Sanemi was never one for softness. Gentleness, kind words, the way people like you seemed to have a never-ending supply of both. It wasn't in his blood, not with how his life had gone up to this point. A part of him thought that kindness didn't belong in the world, not in the world you all were living in, at least. He was fully convinced it got people killed.

And then came you, a contradiction in the flesh. Another Hashira who has somehow managed to keep any sort of light in your eyes despite all the bad things that came with the title of being one. It baffled him, dare he said so. The way you could still smile, scold the younger ones like a parent, still believe that there was something worth saving in the mess called life.

You weren't just nice. Your niceness wasn't a showcase of anything naive, or of you being soft. You were strong, frighteningly so. You'd seen the same horrors everyone else had, and you still chose compassion over bitterness. Somehow. You'd been around long enough that the "kids," Tanjiro, Nezuko, Inosuke, Zenitsu, and Kanao, looked to you like some sort of guardian figure. And, of course, Genya.

His little brother. His stupid, reckless, painfully stubborn little brother. You were always fussing over him in a way that made Sanemi's heart twist. You reminded the kid to eat. To sleep, and if not that, then rest. To stop training until he dropped. You tended to his scrapes like you did with everyone else. You made him feel like it was okay to talk, make him look less like an angry, closed-off boy Sanemi had gotten used to.

And for that, Sanemi didn't know what to do with himself. You were doing one thing he couldn't. You were healing what he broke, "broke" as in what happened between him, Genya, and their family before Hashira life. It wasn't like he resented your care. Hell, if anything, he was grateful. Beyond it.

He'd catch himself watching afar sometimes. Watching you beckon Genya over whenever you saw him training when it was so clear he was about to drop, offered him a piece of something when someone mentioned that they hadn't seen him eat anything yet. You did all the big sibling stuff he couldn't bring himself to do considering what happened in their family, and dare Sanemi say he adores you for it? He does, plenty.

It wasn't until he found you and Genya sitting on the engawa one late afternoon, the kid slumped against the wall with his face dusty, sleeves rolled up, yukata off. He was training again, he could tell. Something in Sanemi softened at the sight. Softened completely. You looked peaceful, content even, like watching out for others was what you were meant to do. And you suited it well.

It was a picture of something he thought he lost forever, his family. You made everything look safe. So normal in a world so far from that. For a second, he just stood there, unable to move, something caught in his throat. You looked up when you noticed him, a small, barely-there but knowing smile crossing your face.

"You're so damn patient. Can't wrap my head around it." He muttered. "That kid doesn't make it easy," He says knowingly as he lifted his hand to vaguely gesture at Genya, still sleeping. "but thank you. For lookin' out for him. For all of them." He huffed, trying to play off the weight of his words. He wasn't going soft, no way! But like you did with everyone else, you made it feel okay to do so.