A long time ago, before rockets and satellites were ever on the table, there was a grand kingdom on the moon. Every citizen who belonged to the silver orb above lived in a state of eternal winter and joy. It was often said in those days that the only tears shed in their home carried a spark of happiness at their center. Such a wonderful kingdom deserved a benevolent ruler, and they were blessed to have one in Kuwajima Jigoro, their beloved crowned god.
Now, back then, even a god was expected to have an heir in case of an emergency. Jigoro, however, never did anything by the book. He had not one, not three, not zero, but two heirs, both with their own strengths and weaknesses.
Kaigaku was the eldest and much loved by the people. Most applauded his magical strength whenever they spoke of him. In fact, it was the general public's view that he should be their next king, a title that he himself deeply craved. Despite being so popular, rumors persisted that he harbored a secret cruel side, but no one was able to prove it. Most folk preferred not to concern themselves with such unhappy gossip anyhow.
The people of the moon would have been content with their raven-haired prince alone, but there was a second heir. There was Zenitsu.
Unlike Kaigaku, Zenitsu deeply concerned most of his lunar subjects. For you see, their blond prince reeked of melancholy, an affliction that no one knew how to treat. It became almost a game to try and cheer the younger god up, but nothing ever worked for long. Only his bird, grandfather, and attendant could distract him from his near perpetual woes, and even they struggled at times with the rough task. The whole of the kingdom privately blamed it all on his lack of magical aptitude, but none dared to bring it up to the royal family themselves.
Beyond these issues, everything was perfect in their winter wonderland. That is, until their treasured king passed on to the next realm.
It happened at the loudest, coolest, most outrageous party to ever grace the world they called home, as was best. Dying, they all felt, should be celebrated properly. And so, when King Jigoro declared his deathday to the public, they responded by organizing an appropriately raucous occasion.
Right when the festivities were reaching their peak, he began the traditional speech. "You all have been a good lot to govern over, but my time is up. If you cry, have it be from how happy you were to know me!" Everyone in attendance clapped with great enthusiasm.
"And now, I must address my heirs." The old god reached out towards them. "You both have been my greatest prides over the course of my too long life. It is fated that we will all be together again eventually, though it better not be anytime soon! You hear me, boys?!"
"Yes, Jii-chan!" Zenitsu bowed his head. It was clear that he was fighting to contain his tears.
"Yes, Shihan." Kaigaku said a moment later, staring right back at his grandfather.
"Well, I have things all settled. After tomorrow's coronation, Kaigaku will be your new king!"
The audience cheered and whistled in an appropriate manner, though some came close to crossing that line. Once it had gone on for long enough, their king held up a finger, immediately silencing them all. "I'm not finished!" He admonished them before following it up with a booming laugh. "But it is a blessing to know my people will be pleased once I am gone!"
"With that being said, Zenitsu will remain a prince… until the day Kaigaku deems that he's completed his training. Then another coronation will be held, and my lovely grandsons will share the throne together! That is what I command, and my will must be executed perfectly! So mote it be." Having finished with his speech, Kuwajima Jigoro promptly died. No one was surprised. After all, he had a flair for the dramatic.
Several citizens wept as their former king turned to dust, though none wept harder than poor Prince Zenitsu. Someone suggested that perhaps he was actually distraught. Those around them scolded them for making up terms for experiences that no one actually had.
However, that person was actually correct. Zenitsu was distraught. He oozed distraught. He was, in fact, so overcome with the sensation of being distraught that he locked himself in his room with only a boy and a bird for company.
"Muraaataaaaa!" He wailed for the fifth time that day. "Why did he have to die?!"
Murata winced, but his signature smile never left his face. As a valued member of the royal staff, all he ever showed was the expected cordial disposition. "It was his time, Zenitsu." He reminded him gently, stroking his friend's hair. "There's no need to cry over it. These things happen."
"Well, I want to cry over it! I feel like I'm the only person in the entire world who cries and actually means it!"
