The loud pounding noise of the rain hitting the estate was heavy and vicious. The swoosh of gales could be heard clearly even as they're sheltered inside the tough building. Giyuu was swift to move, putting out the faucet before quickly rushing out of the kitchen area and disappeared, leaving Tokitou standing alone in the kitchen. He needed to close the doors by the engawa unless he wanted water to wet the entire flooring.
It wasn't necessary anymore however, one of the caretakers had closed them before he could. Giyuu sometimes forgot that there were other people inhibiting the water estate because of how quiet it got at times. He trusted that they had also taken care of the windows around the estate, there was no need for him to check on them.
"Ah, Tomioka-san, you're here." One of the caretakers, Mio, greeted him as she was carrying a basket full of washed beddings, before entering a room to unload the laundry where they store all the quilts, extra blankets and towels.
Compared to his bedroom and any other rooms, this room was filled with furniture. It might also just be the fact that this room was smaller than the other rooms around the estate. There were closets where all the beddings, towels and extra futons went, an ironing table and its wooden chair, also cabinets where they store the cleaning products. Adjacent to the room was where they store wash tubs for washing laundries, buckets, mops and brooms.
"Can I do something for you?" Mio came out of the room again, having put down the mountain of white sheets.
"No, I was about to close the doors to the engawa." He replied.
She laughed and smiled, gesturing her hand in dismissal of the matter. "We got it, you should leave them to us, don't worry about the estate too much."
Mio was 2 years older than Giyuu. She had just started helping around the estate about a year ago and since then the water estate had two main caretakers. The other was Shinomori-san, a woman in her late thirties who had been helping around the estate before Giyuu became a hashira. Prior to this, Mio was a demon slayer, a hinoto. She might've been a kinoe if it weren't for the fated mission that cost her to lose 2 fingers on her dominant hand which had hindered her ever since. She chose to help the corps in other aspects instead.
"Thank you, Mio." He calmly replied.
"Who is that in the kitchen, Tomioka-san? Is he a hashira too?" Mio pointed to her back as she questioned.
"Yes, the mist hashira." he confirmed.
She sighed a little harshly, sounding slightly irritated and flabbergasted by that fact. "He looks so young, he can't be older than fifteen, what insane ability does he have? ...Harsh world isn't it. Well anyway, I need to finish this, if you need anything please just leave it to us, Tomioka-san."
The first time he saw Tokitou when Oyakata-sama first introduced him, Giyuu was also amazed yet at the same time he also thought that Oyakata-sama must be out of his mind, promoting a twelve year old to be a hashira, but he did what he had to as a leader. It made him wonder what drove Tokitou into becoming a demon slayer at such a young age and advancing so quickly. They all had a shared hatred towards demons, that was one thing Giyuu could confidently say and Tokitou was no different.
What did he experience, to drive him enough to become a hashira?
Tokitou was still there in the kitchen when Giyuu returned. It didn't look like he moved an inch from where he was last standing as they washed the dishes. It wouldn't be wise for him to go back to his mansion in the weather like this, it was storming, no one would even be able to see the road ahead, not to mention the violent wind and thunder.
"I think it's better if you stay here for a while, at least until it resides." Giyuu spoke out loud as he entered the kitchen.
There was no response from Tokitou. He stayed still as if glued to place which confused Giyuu. He tried calling his name as he crossed the room to approach him, but to no avail, he didn't turn or answer him. It was odd, for a moment Giyuu wondered if he should just leave him be, but something felt peculiar and it was unsettling. Carefully, he approached the mist hashira, not sneaking on him with alert, but cautious enough not to startle the other.
"Tokitou-kun." He called once again, now standing beside him.
"Tokitou—" then Tokitou turned to look at him and Giyuu finally saw his face.
His eyes were dull, but it was slightly widened in alarm. His face had turned a shade paler and a sheen of fear with a mix of confusion had glazed over his whole expression. Giyuu couldn't quite place his finger on it, but Tokitou was certainly petrified. Something had happened when he went to close the door and it caused him to feel disturbed.
Giyuu didn't know what to do. He had barely known enough social cues and body language to know how he was supposed to react. Probably he should ask what was wrong, what happened while he was gone, what he needed, if he could do anything for him, but Giyuu himself was lost and he kept his mouth shut when he was supposed to bombard him with questions like a normal person should.
"Why…?" Tokitou mumbled. "W-why do I feel like this?"
"What are you feeling?" Giyuu looked at his eyes, searching.
