A/N: I don't think any apology I make will explain why I didn't update in February. Too much happened with college, work and my health that I lost the motivation to write this chapter. When I finally found my motivation last month, quarantine happened and I became busy trying to balance college online at home while trying to stay positive after my study abroad trip to Paris was cancelled. Its been way too long and for that I am sorry. I won't say much other than I will try to get the next chapter out soon. I am not abandoning this story. Also, a huge thank you for all the support over these last two months. Every follow, favorite, review did not go unnoticed, so thank you!

Lazerwolf2000: Oh yes, Zenitsu is definitely stronger than before, but his internal fears are holding him back from making that realization.

Qween of Troll: Zenitsu needs all the hugs he can get. He's been through a lot so far.

YJV: Indeed.

Yagami Kazuki: Thank you!

Mopola: Agree.

Kyunlei: Thank you! I've planned more wholesome interactions between the three with Inosuke included just being himself. I think the interaction Zenitsu has with the Kamado siblings is what everyone has generally liked so far.

NotCold361: Thank you! And while Zenitsu is not like Nezuko with her rare ability to survive without human blood, I will say he will have a demon blood art. It's a bit too soon to reveal what it is, but be sure to look forward to it in the future.

Aldojuhansifa: I'm sorry I didn't know what a fujoshi was until I looked it up. Unless I have any pairings tagged, don't expect anything like that.

Spacedaddy42: Aww thank you! And oh yeah, Inosuke definitely will come around. As for Zenitsu's moment with Nezuko, it was something I really enjoyed writing. I plan for more moments like this in the future to write.

Chapter 7

"Hold up!" Zenitsu called out frantically to the two running in front of him. "Could you guys please wait!"

Both Zenitsu's companions ceased their movement and turned back to Zenitsu, surprise noticeable in both of their sounds. While Inosuke showed no visible emotion with his mask being currently on, apprehension immediately crossed Tanjiro's face. Zenitsu felt his stomach drop knowing that he was making Tanjiro worry about him again.

"What's wrong, Zenitsu?" Tanjiro asked patiently, his voice filled with pure concern over his well being. It sickened Zenitsu that Tanjiro was more worried about him than the dark looming forest in front of them.

He really wished the three of them could have stayed longer at the old monster lady's house. Being able to relax and not worry about fighting demons was nice and comforting. Sure Zenitsu had to hide his condition from the old lady, but she still treated him kindly. In fact, she never bothered him to take off his mask. She let the trio stay for weeks, providing them meals and lodging, never expecting anything in return. How could Zenitsu want to leave such a place in which he was safe and well-tended to?

But they did and it was all thanks to Tanjiro's annoying crow. A day after Tanjiro and Inosuke had been checked and officially cleared by the doctor, the crow had decided to give them their next order: they were all to head to a place called Natagumo Mountain. While Zenitsu had never heard of the mountain before, he knew that it was certainly another demon's nest. That was all the crow ever sent them to. And the crow ordered them to head to the mountain without any further delay. It was a wonder how he was able to follow Tanjiro and Inosuke without breaking down in fear after the old monster lady had bid them goodbye with a ritual for good luck for their next dangerous mission.

Well almost. Here he was now sitting on the ground, trembling at the creepy vibe he was getting from the mountain in front of them. How could Tanjiro and Inosuke not see that the mountain was a place they shouldn't dare enter? Even Chuntaro, the sparrow given to him by Tamayo, was admonishing him for his fear by pecking the back of his neck from inside the scarf she had buried herself into, the place she had come to like to stay in beside the top of his head. He disliked how the not so loyal sparrow was adamant on making him follow Tanjiro and Inosuke to complete their mission. He could hear too many ominous sounds coming from inside it. The mountain was crawling with something evil.

"Why the hell is he sitting?" Inosuke grumbled in irritation from inside his boar mask as he looked over to Zenitsu. "You're pissing me off."

"I don't want to hear that from you pig-head!" Zenitsu snapped, ignoring another peck from Chuntaro and raising his shaky index finger at the other. "If anything, I should be the one pissed off! It's clear that I'm the only normal one here who can tell that mountain is scary! We shouldn't go inside it!"

Both boys silently stared back at Zenitsu and turned to the looming mountain in the distance. Zenitsu could have sworn that the clouds above the mountain were abnormally darker now. It was a sure obvious sign of the danger looming inside the mountain. The longer Zenitsu gazed at the foreboding clouds, the more his body began to tremble. Why couldn't the three of them just turn away from this mission?

"Zenitsu," Tanjiro said gently as he turned back to his trembling friend. "I know you're scared, but we can't sit here. There might be others inside that need our help. We can't leave them alone."