"I mean it when I cry…" The attendant sounded a little hurt, though it was more for the effect than born from truth. "But I suppose that was a thoughtless thing for me to say. Your illness isn't your fault."
Instead of glaring at him for those words, the prince merely sighed. "You call it an illness. I call it a curse. Why would he ever want me to help Kaigaku rule anyway? He's perfect at everything!"
"Not everything." Murata corrected him before clearly thinking better of it. "Forgive me! I didn't say a word."
"What is it?!" Zenitsu pressed immediately. "Are you hiding something from me? Me, Murata?! Why, you're my best friend!"
Anyone else would have mentioned that Murata was his only friend too, but the boy in question did not. "I worry for you. He's made it quite clear before that he has no intentions of wedding, much less sharing the throne with his brother. It's my fear that… well, that you might never finish your training at all!"
"If I finish, I'll become a king." He was starting to work out what was happening too. "But if I never finish training, then I'll always be…"
"... a prince." Murata finished his sentence. "And I do not know how much longer I'll be around to aid you personally after a new king takes control."
They both gazed at each other, contemplating the situation in their own heads. Only one felt any true fear.
"I don't want to be a king!" The prince began to sob anew. "But I don't want to be training forever either! And I don't want to only have Chuntaro for company! She's mean to me!"
Chuntaro, a sparrow, roughly pecked him on the forehead for the slight. "See?!"
His friend drew circles on the top of his hand. "It's alright." He told him with all the sincerity in his heart. "Now that I think about it, there's always something we can do."
"What?" Zenitsu asked, already regretting his curiosity. He could sense that the answer wouldn't be one he liked.
"Let's run away." Murata whispered. "Let's go to the world below."
The night of the coronation, one distinct voice rang out in the dark. "This isn't going to work!"
They made a funny pair, all preparations aside. If anyone was out by the edge, they would have seen a figure clad in ceremonial wear stumbling along in unique heels while a coat-clad citizen guided them along. Of course, no soul dared to go near the edge. After all, who'd risk being sent to another world?
"It's working right now." Murata spoke in his typical soothing tone. "Don't fret so much! We're almost there."
"I'm telling you! They're going to notice I'm gone! And once they do, I'll be locked up forever and you'll be executed for treason-"
The soon to be former attendant (if all went well) shook his head. "They will notice, yes, but we have a huge head start. There's no way to catch up unless someone manages to cheat. But I'll look out for you like always. Really, Zenitsu, what's the worst that could happen?"
Some words were never meant to be spoken aloud, but Murata knew not of this. It did not occur to him what mischief he was inviting the universe to make with his fate before the new king appeared.
"Step. Away. From my baby brother." Kaigaku sneered at the pair, unwilling to come any closer to their precarious position but still wanting to be obeyed. He wanted that so terribly that Zenitsu's friend began to comply. Keeping him in place took a hard tug on the disgruntled prince's part.
"Don't listen to him!" He shook his friend. "We have to leave together, right? We agreed!"
Murata nodded, smiling a little wider. "You're right. I apologize, your majesty, but I can't listen to you anymore." This he directed at Zenitsu's brother, who did not look like a person who was currently experiencing joy.
"Are you saying you'd rather listen to a useless prince than your king?"
"Yes." He bowed toward the noble and his slowly gathering entourage. "I'd prefer it actually."
A gasp arose from the crowd. They weren't sure of what was going on, but it seemed like an appropriate thing to do.
Now that they had an audience, Kaigaku smiled brightly at them both. "I can see what Shihan couldn't now. You've been poisoning my brother's mind, haven't you? All this time, all these years, and you've finally turned him against all of us. Your own people. How… insidious of you." Magic danced across his skin. It reeked of lethal promise.
"He didn't do anything of the sort! Murata's a perfect citizen! You're being ridiculous!" Zenitsu exploded.
"Zenitsu."
"Just because I'm not going to happily sit under your thumb for the rest of my life, that doesn't mean I haven't thought this through!"
"Zenitsu." Murata continued to whisper. "Zenitsu. Please listen to me."
