[ Fates Aligned ]

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*+:｡.｡the start of it all

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Kaigaku let out a heavy sigh, brushing black hair out of his eyes that the wind had moved. He had been moving for quite a bit..though that wasn't very surprising seeing as Master (he refused to call him Gramps as Agatsuma did) lived in the country side.

He huffed in annoyance, trying to rub the sleepiness out of his eyes, though that did nothing to help his tired, aching body. Despite this, he kept on walking, trying to ignore the pained cries of his body telling him to stop. Agatsuma was a worrier, and he knew that if he came even a day late then there would be tears and snot all over his uniform and haori.

Well..knowing Agatsuma, he would cry when Kaigaku came back no matter whether he was late, early, or just on time. He was a cry-baby at heart anyways. It wasn't as annoying as it used to be, but Kaigaku still felt his stomach twist with discomfort at the thought at times.

His heart pounded as he realized just how close he was to Master Kuwajima's, seeing peach trees surround him. Despite this amazing revelation, Kaigaku felt weird. It was an incredibly uncomfortable sensation, causing butterflies in his stomach. Instead of excitement pooling in his stomach, it was thunder striking inside.

Suddenly, he started to run, shoes kicking dirt onto the lower parts of his uniform, but he found that he didn't care. Kaigaku just had to get to the estate, find the two residing there to be okay, and get rid of that stupid horrible feeling in his mind.

Everything was fine, and he was just overreacting, as fellow Hashira such as Okaichi and Soyama did. The feeling he had was just him being cautious..But even as he told himself these words, the feeling didn't stop.

He was panting as he came to the door of the estate, though that didn't stop him from throwing the door open. He was really hoping his instincts were wrong and they were fine, but..

The smell of blood was sprinkled all over the room, Kaigaku smelling wisps of it. His eyes widened in shock and horror, taking a shaky step into the house that he had lived in.

"..No.." He murmured to himself, not bothering to even take off his shoes as he quickly ran to where the smell of blood was strongest. There was where he had saw his nightmare had happened.

Jigoro Kuwajima was laying on the ground, a pained and shocked expression on his face. Kaigaku felt like throwing up at seeing the amount of blood smeared on the wall and his body. His hands shook, not allowing himself to cry at the horrible sight.

Agatsuma! Where was he!?..Did he suffer the same fate as their master?.. Kaigaku's gaze immediately darted across the room for the yellow haired boy, but came up with nothing. He huffed, running out.

The orchard..That's where Kaigaku had found Agatsuma many times while they still trained there. Perhaps Kaigaku would get lucky and find him another time, simply training or trying to defeat the demon that had done such a feat to their home.

Kaigaku fought for his breath, feeling as if he was suffocating under the pressure of his situation. His legs went as fast as they could, heart beating so fast that it might explode. If Agatsuma was dead as well, then..

Kaigaku quickly pushed that thought out of his mind. He didn't want to think of a possibility where both Master Kuwajima and Agatsuma were dead, while Kaigaku was away fighting other demons even though there was a real threat attacking his home.

He had a tough exterior, sure, but..He never once tried to imagine his future without the two, no matter how annoying they might have been at different times. No matter how much he hated Agatsuma or how jealous he was that he could learn the only form that Kaigaku couldn't.

Suddenly, his knees buckled, causing him to crash to the ground. He let out a sharp cry of pain, squinting his eyes. He couldn't stop..Not yet..No matter how much pain he felt, physically and mentally, he had to get up.

He groaned, stumbling to his feet, "Agatsuma!" He yelled, starting to run yet again. He was slower than before, yet still kept a quick pace. Suddenly, he caught the smell of blood yet again. Was he..too late?.. He didn't examine his master's body, so he had no idea how long ago he had died. Perhaps he was already a week late.

"Agatsuma! Answer me, god damn it!" Kaigaku screamed, running closer to the source of the horrible smell in the air. Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of tacky, yellow hair. He couldn't help the smile that appeared on his face, collapsing on the ground near Agatsuma's body.

He panted for breath, putting a hand on his chest which was moving up and down with each breath he took. A singular tear fell out of his eye, rolling down his reddened check and falling onto his darkly colored haori.

He reached a hand out, touching Agatsuma's neck to try and catch a pulse. He just needed a single indicator that he was still alive..Anything. Kaigaku was a Hashira, the strongest of the Demon Slayer, yet..he felt so pathetically weak that it was absolutely disgusting.

He gasped, feeling warmth on Agatsuma's body, "Zenitsu!!.." He couldn't help but cry out in joy, exclaiming the boy's name. He didn't even care about the use of his first name, quickly picking him up. Luckily, Zenitsu had always been pretty light, making it easier for Kaigaku to hold him.

The moon shimmered over the two of them, shining like Kaigaku's hopes were. His lip quivered, heading the opposite direction of their estate. Even if it would be easier to treat the boy there..he just couldn't face the horrible stench of blood and his master's body again.

Destruction Manor..Despite the off-putting name, he knew that the Hashira residing there was a medic who could most definitely help Agatsuma..At least, that's what Kaigaku had hoped. The Hashira didn't really show the best health for himself, but it was still the only Hashira estate that had any sort of place for people to rest, so it was his best hope.

Suddenly, the figure on his back started shuffling. Shit. It'd be bad for Agatsuma to wake up in the bloody state that he was in. What the fuck-?! Couldn't he just stay asleep!?

Suddenly, he heard a small growling noise, and Kaigaku ended up falling on the ground due to Agatsuma leaning more of his weight on him. He hissed in pain, clutching his head as he looked up at Agatsuma.

"Shit-! What the h—" Suddenly, his eyes widened at Agatsuma's fangs and his different eyes. The stare he got in return made it clear. Agatsuma was a demon, "..ell..."

Agatsuma snarled, and Kaigaku immediately stood up, albeit with some trouble, placing his hand on his sword ready to take it out, but—

Agatsuma scooted away, dirtying himself with grass and dirt, a scared and pained look in his eyes. His lip quivered, two fangs bearing down on it, though not enough to draw blood.

Kaigaku stared back at the scared Agatsuma. What..the fuck?...