first and the older guy seemed to know a lot. He also felt different among the sounds of the people, as his was more human, for some reason.
"What made you so distressed? The townspeople don't look troubled as you are."
As Satoki fixed the sandals on the doorway, he paused, a solemn and pained look crossing his face. "I only managed to break free because of someone."
"Break free? From what?" Zenitsu's heartbeat increased. So the problem was bigger than a man-eating demon. They could be fighting someone who could use their Demon Blood Art. Zenitsu once again resigned to his fate.
Satoki sighed, sitting down on the wooden floorboards as if it was his first time doing so. Zenitsu joined him afterwards, unsure how to comfort the man. "A monster stole their memories."
Zenitsu narrowed his eyes.
"I-" Satoki turned to Zenitsu and all he heard was distrust from him. It hurt him a bit, but Zenitsu understood fully. "I share this house with a friend; a friend I treasure so much."
Love. Zenitsu barely heard that genuine sound from someone but there was it. Oftentimes, he heard it between Tanjiro and Nezuko, proving their strong bond as siblings. Zenitsu was jealous - how did it feel being the receiving end of a pure emotion like that?
"My friend had his memories stolen from him after making sure I was safe. He always protected me," Satoki bit his lip, his hands clenching. "I couldn't do anything to save him, but to cry for help."
The sobs of pain sounded like little droplets falling constantly from the ceiling of a cave. It echoed in his ears, further amplifying the helplessness Satoki felt. It was a sad and lonely sound.
"Do you know where he is?" Steady rhythm from the older man's heartbeat, right after pounding into a deafening cadence left Zenitsu cringing. His reaction was unnoticed, and for the nth time, Zenitsu wished for somebody to rescue them. The nervousness Satoki had was enough to drive him to the edge and he only wanted to scream out.
"I-it's the house from before…"
"Eeeeyaaaaaaa!" The suspense, it was killing him! Where was Tanjiro when he needed him? "We're gonna die, Satoki-san! The demon in that place currently eats its victim and I couldn't hear any signs of human life!" Zenitsu held both of Satoki's shoulders. "I can't do this, I'll just have my brain blasted before me an-"
"Is that true?" Tears flooded Satoki's eyes, the drumming of his heart increasing tenfold.
"Th-that we'll die…? Ye-"
"No! About the demon eating! Are you sure about that? You didn't even see it!"
Zenitsu was so very screwed. "I am, I could hear it." He sounded quite unsure, but he tried to convey his true meaning through his cloudy eyes.
"Could that be him? Do you think my friend has been eaten?" Satoki held Zenitsu's hand, firm but trembling with fear.
The sound from Satoki was heartbreaking. One more confirmation would snap it all and Zenitsu was sure he wouldn't be able to handle it. There was nobody but him who could help Satoki. Tanjiro wasn't by his side to say all comforting words as if they were the truth. He would know what to do and would not cower like what Zenitsu was doing.
It was only him, and the source of his strength was not around.
What would Tanjiro do? He asked himself. For sure he would be sniffing around and asking people. He was so brave and really kind. Thinking about it made Zenitsu tear up. He had been relying onto him, huh?
"It's okay, Zenitsu! You're strong, I believe in you!"
"No, I'm not."
"Zenitsu-san?"
Zenitsu snapped out of his trance and turned to Satoki, smiling apologetically. "Nothing. Did you witness how the memories were stolen?"
"I didn't see exactly… Hiroshi just appeared yesterday without recognizing me after we were attacked by a monster the night before."
Zenitsu was confused. The information from Satoki-san was inefficient for his heart was clouded with worry. He wasn't good at comforting people, but this time, he might learn a bit.
"Believe in your friend, if you can't trust yourself, Satoki-san."
There, Zenitsu did it. Two cowards together would achieve nothing, so Zenitsu would try to embody Tanjiro in him. This was hard, and he was so close to tears.
Satoki looked up at him, as if everything he asked was answered. It filled Zenitsu's heart with a bit strength. He was so gonna save his friend.
"Thank you, Zenitsu-san."
__________
Easier said than done.
Zenitsu and Satoki asked around if ever they saw a glimpse of Hiroshi, but they all shrugged at them. They didn't seem to recognize Satoki, even though he grew up in that village.
"What's this? They don't know you at all! How cruel!" Zenitsu furrowed his brows and looked around worriedly.
