I'm sorry this chapter is late. I've been sick, and because of that...as Austen Powers once said: I lost my Mojo, when it came to writing. Hopefully I can get back into the swing of things!
Again, if any spelling errors are present, please tell me~
Jigoro Kuwajima was in all accounts a very patient man. He was also just as stubborn as he was patient. At his prime as the Demon Slayer's Hashira Thunder "Roaring" Pillar, he was known for not only being their smallest member, but also their strongest and had the largest kill count of demons of his generation. He never took pride in it, just quietly did his job. However, at the age of thirty-five was when his demon slaying days ended with a simple mistake on his part that cost him his lower right leg. He stubbornly tried to continue but eventually, even he could see that his speed had been greatly hindered by the missing limb, and it would only put other's lives at risk if he continued. That's when he became a trainer, however the Thunder Breathing Style was one of the most difficult ones to even attempt, let alone master. Many students tried, but hardly any of them even were able to grasp it's forms and he wouldn't begrudge them when they would move to the other, more easier forms to learn. It had, after all, taken him his entire childhood to learn as he had been a Tsuguko to his father.
Still, he stubbornly and patiently taught anyone who wished to learn. Eventually, he was even accepting the possibility that the Thunder Breathing Style might die along with him as he was the last known user of the difficult art. Years and years later however, he soon found a young teen wandering the streets named Kaigaku. He took him under his wing and finally, he had someone who could possibly become his successor. It was true that Kaigaku had an ego that was fed by a deep anger within him, possibly due to his past. He hoped that perhaps training him he would be able to uncover the reasons as to why. It didn't help that for whatever reason, he just couldn't master the first most basic form, and it was clearly hindering him and the following forms, didn't matter where his sword was positioned, how much he trained, eventualy just giving up on ever learning it. Whenever he'd bring light on it or try to teach him the first again, Kaigaku would only block him out or regress further away. Kaigaku was a stubborn man as much as he was.
Then, one day, he went to town and came across a strange sight. A young man, being harassed by dept collectors. Apparently the young man, more like boy actually, had gotten himself in a fix. He had somehow earned a large amount of money through work and borrowing, all because some girl had promised to be with him. As soon as the money was in her hands, she left with another man, leaving him to be the one holding the bag and to take on the dept while she had the money. Typical. It wasn't a small dept either, thousands of yen. This kid would have been under the dept collectors thumbs for decades. Well, he was independently wealthy himself, and he was a sucker for hard-luck cases. He paid the dept right then and there, leaving the kid completely awestruck. However, there was a small, little catch to him paying off such a high dept. He wasn't one just to hand out money for no reason! He was going to make the kid EARN the money back, one way or another. Oh, God...if only he had known what he had signed up for.
"Zenitsu, come out from under the bed this instant!"
"NO!"
This was going just about as expected. As soon as Zenitsu knew who it was, he immediately scuttled under the bed and latched onto the underside.
"I've half a mind to remove the mattress and start jabbing you with my cane boy," Jigoro said as he slammed his cane down on the bed frame, "now stop acting like a child and come out, you little moron!" There was no reply, but little sniffling whimpers under the bed. Jigoro had never lost a demon fight, nor one with Zenitsu, and he'd be damned if he lost this one. He finally sat down on the chair and took in a deep breath and sighed.
"Zenitsu," he said very calmly with his eyes closed, "we need to talk." There was a rustling sound under the bed, and two amber eyes looked out at him. This was his trump card that he reserved for rare occasions; Zenitsu knew that whenever he got stern yet quiet, he meant what he said and whatever it was, was important. Zenitsu slowly crawled out from under the bed and sadly sat on the side of it; judging from his body language he seemed ashamed and shy about himself, more so than usual. At first, nothing was said between the two. Jigoro just quietly looked his student over, and Zenitsu fidgeted heavily under the gaze, as if the old man's eye movement's themselves were a blow to his body every time they moved.
"So," Jigoro finally said after the long stretch of silence, "when and how exactly did it happen?" Zenitsu flinched, he didn't want to tell him. He was so nervous about everything that he subconsciously took the end of his tail and started to stroke the fluff in seeking comfort, but he also yanked on it so it was more or less a moot point.
"It was during my first mission," he said sadly, looking away from Jigoro, "I think I killed the first demon that was in Ikaho," he nervously tugged on his tail harder, "I'm not sure, it was a lot like Final Selection. Anyway, right after that...is when it happened." Jigoro slowly nodded.
"And right after that," he asked, "what happened then?" Zenitsu paused, and looked down at the ground hard realizing something.
"I—I don't know," was all he could say quietly, "I don't remember. One minute there was...Him looming over me, then the next thing I knew was..." he really racked his brain, trying to remember, and at this point he was beginning to panic. Had he hurt someone without realizing it? He twisted his tail so hard that he nearly broke the joint; pulling himself out of his train of thought. He let it go and looked up at Jigoro.
