THE COLOR OF THE WORLD

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Disclaimer: Kimetsu no Yaiba belongs to Koyoharu Gotouge

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Genre(s): Adventure/ Hurt/Comfort

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Warning(s): Typo is my most loyal fan, spelling mistakes because English is not my mother language, Possibly OOC and a lot of Angst. I hope.

Beta'ed by LamboLover36. Thank you so much~

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Manga: Chapter 28, 29 & 30

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After Zenitsu's bout of unusual crying that night, the weeks went by peacefully. The blonde demon hunter never freaked out over Tanjiro again even after his nature as a scary demon he would otherwise be afraid of was established (Her brother is never scary, seriously. He's kind and considerate. Anybody who said he's not, clearly doesn't have any taste in people, Nezuko huffed). Actually, Zenitsu was really close to him now, to the point that he usually sits or sleeps near the ginger-haired beast whenever his day was worser than the usual bad day. When Nezuko asked him about the sudden change of heart, he said Tanjiro's sound is like a lullaby, soothing his anxious heart and calming his entire being. A luxurious thing he could never hold on to because the world never shuts up. She didn't really understand, but she didn't protest either. Nezuko was glad anyhow because Zenitsu mellowed out whenever he hung around her brother. He didn't cry as much—well, he still will when his emotions overwhelm him—And he'll try to do things Nezuko knew he could, yet was just too afraid to try, the moment Tanjiro encouragingly smiled at him; such as venturing to the mansion's man-made forest to do their outdoor training. Of course, not too extreme, the doctor said. Or else their stitches will tear open. Just light exercise to move their muscles so they won't cramp after days of solely resting on futons.

(It pained her that, for a bearer of such a bright, bright fog, Zenitsu's self-hatred ran through his entire being so thoroughly, it killed his confidence.)

And Inosuke was quiet for most of their healing days too. As whenever he tried to provoke Nezuko into the said extreme training, Tanjiro pounced. Snatching the mask away from the boy's head and shoving a snack into his open mouth to silence him. The hot-headed hunter also didn't care that the oldest sibling is a monster the slayers need to kill. The only thing his wild self knew was that, this person loved to keep him fed. So whenever they've finished eating their meals but he was still hungry, he'll approach Tanjiro and thrust out his palm. A silent order to give him snacks or else he'll bother Nezuko. It sounded like a threat when she interpreted it like that. Nevertheless, like a bleeding-heart person her brother always is, he is happy to indulge him and sneak him some. Trying to hide this transaction from the pink slayer by hiding the goods within whatever thing they brought at that time—more often than not, their only hiding place is under Inosuke's Boar mask or in Tanjiro's checkered haoris sleeves—yet to no avail. Both of them don't know what it means to be stealthy, she could see it as clear as day.

This kinda made her weep as their food supplies are disappearing very quickly. However, for the price of memorizing the cute scene of those three boys sitting in Dogeza-style while munching some snacks under the night sky full of stars, eyes closed and cheeks red in bliss, it was totally worth it. Besides, the nice caretaker lady provided handmade sweets for the only girl to fill their stocks. Grandma also offered to teach her how to create some so she doesn't have to buy it every time. It will save their money better in the near future.

(Maybe niichan thought Inosuke and Zenitsu were our late brothers, she mused. That's why he babied them like he did to me everyday)

(Her heart panged with longing)

On the eve of their recovery, they received an emergency summons. The crow that served the Water Breath user was clearly still afraid to approach but proceed to do its job and tell the tale. With a cough, it said that the summons instructed the trio to go to the Natagumo Mountain. A demon presence—or maybe multiple demons, actually—were detected from inside the mountain and they need to hurry. Go there as soon as possible, without any unnecessary delay, "b-but of course after you're sure you have enough rest. We don't want you to fight with half-stamina, right? Cawcawcawcaw...caawww..."

Nezuko growled at it.

