Giyuu continued his journey to the Butterfly estate, wanting to check on Aoi and Kanao after all this time. Shinobu was still being carried on his shoulder without so much as a noise being made between the two. Their minds both focused on the conversation they would be having, neither being sure just how it would go. Giyuu had questioned if she would be evasive and dance around explaining herself, Shinobu curious as to what would even be discussed. Giyuu had been gone for months, everyone mourned him and used his loss as motivation to become stronger. Amidst all the thoughts that ran through her head, something small yet still significant was something she focused on.

"You let me call you your first name and you weren't upset this time. You even let me hold you for the entire meeting." Giyuu continued walking with nary a care in the world. "Yup. Like I said Shinobu, I'm past my frustrations. I'm past everything. I spent a month talking with your sister, my sister, and my first best friend. I was allowed to have my closure. I don't have reason to be upset with myself, not with anyone, and especially not with you." Shinobu turned her head away from, making sure he couldn't see her. She felt her cheeks become sore from finally smiling again after so long. Her eyes wandered down to his fake arm. It was strapped to his body under his haori, she almost believed it was functional. Her hand ran down the arm and she held the actual hand, she was dumb to be hopeful to sense warmth.

"When I heard from En about what happened to you, I refused to believe you were really dead. The first thing I did was take Kanao and Aoi to look for you and scour the village. We found your arm... And I think I was too much in shock to think rationally." Giyuu finally stopped, putting her down much to her surprise. He wanted to hear her properly, let her explain all that she wanted. "I dug through the snow in a desperate attempt to find you, my hands stung like digging through glass and I didn't care. Aoi tried to tell me to be realistic and I yelled at her. Kanao had to physically hold me back, crying into my clothes as I was pleading for her to let me go. All I was thinking was about how the three of us would watch over you..."

Shinobu held onto the fake arm, her small hands holding onto it tightly. "We didn't want to lose you, I was afraid to lose you. I was terrified of the idea of you being gone, not just anyone, YOU." She hugged the arm, resting her head against it. "I'm sorry, just after so long of being buried in these emotions, and not even knowing what they are..." She was surprised to feel Giyuu rub her head. Looking up at his face, it was peaceful and his smile was gentle towards her. "We'll talk of everything once we get to the estate, let's just keep moving. We're almost there." Giyuu offered his real hand as she hesitantly took it. His other may be gone, but he was still here.

They finally reached the estate, Shinobu walking through the door first. "Aoi, Kanao, girls! Come see who gave us a visit!" Giyuu could hear the footsteps through the building, somehow feeling more nervous now than when he joined the Hashira. "If you two took this long to come find me it's no wonder a civilian found me first!" Giyuu felt a slap against his arm and saw a pouting look glaring into him, but they heard the steps increase in speed. Giyuu and Shinobu saw five girls ahead of them, all standing in awe. "Hey girls, missed me?" The little caterpillars were the first to run to him, hugging his legs and yelling questions at him. "Not who I expected to rush me first, but I won't complain." Giyuu laughed as he hugged the girls, glad to see they missed him too. He wasn't close to the young trio before, but he supposed this could be something he could change.

Kanao and Aoi could already feel the tears begin to flow as they watched on who was standing there. It wasn't the Water Hashira they'd known the last four years, this was the Giyuu they remembered because of Kanae. He was smiling, he radiated a lively energy, this was who they wanted back after so long. "Aoi? Kanao?" They shook their heads to clear their minds as they looked at him almost curiously expectant. The girls had gotten lost in their memories, but nothing could stop them now. With no desire to wait any longer, they rushed him. "Wait wait wait I can't move! The younger girls-" Giyuu couldn't finish his sentence as Aoi and Kanao tackled into him. While he was able to withstand being tackled by Shinobu, he was currently being targeted by two people and was stuck by having three children holding his legs hostage.

Shinobu pressed her hands against her mouth in a desperate attempt to not laugh at what she had just seen. Giyuu Tomioka, the Water Hashira and now one of their stronger members of the slayers, had been taken down by three children and two teenagers. She watched as all girls in question were screaming various things, from questions to where he was, to thanking him for being alive. Even if she believed he was dead, this wait to see this scene was worth it. It was worth every second they had to endure. "Shinobu are you planning to help me with this? Or am I meant to expect you will the next one in this pile?" She finally let out her laugh, unable to control herself. "I already had my time with you earlier and will for our conversation, I'll let the girls get their time."

