#yur

You were sitting on the wooden engawa, eyes closed, enjoying the way Kanae was brushing your hair with soft, rhythmic movements. Many years had passed since you were married. The era of battles with demons was left behind, giving way to the peaceful life you had once only timidly dreamed of. Your head rested on Kanae’s lap, and you felt absolutely, serenely happy.

The silence was broken by the pitter-patter of little feet. Two of your children ran out from the depths of the house onto the veranda—a seven-year-old boy with your eyes and a five-year-old girl who had inherited Kanae’s charming smile. They flopped down onto the tatami next to you, breathing heavily after another game of hide-and-seek with Aoi.

"Mama! Mommy!" they shouted in unison, grabbing your attention.

Kanae set aside the comb and looked at the children with a warm smile. "What is it, my little butterflies? Are you already tired of running?"

The boy shook his head seriously, then, resting his cheeks in his palms, stared at you both with unconcealed curiosity. "Sister and I were arguing... Auntie Shinobu said that when you two met, Mama was a real Snow Princess, and Mommy had to destroy an entire ice fortress to win her over! Is that true? How did you start dating?"

You choked on air, your cheeks instantly flooding with a bright, deep blush. You tried to sit up, hiding your face in your palms. "Sh-Shinobu shouldn't be telling you such nonsense! There was no ice fortress!"

Kanae laughed quietly and melodically. That sound still made your heart flutter just as it had on the day you first met. She gently hugged your shoulders, pulling you closer, and gave the children a mischievous wink. "Auntie Shinobu, of course, likes to exaggerate, but there is a grain of truth in her words. Your Mama was indeed hiding from the whole world in a very, very high tower. And I had to enter into a real battle with dragons to reach her."

The children gasped, their eyes widening with delight. "Real dragons?!" the little girl squeaked.

"Almost," Kanae smiled wider, stroking your burning cheek. "Dragons in the form of terribly annoying, loud, and narcissistic suitors. Do you want to hear the story?"

The children nodded so vigorously it seemed their heads might fall off. You only sighed humbly, burying your face in the curve of Kanae’s neck, realizing there was no way to stop her now.

"It was many years ago, when we both had just become Demon Slayers," Kanae began, her voice enveloping like soft silk, transporting the listeners into the past. "Your Mama had just transferred to headquarters. And, I’ll tell you honestly, she had the effect of a bomb going off."

Kanae looked at you with such boundless adoration that you couldn't help but smile back, even though you continued to feel shy.

"You know how beautiful your Mama is, right? But back then... oh, back then she was like a rare, exotic flower that had suddenly bloomed in the middle of a training camp. She had the same soft facial features, the same incredible, fluid grace in every movement. Her femininity, her refinement, were so pleasant to the eye that people would literally stop in the middle of the courtyard, forgetting where they were going, just to get a look at her."

The children shifted their gaze to you, as if evaluating this, and then nodded in agreement.

"And, of course," Kanae continued, a light, teasing note appearing in her voice, "such beauty attracted an entire army of suitors. Young swordsmen, Kakushi, even some Hashira... all of them swarmed around her like bees around a flower."

Kanae sighed, remembering those days. At headquarters, every day turned into a ridiculous spectacle. Guys brought you armfuls of wildflowers, waited for you after missions, and tried to impress you with their clumsy feats and loud shouting. One slayer even tried to sing you a serenade under your window, until Shinobu doused him with ice-cold water.

"But there was one problem," Kanae looked at the children seriously. "All those people... they saw only her appearance. They saw a beautiful picture, an ideal porcelain doll. None of them tried to find out what books Y/N liked. None of them asked why her eyes sometimes became so sad. They only needed her beauty like a trophy they could brag about to others."

Kanae remembered how she watched you from afar. She saw how you would shrink under their gazes, how your shoulders would tense at every fake compliment. You were so used to people needing only your beautiful shell that you began to build walls around yourself.

"Your Mama grew to hate that attention," Kanae said quietly. "To protect herself from superficial people, she became the quietest girl in the Corps. She avoided eye contact, always sat in the farthest corner of the cafeteria, spoke so quietly she could barely be heard, and tried to be as inconspicuous as possible. She became like a shadow. Many decided she was arrogant or cold. But I knew that wasn't true. I saw how she carefully bandaged the wing of an injured bird behind the infirmary. I saw how she cried over a letter from the family of a fallen comrade. I realized that behind that facade of ice hid the most gentle, most warm heart in the world. And I decided that I had to win that heart."