(She was mad that the crow didn't let her rest before. And knowing she had broken ribs and broken legs after her fight with Yahaba too, the jerk. But then Zenitsu nervously pointed out that if it did so, Nezuko will be too late to save Shoichi's older brother from the Drum Demon, making the number of victims increase even more. Nezuko calmed down after that revelation. He was right. The crow may seem like it was bullying her, but surely, it was trying to prioritize the safety of civilians. To keep them from getting tangled up in this mess of demons and their slayers. Still, that doesn't mean she's going to let the bird off that easily. She forgives it, but she will still show how upset she was with it)

They began their journey in the afternoon, refreshed with their clothes washed clean. There was a bit of a scuffle at the front gate of the healing mansion before their departure—namely Inosuke trying to attack the Grandma for giving them the 'Spark'. It was a small ritual she did to ward off evil spirits from them, Zenitsu frantically explained while Nezuko held the boar mask wearer by the armpits. By scratching a rock to a black slate that was snuggled securely inside its half-circle container; the words on the wooden compartment say 'victory is assured'. It means that the grandma was wishing them good luck, as they're about to embark on another dangerous mission—then a ton of loaded question from the clueless Beast Breath User—he didn't understand why a stranger, such as the caretaker was praying for their safety, she didn't know them for that long. Nezuko patiently explained her version of understanding to him, used to do so because Tanjiro was never good with explanations whenever their youngers siblings asked about something—but regardless of the delay, they arrived at their destination safely. Night had already fallen and the moon doesn't shine its light in this particular area, giving the forest an eerie vibe. The sounds of hidden animals rustling the thickets didn't help the case at all.

And sure enough, Zenitsu immediately got cold feet and went on sitting helplessly at the side of the forest trail.

"No, no, no, no, no! It's too scary, Nezuko-chan! Look at that!" the yellow-haired teen pointed his finger to the entrance. Black, dim, no sign of any living being, "it feels so much scarier the closer we get to our destination! There's no way I can go inside!"

"Pathetic," Inosuke grumbled, "you really piss me off..."

"I don't want to hear that from you, you pig-head! Abnormal! Jerk!"

It was a bit funny to see them squabble (really reminded her of her younger brothers, she held back a choked sob). Although, their impromptu verbal fight had to be cut short when a sound reached their ears. From the dark entrance Zenitsu pointed before, appeared a bloody teenager. It was a male, with short, black hair and one swollen eye. He was crawling on the ground, still gripping onto his chipped niichrin blade, he was wearing the black standard uniform that informed them he was a member of the Demon Hunters Association, "help...me..." he shakily begged, tears running down his bruised cheeks, "please...anyone..."

"Are you alright?! What happened?" Nezuko promptly ran towards him, followed by Inosuke while Zenitsu was still crouching on the dirty ground, too shocked to pick himself up. They were almost there to touch the down slayer. But before she could even brush her finger on his shoulder—

WHOOOSSHHH

The teenager suddenly flew into the sky.

Wait, she horrifyingly observed. From his body position—folded to the fore, arms and legs flailing—rather than flying, it was clear something had pulled him backwards. No. Her stomach dropped, watching helplessly as whatever demon caught the poor hunter got their prey back, his feeble plea trailing after him. In a blink, he was gone from her widening stare. No. No, don't tell me this is Yahaba's case all over again—

"I shall be the Vanguard!" Inosuke suddenly shouted, snapping her from her reverie. He pulled his dual katanas from their scabbards, the silver color of the blade glinting even without the moonlight. The Boar Mask was nestled on his head but she could sense his smug smile from behind, "you can just bring your trembling butts and follow me! With this, I'll show you I am the superior in dual wielding swords!"

"Inosuke..." Nezuko breathed, her hammering heart starting to calm down as she watched how confident her teammate was. She nodded, smiling slightly as she too, unsheathed her dual swords. Nezuko turned around and landed her burgundy eyes into the frightened golden ones, who's owner flinched under the questioning gaze, "come on, Zenitsu. Let's go save him."

"B-But Nezuko-chan..." his teeth were trembling, clacking and squawking, the sounds itself almost drove Inosuke crazy. Nezuko could hear him muttering about how annoying the blond hunter was, slowing him down and getting on his nerves. She ignored him so she could focus on Zenitsu's sputtered words instead, "I'm...I'm not strong. I'm totally going to get eaten there. I'm totally going to get you eaten there. I don't want to...I don't want to—"

"Zenitsu," the black haired girl sighed, ignoring the Boar Mask's agreement with the Thunder User's statement. She tried giving the yellow slayer her sincere support. Nezuko was nervous because if they are one second too late then that hunter will lose his life. Yet Zenitsu is also her friend. Her precious, dear friend who was too nice for this cruel world and she cannot abandon him for the sake of another, "I told you you're strong, right? Do you think I'm a liar now?"

