𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗥𝗧𝗘𝗘𝗡 ╱ kagaya ubuyashiki

     Mirai's eyes traced her teacher from the left of the room, to the right, and back to the left. Wet, unbraided brown hair slopped against the woman's skin as she paced back and forth, eyes glazed in a panic. Blue and white linens flew up in the air from her haori, and it reminded the young girl of a foggy morning.

     "Sensei?"

     No response, something very out of character for Sayuri, someone who cared so deeply for those around her that she'd attend to any mention of herself. Mirai looks over at Miso, who was preening his feathers in an attempt to neaten his appearance with the help of Ame.

     "The Hashira can't be that scary, right?" Sayuri's head finally flicks over at Mirai's mention of the highest-ranking Demon Slayers, an anxious chill shaking through her body.

     "Mirai, these people are sent to eliminate the twelve directly under Muzan. The masters of their breathing techniques, who've slain over 50 demons or at least one of the Twelve Kizuki. It took four of us to take down Hairo, and I can say that was mostly Rengoku."

     "That's so not true!" Mirai huffs, "You were right behind him the whole time, I don't think he can take all the glory. Besides, it wasn't just him invited to the meeting."

     Sayuri collapses against a bookshelf dramatically, sliding down with a whine and pulling her haori close,

     "I'm going to embarrass myself!"

     "Sensei!" Mirai grumbles and stomps in front of Sayuri with furrowed eyebrows. The older looks up with a pout, and Mirai reaches to set a hand on either of her cheeks to squish them with concentration, "-You've got this! The Hashira should be nervous to be in your presence! Just tell yourself that!"

     Letting go, Sayuri lets out a deep breath and is helped back to her feet by her Tsuguko. Oh, what wonders the bright, young, and innocent mind could do to someone with such guilt and doubt enlaced in their every thought. The girl had set brows and made sure to give a look that made her sensei know she was completely serious.

     "I'm not sure what's come over me, perhaps the thought of it all so soon after recovery made my stomach ill with nerve. I'll make sure to report any details to you, I promise. Well, if it's allowed... I suppose."

     "And if there are any cuteee ones!" Mirai teases, just to ensure the woman laughed at least once. It was a skill she had gotten fairly good at in their time together. It works according to plan when her mentor flushes with soft laughter,

     "If that'll ease your mind, I will keep an eye out."

     "Woohoo! Loosen up sensei! You're making so many people proud."

     "Thank you Mirai, you're too kind," Sayuri ruffles her hair with a smile and goes to grab her blade, sheathing it by her waist. With a few deep breaths, her racing heart calmed on her way over to the kitchen, Mirai following curiously.

     Before Yuri can grab a glass of water and prepare a quick bite of food, there's a rapid knocking at her door. A quick succession is followed by silence until it rinses and repeats. Mirai beams and ignores the older's suspicious side-eye, running to the entrance to the small home and practically ripping the door open to introduce their surprise guests.

     Yuri puffs in shock when Rengoku steps through the door with Mitsuri in tow, the latter wrapping Mirai in a bear hug. Mirai looks to Sayuri with a breathless grin,

  "I promised to invite them over once you and Mr. Rengoku were feeling better! Mitsuri and I spent a lot of time together in the Butterfly Mansion so I told her all about our home!"

  Mitsuri and Rengoku both bow their heads and remove their shoes before stepping in, Sayuri still standing in one spot. She hadn't prepared a thank you, or any thoughts to speak when reunited with the pair of Kinoe and Mizunoto. Not to mention the small home was nothing short of a mess! Yuri grabs a few bowls off of the counter and begins tidying up with pink cheeks,

    "It warms my heart to see you two fully recovered, please forgive the state of my home," She hums with a gentle laugh. Rengoku shakes his head with a blinding smile,

     "It is nothing compared to my home! My younger brother and Mitsuri are always eating and leaving dishes unkempt!"

    Mitsuri flushes and hides her face underneath pale fingers,

    "You're always training us so much we get really hungry!"