But he couldn't hear him. He couldn't hear anything at all beyond the sound of horrid disdain from his own family. "I won't bother you all anymore!"
"ZENITSU!"
Silky black hair blocked his vision, but there was no mistaking that crack for anything else. "MURATA!" He screamed as his friend's newly cursed body crashed into his. It was only natural to stumble backwards.
Unfortunately, there was nowhere else to go when one strayed too close to the edge of the world. All one could do was fall.
And they did - yes, even the poor sparrow - to a choir of not-so-jubilant screams.
The first thing Zenitsu noted when he next awoke was how sharp Chuntaro's beak remained, even after plummeting through moonbeams to what lay below. The way she pecked relentlessly at his face irritated him, but that alone didn't account for how his blood ran cold in his chest. When they fell, he had been hugging Murata to his body, too worried for his life to let go. Now, his arms were empty. Only an odd weight on his chest remained.
Chuntaro screeched even louder when he tried to rise. "What? What is it?! Can't you see we need to find him?!" How he might do this eluded him, but his friend sounded nearby. Surely, if they worked together, they'd manage it!
In response, she pecked his forehead so fiercely that he jumped. "YOU LITTLE- … Wait."
There were many ways to curse a person, and Kaigaku knew them all. The moment the spell had hit, numerous scenarios ran through his mind. Even more occurred to him while they fell, up until a wave of unconsciousness made every thought fade into nothingness. Countless methods of endless torment and gruesome death existed; after all, what is the universe if not cruelly creative? But not once did he give his brother the benefit of the doubt. Not once did he expect a curse quite like this.
"Murata?" Zenitsu whispered with wonder to the white rabbit sleeping on his chest. "Murata, is that really you?!"
Awoken by his shrill voice, the creature quickly moved up his body and began patting his face. "Oh, Murata…" His eyes welled up with tears. "This is awful! This world feels so weird! The light is so bright here, and my skin's all gross and sticky! It's not at all like our home! I let you talk me into this, you ass, and now you're stuck as a lagomorph! I-I'm so sorry!" He cried enough to spread frost all over the green ground they were lying on. Forever caring, both his bird and rabbit friends attacked his face so he'd stop.
With his sorrow stymied, Zenitsu had no idea what to do next. "I guess we should explore…? It's not like my brother will come after us. There's no way back to the moon." He thought aloud before turning his attention back to them. "Don't worry. I'll do my best to protect you both! But first, I should fix this damn weather…"
The weeping prince was not known for his power by any means. Even so, he could weave one spell into existence, the sole spell that his brother could never grasp. "No matter what," his grandfather used to say to him during his darker moments, "regardless of how hopeless you feel, there is no denying that you truly grasp the meaning of the domain we call winter."
Snow began to drift down over their heads in a narrow enough radius to not be a huge drain of energy. "Much better!" He groaned, gratefully running a hand through his hair. "It's almost like the gods here hate this planet! Let's go see if we can find them."
Still worried but mostly curious, Zenitsu clutched Murata to his chest, let Chuntaro alight on his shoulder, and set off, wobbling in his heels all the while.
A long time ago, before people plundered the earth's heart as they pleased, the world only knew summer. Snow in those days only resided in the far off north and on top of the tallest peaks. Most remained content with the blazing warmth, never once thinking about winter or people on the moon. They lived and died surrounded by heat, and no one longed for anything else.
No one, that is, except for Tanjirou, who wanted a bit of change.
Change had been the journey his entire family made to their home through a sunbeam. Change had been building their shrine in the depths of the forest. Change had been worship, spilling from the throats of countless beasts. Change had been being named his father's sole heir.
And yet, not much had changed since. No one else in the whole world seemed to understand his wants. Aren't you happy with all that we have? His sister, Nezuko, often inquired, concern oozing from her every pore. Our land is fertile and flourishing. What else could you possibly long for?
Truly, the trouble lay in how he couldn't seem to get his thoughts in order. Summer was a perfectly fine mantle to eventually bear, but Tanjirou found it hard to accept it for what it was. Why couldn't there be anything else? Did everything begin and end with what the sun wanted? What about the moon? What did it want?
