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“Tanjiro? What have you got there?” Comes Zenitsu’s cautious yet curious voice. He peaks behind an indifferent Inosuke to peer at Tanjiro.
Tanjiro finally turns to face them, revealing a small kid behind him, clutching tightly at his robes. Zenitsu’s eyes widened in panic, “wha- what? but.. who??” he grumbles.
The kid laughs at him, her wild white mane dancing alongside the wind, untidy bangs sprawled across her forehead and messy pigtails flying freely behind her back.
Tanjiro laughs nervously, “she just..appeared out of nowhere?” he explains and Zenitsu gapes at him. “WHAT.” And only then did the child cease her giggles and opened her eyes to reveal a familiar deep ocean hues.
And Zenitsu once again exclaims, “WHAT.”
“There was this demon and…” Tanjiro starts, glancing down at the little girl playing with the hem of his haori, twisting it in her tiny hands. “she somehow ended up in the area that I was battling said demon..” Zenitsu mumbles something under his breath that sounds vaguely like, “of course it’s those pesky demons again.”
Inosuke, who wasn’t paying attention at the time, blinks behind his boar mask and stares at the little girl— “she looks familiar.”
Zenitsu tilts his head, “does she?”
The little girl tilts her head, her long and messy pigtail following the direction, pooling gracefully across her shoulder and back.
“why is everyone staring at me like that.” She finally says, her voice high pitch but clear. Tanjiro clears his throat and waves his hands, snapping both Inosuke and Zenitsu from staring. “we-well… we don’t exactly know who you are nor where you came from so..” he tries and fails to explain, lips pressed shut as he tries finding the right word to tell her without it seeming like an insult.
She nods once then twice, seemingly understanding what Tanjiro was trying to say. Good.
”but I do know all of you.” she says, tiny lips jutting out into a pout like it was common knowledge.
Zenitsu starts freaking out, a shrill scream escaping his already hoarse throat— from screaming prior to this (in other words: screaming like he always does when hunting demons) joined by Inosuke’s confused and irritated huffs and grits of teeth.
A rough hand lands on each of their head, Zenitsu sputtering into mumbled complaints and Inosuke an even more confused irritation. “Let’s let her explain!” Tanjiro intervenes, like he always does, ever the mediator.
The young slayer turns towards the little girl, a soft smile gracing his lips as he looks at her with gentle eyes. Can you.. elaborate what you meant by ‘knowing’ us?”
Zenitsu’s sobs settles down as he too focused, also intrigued by what the little girl was talking about. A little elbow nudge to Inosuke has him quieting down too, to listen.
She nods, hair bouncing cutely at the action and a large smile gracing her lips. “sure, uncle tanjiro!”
..
a beat.
what.
Tanjiro shrieks.
Zenitsu screams again and Inosuke yells at the both of them.
”UNCLE?!”
”NEZUKO-CHAN??!”
”WHO. WHAT. HUH.?!”
Her loud giggles breaks the trio off their panic; “you’re all so weird.”
Tanjiro swallows, his heart beat picking up. “Wait. Who are you exactly?”
A smile. Blue eyes crinkling into a crescent as she explains, “I’m Sora! and i’m from the future!”
Tanjiro slaps a hand over Zenitsu’s mouth before he could scream while holding the other hand to his own parted lips. “The.. future…?” Zenitsu’s mumbling into his hands and Tanjiro fights back the urge to pull away as he feels saliva coating his hands, he hears the blonde murmur incoherently along the lines of, how is this even possible?
Sora nods, turning slightly to her left. The sunrise ray casting a light at her pale skin. “mhmm. the future.”
Her eyes glints, sparkling with something akin to hope, understanding.
“the future without demons.”
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Tanjiro’s mind is still rattled, the little girl— Sora, as she claimed her name is, was sitting on his lap, poking at the box that contained Nezuko. “Is Auntie Nezuko inside.” Zenitsu frowned, “you know about Nezuko-chan’s…?” Sora nods, her big blue eyes shining with amazement. “Mhmm! Kaa-san always tells us tales of when you guys were still hunting demons.. but especially you! Uncle Zenitsu! You wrote a book about it.” She ends with a grin. The fingers poking at the box now pointing at the blonde slayer.
Redness swipes over Zenitsu’s cheeks as he stammered to answer, “r-really? me??”
