Opposites - Inosuke x Zenitsu

3. Fight

Zenitsu's POV:

"I hear a blade cutting!" I explained to Inosuke. I closed my eyes again to focus on all the sounds in the area: An owl was sitting to our left on a branch... about 200 meters away, there was a whole swarm of crickets on bushes... damn it, I don't hear the blade anymore! Concentrate, Zenitsu! Concentrate!

I listened even more carefully. Now, I could hear Inosuke's heartbeat, which was so loud that it gave me goosebumps. But it was unusually fast... still within the normal range, but he seemed excited. Was Tanjiro's situation really affecting him that much, or was there another reason why he was so agitated? Damn it, I got distracted again! But suddenly, I flinched. "I hear the blades again!" I shouted and opened my eyes. Then I grabbed Inosuke's hand and pulled him along. I didn't care what he thought of me right now. Tanjiro was more important at this moment. Nezuko caught up with us as well. I think she had picked up Tanjiro's scent. I mean, she's a demon. She must be able to do that. Inosuke was now moving faster too. Damn, he's fast. So fast that after a few minutes, he was the one pulling me. "Hey?!" he asked, looking triumphantly at me. "Can't keep up with the big boss Inosuke-" Suddenly, he stopped mid-sentence and froze in place. "Inosuke?! What-" "GET AWAY!!!" he shouted, throwing himself at me and pushing me to the side just as a large heavy branch crashed down on the spot where I had been standing.

Inosuke now lay over me, looking at me. I didn't know what to feel at this moment because all my emotions were in turmoil! But for some reason, I blushed. "Are... Are you okay, Zenitsu?" Inosuke asked, breathing heavily.

"Y-yeah... wait a moment! You remembered my name!!!" I shouted as I looked at him, also breathing heavily, deep in the eyes. "I-" Inosuke didn't know what to do or say either. But he blushed too.

"Mhh?" Nezuko asked. Inosuke was startled, quickly got up, and held his hand in front of his face so that no one could see how red he was. But for me, it was a small victory. I had never seen Inosuke blush before, and somehow, I enjoyed seeing him like this because his pretense of dominance had completely disappeared for a moment. I had to see him like this again! "Mhhh!"

Suddenly, Nezuko shook me, and I snapped back to reality. I had been sitting on the ground for 10 seconds, completely forgetting about everything else while I observed Inosuke, and now I had to focus again! "Yeah, I'm coming!" I quickly shouted and continued running with Inosuke and Nezuko towards the place where I heard the sounds of the blade.

"I-Inosuke?" I asked after a while. "How did you notice the branch so quickly?" Inosuke bit his lower lip, looked down, and blushed again. "You know I have a good sense of touch, don't you, you idiot?!" he said angrily, trying to sound as dominant and strong as possible, which didn't work very well, as he blushed again.

"Just act like it never happened, okay?!" he snapped and looked away. Hmpf. Okay. I could hear the sounds of the blades more and more clearly now. Then suddenly, we saw Tanjiro. He was fighting against a demon that looked exactly like the one in the Butterfly Estate. But it wasn't him, as the other demon sounded slightly different. But this time, I knew for sure, that was the real Tanjiro! His way of fighting and moving, his heartbeat, and even his blood flow: Everything was just as it always was!

"Nezuko! Inosuke! Zenitsu!" Tanjiro called out happily but had to quickly dodge again as the demon attacked him. "Mhh!" Nezuko said and rushed towards Tanjiro and the demon. "HOW DID YOU-" the demon started to screech when he saw the three of us. That was my chance to prove that I wasn't useless! "THUNDER BREATHING, FIRST FORM: THUNDERCLAP AND FLASH!... TRIPLE!!!"

I charged towards the demon with the last bit of strength left in my body. I prepared to strike, and I swung my sword, trying to behead him. I could hear my heartbeat pounding in my ears like a volcano erupting. "Zenitsu! You did it!" Tanjiro shouted happily. But before I could answer anything, I noticed that the sun was rising! Nezuko quickly dashed under a large oak tree and hid in the shade. "We should rest a bit, and then you can tell us what happened." I said with a slight smile to Tanjiro, but I didn't dare to look at Inosuke. Ever since he asked me if I was angry at him, I had this strange feeling whenever I looked at him. Was it anger?... No...

As long as I couldn't define this feeling, I would just ignore it. Maybe I was just tired from the intense fight. Tanjiro had already sat down next to Nezuko under the big oak tree, stroking her head. The two of them are really cute. I would also like to have someone like a big brother or a friend who protects me. Someone who fights for me and loves me – I mean, HAS love for me.

Eventually, I love only the sweet Nezuko! I couldn't help it, and my gaze wandered to Inosuke. With the mask beside him, eyes closed, and muscular arms folded across his chest, Inosuke sat in the shade of another relatively large oak tree. Was he sleeping?! No, his breathing was too fast for that. He was just resting. He seemed quite agitated after the fight, as I could hear his heartbeat pounding in my ears like an earthquake. Damn it, I ended up paying attention to this idiot again! Great, now this strange feeling was back! Every second I looked at Inosuke, watching the light, pleasant wind play with the tips of his hair, felt like small electric shocks to me. I trembled uncontrollably, and my face became really hot just thinking about his lively green eyes! Was I really angry at Inosuke? Without a reason?! Or... no, no, no, that couldn't happen! After all, I know how being in love feels like... right? I mean, I am in love with Nezuko... right? When you're in love with someone, it feels the same as when I see Nezuko! You admire the person and give compliments, and... you actually feel nothing during that? When I thought about it that way, I actually felt nothing when I saw Nezuko anymore. No heartbeat... no emotional overload... nothing. Did my feelings for her just disappear at some point... or... did I never actually have feelings for her, and just threw myself at the first girl, as I always did? One thing was clear; now I felt like a wild teenager who chases after some stars or idols. Once I realized that, I felt terrible. So terrible that my legs simply gave way, and I sat down in the middle of the clearing. Not only because I had admitted that I was no longer in love with Nezuko but also because I was afraid that I could fall in love with someone else...