Satoki sighed. "They've been like this since the morning. It's like they forgot everything in just one night!"
"Just morning? Everybody?! What did they do that you didn't?" Zenitsu paused from their stroll, his ears alert of any change of sounds around.
"I'm not sure…"
"Think about it hard, Satoki-san! That might be the answer to everything!"
Satoki's heartbeat increased, his eyes flashing recognition. "I haven't slept since the monster attacked us."
"What?! That's two nights already! You are the monster! I can't get by without twelve hours of sleep!"
Satoki seemed to have learned how to ignore Zenitsu's outbursts. "Hiroshi called it a demon, as he's a demon hunter such as yourself, Zenitsu-san."
"And you're telling me now?!!"
"The demon only wanted to get me after I got injured."
"What? Why?" Zenitsu settled down. The situation seemed familiar about a demon wanting only one target. Was Satoki-san…?
"Did it call you 'marechi'?"
"Yes, yes exactly. Hiroshi tried to fight it and told me to run away. Of course I wouldn't do that…" Satoki looked down. "I stayed until he was able to kill it, but he couldn't."
Zenitsu was at the edge of his metaphorical seat, biting his nails off.
"The sun came up and the demon ran away to the direction of the nearby forest. Hiroshi said he would follow it and told me to call for another Slayer,"
"I returned to the village to alert everyone, though nobody believed me. I went home to get knives, anything, so I could protect myself in case some monster comes up. When I went out, I saw Hiroshi. He had that blank look from his eyes, his sword still in his hand."
"I asked if he was okay, and he suddenly didn't know me. He remembered he was hunting a demon, but he couldn't remember me."
Tears were once again starting to form in Satoki-san, though that time he was trying to suppress it. If he wasn't, he would probably wail like a broken dam.
"I immediately set off to find a Slayer until today you came."
Remembering how Tanjiro's crow screamed the mission order, it lacked information and it only told him about a demon sighting in a village. The crow mentioned another slayer in the place, but he was assumed dead. Zenitsu purposely avoided saying that to Satoki, now knowing that the missing slayer was his friend.
Zenitsu inhaled and breathed out to calm his nerves down because apparently, his panic attack was rising up to his throat and nobody knew how to calm him down aside from Tanjiro.
Tanjiro, Tanjiro, Tanjiro. He was always in Zenitsu's mind and it was annoying! He was the cause of all these turmoils in his emotions and even without doing anything, he managed to bother Zenitsu! Bothersome, Tanjiro was!
As if sensing Zenitsu's loss of focus, Satoki kindly led him to the nearest food shop, but even that was stressful! The shopkeeper wasn't sure what she was doing and Satoki had to guide her. It took them two hours just to eat proper food. Satoki apologized incessantly in return for the inconvenience which didn't matter to Zenitsu at all.
Nighttime fell and so Zenitsu and Satoki formed a plan fitting their quirky personalities - they stayed in Satoki's house and used themselves as bait for the demon.
Zenitsu assured Satoki that he would be safe and he had a strong sense of hearing. The older guy was assured, Zenitsu wasn't because he felt like he had to pee and poop at the same time while hiding in the cabinet. He left it slightly ajar to see how Satoki was doing as a bait. The guy even wounded himself, so his blood could be smelled by the demon.
"So brave…" Zenitsu had commented aloud.
After a few minutes of waiting, Zenitsu picked up a hollow yet heavy eerie howl coming from the corrupted heart of a demon. It was near, and if his heart could beat any faster, it would. Sweat was dripping from his forehead down to his cheeks. His hands were also wet and he doubted it if he could still hold his sword in that state.
He'd surely die.
Closer the demon went and closer Zenitsu's soul threatened to leave his body. Like a demon would, it crashed Satoki's door and burst into the room, all fangs and claws drawn. Satoki drowned himself in his screams as Zenitsu threw himself at the demon, his sword aiming to decapitate it.
It seemed like he was a beat late, or the demon was a lot quicker. Zenitsu was thrown at the wall like a useless sack of potato, crushing the wooden surface with the impact until he found himself outside.
"Zenitsu-san!"
Disoriented was to underestimate Zenitsu's state as he tried to shake the unconsciousness away. His back, hips and head all hurt like crazy! This was his death calling!
