The dull throbbing of his right leg was screaming in unbearable pain by the time the kid stumbled through his tear-filled explanation, but thankfully he hadn't minced any words, and Obanai got the general gist of the whole situation.

Scowling, he shifted in place; carefully keeping his face blank. "So, this attack was targeted?" The kid nodded. Face now dry, but eyes still red rimmed. His fingers had made their way down the old man's frame and where now clutching at his cold hand.

"Master said that to me. Before he di – he said that she had come here deliberately. To kill us all. I... I should've" His face pinched and his eyes teared up again. "I should have been here." Blinking once then twice, the kid's whole body shook with grief. "I should have been here. Then maybe, senpai – master... I-"

"Stop crying. It's too late for that." Obanai hadn't meant the words to come out as harsh as they did, but the teen still flinched back, and the snake pillar grimaced at his own tone. "I didn't mean that," he huffed. "But you need to get yourself together. Why do you think Kuwajima-san was targeted? Why this village? Do any of you possess something that an upper moon would desire?" The kid softly murmured in the negative.

"Think brat!"

Another shake of the head. The pillar sighed. The kid was clearly too distressed to think with any efficiency right now. And it was best they started to move before the sun began to set, but-he couldn't leave before-

Lifting himself back up to his feet with some effort, he pressed down on his neck and breathed slowly. "Get up brat, we have work to do." The kid blinked up at him in surprise. Old tears trickling down his cheeks at the action.

"We? What are we supposed to do? Everyone is already dead!" With each world his voice rose up an octave. Obanai glared him into an abrupt silence.

"We are going to bury the dead. Now get up and find me a shovel." The teen sprang up to his feet at the commanding tone and scrambled out of the tiny house; trying very hard not to look back down on his master.

The snake pillar sighed again. He knew the cleanup crew would eventually get here and it wouldn't be a problem if they just left, but – the kid needed this, and it made Obanai's stomach turn just thinking about leaving almost hundred people out in the sun to rot and get swallowed up by animals hungry for raw meat.

These people deserved better than that. Kuwajima-san's people deserved better than that.

"I found a couple of shovels in the shed at the back!" the kid called out to him from the outside; interrupting his depressing thoughts.

"On my way," he called back; carefully side stepping the old man and walking out of the bloodied house. The kid was standing at the gate, two shovels in hand and face turned downward. His skin was pale against the light of the burning sun and his lips had been chewed into a bloody mess. He looked, small. Obanai gritted his teeth.

Walking up to the brat, he grabbed a shovel out of his shaking hand and passed him by. However, before he could think better of it, Iguro found himself lifting his own hand and patting the kid on the head, once. "Get to work brat."

The tiny surprised noise the blonde let out at the awkward attempt at comfort sounded much better than the haunted tone he'd been sporting all day. Iguro didn't know why that mattered, but in a way, it did.

They worked in shared silence. Starting on opposite side of the village; with the snake pillar occasionally climbing rooftops just to quickly check on the brat's whereabouts. He told himself it was to make sure the idiot didn't pass out from recognizing someone important to him. The little voice in the back of his head disagreed, but when had Obanai ever listened to that pestering annoyance before?

Maybe that's why in the end; after nearly eighteen hours of draining work, his vision blurred again, he stumbled where he stood, and before he could even sound the alarm, everything turned dark and he was gone long before his body met the ground with a harsh thud.

Maybe climbing roofs while you were still suffering from blood loss wasn't such a good idea.

XXXXXX

Obanai didn't know how long he'd been unconscious for, but when awareness slowly started to trickle back into his body, his ears could faintly pick up a high-pitched voice and loud hissing sound. Twisting his body slightly, he hissed at the burning pain that dashed across his side. The noise around him stilled, and then a warm breath fanned across his face.

"Senpai?"

Cracking open his eyes in that moment, was probably one of the hardest things Obanai Iguro had ever done in his entire life. It felt like moving mountains. His body wouldn't listen to him, and the effort it took just to let the glimmer of light meet his eyes, made sweat dampen his forehead. But when he eventually managed to accomplish the simple yet tremendously difficult task, he was met with the sight of a worried pair of golden eyes and a tiny wobbly smile filled with uncertainty.

Obanai gave himself a moment to fully take in his current situation. And then smacking his lips; noticing how dry his throat was, he spoke up. "How long have I been out." It sounded hoarse, painful. The kid most have noticed it too, because he vanished from his position above the pillar; making the man wince at the sudden light that burned his eyes and was back in less than a minute with a cold glass of water.

A soft murmur of thanks later and Iguro was gratefully gulping down the refreshing drink. After three slurps, the glass was pulled away, and the kid was back again; leaning over him and staring down at him with worry. "I found you collapsed by the Suzuki family's house. Are you ok Senpai?" The snake pillar could still feel the throbbing ache all across his bruised and injured body, but he settled down his voice in what he hoped was a reassuring tone, and said yes.

"Never mind that," he continued. "How long was I out? What about the bodies?"

The kid sent him a tentative smile again; eyes once more brimming with tears. "It's just been three hours." He said. "And don't worry. I gave the last few a proper burial. We're done."

For the first time in a very long while, relief coursed through Obanai's veins. "Good," he said. "Good."

