Giyuu slowly walked his way back to his estate, finding it rather unfortunate to be so injured during a mission that wasn't even his. The night was meant to be one of relaxation. He traveled to the nearest village with the desire to relax, find a distraction from his own thoughts even. He thought he had better control of them, but like all things, his control wore down in time. They would whisper in his ear using their voices, in his voice as well. He almost found it comical, he dedicated the worth of his life to slaying demons, and his own mind was his biggest enemy. Before he could even make it to the village, he heard the sounds of sword against claws and rushed in the direction of the noise.
He surprisingly found Murata, it being some months since last seeing him. He was fighting off multiple demons by himself. Giyuu wasn't sure just how a potential nest was set up or how he wasn't alerted to it sooner, but he didn't bother to think of that now. Murata didn't seem to be injured too harshly, but he had to be exhausted. Giyuu couldn't let another life slip through his fingers. "Water breathing Fourth Form: Striking Tide." Rushing in and crouching at the last second, he sprung towards towards the demon closet to him, twisting his body around and cutting the demons head off in one motion. following his momentum from twisting his body, he cut off the second demons head with ease while it was distracted.
Giyuu looked towards him, scanning his body for any physical injures. "Are you alright?" Murata raised his head, shocked to see who had just saved him. "Tomioka-san?! It's great to see you again after this last stretch of time. Sorry you had to bail me out there, I didn't expect a hashira as backup." He bowed as he continued to catch his breath. Giyuu couldn't help but internally sigh, believing he wasn't worthy of the praise or title. He wished he had been able to reject the offer when the master called upon him, only taking it because the Corps was in desperate need of positions to be filled. Shaking away his thoughts, he focused back on his old comrade.
"How many have you killed already? How many more do you believe there to be?" Murata finally stood upright again, preparing his sword. "My mission details claimed to be five, but possibly more. Civilians claimed of a haunted cave nearby, saying if you went anywhere near it you would never return. My reasoning was this is their nest." Giyuu nodded, finding his thinking rational. He was interrupting his mission, already taking two of his kills. "Complete your mission, I will act as distraction for you to kill them with your own abilities. I wouldn't want to step in your way of progress." Murata let out a sigh, but nodded with understanding.
Giyuu followed him for several minutes, until they came across the supposed cave. "Stay hidden, I'll rush in to draw them out. Wait until the last one is out, then strike from behind." Before Murata could question or argue with the plan, Giyuu had already rushed inside. While the cave was convoluted with various dead ends, he soon found the demons in question. Giving a quick whistle, it easily echoed through the area. The demons saw him, quick to understand their comrades might be dead. "Get the slayer!" They all quickly rushed out from their spot and chased after him. He was thankful they seemed so eager to follow his plan.
He could feel the cold air of the night blow into his face as he made his way outside. He turned his head back, making sure every demon was following him. They all seemed so focused on them, they couldn't pay attention that the demon at the back of their pack was already cut down. Turning around completely to face them, he let the two demons get closer as he would sidestep and backstep their desperate attacks. He swore he wouldn't hinder his comrade's personal progress, and refused to redraw his sword. "Water breathing First Form: Water Surface Slash!" The demons quickly turned around in confusion and fear, looking as if they didn't expect to be hunted by multiple swordsmen. The remaining demons were quickly dispatched, leaving the two to relax.
It had been so long and so much had happened, he forgot Murata was also a water breathing user. It was weird, to know they were the same age but in different worlds. He didn't hold it against him. Giyuu was driven for his self improvement to such a degree he threw up blood, he couldn't ask others to do the same. "It's good to see you're still improving, never slow down. It'll be good to see you get stronger." "It was nice to see you too Tomioka-san, this was nice. Almost like old times." Giyuu nodded, before hearing the sound of something flying through the air. He saw an uprooted tree stump flying in their direction at rapid speeds. He couldn't move past Murata and draw his sword in time, so he did what he could to confirm his safety.