The sound of distress echoed in his ears like sirens blaring and he forced himself to stand, even if his eyes were still unfocused. He let his legs be led by his hearing, towards where the demon and Satoki were.
Screams of terror almost tore his throat as Zenitsu once again pumped his legs, a bolt of lightning following his trail. He wanted to use the first style, but the timing was terribly imperfect so he narrowly missed the neck. He regained his balance afterwards and landed on both trembling legs.
"Scary! This demon is scary!" Zenitsu trembled under the empty and eyeless gaze of the demon which held Satoki's arm in a very uncomfortable angle.
The demon which stood at six feet, large bulky body and burnt skin which smelled of toasted flesh, growled at him and swiped him out of the way, breaking yet another part of the wall. Aside from the shocking and disappointing fact that he was still alive, the villagers were blissfully unaware of everything, as they were all deep in slumber.
Zenitsu was left to pathetically lament over the pain in his body while Satoki just screamed from a distance. He berated himself once more for being so useless, and he couldn't even use the first style even if he put his thoughts and heart in executing it. He practiced and trained so hard, why wasn't he able to use it when he needed it the most?
Suddenly, a sound made his thoughts halt promptly. The deep resonance caught his breath, as he stood upon the debris of the wooden house. He looked around, the sound coming from a brass horn spreading around like a soft blanket over those who were sleeping. It made him a bit drowsy until the sound was accompanied by a single chuckle.
"I'm going to get full again tonight."
Eyes almost buldging from their sockets, Zenitsu took a shaky step forward, looking around to locate where the soft childish voice came from.
There it was - the real demon. From the moment he stepped on the village, he heard two demons, contrary to what Satoki said. The one that showed up could be some sort of puppet for this demon kid. Zenitsu already told that to Satoki and capturing him was part of the plan. Wasting no time, Zenitsu ran to where Satoki was taken.
___________
Zenitsu found the den of the demons which was the house from the morning. He ran around, dodging the taller and stronger demon while hiding behind the crates scattered everywhere. They were in an underground storage, and it was a godly miracle how Zenitsu survived. The house was empty in the first floor and by sheer unluck, he found the opening shaft that led below.
"LEAVE ME ALONE! YOU'RE TOO SCARY! STOP FOLLOWING ME AROUND, WILL YOU? JUST HAND ME OVER SATOKI-SAN!" Zenitsu screamed his lungs out while running frantically. How large was this place, anyways!? He had been running for what felt like forever!
There was a stinging pain in his head that he instinctively held with a hand and as soon as he withdrew the limb, he saw blood. With his newfound energy, he ran more quickly, until the soft, almost soothing sound was near him.
"Oh, you're here."
The small kid holding the brass horn turned to him slowly and gracefully, her fanged smile shaking Zenitsu to the core. In front of him was a guy around his age, wearing the Slayer Corps' uniform and an ocean blue striped haori over it. The Slayer had his sword drawn and its blade dangerously touching Satoki's neck with his blue eyes devoid of life.
"Zenitsu-san…!" Satoki was being manhandled despite being a head taller, his eyes flooded with tears. He was gripping the arm of Zenitsu's fellow, the cut from his own dripping with blood.
It sunk in - the other Slayer was Hiroshi-san, Satoki's missing friend. The beat of his heart was slow and steady, the rhythm far too constant to be normal. The other demon was also very near, shooting Zenitsu's blood pressure to the highest until --
Everything happened in a blink of the eye. Zenitsu vanished in a blur of electrical sparks until Satoki found himself on the floor, free from Hiroshi's grasp.
Zenitsu clashed sword against sword with Hiroshi making the kid demon watch in amusement. The kid gestured to the other demon, signaling him to stop as she turned to watch the two Slayers.
"They'd make a good meal, don't you think, Father?" The two demons stood side by side, a glowing pair of red eyes on the fight. Satoki didn't find it amusing a bit, but a lump in his throat stopped him from protesting. He couldn't do anything to stop the fight but stare helplessly.
"Water wheel!" Hiroshi deflected Zenitsu away from him, with the latter assuming a low stance as he brought his katana back to its scabbard while keeping a hand around its hilt.
Without doing much as to blink, Zenitsu dashed with the speed of lightning towards Hiroshi, landing a solid strike behind his neck by the end of his sword's hilt before heading to the bigger demon. He muttered a low, "Thunderclap and Flash", crackles of electricity sparking from Zenitsu that made Satoki squint.