The kid leaned away and stood up. "What now?" he asked; the uncertainty he was feeling bleeding into his words. The shock of his situation didn't seem to have set in yet. Iguro didn't want to think about how bad it was going to get when it finally did, but for now, he would try to keep the kid as busy as possible. So long as he had something to do with his hands, it was unlikely he would collapse in on himself with grief. He'd already shown that level of strength by burying the dead, Obanai could only hope he would continue to do so, at least till they got a couple days between themselves and this place.

"Pack a bag brat," he mutters; hauling himself into a sitting position before throwing his legs over the side of the bed. "Take anything important to you, because we're not coming back here." With that said, he finally makes it off the bed and starts walking towards the tiny kitchen at the corner. Kaburamaru has curled himself into a ball on the table. Resting on the kid's colorful haori. Obanai doesn't know why, but something deep within his heart softens at the observation.

Dragging out a chair, he sits down. A low grunt escaping past his lips. When his fingers come to press against his face in thought however, he pauses. What the-

"Hey kid," he calls out; brows furrowed, and lips curled into a nasty scowl. "Brat! Where are my bandages!" Obanai didn't get pissed off a lot. He never had a need to, outside of the simmering rage dancing under his skin, but this – no one took his fucking bandages without asking first. And not even then. "Brat!"

The kid comes running around the corner. A neat pile of white clothing resting in his outstretched arms. He looks scared. "I," he starts; eyes looking at everything beside the man sitting in front of him. "You were choking on air or something, and I just – I was scared and... I thought you would – and I-" Now the rambles had turned into short gasping breaths and tear-filled eyes and, damn it.

"Relax kid," Iguro interrupts him. "I just want them back. Forget about everything else." The blonde sends him a weak smile in gratitude, and Obanai scowls and looks away.

Idiotic weakling.

When he has the bandages safely secured around the lower part of his face, his shoulders untense and his fingers; that he hadn't known were twitching uncomfortably, finally still. He breathes. Good, this was good. Nothing was happening, he was fine. He was ok. He – Obanai breathes deeply, holds it and lets it out in a long exhale.

He was ok.

"Senpai?"

He hums. Eyes staring at nothing in particular.

"What's your name?"

Obanai blinks. Huh? He hadn't? The kid didn't know – he hadn't told him? His face suddenly flushes red, and he coughs into his hand. Well, that was an oversight. Come to think of it, he hadn't asked about the brat's name either. Nerves prickling in irritation, the snake pillar takes a moment to thank God none of the other idiots where here to witness his brief lapse in judgment. It was a minor mistake, but – Obanai didn't do minor mistakes.

"Senpai?"

"Obanai Iguro," he snaps. The kid flinches. "That's my name. Now, what's yours?"

And then – right before the kid steeled himself, ready to blurt out his own useless name, Obanai – he remembered. It was like the old man was standing right next to him. His scratchy voice whispering into his ear as an old letter he'd once read flashed for the briefest of moments behind his eyes.

"Agatsuma Zenitsu," they both say at the same time. One just the slightest bit delayed than the other, but none the less; the kid looks shocked. "How?"

Iguro scoffs. "I have a good memory," he mutters; taking the cowards way out and not looking at the kid. His chest still feels tight at the tiny memory of the old man. "Kuwajima-san told me about you once. Now go pack."

It was clear the kid, or now Agatsuma wanted to ask further questions by the way his cheeks were puffed, and his eyes were gleaming with something of a desperate hunger, but Obanai quickly shot the notion down with a deadly glare. "Don't test me brat. Now go."

Deflating, the kid lets his shoulder fall. "I already did that," he mumbles. "It's not much, but I packed everything while you were out." Then looking down as if in guilt, he twisted his fingers around his pants. "I took some of gra-masters things and some of Kaigaku-senpai's. Do you think that's ok?"

Reaching out towards Kaburamaru, Iguro gave a careless shrug. "Do what you want. None's here to stop you right?"

For some reason, Kaburamaru just snapped lightly at his hand, before slithering over to the teen next to him and climbing up his arm faster than the kid could blink. Zenitsu yelps and freezes on the spot. Not daring to even blink as the snake curls himself around his neck; hissing softly at his master. Obanai frowns. "You're scaring the kid Kaburamaru." The snake doesn't budge, and the pillar sighs. "Don't lose the fool," he says to the brat and stands up to make his way over to the door.

Stopping at the threshold, he looks around. The place is tiny, barren, cold, empty almost. "Whose place is this?" he asks; more like wonders out loud. He doesn't expect the brat to answer, but he does.

"It's mine," he mumbles; head tilted away from Kaburamaru's face and eyes terribly sad. "I took you here after you... I didn't think putting you in a de- I thought this would work better."

Obanai nods, and then they are both out the door, and walking away from a place they both once knew. Away from Zenitsu's home.

The snake pillar notices how far this tiny hut was from the village, but he doesn't comment on it. Just notes absentmindedly that maybe the distance is what kept the kid alive when everyone else met their gruesome faiths. If his stomach twists at the tiny little lonely hut excluded from the bustling village in the distance, he doesn't voice it. If his fingers clench and his mouth taste like ash, he doesn't dwell on it. It didn't matter now.

It never would. So instead he takes a deep breath-

"Let's go Agatsuma. Our destination is week's journey away."

The rest station wasn't too far, and Obanai was going to get the kid there and let him be someone else's trouble. But, he swore to himself as they started walking, he was going to get Agatsuma there. Come hell or high water. He was going to get the brat there safely. He owed Kuwajima-san that much.