2 - Blooming Dais - CHERREADS

He is water. Tomioka Giyuu is water. He is calm before the storm, quiet curling waves on the shore. People knew the water to be harsh and cold, once caught in the waves of a tsunami you are demolished before you even think of escaping its grasp. Their perception was that the water is not to mess and bother with. The water himself is hated by those around him, but like how the river flows, Giyuu also flows, with or without anyone who cares about him. He could care less as well. He may deny it all he wants, but he knows, always knows, that he is disliked by others and nothing will ever change that. On one hand, he is fine with that, one less problem he has to deal with as socializing was the least of his concern as the water hashira.

He dwells and thrives in solitude, but everyday he feels as if he was the one being dragged by the unending current, vicious and unforgiving. People see water as strong, superior and purposeful, but Giyuu feels nothing but pathetic, weak with no purpose. Sometimes it is as if he is the oil tarnishing the water. He knew two people who are more deserving of the title he upholds, and he would do anything to go back in time and switch fates with them.

The sound of slashing metal was sharp in the air despite the rain falling around him. This was how he befriended solitude, training, honing and using the most of his time. His ultramarine nichirin blade danced in the rain and he too moved gracefully in the rain. It was something he saw when he was a little vulnerable boy living with Urokodaki-sensei. Now he found comfort in the idea.

The smell of rain brought great comfort to him, unfortunately with Japan's weather, he could only bask in it occasionally. Giyuu faced the sky as he finished the last of his movements. Breathing, just breathing and letting the droplets drip down his face, hair and clothes. These were one of the better days, where he could appreciate the moment, far, far away from the gripping guilt and shadow that would never leave him alone. For now, he smelled petrichor and Giyuu felt one with the water, away from the bothersome people.

Giyuu hated pilar meetings, but it was inevitable as it was his obligation to attend. He didn't like meeting his colleagues. The way they would be frank at him and bluntly tell him no one in the room liked him made him want to disappear and evaporate all at once. He knew he didn't deserve the title hashira, and they didn't have to emphasize it further to make the message any clearer. The last hashira meeting wasn't as bad, but it was still suffocating at times.

Iguro and Shinazugawa clearly hated him. Uzui and Shinobu had a way with words that would make you think they were being kind for half of their sentence, only to be vile with their next words. Mitsuri, there was no way someone would like him, even the love hashira herself. Itmust be a facade. Kyoujuro and Himejima-san acted like they could tolerate him, but he knew there was something behind those kind and non-judgemental eyes. And lastly, Tokitou Muichirou. Like the mist itself he was mysterious. The fourteen year old hashira could barely be mentally present and always passive, yet he always made his presence clear and seen. No one knew how to talk to him and so did Giyuu.

Within a year of knowing him, they had barely exchanged words and Giyuu could count with five fingers the amount of times they had a short conversation. But it wasn't only because of Tokitou's reserved and lost personality, Giyuu was no different to any other hashira.

They don't talk to each other, so imagine his surprise when he was interrupted in the middle of his training in the rain, by a drenched Tokitou standing in front of the water estate.

"...Tokitou-kun?" He hesitated.

"...."

"Do you want to come in?" Giyuu offered, stepping aside from the door. Tokitou, with his dazed and dull eyes, looked at Giyuu before silently entering his estate.

The water hashira silently led the teen to what was supposed to be a homey and comfy room for his guests, yet it was barren and barely served its purpose He ushered him through the shoji doors and told him to sit anywhere he wanted before heading to his kitchen to prepare for tea and grab a couple of towels for the both of them. Giyuu should probably change into something more comfortable, but that could wait.

When he came back, he found Tokitou staring outside to the engawa. He had no idea how to address him, he was awkward with his words unless with a forced confrontation. But he had to be the one to initiate here. He put the tray with his teapot on the table before speaking.

"Here," He broke the silence and approached him and handed him the towel which the teen accepted and wrapped it around his small body.

"...You are drenched, why?" Tokitou questioned out of the blue.

It then occurred to him that he had ushered him without his top clothing, dripping wet and hair drained with water.

"I was training." Giyuu replied as he poured the steaming tea from the teapot into the cups before wrapping himself with the towel.

"Hmm, in the rain?"

"Yes."

"... who are you again?"

Giyuu was rendered confused and slightly concerned for the boy. He willingly went into a stranger's home, although Giyuu was his colleague, it did give him a slight worry. Tokitou was strong, but humans sharpened humans and so did humans break each other apart. He didn't understand why he suddenly worried about him, the mist hashira was more than capable in defending himself, he was stronger than Giyuu ever was when he was 12.

"Tomioka Giyuu." He offered, but he was met with unrecognition and those dull eyes stared at him fazed.