   To emphasize her point, the girl's stomach rumbles right on time causing her to squawk in embarrassment. Mirai giggles and pulls her over to the kitchen, asking what kind of food she'd like since Sayuri typically ended up purchasing far too many groceries anyways. As the two chat amongst themselves, Rengoku finds his way beside Yuri, who was setting aside some freshly washed clothes she hasn't taken care of. Fluffy yellow and red hair follows the man as he takes the pile of garments from the shorter,

   "You are still healing, I will handle it!" Burning owl eyes flitter around before falling on Sayuri, "Where do they go!"

     "Oh," The woman stifles laughter before bringing him to the closet inside her room, sliding the door and allowing the pile to be tucked away, "-Thank you."

     "It is no problem! How are you feeling?"

     "I'm well, nothing a bit of stretching can't help. You're an amazing swordsman, I couldn't imagine performing that well."

     "You held your own well enough!" Rengoku argues, smile unfaltering, "-Our styles synched and moved with one another to take down that demon! Though seeing you try and take all the hits made me uneasy, is it personal?"

     "Ah yes," Sayuri looks out the window in her bedroom, spotting some children peeking into her backyard. They'd often do this to spy on Mirai and her sensei training, "-Old memories formed a thought. If I can try my hardest to save anyone from death, I'll do what I must. Should I be taken, I'll have a brother waiting for me."

     "What a depressing thought!"

    Sayuri's eyes widen at Rengoku's blunt comment, unsure of what to say. His smile was straightened in all seriousness,

    "Do not forget what you have waiting for you when you fight hard enough to stay alive. Should you constantly sacrifice yourself it creates too many weaknesses, strive for keeping everyone, even yourself, safe at the end of the day!"

     "Ah, that sounds nice. I'll try that." Sayuri nods and closes her closet door. Her hand pauses on the knob, her forehead resting against the surface. Rengoku takes a step forward, but falls back when the woman backs away from the door,

     "My apologies, sometimes I get lost in thought. I must get around to meet the Hashira, I surely can't go looking like this." Sayuri offers a kind smile before running to her dresser to grab a hairbrush and hair ties, "-I'll return in a moment if you'd like to get something to eat with the girls."

     "I would love that! May I accompany you on your walk to the meeting?"

     "Oh! Were you invited as well?"

     "Yes! I filled in for the previous Flame Hashira!"

     "That's... incredible. Perhaps you can tell me about him on the way?"

     Rengoku's gaze falls for a minute, thinking, before nodding,

     "Of course!"

     He steps out of the room and Sayuri works her two long strips of hair into sleek braids. Her lips stayed upturned with the reminder that, she too, mattered. And her thoughts fell on Kyojuro Rengoku.

     In the kitchen area, Mirai and Mitsuri were putting together easy skewers that the latter learned a long time ago,

    "So, you basically just take old leftovers and stab them to make this yummy snack! If you add sweet and spicy seasonings it tastes soooo much better! Rengoku sensei and Senjuro eat them all the time with me! Here, try the first one," Mitsuri drives it into Mirai's mouth, and makes sure she gets a large bite before taking it back and trying it herself. Both faces sparkle as a mixture of spices hit their tongue mixed with the savory vegetables and meat leftover from the previous night. 

     "Woah! This is magnificent! I could eat these all day for the rest of my life!" Mirai admires before gobbling up the rest of the shared skewer, "You're an amazing cook Mitsuri!"

     "Oh, well it was the one thing that made me normal, so I always practiced it when I was younger!"

     "Made you normal?" Mirai tilts her head in confusion. Mitsuri flushes and shakes her head aggressively,

     "It's nothing! I'm happy now so that's all that matters!"

     "I'm glad, but to be honest, there's nothing normal people can brag about that makes them better than us. They don't get to wield swords and don't have unique hair like you. So I hope you don't dwell on that anymore," Mirai reassures Mitsuri before working on another skewer.

