walk steady on this cruel world's path

By: Aviantei

Part Seven:

"Thunderclaps in Succession"

So I'd passed Final Selection, gotten a Corps uniform, received a fresh haori as a congratulations gift from Sensei, and obtained a Nichirin sword, so there was only one more thing left to take care of, and that was do what it says on the tin and slay some demons.

Unlike a lot of other things I'd learned about the Demon Slayer Corps, I still had no idea how the Kasugai Crow system worked. Sure, some bits were obvious: the crows checked in with Headquarters and came back to their assigned Demon Slayers to tell them where to go, guiding them in the right direction. Hell, the birds could even talk, which wasn't impossible? But there had to be some weird magic going on for information to convey as clearly as it did. I guess it wouldn't do any good to let the knowledge of just how the Kasugai Crows worked fall into enemy hands, but I couldn't help but be curious.

And did I have time to indulge in my curiosity. Thanks to Total Concentration, traveling on foot everywhere wasn't all that inefficient. Still, it took time for me to go from destination to destination even at my top speed, so my mind tended to wander, and I thought about a lot of stuff like that to pass the time.

The landscapes were gorgeous, too, which was nice to appreciate as I traveled. It was kind of sad how, in comparison to the twenty-first century, there was just so much more open land. Yeah, being able to hop in a car and drive to my next destination would have been nice, but passing through open fields and breathing in fresh air was worth the trade-off. I got to see the plant life, got to see fields full of nothing but grass. It almost made walking worth it, I tried to tell my aching legs.

Well, it wasn't like it'd kill me. Not after all the training that Sensei put me through.

From my first mission on, life fell into a new routine. I would travel to where I needed to, find the demon, and fight it. Tadashi's presence meant that I wouldn't get lost, and he was also capable of carrying letters when I needed him to, so I wrote back home between my missions. Overall, the fights were as expected. Unlike Final Selection, where there were lots of enemies concentrated in one place, demons tended to avoid each other, so I just had to deal with one at a time.

That wasn't to say it was easy. While Final Selection (was, ahem, supposed to) only pit contenders against low-level demons, there were no guarantees when you were on an official Demon Slayer mission. I'd been fortunate enough that none of my opponents were too tough, but some of them had developed their Blood Demon Arts—special powers that made them kind of a bitch to fight against. In the first few assignments I had, I managed to get out of it with nothing more than cuts and scrapes. They hurt and took some time to heal, but they weren't anything that would hinder me in battle.

If you could strike your opponent first, then you didn't need to worry about Blood Demon Arts being too much a hassle. That approach wouldn't solve every fight, but it would do for the ones that I could get that upper hand in, thanks to how speed-based Thunder Breathing was.

That was my life as a Demon Slayer.

"Alright," I said, stepping outside into the morning light after resting at a local inn. I'd managed to complete my third mission the night before with minimal issues, aside from an annoying claw mark that ran down my side. It stung, sure, but it had been bandaged up, so I could get back on the road. Sure enough, Tadashi fluttered down from the roof of a nearby building, and I extended my arm for him to land on. "Where to today?"

"Rairi, go southeast! Southeast!"

"Southeast, huh?" I squinted up at the sun as Tadashi flapped his wings, trying to get a bead on the direction, though I was still a helpless case on that front. "Um, wait. Wouldn't that mean we're going to pass by back home?" Sure, if I had a mission to take care of, I wouldn't be able to rest there long, but I could at least stop by. Tadashi paused a moment, twitching his wings before nodding. "You think, maybe…?"

Yes, I was getting nervous asking a literal bird to make a pit stop at my old home. I'd had a long night; don't judge.

I could have sworn my crow hummed in thought, though that might have just been the lack of sleep talking. "Can pass by without making trip longer! Rairi, go?"

"Yeah, let's get going!" I lifted up my arm as Tadashi spread his wings, taking to the sky with me following along on the ground.

And so I walked, taking the journey home.

It took me a few days of pushing my max speed to make it back, but it was worth the exhaustion. I hadn't quite felt homesick while I was away, but I had missed the place. I'd just underestimated how much since I almost started tearing up when I saw the nearby town. I picked up some extra food supplies before trekking along the path to our home, same as ever.

