Mitsuri was nice to everyone. A bright smile was nearly always on her face, and she was incredibly easy to talk to. So easy to talk to, that even Giyu, who was notoriously bad at talking and known for his silence, could hold a conversation with her with relative ease. And maybe it was because of that ease that Giyu found himself wanting to talk to Mitsuri.
He stopped himself from indulging in that selfish desire. Mitsuri was a Hashira. A proper Hashira. She earned her spot. He wasn't like her; he was given the title because the one who was supposed to have it died doing the very thing Hashira were supposed to do. He couldn't waste her time like that.
Unfortunately, Mitsuri was persistent. Before every Pillar meeting, she would come up to him to talk, and at the end of every meeting, she would approach him again to continue talking. And as much as he enjoyed their conversations, he tried not to keep her too long. Today, however, Mitsuri decided she wasn't letting him off so easily.
"Aw, you're leaving already?" Mitsuri said with a slight pout, and Giyu felt bad knowing he was the cause of her being upset.
"I'm sorry. I need to go to the Water Mansion before I start my patrol."
Mitsuri's eyes lit up, and she took an eager step forward. "Can I go with you?"
Giyu blinked. She… She wanted to go with him? To the mansion? He didn't really get visitors. The closest he got to regular visits was Shinobu for medical reasons and Kyojuro for sparring sessions. But those were few and far between. Realizing he was keeping Mitsuri waiting, he opened his mouth to say 'no'. Only to find himself completely incapable of doing so for two reasons: one, the thought of upsetting Mitsuri more than she already was made him feel guilty, and two, Obanai had come storming up to them. Shoving himself between them and giving Giyu a particularly nasty glare. He seemed ready to rip Giyu's head off.
Thankfully, Mitsuri stepped in before anything could be done. "H-hey, no fighting!" Her hands were raised in a placating manner, and a panicked look was on her face.
Immediately, Obanai turned to face her, looking embarrassed. "I'm sorry. Forgive me." Not even half a second later, a rage-filled glare was once again directed at Giyu. Giyu could only imagine what he wanted to say.
Mitsuri brought her attention back to Giyu. "Can I go with you, Tomioka?"
Glancing between the eager Mitsuri and the livid Obanai, Giyu said, "Next time." He'd be lying if he said he wasn't surprised by his own answer. He should've said no—he meant to say no—but he didn't, and he certainly couldn't now. His voice was quiet, and he barely heard himself, but it must've been loud and clear for the two of them because Mitsuri gave an excited gasp and Obanai a somehow even more intense glare. A scowl that deep had to be uncomfortable to maintain.
"Really? You mean it?" Mitsuri asked as she took another step forward, and Giyu couldn't help shifting back slightly.
"If you want to."
"Of course I want to! I wouldn't ask if I didn't."
Giyu could only give a slight nod of his head as he tried to process that. Not knowing what else to say, he decided to take his leave. "I'll see you at the next meeting, Kanroji."
Mitsuri beamed, and Giyu couldn't help but stare, if only for a second. A smile that warm and bright and genuine… directed at him. It reminded him of Tsutako, but there was something else to it that he couldn't quite place. What was it about Mitsuri's smile? Catching himself before he fell down that rabbit hole, he began to leave. He could feel Obanai glaring daggers into the back of his head. Or maybe it would be fangs.
"Bye, Tomioka! See you next time!" Mitsuri called out behind him in a sing-song voice.
"Goodbye," he said while forcing himself to keep moving. Shinobu and Kyojuro also said goodbye to him, and he heard Obanai say something about being able to properly appreciate Mitsuri's company.
As Giyu walked back to the Water Mansion, his mind kept repeating his conversation with Mitsuri, and the realization of what he had just done was finally dawning on him. Why did he agree to this? Well, he knew why, but even now, he couldn't believe himself. What part of 'Mitsuri's an actual Hashira and he's not' did he not understand? On top of that oversight, he now gave Obanai even more reason to hate him. He knew Obanai liked to be around Mitsuri—everyone knew—but here Giyu was being selfish. Next time he saw her, he'd make sure to correct his mistake so she could spend time with people who were actually worth her time and effort.
