Can't I See You One Last Time?

Chapter 5: "I'll Create A Future..."

Giyuu expected to wake up in Tanjiro's room where he had first fell asleep, but he woke up in his own room, still possessing his once fit body. So, this isn't a dream, Giyuu thought. He sat up and looked outside his window. It was bright outside. Giyuu started nodding off his drowsiness and looking around. He must have been unknowingly tired, seeing as he thought he was only going to sleep around an hour. Giyuu yawned and started getting out of bed.

Giyuu had finished getting ready when he heard the call of a crow coming from his window. He opened the window and listened to the message the crow had come to deliver.
"Caw, in five days, caw, you will be going on a mission with the Flame Hashira, caw."
The crow repeated it's message a second time in case he didn't hear. Giyuu straightened his haori and adjusted his sword onto his hip. The crow had finished delivering the message to Giyuu and flew away. Giyuu cleaned his house then walked outside. He slid the door closed behind him and looked up at the bright sky, partly cover with clouds. Guess I'll walk around for a bit, Giyuu thought.

The Water Hashira wondered around the Demon Slayer Corps base. He ran into a few Kakushi while walking around. Some bowed out of nervousness, some just nodded their heads, and others tried to start a conversation with him. The conversations weren't long seeing as Giyuu only nodded and rarely gave them a verbal response. After those conversations ended, he just went on his way.

After a bit more wandering around, he heard someone yelling,
"YOU BASTARD!"
Giyuu had to decide wither or not he wanted to get involved in this fight. He decided that it would be too much trouble and turned around. Well, that was until he heard another voice,
"M-Mr. Haganezuka?!"
Giyuu froze at the familiar voice. The conversation between the two people continued,
"How dare you snap my sword in two!"
There was a short pause in the person's words,
"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"
After those words were said, a yell was heard. It was the same voice as before.

Giyuu stiffly turned around and walked towards the corner. He peeked his head out and saw a man with a clown mask and a cloth covering his head, a sword smith, chasing a red head on the road. There was a boy with a boar mask covering his face watching what was happening, along with a man wearing a clown mask with short, black hair. It was a sight he hadn't seen before. A sword smith chasing a red headed teen. Giyuu wouldn't have cared what was going on unless this person was involved. It was the red haired teen. The person who had a sensitive nose, a bright smile, a strong will, and a kind heart. The teen who had a changing scar on his forehead above his red eyes. The only demon slayer that carried a demon around protecting people with his black nichirin sword. It was Kamado Tanjiro, the one who had died. The sword smith was chasing Tanjiro around with a knife. A knife...

Giyuu was going to interfere but Shinobu, the Insect Hashira, interfered first. She appeared in the middle of then with her regular, suspicious smile.
"How about we stop this training regime and talk inside?"
All four of the people standing on the road complied and walked into the Butterfly Mansion. When they were all off the road, Shinobu looked in Giyuu's direction and smiled with closed eyes,
"Have you come to see Tanjiro-kun?"
Giyuu walked out from the corner and gave her a slight nod.

Tanjiro was sitting on the red sitting pillow wearing clothing that showed he was a patient in the Butterfly Mansion. On his face, was his normal kind, sweet, and calm smile. Giyuu was sitting across from him with his regular straight, emotionless face. Tanjiro initiated the conversation,
"It's a fine night isn't Giyuu-san."
Giyuu nodded his head, his expression unchanging.
"Shinobu-san told me that you wanted to see me."
Giyuu nodded again trying to keep his emotions in check, so they wouldn't burst out when he talked.
"I-I just wanted to know how you were doing."
Giyuu felt embarrassed by how he stuttered, but he made sure not to show it. He didn't want to humiliate himself even more in front of someone he loved. Tanjiro continued smiling as if nothing happened and continued on with the conversation.
"I'm doing great Giyuu-san. How are you doing?"
"I'm fine but..."
Giyuu tried his hardest to show no emotion, but he knew Tanjiro could smell how he felt. That's just how sensitive Tanjiro's nose was. He could smell the difference between demons and humans, how many humans a demon has eaten, if a person was ill, and a person's feelings. Because of this, a thought ran through Tanjiro's head, Giyuu-san has a pleasant smell coming off him today.
"Yes, Giyuu-san?"
Giyuu did everything to keep his face unreadable,
"I want to know more about you..."
His voice faded out as he spoke, but his voice wasn't quiet enough for Tanjiro to hear. Tanjiro's kind smile widen,
"Then, I'll tell Giyuu-san everything about me."

Tanjiro told Giyuu all about himself. He talked about his father, Kamado Tanjuro, who was frail but still danced every Winter. About his Mother, Kamado Kie, who worked and tried her best to raise all of her children with love, even after her husband died. His siblings Takeo, Hanako, Shigeru, and Rokuto who had been killed by Muzan. He told Giyuu about how his sister, Nezuko, was before she was turned into a demon. Tanjiro told him everything without losing his smile because of Giyuu's short and nonverbal responses. This was something Giyuu liked about him. Tanjiro was able to hold a long lasting conversation with him without getting bored, feeling uncomfortable, or feeling annoyed because of Giyuu's answers. He was the opposite actually. Almost every minute, Tanjiro would ask if he was boring Giyuu with his long and emotion filled explanations. Giyuu would either shake his head or say that he wasn't, then Tanjiro would continue.

Tanjiro would fumble over his words or go over a topic he had already talked about multiple times. He was clumsy, but that was just another one of the things Giyuu loved about him. Giyuu couldn't find a single flaw in Tanjiro. Maybe it was because Tanjiro was flawless, or Giyuu was to blinded by love to notice. It didn't matter to Giyuu either way.

Tanjiro had just finished telling Giyuu about his Grandmother when he remembered something he was supposed to say.
"Oh, ummm..."
Giyuu was curious about the sudden pause in Tanjiro's words. Tanjiro had started leaning forward, his hands touching the ground. He lowered his head for his scared forehead to touch the ground. Giyuu hadn't seen Tanjiro kowtow since the first time they met in the mountains. Tanjiro's voice was sincere and filled with thankfulness,
"Thank you for saving me and Nezuko on Natagumo Mountain and putting your life on the line to save Nezuko's life."
Giyuu got up from his seat and walked towards Tanjiro. Tanjiro didn't lift his head the slightest bit. Giyuu keeled down in front of Tanjiro,
"Raise your head."
Tanjiro started sitting, but before he could sit up straight, he was surprised was Giyuu suddenly pulled him into a hug. Tanjiro's surprise wore off and he wrapped his arms around Giyuu's back.
"You're a kind person, Giyuu-san."
In that moment, these words ran through Giyuu's head,
I'll create a future where you can smile happily.