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A soft grunt let her lips, closed eyes scrunching together unintentionally, her lips slowly releasing a gentle wince.

Giyu looked down at her, his eyes blinking in slight surprise when he heard her small movements, his lips parting and his eyes looking a little less tired than before. "(Y/N)?" He inquired softly, leaning down, over her bed and reaching out to tuck a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

She gave out a soft sigh, her eyes tearing themselves open, her lips turning into a small grimace. Light slowly began to peep through her eyelids, entering her line of sight. She winced at the light, lifting her arm to shield her eyes from the sun before slowly reopening her eyes, finally able to see.

She gave a small sigh, taking in her surroundings and finally laying her eyes on the black haired male sitting on a stool beside her bed, her brow raising. "Giyu?" She inquired, her voice smooth and calm.

The male only nodded, his dull eyes lighting up slightly at her. "Yes. Are you alright?" His tone seemed tired, somewhat uncaring, but somewhere in his features, you could see a glimpse of concern.

The woman simply gave a small nod, rubbing her eyes before moving to sit up in the bed and lean against the headboard. "I should be." She looked down at her hands, smooth and soft just as they were before. "How did I get here?"

She was about to ask another question, but was paused when Giyu gently leaned forward and reached to trace the scars over her face, his eyes narrowing but his touch gentle and kind. She stared at him with widened eyes, blinking. "You were brought here by the Kakushi this morning. From what I could see, you were cut to pieces, and since you hadn't turned into a demon, your healing was delayed." He responded simply before leaning closer, tilting his head. "But nevermind that...how did this happen?"

She opened her mouth to reply, however stopped half way. Instead, she moved into a much more hesitant tone, her voice softer and her eyes calm. "I ran into some trouble." She simply stated, her hand slowly moving to wrap around his wrist.

He didn't take away his hand, instead moving to curl his index finger and trace around the scar on her eye, nodding to himself. "I see. That's unfortunate."

The woman only nodded, looking away from him and letting the silence overtake the duo. It was kind, not forceful in any way towards either of them. This was why she loved spending time with Giyu, simply because of the silence he offered. Even in a challenging time, even when her mind races and she refuses to stop, the silence and presence he brings will always offer her comfort, able to bring her down from her troubles, and keep her lowered to the ground, at a reasonable and gentle rate.

Their silence always spoke more than their words.

"Tanjiro and the other two boys are resting. Tengen went home with his wives once the kakushi arrived." He began, his hand slowly beginning to pull away from her face and instead move to his lap, where she let go of his wrist. "From what I can see, you came out of this the best, for obvious reasons.."

The woman nodded, her eyes looking out the window, a small smile forming on her lips. "So his wives were alive, after all...that's a relief." She closed her eyes, laying her hands on her lap.

Giyu went silent for a moment, and because of this (Y/N) opened her eyes, moving to look at him. She stifled a chuckle at the face he was making. He looked confused, in a constant deadpan, his head tilting to the side. "Are...you alright?" He inquired, unsure of what to say with her small smile. "You...don't usually smile."

The woman simply tilted her head at him, her smile still lowering slightly, parting her lips at him. "Do you...not like it when I smile?" She inquired, eyes gentle and her face showing much more expression than she ever had for the time he had known her.

Was she alright? Was there something that happened to her when she healed as a human that made her different from her usual self? Maybe the exhaustion? He shook his head, leaning forward to get a better look at her. "No...it's not that..." He suddenly looked away, his ears slightly red as he spoke. "In fact, it looks nice..."

The woman took a moment to respond, her cheeks suddenly releasing a small red tint to them, her eyes widening. "Oh..thank you." She looked down at her lap, blinking in realisation of what he said, her heart suddenly allowing itself to warm up.

The woman then looked back up at him, smiling gently before she reached to cup his cheek, turning his gaze back towards her. His eyes widened, lips parting before he looked into her eyes. Even her eyes were different, they held a certain light in them that he had never seen before...It made him wonder if he could get that same light in his own eyes..."Why don't you ever smile, Tomioka?"

