Demon Slayer: Like Shards of Glass (Giyu Tomioka x OC)

7

It's not long until a letter from Ubuyashiki is delivered to you via crow. The seal on the paper tells you that it's straight from the Master himself, and you open it with anticipation as soon as Kuroe allows you to untie it from his leg.

It turns out to be a notice that your personal estate has been prepared for you at last. "Due to there being only Nine Hashira per era, a tenth estate needed to be built from scratch to accommodate you. I apologize for the delay, but all preparations have been finished, so please feel free to move in as soon as you can, my child." Ubuyashiki writes, and even though you're only looking at ink on paper, you think you can hear his soothing voice as you read.

As you finish reading the letter, a small smile blooms on your face. Your very own estate. How long has it been since you had a place of your own? The thought of it excites you, like a child would upon receiving a new toy, before you chide yourself for being childish and quickly write a letter of thanks back to Ubuyashiki.

While Kuroe is out sending the letter, you head to Shinobu's room and inform her that you will be moving out in the next hour. "Thank you for letting me stay here until now, Kocho-san." you say with a respectful dip of your head. "But now that my estate has been prepared, there's no longer any reason for me to be here."

"It was a pleasure to have you," Shinobu answers from her desk, where she's reviewing the medical reports of the current demon slayer patients in the mansion. You're reminded again of just how hardworking she is, and how grateful you are to her, even if she teases you too much for your liking. "It's a shame we didn't get to talk more. You'll come visit often, right, Hikaru-san?"

"...Sure." you say, figuring that you'll be back here once you end up injured in a future mission.

"Shall I walk you outside?"

"It's fine, since you must be busy." You decline politely, turning around and opening the door to leave. "I'll take my leave. Kuroe must be back by now."

Shinobu laughs, her voice akin to bells chiming in the wind. "Alright then, Hikaru-san. I'll see you at the Hashira meeting next month." she gives you a friendly wave before you close the door behind you.

***

Kuroe leads the way to your new house, although not without some complaint and only after having been promised an apple for his trouble. He flies ahead of you, pausing at times to hover over your head and chiding you for walking too slow. "Well, I'm sorry not everyone can fly like you can," you say pointedly, which your crow ignores.

You're making your way through a path surrounded by bamboo when a pointed roof pokes out against the tall stalks. "Is that the place?" you ask Kuroe, craning your neck to get a better view of the building ahead of you.

"Wrong!" He crows, his tail feathers shaking in a condescending manner. "Wrong! That's the Water Estate, idiot!"

"The Water Estate..." you murmur, stealing a glance when you pass by the front doors. Is Giyu here? You can't help but look for him, but all doors are closed and everything is silent. Since I can't see his aura, he must not be here, you conclude and continue on your way.

It turns out that the Light Estate is nearby the Water Estate, located just outside the bamboo forest where normal trees meet the bamboo. The mansion is smaller than Shinobu's, with just one floor, which makes sense because you're going to be the only one living here. You're glad for the smaller building, as you have a feeling that you'll feel lonely in this mansion all by yourself after spending nearly two months with Shinobu and the others.

You scoff at that idea. You would have thought you'd be used to being "lonely" after all this time.

Pushing open the front door, you step into the courtyard, greeted by the sight of a lovely garden and a stone path that leads to the mansion. There's a small pond in the garden as well, and you think you can see the tail of a koi fish within its water.

However, that's not the only thing waiting for you in the courtyard. Your jaw drops open to see a figure hunched over the pond, your hands instinctively twitching toward the blade at your side before you realize who it is.

"Tomioka-san?"

Giyu, upon hearing his name, gets to his feet from where he had been staring at the koi, facing you with zero change in his expression. "You're here," he says simply, like he usually does whenever you come down for your training sessions.

Reigning in your surprise and stilling your face with practiced stoicism, you blink at him with confused eyes. "What are you doing here?" you question, not knowing whether to be annoyed. "At my estate?"

"I came to pick you up for our joint mission. I knew you would be coming, so I thought I would wait for you here."

His words sound like a couple consecutive punches to your gut. "Joint mission? What are you talking about?" you manage to say, feeling more lost by the second. "And how did you know my estate was finished?"

Giyu just blinks back at you in mutual confusion. "You didn't receive the briefing? We're supposed to be heading out today." He pauses to look over the wall in the direction of the bamboo forest. "And it is difficult not to know the status of your estate when I can hear the construction from mine." Well, he has a point...

You sigh, rubbing your temple with one hand. "So you're saying that we've been assigned on a joint mission? I apologize, Kuroe must have forgotten to inform me." You shoot a sharp glare towards your Kasugai crow, who must feel guilty at least since he responds with an apologetic caw. "But I'm ready to head out whenever."

Giyu nods. "I can brief you about the mission on the way there. Come outside when you're ready."

***

And so, you end up running alongside the mysterious water pillar through the forest path, leaves crunching under your feet as you sprint to your destination. Your Total Concentration Breathing: Constant keeps you from running out of breath, which you're infinitely thankful for. You can't afford to fall behind and embarrass yourself in front of a fellow Hashira, especially not in front of the critical water pillar.

"So?" you prompt him after he has not uttered a word for half an hour at least. "What kind of assignment are we doing?"

"... We are to kill the demons residing in a certain mountain shrine," Giyu responds after a moment, his mismatched haori fluttering in the wind as he runs. "All those who have approached the shrine have been devoured, so we Hashira are being sent out."

"I see," you mumble, thinking about all those poor people those demons have already murdered. Unforgivable. Your heart burns with a renewed flame of determination at your task. "Let's get there quickly."

After a few seconds, you open your mouth again. "Tomioka-san, is there anything else I should know? It's my first time going on a joint mission."

"Just treat it as you would any other mission you had with comrades before becoming a Hashira."

"Ah," you frown. "What if I have never been on one?"

Giyu glances back at you. "Impossible. A demon slayer is sent on at least one mission while grouped with another of the same rank, especially from your own year. Even I was assigned to a few of those in the past."

"Oh." Your voice is flat, eyes staring straight ahead. "That makes sense. Since-" you take a breath. 

"Since I was the only one to pass the Final Selection in my year."