Disclaimer: I do not own or am affiliated with Demon Slayer/Kimetsu no Yaiba.
Day 4
Giyu stirs awake, squinting his eyes before opening them all the way. He stares at the wooden ceiling while listening to the sounds outside. The faint breeze and the chirping of birds, and no sound of his counselor's yelling.
It felt odd, he didn't feel tired this morning. Matter of fact, he felt quite well-rested. He sat up and stretched out his body, small cracks being felt in his bones. He glances to Tengen's sleeping form, a snot bubble growing and shrinking while he snored to his hearts' content. He shook his head at the admittedly comical sight.
He opens the window to see the morning light pour into the camp, coating it with a dark purple look. Giyu enjoyed the enchanting sight, for some reason it gave him a feeling of longing. It felt fresh outside, there weren't any rules that prevented him from going out at this time, right?
He quietly hops off his bunk, checking his phone to see it was 5:50 in the morning, an hour before roll call.
He's not sure what's compelling him to do this, but he felt like going outside and taking in the morning air. It was very unlike him, he preferred the indoors.
He replaces his blue striped pajamas for black jeans and a blue T-shirt. Tengen murmurs in the background, Giyu tries to be more quiet. He continues, changing his socks and putting on a dark blue hoodie. He puts on his blue skateboarding shoes and places his hand on the door knob.
He turns it and pushes the door open, sighing wistfully at the magical view of pink and blue surrounding the camp. A beautiful orange peeking over the horizon that stretched on for miles on end with the glowing sun shining at the center of it all.
He hums happily at the sight, nature can be a grand sight at times. It felt a bit chilly out, but he figures the sun will warm the area soon, it was the crack of dawn after all. He walks around for a bit, silently marvelling at the natural glow around him. The sounds, the breeze, the view, all of it felt mystical. He walks towards the creek, watching how light bounces off the tips of its surface. He felt like sitting at the pier, but oddly enough, someone had beaten him to it.
"Hm?" There's someone sitting at the dock?" He said to himself. Curiously, he walks closer.
"You're up early! Whoever you are!" He says loudly and it made Giyu jump a bit. How did he know he was nearby?
"Ah! No response? You must be the rule-breaker Tomioka then!" He says and Giyu rolls his eyes at the term he was labelled. It was impressive how he guessed it was him though.
"Yeah, that's me I guess," he says, awkwardly revealing himself despite him not even looking at him. So it was Rengoku sitting at the pier. If there was anyone other than the counselor Giyu would expect to be up at this time, it would definitely be him.
Rengoku is... an uptight person. As far as Giyu knows, he enforces the rules of the camp more than any of the counselors. Giyu assumes his opinion of him isn't very high, but what does he think about the others? Douma in particular, if he thought Giyu was bad then Douma was seriously bad news.
"Hey, u-um, this is random but uh, what are your thoughts on Douma?" Giyu meeks out, talking to someone as energetic as Rengoku was quite straining for someone reserved like Giyu.
"Fantastic! Very nice and follows the rules unlike you!" He answers in a heartbeat and Giyu is actually very surprised to hear such positive adjectives be used for him.
"Y-you really think so? You don't think he's... bad?"
"Compared to you, he is almost like an angel!" Well now he's just blatantly expressing his distaste for Giyu at this point. Still, if someone as pure as Rengoku held Douma up to high at a degree, it made him worry for his own well-being. He frowns slightly.
"I...I see. Well, thanks for answering me atleast," Giyu would keep this in mind should an altercation between him and Douma occur, and he got the feeling it was bound to happen sooner or later.
"You seem off rule-breaker! You look gloomy, yet that is always how you look."
...Giyu ignores that.
"But hearing my thoughts on Douma has noticeably put you down. Why?" And Giyu's face heats up, he was more perceptive than he looked.
"I-it's nothing! I just, think you might not- know- the full... truth, that's all," Giyu jumbles his words but he gets his message through. Rengoku hums.
"...I shall keep that in mind!" he exclaims. Giyu doesn't think Rengoku is a bad guy. Painfully blunt? Absolutely, but he's a guy who prioritizes the safety of everyone, maybe over his own? It's an admirable trait really.
Things get silent between them now, and they're both sitting at the edge of the pier. Rengoku doesn't seem to mind the silence, Giyu however, was fiddling at the end of his hoodie as he thought about something.
He absolutely hated being the first to start talking, but... maybe this was a good chance to try and befriend him...? His sister wants him to make friends after all...
"Umm... what made you come outside? This early, I mean," Giyu mentally slaps himself.
"I love the outdoors! One of the main reasons I wake up this early is to make sure nothing out of order occurs out here, like you being up this early! It's fine though as long as you don't break any rules!" Each word was jam-packed full with enthusiasm, Giyu wonders how anyone could have the energy to talk like that.
"I think it stems from my father, my love for the outdoors. Appreciating the natural beauty of the world. It's a melancholic feeling I'd say. You feel it too don't you? It's why you're also out here," Rengoku says, a noticeable shift in his tone. Giyu nods his head, he had no idea Rengoku could think of things so deeply.
"I... understand. It does feel... nice out here," Giyu said quietly, cringing at his lack of response. He lets out a hearty chuckle.
*BANG!*
"Oi oi keep it fucking down will ya? Bunch of noisy ass brats..." Sanemi complains loudly as he walks out of his cabin, hair somehow looking more disheveled than usual. His baggy eyes paired with the slightly red look in his eyes indicated he had just woken up. This, is how he looks in the mornings? He always looked... prepared.
"Why are you guys up so early anyway? You're not planning something are ya Tomioka?! ...Hm? Ah Rengoku, nevermind then," he slurps on his coffee mug before heading back inside. Giyu glances at Rengoku.
"Counselor Sanemi is... not quite the morning person. He wakes up cranky, just give him a moment," maybe that's why he's easily irritable. He's always waking up on the wrong side of bed...