"The last thing I remember after that," he quietly continued, "I was near the outskirts of town, near the woods...so I ran into them. It felt, right at the time. It was near dawn," he remembered, and felt sick over it, "so there had to have been at least...two hours...between...I'm sorry."
"If you don't remember," Jigoro said gruffly, "then you don't remember. Your Kasugai will have seen what happened and reported it." Zenitsu only nodded at that, he hoped nothing bad happened. Chuntaro would have reported something like that, wouldn't he? Could he find out?
"Then after that," Jigoro said leaning back into the chair, "what did you do?"
"Just...existed," Zenitsu said with a shrug, "wandered the woods, found places to stay during the day. Did that for four months."
"You didn't eat once," Jigoro asked raising an eyebrow in disbelief.
"No, I didn't. It's not like I didn't want too, it really hurt," Zenitsu said in a whiny grouse, not particularly liking remembering those days in the woods, "Do you know what it's like to starve but not actually die, for months!? It's terrible!"
"Why didn't you hunt or something," prodded Jigoro genuinely curious, "it's not like a demon to voluntarily starve itself, especially your kind." Zenitsu pouted at that last remark, he knew Gramps wasn't trying to be mean, but he somehow always said the right thing to make him feel stupid.
"I-It's not like I knew instantly how to GET something, old man!" He instantly regretted his choice of words as he heard the loud crack before he felt the surge of pain bloom on top of his skull. His hands flew up to where the pain was most prominent, and he rubbed the spot. There was a strange pause in the conversation that was very unusual for the two of them. Normally, whenever Jigoro hit Zenitsu over the head, he'd either wail or pout in such an melodramatic way that it was near comical, but this time, nothing. Zenitsu's hands fell to his sides and he looked too solemn, clearly in deep thought.
"Do you hate me," he finally asked, "or ashamed of me?" It was nearly instantaneous, but there was a quiet chuckle from Jigoro.
"If I was ashamed of you," he said as soft as old leather, "would I be here?" That broke him; Zenitsu flung himself at Jigoro, wrapping his arms around him while burying his face into the man's chest as he knelt down, causing a surprised 'oof' from the old man from the sudden impact. He started to wail, but it wasn't like his usual blubbering; it was loud yes, but it didn't make him feel bad about doing it. He felt...nice, like all the worries and fears of the last six months had just evaporated and all that was replaced was just the familiarity of the only form of family he knew. If he had only known that he would have been welcomed with open arms...he would have gone straight home.
Jigoro was being more than patient with him; normally he would have pulled the boy off of him long ago, but he let him soak his kimono and smear it with mucus as he rubbed his back gently. He supposed he did need it after all, but those horns were digging painfully into his chest; probably would leave a bruise on how he was rocking his head back and forth. His eyes glanced at the movement near the floor as he quietly watched the strange tail sway in what he assumed joy. He then felt and heard a low vibrating noise that could only be, well purring, coming from the boy. He chuckled and seemed to bring to light of it because he heard Zenitsu suck in and hold his breath.
"Well that's certainly a first for me," he said slapping the boy's back several times, "you're always full of surprises, my boy." Zenitsu's face was bright red now, but no matter what he tried, he couldn't stop purring. He was just too happy at the moment.
"All right...get off," Jigoro said as he pushed away and stood up, "those horns are doing a number on my ribs." He pulled out a handkerchief and tried his best to clean up the mess that Zenitsu left on his front.
"Hey Gramps," Zenitsu asked sitting back onto the bed, putting a hand to his sternum (his voice sounded so weird talking while purring he wished he could stop) "how did you know I was here, and...how long have you known about, you know?" Jigoro folded the now soiled handkerchief into his pocket and huffed, then sat back into the chair.
"I've known about you nearly the entire time." The purring stopped instantly. Zenitsu was wide-eyed and sputtering; Jigoro seemed to be expecting this reaction.
"HOW," he exasperatedly asked, "how did you know?!" Jigoro smirked and with both hands on his cane, tapping it on the ground said:
"A little birdy told me." Zenitsu took in a deep breath and sighed it out, but it finished like a tired growl.
'Chuntaro you stupid little dumb-ass, you knew I didn't want Gramps to know!'
"Your little bird reported everything to Ubuyashiki Sama, who in turn sent his crow to me. I'm not going to lie Zenitsu," he said looking at him hard, "when I first heard what happened, I was devastated; but when the crows and your sparrow only observed that you were just keeping to yourself, I held out hope. You should be kind to your sparrow; when a slayer is turned into a demon, it's rare but it has happened you know, the Kasugai is trained to abandon them completely." Now Zenitsu felt like the dumb-ass.
"Well, yeah but," Zenitsu said "I'm sure you don't know what hell I went through after I left the woods." His head was immediately rattled when Jigoro took his cane and battered it quickly between his horns.
