If one were to ask Zenitsu what he thought he'd be up to on the night before Valentines last year, his answer wouldn't have come as much of a surprise. Something along the lines of buying an expensive basket to "collect all the treats from his admirers" was the first thing to come to mind. Maybe sticking a couple of hearts on the weaves and placing it by his locker would've been the nice finishing touch. After all, he was a first year student. It was a new place with new people (read: girls). Spring was arriving! It was his chance to finally get a girlfriend!

It came as even less of a surprise when the day passed and his box was emptier than Genya's.

"N-No way..." Zenitsu swayed back, feeling his head grow light at the sight of envelopes in the other boy's hands. A light flush of embarrassment was the only thing tainting the scoff on his face. And now Zenitsu was sure that this was the end for him. Was he in a nightmare? Was this hell?! EVEN GENYA...?!

"Cool it. T-They don't mean anything."

"HOW DARE YOU!" There Zenitsu goes again, leaping forward to jab Genya in the forehead with a pointed fingernail. "HOW DARE YOU UNDERMINE THE FEELINGS OF ALL THOSE GIRLS WHO SPENT THEIR NIGHT SLAVING AWAY TO MAKE CHOCOLATES FOR A LOWLIFE LIKE YOU! LAMENT OVER YOUR HORRIBLE ATTITUDE."

"Oh, fuck off!" Genya slapped his hand away with a glare. The exchange has strangers passing by staring as the two boys made their way home. "They're just friendship chocolates! Every damn guy at our school got them."

Like that, Zenitsu felt like his heart was struck by lightning. He collapsed, just collapsed right in the middle of the sidewalk with no care for the rush hour around them. Children yelled at the strange blond man. Dogs jumped over him, yet all Zenitsu did was gurgle incoherently in despair. Staring at the sky and rivers of shame shooting out from yellow eyes, Genya has no idea how to react other than to gesture spastically at his friend from above.

The only explanation Zenitsu has for his behaviour is "I didn't."

It isn't until the next day that Kanao—the only girl who would so much as talk to him—informed him that Zenitsu was placed on a blacklist of sorts. Apparently it was agreed upon that any chocolates given to him would be misinterpreted as romantic and subsequently lead into the giver of said gifts to be stalked for at least three months afterward.

Zenitsu was appalled. He was heartbroken. He did NOT bawl in betrayal (he did). Even some of the guys felt bad for him—but Zenitsu didn't need their pity! Those traitors got chocolate while he didn't, and obviously wanted to rub it in his face. Things had to change. He wouldn't stand for this kind of discrimination!

So Zenitsu signed up for student council.

In hindsight, it was stupid of him. An in-the-moment decision that soon came back to bite him. The school year was already almost over yet there was an opening available for treasurer because no one else wanted to do it. He planned to just pay his dues, get an in on the student council meetings, evoke some rules in place for Valentine's day, and possibly take his leave at the beginning of second year.

The problem was that for some reason, everyone thought Zenitsu was really good at it.

He knew he shouldn't have stood up so many times during the meetings! With his loud voice and how much he had to yell to round up everyone else there just before they did something stupid, he just couldn't help it. He was a coward on top of it. Zenitsu was sure part of the reason was that their supervisor Tomioka derived sick pleasure from slapping him around. As a treasurer and with music being his strongest forte, basic mathematics came hand-in-hand. He was able to calculate discrepancies almost as quickly as he could recognize the note of a song. It wasn't such a big deal.

Yet here Zenitsu was. It was nearing Valentines again and he was stuck hanging up posters as the official student council president. Stuck at school after hours instead of going home and waiting in anticipation for the fruits of his efforts. This—this was too much! He didn't ask for all this! Why did the staff insist on him staying to run errands around all evening? It was cruel. How long must he suffer in this position?

"Stop complaining!" Vice president Aoi reprimanded at him from her spot across the hall. Zenitsu screeched, hurrying to gather the streamers.

There was one bright side to all this—the shining print that stated that 'everyone must receive chocolates' stared back at him in bright pink construction paper letters. It was a rule that Zenitsu enforced himself after being elected. Was it really worth it, though?

Yes, it most definitely is! I wonder what cute girl will give me chocolate tomorrow! The Zenitsu of the past may have cheered from within his head and on the outside as well. As fate would have it though, the Zenitsu of right now couldn't help but think that some god up there hated him for the irony he found himself in. For he knew, hidden in Gramps' fridge and behind a carton of eggs, was a fresh batch of cooling chocolate that he had finished cooking and placed there the night before.

What was the most incriminating was how on each chocolate ball was a heart that spelled out a single English letter of Tanjirou Kamado's name.

Zenitsu wants to die.

He went through all this trouble the past year! What the hell?! Yet what he anticipated the most, what sent his heartbeat through the roof and made his nerves frayed, wasn't the thought of receiving chocolates from any girls. It was the fact that he was planning to gift them to his best friend. A-Anonymously, of course! Zenitsu didn't actually expect the boy who he had met in orientation in September to actually return his feelings. It was just...

The thought of ruby red eyes lighting up, sound quieting to a melody of chirping birds, that stupid gentle face smiling for his own happiness for once, did weird things to Zenitsu's heart.

"AARGHH...!" Something in Zenitsu snapped. He screamed to the ceiling. "CURSE YOU, YOU DUMB BIG-FOREHEADED IDIOT!"

"SHUT UP!" Aoi wasted no time in chucking a decoration at him. The toy heart smacked him in the face, causing the blond to fall back in the pile of glittering cardboard.

They did finish decorating the hall before retiring for the night. Contrary to what it may have seemed, they made a decent team. The teachers returned the next morning to comment on how this was the best that the school has looked on this day for years. Zenitsu and Aoi were praised, at least that was what the girl claimed, but all Zenitsu received was one less smack to the head from Tomioka that morning as he was checking uniforms.

