Water conducts lighting

Hello again everyone!

I hope you enjoyed TanKana Week, because I sure did, there were really good submissions.

But, you're not here to listen about that, so let's move onto the chapter.

I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Kimetsu no Yaiba.


"Kaigaku-san, those tsuzumi-"

Dun

The room suddenly spun to the right, sending both demon hunters towards the wall, which now acted as the floor, and interrupting Tanjiro.

"I know, they change the room and have a claw-like attack." The Kanoe said with a growl.

"Yes, the one in the belly is the claw-attack-"

Dun

"The shoulders make the room spin right or left respectively." The teen with the fox mask continued, even as he prepared to land after another rotation. "Left leg spins it backwards and the right one forwards."

Kaigaku didn't answer but made sure to remember the information.

"Insects, die!" Kyogai growled, hitting various tsuzumi to make the room spin in different directions, as well as mixing in the claw attack among them to kill the two.

'Tch, annoying!' Kaigaku cursed as he tried to maintain his balance long enough to lunge towards the demon but, every time he managed to land, the room was already spinning in a different way. 'I just need a moment; I'll use one of the lights to stop and then jump.' He did as such when the next spin got him near the ceiling and prepared to-

"Kaigaku-san, look out!" Tanjiro yelled, the way the room spun had made him fall towards him.

Kaigaku looked up, some of the papers that began flying around after the claws broke the different chests in the room blocking his view for a second before he saw the Kamado. He had enough reflexes to move out of the way to avoid a collision but had let go of the light and was now spinning along with the room again.

"Oi, don't get in my way!"

"I'm sorry, the change in gravity is too fast!" The Mizunoto apologized.

The two landed on what was the floor and then jumped in opposite directions to avoid another claw-attack, to then have to adjust to a new rotation.

"Damn it with this annoying attack! Just give it up already!" Kaigaku gritted his teeth and tried to lunge but the rotation was too fast and forced him to the ground instead.

"Just give it up, will you?"

"You…!" Unbeknownst to Kaigaku, those words triggered a memory from Kyogai.

Back when he still looked like a human, before eating the amount of humans that made his body mutate into his current state.

"It's so boring! Your writing is just so boring." Someone had told him, Kyogai had long since forgotten his face but not his words, he could never forget his words. "Every last word is utter trash!" The man had said, letting the story that Kyogai had made fall to the ground as if it belonged there. "No beauty, no fragility, no impact. Why don't you forget about writing? It's just a waste of paper and fountain pens!"

It wasn't the words that Kyogai was angry about, he obviously wasn't happy but criticism is something he had long gotten used to; even if it hurt.

"You never even step outside anymore these days. So no wonder you're so boring!"

'There is a reason for that' is not something Kyogai could say, since the reason isn't something that he could reveal without the man thinking he is crazy... right before having to kill him.

"You should just enjoy your hobby, playing the tsuzumi as long as you're shut in here." The man said with a hint of mockery in his tone. "Not that you have the skill to teach that either." He then began to walk away, purposely stepping over the paper that Kyogai had written and he had called trash.

If Kyogai were to look back, he would realize that this was the moment he lost the last remnants of his humanity; enraged at what the man had done to the work he had put so much effort in, he opened the front of his kimono to reveal a tsuzumi imbedded into his stomach.

Dun

With one tap, the man that had mocked his work was killed, his body being cut in pieces from his demon art's invisible claws.

"You…!" Kyogai growled, his eyes fixed on the black haired swordsman. "OUT OF MY SIGHT! YOU DAMN INSECT!" He roared, sending a shiver down the two demon hunters' spines. "Rapid drumming!"

'Don't tell me he can strike that tsuzumi even faster!' The two swordsmen thought in fear.

Kyogai began to hit all of the tsuzumi in his body at greater speeds to the point that the room didn't stop spinning, the constant rotations making Tanjiro, Kaigaku and the papers scattered to stay constantly in mid-air as the gravity was altered.

"Da-gh!" Kaigaku groaned as Tanjiro accidentally hit him due to the changes in gravity making it impossible for them to even try to dodge each other, it was impossible for them to move if the gravity was constantly changing and making them stay in the middle; even worse, it's not like the two humans were just floating in a fixed position, they kept spinning with the constant rotations, making them dizzy.

'This bastard! If the brat wasn't here-!'

"Kaigaku-san!" His thoughts were interrupted when he heard Tanjiro's voice, he turned in his direction, expecting to crash again but instead he saw the Kamado with his right leg aimed at him, looking as if he wants to kick him. "Use me as a footing to move!"

The Thunder Breath user didn't have time to question it, he moved by instinct and kicked the sole of his fellow demon hunter's foot, sending himself towards one of the walls, although which 'wall' changed at least three times by the time he got there and ended up being the ceiling where Kaigaku held onto one of the lights like before.