"Wha—of course not! Nezuko-chan, my hearing told me you're telling the truth that day so—"

"So there's nothing to be afraid of," she smiled, cutting his rambling with her encouragement, "let's show that demon how brave you are, okay?"

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"Oi, Nedukon," Inosuke whispered, stealing a glance at the idiotically smiling Zenitsu who was trailing behind them. He could see him skipping like a little kid, was sure imaginary flowers were flying around his head, "did you just trick him into helping us?"

Nezuko innocently grinned, he didn't believe that quirk of lips a small bit, "I'm not lying. That means I didn't trick him into coming~"

"Sure. Whatever you say..."

(Inosuke swore to use his brain a little more whenever this girl was involved)

They crossed the thick meadow with hurried yet careful steps. A lot of fallen logs littered the ground and tons of spiderwebs along with its occupants hindering their path, Inosuke gleefully slashed them left and right. Zenitsu's happy countenance had finally dimed five minutes ago and now was back to his nervous state. But he didn't cry or sob. He stayed close and vigilant, kept glancing around the surrounding and his pale yellow sword was out to the world, ready to be used at any moment to protect the only girl in their group from incoming attacks. With one final sweep of her sword through another web, Nezuko stopped the advancing hot-head as she caught sight of a human in a black uniform. The 'DESTROY' logo at the back of it was a clear indication that that teen was another member of their organization. Although from the hairstyle alone—a short, black hair with bangs framing either side of his head—he was a different person, not the victim, they had met at the entrance of the forest. She slowly tapped the side of his cheek, then put both of her hands in the air to show him she meant no harm the moment he turned to look at his sudden companion, one palm already grasping the hilt of his own blade.

"Sorry about that," she whispered, her open palm pointing at her friends on the side, "the Boar Mask is Hashihibara Inosuke. The yellow one is Agatsuma Zenitsu. And I'm Kamado Nezuko. We're rank 10, here for support."

"10?" his loosening shoulder tensed again. The pale face turned even whiter, pupil shrinking even more, "why didn't they send a pillar?! The result will be the same no matter how many level 10s come! It's pointless—"

BUAK

A fist flew right to the middle of the stranger hunter face, abruptly silencing his stuttering words with a snap. And this time, it was not Nezuko's infamous right hook that did the job but Inosuke's irritated punch. Zenitsu eeped, Nezuko gaped.

"Graah! So annoying! Zenbiksu is annoying enough with his previous muttering, I don't need yours to add to the pile!" he grabbed a fistful of the guys black hair and pulled, using his unmoving mask to intimidated the already jumpy senior. Inosuke snorted, letting out a plum of smoke from the nostrils of his headpiece, "if you keep on insisting that things are pointless, then your very existence is pointless!" harsh. The friends simultaneously thought, "now, hurry up and explain the situation, you coward!"

So, with blood oozing from his almost-broken nose and pained whimpers coming from his mouth, he started talking. After receiving their command from their own Kasugaigarasu, ten members of the same rank got here. It was normal at first, no demon at immediate sight, only spiders and other hidden creatures roaming the forest. However, after roughly reaching the center of their journey, the other demon hunters stopped. Turned around.

And started to kill each other.

Just hearing his report was enough to send dread into their entire being. She could imagine it. Your friend, someone you trust to watch your back was the one who stabbed you instead. She couldn't imagine the lingering pain of betrayal and hurt they must've felt. To see a familiar face swipe at you with the intent to kill. Then anger washed over that feeling the moment you realized it was all the monster doing. Using your friend to do your dirty job, hiding safely while they were forced to massacre each other. Unforgivable...unforgivable—

"Ah!" the senior gasps of shock made them tense, Zenitsu pointing his blade to the front. There, behind the rustling trees was another demon hunter. A survivor, judging from the bleeding mouth and blood speckling some of the skin that was not covered by the black uniform, matting the black locks onto the sweaty forehead. Then she saw how his head lolled with blank, unseeing eyes. How awkward he moved, gripping the handle of the weapon with half-hearted determination and Nezuko reiterated. No. Not a survivor.

