Note: I POSTED 2 CHAPTERS LAST WEEK, SO IF YOU DIDN'T READ BOTH OF THEM, PLEASE GO BACK AND READ THEM NOW! Thank you!

xXx

For several seconds, everyone in the hallway seemed frozen in time. No one seemed to want to break the tense silence.

"Aniki…"

The word seemed to slip out of the younger Shinazugawa's mouth without him noticing.

And then Sanemi realized that he really didn't care about any tense silences.

"Aniki?! Aniki?! Just who is this Aniki, huh?! 'Cause it sure ain't me! I got no brother! Got it!"

Genya's eyes went wide and he backed away.

"What are you doing here?" the Wind Pillar practically growled (and almost didn't notice how it came out as more of a growl than he intended) as he shoved past Shinobu.

"Shinazugawa," she hissed. He ignored her as he walked – no, stomped up to Genya. He expected the brat to back down again. Instead, the kid's expression firmed and he pulled a gun on him!

Gasps sounded from behind them, and even Shinobu spoke up, admonishing.

"Shinazugawa-kun!"

Genya ignored them all.

"I've been trying to figure out how to apologize to you – for calling you a murderer all those years ago. But now… now you're worse than a murderer!"

Sanemi blinked, trying to ignore how that stung. "Did you actually work up the guts to try and kill me… without using a breathing form?! This is why you should leave the Corps! You useless, good-for-nothing—"

BANG!

The new demon felt a burn in his throat. He saw Genya take out a nichirin sword and lunge at him, screaming…

He had tears in his eyes…

And then everything exploded into chaos.

xXx

Gyomei was frustrated.

He didn't let that show, and he refused to take that frustration out on anyone else, but his investigation into Kamado Tanjiro had gone nowhere. Quite literally. Almost every question about his biology or personality that Shinobu or the girls who worked the Estate answered seemed to work in the boy's favor, but none of it was proof. He couldn't find any evidence for or against his cause as a demon slayer. The fact that Shinobu seemed to have been completely converted to trusting Kamado helped, but she couldn't seem to articulate why she trusted him to Gyomei's satisfaction.

"It's the little things," she'd said. "The way he acts, the things he remembers, what is important to him, how much he hates Muzan."

But these were all things he couldn't actually know for himself because Kamado had been asleep for the past week… and apparently several days before that as well. Everyone else in the Estate seemed to have a good opinion of him, if they had an opinion at all (the younger girls seemed to be rather terrified of him, but they'd never actually met him either, and getting young Tsuyuri to speak… well, it hadn't gone well).

And on top of it all, he knew Genya was reaching the end of his rope when it came to patience. If Gyomei didn't find something solid – either for or against Kamado – soon…

He didn't regret taking Genya on as a student, despite his inability to use breath forms. He did lament the boy's rashness and hard-headed actions at times, though.

He'd just finished some training with the boy, who had hurried ahead to take care of something (Gyomei wasn't sure what, but suspected he would be looking for Kamado again… and if he found out that was indeed the truth, Genya would find himself pushing and pulling boulders, simultaneously) which left the Stone Pillar to ponder what he should do about the situation. Should he take his student and leave? That would directly defy Ubuyashiki-sama's orders, though… or, well, the spirit of those orders. However, Genya was not in a good place right now, and he wasn't learning well either. He obviously didn't feel safe and he was obsessed with finding either his brother or Kamado…

He may just have to write back to Ubuyashiki-sama and insist that this was not a good idea.

A sound reached his ears, breaking through his reverie, and bounced off of the world around him, giving him an excellent picture of his surroundings. He'd almost reached the front door to the estate, having just crossed through the gate that led into the courtyard…

Wait. That wasn't just a small noise… that was many noises… and shouting… and a gun shot…

And with that, he knew his student was at the heart of it.

Two minutes (and many, many strings of shouted curses and insults) later, Gyomei turned down a corridor and froze. The chaos he heard from so many different sources made getting a full picture very difficult, but after a few moments of concentration, he realized that Genya, the Kamado girl and Shinobu-san were gathered nearer to him at this end of the hallway. At the other end, he sensed a struggling pair, Kamado and Shinazugawa from the sounds of it. Gyomei did not like the growls and snarls that came from those two as, from what he could tell, one tried to stop the other from attacking.

"Shinobu-san," he said loudly, "what happened?"