Did he look like that too when Shinobu said his eyes were dull? No, she said his eyes were cold, but Tokitou's were serene despite the emptiness. No one talks ill of the boy, despite his odd behavior. They more than understood that something traumatizing must have happened.

"Ohh… ok.."

"Why did you come here when you don't know who I am?" Giyuu curiously questioned.

"I don't remember… Something told me to come here."

Hashira? Oh, right, I am a hashira.

Tokitou Muichirou doesn't remember. Never remember. Like the mist, his mind once present and gone the next. People say mists are dangerous and mysterious. Within its presence, people get lost often and fears are induced into them. Muichirou is mist, but he even gets lost inside mist itself, wandering around like every single day was mist after the rain, gone with time. Maybe if he remembers he wouldn't be as lost, yet each memory he tries to store would only be forgotten by the next few days. No one seemed to be having the same problem, they remember perfectly fine, they even remember his name and some of his feats, yet he could never remember on his own.

Having short term memory allows him to not dwell in trivial facts that clouds his mind. He doesn't need to store useless memories that would otherwise make him forget something far more important. But the mist that clouds his mind is also a hindrance, he feels lost most of the time and there is a deep feeling of anger somewhere within him that drives him to where he is today. Where did it come from? Why am I angry? Why can't I remember? Those questions repeat.

The sun on his face was warm and bright. The clouds were very beautiful, so he liked to sit on the grass and gaze at the sky. The cotton white clouds have always brought comfort to him because they were always there when he tilted his head up. There were times where they were wispy and soft, those were his favorite ones to look at. Other times they looked like cotton balls, fluffy and round, it made him want to sleep on the clouds.

In every day of his life the clouds were there hovering over the world, a never ending presence. Muichirou wondered if the clouds remembered everything beneath it. He would like to ask them if they remember anything that he couldn't, maybe they can help him recall the missing parts of his life that he so hardly tried to spark back.

There was one thing that Muichirou knew, despite not remembering and knowing the root of it, he hated the storm. The rain that bashes down hard on the roof. It made him feel… things. Everytime the clouds were overcast above, he felt a slight sense of impending doom that seemingly stemmed from thin air.

Why? Where did this feeling come from?

Muichirou isn't afraid of the rain or storm, he had done several missions with slippery terrains in the presence of downpours. If he moved and focused on destroying the demons in front of him, he felt anything but this captivating clump of uneasiness. Once he was left to his own devices however, no adrenaline and the fierceness of battle, it clouded his mind, heavy and mystifying. He tried and tried remembering what had induced this restlessness, but his wondering only led him to wander in the rain itself.

"Water has memories, Muichirou."

Who said that?

Who's water?

Whatever forces led him to a particular mansion, before he knew it, he was standing in front of an estate. It was one of the hashiras' estates from the looks of it. The garden surrounding it looked well kept, there were a couple of flower beds lining the short walkway towards the estate's front entrance filled with different types of flowers. The mist hashira made his way to the doors and knocked, because something told him to do so and he felt like it was the next thing to do.

He was greeted by the sight of a man, drenched in the rain like he was. His black hair tied into a loose ponytail, wet and had lost its volume as the fringes stuck to his face. He wore nothing on top but the hakama pants of his uniform and white kyahan wrapping the loose end of his pants around his ankle.

Muichirou first noted how he looked familiar. He didn't have any memories meeting the man in question, but his features look like someone he had seen a few days ago. Nonetheless something about him made him feel like it's alright to be here, although his presence wasn't announced prior to his sudden appearance, those deep sapphire eyes knew him already.

His estate looked… empty. Contrary to the flower beds outside, his place was dry and lacking in personal touches. Muichirou could only guess why his estate was so minimal and lacking any extravagance to it. He was led to a room connected to the opened engawa beside it and he sat down by the table. The man told him to sit so he sat on the tatami mat, looking out at the open space as the pitter-patter of the rain hit the ground. Tokitou sat as the man disappeared further into his place.

Moments later, he heard the shoji doors being opened once again and the odd haired man returned to the room with a tray on his hand, gently placing the ceramic teapot and cups on the table.

"Here," The man extended his arm to him as he stood, giving him a rather large towel. Muichirou wrapped the white towel around himself, it was loose and pooling to the floor around him.

"...You are drenched, why?" He curiously asked, he wanted to know.

"I was training," The man replied as he poured tea into the two cups he brought with.

Muichirou wondered why he was training under the rain like this. He had a mansion, enough rooms to train in the dry shelter of his home, yet he chose to be with the rain instead. He didn't voice out his question and instead accepted it as it was.

It was a little odd for him to be here. Muichirou didn't know why he was here in the first place, what made him come here was more the mystery. His mind was a little hazy, but he remembered there was a soft undertone within him to seek answers. Coming here had not resolved any of his uneasiness as the rain still poured and his heart still beat a tad bit quicker. He needed to know, needed to clear the fog in his mind, so he questioned.

