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"Finally, a Sign of Hope" - Sanemi Shinazugawa x reader (sfw)

Summary: Nothing can stop anyone from becoming a demon once one of the twelve kizuki’s blood flows into the veins of someone’s body, either willingly or forcefully. There is only one thing to do after that, allow oneself to be decapitated or do it yourself and Y/N was willing to do so until her own flesh rejected the transformation.

Word Count: 14k+

Warnings: Demon Slayer Spoilers!!, heavy angst, violence, blood, injury, recovery, cursing, regurgitation (from reader), decapitation, mentions of traumatic pasts, Sanemi typical attitude, acquaintances to lovers (is that a thing?), female reader, fluff, comfort, slow burn, eventual confessions

a/n: not proofread. Not my best work, but it's alright...

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Everyday started early as a demon slayer, there was simply no time to be sleeping in, not when the world constantly turned and demons lurked in the shadows.

Y/N’s day started with a begrudging shuffling inside of her futon, a shiver running up her spine as the cool air made contact with her skin. She briefly brought her futon up to cover over her front to preserve some of the warmth inside before she convinced herself to get up and get dressed.

The same as every morning, she got up, made her bed, then proceeded to get dressed; demon slayer uniform cloaked by a deep blue haori patterned with tiny stars and a moon in the center. Once clothed, and hair brushed and pulled back in a braided bun, Y/N then made her way into the kitchen to fix breakfast. It was never extravagant, but enough to fill her stomach.

The moment she cleaned her dishes and washed her hands, she grabbed her sword, tightened it against her belt and headed out for the day.

Her first stop of the day was the butterfly mansion, having promised Shinobu that she would tend to the garden in her absence. Days ago, Shinobu had been sent on a mission and before she departed, she’d asked a favor of Y/N.

“Could you look after the garden while I’m gone? You seem to have a knack for plants.” She had said sweetly, a smile gracing her features.

And because Shinobu was a dear friend, Y/N could not deny her such a request. Now well into the afternoon, Y/N stood in the garden watering the flowers completely oblivious to all else that was going on around her.

Y/N wasn’t about to complain though. The butterfly mansion had become somewhat of a second home for her, the memory of Kanae’s welcoming smile still fresh in her mind even after her death. When Y/N became a demon slayer, she’d run into a younger, more feisty Kocho while on a mission. The girl had insisted that she didn’t need her help, but that later proved untrue.

Luckily. Y/N had been a good sport about it, taking Kocho’s complaints in stride. Despite Kocho’s harmless ire, she’d continued to walk with Y/N all the way back to the butterfly mansion where they came across Kanae standing just outside. She quickly introduced herself, showing off her much gentler disposition than that of her young sister.

“Hello there! I’m Kanae, I see you’ve met my dear younger sister, Kocho. What’s your name?”

Y/N blinked a few times in surprise at her smiley nature, regardless she offered a bow. “I’m Y/N, nice to meet you.”

Kanae tilted her head to the side, a bit curious. “Just Y/N? No last name?”

Y/N stood straight up from her bow, and shook her head. “I’m afraid not. I don’t have a last name, was never given one.”

Kocho and Kanae both turned to her, faces falling into a stilled, concerned expression that made Y/N slightly uncomfortable that she’d said anything.

“How sad!” Kanae stated purely and out of sympathy, “Why don’t you come join us for breakfast? I’m sure you two have had a long night.”

Y/N politely smiled, “Thank you, I’d like that.”

From that point on, Y/N returned to the butterfly estate more often than not; talking with Kanae, having lunch with Kocho, eventually coming across Kanao. Kanae had taken her in, treated her like family which is more than anyone else had ever done in a long time.

Her own mother had been long dead since she was a young child. When her mother died, she thought that she would always be alone until she ran into her mentor, but they were more strict about training which left little rapport there. However, when she came across Kocho and Kanae, they filled a void in her she hadn’t realized was there.

Despite being only a few years older than her, she thought of Kanae as a mother of sorts and so when Kanae died it felt as though she’d lost another mom all over again.

This time though, she was lucky to have Shinobu, Kanao, Aoi, and the triplets. They made the unbearable life she once knew much more tolerable and joyful. Y/N had promised herself that she would work herself to the bone to silently repay the debt she felt she owed Kanae.

It was the least she could do.

As Y/N watered the garden, she saw three small figures standing off to the side, out of the corner of her eye. Y/N lifted her gaze to see Naho, Kiyo, and Sumi standing there with a smile on each of their faces.

“Y/N, would you like some rice crackers? We made a whole bunch of them!” Kiyo, the girl with pink butterflies in her hair, asked cheerfully.

Y/N smiled at the happy trio. “I’d love some rice crackers.”

“Okay, we’ll go get them!” The girls all grinned at each other before rushing back inside the Butterfly mansion.

Once the girls were gone, Y/N quietly laughed to herself before proceeding with the watering can. She finished off the last of the water in just a few minutes, setting the canton down beside the flower bed then picked up the extra shears nearby. She walked to a rose bush and began to prune at the dried up leaves, and twisting vines at the root of the plant.

It was then that she heard another set of footsteps approaching her. She whipped around to see none other than the Wind Hashira.

“Shinazugawa, what are you doing here?” Y/N asked, coming to stand up from her crouching position.

“None of your business.” Sanemi grumbled, stomping past her to head inside.

Y/N realized that he was probably looking for Kocho since he didn’t visit unless that was it, but unfortunately…

“If you are looking for Kocho, she isn’t here right now.”

As soon as the words left her lips, Sanemi paused midstep, back facing her. She could see his back muscles clench with seeming irritation that she had even uttered the sentence. He then briefly peered over his shoulder, lavender eyes piercing her soul with an insurmountable rage, not necessarily for her but for all things.

A small ‘tsk’ left his mouth before Sanemi turned back around and began to walk away from the estate. “Of course she’s not here.”

He didn’t get too far from the property when Y/N spoke up again. “If you’re looking for Kocho, perhaps I can help you with whatever it is you need.”

As soon as she voiced that idea, Sanemi paused, head whipping around so fast it slightly startled her. “If Shinobu isn’t here, then I don’t want your help.”

Y/N huffed, crossing her arms. “I understand that I am not a Hashira, but I’ve been training with Kocho for years as well as practicing medicine. Anything you need from her, you can get from me.”

The white haired man fully faced her now, arms hanging by his sides, fists clenching tightly. “Don’t put yourself on the same level as a Hashira! If you were as good as you say you would already be one of us already.”

Admittedly, his words stung, picking at the recesses of Y/N’s insecurities. She knew Kocho’s understanding of medicines was definitely more polished than her skills so she supposed she couldn’t blame him for his…observation. However, at the bottom of it all, Y/N knew what she was doing and she could say that as a fact.

“To be honest with you, Shinazugawa, my skills aren’t as refined as Kocho’s are but I can guarantee I know what I’m doing. Clearly you need Kocho for some reason, and I can help you if you let me.” Y/N carefully explained, demeanor steady with no hint of doubt.

“Are you serious?! I said I don’t-” Sanemi was cut off when the sounds of rapid, little footsteps came clambering from the house.

“Y/N! We brought the rice crackers.” Naho, Kiyo, and Sumi said in unison while holding out a plate full said crackers.

Both Y/N and Sanemi looked at the girls, but Y/N was the only one who smiled at them. “Thank you so much, girls! I appreciate it.” She plucked a rice cracker from the plate and took a bite, a satisfied hum following suit.

Naho, the girl with braided hair, moved her attention to Sanemi when she noticed him. “Would you like one, Lord Shinazugawa?”

“No! I don’t want one!” Sanemi scolded, bearing his teeth like a wild animal.

His fierce rejection caused the girls to shrink in their spots, feeling a bit weary of him now despite knowing about his turbulent personality. Y/N shot him a glance then rolled her eyes as she crouched down onto one knee.

“Don’t worry, girls. Lord Shinazugawa is just a little grumpy that we’re going on a mission together. So please try to forgive his nasty tone.” Y/N softly reassured, patting each of the triplets on the head.

Being only a few feet away, Sanemi gawked at Y/N’s boldness. “What’d you say?”

Y/N ignored his babbling and instead picked up a few more rice crackers from the plate, and carefully wrapped them up in a piece of cloth and tucked it away into her haori. “We’ll take a few of these for the road though. Again, thank you girls for giving me some!” She beamed at them.