Giyuu sighed but didn't mind his current predicament. "Do you have any idea how we felt seeing your arm thinking you were gone?! Now here you are all this time later thinking you can come back like nothing happened!" Aoi held him tightly with one arm, while using the other to slam her fist into his chest. Her vision was blurry from tears as she grabbed hold of the fake arm. "Look at this! You're forced to wear this now because we weren't fast enough to get to you! This isn't you!" She couldn't help but throw her face back into his chest just to muffle her cries.

Kanao wasn't as vocal about her dismay, but was still adamant of voicing it. "This was the same feeling to losing Kanae nee-san. The pain and memories came back. Where did you go? Why couldn't we find you? Why didn't you come back?" She held onto him tightly as she looked up to him, his face full of expression. Grief, anger, relief, pain, joy, the young flower bloomed with emotion. "We lost our sister, how were we meant to feel when we lost our brother too? How do you think we have felt seeing your memorial every day thinking you were gone just like her?"

Giyuu finally sat up, wrapping whoever he could into his arm. "I'm sorry. I was broken when I left, and I was broken still when I woke up. I needed to fix myself, I had to be gone this long because I couldn't come back how I was. I'm better now, I'm me again. You won't lose me again, I promise. Kanae sends her regards everyone." Everyone except for Shinobu had stopped and looked at him in shock, only recieving a smile and a nod was what greeted him. They had never known him to lie. They could only hold tighter as they had learned their lost sister was still watching over them. Giyuu could get use to this again, opening his heart, this felt right. He felt Shinobu hug him from behind as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "You better keep that promise Giyuu Tomioka. We aren't going through another scare like that."

They all had gone to Shinobu's room, where he told his stories and time away once again. The trio were excited and holding onto every word, while Aoi and Kanao were smiling to hear he had been alright. Eventually, all girls had fallen asleep around him. They all refused to let him out of their sight, refusing to even go to their rooms for rest. This had left Giyuu and Shinobu the only ones awake and sharing a look of acknowledgement. "They're all sound asleep, I don't even shouting will wake them." "They probably tuckered themselves out from letting everything out." Giyuu's expression turned serious. "I doubt I can get out of this, so we're going to have our conversation now Shinobu. You speak your mind first, then we're talking about what I need to speak with you about."

Shinobu nodded, sitting down on the floor in front of him. She was nervous to talk about something she wasn't even sure was, but she somehow didn't fear it. She promised she would be honest with everything, this was her chance. "I never wanted things to be like this between us Giyuu. I couldn't say this before, when we were younger or even after years, but I admired you. You praised me for my technique, for my intelligence and the potential you saw in me, you believed in me. You were the first and only one outside of this to do that for a while. I never wanted to be angry with you when I was younger, I never meant to drive you away..." Shinobu hugged her legs as she kept her eyes on him, she knew the moment she looked away, she wouldn't be able to look back.

"I took my anger at my own weakness out on you, my anger that I was never enough as a slayer or as a woman. When I saw you with Kanae I thought you were like everyone else and it made me angry, that once again I was left behind for someone that was objectively more capable." Shinobu clenched her fists in frustration at herself, feeling her hands become warm with her own blood. "I didn't like seeing you here because I hated that it always meant you were hurt again. I wanted you here, I just didn't want it to be as a patient. And I was just a stupid and angry child too emotionally driven to tell you how worried I really was." She felt her breathing become strained as she knew she had to speak of everything. "I missed you."

"After my sister died and I became a Hashira was when I really learned how alone you were. I knew everyone preferred her over me, so trying to be like her was my only hope to be near you. My teasing was... I'll just be honest with you, it was my dumb attempt at reverse psychology. I believed if I teased you enough, you'd want to try and prove me wrong. You never sought out anyone and I thought if I gave you enough of a push, then you'd want to do it out of desire to prove me wrong. It was also the only way you'd ever talk to me after we met again. No matter what I did though, you always kept me away and I never knew why until after you left and the girls told me the truth about everything."

