Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

A gentle breeze crossed the mountainside, rustling the leaves like wind chimes, coaxing the various families of birds from their slumber. Treetops tenderly swayed with each passing and subtle gust, the sky aglow in a fading ombre of purple and blue, making way for the vibrant reds and oranges of dawn as the sun rose past the horizon, letting the moon sink into restful darkness. Hints of morning dew, citrus, and porridge in the air wrapped the still moment in a serene and sacred tranquility. The perfect moment, frozen in time. A savoring chance to appreciate the quiet and overlooked beauty of the world; however, life is full of unpredictability that doesn’t let anything last more than just a fleeting moment. A sharp crack instantly shattered the peaceful sunrise; birds shot out of their nests into the sky—wings fluttering frantically—as a piercing yelp and harsh thud remained in the broken pieces of the calm morning. The newly presented omega looked up with glossy eyes, a sharp whine forcing itself from his throat. His hand instantly cupped his cheek, furiously stung from the sudden impact; tears welled up in his dark blue eyes, which widened from the action as he stared up at the looming boy above him.

Peach hair fell across the boy’s shoulders, framing his face and highlighting lavender eyes etched in a fierce, unyielding glare. Protruding fangs revealed a deep-set, simmering anger that threatened to boil over, yet the crease of his brows revealed a fierce protectiveness intertwined with his fury.

“Don’t you ever say that you wish you had died again!” the alpha declared, a low growl reverberating in his throat. “If you do, that’s it — we’re finished! I won’t be your friend!”

Silently, tears pooled over, tracing down the young omega’s cheek as they fell. His shoulders shook with anguish, his lips trembling, forcing his eyes shut and missing the view of Sabito’s face bathed in the rising sun’s gentle, warm glow.

“Your older sister was getting married the very next day!”

Yes, his sister Tsutako was meant to be married, finally grasping the chance to be happy. The opportunity to be the one who was cherished and cared for, instead of being forever bound by duty and expectations imposed by a family that was now gone.

“And yet…” Sabito’s voice faltered for a second, taking a deep breath and grounding himself once more as he continued, “...she hid and fought to protect you from a demon!” His hands curled up against his thighs, trying to rein in his ire. “You and no one else, so don’t you dare dishonor her sacrifice with such pathetic disrespect!” He snarled, his glare sharpening as he peered down at the omega.

That’s right; Giyuu recalled the scene with an aching clarity, as if he was back in the pain-filled night where everything changed. The sibling pair was barely returning from their walk, late beyond their usual time. An unsettling rustle stirred from the bushes outlining their property; before they could grasp what was happening, Giyuu let out a piercing cry as he was forcefully shoved to the ground, agony ripping through his back. Deep, savage claw marks tore into his skin, and his sister immediately grabbed him with trembling hands, yanking him toward their house. Crazed and feral yellow eyes followed them, paired with an inhuman growl. Tsutako’s pheromones trapped the house with panic and fear, raw and desperate as she tripped over herself in a frantic rush to shield her brother. 

Both siblings heavily panted, as the older girl was barely able to dress the wounds on her little brother’s stomach before slamming him into the shared wardrobe, shoving a stool against it in a frantic attempt to keep whatever was outside away from Giyuu. For a moment, the house sank into an eerie, quiet stillness; all Giyuu could hear was his racing heart, which pounded and echoed in his ears. Then, suddenly, a blood-curdling scream ruptured the silence. The foul, choking scent of a wounded omega seeped into every crevice; harsh, ragged panting followed by guttural slurping pierced the air. Any trace of his sister’s presence had left only a horrifying silence, buried with dread. 

    “So you better stay alive, your sister gave everything–her life–to save yours and to give you a future worth fighting for!”

Give him a future? The idea resonated deeply within him, stirring a dormant flicker of hope. After all, even if the people in his village hadn’t turned their backs, believing he had lost his mind, it was his sister’s sacrifice that now illuminated his path. Without her selfless act, he might never have known the tender warmth of a parent’s love as he does now–living on Mount Sagiri with Urokodaki Sakonji–and he would have missed the exhilarating thrill of falling in love with someone so gentle, patient, and willing to protect him–like Sabito. 

    “So you must carry on living, Giyuu!” The alpha insisted, taking a half-step forward. 

Of course, how could he have been so blind? So utterly stupid? No longer embraced by the comfort of modern society, where, as an omega, he would have been ‘cherished’ and ‘protected’ by those around him. Instead, he now stood on the arduous path of forging himself into a Demon Slayer; someone who must be resilient, driven by an unbreakable will to live, fight, and shield those who are weaker than himself. The tears that had fallen started to dry as he gave a nod, withdrawing his hand from his cheek, and reaching out, he allowed himself to be pulled back to his feet. How could this omega, who suffered so much and mostly moved on, forget that clouds are not eternal? Though he may have lost the flame that was his beloved, caring, and adoring sister Tsutako, he now had something far more profound in front of him. A boy who embodied the blazing sun, standing as a beacon, and giving the lonely, desolate moon a chance to shine. 

    “I’m sorry, Sabito! I don’t know why I let those thoughts fester to begin with…” The omega’s voice cracked, slightly trembling with vulnerability displayed front and center. “I vow to keep living–for Tsutaki-nee and for you…” Giyuu trailed off at the end, shyness creeping into his tone as his cheeks tinted pink. Sure, their newly identified scents intertwined so naturally, and the small gestures of the budding alpha–like the strangely shaped rocks he would find on the mountain during training or Urokodaki’s carefully chosen nesting materials being doused in Sabitio’s scent–hinted at something deeper. Such simple, yet meaningful acts carried a quiet hope in Giyuu’s heart. Still, a persistent fear gnawed at him, questioning whether this was truly a blossoming romance and Sabito was in fact courting him, or if it was just a passive ask for him to join in a pack of innocent companionship. Their pheromones carried the gentle undertones of milk and honey, delicate symbols of their juvenile status. Neither had yet experienced a rut or heat, leaving their feelings untested and uncertain, but still quietly burning beneath the surface. 

    “Sabito, Giyuu! Breakfast is ready, unless you two would rather start the journey to Fujikasanae on an empty stomach.” Urokodaki's familiar, gruff voice echoed warmly, carrying a sense of care born from years of protectiveness–he had taken the pups in after their tragic origins, and every morning, he delivered a small comfort in their uncertain lives. 

The sun soared high in the sky, bathing the small cabin in its golden light as the trio basked in the warmth, a rare and fleeting moment of peace. Inside, Urokodaki carefully presented two bowls of steaming hot porridge, some chopped fruit, and two cups of tea; the pups wasted no time, eagerly helping themselves to the delicious food. His black hair was beginning to tinge gray, yet he still found solace in this quiet, precious moment—being surrounded by his pups, safe within the walls that shielded them and filled the air with the comforting aroma of food. A flicker of anxiety crossed his mind, knowing that many of the kids he had trained never returned to him. Yet today, he felt a rare surge of gratitude—for being born a beta, for if he were an alpha or an omega, the anxious, distressed pheromones of those roles might have seeped into the air, adding weight and pressure to these tender young hearts. And in that fragile moment, he cherished the quiet, fleeting sense of hope that these boys, and he, might find their way through it all. 

When all three had finished their meal, scrubbed the dishes clean, and aired out the futons, Urokodaki gently handed the two pups warding masks, carefully carved and enchanted by his own hand to ensure their safe return—these were more than just talismans; they were his hope and trust placed in them. Their home felt a little more grounded as he watched them prepare to step into the world beyond. The beta silently placed two swords into their hands and lovingly adjusted their yukatas, like a parent tenderly grooming their beloved children, getting them ready for their first adventure into the bustling cities. He chuffed softly, a quiet nod of approval passing between them, as the pups—holding hands—walked away from the hut, their hearts filled with dreams and a touch of bittersweet courage.

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After an arduous two-day trip, the pups had finally reached Mount Fujikasane and now indulged in a calming, yet deeply watchful silence. The weight of the moment pressed down on them, air thick with anticipation and unspoken fear. Now, standing on the brink, they faced the ultimate test that would decide their fate–whether they would survive and move ahead with a renewed sense of hope, or be swallowed by darkness, indefinitely forgetting within the cold confines of the wall of Wisteria. 

    “Hey Sabito,” Giyuu’s voice was soft but held a strong sense of yearning, making it impossible not to listen. “Will you…bond with me?” For someone usually so timid, the omega was taking a bold stance, though it was only natural for him to backtrack and explain himself a bit more. “I know we’re still young, but…you’re the only alpha I can see myself with, and hope to build a warm future with.” 

The sudden confession caught the alpha off guard. He had been under the impression that the other hadn’t fully grasped the depth of his recent courting efforts. Sabito’s heart, however, surged at the thought–wanting nothing more than to claim Giyuu as his mate. Despite being only thirteen, he was convinced it would make him the happiest man in the world! A soft, heartfelt chuckle dripped past his lips as he turned his gaze towards the omega, tenderness and admiration shining in his eyes. 

    “After we both make it off this mountain alive, Giyuu, you shall be mine, and I’ll be yours. Swear it with all my heart.” Sabito confidently proclaimed. 

Both of their cheeks bloomed into a vivid pink, replacing the tiredness that had previously haunted their faces. In that moment, a flicker of determination was shared between them. Soon, they were called to face the ordeal ahead–seven days of surviving on this demon-infested mountain. The pups stepped forward, fists pounding in an unspoken vow of luck and admirable resolve. Twenty students had been participating in this year’s final selection, yet only one was truly immersed in the fierce battle against demons. It was only the third day, and nearly all the monsters had been swept away by the relentless strength of a single swordsman. Perhaps this year would finally mark the moment when every child daring to face the impossible would emerge as a new and proud member of the Demon Slayer Corps! 

…What an overly hopeful outlook on a test of trying to cheat death…

Giyuu let out a coarse yelp as he was violently attacked by a demon. If not for the alpha who accompanied him, swooping in with unwavering bravery to save him, he might not have made it. Sabito knelt before Giyuu, his gaze tender yet tense, eyes darting over him–though the fox mask Urokodaki had given him concealed the worry carved deep inside. His senses immediately sought after the omega’s scent, a silent attempt to soothe his swirling gut and discreetly stake his claim over Giyuu amidst the chaos. Around them, students from other cultivators gathered, their presence acting as a shield, trying to tend to the injury that had left the omega bleeding and tearful. They could have stayed frozen in that fragile moment forever, lost in quiet yet soothing despair–until a piercing scream shattered the hold of silence. Sabito, bound by his resolute duty to protect the innocent and hunt every demon, abandoned hesitation. He quickly commanded the others to take care of Giyuu before rushing toward the turmoil, determined to do whatever he could to help. The omega let out a desperate cry of helplessness, uttered inaudibly as he watched the alpha disappear in the chaos, uselessly reaching out with a trembling hand, trying yet failing to pull his sunshine back to him. Though it was all in vain, as his body collapsed and red blurred his vision as darkness fell over him, longing for his alpha’s comforting presence yet being denied the luxury. 

“Whenever happiness is destroyed, there’s always the smell of blood.”  

When Giyuu finally regained consciousness, he found himself being fussed over by a boy, a beta, around his age with similar black hair, only short, and deep blue tired eyes. His heart pounded furiously as he suddenly jolted upright, gaze frantically darting around the room…but there was no sign of his best friend and lover. 

    “Where’s Sabito…?” He barely managed to audibly get out, his voice starting to crack because subconsciously, he was already aware his sunshine had been taken away. 

The sea of faces surrounding him, scrunched in sorrow and guilt, stifled whines and soft winces accompanied the change in atmosphere. The beta let out a heavy sigh, his face contorted in grief and torment, like he was weighed down by an unbearable ache of misery. 

    “The alpha with the fox mask, right?” He mumbled out, closing his eyes and turning his head to the side in regret. “I’m so sorry…but he didn’t make it…” Murata mourned, his voice trembling as he forced himself to gaze down at the omega, who was now struck with a heartache that cut deep–eyes shimmering with pity and despair. Suddenly, the air grew thick with the overwhelming smell of sea salt and sulfur, like a devastating hurricane swirling over the ocean, engulfing the room and crushing everyone within it with an oppressive grief. Choked, wavering sniffles escaped Giyuu’s mouth, tears flooding over and soaking the bandages on his face. Murata’s face sank with helplessness, and he frantically urged the others to leave, an attempt to protect the omega’s fragile spirit before it completely shattered, but he was too late. A loud, broken, and agonized wail ripped from the boy's lips, raw with misery and heartbreak, and sure to turn his throat coarse. He violently slammed his fists on the futon beneath him, swiping at the tray of food next to him, before keeling over and curling up in a fetal position, letting the uncontrollable sob run its course.

The overwhelming and uncontrollable pheromones from the omega were insufferable, pounding and slashing through the air, testing the limits of the unmated alphas whose instincts were screaming at them to try and soothe the grieving omega. Thankfully, Murata found a sense of conviction, summoning all his strength to force everyone out of the room; he knew this wasn’t something that could be ‘fixed’ with senseless promises filled with nothing and calming scents from strangers. Though a beta, he possessed a fierce but quiet leadership. While he couldn’t abandon the omega, he couldn’t bring himself to try and comfort him either. What comfort could a stranger even offer to someone who had just lost a lover? Yeah, he may have overheard their little confession before the final selection had started. The beta was well aware of how deep love for someone could go; after all, he meticulously groomed his hair in the same haircut since his first ever crush had admitted to liking it. He couldn’t begin to imagine the torture that Giyuu was going through now, but he was well aware it was a lot, if not because of the harsh sounds of his cries, then, for a beta with a weak sense of smell, he was fully able to smell and grasp the unsolicited release of the omega’s grieving pheromones. For now, the only thing he could do was place a soft hand on Giyuu’s back, rhythmically rubbing it in a circle as he silently offered a protective presence as the omega poured out all of his pain. 

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After a grueling week, Giyuu finally returned from his strenuous journey back to Mount Sagiri. Painfully swollen and red, his eyes, which had once brimmed with life and hope, were now dull and vacant as if his soul no longer traveled in his body. Returning home should’ve been a moment of relief, joy, and celebration; instead, it felt like an invisible weight was crashing down on him, pulling him deeper into the despair that trailed behind him. The aging beta, who was tirelessly chopping wood, turned back at the faint scent of his pups. Pups..pup…? Something was terribly wrong. He had two pups, but could only detect one, and why was the lone pup’s scent so rotten and carrying a despairing yearning for death?! The heartbreaking scene slowly unfolded before him as Giyuu, exhausted beyond belief, begrudgingly trudged forward to his mentor, his father–shadows clinging to him as the sun dipped low in the sky, past the horizon. 

A tear mutely slipped down Urokodaki’s cheek, falling behind his mask and onto the dirt beneath. Without hesitation, he dropped the axe and rushed the sole surviving pup, yanking him into a tight embrace. For the first time since meeting, he carefully moved his mask aside, revealing a mournful expression as he desperately sought to offer comfort and solace to the grieving pup. If the beta had known that this moment–this tender, tragic farewell–would be the last time he ever saw his only living pup, he would have pleaded with the head of the Demon Slayer Corps to revoke Giyuu’s rank, just to hold his child in his arms a little longer. 

After the death of his beloved and closest friend, Giyu refused to even consider returning home to Urokodaki after setting out on his first mission, despite the reluctant promise he had made before setting off. To him, the memories were just too overwhelming to bear and live through again. His scent still lingered in the cabin, and things that once brought him comfort now felt like instruments to torment him. And trapped in his anguish, he went so far as to destroy the nest he and Sabito had built and scented together before leaving for Final Selection. He couldn’t summon the strength to climb the mountain with Urokodaki to honor the alpha’s grave. He was overcome by shame for lying to his father and breaking the promise they had made. The weight of guilt for feeling so weak, for being nothing more than a crybaby, had cost him dearly–another loved one lost because of his perceived fragility. He endured the brutal training to become strong and a protector…and yet, in the end, it was he who needed to be protected. 

Wordlessly, he vowed never to let himself fall into the role of needing to be protected again. Now, when he wasn’t on a mission, he poured every ounce of himself into relentless and torturous training. His once distinctive scent of sea salt, Zinnia, and Rosemary was now nonexistent. There was no trace of any scent tied to the omega, as if he erased himself from existence. Still, he refused to let the erasure of his identity affect him; as long as he managed to grow stronger and spared himself the further experience of agony, shame, and weakness, he would force himself to break through any obstacle, driven by a mute and unyielding resolve cased off in his heart. 

Eventually, during one of the required checkups, the Corps had established at the new Butterfly Mansion–an estate dedicated solely to the medics of the Demon Slayer Corps–Giyuu met the head of the establishment. Her name was Kanae, and she carefully explained that he was ensnared in a deadly affliction she dubbed Mourning. Omegas are deeply emotional beings, their hearts leading their actions more than any other, but this vulnerability can become the greatest danger they face. When tragedy strikes and loved ones are lost, they can become so overwhelmed by the grief, spiraling into a dark depression that’s hard to escape. If left untreated, such intense sorrow, grief, and guilt can even lead to an omega’s death. Yet, by some miracle…maybe even a curse, because Giyuu had entered this mourning state before experiencing his first heat, his body was slowly adapting to the suffocating mental pressure of this new challenge. There was a chance that death was no longer in the cards handed to him, but the silver of hope towards healing that Giyuu held onto was nearly gone. If leaving this state brought him back to the weak, pathetic child he had been before…perhaps he was momentarily content in his situation. 

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“Whenever happiness is destroyed, there’s always the smell of blood.”

Something the omega knew better than anyone else, a ghost trapped in the shell of a human body on the verge of collapsing, barely holding the strength left to stand tall. He could no longer shed tears, yet all he yearned for was to curl up and let the pain overflow into tears. When did he become so pitiful that he was physically incapable of expressing his emotions? So mentally frozen in a devastating numbness that refused to lift? An omega lost in mourning, just like Tomioka Giyuu, should have been gone long ago. Was the fact that he hadn’t experienced his first heat really the sole explanation for why he was still alive, moving, and breathing despite being stuck in this antagonizing state for six long and cumbersome years? Was it even possible for him to heal and feel something else for once? What would it even feel like to be free of the suffocating, all-consuming sadness that threatened to take everything from him nearly every day? To genuinely feel happy again? 

Could someone like him, who’s lost all he’s ever known and cared about, actually find happiness again? Could anyone who had lost everything and everyone they had loved truly move on and find something else to hold close and look forward to? At this point, Giyuu was merely going through the motions of his routine, each day melting into the next, smearing together, barely alive inside. He’s painfully aware that six years have passed, despite it feeling like only an hour since he was helplessly crying, snot streaming down his nose and lips, drool pooling on the blanket underneath him, body trembling and aching as his wails turned to trembling whimpers, then to nearly soundless whines as his throat started to burn after hearing about Sabito’s death. Now, he had somehow risen to the ranks of Hashira, a position that a younger, naive Giyuu would be ecstatic about hearing. And yet, he was just waiting, hoping for someone to relieve him of his position as a placeholder until the Corps had more members. 

Sweat seeped down his body as he shot upright from his sleep, breaths spaced out and ragged. Despite the terror and grief flooding inside of him, his eyes, shining like sapphires, remained cold and lifeless as he gazed up at the moon. Torn away from sleep once again, the same haunting nightmares that refused to let him go resurfaced–repeated visions of Tsutako being devoured, and Sabito leaving him behind in this merciless world–almost as if a cruel warning of the peril that awaited him on his impending mission to Mount Kumotori. Strangely enough, his crow Kanzaburo offered no guidance, giving little hint of what dangers lay ahead. An unsettling unease clawed at his gut as he basked in the pale moonlight, clinging to the fragile peace of the inn’s quiet, solacing darkness–until, at least, he would venture out to stand upon the peak of Mount Kumotori at dawn when the first light finally chased the night away. A sigh left his lips as he continued on the path he could make out in the snow.

Chapter Text

“…Life could change suddenly, like the weather. It shifts and moves on, it’s not like it always stays sunny, and it’s not like it ever snows endlessly.”

The biting, frigid air felt like home to Giyuu as he traversed over the mountain blanketed in snow. Compared to the clear sky that dazzled the night sky, it was now shrouded in clouds. Not the worst conditions, he thought, for if there was any demonic activity here, the coverage from the sun would make it easier to exterminate them since he didn’t have to worry about tracking down any pesky hiding spots or waiting another day for nightfall. As he continued walking the path, the omega eventually picked up the harsh metallic tone of blood. Hurriedly, he sprinted in the direction the smell was boldly coming from and eventually landed in front of a lone house. Blood pooled at the front of the house, and a lone, lifeless toddler lay in the cold snow; inside, the doors had been broken, the metallic iron paint seeping into every crevice, bodies mangled and stuck in the futons they had been resting in before the slaughter. Throughout the years, he had come across similar scenes; this one caused him to gag and nearly throw up in his mouth. The omega’s own traumatic memories bubbled over, causing him to turn his head away.

The pup had banged against the wardrobe door, repeatedly rocking back and then launching forward, trying to dislodge the stool that locked him inside. The sun ominously leaked through the windows and the gaps of the doors, hauntingly framing the painting of his sister's bloodied and maimed body. Intestines leaking out from her stomach, one of her arms missing all the way up to the shoulder blade; his sister, who was so beautiful and gentle just the night before, now bore a semblance to a scavenged deer body. His eyes stung with tears, falling onto his knees, throat burning as he emptied his stomach. 

Taking a quivering breath, his eyes returned to the pool of blood in front of the house. Noticing a big indent in the snow, likely where another body was supposed to be, as well as the disrupted snow in traces of footprints descending the mountain. Was it a survivor, a freshly turned demon, or the demon that attacked, taking food for the road as it moved to hunt more victims? He wondered, shaking off the memory and trailing after the newly carved path to get his answer and bring this mission to a close. Although he was trying to keep his mind from wandering in the endless possibilities, the familiar tug of guilt washed over him. If he had just skipped the respite of the inn and continued, perhaps he could’ve prevented this massacre from happening, prevented the possible demon transformation, or prevented the mourning of a probable survivor. 

Soon enough, he stumbled upon the spectacle of two pups tumbling in the snow. Both had definitive scents of their presentation, but still mingled with the undertone of milk and honey. Juveniles…how pitiful. It was clear that the omega pup was struggling to fight off the girl pinning him down; although younger, she was an alpha, and with the muddled smell of rotting meat emanating from her, likely that of a newly fledged demon. Gripping the hilt of his sword, he quickly unsheathed it, not slowing down his pace, making a soundless jump, with no hesitation in his movements. He was ready to carry out his duty as a Demon Slayer and take this demon's life, yet something unexpected happened right as he swung his sword down. The omega pup had somehow noticed him, and reacting faster than Giyuu had first anticipated, had successfully turned their positions, protecting the demon girl in the process and causing Giyuu to cut away his short auburn ponytail. The force of the attack caused a harsh cloud of snow to fly into the air, making the pups roll into a tree, the omega’s back hitting the tree, and the alpha landing against his chest. Giyuu vacantly stared at the juvenile omega, watching the pup’s eye widen with surprise and fear as he hectically tried to stand up. 

Giyuu’s brows creased as he slightly cocked his head to the side, “Why are you protecting it?” He coldly asked, his ever-calm demeanor on full display, yet inside his instincts were twirling and flaring up, trying to push him to offer comfort to the young boy, shaking in front of him. 

“She’s…she’s my sister! My younger sister!” The pup desperately barked back, shoulders tensing in an attempt to make him look bigger and intimidating. Though the boy’s concentration was thrown off when the girl started growling egregiously, and trying to fight her way out of his hold. If Giyuu had been anything like his coworkers, he might’ve let out a sardonic laugh and given false praise for such an admirable explanation. He approached the pup with a glare.

“You call that your sister?” Skepticism dripped out of his tone as he reached an arm out. The kid immediately ducked down, trying to shield his sister, but by the time his knees made contact with the cold snow, he noticed he couldn’t feel the sensation of a body pressed against him. Looking up, he saw that the man was now holding his sister, keeping her hands forcibly behind her back as she thrashed around. 

“Nezuko!” Cried out the pup, instinctively lifting his foot to try and move closer. 

 “Don’t move,” Giyuu warned, a sudden harsh gust of wind interrupting the two, and disfiguring the pup’s view of his little sister and the man dressed in a strange half-and-half haori keeping her hostage. 

“My job is to slay demons,” Giyuu monotony stated, keeping his vacant gaze on the pup, “Needless to say, I’m going to decapitate your sister.” He coldly asserted, readying his sword at his side; deep inside, however, there was a new and strange burning sensation, one he hadn’t felt before. It felt similar to the feeling of guilt, but he was well aware of how that felt; this was stronger. Shame? Was he ashamed of keeping up his cold act towards the kid in front of him? That couldn’t be right. This was his job, so why was he suddenly feeling bad about what he was doing? 

“Please wait!” The pup begged, shaking his head. “Nezuko hasn’t killed anyone! Back at my house, there was another scent that I’d never smelled before!” Desperately panting, trying to hold on to some sort of reasonable negotiation. “That’s probably the one who killed my family…it wasn’t Nezuko!” He argued, pleading eyes gazing at the man in front of him. 

Giyuu only tilted his head in response; was this boy serious? Everything coming out of his mouth was just…well, just insane! Insane…? When did he start thinking that others coping with their pain and loss were crazy? Was he turning into the same miscreants of his village who shamelessly dismissed him as mental and tried sending him off to some doctor, a relative of his, after explaining that his sister was attacked by a demon? 

“I don’t know why she turned into something like that…” The pup whimpered out, his brows creasing in thought. “But…but still!” 

Giyuu tore himself out of his thoughts, focusing back now that the pup’s conviction was starting to falter. 

“It’s quite simple,” he started matter-of-factly, “Her wounds were exposed to demon blood, and she turned into a demon.” His face remained blank as he continued staring at the boy, “That’s how man-eating demons multiply.” 

The pup's face morphed into disgust, then into a defensive glare, “Nezuko would never eat humans!” 

“You must be kidding,” Giyuu huffed, firming his hold on the demon girl who had picked up another attempt to escape his grasp. “Just now you were about to be devoured.” He pointed out. 

