Hinokami's Blessing
Chapter 15
12Thirtypain03
WARNING: This story is rated M for mature-rated content. If some acts of violence, blood, or anything easily triggering make you uncomfortable, please leave and do not read. Any change to a character, when introduced, killed, changed into a demon/human, or more will be labeled in the chapter of occurrence. If a character has died in a chapter, that chapter will give a cause of death to that character.
Tanjirou and Nezuko
Once Tanjirou and Nezuko got their masks fixed up from their brief encounter with Muzan, Tanjirou, and Nezuko were glad Tamayo had given them some resources to further assist them in their role.
The unfortunate problem was that Urokodaki was the one who would make their masks for them. Now that he was no more, it ultimately was a difficult task finding someone to make masks for them.
Luckily, it was something Tanjirou was willing to work for. He had gone down to get the appropriate resources, before handling it together.
Of course, the first results were a disaster, but Tanjirou, being the determined individual he was, was willing to work for it. The result was that he was able to eventually create a pretty decent mask for the two of them. With Nezuko's assistance in painting, they were able to fix and replenish the masks that Urokodaki would make for them.
"There we go, now we can go back and slay demons without worrying about being spotted." Tanjirou smiled as he patted Nezuko on her head.
Nezuko made a humming noise, before she smiled, "Thanks, brother!"
Tanjirou gave a small smile before he got up. Nezuko followed him shortly afterward to resume their slaying adventures.
As the two continued on their trek, they found themselves back in the same place they were last time. At the mansion, where Tanjirou and Nezuko managed to slay Kyogai.
As they two made their way back to the mansion, the point of this was to collect any blood residues. When the two, while defeating Kyogai, there were still demons remaining within the mansion.
Now that they had a motive for this, considering both Yushiro and Tamayo now needed the blood of the strongest demons to turn them back into a human.
Of course, that would be difficult. Tanjirou and Nezuko both had some experience with fighting some of the twelve kizuki. This also included Muzan as well, considering he was the progenitor of all demons.
Tanjirou could recall hearing Muzan yell for someone's name before he disappeared. He could smell the demonic residue on the place he disappeared, indicating it was a blood demon art of some sort. In addition, the smell of strength also told Tanjirou it must have also been an Upper Moon.
This meant he saw three strong demons and how they fight.
One fought with ice-like elemental attacks, such as an icy wind, blocking with ice, and even manipulating objects as ice. The deadliest of the bunch was the fact the ice could inhibit a person's breathing, suffocating them and shooting their breathing styles.
The other clearly had capabilities of teleporting Muzan based on what he saw.
And then Muzan himself. First, he was able to use barbed wires to strike uncontrollably and then was able to unleash a shockwave that incapacitated Tanjirou momentarily. No doubt would it impact humans much more.
He sighed, as he looked at the state of the mansion.
Thankfully, many of the children had gone out. Kyogai had been the only demon who was threatening the kids. The others were defeated easily by a group of demon slayers.
In contrast, both Nezuko and Tanjirou made their way toward the mansion.
"I didn't think I'd be coming here so quickly…" Tanjirou commented.
"I know, perhaps some demons may come back to fill in the strongest demon's absence," Nezuko commented.
"Like an ecosystem," Tanjirou mumbled. "If that's the case, then we may run into demons even through all of that said."
"Have faith in the demon slayers, we haven't talked to many," Nezuko chuckled. "Imagine we do get attacked by some demon slayers..."
"Unfortunately, we haven't. But because the two of us are demons, it makes sense as to why we don't meet many of them." Tanjirou explained. "What I do know, is that we cannot afford to be spotted by them, so don't go unless you have your mask on. What kind of demon slayers did you talk to, though?" Tanjirou asked.
"I only met this overdramatic, and over-flirtatious, with yellow hair," Nezuko commented.
"Well, it is less than what I've been through," Tanjirou mumbled. "I ran into a demon slayer who can eat demons for powers, and another who's strongest demon slayer."
"That's more than what I got, I should eventually find a lover," Nezuko commented.
Tanjirou made a shocked noise at the idea of Nezuko already finding someone, "Like hell, I'll make you deal with that now."
"What? Why not brother? Should I be worrying for you? I meant Mother did say there were a lot of choices." Nezuko commented.
Tanjirou's face got red at the thought, especially from many of from villagers, "Many of the villagers would also say the same thing, wanting me to court one of their daughters…"
"But I think mother just did that so she could sell me off the family or something..." Tanjirou mumbled, as he still held back opinions of his parents.
After all, he only remembered them for useless training that they weren't even good at, and for hurting him beyond his mental and physical state. The abuse he sustained was too much for him, for any child, and he couldn't forgive them, especially after taking off his shirt and seeing the multitude of scars he is forced to see.
Plus, he had heard instances of his own father talking down and bad about him. The words cut deep in Tanjirou, and even the words Muzan had told him when he was near death held him. As much as they hurt him, it was what kept him from seeking revenge. It kept him from wanting to kill this demon regardless of everything.
Then, there was also the question about what Muzan knew of his family. The little talk he had with the demon king showed Tanjirou that he knew something about them. He apparently knew of Tanjirou for a while before he was turned into a demon.
So, why? Why did both of them talk badly about Tanjirou?
Why did his father hate and look down on his eldest son so suddenly?