"Who are you again?"

The man deadpanned, looking at him as he picked up his cup to sip the still slightly steaming tea. Muichirou couldn't really put it to words, but his face had a subtle softness to it as he looked at him. He placed the cup back down again at the question, silent for a fraction of time before answering.

"Tomioka Giyuu." The man replied.

"Ohh… ok…"

Tomioka Giyuu. Hashira? Breathing style…? Did he-

"Why did you come here when you don't know who I am?" Tomioka inquired, and Muichirou didn't have an answer that would satisfy the question.

The deep sapphire blue eyes observed him as he stared out to the engawa once again, with the warm cup of tea wrapped comfortably around his palm and fingers. He can feel the eyes staring at him for a little while, but not long they resolve to a quiet, comfortable silence. Tomioka brought his towel up to his hair as he rubbed it through his scalp and strands. He then excused himself to change to a more comfortable outfit as sitting on wet clothing of course wasn't the most comfortable one.

Muichirou was still dazed, but something about being there made him feel at ease. The effects didn't appear until some time, but he noticed the mist in his head cleared up little by little, now he felt lighter. Still couldn't remember, but the world around the edges of his eyes were no longer as dull. Maybe it was the tea that Tomioka prepared.

"Hey, what's in the tea?" Muichirou questioned when Tomioka entered the room once again, fully dressed in a dry white juban tucked neatly under a loose hakama pants and over it he wore his mismatched haori.

The mismatched haori, half of it plain maroon and the other half a geometrical pattern, sparked something in him. A scene played inside his head as he realized, remembered ! He saw snippets of Tomioka, in hashira meetings he remembered how people talked about Tomioka, the cold and distant Tomioka.

"Huh, you're Tomioka-san. W-What's your breathing style?" A spark of eagerness rushed through him all of a sudden.

"Uhh.. water."

"Water has memories, Muichirou."

Having just changed into something warmer, Giyuu threaded back to the guest room from his bedroom. On his way back, he couldn't help but to think about what Muichirou wanted from him. The teen looked like he was confused as to why he was there. He knew he wasn't supposed to assume the negatives as it was a waste of time, Tsutako told him so, but he couldn't help it. Prior to this, they had never had long conversations or stayed with each other for a long period of time other than pillar meetings. So imagine his own confusion of having to greet a guest who seemed even more confused than he was.

As Giyuu slid open the shoji doors once more, Tokitou looked at him. The teen questioned and implied that he had put something into the tea. Internally, Giyuu panicked slightly, scared that the tea he used had expired beyond its date. He didn't get to answer, however, as he was distracted at Tokitou's eyes and the direction they were glancing at. They glanced at his mid part then his face and in a fraction of a second his dull mint green eyes suddenly lit up, as if he finally realized who he was interacting with this whole time.

Tokitou asked and Giyuu simply answered. Somehow knowing Giyuu's breathing style suddenly made Tokitou's eyes widened even more. He had never seen so much emotion out of the mist hashira at one moment like right now. Whatever Tokitou was going through inside him at the moment erased all assumptions Giyuu had on Tokitou wanting something from Giyuu. Maybe he did, but Tokitou wasn't Shinazugawa, or any other hashira that hated him, so maybe he just needed help with something but forgot (like he normally did). But why did he come to him instead of any other hashira? Giyuu was never a help in anyone's lives, Tokitou chose the wrong person to ask help to.

The rare sight didn't last long however, Tokitou's eyes suddenly reverted back to their emotionless empty ones.

"Water has memories. Do you know what it means?" Tokitou muttered quietly.

"No, I don't." Giyuu frankly replied. Other than the superstitious belief that water possessed the ability to retain memories, no, he didn't know what Muichirou meant by his phrase. Nor did he know how the question related to him.

Tokitou stayed with Giyuu in his mansion until his uniform dried and his hair no longer wet. They stayed in comfortable silence, with occasional small talks, until the rain had stopped and it was time for Muichirou to go to his designated patrolling schedule.

Something told him that this wasn't going to be the last time that the mist hashira will visit him. And Giyuu could only guess what went through Tokitou's head in that split moment.

Something about staying with the water hashira that afternoon did something to him. As Muichirou went on patrol, he felt almost serene, as if the thick fog over his mind had reduced its density to a degree where Muichirou no longer saw his world in snippets from one hour to the next. He was peculiarly aware of the slashes of his blades, the stepping of his feet and the way the moon shone brightly. Being rooted to the routine and repeated rhythm of his patrol route, Muichirou's awareness caved with each passing hour, but right now he felt light, like the soft morning mist.