"Zenitsu...! Are you okay?"

Speak of the devil. Zenitsu was absolutely not amused at the burst of happiness in his chest when he heard that familiar voice singing concern for him. "N-No! I'm not okay! Did you see how hard he hit me and for NO REASON?! I think I'm bruising, I'm definitely bruising!"

It was their usual routine. What wasn't usual though was when, instead of smiling in amusement and lecturing him on Tomioka, Tanjirou had the gall to step forward. Before Zenitsu knew what was happening, the redhead reached out to tangle rough fingers in gold locks.

The blond's felt his chest skip a beat. "T-T-Tanjirou...?!" Sweat gathered in his fingertips from where they gripped the clipboard. Checking uniforms was the least important thing on his mind now and Zenitsu was one-hundred percent going to get flack for it later-! But ah, it felt nice? He leaned into the touch. It was only the realization from Tanjirou's concerned look that the other boy was checking for injury that had Zenitsu flinching in embarrassment.

Tanjirou brought his hand back, unaffected. Actually, that wasn't completely true. His smile seemed rosier than usual. His kindness practically radiated from him as he spoke almost quietly. "There doesn't seem to be a bump anywhere. Thank goodness! You should be fine, Zenitsu."

That's it. Tanjirou was going to be the death of him. It didn't help that the homemade chocolates seared a hole from their spot in his bag. They came out perfect, by the way. Thanks for asking. With a red heart-shaped box and a giant green plaid ribbon to match the scarf that Tanjirou always wore and kept snug around his neck or uniform, it was exactly the kind of gesture that Zenitsu has been waiting his entire life to receive from someone. It figures that Zenitsu would find himself on the other end first. Always chasing, never being chased or loved by anyone.

The other boy continued, oblivious to the storm in the student council president's head. "I'm sure that Tomioka-sensei would never smack you hard enough to actually hurt you."

Ah, there it was. Zenitsu felt some relief. Still, his cheeks flushed red from the lingering touch. "And I'm sure that he will someday kill me if I keep letting you go with those earrings on, yet here we are."

Tanjirou laughed. It was a tingling aria.

"It's not funny!" Despite that, Zenitsu found himself smiling. A few months ago—actually maybe even yesterday, he would've been screeching it, pulling Tanjirou forward with fire emitting from his mouth and hair splayed in anger. Now, though? His cursed feelings were running amuck in his head. Perhaps it was the lighter air that seemed to emit from the couples around them causing it. "How about you feel at least a little bad for my position right now? This isn't fun for me, you know. An upper year already tried to get in this morning with this outfit her boyfriend got for her. I have enough to deal with people rubbing their happiness in my face! But you should've seen her, Tanjirou! Did she want to get arrested?"

His best friend finally looked sheepish. Still, that didn't dampen the fact that Tanjirou was beaming at him as well. "You're right, sorry... I can offer you half of my roll cake at lunch. Is the usual time all right?" It was a habit that they had. They'd always meet at the rooftop before joining the rest of their friends on a picnic table in the yard.

"Stop bribing people with sweets." Zenitsu deadpanned. Contrary to that statement, he adds "I'll see you at twelve."

"Great!"

This was normally the point when Tanjirou would leave, hanafuda still at home on his ears with no confiscation in sight. Zenitsu even got his pen back out in preparation but stopped when he found the boy lingering instead. As if waiting for something, he sent his companion a questioning look but got nothing in response. Ruby eyes avoided him and pretended to be preoccupied by a leaf on the tree adjacent.

Come to think of it, this would've been the perfect moment to give Tanjirou the chocolates. They were both early. Not many students were around yet. That was the thing though. Zenitsu was, as mentioned before, a coward. He already resolved to sneak them into his locker when the other wasn't looking. No confrontation. Purely anonymous, it was perfect. Zenitsu wasn't sure how he'd react if that gentle sound twisted, became that same tune of disgust and rejection that the other girls held for him. He didn't want to find out.

With that in mind, Zenitsu pointedly went back to checking uniforms.

Tanjirou's song took on a different tinge then. The blond didn't have time to discern what it was before his best friend let out a hum of "see you later" and rushed through the gates.

With that opportunity lost, Zenitsu was sure that there would be many others. He had a whole eight hours. How hard could it be to sneak a few chocolates?

Knowing his track record of being utterly screwed from how unfair life was, the answer was: very.

It wasn't that Zenitsu never noticed it. In fact, it was something that he expressed outward contempt and anger over countless times over the sound of apology emitting from his friend. Yet somehow and while caught up in the wave known as his emotions, he had forgotten just how many people had a crush on Tanjirou Kamado.

Tanjirou wasn't a pretty-boy like their teacher Tengen (that bastard) who had an immediate fan base as soon as he stepped in the room. But wielding his heart of gold and music so soft and kind that Zenitsu wanted to cry, Tanjirou captured hearts left and right. It was inevitable. Tanjirou was... Tanjirou.

Some part of Zenitsu wondered why the boy hadn't long abandoned him and his ragtag group of friends. It was a question that's only appropriate answer was simply that Tanjirou was a good person. A moron, but a good person. Zenitsu wasn't the only one to notice.

Excusing himself to the bathroom during second period, he awkwardly bumped into a first-year girl in the hall who sputtered out apologies before asking him which locker was Kamado's. She was beautiful. With auburn hair and blue eyes, anyone would say yes to her (would Tanjirou...?). At that point, Zenitsu would rather die than face the embarrassment of trying to loiter until she left, so he actually did scurry to the bathroom. The blond returned to class with that weight still in his bag.

His next attempt came just before lunch. Due to the bake sale that the cooking club was hosting, Zenitsu was allowed out of class early for a quick five-minute check that everything was in order. Luckily, that included passing by entrance. It was fool-proof. The halls were empty. Yet all it took was Zenitsu rounding the corner and witnessing the absolute war zone that was Tanjirou's locker for him to drop his notebook to the wood floor in horror.