But a puppet of the demon instead.

In another place at the same time, inside the beautiful manor of the Demon Slayer organization. One of the black crows of the messenger bird huffed and puffed, telling its boss—the leader of the association. The soft-looking man with an equally soft voice—the reason for its arrival.

"I see. You flew back here as fast as you could. Thank you for your hard work," he said, caressing the tired bird gently, asking his kids to fetch it some water to relief its dry throat, "my swordsman are almost all eliminated. There might be a member of the 'Twelve Demon Moon' there. It seems there's a need to send 'Pillars' to the scene."

"Giyu. Shinobu," he called both of the people that were sitting politely inside the manor from the start of the meeting, watching the interaction from behind the back of their guide, "I'll leave the rest to you."

"Order received."

"Hey, Tomioka-san," the first speaker was a beautiful woman with black hair that was tied back by a purple, butterfly ornament. She was smiling serenely, sincere and hopeful, yet her eyes were blank. No emotion reflected inside those purple orbs. And anybody who understands that look will question the difference between her expression and her real feelings. She giggled softly, covering her mouth with delicate fingers, causing the butterfly-like haori to sway. The color gradation on the sleeves—it was green before it turned pink, speckling the white of its base color—somehow glittered like a pretty but deadly pollen, "if we could all get along together, everything would be great. No matter if it's humans or demons. Don't you think so as well?"

"I don't care," the second speaker blandly answered. A man with spiky black hair that was tied into a low horsetail hummed. He sat so rigidly, even the weird haori he wore—two clothes stitched into one. The right side is red and the other is green and yellow, woven into complex patterns—didn't leave any unnecessary creases because of how straight his posture was. He was the Demon Slayer that Nezuko first encountered. The one who almost killed Tanjiro and the man responsible for introducing her to Sakonji, the Water Breath trainer. His black, uncaring orbs glinted under the promise of an upcoming battle, mouth forming into a thin line, "as long as demons still eat humans—"

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"—that sort of thinking is just a fantasy"

"AHAHAHA!" Inosuke laughed out loud, evading the swipe of another demon hunter—this one has a bald head who appeared from behind the opposite bushes—with a majestic backflip. The blade whizzed past his head, then jumping under the low swipe, continued by dodging the left slash by moving his torso to the right. He was totally having a lot of fun and Zenitsu's frightened whimpers will not darken his mood at all! Not this night! "this bunch of people are all idiots!" he ducked, kicked the ground to gave him a wide distance from his stupid attacker, "don't they know that it's forbidden for members to kill each other?!"

"I don't want to hear that from you, Pig-Head jerk. My broken ribs weeks ago was thanks to you," Zenitsu grumbled, already sheathing his weapon back to its rightful place, not wanting to injure the clearly-humans-and-not-scary-demons. He let out a loud shriek when his enemy—one with a low horse-tail—tried to sever him in half but failed when the teen barely managed to hide behind the tree trunks, the enemy's sword managed to chop the side of the bark instead.

"You're welcome, Zenbiksu!"

"That is not a compliment! And please just remembered my name already!"

"No, Inosuke. Their movements are very strange! I think they're probably being controlled by something" Nezuko chimed in, catching the arms of the demon hunter—the puppet, who showed up as their first assailant—and threw him into the air with a flip. She sprung to the side and blocked the next strike with the box that Tanjiro resided in. It didn't break, of course. Though she silently apologized to her brother because she did just use his temporary home as a shield, "yours and Zenitsu's opponents are still alive. While Senpai's and mine are...are long gone" (because she couldn't see their color anymore. She was hoping, uselessly, that those blank eyes were just a look of someone losing their consciousness. But her Sight never lies, never. And though she appreciates the truth, sometimes—sometimes—she wished it would lie. Just for one second), "so don't harm our companion's corpses as well."

"Man, Nedukon!" the hot-head whined, she imagined he was pouting under that animal headpiece. Both of them spun and tackled their reviving attacker to the ground—Nezuko, by twisting his arm. And Inosuke by suffocating the guy using the inside of his elbow—startling the Senpai from his own battle, "stop denying me my fun!"