It was a shame that Muichirou would just forget about all this in a few days' time. If he could always keep this feeling inside a bubble for his mind to store, he would protect it with all his might. This was what his mind was supposed to be, coherent and aware. But being coherent didn't equal to remembering, he still felt the concentrated layers of mist hiding something deep inside. His heightened awareness made him even more aware of the emptiness that wasn't supposed to be there. No, visiting the water estate didn't solve his memory issue. He had no reason to visit the water hashira either.

In the next few days, Muichirou had forgotten what he did in that estate, but something happened there and it left some kind of warmth in him that persisted within the following days. Even if he didn't know where it came from, he could outline a man with his mismatched haori somewhere in his mind.

Who is he?

"Tokitou Muichirou! Head north! Defeat the demons!" Ginko squawked.

Another mission from Oyakata-sama. WIth that he left all those wondering, because mist hashira slayed demons, not remembering.

People who saw it might think that Giyuu trained under the rain because he was the water hashira and it was only natural. But hashira or not, he would still do it, unless he wanted to be constantly flooded with hard waters of the past. If he kept moving then he could block it, never having to be hindered pathetically. Giyuu tried his best to fend it off, keeping it by the shoreline, but there were times where tsunami hits and the guilt came back triple its fold.

This time around, the earthquake to that tsunami was Urokodaki-sensei. It had been years since he last saw him. One morning, Giyuu stepped outside his mansion to take care of the blooming flowers and coincidentally was greeted by the former water hashira standing outside his gates. The watering can gripped in his hand almost slipped when he saw the familiar sight. His iconic tengu mask hadn't changed at all aside from a few scratches here and there, hiding the true nature of his gentle face. It's almost homecoming to see him if not for the reason why he had been avoiding the man for three years now.

"I thought it would be the right time for me to visit." He reasoned, sounding exactly like how he remembered it.

Of course Giyuu wasn't going to make him leave just because he was a coward. So he ushered his teacher inside and he left his gardening duty some time later. He brought his teacher into the guest room and left him to stay in there for a while to process his surprise as he boiled water for the tea. His teacher had other plans however, following Giyuu into the kitchen instead and insisted that they just talk on the dining table.

"How did you find the mansion?" Giyuu questioned as they sat.

"I used to live here, you know, the water estate is passed down from one hashira to another as generation changes." Urokodaki-sensei chuckled. "How are you fairing, Giyuu?"

Horribly fine . He would answer so if not for the fact that his teacher will start fussing over him like a first-time parent when he wasn't supposed to. He should spare his concern from Giyuu, it would only make the lines on his face longer. He knew he was a handful, but now Giyuu can live on his own, fend for his own safety.

"I've been alright." A pause, "How have you been?"

"I'm quite alright myself. " His teacher replied.

Thick and awkward silence hung in the air, both men were hesitant to talk, one was perplexed by his teacher's sudden appearance and the other surely still vexed by Giyuu's sudden disappearance three years ago. Prior to that, he used to visit his teacher once a month as a means to pay his respect to him despite the unsettling memories those mountains held. At one point a part of Giyuu felt like he wasn't supposed to visit him, wasn't worthy enough and clearly at fault for causing heartache to the man who saw Sabito as his own child.

Anyone sensible would fear a parent's wrath, knowing that something could be done to prevent the unfortunate ending. Despite Giyuu never seeing his teacher even raising his voice or hand at him, there was a common saying how the most gentle of people have a horrifying wrath. He never wanted to awaken and see that part of him that he hid carefully so with a kind face.

"Do you still blame yourself for it?" Urokodaki-sensei interjected, unnecessary to specify what he meant, because both men knew what it implied.

"...How can I not?"

If he had been stronger, if he had been more skilled…

Before anyone could say anything further, the kettle rattled and whistled. The younger one stood to move and remove it from the stove. As he poured the scalding water into the teapot, he heard his teacher sighed audibly.

"You've grown into a fine young man, Giyuu." Fondness thick in his gruff voice from years of strain behind him. "I'm proud of you."

Giyuu's hand froze, petrified. Had it been that long since he last saw him? His teacher whom he had seen as his own father at one point in life? He had forgotten how much he had to thank him, yet here he was avoiding the man like a plague, how ill-mannered. As if Sabito's death wasn't enough, Giyuu still had to rub salt on the wound by his cowardly act. Tsutako would be disappointed. This brave face was nothing but a mere mask.

"I'm sorry for not visiting these past few years. I've tried. I'm sorry." for everything .

It was always easy with him. His words fell easily even as he tried to stop it. He turned to face his teacher, but Urokodaki-sensei had approached him first. The old man reached out to put his hands on Giyuu's forearm, giving a comforting squeeze and two firm pats.

"Don't weigh yourself for it, Giyuu. Don't think for a second that I resent you for not visiting. I will keep saying this to you, but you are not at fault for anything at all, alright? I will repeat it until I am sure that you get it through that thick head of yours."

