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Tomioka Giyuu threw his weight behind the blow, attempting to throw Shinazugawa off balance. Shinazugawa parried, shifting Giyuu’s bokken to the side, before attempting to push past his defenses. It was an obvious response, and Giyuu was backpedaling before a counterblow even began its trip towards his exposed arm.
Giyuu used this lul in the fight to regain his breath. His breathing was steady all the way through, but now that he had a chance, he could lengthen and deepen it. He could feel the blood rushing through his veins, the pounding of his heart, the power it all brought all the way down to the tip of his fingers.
He was off like a shot, faster than Shinazugawa was expecting. Giyuu moved to the side coming in low from Shinazugawa’s left, an upward slash with his blade aimed right for Shinazugawa’s chest. It missed, Shinazugawa regaining his situational awareness and dodging to the side, throwing his bokken towards Giyuu’s. Now Shinazugawa backpedaled, mirroring Giyuu’s actions just a moment ago, taking the time to breath and plan. Giyuu was ready. He watched Shinazugawa’s eyes, tracking their movement.
Rengoku seemed to determine it was best not give Shinazugawa a respite, and pushed the attack where Giyuu had left off. He closed the distance, making a swing for Shinazugawa’s head, which Shinazugawa ducked and counterstriked, bringing his own bokken low towards Rengoku’s knees.
Giyuu pressed in again, which forced Shinazugawa to divert his blade into a parry, which he followed with a wild strike to gain standoff distance from both of them.
Giyuu watched Shinazugawa. His breathing was steady but deep, as labored as a Hashira could get in a spar, which was still even by normal standards. Rengoku began circling Shinazugawa, in an attempt at diverting Shinazugawa’s attention between himself and Giyuu. For a moment it seemed to work, Shinazugawa’s eyes darted between the two of them before settling on Rengoku.
Then, in a flash of movement, Shinazugawa’s wooden blade was rushing towards Giyuu’s neck. Giyuu dodged and parried just as quickly, but Rengoku was caught off guard, his bokken cutting through thin air before he realized Shinazugawa had moved.
All motion stopped when a crow, which was perched on the high fence surrounding the garden, squawked out a summons. “Tomioka Giyuu! Tomioka Giyuu! A demon has been spotted moving north by north-east! Towards the mountains! Scraw!” It took flight, circling above the Hashira’s heads. “To the mountains! To the mountains!” Giyuu was already moving, picking up his nichirin blade from where it lay against the engawa. “Destroy all demons! Destroy all man-eating demons!” Giyuu was over the wall and running.
---
Giyuu had been traveling for a week. He was tired, hungry, and road weary. The only thing keeping him moving at this point was his breathing technique. He had spent years learning to integrate it into his day to day actions, from walking to running to sleeping, but it was not pleasant when that was the only thing keeping him moving.
The snow had come down thick and heavy over the last day, making travel through the mountains especially difficult. But he was close, he could feel it. A man had been spotted moving through the woods up the mountain a half day ago. The farmers Giyuu had talked to said the man wasn’t wearing any clothing suitable for the weather, and seemed to be avoiding the main roads despite the late hour he was out. That had to be the demon.
It was strange though, the only leads Giyuu managed to find were random sightings. No attacks, no bodies. It was as if this demon had a singular purpose. It wasn’t feeding like lesser demons, or looking for new hunting grounds. It was driven. Determined. And Giyuu was determined to stop it.
So he kept moving, running through the woods up the mountain side. A man in a hut on the edge of the village told Giyuu about a family of charcoal makers who lived up near the mountain top. The demon’s path seemed to go straight up towards them, and Giyuu had a feeling in his gut that he was running out of time.
After a while, he finally found the cabin. It was secluded, in a small clearing just off the trail. The first thing Giyuu saw was the charcoal furnace. He approached it cautiously, careful to keep his footsteps light and silent on the fresh snow. He put his hand on the oven. Cold. He looked around the back of the house. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. But it was quiet. Too quiet for a place that was supposed to be home to five children.
Giyuu quietly creeped along the side of the house to the front. And then he saw it. Blood. Crimson splashed out across the white snow, a small body hanging onto the door, as if it were cut down trying to escape. Giyuu hardened his resolve. He crept into the house, scanning over the debris and the bodies. Three more, all mangled and torn. The mother was trying to protect two of the little ones. Giyuu was too late. Half a day, and he may have stopped this. Half a day and these children wouldn’t have suffered.
He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. If only he had been faster. If only he was stronger. He continued deeper into the house. There were still two unaccounted for, though he doubted that they had escaped. He doubted even more that the demon was still here, but Giyuu was cautious anyways, scanning each new room carefully.
That's when he heard breathing. Labored, but small. One of the children. Giyuu pushed the door aside, hand on the hilt of his sword, ready to strike before another life could be snuffed out. But the room before him was empty, save for one small form.
A girl. Young, no more than ten, was crouching in front of a toppled table. She was facing Giyuu but had her head down, her long black hair covering her eyes, her hands clenching her knees hard. He approached her slowly, trying not to startle her but managed to anyway. Her head jerked up, and Giyuu saw what had happened. Her kimono was slashed, blood staining it, but there was no more wound underneath. Her pupils were slits on light pink irises, and she bore her fangs as he got closer. She was a demon.
Giyuu steeled himself as he drew his sword. If he was only half a day sooner, none of this would have happened. But before he could get any closer, another small form threw itself at him.
“No! Please stop!” Small fists thumped against Giyuu’s torso. He wasn’t sure how to react. “Please don’t kill my sister!” Giyuu looked down at the small boy who had given up on his assault in favor of grabbing small handfuls of Giyuu’s haori and pulling as hard as he could. He had the same dark hair as the girl, and big red eyes filled with tears.
He pushed the boy to the side, but he kept jumping back, grabbing onto whatever part of Giyuu he could. Giyuu finally landed a kick, hard enough to stun the boy, but not enough to hurt him. It tore at Giyuu’s heart, but he silenced it quickly. It had to be done. There was no alternative. He turned to the girl again, but she had moved. She was moving towards the boy. No, not like this. He couldn’t let him be devoured by his last family member. Giyuu’s sword began to move, aimed for the demon’s neck, but he was too late, she was on top of him already. It was no use.
But then she turned. She turned towards Giyuu and spread out her arms, a fierce expression on her face. She bore her fangs and growled at Giyuu, crouching over the boy's fallen form, putting as much of herself between him and Giyuu as possible. The boy roused himself, shaking the cloud of confusion out of his head before popping back up and running around his sister, attempting to push Giyuu out of the room. “Run Nezuko!” he desperately shouted to his sister.
“You’re not going to get anywhere like that.” Giyuu pushed the boy aside and advanced on the demon girl. She backed up into the corner, attempting to make herself as small as possible. And succeeded. Right before his eyes, the girl physically made herself shrink into the corner. She shifted from the size of a child to that of a toddler, verging on babyhood.
