Half-Demon! Tanjiro AU

Chapter Two: Smoke Signal

Warnings: There is still quite a bit of angst, but there is a happy ending here!

Word Count: 2150

  Darkness surrounded Sanemi's mind as time  passed. It had been three days since Tanjiro's disappearance...and Genya's death. Sanemi's last sibling..the last person he truly loved..was gone. He isolated himself from everyone. Whenever he did show his face, he dared not to speak. In a way, his behavior was very similar to how Giyuu used to act.
  This was strange to the both of them, since Sanemi would often criticize Giyuu for his avoidant behavior. Yet here he is now, sitting on the back porch of his estate with his eyes staring at the ground. The Wind Estate was usually quiet, even when Genya was here, but now it felt empty.
  A knock could be heard from the other side of the mansion. Sanemi knew who it was and silently stood up to greet them. The Wind Hashira slid open the door and stared into the empty house. It was clean and nothing had been touched since Genya's passing. Training swords, both of wood and steel, were hanging on racks that were leaning against the side walls.
  In the middle of the room stood a table. There wasn't much that was special about it, say for a purple bonsai tree that Genya had gifted him. Sanemi couldn't take his eyes off of the tree. His brother gave it to him as an apology for blaming him for their mom's death. At the time though, Sanemi only spat in his face and shrugged it off. He wished Genya would've known how much he cherished the tree and how he actually did care about him.
  It was too late now. Sanemi shook his head before walking past the table. Shadows crawled on the gray walls and sliding doors as Sanemi walked past. The only light that shone in the house came from the back and front doors. Sanemi saw the outline of the only other Hashira to still be alive as he approached the front door.
  He slid the door open and immediately covered his eyes with his hand. The sun beamed down at his face with a harsh glow. Once his eyes adjusted, Sanemi looked at the Water Hashira, who was standing before him. "Good morning, Shinazugawa." Giyuu greeted him in a tired voice.
  "Morning..Why did you come here?" Sanemi didn't seem agitated, just tired. "I just wanted to check up on you." Giyuu's eyes seemed oddly warm towards the Wind Hashira. "I'm fine, Tomioka..Just leave me be." Sanemi went to walk back inside when Giyuu put his hand on the closing door. "No you're not."
  Sanemi only sighed as he walked back through his estate. The Water Hashira followed him, observing the dark surroundings. Truth be told, he truly felt sorrow for his fellow colleague. He understood how Sanemi was feeling at this very moment. After Sabito's death, Giyuu isolated himself from everyone, much like Sanemi is doing now. Giyuu knows personally how miserable he must be feeling and he doesn't want anyone else to feel the same misery that he felt.
  The Wind Hashira took his place back on the back porch, this time staring at the training ground. Giyuu stood behind him, eyeing the beautiful bonsai tree. It was the only source of color in the house, the only source of comfort. He looked back at Sanemi with an empathetic expression. He took off his haori, which held significant importance to Giyuu, and laid it comfortingly on Sanemi's shoulders.
  Sanemi looked up at him with disbelief and curiosity, but said nothing. Giyuu sat down next to him, scanning the Wind Hashira's training grounds. "Sanemi.." Giyuu said with a heavy heart. "It's not your fault." Sanemi looked up at him with shock and a bit of anger. "Why would you say that?"
  Giyuu closed his eyes before looking at him with warmth. "I know that you think that it's your fault. You think that you could've saved him if you just tried harder." Sanemi said nothing as he looked away, knowing that Giyuu was telling nothing but the truth. "Why are you telling me this?"
  Giyuu sighed heavily, "Because I feel the same." Sanemi widened his eyes, a realization had hit him. For the longest time, he couldn't stand the way Giyuu acted. However right here and right now, he understood what the Water Hashira had been going through. Everything made sense and they truly weren't so different after all.

  A fire burned brightly in the dead of night. It had been a full week since Tanjiro's disappearance. The young slayer had been hunting rabbits to survive. He had one roasting above his makeshift fire. Tanjiro only stared at the flames as his mind drifted away.
  Although it was killing his heart, Tanjiro chose to stay away from his friends. He didn't know what had happened to him and he didn't know if he would rip them to shreds on accident. The younger missed them with every fiber of his being, but he thought that it would be best to isolate himself. At least, that's what he told himself.
  Despite still being a demon, he hadn't had any cravings or instinctual behaviors. He acted just like his human self and he still had his memories. Regardless of that, Tanjiro convinced himself that he was a danger.
  Unbeknownst to him, a Kasugai Crow was servailing the area. It cawed softly as it perched on a nearby tree. The crow swirled it's head and saw the rising smoke. The bird's eyes widened as it realized that it was a man made fire. Perfectly controlled and well placed. The crow shook its body as it spread its wings, taking off to the night sky.