"Hey, Tanjiro, on second thought I'm not gonna make it, even if I go with you I'll be totally useless" Zenitsu said behind Tanjiro. They ran quite a bit before stopping when they got to the dense forest. And tracking up this mountain was exhausting.

Tanjiro looked over his shoulder to look at Zenitsu.

"I'm sure you can make it, and were getting close" he could smell the scent of a demon and something else it smelled like blood but different.

Through the dense forest there was a clearing and a mansion in the middle. They both stopped in front of the building.

"I can smell blood but, this scent"

"You smell something?" Zenitsu questioned.

"Something I've never smelled before" He replied.

"Well I don't know about that, but do you hear that sound? Also are we going to work together, after all?" He asked hesitantly.

"You hear something?" Tanjiro turned to look at him but something passed him caught his eye.

When Zenitsu didn't get an answer he looked at Tanjiro but saw he was looking elsewhere to his side, when he looked he saw them as well.

"K-kids..." he started shaking a bit, a little spooked at the sight, he hadn't heard them at all with the creepy sound coming from the house.

"I wonder what's wrong"

Zenitsu watched as Tanjiro approached the two trembling kids, focusing his hearing a bit he could hear that they were teriffed, this made Zenitsu continue trembling himself, what had they seen before they got here?

"Hey, guys, what are you doing all the way out here?" Tanjiro asked the kids, but stopped when they shuffled a bit away from him and clutched to each other protectively.

They were really spooked.

"Okay, wanna see something cool?" He asked them in a friendly way.

"Ta-da! It's a tame sparrow!" Tanjiro said enthusiastically as he pulled the sparrow out from his pocket again. The bird aided him by chirping happily and fluttering around a bit.

He's really good with kids, Zenitsu thought as he saw the younger ones calm a bit.

"See? Isn't he cute?" He asked them. He sparrow made another chirp. The two kids started crying as they slumped to the ground in each others arms.

"Please tell me, did something happen?" Tanjiro asked softy. "Is this your home?"

"N-no. No, its not" the young boy said shakily, blinking some tears away "This, this is a monster's house!"

"Our big brother got taken away when we were walking down the road at night, this monster we've never seen before showed up. It didn't give us a glance, just our brother"

"And they went inside that house right?"

"Yeah" the young boy nodded.

"And you followed them here? You did good, great job!"

"We-we followed the traces of his blood, he got hurt!" The boy cried.

"Don't worry! Were going to defeat the bad guy and get your brother back to you, okay?"

"Really? You really will?" The little girl piped up, when she unburied her face from her brothers kimono.

"Yeah!" Tanjiro nodded to the little girl, giving her a smile "promise!"

"Tanjiro, hey what's this sound? This creepy noise never stops, is it a tsuzumi?" Zenitsu asked he brought his hand up to cover his ear while also taking in Tanjiro's scent from his wrist.

"Sound? I don't hear anything" he said. He couldn't hear anything besides the ruffling of leaves as the wind blew through the trees, and sounds of cicadas and crickets in the distance.

Overall it was fairly quiet in his opinion.

Then he faintly hears something as he looks up at the building. It got louder and louder eventually it started picking up pace, and out of nowhere, with no time to react accordingly to the situation, a person flew out over the second story balcony. Blood sticking to their clothes also flew into the air around them as they fell.

Time seemed to slow but it all happened and ended in just seconds.

A scream rang out as the person fell hard onto the ground, blood spattered everywhere.

"Don't look!" Tanjiro yelled to the kids as he ran over to the injured man.

Zenitsu looked on with horror at the sight, his eyes wide with shock and fear. He shook uncontrollably as anxiety and adrenaline clawed at his chest. He was stuck in a state of fight or flight but thankfully he had Tanjiro's scent surrounding him this time in a sort of temporary safe bubble. It helped to ground him a little, but he couldn't fight off the dread.

"Are you alright? Stay with me!" Tanjiro said as he lifted the man's upper body, lifting his head. Tanjiro's eyes widened at the injury on the Beta's stomach. It was a deep wound, his stomach was torn open. He grimaced at the sight.

He wouldn't make it

"Even though I got outeven though I made it out made it outside" it pained Tanjiro to see the Beta struggle to talk in such a state he was in "still I'm going to die?... Am I still going to die?"

Tanjiro felt his heart sink in despair, and hopelessness. He closed his eyes as he took the other into an embrace to try and help reduce the pain the other must have been going through.

After a moment had passed he felt the man go limp and lifeless.

He's gone

It must have hurt a lot, he must have suffered. Tanjiro grit his teeth.