"Oh yeah! For being so loud, you'll have to run a lap Tomioka! Rengoku you don't have to but... I get the feeling you'll do it anyway," Sanemi barks out as he poked his out the door. He slams it shut and eyes Giyu angrily from the screen of the door. A lap first thing in the morning... how fun.
He turns to look at Rengoku but only caught the blur of red and orange, he was doing a lap willingly?!
Giyu could never, in a million years, maybe even a billion, begin to understand why anyone would put themselves through that kind of torture.
--
Giyu's out of breathe when he's finished with his lap, placing his hands on his knees as he takes in the much needed air into his lungs. How was Rengoku perfectly fine after his lap? His breathing wasn't hindering in the slightest...
Giyu's head snaps upward at the sound of Sanemi kicking his door open, was it time for roll call? He stomps out to where he usually stands for roll call, not paying mind to Rengoku already standing in position. When he passes Giyu though, he gives him a pretty disgusting stink eye.
"Ungrateful lucky campers..." he grumbles under his breath before he yanks on the whistle wrapped around his neck and blowing into it. Yep, it was time for roll call.
*FWEEEET!!*
He blows as hard as he can into the whistle and it is so much worse hearing it up close than when he was inside his cabin, his eardrums felt like they popped.
"GET UP CAMPERS, RISE AND SHINE!!" He screams out and it only takes a few moments before everyone is gathered. It's a bit amusing to see everyone else flood out their cabins in a rush, roll call was a very serious thing. One person comes out and someone from a different cabin follows.
For some reason, there's more chatter than usual during roll call. He's not one to are what anyone goddips about, bit anyone's interest would be piqued when their name was said in whispers. He turns just a bit to see one pair of eyes on him, then another... until he notices that all eyes are on him.
"Uh..." he turns away, his face feeling hot. He does not like the attention.
"Tomioka? Up this early?" He heard someone ask. Several more voices arose, apparently they were all wondering that same thing. Why was it so surprising to them?
"I-I uh, woke up early," he answered truthfully. More murmuring ensued, he didn't know what to make of it.
"Alright that's enough you gossipers, I don't have the time nor the patience to deal with your bullshit this morning since we got somewhere to be. No breakfast in the cafeteria but I got some granola bars here for ya. The raisin kind cause none of you deserve chocolate except maybe Rengoku. When your name is called, come get your bar. Am I clear?" A few of them groaned.
"Yes sir," they said in unison.
He goes through the names on the list and Giyu wonders what today's plan is. He's kind of hoping for a free day today, maybe even go see Shinobu...
Woah, since when did he start thinking like that?
"Alright, follow me and don't get fucking lost. You get eaten by bears that's on you, the camp can't afford the lawsuit..." Sanemi growled bitterly. Bears? He must be kidding, this camp was supposed to be safe. He felt something jab at his back and he winced.
"You walk too slow, walk faster," Douma sneered. Douma and bears... this camp was extremely hazardous.
--
Sanemi leads them to the Girls Camp, why he didn't just say they were going here is beyond Giyu but he's not complaining. He feels giddy and his eyes frantically searched for someone in particular.
"Good morning Boys! I hope you all slept well~" Kanae says kindly but Giyu's image of her was... altered, ever since that altercation. Even her smile was terrifying to him...
"Hmmm~" *poke*
One, small, finger. One small finger, had sent his heart rocketing towards the moon.
"I really enjoyed our dance last night, Giyu~" Shinobu teases, leaning in real close to him, her face inches away from brushing his. She kept her eyes closed and smile wide, Giyu found it hard to breathe. She brushes past him, leaving Giyu's mind befuddled. He sighs slightly at her retreating figure.
"OOF!!" There was a very sharp pain digging into his stomach and it nearly knocked the wind out of him. He sees a flash of white hair and for a second, he thought it was Douma-
"WELL HOW ABOUT THAT MY YOUNG APPRENTICE, You cannot tell me that is just you two being on 'friendly terms' now can you?" Oh, so it was Tengen. Jeez he's stronger than Giyu gave him credit for...
"...We are still friends, no matter how it may seem to you," Giyu answers, straightening back up and doing all he can to not wince. Tengen's not having it, and that really sucks when he starts making kissing sounds where everyone can hear. Would Giyu get expelled if he punched someone?
"Alright everyone, stand up and line up. Kanae will finally inform you all what today's agenda is," He sat down in a slump, rubbing a hand over his face. Said counselor giggled behind her hand.
"My my Sanemi, you look like quite the mess~ A bird could create a nest in your hair," she teased and a few kids laughed. He did not take the joke kindly, sendin all the kids who laughed to do a lap. No one else laughed after that.
"...Ahem, sorry for that everyone. That aside, I'm delighted to tell you that today... is a special day to say the least." Sanemi's ears perked up, and Giyu wondered how this day could be special when they had a huge party yesterday.
...Well, most of them. Him and Shinobu shared their own personal dance last night.
"Today we have lessons planned for you, lessons such as running, swimming, archery, and hunting," she added emphasis to the last word. It made Giyu tense, hunt? Hunt what? Animals? Hunting for animals at 15 years old? She giggled.
"...Just kidding~! The 'hunting' is just a search for an idol," she explained and Giyu couldn't believe some people were disappointed to hear that.
"You may be wondering why we have all these activities prepared for you today. Well, that's because today is practice, practice for the upcoming... Camp Olympics~!" She reveals enthusiastically. Giyu feels bad because the lack of enthusiasm from the rest of the campers really killed it. He glances to Sanemi who fell silent.
"I said, Camp Olympicsss~!" She repeats and someone coughs. Now this was just plain sad...
Sanemi stands so abruptly that it makes Giyu flinch. Also, is he vibrating? He's shaking for one second, and then... tearing off his counselor outfit the next.
Oh, Lord.
Giyu was beholded to something that made him wish eyes were never a creation.
"OH YEAHHH!! This is most definitely our year fellas!" He announces in... that attire. Giyu doesn't even want to describe what he's wearing, much less look at it. It's beyond... disturbing.
Giyu's not the only one horrified by such a sight, everyone is stunned beyond words.