"I can't remember…why? I- I-" Tokitou ignored his question, wrapping his head with his hands that shook with tremors. Tokitou looked adrift, his eyes unfocused as he looked down on the floor, no longer looking at Giyuu, but fixing his gaze on the floor instead.
"Tokitou, Tokitou look at me." Giyuu's tone was firm and stressed as he tried to get his attention back, but he was too late. He was spiraling in his own thoughts, slowly losing himself once again.
Giyuu kneeled down to get in his line of view, waving his hand to get his attention, snapping his fingers together and clapping, yet nothing was able to break him from the trance he was stuck in. What made it harder was also the fact that he knew nothing about Tokitou and what could potentially trigger his mind to shut down like this.
His breaths were not erratic meaning he wasn't panicking, just severely unfocused, and nothing that Giyuu did could break him from the bubble he was trapped in. Giyuu started to get frantic on the inside by the second. There must be something he could do, but he would spend too much time wracking his brain than actually doing something that aid Tokitou.
What would his sister do?
-
Giyuu was barely ten when he had his first sleep paralysis. He laid on his futon just beside his sister's, suddenly stirred awake by the shadows flying over his eyes. He was awake, but his body was paralyzed. That in itself was enough for little Giyuu to panic. But then right in the corner of his eyes, a silhouette was approaching him slowly, closer and closer. It extended its arms to reach him and that was when he realized he was trapped.
He tried screaming, crying for his sister, grabbing anything around him to get away from the looming figure above him, but it was futile. He was forced to see the figure above him. The way the creature growled, looking just like a person yet all that formed its body was darkness and darkness alone.
It was over as quickly as it started, and by the time Giyuu could lift his fingers, he cried and screamed. It startled his sister awake who quickly came and brought him close, encasing him with her arms as she hugged him tight and he cried to her, covering his face in the fabric of her clothes. She asked repeatedly what was wrong but Giyuu was trembling like a leaf, too frightened to focus.
"Shhh, Giyuu, it's okay. It's okay…" She hushed, before stroking his hair over and over.
"He's- He's going to- get me, Tako-nee.." Giyuu tiredly exclaimed.
In a quick motion, Giyuu was being propped back upright by his sister who then grabbed her blanket and brought it over to his head, covering his body and wrapping him warmly with it before bringing him close on her laps, like a toddler once again.
"No one will get you, as long as I am here. You're safe, Giyuu."
-
"I don't really like the rain. Do you know why I don't like it?"
-
Could it be that the storm was causing all of this?
Giyuu couldn't say for certain, but he knew what to do. Gently, he tugged at Tokitou's hands and mumbled to him to follow him. He wasn't sure that his request had gone through to him, but Tokitou willingly followed him as he held his frail hand, slowly but cautiously being guided to one of the guest bedrooms right beside Giyuu's.
Once they entered the room, Giyuu closed the doors shut and made sure that the windows were tightly locked. The room was considerably quieter than the storm outside, the doors and windows did a decent job at dampening the sounds, although it wasn't enough to reduce it all the way. He let go of the younger's hand before going to the closet by the wall to unroll a futon for Tokitou to sit on. Giyuu then led him to the futon and once his feet had stepped on the cushion he sat down without being asked.
Giyuu quickly rummaged through the stack of bedding placed in the same closet, trying to find something thick and heavy enough, but unfortunately there was none. Only the cover sheets were there. So Giyuu quickly headed outside once again, leaving Tokitou to find Mio.
"Mio. Do we have a thick quilt or cover?" He rushed to enter the room where she was ironing the bedding that was freshly washed.
"This one, the one I'm ironing. Is everything alright?"
"Yes, I just need to take that for a moment, sorry." Giyuu replied mindlessly.
"Oh, uhh, sure." She handed the unfolded bedding to him and he quickly gathered all the parts as much as he could in his arms, not wanting to drag the clean laundry all over the floor. He hurriedly paced back into the guest bedroom.
Tokitou's eyes still looked distant when Giyuu returned. The storm outside wasn't stopping any time soon and Giyuu was doubting that this idea would work. Regardless, he cautiously whisked the white bedding so that it spread out behind Tokitou before bringing it down to cover him with it. The heavy quilt cocooned him nicely, enough to cover his ears but still keeping his face exposed so he could breathe with ease.
Like what he expected it did nothing to help, Tokitou was still drifting. Now he was utterly lost. He did what he thought would work, but Tokitou wasn't reacting, the glaze over his eyes persisted and he didn't seem to recognize Giyuu. How else could he be of help? He didn't have any experience such as these, and certainly no knowledge on whatever Tokitou was going through.