It wants to control the tides and reflect our light. Nezuko usually replied that way, only speaking in his head. It's a home for the rabbit and its mortar and pestle, but all it truly wants is water and sun. I'm sure it loves summer too, like how we do!
"I don't know…" He'd always say before excusing himself. "We can talk about it another time!"
On that day, they had their usual discussion before his typical walk through the woods. As his future got closer, Tanjirou often found himself wandering more. He rationalized it as wanting to take all the parts of their kingdom in.
Inosuke, of course, approved.
"Hello again!" He beamed at the boar when he made his usual appearance. While many despised him for his brash attitude, the spirit was one of Tanjirou's most cherished companions. "What mystery would you like to investigate today?"
Rather than answering right away, his friend let out an agitated squeal. This did not concern him much. Inosuke, being Inosuke, was often bothered by something or someone else. What did worry him was not the boar's behavior, but what he finally bellowed out. "There's a bastard god messing with the forest!"
"A new one? Were they born from the sun too?" This was a reasonable thing to presume. Rokuta arrived that way, back when he was merely a tot.
"No way!" Inosuke protested vehemently, more than a little offended by the idea. "They're spreading this white shit all over the place! The breeze is all messed up too! If all this not hot air keeps blowing, our entire forest's gonna go to hell! Let's go gut 'em!"
Unsurprised by the violent suggestion, Tanjirou shook his head. "I can't go around killing other deities, even if they are cursing the woods. Still, it's perfectly fine for us to look into the matter further!"
"And gut 'em!"
"Absolutely not!"
Their trek commenced. Conversations between the two of them often threatened to devolve into petty squabbles, but not on that day. His friend was more absorbed in tracking down the intruder. While he appreciated the help, in the back of his mind, Tanjirou knew he didn't need it. Every cell in his body was urging him forward, forward into the glen. How had he missed this relentless pull before? No answer came to mind.
As they walked, the air took on a strange quality. He felt compelled to draw the fabric of his outfit closer to his body; whatever it was, that appeared to ward it off for a time. Inosuke had no such protection, but the boar forged onward with naught a complaint, and Tanjirou followed suit. The longer they went on for, the worse it got; at one point, he could perceive his own breath. After that, he had to exert power to keep them both warm.
They were close. By now, he could almost taste the odd static scent that he couldn't ever hope to name. "Are you sure we can't gut them?" Inosuke grumbled.
"You know the answer to that." He reminded him, not at all shocked by the statement. "I'm meant to be an accommodating host. Until I've adequately assessed the situation-"
"Yeah, yeah, I get it. No hunting. Ain't no fun to be with you anymore." Since Inosuke was Inosuke, the comment held no sting. Tanjirou accepted it and moved on. The other god felt too near to ignore in favor of something so trivial.
And he was right. But that didn't make him prepared. Clad in spotless white, the stranger resembled an apparition of a bird more than anything with a beating heart. From this distance, he could see the pronounced downturn of his blue-tinged lips, the rosiness of his otherwise pale cheeks, and the distress in his honey-brown gaze. More white flecks - snow - settled in his exposed blond locks the longer they maintained eye contact.
From the moment he saw this newcomer to their home, Tanjirou's heart was no longer solely his own.
"You didn't tell me this 'bastard god' was so enchanting, Inosuke!" He whispered under his breath, knowing that his friend would hear. Peculiarly, his fellow deity flinched once he spoke. Apprehension stunk up the air. That wouldn't do.
Determined to make a better second impression, Tanjirou straightened his back, squared his shoulders, and beamed. "Hullo there! Welcome! I'm Kamado Tanjirou, and the wild boar accompanying me is my dear friend, Hashibira Inosuke. What brings you to these parts?"
"Ah…" Instead of relaxing, he hugged his equally snow-colored rabbit to his chest. "So this is your kingdom then? Why'd you make it so uncomfortable for the likes of us?"