I stopped by the courtyard first, since I'd expected training to be in full swing, but it seemed I'd lost track of the date while traveling. I couldn't even find Sensei in the house, so it was a day off. I was a bit disappointed, sure, but it couldn't be helped. I'd just have to hope that I hadn't missed the others, too. If Zenitsu had gone to town for the day, we would have crossed paths, right? Those ears of his were good enough to pick out my presence when I was coming home before. And, well, Kaigaku was either training or thinking about training. He couldn't have gone far.

So the orchard it is.

Off to the side of our home was a peach orchard, and Kaigaku tended to go there when he wanted to get some privacy. It was so much his haunt that Sensei had put him in charge of picking the harvest for his regular chores. For one reason or another, it was the most likely place for him to be.

There wasn't much of a path in the orchard, aside from where regular footfalls had tampered down the grass. I followed it, brushing my fingertips along the familiar bark. Sometimes, I'd also used this place to get some peace and quiet, though far less than Kaigaku did. Other times, I'd had to drag Zenitsu out of one of the trees and back to practice. Either way, it was nice to be back, the smell of ripe peaches thick in the air.

And then, cutting through the relative silence, a shout.

"'Jī-chan'? Don't you speak of him in that familiar way!"

Well, a few weeks away from home wasn't anywhere near enough to make me forget that angry voice. I'd found Kaigaku, and Zenitsu to boot by the sound of it. "Sensei is a former Hashira," Kaigaku was saying as I picked up my pace through the trees, "someone who earned the highest title in the Demon Slayer Corps!"

And I arrived just in time to see Kaigaku toss the peach in his hand at Zenitsu, where it splatted against our shared kōhai's forehead.

"Almost no one ever gets the chance to be trained by a former Hashira—"

"And you're doing a fine job at showing that you're worth that honor."

I didn't even need to raise my voice to catch the boys' attention; their heads both snapped in my direction, twin expressions of shock dancing over their faces. I walked over to Zenitsu, using my sleeve to wipe off the splattered bits of peach from his bangs. It looked like the fruit had been soft enough not to leave a mark, but it wasn't like that made what was happening any better. "S-Senpai…" Zenitsu said, and I could tell that he was about to say he wasn't worth fighting over again.

This time, I wouldn't listen.

"Are we doing this shit again?" Kaigaku asked from his perch atop the large rock in the clearing, and I spun around to face him. I was glaring with everything I had, but he didn't back down, and Zenitsu whimpered as he caught onto the back of my haori. "Let me guess, you want to tell me that the time Sensei spends on training him isn't for nothing? Do you even believe that?"

"Since Sensei is a former Hashira, I'd say he's more than capable enough to decide whether Zenitsu's worth training or not," I said, my earlier excitement at coming home washing away into anger. "Maybe, if you didn't spend so much energy on talking Zenitsu down, you'd be able to figure out the Hekireki Issen and get that successor title you want so badly." I could all but see the vein pop in Kaigaku's forehead, but I pressed on. "Sorry, did you think I was putting on a goody two shoes act in front of Sensei the last time? Because Sensei's not here, but I still have no problems telling you off for being a total dick."

Kaigaku clicked his tongue, hauling himself to his feet. I checked his stance, not discounting the possibility that he might try to escalate things to a physical fight—which would have been stupid since my pure Nichirin blade could have cut through his impure practice sword without much effort, but also not beyond him. "You say that, but it's not like what you're doing is any better. You and Sensei keep letting him get away with crying whenever something scares him. He's not going to do any better if he somehow manages to survive through Final Selection." He looked away from me, instead locking eyes with Zenitsu, and I put up a protective arm. "Stop fucking coddling him, Rairi-senpai! Why are you here, Zenitsu? Why do insist on clinging here?"

Zenitsu's grip tightened on my haori as he whimpered. "I… I'm…" He tried, but his voice petered out to nothing more than a whimper.

"See?" Kaigaku waved his hand, like he was proving a point. "You haven't even been gone for a few weeks, Rairi-senpai, and he falls apart!"

