Author's Note:

Hey guys welcome to my story. I hope you enjoy. Please be sure to leave reviews and follow along for updates. I absoloutely hate waiting as a reader so I will do my best to get chapters out as fast as possible. i have already completed the first part of my story hence why there is about a 15k word count already and part 2 is on the way. ENJOY GIYUSHINO SHIPPERS. Let's pretend that this is how it goes :D

A Hashira Love Story Chapter 1

Giyuu Tomioka was a solemn man with a straight face that was always so difficult to read. He liked to keep to himself and was sure good at hiding his inner emotions with his ever so stoic expressions and everyone despised him for it.

For many years he had served as a demon slayer and during those years he had watched so many accomplices die that it was beginning to unfortunately become a regular event. He had sympathies for those who had passed before him… but he didn't know how best to express it. In his heart he felt a lot of pain and a lot of guilt. He had a bad habit of sometimes blaming himself for the death of many comrades who had been murdered by demons. Perhaps if he had been stronger, faster, wiser… then maybe there would've been a chance for them…

Giyuu was already a very strong and extremely capable pillar. He was a valued Hashira and member of the demon slayer corps but he had low self esteem and was always so hard on himself when he felt that there was always more that he could do to become more useful such as more training, go on more missions without breaks in between, find and slaughter more horrible demons that tormented this world. He had a hard time allowing himself to sleep when he knew that somewhere out there, a demon was on the prowl.

Giyuu sat kneeling on the floor of his practically empty and very bland house. It was very isolated from the other pillar estates which he actually was grateful for. He liked the quiet and he liked being alone. He sat in silence as he listened to the peaceful sounds of the birds and wind. He clp osed his eyes and focused on his breathing. He was at peace… focusing on how he could improve his breathing technique to hone it to its full potential.

*knock knock knock

Giyuu heard the knocking at his door but he refused to acknowledge it. He was busy right now and had not been expecting guests so whoever was at his door could return later.

"Giyuu-san!" He heard Tanjirou call out from the gate.

'Tanjirou? What could he be wanting?' Giyuu wondered.

"Giyuu-san! Are you home!?"

'No. Go away.'

"Giyuu-sannnnnnn!"

Giyuu felt a vein in his forehead begin to pop much like Kochou's. Tanjirou was such a persistent kid but he would leave soon if he continued to ignore him. Giyuu kept quiet, his eyes closed and returned to focus on his breathing… A couple minutes later he heard the light brush of the door sliding open and Giyuu opened one eye slightly to see Tanjirou peeking through the doorway with a wide smile on his face. Giyuu looked at him awkwardly as Tanjirou saw him and welcomed himself inside to greet him.

"Good morning Giyuu-san! Could you hear me before? I was calling out your name for a while."

Giyuu stayed quiet as Tanjirou took that as a no and sat himself down in front of Giyuu to join him. Though only slightly annoyed at Tanjirou's intrusion, he wasn't about to be rude and kick the kid out so he listened to what Tanjirou had to say and by the end of it, he realized that Tanjirou wasn't going to quit at trying to persuade him to join in on the Hashira training.

For the next few days Tanjirou visited him at his estate with words of offers and persuasion and Giyuu seriously questioned why he was doing this? Giyuu had refused every time he had asked but the kid just kept coming back using "dropping off food" as an excuse. Eventually, after about a week of Tanjirou welcoming himself unannounced at weird hours, Giyuu just locked the doors to give him a hint but even then! He would find Tanjirou talking to him from outside of the window or staying on his porch until Giyuu was forced to come out…

This was getting very annoying and even though Giyuu stated clearly that he would not be joining in the Hashira training… Tanjirou liked to play the long game and he knew he wouldn't give up until he had convinced him to join.

It was at night time when Giyuu was doing his usual… sitting on his mat and again, focusing on his breathing technique through peaceful meditation when he heard a couple of loud knocks rapping against the door.

'Tanjirou…' he internally groaned.

Giyuu ignored the knocking. If Tanjirou wanted to stay outside his porch all night, so be it. He would not give in. The knocking continued for a little while before finally, he had given up and the peaceful silence filled the air again.

"That's why no one likes you Tomioka-san. Pure rudeness!" A voice that was definitely not Tanjirou's called out…

Giyuu immediately brought his breathing to a halt and got to his feet to answer the door. When he opened it he, to his surprise, saw the Insect Hashira, Shinobu Kochou kneeling down next to Tanjirou who was laying down on the porch and had looked like he had just been woken up. Kochou had brought a blanket with her and had wrapped it around Tanjirou who was shivering against the cold.