He grabbed Murata's uniform, quickly tossing him out of harm's way. His eyes focused on the stump as he tried to reach for his sword, time slowing down as it got closer. Unfortunately he was caught, his arms pinned against his body from the stump as he was sent flying backwards. The only thing that stopped his momentum was crashing into another tree. Every part of his body was screaming in pain, he didn't even believe he could physically scream at the moment from his torso being compressed by both sides. He was wondering just what kind of demon had the strength to uproot a stump and throw it with such intensity.
The demon made itself aware, walking in a nonchalant manner. It didn't look different from any normal demon, except from what appeared to be overdeveloped muscles in his arms, shoulders, and back. "Do you even know how hard it is to get one demon to follow in line of another?! Let alone five of them!" It stopped walking as it easily tore a thick branch off a tree, turning it into a makeshift club. "You have to be strong to destroy my entire team, let's see how strong you are now after getting hit that hard." It continued walking again, its eyes focused on Giyuu. "Your death won't be as fast as their's, I'll promise you that."
"Murata. I need you... to back up. Make distance from us." Giyuu pulled away from him, aiming his sword towards the demon. Murata shook his head, trying to pull Giyuu away from the fight. "Are you nuts?! I can't leave you to take that freak on, especially not after you just took that hit!" Giyuu shook his head, shoving Murata away a few feet. "I'm not asking you to run, just give me space." The demon continued to close the distance, dragging the tree branch across the ground. "Come on then, die like the rest of your nest." With that final taunt the demon rushed forward, raising the branch upwards, intent on bringing it down onto Giyuu's skull. Giyuu felt his eyes become unfocused and his heart slowing down, but his grip on his sword never faltering. "Dead Calm."
Giyuu didn't want to use this technique against only a slightly above average demon, but he didn't want to risk the safety of him or Murata. Before either he or the demon could understand what happened, Giyuu already stood past the demon. He didn't need to face the demon to acknowledge its fate, he could hear its head make impact with the ground. He used his sword as a cane to remain upright as he turned to Murata. "My apologies, I didn't mean to take another from you."
Murata quickly rushed forward, struck with awe at what he couldn't process what happened. "Are you kidding me that was amazing! I know that wasn't any of the conventional forms, did you end up making your own?! How did you do it?! How does it work?!" Giyuu waved his hand as he slowly turned away. "Go ahead and report your mission as complete. All demons have been exterminated with no casualties or injuries." Murata was confused and placed a hand on Tomioka's shoulder. "There WAS an injury, you! Come on, if you need help I can move you to the Butterfly estate." Giyuu shook his head as he continued to leave. "This wasn't my mission, I wasn't meant to be here. Besides, I can treat myself at my own estate, I wouldn't want to bother them." With those final words, Giyuu left the area, intent on going home.
"Murata wasn't hurt from what I saw, and the demons were dealt with. Aside from struggles to breathe and a pair of bashed arms, this is a clean victory." Giyuu continued to slowly make his way back to his estate to recover. Being hit with a stump and being slammed into a tree wasn't something he found comfortable, but the physical pain distracted his thoughts from the emotional. As long as he was recovering, his mind wouldn't go back to that place. He saw this as another victory.
Opening the door to his estate, he quickly rushed in before falling onto his floor. He didn't feel tired, perhaps he just felt drained from the physical strain from the attack. He was sure he had medicine to numb any pain. Carefully putting his sword and haori away, he all but ripped his top garments off. Looking down at his arms and chest, he saw that they were greatly bruised from the impact. He dreaded to know how his back looked. He refused to go to the Butterfly estate for treatment, he believed it was the home of too many painful memories. It was ironic, a place dedicated to healing and he only found it as a source of pain. He would laugh if he wasn't so sore.
He prepared himself a ginger tea, along with eating diced pieces he was saving for his sushi. The taste danced on his tongue, along with giving a gentle burn. It wasn't the best feeling, but it still did its job. With the tea almost done, he grabbed some white willow bark and seeped them in the tea. This was all a bit barbaric, but it was better than nothing, better than going to towns and risk seeing her. While he still wasn't the best at first aid, he was at least self sufficient. He cleaned what he could reach with a soap and water, and dried off with a clean rag. Wrapping his arms with bandages, he went back to his drink and light snack. After finishing the pot and eating the bark, he walked to his room and fell forward onto the bed, not caring for his state of dress.