"Tanjiro, by any chance, is that guy these kid's"

We couldn't save him in time, if only we'd gotten here a little sooner, we might've managed to save him.

Zenitsu jumped as he heard an intimidating noise and the beats of a tsuzumi continued throughout the inside of the mansion.

"Hey, is this man your" Tanjiro went to ask.

"It's not him, brother's wearing a persimmon colored kimono"

So it's captured more than one person. Tanjiro stood up and placed his hands together in prayer giving a moment of silence. I promise to bury you when I return. Forgive me, forgive me. When he finished, he turned around with determination in his eyes.

"Alright, Zenitsu come on!" Tanjiro said. Zenitsu stood there, his shoulders shaking and he was sweating at he starred, hypnotized by the mansion. He shook his head rapidly, not wanting any part of this.

"But no one else can help them now but you and me Zenitsu" Tanjiro said. Why did Zenitsu belittle his power?

The blond stayed quiet, still quivering and tears threatened to fall again.

"Really? All right then" Zenitsu jumped at Tanjiro's scary expression, and clinged to Tanjiro's box as he walked away from him.

"Hey, come on! Why are you making that ogre face at me? Okay I'll go!" Zenitsu cried.

"I have no intention of forcing you if you don't want to"

"I said I'll gooo!" Zenitsu whined.

Tanjiro stopped in front of the kids again and rolled off the straps of the box and kneeled down to place it in front of them. The young boy was confused as he watched Tanjiro do this.

"In case of an emergency I'm leaving this box behind, even if something happens you two will be protected okay?" Tanjiro looked them in the eyes to make sure they understood "Ok we're going now"

Tanjiro stood, and walked to the building's entrance, with Zenitsu in tow who again was crying, but he couldn't comfort him right now. There where people that needed their help and they needed to get there fast.

Hopefully Zenitsu could stay a bit calmer now that he had Tanjiro's scent. Tanjiro slid the sliding door open and stepped inside. It was quiet, for now, but he didn't let his guard down, just in case. The house was stepped in the smell of multiple demons but one clearly stood out from the rest.

He thought he only smelled one from outside but it seemed he was wrong. He gripped the hilt of his katana.

"Tanjiro, hey, Tanjiro, you'll protect me right? You'll protect me, right?" Zenitsu's face was covered in tears again. And Tanjiro smelled the fear rolling off him like buckets of water.

Tanjiro mentally sighed as he stopped in the middle of the hallway he didn't want to say this, but maybe it would let the Beta get a grip and face his fears, if not at least try and understand that he couldn't do this without him "Zenitsu, i hate to put you on the spot, but..."

He turned around, facing Zenitsu, feeling bad about having to say this.

"I've got a broken rib and leg from my previous battle, and neither have fully healed yet so-"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN BROKEN BONES? DON'T GO BREAKING ANY BONES ON ME!" Zenitsu yelled at the top of his lungs yanking his hair for some sort of stability. Lost in his frantic yelling Zenitsu hardly stopped to even take a breath.

"IF YOU'VE GOT FRACTURES, THERE'S NO WAY YOU CAN PROTECT ME! I-I-I-IM GOING TO DIE! WHAT AM I GONNA DO? WHAT AM I GOING TO DO? I'M GOING TO DIE NOW! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE"!

"HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?! BROKEN BONES? I'M A DEAD MAN NOW 99.9% DEAD!" Zenitsu was on the floor again rolling around hysterically. Tanjiro realized that he couldn't rely on his scent alone for Zenitsu to keep a level head, it isn't that he's just scared of demons in general, it was a deep fear. Probably rooted to his core.

"IM DEAD! IM DEAD! IM DEAD!" Zenitsu wailed.

"Zenitsu, quiet down! You'll be alright!" Tanjiro said worriedly in a hushed tone, as he looked down, Zenitsu was screaming and yelling and Tanjiro was nervous that Zenitsu would have another breakdown.

"DON'T SUGARCOAT IT!" Zenitsu hollered back.

"I'm not! I can tell, all right? Zenitsu you're really- Hey!" Tanjiro yelled. Zenitsu screamed as he heard footsteps approaching, and tried covering his ears.

"You shouldn't be here!" Tanjiro shouted at the two kids that followed them inside.

"M-mister, we heard scratching sounds inside that box you left!" The boy said nervously, the little girl came closer to him and reached out. Tanjiro pulled her close for reassurance.

"S-still, it pains me that you left it behind! I mean, it's more precious to me than my own life!"

A loud bang from above them shook the walls and Tanjiro looked around cautiously. He heard Zenitsu scream again in panic, and before he could turn around to try and calm him he was shoved into the room next the them with the young girl, the cause was Zenitsu bending down to crouch and ended up bumping them.

