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Poor souls…"
What an unpleasant voice. Like teeth grinding on glass. Like fingernails scratching a chalkboard.
"You came all the way up here just to die."
Someone, no, something, was talking, but he didn't know what it was. As a matter of fact, he didn't even know where he was, when it was, or what was happening. Everything around him was pitch black. Was he dead? He could hear the unmistakable sound of demons all around him, so he probably wasn't. And yet, the vast nothingness continued to envelop him. There were two demons, but they were vastly different. One was burning with hatred and evil, so pure that he could feel it deep inside his heart, poisoning it with a tight discomfort. The other was docile, and was far less intense than the first. Something about the second demon felt so… familiar.
The sound of leaves and twigs crunching accompanied with the wretched sound of the demon approached him from in front. He wanted to open his eyes, get up and run, but he couldn't. He was shackled to the ground by his semi-conscious state. As the sounds got closer, he forced himself to think, to try and remember what had happened. Slowly but surely, the events that led up to his current plight surfaced in his mind.
The three of them had been sent to some desolate mountain to slay two demons that had been causing trouble in a nearby village. Unfortunately for them, the demon they faced was extremely strong, stronger than any of them had expected. Tanjirou, seeing that Zenitsu was too scared to even move, entrusted him with a wooden box. "Run!" he yelled, before turning back to face the demon with Inosuke, sword in hand. And Zenitsu ran. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him, carrying the wooden box on his back like his life depended on it. It didn't take long for exhaustion to invade his muscles, and the sheer thinness of the air did not help a single bit. All he knew was that he kept running. The rest was a blur.
He must have run into the other demon on the way and was knocked out cold by it. "Get up, Zenitsu. Get up." Whatever was left of his consciousness screamed at him. If he didn't act fast, he was going to die.
A wicked chuckle erupted from the demon, who was now already standing directly over him. Suddenly, he could see. He could see his Gramps standing right in front of him, his thick and grey eyebrows furrowed in disappointment. Then he saw Tanjiro, standing in all his glory, a sad, hopeless look plastered on his face, the serene gaze of his dark red eyes resting on him, so kind yet so cruel. Then he saw Inosuke. Although his entire countenance was concealed by his boar mask, Zenitsu knew he was upset. Shame flooded his chest as he watched his friends slowly fade away, leaving him in the cold embrace of the lonely darkness. They had done so much for him. His Gramps had gotten him out of debt, trained him despite how pathetic he was, and never ever gave up on him. Tanjiro, not giving any care to how weak he was, continuously encouraged him and never saw him as dead weight. Inosuke, although a little too aggressive at times, still saw him as a team member and a friend and not the mere weakling he was. None of them ever gave up on him, and yet he let them down, time and time again. And now, he was about to let them down one last time. If only he wasn't such a coward. If he wasn't so pathetic, he probably wouldn't be where he was now.
He could feel himself getting picked up from the ground and lifted into the air, the hot, disgusting breath of the demon assaulting his entire body. The blackness around him felt deeper and darker than before. This was it. After all those years, the day he feared every single day of his life had come. He was going to die.
As he was about to give up, one final figure appeared in front of him. Her silky long hair, her sakura pink eyes, and her beautifully fair skin shone onto him like the perfect sunrise, her amazing figure embraced by a cute pink kimono and her gorgeous face decorated with a sturdy bamboo muzzle.
Nezuko. If there was one thing Zenitsu feared, it was demons. Yet, there was something about Nezuko that was different. He didn't see her as a demon, he saw her as a person. Nothing about her scared him, and everything about her allured him. She was simply beautiful. All those nights spent sitting next to her in her room as the mellow moonlight spilled in from the tiny slit in the curtains talking to her about his day's adventures, how scary the demons were, or just rambling about anything and everything that was on his mind to her, those were the best times of his life. The flowers he gave her weren't just flowers, every single one of them carried his genuine care for Nezuko, with nothing but her happiness on his mind whenever he went out to the garden to pick them. Girls like flowers, and so he gave her flowers. All he ever wanted was for her to be happy. He could not even imagine how awful it must be to be a human trapped inside the body of a demon, and on top of that, trapped in a small wooden box for most of the day. It must be so uncomfortable.
Wait, small wooden box?
It finally hit him. The scene of Tanjiro passing him the wooden box replayed vividly in his head. As he ran down the mountain, a powerful force attacked his stomach and sent him onto the ground, writhing in pain. Before he knew it, he was watching Nezuko crawl out of her wooden box and stand between him and the ugly, disfigured demon that had attacked them, her claws bared and her body in a combat stance. That was when he blacked out. He finally realised why the other demon sounded so familiar. It wasn't just a demon, it was Nezuko. She had put her entire life on the line just to defend him, and although she did not succeed in doing so, the cold, lonely tenebrosity around him now felt warm. A sweet sensation spread throughout his body, only to be replaced by panicked urgency as he remembered the current situation he was in.