Tanjiro had taken advantage of the kick and used it to jump in the opposite direction, managing to grab onto one of the still intact chest drawers in the room which, like Kyogai, weren't affected by the rotations.

"Alright, from here- Kaigaku-san, behind you!" Tanjiro yelled, warning his comrade just in time for him to let go of the light and avoid the claw-attack that was sent his way. 'The marks… there are now five claws instead of three!' He noticed.

Dun DunDun Dundundundundundundundundundundundun.

'It's too fast, I can barely hold on!' Tanjiro thought, trying to keep his hold on the chest drawer to avoid being swept in the changes of gravity. 'It's an incredible skill!' He thought, just before losing his grip and began to rotate along the room once more.

"Damn it, if I could get closer!" Kaigaku seethed, landing in a moment that the tsuzumi demon stopped rotating the room but immediately sent the claw attack, forcing him to dodge, only to crash against one of the walls when the rotations began again and caught him by surprise. "This annoying attack…!" The Kanoe growled. "Give it up already!" He screamed, taking a step forward to lunge, stepping over some of the scattered papers.

Kyogai saw it and immediately hit the tsuzumi in his belly three times, sending the invisible claws to attack from the front and sides of the demon hunter.

'Not good, I'm already moving forward… he'll get me!' A cold sweat formed in his brow, the image of his body been severed filling his mind at that moment.

"Kaigaku-san!" Tanjiro yelled, having moved even before Kyogai hit his tsuzumi and pushed him out of the way, barely managing to dodge the claws himself.

'That scent of anger; if I hadn't smelled it I couldn't have seen that attack coming.' The Kamado thought…

Dundundundundundundundundundundundun

…even as his body was being swung around due to his enemy's ability.

Dun

Another stop on the rotations was followed by the claw attack, directed at both swordsmen.

'Damn it, at this rate… crap!' The red haired swordsman saw several scattered papers with something written on them and quickly adjusted his landing to avoid stepping on them, accidentally taking a quick breath in order to move his injured leg when landing before properly regaining his stance. 'Just now… wait, the tsuzumi!' Tanjiro immediately got ready to continue adjusting his stance to compensate for the rotations or move out of the way of the claws but neither came; the sound of the tsuzumi had suddenly stopped. 'He's not attacking and this scent… later! Just now, I think I figured it out thanks to these papers.'

'Huh, why did it stop?' Kaigaku wondered after landing, noticing how the tsuzumi demon's constant onslaught had suddenly come to a halt and he was just standing there while staring at his junior. 'No matter, this is a chance!' He moved forward -scrunch- and stepped over another paper, immediately regaining the attention of the demon, which began to hit his tsuzumi once more.

'Take quick and shallow breaths and use them to reinforce the muscles around my injuries.' Tanjiro did just that, a moment before the onslaught resumed.

Dun

'From the left.' He jumped over the claw attack.

Dun

'Rotation backward.' And easily fixed his stance in mid-air in order to land, then immediately moved to the side to avoid another claw. 'There is a scent of mold before the claws come.'

"Kaigaku-san, behind you!"

The Breath of Thunder user quickly looked back and jumped to the right to avoid the claws, spinning on the ground to quickly get back up.

"Next one is coming from your right!" Tanjiro yelled again, even as he dodged a claw attack directed at him.

'Wha-why?! It looked like I was just one step away from hitting them and now…' Kyogai thought, hitting his tsuzumi even faster in an attempt to get his enemies' but, every time, Tanjiro would dodge or call out the way the attack was coming for his partner.

"Kyogai, I will now cut off your head!" Tanjiro declared.

"Huh? What are you-"

'Breath of Water, Ninth Form.' The red haired swordsman didn't pay attention to his comrade's words and began to move, taking a few quick breaths to unleash a technique. 'Splashing Water Flow-Turbulent!'

Unlike the other Water Breathing forms, the ninth form is made solely for the purpose of mobility, allowing the user to minimize the landing time and area in order to move even without a solid footing.

Tanjiro moved forward, looking as if he was running on top of a puddle and splashing water around with each step.

'Move! Get in range!' The Kamado continued to run, quickly closing the distance even as Kyogai began to rotate the room in an attempt to stop his dash.

'This kid… wait, that!' For a moment, the master of the house felt fear but then noticed something.

Dun

He stroke the tsuzumi in his left leg once, making the room spin backwards so the wall behind him was the 'floor', then continuously sent claw attacks to impede the red haired teen's advance, not using rotations at all.

'Why did he- damn it!' Tanjiro realized what was happening a moment too late.

Crash!