"GRAMPS, DON'T DO THAT!" He yelled out holding his head. Well, if he ever wanted an instant headache, he now knew how to do it.
"You assume too much," Jigoro said as he lowered his cane back down.
"Give me a break, Gramps," he wailed, his eyes still unfocused from the rattling, "I bet you don't even know who Mr. Urokodaki is."
"Boy, who do you think ASKED Urokodaki to seek you out and test you," Zenitsu paused and looked at him, "it wasn't Ubuyashiki, and I sure as hell wouldn't trust anyone else with you. I've known him longer than anyone else! Ubuyashiki Sama wanted to send one of the current Hashiras to intercept you, HA! You'd been dead! Kids these days, no sense of—"
"You know Uncle Sakonji," Zenitsu asked, only to get the horn-rattling again, making his head spin.
"I JUST said I've known him longer than anyone else! PAY ATTENTION, ignorant little moron! We were Hashiras together years and years ago. He was damn good too, better than I was in many regards. Lasted longer than anyone in the field in centuries, only retired because he wanted too." he paused when he realized what Zenitsu called him, " 'Uncle' eh? I bet he didn't like being called that." Zenitsu huffed, of course Uncle Sakonji liked it! He was just being jealous!
"I will say though," he said glaring at him, "I was surprised and disappointed at the letter I eventually got from you," Zenitsu shrank at his words, "didn't you tell me you were going to 'write a minimum of ten pages' when you finished your first mission?"
"Things changed," Zenitsu mumbled out, "and I really debated on writing you in the first place. At the time, I thought it would have been better if you'd thought I was...dead," he looked at him, "because I didn't want to further disappoint you."
"You haven't yet," was all the old man said. When he looked over, Zenitsu was trying his best to not cry, but tears were still streaming down his face. Kaigaku would have called it one of the boy's 'ugly crying faces', ah...speaking of which.
"You know, Kaigaku will probably be here soon," he was aware that Zenitsu gasped at the news, "I just wanted you to know."
"You mean," Zenitsu said wiping the tears away from his face, "he...knows?"
"Yes, I wrote him a letter a little while back. He specifically requested when and if you were ever brought here or back home, to inform him at once and he'd come as soon as possible." Zenitsu felt sick, Kaigaku probably only wanted to rub it in his face about what happened; that's all he needed. There was nothing he could do about it now though so he pushed it out of his mind for the moment. There was knocking on the door that made both of them look towards it, making Jigoro sigh.
"It looks like my time is up for today," he said as he stood up, causing Zenitsu to gasp and whine at the same time.
"Already, but you just got here! Can't you stay with me?" Jigoro looked back at him and Zenitsu could hear a twang of slight guilt coming from him.
"It's not like I'm going back home," he said turning back around, "so I'll be back when they let me."
" 'When they let you'," Zenitsu mumbled under his breath, folding his arms, "this place is the worst." Another crack on the head made Zenitsu yell out again and glare up at the old man.
"You're giving me mixed messages old man," he yelled out at him as he rubbed the spot, "I think you really cracked my skull this time! I can feel it move!"
"Oh hush," he said as he put the cane back down to his side, "You'll be fine, but I will not have you disrespect this Estate! It's been around longer than you or I," he turned and went towards the door, "so be respectful."
"But Gramps," Zenitsu said standing up and went towards him, but was caught short by the chain, He looked down at it; then pointed to it:
"Well, they sure don't treat me with any respect, so why should I?" He instantly regretted his words when Jigoro seemed to sag in his skin and suddenly look tired. He'd seemed to age ten years in those few seconds of silence.
"Your actions and behavior is a reflection of how you honor me," he told him, "so do well to remember that." With that, Jigoro left the room, leaving Zenitsu wondering why did he always manage to stick his foot in his mouth at the worst of times.
The Kakushi who had knocked on the door and waited for Jigoro seemed very relieved that he came back out.
"Ah, Sensei Kuwajima," the man nervously sighed in relief, "I'm so glad you're okay."
"And why wouldn't I be," he asked, not bothering to mask the irritation in his voice. The Kakushi chuckled, trying to deflate the tension.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disrespect your skills as a former Hashira, Sensei."
"Why would I need my skills in there," he asked again. Now the Kakushi was slightly confused.
"Well," said the Kakushi trying to change the subject slightly, "I just really didn't want to go in the room to check to see if everything was okay." Jigoro huffed indignantly.
"There's nothing to fear," he said jabbing the Kakushi hard in the chest with his cane, "you've got the boy on such a short leash that he couldn't possibly reach half the room, I'm surprised he can reach the bed."
"Well," the Kakushi started, but then stopped when the cane was thrusted so close to his nose that it caused him to lean back as far as he could without falling backwards.