Zenitsu looked over his shoulder to see what he had hit and quickly apologized for the incident, afraid the Alpha would get upset.

"S-sorry! my butt..."

Tanjiro blinked but the second he did he found himself in a different place.

What? The room changed, or were they the ones that moved? to the sound of that tsuzumi? He couldn't smell Zenitsu or the boy nearby.

The little girl whimpered as she clutched to Tanjiro's kimono and buried her face. Tanjiro placed his hands on her shoulders so they could see each other.

"Sorry you got separated from your brother, but I'm going to protect you no matter what okay?" Tanjiro wiped a tear from her eye, she stared at him as he spoke "And Zenitsu's going to protect your brother, don't worry. What's your name?"

"Teruko" she said softly.

"Is that right? Teruko? That's a nice name you have-" Tanjiro stops mid sentence when a demons scent hits his nose. And it was close. He looked over to the open door were it was coming from and saw the demon reveal itself from the shadows.

He covered Teruko's mouth, in time before she screamed.

Among all these scents, this one was the strongest that the house was covered in. This one's devoured a whole slew of humans.

---

"IM GONNA DIE! IM GONNA DIE! I'M GONNA DIE! IM TELLING YOU! TANJIRO AND I GOT SPIT UP!" Zenitsu cried as Tanjiro suddenly disappeared. He couldn't hear him and that scared Zenitsu more then anything.

"Teruko!" Zenitsu jumped "Teruko!"

"No no no! Don't yell like that! If you yell and the bad guy hears you, it won't be pretty! Come on lets step outside!" He pleaded.

"What? Why outside?" The boy questioned, he'd never seen someone older act like this before. "Are you trying to escape all by yourself?"

"Eh?"

"All this constant yammering about dying aren't you ashamed of yourself? Clinging to a younger person don't you feel pathetic? What are you wearing that sword on your hip for anyway?"

"Ack- those words they cut so deep..."

Zenitsu jumped up and grasped the boy's kimono trying to drag him towards the outside door "That's not it! In not useful to anyone here anyway, so I'm gonna get a grownup here okay?"

"Let me go!" The boy struggled to tug his clothing away from Zenitsu but he wouldn't budge.

"This isn't something we kids can resolve on our own!" Zenitsu slid the door open and his eyes widened when he just found an empty room, his face contorted in disbelief "Your kidding me, your kidding me, your kidding me! I'm sure this was the front door!"

Zenitsu looked around frantically trying to remember where the door to outside was.

"Where'd the outside go?! I mean this was" Zenitsu slid another door open "was it this one?!"

"How about this one?" Another door.

"And this one?" And another. But Zenitsu paused when he saw a figure in the dark room. Zenitsu felt a shiver run down his spine at the sight, it was some monster with a boars head! And if the figure standing there wasn't enough to make Zenitsu pass out then and there, the thing breathed in deeply and let it's breath go in this intimidating way.

"IT'S A MONSTER!" Zenitsu shrieked as his eyes bulged out of their sockets, and ducked when the thing sprinted towards him. Zenitsu cried bloody murder as he crouched into a tiny ball to protect himself, covering his head with his hands.

When it was all quiet, Zenitsu turned around, afraid he may have lost the kid, but was met with the same boy giving him that same look Tanjiro had given him about an hour ago.

Zenitsu pointing accusingly at him "What the heck? What's with that look in your eyes?! Stop looking at me like that!"

"Okay, okay" Zenitsu said trying to gather himself "Let's just try and find the door that leads outside ok? But be very quiet so no one hears us, here" Zenitsu offered his hand to the boy who took it hesitantly.

"What's your name? Sorry I didn't ask earlier" Zenitsu sighed, as he held the kid's hand. He felt horrible that the boy had to deal with him and not by Tanjiros side. But! He would try his best at keeping him safe!

"Shoichi"

"Ah, that's nice" Zenitsu gave a small smile at him. Zenitsu began walking forward taking slow steps as to not make any noise. He could still hear that tsuzumi somewhere but couldn't tell from which direction.

This whole place is loopy! How was he going to find the exit? Let alone, a safe place to hide if the time came? Zenitsu started getting chills at the thought of bumping into a demon. He took in labored breaths, shaking as he peaked over a corner to see if the coast was clear.

When he saw and heard nothing he continued down the empty hallway shaking with every step he took, he unconsciously brought his wrist up and put it near his nose but was surprised when the scent was barely there.

W-what? How did it go away so soon? Did it have to do with him sweating so much? The demons in this house? He didn't know and that lack of information continued to make the Omega spiral down more and more into panic frenzy .

