I was helping the old man clear away the utensils and sweep the house, a rather nostalgic task since the man made me his personal choirboy when I was 13, I trained and cleaned for two years until the start of last year when I became a demon slayer, all I wanted was to see Giyu San, to show him how I've done, so I accepted every single mission even the ones my comrades were too afraid to go on, I slew such an insane amount of demons that Giyu San had to recognise me, I've never trained in any other breath than water, and I don't want to, the only elusive kata being Giyu san's own creation… the eleventh kata, dead calm.
So I stuck with him, hoping for him to meet an enemy strong enough to warrant the eleventh form, eventually seeing my persistence and love for his breath, he made me his tsuguko, I'm still yet to see the eleventh form, but I was going to learn it, I swear it.
As the last of the cleaning came to an end, and the sun began to set, I heard the sliding doors open to the hut, collapsed, nursing hundreds of bruises there lay Tanjiro, Urokodaki looked up in interest, I leapt to my feet and went outside to help him out.
Lifting him to his feet, I brought him inside and sat him on the tatami mat.
"Well done."
Urokodaki eyed him up and down before saying, "from tomorrow you're demon slayer training will begin, for now eat and sleep"
…
…
The next day, early in the morning I buckled my katana to my waist, donned my uniform, threw my haori on and opened the sliding doors to the hut and stepped out.
"Leaving so soon?"
I turned around and saw the old man, with his mask off looking out towards me.
"Yeah old man, some of us have jobs, I'm the tsuguko of the water hashira."
He chuckled out loud before smiling, "you know Itsuya, I miss the days when I used to train you, you really were a good student"
I smiled and looked up at the man, "don't go all sentimental on me oldie, your face is stop kind go out the mask back on so I can remember you as the angry old man!"
The man returned with his mask on, this time with a katana in his hand, "I believe I asked you for a fight."
I smirked before drawing my katana, "I will entertain you, only because you're so old."
"I'll show you old! You BRAT!" He charged at me and even though he didn't say it, the way his arms tensed and he rolled in the air, his entire body screamed, Ni no Kata: Water Wheel.
I waited and as Urokodaki's blade approached my face, I dropped, pumping my knees and shooting past underneath his strike before bringing my katana in a circle, "Ni no Kata: Lateral Water Wheel,"
Urokodaki turned just in time to send my katana in a different direction, it was just about enough for him to duck away, but I gave chase to him, "Ju no Kata: Constant Flux," I charged at the old man, my blade cutting the air bringing with it, a tidal wave of destruction and as it met his sword, I heard a faint crack as lines appeared on the old man's sword. I smiled. Once again I lowered my stance,
"Hachi no Kata, Waterfall Basin," I jumped and as gravity did it's work pulling me down, I arced my blade downwards, clashing with Urokodaki's unleashing torrents of waterfall's from the heavens, bearing down upon him until his katana clattered away, as he began to dive for it, I rested my blade on his neck, "You are getting old!"
The old man sighed, releasing the air he was maintaining, "Don't get cocky brat! You beat an old man, in my prime I would have ended you! HMPH!"
I chuckled at his annoying attitude and turned away sheathing my blade, the rising sun reflecting against it's purple edge. I waved as I ran into the woods, and shouted back, "let the boy know! Arakawa Itsuya is rooting for him!"
And with that I sprinted off into the rising sun.
...
...
It was nightfall when I reached Giyu San's estate, the fountains were roaring and I crossed the moat, landing in the vast training ground, where the water Hashira was training, slashing training dummies, leaving in his wake, a trail of water. I walked over to the man as he sheathed his blade, the kakushi servants ran across the ground collecting fallen dummies and putting out more to be obliterated.
"Itsuya, you're back, how is our sensei faring."
"Ehhhhhhhhhh, the old man's doing all right, in fact I beat him in a fight!"
"Uh huh, sure you did buddy,"
My mouth was agape, and I looked at the Hashira in anger, "What's so hard to believe?"
Giyu reached into his haori and pulled out a letter and I read it carefully.
Dear Giyu,
Itsuya has left. He challenged me to a fight and lost, hah classic idiot. Anyway, Tanjiro is doing well with training and Nezuko is subdued.
With Respect, your Sensei,
Sakonji Urokodaki!
I scanned the page before scrunching it into my right palm, "That damn old man!"
Giyu smirked as I got frustrated, "What are you smirking at?" I charged the hashira, "Ichi no Kata, Water Surface Slash." I cut down at Giyu, but he tapped my blade away like it was a paper crane, "Tch, put some edge into you're attacks Itsuya!"
I disappeared from my spot and appeared above him, "Hachi no Kata: Waterfall Basin!" I swung down in a never-relenting arc, and my blade was once again thrust aside, "Tch, just you wait, I'll get you!"
I once again lunged, this time aiming for his feet, I was there, and then I wasn't, switching my position, vanishing and appearing behind him, I slashed down at Giyu's back, "Go no Kata: Blessed rain after the drought!"
The water hashira didn't even have to turn, before he did my blood froze as he spoke, "Mizu no Kokyu: Ju Ichi no Kata: Dead Calm."
I watched as he entered a state of total defence, the raging waters of openings before him became still in one movement, the world seemed to stop, my blade frozen in my clammy, hands as the breathing technique I was about to use died in my throat, suddenly I had a blade to my neck.
"You have a long way to go Itsuya kun."
"Tsk," I turned away and headed into the estate to clean up and have my dinner.