The boy had resorted to grabbing onto the back of Giyuu’s uniform and pulling with all his might, which was not insubstantial for a ten year old, but didn’t do much against a Pillar of the Demon Hunters. He kept pleading with Giyuu, yelling various mixes of, “Get away from her,” “I can save her,” “She’ll change back,” and “Please!”
Instead of listening, Giyuu looked at the girl. Her eyes were no longer slited. She was crouched into the corner as far as she could go. She looked scared. The boy sounded scared. They should be, Giyuu thought. They were each all the other had left and there was a man ready to take it away from them.
Giyuu sheathed his sword and reached into his haori. He pulled a length of cloth and one of his bamboo water jugs. He reached into his boot and pulled out a small knife and proceeded to cut out the top and bottom of the bamboo jug. He pushed the cloth through, and reached for the girl. The boy became more frantic, hitting and kicking and trying everything before suddenly stopping. Giyuu could hear the patter of small feet running out of the room before quickly returning.
He guessed what was coming next, dropping the bamboo muzzle and quickly turning to the boy, grabbing the axe before it could be brought down on him. “Stop. I am trying to help you.”
“You’re trying to kill my sister!” Tears were pouring down his face and he struggled against Giyuu’s grip.
“I’m not.” The boy momentarily stopped his struggle, looking up at Giyuu with unbelieving eyes. “Stop crying. If you want to save your sister, avenge your family, you need to be strong.”
Giyuu pulled the axe from the boy’s hands and set it aside before turning back to the girl. She had returned to her normal size and was looking at him curiously, as if she could read every emotion Giyuu was feeling. She got up and walked over to him, plopping down on the floor in front of him. She took the bamboo muzzle he had made and handed it up to him. Giyuu took it and put it on her, tying the ends of the cloth around the back of her neck.
The boy looked between the two of them, furiously wiping tears away with his sleeve. He didn’t seem quite willing to trust Giyuu, or believe what had just occurred. Giyuu understood. He had gone from trying to kill this boy’s sister to helping her in the blink of an eye, it was understandable for him to take a moment and catch up.
Giyuu stood up and began looking through the house. The children followed him as he searched through and found a few onigiri wrapped in a cloth, and two extra water jugs. He walked out into the yard towards the well, and after filling them turned back to the house to find the two of them had followed him, standing in the cold snow and watching him. Neither wore shoes, and they had not wrapped any extra layers over themselves.
“Get inside. It’s too cold to be out without proper clothes.” The boy looked back into the house, and Giyuu followed his gaze to the bloodied bodies of their family. Ah. He didn’t want to go back in either. But he couldn’t let them freeze.
So he took them over to the charcoal furnace, and using the kindling and the steel and firestone, started up a small fire. He added some of the charcoal lying around the furnace and got it to a steady blaze before giving the kids a pointed look. The boy seemed to understand the meaning, and pulled his sister close with him.
Together by the warmth of the fire, they watched Giyuu find a shovel and, after carefully folding his haori and putting it aside, began digging four holes in the side of the yard. After a few moments, the boy joined Giyuu with his own shovel. Giyuu let him until his lips began to turn blue and he was shivering more than he was digging.
Once his task was complete and the graves covered, Giyuu looked through the house again. He pulled two haori from where they hung on the wall, one checkered green and black and another a simple dark brown. By the door he found two small pairs of zōri and leg wrappings. The children didn’t protest as he put the shoes on them, and as he finished by wrapping them both in their hoari. The boy still looked half frozen, eyes somewhat glazed. He looked tired. The girl, on the other hand, watched each of Giyuu’s movements, her eyes wide, if a little unfocused.
But as soon as Giyuu put his own haori back on and thrust his sword back into its place on his belt, her eyes began to droop as well. They were lucky the clouds were so thick, or the girl would have already been turned to ash. Giyuu couldn’t rely on the cover lasting, but he knew that it was pointless, if not dangerous to stay here. If the demon he was hunting had turned a human, that meant it was almost certainly an upper rank. It also meant it may be coming back to see the results of its work, which would be an excellent opportunity to ambush it, however it was not something the children could be here for. So Giyuu took the girl into his arms, and tugged the boy up from where he was sitting, and they started walking.
“Is there a cave or abandoned house near here?” The boy looked up at Giyuu, it seemed to take him a moment to realize Giyuu had asked him a question.
“T-theres a cave down the mountain. You have to walk kinda far though.”
Giyuu nodded and increased his pace. The boy kept up surprisingly well for a while, but when he inevitably fell behind, and Giyuu scooped him up into his arms as well, encouraging him to point the way to the cave as they went.
Just as the clouds started to clear, they found it. It wasn’t a very large cave, but it was enough for them to crawl into and keep the girl out of the sun. Giyuu pulled out the onigiri and one of the water jugs, handing both to the boy. The girl had crawled further back into the cave and had seemingly fallen asleep, nestled as far as she could from the sun’s light.
“I’m Kamado Tanjiro and my sister’s name is Nezuko!”
Giyuu looked at the boy, Tanjiro. He hadn’t exactly thought about what their names were. Tanjiro’s cheeks flamed with a tint of red, seemingly embarrassed at his own outburst. Giyuu stared at him for a moment before answering with his own name.
“Tomioka-san.” Tanjiro looked out of the cave and fidgeted with his hands. “What can I do to save my sister?”
Again Giyuu thought for a moment before giving a response. Of the people he knew, there was only one that could possibly know something about reverting a demon to its original form. “Kochou Shinobu may know something.”
Tanjiro turned his wide, bright eyes onto Giyuu. “Kochou-san?” His brow furrowed in confusion. “Who’s that?”
“I work with her. She’s a physician. And a Demon Slayer.”
“So you’re a Demon Slayer, Tomioka-san?” Giyuu nodded. “So you were chasing the demon that-” Tanjiro stopped abruptly, tears welling in his eyes. Giyuu wasn’t sure how to react. After a moment, it became clear that Tanjiro was not going to recover himself, so Giyuu put a hand on his shoulder. Tanjiro took this as an invitation, wrapping his arms around Giyuu’s torso and bawling into his haori.
Giyuu was even less sure how to react to this, and decided to let Tanjiro do as he pleased. There was no prying him off, not without making things worse. So Giyuu let him cry. Tanjiro was a child, he deserved a moment to grieve at least. It took a while, but Tanjiro eventually fell asleep, still clinging to Giyuu’s haori. The boy was clearly exhausted, both physically and emotionally, so Giyuu tried his best not to disturb him.
Giyuu searched through his haori for a scrap of paper and a pencil, and began to write. It had been a long time since he had written to his master. Not since Shinjuro had left his post as flame hashira, and his son took his place.
The letter he wrote was without embellishment. He informed Urokodaki-sensei that he had taken in two children, one a demon. Giyuu told him that he was traveling to the Butterfly estate, and would most likely head to Sagiri Mountain. He called Kanzaburou, who appeared belatedly at the entrance of the cave. The old crow hopped in, eyeing Nezuko warily. Giyuu slipped the paper around Kanzaburou’s leg. “Bring this to Urokodaki-sensei at Sagiri Mountain.”