His eyes moved away from hers, too afraid to let her new glint fade because of him. "I'm..not exactly sure.." He responded, attempting not to lower the mood, especially in a moment where she looked so much more content than he had ever seen her.

Releasing a breath of air, seeming to be a gentle chuckle, she tilted her head, eyes still soft and smile still kind. "Well..I'm not an expert but... I think you would look nice with one.."

Giyu remained frozen for a moment, all as a blush slowly began to creep up his face. How was he supposed to respond to that? She hadn't really said anything along those lines before, and yet he knows that she can be a brutally honest person at times...he questioned if she was really telling the truth, if she really did think he would look nice with a smile...that she would like to see him smile like she's doing now...

He was about to respond before the door to the room got thrown open, a cry soon echoing through the room. "(Y/N)!!!!!!" The woman's hand fell from Giyu's cheek, the duo turning to watch as Mitsuri burst through the door, her eyes locking on to the halfling before she released a wide grin. "THERE YOU ARE!!"

Giyu stood to his feet, walking away from the bed as Mitsuri launched herself at the halfling, her face burying itself into the woman's chest and her arms wrapping around her waist. "Kanroji..?" The woman mumbled with wide eyes, blinking at the girl holding onto her.

Tomioka simply gave a sigh, adjusting his haori before he caught the gaze of the halfling. "I'll be going. See you around." The woman only gave a soft nod, smiling at him gently one more time before he made his way to the door and closed it on his way out.

"I heard everything and I came here as quickly as I could!" The girl cried into (Y/N)'s chest, holding her impossibly closer, her grip tight and her eyes shining.

Mitsuri froze once she felt the woman's hand lay on her head, the pinkette releasing a questionable hum. The halfling had never really responded to her worries before, simply brushing them off with a simple nod and a kind look, but...she had never even attempted trying to show anything back to Kanroji, and this surprised her. "I'm fine, thank you though."

Kanroji slowly looked up from the woman's chest, her head tilted in curiosity, but when her eyes met (e/c) ones, she saw something different than normal...she couldn't describe it, almost as if she had finally grown a purpose, a new goal to achieve, and it gave her a bright glint in her eyes. Mitsuri only grew more in shock once she saw the smile over her face...it was warm like a summer's day, but it was also calm, just like the evening breeze, and it made the pinkett's heart flutter.

"You...you're smiling..!" She gaped in awe, leaning closer to the woman and moving one of her hands to cup her cheek. All of a sudden, Kanroji recovered from her shock, and instead let out a kind and bright smile. "You're smiling!"

The woman nodded, simply putting her palm over Kanroji in an attempt to show her that it was real, that she had finally found peace in her fear and that she was going to change for the better, starting from today. "Yeah.." Her voice was soft, but in a much kinder manor than Kanroji had ever experienced before, and it made her so...so happy.

"I'm so glad!"

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"So, what are you going to do now?"

Kanroji and (Y/N) were soon walking hand-in-hand down the path from the butterfly estate, a half- eaten dangos in Mitsuri's hand as she talked with her mouth full, the side of her mouth littered with crumbs.

(Y/N) got discharged by Aoi a few moments ago, and all that was left to do now was simply leave the estate, Mitsuri grabbing her hand and intertwining their hands when they walked away. The woman didn't pull away, and instead moved to hold onto Mitsuri's hand, instead of the pinkette having a one-sided grip.

The halfling looked down, brows scrunching together as she remained in thought. "I'm not exactly sure. It doesn't seem as though the boys will be waking up anytime soon...not to mention, for all we know, Muzan has likely alerted the other upper moons about the death of upper moon six..." She gave out a small hum, eyes narrowing at the ground, her breath intaking the sweet aroma of the plants lining the path. "All I can really do at this point is wait.."

Mitsuri simply hummed, nodding as a smile came upon her face. "I'm sure you'll work it out!" Her fingers, one by one, tapped on the other woman's hand in a steady rhythm. "And even if you don't, then there's nothing wrong with that."

