Another Step

The next time Sumiko woke, she was being carried on someone's back.

Needless to say she absolutely panicked.

And then she realized her hands and feet were free, and that she wasn't being kidnapped. As well as the fact that the man who's back she was riding was walking slowly, instead of running for fear of her father's mighty axe.

And as she relaxed and felt the first rays of sunlight peek over the horizon and hit her face, she remembered last night.

And almost fell off the man's back, attempting to see past the blurriness of her own dried tears.

She only managed to get a good grip on him when she realized she could smell her father's warm earthy smell and her sister's unnatural scent not three feet from her.

She managed to blink the grogginess out of her eyes and look over whoever was carrying her shoulder, and see her father peacefully resting while being carried in the man's arms, and her little sister wrapped inside of a strange haori?

And then she looked up at whoever was holding all three of them, and met the deepest azure eyes she had ever seen.

And then she realized the man who had saved her family was carrying them down a literal mountain.

"Waah!" She was mortified beyond belief.

"I'm so s-sorry, Mr. Giyu! I-I swear this was unintentional! I'm so sorry for not waking up and walking!" Of course she had slept through whatever the man had tried to wake her with! With everything she had gone through last night, surely her body decided rest was the priority-

"I did not try to wake you." Oh. Oh dear. "You will not be able to walk for a few days, considering your injuries."

Oh.

"I'm sorry for troubling you then, Mr. Giyu." This horrified the poor girl who had been raised to reciprocate kindness as best she could, becoming a burden for anyone was unacceptable for the young girl with strange red hair.

"Giyu is fine. And it's not a trouble, you are all lighter than you should be." There's a question, buried in his scent if not his voice. Kindness radiated from the man's smell, he would not pry if she were uncomfortable, but she would do her best to be honest with Mr-… Giyu.

"My father has been sick for quite some time."

…

He would let her speak at her own pace then, he truly was kind. Sumiko tightened her grip on the man's uniform and buried her head into his back to hide the shameful tears as they burned her eyes once more.

"Ever since mother passed, bringing me and Nezuko into the world, he's gotten worse and worse. The dance seems to help, despite how tiring it is to use."

Because of her father's sickness, money had been sparse between the three, at least until Sumiko and Nezuko could take over the coal trading, but that seemed to be a moot point for now.

"Recovery breathing."

"W-what?" Breathing? Like what her father had shown her?

"Demons are naturally stronger than a human." Okay, that much had been obvious considering the monster last night had torn apart the entire clearing in their fight, but what does that have to do with anything?

"I'm getting to that." Oh god, did she say that out loud?

"Yes." His voice was naturally very stoic, and any other time she would take this as a scolding, but his smell hadn't changed. It was quite odd, but maybe that was just how he was.

"Demons have many natural advantages over humans, and so breathing styles have evolved to bridge the gap."

"So what father does is one of those breathing styles? Recovery breathing?"

"A sub skill of total concentration breathing; recovery breathing. With it you can clot bleeding wounds, aid in muscle recovery, as well as speed up recovery from illnesses. Without any kind of proper instructions, he's managed to master a skill that most demon slayers struggle with for years."

Oh, so the reason Father practiced so hard with the Hinokami Kagura was to live. Rather than sleep, or rest as she'd pleaded, he'd picked up the ceremonial garbs and instruments had been so he could last one more day. How long had he known? How long had he been teaching her to do the same.

…

"Are you using recovery breathing right now?" She'd been blocking out the way his breathing sounded, but with her eyes closed and her head pressed against the small of his back, there was no ignoring it.

"I am."

Silence descended between the two, and Sumiko was left to think about her future. The possibility of fighting and dying for her sister had felt inconsequential last night but as helpless as Sumiko felt she was right now, it seemed like a forgone conclusion.

"Try not to think too hard about it." His scent had changed, he was unsure and quite awkward as he spoke in his monotone voice, apparently being able to read her freaking mind, but he was trying to help her, yet again. Ugh, how was she supposed to repay this man? Hopefully father would know once he was awake.

Sumiko took a deep breath and let everything go as her father had taught her. Relaxing her body and simply existing and disappearing with every inhale and exhale. She followed the rhythm of the man holding her as best she could, attempting to imitate whatever process allowed him to carry three people while completely exhausted.

It was slow going, her body attempting to follow the path of the kagura as her father had shown her relentlessly only to be stalled. Over and over again she tried to match the breathing of Giyu to hasten her own recovery only to be met with failure and pain.

They were fixing to reach the mountain's base, and the path that led to the small village up ahead when she finally allowed her breathing to return to normal so her lungs wouldn't burst.

"Our body structures are different."

She peeked upwards to the man as he spoke, hopeful for any tip he might have.

"Your lungs are naturally smaller, as well as unused to the motions. Take several smaller breaths in succession and hold it in for three seconds before releasing while following my rhythm."

