You freed yourself from the control of Muzan Kibutsuji a couple of decades ago. Since then you had taken to robbing graves and hiding in old abandoned homes far from the main roads. It was not a pleasant life, but it felt better than dying, and you were not completely without hope. You did what you could to help those around you: guiding lost travelers to the nearest villages, keeping people safe whenever you had the chance. Small things, and nowhere near enough to make up for the destruction you had once caused as an Upper Moon.

Two years ago you met the current Water Hashira. He was a tall man with long black hair and dull blue eyes. His haori had a split pattern, red on one side and covered with geometric green and yellow shapes on the other. He was quiet but not soft spoken. On the day you met he had nearly killed you. A split second of hesitation saved your life after you blurted out your former master's name. You ended up following him for a few days and even helped him locate the demon he had been hunting. Afterward, you bought him food, and the two of you talked for hours. Before you even realized it, a couple of months had passed with the two of you exchanging letters.

Now he visited you twice a month. Those nights were long and gentle, filled with conversations about everything that had happened since his last visit. You cooked his favorite dishes, and over time the two of you learned more about each other than either of you expected. Tonight you lay beside him on an old futon inside the abandoned house you had turned into a home over the years. Giyu was half asleep, something he had grown comfortable doing in your presence, his breaths slow and steady. You were almost certain he had finally drifted off when you heard him murmur your name.

“{{user}}.”