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There is a ghost haunting Tomioka Giyuu.
His hair is the same colour as a peach, and the fox mask he wears has a big scratch next to his mouth like a scar. Short like a child, the ghost is by far one of the creepiest Sanemi has seen.
He doesn't often see ghosts. It's borderline rare, something about his marechi blood that gives him a view into the spiritual world. The other side. Usually, when he sees ghosts, they're older. Parents to orphans who couldn't pass on knowing their child was left alone. Sanemi only saw ghosts who had unfinished business, anchored to a living being. Everyone else passed on.
Which was what made the kid so weird.
Sanemi hadn't seen him the first few times he met Tomioka, the arrogant bastard. He hadn't liked the water hashira from the moment they met. His eyes were always looking past Sanemi like he wasn't worth keeping his attention, and his words were short, clipped, like he had something better to be doing.
Nobody, not even Rengoku and Kanae, had been able to wring more than a few short sentences from him. And they had tried.
Shinobu, who took over her sisters position after she passed, faired only slightly better. But Tomioka still seemed stuck in a state of constant annoyance when she said so much as a 'hello.'
So when the child appeared, at some random meeting just after the Kamado brats came, Sanemi was a little shocked.
Some of the other hashira's had ghosts with them. Himejima had a small group of children constantly playing around him, Kanae could be found leaning over her sisters shoulder, Tokito with a boy his mirror image, and even Tengen could be found with a preteen sibling or two bickering over his shoulder. The other hashira weren't aware of the spirits, even if they knew Sanemi could see them, because he refused to play psychic.
So, the fact that there was hashira with someone who loved them enough to stick around wasn't what Sanemi was having a hard time with. It was the fact that it was Tomioka. Arrogant, cold, Tomioka. Who had never so much as given an inkling to having lost someone.
Honestly, Sanemi had been under the impression that he'd had a childhood much like Mitsuri's, just with snobbier parents.
This was all shocking enough, but then the ghost child had turned and looked at him.
The spirits did not look at Sanemi. Not unless they were bored and wandering around, their eyes bouncing to everyone in the room, not just him. But this kid was. Fox mask fixed in his direction as everyone else filed out the meeting room. The only reason Tomioka lingered in the doorway was because Shinobu had a grip fixed on his arm as she talked at him.
Sanemi would've written it off as a creepy coincidence from the creepy ghost child, but then the mask had tilted, curious. "You can see me, can't you?"
He'd choked, looking ahead of him and away from the kid, surprised. Tengen had called out a 'bless you' from the other side of the room, and a boy spirit no older than thirteen copied the words in a high-pitched voice.
The fox boy walked in front of him, crouched down, and stared at him, "You can," He'd hummed.
Sanemi had glared, warning the little shit to shut up and leave him alone. It was bad enough people knew he could see ghosts, he didn't want to draw attention to it. But the kid was entirely undeterred, almost like Sanemi's unspoken threat was amusing.
"It's your blood, isn't it," He'd mused. "Urokodaki had mentioned marechi blood having magical effects for demons. Makes sense if it happens while in your body, too."
Fox boy was as annoying as the guy he haunted.
Sanemi didn't know who Urokodaki was, nor did he care. He stood up, nichirin blade in his left hand and turned to leave. Shoulder checking Tomioka on his way out through the door, grumbling a 'watch it', over his other side.
The ghost followed.
Sanemi tried to ignore it, he truly did. He made it to the wisteria surrounding the Ubuyashiki estate before his patience wore thin, and he spun on his heel, drew his sword, and snapped, "Fuck off! Find someone else to play divine messenger,"
Fox boy didn't stop. He scoffed, in fact. Like Sanemi was funny. "Oh, divine messenger, is it?" He asked, airy and rhetorical. "My mistake. Here I thought you were just a rude asshole,"
Frowning, Sanemi said, "Watch your fucking mouth, kid."
"Or you'll what, kill me?" Then the ghost really did laugh. "Spare me. I was just curious, that's all. About what is was that crawled up your ass and died."