She followed his instructions and felt her body relax once more against him, her pain seemed to dull if only a little. Oh, Giyu was still talking.

"After a time, you'll be used to the motions and be able to do the proper form. This is the first step to learning recovery breathing."

"Thank you." She had nothing else to say, and was truly calm for the first time since her home was destroyed. She hesitated, biting her lip as she closed her eyes and took in his calming scent again.

His emotions were open to her like this. His regrets. His resolve. His exhaustion. His pain. His love. She could smell them surrounding her in a blanket that was just as warm as the sunlight bearing down onto them and her family.

It was peaceful…

Wait…

Why did she smell malice and flowers?

"Hey hey, Giyu."

Hatred washed over them, distorting the serene moment into something…

Deadly.

"We come all this way to help, and what do we find?"

No. Please no.

"Why, we find you carrying some poor man and his daughter away, like some thuggish human trafficker? That just won't do. Not all Giyu!"

There were two people ahead of them on the road, welding strange blades that smelled like Giyu's. One was a tall, broad shouldered man, with white hair and two blades. And the other was a woman about her own height with strange eyes and black and purple hair.

It should also be noted that the man who seems to be quite experienced at slaying demons seemed rather spooked as he stared at the shorter woman.

The same woman who practically reeked of sweet flowers, insects, and deep rooted hatred.

Who also seemed to be staring at Nezuko like a particularly nasty bug she'd just stepped on.

Oh dear merciful god, please no.

"While escorting a demon no less. How inconsiderate, dear. This is why no one cares for you, you know?"

EH?! A personal attack?! She felt Giyu's breathing stutter for a moment, which completely terrified her. But it was the utterly helpless smell that filled her nose that froze her.

"I… I am not disliked…"

"Oh, dear." Sumiko could practically hear the 'tsk' 'tsk' in the woman's voice. "Had no one told you?" The fake sympathy was utterly appalling, and she had no idea why the white haired man was covering his mouth so tightly.

And why were his shoulders shaking?

Wait a minute…

Dear?!

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Tengen was having the time of his life.

Sure the night could have gone better, what with the whole upper moon thing and Giyu going on, but so far?

Nothing but good news, surprisingly enough.

Shinobu's crow had come back to report that the young demon slayer Tengen had watched grow into a truly flamboyant young man and Hashira had slain Upper Moon Five all by himself had left him utterly elated! His motivation had skyrocketed, and if the Insect Hashira hadn't stopped him, he would have rocketed up the mountain and dragged Giyu to the nearest bar to celebrate, and damn the consequences.

The exceptionally cold, and gut wrenching consequences of… rushing headfirst into a devastating blizzard… while his body was covered in a thin veil of sweat by their little run to the damn mountains…

Moving on!

After waiting patiently to drag his junior to the nearest festival( he was the god of festivals, of course he knew where the nearest one was being held at all times!) only to find Giyu carrying a girl only a handful of years younger than his precious little junior.

She had strange shoulder length red hair, naturally clear skin his wives would kill Muzan themselves to have, and dark red eyes.

Hmmmm…

…

Excellent taste, as expected of his lrecious junior! And bonus points for carrying the girl's obviously injured father down a mountain with her as well!

Tengen would make a real man out of Giyu yet!

Oh, but poor Shinobu hadn't been too happy to see the girl. The throbbing vein on her forehead had been hilarious to behold, as had been his favorite pastime since the younger woman became a Hashira: watch her verbally murder her obvious crush!

After all, what kind of woman mentally abuses a coworker like that unless she was head over heels for him!

And no, his upbringing inside of an entire clan of deadly assassins did not alter his perception of courting rites, thank you. He knows what people normally do for these kinds of things. They were just soooo boring, and this was so much more fun!

Makio always was a horrible gossip, and Suma and Hina had been waiting for Shinobu to either jump the poor helpless Water Hashira or try to kill him since forever now. Tengen couldn't wait to fill in his wives with every juicy detail about their favorite little awkward brother.

Well, things had gotten even worse when the Insect Hashira had seen the little demon girl sleeping atop the thin man's chest.

Which was not entirely ideal! But Tengen was sure the steadfast Water Hashira had an excellent explanation, and he would wait for his dear friend to offer said wonderful explanation before chopping off the poor little demon girl's head flamboyantly!

Everyone wins!

As soon as Shinobu stops trying to murder Giyu with her words they could all get to the bottom of this.

Oop! Nevermind! Or Giyu could just walk past the upset woman like she didn't exist. That's even better!

God he loved being a Hashira!

XXXXXXXXXX

Giyu had no idea how to explain himself to either Tengen or Shinobu, so he didn't.

"I need to reach the Water Estate. The girl must be evaluated, and the father needs treatment."

"Hey, hey! Giyu! Don't ignore me, that's not what friends do, you know? You have to talk to people if you want their help, you know?" The vein on her forehead was throbbing in time with her frenzied breathing.

