"I will go and sell charcoal now." Giyuu said as she looked over to where Kie had been taking care of the sick Tanjuro.
It was only a small cold that he got, but his body was getting weaker and weaker that a mere cold could do much worse.
"Take more warm clothes once you go alright?" Kie gave her a worried look and Giyuu obliged, grabbing a nearby blue scarf.
"Nee-San take care and don't get sick!" Tanjiro hugged her once she got to the door. She kneeled down to gently squish the boy's cheeks.
"I should say the same thing! Don't play in the snow for too long alright?"
With the nod, The little grown up tanjiro hugged his sister. Nezuko and the youngest one, Takeo appeared from behind the door which lead to the rooms, they began to make their way to Giyuu, as she waited for the other's hugs.
Once the small but warm grouphug was over Giyuu took the path down the mountain as she began to think about the events that had happened.
Thanks to the Kusogai crows she was able to send some letters to Makomo. Though it took a little longer than expected.
In her letters she talked about how proud Urokodaki-San was of her and how thankful he also was for Giyuu's help. Though she didn't need it, he was his master a long time ago, it was by him that he got to learn more.
"And if you could one day visit us and train with Sabito, it would be nice since the boy needs to learn from his senpai's fufu."
She could just imagine how hard Sabito must be training after hearing about a girl being stronger than her.
Giyuu had tried to reach out for the other members that had made it out alive, but to no avail. She didn't know as to where they were located, and it would be weird for them to get a strangers message saying they want to be their friends.
She will have to just find them in possible joint missions.
So instead she waited and began to improve in her house skills. Giyuu never took care of the water state and Urokodaki would have killed him if he ever knew that, so she had started to learn with Kie. She also practiced her swordsmanship skills to kill time after selling all of the charcoal.
Modifying her water breathing techniques with the Hinokami Kagura. Since she was able to see the dance as a way to see the similarities in them, she tought about new moves which could help her improve.
In her conclusion, they made certain attacks stronger and far harder to handle, especially the constant flux.
She also still needed to practise the ability Tanjuro had tought her.
It had already passed 20 days. The longest were said to be 15 so she was worried.
Was the ore I gave too hard?
Her walk to the village was tranquil as it could get during the snow walks, there was nothing out of the ordinary and just as evening was arriving she had already sold all of the charcoal.
"Hey, you."
Giyuu was cought off guard by the new guy who came to the small village, she was confused for a second before regaining her posture and recognizing the usual mask that all of the forgemasters from the swordsmith's village wore. He looked to be just around Tanjuro's height, wearing a large woven hat that hung a floral wind chimes, his robes designed with sunflowers, as the head was also wrapped by a dot pattern clothing.
"Are you Tomioka Giyuu?"
"Yes." The blacksmith was finally here.
Giyuu gave a goodbye to the shopkeeper as she paid him before guiding him to the house, until she saw him bowing down and taking out the sword in that instant, getting weird looks from the shopkeeper.
Worried, Giyuu decided drag the man out of the street which thankfully wasn't so full, or even with people at all.
After finally arriving at the house and being (forcibly) invited inside. The swordsmith could finally introduced himself.
"My name is Haganezuka, I am the one who forged the sword which will be used by Tomioka Giyuu. This is the nirichin blade. It's prime materials are the crimson sand and the crimson iron which are both bathed in the sun's rays every day---"
"Would you like some tea?" Tanjiro, posing out of the hall, innocently interrumpted the conversation after finding out a new face.
And it took more than 5 minutes for Haganezuka to answer.
"Are you the the scarlet red boy?" Giyuu switched her eyes between the blacksmith and Tanjiro.
The what now.
"If that child where to become a swordsman I'm sure he will be a hashira in no time."
Well that's... true...wait--
"Hashi?" Tanjiro looked around before answering. "We don't have scarlet tea. Sorry." Giyuu might die at the small toddler Tanjiro just innocently looking around for the tea.
"That's not what the man asked for Tanjiro."
"Any tea is fine."
