"Do I know you?"
There he was.
Shinazugawa Sanemi, with Shinzugawa Genya.
The latter, she hadn't known of very well, but the former. Oh gods what didn't she know off.
From the first pillar meeting, he already had a lot more to unpack than the other hashiras before him.
He was feisty, hot blooded, and the way he first talked to Oyakata-Sama clearly showed why all of the slayers never liked him in the first place even from his Mizunoto days.
Why he was the hardest to approach, even harder than himself.
One taunt after another, it was the first time he had seen Himejima so mad, Uzui so pissed off, and it most certainly was first time seeing Kanae being so worried over someone that wasn't her sister.
Ah, the good old days. The days of so many misunderstandings about the wind hashira.
Oyakata-Sama like always, had handled his temper perfectly. With a smile on his face, he had described his own condition and his own desire to also be a demon slayer, the only problem being the curse that plagued him.
Of course what didn't caught Giyuu off guard was the letter inscribed from his dead best friend. He had seen many slayers who wrote about their comandres in their wills, it wasn't unusual at all.
"Masachika thought of you like the younger brother he lost."
"He dreamed of a shining future just like my dream."
"A wish for loved ones to smile, to live happily until the day they die, and to never have their lives cruely threatened."
Now that she thought about it, everyone had their will written off at the end of the final selection. They would be given a pen and paper by their cultivators as they waited for their swords. And they could have their will changed any day they wanted as time passed.
"I hope I had fought enough battles to not be considered useless to the corps."
That was his first will, written a week after Sabito's death, and it was only changed after the fight with Muzan.
But in this timeline, the most prominent part that stood out from the goodbyes to her friends and family was something different.
Something she and Oyakata-Sama might be the only ones to know, and she wants to keep it that way.
"Um... Hello?"
Shit.
Giyuu had been zoning out these past few seconds about all of the times she had heard about the wind hashira. Thinking of a way to properly talk to him without angering him.
"I..." She stopped her words as the realization hit her head, how was she really going to explain anything to him when he didn't even looked like he knew demons existed.
And also...
Giyuu gazed off again as she noticed Sanemi's clean face.
For some reason the look of a young Sanemi, with no anger while he was awake, directed at her, had clenched something in her heart right now that she couldn't even process her own words. It was most definitely her dream self wanting to cry at the sight.
This was definitely going on the "Awkward first meetings" right below Sabito's from a year ago. At least it can't be worse than crying in front of him.
"Are you Sanemi Shinazugawa?" She said the same question, again. Her heart was still squealing at the cuteness but her mind was now dreading to find the nearest place to bury herself in.
"Yes I am. Why do you know that?" He was starting to get mad but holy damn did that look cuter without the scars, Giyuu tried her best to hide the tears of joy she wanted to let out. He was calm in front of her, Sanemi was talking to her calmly, the Giyuu from the dream will probably kill upper moons for this.
It's like a mad puppy... A Shiba Inu.
"Did Nemi do something bad again?"
"Eh!? When did I ever cause problems Genya?"
Her heart wasn't going to make it. She would have died at the first pillar meeting if she got to see him like this. So cute at such a young age, she needed to get a grip.
Heck she was even taller than him by a few centimeters now her mind can't process this right now.
The scariest hashira being this cute, what an irony.
"Nemi what about that time you pushed the old man down the planks."
"Pft..." The boy held out his smirk until he could no longer take it. "Hahahahaha." The thought brought a smile to his face, and that small cheerful laugh was what finally killed Giyuu's soul, instantly.
"Goodbye."
She turned back around and instantly set her eyes somewhere that wasn't the miracle to see Sanemi smile, mentally fistpumping the air as she got to one up her own dream.
That picture will now forever be engraved in her heart.
"What the-'' In an instant the girl disappeared in between the crowd from their view.
Genya gasped, "Was she a spirit?"
"Don't say stuff like that Genya!"
__
"Because how is that even possible?" Giyuu muttered under her breath as she chewed on her food again.
"I mean, I thought it was impossible... He's always mad so just seeing him... be happy... without it being terrifying..." All of her problems were now being let out at the fourteen year old next to her, listening as her mind headed to another realm with the new knowledge.
"I rrally thought, no, knew it was impossible. But he was there. Smiling. In front of me." Giyuu shifted her head to look at the slayer she had been assigned with.
"Well, maybe he changed?" The boy said as he took another daikon to eat. She kept quiet for a moment, her eyes trailing back to the food, noticing that maybe what made him change his attitude was the fact that his family died.
Then if it meant to keep that smile, she must protect all of the Shinazugawas at all cost.
As far as Tanjiro has told him in the monthly letters, Genya's family had been all murdered by a demon, one which she didn't know of but Tanjiro did.
Of course he did, he is a blessing to the world. One that followed him for days until he finally told his story because the boy had no knowledge of secrecy.
To be fair, he did help others' lives after finding out their past.