The crow looked at him, almost as if he was going to offer some protest, but seemingly thought better of it and took off.
The sun was out in full now, so Giyuu tried to get some sleep himself. They weren’t in any danger of a demon approaching them, but he nevertheless found it hard to nod off. Sleeping in the wild was not a foriegn thing to Giyuu, but worrying about whoever was accompanying him was. Most of the time he worked alone, and when he was sent on a joint mission, it was often with Shinobu or Kyojuro, both excellent fighters in their own right.
But these children, they were entirely defenseless. The thought of some danger sneaking up on them, and him alone facing it if he even woke up, was extremely disconcerting. So, despite his exhaustion, Giyuu found his sleep to be light and fitful.
---
When Giyuu woke it was still light out. Tanjiro, distrubed by his movement, began to stir as well. Giyuu looked into the back of the cave to find not Nezuko, but instead a hole dug into the ground. He lifted his head slightly to get a look into it, and found her curled up inside it. She was being careful, which was good. The cave was relatively safe, but if one errant ray of light shone through the entrance as the sun shifted through the sky, she would be burned to ash in moments.
It was going to be difficult traveling only during the night. Normally Giyuu slept through the morning, traveling the rest of day in relative safety and hunting demons at night. It was never safe to sleep the night away while traveling, simply because demons could easily target vulnerable swordsmen. Even at Headquarters it felt wrong to sleep during the night time hours.
Tanjiro blinked the sleep out of his eyes as Giyuu offered him another onigiri. The boy needed his strength for the journey, so Giyuu would keep shoving food into Tanjiro as he came across it. Tanjiro took it without protest and obediently began to munch in the rice ball.
Tanjiro finished chewing what was in his mouth and cleared his throat, then said, “When will we leave, Tomioka-san?”
Giyuu stared out of the cave for a few moments, trying to gauge the height of the sun from the shadows cast by surrounding trees. “We’ll have to wait till nightfall to travel. There’s no way your sister can travel until the sun is down, so eat and rest.”
“What if we got a basket? And maybe a tarp? I remember my father always used a big basket to carry charcoal down to the village before he got too sick.” Tanjiro was on his feet and gesticulating in his excitement, miming the size and shape of the basket. “And he would wrap a tarp around it when it was raining, maybe it can keep the sun out too?”
Giyuu pondered the idea for a moment. If the clouds were enough to stop demons from burning, then a tarp should do as well. As long as there weren’t any holes that would allow direct contact with the sun. He nodded to Tanjiro, whose face glowed with the indirect praise.
Giyuu stood. “I’ll be back before nightfall.” As he began to walk out of the cave, Tanjiro started walking after him. Giyuu stopped, only half turning his head towards the boy. “Stay here and protect your sister.” Out of the corner of his eye, Giyuu saw Tanjiro stand tall and nod once, determination on his face.
It took half the time to get to town on his own than it would have with Tanjiro. Within minutes of reaching the outskirts, Giyuu had found a rice farm. The fields were empty, the snow still too heavy on the ground for any work to be done. Giyuu walked around the back of an outhouse, careful to keep his steps light. Only the soft crunch of the snow underfoot gave away his presence. He spotted a basket with two rope straps running from top to bottom. Giyuu picked it up, and looked from it to the house. It would be easy enough to leave with it. But the farmer may have a tarp they were willing to sell.
So he walked up to the door and knocked. A woman with a baby strapped against her chest by a length of cloth opened the door. Her eyes went wide, and without taking her eyes off of Giyuu, she called back into the house for her husband. After a moment he came scrambling to the door. He looked uneasily at Giyuu, then to Giyuu’s left side. “Swordsman-san… Uh.. What can we do for you?”
Giyuu swung the basket into view. “Can I buy this.” The man looked from Giyuu’s belt to the basket. “And do you have a tarp.”
The man nodded, and sent his wife back into the house to bring one out. When he handed it over to Giyuu, Giyuu tried to give him several coins. He wasn’t sure how much the farmer would want, so he gave plenty.
“No!” The man threw his arms up before remembering himself. “Uh, that is to say, please take it there, Swordsman-san. And uh, perhaps remember us?” Giyuu wasn’t sure what this man meant by that. But he took the tarp and the basket. He felt the eyes of the farmer and his wife watch him as he walked back to the road. When he reached the end of the path, Giyuu turned back towards their farmhouse. They had slid the door shut, returning to the warmth of the room. Giyuu pulled out the coins he had offered them and placed them on a post before turning back to the mountain.
When he returned to their cave, Giyuu found Nezuko was still asleep, with Tanjiro sitting beside her hole. As soon as he saw Giyuu, Tanjiro was up and running towards him. “Tomioka-san! Tomioka-san! Nezuko still hasn’t woken up.” Tanjiro wore a concerned expression across his face as he pulled on Giyuu’s haori.
Giyuu crawled over to where Nezuko slept. The ceiling of the cave was too low for him, but Tanjiro walked beside him up until they got to the last part of the tunnel. Nezuko was curled up in the close side of her hole, protected from any chance of the sun peering through. She looked basically human while she was asleep. No demonic eyes, and her fingernails turned claws were small and dull.
“She hasn’t eaten since she turned.” Giyuu watched the soft rise and fall of her breath, her body not quite realizing that it was essentially dead. “She may be sleeping to make up for that.”
Tanjiro made an understanding sound beside him, nodding his head sagely. Giyuu was certain Tanjiro didn’t entirely get that his sister was trying her best not to tear him apart and devour him.
---
The sun was preparing to break over the horizon, so Giyuu decided it was time to rest for a few hours. There was a town up ahead, so Nezuko crawled into the basket on his back and they made the final push as dawn’s first light washed over him and Tanjiro.
The boy was exhausted, almost dead on his feet. It made sense considering the flipped sleep schedule and how little he had been allowed to rest with their rapid pace. Giyuu knew it wasn’t entirely healthy for the child, but everytime he asked if he wanted a break, Tanjiro would refuse outright and insist they keep moving.
There was a little inn on the edge of town, and Giyuu paid for a room. The innkeeper gave him a warm smile and brought an extra futon, which Giyuu took before sliding closed the door. He was used to more apathetic treatment, and realized too late that a thank you would have been a polite response. Tanjiro practically collapsed into the futon as soon as Giyuu had it rolled out, and Nezuko spilled out of her basket and onto it as soon as Giyuu had pulled the curtains tight and thrown a blanket over the window as an extra precaution.
Giyuu pulled his sword from his belt, and after placing it by his futon, took off his half red, half geometric patterned haori, carefully folded it and placed it next to his nichirin blade. He undid his uniform jacket and stripped down to the undershirt, then pulled off his tabi socks, exchanging them for dry, clean ones.
When he finally sat down on his futon, Tanjiro and Nezuko were already fast asleep beside him. He didn’t smile, that wasn’t his nature. Maybe once he would have, but happiness had a way of fleeting as soon as he recognized it. So instead he leaned down and pulled the covers a little tighter around them before laying down himself.
