Hoshi paced the secondary examination room from front to back watching Giyuu as he examined her two-year-old son, Shinazugawa Enishi. It was the third time this summer that he'd performed such an exam. Sanemi stood peering out slightly behind Giyuu'shoulder, though he wasn't certain if it was out of concern for his son or if he was trying to put Giyuu between himself and his angry wife.
"You just keep letting him climb that tree! And he keeps falling out of it! How many times, Sanemi? How many times until he lands on his head?" Hoshi blustered, throwing up her hands. Giyuu was beginning to become concerned for her health, as she was nine months pregnant and due to give birth any day. Her face was red from what he hoped was just anger, but he couldn't be certain. And as Azami was at home resting due to exhaustion brought on by her own pregnancy, Giyuu's most fervent hope was that he could get the Shinazugawa family put back together and on their way before anything happened relating to Hoshi and the upcoming arrival of their newest family member. Best to leave that to the midwife.
He looked down at Enishi who was glowering up at him contemptuously and Giyuu had to wonder how a two-year-old was even capable of manifesting such an expression on his face. But then he realized the answer to that question was standing behind him, as the child was the clone of his father.
"So what's the verdict, Tomioka?" Sanemi snapped irritably. It was quite hot in the infirmary, and Hoshi's pacing wasn't helping the situation.
"...He appears to be okay. Are you sure he didn't hit his head?" Giyuu asked, looking from mother to father. They appeared to glower at one another then, before both nodding.
So it was a familial facial expression.
All of a sudden he could hear a great commotion at the entrance to the infirmary.
"I know Zenitsu, I know! Please just get it together –"
"My precious NEZUKO MY SWEET! MY ANGEL! MY LOVE – nothing can happen to MY BELOVED NEZUKO – OH NO – PLEEEAASSEEE!"
"What the fu-" Sanemi began but Hoshi was within striking distance so she swatted him before he could finish the thought.
Giyuu closed his eyes for a moment to compose himself.
So much for getting home for lunch with Azami and Haru this afternoon.
He walked out of the examination room and down the short hallway into chaos, the likes of which he had not experienced in many years.
Zenitsu was standing in the middle of the infirmary's entryway, his arms flailing out to the sides like the wings of a large and distressed bird, Tanjirou and Inosuke standing closely behind.
"Get it together, Monitsu!" Inosuke yelled, his voice muffled slightly by the mask, but not by much.
The wailing nonetheless continued.
"NEZZZUKOOOO MY LOVE – MY DARLING – We need to SAVE HER! WHERE IS AZAMI-SAN? She needs to help NEZUKO!"
Giyuu swiftly cut behind Zenitsu and concentrated his attention on Tanjirou, completely ignoring the cacophony that Zenitsu was making. This did nothing to deter him from carrying on, so Giyuu had to focus hard on Tanjirou.
"What is wrong with Nezuko?" Giyuu asked, feeling a pang of dread, and raising his voice so that he could be heard over the commotion. He flicked his gaze to Zenitsu for a moment, silently willing him to be quiet, but he knew very well it would not happen.
"Nothing's wrong, Giyuu," Tanjirou replied assuredly but his smile was much dimmer than normal. "It's just…" he trailed off. He looked at Giyuu anxiously before he continued. "Nezuko had a hard time when she labored for Akio. Azami-san told her to send for the midwife when the time came for the new baby to be born but –"
"THE MIDWIFE IS AWAY ATTENDING ANOTHER BIRTH AND NOW MY SWEET, PERFECT, WONDERFUL NEZUKO IS ALL ALONE!"
Giyuu was able to discern from Tanjirou's expression that he was putting up a good front, but his brows were drawn together in concern, and he saw something in the younger man's eyes that he had not seen in many years.
Fear.
Giyuu felt the stirring of the same emotion in himself, but he'd honed the ability to remain calm in the face of fear long ago as a Hashira. He analyzed the problem rationally.
Azami was in no condition to walk up the mountain to attend to Nezuko, and if the village's midwife was indeed engaged elsewhere, they were going to need to find another midwife, as this was definitely something that he had no experience with at all. He was not in the room for the actual birth of his own child and had never attended the birth of another. It was something that Azami and the midwife dealt with, and although Azami had explained the basics of the process to him, she had done so only to assuage his fears about her own delivery process for Haru, and that had been almost two years ago.
It was hard to think rationally through the problem as, at no point during Giyuu and Tanjirou's conversation, or during his subsequent contemplation, did Zenitsu stop howling incoherently. In fact, as Zenitsu's screams reached a fever pitch, Giyuu was seized by a stab of helplessness.