Although their fated meeting had ended on a sweeter note, Giyuu still had a troublesome time processing the weight of guilt that flowed with it in the following days. Contrary to Tokitou, he couldn't seem to forget and move on. But he didn't want to forget either, as his memories of them were the embers that kept him moving, but it was also the one that burnt him so.

Unlike any other day, right now he trained himself under the rain with the heaviness in his heart that dragged him down. His motions were rough and raw with muted anger and guilt pent up for years. His strikes were sharper and had lost its refinement, purely driven with emotions. Giyuu never wavers, his teacher trained him to do everything but to waver. However, every once in a while in the comfort of solitude with only the droplets of water accompanying him, he let his dam shake.

Despite not helping his memories at all, Muichirou ventured back to the water estate about three weeks after his first visit. Ginko pecked his head a couple of times as he made the detour when he was supposed to head back to his estate. The mist hashira had more time on his hand to rest before the moon rose, but something moved him to his feet again and led him back, like it was an invisible force that pushed him.

"Your estate is that way! Where are you going?" Ginko loudly berated him, still pecking the scalp of his head rather harshly but not enough to scratch his head.

"I don't know, maybe to the water estate." He replied as she rested on his shoulder.

"His estate?? The annoying, dense hashira's estate?" Ginko flapped her wings in detest, hitting his cheek with her feathers.

"Why is he annoying?" Muichirou questioned. Genuinely he didn't know what he had missed or forgot. There was a fine line between the two of them when it comes to random known facts about people. If he was annoying then why was he willingly heading there?

"Do you even know where you are going?? Can't we just go later, it's raining!"

No he didn't, but he felt like he was on the right path towards the water estate. Ginko tagged along anyway even if she fussed and protested. He ignored her and trudged his way towards the place. The sky wasn't covered with thick clouds, more like layered in striated gray blankets. Ahead of them where they were heading, the sky looked brighter, which Ginko was happy about because the rain was bound to stop as they got there.

Muichirou was amazed at how the rain persisted despite the sunlight seeping through the clouds. Along the way he had tried to remember the name that the water hashira bore, but nothing came to mind. On the brighter note, he did remember his uncanny mismatched haori. As he came to knock on the door however, he was met with silence. He knocked once again but to no avail.

"Heyy!! Open up! Mist hashira, Tokitou Muichirou is here!" Ginko announced, screeching. "See he's not here, we should head back to your estate!"

"Wait.."

Muichirou heard something rustling not far away. Looking around, he noticed the little pathway, slightly covered by grass, around the estate that branched from the short walkway to the main entrance. He followed that graveled path instead and found the source of the sound, just behind a wooden fence door. It was unlocked before he could do anything, so mindlessly he pushed the door open and pursued his way.

There he was. The water hashira, training under the drizzling rain. From the sight of his drenched hair, he had been doing this for a while. The jagged haired hashira didn't seem to notice them, but Muichirou took the time to observe him. His blows were powerful, reminding Muichirou of the strong river current not far from his estate (out of all things he could recall this week, it was that small useless detail). The deep blue blade gripped in his hand glimmered under the pale sun that shone through blankets of clouds. At the right angle it reflected the sun rays, glinting. He didn't seem to be doing rigorous training however. His feet were coordinated, as if there was an invisible pattern to it, like it was specifically choreographed for him and him alone.

Muichirou didn't know what he was doing, it didn't look like he was training to increase his strength, but something inside of him wanted to know how he did it.

Maybe I can do that too someday…

He remained completely oblivious of the pair's arrival, of course until Ginko had to be loud and boisterous to squawk at him.

"Hey!!! How rude! We knocked twice and you ignored us?"

The hashira was midway raising his blade when he froze, turning around and finally noticed the pair that had trespassed his estate. His face was slightly frowning, probably irritated that he was being interrupted, but his facial features softened when his eyes landed on Muichirou and Ginko.

"Ohh, Tokitou-kun. Sorry, I couldn't hear you." He replied.

"I told you, Tomioka is annoying to deal with!"

Huh…? Tomioka Giyuu!

"Sorry about her, she's a little loud." Muichirou apologized as he scratched Ginko's tiny head with his finger. She huffed before flying off to rest on the bird box not far from them, but another kasugai crow suddenly came out of the hole, letting out a small surprised caw before flying out to rest on the roof as Ginko rested inside of it.

"Don't mind it." He dismissed.

They fell into an awkward silence as Muichirou stared off looking at Ginko interacting and probably Tomioka's crow from afar.

"... Do you need anything?" Tomioka broke the silence.

Do I need anything? Why am I here again?

Still the same question looming over his head. Yet he didn't know, and had no answers, but did he need anything from the water hashira?

"No…"

"Okay…"

"..."

"Why do you train under the rain?" He blurted the question that appeared on top of his head.

