Disclaimer: I don't own Kimetsu no Yaiba, I'm just doing this for fun.

Finally! I have finished this chapter a few days ago, but couldn't find out a good title for it... until I pondered the idea of light/darkness, which goes so well with the yakuza theme. This will be a series of loosely connected one-shots. I have TONS of ideas for this AU, there were plenty of fanarts fuelling my mind with ideas, so I can't wait to bring more chapter for this :D It's rated M because there will be some steamy chapters and this will deal with some topics (illegal activities mostly, but I'll put a warning before the chapter if necessary) 0w0 so beware. I'm currently stressed out though, even when I write down new ideas it's hard for me to keep writing, so I don't know when I'll be able to post a new chapter u.u Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy this.
Just to say, I'm rather happy with the summary (?). Ehem.

As per usual, if there are any spelling or grammatical mistakes, thanks to point them out nwn I really should find a beta-reader, but I'm so awkward that I'm too afraid to ask around Q_Q I'll find a solution (or maybe not).

Enjoy your reading nwn

Chapter 1: The irezumi

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The moon was glowing brightly in the dark sky, and the sound of gunshots and the smell of blood filled the old warehouse. Two yakuza clans were fighting against each other in a war that has already dragged for too long.

His blade had a deadly shine when he swung it, splattering the dusty floor with bright crimson drops. His movements were strong and swift like a current's flow, precise and meticulous, calculated and without any useless movements. His gaze was dead calm, unfazed before the ongoing battle. His heart didn't waver. It never did before and it never would. His mind was only set into following their Master's orders.

Yet he killed nobody that night, as it was also their Master's will. He cut tendons, he severed limbs, but he didn't cut any head, didn't thrust his blade into any vital spot. His enemies were left alive. Whimpering, severely wounded, but alive at least. He was no murderer. But still living enemies meant that danger was still lurking. And sometimes he would forget that.

"Watch out!"

The warning came too late. Three shots were fired in his direction. One missed, one grazed his head and the last got him on his left shoulder. He retreated behind large wooden boxes and checked his wounds. The bullet went in and out cleanly, but he was severely bleeding and blood was also covering his eyes. Fortunately, the battle didn't last long.

"Everybody, out! This is going to explode flamboyantly!"

He ran outside, and he only managed to get a few steps away when the warehouse exploded. The force of the explosion sent him flying forwards, but he managed to roll back on his feet. Nobody was inside when it exploded, he was one of the last ones to get out. Even the wounded enemies managed to escape, even though that didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was that the warehouse was now destroyed. It would take them some time to recover what they had lost. The building was slowly being consumed by the fire, lighting up that side of the harbour. Their job was done.

"Well then… Let's go back and report to Master."

Without saying anything else, they gathered themselves and leaved in the dark of the night.

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"But I'm still worried about you, Shinobu-chan. You should come here someday. How about Saturday?"

"I'm fine Mitsuri-san, but thank you. I'll see if I can clear some time on Saturday."

"That would be great! Oh, also, Iguro-san got some new pets, we can go and see. Ah, don't worry, they're not animals with fur! This time he got some new goldfishes. You like those, right?"

"Goldfishes… M-maybe we can go if I have enough time." She said coughing to hide her excitement.

"Then it's set! You'll come on Saturday and I'm coming to fetch you at your place if necessary! You deserve a day off!"

"I'll keep that in mind, I really will… Ah, there is my stop. I'm going to hang up now."

"Okay, see you on Saturday! Sleep tight!"

"Thank you. You too."

She stepped out of the bus, and continued walking down the street. She was tired, but today had been a good day too. There was no emergency at the hospital when she arrived nor when she left. She had lunch with her sister, and in the afternoon, she discharged a patient who managed to make a full recovery despite their old age. She was content with herself despite her tiredness, but maybe Mitsuri was right. She was a workaholic and sometimes she struggled to get some rest, even if it was only for a few hours. Maybe she should accept Mitsuri's invitation. Besides, she really wanted to see those goldfishes…

She soon arrived at her apartment's building. It was a normal three-floor-building inside a normal residential neighbourhood. She lived in the second floor. It was already dark and she only wanted to rest, so she quickly went upstairs while looking for her keys in her bag. But when she was about to grab the door handle, she heard some muffled noise coming from inside her apartment. She froze on the spot. Was there someone in her apartment? Should she call the police? Or was it just the neighbour's cat? Once it managed to get inside when she left the window open. But she was sure the window was closed when she left in the morning.

