A/N: I'm so sorry that this chapter is late. I would have updated sooner, but I was so busy with finals and last semester projects that I never found the time to finish writing this chapter. And then I had my wisdom teeth taken out two days ago. To be honest, I finished the chapter in between my naps from all the medication I am taking. I tried to edit it the best I could, but I'm just really tired. Anyhow, now that I am on winter break, I have plans to update two more chapters (not including this one). I want to write as much as I can before I go back to school (of course after I recover from my recent surgery). A huge thank you to everyone that has been patient with me! I can't tell you how thankful I am. Oh yes, before I forget, I am currently working on demon Zenitsu art for this fic. When I am finished, I will post it on my tumblr. My tumblr profile name is on my profile if anyone is interested. Okay, I think that's all. My medication is making me drowsy. Happy holidays everyone!

Echonic: Aww thank you. Sorry, it's only going to get more emotional from here. And no worries, there won't be any yaoi (it feels weird calling it that), but there might be romance. Ahh, but not in the way you might think. Just a pinch of romance that has has been already established between characters in canon.

Roman1987: Thank you so much! Those arcs will be difficult to write, but hopefully fun. Although I won't be spoiling anything that I have planned so far, I will say that things will be changed. Zenitsu definitely will have his hands full in the Mountain Arc.

WeirdNewb98: I'm sorry. It just feels like if I made Zenitsu the same as Nezuko, I would be taking away a huge aspect of her character. And aww thank you!

shahmeeralikhokhar: Thank you!

Morskijez: Thank you so much! Zenitsu's flashback with his Gramps was planned from the moment I decided to continue writing back in the first chapter. It alludes that Gramps knows that something is wrong. Now as far as the question if is he looking for Zenitsu currently? Well, that will be answered later on. And yep, I wanted to establish the kind of relationship Zenitsu has with his swordsmith. Great job on your guess with the food plan. Tamayo helping Zenitsu was always planned. And there are going to be even more moments of this trio's friendship. With Inosuke joining in, it's bound to become even more heartwarming. And yes, Zenitsu actually needs less blood than Yushiro. He only needed more this time because he was starving himself literally to death. And the two are similar in that way, aren't they? Their stubbornness might actually make a certain boar head become annoyed with them in the future. And yes, Tanjiro will absolutely be making sure Zenitsu eats his blood. Although I won't be spoiling anything yet, I will say I want to change some events in the Nagatumo Arc. As for the Pillar arc? I can see that happening just as well. XD

Qween of Troll: Thank you for your patience! I appreciate it!

Dragon Courage: Thank you!

Zenistu: Thank you! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 5

Zenitsu didn't like the dread he was feeling at the sight of the wooden house that stood before him and Tanjiro. The forest was spooky enough even in the daylight. He didn't need the house in front of him to add to his daily list of terrors.

Although, if he had to be honest, the sight of the house itself really didn't scare him. It was what inside of it that terrified him. He could hear several beating heartbeats residing in it. Some of the heartbeats belonged to humans (which hopefully they were still alive), while the other heartbeats belonged to demons. The sound of the demons' heartbeats vibrated with bloodthirst. It always seemed that the more malicious demon was, the more the sound roughly shifted in pitch, becoming out of tune and grating to listen to. And the demons inside were definitely malicious and greedy, wanting to satisfy their hunger.

But the sound that stuck out to Zenitsu the most was the sound of a tsuzumi being played inside. Each beat of the drum's sound made him shiver in response. The sound of any instrument usually brought feelings of ease and comfort to Zenitsu. He enjoyed listening to any instrument's individual sound. With his enhanced hearing, he could make out any emotion or story conveyed in the melody of an instrument. But the sound of the tsuzumi being played in the wooden house was too eerie and almost uncomfortable for Zenitsu to want to continue to listen to it. Oddly, there was sadness in each beat, but it always shifted to deep hatred and anger. Each tap of the drum made his body steadily go colder with terror.

The drums inside the house were definitely being used for something malicious.

"Zenitsu?"

