2nd Chances

Part 35

"Shinazugawa?" Shinobu asked as the pair sat down.

It was an odd sight to see him at the estate so early in the morning.

He gave her a small nod as he looked up.

"When did you arrive? I would've come to say hi." She said observing her oddly happy elder sister.

Sanemi responded with a simple cough of acknowledgment.

Giyuu and Sanemi gave each other this look, they just sort of telepathically knew what each other was saying.

Shinobu looked at the two men as they had this sort of mental back and forth.

It was as if they could communicate with simple eye contact alone.

"You came here last night, didn't you?"

"I did, don't say anything about it.

"Alright."

The two men gave each other this slow nod of understanding as they stayed silent.

"Is something wrong?" Shinobu asked.

"No, I think Shinazugawa was just dropping by." Giyuu said covering for him.

"Yeah, I'll be going soon." Sanemi said going along with it.

"Alright, let me know if you need anything." Shinobu said confused.

Kanae gave Sanemi an odd smile as he got up and left.

"Drop by soon." The woman said with a small wave.

For a second Shinobu could've sworn she saw him smile as he left.

(Somewhere with Tanjiro)

Tanjiro noticed it ever since he got back, Zenitsu was acting really strange, like REALLY strange, even for him.

His yellow haired friend seemed much quieter and more serious, he also seemed to always be training himself to the bone for some odd reason.

Tanjiro could smell the scent of anger and hatred from Zenitsu, but whenever he tried to ask him he always told him the same thing.

"Tanjiro, you're a nice guy, and my friend. There's something I must do, alone."

Every time Zenitsu told him the same thing so Tanjiro stopped asking.

Zenitsu always had this same fierce look whenever he said those same words too.

Inosuke had also been training ever since he left, it seemed the two decided to take up tutelage from the flower Hashira in his absence.

It was really odd, the two were so different from when he left them, yet he couldn't understand why.

Inosuke only told him that "things have changed" which was a very vague explanation.

Maybe they had gotten more motivation since he was a pillar and they weren't? No, that wasn't it either, then they would've smelled like jealousy.

He was left scratching his head as he went to go see Nezuko, she had been staying at the butterfly estate under careful supervision.

Mostly because of Tanjiro being too busy to watch her and the fact that she was now likely the demon king's highest priority target.

Nezuko was originally supposed to be kept at the Ubuyashiki estate but Giyuu talked the master out of the idea.

"Do you know where Nezuko is?" He asked Aoi, she looked rather busy at the moment with the stack of papers she was carrying.

"Sorry, I don't, go to Shinobu-Sama, she'll likely know where your sister is." Aoi said as she walked off.