"You slept out here?" Giyuu asked, genuinely concerned for his mentality as it was freezing.

"Yes. It was the only way I would be able to catch you Giyuu-san." Tanjirou said happy to see him.

Shinobu shot Giyuu a look that showed annoyance through her forced smile.

"I didn't know he was sleeping outside…" Giyuu said to her in his monotone voice.

Shinobu ignored him and helped Tanjirou to stand up. Giyuu immediately felt guilty as the kid looked freezing and disheveled. He was also recovering from his injuries and still required crutches for support.

"Please return to the butterfly mansion and have Aoi check you over Tanjirou-kun." Kochou ordered.

"It's alright Shinobu-sama. I'm fine! I must continue trying to convince Giyuu-san to join us in the Hashira training!"

Shinobu gave him a warm smile that made him blush slightly.

"Don't you worry about that. I've actually come here to do just that as well, how about we take turns? You shouldn't be pushing yourself so hard right now… especially whilst recovering from your injuries."

Tanjirou gave Shinobu a beaming smile, seeming to love the idea of taking turns. Though always having a positive attitude he was beginning to feel a bit irritated by Giyuu's stubbornness. He was getting nowhere so perhaps an equal like Shinobu would be the best person to talk him into joining in.

"Yes Shinobu-sama! Great idea! I'm counting on you!"

Shinobu nodded as Tanjirou waved goodbye to the two Hashira and began making his way back to the butterfly mansion.

Once Tanjirou was out of sight, Shinobu turned around to face the water Hashira who had just made an injured kid whom she actually adored sleep outside in the cold on his hard porch. Giyuu gave her his usual stoic look but with Shinobu… he felt it was a bit easier to let loose a little. He frowned at her.

"Why are you giving me that look? I already told you I didn't know he had been sleeping out here…" Giyuu said to her. "There's no point in you trying to convince me to join in too… I've made up my mind. I'm not joini-"

"Shut up. It's cold out here. Let's go inside." Shinobu interrupted as she pushed past his large frame and entered his house without being invited in…

This was the first time another Hashira had actually been to his house… Giyuu followed her and closed the door behind him. He kept his eyes on her as she quietly walked around observing the emptiness of it all. There was little to no decoration and everything was very bland… much to the suit of Tomioka Giyuu who never really had any particular likes or interests anyway.

"It's just as I expected. Cold and neutral just like you." Shinobu said teasingly.

Giyuu was used to her teasing comments. He knew that every time she provoked him like that she was just looking to get a reaction out of him so it brought him much joy in dissatisfying her by not reacting at all and staying silent with the same expression.

He went back to kneeling on the floor, closing his eyes and focusing on his breathing again, completely ignoring Kochou's presence. He was going to act like she was not there at all for if there was anyone more annoying to him than Tanjirou… it was definitely going to be Kochou.

In a split second just as he had closed his eyes, he felt her presence right by his side. Her face was inches from his and she reached out her hand to poke his shoulder repeatedly.

"Oh I'm sorry… am I disrupting you?" She asked.

Giyuu kept his eyes closed and refused to show any reaction as she continued to jab her finger into his shoulder.

"Not at all." He slipped out.

Shinobu smirked and let out a little giggle that he felt brush up against his ear. He couldn't help but feel his blood and temper run a little hotter as he knew that this was only a tiny display of how annoying she could be and something about her tone told him that she was just getting started with him. She reminded him of not a peaceful butterfly but a buzzing blowfly hovering around him.

Giyuu was silent, putting all his attention on his breathing technique. He steadied his heart and emptied his mind as he slowly inhaled and exhaled.

"What are you trying to do?" Shinobu asked him. She had stopped poking him now.

Had she already given up her attempts at annoying him into joining the Hashira training? Or was this a part of another one of her annoying schemes? He decided to continue ignoring her and went along with his own training.

"You're gonna act like I'm not here?" Shinobu asked him after a while of silence.

Giyuu felt internal pleasure at hearing her sigh and sensing her slight annoyance at him for ignoring her and practically pretending that she was invisible. That's what she deserved! A taste of her own medicine. Giyuu's sly smirk faded as he suddenly felt her hands gently pressing against his back as she began massaging his shoulders. His eyes snapped open and his head quickly whipped around to look at her.

She was now kneeling behind him with her hands gently massaging him.

"Now I've got your attention haven't I?" Shinobu said, smirking at him. It was her turn to take satisfaction in seeing her able to break his composure.

"Kochou… What are you doing?" Giyuu asked her, having completely forgotten about his intent to ignore her as soon as he felt her hands on him.

