Chapter Text
POV third person
They had done it. Against all odds, they had done it. Death had befallen the demon king. Victorious were the slayers of demons. Victory was not simple, though. The death toll was high, and the blood of friends, family, and more was shed. Surprisingly, the number of Hashira alive was quite comforting. Out of the remaining 7 who had entered the battle, 5 were alive. Critical but alive. Each had activated their marks and, by the gods' blessings, had miraculously made it to the conclusion of the battle with a heartbeat intact. Under the care of the Butterfly Mansion (Aoi in particular), they were patched up and overseen till their eventual recuperation.
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POV Giyu Tomioka
I take a sharp breath of air, and I feel life enter my body once more. The weight of slumber is still heavy on my achy, comatose body. My first thought is to pry my eyes open, take in my surroundings, and establish the situation. Yet my body refuses. My eyelids feel as heavy as lead, and my reflexes are entirely too sluggish. I feel helpless, floating in a sea of glittery darkness behind my lids. I lay there on the cusp of consciousness and sleep for a while, willing my body to move, to function, to do something. Then it happens.
Unlike that instant of breath that flooded my body moments ago, I slowly feel the wash of sound entering my ears. Muffled voices, softer notes, and clatters of metal are all I can make out. It all feels too close yet so far. Eventually, clarity of sound bestows itself onto me. Finally being able to decipher the warbled noise brings me great relief.
“How is he today?” Tengens' deep, charming voice.
“He is stable as he has been for the past month, but his breathing quality has improved. This leads me to believe he will be up and awake soon. It might take him time, though. Being comatose for that long takes its toll on the body.” A semi-familiar nasily feminine voice says. The image of a blue butterfly pops into my mind at the sound of it.
“I think he is awake. His heart is reacting.” Another comment from the sound pillar.
Suddenly, I feel a squeeze on my left hand. “Tomioka-san, if you can hear us, squeeze my hand,” The blue butterfly says. Focusing all my might, I will my body to move. Lightly, I squeeze her hand. That's when all hell breaks loose. I hear gasps, clatters, and screams. I swim in the noise, not able to fully focus with the cloud of exhaustion still in the forefront of my mind. Then it all stills. Unlike the peaceful atmosphere before, I could feel the tension in the air. Eyes bore on my body; each gaze feels like an uncomfortable dance against my skin. Rather than being softly observed, I was being watched closely. The owners of those many eyes were waiting for me. Willing me to enter the world of living once more. And so I did.
I blinked my eyes open. Darkness faded into a bright flash of white. Then the fog dissipated colorful blobs swam in my vision. Blinking a couple more times, clarity reached me. Familiar faces greeted me with a mixture of awe, happiness, and a twinge of grief. I let out a shuddering breath as the corners of my mouth slightly uplifted. And with that subtle gesture, my strength had been used. I plunged once again into the darkness of exhaustion.
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POV Tengen Uzui
We had received the news from the little master. Not directly, but from the excited shouts from inside the hut we were watching over. Muzan was dead. Centuries of war wrapped up in one flamboyant, conclusive night. Before I could stop myself, I was running. Sprinting to the battlefield to help in any way I could. I knew it was going to be bad. I knew lives were going to be lost. Yet entering the battlefield had me frozen.
In my time as a Hashira, I had become familiar with the stages of battle. Yet I never truly took in what the aftermath of a fight felt like. The stillness, the metallic smell, the tension, and the utter feeling of relief. It was dizzying. As I stood frozen in the wreckage of the village, I scanned my eyes looking for familiarity. Quickly, I filed my comrades' states, positions, and conditions in my head.
In the center, a pile of young slayers stood looking worse for wear. The Kamados, Kochos' younger sister, and the two boys from the entertainment district.
Gyoumei was on the east side of the wreckage, leaning against a wall, being looked over by Kakshi.
Shinazugawa was lying further north of the wreckage. His younger brother lay on a stretcher next to him.
Mitsuri and Iguro held onto one another, looking 5 seconds away from passing out.
Tokito was on a stretcher similar to the younger Shinazugawa's. Being rushed off to a spot that had been cleared for a makeshift medical area.
Tomioka lay facing a wrecked wall, limp and untouched.
Kakshi rushed to and fro, checking pulses, patching wounds, and cleaning the rubble. In the flurry of chaos, I felt lost. I came here to help, yet all I could think was that I was in the way. This was not my job. But these were my coworkers… no, these were my friends. Who had fought flashily, valiantly, and strongly. I needed to see them rise from this battle. It wouldn't be a victory if they don’t. And with that thought, the pieces fall into place. I throw myself into the rush. Carrying slayers, moving medical supplies, and running between teams. Anything to make this battle a true victory.