"Gee, maybe that's because you insist on bullying him," I shot back, throwing my arms up in exasperation.

"What? You think a demon's going to take pity on him just because he's scared?" Kaigaku said, the anger making his voice snap against every hard syllable. "Tell me, Demon Slayer-sama. How many demons have you fought? How many of them checked how you were feeling before they decided to attack you?" I clenched my teeth hard enough that it sent a pang of pain through my jaw, but an honest answer would just prove Kaigaku's point. "Exactly. Demons only care if you're afraid enough to make yourself easy prey, and nothing else. So don't go acting like it'll do any good if I just sit around and play nice, pretending like he's not a goddamn eyesore. Because you may protect him right now, but you won't be able to do a damn thing once he makes it to Final Selection and he has to face his own problems for once!"

I wanted to scream. I wanted to fight and drag this out, to try to explain to someone from an era that was still knee deep in the norm of toxic masculinity that Zenitsu's supposed weakness didn't make him worthless by any means. But I knew that trying to force my viewpoint down Kaigaku's throat would just make him resent me, and all the more so since he was someone who had built himself up so much on his own strength.

So I said, "Maybe you're right," and the shock that flickered through the turquoise of Kaigaku's eyes made his expression look softer in an instant. "I won't always be there to protect Zenitsu, Kaigaku. I've come to terms with that. But," I continued, allowing myself a smile, "I know that I won't have to, because both my kōhai are strong enough to take care of themselves wherever they may end up."

Both of them…will be strong enough without me.

It wasn't something I wanted to admit. I liked being there for both of them, liked knowing that we all relied on each other. And, someday, whenever we became Sensei's successors, we would need each other again. But, for now, the best thing for both of them was to let them stand on their own, find their strength and develop it—even if that meant without me.

Zenitsu sniffled from behind my shoulder. Kaigaku gave him a disparaging glare—and his expression started to shift when he looked at me, but I couldn't tell what the look was because he stormed out of the clearing a moment later, calling over his shoulder, "You should have better things to do than cling to home, Demon Slayer-sama."

This time, I let him walk away without argument.

Ah, it kinda sucks when your kōhai has a point, though. I exhaled, controlling my breathing into a more meditative state that didn't quite reach Total Concentration. I was a Demon Slayer, and I did have a mission. But—

"…s-sorry…Senpai…"

This is just as important.

I turned around, giving Zenitsu a pat on the head. "There's no need to apologize, Zenitsu. I only did what I thought was right."

Aside from the bits of peach I missed, Zenitsu had some dirt on his face and clothes, and the usual tear streaks were running down his cheeks. "I know, but…" He hesitated, his voice wavering with so many different emotions that it was difficult to tell just which ones were at play. "What if Aniki's right? I keep practicing, but I still can't do anything else other than the first form. What if I am just wasting Jī-chan's time?"

"Don't be silly," I said, giving him a light rap on the head with my fingers. Zenitsu closed his eyes at the reprimand, but just for a moment, and I guided him to sit down underneath one of the trees with me, pieces of sunlight flickering through the leaves. "Has Sensei said anything about what to do with not being able to perform anything past the Hekireki Issen?"

Zenitsu nodded, still clutching to the side of my haori. I let him; nothing wrong with getting comfort from another person. "He said, 'If you can only do a single thing, hone it to perfection.'"

"Whoa…" Whenever I'd had trouble getting the Thunder Breathing forms to work out, Sensei used his cane to correct my posture, my breathing, and my lip, all while barking non-stop orders. "Well, if Sensei told you to do it, then that means you'll be able to make something out of it, no doubt." Zenitsu still looked uncertain, and I leaned forward so our eyes could meet. "Hey, earlier, you looked like you wanted to say something back to Kaigaku. About why you're here?" Zenitsu ducked his head out of—embarrassment? Shame? I couldn't say. "Would it help if I told you why I wanted to learn Thunder Breathing so bad?"

"Huh? You, Senpai?"