He screeched.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" Two hands grabbed at frazzled blond hair. "That sly bastard! That traitor, Tanjirou! How dare he be so popular with the girls before me?! I'll NEVER FORGIVE HIM!"

None of the teachers nor students, used to the antics of their president, came to his aid. He stomped on the floor, wiping tears from the corners of his eyes. This was so stupid. Why did he ever think his measly box would ever make a difference at all? Still, he went through the effort already and it'd be such a waste to not get them to Tanjirou somehow! He'd have to wait, even if that resorted to handing them over tomorrow. Anything was better than letting them rot. Zenitsu refused to become like those people in the soap operas that Gramps really enjoyed who cried on a couch while eating ice cream.

The bake-sale check in was a disaster. Only half the poster was complete. Several love-themed sweets were missing because someone's mother's car broke down on the side of the road. Some third-years scrambled to get the gift bag tags done despite being told to have them all submitted two days ago. Zenitsu may have lectured a lot, there were phone calls made and a few lunch staff brought in to help with the slips, but everything was in order by the time the lunch bell rang.

"Th-Thank you, Agatsuma-senpai...!" One of the boys behind the cupcakes chirped.

"Don't let it happen again. I swear to god this isn't my job! I'm going to die from stress at this rate. I hate this." A tiny girl who was there as an assistant, he thinks it was Aoi's little sister, offered him a cookie in appreciation. Zenitsu snatched it up, mood suddenly raised. "Well, if you insist! Hehe..."

Just before the rush of students would show, Zenitsu took the steps two at a time to meet Tanjirou at their usual spot. The chocolate still weighed heavy on his shoulders. He's sure it'd continue to call out to him annoyingly as he hollers at his friend for being so popular. The thought made this entire day so much drearier.

At least the cookie was delicious.

When Zenitsu cracked open the door to the rooftop, two things stood out to him right away. The first was that it was really windy. With the breeze blowing right into his face from some spot below, it ruffled his hair this way and that. The second was that there was no one else there. Tanjirou almost always showed up first, probably out of some obligation to not make their other friends wait too long in the courtyard.

The blond marched forward until he could lean over the railing. That was when he saw it. They were small figures in the distance but with the harmony of blue skies resonating next to blooming spring blossoms, it was unmistakable. There Tanjirou was, hiding beneath the shade of a tree next to the track and field as Kanao Tsuyuri fumbled with her cross-body bag across from him.

When their voices reached his ears, Zenitsu felt his heart stop.

"I-I really like you!"

Sometimes Zenitsu wished his hearing was normal.

Distant but the small tinny sound of Kanao rung as loudly as if she had screamed it into his face. She was nervous. Face practically glowing red, no one at the school had ever seen her with any expression other than that unnerving yet beautiful smile. In her dainty fingers was a box almost identical to Zenitsu's but with a pastel pink bow instead.

This. This was different. Kanao wasn't like those other countless people who Tanjirou has helped in the past. She wasn't part of the crowd of girls who'd flirt or try to nudge their way into Tanjirou's heart out of some grand fantasy of him being the perfect boyfriend. Part of the reason why Zenitsu was so boiling mad at their existence in the first place was the very fact that his friend would never reciprocate their feelings. Kanao, though? She's their friend. Hanging out with Zenitsu, Inosuke, and Genya almost as much as Tanjirou did, her sincere if quiet demeanor was appreciated in their group.

That was probably why Tanjirou face was red as well. He scanned the ribbon for a second before trailing back to her. "Kanao... do you really mean it?"

The girl blinked seemingly confused. However, once the connotation of his words hit, she leaned back up and nodded her head almost furiously. "Yes, I do! I know what you're thinking, Tanjirou, but I wasn't told to feel this way. This was my own decision... After being around you so much, I had a lot of time to think about what you told me. Your will and your compassion... I'm completely sure about this."

And suddenly, everything made so much sense.

Tanjirou and Kanao... both were beautiful in their own right. Whereas Tanjirou emitted a stubborn benevolence that broke through walls, Kanao offered silent comfort and support. If Tanjirou was the protective force that shielded those who he cared for, then Kanao was the brave swordswoman who cut down her enemies. They weren't like Zenitsu who screamed and cried and ran away. Tanjirou's heart reached those around him. Kanao's movements and presence were absolutely flawless. Together, Zenitsu wondered what a family surrounding them would look like. With the perfect fenced-in yard and children running around. It's likely that they'd adopt a dog with the numerous income they'd earn just from their skill and charisma alone.

It would be the perfect life.

So when Tanjirou reached out to accept the chocolate, it hurt all the more. No matter how much Zenitsu strained his eyes, he couldn't make out the expression on his face. Another gust of wind blew by. It was so strong from how high up he was that Zenitsu felt the strap of his own bag strain as it pulled him backwards, but he stayed put. He wasn't about to become one of those people who ran out before hearing the entire conversation! There's still a chance that Tanjirou would say no. That Kanao didn't mean it that way—

"I like you too."

.

Oh.

Zenitsu felt it somewhere deep in his core. He wasn't sixteen and clinging to a rail on a hideously white cemented floor anymore. He was twenty-two. It was February fourteenth yet again. The floors were gorgeously decorated in lilies of many colours. Instead of a rail, it was the back of a chair that he clenched to. When he peered up, there Tanjirou was. In a kimono black as night and matching hakama, the red of his irises stood out alongside the red carnation.

The blond laughed. "Come on, Tanjirou. That doesn't suit you at all."

"It-It doesn't?!" The brunet whipped to the mirror in a bout of panic. Turning back and forth again and again, adjusting the folds, he turned to him with a pout. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"Maybe I secretly want this thing to burn up in flames as revenge for all the pain that you put me through."

"Zenitsu..." Despite the reprimanding tone, Tanjirou peered at him in fondness.