Zenitsu clamped his mouth shut, eyes slowly moving solemnly down at the ground in pure shame. Tanjiro was not like his grandfather when it came to scolding. While his grandfather would scold him by whacking him with his cane until he was sure the lesson was drilled into Zenitsu's head, Tanjiro would simply scold him with just his words. And Tanjiro was patient and gentle with his scolding, always making sure his words never emotionally hurt the other. Sure Tanjiro never spoke harshly to hurt Zenitsu, but it still hurt to be scolded by him. The last thing Zenitsu wanted to do was let down the red-headed boy. If only he could be as strong as Tanjiro and Inosuke.

As Zenitsu felt the desire to cry again over his lack of courage, a sound of pain suddenly reached Zenitsu's ears. He whipped his head up in time to see Tanjiro already bolting to the mountain with Inosuke not too far behind. Not wanting to be left behind, Zenitsu reluctantly got up and followed, ignoring the loud chirps of Chuntaro from behind his neck. He was sure the sparrow was telling him to pick up his pace. Zenitsu came to a stop behind Tanjiro, quickly hiding behind him as he gazed down at what was slowly crawling out of the mountain. It was a black-haired boy. The boy wore a black uniform, an indication that he was a demon slayer, but he was heavily wounded. Once the struggling boy noticed the trio, he shakily called out to them, blood splattering to the ground from his mouth as he spoke.

"Help…. me…" the boy helplessly begged, tears running down his cheeks as he tried to reach slowly forward to the trio with his hand. "Save… me…"

"Are you alright?!" Tanjiro called out, not wasting a second to run forward to the wounded boy. "What happened?!"

However, before Tanjiro's hand could reach out to the other, the wounded boy was suddenly yanked back to the mountain by an unseen force. The boy disappeared beyond the trees as his desperate screams for help trailed off in the distance. The only thing that remained was the eerily silence. Zenitsu stared wide-eyed at the entrance, his body too shocked to make any movement besides gape in pure horror. The heavily wounded boy had been pulled back by something after nearly making it out of the mountain. If the three entered the mountain, would the same happen to them? If they tried to escape, would they be pulled back into the mountain's clutches, never to see another light of day?

"I'm going."

Zenitsu blinked in shock at the calmness of Tamjiro's bold statement, turning to the red-haired boy in disbelief. Inosuke wasted no time to react to Tanjiro's remark and took a step forward, slightly shoving Tanjiro to the side with his shoulder. He placed his hands over his blades, turning to the other with excitement that buzzed from his chaotic sound. Couldn't the guy at least show some fear at what was inside?

"I shall be the Vanguard!" Inosuke guffawed, his voice filled with pride. "You can just bring your trembling buttocks and follow me. I'm hungry to fight another demon."

"Y-you can't be serious…" Zenitsu muttered, his voice cracking up from the overwhelming fear. Tanjiro turned back to him and landed his calming red eyes at Zenitsu's trembling form, a frown slowly finding its way to his face. Gently, he called out to the frightened yellow-haired boy.

"Zenitsu, let's go inside together."

"I-I can't Tanjiro," Zenitsu answered, ignoring the way Inosuke's sound grew louder with irritability at his reluctance to barge into the mountain as well.

"I'm not strong like you and Inosuke. A demon won't waste its breath on me, but I know I will make a mistake and it will cost you your life. You'll get eaten because of my weakness. I-I can't do that to you."

Tanjiro tilted his head in confusion, but smiled, his lips faintly curling up in gratitude. He walked forward and took Zenistu's hand into his, catching the yellow-haired boy off guard.

"Zenitsu," Tanjiro said, his voice steady, but gentle. "Please don't say that. You are strong. I'm grateful that you don't want me and Inosuke to get hurt, but I don't want you to stay here alone."

Tanjiro's hold gripped tighter as he spoke once more.

"There's nothing to be afraid of. Zenitsu, you have to trust me that anything you do will never hurt me or Inosuke. Let's be brave together, okay?"

Zenitsu wanted to deny Tanjiro's words. He truly wanted to, but the truth was he couldn't. He couldn't refute anything. Even though he could feel the anxiety and fear bubbling up in his chest, he knew he couldn't let these things stop him. Not when Tanjiro was waiting for him to enter the mountain together with him and Inosuke. How could he let Tanjiro down when the red-haired boy had consoled him and offered him his support. It wouldn't be right to let Tanjiro go by himself now, especially with someone as barbaric as Inosuke.

That was why Zenitsu decided to take Tanjiro's hand and allowed the other to lead him to the mountain's entrance.

The three ran through the dark forest, crossing over shrubs and logs that littered the ground on their path. Soon their path also began to become littered with spiderwebs, too many for Zenitsu to want to continue to ignore. There was no doubt in Zenitsu's mind that the spiderwebs were connected to a demon. He felt hand gripped tighter onto Tanjiro's haori at this thought when he heard a rustle from a bush to his left. He stopped and turned along with Tanjiro and Inosuke to find a dark-haired boy with his back towards them wearing the demon slayer uniform. Zenitsu almost let out a sigh of relief at the sight of the boy, but one quick look at the boy's trembling form made him pause in thought. The higher-ups from the Demon Slayer Corps wouldn't have sent this boy by himself, would they?