He slept as best he could, but he had never really slept well. Not since he was little. It helped honestly, considering his profession, being a light and extremely aware sleeper. And apparently these were traits that helped when one was traveling with a traumatized child, because Giyuu was awake as soon as Tanjiro began sobbing.
Giyuu’s immediate reaction was to grab for his sword, but after looking around the room and assessing the situation, he put it aside and crawled over to Tanjiro’s futon. He looked over the boy, checking him for injuries or harm but found nothing. He was still sleeping, but tears were running down his face, the sobbs that had awoken Giyuu were now reduced to soft whimpers.
Nezuko was awake now as well, and she turned over and looked at her brother with her large eyes, tears forming in them as well. She clutched onto him, pulling herself tight against his side. Giyuu watched them for another moment, Tanjiro seemed to relax to his sister’s touch, but his sleep remained fitful.
Giyuu decided that Nezuko had a handle on the situation and began to crawl back to his own futon when a small hand held fast to his shirt. Nezuko pulled him with her inhuman strength, despite his resistance. She was going to tear his shirt if he tried to get away. He stared at her, and she stared back. The contest of wills lasted minutes, before finally Giyuu gave in. He only had so long to sleep, and Nezuko seemed determined to not let him get any if he didn’t comply.
So he slipped back onto their futon, and Nezuko pushed herself and Tanjiro close to him. She then pulled his arm around the two of them and hugged onto it and Tanjiro. Giyuu laid like this for a moment. And then another. And then another. He felt Tanjiro’s breathing even out, followed quickly by Nezuko’s. Those two were linked even in unconsciousness it seemed. Giyuu tried to relax beside them, but his thoughts strayed more than usual. To a different futon on a different night, when a sister held him tight for the last time, even though he hadn’t realized it then.
He pushed the memory down, deep in his heart, locked away where he can’t stray, where there was too much that could break him. So he forced himself to relax, forced himself to be a comfort for the children’s sake. They needed strength and comfort after everything they’ve been through, and Giyuu had always held himself as a pillar of strength. And like water, he would be adaptable, becoming the pillar of comfort they needed now.
---
Giyuu let the children sleep in, waking them and getting on the road when the sun had reached its highest point. Giyuu bought an onigiri for Tanjiro, and after filling up their water jugs, they started off for the Butterfly estate. Tanjiro tried again to carry Nezuko’s basket, but Giyuu didn’t give him the chance, snatching it out from behind him before Tanjiro could try to slip it on his shoulders. Tanjiro complained for a moment, trying to insist that his sister was his responsibility alone, but when he realized Giyuu was already leaving him behind, he trotted after obediently.
“Tomioka-san, what is Kochou-san like?” It had been a mistake to let Tanjiro sleep later. Despite the nightmares and days on the road, he still had the energy to ask questions. Giyuu wasn’t entirely sure where it came from, especially after how bone wearing tired Tanjiro had looked the night before.
He let the question linger in the air for a few moments too long, before answering, “She’s Kochou.”
Tanjiro clearly didn’t know what to do with this answer, so he focuses on the road, brow furrowed. After another moment, he asked, “Do you like Kochou-san?”
“No.” That one was at least easy to answer.
“Then why ask her for help?”
Because she always helped. Giyuu didn’t even have to think about it, it simply was. It was a fact of Giyuu’s life, the earth spun around the sun, the temperature changed with the season, and Kochou Shinobu helped Tomioka Giyuu. He supposed that was really their bond. A strange, one sided relationship, that he didn’t even ask for. This was one of the first times he would actually be going to Shinobu to ask for assistance, and that was simply because he recognized that he was out of his depth. He usually was.
Tanjiro pulled on the sleeve of Giyuu’s haori, and he realized he had once again taken too long to answer. “Because she’s a doctor.” Tanjiro seemed satisfied with that answer, and walked along quietly beside Giyuu for the next few miles of the trip.
When the sun’s last rays were falling under the horizon, they crested the hill overlooking the Butterfly Estate. Tanjiro jumped up and down beside Giyuu, pointing and asking if that was where they were going, and if Giyuu’s house looked like that, and what kind of beds were in a house that big. They all flew out of Tanjiro’s mouth faster than Giyuu could answer, so he didn’t. Tanjiro didn’t seem to notice either, his eyes set alight with intrigue at the sprawling hospital-mansion.
Nezuko, apparently sensing her brother’s excitement, stirred unprompted for the first time since they had left their home in the mountains. Giyuu swung her basket off his shoulders, and after he undid the tarp over it, Nezuko stuck her head out and examined her surroundings. Apparently suitably impressed, she hummed her approval and tumbled out, joining her brother in his excitement.
The two of them started to walk faster now that they saw the gates of their destination, finally breaking into a run when their excitement overtook them. Giyuu followed behind closely. If an errant hunter happened to be leaving just as Nezuko walked in, they wouldn’t think twice about removing her head from her shoulders, especially considering how close they were to Headquarters, let alone the largest concentration of wounded and vulnerable Demon Slayers.
Luckily the new surroundings seemed to both intrigue and intimidate the children, because once they were through the gate and inside the courtyards, they stuck close to Giyuu’s side. Luckily the entranceway was empty, so Giyuu walked them around the side paths towards the back where the Butterfly families private rooms were located.
“Tomioka-san!” Giyuu turned to the singsong voice. He was already exhausted with the conversation. Kanroji Mitsuri with her moshi colored hair and pink patterned kimono practicality threw herself towards Giyuu. “Tomioka-san! Ahh! You have kids Tomioka-san!?”
“They’re not-”
“Oh, but they’re so cute Tomioka-san! I didn’t know you could make such cute babies!”
“They’re too old to be my-”
“I’m Kamado Tanjiro and this is my little sister Nezuko!” Tanjiro interjected. Giyuu was fairly certain he didn’t mean to cut him off, Tanjiro was simply too excited to meet Kanroji.
“Ah Tanjiro-kun! Nezuko-chan! My name is Kanroji Mitsuri! I’m the Love Pillar. I work with your dad!”
“I’m not their father-”
“Ah but Tomioka-san!” Kanroji turned her attention back to Giyuu. “I was trying to say, you have such cute children and fatherhood really suits you! You’re glowing, it’s really adorable!”
Giyuu stared at Kanroji and then a second more before turning back to his path. Kanroji only missed a step before following again.
Beside Giyuu, Nezuko was making herself a little smaller each moment as they walked, barely enough to notice. Kanroji certainly didn’t, as she was too involved with whatever Tanjiro was telling her, animatedly responding and flapping her arms in the air. Nezuko looked up at Giyuu and put her arms up. He realized belatedly that she wanted to be picked up. He did so, giving her a skeptical look. But she didn’t notice, her entire focus on Kanroji. “Kanroji.”
“Hmm? Tomioka-san?” Kanroji tore her attention away from Tanjiro for a moment.
“Take this.”
“Tomioka-san, that’s your child!”
Giyuu looked down at Nezuko in his arms and back to Kanroji. “Yes. Watch her for a moment. I need to speak with Kochou.” He thrust Nezuko out towards Kanroji, who instinctively took the child from his outstretched arms. Giyuu then turned towards the wing of the Butterfly Mansion that he knew Shinobu’s office was in.