The reason why Kyogai stopped rotating the room after that last one was because he had moved it in a way that Kaigaku was falling straight towards him, the claw attacks that followed were both so Tanjiro couldn't completely close the distance and to keep him too preoccupied to notice in time.

And his plan had been successful; both demon hunters were now on the floor, entangled with each other.

'Crap, just a bit more and-'

Dun

The Kamado gasped, his nose picking up the scent of mold even before he heard the tsuzumi.

He immediately kicked Kaigaku away and tried to move.

"Oi, stop kicking me you…" The black haired swordsman trailed off as he saw his junior's left arm bleeding.

'It was close, if I hadn't moved my arm so it was between the claws, I would have lost it.' Tanjiro didn't have the time to completely dodge the claws, his left arm was still in their striking range but after seeing the attack so many times, he noticed that the claws don't go that far off the ground, so he simply bended it in a way that it was between the set of claws.

He was still grazed on both sides but the wound had been superficial, partly thanks to his uniform.

Dun

But none of that mattered to Kyogai.

'Again!'

The moment he saw that his enemies were still alive, the demon resumed his onslaught, making the room spin around and mixing in his claw attacks to kill the two humans.

"Kaigaku-san, claw from your left!" Tanjiro called out. 'If I try to use the ninth form to close the distance, it will just be a repeat of before.' He quickly formulated a plan to avoid that scenario. "Kaigaku-san, I need you to hold onto a light or something the next time you land!"

"What? Why?"

"If he can't use you to interrupt me, I can get close to him and cut his head, I just need you to stay in one place for a few seconds!"

It was a simple plan but, at the same time, a very effective one.

Tanjiro had noticed during his first run that he could close the distance with the ninth form, the rotations weren't enough of a deterrent for him and the claws could be easily dodged now that he could smell them coming; as long as Kaigaku isn't used to hit him from his blind spot, he should be able to get him in a second attempt.

"Huh?! You little brat! Are you implying I'm a nuisance?!" But he didn't take one thing into account, Kaigaku's pride.

"It's the best way to ensure we defeat him!" The Kamado argued, even as he kept adapting to the rotations and avoiding the claws.

"You little…!" The Breath of Thunder user couldn't say anything else; as much as it may anger him, Tanjiro's plan was their best option. "Fine, just do it quick!" He scoffed.

"Yes!"

Tanjiro immediately took a few quick breaths and unleashed the ninth form once more while Kaigaku saw his chance when the rotations sent him near one of the walls and he stabbed his sword in it to stay there.

'You better not fuck this up, brat!'

'This time for sure…!' The red haired swordsman continued forward, once again easily adapting to the rotations thanks to the Ninth Form and avoiding the claws sent his way.

Dun

'From behind… no, it's not for me!'

"Crap!" Kaigaku cursed, a claw was sent his way forcing him to pull his sword out of the wall and be at the mercy of the rotations once more.

DunDunDun

Kyogai hit a set of tsuzumi and made it so Kaigaku was falling towards Tanjiro once more.

"I'm not so stupid to fall for a plan you announced, insect!" The demon roared; hitting the tsuzumi in his belly, a claw began to move forwards in front of the teen with the fox mask.

'I thought as much.' Tanjiro jumped and spun backwards in mid-air to grab Kaigaku's arm. "GO!" He heaved the senior demon hunter above the claws and right in front of the demon's face.

"Heh!" The black haired swordsman smirked. "You're mine!"

"Wh-?!" Kyogai wasn't able to let out a word before the blade slashed through his neck and severed his head.

The room moved back to a normal position as Tanjiro and Kaigaku landed on the ground, this time without having to worry about dodging.

"sigh Ow, ow, ow… I took a deep breath without thinking." The Kamado thought out loud, holding his side. 'I'm the eldest son, I'm the eldest son.'

"See that, asshole?!" But he got distracted from the pain when he heard his senior's words. "Why don't you try hitting those damn tsuzumi now, huh?!" He began to kick the body, particularly the tsuzumi that protruded from it, over and over.

"What are you doing?!" Tanjiro roared, ignoring the pain and pulling Kaigaku back. "The battle is over, there is no need to desecrate his body!"

The black haired swordsman stumbled for a moment at the sudden throw but quickly regained his balance and glared at his red haired junior.

"Huh?! What do you care?! That's a demon!"

"THAT'S NO REASON TO HIT A CORPSE!" He roared back.

"…tch, whatever, you're just an annoying brat, don't count on me coming to save your ass next time." With that, Kaigaku simply walked out of the room and away from him.

'…I need to get the blood for Tamayo-san.' The Kamado thought after confirming the Kanoe wasn't near him anymore and calming his anger at the way he acted.

