Can't I See You One Last Time?

Chapter 40: Productivity Zero

Half a year. Half a year since Giyuu woke up. Half a year since Shinobu got her letter. Half a year since Tanjiro walked out after shouting. Half a year since the Hashira thought of themselves as distasteful. Half a year, and they've still done nothing. They new it would never end and yet they were doing nothing. The only productive thing they were doing, was trying to get Giyuu's memory back. The rest of the time, they wasted time saving the innocent and slaying demons.

News of the Love Hashira's "death" had spread throughout the whole Corps. Sure, she was still breathing, and her heart was fainting breathing. Her body was still functioning like any other, people could still visit her living body and say their wishes for good health, but Mitsuri Konroji was considered dead. For a time, the Water Hashira was also referred as such. As a group, all of the regressors had decided that the state that all of them were going to end up in would be called "death." They had chose that word because the state of no consciousness was the closest thing they had to eternal death. The closest thing to what they wanted the most after so many lives.

"That's right, Giyuu-san! You did it perfectly!"
"Per...fect...ly...?"
"Perfectly, without any flaws."
Tanjiro was teaching Giyuu the basic things like eating, talking, the meaning of words and house chores.
"Fl...aws...?"
"Do do something without making a mistake."
Over the six months, Giyuu had gotten closer to Tsumiko and acknowledged other people besides the two. When others walked into a certain range and gave him some attention, he would acknowledge that they were here and nod his head as a greeting. He would also tale periodic walks with Tanjiro when he wasn't on a mission to try and regain some of his lost memories. Not only that, he had started attending the Hashira meetings with the Oyataka-sama--though he didn't understand anything that was going on. Whether he understood or not, he was doing all of these things in hopes that he would regain his memory. The hope of him regaining the memories of the answer to stopping everything. For now, slow and steady wins the race...if only that was true. They were racing the clock that was faster than them.

Shinobu was looking over the letter that was sent to her for the tenth time that day. She kept wondering how she could tell this information to the others. How could she inform them of all the details. It just seemed impossible. Not only that, the letter was filled with nothing but warnings. Warnings and the finish line. That was the only thing the letter held. Not a single thing on how to escape the unless loop. There was also this line that made no sense. How would asking everyone what they deepest wish was help them stop everything? Besides, how was she going to go to every single human and demon that regresses in such a short amount of time. There was no way to call everyone together nor track everyone down. It was simply impossible. With all of the other options crossed out, Shinobu only had the unknown option that was locked in Giyuu's memory.
This is nothing but trouble...

Iguro was looking after the lifeless body of his lover. Not a single shine in her eyes. Not a single intentional movement. There was only faint breathing. So faint that it seem that she would die at any moment. It was so scary. He didn't know if or when she was going to die. He didn't know if she could go back to her normal self. He didn't know if he could see her smile again.

Just thinking those things made tears build up in Iguro's eyes. The only pillar left in his life has being chipped away. She was taken from him.

After getting back from a useless mission, Iguro would always sit Mitsuri up and tell her about the mission. He talked to her like she was going to talk back at any moment. Talking without letting a single tear slip from his eyes.
"I slayed the demon with perfect accuracy."
'You're so cool!!' That's something she would say. She would praise him like she couldn't do the same just as easily. That was so like her. Putting people above her when she was just as cool or powerful. She thought she was weak, but Iguro that she was anything but that. Mitsuri was anything but weak, dumb, ugly, abnormal, and creepy. Mitsuri was just Mitsuri. She was just perfect.

Iguro held Mitsuri's lifeless hands between his own, and touched his forehead to their hands. He silently cried, his tears dripping onto her thighs.
"Please...come back to me..."

"Just stay here and keep an eye on Tomioka-san."
Because Tanjiro was taking care of Giyuu, he had neglected going on missions. Well, he wasn't neglecting his missions. It was more like they weren't getting delivered to him. Zentisu, Inosuke, and Nezuko made sure to intercept the mission orders before they even got to him. They would intercept them and then go on the mission themselves. However, they had failed to intercept Tanjiro's crow. The crow had managed to get passed their defenses and contact Tanjiro about a mission.
"But, it's my mission. I can't bother you three to do the mission on your own."
Well, it was too late for that. They had willing took on all of the other missions on top to their own. Speaking honestly though, the missions didn't take as long as they used to.
"Tomioka-san gets impatient when your not with him, and getting his memory back is very important to the others. Oni-chan just think of that as your mission."
They weren't wrong. Giyuu would usually case a fuss when Tanjiro was gone for too long. Sure, he listened to his older sister, but he was still reliant on Tanjiro.
"I...are you sure you can handle all of these missions yourself?"
Thankfully, Tanjiro didn't put up as much of a fight as they thought he would. Inosuke put his thumb up in front of Tanjiro's face,
"We've got it!!!"
If anything, it was harder catching that crow...