Giyuu looked down to the two older girls, not blaming them for speaking. "Was that when you all broke into my home looking for answers, or after I was labeled as dead?" Shinobu couldn't believe she actually wanted to be smaller, the desire to shrink away from being called out of their poorly thought out choice. "I take it my sister or Sabito told you of us doing that?" "Sabito did, him and Kyojuro also told me of when you all tried to visit me at Mt. Sagiri." Shinobu finally took her eyes off him to hide her face, believing she was blushing from embarrassment if the sudden heat was anything to go by. "To answer your question it was both. My sisters, as well as Tanjiro and the slayer Murata told us all what happened the day after you left. Then after you were labeled dead, Kanao told me you and Kanae were only ever friends. It was a relief to me that I wasn't parading as your dead romantic partner."

Giyuu couldn't help but laugh now, having to use his hand to muffle the noise as to not risk waking anyone near him. "I never actually thought of romance, I questioned by worthiness the entire time of being a slayer, I was bound to do the same in a relationship." Giyuu remembered the words Kanae spoke of, hoping that he and Shinobu would become involved. "What do you feel now Shinobu? You clarified how you felt you were actually worried about me and wanted for me to be closer to others, that it was never meant to be malicious. But what have you felt these last months?" She couldn't look him in the eyes again, instead looking to Kanao as she was the first to ask her. He could read them as unsure what to say, unsure how to explain, nervous as to how he'd react.

"Would you be upset if I said I don't even know?" She gave a defeated chuckle. "I don't know if it was all just platonic admiration, a romantic desire to stand by you as an equal and more, or if it was just my guilt causing me to think of everything this way..." "Shinobu, I already said I don't blame-" "You can say that all you want but I will always remember what I've done. I made you think you were unwanted, I haunted you, I was a reason you left, I was a reason my family suffered. And even if I knew if I loved you or just admired you as my friend, I would never be worthy of either, let alone your forgiveness." She closed her eyes as tears broke through, scared to try and look towards him again.

"That's not for you to decide is it? If you're worthy of forgiveness, or... That, that isn't for you to decide." Shinobu felt petrified by the words as Giyuu stared at her with confidence. "I already said I've forgiven everyone for what caused my leaving, that includes you and I shouldn't need to say that. Anything after was out of everyone's control and therefore the blame doesn't go to anyone. And it's alright to not know, it's something we can learn about. Together." Giyuu extended his left hand out to her. "Kanae actually said... She wished for us to become closer, romantic even. During my month, she thought we could balance each other out." It was now Giyuu's turn to avert his eyes, his face become warm once again.

Shinobu stared at the hand as she couldn't help but smile widely. "Of course my sister would say something like that." She slowly took hold of the hand with both of hers, neither caring at the small amount of blood. "There's something I want to try then if you don't mind, but it can wait until after you say what you need to." Giyuu took a deep breath in and let it out, needing to just tackle the topic head on. "Shinobu, I know of the wisteria you've been injecting. I may have not watched everyone at all times, but your sister never took her eyes off you."

Her blood ran cold, even feeling all the warmth of her body leave her. All she could do was blankly stare at him. "You are NEVER to meet him Shinobu, he is my fight and mine alone." She frantically shook her head as she moved closer to him. "No absolutely not. He is MINE, he stole our sister from us and then he stole you from us. His death will come by my hand and I will not let you fight him again. Look what he already took from you." Giyuu raised his prosthetic arm, twisting it as the limp fingers moved as they pleased. "Shinobu, we both know the feeling of losing an elder sister. Do you intend to put all these girls through it as well? On purpose nonetheless?"

Her eyes finally left him as they traveled down to the girls, the ones she could call her family. She helped raise them, taught them how to take care of themselves. They had seen her as their elder sister, and she saw them as her younger sisters. "They already mourned for me once already Shinobu. Kanae told you all to entrust in me. I promised that nothing would happen to you all, and I will die to make sure nothing does." Shinobu grabbed onto his head, forcing him to look her in the eyes. They were filled with desperate anger. "You are not dying to him again, we are not losing you again." Their faces were inches apart and they could feel the warmth of each other's breathing on their faces. "You said you had faith in me that I wouldn't die to him so easily, where did all that faith go?"