He'd hate to see her upset, though.
Pushing that thought as far down as he could, he resolved that she'd be far more upset once she realized how much she wasted on him. It was for the best. With that decided, Giyu now tried to figure out why Mitsuri wanted to go with him to the mansion. There was nothing to see, and any Hashira she asked would be sure to tell her that. He'd hate for her to visit just to be disappointed. Maybe he could cook to make it up to her. If he recalled correctly, sakura mochi was her favorite food. Or at least one of them. He'd need to make sure to buy the ingredients shortly before the next Pillar meeting so they'd be fresh. And he'd need to get a lot since Mitsuri had a large appetite. Giyu blinked as he realized he'd immediately forgotten his plan. A silent sigh escaped him. This was going to be more difficult than it needed to be, wasn't it?
Unfortunately, Giyu hadn't come across Mitsuri once after the meeting, and his inability to be social wasn't helping. It's not that he didn't try, but he backed out of the idea of going to Mitsuri's mansion himself before he even stepped out of his front door. He could hear Sabito telling him to man up and stop being such a coward, but he still couldn't bring himself to do it. What was wrong with him?
As the months passed, Mitsuri's future visit faded in the back of his mind as more pressing matters took priority. Such as accidentally coming across Tanjiro and Nezuko on Mount Natagumo and their trial. Save for the unnecessary squabbling between Sanemi, Obanai, and Tanjiro, the meeting went on smoothly. Once it had ended, Giyu was ready to take his leave until Sanemi felt the need to disturb the peace.
"TOMIOKA!" the Wind Hashira bellowed as he stomped up to Giyu.
Do you have to be so loud? Giyu thought as he watched the infuriated Sanemi approach. The master only just left, he can probably still hear us.
"Hey, stop it!" Mitsuri said nervously as she rushed to put herself between them, desperate to stop the oncoming fight.
"Kanroji!" Obanai was quick to go to her side. "Don't get yourself hurt for Tomioka's sake."
Sanemi stopped, but his glower deepened from Mitsuri's attempt to intervene. "What do you think you're playing at, asshole?! Sparing a demon! You think the rules don't apply to you?!"
"I'm not playing at anything," answered Giyu simply as he moved around Mitsuri and Obanai to face Sanemi himself. He appreciated Mitsuri's gesture, and he didn't want to fight, but he didn't need protection. Nor did he need to be reminded of the times Tsutako had done the same.
"Come on, guys." Mitsuri's voice was meek.
Obanai glared at Sanemi. "Stop it, Shinazugawa."
Sanemi ignored them. "You think you're so high and mighty, don't you? Breaking the rules and spitting in the face of the corps."
"You break the rules, Shinazugawa," Giyu stated.
Sanemi gritted his teeth so hard to the point a vein became visible. His voice became dangerously low, "What are you going on about?" He took a step forward.
"Cut it out!" Mitsuri had also taken a step forward, in what may have been a vain attempt to stop a fight had it not been for a hand landing on Sanemi's shoulder.
The ever-present smile of Kyojuro greeted the four bickering Hashira. "That is quite enough, Shinazugawa. It is against the rules of the corps to fight your fellow members."
Shinobu added, "Or you can keep going if you wish to prove Tomioka's point."
Not that most of the Hashira needed to be reminded of the Wind Hashira's track record. Sanemi's eye twitched.
"Either way, the master has already made up his mind. So unless you wish to go against his orders…"
A slight grimace crossed Sanemi's face as he balled up his fists in frustration.
"I would advise you treat the Kamado siblings with respect and leave Tomioka alone. Of course, that's just what I think."
A second of heavy silence passed before Sanemi let out a frustrated growl and stormed off back to stand beside the tree Obanai loved to rest in.
Shinobu hummed. "Well, now that that's settled, don't you two have a walk to be going on?"
Giyu blinked. Walk?
Mitsuri gasped, "Oh! I almost forgot! Are you ready, Tomioka?"
What walk? Giyu turned around. An excited Mitsuri and a livid Obanai looked back at him.