Kanroji followed after him, bouncing Nezuko on her hip despite the child silently staring up at her. Giyuu just managed to reach the door before she caught up with him again. “Tomioka-san, wait! Tomioka-san, why does she have a muzzle?”
“She’s teething.” He managed to catch Kanroji’s shocked expression before sliding the door shut. Giyuu let out a sigh. The new Love Pillar was well meaning, but she was always a bit much for him.
“Ah, Tomioka-san!”
He turned to face the interior of the room to find Shinobu kneeling at her desk. She was wearing her flowered kimono. It reminded him of Kanae for a moment. A reminder of another time. Another life it felt like. How many moments were like that in Giyuu’s life? Delineation that divided it, moments that fundamentally changed how he perceived the world. For some reason, those moments were always soaked with blood.
He walked over and sat across from Shinobu, she offered him tea and he nodded. After a few moments of breathing in the fragrant steam, he began. “I was in the mountains. Tracking a Kizuki. I came across some of its victims. A boy and a girl. The girl was turned.”
“Ah, Tomioka-san, what a shame. It truly is tragic to see these occurrences.” Her expression shifted a little, but her smile remained unwavering.
“The boy is named Tanjiro. The girl is Nezuko.”
“‘Is’? Tomioka-san, you must remember your tenses! As the girl is no longer with us, we use ‘was’-”
“Nezuko is here. Kanroji is looking after her.”
The smile dropped, but only for a moment. “Oh, I see! It would be cruel to cut off her head right in front of her brother! Perhaps I can use one of my gentler poisons, it will be a painless passing!”
Giyuu watched Shinobu’s eyes shift down his body and back, before she grimaced. “Ah, I see. You’re trying to save her.” Giyuu furrowed his brow, and Shinobu understood the question before he could ask. “I’ve never seen you so angry, Tomioka-san.”
“I’m not angry.” He was calm, perfectly and completely.
Shinbu laughed. “Ah, but you were! It was all over your face!” Giyuu knew his face had not changed. “Your whole body tensed!” It was entirely relaxed. “It was the most of a reaction I have ever seen from you Tomioka-san!” She laughed, the usual demeaning one she liked to use on him. Or at least he thought it was demeaning. Even if it was the same laugh she used with everyone, he knew when she used it on him, demeaning was the intent.
“I’m searching for a cure.”
“A cure?”
“For Nezuko’s demonhood.” He took a sip of the tea. It was delicate and flavorful. A new blend, Giyuu couldn’t quite place its origin. “She has never attacked a person. She doesn’t eat. She seems to regain her strength through sleep, but I’m not sure.”
Shinobu’s expression became contemplative. She got up and went to one of the many shelves around the office, and after sorting through several tomes the size of Tanjiro’s torso, settled on a collection of loose papers tucked between them. “I have always wanted to meet a demon who had never eaten a human, but I never thought it was possible. They always starve, and when they are driven long enough without food, they lose reason. Any human connection is abandoned, they will attack friends and family without remorse.” She sighed as she sat back down at the desk. “It doesn’t last. It’s simply impossible.”
“Nezuko is different. After she turned, she slept for days. The entire journey here. I think something is changing. Or she’s changing something about her fundamental biology.”
“That sounds impossible, Tomioka-san.” Her head turned slightly to the side, as if appraising him. “You sound like you don’t really know.”
“I don’t,” he responded. Shinobu grimaced again.
“Well, then how are you so sure she will not harm a person? She will get hungry eventually.”
“She won’t.” Giyuu sipped his tea. “I stake my life on it.”
Shinobu contemplated him for a moment before nodding, a smile returning to her face. “Well then I must meet her, Tomioka-san!” She shot up from her place at the desk and started for the door, Giyuu quickly followed, trying to match her pace. She slid it open, and Giyuu managed to get into step with her as she walked out into the courtyard. “Ah! Mitsuri-chan! Nezuko-chan! Ah and this must be Tanjiro-kun!”
The three of them were under a tree, Tanjiro was gesticulating some sort of story to a seemingly enthralled Kanroji while Nezuko sat on her lap, playing with the ends of her braids. Upon hearing his name, Tanjiro comically threw his head over his shoulder and began waving to Giyuu and Shinobu as they approached. He pulled on Kanroji’s hand, and began practically dragging her and Nezuko towards them.
Nezuko quickly became aware of them and got up from Kanroji’s lap, and ran towards Giyuu. She latched onto Giyuu’s leg, throwing her arms around his knee. Tanjiro wasn’t far behind and, being a little taller, managed to wrap his arms around Giyuu’s waist. They weren’t long enough to get all the way around, but it felt like Tanjiro was trying his damndest to do so.
“Tomioka-san, they’ve really imprinted on you, haven’t they?” Shinobu knelt down to their level, and they both turned to her.
“Are you Kocho-san?” Tanjiro’s eyes were wide and adoring. “Can you turn Nezuko human again?” Nezuko was more timid, peeking out from behind Giyuu’s leg.
Kanroji’s face paled, while Shinobu cocked her head and smiled. “I’m very sorry Tanjiro-kun, but there is nothing I can do to change her back into a human.” Shinobu turned her attention to Nezuko. “But I have hunger suppressants and mild sedatives that may help with any cravings.”
Nezuko shrinked behind Giyuu more. He crouched down, maneuvering her to where he could see her and Shinobu. “Nezuko. Kocho will help us. Don’t worry.” The girl turned to Shinobu. She cocked her head to match Shinobu’s before trotting over and hugging her legs.
“Ah, Nezuko-chan! I am glad you will let me help you.” Shinobu patted Nezuko’s head as the girl looked up at her with her big pink irises.
They spent a few more moments exchanging pleasantries with Kanroji. Or at least Shinobu did, Giyuu focused himself on cleaning up the kids. Tanjiro in particular had accumulated a level of dirt and plant matter that he wouldn’t have thought possible in the Butterfly estate. Tanjiro filled him in on every moment from when Giyuu left him to the present, occasionally unabashedly interjecting in on Shinobu and Kanroji’s conversation.
Eventually Tanjiro decided it was time to get back to it, and began to pull on Kanroji’s hand. Nezuko quickly joined her brother, and together they began dragging Kanroji back into the yard. Giyuu knew it was entirely by Kanroji’s choice, she was far too strong to be manhandled by an eight and ten year old, demon or not. Shinbou just chuckled and smiled, waving to the children as they left.
Giyuu let a few beats of silence pass before speaking again. “There’s something else.”
“Oh?”
“After she turned, Nezuko protected her brother.”
Shinobu pressed her lips into a flat line. “Ah. Now I see.” Giyuu turned to her, brows furrowed. “I see why you spared her, why you took her in. You see Tsutako in her, don’t you?”
He turned away from her, gaze falling on Kanroji and the children. They were running around the garden, Tanjiro tumbling around and Nezuko keeping her steady pace. Kanroji moved just fast enough to keep out of their reach, laughing everytime little hands came close, but not quite close enough.
