'Stop worrying, Zenitsu. I trust you'll be in good hands. Besides, it's good that you've been paired with someone else; that way you can make more friends. Isn't that great?'
Oh, but of course it would be great, to be with a guy who looks like he could kill you just for breathing. And if you're wondering, nope, them two had never exchanged a word, but Zenitsu believed the rumors and wasn't going to want to find out.
'TANJIRO, I WANT TO GO WITH YOU AND INOSUKE! DON'T LEAVE ME WITH THAT GUY! PLEASE! I HAVE TO PROTECT NEZUKO-CHAN TOO! LET ME GO WITH YOU!!!'
'Zenitsu, it's already been decided who our partner will be. Listen, we might get lucky and be assigned to patrol the same area. I trust you'll be alright. If anything happens, send your crow and we'll go for you'
But even Tanjiro's kind words, which exuded confidence and assurance, weren't enough for Zenitsu. He, if it were up to him, would cling to both of their legs and go with them.
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'(GOD... HE SHOULD BE HERE BY NOW...! AND NOW?! Although... If he doesn't come, I can go with Tanjiro and Inosuke, yesssssss)
'Agatsuma Zenitsu? That's your name, isn't it?'
All of Zenitsu's illusions vanished when he heard him. He took a deep breath to keep from screaming and turned around. What a surprise, he was exactly as he had imagined.
But he didn't seem so scary since I had him right in front of me. Perhaps intimidating because of his height, but he didn't seem to be bad; even his voice was pleasant. It was confusing...
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'Oh, you think you're in love with Genya? And you were afraid of him, look at you now. I'm so happy for you!'
'I don't know what happened to me... I never thought I would have so much love, and that even men could attract me...'
'Oh come on, it's not a bad thing. Who knows, maybe the love of your life was meant to be a man all along. Don't feel bad about expressing yourself, just do it, right Inosuke?'
'Weak Monitsu, just say it or I'll kick you!'
Well, maybe it wasn't what he wanted to hear, but his friends were right; he had to be brave and tell him, even if the truth hurt.
But how would that work? There was no way to communicate, and he doubted he could understand Chuntaro, though he could send Tanjiro's crow to meet up or wait for the next joint mission.
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'A crow told me I had to come because you needed to tell me something. What's so urgent? I mean, if it started pecking at me insistently because I refused to come, it must be...-'
'I think I like you... There, I said it. I've been practicing using my normal voice and not yelling. I know it's weird, but I don't know, I just liked you. That's it, you can go now...'
'Aren't you even going to wait for an answer? What if I have something to say to you too?'
If he was to be honest, Zenitsu never believed anyone would give him an answer, although he already anticipated what it would be...
A resounding "no," perhaps with some nice phrase, but with the message clear. It was so obvious, at least in his mind.
'A-ah... Go ahead, of course, I'm listening'
'You're a crybaby, you scream, lose patience very quickly, you get scared very easily... But you're adorable and funny when you do that'
'Your point?'
'I think I like you too, I don't know, every time I hear a scream or see a cat running when it gets splashed with water, I see you, heh'
Everything happened so fast that Zenitsu didn't know whether to cry or shout with joy, maybe a combination of both, but that would look weird.
'So, you want us to try some-?'
'YES!!! OF COURSE I WANT!!!!'
'Okey, but, calm down... So lo-'
Nope, Zenitsu didn't shut up; rather, he seemed to shout even louder, at least until Genya covered his mouth for fear of attracting people's attention in such a scandalous way.
And no, Genya isn't ashamed of himself; he's embarrassed by the attention of others, but not Zenitsu himself.
'Hey man, shut up, someone's going to hear us!'
'AFF PHANP THIAP FIF, MMMM PUUU CHAPEF!! (I CAN'T HELP IT, I'M SO HAPPY!!'
'If you keep shouting, I'll give you a good reason to do it, do you want that?'
The threat wasn't enough; Zenitsu's shouts would continue for a long while. Genya just shrugged, sat down with him on the floor, and smiled, clearly a little annoyed.
'Well, since you seem so excited for everyone to know about this, I'll help you too... In my own way...'
Forming his hand into a claw, he began to scratch his belly, squeezing his hips and his ribs, smiling at the immediate effect on him
Although Zenitsu tried to push him away, he only chose to cover his mouth more tightly while shaking his head and kicking like a child throwing a tantrum, trying to break free.
'What's wrong? You don't want to talk now? You seemed so excited before. Ignoring when I told you someone could hear us, why aren't you talking now?'
'MHMHMHMHMH!!! MMMMM!!!'
'Oh, and now you're ignoring me? Well, blondie, we'll see how long you last. I know you'll eventually break, and everyone will hear you.'
Zenitsu's eyes widened, shaking his head so quickly he could dislocate his neck. He knew his tickle resistance was very poor and that it wouldn't be long before he couldn't stand it anymore and started laughing like crazy.
For Genya, it was comforting to know that someone was even more ticklish than he was, although he probably wouldn't find out about it anytime soon.
thinking about zenitsu & genya bonding over their tumultuous relationships with their brothers while being surrounded by people with a good sibling relationship
Post Canon GenZen completed for my beloved partner @belovedmuichiro in time for Valentine's day!
Notes under the cut about their dynamic in the post canon.