"No really. My master plan was to not tell you that you looked like a clown until now so then I can get that last minute slow-motion realization from you as you watch the disaster unfold. It'd start when Inosuke sees your outfit and freaks out, charging through the table with the statue. Genya would try to catch it only for Sanemi to get in the way with his sword and accidentally knock the candles over. We're all idiots. It is definitely plausible! No one would ever find out that it was me all along. Isn't that brilliant? Everyone would think it was a demon or even the return of Muzan. Some may prepare for battle but the true enemy was right in front of them! This is why you should be less trusting, Tanjirou!"

Zenitsu is cut off from his tirade when he's suddenly engulfed in a hug. The sound of the river so close to his ear, his heart beats a mile a minute as the vibration of Tanjirou's chuckle shakes the blond off his axis. "You've been reading too many stories again, haven't you? Thank you, for everything."

"Hey, don't talk about me like I'm dead..." Gold eyes are wet. He ignores the pang causing it as anything more than happiness.

Tanjirou laughs again. "It's true, though! You did so much to help prepare for this day. I'm just getting emotional. I can't believe it. A wedding...!"

Feeling that sear deepen, Zenitsu swallows down the lump in his throat. Reluctantly, he wraps his arms around Tanjirou like a life line. "You sap. On Valentine's Day too...? You sure know how to knock it out of the park."

"Do you like it?"

"Of course I do." He rolls his eyes, smacking Tanjirou in the back as cue to let each other go. "We'd better leave. People are going to wonder where we are."

"Ah, we can't have that! Zenitsu is important to the wedding ceremony."

The blond pinches the other's arm, earning a small 'ouch' in response. Vision misty yet again, he reprimands. "Don't say that."

The man frowns, stopping to face him properly. Like this, neither of them can continue to the garden where all of their friends and family await. "...Are you upset?"

He froze. Right, Tanjirou's nose could pick up on the storm in his gut as well as Zenitsu's ears could listen to the symphony of joy colouring his soul right this instant. "Yeah, I guess I am."

"Zenitsu..." A sleeve reaches out in a mixture of confusion and concern. Not knowing exactly what was bothering him, Tanjirou could do not much else than step back when Zenitsu gently smacks it away.

"You're getting married before me, after all. Of course I'm mad."

Golden eyes blinked. The wind died down, and he was back on the rooftop of a run-down school. With no hilt of a sword strapped to his belt, its calming presence was replaced by that dreaded weight on his shoulders. The smell of lilies died down into the sound of chatter as students dispersed on the field. Yet the image of a taller Tanjirou, hair long and eyes bright against the creases of his kimono remained clear in his head.

What. What was that?

The blond didn't have time to comprehend it for the next thing he knew, the crinkling sound of a box being gently shoved back cut through the silence in his heart. Tanjirou's voice followed it; higher in frequency caused by younger age but still unmistakably gentle.

"—but, I don't like you in that way. I'm sorry, Kanao. I won't make the same mistake again."

Zenitsu's knees gave out from under him. Body suddenly exhausted, he leaned against the metal railing as his lungs struggled to take breath. Although the vision was long gone, the pain that pierced his heart was there to make its home. This... This was too much! The crushing grip in his chest, the feeling of losing Tanjirou, was unbearable. It was compounded when he heard the footsteps belonging to the object of his affections making his way back inside the building, undoubtedly with the goal of meeting him.

But, but Zenitsu wasn't ready.

He did what he did best. He ran.

He ran and ran and ran. Past the point where it was necessary, he zipped down the stairs on the opposite side of the building before booking it out of school grounds amidst the crowd of students. He didn't even check his locker or switch to his outdoor shoes, ignorant to the pile of chocolate gathered in front of his pencil case. He ran past the local bakery that held a display of sweets. Almost bumping into an old lady, it felt like he was flying like lightning on the streets. He ran until he made it home, slamming the door close before dashing up the stairs. Scared of questions from his Gramps who was tending to the garden, feet didn't stop until he was in his room and face planted deep in his pillow.

Finally, he was given a moment where everything just stopped. Like a dam waiting to burst, a tsunami crashed into his brain in a haze of memories. They were neither happy nor sad. Where it lacked in a well-defined feeling, it compensated with strength; filling his head with self-blame and hatred mixed with bittersweet joy.

Screaming, Kanao was screaming.

Trapped in a room closed off from anyone but Aoi and Tanjirou, Zenitsu waited outside in the yard alongside the rest of their friends and family. He was twenty-three. Exactly one year since the wedding date, it seemed that February fourteenth was the date of memories. The silhouette of Inosuke nervously kicking a rock beside him was the only other sound that he could distract himself with. Despite the newly wedded couple's decision to consummate their marriage, no one was really ready for how scary child birth could really be.

Aside from Kanao, Tanjirou probably had the worst of it. Adorning a bouquet of flowers, he had planned to gift them to his pregnant wife for Valentine's day. He'd gone a little overboard, planning dates to the best places and buying the most expensive of clothes that he carried in a giant box that reminded all of them of the one that used to be his little sister's home. Despite his attempts to seem excited, his demeanor shifted to awkward reluctance every time he tried to go over the speech he had prepared in his head.

Nezuko watched her brother with a sigh. She whispered to the thunder pillar from a ways behind Tanjirou. "Nii-chan is trying his best, but he and Kanao have been drifting apart lately. It's frustrating, like they've gotten bored of each other after talking too much. Or fallen out of love..."

Zenitsu didn't know what he was supposed to do with that information. Not even the feelings he held for Tanjirou and refused to die out knew with what to respond. The small bit of chocolate that he had purchased in town and kept in his pocket dangled as he walked. He wasn't actually going to give it to Tanjirou. Somehow just having it to play with in his hands was a bit of comfort. "Don't worry, Nezuko-chan! I'm sure that the two of them will work everything out. It's Tanjirou and Kanao."