"Helping you. You have a lot of tension right here." Shinobu said tracing her finger along a particularly tensed spot in his shoulder blades and back. "The tension and the knots is what is stopping you from being able to breathe more clearly."

Giyuu felt taken aback… for once she was actually genuinely helping him and not doing something to annoy or tease him… he continued looking at her face and that was when Shinobu looked up from genuinely focusing on the tension of his back to he who was almost gazing at her and they locked eyes. Giyuu suddenly felt a rush of butterflies charge through his stomach as he realized just how beautiful Kochou was… he had always known she was a sight to look at but… he never really felt attraction towards her until now… or perhaps he had always felt attracted to her but was only now just properly realizing it…

Their gaze was starting to get rather long and Shinobu pressed her fingers gently to his cheek to turn his face forward.

"Don't strain your neck like that… keep breathing and feel the difference as I massage your shoulders. Trust me, you'll immediately notice the improvement."

Giyuu, though feeling his heart rapidly increasing pace, did as she bid and went back to focusing on his breathing and just as she had said… his airways were much clearer and it was easier to relax and focus.

"See… Do you feel that? Your lungs are able to expand better without much tension blocking them."

Giyuu let out a relaxed sigh and immediately felt relief. Never had he thought that Kochou would help him out in such an intimate way. Her hands on his back were perfect and he found himself suddenly craving more of her touch. Without thinking, he pressed his back further against her so that he could feel more of her. Shinobu, at first a little surprised but then welcoming to him, began massaging his arms by caressing her small hands against them. Giyuu loved the feeling. Her hands were so gentle and warm.

They sat like that for a while as both of them felt a slurry of feelings swimming in their stomachs however their minds were numb without thought and their bodies were moving purely on instinct.

Shinobu suddenly slipped her arms under Giyuu's so she could wrap them around his waist and pull his back against her chest as she rested her chin on his shoulder.

Giyuu froze and his cheeks turned red… Shinobu was… hugging him from behind and resting her chin on his shoulder… like… like what lovers do…

"Is that better?" Shinobu whispered in his ear.

Giyuu felt his skin go hot at the feel of her warm breath brushing against his ear and her arms connecting around his waist. He breathed a shaky breath and that pretty much answered Shinobu's question.

"I'm glad I could help you." She said in a sweet tone.

Giyuu felt her lips lightly graze against the side of his cheek before she gave him exactly three soft pecks. Her gentle lips pressing against his hot cheek made a fire ignite within him. He wasn't familiar with this feeling… he wanted to all of a sudden take back any way he had ever treated Kochou that ever made her feel disrespected. In all those times they had been together for a joint mission… all those risky moments that they had been separated to battle demons he suddenly wished to take back as her life was all too precious to be put on the line. He wanted to protect her. To make sure she lived a full and happy life no matter what. Her life was more important than his and he would do anything to make sure she lived.

"I didn't actually come here tonight to persuade you to join in the Hashira training… that is your choice. I was just… worried about you being alone." Shinobu spoke barely louder than a whisper.

Giyuu sat still and stiff. His mind had never been more clear. His heart opened to the butterfly woman and he immediately for the first time knew what being in love felt like. In an instant this new feeling and possessiveness of her came over him. He wanted to show it to her just as she had shown her affections to him.

Giyuu grasped hold of her hands that connected around his waist and brought them up to his lips. He pressed multiple kisses to them whilst holding them tightly and caressing his thumb against them. There were no words that were exchanged and eventually, Kochou slipped her hands away from his grasp and in an instant, she was gone and he felt somewhat changed. Whatever she wanted was his main priority now and if that meant he would have to join in the Hashira training, then he would do it.

The following day at the Hashira meeting that happened before every training session daily, all the Hashira were extremely surprised when the great and stoic Tomioka Giyuu appeared before them intending to join them. He didn't say anything.

Sanemi and Obanai gave him a scowling look while the others looked rather pleased to see Tomioka had finally decided to join them after all this time of brooding and protest.

Giyuu sat himself in line with the others before their master, Ubuyashiki who sensed his presence.

"Tomioka. It brings me much joy to hear that you are joining us today. Does this mean you are officially taking part in the Hashira training?" Ubuyashiki asked.

"Yes master." Giyuu confirmed.

Giyuu scanned his eyes around the room subtly noting that Shinobu whom he had expected to see wasn't present.

"Where is Kochou?" Giyuu asked.

"Kochou won't be participating in the Hashira training." Ubuyashiki stated.

Giyuu's face immediately dropped which every Hashira noticed and became suspicious of. It was as if everything stopped including time itself and everyone could sense the sudden tension and change of attitude that came off the water Hashira. The mood became unpleasant. .

WHAT!?