Tanjiro was the first to walk forward to the dark-haired boy, giving him a gentle tap to his cheek. The dark-haired boy immediately went rigid in response and whirled to face the the trio, his hand already gripping the hilt of his sword ready to attack. However, once he realized that it was, in fact, a human and not a demon in front of him, the boy slowly relaxed, but Zenitsu could tell that the boy was still on edge.

"I'm Kamado Tanjiro." Tanjiro politely greeted, as he gestured to both Inosuke and Zenitsu. "And this is Hashibara Inosuke and Agatsuma Zenitsu. We're rank 10 and here for support."

"R-rank 10?" The boy sputtered, his face quickly going deathly pale at those words. He clenched his teeth, his shoulders shaking in terror.

"Why didn't they send a pillar?! The result will be the same, no matter how many level 10s come! It's pointless for you three to be here!"

A clenched fist suddenly flew to the boy's nose, slamming it to his face with a deafening snap. Zenitsu flinched from the abrupt sound, taking a step back in fright as Tanjiro sprung forward to elevate the situation, but Inosuke completely ignored any attempt Tanjiro made to pull him away from the black-haired boy. Inosuke roughly grabbed a fistful of the dark-haired boy's hair and pulled him harshly forward to his mask, his unmoving eyes staring back at the poor bloody-nosed boy.

"So annoying!" Inosuke grumbled with irritation from underneath his mask. He shook the boy in his grasp, pointing at him with his finger.

"If you keep insisting that things are pointless, then your very existence is pointless! We're here now, so just accept that, you coward! Make yourself useful and explain the situation!"

Knowing that if he didn't speak, Inosuke would give him another punch to his face, the trembling black-haired quickly explained the situation. He and a group of ten other demon slayers had received a command from their crows to enter the mountain. However, not long after entering the mountain, the group of demon slayers turned on each other and began to kill each other with their swords. They all struggled initially, trying to not draw their swords on each other, but their efforts were all in vain. The black-haired boy had watched as all his comrades killed each other mercilessly, while all he could do was watch in horror. Somehow, he had been able to escape and hide, but he had been the only one left. At least until Tanjiro and the others had found him.

"They were forced to kill each other?" Tanjiro questioned after the black-haired boy had finished his explanation. He lowered his gaze to the ground in thought as Inosuke finally released the black-haired boy's hair.

"D-do you think it was a demon? There's no way comrades would turn on each other, right?" Zenitsu asked, turning to Tanjiro with apprehension.

The red-haired slowly nodded at his comment but didn't answer. It frightened Zenitsu at the possibility that any of them could turn on each other with their blades. Maybe he wouldn't mind giving a good punch to Inosuke, but he didn't want to ever imagine himself sinking his sword into Tanjiro's body. How could anyone want to hurt the one that protected them? It was not something Zenitsu believed he could do.

"Ah!" The black-haired boy in front of them gasped, pointing at the bushes behind the three boys. The trio turned, their bodies becoming tensed at what they saw. Another demon slayer was slowly walking to them, his feet treading as the leaves and twigs underneath him crackled, but there was no sign of life in his blank unmoving eyes. Although he moved with each step he took, his limbs moved awkwardly, like a puppet being pulled on strings.

The boy was nothing more than a walking corpse.

And soon enough, more bodies of demon slayers appeared from behind the first corpse, all gripping tightly onto their bloody swords with blank eyes. Zenitsu was surprised to hear that some of them were alive, but their heartbeats were barely audible. They were going to fade away soon. It was horrible to realize that the demon slayers that were still alive could only see themselves kill another, having no way to free themselves from the demon that had them under its control.

It was a terrible thing to see before death.

"Zenitsu, move!"

Zenitsu widened his eyes and felt a calloused hand grab his arm, pulling him back as a sword struck the air where he had been standing. Trembling, he stared back at the corpse that tried to kill him, it's blank eyes staring coldly right back. The unfocused eyes were quickly blocked by Tanjiro's form. The red-haired boy unsheathed his sword and positioned his arm in front of Zenitsu, staring back determinedly at the wave of corpses in front of them.

"Ahahaha!" Inosuke laughed loudly nearby, his voice crackling from excitement. He evaded a swipe from a sword that had been aimed at his chest and followed with another dodge as another demon slayer moved forward to swipe at his neck. The pig-masked boy continued to dodge each attack with glee, until he finally kicked himself from the ground to land beside Tanjiro, positioning himself in front of the other.

"This bunch of people are idiots! Don't they know that it is forbidden for members to kill each other!"

"You can't say that you pig-head!" Zenitsu snapped from behind Tanjiro, pointing at the other with irritation. "You nearly killed me weeks ago!"