The girl beside him crossed her arms. "What does that have to do with anything?"

Zenitsu paused, realizing that she had stopped on the road to face him. Despite her outward displeasure, he didn't budge on his point. He hadn't been around to witness most of Tanjirou and Kanao's interaction but from what he could gather, most of them were initiated by a hyperactive Tanjirou while a confused but kind Kanao struggled to keep up. "I mean that they're perfect for each other. Do you not think so?"

Nezuko let out an unimpressed huff. "Sometimes I wish you still had that dumb crush on me just so you would agree with everything I said."

"ACK, Nezuko-chan...! That's so harsh! Why does it even matter what I think?" He didn't have time to receive a response when the sudden announcement about the collapse of Kanao signaling the arrival of the baby halted all activity in the building. Nezuko rushed ahead of him. Her brother was not far behind, leaving Zenitsu to find the others and form an awkward line from another room.

It felt like hours before it was over. Nezuko was allowed in first, of course she was. What Zenitsu didn't expect as the rest of the butterfly estate girls followed was for the umpteenth scream to hit them all like a freight train. This time, it wasn't from the painful contractions. Inosuke had his swords out in an instant, boar mask shining and Zenitsu following behind when they burst through the door. Almost as soon as Zenitsu saw that familiar red mop of hair that belonged to Tanjirou did Aoi tackle him to the floor.

"Y-YOU...YOU BASTARD...!" It was the only explanation he got when a palm slapped him hard in the cheek. It stung and stained his skin red, tiny pricks of blood peeking out from where her nails scrapped him. The tiny voice of the baby roared in distress, bawling as ugly tears streamed down its face. It didn't take long for the Kakushi to flow into the room. With their weapons out in alarm, they all honed in on the danger despite Nezuko's attempts to shut the door.

Inosuke was the first to react. He snapped out of it long enough to practically throw Aoi away from his friend. "Oi, get the hell off of him!" She only screeched again, dragged away kicking and screaming by the boar-masked man.

"WHAT DID YOU DO, YOU BLOND-HAIRED WHORE?!" The baby shrieks again in distress.

Inosuke slammed his swords on the floor. "WHAT DID YOU CALL HIM?!"

"QUIET!" Nezuko was the one to break the argument. It does the trick. Never had anyone heard the girl lose her composure in such a way, but if it was to calm down her nephew's continually pained expression, she'd do it.

Zenitsu clutched his bruising cheek. Alongside everyone else in the vicinity, his sight focused in on the wiggling baby held tightly in green checkered arms. Finally away from the yells of anger and calming down, her eyes opened. It should've been a monumental moment, filled with bliss and tears and many kinds of congratulations all around. But the room stilled in chilling silence instead. The newly born girl looked up curiously at Tanjirou's face. Eyes as red as the deepest embers of a flame, yet the tuff of hair on its head and its brow glowed golden like lightning.

Tanjirou reached out with one finger, letting the girl grasp his own in mutual awe. Ruby eyes owned by the older in the room didn't take long to stray to Zenitsu with a stunned light. It was dumb. Zenitsu suddenly felt an isolated and horrible bout of giddiness when Tanjirou compared the face of the baby girl to his like he was stuck in a daze. For that one moment, Zenitsu could pretend. He could pretend that the look in Tanjirou's eyes was reciprocated love.

But as all isolated feelings go, the moment was ruined when a gasp sounded. It was one of the Kakushi, pointing to the bundle of cloth with a paling countenance. "That's... that's impossible. She looks almost nothing like her own parents! It... It's a demon child! A demon...!" Like Rui, off spring who didn't maintain traits from their parents were considered turned.

"W-We can't jump to that conclusion, idiot! It's probably an illegitimate child, b-but... Lady Kanao would never..." This Kakushi female, her eyes trailed between the blond man who was still on the floor and the groggy Kanao hidden beneath the blankets. The poor pink-eyed woman was too weak to move or speak. "...would she?"

Zenitsu felt his blood freeze. He knew what happened to monarchs who committed exactly what Kanao was being accused of. He had no choice but to know. Parents scared of facing the penalty for adultery dumped babies born outside of marriage all the time. Often, such pitiful abandonments were into the streets of the Red Light District where disappearances were common and no one questioned them. It left a ragtag group of orphans alone to fend for themselves lest anyone find out about their existence and connection to their parents. Abandonment, becoming an orphan, never receiving a name or a blanket to keep warm, Zenitsu was cursed with such a fate.

"That's the only possible explanation!" The crowd was growing larger as reinforcements showed up. "But she has Master Tanjirou's eyes? Were all three of them involved somehow? This—This is an atrocity! A scandal...!"

The choice was obvious. "It's a demon child."

The room hushed immediately to the chillingly steady voice of Zenitsu cutting through the tension. He could lie. It was something he had to be accustomed to doing in order to survive. It sucked. Neither Tanjirou nor Inosuke had ever seen this side to him. It was something he didn't have to do anymore after gaining friends. But just as Gramps taught him exactly what not to do, the old reflex surfaced from inside of him. "I did it."

"Zenitsu... what are you saying?" Tanjirou finally spoke and it had to be those words? Zenitsu shot him the coldest glare, one that had his best friend who had never been the target of such a look shutting up with wet eyes.

"I'm saying I made a deal with a demon." Wrong, wrong, wrong...! A voice screamed in his head but Zenitsu shut it up. He was shaking on the inside but with all of the training in self-control and willpower that he's had as a pillar for over six years, he endured it. "I was weak back then, couldn't even master a single form of thunder breathing. I needed strength in order to take revenge on a former training mate. In exchange for my speed and prowess with the sword, he stained my hair blond and cursed the firstborn baby of my closest friend to suffer from the same fate."