Could have started with that. Giyuu turned to the man.
"And what is a scarlet boy?"
"It is A kid with red hair and bright crimson eyes, born from parents that are the closest to the sun, the heavens bless them with a fine child that no doubt would have a red nirichin blade, as red as their eyes and hair."
Giyuu had been sure that Tanjiro's blade was black in the dreams, though...
After battling Akaza, the blade had been red.
"A lucky child?"
"A gift of the heavens."
He isn't wrong.
"Why?"
"Didn't I just explained it?" he deadpanned, taking out the bandages that covered the nirichin blade.
"I mean how do you know all of this stuff."
"There was a man, one of the greatest swordsmans to ever live, he was so strong that even Muzan himself feared him or so they say."
A man like that existed.
Her eyes widened for a moment, someone so strong that even the king of demons who had to be taken out by drugs, the help of other demons and even 5 hashiras or 9 of them if you count Tanjiro and his friends being in that power level.
There was a man who could put Muzan in his place alone.
And all this time I tought the Hinokami Kagura was just a dance made from watching the breathing techniques.
"He was the breath user of the Sun, but in the end he let Muzan escape and was exiled from the Corps, by then there is also a rumour that his brother was turned into a demon too."
"H-he has a brother?!" are there any descendants then?
"Yes, but it was a long time ago so he must have been killed by a hashira."
"And descendants of either of them?!"
"Only Oyakata-Sama knows."
It could be one of the Hashiras then...
"How do you know this anyways?" She might have to stay more time in the swordsmith village if there are stories like this.
"Working isn't always easy, you have to get something to clear your mind. Now enough with it! Go on and grab your katana!"
Giyuu forgot about it entirely, grabbing down the hilt with her right and examining the blade with her left.
"It looks....really... Normal."
"Well of course it should!! It took me a week to finally mend the ore into a fine shape!! After all you were the one that asked for one of the hardest ores!!!"
"Please keep it down." Kie finally made her appearance, with a threatening aura lingering in her shadow which made the man stop shouting.
Scary.
After Kie was gone, Giyuu averted her gaze towards the sword.
It turned into a dark blue sword.
It looked exactly like a blue which was seen in flowers.... Or what her first tought was.
Like a blue spider lily.
Before, the blue on wasn't supposed to be this dark.
"Heh?! And here I tought your eyes and hair tips where going to help you."
"Is that another story?" Is there smething about it that she didn't know? She's almost starting to regret never overstaying her nights at the village.
"Blue bell eye warriors with darkened hair and blue stripes at the bottom of the hair were mostly water hashiras back in every era, and they shone the lightest set of blue hues they could be seen."
So...nothing else about the spider lily...
Before more stories could be heard, Kazanburo appeared, landing once again on top of Giyuu's hair.
"Caw caw! Your first mission is here! there have been mysterious cases of young kids suddenly disappearing in a small town on the northeast." He said pointing to the south. Making Giyuu bring back those memories filled with anxiety at her first battles.
She tried to remeber from her dream if it was one of the first missions that had appeared.
"Young kids..." she tought about it for some time before realizing that there was nothing about the mission in her collection.
It must be because I passed about 2 years earlier than usual.
Looking back at the blacksmith who was getting ready to leave she sat up and asked one more thing.
"Sir Haganezuka thank you for the sword and, is there a registration about the red swordwielders that you mentioned?"
The man, who was now opening the door turned back at her statement.
"Maybe in the swordsmiths village or with the Ubayashiki. Now off to your mission and you better not break my sword!!"
He said to later walk out from where he had come from.
"Ah! I couldn't give him the tea." Tanjiro came out from the Kitchen carrying a small cup of tea with both his tiny hands, being really slow in not sliping any of it.
How dare I let him go...
"It's alright Tanjiro, you can give him the next time you meet him."
The next day she was finally prepared with her... female... uniform?....
I remember Mitsuri wearing this, but why didn't Shinobu or Kanae have the same? Can't I get one of those?