There are multiple faint patches of fog on his back. Nezuko realized, staring at the fallen form of her comrade. She pulled one of her swords from its scabbard and swiped at the air behind the attacker. The faint, black fog dispersed. Then a snap could be heard. The awkward movement of the corpse stopped as he fell to the ground with a resounded thud. Of course! Why didn't I think of this sooner? "It's wire! They're being controlled by the wires!" Nezuko informed the squad, "it's on their back! Cut it!"

"Right on!" senpai ducked under the spreading legs and twirled, slashing his blade horizontally.

"O-Okay!" Zenitsu ran around the tree and whipped the weapon down.

"I've already figured that out!" Inosuke jumped into the air then disappeared, his dual sword crossed and cutting the threads of the only survivor standing.

As they breathed a sigh of relief from the reprieve of an uncomfortable battle—in Inosuke's case, he was bragging about his magnificent skills to anyone willing to listen with a loud voice—Nezuko swiveled her head around the dark forest. Where is the enemy, she's asking herself. They were manipulating her comrades from somewhere, the black fog that curled around the body of the attacker was already gone, too faint for her eyes to track on. But they must be here, maybe not too far because it's clear they could see them judging from the puppets relentless and precise attack. She has to find them before—

The distinctive black fog wafted disgustingly. It came from—

My arm?

Then invisible force moved that arm forcefully, trying to pull it off from its socket. She quickly used the only hand available to slice the thin wires. The moment she could control her body again, something fell to the ground. A small animal they have been seeing in this entire journey of their mission. Spiders. The wire that controlled people are linked upon these creatures? Then—

She cursed when the body of their unconscious (along with the dead one) senpai slowly stood up. Reanimated yet with eyes that were still blank.

"Eeep! Simply cutting the wires won't work!" Zenitsu, mr. captain obvious, shrieked then fainted.

"Z-Zenitsu, what are you doing! This is not the time to—argh! Whatever!" at least the puppets didn't have him in their sight, focusing instead on the still moving hunter, now that one of them was out of order, "guys, these spiders are the reason why the senpais are still moving!" she shouted, crushing the one that had fallen off from her arm with the heel of her sandals, "they will reattach the wires upon them. We have to find the demon that controls the spiders!"

"Why don't we just kill all of these animals?" Inosuke asked, his feet were already doing the job as he asked that question.

"No, the spiders are too tiny! And there must be a large amount of them," the only sane senior from the first batch explorer answered. He ducked under the continuous onslaught, "you've realized that, right? We've met a lot of spiderwebs since we arrived in this forest. You've been killing some of them but these people are still being controlled! The girl's right! We need to find the manipulator!"

"Thank you for the explanation, uh..."

"Murata!"

"Murata-san!" she nodded. The pink haori wearer jumped away from the deadly swing, she landed near the tree trunks with a thump, right at the place where the yellow slayer were sleeping. She glanced at the still body. Good, he's still safe. She needs to get away from Zenitsu's haven before the corpses found him and the demon decided to off him, just in case. She dashed, "Murata-san and I will deal with the one being controlled! So, Inosuke. If you are able to locate the demon with precision, we—"

A black fog, different from the spider, surged from above. This fog is a lot more disgusting. A lot more dreadful. A lot more dangerous.

Under the full moon that peaked above the threshold of the forest, Nezuko saw a kid. Maybe one or two years younger than her. White, spiky hair that covered his left eye shined under the moonlight, wearing a white kimono with a spiderweb pattern at the bottom. His pale blue iris residing in a red sclera narrowed, making the red dot tattoos on his face—placed on his right side of his forehead, under the eye of his right cheek and horizontally crossed the bridge of his nose—wrinkled in annoyance. The thing that made her stare at him in anxiety and the hairs on her neck stand was because he was flying. Or, her Sight told her by showing the color, he was walking on the thin thread that connected at one tree to another, creating an improvised bridge for him to stand on. Is he...the manipulator?

"Cursed demon slayers," his voice echoed, soft yet frightening, enveloping the tense atmosphere with even more dread, "don't disturb our clan's peaceful life here."

Clan?

"Stay away from our home. Or..." the wind picked up, shadows covered his face and only showing them his intimidating demon eye, "you will all be killed by Mother in the next few moments."