"And don't think I didn't notice that the bed was bolted to the floor either. Do you honestly think he'd throw it or something like that...kid's far too lazy for something like that."
"Hey come on now," said the Kakushi trying to calm him down, "You're talking like you know the demon in there or som—" That earned him a hard hit on top of the head. Jigoro ignored the string of swearwords the man rang out as he turned around.
"You assume too much, now if you'll excuse me, I'm already late to my meeting with Ubuyashiki Sama." The Kakushi watched as the old man walked away, listening as the unique sound of his wooden leg and cane. He was still rubbing the spot where the old man had hit him, surprised how hard he had hit him. Hashiras, even former ones at an advanced age, were not to be taken lightly.
It was the next day and Zenitsu found himself back into Shinobu's lab, wondering what that crazy lady had in mind for him today. He hoped that she wasn't getting impatient and he was going to get gutted today. She seemed like she wasn't the kind of person who would be merciful enough to give him some sort of anesthetic. He nervously twiddled his thumbs as he waited, hating how cold the room was and how the thick the lingering odor of wisteria was. He was sure that if he wasn't a demon, he probably would find the smell pleasant too, but currently, it just made him want to gag. The door opened and he jumped at the abrupt noise of it. In glided Shinobu, with the same smile. He wondered if her face hurt from smiling so much.
"Hello, good afternoon," she said brightly; he couldn't tell if she really meant it or if she was just saying it for formality reasons, "shall we get started with today's work?"
"Get started with what," he asked hesitantly, "it's not going to involve anything sharp...is it?"
"We'll see," she said with a hint of amusement, "but most likely not."
"Do you like tormenting me or something like that," he whined at her, watching her round the corner into the back room, "you're too cruel!
"So dramatic," he heard her in the back room, "all we're doing today is simple pictures." Zenitsu was confused.
"Didn't we already do that," he asked scratching his head, "we did that for nearly an hour. You took pictures of everything."
"Not everything," she said, he could hear her amusement dripping off her voice, "you wouldn't let me remember? You were too shy." He blushed at the memory.
"SOME things are meant for my future wife's eyes ALONE! With two girls in the room, that was bad enough!" He could hear her amusement in his embarrassment, but he didn't care.
"How...amusing of you to think you're going to get married in the future," she said, ignoring the 'HOW MEAN' whine coming from him, "but we're getting off track. I'm not talking about standard photographs, I'm talking about roentgen ray photographs!" Zenitsu paused in his ranting and looked at her, tilting his head in confusion.
"What...are roentgen ray photographs," he asked. Eventhough he knew a lot of modern things, thanks to his own interest in it and Gramps position in society, he hadn't come across anything sounding like that.
"Oh, they're very interesting," Shinobu said raising a finger and for once had true joy in her eyes and face, "they are photographs of your bones!"
"Bones," Zenitsu asked, confused but intrigued, "how?"
"With the power of radiation! In 1895 the inventor Wilhelm Röntgen, a German scientist initially used the letter X to describe the radiation because at the time it was an unknown type of radiation. Here in Japan we use the term 'roentgen rays' to describe the radiation rays, but I've heard many parts of the world use the term 'X-Rays'. The first machine to produce these images in Japan was in 1909, not that long ago." Zenitsu was curious now, and interested in getting these roentgen ray photographs taken, then he thought about the word she used.
"Machine?"
"Oh yes," she said as she clapped her hands together, "you can't just use a standard thing like a camera! This is a very scientific process to take such things! Here at the Butterfly Estate, we sometimes take roentgen photographs if one of the Slayers have severe broken bones and we need to see what the damage is exactly, but we tend to stick with the old methods."
"Oh..." The door opened again and a few Kakushi came in the room, clearly to help move him into this new room. Why couldn't he just walk in on his own? He wasn't going to try anything! He hated when they'd hook those stupid polls on his stupid collar, it'd only aggravate his sore skin on his neck.
"Hey, be gentle please," he asked, "this thing is really hurting my neck! My skin is gonna fall off! I'll get sores! Open, GAPING sores!" By now, the Kakushi were well aware of his whining antics and simply ignored him. They took him in the back and he hushed when he saw the strange equipment. However instead of proceeding like he thought they would, they simply waited around.
"Um...are we—" he started but was interrupted when the door in the previous room opened and he could hear one of the strong heartbeats he had heard at the trial approaching.
"Ah, good afternoon Rengoku," Shinobu said brightly and truly meaning it, "thank you for coming. I appreciate your help in this small matter, even though I don't think I'll need it." Zenitsu looked over towards the taller Hashira who came in with a large smile and fiery gaze. He oozed confidence and from what Zenitsu could hear, seemed like a genuinely cheerful and amiable person but whenever he looked toward him, his attitude would shift slightly and become more serious.