…
Or did you?
-
"-yuu! Sensei- wrong! Giyuuu!!"
The sound of footsteps moved in haste, exiting the house when the man heard the scream of one of his students. Giyuu could slightly recognize the tengu mask in his line of vision. He couldn't hear what they were speaking about, the tengu masked man and the orange haired boy.
Beyond that, it was just snippets of events. In between confusion and numbness, Giyuu then found himself sitting back in their room where they slept. He finally felt something on his palms. Looking down, he found a slim ceramic mug sitting in his hand that was supported by another hand that was larger than his own. First he thought the cup was just a little warm, but it soon increased in temperature, it felt hot to the touch but not burning.
"Giyuu?" Sabito called.
"...Sabito?"
-
No… Giyuu didn't like that, the fact that these memories resurfaced in the still water just as he was about to put it in the depths of it, deep down in the trenches of his mind. He still winced every time their faces appeared in his memories. But the water couldn't, wouldn't waver right now, that was the last thing he needed to do when the teen in front of him was losing himself by the second.
Giyuu picked himself up, leaving Tokitou on his own again as he went out to fetch a mug of warm water. He hesitated on the idea. He didn't know how much it would help, and not to mention it was Urokodaki-sensei who got him through, what could he do? Even as Giyuu brought the warm mug of water in his hand, he still hesitated, awkwardly outstretching his hand to grab Tokitou's wrist and retracting it once again in apprehension. Eventually, the sea extended its waves of courage and Giyuu implemented what his teacher had done years ago to get him through something that might be similar to this exact moment.
-
It was one of those times it seemed. Muichirou could recognize them, the dense heavy fog that covered his mind and vision. It was always his mind, rarely his eyes would also be obscured by it. This time he could barely even notice what was ahead of him as the mist seemed to become even denser by the second. The only thing he remembered was the storm and his racing heart, before his mind had locked and the wisps of smoke appeared.
Muichirou's world was presented in cutscenes from that point on. He never remembered going out of the kitchen, or sitting down on a soft surface, but he did remember his hand being gripped and the moment something heavy was weighing over him as if wrapping around him. And then there was something else. Something on his hand, it wasn't light, but it wasn't heavy either. Looking down, he was met with a cup being wrapped around his palm by the base, filled with water. It was lukewarm to the touch at first but then it felt like it was getting hotter and hotter over time. Then there was another hand that was keeping his own hand around the cup, propping up his hand to keep the cup upright. Confused as to what had transpired, Muichirou averted his eye to find the person that the hand belonged to, sitting in front of him, his somber but gentle ocean eyes observing him.
"Tokitou." The person called him. He looked around the room, it was very unfamiliar. The lack of furniture told him this was still the water estate.
"Who..?"
"Tomioka." The water hashira filled.
"Tomioka-san? Where are we?" He questioned.
A thunder suddenly went out with a bang. Muichirou's heart had skipped a beat, it leapt out of his chest. He knew he didn't like the storm, the rain was already bad enough as it is at times and now the storm was pounding. He had still yet to find the cause of this feeling of impending doom that terrorized him. He was aware this had something to do with the black spots in his memories, if only he could remember! All of this would make sense.
"-tou.. Tokitou!" Tomioka's voice rang. The grip on his hand tightened slightly.
Muichirou focused his eyes on him once again.
"We're at one of the guest bedrooms in the water estate. How are you feeling?" Tomioka spoke.
"I don't know…" Muichirou answered half-heartedly. He really didn't, part of his mind still felt like elsewhere.
Somewhere within him, he also didn't want Tomioka to know this unsettling feeling inside him. He almost felt defensive about it, because he wasn't supposed to feel like this at all.
It wasn't the first time this had happened, but today, it happened on the worst timing possible for him. He always had to deal with it alone and he was used to it, waiting for the smog that tainted his mind to pass along on its own. It wasn't often, but everytime it occurred it took hours to pass. Today, it was the quickest one to end, and something about the duvet weighing on him and the cup in his hand had helped. How did Tomioka know?
"How long?" Tokitou asked.
"Pardon?"
"How long did I…"
"Around an hour." Tomioka interjected when his mushy brain couldn't finish the words.
An hour… Tokitou stared down at the ceramic mug once again.
"...How did you know what to do?"
Tomioka's eyes turned downcast, averting his vision away "Someone I knew went through this once." That was the only answer he got. Muichirou didn't think it was genuine, but who was he to pry. "You can drink that by the way."