Tanjirou had a lot of questions, but he was in no mood for forgiveness. That also extended to his mother. His mother also participated in the conditions that made Tanjirou live in fear. The threat of no food, abuse, or even insomnia was enough to make Tanjirou scarred mentally from this.
Not to mention, specifically the marks on his skin, and the annual tradition of throwing Tanjirou out of the house in the middle of a blizzard. Those times, Tanjirou came so close to dying, he almost became sensitized to death, had it not been for Muzan, and torturing before his supposed death.
Of course, if Tanjirou died there, he wouldn't have minded. But instead, through fate, he was resurrected. He was reborn, because of a little decision he made. He turned into a demon and was now seeking vengeance on Muzan.
"I don't think mom thought so badly of you... She was cruel sometimes, but she always made sure we survived..." Nezuko tried to justify her mother's actions.
"Don't justify the treatment we received under our parents. You had it easier because you were the darling of the family..." Tanjirou mumbled, showing a surprising about of hate and jealousy.
Nezuko sighed, "Well, I did have a protective and amazing elder brother who always protected his siblings."
Nezuko smiled brightly at her elder brother, as she thanked him again for the protection he gave her. That smile was enough to get Tanjirou out of his bad mood, and he too smiled slightly and sadly. "You know I would have continuously done that for my siblings, even if I died..."
"I know, brother, and if it wasn't for you, we could have suffered worse pain than we did..." Nezuko sighed. "But now, it's my turn to repay the favor, and I'll do it by finding you a lover!"
He raised a hand to his face to hide his embarrassment. "Just, with the lifestyle we live at the moment, a lover or that kind of life is not meant for us right now," Tanjirou told his sister.
"Well, even as a demon, I think you could maybe pull some of the female demon slayers' eyes," Nezuko commented, only for Tanjirou to shake his head.
"Nezuko, no, the last thing I need while helping us become human again, is to worry about a love life. If anything, we should prioritize the cure for us, because we don't want to see them die during this." Tanjirou explained.
"I guess you have a point…" Nezuko mumbled, before she then perked up, "But that's not going to stop me from finding you a suitable girl!"
"Nezuko!" Tanjirou exclaimed, clearly not wanting to talk about it. It was a bit embarrassing for him. "I don't think I want a lover right now!"
"Come on Tanjirou! A lot of people in the village wanted me to give you their regards so that they could try and set you up! Even Mother wanted to get you one!"
"Why did I never hear about this?!" Tanjirou exclaimed to Nezuko, clearly shocked that this was happening behind his back. "I knew she wanted to get rid of me!"
"Well, you were always working yourself off, that we had all the time to plan in the sidelines! Even the rest of your siblings wanted another figure!" Nezuko told Tanjirou, who was beyond embarrassed. "Besides! Even mother said it would be easy to find you a lover from the village!"
Tanjirou grunted, "Yeah, because she wanted to get rid of me for being useless probably..."
"Tanjirou! I don't think mother nor father thought you were useless! You always did so much for the family! Even mother acknowledged that! And I'm sure father would as well." Nezuko exclaimed.
"Don't. Please." Tanjirou sighed, "From what I remember, our parents were cruel to me. And I heard my father talking with someone about how useless and worthless I was." Tanjirou sighed. "I never wanted to tell you all this because I didn't want to worry you..."
Nezuko sighed, "I guess I can understand where you are coming from, after all you did everything in your power to protect us from the abusive conditions we suddenly went in... But we're out of it now, which means-"
"Alright, I get it, you had some girls lined up for me to marry, but that isn't the case right now, is it?" Tanjirou asked.
"Perhaps, but maybe once we're human again, I can find one, that is if you find one before then," Nezuko smirked, which only made Tanjirou groan.
"Nezuko… please… I think many of the demon slayer girls will be more terrified by me being a demon than seeing my looks." Tanjirou deadpanned.
Nezuko chuckled, "You'd be surprised how far love and attraction can go."
Tanjirou sighed, "Well you can worry about that, but for now, we see the mansion, Are you ready to try this out?"
Nezuko nodded, "Let's!"
With that, they quickly made their way into the hotel. It seemed that whoever was here, whichever demon slayer was here, had slayed the remaining demons relatively recently.
"Have we become vultures?" Nezuko asked, and Tanjirou sighed.
"To be fair, I guess we are, but we were here before, killing the main demon." Tanjirou told Nezuko, this is our way of finding the remaining demons."
As the two continued their way into the mansion, to their surprise, there was a jar of fresh blood waiting for them.
Tanjirou took a smell of the jar, and he could easily tell that this was the demon, Kyogai's blood.
"Wait, how did his blood not dry up? How is it still preserved?" Tanjirou asked himself, with Nezuko not too far behind.
In general, the two weren't going to complain or question everything. They had learned in this world not to question everything regarding demons. Expect the unexpected, he told himself.
And so, they called for Chachamaru, who manifested itself, with a specifically designed blood demon art, which the two concluded to be Yushiro's it had a specific area to place the syringe.
The syringe was given to the two of them, as they continued to inject the blood that was conventionally placed inside the mansion. As a result, they gave it to Chachamaru, who then meowed, before leaving.
"I'm going to assume that goes to Tamayo and Yushiro," Nezuko mumbled, to which the two nodded.
As they then went out, they were making sure they wouldn't be identified or observed by any demon slayers.
Once they finished, they decided to head forward toward the trial, which was no doubt where the other demon slayers went.
"I can smell them," Tanjirou told Nezuko, who merely raised an eyebrow.
