By dawn the next morning I was already clearing away broken glass.

At least it was just the glass, nothing structural.

The process of gathering the large pieces and stacking them in the garbage bin became almost meditative. The chilly air kept me awake and focused. I could only carry one or two pieces at a time with my dominant hand being so damaged, but I was making progress. By 8:00 am, I had finished cleaning the damage. I swept up all the little pieces and disposed of them, then laid down on the floor to admire my handiwork. I lowered my face to ground level to look horizontally across the floor. Not a single piece left.

"Good morning!"

Kyojuro's called through the empty window frame. Senjuro echoed him, beaming. I jumped up, embarrassed to be seen lying on the ground. I hid my hands behind my back, not wanting either of them to see the bandage. I am not sure why, but I think letting Kyojuro see it would be a mistake.

I…I don't want him to think I'm weak. That I can't defend myself.

"Good morning to both of you! I uh…have the glass all cleaned up. Luckily I don't think anything else was damaged. A few spiders seem to have gotten inside, but they're good pest control anyway."

"That's the spirit! Is he also good for pest control?"

I hadn't noticed Ren coming in or laying down behind me. How long has that dog been here?

"The very best." I answered, trying to look serious.

Senjuro ran inside and went straight to the treat jar. Kyojuro watched him, seeming pleased that he was so excited. Senjuro was wearing a warmer jacket, finally.

Kyojuro's doing? Good. That's one less thing to worry about.

"Here you go Ren, don't you worry about that window. It'll be all fixed up soon, pup."

Ren probably hasn't even noticed the window wasn't in its normal space. As long as he has his bed and someone to pay attention to him, he'll be just fine.

"I was just about to leave to see a man about getting it fixed. I can't have my shop open without its front window. Rain getting in could cause mold and that's…not great for business."

"Excellent timing, then! Senjuro, would you like to stay here and watch the shop? I will be escorting Haru to Mr. Tadashi's glass shop."

Senjuro answered at the same time I did.

"Sure!"

"That's really not necessary, I can get there just fine."

"Haru, let us help!"

I hadn't heard Senjuro sound so whiny before. He's lucky he's a cute kid.

I do want him to be able to feel confident, but…can he even run a shop? Plus, why does Kyojuro want to walk with me? There probably won't be too many people coming by this early…oh, now Senjuro looks so…disappointed.

"Well, if you really would rather I not accompany you, I won't-"

I interrupted him.

"You're both very helpful. Thank you. Senjuro, do you think you would feel comfortable explaining to people that I will be back in a few hours to handle any new orders? And there's this bouquet I made yesterday for the young waitress who keeps her hair in pigtails…"

"Miss Kiyo?"

"Yes, I think so. The real young one, about your age? Only allowed to work there because her mom owns the place? She's celebrating her grandmother's birthday. She shouldn't be by until late afternoon, but just in case. It's on the table here."

"You can count on me!"

He stood up straight and struck the same confident pose his brother was fond of. It was such a departure from how he normally acted. I felt compelled to put my hand on his head, so I did.

"You'll do a great job, kid. I know it."

He grinned, then went back to petting Ren.

"Watch how many treats you give him today, he's getting a little chubby."

Ren huffed.

"I will, I will…"

"Let us get going, Haru. Bye, Senjuro! We'll be back soon."

We started walking at an easy pace towards the glass shop. Mr. Tadashi was known to open a bit late some days, so we weren't in a rush. When we were most of the way there, he paused near a bench on the side of the path.

"Haru, sit with me for a moment?"

"Sure. Is everything alright?"

I sat down, grateful for the break in activity. The busy morning had me tired already, and it was an exceptionally beautiful day. He sat beside me, barely an arm's length away. The sun shining on his face lit his features better than the starlight.

I want to remember every single thing about that lovely face. That confident smile, those bright golden eyes, the presence of strength and kindness behind them…his voice is nice too…am I staring?

"I was actually going to ask you the same thing. Your hand."

And after I tried so hard to keep it hidden…

I felt my face fall.

"You have been trying to keep it behind you since I arrived. I saw it when you were still lying on the ground. It looks like it is bandaged. What happened?"

Please don't ask me that. Please don't see me as a burden.

