Opposites - Inosuke x Zenitsu

7. Fault

Zenitsu's POV:

My voice failed at the end, and I wished I could just disappear. But seriously, what would Tanjiro have said if I told him I was no longer obsessed with Nezuko and had kissed Inosuke instead?! Or what if Inosuke had said he wanted to be with me?! How could we, or rather I, have ever told him? Our friendship would have shattered into a thousand pieces for sure.

Was it even realistic to think that Inosuke would have asked if we wanted to be together? No, that was definitely just wishful thinking. At best, he was probably thinking the same thing and understanding that kissing him had been a huge mistake on my part.

Even though I didn't want to, I found myself looking at him. I looked up at Inosuke. He was just staring at me, shocked. "W-what?" he finally stammered, a mixture of shock and astonishment.

I wanted to sink into the ground, die, be resurrected in a sea of killer whales, die again, come to hell, sink into the ground again, be resurrected in a volcano, die again, and repeat everything! But even all of that combined wouldn't have been as terrible and painful as being pierced through by those green eyes with that sad, disappointed, hurt, astonished, and offended look.

"...I mean... What would Tanjiro say... and anyway, we could never... so, I guess you would... we... I... we could never-..."

It was even worse than I had thought. Inosuke looked like he was dying inside, and I was to blame! But it was true. I mean, he would never be able to deal with me! I'm a coward, useless in battle, and maybe even a tsundere! And I didn't even know what I felt for Inosuke now! Was this what being in love felt like? Is this normal? Was I really in love with Inosuke? Was he even in love with me? Damn, it's all my fault!

Inosuke lowered his gaze. His usually wild, vibrant green eyes had turned dull, empty, and pale. "I understand." When he said that, I jolted, surprised by the sudden interruption of silence. He remained expressionless.

Even his voice was different! It wasn't loud, fiery, and argumentative like usual; it was soft and reserved. "Maybe you're right. It's better if we forget about this." "Y-yeah. We should just forget about it," I quickly added. Inosuke, however, didn't respond. He just turned around and walked away.

His breathing was shaky, and his heartbeat had slowed down. I could barely hear it now unless I focused really hard. Usually, his heartbeat was way above average, but now it was even below the normal range. I felt incredibly awful. How could I have messed up everything so badly?

I was truly pathetic. I wanted to collapse again and just cry. Preferably forever.

But I knew I shouldn't. Inosuke had returned to the clearing with Tanjiro and Nezuko, and they were probably wondering where I was. At least Tanjiro and Nezuko were. Plus, I really didn't want them to start wondering, searching for me, and finding me here sobbing like an idiot!

As I was about to leave, I suddenly noticed Inosuke's mask. The mask I had carelessly thrown aside, only to ruin everything. I bent down and picked it up. It smelled just like him—like summer breeze, freedom, and sweet forget-me-nots.

I held it against my face, closed my eyes, and took a long breath, inhaling his scent. As I did that, I could see him in my mind. His daring smile, the bright twinkle in his eyes. But now, his smile had faded, and that sparkling glint had vanished forever. And it was all my fault, my fault, MY FAULT!

I took the mask in one hand and shuffled back to the clearing. I walked conspicuously fast, not wanting to reveal anything and because my nerves seemed to have spread to my legs.

After a few seconds of walking, I was back at the clearing. I had almost caught up with Inosuke, who was unusually slow, walking back to his spot under the oak tree with his head down and eyes vacant. Tanjiro and Nezuko hadn't noticed us yet, but then they both lifted their heads.

"Oh Ino—" Tanjiro was about to start asking with a smile, but as he looked at Inosuke, who seemed mentally dead and broken, his smile faded instantly, and he fell silent. "I-Inosuke? Are you okay?" Tanjiro asked worriedly, his smile replaced by a cautious look of concern.

But Inosuke didn't look up, he just replied in a voice even softer than usual, "Yeah." Tanjiro's expression became even more shocked as he heard Inosuke's uncharacteristically soft voice. I think Tanjiro was about to ask more, but then Nezuko noticed me.

"Mhhh!" she made a noise, tugging on Tanjiro's haori and pointing in my direction. Tanjiro looked at me. "Hi-... Hi, Tanjiro," I said with a tentative smile. "Zenitsu! Are you okay?" Tanjiro asked, also with a concerned expression and a cautious smile, as I stumbled towards them.

"Yeah, thank you," I replied with a weak smile and finally sat down next to them. Normally, I would have immediately fangirled over seeing Nezuko and pestered her, but right now, I just wasn't in the mood. So, I sat down next to Tanjiro, placing Inosuke's mask, still in my hand, beside me.

"You have Inosuke's mask?! Did you two have a fight? Do you want to talk about it?" he immediately asked as he noticed the mask. "No, we didn't fight, it's just—" I had to pause for a moment, as I wasn't entirely sure what to say. I honestly hadn't thought that far ahead. "He... we... We were just talking about something..." I evasively replied, as I couldn't come up with a better excuse.

Tanjiro opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, I quickly added, "...Can we please talk about it later... I'm... really tired from the battle and want to get some sleep." Well, the last part was a complete lie. I wasn't tired at all. On the contrary, I was completely agitated and wouldn't be able to close my eyes for days. But at least Tanjiro seemed to buy my little white lie, albeit somewhat doubtfully, and continued talking with Nezuko. Meanwhile, I turned away and pretended to fall asleep.

But my gaze secretly flickered back to Inosuke. His vacant stare, his seemingly lifeless appearance, was like a punch to the gut. What had I done? If only I hadn't kissed him when I didn't even know for sure if I was really in love with him! It's all my fault!