“No problem!” Kiyo grinned back.

Y/N then walked over to Sanemi and then walked past him, “Come on, clearly you’re in a hurry to be somewhere so let’s go.”

Sanemi didn’t say anything, instead opting to grumble to himself various complaints that Y/N honestly couldn’t make out. Despite his obvious disdain for Y/N forcing her way into his mission, Sanemi didn’t make any more attempts at shaking her off. Instead, he walked ahead of her, silently with nothing more to say.

Y/N chose to give him space and hang back a few feet, thinking eventually he would say what it was that originally needed from Shinobu and they could get this mission done together but as hours passed, he didn’t speak at all.

At some point, he was going to have to say something, right?

“Shinazugawa, why did you need to see Kocho earlier? Did you need some type of medicine? Or perhaps, did you need backup?” Y/N asked politely.

Sanemi continued walking straight down the main dirt path they were on, opting to ignore Y/N, showing no signs that he was going to utter any words back to her. He heard Y/N huff out a sigh and increased her walking pace so that she was beside him now.

“Please, can you answer my question? This will be a lot easier if we communicate with each other.” She lightly pleaded, peering over to glance at his face seeing a neutral expression, however she could tell from the vein nearly popping out of his temple, he was pissed.

But she persisted, “I’m not trying to upset you, Shinazugawa. It just seemed that you needed Kocho’s expertise, and I can help so let me help.”

Finally, he stopped, abruptly and glared down at her. “I didn’t want your damn help and I still don’t want it. I needed Shinobu but she wasn’t home, so I’ll deal with it.” He pivoted his body to tower over her, a shadow casted over his face that made him look more menacing. “Now stop following me around like an unwanted puppy with nothing better to do!”

For a brief moment, Y/N felt the slight panic well inside her, tingingling up her spine before dropping back down into the pit of her stomach. Her palms began to sweat, but felt cold to the bones, and all she could do was stare back at the man. Fortunately, it didn’t last once Y/N’s mind reeled itself back, and realized that she quite simply didn’t have to take this from him.

Her stunned, wide eyed expression morphed swiftly into one of determined purpose. “Hey! I am here, offering my help. I’ve known Kocho for years, she’s my friend and she has taught me all she knows and if you needed her then that tells me that you either needed something to deal with medicine or you simply needed a partner that was quick on their feet.”

Sanemi’s hardened expression fell the slightest bit, his anger waning as Y/N stood her ground against him.

She continued adamantly, “I can provide both of those things for you if you tell me what you need. Now stop acting like a damn child!”

“Alright! Alright, I get it!” Sanemi retorted, throwing his hands up in the air in annoyance.

Y/N sighed in relief, muscles relaxing, shoulders drooping back down under his surrender.

The white haired Hashira heaved a troubled sigh, raising a hand to rub his chin thoughtfully. “I needed Shinobu because of the village I’m heading to, all the townspeople have fallen ill. At least according to the recent reports coming in and out of that village.”

“That could just be a common sickness going around.” Y/N countered, shaking her head.

She watched him let out an exaggerated huff, “It’s not. None of the town physicians have been able to figure treat anyone who's gotten sick, and it’s been confirmed that a demon is skulking around the area.”

“Do you think it’s a sickness caused by the demon?” Y/N asked urgently, the thought of a demon causing an unknown illness making her skin crawl.

“Whose to say? Anything is possible if a demon is involved.” Sanemi admitted, turning back toward the path and began walking once more. “So hurry and get a move on.”

Without a rebuttal, Y/N followed close beside him, keeping in mind what he said and wondering what they might encounter once they arrived at the village.

A few hours later, they came upon the village that Sanemi had mentioned. It was definitely a small, secluded village with not too much else around except the forest and that fact unsettled Y/N quite a bit. The forest closely surrounded the town, almost encroaching onto the buildings that made up the perimeter of the village. With such easy access, a demon could come in and out as it pleased.

The next thing Y/N noticed was the ghostly atmosphere of the whole place. There were only a few people standing outside of their homes, giving them ample time to observe Y/N and Sanemi’s every move. Although most towns such as this one weren’t ones for flamboyancy, a village with little to nothing happening was unheard of unless something was wrong.

“There’s hardly anyone here…” Y/N whispered to Sanemi who walked beside her.

“It’s probably because most of the people are sick, and bed-ridden.” He answered matter of factly.

Just then a crowd of some of the townsfolk came out from their houses, and those loitering from the side of the street to block Y/N and Sanemi’s path. “Who are you and what are you doing in our town?”

Sanemi scowled, “We’re demon slayers, here to kill the demon that’s made all of you sick.”

The people whispered among themselves briefly before a hesitant man stepped forward, “How do we know that you aren’t a demon sent here to get us to trust you just so you can kill us?”

This man clearly wasn’t well; Y/N got a good look at his pale skin, sunken eyes from sleep deprivation, and thin frame from malnutrition. She took a quick look at the others in the crowd noting their similar complexion, and mirrored fear.

One slight push and these people who turn into an frightened, angry mob.

“We’re not demons.” Sanemi pointedly snapped, jaw clenching tightly causing Y/N to step between him and the villagers.

“Listen, please. We’re here to help. We’ve heard all the rumors about the demon and the sickness that it’s caused. I know my way around medicine, so let me help you. That’s all we ask.” Y/N calmly pleaded fearing that if she made one wrong move they might retaliate.

The man’s expression pinched into one of frightened thoughts, looking back to his peers for approval, silently communicating between each other. Y/N held her breath until she watched the man nod, and take a step back, the crowd parting as well to allow them through.

“The ones who got sick are in that building, over there…” The man pointed to a one story house all the way at the end of the street, closest to the forest. “We couldn’t cure them so we separated them from the rest of the town.”

Sanemi grumbled out a low hum, then led the way to the building that was pointed out. Y/N followed closely behind, realising that the villagers followed as well but kept a respectful distance away as they approached the door. Sanemi was the one who reached for the door and whipped it open, immediately the distinct smell of sickness permeated the air, wafting into their noses and causing them to cringe at the sting of it.

“Shit.” Sanemi huffed out, trying his best not to take a deep breath.

Y/N steeled her resolve to take a further step inside, peering down at the people who lied on the floor, thin, scratchy blankets covering their bodies and heads resting on flat pillows. Right away, she could see that every single one of them was suffering from a fever as they shivered violently inside their clothes, foreheads slick with sweat.

However, that wasn’t the worst of it.

Discolored veins of blue, purple, red, bulged at the surface of their skin, throbbing with every pump of their heart. Where the normal veins would be, these new ones consumed a majority of the skin, leading (at first glance) from the hand up the neck. Then there were the bloodshot eyes, raspy breathing, and a slight swelling of the limbs.

This was definitely not the cause of any sickness Y/N knew of, and it was apparent by the sheer level of disease.

“I think it’s a blood demon art. The demon must have infected them somehow, leading to them looking like this.” Y/N explained, crouching down to pull back the blanket on one of the villagers, a little girl; she had the same symptoms, but she was in significantly worse condition. “Seems it’s progressed faster on the children…”

“Can you do anything?” Sanemi asked while walking over to where she kneeled.

Y/N paused, clicking her tongue in thought as she covered the child back up then stood up. “I could give them something to treat the symptoms, but without killing the demon I don’t think I can completely cure them.”

Sanemi hummed back as a reply and with that, Y/N got to work. She stepped out of the wooden house, telling the townsfolk who waited outside to fetch the coldest they could find, along with extra cloth, any herbs they had on hand, and to start boiling water for her to create a mixture of medicine to help elevate the sickness.

The villagers did as they were told, scurrying about the town, collecting water, cloth, and herbs. Once they had all the items Y/N requested, they brought them to her in the makeshift hospital. She ordered them to give each person in the room their own rag, dip it in the cold water and drape it over their heads to cool them down. Y/N helped divide the cloth into sections so that there was enough to go around.

“Every half hour, flip the cloth over to the cooler side then wait another half hour. Once that half hour is over, dunk it back into the cold water and reapply it.” Y/N told them, walking away once the people nodded and did as she said.