"Can you describe them?" Nezuko asked.
"Three of them are boys, one I recognize, and the other is a girl. The girl smells like a butterfly, the other smells like a mixed demon, which I prelude to that one being Genya. The other two, smell uninteresting." Tanjirou explained.
"Oh well, we know where they're going, so let's head in the opposite direction." Nezuko asked, "Unless you want to try and attract that butterfly-smelling girl?"
"No, let's go," Tanjirou said immediately, as the two made their way over towards a nearby building.
"We should probably take some time to train and continue pursuing demons," Nezuko told her brother, who nodded.
"I agree, we almost lost to that former lower moon, and even if we managed to easily defeat Yahaba and Susamaru, it's clear that in the event we meet a twelve kizuki, then we'll be in trouble." Tanjirou added, "So I think we should practice."
The two sighed as they decided to ponder. They didn't have the Urokodaki's house anymore since the residence's death. The unfortunate death caused the house to be left there since it was most isolated.
The result was that both Tanjirou and Nezuko didn't know what to do.
"Maybe we should ask Giyu?" Nezuko asked.
"I don't know, the guy's been very isolated ever since Urokodaki's death…" Tanjirou sighed. "And it's not like we can go see him. We're demons, so if we go to a place where the strongest demon slayers reside, we're no doubt going to die."
"True… Maybe we can send him a message with our crows?" Nezuko asked.
"That is a good idea, I guess we can try, it's our only option that I can see at this point." Tanjirou sighed.
"Let's do it!" Nezuko exclaimed. "Let's give Giyu a new family!"
Tanjirou looked at Nezuko a bit weirdly, before he was told what he had to do.
And so the two decided to send their respective crows to Giyu and Ubuyashiki.
The two watched as their crows went off, and before the two could ask more, they then asked, "What exactly do we do now?"
"We just train while we can," Tanjirou mumbled, as he unsheathed his black charcoal sword, with Nezuko's blue-pinkish-purplish.
"You want to spare?" Nezuko asked.
"Sure, we can go as hard as we can besides slicing each other's neck," Tanjirou warned.
"Got it." Nezuko smiled, as she and Tanjirou eyed each other, looking at each other's movements.
And with that, Nezuko and Tanjirou decided to train, via sparring each other.
It was the only thing they could do. While they remembered the training Urokodaki had given them, ultimately it was only until they learned the breathing style. What was beyond that, was something they had to discover themselves.
For Tanjirou, training is a crucial time for progressing as a demon slayer. If one did not train properly or do the right stuff, they would not go far.
So, they knew they had to train ruthlessly, and to the best of their abilities.
As the two continued, they decided to find shelter near the mansion. As long as no one came around, they shouldn't be in trouble, and the worst is that they run out of the building,
If demons were territorial, demons openly running away can never be seen as fighting demons.
And so, as the two chilled in the very mansion they saved the siblings and slayed Kyogai, they were now residing in that very building.
Around three days later, the crows came back with their message.
Giyu's POV
Giyu was once again in his estate, doing nothing. Besides the occasional training he did, he refused to talk to the other pillars.
Of course, he went for as long as he could. In particular, when the rest of the pillars, well, most barged into his estate.
Apparently, Shinobu had been given a key by Ubuyashiki to help barge into Giyu's estate.
"I worry for him, and I'm glad he at least has someone who is stubborn enough to get close to him." Ubuyashiki smiled.
"Hey, someone needs to look after him." Was all Shinobu explained at the time.
"Is that so?" Ubuyashiki responded, causing Shinobu to remain silent, which he knew why. "Is there any other reason why you are helping him?"
Shinobu remained silent. She was unsure at the time, but she sighed, "I'm not so sure myself. At first, it was only because Kanae forced me to see him at the time. However, considering I was always around him, at least with friendly banter, I guess seeing him suffering brought me to realize him in a different light..."
"I see. I personally do think Giyu is among the most misunderstood of all the Hashira here. I'm glad someone is trying to learn more Giyu than what we see portrayed." Ubuyashiki smiled at Shinobu. "Please Shinobu, please be there for Giyu. I would hate to see one of my children go down such a terrible path due to misunderstandings and isolation."
Shinobu smiled, "Of course, Okayata-sama."
He merely sighed, as the rest of the pillars brought themselves in. Because most of his estate was surprisingly empty, they found themselves around one table. Some of them cooked food for Giyu, apparently worried about his well-being in eating.
"I'm not depressed…" That was all Giyu tried to say. He, unfortunately, wasn't able to say much because of the loud atmosphere. As he watched the rest of the pillar as much talk around his estate, he was once again alone.
In his own estate.
That they barged into.
Giyu sighed, as he noticed that Shinobu was looking at him the entire time. Whether she realize how bad of an idea this was, he didn't know.
As Giyu continued to sigh and be on his own, he merely watched as Obanai talked to Mitsuri, Sanemi being hotheaded towards Muichiro, who was as calm as a calm ocean. Kanae was involved, trying to keep Sanemi calm. In addition, some like Gyomei were not present, for they were dealing with their missions.
"Giyu!" Mitsuri exclaimed.
"Yes?" He sighed as he turned to face her.
"Come! Obanai wants to show you something!" Mitsuri answered.
"What? No I-" Obanai tried to cut in, but she merely left the two together as she quickly went to talk to Rengoku.
Both of them were quickly just eyeing each other up, clearly confused at what just happened.