Giyuu suddenly felt extremely confused and a blast of overwhelming emotions exploded inside of him. His heart ached and his stomach dropped. Was last night all an act? Another one of her ploys to get him to agree to join the Hashira training even when she herself was being a hypocrite by not participating!?

Giyuu felt his gut clench with hurt and regret. What she said last night… what she did… it was all a part of her plan to get him to join the Hashira training… that was all it took to make him give in so easily. He felt like a fool for trusting her. He was usually so intuitive and knew when a person was lying… Shinobu had got the best of him. He balled his fists and clenched his teeth. He overheard a few of the Hashira whispering to each other about his reaction but he didn't care at all. Shinobu had tricked him and he was furious. He let that woman see a different side of him that he had never revealed to anyone and she had done him dirty.

After the meeting, Giyuu had never felt more enraged. Shinobu… she had practically deceived him and had taken advantage of his more vulnerable and sensitive side. How could she do something so wicked? Did she despise him that much? It was humiliating and incredibly hurtful.

A week had gone by since Giyuu had last seen Kochou. He hadn't attempted to visit and he was more angry that neither did she. It made him pissed that she wouldn't even come around to explain herself or at least tease him and rub in her victory of how she had managed to make him agree after all.

During that week he had begun participating in the Hashira training and he had taken his anger out on the demon slayers. The Water Hashira's training was now the most feared and dreaded by all, even more so than Sanemi's! Giyuu's training was practically torture and near impossible to pass. Even Tanjirou, who had been so excited to take part, was dreading every moment of it.

It seemed that no one knew why Giyuu, who was usually so neutral, had turned into a hot headed and overall angry person. Even Sanemi and Obanai treaded lightly around him though they actually in secret preferred this version of Tomioka.

Two weeks had gone by now and who knew that the water Hashira could hold such a grudge? Several of his disciples had endured such hazardous training sessions to such dangerous extents under him that they had ended up on the verge of literal death and had been sent to the butterfly mansion for immediate emergency care. Because of this, the numbers were gradually dropping… no one tried talking to Giyuu as he was too at odds to approach… no one knew what to expect if they tried… so they just let him be hoping that Ubuyashiki could get to the bottom of things although he was frail and bedridden most of the time.

If any of the Hashira were going to talk to Giyuu it would be Shinobu who would be the best option… but no one had seen her in weeks either. They had sent Mitsuri to go and talk to her and explain what was happening with Giyuu and Shinobu acted on it by sending Aoi to speak with Giyuu on her behalf.

After a training session, Giyuu who had on his now considered regular angry face as of late and he who wore no Haori or upper garments, just pants and shoes, was approached by one of Kochou's girls… the one with the pigtails.

"What do you want?" Giyuu asked her in a rude tone as she came within a few feet of him.

Aoi, a little taken aback by his upfront hostile attitude, narrowed her eyes to match his anger and put her hands on her hips.

"What do you think you are doing!? You keep putting the demon slayers who are training under you in life threatening situations! The hospital is already full and Shinobu-sama is working endlessly trying to save their lives! What are you playing at Tomioka-san!?" Aoi said, raising her voice.

At the mention of Shinobu's name, Giyuu only got more mad.

"It's my method of training the weak bunch! If they wanna stand a chance against the demons then they need to be able to handle it! And so what if Kochou is working tirelessly! It's not like she's busy doing anything else!" Giyuu retorted back.

"Shinobu-sama is very busy preparing for the battle! And I will remind you to check your tone when speaking about her." Aoi stated in a defensive tone.

"If Kochou has something to say then get her to come and say it to my face and not send one of her little minions in her place."

Aoi screwed up her face, clearly offended by that last bit.

"I'm not her minion and I'm worried about her! She's not well and you're making it a hundred times harder for everyone!"

Giyuu could care less at what this child had to say. It was as if her words were going in one ear and out the other. He scowled and turned his back on her.

"Like I said, if she has something to say. Get her to say it to my face."

Aoi gave Giyuu an angry glare before deciding that this argument wasn't worth her time and she stomped off back to the butterfly mansion. She would be sure to tell her master all about how rude Tomioka was to her.

It was later in the evening and Giyuu had just finished running a hot bath, getting ready to bathe after a long and hard training day. He sat on the edge of the tub ignoring his aching muscles and throbbing bruises. He glared into thin air with a lot on his mind. Lately he hadn't been feeling like his usual self. He was angry about everything and he found this wasn't a small thing that he could just get over.

