Year Four of the Time Skip
Meiji 38 (1905)
Ages this year:
Kai: 12 → 13
Mitsuri: 12 → 13
Shinobu: 11 → 12
Kanae: 15 → 16
---
Kai — Morning Discipline
The mornings became quieter this year.
Kai rose before the others, not because he was told to—but because his body simply knew. Breath steady. Mind clear. Movements precise.
Sun Breathing no longer burned.
It listened.
Each swing of his blade carved clean arcs through the air, controlled enough that the grass beneath his feet barely bent.
Kanae watched from the porch.
"You don't rush anymore," she said.
Kai paused, wiping sweat from his brow. "I don't need to."
She smiled.
That answer told her everything.
---
Mitsuri — Strength Without Apology
Mitsuri trained differently now.
Less repetition. More refinement.
She laughed less loudly during practice—but when she laughed, it carried confidence instead of nervousness.
Her blade cracked like a whip, bending impossibly, wrapping around Kai's guard and stopping just short of his throat.
"Point," Kai admitted.
Mitsuri beamed.
Not shy. Not uncertain.
Just proud.
Later, sitting by the river with their feet in the water, she said quietly, "I used to worry I was holding everyone back."
Kai shook his head immediately. "You pull us forward."
She blinked.
Then smiled in a way that stayed with him for days.
---
Shinobu — Learning to Lean
Shinobu's growth was quieter—but deeper.
She asked questions now.
Not constantly. Not desperately.
But when she didn't know something—she said so.
"Can you check this mixture?" she asked Kanae one afternoon.
Kanae nearly dropped the tray in her hands.
Shinobu noticed—and rolled her eyes. "Don't make a big deal of it."
But she didn't pull away when Kanae hugged her anyway.
During sparring, Shinobu stopped forcing herself to match Kai's strength. Instead, she learned timing. Angles. Control.
She won three out of ten bouts.
That was enough.
At night, she sometimes sat beside Kai under the wisteria, neither speaking.
And for once—silence didn't feel like distance.
---
Kanae — The Weight of Almost-Adult
Kanae turned sixteen near winter.
She noticed how the world looked at her now.
Not as a child. Not yet as an adult.
But as something in between—a bridge.
Responsibility pressed heavier this year. She felt it in her shoulders, in the way parents spoke to her with expectation instead of affection.
Yet with the younger three—
She let herself rest.
Laugh. Tease. Be human.
Watching them grow steady and strong softened the fear she never voiced.
Maybe… she didn't have to carry everything alone after all.
---
Festivals — The Last Easy Ones
That year's festivals felt different.
Still joyful—but fleeting.
They walked lantern-lit streets, shared sweets, played games. Mitsuri won too many prizes. Shinobu complained but kept them all. Kai watched crowds more carefully than before.
Kanae noticed.
"You're always aware now," she said.
Kai nodded. "I don't want to be caught off guard."
She didn't scold him.
She understood.
---
Practice Duel — The Line Crossed
One afternoon, sparring grew intense.
Kai pushed harder. Mitsuri responded faster. Shinobu's timing sharpened. Kanae intervened only once—when the air itself seemed to tighten.
They froze.
Not from fear.
From realization.
They had crossed a line.
Not into danger—but out of childhood.
No one said it aloud.
They just bowed—and stopped.
---
Closing — Before the Storm
That night, they sat together beneath the wisteria.
No training. No talk of technique.
Just shared warmth and quiet understanding.
The fourth year ended not with celebration—but with calm.
The kind of calm that comes before life demands more.
And somewhere beyond the trees, the world was forcing its breath—
Preparing to exhale.
---
End of Year Four.
(Note - Shinobu lost her parents around the age of 12yr old. It won't be happening here just think thay were at Kanroji house when Demon attached and were lucky.
I also wanted to save Giyu Tomioka's sister but kai isn't strong enough to move around freely. As he looks like Youriichi. If he kills a demon and Muzan found his existence. Bro will go crazy. And will send Upper Moons and Kai isn't ready. That's why I haven't shown kai hunting demon's.
Hope you understand.Giyu was my fav Male character and I feel really bad. His sister died in 1904 ~1905😭😭😭😭😭😭)