"Zenitsu!" Giyuu interjected in a sharp voice. A startled silence fell and Zenitsu jerked as if he'd been struck. It had been many years since anyone had heard Giyuu raise his voice, not since the last battle of the demon war, and he felt resentful that he was forced to do so now. He was disappointed to see that Zenitsu had fallen back into losing his composure to the point of outburst, as it often seemed as though he'd grown in the years since the birth of Akio.
"Fuckin finally," Sanemi sighed irritably behind him. Giyuu turned to glare at him for a moment before turning back to the trio.
(Then he heard the sound of what he assumed was Sanemi being swatted again by Hoshi.)
Giyuu surrendered to old habits, as he began to devise a plan with the assets at hand.
"We need to find another midwife," Giyuu began quietly, after using what he assumed to be a short period of quiet to gather his thoughts together to develop his strategy. He looked at Inosuke, who had pushed the boar-head mask up onto his head when Giyuu yelled.
"I need you to run to the next village to see if their midwife is available. If she is not there, try the next one over. Bring her to the Kamado home when you find her."
Inosuke drew himself up to his full height, his expression bright with purpose. "I'm on it boss," he rasped, shooting a glance at Tanjirou and Zenitsu, before running out of the room.
Giyuu turned to Sanemi and Hoshi. Enishi hung from Sanemi's leg, a scowl that matched his father's fixed to his face.
He looked at Sanemi for a moment who gave him an irritated glare before he nodded imperceptibly.
"Hoshi, do you mind letting Azami know we are going to the Kamado's for Nezuko?"
Hoshi looked from Giyuu to Sanemi, before letting out a resigned sigh. She was about to say something when Zenitsu started up again.
"What!? You are coming to the Kamado's!? This is UNACCEPTABLE! I need Azami-san or the midwife for my PRECIOUS NEZUKO! WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO TO HELP HER?"
This grated on Giyuu's patience, and yet, he persisted in focusing all the more on the task at hand. He fixed his gaze on Hoshi, his concentration knife-edged, and continued to speak as though Zenitsu wasn't screaming.
"Please tell her we've sent for another midwife," he said crisply. "Sanemi will come back with news or to find other help if absolutely necessary."
What he didn't say was please, neither of you go into labor while I am gone .
Hoshi reached down and pried her son from Sanemi's leg.
"I'll take care of it," she stated, before glaring over at Zenitsu. "Best of luck with that," she said loudly, lifting her chin in his direction. Giyuu could not agree with the sentiment more, but he kept his gaze impassive, as he would need Zenitsu to fall in line soon enough.
Zenitsu was insentient to anything other than his own emotions, so her statement did not deter him from carrying on one bit.
"I'm going to gather some supplies," Giyuu said, silently formulating a list of things they might need as he strode to the back of the infirmary. "Be ready to leave when I come back."
Tanjirou looked grateful, Sanemi rolled his eyes, and Zenitsu continued to scream to the ceiling that none of this was good enough for his darling Nezuko.
They arrived several hours later to the house. Due to Zenitsu's continued tantrums, all of them were on edge. Giyuu was very good at hiding his adrenaline-induced stress, but Sanemi finally snapped when they reached the door of the house.
"You need to get your shit together, Agatsuma. You are about to be a father for the second time, although how the hell that happened is beyond me."
Zenitsu quieted in the face of Sanemi's wrath, but continued to whimper.
Tanjirou slid the door to the house open and they stepped inside.
Kanao met them at the door holding Tansei, her and Tanjirou's year old son, who was asleep on her hip. Akio gripped one of her hands, looking as though he had just been woken from a nap. Her gaze was stoic and weary.
"Any change?" Tanjirou asked hopefully.
Kanao shook her head. "She doesn't seem to be making much progress. From what I can tell nothing is wrong…but I cannot be certain. The midwife?"
Tanjirou shook his head.
"She is strong," Kanao stated frankly. "She may not need too much help, just our presence and reassurance."
Tanjirou nodded as he slipped past her. "I'm going to check on her…I don't want her to be alone," he called over his shoulder as he moved deeper into the house.
Giyuu was glad that Nezuko had her brother's comfort. While he had some idea of the strength that Nezuko possessed, it still did not stop him from feeling terribly inadequate to the task, should he be called upon to assist her. But he would fulfill his duty to her no matter what. He made to step further into the house, but Zenitsu threw himself between Giyuu and the short hall to the private room where the family slept.