Next, she gathered the herbs collected and took them to the back of the house to where a few people stood in a kitchen, placing a pot of water over a small fire. With skilled practice, she combined different herbs that were used in medicines and ground them in a mortar with a pestle. Once ground to a powder, she dumped the medicine into the big metal pot combining it with a light soup to give to those who were tainted by the demon afflicted disease.

Y/N helped each person to sit up enough to bring a small bowl of medicine to their lips, gently tilting it so they could drink it. It would be a struggle for them at first, the soup dribbling past their lips causing them to cough, but Y/N would patiently set the bowl aside and carefully wipe their mouth before trying to get them to drink again. She did this for hours, rinse and repeat for every single person with the help of some of the older women who had not fallen ill.

While Y/N catered to the needs of the poor villagers, Sanemi went on his own way of helping by looking for any signs of the demon lurking around the town. He ventured around the entire perimeter of the settlement which didn’t take long due to its small size.

Around the houses themselves, he found no sign that any of them had been disturbed in any way. Then, however, when he stepped outside of the area and into the forest, there were several things he caught onto. Only a stones throw away, there were the subtle signs of foot prints in the loose dirt. Due to the quantity of them, two or more people had passed through the forest from the treeline.

The footsteps led farther into the forest, up a slight hill and into a thick brush of trees and ferns alike. Sanemi followed, going up the hill and digging through the foliage to get beyond it.

As he forced his way through it, he thought back to the village, back to Y/N and the way she took charge caring for the people who were desperate straints.

Admittedly, he didn’t have a lot of faith in her abilities to actually do what she said she could, having never worked with her before now. Even after she stood up to him which surprised him because no one ever had the gall to do that, he wasn’t expecting anything impressive. Though upon getting a feel for the situation she truly stepped up like a true demon slayer.

He’d never say it out loud, especially to her, but he respected that.

Eventually, after forcing himself through the forest, he sighs in relief when the bushes stop poking and prodding at his skin.

His violet eyes peered up to be met with a broken down mining entrance that dipped dramatically into the side of the hill behind it. Looking further around the footsteps continued from the bushes and went directly into the mining entrance.

“Found you.” Sanemi smirked, instinctually lifting his hand to the hilt of his sword as he contemplated walking inside. However, he thought better of it upon realizing that he’d be stepping into a demon’s lair, and they would most definitely have the upper hand.

He clicked his tongue, annoyed, then pivoted to turn and walk out of the forest, making it back to town. It was past midday when Sanemi entered back into the makeshift triage Y/N put together.

She was in the middle of wringing out the extra water from a folded cloth when she heard him enter. “Sanemi, you’re back. Where did you go?”

“I went to do my job, find the demon.” He answered sharply.

“Did you?” She snapped back though it lacked his venom.

He fully stepped inside before leaning against the wall, and crossing his arms. “I found its hideout. There’s an abandoned mining shaft a bit beyond the treeline; found some footsteps too.”

Y/N hummed, bending down to her knees to press the cool cloth to a elderly man’s head and watched his furrowed face ease a little. “I take it you didn’t go inside then?”

“Of course not. I’m not stupid. It’s better to wait for night, let it come out on its own and take it by surprise.” Sanemi suggested calmly with his normal rough tone.

She nodded, only nodded, not adding anything else or asking anymore questions. Instead, she looks down to the old man beside her and thinks of what else she could be doing. Up to this point, she’s done everything that she can, lowering their fever as much as possible with the herbs the town had on hand, making sure they drink plenty of fluids, and attending to each person as often as possible.

Was there anything else that could be done?

Then it hits her. Y/N frantically digs into the inside pocket of her haori, and pulls out a small drawstring pouch.

“What’s that?” Sanemi asked, having watched her dig through her clothes.

“It’s wisteria.” Y/N answers simply, dashing past him back into the kitchen. She doesn’t notice as he pushes himself from the wall and follows her. “If I mix it into the broth, then I can treat the demon infection.”

Sanemi catches the small pouch in her hand and raises a skeptical brow. “Is that even going to be enough?”

As Y/N pours the wisteria, that had been crushed into a fine powder, into another batch of soup, she shakes her head solemnly. “Not for everyone, but it can buy us some time for me to send a message back to the butterfly mansion and have wisteria brought back to the town.”

“Better work fast, I don’t think these people have a lot of time.” Sanemi retorts though there’s no harshness behind it.

Y/N picks up a ladle to stir the soup in order to completely dissolve the powdered wisteria into it. “I know, but this is all I can do until night comes. After that, you can lead me back to that mining shaft and we’ll wait for the demon.”

Sanemi smirks, “Yeah, fine. Sounds like a plan.”

She stirs the ladle around in the soup a few times, then calls some of the older women that were waiting outside of the kitchen. Y/N grabs a small cup and pours the wisteria mixture into it before handing it to one of them.

“There isn’t a lot to go around so give this only to the elderly, the children, and those who have been infected the longest. DON'T give it to anyone else.” Y/N specifically ordered.

The woman she handed the cup to, who had graying hair mixed with her deep, dark hair, her expression morphed into confusion, brows furrowing in response. “What? Why?”

Y/N stepped over, lowering her voice as she stood right in front of the woman. “Because I don’t have enough right now, and until I get some more, there is only enough for those I just listed. Now, hurry.”

She lightly guided the woman back out towards the main room to deliver the soup out to those who had the worst of it.

Sanemi watches that woman hesitantly head back into the main room from his spot at the doorway, and as he follows her, he sees a disgruntled sneer on the woman’s face. When she comes into contact with another older woman, she whispers something then watches the same sneer form on that woman’s face too.

“That could be a problem…” He mutters to himself, seeing the woman skulk away.

Hours passed, sunset was nearing casting a light orange glow over the previously blue sky. By this time, the wisteria medicine had run out, but those who had received were responding well to the treatment; their fevers were lowering at an acceptable level, the swelling was going down, and the most obvious improvement, the darkened veins were receding from the surface of the skin.

With more wisteria, Y/N could have treated them completely, but unfortunately, it was going to take a while for her kasugai crow to come back with help from the kakushi and wisteria in tow.

Unbeknownst to Y/N, the towns people didn’t take so kindly to that notion as when Y/N was in the middle of feeding the last of the wisteria to a young child, a four year old, a crowd came rushing into the makeshift hospital and addressed her angrily.

“Why are you only curing some of the people?! Do you want us to die?!”

Y/N, startled, gawks up at them in surprise. “What?”

Sanemi, who was close by, stood up from his spot on the floor while observing the villagers every move.

The man that had confronted them earlier, as they entered town rushed over to Y/N so he was within arms length of her. “Someone told us that you are withholding medicine, and only giving it to certain people!”

‘This is getting old…’ Y/N internally complained but maintained a respectful exterior. “I’m not withholding medicine. I only had a little of the medicine on me that I mixed into the soup. There wasn’t enough for everyone so I gave it to those who are at the most risk.”

The man’s face changed, turning red now as he became angier. So Y/N quickly added, “Listen to me, I sent a message to my colleagues to bring more and they will be here soon, just be patient with us.”

“No!” The man interjected causing Y/N to jump from the sheer volume of his voice. Then the man reached down, grabbing Y/N by the arm and yanking her to her feet. “We can’t trust you! You are letting us all die!!”

Before another word could leave that man’s mouth, the cold steel of a blade sliced through the air with precision and hovered a mere inch from the man’s throat. “Let go of her right now, you bastard.”

His voice rumbled in his throat, the words ebbing out like the growl of a dangerous beast causing the man to release his hold and raise his hands up in surrender.

“Listen here, you sorry excuse for a town,” Sanemi yelled out so the entire crowd could hear him clearly, “This woman has gone out of her way to treat your sick, and has sent a message out to bring back more supplies to cure the rest of you. And you have the audacity to pass judgement upon her.”

The crowd of men and women passed shamed glances, muttering among themselves before Sanemi spoke again.

“If any of you get in her way again, you’ll have to deal with me. Got it?!”

In hurried nods, the townsfolk agreed and took several steps away including the man that Sanemi pressed his blade to. Then without a word, Sanemi retracted his sword, pulling the sword out until the tip reached the top of the sheath and pushed it inside its case with a solid clink.

Sanemi happened to look over, out the nearest window to see that the orange sky had disappeared and what was left was the dark starry night. He turned to face Y/N, who stood just off to the side, and gestured to the window. “The sun' s set, we should get going.”