Shinobu made her move and closed the distance between the two. Their lips pressed against one another, no overwhelming passion, no lust or intense desire, just a connection between the two. A promise. Shinobu was the first to pull back only barely enough to separate the two, her forehead against his as her eyes were closed. "Fine... He's all yours. I'm only allowing this because I fear what you'll do to try and force me to stay out of the fight. You can fight him, you better kill him, and you better not die on us." Giyuu smiled as he rested his head on her shoulder. "When have you known me to lie?"

Shinobu laughed slightly, finally opening her eyes to look at him. "A liar? Never. A person who will hide secrets? Always." She looked down to the girls, still as peacefully asleep as ever. "Help me move them back to their rooms? I don't want them on the floor all night." Giyuu asked as he didn't want them to wake up when aching joints and muscles because of him letting them sleep on the floor. Shinobu one by one moved the caterpillars to their rooms, with Giyuu being able to take trips to get Aoi and Kanao to their own. With the only two in the room, they awkwardly stood there as Giyuu was about to leave the room again to let Shinobu sleep in peace. "Oh no you don't." She held him back as she stared up to him. "Everyone else had their chance, now it's my turn."

Giyuu nodded as he slowly took a look at her up and down. "Shinobu, I want to know. How bad is the wisteria affecting you? You've been taking it for who knows how long, I need to know." She bit her lip before looking down to the floor. She agreed, but knew this would end poorly. She faced away from him before removing her uniform tops. She covered her chest as she stared at him, his eyes filled with horror. His eyes ran up and down her body, attempting to make sense of what he saw. Along with her pale skin, long veins of deeply shaded wisteria purple spread across her body. From halfway down her forearms, to reaching below the top of her pants, all branching out from her chest and across her entire body. It was as if it was a spiderweb, and even if it was her body, she was to be the one trapped and ensnared. She watched him stand there awestruck, and decided to use humor to try and difuse the situation. "If you keep staring like that I may just get the wrong idea Giyuu."

All he could do was hold her closely, his eyes looking down her back only to see more purple webbing of discolored veins. "Does it hurt to do it?" Shinobu laid her head against him again, almost finding it relieving to talk about. "I spent days attempting to find the right dosage when I started. Nosebleeds, headaches, in a constant state of exhaustion. If I don't take it consistently, I feel myself actually gaining energy back. That's weird isn't it?" She laughed as looked down at her arms. "I can feel when the wisteria in my body is fading and losing potency." She yelped as Giyuu pulled her down with him as he fell into her bed. "Giyuu! What was that... about?"

She saw him planting soft kisses across her arm, slowly moving to her chest and doing the same. She felt her face get hot and her breath shallow and shakey. She couldn't even speak, only able to watch as he continued. "Never again. You'll never have to suffer because of this again. I promise Shinobu." She felt him place a kiss against her neck where her artery was, letting out a soft noise before she frantically covered her mouth with her hands. Giyuu looked down at her with only shock and curiosity before smiling. Shinobu averted her eyes begore lifting her hands away. "You're making it both easier and harder to know how to feel about you, you know that?"

Giyuu laid down beside her, the only light in the room coming from the moon that shined through the window. He used his arm to pull her close, resting his hand against her back. "I'm sorry Shinobu, for how I pushed you away for years. You only wanted to help, and I never let you." Shinobu slid her hands into his haori, resting them onto his back as she felt the details of his scars. "I'm sorry as well, all I should've been from the beginning was honest. I never wanted to hurt you, I just wanted to feel worthy enough to stand next to you." The two laid there in peace, a single moment to take slow after time had moved too fast for them. The years before now flew by as if mere moments, but they wished for this single moment to last years. "Hey Shinobu?" "Hm?" "Was it you that gave Aoi my back up Haori?" "Mhm. I gave Kanao your old guard as well from your sword." "They can keep them."

Giyuu walked through the noon sun with his destination being the Master's estate. He had requested a day of everyone together, he just hoped the other Hashira would agree to it. What he did not expect however, was almost the entire population of the Butterfly estate with him. He obviously expected Shinobu, but the little caterpillars, Aoi, Kanao, even Tanjiro and Nezuko were with him. This was something he should've expected, with his sudden return, none of the house would leave him out of their sight again. With essentially everything he cared about already moved into the Butterfly estate, it would essentially be his home now. This wasn't something he would complain about.