Slowly Tomioka's hand pulled away, letting Muichirou hold the mug on his own. He brought the mug closer and sipped the warm water inside, relief spread over his dry throat at once. Sighing softly in relief, he slowly felt the tiredness seeping into him as he sat there in silence with only the sound of the rain in the background, damped by the makeshift soundproof environment. The thick quilt was also warm and comfortable around him.
Tomioka then stood, he walked towards the window. He shoved the bamboo blinds away to watch the world outside. Muichirou wondered when the rain would stop. Although his mind didn't feel as fogged up as before, he still felt the disconcerting irrational fear vibrating inside him. Setting down the ceramic mug gently, Muichirou wrapped the soft bedding closer to himself, the action dampening the sound of the storm further.
"Which area are you patrolling today?" Tomioka questioned, eyes still distracted by the falling droplets outside.
Muichirou wracked through his brain, he was informed about this in the meeting just today. His awareness might have recovered, but his mind was still slow. "Oh… North."
Tomioka hummed at that. "The terrains aren't as dangerous there. Just look out for the river."
"How long until sunset?" Muichirou asked.
"Two or three hours." Tomioka let go of the blinds he was holding. "Hopefully the rain subsides by then."
Muichirou hummed in agreement.
At some point the mist hashira must have fallen asleep as the next time he found himself conscious he was lying down on a futon beneath him in a dim room, his eyes bleary when he opened them. The first thing he noticed was the absent sound of bashing rain although he could still hear the rain dripping, it had reduced to nothing but a drizzle. Muichirou slowly stood and exited the guest bedroom, entering a corridor. He looked both ways, left and right but no one seemed to be there.
After a while of turning and navigating around the unfamiliar space, he finally heard someone familiar talking. No, more like squawking and gawking loudly. He figured one of these rooms would lead him to the engawa where the sound most likely came from. Carefully he opened the shoji doors to one of the rooms and found a door opened slightly ajar, leading to the backyard. Then the noise got louder the closer he approached.
"Where is he? Or I'll tell Oyakata-sama you've been hypnotizing him to keep coming here!!"
The sight was amusing to see, the water hashira being berated by his kasugai crow but because of his calm and aloof nature his crow was ignored as he appeared to be enjoying a cup of tea.
"Ginko." Muichirou called.
"Tokitou-san!!" Sounding delighted she immediately flew over to him, but instead of nestling on his shoulder she pecked him on his head.
"You scared me! I thought you got lost somewhere. I kept looking but I couldn't find you and there was a huuuuggee storm."
"Stop it…" Muichirou attempted to get her to stop by flapping his hands around to get her away.
Eventually she stopped with a huff and went to nestle on his shoulder. "Please don't do that again, you'll give me a heart attack one of these days."
The water hashira saw him and immediately offered a cup of tea, which he gingerly accepted as he sat down beside him. The rain was still dripping, but no more thunder was heard nor the heavy wind blowing was present.
"Your crow is loud…" Tomioka's crow suddenly spoke as it landed in front of them.
"Who are you calling loud, gramps!" Ginko exclaimed. She did have a penchant for speaking in loud volumes, but she can be mellow at times.
Sleeping did help to clear the rest of the haziness inside, Muichirou's head didn't feel like it was filled with cotton anymore. Maybe the next time he zoned out like that he could try placing a thick blanket over his head to block out the storm (oh how his life would've been easier without the storm). If Tomioka saw him sleeping just now, Muichirou wouldn't know, he didn't bring it up any further which Muichirou was grateful for.
"We should get ready. North is quite the long way to go from here." Tomioka suddenly spoke, puncturing the comfortable silence.
Muichirou hummed at that. "Where are you going today?"
"West." Tomioka replied as he stood, leaving his backyard and Muichirou unconsciously followed him.
They refilled their gourd canteens with fresh water, gently pouring them so as to not spill any water to waste them. The remaining dishes around the kitchen had since been washed and put away, leaving it pristine and neat. The only thing left on the dining table was Tomioka's haori and their nichirin blades which they had dismantled before having their meals. Tomioka abruptly handed a small bento box filled with onigiri to Muichirou, mumbling something about getting hungry.
With their nichirin blades secured comfortably by their waist, both hashiras stepped out of the water estate. A little rain wouldn't hurt anyone. Muichirou and Tomioka finally headed out, moving swiftly and efficiently. Along the way no words were exchanged, but to the both of them it was unnecessary. After a little while they had come to a junction in which Tomioka suddenly slowed and Muichirou halted his speed and came to a stop as well.
