The Mission | Sanemi X Giyuu | Demon Slayer

28

Sanemi's pov. 

The cold wind signaled that it was time for both of them to leave the withering forest. However, it did take a while as neither of them was impatient to let go of each other's warm embrace. The last meeting with the Hashira seemed to have been two hours ago, but Sanemi wasn't so certain. Perhaps it was even longer than that. 

"Sanemi, where should we go now?" Giyuu asked as he pushed himself up from the cold ground. 

"Actually, I was just about to ask you," Sanemi answered back as he also stood up. 

"Well... I was thinking if we could go back to that inn where you stayed for those few nights when you were heavily injured. I want to thank the old man who took care of you. In an odd way, he sort of reminds me of my master, Urokodaki-san. Maybe it's his kindness."

Shit. If Giyuu likes this old man, I'm fucked. He probably thought I was going to take his life when I started choking him. Well, I don't exactly regret it either. That helped me find Giyuu...

"Ah, I see... Wait!"

"Yes?"

"You said he took care of me which meant he was the one who changed my clothing and bandages?!" 

"Well, yes because I was busy trying to search for Kocho. Was that a problem?"

"No, of course not... totally wasn't... and I never assumed you were the one who changed my clothes and sealed up my wounds. No, no there's no problem. None at all."

"Okay then..." Giyuu said as he looked at him with a confused and strange expression. 

Haha... great. 

"Right, Giyuu don't you have something to give back to me?"

"Um... Oh! You're sword. Here. I became used to carrying around the extra weight with me that I forgot I even had it."

"You know you could have just left it in the inn, right?"

"I was afraid that maybe while you were unconscious someone might come into your room and use it against you. I know that may sound foolish as there could have been demons coming in instead. I guess at the moment I wasn't in the right mind to think and left to find Kocho. Because you didn't have a sword, I came back to the inn and entrusted the old man to not let you leave to go find me. I guess that didn't really work..." 

"Yeah... I was really desperate to find you."

"Then, I'm glad we're both still here."

Their journey to the inn began. Neither of their energy would allow them to sprint to their destination, so instead, they would have to take a long and tedious walk. Their gazes wandered through the endless, almost barren forest trees, hand in hand. 

Once they'd arrived at their journey's end, it was already late afternoon. As the season turned colder, the sky gradually became darker by the minute. Just in a few hours, it would be sunset. The town was quiet and slow unlike how it was during the festival. He still couldn't believe in those few days that passed while he was unconscious, the beautiful rich-colored leaves would fall from their trees so quickly. Winter was approaching too fast for his liking. 

"Come on let's go inside," Giyuu said as he pulled Sanemi towards the entrance. 

They went inside and took their shoes off near the entrance, neatly placing them together. Down the narrow dimly lit hallway, they saw a beautiful young woman who wore a plain pink kimono carrying a tray of food. She caught the sound of their footsteps and looked in their direction. They seemed to have taken the woman by surprise when she saw the swords that Sanemi and Giyuuu were carrying. Illegal items. She immediately screamed for help, dropping and breaking the bowls of hot food onto the hard floor.