The pup simply shook his head, “You’re wrong!” He declared, his posture tensing with renewed determination. “I’m sure she knows who I am! I won’t let her hurt anyone!” 

This was truly a pitiful scene to watch; what reason did Giyuu even have to justify stalling interaction anyway? He should’ve already decapitated Nezuko and been on his way–wait. Why was he referring to this demon girl by the name the boy had dropped?

“I’m going to turn Nezuko back into a human, I swear I’ll heal her!” Heal her? The more the pup talked, the less sense he made. Doesn’t he know anything about demons? Surely someone from his village had to have some sort of story about them…

He shook his head once more, “She can’t be healed. Once you become a demon, you can never go back to being human.” He tiredly mumbled. 

“I’ll find a way!” The pup interjected once more, standing taller now. “No matter what, I’ll find a way…so, please don’t kill her!” Pleaded the pup, eyes glossing over. Giyuu gripped his sword tighter, bringing it in front of him and preparing to strike through the girl he was holding. 

“DON’T DO IT!!” The pup shrilled, his tone pitching higher with anger, desperation, and cracking due to the tears threatening to spill. Falling to his knees, he bowed on the snowy ground, pathetically crying at the man threatening to kill his sister. “I’m begging you…please! Don’t kill my little sister…” Hiccupping between sobs, his shoulders shaking as he clasped his hands together, turning his knuckles white. “Please don’t do it! I’m begging you…” The pup could only manage to repeat these words, his composure long gone. 

As Giyuu stared at the pup, listening to his pitiful sobs, something started eating at his mind. Looking at this kid…was just like looking into a mirror. In front of him was a boy who reflected the same immaturity and weakness the omega despised in himself. The lack of strength to protect the ones he loved, Tsutako and Sabito, was laid bare in the pup’s struggle to try and (failing to) save his sister. Anger and shame festered and swirled in his gut, now understanding the reason why he kept prolonging the demon's demise. The pup in front of him experienced a loss similar to Giyuu, and now Giyuu held the power over whether to spare the kid the final straw or go through with it and destroy the kid even further. Maybe…he could take the risk of providing the pup one final chance to save his sister. After all, though a demon, she was his only remaining relative at this moment. He had been separated from his family forcibly; he shouldn’t be placed into the same boat as a monster who takes away from others. With so many new thoughts and emotions that he hadn’t felt as strongly in a while, it was no surprise that he was starting to lose his cool. Brows furrowing, nose scrunching in fury, grinding and seething through his teeth. A mask with cracks could only stay on for so long…

“Don’t ever give others a chance to murder you!” Giyuu scolded, pulling the girl closer to him. “Stop that pathetic groveling! If it were the least bit effective, your family wouldn’t be dead!” He snarled, shoulders starting to shake as the kneeled pup looked up at him. “Can a weakling who can’t take the initiative in such a situation heal his sister?! Hunt down the enemy?!” He momentarily paused, catching his breath as his lips quivered slightly. “Don’t make me laugh, the weak have no rights or choices! Their fate is to be relentlessly crushed by the strong!” 

He watched as the pup slowly moved, now sitting on his heels, listening to Giyuu’s speech, dumbfounded. “The demons might know how to cure my sister…” The omega hummed, glare hardening as Nezuko started to growl loudly, perilously trying to escape Giyuu’s harsh grasp; however, Giyuu simply tightened his grip over her wrists. 

“But don’t think that a demon would respect your will or wishes! Naturally, I have no respect for you either. That’s reality!” The pup’s widened with fear and shame, feeling utterly defeated and powerless. 

Giyuu simply shook his head at the boy's indignation. No, he couldn’t have this pup, that he was sparing, falling into a similar depression as himself. “Why did you throw yourself over your sister earlier? Was that your way of protecting her?” He sardonically asked, clicking his tongue in annoyance, “Why didn’t you swing your hatchet? Showing your back to me…all those blunders led to your sister’s capture!” He pointed his sword at the pup, still rigidly glaring. “I could’ve skewered her along with her.” The omega’s anger slowly faded into a simple scowl as he stared at the pup. 

Don’t cry. Don’t despair. Now’s not the time for that. I know you’re devastated. Your family was massacred, and your sister became a demon. I know it’s painful. I know you want to scream. I get it. I lost my family, too. I did nothing but scream and cry like you’re doing now. If only I had gotten here a half-day sooner, your family might not have ended up dead, but there’s no way to turn back time, no matter how much we beg and reason. It feels impossible, but you can move forward. Feel the rage. The powerful, pure rage of not being able to forgive will become your unswerving drive to take action! With such a fragile resolve like yours, you can’t protect your sister, heal her, or get revenge for your family! You’re just like me, but… I’m not letting history get the chance to repeat itself today! The omega thought, as he raised his katana, eyes sharpening back to a bitter glare at the demon pup he was holding–“No!” The boy wailed–before stabbing it into her chest. 

“Stop!” The pup shrieked, hearing his little sister squeal in pain as he threw a rock at the omega, who, in turn, quickly parried it with the blunt side of his sword. The kid ran to his hatchet, another puff of wind and snow blinding both of their line of sight, giving the pup cover to swerve through the trees. Another rock was thrown, which the omega easily dodged, a frown planting itself on his lips. A straightforward attack driven solely by emotion…He thought while brazenly watching as the pup rushed at him, hands behind him, gripping the axe. 

“You fool!” He chastised, using the bottom grip of his sword to knock the pup unconscious without causing injury. Giyuu scanned over the scene before his brows furrowed, and a confused pout overtook his expression. “Where’s his hatchet?” The omega murmured, turning his gaze to the sky, a light glimmer catching his eyes. They widened at the object flying towards him, barely having enough time to move his head to the side, watching with a held breath as it stuck into the tree behind him. Giyuu had to admit, he was impressed with the pup’s quick decision to toss the hatchet at the exact time he threw the second rock; his grip had loosened from the demon girl’s arm, and with his mind preoccupied, he was easily kicked away from the siblings. 

For some unknown reason, an increased sentiment of panic surged through his blood as he gripped his sword, readying for an attack, watching as the demon hurled herself towards the kid on the ground. Just before he could make his mark, his eyes widened with surprise as he saw the girl stand in front of the boy protectively. With all her wounds, flailing, and being a freshly turned demon, she was on the brink of exhaustion and most definitely starving–ready to make use of an easy meal to regain her energy–yet, she willingly chose to protect her brother instead. 

“I wonder…these siblings might be different.” Giyuu hummed before hand-chopping a pressure point on the girl’s neck after she jumped at him, causing her to pass out as well. He let himself indulge in his thoughts of a similar story–that ended in tragedy–as he got to work on forming a gag out of bamboo and a strip of cloth from his haori. 

After securely sticking it in the girl’s mouth, the omega stood guard over the pups, similar to a lioness watching her cubs sleep, ready to pounce on any danger that presented itself to her, diligently waiting for them to wake up. Thankfully, with snow continuously flurrying down to the Earth, he had no reason to worry about moving them just yet, letting them rest for a while longer. 

Soon, the omega noticed the older pup stir awake, whining as he blinked and panickedly grabbed onto his sister's yukata. Giyuu stared for a second before crossing his arms and clearing his throat. 

    “Go see an old man named Urokodaki Sakonji, who lives at the foot of Mount Sagiri.” He hummed, his body mostly relaxed at this point. “Tell him that Tomioka Giyuu sent you.”

Giyuu turned around, readying himself to leave, before he glanced back once more at the pups. “She seems to be alright since it’s cloudy now, but never let her be exposed to sunlight.” He mumbled, suddenly vanishing into thin air afterwards. 

As he began his descent from the mountain, a call from within kept him mildly distraught at leaving the pups alone like that. Something, he was sure had been dormant for years, was urging him to go back and coddle the poor kids, but he couldn’t. He still had a duty to finish, though perhaps dealing with the inner turmoil would’ve been easier if he hadn’t met up with an insect who happened to be passing through the town, returning from her own mission.

Chapter Text

I would rather not go back to the old house.

“Forgive my abruptness, Urokodaki Sakonji - papa - I’m sending a boy your way who wants to become a Demon Slayer swordsman. He was brazen enough to attack me unarmed. His family was slaughtered by a demon, and the surviving younger sister has become one, but I have determined that she will not attack humans. I can sense something different about these two. Like yourself, the boy seems to have a keen sense of smell. Perhaps he’ll find a way to break through and become your heir apparent. I am asking you to train him. I realize that this is a self-serving request, but please forgive me. I hope that you will take good care of yourself in your endeavors.  Yours truly, Giyuu.”

Urokodaki reread the letter every day, the fact that the only surviving child he had raised and trained, had finally written to him after years of neglect, was a request to take in two pups, and train one of them as his own?! And one of them was a demon? What was Giyuu thinking? However, if his pup persisted that the demon Nezuko wouldn’t enact any harm, then he’d just have to trust his judgment. Of course, he was relieved that his previous student, and adopted child, was finally reaching out to him, but that still didn’t mean he was hurt that it was only under the guise of raising even more kids. Couldn’t his pup come on his own accord, if not only just for tea? 

No matter, the old beta knew that his lonely Giyuu was still suffering, and he was in no position to force his child to relieve any possible triggers that could set off a panic attack or increase the omega’s mourning. He knew his pup would come around eventually. It had already been six years since they both lost Sabito, but the beta was very patient and headstrong. He would wait an entirety, if that’s what it took to have his child back home and by his side.   

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Giyuu had received a letter from Tanjiro, the omega had no clue why considering he never mentioned or even alluded that he would stay in touch with the pups after parting from them on Mt. Kumotori. However, he read it diligently while he had a few minutes of breathing room on his current mission. In the letter, the pup was describing his initial encounter with Urokodaki, and Giyuu indulgently let himself imagine the ordeal:

Urokodaki: Giyu…He’s never going to make it. Even towards demons, he holds empathy, too kind to make any decisions. 

After watching the demon combust at just the twinge of sunlight that broke from the horizon getting scared, the pup aimlessly searched for his sister, who he found safely tucked into her makeshift basket hiding away from the sun. He made his way out of the bloodied temple to find the man with the blue and cloud-printed Yukata, having just finished burying the victims. 

Urokodaki: “I’m assuming you’re the one Tomioka Giyuu sent my way.” 

Tanjiro: “Yes, I’m Kamado Tanjiro, my sister’s name is Nezuko..”

Urokodaki: “Tanjiro…what will you do when your sister devours a human?” 

The pup's eyes had widened at the unexpected question, though his mind was unable to form any coherent answer. Impact suddenly came across his cheek as the beta slapped the pup.  

For some reason, the thought of his mentor slapping Tanjiro irritated Giyuu or rather the omega inside of him. Rationally, he knew his mentor and father figure was knocking sense into the pup, especially after showing such weakness towards a monster, but the fire that had been lit when he first came across Tanjiro, seemed to rage at the notion of someone hurting his pup. Wait… his ? Impossible, it had barely been a few weeks since meeting the pup and his demon sister, there’s no way his omega could have imprinted on them already. 

“No, I must be mistaken.” The omega muttered to himself, unbeknownst to him, the control over his emotions and facial expressions had momentarily lapsed over him, and his nostrils lightly flared in irritation, before hearing a soft gasp coming from across the table he was sitting at. 

“Hey, Tomioka? Are you alright? It’s not very often you break your stoic expression~” Chimed in a soft female voice, glancing up from the letter, he locked eyes with the alpha girl in front of him. 

“Kocho, what are you even talking about?” He asked, tilting his head just a bit, his usual calm tone now turning confused. 

“Oh? Did you not even realize that your face scrunched in irritation just now? Y’know, this may be why no one likes you, what do you think, Tomioka?” She quipped as she lifted a cup of tea to her lips, sipping on the soothing liquid. The sun was about to set in the town they had been sent to for a mission. 

“I’m…I’m liked, and you must be imagining things Kocho. Don’t go making false claims.” He stated, placing the letter into his haori, and sipping the tea in front of him. Both of them returned to the comfortable silence. 

He was the superior in this situation, although he wasn’t sure how much longer he would be a placeholder, he still wasn’t going to let himself be insulted by his junior, even if the two had known each other for a while since he had good terms with Kanae, the late older sister of Shinobu, who sat in front of him now. Truthfully, he understood her pain the most. Having to watch your older sister die in front of you was something that would never leave your mind, but the alpha seemed to be handling it much better than the omega ever did. He was quite jealous at that, how could she still let herself open up to others, meanwhile he had only wanted to disappear. 

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I would love to go back to the old house, but I never will, I never will, I never will

It had been one week since Giyuu received the letter from Tanjiro, and he surprisingly found himself strolling down the familiar path, that six years ago he had vowed he would never walk again. The saying that everything changed after you had kids must have had some truth to it after all, even though these pups had no blood connection to him, and he was sure they didn’t see him in a parental light either, his omega still seemed to be craving to be by their side. How ridiculous, and he had come across as a total jerk, leaving Shinobu to report back to Kagaya by herself after slaying the twin demons that had been terrorizing the town he was coming back from. She’s going to pester me about this later. 

He simply shook his head at the intruding thought, as he soon found himself face to face with a familiar cabin. The sun was starting to push itself up from the horizon line, the purple and blue hues in the sky, becoming overpowered by the newly formed red and orange shades peaking through the clouds. The door, illuminated by sunlight, was still the same as when he had first arrived long ago as a juvenile pup himself. The omega’s breath caught in his throat, as his shoulders tensed up, and he gripped his haori close to his chest. He couldn’t do this, what was he thinking? All those memories flooded his mind, memories he wasn’t ready to process. Why was he here? He leaped away from the door, lips and limbs starting to tremble, until a loud slam pulled him out of his head, and he found himself being tackled down to the ground. 

“Tomioka!” The high-pitched voice sang as the omega felt arms wrap around him, his sight coming back into focus, tufts of auburn hair blocking the view of the cabin. A hug? Really? Normally, Giyuu struggled with physical touch after Sabito, who was supposed to be his mate, passed. He was bewildered by the notion, and it seemed that the pup in front of him caught onto the now tense atmosphere as he hurriedly pulled away. 

“I’m sorry! Please, forgive me, Tomioka. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.” The pup blubbered. Great going, you’re here to check on the kid and now you made him upset. Giyuu chastised himself, uncharacteristically holding his hands in front of himself, and lightly waving them to try and soothe the omega pup. 

“No, no it’s quite alri–”  “Giyuu!” A gruff voice interjected before the black-haired omega could finish his sentence. Both omegas turned their heads in sync at the voice of the familiar beta, who had dashed over to the duo, embracing both of them. 

“About time, you’ve finally come home.” Urokodaki sniffled, nuzzling the two. For the first time in six years, the black-haired omega’s eyes filled with tears. He missed the comfort he received from Urokodaki, how could he have ever been so stupid to not follow through on his promise to visit after he had been sent on his first mission as a demon slayer? He inhaled deeply, collecting himself so he could prevent his voice from breaking. 

“I’m sorry it took so long, papa , but I’m home now, and I promise to return home more often.” He whimpered out, part of him knowing that was a lie, nuzzling his former mentor and parent in return, letting his scent of sea salt, zinnia, and honeysuckle waft around him, happily scenting the beta as he used to when he was younger. During this process, he had unconsciously scented and claimed the omega pup as well. 

After a few more minutes, all three of them stood up, Urokodaki and Tanjiro making their way up the mountain to continue the pup's training. Giyuu made his way inside the cabin, believing that the domestic memories would be easier to adjust to, considering that he and Sabito mostly kept their efforts around training, and rarely spent that much time inside the small space of the cabin, aside from sleeping, eating, or if one of them had fallen ill. The black-haired omega stood in the middle of the entryway, taking everything in. It had been so long since he’d last been here, any lingering scent that marked the presence of him, or his late alpha was already gone. That’s a good thing, right? 

He let out a quiet sigh, resting his sword by the door, before sauntering further inside. Giyuu closed his eyes, muscle memory still knowing where everything that could make him trip still viable. He let himself indulge in the memories of the past, something he had never done before. To his shock, it did make his chest feel somewhat lighter. He hummed softly as he wandered around the mostly empty cabin, before remembering from Tanjiro’s letter that Nezuko had fallen asleep and had yet to wake up even though it’s already been a whole month since the siblings arrived at Urokodaki’s home. 

He made his way to the back room where she was currently kept, a part of him regretted doing that when the sight in front of him made him want to topple over. He should’ve expected this, of course, Tanjiro was an omega like himself, and omegas always found time to nest for comfort or create nests to comfort those close to them. It made even more sense, that Giyuu’s old nesting materials would be passed down to Tanjiro, considering the former had made no permanent claim to the materials ever since he left on his first mission after final selection. The one scent he had dreaded smelling again, still existed, just barely still holding on to the bedding and pillows that had created the structure of the nest, that the demon girl was lying in. 

The omega gulped, letting out an exasperated huff, as he begrudgingly trudged forward, hesitantly crawling into the small nest, and curling himself next to the sleeping demon. Inhaling sharply, taking in the last remains of the alpha he had lost so long ago. Even though he vowed to himself he was never going to shed another tear over what he had lost, he just couldn’t help it when his shoulders started to shake, his cheeks became wet, and soft whines escaped his lips. He didn’t want to cry, but at the same time, he just couldn’t stop himself either. Eventually, he found himself fast asleep, his cheeks covered in tear stains, his eyes red and puffy, but his face was rather calm and almost filled with relief. 

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What was supposed to be his only visit, turned into every so often, which in turn soon became after every mission. Though his coworkers, who he always kept at arm's length, still saw him as the same depressed loner, Urokodaki and Tanjiro, his pup , were able to see how much lighter the black-haired omega was starting to carry himself. Giyuu had allowed himself to express his emotions more often in the familiar company of love and family, while his wounds were still scarring, the pain was at least bearable now, and he was no longer drowning. 

The nest in the backroom had grown in size too, with the omega finding himself starting to buy materials he thought were warm, or that his pups would like, during and after he completed his missions and patrol routes. The nest was also built with more structure, and both the older and younger omega started to learn how to let their instincts guide them enough to where it eventually turned into a practiced art. Though, Giyuu had been saddened that Sabito’s scent no longer existed within the premise of Urokodaki’s cabin, a part of him was glad that he was finally starting anew. The rain that followed the omega everywhere he went, pooling into an ocean he once thought he could never escape from, had finally stopped and the sun was barely peaking through, slowly warming the water that surrounded him. 

At the current moment, Giyuu had just finished making dinner, looking out the cabin window as Tanjiro and Urokodaki had yet to start descending the mountain. He didn’t want to interrupt the training since his pup so desperately needed it if he was going to keep to his promise of turning Nezuko into a human, but proper nutrition was also vital. He gave a determined nod, stepping out of the cabin, and started to ascend the mountain. Normally, he avoided coming up the mountain if he was able to, because it put distance between his current self, and the one still stuck in the past, wishing to forget about the grave that sat halfway. Where he would’ve struggled before, now came with slight ease, as he partially bent down, brushing his hand over a patch of hydrangeas, before continuing on his quest. “Papa, Tanjiro! Dinner is ready, come and eat.” He hummed, tilting his head to the side and smiling softly at the sight of his pup being helped up from the ground by his mentor. 

After dinner, Urokodaki started to clean up, with Tanjiro and Giyuu making their way for a bath. It had become somewhat of a ritual for Giyuu to help the omega pup bathe. It wasn’t that Tanjiro was incapable of bathing himself, but rather it was an act that reinforced the bond of parent and child between the two omegas. Bathing the younger omega, gave Giyuu the chance to make sure the pup was thoroughly cleaned from all dirty, grime, and sweat from a hard day of training, as well as scenting the pup, to the point where Tanjiro’s sunny scent was almost completely buried underneath Giyuu’s. 

Soon bedtime came for the pair, both of them curled up in the nest, with Giyuu being closer to the entrance, like how a real omega parent would do to keep their kids safe from threats that could present themselves, even though being attacked here in Urokodaki’s cabin was nearly impossible. For now, Tanjiro could rest with ease, being cuddled up with his sister on one side, and Giyuu, his mama , on the other.

Chapter Text

Tomioka Giyuu…was like a puzzle with a missing piece.

You think you'll eventually understand him, starting to connect the dots until a pivot arises and the gap is too big to close. 

The kid had joined the ranks of the Hashira at 17, this being at a time when only three others were holding the same title of “The Strongest” 

Those three were: Uzui Tengen, the youngest out of the three, and a wildly rambunctious alpha however he wasn’t the stereotypical aggressive alpha. Next was Himejima Gyomei, an absolute monster, standing far above the rest, literally standing above the rest due to his insane height. He was a giant, but he was also sweet, kind, and surprisingly an omega, it wasn’t a secret, but most people were unaware of that fact because they were always pushed away due to his height and size. The last of the three, the oldest and most experienced, was Rengoku Shinjuro. He was a calm and collected alpha, and he was great at boosting morale, while his scent was strong, due to being a prime alpha, he kept it reeled in like a pro. 

As a way to keep the Demon Slayer Corps organized, and efficient, slayers usually formed pseudo-packs. Those with a lot of mutual trust, would in a sense build their teams. The Hashira was no different because Shinjuro was the most experienced and had the most seniority over everyone currently attributed the title of Hashira, he was automatically placed as the head alpha. 

At the time no one minded this dynamic of course, some may believe that with both Shinjuro and Uzui being alphas, they would fight for the position, but Uzui had no problem accepting it as fact that the Flame Hashira was in charge, to him it the utmost sense. 

Even when the beta with bright blue eyes, void of any life or desire joined, there was no fuss. Of course, Uzui was unsettled with how little the young beta seemed to interact with his colleagues. He tried a few times to make peace with him, even invited him to dinner with his wives, but nothing was ever reciprocated. Perhaps, it was just too early, and the shorter male was intimated by the white-haired man because he was taller and an alpha. Yeah, that made sense. 

However, maybe that had been optimistic thinking because when another member managed to join the ranks, the black-haired beta had still not attempted to talk to anyone, not even the ones he had been around the longest. The new member was an alpha female with long hair, the Flower Hashira, and head doctor: Kanae Kocho. Unfortunately, she joined the Hashira rank at a really bad time. With Shinjuro’s wife now dead, the head alpha had started to show up to the meetings less and less, and on the days, he did show up, he reeked of alcohol and didn’t look as if he was all mentally there. His eyes were almost turning into the same void as Tomioka’s, it was freaky. 

Eventually, the drunk man finally retired, and the vacancy for pack leader was open. Himejima was given first choice because he was now the most experienced, but the giant omega declined, feeling as if it would be better for an alpha to take charge. Kanae was far too busy running both patrol routes and taking care of injured slayers, and while it was common in the Corps for a beta to be in charge of a few teams, Tomioka was completely indifferent, causing natural order of Uzui to now be head alpha. 

He wished he could say things changed after that, but they didn’t. Life went on as usual, though it seemed like the black-haired beta and black-haired alpha seemed to get along. Was Kanae accomplishing something that he, the flashiest man of all, couldn’t? He had to know her secret. He had tried so hard to get the beta to open up. 

“Hey, Kocho. I have a question for ya. Are you and Tomioka, like a thing?”

The black-haired alpha stopped writing in her medical files, caught off guard by the question. She turned around in her chair, staring up at the man in front of her. “Tomioka and I, a thing? As in…mates? What gave you that impression Uzui?” 

Uzui glanced off the side, placing a hand on his neck. “Well, it’s just Tomioka hasn’t talked to any of the Hashira’s since he first joined, and now all of a sudden, he spends the most time with you. Come on, you can’t blame me for calling it out as it looks.” He sputtered, looking down at the woman. 

Kanae shook her head, a soft giggle escaping her lips. “Perhaps it does look that way to outsiders, however…Tomioka and I are in no way romantically involved. He only speaks to me under the pretense of doctor and patient. That’s all I’m afraid, if I wasn’t in the position I am now where I’m in charge of all medical treatment, well I fear I would be in the same boat as you and the others when it comes to Tomioka.” She explained, returning to her work. 

The white-haired alpha huffed at the notion, her explanation made total sense, leaving his earlier assumption in the trash. It’s not like he was upset about not being friends with the cold and mysterious beta, after all, Tomioka was good at working with everyone, even if they barely communicated during the mission. He was very adaptable, almost the living embodiment of the beta stereotype. 

Perhaps, this asocial behavior of his was okay as long as his patrol and missions were taken care of. At least he wasn’t ignoring his duties. Of course, after peace is made, something always has to stir it back up into chaos. After a year of the dynamic quad group, two more slayers joined the Hashira ranks. Another white-haired alpha, one that was extremely boisterous and filled with rage. The type of alpha that gave the whole dynamic a bad rap, and the son of the previous Flame Hashira. 

At first, Uzui was not fond of the adjustment at all, he thought for sure his title as head alpha would be challenged, by either the brazen idiot covered in scars or the new Flame Hashira, who could be trying to fill in his father’s former position to the Tee. Luckily for Uzui, he had been worried for nothing. The Wind Hashira: Shinazugawa Sanemi, had been surprisingly docile in adjusting to pack dynamics, he seemed to respect Uzui as the head of their pack and had only somewhat challenged the only other male alpha in the pack, the Flame Hashira: Rengoku Kyojuro. Kyojuro seemed to eagerly accept the challenge as well, though anyone could tell he didn’t see it as something that serious. Compared to the commanding alpha that Shinjuro had been, Kyojuro was much softer, and seemed a lot more nurturing, due to taking care of his kid brother after his mother's death, and his father's impending alcoholism problem. He was mostly worried about the strain that was placed on his younger brother now that he was no longer able to stop by his family estate as often as he had been able to as one of the lower-ranked slayers. 

Everything was running smoothly, until the topic that in previous generations, the Wind and Water Hashira were always paired up as a team due to their reflective offensive and defensive movements, unfortunately, no such dynamic would exist in this generation, because the two wanted nothing to do with each other. No, the two seemed to bud heads quite often, most of it being egged on by Sanemi, and Giyuu was completely unreceptive to any taunts or provocation that came towards him. 

