𝕋𝕖𝕒𝕔𝕙𝕖𝕣'𝕤 𝕡𝕖𝕥 // Tengen Uzui x reader (+18)

Chapter 53 | Trainer

Oyakata-sama falls silent; considering.
He opens his mouth to say something but decides not to. His cup of tea stays untouched.
"Did you bury him?", he asks mildly.

Apparently he is aware of your feelings towards him.

"Hopefully you realize that there was nothing left of his body to actually bury him", you snap.
You uncross your legs but cross your arms, still trying to look down on Oyakata-sama. You don't care that it makes you look aloof.
"What was left of him", you continue, "joined my family's grave. Only I am left now to be put aside my parents, sister and brother."

Oyakata-sama's little smile doesn't return.
"You opened their grave?", he digs deeper.

Sure, that was the kernel of the information. You hold back. Rolling your eyes is unnecessary in front of a blind person.

"It's my family's grave. I am allowed to bury my family there if no one else will do it. It's not like I opened the whole grave. As I said there wasn't much left of Shin to actually call it a funeral", you explain.

You call back the image of your dirty hands holding Shin's kimono one last time before dropping it and covering it with soil.

Oyakata-sama stays silent, again. The tips of his finger brush over his jawline, searching for a response.
"I'm sorry for your loss and... everything else. I guess a few of us misunderstood things."

If you wouldn't want to be the girl without pity for hashiras your mouth would be agape now.

"Will you be there? In two weeks?", he wants to know. Hope and longing are in his voice.

Will you become a part of the demon slayer corps again? is what he wants to ask.

"It's gonna be a surprise", you answer. No sympathy is in your voice.

Oyakata-sama nods and smiles as if you had agreed.
You rise from your chair and your leathers rustle. The thought of going back to Yoshiwara makes your stomach curl. You slightly bare your teeth - a habit that settled with the side effects of the drugs.

Oyakata-sama slightly tilts his head. Knowing.
"You can stay here if you want. I'm sure Tanjirou and his friends would appreciate it. They are visiting me the day after tomorrow to ask me for a new trainer. Maybe you could take the job", he suggests and rises, too.

The ill feeling in your guts instantly vanishes. It's been long, so long, since you last met them. You wonder how Nezuko developed. You've been sending her the medication Shin created regularly so she can speak and act freely around her brother. However you never got report of the results.
As for Inosuke: He never saw you differently from others. Perhaps because he isn't the most normal guy. Being with him always made you feel settled somehow. You can be you around him without any judgement from him. All he does is longing for challenges.
Zenitsu is the entertainer of the trio. Seeing him ogling at Nezuko non stop is worth a drama movie. Although it's difficult to actually have a conversation with him you would love to get to know him better. His breathing style is impressive, his speed outranking every hashira to ever exist.
You owe them, you realize.
And you need a distraction.
So why not?
It's not forever, is it?

"Inform Tori on how they decide", is all you answer.

Oyakata-sama's facial muscles relax before his lips tug into the peaceful smile again.
"I will and I appreciate our conversation", Oyakata-sama responds.

Within seconds you vanish from his garden and into the wood, guarded by Obanai-san. He wisely doesn't cross your path as you jump from branch to branch. The trees are so familiar it's unnerving. Your chest tightens the closer you get to the spot. THAT spot. The plants that once withered have grown again. However the slashes in the trees' bark didn't close completely. No one would notice them though unless they knew what happened.
From your spot high up in the trees you overlook the area. You never considered to come back here. Slowly you move through the trees and finally jump on the ground. The sun is in the same spot as it was the month ago. Proud, strong, lethal. A blessing for those who fear the darkness and cherish the warmth.

You swallow.
Steady but careful you walk over the healthy grass towards the ledge. You look to the right, where Makio threw her kunai at you. You look to the left where Shin fought Tengen-san and decided it was not worth it. As you reach the end of the ledge you need a few seconds to not panic. Then you look down. The chasm you expected is gone. Not gone gone but it changed. There are people mining. Donkeys trotting over bridges and carrying blankets, timber and sachets. Horses and cows are pulling wagons filled with ores and debris from the chasm to somewhere else. Men shout at each other in synchrony with their pickaxes crashing down on the stone. The chasm got deeper and wider.
No trace is left of what happened.
Perhaps it's better this way.
The sunlight meets your head and warms your back; for comfort or as a warning.

"How come that even though the meeting is in two weeks, all of you decide to show up early? No demons left to dance with?", you ask drily and without taking your gaze off the miners.

He doesn't answer immediately. Where is he? You don't know. Just that he is there, behind you, watching you.

"Did Obanai-san leave already?", you ask not expecting an answer.

One would not hear his movement. Only the leaves whisper it to you. That he shifts from one leg on another.

The miners call something and stop their work. They gather in a spot and bring food with them. Then they take a seat on the ground or on boulders and start their break.

"You won't talk to me then", you state.

Wether it's because he is angry or just too lazy, you don't know.
You turn around, the sun blinding you. Between the trees hid in shadows the water hashira stares at you with an unreadable face. His katana is sheathed, his arms hang relaxed at his sides.

"Will I see you there?", he finally wants to know.

You know what he means. Yet you wonder why he asks this.
"Most likely. Depends on your comrades", you answer.

"Good."

You lift your eyebrows and open your mouth to say something but Giyu-san already vanished.