That walk! He couldn't believe it. Three months—Three. Months.—and not once did he come across Mitsuri! He needed to tell her that she shouldn't, that it'd be a waste of her time. Unfortunately, like every other time Giyu had tried to let the Love Hashira down, he backed down. Sabito would tell him it wasn't manly to not speak his mind, but he would also tell him it wasn't manly to break his promise. He told Mitsuri next time and next time was here. And Tsutako would love to see him talking to someone like Mitsuri. They'd probably get along.Just this once, he hesitantly decided. She'd quickly realize her mistake and never visit him again, but hopefully they'd still talk. He pushed the painful thought of Mitsuri never talking to him again far, far away. "Let's go," he said quietly and began walking.
Mitsuri's smile grew and she quickly waved behind her as she went to his side. Her voice took on a sing-song tone, "Bye, everyone! See you later!"
"Goodbye, Kanroji," Obanai said first, though Giyu couldn't help but notice the slight strain in the Serpent Hashira's voice. Maybe he shouldn't be doing this after all.
Shinobu was next to see them off. "Bye, Mitsuri. Bye, Tomioka. I hope you two have a good walk."
Followed by Kyojuro. "Farewell, Kanroji, and Tomioka. I hope to see you two again soon."
Now Tengen. "See ya!"
Muichiro. "Bye."
And finally, Gyomei. "Goodbye, Kanroji, Tomioka. May your walk be a safe one." A prayer left his lips as he lightly rubbed his prayer beads together.
"Goodbye," Giyu said as he and Mitsuri walked away. It was weird to have so many of the Hashira acknowledge he was leaving. It felt kind of nice. He tried not to focus too hard on the daggers being glared into his back. If looks could kill…
Dirt and gravel crunched beneath their feet as they left the Ubuyashiki Mansion. Giyu enjoyed the scenery as he and Mitsuri began their walk. It was a nice day for one; sunny with enough clouds in the sky for some shade if the wind blew the right way. Giyu found himself once again getting lost in thought as he wondered if Mitsuri really wanted to do this. Surely Shinobu and Kyojuro informed her of what little the Water Mansion had to offer. As he mulled over this, he realized something, Mitsuri hadn't said anything yet. Was she okay? He looked at her and she looked back at him. She was smiling, but she looked… nervous, and he must've been seeing things because he swore her face had the slightest hint of pink. The sun, maybe?
"Are you okay?"
Mitsuri let out an awkward giggle. "Yeah, I'm good! Why do you ask?" The smile suddenly dropped from her face. "Is something wrong?"
"No, but you seem…" Giyu didn't quite know the word as he watched Mitsuri fiddle with the loose ends of one of her braids. "Occupied," he settled on.
Her face became a slightly brighter pink—he wasn't seeing things—as her anxious smile returned. "Oh! No. Just… thinking! About something stupid." What may have been another awkward laugh was cut off as her face became brighter and she frantically corrected herself, "It's not stupid! It's not stupid."
Giyu couldn't help but blink. She didn't need to defend her thoughts. Mitsuri looked away from him and let the ground hold her attention. Her embarrassment made itself apparent as her face took on an even brighter pink hue—stupidly, Giyu noticed it nicely matched her hair. Did he do something wrong? If she was finding it hard to talk to him, which would be a first for her as far as he was aware, he didn't want to force her to keep going. Maybe they could do this another time?
"Um…" Mitsuri looked back up at him. "Thank you. For helping me up back at the meeting."
It took Giyu longer than he'd like to admit to realize what she was talking about. Right. Tengen, in his surprise at learning Tanjiro had encountered Muzan, had accidentally knocked Mitsuri to the ground, and he hadn't even noticed. "You're welcome."
A few seconds of awkward silence passed before Mitsuri said, "What you did for Kamado and his sister was really brave, Tomioka."
"It wasn't brave. I just did what I believed needed to be done."
"Still! I think it's brave. To put everything on the line like that to do what you think is right."
A beat passed before Giyu replied, "If you say so."