"And how did you defeat the others? Did you challenge them to a sword duel?!" the boy asked with burning eyes, waving an imaginary katana.

You laughed quietly, remembering your wife’s methods. "No, sweetheart. Your Mama acted much smarter and more cunning."

"Hey! Not cunning, tactical!" Kanae feigned indignation. "I just knew how to care for rare flowers. If you pull on a flower, trying to force its bud to open, it will simply break. It needs time, sunlight, and water."

While other suitors continued their loud sieges, trying to "conquer" you, Kanae chose a completely different approach. She didn't give you huge, tasteless bouquets. She didn't shout about her love across the training ground.

"I started with the simplest thing," Kanae said. "I began appearing where she was, but I didn't violate her personal space. If she was reading a book on the veranda, I would simply sit at the other end with a cup of tea. We could sit like that for an hour without saying a word. I showed her that I didn't need fake smiles or conversations from her. I was just happy being near her."

You listened to her and remembered those days. At first, you were terrified. You thought the Flower Hashira also wanted something from you, that it was just another ploy. When Kanae sat nearby, you would tense up, expecting a hail of compliments about your hair or eyes. But there were no compliments. There was only comfortable, soothing silence.

Gradually, very slowly, Kanae began to close the distance. "One day, I noticed that after heavy training, Y/N would always rub her wrists," Kanae continued. "I didn't make a show of it. I just brewed a special ointment from medicinal herbs, left the jar on her futon in the common barracks, and attached a small note: 'For your beautiful hands. Thank you for your hard work.' And I didn't sign it."

You smiled, remembering that jar. It was the first time in many years that someone had taken care of your well-being, rather than your appearance.

"And then I started bringing her her favorite green tea with jasmine," Kanae closed her eyes dreamily. "I would just put the cup on her desk and leave. For months, I didn't ask for anything in return. I saw how other guys would get angry, how they would try to pressure her by inviting her on dates to noisy cities, and how she would panic and run away from them. But I just waited. I waited for her to realize that she was safe with me."

"And when did the wall break?" your daughter asked impatiently, tugging at Kanae’s sleeve.

Kanae shifted her gaze to you. There were tears of tenderness in her pink eyes. "It was raining heavily that day."

It was true. You remembered that day in every detail. One of your most persistent suitors, a guy from a wealthy family, decided to corner you. He caught you in a corridor, pinned you against the wall, and began insistently demanding that you have dinner with him, waving some expensive necklace in front of your face. He wouldn't listen to your quiet "no." He was angry that you weren't falling at his feet like the others. You were having a full-blown panic attack; you couldn't breathe, feeling trapped.

And then she appeared.

"I saw that oaf scaring my girl," Kanae’s voice became a bit firmer, the notes of a Hashira slipping through. "I didn't shout. I just walked up, took his wrist with a smile—so hard he nearly dropped his necklace—and said: 'It seems Y/N-san has already given you her refusal. I strongly recommend you go and practice your manners in the rain.'"

When the guy ran off, heels clicking, Kanae didn't lecture you. She didn't say, "Oh, you poor, miserable thing." She simply took your trembling hand and led you to her private room.

"I sat her on the futon, wrapped her in a warm blanket, and poured her tea," Kanae told the children. "And then... then the dam broke."

You remembered how you sobbed that day. Years of tension, fear, and loneliness came pouring out. You sat before Kanae and cried, telling her things you hadn't told anyone.

"Why are you doing this?" you had asked her through tears. "Why do you waste your time on me? I’m boring. I don't know how to flirt, I’m afraid of crowds. I’m just a beautiful doll everyone wants to look at, but no one wants to talk to! There is nothing interesting about me!"

"I listened to her, and my heart broke," Kanae kissed your forehead tenderly. "I took her face in my hands, wiped away her tears, and told her what I thought: 'You are not a doll, Y/N. You are the deepest, most beautiful ocean. And I don't need your appearance. I am in love with your soul. Your kindness. Your sincerity. And I will sit on the shore of this ocean for as long as it takes, until you allow me to enter.'"

Kanae’s words back then destroyed the final barrier. You realized she saw you. Not your face, not your figure, but your fears, your hopes, your true essence.

"After that day, everything changed," Kanae smiled joyfully. "The wall didn't just collapse. Behind it, we discovered something incredible."

Kanae leaned toward the children as if about to reveal the greatest secret in the world. "Do you know what the biggest surprise turned out to be? Your Mama was not an 'Ice Princess' at all. As soon as she realized that I loved the real her, she opened up. And it turned out that hidden inside her was the brightest, warmest sun in the world!"