"Wow um, you certainly seem... e-excited for the games..." Even Kanae's boundless positivity was struggling with the tremendous force of Sanemi's outfit.
"THIS. IS. OUR. YEAR!!" He repeats and everyone sweat-drops.
"R-right, the Camp Olympics are a series of games made up of two teams! The Boys' Camp versus the Girls' Camp. In the 2 years of this establishment, The Boys' Camp have never won I'm afraid..." Kanae says and Giyu swears there's a hint of amusement in her voice. Sanemi flinches at the mention of the record.
"I have faith in the campers this year, they won't let me down, will you?!?" and Giyu resists the urge to gag. Who the hell was sniffling behind him?!
"I'm so moved Counselor... your unyielding faith in us truly inspires me to go all out in these Olympics! Me and Rengoku will win in the flashiest way possible!" Oh NO, no way can Giyu survive a day with TWO insane people.
"That's the spirit I love to hear! I'll work you guys to death if I have to!" Sanemi says and Giyu signs his death warrant right then and there. Kanae shakes her head lightly at the boys antics.
"We hope you two enjoy this event a great deal, you will be making history after all! ...Would you care to do the honors, Sanemi?" She asks as she looks at him cautiously, hands coming up to cover her ears. Giyu's instincts told him to do the same thing.
"Of course!"
*Inhale*
*Exhale*
"THE ANNUAL CAMP KIMETSU'S OLYMPICS OF 2019 WILL NOW OFFICIALLY, COMMENCE!!!!" He roars as flocks of birds fly out in the distance behind him. It would've been epic if he were not wearing... a certain swimsuit.
"YEAH!!" A few campers followed up on his cheer. Giyu gulps, maybe if he doesn't try he won't have to participate? He finds the thought very tempting...
"Absolutely not, I already know what you're thinking and I forbid it," Shinobu says as she suddenly appeared right next him. That certainly didn't startle him.
"W-what do you mean?" He doubts she could just guess what he's thinking about.
"You were thinking of a way to not participate just now weren't you?" Well wasn't she a lucky guesser?
"Err..." she sighs and places her hands on her hips.
"Honestly, you would have more fun at this camp if you involved yourself more," she states and Giyu doesn't say anything. She smirks.
"Well, I suppose the Boys losing is inevitable. I doubt anyone is faster than me," she says confidently and Giyu deadpans at her but doesn't say anything.
"ALL BOYS FOLLOW ME. GIYU GET YOUR LAZY ASS OVER HERE!!" Sanemi screams behind him.
"Guess that's your cue, now shoo! Off you go now!" She teases and Giyu rolls his eyes. He mumbles out a quick 'see you later'.
--
This. Is. Hell.
"ONE! TWO! PAUSE! RESUME, ONE! TWO!" Not even two minutes after announcement, Sanemi already had them doing push-ups with weighted backpacks.
Apparently, this is their WARM-UP.
Giyu has never been more exhausted, Weren't they supposed be running?! What was this going to help??
"PAUSE AND REST!" And Giyu all but collapses to the pavement. Drool leaks from his mouth but he's too busy inhaling the sweet air into his dying lungs. Thank god it was over...
"RESUME!" He spoke too soon!
Giyu places his hands and pours all he can into pushing himself up, his arms shaking like needles trying to balance plates. His head's at level with his elbows but he crumbles and falls face first into the ground, he was finished...
"TOMIOKA WHAT THE FUCK!" Sanemi barks out and Giyu weakly looks at him from the dirt before his vision starts going black. He's still yelling at him but Giyu's eyes grow heavy, the black circles get larger and he doesn't even think of anything anymore until his body suddenly slumps dead.
--
"Moshi mosh... are you there?" Giyu stirs awake to a soothing voice that oddly reminds him of Shinobu. His head's on a very comfortable surface and there's kind light-purple eyes peering down on him. A hand gently massaging his scalp. It reminds him of Tsutako... being treated like this...
"Sh-Shinobu..."
"Hmm close~ but not quite~" the voice replies and his eyes snap wide open.
"Ah, it seems you're awake now. That Sanemi really should be more careful with his students," the voice says and Giyu mind begins to register everything around him. He moved his head sideways and saw the bed where patients would usually lay when they were ill. Like where he should be... Where he should be...
...So where was he?
"If you're awake do you think you'll be able to sit up? Forgive me but my legs are starting to feel numb," she says and oh. His head was on her lap, her very comfortable lap.
And his face burns, burns hotter than than an oven cranked at max. He disappears from her instantly and he can't even think at all.
"Good morning Tomioka~ do you remember what happened?" She asks and he panics when he thinks she's referring to him SIGHING HER SISTER'S NAME OUTLOUD. It's the sudden sharp pain in his arms that has him remembering what he's doing here.
"I-I was... t-training for the olympics and... I-I think I passed out, in the d-dirt," He phrases poorly. Not to mention the embarassing fact that he passed out on the warm-up. That was seriously lame and he could hear Tengen's voice saying that to him.
"Good good, that is what happened. How do you feel? Are you lightheaded? Maybe nauseous?" His head did feel fuzzy and he didn't feel nauseous, but now that she mentioned it...
He nodded his head.
"Hmm, good news is that those are normal symptoms~ I have a bucket here for you in case you need to-" Giyu snatched it immediately and hurled into it, god he hated throwing up. He felt her lift his hair up, something he was glad she did.
"Blegh... sorry," she waves her hands.
"Nonsense! I'm actually glad you did, you should be feeling a lot better now," and she was right, the nausea was gone now, his head cleared a bit, unfortunately his arms were still pretty sore though. He wipes the last remnants on his hand before getting up and using her sink.
As he's washing his hands and rinsing his mouth, he thinks about her and the night he got caught. She was... exceptionally kind. While that was his first impression of her at the beginning, he had a second impression quite clearly in his memory banks.
"...C-can I ask you a question, miss?" He asks slowly, he's going to tread on very risky territory with the question he was about to ask...
"Yes! What is it~" she asks charmingly. He gulps, here goes nothing.