Mitsuri then proudly puffed out her chest as a bright, confident smile replaced her nervous features, and she crossed her arms in what was almost a spitting image of Kyojuro. "Well, I do say so! And I say that Tomioka is one of the bravest members of the corps!"For a moment, Giyu thought to refute Mitsuri's claim, but she was in a better mood, and he'd hate to ruin it. "Thank you, Kanroji," he accepted quietly.
She beamed. "You're welcome! Oh, that reminds me, how did you find the Kamado siblings?"
Giyu remembered Shinobu's disinterest in his explanation, and he didn't want to bog this down. "It's a long story."
"I don't mind," she chirped.
"Are you sure?" He'd much rather listen to her talk.
"Yeah." She nodded.
If she said so. Giyu began his explanation, trying to keep it as concise as possible. He told her of the demon he had been chasing across the mountains, how he believed it may have been one of the Twelve Demon Moons since he couldn't catch up to it, coming across the dead Kamado family, Tanjiro's and Nezuko's attempts to protect each other, and sending them off to his teacher.
"Oh, wow. Your teacher really trusts you, Tomioka."
Giyu nodded. "He's a good man. Stern, but always kind."
"Like you," Mitsuri noted.
Giyu blinked and he looked at her. She only smiled back. "I'm not… I'm nothing like my teacher."
She did a slight tilt of her head as a finger raised to her lips and her eyebrows lowered. "Why do you say that?"
"Mr. Urokodaki…" Doesn't constantly disappoint and fail those around him. He couldn't say that. Even if it's true, it'll cause her to worry, and the last thing he needs to do is trouble her with his burdens. He finds himself grasping at straws of what he could possibly say that won't cause her to panic or make her uncomfortable. He's about to double down and repeat himself in the hopes that she catches on and realizes he doesn't want to talk about it when Mitsuri speaks up.
"I know I don't know your teacher personally, but I think stern, but kind is a good way to describe you. You're always quiet and by yourself, and you always look ready for anything, but even though you prefer to be alone, you always talk to me, and you're always so courteous too."
"Shinazugawa and Iguro would disagree." Actually, he was certain all the Hashira would. He never tried to be rude—Tsutako raised him better than that—but his ability to communicate clearly started deteriorating the day he got his first mission as a demon slayer and left his teacher's home in the mountains.
"Well, that just means there's room for improvement. I'm sure they'd love to be friends once they got the chance to know you."
For the sake of letting Mitsuri keep her peace of mind, he nodded. He wasn't sure if she noticed, but Obanai only looked angry whenever he was around, and Sanemi could barely hold a conversation with either of them without looking like he was on the verge of screaming. Or maybe she did notice and she wanted things to get better, and that's why she kept trying.
"Do you want to get something to eat?" Mitsuri's face had a slight pink hue to it again. "I'm starting to feel a bit peckish." She lightly tapped the tips of her fingers together.
"I was planning on cooking sakura mochi."
A loud, excited gasp escaped her and her eyes lit up. "Really?!"
He nodded. "The Water Mansion doesn't have much to it, and I don't want you to come all this way to leave with nothing."
Mitsuri breathed out lightly, looking touched by the offer. "I wouldn't have minded. Really! Are you sure you want to cook though? I, um, I do eat a lot," she mumbled quietly.
He nodded again. He had eaten out with her once after a joint mission, he knew what he was getting himself into. And if he had overestimated himself, he would make sure not to do so next time. "I don't mind. I do need to get the ingredients, however. You can stay in the mansion in the meantime."
"I don't mind going with you. We can even get the ingredients for your favorite food while we're there."
Giyu couldn't help perking up slightly at the thought of having a bowl of simmered salmon with radish. It has been a while since he's had some. Ah, but Mitsuri was his guest. He needed to prioritize making sure she was happy. He hated the thought of missing a chance to have salmon with radish, but he could always make himself some later. Maybe after she left. "Next time," he said.
"'Next time'?" Mitsuri echoed.Ah. He overstepped. He hadn't meant to assume. Giyu prepared to apologize for making her uncomfortable but Mitsuri cut him off.
"Next time!" she said again, excited. "Okay, next time you can come over to my mansion, and I'll cook for you! What's your favorite food?"