"Ah, it's not exactly mine. And what was that last part? Uncomfortable? With all due respect, visitor, all we offer here on Earth is summer!" Much to my detriment.
"... But what's summer?"
Out of every possible reply, that one bewildered him the most. "You all must hail from some faraway place. Where? Venus? Mars?"
The other god denied those options. "Who'd ever want to live on Mars? We're from the Moon!"
"The Moon? Really?" No wonder! He looks like he could harness the tides all by himself! "What do you have up there if you do not know summer?"
"Winter, naturally…" His nervous scent was starting to fade away. "Does that not exist here?"
Tanjirou wasn't sure of what to say. "Winter's not something we know of. I was born from the sun, and summer is its gift!" Hopefully, that would be sufficient.
"I see. Well, it's not your fault that your world is so unpleasant for us. The sun sounds terrible if it gave you this weather. I'm not surprised we keep moving away from you people."
This struck him as a rude thing to say, but perhaps the lunar people priced themselves on bluntness. Tanjirou had no idea. "Well, the sun is always hungry, so I suppose it is terrible. I wouldn't know. I never actually lived there. In fact, I don't think that's even possible!"
"I'm always hungry!" Inosuke finally spoke up. "And I'm not terrible."
"Yes, you're right!"
The other god snorted. "You both sound ridiculous. But you're not bad, I guess. Let me introduce myself. I'm Agatsuma Zenitsu, and this is Murata and Chuntaro. They watch over me."
"Great, great, can we go now?" The boar made a snuffling noise that meant he was tired of waiting around. "God's just some dumb winter moon thingie. Whatever."
Zenitsu bristled, reeking of offense. Being forced to think quickly gave Tanjirou a newfound appreciation for the sharp wit of his parents. "Agatsuma-san! Would you like to meet my family? We can offer you lodging for as long as you need it! There's always room for one more!"
"No thank you!" He spoke so rapidly that it almost gave everyone present whiplash. "I can't bear to stay here too long! I'll surely melt and die!"
"Well," Tanjirou replied, hoping his eagerness wasn't overly obvious, "where would you like to go instead? I'll happily be your guide!"
This evidently gave the other god pause, for he stopped to think on his words. "Winter's like this." He said at last, gesturing to the snow falling around him. "I'd like to go somewhere that's the closest to what I'm making right now, but-"
"Okay!" His exclamation left him before he could properly process all the words used. "I must confess I can't take you all the way there, but I'll get you as close as I can!"
"But I don't want to inconvenience you! I'm cursed!" Suddenly, Zenitsu began to weep like someone had died before his very eyes. Despite the fact that the observation made him feel guilty, Tanjirou got the sense that he did so a lot, just by looking at him. "I-I'm… I'm… melancholic! Happiness isn't always within my heart! If you stay with me, you could end up cursed too! Just look at what happened to Murata!"
"I'd hate to offend…" He began carefully. "Even so, this does seem like it needs to be said. I think that's called having a personality!"
Tears glittered at him in the sunlight. "Having a what?" Zenitsu's blue mouth remained open.
"A personality! Everyone feels sad sometimes!"
"Even you?"
"Of course!"
This clearly puzzled him. "Are you sure you're not cursed in any way?" He inquired, a little dubious based on both his face and aroma.
"100 percent sure, yes!" Tanjirou hadn't once thought of curses, but he knew he didn't have any to worry about. His problems only had one source: himself.
Zenitsu looked like his life had newfound meaning. Caught off guard, his heart danced in his chest at the sight. "Then… Then I'd be honored to have you as a guide…?" The other deity wiped at his face. "Sorry, this is all so new to me. I've never been in a situation like this before."
"That's alright!" He extended a hand towards the beautiful god, thinking nothing of it. "Helping their guests is what every good host strives towards, so this is good practice!"
A delicate hand, so unlike his own in every way, reached to close the divide between them. "I'm really quite grateful-" Their fingers brushed.
"AAAAAA, TOO MUCH!" They both cried, horrified by the painful sensation known as the other's touch.
