Opening: Inferno by 9mm Parabellum Bullet
Several weeks had passed but Tanjiro made a full recovery and underwent his rehabilitation training with Kanao aiding him. He spent a lot of his time with her and they ended up developing a friendship of sorts. Though, it was really just Kanao asking Tanjiro about his life and what he's been through. Kanao didn't really talk about her past, she was just curious about the things around her. Tanjiro did observe that the girl was rather clingy towards Shinobu. He wasn't jealous, it was just something he observed during his time there. Unfortunately, his swordsmith, Haganezuka, was unwilling to give Tanjiro a new sword after the boy had chipped his current one. This left the boy in a predicament but he was given special permission by Ubuyashiki to make his way towards the village. That's when he learned that the route to the village was complicated, using a series of pathways and various Kasugai Crows and Kakushi to navigate through. These assets are constantly switched out to remain inconsistent. Tanjiro packed his things and he went on his way towards the swordsmith village.
It was a perfect day to enjoy the warmth of the sun. As a result, everyone was outside to take advantage of the weather while it was great. In a separate location, Zenitsu was fishing by a small river, trying to get his food for the day. He had discarded his uniform for something much more casual as he had started from scratch with the money he had saved up from the Demon Slayer Corps. He wasn't exactly sure what he was doing or what he wanted to do. He was just existing, life was very boring now. By no means did he miss killing demons but at least that kept him busy. Now, he's just mindlessly living his life as a civilian on the streets. He definitely needs to get a job soon because the money he's saved up won't last him too long. He reeled in a small fish to his disappointment but he didn't complain, food was food.
He did carry his Nichirin Blade with him, something he could use in self defense if anything ever went south. He was grateful to his mentor for teaching Zenitsu about how to use the blade. He'll be able to defend himself wherever he goes now. He sighed and made his way back to the small village he was residing in for the time being. As he continued forward, he noticed one of his neighbors blindly running towards him, his focus was on something behind him. He bumped into Zenitsu which shifted his attention to the boy in front of him. Zenitsu could see the panic stricken on the man's face which compelled him to ask what was wrong. The man answered, "There's some maniac killing people in the village with a sword! I don't know what his deal is but he just keeps asking people the same questions!" Zenitsu didn't sign up for this. He can handle a demon but he wasn't sure about a serial killer. There's no way it's a demon because it's in the middle of the day so it was clearly a human being he was dealing with.
The man noticed Zenitsu's blade and pointed out, "You got a sword, kick his ass!" Zenitsu cried out:
"Who? Me?! Uhhh, this is a toy sword!" The boy lied through his teeth, trying to avoid this as much as he could.
"Don't bullshit me, man! If you got a weapon, use it! Other than that, I'm out of here!" His neighbour scrambled to his feet and bolted away as fast as possible. Zenitsu couldn't help but look down the way the man came, why did he have to be dealing with a serial killer NOW of all times? He left the Demon Slayer Corps to get away from this type of crap. Maybe he could get past the guy and grab his belongings so he can leave for another town? No, that's stupid and irresponsible. He had to at least check out the scene.
In the village, there was a young man with a bloody blade passing by a group of people who were on their knees and in a line. The young man had black hair and turquoise eyes, his attire consisting of a simple black kimono and a blue obi over it with many necklaces around his neck. He stopped at one end of the line and lifted his blade up under the person's chin, pressing the edge just lightly into their throat as he asked, "What's your purpose? What do you live for? What are your dreams? Your aspirations? What gets you out of bed every morning?" The person that was being threatened cried out:
"I-I-I don't know, man! I'm just trying to support my family, that's all!" The swordsmen slit the throat, commenting:
"Pathetic, then you have nothing. What about the rest of you? Do you have more to add or are you just like this man?" None of them had a chance to answer because they were interrupted by someone approaching nearby. Everyone looked to see Zenitsu rushing in, eyebrows raised as high as they could from how scared Zenitsu was. However, his face quickly became pale from seeing who was doing all of the murders. The young man was Zenitsu' classmate, Kaigaku, who learned Thunder Breathing with Zenitsu. Zenitsu respected his classmate to an immense degree, always looking for his guidance and support. However, when Zenitsu reached out, Kaigaku was never impressed with Zenitsu and disassociated from the boy as much as he could. Zenitsu had mastered the first form while Kaigaku mastered all the others, they couldn't utilize the other's technique which made them opposites in a sense.