One time it had gotten out of hand, that Kyojuro and Uzui had to genuinely hold Sanemi from pouncing onto the beta, who had uncharacteristically hid behind Gyomei during the ordeal. Thankfully, Sanemi’s respect for Uzui and Kyojuro outweighed what he had been so mad at in the first place, and he left the scene. 

In the end, it worked out, as Sanemi and Kanae teamed up for most missions, both working well together since Kanae’s flower breathing was derived from water breathing. At least now, things were finally looking bright. 

Until the message came in. Kanae was pronounced dead after a run-in with Upper Moon 2, a great loss for the Corps. Her death greatly affected a lot of people in the Corps, the Hashira for losing one of their closest comrades, the rest of the slayers for the head doctor no longer being in office, and Shinobu, Kanae’s younger sister, who was now forced to step into the role of adult despite only being 14 at the time. 

Two years, after the Flower Hashira’s death, three newcomers had finally joined the fray. Kocho Shinobu, the Insect Hashira, this girl may look like a frail omega, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. She was a determined alpha, who managed to keep the butterfly mansion alive and even vamped up some of its treatments, and facilities. Iguro Obanai, a beta with similar behaviors to the one and only Tomioka, however, was a bit more open and was already well acquainted with Kyojuro, which made befriending Sanemi and Uzui easy too. The final newcomer, was a twelve-year-old pup who had just barely presented as an omega, however, had a strong earthy scent like an alpha, the Mist Hashira: Muichiro Tokito. The kid was just as socially aloof as Tomioka, but no one could blame the kid, a freshly produced omega pup around mostly alphas, it was probably a very intimidating scene, and everyone seemed to want to ignore it. 

Of course, with this many new faces, Uzui wanted to get everyone acquainted, and he had mostly succeeded, but Tomioka had refused his invitations once again, which left him an annoyed mess. Of course, the only person this mysterious beta talked to, was still the only doctor in the group. 

However, during the next Hashira meeting, Uzui was sure the blue-eyed beta wasn’t acting like himself. He knew that Tomioka had just come back from a recent mission, Shinobu had filled him in a bit because apparently, the two met up with each other on the way to this meeting. Strange, sure the guy is weird, but he’s never been spaced out like this before. Something happened on the mission he just come back from. 

Unfortunately, Uzui never got the pleasure of asking, because in this meeting they had been introduced to yet another new member. The Love Hashira: Mitsuri Kanroji, was a beautiful prime omega, with a sickly-sweet scent, and a very outgoing personality. Maybe this was the push Tomioka needed to join in with the group. Wishful thinking yet again. Tomioka had done the bare minimum required of introductions to the new Hashira, before he quickly left, like snow melting as soon as it touched someone’s palm. 

After that letdown, Uzui Tengen barely passed the mysterious beta so much as a glance. Ever since Shinobu joined the ranks as a Hashira, she and Giyuu were mostly paired up, so anything regarding Giyuu no longer concerned him that much. At least until the two had been selected for a certain mission in one of the bigger villages during a very important festival. 

He had suspected that it would be a quiet mission, this was Tomioka after all, and if the beta saw no need to speak, he wouldn’t dare say a word. Uzui was used to this by now, when it had just been him, Giyuu, Gyomei, and Shinjuro, he and Giyuu were always paired up since they were the younger and more inexperienced Hashira’s at the time. 

“Hey Tengen, all your wives are omegas, right?” Giyuu surprisingly spoke up, as he stopped at a certain vendor that was selling blankets. 

Uzui raised a brow confused, he didn’t think Tomioka would ever take up on the offer of using his first name, wait that didn’t matter now, why was this guy interested in his wives?! “Hah? Nah, Suma and Hinazuru are omegas, Makio is a beta, but they all participate in nest building, so I guess all three of them could pass. What’s it to ya anyway?” 

“These blankets, which ones would they be most inclined to buy?” The beta asked, starting to feel up on the different fabrics. 

Okay, now this is super creepy, why did this depressed beta care about the preferences of his wives? Could it be that…no way…that was impossible! Was the Tomioka Giyuu, courting someone?! Tengen felt his chest tighten with disbelief as he choked in surprise. If he was courting someone, the alpha felt a sense of pride well inside of him for the beta to confide in him. 

“Hmm, considering it’s still early autumn, I would have to say the velvet textures is what they would prefer,” Tengen remarked, a smirk on his lips, as he tried to imagine what type of omega Giyuu was courting. He just couldn’t believe someone would be interested in the beta like that. 

The white-haired alpha watched in shock as he watched the beta buy several blankets from the vendor, and not just the simple ones that had multiple in stock, no he was getting the expensive ones in the back that had limited replicas. 

Well, whoever these are for, they are truly the luckiest in the world right now. 

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The one thing Kocho Shinobu hated, was puzzles. 

They always had to be difficult, she hated struggling to find the pieces that matched with one another. 

In her opinion, if there wasn’t a straightforward answer, then it should remain unsolved. 

That’s what she’s always said but…she had recently become enthralled with an enigma: Tomioka Giyuu. 

The two passed by each other every so often, Tomioka was a slayer who came into the butterfly mansion, which was ruled under her big sister Kanae’s gentle charm. He was a pretty easygoing patient, despite being on the younger end of the age spectrum for slayers, he didn’t put up any fuss for his medicine or rehabilitation treatments. No, it was like he was just there, his body going through the motions of living day to day. His eyes were so blank, it was like his sole purpose was to be a Demon Slayer. 

Shinobu didn’t have an opinion on him, he wasn’t any of her business anyway. She was a student of pharmaceuticals, creating new poisons to kill demons since she was too weak to behead them. However, her venture in pharmaceuticals also led her down the path of medicine, and when you go down the medical path, you have to learn how to interact with patients no matter what. 

Normally, if anyone asked, she didn’t care about how dynamics played into the Corps. If you were able to slay demons, well that’s all that mattered. Until, one day she discovered something jaw-dropping. 

Shinobu was in the examination room with her older sister, learning and taking notes about taking care of patients when a familiar face entered the room, the dead-eyed beta Tomioka Giyuu, he didn’t have any injuries on him so why was he here? She curiously watched him trudge over to the bed, and swing himself on top of it. 

Sweet Kanae greeted him with a smile, one that was much softer compared to their previous patients. No way did her sister like this man?! She couldn’t allow this. Someone so depressed being with her loving and bright sister. She would never allow this! 

“So, Giyuu, have you had any heat symptoms yet?” Shinobu heard her sister's voice sing out, her eyes widened, a gasp leaving her mouth, as she dropped the notebook, she had been taking notes in. Heat symptoms? This. This…this stupid depressed loner was an omega?! No that couldn’t be right!! 

Both Kanae and Giyuu had glanced at Shinobu, both thrown off by the pup's sudden loss of composure. After a bit, Giyuu returned his attention to Kanae before answering. “None at all, sorry Kanae, but I don’t we can medically reverse this…what did you call it… mourning. ” 

Mourning! Mourning? This omega was stuck in mourning and her older sister was trying to medically induce him out of it?! Never mind that an omega stuck in mourning should’ve died the second year after such events, so how was this teenager sitting in front of her still alive? 

Tomioka was an unsolvable puzzle, the pieces that you found of him never fit together, regardless Shinobu found herself drawn to him. Not in the romantic sense anyway, he was like…a new science project for her. 

She had always hated puzzles, but Tomioka was one she wanted to solve, no matter what. The two were only three years apart in age, and she had been one of the first to congratulate him for becoming a Hashira the one day she saw him visit for his routine checks with shiny golden buttons now on his uniform. Barely 17, and he was already one of the top-ranking slayers. He would’ve been truly admirable if he had seemed even a bit happy about the events. 

When her older sister passed, Shinobu didn’t know what she was going to do. She knew she had a duty to the Corps not only as a slayer but now as the head of the butterfly mansion. She was an alpha going into a rage, omegas mourned their troubles, and alphas raged at theirs. She was so close to collapsing from the immense pressure she was under, so close to her breaking point on so many occasions, until one day, she was surprised yet again. 

It was late at night, she finally had the night free to herself, and she desperately needed to catch up on sleep. She opened the door to her room and stopped in the entryway, at the sight in front of her. It was a poorly made nest, with a familiar mismatched haori in the center. The blue-eyed omega was also in the room, curled up at her desk, surrounded by candles of a calming vanilla, the same scent that wafted off of Kanae when she was still alive. 

She had promised herself, that she would never stop smiling so she could make her sister proud, but in that moment, she just lost herself, running straight into the nest that her frequent visiting patient had made for her, collapsing onto her knees, and started bawling. Giyuu groggily lifted his head at the sounds of the heartbreaking sobs and whimpers coming from the young female alpha. He let out a soft croon in return, doing his best to provide support even from afar. The omega made no advance to join the weeping girl in the nest but rather was keeping guard, to not let anyone else peep at Shinobu’s moment of weakness. He knew what it was like to look so pathetic in front of others, he had been forced to grieve and cry about his lover in front of quite a few survivors from his final selection, and he wouldn’t wish that type of humiliation on anyone, not even his enemies. It only made the pain worse. 

The next day, he helped the younger girl complete basic everyday tasks, such as bathing and changing clothes. Shinobu was probably the closest he had to a friend, and he would do anything to help her if he was able to. He had taken his haori out from the nest, adorning it back onto his shoulders, but he did his best to scent the blankets inside the nest with his scent, even if it was faint due to how weak his mourning had made his natural scent. 

After that day of despair, Shinobu hardened her shell a bit more, keeping her emotions in complete control just like Giyuu. On the day of Mitsuri’s inauguration to the Hashira rank, she had run into the omega on the way to Kagaya’s mansion and could instantly tell something had shaken him up. The alpha tried her best probing and prodding for the omega to talk to her, but he wouldn’t budge at any of her attempts, to say she was annoyed was a severe understatement, but she let it be, considering she was happy another girl was joining the ranks!

Until a few weeks after that meeting, the two had been sent on a mission together. The pair took two days to arrive in the town they were snooping around in. Normally, this type of mission was given to lower ranks, but it just so happened to be just a few miles out from their combined patrol route, so the duo was content to just figure it out themselves instead of waiting on the lower ranks. They had both decided to take a breather, entering a restaurant, and stalling until nightfall. 

It was at this restaurant that Giyuu had surprised her once again, she was honestly getting fed up with discovering new pieces but not being able to put them together. The omega’s crow, Kanzaburo had swooped into his side, paper rolled around his legs. It was a letter to Giyuu, and it was obvious the black-haired man had no clue what it was about or even who it was from. Shinobu did her best not to pry about the details, as she peacefully sipped her tea until her brow creased at the expression now etched on the omega’s face. 

His nostrils flared, his face scrunching in irritation, fangs trying to extend themselves down, and his very faint scent had momentarily turned sour. She couldn’t control the gasp that left her lips at the sight in front of her, capturing the attention of her companion. 

“Hey, Tomioka? Are you alright? It’s not very often you break your stoic expression~” She chided with a slight smirk, leaning forward. 

“Kocho, what are you even talking about?” He asked, tilting his head just a bit, his usual calm tone now turning confused. 

“Oh? Did you not even realize that your face scrunched in irritation just now? Y’know, this may be why no one likes you, what do you think, Tomioka?” She quipped as she lifted a cup of tea to her lips, sipping on the soothing liquid. The sun was about to set in the town they had been sent to for a mission. 

“I’m…I’m liked, and you must be imagining things Kocho. Don’t go making false claims.” He stated, placing the letter into his haori, and sipping the tea in front of him. Both of them returned to the comfortable silence.

He says that, but he barely interacted with anyone else, the relationship between the two was that of doctor and patient, but Shinobu also guessed that since Giyuu had gone so far as to make her nest after her sister's death, perhaps he thought of her as a friend and just had a hard time expressing it. She didn’t think to pry into the matter too much after the shared teatime. 

However, she quickly regretted that she didn’t at least try to make the omega tell her more details when they had finally slain the twin demons and were supposed to go back to headquarters together and report back to Kagaya. 

“Sorry, Kocho, but I can’t come back with you to Ubuyashiki’s mansion. Pass on my regards to him when you arrive back at headquarters.” He murmured, giving a quick bow before rushing off on his own. 

Shinobu watched the omega, puzzled about the exchange. Whatever was in that letter was the most important piece of figuring out the puzzle, that was Tomioka Giyuu, but alas the opportunity slipped through her fingers. It also didn’t help that when she returned to headquarters alone, the other Hashira who were reporting back about their missions had noticed that Giyuu was nowhere to be seen with Shinobu. 

“Tch, that bastard. Can’t even bother to show up and give a basic report.” Growled Sanemi, both he and Obanai seemed the most upset at the matter. Shinobu respects them as colleagues of course, but the way they chastised Giyuu pissed her off more than anything in the world. Sure, she teased him about his poor social skills from time to time, but it was to try and get him to open up, after all, she knew how sensitive and observant the omega was. These two men just outright hated her friend. 

However, she paid no mind to the loudly wrong idiots, as a certain flame Hashira caught her eye. Rengoku Kyojuro seemed to be the one who was genuinely worried about Giyuu’s lack of presence. Kanroji was too, but that was just because of the kind person she is, no, Kyojuro had a look of genuine concern, as the smile that was always on his face had momentarily fallen upon realizing the Water Hashira was not attending today’s report. 

Poor unfortunate soul. She thought to herself, as she gave the mission report. She was going to make sure Giyuu answered all of her questions when they were out on another mission or during his next appointment. Not that she was upset about being left alone to deliver the news of their joint mission, but because this was so out of character for her mourning friend. 

On their next few missions, she noticed that Giyuu’s eyes seemed to wander to different vendors or shops that were selling nesting materials or sweet candies. He even purchased a few items; she didn’t question his actions though. After the day she had learned that Giyuu was an omega, when she accompanied him and her sister on missions, as her sister Tsugoku, it was rather common that Giyuu would buy something, or rather Kanae would force the omega to buy something, her way of trying to coax the omega out of his mourning. Shinobu figured, that something had recently trigged Giyuu’s mourning even more, and to try and soothe himself had subconsciously followed the habits he developed while working with Kanae. 

Yes, that makes the most sense. He’s finding a comforting habit. 

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Rengoku Kyojuro was an alpha who came from a long family lineage of demon slayers, especially Hashira. 

From a young age, he was trained how to use a sword by his dad whenever he was home, and his mother taught him that those born strong had an obligation to protect the weak. 

When she passed, as the firstborn he took it upon himself to raise and support his baby brother Senjuro, he wasn’t going to let anything happen to him. 

His dad stopped teaching him anything, so he took the initiative to study the three volumes of flame breathing and taught himself the breathing style. 

After he passed the final selection, it wasn’t long before he started climbing up through the ranks quickly, and eventually, he made it to Hashira, following in his father’s footsteps, however, he willed himself to never become like the grouchy old man Shinjuro was now. He didn’t hate his dad, no he was deeply worried for the guy; however, his insults and apathy were becoming hard to bear.

When he joined the Hashira, he was pleasantly surprised at the warm welcome from everyone, even the extremely quiet beta had attempted to introduce himself, though the greeting was that of the standard script, Kyojuro was still appreciative of it. 

He and the mysterious beta were quite the opposites, almost exactly like fire and water. Neither being able to touch each other, without either being evaporated or put out. However, that didn’t stop the alpha from sneaking glances at the blue-eyed beta. There was just something about him, he was apathetic sure, Tomioka and his father seemed to share that in common, however, Tomioka’s apathy wasn’t as aggressive as Shinjuro’s. It was almost as if the beta was forcing himself to act this way. 

Or maybe, it was that despite his cold demeanor, the beta had a kind air to him. Kyojuro knew it to be true too, the two had once gone on a mission together, and the quiet male had been the first to try and do damage control to a pair of juvenile pups who were freaked out of their mind. He admired the kindness that radiated from the beta even if there was a darkness that seemed to cover up that kindness around their fellow Hashira. He didn’t care that much though, as long as he got to see the rare moments where the beta was the kindest person in the world, then he was satisfied. 

It took only two joint missions to understand the Water Hashira. Tomioka wasn’t the biggest fan of talking, so Kyojuro did his best not to force the beta to speak, however, despite not liking to talk, he figured out that Tomioka liked it when someone was talking to him, he was a very good listener, and because he didn’t need to focus on what the other was saying to formulate a response, he had managed to lower his voice just a bit to make it more bearable for the beta when they were together. 

Another thing Kyojuro discovered, was that Tomioka startled pretty easily, it wasn’t noticeable unless you were intentionally watching him and trying to find his quirks, but if Giyuu was lost in thought and something caught him off guard, he leaned forward just an inch or two, and his hand gripped onto the complex geometry patterned side of his haori. He also gripped onto that side when he was uncomfortable, the alpha also noticed that Tomioka would grip the maroon side of his haori when he was in an enjoyable situation, or after eating a delicious meal. 

The gold-to-red-haired alpha was perplexed every time his best friend Uzui complained that he didn’t understand Tomioka at all, or when Sanemi was nagging about the water pillar being some stuck-up bastard. To Kyojuro, it didn’t make any sense how anyone could view Tomioka in such a negative light, or to not be able to understand him. The blue-eyes beta was perhaps, one of the people that Kyojuro had found easy to read. The beta is immensely saddened about something, but despite that sadness, he is still carrying himself tall, even if it leaves him rendered alone. Tomioka was a kind individual who placed the needs of others above his own and kept to his duty like it was engraved in his heart to slay any demon that came his way. 

Not to mention, the mysterious beta was truly beautiful. Kyojuro distinctly remembers the time when Tomioka was the first Hashira to arrive at a meeting, and he had just arrived back from a mission. The hair tie in the beta’s hair had snapped, and that fluffy black hair of his, instantly spread out to the sides, like a flower blooming in the spring. He recalled, for once, seeing a different expression on Tomioka’s face. One of shock and embarrassment. The way his eyes had widened ever so slightly, and his cheeks a bright pink flush as he looked up at Kyojuro, who was holding out a spare hair tie towards him. It was a breathtaking moment. 

During the Hashira meeting, where his Tsugoku Kanroji was being introduced as a Hashira, he immediately saw how Tomioka was on edge. That’s right, he had a mission before this didn’t he? Ah so jealous considering I had been held up at a wisteria house to nurse my wounds. I wonder what happened for him to be so spooked. Before he even got the chance to ask the beta about what happened during his mission, he had already left the Hashira meeting, leaving Kyojuro to his thoughts about all the possibilities that could have occurred. 

A month after that, he was looking forward to the Hashira mission reports, not only to receive praise for the excellent job he had done but to be able to see the beta, whose blue eyes had been popping up in his dreams recently. However, he never got the chance to see him. According to Shinobu, the two were on a mission, and Tomioka had received a letter, when the mission was over, he explained to the short alpha woman that he could not make it back to headquarters before disappearing. Ah, man what a shame, I was going to invite him out to eat too so I could ask him about his previous mission. 

A few months later, the Hashira, minus Giyuu, were all at a restaurant enjoying some well-needed downtime, it wasn’t often they were allowed a chance to relax and enjoy each other's company. Kyojuro wished Tomioka had been there with them, but once the food came out, all his thoughts seemed to completely vanish. 

“Hey,” Tengen had started after a couple of bites from his meal. “Has anyone else noticed strange behavior coming from Tomioka recently?”

Kyojuro, looked up at this question, tilting his head and setting his chopsticks down. He watched as the others groaned out soft agreements and annoyed huffs. Tomioka? Acting strange? That doesn’t seem right . 

“Because I swear, he was on something when we were on our last mission. Usually, when we’re in fancier villages and cities, Tomioka would rather ignore any type of shopping, but get this! He started asking me what nesting materials my wives liked while looking at merchandise at one of the vendors!” Uzui recollected the memory, nodding his head as Sanemi and Iguro called him crazy. 

“Tomioka? Shopping? Get out of here old man.” The heterochromia-eyed beta huffed, playing with his food. 

“Hey, I am not old!” The alpha shot back, growling lowly, but it was playful to anyone nearby. 

“Hmm, I wasn’t going to say anything, but he has seemed more relaxed recently.” Kanroji chimed in, as she stuffed her cheeks with food again. 

“Tch, who cares how that snobby bastard is behaving or not! He still just thinks he’s better than us, and that makes him a pain in the ass no matter what.” Sanemi grumbled, taking a bite of the tempura, his phrase cutting the conversation topic off. 

Kyojuro hummed to himself as he started eating his food, abnormally slowly. Is Tomioka acting strange? Hmm, I haven’t noticed anything out of the ordinary recently. Then again, I haven’t seen him in almost a year. 

He didn’t like this feeling, the feeling that everyone else understood what was happening while he was kept in the dark. It saddened him, how come he and Tomioka haven’t been on any missions recently? Perhaps he should take this up with Master Ubuyashiki, and ask if he and Tomioka could pair up. 

Yeah, I’ll do just that!

It seemed his begging had worked. The two had been entrusted on a mission together, Kyojuro had put together a mental list of everything he was going to talk about and what questions he was going to ask Tomioka regarding the mission that had left him so spooked and why he couldn’t attend the recent Hashira report, and why the others were reporting strange behavior from the lone beta. He wanted to know why everyone else seemed confused, or worried. It didn’t make sense, and to make sure his interrogation went over well, he had even convinced his kid brother, Senjuro, to make simmered daikon, from what he had observed, it was Tomioka’s favorite dish. Yes, the alpha was all prepared for this, he was ready and determined to get to the bottom of this until he finally stood in front of the black-haired beta. 

He gawked at the man in shock. Something was different. There’s a scent that’s stuck to him, it smells like the sun, chamomile, chrysanthemum, and there is a faint milky undertone to the scent. That doesn’t make any sense, Tomioka is 19 now, he shouldn’t smell like a juvenile omega unless… 

His eyes went wide, and he took a jostled step back, “T-t-tomi…Tomio…Tomioka, do you have a child?!” He inquired; whatever tone control he usually had around the water pillar was completely gone. Giyuu also seemed rather shocked at the question as well, slightly flinching at the boisterous tone coming from the alpha in front of him. 

No way, the man I’ve been crushing on has a child. Ah, I wish I could burn up on the spot. 

How does he know? I was sure I was doing a good job of hiding this.

Chapter Text

The duo walked in awkward silence, Giyuu was lightly sniffing the scent glands on his wrist, he was completely doused in Tanjiro’s scent. Perhaps, he was becoming an overbearing caretaker with how long he took scenting his nest, and his pup that was awake. It wasn’t his fault though, despite having more natural occurring urges in his instincts as an omega, he was still stuck in mourning, meaning his scent wasn’t as strong as it needed to be Which caused him to have to be very aggressive when it came to scenting his pups and areas which he considered to fall under his territory. The omega just seemed to forget, that the longer he took to scent his pup, the more potent the pup’s scent on Giyuu had gotten as well. It was only a matter of time before the others picked up on this fact, and he was grateful it had been Rengoku because while he knew the fiery man would be curious, he wouldn’t try and pry any information out of him. 

He glanced over at the alpha walking next to him, for once, the giant smile Rengoku always had on, was momentarily stuck in a small pout and he had been just as quiet as the omega usually was. Perhaps Giyuu should explain the situation, mostly because not seeing the alpha smile and not hearing his emphatic voice, was rather off-putting, which was starting to make the introverted man uncomfortable. He took a deep breath, letting his arms fall to his side, looking up at the sky, and letting himself relax. 

“Yes,” he mumbled in a soft voice, but he was trying to speak loud enough for his companion to hear. 

Rengoku turned to look at the omega, with a raised brow, and confusion written all over his face. He had forgotten the question he had Giyuu before they started this awkward walk, completely overtaken by his thoughts of how he was crushing on a possibly taken man. 

“You asked if I had a kid earlier, the answer is yes.” Giyuu clarified, his tone slightly more assertive than usual. 

Oh! Well, at least the alpha’s nose wasn’t playing tricks on his mind, wait. Did that mean that Tomioka was mated with someone?! Great, now he really was a bad person for pining over the beta. 

“I see, I never would have expected you to be mated and with pups at such a young age, Tomioka.” Rengoku huffed, trying his best to keep his cheerful attitude. 

“I don’t have a mate.” 

Oh! Whew! What a relief…wait 

“Then, how do you have a pup?” 

Giyuu and Kyojuro were polar opposites of each other. Kyojuro was loud, welcoming, and full of warmth that could rival the sun. Giyuu was quiet, closed off, and shrouded in deceit and mystery like the moon. However, the two did have a couple of things in common. While Kyojuro was extroverted, and Giyuu introverted, both appeared to have a constant struggle with social cues and dynamics. So, in their own way, both were extremely blunt in conversations. However, only one of them was ever forgiven for it. 

The omega pursed his lips at the question. In a way, it made sense adoption wasn’t the first thought the alpha had come up with. It was taboo to take in pups that didn’t have blood connection, believed to bring in bad luck, or as a way to disrespect the birthing parents; and even more so for an alpha to pursue an omega who still had pups from a previous relationship, some societal pressure, that if pups didn’t have the alpha’s blood, then the alpha was weak to settle for such nonsense. While the Corps functioned with its own rules, there were still some preconceptions about certain topics. Would Rengoku judge him for going through adoption?

“It’s pups actually, you see during one of my missions I came across a pair of siblings, who had their family slaughtered by a demon, and I just couldn’t bring myself to leave them alone…so I took them in,” Giyuu explained, turning his gaze back to the path in front of him. 

Rengoku nodded along to Giyuu’s story. Ah! The beta was truly an admirable person, always so kind to others. He still didn’t understand how the other Hashira could believe that he was such a cold person.

“Gee Tomioka, you’re such a good person y’know? I’m sure your kids are lucky to have such a kind parent as yourself!” A hearty laugh heaved itself out of the alpha’s chest, his bright and wide smile decorating his lips once again. Giyuu blinked dumbfounded at the exclamation, did Rengoku just call him kind? Was that how the alpha saw him? He for sure had thought the man had just been tolerating him like everyone else in the Corps did. The omega peered over at the alpha, the midday sun illuminating the fiery man in a warm, familiar light. His eyes widened in awe, stomach squeezing nervously. The alpha was extremely handsome, and this light made him seem so soft, Giyuu just couldn’t help it as he felt his cheeks heating up. This feeling of queasiness, he felt them before… with Sabito. For Sabito. 