Zenitsu knew he had to wake up now, or both him and Nezuko would be dead. And that was something he would never be able to forgive himself for. A tiny spark of thunder lit up inside him. He was gonna save Nezuko.
~
Thick, white fog shrouded the mountain, cloaking the humongous spruce trees that stood tall and high, almost scraping the gloomy night sky with their pointy ends. The nepeta green leaves rustled tiredly as a frigid breeze swept across the forest, slightly clearing some fog only for it to be replaced within a second. Death seemed to run in the very veins of this mountain. Nothing felt alive, and if anything were, they were probably fated with death if they stayed too long.
The demon chuckled again as he watched the lifeless body of his prey dangle in the air, his right foot held in a vice grip between its fingers. To think a single punch to the gut was all it took for a demon slayer to go unconscious, the demon couldn't help but shake his head in amusement.
"How pathetic. A demon slayer bringing a demon around with him, and yet he's so weak that he can't even save hims-"
A click was heard. The demon stood rooted to the ground, its body frozen in shock and confusion. Before he knew it, his forearm was on the ground, an immaculate cut separating it from the rest of his arm. He howled in pain as he gripped his open wound with his other arm. Blood spurted out like a fountain, the thick crimson fluids staining the soil below them. The demon slayer danced elegantly through the air and landed perfectly onto the ground a good distance away from his opponent, his eyes still shut.
The demon glared in rage as another arm shot right out of the open wound. Zenitsu stood there with his eyes closed, simmering air escaping his teeth. He must have broken some bones before he passed out, because it hurt like hell, but it didn't matter to him. Right now his only goal was to kill that demon, and make sure that Nezuko was fine. Another roar erupted from the demon, and the next moment he was charging straight at Zenitsu, its massive weight shaking the forest floor with every stomp. Trees that once towered were knocked over effortlessly as the demon flung both arms by its sides, its sight set on the blonde swordsman standing directly in the path of his rampage, as still as a statue.
"Thunder breathing, first form…"
A gust of wind blew, and the swordsman was gone. The demon's eyes widened as it anchored its feet into the soil, bringing itself to a halt. It turned its head madly, eyes scanning the landscape, searching for Zenitsu. When it finally found him, it was in a flash of yellow, and then its head was gone. Disbelief filled the demon as it watched its headless body collapse on its knees before falling over with a massive thud. The demon slayer stood in front of it, a gleaming yellow sword in his hand. Grey smoke billowed from where its head once was, and the blood on its neck was sizzling, bubbles forming and popping grotesquely.
"Impossible!" It screamed. "How could I have been defeated by such a coward? Impossible! This is not how I-" Before it could finish its sentence, its head and body had evaporated into ash.
Zenitsu's eyes shot open, and instantaneously his hand flew to his abdomen as he fell onto his knees. Searing pain shot through his entire body, burning his insides with brutal heat. Blood oozed out from the sides of his mouth in a steady stream, and he could hear that he had multiple broken bones all over his body. He wanted to scream, but he could barely even breathe.
"Fuck," he whispered in between desperate gasps of air, his body unfolding onto the floor. His fingers dug into his abdominal muscles as he tried his hardest to lessen the pain with his breathing technique. It hurt so bad. So bad that he was sure he had never felt any pain as intense as this in his entire life.
After what felt like hours, the pain was finally somewhat bearable, and the grip on his stomach loosened, his arm returning to his side. The minute amount of moonlight that managed to fight its way through the unforgiving fog gently painted his pale cheeks, and he couldn't help but smile. He always liked the moon. It was one of the very few beautiful things in his miserable life.
The sound of leaves rustling sent a wave of fear over him, which was quickly subdued when he saw two orbs of pink staring into his eyes. They were like the peaches that dotted the lush greenery of the peach farm he grew up in - round, sweet, and mesmerising to look at. It was Nezuko. Her once pristine face was dirtied with grime and blood, and she was sobbing furiously, tears rolling down her rosy cheeks. She grabbed his shoulders and shook him vigorously, begging desperately for some form of response. Her despair vanished into thin air when she felt his hand caress her left cheek delicately. He was alive.
"I'm… here," Zenitsu managed, a silly grin on his face. Her tears were wiped away by his finger as he sputtered out more blood, which he didn't even think was possible. In the midst of his giddiness, he allowed himself to take in every bit of her. This was one of the rare occasions he ever got to see her without her bamboo muzzle, and she was absolutely stunning. Nezuko wore this worried frown on her face, which made Zenitsu giggle softly under her. She looked so silly. Silly, but nonetheless beautiful. Like a flower in a field of broken glass.
"Hmph," she grunted unhappily and folded her arms, turning her head away with a pout. This, of course, caused Zenitsu to panic.
