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The demon’s head tumbled away, its deformed body crumbling into ashes leaving a burning smell in the air. Giyuu panted, watching as the number written in its eye was the last thing to disintegrate as it yelled curses at him.
The ground below him was stained rain, similar to his haori which was ripped and torn. A gash on his face practically blinded him at the left, blood spurting into his eye and obstructing his vision.
His whole body shook and he could see black dots dancing across his feild of vision, the corners beginning to go blurry as those spots became bigger and bigger, eating away at his sight.
His head spun as he could feel his consciousness fading in and out when hes legs gave in and he collapsed. Voices ran in his ears as he tried to push himself up, shaking as his vision went dark and the world went quiet.
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Giyuu didn’t know what to expect when he awoke, but it surely wasn't a comfortable hospital bed in a small room with a golden bar of sunlight gently filtering in through closed curtains. He could feel a soft, warm breeze from the open window that swayed gentlyin his hair.
He attempted to push himself up into a sitting position but a small hand firmly, yet also gently pushed him back down into the plush mattress of the bed.
“Don’t sit up yet Tomioka-san, your back was injured in the fight with that Lower Moon.” a familiar sing-song voice spoke to him.
Looking up, Giyuu mde eye contact with the small woman standing above him. She smiled down at him.
“Hello, Kochou.” he greeted, his voice scratchy from lack of use.
“Hello to you as well, Tomioka-san.” she replied, straightening her posture. “I’ve been making sure you don’t leave before your injuries have fully healed, I know you have a habit of doing that.” Her smile almost seemed to falter as she spoke. Almost.
Giyuu sighed, leaning back into the pillow. “I won’t leave.”
She let out a sof chuckle, a mix of amusement and annoyance. “I know you will, I’m not stupid.”
Shinobu titled his head up, placing a glass of water at his lips. Giyuu’s perpetual frown deepened momentarily, before he opened his mouth and the woman tiped the water inside.
It felt amazing on his parched throat, a cool and refreshing sensation he definitely needed.
“How long was I unconscious?”
“Long enough” Was the answer he received, his eyebrows creased rather annoyed. Why couldn’t Shinobu just give him a straight answer?
He lay back, giving another defeated sigh, he wouldn’t be able to leave anytime soon, so what would he do?
“Do stop being so negative all the time, Tomioka-san. I don’t need your gloomy sighs polluting the air in my estate!”
Giyuu grumbled, turning away from her when henoticed he wasn’t wearing his uniform, and there were bandages along his forearms.
Despite Shinobu’s previous protesting, he sat up and turned to look at her.
“You changed my clothes?” He spoke to her back, she was looking through an old cabinet.
“I did.” She answered, without turning to look at him.
“So… You saw?” He hated how his voice wavered when he spoke, asking such a simple question.
She stiffened a little, but ddn’t turn to face him. “Yes I… I did see, Tomioka-san.”
Shit.
Shinobu turned around, walking up to the bed. She gently took one of his hands in hers, perhaps to comfort Giyuu or maybe herself. He pulled his hand back, she let him.
She took a deep breath before speaking, dropping her smile for once. “I’m not exactly sure how to say this but… You can talk to me Tomioka-san, I’m… I’m here for you.”
He stayed silent, neither of the two attempted to make any sort of eye contact.
“I care for you, and I’ll always listen if you need to talk about these kinds of things Tomioka-san, alright?”
Giyuu gave her a stiff nod, laying back down. Shinobu returned the gesture with a tight smile, leaving the room and shutting the door behind her.
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Giyuu lay on the floor of his bathroom feeling the sleeves of his clothes grow damper by the second. His hair was splayed out behind him in a mess of tangles, and a mixture of blood and shards of glass from his now broken mirror lay just a few feet away, the small empty frame still sitting on the sink.
He'd gone too deep this time, his head grew lighter as the bleeding continued, beginning to stain the long, blue sleeves of his silk yukata.
Feeling heavy and weak, he picked himself up off the floor, his legs shaking as he stepped into the shower. He didn't have the energy to take his clothes off and just turned on the water, soaking himself.
It didn't help, but Giyuu didn't expect it to.
He turned off the water with more effort needed than he'd like to admit, writing out his tangled hair and leaving it down rather than tying it up. He stumbled into the hallway, sliding on his haori and stepping into his shoes, blood dripping down from his thighs staining small spots onto the worn wooden flooring.
He slid open the front door to be greeted by pouring rain and howling wind with no moon in sight to light up the dark sky.
Still soaked from the shower, Giyuu stepped out into the mud, beginning to feel dizzier and dizzier as he walked, creating a barely noticeable trail of crimson red droplets behind him.
Trudging through the mud, shivering in the rain he kept walking. Following a familiar dirt path down to an estate where all of Hashira, including himself, had visited at least once.
She'd told him they were friends, he wasn't sure he fully believed her but… It was worth a shot.
It took him longer than usual to get there, longer than he'd admit. He was a Hashira, he wasn't supposed to be this slow and weak. He was pathetic.
He stumbled up to the doorstep, knocking once. No response. Twice, and then a third time before he heard the click of a lights switch and warm rays pooled out from underneath the door.
A short, groggy looking woman with surprisingly tidy hair sitting on her shoulders slid open the door while rubbing sleep filled eyes with a yawn. It took her a moment to realise who was at her door, but when she did she immediately seemed to wake up fully in a sort of miniature panic.
