Opposites - Inosuke x Zenitsu

2. Fire

Zenitsu's POV:

"Hey! Wake up, Nanitsu! No time to sleep! DAMN IT, WAKE UP!" Shortly after, I received a slap. Instantly, I was wide awake. In front of me stood Inosuke, wearing his mask and holding his katanas. Everything around us was on fire, and I remembered what had happened.

I had a nosebleed, and the back of my head hurt terribly. Then, the demon suddenly tossed Inosuke aside, but he managed to roll away skillfully and didn't crash into the wall like I did.

Now, I could see the demon clearly: It transformed from Tanjiro's form into a large creature with yellow eyes and long black hair. Then, he smiled at us with his yellow fangs, licking his lips with his long, snake-like tongue. "I'm impressed!" he spoke with an evil voice that was definitely not Tanjiro's anymore. "How did you figure out I wasn't that boy?!" he asked. "CHANGING YOUR APPEARANCE ALONE WON'T HELP MUCH!" I yelled at him while getting up and unsheathing my katana. Though I was terribly afraid and knew I wouldn't be of much help, I wanted to at least try.

"MAYBE YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO COPY PEOPLE'S APPEARANCE WITH YOUR BLOODY DEMON ART, BUT YOU WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO COPY A HUMAN'S SOUL!!!"

"YES!" Inosuke also shouted and attacked: "Beast Breathing, Third Fang: Tear and Devour!" Inosuke rushed towards the demon, who easily evaded his attack. Damn, how could someone be so reckless?! "Inosuke! Stop it! You'll end up getting hurt!" I called out to him. "Mind your own business! Why do you even care about me?!"

I paused as everything exploded and burned around us. He was right! I shouldn't care about him! But suddenly, the demon attacked me, and I could barely dodge in time.

I looked over to Inosuke and Nezuko, who had come out of her box by now to join the fight. I had to help them! But how?! Suddenly, the demon turned to me and sprinted towards me! I screamed and instinctively covered my head with my arms. No, I didn't want to die so miserably! Please, no! "Selleriezu!" Inosuke suddenly called out.

"Beast Breathing, Spontaneous: Throw the Katana and Help Sellerie!!!" Inosuke shouted and threw one of his katanas with the tip aimed at the demon, who was about to reach me. The katana hit his back, and he turned back to face Inosuke. Taking advantage of the moment when he was no longer focused on me, I finally activated my breathing: "Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash!"

I shouted and charged at the demon. I swung my katana... but just before it could hit his neck, the demon noticed me and blocked the strike with his arm. "Damn it!" I yelled as I was thrown back by the force. "We can't even handle a regular demon anymore!" I screamed in frustration, trying again and again to somehow decapitate this weird demon, while Nezuko and Inosuke supported me in the fight. The room was engulfed in flames more and more.

This demon not only had the ability to change its appearance at will but also could throw those fireballs.

"The ability to throw fireballs? Boring! Every other demon has that power!" Inosuke laughed contemptuously as he and Nezuko continued attacking the demon from all sides. Yet, the demon managed to evade almost all their attacks. In that moment, I realized how helpless we were without Tanjiro, and that he was truly the strongest among us.

Nevertheless, we had to find a way to decapitate this demon and find Tanjiro! Suddenly, the door behind me opened, and Shinobu Kocho, Uzui Tengen, and Kyojuro Rengoku looked confused into the room, all in uniform and carrying their katanas.

Rengoku was the first to understand and immediately rushed into the room. "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?!" he asked, attacking the demon as well. "Where is young Kamado?!" Suddenly, the demon hit him square in the stomach, and he was thrown back just like us.

"KYOJURO!!!" Tengen screamed and caught Rengoku mid-air. "Are you alright?" he asked him. "Y-yeah, thank you... this demon is stronger than expected..." he whispered. Meanwhile, Kocho had also joined the fight against the demon. "Where is Tanjiro?!" she asked.

She seemed pretty angry. I wasn't sure if it was because of the demon itself or the fact that one of the guest rooms in her beautiful Butterfly Estate was burning down. All I knew was that she scared me when she was angry! Even more than the demon!!

"WE DON'T KNOW!" Inosuke answered her question. "THEN LET'S GO FIND HIM!" "But—" I tried to protest, but Kocho interrupted me. "WE ARE PILLARS, DAMMIT! DO YOU THINK WE CAN'T HANDLE A DEMON WHO ISN'T EVEN ONE OF THE TWELVE KIZUKI?!" I swallowed but eventually accepted it.

"Inosuke, come on! She's right! We need to find Tanjiro, that's more important!" "I'm the boss!" he yelled at me after ripping off his mask. "And now come!" he shouted while grabbing my hand. "Hey, not so—"

I hesitated as I looked up at him. Man, when you always see him with a mask, you forget how handsome he really is. His dark blue hair with the light ti looked like silk... fluffy silk. I'd love to run my fingers through it or tousle it. It was as if time stood still for a second. Though his hand, like the rest of his body, was muscular, they were soft as clouds and looked downright perfect. His lips looked so soft. I'd love to run my finger over them. His face was also perfect, and if I didn't know any better, I'd think he was a doll since I couldn't believe a human could look so perfect. His green, bright eyes... although you wouldn't expect it... if you weren't careful, you could easily get lost in them... WAIT?!

What was I thinking?! Inosuke was a disgusting pig, no matter how others might find him attractive! Focus, Zenitsu! Focus! But the longer he held my hand, the less I could concentrate. I didn't even know why. It must be his ugliness that repelled me!

Yes, that must be it! Because I found Inosuke really ugly, and not attractive at all, as my true love was the sweet Nezuko! Yes! So, I tore my hand away from him as we rushed out of the Butterfly Estate and headed towards the forest where we came from and where we fought the previous demon.

"Don't touch me, okay?!" I snapped, glaring angrily at him to emphasize my anger. "Why, do you find me too good-looking and can't bring yourself to touch me?" Inosuke asked with a mischievous smile. I blushed alone from this assumption and took three seconds to find the right words. "Y-you know exactly why... stupid head...."

I finally said, offended, and looked back ahead while Inosuke grinned at me impishly. Alright, this round went to Inosuke, but when Tanjiro is back, I'll definitely give him a piece of my mind!

Oh, Tanjiro! Now he's the priority! I looked back, and Nezuko was still following us. Luckily, we didn't have to carry her because she was starting to get really heavy—WAIT! I would do anything for my sweet Nezuko because—Oh, forget it. She doesn't even know my name. So, who am I fooling? Suddenly, I heard the sound of a blade being drawn about three kilometers away from us. Now, I was the one who took Inosuke's hand and pulled him lightly. "Hey, Inosuke!" I said. Inosuke immediately looked at me with a serious expression.

"I think I found him."