Chapter Text
It was 4am, Giyuu was wide awake, he never slept much anyway. The times when he tried to sleep all he could hear are screams, of Sabito and his sister Tsutako, his own screams as he watched them die. He stood by, useless, helpless, weak.
Giyuu had trained day and night after that, not stoping once, he had ignored his health both physically and mentally, yet he didn't feel deserving of his role as the water hashira, it didn't help that the other hashira's constantly reminded him that he wasn't good enough, at least that's how they made him feel.
At 4:30 am Giyuu got up, 5 am he was on the training field, 5:45 am Sanemi joined him and 6:15 am Shinobu joined as well.
"Ah I see, didn't know you boys would be training together, but there's a first for everything right?" Shinobu chuckled watching Sanemi and Giyuu spar, Sanemi aggressively attacking while Giyuu calmly defended.
"Yeah right, this prick thinks he's too good for us, while he's the worst one of us all. I wouldn't be surprised if he died tomorrow and most of all I wouldn't care. Frankly I would be glad, he would be better of dead!" Sanemi yelled as if Giyuu wasn't right infront of them.
"I do think our dear Tomioka would agree with you on that last part" Shinobu had that toxingly sweet smile on her face like she always had, Giyuu disliked it.
Sanemi's attacks became aggressiver and Giyuu stumbled onto the ground, laying down on his back. He didn't really feel like getting up.
Sanemi and Shinobu walked towards Giyuu on the ground. Because of the impact of Sanemi's attacks Giyuu's sleeves had been pushed up, revealing scars and cuts.
Sanemi saw them and had a wicked grin on his face "You really use that kind of method to feel something? Damn you really are pathetic" Sanemi kneeled down, he leaned down to Giyuu's ear "If you really wanted to feel something, you should be cutting deeper" Sanemi whispered
Shinobu for once didn't say anything, Giyuu had never asked anyone for help, and especially not for healing.
Giyuu felt furious, but his face stayed neutral. Giyuu shoffed Sanemi out of the way and stood up, throwing the wooden sparring sword on the ground and walking away.
Sanemi yelled after him "Take my advice, then maybe we finally won't be seeing you tomorrow!"
Shinobu looked up at Sanemi. She liked teasing Giyuu, she knew he disliked it, but that was to put it lightly. She knew he hated it, she wasn't sure why she kept doing it. He was the easiest one to take her rage out on, even if it was only a slight bit of it. Treating him like he was beneath them helped her in a sick, toxic way. She hadn't expected it to lead to him hurting himself however.
After Shinobu was done training, she wanted to talk to Giyuu about what happend, but he wasn't home, or in any place she knew he liked being. Shinobu decided to check at Giyuu's home again, but what she didn't expect is to walk into Tanjirou already being there.
"Mr Tomioka! I got you some rice crackers! I don't know if you like them, but I figured we could eat them together! Mr Tomioka are you there?" Tanjirou yelled while banging at the door.
"ah Hello Tanjirou, visiting Giyuu it seems?" Shinobu said with a smile, but she knew something must be wrong with Giyuu.
"Hello Miss Shinobu, yes I actually try visiting at this exact time every day, but it seems like he isn't answering today" Tanjirou frowned looking at the rice crackers he had gotten Giyuu
"Ow? I didn't know you and Giyuu spended much time together, may I ask why you visit him everyday?" Shinobu asked, she was genuinely very confused about this, she barely saw Giyuu interact with anyone, so the information that Tanjirou was visiting him every day didn't make sence
"I'm not sure if he wants me to tell you, but I think you should know, Mr Tomioka has a hard time eating, so I visit him every day to eat with him so on most days he does end up eating something" Tanjirou explained
Shinobu connected the dots quickly, the cuts on Giyuu's arm, the eating habits, him barely sleeping and his expressionless demeanor, Giyuu wasn't feeling well. It was pretty obvious already, but she didn't know it had gone this bad already. All her teasing about him not wanting to live suddendly weighed a lot heavier.
"It's seems that Mr Tomioka isn't home though, I'll try visiting later tonight. What was the reason you were visiting him Miss Shinobu?" Tanjirou tilted his head
"You see, this morning I was training with Sanemi and Giyuu, and I saw some things, Giyuu had cuts on his arms, and more than just a few of them. I wanted to talk about them with Giyuu, but he isn't anywhere to be found." Shinobu's usual smile faltered.
"W-what? No, no, no, no, but he said he was getting better. He promised me that he had been clean. He-he s-said that he was trying" Tanjirou broke down crying thinking about his friend like that.
Giyuu stood behind the wall around the corner, he heard everything. Shinobu had found out about his eating habits and he had let Tanjirou down. They would probably make fun of him after it anyway, tell him how pathetic he was for not being clean, for not eating food. it'll be better if i'm gone
Later that day all the hashira's gathered together, Giyuu hadn't joined them yet.
"Maybe he's just running late again" Mitsuri said
"Or He's too busy cutting himself" Sanemi scoffed
"What do you mean by cutting himself Sanemi?" Gyoumei had a worried expression on his face
"I know you're blind and all, but I didn't know you were this oblivious. That basterd Tomioka cuts himself" Sanemi rolled his eyes
All the hashira's turned to Sanemi, most of them knew Giyuu wasn't doing that well, but non of them knew he was actively hurting himself.
"Seriously, are you sure we should accept someone like him as a hashira, I think we should replace him as soon as possible, this isn't how a hashira should behave" Obanai scoffed
"Ruining your own skin like that? Dude that really isn't flashy at all, what is wrong with him?" Tengen crossed his arms
"Sorry I'm late" Giyuu quietly said and sat down as all the Hashira's turned to him. Most of them gave him a disgusted look, Giyuu had heard the entire conversation and his earlier thought ringed in his head again
It'll be better if I'm gone.
That night, Giyuu didn't bother to try sleeping, he had succesfully avoided Tanjirou or anyone else who might know about his struggles. He went outside and walked towards a cliff, he put his sword into the ground, he removed his haori, folded it and put it infront of his sword. Tomioka Giyuu had died here.
Giyuu stood at the edge of the cliff and then took a step forward his body slowely falling down, he was finally free.
Atleast that's what he thought, because he thought he had hit the ground, only to wake up lying right in front of the demon king, Muzan.