let there be light | kimetsu no yaiba

𝐱𝐱𝐢. 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭

She kept in mind what the Master asked her to do.

Airi threw Giyū a towel as he wiped the sweat off of his face. A slight peach scattered across her cheeks as she observed him. She dismissed her reaction immediately.

"What are you doing here?" He asked somewhat politely, throwing the towel onto a nearby rack on the wall.

Airi laughed, grabbing a fake wooden blade, "What, can I not visit my best friend?"

'Best friend,' He thought, feeling the need to scowl toward himself and his lack of expressing his feelings.

"You can." Giyū flashed her a smile. Airi's heart melted a little.

The girl blessed by the light spun around the stick and flashed a grin, "Duel me, Tomioka. I'm bored since I have no students to train. Shinazugawa-kun is holding them all hostage."

"Are you asking to lose, princess?" He asked nonchalantly.

"Princess? I'm more of a queen." Airi laughed, standing across from the water pillar in a ready stance.

"Right, my bad," Giyū replied, "Ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be. Go!" She said enthusiastically, her eyes glimmering with eagerness. This was the first time she's dueled someone since her coma.

The two pillars clashed together in a heated collision. Airi took advantage of her flexibility, a flexibility that nearly surpassed Mitsuri's. Her opponent was not as flexible as her; however, he was stronger physically. Airi would repeatedly dodge his swings with her body moving like water. To her dismay, they would clash the fake sticks when Airi was in an odd flexible position, whether that be her body centimeters from the ground or in the middle of a backflip.

The two practiced together for many hours, with Giyū striking Airi more. The two ended their long lasting duel, bowing to each other.

"I must say, Giyū, you are insanely talented." Airi complimented the Water Hashira.

"I don't have any talent." He responded blankly while Airi threw a clean towel around her neck.

Airi shot a wide-eyed glare toward Giyū, "You have got to be joking."

Giyū shook his head slightly, his eyes blank as he gave her a deadpanned look.

"Giyū," Airi walked over to him, putting her hands lightly on his arms and looking down, "You are a Hashira. I have trained alongside you for years, which gives me credibility to scold you. There is nobody like you, nobody as hard working as you, and nobody as talented as you. You deserve to know that you are worthy of being of high regard."

Giyū shook Airi's hands off of him, turning around, "I am not a Hashira. I told Tanjiro that he should have been my successor and to master the breath of water. The water pillar seat is vacant."

Airi was shocked at his sudden statement. It was certainly unexpected for her to hear those words come out of his mouth.

Airi grabbed his wrist and whipped him back around to face her. She threw him into an embrace unexpectedly. Giyū let a deep gasp escape his lips.

Giyū was shocked and extremely unsure of how to respond to the comfortable gesture. He wrapped his arms around her waist and put his cheek on her head, looking to the side. He hugged her back.

The two stood there before Airi spoke, "The Water Hashira seat will never be vacant as long as you are alive. I plan on keeping your cute self alive for a long time, and you have no reason to say no. I really hate that inferiority complex you have. You brought me out of mine after I woke up from that coma, so now I have to return the favor."