That's how the next 2 weeks of my life were spent.
Battle cleanup was intense. Each gash, bloody puddle, and stray limb told the story of the horrific conclusion of the long-standing demonic war. At times, I felt myself swimming in thoughts of uselessness. I was no help during the precipice of this fight. My friends risked their minds, bodies, and souls while I sat guarding the kin of our late beloved master. I was an utter joke of a warrior. As I let myself fall victim to these cruel thoughts, a passionate counter also prodded its way into my mind.
The choices you have made to get here were not weak. You have done your job as a strong individual. You used your knowledge and your power to teach. To hone the young ones' abilities. The lessons you taught them reduced the casualties. It is our job as the strong to protect the weak so that they, in turn, will grow and continue the cycle. You have done that. It is time to be strong once more. Not for a fight. But for the recovery. The voice burned bright and familiar. Regoku… I smiled to myself.
After the battle and the cleanup, I found myself residing in the butterfly mansion. Once again offering my services to aid the 4 young girls running the medical ward in the wake of the insect Hashira. By my side, Hinatsuru, Suma, and Makio remained. Devoting themselves fully to the task I had set for myself. They truly are the best wives. With each passing day, the dark cloud that was the final battle dissipated. Slayers began to wake and recover.
First, it was Kanao, Zenitsu, and Inosuke. The young kids were luckily not injured more, filled with exhaustion. Then Mitsuri and Iguro awoke. They were elated to be situated next to one another. The first full day they were awake had been spent staring and conversing with one another, more like Mitsuri talking at Iguro, but hey, that's the dynamic for those lovebirds. After that, Tanjiro awoke, which was relieving to everyone, especially after the whole conversion into demonhood and then conversion back to humanity.
This only left the Shinazugawas, Tokito, and Tomioka. Each of them had sustained major wounds and damage. Sanemi had large stitched gashes all along his torso, as well as some missing fingers. The younger Shinazugawa looked relatively okay on the exterior, but according to Aoi, he had extensive internal damage. Tokito was missing an arm and a leg and was in a constant state of fever caused by infection. And lastly, Tomioka was missing an arm and sported a rather large gash to his head. Aoi had concluded that the head trauma was the reason he was still comatose. As his arm wound had been coterised in the field and lacked the infectious properties of Tokitos.
My energy went into their care. My wives and I took over most of the mundane tasks such as rewrapping wounds, applying creams, and washing. This allowed Aoi time to focus on other patients and the creation of medicines and antidotes. Once the recovered Hashira and young slayers were cleared, they, too, joined in the care of the remaining wounded. Our efforts paid off as life returned to 3 of the unconscious.
Tokito awoke first. Hinatsuru had just walked into his room to brush the kids' hair. We couldn’t leave such fabulous locks matted and in a state of unflashiness! And right when I had heard the soft shut of the shoji, I had also heard a quick gasp of glee. The shoji opening once again, my lovely wife yelled, “Lord Tengen! Miss Aoi, he is awake!!!” At that quick confirmation, Aoi, as well as all of the awake hashira and kids, filed into the boys' room. We stared in awe at the tired but fully awake kid. “How long was I out?” Tokito questioned. Aoi filled him in on not only his health but the state of the war. The boy smiled and directed his gentle gaze at all of us. “I thought it was all a dream”. He said softly. Stepping forward and crouching down at his side, taking up the space Aoi was previously standing in. I patted the boy's head and gave him a genuine smile. “You did quite well! Congrats on being a flashy victor!” Tokito nodded at my words, leaning into the touch of my hand on his head. It was serene. It was good.
After that, about 2 days later, both brothers awoke. Unlike the quiet that was Tokito's awakening, the Shinazugawas were loud. I mean, of course, this is Sanemi and his younger brother we are talking about. They are loud, bold, and brash. But this was a different kind of loud. Rather than screaming or yelling, there was a lot of crying. The brothers were elated to see that each other had made it out alive and relatively well. Their love for one another showed deeply in the way they sobbed and cried out to one another. It was a truly heartwarming and embarrassing scene. I will definitely be rubbing this in Shinazugawa's face once he is in a better state.
This only left Tomioka. Much like he was in life, his unconscious body lay stoic and unmoving. If I hadn’t been told otherwise (as well as heard his heartbeat and breathing), I would've assumed him dead. The water pillar lay dead to the world for 2 months. He was stable, and his wounds had healed, but asleep he remained. At times, I grew frustrated. For appearances' sake, he looked well. Healthy even, yet he still did not wake. In the moments I could sit by him (times when he was not being checked on or watched over by others), I would reflect on my knowledge of the man.