"Yeah." Zenitsu took a moment before he nodded. I leaned back, my palms pressing against the grass beneath me as I looked up through the gap that pointed to the sky above. "That's an easy one. Because Sensei's swordplay is beautiful." Zenitsu's face scrunched up in confusion, and I laughed. "I know, beauty isn't what our style is all about. But that first time he showed me how Thunder Breathing was supposed to look, I was stunned." Even with a peg leg and an elderly body, he'd performed the most incredible movements I'd ever seen, and I'd used those memories to try and inform my own sword style, though I was still falling short on that point. "I decided then, that even if I couldn't do his style justice, I wanted to at least try to capture some of that beauty on my own. That's what kept me pushing through practices for so long, even when I ached so much, I'd collapse at night." I shrugged. "Maybe it's a silly reason."

Zenitsu shook his head so fast that he reminded me of a dog trying to dry itself off. "No, no, I get it! Jī-chan is incredible. And your swordplay is beautiful, too!"

Though it would have been easy to take Zenitsu's words as platitudes to make me feel better, he was too genuine for that to be the case. "Thanks. I'm glad you think so, though I still feel like I have a long way to go on that front." Like Sensei said, I was stiff, and the recent gash in my side all but proved that. I just had to hope that the more battles I had, then the more I would improve.

"I'm sure you'll get there. If it's you, Senpai…" Zenitsu fell silent for a moment, and I let him gather his thoughts. "I…I'm here because I do want to be stronger. I want to make you and Jī-chan and Aniki proud of how I've grown. I want to prove that I can do it and—" His voice dropped almost to a whisper. "I want to be strong enough to save people. So I've been practicing extra, with the Hekireki Issen, but that still doesn't feel like enough…"

"Well, if you're working so hard, I'm sure it can happen. And I'm not just saying that," I added when the doubt was obvious in his eyes. Kaigaku's words had done a number on him. Since I wasn't going to be here, I wouldn't be able to stop it from happening again, but I had to at least give Zenitsu something positive to fall back on. "You and I…well, we have the same Sensei, right? So that makes us kind of sword siblings." Between us three disciples, none of us had parents to look after us anymore; though our circumstances differed, we were all each other had aside from Sensei. "That means we're family. And since you're a part of my chosen family, that means I will encourage you—but I won't lie to do it. I do believe that you can help people, Zenitsu." If there was some way I could tell him that he was a major character in a popular shōnen manga from—um, the future? An alternate universe? Still hadn't figured that one out—that would make sense, I would have.

But even without that knowledge, I still would have believed in him. Because I'd seen him scared, I'd seen him run, but I'd also seen him come back and fight with a fierce determination that wouldn't be put out.

"How about this?" I asked. "You let this senpai of yours see what you've been working on, and I'll give you one more piece of advice before I have to hit the road." Zenitsu started to flail—enough out of his funk to get all worked up, then, good—but I leaned closer and pressed forward. "Please? I…" I'd been planning to maybe guilt trip him a little, but a lump caught the words in my throat. "I miss being here. And the next time I see you, you might already be a powerful Demon Slayer. So I at least would like one more memory of my kōhai wanting my help before you get so strong you won't even need it anymore."

Even under the dirt smudging his face, it was clear when Zenitsu's cheeks flushed pink. "O-okay, fine!" he said, hopping to his feet and retreating to the other end of the clearing so fast that I thought I might have to chase him down one more time. But he planted his feet so I had a clear view of his form: head ducked, knees bent, hand on the hilt of his sword. "I-I'm thinking that I can push this further, but I haven't gotten that down yet, so don't make fun of me, okay?"

I sat up straight to get a better look. "Wouldn't dream of it, Zenitsu."

He nodded, taking a few moments to fall into the rhythm of Total Concentration. That was a flaw that he would need to work out before he ever stepped into combat, but it would come with time, with the training he still had to complete. But once he had that time to prepare, Zenitsu breathed, and I could almost taste ozone in the air.

"Kaminari no Kokyū—Ichi no Kata: Hekireki Issen—

"Niren."