She stood frozen for a few moments like a deer caught in headlights, just looking Giyuu up and down.
He knew he probably looked worse than shit right now. With unruly, tangled hair, blood dripping down his arms and thighs, shoes coated in mud, and all around shivering and wet. He knew for a fact he looked like some pathetic excuse for a Hashira, hardly even a lower rank Demon Slayer.
The woman unshared him inside quietly, not pushing any conversation onto him. He didn't know if he could muster up any words anyway.
She guided him to a familiar room, her office, and sat him down on a chair, handing him a towel.
"I'll be one moment Tomioka-san, would you like anything to eat or drink? Perhaps some tea?"
"You don't have to do that Kochou." He rasped out, a little surprised himself that he could even speak in the first place with how dry his throat felt.
Shinobu hummed at him and left the room, he listened to her fading footsteps until he couldn't hear them any longer.
Giyuu sighed miserably, rubbing the soft towel on his face then his hair. He didn't have the energy to dry himself off fully, but felt rather guilty as he dripped onto the clean floors.
He did however take off his haori, folding it neatly then placing it on the floor atop the now damp towel.
He leaned back in the chair, his whole body shaking, and his arms and legs aching. He closed his eyes, it was almost too much effort to keep them open.
He jumped a little as Shinobu opened her door again, walking in holding a well loved tray with two steaming mugs of tea and a plate of pastries.
She set it down on her desk and picked up a medical kit, pulling out another chair for herself to sit on.
"Can I see your arms please, Tomioka-san?" She wasn't looking at him while she spoke, instead she was taking out a number of supplies from the medicine box that sat on her lap.
Giyuu nodded slowly, stretching out his left arm towards her. She took his hand in her own, rubbing a thumb over it and smiling comfortingly at him. He pursed his lips in response.
He winced as she rolled up his sleeve, the fabric seeming to rub against and irritate every wound he'd inflicted.
Shinobu dropped her smile slightly and glanced at him momentarily. "This will sting a little." She told him quietly, holding up a piece of cotton wool covered in a liquid that smelled of numerous herbs and medicines.
She began dabbing it along the cuts, keeping a gentle yet firm grip on Giyuu's hand to prevent him pulling away when she felt him tense up.
After a few moments, she tossed the now dark red cotton wool into a bin which was just underneath her desk.
Taking out a roll of bandages, she began to fasten the white fabric along his arm, doubling over it in a few places and tying it tight when she reached the elbow.
It was when Shinobu took his right hand and began repeating the process that Giyuu spoke again.
"I cut too deep, I'm sorry." He half whispered to the woman.
"Whatever are you sorry for?" She inquired, not looking up from her work. "It's not your fault you know."
"I'm just wasting your time."
"No patient is a waste of time, Tomioka." She glanced up at him, flashing another smile.
She finished the second bandage, then moved onto his thighs, now kneeling on the floor. He watched her quietly, he found the way she did her job so flawlessly, quite amazing really.
But he couldn't fathom why she'd insisted he come to her with these types of issues. He was just wasting her time and resources, no matter how many times she could deny it, he knew it would remain a fact.
"Why do you care so much?" Giyuu murmured, not sure if he really intended for the woman to hear.
Shinobu paused momentarily, barely noticeable. But of course, he noticed.
"Because Tomioka-san, you're my friend." She mumbled back, now moving onto his next thigh after double checking the bandages were secure.
He didn't speak anymore, instead turned his attention to his surroundings.
Her office was certainly decorated quite pleasantly. She had numerous flowering plants growing all over, large pots in the corners and baskets hanging from the ceiling.
She had a large cabinet off to the side with a photo atop of it Giyuu couldn't see from where he was sitting, plus he and Shinobu were positioned on the edge of a pale purple, circular rug.
She stood up, having finished treating his wounds and smiled at him, this smile more true than the others. She handed him a mug of tea, watching carefully when his arms shook while he held it.
She took a sip from her own mug, then placed it down to tidy up her medical supplies.
Without turning away from her tidying, Shinobi spoke to him again. "You should at least drink a little, you lost quite a bit of blood." While fitting things back into the box, she took out some wipes and turned back to Giyuu.
The woman then began wiping the now drying blood from his lower legs. He decided not to focus on her as he sipped his hot tea, and instead focus on the finer details in the office.
Like the scratches along the floor where the door opens, or the spider's web in the corner of the roof. He turned to the wall near the door, where there was a small, scratchy dent presumably from the door being slammed open. The well loved handle even had marks from the potential door slamming.
Shinobu plucked the mug from Giyuu's hands momentarily as she whipped away the dried blood, then handed it back to him.
"There we go, feeling any better Tomioka-san?" She picked up her medical box, opening the drawer on her desk to put it inside.
"Giyuu."
"Hm?" She turned to look at him, a little confused. "What was that?"
"Just Giyuu, since we're… Friends."
"Oh!" She smiled at him, placing a pastry in his empty hand. "Then just Shinobu as well."
She sat down, tea and pasty in hand, smiling at him. This time with a real smile. Not one she put on for his comfort, or for show. A real, genuine smile.
"Thank you, Shinobu." The corners of his lips curved up slightly, which he decided to cover with the tea.
She let out a small chuckle at his efforts, her eyes bright. "Anytime, Giyuu."