70. Porridge

A week had passed since Hana awoke from her coma.

She was feeling much better than before, but her body was still far from fully recovered. She was still weak, and even the simplest movements exhausted her.

Giyuu had taken her recovery very seriously. From the moment she opened her eyes each morning until she finally drifted back to sleep, he remained beside her. He made sure she ate every meal, drank enough water, took each dose of medicine exactly on time, and never pushed herself beyond what her body could endure.

He rarely left the room unless it was absolutely necessary.

At night, he stayed with her as well.

Sleep brought back everything she wished she could forget. Hana was still haunted by nightmares of the final battle, filled with blood, screams, The cries of the wounded. The most terrifying part was always seeing Tanjiro turn into a demon, his wild, dangerous eyes completely replacing the kind brother she knew.

She would watch him reach toward her.
Then she would wake.

​Sometimes she woke up gasping for air, her heart pounding against her ribs as she tried to separate the past from the present.

The room would be completely dark, and for a second, she would forget where she was. ​But Giyuu was always there for her. No matter how deeply he slept, he somehow sensed the moment she began trembling.

Carefully, he helped her sit up on the bed, moving slowly so he wouldn't startle her, before she leaned forward and her head rested gently in his lap.

​His hand would gently stroke her hair, repeating the same slow, comforting motion again and again until she felt safe enough to close her eyes again. ​He would not sleep until he was absolutely sure that she felt safe and calm again. Sometimes he even stayed up entire nights for her, keeping watch in the darkness just so she could rest without fear.

He never complained, nor did he let her realise. Hana never knew how many nights he had spent without proper rest because Giyuu made certain she never would. He understood her well enough to know that she would only blame herself for becoming a burden, and that was the last thing he wanted.

That morning, sunlight filtered softly through the hospital window, warming the wooden floor.

Giyuu sat beside Hana's bed with a small wooden bowl resting on his lap and a spoon in his hand.

"One more bite, Hana." Giyuu said gently, holding the spoon right in front of her lips.

Hana leaned back against her fluffy pillow and turned her face away with a small, dramatic groan. "Giyuu... please," she murmured. "I'm really full. I can't eat another bite."

"You need your strength Hana," he replied calmly. "You've barely eaten enough."

"I have!" Hana protested, looking up at him with wide, pleading eyes.

"No, you haven't," Giyuu said.

Hana sighed dramatically, shaking her head. "Giyuu..."

He raised the spoon again patiently holding the spoon in front of her. "Come on." he said.

She crossed her arms across her chest like a stubborn child, squeezing her eyes shut. "I'm not eating it. You can't make me."

"......"

He let out the smallest sigh. "Hana."

"No." she said, popping the 'o' sound.

"...Fine," Giyuu said quietly, lowering his eyes as his shoulders slumped with disappointment.

Hana opened one eye and blinked in confusion at the sudden change in his expressions.

"I made this porridge just for you." He said sadly.

She blinked in surprise, her stubbornness faltering at his words. "... You made it?

He gave a tiny nod, looking down at the wooden bowl. "I woke up early today," he said softly. "I tried very hard."

"....."

"I thought... you'll like it," Giyuu added, his voice dropping to an unusually quiet whisper. He looked so disheartened sitting there with the bowl. "I wanted to see you happy. I wanted to do something good for you."

His shoulders slumped again. "But... if you don't want it..." He gently pushed the bowl away from her, placing it slowly on the side tray. "...it's alright."

Hana bit the inside of her cheek, her heart aching with intense guilt. Seeing Giyuu sad always made her feel incredibly sad too. She hated seeing him look dejected. Something felt wrong, very wrong. She glanced at his face again. His expression was so disheartening she felt her heart breaking into tiny pieces.

"...Giyuu..." she called out softly.

"It's fine." he murmured, not looking at her.

"I'll throw it away," Giyuu added reaching for the tray.

Panic immediately flashed across Hana's face, her eyes widening. "W-Wait!" she cried out, reaching forward and grabbing his sleeve.

He paused, his hand stopping exactly an inch above the bowl.