"Seems your girlfriend just forced the two of us together…" Giyu sighed, as he looked up.
"It seems so." Was all Obanai mumbled, "Don't get on my nerves, and for the record, make sure you treat yourself better. Just because I dislike you doesn't mean I want to see you suffer like this."
However, as the two remained rather quiet, Giyu noticed something strange moving from Obanai's figure.
It was Kaburamaru. The snake of Obanai, that he always had around his neck.
As Giyu noticed this, he clearly could tell Obanai was not paying attention to Giyu and that he failed to realize his snake was moving away from him.
Not that Giyu was afraid of snakes, he didn't care, however knowing how close Obanai and Kaburamaru were, he ultimately knew that Obanai could freak out.
"Uh…" Giyu mumbled. He sighed, knowing he would have to converse with a demon slayer he knew hated him.
But then again, he didn't care, there were plenty of demon slayers who already hated him.
"Obanai." Giyu started, but the snake pillar ignored him.
"Obanai." Giyy started again, but only for the snake pillar to ignore him yet again.
Giyu sighed, as he calmly picked up Kaburamaru, who surprisingly went across his neck. Giyu remained calm, as he could hear Kaburamaru slither. He considered the fact that he wasn't choking him or something good enough to keep him on.
"Obanai, Kaburamaru slithered off and onto my neck," Giyu told the snake pillar, and he scoffed.
"Don't be so deep, he's on my neck," Obanai commented, before he calmly felt his neck, realizing the absent snake.
He quickly looked down, before around, finally noticing Kaburamaru on Giyu's neck.
For once, Obanai's eyes widened, before he mumbled, "Oh shoot, sorry Giyu…"
With that, Giyu gently brought Kaburamaru off and gave him back to Obanai, the snake pillar looked a bit embarrassed, before taking Kaburamaru from Giyu.
"Thank you…" Obanai thanked the water pillar, who merely nodded.
That small interaction may have been rather awkward, but it was notable, considering it wasn't really forced. Giyu could have let Kaburamaru remain on his neck until it was time for everyone to go, but he chose to tell Obanai about his snake.
This gave Shinobu an idea of what to do for Giyu. Perhaps it was something he may not have been up to the task, but sometimes people need a bit of pushing to accept a situation they may get themselves in.
As for Giyu, aside from some small talk, and that talk with Obanai, Giyu did not talk much besides that. But, for Shinobu, that was more than enough for her to see that Giyu could be helped.
He just needed a push, and this time Shinobu would deal with him properly. She would help him this time.
As the bunch left, the two crows came down to speak to Giyu. At this, Giyu gave a raise his eyebrows as he was confused as to what these crows wanted.
"Caw! Tanjirou Kamado and Nezuko Kamado wish to see your presence!"
The crows explained.
"Why do they wish to see me?" Giyu asked. It was strange in Giyu's opinion. Why were two people he just saved and sent to his former master, want to see him?
The crow cawed back, "They want to be overseen training by you."
That surprised Giyu. He never in his life expected someone to want to be trained by him, out of all people.
Mitsuri, Rengoku, Shinobu, and even Obanai and Sanemi had quirks that made them all unique. Hell, Kanao was a tsukago of Kanae, and Genya was a tsukago of Gyomei.
Giyu sighed, "I don't know if I can do that. I'll have to ask Ubuyashiki. Training a demon is very dangerous, and even if I feel confident about Tanjirou and Nezuko, I cannot guarantee they are safe, totally."
The crows cawed, "Then talk to Ubuyashiki now! We're not flying back and forth."
Giyu nodded, as he made his way over to Ubuyashiki's estate to talk to him. For the most part, he was still confused. Why did Tanjirou and Nezuko want him to train them? It had to be because he was the only one they could go to.
"Well, would you look at that, a little force of bringing everyone in, and you've already gotten out of your lonely estate!" Shinobu exclaimed, clearly happy.
"I'm going to visit Ubuyashiki for a personal matter," Giyu explained to Shinobu, who looked worried.
Giyu tried to squint his eyes as if he was seeing a façade, he saw Shinobu worried for him. This could just be her and the girls trying to fake that they care, but considering Shinobu was already sarcastic around him, he guess it was different this time.
"Yes, it is a matter for me and him," Giyu explained, once again, adding that emphasis.
"Why can't I know about it? Is it about your health?" Shinobu asked.
"My hea-, what? No." Giyu shook his head, "Perhaps with time, you all will learn."
For the time being, Giyu just remembered the Kocho's close connections to two demons. If worse came to light, a simple blackmail could be used on Giyu's side to help him in the event Shinobu tries to follow him.
Shinobu looked a bit confused at the matter, as she was clearly hoping it wasn't that big of a deal.
As for Giyu, he was still pondering why Tanjirou and Kamado had personally requested him for help. Why would they ask the least reliable demon slayer, the one who had failed to even show up to save their family? The demon slayer who had lied to them about how demons multiply.
Giyu sighed, as seeing those two made him think of his overall failure at saving their family.
Once he got into the estate, he looked at the diseased individual,
"Hello, Ubuyashiki." Giyu bowed his head down a bit to show some respect.
"Hello, Giyu, how may I help you?" Ubuyashiki asked.
"I've been called by the crows of Tanjirou Kamado and Nezuko Kamado to assist them in demon slayer training." Giyu started, "It's come to my attention that the risk of training a demon too strongly may be disastrous."
