Can't I See You One Last Time?

Chapter 21: Is This Really...Curiosity?

Recently, Shinobu was curious about all sorts of things. The conversation between the two Hashira at the food stall, the sudden change in the emotionless Hashira, how to annoy Giyuu to the point his facial expression change, the slayer named Tanjiro, the relationship between Tanjiro and Giyuu. There were so many changes happening around her, and she didn't understand what the cause was for the changes.

To find all of the answers she was looking for, Shinobu thought that a good place to start was someone who could easily gather the information she wanted. That would be one of the people she was curious about, Kamado Tanjiro. Tanjiro seemed like the person to go to. Not only was he one of the things Shinobu was curious about, but Giyuu seemed to respond to him very well. He was the only person that, she knew, could cause a change in facial expression through emotion from Giyuu, and he could also smell the emotions of a people even if they were unrealized by the person.

There was a problem to her plan. Tanjiro was a kind hearted soul. He wouldn't do anything that would make someone uncomfortable, or do something that would cause a person to cry. Although sometimes, Tanjiro would find it necessary to push into someone's feelings to get a very important point across, but right after he would apologize by doing something that would move the person's attention somewhere else. What Shinobu needed now was a good reasons for Tanjiro to gather, and tell her, the information she wanted.

"Tanjiro-kun!"
Shinobu had walked into the room with the three starter demon slayers. She caught them in the middle of a conversation about the rehabilitation program they were going through. It was quite an interesting sight. Inosuke and Tanjiro were telling Zenitsu about the "hellish" rehabilitation regiment. The blonde haired one seemed to be on the verge of tears.

When responding, Tanjiro looked at Shinobu with the most tired and faked smile she had ever seen.
"Good Afternoon, Shinobu-san..."
Tanjiro looked extremely tired, but Shinobu was determined to get to the root of the cause before Giyuu or Tanjiro was sent on another mission.
"Tanjiro-kun, could you do my a little favor? It'll be something small."
Tanjiro was tried and wanted to sleep, but he couldn't turn down Shinobu's request.
"I can help you out Shinobu-san."

Now, Tanjiro was confused. Shinobu's request was an easy one, but he didn't understand why she needed to know such things. She asked him question after question, and he answered all of them.
'What's your life story?'
'What were your parents like?'
'Did you get along with the villagers?'
'I heard you lived in the mountains, how was that like?'
'What do you dislike?'
'What do you like?'
'Do you have any interesting interests?'
Tanjiro was grateful that Shinobu held that much interest in his life, but it felt awkward answering all of those questions, mostly because he couldn't understand her intentions. While Tanjiro was answering the questions, he got the faint smell of anxiousness, uneasiness, and for some reason, desperation. Those emotions only grew when she asked four specific questions pertaining to one person.
'What do you think of Tomioka?'
'What is your relationship with Tomioka?'
'What kind of feelings do you have when he's around you?'
'Do you like Tomioka?'
Tanjiro being the kind hearted and caring person he is, he answered every question honestly. No lies even in the middle of his words.
'Tomio-I mean...Giyuu-san...is a kind person with a heart full of sorrow.'
'Relationship? I guess he's my predecessor?'
'When I'm around Giyuu-san I feel admiration, respect, and jealousy.'
'Yes, I like him very much.'
Then, after Tanjiro answered all of those questions, Shinobu asked him to monitor Giyuu's feelings when he's around Tanjiro and tell her. Tanjiro didn't understand her intentions in the slightest, but he told Shinobu he was going to do it.

Shinobu let out a deep sigh filled with relief. She managed to ask Tanjiro all of her questions, and convince Tanjiro to tell her about Giyuu's emotions. Now all she had to do is wait and observe if given the chance.

So how long does this favor last for?
Tanjiro was in the middle of a conversation with Giyuu when he suddenly had that thought. He wondered how long he would have to monitor Giyuu's emotions.
Until I report to her? Or maybe she'll tell me when? There's also the possibility that she doesn't care and I can just stop whenever I want to.
Tanjiro was talented at doing many things. Things like housework, swordsmanship, nursing, multitasking, and other things. He started using one of them right when Giyuu walked into the room he was staying in. Tanjiro was listening to Giyuu, responding, managing his facial expressions, monitoring while keeping track of the older's emotions, and thinking about when the favor would come to an end. It was a miracle that all of those things weren't getting mixed together.

"So, Tanjiro..."
Giyuu's eyes that had been focused on Tanjiro the moment he saw him had looked away. Tanjiro got rid of his wondering thoughts about the favor when he smelled nervousness, anxious, and fear radiate off Giyuu. He smiled calmly,
"Yes, Giyuu-san?"
Giyuu looked at Tanjiro, but then looked away as soon as they had made eye contact. A sweat drop formed out of nervousness and Giyuu lightly scratched his cheek with his finger.
"I...I was wondering if you wanted to walk around the base together...when your fully healed of course..."
Tanjiro couldn't help but laugh. He found Giyuu's struggle to ask him out funny. Giyuu just reminded him of his younger siblings when they had wanted to go down the mountain with him.

Giyuu was panicked, sacred, confused, and in awe. He didn't understand why Tanjiro was laughing, and his mind went to the worst possible answer. That answer being Tanjiro full on rejecting his offer. Then again, Giyuu was in awe. The reason was unknown to him, but he got to witness something he believed was a god given. Tanjiro's laugh, something that would ring in his ears even when he was in that dark place after life.
"Is that a no...?"
Tanjiro stopped laughing and claimed himself down to give Giyuu a proper answer. In between his small giggles he said,
"Sure, let's go on a walk when I'm fully healed."
Giyuu's face brightened up with a smile, and started telling Tanjiro about all of the different places inside headquarters.

"What an unusual smile..."
Shinobu had seen the conversation between Giyuu and Tanjiro. She had listened and seen the whole thing. She saw how differently Giyuu acted when in front of Tanjiro. While watching, she felt some sort of sticky feeling. It wasn't a physical feeling but one inside her chest. It was sticky and disgusting. Shinobu had never felt a feeling like this before and she didn't like it.
"Maybe I shouldn't have cared about these changes in the first place..."
A loud thud rang in Shinobu's ears, but she couldn't understand where that loud sound was coming from.