Chapter 8
They were still quite far away, and Giyu didn't know if he'd make it in time. Shinobu's bandages were already stained with blood. He took a deep breath, strengthening his muscles. He began to run faster, desperately trying to get back to the butterfly mansion. The kakushi had arrived at Tayoshi, but Giyu was already long gone. He had left his Kasugai crow to deliver a message explaining why he and Shinobu weren't there.
After twenty minutes of sprinting as fast as he could, Giyu finally reached the butterfly mansion. He was so exhausted he thought he might pass out, but he had to get Shinobu to Aoi. She would know what to do. Finally, he found her helping Tanjiro, Zenitsu and Inosuke to set up their training equipment. Giyu burst into the garden where they were and gasped out
"Aoi, Shinobu needs help!" she immediately rushed over and took Shinobu out of Giyu's arms. She took a quick look at his face and said
"Tanjiro, can you show Tomioka-san to a bed please." Tanjiro came rushing forward. "you need to rest." Aoi said as she took off towards another room.
"Follow me, please" Tanjiro said. Giyu was worried about Shinobu, but he knew he needed to rest. He followed Tanjiro to a room and sat down on the bed the minute he touched it. "I'll be back in a minute." Tanjiro said. Giyu took both katanas off his belt and set them against the wall. Tanjiro returned to the room holding a wet cloth. "Your face is covered in blood." He handed Giyu the cloth, and left, closing the door behind him. Giyu wiped the blood off his face and laid down. He fell asleep almost instantly.
Giyu awoke to Aoi knocking on the door. He sat up seeing his own injuries had been treated and bandaged, then climbed out of the bed and opened the door, terrified that Aoi would tell him that Shinobu had succumbed to her injuries.
"Shinobu-san is going to be fine. I thought you would want to know." Giyu let out a huge sigh of relief. He could feel his eyes beginning to water, but he didn't want Aoi to see him cry. "She's asleep at the moment but I'll let you know when she wakes up." Aoi said. Giyu nodded and she walked away. He quickly turned around and shut the door, feeling the tears slide down his face. After calming down, he decided to sit in Shinobu's room. He wanted to be there when she woke up.