Disclaimer: Demon Slayer is not mine. This fanfic is a translation.
Enjoy Reading!
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The tree that was struck by lightning was charred and smoky.
On the tree, there was a blond boy with arms around the tree trunk; his mouth emitted smoke, and his eyes rolled back in his head as he moaned unconsciously.
"cough, cough..."
White smoke rose from his body too, and the tears that he had shed were evaporated by the lightning. Slowly, his grip weakened as he slipped down due to gravity.
His whole body free-fell and landed heavily toward the ground.
'...struck by lightning...'
'...what a sad life...'
'...am I going to die like this...?'
The boy's vague consciousness wandered... a great sorrow suddenly overwhelmed him, but the tears wouldn't come out of his eyes.
'...I didn't have a girlfriend yet...'
Bam!
His body finally hit the ground with his limbs and feet straight up in the air.
"Zenitsu!"
An old man with a peach wood cane shouted the boy's name. His hair was all white, and a scar adorned his face. A worried look on his face as he finally reacts as the boy hits the ground.
The old man walked as quickly as he could with his bad leg. As he arrived beside the boy's body, the old man threw aside his cane and cradled Zenitsu in his arms.
"Zenitsu! Can you still hear me!?"
The old man squatted down and checked Zenitsu's body with his eyes and ears. He was a little flustered because this is the first time he had seen a person being struck by lightning.
His gaze lingered on Zenitsu's head for a second.
The boy's hair color... has changed! From a brunette to a blonde color! And rapidly so!
The old man stared in horror, and a bad premonition settled in his heart.
'This child... he's not very smart! I pray his brain won't be damaged by this incident!'
'What should I do!'
Looking at Zenitsu's stiff body, the old man didn't dare to move him without knowing his condition first.
"Cough..." Zenitsu coughed unconsciously, and puffs of smoke kept coming out of it.
The old man bent down and placed his ear on Zenitsu's chest, trying to listen to the boy's heartbeat.
After a while, finding that Zenitsu's heart was still beating strong, the old man breathed a long sigh of relief.
He sat back helplessly as adrenaline finally left his body. He patted Zenitsu on the head.
"It's good that you're not dead, truly..."
No sooner than that, the sound of footsteps running quickly came from the old man's right.
His ears twitched, and his hand subconsciously reached for the peach cane on the ground beside him. His vigilance was heightened to the maximum.
"Kuwajima!"
Until the familiar shout that leaves Kuwajima Jigoro bewildered.
"Sakonji?!" After seeing the man that ran in his direction, with his tengu mask on his face, Jigoro was caught off guard.
Using his cane to support his body, Jigoro blinked his eyes as he saw another man arrive next to Sakonji.
"How did you get here?" He asked confusedly.
Tanjuro takes a second to soak in Jigoro's full appearance. The man was old with a mustache that belonged to an old villain in television. His height was the shortest among the three of them, and his right leg was supported with a wooden prosthetic.
This is [Thunder Breathing Instructor, Kuwajima Jigoro]
A fellow former Hashira.
In his prime, he bore the title of "The Strongest Slayer in the Demon Slayer Corps" and had the same influence as Himejima Gyomei does now.
He retired after losing his right leg in battle.
Jigoro and Sakonji were once partners in their slaying days.
Then, Tanjuro moved his gaze to where the unconscious body lay behind Jigoro.
Agatsuma Zenitsu.
The genius of Thunder Breathing that Jigoro took in and trained.
And it seems the poor child was struck by lightning that he had lost control over.
'Sorry.'
Tanjuro apologized in his heart and saw that Zenitsu's hair was changing from brunette to golden blonde from the top of his head to his bangs.
Though vaguely... he recalled that in the original timeline, Zenitsu was also struck by lightning sometime in his backstory.
Tanjuro couldn't help but scratch his cheek awkwardly. His gaze shifted from the boy to the sky above.
Is this... the inevitability of fate?
Beside Tanjuro, Sakonji also quickly took in the situation before him, looking at Zenitsu's critical condition.
He hesitantly looked back at Tanjuro and Zenitsu. He was a little confused right now.
From his perspective, that lightning bolt struck really near where Tanjuro was located.
But the result of said strike...
'Is it a coincidence?' Sakonji glanced at Tanjuro, who was awkwardly scratching his cheek.
Sakonji decided to put this matter in the back of his mind and concentrate on the present.
"I saw the lightning strike and thought you were nearby, so I came to check on you."
"Oh, I see."
Jigoro looked a little tired. "As you can see..." He turned his worried look to Zenitsu.
"This child, he's my apprentice." He said and looked at the two men anxiously.
"This unlucky kid, he needs medical help...could you help me?"
"Let me do it." Tanjuro stepped forward and gently lifted Zenitsu to his back.
Jigoro snapped out of his tiredness as he saw Tanjuro lifting Zenitsu. He turned to Sakonji to ask, "Who is this guy?"
As comrades-in-arms for many years, Sakonji understands the intent of the question.
"This is Kamado Tanjuro-san." Sakonji explained. "He's the swordsman who repelled the Upper Moon One in the recent news across the Corps some time ago."
Jigoro was stunned by this information. Because the man before him does not emit any aura that says he is a powerful swordsman, it's like the man doesn't exist.
"Is it really him?"
After making sure Zenitsu was comfortable on Tanjuro's back, the group followed Jigoro and returned to his residence in the peach forest.
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-Location: Gyomei's Residence-
Himejima Gyomei lived in a house that looked like a temple.
His strong figure was standing at the door that was a little small for his body.
After finishing his mission report and submitting it, Gyomei was busy with other trivial matters in the Corps. After all, two Upper Moon demons have died, which is major news.
Gyomei finally had some time to rest in his home.
"Amitabha." His hands were clasped together as he chanted scriptures. The tears on his face seemed to have never dried.
He reached out and gently pulled open the door, his movement careful as if he was afraid to make too much noise.
Squeak.
But inevitably, the wooden door made a sound anyway.
"Meow, meow~"
The small sound of a cat waking up was heard in the house.
In the living room, where Gyomei put away his monk robe, there was a small lump moving underneath.
"Meow."
The cat's small white head poked out from under the robe. It curiously looked toward the door with its azure blue eyes unblinking.
"Sorry I'm late." Gyomei walked in and closed the door.
He has no time to say anything as the cat runs toward him and jumps into his arms.
Then, he took some food from his pockets and crushed it with water before feeding it to the kitten.
Gyomei gently stroked the cat, and a sincere smile appeared on his face.
However, he was stroking the kitten.
Gyomei suddenly froze.
Because for some reason, his blind eyes can see through the kitten's body. Through its muscles, heart, and brain.