Originally, this was supposed to be a fluffy little stand-alone, but somehow it turned out as a sequel to From Afar He Watches.
If you want some context, you should read that story first.
Anyway, I wish you happy reading!
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Full Summary:
Without the man's kindness, Tanjirou wouldn't be where he was. Words were not enough to express the gratitude he felt for the calm man, so the least he could do was write letters to the man. He never got a response, but the redhead didn't mind. Tomioka-san must simply be a pretty shy man, so he would cover his talking part as well.
"Tanjirou," Urokodaki-san greeted him with a nod. "There is-"
"Message for Kamado Tanjirou! Message for Kamado Tanjirou!"
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Giyuu felt tired as he finally arrived at his estate. Lately, missions have kept him so busy that it felt strange to be back in his home. Opening the door, he immediately marched to his office, seeing three letters from Tanjirou on the cupboard he had specifically purchased for them.
Hunting demon after demon meant he was unable to pay a visit to the boy and his mentor, something he felt bad about. Unfortunately, there was another stack of letters and he didn't need to look at them to know that they were new assignments, new demons that had to be hunted down.
His shoulders fell with the realisation that he wouldn't be able to check on Tanjirou any time soon. But suddenly his gaze was drawn to his desk and he eyed the unused quill resting on top of it.
Drastic times called for drastic measures.
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Tanjirou sighed heavily as he trotted back to his current home, his clothes and face covered in dirt and sweat. Another day of hard training and another day of nothing but failure. Urokodaki-san had tasked him to slice a giant boulder in half, something he has been trying to accomplish for four months by now. The only things that broke in this time were his body, constantly aching and his dwindling resolve.
How was he supposed to cut this giant boulder in half? Tanjirou doubted he would ever manage to complete the task given to him. He respected Urokodaki-san a lot, but he had to wonder what his mentor was thinking demanding such an outrageous accomplishment.
Tanjirou sighed again as the small house came into view. His belly was grumbling and he was too exhausted to think any longer about his predicament. It could wait until tomorrow after he got something between his teeth and was able to recover after some sleep.
The redhead stopped in front of the door, slapping his cheeks to erase any evidence that might hint he was feeling down. Neither Urokodaki-san nor Nezuko, even when still asleep, deserved to see such a sight. He knocked once to announce his arrival before he slid the door open.
"I'm back!" He called as enthusiastically as possible, pulling his zori off. When he entered the main room, he found his mentor sitting in front of the fire, where a pot filled to the brim was slowly sizzling. Tanjirou had learned how to cook early in his childhood, but during his time staying with Urokodaki-san, he wasn't allowed to lift a single finger. The old man insisted he would cook for them and despite Tanjirou's best attempts, his mentor stayed adamant about the decision.
Over time, he grew accustomed to being cooked for and eventually began to like having nothing to do in the kitchen. It gave him the time to write the journals he kept for Nezuko so she wouldn't feel lost once she awoke from her deep slumber. Sometimes, when he was fast enough, he could even squeeze some time in to write letters to Giyuu-san as well.
Without the man's kindness, Tanjirou wouldn't be where he was. Words were not enough to express the gratitude he felt for the calm man, so the least he could do was write letters to the man. He never got a response, but the redhead didn't mind. Tomioka-san must simply be a pretty shy man, so he would cover his talking part as well.
"Tanjirou," Urokodaki-san greeted him with a nod. "There is-"
"Message for Kamado Tanjirou! Message for Kamado Tanjirou!" Another voice suddenly cawed and Tanjirou yelped in surprise because he didn't see anyone else besides his mentor in the room. Of course, there was Nezuko as well, but he could remember her velvety voice vividly. This was not her even when a small corner of his heart wished it was. Even with a rough voice, Nezuko would be still Nezuko.
Shaking off the thought, his crimson eyes searched the entire room, but there was no other person present. His fine sense of smell was overwhelmed by the delicious meal, so he couldn't sniff out the mysterious person either.
He looked back to Urokodaki-san, cocking his head sideways. Tanjirou hoped his master could explain the weird appearance of the mysterious voice because he was certain his mind was not playing tricks on him.
"Urokodaki-san, do you know-"
"Message for Kamado Tanjirou... Message for... Kamado Tanjirou." The voice screeched again before the old man had a chance to utter a single word, albeit it sounded a lot more exhausted than before.
From behind Urokodaki-san, a crow bounced forward, breathing heavily. Tanjirou was not disturbed in the slightest by the fact that he was facing a speaking crow. Instead, he was immediately worried about the crow's well-being. Luckily, Urokodaki-san was prepared and placed a small bowl filled with water in front of the crow, a gift the bird happily accepted.
After the crow had emptied half of the liquid, he flapped his wings. "I'm Kanzaburo, the Kasugai Crow! I'm here because I have a message for Kamado Tanjirou!" Kanzaburo, repeated once more, eyeing Tanjirou in curiosity.
"Are you Kamado Tanjirou?" He asked to which the redhead nodded in confirmation, a little confused why the crow had a message for him.
Kanzaburo jumped into his lap, stretching his wings apart. "My master, the Water Hashira Tomioka Giyuu-sama tasked me to relay a message to Kamado Tanjirou! Here!" Kanzaburo cawed, offering his right leg. There was a piece attached to it, clearly a letter.
Tanjirou's cheeks flushed in excitement and surprise alike, not believing his eyes. "For me..." he beamed with sparkling eyes, detaching the letter from the crow's leg.
"Thank you very much, Kanzaburo-san!" He yelled while bowing his head in gratitude. Kanzaburo cawed a few times before he took off.
Tanjirou didn't waste any time and opened the letter, studying Tomioka-san's neat handwriting on the envelope.
For Kamado Tanjiro
By Tomioka Giyuu
It didn't take him long to read the letter, but he appreciated every word. It cast a wide and bright smile on his face, knowing that Tomioka-san was supporting him. Any thought about the lack of progress in his training was forgotten, pushed away by the Water Hashira's encouraging words.
Tanjirou felt how new energy rose within him and he jumped to his feet. He had to tell Nezuko right away, so he walked to her room. In his joy, he forgot to take the letter with him, leaving it behind for a pair of curious eyes.
Urokodaki has known Giyuu for many years now, so he knew the man was as talkative as a river, especially when it came to letters. He was surprised that his student sent him a letter, announcing Tanjirou's arrival, but given the circumstances, it couldn't be helped.
Therefore, he was surprised, almost even shocked when Kanzaburo came bursting through the open window, yelling he had a letter for Tanjirou from his master. When he saw the letter with his own eyes though, Urokodaki pulled his tengu mask away and pinged the bridge of his nose, chuckling under his breath.
"Giyuu, you will never change, will you?" He mumbled to himself, the content of the letter echoing in his head.
Good luck.
That was all that stood on the otherwise blank sheet of paper. Honestly, what was he expecting? And why was Tanjirou positively beaming about such a letter, if it could even be called that? Amused, Urokodaki shook his head from side to side.
Giyuu and Tanjirou were an interesting pair. They seemed so different, yet they got along so well, despite only communicating through letters and Giyuu's visits where he observed his junior from afar. He thought Tanjirou wouldn't notice, but Giyuu failed to take the boy's sensitive sense of smell into account. He knew every time the Water Hashira visited, his smile was always brighter on such days.
Maybe it was because both of them were students of the same teacher, maybe it was because of that fateful day on the icy mountain or maybe it was even something entirely else. Whatever it was, Urokodaki was happy to see Giyuu and Tanjirou getting along so well.
When Tanjirou left for training the next morning, it was easy to tell that he had found New Resolve.