Giyuu x Shinobu

An Unexpected Question

They sat on the back porch, looking over at the estate's beautiful zen garden. To Giyuu's left, Shinobu seemed to be lost in her thoughts, staring blankly into the distance. Her cup of tea was held tightly between her palms, untouched, and near her chest.
Giyuu frowned.
It was rare for her to be silent, especially with him, her main target for taunting. From years of close partnership with the young woman, he knew that these were the moments when he really needed to pay attention to what she did or didn't say.
Giyuu closed his eyes, listening to the trees rustle gently from the wind.
"It's almost time, huh..." she said finally.
"Hn..."
"Hey Tomioka-san..."
"Hm?"
She hesitated for a moment. "Would you cry if I died?"
Giyuu turned to face her now, eyes widening. He was met by her serious expression.
"Why Kochou... Are you planning on dying?" he asked.
Her serious face faltered, replaced by one of half-amusement.
"Hmm... I don't know a lot of people who plan to die," she joked, swatting her hand at him.
Giyuu clicked his tongue, turning away to look at the scenery again.
"It's not good to joke about things like that. You're too young, anyhow."
She giggled at this, scooting a little closer to him now.
"Ara, ara... That was almost sweet of you to say, Tomioka-san," she cooed, nudging him lightly with her elbow.
"But you know... I think that I've already had quite a fulfilling life...," she confessed.
Giyuu scoffed, turning to give her an unimpressed look.
"Don't be a fool, Kochou. What we Hashira have... It isn't really what I'd call a happy life. You were a child when you got roped into this mess ... You should have been enjoying your youth, growing up with your friends and family in normal circumstances. By now, you could have fallen in love with someone and gotten happily married..." he went on.
"Oh? You think I would've married?" she asked him, clearly amused at the thought.
He shrugged.
"Why not? You seem to be attractive to many in our organization, especially the male recruits... Or so I've heard from Tanjiro and friends ," he noted.
Shinobu chuckled, shaking her head lightly.
"Tanjiro, huh? Hmm, perhaps I am... And where do you stand on that topic, Tomioka-san?" she asked.
Giyuu blinked in confusion, before closing his eyes to contemplate on the matter more deeply.
"I'm not sure," he answered simply, opening his eyes again.
Shinobu groaned.
"Your blatant honesty never fails to infuriate me..."
She got up to her feet, taking nimble steps to the garden area, her fingers intertwined behind her back. Giyuu slowly followed, trailing behind her.
"I would though..." he heard her mumble after a while.
She turned around to meet his puzzled face.
"I would cry if you left me... If you suddenly left this Earth."
His lips tugged upwards into a half-smile.
"I thought you hated me, Kochou."
She shook her head lightly, smiling.
"I never said that... Besides, hate is a lot closer of an emotion to love than you'd expect," she told him.
His brows furrowed at the statement, and he narrowed his eyes at her.
"You may need to alter your definition of love..."
The young woman bent forward, clutching at her stomach as she laughed again, a bit louder and more genuine.
He waited until her laughs subsided, replaced instead with a soft extended sigh.
"Don't die, okay?" she asked, looking up at him.
"I'll try not to..." he replied quietly.
It wasn't really something he could control though.
Or that he would really try to stop.
They'd spent most of their days fighting demons, and with their upcoming opponent being Muzan himself, most of the Hashira had basically accepted that they were likely not coming back from the final battle. They would give up their lives entirely if it meant that they could rid the world completely of the evil that had infected it for centuries.
"What about you?" he asked finally.
"Me? Hmm... I can't make that promise," she said, a sad smile on her face.
"You're being hypocritical then, Kochou..." he countered, frowning slightly.
She pursed her lips, cocking her head to the side as she thought on it more.
"Do you think so? But how would you cry over me, if I haven't gone and you haven't survived?" she asked, almost rhetorically.
Giyuu groaned.
He could already feel the migraine he usually developed when talking to the woman for extended periods.
"Can you at least try to make sense, Kochou?" he asked, frustrated now.
She smiled, turning around again to follow the stone pathway in front of her.
"I really am going to miss you..." she said quietly.
Giyuu started forward, grabbing onto her hand.
"Why are you already saying goodbye?" he asked, exasperated.
She remained silent, as though she hadn't even heard him speak; this only added to his growing feeling of anger.
"What exactly are you planning to do?!" he demanded.
His voice was raised, and he knew he was acting a bit out of character.
But something about her cryptic dialogue bothered him more so than usual; today, it sounded almost like a plea for help.
"I can't tell you! You know I can't!" she shouted, trying to pull her hand away from his grasp.
Giyuu tried to check her expression, but she turned her head to the side to hide her face. But by her feet, he saw the teardrops that were beginning to fall down onto the dirt.
He sighed, releasing her hand slowly.
He made his way to stand in front of her, wrapping his hands around her. He let her head rest on his chest, and he patted her back gently, as she then proceeded to cry more openly and audibly. They stood there for quite some time, before he finally decided to speak out.
"You've been a constant presence in my life for so long now, that I almost can't fathom the idea that you'll just disappear one day... But when... if that day comes, I would definitely be shocked... sad... furious..." he whispered softly.
"Someone very dear to me would be taken away again."
Shinobu grabbed onto the front of his jacket more tightly.
"Would you cry then?" she managed to get out between sniffles.
Shinobu lifted her head up a little to search for the answer on his face. Her expression was a bit panicked, almost desperate; her eyes were red around the corners and puffy, and she was biting hard on her bottom lip.
He gave her a reassuring smile and brought her closer into his chest with one hand, tucking her head under his chin.
She was so warm, and fit so well in his arms, that he found himself already dreading to have to let go.
He closed his eyes, committing as much of the moment as he could into memory.
Every touch, every word, every emotion.
In this moment, she was still breathing and clinging on desperately to life. To him.
"Yes, Kochou... Of course I would cry for you."