"Where do YOU think YOU ARE GOING?" he hissed hysterically. "You cannot actually GO IN THE ROOM ! MY NEZUKO CANNOT BE SEEN IN THIS STATE! SHE CANNOT BE DISTURBED! I WON'T ALLOW IT–"
This outburst set Akio to crying and it woke Tansei. Kanao led the children away out onto the engawa, shushing them gently and taking them to an area that appeared to be set up for them to play.
"We need to prepare for what is to come," Giyuu interjected calmly. Which is hopefully a midwife from somewhere who will help guide Nezuko through this trial and deliver a healthy baby, he added to himself, a whirlpool of anxiety churning in his stomach and behind his eyes.
"BUT THIS IS NOT OKAY!" Zenitsu continued unreasonably, "She is not…she is in A STATE! … of UNDRESS…it is not PROPER!"
Giyuu frowned, his concern for Nezuko beating like the wings of a bird in his chest as his anger grew in the face of Zenitsu's irrational interference.
"Zenitsu, do you honestly think any of that matters right now?" he asked, indignation leaking into his tone. "Nezuko's life is what is important. Everything else is meaningless."
Why was he making an already impossible situation so difficult?
Zenitsu began to stammer incoherently and he almost swooned as he seemed to lose all sense of dignity.
"But YOU CAN'T…I WON'T…she is my…my SWEET…my ANGEL…my–"
Sanemi cut him off and snapped again, "Yeah we get it, she's for your eyes only! For fuck's sake Agatsuma, you killed an Upper Moon single-handedly. You'd be a fucking Hashira right now if the war wasn't over. You could fucking act like it!"
Zenitsu blinked, looking shocked, but his face colored with something that looked a lot like shame. He suddenly looked down at his hands, a sound like a hiccup coming from his mouth, which he then snapped shut. He sat down on the ground just outside the entrance to the room where Nezuko lay and stared at the floor.
Giyuu regarded Zenitsu's blank face dispassionately, though anger and frustration still swirled through his veins. As he pondered Sanemi's words, he felt a call to battle, though attending to the birth of a child was different from any kind of fight he'd faced before. Even so, he set his mind to the task at hand and took charge of the situation.
Giyuu instructed Sanemi to boil water and called to Tanjirou to find blankets. After he had emptied the supplies he brought from the infirmary onto a table he again moved to step into the room with Nezuko.
"It has to be someone else! ANYONE ELSE!" Zenitsu cried weakly, as if the refusal was draining the last of his strength, and he got to his feet to block Giyuu's path.
This time, it was Tanjirou who intervened. His voice was sharp when he spoke.
"Zenitsu! Step aside! He is just trying to help–"
"He can't be the one! What does he know about any of this?" Zenitsu shifted to whining, perhaps chastened by the angry response of his friend. "He-he doesn't care! Look at him…always with that dead-eyed stare. He doesn't feel anything! How can he claim to care for my Nezuko!?"
Giyuu was so stunned by his words that he stilled, fixing him with a glacial stare. He could practically feel Sanemi winding up behind him.
But it was Tanjirou who stepped in front of Zenitsu and squared his shoulders.
"Zenitsu enough !" Tanjirou shouted. "Giyuu is as much a brother to Nezuko as I am! You clearly don't understand what he did…he pledged his life for her when she was a demon and we faced the Hashira for the first time. He and Urokodaki-sensei! He barely knew us, but he vouched for her, and was willing to commit seppuku if she killed a human!" Tanjirou's teeth ground together and there were unshed tears in his eyes, but his anger burned bright and hot as he continued, his tone turning scathing. "How dare you question his commitment to Nezuko? If not for him, we'd be dead. Do you really think he'd even be here if he didn't care?"
When he finished Tanjirou stood in front of Zenitsu, his shoulders shaking with fury, the words he'd just spoken ringing like two striking blades, leaving a wound in the room that was both old and new.
It evoked a feeling of something detonating in Giyuu's chest. It was a thing that he rarely thought about anymore, as he and all of the former demon slayers had settled into their domesticity so painstakingly, at first bewildered, then relieved, and finally grateful. Sometimes, it seemed to him like his days as a Hashira were something he had dreamt.
But he remembered the urgency he'd felt when he recognized Tanjirou and Nezuko on Mt. Natagumo on the day when he killed the Lower Moon. He recalled the hasty note he'd written to Urokodaki-sensei, affixing it to Kanzaburo's leg with a creeping sense of dread, that if it did not arrive in time something precious and important that he did not quite understand might be lost. On a deep level he knew that the precious thing he was trying to protect was tied to a pain that was so bright and sharp that he could barely allow his heart to face it.