"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Sanemi asked, bristling.
The fox boy stopped an arms length from Sanemi, and he had to tilt his head to see his face. Now that he was closer, Sanemi could see things he hadn't before. Like the nichirin blade on his belt, and the ugly pattern on his yukata.
A very familiar ugly pattern.
This kid had been a demon slayer, and apparently had matching bad taste with Tomioka.
"Why," The boy began, slow, "Are you so cruel to Giyuu? I was unaware the being a bully was what passed for a demon slayer these days. How truly disappointing,"
"I'm cruel?" Sanemi spluttered, "You have to be kidding me. I only treat that asshole how he treats others,"
"Really? I don't believe I've ever seen Giyuu single out and pick on anyone before," Faux thoughtful with his words, the kid moved again, circling Sanemi.
He hated the way it made him tense.
"Hate to break it to you, kid," Sanemi spat, "But your anchors a cold bastard who thinks he's better than everyone else. I'm just matching him in my own, special way."
Fox boy stopped behind him, forcing Sanemi to turn. He'd never had someone communicate just how stupid they thought he was without words before. Alas, this kid lived to surprise. Or, died to, anyway.
"He doesn't like talking," The kid said, like Sanemi's stupid for not knowing this already. "He's bad at it. And eye contact makes him nervous. He's no bastard, Shinazugawa, just shy."
Sanemi scoffed, "Yeah, right."
"We were raised together after our families died." He said, deliberately mild. "He's always been bad with words. He's always acted like eye contact would kill him. Would you consider a nine year old to be a stuck up bastard?"
Sanemi didn't know what to say, so he blurted the first thing that came to mind. "Language."
"Go fuck yourself," Came the immediate reply. "Or better yet, go brother your own sibling,"
Tensing, Sanemi glared at the ghost, eyes spasming. The fox mask tilted again. "Oh? What's wrong, too shy?"
"I'll exorcise you, you little shit," Sanemi snapped, "Don't test me."
"You can try," The kid said, un-bothered, "But then you'll have Tsutako to deal with. As an older sibling yourself, I'm sure you'll be able to relate to her rage when she realises the younger brother she sacrificed her life for is being bullied just because he isn't talkative."
This was so much more information about Tomioka's life than Sanemi had ever wanted. He hated the sympathy that churned, wished he could go back to an hour ago when he didn't care whether Tomioka lived or died.
"He's a grown man," Sanemi grumbled, "He isn't being bullied. If he wanted people to like him, he should fix his damn face."
Mask still tilted, the fox kid stared at him. Studied him. He stood between Sanemi and the exit, and he had learned a long time ago that walking through a ghost knowingly was one of the worst mistakes you could make. Feeling someone's death that wasn't your own was a truly sickening feeling, and one Sanemi couldn't forget, no matter how hard he tried.
"...You can't see them, can you?" The ghost asked, quiet. "The children surrounding you."
Sanemi's next breath shuddered out of his body, and he squeezed his eyes shut.
He had wondered, for a long time, why he couldn't see his own siblings. Wondered if it meant they had moved on already, gone to a better place. The thought had almost relieved him.
But now, with the confirmation that they were in fact there, and Sanemi just couldn't see them, made him feel ill. What was the point of being able to see spirits if he couldn't see them?
What a sick joke.
"No." He admitted. "I can't."
Fox boy hummed, considering. Sanemi could feel his annoyance spike for no real reason at all.
"Do you want me to tell you what they're saying?"
"No. Why the fuck would you offer me that?" He asked, opening his eyes. "You don't like me,"
"I don't," Fox boy agreed, "But my dislike for you doesn't negate who I am. The chance to speak to a dead loved one is rare, even for you. I would offer it to anyone, regardless of personal feelings."
"That sounds pointed." Sanemi said.
"It is."
Despite himself, despite his anger, Sanemi could feel a curl of amusement at the kids' sheer audacity. "You're a little shit, you know that?"
"I'll assume that's rhetorical." Fox boy replied. His head lifted slightly, like he was looking past Sanemi. "Think about what I said. And, if you don't, I'll just remind you of it. Every day."