He quickly yanked his head away from the alpha, this didn’t make any sense. There was no way he liked Rengoku, no, this was just him not being used to compliments. Yes, that explained it perfectly. He was so used to Shinobu’s teasing through their friendship, and having to read between the lines for praise, that getting acknowledged in such a straightforward manner was just too much for his mind to handle. 

At least the atmosphere around the pair had cleared up, and Giyuu could go back to being silent, listening to the alpha start rambling about whatever came into his head. The omega had no idea how someone could talk so much, despite his collected manner, he struggled to give the lengthy mission reports during Hashira meetings, and sometimes even saying as many as three words in a conversation felt like too much work. Thankfully, Rengoku never tried to make him speak during their missions. 

He appreciated it, it was what made him enjoy the joint missions with the Flame Hashira. If he had run into Rengoku when they were in the lower ranks, he liked to believe he would team up with the alpha, with no hesitation, at least now he got the chance to savor the warmth that came from his companion. 

 He didn’t mind missions with Shinobu, even if she tried to coax him into conversations, he knew most of the desire stemmed from concern, she was his doctor after all, and it’s exactly what Kanae used to do to him before she passed. Giyuu also tolerated missions with Tengen as well, of course, the omega knew Tengen the longest, and after Tengen realized that Giyuu was just not a heavy talker, he stopped his attempts at trying to force small talk, simply allowing his wives to fill the silence between the two men. Giyuu liked the comforting air the married four created, their dynamics with each other were quite adorable. When they were in the big cities for missions, whether just passing through or investigating rumors, he would either hold onto the fabric cuffs around Tengen’s wrist or Hina would take his hand, along with Suma and Makio, and they would make a line behind the alpha, letting the taller man push the crowd away as the four of them followed after him. Sometimes Giyuu found himself regretting not taking up any of Tengen’s offers to have dinner when the two first met each other, while the earlier attempts to get the omega to open up had annoyed him, he did quite enjoy the company of the alpha, and his three wives, and Hina was a really good cook too. 

Though, when Giyuu had first been promoted to Hashira, he certainly preferred to go on missions with Gyomei, he found himself talking a lot around the bling omega. He was sure, that if he asked the giant man what he thought about him, Gyomei would say he was just as much of a chatterbox as Rengoku was, maybe even more. He remembers mumbling softly about the scenery they would pass, describing it in great detail so the blind man could get a mental image of what the space around them looked like. After every mission, Gyomei would thank Giyuu for his beautiful descriptions, and in return promised to hide the fact that he knew Giyuu was an omega and was actually a very socially capable person. 

When it came to missions with Sanemi or Obanai, the omega was indifferent to the two, but for some reason, the other two always made some big scene of disgust about it. Sanemi, was surprisingly, the milder about it though. So, he didn’t mind working with the alpha, he had to admit he was pretty strong, and he admired his determination. Plus, the scar on his face reminded him of Sabito, although he could never see himself replacing Sabito as his best friend or lover, he did at least want to try and befriend the angry alpha because of the resemblance. The only problem was that nothing ever worked, and he just seemed to make Sanemi hate him even more. Obanai, on the other hand, was a different breed of problems. Whoever said that betas got along with everyone because they were tamer compared to alphas and omegas, had never met the guy. When Giyuu had missions with the Serpent Hashira, he felt himself being glad he was stuck in mourning and wasn’t able to share his scent, other words, he was sure the beta would berate him even more for being a crybaby with a sour scent over a few little jabs. 

His relationship with Kanroji was a slippery slope, when he first met the prime omega, he was already shaken up because of his instincts of wanting to return to Tanjiro and Nezuko after leaving them alone on the mountain, and the feeling of nausea only got worse when Kanroji stepped into the rock garden of Kagaya’s mansion. She looked like a replica of his sister; the only difference was their hair and eyes. He just couldn’t stand being in her presence, the pit that grew in his stomach, the acidic taste in his throat, and the threat of tears pooling in his eyes. No, he wasn’t going to be seen as weak in front of anyone ever again, so he had been the first to introduce himself to her, to make sure he was the first to leave the inauguration meeting. If the universe liked him, he would have made sure to never be around the female omega if he could help it, but sometimes it felt like the universe was trying to spite him, because after that meeting, the first mission he had been assigned on, was a joint mission with the Love Hashira. It took a few tries, but eventually, Giyuu found himself softening up a little around her. She was as gentle and patient as his sister had been, and he just couldn’t help but feel comforted by her presence. The mission was brutal, so the two had been stuck in a Wisteria house together, and despite only being a Hashira for such a short amount of time, Mitsuri had been the first one to see Giyuu smile. It was faint, and if it was anyone else, they definitely would have missed it, but not Mitsuri. She found herself smiling wider at the notion and made a promise to herself not to make a big scene out of it, so that way she didn’t ruin whatever comfort she had provided to her comrade. 

The omega snapped himself out of his daydream, from the low growl coming from the alpha next to him. He had been zoned out in his thoughts, he didn’t even realize it was nightfall, and that the presence of a demon was nearby. One of his first missions with Rengoku after a year and he wasn’t even mentally present. How wonderful. His hand rested on the hilt of his sword as he walked more vigilantly now. Most would argue that flame and water breathing didn’t work well with each other, being opposing forces and such. However, that was just because flame breathing was extremely difficult to learn so there weren’t many users or cultivators, as the respective users blended their attacks nicely. Maybe, it had something to do with both second forms requiring the inverted vertical slash of one another. 

The second form of flame breathing required the user to have their feet planted firmly on the ground, before vertically slashing their sword upwards in a circular motion, and the second form of water breathing had the user jump into a front flip, as if making room for others to attack from down below, before slashing their sword down vertically in the same circular motion. Not to mention, both breathing styles seemed to be more on the defensive side, almost mimicking that of real life. Fire and water protected what was inside of it, but fire would always be followed by heavier destruction tearing down threats in a single move, and water adapted by moving around in gaps of free space that would be unnoticed by others. If wind and water got along because the wind guides water's movement with its own, then fire and water got along since the two didn’t waste time waiting for instructions, they just moved when prompted and circled one another in a dance of passion. 

The demon wasn’t too hard to handle, it wasn’t one of the Twelve Kizuki, but it may have been close to soon becoming one. It was no wonder the lower ranks had been struggling with it, but it wasn’t that much of a threat that required two Hashira. Honestly, Rengoku could have just come by himself and would have had no problem taking care of the demon, considering it was the alpha who had decapitated it anyway. There was no way Kagaya would send him on such a redundant mission, though thinking about it more, Kanzaburo hadn’t mentioned anything of this before Rengoku had rushed over to him asking if he was ready for their mission…wait, had he been tricked to hang out with the alpha under the guise of a mission? Who knew the omega’s workaholic habits would be used against him to socialize with someone? Giyuu supposed he couldn’t bring himself to be annoyed about it, he did like being around Rengoku, and it was comforting to know that the alpha wanted to spend time with him too. But why was it comforting? 

Giyuu shook his head, he didn’t want to think about these feelings, such familiar feelings . No, he wouldn’t think of it. Right now, all he needed to focus on was his duty to his master and his pups. 

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When will you, start looking out for me too

With the demon taken care of, the pair started their return to headquarters to give their report. When the two entered the rock garden, the others who were waiting for everyone else to gather were shocked at what they saw. 

The Tomioka Giyuu, who had no understanding of socialization, was leaning into Rengoku’s side, with the alpha’s hand supporting his waist. It was like the beta was sleepwalking, depending on the alpha for guidance. Tengen and Shinobu were the most surprised out of everyone, the two were the closest Hashira to Giyuu, and yet could barely manage a word or two out from the man at most, the two could only dream about displaying physical forms of affection to Giyuu, and yet, here he was willingly letting Kyojuro guide him to Kagaya’s mansion. It felt like a betrayal. 

Personally, Giyuu would have refrained from touching anyone who wasn’t in his pack, the Hashira’s may be titled a pack, but the omega didn’t belong with any of them. However, he’s recently been on back-to-back missions, and it’s been well over two months since he had been with pups. The distance between them had been eating away at the omega, today just happened to be his breaking point. It was getting hard just to be able to stand by himself. Omegas and their pups couldn’t be away from each other for too long, or else their bodies would start physically struggling to complete tasks because it could feel the bond start to be severed by the distance between them. Giyuu found himself utterly exhausted, and it was starting to get harder to breathe now, he just wanted to finish the report as soon as possible, before making a beeline home and cuddling in his nest with his babies. 

Mitsuri couldn’t help but let out a soft squeal at the cute display between her former teacher and Giyuu, every time she saw the beta in a moment of vulnerability, he just seemed even cuter. She was so happy that Giyuu felt comfortable enough to depend on Kyojuro at the moment. 

Obanai had choked on his saliva at the scene from above, where does this rat-face get the audacity to make his adopted brother do more work, by practically carrying him to the meeting? This guy is always so… annoying. 

Tokito found himself drawn to the scene as well, he cocked his head to the side, but when the two assumed their position in line, the young omega found himself subconsciously moving closer until he had managed to snug himself between the flame and water pillars and had relaxed from the pressure of both adults smooshing him. Perhaps he liked being in confined spaces, or maybe it was just that he enjoyed lapping up the warmth both adults produced. 

Sanemi had been the last Hashira to arrive, waving away a Kakushi who was fussing over him and a few minor cuts he received from his mission. He was ready for the meeting to go as normal, all giving their report, Tengen, Mitsuri, or Rengoku suggesting a hangout, and then stupid Tomioka dismissing the offer on the basis he was ‘different from them’ which annoyed Sanemi to the end of the Earth. Who was this bastard to think he was so above the others, that he couldn’t even spare a minute to be with them outside of work? However, he was stunned and couldn’t even force himself to take a step further at the scene in front of him. Kyojuro, Tomioka, and the new kid were in some sort of weird makeshift cuddle pile while standing up, this…can’t be right! The alpha had to be dreaming, because no way this was real life. The man who barely gave a glance to Shinobu and Tengen, the two who claimed to be the closest to him, was all snuggly and buddy-buddy with Kyojuro, someone he barely saw the beta interact with. The beta, who he had thought was the prettiest man in the whole world when he first laid eyes on him, until he opened his mouth, and turned out to be some narcissistic asshole, was cuddling with an alpha? An alpha who wasn’t… himself? No matter, he stopped caring about the jerk the first time he started suggesting he was different. It didn’t matter to him whether this guy got along with the others or not, he didn’t care at all: is what he told himself, however, he couldn’t help soft rumbles of jealousy pounding at his chest. Calm down, there’s no need to cause a fuss over something so trivial. 

Gyomei could tell something was wrong with Giyuu, he was the only one in tune with Giyuu’s scent after all, he could easily pick up on the hints of distress and souring to his normally gentle scent. He wanted to know what was wrong, but he couldn’t bring himself to break his promises or bring even more attention to the omega. Which was the one thing Giyuu hated, he hated being the center of attention in a room full of judgmental eyes. If he was lucky, and the omega stayed at the rock garden just a bit longer after the meeting was over, perhaps he could check in on his friend then, seemed like a great plan. 

Giyuu had fallen asleep instantly when he and Rengoku were no longer moving, his body felt like mush, and if he hadn’t been accompanying Rengoku on his mission, he was sure he would have passed out on some random road by his lonesome. He wasn’t even aware of anything happening around him at the moment either, so when Ubuyashiki finally made his presence known, and the other Hashira greeted him, he hadn’t said anything. Not like the others would notice since his voice was always so quiet and got overpowered by everyone else. By the time it was his and Rengoku’s turn to give their report, it had taken a few rough nudges from the alpha, to finally coax Giyuu awake. He let out a confused gasp, looking around and blinking slowly, his vision a bit blurry. When it had finally dawned on him that the meeting had commenced while he had been sleeping, he quickly forced himself to stand up straight and try to recover from the embarrassing situation. Shinobu was now looking at him, feeling very concerned. The way the omega was acting wasn’t normal and almost coincided with the side effects of mourning, right when the body started shutting down, and the suffering omega was getting closer to death. Was his body finally succumbing to the immense pressure?

She had to catch him when the meeting was over, she couldn’t let him leave her sight, both as friends and as a doctor taking care of her patient. Giyuu cleared his throat, giving his report like usual, but those who were paying attention, or had really good hearing, could tell that the man’s voice was quivering. 

The meeting had finally ended, and Obanai was muttering words of disdain about Tomioka’s behavior, Mitsuri was extremely worried, which was reflected in her scent, Gyomei had tried to make his way over to the omega but had been stuck in tracks by Tokito, who seemed to grow rather fond of the blind giant in such the short amount of time he had joined the group, and Gyomei was in no way about to push the pup away either. 

Shinobu was preparing to catch Giyuu after he left the rock garden, so that way she could talk to him in private without revealing his medical issues in front of the others, but she never got the chance after hearing the sudden outburst. 

Kyojuro was busy acting as a shield between Giyuu and Sanemi, the alpha getting on the beta’s case for sleeping during the meeting and barely making any effort to even apologize for it. He knew something was wrong, and Giyuu was not in the right headspace to handle anything, so he was doing his best to prevent a fight from happening. Unfortunately, Sanemi wasn’t just annoyed by the beta’s rude behavior, but his alpha still felt the twinge of jealousy at seeing Giyuu practically hang all over Kyojuro, and just this once, any ounce of control had been lost from him, as he lunged at the other. A shrill scream cut through the tense atmosphere, as the two alphas were now on the ground in a brawl, though Kyojuro was just focused on trying to block Sanemi’s attacks, rather than make any of his own. Still, both had no problem trying to pin the other down to show who was the winner of the fight. 

Tengen had rushed to try and separate the two, Obanai had opted out to try and soothe Mitsuri, Shinobu had been forced to place her intervention plan to the side so she could scold and treat the wounds of the reckless alphas, and with all of these distracting elements, Giyuu had managed to slip away unnoticed. Now that his presence was no longer needed for the day, he was hurrying to get home. The scenery around him was becoming a blur, he didn’t care what happened to him now, no, just as long as he was able to get back to Urokodaki’s cabin, that’s all that mattered to him. 

While struggling for nearly ten minutes to get Sanemi off of Kyojuro, Tengen finally let out a harsh growl. A commanding one, he was the head alpha for a reason, and he wasn’t going to have these two idiots ruin the peace he worked on creating. Immediately, the two rolling around on the ground had stopped, looking up at the taller man. Sanemi, regaining control over his alpha instincts, sighed in shame and regret. He looked down at Kyojuro, at least the two weren’t that physically injured, only a couple of scrapes from the rocks, and Sanemi had only got maybe two good punches in, enough to form a bruise that would last for a couple of days. He got off of the fiery man, helping him up off the ground. “Sorry, I don’t know what got into me.” He huffed, looking away from Tengen and Kyojuro. 

Kyojuro panted lightly, taking a deep breath. He knew this wasn’t Sanemi’s normal behavior, even if the scarred man had always been a loose cannon with his short temper, he would never just randomly attack like that. Something was wrong. “Hey, it’s all good, no hard feelings. I don’t know what’s bothering you, but if you feel comfortable enough to talk about it, I will gladly listen!” He laughed the situation off, man he was one calm and collected alpha, the maternal side he had developed after taking care of his kid brother for so long, shining through clear as day. Already going back to smiling, and his body instantly relaxing. 

Tengen, however, wasn’t as easygoing as Kyojuro about this, he immediately got to work scolding the two, though most of it was directed in Sanemi’s direction. Shinobu had joined in the scolding session as well, starting to patch up the scrapes the two alphas had accumulated. Everyone was just lucky nothing had gotten too out of hand, and it had only been a one-sided issue, who knows how devastating it would be if both of them had something to prove to each other? Now, all that was left to do was check on Giyuu and see if he was okay, however as Tengen looked around for the guy, it soon dawned on him that he was nowhere around. With everyone fussing about the sudden fight, their attention and worry had been pulled away from the beta, who seemed perfectly fine to leave without even saying goodbye. 

Shinobu, never one for religion, had started praying that Giyuu would be alright on his own.

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After a grueling two-day trip, the omega had slammed the door open, his father and pup just barely finishing up dinner, Giyuu made no hesitation when he grabbed Tanjiro’s haori and started dragging him into the backroom, and forcing him into the nest with Nezuko, before collapsing in between the two pups, one arm wrapped around each of the siblings. The dizziness was already starting to fade now that his pups were by his side, he nuzzled Tanjiro aggressively and got to work re-scenting the pups and his nest. A task that took almost twenty minutes, just to make sure the siblings had been doused with his scent. To say he was upset that their scents latched onto him, longer than he did to them was an understatement. He was starting to hate being in mourning, why couldn’t this disease just go away already? He wasn’t alone anymore, so why was he still stuck in this endless cycle of apathy and pain? It just didn’t make sense anymore. 

Eventually, he peacefully fell asleep with his pups, softly purring. He just wanted to stay like this forever, have time to pause just this once. He hated being away from his pups for so long, or maybe it was just that because his scent was so weak right now, it was messing with his psyche about whether his kids were safe without him being with them. Whatever the case, all that mattered was that he was with them now, and they were covered in his scent. 

During the night, Kagaya had sent a crow to Urokodaki, informing the beta that Giyuu could take a break from missions and patrol until he was feeling better. The head of the Corps knew everything about his members, and he wasn’t going to try and stress out the new omega mother in any way. When Giyuu heard the news in the morning well he certainly was relieved. Now this would allow for his scent to envelope the pups properly, he enjoyed his time off of course. Getting to relax in the nest, drinking tea, and he got to spend more time with Tanjiro, even if it was passing on sword skills or how to better develop his concentration breathing. 

Walking up Mt. Sagiri didn’t bother him anymore either, and when he was taking breaks from training with Tanjiro, he would sit around the patch of hydrangeas, happily relaying details of his missions to the every-so-curious pup. He knew that if Sabito was still alive, he would adore the two pups just as much as he did, it was just a shame, that the dream of having a family with the ‘ only' alpha he had loved, would never come to fruition. 

Instead of leaving me staring at my shoes

Chapter Text

After Giyuu’s month-long break, the day of his next checkup came, and he was already feeling much better than the last Hashira meeting. He undeniably needed that downtime with his pups, and now he was more energized than ever, and had returned to his normal work ethic. The other Hashira had been thrown into a whirlpool by how fast Giyuu had switched up. Thanks to the break, he had properly claimed and bonded with both pups, and the omega recognized Urokodaki as the safe space and caretaker he used to be when he was young, so he could handle being away from his kids for longer periods now. 

Especially, considering he was placed on a temporary ban for returning home by Urokodaki, when Giyuu was getting ready to set off to the butterfly mansion, the old beta stopped him, letting him know that he was giving Tanjiro the boulder he needed to cut through to prove he was ready for final selection. Giyuu wasn’t allowed to see the pup until it had been cut through. It disheartened him greatly, and he could tell the old man was up to something, but he wasn’t going to question the head of the house. He knew the man would take care of Tanjiro and protect the pups if any type of threat managed to make itself known. So poor Giyuu just had to accept reality. He was confident in his pup's work ethic, so he did not doubt that Tanjiro would slice through the boulder in no time. 

No doubt in his mind at all. 

The omega sat on the examination table, swinging his feet in boredom while waiting for Shinobu to finish with her other patients. However, he twinged in surprise at the sourness in her scent when she stepped into the room. 

“Giyuu, I see you’re still in good health. That’s a relief.” She hummed, sitting down, and opening his medical file. He raised a brow a bit confused; Of course he was in good health. Why was she stating the obvious? “I must say you gave me quite the scare at the meeting a few weeks ago. The way you were so sluggish and zoned out was quite similar to the behavior of the omegas who die from their uncured mourning.” She scoffed her normal forced smile on her face, eyes closed, trying to keep the anger underneath her soft act at bay. Oh? Did he really look like he was on the verge of death that day? 

The omega let out a heavy sigh, he knew he couldn’t keep his pups a secret from the female alpha, especially now that it had been a year since he’d taken them in. “It wasn’t my mourning…” 

“Oh really now? So, then what was it?” She sneered, laying the file on her lap, and peering forward. 

“Well, if you’d let me finish without interrupting you’d find out faster.” He grumbled, followed by a harsh chuff from Shinobu. She was used to his sass, so she wasn’t annoyed by it, but that didn’t mean she thought it appropriate given the situation. “The theory that Urokodaki came up with is that because I was still in the process of claiming the two pups I took under my wing, my body had reacted badly to being separated from them for a long period of time.” 

Pups? When did the omega take in pups? Well no matter, if what he explained was the truth, then it also was a reasonable explanation. Omegas relied heavily on the bonds they made between friends and loved ones. While alphas were believed to rule and be in charge of packs, the pressure of making and forming packs was more centered on omegas, who were better at creating deeper emotional bonds. “And just when did you take in pups Giyuu?”

“Roughly a year ago, the same day when Kanroji became a Hashira.” 

Really? That long ago, and this was the first she had heard about it?! Her ego was hurt. Weren’t she and him friends by now? But she was mostly frustrated that the omega hadn’t told her anything. As his doctor, she needed to know this type of stuff to monitor any changes in his mourning status. The alpha groaned, shaking her head as she took note of everything in the omega’s medical file. So, he had pups but he was still clearly trapped in mourning, why was this man always so complicated? 

“Well, I’m just glad to still have you as a comrade for a while longer, but if you don’t start telling me about things that could be affecting you medically, I will start using you as a practice dummy for my newest poisons.” She threatened, opening her eyes to reveal her now eerily calm demeanor. 

After the interrogation, the appointment went as usual, and the omega was indeed still healthy even with the pressure of mourning, though it did seem like the negative effects were easing up on his body. Well, I’ll be, he’s not cured, but those pups have indeed made it lessen and become more manageable. 

“So, when will I have the honor of meeting your pups?” 

“When my oldest completes his training and joins the Corps.” 

Ah, so his pups were training to become demon slayers then? How unusual, most parents would do anything to prevent their pups from coming to harm, yet the omega sounded welcoming to the fact that his kids would join the Corps. How peculiar. However, she didn’t have much room to speak on the matter considering she was training the pup that she and Kanae had saved a while back, preparing her for the Final Selection and awaiting her survival to appoint her as a Tsugoku. Maybe the two pups would befriend each other during the exam if the two were ready for it at the same time. 

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Back on Mt. Sagiri, Tanjiro looked at the boulder he had just been led to with apprehension. This rock was huge! How was he supposed to cut through it, could you even slice through boulders with a sword? A soft pout displayed over his face, as he watched Urokodaki walk away, not even answering any of his questions about the situation. 

He turned his attention to the boulder, grabbing the sword on his hips, before single-mindedly slamming it against the rock’s surface. The shock reverberated through his bones, but once he saw that the sword hadn’t shattered, a newly found wave of determination came over him, as he tried again and again; but nothing seemed to be working. 

He was struggling to cut the boulder Urokodaki had given him. No matter how many times he went over the training regime he wrote down in the diary he was keeping for Nezuko, nothing was working. It was highly irritating and discouraging. Not to mention, he wasn’t even able to call out to his mama for help or advice, who was too busy dealing with more missions in the Corps, or that’s what the old beta had told him anyhow. 

He repeated everything perfectly to a tee until he was down on his knees gasping for air and tears in his eyes. His hands were covered in blisters, some old and calloused, and some brand new. His chest felt tight; it was hard to fill his lungs with the oxygen he so desperately needed. It had already been six months since he first laid eyes on the boulder. Six grueling months without seeing his mama, whose scent was starting to fade off him the longer he was away from the nest. 

He gathered himself, standing up, and making one more attempt at slashing the boulder; only to end up with nothing to show for it yet again. He rested his forehead along the rope, wrapped around the stone. Everything was too much for him, nothing was working, Urokodaki refused to give any tips saying he had taught him everything he needed to know, he got the occasional letter from Giyuu asking how he was doing and talking about the missions he had been on recently, but nothing made up for the overwhelming desire to be in his mama’s arms. Nezuko still wasn’t awake either; was he so weak that he couldn’t even break this rock? If he couldn’t get to the final selection, was he going to end up failing his sister? Was she even going to wake up or will she be doomed to die in her sleep?

I’m at my breaking point, I’ll give in soon… He let out a sharp wail, slamming his forehead against the boulder. 

“Keep working Tanjiro!! You can do it!” He repeated the motion once more before a loud and irked voice grabbed his attention, forcing him to look up. 

“Shut up!” The figure the voice belonged to had a fox warding mask covering his face, a white haori, and a geometric patterned Yukata. The pup swore he’d seen it before but just couldn’t place it during his moment of shock. 

“A man shouldn’t whine. It’s unseemly.” The guy sitting atop the boulder had no scent to him either, was he a beta? Never mind that when did he even get here? 

“No matter how you suffer, bear it in silence…if you’re a man.” The figure slowly brought himself up, before jumping off of the boulder. “If you call yourself a man.” He spun himself forward in the air, before bringing his wooden sword harshly down towards the pup, who barely had enough time to react and block the attack, but it was all for naught when the beta swung his foot towards Tanjiro’s head, knocking the kid down. 

“Slow. Weak. Immature. That’s not what you call a man.” He scolded, as he landed effortlessly on the ground. 

Tanjiro scrunched his eyes in pain as he sat himself up on the ground, looking at the intimidating silhouette, “What do you think you’re doing?” 

“I’d like to know what you’re doing.” 

“What do you mean? I’m training!” The pup exclaimed defensively. 

“How long do you plan to keep your butt on the ground without even taking a stance?” At the question, the pup quickly got up, feeling flustered as he brought his sword up in front of him.  

“Come on. Come at me.” He motioned for the pup to attack him but was holding his wooden sword down and relaxed.  

“But you have a wooden sword and I have a real one?!” Tanjiro barked out with worry, his brows creasing a little.

A vehement laugh spilled out from behind the fox mask the man was wearing, “Well, well! Thank you for worrying about me. So, you think you’re actually going to injure me? I guess you really are Giyuu’s pup, well, you have absolutely nothing to worry about! I’m more powerful than you because I’ve sliced that boulder!” He growled, lunging towards Tanjiro, slashing the wooden sword down at him. Tanjiro barely had time to deflect the attack with his sword, a gasp escaping his lips that the task he had deemed impossible had already been done by the one in front of him. 