"Too cold, you mean?" Zenitsu said once he stopped sobbing from agony. While the crying had stopped, he sounded wretched.
"And I'm too warm." Tanjirou stared down at the freckled limb he so often took for granted. He had never pictured hurting someone with it by accident. Now that the moment had passed, he wasn't sure how to feel about it.
"That's unfortunate."
"Yes. Yes, it is." Making another split second decision, he reached inside himself and shifted his shape to match that of a deer. "But I'll gladly fulfill my promise, cold or no cold! Please grab on!"
Inosuke let loose an incredulous noise. "You're leaving now?"
"I'll be as swift as the wind!" Tanjirou promised. "The sun will still be hanging in the sky when I return!"
"Eh. I don't really care. Just don't freeze, dumbass." His piece being said, his friend escaped back into the underbrush, no doubt heading off to tell everyone in earshot what he'd seen. That meant they had to run as soon as possible.
Zenitsu's hesitation was obvious, but icicle-like fingers gently placed Murata on his back before they took hold of his shaggy fur. "Are you certain this is safe for you, Kamado-san?" The sound of his surname reproduced from such a singularly lovely voice almost made him take off prematurely; staying still took a little miracle all his own.
"Everything will be fine, Agatsuma-san! Is everyone secure back then?" The weight pushing him lower to the ground felt like a god, rabbit, and sparrow, but he couldn't be sure without confirmation.
"Mmhm."
"Then let's go!" Satisfied with his current lot in life, Tanjirou sprinted off into the wilderness. In a blink of an eye, both him and his passengers were gone.
Only the trees saw, and they did not say a thing.
Kindness was a quality Zenitsu often found in short supply. The moon's people were happy, and they were mostly all polite, but that did not mean they were always kind.
As they ran fast, too fast, through places he wouldn't have been able to imagine in a million years, he reflected on this. People weren't always kind, but Kamado Tanjirou undoubtedly was. The thought of how accommodating the other god was to someone like him made his heart sing a song he couldn't name.
Rather than pursuing that train of thought, he decided to open up. "I ran away from home." He confessed.
Even though the wind howled around them all, Tanjirou made a noise of acknowledgment. "Can I ask why?"
"My brother had no desire to share our throne. Up there, he's king now. I have no idea if he'll come after me, but knowing him, he'll find a way. Murata ran with me. You saw how he turned out." At times, he felt like guilt might eat him alive one day. "I just wish all of this dumb fighting would stop. He's always been acting like I'm going to steal his success away since we were young. I don't even want to be king!"
Saying it out loud to someone who wasn't one of his friends scared him. However, he knew that he wouldn't be judged for his desires. Not by Tanjirou. He had a good feeling about him.
"I'm sure you'd make a great one, but I understand! To be honest, I have no idea if I'll make a good one either."
Something far off but fast approaching roared in his ears. "You're not?" He asked, pressing a little more than what he'd normally consider to be wise.
They abruptly came to a halt in front of what could only be described as too much water. At least he hoped it was water. It kept rising up and crashing back down, much too violently for his tastes. And yet, and yet… the overwhelming heat was nonexistent here. Stunned, all he felt capable of doing was slowly slipping off Tanjirou's back to sit on the stones below them.
"I'm not." Nonchalant about his spontaneous transformations, the other god settled in to sit beside him. "But enough about me. Have you never seen the ocean before, Agatsuma-san?"
"I know your world's almost all blue, Kamado-san, but I didn't know why." Ocean. What a funny word for such a vast reality.
The subject appeared to excite his guide. "The ocean loves the land! Sometimes, it covers it with its love, and sometimes, it takes bits of it away to hold forever. The moon's responsible, you see. The ocean loves it too, and goes wherever it leads it. That's how we get the tides."
"The tides…? Our home does all that for you people?" Zenitsu stared blankly at raging waters, the kind overflowing with invisible love. "We had no idea."
"We had no idea anyone beyond the rabbit lived up there, so I'd say we're just about even, don't you think?" There was a gentle quality to his smile. Being able to witness it almost brought back his tears. More than anything in the world, he wished they could have met under better circumstances.