"Y-You... You made a deal with a demon?" Aoi breathed, seething from her spot by the foot of the bed. "Your strength in battle wasn't your own, this entire time? Y-You... those of us who were too weak to ever become a demon slayer yet you sacrificed a baby for your own goals?!"

"Ah...! You're making such a big deal out of it." He waved his hand in a manner that he learned from watching Kaigaku. "I didn't sacrifice her. She'll just look like me. Her parents will have to live with the failure or dump her aside and try again. What's the big deal—"

This time, it was Inosuke who punched him.

The room evolved into chaos soon after. With Nezuko shooing everyone out to the clamber of the Kakushi rushing to report the happenings to their leader, Tanjirou was the only one available to hold Inosuke back from proceeding any further towards beating the shit out of their blond companion. The baby, who was only named Kanae moments before, cried once more from her spot by the bed and her mother's mournful tears.

Zenitsu was tied and sent to Kiriya Ubuyashiki without a second word. Despite the protests from the other pillars and the Kakushi, the young leader of the Demon Slayers simply smiled and gestured for the two of them to converse alone. On top of that, the man commanded his sister to release the chains so Zenitsu could move of free will. Reluctantly, they left, giving the two men privacy from the pandemonium occurring amidst the ranks.

"Master..." Zenitsu bowed.

Kiriya sipped on a cup, offering the kettle with a kind smile. "Tea...?" The blond couldn't refuse. Pouring himself a cup to join him at the table, it came as no surprise when the man three years his junior spoke up first. "Before we touch upon more... pressing matters, I'd like to inquire on if you know the true origins of Kanae Kamado's birth."

Zenitsu sighed. He felt a headache coming on. "Was it that obvious...?"

The leader chuckled. "It wasn't. I commend you for altering the pieces of your back-story that you never divulged and intertwining it with the parts that were common knowledge amongst your friends. That was an almost perfect lie. Perhaps you could've made a fine administer if you chose to put the sword down."

"Thank you but I really think that's a bad idea." That gets a light chuckle out from Kiriya. Still, despite the lightened atmosphere and humor, he could tell by the slouch in the thunder pillar's shoulders that he wasn't up for much more. "Besides, that's not a choice for me now, is it?"

"It depends. Drink." He gestured to the cup. Zenitsu suspected it was poisoned for a quick second but knew it wasn't. As the liquid ran down his throat, he felt his muscles relaxing immediately. It was a herbal tea known for calming the nerves. The sound of a flowing stream behind them caused by the miniature fountain was endearing. It was the cherry on top to chasing away any remaining fear he had.

Zenitsu gulped down. Finishing off half of his drink, he broke the silence between them once more. "I never engaged with Kanao Tsuyuri or Tanjirou Kamado in any level past what is considered friendship. That is the truth. I-I'm sorry. I have no idea why or how Kanae was born to look... that way."

"That is a shame."

Zenitsu tapped on the table, eyeing the candles in dismay. "What happens if I take back my story now?"

"Kanao Tsuyuri will be deemed to have committed adultery and lose the entire heritage left behind by Miss Shinobu and Kanae. She will lose all rights to the title of a Pillar. The child will either be abandoned or sent to a slavery mill. You will suffer no consequences as you were not bound to any partner or inheritance. Aside from lingering rumors that he was somehow involved due to the child's red eyes, Tanjirou Kamado will remain relatively unharmed physically."

But emotionally... Neither of them said. Zenitsu stared at his reflection in the drink. What looked back at him were the same bushy eyebrows and chopped golden locks flowing over his shoulder in a haphazardly done ponytail. This. This is what his life has come to, huh? Working so hard to be a pillar, to make his Gramps proud and to now give all of it up because of an abnormal child birth that not even he was sure was possible—

No, it was because no matter what, Zenitsu would never abandon his friends.

He'd never abandon Kamado Tanjirou.

I'm so sorry, Gramps.

"And if I stick to the story...?"

Kiriya sipped once more, smile fading. "No harm will come to the Kamado family at all. Kanao and Tanjirou Kamado are free to raise their child in peace. However, you will lose the title of a pillar. For sacrificing a child's well-being, you will be treated as no different from a demon and sentenced to a death penalty. However, we can circumvent or possibly fake that punishment if..."

"If...?"

"...If you disappear."

Zenitsu blinked, taken out of his daze when tears disrupted the surface tension of tea he was focused on. It took him a lagging second to realize that they were his own. If Tanjirou, Kanao, and Kanae were to live an undisrupted life, he had to leave.

"Keep in mind what I said before about this being an almost perfect lie, but not a perfect one. As long as people exist such as I whom can see through it, we will have a difficult time covering your tracks if you were spotted even once by a Demon Slayer, Kakushi, or crow." Although he didn't voice it, Zenitsu knew that he meant if the thunder pillar was spotted very much alive and unpunished. "At that point, trickery will be suspected and Kanao Tsuyuri will be brought into question once more."

I'm so sorry, Inosuke, Nezuko, Genya, and Kanao...

I'm so sorry, Tanjirou.

Even to the very end, he's running away.

"I'll do it."

He packed his bags. Not owning much, it wasn't difficult to haul the draw strings over his shoulder. Hair tied in a short bun and hood covering his face, he left at the dead of night with no one but Chuntaro by his side and Kiriya to see him off. The man seemed upset from what Zenitsu could gather in the dull glow of the lantern. However, just like his father, he kept that same mystical smile on his face.

"Gifting you with one of our finest Kasugai birds was the least that I could do for your years of service." The addressed sparrow tilted its head from his spot on Zenitsu's shoulder, not completely understanding what was going on but picking up on the sober tone of his friend. "Use him and your ears well to avoid the other crows."

Zenitsu was shaking. He gripped his sword, willing the fear of being all alone again to fade away but to no avail. "Thank you."

"Are you sure that you do not want to leave a message behind? It is not uncommon for death row prisoners to request so as a last wish."