"Himejima-san!" she said, almost breathlessly and he heard her coming towards him. "Your student," she practically spit the word – oh, if she was showing her anger, this must be really bad, "shot his brother in the neck!"

Gyomei blinked, taken aback.

"Was he provoked?"

Shinobu sighed in frustration. "I can't say he wasn't after Shinazugawa-san told him they weren't brothers. Then Shinazugawa-kun told our ever patient Wind Pillar," her voice took on a derisive, sarcastic tone, "that he'd become worse than a murderer, pulled out his slaying gun and shot his… not brother, I suppose. To be fair, Shinazugawa-san practically dared him to."

"What happened next?"

"Shinazugawa-kun jumped at Shinazugawa-san with his sword out, and tried to slice off his head. Unenhanced, mind you."

Gyomei didn't wince, but he did close his eyes and take out his prayer beads because that had been monumentally stupid and the situation most definitely called for it.

"The next thing I know, Shinazugawa-san is jumping at Shinazugawa-kun, so I and the Kamado siblings rushed in to try and get in the way and now Nezuko-chan is holding back Shinazugawa-kun and Tanjiro-san is holding back Shinazugawa-san and neither one of them will calm down!"

That certainly sounded about right seeing as he kept hearing the (former?) Wind Pillar spitting vitriol and telling Genya (through those animalistic snarls) that he wasn't good enough to be in the Corps and to just leave already. Unfortunately, Gyomei's own student seemed intent on saying things just as bad back, about how Sanemi was a terrible older brother who abandoned the only family he had left and then let himself get turned into the very thing they're fighting against.

Gyomei had spoken to Genya about his temper before, and had even touched on some things that had happened in his past when the boy had been willing to speak about it, but for the most part, the Stone Pillar had wanted to stay out of it and not complicate things more than they already were.

However, it seemed that the time for waiting for them to sort things out on their own had passed.

"Genya!" he said sternly. That would likely be undermined by the tears streaming down his cheeks again, but the youth should be used to that by now at least.

His voice seemed to break the boy out of his rage, but just to be safe, Gyomei stepped between him and his brother. It seemed to work as his student stopped shouting. They stood there for several seconds while Sanemi kept yelling behind them.

"You promised," Gyomei said quietly but firmly, putting all of his frustration and disappointment into those words.

"But… Sensei…" he started, although he must have realized he wouldn't be able to give a decent reason or argument because he faded off and didn't continue.

Then, behind him, Kamado shouted.

"I know you don't want him to fight because you want him to stay safe – you want him to live and have the good life you don't think you'll ever be able to have! I get it! But this isn't the way to help him! In the long run, you're hurting him more than Muzan ever could!"

That shut Sanemi up… and everyone else too.

Finally, the Wind Pillar growled out, "What was that…?" threateningly.

Kamado snarled back, and Gyomei figured that was a demon's way of asserting dominance or defiance because Shinazugawa didn't say anything afterwards. Seemingly satisfied, the kid went on.

"It's okay to care about your siblings! I know I do! But if I told you to stop fighting and that I would tear you limb from limb until you did, would you stop?! No? Well then why do you think Genya-san would? He's just like you!"

"He's nothing like me!" Sanemi snapped back… but there was a tone there that had Himejima's eyebrows rising. Pity? Desperation? Fear…

Kamado must have sensed it too because when he went on, his voice was quieter, albeit just as firm. "It's okay that he's like you! Strong, determined and headstrong; those aren't necessarily bad traits! They got you to your Pillar position! And yeah, he can't use breaths, but there are other ways to fight! And that's okay too."

"It's not! At least I can hold my own against a demon!"

"So can he!"

"He'll die in the Corps!"

Kamado's voice quieted even more. "Like you did?"

A heavy pause and Gyomei could practically feel the shock and horror coming off of Shinazugawa before his own voice quieted down and he just sounded so tired.

"Yeah. I'm… I was a Pillar and look what happened to me." Tired and bitter, actually.

More silence.

"You expected to die," Kamado stated. "You joined the Corps expecting to die. You were going to fight until either you or Muzan were dead."

Shinazugawa snorted. "You don't exactly get into the Corps to live a long, happy life. I'm here 'cause… I can't live any other way. I will avenge my mother."

"And after that?"

The newly turned demon didn't answer with anything other than a derisive snort.

After several more seconds of uneasy quiet, Kamado spoke again. "You think revenge has brought you this far, and maybe that's a big reason, but you also protect people, Sanemi-san! That's your job and you do it well! Hurting Genya so he leaves you won't help you! It won't make him live a good life either, because it's most certainly hurting him!"