The two continued to clash their swords together, but it was obvious that the pup wasn’t even coming close to beating him or finding an opening mark to make a direct attack. He had been forced to either deflect or parry, but it was no use. This guy was fast, jumping from tree to tree, and was nothing more than a blur in the pup's eyes, before he found himself being winded and falling onto the ground. 

The masked man stood over the pup that was lying on the ground, the wooden sword resting at his side once again. “You’ve learned nothing. You haven’t mastered a single thing! In particular, the breathing technique that Urokodaki and Giyuu have taught you. Total Concentration breathing.” 

Tanjiro’s eyes widened, as he attempted to make himself look up at the man. Does he know both Grandpa and Mama? And the breathing technique? 

“All you did was memorize it as fact. Your body has no clue what it needs to do. What the hell were you doing for a whole year and a half?!” The man lashed out, quickly chopping his sword into Tanjiro’s, “Slam it into your flesh! More! More! More! So that you’ll never forget the secrets Urokodaki and Giyuu taught you! Pound it into the marrow of your bones.” 

Tanjiro was panting heavily as he continued to block and deflect the onslaught of attacks, but he was struggling to be able to keep up. “I’m trying! I’m trying every single day; with everything I have! But I’m not making any headway. I just can’t go any further!” 

“Go further! If you call yourself a man, there’s no other way to go but further! Bring it on! Show me what you’re capable of, show me why Giyuu chose to take you in as his own !” He hissed, before landing an upward swing into the pup's jaw, watching as the kid fell backward to the ground, unconscious. 

The man let out a sigh, before turning to look at the boulder. “I’m leaving the rest to you, make sure he’s able to make his mama proud when you’re done.” 

The black-haired pup nodded in return, her eyes softening as she went to check on the unconscious kid. 

Tanjiro later found out that their names were Sabito and Makomo, both former students of Urokodaki, but any of his attempts to ask how Sabito knew Giyuu, were met with an uncomfortable tension. Sometimes, during their sparring with each other, the pup got the vibe that it was like a father trying to get his kid into shape for a sports competition. However, it didn’t feel like he was improving any faster since he still never came close to beating the man. Thanks to efforts from Makomo, however, he was definitely getting better at using the total concentration breathing techniques. Even though he found himself feeling exhausted and almost physically unable to move his limbs, he was determined to keep up with the guidance he was receiving from his two new friends. 

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Even though Giyuu had trusted Urokodaki’s decision at first, now that it had been half a year, he was starting to get more worked up and anxious. Not only had he not been allowed to go home and see his pups, but he also hadn't been in the comfort of his nest, and he was starting to get loaded with a crap ton of missions. 

It was strange though, normally he didn’t see an increase or decrease in missions he was assigned to, probably because he never had anything that required his attention outside of demon slaying before. The shift in missions made sense, omegas entered heats about once a month, and the Hashira were made up of more omegas than alphas or betas, normally it was easier to manage because they could take a break during different times of the month. Unfortunately, this month, Gyomei and Mitsuri happened to sync up and were forced to stay in their respective estates until it was over. If that wasn’t bad enough, Tengen was also out of the mix due to his wives' heat cycles and his rut. 

It wasn’t like Giyuu had room to complain about it, since he had taken an unusual break from his duties, and frankly heats and ruts weren’t magically going to stop just because of their occupation. 

Currently, the omega was staring at the long-haired pup walking in front of him. Perhaps it was because Master Ubuyashiki knew that Giyuu was a good caretaker of Tanjiro and Nezuko, he thought he would be a good influence on the youngest Hashira. The two didn’t exactly get along, but they also didn’t not get along either. Maybe having two quiet introverts on a mission together wasn’t the best idea for bonding as team members, or perhaps it was because now Giyuu was having to be mindful of both Kanzaburo and Muichiro’s forgetfulness. It was a little endearing; at least he didn’t have to tie a rope around the pup, wish he could say the same for his crow. At least being paired up with the pup was better than Obanai or Sanemi, the only reason Rengoku wasn’t an option was because the alpha was currently at the butterfly mansion healing a few injuries he had acquired, and Shinobu was taking care of everyone at the mansion, so she was too preoccupied to be assigned any missions far away. 

The two worked pretty well together, and maybe Giyuu was loosening up more than he realized, even if the mission with Muichiro had only been for about two weeks, the omega found himself acting motherly towards the younger, and the pup found himself to be receptive towards the treatment as well. Perhaps this was what Lady Amane had been trying to do when Muichiro first came under her and Kagaya’s care, but he didn’t really react to their treatment that much aside from what was considered an obligation of him after agreeing to join the Corps. While the two weren’t injured because the missions were relatively easy to finish, they still got the chance to stop at a Wisteria house to take it easy for a few days of rest in between their assignments. 

Even if nothing belonged to him, Giyuu just couldn’t help himself from using the bedding and futons to make a nest, he just needed something after he had gotten used to lying in his nest with his pups which he longed to see. Muichiro watched as the older built the structure, he was mesmerized by it. When he hung out with Gyomei, he would also make a nest for the two to relax in after training his soon-to-be Tsugoku, but watching Giyuu make a nest felt different. He was more meticulous about it compared to Gyomei, like if the thing wasn’t perfect then it wasn’t good, the same mindset Muichiro had when he first presented and was being taught how to do certain things during his training and preparation to join the Corps. Another strange thing is that everyone around always mentioned that Giyuu was a beta. It's funny how that was the only thing he remembered when he was around the guy who looked like a decoration. 

“Hey if you’re a beta, why are you going to the trouble of building a nest?” The pup tilted his head as he continued watching his coworker arrange the bedding materials. 

“Beta? Is that what everyone sees me as?” Giyuu asked, pausing from his task and looking back at the younger Hashira 

“You didn’t know?” 

“No…?” 

“Oh…well, that’s just what uhm..the wolf and wild cat told me.” 

“The wolf and wild cat?” 

“Yeah, the guy with a lot of scars and then the one with two different colored eyes.” 

“Oh.” Giyuu nodded, he knew who the younger was referring to now, and frankly, he found himself agreeing with the prior nicknames Muichiro had dubbed them. Sanemi did act a lot like a wolf, he was a little aggressive like one too. Dogs come from wolves, don’t they? Is that why he and Sanemi didn’t get along? 

“Well for the record I’m an omega.” He mumbled, going back to placing the final touches on the nest he was making. He knew his scent was weak because of his Mourning, but was it really that weak that the people around him couldn’t tell he was an omega? He wasn’t even trying to hide his dynamic from anyone in the first place; maybe it was for the best if he just didn’t think about it too much. If it still bothered him then he would just have to talk about it with Shinobu, even if he walked right into a trap of her relentless teasing regarding the topic. 

Finally finished placing the materials to his liking, he quickly curled up in the comforting structure, relaxing almost immediately. His eyes closed as he found himself starting to fall asleep, ignoring the shuffling sounds coming from next to him, as Muichiro hesitantly made his way to the nest as well. While omegas were lenient to other omegas to nest with them, it was still seen as rude to enter uninvited. Giyuu, however, made no effort to prevent the pup from coming in so Muichiro let himself get settled in the plush of the blankets as well. 

Giyuu enjoyed having the presence of a pup in his nest again, he didn’t imprint on Muichiro so his motherly instincts must be growing stronger thanks to taking in and opening up to Tanjiro and Nezuko. He couldn’t wait to see them again, though he had his doubts regarding how much time had already passed, Giyuu was still hopeful that Tanjiro would succeed in slicing the boulder. 

“Tokito, would you like to meet my pups sometime?”

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Crystalized vapor was all Tanjiro could see in front of him, the snowfall eerily calm as he readied his sword in front of him. The pup looked in front of him as Sabito stood in front of the boulder Tanjiro had been given a year ago, this time the scentless man had a real sword. Makomo was sitting on a mound of snow watching the two get ready for another spar, she was sure this would be the last time Tanjiro would see them. 

The pup took a deep breath, before charging ahead. Tanjiro was more confident in his skills; the training with both Sabito and Makomo was paying off well. He moved fluidly, like water rushing through a river, dodging attacks the same way water slipped into cracks of rocks. This spar didn’t last as long as their previous one did, and while it was true Sabito had no scent, the pup had managed to develop a new skill of sniffing out just a singular thread of weakness, it was faint, but Tanjiro was sure he had smelled something similar to the faint smell his nose had grabbed ahold of. He slammed his blade down, cutting the mask that Sabito wore in half. 

The expression on his mentor's face was a kind one, one that contrasted his gruff and slightly angry voice. It was so gentle, filled with both pride and relief. A placated sigh escaped Sabito’s lips as he slowly nodded, “I’m sure of it. I would have gladly claimed you as my pup as well…Giyuu always had great taste. Take care of your mama for me, okay Tanjiro?” 

The words echoed through Tanjiro’s head as he stared in front of him with bewilderment, Sabito had completely vanished and the only thing in front of him was the boulder, now split in two. Wait? Claimed as his pup? What did that–?

“Caw! Caw! Tomioka Giyuu has returned home! Tomioka Giyuu has returned home!” 

The familiar screech of Kanzaburo pulled the pup out of his thoughts as he looked up and saw the crow circling in the sky above him. The crunching sound of the snow caught his attention as he looked behind him, seeing both Giyuu and Urokodaki approaching him. What had looked like an angry expression on his mama’s face, had morphed into something with relief and pride as the omega rushed over to pup, pulling him into a hug. 

“Tanjiro you did it!” He gushed, starting to scent the pup again. Urokodaki nodded in approval as well, he was proud but still had unease pooling in his stomach, he had given the pup the biggest boulder on purpose, and yet he still managed to cut through it, even if it took a year. The family of three had been so caught up in their celebration and emotional reunion, that the two adults had forgotten about the guest that Giyuu had dragged along. 

“Tomioka where’d you go?” The soft and monotone voice questioned as an unfamiliar boy with long black hair and teal tips came closer to the trio. He was another juvenile pup, just like Tanjiro, but the buttons on his slayer uniform were the same gold as Giyuu’s. Was this kid a Hashira as well? 

“Ah, sorry Tokito, I didn’t mean to rush off.” Giyuu hummed, releasing his grip from Tanjiro as he looked over his shoulder. “Tanjiro, this is Tokito, one of my colleagues, he wanted to meet you and Nezuko.” The pup tilted his head in curiosity as he looked at Tokito, giving a gentle yet timid wave to the other pup. Muichiro returned the gesture, giving a nod of acknowledgment to the feat that Tanjiro had completed by slicing the boulder. The new group of four made their way back to Urokodaki’s cabin. 

Tanjiro was forced to take a bath first upon entering. Urokodaki went to the kitchen to start making a celebratory feast, and Tomioka guided Muichiro around until the two stopped in front of the door leading to the back room. 

“Tomioka, why is there a demonic presence here?” The pup questioned, his eyes squinting as he peered up at the omega. 

Giyuu closed his eyes, pursing his lips as he let out a sigh. “If you recall, I said pups. Tanjiro is my eldest, and the one in here is my youngest. I understand our line of work makes what I’m about to reveal to you really complicated, but please give me the chance to explain after you meet her.” 

Something about how sincere Giyuu was being coaxed Muichiro to let his guard down. He knew this wrong, the current and former water Hashira hoarding a demon in their shared house, Giyuu claiming that the demon was his pup. It was madness and went against the rules of the Corps to eliminate all demons, but seeing the man who was so still, silent, and plain, who faded into the background like a small and insignificant decorative object, break forward and make his presence, determination, and resolve the centerpiece of all the decor in the room was captivating. When the omega was standing up straighter, his blank expression softening in determination, with a fire poking out from the depth of his eyes, one just couldn’t help but be drawn to whatever he was going to do or say. 

The two stepped into the room, and Muichiro’s eyes widened as he saw the demon pup sleeping in the nest. The bamboo piece tied to her jaw, but she was completely still, if you weren’t paying attention, you couldn’t even tell she was breathing. “She’s been asleep for two years, honestly sometimes I’m scared she’s never going to wake up but then she’ll let out a loud puff of air when the thoughts get too much to bear.” The omega mumbled as he sat down next to the nest, placing his hand on top of the sleeping girl's forehead and moving a few strands of hair away. 

“Asleep for two years? So…she hasn’t come in contact with or attacked anyone?” Muichiro asked, very confused at the notion but still being cautious. Though he didn’t need an answer from the older omega right away, he slowly shuffled over to the nest, kneeling next to Giyuu. He peered down at Nezuko, his lips pursed in a contemplative pout as he chewed the inside of his cheek. The pup seemed quite calm in her slumber, and she looked closer to his age compared to Tanjiro. Anyone could tell that the kids were adopted, something must have happened to their family. He huffed, pressing a palm on his head as his head felt fuzzy. 

It was nighttime, he was feeling restless and had gotten up to get a drink of water from the well inside the house. It was summer so the door was open to let the air inside ventilate. A figure covered in black peered inside, catching Muichiro off guard as he dropped the ladle and shuffled backward to try and get away. A growl escaped the black shadow as it raised its arm up, its fingernails like the claws of a wolf. 

“Muichiro!” A familiar voice called out a boy with a blurred-out face jumping in the way, blood spewing across the floor and his face, as half of the boy's arm was flung onto the wall as he collapsed on the ground in front of Muichiro. 

The pup let out a pained gasp. What was this? Something from his past? Why couldn’t he make out the figures in his memory? Was this before Lady Amane and Master Kagaya took him in? Wait, a blood-filled house? Muichiro just faintly recalled that Tomioka had mentioned he came across a house doused in blood before he met his pups. These two were…just like him? He was with someone in that house, one of his family members? The Hashira were always understanding of him because he no longer had a family, Tomioka was extending that same understanding to these two kids. With the same kindness that Lady Amane had shown him, it would be hypocritical of him to turn his back and refuse to give someone with the same experience as him the same understanding treatment he had received.

“Tokito?” Giyuu raised a brow as he looked at the pup with concern. Gently placing his free hand on his head. 

“I– Tomio– no, Giyuu…out of respect for you and all the patience you have directed to me, I shall do the same for Tanjiro and Nezuko.” He grumbled softly, lightly nuzzling into the omega’s hand with a faint purr. Muichiro had to admit that two Hashira pitying a demon was less than ideal, but Giyuu was the only one who treated him with equal standing. He let Muichiro make his own moves and decide when he was comfortable to accept the omega’s motherly attention. The pup didn’t want to lose that feeling of safety and comfort, and he was sure that Giyuu felt that same comfort when around Nezuko and Tanjiro. What right did he have to strip that away from the newly bonded family, even if it was his job, how would that make him any different from the demons they beheaded, who tore away others from their family? 

Muichiro glanced down at Nezuko, a smile creeping onto his lips. Wake up soon for Giyuu he thought as he and the older omega left the room meeting up with Urokodaki, sitting around a pot that was cooking the meal. Soon Tanjiro emerged from the bath, joining the three. They had a peaceful dinner. The two adults enjoyed the comfortable silence; full of pride as Tanjiro had completed his training. 

Muichiro and Tanjiro also seemed to be getting along with each other, there was no denying that the young Hashira was still blunt, however, anyone could see how he was visibly relaxing being in the presence of another pup. Maybe Giyuu should ask Master Ubuyashiki if he and Muichiro could be on missions more often so that way he could meet up with Tanjiro from time to time. 

Surprisingly, when it came time for bed, Muichiro paid no mind to curl up in the nest with Nezuko. He was lying in the corner opposite of her, but the fact he was comfortable enough to share with her was enough relief. Giyuu sat behind Tanjiro, helping cut his pup's hair. 

“Mama, can I talk to you about something?” asked Tanjiro as he did his best to stay still. 

“About what?” Giyuu hummed, diligently making sure Tanjiro’s hair didn’t look bad. 

“Well, when I was working to slice the boulder, a boy called Sabito visited me…” A clank stopped him from finishing his sentence, he looked down and saw the pair of scissors Giyuu was using on the floor. The omega had wide eyes and his hands were shaking a bit. 

“What?” Giyuu tried his best to calm down and keep his composure, surely this was just the pup having an overactive imagination, but he was sure he never told him anything about his late lover and Urokodaki didn’t talk about Sabito either. 

“Yeah, he talked very fondly of you when he was helping me train. Before you and Urokodaki found me at the boulder, I think he said something about you having good taste and that he would’ve claimed me as his pup too.” The pup chirped as he tried his best to recall the memory. The excitement from seeing Giyuu again, finally cutting the boulder, completing his training, and meeting a new friend had prevented him from processing what happened before Sabito had disappeared. 

Giyuu placed a hand over his mouth, the taste of acid burning his throat as the nauseous feeling made itself known, and it was hard to get air in his lungs, his breathing that was calm just a second go, now rapid and desperate. The old man did not miss a beat as he felt something was wrong, placing a hand on both Giyuu’s and Tanjiro’s shoulders. 

“Let’s go out and get some air?” Urokodaki suggested helping Giyuu stand up, supporting the omega as he led the way outside the cabin. 

The beta guided Giyuu and Tanjiro up the mountain, Giyuu’s breathing finally settling to a somewhat normal pace thanks to the grounding touch of his mentor. They stopped at the patch of hydrangeas that the omega would sit by when watching Tanjiro train. Giyuu closed his eyes as he sat down in the familiar spot, tears now visibly falling down his cheeks. His hands dug themselves into the snow, the cold helping to ground himself. The beta nudged Tanjiro to sit down as well as he looked up at the moon that was poking out from the clouds. “Giyuu, you can’t keep him a secret forever.” The omega let out a tired moan as he nodded. 

“I don’t know how you saw Sabito Tanjiro, but if he were still alive he would’ve been my mate...” Giyuu’s voice faltered as he tried his best to explain without becoming overcome by his emotions again. He couldn’t bring himself to explain the whole situation, but feeling Tanjiro nuzzle into his side scenting him, Giyuu knew that the pup already had a grasp of what happened. 

Tanjiro being able to see and talk to Sabito was a complete mystery to Giyuu and Urokodaki, however, it was one they would solve later preferring to just stay present in the moment under the light of the moon.

Chapter Text

Rays of sunlight poured through the window, illuminating the wood floor of the silent cabin. Urokodaki was meditating while waiting for the tea to finish brewing, with everyone still asleep; this was the time he finally had to himself. The old man loved how lively his home had become, but that didn’t mean he didn’t miss the times when he was able to enjoy the silence of a lonely morning. The lonely moments gave him time to reflect and process recent events, especially how proud he was of his new family. Giyuu had finally started to open up to those close to him again, especially now that he had finally talked about Sabito and what he lost the day the alpha had died. Typically betas weren’t able to smell the pheromones coming from omegas or alphas unless one was purposely flaring them to spread their scent, however, Urokodaki just happened to be born lucky with a naturally enhanced sense of smell, and he could smell that over the past two years since meeting Tanjiro and Nezuko, that Giyuu was slowly coming out of Mourning. The wounds his kid once thought to be endless were finally healing, although he was a little worried that Giyuu had brought home another pup; at least this time it was a coworker and not someone random. However, he couldn’t lie in saying that he was hoping the coworker his kid would bring home was closer to Giyuu’s own age. His eyes opened slowly. He watched steam rise from the testudinal, then poured the boiling water into two cups. He held one of the cups to the side as Giyuu sat down beside the beta, gently taking the cup and nodding.

The two stayed in silence; the only sound they heard was when they swallowed the tea. The pups were still asleep, so this was some rare bonding time the two adults had been able to use. Some may say that sitting in complete silence and drinking tea didn’t really count as bonding; however, if you truly know the person you’re with, their silence can be the loudest form of communication you hear. All it takes is knowing where to start, how different their breathing is, what small movements they make with their hands, or how they subtly shift their body around. A person is always talking and expressing themselves; you just have to be patient and truly want to listen to what they have to say, even if no words are being spoken. The two stayed like that for a while, until they had to move from the sunlight hitting their eyes.

Finishing the tea, Giyuu stood up and went to the kitchen. He was going to make breakfast for everyone before they had to see off Tanjiro. Urokodaki got up as well and went to the back room to check on the sleeping pups. He couldn’t help the smile creeping onto his face at the sight, all three of them were snuggled up together. Despite Muichiro’s reluctance from last night, it seemed the young Hashira had no problems while asleep. Tanjiro was in the middle of Muichiro and Nezuko, the latter in the same position she’d been in since arriving two years ago, and Muichiro was curled in a fetal position with his head on Tanjiro’s shoulder. He was sure that the three pups would end up being close friends with each other, and frankly, Tanjiro needed all the support he could get from high-ranking slayers if he wanted to make sure that Nezuko would live long enough for him to keep his promise of turning her back into a human. Some people in the world would die on the hill that you can’t feel familial pride unless it stems from your own bloodline, but Urokodaki knew that he didn’t need to have blood ties to Giyuu to recognize the omega as his cub, and the same remained true for Nezuko and Tanjiro being his grandchildren. He didn’t need to argue with anyone else about that either; it was a fact carved into his brain, and he just hoped that if Giyuu ever did become interested in finding a mate, that whoever he chose was ready to accept this adopted family, too. For now, he was content with just the six of them, they were already a perfect family in his eyes.

Eventually, the beta woke up the two human pups, who were both surprised at the fact that they had been cuddling while asleep, but the embarrassment subsided at the enticing smell of food. The four of them enjoyed the breakfast that Giyuu had made, and it continued to be a peaceful morning for them. Comforting silence throughout the house, and the relaxing smell of sea salt luring them out from the dopy feeling of just being woken up. After breakfast, Urokodaki had managed to wrangle Tanjiro and Muichiro to help him chop firewood. Watching the two work together, still trying to get a feel for the other and understand how they work, reminded the old beta of when Giyuu and Sabito had first met. Both survivors of similar trauma, but one with a more developed sense of self and emotional maturity, history may not have always repeated, but it sure did rhyme at times, though this comparison only put more unease in Urokodaki’s subconscious. Could Tanjiro actually make it through the final selection this year? Maybe the worst of the anxiety piling up in his chest, was that he hadn’t even told Giyuu the truth about the house ban and the size of the boulder his pup had sliced in half, especially since this was just after the omega had fully claimed Tanjiro and Nezuko, and regained the trust of caretaker to the beta too. Surely, Giyuu would understand where he was coming from; the omega had to be feeling the same worry of sending Tanjiro off to final selection as him?

He had been so lost in thought, he didn’t even realize that Tanjiro and Muichiro helped him sit on the ground when his breathing started to become erratic. The water cultivator, who was always so composed, emotions subdued, and behind a mask, was experiencing an anxiety attack. What finally broke him out of it was the sound of Tanjiro whining, a call specifically used for a pup to alert trouble to their parent and the burning sensation of sea salt in his nose, now seeing that Giyuu was peering down at him. The omega ruffled both of the pups' hair, letting them know he has it handled and they can go back to doing whatever. He sat next to the beta, laying his head on the man’s shoulder and closing his eyes, he knew now wasn’t the time for talking, neither wanted to add further pressure on Tanjiro before he left, and they wanted this time to be a rare occasion where Muichiro would let his guard down and momentarily not worry about his duties; pups deserved to have time to just be pups even when the world was shrouded in darkness and death seemed inevitable some days.

Once the pups were out of sight, Giyuu let out a calming purr, slowly opening his eyes and looking up at the man who raised him. “It’s okay, Papa, he’s going to make it back home. If what he said was true about seeing and training with Sabito, I have no doubt in my mind he’ll pass.”

If the pup who would nearly burst into tears at the mention of his deceased friend and lover could keep such a confident face and reassuring tone, perhaps he just had to trust what the universe had in store for his grandson. It was always hard coping with the thought of sending someone who was practically family to meet a potential death, but it was just the way of the world for now. Things couldn’t get better if he tried to prevent growth from happening, with this in mind, it was probably a good idea to start writing a letter to Master Ubuyashiki about Tanjiro’s situation and the sacrifices his family was willing to make if the pup was going to be part of the corps.

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Muichiro and Tanjiro shared glances of concern as they walked up the mountain, both were confident that Giyuu could handle whatever had happened with the beta, but when you had the luck of being the ones with front row seats see someone who appeared so composed and was just bossing you around on how to do something suddenly start breathing fast, gripping their chest, and almost fall it didn’t sit right in your gut to leave them alone. Muichiro wasn’t sure how to break the silence between them; he knew Tanjiro would be leaving for Final Selection soon, and from his own experience, it was only those who were calm that generally passed either by fighting their way through or sneaking around until the end. But what did he know about comforting someone else? He could barely comprehend when Lady Amane and Gyomei consoled him about something, and with his poor memory, he could hardly retain what techniques they used. This was why he kept his socialization within the corps to a minimum, with only a select few who seemed to understand him and not just look at him with pity.

“Thank you.” The voice next to him pulled him out of his thoughts, and he looked at Tanjiro with a befuddled expression. He hasn’t done anything to be on the receptive end of things.

“For worrying about me, but I’m fine. I know as hashira’s you, my mama and grandpa probably don’t want me to be anxious about final selection, although maybe you guys are forgetting to be the ones to relax.”

Tanjiro let out a chuckle and continued leading the way up the mountain; Muichiro followed, completely baffled by how easily the other pup could communicate. He was quite jealous of that, how someone just two years older than him could already be so much more emotionally mature and adept at picking up others' struggles. Wait, how did he even know that he was worried in the first place? Muichiro’s expression hadn’t changed that much from his usual blank, dazed stare.

“Oh, your scent has been going everywhere since we started walking.”

The mist hashira blinked, stunned as he sniffed the air. He always had good control of keeping his scent low since it was musky like an alpha's, to have someone testing what he had gotten used to was something foreign to him. He’s never been one easily influenced by someone else, even with Rengoku’s near constant nagging to eat more than what he got at restaurants when on missions, or Amane trying to get him to open up to the comrades around him, or Kocho’s probing to get him to relax and act like a child when he was getting wounds checked out at the butterfly mansion. He had always been some hazy shell of broken memories, trying not to call attention to himself, but encountering someone like Tanjiro and Giyuu, who could practically see through him and make him forget all the control he had built up, was a different feeling. He didn’t mind getting attention as long as it was from the two of the more, more so the fellow pup.