He looked inside his haori until finding what he was looking for, a small knife with a glass container inside of the grip, he kneeled next to Kyogai's body then calmly stabbed the torso and some blood immediately was drawn and stored inside the object.

'So it really does extract the blood automatically if you stick it in there.' He thought, this being the first time he's seen it. 'Yushiro-san sure is skilled, creating something like this.'

"Meow."

Tanjiro turned to the sound of a cat, seeing a small, tricolor calico cat with black, white and brown spots, amber colored eyes, a brown box on its back and a necklace with one of Yushiro's talismans hanging from it.

"A cat? Ah… you're the one who's going to deliver this to Tamayo-san, huh?" He approached the cat and pet his head with one hand while placing the blood sample on the box. "There, there; thanks!" He made sure it was properly stowed away before closing the box. "You're all set, take care now!"

The cat hopped away and meowed, disappearing from sight.

'They did tell me that it would be invisible due to Yushiro-san's spell until it meowed and then vanish when it meowed again… I guess I'm a bit weirded out because it's the first time I see it…'

"Alright… I should go search for Kiyoshi and Teruko."

"Kid." Before Tanjiro could get up, he heard Kyogai's voice and turned.

His head was still there but his body was already nothing but a torso with stubs.

"Why did you dodge them?"

"Dodge them…? What do you mean?" The red haired teen asked with a confused look.

"Those papers, before you began to adapt to the rotations, why did you dodge them?"

"…someone wrote on them, they're not meant to be stepped on." He answered as if it was obvious.

The demon's eyes widened at the answer.

'This scent…'

"Why did you seem so obsessed with getting Kiyoshi?"

"I guess that's the marechi's name." Kyogai mumbled. "I just wanted to get my rank among the Twelve Demon Moons back, eating a marechi would have been a big step towards that."

"Why did you want to get it back?"

"Why?! You ask why?!" Kyogai roared, seemingly angry. "I… huh… why was it… why did I want to go back? …it seemed obvious before but…" He trailed off as his body finished crumbling away, his head beginning to follow suit.

'It's similar to Shohei-san, he couldn't even think properly.'

"Kyogai-san." Tanjiro called out to get his attention. "It's too late now but… if I had told you that there was a way for you to live as a demon without eating people… would you have accepted?"

The demon became speechless, more because Tanjiro added an honorific to his name than because of the question.

"Kyogai-san?"

"…ah… no, we were in the middle of a battle, I would have ignored you." He was dying, there was no point in telling a lie. "But…" So he will say everything. "If… if you had met me sooner, before I was too far down this path to ever come back… I might have."

"…I see."

'That look… how can you feel sorry for a demon?' Kyogai wanted to say that but his mouth had already disappeared. 'It's strange, even though I'm dying… I don't feel bad at all.'

"Thank you for answering me." Tanjiro said. "I don't know if I would have been able to convince you if I met you before but… I can say this much, your Blood Demon Art was amazing."

Tears began to fall from the demon's eyes but there was no sadness, Tanjiro's nose could tell that much.

'My… writing… it wasn't trash at all.' Kyogai thought, still staring at the Kamado's eyes as his mind slipped away. 'At the very least, not to that kid. He saw fit not to trample on it.'

"Rest in peace." Tanjiro said as the last of the demon's body began to vanish.

'Both my Blood Demon Art… and my tsuzumi playing… have been recognized.' Just knowing that allowed Kyogai to leave this world happily.


'I know they're in this direction.' Tanjiro thought as he ran through the house after leaving his former enemy's final resting place and stopping the bleeding from his left arm.

"Kiyoshi! Teruko!" He called out like he said he would to let them know he's coming. 'There!' The Kamado slid open the doors of the room he smelled the two from. "Kiyoshi! Teruko!"

"Yaaa!" And immediately dodged a book that was thrown his way.

"Wh-" Then what looked like a vase. "Gah!" But got hit by a second book, right in his forehead.

"Ah."

"Tanjiro-san…"

"Why are you throwing stuff at me?" The demon hunter complained, holding his head.

"We're so sorry!" The other male said quickly. "The tsuzumi vanished, so we panicked."

"I see." Tanjiro smiled and approached the two. "Well, I'm glad you're safe."

"W-wahhh." Teruko then began crying. 'He's here so… that means… that means… the monster won't come after us anymore!'

"You did a good job hanging in there." The Kamado said as he patted her head to calm her down. "You, too, Kiyoshi." The teen with the persimmon haori nodded, also relieved. "Come on, let's go outside." Tanjiro kneeled and put his hands behind him. "Climb on my back."

The younger male did as told and Tanjiro carried him towards the exit with Teruko following behind him.

"Is your leg okay?" He asked as they walked.

"Yes!"