Which is why it would have been so nice if he had met Sanemi beforehand and became friends with him. Then Giyuu would have a lead as to what she could do to help the Shinazugawa family. But no, the same blessing that was 'not getting attached to the others because they will die' is what is keeping her away from letting them live.
She needs to breathe her relief, never would've guessed in a million years that Tanjiro would've been the greatest tool to help them all live. Because if she really knew anything, it was only who the hashira where, when they died and nothing else. Without a doubt she would have only found them after their past events had unfolded.
"One is a marechi, the other eats demons." The boy, Masachika almost spat his drink after hearing the low whisper.
"I'm sorry wha-"
"I really need Kouchou, she would know what to do." The oldest one just had a way with words, Giyuu was doubting why the gods or buddah didn't choose her instead.
Masachika paused for a moment, noticing she wasn't making any eye contact. "I see you are just talking to yourself now."
Her eyes turned back to him, "Sorry I just-" He pulled a smile to his face, "Don't worry, I'll just... stay here, listening." To whatever new thing that surprised him.
The reason why he had been called here was simple, Giyuu has already found the best wind hashira of their era and she doesn't know even the tiniest of knowledge about wind cultivators.
Knowing that Masachika is one of the wind slayers, and had been Sanemi's friend in the dream, there was no choice but to ask for his help in knowing what cultivator would benefit Sanemi.
Of course she couldn't tell him about this, and neither could Oyakata-Sama, so they simply told him that it was a joint mission because the demon was so strong that they needed a Tsuchinoto and a Tsuchinoe to handle the mission.
Masachika put his cup down. Somewhat paying attention to the maths that Giyuu was doing.
"And if it takes 5 years then he would have to start at 11 or 12, so no, but then... alright, if he started at 16 and... wait I only heard from him at fifteen, that can't be right..."
"What are you talking about?" You aren't even fifteen.
"Homework." She deadpanned. He stood quiet again, not knowing if slayers even had time for such a thing.
I mean, we can do whatever with our money...
"Anyways have you found about any demons while we were out scouting?"
I found a goldmine that is the red ogre who cried.
"No there weren't any demons nearby, but I'm sure they will come out at night possibly."
As much as she didn't have any idea about what could possibly be the date for the tragic event. She did have one thing that could narrow it down.
And that was the old enemy that always planted his seeds of demons everywhere he went, and if they knew about his routes, than it would be a perfect time to know where he could strike next.
"Muzan Kibutsuji." She popped the name out of nowhere as he was coming back from paying for the food.
He knew it now, Giyuu was in another plane of existence by now, one that no one would solve or probably get her out of.
This was exactly what Makomo was telling him to beware of.
"Masachika-san, who is your cultivator."
"Oh?" He paused for a moment to think.
"Quite the uhhh... Happy kind?" Giyuu raised an eyebrow at the answer.
"He's a good cultivator alright, but sometimes he is just, tch, how can I say this..." Both of them went back and forth, Giyuu asking a few questions about the wind breathing as a whole while Masachika went on and off about his cultivator's training and teachings.
"He told you to cut off what?"
"A freaking pillar in half using a wooden sword. I almost quit after hearing him. I mean, at least he could pick something easier like a boulder or something."
"Uh huh... So how big was the pillar?"
"You already saw the stone Hashira right?" She didn't need to question it anymore.
Giyuu finally stopped in front of a store.
"So, what are we doing here? And what does it have to do with Kibutsuji?"
"You heard that?" Giyuu gasped, had she really been shouting out a few of her thoughts? Yes, because forgetting the fact that she wasn't alone all the time anymore and someone else apart from the animals in the forest or strangers in the restaurants would pick up all of the things she said, and begin to question what she was on about.
Case and point, she was not used to being heard.
Giyuu shook her head. "No, em, someone will deal with that later, right now we are going to buy ingredients to make Ohagi."
Masachika tilted his head, a small smile forming in his face. "I didn't know you could make sweets."
"I don't." Giyuu deadpanned, "But it can't be as hard as killing demons." She knew a few hashira like Mitsuri, Shinobu and even Kyojuro who would be able to make delicious foods even though they didn't have a lot of free time on their hands.
Meanwhile Kie has taught her a few tricks about cooking, well, it was from soups and homemade meals instead of sweets, and she hadn't been back at home for a lot of times so she might have lost a few of her touches.
Still, it can't be that bad.
"Oh buddha save me, they are horrible."
Masachika spat out the first Ohagi she had made.
"You are a horrible baker Giyuu, just give this to Muzan and we can finish this war."
She grumbled under her breath, "And you are the worst judge."
"Hah! I am most certainly the best judge you could get."
"Name one good thing-"
"I'm honest."
She closed her mouth as Masachika ate another one only to spit it right back out.
"Fair." Giyuu put the ohagi in the trash as they started to clean up again.
"Alright time for trial two."
"Too sour."
"Trial three."
"Giyuu, how did you manage to burn these?"
"Trial four..."
"I'm not getting anywhere near that."
"Five."