Zenitsu blinked, shaken out of his thoughts and turned to the boy that had called out to him, finding concerned red eyes staring back at him. Zenitsu wanted to reassure the other that he was okay, but he knew any attempt he made would not be believed by Tanjiro. How could he fool Tanjiro when he couldn't even fool himself? Tanjiro probably already caught on to the fact that his body was trembling. It didn't help that he could not stop listening to the beat of the drum inside the house.

"Tanjiro," Zenitsu decided to say, forgoing the idea to reassure the other. He looked back at the house and lowered his hand to his side from his ear (wait, when had he brought it to his ear) and spoke once more.

"There's a malicious sound coming from inside the house."

"A sound?" Tanjirou asked, his eyes widening in both confusion and surprise. It seemed like the red-haired boy wanted to question Zenitsu further, but the sound of bushes being ruffled made the two companions swiftly turned their sight away from the house to the side, finding a boy and a girl staring back at them with wide eyes. They were both holding on to each other, shivering in fear at the sight of him and Tanjiro. Zenitsu wondered if they were connected to what was inside the house.

Ah, that thought would have to wait. The beat of eerie drum started once more but rapidly this time, drawing all of Zenitsu's attention to it. The sound seemed much closer now. Zenitsu barely noticed Tanjiro asking for Chuntaro from him and taking the bird to the two kids to help them calm them down. Instead, he kept his focus the house before him, his ears picking up every sound the drum inside made. It had initially seemed farther away inside upon first hearing it, but it was steadily getting closer now. And he could hear some footsteps too. Although, he couldn't make out who the footsteps belonged to. However, it seemed like whoever the footsteps belonged to was running away from something, or…

From someone.

As Zenitsu heard Tanjiro reassure the children that they would rescue their brother from the demon that had taken him inside the wooden house, he heard the sound of the drum inside suddenly switch in pitch, becoming twisted in anger and fury. Zenitsu could barely keep himself from stumbling back from the erupt change to the beat. It was loud and painful, blasting inside his head. Zenitsu had no idea how he could still hear Tanjiro's voice throughout all the noise echoing from inside the house. He could even hear the same footsteps he had heard earlier become louder now as well. And they were closer, running frantically to the open window on the second floor of the house, allowing Zenitsu to finally listen clearly to the heartbeat the footsteps belonged to.

Only to see the sight of a boy crashing to the ground in a pool of red liquid as its heartbeat began to quickly fade away.

"DON'T LOOK!" Zenitsu vaguely heard Tanjiro shout in the distance, probably doing his best to shield the children's eyes from the body, but Zenitsu didn't listen. Instead, all he could do was stare at the lifeless body.

Zenitsu's eyes never made the effort to look anywhere else. In the corner of his eye, he saw Tanjiro dashed forward to the broken body, talking to the unfortunate boy with concern and regret in his voice. He wished he could have found the courage to move too like Tanjiro to help the boy lying on the ground, but Zenitsu was petrified to where he stood. Something about the still boy made his stomach churn. It couldn't be hunger, could it? No, it shouldn't be. Not when Tamayo had already given him blood to eat. It had to be something else. Still, the sight in front of him wasn't something he found he couldn't handle. The sound of bones crashing to the ground and shattering would surely haunt his dreams now. And if not, it would definitely be the sound of a heart giving its last beat before going deathly silent. A silent heart was one of the things that scared Zenitsu the most. It was an eerie sound that always plagued the back of Zenitsu's mind.

A silent heartbeat meant the loss of life.

As that thought painstakingly resounded in Zenitsu's head, a sudden roar echoed from inside the building, shaking everything that stood in the outside. Zenitsu couldn't help but bring his hands to his ears, even though they were covered by his hood. His ears rang in pain from the sound of the demon's frustrated roar inside.

Was it because the boy laying at his feet had escaped from its clutches?

"That isn't our brother…" The younger boy suddenly said from where Tanjiro had left him and his sister. He was now clutching his younger sister to his chest, shielding her from the sight of the deceased boy. His name was Shoichi? Zenitsu really hadn't listened to their conversation when Tanjiro had calmed the two down with Chuntaro's help, but he did hear their names when they had addressed themselves to Tanjiro.

