Giyuu could have reached the Kamado's by now. In fact he could have meet them a while ago. Of course he found himself taking his time nowadays when travelling. Looking back, Giyuu feels his slow progress was a indirect effect from meeting Genya.
It's been two months since he last seen Genya, or 19 months since he departed from headquarters. When Giyuu last saw Genya, he was only a couple weeks away from reaching the Kamado household. However after meeting Genya something hidden stirred under Giyuu.
His whole mission is to protect the Kamados. To make sure they don't fall under the dangers of demons. And yet, he had another mission with him. A mission he assigned himself from the day he time-travelled...
Become better... live this life with no regrets...
It was why Kaguya gave Giyuu and Sanemi so much time for this mission. There was no guarantee that training was going to take 2 years, or that finding the Kamado's and Tamayo would take just as long. No, Giyuu knew that Kaguya wanted the both of them to see the world once again with their new selves.
Perhaps it's why Giyuu felt refreshing meeting Jigoro, someone he never even met in his previous life...
Stumbling upon Genya was dumb luck. Or maybe it was fate. But regardless, it was a event that made Giyuu remember that he too wants to repair the relationships he had before.
Giyuu debated on sending his crow to Sanemi and informing him on what happened, but Giyuu opted against it for multiple reasons. For one, he needs his crow to inform him when a demon sighting is nearby. And two, he wants Sanemi to focus on his task and decides he'll just tell Sanemi after he makes contact with Tamayo.
Regardless that encounter is the reason why Giyuu found himself on Mount Sagiri. He figures that meeting his master is something Giyuu can spare to do before contacting Tanjiro. As he climbs the mountain, memories start flooding his head. Memories of him being found by Sakonji Urokodaki and meeting Sabito. Training with Sabito on Water Breathing. Struggling with him to cut the boulder. All those memories that were once poisoned by the grief of Sabito's death have now been cured.
Giyuu hates how he was before. Well, hate is a strong word for Giyuu. It's more accurate to say that Giyuu is happy that he has grown as a person. That pain he felt for himself not only damaged his memories, but also his existing relationships. Giyuu feels ashamed, but he never contacted Sakonji after departing as a Demon Slayer. The only times he contacted him was when he requested him to train Tanjiro, and after the war.
Looking back it was cruel of Giyuu to do that. Meeting him again after the war, he seemed so happy. Perhaps he really was. After all the demons have been eradicated and his mission he dedicated his life towards has been complete. However it was then that Giyuu with his open mind could finally see. See how much he hurt his master.
Giyuu mourned Sabito. He mourned him the most. But it was cruel of Giyuu to disregard his master. To not notice that he too was in grief. That when Giyuu left, he lost two students. Meeting him after the war introduced that idea to Giyuu. And meeting Jigoro only solidified that idea.
With Jigoro having low contact with any of his comrades, he could only assume the same now for Sakonji. The man was lonely too, just like Giyuu...
That's why Giyuu found himself standing in front of his door. Now that he's back, he doesn't want to leave this relationship withered. And so Giyuu took a deep breath, and then knocked.
No response. He knocked twice. Then three times. Still no response.
Giyuu just stood there. Maybe his master didn't want to answer the door. Or something else happened. The prolonged lack of response was making Giyuu nervous, more nervous then he has ever felt in a long time.
Giyuu stood there for a few minutes, waiting for something. Anything. But nothing responding his silent plea. Feeling dejected, Giyuu hung his head down. Perhaps he should come another day and-
"Giyuu?"
Giyuu hesitated before turning around to that familiar voice. Right in front of him was his
master, Sakonji Urokodaki, carrying a basket with fruits and vegetables.
'Right, I suppose I didn't consider that he might have been out right now...' thought Giyuu.
Both water users looked at each other for a while, neither having the courage to break the silence. It's obvious that both people have mixed emotions brewing in them. Regardless, Giyuu finally decided to say something.
"Hello Sensei..."
Sakonji remained silent before walking past Giyuu to his door. "Come on in Giyuu. I'll prepare dinner for us..."
Giyuu watched his figure disappear into his home. While Giyuu still wore his stoic mask, emotions could be seen whirling within his eyes. If you look real close, his lips are slightly clenched.
After a couple seconds, Giyuu decided to follow Sakonji back into his former home...
***
'The food is delicious,' thought Giyuu as he took a bite. It was also very nostalgic. Giyuu remembers chilly nights where he and Sabito would hound on the food after a long day of training. It was one of the simpler memories that Giyuu has relearned to appreciate.
Sakonji already finished his food. It seems even to this day he prefers to eat in his own time. While Sakonji isn't stingy about anyone looking under his mask, he suppose it's simple tradition to make sure no one glances at it.
As both master and student sit across each other, neither utter a word. In fact, almost no words were spoken since Giyuu entered the premise. Aside from Sakonji asking whether rice and curry was ok, none of the residents spoke a word. It seems the tense atmosphere that was present earlier in the day was still here.
