Gifts and roses..-*

Chapter 4 - mission together..

Giyuu kicked his foot in boredom outside the entrance to the shared training ground, a cloud of dust puffing up into the warm summer air. His gaze followed the drifting particles as he exhaled deeply. He had found that is life was not much more than a repetitive loop lately- slay a demon, file a report then head off to face to next demon over and over. The routine was so mind numbingly predictable that it had begun to gnaw at his soul, even though it was his sworn duty as a demon slayer.

Today was a rare day that he had no duties, and the only thing that kept his head above the water was thinking about what gift to get Sanemi next.

Somehow, the simple act of finding and gifting Sanemi something had become a reprieve from his own sorrows, a tiny flicker of job in his otherwise drab existence. It had been weeks since he gave the first gift and still, the thought of choosing a present, imagining Sanemi's reaction (although he never saw it), was enough to pull him from his habitual gloom

He no longer walked to missions drowning in the familiar sense of self-loathing he had become accustomed to over the better half of his life. Instead, he was captivated by the chance to focus on someone else's happiness instead of his own unending dissatisfaction.

Now, his thoughts frequently wandered to the white-haired Hashira with the distinctive scar patterns, and he found himself fascinated.

It made him feel all weird inside.

The intrigue Sanemi stirred in him was unlike anything he'd experienced before. He wondered about Sanemi's favourite foods, the hobbies he might have when he wasn't working, and whether his perpetual scowl was a permanent fixture or just a facade. He was strangely interesting to the water hashira.

Still, despite his burgeoning affection, he still struggled to muster the courage to actually give the gifts to Sanemi in person. But that was something he was going to deal with another day.

He looked up at the sun and exhaled, noting that it had already passed midday, he was supposed to meet Gyomei here to spar a while ago. The two rarely hung out but Giyuu was trying to improve his blocking skills, and Gyomei was a force to be reckoned with, he was the perfect person to help (and was willing to, which was a bonus).

But the sun was creeping beyond midday and Giyuu was starting to wonder if Gyomei had gotten lost somehow. The hashira hardly used the shared training grounds as they each had their own, but Gyomei's estate was just so far away they settled on meeting halfway.

Giyuu muttered random reassuring mantras to himself, insecurity tinging his throat. However, his thoughts were abruptly interrupted by a gruff voice, jolting him out of his reverie.

"What do you look so fucking depressed about?"

Giyuu turned sharply, his heart racing at the suddenness of the interruption. His eyes locked onto familiar white spikes of hair. Recognition hit him immediately.

"Oh, hi Shinazugawa-San," Giyuu managed, forcing himself to remain composed despite the heartbeat that has suddenly spiked in his chest. "How are you?"

Sanemi's eyes narrowed, "Shut the fuck up, ponytail. I'm not here to answer your dumbass questions. Don't act like you fucking care."

Giyuu tilted his head, did it not sound like he cared? He struggled to comprehend how Sanemi could so consistently misinterpret his intentions so horribly. He was trying to be polite, but it seemed to be a lost cause. "Okay..." His voice was steady, though his heart raced under the intensity of Sanemi's stare drilling into him. "Did you need something?"

Sanemi's response was a sharp snort. "Wow, so I can't even use the training ground without you thinking I'm here to get something from your almighty self."