It wasn't time to think about it, but before that Kie reluctantly asked for her to wear the maroon haori she had made for her to cover the bare skin that the uniform showed.
"Please, whenever you have the chance, you should ask for a different, less... revealing uniform." Kie felt like murdering the person who tought it was a good idea to aprove of these clothes. But she must keep it in... For now.
"Alright." Giyuu huged her mother one last time before finally setting out.
"Do you really need to go Nee-Chan?" Tanjiro said, a tear falling out of his small little scarlet eyes full of sparkles.
She doesn't want for those small eyes to face the same fate again, and this time it could probably be at a faster pace.
"Yes, but I promise to come back with some toys and sweets from different places." and bring enough money so that you and the rest finally get a good meal.
She has to come back alive, this time she won't hang on to the wishes of the dead, but rather the living. Like how Tanjiro wanted her to. How Sabito told her to do.
"G-good..bye" another sound of small sobs were heard from the back.
"Goodbye to you too Nezuko and Takeo. Take care of Otou-San for me while I'm gone alright?" Giyuu tried her best to not cry at a time like this.
The two went to hug her as soon as she smiled back.
"Nee-Chan pwease come back!" Nezuko replied.
"Yuu-Nee, wong ge hut!" Takeo said.
"I'll pray to the gods that you come back, so make sure to pray too!" Kie finished.
Her heart was so overwhelmed with the many emotions she held towards this family. In her past only Urokodaki-San would be the only one to bid him a farewell, and after that, the Koucho sisters. But once they had been gone, the only one who would bid him a goodbye was the warmth of the place he had slept in.
"Of course, I will pray and come back so just wait for me." A tear finally fell through her eye.
"Where is my goodbye?" the words of the frail Tanjuro reached the family's ears, and everyone frantically walked to him, Kie pleading him to not overextend himself.
"I was going to go to your room Otou-San! You can't walk as much!" The man only chuckled once he was seated to the floor.
"It's alright, this will be your first mission so I only wanted to give you a small present before you go."
His hand opened to reveal a small red ribbon, in which she instantly kneelt down, so that her hair faced him.
The braided hair was let loose only to be tied back into a small bun as the ends of the ribbon where let to wander off freely.
"Go foward with your fate and your head high Giyuu."
There was no lie that Tanjuro was the most scared and worried for her safety.
He didn't wish for the girl to fight, not even lift a sword.
But if what happened in her dream could become a reality.
Than he can't stop it, he would only worsen the fate if Giyuu didn't go down this path now.
He wouldn't forgive himself if a lot of more people are willing to die than intended.
He felt as helpless as the sick man he was, wondering if he could do something more.
Wondering if he can live just a little longer so that he might protect the rest of his family from a cruel fate.
He wishes, and at last those wishes were answered before he even questioned them.
He could make Giyuu stronger.
He could teach her about the see through world.
The Hinokami Kagura, she could learn from it.
He wouldn't let the opportunity down even as he got weaker by the day.
Just like how the sun rose to bright everyone's days, he must rise Giyuu to her best outcome, he must brighten up her fate.
This is possibly a second chance by the gods. If so, he must do the best not to waste it.
After the last small and fragile hug, the oldest child was ready to set out.
And the snow carried her on, to a new world.
____________________________________________
Author notes:
I have like a freaking presentation due tomorrow and I'm bearly even close to finishing it.... But I don't wannaaa...
Also want to know the training montage?
-clean the house
-make food
-gather the wood
-fight boars (then it escalated to bears)
-practise the Hinokami Kagura(it's main points... So like copy the style in the best way)
-run up the hills
-eat
-fight more boars and catch wild animals
-sell charcoal(on the weekends)
-meditate (for that sweet sweet op power tanjiro used to become a invincible--)
-spar with Tanjuro for some time( but after he got sick she now just practises alone.)
-sleep(my favorite routine too.)
Also I am legit not sure but don't Hanako and Shigeru look like twins? Imma make them twins.
Tanjiro is 6
Nezuko is 5
Takeo is 4
Hanako and Shigeru are 1.