The woman only stared at Mitsuri, eyes widening for a moment before she sighed, her smile growing as she nodded, her eyes staring at the woman as if she was the one true cause for her happiness. "Thank you." That was all she could simply mutter, her tone warm and her voice smooth like honey, it made Mitsuri smile just a bit wider... "I promise, Kanroji...I promise I will make the world safer for us all."

Mitsuri was a little taken back by this. She didn't expect such a sentimental thing to ever fall from this girl's lips, and yet here they were, holding hands, walking in peace, a promise made...It made Mitsuri fell rather thankful, thankful that (Y/N) has finally found something personal for, something she is willing to do with a passion..it made her so happy.

"T-there's no need for that!" Mitsuri cried, seemingly embarrassed by the other statement. "So long as you try your hardest, that's all that matters to me!" The girl trailed off, her eyes warming and her smile growing. She wanted to have moments like these every day, seeing the woman beside her lift her lips into a smile she grew to love ever since she first saw it..

The woman tilted her head, blinking at Mitsuri, her lips never once faltering. "I'm only being honest." She let out a gentle chuckle, squeezing Mitsuri's hand gently. "If you don't like me being honest, I guess I'll stay my grumpy old self..." Her voice trailed off, a teasing undertone to it and a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Mitsuri snapped, her eyes widening and her body pausing mid-step to halt the other woman, exasperated tears brimming at her eyes. "WHAAA! NO, STAY LIKE THIS FOREVER!" The pinkette cried, pulling the other woman's hand to her chest. "I'VE ALWAYS CONSIDERED YOU SPECIAL TO ME REGARDLESS OF YOUR BEHAVIOUR, BUT SEEING YOU SMILE IS REALLY NICE!"

The halfling finally let out a gentle laugh, stifling it slightly by putting a curled hand in front of her mouth, her shoulders shaking and her smile wider than she had ever had it in years.. "It's alright, Kanroji..I don't plan on going back to being like that for a while." She lifted her hand, gently moving to pat the pinkette with a grin. "I like being able to express myself for once."

Mitsuri sighed with relief, her heart warming when the other woman's hand landed on her head. "Phew..Well, I suppose I've never really seen you like this before so you must've been unable to express yourself for a while, huh..." The green eyed woman sighed, returning to her side and continuing their walk down the trail.

The halfling simply nodded, sighing as her gaze turned to the ground, her smile slowly lowering into a neutral expression, staring down at her free hand. "Yeah...almost seventy years now.." She only closed her eyes, clenching her fist lightly before letting it fall to her side.

"S-SEVENTY YEARS!?"

"Yeah?"

"HOW OLD ARE YOU, (Y/N)-CHAN!?"

"Not sure..lost count after seventy three.."

"WHAAAAAAAT!?"

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"Why are we here, Kanroji-"

The halfling and the pinkette stood in front of the building, the estate holding Tengen and his three wives. At first, when the woman inquired about being there, she didn't speak up about it, thinking they would take a detour, however, once she found they were not, she spoke up about it, but didn't get to finish her sentence, being interrupted by a scream that echoed through the house.

The woman deadpanned, tilting her head at Kanroji and expecting a response. The girl only chuckled, looking into the estate with a smile. "So they managed to get Shinazugawa-san here, after all..." She only gave a laugh, turning to the halfling beside her with a bright smile. "Me and Tengen thought it would be a lovely idea to invite everyone around, just like usual!"

(Y/N) blinked, brows furrowing as Mitsuri began pulling her towards the entrance, her eyes filled with excitement and her smile almost giddy. "And...why would Shinazugawa-san be screaming?"

The girl only shrugged, lifting an index finger over her lips and winking. "That's a surprise for when we go in."

Without another word, Kanroji slid open the door, a wide grin on her face and her arm outstretched at her side, announcing our arrival. "We're here-!"

"I'LL KILL YOU!"

"JUST HOLD STILL WILL YA?!"

"TENGEN-SAMA BE CAREFUL!"

What the duo saw was far from anything necessarily normal...Tengen (who was still covered in more bandages than any of them had ever seen) had his one arm wrapped around Sanemi, pinning the man against him, Giyu holding down the man's hands on the table, all while Makio and Suma quickly dipped the brushes into the nail paint and quickly began to brush the sage green paint against his nails.

