"Kuwajima Sensei, I need to show you something." Kanae called to him, closing the door behind her
Jigoro hobbled over quickly with an expression full of worry. His cane and prosthetic clacked on the floor as he went.
"Kocho-san! Is he alright?"
"His condition is stable for now." The flower hashira smiled comfortingly. "The road to recovery will be a long but full one."
Jigoro sighed in relief. "Thank you, Lady Kocho. I am indebted to you. That boy... he is more than a student of mine now I suppose."
"Please Sensei, Kanae is just fine and you owe me nothing. I understand completely. My own student is as dear to me as Shinobu. Perhaps we should introduce them in the future?" Kanae replied graciously.
Turning to the door, she continued with seriousness replacing her cheery tone.
"Kuwajima Sensei, as I mentioned before there is something you must see. Please know I'm not accusing you of anything. I trust you didn't do any of it."
"What do you mean, Kanae?" He asked the woman anxiously.
She slid open the door and entered her patient's room. Jigoro followed her, his pace quickening once again.
She led him to the bedside. The sent of herbs grew steadily stronger.
Kanae glanced down at him. "Sensei, do you not know about his scars?"
Gently, she pulled away the blankets to reveal Zenitsu's small pale form. Gauze covered his neck and torso. Some was wrapped around his head as well.
For a moment, Jigoro stared at the shock of yellow hair crowning the boy's head. Kanae singled out one arm to him; holding it with all the care in the world.
A lump formed in the old man's throat at the heartbreaking sight. "Oh... Zenitsu my boy... what did you have to endure?"
Every discolored stripe he examined left a foul taste in his mouth and made his blood boil.
"Poor thing..." the healer whispered sadly as she untangled some knots in the blond hair. "He's quite a trooper."
She paused for a moment.
"I think it is best to not tell Kaigaku-san about this until his emotional state is more stable." She advised the elder.
"I don't think I will tell him at all..." He told her, "Zenitsu didn't wish to share about this yet... I'll leave it up to him."
***
"Ara ara. You are letting your emotions cloud your thoughts. You're getting sloppy." Shinobu half teased as she dodged an angry swing. She danced over the training yard effortlessly, much to Kaigaku's frustration.
"I didn't come out here to win! I came out here to vent!" he shot back. He attacked recklessly, leaving an opening for her to knock him down.
He hissed. His fingers dug into the gravel beneath him. He pulled himself to his feet.
Quicker than he could register, Shinobu kicked his katana out of his grasp.
Enraged, Kaigaku charged at her. She sidestepped while shaking her head.
"This again Kaigaku-san?" she chastised.
"Stop dodging!" he bit behind clenched teeth.
Shinobu caught every fist thrown and blocked every kick until she had enough. The boy launched another punch. She grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back.
Kaigaku cried out in pain and heaved for breath as he was rendered immobile.
"If you came here to vent Kaigaku, then vent! Don't go and get yourself hurt like some idiot!" Shinobu pressed aggressively.
The boy remained quiet.
"You're kidding me!" She twisted his arm again.
"Agh! Fine! It's my fault!" He cried. His vision started to blur from the mist in his eyes. His voice cracked with emotion as he let it out.
"It's my fault! I promised I'd protect him! But I..."
"But you couldn't?" Shinobu finished and released his arm.
Kaigaku growled and scrubbed his face furiously.
"I guess that means I'm correct." She hummed.
The fifteen year olds walked to the shaded patio. They sat down at the edge.
Shinobu watched as the boy next to her let out a huff and sniffled. He buried his face in his arms.
A sudden thought hit her.
"Being a demon slayer is a dangerous job. You know this. Then why would you train to become one?" She asked genuinely curious.
"I always thought that only the strongest survive. I wanted to grow stronger to keep myself safe. I was a coward." Kaigaku grumbled in reply.
"And you changed?"
He peeked at her, then lifted his head to gaze at the peach blossoms in the distance. "Because of them... They taught me what it means to be strong."
Kaigaku clenched a fist against the wooden floor.
The girl noticed and hummed again,"You know that you can't protect him all the time, right? If you concern yourself with him every moment during combat, you will make yourself vulnerable. There will come a time when he will have to be strong for himself and you. If you are to be strong together, you need to share trust with each other as well. You must be able to trust him with your life and his own."
The boy groaned in annoyance, but knew she was right.
"... I know."
"Hey, it'll take some time. Don't pound yourself into the ground just yet," Shinobu reassured, "You know like an idiot."
Kaigaku released a reluctant chuckle, "Thanks, Shinobu-san."
"Sorry for twisting your arm."
"No! That sucked!"
YOU ARE READING
Brothers of Thunder
Fanfiction"I won't ever hurt you... Not on purpose anyway. If anyone tries, I'll make sure they'll regret it." Kaigaku's eyes widened in surprise when he felt Zenitsu lean into his protection and return the hug. The back of his kimono started to become a lit...