"Is this where we part ways?" Muichirou offered.
Tomioka nodded. "Yes. Save travels."
"Wait."
And Tomioka halted.
"Thank you."
Muichirou could just be imagining it, but the slightest tug was seen on Tomioka's cheeks.
"Don't mind it."
Mio and Shinomori-san always insisted that he just leave all the chores around the house to them. While he only did chores to clean up after himself such as dishes and raking the leaves in the backyard before and after practices, there was one thing that they wouldn't fret about. The plants along the pathway of the estate.
Gardening was, unexpectedly, one of Giyuu's hobbies other than playing shogi. He didn't know he had the skill for it until he did it himself, because there was no way he was going to leave the dried and long gone plants lingering around the estate after years of vacancy in the spot for a water hashira.
The storm a fortnight ago had caused some damage to the garden. The path heading to the entrance was stained with dirt and some of the plants had unfortunately fallen off and was beyond saving. Giyuu didn't have the time to fix everything with patrols and missions in the last two weeks. He came back alive but not unscathed, two broken ribs plus lacerations on his legs and torso. Kochou had strictly told him to rest, but the garden needed tending to do and it wasn't hurting all that bad. He had experienced worse and probably will later on in the uncertain future.
Giyuu thought that a few days of rest would be alright for him to move again, but as he bent down to reach for the watering can, pain jolted up his side, sudden and unwelcomed. He let out a small painful gasp. He didn't expect the pain to that extent, if anything it actually felt worse than when he first fractured but it was thanks to adrenaline and battle pressure. Concentration breathing had helped a little, but bending over was a new level of pain in a whole. Despite this, he still shoveled the dirt, tidied the edges and trimmed the bent branches of the plants. Only stopping once or twice when it had hurt too much.
While he was crouching to trim some of the dried leaves, he heard a set of footsteps crept up behind him. Immediately he twisted his body and looked up to see who it was, which he regretted instantly, as pain pricked him on his side.
"You're gardening?" The familiar man with his cloud-patterned kimono and red tengu mask spoke, making his presence known.
Giyuu had to hold his face from wincing at the sight of him. "...Yes?"
"Never thought you had it in you, kid." Urokodaki-sensei chuckled lightly. Giyuu just shrugged at him with a deadpan expression. "Do you need help with anything?"
"Umm, it's alright, I'm almost finished anyway." Giyuu replied.
His teacher scanned around the area for anything that he could do. Eventually he walked off towards the other side of the flower beds and bent down to observe the flowers. Once he had faced his back to Giyuu, he carefully and gently, twisted back his body to avoid stacking even more pain to his throbbing side.
"Have you watered this side, Giyuu?" Urokodaki-sensei suddenly questioned.
"It's fine, I'll-"
"You're not talking me out of this one." His teacher picked himself up and grabbed the watering can that Giyuu set aside and started to pour rain over the thirsty plants.
Giyuu sighed defeatedly at that. Once he had willed to do something there was no convincing the man otherwise, especially if it was to help the people he cared about. Urokodaki-sensei was just kind-hearted like that, maybe it was also the fact that Giyuu was still his student in his eyes, even though he was technically already his successor.
By the end, Giyuu relented and let the man help him. He wasn't supposed to, this was his responsibility and Urokodaki-sensei didn't have to help him (not that the help was unwanted). At first Giyuu was restless about the idea, but something about the silence, with only the sound of snips and sweeps brought something akin to nostalgia that washed over him. He remembered how he used to help around Urokodaki-sensei's house. The vibe was similar to then.
Once they were finished, both of them stood by the entrance of the estate, marveling at their work. They got it done within half of the time if Giyuu were to work on his own.
"Good work. It looks clean now." Urokodaki-sensei uttered as he rubbed his palms together in motion to get any dirt off of the crevices of his palms.
"Thank you for helping." Giyuu returned
"Don't mind it. Let's go inside, it's a hot day today."
Maybe Giyuu should've worked without his top on, but he was slightly grateful that he kept the thin fabric on, otherwise his teacher would've started fretting over his injuries. If he carefully minded his movements, he'll slip through him somehow. He had done it before and he was confident that he'll pull through this one once again.
This was the second time that Urokodki-sensei had visited him personally. Giyuu will need to return the favor one day and visit him when he can. He wasn't as stiff and awkward as his first visit and the tension between them had dissipated, which was pleasant.