He’d never view himself as the type of person that’d write…document their experience, their story. Not in the future, not ever.
But maybe.. in a world where they’ve settled down, where demons no longer walk the earth. He can discover more things about himself too.
Tanjiro turns towards him and gives him a soft smile, “That’s nice, Zenitsu.. recording our adventures and of everyone those around us.. it’s a nice way to remember them.” Zenitsu stares at him for a moment, unblinking, before his face turns redder and he could only simply nod. Even more embarrassed.
Sora stares at the two of them, confused. Her little brows are furrowed. Are they not together (yet) in this timeline? the question runs in her mind.
Tanjiro notices her staring and gives her a light smile, “is something wrong?” She shakes her head in slight hesitance. “Nothing. I guess it’s just a bit weird seeing you all like this….” The young Kamado blinks at her in confusion, “..what do you mean?”
The little girl grins, “you’re all very different from you are now in the future!” Intrigued, Zenitsu leans a bit, his shoulder brushing past Tanjiro’s. “how so?”
Sora smiles and opens her mouth, when suddenly—
“caw! caw! meeting! meeting! kamado tanjiro, agatsuma zenitsu, hashibira inosuke, are to head to the ubayashiki state immediately, caw! with the little girl, sora with them! caw!”
Tanjiro stares at Matsuemon, “now?” the crow lands on his shoulder and squawks on his ear.
The blonde slayer mumbles something under his breath while Inosuke huffs, puffing his chest out. “Let’s hurry and go then!” Tanjiro gently takes a hold of Sora, carrying her on his arms as they made their way to Oyakata-sama’s quarters.
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Tanjiro and his friends arrives shortly after, Sora clinging into his arms. He looks around, most of the hashira’s were already there, chatting with each other. And seconds after they step inside, only Shinobu seemed to have noticed their arrival as she gave them one of her signature smile and then a wave and a gesture to come join where the rest of them were lined up, awaiting Oyakata-sama’s arrival.
Tanjiro, with Zenitsu and Inosuke in tow behind him, not used being in the estate and being around— all the hashira’s at once, like Tanjiro usually is. Inosuke’s uncharacteristically quiet but maybe it had something to do with how hard Zenitsu’s gripping his arms, in a way to ground himself from collapsing but also to remind Inosuke to be on his best behavior.
Then— suddenly.
Sora wriggles free and leaps out of Tanjiro’s arms.
“Ahh— Sora-chan!” He panics, arms attempting to catch her as she landed softly on the ground.
The chatter in the estate died down as everyone finally notices Tanjiro and his friend’s, but most importantly, their new guest. Curious pairs of eyes watch as the little girl padded her wrinkled robes, then she looks up and meets all of the hashira’s gazes.
Mitsuri chokes on a squeal and Rengoku opens his mouth to address her.
”Hi—“
”Papa!”
Everyone freezes. Tanjiro’s eyes going wide as saucers, he hears Zenitsu screams behind him and faints; saved by Inosuke’s arms, preventing him from totally collapsing and kissing the ground.
“What—“ Sanemi says before the little girl attaches herself onto his leg, holding tightly into his thighs.
Mitsuri shrieks, red blooming in her cheeks at the display of cuteness but also confusion. Obanai beside her paled, what. And Shinobu makes a noise of surprise behind her smile, almost cracking.
Tengen’s laughing hysterically while Kyojuro blinks in confusion, his smile ever present in his face. Gyomei doesn’t say anything, merely observing the events transpiring. Muichiro is beside the oldest hashira, his curious gaze at the clouds interrupted by the little girl’s exclamation and he blinks, confused.
“Shinazugawa-san has a child?” The youngest asks.
Sanemi hisses, a blush crossing his cheeks as he tried prying the little girl off of him. “NO?!”
“WHO ARE YOU CALLING PAPA, KID?!” He yells, grabbing a hold of the little girl to get a good look at her.
Gyomei was about to open his mouth and retaliate Sanemi’s actions towards the child when she suddenly giggled, surprising everyone.
She seemed totally unbothered by his outburst of anger and even more by his yelling. “You! obviously!”
Sanemi complaints under his breath as he gets crowded by all the other hashiras, awaiting answers curiously.