And though he had been dimly aware of the reactions of the other Hashira going on around him as Oyakata-sama had read the letter Urokodaki-sensei had sent in response to his note, all he had registered in himself was a relief so bottomless that he'd only been able to stand there and breathe. He'd been able to extend his protection, and at the time it had been enough.
The memories flew through his head in an instant, and as if she knew it was time to summon him to task, Giyuu heard Nezuko cry out in pain, and he stepped forward, as he found no reason to treat this situation any differently than when he'd needed to stand his ground and protect her in the past. He knew that if Zenitsu tried to act against him, he would simply move through him and deal with the fallout of it afterward. He did not relish the idea of going against the wishes of a husband in such a situation, but it was Nezuko, and for her there was nothing Giyuu would not do.
For Zenitsu's part he did not move, his gaze to the ground, appearing to be deep in thought.
Mercifully, the minor heroes of the day turned out to be Inosuke – who found no midwife available at either of the two nearby villages and thus switched tactics – and Aoi – who Inosuke fetched from the Butterfly Mansion. When she arrived she took over for Giyuu and Tanjirou, who were doing little more than providing comfort and encouragement by that point. The true hero was Nezuko, whose labor was longer than two days, but she remained strong and capable of meeting the challenge. When the child was finally born and Zenitsu was called into the room, Aoi emerged to give the happy news to the rest of the former demon slayers.
"That woman's body is a force," Aoi exhaled with a smile. "I think her laboring is hard because her children do not want to leave the safety of her womb."
Giyuu smiled at the sentiment, but he did not believe that Nezuko's great strength lay in her body. She'd been a demon that retained her humanity. Her heart was the immovable mountain.
Tanjirou had retired with Kanao and the two children after the long days to a quiet corner of the house. Giyuu gathered his supplies and readied himself to walk back to the village with Sanemi.
Before he left, Nezuko beckoned him back into the room so that she could introduce him to her daughter, Zuimo.
"Thank you so very much for coming to my aid, Giyuu-san. I know that I can always depend on you for help," she said softly, beckoning him closer. He bent down so she could speak quietly. "Zenitsu would like to speak with you before you leave. I know he treated you badly. Can you find it in your heart to listen to him?"
Giyuu smiled at her gently and nodded. He placed his hand first on her daughter's head and then hers for a few moments before turning to go.
As much as he did not understand Zenitsu's reactive nature, he did know something of the stress of being a husband while waiting for a wife to give birth.
Zenitsu was sitting on the engawa waiting for him. Giyuu approached Sanemi first.
"I need a few minutes," Giyuu intoned. "I understand if you want to leave ahead of me. We've been gone for a while."
"I'm good for a bit longer, Tomioka," Sanemi said blithely. "As long as Kanzaki is willing to come back to the village with us until our midwife is available again I am fine to have a break from family life for a little longer."
Giyuu rolled his eyes at Sanemi, knowing that he was just delaying the trouble he was likely still in with Hoshi over Enishi falling out the tree, but he held his tongue.
Let Sanemi make his own trouble.
Sanemi moved to the other end of the engawa and sprawled out on its surface, looking as though he was going to take a nap. The weather was warm and a comfortable breeze blew through the trees. Looking at him in repose, Giyuu realized that he, too, was exhausted, but he was anxious to return to Azami and Haru, so he made his way over to where Zenitsu waited.
He approached Zenitsu quietly, coming to stand in front of him. Zenitsu's eyes remained on the ground as he rose to face him. He took a breath and paused, before raising his gaze to meet Giyuu's. He seemed to study him, though what Zenitsu was looking for, Giyuu had no idea. Suddenly he spoke in a tone of voice that Giyuu had never heard from him before. It was deep and resonant, halting, but sincere, and nothing at all like his more familiar whining wail.
"I've…never understood you. From the moment we met, I–I didn't know what to make of your silence, or the way you looked at me…when you bothered to look at me at all," Zenitsu finished, a sheepish look on his face. "I think I just assumed you were looking down on me or-or that you truly didn't care about anything.
"You and I are so different …and I haven't known what to do with that. I suppose after all this time I should know you, but…I don't feel like I do. Nezuko's attachment to you – and yours to her – was something I just did not understand.
"And I know how I can be – loud and–and–obnoxious – it's made things difficult for me for most of my life, and I've only myself to blame for it. That's what Ji-chan… my–my sensei tried to tell me anyway." Zenitsu's face flushed.