"I accidentally cut it last night. It's fine now."

He slowly reached across us, searching my face for permission. Finding no objection, he took my bandaged hand in his and brought it to his face to inspect. I could feel myself blushing. I felt…embarrassed…ashamed…weak…

"It looks burned. Did you go to a doctor for this?"

"I had it taken care of, it's fine."

"The bandage is practically falling off already."

I guess moving pieces of sharp glass with that hand damaged the wrapping. It looks worse than it did last night. Last night. When the skin was sizzling and smoking and I couldn't pull away and I couldn't leave and I…one…two…three, one…two…three…four…five…six…repeat.

He watched me for a few seconds, expression unreadable. Then he smiled softly. He undid the wrapping on my hand, turning it by the wrist and inspecting it. He then scooted closer to me and laid my hand gently on his leg, palm up. He reached into his coat and took out two objects: a small tin and a roll of bandages.

"In my line of work, it helps to be prepared."

He set them both down beside him, then opened the little tin. It looked like it was filled with some kind of balm. He applied it delicately to the burned parts of my skin, making sure to cover every burned place completely. He closed the little tin, grabbed the bandages, and carefully wrapped my hand. It hurt a little to be touched, but the balm was immediately cooling. When he was finished, he placed both objects back in that inner pocket and held up my hand to inspect it again.

"Th-thank you."

"No problem. And I am glad you are using the breathing technique I taught you. Very good. But Haru…is there something preventing you from telling me the truth about it?"

I felt very close to tears.

"I just…"

We sat in silence for several seconds. He placed my hand back down in my lap, but remained seated close to me.

"Please don't see me as a burden. I'm sorry I got hurt."

"No, you never need to apologize for that. You are not a burden. I am sorry I let you go into a dangerous situation."

"It's not your fault. It's my dad, he can be…he's not kind."

Kyojuro sighed.

"One of the most important rules about being a demon slayer is that you can only hunt demons. All human life must be protected. No matter what. Have you tried telling an authority? The police? Other family?"

"No other family. And I don't want to tell the police. He used to be one of them, they won't listen. And it would make him mad."

"I see."

"Kyojuro? I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to lie about my hand, it's just so…it's hard to talk about."

"I understand."

I could feel tears prickling behind my eyes. I blinked hard and looked straight at the ground, hoping he wouldn't see them. We sat together quietly for what felt like years, before he finally spoke.

"Mine is…angry, occasionally. He does not raise a hand against us, but he never has anything kind to say. I think that when he lost my mom, he lost his whole heart. Now he pushes everyone away. I do not think we have exchanged a kind word in years. I think he hopes that by pushing everyone away in life, it will not hurt to lose them later to death. I hope that he finds his heart again, for Senjuro's sake. I know he still has kindness in him. I know he can return to the man he used to be. But for now, it is still painful."

I noticed that he had dropped into the same breathing pattern that he taught me. Two and four, three and six, four and eight, five and ten. He stayed at five and ten for a while. After some time had passed, he continued speaking.

"What other people do is outside of our control. But what we do in response to it, how we handle it…that is ours to decide. I have chosen to be a kinder person, to make up for the kindness he lacks. I have chosen to look forward to the day he returns to kindness, when his heart once again burns with love. I have chosen to take care of everyone around me. I will be the light I needed when I was younger, for everyone."

"Is that why you always keep such a confident expression?"

"What do you mean?"

Was that a silly thing to say? Too late now…

I blushed, then explained, "To…inspire others."

"It is, yes. I am glad you noticed."

I finally felt brave enough to turn and face him.

"It helps. Thank you."

"If I have helped you, then please, tell me the truth from now on. I promise you that you are never a burden."

"You're such a good person. I promise to tell you everything from now on."

"Do you think so? I'm glad."

He patted my head. He looked vulnerable for a fraction of a second, then lapsed into that same gentle smile he wore while watching Senjuro play with the dog.

I had to stop myself from leaning against his side. He was so warm, and his hands were so soft…He stood up, put that confident grin on, and brushed himself off.

"Time to face the world again. We have to get your window fixed, right?"

I stood up and got ready to walk beside him.

"We'll go together."