"So do you think they'll show up? Tengen even? Tanjiro said he retired so it's possible he may refuse. I wouldn't blame him if the injuries Tanjiro told me off were accurate." Shinobu nodding her head kept hold of his left hand. "They were accurate. Internal damage, amputated arm, destroyed eye, broken ribs, there wasn't much that didn't happen to him. He will join though, I sent him a crow requesting to meet there with the intent on a celebration of survival. As for the others, I'm as uncertain as you are." She moved to hugging his arm as they walked.

"We have Giyuu-sama back, that's all we need!" "We missed you with our three hearts!" "Are we meant to help with the cooking there as well?" The little caterpillars proclaimed as they rode Giyuu's shoulders. He wouldn't let them walk the distance they had to travel. "Thank you girls, I'm glad I was able to return and make you all happy." His eyes moved towards Nezuko in front of him, still amazed that she could walk in the sun. He was happy for her and Tanjiro, but grew more concerned that this only made her a larger target. He was pulled out of his thoughts when she ran to him and pointing to the estate. "Big brother! Home! Big home of the kind man!" They all laid eyes on the Master's home, the majority of their group in awe as this was their first time seeing it.

Tanjiro took a sniff, his eyes lighting up as he turned to Giyuu. "Giyuu-san, I can smell everyone. The other Hashira, Uzui-san, even Murata!" Giyuu was honestly surprised Murata would be here, not being in contact with him since before everything had started his initial descent. "Good, he got my crow." Giyuu looked to Shinobu who was wearing a knowing smile. "I sent one this morning before breakfast, I figured if you two have history you'd like to see him again. He came to pay respects to you as well once he had learned." "I can only hope it was nore respectful than when Tengen arrived to do it, hearing him call out for me like that was a bit rude. Scaring him though was fun." Shinobu stopped walking as she was struck by dumbfounded awe. "That really was you?! Huh... Mitsuri and Gyomei were right actually."

Tengen was happy to see his comrades again, though he hoped his retirement would still be respected. He nearly died with his battle with Upper Six, along with one of his wives, he wasn't eager to return back to duty. "Salutations everyone, the flashiest man you've ever met has returned! Your day has automatically gotten better!" He laughed as he threw his arms around Iguro and Himejima. "Glad to see everyone is alright though. Iguro, how's things with Kanroji? I can't help but not see a ring yet." Obanai rolled his eyes at his good intentioned comrade. "From one half blind man to another, I fail to see the point you're attempting to make." Tengen couldn't help but laugh at the joke, looking towards the group as a whole now.

"Seriously though, does anyone know why I was summoned? Lady Amane requested my showing but didn't go into detail as to why." Everyone looked as if they knew something, never looking him squarely in the eye or their mouth's looking to move but stopped. "We were called to celebrate our survival after killing two more Upper ranks. You may be retired and Rengoku may be gone, but we still live for this long." He couldn't help but jump when he heard the voice of Tokito. "You remember stuff now... This is already getting to be flashier than I could've hoped! What's with the markings though? Plus your heart, you and Kanroji's sound like they're about to burst."

Tengen was quickly told of the demon slayer marks, long forgotten boons of power to increase the strength of it's users. This day was honestly getting better the longer he was back. "Lord Tengen there's someone arriving." Hinatsuru spoke up, all of the wives focusing on the door. "Oh, might be Kocho, she's the only one not here." All eyes turned to the door with expectancy, only to see that it was someone no one expect. "The slayer that told us about Tomioka? Murata was it? What are you doing here?" Sanemi was the one to question him first. Murata suddenly felt his legs turn to jelly as he was in a room with all the Hashira once again. He bowed profusely before answering.

"My apologies, Lady Kocho invited me here!" He took a breath before relaxing. "She told me there was something I would want to see here and invited me. I recieved her crow as I was eating." He pulled out the letter that was attached to the crow, revealing he was telling the truth. Mitsuri realized what was happening and couldn't contain herself this time. "Ooooh this reunion is going to be amazing! Come on just where are they?!" She was practically bouncing where she stood. Feeling Obanai place a hand on her shoulder, she finally calmed down for the time being. "They'll be here soon, he was the one requesting us to do this. It wouldn't be smart for them to not show." Obanai assured her, himself still unsure if what was happening or if the previous day was just a hallucination.