"He tried to teach me many things…most of which I didn't listen to. But he was a good teacher…and a good man…." He trailed off, swallowing hard and glancing away from Giyuu before he continued.
"Kaigaku – the Upper Moon that I killed – he was my older brother apprentice. When he was turned, my sensei committed seppuku to atone for his student's choice to become a demon. I thought it was a matter of honor – and part of it was – but then today…I understood it differently."
Giyuu sucked in a breath, and his mind went immediately to Urokodaki-sensei, and he imagined the loss of him would be a blow, punching a hole through him that he would never truly recover from, no matter what blessings were bestowed upon him in life. He softened slightly toward Zenitsu then, and consciously made an effort to relax his gaze. He noticed Zenitsu's shoulders dropped away from his ears a little bit, and he seemed to breathe easier before he continued.
"You staked your life on the actions of another, of Nezuko – when she was a demon – and you did it to protect her. Both you and Urokodaki-sensei did this. And-and I know that Urokodaki-sensei trained Tanjirou as well, so it seems to me that this was very much a decision to protect a member of your family. We demon slayers know that family is not a matter of blood."
Zenitsu was nodding at Giyuu as he said this, and Giyuu recognized an earnest look in Zenitsu's eyes, a look that spoke of a deep longing to be accepted. Tanjirou and Nezuko were two of the most important people in Zenitsu's life, and at one time, they were nearly all he had.
Giyuu found he could relate.
"And-and that made me think that my sensei staked his life on the actions of another, not only for honor or–or atonement, but also because he felt responsible for his students…for his family ."
Giyuu was taken aback by Zenitsu's perceptiveness, and wondered whether or not some of this understanding was due to things that Nezuko or Tanjirou had imparted to him.
But then he went on.
"It must have broken his heart to see one of us falter. And so…I do not want to dishonor him, or-or break his heart more – even in death – by not acting with integrity." A single tear escaped his eye and trailed down his cheek.
"Thank you. For everything you did to protect my dearest Nezuko. I truly see now that your actions were pure, and that you acted with the heart of a brother. And I am sorry for the ways I have misunderstood and mistreated you. How can I atone for dishonoring my wife's brother?"
Giyuu sighed and looked at the younger man for several long moments before he responded.
"Just be a good husband and father, Zenitsu," Giyuu intoned quietly. He paused to take a breath before adding gently, "And try to speak with this tone of voice more often. It makes it easier to know you and to understand your intentions. It suits you better."
He gave Zenitsu a half smile before adding, "Please make amends with Tanjirou. Nezuko will be happier for it."
Zenitsu grinned at him then, and Giyuu was reminded of the boy he'd first met at headquarters all those years ago, so overwhelming and intense that merely being in his presence had exhausted him. He nodded once before he turned and walked to where Sanemi lay snoring lightly. He kicked him in the foot to wake him, which he did begrudgingly. And they began the walk home.
"What did that fucker want with you, Tomioka?"
Giyuu turned to Sanemi and said mildly, "To apologize."
"...Damn."
Giyuu reflected on his conversation with Zenitsu. He was relieved to learn that Zenitsu was capable of being rational, thoughtful even, and he was gladdened that he'd seen this side of Zenitsu, as he'd often wondered what drew Nezuko to him in the first place. But as Sanemi's response basically covered his feelings on the matter, he didn't feel the need to respond. For a while they trudged on in silence.
"So why did you do it?"
"Do what?"
"Pledge your life for Nezuko?"
Giyuu gave Sanemi a sidelong look and raised a brow.
Of course Sanemi hadn't known of Urokodaki-sensei's letter at the time, but Giyuu remembered how wickedly Sanemi had baited Nezuko with his blood. He wondered at Sanemi's audacity, that he could ask the question so casually, when the consequences of his actions that day could have resulted in the deaths of four people who he now considered family.
Sanemi didn't meet Giyuu's gaze, rather he tilted his face up to the sun as if he didn't have a care in the world.
Such was the temperament of the former Wind Hashira during the prime of his life.
(And Giyuu wondered, what stories did Sanemi have that he had not yet shared with him, but that question was for another day.)
As for Giyuu's tender tale, there were only two other people who he'd ever told himself – Urokodaki-sensei and Azami.
Though he'd tried to tell someone else once, but as they'd been engaged in battle with one another, he was unable to share the story.
He weighed his words carefully.