Ubuyashiki smiled, "That's a perfectly understandable reason to be hesitant, however, I do have some news to share with you regarding those two. They've managed to find the demon allies I've mailed them about."
"Demon allies?" Giyu asked Ubuyashiki questioningly, we have more demon allies than just Tanjirou and Nezuko?"
"Indeed we do, and in fact, they are specifically found through connections of the Kocho's."
This made Giyu even more shocked, "Wait, Shinobu and Kanae both had previously talked to you about demon allies?"
"They aren't the first, but they are close with the demon allies. In fact, I told both of them to find them, and judging by the message she sent me, they both met each other." Ubuyashiki explained.
"OH…" Giyu scratched his head unsure what to say, "I guess that makes the two of us, somehow…"
"Perhaps, but if you want to train these demons as your tsuguko, then that's fine." Ubuyashiki smiled. "While I understand the risks involved, they show remarkable humanity, more so than Kocho's own demon allies."
"Well, then I guess it's fine to train them? I don't want a tsuguko especially those that are demons due to the risk of the other Hashira finding out and killing them." Giyu explained.
"Perhaps a compromise then." Ubuyashiki smiled, "You can go and train them whatever you want, for I have trust that they will be able to control their demon instincts."
"Are you sure?" Giyu asked Ubuyashiki carefully.
"Absolutely, perhaps it's an instinct, but I feel that those demons are possibly truthful and human-like. If we've encountered demons like that before, then anything is possible."
Giyu sighed, "Very well, I'll go train them. Perhaps not like my tsuguko, however, I will train them to become stronger, for they may be significant in our fight with demons."
Ubuyashiki nodded, "That's good, now, let's hope they are what potential they show."
"Indeed." Giyu nodded.
With that, Giyu sent his crow back to Tanjirou and Nezuko.
As he packed and got ready to leave, once again Shinobu waited for him to leave the estate.
"That's odd, why is she waiting all this time to see me?" Giyu asked himself.
"Ah! Giyu, how was meeting with Ubuyashiki?" Shinobu asked Giyu.
"Did you really wait for me to get out?" Giyu asked.
"Yes." Shinobu nodded.
"Oh," Giyu commented. That was when she noticed Giyu began packing as if he was going somewhere.
"Where are you going?" Shinobu asked.
Giyu paused. Despite knowing Shinobu was allied with a demon, he couldn't let a pillar know regardless he was going to train some demons.
"That is confidential between me and Ubuyashiki." That was all Giyu stated.
"You keep saying that, but you never tell us or even me?" Shinobu asked, "Why are you so secretive about yourself? Don't you want people to be friends with you?"
Giyu shrugged, "Sometimes it's best to keep people at a distance than letting them know the real you."
"Giyu…" Shinobu took a book out of her elder sister and gave a disapproving tone.
"What?" Giyu asked.
"You shouldn't always be like this, so closed off you know." Shinobu explained, "We humans are social creatures, everyone has a social affinity. Sometimes you just need to make the push and once you start, you can continue it."
Giyu was confused, why was Shinobu giving him a talk about speaking to others? He wasn't that awkward. Why was she suddenly trying to act caring when talking about others.
"Though I'll give you credit, that little conversation you had with Obanai was kind of cute," Shinobu commented.
At this, Giyu whipped his head around surprised about what Shinobu said, "You heard that?"
"Yeah."
Giyu sighed, gently facepalming, "That was so awkward…"
"Hey, I'm just saying, you two could talk more and get along better if you keep talking," Shinobu spoke out.
"Do I look like the type to talk a lot?" Giyu asked, deadpanned.
"You make a fair point. Ara-ara, is Giyu making a joke?" Shinobu asked, clearly surprised.
Giyu didn't sigh, but rather remained stoic, "I'll let you decide what my intentions were for that statement." He didn't want to admit that he unintentionally did.
Shinobu chuckled, "Well, I'm honored to hear a joke come from Giyu Tomioka out of all people, not bad for an execution-style, but maybe a bit less self-deprecation, alright?"
Giyu looked at Shinobu with an odd look. Why was she acting like she was teaching Giyu how to be more open?
Shrugging he merely responded, "I'll make jokes when I see fit to, but for now, I must get going."
"Aww, not going to give me a hug?" Shinobu asked, pouting a bit. This caused Giyu's own head to whip to Shinobu, seeing if Shinobu was somehow joking around. However, her face was serious.
"What is this girl on?" Giyu asked himself. Wasn't this the same girl who said nobody likes him? Wasn't this the same girl who said he was unlikable? If so, why was she being close to him?
"Why do you want to befriend me? Why do you want to be friends with me? I'm so unreliable, and cannot meet those expectations for anything…" Giyu thought to himself, as he sighed. "Why befriend someone who has no worth...?"
"Come on Giyu, get the courage to hug me. You need to be more confident in your actions." Shinobu explained.
"I am confident, I don't want to violate someone's personal space," Giyu explained. Sure, let him use the risk of assault to stay away from anyone. He was afraid of losing people he got close to again. He couldn't afford this to happen.
Shinobu gave an exasperated face, "Oh come on Giyu, we're close, you can hug me. I mean you did last time." Shinobu smiled.
"Don't you hate me or something?" Giyu asked. "Why do you want a hug from someone like me? Couldn't you ask someone, like Mitsuri or Rengoku?"
"No, when did I say that? And besides, it has more impact when you hug me. You hugged me before, remember?" Shinobu asked.