"Zenitsu," the yellowed haired boy heard Tanjiro say. Zenitsu switched his gaze from the children back to his companion, watching as the red-haired boy gently laid the still boy back down to the ground. He stood up and walked forward to Zenitsu.

"Can you stay here with them?" Tanjiro asked, gesturing towards the children that stared back at them.

"Eh?" Zenitsu asked, his eyes widening in surprise and disbelief at Tanjiro'd request. Had Tanjiro really just asked him to stay here with the frightened children when he himself was too terrified to be able to help them stay calm. And wait- if Tanjiro wanted him to stay out here, then did that mean…

"You're going in there?!" Zenitsu exclaimed, his body growing colder at the idea. Tanjiro could not go in there. The demon inside was too strong. And actually, there was more than one. Tanjiro could not face several demons by himself when he was still injured from the last fight. How could not Tanjiro see that fact?!

"You can't go in there by yourself!" Zenitsu shouted, grabbing onto the other's haori with shivering hands. "There are multiple demons inside! And-and you're still injured! How are you going to protect me if you don't properly heal!?"

Zenitsu tightened his hold on Tanjiro's haori and brought his face closer to Tanjiro's chest, keeping the other from moving away.

"I'll go with you Tanjiro! You can't leave me here by myself! I'm weak, remember! I won't be able to protect myself and anyone else. So please, don't leave me here by myself!"

Tanjiro seemed shocked at Zenitsu's plead, almost as if he couldn't even comprehend what Zenitsu had just said. Actually, thinking about it, Zenitsu, himself, didn't fully understand what he had just told the other. He was a coward and utterly useless at fighting. Wouldn't it be safer to stay outside? Before Zenitsu could even take back his words, Tanjiro placed his hands firmly on Zenitsu's shoulders and made the brightest smile possible.

On second thought, Zenitsu probably should have just accepted Tanjiro's request to stay outside. He most likely just cursed himself to his fate of dying sooner than expected.

"Thank you, Zenitsu," Tanjiro said in pure gratitude, his voice as soothing as ever.

Zenitsu felt his cheeks heat up and was glad Tanjiro could not see his giddy expression from the praise. He honestly didn't know if he had just made the right choice, but judging from the scratching behind Tanjiro's back, it seemed like both of the siblings were happy that Zenitsu was going in with Tanjiro.

Zenitsu watched as Tanjiro took his hands off his shoulders and turned, walking to the confused children. He kneeled down in front of them as he the box on his back off. Gently, he placed it on the ground in front of them and looked at them with all the kindness in his eyes. Zenitsu wondered if Tanjiro knew how to talk to them and make them feel safe because he was (no, still is) a big brother.

"I'm going to leave this with you," Tanjiro said. "If something happens, it will protect you from danger."

"T-Tanjiro, but-" Zenitsu started to say, confused over Tanjiro's sudden action, but Tanjiro didn't listen. Instead, he stood back up, turning away from the box and walked forward to take Zenitsu's hand into his. Despite wanting to firmly call out, he wanted to stay behind, Zenitsu reluctantly allowed Tanjiro to lead him to the house. The two entered it, shutting the door behind them with a loud creak that immediately sent fear down to Zenitsu's shaking knees. He didn't want Tanjiro to go inside the house by himself since Tanjiro was too stubborn to let himself heal properly, but he was terrified. Demons were frightening to face in combat. Even if he was a demon himself, there was no way he would be able to fight one. He was useless at fighting. The only thing that he was good at was crying, which was certainly not going to be any help for Tanjiro. He wasn't as strong as him. In the end, he knew he should have just stayed behind with the children. Tanjiro didn't need him.

And yet, why was Tanjiro still holding onto his hand?

"Tanjiro," Zenitsu quietly murmured, looking up at the other, whose back was turned to him as they continued to walk forward. "Why did you leave Nezuko-chan behind? Wouldn't it have been better if you brought her along with us?"

Tanjiro stopped, not making any movement to turn to face him. And yet, his soft voice gently caressed Zenitsu's ears, somehow helping Zenitsu feel at ease.

"I don't like the idea of leaving her behind, but I wanted to make sure the kids will be safe. Nezuko will protect them if anything goes wrong. Besides…"

Tanjiro turned with the brightest smile Zenitsu had ever seen from the red-haired boy.