M-Mother? Does that mean—

"Hey!" Inosuke exclaimed, jumping onto the back of one of their assailants and using his body as a springboard. He tried to attack the kid as his body soared. However, as the distance between the both of them was too far to land any kind of blow, the pretty boy could only fruitlessly swipe the air. The demon huffed and walked away, eliciting rage from the Boar Mask, "damn it, don't run away! Come and fight me!"

"Inosuke, I don't think that demon is the one who's controlling the spiders!" Nezuko blocked the bowl-cut hair hunter's swords with a flourish, kicking the knee to make him buckle, "so you must first—"

"Aaargh! I get it, I get it! You're so annoying, Nedukon!" Inosuke got up from the dirt after landing on the ground on his back, a rather painful looking landing. He then proceeded to stab both of his blades to the ground and squatted, arms spread to either side of his muscled body. While the rest of them kept the puppets from approaching the boy, Inosuke concentrated.

BREATH OF THE BEAST, SEVENTH STYLE. SPACIAL AWARENESS, was one of the techniques he created himself after living in the forest for forever. He was not kidding when he said he has an excellent sense of touch. As long as he concentrates, Inosuke's hidden green eyes sharpened and his sight cleared, he was able to feel those miniscule vibrations in the air around him. The manipulator was clearly far away from them, but Inosuke still sees them; it was in the form of white light so bright in the dark of the night, forming a figure of a human-look alike. He laughed uproariously as he dashed, "Ahahaha, found it! The coward is right over there!"

"W-Wait, Inosuke! Don't be rash—"

"Hey, Nezuko, right?" Murata called, "I'm sorry for showing you guys my embarrassing side but...leave this place to me!"

"Eh?" that announcement startled her, she almost couldn't block the next slash of their foe, "no. There's no way I—"

A sunny, yellow fog shone at the back of her head, lightening this damp night with its bright light.

Nezuko didn't even have time to turn her sight to the source, when a crackle of light rushed past her so fast, the only thing she could see was the trail of shining yellow. Then Zenitsu was already right in front of her, back to back with Murata. With his sword out, his electric fog crackled around his body like a wild animal trying to protect its owner.

"Zenitsu?" the pink hunter slowly approached, palm opened to touch his cheek. He didn't react, eyes still closed and breath even, smoke seeping out of his gritted teeth. She tilted her head in wonder, "is he...sleeping?"

"Wha—no way!" Murata turned, trying to confirm her word. And when he did, the only thing he could do was gape, "but he clearly stopped these people from attacking! You tell me he cut the wire in his sleep?"

Nezuko didn't want to believe it either, something that boggled her mind like this simply couldn't exist. Yet, at the back of her head, she remembered. When they accompanied Kiyoshi, Shoichi, and Teruko to their home. While Zenitsu was busy holding Inosuke back from attacking Nezuko in the name of the spar, Teruko changing Kiyoshi's bandage to a fresh one, little Shoichi decided to recount his experience when they were separated from each other in the Drum Demon's house. He told her about Zenitsu being his usual self—crying helplessly and begging for mercy—before everything changed when a real, demon appeared and ready to consume them both.

"How to describe it. It was...weird, but awesome," the black-haired kid said, a smile adorned his milky face, "I don't know how he could kill the beast when he was clearly unconscious yet he did. And I owe my life to him."

It was strange, to say the least. She knew of people who fought with their eyes closed, relying on their other senses to pinpoint the target; Sakonji did this multiple times when he taught Nezuko how to wield the sword, asking her to attack the old man with intent to strike. But never unconscious. When the function of all the limbs on the body was clearly shut itself down to rest. That revelation made her smile. Despite their hopeless situation, seeing Zenitsu kept snoring away made her shoulders drop. I knew it.

You really are strong.

"Oi, Nedukon!" she blinked when Inosuke's voice reached her hearing. He was a long way from their position, peeking out from behind the thick bushes. The twitch in his figure told her that he was impatient, past annoyed and almost exploding maybe, "let's go already. We don't know how long that demon will stay on their place!"

"Eh? But Zenitsu—"

"I'll stay."