"You just have to be brave a little longer… ah, I'm picking up Zenitsu and Shoichi's scent." The Kamado said happily. "They must be outside. Both of them safe-" 'I smell blood!'

"What's wrong?" Kiyoshi asked when Tanjiro suddenly stopped.

"Nothing." The swordsman answered to avoid worrying them. "Let's hurry!"

He picked up the pace, worried about the scent of blood, and soon arrived at the entrance where…


Shortly after Kyogai was defeated.

'Damn brat!' Kaigaku cursed as he looked for the exit in what might as well be a maze. 'What the hell does he care if I kick a dead demon?! I cut off his head and it would have been easier if he didn't keep crashing against me inside that room.' Regardless of how true that statement might be, it was fact to Kaigaku.

He does not like this squad system idea. At all. While having people that can aid you in battle could be beneficial, that only applies in situations where your partner or partners have the skill to pull that off and, in his opinion, there aren't many members that can do that for him.

That is not entirely untrue either; so far, almost every other demon hunter he has encountered has been weaker than him to the point he has to wonder how they have a similar rank but, while Kaigaku won't admit it, or at least not willingly, he knows that the Pillars are stronger than him.

Before he was assigned as Zenitsu's overseer, he happened to encounter the Sound Pillar when a mission sent him to the same town as his; when the fight began the Pillar had, quite literally, cut off the demon's head before Kaigaku could even realize it.

It was a bit of a humbling experience for him, Kaigaku thinks of himself as someone strong and he is certainly stronger than most members of the corps, thanks in no small part to the fact he was trained by a former Pillar, but it's because of that strength that, in the few instances that he had worked together with another demon hunter it had went with him having to pull all the weight since his 'partner' couldn't really keep up with his movements.

The experiences had left him with distaste towards the idea of having someone to fight at his side since, to him, it seemed more like a burden.

Still, he was willing to give the whole 'overseer' thing a chance. Who knows? Maybe the person he has to watch over would be strong or, at least, be able to tell others how strong he is, increasing his chances of gaining another promotion.

That idea went out the window when he heard who he had to watch over.

Agatsuma Zenitsu.

The moment that name came from his crow's beak, Kaigaku had to stop himself from choking it.

Out of all the people, it had to be him, the trash that couldn't do anything and just wasted his master's time; part of him was genuinely surprised he had survived the Final Selection but scratched it to luck.

He almost ditched him but they were orders from headquarters so he reluctantly met with the blonde and the two began to travel together.

It was as bad as he expected, Zenitsu cowered away at the sight of demons leaving him to deal with them on his own, he was nothing but trash that got in his way-

'Thunderclap and Flash.'

"That!" Kaigaku growled, thinking so much of his junior brought to mind the way he dispatched that demon with the long tongue. 'What the hell was that?! And what was that whole 'thank you for saving us' bullshit?!'

"Zenitsu-san! Zenitsu-san!"

"Huh?" Kaigaku was so focused on his own thoughts that he didn't realize when he got outside.

The sun was still up in the sky and, despite the way the inside moved, it didn't look like that had any effect on the outside.

"Zenitsu-san!" The black haired swordsman turned towards that voice, seeing the aforementioned Zenitsu and the kid that was with him inside the mansion.

"What the…?"

"Ah, excuse me!" The kid yelled, noticing his presence. "P-please help us! Th-the house suddenly spun and- and we were thrown out and- and Zenitsu-san softened my landing b-but no-ow he won't wake up and- you, you are his friend, right? Please do something!"

'Friend? With that trash?!' Kaigaku thought with disgust, turning away from the two. "He can wake up on his own!" He yelled before beginning to walk away.

"Wh-How can you say that?! Aren't you two comrades?!" Shoichi yelled after him.

"I don't call any trash my comrade." The swordsman said without turning back.

"Tra-?! Zenitsu-san was the one that defeated that demon that was giving you trouble, if he is trash then what does that make you?!" The boy yelled in rage.

Kaigaku stopped, turning his head to glare at the boy.

"Hii!" Shoichi gulped at the way the older male stared at him, fearing that he may do something after what he said.

A, very tense, few seconds later Kaigaku turned back around and continued to walk away; this time, Shoichi didn't say anything to him.

'I've always had really good hearing.' Zenitsu thought as his consciousness began to come back. 'One time, I knew what people said while I was asleep, and that creeped everyone out… ah, I'm not hearing any more demon sounds. Tanjiro, you defeated that demon, didn't you? I can hear you guys and also…'

"P-please help us! Th-the house suddenly spun and- and we were thrown out and-"

'That's Shoichi-kun's voice, he is talking with someone.'

"He can wake up on his own!"

'Kaigaku… I'm sorry that you had to save us… I really am a burden, aren't I?'