Finally Sakonji decided to break the silence. "How have you been, Giyuu?"
"Alright..."
"I see. Any reason you're here?"
"Just passing the area..." Giyuu takes another bite of his food.
"Passing the area?" Giyuu has passed this area many times, but he's never visited... "Is it okay for you to be here?"
"Yes... there's no demon I'm pursuing... I just wanted to drop by..."
"Interesting..." Sakonji's mask stared intensely at Giyuu. "Are you not on a mission then?"
"... I am... it's complicated, but this isn't my average mission..."
Sakonji blinked before letting out a small chuckle. "Well regardless, it's very nice that you are here Giyuu. Feel free to stay the night if you want"
Giyuu paused and put his bowl to the side. The way Sakonji said it... it was like he wished Giyuu could stay, because he fully expected Giyuu to say no and leave during the night...
Giyuu looked down, his face still stoic but his action not unnoticed by Sakonji. After a minute Giyuu finally responded.
"I've been doing a lot of reflection... and thinking..."
Sakonji tilted his head in confusion, but Giyuu still continued:
"About my role as a Hashira... about my attitude... about Sabito..."
The room suddenly got colder as soon as his name was mentioned. Regardless, Giyuu continued:
"Sabito... was extremely talented... someone who shouldn't have left us too early... I know you knew... that I believed it should have been me... that Sabito should have been here instead of me..."
Urokodaki looked down in shame. He had known. As soon as he saw Giyuu after Final Selection he knew. The self hatred found in those eyes. It broke Sakonji to see his student like that...
"For so long I've just been thinking abut what Sabito could have become..." added Giyuu. "but only now am I thinking what he actually wants..."
Giyuu hangs his head down low in shame. His breathing has started to become less consistant, and his shoulders are slightly shaking.
"Sensei... I'm sorry..."
Behind the mask, Sakonji's eyes widened in shock. Giyuu still hung his head low.
"When Sabito died... I was hurt... but I've never really considered how hurt you were... you were also mourning, and I left you too soon... I know you care for all you students deeply Sensei, so handling Sabito like your other students by yourself... was too cruel of me..."
At this point, Giyuu's stoic mask was slowly crumbling. His brows were scrunched up, his lips curled to a frown, and his eyes were about to leak tears and emotions.
"I... I know you must have mixed feelings about me... but I am so so sorry Sensei... I don't want us to be alone anymore... I don't want to let Sabito down... I'm ashamed of what I did, and I'll do anything to make it u-"
Giyuu couldn't finish however as he was pulled into a tight embrace from Sakonji. As he held Giyuu tight, the student finally let his mask fall off and tears started to fall from his eyes.
"I don't understand Sensei... How could you..."
Sakonji pulled away to look at Giyuu. Then slowly, he removed his mask, showing his soft face to his student, his tears mirroring his.
"Giyuu, I was never mad at you. I could never. I was only sad, and heartbroken that you had to deal with everything by yourself..."
Giyuu sniffed before using his hands to wipe his tears. "I did do it... it took a long time for me to move on..."
"But you did" said Sakonji, his voice hoarse from his tears. "And I know Sabito and I are very proud of the man you have become
Giyuu just continued to ugly cry as Sakonji once again enveloped him into a hug.
"In the end I was right," added Sakonji. "You haven't changed one bit Giyuu... you're still extremely kind..."
Giyuu just sobbed louder. In the middle of the quiet mountain, these two men have finally reconcile and let their masks out.
After a while, both men broke away from the hug. Giyuu messily wiped his tears with his palm, leaving smudges on his face. Sakonji meanwhile put his mask back on, hiding the trail of tears sketched on his face.
"It's truly been a while Giyuu. How about we catch up. Tell me about your adventures as a Slayer."
Giyuu sniffed and let out a smile before responding, "Of course, sensei..."
Giyuu didn't tell him everything. He didn't tell him that he time-travelled, or of his current mission to meet the Kamado family. However he didn't need to. As the hours passed, Giyuu happily told his master about his adventures as a demon slayer with a grin on his face. From his time before Hashira, to being promoted, to the additions of later Hashiras, to his departure with Sanemi, and finally his training with Jigoro. Sakonji listened attentively, feeling joyous that his student is smiling once again...
Soon both men went to sleep in their respected rooms. When Giyuu woke up, Sakonji was cooking breakfast for the both of them. Giyuu's stoic mask was back in action, but he still continued to talk a lot with his master and shot a smile every so often.
Eventually it was time for Giyuu to depart, and Giyuu was once again facing his master near the doorway.
"I promise... Next time I'm in the area and free, I'll visit..."
"I'll be awaiting then. Take care Giyuu."
"Yea... you too Sensei..."
