Present Day: Ubayishiki Estate
The early morning air was wet with dew drops from last night's storm, and the sky was still painted dark blue with the sun waiting beneath the horizon. It was only a few minutes from dawn, and the morning chirps began to crescendo. The bugs were buzzing, and the clouds were starting to shift.
Where the fuck is everyone...
Underneath these grand skies and shifting winds, a man with plentiful scars, purple eyes, and white hair stood atop the gate to the empty courtyard.
I'm never the first one here.
Sanemi clicked his tongue as he waited atop one of the walls of Ubayishiki estate. His scars itched beneath the morning breeze, and his violet eyes glinted with anger as he heard two footsteps fall next to him, one heavy and the other light, which was far too energetic for his liking. It was too early to deal with the utter enthusiasm that laced their words.
"Good morning Shinazugawa-San!"
Sanemi habitually scowled as he turned to a man with long blond hair, red highlights, gold-red eyes, and a broad smile. His flame-tinted haori flowed in the morning breeze like a raging fire, which annoyed Sanemi even more. He swore on everything holy it was fucking impossible to wipe that smile off Rengoku's face.
"Took you losers long enough."
Sanemi had tried plenty of times.
"I got lost!"
Case in point: his latest failed attempt.
"Dumbass," Sanemi muttered defeatedly because, shocker, fucker was still smiling even after admitting he was lost like a child. That was nothing compared to the other arrival, though, who stood at a towering stature and was a pillar Sanemi respected, even if he would never admit it. The strongest in the corps was too awe-inspiring to hate.
"I apologize, Shinazugawa."
Gyomei was a mountain all pillars aspired to reach.
"I ran into a particularly fast demon on the way," Gyomei murmured with his hands clasped and tears rolling down his eyes. His honest regret earned a huff from Sanemi as the embarrassed wind hashira turned to the courtyard and jumped down. The stone and flame hashira followed swiftly, with a fourth arrival jumping into the fray less than a second later with a flashy greeting.
"Hello, my flamboyant friends! Miss me?"
Sanemi groaned as he turned to a tall man with grey hair, red eyes, bedazzled headband, and jewelry galore. The so-called ninja, which Sanemi still didn't fucking buy since the fucker was second in loudness only to Rengoku, slid into the fold with his long arms hanging over Sanemi's and Gyomei's shoulders.
"So I got fourth, huh? How uncharacteristically unflamboyant of me." Uzui said with an ashamed expression, only to be kicked while he was down as Sanemi shrugged off his arm with a scoff and smirk, "You sure those gems weren't weighing you down?"
"My darlings? Never." Uzui refuted immediately, and Gyomei nodded, ever the straight-natured, "Indeed. He has never been slower with or without his decorative charms whenever we spar."
"See, I told you," Uzui said with a smug grin as Sanemi rolled his eyes. Rengoku burst with an expression of flashiness that Uzui couldn't help but appreciate. I believe you have lost none of your aforementioned flamboyance, Uzui!"
"Neither have you, Rengoku!" Uzui celebrated with a laugh as he patted Gyomei and Rengoku on the back. Gyomei and Rengoku shared a confused glance before they shrugged and accepted the show of thanks before the second-to-last arrival landed nearby. Her sweet voice echoed through the courtyard as she walked with light steps.
"Good morning. Sorry, I'm late."
Her butterfly haori danced in the morning breeze, and her shoulder-length purple hair was tied in a butterfly pin. Her violet eyes opened with irises reminiscent of insects, and her lips were tinted with purple lipstick as she walked over with a smile.
"A patient of mine died reportedly earlier, so I had to handle the paperwork."
Shinobu Kocho, the Insect Hashira, had arrived with hidden anger, making the rest silent.
"Is everyone here already?" Shinobu asked as she ignored the stunned glances her way and looked for the last hashira. She usually had better control over herself, but the aforementioned patient was her favorite. She wasn't in the mood to keep her words light-hearted as they usually were.
"Where's Tomioka-San? Brooding again."
Thankfully, the rest of the hashira knew to tread lightly, and Sanemi picked up the conversation with a scoff, "He's not here."
His distaste for the water pillar might have helped.
"Fucking shocker," Sanemi muttered with a gnash of his teeth as he turned to the gate of Ubayishiki Estate. The others did the same as they waited for the lonesome water pillar to arrive, only to see a stray leaf fly over the edge. Minutes passed, and the sun creaked over the horizon, marking the 'official' beginning of the pillar meeting.
"The fuck..."
Without a single Water hashira in sight.
"Where the fuck is that bastard!" Sanemi growled as the others looked around in confusion. They may have jested about Tomioka being 'late' earlier, but that was different from actually being late. They just said it because they always made it a game as to who could arrive first, and they always made it a point to arrive far before sunrise—when the pillar meetings were scheduled to 'officially' begin.
"I do not see him, Shinazugawa-San!"
It was unthinkable for a hashira to skip a pillar meeting and make Oyakata-sama worry.
"That's the fucking problem, you blond moron!" Sanemi growled with a vein bulging in his head. His teeth nearly cracked as he got ready to search for the arrogant bastard that dared to disrespect Oyakata-sama like this before the doors to the estate manner opened, and all the hashira kneeled in front of it in an instant. Their heads were lowered to the ground as they heard a soft, soothing voice fill the air.
