The afternoon sun is bright and harsh but the clouds in the skies helped block the worst of it. Shinazugawa Sanemi walked through the mansion where the HQ of the Demon Slaying Corps is located to reach the small hut he had chosen to stay at. Fellow Demon Slayers who spotted him scurried away due to his intimidating presence and his newly achieved rank.

He is now the Wind Pillar.

Kumeno Masachika should be a Pillar like him. Taking down the Lower Moon One wouldn't have been possible without him but Masachika had lost his life in that battle. It still left a bitter taste in his heart. He lost someone close to him again.

He opened the door to his hut and spotted Tsukumo immediately. She's sitting down by the wooden table mending the spare white shirts that he usually wore over his uniform.

"Oh, Sa-kun! You're back! How did the talk with Oyakata-sama go?"

He let out a grunt, not wanting to recap that meeting. Tsukumo stood up from her seat, only to trip on her feet again.

"Look at where you're going." He reprimanded her as he held onto her arm on reflex, preventing her from faceplanting down onto the ground. She gave him that usual sheepish smile.

"Ehehehe… you are here to catch me, so everything's fine?"

"Tch." He let her go the moment she can stand up on her own and go pour himself some tea that she had obviously just brewed before he got back. She went back to mending his shirt and he silently watched her stitching the holes in his clothes patiently with only a needle and thread.

"You should have been a Pillar too."

That's one thing he could never understand but at the same time, could understand. She was also there when he and Masachika took down the Lower Moon One. She played a key role too. There is still another vacancy up for grabs among the Pillars but she refused the promotion immediately.

"Eh, someone needs to keep an eye on Sa-kun and my Breath of Cloud works at its best if I'm there to support him by his side. I'm sorry, Oyakata-sama, but I will have to refuse your offer."

That was the reason she gave and no matter who tried to persuade her to take up the position she simply refused, saying that if she becomes a Pillar she will not be able to continue to accompany him on his missions. Oyakata-sama did not press on after knowing her intentions but still left the option open to her. It will be open to her until the day where all nine slots for the PIllars are filled.

"You know why, Sa-kun." She said while humming a tune under her breath. "Say, now that we have a few days free from work, shall we go out and have some fun? I heard that there is a Tanabata festival coming up soon in a nearby town. It's been a long time since I could wear a kimono."

"Like I have the time to-"

"Oh you have. Take a break from training. Ever heard of taking things in moderation? Besides, it's only a single night. You can go back to train till you drop the next day. It's been a long time since we can really just relax and not think about work. So what do you say? Hmm, Sa-kun?"

He clicked his tongue and looked outside through the window. She's not really giving him a choice here.

"Fine."

They both wandered into town that evening. She is dressed in a light blue kimono and him a black yukata. Her hair is done up in a bun today with a silver coloured hair stick keeping it in place. She brought along her umbrella, the weapon blending very well in the crowd due to its harmless look. If one would look closely they could tell that the entire frame of the umbrella is made of Scarlet Crimson Ore and not the usual wood. There's nothing innocent about that. Even the canopy of the umbrella is not the usual oil-paper people use to stretch across the frame. It is a material that even metal cannot easily cut through it and could even act as a shield when her umbrella opens. This is not even considering the hidden Nichirin Blade within the shaft of her umbrella that she could draw out and surprise her enemies at any time. Tsukumo's blacksmith had really outdid himself with this creation.

She looked so innocent and beautiful carrying that white umbrella with her. Her presence immediately drew eyes to her because her beauty simply stands out in the crowd. Her black hair and grey eyes gave her an air of elegance. Her fair complexion reflects the light shining on her skin and the way she walks could capture the attention of everyone, male and female alike.

He is sure that more than a few unsavoury men would come up to her in an attempt to whisk her away if it wasn't for him by her side. His glare easily made them cower and look away. The scars along his face and arms might have helped too.

"Stop acting like a jealous puppy." He felt her arm wrapped around his as she led him along. "Come on, smile! We are at a festival! Oh, oh! We should totally get some takoyaki! And also yakitori! Dango! Mochi-"

He let her rattle on and one, content to just listen and let her drag him from stall to stall. He doesn't see the attraction behind festivals but if this makes her happy, whatever. At least he got to see her all dolled up and acting like a real woman for once. Like she said, it's really been a long time since he last saw her in a kimono. The last time he remembered seeing her in one was before she joined the Corps.

"-and then I said- Sa-kun? Are you even listening to what I'm saying?"

"Yes." He lied without batting an eye. There's no way he will ever admit to her that he was too busy staring at her face to pay any attention to what she was saying.

