Chapter Text
Tomioka Giyuu considered himself as a simple person; his house was big enough that two big familys can live in there
But his house was emply, he didn't have friends that can fill the emply spots, didn't have a family, didn't have Sabito with him...
So it doesn't matter if there are people that helps him out in the house, like; why does they have to waste their time in a house that is living only one person?
He is living alone now
The freezing cold of the morning makes him wanna stay in his futon, he was in a mission hours before; a powerful demon was killing people in a village, but only targeting the children
The worst feeling from a parent right?, when they try to find their kid in the middle of the night, just to find out that minutes before his son was being brutally murdered by a horreful creature, with the only thing remained from his child was his little shoes covered in blood.
But back to the point, he gets up, goes to the bathroom to wash his face and to make his hair look decent, but the only real thing that he do is tie his hair in a messy ponytail, goes to the kitchen and prepare a miso soup with rice and boiled eggs for breakfast.
"¡Kaw, kaw, Kagaya Ubuyashiki calls all the hashiras to a meeting!", "...", "Start moving Tomioka!", "I Know Kanzaburou."
Tomioka goes to his room and put his uniform and his haori meanwhile kanzaburou keeps flying around the house waiting for the water pillar.
"Ubuyashiki-sama didn't say anything of the meaning to have this meeting?", as his kasugai crow deny with his head the anxiety of Tomioka keeps leveling up.
Why does he master call us for a meeting?, maybe for reports, or maybe its something about Tanjiro...
Tomioka let his crow guide him to the estate of Ubuyashiki family, then he sees the trees that caracterize his estate, and he see the others hashiras talking to eachothers, when he appear the silence was so loud,
And he can feel the eyes of the hashiras like swords in his body, trying to get to his soul.
"We were waiting for you Tomioka, you just keep being an idiot!", "Shinazugawa-san abstent yourself from saying those things" say Himejima-san, "...", he didn't catch anything that they where saying, till Shinobu step to his side, "Don't listen to Shinazugawa, but it will be better if you came earlier to talk to us Tomioka", "I apreciate that Kochou, but i don't think that they will like that", "Just try that the next time", and with a simple nod they stopped talking, everyone got silence and within a second every hashira was giving his respect to the master.
Ubuyashiki was stepping out of his mansion with his two daughters, "Hello my dear childrens", a chore of voices answer that with a "Good morning, oyakata-sama", "I am glad that everyone is here, the demons have been more quiet since the lower rank five of the twelve kizuki has been eliminated, talking about this, how are the slayers that are staying in the butterfly mansion Kochou?"
"They are doing great, in a couple of days they should be coming back to having missions", "Thats great to hear, they are good kids, i was planning in let them go on a mission with you Rengoku", then oyakata-sama talked about the kamado brothers but my mind keep spinning around what kochou said, should i listen to her?, that is gonna change anything?, maybe other time, the stuff that Shinazugawa and Iguro were saying just keep his mind like a roller coaster, and he could feel the cold sweat in his neck, his vision became a little blurry cause of a dizzy feeling.
Coward
Selfish
Idiot
That things keep reminding him that he didn't do anything to save Sabito, maybe he could have been more close with the others hashiras, be more brave, he could been the type of slayer that come to save you with a big smile, just like Tanjiro.
"Don't ignore us Tomioka!, thats not flashy", "Then what you say Tomioka-san?!", he sees all the other hashiras looking for him, "What you were saying Kanroji?", he hear some muttering from part of Shinazugawa and from Iguro but doesn't pay attention to them , not at all, "We are going to eat to a restaurant now!, do you wanna come with us?", "I don't think so, but thanks for the invitation Kanroji-san", her expression decayed, "The next time come with us, alright?", "...", her eyes begging for an answer, the soft expression in kochou's face and the smile that caracterize Rengoku , On the opposite was Iguro and Shinazugawa with a disgusted face, it was my hair?, "I go... Next time i guess".
Kanroji was bubbling from joy, Kochou give me a nod and the rest of the hashiras were leaving except from Tokitou, who was looking at the clouds, "That one looks like a fish..." he whispered to himself, just to stop looking at the sky and with confusion looked at me, "Where am i?", "In oyakata-sama mansion", he nodded and with his kasugai crow he left.
He should get going, go to his house and make some udon, then he should go to patrol, he just want to stay in his futon and fusion with it, the pain in his back from a demon that pushed him into a tree was killing him, a little rest should work, but first was slaying demons in the night.
