Zenitsu brushed his fingers over the delicate petals of the peach blossom. Relishing in all the beautiful sensations it presented. The vibrant flush of pink, the softness, the floral perfume, and the soothing sound of flourishing growth brought a soft smile to his face. His hands barely touched the flower for fear of ruining its purity.
He sighed after a moment and let his arms rest at his sides. If only fragile things such as these could be preserved forever. Something was bound to harm it sooner or later.
The sounds of blooming flowers and fluttering wings filled his ears. He also picked up the sound of footsteps. He turned in the direction of the familiar sound with a bubbling feeling he couldn't quite identify. Was he happy or excited? Maybe. Those words didn't quite cut it. The feeling warmed his heart, but it was mellow and comfortable with familiarity.
"Good morning, Zenitsu-kun!" The flower hashira waved with her contagious cheery energy. "You look well! That's great!"
Zenitsu bowed as he greeted her. "Good morning to you as well, lady Kocho. It's good to see you again." He spoke softly and respectfully.
"Oh my, so polite!" Kanae giggled. "There's no need for such things, honey. A smile is all I need."
The yellow haired boy's surprised expression morphed into a happy grin. It changed again to curiosity when a different sound brushed past his ears. It was almost lost in Kanae's noise with how shy it was. His gaze shifted to the unfamiliar girl behind Kanae.
Noticing this, Kanae explains the situation.
"Oh my. I almost forgot. I'm here to check on your recovery progress and I brought someone for you to meet." She gently ushers the girl forward. The girl wore pink, her straight dark hair pulled into a cute side ponytail. "This is Kanao, my student! Kanao, this is Zenitsu!"
"H-hello..." Zenitsu greeted her hesitantly. His hands fiddled with each other in nervousness.
Pinkish violet eyes stared blankly at him in silence. The girl glanced up at Kanae before pulling something out her pocket. The coin flashed with a ping as she flipped it.
Zenitsu watched this quiet girl curiously as she took note of the result and opened her mouth to reply.
"Hello."
Her voice floated, soft and melodic. Pleasantly surprised by her friendly tone, despite her speech being clipped, he smiled at her and lead them both inside.
***
"Alright!" Kanae cheered as she finished the checkup. "You're good to go! Why don't you talk with Kanao while I talk with your master, hmm?"
"Thank you, Kocho-san!" Zenitsu chirped and moved to exit the room.
"I think you two will get along well. You may find that she is quite similar to you," she added.
The boy nodded at her with an unsure smile and slid the door shut.
He trudged around the house to find the strange girl to no avail.
"Her sound is like a whisper. So quiet..." he huffed slightly frustrated as he entered the orchard outside. "She is different to put it respectfully, yet... something feels familiar about her."
He followed the whisper till he stumbled upon her at last. She gazed at the same peach blossom that he had been studying earlier that day with a pleased energy.
"She looks so peaceful." Zenitsu thought curiously. "I don't want to startle her."
After a moment, she turned to face him. She seemed to have always known he was there, not appearing startled in the slightest. She simply stared at him again with the same blank expression.
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...