And with that, Giyuu once again departed from his Sensei, this time feeling more joyous then the last time he left this place. As he descends the mountain, he starts mentally preparing for the journey to the Kamado family. However before he could reach halfway down the mountain, a voice stops him dead in his tracks.
"I'm glad you and Sensei made up."
Giyuu stops dead in his tracks, his eyes widened in pure horror and shock.
'Thats... that's impossible. There's no way'
Giyuu slowly turns to his right, hoping that what he just heard was his mins playing tricks. Or a blood demon art. Or anything. However what he was greeted instead was a boy wearing a fox mask, with peach hair and a checkered kimono.
"S-Sabito..." said Giyuu with pure dread.
The boy took his mask of, revealing a soft face with blue eyes and a scar on his cheek.
"Long time no see, Giyuu..." The boy let out a soft smile. A smile that was all too familiar.
Giyuu was breathing heavily, on the verge of hyperventilating.
'How is this possible? This shouldn't be. He died. Sabito died. How can I see him rig-'
Suddenly a memory flashed in his mind. The memory of Tanjiro when they both talked about Sabito. With Giyuu remembering what Tanjiro said, he slowly started to take control of his breathing as he looked at Sabito with shaking eyes.
"Sabito... you... you're a ghost, aren't you?"
"Yep! Right on Giyuu."
Giyuu let out a gulp. Ghost or not, Sabito was still here, standing in front of Giyuu right now.
"Sabito... I..." He didn't know what to say.
"You know, for a while I was mad at you Giyuu..."
Giyuu stood frozen as Sabito continued speaking with his face displaying mild anger. "I was mad that you broke our promise... that you were disregarding your life so easily..."
Sabito closed his eyes, seemingly reminiscing something, before reopening them and letting out a smile. "But then you changed. You finally grew up, and became someone I can finally admire"
Giyuu hesitated before finally responding, his hands shaking from emotion. "B-but still Sabito. You should be mad at me... For a long time I was under that impression... and I still left you behind back then..."
"No Giyuu" responded Sabito. "What I did in Final Selection was my decision only, and I don't regret going out to save everyone there. Even with the way I turned out, I would do it all over again..."
Giyuu looked down with his brows furrowed. He wasn't going to cry, even though he wanted to. Regardless he was biting the inside of his cheek in frustration.
Sabito sighed. "Look Giyuu, I don't want to spare you with anger that I don't even hold anymore. Sure you took a long time to move on. You probably took way longer in your previous life. But I don't hold it against you. I'm just happy that you are finally able to live your life now. Not be stuck in depression for so long."
Giyuu froze in shock before slowly lifting his head to look at Sabito. His eyes carrying a sense of bewilderment.
"Wait... are you saying that you know... know that I-"
"Time-travelled? It's weird, but being in the state that I'm in, I just seem to know when looking at you. I'm more curious on how you even ended up in the past."
Giyuu blinked before slowly responding. "I don't... I don't know how I got here..."
"Really?" Sabito walked closer to Giyuu. With Giyuu being bent down, Sabito was able to get right at eye level with him. Sabito put his hand on his chin as he examined Giyuu's face, much to his discomfort.
"Hmmmmm," said Sabito. "I don't exactly know how you got here. It seems the ability to send someone back in time is a power only the Buddha himself would likely do. However it does seem that you weren't just selected randomly."
Sabito walked back, being able to look at Giyuu in whole now. "I don't know how, but I have a feeling it has something to do with a soul. A soul like me, who likely chose you to travel. Who they are or why they chose you is something I can't find out."
Giyuu just stared at Sabito, not even really caring for how he got here in the first place. "... oh, I see."
Sabito let out a sigh once again before looking of into the distance. "Look I got to go, and it seems you got to go as well"
Sabito looked at Giyuu, his blue eyes gazing onto his. "Just know that I'll be watching over you, okay? Sensei was right you know? I really am proud of you Giyuu..."
Sabito's body was slowly fading away into the air. Giyuu felt like crying. He didn't want to say goodbye to him again.
"Just remember that I'm not really gone. I'll still watch over you, make sure you don't do stupid stuff!" said Sabito with a grin. His torso has almost faded now. "Just keep doing you, okay? I know you'll live this life properly, you just got to fight for it!"
With that Sabito shot one last grin and a thumbs up before fully disappearing into the wind. Giyuu just stared for a while, a mix of emotions whirling inside of him. If that was truly the last conversation he would have with Sabito it felt... dissatisfying. Like Giyuu never got to say what he truly wanted, and instead felt more lectured by him.
Giyuu looked up into the sky, a small smile slowly creeping out. It was just like Sabito to lecture him like a mother hen. He suppose it would only be natural for him to nag Giyuu even in the afterlife.
"Goodbye, Sabito... I promise to live this life to the fullest... Live a life that you could be proud of..."
With that, Giyuu took a deep breath and continued his trek down the mountain...