A few more moments passed and Shinobu broke the silence. “Ah, I see you are done talking, Tomioka-san.” She got to her feet. “I will look for any information concerning demon turning. Please don’t hesitate to ask for help.” Giyuu turned his head up at her to find a pointed gaze and smile looking down at him. He looked away. “Have a wonderful rest of your evening,” she said before walking away. He couldn’t hear her footsteps, but the clack of the door sliding closed told him she was gone. He could never be sure how serious she was when she said that, but this time it felt like it might be genuine.
---
They stayed the night at the Butterfly estate, in the room Giyuu usually woke up battered and bruised after a particularly rough mission. It was a private room in the hospital wing, at the end of one of the halls. It was probably the first time Giyuu had stayed the night there willingly, and not under Shinobu’s threats or sedatives.
Once dawn came Giyuu packed their things and woke Tanjiro and Nezuko, who stowed their futon and got themselves ready for the road. Giyuu slid the door to the room open, intending to find the washroom but ran his foot into a wooden box placed just outside in the hallway. It had a note on it, in Shinobu’s neat and clinical handwriting.
Tomioka-san,
This box is lined to prevent any sunlight from permeating it. I think it will be very helpful with transporting Nezuko-chan, much better for your back than that basket. Remember not to be careless!
Giyuu wasn’t careless. Nor did he have back issues. Tanjiro peaked around Giyuu’s legs, and upon seeing the box, his face lit up in awe. “Tomioka-san! This is amazing!” He ran around before Giyuu could stop him, picking up the box and holding it over his head. “It’s so light! And the straps look very comfortable! It’s so much better than the basket!” He turned to Giyuu, face lit up with excitement.
“You’re still not carrying her.” Tanjiro visibly deflated, but quickly became reinvigorated, running back into the room with the box still held high over his head.
“Nezuko! Nezuko, come try your new box!”
Nezuko was already in the middle of slipping into the basket, but when she saw the box, her eyes widened and she tumbled out, somehow managing to land on her feet and meet Tanjiro halfway through the room. Tanjiro finally put the box on the ground and opened the door. The inside was smaller than Nezuko, and when she tried to sit in it her legs stuck out. But after a moment, she shrunk herself into a more fitting form, and pulled the door closed behind her.
Giyuu could hear her muffled sounds of approval shortly before he could hear her quiet snores. He slowly swung the box onto his back, careful not to disturb her. After a stop in the kitchens, they were on the road again. Giyuu had explained to Tanjiro that they were traveling to meet Urokodaki-sensei the night before. Giyuu wasn’t entirely sure what he would do. Would he leave the children with his old master? That would be the most reasonable course of action. Urokodaki-sensei would be more than capable of handling demon Nezuko if something were to go wrong, and he was a cultivator, not unused to working with children of all ages. But it felt wrong to put Nezuko’s problem on another’s shoulders. Giyuu had taken responsibility for her, and now it was on his head to keep her from hurting a human.
Finally they were on the road out of headquarters, towards the north and Giyuu was surprised no one had accosted them. He usually took the side roads out, or one of the forest trails, the main road too crowded with Demon hunters and Kukushi alike. But this way was the fastest, and easiest to travel for little legs.
“Giyuu-san!” Giyuu fought the urge to groan, not bothering to turn to look as the Flame Hashira approached him. There was no mistaking that voice. And the inherent lack of volume control. So much for a clean escape. “Kanroji informed me that you have children! Congratulations!” Kyojuro evened his pace with Giyuu’s, walking on the side opposite of Tanjiro. “I have also been told one of them was recently turned into a demon! My condolences!”
Giyuu set his jaw. Of course Kanroji would miss the multiple times he said they were not his own children. The silence of course did not seem to have any effect on Kyojuro, who continued walking beside Giyuu, his usual smile on his face and his eyes bright and open. Shinobu had explained to Giyuu a while ago that this was Kyojuro’s way of making Giyuu comfortable enough to talk to him. Giyuu mostly used it to avoid conversation on their joint missions.
“Nezuko is with me.” Giyuu kept his gaze straight ahead, but caught Kyojuro’s turn towards him in the corner of his eye. Giyuu couldn’t quite tell if it was surprise on the other Pillar’s face, but his smile had dropped a fraction.
“Giyuu-san! That seems dangerous! She may have been a young girl but is most certainly a demon now!” Giyuu stopped walking, and Kyojuro did as well, not missing a beat. He turned fully to Giyuu with his arms crossed. “You know it is against Corps rules to protect a demon.”
Giyuu kept his gaze forward down the path. “I’m aware of what I’m doing. Nezuko has not fed on a human.” He bore his eyes into Kyojuro’s. “And she will not.”
Kyojuro didn’t flinch. Their silent contest was broken when their attention was drawn skyward, the cry’s of a crow shattering the silence. “Tomioka Giyu! Tomioka Giyu! Rengoku Kyojuro! Rengoku Kyojuro! Report to headquarters for an emergency Hashira meeting!”
Kyojuro met Giyuu’s eyes again, the crow still crying out its message. He nodded to Giyuu, and turned back towards headquarters. Giyuu waited a beat before walking after him, looking to his side to ensure Tanjiro was still following. The boy’s eyes were wide, Giyuu wasn’t sure if it was in fear or awe of the Flame Pillar. Most likely a bit of both.
When they arrived at headquarters, Giyuu found one of the Kakushi around the Ubuyashiki estate to take the children, leaving clear instructions not to open the box. The Kakushi looked slightly confused or concerned about the warning, Giyuu couldn’t quite tell from the small slit of face their uniform allowed to be seen. But the Kakushi were always reliable, so Giyuu left them in their capable hands for the meeting.
The Hashira were gathering in the garden just outside the meeting room proper, as was their habit. It had taken a while for them to gather, and the sun was already hanging low in the sky. Shinobu had greeted Giyuu and Kyojuro when they arrived and didn’t leave them for the remainder of the wait, talking with Kyojuro while Giyuu appraised the Hashira as they trickled in.
Tengen was gaudy as ever, and seemed disappointed that he wasn’t the last to arrive, muttering something about not being “flamboyantly late.” Kanroji had come with Shinobu, but after giving her greetings to Giyuu and Kyojuro, she joined the Serpent Pillar, animatedly talking about nothing at all. Iguro was as cold as ever when he arrived, giving Giyuu some sort of look, but softening his gaze when Kanroji approached him. Himejima was the second to last to arrive, his hulking form seeming to appear out of nowhere. Giyuu was continually surprised at how quickly and quietly the Stone Pillar moved. That left all but Shinazugawa.
“Tomioka-san, what do you think this meeting was called for, hmm?” Shinobu poked Giyuu’s side as she asked, but Giyuu didn’t let her get the rise out of him she was looking for. He just looked down at her, then back to the sky. The sunset wasn’t a terrible one.
“I think it will concern the growing activity of Upper Moon demons!” Kyojuro wouldn't allow Shinobu’s question to go unanswered.