"Zenitsu-san was the one that defeated that demon that was giving you trouble, if he is trash then what does that make you?!"

'You're kind Shoichi-kun but there is no need to lie, I know how weak I am.' The blond thought calmly. 'Ah, Kaigaku's steps are getting further away, I guess he's going ahead.' He realized. 'Tanjiro's steps are getting closer… as well as these weird-sounding, loud footsteps.'

"Zentisu-san! Zentisu-san!"

The swordsman opened his eyes to the sight of a crying Shoichi watching over him.

"Thank goodness! Are you all right?" The kid asked, moving back a bit to give him space. "When the room spun around, we got thrown outside. We fell from the second-story window."

"…did we now?" Zenitsu asked happily while scratching the back of his head. 'So we're finally out of that creepy mansion, what a relief!'

Shoichi nodded before continuing.

"You were protecting me, so I'm totally fine. But…"

"I'm glad to hear that." The Agatsuma said with a smile. "So, tell me, why all the tears?" He moved his hand and noticed a red liquid on it.

3

2

1

"Now I get it! I fell right onto my head, didn't I?" Zenitsu yelled, his earlier calm completely gone.

"Yes."

"Am I gonna… am I gonna die?" He asked while panicking. "My head is starting to spin."

"-in' through!"

The two turned when they heard a voice from the house's entrance.

"What's this? What's this? What's this?"

"Comin' through! Comin' through!" The voice got louder and louder until. "Comin' through!" A man wearing a boar mask and wielding dual blades broke the door down by head-butting it.

"Gahhhhhh! There it is again! The monster boar!" Zenitsu yelled while hugging the younger kid in fear.

Said 'monster boar' laughed as he looked around.

"I'm getting a demonic vibe."

"Eh… it's him! I recognize that voice! He's the fifth survivor!"

"Survivor?" Shoichi asked.

"During the Final Selection, he was the first to rush up the mountain, and then came down from the mountain before anyone else!" The Agatsuma explained. "Mr. Impatient!"

Said 'Mr. Impatient' ignored the two as he continued to look around, eventually setting his sight on Tanjiro's box.

"Found it!" He laughed and dashed towards the box, swords ready to cut it into pieces.

"Cut it out!" Zenitsu quickly moved between them, arms spread open to protect the box.

"Who the hell are you?" Boar mask asked. "Get out of the way!"

"I'm Agatsuma Zenitsu! I'm with the Demon Slayer Corps like you!"

"Hmm, Demon Slayer Corps? Then I shouldn't have to tell you! We gotta get rid of that thing!" The shirtless male yelled, preparing his swords once more. "Now, get the hell out of my way!"

"I'm not moving!" The blond replied. "This is Tanjiro's-"

"Don't argue with me!" He moved closer and glared at the teen, something he felt even from behind the boar mask. "In that case, I'm gonna demolish him and the box together!" He raised one sword. "I said move it!" He brought it down, stopping just before hitting Zenitsu's shoulder.

The blond closed his eyes while trembling but did not move from his position.

"You…!"

"Inside this box… Inside this box is something I'm not letting you touch! Something precious to Tanjiro!" The swordsman declared, even though how afraid he was could be seen clearly in his expression.

"Oh, hey, come on! What are you talking about?" The dual wielder asked, his tone one of confusion. "There's a demon inside that box! Don't you get that?"

"I've known that from the very start!" Zenitsu yelled. 'I knew he was traveling with a demon. Because the sounds demons make aren't anything like human sounds. But… I can pick up a sound so gentle and kind from Tanjiro, it makes me want to cry.' He thought as he remembered the sound coming from his red haired comrade. 'So kind, I don't think I've ever heard anything like it before… I've heard countless sounds coming from many living creatures, I can even tell what someone's thinking if I focus… yet, I've been tricked many times, because I always believe in who I want to believe… that's why I believe! I believe Tanjiro has a reason for traveling with a demon! And that it's a reason I can accept!'

"I… I'm going to ask Tanjiro directly myself! So, you… " Zenitsu lift his head, glaring back at the masked swordsman. "You can just back off!"

Thud

"Zentisu-san!" Shoichi called out when the dual wielder kicked the blonde away and set his sights on the box once more.

But Zenitsu tackled him to the ground.

"Let go of me, dammit!" He hit the blonde on the back with the hilt of one of his swords, hard enough to make him cough blood, then grabbed him from his head and threw him off of him. "You're so annoying!" He turned back to the box and- "Wah!"

"You're not laying a finger on that!" Zenitsu declared, having grabbed his foot to make him trip; once again, the masked demon hunter kicked him but he didn't let go. "That's something…" Mustering as much strength as he could, Zenitsu grabbed him from the ankle with both hands and threw him away. "…precious to Tanjiro!" He quickly got up and hugged the box, using his body to cover as much of it as possible. "You're not touching it until he gets back!"

