Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Master," Shinobu started, bowing low in respect. "Where is Tomioka? He is not here, at this meeting. Is he ill?"

The other Hashiras had noticed too that Tomioka was absent, Sanemi was heard complaining about ‘how disrespectful’ Tomioka was before the meeting, loudly.

Ubuyashiki merely smiled, answering Shinobu's question with a simple, "He is currently on a mission.” Shinobu nodded. She was quite used to various Hashiras missing meetings due to their missions, but it was unusual that they were only being told now. She kept quiet.

"Master, if I may ask," Sanemi spoke up, respect colouring his tone. "What kind of mission is he on? It is daytime, there are no demons outside during the day.”

"This mission is rather far away, he will take time to get there," Ubuyashiki answered vaguely, entirely ignoring Sanemi's first question. That was Giyuu's story to tell, not his. "Oh.." Sanemi sounded frustrated by the lack of detail, but made no argument.

Then Shinobu spoke up, "Master, when will he come back? I may need to prep a room for him in Butterfly Estate, in case he is injured," she asked, her tone still polite and formal, though she was clearly fishing for more information.

"Shinobu, child," Ubuyashiki said warningly, his eyebrow raised, though no one was sure if it's from annoyance or amusement. "Please, do not pry. Tomioka has gone on this type of mission before, and he is a Hashira, one of my most capable. But, to answer your question, he will likely be back within a month, and I doubt he will be injured badly.”

Shinobu flushed at the admonishment, not hearing her Master’s unsure tone. Truthfully, Ubuyashiki had no idea when Giyuu would be back, but he knew that he would be fine.

Shinobu wasn't aware, she had no idea of Tomioka's past. None of them did. Ubuyashiki was not going to be the one to tell them.

"Yes, Master," She said, bowing, "I only asked because of any potential injuries he may experience. Apologies for my intrusion.”

"You are forgiven, my child," Ubuyashiki said, smiling kindly. "But please, don't do it again."

"Yes, Master," Shinobu answered, feeling properly chastised.

Meanwhile, Giyuu was packing his bag in preparation. He was practically vibrating with energy, he couldn't wait to tear that despicable farm to pieces. After he got the children out, of course.

He ran over the Plan™ again in his mind;

Step 1: Figure out if one of the kids already knows. (He really hopes one does, that would make his job so much easier. He still remembered how difficult it was to convince Don, now Shinji, and Gilda, now Kin, and the younger ones, too.)

Step 2: If one of the kids already knows, offer his help in escaping. If no kids suspect anything, then convince one of the older ones and again, offer his help.

Step 3: Find a secret place to meet with the kids, and help them create an Escape Plan™. (He made sure to pack lots of thick, durable rope, remembering the huge ravine that he and his siblings had to cross.)

Step 4: Find the trackers, and remove them as painlessly as possible. He winced, lifting his hand to brush against the scars that took the place of his left ear. He hoped that wasn't a necessity this time, cutting off his ear hurt like a bitch.

Step 5: Help them escape. Either set a distraction, or wait 'till a kid gets shipped so the 'Mother' is away. Let the kids escape whilst he saves the one getting shipped, incapacitate the Mother, kill the demons, and help the kids escape.

Step 6: Protect them from Demons, maybe teach them some rudimentary Slaying and basic healing. (He made sure to pack spare Nichirin daggers and arrows- a katana or sword might be too heavy, especially for the little ones.)

The plan was their best, meticulously created by he, Emma, (now Uchuu,) and Norman (now Kitashiro). Giyuu made sure to pack everything he thought he may need for this rescue mission. He knew from experience that what could go wrong, would go wrong, and this mission was particularly delicate. He wasn't just aiming to take down that farm, he wanted to take down the whole web.

The final thing he placed into his bag was baby carriers of various sizes. When he and his siblings escaped, they had to leave the babies and kids below 5 behind, because there was no way to bring them along. That was not something they wanted to repeat. The baby slings would ensure that they could bring everyone.

After everything was packed, Giyuu set it down, to change into his Slayer uniform. As he was buttoning up his shirt, he felt familiar arms snake their way around his waist.

He turned, abandoning the buttons, to place a kiss onto his fiancée's lips. He gave Uchuu a smile, running his fingers through her (for once) loose, curly red hair. After they settled into Giyuu’s estate, she let it grow, and now it was nearly halfway down her back, kept out of the way by a braid entwined with flowers and jewellery. She smiled back at him, her green eyes sparkling.

"Hello, Uchuu," Although Giyuu's tone was soft with affection, his mind was still on his mission. But he still very much enjoyed the embrace.

"Hi, Yuu," She echoed, smiling as he ran his fingers through her hair, though she also noticed that his mind was on something other than her.