"Then repeat what I just said."

"I forgot."

"You didn't listen."

He shrugged and mentally thought that her pout makes her extremely adorable. So much that all he wants right now is to carry her away so that the only person who could see such an adorable sight is him and him alone.

Of course, he would sooner face Muzan himself than to tell her that.

He lets her eat all she wants and play the games with her to her heart's content. Wherever she wants to explore he simply follows her. She pulled him along to a wishing tree, the highlight of the festival, and forced him to write a wish and tie it on the tree. She did the same.

"What did you write?" She asked with eagerness and a skip in her steps.

"Not telling." He grunted out, remembering the 'Tsukumo and Genya to be safe and happy' he wrote and hung on the tree. "Wish won't fucking come true if you reveal it."

"No fun at all." She lamented. "And here I thought we could share with each other what we wrote."

"What did you write?" He asked in return, feeling a little curious as well.

"Not telling." She replied immediately as she turned her head away from him, nose pointing upwards in a childish manner. Because of that, she didn't see the pebble right in front of her and she would have tripped if he hadn't caught her in time.

"Sometimes I have trouble believing that you are at the level of a Pillar with how you always trip for no reason." He grumbled as they continued walking, her arm wrapped around his as they slowly exited the town and walked on the long and deserted path that would lead them back to the hut at the Corps' HQ.

"It doesn't matter if you believe or not, what matters is whether I have the strength to back it up, right?"

"Tch."

"Sa-kun? Can we stop by here for a moment?"

They took a brief pause. They are currently near a river bank with the water surface glistening under the shine of the moonlight. Nobody else is around as far as he could tell. It is a cloudless night tonight and the full moon is out for all to see. She shone under the moonlight, making her look as if she's an ethereal fairy. She caught his attention when she released his arm and took a few steps backwards away from him and towards the riverbank.

"Well, uhm, ever wondered why I chose my weapon to be an umbrella?"

"No." He replied bluntly.

"Remember the day when I appeared before you with bruises and a slap on my cheek? I told you it was because I messed up a dance badly. The dance involved using an umbrella, you see. I could never get it right. I could use fans just nice but I always messed up when using an umbrella. Even then, I genuinely like learning about the dance using an umbrella and I really want to be able to do it properly, that's why I chose my weapon to be a spear disguised as an umbrella. I really want to be able to perform the dance for someone special someday."

"You don't need to dance if you don't like it." He replied immediately, a sense of protective rage swelled within him when he remembered the circumstances she was forced into before becoming a Demon Slayer like him. "You are not in that kind of place anymore."

"But I want to." She replied with that faint smile on her face. "This time, I genuinely want to dance. I want to dance for you and only for you to see. Don't blink, okay?"

And so, she danced. Her dance took his breath away from how graceful and elegant she is doing it. It felt so natural as she flowed from one move to the next. He probably forgot how to breathe until her dance ended, a slight blush easily visible on her face even in the pale moonlight.

"H-How was it?"

His mouth opened and closed without a sound, not able to formulate a response for what he had just witnessed.

"Argh, I knew it. I probably screwed it up." She mumbled and walked on ahead when the silence dragged on. "Forget about it."

"I like it." He quickly held onto her hand and stopped her before she left him behind. "I… I want to see it again. I want to see you dance for me again. Just me and you, like this."

He gulped as he stared into her grey eyes. He watched as her eyes blinked once in confusion before slowly widening in realisation. The blush on her face got even redder.

"I-I… Uh… Erm…"

She visibly flustered as her eyes darted around to look everywhere but at his face.

"I-If you w-want to s-see it a-again… M-Maybe back at the hut later? It's embarrassing doing it out here in public. Who knows if anybody else saw it? I haven't danced in a long while."

"If anybody else dares to see you dance then I will dig their eyes out."

"S-Sa-kun!"

They continue to walk back home hand in hand, their usual banter accompanying them until they reach back home. The soft touch of her hand against his rough one is a sensation that he will never want to forget. He will never let go of her hand.

He really wants to see her dance with her umbrella again. The dance that she will only dance for him to see.

"There's still a lot of weaknesses to be exploited if we do it this way. Theoretically it should work but we are still just not fast enough to make it a reality."

"Then we will keep fucking try until we found the perfect Tenth Form."

It was merely a suggestion she threw out for the fun of it but when he gave more thought to it, inventing a Tenth Form for the Breath of Wind and the Breath of Cloud sounds like something they should do. With her fighting by his side, the destruction he could unleash had increased by more than twofold because she was always there protecting the areas where his strikes and winds could not blow. She is always there protecting him with that umbrella of hers and shielding him from harm when the demons they faced aimed at the eye of his cyclone. Her Forms countered each of his when used against him but also complemented his so well when used together on a common enemy.

