A/N: This story is rated K Plus for some heavier themes of grief, mentions of death, and depiction of injuries as well as some discussion of demon slaying violence as it relates to those injuries. Chapter 3 contains some action sequences and mild, non-gory depictions of demon slaying with non-serious/non-life threatening injuries. All chapters contain spoilers for and through Ch. 131 of the manga. Chapters 3 and 4 will contain vague spoilers from and through Ch. 163 of the manga and some related foreshadowing. The intention was to write about Giyu & Shinobu's friendship through the years, but it could be taken in a more romantic way if you want to see it(?) especially in the final chapter. This story has been cross-posted to AO3. The cover art is by izzybsparkles and used with permission. Thank you for reading!

Take Care of Yourself

"Ah! Tomioka-san!" exclaimed Shinobu Kocho nearly dropping the tray of medicines she was holding. "Why didn't you call for someone when you woke up?"

Giyu shrugged. Though he could hear voices from other wards in the Butterfly Estate's hospital, the beds on either side of his were both empty, and his broken jaw and mangled throat were not conducive to calling out loudly for help. Kocho must have realized this as well as she added hurriedly, "Don't answer that."

Giyu blinked at her as she steadied herself and picked up some of the vials that had tipped over in her shock. His head throbbed, and he felt a sharp pain in his left leg—it was probably broken as well.

"You've broken your leg and several ribs," Kocho confirmed as she set the medicine tray on the nearby table. "Not to mention your jaw and what happened to your throat—I assume that demon tried to strangle you?"

Giyu nodded. That was one of the most vivid memories he had of his most recent battle. The rest were a hazy mess in his subconscious. Kocho nodded stiffly and took a seat on the stool at his bedside. She motioned to a thick bandage on his right arm and one on his abdomen before taking his hand and pressing her thumb to his wrist to take his pulse. "You lost a lot of blood. We gave you a transfusion, but you've been fighting low blood pressure for awhile now."

"How long was I out?" he asked in a whisper so gravelly and hoarse he could scarcely believe it had come out of his own mouth.

"Two weeks," said Kocho almost stiffly but her hands were shaking slightly as she let go of his wrist. Giyu's eyes widened. When he had awoken weary and aching, connected to all kinds of medical instruments, he had assumed he had been unconscious for a couple of days but two weeks…?

"Did I miss anything important?"

Kocho blinked at him for a split-second before she tilted her head and flashed that teasing smile of hers, "Guess you'll never know, will you?"

Giyu sighed slouching back against the headboard in the hopes of appeasing his broken ribs which, it seemed, strongly objected to sitting up. His eyebrows twitched almost wincing as he shifted, and if he didn't know better, he could have sworn Kocho's face softened for just a moment. However, the frown which almost immediately followed suggested otherwise.

"This is the fourth time you've been in here in the past two months." She huffed. "You're almost as bad as Shinazugawa-san."

"Who?" asked Giyu.

Kocho huffed again and rolled her eyes. "He calls himself a demon slayer but his weapon of choice is his fists. He's in here nearly every other week. I told Nee-san we should tell him we're not going to wrap his wounds for him again until he stops being so reckless, but she has this strange fondness for him." Kocho rolled her eyes again as she began removing the bandages from his arm. "With how often you're both here, I'm surprised you haven't met each other yet."

Giyu shrugged. In the short time that had passed since he had joined the Demon Slayer Corps, he hadn't met many people mostly by choice and partially because of his reserved, introverted nature. The two Kocho sisters were the only other demon slayers he saw regularly, but that was only because he was constantly injured. Despite being so young, Kanae and Shinobu Kocho were talented healers who converted their home into a hospital for wounded demon slayers, and Giyu often felt he spent more time in the Butterfly Mansion being treated and rehabilitated than he spent out in the field. He supposed this Shinazugawa-san was the same.

Kocho hummed as she unspooled some of the new dressings for his arm. "I guess we do try to keep Shinazugawa-san away from the other patients. He is very disruptive and generally unpleasant." She sighed. "But you really got yourself beat up this time—you'll probably be here long enough to run into him."

Frowning, Kocho picked up his arm and examined the deep gash from his shoulder to elbow. "I don't even know how you got some of these injuries. What happened?"

"I fought a demon…" he answered dryly—tilting his head. He wasn't sure he understood the question.

Kocho glared at him and huffed, "You acted recklessly. You can't keep breaking the same bones and sustaining all of these injuries. Your body won't be able to handle it."

Giyu blinked at her. What exactly did she expect him to do? This was the Demon Slayer Corps after all.

Kocho's movements tensed as she began to wrap his arm. He could tell she was angry, but her hands were gentle as she bandaged his wound. "Every time I see you, you're in worse and worse shape—maimed, seriously injured—and I know it's not because of your abilities. Everyone is talking about you. You're very powerful. They say you're going to be the next Water Hashira. But you run around with a wanton disregard for your life! It's one thing to be brave and make sacrifices, but you don't seem to care one way or another what happens to you. I can't tell if you're foolhardy or just an airhead."

After a pause, Giyu replied, "I'm not foolhardy or an airhead."

"You could've fooled me," huffed Kocho pulling the bandage tightly. Giyu's face twitched, and she loosened her grip though she glowered at him, "Why do you do this to yourself? Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

Giyu shrugged. After joining the Demon Slayer Corps alone, he had felt so lost. Taking missions, defeating demons, and protecting people, almost made him feel like he had a purpose again, but he knew no matter how many demons he slayed and how high he rose in the ranks, nothing he did could ever make up for his Final Selection. In the end, he wouldn't be able to earn his right to be here. The best he could do was protect who he could with whatever borrowed time he had left. "I'm doing my job. I don't think it matters what happens to me."

Abruptly, Kocho stopped wrapping his wound and stood up from her stool. Despite being so petite, she seemed to tower over him formidably. Her brow furrowed, and she clinched her fists. "Are you stupid or something?" she demanded. "Why would you say something like that? Some nonsense like it doesn't matter what happens to you? Yes, you're a demon slayer and you very well may have to make the ultimate sacrifice one day, but that doesn't mean you should be so careless with your life! You joined the Corps to protect people, didn't you? Well, what would've happened to those people you just protected if you weren't there? You can't protect anyone if you're dead!" She paused huffing as if trying unsuccessfully to calm herself down, but she had never seemed so angry. Her words seemed to tumble out of her mouth faster than Giyu could keep up with them. "You are strong and powerful, and you have your life. There are a lot of people who can't say that. You can't just throw it all away without a fight! It's not brave or noble, it's just reckless and…and selfish!"

Giyu looked up at Kocho's glowering face and stormy eyes. He had seen this look before. Something inside him twisted, and his chest ached. Someone he had cared about very much had used the same kind of tough love—somehow Giyu had almost forgotten. His eyes grew almost misty at the thought—Sabito probably would've liked Kocho.

Giyu sniffled, and Kocho's expression faltered. She turned away from him abruptly and fidgeted. "Uh…that was a little harsh," she said in a softer, uneven tone. She swallowed as she took her seat on the stool again. "I didn't…" she stopped abruptly. "What I meant was…"—Her face softened just slightly—"You should take care of yourself. That's all."

Giyu felt something twist in the ache in his chest. He had lost so many people and had been alone for so long. He couldn't remember the last time someone had told him to take care of himself. Something prickled behind his eyes, and his mouth just barely turned up in the corners bitter-sweetly as he choked out in a gravelly whisper, "Thank you."

Kocho's eyes widened, but she cleared her throat and looked away from him. "If you really want to thank me, you'll stop being so reckless," she said tying off the bandages on his arm. "I don't want to see you back here for a long, long time."