When he was going back to his house he let Kanzaburou stay in his hair so he can rest in the trayect, he is an old crow, but he still loved him.
The way to his house was peaceful, the birds were singing beautiful melodies meanwhile they answered to eachother, kanzaburou was sleeping quietly in his hair waiting for Tomioka to put him down, its not like he bothered him, so he let him sleep in peace.
When he arrived the house it was pure silence, he kept his sword with him, prepared a udon that was decent and he had to put down Kanzaburou to fix his hair, they looked so disgusted, his faces keep flashing in his head like it was such a nightmare, till it all fell so dizzy that his grip around the wall was the only thing keeping him up.
He slowly sit in the floor and with a brush he eliminated the tangles that his hair have, until his hair was as smooth as possible, that keeped him calm, he tie his hair in a ponytail, just like Tsutako did it for him.
Kanzaburou came into his sight and flapped his wings to be standing into his knees, that was happening until the night was coming and his responsabilities too.
He got up and left his house to go to the north where they assigned his patrol today, the night was calm, just a few demons, nothing alarming, and within a few hours the sun was appearing, he took this for a chance to go to the market to buy some groceries, it was so in the morning that they were no people buying to his surprise, usually he goes a little later so that he can buy salmon, but the person that sells fishes was there earlier, "Tomioka, do you want the salmon as usual?", with a nod he got the fish and payed for it, " Quiet as always eh Tomioka?, guess that you are always the same huh, anyway, take care!", "You too...", they know him, these are people that know about demons, and knowing that a hashira is near is like winning the lotery.
He walked to his house quietly with Kanzaburou following him in the air, when he got home he put on some comfortable yukata and then he started to make some salmon, for breakfast?, lunch?, whatever this was, after eating (and obviously giving some raw salmon to Kanzaburou), he got up to go outside to catch some air, he sits in the engawa with a sleepy Kanzaburou in his lap.
He began to pass his hand in his feathers, the silence was just interrumped eventualy for the sounds of some insects in his garden, because Tomioka Giyuu likes having some plants and flowers in his house, he was thinking in visiting Urokodaki-san soon, the last time they got in contact was for the Kamado brothers, tomorrow will be, going to the Mont Sagiri was not easy and he has to complete his usual patrol, in the morning it will be okay.
...
The night has arrived and as usual he has his uniform and his haori on, he left his house and go to kill demons near the area, they were just a few demons, but there was this demon that consumed marechi blood, he was strong but not as much as a hashira, he killed him quickly, and go in search for some humans, and there he was, a young man that have his right arm cut off, he quickly helped the man and carried him to take him to a doctor, the man was not answering but he was still breathing, he take him to doctor who can save him, and left him in charge of that doctor.
Urokodaki's house was far away from where he is now, not much, but it was considerable.
He was there now, a few meters away from the door, how is he going to react?, he didn't see him in a long time, at least he brought meat and some veggies to make the lunch, huh, or maybe he was training someone to the final seleccion, if that was the case he shouldn't be here bothering him, when he was doing a 180° degrees turn a voice that he grow with calls him, "You are not going to enter Giyuu?", he frozes and stare to his foots, he slowly looked at his master, "Sorry for coming like this Urokodaki-san", "Don't worry to much and come here", he says with his arms open for a hug, i accepted it and he squeezed me like he did in the past, "How have you been?", "Good i guess, the things are more calm now", he invited me to enter the house, wich i did.
With the things that he brought, he and Urokodaki did something to eat, "This is really good", i nodded to him, "You know you can tell me whats happening Giyuu.", I frozed and began to panic, was that obvious?, i placed the chopsticks in the plate and looked at them, face that emotionless tengu mask give him chills "This is about Sabito, in't it?", it felt like the room went cold, he was hearing the chirps of the birds 10 times more loud now, and his heartbeat rumbled into his ears, "Listen Giyuu, i am not trying to press you, but i care about you, i really do, just... when the only one that came home that day i felt devastated, angry with the demon that killed him, but i couldn't do anything more than trying to protect you...", "I... i don't really want to talk about this now...", "When you feel comfortable enough send me a letter and i go to you, okay?", i nodded to him and he placed his hand in my head, and then we hugged.
It was not that dark, but a short nap before killing demons will work.