As they walked through the hallway, Mio suddenly appeared, peeking her head from one of the many rooms in the estate. "Oh, Tomioka-san— and umm…"
"Urokodaki Sakonji." The thick gruff voice introduced himself.
Mio stepped out of the room and bowed her head in respect, the man did the same in retrospect. "Nice to meet you, Urokodaki-san."
"Should I make tea, Tomioka-san?" She offered, now fully standing out of the room, fixing her wrinkled apron that she wore over her demon slayer uniform.
"Yes, please— thank you." Giyuu awkwardly replied, tripping over his words.
Mio nodded before excusing herself to prepare a pot of tea. When she had disappeared from the corridor, Urokodaki-sensei suddenly let out a low huff. Giyuu thought he was scoffing, but then another one escaped from his lips and he brought his hand up to stifle another one. Giyuu rotated his head to the side, glancing at his teacher.
"...What?"
"I remember teaching you to be a swordsman, but I don't remember telling you to be awkward socially." He mentioned, which made Giyuu a little self-conscious about it.
With his deadpan expression, Giyuu took his time to study him, although there really wasn't a lot to study of him with his mask on really. "Did I say something wrong?"
Urokodaki-sensei took a deep breath before replying, composing himself and refraining from excessive reaction.
"No, I just didn't expect to still see you as awkward as you were back then. Some things never change huh?"
I guess not…
Giyuu shrugged at that in response. He had offered that they sit by the engawa, but the other insisted on sitting in the dining area which his teacher seemed to have a preference for than the other rooms available. Giyuu didn't mind, anywhere would do.
Even as the tension between them had faded, Giyuu's inability to find a topic remained. It served as a reminder of how little he knew about his teacher, because of years of cowardice. He could start with the cliché "how have you been?" But knowing Urokodaki-sensei, he was still as fit as an adolescent to be able to trek down that mountain to visit him, regardless of his white hairs.
Kochou had always told him to speak more, be a little more of a stream than a depressed evaporated river. How could he speak when the words don't even form in his head? Maybe Giyuu was just meant to be the outlier from the norm. Every society always had their own, and in this little group of Oyakata-sama's foremost swordsmen he was that anomaly. One day, there would be someone to take his place and they would be more apt than Giyuu would ever be, both skill and social wise. Maybe that would be the blissful ending for him—
"What's on your mind, Giyuu?" Urokodaki-sensei started the conversation, breaking his train of thoughts.
He hated how his mind shifted to those thoughts with ease. When his sister and Sabito were around, life felt alright despite the vortex that pulled him under again and again.
"Nothing." Giyuu replied briefly, avoiding his face.
His teacher sighed, sounding slightly exasperated. "Some things never change, and that face you made when you have something in mind is one of them."
"I don't make faces."
"You do." Urokodaki-sensei immediately slandered his denies firmly. "You're not a puppet you know."
Giyuu was struck speechless at that, trying to find the words to dissect that statement. He knew he wasn't a lifeless puppet, why did his teacher say that? Unsettling mixture of disbelief and disorientation balled up inside of his heart.
"Sorry, I could have phrased it better. I'm just worried, Giyuu. Have you been talking to others?" Urokodaki-sensei said and Giyuu calmed, forcing his shoulder to ease, sagging from the tension.
"Talking…?" Of course he had.
"Just talking to others in general, having conversations like this."
"Yes? Mio and Shinomori-san." Giyuu offered.
"... What about your colleagues?"
Giyuu paused at that. In all honesty he didn't remember ever having a decent light hearted conversation with any of them. He's quiet most of the time, because he was bad with small talks. Pep talking wasn't his virtue nor was socializing his mastery. However, he would talk to Kochou and Kanroji every once in a while and each time it was them who started the conversation.
Recently though he had only been talking with Tokitou, which in all honesty he didn't expect them to be on talking terms for long. But the last time he had exchanged words with him was two weeks ago, the day the storm hit.
Urokodaki-sensei was still expecting an answer, and he got nothing better than his odd little bond with him.
"The mist pillar comes by quite frequently these days- We talk yes, if that's your concern." Giyuu answered. The man hummed as a reply, acknowledging his answer. Giyuu didn't know whether that satisfied his question or not.
Around the time the topic died down, Mio came into their space with the teapot and cups on a tray in hand. She left seconds after pouring the steaming black tea into their respective cups. Giyuu's mistake was forgetting to ask her to make green tea instead of black tea, because Urokodaki-sensei prefers them better. This would do for now.