Waking up hours later, he heard knocking at his door. He couldn't help but dread as to having an idea who was visiting. Only one person would visit him, and he never looked forward to it. Putting on the garments he discarded the previous night, he slowly got up and went to his front door. Letting out a soft sigh, he opened it to see Kocho. "What do you want Kocho? You don't visit unless for something important." She tilted her head as she kept that smile on her face. "Tomioka-san, a slayer had reported to me that you were injured while assisting on his mission. Would you mind telling me why you didn't report to the Butterfly estate to be able to recieve treatment?"
Giyuu gritted his teeth, internally annoyed at how Murata was concerned enough to report his injury. "Would you rather someone travel further to recieve treatment, or would you rather they be able to treat themselves at a location that's closer to minimize lasting damage?" She seemed to accept that answer, tilting her head back to its original angle. "That seems a valid enough answer, but still, as the head doctor for the Corps I would prefer to check on you myself. You shouldn't scoff at your health Tomioka-san." He tried to close the door to turn her away, but found her sticking her foot in the path.
"My oh my Tomioka, are you trying to push me away again? If you keep up this behavior, you know you'll never be able to my friend like this." Shinobu continued to smile but felt a vein in her forehead pulse. She hated that even after years of knowing Tomioka, he always desired to keep her at arm's length. This shouldn't surprise her however, he kept EVERYONE at arm's length. It was like he made it his personal goal to live as alone as he could. "You know Tomioka, this kind of anti-social behavior is why some of the other Hashira dislike you. Some would even say they hate you for it." She hoped with bringing this up he'd actually have some desire to change that.
Giyuu knew of who she was referring to, Tengen, Shinazugawa, and Iguro. Tengen only found him boring, but the others constantly showed outward disdain for his existence. He never even knew what it was he did that caused them to feel such a way about him. He didn't want to be disliked or hated, but this was still the best choice that he believed in. He wanted to refrain from commenting on it, but he couldn't help but feel a desire to let loose. "You say this as if I'm not aware Kocho. Shinazugawa and Iguro actively show what they feel towards me when given the opportunity. Let them hate me, it changes nothing. No matter what I do, I doubt it'll be enough to change that."
Shinobu was shocked at how Tomioka spoke, he normally wasn't one to speak openly. Normally she felt as if she was pulling teeth to get him to communicate with her, but now he did it willingly. This way he spoke however, it was unsettling. "Just like with your health you're assuming things Tomioka. You never know how they'll change unless you decide to actually talk to them." Giyuu felt his fist clench behind the door. It was... Satisfying to speak his mind. He had spent years dedicated to control over himself and his emotions, but he couldn't deny this felt good. "Who's assuming things now? You believe they will actually change even if I do speak. I am content with how things are, I choose how things are. Leave me be Kocho, how many times must I request this?"
Shinobu felt herself having the desire to pull away, to escape this unusual situation, but she made sure to keep at least keep her foot in the doorway. "If I were to do that, then you really will be the loner you're on so craving to be Tomioka. What kind of person would I be if I let you be as alone as you'd like? Is it so wrong for me to not want to see that for you?" 'You aren't the first to try and change that.' It took all of Giyuu's will to not say those words out loud. A part of him wanted to say it, to scream it out, but he couldn't do that to her. He bit his lip harshly as he leaned his head against the door, he was almost believing he could taste his blood. Compromise was the only way he would get rid of her. "If I allow you to at look at my arms, will you PLEASE just leave me be afterwards?"
Shinobu raised her head at him, smiling and nodding. "Deal!" Shinobu quickly moved past Tomioka-san, sitting down on his couch and tapping on the spot next to her. He sighed as he walked to the kitchen, she assumed he went to make tea. Waiting for him, she looked around at the Water estate's barren interior design. "Tomioka-san, your estate is still so empty. How do you ever plan to have guests over if you don't make this place feel welcoming?" She looked around the main room more, until seeing a haori like Tomioka-san wore being displayed on a model. It was weird however, it's patterns were mirrored. It sat next to a bookshelf that had something on the middle of each shelf, a lone decorated box. Feeling curiousity wash over her, she got up and slowly made her way to the items. Before she could reach it however, Tomioka-san stood in front of her.
