Second Chances: A Love That's Bound

Chapter 2 - Echoes of the Past

Giyu's eyes fluttered open, the gentle sounds of birds chirping and the business of the butterfly mansion around him. He was laying down but could make out what building he was in. He could see the headquarters of the demon slayer corps. A uniquely hidden estate led by the Ubayashiki family for generations, used as a hub for any business related to the slaying of demons.

He turned to face the familiarity of the butterfly mansion roof that greeted him and decided it was time to go, why was he here anyway. He sat up slowly, wincing at the stiffness of his body, a sharp pain shot through his body like a blade, he looked down to find bandages on his lower stomach. He sat up and managed to stare at his wound for while, his heart pounded in his chest as memories of the battle with Muzan Kibutsuji flooded back, but this time he felt different, he wasn't supposed to be here, he could change things, save people.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing mind. The room smelled of herbs and flowers, a soothing aroma that indicated that the person in charge was the one and only Insect Hashira, Shinobu Kocho. As he slid his legs over the end of the bed, the doors slid open, and Shinobu stepped inside, her usual serene smile ever present in place.

"Ah Tomioka-san, you're awake", she said, her voice as sweet and soft as ever. "How are you feeling?".

Giyu blinked, momentarily disoriented. He hasn't seen Shinobu since the battle in the infinity castle against Muzan. He heard from Sanemi and Kanao that she planned on dying that night, poisoning herself with Wisteria to kill the Upper Two demon. It was hard after that, they held funerals for all the fallen soldiers, each one peacefully passing on, but for Shinobu, she was devoured by a demon, she couldn't rest properly.

'I can change that this time, I'll save you Shinobu' Giyu thought to himself, determined to use this extremely unusual situation to the best he can do. But something lingered in his mind, his sacrifice to come back in time was his title of Hashira, at this point in the timeline he was a Hashira, he had been for a bit of time actually so how was he to lose it.

He nodded slowly, his throat dry, "I'm fine", he managed to say.

Shinobu's eyes twinkled with amusement, "Ara Ara Tomioka-san~~ you always say that, even when your not" she remarked. "But it's good to see that you're up, you gave us quite the scare".

Giyu frowned, trying to piece together everything that has happened. "How long was I out", Giyu questioned as he rubbed the side of his head, he vaguely remembers the details from the previous timeline.

"Just a couple of days", Shinobu replied back, moving closer to check the bandages on his stomach and arm. "You were found unconscious in the forest, we weren't sure what had happened to you"

Giyu's mind raced on, he did collapse in the forest in a previous mission, a weak demon managed to catch him and slashed at his body. Despite everything, a demon no matter how weak, is a demon still, they can kill you and will. He remembered it now, he knew what time it was and date, he had knowledge of the past and now knowledge of the future as well. He needed to be careful on what he revealed however, he couldn't run the risk of disrupting the timeline he knew, it would be easier to save people that way. He swallowed hard, his usual stoic demeanour struggling against the whirlwind of emotions inside him.

The silence between them as Shinobu was bandaging him was comforting yet unusual, she qas normally quite thorough when it came to teasing him, however the silence came to a quick and sudden halt when...

The door was quickly thrusted open when Giyu heard "TOMIOKA! YOURE AWAKE! THIS IS SPLENDID NEWS", Rengoku Kyojuro, the flame Hashira, sadly passed away in the previous timeline, he was a friendly and patient man, who was respected by everyone, but more importantly he was the stepping stone that Tanjiro needed when learning about his Sun Breathing.