"Not a problem Kocho," Rengoku replied loudly, his voice made Zenitsu flinch ever so slightly because of his sensitive ears, "I'm always happy to help a fellow Pillar! And never think that anything involving demons are 'a small matter'," here he drew his sword, making Zenitsu start to panic on the inside, "especially the kind we have on our hands."
"Hey, HEY," Zenitsu yelled out in a panic, pulling on the Kakushi's polls, "What's he doing!?"
"Take off his restraints now," Shinobu said to the Kakushi, who looked at her with worry.
"Are you sure Lady Kocho," asked one of them.
"Oh, it's quite alright," she said, "the metal of the restraints will interfere with the equipment, and ruin the pictures, so we need them off. That's why I've asked Rengoku here to standby," she said as she gave Zenitsu a hard look, "just in case."
"I'm NOT going to do anything," he whined, "it's the middle of the DAY! Where would I GO?" He suddenly felt Rengoku's sword right under his chin, right above the collar. He didn't even hear him move! He shifted his eyes to where Rengoku was last standing and he wasn't there, so he listened and realized he was right behind him.
"There are plenty of hiding places in this place a demon such as yourself could hide away until nightfall," he cheerfully said, voice still as loud as ever and hurting his ears all the more, "but know this: my duty is to protect everyone here and I intend to carry it out."
"Oh come ON," Zenitsu whined again, forgetting for the moment he had a sword to his neck, "WHY does everyone think I want to go on a killing spree! Look at me, do I LOOK like I'm the kind of guy that would do such a thing?! SEROUSLY! You guys are so FULL of yourselves." For a second, there wasn't anything said, but then there was the boisterous laugh of Rengoku filling the air. Then there was a heavy slap on Zenitsu's back that caused him to yelp and moan because how much it actually hurt.
"HA! I might have liked you if you were human," Rengoku said, "but remember your place here, and behave yourself. Don't make me change my vow at the trial; I would like to be the one who eventually beheads you."
"Am I supposed to take that as a COMPLEMENT!?" Zenitsu screeched at the man, who laughed at him while continuing to slap his back. Zenitsu was so disturbed by that thought that he didn't even notice that the Kakushi had removed his restraints and Rengoku had to be the one who picked him up and placed him on the bed of the x-ray machine. Getting the x-rays done was...interesting. He wondered why everyone would put on thick aprons and would hide behind a panel whenever they would take the pictures. These things weren't dangerous, were they? They'd tell him, right?! Soon enough the stupid shackles and collar were put back on. He noticed that while the collar had been taken off, Shinobu must have put more wisteria oil on his collar because it burned even more than usual. He was surprised his skin wasn't falling off at this point. She also made him drink that weird salty water stuff again, he didn't know why but he did as told.
Soon enough he was back in his boring room. He couldn't help but wonder where Tanjiro and yes, even Inosuke were. Were they too sick or busy to see him, or maybe being prevented from seeing him? He hoped not, he liked the visit from Tanjiro. He also wanted to know how Nezuko was doing; was she being treated like he was? He hoped not, she didn't deserve this kind of thing. His thoughts were pulled out of his head when he heard a very familiar sound approaching his room and he was more than happy for it. He sat on the edge of the bed, (where else was there to sit, the ground he supposed) and eagerly waited for his visitor.
"Hey Gramps," he said happily when the door barely opened, "I'm glad you came back to visit!" Jigoro chuckled as he entered the room; Zenitsu noticed he had something with him, it looked like a bento box.
"I'm always amazed by your sense of hearing," Jigoro said as he sat next to him.
"Yeah," Zenitsu said as he made room for him, "It got stronger after I turned, every sense got stronger actually. It sometimes gets overwhelming. What's that? Is that a bento," he asked looking down at the package, "it doesn't smell like anything cooked." Jigoro hummed at the observation, but was surprised he hadn't realized the other thing yet, especially from the last visit.
"You're right, surprisingly," he said as he brought it forward then handed it over to him, "but it's not for me. I brought it for you. Found out they haven't fed you once," he said with disdain in his voice, "I'm surprised you haven't brought it up yet." Zenitsu almost wanted to clear his throat, but that would have been a dead giveaway that he had something to hide. He didn't feel like telling Gramps the reason why he didn't feel the need to eat...so far everyone who knew about that was—
"Oh that's right," said the old man as he had a cheeky grin, "it's because of that. You going to tell me why?" Zenitsu sputtered at him, he hated whenever the old man did this kind of thing to him.
"Gramps! Why do you do this to me," he whined to him, blushing hard at him, "I...It's not like I did it on purpose! I don't even know how it happened!" He told the story of Mt. Natagumo and what happened. Jigoro listened quietly and only asked questions to get a better understanding of something, never down talked him or his actions on the mountain. When he finished, Jigoro nodded and was quietly contemplating what was told to him. He was quiet for a little longer than he had planned on being, that caused Zenitsu to quietly prod him into giving his opinion. He hadn't told Zenitsu this, but he had seen this kind of behavior from the boy in the past. Zenitsu was a known sleepwalker, and he had seen the boy sleepwalk around his house in the past. However, he had seen...that side only once. It was some of the reason why Kaigaku was so...aggressive with the boy, but he didn't think it was simply just that.