"I don't decorate because I don't expect people to want to come here. You don't want to be here either, you just feel responsible as the head doctor to be here because I was injured." He offered her a cup of tea before pulling her away from the display. She was angry that this is what he thought of her, that she didn't want to be actually be here. For the last few years, all she's tried to do is get him to open up. "How rude of you Tomioka-san, what if I actually do want to be here? What if I actually do want us to be friends?" She watched as he remained silent, drinking his cup in a full serving before pouring another. She watched him as he bit his lip again, looking as if he was trying to maintain some form of self control. "You came here to check on my arms, not to talk about quality of life in a job that risks life every day we're part of it."
Before she could retort, he was already removing his dark slayer jacket and rolling up the sleeves of his white uniform shirt. He undid the bandages on his arms and Shinobu could finally see them. His arms were severely bruised, but didn't seem to have any lacerations. "Just what hit you to cause this much damage? This looks as if it was blunt force trauma." Giyuu looked down at his arms, wanting to avoid directly looking at her. "A demon uprooted a treestump. Threw it at me and Murata, I only had enough time to throw him out of the way before impact."
Shinobu perked up, taking her eyes off his arms. "Oh? You personally know this slayer? Does the big bad Tomioka-san have a friend after all?" Giyuu kept his head down, his earliest memories of him playing in his mind. "We met at final selection. He pulled me out of a bad situation." He remembers being pulled away as Sabito shrunk in his vision. He was kicking and screaming to try and escape his arms to not leave his friend alone, he was too weak to get away, fading in and out of consciousness. "He's someone I know, we've gone on a few missions together in our earlier years, but that's it." Shinobu pouted at the news, turning her eyes back to his arms. "Aw, and here I was hoping you found a friend."
Giyuu couldn't help but clench his hands into fists, questioning just how long she was going to be here and tease him like this. Was it so bad for him to be alone? He wasn't hurting anyone by doing this, this was what he wanted. Why did he have to be punished for it? Shinobu noticed his hands, placing hers on top. "My apologies Tomioka, you know I don't mean anything malicious right? I just don't want to see you having to go through everything by yourself. It's as you said, this job already puts our lives on the line on a near daily basis. Why not spend it actually making friends and connections while we still can?" Giyuu slowly let go of the pressure in his hands, focusing on the words. His body felt tired, his mind was feeling drained of energy, he wanted this to be done. "Just please focus on my arms and leave Kocho..."
Shinobu internally sighed, finishing her checkup. "I don't feel any broken bones in your arms or hands. You flexed and didn't seem to be in pain so nothing is wrong with any of the connections. You also don't seem to have any issue with mobility and flexibility in the wrists. My personal advice is alternate between warm and cold compresses that each last for twenty minutes for the next few days, warm for encouraging bloodflow, cold for any swelling. Take the next few days off Tomioka, I'm serious." Giyuu stayed silent as he refused to look at her and opened the door for her. "I will, I wouldn't want to force you to leave the estate just for me." Shinobu walked to the door and turned her head to him before she was fully out. "It's alright Tomioka, like I said I don't exactly want to leave you alone. Where would we be if that were actually the case?"
Giyuu waited for her to finally leave before shutting the door. He heard her footsteps get more and more quiet, but still waited for minutes to break the silence. "I'd be better off, you would be too. I can't talk about what happened, you'd finally leave me alone but you'd get hurt from it too. I can't do that." He said as he turned away from the door, content that he was finally alone again. It felt right, it felt deserved. He looked towards the last box on the bottom shelf, sighing as he felt guilt begin to take his emotions. "It gets too hard to be around her sometimes. I'm sorry for how I can treat her, it's just too painful. It brings up memories." He walked to his bathroom to prepare a hot bath, wanting to find some relaxation after falling twice already.