53. The Water Hashira

Hana sat on the edge of her bed in the Butterfly Mansion. While the other slayers were enduring the Hashira training, her own body was still mending from recent battles. She spent her time in resting and listening to Zenitsu cry about the gruesome training.

That morning, a messenger crow arrived with a letter by master Kagaya Ubuyashiki. Hana carefully unfolded the parchment, her heart fluttering with curiosity. Why would the Master reach out to her directly?

"Hana, how are your injuries? I hope you are recovering well. Unfortunately, I cannot move now. I want to talk to Giyuu, but I am unable to do so anymore. This is an incredibly important time. We all must come together and do our best. Would you please talk to Giyuu? He always turns his back and goes alone. Giyuu is lost. If you talk to him, maybe he will listen to you."

Hana felt a sharp pang in her chest as she finished the letter. She knew Giyuu often distanced himself from the other Pillars, but she hadn't realized he felt so truly lost.

Hana set the letter aside and stood up, her legs still feeling a bit heavy. She couldn't stay in bed while Giyuu was suffering in silence. She reached for her haori, wrapping it around her shoulders. The Master had asked this of her, and she would not let him down.

She left the Butterfly Mansion and went looking for the Water Hashira. She walked down the familiar paths until the wooden gates of Giyuu’s residence came into view.

Giyuu sat near the edge of the wooden porch of his estate one arm resting against his knee as he stared up at the sky. The faint breeze stirred his dark hair, but he didn't seem to notice anything around him. For a moment, Hana simply watched him from behind the tree. He looked lonely. Not just alone, but truly, deeply lonely.

Her chest tightened a little at the sight. She hated seeing him like this, separated from the rest of the Hashira by a wall of his own making. She stepped forward, her heart racing. Her sandals made a soft sound against the wooden porch as she climbed up, but Giyu didn't react. He didn't even turn his head.

Hana smiled faintly, and walked over before sitting down beside him. She left a small space between them, respectful of his boundaries. "Giyuuu-saaan." Her voice was bright and gentle, cutting through the heavy silence of the estate.

He finally glanced toward her, his blue eyes as deep and unreadable as the ocean. He didn't say anything, so she tried again, her smile widening. "Giyuuuu-san. Everyone's training."

Giyu looked at her for a long moment before answering, his expression unchanging. "I know." He seemed to know why she was here.

Hana nodded happily, refusing to let his silence bother her. "So you knew already!"

Giyu didn't reply to that either. He went back to staring at the sky.

But Hana didn't seem bothered by the lack of conversation. She leaned back slightly, resting her weight on her palms and looking up at the same sky he had been watching.

"It's a beautiful day, isn't it?" she continued cheerfully, swinging her legs slightly. "Shinobu-san say I'm healing well. I'll be allowed to join the training in a week. I can't wait to get back."

She turned toward him with hopeful, sparkling eyes, shifting her body to face him more directly. "So...since I'll be back soon, can you train me?". Hana waited for his reply, her heart skipping a beating.

Then, finally, he spoke. "No." The word was blunt. It was short. It felt like a door slamming shut in her face.

Hana blinked, her smile fading almost immediately, her lips curving downwards into a look of genuine hurt. "Why not though?" she asked, her voice dropping into a soft, childish sulk.

Giyu didn't look at her. His gaze remained fixed, his jaw set in a hard line.

Hana tilted her head slightly, studying him. Something felt wrong. Very wrong. Her nose wrinkled faintly as she caught a scent coming off him it wasn't the usual scent. She leaned a little closer, her voice dropping to a whisper. "I can smell anger on you, Giyuu-san. It's...it's scary." Her heart sank. She hadn't ever seen him like this. Usually, whenever she was around he was always calm and gentle.

"Are you alright?" she asked gently, reaching out a hand as if to touch his arm before pulling it back. "Did I do something to upset you?" Her hands clasped nervously in her lap, her heart racing as she thought of a million possibilities.

"I'm sorry–"

"You were supposed to be the Water Hashira." The words cut straight through her apology.

Hana froze. The air seemed to leave her lungs. "Ehhh?" Her brows knitted together in confusion.

"But you are–"

Giyu finally looked at her, and the intensity in his eyes was staggering. There was something sharp, almost accusing, in his gaze now. "Someone has to be the Water Hashira right now," he said, his voice low and trembling with a hidden emotion. "Because the Water Hashira seat is actually vacant. It has been for a long time."

Hana stared at him, completely and utterly lost. "But... Giyuu-san..." She pointed a finger at him, her voice confused. "You're the Water Hashira. Everyone knows that."

Giyu's expression didn't soften. If anything, it grew colder, more detached. "I'm not." he said firmly. The denial was so absolute that it made Hana's skin crawl. Why would he say that?

"Yes, you are." she insisted immediately, her voice rising in desperation. She couldn't understand the logic he was using.

"I'm not."

"You are!"

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are."

"Not!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"You–" Before she could finish her sentence, Giyu stood up abruptly. The movement was so sudden and violent compared to his usual grace that Hana flinched slightly.

He turned his back to her, the half-patterned haori fluttering in the wind. It was a clear signal that the conversation was over.

He began walking toward the sliding doors of the estate without sparing her another glance. "Giyuu-san! Wait!" Hana scrambled to her feet, her heart aching. "Giyuu-san!"

He stopped walking just before the threshold, but he didn't turn around. His shoulders were tense, his head bowed. "Go away, Hana," he said, his voice harsher than he probably meant it to be. "Focus on your own training. Stop wasting your time on someone who doesn't belong here."

Hana's breath hitched. The words felt like a physical blow to her chest. She stood there on the porch, feeling small and helpless. Giyuu turned his head just slightly, catching a glimpse of her face. He saw her eyes slightly water, the unshed tears shimmering in the sunlight. For a split second, his own eyes softened. It felt like he wanted to say something, to apologize, to explain, to reach out, but he shook the feeling off. He stepped inside and slid the door shut with a final, echoing thud.

For a moment, Hana simply sat back down on the porch, stunned into silence. The rejection was total. Her hands tightened into small fists on her lap, the paper of the letter crinkling in her pocket. Her heart sank he had never been so cold towards her before. Her chest felt strangely heavy, a mix of sorrow for him and hurt for herself. But as she looked at the closed door, She wasn't about to give up on him. Not now. Not ever. He was always there for her when she needed him, and she was going to be there for him too.