❤ ~ The Greatest Gift ~ ❤

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Back to the present time we go! Hope you're excited for this to continue on and leave feedback. Always appreciated. Even if I don't respond to your feedback, I always read them and value every single one~

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A couple days had gone by without much thought. Most of it was spent with helping around the house, the small cabin that was their home. Whenever there was free time, Tanjirou had found himself distancing himself. He sought to train, strengthen his breathing techniques. With Sun breathing and Moon, he had no issue. It was perfect for him. But he sought to use Water, the breath of his 'family'. He was never one to desire to stand out, not with the hidden secrets he hid inside his own sheltered heart. For years he'd lied and over time, it weighed greatly. It always brought a sense of mistrust. That if they found out, they would cast him away or bury their swords into his own neck. It was a fear that swallowed him whole for three years. 

Even as a partial Demon, he was thankful for one thing. He never held an ounce of thirst for human blood, nor that desire to bite into flesh. It allowed him a sense of peace, to feel even slightly human. Of course, Tanjirou knew well the deep truth. Just because he did not desire human, did not mean it was misplaced. It merely came down to a choice. He had learned young that so long as he lived as a human, his Demon aspects would remain asleep. The moment he stepped into the dark and partook in such vile actions, it would be the day he become something of a mix. It would awaken his Demon art, a special gift for strong Demons. Though he didn't know who his other parent was, it was quite easy to deduce that they were someone strong one the Demon pool. Not only did Tanjirou find that truth, but he also learned his birth was something that was claimed to be impossible. He was in fact; something forbidden and by far a threat. He lived as both human and Demon, but suffered none of the drawbacks. It made him a myth to most, if not all. 

Tanjirou had glanced to the sun that was high overhead, his feet hanging from the trees limb. He'd come to appreciate high places. They allowed a larger vision. To see the beauty around him. How the birds dived for food or glided about. How the leaves rustled and were jostled by the slightest breeze. How the grass swayed and flowers bent and danced to the air's current. How the water rushed onward down the streams route or how the clouds steadily shifted on by, carried onto far places for other's to glimpse upon. It all was something he took in. Drank in the stunning features and breathtaking sights. He was one with nature, cherished it. It had been his home for sometime, so it was just. To respect what sheltered him. He may have had a house, but each plank and material once presided in the nature's touch. Had once been connected to the glorious greenery around him. He let his gaze wander, feeling his focus shift as he noticed slight footsteps. They were quiet, but not silent. 

"I figured you'd be out here. How come you wander off so often?" Giyuu's tone was calming, leaving the youngster to take in a breath of fresh air. He hadn't intended to seem as if he was avoiding the other's, he just had some doubts in him. Doubts on who he was as well as how long he could sit on a lie. It made him want to be honest. They had a long time to know the other, so he wasn't sure why he was so scared to reveal such truths. 

"I was simply lost in thoughts that would not leave me alone." The other nodded, climbing the tree as he sat on the edge where it still remained sturdy. Tanjirou had shifted a bit, to offer more room before the raven spoke up. His gaze lingered over the maroon male. 

"What thoughts are plaguing you? I am here to listen, Tanjirou." There was a long silence before Tanjirou met Giyuu's gaze, wearing a concerned expression. 

"Do you remember our promise. What you said to me before Final Selection?"

"That I would never leave you. I meant that without a single moment of hesitance." Tanjirou bit his lip as he felt his anxiety spike. He was terrified to come clean. But the weight was killing him. He knew there was only so long he could keep a lie as a false truth. "Tanjirou, what's wrong?"

"I-" Giyuu reached out, freezing as Tanjirou flinched. It caught the raven off guard, who was becoming increasingly more worried. 

"I will listen and not judge you. Let me in, Tanjirou."

"You don't understand... What if someone lied from the beginning. They weren't who they said they were?" Giyuu paused for a moment, sighing softly.

"What does this have to do with anything?"

"It has to do with everything... I lied, Giyuu. From the very beginning, I gave false information. The day you guys found me, I openly lied to you all..." The raven widened his gaze, trying desperately to wrap his head around everything.

"What do you mean by that? What did you lie about?" Tanjirou bit hard into his lip, feeling tears well up in eyes.

"I'm sorry... I should have been honest..." Giyuu felt himself panic the moment Tanjirou left the trees limb. The raven climbed down fast, seeing Tanjirou eye the forest. Reaching out, he grabbed lightly onto Tanjirou's wrist.

"Tanjirou? Just tell me! I won't judge you or push you away! Please, trust me!" Tanjirou felt the warm trail on his cheeks as he pulled his hand away. He took a few steps back before speaking, letting his back remain toward Giyuu. He didn't want to see the expression. The disgust he felt was coming.

"I lied about being human... I'm not entirely human, but something in-between. A disgrace... A human and Demon mix..." A lingering silence ensued, leaving Tanjirou to feel his heart sink. It was over for him. Holding his sword tightly, he let it go before speaking once more. Those words were like a needle that pierced Giyuu before he watched the other dash off into the woods. Vanishing into the day as the raven felt utterly conflicted. "I don't deserve to carry this sword... I never did..."

He stayed silent, gaze drawn to the blade. To the sword that suited Tanjirou well. The truth hurt. To know the other had lied. But what hurt most for Giyuu, was not the betrayal, or lack of trust. It was that the other never let him say a word. Never let him reach out. It left a wound that felt infinite. He had made a promise, but never got the chance to prove it. Tanjirou was still Tanjirou to him. Forever and always. 

"You idiot..." Giyuu could hear the faint calls for the two to return, but he ignored them. Bending over, he picked up the blade that shimmered under the sun. Holding it tightly, he glanced to where Tanjirou had left, his heart strumming in his chest. He frowned as his legs kicked into gear. His body tore through the dense foliage, in pursuit of the other. In search for someone that held such value. He should have spoken up, but froze. It was his error. But a mistake he would fix. Tanjirou was something special to him, even if he'd never say it aloud. Even so, he had made a choice in the time they'd known each other that Giyuu would willingly follow Tanjirou. They were inseparable. Even with the sudden truths, Giyuu was certain of one thing. He treasured loyalty. If the world would someday hate and despise Tanjirou, only the raven would remain steadfast. Stay beside Tanjirou. It was simply what felt right.