Twist of Fate

Chapter 1

It didn't take a genius to figure out if one was dying.

He could feel it in his bones. The once energetic limbs that commanded electricity were reduced to immobile lumps. He could feel his breaths getting weaker and weaker. He could feel his eyelids double in weight, begging to be closed.

But most of all, he could hear himself dying.

The world was full of so many varying sounds. But right now, it was suffocating.

Who knew death could be so loud?

He could hear each and every organ slowly shutting down. He could hear the helpless whimpers and pleads of the others, begging to be saved. He could hear his senior's cruel and cold laugh as he watched him.

To think he actually considered the man to be akin to an older brother.

How foolish he was.

For a fleeting moment, he wondered why the world was so cruel. What had he done to deserve this? Despite the loudness of the noises, no one answered his question.

He could hear it. In any second now, he would pass away, leaving the world. Ever since childhood, that's what he always wanted. To die and leave the cruel world. To never experience any pain again. But as he thought about his last moments, he realized he didn't want to die.

Tanjirou, Inosuke, Nezuko, and everyone he had met. He didn't want to leave them.

Like many times before, he wanted to break down and cry. But his dying body was too weak to make and shed tears.

People always said your life flashes before your eyes at you last moments, and they were right. Each and every single memory moved in slow motion, but also so quickly. It seemed to last for hours but also seconds at the same time.

As he watched his life, he felt regret.

Regret for being so weak.

Regret for not trying hard enough.

Regret for failing.

A regretful death, how befitting for a coward like he.

But selfishly so, he wished he could have stopped it. He wished he could have helped his friends. He wished he could have been better.

With the temptation of a happy dream, he finally closed his eyes.

After being beaten by his senior-turned-demon, Agatsuma Zenitsu took his last breath.

The heavens roared and thundered at the loss of the slayer.

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The chirping of birds was the first thing he heard. The soft winds caressed his cheek, and for once in his life, Zenitsu felt at peace. He was dead now, so would this place be heaven? Now he wasn't the type to believe in religious stories, but with the existence of demons, was it so impossible to have life after death?

Perhaps once his winged companion passes, he might see her again.

Chuntaro's chirps sounded like those too.

The surroundings were warm. Almost like he was basking under the sun. And the ground he was laying on felt suspiciously close to that of grass. A twinge of dread built up inside the blonde.

Oh shit, was he a ghost now?

Did he not pass the test of the heavens?

Would he be forever forced to haunt and watch as his friends move on with their lives without him?

Terrified, his heart—which should not be beating at all—starts pounding even faster. And with some newfound confidence, he opened his eyes.

He was in a field.

Huh?

He looked around, confused. The field was familiar. It was the very place where he would practice back when he was training to become a demon slayer.

It was the place where he and his grandpa would spend time together.

A few feet away from him, a tree which had lost its leaves stood. It was the tree where he had been struck by lightning.

Zenitsu's gut twisted at the sight. Out of all the places, it had to be here? He couldn't believe how cruel the world could be. After failing to avenge his grandfather, he was now locked and chained to this land to haunt for life?

Was his soul now bound to this place?

He felt the familiar feeling of tears rushing to his eyes. Call him a coward, but he wasn't afraid to cry. He did not want to be stuck here and be haunted with the memories of his beloved Jii-chan. The blood was rushing to his ears, becoming overwhelmed. It was ringing. The world was ringing.

Oh god, was he seriously panicking right now?

He chocked a sob, like so many times before. He covered his ears with his palms, trying to muffle the sharp painful ringing. He wanted it to stop, but it became louder.

Why won't it stop?!

He crouched to the ground, covering his ears with his arms. Desperate. His hands were balled into fists, so tight that they bled. He was too busy in his task, he didn't even hear the steady and hasty footsteps coming his way. He barely even felt the hands trying to grasp his arms.

More tears fell, and the ringing became unbearable.

Then, as quickly as it came, it stopped.

He panted, taking in deep breaths to calm himself down.

Slowly, he opened his eyes, and what he saw would shake him to his core.

Gripping his shoulders, was a strikingly familiar old man that he would never forget in his life. The elderly's face was pale, worried, and confused. Zenitsu was vaguely aware of the man speaking, but he couldn't hear.

His mind short-circuited. It broke down.

"Zenitsu!" shouted the man, his voice laced with concern.

Those were the last words he heard before his eyes rolled to the back of his head, and he was plunged in darkness yet again, falling in a deep slumber.

It seems there was life after death indeed, just not in the way he was expecting.