"Are you leaving soon?" She asked, her own mind heading to welcoming the kids, and arranging some sort of therapy for those of them who may need it- she certainly did.

“Yeah, I am. I'll be taking a train to the city near where the farm is hidden. I should be through the demon world within a few days." He answered, his tone neutral.

"That's good. When will you be back?" She asked.

"Hopefully within a month, two at most." Giyuu estimated.

"And injuries?" she pressed.

"Other than the trackers?" Uchuu nodded. "Maybe some scrapes, a twisted ankle? Nothing too bad, most likely. Best tell Kin to stock up just in case, though.”

"Hm.. Okay. Just promise me you'll be careful. I'll miss you, you know?” Uchuu said worriedly. Giyuu smiled softly, a rare sight to those he was not close with, replying, "I'll miss you too."

Now that Giyuu was ready to go, he sheathed his katana and slung his backpack over his shoulders. He and Uchuu walked, hand in hand, down towards the edge of the mini-village surrounding his estate. Over by Conny's shrine, all of Giyuu's siblings were waiting to see him off.

"Hey, you brats." He said affectionately, wrapping his arms around the younger ones, who all immediately jumped at him

“Okay, listen up. I'm gonna be gone because of this mission for a while, probably for about a month. But don't worry,” he smiled at all their worried faces. “I will come back, I will bring the kids you're worried about, and I will kick that farm's ass so hard it's going to wish it never existed.”

“Please be careful, Ray-Giyuu!” Jemima, now Hatomi, cried.

That was something the younger escapees did. They called everyone by their old and new names, combined into one. No one stopped them, it was sweet.

“I will, Jemmie,” Ray reassured, hugging her tighter.

He spent some time saying goodbye to his siblings, but eventually it was time to go. He was at the border of his lands, Uchuu beside him. “Good luck, Yuu. Ki and I will keep looking for the other farms whilst you're gone ” She promised, hugging him tightly. He hugged back, tight.

“Bye, Uchuu. I'll see you soon.”

“Bye, Giyuu.”

They shared one last kiss, before Giyuu squared his shoulders and set off, heading towards the train station. Emma watched him go, feeling a sort of bittersweet pride. He was doing what she wished had been done for them, and she couldn't be prouder.

Chapter Text

In order to reach the train station, Giyuu had to walk through almost a mile of dense forest. He was infinitely glad that it was daytime, as he did not want to run into a demon when he had so little room to move. He would rather walk a longer route. The forest was silent, the only sound being Kanzaburo flying overhead, and Giyuu was left with his thoughts. Sometimes, he hated having a perfect memory. Sure, it could be useful, but there were so many thoughts in his head at all times, it gave him a headache. He could already feel one forming. He hoped that the train was quiet.

For a moment, he let himself think of Emma, but it was only for a moment. He reluctantly tried to put her out of his mind, and kept walking. He was a Hashira, and he had a mission. He couldn't dwell on personal thoughts and feelings for too long, not if he wanted to eradicate the farms for good.

Within 10 minutes, Giyuu arrived at the train station. He walked up to the ticket booth, and woke the sleeping attendant by rapping his knuckles against the wood. The man startled awake, glancing at Giyuu's katana fearfully, before bowing low and stuttering, "A-ah.. Mōshiwake arimasen, Samurai-sama. Please-please forgive me.."

Giyuu scowled inwardly, recalling how totalitarian some samurais could be. He remembered, a few months after he and his siblings found the human world, a samurai executing a food stall owner because they had no onigiri left. Everyone had nightmares of the man's head rolling for months.

"It is of no issue," Giyuu eventually replied, placing his money on the counter. The ticket booth attendant shakily passed him his ticket, clearly still terrified. Giyuu sighed. He wondered what this man had seen samurai do, he was so scared he could barely function.

Giyuu sat, his bag on his lap, on his reserved seat. He was travelling from one end of Japan to the other, he did not want to stand the whole journey.

The train was silent. Not a single person dared to start a conversation, and Giyuu was fine with that. He didn't particularly want to talk to anyone. He closed his eyes, and let his thoughts wander.

That is, until a young girl, maybe about 9 or 10, ran up to him, ignoring her father's hissed begging to 'not disturb the Samurai'. Her beaming smile widened when she saw that Giyuu had opened his eyes, and was looking at her. "Hello!" She cried, "I like your sword! Are you a samurai? Is it difficult to be a samurai? I want to be a samurai! Oooh! Will you train me, Samurai-san? Please?" She babbled, barely stopping for breath.

Everyone in the train carriage sucked in a breath, convinced that they were about to witness a young girl's head rolling. One woman even covered her young son's eyes in anticipation for the inevitable. The girl's father looked like he was about to cry.