Instead, he hugged his knees to his chest and swallowed past the lump in his throat. "I'm only good at one thing. One thing in the whole wide world. That's why I could never be a good king." Confiding in someone truly kind only made sense to him. "Snowfall is all I can make, really."
Predictably, Chuntaro pecked at his ear, but Tanjirou hummed with understanding. "If I may, Agatsuma-san, I can only make spells that don't survive here." He extended his rough hands outward, palms up. There, barely clinging to life, resplendent flowers grew out of his skin. "Some plants aren't suited to summer, and I can't begin to fathom why. So, by your own standards, I wouldn't be a good one either!"
A laugh erupted out of him by accident. Watching Tanjirou earnestly call himself a failure too for the mere crime of making flowers that couldn't cope with the climate they were designed to live in felt more like the plot of some comedic play than something that should happen. "Are you seriously trying to tell me you're a terrible excuse for an heir too?!" His mirth had entirely too much force behind it, but he couldn't rein it in.
"If it helps! Then yes!" They both began dissolving into hysterics now, much to Murata's clear distaste. Somehow, when he laughed about his problems, they felt smaller than they ever had before. Maybe Tanjirou wasn't a god of summer. Maybe he personified relaxation and contentment. He longed for more time to bask in his energy, time that he simply did not have. No matter what though, he swore to cherish this precious fragment of this fateful day.
Once their laughs petered out into nothing, Tanjirou pointed his finger at the horizon. "If you travel that way, you'll reach our ice sheets in the blink of an eye! It's the coldest place closest to here."
That was a clear hint to depart, especially when he could finally see the moon in the twilight sky; frankly, Zenitsu couldn't risk anyone else getting deeply involved in his family drama. "Thank you, Kamado-san!" He bowed his head. "You didn't have to go through all this trouble for our sakes, but we appreciate it all the same."
The other god raised his hands to his face and blew. Petals soared out from his palms and into the air. "For good luck! Travel well!"
His heart ached something fierce. "I-"
"Stop right there!"
"- will?" Bemusement impeded him from making an appropriately graceful exit. In the blink of an eye, an entire family materialized, and not a single one looked very pleased. He'd be more concerned if they were recognizable.
While he didn't know them, Tanjirou most definitely seemed to. "Is everything alright? Why did you all come to this place?" Their appearance did not upset him, judging by his sound, but worried him instead.
"The answer to that is simple enough." Now, Zenitsu might not have known any of the Kamados, but he'd be able to recognize this voice anywhere.
"Kaigaku? Why the hell did you come down? Can't you leave us alone? Haven't you done enough?!" He shrieked, clutching Murata tighter to his chest.
"It's bad enough that you left in the first place," Kaigaku snarled, "but I can't believe you went ahead and tried to elope!"
"HUH?!" Never in his life had he heard something so preposterous from his brother, and yet, it was happening. "WHAT ARE YOU SAYING?! ELOPE? BUT THAT'S PRETTY MUCH MARRIAGE!"
The motherly figure present cleared her throat. "My sole regret is that you didn't feel comfortable telling us, Tanjirou. We're always here for you! Would you introduce us to your fiance so we can begin the appropriate preparations?"
Tanjirou flushed, mimicking an off-color apple. "Fiance? Mother, this isn't what's going on here…"
"Yeah! Exactly!" Zenitsu piped up, equally flustered. "Besides, Kamado-san isn't interested in me that way, so cut it out! I only left to get away from you!"
"Ah, well…" His guide cut an even more impressive figure when he looked contemplative. "I wouldn't mind that if we knew each other better! You're very enchanting and I'm fond of you already!"
What? A girl's voice spoke directly in his head.
"What." spat his brother, who did not look impressed.
Zenitsu pitched in. "WHAT?! You're joking, right?"