"You're here with me, Zenitsu."

Zenitsu shook his head, feeling the unmistakable heat rise to his cheeks again. Did this idiot really think that him being there with him will change anything? Tanjiro was injured and Zenitsu was weak. They were doomed to die together at this rate. There was absolutely nothing good to come out of Zenitsu being by Tanjiro's side in a fight. He would only bring him down. That was the ugly unfortunate truth.

"Stop comforting me…" Zenitsu replied in a flat tone. "You know I can't fight. I wanted to come in to keep an eye on you for Nezuko-chan's sake, but there's nothing I can do to help. You know that."

Tanjiro blinked owlishly, confused. "But Zenitsu, you're-"

However, before Tanjiro could finish his answer, the sounds of footsteps from behind approached the two. Both Tanjiro and Zenitsu widened their eyes and turned to the direction of the entrance, finding Shoichi and Teruko running towards them with frightened expressions. Zenitsu felt his chest churned seeing the two there without Nezuko. They had unknowingly left her behind out in the daylight in her box.

She was alone and had no way of following them until nightfall.

"You guys shouldn't be here!" Tanjiro called out to the two with fear in his voice.

"It's… it's because oniichan's box was shaking." Shoichi explained shakily.

"Even so, you guys can't leave it there! That box is something even more important than my life…"

'Don't say that about your life.'

Zenitsu grimaced at Tanjiro's words, wanting to scold Tanjiro for even giving that answer. His life was just as important as Nezuko. If Nezuko were here, she would surely be making sure he understood that. Of course, Zenitsu wanted to say something, but his negative thoughts towards the situation they were in kept his gaze towards the ground. He needed any kind of distraction to get his mind away from his thoughts. Even the sound of the eerie drum being played nearby them was good enough to provide that distraction.

Wait…

Drum?

Zenitsu snapped to attention as the familiar tempo of a drum vibrated in the hall they were in. He stumbled forward in fear and shock from the sound, accidentally pushing Tanjiro and Teruko into the room near them with his body. He caught Tanjiro's eyes staring at with worry as he held on to the frightened girl. Zenitsu immediately tried to apologize to the red-haired boy but before he could even get one word out of his mouth, the sound of the drum nearby them suddenly switched in tempo, becoming increasing faster. It gave off one last beat and before he knew it, Tanjiro and Teruko were no longer there in front of him.

He had been completely separated from Tanjiro.

Tanjiro glanced around, his eyes stopping at the open door in front of him. Zenitsu and Shoichi had suddenly vanished. No, were Teruko and he the ones that had vanished? Still, it had seemed that with each beat of the drum, the room they had been pushed into by Zenitsu had completely changed to a new one. It had to mean they were the ones that had been moved.

Tanjiro slowly stood up as Teruko sniffled by him, gripping his haori even tighter with her small trembling hands. He felt his chest tightened with sadness. It reminded him of his younger siblings and how they would immediately latch on to him whenever they were scared. Tanjiro hated that the young girl was now inside the demon's nest with him. Along with fighting the demon, he would have to focus on protecting her from harm. He just didn't know if he could accomplish that. His injuries were still making it incredibly hard to move.

'No don't think that. Endure it.'

As the older brother, it was always his job to endure the hardships and pain for his siblings and mother. And right now, for Teruko's sake, he would have to endure the pain to protect her.

"I'm sorry for getting you separated from your brother, Teruko," Tanjiro addressed the girl softly as he kneeled down to wipe away her tears. "But I'll definitely protect you."

The tiny girl looked up at Tanjiro and hiccuped. "W-what about Shoichi-nicchan?"

Tanjiro lifted his lips into a wide encouraging smile and patted her head gently. "Don't worry. Zenitsu will protect your brother. He's really strong."

That's right. Zenitsu will definitely protect Shoichi. Although the yellow-haired boy was cowardly at heart and always begged Tanjiro to protect him, Tanjiro could tell that he was strong- both in swordsmanship and at willpower. All Zenitsu needed to do was find the courage to believe in his strength. After all, Tamayo had told him what Zenitsu had done during the fight with the Temari-wielding demon. Zenitsu had almost successfully sliced her neck off. If Zenitsu could do such a thing, then Tanjiro knew that Zenitsu was the right person he could trust to protect Shoichi.