Tengen grew only more curious, first his request was vague, now the others were speaking of a man and a woman, not just Kocho. "The secrets are being unflashy you know? I know it's ironic as a former shinobi to say that, but come on! I just got back you can't leave me in the dark." "Lord Tengen, multiple people incoming. It sounds as a large group." Makio was the next to alert everyone of people arriving, instinctively standing next to the door out of sight. Shinobu peeked through the door, smiling at the group. "Our apologies everyone, the girls aren't use to traveling this far. We had to move slower than normal." She opened the doors wide, revealing nearly the entire residence of the Butterfly estate.

Tengen couldn't believe the only eye he had left, looking at the man that was meant to be dead. He refused to believe in some trick of the mind again. "Hold the fuck up I'm not about to let myself be tricked again! First in the train now here?!" Everyone looked at him curiously, Giyuu especially. "Tengen do you want to elaborate on that?" "When we had to fight Lower One on Mugen train, it put me and Kyojuro to sleep and you were in our dreams! I'm not falling for another damn trick!" Giyuu sighed, taking off his haori and giving it to Shinobu. Everyone looked at him questioning what he was aiming to do as he removed his own prosthetic. "Hey Tengen?" "Hm?" The entire room watched Giyuu hit Tengen lightly hit him on the head with the fake arm. "You believe I'm real yet or do we need to compare how much arm we still have? I think I have you beat with amount of eyes though." Once again in his life, the Sound Hashira was too stunned to even speak.

"You flamboyant bastard!" Tengen swooped up Tomioka in his arms as he shook him around. "You cheated death against a damn Upper rank and when you lose your arm you find yourself a replacement!" Tengen couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of everything. "I'd wish for Kyojuro to return somehow, if I didn't see his death first hand." Giyuu pat Tengen to let him go before giving him assuring smile. "Don't worry, Kyojuro is doing fine. Last I saw him he was with I'm assuming his mother. He's doing alright." The others gave a reinforced smile, happy to know that their now only truly gone comrade was doing fine in the afterlife. "Tomioka, I am truly-" "Everyone's forgiven, I'm past it, I'm not angry, I'm better than ever. Continue that sentence and I will hit you again." Tengen was flabbergasted to see that this was Tomioka, but was happy with the surprise. "You really have turned into one flashy man."

"Tomioka!" Murata ran towards his long assume dead associate. "You really are a stubborn one aren't you?" He grabbed the prosthetic and quickly helped Tomioka attach it back. "First the forest couldn't kill you after you went in twice, and now even the Upper ranks fail to kill you." Giyuu couldn't help but laugh at the reality that he actually had survived such a life. "No one has earned the right to my death yet. My life however has already been claimed." Everyone looked to him confused, until they saw a flustered Shinobu shove his haori back into his chest. "Why must you go and say it like that when we're still figuring things out?" Tengen couldn't help but laugh as he fell to his knees. First the most calm and composed man was believed to be dead, he returned saying all was forgiven, and now here he was freely speaking his mind and with a potential love. "It really is good to be back!"

"I am glad you are enjoying your time can Tengen." Lady Amane came into the room smiling, looking over her children of the Corps. "Giyuu, before we begin our celebrating, may you see my husband? I have told him of your survival, but he requests your presence." He agreed to the desire, not wanting to deny the man who acted as a father to everyone. One thing he did not expect was the hug Lady Amane had given him. "Welcome home my son. I'm glad you have finally returned to us when you thought you finally could." Giyuu returned the hug, melting into the paternal care. "Thank you for allowing me to come back. I finally feel better, like I'm myself again."

Lady Amane had escorted Giyuu to the Master's room. While Giyuu was gone, the Master's sickness had spread to such a degree he was no longer able to move on his own. He was confined to his bed and was constantly watched over by kakushi and his family. Giyuu could finally see him in the candle lit room, his face was bandaged almost completely, and what skin wasn't covered was becoming more diseased. "Dear, I have brought him as you asked." "Thank you Amane. Please, let us be in private for a moment." Kagaya could only raise his hand as Amane kissed it softly before walking out the room. "Giyuu, my child, I could not begin to tell you how glad I was to learn you were still with us."