Shinobu was quick to approach the confused duo, a smile over her lips and a small chuckle leaving her mouth as she moved to stand beside (Y/N). "Amusing, isn't it?" The purple eyed woman simply looked towards the duo, tilting her head.

"I'd be lying if I said it wasn't." (Y/N) gave a smile at the scene, shaking her head with a sigh, rather expecting this to happen if she was honest. It was every time everyone was invited for food, or any other activities, that Sanemi would eventually get pinned down and forced to get involved...and it was every time that she would hold in a laugh, or at least a smile..

Muichiro simply sat in the corner, beside Gyomei, who simply remained silent, his hands in a prayer motion and a ghost of a smile on his lips. Obanai had his arms crossed, staring disapprovingly at the scene, slightly scowling at the scene, but when his eyes landed on the pinkette beside the halfling, his eyes widened a small amount before his scowl slowly began to fade and his features even slightly relaxed.

"The only way they could get Tomioka-san to help was by promising some salmon fried daikon once they were done...I've never seen him agree to anything faster." Shinobu began, leaving the two girls to stare back at the scene, Mituri's hand slowly slipping away from (Y/N)'s.

The halfling simply nodded, sighing with her gentle smile. "That sounds like him." She then turned to Kanroji, tilting her head with a small chuckle leaving her lips. "So this is what you wanted me here for, huh? You wanted us to all have painted nails?"

Kanroji looked away with a small blush, scratching the back of her head as their hands let go of one another. "Yes...I just thought..we've all been busy recently, so Tengen arranged this.." She suddenly let out a laugh, covering her mouth with a curled hand. "The only reason Shinazugawa-san is here was because he thought this would be a spar..."

"DONE!" Suma cried, panting as she lifted her hands in surrender, dropping the small brush in her fingers as a bead of sweat ran down the side of her face, obviously rather spooked by the man's rabid actions.

Makio was also quick to finish, grinning successfully as she leaned back, releasing a small sigh of relief, a chuckle slipping past her lips. "We got him."

Tengen only laughed in triumph, looking down at his wife's with a grin. "Good job, girls!" The girls nodded at him, blushing, all while you could see Giyu release a small sigh of relief, lips parting.

"Let. Me. Go." The whole room froze, hearing Sanemi's all far too calm voice. It was enough to send a shiver down Tengens spine, his wives flinching back at his sudden voice, a bead of sweat running down Makio's face and small tears brimming at Suma's pupils. "Don't worry..I'll only kill you.."

Tengen tensed, Giyu simply sparing the wind hashira a glance. Sanemi had a shadow cast over his eyes, but you could slowly see a maniacal smile creeping up his mouth, prompting the two women to slowly back away from the table.

Without even a second thought, the halfling took a step forward, all before crouching in front of the table his hands were held down on. She tilted her head, staring down at his hands with her usual blank expression, all before it turned into a challenging smirk. She looked up, staring the hashira dead in the eye. "I think the colour makes your eyes look much more tolerable, Shinazugawa-san...you should be thankful to these wonderful ladies for giving you such an improvement."

Sanemi was a little taken back from her expression, not used to her face showing so much, instead used to her blank and almost dull stare. But once he realised her words, a tick mark formed on his brow and he grinned at her, eye twitching. "I'll kill you...!"

She simply sighed, leaning her head on her propped up hand, giving him a teasing smile. "Hopefully." Giyu simply stared down at her, gaze softening at her expression, Tengen grinning at her behaviour.

In the background, she could hear Shinobu give a soft laugh, Kanroji turning red and her cheeks puffing, attempting to hold in her laugh. At this, Iguro simply put his hand on his forehead, closing his eyes and shaking his head at the pinkette, Muichiro and Gyomei staying silent in the corner. Muichiro tilted his head at the scene, his eyes clouded and his lips parting.

"THAT'S IT!" Sanemi cried, suddenly tearing himself away from Tengen's grip and prying his hands away from Giyu's hold, his eyes crazed and his teeth grit with annoyance. He launched himself over the table,