Y/N nods, and to her surprise, Sanemi waits for her, glaring daggers at the villagers as she gathers her tools and sets them back into the kitchen and comes back out. He then walks towards the front door, silently ushering Y/N out and follows behind her after slamming the door shut.

They make their way away from the house, down the road towards the forest where Sanemi had earlier found footsteps. Once they stepped beyond the treeline, Y/N stared at Sanemi’s back as he led the way, thinking back to mere moments ago when he had defended her.

His actions left an impression on her; she honestly didn’t think much about Sanemi other than that he was an angry, unyielding impatient man that happened to also be a Hashira. They have run into each other a couple of times, but it rarely ended in conversation as he simply didn’t care to.

Y/N expected callousness, disdain, or ignorance of her presence. However, when she was in trouble with the townspeople, despite knowing she was a demon slayer, he stepped in and not only stepped in, but made sure they knew that he was not playing around.

To her shame, she had judged him purely out of their few interactions so deciding to change her attitude, Y/N spoke up. “Thank you, for what you did. I’m grateful.”

For several seconds, Sanemi didn’t say anything, seemingly opting to not speak of it until, “There’s no need to thank me. Those people needed someone to knock some sense into them. Hopefully, they won’t forget their place again.”

His words cause a tingling up her spine, a smile brimming across her cheeks as they continued their trek through the woods.

It was a little while longer, the sun long having set, when Sanemi and Y/N took their positions out of sight from the entryway to the mineshaft. They decided they would stay on opposite sides of the small clearing, while Y/N would jump out and get the demon’s attention, Sanemi would close the distance and behead them.

A simplistic plan really, but even the simplest of plans can get thrown off in a moment’s notice.

By this point, the forest was drenched in darkness from the hidden sun, throwing away the only protection Sanemi and Y/N had against demons; now they had only their wits and swords to rely on.

The two swordsmans waited, and waited, and waited…and waited.

Y/N figured the moment the sun disappeared the demon would begin making its ventures toward the village to kill off any remaining townspeople except it didn’t. Instead, hours ticked by, with almost nothing happening.

The harmonious echoes of crickets filled the forest air, the occasional coo of owls in the trees above them, and the rustling of trees as other such animals scurried to safety. At first, it was loud, nearly thundering in her ears, but the longer it went on, the more she became used to it.

Ashamedly, Y/N was beginning to feel drowsy, eyelids becoming progressively heavy and drooping closed for a moment as she listened to the silence.

Silence…

Y/N’s head snapped up, eyes wide as she suddenly realized that the forest was absolutely quiet. No crickets, no owls, no nothing.

There’s a shift in the dirt past the entrance of the mineshaft. Y/N’s eyes flicked over to the spot, gripping tightly the handle of her sword, shoulders tensing, and propping her legs into a ready position.

It was here.

In the moonlight barely casted into the clearing, she watches as the demon steps forward, revealing itself to them.

A couple of steps further into the light, and Y/N strikes.

Her legs propel her forward in a mad dash to reach the demon, in a split second she unsheathes her sword and swings it toward the demon.

The demon raises its arms, to block the blow, unfortunately having both its arms severed in the process. It jumps back, blood pooling onto the ground as it tries to create some distance.

At that moment, Sanemi jumps out of the bushes, rapidly closing the distance and swinging his weapon toward the demon.

In a second flat, the demon’s arm heals, expanding out from the flesh to reveal two normal sized arms, deflecting the direction of Sanemi’s sword just as it was about to make contact with its head.

There’s a cloud of dirt kicked up from Sanemi’s attack, giving Y/N another chase to close in.

Y/N runs in, bringing the tip of her sword up from a downward position and slashes at the demon's eye; completely cutting it in half.

It growls, loud and demanding as it begins it’s trek away from the mineshaft and into the forest.

“You’re not getting away, filthy demon!” Sanemi shouts, already running after it.

Y/N wordlessly follows him deeper into the darkness.

Their skin is scratched, bruised and the like by the various bushes, ferns, tree branches as they run at full speed, using their breathing technique to keep up with the escaping demon.

It seems as though they are closing in on the demon when there’s an unfamiliar voice screams out in the night. “Blood demon art, weaving slashes!”

A flash of red light and the forest was bursting with a red light, coating the trees and leaves, bouncing and reflecting off the demon slayer’s faces.

“Get out of the way!” Y/N exclaims to Sanemi, who is as shocked as she is.

“I know!” He shouts back at her, attempting to dodge out of the slashes.

His lavender eyes briefly glance over to Y/N, who is maneuvering around the slashes with such grace that he almost smirks. But his attention quickly returns to the demon who decided to stop running, and confront them.

“Oh my goodness, demon hunters! Do you want to play? Let’s play!”

The demon dashes from tree to tree, propelling in a circle before b-lining for Y/N.

She whipped up her sword in a dept move, redirecting the demon, and forcing it to nearly trip over its own feet as it skidded across the ground. “Flower Breathing, Second form: Honorable Shadow Plum!”

Once more, the demon howls in pain, several sword slashes appearing over its body causing him to limp away from her.

“You’re not getting away now!” Sanemi comes in close, lighting speed and raises his sword. “Wind Breathing, first form: Dust Whirlwind Cutter!”

“Don’t get cocky, you arrogant demon slayers!” The demon cackles, using another blood demon art to counter Sanemi’s attack.

Sanemi lets out growl in frustration as he’s forced to then back off.

“You two have no idea what I can do!”

In a moment, the demon flips into a defensive position, raising his claws to his own arms and ripping through the flesh. Blood pours onto the dirt from the wounds, but instead of disappearing like it normally would, the blood begins to float, hovering around the demon.

He then laughs, deep and grating. “You idiots! You should have just let me go or else you wouldn’t have to face the possibility of becoming a demon!”

At that, Y/N pauses for a second. “Becoming a demon?” She questions.

“It doesn’t matter what he says, we need to decapitate him.” Sanemi barks, moving to stand near Y/N.

“Oh! I’d like to see you try!” The demon snickers, lifting his hands in the air, the blood following his movements. “With my blood demon art, I can create a shield around me to protect me from physical attacks. But keep in mind…”

He pauses, watching as he gains the full attention of the two demon slayers before him. “Be careful not to let it hit you or else the blood will invade your skin and transform you into a demon yourself!”

Then the demon whips the blood around, the liquid seemingly hardening in mid air creating new weapons. They are scythe-like in the way they are shaped, giving it a better chance of striking their opponents.

It’s coming in fast, Y/N feels the shift in the air as it dashes for her, so without hesitation she jumps out of its path in the most nimble way.

For several minutes, the demons continuously swing the blood-scythes around and around, creating a twister of blood, leaving Y/N and Sanemi almost no time to land before having to jump out of the way once more.

Y/N begins to think that there will be no end to them when her quick eyes catch something peculiar. The demon is directing blood into all directions except for behind him, leaving his back completely unguarded.

“Sanemi!” Y/N shouts while jumping through the air.

“What?!” Sanemi snarls out as he’s doing the same.

“Look at the demon, I mean really look at it!”

Sanemi can’t help the irritated groan that leaves his lips, “What the hell are you-”

He spots it.

The demon’s back is exposed with nothing to guard him from attacks coming up behind him.

“I see.” Sanemi mumbles to himself. “Distract him; I’m gonna go in for the kill!”

“Right!” Y/N assures.

There’s a small break in the attacks, allowing Y/N to get a good footing on the ground which she uses to sprint forward, sword carefully tucked to her side.

She leaves a burst of dust in her wake, eyes trained on the demon. “Flower Breathing: Fourth Form, Crimson Hanagoromo!”

In a flash, Y/N thrusts the blade of her katana forward, dodging wistfully around the demon’s blood art. The demon is forced to back up as Y/N keeps inching her way to him, however, what he doesn’t realize is that Sanemi is quickly coming up in his blind spot and when he does finally notice him, it’s too late.

Sanemi brings his blade up, ready to strike. “Wind Breathing, Fifth Form: Cold Mountain Wind!”

He brings down his blade, twisting his body into a spiral, flipping in the air with no problem and then finally brings down his sword against the demon’s neck. There’s a resounding shout from Sanemi as he pushes all of his body weight into his attack, and the demon lets out a stunned gasp before the Wind Hashira cleanly slices through the creature’s neck; its head rolling onto the dirt floor.