"When they I hug you?" Giyu asked.
"When I finished healing Kanae from her wounds sustained from Upper Moon Two two years ago..." Shinobu smiled, "I spent so much time performing surgery, and when I broke down, you hugged me, telling me everything would be alright..."
Giyu blinked, "Did I actually do that?" Giyu sighed, "I was trying to be likable..."
"When you said nobody likes me," Giyu added on, answering Shinobu's question, and she facepalmed.
"We have a lot of work left to do…" Shinobu deadpanned, "At least we're making progress, at least I think."
With that being said, Shinobu was shocked, when Giyu did in fact, hug Shinobu, which clearly shocked the girl.
"Well, I guess progress is being made…" Was all she said as she was pondering everything.
The sheer shock she got failed for her to realize Giyu was leaving, including a goodbye from him.
Giyu, however just thought Shinobu was thinking about something else because of her shock and out of touch with reality for a brief moment.
And so, as Giyu left, not thinking much about what he just did, Shinobu's own head was spinning, and her heart was beating faster than usual.
"Giyu, you are so dumb… Baka…" Shinobu mumbled as she eventually sighed, watching the fading figure of Giyu as he went off.
With Tanjirou and Nezuko
Tanjirou and Nezuko both were remaining in the mansion, as they were clearly unsure what to do.
"Caw! Giyu Tomioka will come by, and with the permission of Kaguya Ubuyashiki, will train both Nezuko and Tanjirou." The crow told both demons, who merely smiled.
"Tanjirou! Giyu will come over!" Nezuko exclaimed towards Tanjirou, who smiled.
"That's a relief, I hope he's doing alright," Tanjirou responded, as he began to prepare for Giyu's arrival.
As he looked around, he found some interesting areas regarding the mansion. This included some prep swords that they all could use for training.
Eventually, once Giyu had joined, both Tanjirou and Nezuko hugged him, clearly missing the pillar, and glad to see him seemingly alright.
"How've you been?" Nezuko asked, with Giyu seeming a bit confused and awkward.
"I've been good." Giyu nodded in advance, "A bit annoyed and pressured by the other Pillars trying to be around me, but other than that, I'm fine."
Once the introductions were set in stone, Giyu then turned to both Tanjirou and Nezuko.
"Now, you both have asked me to train you beyond that of basic demon slayer training," Giyu stated.
"Yes!" Both Nezuko and Tanjirou exclaimed with excitement.
Giyu nodded, "Well then, if that's the case, then be prepared for a tiring workout."
With that, both Tanjirou and Nezuko got a bit nervous at what Giyu was telling her, but regardless, they were going to get through this. They would kill Muzan, and become human once again.
Giyu looked on, as he was eyeing the two for their own progression.
In doing so, he was teaching both to become stronger demon slayers.
"One of the first things both of you need to excel is properly use total concentration breathing," Giyu explained.
"Wait, what?" Tanjirou asked, "Don't you mean for twenty-four hours?"
Giyu nodded, "Correct. In spite of knowing your total concentration for quite the time, Nezuko too will have to learn it, and you will need to do this whilst sleeping as well." Giyu explained,
At this, both Tanjirou and Nezuko began that training. While Tanjirou was able to do it easier, he still had to polish his own total concentration breathing for 24 hours, for Giyu had to smack Tanjirou every once in a while, once he realized Tanjirou was no longer using it.
As for Nezuko, she had to learn that properly, considering she was never taught to try and do it 24 hours. Therefore, most of Giyu's time for this section of training came through him looking at Nezuko to make sure she was committing to total breathing.
In the meantime, he allowed Tanjirou to try and blow, breaking into the gourds, and to Giyu's surprise, when Tanjirou seemed to be able to break the gourds relatively well.
For the most, part, after just over two weeks or around 15 days, both Tanjirou and Nezuko were capable of doing it. Tanjirou could do it effectively, whilst Nezuko was able to do it relatively consistently.
Within that time, Tanjirou and Nezuko were so committed that they continued to do so, seemingly ignoring Giyu to prioritize this and emphasize their ability as demon slayers.
"So, Giyu, how are the other pillars interacting with you?" Tanjirou asked Giyu.
"Meh, for the most part, they usually leave me alone. Unfortunately, with Urokodaki's death, they seemed to be paying more attention to me." Giyu revealed.
"That's not bad, they're just trying to cheer you up and befriend you!" Nezuko piped in, wanting to be involved. Now that she was able to talk, she was going to use her speaking ability as long as she wanted to.
"I guess, but I just don't think I should be talking to them," Giyu mumbled.
"And why is that?" Tanjirou asked.
"I don't deserve to be around them, plus I don't want to suffer more when they eventually die," Giyu revealed.
"Oh…" Tanjirou sighed, clearly not knowing what to do about Giyu's situation, "But being able to speak to others, and enjoy your life is what makes life so impactful."
At this, Giyu's eyes widened. "W-What do you mean about that?"
"I can't really answer what you are thinking, but I'd like to think that if death did not exist, then people would not be willing to do stuff and actions for a reason. If we didn't have death, we would not be wanting to do anything. We do stuff and goals because of the limited time we have." Tanjirou explained.
"Like, for example, when I smelt the blood when Muzan attacked my family, yeah I was terrified, but the prospect of death made me want to defend Nezuko or anyone else who was alive. I fought him knowing I would die because it would have been worth giving Nezuko the extra chance of life was what made me want to protect her."