“This is really your daughter Shinazugawa-san?” Mitsuri says in awe, poking Sora’s chubby cheek with her index finger. The child’s soft skin is like mochi under her touch and she almost shrieks with cuteness if it wasn’t for Rengoku holding her steady by her shoulder.
“She looks like she’d be about 5 years old! But Shinazugawa-san is only 21!” The flame hashira boomed, his thick eyebrows rising slightly at the implication. Muichiro stares blankly at Sora who was staring back at him like she knew things he didn’t, he found the smile on her face unsettling.
Sanemi sputters in another blushing mess, groaning, “she’s NOT mine.”
“Are you sure?” Shinobu interjects, leaning closer to analyze the child’s face, her eyes narrowing. “She looks a lot like you.” Obanai nods in agreement, pointing at Sanemi and Sora and back at Sanemi. “Just look at her. Practically your copy.”
Sanemi was about to disagree when Tanjiro recovers from his shock, “S-sora-chan!” The hashira’s move to allow him to slip and be face to face with Sanemi. The wind hashira giving him the usual annoyed look. “Where did you even find this kid? And why the f—“ “language.” Gyomei interjects before Sanemi could finish, “….and why.. is she calling me her dad??”
Tanjiro mutters an apology, “i’m really sorry, shinazugawa-san but even I don’t have any answers to your questions.”
Sora giggles, “Well, I, do!”
Tengen laughs out loud at that, “Well aren’t you a little know it all!” And the little kid pouts at him, sending him a glare that had everyone in awe. A glare that looked so much like Sanemi’s.
”I would know more about my own existence, thank you very much, Uncle Tengen.” She responds sassily, turning her head away from the sound hashira, her hair moving alongside her and slapping Sanemi in the face from the action.
Tengen sputters, gaping. “Uncle what???” And Mitsuri chokes on a muffled laugh beside him.
He was about to open his mouth again and ask for more answers when a voice interrupts them.
“i’m sorry i’m late..” a small, quiet feminine voice speaks.
Shinobu smiles, her eyes turning into crescents. “Ara~ Tomioka-san! you finally decided to show up! took you long enough!” The sarcasm in her voice is ignored as the water hashira slowly made her way towards them.
Tanjiro breathes in a sigh of relief at the familiar face of his savior and the closest hashira he is to by a mile.
“Gi—“
”Mama! Mamaa!!!”
Tanjiro chokes on his words, the greeting left unfinished while everyone else freezes.
“….what” Giyuu stops on her tracks, confused.
Sora wiggles in Sanemi’s arms, trying to break free but the still-shocked wind hashira is left gaping at Giyuu as his brain processed the little girl’s words.
”Papa let me go! I wanna go to Mama!” She whines, slapping at Sanemi’s strong arms that are holding her up as she waves her little legs. Sanemi jerks and accidentally lets her go, “shit. i’m so—“ Sora lands on her feet without any trouble and immediately sprinted towards Giyuu, jumping a feet from her and towards her arms.
Giyuu panics and catches her in time, the little girl giggling and burying her face excitedly in her mother’s neck, small arms circling her shoulders tightly. “My mama…”
Silence washes over the estate.
And suddenly, everyone was having an outburst, crowding Giyuu and somehow, Sanemi was dragged along into the center of the circle.
“MAMA??!”
”SHINAZUGAWA-SAN AND TOMIOKA-SAN??!”
”WHAT— WHEN— HUHH??!”
“CONGRATULATIONS YOU TOO!!!”
”SHUT UP I’LL KILL ALL OF YOU”
”what is going on…?”
….
When everyone finally settled down, Sanemi is left to the teasing of Tengen and Obanai. “Didn’t know you had it in you, Shinazugawa!” A hard pat to his back has Sanemi glaring daggers at Tengen. “I already told you. She’s NOT mine!”
Obanai gives a disappointed sigh under his breath, “Why would you deny your own daughter? Even kaburamaru is disappointed in you.” “Don’t you start.” Sanemi hisses.
“I pray that your family will be in good health, Shinazugawa and may you live out the rest of your days in peace.” Gyomei’s booming deep yet gentle voice erupted from behind Tengen and Sanemi doesn’t have it in him to retort to the stone hashira, so he instead endures the teasing with red ears and a glare.