Inosuke didn't answer, but Zenitsu could have sworn he heard a pang of regret from Inosuke's rowdy heartbeat. He figured that he only imagined it. From the few weeks they spent together at the monster lady's house, Inosuke had proven what kind of guy he was. He was prideful, arrogant, and always itching for a fight. Still, Zenitsu had to admit there were times in which Inosuke would become oddly silent every time the monster lady offered him something pleasant like food. It had to mean Inosuke was learning how to be grateful. Hopefully.

"Inosuke, their movements are very strange! I think their movements are being controlled by a demon!" Tanjiro shouted, managing to block two strikes with his sword.

"Alright! Then I'll just chop them in half right now!" Inosuke replied back, waving his swords to the sky in affirmation.

Zenitsu widened his eyes and took a step forward, wanting to scold Inosuke more than anything at his lack of empathy for their comrades. How could he say that when some of the demon slayers were still alive? They didn't deserve to be chopped up to pieces when their bodies were not even under their control. And there was also the fact that they shouldn't even harm the demon slayers that were already gone. Their bodies deserved to be saved without any further harm more than anything now. He couldn't stomach the idea of burying the corpses in pieces.

"You can't chop them in pieces!" Zenitsu shouted, gritting his teeth in fury. "Some of them are still alive! And you can't harm the ones that are dead!"

"Fine Monitsu!" Inosuke grumbled in reply from underneath his mask, the sound of his rowdy heartbeat roaring in frustration.

"Ah!" The sound of their black-haired senpai's scream rang from behind.

Zenitsu watched as Tanjiro and Inosuke sprang to action, racing forward to their senpai and saving the poor boy from his two attackers. They brought both attackers to the ground, keeping the struggling corpses down. As Tanjiro twisted the corpse's arm back, Zenitsu caught onto something glittering in the moonlight attached to the corpse's back. It was much too thin to make out in the pure darkness, but he could see it now that he was close enough to the struggling corpse.

There were thin silver wires attached to the corpse's back.

And judging from Tanjiro's widened eyes, he had seen the same thing.

With a quick swipe from Tanjiro's sword, the struggling corpse was released from the wires stuck to his back, falling to the ground with a deafening thud. The body no longer twitched in movement, staying perfectly still. It had been freed.

"It's the wires!" Tanjiro shouted, looking back up from the fallen corpse. "They're being controlled by the wires! It's on their backs!"

"I've already figured that out!" Inosuke retorted, much too prideful to be beaten by Tanjiro. He jumped to action and quickly cut the remaining threads that were attached to the rest of their comrades. Once freed, the bodies all fell lifelessly to the ground around them, no longer at their tormentor's control. Zenitsu stared at the bodies with remorse, glad that the battle ended quickly with no further casualties or further damage to the bodies. No one deserved what they had been put through, being pulled with wires like puppets to do a demon's bidding. He was glad that they all were finally freed. Still, what kind of demon were they facing that had this kind of ability? Was it a demon that served directly under Kibutsuji?

As Zenitsu pondered over this, a sharp sound from his left made his body go rigid. Something small had jumped onto him, too small and barely noticeable. He was sure he wouldn't have heard it without his sensitive ears. Zenitsu quickly turned to see what had crawled onto his hand when he felt something yank it harshly upward, so forceful that it made him yelp out in pain. He tried to move his hand back down to his side, but the glittering silver wires that were now attached to his hand would not budge. They continued to pull his hand upward, a war that Zenitsu knew he would lose his arm for if he did not do anything in the next second.

"Zenitsu!"

Zenitsu nearly yelped again as a black sword came into his peripheral vision, swiftly swiping at the wires and freeing his hand with a snap. Zenitsu wasted no time to bring his hand to his chest, inspecting it for any injuries. While it was covered with the bandages he used for protection from the sun, it didn't mean he was protected from all other things.

Still, it looked like his hand was okay for now.

Wait, what was crawling by his feet?

"Aah!" Zenitsu cried, latching onto Tanjiro's arm in terror, his feet moving rather clumsily to dodge the eight-legged creatures that moved around below him. "There are spiders everywhere!"

"They must be linked to the people controlled by the wires," Tanjiro added, turning back to the corpses that were getting back up from the ground.

Zenitsu felt his chest tightened at the sound of regret that resounded from Tanjiro's heartbeat. Even if he wasn't to blame, Tanjiro still felt guilty for their comrades' situation. Tanjiro was kind, too kind to ever not feel guilty for things that were beyond his control. It felt wrong to Zenitsu for Tanjiro to want to shoulder everything-especially their comrades' bodies' lost of freedom.

"Cutting the wires won't work!" Tanjiro shouted at Inosuke and their black-haired senpai. "The spiders will reattach the wires!"

"Then let's kill all these spiders!" Inosuke retorted, already crushing the few that had managed to crawl near his feet.