Her sentence was cut off once againwhen a familiar voice interjected the tense surroundings. Did...Zenitsu just sleep talk? She thought incredulously. And it seems it was not just her imagination because Murata's jaw dropped for the second time. That sleep talking was so clear. If I didn't hear the snore, I'm sure he's actually awake. Before they could get a confirmation on this weird scene that was happening though, a joint scuffle of feet on dirt could be heard. The puppets were back in action, revived from their dead.

"Okay, no time to lose anymore. Just leave this to us!" Murata continued his previous proclamation, blade back to the fore. Zenitsu's own weapon was already inside its sheath too, legs drawn back, "cutting the thread is a good idea to use here. The movements of the people being controlled are monotonous and simple. We will be wary of the spiders around too. There'll probably be stronger people being controlled near the demon, so you should hurry up."

The pink haori could not hesitate anymore. Especially when the Thunder Breath user lolled his head to her, eyes not shown, yet the intention behind the closed eyelids were clear, her voice hitched at the sincerity in it, "go, Nezuko-chan. Save our comrades."

"I-I understand," she stuttered, "thank you and please..."

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"Stay safe."

"Finally. You're so slow," the Boar Mask wearer grumbled, waiting on the outskirts of the previous battleground with arms folded in front of his broad chest, one leg tapping the ground in irritation. The only girl on their group looked pinched, chewing her bottom lip in worry. Must be thinking about those two boys she left behind. Inosuke didn't really care. If they want to be their shield and stop the stupid hunters from attacking the dual wielders, so be it. Nezuko is the only person who was worth it to be used as his stepping stone—he will show her how his techniques in utilizing two weapons at once are way superior than hers—the others were just a stopping point for him; an annoying wall but necessary to be there as a marker to stop him from ever declining in his skills, "let's go. The boss' neck is there for us to cut."

Their adventure in walking through the forest was just as sucky as their first round, fallen logs and spiderwebs anywhere; this time, he was sure to step on or slice the arachnids they encountered, his way of reducing the chance of getting stupidly controlled like those stupid Senpai. Only the difference between this second journey and the first was, Nezuko didn't talk. Her burgundy-eyes were mostly focused on her surroundings and not making small conversation like she usually did. Maybe because Zenitsu, her first responder, was not here to listen. Inosuke didn't think too much about the reason, but the fact that Nezuko hasn't uttered a single word at all really got on his nerves.

"Hey..." after another minute of awkward silence hanging around the air, she finally talked (and he didn't want to admit that he actually let out a sigh of relief at that. This is a sign of her going back to normal. Not like I care). Her orbs glinted with unshed tears, mouth thinned in a straight line, "from the very start, this mountain has emitted some sort of twisted and unnatural fog, making my body go into a slight bit of shock. D-Do you think Murata-san and Zenitsu—"

"Shut up!" and she did. So the Boar Mask continued. He pointed his index finger at her chest as he spat, "you said so yourself that Zenitsu is strong. And I don't know about Murata, but you should at least believe in that yellow brat."

"Or are you a liar now?"

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"I told you you're strong, right? Do you think I'm a liar now?"

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Nezuko was stunned, body rigid and eyes widened. Must be thinking that Inosuke didn't have the gall to throw her words back at her like a double-edged sword. Well, she thought wrong! He's not the type to sugarcoat his sentences. And if they want to hear what was inside his mind, no filter and right to the point, then he will. Without second thought. Inosuke snorted and proceed to continue their journey, intended to leave her this time if she didn't pick up her pace. But her next words stopped him in his tracks. Words that she uttered with appreciation and gratefulness. Words that, somehow, send shiver all over his back, "You coming along really brings me a lot of confidence, Inosuke. Thank you..."

"Thank you so much"

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Inosuke...Inosuke was speechless.

.

(It was their second day of their healing month. The pretty boy, bored because there's nothing to do, was basking under the sun of the day, reminiscing about the days of his solo adventures on the mountain. The city was a bit overwhelming for him, he's sure he'll never get used to the fact that there exists a ton of people, mingling about like a colony of ants. That was why the moment his Kasugaigarasu told him about his mission, banishing the demon that resides within a two-storied, abandoned house, he instantly accepted. Now that the beasts were slain—he's still bitter over the fact that he's not the one who finished the final boss of the house—and have a rest in a place far away from the residence, he could finally relax.