"Nezuko-chan… I'm sorry... p-please don't be angry," he apologized as loud as he could, but what came out was almost as soft as a whisper. At least she could hear him. Nezuko contemplated for a moment, turned back and stared deeply into his eyes. They were a luscious blend of brown and gold, perfected by the light glint from the moon. She liked looking at him. Something about him put her at peace and brought up faint memories of when she was human. Her emotions, as usual, were hidden perfectly behind her innocent, blank face, and Zenitsu stared back into her eyes, wondering what she was feeling. Without warning, she planted a tender kiss onto his cheek.
Zenitsu's heart stopped. An overwhelming sense of heat rushed to his face as he turned beet red. He pinched himself, almost fully convinced that this was some sort of dream that his pubescent mind had conjured and he was probably still unconscious. This was simply too good to be true. It took him a good minute or so for him to finally accept that this was reality, and honestly, he was more than happy to.
"N-Nezuko-chan…" A broad smile formed on his face as his blushing intensified with every second. He felt lightheaded just from the feeling of her soft, pinkish lips on his skin. He sighed in both exhaustion and satisfaction as he dreamily stared at her lovely face hovering above him. It covered most of the moon, but Zenitsu would rather look at her for a minute than the moon for a day. Nezuko smiled the sweetest smile he had ever seen, one that made him almost faint, before putting on her bamboo muzzle. At first Zenitsu was disappointed, but after realising that she did that for his own safety, he was instantly transported back to wonderland.
Their happy moment was broken when Nezuko winced. Zenitsu's eyes widened as she groaned in pain and collapsed into the floor next to him. Normally, he would be on cloud nine having her next to him, especially after she had just kissed him, but not when a massive, open laceration was on her abdomen, blood gushing out steadily. His eyes widened in pure horror.
"Nezuko-chan, you're hurt," Zenitsu managed between heavy breaths and small grunts. He fought as hard as he could against the devastating pain that spiked with every move and sat up, watching in terror. Nezuko was on the ground, gripping her open wound as she grimaced in agony, her legs kicking the air. Tears flowed from her eyes like water from a broken damn, and her breaths, drenched with torment, were fast and short. She was hyperventilating. Heart-wrenching screams that were muffled by her bamboo muzzle together with her pained cries created a cacophony that cut Zenitsu deep in the heart. And this single cut hurt more than any other broken bone in his body. Nezuko was suffering, and there was barely anything he could do about it.
Ignoring his broken shoulder and the pain that clawed at his insides, he opened her kimono and violently yanked off his yellow and orange haori, before pressing it against her wound to try and stop the bleeding. "It's okay…" he cooed, his other hand gently brushing against her cheek. The fact was that it wasn't okay. There was no way such a thin piece of fabric and some pressure would be able to stop the bleeding from such a deep cut. Either way, he knew that Nezuko needed that comfort, and he was going to give it to her until help arrived. Soon, to his utter surprise, her breathing slowed and her bleeding had stopped. Only when he saw that the cut had disappeared completely and her skin was totally unblemished did he remember that she was a demon. Her regenerative abilities surpassed any human's; a cut like that wouldn't be too much of a problem for her. He sighed at his forgetfulness as he withdrew the now dark red haori from her taut belly, and cringed at the sight of her blood dripping onto the soil as he wrung it out.
However, as hard as he tried to shove it aside, there was still a limit to how much pain he could take, both physically and mentally. Zenitsu lay down onto the ground once more, almost completely paralyzed by the crippling pain. Chuntaro had (thankfully) gone to find help, so he could at last rest with peace of mind. He turned to Nezuko, who was expectedly fast asleep. Even in her sleep, she made all the other girls Zenitsu had ever tried to marry seem like nobodies. When he was with her, he felt happiness that he never felt with anyone else.
He carefully removed a few strands of stray hair that had trespassed onto her face, and wiped off the dirt and blood on her face with a handkerchief. She was safe. He had saved her. His face turned red once again as he remembered that her kimono was open, and she was lying there right next to him, undergarments exposed.
He was about to push himself up with his arm to help Nezuko get dressed properly when warmth suddenly embraced him. Nezuko's arm had found its way around his stomach, wrapping itself around him. It was as if Nezuko was trying to tell him that it was okay, that she knew he was tired and wanted him to rest. He smiled, and after carefully lying back down, he returned the gesture. He rested his forehead onto hers. The only sounds he could hear were the serene breeze and the whispers of leaves rustling, accompanied by their hearts beating and Nezuko's snoring.
Sure, he used to fawn over almost any girl he had met, asking, practically begging for them to marry him, but when he met Nezuko, something about her was different. He knew that his feelings for her were genuine, and he knew that she meant more to him than his own life. And there he was, embosomed by her caring embrace. He couldn't deny that there was a fair share of excitement involved, lying with Nezuko on the forest floor like that. If Tanjirou found them like this, he would probably murder Zenitsu, but that didn't matter to him. Not now, at least.
"I love you, Nezuko-chan…" he trailed off dreamingly, grinning like a complete idiot. He had finally succumbed to exhaustion, falling fast asleep. Maybe his life wasn't so miserable after all.