Doom & Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Xover

Chapter 29

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Inosuke was currently on the hunt for some food while honing his skills. He followed behind a bear he planned on eating as he kept himself hidden in the trees. Once he was in position, the boar boy revealed his twin serrated blade and lunged towards the creature. The bear looked towards Inosuke but it was too slow to react as it was skewered by Inosuke's jagged blades. Inosuke climbed on top of the corpse and proclaimed to himself, "HA HA, that's why, I, Lord Inosuke, remain the greatest!" After having left Tanjiro and Zenitsu, Inosuke returned to his old routine of hunting alone which never bothered him. He seldom came in contact with other demon slayers after leaving his group as he stayed in his own lane.

Inosuke's kasugai crow sweeped in low to announce his next assignment in a nearby town. Insouke threatened to eat the bird if it didn't leave his sight that instant and so it did without hesitation. As the boar boy went to sheathe his blade, his animal-like instincts alerted him to an individual approaching from behind. He knew who it was and didn't say a word as Tanjiro made his presence known by calling out, "I figured I'd find you hunting, Inosuke. It was more difficult than I thought to find you but I noticed a stray kasugai crow flying into a forest in the middle of the day and knew it had to be you."

Inosuke remained silent as he hopped off the bear's corpse and began carving it out. Tanjiro could tell Inosuke wasn't pleased to see Tanjiro so the boy knew he had to get to the point. Tanjiro apologized, "Inosuke, I'm sorry about what happened before. I was misguided, delusional, and selfish. I was angry and that caused me to say the things that I said and did. I'm not going to use that as an excuse because my actions were unjustified no matter what coat of paint I use to cover it up. To that end, I'm sorry about how I treated you and Zenitsu. I've left the Demon Slayer Corps because I don't agree with their rationale, it's overzealous. However, that's a rant for another time. I've come to you because I need your help more than ever. I don't have the strength to accomplish my goals and I need your strength to aid me. I can't do this alone, I've realized that. I want to stop Muzan and protect everyone, I don't want anyone else to become a demon anymore. So I ask this once, will you help me, Inosuke?"

There was a pause before Inosuke spoke up, "So, you're telling me that you need my help because you're not strong enough?" Tanjiro nodded, his expression remaining resolute. Inosuke sprung onto his feet and assumed a triumphant pose as he exclaimed, "HAHAHA, I KNEW YOU WERE WEAK, Nothing can surpass the great INOSUKE! I have triumphed over you at last! So you need my help? I suppose I'd be willing to give you a hand considering you asked so nicely."

Tanjiro smiled as he walked towards Inosuke and they carved out the bear together. Now, it was time to find Zenitsu. With Inosuke's help and the fact that he was still a part of the Demon Slayer Corps, they used Inosuke's crow to find Chuntaro, Zenitsu's Kasugai Sparrow, who led them to Zenitsu's current household. Tanjiro walked up to Zenitsu' door and knocked. However, there was no sound and both Tanjiro and Inosuke looked towards each other out of confusion. Tanjiro tried again but Inosuke lost his patience as he mocked, "You're too soft, Tanjiro, you gotta do it LIKE THIS!" Before grabbing the sliding door and forcefully opening it. The breeze of a foul stench smacked into their faces as they saw the dark room Zenitsu was living inside. Food and clothes were sprawled throughout the floor and nothing was cleaned. Zenitsu sat atop his unkempt bed, curled up in a ball. Tanjiro was heartbroken to see his friend in such a state but Inosuke was unphased as it reminded him of the caves he'd find out in the wild that animals would usually hide in for shelter.