"I-... just tell Inosuke to stop hogging everyone's food. He's such a big pain. With Kanae joining the family, she's going to need to eat a lot to grow big and strong. Genya has never stopped scaring me with that face of his. I insist that he take those spa tickets I hid in my room and just relax those wrinkles in his brows for once in his life. Nezuko-chan needs to have more faith in her brother and focus on getting her sewing shop off the ground. As for Kanao..." He choked here. Gripping his sleeve, he bit his tongue to gather courage. It was strange to wear nothing but his signature yellow kosode and a plain black hooded haori. With no demon slayer uniform on his body for the first time in forever, he felt almost naked, dirty, and weak again. "I'm sorry. I'm just sorry." For making your daughter look that way; for falling in love with your husband, whichever she chose to interpret it. "Th-That's all."

The leader pursed his lips. Nothing for Kamado Tanjirou. "I see."

"No wait," a thought crossed his head. "There is something..." Reaching back into his pocket, Zenitsu produced that same little chocolate ball that he had purchased the day before. "Give that to the country bumpkin. I swear that I didn't put anything funny in it, Tanjirou, so either just eat it already or throw it away. I can't control how badly you think of me but for gosh's sake, you're a daddy now so stop crying."

Kiriya accepted the item, smiling once more. "Agatsuma, no matter what anyone says or what happens from now on, you are a wonderful thunder pillar. I'd say that you're the best that we've ever had. I wish you luck in finding companions as lifelong as the ones you had in our corps."

It was when Zenitsu turned his back, long and dark pathway ahead signaling the new chapter in his life while giving his final wave, that his face broke and tears finally fell.

Valentine's Day was when he officially lost Tanjirou Kamado to Kanao Tsuyuri.

Valentine's Day was also the last time he ever saw his friends again.

And throughout it all, Zenitsu could only hope that Tanjirou didn't hate him.

Why...

Why did he suddenly remember such a horrible event?

Was it because his fate was to repeat the same thing?

With no Gramps, no Kaigaku, no Nezuko or Inosuke or Genya or Kanao, and no Tanjirou...?

It felt like he was drowning in a puddle of doubt and pain, the despair of abandonment creeping up his spine like a disease. Just as he was born, he died by himself. Accompanying it was the whispered reassurances that some deeply embedded part of Tanjirou truly did despise him for ruining his daughter's life.

A knock on his door cut through the silence of his room. Kuwajima peeked in, about ready to hound his adopted grandson when he received a call informing him of his absence. However, at the sight of the yellow mess poking out from a pile of blankets, he stepped back. Rubbing his head, he headed downstairs. Perhaps he could bake a peach tart for the little brat first before lecturing him.

Zenitsu wasn't sure how long he lay there. The sun was setting. It was raining heavily outside. The steam from a freshly baked peach tart placed on his bedside table had his stomach grumbling. Still, he didn't move. He only stared blankly at the sparrow-shaped night light plugged into the wall.

Ding dong

No one went to answer it. His Gramps had probably left the house a while ago in order to shop for groceries. Zenitsu hoped he brought an umbrella. Kaigaku stayed late at kendo practice. He brought the covers over his head, willing for the disruption to disappear.

Ding dong ding dong ding ding dong ding dong ding ding ding ding dong diiiing donnnng

...Any second now...

Ding ding ding ding ding dongggg diiiiiing—

Pause. Finally.

DING DONG DING DING DIIIIING DONG

...

DIII-

OH, this person was in for it now!

Zenitsu threw his blankets off in a fit of rage. Nothing could possibly stop the rampage that Zenitsu was about to go on. Why can't he just mourn and feel sad in peace, dammit?! Screaming incoherent babble down the stairs, he slammed open the door with thunder emitting from his ears. "ALL RIGHT, BUB. HAS ANYONE EVER EDUCATED YOU ON BASIC HUMAN ETIQUETTE? YOU BETTER HAVE A GOOD EXPLANATION FOR RUINING THE NAP OF A NEIGHBOUR JUST SIMPLY TRYING TO ENJOY HIS EVENING-"

What he did not expect was for an utterly drenched Tanjirou to throw himself at him. And. Okay. That was about one of the only things that could've made Zenitsu halt everything he was doing! Not even the resulting adrenaline of his heart pumping against his chest could distract from the situation at hand. "H-Hey...! Tanjirou, what happened—wait, let's get inside first. What the hell?"

The boy was wet to the bone, soaking through into Zenitsu's uniform and yet, the wetness pooling by his shoulder was an easy sign that his best friend was crying. Not that Zenitsu needed it. The sounds of uneven breathing interrupted by sobs tearing a throat and clouding the blond's ears was enough indication. He dragged the slightly taller classmate inside and towards the cabinet after locking the door.

However, as Zenitsu needed to reach for the stool to get to the top shelf where the towels were, he had to nudge the brunet off from his spot in his neck. His efforts were futile when those arms only wrapped around his stomach tighter. "O-Oi, you need to let go, you know."

Tanjirou let out a noise. He didn't know what it could be described as other than a drowning cat mixed with a sad puppy. Hanafuda earrings jingling like wind chimes, that red head of hair shook left and right fervently in denial.

Zenitsu was baffled. This was totally unfair! It did bad things to his feelings—no, it did bad things to the very memories that he was still not completely in tune with yet! The embarrassment that bubbled up in his throat from being so close was offset by the shivering he could feel from the other boy. Despite the racing panic in his head, he could tell that Tanjirou was trying to hide it. He'd never seen Tanjirou, past or present, act this way before. He's always been the eldest brother. Giving off an aura of protection and nurturing, people flocked to him for comfort and never the other way around. Bawling and whining like a small child was just about the furthest from that zone that he could get.

Who... who caused this?