Because no matter what, Zenitsu was kind and he would never let anyone get hurt. That was the type of person Tanjiro believed Zenitsu was.

He just hoped that Zenitsu would not get gravely injured while protecting Shoichi. He didn't think he could handle seeing his friend look so hurt and broken again.

'Please stay safe, Zenitsu.' Tanjiro thought as the familiar smell of a demon began to approach the room.

It was time for him to fight.

"Tanjirooooo!" Zenitsu called out loudly, hoping that the red-haired would pop out from any of the rooms around him to respond to his call.

He had no idea how long he and Shoichi had been in the house now, but it was long enough for Zenitsu to want out. After Tanjiro and Teruko had vanished, Zenitsu wasted no time to look for the entrance. He didn't want to spend another second in a demon's nest without being by Tanjiro's side. Tanjiro made him feel safe and protected with the beautiful sound of his heartbeat. Without him, it felt like he was utterly alone.

That was why he quickly made his way to the entrance despite Shoichi's refusal to follow him. He made the excuse to himself that he was leaving to collect Nezuko's box and return inside with her. After all, if anyone could find Tanjiro, it had to be Nezuko, but upon opening the front door, he was met with the sight of an empty room. After endless efforts of opening each door he spotted in the hall, Zenitsu realized it was useless to continue looking for the entrance. He and Shoichi were already far too deep in the house to escape. The two of them were doomed to die.

Speaking of Shoichi…

Zenitsu slightly turned towards the boy, who only seemed to stare back at him with narrowed eyes. Zenitsu flinched under his iron gaze, letting out a small yelp, and turned back forward, wishing that Shoichi would look at anything else but him. The boy had initially made comments that stung about his initial response to find the entrance. He even went far in making comments about wishing he could be with Tanjiro since Zenitsu had wanted to run away. However, now all he kept asking was questions about his odd appearance.

Zenitsu knew he looked suspicious. He was wearing a mask and layers upon layers of clothing to cover his whole body, but he could not help that. Taking any of his clothing and mask off would no longer keep him protected from the cruel sunlight. Shoichi didn't know that, which was why the boy was suspicious. Despite that, Zenitsu didn't want to give any slight hint to the boy what he was. A demon had taken his brother and was now keeping them trapped inside its nest. Zenitsu knew that if Shoichi found out what he was, the boy would immediately become fearful of him. And honestly, Zenitsu did not want the boy to be terrified. He rather let Shoichi be annoyed with his cowardice than look at him with fear.

Still, his comments really did sting.

"Zenitisu-san, why are you wearing a mask?"

And the questions started again.

"I told you already," Zenitsu answered as each step he took on the creaky floorboards made his body tremble (he really could not take any more of this). "I had a really bad accident and now my face is horribly damaged. Just seeing it will cause you to die! Die, I tell you! I can't let you die from that! You're too young to die!"

"If so, why are you wearing all those clothes? Is your whole body injured then?"

"Yes!" Zenitsu cried, hoping the young boy would buy his lie.

There were a few seconds of silence before Shoichi continue to ask more questions.

"Are you really a swordsman? You're shaking so badly and all you have talked about is dying. Aren't you ashamed about that? You're supposed to be the older one."

Zenitsu froze, no longer walking. He lowered his gaze to the ground deep in thought. Yes, he was supposed to be the older one- kind and dependable like Tanjiro and strong and caring like Nezuko, but that was not him. He was weak and useless, characteristics that a swordsman shouldn't have. Shoichi was right to comment on those negative aspects of himself, but it still hurt to hear that. It hurt because he knew it was the truth.

"I can't help it…" Zenitsu finally said, after a moment of pure silence. "I can't really do anything by myself. If I try to do anything, the thought that I could actually die hits me. I know it's not like I have anything to look forward to now and that it's probably best if I die, but I want to be protected still... "

Zenitsu widened his eyes, realizing what he said and turned to Shoichi, waving his hands back and forth.

"Ah, forget I said that! I don't know what I was saying. Anyway, shouldn't we be as quiet as possible? We might get discovered by demons if we continue to talk."