Hiroshi keeled over, his eyes rolling at the back of his head and before completely dropping to the floor, Zenitsu zapped his way towards the younger demon, eyes closed. The larger demon stepped between the child demon and Zenitsu, his body getting bisected through his lower abdomen.
The entire thing happened within a second, ending when Hiroshi dropped on the floor with the clank of his sword.
"Hiroshi! Zenitsu-san!" Satoki helplessly called, witnessing how the demon got its body cut in half before having its organs splattered on the floor with a sickening slick sound.
Zenitsu kept his low stance even after having his left side stained with the demon's blood. He then turned back to the younger demon, his eyes still shut.
"Oh? You're asleep?" The little child demon tilted her head to the side. If one was to glance, she looked like a normal child but once she smiled, her fangs showed up proudly complemented by her glowing blood red eyes. "That makes it easier for me to feast on you." The kid started to blow on the horn, eliciting a deep and depressive sound from the instrument. As if on cue, the older demon put back its body together, its wounds healing gradually.
Satoki crawled on the floor, keeping his eyes on the demons and Zenitsu. He went beside Hiroshi, cradling his head on his lap as he looked worriedly at Zenitsu, his eye catching the glinting blade beside him.
Zenitsu was gently swaying on his feet, his resolve slowly wavering, letting the melody drag him. The tune was relieving, as if lifting off the pain from his heart. His earliest memories came flashing before him, but as soon as he recognized them, they shattered like glass. Abandonment, loneliness and sadness were what those memories were and so he gladly let them fade, tears sliding gently across his cheeks.
"Zenitsu-san! Don't let her get you!" It was futile, Satoki very much knew. He couldn't fight, he wasn't at all strong and Zenitsu was a stranger, but he was helping them with the cost of his own life.
Zenitsu caught a voice, it was familiar, but the scenes flashing before his mind were the memories he tried hard to bury and he desperately pushed them all aside, instead of recognizing the sounds. They were surfacing rapidly, and disappearing rapidly, too. It reached the time when he met his Gramps, and his breath hitched.
"Hey, Zenitsu. Let go of this memory, don't fight me." The child sweetly said, walking towards the blond teen.
Zenitsu couldn't move; he was paralyzed and couldn't open his eyes either. He was hearing someone's pleas, but the tranquil voice of a little girl overcame his senses.
"G-gramps…"
Who's that?
The girl chuckled. "Pathetic. You have a weak heart, Zenitsu. These emotions from your memories are enough to make me live for a century!"
Do something! Satoki's mind kept on telling him but his body wouldn't move. Zenitsu, his kind soul, was being thieved of his memories.
He tried to catch the fading memory, even though he wasn't sure why. Glowing purple flowers - wisteria. Zenitsu was fighting demons, even if he was afraid. He survived. A symphony from a pure heart, exuding nothing but kindness went serenading his own. Another heartbeat danced with it, but it was from a demon. Tanjiro. Nezuko.
"Tanjiro…"
Muttering the name, it wasn't at all painful. Instead, Zenitsu felt cradled; protected. His voice was like the warmth of the spring, making him alive and bloom with happiness. It was a gentle song, tears of joy flowing from his eyes whenever he listened to it.
"What's this…?" The little demon narrowed her eyes, her smile morphing into a sickening grin. "You never fail to surprise me."
Satoki reached for the sword, shakily gripping it while he settled Hiroshi's head safely on the floor.
"No…" A crack in the image of Tanjiro's bright and sunny smile. Zenitsu's heart sped up rapidly. He couldn't let it go. He couldn't bear to watch him lose that smile; he still had to turn his sister back to a human! Zenitsu would be there to help him with their friend, Inosuke, too.
No. Zenitsu wanted to hold on these memories. He had to show Gramps he had been happy and made good friends himself.
Gramps… That was right. He could still hear his voice, scolding him for being weak and having a slouched stance. He would remind him to keep his head high, and stand up for himself.
"I won't let you…" Zenitsu repeated like a mantra inside his head the names of the people that mattered to him most - Gramps, Nezuko, Inosuke, Tanjiro - he loved them. They accepted him; saw him in his worst and still welcomed him to their arms. Those memories were his and his alone to treasure.
"You're kind, Zenitsu! And strong!"
The demon girl was trembling, her recent calm demeanour dropping. "You…"
"Zenitsu-san!"