At this, Giyu looked down, clearly not knowing what to say.
"Is this why Sabito, sister, Makomo, and Urokodaki did what they did? They all did this because they saw the motivation of their actions?" Giyu asked himself, "They saw the value in life, that they sacrificed themselves to give me the chance to live?"
Nezuko sighed, "Life becomes important once you give it a limited time. If you made something unlimited, we wouldn't see the values and priorities of that object."
At this, Giyu got emotional, as he clearly was having his own dilemma. "Why… Why didn't they see the value in their life?"
"Giyu, it's not that they don't see the value in life. But rather, they see the value in you. They see the value and potential you bear, even when you look vulnerable." Tanjirou explained, "Even when people think they are worthless at their lowest point, you never know how far one can go."
Tanjirou sighed, "I remember how my father and another person would always tell me how useless and worthless I was... But even with that, I became something... And it was all because of you... Because I was you, I was able to become stronger, and even save that Hashira from an Upper Moon... Even if I was too weak to defeat him, I at least saved someone... Even if you feel worthless, there is worth in everyone, even if they feel that is not the case..."
"Tanjirou..." Giyu mumbled, as his eyes widened in shock. Despite Tanjirou being a demon, what he was saying was very human, and very empathetic.
"Giyu." Nezuko commented, "Life is like food."
"What," Giyu questioned, clearly confused.
"Sometimes, food becomes very valuable, and you want to find the perfect time to value it. When you get the most of it when you need it the most, you become happy with what you have. That's when you value it."
"However." Nezuko smiled sadly, "When you cannot properly value it, or you lose it, you become sad when you cannot value it."
"But that doesn't mean you cannot find new values. You may lose that rice ball, whether through your own fault or through none, but that doesn't mean you can't go out and find more foods to find the value again. With life, even if it feels you lost the value of life, you can sometimes find it again." Nezuko explained.
Both Tanjirou and Neuzko were unaware of the words and the effects it was having on Giyu.
He was thinking a lot, and the words the two of them were telling him were clearing having effects, as he was reminiscing about everything. He had gotten a new light on everything.
Before Tanjirou and Nezuko could continue, Giyu had unexpectedly hugged the two of them, bringing them all into a group hug.
The two were relatively shocked about what Giyu had done, but what shocked them more, was the silent sobbing Giyu was emitting from his own voice.
Both Tanjirou and Nezuko could only hug Giyu sadly, as they shared the loss of Urokodaki, suffering the same tragedy as their families, literally.
As the two began to cry, Giyu began to develop a sudden care for the two demons. Out of all the individuals he thought he would start to care for, two demons, who were turned into them against their own will, were not one of them.
It was almost like he had a new family... Almost like, he was finding new people to connect to... new people, to protect...
He had to protect these demons, with his own life, he would.
This time, he would protect these demons, even if he had to die for them.
He will. This time, if Nezuko or Tanjirou died, then Giyu too would die. He would not let another person close to him die again... He doesn't think his mental capacity can handle that.
"I promise, to Urokodaki, Sabito, Makomo, and my sister, that I won't let anyone I care about, die for me," Giyu said with determination
"I won't fail anyone, ever again," Giyu said at last.
Once that conversation was complete, Giyu decided to continue training the two demons. Whilst he originally, was going to just keep them at total concentration breathing, he was going to train them for different stuff.
"Giyu, what did you bring me out here for?" Nezuko asked.
"It's simple, while Tanjirou himself seems to prioritize his Hinokami Kagura, you seem to be promising when it comes to water breathing. If you remember what I taught you, the 11th form, dead calm, I want to see you do it again." Giyu explained, "The more you are able to calm yourself down, the stronger you can be, and the stronger attacks you will be able to deflect."
"Wow…" Nezuko mumbled. She was clearly surprised by the amount of stuff she was learning.
"So, while Tanjirou continues to learn his Hinokami Kagura, you will train with me for water breathing, every form to polish it to the max," Giyu explained.
Nezuko nodded energetically, "Yes Giyu!"
Giyu gave a small smile, which was not a typical frown, "This girl reminds me of Makomo…" He thought as he continued with the training.
Nezuko began to train for water breathing, as Giyu continued to teach her some small techniques to make her own breathing style stronger.
She was making progress at an above-average rate compared to the other demon slayers. For the most part, she made phenomenal progress, as she was becoming stronger and stronger with time.
Whilst Tanjirou got stronger through better adapting his body to the Hinokami Kagura, Nezuko got stronger through Giyu's advice.
However, that wasn't all.
Originally, after that, he was going to call it that, but after a bit of thinking, he decided to train them on more stuff and breathing techniques to make it easier.
Ironically, they all came from the hashira who could instruct them.
Even if he had to train both Tanjirou and Nezuko a bit harshly, he will do it in a way that makes them safe and feel comfortable, whilst also training them to be stronger.
Considering he now knew a bit of Tanjirou and Nezuko's past, Tanjirou revealed the self-demoralizing statement his own father would say to people that Tanjirou would eavesdrop. It was clear to Giyu that both were the victims of parental abuse. It was clear Tanjirou suffered trauma, from being turned into a demon.
He knew Nezuko too felt useless and weak. He knew Nezuko felt insecure if she was on par with her elder brother. He knew she wanted to be herself and protect her brother, just like how he always protected his younger siblings, whenever their parents found it appropriate to punish them severely.