With an ungainly thump, the head rolls and ends up near Y/N’s feet, which leads her to take a half step back from it in disgust.

Sanemi whips his weapon in the air, flinging the demon blood off of it then settles it back into the sheath.

“That was easy.” Sanemi grumbles out, sounding almost disappointed.

Y/N only hums as she looks at the demon’s body laying on the ground next to Sanemi and the head that lays motionless beside her. She waits for the monster to begin fading to ash, but it doesn’t.

She squints, peering closer at the corpse, inspecting it and wondering what’s going on.

However, there’s no time to think as the head and body start to convulse in the most violent way, causing Y/N to realize what’s about to happen.

“Sanemi, back up! It’s about to explode!”

He peers down, for a split second at the demon, his own body moves on its own as he makes a mad escape through the trees.

Y/N acts in the same way, except before she can, she feels a white hot pain cutting through her back, into her skin, and suddenly her ears begin to ring and her heart throbs achingly.

In the chaos, the body releases several blood slices through the air, cutting down trees and leading them to fall with a loud rumble all at once, kicking up the dirt as they land.

Closer than he’d like to admit, Sanemi was nearly sliced in half by that irritating demon’s blood art, but he counts his lucky stars when he comes to see that he came out uninjured.

He lays low for a moment, listening for any other movements, poking his head out when he hears nothing.

The Hashira takes a look around at the forest; there are at least ten full grown trees that have been knocked down. “What a shame…” He absently thinks to himself, but as he continues to look around, he doesn’t see Y/N.

“Hey, Y/N, you alive?!”

He receives no response, and that causes the adrenaline to spike through his heart again when it is just beginning to subside.

“You better answer me, or else I’m leaving you here!”

Off to his left, he hears the slightest of grunts. He notes it sounds like someone in pain, and he wonders if Y/N’s been hurt.

Sanemi rushes around one of the fallen trees to see Y/N crumpled to the ground, on her knees, while she trembles.

“Are you hurt?” He asks, taking a step closer.

“Stay back!” Y/N abruptly screams, her attention whipping up to look directly at him and what he sees almost makes him gasp.

His face falls pale, expression freezing into blankness as his mind desperately tries to grasp what he’s witnessing.

One of Y/N’s eyes has turned completely black with a red iris, darkened purple veins run all the way from her hands to the side of her neck, and her canines have grown longer, replicating the complexion of a demon.

“You’re turning into a demon…” Sanemi states matter of factly, hands instinctively reaching for his katana.

Y/N writhes brutal, feeling the demon’s blood rushing over nerve, painfully, grotesquely. She grasps at her haori, not knowing what else to do with her hands as tears prick at her eyes.

She grits her teeth, grunting and moaning uncomfortably, the desire for human flesh over taking her mind.

It’s like an itch that no matter how much you scratch it will never be enough.

Her eyes flick up to the sky, wondering if the morning sun is here yet; it’s too dark out. They can’t wait for sunlight, she’ll turn before it comes.

No, there’s only one thing left.

Y/N snatches her sword from where she dropped it and directs the blade next to her own neck, her head tilted up to look at the starry night.

“I’m sorry….” She whispers to no one in particular, just about to decapitate herself when she freezes.

For a brief moment, there’s nothing; no pain, no urges, her brains’ not screaming for her to eat instead it’s quiet.

Too quiet in fact, Y/N wonders if she’s already died. That thought is annihilated when the prickling sensation in her stomach pushes up with ferocious force into her throat, burning on the way up.

She drops her sword with a clank, and leans over, sitting now on all fours. A few pants of breath press through her teeth before she opens her mouth and vomits out all the bile pooling from deep within her gut.

“What the hell?!” Sanemi grimaces as he watches this all unfold in front of him.

The bile scatters from her throat onto the ground, Y/N pauses for a second only for her diaphragm to heave once more and continue on. There’s a fear in the back of her mind that she’ll never stop, but as soon as that thought enters her mind, she does stop.

She gasps for the air that previously evaded her, vision blurring, head feeling fuzzy. Her muscles are weak, her body is nearly about to collapse as she manages to give Sanemi one last look before she passes out.

Sanemi rushes to her side, thrown for a loop once he gets a good look at her face; eyes reverted back to their natural color, skin cleared, and perfectly normal.

What the hell was going on?

________

“I’m so sorry, sweetheart. I wish I could tell you your name, your real name, but this is for your own good….”

A voice whispers to her in the midst of darkness; it holds to physical shape yet sounds familiar.

“He will kill you if he were to ever find out about what power you hold.”

The sweet voice beckons to her with such reverence, but also despair.

“Never forget, my darling, you were my greatest joy.”

She feels the warmth of lips pressing against the top of her head, into her hair.

“I love you.”

Slowly, her eyelids on their own, leaving Y/N staring blankly at the ceiling. Her vision doesn’t immediately focus, leaving her looking at everything in a blur, but after a few blinks, she begins to see things in detail.

Her gaze trickles down to her body, laying flat on a hospital bed. Y/N notes that there are multiple other beds lined in a row beside her, and across the room. That makes her realize that she is at least somewhere familiar: the Butterfly Mansion.

Wait, how long has it been?

Y/N anxiety struck right at the heart as she attempted to sit up from her spot, her back aching painfully all the while.

“Don’t even think about it.” A voice off to the side scolds her.

Y/N flinches, turning to her right and seeing Shinobu standing in the doorway. In her arms, sits a tray of bandage wraps and a bottle of something Y/N isn’t sure of though suspects it’s medicine.

“Kocho?” Y/N croaked out, voice cracking as she tried to swallow. She only ends up coughing, causing Shinobu to rush to her side. She pours a cup of water and holds it up to Y/N’s chapped lips.

Y/N grabs a hold of the cup, choking down the rest of the water and feeling relieved from the coolness of the liquid.

“How long have I been here?” Y/N heaves out as she takes a gasping breath from downing the water in one go.

Shinobu takes the cup and sets it on the table beside Y/N’s bed. “It’s been almost five days. You suffered a pretty serious back injury.”

Y/N subconsciously reaches for her back at the mention of it; she remembers the blinding slice across her skin, and then…

“Don’t worry…” Shinobu reassures her upon seeing her expression, “It’s nearly healed down with no permanent damage. You’ll have a decent scar though.”

Y/N thinks for a moment before remembering something, eyes widened at the realization. “Where’s Sanemi? Is he okay?”

That makes Shinobu briefly pause, surprised that Y/N even seemed concerned about him. However, soon she smiles in that chipper way she always does. “He’s fine. In fact, he was the one who brought you here.”

“He did?”

Shinobu nods, “Indeed. He came barging in here, screaming for someone to help as he carried you in his arms. I thought he was going to throttle the poor kakushi.”

“Wow, I didn’t think that-”

“He cared so much?” Shinobu finishes for her.

Y/N nods, a pang of guilt running through her, “I don’t mean to sound callous.”

Shinobu hums, “It’s alright. He is definitely a brash man, sometimes a bit petty if you ask me, but he does care. He just doesn’t like to show it, especially not after…”

She trails off, eyes staring off into nothing, memories of the past swimming to the forefront of her mind.

Y/N waits a beat too long, expecting her to say something. “Shinobu?”

Her voice seems to shake Shinobu out of her trance as she perks up. “All I’m saying is that Sanemi may be blunt and a bit harsh, but he is compassionate to say the least. As a demon hunter, it’s difficult to grow close with those around us when we could lose them in a moment.”

“I know.” Y/N says thoughtfully.

“But no more talk about that!” Shinobu suddenly announces, “You need fresh bandages and something to eat so let’s get this done, shall we?”

The Insect Hashira doesn’t wait for a response as she helps Y/N to sit up and change her bandages.

For the remainder of the day, Shinobu helps Y/N around the mansion, making sure she eats, takes breaks when going through rehabilitation, and overall being another shoulder to lean on as she walks around the mansion.

Y/N notes that Shinobu was right, the injury is nearly healed, and while it’s definitely sore, she’s grateful that she was asleep those handful of days to avoid the hassle of being in pain.

It won’t be too long before she’s able to get back out there in the field.

Morning seems to arrive quicker, as Y/N is awoken by someone stomping down the hallway toward the hospital wing.