"That a threat, shit head?"
"Only if you're stupid enough to take it as one," Fox boy shrugged, before disappearing into the falling, purple wisteria petals.
Sanemi didn't have a chance to process anything the kid just said, because footsteps on gravel came up behind him, and he turned, sharp, to see Tomioka walking up.
He stopped when he saw Sanemi glaring at him. He glanced at his face, the gate behind him, and then back to Sanemi. Now he was looking for it, Sanemi could swear he saw a flicker of dread on the water hashira's face. True dread, like the thought of having to speak to Sanemi was worse than death.
...or just the the thought of talking in general.
Dammit. Damn the ghosts and damn Sanemi for having ears to listen to a fucking word he said.
"What the fuck are you looking at?" He snarled.
Tomioka blinked. Looked at the gate again, then back at Sanemi. "...You're blocking the way out," He said, quiet and slow.
Fuck. Fuck this. That little bastard was right, wasn't he? Tomioka really just didn't know how to talk. Still an annoying, cold, prick. Just– shy and antisocial on top of that.
"You–" Sanemi growled to himself. "You!"
"...Me..?"
"Tell your ghosts to leave me the fuck alone!"
Tomioka tilted his head. Paired with the ugly pattern on his haori, he really did remind Sanemi of the ghost boy. At the mention of ghosts, a girl appeared next to Tomioka, maybe a pace behind. Long, thick black hair in a braid, big blue eyes, she was practically Tomiokas twin. Somewhere in her late teens in a plain red haori.
...The exact same shade of Tomioka's.
Hells. Sanemi was fucked.
She had to be his elder sister, the one fox boy had mentioned. Tsutako. For some reason, Sanemi had expected her to have a fox face, too. Though she was looking at Sanemi, she didn't really seem to be seeing him. Like he wasn't real to her.
That was how ghosts were supposed to react to Sanemi. Not whatever fox boy was doing.
"Ghosts?" Tomioka asked, quiet. "I don't... have any?"
"I wish that was true," Sanemi grumbled, "Fox face. Fucking– whoever he is, tell him if he goes through with his threat, I'll go through with mine."
With the most animated expression Sanemi had ever seen from the other, Tomioka's eyes widened. With them fully open, Sanemi could see just how big and blue they were, just how much like his sisters.
"Sabito?" He whispered, confused. "You saw him?"
"If Sabito wears a stupid fucking fox mask, yeah."
"...Yes. They're spelled, the masks. To ward off evil."
That must be how fox-boy-Sabito had been able to communicate with him, then. Masks, Tomioka had said. It implied the existence of more of these annoying bastards.
"Is it like a traditional thing?" Sanemi asked, reluctant. "To bury your dead in them?"
Tomioka was looking at him like he was being weird. Which, well, he probably was. But he answered anyway. This was, without a doubt, the longest conversation Sanemi had ever had with the man.
"No," He replied, quiet. "Our trainer carved them for us before final selection. For all his students."
"...and how many died in them?"
Tomioma looked up, like he was thinking. "About... thirteen?"
Fucking hell. That's a lot of dead kids. Were they all Sabito's age? Were they all going to come and bother Sanemi?
He needed more information. Reluctant, he eyed Tomioka. Who, miraculously, was still there and willing to talk. Seemingly.
Fuck. Sanemi couldn't believe he was really doing this. "Come on," He gritted out, "Let's go get something to eat. You can tell me all about these stupid masks,"
For a moment, all Tomioka does is blink at him, and Sanemi thinks he's about to say no, walk away and leave Sanemi feeling like an idiot.
Instead, he nods, slow. "Okay."
Sanemi doesn't know why he agreed, or even why he offered in the first place. He'll blame it on not wanting to be annoyed by a fox faced ghost, and keep pretending he isn't secretly charmed by big blue eyes. Like he isn't curious about who Tomioka really is.
And, if Tsutako's ghosts smile makes him feel like a weights been lifted off his shoulder. Well, that's nobody's business but his own.