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The next day, Urokodaki stood outside the cabin watching Tanjiro, Muichiro, and Giyuu walk away. He had hoped the wake-up call would happen in a much more relaxing way, but what could you do after the chaos had started? Earlier that morning, Kanzaburo and Ginko had rudely awakened them, well, Kanzaburo had missed the landing on the windowsill and ended up crashing into a clay pot, and Ginko couldn’t help but loudly squawk with laughter as she went to check on the old bird. Unfortunately, the sound from the impact happened to kick start Giyuu, Muichiro, and Urokodaki’s instincts from being slayers. Both crows had watched their lives flash before their eyes when their owners suddenly were glaring down at them, swords pointed at the ready. The commotion further led to waking up Tanjiro with the harsh and bitter scents coming from the two omegas, who were slowly calming down after realizing there was no danger.

With news of the two Hashira having new missions, they had no choice but to wake Tanjiro up early as well and prepare to set him off to Final Selection earlier than planned, at least they were all heading in the same direction so the two could more or less escort Tanjiro to Mt. Fujikasane until they had to go their own way. The walk was very nice, in trying to keep the last moments with each other, all three found themselves just staying in the present moment. Muichiro and Tanjiro were occupied with looking at the clouds, the younger omega happily indulging in the various images he saw the clouds take shape in. Giyuu was smiling, listening to the two chat, at least both of them now had a friend they could count on, and he was sure in his report to master Kagaya, he would be pleased to know that Muichiro was socializing and for once being a carefree kid that was acting his age.

Unfortunately, Muichiro was the first to leave the trio as his mission had him going in a different direction halfway through the journey to the Final Selection. The two pups waved to each other as Muichiro walked away from the parent/child duo. He found himself feeling sad, no longer being in the company of the two. It had only been a day, but it was a day he hoped he would never forget. So many things happened at once, but the impact of meeting the family and being considered as part of it was something he wanted to hold onto. Giyuu ruffled Tanjiro’s hair to coax the pup to keep walking when Muichiro had left them. They still had a day and a half left to go after all, especially since Giyuu probably wouldn’t be returning in time to see Tanjiro return home after passing, he wanted to spend the last moments together for as long as possible. Walking together like this made the older omega wonder what traveling with a tsugoku would be like, momentarily silencing his thoughts about being the fake hashira in the corps.

Walking in company always made the time go by faster; however, nightfall came by quickly. Giyuu and Tanjiro had a quick bite of the rice balls that Urokodaki had prepped, and then the omega started carrying the pup on his back, letting him have his sleep so that he would be well-rested for Final Selection. From his experience, before he got injured, finding time to rest in the test grounds was hard. You had a couple of hours from sunset until nine in the morning, when sunlight flooded the forest. After that, as the sun got higher, the canopy of the forest would block it out, allowing for the demons inside to start their hunt once more. He smiled, hearing his pup snore in his ear, where some may find it annoying, it was a sound that Giyuu learned to love. He had already lost so much in his life that if he ever lost Tanjiro or Nezuko, he had no idea what he would do. The saying that a parent will do anything for their kids wasn’t something from a fairytale; if Nezuko had never turned into a demon, he might’ve just adopted the two when he first found them and retired from the Demon Slayer Corps. Kagaya let all the slayers have free rein to decide when to retire from the corps, so he was sure there would be no fuss if he ever did decide to take the risk.

The next day seemed to pass even faster, as Giyuu stood at the foot of Mt. Fujikasane, making sure the blue, cloud-patterned kimono was properly on his pup. He tightly embraced the pup, scenting him a little more, before pressing a kiss to Tanjiro’s forehead. “Okay, time for me to go now. You got this. Just make sure to come back to me alive, alright?” He was confident in his pup's abilities after seeing him split the biggest boulder from Urokodaki’s place in two, but waiting for the moment to arrive and actually being in the moment were two different feelings. When waiting, one can rationalize the anxiety and nerves away, whereas in the moment, everything swirled around and became overwhelming. He knew he would just have to trust Tanjiro to come home safe and alive, the pup needed to pass this to get one step closer to reverting his sister to a human. The omega couldn’t stop him, because he also wanted to give his daughter a chance at a normal life after everything she’s been through with Tanjiro. If this journey of hardship eventually led to a life of peace, then he would take the chance over and over again to see his pups living life happily and carefree.

“Don’t worry, mama, I’ll be okay,” Tanjiro reassured, flashing a smile before ascending the mountain, staring in awe at the beautiful wisteria trees. He was going to pass this exam no matter what.

Giyuu watched as his pup vanished from sight, curling and uncurling his hands into fists, fear pooling in his gut. Mostly from his own experience of not passing the final selection and the injuries he had received. The scar on his forehead is still visible from the attack he underwent. His mouth went dry as he struggled with the internal battle between his omega side craving to protect his pup, and the reserved side of seeing a student finally become the reason he started training to begin with.

“The motherly jitters are finally getting to ya, huh?~” A familiar, sickly-sweet voice taunted as a short woman stood at the omega's side. Shinobu could only cover her mouth to keep the laugh at bay, seeing her usually deadpan coworker get so worked up was amusing to her, plus the fact that the mourning omegas' scent was more potent than usual. “So he’s your oldest, I’m guessing?”

“Kocho, what are you doing here?” Giyuu crossed his arms as he turned to face Shinobu, a slight look of annoyance from the entertainment she was gaining from his suffering. “And yes, that’s my oldest.”

“Ah? Did I not mention that I have a pup of my own entering this year's selection? Gee must’ve slipped my mind.” She taunted, pressing her index finger on her chin as she cocked her head to the side. Likely payback for Giyuu not telling her about his pups the moment he took them in.

“Besides, we’re on this mission together. I simply thought that if both of us were having a pup enter final selection, the best thing to do would be a rendezvous at the same spot.”

“A rendezvous only counts when both parties agree to it.”

“Oh, is that right? Well, water under the bridge now, right Tomioka-san?”

Giyuu rolled his eyes, giving a quick nod before turning away from the mountain and beginning to walk away, saving his breath instead of indulging in the young alphas' taunts. They had a mission to get through, and maybe both experiencing the same worry of sending a pup to the selection exam would help them bond as friends even more. Although the same way that Shinobu masks her problem with losing her sister seemed to apply to the kid she sent as well, it was only Giyuu who couldn’t control his concern or his scent. Maybe because he never had anything to worry about before, and the symptoms of mourning disappearing little by little were also throwing him in a loop. After getting used to something that’s been with you for almost all your life, when it starts to change, it feels like everything comes falling with it.

Thankfully, the mission wasn’t that long, it had just been simple surveillance, and after investing three days, they both came to the conclusion that whatever supposed rumor had been circulating the area was false. they would have a word with their informants to get a bit more concrete causes for concern.

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After the mission with Shinobu, it was just one after another. Demon attacks were common, yes, but there usually wasn’t this much for the hashira to deal with. It seemed the ranks closest to the twelve Kizuki were becoming more and more active. Thankfully, Giyuu could put his mind at ease when it came to Tanjiro and Nezuko. Urokodaki had written to him immediately when Tanjiro returned home from Final Selection, and when Nezuko finally woke, although it hurt that he couldn’t be there to see it first-hand, knowing they were safe was all that mattered to him. He could place all unease to the side and focus on his main goal: annihilating demons and making this world a safer place for his pups.

It’s been two weeks now since the survivors from the selection exam started their work as slayers, currently, Giyuu was out with Mitsuri. Normally, he would’ve done anything in his power to avoid an outing, simply not wanting to get close in case they had died as soon as he started opening up and getting in a comfortable routine. However, he had been convinced to join the love hashira for a day of relaxation when she mentioned shops that had luxury nesting materials. She had heard from Kyojuro that Giyuu had pups, and as an omega, she figured the beta must be looking for soft material he could make a nest with. While it was more typical for omegas to be the main dynamic to nest, there were times when a single beta or alpha parent would nest as well to provide comfort to their kids. During their walk in the city, Kanzaburo swept down, dropping a letter in Giyuu’s hands. While the two had gotten to know each other slowly over their shopping spree, Giyuu still had yet to become fully comfortable around Mitsuri, but maybe that would change.

“Oh, is that a letter from your pups, Tomioka-san?” She asked in her melodic tone, tilting her head curiously.

Giyuu had to look away from her; it wasn’t that he disliked her, but she reminded him too much of his older sister. It was quite ironic thinking back on it, he was the oldest between the two of them, and yet all he could think about was how much more reliable she was compared to him.

“Ah yes, it is..” He mumbled awkwardly, should he just have given a nod or a simple yes? What did it matter now? he already answered. He quickly opened the rolled-up sheet of paper, starting to read what Tanjiro had written to him.

His pups now had more friends. Tanjiro had successfully completed his first mission with a demon that was eating teenage girls in a village with a horrible teeth-grinding habit. The thought of an annoying sound like that almost made him develop a headache. He even met an alpha on his journey to the next mission, under the name of Agatsuma Zenitsu, a giant scaredy cat and crybaby. Not to say he was surprised, there were plenty of cases where the stress and fear of being a Demon Slayer corrupted an alpha's mind and made them even more timid than a city-dwelling omega. Though he had to say he was quite fond of this new alpha in the picture. If he had thrown himself over the box containing Nezuko and kept her safe from the onslaught attacks of the omega Hashibara Inosuke, then he was alright in his books. He was glad everything worked out in the end; however, hearing that all three of them had more than two broken bones made him upset. Perhaps he would end up turning into Kocho and giving all of them a scolding for not being more careful, at least they had made it to a Wisteria house and would be safe for now.

After reading it on his own, he decided to pick bits and pieces to share with Mitsuri, leaving out the parts of the three pups basically fighting each other, and of course, Nezuko being a demon. Watching Mitsuri’s eyes light up as he spoke ignited a warm feeling in him; it wasn’t one of love, but one of familial similarity, like he was actually talking to his sister about his family and getting to brag about how he was proud of them. It was a feeling he had been sure he was never going to experience; he had never planned on having pups, and with his sister dead, he would have no one to share his accomplishments with. However, at this moment, shopping for nesting materials, happily asking about his pups and letting him ramble on about them, stopping to get snacks and a drink, it was like making up for a milestone in his life. He couldn’t help the smile that managed to sneak its way onto his face.

Misturi’s eyes widened even more at the gloomy beta, finally smiling for once. She wanted to call it out and compliment the water hashira right then and there, but she pulled herself together and just went with the flow. This was a moment to enjoy to herself, and not cause a scene about it, there’s no telling if her somber coworker would continue to smile if she did point it out. All she knew was that this was material worth boasting about to Shinobu, Tengen, and Kyojuro later. The looks on their faces would be enough to keep her satisfied. She wouldn’t have to eat for a whole week…well, maybe a day…who was she kidding, if a good meal was placed in front of her, she would eat it right away.

“Uh…Mitsuri, thank you for inviting me today. It was nice, I’ll try and be more willing to take your hangout invitations.” Giyuu hummed, closing his eyes as he sat down at one of the tables in front of the stall where they had gotten tea and hanami dango from. After today, it was likely they would be sent on even more missions, who knew when the next time they could relax would be. Though he wasn’t looking forward to knowing if Iguro had found out about their outing, the beta’s feelings towards Mitsuri were obvious to everyone except the two involved. It wasn’t that Iguro was some obsessed fiend, but rather that, like Giyuu, he felt unworthy to make a move towards who he had feelings for, and that turned into envy, worried that someone would take his love away before he could overcome his self-worth problems. Unfortunately, bringing up that the two were alike in any way would be the same as issuing a death sentence. The two had a mutual dislike for each other. Iguro hated Giyuu, and after taking so many rude remarks from the serpent hashira, he had no desire to try and befriend him anymore.

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Soon, a quick meeting between the hashira was called, nothing too important, just regularly scheduled reports and a headcount to make sure all nine were still alive. It was going the same as usual, however, most of them couldn’t keep their eyes off the scene of Muichiro leaning into Giyuu’s side. It wasn’t an action that called for such attention, but it was completely out of the norm for them. Mitsuri and Gyomei were the least shocked. Mitsuri because she had heard the story from Giyuu already, and Gyomei because he was the one who hung out with Muichiro, and managed to get him to talk about the day spent at the water cultivator's cabin. Shinobu couldn’t say she was entirely in the dark about this development either, after all, when she met Giyuu at the base of the final selection, she could smell Muichiro’s lingering scent on him.

Kyojuro was looking at the affectionate display with admiration in his eyes, seeing the man he had a crush on manage to get a kid comfortable around him, when he was struggling to do so, even with his experience of raising his younger brother, just made him fall further and further into his feelings. His Giyuu truly was the kindest person he knew, maybe even kinder than his former tsugoku.

Chapter Text

As the mission reports came to an end, the Hashira started leaving, except for three of them.

Giyuu stayed behind to give his report about introducing Muichiro to his pups since Kagaya had requested to know how it went when Giyuu first brought it up to him. Muichiro stayed because he didn’t want to leave Giyuu’s side and wanted to talk about how Tanjiro and Nezuko were fairing.

Finally, Kyojuro stayed behind so he could ask Giyuu out to lunch. The symptoms of love were becoming too obvious to everyone else, well, mainly his best friend Tengen, though he was only sure that it was because he could hear the way his heartbeat sped up. Still, the guy does have three wives; perhaps taking his advice and becoming more proactive about expressing his feelings would work out in the end.

While it may have been a little frowned upon in his family line to court a beta, he knew he couldn’t imagine a world with Giyuu continuing to be a single parent. Since his mom died, he had practically taken over all responsibilities of raising himself and his brother, and it was exhausting with no help. Even if Giyuu rejected him as a potential mate, he could still extend the courtesy of helping raise pups as a friend with experience, and help his younger brother make more friends, and just be a kid rather than a caretaker for the house and their alcoholic dad.

Even though he was now blind, his sense of smell was still excellent, being able to pinpoint the location of the three remaining Hashira, Kagaya turned his head in the direction they were standing.
“Hmm, I know Muichiro knows about your situation, Giyuu, but does Kyojuro know as well?” Kagaya asked, slightly tilting his head as his daughters helped him sit down. Giyuu looked up at the blind man, then glanced at Kyojuro, seeing the alpha’s puzzled expression, before nodding.

“Yes, Oyakata-sama, Rengoku does know that I have pups. He was the first one I told about them…” Told didn’t even sum up the events that had happened, truthfully, he would’ve kept the fact he had pups a secret from the other Hashira's but Rengoku had smelt their scents and then he was forced to tell Shinobu for medical reasons.
“Ah, I see, sounds like you’ll have a supportive inner circle when it comes to taking care of them. So, how did the introduction to Muichiro go then?” Kagaya inquired, his tone gentle like always.

Giyuu hummed, mulling over how to answer. It may have been a simple question to others with a straightforward answer, but with Rengoku here, who doesn’t know one of his pups is a demon, he has to be more tactical in answering without dropping a bomb on the alpha.

“It went well, Muichiro seemed to be fully relaxed and acting his age around them. Tanjiro, my oldest, has also expressed that he sees Muichiro as a friend, and has even written to him on a few occasions after passing final selection.”

Kyojuro was surprised at hearing that one of Giyuu’s pups had been in the final selection, he was aware that the beta had taken the kids in after their family had been by a demon, but he didn’t take him as the type of parent who would willingly let his kids choose to become a demon slayer. Though it was a common denominator that most demon slayers only joined the corps after surviving or losing someone to a demon attack, even his younger brother wanted to be a slayer to uphold tradition, and this was one occasion he was somewhat glad that his dad lost all motivation regarding the corps because at least that meant Senjuro would be safe for a longer time. Kagaya nodded at Giyuu’s answer, giving a reassuring smile.

“Sounds like a very successful socialization between pups. I’m glad it worked out that way for you, Giyuu. Unless there’s something either of you three wishes to tell me, you’re free to leave and enjoy the day until a mission comes in, my children.”

“Yes, Oyakata-sama.” All three answered, giving a final bow before making their way out of the garden.

As they were walking, the alpha decided that this was his chance; there was no use in keeping his feelings hidden away. “Hey Tomioka, would you like to have lunch with me?”

Giyuu took a minute to respond. The closest estate to them was his, but he mostly let it be used for passing water users to relax, and he was sure the current caretaker would become super stressed if he and two hashira came by with no notification beforehand. However, he didn’t want to turn down Rengoku either; the two were friends, and he couldn't deny that his stomach was basically doing flips when the two were together, similar to how he reacted when he was first crushing on Sabito. How childish of him to take forever to answer a simple request.

“Hey, I want to come too..” A grumpy voice stated, Muichiro pulling the omega out from his overthinking and gaining the attention of the alpha, who started apologizing for ignoring the pup and not thinking twice about extending his invitation.

“Haha, of course you can come along, young Tokito! I’m sure you’ll find something to chow down on in the village.” Kyojuro chuckled, glancing at the omega once more with a hopeful glint.

Giyuu momentarily froze. How could he forget about the village just a few miles away? It was where the Kakushi stayed, and the master let a few merchants trade with the corps. Maybe he really did need to go out more often. He was so used to just completing missions and going straight onto the next one since he first started in the corps, and continued to do so when he was first promoted to hashira. And even after he got his pups, it was just a mission, travel home, rest, and repeat.

“Lunch sounds nice.” He finally muttered, looking at the alpha, with a softer version of his deadpan expression.

Kyojuro smiled wider at his invitation being accepted, and he nodded, happily leading the way to the village at the bottom of the hill where the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters were located.

The alpha was feeling as giddy as if he were a kid seeing snow for the first time. To him, it was exciting, a way to get their lives to overlap more than just being coworkers; all he had to do was lay out his feelings on the table. Though he didn’t plan on having a third-wheel audience, he wasn’t going to back down now.

The three eventually settled down at a restaurant, ordering their favorites and waiting for someone to start the conversation at the table. Kyojuro normally wouldn’t have any problems chatting his head off, but the nerves started to get to him. Did everyone get this nervous before confessing? It was just so hard to focus on what he wanted to say when the man in front of him was just so…beautiful. His soft, uneven, tied-up black hair, gentle blue eyes that carefully noted everything in his surrounding environment, rounded lips, creamy skin…

Giyuu stiffened as he noticed the man across from him staring at him. He couldn’t tell what he was thinking. Was he judging him or something? He needed to find something to break the silence, anything would do. He was so used to Kyojuro always being the one to carry out their interactions. It was so much more enjoyable when he didn’t have to talk, but being under such an intense, fiery gaze made him uneasy. His stomach swirled, and he could feel his heart palpitating. Giyuu swallowed hard as he rolled up some of the fabric on his pants to try to stay collected.

Muichiro looked between the two adults, it was painstakingly obvious that both of them liked each other. Why couldn’t they just talk about their emotions instead of making the air suffocating? Maybe he shouldn’t have asked to come along, but he was the one who was going to be hanging out with Giyuu before the owl man proposed the lunch outing anyway. Thankfully, their food came out quickly, and the anxiety-clouded air settled down enough for them to dig in.

Chowing down allowed for a change of pace, everything slowed down, and there wasn’t any reason to be worried. This was just a friendly lunch with coworkers after all, nothing that special, right?

When they were nearly finished with their meal, Kyojuro was scared he would lose his chance to finally come clean about his feelings towards Giyuu, so he did the only thing he knew: blurt everything out at once.

“Giyuu, I really need to let you know that you are the most kindest person I know in the whole world. You’re so beautiful, I admire how hard working you are, how you never back down even when others are doubting or taunting you, wishing for you to fail. You’re strong and take in everything that everyone says. I see how the words of others affect you and how you restrain yourself from acting impulsively.” He took a quick breath, his cheeks flushed, and the cool feeling of sweat starting to drip down his forehead.

“I am undeniably in love with you, while I hope you will reciprocate, don’t feel forced to if you’re not ready. I’m fine with staying friends, and just know that I will be here to help you with your pups if need be!”

Giyuu stared wide-eyed, his lips parted as he blinked, trying to take everything in. What? Kyojuro was in love with him? He wanted to feel relieved, knowing that he was never being judged by his friend, but could he really live a normal life with him? What would happen if he found out that Nezuko was a demon? Could he really guarantee his pup's safety?

His shoulders slumped, his head turned down, eyes hardening just a bit. Could he move on from Sabito this easily? Even if it had been 8 years since his death, was he able to love another? Everyone he’s loved has died. What happened if he allowed himself to be vulnerable and open with Kyojuro? They both share the same occupation, an occupation that bore the bright red seal of death over their heads at all times.

He couldn’t bring himself to get out any words. Instead, Giyuu stood up from the table, bowing slightly.

“Thanks for the meal…” He finished as he took his leave, not even sparing a glance back at the scene he left.

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It’s been a week since hearing Kyojuro’s confession, the omega wasn’t sure how to feel. He couldn’t deny that the alpha was attractive, nice, and smelled really good. A scent like that was something he could get addicted to, however, a part of him still couldn’t move on from Sabito. No matter how much he seemed to have healed, he just couldn’t escape this chain that kept him in place.

Giyuu wanted to give the alpha a proper response, but he was unsure of how he felt to begin with, not to mention he had no idea how Kyojuro might react to finding out one of his pups was a demon. With Muichiro, it was easy to introduce them; he was still a pup himself, so it was easy to empathize with someone close to your age. With Kyojuro, though, he comes from a long line of slayers who have dedicated and usually sacrificed their lives to kill demons and keep the world safe. Even if he did love Giyuu, could that love really guarantee that he would try and understand the omega’s side of things? Or would he think him mad the same way the folks in his village did after Tsutako died?

It was too much to think about, he didn’t need to be so overwhelmed when he and Shinobu were about to head out on a mission. Apparently, a lot of lower-ranked slayers were being summoned to a mountain with rumored demons, but none of them were returning, and the threat hadn’t been neutralized either. He was just hoping that his pups and their friends were safe and not part of the victims being sent to the mountain.

Oh how wrong his hopes were. The first slayer he managed to come across was one he was familiar with in Tanjiro’s letters. A boar head, the omega Inosuke. After saving him from nearly having his head caved in, he unfortunately had to tie him to a tree. Now was not the time to indulge in whatever antics the kid was asking for; he needed to find his pups, given how much stronger these demons were compared to the low ranks.

He felt torn in a way; he was supposed to be scouting for any slayers he could help, but knowing that his pups were on the mountain, his instincts temporarily clouded his mind over his orders. Giyuu just had to find them and make sure they were okay; more importantly, he had to find them before Shinobu or her Tsugoku found them. She was in the dark about Nezuko’s situation, and he couldn’t risk losing his daughter at a chance meeting like this.

The omega started frantically running, sniffing the air to try and find the scent of his kids, but the mountain was so colluded with the scent of others and different demons. He couldn’t pinpoint any direction, though he did make sure to help whatever other slayers he came across. It was in an omega's nature to help anyone younger than them.

His breathing got faster, the more panicked he became. It felt like he had been searching for his pups for hours, until finally, he heard it. A squeal of pain that only his ears could pick up. A call for help from his pups, it was Nezuko. Giyuu closed his eyes, reassuring himself now that he knew the direction where his pups were.

The water Hashira hurried to the scene, the harsh scent of both his pups' blood in the air, the closer he got. His heart was pounding against his chest, ready to burst out from the danger surrounding them.

When he finally arrived, the horror he saw was beyond him. The way Nezuko was strung up like a puppet, threads cutting through her skin, barely holding her together. Tanjiro, on the ground, beaten and about to be sliced to death. The omega could feel the shield that seemed to always be around him start to crack. He moved faster than he ever had before, using his technique: dead calm, to protect himself and Tanjiro from getting hurt. In a flash, while the young demon was confused, the omega sliced off its head and flicked the blood off his sword.

Giyuu watched as the headless and disintegrating lowermoon trudged over to his pup, arms flailing like a toddler running to its mother for comfort. He had started to make his way slowly over to his two pups lying on the ground, so he could protect them from getting injured any further, until he stopped dead in his tracks as he saw the demon collapse onto the ground, and Tanjiro extend his hand onto the rotting corpse back in a comforting manner. He’s too kind. That sadistic lowermoon almost killed him and his sister, and yet he was still trying to provide comfort in its last moments.

He finally made his way over, stepping over the now-dead demon's kimono and looking down at his pup. He was relieved to see both of his pups still alive, of course, but he was a bit disappointed to see his eldest act so compassionate to the man-eating creature.

“Don’t waste any sympathy on a demon that devoured humans. It doesn’t matter if it looks like a child; It’s still a hideous monster that’s lived for decades.”

“To avenge the people who were killed, to make sure there are no more victims, of course, I'll bring my blade down on any demon's neck without mercy! But as for those who being a demon meant despair, those who regretted their actions…I will never trample over them! Because demons were once human, too! Just like me, they were human, too! Please step off of him!”

Internally, Giyuu was struggling to consider Tanjiro’s words, after all the thought of having sympathy for a demon was absurd, but as he looked down at his pups, his gaze focused only on Nezuko, finally recognizing that Tanjiro got the mindset from himself after he spared the two on their fateful meeting on the mountain. His eyes softened in realization, and he complied with the request, stepping off the kimono, which was now slowly disintegrating.

He knelt down, collecting both pups in his arms and forcing them as close as possible to him. The anxiousness he was feeling before slowly going away, the omega was just so happy that his kids were still alive. His shoulders trembled slightly as he was now holding back tears that had developed with the relief washed over him.

He was about to start scenting them, before he perked up, remembering he had been accompanied by the alpha and fellow Hashira, Kocho Shinobu.

The omega quickly pushed his kids behind them, changing to a kneeling position and deflecting the alpha’s attack away from his pups.

“Oh my! Why would you get in my way, Tomioka? After telling me that we could never be friends with demons…how should I put this? That’s exactly why…no one likes you, you know?”

Tanjiro looked tense at the woman who had just arrived, and his mama had already placed an extended hand in front of him as if trying to hide away his pup's face from the alpha in the white and purple-pink ombre monarch butterfly kimono.