"I don't need him!" Genya cut in.

Sanemi snarled, presumably at his little brother.

But then a softer, feminine voice broke in. "How?" That came from in front of Gyomei… so, the Kamado girl?

"What?" Genya asked angrily. He sounded like he'd turned his head to look back over his shoulder.

"How do you not need your brother? I… I need mine! And he needs me! We need each other and our other siblings… I can't imagine ever losing them." Her voice sounded shaky… was she crying?

"Some of us don't have the luxury of just imagining how much it would hurt," Shinazugawa said angrily, although he hadn't raised his voice again.

"But you have each other, here and now!" she cried out. "And instead of working to help each other and make each other stronger, you're trying to hurt each other and make each other weaker! In the end, that will only kill you both!"

More silence at her words.

When Shinazugawa spoke again, his voice trembled and he sounded more human than Gyomei had heard him that entire time.

"I just wanted one of you to live. I couldn't protect everyone then, I can't protect you now… I can't even protect myself."

Oh… that… explained more than Gyomei would like to admit, actually.

Which was probably why he found himself speaking up. "Genya is stronger than you think."

A soft snort. "Not strong enough." Gyomei could practically feel his student flinch at his brother's words and withheld a frustrated huff. Before he could rebuff that, though, the Wind Pillar continued to speak. "None of us are strong enough. Not even Kamado."

"I told you to call me Tanjiro," the boy in question muttered, but he sounded almost pained.

"Of course we aren't strong enough!" Shinobu spoke up for the first time. "Humans can't compare to demons! We've known that from the beginning! And even if we could or we were demons, we have how many years of experience as compared to theirs? That doesn't mean we're fighting a losing battle!"

"The Corps has been on the back foot for as long as it's existed," Shinazugawa said back, although he had little heat in his voice.

"But it's still here," Shinobu rebutted. Shinazugawa didn't seem to have anything to say to that. "We've made more strides in the last years than we have in centuries before that and we're stronger than we've been since breaths were first invented!"

"And working together, we can take Muzan down!" Kamado broke in. "I've seen it! I've seen us come so close! I've seen all of the Waxing Moons gone and Muzan crawling away on all fours as the sun rises!"

"What are you, a seer or something?" Genya asked, incredulous.

Kamado paused for a moment. "Something like that," he muttered before continuing on the same vein as before. "But we're stronger now than what I saw! Or we can be!"

Shinobu spoke again, her voice firm and determined. "Tanjiro-san is right. Now, I propose that he, Shinazugawa-san and Nezuko-chan come with me so we can discuss everything that has happened recently. Himejima-san, would you please take Shinazugawa-kun somewhere to cool down? Preferably somewhere where he won't be tempted to start fights that could tear my estate to the ground?"

Gyomei managed not to wince at that, but it was a near thing. He sensed Genya cringing.

"Perhaps you should apologize to Shinobu-san, Genya. And I will be writing to Oyakata-sama about this."

He knew the boy had cringed again, and then he let out a sigh.

"Please forgive my rashness, Shinobu-san," Genya said quietly, his voice muffled, likely from a dogeza position. Good.

Gyomei bowed as well, holding his prayer beads in front of him. "I also ask forgiveness for my student's rash actions. We will most certainly discuss this."

A small groan escaped from Genya, just loud enough for Gyomei to hear. At least the boy knew he was in trouble.

Then Gyomei turned to where he'd last heard the Kamado girl standing. "Thank you, Kamado Nezuko, for interfering and holding my student back from inexcusable actions."

The girl must have been surprised because she stuttered a little. "O-oh! Um, it was nothing! Besides, Genya-san is really strong. I had to use my breathing techniques to stop him. You must be a very good teacher!"

Her sincerity rang in her voice and Gyomei felt a bubble of gratitude for the girl's kind words.

"You should apologize too, Sanemi-san," Kamado said.

"What?!" Shinazugawa yelped. Then something must have happened between the two of them because the next thing Gyomei knew, he heard the Wind Pillar's petulant voice. "Sorry for almost destroying your house, Kocho."

That was… honestly better than Gyomei had expected.

"Hmm," Shinobu-san said thoughtfully. "I will forgive you if, and only if, it doesn't happen again. Am I understood?"

"Hai, Shinobu-san," Genya said.