N-no not right now! He had to find a way out first or somewhere safe! The best idea though was finding Tanjiro and sticking by his side forever. He really wanted to leave this hell hole of terror. The sounds of the tsuzumi had stopped and Zenitsu didn't know if that was good or bad for them.

"Excuse me, Zenitsu?"

"AHHH!!!" Zenitsu screamed at the sudden sound behind him not even realizing in his fear induced state that it was just Shoichi. He turned around hoping to maybe scare whatever he heard by trying to be intimidating but stopped and leaped on Shoichis small frame, he clung to him as tears poured out.

"Signal signal s-signal me first!" Zenitsu begged on his knees "If you want to talk, don't come at me all of a sudden! My heart nearly flew out of my mouth just now!"

"I'm sorry" Shoichi said, he sounded tired and nervous.

"If that had come to pass, that would've made you a murderer for sure! You get that right?" Zenitsu shook like a leaf.

"See it's just you've been sweating, gasping and shivering so bad, not to mention your scent is soured in fear-"

"What about it? Aren't I doing the best I can here!?"

"Well, forgive me for saying, but youre making me nervous, too, so..."

"Oh no! Sorry about that!" he said tearfully, he hadn't meant to make the other sacred as well, he was trying to make him feel safe, not get to his level! "still! if we talk too much, those demons will hear and all, they might find us, right? That's why I think it's best to stay as quiet as possible! Right?"

Shoichi said nothing in return but his face turned grim as he looked passed Zenitsu. Zenitsu could hear it before he turned around, that unnatural and scary sound only demons could make. He turned around afraid of what horror he'll see. Zenitsu breath hitched so sharply, he felt pain in his throat when he saw the demon.

"A couple of kids, most likely agreeable to the tongue" The demon spoke as it eyed both of them like pieces of fresh meat.

"WHAT DID I TELL YOU! A DEMON SHOWED UP! A DEMON SHOWED UP, UNDERSTAND!?" Zenitsu yelled as he snatched Shoichis hand and ran the opposite direction.

"STAY AWAY! STAY AWAY FROM US! STOP THAT!!" He screamed back at the demon that started to chase them by crawling on the ground freakishly "W-W-WE DON'T TASTE GOOD! I'M SURE I TASTE AWFUL! And this kids all skin and bones, so he's all dry and tastes ghastly!"

If he couldn't save his life at least he'd do some good and save Shoichis life.

"How will I know until I have a taste?" The demon replied shooting his tongue out of his mouth like a bullet.

"NOOOO!" Zenitsu yanked Shoichis kimono by the sleeve just in time to pull him away from that demons tongue and held him close wrapping his arms around the younger kid protectively. Because Zenitsu grabbed Shoichi quick enough he saw the tongue hit a vase instead and split it in two.

"What was that? Quick tongued! Splitting a vase in two?" Zenitsu dodged the tongue again as it attacked once more.

"That's just not possible!" he screeched as they busted through some doors, he held Shoichi securely so he didn't get hurt as they fell and slid across the ground.

Shoichi whipped his head around to the now open entrance where they came from, he looked down to Zenitsus form and took his hand shaking it a bit "Zenitsu! Get up!"

Zenitsu gasped as he turned around "IT'S IN MY KNEES NOW! 80 PERCENT OF MY FEAR IN IN MY KNEES!" Zenitsu wailed.

"This is no time to whine, all right?"

"Just leave me behind, okay? Make a run for it!"

Shoichi looked at him with concern "I can't do something like that!"

Zenitsu cried like an open faucet with no stop button.

What a great kid! Even though I'm making terrified sounds like this, he refuses to leave me behind! I have to find a way to save him somehow! If I don't protect him, what will happen to him? Dying before he reaches double digits would be way to tragic! What would people say if they heard i couldn't even protect a single kid? I'd be even more useless then i am now!

"Get up!" Shoichi shook his shoulder, desperately.

But I'm so weak I don't have the ability to save my own life, let alone another persons! But if I don't protect him hell die!

Zenitsu startled when he heard the demon crawl into the room by the entrance and looked back in terror. The demon laughed at the two, taunting them with his next words.

"I'm going to guzzle your brain matter through your ears!"

It was in that moment Zenitsu's brain ceased functioning and broke as his worst fear was made apparent right before his very eyes, his body slumped to the ground lifelessly.

"Zenitsu! Zenit-"

Those words where the last thing Zenitsu heard before his vision went black. It was like an empty abyss, he looked left and right but found nothing but more darkness.

What happened?

Suddenly a bright light blinded him and he shut his eyes tightly.