"No, Inosuke! The spiders are too tiny and there is a large amount of them! We must find the demon controlling the spiders!" Tanjiro explained as he dodged a deadly swing from one of the corpses, taking its attention away from Zenitsu.

"Inosuke, if you are able to locate the demon with precision, then-"

A sound from up above suddenly emerged painstakingly resounding in Zenitsu's ears, contorted with cruelty and arrogance. The longer he listened, the more Zenitsu felt the panic begin to hammer in his abdomen, too unrelenting to stop. His breathing became more rapid and more shallow as the tension quickly spread to his face and limbs, his mind much too occupied with the realization of why the sound made him want to desperately run and hide. The sound was different in every few beats it made, but he recognized the same contorted pitch he heard the day he had been transformed to a demon.

The sound belonged to a Demon Moon.

Zenitsu's head spun as he dared to look above, his body already taking a step backward by Tanjiro's side. The demon stood above them on two thin wires that crossed under his feet. He was much shorter than Zenitsu had expected from a Demon Moon, a child nonetheless, but the sound from his heartbeat exemplified his power. He wore a yukata that had a cobweb pattern on the bottom and was pale white with red dots styled all over his face, his hair styled in a spider-like haircut that covered his left eye. The pale blue eye of his iris residing in crimson red sclera narrowed in disdain and annoyance. Although once the child demon's eyes landed directly onto him, Zenitsu saw a flash of emotion from the only visible eye. He immediately felt his chest tightened in terror, his hand clasping onto Tanjiro's arm, seeking the comfort of Tanjiro's heartbeat to keep him upright. He was terrified of the way the demon's one eye had looked at him.

"Don't disturb our clan's peaceful life here," the demon child said, his voice soft and yet instilled with authority and power despite his small stature. "Because you will all be killed by Mother in the next few moments."

The demon paused and his visible eye landed on Zenitsu's form once again.

"Except for you."

Before Zenitsu could react to the demon child's words, his body was suddenly yanked back, pulled away from Tanjiro into the thick vegetation behind. His desperate cries of help were useless. He could not fight the unseen force that had attached itself to his back and so easily pulled him away. All he could do was watch helplessly as Tanjiro tried to come to his aid only to be blocked by the wave of corpses that sprung forward to attack. Breath ragged and harsh, Zenitsu watched as Tanjiro, Inosuke, and even his black-haired senpai disappeared from his view, being replaced with the trees and bushes that littered the mountain. He hissed in pain as each branch that stood behind him whacked against his body, sending flares of pain to every limb. It seemed like whatever had latched onto him and pulled him back did not care about his well being. Zenitsu almost gave a sigh of relief once the constant torrent of whacks stopped, but it came with the realization that he had finally come to a stop. Ears ringing, he moved his head around, shakily taking in his new surroundings.

Zenitsu was now in a clearing, suspended in the air by the wires that had most likely snatched him away from his companions. There were wires attached to every limb and Zenitsu was sure to his back as well, prohibiting him from making any movement. The only thing he could move was his head. He felt slight movement from his the back of his neck, most likely belonging to Chuntaro. He could hear the sparrow chirping softly. Zenitsu was glad that the sparrow was with him. He had no idea how much more terrified he would be if he was alone. Listening to the sparrow's worried chirps, Zenitsu allowed himself to look around once more, his eyes finally looking up above where a lone wooden house stood, kept above by the wires that were attached to all around it. Bodies of demon slayers surrounded the wooden structure as well, tied by the same wires that were now attached to him.

Zenitsu stared at the bodies with wide eyes, his breathing becoming rapid with panic. Some of the bodies were normal, but there were those that had shrunken bodies and spider legs that replaced the limbs. He nearly gasped as his ears began to listen without his permission to the heartbeat inside the wooden structure. It was not as excruciating to listen to as the demon child's heartbeat, but the sound still belonged to a malevolent demon nonetheless. And it was slowly making its way down towards him.

Pure terror surged through Zenitsu's veins upon the sight of the demon that descended from the house. It was a giant spider with a human head and it was sadistically smirking back at him. The demon slowly made its stop in front of him, it's sound nearly sending Zenitsu reeling in shock from its proximity. It was a wonder how his ears haven't bled yet from all the contorted sounds he had been forced to hear since entering the mountain. It was all too much for his sensitive ears.

"Kufuu… What do we have here? A new demon hunter to join my collection of slaves?"

The demon smiled widely, twisted in the way he curled his lips, sending another wave of terror down Zenitsu's spine. He wanted to escape, but he knew the demon would laugh at his struggle. And even then, he was sure he didn't have the courage or strength to run.

"No, that can't be it." The demon muttered oddly with satisfaction. "That weak mother wouldn't have you my way with her threads if you were just another demon hunter, not with Rui watching. Which means…"

The demon moved closer to Zenitsu, nearly an inch away from his face, it's eyes staring back at his trembling form with amusement.

"Rui sent you to me."