Giyu hesitated for a second, a bit caught off guard. "Simmered salmon with radish."
"Ooh, that sounds good! Consider it done! I'll make you some of the best simmered salmon with radish you've ever had!" A determined smile punctuated her statement.
Giyu wouldn't lie, he doubted she'd be able to beat his family's recipe, but he also knew that was personal bias, and he wasn't against being surprised. He couldn't stop the small smile that tugged at his lips. While the thought of having salmon with radish definitely caused it, he couldn't help but wonder if Mitsuri's smile was contagious. It was a pretty smile. "I look forward to it."
Mitsuri gasped quietly as the blush returned to her cheeks. "You have such a nice smile, Tomioka," she marveled. "You should really smile more, it looks good on you."
Said smile only lasted for another second before Giyu's neutral expression returned. Was his smile actually that nice? It certainly seemed to bring Mitsuri joy, but… everyone else who's ever seen him smile was always creeped out by it. He remembered Shinobu saying she nearly lost her appetite after seeing it a few years ago. Though Mitsuri wasn't the kind of person to mess with him. If she said it, then there must be some merit to it. Or maybe she was seeing things. He quickly decided not to dwell on it. "Thank you."
"You're welcome!" she cheered.
The walk to the village near the Water Mansion is filled with Mitsuri excitedly chatting about the new recipes she's learned, and Giyu gladly listens. He learns that omurice and pork chops are also her favorite foods, and that there's a Western food called 'pancakes' she's interested in. She's quick to offer to make him some when he visits. He tries, and fails, to get her to reconsider, and soon enough, simmered salmon with radish as well as food sampling are on the table for his visit to the Love Mansion. The warm, bright smile on Mitsuri's face convinces him not to try and dissuade her again, and Giyu decides it feels nice to have something to look forward to after the next meeting, and he hopes she feels the same.
Shinobu: How was the Water Mansion, Mitsuri? I hope Tomioka wasn't too boring.
Mitsuri: It was wonderful! Tomioka's such a nice host. He made me sakura mochi and it was so good!
Shinobu: Well, that's nice. I was worried the two of you would spend the whole time sitting in silence.
Kyojuro: It most certainly is. I'm glad you had a good time with Tomioka, Kanroji.
Mitsuri: Oh, I just remembered! I invited Tomioka to our training session. Is that okay, Rengoku?
Kyojuro: But of course! The more, the merrier!
Mitsuri: Yay! I'll make simmered salmon with radish and miso soup with sweet potatoes!
Kyojuro: That sounds wonderful! Care to join us, Kocho?
Shinobu: I'll sit this one out, but thank you for the invitation. Now it's time for a Taisho Era secret! Mitsuri actually wanted to ask Tomioka to see the Water Mansion the meeting before the one she asked, but she got so nervous that she couldn't bring herself to do it at all. It took some encouragement from me and Rengoku, but when she finally asked, we were both surprised Tomioka said 'yes'. Even if he did delay it by three months.Author's Note: I accidentally made Shinobu and Kyojuro Mitsuri's wingman/wingwoman and, to some extent, GiyuMitsu shippers. Kyojuro wouldn't even know exactly what it is he's rooting for at first, but so long as it's not bad and Giyu and Mitsuri are happy, they have his full support. Shinobu, meanwhile, would tease them about the future wedding while having it fully planned out with the help of Aoi, Kanao, the Caterpillar Trio, Tanjiro, Nezuko, Urokodaki, Mitsuri's family, and maybe even the Ubuyashikis. The only reason Kyojuro isn't let in on it is because he usually can't keep a secret to save his life, and if Tengen learned about the plans, he'd absolutely come barging in so he could help Giyu 'do something flashy for once in his life'. Kyojuro and Senjuro are in charge of catering.
Also, I hope it didn't seem like I was trying to bash on Obanai or anything, but jealous Obanai kind of comes with the territory of any Mitsuri ship, even ObaMitsu. I also don't know how to write Obanai, so that's also a problem. From what I do know about him, though, he's basically a quieter Sanemi.
I hope you enjoyed the read. Until next time. Bye~