"Yeah, whatever," Shinazugawa muttered. Then a 'thwap' sounded. "Oi!" Another meaningful pause. "It's not like I wanna start a fight!" More silence. "Fine, I won't! Happy?!"

"Quite," Shinobu sand said sweetly.

"Stop acting like you're my mom," Gyomei heard Shinazugawa mutter as he walked by, thankfully without so much as acknowledging Genya… at least not as far as the Stone Pillar knew. Sometimes he really wished he could see. The younger Shinazugawa, on the other hand, gasped, sounding offended, but he didn't say anything. For the first time since they'd returned from training, he felt proud of the boy.

Kamado snorted.

"You're younger than me!" the newly turned demon continued.

"And yet he has better manners than you, Shinazugawa-san," Shinobu said brightly.

"What was that?!" the Wind Hashira snarled as the group walked away from Gyomei and Genya.

The Kamado girl giggled.

"Hurry, please," Shinobu said loudly. "The last thing I need are two demons wondering around my estate."

"Do you gotta rub it in?" Shinazugawa grumbled.

The rest of their chatter faded off as they continued on their way, leaving Gyomei and his student in an awkward silence.

Sighing, the Stone Pillar took a seat next to Genya, who hadn't risen to his feet. From the muffled sniffling, he could tell the boy was trying to hold back tears. Maybe one day he'd get the boy to understand that crying wasn't shameful. Until then…

He put a hand on the boy's back.

"I'm going to write Oyakata-sama and ask him to give us a mission."

Genya coughed, loudly. "W-we're leaving?!"

Gyomei raised an eyebrow at his student. "Do you want to stay?"

The boy seemed to curl in on himself. "I… I don't know. I don't want to give up."

Give up on Kamado? Give up on Sanemi? Give up on himself? Gyomei didn't know and didn't think Genya even knew the answer to that question, so he didn't press for now.

"Whatever you decide, I will support you," he said.

The boy's tense shoulders began to lose their tightness under his hand. "Really?"

"Of course."

A deep sigh and more tension leaked out of the boy. "Thanks, Sensei."

"Hmm," Gyomei nodded in acknowledgment.

They sat there in silence for several seconds before Genya spoke up again.

"I'm… going to be in punishment tomorrow, aren't I."

The older man hummed again, amusement entering his voice, although he doubted his student could tell. "Tomorrow you will be simultaneously pushing a boulder while pulling another. You will do so until you move them both around the estate or until nightfall, whichever comes first."

Genya winced, but then sighed. "Yes, sensei."

The silence this time felt far more companionable, although when Genya broke through it once again, his voice seemed small and worried. "Sensei… what did all of that mean? I mean, Kamado held Sanemi back… He… didn't have to."

Gyomei sighed. "I do not know." Honestly, he didn't even know how to classify what had happened just now, still going over it in his head. "I, currently, have drawn no conclusions."

"Oh," Genya muttered.

Finally, the Stone Pillar figured they'd sat their long enough and rose to his feet.

"Come along, Genya. We must prepare for dinner." He was not going to let himself or his student show up dirty, after all.

A long sigh. "Yes, Sensei."

As they walked along, Himejima did decide to bring up one other thing he'd noticed.

"Genya… I am proud of one thing. You seem to be more confident around women lately."

The boy tripped and squawked a little.

Gyomei frowned. Surely he hadn't been that distracted by his anger and his self-appointed mission.

"W-what makes you say that, Sensei?"

The Stone Pillar blinked.

"You've spoken to Kamado Nezuko a couple of times and you have been very articulate. I assumed you'd made progress seeing as she is a girl. And you didn't even seem to notice when she was bodily holding you back just now."

Genya didn't answer with anything more than a strangled, choking sound of distress.

So the boy had been that distracted and angry.

Gyomei put a hand to the bridge of his nose and sighed. Then he began to go over some prayers for his student. He needed it more than the Hashira had realized.

xXx

AN: So, hope that was a reaction worth of the Shinazugawa sibs. *ahem*

I've gotten some great support and feedback on this fic, guys, and I can't thank you enough. :) Currently working on my second novel and my webcomics again, so... I'll let you know if/when the novel I just finished comes out. Either it won't get published and I'll be doing it on Vella or the like, or it WILL get published and I'll let you know when/where that is! :D

Thanks to TimeLordTim, Found and Quathis for this!

Discord: discord. gg/q4pkrymvvr (no spaces)