Not giving Zenitsu the chance to react, the demon smacked Zenitsu's mask away from his face, ripping away the only source of protection Zenitsu had from both the sun and from any demon that would laugh away at his fear. He gazed back helplessly, completely breathless, as the spider demon took in all his demon features, his wide smile quickly growing by the second.

"Ahahaha! A demon?!" The spider demon erupted with laughter. Two of his furry legs pressed themselves onto Zenitsu's cheeks and forcibly turned his head to the side, further studying his demon features.

"To think a demon hunter would be turned to a demon, the very thing you hunters are sworn to kill. Tell me- how did it feel when those hunters you fought with turned their blades onto you? Did you kill them all before finding your way here?"

"No!" Zenitsu shouted, whipping his head back forward, his eyes glaring back in defiance even though he could feel the salty tears leaking through. He knew he was a demon, but he never would hurt a human, especially a demon slayer. He still wanted to cling to the thought that he still was a member of the Demon Slayer Corps. And as a member, it was forbidden for him to hurt another comrade.

"No?" The demon questioned, the sound of his heartbeat shifting in irritation. He narrowed his eyes and brought his face closer to Zenitsu, eyes glinting coldly back.

"You can't be serious. Are you saying you still consider yourself a demon hunter?" The spider demon spat.

The spider demon raised its leg and pulled onto the wire that was attached to Zenitsu's right arm, yanking it forward harshly. Zenitsu could not keep in the cry of anguish that made its way from his mouth as unbearable heat spread up from his arm to his hand, followed by a loud pop. He could feel his arm slowly reattach itself to its socket, but the constant throbbing could not stop him from squeezing his eyes shut to mask the pain.

"Kufuu… If you were human, you wouldn't have been able to recover so quickly from such an injury." The spider demon's voice resounded with bemusement, obviously enjoying the torment it inflicted upon Zenitsu.

"Quit lying to yourself that you are a demon hunter. It's useless for you to act like you are still one of them. They will kill you if you don't kill them first."

"T-that's not true…" Zenitsu forced himself to reply back, teeth chattering in an effort to keep his jaw still. He could hear the spider demon's sound shifted in pitch at his answer, becoming distorted with deep annoyance. He knew immediately that he had said the wrong thing.

Before Zenitsu could react, the spider demon grabbed onto each wire attached to all four of his limbs and pulled them with such force that it sent Zenitsu reeling back as black spots clouded his vision. He could hear a sharp ringing sound invading his thoughts, becoming louder before it finally stopped with several loud pops. Zenitsu could faintly hear someone screaming in the distance. It wasn't until he felt how hoarse his throat was after the screaming had ceased that he realized he had been the one who had screamed.

Gasping for air, Zenitsu desperately tried to ease the searing pain that emerged from each socket of his limbs. It was aggravating, but he could already feel his body begin to pull each bone back to where they belonged. Still, it came at the expense of his energy. Zenitsu was terrified of the idea of what would become of him if the demon continuously tried to injure him. He was a demon, but a weak one at that. There was only so much his body could handle before it would give up in healing his injuries until he ate more human blood. He had to find a way to escape before that happened.

"Kufufu, you are just as bad as Mother." The spider demon spoke, his voice laced with cruelty. It sickened Zenitsu that the spider demon was enjoying hurting him. Then again, what was Zenitsu supposed to expect from any demon?

"She can't take a hit from Father without breaking down in tears." The demon continued with a slight chuckle, mouth curving upward in thought. "I wonder what kind of human you were. It seems like a coward given how you won't fight back. You're quite useless aren't you?"

The demon leaned closer, a sadistic grin adorned on his face. "But you know? There's nothing to be afraid of. You can devour all the humans you want here. You can even make those demon hunters pay for turning their backs away from you. I know you want that. Even you can't be stupid to understand that. You're their enemy now-their prey. It's only right you pay them back."

Zenitsu swallowed, finding that he couldn't speak. The demon was right about him being a coward. It was the one thing that still stuck even beyond his transformation into a monster. And he hated himself for this. He wanted to be a proper human being and prove that he could save others. And yet, he would run and cry instead at any sight of a demon. And even then, he always had to be saved by someone- from Gramps, Tanjiro, Nezuko, and Shoichi. He couldn't think of a time in which he managed to protect someone else. He was useless, so pathetically useless in what he couldn't do for others.

He never could change.

But the spider demon was wrong about him not having to be afraid. He was still afraid of many things- not knowing if Tanjiro and Inosuke were safe, for all the demon slayers members that were tied up around him, and still for the corpses that he had been forced to leave behind that were probably still being used as puppets. Of all the things he was afraid of, none of his fears directly involved his own safety. Zenitsu didn't have the heart to believe that he mattered anyway.

But the reality that as a demon, he was the Demon Slayer Corps enemy wouldn't sink in. No matter how much the spider demon pushed the idea to him, Zenitsu still wouldn't accept it.

