6 Departure

Tsutako jolted awake, her body drenched in sweat, her chest heaving with panicked breaths. The events of the previous night replayed vividly in her mind—someone or something had broken into their house, a shadowy figure slipping through the door, and then everything went black.

The fear she felt in that moment clung to her, making it hard to distinguish between the nightmare and reality. "Giyu!" she called out in distress, her voice trembling as she frantically searched the room for her little brother. But he wasn't there.

Giyu had a habit of wandering off by himself, often slipping out during the early hours. Tsutako clung to the hope that this was just another one of his little adventures and that she was only imagining things due to a nightmare as the first light started to creep through the window.

Tsutako immediately woke up her parents, and together they began searching for him, alerting the nearby villagers, who quickly joined the search. The villagers were still reeling from the recent disappearance, and the thought of another child going missing so soon was almost too much to bear.

Unknown to them, just a few hours earlier, Giyu had been relentlessly cutting down the demon, every time the it attempted to regenerate or fight back, Giyu used the minimal effort to stop him, careful not to make too much noise and attract attention from the villagers—or worse, his family. He pushed the demon towards the forest, where he kept it contained until sunrise.

And as the sun finally began to rise, the demon perished. It's end was quiet, drawn-out, and painful. Giyu would be lying if he said this wasn't the outcome he desired as he finally made his way back home, only to be met by his worried sister and parents, who were very angry at him for wandering off without telling anyone—especially when a pearson had already disapeared just a few days ago.

His mother's voice shook as she lectured him, while his father's stern gaze conveyed his disappointment. He received a scolding, but Giyu wasn't upset. On the contrary, he found himself smiling, almost as if a great burden had been lifted from his heart. making it harder for his parents to stay angry at him. In the process, his sword was also confiscated as a punishment.

"Giyu, you scared me so much!" his sister cried as she hugged him tightly, squeezing him like a teddy bear, making it hard for even a former Hashira like him to breathe.

Seeing his sister's tearful expression, he looked away, unable to meet her eyes as he apologized, "Sorry, Nee-chan." felling a bit guilty.

After Tsutako finally calmed down, she allowed Giyu to rest and turned her attention to the next most important thing, her wedding. However, the moment she left the room, Giyu opened his eyes, got up, and retrieved something from under the drawer. It was a letter he had written in secret. It was time to leave and Giyu had already made up his mind; he planned to part ways after his sister's wedding. His responsibility as a Hashira and someone who knew the future wouldn't allow that.

***

The wedding was lovely, filled with laughter, music, and the vibrant colors of traditional attire. Tsutako looked pretty, as beautiful as a flower in full bloom, dressed in lovely traditional clothes and most importantly she smiled the entire time, clearly happy and pleased with everything, her face glowing with happiness standing beside her husband.

The entire village had turned out for the celebration, filling the air with a sense of joy and festivity.

Even Giyu couldn't hold back his emotions and cried the whole time, watched his sister became someone's wife, he was just glad and cried out of happiness. As the day ended and night fell, Giyu left his family a letter and quietly slipped away.

"If you're reading this, it means I've gone somewhere I needed to be. I can't tell you more, but please don't worry about me or try to find me, just know I will be safe.

I'll keep writing letters and will send one at least every few months, so please keep reading them while I'm gone. Tsutako, congratulations on your wedding. I wish you nothing but happiness. I'm sorry I left so abruptly, sorry and I hope this won't ruin your special day. Yours truly, Giyu."

The next morning, Sarui finished reading the letter aloud, her voice cracking with emotion. The family wept, hopeing that Giyu was safe, as he had promised, and that he would return to them soon. Tokito held Sarui and promised to bring theyr son back.

(Author note: kinda rushed but eh)