Roll to Me

Chapter 12

"Not her, not her," Nezuko said, watching as the campers got off the bus. "Still not her."

"Be patient, Nezuko."

"I think I'm being patient. Extremely patient."

Family reunions were happening all around them as parents and guardians located their children. Giyuu stood, arms crossed, waiting for his daughter while Nezuko leaned against the hood of his SUV. Nearby, Tanjiro was talking to a few other parents, his extroverted nature leading him to start unnecessary conversations that Giyuu wanted no part of. When Tanjiro gestured in his direction, Giyuu pretended not to see his little brother. It was easier to keep unwanted socialization at a distance that way.

Finally, a familiar face appeared at the bus door, and he started forward. Nezuko made an excited squeak and rushed past him, a bright smile on her face as she waved at Akemi.

Akemi didn't seem to notice them at first, even with Nezuko waving. Her expression was mildly nervous as she stepped off the bus, both backpack straps over her shoulders instead of it hanging haphazardly from one arm. She couldn't be worried that they wouldn't show up, could she?

She jumped as Nezuko reached her. "Welcome back, stranger!" She held her arms open wide, grinning at her niece, as Giyuu walked up behind her, hands in his pockets.

"Akemi!" Tanjiro yelled from behind them, still back near the people he had been talking to. He waved wildly and started in their direction.

Akemi tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, and for a moment, Giyuu could have sworn that she looked more than nervous, that she looked overwhelmed. But then that expression disappeared as her eyes flicked from Nezuko to him, widened, and then locked back on Nezuko. She stepped into Nezuko's embrace and hugged her back.

"I was only gone for a few weeks," she said, "Not long enough to be that strange of a stranger."

"It felt like forever," Nezuko said, hugging her and then pushing her back to arms' length. "Your hair! What happened to the color?"

"It wasn't camp regulation," she said, looking up at Nezuko. "I had to dye it."

"Aw, well, I'm sure you can add new streaks later, if you do it behind your dad's back again." She winked at Akemi and then released her.

Giyuu stepped forward, but Akemi lingered near Nezuko, staring at him.

His eyebrows raised. "What's wrong?"

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"N-nothing." Moriko hesitated, her mind fighting with all of the emotions she hadn't entirely expected. Excitement was at the top, but there was also fear because what if he realized immediately that she wasn't Akemi and rejected her? And...she hadn't expected him to look like her, even though she had seen his picture in Akemi's phone during the few minutes before they had boarded the buses. It was his expression. She knew she made the same kind of expression, one that her mom didn't make—

The guy with reddish black hair and dark red eyes rushed at her, moving past her father, arms extended. Moriko almost took a step back at that energetic display of affection, but Akemi wouldn't, so she instead tried to match it. "Hi, Uncle Tanjiro!"

"Hey, kiddo!" he said, squeezing her tight. It was such a warm, kind hug, it was easy to return it. "It wasn't the same without you around."

"You're exaggerating," Moriko said but she softened her words with an Akemi style smile.

Tanjiro gave her another hug and laughed as he let go. "Nah, not really. We missed you."

"Especially Giyuu, he was mopey without you," Nezuko said, giving him an affectionate shrug.

Moriko's father didn't argue. Instead he kept looking at Moriko, a small smile on his face that was starting to fade. Right, a hug, she had to hug him, what if she did it wrong? It had to be a perfect hug. And this was the first time she was ever going to hug her father, at least that she could remember—

"Hi," she said, walking up to him. Behind her, Tanjiro left towards where the luggage was piled, and Nezuko went with him, her hand briefly resting on Moriko's head for a second as she went by.

Her father knelt down so that they were eye level. He tilted his head to the side. "What is it?"

"Just...I missed you," she said, entirely herself in that moment. Her chest felt tight. "You also missed me?"

"Every day," he said with quiet sincerity. "But you know that." He opened his arms and she stepped into his embrace, looping her arms around his neck. He held her close, and she could tell that he really truly had missed her sister. Maybe he missed her too? "Are you all right? Was camp okay? You seem..."

"Yes, yep," she said quickly, tightening the hug for a moment, hardly believing she was hugging her dad and he was hugging her and that— "Camp was fine, I was getting homesick."

He leaned back. His eyes—they were the exact same shade as hers and Akemi's. "Really?"

She forced herself to smirk. "I was worried about Kanzaburo."

He rolled his eyes. "I took care of the cat." He let go of her and smoothed her hair back from her forehead. "You're sure everything's fine?"

"Extremely," she said, nodding emphatically. She grinned and pushed his hand away even though she didn't want to. "I can tell you about camp, if you want?" She would omit everything about the Cooperation Cabin, of course, but she could tell him about some of Akemi's other adventures.

He put his hand on her shoulder. "I'd like that."

Tanjiro and Nezuko came back their way, Tanjiro carrying Akemi's bag and the backpack. Nezuko was trying to take the backpack but he wouldn't let her. "Did you tell her about the party?"

"Tanjiro!" Nezuko made a face at him.

"Is it a surprise?" he asked, blinking.

"Now it's not," Nezuko said, sighing.

Moriko balked. A party?

Her father sighed. "I don't think it was supposed to be a surprise." He glanced down at her. "Sabito said we had to do it or he was disowning me as a brother, which I don't think he can do."

"He'd try," Nezuko said.

How would Akemi feel? Moriko immediately wanted to hide in a corner, but... "Awesome!" She was going to have to keep faking it for now, for at least a month. And since Akemi liked parties, well, for today Moriko liked them as well.