A quiet knock came at his door and he was pissed at someone for interrupting him. He groaned, marching over to the door. He yanked it open to see Kochou standing before him. Her typical smile was gone, her skin was very pale and her eyes were dark with circles. She looked exhausted and sickly… Giyuu immediately froze at the sight of her having not expected to see her in such a different state than last time… there was a moment's silence as they both just looked at one another with different signs of remorse… Shinobu quickly averted her eyes to look at the ground as she noticed Giyuu was shirtless.

"Aoi… she told me what you said… I'm so sorry I haven't come to see you in weeks… I've been… well… I haven't been well and… a lot of demon slayers get injured from your training sessions and I've been working around the clock to make sure that they're cared for… and…" Shinobu started to cry… tears spilled from her eyes as Giyuu still stood frozen, a little taken aback to see her cry all of a sudden… he had never seen her cry before…

"-and I haven't slept in days… I'm sorry… I don't know why you hate me all of a sudden… if you're mad at me then we can discuss it right now but please… don't take out your anger on the demon slayers and especially not on one of my girls." She finished in a soft and brokenly sweet tone.

Giyuu all of a sudden felt a huge rush of guilt run through his bones. She had become sickly because of him… because he had been making things harder for her… it was his fault she was in such a state… Giyuu's face sank with a sudden sadness as his heart ached.

"Because… because… you tricked me that night… you only did those things to make me agree to take part in the Hashira training…" Giyuu quietly explained in a stern yet vulnerable tone.

Shinobu's jaw dropped slightly at his words as a look of confusion overtook her face.

"Are you serious? That's the reason why you have been sending your disciples to the hospital? That's the reason for your anger?"

Giyuu stayed silent and averted eye contact with her as she sighed. Was he wrong though? That's how it seemed to him… Shinobu immediately reached out to hold his hand in a reassuring way. She brought it to her chest and clutched it in both of her palms causing him to look back up at her as she looked deeply into his eyes.

"Tomioka-san… I would never deceive you like that. Sure I like to tease you but I am not so evil as to ever do such a despicable act. I told you that I only came to your house that night because I worry for you when you are alone… I just care about you a lot and… please don't think that I would ever do that to you…" Shinobu spoke through sobs as she now felt incredibly hurt that he would think her so low as to play with his oh so sensitive heart.

Giyuu instinctively couldn't help but grab her in his arms and hugged her small frame tightly to him. Shinobu wrapped her arms around him, hugging him back and quietly cried into his chest. Giyuu kissed the top of her head over and over.

"I'm so sorry… I thought you had played me on to get me to take part in the Hashira training…" He gently spoke. "That thought really destroyed me even though now I realize how stupid I was to think that… I was just really hurt… I'm so sorry… are you okay baby? You look exhausted… let me help you like you did for me last time."

Giyuu brought her inside of his house and first made her a hot meal to eat. Just from that moment of clearing everything up all his anger was now replaced with only devotion and care for her. He made what he was best at, salmon daikon which was seared to perfection. He was a very good cook and Shinobu was pleasantly surprised when he presented her with a plate full of food that looked amazing. She ate everything on her plate and thanked him for cooking for her. She had lost a little bit of weight and had told him that she didn't have much time to eat… he promised he would bring her meals directly to her if that was the case. He hated hearing that she was almost constantly starving and neglecting her needs in order to take care of others. She was so generous and kind in that retrospect.

Giyuu then helped her to take a bath. He gave her a couple of fresh warm towels that he had heated by the fire and then gave her one of his spear nightshirts for her to change into afterwards. It was now night time and he refused to let her walk home. He didn't want her to go home as her home was also the hospital where he knew she would have to work endlessly through the night again which he just couldn't accept. He was gonna make sure she slept tonight.

Giyuu bathed himself after her and when he walked out freshly bathed and dressed in one of his plain navy night shirts and grey pajama pants, he saw that she had already set up the futon and was sitting up comfortably staring at him with her usual smile now. Already she looked so much better and more refreshed than before.

"Are you feeling better?" Giyuu asked her.

"Much, thank you. Come." Shinobu said sweetly as she reached her hand out towards him.

It turned him on to see her wearing one of his nightshirts that was too big for her while she waited for him to join her in bed. He cautiously made his way towards her and climbed in to lay by her side. Shinobu snuggled up to him and he pulled the covers up over them both. It felt natural, as if they had been doing this for a long time. Giyuu pulled her in tightly as she wrapped her arms around him and laid against his chest. He combed his fingers through her hair, tucking loose strands behind her ear and she fell asleep almost immediately. He kissed her head and whispered apologies to her for thinking such horrible things about her. He watched over her as she slept. Holding her and being careful to not let the blanket slip from her shoulders. He massaged her back and arms while she slept. He wanted to soothe her aching body as much as possible.