"Hey Gramps," Zenitsu asked as he prodded his side with his knuckles, "what are you thinking about? Are...are you upset with me?" A hard tap on the top of his head was his quick answer.
"You always jump to conclusions," Jigoro said as he put his cane back down as Zenitsu grumbled about the cane hit. Zenitsu sighed, he was revealed that he wasn't upset with him, but did he have to show it with such violence?
"By the way," said Jigoro, "I met your friends."
"You did," Zenitsu said, "wait...they think me as a friend?" He felt another hit on top of his head from that damn cane.
"Of course they do, you thick-headed moron," Jigoro said, "I'm glad you found some good ones like them...well, one of them at least. The one with the boar hide is...odd. A little quiet, but odd."
"Quiet?! That boar-head is the polar opposite of quiet! He must be sick," Zenitsu said, "how...how are they?"
"Well, they have some extensive injuries," he said leaning back, "but both of them did ask about you. They're busy with Rehabilitation Training."
"Oh...is that why they haven't come visit," asked Zenitsu. Jigoro scoffed.
"There's a list of people who can even come in this room," he said, "and even I had to pull some strings to come in. I do know that Ubuyashiki Sama plans on visiting you at some point, but he's unwell."
"But Tanjiro visited me once," Zenitsu said.
"Must have snuck in to do so," Jigoro said, "there's a guard outside the door, I'm sure you're aware of that."
"I know," Zenitsu sighed, "I can hear them."
"Well my boy," he said standing back up, "I'm heading back home. I have a long way to go, and—"
"NO!~ Gramps, don't go," Zenitsu cried as he wrapped his arms around the waist of the old man, burying his face into his middle, "don't leave me to rot here! They're gonna kill me here! I'll—" he paused in the middle of his wailing when he noticed something. He started sniffing Jigoro without realizing it, and his grip on the old man got tighter on him.
'Ah, here we go,' thought Jigoro, 'he finally noticed.'
"Hey Gramps," Zenitsu asked as he continued to hug him and nuzzle deeper into his chest, "um...you smell really good."
"I'm sure," Jigoro sighed as he tried to wiggle out of his grip, "let go, you're starting to drool on me." Zenitsu yelped and let him go instantly to wipe his mouth; he felt really ashamed but a warm hand was placed on top of his head.
"Don't feel too bad," Jigoro said warmly, "I've had this problem my whole life. It's the nature of my blood type after all." Zenitsu looked up at him.
"You're a marechi," he said in amazement, "but...didn't that make being a demon slayer harder?"
"Yes, and no," Jigoro said, "it made the demons come to me actually," he said with a laugh as he slapped Zenitsu's back, but then he noticed that Jigoro got really somber for a moment. He was going to ask why but didn't get the chance, Jigoro turned away and went for the door.
"Well, I'll be on my way now. Make sure you write me a proper letter next time!" With that, the old man left him alone in the room. He was shocked, he never realized that Gramps had to deal with something like that, but what was with that weird sad moment that he had. He'd never heard anything from him like that before. He made a mental note to ask him in his next letter...if he ever got to write it. He turned his attention to the bento that Gramps gave him and opened it. Inside was cut up raw beef that was soaking in blood. Finally, something...slightly different. He picked up the chopsticks and after saying Itadakimasu (the first time he'd said it in months) he started eating the beef. The taste was somewhat refreshing. However even though there wasn't that much, it started to make him feel uncomfortable. It seemed that the still living demon inside was actually benefiting more from the meal than he was; but he didn't want to leave anything behind and get Gramps in trouble. He'd hide the box under his bed afterwards. After finding an adequate hiding spot for the box under the bed so nobody would notice it until he could properly dispose of it later, he laid down on the bed and looked up at the ceiling, wondering what he'd do with the rest of his day. However his train of thought was interrupted when he heard something outside his room. He was naturally curious and went as close to the door as he could, but soon regretted that decision when someone burst into the room quickly. He yelled out in fright, but a calloused hand clamped over his mouth to hush him.
"Tanjiro," he hissed, "you nearly gave me a heart attack! If you had killed me this moment, I'd have haunted you and your descendants—why do you have Nezuko's box with you," then he thought about it, "wait, you have Nezuko's box with you, that means~" He reached out for it but the stupid chain stopped him from fully reaching it.
"I'm glad to see you too Zenitsu," Tanjiro said with a smile. Zenitsu finally looked at him and saw how tired he actually looked. Well, now he felt like a jerk.