Giyuu stared at this girl for a moment, heart clenching at how much she resembled Mary, who was still a toddler when they escaped. According to a distraught Phil (now Manato), she disappeared in the middle of the night. He took a deep breath, and looked the girl in the eyes as he answered all of her questions.

"Hello. Thank you, yes I am a samurai, yes it can be difficult, that is an admirable goal, and I'll need your parents' permission to train you, why don't you go ask?”

Giyuu almost laughed at the incredulous faces of his fellow passengers. The girl (he really needed to get her name) bounced over to her father, who looked ready to keel over in relief, and loudly begged for him to say yes.

The girl (Yuko, apparently,) returned after a few minutes, with her shocked father in tow. As she pointed triumphantly at Giyuu, her father bowed, nearly falling over in the process. That seemed a bit excessive, but he supposed this man was relieved that his daughter wasn't about to have her head chopped off.

“Is it really okay if she becomes your deshi?" He asked, in an extremely hushed tone, as if afraid that even speaking too loudly might be the downfall of his daughter.

Of course," Giyuu replied. "Not now, as I am currently on a mission, but once I am finished, it would be an honour to train your daughter. She has potential, and I don't want to see it wasted. In fact.." He cut himself off, rummaging through his bag. He was sure that he packed them.. Aha!

Giyuu pulled out a training plan, originally intended for the farm's kids, but he had more, and they could share. He handed the scroll to Yuko, who held it as though it were made of glass, and looked at it as though it was made of precious gems.

"Follow that as best you can, the better your physical health is, the better a samurai you will be. At the bottom is what you should try to eat lots of, I will cover all expenses."

Giyuu handed Yuko's father a 100¥ coin, telling him to spend it on high quality foodstuff for him and Yuko. Yuko's father bowed profusely, "I-I am so grateful. I am in your debt, Shihan."

The girl was practically trembling with excitement. "Thank you, Samurai-sama!" She grinned, her face nearly splitting in half, "And thank you, Chichiue!"

She seemed as though she could explode with happiness, and after her father had left, she looked at Giyuu, leaning closer. "Are you a Demon Slayer??" She whispered, "Have you killed demons?" Giyuu's eyes widened almost imperceptibly, because how did this girl know about demons?

He nodded, and Yuko smiled sadly. "My Okaasan died from a demon. She saved me. I want to avenge her."

Giyuu was saddened that another childhood was lost to demons, and his resolve to save the farm's children grew. His fists clenched, and he took a deep breath, inviting Yuko to sit beside him. "If you'd like," he murmured in her ear as she sat down beside him, "I could teach you Water Breathing.” Yuko looked confused, so Giyuu elaborated.

“Breathing Styles help one to reach their full Slaying potential, and it makes killing demons easier. I am the Water Hashira, which means I'm the best at using Water Breathing out of everyone at the Demon Slayer Corps."

Yuko’s face lit up, and she nodded, practically bouncing in her seat. “Really!!” She exclaimed, “Can we start practising now? Please?”

Giyuu resisted the urge to smile. Or cry. Sha and Mary were so alike, it hurt. He replied, "Absolutely. We start with meditation. Breathe in and out, deeply, close your eyes, and try to empty your mind."

Yuko nodded excitedly, sitting as still as someone her age could, scrunching her eyes closed and breathing as deep as she could, in and out. Giyuu was slightly amused at the girl’s eagerness to learn Water Breathing, but he could sympathise with her desire to kill demons. He had once been exactly like that. He still was, too.

He sat in silence for a moment, keeping an eagle's eye on Yuko as she calmed her mind as best as she could. He corrected her technique ("relax your eye muscles, don't scrunch them") and after about 10 minutes she said, "Now what?"

"Now," Giyuu murmured, impressed at how successful she was. He took far longer to learn how to clear his mind. (Though to be fair, he was highly traumatised and remembered everything.) "Now, visualise an ocean. The sound, the smell, the feel of the waves. Imagine the water twisting and turning at your will. This will be difficult, as the ocean is wild. It does not like to be controlled. But keep at it, and it will become easier."

Giyuu watched Yuko practise her meditation, eventually deciding to join her. He could use all of the calm he could get.

Chapter Text

hey everyone!

I know it's been a long time, and I'm so so sorry about that, but I have really important exams in may/June, and I've hit writers block — I'm struggling to write good stories. I'm having better luck with my other fic, (Untold Origins, a Harry Potter is Akutagawa Ryūnosuke crossover,) but I'm really struggling with this one.

I've been thinking of just rewriting this story, making it into a long one–or–two–shot, or a series of them. what do you all think? would you read that? I'd keep this fic up until it is finished and posted, which may not be for a while — I am trying to focus on passing my exams and getting chapter three of Untold Origins drafted at the very least.

let me know your thoughts in the comments, and also feel free to add any ideas you may have for this fic or others you'd like to see written!