The man was always rather depressing. His face a solid mask of indifference. He always wore that gaudy haori, which I honestly didn’t hate. He had saved the Kamados, which, if he was being truly honest, was probably the straw that broke the camel's back. It is what finally gave them favor in this demonic war. I admire that. Making a decision against everything you were taught and have learned to know. Rather flashy, Tomioka. As I continued to round up my thoughts and opinions on the man, one thing became clear in my mind. Tomioka was a man who had seen loss and faced it alone. When he wakes up, I will take it upon myself to be his friend. I will get to know him.
Upon observing my fellow pillars' interactions with the unconscious man, I could see they felt the same way. United once more with a goal we set to work. We will see that Tomioka awakens and that he is no longer alone.
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POV Third Person
4 months had passed since the conclusion of the war. The Butterfly Mansion, which has been in nonstop motion for the past months, has finally settled into a dull, peaceful quiet. Besides Tomioka, all Hashira have awoken, as well as all of Kamado's close companions. They were all well on the way to full recovery (as full as it could be with the lasting injuries they received). Although they had been cleared by Aoi to go back to their homes and recuperate as they saw fit, they all stayed. There may no longer be demons to fight. And thus, the corps disbanded; they were all still a union. A family. Bonded together by duty and trauma. They had a duty to stay. To see the Water Pillar awaken and take in a life without demons.
The day that Tomioka awoke was like any other. None of them felt a sense of excitement, precognition, or discomfort. It was normal. Aoi had done her rounds checking on the remaining patients of the mansion while Mitsuri and the caterpillar girls cooked up a lovely breakfast. Her last stop before her break for food was Tomioka. He had a rather simple checkup. Just a temp, lung, and heart check. In doing this simple round of tests, she heard it. A louder-than-normal intake of breath. Quickly, she put her stethoscope to the man's lungs, listening, and she smiled happily at what she heard. In the past month, the man had been completely stable. He has not fluctuated in any way, good or bad. To her, that meant all he needed was time to work through this. Let his body fully rest.
As she set down her tools on a small table next to the bed, the sound pillar Tengen Uzui came in holding 2 plates of food. Plopping down on a chair at the base of Tomioka's bed, he handed her the second plate. “Mitsuri and the girls made pancakes today,” he said, digging into his own plate. “It's a good thing most of the people here are in well enough shape to handle them! That girl doesn’t understand the concept of easy-to-digest foods.” Tengen chortled at the young butterfly. “Well, for her, all food is easy to digest. But I can't complain, her culinary skill is absolutely fabulous!” Aoi chuckled at the remark. As the two continued eating their food, they filled the space with moments of small talk.
“How is he today?” Tengen asked, eyes sweeping over the form of his fellow former pillar. Setting down her food, she reached over and brushed a stray hair from the sleeping man's face. “He is stable as he has been for the past month, but his breathing quality has improved. This leads me to believe he will be up and awake soon. It might take him time, though. Being comatose for that long takes its toll on the body.” At the end of her assessment, she turned towards Tengen, trying to gauge the man's reaction to her rather exciting news. Instead of a look of excitement or shock, she was met with one of focus.
“I think he is awake. His heart is reacting.” Tengen said in a quick, clipped voice.
His words made Aoi jump right back into doctor mode. Grabbing the water pillars left hand, she gave it a soft but firm squeeze and spoke to the man. “Tomioka-san, if you can hear us, squeeze my hand.” The two waited in silence with bated breath. Nothing, no reaction at all. Just as Aoi was about to take her hand back, she felt it. A firm, hard squeeze. Looking back, at Tengen Aoi froze. The man jumped up, running to the door of the room, and shouted at the top of his lungs, “Everyone! Sleeping Beauty is awake!” Loudly and with no care for tact or carfulness, the room was filled with many bodies.
Mitsuri, Obanai, and the caterpillar girls were the first to bust in. Then Tengen's wives, the kamados and company, and lastly the shinazugawas (Tokito still couldn't walk at the time). Their voices all clashed together; questions, squeals, yells, and shushes came from the group. All of the sound left them when they stared at Tomioka, who was making a rather pained, strained face. It appeared the incessant noise bothered him. No longer able to voice their excitement, all they could do was look at the man. And in what felt like an eternity, but was surely just a minute or two, Tomioka opened his eyes.
They all watched as the man blinked sleepily at them. His blue eyes were cloudy and weary after being closed for so long. They took in the moment he recognized them, clarity flashing in his deep blue eyes. Then the most astonishing thing they ever witnessed happened. The stoic, closed-off, quiet pillar broke into a small, gentle smile. It was a fleeting moment, though, as not even a minute later, the man's eyes closed once again and he fell back asleep.
The group remained quiet, processing the sacred, beautiful moment. Tomioka was awake. They were finally out of the woods. Now life can fully begin.