Three days later...
In his room, Goku woke up. "Today the training starts..." he muttered, getting up. "Even if I'm a Hashira, I decided to be trained, instead of training..." he said to himself, while putting on his light blue haori. "So, the first one is... Tengen, if I'm not wrong," he said. "That man... He's missing a hand and he's training the newbies... He really is my bro..." he said, smilng. "Well, not that I have the right to talk. I'm missing an eye and I'm still fighting demons..." he then added. Eventually, Goku got outside his room, as he heard a voice. "Good morning, Goku-san!" it was Aoi. "Hey, Aoi-chan!" he said, waving a hand to her. "You're smiling! So you're done being depressed?" she asked. "Well, I was sad three days ago, but becoming a Hashira enlightened me. Maybe, if I keep a smile on my face, the pain will slowly vanish, you know?" he replied. "Yeah, probably..." said Aoi. "Trust me, I was missing this side of me more than anyone else. Take my missing eye away, I'm back to be the smiling Goku..." he said, looking at the sky. (Or at least... This is what I want to believe...).
As Goku made his way to reach the training ground, a thought rushed through his mind: (Why Giyuu doesn't want to take part to the training? Should I go talk to him? But what if he yells at me...) he thought. (It doesn't matter. Seeing someone as sad as I was until three days ago hurtsme...) he then said. And so, Goku walked up to Giyuu's room and knocked twice. "If you're not Goku, leave. I don't want to talk to anyone," said Giyuu, from the inside. "What if I'm Goku?" said the boy, opening the door. "Come inside. I was hoping for you to show up.." muttered Giyuu. "Why me?" asked Goku. "Because you're the only one who can understand me right now," said Giyuu. "Will you stop being depressed?" asked Goku. "You were depressed too until three days ago," said Giyuu. "I'm still depressed, I just decided to put a smile on my face," replied Goku, sitting up in front of Giyuu. "So, why are you depressed?" he asked. "Because Tanjiro was supposed to master Water Breathing and become the Water Hashira, but he died..." said Giyuu. "So you're telling me you're sad not because Tanjiro-kun's dead, but because he won't become the Water Hashira?" asked Goku. "Both of them," said Giyuu. "We have you as the Water Hashira, don't we? And for the record, I am a Hashira too now!" said Goku, pointing himself. "But not the Water Hashira. And for the record, I'm not the Water Hashira..." said Giyuu. "Let me guess: Someone died in front of you and you couldn't do nothing to save them, and now you think you should have been the one to die. Am I right?" hypothesized Goku. "You're right, but how do you know?" said Giyuu. "Because I felt that way too. Someone died in front of me, and I couldn't do nothing to save him. And yes, just like you, I believe I should have been the one to die, that day..." said Goku. "Oh, right, I get what you're talking about..." said Giyuu. "But that wasn't your fault in that case, stop thinking it was," he then said. "The same counts for you," said Goku. In that moment, Giyuu freezed. Then, he lowered his head and said: "Arigato, Goku."
"Anytime, Giyuu," said Goku, smiling. "We're Hashiras, we shouldn't fight ourselves. Instead, we should understand each other," said Goku. "Stop being philosophical, it doesn't suit you," said Giyuu. "I wasn't being philosophical, I was just saying my opinion about what we Hashiras should do!" said Goku. "Anyway, why did you decide to be trained by the other Hashiras instead of training?" asked Giyuu. "Because I am a terrible coach. And I want to get stronger, too," explained Goku. "Fine. Just don't expect me to join the training..." said Giyuu. "Don't worry, nobody is forcing you. If you don't want to join the Hashira Training, that's fine," said Goku. "Now I gotta go, Giyuu, but always remember; You're not alone." Then, Goku left the room and closed the door. (That boy... We had the same experience, but unlike me, he pretends to be happy, always putting a smile on his face... Why can't I be like him?) wondered the Water Hashira. (Well, to think about it, he was acting sad too before becoming a Hashira. Maybe, becoming a Hashira made his sadness vanish. But it can't be possible. He said he's still depressed, he just stopped acting so. I wish I could do the same...) he thought.
As Goku was walking around the headquarters, he heard a voice. "Kanao, I'd like to tell you about the demon who killed my older sister, Kanae." Goku recognized it: that was Shinobu's voice. (Eavesdropping is rude, but since I have ears, I can hear even if I don't want to, so at this point it's worth listening to her...) he thought. "And let me also tell you how to go about killing that demon..." added Shinobu. (She's got a plan?) wondered Goku. "My plan is getting close to that demon and delivering a fatal blow with my poison. But here's the twist: For a year now, I've been consuming poison, which is concentrated in my body. My plan is being eaten by that demon, so that the poison kills him from the inside," explained Shinobu. (Did I heard right? Did she just say she wants to be eaten by the demon who killed her sister to kill him frombehind?) thought Goku, as his eye widened in shock. (If I speak up now, she'll notice me... I will not let her die... I can't let my crush die like this...) he decalred. (Even if I'll be forced to kill that demon with my own hands, I won't allow Shinobu-chan to die. I already lost Tanjiro-kun, I don't want to lose anyone else...) he reflected. Then, after making this decision, Goku turned and started to make his way to reach Tengen for the trainig.
Chapter 43 - End.