Shinobu noticed the way that the young boy seemed to cover the demon girl with his body, while hiding behind Giyuu, like a kid getting protection from its parents. “Giyuu, please don’t tell me that this slayer and demon are your pups.” She hummed, the fake smile she always wore slightly curving down just a bit.

“I’m not…I’m not disliked by people.” He mumbled, sensing his eldest tensing up behind him, almost judging him for focusing on that part rather than the imminent threat of the situation happening right now.

“And you’re correct in assuming they are my pups, as such…please refrain from getting any closer.” He declared in a harsh tone, fangs protruding from his lips for the first time. The omega was trying to be threatening, and to Shinobu, this was a further sign he was close to breaking free from the mourning that haunted him.

While it wasn’t ideal to edge him on or let the demon live, she had a decision to make. This was her best friend and his family they were dealing with, however, she couldn’t go against corps orders either. Perhaps she would just have to play as both a follower and a traitor.

Shinobu just hoped Giyuu would forgive her for her actions, but she couldn’t help him if she was convicted of the same crime as him.

“Well, I’m sorry. You haven’t realized that others don’t like you, then? That was uncalled for. Please forgive me.” She chided before slowly opening her eyes and waving her hand at the pups to get their attention.

Tanjiro was even more befuddled after that. Was this alpha playing along with his mama about the exchange of whether he was liked or not? They can’t be serious right now.

“Hey, little boy!” She called out, watching as the omega pup behind Giyuu turned to face her.

“Yes!”

“What you’re protecting there is a demon. I don’t want you to get hurt, so please move away.”

The pup had finally found his strength, now sitting up, after the agonizing battle against Lowermoon Five, holding the younger female pup closer. “Y-you’re mistaken! I mean, you’re not mistaken, but…she’s my kid sister! She’s my kid sister, so…You see…”

“Ah is that right? Poor thing. In that case, I shall use a gentle toxin to kill her so she won’t suffer, all right?” Shinobu provoked, as she placed a hand on the hilt of her sword, readying to attack, but a certain hand-sign caught Giyuu’s eye.

Tanjiro’s scent immediately turned more to distress and panic at the insect hashira’s words, feeling himself lean forward into his mama.

Giyuu gave a quick nod, turning to face Tanjiro.

“Can you move? No matter, make yourself your move even if you can’t move. Take your sister and run.”

“Mama…Sorry for the trouble. Thank you very much!” The pup huffed out before turning and sprinting away.

The alpha female stared at the interaction in a daze before turning her attention back onto Giyuu.

“Going against corps rules wasn’t something I would’ve pegged from you…”

The alpha and omega duo started to clash swords with each other, though both were actually at an understanding with each other; this was just for theatrics when the Kakushi had to give a report to the master about everything that happened.

“I can see you’re dead serious, Tomioka. Who would’ve thought a hashira would ever defend a demon? Whether you’re dead serious or not, I’m not going to join you in stalling for time.”

She parried an attack from Giyuu before forcing her sword to push his down so she could get close enough to whisper without anyone else hearing her words.

“Just know, if you don’t keep me in the loop of information happening with you, this is the last favor you’ll gain from me..” She hissed in his ear before sliding backwards to keep their little fight seeming real.

“So, good day to you.”

Giyuu watched as Shinobu jumped over him, his reaction time failing him as he was currently trying to control his instincts so he didn’t fall into a feral haze, and to process everything happening in the moment. Why did everything have to get so hectic so fast?

He quickly started after her. She kept saying things, but he wasn’t paying attention as he jumped into the sky after her, ready to capture her. He did catch her saying something about ‘the other one,’ but he was sure his pup could hold off for a while longer.

He grabbed hold of Shinobu, tackling her down to the ground as they continued to hash out the ‘bad blood’ between them.

“I’m sorry, I was just worried about how you’d react to the news. I was planning to tell you eventually, but it seems the world wants to work against me.” He explained.

The two were finally at a standstill, the omega had the alpha locked under his arm, the two sharing some light banter before Shinobu got ready to kick her leg, a blade coming off her zori. Just before she could land the hit, a desperate caw came flooding in.

“Message! Message! I have a message from headquarters! Tanjiro and Nezuko are to be taken into custody and brought back to headquarters!”

Both hashira were genuinely surprised and caught off guard by the announcement. Their plan was to feign fighting until they were out of the prying eyes of the Kakushi, so that the omega could run away with his pups. It seemed lady luck decided to be on their side after all; They both separated from each other, sheathing their blades, and started descending the mountain side by side.

Although faint, Giyuu’s scent and pheromones were spreading like crazy. He was extremely anxious about the situation. What would happen to his pups? He knew he had Shinobu’s and Muichiro’s support in the matter, but what about everyone else? How would Kyojuro react to the news after he had confessed his feelings and offered a helping hand to raise the pups with the omega?

Not even a few moments ago, Giyuu had nearly lost his pups, and now they were going to be put on full display as criminals in front of his coworkers. The cracked shield was breaking more and more, like an ice-covered lake ready to fall apart and swallow its victim whole.

The walk to headquarters was supposed to give him time to clear his mind, but thoughts just kept coming and swirling around. Giyuu felt dizzy and tired, the lack of processing recent events finally catching up to him. He felt out of it, like he was no longer in his body.

To Shinobu, she could smell the omega’s scent become more potent. At this point, it was only a matter of time before something set off Giyuu and forced him out of mourning. She just hoped she and Tengen could keep it under control before that happened. A rogue omega was the last thing they needed on their hands.

When they arrived at Ubuyashiki’s manor, Giyuu could only find himself pacing around the room. There was too much happening at the same time, too much change happening to him; he didn’t like this. He knew something was wrong, and being forced to be kept away from his pups at a time like this wasn’t helping either. He had no idea how the Kakushi were even treating his pups at the moment.

“Giyuu, you need to try and calm down.” The alpha advised, looking up from the table she was sitting at, pouring two cups of tea. She knew no one wanted to be told to calm down, but there was nothing else she could say. Shinobu couldn’t ease any of his fearful thoughts; truth be told, she was having similar ones herself. Witnessing her best friend come close to being mourning-free, if something did happen to his pups, there were two outcomes. Either he loses control and hunts down everyone who hurt them, or the agony becomes overwhelming, and he kills himself.

All she could do was pray that neither one would come to pass, however, she forgot to include a hair for brains alpha in her calculations.

While stuck in thought pacing, Giyuu could not hear anything around him. Even as the other hashira flooded into the waiting room, until he heard Sanemi.

Not like the usual run-of-the-mill chatter, but Sanemi’s alpha voice barking out an order.

“God damnit, Tomioka, stop being mute and answer our questions, traitor!”

The omega froze up, looking at the alpha, ready to spill just about everything, when a flash of orange passed his vision, and the sound of growling could be heard.

Kyojuro had placed himself in the middle of the two, baring his fangs at Sanemi and glaring harshly.

It was illegal for an alpha to use their special voice to anyone who wasn’t part of their pack. After all, the alpha voice commands were only supposed to be used in times of desperate need, like calling a pup back from danger, calming down a mate, or disciplining a pack member who stepped out of line; even then, it was only reserved for the alpha leading the pack.

Now this was an outcome no one was prepared for, it was one thing for Sanemi and Giyuu to fight, that’s just the way things were between them. But for Sanemi to use his voice like that, and Kyojuro instantly coming to defend Giyuu…there was no doubt an actual brawl of some kind was about to happen.

The two slayers were both growling at each other now, looking for an opening on the first hit they could make. Giyuu had to step back from them. Both were already slightly intimidating on their own, but now that they were both looming with anger and ready to prove who was more correct over the other, it was frightening.

Giyuu couldn’t help but sniffle, the fear finally getting to him of his omega nature. While in published novels, the idea of two alphas fighting over one omega was appealing, in real life, it was a nightmare. However, it wasn’t just Giyuu who was being affected; the heightened release of pheromones coming from both Sanemi and Kyojuro was starting to agitate Shinobu’s own instincts to protect her friends, causing Mitsuri to back away and nearly lose her balance from how overwhelming the territorial stench was. Muichiro and Gyomei had even subconsciously tried to get away until…

“THAT’S ENOUGH!” A booming call echoed through the room, a true alpha command coming from the leader in charge when the master wasn’t around: Tengen.

Unlike Sanemi’s, though, this wasn’t just a power trip tactic; it was the real deal. Something that had to be instantly obeyed or face expulsion. The taller alpha looked down at the two with a threatening and cold glare. Seeing Tengen be completely serious about something always sent a shiver down everyone’s spine. It was uncommon, so when it happened, it was always off-putting.

The overlapping distress scents coming from Mitsuri, Gyomei, and Muichiro were now easy to detect, and Kyojuro instantly felt bad for causing his friends to feel scared of him, but there was another scent coming through. An unfamiliar twinge of sea salt, now that he had calmed down a little, he could pick up on it more.

Unfortunately, the way everyone’s distressed and angered pheromones were blending together, it was hard to single out the sea salt scent he had picked up on. Especially since he had never smelled it before, and compared to the others, it was very weak, easily overpowered by the other scents belonging to the hashira.

“Sanemi, I promise after this trial, we’ll be holding another one right after about your behavior…” Tengen threatened as he crossed his arms and looked across the room.

“Now, everyone outside, we’re almost ready to begin...” The alpha demanded, leading the way out of the room, letting no one get the chance to utter another word.

Chapter Text

Everybody was already tense as they lined up outside; no one was expecting things to go down that badly. Was Sanemi a hot-headed alpha? Yes, no argument there. But even he wouldn’t use his alpha voice to subdue an enemy. He knew better than to do something so foolish in front of a crowd. He didn’t need to resort to using his alpha voice with his particular skill set. For example, on one occasion, he asserted authority over the uniform manufacturer after they harassed a female slayer regarding the mandated attire. Then, after Shinobu managed to set fireproof fabric on fire, it was officially changed so that female slayers could choose which uniform variant they felt the most comfortable in.

Perhaps it was Giyuu that caused Sanemi’s normal control to falter. Giyuu never cared about what Sanemi had to say in the first place. The ‘beta’ was indifferent to everyone, but more so to Sanemi. At least, that was how he behaved before recent events transpired. But did that qualify as a good reason to break a code that both normal society and the Demon Slayer Corps had in common?

In the rock garden, Sanemi and Obanai were sitting the farthest away from Giyuu. They were the ones most judgmental about what this trial was about. They believed that a Hashira conspiring with a demon should be punished immediately. The same punishment should apply to the Mizunoto caught harboring the demon on his travels. There should be no exceptions to these rules.

Tengen, Gyomei, and Mitsuri weren’t sure what to believe. They had better interactions with Giyuu and knew he wasn’t the type who would just betray the corps. Still, the details were a bit confusing, especially with the eyewitness stories from the kakushi and the crows of the slayers who saw him and Shinobu fighting each other on the mountain.

Gyomei felt an even deeper turmoil within him as he grappled with this trial. He knew he had a duty to uphold, yet an unbearable guilt clawed at his heart over the thought of punishing Giyuu for his crimes. Gyomei’s student's unique fighting style could also be considered demonic at times. So, if the verdict were guilty, it might unjustly condemn his student too, despite his innocence. What if Giyuu were in a similar situation where he imprinted on a pup that happened to be a demon? Could he truly forsake his loyalty to his friend in favor of the Corps’ rigid rules? The weight of that choice pressed heavily on his soul.

As a Hashira, Gyomei understood it was his responsibility to uphold his duties. Once, when Muichiro returned from visiting Giyuu’s childhood cabin and Gyomei caught the faint scent of a demon on him, the young boy didn’t seem overly concerned. Perhaps Muichiro already had an inkling of what was going on. However, as an adult, Gyomei knew he needed to act as a role model and provide guidance to the younger members. Maybe, just this once, he could hold off on making a judgment until he’d heard everyone else’s opinions.

Mitsuri was haunted by swirling internal thoughts, unsure of how to process what she was feeling. Surely, the master was already aware of this—she had to believe that, right? The idea of a slayer traveling with a demon seemed too unlikely to be mere happenstance, too perfect an alignment, to occur without some unspoken permission guiding it all. It was as if everything clashed too seamlessly, making the sudden call for a trial feel deeply unsettling. For example, if the kids being put on trial hadn’t happened to be on that mountain, where Giyuu and Shinobu had gone on their mission, they would never have converged over this. The slayer and the demon would still be out there, journeying together on their missions, unbothered. It might all just be a coincidence, but it lingered in her mind, a faint, nagging feeling—almost as if Master Ubuyashiki knew exactly which Hashira to assign because he truly understood who had been sent there first.

Kyojuro and Shinobu stood on either side of Giyuu, their bond as close as it could be. Shinobu struggled to understand why Giyuu would have taken in a demon pup. She wasn't sure she could ever fully agree with his reasoning either. Yet, despite her doubts, she couldn’t find it in her heart to tear them apart. Ever since he brought the pups into his life, she had seen the omega begin to heal and grow stronger. She refused to lose a friend so easily. If what Giyuu claims about the girl named Nezuko—that she hadn’t harmed a human in the two years since she was turned—was true, perhaps the Corps could find a way to turn her unique nature to their advantage.

Kyojuro was overwhelmed and unsure of what to think or feel about the situation. It was a demon slayer’s sacred duty to eradicate demons, yet Giyuu had taken one in and even betrayed a fellow Hashira to keep it alive. Was this the true reason Giyuu had left after Kyojuro confessed his feelings to him? Despite everything, the alpha couldn’t fully blame Giyuu’s reaction now. If the two pups about to be judged truly belonged to Giyuu, and one of them was indeed a demon, he could understand the wariness about accepting such a fiercely passionate love confession from someone who not only hunts demons for a living but also comes from a long line of demon slayers. 

Kyojuro wasn’t yet sure if he could accept a demon pup as his own, but he knew one thing for certain: he would stand unwaveringly by Giyuu’s side at this moment. The alpha had promised to help with the pups, and even if he never received a response to his love confession, he wouldn’t go back on his word. Most importantly, he needed to keep Giyuu safe. This wasn’t just any trial; the raw tension in the air, especially when Sanemi used his alpha voice, ignited a fierce resolve within him—one he refused to let simmer down.

He and Giyuu might not be in an official relationship. Hell, they haven’t even had the chance to truly discuss what their relationship was. But that didn’t give Kyojuro the right to turn petty or act like a terrible friend. Deep down, he genuinely wanted to prove to Giyuu that he could be trusted and that he wouldn’t be a threat to the pups. Maybe, just maybe, showing that sincerity could be his way in—his path to being accepted as more than just a friend, as a potential lover.

Muichiro sat silently in front of Giyuu, a heavy weight pressing on his chest. He could feel the tension radiating from the omega, a mirror of his own unspoken fears. The pups, Tanjiro and Nezuko, had been his first true friends since he had joined the Corps, and the thought of losing them so soon was unbearable. And Giyuu—the man who had shown him what it meant to be truly understood—who had given him space to breathe and move at his own pace—what would happen to him if his pups were condemned to death? Would Muichiro lose the only other person besides the pups who made him feel like he truly belonged, like he was part of something bigger, a family? The thought alone twisted painfully inside his chest, igniting a fear so deep it threatened to drown him. His heart raced, and his mind began to spiral into fears he couldn’t ignore. A dull ache started pounding behind his eyes as memories, long lost, threatened to surface once more. 

The wind roared fiercely, drowning out the faint sounds of his quiet sobs, as the pouring rain relentlessly battered the land around him. A fragile flicker of candlelight cast a tentative glow in the quiet corner of the cabin, where the pup hovered anxiously over the sickly woman. Her raspy breathing and phlegmy coughs echoed through the heavy silence ringing in his ears. The relentless winds outside seemed to wail with the woman’s pain, as an overwhelming wave of dread surged within him. They were helplessly waiting for someone to return. The pup knew deep down that the person had already been away longer than what was promised. The hope in the cabin was hanging by a fragile thread, trembling on the edge of despair.

Muichiro shook his head, emerging from the haunting memory. Recalling something so chilling and dreadful sent a shiver down his spine, almost like a dark omen looming overhead. Could it be a warning that the trial was doomed to fail, or was it simply the overwhelming despair that stirred that agonizing memory? All he was certain of was that a peaceful trial seemed impossible now. The tension was too heavy, too raw for anything calm to prevail. He could only desperately hope that it wouldn’t explode into utter chaos, that some sliver of hope would still remain amid the storm.

The sharp sound of skidding rocks shattered the tense silence, capturing everyone's full attention. A member of the Kakushi loomed above the battered and bruised boy who had been thrown onto the ground with his hands cruelly bound behind his back. At first, the pup remained deeply unconscious, unresponsive to the harsh orders barked from above. Giyuu’s eyes hardened with a mix of concern and frustration; how could they be so callous as to neglect basic medical care, ignoring the small, yet painful injuries that marked the boy’s fragile body from the recent battle? More than that, how could they toss an injured pup on the ground as if he were nothing more than trash? Giyuu fought to keep his emotions in check, knowing he couldn’t afford to lose control now. Still, relief washed over him that his oldest pup was alive and breathing. He maintained a cautious, watchful eye as he watched Tanjiro slowly stir from unconsciousness. Shinobu stepped toward the pup, tenderly offering water mixed with painkillers to ease the suffering from his wounds.

While most of the hashira who were still in the dark about the whole story just gave curious and scolding glances at the boy, nothing had escalated yet.

After drinking the tonic to soothe his aching pain, Tanjiro started to look around the garden, desperate to find his sister and check if any of his travel companions were nearby. Until his gaze landed on Giyuu and Muichiro, the heaviness left his body as he found part of his safe space to calm down. Now was no time for hysterics; he was lost about what was happening, why all the attention was on him, and he could tell something bad had happened before his presence was brought to light. 

The woman he met on the mountain smiled calmly and introduced herself as Shinobu. “Welcome to the Demon Slayers’ Headquarters. Where we’ll hold your trial, Kamado Tanjiro,” she stated, asking him to explain why he was traveling with a demon, though she was rudely interrupted.

“Hey Shinobu, what do you think you’re doing, stealing my spotlight? As the flamboyant leader of this pack, I should be the one telling this unflashy kid about what’s gonna happen.” Tengen huffed, crossing his arms in feigned offense. A playful grin on his lips as he looked at her; Shinobu’s eye twitched in irritation at being interrupted, but if the head alpha was going to be serious about taking over the case she would step back for the time being. 

“Now listen here ya runt,” He cleared his throat and pointed a finger sharply at Tanjiro. However, hearing Giyuu’s heart suddenly beat faster as if he had been offended by the nickname given to the kid, made Tengen soften his tone a bit. “Traveling with a demon is the least flashiest thing you could do as a slayer. So, you Kamado Tanjiro, better have a hell of a good reason for your unflashy actions that await our soon-to-be decided punishment.” Despite the slightly joking tone at the beginning, anyone could tell Tengen was the leader of the group. While his eyes reflected the deep seriousness of the situation, he kept his words lighthearted, taking it upon himself to pull everyone out of their thoughts and calm them down. 

The pink-haired omega also injected herself into the conversation before Shinobu could go back to her real questioning. “Uhm…Maybe we should wait for the master to arrive before we start gathering evidence to use in the trial. It just seems reckless to make such decisions without his knowledge...” Her voice carried a quiet but sincere concern. Tengen nodded his head at her suggestion. It was the better approach logically, and like the good leader he was of course he would listen to his pack mates.

 “Well…if everyone else agrees we can drop the interrogation for now.” He hummed, resting his chin between his thumb and pointer finger in thought as he looked around the garden. Everyone present decided to settle on the same answer. This case was confusing enough with the puzzle pieces they had and the ones they were still missing. It would be easier to navigate under their master’s guidance.

“Hah! Who cares about this insignificant kid's trial? We should be focusing on Tomioka's punishment—he betrayed a fellow Hashira. That’s the real matter we can’t afford to ignore..." Obanai snapped, his voice sharp with contempt as he sneered down at the others, his gaze burning with pure hatred and disgust directed at Giyuu.

“If we're going to focus on Tomioka, shouldn't we also take action and hold the wolf man accountable for his crime?” Muichiro interjected, side-eyeing Obanai with a smug, teasing smirk that carried a hint of challenge. 

Kyojuro blinked in surprise hearing the sassy remark that just came from Muichiro, normally he was just as calm and nonchalant as Giyuu was in meetings. This trial was really showing the unknown sides of everyone. 

Tengen and Mitsuri hurried to cover their mouths, shoulders bouncing as they struggled to stifle their laughs. Mitsuri was laughing because hearing Sanemi described as ‘the wolf man’ was something she wasn’t expecting, and frankly, it was the truth with how guarded he acted. And Tengen was laughing because seeing a grown man get put in place by a kid using the same tactic of dragging someone else to the spotlight was amazing. Plus seeing it happen without being reprimanded was healing to him in a way, reminding him that if he never left the shinobi life behind, he never would get to experience the light-hearted moments of working in a team like this. 

Obanai clicked his tongue in exasperation, before sitting up on the tree branch and adjusting his haori. “Then maybe I take back my agreement to wait for the master, whether with his guidance, with evidence, or without the punishment for harboring a demon is made crystal clear. We behead both of them.”

Giyuu stiffened at that remark, his gaze snapping upward toward the beta lurking in the tree, an icy, piercing glare etching itself onto his face. It was clear to see this was a calculated threat to try and lure Giyuu to slip up, but he still had the brains to restrain himself from doing anything rash this early on. The trial hadn’t officially started just yet, he didn’t owe anyone an explanation until it was sanctioned by Master Ubuyashiki to do so. 

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The constant infighting was the perfect cover for a certain alpha to cause more chaos. After a passing Kakushi carrying a wooden box caught his eye, Sanemi snuck away. He knew using his alpha voice was a mistake on his part that was going to be punished; he could also tell that some of the others were becoming more sympathetic towards Giyuu. Could they really just move on from the part where he willingly prevented the death of a demon and even turned his blade on a coworker?

He sure as hell couldn’t. Giyuu is always acting like he is better than everyone else, and today he may as well have proven it. Sanemi may not be the most honorable alpha with how he treated others, but he got his job done, and he was going to keep it that way. Maybe the others just needed a prime reminder that demons will never hold onto or regain their humanity. A truth that should’ve been obvious, it was always right in front of their noses when out on missions. Why did this become an exception in the first place?  Even if these two were related, what did that matter?  Family or not, once turned into a demon, there’s no turning back—he knew that all too well from experience.

Watching the creature hover on the balcony, slowly creeping into the house, in the dead of night, sent a shiver down his spine. Growling like a savage beast, eyes burning with a fierce red glow, it pounced at the slightest hint of movement. Blood splattered wildly across the room, and the tiny, desperate squeals of horror were silenced in an instant. Barely able to blink, he tackled the beast away from the only other sibling left alive, landing harshly on the ground, pain shooting through him as he feared he might have sprained something. The monster was distracted just long enough for him to grab a discarded knife in front of the butcher’s place. The knife was likely dropped as the butcher closed for the day. Lucky for Sameni that the butcher was so careless in his cleaning. With no time to mourn his terrible loss, he fought desperately against the beast, finally gaining the upper hand and pinning it to the ground. Rage and anguish poured through him as he yelled, hacking and slashing at the creature’s body, fighting back tears that blurred his vision until the creature finally went limp. Sanemi stood above the disgusting creature, his chest heaving with ragged breaths, his furious eyes staring down at it. As sunrise broke through, the true horror dawned on him—what he thought was a monster was his mother. Grief tore at his heart, and a deep self-disgust flooded him. The sound of hurried footsteps snapped him out of his anguish. Genya stared at the scene with terror-stricken eyes, clutching his mouth with trembling hands as tears streamed down his face. The younger boy shoved Sanemi away from the body and threw himself over the remains of their mother, who was now slowly turning into dust as the sun rose higher. Snot and drool dripped from his chin as he wailed uncontrollably at the scene, before finally looking up at his older brother with eyes clouded in rage.

“M-mu-mur.…murderer…Murderer! MURDERER!! HOW COULD YOU NEMI?! WHY DID YOU KILL MOM!!?”  

“Genya…I didn’t know-...” Sanemi sniveled, his voice trembling as he slowly reached out, desperate to comfort his hurt little brother.

But Genya, filled with overwhelming grief and fury, slapped away his older brother’s hand and threw himself over their mother’s body, trembling with anguish. “Go away! YOU MURDERER! GO AWAY!”

The alpha wrinkled his nose, shaking his head as he forced himself to suppress the haunting memory. He couldn't afford to linger on his past trauma—his only hope was to do his part to shield others from the same pain. He snatched the wooden box from the Kakushi, despite her protests at the action. He made his way back to the garden, hearing the boy’s pathetic reasoning. 

“Please! She’s my sister! I’m taking her with me to try and find a cure for her, to save her! She hasn’t eaten a human in two years!” the pup stammered desperately, gazing fervently into the eyes of the other hashira. “She can join me as a demon slayer and fight to protect humanity!!”

“Oh give it a rest already.” Sanemi snapped, his voice sharp with impatience as he rolled his eyes, everyone turning to face him. Confusion crossed Tanjiro’s and Muichiro’s eyes upon seeing the alpha carrying Nezuko’s box above his head. Shock and anger were plastered on Giyuu’s face. The Kakushi should’ve taken Nezuko’s box inside the Ubuyashiki estate. What the hell was Sanemi doing with it? He balled his hands into fists, gritting his teeth, holding back the urge to start growling. It was one thing to pester him about the situation, but purposely endangering his pups to make an example of something was crossing a line. 

“Just what the hell are you trying to pull here?” demanded Sanemi, his voice laced with a mix of fury and disbelief.

“Please! This won’t do Master Shinazugawa!” The Kakushi said, finally catching up to him. “Please, would you mind putting down that box?” she begged, her voice trembling with panic. It was her responsibility to protect the box, and she was currently failing in front of everyone. She couldn’t afford to disappoint Ubuyashiki like this, but deep down, she wondered—was she truly ready to start a fight with one of the strongest Hashiras?