I was prepared for the flash of movement, the burst of light as Zenitsu took off like a rocket, his stance aiming him right at me, the lightning a blur of yellow from his speed. My instincts slapped my hand to my sword—but I was far too late to act, and Zenitsu planted his foot down and changed directions first, blasting off. I was so stunned that I almost missed the swing of his sword, and, when I blinked, I realized he'd aimed his strike at the rock Kaigaku had been sitting on earlier, the cut tracing a clean line straight through the middle, the halves falling apart. It was such a precise control of the technique that I couldn't even imagine pulling off, though I was sure it was possible with enough practice.

How many hours have you been putting into this, kōhai of mine? More than enough. There's no way the time that Sensei put into you was worthless. Not when you've achieved this.

"Um, I know it's not perfect," Zenitsu was saying, and I'd been so in awe that I hadn't even noticed him start to vomit out his insecurities. "I mean, I tend to screw up the footing, and I've fallen over more times than I can count. That one wasn't bad, but it's not as fast as a usual Hekireki Issen is, so I'll need to pull up the speed. I'm working on doing more accurate slashes, too, but I still don't know. I think that's the right path, but Jī-chan says if I'm going to master this, I need to find the answer on my own, but what if I just screw this up, too, I mean—"

"Zenitsu."

As usual, he fell silent at the call of his name. I pulled myself to my feet and crossed the space between us, my hands dropping down on his shoulders, an excitement I hadn't felt in ages racing through my veins. "It may not be conventional," I said, the words out of my mouth nothing but the truth, "and maybe you want to put more work into it, but I think—

"I think your Hekireki Issen is absolutely beautiful."

And though his eyes welled up with tears like always, Zenitsu's face split into a watery smile right before he dropped his sword and fell into my chest, his arms wrapping around me in a hug that only did so much to smother his grateful sobs.

[Author's Notes]

Hey, look, the first scene connected to canon! Rairi may not know it, but they have changed this little event a bit. This fic doesn't really plan to rehash a bunch of canon scenes, but I hope the ones I do include aren't boring to read/feel worthwhile to include... It's a tricky balance to play with.

Loads and loads and loads of thanks to Marty Hoskins, sanampatel881, aiien, x7porkchop123w, ILikeFoxes828, fanficreader93, Miguex, darkyukionna, Punk Trash Noiz, Tsuki (Guest), Lazlo en Kuldes, kuroneki, rp9976955, LuxYin, Bred839, BlackCross642, and Bekturgan Daulet for the favorites, follows, and reviews! Last update, y'all's support also helped me have my highest view day on FF dot net since 2014, and I think you're going to help me break my "most views in a month" record, too, possibly. This fic has also popped into the top ten views of all time of my fics in spot #9, top four follower counts, and passed 100 followers, which is just *screaming*. I hope I can continue to produce a quality fic that's worthy of all your support. (bows) I'd love to hear from more of you to know what you're enjoying/anything you think could be improved, so don't be afraid to leave a review!

Writing everyone fighting is just painful to me, but it does make for good drama, don't it?

Also: I am so ready for Mugen Train in the US next month. Watching the movie break so many Japanese box office records has been awesome, so I'm excited to see it for myself.

I also obtained the end of series fanbook since the last update. My Japanese is moderate, but I now have extra canon info! Like Gakuen Kaigaku info! An actual last name for this bastard (that won't be used in this fic bc it makes more sense for his backstory to not have one, among other reasons)! And the fact that he's apparently much shorter than I thought (lol)! There's a lot of other cool stuff in there, but I need a lot more practice and time before I can translate it.

It's time for a Taishō Era Secret! The idea of having someone intervene with the flashback scene to Kaigaku's first appearance was one of the earliest scenes that I developed for this fic. While Canon Zenitsu's fear over demons makes sense in some ways, I feel like part of that is due to his general lack of confidence—which Kaigaku clearly contributes to by being a giant douchebag. Hence, Rairi providing a counter by being much more encouraging happens, which is part of why Zenitsu's personality is a bit more mellow in this fic than in canon. More on that as the fic progresses.

Also: Rairi has also always been awful with directions; they regularly got lost as a kid, so their older sibling stuck by their side a lot. Getting a phone with GPS when they got into high school helped a bit, just like Tadashi helps out now.

Next time: Autumn, Wisteria House, and the most bullshit sounding technique possible. Please look forward to it!

-Avi

[03.27.2021]