The conversation eventually meandered, Urokodaki-sensei asking him about the things that had changed within the hashira operations since his generation. They exchanged thoughts and experiences on how their respective leaders rule at their own times. Previous leaders were definitely more strict than Ubuyashiki Kagaya, but in comparison, he was more compassionate and Giyuu preferred his leading style better than Urokodaki-sensei's leader at the time.
"His strategies do sound to be more structured and careful. It might also be caused by the decreasing amount of slayers passing the final selections." The former hashira commented, placing his thumb underneath his chin.
"That might be a factor of his cautiousness. He may also be preparing us for something grand, a scheme. Who knows what he's foreseeing each day?" Giyuu reasoned.
"Fair. I forgot that they can predict the future accurately. But I think as generations pass on we rapidly improve."
"Hmm."
The conversation had allowed their tea to cool a little more than what Giyuu liked, but nonetheless, he drank it halfway before refilling the small cup with more tea from the pot. Urokodaki-sensei put his mask aside, revealing his wrinkled face, yet still looked so very kind and gentle. He still remembered his first impression when he was allowed to see his face for the first time vividly. Anyone would have the same opinion, his face didn't match his occupation at all.
"So, is this mist hashira a potential future partner?" Urokodaki-sensei suddenly teased, his face contorted into a poorly fitted smirk to his gentle face.
Giyuu who was midway swallowing his tea suddenly choked on it. They were lucky that he was able to swallow most of the liquid in his mouth before choking on some of his tea otherwise he would have spurted all over the table. Urokodaki-sensei had chosen the worst timing ever to bring that up, or that the idea was so absurd that Giyuu felt a strong surge of emotion about it. He coughed to his hand, trying to get rid of the liquid that entered his airways, but agonizing pain crept up once again, coming in harsh waves.
He was able to conceal his face from showing any discomfort in front of his teacher, but that was the least of his concern now because he could barely even sit upright. He had tried resisting not to double over, but the more he coughed the more painful it became, and there was nothing he could do. The only way to get it over was through it.
He suddenly heard the friction of a chair scratching against the floor. A warm hand was placed over his back below his shoulder blade as he coughed while the other was wrapped around his forearm that he rested on the table as a support. Once the last cough had passed he carefully took a deep breath before shakily straightening his back once again with the help of his teacher.
His teacher sighed once again, this time in disapproval. "You're injured from a mission aren't you?"
"..."
"You know I can smell even emotions. I didn't want to bring it up, but why are you exerting yourself when you're supposed to be resting?" He stressed, his brows pinching close together.
"What are you… talking about?" The wind was still knocked out of his lungs as Giyuu looked back at him.
"Just now outside."
"It's not that bad." He tried to dismiss the topic and leave it at that when another cough escaped his mouth once again.
The next minutes were spent with slow and deep breaths, as Giyuu forced himself to wind down. Urokodaki-sensei returned to his seat, patiently waiting for him to regain his composure.
"Old habits die hard… you're always hiding your pain and injuries, keeping it to yourself and not saying anything about it even when walking hurts your body." Scolded the man, it touched Giyuu effectively. Guilt had blossomed inside his heart as he now recalled just how enhanced his sense of smelling was. There really was no hiding from him.
"Sorry… I just didn't want to make you worried." Muttering, he averted his eyes elsewhere, because he didn't dare to look at his eyes.
For probably the tenth time today, his teacher sighed once again, this time forbearing rather than sounding upset. "You never fail to test my peace of mind," He huffed lightly. "But I do prefer you to just be honest, at least with me, especially about injuries. Worrying is my responsibility. If you can't stop trying to run away from the butterfly estate, at least rest properly."
"How did you know about that?" Giyuu gawked at his last phrase, immediately forgetting his culpability.
Letting out a chortle, the man beamed at his former student. "So it's true! I keep in touch with Kagaya at rare times, you know. He has pretty interesting stories about you."
Kochou must've snitched on me then…
This revelation caused Giyuu to feel embarrassed once again, but admittedly feeling better, allowing them to move on from the previous conversation. They fell into a snug silence, Giyuu taking his time to draw air into his lungs some more while Urokodaki-sensei refilled his cup once again. When he had pulled himself together, Giyuu returned to drink his tea once again.
Being able to share a tea in a serene environment like this with someone he's comfortable with was like gold, rare yet treasured. It was interesting, because in contrast to having tea with his teacher like this, a lot of talking and emotions flying around, a tea with Tokitou would be considered by others dry and boring. In spite of how seldom they exchange words, Giyuu still enjoyed the stillness.