"Do you still hate me?" He blurts out and he looks for any change in her face or demeanour. Nothing faltered, the smile was there and he didn't sense any anger. That's a good thing right?
"Ahh, gosh I'm so sorry for that Giyu... it was a misunderstanding from my part," she says and she's bowing her head apologetically. Well... he certainly didn't expect this.
"E-eh? Wha-"
"When I thought that you snuck over to the Girls' Camp, to my little sister's cabin of all places... it did not bode well with me and I was... a tad bit angry," she says and Giyu doesn't even want to wonder what her being really mad would be like.
"...I still think you're a good kid though, Shinobu tries to make that very clear to me," she says with a small smile and Giyu's face grows pink at the thought of Shinobu talking about him.
"She doesn't think very highly of you but she truly enjoys your company~" Kanae says with a slight sway. Giyu frowns, he wasn't that pathetic was he? He glanced towards the bucket and finds himself backtracking.
"...I see. W-well, Shinobu is... nice to talk to," Giyu says awkwardly while scratching the back of his head. Talking about Shinobu with her elder sister was proving to be very awkward for him. She seemed to light up at that though.
"Hmm~ I'll be sure to tell her that~. As well as you whispering her name when you woke up~" and Giyu immediately flares up.
"...or not! Teehee," jeez, did playing with emotions run in the family?
"...Do you think you're rested enough to go back?" she says while resting a hand on her chin. He scratches the back of his head. Going back likely meant going through more of that hell...
*Bang!*
"Sis, I need a band-aid for- hm?" Shinobu bursts through the door in an unruly way and her gaze locked on with Giyu's. It was only for a few seconds but in those seconds he felt her calculating his entire being from head to toe. After scanning him, she chokes back a laugh.
"You... passed out and threw up didn't you?" Giyu stiffens immediately.
"NO I-" "Yep, he sure did Shinobu," Kanae cuts in and Giyu feels slightly betrayed. What the hell?!
"Oh wow, maybe it is best for you to just sit this out, hm~?" Shinobu teases but he can tell it's challenging him, in a way. Giyu realizes how it's looking for him, very very poor. He grits his teeth.
"I-I was just heading back right now! A-and you're here for what, bandages? Did you hurt yourself during practice? Or--?"
"Actually the band-aid I need is for Mitsuri. We were passing around a ball and she tripped and scraped her knee," Giyu stops himself. He sweats.
"W-well, give my er, get well soon? I uh, got to go!" Giyu forces out before hastily getting up and leaving the infirmary. Leaving both of the butterfly sisters sighing at the same time.
"Honestly, I don't know what goes on in that airhead of his," Shinobu sighs wistfully. Kanae giggled behind her.
--
Giyu pants as he sprints his way down the cobblestone path that led back to the Guys' area. How much time had passed? Are they still going? He stops running the second he hears Sanemi's boisterous scream. It came from the opposite direction. He never thought he'd be glad to hear his loud voice before but now it worked as a guide.
His voice gets louder the closer he gets and right when he's about to yell out his counselor's name, an arrow whizzes right past his cheek, it nearly grazed him.
"Douma?! Where the FUCK are you aiming? Hm?"He takes one look at Giyu and somehow his already present scowl darkens. He mumbled something about going more to the right.
"You already failed at the Warm-up, why are you back?" He demands and Giyu stands straight.
"T-to train... sir," he bows a bit, he's not sure why he does it. Sanemi stares him down, gving him the impression of being caught by a tiger.
"...Grab some arrows, and try not to pass out," he shoves the bow harshly to his chest that had him staggering a bit. Giyu nods and steps in between Iguro and Rengoku.
"Welcome back Tomioka!" Rengoku greeted. Iguro merely glanced at him. He watched them both for a bit, studying their forms and how they aimed. Rengoku fired and he hit a bulls-eye.
"Well done Rengoku! I believe we have our archer right here!" Sanemi praised and Rengoku laughed wholeheartedly. Giyu took a deep breathe, if Rengoku could do it then so can he. Let's see... he pulls the arrow back on the string, past his ear... then he fired.
...it went straight into the dirt...
"Tomioka what the actual fuck! How are you this shit?!" Sanemi screeched from behind. He was marching right up to him but Rengoku intervened.
"Wait mister counselor! Let me show him how!" Rengoku said, probably saving Giyu. Sanemi growled but turned away.
"Just make him hit the target," he said and Rengoku nodded.
"Alright Tomioka, I must correct your form since it is far from being accurate," Rengoku said as he immediately began adjusting his arms, elbows, and making his knees bend. He adjusted his head and the new form felt... off.
"There you go! Now hit the target!" Giyu focused steeled himself. Grabbing hold of the arrow and pulling it back. He refrained from letting go, not until the tip of the arrow became aligned with the red dot of the target. Keep your hands steady... steady... and shoot!
It went past the tree and disappeared into the forest.
"Man, fuck no. You're done, YOU'RE DONE!" Sanemi said in both frustration and disappointment. Rengoku remained blank when Giyu turned to him.
"...Some things just aren't meant for everyone!" He settled and Giyu hung his head low. He had utterly failed again.
"Man Tomioka that was shit, how are you gonna impress your girlfriend if you suck at everything?" Tengen scolded and Giyu's moping turned to rage.
"I told you to stop calling her that! We're not, n-not-" he stammered.
"Yeah yeah not your girlfriend yet, whatever. My point still stands, you gotta put in some serious effort if you don't want to lose her," Tengen said, pointing his head in Douma's direction. Giyu was seething but, he really didn't want Douma of all people to end up with her... he reluctantly nodded.
"Alright y'all, pick up your shit and follow me! We're headed to the next training exercise!" Sanemi ordered and everyone got to work. He went to rack up the bow, but Douma walked up behind him and harshly shoved him to the ground.
"Ah- sooorry Tomioka! I should've watched where I was going..." he said it in a mocking tone, but Giyu didn't care at this point. He tried to get up but was shoved down again by Douma.
"Hey Hey! Grab my hand, I'll help you back up!" He continued to torment him. Giyu stared at the extended hand with a clear animosity. His hand did not move even once.