She looked at the porridge. Then at him. Then back at the porridge. She swallowed hard, waving her hands in the air. "...I'll eat it. I'll eat it right now!"

Giyuu looked up, his face still a mask of deep sorrow. He shook his head slowly. "You don't have to force yourself, Hana. I do not want to make you unhappy."

"No, no! I want to eat it!" She quickly grabbed the bowl and the spoon before he could take them away, holding the bowl close to her chest like a prized treasure. "Look, I'm eating!" She scooped up a big mouthful and stuffed it into her mouth. She forced a bright, cheerful smile, chewing quickly. "See? It's amazing! I'll eat every bite!"

Within minutes, Hana was scraping the bottom of the bowl. She swallowed the last spoonful, wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, and proudly held the empty bowl up in the air. "See? Finished!"

Giyuu watched her, and for a brief second, his left eyebrow twitched up in amusement before returning to a calm state. Then, a very soft smile appeared on his lips. "You finished everything," he noted.

"I did," Hana said, nodding vigorously, her hair bouncing around her face. "And I'm happy. Very happy. So don't look sad anymore, okay?" She smiled brightly, feeling immensely relieved to see the deep sadness vanish from his handsome face.

She really couldn't bear to see him upset.

Giyuu's expression softened into a faint smile. Reaching out, he gently rested his hand atop her head and gave it a light, affectionate pat.

Just then, a quiet knock came from the open doorway. Sumi, Kiyo, and Naho, the three little girls from the Butterfly Mansion, stepped inside. Kiyo was carrying a small wooden tray.

"Oh!" Kiyo said brightly, her eyes sweeping over the bed. "Hana-san finished today's porridge already?"

"I did, It was delicious" Hana said proudly, glancing sideways toward Giyuu making sure he heard her.

"I'm glad you liked it, Hana-san!" Sumi laughed, covering her mouth. "I was worried it might be too plain."

Hana tilted her head in confusion. "...You were?"

"Yes!" Naho chimed in cheerfully.
"Tomioka-san came by the kitchen earlier to pick up your tray. We told him to make sure you ate all of it!"

Hana whipped her head toward Giyuu, utterly shocked. He froze for the briefest moment, looking exactly like someone who had been caught in the act. Then, with remarkable composure, he simply looked out the window as though he had absolutely nothing to do with any of it.

The girls glanced between the two of them, suddenly sensing something strange.

"Well..." Naho smiled awkwardly. "We'll come back later."

"Keep resting well, Hana-san!" Kiyo said with a sweet bow. The three girls turned and walked out of the room, their happy chatter fading down the hallway.

She glared at Giyuu, who was still looking out the window, Hana stared at him in complete disbelief, her jaw dropping open. "You... you lied."

Giyuu gave a small sigh before answering honestly. "Yes, I did."

"Giyuu!" Hana gasped grabbed her pillow and hugging it tightly to her chest, glaring at him with a frown.

"You made me think I hurt your feelings!" she exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at him. "I felt so guilty!"

"I know."

Hana huffed, turning her face away from him just like she had done earlier, though this time her cheeks were flushed with a warm pink color that spread all the way to the tips of her ears.

"I'm mad at you now. Hmph! I'm not talking to you for the rest of the day," Hana declared with a dramatic huff crossing her arms firmly over her chest and turning her face away.

Giyuu watched her for a quiet moment, his dark eyes softening as he took in her pouting expression. He did not say a word, but he stepped a little closer into her space. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, perfectly round sweet mochi wrapped in a green leaf.

He held it out right in front of her face, letting the sweet scent catch her attention.

Hana tried to keep her eyes fixed on the door, but the sight of her absolute favorite treat made her anger melt away almost instantly. Her eyes widened as she looked from the sweet to his face, finding him looking down at her with a rare, faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

She reached out and took it from his hand, her fingers brushing against his warm palm for a second, sending a flutter straight to her stomach. "You're forgiven," she murmured, her heart melting completely as she took a small bite of the sweet, her anger vanishing instantly while Giyuu gently reached over to brush a stray lock of hair behind her ear.