He wanted to know, because a small part of him hinted that this probably wasn't the first time that Tomioka had trained under the rain. He looked up at his colleague's eyes, dull and seemingly troubled. Despite how his features had softened, his eyes didn't, couldn't hide the true nature of his feelings. Muichirou couldn't fathom why, but it wasn't hard to guess that something had disturbed him, like the ripples that propagate through the calm lake.

"Why not?" Tomioka replied, avoidant.

Muichirou didn't know why, but he wanted to try it sometimes. Maybe it would help him process those unexplained feelings inside of him. While the thought was intriguing, another idea suddenly popped in his head and piqued his interest. If routines were bland and repetitive, maybe he should do something out of what he would expect today.

"Spar with me."

"Pardon?"

"Spar with me…?"

"Ok."

The rain drizzled around them, but not long after their warm ups, it quickly reduced to nothing. The cool air suspended as their makeshift wooden katana clashed. Their breathing style converges, unrelenting and impactful, Tomioka with his water breathing and Muichirou with his mist. Muichirou had never trained with another hashira like this, his honing tools were demons, and he realized that he still had many things to learn. It dawned on him that Tomioka was stronger than what he had first perceived through Muichirou's judgement of his training style. They exchanged blows until the sun had slowly begun to set, golden hues cascading against the mansion's walls.

After ending their sparring they both rest on Tomioka's engawa, enjoying the sunset as they take deep breaths, winding down. It occurred to him then that he was feeling a sense of de javu, it felt like this scene, where the both of them sit in silence, was somehow familiar.

"Why do I feel like this isn't the first time I saw you like this?" He mentioned, which made Tomioka confused.

"Like what?"

"I'm not sure… Something about you training in the rain sounds familiar." He confirmed, which seemed to clear the confusion on the other's face.

"Oh, you came here around three weeks ago while I happened to be training and you didn't know why you came here."

At that instant moment, the fog covering his memory had lifted once again. He remembered, remembered what he did here. He came here abruptly and Tomioka made tea for them. Muichirou stayed with him until the rain stopped. He came here because a voice belonging to someone he once knew made him unconsciously come here.

Tomioka remembered. Muichirou realized that coming here made him remember easier, although all those memories were trivial things, yet he ought to give it a note that he could recall them. Maybe it was because Tomioka reminded him, maybe all he needed to do was ask afterall. Maybe he knew something about his uncanny dislike of the rain.

"I don't really like the rain. Do you know why I don't like it?" Muichirou inquired, glancing sideways to look at Tomioka who was staring ahead at the amber sky.

"Why?" Tomioka replied, turning his head to look at Muichiro.

"...I was asking."

"Oh." A pause, "No, I don't know, sorry."

And his hope dissipated as quickly as it came. Maybe it didn't work that way either. Surely there must be someone he can ask about it, someone who remembered. Regardless, Muichirou knew finding that said person would be impossible for him to do if he didn't know where to start asking. In that case, how could he unlock those sealed memories?

"The small trivial things, Muichiro.." A subtle voice, gentle and calm suddenly spoke inside his head. The mist hashira asked for his memories back, but these days he seemed to be haunted by voices instead. He would be grateful if those voices do wonders in helping him, but they don't make sense at all, nothing trivial had helped him remember.

Like vapor, those thoughts quickly evaporated the longer it resided, Muichirou tilted his head up instead and once again cloud-gazed. Tomioka seemed to be doing the same thing.

"Hmm… Does that cloud have a name?" Muichirou muttered, more so wondering to himself, but then he heard his senior replied to that meaningless muttering.

"Cirrus." Tomioka answered, shifting his body to a slant, his palm resting on the wooden floor as his arms acted as a peg to support his body as he stared up at the sky. Muichirou glanced at him, stunned at his sudden reply.

"What about those clumpy ones over there?" Muichirou pointed.

"Stratocumulus." Again he answered.

Something about knowing the names of those clouds made something inside him bubbled. It was the excitement at learning more of something that he liked. So it wasn't just him who found those clouds mesmerizing, Tomioka even knew their names. Muichirou wondered if Tomioka was a cloud dictionary, maybe the next time he found a new cloud he should ask him.

"How do you know their names?"

Tomioka's deep blue eyes were no longer troubled, returning to its slightly dull and calm ones and had a slight tint of sadness to it.

"My sister told me."

"Hashira meeting! Hashira meeting!"

He expected his morning to be greeted by the sound of chirping birds, gentle and pleasant, but today seemed to be another day where Ginko screeched on top of her tiny lungs, startling him awake. The mist hashira looked up to his ceiling, trying to blink away the sleepiness from his eyes as he stayed on his futon. It wasn't a weird occurrence where his sleep hours had to be robbed because of his duty, but he wished it wasn't this often.