"HEY! What's going on here?" Rengoku barked out, drawing the attention of some of the other campers. Douma retracted his hand back almost instantly.
"Ahaha, well. Giyu here tripped and I was just trying to help him get back on his feet!" Giyu hated that Douma was very quick to lie. Rengoku looked back and forth between the two of them.
"...It's fine Rengoku, it's not a big deal really..." he stood back up no problem, in all honesty he just wanted to drop all the attention on him. He hanged the bow up and headed to where Sanemi was impatiently waiting.
"You seem awfully prone to injuring yourself today now, don't ya?" He spat but Giyu opted to ignore it. Whether that was the smart choice or not, Giyu didn't care... ok maybe a little, he doesn't want to piss Sanemi off of all people.
"Whatever then... onwards my subjects!" Sanemi yelled out as he began to lead. Giyu gulped nervously he had to absolutely dominate in this next activity.
--
They had arrived to an area Giyu had never been to. It was somewhere in the middle of the woods, but it was a wide open empty area with a ball strangely placed in the center. Sanemi had walked over to it and picked it up with a hand.
"Right, so for the last part of training I just need you guys to pass around a ball. You drop this ball, you're eliminated. So all of you spread out into a wide circle while I stand in the middle. The point of this is to keep the ball away from me. Now I'm going to really go after this ball so you can't let up for a single moment. I want to be on the verge of dying you hear?!"
"Yes sir!" They all said at once. Giyu gulps, not because of the training, but because Douma was standing next to him. He hasn't done anything yet, but being next to him was already dangerous enough.
"Right... START!!" He blew into his whistle and soon the ball was being passed around swiftly. Giyu's eyes followerd the ball, keeping up with how it zoomed around everyone. Sanemi really wasn't kidding about trying to get this ball... he was almost as fast as the ball itself!
"Put more speed and accuracy into this people! I'll be able to intercept it easily at this rate!" So far, no one had passed the ball to him yet. He felt kind of relieved, he'd fear he'd freeze up should the ball come to his hands.
"My fingers are getting too many touches on it, make sure I'm struggling to get it!!" Sanemi snarled and the ball gets passed around quicker.
"TOMIOKA!" Tengen shouts and it startles him so bad that he isn't even aware of the speeding ball aiming for the side of his head. He catches it just in time and he's proud of himself for it. Now who to-
"OOF!" He feels something ram into him and he falls on his back, the ball now in Sanemi's hands.
"OUT. Tomioka, congratu-fucking-lations on being the first person out." Sanemi growls out with the ball in his hands. Giyu looks at him weakly.
"What? Don't tell me you're gonna pass out again, you'll be benched out of the olympics if you do," Sanemi threatens and Giyu slowly stands back up, he doesn't even bother to clutch his stomach.
"Go, sit down. We'll be heading to camp after this," Giyu trudges to sit on a nearby log, he feels so defeated. This was his last chance and he blew it. He hangs his head low, he didn't feel like watching the game anymore.
--
After a few minutes, the last remaining two people, Tengen and Gyutaro, finally finish. Tengen came out on top though, much to Gyutaro's chagrin.
"Nice movement there! But, since you already have a role, you can choose between running to the Girls Camp and back, or running to this area."
Tengen crossed his arms, "What's the difference?" He inquired.
"The first run is longer, second one is shorter, but you'll lead the guys into the woods and have to lead them back out with the idol in posession."
"The second one! I shall lead us to victory sir!" He even bowed to him.
"You make me proud, which feels disgusting to say," he coughs into his hand before turning to the rest of the boys.
"That concludes all the practices for the games, everyone did a good job except for YOU Tomioka, you weren't even decent at anything!" Sanemi scolds and Giyu honestly doesn't want to hear any of it. He just wants to sleep and get this whole stupid thing over with. He secretly hoped the Girls would win now. He gets up and walks past ahead of everyone, he knew his own way back. He saw Rengoku talking to Sanemi, whatever it was did not hold an interest to him.
"Fuckin hell... Oi Tomioka!" Giyu stopped, what did he want now?
"I don't know for what god damn reason why, but Remgoku persists for you to try out in swimming. You were in Kanae's office at the time so you didn't try out. Since we're headed back to the Guys camp he figured you might as well. Do you want to try out for the swimming lesson?" Sanemi offers and Giyu ceases to move and carefully processes this, this is a chance at redeeming himself.
He would be a fool to let this go. He nods his head.
"Great... let's go then."
--
For some reason, all of the guys were watching. Douma was no surprise, he probably thought he was going to fail again. Still... this many people were watching him.
Giyu takes a deep breathe, the last chance to prove himself has presented itself to him and he was going to make sure he nailed it this time. This was something he was feeling confident about, he was on his school's swim team and was supposedly really good according to his coach.
"This is the only part that I was able to open up for your absence, good luck Tomioka!" Giyu's a bit surprised to hear Rengoku wish him luck, it puts him at ease a bit.
"Alright. Rengoku, you got the time ready?" He nods and Sanemi sighs. He just wanted hurry this along and go watch his show in his cabin. He's expecting another grand failure from this kid.
"My record of 41 seconds is gonna be pretty hard to beat Giyu~! I just know your attempt will end up being as pathetic as the rest~" Douma taunted but Giyu kept his head clear. No distractions.
"Alright kid, on your marks, get set, Go!" Giyu leaps into the water in a perfect diving form. Breaking the surface of the water with a splash. It was freezing cold, but Giyu fought past that. He knew it was going to be cold, but he's swam in these conditions before.
So far, he's swimming far more efficiently and keeping his breathing a lot more level than anyone else who attempted. Everyone is surprised, surprised that he's already halfway to the goal before the timer even hit double digits. Sanemi narrows his eyes.
In Giyu's mind however, he was struggling. His arms were still feeling a bit sore from the first practice, mixed in with the freezing temperature, he was really just pushing on with sheer willpower and determination. He didn't care if his arms would be dead after this, he just needed to win this.