"The mist hashira, his name is Tokitou Muichirou." Started Giyuu. "He's around thirteen or fourteen if I'm not mistaken."
"You're kidding?" Urokodaki-sensei replied, now he was the one gawking. He only got a simple head shake as a confirmation. "I think I understand why you reacted the way you did just now."
Giyuu shrugged as he placed down the cup encased in his hand. "It doesn't matter, I just didn't expect you to bring a topic about spouses."
"You mentioned how he visits often so I thought it must be someone of your interest."
"No. Honestly, I don't know why he comes here. I… used to think that he wanted something from me or maybe even use me. But he just didn't seem to want anything other than mundane matters." He admitted openly. After saying his thoughts to someone out loud he realized that he could actually get his perspective on the matter, so he let the conversation flow.
"Mundane matters?"
"Yes. Having tea like this, sparring, cooking or just sitting down and staying silent to watch the clouds." That's when Urokodaki-sensei gave him a pointed look, it was his turn to look at him with a blank face.
"..."
"Uhh…"
"Giyuu." He started slowly. "He just wants some company."
"Wow what a great revelation."
"...Maybe. But you know I am not really good with people, and I don't understand why he chose to have me as a company over other hashiras."
His teacher suddenly gave him a sad look. His gaze alone was enough to disturb the still waters of his heart. It made him feel uneasy once again, like he wasn't supposed to disclose that impulsive thought to him. At this point he felt like he talked too much. The thought of him inflicting worries and pain on the people that he cared about made him falter inside.
"You're calm and non-judgemental, even if you don't talk a lot, your company alone may just be enough for Tokitou."
Giyuu's hand stopped just as his cup was about to reach his lips again. He needed time to process what his teacher had said in his regard. His instinct was to deny that, but it wasn't an option anymore. When the hashira didn't know what to reply, he reserved his thoughts and just sipped another cup of tea.
Eventually, something popped up in his mind that Giyuu was positive he needed to inquire about. "He did mention something along the lines, "water has memories." . Do you know what it implies?"
"No. Maybe he's referring to you." Urokodaki-sensei wondered with him. "Did you make a promise to him that you forgot to fulfill? Young souls are full of resentment at times."
"No? I—" Giyuu held back his tongue. If he were to disclose they hadn't talked prior to that fateful day, Urokodaki-sensei would start lecturing again. "Nothing that I could think about."
He wasn't the type to blatantly make promises out of the whim. Tsutako taught him not to, so he rarely made any promises that he couldn't keep. Not to mention that he didn't think any of his colleagues would blindly trust him, especially because most of them had a pungent aversion to him. Maybe if it was anyone else, they would've held a grudge against Giyuu, but this was Tokitou. He could barely remember his name, let alone the things he promised.
"He could barely remember where he was yesterday, I doubt that he would remember anything I might have promised him." He elaborated, now shedding some light on the situation regarding the mist hashira.
This managed to pique Urokodaki-sensei's interest. Yet he had a slight tinge of disbelief. "Is that an exaggeration? But knowing you it probably is the truth. Did something happen to him?"
"Most likely, but I'm not sure. He has problems with his memories it seems." Giyuu replied.
Excusing himself, he stood up to clear the table, taking the two ceramic teacups and the teapot over to the kitchen sink to be washed. Before he could enter the kitchen area, the former hashira called out, stopping him from his steps.
"Giyuu."
"Yes?" Giyuu turned around to face the man, with the teapot and its cups balanced in his hands.
"Can I stay here for a while?" His teacher suddenly questioned.
The request came out of the blue, Giyuu paused for a split moment when he heard it. The thought of having his teacher staying in close proximity with him once again made him feel somewhat skittish. It felt… homecoming. He had been so busy with his tasks as a hahsira that he had never stopped to process just how quiet it gets at times, how lonely he actually was sometimes. How he… admittedly missed his teacher.
Being alone was something he basked in, he functions well when he's in full control of his bearings, but being lonely was not equal to being alone. He was for once again like a child who wanted a parent's company, a comfort place. What was home when it was cold and empty? It was just now that he realized how far he had drifted from home, when he had nothing but an empty shell of a fortress.
"Yes, of course." Please.
However long he needed to stay. Giyuu owed so much to him and he will forever be grateful to the man who saved his life years ago in the woods.
"Water has memories."
Maybe somewhere within Tokitou, he was also searching for a comfort place to come back to. If Giyuu's company was enough to help him, then he would always welcome him with open arms, just as Urokodaki-sensei did with him.