"I came upon them in the woods two years before the meeting of the Hashira when they were brought into headquarters. Nezuko was a newborn demon and I found her attacking Tanjirou."
Giyuu recalled the breath freezing in his nostrils and biting at the back of his throat. It was so cold the deep snow was like powder, as crisp and dry as frost.
"I separated them and Tanjirou was…." Giyuu trailed off. He couldn't bring himself to finish the thought out loud as the pain of the memory clawed at his heart. The desperation of the boy to save his only remaining family had been gutting, even as Giyuu had been so sure that the only correct course of action was to kill his demon sister.
"There was a moment when Tanjirou caught me off guard,
(Sanemi snickered but Giyuu didn't acknowledge him or pause)
"And once I rendered him unconscious I turned to kill Nezuko, but she behaved so strangely…she placed her body over his, stretched out her arms, protected him from me. I would never have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. And I could only remember…."
a flash of red a gentle hand pushing him down claustrophobic darkness screaming tearing chewing and then…nothing
Giyuu cleared his throat. He didn't think he could say the words, his throat was so tight with grief, but then suddenly they fell out of his mouth.
"My sister put herself between me and a demon and saved my life at the expense of her own. So when later, Nezuko – the demon – protected her brother…it was ..." He stopped speaking, finding he could not explain what it was.
They walked quietly for a while and Giyuu was grateful that Sanemi didn't say anything to make him regret telling him.
"So you sent Tanjirou and Nezuko to Urokodaki-sensei?" Sanemi asked, trying to follow the thread.
"Yes. To train him. And to look after Nezuko and to try to understand what was different about her. She was unsettling…astonishing. I didn't know why, but I felt like something was going on that needed to be investigated."
Sanemi regarded Giyuu quietly for several moments but Giyuu did not meet his gaze.
"And so once again you rated yourself as less important than everyone else and thus decided to tie your own life to a demon," Sanemi groaned derisively.
"And Sensei's and Tanjirou's," Giyuu replied softly while nodding, looking ahead, though his gaze was unfocused. He remembered thinking rather vaguely that the proposition was quite mad, but then, back then he had been dreadfully melancholy and could barely focus his attention on sustaining his own life.
Sometimes Kochou had to remind him to eat.
"Agh Giyuu…sometimes I cannot believe how wrong we all had you pegged. I'd feel bad about it if you weren't such a pain in the ass. Still, it is a damn good thing that you did what you did because I don't know where we'd be today if you didn't." Sanemi paused for a few moments before adding, "Probably dead."
Giyuu didn't confirm or deny Sanemi's assertion as he truly did not know what would have happened if he'd chosen differently. He only knew what had happened. And though it had been miserable and the losses were crushing, a few of them had managed to survive, and more, to thrive.
"It is a strange thing - survival," Giyuu murmured as he stared off into the woods.
"Hmm, I imagine for someone who was actively trying to die, survival is a strange thing indeed," Sanemi snarked, but it was light, almost rueful.
They walked in silence for quite some time before Giyuu suddenly mused.
"They are catching up to us…the children." He was looking forward to seeing Haru, though by the time he arrived home she would surely be asleep. He'd observed Sanemi enough with his own children to know that he was likely thinking of them at this moment, and he peeked at him out of the corner of his eye to find him smiling to himself. But what the man thought about would likely never be known (or understood) by Giyuu, so he looked away.
"Three new children all at once, and so close to the autumn equinox," Giyuu reflected. It seemed like it was a good thing, maybe even auspicious, but Giyuu was naive about such things.
His sister would have known.
The thought of so many of them filled him with a thrill of joy and anxiety in equal measure.
Again they walked quietly, but then a question occurred to him.
"Shinazugawa, Enishi has fallen out of that tree three times this summer. What are you going to do about it?"
Sanemi smiled at him wolfishly.
"What do you think I should do about it?"
"I don't know, but if it was Haru–"
Sanemi cut him off. "Oh I know…you would move heaven and earth to keep your precious Haru safe from harm."
Giyuu didn't respond because he believed that this was the obvious way to protect a beloved child.
"I imagine it will be easiest if I just cut down the tree," Sanemi said tightly.
Giyuu turned to him, feeling a little horrified, and he was about to protest, but then Sanemi continued.
"We will plant three new trees in its place, one for him and each of his siblings. It will be the start of something new."
Giyuu's concern vanished at this rather sentimental solution to the problem, and he smiled gently.
Sanemi caught his expression and rolled his eyes.
Giyuu said nothing, but it didn't stop Sanemi from groaning out, "Shut up, Tomioka."