Shoichi blinked and tilted his head questionably. "Zenitsu-san, are you sure you're not saying that because you don't want to answer me anymore?"

"Of course not!" Zenitsu shouted, shaking his head much too quickly in denial. "I'm sorry, okay?! I just don't think I can take any more of your words! They really do sting, you know! Have some concern for me! I'm trying my best here!"

And that was when Zenitsu heard it- a sound that made his body freeze in terror. With wide trembling eyes, he slowly turned his gaze past Shoichi to where the sound vibrated from- finding a grinning demon slowly slithering from under the porch near them, it's long, disgusting tongue moving slowly in satisfaction for finding another meal. Gods, the demon sounded so horrible. Zenitsu couldn't take listening to the twisted sound of its heartbeat. It's tempo vibrated in a loud and grating pitch. It was really hungry and it would gladly eat the boy right next to Zenitsu to fill its hunger- something that Zenitsu was frightened to allow to happen.

"A neck…" the demon said in pure glee, his lips turning upward excitably. "A child's neck. Biting down on it might feel really good on my tongue."

The demon stopped moving though once it set its sight on Zenitsu, staring at him with all four of his eyes.

"Another one?" The demon questioned with clear confusion in its voice. It suddenly smiled widely, saliva drooling from its ugly tongue. "Hey, do you mind if I take a bite out of your meal? Or better yet, can I take it off your hands?"

Zenitsu wanted to be sick. Did this demon really think he had Shoichi by his side to only eat him? As if Zenitsu could do that! But that demon didn't know that. It thought he was just like him- one of the demons in this cursed nest that was trying to find its next meal. Still, there was absolutely no way Zenitsu was going to do that. Just the thought made him want to faint.

That was why Zenitsu wasted no time to take Shoichi's hand into his and try to flee. He may not be strong enough to fight the tongue demon, but they still could run. He just wanted to get as far away as possible from the demon before it could hurt Shoichi.

"Hey now," the demon's voice echoed from behind them. It was now following them on all four of its limbs like an animal. "You shouldn't keep it all to yourself. I'll even let you keep a limb or two. I just want the main course."

Zenitsu grimaced. How could that demon say such a thing?

"Don't come any closer!" Zenitsu screeched at the demon, gripping Shoichi's hand tighter into his. "This child is not delicious! Definitely not DELICIOUS, I tell you! He's all skin and bones and dry as HELL! He's not good to eat! He'll only upset your stomach! So go find something else to eat!"

The demon laughed. "I haven't had a good meal in a while, especially a child. How will I know if he's not good to eat if I don't have a taste of him first?"

Something in Zenitsu's mind screamed at him to move, which he did not hesitate to react upon. Ears ringing, he grabbed onto Shoichi, bringing him to his chest and swiftly moved to the side just as something inhumanly fast shot past them. The two crashed into the nearby door, falling forward into the room behind it. Zenitsu looked back just in time to see the demon's tongue breaking a water jar that had been right next to them, shattering it to pieces. Zenitsu gaped at the shattered jar with wide eyes, his hands trembling as Shoichi's hold on his haori became even tighter. Just like that, the demon had broken the jar like it was nothing and with its tongue nonetheless. The tongue was sharp and fast. How could Zenitsu hope to protect Shoichi from something like that?

"Zenitsu-san," he heard Shoichi say as the other tried to make him stand back up from the ground. "Get up!"

But Zenitsu found he couldn't. His body was shaking too badly now to even consider the possibility of standing up. Was this how it felt to be so close to dying?

"I-I can't! Zenitsu cried out. "So much of the fear has now reached my knees! Just leave me! It's you he's after! Don't worry about me! Run as fast as you can!"

"I can't do that!" Shoichi instantly denied, his head shaking back and forth. He took Zenitsu's hand into his and tried to pull him forward. Even though the demon clearly wanted to devour him, Shoichi was still willing to not leave Zenitsu behind. It brought a sense of warmth to Zenitsu's chest. This boy was too good for the cruel world they lived in. His heart was beating in fright and yet he was still making the effort to help Zenitsu when he could just leave him behind. Zenitsu wanted to protect such a kind-hearted boy. He honestly wanted to protect him from getting eaten. Shoichi was just simply too young to die.