     "You're such an amazing friend Mirai!" Mitsuri grins and wraps her in another bone-crushing hug, and Mirai can only heave out a 'thank you'. After a few more seconds of the embrace, Mitsuri lets go and returns to her spot in helping make the food. When Rengoku leaves Sayuri to her braiding, he too comes over and joins the cooking session, eager to learn about Mirai and spend time with his student.

     Laughter and happy conversation fill the air, making the home feel more lived in than it ever had before. From her room, Sayuri smiles as her fingers work back and forth on her hair, reminiscing of a similar time in her past, of nights in Urokodaki's home with her, Giyuu, and Sabito carelessly enjoying themselves. Nothing to fear, nothing to lose.

     When she does finish her hair, the woman decides to inspect what that incredible smell was. Whoever was cooking, it certainly wasn't Mirai. She loved the young girl dearly but feared for her own safety when the Mizunoto put a plate of something in her lap. It was usually safer to allow her to watch the water boil while Sayuri chopped or minced.

      When walking out, the first thing she notices is how close Rengoku already was with Mirai. He held some sort of skewer above him while the younger tried to jump up and grab it.

     Secondly, Mitsuri was arguably a master chef with how quickly she was assembling the food that Sayuri had expected to toss to the wild animals in a few days.

     "Sensei!" Mirai calls when she notices Sayuri's appearance in the rest of the house, all ready for her meeting, "You have to try this!" She nudges Rengoku to offer the spare in his hand, which Yuri accepts and takes a bite of. Immediately, the blue of her eyes seems to brighten, gentle dimples forming on either side of her mouth as she chews through the heavenly meal.

     "And you helped with this Mirai?" Sayuri teases, taking another bite suspiciously, "Perhaps I trusted this too easily."

  "Hey! Well... okay I just slid the chunks onto the wood. Mitsuri did the rest."

     "You two both did excellently! I bet we could bring these to the Hashira!" Rengoku compliments and snags another to munch on, giving a separate piece to his crow.

     "Wait, what time is it?"

     "To be on time is to be late!" Miso caws from the windowsill, "-And if you leave now you will be on time! Best get moving!"

     Rengoku and Sayuri exchange glances before rushing to finish their food and race for the door. Mirai and Mitsuri wish them good luck, before Mirai notices her mentor forgot her haori. She must've taken it off to keep her soft makeup routine from smearing all over it. The girl scrambles inside Sayuri's bedroom and snatches the breezy clothing before making her way to where the Kinoe were just outside of the house. Sayuri was asking Miso for directions, so Mirai simply had no other choice than to hand it to Rengoku,

     "This is Sayuri's! See you soon!"

    She slams the door shut and looks at Mitsuri with a smug smirk,

     "They're all set."

     On the porch, Sayuri turns to Rengoku,

     "We can follow Miso, he knows the way from here. Huh?"

     Her haori is placed on her back and pulled across each shoulder, Rengoku helping her dress hastily yet careful not to crease anything. Sayuri wills away her flustered cheeks from the kind gesture,

     "I hadn't even realized, seems I owe you more thanks."

     "It was Mirai who had grabbed it! I simply passed it on!"

     "That girl keeps my head on straight every day, I swear," Sayuri jokes and begins trotting behind her crow. Rengoku follows in tow, the two speeding up into a jog to make their arrival earlier. Through the streets they pass, villagers watch a flame and mist race side by side, flowing with one another. In time this would become daily life between the two future Hashira. The flaming heart warming a cool mist, and a gentle rain calming a burning fire. 

     With no time to chat on their way as discussed, the Kinoe end up at the estate where the Hashira Meetings occur just a slight bit early. Both of their crows fly off to go rest, and both swordsmen regain their breathing and dust off any grime that was kicked up onto their clothes.

     "What a beautiful home," Sayuri comments, looking at the fenced-in home and yard that were neatly kept and all in a traditional style, something similar to her own yet larger and constructed with dark wood.