Zenitsu heard them. Five hearts pounding around him including his own, each with their own rhythm while Hiroshi's and Satoki's beating as one. Two hearts were offbeat, on the other hand, indicating their demonic nature.
The younger demon reached for Zenitsu's neck, squeezing it while burying her sharp nails, drawing out blood from him. "Succumb! Let me take away these emotions! Feed me!" The girl grew in size, matching Zenitsu's height.
"I won't let you take what is mine!" Zenitsu grabbed the hand of the demon, crushing it under his death grip.
The girl screeched, "Father!"
The large demon raised his hands, but Satoki was having none of it. As if some deity possessed him, he sprang forward, the sword in his hand, eyes on the neck of the demon. Yelling an incoherent battle cry, he slashed the larger demon's head off of his neck.
Zenitsu released himself from the demon's grip, crouching into a familiar stance. Grip tough around the hilt, he muttered, "Breath of Lightning: First form - twofold!" Legs pumped by the surge of lightning, he bolted straight right through the kid demon before rounding back to the same position, back facing the beheaded demon. Sword clicking back to its sheath, the girl demon's head rolled on the floor, horrified expression on her youthful face as her body slowly crumbled to dust.
The slow death of both demons happened at the same time, with tears cascading down the girl's face. "I can't remember, Father… I stole memories but I still can't remember…"
The taller demon vanished quickly in the air, but not before he gave a smile at the still waning younger demon.
"It's a sad melody."
Satoki heard Zenitsu mutter before he collapsed on the floor. He quickly dropped the sword he was holding to run towards him. "Zenitsu-san!"
"His memories are melancholic," there was barely an eye left to the demon girl, but she was still able to say a few words, "I'm envious."
Satoki was stunned; he didn't know demons could feel, let alone cry. He then turned to their saviour and panic rose up to him. "Hey, Zenitsu-san!" Blue haze were left in the wake of the child demon, spreading across the room as if trying to escape. Some went to blanket over Hiroshi and some to Zenitsu. Satoki assumed that those were the memories that were stolen. He was glad they were returned.
__________
Ironically, living such a dangerous life, Zenitsu woke up to the sound of the rooster. Chuntaro didn't peck him this time, he wondered what was wrong. Opening his eyes, he saw a wooden ceiling. Not too far from him were a mix of voices and one of those was from Satoki-san.
Wait. Satoki-san…
"SATOKI-SAN, I'M HERE TO SAVE YOU AND YOUR FRIEND DON'T-" Zenitsu was cut off by his own groan of pain from his neck and head the moment he yelled. Four feet scrambled to enter the room where he was and was met by the relieved eyes of Satoki and his friend, who now had a lively pair of blue eyes in contrast to the last ones he remembered. They looked genuinely happy and it naturally pulled a smile from him.
"Zenitsu-san, you're awake! How are you feeling?" Satoki asked, bright smile on his face.
He took that time to assess himself because he couldn't remember anything right after the encounter with Hiroshi-san. The rest was a vivid dream he wouldn't bother recalling. "Let's see… My back hurts but that's fine. Normal. My head, too but that's just because of last night, nothing serious." Zenitsu noticed that he wasn't wearing his haori and was left with his uniform. He saw his katana beside him, so that was all checked. So far, no weird injuries aside from the ones on his neck.
"Wait. Neck. WHAT HAPPENED TO MY NECK WHY DOES IT HURT I DIDN'T CHOKE MYSELF TO DEATH DID I? AM I DEAD ALREADY?"
Satoki smiled. "Calm down, Zenitsu-san. They're just shallow wounds from the demon's nails. Our doctor said it wasn't anything serious."
"Demon's WHAT NOW?! HOW ARE THERE NAIL STABS IN MY NECK?!" Zenitsu was close to hyperventilating.
"You don't remember anything?"
"WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO REMEMBER? ARE THE DEMONS DEAD? DID HIROSHI-SAN KILL THEM? OR DID YOU SATOKI-SAN?!"
The two guys looked at each other, mentally sending messages which of course didn't work with Zenitsu because their thoughts were far too loud to be ignored.
"Sorry, if I can't remember, but don't leave out details! Who beat the scary one?"
He was hesitant, but Satoki raised his hand anyway. "Me…"
Zenitsu let out a hysterical gasp and held onto Satoki's shoulders. "You should join the Corps, Satoki-san! We need more brave people like you!"