Meanwhile, Giyuu was crowded by Shinobu who was poking at her arm, “My, my! This is certainly unexpected.” Giyuu doesn’t respond to her teasing, her eyes focused on the little girl in her arms, giggling as both Mitsuri and Rengoku smothers her with their attention.
”I…still don’t know what’s going on.” The water hashira mumbled and Shinobu laughs lightly.
“The master has arrived.” And everyone had quickly gotten into a kneeling position as the twin’s voice bloomed into the estate.
Sora stood beside Giyuu, her small arms wrapped around her mother while she stares as Oyakata-sama slowly made his way in front with the guide of his children.
“My children,” Kagaya greets with warmth and Sora can’t help but feel drawn to him in awe. This was Ubayashiki-sama before?
“Oyakata-sama, i’m so thrilled to see you in good health.” Sora blinks, her attention turning to her father who had his head bowed low.
“Thank you, Sanemi.”
Tanjiro was about to speak up when Giyuu tugged at his haori, letting him know to wait. The master asked them to settle inside and they all settled in a sitting position, Gyomei in the front followed by everyone else. Giyuu near the back with Sora on her lap and Tanjiro to her right with Zenitsu and Inosuke sitting at the farthest back.
”Sora-chan, may you please introduce yourself to everyone? I am sure they are eagerly waiting for your explanation.” Everyone perked up at the mention of their newcomer, the little girl happily stood up from where she had been comfortably sitting and made her way in front, her small hands taking the hand Oyakata-sama had offered her.
“Hello again!” She starts and Mitsuri was already trying to conceal her squeals. “I’m Shinazugawa Sora and I just turned 6 years old this month!” Sanemi froze in his spot, knuckles clenched tightly at the mention of his surname, his throat awfully dry as she spoke each word.
“I’m sorry for interrupting Sora-chan, Master, but if I may inquire a question?” Pipes Shinobu. Kagaya merely nods with a small smile, “go ahead, Shinobu.”
“Is she really Shinazugawa-san and Tomioka-san’s daughter? if so, how.” Everyone was focused on the master as they waited for a reply, eager to know the answer too.
”thank you, Shinobu.. yes, I believe she is.” Giyuu stares at the grinning little girl in awe and disbelief.
”some of you might not believe this, but Sora-chan here is from the future.” Muichiro blinks, his head tilting adorably to the side. “the future?”
Everyone, besides Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke were surprised by this.
“Sora-chan, can you please elaborate more about the future?” She nods at the master, her little body expressive as she explains what the future is like.
”Everyone is alive and happy!” And Mitsuri feels tears stinging her eyes at that.
“But.. without a few set of losses,” the tension deepens as she slowly approaches Rengoku who sat behind Gyomei. “Uncle Kyojuro…lost his vision in one of his eye after a fight with upper moon 3.” Rengoku’s smile doesn’t falter at that, though his fists are clenched tightly by his side, his voice is still cheery. “A small lost for a great win!” The girl offers him a small smile before she turned towards Obanai who sat beside the flame hashira.
“You also lost your vision in your only functioning eye..” She trails off sadly, but Obanai is unfazed. “But you’re happy! Very happy! Mitsuba-chan says so.” Obanai blinks, “Mitsuba-chan?….” “Your daughter.” A deep red blooms in Obanai’s cheeks and Sanemi snickers, that’s what you get for the teasing, snake.
Sora giggled, giving Kaburamaru a brief pat to which was allowed. She turned slyly at Mitsuri who was staring at Iguro’s red faced. “Auntie Mitsuri… lost one of her arm, well both really, but one was luckily saved.” The love hashira looks at her sadly before she shook off the negativity and smiled. “But you’re also happy,” Sora takes a hold of her hand with her left and Iguro’s with her right, drawing their fingers together. “Both of you are.”
Everyone stares as both the love and snake hashira blushed intensely at the implication. “M-me?” “I’m with Iguro-san??!”
Sora smiled brightly, “you have 5 kids together!” silence and then a laugh. It was tengen’s.
Iguro was close to fainting while Mitsuri was panicking, drawing him close to her chest as his face combusted with red. “I’m with Iguro-san and we have 5 kids together?!”
“Damn! Iguro!” Tengen snickers, clutching his stomach. Sora pouts and pointedly looks at him, “You of all people should not be talking, Uncle Tengen.” That causes the sound hashira to shut up and sweat, oh dear.
