Giyuu wiped his tears away. Although he wasn't completely embarrassed, he was still ashamed of expressing his personal feelings to a person that didn't want anything to do with him.
"Sorry." Giyuu mutters.
In a surprising move, Tanjiro sat right beside him. He took a deep, long breath, and exhaled
"So you aren't going?" Tanjiro asked.
Giyuu still hadn't decided. "...I don't know."
"I think you should."
"Well, if I do, then-"
Then it'll happen again. It happens every single time.
"Then what, Tomioka-san?"
Giyuu couldn't let Tanjiro know that. "...nothing."
The air was still in that moment in time. The only things that weren't frozen were the birds, the trees, and the elements of nature. A familiar moment of tranquility. Some call it an awkward pause. Some call it lack of social skills. Giyuu called it the end of a conversation.
Then Tanjiro spoke up, and the world started spinning again
"Back when my family was killed..." Tanjiro said. "I didn't know what to do. I was quite lost, just like Kochou was, in a way. Stuck in a state of shock and horror."
Giyuu kept his gaze on the lake. He was convinced that no amount of motivational speaking would pull him out of this melancholy.
"But after you spared Nezuko, I... I felt like I finally regained my purpose. It was the exact same purpose I had my whole life. Family. Nezuko was my only family back then."
Giyuu still stared into the lake, but his ears were drawn to Tanjiro's voice.
"That purpose still stays with me today! Now I have a new family! Zenitsu, Inosuke, Kanao, Aoi, and... well, you. My life has purpose thanks to you guys."
Tanjiro adjusted his sitting position to be more comfortable.
"I think my family would be proud of what I've done. All the people I've met.
And I think yours would be proud as well."
Giyuu looked back at Tanjiro. He almost never spoke about his family, but now he was forced to reflect.
"Okayata-sama gave you purpose. I think... no, I know... that the Giyuu I know would do anything for his family."
Giyuu chuckled. Not out of mockery, but out of understanding. Ever since Shinobu left, he's been ignoring his own purpose.
What would Sabito do? What would Tsutako do?
Finally, it all clicked in his head.
In her final moments, Tsutako never faltered. Despite the hopeless situation, her final action held true to her purpose.
She protected Giyuu.
In Sabito's final moments, Giyuu was unconcious and vulnerable. Any sensible person would have left him for dead, but not Sabito. Sabito had a purpose. His final action served that purpose.
He protected Giyuu.
Giyuu finally realized why everyone he touched had an unpleasant end. The people he loved were people who loved him back. It was only after he lost them that he realized that he was taking his loved ones for granted.
And now, Shinobu was taking her loved ones for granted.
It was his turn to be the savior.
Giyuu smiled. He thought of all the times Mitsuri would hug her, all the times Aoi would smile at her, all the times Tanjiro offered to help her. Of course, there were the times when she teased and annoyed him, but oddly enough he was never bothered by it. Now, he felt like he wanted it. He wanted all those memories to come back.
Thank you for saving me. Sabito. Tsutako.
"Get up." Giyuu said.
"Huh?" Tanjiro looked up.
"We're gonna find Kochou."
Tanjiro leaped up with a bright smile on his face. "YATTA!"
Giyuu grabbed his Nichirin blade and belt. Once he got back to his estate, he packed food, water bottles, wisteria petals, anything he could find.
This time, he was going to break the cycle. This time, the savior was going to live.
He walked out of his estate, geared up and ready. The sunbeams slicing through the trees shone on Giyuu's face like a spotlight. Giyuu, despite having the same neutral expression, gave off a confident, heroic, almost smug expression. His haori flapped around in the wind like a flag. It felt like the spirits of Sabito and Tsutako were raising it up.
Tanjiro, also fully geared up and now with Nezuko strapped on his back. came out of the shrubbery and stared at Giyuu. His peculiar appearance caught Tanjiro by surprise.
Giyuu looked at Tanjiro. "Well? Don't stop now, lets go."
. . .
Zenitsu laid on a hill of flowers, bored out of his mind. Although he was thankful that he wasn't on a mission, he was still in the mood for a bit of excitement.
Suddenly, he heard human voices. Slayers.
"So where do you think she's headed?"
That was definitely Tanjiro.
"Mitsue. I'm sure she'll lead a trail of demons behind her, and that'll help track her down."
The water Hashira? Wow, never thought he would speak an actual sentence. His tone sounds low and bassy, but the texture of his vibration is thin and high-pitched, like smooth sandpaper being rubbed on a shamisen's strings.
"Do you plan on taking shifts watching camp?"
Camp? Were they paired up on a mission or something?
"That's fine! After all, I have NEZUKO-CHAN with me-"
Zentisu's exhaustion was immediately torn away at the sound of that name. Zenitsu bolted up and sprinted towards the voices, trampling all the flowers without a care. His face was of pure determination, the true mark of a simp.
"NEEEEEEEEZUKO-CHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN !!!!!!!!!!!" Zenitsu screamed with all his might. He may not have been a knight in shining armor, but a dumb face and lightning speed was all you really need to win over a girl like Nezuko.
Of course, this was Zenitsu's wishful thinking. It's quite worrying, actually. His hormones almost feel like a mental illness. Maybe he needs therapy. Or a vasectomy. (That is, if a wimp like Zenitsu ever had any balls to begin with.)
END OF CHAPTER 10
Lmao.
That last part was pretty cringeworthy, sorry. I think I was on crack when I wrote that.
Am I on crack right now?
Maybe?
Eh, doesn't really matter.
Anyway, originally Zenitsu wasn't even supposed to appear, but I think his presence was required, as I needed him for a future scene.
Stay tuned for the next chapter, coming out in a few hours!
-Mr. Veyrum
DISCLAIMER: The crack jokes were just jokes. I do not actually possess any illegal drugs of any kind.
Or do I? ;)