"I'm sorry Tanjiro," he said rubbing the area around his collar, trying to sooth it, "I was just excited to see—"
"It's fine," Tanjiro said with a small smile, "I'm sure you've been very lonely. That's why I brought Nezuko to keep you company," Zenitsu's heart swelled at that idea, but then he felt Tanjiro gently grab at one of his horns and pulled him close to him, "but I expect you to be a complete and total gentlemen with her."
"O-Of course," he mumbled, "just who do you think I am?! I'm always a gentleman...What's with that look?!"
"Keep your voice down," Tanjiro said as he placed the box into the corner of the room, "I'm not supposed to be here. I don't want to get all of us into trouble," he looked at him with a tired smile, "I'll take my leave then."
"Wait," Zenitsu grabbed his arm, preventing him from leaving, "you don't have to go now, do you? Can't you, stay for a minute and visit...for just a bit?" Tanjiro's body language and sound told him that he was more than exhausted, but when he looked at him, his eyes shimmered with tired joy that morphed into slight sadness.
"I wish I could," he said, "but I shouldn't linger here. I'll try to get a visit in tomorrow; I promise!" With that, he slightly opened the door, quickly looked in both directions and left the room. Zenitsu sighed in defeat with that potential visit gone, but his attention quickly shifted gears when he remembered what, or exactly who, was in the room with him. He practically skipped over toward the box and when he reached it, he started to playfully tap the top of it with his claws.
"Nezuko~ Are you awake? Do you want to come out and talk?" He waited for a reply, but he didn't hear anything, but eventually he did hear a scratching sound from the other side of the box. He sat down next to it and hugged it, hummed in contentment that sounded too much like a sigh as he rested his chin on top of the box.
"That's fine if you don't want to come out," he said, "maybe later then. Maybe it's more comfy in there for you? Must be convenient to change size," he thought about it as his tail flicked back and forth, "it'd be easier to hide that way. I can't do it, I've tried. Maybe you don't want to come out because everyone here isn't so nice... but I hope they've been treating you well here." He was absentmindedly rubbing the sides of the box when one of his claws caught a hole, one that hadn't been there before. He turned the box to get a better look at it, and noticed that there were several holes in the box, like it had been repeatedly stabbed with a sword...probably had been. He quietly growled at the implication that the holes meant.
"I don't care what Gramps says, these guys treat us horribly. Did they hurt you Nezuko," he asked worriedly. There was slow scratching sounds from behind the box and he could hear slight distress coming from her. That made him mad, and he left claw marks as he clenched his hands.
"Unbelievable, I've have a mind to just take you and...ah, who am I kidding," his bravado falling flat as soon as it began to built up, "If I or you leave, they'll just hunt us down and kill us. I'm sure Tanjiro managed to get you some sort of protection from those thugs...but," he turned his head and looked at the blank wall, "how long are those Pillar guys gonna play the waiting game? After all, it is their job to kill demons. The only reason I'm alive is because of that Ubuyashiki person. I guess he's kinda important around here...maybe he's got a soft spot for hard-luck cases like us?" Faint scratches came from the box and he smiled.
"Yeah, that's probably it. He seemed like a really nice guy, wonder what's wrong with him? Well, if you want to come out later and visit more, I'll be asleep on the bed, okay," he said as he patted the top of the box. "You have a good rest too Nezuko..." he paused and blushed a bit before he quickly kissed the side of the box, giggling, "don't-tell-Tanjiro~"
It was late at night when he felt someone forcefully wake him up by painfully tugging harshly on his tail, making him yelp. It was harsh enough that it pulled him down nearly a foot from where he was originally resting. Was Nezuko feeling that playful, if so she played way too rough. He sat up and looked at who woke him up and his heart sank, he didn't want to deal with him yet.
"Kaigaku," he sighed out, "don't do that! Not only did you scare me," he said folding his arms, "but you hurt me."
"I don't care," he said looking hard at Zenitsu, like he had done something wrong. Zenitsu looked at Kaigaku's hand that held his tail's end, he was gripping it really hard and it was hurting.
"You can let go now," he said looking away, he didn't want to let him know he was hurting him. Kaigaku looked at the exposed tail and huffed, but let go. He watched as it slinked back under the blanket like a snake. He could feel Kaigaku's judgmental gaze all over him; that wasn't anything new, he was use to that but this time it felt different, he didn't know why. He was getting nervous as Kaigaku eyed him down; he wrung his hands nervously. He looked back up at Kaigaku, but his eyes always seemed to drift to his magatama's on his neck and bracelets, the gold shimmered in the dark.
"So...I'm guessing it happened during your first mission," he said. Zenitsu scrunched up onto himself, confirming his guess. Kaigaku shook his head.
"Figured as much," he smirked, "I told Sensei that you passing Final Selection was a fluke. Stand up," he said flicking his hand, "I want to get a good look at you." Zenitsu somehow scrunched up even tighter onto himself.
