FORGIVING [tomioka giyuu]

seventeen

The dream Giyuu has tonight, is gentle and soft.

It's unlike the usual enigmatic illusions.. quiet and an inky void staring at him as he stares back.

The spider lilies litter the ground, and petals fall victim to the innocent spring breeze. His feet slap against the ground whilst he walks, examining the landscape with an interested stare, clouds floofed and trees coming into vision the closer he stepped.

He can't smell it, but he can feel it— the way nature wraps him and despite it just being a dream, he feels strangely connected to it.

Giyuu steps on some lush grass, unlike the type that grows on Ubuyashiki's land. It's sweet with dew but he doesn't mind as he decides that.. he'll take advantage of the dream as much as he can.

So he lays down on his back and letting the two-toned haori become nothing but a blanket beneath his body. His stomach doesn't rumble, his breaths don't stutter, and his head lays against the lap that belongs to a faceless stranger.

No.. it's not a stranger. The long black braid, gentle hands that are still scarred with hard work, worn out kimono.

"You look healthier," Tsutako spoke, caressing his head gently. "I'm glad you're finally taking care of yourself."

Giyuu doesn't answer, but their blue eyes meet and she smiles at him with the most loving smile. For a mere second, he thinks that he's genuinely transcended into the afterlife just to have his head cradled by his deceased sister.

She continues to comb through his bangs, humming as the dream becomes for fluffier and heavenly, body relaxing to the idea of this peaceful and infinite land. If Giyuu wanted to experiment, he believes that he could explore this entire world with just a few steps.

"I want you to move on." The woman blurts out suddenly, pausing her caressing as she stares off into the distance. She's still as pretty as she was alive, glittering like a polished jewel. Though Giyuu's only seen cheap and counterfeit jewelry. "It's best for all of us that way, for you to live the best of your life."

"But how?" Giyuu finds himself asking her, trying desperately not to nuzzle into the hand she tangles into his hair.

Tsutako looks down at him lovingly, that knowing smile on her lips that mimics that of Makomo's or Shinobu's. He'll figure out one day what she meant, only focused on the way she gently tugs out tangles and massages his scalp.

She never does answer him as he stirs awake, blinking up at the ceiling and seeing the morning sun glimmer. It's a golden light that reprimands Giyuu, try hard today.

And Giyuu does.

He finishes a morning portrait before deciding to get dressed, Shinazugawa will get angry at him for being a sliver late.

Today, it's not anything special. It's the usual smears of black that don't seem so lonely anymore.

Morning duels with Shinazugawa Sanemi have been interesting— and so far, their victories are equal. Sweaty fights that'd result in either Giyuu procuring cold water to cool down or Shinazugawa tossing him a spare rag to wipe away the sweat.

"We don't want you passing out now, you fucking idiot!" Shinazugawa slurs when he does end up handing it to Giyuu the first time, turning away in an attempt to mimic annoyance. "Shut the fuck up and take it!"

Giyuu doesn't forget how Shinazugawa's ears glow a slight pink when he thanks him, the Wind Hashira always exchanging those moments of weakness with practice duels. It was precious but Shinazugawa would always be aggressive, even when Giyuu was trying harder to know him.

It's okay if Shinazugawa didn't want to be his friend, considering that Giyuu wasn't really interesting.

Meh, the morning duels will always be a good warm up.

Shinazugawa has him pinned down but his neck, but Giyuu is quick to flip their positions and restarts the fight by tossing the other man using just strength. It hurt his limbs, but Giyuu let a smile trace his lips. Shinazugawa doesn't mind Giyuu's satisfied smile, because he fought with more exhilaration and it was rare that the placid man even enjoyed interacting with others. The sweaty faces and cheeks flushed from exhaustion, it was like seeing another side to the man.

The egotistical and aloof Tomioka; that cried by himself in the rain, found an affinity for cats, liked cloud watching with Muichirou, befriended Uzui under really weird circumstances, passed out from sleep deprivation.

Also.. the same Giyuu that made homemade ohagi and seemed to be beaming whilst Sanemi stared at the product. Giyuu yawned as he plucked the gift out of his haori sleeve, a black wooden box and Shinazugawa's look of 'what the fuck' obvious on his face.

"F-for... you.." Giyuu forced out, Shinazugawa sliding open the top and the look of 'what the fuck' only grew. "As thanks.. from that time.." he didn't really know what time Giyuu was referring to, but whatever.

It smelled nice and looked surprisingly well done, but the Wind Hashira was focused on how Giyuu's cat-like eyes glittered and did the guy even know that he looked at him like a child showing off their creation? The usual ocean eyes stared tiredly at him, holding out the food and trying to urge him to try it.

Sanemi scoffed whilst accepting his favorite snack, slightly irritated how the other man even knew what his favorite food was. With spite, he plucked one up and took a slow bite out of it.

Sanemi tried to ignore Giyuu's analyzing gaze, and told the man that it kinda tasted like shit— though that didn't stop the Water Hashira from glowing. Shouldn't have let him see that Sanemi took a second bite, genuinely interested in the fact that Giyuu made it exactly how he usually preferred it. Course beans, and it was surprisingly just the right amount of sweet.

Sanemi doesn't say thanks when Giyuu receives the message that he'll accept the damn gift, but the Water Hashira looks satisfied and even dares to give him that smile before fucking off somewhere. That smile became popular around Demon Slayers, gentle and mimicked that of heaven. Shinobu has been victim to one of those many smiles, as well as Muichirou and many others. They claim it's bright and leaves you kinda bubbly, except Muichirou though.. because that kid's head is so high up in the clouds.

Sanemi is upset, because the claims are true.

Obanai says that it was possibly the most disgusting thing he's ever witnessed, but Mitsuri blushes and always calls it adorable. Speak of the devil, the woman approaches him and gasps at the small box.

"He actually gave it to you!" Her happy smile seems brighter than the sun, hands over her mouth as if awing.

"Fuck do you mean?" Sanemi raises his brow, eying Mitsuri with confusion that looks more like irritation. "Was this a joke?"

She immediately stops him, hands out in a 'stop!' gesture. "It's because he had barely asked me for an ohagi recipe the other day! Said it was a gift and gave me the most handsome thanks before leaving!" She clasps her hands together and presses them against her left cheek. "I didn't think he'd be making them for you! Must've been working through the early morning just to get everything right, how adorable!"

Sanemi stands in awe, and represses the urge to blush. Mitsuri was right on one thing, that it was fucking adorable.

Meanwhile, Giyuu has many ohagi prototypes in his kitchen and he doesn't know what to do with them.