He wanted to change and do things properly, a goal he had long set out for himself after being taken in by Gramps. Since then, his goal had only become muddled by his fears and anxieties, soon becoming impossible for Zenitsu to want to achieve. He had changed, but not the way he wanted. And now, all he could do was try to be a proper human. He knew there were going to be those that would not accept him, especially those from the Demon Slayer Corps. He was taking a gamble staying with Tanjiro and the others. He knew that at any moment, he could be killed for what he had become by any member. There was no denying that they had the right to behead him. It was one of the reasons he had been so frightened at first to leave the disheveled house he had found shelter in before Tanjiro had found him. He had been afraid to face that kind of reality.

But it was different now. There were those that believed in him and didn't see him as a monster. Despite everything, Zenitsu felt more sure than ever that he could never hurt a Demon Slayer Corps member.

After all, he wasn't a proper demon to begin with.

"Kufufuu… Did you finally get it what you are?" The spider demon asked as he leaned forward to Zenitsu. "You must be starving hmm? Since I'm feeling generous, I'll let you kill a few of my slaves. After all, I can always get-"

"Chun!"

Zenitsu widened his eyes as Chuntaro suddenly swooped in from behind him and gorged her beak into the spider demon's left eye, tearing into it with no remorse for the demon. With a flap of her wings, she left the spider demon to pull away and scream at his wound and flew back to Zenitsu's side. Zenitsu watched as the loyal sparrow made haste with the precious time she had obtained and cut through the silver threads attached to Zenitsu with her beak. When the last wire had been finally cut, Zenitsu felt gravity take over and felt his body plummet to the ground below. He landed harshly on his back, not being to stop the tears that made their way down his cheeks at the flare of pain that erupted from his aching back. Despite this, he still pushed his body up from the ground. Being on the ground was better than being immobilized and tormented by the spider demon above him. He was all the more grateful for having Chuntaro there to help him.

"Thank you, Chuntaro," Zenitsu breathed in gratitude, as the small sparrow landed on his shoulder, rubbing her cheek assiduously onto his own cheek. He noticed that the sparrow took special care to not rub the blood that now stained her beak onto him, something that he took gratitude in. The sparrow cooed and took off from his shoulder to the sky, disappearing into the branches of a tree nearby. Although the tiny sparrow was no longer in sight, Zenitsu could hear the sparrow's heart still beating. He had no doubt Chuntaro would rush forward to help him if needed. And although he wanted the sparrow's help, he couldn't imagine what the spider demon would do to the loyal bird if she was seen again. He couldn't stand the idea of seeing another bird being torn to shreds because it tried to save him. He didn't want to see that again.

"What the hell?!" The spider demon spat above him, now glaring down at him with his newly regenerated eye. "Demon or not, you're going to pay for that! Pounce on him!"

Zenitsu's ears screamed at him to move and he did not hesitate to react. With a kick from his legs, he sloppily moved to the right, watching as three spider-like creatures with human heads shot at the spot he had been standing at with a stinger attached to their tongues. He stared at the creatures in horror, recognizing the same features he had seen on some of the demon slayers tied up above him. Was this what the spider demon meant by 'slave'? Is this what he turned any member he managed to catch into? The idea sickened Zenitsu, almost making him reel back from the shock of the realization.

"Ouch!" Zenitsu suddenly cried, pulling his hand away from whatever had bitten him. He looked down, horrified to see that one of the spider-like creatures had snuck up from behind. It stared back at him with empty eyes, mouth opened with its tongue hanging from it as dark purple liquid trickled off the stinger. Zenitsu shakily lifted his hand up to his face, widening his eyes at the sight of the abnormal swelling.

"Kufufu... A demon should heal from poison in a few seconds," the demon said above him with a grin, his eyes glinting with maliciousness. "I've tried with Mother before, but she always recovered before the dizziness set in. However, I've never had a demon injected with my venom more than once. I wonder how much a useless demon like you can take before you succumb to it. Will you lose your brain like my slaves here?"

The spider demon cackled with laughter, his mouth widening with crazed excitement. "I don't think Rui will mind if I have some fun with you. Since you still want to still believe that you're a demon hunter, then I'll make sure you'll suffer like one. Stab him with more venom!"

Zenitsu yelped in terror as his sensitive ears alerted him to move. He clumsily stepped to the side, barely avoiding a pair of stingers that launched out at him. He moved to avoid more of the deadly stingers, but despite his effort, he was not fast enough to avoid all the stingers. He could feel a stinger sink itself deeply into his shoulder with several more not too far behind. He hissed in pain, tumbling to the ground and feeling the cold ground pressed against his face, as his body became paralyzed with terror and panic.

