Doom & Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Xover

Chapter 28

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Zenitsu was currently wasting away in another apartment he had found. His money and rations were growing thin and his eyes were baggy from how little sleep he had gotten in the last couple days. The events of that day still flashed through his mind. All of the headless bodies and Kaigaku's words haunted him. He was disappointed in himself as always, he was too scared to stop his comrade and allowed his neighbors to be cut down like animals. Zenitsu wasn't sure how much more of this life he could handle, however, a Kasugai Sparrow (Zenitsu' assigned bird) made its presence known as it stormed in through the window while carrying a rolled up letter. Chuntaro, the sparrow, was immediately disgusted at the hideous smell of Zenitsu' room as it was barely kept with food and unwashed clothes everywhere. Zenitsu barely uttered the bird's name but the Sparrow indicated to the letter on its back. The boy reached for the letter and opened it up, surprised by the fact that they would still send him a Kasugai Crow despite him leaving the Demon Slayer corps. As he opened the letter and began to read it, his heart sank into his stomach and his eyes widened in disbelief of what he was reading:

Zenitsu's former master, Jigoro Kuwajima, has been killed by Kaigaku. The former demon slayer has been confirmed to be a demon now and targeted the old man. The remains are still being cleaned up as they speak.

Zenitsu's head rested against the wall as he felt everything stop. He couldn't believe it, everything got worse. The only other person he cared about is now dead, there's no one left. The realization hit even worse when the boy understood that it was his own fault. Had he mustered the strength to stop his classmate then and there, his master would still be alive. None of this would've happened if Zenitsu wasn't the failure that he was. It's because of Zenitsu that a former demon slayer has joined the demon ranks and is killing everyone in the name of his own sense of justice and there's nothing he could do about it. He's worthless as a demon slayer. The boy curled up and bawled his eyes out upon reading the news. Chuntaro could only feel terrible for being the one to deliver the unfortunate news to the boy.

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Tanjiro's eyelids cracked open only to be met with the harsh rays of the sun intruding into his sight. He couldn't block it out with his hands as they were bound behind him with a rope. He was forced to look away so he could adjust to the current setting and realized he was in front of the Demon Slayer Headquarters where he faced his previous trial along with the Hellwalker. That's right, he was talking with Murata before that Hashira swooped in and killed Murata before taking Tanjiro prisoner. The boy couldn't help but ponder over Murata's words, were demons and humans more alike than he was led to assume? Has he treated them too harshly for the longest time? He mentioned Daki's bloodlust and taste for murder, but when it comes down to it, Tanjiro was the exact same way with demons. Both sides, demons and human alike, have the strong desire to destroy the other. Why? Why is it like that? Murata said that humans gave them no choice, but at the same time, the demons did the same exact thing. Both sides influence each other's hatred so what's correct? Who's right and who's wrong?

Tanjiro looked around and noticed all of the Hashira lined up in a straight line in front of the headquarters where their master stood last time. Some were sitting in the dark while others stood in the light. Everyone was there, including Renoku who had a solemn expression as he sat within the shadows. The man was in a much better condition (physically) than a couple weeks ago which means the man was making a swift recovery. Uzui stood proud and Shinobu looked unnerved. Tanjiro did a quick sweep of the garden and found Kanao also present, although she was further away from everyone else, spectating the events. She gasped upon being discovered but gave a little wave to the boy who smiled upon seeing her. Uzui spoke up, "What's with the smile, Kamado? You're about to be under trial for the second time. Doesn't this upset you?"