He knew she was smart, but never would he expect her intellect to shine in this manner. Somehow, the thought of it made him glower with pride.

He dragged her out to try and invent a Tenth Form together. It is going to be their strongest Form, their killing move strong enough to execute an Upper Moon when used right. There won't be any weakness to be exploited in this Form because they will be there covering each other's weaknesses. There won't be anywhere for the demon to run to because his wind will block all paths and her clouds will cover whatever else he could not cover. There won't be a chance for their strikes to be blocked because they won't allow it.

But trying to do so is easier said than done.

He panted for breath and quickly gulped down a huge mouth of water from his bottle to quench his thirst and to cool down, taking a short break for the moment. He turned around to pass the bottle into her hands, only to find her looking up at the sky staring at the clouds with a blank look on her face.

She's spacing out again.

"Oi, airhead."

He tapped a finger on her forehead, snapping her out of it. She blinked once from the contact and spotted the bottle he held out for her.

"Thanks, Sa-kun!"

She gave him a bright smile and drank from the same bottle as well. That didn't stop her from spacing out and staring at the clouds again shortly after.

He sighed and sat down on the ground beside her. Maybe doing some cloud watching for once may not be that bad of an idea.

"Sa-kun! Why did you do that?!"

"Why what?" He gritted out as he stomped on ahead in anger, not wanting to slow down at all. All he wants right now is to hurry and find the demon they are assigned to kill in order to vent out all his rage and frustration.

"You know full well what I'm talking about! Why did you say that to Genya-kun?! You love him so much!"

"All the more better for him to get the fuck out of the Corps. He can't even fucking use a single Breath Style. No idea why Himejima even bothered to take him in."

"Sa-kun! Sa-kun!" He was forced to stop when Tsukumo finally caught up to him and held onto his wrist. She spun him around to face her with a serious look on her face.

"You and Genya really need to talk. It's been years since you two last met."

"There's nothing to talk about. I don't have a brother. I don't have a worthless piece of shit as a brother." Sanemi gritted out as he looked away. Why? Why had that fool followed his footsteps as well to join the Corps?! How did he even get wind that he's here?! He already has Tsukumo to worry about and now his little brother too?!

"We've talked about this, Sa-kun." As if reading his mind, Tsukumo spoke in a warning tone and waved a single finger in front of his face. "There's no way you can fully protect us because the world is that dangerous. In that case, shouldn't you try to at least teach Genya-kun what you know? So that he has the necessary knowledge and skills to survive out there?"

"If he needs me to babysit him the entire time then he might as well quit." Sanemi seethed and after freeing himself from her hold, continue to walk on ahead. "If even Himejima can't get him to learn a single Breath Style then there's no point in me trying to teach him. My time is better spent hunting demons."

He heard her running to catch up to him only for his ears to pick out the sound of her tripping on her feet again. Even without looking, he turned around to hold onto her arm before her face met the ground.

"Ehehehe… Thanks, Sa-kun."

"Watch where you're walking." He grunted as she quickly stood back up.

"Hey hey, you know about the town we are assigned to patrol and hunt demons? Do you know what they are famous for? I only recently found that out from Mitsuri-chan!"

"No clue. Don't care." He replied as they continued to walk ahead to their next destination. He lets her fill the silence with her excited chattering and talk enough for the both of them.

"Hot springs! They have a lot of hot springs!"

"So?"

"We totally need to visit one! A hot spring inn!"

"I don't give a-"

"Please?"

All mental defences he had were rendered useless the moment she looked at him with those big watery eyes. He simply clicked his tongue in annoyance and walked on ahead.

"Yay! Thanks, Sa-kun!"

"I didn't say shit."

"You don't need to! I already know what you mean!"

"Pfft. Like hell."

"Hey, Sa-kun. Psst, come here. I have a secret to tell you."

"What?" He snapped back irritatedly without looking back, but paused in his tracks anyway. He felt her tiptoeing a little to whisper into his ear. Her breaths felt ticklish when she whispered into his ear.

"My secret is… I'm actually a very shy person. I know I'm pretty but don't peek at me while I'm washing myself in the hot springs, okay? I'll be very embarrassed when that happens. Control your impulse until I become your bride, okay? Then I'll let you do whatever you want to do to me. Okay?"

He felt his face heating up and instinctively swatted his hand at her head. She dodged it easily, her bell-like laughter ringing across the air as she skipped on ahead, her umbrella opened and resting on her shoulder to shield her from the sun.