Sanemi mumbles to himself, "Holy shit, this might be a record time for the whole camp..."
Tengen watches on with his jaw absolutely nailed to the floor. How the hell was Giyu faster than him at this?! Even Douma couldn't believe what he was witnessing, there's no way he would beat him at this, right?!
Giyu broke through the waves and reached the post, expertly flipping himself and kicking off of it and swimming back with more vigour. Just a little more...!
"He's... really going to do it!" Sanemi says in amazement. Giyu grunts against the cold water.
"Come on Tomioka, finish it!!" He heard a few people cheer and for a second, he smiled against the rough waters. He could just imagine the look on Douma's face-!
It inspires him, and he uses this newfound motivation to pour even more strength into his conitnuously tiring muscles. Shooting his arms forward and not stopping until his hand reached the end of the wooden pier. He's done, and he feels absolutely drained of any energy he had left.
"How'd I... do?" Giyu wheezes out. No one was saying anything, but he kept his eyes on Sanemi. Patiently waiting in wonder to hear the results. Sanemi extends his hand.
"Well fucking done, Not only are you the new swimming representative, you beat the crap out of the camp's personal record. You smashes the 33 second with with a time of 27 seconds!" Sanemi was... actually congratulating him! It means so much that Giyu's actually beaming at him, He... he actually did it! And he has a record now too!
"Well damn! Never in a trillion years did I think you could be better than me at anything! Much less own a record!" Tengen says jokingly. Atleast, Giyu thinks he's joking? Whatever, Giyu's feeling really good about himself for once, nothing could bring him down now!
"Alright everyone, that concludes the one day of training. Go get lunch and then meet me back out here where I'll re-inform everyone of their roles in tomorrow's games. You're dismissed," Sanemi says in a fond tone that's very much unlike him. He sounded... happy for once. He doesn't dwell on it for too long though, not when his stomach is roaring at the mention of food. He'd been running on the fuel of a singular granola bar.
"Hey Tomioka, let's go to the cafeteria?" Tengen asked, he noticed Iguro and Rengoku patiently waiting for his response up ahead. They wanted... to eat with him?
"S-sure!" He said with more enthusiasm than he wanted. Now they'll really think he has no friends...
...He couldn't wait to tell Shinobu !
--
"Good luck tomorrow, young padawan," the lunch man says before placing a slab of lasagna on his plate. He's starting to get used to the weird term the lunch gave him. Giyu would usually think something negative about the food but his body just yearns for any kind of energy. It looked more appetizing than usual.
"I'll take anything at this point..." he says before nearly collapsing at the bustling table where Tengen and the others were. Gosh, even sitting down felt like heavenly relief to his body.
"So... Sanemi really worked you guys over today huh?" Shinobu says appearing out of nowhere. Giyu's too tired to be surprised at this point.
He groans helplessly, laying his head on the table. "It, hurts... everywhere," She giggled beside him and sat down next to him.
"His training tends to be quite strenuous when it comes to the Olympics. How did you do?" She asked innocently. The ache in his body nearly disappeared when she asked. He swallowed the lump in his throat.
"...I'll be representing for the swimming segment," Giyu very meekly said. He saw her smile and-
How could someone be so pretty?
"Wow, look at you! Color me impressed Giyu," she said in a teasing manner, lightly punching his shoulder. He turned his head away to hide his oven of a face. He impressed her, and she was proud of him.
"...Thank you," he said quietly and she giggled.
"Wow, it's like these love birds don't even notice us do they?" Tengen said and Giyu's bubble popped. He turned back to see a shit-eating grin on his face, an Iguro who looked jealous, and a Rengoku who was just blatantly staring at them.
"...huh?"
"Oh! Don't mind us! Please, carry on you two. Hey, get this Shinobu! He also beat the camp's record of fastest swimmer! He deserves a reward for that don't ya think?" he piled on and Giyu's red face, turned crimson. Why was he saying this in front of her?! Also, he does not like what he's implying for a reward.
He looked at her a bit exasperated, wondering what was on her mind on all this but she just smiled patiently at him. She wasn't bothered by any of this??
Despite Tengen's remarks, she scoots closer to him, a detail that he pays a great deal of attention to. He tries to pretend like he didn't notice it by acting normal... Her arm was touching his.
"I still remember last night quite vividly Giyu~ I had a really good time~," she says so ribaldly that it makes Rengoku choke and spit out his drink, Tengen go into a coughing fit, and Iguro nearly pass out. Giyu feels hot immediately, how could she say that so casually when there's people here?!?
"M-I-I h-had a g-good time to-o," He stammers, absolutely horrified. He looks off to the side, trying to not notice Tengen's arm banging on his chest... or Shinobu's cackling.
*SPLAT!*
"Ah- oops, my bad!" Someone behind him says as Giyu feels something gooey plop atop his head. He feels it slide off slowly and land on his plate, lasagna is what it was. Cold wet lasagna.
"What is your problem Douma!?" He hears Shinobu demand fiercely as she stands up. The cafeteria grew quiet, no doubt watching with interest at the spectacle in front of them. Even Tengen manages to stop coughing, thanks to Rengoku helping him out with the Heimlich Maneuver.
"Whaaat~? it was an accident..." Giyu knows it was very much on purpose, but for some reason he wasn't angry or upset. He should've seen something like this coming.
"How could it possibly be an accident? You bumped your tray into him when he was sitting?" He swiveled his gaze to her, wondering why she was more pissed off about this than he was.
"...Aww, you look so cute when you're angry Shinobu!" That irked Giyu, he didn't like hearing him say that. He knew Shinobu didn't like it either. Douma slowly raised his hand and brought it up to her cheek-
Giyu stood up, Douma's fingers an inch away from her face.
"...Oh? What's this?" Douma asked and Giyu's not really sure why he stood up. One look back at Shinobu's curious face reminded him. He turned around and faced him.
"...N-No," Giyu said, and Douma's face morphed into a weird smile.
"No?" He chuckled. "No, what?" He said as he peered down at Giyu, his eyes looked irate.