The children looked at you in surprise, as if seeing you for the first time. You giggled embarrassedly.

It was true. Once the fear of being judged only by your looks vanished, your true personality broke free. You were still shy and quiet in large groups, but alone with Kanae, Shinobu, and the girls from the estate, you transformed.

"She started to laugh," Kanae said enthusiastically. "She turned out to have such a ringing, contagious laugh! She started joking with me. It turned out she loved making sweets, and soon the whole Butterfly Estate was being fed her incredible cakes. She was just as bright, just as caring and 'sunny.' She just needed someone who wouldn't be blinded by the light, but would help push away the clouds."

Kanae remembered the first time you took the initiative yourself. It was a few months after your heart-to-heart talk. You were walking in the garden. Kanae tripped and nearly fell. You caught her, and then, blushing beet red but with an incredibly mischievous smile on your face, you said: "Careful, Kanae-san. I will catch you, of course, but if you fall this often, I’ll have to carry you in my arms all the time."

At that moment, Kanae knew she was lost, finally and irrevocably. Your shy, quiet, but so sincere and warm energy was a thousand times more attractive than any external beauty. You were like two suns: one shone for everyone, giving warmth to those around it, while the other, more timid one, warmed only those it let close. And together, you created a perfect balance.

"When other suitors saw how she smiled at me, how we held hands, they were furious," Kanae giggled. "They tried to protest: 'Why her?! We offered you mountains of gold!' And Y/N just stood behind me, hugged me, and said so quietly, but so firmly, that everyone heard: 'Because Kanae-san sees me even when I close my eyes.' After that, none of them dared approach us again."

"And how did you get married?! Who proposed?" your daughter was practically bouncing in her seat with impatience.

You finally took your hands from your face and, smiling, looked at the children. "Kanae proposed. And it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen."

Kanae intertwined her fingers with yours, her thumb softly stroking your wedding ring. "We had been dating for three years. I knew Y/N didn't like noisy parties or public attention. So I didn't say anything to the other Hashira. I just asked her to go on a night patrol with me."

You nodded, picking up the story: "But instead of a patrol, she led me to a clearing that was completely, from edge to edge, covered in blooming wisteria. The moon was shining so brightly that everything seemed silver."

"I was very nervous," Kanae confessed, her cheeks turning slightly pink. "I, the Flower Hashira, who wasn't afraid of demons, was shaking like an aspen leaf before this tiny, shy girl. I got down on one knee right in the flowers."

The children held their breath.

"I told her: 'Y/N, you allowed me to grow trust in your heart. You allowed me to see your inner sun. I promise that for the rest of my days, I will protect this sun from any clouds. I will be your shield, your garden, and your home. Will you marry me?'"

"And what did you say, Mama?!" your son exclaimed.

You ruffled his hair affectionately. "I couldn't even say anything. I just threw myself around her neck, knocked her over, and we both fell right into the wisteria flowers. I was crying with happiness and just kissing her whole face until I could squeeze out a 'Yes.'"

You looked at Kanae. The years had passed; there were silver threads appearing in your hair here and there, but in this moment, looking into her eyes, you still felt like that same girl who had finally been understood and accepted.

The children sat with mouths open, processing what they had heard. "Wow..." your daughter exhaled. "So, to win over a princess, you don't have to be a loud knight. You just have to know how to wait and brew tasty tea?"

You and Kanae exchanged glances and burst into laughter simultaneously. That laughter—ringing, sincere, filled with absolute happiness—echoed across the courtyard of the Butterfly Estate, startling the small birds in the bushes.

"Exactly right, my little one," Kanae pulled the children into a hug, and then kissed you on the temple. "Love does not tolerate haste. True love is when you are ready to sit in silence and wait until the person themselves wants to show you their inner light."

The boy rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Got it. So, when I grow up, I’ll give girls ointment for their wrists, not flowers!"

You buried your face in Kanae’s shoulder, laughing until you cried. Your wife looked at your son with pride. "That’s an excellent strategy, sweetie. But remember: you have to make the ointment yourself!"

When the children, satisfied with the fairy-tale story, ran back into the house to tell everything to Aoi, a soothing silence reigned on the engawa once again.

Kanae gently lifted your chin, forcing you to look into her eyes. "You know, I never regretted even one second of that wait," she whispered, her lips a millimeter from yours. "You were worth every day, Y/N. My personal, brightest sun."

"And you are my sky, in which I am not afraid to shine," you answered just as quietly.