"Hurry up, Sa-kun! My hot springs are waiting for me! Onward we go!"

He ran after her with her running ahead and teasing him throughout the entire time, fingers beckoning at him in a playful and taunting manner, goading him to come and try and catch her. Every single negative thought in his mind was temporarily left forgotten as he shouted at her to come back here so that he could punish her for that stupid remark, futilely trying to catch her as she evaded his swiping hands.

Demons, the Corps, Genya. None of it mattered at that moment.

All that mattered right then was the beautiful girl with the white umbrella running in front of him with him chasing after her.

"Himejima-san told me that Genya-kun passed his Final Selections."

"So?" He grunted as he continued to sharpen and polish his blade in the small hut they are living in. It is heavily frowned upon for a man and a woman who are not related to each other to be living under the same roof. Tongues will wag and they have wagged the moment they started living with each other like this years ago. However, she simply does not care. He, on the other hand, had always been quick to silence the wagging tongues within the Corps because he would never stand for anyone insulting her honour. They had done nothing to overstep each other's boundaries and he had always respected her privacy and personal space. They sleep in separate rooms and while Sanemi never breathes a word about it to anyone else, including her, deep down he knows that this woman is the only one for him. She is the only one who he would ever take on as his bride and marry, if they ever got to that stage of their lives and actually settle down to start a family.

"You two should talk to each other." She pressed on. When she realised that he wasn't really listening, she forcefully wrenched his blade and the sharpening stone away from his hands to get him to look at her.

"Sa-kun."

"What?"

"You. Genya. Talk."

"Me. Genya. Nothing to talk."

"At least congratulate him on becoming a full-fledged Demon Slayer like us?"

"For what? Congratulate him on signing his life away to die young? The last thing that I want to see happening to him?"

"Sa-kun."

"I murdered our mother right in front of him." He hissed, relieving the pain of that day when that memory resurfaced in his mind. "There's nothing else I could say about that because it's the truth. Demon or not, I killed our mother. I failed to protect our younger siblings. What do you want me to say to him?"

"Then don't. If you have nothing to say, then at least listen to what Genya-kun has to say to you."

Her words confused him to the point of silence.

"Genya-kun truly wants to mend the relationship he has with you, Sa-kun." She sat down in front of him and held his hands in hers. "It's obvious to everyone like day is to night and somehow the only person who cannot see it is you. Both of you have only each other left as family, doesn't that mean something to you?"

"Of course it means something!" He exclaimed. "He's my younger brother!"

"Then that's it." She spoke with a tone of finality. "It doesn't matter if he hurls abuses at you or apologises to you or whatever he wants to do and say when I finally get the both of you to sit down at the same table and talk with each other. You will meet Genya-kun and you will listen to what he has to say. Just once, Sa-kun. Just once."

"Tch." He clicked his tongue and looked away, rage, confusion, grief and a mixture of a plethora of emotions that he doesn't want to identify filling his heart.

"It's settled then. Tomorrow, lunch. You will have lunch with Genya-kun tomorrow. No running from this, Sa-kun."

"S-Sorry for intruding."

"Genya-kun!" Sanemi heard Tsukumo greeting his younger brother enthusiastically the moment he came knocking on their doors. His first instinct is to hole himself in his room and not come out, but remembering the promise he made to her, managed to muster the courage to go out and show his face.

"Fujimura-san."

"Ah, ah, it's Tsukumo onee-chan, Genya-kun. Come on, try it again!"

"O-Onee-chan?!"

"That's right! Now say it again with more certainty. Repeat after me. O-nee-chan."

"O-Onee-chan."

"Now that's more like it!"

He heard Tsukumo teasing his younger brother before he could even see them. He turned around the corner, finally spotting his younger brother. Sanemi stared at his younger brother in silence the moment their eyes met. He's a little bigger, a little older and more mature. Like him, he has a scar across his face, a memento of that night when their mother turned into a demon and attacked them. Genya is now a full-fledged Demon Slayer. The uniform he wears says it all.

"Nii-chan."

"Genya." He managed to form a reply, still dreading a little of what is to come for the remainder of their lunch.

"Now we're off to a good start, aren't we? Great!" Tsukumo broke the uncomfortable silence with a clap of her hands and happily dragged the two of them to sit down at the same table opposite each other. "Now, I'm going to go back to the kitchen to finish cooking and it will take a little while, so use this time to talk things out, okay? I'm warning you two, I put in a lot of effort in cooking lunch today so I want the both of you to finish everything I've cooked, got it?"