The first he did, was stamina training. In essence, Giyu would test their endurance and stamina for as long as they could. While stamina was mainly based on the sound hashira, Tengen, decided to plot endurance inside that training, to make sure the two were capable of taking damage.
It didn't matter if they could regenerate if their pain tolerance wasn't high enough.
The next thing he did was flexibility training. While he wasn't the best when it came to that, as it was best shown by the love hashira, Mitsuri, Giyu himself wasn't terrible at that.
The two showed progress in that, being able to be flexible. Particularly for them being demons, the two had to be flexible in their flesh manipulation. In doing so, they would be able to be unpredictable demon slayers.
The next they were going to do was quick movement training, which usually was instructed by the mist hashira, Muichiro. In doing so, Tanjirou and Nezuko would be able to properly attack and catch up to demons.
Even if they were demons themselves, they would face off against faster demons. In this sense, mobility was crucial for both Nezuko and Tanjirou and in doing so, they could hopefully be crucial. It was no point if they could not catch up to their demon foe.
After that, was the sword skill revision training that Obanai would usually teach. Giyu was usually fine with this since he knew a degree of sword revision.
This was something both Tanjirou and Nezuko struggled with for a bit, as they were already accustomed to the current way of holding a sword.
Eventually, it took them a bit, but for a couple of demon slayers, they yet again were proficient and were able to properly train within a couple of weeks. After a bit, they were able to do so, at least Giyu's own version.
Once the sword skill revision was complete, Giyu then taught them infinite pounding training. Once again, Sanemi was the one to instruct this, but Giyu would for the two of them. Sanemi would be the worst contender out of all Hashira for the two demon siblings to meet, for he would kill them upon sight.
As for Giyu, he finally taught them the training, in his own way.
Once that was completed, Tanjirou and Nezuko would undergo what was perhaps the most important part of their training from Giyu: Muscle Reinforcement Training.
Taught by Gyomei, for any individual slaying demons, knowing when to use the muscles at the right time was important, and being unable to do so could be a matter of life or death.
And so, Giyu was stringent on this training. It made sense, as Gyomei was also stringent when he taught it.
As for Giyu knowing each individual training, whilst it was taught by each individual Hashira, Giyu himself had always been the one to observe the overall training methods, including what each demon slayer who was lucky to undergo it went through.
Of course, this just went by what Giyu saw, and no doubt did he not see everything. What the purpose he was doing for both Tanjirou and Nezuko, was showing them that there was always room to improve on their technique, even if they felt like they were at the top.
All in all, Giyu Tomioka hoped, that what he was doing, would be worth it.
He hoped, that one, he wouldn't have to lose any more people, something he knew was not guaranteed no matter the training and preparation. The second was that these demons would be worth it, and be crucial in defeating Muzan.
For Giyu, while he had hope for the first time in a while, it was more directed at the two demon siblings, Tanjirou Kamado, and Nezuko Kamado.
And so, after 3 months of training, Giyu had told the two they completed what he could teach them. With a heartfelt goodbye, he went back to the Ubuyashiki estate, while Tanjirou and Nezuko continued their demon-slaying journey.
Giyu, while himself was not a particularly strong trainer, considering he rarely trained anyone, he at least knew, from the experience of other Hashira's, he would let Tanjirou and Nezuko be unique and different, strong in their respective areas.
Unlike Giyu himself, who deemed himself the most basic of all the Hashira... The fakest of all Hashira's...
Oh well, he hoped that Tanjirou and Nezuko would give him some form of relief after the death of Urokodaki.
A.N / And so ends another chapter. I feel pretty good about how everything went. Both, through the character development of Giyu, I definitely think Shibobu, Nezuko, and Tanjirou can all be very good influences for him, and give him the hope he needs again in his life. While almost all of the demon slayer characters need a hug, I think Giyu is the obvious one who needs it the most.
As for the Hashira training, Nezuko and Tanjirou went through a light version of it, because Giyu taught it. In the actual manga, Tanjirou went through the actual ones through a specific hashira. Giyu is just teaching them based on his observations of the entire thing. He himself is not an expert at it all.
For the time being, we will probably have a time skip, and a differing plot towards the story. As for other updates and questions, there is one thing I will bring up.
No, Tanjirou cannot turn humans into demons. Once again, this is because in this story, he received very little of Muzan's cells. He only got it because he bit so hard into the neck of Muzan. So Tanjirou won't and cannot turn humans into demons, at least that's my strong opinion for now.
And also, I'm not making any smut between any characters. Giyu and Shinobu's conversation and moments are meant to be of companionship, with a hint of romance in it. I will make it official whether they are a couple or not, but that's it. I won't be making them all lovey-dovey, but only to include an emphasis that it's changing the character, as is the case of both Shinobu and Giyu.
With that being said, hope to see you all next time!
Character Profile:
No significant characters were introduced.
Abilities: Breathing Style and others
Tanjirou Kamado:
All water breathing forms (except 11th form, Dead Calm) All Hinokami Kagura forms (except 13th form). Total Concentration Breathing for 24 hours (still needs to be reminded every once in a while) Advanced sense of smell thanks to his noise. Occasionally can flicker to Transparent World, but only for a second maximum for now.
Nezuko Kamado:
All water breathing forms Total Concentration Breathing for 24 hours (just started) Advanced sense of sight, can see infrared light when dark. Can manipulate her blood cells extraordinarily well (will be crucial for her BDA).