"Hashihibara-sama," he hummed, lazily looked over his shoulder and watching the grandma approached him slowly. From the first day, this old lady presence had been niggling his sensitive senses. He didn't understand why she insisted on helping them, showing them her soft smile on her wrinkled complexion. Today, it seems like she did the same too, caring for a literal stranger without asking anything in return. In her stubbly hands was a fresh, clean yukata, folded tidily without creases. She sat on the terrace and offer that said yukata to him. That permanent smile still unnerved him to no end, "please use this."

"Ha?! What for?" Inosuke huffed, "I have my own, I don't need that thing on me. It's going to hinder my skills." That's the reason why he didn't wear the Demon Hunter official uniform. He felt like that black abomination was choking him every second he had to wear that thing.

"Don't worry, Hashihibara-sama. I knew about your situation, so I prepared a different yukata for you," Grandma spoke, chuckling a little bit, "the material feels good. And wearing it is really comfortable. Your clothes have a lot of food on them and I will return them to you after I wash them clean. So before that, please wear this yukata I've prepared. I promised you that you'll like this."

"Urgh...fine, fine," he acquiesced, glumly putting on the light green yukata.

...okay, this is really nice. But he won't admit it!

"Dinner tonight shall be tempura. That's the one with the flour on the outside and fried," she explained, maybe seeing the confusion wafting up from beneath the headpiece. She stood up and bowed, "have a nice day."

"Ah, grandma!" he called her before she could disappear from around the corner, hand outstretched. The small old lady turned to him, lips still quirked up. That made him hesitate as he put his hand down and turned to look at the front porch, "...no. Never mind. Just...tell me when dinner is served")

.

(He couldn't say it. The word that was stuck in his throat)

.

("Can I keep these clothes?")

.

(He couldn't)

(Because if this is what kindness feel, so warm and so soft, he didn't want to push the boundary. Didn't want to push his luck and push them away instead)

.

.

.

"Oh," Nezuko's clipped voice startled him from his reverie. She was looking at him curiously, red eyes glinting with confusion, "did you say Zenitsu's name correctly just now?"

"Wha—no, I did not!" Inosuke denied. Was it just his imagination or was the environment around them was hotter now somehow? "I called him Zenbiksu!"

"Really? I'm pretty sure you did, though..."

"I did not! Urgh, just...come on already!" he stalked off, ignoring Nezuko's small giggle from behind.

(No. His heart definitely didn't jump. It didn't react to Nezuko's, or even that Grandma's, kindness towards him. No. It. Did. Not!)

Their light-hearted moment had to be cut short, however, when the bushes on their right rustled, they immediately went into their fighting stances. There, at the opening of another way that was hidden by the foliage, was a girl. She was two or three years older than Inosuke, with black hair that was styled into a short, horse-tail. Another member of the Hunter organization, a survivor and not the puppet, since her complexion looked healthy, albeit covered with sweat, eyes shining with sanity. Yet they didn't let their stance go. Her appearance only causing them to tense further instead. Because even if it was clear she still has her mind intact—

"Please...please call the higher ranking person to come here," she cried, pleading as her body trembled, "If you don't...I...I!"

—the corpse of another slayer that was clenched tightly in her left hand and the other one that was stabbed horrifyingly by her blade, right on his neck, did not help the case of her innocence at all.

"I'm going to end up killing everybody!"

(A/N): You may realize that Zenitsu's act toward demon!Tanjiro is completely different from canon!Zenitsu. That's because Nezuko was the one who brought Tanjiro along. He didn't make a fuss of Tanjiro's appearance as he knew Nezuko is not the type to 'have a secret man to be her lover' or something, so no misunderstanding. And Zenitsu, no matter how flirty he was, is a chivalrous man. He tried to get along with her brother to stay on Nezuko's good side (her mean hook is really mean, okay? Lol). Besides, demon!Tanjiro doesn't talk. So he can appreciate the gentle sound without having to hear any of canon!Tanjiro talk-no-jutsu :'D

(LL- dawww Tanjiros whole I must take care of these hungry boys thing is so cute (ᇴ‿ฺᇴ))

(Nvrp- aww thank you. That was one of the scene that I very much love in this whole fanfiction. So I'm glad it received a positive feedback~)