    "Behind, where the meetings are held, is even better! Can you hear the pond?" Rengoku leads her around at a leisurely pace, now that they had the time. Sayuri closes her eyes, breathing in the aroma of fresh water and hearing the lapping of water in the lazy wind. Other than that, there was a single voice.

    "There have been more demon incidents in the north, perhaps this could be because of Kib-"

     Sayuri's face falls when realizing they were interrupting the meeting they were supposed to be at. When she sees a man with black hair turn his head toward them, some type of illness spreading across his forehead, kind purple eyes shrinking under a smile,

     "Kyojuro Rengoku, Sayuri Fukunaga, I see you've arrived."

     "Are... Are we late?" Sayuri whispers, though clearly heard from the man,

     "No, I scheduled you later in hopes I wouldn't have to make you sit through an entire meeting. That will be for another time."

     The sweetest laugh relaxes the woman, and a tug on her haori makes her realize that Rengoku was kneeling. She does the same, knee pressing into the pebbles placed on the ground. Feeling that her eyes must remain on this person, the head of the Hashira, she doesn't get time to notice the wide stare upon her from a certain Water Breather.

     "I'm Kagaya Ubuyashiki, the head of the Demon Slayer Corps. Though I am unable to fight with you, I care for all of the swordsmen like my children. I am so pleased to see you both back here alive. Kyojuro... You are an astounding boy."

     Kyojuro straightens at the praise, and Sayuri is happy for him. Not everyone kills gets to survive and kill a member of the Twelve Kizuki.

     "Will you support the Demon Slayer Corps from now on as a Hashira?"

     "Yes!"

     "Thank you, we welcome you as the new Flame Pillar. And Sayuri, you displayed nothing other than extraordinary swordsmanship alongside Rengoku as his partner last minute. I do apologize for the intrusion on your vacation."

     "It was my duty to ensure everyone was safe, I was proud to do that."

     "That makes my heart happy, you show as much pride as everyone here. And I'd like for you to join them as an official Pillar. Perhaps the Cloud Pillar, that is your breathing style correct?"

     Sayuri feels her head go faint, shaking herself back into reality. Had she already seen this coming? It was still just as heart-dropping, to have such a title meant so much. It meant Sayuri was strong, was able to protect so many others who weren't capable themselves, and would work to eliminate the nastiest demons and bring them to their end.

   "It would be an honor, what may I do to earn this rank?"

    "Master, may I speak?"

    Sayuri looks over to an extremely tall man with the arms cut out of his uniforms, making for a very eye-catching appearance. A beaded headband dangled from his head as he glanced over at the Kinoe and newly appointed Hashira,

    "Uzui, you mustn't ask, please speak if you would like."

    He bows his head and rubs his chin curiously with red and green painted nails,

    "Isn't this moving too fast? How can we be sure a Kinoe who just so happened to cross paths with Rengoku, who was trained by the previous Flame Hashira, is able to perform at our level? I speak with no hostility, only concern," He reassures there was no real bite to his words, as Tengen Uzui preferred the safety of his comrades over some title.

    "I have watched Sayuri since she was young, you do not know of her past and how far she's come. I would find you thinking differently about the subject had you known any information. I appreciate your concern Uzui," Kagaya nods, and the tall male falls back into his kneeling position without another word, trusting his leader.

   "I want Sayuri to seek out the demon of Lower Rank Four, the one who bears that red rope you carry tied to your saya. Go to the village, with the Flame Pillar and the Water Pillar, and reunite with those who are lost and those you have just found."

    Sayuri barely hears the mission given to her, eyes lost on someone else after looking over when Uzuzi spoke. A face she hadn't seen in years yet still appeared as similar to the day she last saw him. Walking away after their final hug. Her feet push off the ground urgently, braids and haori dragging behind her and she stumbles her way over to Giyuu.

    Her brother stands up as quickly as he can to support the woman jumping into his arms, the two nearly falling over together.

     Together.

     Sayuri was with Giyuu again. After nearly eight years of sparse letters and never knowing if she'd get one again, she could feel and hold her closest friend and nonbiological sibling. He smelled the same, his hair just as soft and in that low-hanging ponytail. And the haori...