"Damn you!" The dual wielder growled as he got up. "Take this!" He began to relentlessly kick Zenitsu's face and body, splattering blood on the ground. "Move it!"

"I won't!" His nose was bleeding, he could feel his left eye beginning to get swollen but he will not, no matter what, move.

"Take this! Move it!" The other swordsman continued to kick him but it was for naught, he still didn't move. "Draw your sword and fight me! You spineless punk!"

'I won't, until he comes back, I won't move!"


'What… is going on here?' That was the first thing Tanjiro thought when he got out of the house and saw the scene.

It was obvious when one took a moment to think about it but he just couldn't understand what could have caused things to turn out like this.

"Tanjiro…" Zenitsu called out. "I protected it."

'Zenitsu…'

"Because you said… this was more important… than your life."

The Kamado was moved, more than he could explain, at hearing those words; even without knowing what the box contains or if it was actually the box itself that was important, this person he had met just a few hours ago had received a beating to protect it simply because he said how important it was to him.

"After all that bluster…" His thoughts were interrupted when the masked swordsman began to kick Zenitsu again. "…you won't even draw your sword, you dumbass? If you're a fellow Demon Slayer, then let's see you fight!" He kicked him harder, sending the Agatsuma and the box to the ground. "If you're not gonna fight, get the hell out of my way!" The dual wielder ranted as he kept kicking the blonde. "Enough! If you won't get out of my way, I'll just have to skewer you along with that box!" He moved one of his swords to hold it in a reverse grip and raised it.

Even after that threat, that he is sure was real, Zenitsu didn't loosen his grip; he actually held the box tighter.

"Knock it off!" Both turned their attention towards Tanjiro who put Kiyoshi down and then immediately dashed forward. "Knock it off!" He roared.

Before the masked man could react, the red haired teen closed the distance and punched him in his right side as hard as he could.

'This guy...!' The dual wielder thought as he was sent flying away.

"He broke his bones! I heard his ribs breaking just now!"

"Aren't you a member of the Demon Slayer Corps?" Tanjiro yelled. "Don't you get why Zenitsu refuses to draw his sword? It's because it's taboo for us to draw our swords on each other for no reason!" He said through gritted teeth as the masked man remained on the ground face up. "But here you are, giving him a one-sided beatdown! Is that fun for you?! You're the lowest of the low!" The Kamado snarled with a face that would make a demon back off.

"cough cough- Oh, so that's why?" The swordsman on the ground asked, surprisingly calm for someone that just got a few bones broken. "My bad." He raised his head to look at the teen with the fox mask. "In that case, let's fight barehanded."

"No! I don't think you get it at all!" Tanjiro said, confused at how someone could arrive at that conclusion. "First-"

"Ahh!" The masked swordsman got himself off the ground by using his arms and pushing himself up and rushed Tanjiro.

"We're not supposed to fight each other, period!" His words were ignored and the Kamado was forced to step back while dodging the blows. "Fighting barehanded doesn't make it all right! Listen to me!" He raised his right arm with the palm out, trying to get him to listen to reason.

All that got him was the dual wielder using it to force himself closer, then spin around his body before throwing him back.

He landed with his hands on the ground and quickly followed up with a kick that Tanjiro barely managed to avoid.

'That guy, how can he move like that?' Zenitsu thought with an expression as if he's seeing some weird phenomenom. 'Tanjiro just busted his ribs too.'

'Mr. Impatient', as Zenitsu called him, continued his onslaught with another kick that Tanjiro blocked with his arm.

The Kamado tried to launch a counter by kicking him but the other male swayed back, his back almost parallel to the ground, to dodge it and then came back up right in Tanjiro's face.

'Wh-' His thoughts were interrupted when a fist connected with his face.

"Actually, isn't Tanjiro running afoul of the taboo himself?" Zenitsu wondered as Shoichi cleaned his wounds. "He did break his bones."

Shoichi just looked at him in puzzlement, not understanding what he means.

Tanjiro might be a patient person but if this guy isn't going to listen to him at all then he has no choice.

He got up from the ground after being thrown by a weird throw that had the guy with the boar mask be completely off the ground and used his head, literally, to swat him away for a moment.

While the red haired swordsman would like to go on the offensive to restrain his opponent until he calms down, the masked demon hunter's onslaught was relentless, alternating between punches, kicks and even trying to tackle him.

