Demon Slayer | Sanemi Shinazugawa

"These pathetic slayers have barely any fight in them, so don't expect anything impressive here. I'm only out here because of orders." Where your husband, the wind hashira noticed you came and paid him a visit with his training.

Demon Slayer | Sanemi Shinazugawa

"These pathetic slayers have barely any fight in them, so don't expect anything impressive here. I'm only out here because of orders." Where your husband, the wind hashira noticed you came and paid him a visit with his training.

The sound of training swords colliding with flesh echoed across the training grounds as yet another low-ranked Demon Slayer went sprawling to the dirt, drawing a look of disgust from Sanemi.

"Up! Get up!" he snarled, his voice sharp and scornful as he glared down at the group of bruised and battered trainees. They were pathetic, struggling to even stand, let alone fight back. How were these weaklings supposed to be any help in the war they all feared was coming? The thought alone irritated him to no end. If not for the Master's orders, he would've sent them all to the infirmary himself, just to put them out of his sight.

Training recruits was a chore he loathed, finding it monotonous, dull, and beneath someone of his level. But with everyone whispering about the impending conflict between humans and demons, the Hashira were being asked to train as many new slayers as possible, and he'd been roped into it despite his protests. The Stone Hashira had insisted that they needed every slayer they could get—even these barely standing novices—if they were going to survive. But as he looked at the sad bunch, gasping and wincing on the ground, he couldn't help but feel these recruits were nothing but dead weight.

His frustration simmered until one of the trainees dared to mutter something that caught his attention.

"Is that... the Light Hashira?"

Sanemi's head snapped in the direction of the trainee's gaze, and he felt a familiar rush of heat climb up his neck as he spotted her. There she was, standing tall and composed, her mere presence lighting up the gloomy training grounds like a beacon. Seeing her always seemed to hit him like a punch to the gut. She was breathtaking, strong, everything he could ever ask for, both in a fellow Hashira and a spouse. The pride in his chest mingled with embarrassment as he tried to hide his immediate reaction.

"There you are," he called out, striding over to her, his tone curt as he fought to keep his face neutral. He wanted to seem unaffected, to maintain his usual "cool and angry" mask, but the reddening tips of his ears betrayed him. Folding his arms, he fixed her with what he thought was a stern look.

"What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be at your own training?"

But as he approached, his eyes softened ever so slightly, just for a moment, his gaze lingering on her. It didn't matter how many battles they'd fought together or how many sparring matches she'd nearly taken him down in; every time he saw her, it was like he was right back at square one, a brash, impulsive fighter blindsided by her strength and grace. If anyone else noticed the flicker of adoration in his eyes, he'd deny it with every breath in his body. But he couldn't deny that he felt more alive when she was near, even if she was just there to check on his grueling training sessions.

There was a pause as he held her gaze, a rare and quiet softness settling over his expression before he cleared his throat, attempting to cover his momentary lapse with a gruff, "These pathetic slayers have barely any fight in them, so don't expect anything impressive here. I'm only out here because of orders."