"Don't make me drag you off the bed," Kaigaku sighed, clearly loosing his patience. Zenitsu looked up at him, sighed and got out of bed. If he humored him, perhaps Kaigaku would just leave him alone quicker. Kaigaku walked around him as if he was inspecting a piece of furniture. What made it worse was he could hear what he truly thought about him. Kaigaku always had a very low opinion of him, but now that he wasn't...human anymore, he didn't feel the need to 'pretend' to like him. Like he ever tried to do that in the first place.
"Look at you," Kaigaku said with some amusement, "who'd have ever thought a weakling like you would turn out to be one of the more...interesting kinds of demons?" Zenitsu didn't say anything, just wanted this to be over.
"So," Kaigaku said with a large smirk, "when are you expecting?" Zenitsu gave him a questioning look, he had no idea what he was talking about.
"Huh," Kaigaku jabbed him hard in the belly, he looked down and was slightly mortified that he kinda did look...
"S-Shut up," he said pushing Kaigaku's hand away from him, "I can't help how my stupid body works now!" There was no way he was going to tell Kaigaku about the demon; he'd never live it down, this was bad enough. He turned away from him, an old habit of his whenever Kaigaku tormented him or embarrassed him, but now his habit left him wide open. He yelped loud enough that his voice cracked a bit when Kaigaku tightly grabbed his tail and pulled so hard that he lost his balance.
"Don't ignore me brat," he said, Zenitsu could hear him getting a sick sort of satisfaction that he never heard from him before, like he enjoyed the fact he was making a 'dangerous' demon cower just from his presence alone, "you always turn your back on me; you think you're better than me?"
"Of course not," Zenitsu said sadly as he tried to stand back up, but Kaigaku kept pulling on him making him loose his balance, "I've always had respect for you."
"You don't have to lie anymore," Kaigaku chuckled as he finally let his tail go, making him trip again, "I know you hate me just as much; how could you not?" Zenitsu looked away. It was true, he...did hate Kaigaku. He hated how he was always treated by him, no matter how hard he worked or kindly he treated him...but...it was also true that he respected him, so so much.
"It maybe true, but," he said as he looked up at Kaigaku, "but I didn't lie; I really do respect you." For whatever reason, that angered Kaigaku. He picked Zenitsu up by the chain and pulled up hard, forcing him up, nearly lifting him completely off the ground.
"Don't feed me that bullshit," he hissed at him, keeping his distance but if he'd been human, he knew he'd been nose to nose with him, "you can fool everyone around you and even Sensei with that crybaby act, but I know how you really are you—" he stopped his rant when he heared the door of Nezuko's box open and saw Nezuko step out of it. He seemed confused at first, but then dropped Zenitsu and seemed like he couldn't decide to reach for his sword on his back or not. Zenitsu looked over at Nezuko, he'd never seen her fight other demons as Tanjiro said she did (stupid rock-headed idiot, making a sweet innocent defenseless girl fight monsters on her own like that) so he didn't have anything to compare her look to, but she...looked kinda terrifying at the moment. Her gaze at Kaigaku was harsh, and she even was growling at him. She took several steps forward, and he took one step back. If he didn't intervene, Zenitsu knew something bad was going to happen.
"Nezuko wait," he said stepping in between them, "it's fine! This is Kaigaku! It's just how he acts! I'm more than use to it! He's never hurt me, so it's fine." She continued to stare down Kaigaku, but her hands were tight around Zenitsu's shoulders. Kaigaku scoffed when he realized something.
"I don't believe this," he looked disgusted, "don't tell me..." he looked at the two demons and shook his head, "I'm not that surprised," he turned away, "you were always so shameless when it came to women. Always begging for a scrap of attention."
"I-It's not l-like that," stuttered Zenitsu, his face hot with embarrassment, "I mean...I've never have..."
"That's not surprising either. You would still be a virgin," he seared, "but you could be lying too for all I know, you're good at that." Zenitsu was confused...where did that come from? He'd never lied to him. In fact...he was hearing a weird sound from him that he'd never heard before, like he was on edge...like he was even scared of him. Why? Because he was a demon now? It couldn't have been. He decided to take advantage of it and glared at him while quietly growling. He was surprised that Kaigaku actually slightly flinched and went to take a step back, but decided not to show weakness. It didn't matter, he heard his breath hitch and heart rate increase, he got him and that made him feel good.
"Whatever," Kaigaku said turning away, "just don't go making demon babies, or having them yourself," he said trying to make a joke to make himself look like he was still in control but even he knew he wasn't anymore.
"I'll see you later then," Zenitsu said trying to keep the conversation fairly polite. Kaigaku didn't even look over his shoulder when he spoke:
"If it's ever outside the Estate, it will probably be our last conversation." He left the room, and Zenitsu knew from his voice that Kaigaku meant his threat as a promise.