"Rise, my children. There is much to discuss."
The hashira raised their heads, and silent respect and admiration turned towards their leader, who sat with lavender eyes and pale skin. His black hair fell in long strands to his shoulders as Kagaya spoke with the authority bestowed upon him as the leader of the demon slayer corps: "I am afraid to inform you that Giyuu Tomioka will not be able to make it. I already know why and have forgiven his absence. That is all that will be discussed on the matter."
He had to keep his pillars close and in line, regardless of whether he loved them as his children or was eternally grateful for them. That's why when he spotted the frown that seemed to cross all of their lips, the unsung question of 'what could be more important than your orders,' he held a finger to his lips and quieted their discontentment. Then he turned to the door behind him and spoke with a soft smile, "As for the agenda of today..."
The topic of the missing hashira died, and his words filled the courtyard as the morning sun highlighted two new arrivals walking out of the estate manor. One had pink hair and green tips, a whip-like sword on her waist, and green eyes that seemed to light up at the sight of every hashira. The other had bandages wrapped over his mouth, heterochromatic eyes of green and yellow, a strange curved sword, and a striped haori of black and white lines.
"We are introducing two new hashira to the fold. Iguro Obanai and Mitsuri Kanroji. Iguro slayed Lower Moon three, and Kanroji killed fifty demons. They both have earned the position of the Snake Hashira and Love Hashira, respectively."
The wind whistled as the two new hashira moved to the line of current ones. Their introductions were swift and smooth as they took their place next to their friend, Rengoku, who was ecstatic to see them. Their quiet discourse of hashira brought a smile to Kagaya's face but not to his eyes.
"Treat them as your equals and never forget your goal."
The hashira were now stronger than they had ever been. He was confident they could rival the golden age of hashira if they so desired, but it wasn't complete. Not yet. One was missing.
"You are the pillars of the demon slayer corps."
Giyuu Tomioka had ignored his summons...
"You must never crumble."
It would forever break Kagaya's heart to know why.
Mt. Sagiri
The lake atop a lonely mountain covered in dew drops, and the fog was deathly silent. Not a sound was heard around the small body of water as if the mountain had come to mourn the passing of one of its oldest inhabitants who rested in a new dirt mound on its shores, marked by a red tengu mask and old sky blue sword. Nothing seemed to breathe for the longest time, with none more silent than Giyuu, who stood stock still on the small island at the lake's center. His master's words played in his ears, but they sounded duller.
'I love you, Giyuu... so don't come after me too soon.'
Giyuu's hands were caked with dirt from digging the grave, but they felt stale. The tears flowing freely down his face had long since dried, leaving his face as an empty mask highlighted by the rays of the morning sun rising over the distant horizon.
Why...
Everything felt...
Why am I still alive?
Numb.
Why am I not allowed to follow you?
It felt numb when he unsheathed his blade and gazed longingly at its edge. He was still the Water Pillar, held his false title, and couldn't die as long as he did. So he pushed his dark thoughts away and lowered the tip of his sword to the surrounding waters. Its point barely broke the reflective water's surface and left a series of ripples that echoed through the still lake.
Why am I still here...
Then, ever so slowly, the ripples quieted down.
Why did they die before me...
They faded from the tip of his blade just as his thoughts faded into the numbness he felt in every breath and touch.
Why did I survive...
Giyuu stayed on the lake for a long time, silently letting his thoughts slow as the ripples went from ten to eight to five to three.
Why am I the only one left?
Giyuu's thoughts dulled with his movements, his body and mind fading into the quiet lake's background until an old crow's caw broke the silent air. Kanzaburo, who flew towards the lake with tiredness that age seemed to add to, cawed loudly. The noise of Kanzaburo's rackety flapping and molting feathers echoed like thunder as the aged crow reached the small oasis and spotted his demon slayer standing in the center of the still lake with his sword lowered towards the water's edge.
"CAW! Giyuu! CAW!"
Kanzaburo cawed loudly and with relief as he descended in a dive toward his demon slayer, who hadn't flinched in response. His eyes widened as he saw a final ripple flicker across the lake's surface, echoing from the point of Giyuu's downturned sword just as Kanzaburo's claws had come within a close distance of the arm the old bird wished to perch on.
"Water Breathing"
The words escaped Giyuu's lips instinctively, his eyes dead with the long-forgotten trail of tears under his eyelids. It was like the world had become blurry, and his mind had become as still as the lake, a reflective mirror that shielded him from the pain and despair. A quieting of his troubles so deep that his body, instead of his mind, guided his arms and gently redirected his crow's flight. His gentle blade moved the crow away from his arm in a sudden motion, so quickly his crow probably hadn't even realized what had happened by the time Giyuu's sword had dipped to the lake's surface once again.
"Eleventh Form"
It was a defensive move in its entirety, a move that lulled all his grieving thoughts and feelings to nothingness and left his body to its own devices. His muscles relaxed, and his heartbeat slowed to nearly nothing as he redirected whatever attack made it toward his body. It was a move that couldn't be done if Giyuu cared about his life, as it would make his muscles stiffen up instinctively, but that wasn't an issue. Not anymore.
"Lull"
Giyuu was only alive because he hadn't found his replacement yet.