“Sanemi, I must ask that you keep your voice at a normal volume. Y/N is still resting.” Y/N hears Shinobu’s muffled voice just on the other side of the door.

“The master wants to speak to her.” Was all Sanemi says then barges inside.

Shinobu follows close behind as Sanemi approaches Y/N’s bedside. With much effort, Y/N manages to sit up the moment the pair come into view.

“What’s going on?” Y/N asks bluntly.

“The mast wants to speak to you as soon as possible; he’s already waiting.” Sanemi answers, lavender eyes centered intensely on Y/N.

She’d be a bit ashamed to admit that his gaze is rather intimidating.

“Do you think you could make the journey to the estate?” Shinobu kindly asks, walking forward to lay a gentle hand on Y/N’s shoulder.

Y/N nods, “I think so.”

“Very well.” Shinobu pauses, turning to Sanemi, who remains standing there. “If you wouldn’t mind, Shinazugawa, Y/N needs some privacy to change.”

He’s startled out of his repose, face flushing the slightest as he wordlessly exits the room, slamming the door behind him.

Shinobu helps Y/N to change in her uniform, apart from her haori being repaired, and venture back into the hallway where Sanemi is waiting.

Soon, they are on the highly traveled road, making their way to the estate. The dirt crunches under their feet, the cacophony of neighboring birds singing, sunlight rippling through the leaves of the trees towering over them, and no words shared leaving the slight breeze through the brush being the only other sound between the three of them.

“What is it that the master wants to talk about?” Y/N finally asks.

There’s a beat of nothing before Sanemi decides to speak up, “He wants to know the details of our last mission together.”

Shinobu and Y/N share confused glances.

“Why would he want to know about that?” Y/N prodded for more information.

At that, Sanemi scoffs, “Why do you think? You nearly turned into a demon, but for some reason your body rejected it. There’s no one else who’s been able to do that.”

Y/N holds her tongue, having nothing else to add as they continue on down their path.

Eventually, they come across the rock garden to the master’s temporary home. The three of them make their way through the garden and over to the veranda, where the master is sitting inside beyond the sliding doors.

“The Wind Hashira and Insect Hashira have arrived along with Y/N.” One of the master’s daughters relayed, sitting patiently beside Kagaya.

“Thank you. Please come in, my children.” Kagaya beckons them warmly, voice soft like honey.

The three of them briefly bow their heads before stepping up into the veranda. When Y/N goes to step up, her body still feels a bit weak, so her leg almost gives out.

She slumps forward, knees giving out but a strong pair of hands keeps her standing. Y/N whips her head over to see that Sanemi is holding her upright, pale purple staring down at her.

There’s a heat creeping up the back of her neck, one she chooses to ignore along with the sensation of his firm hands keeping her balanced but she allows Sanemi to help her further inside.

“Excuse me, for the trouble.” Y/N apologizes, feeling embarrassed from having almost tripped in front of the one person who organizes the entire demon hunter hierarchy.

“Do not apologize. I imagine your injuries must make walking quite the task.” Master Kagaya reassures.

Y/N bows, “Thank you, Master.”

Shinobu and Sanemi find their respective seats on either side of Y/N and bows as well.

“It is good to see you, Master.” Sanemi gently speaks.

“Thank you, Sanemi, it is good to see you and Shinobu as well along with our friend here.”

There’s a beat of silence before he speaks again. “I suppose you might be wondering why I wanted you here.” He turns his attention toward her despite the lack of eye sight.

Y/N perks up, “Well, forgive me, Master but yes I was.”

Kagaya hums thoughtfully, “It has to do with the recent events that occurred during your last mission with Sanemi. He relayed that something rather peculiar happened to you.”

“You mean…when I began to transform into a demon?” Y/N utters hesitantly, realizing the severity of what she was saying.

The master nods his head in confirmation, “But luckily, it seems that your body rejected the transformation. Quite the odd event, wouldn’t you say?”

“If you’re going to ask me how I did it, I’m afraid I don’t know how it was even possible.” Y/N admits with a sigh, heading dipping down to stare at her lap.

Instead of any type of scolding, like Y/N feared, the master smiles with a faint hum almost mimicking a laugh that falls quietly from his lips.

“Please don’t worry, that’s not what I wanted to talk about. In fact, I believe there is something that I can tell you that might be of help.”

The trio sat up a little straighter at the proclamation.

“What do you mean?” Y/N asks, suddenly curious.

Master Kagaya takes a deep breath, closing his sickly eyes as he does so then opens them again to begin. “Shinobu has told me all about you, including the fact that you came to her without a name. A family name that is.”

“That’s right. The only family I had was my mother, she knew our family name but she kept it a secret, saying it was better that I didn’t know it.” Y/N explains.

“I beg your pardon, Master, but what does her family name have to do with what happened?” Sanemi cuts in, his voice stern but respectful.

“As you all know, my family has existed for a long time, during the time when Muzan Kibutsuji was once human. Through our rich heritage, many stories have been passed down to make sure that each head of the family knew everything there was to know about him. This includes his weaknesses.” The Master carefully explains.

Y/N’s brow pinch together curiously, however says nothing as she waits for the master to continue.

“Once long ago, there was a family that existed during that same time. The Fujiwara clan or today they might be to us as the wisteria house.”

“The wisteria house?” Y/N verbalizes her thoughts.

The master hums, “As the story goes, the Fujiwara clan were skilled apothecaries, mixing plants to heal injuries, cure sicknesses, but one day they came across a demon who attempted to devour the residents of the Fujiwara estate. In the midst of its attack, the demon began to burn and eventually died.”

Sanemi, Shinobu, and Y/N listened intently at the master’s story, wondering how any of this was going to connect.

“They realized that the plants and herbs they mixed together, most importantly their wisteria, was a toxin to these beastly creatures. So to prevent any more attacks, they began to mix wisteria into everything; their clothes, hair ornaments, the paved roads, and at some point even their food.”

Shinobu interjected, “But wisteria is poisonous when consumed!”

Kagaya nodded, “Indeed, and I’m sure they were aware of that. In order to ingest wisteria without the risk of death, they added small doses into their meals at a time and slowly their bodies acclimatised to it. Eventually, the Fujiwara family consumed so much that they no longer needed to ingest it, their bodies began to naturally produce its properties.”

“That’s incredible!” Y/N admired.

“In other words, they became a natural demon repellent.” Sanemi stated, matter of factly.

“That’s right.” The master agreed, “They could not be consumed or turned. Unfortunately, Muzan found out about this family and per his predisposition, he murdered every single person of the Fujiwara clan.”

Sanemi gritted his teeth, angry nipping at his nerves. “He didn’t want to risk them finding a way to kill him.”

Y/N’s gaze fell to the floor, the hope that had flooded her heart dashed in a moment upon realizing that Muzan, of course, had killed the only connection to her-

“However, I am beginning to think that perhaps you may be a descendant of the Fujiwara clan. It is possible that maybe a handful of the Fujiawaras managed to escape from Muzan and therefore were able to continue their family line.”

“If that’s true, that would explain why Y/N didn’t transfer when coming into contact with demon blood directly into her body.” Shinobu mutters, resting a finger against her chin.

Y/N thinks on it, back to when she was a child, her mother keeping their family name a secret. Maybe she was afraid that if she knew it, Muzan would find her and kill her.

“Do you think that Y/N’s blood might be the key to reversing engineering a poison that could kill even Muzan Kubutsuji?” Sanemi asks, looking over to Shinobu.

She nods, “It could be worth a try and find out.”

Between their conversation, Master Kagaya once again speaks. “Though we do not know if you are of the Fujiwara clan, you hold a miracle in your very being and I hope that you can help us lead the demons to their end.”

The master calmly presses his hands to the ground before bowing down to Y/N causing the three demon slayers to gawk at the spectacle.

Y/N is quick to bow even lower, forehead pressing against the tatami mats. “Please Master, do not feel as though you should bow to me! Of course, I am willing to do whatever it takes to get rid of these demons!”

Sanemi and Shinobu quickly follow Y/N in bowing, but not nearly as close to the floor.

“Thank you, my child.” The master whispers, octaves as soothing as a warm bath; settling over their nerves and lifting up the hope that just maybe, they could end this. Soon.

________

Seven months have passed since the conversation Y/N had with the master.