"Don't... touch her," Giyu mumbled so quietly that only the two of them heard it. Douma smiled, but Giyu noticed the vein protruding from his forehead.
"Ah? You mean like this?" Douma snarled and he raised a hand quickly, Giyu put his hands up instinctively as he closed his eyes. He waited... then slowly opened his eyes to see a hand gripping Douma's arm.
A large hand, a hand that belonged to Rengoku.
"Hello! I am going to assume you were going to shake Giyu's hand as a formal apology with this hand, correct?" Rengoku asked smoothly, keeping his tone low and collected. Giyu felt both a little disappointed and relieved. Disappointed that he's not the one who stopped him. Relieved because Rengoku reacted in the nick of time. There's a fierce glare being challenged between the two of them, but Douma reels back first.
"Naww, it's fine~! Giyu doesn't have to shake my hand if he doesn't want to... it was my fault to begin with. I should've watched where I was going~!" Douma said charismatically. He radiated brightness but Giyu saw through it clearly, he was faking this.
He backs off, and Rengoku avoids Giyu's gaze entirely. His face was hard to make out, but he wasn't smiling. Why... did he step in?
The faint splat of more lasanga falling from his head reels him back in.
"Ah- I'm going to... go wash up," he suddenly says standing up. Shinobu sighs understandingly, but not without reaching out and grasping his hand.
"Right... see you at the campfire," she says with her eyes peered low, he nods understandingly. He thinks he imagined her saying a low 'thank you'.
--
He steps into the communal bathroom the boys share, walking towards the sinks on the counter and dipping his head underneath the faucet and letting the water flow through every nick in his hair. Geez... who knew lasagna stuck to your hair like this.
"It would help if you scrubbed it off with your hands as well!" Rengoku said suddenly, making Giyu jump and hit head on the faucet.
"Ow! Ah, Rengoku?" Giyu barks in confused annoyance. He places his hand in his hair, soothing the pain and swiping off some lasagna.
"Not like that! More like-"
"N-no, I know how to do it it's just... why are you here?" Giyu realizes how stupid that question sounded, why on earth would Rengoku go to the bathroom?
"...I'm starting to see it,"
"...see what?" He scrubs more properly.
"What you see in Douma, I'm ashamed I didn't notice it sooner..." he said looking to the mirror. Giyu remains quiet.
"If he ever acts that way to you or Shinobu again, do not refrain from telling me or Sanemi, we can help!" Rengoku assures but Giyu continues to scrub his hair.
"...Alright, thanks for believing me," he replied. He heard him walk out the bathroom, leaving Giyu alone with his thoughts, and the lasagna.
"Hmm... is there any way for me to beat Douma on my own...?" He asks to himself. Tengen would probably say something stupid, like to 'train' or 'work out'. But those did work sometimes... he looked up.
"Ah-" there was lasagna on his cheek. He wiped it off.
--
He exits the bathroom after making sure his head was completely lasagna-free. The wind felt cool against his drying hair.
He rubs his arms as he makes his way to the campfire, everyone was already gathered around. He looked around for Shinobu but couldn't find her... was she still eating?
"Boo!" She said as she dug a pointy finger directly on his spine, and it nearly made him leap off the ground.
"Oh my... I didn't mean to make you jump out of your skin like that Giyu~" Shinobu said as she giggled helplessly. Giyu's face darkened.
"I-I jumped because you poked me in my spine! Not because I was s-scared," it was a hopeless lie, she really scared him.
"Eh? You don't have to lie Giyu, I promise I won't try to scare you like that... for now," she giggled once more and didn't give him any time to retort. She grabbed his hand and led him across the camp.
She... was holding his hand in front of everyone...! Tengen noticed this and whistled suggestively, making Giyu snap his hand out of hers. He glanced briefly at her and noticed the slight look of hurt in her eyes, damn it Tengen!
"A-ah I didn't I-"
"No no it's fine, you're right. There are people looking," she said but it made Giyu felt guilty for what he did. He looked back at Tengen only to see him facepalm. It was his fault! Why was he the one disappointed?!
They both sit on their respective log, which for some reason had been left unoccupied. Giyu idly shifts himself closer, trying to make up for what he did. They sat in silence, neither one sure of what to say to the other. They both opted to just stare into the fire, watching the logs inside crack from the heat. He turned to her to say something-
"Alright, seems like everyone is here. You're all aware about the Olympics tomorrow and tonight we will reveal who the selected members for each category are!" Shinobu nudged his side with her elbow and smiled fondly at him.
"I can already guess who the swimmer will be for the boys, right~?" She says and Giyu rubs the back of his head shamelessly. Kanae clears her throat.
"I shall reveal the chosen members representing us. Starting off strong with the same runner from last year, Shinobu!" There were a lot of hollers for her, and Shinobu just smiled sweetly at everyone.
"You were at this camp last year?" She nodded quickly after someone had shushed him.
"In swimming, we have Suma!" A loud boastful cheer from Tengen.
"Running to the Archery Gallery and shooting, will be Hinatsuru!" A louder holler from Tengen.
"Lastly, running to the the idol searching area and orchestrating the search, the beloved Shinobu once again!" Kanae said sweetly and Giyu was surprised to hear Shinobu would be running for both parts, was that allowed?
He glanced at her in question and she merely winked at him.
Sanemi stood up, quietly walking next to where Kanae was standing. Slowly, he brought his arms together and cleared his throat.
"Alright Boys, our opponents are no joke. Even with all the work you put in, this will be an uphill battle," they... they only trained for one day.
"Remember the pain! Remember the struggle! All of that will be worth it, when we win the Olympics tomorrow!" Sanemi roared and all the guys, Giyu included, raised their fists and hollered in excitement. Shinobu rolled her eyes at his antics.
"I gladly present our first runner! He may be scrawny, but he's fast! Gyutaro!" Sanemi called out and there was a roar coming from a log with a few girls, but only one of them were cheering. Giyu thinks he recognizes her?