Post canon genzen concepting done with my partner. THIS IS NOT SPOILER FREE AND REFERENCES EVENTS OF KNY'S INFINITY CASTLE ARC. So if you didn't finish the manga, don't read.
Genya and Muichiro's deaths were both so painful and I felt that Muichiro especially should have lived. This post isn't about him, however. It's about Genya, who I wish could have lived but in practice, his death was necessary for Sanemi's development. In a world where Sanemi's development changes though, Genya survives.
For this AU (more like a universe alteration?), the reason that Muichiro was held together was by Genya's blood demon art. Which if you recall, makes wooden structures that can leech blood and power from others. Since Genya's BDA is blood based, it was partially able to regenerate portions of Muichiro's insides after leeching from Kokushibo. Muichiro survives. Whatever, fantasy bullshit.
The reason Genya doesn't die is very similar. Instead of being able to piece portions together after a fresh cut, his BDA fills in the gap of his missing side. The wood tried to replace the flesh and improperly fused to it. The inside is meat/muscle but the skin is a mess of keratin and wood. It's scaly in places, but it's still his. Some of his bones also have wooden splinters attached to the joints, stiffening the movement of his right (your left) elbow and knee.
Because Genya actually consumed pieces of Kokushibo and was able to digest it thanks to his special stomach (canon detail. Thank you fantasy bullshit) the power surge was split between a full demon transformation and a healed body. The reason he couldn't complete this process was because of Kokushibo's death, which nullified the power of his own body. And by extent, nullified the power of what Genya ate during the fight. We can assume that Genya would have been a more advanced demon because of the canon ending of him dying in an ash plume, something only a demon can do.
This in mind, Genya keeps his fangs in the post canon where he survives and has other demon-like qualities such as being strictly carnivorous. Though any animal based meat is acceptable. Yushiro and Kanao worked as Genya's primary doctors, monitoring his condition and advising how to be well again, but without Tamayo and Shinobu, another cure serum couldn't be created. So Genya is permanently stuck as a demon-human amalgam.
His wooden side is weaker, so he uses a cane for support. He also generally suffers weakness since he's still active during the day. Chronic pain is an understatement but he grins and bears it. His connection to Sanemi is still strained, as guilt for what happened to Genya makes it hard for Sanemi to face him. He wishes Genya never came to the final fight. In a way, he pushed Genya to the extreme by rejecting him so much. There was no winning. No matter what Sanemi did, Genya would have committed to this fate. So for that, Sanemi believes himself to be a complete failure.
So who takes care of Genya in his day to day life?
Zenitsu is canonically depressed over the death of his gramps (Jigoro) as well as the betrayal of Kaigaku. Zenitsu doesn't feel like he has much to live for which is reflected by Tanjiro's Special Report, in which he gains weight and only does the bare minimum to be useful enough not to be kicked out. He sulks to himself and sleeps a lot, and even Nezuko has canonically brother zoned him according to Tanjiro.
Yes I know this comic also explains how Zen_N3zu becomes canon but the way it happens does not satisfy Zenitsu's character arc in learning that family is not obtained by marriage, but rather by the people who choose you. If you didn't read the light novels and pay close attention to s1's recollections from Zen's persective, this take maybe won't make sense. I could make a different post on Zenitsu if people are curious, but that's too tangential for this post.
Anyway,
Zenitsu doesn't want to bum around in the Kamado residence forever and hates the idea of being hated by everyone for his poor mood (even though they don't hate him). To give himself purpose, he volunteers to assist Genya as a live in carer so they end up as housemates. Genya hates the idea of someone else's pity, especially since Zenitsu already doesn't have a good impression of Sanemi, which is someone Genya defends even now.
What's changed though is that Zenitsu has sympathy for Genya's situation with Sanemi, hoping they can mend their bond even if he is deathly afraid of Sanemi. Zenitsu was never able to mend things with Kaigaku. And as a result, it ruined the only sense of family he's ever known as an orphan through Jigoro. He projects his wishes onto Genya, and explains that he really does want things to work out between him and Sanemi. This only makes Genya angry that Zenitsu "pretends" to care.
Genya still struggles with his still poor self image. Zenitsu greatly admires him though for not only surviving, but saving someone else's life and assisting in the end of the demon war. While Genya couldn't do a breath style, he still developed his own blood demon art. He's still going despite the pain of Sanemi hiding away from him. Genya has the kind of willpower that Zenitsu only wishes he could have.
As a character, Zenitsu sings his praises of others pretty loudly. And also obnoxiously. But that's kind of what Genya needs right now is someone to aggressively believe in him and the things he still wants from his life. Someone who's helpfully pointing out all the things he's doing right, even if Zenitsu complains about himself just as loudly as he praises Genya.
Zenitsu's own achievement blindness makes Genya frustrated on his behalf, and so they end up challenging the other's negativity. The challenge is needed though, especially since Genya can't appreciate his achievements.
Yeah he was able to rescue Muichiro, but Muichiro's own loss of identity after the demon war is hard to stomach. He survived but at what cost? Once a child soldier, always a child soldier. Fighting since 11 years old and now a prodigy without purpose at 14, going on 15.
If Genya actually talked with Muichiro though, he would understand Muichiro isn't all that bothered by the change of scene. He was born to be happy, and so his new life purpose is to be happy. Even if he has no life skills, so the other surviving Hashira look after him. One of said Hashira still being Sanemi, so this makes communication between them difficult.
There's probably more to say but this post is long.