”You have 12 kids you know.”
….
Tengen learns he’s very much blind in one eye, missing a hand, and somehow has 12 kids in the span of 5 minutes. He stares blankly at the wall while Sora goes to her next victim.
”Gyomei-san is peacefully living in his estate with Uncle Zenitsu visiting him from time to time!” The stone hashira smiled at that, Sora’s small hands wrapped around his thumb in reassurance.
“Shinobu-san is living peaceful with all the girls in the butterfly mansion.” Sora brings her hand to Shinobu’s face, much to the surprise of the insect Hashira and the curiosity of everyone else. “You’re much much happier then..” She smiles— a real smile, caressing Sora’s hand with her own.
Sora gave her a quick hug before she hopped onto Muichiro. “Mu-i-chi-ro-San!” The mist hashira stares at her curiously. “..what am I like in the future.”
“Well, how do I put this…?” She gives it a thought for a while before grinning menacingly, “we have the same last name, you know.”
Tanjiro’s mouth gaped as he stared at Muichiro, Gyomei smiles at the implication, bringing both hands to pray for the happiness of the mist hashira and his fateful student.
“What.” Comes Sanemi’s voice, shocked and irritated. Muichiro only blinks at him with Sora immediately coming in between them. “He’s much happier in the future, Papa!”
“He has the life you always wanted him to have…” she whispers; staring up at her father. She would know. She’d saw it real time.
Genya was much happier. He had solved his problems with his brother. He has a loving husband and family to come home to, and he is living a life free of demons and danger.
Sanemi calms down at that, his fist clenching and unclenching. He wasn’t the most fond at the idea of his brother and Tokito…but if Genya was happy, then he is too.
“Now,” he hears from the little girl. “Can we talk about our family now?”
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The meeting concludes with everyone flustered but happy. Mitsuri was sobbing into Obanai’s shoulder, talking about their future children and the snake hashira responds to her with murmurs and affirmation whispered under his breath, his face red and hot.
Muichiro joins Tanjiro and the others, and they were the first to leave alongside Gyomei who took them to his place to hang out with a certain student of his.
But not without a goodbye to Sora who was clinging into her mother’s robes as she planted a kiss to Tanjiro’s cheek before sending them away.
And Sanemi and Giyuu were left with their.. daughter.
She peers at them, oblivious to the inner turmoil running in their minds. Her eyes, a deep blue like-sapphire is shining underneath the sun’s ray, staring directly at an identical blue and purple.
“So…what do we do now..” Giyuu mumbles under her breath, one of her hands intertwined with Sora’s own. Sanemi scratches his head in awkward silence, since he can’t exactly provide an answer to her question.
Noticing the awkward tension, Sora speaks up, “Can we go home?”
Both Sanemi and Giyuu perks at that, looking at her in mild confusion and uncertainty, and the question lingers in the air, unsaid. Where exactly is ‘home’?
So that’s how they ended up at the wind estate, Sanemi setting up the table before leaving to get the tea he was brewing as Giyuu helps Sora settle down in the tatami floor. She’s looking around curiously, as if the place is both familiar and unfamiliar to her.
Sanemi returns a minute later, settling their drinks and a few snacks by the small table, “so,” He starts, “this is where we live in the future?” Sora sips her cup with a smile and Giyuu worries inside that the hot liquid might be burning her tongue as she carelessly drinks it. “yup!”
The cup is back at the table with a quiet clink, “after the war and everything had settled, you and mother married and decided to live here with all of us.” Sanemi nods in understanding, his cheeks flushes slightly at the mention of wedding the water hashira sitting opposite to him.
Giyuu silently wipes Sora’s cheeks free of crumbs as she ate while chatting cheerily with her father, Sanemi’s gaze unknowingly going back in forth between his future daughter and partner.
The water hashira doesn’t seem to notice the attention directed at him, too engulfed in untangling Sora’s wild mane. The girl in question had unconsciously dozed off mid-conversation in her mother’s lap. “A whole day of conversing and socializing must’ve exhausted her.” Sanemi murmurs, staring at the girl and back at Giyuu.
“..she looks like you…” Giyuu whispers a minute after silence and Sanemi finds himself staring at her with awe.