He gritted his teeth and tried to move to get back up, hearing more of the spider-like creatures already pouncing onto him, but his body would not respond. All he could do was scream as more stingers pierced into his skin not being to ignore the crackles of laughter above him taking satisfaction in his suffering. He could feel searing hot pain quickly spread throughout his body, which forcing Zenitsu to squeeze his eyes tightly shut in an effort to cope with the unbearable pain. He tried to move his limbs once more, but his limbs were now too numb to respond to his thoughts. Soon, he realized it didn't matter any longer. He couldn't make a coherent thought with his throbbing head. A crushing pain was pounding against his skull, too unrelenting to stop.

At that moment, Zenitsu knew that there was no possible way for his body to recover.

He gasped for air, already feeling the hot salty tears stream down his cheeks as all his fears instantly weighed down on his conscience. Zenitsu wanted to be protected. He desperately wanted someone to protect him, but Tanjiro, Nezuko, and even Inosuke were not there to help him. Even Chuntaro couldn't help him. No one could.

Zenitsu was utterly alone.

And Zenitsu was not ashamed to realize that he accepted that. It was a fitting end for him really. There was no point for him to even try to fight to live when no one expected him to accomplish anything to begin with. Even as a human, all he ever did was run and cry. Tanjiro assured him countless times that this didn't matter, but Zenitsu knew there was no point in curing a mistake like him. Turning into a demon only seemed to solidify the fact that he was a coward.

Still, he couldn't stop the pang of regret at the idea that wasn't able to protect the ones that had found him. He wanted to protect them just as they have done so for him.

"I'm sorry… Tanjiro, Nezuko-chan…" Zenitsu whispered, his voice barely audible as a wave of dizziness overtook his thoughts.

'I'm sorry I'm not strong enough to protect you guys.'

With those words, Zenitsu allowed his consciousness to fade to the darkness awaiting him, letting himself fall finally to a world of dreams.

Only, it was never over in his dreams…

In his dreams, he could fight.

Omake

"Zenitsu!" Tanjiro screamed, swiftly dodging an attack from a sword that had been aimed at his neck. He moved to follow where Zenitsu had been dragged away to but was promptly stopped by a group of corpses, all aiming their sword at him. He felt his body shake with worry and fury. He was wasting time. The longer he was occupied, the further Zenitsu would be taken. While he had no idea what the demon wanted with Zenitsu, he was not going to waste precious time to save him. He promised he would protect Zenitsu.

"Banchiro, Monitsu will be fine! He's a demon! He'll survive whatever they decide to do to him!" Inosuke shouted from Tanjiro's side, kicking himself from the ground to the air, effectively avoiding the swipe of swords around him.

"But-" Tanjiro started to say, but he was cut off from their senpai.

"A demon?!" Their black-haired senpai called out, his eyes nearly bulging out in terror at Inosuke's words. "You're telling me that guy that was taken was a demon?! Why is he with you two! He could have attacked any of us!"

Tanjiro felt his body go still, his eyes already narrowing at their senpai. He knew that their senpai had every right to be scared of Zenitsu, but it still felt wrong. Zenitsu had proven that he would never hurt anyone. He was kind, always putting others before himself. And for that, Tanjiro instantly wanted to deny their senpai's words. However, before Tanjiro could even get one word out, Inosuke had already rushed forward and slammed his fist into their senpai's face for the second time of the day.

"Oi! Monitsu may be a demon." Inosuke huffed, his voice surprisingly filled with irritation. "but he's our comrade!"

The hotheaded boy grabbed onto a fistful of the boy's hair and pulled him harshly forward to his mask, his unmoving eyes staring coldly back. "So what if Monitsu's a demon! Monitsu is not pointless like you!"

"Please," Tanjiro interrupted as he blocked a strike from a sword from his left. "Zenitsu is not like other demons. He would never hurt us."

The black-haired senpai stared back in silence before releasing a sigh, moving his hand to wipe away a streak of blood that had slowly trickled from his mouth.

"Fine." He replied as Inosuke finally released him. "But you two have some explaining to do."

"Thank you," Tanjiro spoke, grateful for their senpai's agreement to listen. It was not much but it was all he needed for now. On the other note, it was time that they put a stop to the demon that was moving the corpses around them with the wires. They still needed to find Zenitsu.

"Inosuke, can you locate where the demon controlling the wires!" Tanjiro yelled to the pig-headed boy.

"Ah! I get it! Alright!" Inosuke yelled back in annoyance, shaking his swords furiously at Tanjiro. "You're so damn annoying, Banchiro!"

Tanjiro ignored Inosuke's comment and continued his focus on blocking every sword that moved to swipe at him or Inosuke. Too much time had already been wasted and although he knew he shouldn't be impatient helping the corpses around them be set free from the demon controlling them, he wanted to find Zenitsu.

"Found it!" Inosuke roared back, waving his sword boisterously at the thick bushes nearby them.

Tanjiro nodded in gratitude and narrowed his eyes, his eyes locking in the direction Inosuke pointed at.

It was time for them to move.

A/N: Thanks for reading! The next update will be next month.