Shinobu rose to her feet, a flicker of frustration burning within her at Sanemi’s reckless actions and the incessant interruptions around her. She was among the few who truly knew the truth, and watching him tread so carelessly only deepened her concern—Sanemi was unknowingly digging his own grave with every reckless move.

“Shinazugawa, please don’t act out of line,” she said softly, yet the warning in her eyes was impossible to miss. The others instinctively stiffened, their nerves prickling as if they could sense the storm brewing just beneath the surface.

“What did you say about that demon, kid? That she can fight as a Demon Slayer and protect humans?” His tone was sarcastic, reaching for his sword. “You know what we call that? A total delusion, you moron!”  Sanemi quickly shifts his stance, smoothly maneuvering the box behind him. Without hesitation, he drives his sword straight through the box, puncturing the demon's skin. 

Tanjiro let out a gasp, eyes wide with shock. The faint, muffled cry of a helpless pup pierced the air. Mitsuri and Gyomei had gone on high alert. A pup's cry is a desperate call for help: beckoning not only the parent’s protective instincts but also calling every nearby omega into a fierce, unwavering resolve to rescue the pup in distress.

“Ma…m-m-m…MAMA!!!” Tanjiro wailed out for his parent with tears rolling down his face. He broke the rope that bound his hands behind his back and tried to run over to Sanemi. Fortunately, Muichiro had grabbed him and pulled him back, pinning him to the ground. The pup fought against his friend, not understanding why he was preventing him from helping his sister. He kept squirming around, trying to break free when he saw what had unfolded. 

Shinobu had barely caught Nezuko’s box as it was flung at her, holding out an outstretched arm to keep Tanjiro and Muichiro behind her. “Nobody move!” She commanded, glaring at everyone as they all froze in stunned silence, their breath caught in their throats as they watched the scene unfold.

In front of them, Giyuu was mounted over Sanemi, claws extended and pressing against the alpha's throat, threatening to pierce the skin. His right hand reared behind him before bringing it down onto Sanemi’s face in a fist. 

His eyes narrowed in anger, lips curling into a cruel sneer that revealed his now sharp, imposing fangs. The growl he released was on par with that of a ferocious wolf defending its territory. The ribbon that held his hair captive had snapped. Spiky, tousled strands of hair framed his face in a more intimidating shadow. If Sanemi hadn’t known any better, he might’ve believed he was fighting against an Uppermoon. 

The harsh combination of sea salt and sulfur clouded the air, a heavy weight settling on their faces as realization struck. Giyuu, the quiet and lonely beta, wasn’t a beta at all. He was an omega, worse an omega progenitor, and they had just set him off by endangering his pups. 

Giyuu relentlessly pounded into Sanemi’s face, blood splattering with every brutal strike, fully aware he'd broken the alpha’s nose yet refusing to hold back. Unfortunately, Sanemi wasn’t going to take this lying down, even though he should’ve. It was in his nature to fight back and protect himself. He angrily grabbed the omega’s fist, forcibly reversing their positions. The omega brought his knees up to his chest before frantically kicking the alpha square in the stomach, sending him back a couple of feet. 

Mitsuri watched in horror. It was one thing to fight off demons, but seeing two people she worked so closely with practically fighting to the death was too much. “Tengen, make them stop…” she whimpered, her voice trembling, as she slowly backed away, her hands covering her eyes in anguish.

Hearing how scared Mitsuri sounded, as the pack leader, he really wanted to do something to put a stop to this. Really, he did; however, getting in between a feral omega was not a risk he was willing to take. He understood that Giyuu didn’t see the Hashiras as a true pack, and in this wild, frantic state, there was no way the alpha could pull him back.  

The level of unpredictability when an omega was in this state made the situation all the more dangerous. One wrong step and Giyuu could change his mark from Sanemi to one of the others. 

“I’m sorry, but all we can do is wait for the master to arrive…” He mumbled out softly, averting his gaze, a wave of shame washing over him.

Muichiro looked down at Tanjiro, doing his best to help his friend try and calm down. The two knew Nezuko was safe now at least, and so were they. Shinobu had gently and slowly ushered them to crawl back so they wouldn’t accidentally become caught in the crosshairs of the brawl. 

Giyuu hastily rose from the ground, lunging at Sanemi. He managed to carve two jagged scratch marks on the alpha’s cheeks before they both grasped each other’s hands, desperately trying to shove the other back onto the ground. Deep, enraged growls rumbled from their throats, trying to force the other into submission and determine a victor. Finally, Giyuu broke free from their deadlock, dropping low and swiftly sweeping his leg beneath Sanemi’s stance. Caught off guard, the alpha stumbled, and Giyuu seized the moment—gripping both of Sanemi’s wrists tightly, holding him in place. With a savage rush of emotion, he sank his fangs into Sanemi’s shoulder. Giyuu was determined to win this fight, even if it meant ripping out Sanemi’s scent glands. 

The ripping of scent glands was a guaranteed death sentence for an alpha or omega. Scent glands were the vital means of communication with family and friends, the silent warnings of danger, and the unbreakable bonds that held pack members, mates, and pups together. Losing an intact pair of scent glands meant being torn away from all social ties, cursed to bear an everlasting feeling of isolation. Some might argue that it was merely a cruel transition into beta status, but that couldn’t be more wrong. Betas still possessed scent glands; they simply never grew or matured as fully as those of alphas and omegas. That loss was not just physical—it was an agony of separation, of severing the very threads that tethered them to their community and identity.

Before he could even start pulling the flesh away, a deafening, thunderous clap resonated through the garden, catching everyone off guard, even the two fighting. With Giyuu now distracted, and his fangs no longer deeply lodged in Sanemi’s shoulder; Kyojuro hurriedly approached the pair, wrapping his arms around Giyuu, and whisking him away, holding him against his chest. 

Tengen had done the same but with Sanemi and forced the alpha to bow on the ground. He was going to give this man a scolding of a lifetime when this was over, screw needing a trial. As the leader of this pack, he would take action on his own to restore the peace that had been so violently shattered today, even if it seemed unfair. 

Gyomei cleared his throat as he lowered his hands and tenderly rubbed the prayer beads between his fingers. Everyone turned and bowed when they saw the blind man, being guided by his daughters, finally make an appearance and approach them. 

“The master has arrived.” The synchronized voices of Hinaki and Nichika announced.  

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While waiting for the Hashiras to arrive, Kagaya sat in a room looking down at a beta. Amane, who was preparing tea, described the young slayer as nervous and timid, who was under the impression that he had done something wrong. 

“Murata…it’s good to see you’re not badly injured,” The master acknowledged in a sweet tone as he was handed a cup of tea from Amane, who nodded in agreement as she handed a cup to Murata as well. 

“Ah yes, though it’s thanks to you sending the Water and Insect Hashira to Mount Natagumo that I survived.” He answered, sitting taller as he gratefully accepted the cup of tea. This was nerve-wracking. It wasn’t every day that a Kanoe rank, like himself, got to meet face-to-face with the leader of the Corps. 

“Downplaying your strengths is a foolish game, Murata.” Amane kindly added, placing her hands in her lap. “You survived for many days before they were sent to help.” She hummed, smiling reassuringly, to calm the slayer down before they continued with their questions. 

Kagaya smiled warmly, gingerly setting his cup down. “Mhmm, now onto the real matter at hand. Murata, it’s true that you and Tomioka were in the same final selection, correct?” The beta raised an eyebrow, a puzzled expression plastered on his face. What did that information have to do with anything? 

“Y-yes we were…” Murata hesitated. Thinking about the final selection was an activity the beta avoided; for the survivors of that year's final selection, it was an agonizing memory. A memory of how truly weak they had been at that stage in life. How they all relied on one person to protect them, and how they couldn’t even muster the strength to comfort the one who had just lost his whole world. 

“I see… and on the mountain, you two crossed paths?” Kagaya asked softly, tilting his head to the side just a little, his voice carrying a quiet sense of curiosity. 

“Yes, that’s right sir. Why? Are the rumors true about him turning his blade against a member of the Corps?” The beta responded he was worried about what was happening to the frightened omega he met all those years ago. Who could barely stand while holding a sword, too afraid to make a mistake and unable to fight a demon on his own? Then when he turned cold and cut off from the world, refusing to join any of the small traveling packs in the lower ranks. Next thing he knew, he blinked and Giyuu was already inaugurated as a Hashira and opened up the doors of the water estate to every single slayer who used water breathing. There’s no way someone so kind, hiding his pain away from the world, would turn against his comrades without a good and calculated reason. 

“I can’t confirm or deny those rumors at the moment, but before his and the Kamado’s trial begins I would like to understand something about him a bit more. Murata, is it true you were there when Giyuu first went into Mourning?” 

The beta’s eyes widened. Of course the head of the Demon Slayers would be aware of one of his members slipping into Mourning, but somehow, the idea never even crossed Murata’s mind. He nodded and looked up, the nerves slowly dying now that he knew this was something different from what he first believed. 

“Yes. I was in charge of taking care of Giyuu when it happened.” 

Kagaya nodded, taking note of all the information he was getting. “When you two passed each other, could you tell anything different about his scent in that brief exchange?” 

While it was known that betas couldn’t smell the pheromones from alphas or omegas, with exceptions being Urokodaki Sakonji, who was born with a naturally adept sense of smell, some occasions left a beta able to smell the pheromones of a specific individual. Those occasions included when something life-altering hit an alpha or omega and a beta was present as a witness to that event. Murata was that witness to when Giyuu first entered Mourning after the death of Sabito. He knew the ins and outs of the omegas' scent, even if they hadn’t seen each other in a while. 

“I mean I guess his scent was more potent compared to when he first entered Mourning. He smelled panicked.” 

Kagaya hummed at the description; at least now he and Amane were getting a full picture of Giyuu’s recent behavior and growth. “An omega in mourning, yet his scent was breaking through, perhaps taking the Kamado pups in is doing him much good.” He hummed, glancing at Amane with a thoughtful look in his eyes. Now all he had to do was figure out how to break the news to the Hashira at the trial. 

“Kamado pups? Tanjiro is Giyuu’s pup?” Murata asked, confused, that sure was news to hear, he would have never imagined that the grieving boy he first met would go on to take in pups. As kind as he was, he would never place himself in a situation where he was the main focus of attention. 

“Wait…if Tanjiro and his sister are the reason Giyuu is breaking free from Mourning…Master Ubuyashiki! I know it’s against Corps rules if it’s true he’s harboring a demon, but you have to do something so those kids don’t leave his side!” The beta rambled, surprising himself by even having the courage to speak out of turn like this. “Please! I’ve already lost tons of comrades and friends due to being a coward, I can’t lose or let Giyuu meet another cruel separation in this world! He doesn’t deserve any more loss…” 

Before Kagaya or Amane could even try to ease Murata’s concern about what was going to happen, the overwhelming smell of an omega entering a feral state flooded their senses. Murata easily picked it up to be Giyuu’s. It was the same pitiful and bitter smell when he wept at the news of Sabito’s death. How could something already go wrong within the first 20 minutes of arriving at the Ubuyashiki estate?

The Ubuyashiki pups flinched at the horrid smell and quickly went to their mother for comfort. They could only act calm and unaffected for so long. It was still normal for them to get scared. Amane smiled softly as she carefully scented all five of her pups. 

“It’s alright my little ones, you’re going to be safe.” She crooned before standing up and glancing at Murata. “Seems it's time for the meeting to start, come I’ll escort you out. Hinaki, Nichika, help your father to the garden.” 

She clasped her hands together, gently resting them on her stomach, as she led the way out of the room, Kiriya, Kunia, and Kanata following close behind her. She motioned for Murata to follow her as well. 

Hinaki and Nichika tentatively helped their father stand up and started to guide him out of the room, slowly leading him to the garden where the Hashira were waiting for him. 

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Kagaya stared at the garden, even though he was blind his nose was still intact, and with all the overlapping pheromones in the air it didn’t take a genius to figure out something intense just happened. 

“My my, everyone smells so distraught. What seems to be happening?” Kagaya asked, tilting his head at his daughters to explain. 

Nichika broke the silence, speaking in a soft tone. “Shinazugawa seems to have accumulated lots of facial injuries, and Uzui is holding him down. Tomioka is being held back by Rengoku, Kocho is guarding Kamado Tanjiro and Tokito behind her, and the others are standing off to the side.” She gave a brief overview of what could be seen. 

Hinaki then chimed in providing more of the unnoticed details. “Kocho is also holding the box where Kamado Nezuko is presumed to be resting. There are faint blood droplets on the side, and Sanemi’s katana is on the ground with blood dripping down. It should also be noted that Tomioka’s right fist is covered in blood, and so is Sanemi’s face.” 

Kagaya nodded, sighing softly as he looked at his Hashira and held his hands out, wrists turned up. “I see, please allow Giyuu to come closer.” He hummed, letting his comforting pheromones swirl throughout the air. 

Everyone seemed hesitant at that request. Giyuu was still in a feral state of mind. Would their master be safe to have the omega come close to him? Kyojuro swallowed hard and let go of Giyuu. Deep down, he knew Giyuu wouldn’t harm the master, he was only acting out of instinct to protect his pups. If Senjuro had been placed in a situation like this and had been stabbed, he was sure he would go feral just like Giyuu. 

Giyuu slowly approached Kagaya, coming down from his feral state just a bit. The sulfuric smell went away and was replaced with the gentle aroma of zinnia and rosemary, though the sea salt was still there. It wasn’t harsh like a hurricane, but more of the soft ocean spray the wind carries at the beach. 

“I’m terribly sorry for betraying your trust Giyuu. I had called for a trial to keep your pups safe, and instead they got hurt on neutral grounds. I only hope you’ll accept my apology and stay serving in the corps.” Kagaya apologized, tilting his head so his scent gland was on full display showing that he was giving authority to Giyuu for what had happened. 

Seeing their revered leader stand in a submissive display was humiliating; he was the glue holding the Corps together, and seeing him bow down to someone else was just strange. Giyuu stared at Kagaya before closing his eyes and rubbing his wrists against the others. A light purr reverberated from his throat. Looked like everything had calmed down now. 

“Glad to have you back Giyuu. Nichika, could you grab some nesting materials for him please?” The young girl nodded at her father's request and quickly walked away to gather some extra bedding. 

Now that things were somewhat back to normal and there was a small intermission waiting for Nichika to return, everyone could process what just happened. 

Mitsuri was just relieved the fighting was finished, though she couldn’t bring herself to blame Giyuu for reacting like he did; she was sure that if he had managed to rip out Sanemi’s scent glands, the situation would be made worse. In a feral state, it was hard to have control over the body's actions, but it wasn’t a permanent change either. If Sanemi’s scent glands had been ripped out, and that broke Giyuu’s crazed hypnosis, she knew for a fact that Giyuu would be filled with regret after seeing what he had done. 

After all, in their hangout a few weeks ago, Giyuu opened up quite a bit and revealed that all he ever wanted was to make friends with everyone. Knowing that the two on trial were Giyuu’s pups made her not want to continue with it any longer. She knew the rules were set in place for a reason, but if it was causing this much trouble even to try and start proceeding, was it worth even carrying out a sentence? 

Obanai wasn’t sure how to decipher every thought and feeling in his mind. It wasn’t as if Giyuu revealing to be an omega, let alone an omega stuck in Mourning, changed how the beta perceived him. He still had an annoying rat-looking face, and all his actions over the years were still recorded in their history. However, if Giyuu was able to almost kill an alpha while in a feral state, then it also meant that in a clear headspace, he could hold himself on equal ground against a level-headed alpha. 

Entering a feral state obviously gave great potential to one’s strength with the excess production of adrenaline and being more attuned to their instincts, but even then most struggled to be as tactful as Giyuu was in this fight. That was something Obanai had to admit he respected Giyuu for. Though he couldn’t bring himself to accept the fact that one of Giyuu’s pups was a demon, while he understood the need for an exception to the Corps’ rules now, he didn’t have to like it. 

Gyomei rubbed the prayer beads together, continuously chanting the prayer “Namu Amida Butsu” under his breath. Tears flowed down his cheeks. He knew the fight could’ve been way worse than what they had witnessed, and like Tengen, he would probably have a chat with Sanemi after this. The giant couldn’t harbor any anger toward Giyuu because he also experienced the feral state. Before joining the corps, Gyomei had been living a peaceful life, taking care of orphaned children. To him, it was a fulfilling life as an omega who didn’t want a mate. It connected him to his religious roots in providing a kind service to others until disaster hit. One of the kids he was looking after exchanged his life for the lives of the others in the cabin. Gyomei didn’t know he had it in him to fight so fiercely, but he had taken in the children as his own, and as such his instincts took it as a violent attack when he heard them all die. He remembers hearing the demon come for him last, able to visualize the exact approach before punching the monster in the throat, and after that, it was a complete blur. 

While he doesn’t remember what all he did, he remembers the feeling. It haunted him since in his Buddhist practice, he was supposed to show compassion to all living beings. But how could he just let a massacre of the innocent happen without making the enforcer of violence pay? He took a deep breath, letting the memory run its course. Pushing the memory away would only make it hurt worse if it resurfaced again, and he would rather be in a clear state of mind than an emotional one. He could say that his opinion in this trial was to give the demon named Nezuko a chance. If seeing her get hurt made Giyuu jump to protect her, well he wasn’t going to punish his friend for being a good parent and doing the best he could. 

Shinobu pursed his lips and turned to face Tanjiro and Muichiro. Her calm demeanor was still on her face, and unlike everyone else, she appeared to have the most control over her pheromones. She handed the box to Tanjiro before helping both him and Muichiro onto their feet. “Hah…today turned into such a mess. Hmph, that idiot better learn to listen to me from now on.” She muttered, cocking her head to the side before sighing and looking down at the two kids. “I’d wait here for a bit longer until Giyuu builds his nest. Sometimes the effects of a feral state linger for a couple of minutes after coming out from the daze.” She instructed, keeping her tone even and controlled. She was aware that the pups wanted to be in the comforting company of their parent, but she couldn’t let that happen until Giyuu was fully relaxed. 

Now that Sanemi’s movements were limited thanks to Tengen still holding him down, the consuming fog of anger blanketing his mind subsided, and he finally calmed down, taking everything in. Needless to say, he wasn’t expecting the reason for Giyuu’s arrogant actions to be spurred by being stuck in Mourning. Seems the anger he had held on to for so long finally bit him in the ass. He wasn’t like Shinobu, an alpha able to keep her emotions in check every moment of every day, always figuring out the most logical approach to a situation, and allowing others to share their opinions even if it was something they disagreed on. Sanemi also wasn’t a natural leader like Tengen, who used his experiences to learn what he wanted to improve and what he wanted to no longer associate himself with, who naturally connected with everyone, and made everyone feel safe in his presence. 

Tengen was like the big brother or father figure that a lot of members of the Corps had never had the chance to experience before. Sure, when first meeting him, people may think he’s a superficial person only looking for people who exceed his level of flamboyance, but he would never abandon a comrade. When it came to missions, slaying demons was the last thing on his mind if someone around him was in danger. Tengen didn’t like people who looked at life as something meaningless or easy to be disposed of; if someone was trying to sacrifice their life, you could always trust that Tengen would do something to stop it. 

And he sure as hell wasn’t like Kyojuro, a noble alpha who went above and beyond in his work and the ideals he believed in. He was someone who stood as a true protector of the weak, willing to give someone the chance to prove themselves differently. Kyojuro didn’t let his pain shape his outlook on life; he let everything pass in due time and stayed true to his heart. Truth be told, Kyojuro was what Sanemi always wanted to be; now it was just a blissful dream that only came true when he was asleep. 

Sanemi knew their vast differences made it too hard to attain becoming someone as honorable as Kyojuro, and with the name he had already carved out for himself, it was too late to even try and change. All he could do now was take whatever was thrown at him with no resistance; maybe his changes in the world weren’t as drastic as everyone around him, but that didn’t deny they were still there. 

Tengen was ashamed that he had let everything escalate as badly as it did. He knew he should’ve done more to make Sanemi and Giyuu confront their grudges towards one another when they were first introduced. Maybe the trial wouldn’t have been so messy as it was, but thinking of what-ifs wasn’t the way to a productive solution. He knew he couldn’t fix the past; all he could do was focus on how to manage the present. Tengen looked down, seeing that Sanemi had cooled off. He eased his grip on the younger man’s head, not giving permission to rise but silently recognizing the change in his demeanor accompanied by the subtle, yet unmistakable piney fragrance that now lingered more intensely from Sanemi.

 He was still going to have a harsh sit-down with Sanemi and chew his ear out for all his mistakes, but he also had to think of something constructive to say to the other as well. Punishment and scolding didn’t work if it only meant berating someone and breaking down their self-worth. Tengen had done so much to become a different person from his father, and all that work wasn’t going to go down the drain now. People only learned if they had someone or something demonstrate that a way to change existed, and they weren’t just a lost hope, cursed to roam the Earth. Even if Sanemi may have crossed a line today, Tengen wasn’t going to act as if there was nothing he could do to make up for his wrongdoings. 

Knowing that the trial was more complicated since Tanjiro and Nezuko were Giyuu’s pups only created more tension, but he couldn’t let that get to him, and Tengen couldn’t let the others know that it got to him either. It was clear that this was the first time most were finding out Giyuu was an omega, him included, but he had to keep a clear mind when approaching this further. As pack leader, he had to find a good middle ground to keep everyone satiated and calm. While it may prove to be a challenge after today’s meeting, he knew giving an apology for his inadequate display of leadership skills today was needed, as well as the clear to let Tanjiro, Nezuko, and Giyuu continue living in routine as they are now. 

Nichika finally returned with some basic, but extremely high-quality, nesting materials and set them down on one of the shaded corners of the Engwawa before making her way back to her sister and father. 

“Now that everyone has had the chance to cool off, we’ll proceed with the trial. I’m sure most of you have already decided on an opinion about the circumstance, but for those still not convinced…” Kagaya motioned for Hinaki to start reading. The girl pulled a folded piece of paper out from her kimono, starting to unravel it. 

“This is a letter from the former hashira, Urokodaki Sakonji. The abridged version simply asks permission for Tanjiro and Nezuko to travel together, stating that due to her strong mentality, Nezuko hasn’t lost her human emotions and, through incredible willpower, even in a starved state, she hasn’t attacked a human in over two years. A fact that is indisputable…and in the event that Nezuko does eat a human, Urokodaki Sakonji, Kamado Tanjiro, Tomioka Giyuu, and Tokito Muichiro will commit Seppuku.” As Hinaki read the letter to the others, Giyuu stared at the materials before bowing slightly and stepping into the corridor. He practically ran to reach the bedding and started crafting a nest to lie in. 

Normally, watching an omega build a nest was rude since it was the designated safe space for that person, but in a scene like this, it was hard to keep eyes away. It was especially hard for Kyojuro to look away. He could tell Giyuu was very particular about how the nest was structured, and he couldn’t deny that he may have been noting every move and position of each blanket and pillow. When in love, one couldn’t help but pay attention to every little detail that their crush liked or favored. Kyojuro was a lovesick child at the moment, and it remained true even when witnessing the fight between Giyuu and Sanemi. 

Perhaps the others saw it as frightening, but to Kyojuro, seeing the way Giyuu remained elegant in his movements even if he was in a wild state of mind was beautiful. He had already admired his fellow Hashira’s fighting style, and seeing it in the most raw and instinct-driven state possible was just even more captivating. Giyuu was strong on his own, able to protect himself and others with no help; that independence just drew Kyojuro in more. He didn’t want to be someone to strip away Giyuu’s independence, no he just wanted Giyuu to know that he would be there to help if need be. Someone he can choose to depend on if he feels too weak or tired to do anything, or even if he just doesn’t want to deal with it. 

After seeing everything go down and hearing that Nezuko hadn’t eaten a human, Kyojuro was even more affirmed in his decision to back up Giyuu. To him, family was one of the most important aspects of life, and seeing someone reflect that ideology in the way they would put their life down to keep their family safe…well how could he not fall further for him? He didn’t care about gender, second gender, or what financial class his lover was; all that mattered was that they shared the same virtues when it came to living life, and so far Giyuu was matching all of it. 

The thought of having a demon pup may have been conflicting at first, but there was no denying the bond Giyuu held with his pups, and now Kyojuro craved to be an active figure in their lives. To be there as a friend, lover, father, or older brother would be enough for him to feel content in his life. Held deep in his thoughts, his scent flurried around him, sending an indirect warning to those around him. Giyuu was under his protection, and if something like what Sanemi had pulled happened again, they would have to deal with an alpha's fury instead. For now, he would let Tengen handle Sanemi, he was more concerned about seeing if the pups and Giyuu were okay. 

Giyuu soon finished preparing a nest and crawled in, sighing as he closed his eyes and took a second to fully relax. Once he felt the agitation and tension leave his shoulders, he glanced at Tanjiro and Muichiro and snapped his fingers, like a mother getting the attention of her kids to make them hold her hand because they were dawdling behind. The two pups didn’t hesitate as they made their way to the nest and sat down, nuzzling into Giyuu to reinstate the idea that everything was fine now. Tanjiro set Nezuko’s box down and knocked on it three times. 

Everyone’s breath hitched as they saw the lid suddenly pop open though they all had resolved stances in the matter, well seeing a demon still put them on edge due to their job. However, when the small girl who took on the appearance of a five-year-old rose from the box, bewilderment hit them. Sanemi looked away, prickles of guilt eating away at him. He couldn’t even find any more gaps in logic to argue either. His blood, his merachi blood that always lured demons to him, was painted on Giyuu’s fist, and the demon Nezuko just ignored that fact, opting to sit on Giyuu’s lap and lean into him for comfort and to return to a peaceful slumber. 

Kagaya looked down at his daughters, waiting for one of them to explain what was happening now. “Tomioka has finished his nest. Tokito and the Kamado siblings are cuddling with him.” Nichika hummed slightly, leaning into her dad just a little to get that familial warmth. 

“It should also be noted that Tomioka’s fist is still covered in fresh blood, and Nezuko pays no mind to it, even as Tomioka strokes her hair with the same hand,” Hinaki added, waiting for Kagaya to speak further on the matter.