She took a deep breath and slowly opened the door. It was dark inside, but she noticed the light slipping past the bathroom's closed door. She entered as quietly as possible, closing the door behind her. She left her bag at the entrance and took instead an umbrella. It wasn't a very strong weapon, but it was better than nothing. She removed her shoes, and barefoot, she slowly walked towards the bathroom. She stopped when she felt something wet under her foot. A chill ran down her spine as she looked down. Her eyes were already accustomed to the darkness, and she could see small drops of blood leading to the bathroom from the closed window. So, someone broke into her place through the window and locked themselves into the bathroom. It definitively wasn't the cat.

She gulped. She knew it could be dangerous, but she was also stubborn, and she wouldn't let anyone break into her apartment and let them go without any consequences. She opened the bathroom's door as silently as she could. There was nobody inside and the toilet's door was closed, but the shower's lights were turned on. The intruder was inside the shower room: she could see a shadow crouched through the door's tinted glass. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. She was going to open that door as fast as she could and smash the intruder's head with the umbrella. She didn't know what she was going to do next, but she could think about that later. Maybe it will give her enough time to call the police. Gripping the umbrella firmly in one hand, she opened the door with other with all the strength she could muster.

Her mouth fell agape.

There was a shirtless man sitting in her bathroom's floor, trying to tend to his own wounds. He had a wound in the shoulder which suspiciously looked like a gunshot wound, and also had several cuts and scratches on his back, chest and abdomen. His face was covered in sweat and dried blood and his black hair was matted because of dirt. His back was facing her, giving her a full view on his irezumi. He was looking back at her, surprised by her sudden entrance.

"… Tomioka-san?!" She almost screamed, unable to contain her surprise.

"Kochō…" He answered awkwardly. "H-hey, are you okay?"

Feeling relief sweeping inside her, she had let herself slowly fall down to her knees, and she let out a long, relieved sigh.

"For a moment, I thought it was a cat…" She was utterly glad she had found this man instead of an animal with fur.

"I'm… sorry?" He sounded honest, though he didn't really know why he was apologizing for.

"And you should be!" She promptly snapped back at him. "You scared me! How many times do I have to tell you to tell me beforehand when you are coming?"

"Sorry." He apologized again, and he was truly sorry. "Didn't really have time…"

"And look at you." She continued as if she didn't listen to him. "You're all wounded and bloody again. What did you do now?"

This time he didn't answer, but it wasn't like she was expecting an answer anyway. She was already back on her feet and going elsewhere in her apartment, muttering something like "better take care of that gunshot wound now before it gets infected."

She came back a few minutes later with alcohol and lots of bandages, and set to treat him. She carefully cleaned the wounds with a cotton, before disinfecting them with alcohol. He would softly hiss whenever she pressed a little harder, but didn't complain. She was still angry at him for scaring her like that after all. He couldn't blame her since it was his fault, so he just stayed shut and let her vent all her worries and frustration on him. She kept making sneaky comments about how he would give her more work and worries, the state of his wounds or his capacity to just stay alive. And he didn't complain. He never complained.

Shinobu was angry, but not because of the mess he had created. She was mad at him for not telling her sooner he was coming. It had been days—no, weeks— since the last time they saw each other, she didn't hear anything from him since, and now he just came out of nowhere, crashing at her apartment wounded. Again. Though she was relieved to see him alive. But at the same time, she knew she could do nothing to change that situation and it was one of the few things that kept frustrating her. Her blabbering wasn't only for the sole purpose to vent: it was also the only way for her to forget her fears and worries, at least just for a moment. But they knew each other since a long time now and she wouldn't be surprised if he had already figured out her intentions.