Zenitsu hadn't seen his classmate in so long and now they reunite under bloody circumstances. Zenitsu glanced around, all of the blood and the headless corpses strewn across the street, it was something only a demon could produce. Kaigaku looked at Zenitsu, a bit of surprise in his expression but mostly disdain. The man called out, "Would you look who it is. Watch carefully, Zenitsu, this is going to be you in a minute." Kaigaku pointed his blade towards the next person in line and asked the same questions. The person he asked stuttered in their speech but managed to say, "I-I wanted to improve the quality of life and help poor people."
"Wanted? What changed?"
"I-it's expensive! I couldn't-" Kaigaku was done listening as he decapitated the person in front of him. Zenitsu cried out:
"S-stop that!"
Kaigaku responded in a cheeky tone, "Stop what?"
"This! What are you even doing?!"
Kaigaku raised his blade to block out the sun from his view as he explained, "I'm purging the weak from this world. I don't mean weak in the physical sense, I'm mostly referring to those with a weak will. Did you know I killed every single person in this village because not ONE of them was working towards something? They all told me the same thing: I can't do it! It's too expensive! I don't have anything in particular! Don't even get me started with that bullshit excuse of "trying to live my life". People like that don't deserve to be in this world, they need to be killed to make more room for the people with aspirations! They lack the will necessary to take control of their lives and do what they want to do. A life without restrictions, dammit! Yet it's so easy for people to succumb to their fears and anxieties. Only those with weak wills have such restraints. These people are wasting time and resources that would be better used for people who are working towards something greater. So tell me, Zenitsu, what are YOU working towards?"
Zenitsu began to draw his blade, his entire face coated in sweat from how scared he was. He could barely hold the sword straight as he tried to answer, "I-I don't know.. But I have to stop you!" Kaigaku took slow and deliberate steps towards Zenitsu which prompted the boy to raise his sword higher in self defense.
"Go ahead, then. Stop me." Kaigaku walked close enough to the point he could feel the edge of the blade poking into his throat, yet there was not a tinge of fear left in the former student. It was as if he had nothing to lose, nothing was holding him down. "Do it. Finish the job." Zenitsu's teeth were chattering, he couldn't do it, he couldn't take the life of a human. "You can't do it, can you? You've taken the lives of countless demons yet you can't bring yourself to kill a single human? Why is that? It's because of your fear, isn't it? Not because of me, but of what you don't know. That is the most common fear, you don't know what'll happen when you strike me down, do you? Will it feel good? Perhaps you'll hate yourself? Or you don't feel anything? OR, is it some arrogant misconception placed into your head that killing is bad? Is that it?"
Even after all that, Zenitsu was not swayed. He was still shaking with fear which made Kaigaku sigh out of disappointment. He whipped around and slashed his blade which emitted electricity from the tip. The electricity coarsed through the line of people, shocking them to death as it was too much for them to handle. He sheathed his blade as he didn't even perceive Zenitsu as any kind of threat. He pointed out, "See what your fear cost you? You could've saved those people if you had chosen to kill me. Instead, you held onto your fears and now you didn't get what you wanted."
Zenitsu dropped his blade and quietly whimpered, "Why are you doing this?"
"Why? I assume you mean what led me to this goal because I already explained why. Every single person in their life starts without a purpose. It's our own duty to find something to work towards on our own, not what's expected of us. I was a coward, I did everything in my power in the name of self perseverance. I was pathetic back then. If I was looking back at my old self, I would cut him down without a second thought. After leaving the old man, I had to take a good long look at myself and ask what the hell I was doing with my life. Sure, I wanted to be a Hashira, but it's just a title. Being a Hashira means nothing, I didn't have anything I believed in, nothing grand that I was working towards. I was living a life of mediocrity especially when I realized that I had failed the old man. I couldn't learn that blasted first form just like how you couldn't learn everything else BESIDES that. I hate how alike we are, but it's a reality I have come to terms with."
Zenitsu dropped his blade, the situation really dawned on him as he looked at the bloody town he was living in. What was supposed to be a great day went bad very quickly. Kaigaku nonchalantly walked next to Zenitsu, patting the young boy on the shoulder as he explained, "From one fuck-up to another, I'll let you live. Give you a chance to wallow in your mistakes and see what a mess you are. Until next time, Zenitsu, I won't be as forgiving when we next meet." Kaigaku took his leave which left the blonde-haired boy all by himself in the empty village. Zenitsu collapsed to his knees, he was so spaced out he didn't know what to do. He didn't really know these people yet he let them die. Maybe if it was Nezuko or someone he actually gave a damn about, he probably would've followed through. But these are just his neighbours he barely talks to, he doesn't hold any attachment to them. It's all right, he's safe and that's what matters. However, even that conclusion didn't sit right with Zenitsu. All he could do for the time being is pick himself up and find somewhere else to live.