Giyuu seemed go be glowing right now, her hair curling around her face delicately. Her beautiful ocean blue eyes are half-lidded, gaze directly at Sora’s sleeping form, a small smile tugged at her lips and Sanemi’s throat feels dry all of a sudden. Pink dusts her pale cheeks while her hand is softly carding through Sora’s hair, free from the pigtails it was styled from earlier.
Sanemi closes his eyes and opening them, before diverting his attention at the table and decided to clean it up to get his mind away from Giyuu.
Sanemi thinks that was an unusual sight— a sight he didn’t know he’d be seeing a lot in the future.
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Night comes without warning and Giyuu prepares to leave— Sanemi grounding himself to the floor where he sat from asking her to say, he couldn’t bring himself to. Not like Giyuu was obligated to spend time with him now knowing the future they were gonna have.
But as thoughts flooded Sanemi’s brain, Sora tugs at her mother’s haori with a pout. “Won’t you stay with papa and me for the night? Sanemi’s eyes flew wide at that, staring in horror at Sora and Giyuu. Giyuu who seemed hesitant but couldn’t bring himself to deny the pleading little girl.
Her eyes meets Sanemi’s panicked ones, “You won’t mind…right?”
Sanemi coughs into his palm before turning his eyes away, not being able to hold Giyuu’s gaze. “..Yeah, sure, why not.” Sora giggles happily at that and hugged her mother’s waist before pulling Giyuu near Sanemi. Sanemi who panicked as Giyuu crashed into him, Sora quickly hopping on top of her. “WHAT—“
”We always sleep in the same bed!” Sora chirps, pulling one of Giyuu’s hand to Sanemi’s and bringing it close to her chest. “…I’m.. I always have nightmares but mama and papa always make them go away!”
Sanemi’s blushing furiously, a complaint right at the tip of his tongue when he suddenly feels the warmth of Giyuu’s own in his hands, looking down, he sees their intertwined fingers and looking back up, Sanemi stares in shock at Giyuu’s extremely red face. “…let’s just… let’s just sleep.”
They settled awkwardly in the futon after Sanemi insisted Giyuu changes into a more comfortable clothing for the night, Sora too. Sanemi’s shoulder brushes against Giyuu’s own and he feels his skin pricking.
Sora’s settled on Giyuu’s arms, her face closed asleep, a bit of drool running down her face as she sleeps with bliss.
Sanemi can’t sleep though. He really can’t. Not when he feels Giyuu’s warmth with his own. Never in his whole life did he think he’d get this close with the water hashira—
That’s a lie.
He had thought about it before, many times actually.
Everyone knows that the water pillar and the wind pillar aren’t on the best of terms. Tomioka having a reputation of being reserved and distant from the other hashira and Shinazugawa absolutely despising that.
All of their interactions from the past consisted of yells and snarky comments, and sword against sword in rare sparring matches.
During the night, however, to no one’s knowledge, when Shinazugawa is not on patrol and is instead settled in his estate, alone, he thinks of Tomioka.
He thinks of her stoic but extremely pretty face, her graceful form not just in fighting but also when she performs mundane things like fucking eating and walking yes he knows he’s a bit too smitten to think of these things. But in dead of the night, Sanemi allows himself to dream.
Dream of a life free from violence and suffering, a life with Giyuu Tomioka.
And tonight, he stares directly at her sleeping face. Her face free from worry, her eyebrows relaxed for once and her plump lips slightly parted as she breathes calmly. And to the little girl sleeping next to her, to them. This little girl.. who is theirs.
Sanemi swallows and wills himself to sleep, if this is indeed his future, he finds himself not minding the thought of it.
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Sanemi prepared them breakfast and they ate together in calm. Sanemi’s crow had given a message earlier that morning that Oyakata-sama had cleared both Giyuu and Sanemi from any missions that day to go and spend it with their daughter.
Which led them to now, eating in silence until—
”i’m curious..” Giyuu suddenly, mumbles. “curious about what, mama?” Sora asks after swallowing the loaf of bread Sanemi had given her, much to her father’s shock at that one gulp.
”yesterday, you’ve mentioned ‘us’ and that got me thinking… do you.. have any siblings?” Sanemi placed his cup down, curiously looking at Sora and waiting for her answer. A really good question that he didn’t even think of asking.