She took her time to clean the wounds on his back, and after a while, she went silent. He knew what she was doing: she was silently admiring the irezumi on his back. Sometimes she would just blurt out in a soft voice how beautiful it was, and he would just indulge her with its sight. She was captivated, and with the tip of her fingers she slowly traced its delicate and complex design. It was a true piece of art, a beautiful mixture of blue and green, black and gold. It represented a single koi carp, swimming down a turbulent stream, fighting against the wild waves, surrounded by delicate aquatic plants. It covered his entire back, and even extended to his upper chest and upper arms, a few inches above his elbows. She could keep staring at it for hours, but now she had a patient to tend to. Fortunately, she didn't need to stitch, and the bandage was enough, under the condition he doesn't strain himself while recovering. The irezumi was now covered in bandages, but she could still admire its edges. She helped him to wash his hair and clean himself up, and once they finished, they settled in the small kitchen table.

"I'll make some tea."

"But… you're tired…"

"Well, yes, but I can't really rest when I have a patient to take care of."

She didn't add anything else and that was the end of the discussion. He really couldn't argue against her—not that he wanted anyway. Waiting for the water to boil, she also prepared a light late dinner: some leftover rice and minced vegetables. She didn't have anything else since she didn't have time to buy groceries. Had she known he was coming she would have gone to the konbini to buy something. She also gave him some painkillers, for which he thanked her silently. He wouldn't say it out loud, but the wound hurt. A lot. They ate in silence, which was unusual. She would usually keep small talk while eating, but tonight she was too tired for that.

"Will you stay tonight?" She finally asked while leaving the dishes in the sink. She would wash them in the morning.

He didn't answer right away, waiting for her to sit back so he could look at her in the eye. There wasn't reproach in her voice anymore, just the usual tiredness after a long day and the longing for someone she didn't see in days. He had missed her too.

"Do you want me to stay?"

She smiled. It was a small, tired smile, but also a genuine one.

"I'd love you to stay."

It was past midnight; they didn't wait long before going to sleep. They went through their usual routine before sleeping, and she helped him to put on a clean t-shirt for the night. His shirt and suit were still bloody; it would be hard to clean all the dirt off. Fortunately, she always had a change of clothes for him in her closet.

They lied down on her bed, that bed they had already shared so many times. She made sure he didn't press his wound when lying down, and told him to not move while sleeping. He promised he wouldn't. He didn't move a lot in his sleep anyway. She didn't stop him though, when he crawled closer to her, when he hugged her by the waist and rested his head under her chin, like a child seeking comfort. She hugged him back, running her fingers through his long hair and tracing small circles in the back of his neck, where she could still see some light blue ink. She kissed his forehead, taking in the now flowery-scent of his hair.

"Welcome back." She whispered softly, lovingly, before drifting off in a dreamless sleep.

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~A few notes about this chapter:~
■ Shinobu has a rule: whenever Giyuu comes to her place wounded and bleeding, he has to go directly to the bathroom so it will be easier for him to clean himself up and so he doesn't make a mess in the apartment.
■ There are a lot of things I will address in upcoming chapters, this was more an introductory chapter of sorts.
■ I love irezumi QwQ They're just too beautiful. I tried to give Giyuu an irezumi that would fit his character: the meaning for his can be found here: /tattoo-ideas-meanings/Japanese-Koi-Fish-Tattoo-Meanings. But if someone knows where I can fin more information about it, I would be glad if they could share it TwT
■ Giyuu smokes in this AU too. And Shinobu doesn't like it either.

Also, this is a GiyuShino fic, but sometimes I'll focus more on Giyuu and his life as a yakuza. I saw the film The Outsider recently and it gave me a few ideas for a couple of chapters. Don't worry, I'll also focus on Shinobu too.

My mind is about to burst, but not because of fanfictions (it makes me sad). I hope you enjoyed the chapter uwu See you soon nwn (or so I hope).