Marriage had never been on the table for him. While he thought many people were attractive, being a prince - and an unsightly one at that in his humble opinion - meant that no one ever saw him as a viable option. Growing up, he fully expected to have his friends and family as his only company until the day he passed on. So to stand in place and hear someone handsome talk in such an adoring fashion about him was almost impossible to pull off.
"No! I mean everything I say! Hypothetically, courting you would be extremely pleasant!"
"But you can't! I'm from the moon! You're from the sun! I'm winter and you're summer! We can't even touch! It'd never work!" Zenitsu buried his face in Murata's soft fur in a futile attempt to hide his almost suffocating sadness. "I'll just go to those ice sheets, and everyone can be rid of me once and for all! There's no need to play with my heart like this!"
Tanjirou looked taken aback. "I'm not-"
"By the gods, you're so fucking stupid." His brother scoffed, cutting him off. "Who gives a damn about those things? The reason I'm mad is because you're not getting hitched traditionally! I seriously thought that servant of yours was corrupting you, but you're just a complete moron! Get betrothed like a normal person and spread winter down here! It's not like you know enough about our home to rule up there."
Out of everything, that particular barb sent him over the edge. "Now you listen here, you idiotic excuse for a king!" He seethed. "I may not know a lot, but I still know something you don't! If you can't even recognize that our home controls their tides, then you're not much of a ruler either!"
Silence reigned, only broken up by the hostile crackling noise that was for his ears alone. Distantly, Zenitsu hoped no one else would be caught up in the crossfire if things escalated.
"Well said!" Finally, a man who could only be Tanjirou's father stepped a little closer. Both he and Kaigaku flinched a little from the wave of heat. "We've never truly understood the moon from a perspective that wasn't our own, and it's evident that your kind has done the same. If we join together in this manner, it'll benefit both of our worlds. But I do take issue with one thing you uttered. My son is not summer at all."
Eh?
"Dear, what in the world are you talking about?" Even the Kamado matriarch was visibly perplexed by this revelation.
When the man looked back at them all, Zenitsu could have sworn that he saw the sun, just for a moment, preserved in his gentle gaze. "It's clear. He's always made entirely new life, creations that don't fit how we've set up our home here. This new arrival is yet another sign. We have to be willing to let go of summer sometimes. We all have to learn to change."
"So… What am I meant to be?" He could relate to Tanjirou's puzzled look. That too was something he deeply wished he knew the answer to.
The real summer god smiled. "I think that's something you both can figure out for yourselves. All it means is that you're not too different to be together, if you so choose. And it'd certainly be a union we'd all approve of."
A cold breeze wrapped around him, uncomfortably familiar, but he had never felt so lost before. Everything was going by too fast for him to keep up with. "Even if we can't touch at all, you'd be fine with this? Fine with me? Hypothetically speaking?"
"Yes! I wouldn't mind! You seem like a great person to love!" And Tanjirou glowed with sincerity, so he couldn't do anything else but believe him.
"I'll do it!" The words left Zenitsu so abruptly that he even startled himself. He supposed that weird sensation deep within his heart was stronger than he originally suspected. "That is, if you fix what you did to my best friend and leave us be!"
"Huh? It wore off already. He can change back whenever he likes!" His brother claimed.
"No thank you." said the rabbit. "I'd really rather not."
He blamed dropping his friend on shock and nothing else.
A long time ago, before the start of recorded history, there were two gods who learned how to care for each other. One came from the sun and one hailed from the moon, but it mattered not to both parties.
The first of the two became known as the god of spring. He delighted in beautifying the planet, spreading new life wherever he could manage it.
And the second? He brought about flurries, and spent his days sewing new fur coats for the animals who needed it.
They missed each other terribly whenever apart, but autumn brought them back together again each year. Once the new summer goddess passed on her torch, a change could be felt around the globe. Then, all the gods of the world could come together in what became known as the seasonal compromise. In this fleeting way, they grew to know the heart of the person they so dearly loved.
Now, people might tell you that the seasons arise from the tilt of the earth, and not from an engagement between representatives of the earth and its interstellar dance partner. But everything told here is as true as true can be.