Giyuu took the hand of the Master in his left, while resting the prosthetic on top. "Not without a cost Master, but it was minimal compared to what it could've been." Kagaya frowned at being reminded at the loss of Giyuu's arm. He was so caught up in his joy of his survival, he forgot of what he lost. "You still walk with us my son, that is enough for me. I pray you found the peace of mind you were looking for. Did you my child?" Giyuu gently held the Master's hand tighter. "I did. It was a long process, one that required me to dance the line between life and death. I found my answers though, I found my way." Kagaya couldn't help but smile, even as his face was becoming weaker. The muscles in his face were barely able to be used anymore.

"What are you thinking Giyuu? What have you thought of since you were saved and could begin your rehabilitation?" Kagaya was genuinely curious, only being told what Amane herself was told. He desired to hear his inner thoughts though, to know just how one of his children were fairing in a way he did not say. "I only held onto my anger for what happened until after my fight with Upper Two. Once I was awake, I focused on making myself better. Doing anything and everything I could to heal, and that is why I returned. Why it took me so long to return." "My child, I care not that it took you so long, only that you eventually came back. If I knew you lived and dedicated your time to healing, I would have waited until Kami themself came for me." Giyuu couldn't help but smile at the sentiment.

"What will you do now my child? Amane has also told me of the return of the slayer marks. Will you stand by the other Hashira and help one another become stronger?" Giyuu thought to himself as the word weighed on his mind. For the longest time he did not see himself as such, never finding himself worthy of it. His doubts have long since died when the ghosts of his past helped him. His actions and thoughts over the months with Yae helped him to remember who he was, who he was meant to be. "I am the Water Hashira, a pillar that stands to support the Corps. If I could not stand with the others when they need me, what kind of person would I be?"

Kagaya felt relief and bliss wash over him, he marveled at the confidence Giyuu spoke with. It was refreshing, as if meeting someone for the first time. Was this who Giyuu was to his core? Who he was without the doubt and grief? "Let today mark our new beginnings my child, not just for you, but for everyone. I fear the end may be coming soon, and I would like us to be united when it happens. Please, watch over the others for me?" Giyuu pulled his prosthetic hand away and rest his forehead against the Master's hand. "You have my word. I will not leave again, and we shall take on whatever we need to together." Kagaya could no longer hold his breath as his body continued to decay, but he swore he was breathing easier now. "Very good my child. Please, return to the others. I don't think they trust you being out of sight again after last time."

When Giyuu returned, once again he found himself being rushed by the children. The caterpillars held onto his legs once again as the older girls of Kanao, Aoi, and even Nezuko held onto his sides and arms. "Oh come on girls! I was just in the next room!" They all laughed as they refused to let go. "Big brother can't leave now! No escape!" "You owe us after being gone for so long Giyuu! You even took us to our room when we wanted to stay with you!" Giyuu blushed slightly as he remembered what happened after the girls were all put away. Sighing in acceptance, he knew he wouldn't escape this fate.

"Giyuu, now that you're here I can return this." Muichiro walked up and held out the fox mask he was allowed to borrow. Giyuu leaned over as Muichiro helped him put it on. He was thankful the boy put it off to the side of his face. "Lady Amane, may we use the kitchen here? We can't have a celebration without food." She nodded as she gestured for him to follow. "Suma, Makio, Hinatsuru, can you three help me in the kitchen? We're going to need the help with this many mouths and the appetite that comes with them. It'd be greatly appreciated." He smiled at them as he slowly dragged one leg in front of the other.

The wives were shocked to see that this was the Water Hashira Lord Tengen told them in the past. The contrast was as stark as the night was to day. "I will Tomioka-san, cooking isn't an issue for me." Hinatsuru was the first to agree to the request, laughing softly at the sight of all these children clinging to him. "Are you sure that's the same person Lord Tengen? You told us he was secluded, emotionless, and unflashy! That smile alone was shining like your gem headband. Are you trying to down play others to make yourself look better?!" Makio began to aggressively poke and prod at him, leaving Tengen in a difficult position to defend himself. "Ow ow! I'm not lying! When he was still here that's how we was! Ask the others they can back me up!" He looked to his comrades who seemed to be utterly ignoring him, he would've believed them if not for the knowing smile each of them wore. "Oh you unflashy rats."

