Work Text:
“Is Giyuu still in the bedroom?” Sorai winced internally when he heard the question his friend asked his master. He watched carefully how Sanemi’s face went from sadness to anger to frustration.
He has seen this routine every day since Giyuu passed away. It has been three months so far, and he has seen Sanemi go from an impressive Pillar even after the disbandment of the Corps to a frail, heartbroken man. His master blinked a few tears away from the dark circles of his violet eyes, counted to 10 and picked Kanzaburo up to put him in his lap as he sat down.
“Giyuu passed away a few months ago” Sanemi told him not unkindly. Sorai jumped up and landed on the shoulder of the Wind Hashira. He looked down as Kanzaburo digested the information and shed a few tears.
“Oh”
“He said goodbye to you, do you remember?” Sanemi’s voice cracked. Sorai gave his master a head bump in an attempt to cheer him up.
Despite Sanemi being hostile to Giyuu while they were Demon Slayers, Sorai always liked him. He gave him extra food whenever he needed to relay a message. After Sanemi and Giyuu got together after retirement, Sorai spent a lot of time with him and Kanzaburo. He accompanied them wherever they went. Old habits die hard and Sorai rather didn't want to lose the protectiveness he felt towards his new, extended family.
Saying goodbye was hard and it was tough to acknowledge that Giyuu wouldn't walk along and gave him a pet on the head with some seeds as a snack. He missed Giyuu and those snacks, although Sanemi seemed to take over on snack duty. Even though, it didn't quite taste the same.
“Yes. I remember now” Kanzaburo croaked and let Sanemi pet him.
“Do you want me to leave now that Giyuu is gone?”
This ruffled both Sanemi and Sorai in the wrong way.
“What are you fucking talking about, you idiot bird? Of course not” Sanemi scoffed as if he couldn't believe the audacity. Sorai could relate.
“Oh. You just don't like me very much. I can go back to the Ubuyashiki’s, they took in a lot of us”
“Even if I didn't like you, you are still the last living reminder I have of Giyuu. But, I do like you. I like having someone to care for”
Kanzaburo nodded and settled in more comfortably in Sanemi’s lap. Out of the corner of his eye, Sorai witnessed how Sanemi let a tear fall freely. He was no stranger to the sadness his master felt. Even before the final battle, Sanemi wore his grief like a cloak. But then the former Water Pillar forced his way into their lives. Giyuu made Sanemi less emotionally constipated, he made him feel more freely and without shame. In the years of his retirement, Sorai saw more of the person Sanemi and Giyuu were always meant to be if it wasn't for the existence of demons. He saw how compassionate Sanemi was and how carefree Giyuu could be. It made him happy to see a glimpse of it, even if it was temporary.
“Come on, I’ll get you two some seeds and some breakfast for me” Sanemi stood up carefully, due to the ache in his bones and the old crow in his lap.
That was the day Sorai decided it would no longer be Sanemi’s responsibility to remind Kanzaburo of Giyuu’s passing. It would be his.
He woke up the very next day bright and early and informed Kanzaburo to the very best of his ability. He sat with his friend and they cried together. He saw Sanemi walk into the room, clutching the half-and-half haori he never seemed to take off, and keeping an expecting eye on Kanzaburo. His friend would make a rather sad attempt to fly towards Sanemi, crash on the wall and be picked up by his master with a lot of swear words thrown into the action.
This would be the routine everyone followed for the next few months until finally, Sanemi joined Giyuu in the afterlife. Tengen passed by the Estate and took the crows in. Sorai stayed with Kanzaburo until he too passed, already on borrowed time as it was.
Tengen’s house on the mountain was nice, and he could see himself staying there. He liked Suma and Hinatsuru well enough, even though his favourite was Makio. Tengen took care of him the most and it was a good feeling to feel loved with another family.
But it could never be home. Home was keeping an eye on Sanemi. Home was Giyuu sneaking in some snacks for him, despite his lover's warnings. Home was reminding Kanzaburo about the mundane things of the day before they went to sleep.
So one day, he took off. He stopped at the graves of his former masters, with one flower in his beak. He bowed his head and took off again. He made his way to former Demon Slayers just to see how they were doing. He visited the crows at the Ubuyashiki Estate. Kiriya offered him a place to stay, but Sorai just shook his head. He was free to go where ever he wanted to go. He didn’t know what was next, but that was okay. He would figure it out.