"I should be getting paid for this. Also you mixed the sugar with salt."
"Six?"
"...Giyuu, did they ever told you you make killer Ohagis."
"SEVEN!"
"Hm... I might not throw up this time."
"Eight!"
"Oh it's? Wait what's with the crunchy inside l--"
"Nine."
The silence lingered for a while.
"These pass as edible." Giyuu thanked the gods.
"Alright now to make the real thing."
"You know, maybe we are getting overpaid for killing demons."
Morning had passed and she was finally able to make an edible ohagi, or at least what Masachika predicted because his tongue had been off duty due to medical problems.
Alright then. Time to taste them.
She chewed on one of the worst looking ones just to check for food poison.
It was... well it certainly had the flavor of an ohagi, but something was missing. However she wasn't going to help it now, too much money and resources had been wasted and too many bugs had died in the kitchen. Besides, she will never know when the tragic event will hit so she had to become friends with the family as fast as possible.
The only way she could possibly do that was by making Sanemi's favorite food. Which would:
1. Help get along with him.
2. Become his friend.
3. Somehow convince him to come with him, thought to be a demon slayer, while also saving his family from the tragic backstoryTM???
4. Let Masachika handle the rest.
5. Profit.
This definitely isn't going to backfire somewhere out there.
Giyuu put all of the five best looking ohagis out of the thirty or so in the kitchen into a nice looking box that was wrapped very neatly to show all of the effort she put into the food.
Maybe they won't even open it because it just looks to beautiful for them. That would really be the best outcome to all of this.
"I'm heading out now." Giyuu said as she put on a light blue with black hakama, her hair tied up in a long braid as she put on her tabi and socks and zori.
"Bring baaack medicineee." Masachika grumbled all the way from the room.
"Alright." That was the least she could do anyways.
Her stomach started to twist into a knot as she went around the town, looking for the little albino that could be hidden anywhere in this place.
From one sector to another, one road to the next, Sanemi and Genya were nowhere in sight.
Did I scare them?
It was a possibility.
After two hours she went around asking about, using their names.
"Ah the young boy Shinazugawa! I'm sure he is at home taking care of his siblings."
"Oh little Shinazugawa? He must be looking out for his mother."
"Ah the Shinazugawa kid! Yup, he could be working right now."
"Hmm, he might be on the left street feeding the dogs." Giyuu gulped.
"No no no, don't you remember the brawl that happened this afternoon, wife?" Both of them turned to the old man next to the woman.
"Oh dear don't tell me." He nodded.
"That old bastard is at it again."
Good news is that the search didn't last that long after all, so the ohagis weren't going bad after all. (And Sanemi also wasn't in the dog corner so she's safe).
The bad news.
"Get up! GET UP RIGHT NOW!"
'Crack'
Her present could have a few broken parts.
"You think you can just crawl over here~" If the sloppy voice didn't tell anyone just how drunk he was, the red cheeks and the way he walked as if he was ready to trip was already enough of a giveaway for him.
"Old man you are fucking drunk-"
'Punch'
His palm was almost the size of the same face he fisted. Giyuu didn't feel her fingers rip inside the box until it touched the food.
"Nemi! Are you alright?" Genya went up to his brother, that small bruise slowly growing red on the pale skin of his as he spat out a bit of blood from the teeth that had been hit by the force.
"Get away from," The man hiccupped, chugging another bottle he had in his left. "him, now.... He should be able... tooo sTAND UP."
How can a kid that barely reached thirteen be able to go against a guy who had lived all his life in war. Genya just hugged his brother as he felt Sanemi's hands cover him from the impact he will receive after disobeying his father.
Both closed their eyes as they braced for the impact.
Nothing came.
"Genya, hold my ohagi for a moment."
____________________________
Extra:
Mitsuri: Bullied for being different.*
Uzui: Trained to kill*
Makomo and Sabito: Not being cared for at orphanages.*
Obanai: Family works with demons.*
Sanemi, Genya: Abusive parents.*
Giyuu: Tanjuro are you willing to adopt-
_
On another note imma post the next chapters soon
Have flamboyant Daki while you wait.
The promo dropped so we are not getting angst-y
(wasn't the reason, I just forgot what chapters were sad again, this will probably be the most lighthearted chapters i will make.
[of course not counting the four group missions the main ship will get into. So much fun and feels, it's the kamaboko squad all over again. This time shipping included.]
Surprisingly the angst will have to wait until.... *checks draft* hmm... the weather can be quite calm these days.
(Legit, I was thinking of pulling all the sad feelings here but then my beta boi friend who checks the fics said "Yo don't be so depresso, it ruins my expresso." And now I'm on obligatory change.)
-
A few refrences were made from other stories I wrote on ao3.
As for the blue ogre who cried reference, was Sanemi's nickname and it told of a story of an ogre who choose to be misunderstood so that his other ogre friend could be friends with the humans.
Link there: https://skdesu.com/en/naita-aka-oni/
Oh my how many words...