Thinking back on it still makes her head spin; the possibility that her family origins is from this ancient family known as the Fujiwara clan, and being immune to demons because of the wisteria in their blood? It all seems a bit much.

Though she does feel a certain levity in knowing this information as she’d never know exactly where she came from, so to learn this, knowing that it was important to her mother to keep secret, made it more bearable.

Y/N has long since recovered from her injuries and is back out in the field, much to her relief in a way.

For weeks after meeting with the master, Y/N spent every waking hour in a makeshift lab Shinobu created years ago in order to create medicines and her specialized poison for demons.

Shinobu would draw blood from Y/N, sometimes multiple vials, in order to verify the components of her blood while also testing it against other ingredients. It took days for Shinobu to come back with the results and in the meantime, she didn’t want Y/N going on any missions.

The purple haired Hashira apologized many times, making sure to let Y/N know that she didn’t get joy out of this and she wished she could make the results happen faster, but alas she could not.

When the day came when Y/N was cleared for active duty, she was more than thrilled despite what that meant.

She was ready for adventure, even dangerous adventure, but the moment she stepped outside, her eyes caught onto something rather odd.

Sanemi Shinazugawa was waiting for her.

“Oh, Sanemi, are you here going on this mission too?” Y/N questioned.

“Yeah, so hurry up and let’s go.” Was all he said.

Before she knew it, they were traveling together.

In the seven months after Y/N’s injuries healed, every mission Sanemi would follow along.

The inclusion of Sanemi on missions was a bit…weird to say the least. Y/N initially asked why the heck Sanemi was even coming along with her.

He gave a small huff and a “Because it will help you get used to being out on the field again” and Y/N didn’t question him after that.

From that point on, every mission they had they completed as a pair. Backing each other up in synchronized attacks, keeping an eye on the other’s weak spots, overall doing what they could for their partner.

Fighting demons wasn’t the only thing they did together; Sanemi began to humor her attempts at conversation, responding with real answers instead of angry dismissal like he normally would. While they were vague answers, they were answers.

More surprisingly, Sanemi would allow her to lead him through town shops whenever they actually ventured into a village. Though the pair were looking for signs of demons, Y/N would glance at all the stores had to offer, from tapestries to novels, she looked at it all but never went inside.

Being a demon slayer left little time to do much else, especially for things such as shopping. It was a mundane task, one Y/N missed immensely.

“Do you want to go look inside?” Sanemi’s voice startled her from her window shopping.

She jumped, turning to face him and waving her hands in the air. “Oh no, that’s okay! I was just looking.”

She watched as he huffed and began walking inside the nearest store, “Well you’re not gonna be able to see it from the street.”

While surprised, Y/N wordlessly followed him inside and made her rounds around the aisles of product; silky garments, highly patterned blankets, all strewn about with care.

Y/N had no inkling that Sanemi watched her carefully as she ventured to her heart’s delight.

Another time, they were actually on their way back home, walking a slightly different route and they were about to pass a tiny sweets stall.

Y/N was the one to stop and walk over to the kind old man running it.

“Do you want anything, Sanemi?” Y/N cheerfully asked as he walked up beside her.

He thought for a moment, utterly only one word. “Ohagi.”

Y/N beamed with a smile, looking back at the owner and happily made the order.

Once they had their food and tea, they sat side by side on a nearby bench; the sun gentle on their skin as they ate.

“I didn’t know you liked sweets.” Y/N admitted, taking a sip of her green tea.

“I really only like Ohagi. It’s…my favorite.” Sanemi confessed to her, finishing off the last of his snack.

Y/N hums, “Maybe I should keep some extra ohagi on me then, that way you’ll actually start to like me.”

“Don’t get any ideas.” Sanemi huffed with no real scorn behind it. Y/N laughed, feeling her heart flutter with warmth as she realized that she was enjoying her time with the normally brash Wind Hashira.

She never would have thought underneath all the gruff exterior, the smart mouth, and aggressive behavior that Sanemi Shinazugawa was a kind, sympathetic, and compassionate man.

That became apparent when they stayed at an inn., deep into the night and practically dead on their feet.

Y/N had taken off her haori, sword sheath, setting them down near the head of her futon. She breathed a sigh of relief upon feeling the soft material against her limbs, the ache of the day practically gnawing at her bones.

It would have been perfect if she hadn’t been shivering due to the chilly night breeze. She had not noticed it when they had been fighting the demon in the nearest town over, sweating and whipping her body in the air to avoid attacks, but now that the adrenaline ebbed away, and heart no longer thumping rapidly against her ribcage, she realized how cold she truly was.

She attempted to keep the shivering at bay, gritting her teeth to keep them from chattering, so concentrated on it that she yelped when a large blanket was thrown over her back and shoulders.

Y/N whips her head around to see Sanemi standing there, “You’re gonna catch a cold.”

He steps around from behind her, and comes down onto his knees in front of her. His calloused hands reach forward, taking a hold of her frozen ones and begin to gently run his palms over them, creating a warming friction.

This was the first time that Sanemi had touched her directly. Of course, he would have had to carry her to safety when she was injured, but she was unconscious then. This was entirely different.

Right now, she felt the rough callouses ingrained in his palms run over her soft skin.

Sanemi’s hands were surprisingly warm, and for a moment Y/N wondered if he always ran hot like a furnace. But she dashed to that thought away when his eyes glanced up to her, catching her staring at him.

Y/N’s eyes darted fast down to her lap, looking at nothing in particular and trying to hide the burning of her cheeks from his sight.

“I’m gonna go get you some tea.” Sanemi abruptly states before turning on his heels and exiting their shared room, leaving Y/N flustered on her bed.

Just little moments like that between the two of time, lifted Y/N’s heart and in time, she grew not only looking forward to missions together but also she yearned for the drumming of her heart, the excitement that tingled over her body and settled on her stomach. In all the months that they’d been spending time together, something began to grow within her; a seedling that was poured with sunlight and slowly becoming more.

Until a certain white haired Hashira grasped that bud and ripped it straight from her heart, leaving only an empty hole of what almost was.

It was truly nothing at first; perhaps a coincidence and that’s what Y/N thought.

They were fighting a horde of demons, trivial really, but when Y/N was about to dispatch the last demon from the group, Sanemi stepped in lighting fast and took care of it for her.

She was startled, brain trying to catch up to what she witnessed but once Sanemi beckoned her from them to leave the forest they were in, she didn’t think about it again.

But it kept happening.

Over and over Sanemi would cut in, take out the last demon as she was about to behead it, and he’d simply walk away.

She had it under control so what was the deal?

Y/N became increasingly irritated, no longer attempting conversation instead she gave into silent contemplation.

Apparently Sanemi had noticed and for once, he asked if she was alright.

Y/N stops walking, eyes keeping steady as the words she’d been holding in suddenly come to the surface.

“What’s been up with you lately?”

He raises a brow at the question, almost like it didn’t make sense. “What do you mean?”

She sighs, rubbing at her temple as the frustration begins to seep in. “I mean you’ve been stepping in when I don’t need you to. Why?”

Sanemi immediately gets defensive. “You’ve been slower than usual. If I didn’t step in you would’ve become some demon’s trophy by now.”

“I’ve been holding my own just fine! I don’t need you doing my job for me.” Y/N retaliates.

“It doesn’t matter! Because whether you like it or not, I’m here to stay! You’re too important to be getting yourself killed by some half-assed demon.” Sanemi retorts, swinging his hand in the air animatedly to empathize his point.

Y/N pauses, the anger in her wanes as she thinks about what he’s saying and to her delight, it makes her flutter. “What do you mean by ‘too important’?”

Her voice has softened, approaching delicately into the conversation she believes is about to happen, but to her horror Sanemi scoffs.

“You heard what the master said; you’re poison to demons! You can’t be turned into one and no demon would dare try to consume you.” Sanemi pauses as he takes a deep breath, “What’s inside you, is the key to finding a way to kill Muzan Kibutsuji.”

As quickly as hope had lifted her up, it all came crumbling down into dust, taking her with it.

“Is that the only reason you’ve been coming on all these missions with me? To protect me so I might kill Muzan?” She uttered as she grappled desperately to keep the shards of her breaking heart in one piece.

“Why else would I bother?” Sanemi rhetorically asks, knowing there’s no clear answer.

