#and here i though kny was hurting me enough 😭

[acacia-may]

Can you do Sanemi and Genya platonic relationship for the song headcanon thing? I don't want to say exactly because of spoilers but you know what I mean... The new season really hit me in the feels for them. Thx

Oh my goodness, Anon! I am literally squealing over this ask and completely sobbing too...just so many emotions about these two! 😭 And yes I absolutely know what you mean!! To avoid spoilers though, I am going to be safe and put all of this under the cut. Thank you so much for sending this in and for playing my song + headcanon ask game! Cheers!! 💕

Major Spoilers for Demon Slayer through the end of the manga!

THE SHINAZUGAWA BROTHERS!! *sobs* Goodness gracious do I have songs for them! My favorite is probably "Forest Fire" by Brighton--such a deep, emotionally raw song but so depressing and angsty especially when thinking of Genya and Sanemi (so you really do have to be the right mood for it). It has since become an anthem for all of my favorite complicated brother relationships, but it started off as a Shinazugawa Brothers song and I think it fits them the best, especially given how completely devastated Sanemi was to lose Genya.

I really think the refrain: "And how was I to know I'm not strong? I should have saved you. And oh, I hope you know that you're my home, but now I'm lost, so lost" perfectly sums up exactly how Sanemi felt after losing his brother: the pain, the guilt, and the grief he feels and how he is just so lost without his brother (the related ending line "How was I to know that you were my home, but now I'm lost" also hits like a punch to the gut in this context). Also, the lines: "And then the fire started building up inside--exploding blinding lights. Now I'm the one left screaming through the night" gives me chills when I think about Sanemi and the "fire...inside" of him (his anger and how he lashed out at his brother) and how that ultimately left him alone in the world, literally screaming in anguish in one of the most heart-wrenching scenes in the entire series.

Anyway, for my related headcanon, however, I'm going to pull inspiration from the first verse and go for hurt/comfort rather than angst:

When Genya was very little, he used to have nightmares especially when there was stormy weather, but Sanemi was always there to comfort him. He used to curl up next to him and gently ruffle his hand through his brother's hair until he calmed enough to fall back asleep. Even when Genya was asleep again, Sanemi wouldn't leave him and would fall asleep himself right by his brother's side.

Angsty edition: To this day Sanemi sometimes finds himself waking up in the middle of the night reaching out for Genya, but he's no longer there...

Forest Fire - YouTube

Honorable mention because actually when I finished the KNY manga, I listened to the duet version of the song "Brother" (YouTube) (by needtobreathe and Gavin DeGraw) and cried real, literal tears imagining it was Genya and Sanemi singing to each other. [And even though it's been a while, I just heard the non-duet version the other day and actually started tearing up ngl lol]. There are just some excellent lines here that really remind me of the Shinazugawa brothers! "Get a little restless from the searching/Get a little worn down in between" reminds me of Genya and "There's a cage locked around my heart" and the whole section "I ain't made for a rivalry/I could never take the world alone/I know that in my weakness I am strong/It's your love that brings me home" really reminds me of Sanemi (and how he really feels about his brother).