"Come on, Tanjirou! You're being unreasonable. You're going to catch a cold at this rate! Did you get your heart broken, is that it? Was the pressure of rejecting so many girls so great that your poor Samaritan soul couldn't handle it? Well sorry but I can't even BEGIN to relate! What's the big deal anyway? You just need to go sit over there and dry yourself off while I pour some te-" He flinched. No, tea was not a good option. "—milk. It'll take a minute at most! You can bawl all you want while snacking on chocolates but you NEED to let go!"

"No!" It came out muffled. And keeping to that statement, Tanjirou clung on tighter.

"NO...?!" Zenitsu raised his voice to practically yell in the other's ear. God, he was so annoying. Why did Tanjirou even tolerate him? "And why the hell not?!"

The younger puffed out his cheeks, feeling irritated at the blond for not allowing Tanjirou to just hold him. Not even after the sun pillar was left with nothing but an expiring sweet to remember him by all those years ago. "Because I don't care about chocolate!"

"THAT'S NOT WHAT THIS IS ABOUT!"

"What is this about then?!" It seemed like eons when Tanjirou finally ripped his face away from the cotton lining Zenitsu's shirt. He was even more of a mess up close. With the white of his eyes stained pink from crying and face swollen from how many times he rubbed it, Zenitsu had never seen someone more beautiful. "Is this about you disappearing like you can just do whatever you want?! You're not going to ask me how I feel at all, Zenitsu? How dare you- you do that, whisk into my life and add so much sun to it, adding more and more until you have none left for yourself, complain about needing me to protect you yet doing nothing but saving me all the time, JUST TO LEAVE ME BEHIND WITHOUT LETTING ME HELP AGAIN!"

The outburst completely steals all other sounds from the entryway. Zenitsu stares. Tanjirou breathes, catching his breath as the pitter-patter of rain slowly brings the brunet down from his high driven by emotions. Finally and with dread realizing what came out of his mouth, Tanjirou gasped.

"I-I'm sorry." No response. He tries to laugh it off, releasing Zenitsu from his arms to step back and wipe his tears. Gone was the child who feared and wished and wanted like everyone else did. Replacing it was the calm, mature, and caring demeanor that Tanjirou always held beneath pain shoved out of sight. "I overreacted. You probably weren't feeling well so called in sick to school. Of course you don't need to tell me where you are all the time. I just thought...never mind. I should've just waited until tomorrow. I can't believe—I mean, I don't know what came over me." His face contorted in stress of the lie. "Please forget everything I just said."

But Zenitsu didn't. He'd like to forget, but that was no longer an option. Tanjirou had put himself out there, let himself be vulnerable and reached out a hand. The Zenitsu of yesterday wouldn't have been able to take it, unable to comprehend his friend's feelings. He should just shrug it off. It was easier to run once more, to ignore it. Instead, he opened his mouth, eyes wet with his own emotions threatening to burst. "Geez, Tanjirou. I guess even after becoming a daddy, you never did stop crying."

At that, hanafuda earrings almost flew off from the speed of which their owner whipped up his head. Zenitsu watched as that murky look in ruby red eyes cleared, life flowing into them as if Tanjirou was truly looking at him for the first time. "...Zenitsu?"

The addressed didn't know how to react to his name being called out with so much longing. So, gathering up his courage, Zenitsu finally decided to break half of his resolve by shoving his hand into his bag. Procuring that familiar heart-shaped cardboard box, he shoved it into Tanjirou's face just to block those eyes from looking at him any further. His best friend let out an 'eep' at nearly getting suffocated by the ribbon before lowering it into his palms.

Saying nothing and bottling up his feelings screwed him over once before. Zenitsu didn't want it to happen again, not if he didn't want to be abandoned by Tanjirou. "Before you ask, yes, they're homemade. They're not platonic. I-I've liked you since forever, way longer than anyone has any right to like someone. It's pathetic, I know. Even before we defeated Muzan and I was aware of it. Even when you and Kanao started dating, even after you got married and she became pregnant. Even as I left, even way longer after I left, I never stopped thinking about you. And even after we met again in September, I started liking you again. I want to be your Valentine."

The younger boy glanced down at the box in silent awe. Zenitsu fidgets, letting in another breath before his companion can reply. "T-Tanjirou, if...if you don't feel the same way, then I guess that's just how it is. But I'd never..." Gold eyes meet red in complete honesty. "...I'd never disappear again. I promise."

Tanjirou did the unthinkable then. Dropping the box, the telltale crash of it hitting the floor is the only warning for when his friend freed his hands to instead grab both of Zenitsu's. Holding them between their two bodies, his crush's cheeks glow red. The sight has the blond dizzy with heat. Decades of yearning burst out with no filter when Tanjirou yells.

"PLEASE MARRY ME, ZENITSU!"

Zenitsu really can't be blamed for freaking out. He was already light-headed from the confession but now, his heart beat so quickly that he feels like he's going to combust on the spot. "HUH, THAT'S TOO FAR, YOU KNOW! JUST BEING YOUR VALENTINE IS ENOUGH!"

"But I want to marry you!" He doesn't budge. "I want to start a family with you, not Kanao or any girl or anyone else. I want to hold our own little Kanae in my hands again and have a wedding with an even better venue and good food! I'm strong. I can study harder. I can provide for you and protect you forever! I can do anything you want, Zenitsu, so please marry me!"

Blood gushes out of the blond's nose. He covers it up with a scream. "I'm dying...! Look what you did, Tanjirou! Think properly before speaking, you dolt!"

Tanjirou moves forward to help his friend, spastic arms looking to grab a tissue box. However, before he can even locate the object, he's suddenly interrupted by an itch in his nose. The itch turns into a freezing bite. He can't stop the sneeze that escapes even if he tried. It's loud, it's ugly, and is accentuated by the congested coughs trapped in his airways.

And that was how Valentine's Day also became the day that Zenitsu stayed up all night looking after a sick but lovestruck Tanjirou.