Her ears feel like their ringing, body becoming numb, mouth falling agape while she absentmindedly shakes her head as though she doesn’t believe what she’s hearing, she doesn’t believe how naive she was to think that for a selfish moment that he could have cared about her.

She feels the pained grimace morphing into her features, skin tight around her mouth and cheeks as her eyes shine with remnants of her hope.

“You bastard…” Y/N mumbles before turning her back to him and running the rest of the way home.

A handful of days have passed since Y/N left Sanemi standing alone on the path back home.

She made a careful effort to avoid him at all costs; she didn’t speak to him whenever she saw him, in fact she pretended he didn’t even exist, Y/N also made sure that she went away alone on missions before Sanemi had a chance to know about them.

And Sanemi chose not to go out of his way to intervene anymore.

In the dead of night, Sanemi laid awake, staring up at the ceiling as his thoughts carried him away to that day.

He remembered her expressions, the onslaught of tears unshed, her words.

“You bastard..”

Sanemi gritted his teeth in a frustrated groan. As much as he didn’t want to admit it and probably would never admit out loud, he deserved that. He deserved her scorn because he wasn’t exactly kind to her, he even lied.

Turns out when Y/N asked why she was important, he gave her the first words that came to mind, the words that echoed the protective barrier he built around himself since he was a child, since he was forced to kill his mother turned demon.

He’s been keeping everything hidden for so long, Sanemi hardly recalls a time when it was different.

The truth was he cared for her since he carried Y/N back to the butterfly mansion, all covered in blood and when he learned that her blood could mean a peaceful future, he felt his heart lift the slightest with something he’d hadn’t felt in a long time; hope.

She gave him the greatest gift any one person could have given him of all people. Unfortunately, it scared him too how much she made him feel.

Sanemi was never good at sentiment, but here in the middle of the night, his guilt ate away at him and demanded he make things right.

The next morning that’s exactly what he did with eyes dry and drowsy from the sleepless night, he sent a letter to Y/N.

All he could hope now was that she’d actually show up.

What he didn’t know was that Y/N considered not showing up. The moment his crow landed beside her, she intrusively thought about swatting it away, but reasoned herself out of it.

With a resounding sigh, Y/N plucks the letter from the crow and begins to read it.

Look, I know I’ve been an ass, but give me a chance to explain myself then I promise you’ll never have to speak to me again.

Meet me tonight.

Sanemi Shinazugawa.

“Is he serious?” Y/N rhetorically asks, instinctively glancing to his crow who simply tilts its head and tries something of a shrug.

Despite her anger towards him, Y/N finds herself standing in front of Sanemi’s own estate, sun having already set and the chirping of crickets flowing into her ears.

Y/N raises her hand, ready to knock, but hesitates. Even though she’s hear, she’s not sure she wants to hear what he has to say not after he basically said he had no other interest in her except keeping her safe so she could kill Muzan.

But she was here, and if she didn’t like what Sanemi had to say, she’d never have to speak to him again.

So, win-win.

Y/N takes a deep breath, and lightly knocks on the front sliding door.

There’s a light thumping beyond the door that gets louder as it comes closer, then Sanemi slides the door open peering through the candle light to see Y/N.

“You actually showed up?” He muttered out, amused.

Y/N scoffs, “Trust me, I was thinking better of it.”

He pauses for a moment, then takes a deep breath and steps away, signaling for her to come inside.

She does so and watches as he closes the door then walks past her toward the living room space.

There are lanterns lighting up the entire area, showing off a minimalist type of interior design for the house. However, there’s a chabudai resting at the center of the living space, rectangular, with two deep lavender cushions placed on both sides of the table.

The table itself sits on top of a large, thin fabric mat while the rest of the floor is traditional tatami mats, perfectly lined and placed down to make up the entire floor. Off to the left there is a sliding door opened, revealing the kitchen in the back corner.

Her eyes flick back to Sanemi who sits down at the table, looking up at her expectantly until she walks over and sits too.

She watches him, his thumb knocking against the table top making a small thud. His gaze is fixated on a seemingly invisible pattern on the wooden surface, taking a deep breath that leaves his lungs with an exaggerated force that tells Y/N, whatever he’s about to say, he’s mentally preparing for it.

“I suppose the first thing I should start with is: I’m sorry.” Sanemi bluntly states.

Y/N makes an expression that blatantly shows her surprise and then he continues.

“The last time we talked, I told you that I was only going on missions with you because of what your blood could mean for the future and while that was partly true, in a sense, there’s more to it than that.”

“...Okay.” Y/N answered softly, urging for more explanation.

“You…give me hope, hope for a future, hope for a world without demons and that scares me. I don’t know what to do with that, never had a chance to learn.” He admits, the atmosphere around him subtly shifting into one of delicate sorrow. “I’ve lost many people in my life, back to even when I was a kid, I lost most of those who were important to me.”

Y/N feels her pent up anger begin to wash away, understanding in a sense about what he means. For a moment, she thinks back to those she's lost, feeling the weight of their absence and the despair of having forgotten in a moment of routine.

Despite her initial frustration with him, his plight is one she painstakingly knows well.

There’s a brief pause, Sanemi closing his eyes for a moment as he attempts to ease his aching heart, the memory of all his loved ones flashing to the forefront. He bites his lip, then carefully takes in a deep breath.

“I learned to bury whatever feelings I had so that I could continue fighting because if I didn’t, then the loss would crush me. And that’s the point I’m trying to make…” Sanemi cuts himself off, interlacing his fingers together, finally lifting his head to fully look at her. “Your loss would bury me.”

Y/N shakes her head, the jerky movement showing her confusion. “What does that mean?”

At the question, Sanemi huffs and for a moment, Y/N considers leaving right then and there, however his next words plant her in her spot.

“I’m saying, I love you.”

In that second, Y/N’s feels her heart throb with a delicacy that comes with such a revelation. The adrenaline rolling through her veins makes her hands shake, warmth building in her gut then fluttering across the rest of her body.

Of all the things she expected him to say, that was definitely not one of them.

“Or at least I think that’s what this is. I’ve never felt this way so I guess I don’t know what to call it…It was the only word that fit.” Sanemi relents, gaze darting away for a moment as his confession overwhelmed his ability to stay calm.

When his eyes meet back to Y/N, who has uttered no sound or words to his rather vulnerable declaration, he instantly feels like he’s going to faint.

So he begins to backtrack, retreating to what he knows keeps him safe, “That’s all I wanted to say. You can go now.”

With a thud, palms hitting the table as he forces himself to come to a stand, and walks away.

Y/N snapped out of her stupor, millions of thoughts whirling in her mind coming to a halt as she scrambles to get to her feet. She nearly trips as hurries, but it takes only a few strides for her to block Sanemi from leaving, hands raising to cradle his face.

“You can’t just say that to a girl and then leave.” She half heartedly attempts at a joke to ease the tension that seeps from him.

Sanemi doesn’t find it funny, as he tries to push her away from him, making her press herself even closer to him, fingers grasping the back of his neck into the tresses of white hair.

“I feel the same.” She blurts out.

That gives Sanemi pause, shoulders sinking down from their pensive state.

Y/N continues, “I want to be with you. Do you want that?”

She peeks up at him expectantly, waiting for his answer.

Sanemi thinks, his rough hands coming up to carefully massage at Y/N’s arms, the ones that are holding him as if he were fragile. He can’t deny that despite his predisposition at rejecting such a thing to everyone else, he likes the way it feels when it comes from her.

For the first time, Sanemi huffs out a laugh. “Why else would I tell you all that if I was just gonna throw you to the wind?”

Y/N laughs, “Well you were the one walking away. You didn’t even give me a chance to respond.”

His cheeks beam red at the obvious call out. “So! What else was I supposed to do when you had that slack-jawed look on your face like I said something crazy?”

“Because you did!” She retorts back.

Before Sanemi can again try pulling away, Y/N presses their heads together, closing her eyes to relish in the warmth his presence provides. Her hand slides down, stopping right over his heart and smiles at the rapid thumping underneath.

“But it’s okay, because I like you a little crazy anyway.”

Sanemi scoffs, violet eyes staring off to a random place on her shoulder. “You are something else.”

Beneath the gruff and rough attitude, the teasing behind his words, and his affinity for being easily angered, Sanemi Shinazugawa smiles with an affection that suits a man who has lost many things and finally has peace."

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