But what could he do when he was too afraid to get back up on his feet?

"Found you…" the demon's voice rang out from behind.

Zenitsu froze and slowly turned, locking eyes with the approaching demon as it licked its mouth with its long tongue in amusement.

"Give the kid to me, brat." The demon said, tilting its head sideways and pressing it towards the ground. "If you do, I'll let you go with a limb, but I'm going to be the one to suck out its brain matter from its ears."

Zenitsu felt something inside him snap at that comment. Whatever it was, it sent Zenitsu backward, eyes rolling to the back of his head, as the room around him spun around. He found himself giving one last look at Shoichi before the room quickly faded away to darkness as the guilt of not being able to protect Shoichi swallowed him whole.

"Zenitsu-san!" Shoichi cried out, trying to desperately shake the unconscious masked boy awake but to no avail.

Without any warning, Zenitsu had fainted and fallen asleep. The only indication that he was asleep was the loud snores Shoichi heard from underneath his mask. Shoichi had no idea what happened. It could have been the overwhelming fear that had caused Zenitsu to faint. Whatever it was, Zenitsu was now completely unable to escape with him.

"Heh… I guess the brat doesn't want a bite." The monster mused with glee. "Fine by me. More for me to eat then."

Shoichi flinched and turned his sight away from Zenitsu to the monster, watching as it's four eyes locked on to him with crazed hunger. Shoichi was terrified the way it looked at him, it's long tongue slowly extending from its mouth ready to lash out at him. The tongue was disgusting but so much dangerous. He had seen what the tongue had done to the water jug near them. It had completely shattered it. Shoichi was terrified of what that tongue could do to him.

At this thought, Shoichi clutched Zenitsu's haori even tighter with his hands. Even though Zenitsu was beyond suspicious with the way the monster talked about him wanting a bite of Shoichi as well, he was still the only one who was there who could protect him. And even if Zenitsu was like the monster in front of them, Shoichi found that he still trusted Zenitsu. Zenitsu had been with Tanjiro when the two older ones had found him and his sister. It had to mean Zenitsu was good. Tanjiro wouldn't be traveling with such a bad person.

Still, he was so scared at the idea that this would be the end. He didn't like the fear of knowing he wouldn't be able to see his older and younger sister any longer.

"Die!" The demon shouted, launching its tongue at the wide-eyed shaking boy.

Goodbye Kiyoshi-niichan and Teruko. I'm sorry…

Without thinking, Shoichi squeezed his eyes shut one last time and screamed Zenitsu's name, knowing that soon, all there would be pain and blood.

But that never happened.

Instead, there was the sound of something being chopped off and falling to the ground with a deafening thud.

Slowly, Shoichi opened his eyes, hesitant to see what had saved him. But once he did, he immediately widened his eyes in shock. In front of him stood Zenitsu, no longer laying on the ground lifeless. And although Zenistu was still asleep (his snores were so loud), he was eerily calm and silent, something Shoichi never knew Zenitsu could be given how loud the masked boy was. Still, gone was the boy that had been trembling in fright only seconds earlier in place of a boy that was standing so confidently. Shoichi had no idea what had changed in Zenitsu so suddenly. It had seemed like he was a completely different person now.

"W-what?" The monster in front of them breathed in shock, bringing its now bleeding tongue back to its mouth. Strangely, the damaged tongue was starting to heal. Despite that, the monster held no concern over his wound and instead narrowed its eyes at Zenitsu. Although, Shoichi caught the slightest glimpse of fear from its gaze.

Was the monster afraid of Zenitsu?

"How can you use that sword?!" The demon growled, spitting saliva from its mouth everywhere around it. "And that black outfit! Those wretched demon slayers hunt us and kill us! Don't tell me you're actually one of them?!"

Shoichi widened his eyes in confusion. What did the monster mean? Zenitsu wasn't like the monster. He had protected him. Would a monster do that? But it had seemed like whatever thing Zensitu was affiliated with, his sword and black outfit were indications of it. And the monster was frightened of this knowledge.