Gyomei sighed as he smiled, sitting down on a moment of peace. "We must savor and cherish today. For so long, we have existed in grief and sorrow. We have lost, and barely held on. Three Upper Moons have been killed, and all three that fought them have returned. Even one that we have long since believed to be dead has returned to us with an open heart and open arms. Even if this peace may only last until the end of this day, may it be cherished by all of us." Gyomei felt a new presence approach him as he raised his head. "Who may that be that approaches? My apologies for being unaware of who you might be." "Ah my apologies Himejima-sama! It's Suma, one of Lord Tengen's wives."

"I was just wondering just what it is that happened to the Water Hashira. I don't doubt that Lord Tengen said he was different before, but just how much was the difference? He seems quite happy now." The two heard footsteps behind them approaching. "Shinazugawa, Iguro, I take it you two are willing to answer? I will trust your words to be just after this time and his return." Even if he couldn't see it, they both nodded their heads as they each took a breath. Sanemi was the first to speak his mind. "To be honest, there wasn't a time when we didn't hate him. I thought him as an anti-social narcissist. He would claim he was always different than us and never explain why. It was the only thing my stupid mind jumped to, like he was above us. When he told us the truth, it took longer than I'd like to admit to belive. My brain was wanting to validate it's hatred, even if it meant denying the truth. It took him to make me see I became the person I never wanted to be compared to, to finally try and change."

Obanai spoke next, licking the inside of his cheek as his wounds itched. "I hated him for how he reminded me of who I once was. His face was expressionless, emotionless, void of anything. It was the face of contemp, one that I myself wore. I wanted nothing more but to distance myself from my past, but with him always there, it felt like it was always looming over me. He was such devoid of the feeling of life, that when we heard him laugh for the first time it was damn near unsettling. As if listening to a noise that was not meant to exist." The too sighed as each sat next to Gyomei, as if to hope some of his empathy would spread to them. "It took him making us face our sins and the actions of what we have committed, before we started become better. After we all had thought he died, he promised on his grave we would not be the same again. That we would try to be better, some days are harder than others, but we do all we can to not be who we were before."

Finally Gyomei spoke, wanting to give his own thoughts. "Tomioka was a man that suffered in silence. Every day he was punished by his own thoughts, pushed to think he was not worthy of his own life. He had reached a breaking point, baring his pain to us and leaving. We have lived since that day seeking atonement, and now even with Tomioka's return, we still seek it. He is a changed man, he has healed, he no longer allowing his pain to hold him back. From what that other woman had said, she believed his smile shined as that of gems.It fills my heart with joy, that he escaped the darkness in his heart and found light." Even with his useless eyes, they acted as if scanning the room. He wished he could see his comrades, to view the joy they could express, he prayed his next life would bear such fruits.

All had seen and heard Suma run from the trio, off to the direction Giyuu had walked off to. Every Hashira looked on as a woman in a blue dress ran as if looking for something through the mansion. "Aoi, I can still help cook. I'm crippled not useless." "Nope, we're taking care of you and everything else now." Giyuu sighed as he watched over everyone cooking, feeling a tad upset he was being treated with such fragility. He was pulled out of his thoughts when he felt someone crash into him from behind. "Don't worry Tomioka-sama! I'll help protect you from the mean mean people! Even if I'm already Lord Tengen's wife I won't let the bullies get to you like how Makio gets to me!" Everyone in the kitchen watched in confusion as a strange woman was suddenly holding onto Giyuu and crying. "Suma honey, was there something I missed when I left to help in here?"

Everyone in attendance, from those not even slayers, to those who exist to be their leaders, used this day to live how they wished others to. The act could be seen as selfish, devoting time to merriment instead of self improvement or seeing strength. But in life, it was not a crime to seek out moments of happiness, times that exist wanting to ignore the hardships. All who had connections to the slayers had them, never knowing if a day could be someone's last. Because of that knowledge, this was a day that they needed to celebrate. To remember they were alive, they were human, they were allowed a moment of rest as well. Tomorrow and every day after they would dedicate their lives to being the protection of humanity against the evils in the dark. Today though, they were friends and comrades, a found family, wanting to enjoy the day together. For a single day, they were not demon slayers, they were people.