Muichirou didn't care, a duty was a duty. Regardless of his complaints, Muichirou swallowed it and sluggishly pulled himself up to sit. He looked around for Ginko and found her perched up on the opened window, staring at him. She quickly flew towards him and landed on the floor right by his feet.

"Hashira meeting at 10 am today!" She announced once again. "And you forgot to close the window!"

That was a recurring problem, him not closing the window. Even if it was too small for a human-sized demon to squeeze in, he should've closed it. No matter, he was a light sleeper anyway and his katana was always placed near him. If a powerful demon were to ambush him in his sleep, they would've done it the easy way, demolishing his estate to get to him. Opening the window posed a very slim chance of a demon sneaking in. He wanted Ginko to have access to his room for times such as this anyway.

Judging from the sun rays, it was still around seven in the morning. Journey to the headquarters took at least half an hour to an hour, so he still had some time until the meeting. Muichirou stood up to stretch his limbs and head on to prepare himself for the day. His eyes were not really cooperating, it still felt really heavy despite him washing his face. He kept on nodding off a couple of times as he showered. After getting freshly changed into his uniform, his belt secured and blade sheathed on his waist, Muichirou headed towards the kitchen. A good breakfast would be sufficient to wake him.

The mist estate had three main caretakers to help around with the chores and cooking. Unlike the butterfly estate where it was crowded and bustling with people all the time, his estate was quiet, stranded. He spent more time outside than he did inside, always moving from one place to another and only occasionally coming here to rest and get a shut eye. But it seemed like this morning none of the caretakers were present. The kitchen was still clean and the absent smell of mouth watering food told him that he had no meal for the day.

Muichirou took his time standing there by the kitchen entrance, thinking about what he should do. He wasn't a good cook and barely anything he cooked was edible, either it was terribly bland, undercooked or burnt. Fetching one of the caretakers to prepare food was going to take too much time and he didn't want to disappoint Oyakata-sama by being tardy. He just had to go without a meal then. With that, he walked away from the kitchen with an empty stomach and left his estate, ready to attend the meeting.

When he arrived at the headquarters Muichirou found out that he was 30 minutes early. He wasn't the only one to have arrived, Kochou, Rengoku and one other person have arrived as well. They were talking to each other when he was ushered by one of the Ubuyashiki children by the front gate, he didn't know which one since they all look like twins or even maybe quintuplets, he didn't know, didn't remember about them.

"Ohh, Tokitou-kun, you're early as well it seems." Rengoku, the flame hashira who was the first to notice him, announced his appearance.

The other two hashiras who had their backs facing him turned around and greeted him. The pink haired hashira gleamed and greeted him while Kochou gave him a simple sweet smile. Rengoku seemed to be smiling often even in the most mundane of things, which made Tokitou wonder sometimes why he would do that and if his facial muscle had ever turned sore because of it. Out of the hashiras, he could only remember three when he saw them in person, and one which he can vaguely recall. Muichirou did his best to remember all of them, but only four seemed to be leaving a lasting impression on his misty mind.

He remembered Kochou because she was the one who always tended to his injuries after missions. She was known to be very strict when it comes to patients taking their medications, and one time he had a horrible infection on one of his wounds and forgot to take an antibiotic for a day which led to a spiking fever. When she discovered about his slip up she became finicky and kept on checking on him personally instead of asking one of the caretakers of the butterfly estate. She wouldn't leave him alone until his fever receded.

As for Rengoku, it was his loud voice and smile. The first time he met him he was already loud and boisterous which he wasn't really fond of, but he was always very positive like the sun. He often gave Muichirou a pat on his back as he gave encouragement to him. The other hashiras were treating him as a peculiar being at first but Rengoku was the first to talk to him. Although he couldn't remember him every time someone brought up his name, Muichirou knew him if he were to see his iconic flame-like hair.

"Has anyone been to any mission recently?" Rengoku asked, starting a fresh topic.

"Ooh! I had one!" The pink-haired hashira spoke, "I had to fight a demon that kept on hunting for young babies around a village. Those poor babies… It makes my heart break everytime I think about it. One of the babies that the demon took was thankfully still alive."

"That is an awful and disgusting event to happen." Rengoku sympathized.

"Right?!"

"How about you, Kochou?" Rengoku next threw the question at her.

"Actually, I just received a mission from Oyakata-sama just now. That's why I came here earlier than I usually do. But the last two weeks were nothing but tending to patients and researching for a potentially potent alternative to wisteria poison." Kochou replied.

Kochou was always treating patients it seemed. She was the doctor to the slayers. Muichirou wondered if she was always berating patients when they didn't take their medicines, like he did.

"What about you, Tokitou-kun?" Kochou asked him.

"Hmm? I don't remember…" Muichirou simply uttered, because recently there was nothing notable to keep in mind regarding missions.