Whoever Zenitsu was, Shoichi was just happy he wasn't a monster.

"No matter…" the monster spat, extending its gross tongue at Zenitsu. "I'll just kill you too."

And then Zenitsu did something unexpected- he crouched down on one leg and moved his hand over his unsheathed sword, making the oddest sound with his breathing. Shoichi stared at the tensed boy in front of in shock but also with wonder. How could Zenitsu say all those things about him being too weak to fight? What he saw in front of him was a strong and dependable swordsman.

Just as Shoichi realized this, Zenitsu finally spoke.

"Thunder Breathing First Style, Thunderclap and Flash…"

And before Shoichi could even blink, Zenitsu moved. He was much too fast for Shoichi to follow but when Zenitsu had finally stopped, all Shoichi could do was gasp. The monster's head was no longer attached to its head and was instead slowly rolling on the ground behind its body, coming to a stop at Zenitsu's feet. When it touched him, it seemed like whatever was keeping Zenitsu asleep finally released its hold on him because as soon as the heard made contact with his feet, Zenitsu screeched loudly, jumping back in pure terror.

Only, something was different….

Zenitsu was no longer wearing his mask.

"Ahh!" Zenistu screamed, pointing at the dying monster. "What's going on?! How did it die?!"

Slowly, Zenistu looked up at Shoichi, his expression quickly switching from confusion and fear to pure gratitude. Before Shoichi could even respond, Zenitsu launched forward to the boy, wrapping his arms around his waist.

"Oh, Shoichi! You saved me, didn't you! Even though I told you to run, you still stayed and fought for me! I had no idea you were so strong! I won't ever forget your kindness!"

Shoichi shook his head in a daze. "Zenitsu-san, you're…"

He paused and turned to the side, finding Zenitsu's mask lying on the ground. It was not damaged thankfully, but given how Zenitsu had been wearing it this whole time, it must have been extremely important to him.

However, now that it was no longer on Zenitsu's face, Shoichi could finally see what the older boy looked like.

And surprisingly, the monster was correct in what it called Zenitsu. Behind his mask was strikingly bright yellow eyes with dark slits in the center of each pupil and fangs in his mouth that seemed razor sharp.

Zenitsu, indeed, was a monster too.

But strangely, this only made Shoichi feel at ease. He was not like the monster that had taken his older brother or like the one that had died right in front of him from Zenitsu's blade. Despite all his whining and crying over his weakness as a swordsman, Zenitsu was very kind and dependable. And those special traits seemed to only make Shoichi stare at the older boy in wonder.

He was not scared of Zenitsu. No, far from that.

He was amazed by him.

"Agh! My mask!" Zenitsu screeched, taking his arms off Shoichi and quickly covering his face as best as he could with his shaking hands. Shoichi realized that Zenitsu didn't want to see his face. It didn't take Zenitsu too long to find his mask and when he did, he readily fastened back on over his face and looked back at Shoichi to apologize for his ugly appearance.

"Zenitsu-san," Shoichi said quietly, forgoing the idea to ask any of the questions he now had about Zenitsu's appearance. He could tell that Zenitsu was uncomfortable and even frightened at what Shoichi would do next. Shoichi was not going to put him in a position to answer all his new questions. He couldn't do that to him.

So, instead, Shoichi took a step forward and gently took Zenitsu's hand into his.

"Thank you." Shoichi breathed with all the gratitude he now had for Zenitsu.

Zenitsu stared back at him in silence for a few seconds before erupting into a loud sob. The older boy wrapped his arms around Shoichi, sniffling and crying while thanking Shoichi for not being scared of him and saving him. Shoichi didn't have the heart to tell Zenitsu who had really saved them, but he was contempt with allowing Zenitsu to know that he was not afraid of him.

Zenitsu may be a monster, but as the older boy continued to sob, Shoichi started to understand that Zenitsu was more human than any monster he had so far seen.

And that fact made Shoichi realize that Zenitsu was just as a nice older brother as Tanjiro was.

Now if only Zenitsu would calm down so they could continue looking for Tanjiro and his two other siblings.

A/N: The next update will be in two weeks. Look forward to a certain boar making his appearance.