"Get up Zenitsu!"

Zenitsu's eyes shot open and he found himself lying on his back staring at the clouds in the sky as they drifted on currents of wind. The orange and red colored sky was quite pretty today he admired. He blinked sighing as he sat up.

"Now, again Zenitsu" Gramps instructed him as he used the staff to whack his back, it didn't hurt but it was firm, Zenitsu nodded slowly at him as he stood. How had Gramps shown up? Hadn't he been somewhere important? He felt nostalgic but shook the thought away "Control your breathing and take the stance I taught you, your enemy is right in front of you"

He looked in front of him and saw a poorly made dummy that was being held up by a post. Zenitsu took his stance, dragging his left leg behind him and picking up the dirt roughly, as he took his stance and gripped the hilt and shaft of his sword sturdily.

The training from today took a lot out of Zenitsu, and his legs threatened to break under him again as they buckled unsteadily. He couldn't let Gramps down, its been months of this hellish training and he still hasn't made any headway.

He couldn't put all that time Gramps spent on him to go to waste! Kaigaku had learned almost every move of the breath of thunder and he hadn't even accomplished one!

He took a deep breath, the air filling his lungs to its utmost limit. He clenched his teeth as he let out the deoxygenated air and sprinted forward to the lay figure. In just a flash his sword had struck the dummy's bamboo neck and decapitated the mannequin, as he sheathed his sword back.

He stood up straight and flinched when a loud thump echoed in his ears. He opened his eyes again and turned around curiously as he heard something rolling to his heel. When the object touched him he realized it was the decapitated head of the demon they had been running away from earlier.

Zenitsu screamed and jumped away.

"IT'S DEAD! ALL OF A SUDDEN, ITS DEAD! WHAT THE HELL? I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE! WHAT IS THIS? WHAT IS THIS? YUCK!" he hollered as he cried fountains again. What the heck! What was going on? He looked behind the dissipating body of the demon and saw Shoichi. What? Shoichi had saved him?

"Shoichi don't tell me" Zenitsu said with recognition and hope. He ran over to the boy and hugged him dearly as he cried.

"Thank you! You saved my life! I shall be eternally grateful to you for this! You must be an Alpha! If your so strong! Why didn't you tell me sooner that you were so powerful?"

"What are you talking about?..."

"Huh, did you say something?" Zenitsu asked him.

"Eh?" Shoichi looked at the teary blond with confusion, did he not know it was his doing that killed that demon? Something was wrong, but he knew he couldn't fix it himself. He shook his head "Uh, no. Forget it"

Shoichi helped lift the distraught male up "Lets go now, okay?"

Zenitsu nodded in agreement "yeah"

Looking out of the room, hand in hand, they stepped out and looked both ways before continuing down one direction. They turned a corner. The sound of that tsuzumi was back and it was getting louder, not to mention it was being played rapidly this time around. There was the sound of another demon close by too, he tried to find Tanjiro by his sound but the sounds of the tsuzumi was drowning out any other noises. They turned another corner and Zenitsu swore they just went down this hallway.

"Where are you Tanjiro?" Zenitsu said worriedly.

That creepy tsuzumi was still playing, and Zenitsu had a bad feeling that Tanjiro might be dealing with the demon that might be making all that ruckus!

"Just be safe and sound, Tanjiro!"

"Um, Zenitsu, Is it just me, or are we going around and around in circles?" Shoichi said nervously beside him. Zenitsu stopped in his tracks.

"I knew it! I was getting the same feeling!" Zenitsu patted the youngers head affectionately "That's my boy Shoichi! I knew I could count on you!"

Zenitsu looked around and saw a door next to them. He turned to Shoichi and pointed to the door "All right, could you check to see if this room is safe?"

"..."

"What the heck? All right, all right, just stop giving me that look! fine I'll do it myself!" Zenitsu stepped over to the door slowly, shaking as he did, and slid the door open a sliver. The room was dark but he could see and hear that it was completely empty.

There's nobody around He was grateful, but a bit sad that he didn't find Tanjiro. That sound felt really close right now! "lets go this way"

Zenitsu took Shoichi's hand again and walked into the room "Tanjiro, please show up" Zenitsu begged.

All of a sudden he felt a weird pull on his body and the room seemed to flip around, he looked down in shock as the door they were walking to was now under their feet Th-the room just flipped?!

They fell through multiple rooms before the brightness of outside made Zenitsu squint, he gasped. Shoichi! A protective feeling came over him as Zenitsu twisted his body in the air and grabbed the kid quickly and pulled him close. He shut his eyes tightly and waited until they hit the ground.

When they did though Zenitsu blacked out once more.