He grew up in a big family, and in his dreams, he wishes for something similar.
Sora giggles, “yes, of course!” She brings a carrot stick to munch on before dropping the bombshell, “I have 8 of them.”
….
Giyuu’s cup is harshly slapped to the table while Sanemi’s head collided with the floor with a loud thud.
”WHAT.”
“e-eight of them..?”
“Oops.”
”i’m your 6th child really,” Sora explains a little later after both Sanemi and Giyuu had recovered from their shock.
Sanemi’s silently staring at her while Giyuu breathes, “eight…seriously?” He’s curious, is it that unbelievable for Giyuu to—
“Ah don’t get me wrong, Sora.. if ever I do have eight children in the future—“
“You will.”
“….”
Giyuu continues, “It’s just.. I never even thought i’d have one child, so imagine eight.”
And Sanemi understands, he didn’t think he’d even live long enough to get married and have kids himself.
Sora smiles, “well.. you did!” And Giyuu finds herself smiling at that, “yeah.. I did.”
Sanemi can’t stop staring at the two of them, their similar smiles. Giyuu says Sora looks like him but Sanemi realizes she looks so much like Giyuu too.
“actually, there’s another on the way!” and Sanemi faints with Giyuu panicking to catch his head.
“Shinazugawa….” Giyuu’s wiping his sweat and Sanemi almost combusts at the gentle touch. He wants to get away from her, too embarrassed to be softly taken care of but he can’t bring himself to crawl away either.
Sora watches her parents with a fond smile, “you know..”
Both Giyuu and Sanemi looked at her while she smiled at them, “i’m really happy to have been born as both your daughter!”
The two hashira finds theirselves speechless. Giyuu’s stomach tightens with unexplainable emotions while Sanemi’s heart ached, fuck, he might cry.
Without warning, he brings both Giyuu and Sora into his arms. Giyuu yelping in surprise while Sora giggled into his shoulder, returning the hug.
They had spent the rest of the day in the nearby town, showing Sora around and acting like a real family in public. And night quickly falls as they head back to the estate, Giyuu carries Sora in her arms while Sanemi holds the things they have bought.
She settles Sora into the futon once they arrive home to the wind estate. Giyuu softly brushing her hair and pulling the blankets up her sleeping form before pressing a kiss to her forehead. She stands up to get ready for bed herself when she finds Shinazugawa sitting by the door, gazing at the moon in silence.
Giyuu stares for a moment before she joins him, quietly sits beside him as she too gazed up above.
”what do you feel about all this?” Sanemi asks, breaking the silence. Giyuu looks at him to find him still looking at the moon. She swallows, her heart beating faster than usual.
“if I were to be truly honest,” she murmurs a second later, gaze directed at Shinazugawa as he slowly turned his head to meet hers, “I don’t mind at all.”
He’s blushing, she realizes a minute later. “I never thought i’d live long enough to settle down, get married, and have a family….” Her hands unconsciously grabs at each side of her haori tightly. “But,” her frown turned into a smile and Sanemi’s breath gets knocked out of his chest as she smiles warmly at him, smiles like she’d never done before. “If this future was real, if this future with you was real, I don’t mind at all.”
She looks absolutely beautiful, glowing under the moonlights faint glow and Sanemi couldn’t help but lean close to her. Her eyes widened as Sanemi’s lips presses against her own, so soft.
It was brief— but it lingered on her lips after they separated. She stared at him in awe, her cheeks pink while Sanemi on the other hand, had his head turned away from her but she can see his red ears.
“I.. also don’t mind,” he turns, his eyes glinting softly, “a future with you.”
She ends up tackling Sanemi to the floor, their mouths meeting desperately and she finds herself engulfed in his strong arms, their lips molding against each other perfectly.
They separated to breathe for air and Giyuu was left panting on top of Sanemi, the wind hashira staring at her in pure adoration. He pulls her against him, her head resting on his chest as he breathes.
This woman, in his arms, is going to be his wife and the mother to his children, and he cradles her to sleep so gently.
They fall asleep right there in the open— Giyuu laid on top of Sanemi’s body as she dreams for once.
A promise of tomorrow’s certainty goes unsaid between them in slumber, the living proof of their love blossoming beautifully in reality inside the wind estate, fast asleep.