The two Shinazugawas can only nod mutely in agreement at the thinly veiled threat hanging in the air. Tsukumo happily skipped back into the kitchen upon seeing that, leaving the two of them alone.

"H-How've you been?" Genya stuttered. "I-It's been a long time."

"Fine. Likewise." Sanemi replied as he gulped down a cup of tea, not really knowing what to say as well. "Why the hell are you even a Demon Slayer?"

"I-I wanted to find you." Genya blurted out. "I-I… wanted to see you again."

"There, you've seen me. I'm fine, you're fine. You can get out of the Corps now. Leave, and don't come back. I don't want to see your ugly mug around here ever again."

"Why?!" Genya could not control himself any longer as he shouted out. "Why won't you acknowledge me?! All I wanted to do is to be like you! I… I want to slay demons too!"

"Be like me?! Slay demons?!" It's Sanemi's turn to lose his temper as he slammed his fist on the table, rattling the teacups sitting on it. "Do you even KNOW what you signed yourself up for?! FUCK! Do you even understand what it means to be a Demon Slayer, HUH?! You aren't supposed to be here! You cannot be here! There's no damn way you can even live past twenty at the rate you are going! You are going to fucking get yourself killed! Bloody hell! I became a fucking Demon Slayer so that you don't need to be one! Leave the Corps, shithead! You will be nothing but a burden! You can't even use a fucking Breath Style for shit! I don't have a useless brother like you so GET. LOST!"

"I WANT TO PROTECT YOU TOO!" Genya's scream cut Sanemi off before he could go any further. "I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY FOR SAYING SOMETHING SO CRUEL! I'M SORRY FOR NOT SPARING A THOUGHT ABOUT YOUR FEELINGS WHEN YOU WERE FORCED TO CUT MUM DOWN TO PROTECT US, ONLY TO GET VERBALLY BERATED BY THE BROTHER YOU TRIED TO PROTECT! I KNOW THIS CAME WAY TOO LATE BUT… BUT I'M SORRY! AND I KNOW THIS SOUNDS LIKE AN EXCUSE BUT I WAS PANICKING! SHUYA, HIROSHI, KOTO, TEIKO, SUMI, THEY WERE ALL OUT COLD AND NOT RESPONDING AND THEN I SAW YOU AND… I'm sorry, Nii-chan, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry, I'm-"

Sanemi could not take it anymore. He could not stand seeing his younger brother acting like this, riddled with guilt. Without thinking, Sanemi caught his younger brother in a tight hug, silencing him.

"You have nothing to be sorry about." He gritted out, letting his tears flow and feeling Genya's tears staining his shirt wet. "It was me who was too weak to protect Mum, too weak to protect our siblings. I didn't manage to protect them for shit because I was too weak. It was my fault. Tsukumo warned me about the demons beforehand that day so I should have gone to find Mum to protect her so that she wouldn't get turned into one. It was my damn fault, you hear me?! IT WAS MY DAMN FAULT SO YOU HAVE NOTHING TO BE SORRY ABOUT! DON'T GO ABOUT APOLOGISING WHEN YOU DID NOTHING WRONG!"

The both of them remained in this position, hugging each other tightly and not letting go.

"You are damn sure you want to become a Demon Slayer?"

"Y-Yes." Sanemi heard his brother gritted out through his sobs. "I w-want to become a Demon Slayer too. I don't want to become a burden. I-I w-want to become a Pillar too, just like you."

"Then don't you dare die before me." Sanemi's hold on Genya got a little tighter as he said that. "If you really want to stand by my side as a Pillar then I'm going to grind you into the dirt over and over again until you can survive whatever I throw at you. No complaints, no giving up, I won't accept any of that bullshit from you if you really want to become a Demon Slayer like me and Tsukumo. You were never a burden to me, not even once, so don't you dare die. Don't you dare die before me. Promise me that."

"I-I promise."

"Lunch's ready!" Tsukumo's cheerful voice sounded out from the kitchen as she emerged with plates on her hands. "I even made ohagi as desserts for you, Sa-kun! You want some, Genya-kun?"

"Just give it to him." Sanemi replied as the brothers let go of each other and quickly wiped away their tears. "He loves it even more than I do."

"Okie! But only after the two of you finish whatever I cook for lunch, get it?"

"Yes, yes, we got it."

"Sa-kun! Is that any way to talk to me?! Especially after how I spent hours preparing your lunch?!"

"Well, what else do you want me to say?!"

"A thank you would be nice!"

"Well, in case you didn't hear it the first time… THANK YOU, TSUKUMO!"

"SA-KUN! DON'T SHOUT INTO MY EAR!"