'Th-this guy… His attacks are bizarrely low!' Tanjiro realized after being on the receiving end of them for so long. 'It's like fighting a four legged beast!' He dodged a kick to his head, thrown from below once more and moved to his blind spot. 'Target him low! Even lower than your opponent.' Using his left arm as support, Tanjiro threw a kick as a counter but 'Mr. Impatient' did a perfect split to avoid it and then hit him in the back of his head with a kick, thrown by supporting himself with his arms and bending his body as if he was rolling forward.

'The flexibility of his joints! It's superhuman!' He acknowledged as his face hit the ground, some blood spluttering from his nose.

After that hit, the teen with the boar mask moved back, doing a few spins in mid-air for unnecessary flourish, and stood to his full height.

"Pretty amazing, aren't I? Pretty amazing, aren't I?"

'He said it twice!' Zenitsu thought, using the handkerchief Kiyoshi gave him to stop his bleeding. 'Singing his own praises…'

"And look at what else I can do!" He bended backwards, keeping both feet completely on the ground and touching his ankles with his hands, his head between his legs.

"Cut it out! Don't do stuff like that! Knock it off when you have busted bones! It's gonna get worse!" The Kamado scolded him.

"Worse? Fine by me!" The boar dashed forward once more, ready to continue. "Nothing can top the pleasure of this moment!"

"You need to think about the future!" Tanjiro responded as he once again began to dodge and block the attacks.

"What do I care?"

"You need to…" Tanjiro suddenly grabbed him from both shoulders. "… calm down!" He yelled as he head-butted him.

"Ahhhhhhh! That sound! Are your skulls fractured?" Zenitsu asked in fear, pretty sure that even someone without his hearing was able to hear the sound their heads just made.

The shirtless male stumbled backwards but managed to stand on his feet, albeit with his head looking down now and, due to that, the boar mask fell from his face.

"Hm?"

"Eh…? Huh?! A girl? Huh? Your face?" Zenitsu yelled at seeing the masked demon hunter's face for the first time.

"What the hell? You've got a problem with my face or anything?" He asked, moving away the hand he was using to hold the place Tanjiro head-butted him.

Zenitsu's shock was understandable since, in contrast to his muscular body, his face looked oddly feminine, with large green colored eyes framed by long eyelashes, thin eyebrows and a small mouth, his hair is black fading to blue at the tips and reaches just past his shoulders.

"You're one creepy guy, you know that?" The Agatsuma asked. "You've got such a ripped body, but there's a girl's face sitting on top of it."

"…hah! Why the hell are you staring at my face like that?" He asked towards the blonde.

"I-I'm not!" He yelled before running away towards where the three siblings were standing. "I'm not looking at your face!" Zentisu said while hiding between them, earning three sets of dry stares from similarly colored eyes.

"We don't have a problem with your face!" Tanjiro declared, completely serious. "It's quite petite, fair-skinned, and therefore attractive!"

"You're a corpse! Come at me!"

"Not happening! I'm not gonna attack you anymore!"

"Try head-butting me one more time!"

"Nope, I'm done!"

"I said do it! Come on!"

"You sit yourself down! Are you okay?" The Kamado asked worriedly.

"Hey, Big Forehead Fox! Let me tell you my name. It's Hashibira Inosuke! Don't you forget it!"

"What characters do you use to spell that?" Tanjiro immediately asked, genuinely curious; it would be rude to remember a name incorrectly after all.

"Spell? Spell…" Inosuke trailed off, not expecting that question. "I don't know how to read or write! That name was written on my loincloth-" He suddenly stopped, not just talking but moving as well.

"What's wrong?"

"He froze." Shoichi answered to Zenitsu, also confused.

"…what's the matter?" Tanjiro asked after a few seconds of the black to blue haired teen not moving.

Inosuke's eyes suddenly rolled to the back of his head and he fell on his back, completely knocked out.

"Ah! He collapsed! Is he dead?" The third swordsmen there asked in fear.

"He's not dead. It's probably a concussion." Tanjiro answered as the three siblings and Zenitsu approached him. "Because I head-butted the hell out of him."

"Onii-chan, are you okay?" Teruko asked with a worried look.

"Yeah." He assured her with a smile.

"Amazing! Can I touch your head?"

"Here!" The Kamado lowered his head to let her do so.

'Th-that's scary… not a drop of blood from Tanjiro's head. How hard is it anyway?' Zenitsu wondered as he looked at the unconscious 'boar'.

"Onii-chan's head is really hard!"

"You think so?"

'…what a weird way to end a fight.'


Alright, here is another one and we finally get the Kamaboko squad together!

Next time… well, you'll have to wait and see.

Also, I feel like I did a better job at Tanjiro and Kaigaku vs Kyogai than at Tanjiro vs Inosuke; I'm curious, what do you think?

I hope you enjoyed and don't forget to leave a comment! They are my fuel for writing!

Until next time.