Oh great, she's mad at him again…

Maybe this time she'll tell him why?

…

…

Never.

Shaking that strange thought away and blaming it on the exhaustion chilling his bones, Giyu made to keep walking. Maybe his body will have recovered enough by nightfall to run the rest of the way?

Ah. Tengen was laughing at him again. That was okay, as he and Gyomei were his only two seniors as Hashira, Giyu was sure that his little slip ups he was apparently blind to, the two seemed to catch instantly and offer the strangest laughs while patting him on the shoulder.

It was strange, and kind of tiring, but also nice? They didn't seem to be making fun of him, and never revealed why they were laughing, so hopefully it wasn't anything too serious.

Unless Shinobu was involved.

That woman hated Giyu for some reason, and never bothered to explain anything to him.

And then she got mad at him for not understanding things?! It's like she wanted to be upset with each other…

Wait a min-

"Giyu is a nice man! Why would you say such a horrible thing about him?!" It seems Sumiko had recovered enough to get upset enough. She was still doing the first step of recovery breathing so she had some potential at least. Wai-

"Oh? So you do talk? I wasn't sure if you were just going to sit there on some strange man's back the entire time while he carries you down a mountain."

"He's not a strange man, he saved our lives!" The girl on his back was practically fing now, and Shinobu's amusement was proportional to her height at the moment, so Giyu needed to get a handle on both girls now, before the poison user decided to stop playing nice.

"Then how do I ask for help?" He had never been the best at that, and when he did, people never seemed to be too happy. He always told them exactly what needed to happen, but they never seemed to be particularly willing even if they did end up helping.

"You say 'will you help me' and 'please'." The sound hashira's utterly bemused voice seemed to startle both girls for a moment. "You have to be polite when you ask for help, otherwise people take it as you ordering them around, like you're better than them."

Ah. Understood.

"Will you both help get these three to the Water Estate, please? They need help, and the girl must be evaluated." Huh, Shinobu's face was strange. She'd never had that weird look until now, and she didn't seem to be angry anymore? More confused.

"Of course!" Thankfully Tengen had always been willing to help; Giyu didn't stand a chance against a normal slayer right now, let alone two other Hashiras. "Lead the way, Giyu." The sound hashira fell into step with Giyu as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

It was nice.

XXXXXXXXXXX

"So!"

There they go again, speaking as if there wasn't a demon of all things present.

Shinobu felt her usually apathetic smile twitch, only to slam it back into place when that little harlot began to glare back at her.

Honestly! What was wrong with all of her comrades?!

"How did you meet?" That stupid grin on Tengen's face made her desire for exceptional violence grow exponentially. Unfortunately, her guileless grin could not falter in the face of the staring match the civilian girl had started.

Hmph! As if she'd lose out to anyone that wasn't a slayer.

"They were attacked by a demon. I saved them." Truly, the water hashira was a riveting conversationalist as usual.

"Eh?! But you said that that demon was super strong?!" Success. The young girl had completely failed in her attempts to intimidate Shinobu, and had backed down from the rather pathetic amount of fighting intent she'd exuded. "Didn't you say there were five more of those things?"

So these three, sorry two, managed to escape the hands of an Upper Moon? Interesting.

"There are hundreds, if not thousands of demons in Japan."

"EHHHH?!?!" Ah, the sweet sound of justice being delivered, her favorite. It made her all warm and cozy inside to hear the absolute despair the truth could bring to the weak minded.

"And more are created every day!" Shinobu chirped as she skipped past the young girl and the man carrying her family. "Any demon can create another simply by sharing their blood!"

"It's why I said you had a chance." Damnit, why is it only when Shinobu wanted to scare some little girl that Giyu desired to actually speak?!

Wait, a chance?

"Your father was capable of shredding the summons from Upper Moon Five."

What?

"Your family must have been affiliated with the corps at some point. Because a full breathing style, with twelve forms, does not simply exist without our influence."

… What?

"Your 'dance' must be evaluated. If you can showcase how effective your style is, and prove yourself to the corps, your family will be safe. Lord Kagaya is a good man, even if you were to ask him right now, I'm sure he'd offer you some protection."

"I see! So that's why!" Tnegen's voice cut through her shock like a knife. "New breathing styles to offer cultivators are always in demand! Congratulations, young lady! You just might have a chance to save your little demon."

"She's my sister!" Oh great it seems the little girl found her nerve again. Great.

"That's what I said!" Tengen's obnoxious grin was grating, but the utterly affronted look on the girls unfairly flawless face was soothing.

… Hmmm…

Shinobu needed a different hobby, picking on Giyu is becoming old, and he's too dense to be truly teased.

Eh, she'll pick on this little country bumpkin until she figures out a better way to distract herself from her big sister's situation.

Maybe she and Giyu could spar?

Notes: I want y'all to know this chapter fought me every step of the way. Just so you know.