“I think you could be right, Kyojuro-san! It’s very concerning, don’t you think, Tomioka-san?” Giyuu turned to Shinobu. He expected to see a trace of humor in her eyes, like there usually was when she was teasing or attempting to gain a rise from him. But her eyes only had a deadly seriousness, juxtaposed against her coy smile. “It could concern your last mission. I would be prepared if I were you.”
Giyuu just understood her meaning when there was a crash from inside the house, followed by yelling. The three of them turned towards the noise to see Shinazugawa pushing open the door. Giyuu nearly lost his breath when he saw Nezuko’s box held up in Shinazugawa’s hand.
Two Kakushi followed behind him, trying without success to placate the Hashira. They turned to Giyuu and Shinobu, worry painted over the slits of their faces. They both bowed, “We apologize Kochou-sama, Tomioka-sama.” Shinazugawa paid the two of them no mind as they slinked out, sliding the door shut behind them. Giyuu stepped up into the tatami mats of the room. Standing across from the Wind Pillar.
Giyuu glanced at the other Hashira. They were like coiled springs ready to fly. Shinobu had a grim expression on her face, dropping her usual coy smile in favor of a pressed line. Rengoku had the same expression he always had, impossible to read. Kanroji looked conflicted. She looked between him, Rengoku and Shinazugawa.
He wasn’t sure how many of them he could take if it came to that. They were all powerful. But aside from Gyomei, Giyuu was the most experienced of the hashira. How had that happened? How many Pillars had he seen go in his time? Giyuu pushed that thought down for now, it wasn’t the place for that.
“So Tomioka, what is this?” Shinazugawa dangled Nezuko’s box by the strap, bouncing it up and down. He could hear the light knocking of Nezuko inside. He tried to control his breathing.
Calm mind, calm heart.
“Is this what I think it is, Tomioka?” Shinazugawa drew his sword. “If this is a demon, it is our duty to destroy it!”
Giyuu’s body moved faster than his mind. His sword was out in a flash, and the flat came down hard onto Shinazugawa’s arm. He heard the crack as well as felt the shock reverberate through his blade. The box fell from Shinazugawa’s grip and onto the floor, spilling Nezuko out in front of everyone.
Shinazugawa didn’t make a sound. No cry of pain, just a carnivorous smile, like a wolf that had cornered its prey. Giyuu’s mind made an unsettling connection between that smile and some of the demons he had faced recently, and tried vainly to shake that thought away. “Why are you traveling with this demon, Tomioka?”
Calm mind.
Calm heart.
Calm breath.
He looked down at Nezuko. She looked as scared as she did when he had found her. When she had just turned. “This is Nezuko. She is a child that was attacked by one of the upper six, if not Kibutsuji himself.”
Shinazugawa sneered, “And how did she survive that attack, Tomioka? She became a demon and you allowed her to live?”
“Nezuko will not attack humans.” Giyuu caught the unconvinced glances the other Hashira shot each other out of the corner of his eyes. Rengoku and Shinobu kept their eyes fixed on the drawn swords.
“Bullshit!” Iguro looked at Giyuu in disbelief as he left his perch on his tree and stepped up beside Shinazugawa, his hand on his sword’s hilt. “It is not in their nature, Tomioka. You know this.”
Shinazugawa’s smile only grew. “And now you’ve attacked a member of the Demon Slayer Corps. What do you have to say for yourself?”
Giyuu was quiet. He had no response to that. He had broken two tenets of the Corps, and now he would face those consequences. But he wouldn’t let Nezuko suffer them as well.
Tanjiro chose this moment to introduce himself to the Hashira. Giyuu heard the patter of his small feet and the seemingly endless scream of “Nezuko!” before he ever saw the child. The door from the house slid open and Tanjiro rushed through, attempting to throw himself over Nezuko’s prone form. But Iguro was faster, slapping the boy across the face, throwing him down before he could reach Shinazugawa and his sister.
Giyuu saw red. The sword was moving before his mind caught up again, pure instinct taking over. Until a hand was on his shoulder, another grabbing his arm, stopping its momentum before it could be gained. “Tomioka-san, that is not wise.” Shinobu was too close, as usual.
“Shinazugawa! Iguro! I think it’s time you should stop!” Rengoku was behind Shinazugawa and Iguro, his massive hands on both their shoulders, his height painting an intimidating enough figure to stop the two, at least for the moment. Kanroji had chosen her side as well, as she was crouching with the two children, holding them tight in her arms, trying to comfort the panicked Tanjiro.
Shinazugawa’s smile had dropped. His anger was slipping past his facade of sick pleasure. “What are you doing Rengoku!” He threw Rengoku’s hand off of his shoulder and turned towards him. “Tomioka attacked me! He has been protecting a demon! It’s clear that he must atone for these crimes against the Corps!”
“Perhaps we should wait for the Master, as we normally do!” Rengoku reached to place his hand back on Shinazugawa’s shoulder and gain some small control over the situation, but Shinazugawa dodged, spinning around behind the larger man. He focused his eyes on Giyuu.
“Fine, I’ll take matters into my own hands!” Shinazugawa rushed Giyuu, but it was a feint. He turned his steps towards the children, carefully carving his blade through the air to avoid harming Kanroji. But Giyuu knew what was coming. He had trained with all the Hashira, and knew their tells. Giyuu’s blade moved almost as quickly as Shinobu’s, locking Shinazugawa’s between them.
“Shinazugawa-san, you will not harm these children.” Her fake smile rarely affected Giyuu these days, but the one Shinobu leveled towards Shinazugawa so thinly veiled her anger that it made him shudder. Not visibly, but he felt the gooseflesh rise up his neck. In some other situation, some other life, Giyuu would perhaps find it funny that it was these two children that could bring this defensiveness out of the two for them, but here and now, he failed to see the humor.
Giyuu felt the subtle pressure of Shinazugawa pushing their blades down, telegraphing his inventions to swing the sword up towards their heads. Just as Giyuu prepared a parry, the doors slid shut with a loud clack, and the Ubuyashiki twins announced the Master’s arrival.
All movement came to an abrupt halt as the Hashira turned towards the new presence and fell into bows. Ubuyashiki was led out into the meeting room. “Good evening everyone.” Giyuu felt Ubuyashiki’s words wash over his mind, a sense of calm falling over him. “It’s cool and dry, I’m sure the stars will be lovely tonight.” The twins eased Ubuyashiki into a seat that was already prepared for him. “It pleases me that you have all gathered here on such short notice.”
“We find it most honorable to be in your presence Oyakata-sama.” Shinazugawa intoned. “We eagerly pray for much happiness upon you.”
“Thank you, Sanemi.” Ubuyashiki replied. “I’m sure you are all wondering why I have called you here tonight.” He let the silence sit over the Hashira for a moment.
When it became clear he was waiting for a response, Shinazugawa spoke again. “Humbly Oyakata-sama, the Water Pillar has brought a demon here. He then drew his sword and attacked me when I tried to do our duty and destroy it.”
“Hmm. I see.” He turned to one of the twins. “What is the state of my children?”