"To our resident swimmer, the surprise, the loner who hangs with the butterfly, Tomioka Giyu!" Sanemi said with little enthusiasm and there wasn't anyone clapping. A cough, and then more silence. Shinobu started clapping next to him and it made him feel better, though his mind was stuck on the part before his name.
"Up next, running to the archery range and shooting, the blazing Rengoku!" Sanemi yelled proudly, even putting his clipboard down to properly applaud for Rengoku who had damn near the whole camp cheering for him.
"Last but certainly not least... the flamboyant! The flashy! The god of... ah screw it! Tengen Uzui!" He called, rubbing his throat which was likely sore from yelling. The log with three girls shriek with glee, Giyu felt a little envious.
"That's all for the selections, be sure to remember who's who because I ain't saying all that again," Sanemi said snarkily. Giyu figures no one should have a problem remembering, they were some pretty big roles and everyone seemed into it.
"...Psst, remind me what I gotta do tomorrow, yeah Tomioka?" He heard Tengen whisper to him. How does Tengen somehow always manage to contradict his words? He was just announced too!
"This will be my second time being the chosen runner for the Girls, I wonder if your runners will be able to keep up with me?" She says suddenly, grabbing Giyu's attention. He looks off to one particular runner in question, suddenly feeling doubtful since said person forgot he was runner. Still, he knows Tengen is remarkably fast since he left Giyu alone on the night he snuck out. He still wonders how he slipped past him.
"Who knows, but I wouldn't underestimate him if I were you," he settled. He saw her shift idly.
"You haven't seen me run."
"And you haven't seen him run either," he countered. He heard her sigh.
"True, but atleast the outcome is bound to remain the same," her tone sounded confident for some reason. Giyu's aware that the Boys' side hasn't won in the last 2 years the Camp has been around, but he didn't like how she was dismissing them like they weren't even a threat.
"This year will be different," Giyu calmly said. She turned to look at him.
"Oh? It's cute that you think you can alter the Camp records, you should be proud to even be able to have a role in this," she spat and Giyu narrowed his eyes at her.
"You'll just have to wait and see, we'll prove you wrong by handing the Girls their first loss," he returned smoothly. He found a sudden urge to knock this short girl off her pedestal.
"My my those are some heavy undertakings you're implying there Giyu, do you really believe you can live up to them?" Shinobu challenged. He returned her stare and looked straight into her eyes, boring into them with an unwavering stillness.
"I believe it'll be you who will need to step up at the Games, Shinobu," and he was answered with an unsettling silence. Her eyes revealed nothing, but he knew his words had affected her. She stood up.
"I wish the best of luck to you, loser," she playfully teased but Giyu could tell she was invested into this as much as he was now, no backing out now.
He stood up, extending his hand out to firmly grasp hers and accept the challenge. All eyes were on them.
"As well to you, shorty," he teased back. His eyes widened when he felt a sharp pain surround his hand. For a girl with such a small frame, she had quite a fearsome grip.
"You'll be crushed tomorrow." She threatens and Giyu rubs his hand soothingly soon as she let go.
"Ara~ seems some campers are starting to feel the energy of these games. That's good! Be sure to give it your all! Alright girls, follow me. We need to get plenty of rest if we wish to keep our record flawless," Kanae ordered and all the girls stood up. They lined up and began walking back to their camp, not without a few of them turning around and sending some taunts to the boys. Shinobu didn't turn not once.
"Oof!" A hand began to crush on his shoulder.
"Ohhh shit, that was intense Tomioka! What balls did you grow to challenge their star player like that?" Tengen recalls in awe, it was odd for him to stare at Giyu with such admiration. Giyu didn't like it.
"It only matters if he backs up what he says. I get the feeling he might end up doing poorly though..." Douma said innocently, the intent was obvious though.
"This coming from someone who got replaced by Giyu?" And Tengen's remark had a visible effect on Douma, seeing as he twitched harshly.
"...Miracles have been known to occur at unexpected opportunities," Douma shrugged it off but Giyu could feel the rage roll off of him in waves.
"Alright quit your yappering, even I'm impressed with the sudden pair Giyu grew. Those Kocho sisters are people you do not want to mess with," Giyu was the only one who nodded with his counselor, they both shuddered at the same time, likely remembering certain frightening experiences. Everyone else scratched their heads.
"Right, now off to bed! Tomorrow is a big day and even the bullshit about a good night's rest is vital for your performance tomorrow. Let's knock them off their high horse, this is our time!" Sanemi raised a fist to the air and Giyu couldn't help but raise his own along with everyone else's, he felt involved for some reason.
"Yeahhh! Let's go!" A few hollers were shouted, everyone was getting seriously pumped. They wandered off to their respective cabins, Tengen walking up to Giyu and tapping his shoulder.
"So uh, what am I doin tomorrow?" He asked and Giyu hung his head low. This would surely be their downfall tomorrow if it persisted.
"...You're the last runner, running from the archery area to the spot in the woods," Giyu reminded and Tengen nodded absolutely. A pause.
"Wait, how am I supposed to know where a spot in the woods is?" He questioned and Giyu thought about it.
"They'll likely have a path for you to follow," it was logical, he hoped they did that though.
They opened the door and crashed into their cabin, all of the exhaustion they suffered throughout the day was finally catching up to them the moment they touched their beds.
Giyu fell face first into his pillow, not even bothering to switch into his pajamas, he just wanted to be lulled into the wondrous feeling of sleep. Even Tengen's energetic ass fell to the alluring act of sleep.
'Tomorrow... we'll definetely win, I'll make sure of it...!' Giyu thought to himself before his eyelids grew heavy, his mind playing out a victory scenario for his brain to occupy itself.
A/N: Hellooo, sorry for the long wait! I spent a lot of time checking for errors and editing this but now I find it good enough to post. If there's any errors I sincerely apologize, I wish to clear them later.
The Big Olympics though! Am I right? Will the girls secure their 5th win this year? Or will the boys get their first? Will Tengen remember what he has to do? Probably not! Anyways, thanks so much for you patience, and see you in the next chapter.