"But- why- I-" Satoki looked at Hiroshi for salvation, but the brunette just laughed silently, making him smile.
After the chaotic wake up ceremony, Zenitsu settled down to share breakfast with the two. Chuntaro returned with a letter in his talons saying details about Tanjiro being awake - finally.
"You're smiling, Zenitsu-san Had a good news?" Satoki asked while picking a meatball with his chopsticks.
"My friend is awake, it means we finally get back to action!"
"Friend, huh. Is it Tanjiro-san?"
Zenitsu looked like a deer caught in the headlight, his head tucked in his neck like a puppy. "H-how did you know his name…? ARE YOU A SPY?"
"You mentioned it last night." Satoki shrugged once. It was the name that brought Zenitsu back to his senses, but Satoki chose to keep that thought to himself.
"Does that mean you have to go back immediately, Zenitsu-san?" Hiroshi asked, his voice rough and cracked but didn't miss a gentle bass in it.
"It seems so." Zenitsu tucked the letter in his pocket. Included in the letter was Tanjiro, informing him that he would be going to the place where the swordsmiths lived and settle something there. It would be a two-day travel back to the Butterfly Estate and he wouldn't deny he was excited. At least, instead of hearing the cries of regret from Tanjiro, he would be hearing his cheerful melody once more.
"That person seems very important to you, Zenitsu-san." Satoki gave him a soft smile, his eyes mirroring more of his soul.
Zenitsu's cheeks heated up, which was weird. Of course, Tanjiro was important! "He's my friend, I care about him like how a family would. Maybe like how you and Hiroshi-san treat each other, yes like that!"
Satoki and Hiroshi blushed. Zenitsu didn't fail to notice the sudden jump of their hearts until they pounded excitedly. It was such a happy sound and Zenitsu found himself engrossed at the beautiful sound their heartbeats made.
"Well… To be precise, we're not just friends." Satoki smiled awkwardly, with Hiroshi covering his face with both of his hands.
Zenitsu tilted his head. "So like family? Of course! I understand! My heart beats exactly like that around Tanjiro! He always protected me, even if I'm technically a year older than him and he treats me like a little brother."
"N-no, it's…" Satoki bit the inside of his cheeks, eyes rolling to the side in short contemplation of what should be said. "We're together, Zenitsu-san."
"To…" Zenitsu's one brain cell shut down for a good three seconds before rebooting. "Ah, together! Even I can see the obvious, Satoki-san!"
"I meant, together-together. You know…?"
Zenitsu didn't just stupidly compared what he felt towards Tanjiro to what the couple before him was having. He also didn't dumbly indirectly confessed his feelings. No, he was having none of it this morning, he would rather jump to the nearest mountain and die a pathetic death. He deserved that.
"I think you broke him, Satoki."
"I didn't mean to…"
Did…
Did Zenitsu just…
...do that? Did he like Tanjiro like that? Yes, his heart beats a different kind of symphony around Tanjiro but that was just because… because…
Oh fuck. He felt that way, huh.
Moreover, their heart pounded in the same rhythm, with Zenitsu realizing how calm his own sound was once his heart beat with Tanjiro's own.
Fuck.
__________
Zenitsu bid farewell to the couple, the two giving their utmost gratitude to him even though he didn't do anything significant. Hiroshi would return to his mission once he got another order and they would likely cross paths again someday.
The morning they shared were best placed at the corner of Zenitsu's fragile heart. Suddenly realizing you like your friend is not good for the health, and he wanted to return safe and sound.
"Chuntaro." The sparrow addressed chirped on his head in response.
"Do you think I like Tanjiro?" Pausing from his walk, the bird then flew in front of him and gave him a sharp peck just between his eyes.
"Aw! What was that for?!"
"Chun! Chun chun!" The bird looked like he was reprimanding him.
"Am I being foolish? Nothing new, though." Zenitsu sighed, shoulders dropping and messing up his posture. Chuntaro pitied the boy, so he perched on his head, giving him reassurance that he was not alone.
"Tanjiro is too good for me. I don't deserve him."
"Chun! Chun!" The sparrow shook his head in adamant protest.
"How would you know? You're just a sparrow, Chuntaro."
Another peck that would surely leave a scar on his head was left by the angry sparrow.
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