     "You still have it, you... You're still here," Sayuri can't hold back the tears trickling down to that garment she'd sewn so long ago. The rest of the meeting fell deaf to her ears, all the stares gone with the world as she melted into the breathing body of Giyuu.

     "Sayuri..." Is all Giyuu can say before stuffing his head into her shoulder. She could feel his lips upturn, a smile she'd never see as it was hidden away under difficult memories and would vanish as soon as his head lifted. She wished to see that smile, oh so pretty on his face, just like Sabito.

     There were no words to speak during their reunion, if they spoke, sentences would break, and voices would fail to emit anything but cries. The strength of their hold on one another was enough, feeling a body in the present meant they weren't gone. Sayuri and Giyuu were okay, they were safe. They were together. 

     Sanemi looks to Kagaya confused, he'd never seen Giyuu so intimate with somebody. Not even platonically, so who was this breaking his cold and drifted away complex? If Kagaya were to send her to kill Lower Rank Four, she must be strong, not to mention she already helped defeat a demon of two higher positions. When Kagaya shakes his head, seeming to know this would happen, and needed to, Sanemi returns to studying the woman. Not that he'd look in Rengoku's direction, he was far too embarrassed after trying to pick a fight the last time they met.

     Shinobu clears her throat with a fluttery chuckle,

    "Tomioka, I didn't realize you had friends! Why didn't you tell me?" Her tone set off Sayuri, who looked up and pinned the Insect Pillar under daggers of eyes. She didn't know this woman, and didn't understand Shinobu's actual surprise. It was always her intention to help Giyuu spread his wings from her teasing, but Sayuri only saw it as sass she didn't like.

     "Shinobu has no ill intentions, Sayuri," Giyuu informs, separating from his sister to bow his head in respect to his fellow pillars and Kagaya, "-This is my sister."

     "Sister?" Gyomei smiles, a sudden waterfall of tears streaming down his face, "How beautiful to see family reunite."

     "Ya don't look the same," Uzui raises an eyebrow. Giyuu shrugs,

     "Not by blood."

     "Awwe, he's so talkative now! You must really bring out the best in sweet Tomioka," Shinobu beams, hands pressed together cheerfully by her head. Tomioka looks away, shying from the spotlight. Sayuri hums in content, he had people who cared for him, which made her joyful to see.

     "Allow me to wrap up this meeting so you may all connect with one another. It is so wonderful to see, I hate to break the fun. Sayuri, you are aware of your mission?"

     "Yes, I will do my best." She tucks her trembling hands under her haori, she'd rather not think about that just yet. She had no reason to doubt Kagaya sending her into her past, he was far wiser than her, and she had to have trust in that. Besides, Rengoku and Giyuu would be following her, though she knew for support mentally rather than in slaying the demon.

     "I know you will. I am eager to see you as a Hashira next meeting. You may take today to converse and the three of you will head out at sunrise. Rengoku, Mitsuri is now officially your Tsuguko, she may stay here if she'd like to continue her training. Sayuri, Mirai may come as well, I sense those girls are stronger together, and always will be. There will be the rest of the Hashira to train them both.

     "As I was saying before, with the issue of the demon surplus north of here, I'd like Gyomei to go inspect. Please send for one of your brothers and sisters for backup if you require it. Rely on each other, you may not know how much you truly are like siblings, but I have seen it time and time again.

     "My children are nothing but strong."

☁️

𝗡𝗢𝗧𝗘 ╱ way too late of
a chapter omfg 

if I made mirai cook smth
in the past and forgot, 
sayuri probably paid for
it eventually.

I've gone through a lot
in the past couple of
days, but writing this
helped me feel better.
esp the amount of 
laughter in this chap

go tell your loved ones
what they mean to you
,, I truly encourage it ,,
even if you're fighting. 
and find a reason to 
laugh every day. who 
knows what tomorrow
brings <3

sorry if this is bad im
so tired <3

gumiguro-