“Kanroji-sama has Nezuko-chan and Tanjiro-kun in her arms. Tomioka-sama and Kochou-sama have placed themselves between Shinazugawa-sama and Kanroji-sama. Shinazugawa-sama appears to have a broken arm.” Giyuu glanced at Shinazugawa. His left arm had turned a deep purple where Giyuu had struck it.
Ubuyashiki’s lips almost curved in a smile. “It seems Giyuu is adamant in the defense of these children. I have given Nezuko my approval, and I want everyone here to accept them.” A few of the other Hashira glanced up in surprise. Giyuu amongst them. Some began to voice protests, but a raised hand from Ubuyashiki quelled them. “Shinobu has informed me of the changes taking place in Nezuko’s body. The girl has a strong will, and has fought her urges to eat humans despite her young age. Shinobu believes that she will continue to do so.”
Giyuu stared at Shinobu beside him while she kept herself facing forward towards Ubuyashiki. “And it is my understanding that Giyuu has staked his life on Nezuko?” Giyuu looked up at Ubuyashiki, and then around at his fellow Hashira. All except Shinobu were looking at him now.
He bowed his head again. “Yes.”
There were murmurs, and then Shinazugawa boomed, “but Oyakata-sama, Tomioka attacked a member of the Corps, there must be something done about this.”
Ubuyashiki gave another of his almost smiles. “Sanemi, I understand your anger. And Giyuu did strike you. However, was it not in defense of his young charges?” Shinazugawa gaped, looking now between Ubuyashiki and the children. “It would seem to me that you both were taken up in that moment. Perhaps it is best to forgive and move on.”
“As you command…” Shinazugawa bowed his head again, barely veiling the anger in his tone. Giyuu knew it was entirely directed at him.
Ubuyashiki appeared unperturbed, “Now that this business is dealt with, it is time to begin the Pillar meeting.”
---
Giyuu retrieved the children from a Kakushi who had taken them from the meeting. They both appeared relatively unbothered by the evening's events, though Tanjiro seemed even more protective of Nezuko than usual, being sure to keep himself between her and anyone they passed as they walked to the Water Estate. It wasn’t far from Headquarters, but it was still relatively secluded from the rest of the Hashira’s estates, set back in the woods surrounding the Demon Slayer Corps’ compound.
As they rounded the bend and the Estate came into view, Giyuu was put immediately on edge. Smoke was rising from the rooftop. There shouldn’t have been any Kakushi at the Estate.
“Tanjiro. Take your sister and go into the trees. Hide there till I say so.” Giyuu saw Tanjiro look up at him out of the corner of his eye, Tanjiro’s own wide and fearful. Nezuko seemed to notice the shift, looking between her brother and Giyuu. Tanjiro finally nodded, and pulled Nezuko along off the trail.
Once they were out of sight, Giyuu drew his nichirin blade, and circled around the back of the house. The windows were pushed open, the breeze catching the smell of cooking fish and rice from inside. Giyuu stopped for a moment. It couldn’t be a demon then. But who would break into his house and cook his food?
He sheathed his katana and slid open the back door. Inside his living room was Shinobu, crouched over the irori, fish on spits and a pot of rice hanging over the fire.
“Ah, Tomioka-san! It was good of you to show up finally! Dinner is almost ready.” Shinobu looked up from her cooking at Giyuu. He stood in the doorway and stared at her. Of course it was Shinobu cooking. “Tomioka-san, where are your children? You didn’t forget them at Headquarters did you?” Shinobu tutted, waving her finger at Giyuu while stirring the pot of rice.
Giyuu stared at her for a moment, finally saying, “They’re outside. I’ll get them.”
Tanjiro and Nezuko flew in as soon as Giyuu called them, immediately taking seats around the hearth. Shinobu scooped out generous portions of rice and fish for Tanjiro, and let Nezuko curl up to her side, patting her head as she went about making another bowl. Shinobu offered it to Giyuu, who took it and began to silently eat. Giyuu watched as Tanjiro recounted the Hashira meeting, seeming to forget that Shinobu was there for the whole of it. Giyuu looked down into his bowl of rice as Tanjiro told her how scared he was when he grabbed Nezuko. Giyuu felt his stomach churn.
“I’m sorry about Shinazugawa-san, Tanjiro-kun. You should never have been put in that position, being so afraid of a Demon Slayer.” Giyuu looked up at Shinobu. She was right. Perhaps it was foolish to bring these two to Headquarters at all. “We will take care of you now Tanjiro-kun, and do our best to help Nezuko-chan.” She smiled at Tanjiro, and then at Giyuu. He could only grimace.
Shinobu took down the cooking pot and hung her tea pot over the fireplace, putting in whatever leaves she had brought with her. While Giyuu watched the pot, she prepared Nezuko and Tanjiro for bed, pulling out sleepwear and fresh bed linens from apparently nowhere. Giyuu pulled the teapot off the fire, careful not to over steep the leaves. Shinobu had the children ready and their futon laid out as he prepared the tea at his low table in the corner of the room, pouring it into cups. As he finished, the two were curled into bed and Shinobu sat down next to him and curled her teacup into her hands.
They sat in silence for a few minutes until they heard Tanjiro’s breathing even out into sleep.
“You told him.” Giyuu didn’t look up from the children, he only caught Shinobu grimace into her tea out of the corner of his eye.
“Of course I did, Tomioka-san. You brought a demon to Headquarters. It’s the least I could do to inform Ubayashiki-sama.”
Giyuu wasn’t sure if he could feel betrayed. If Shinobu had decided to bring a demon into her household, it would almost certainly be his duty to report it to Ubuyashiki. But he was also almost certain he would not say anything to him.
“Tomioka-san, I support the Kamados.” Giyuu looked up to find Shinobu’s eyes staring directly into his. Her sister’s smile dropped, her lips pressed into a thin and serious line. “There is very little I would not do for them.” Giyuu looked away. Shinobu had maintained this seriousness for a moment too long, or at least Giyuu felt like it was too long considering how she usually treated him.
But then she broke the weighted silence with a jovial tone. “These children have made us quite the fools, haven’t they, Tomioka-san?” She stared at him, the deadly seriousness lifted, her head propped up by her arm on the table. “It’s strange to think that they could pull so much emotion to the surface. And to think we fought with a fellow Pillar?” She laughed, not at him for once. Or at least it didn’t seem directed at him this time. There was a self deprecating edge to it.
“I was going to fight all of them.”
Shinobu straightened, the fake levity falling away almost immediately. “Giyuu. That was foolish.”
“Maybe.” Giyuu looked across the room to where the children were sleeping, nuzzled together on one of his rarely used futons. “But they need someone who will fight for them. Someone with the resolve to save Nezuko. They’ve lost everything. I won’t let them lose each other.”
“Hmm.” Giyuu turned to Shinobu to see what was possibly a genuine smile on her face. That was rare. “You certainly don’t lack in conviction, Tomioka-san.” She turned towards them, her smile fading. “I hope for their sake, that it’s enough.”