"Ah, that's unfortunate…"

Muichirou didn't stay tuned to their conversations from that point onwards, getting lost in his thoughts and the sky instead. He would listen a couple of times, but they were talking about something that he wasn't familiar with. The kind of thing that Muichirou would only know if he was a part of their friend group. The mist hashira rarely spent his time socializing with his colleagues, he was the newcomer among them it would need time for him to really fit in.

Slowly the headquarters garden were filled with people. The tallest of the hashiras came in next along with the flashy one who kept saying flamboyant. The tallest one, thoughtfully reintroduced himself as Himejima Gyomei, smiling softly at him as he did. Muichirou appreciated the gesture, even if he would most likely forget about it. Himejima then proceeded to reintroduce everyone present and they idly stood near the group of bustling hashiras. Not long after, another hashira, the one with the pet snake, appeared and was greeted enthusiastically by Kanroji before being dragged into the conversation with the other hashiras.

"There are supposed to be nine of us, may those two have safe travels here." Himejima prayed, bringing his praying hands closer towards him.

Muichirou wondered how much time left they had until the meeting started. He was starting to run out of clouds to gaze at. Surely in a while now. As he stood there another hashira had joined them and this time he remembered who he was before Himejima could reintroduce him again. Shinazugawa Sanemi. He remembered him because of his hostility towards Muichirou the first time he joined the ranks, harsh and rude like an abrupt gust of wind slamming on his face. The mist hated the wind, he would only get blown away by it. Even now he would still see the unexplained hostility in the other's eyes if their paths cross.

"Have we all gathered now?" Uzui questioned, looking around at everybody.

"No, Tomioka isn't here yet." Iguro replied, his snake hissed after him as it crawled out of the collar of his uniform.

"Tsk. No-good shitty Tomioka." The wind hashira spat viciously.

Kochou calmly reprimanded him for his foul words he uttered in Oyakata-sama's backyard out of all places. Shinazugawa paid her no mind however. It wasn't loud that he was screaming, but everyone in that space could hear what he said. Muichirou's usually foggy brain was slightly cleared at the mention of his name, Tomioka Giyuu. The mist hashira remembered now, Tomioka was the keeper of the water estate.

"Ah… he is a rather difficult one, the water hashira." Himejima muttered beside Muichirou, tears flowing down his cheeks.

"I don't think he's arrogant though, right?" Kanroji said but it went unheard by the other three.

"Just seeing him makes me irritated sometimes, he's unbearable." Iguro added.

"Respectfully he needs to be more flamboyant." Uzui announced.

Muichirou couldn't comprehend. No this was definitely not the mist floating in his mind that obscured his point of view. He couldn't remember the details, but the Tomioka that they were talking about wasn't the Tomioka that Muichiro's clouded head seemed to try to recall. Something about what they talked about didn't seem to feel right.

Arrogant? Irritating? Difficult? Too good to acknowledge others? What did he miss?

Probably a lot. Muichirou felt like he wasn't supposed to act as if he knew Tomioka. His memory was as unreliable as a foe. All that balderdash wouldn't start if it weren't for Shinazugawa's irrational irritation towards Tomioka, but it seemed like Tomioka's name was sensitive among them and they associate it with the aloof and loner wolf person they picture him to be. But isn't Muichirou not that different from him if that was the case?

At the very least, all those ill talking stopped when the person of interest arrived. Silence hung in the air as Tomioka walked in. Everyone turned still as ice as eyes darted towards him, but it didn't take long for them to start chattering once again with a diverting topic. Tomioka distanced himself, standing to Muichirou's right with his eyes fixated on the engawa infront of them. Muichirou was curious about him for some reason, something inside him needed to clarify something, because he felt like he knew something that other hashiras didn't. Before that however, the meeting finally began.

"Oyakata-sama, has arrived."

Everyone swiftly got into line and kneeled as their leader entered the space, standing on the engawa.

"Good morning everyone." His calm yet firm voice greeted them.

Giyuu dreaded this.

"Hashira meeting! Hashira meeting at 10 am today!"

The moment Kanzaburo screeched the announcement Giyuu had barely woken up from his fitful sleep. It wasn't hard to drag himself out of his futon and get ready for the day, he was used to waking up feeling weak with the sluggishness that stuck to his bones. He had spent about an hour or so lying on his futon staying in between the state of sleeping and being awake. There was always an apprehension about hashira meetings, but Giyuu had a duty to fulfill and no matter how many times he denied it, he was the water hashira. His title bore expectations for him to fulfill, an insignificant jostle of his feelings wasn't stopping him from his responsibilities.

Kanzaburo pecked at his cheek gently as he came out of his room, dressed properly in his uniform and haori. He scratched his head in return. Giyuu cooked himself an easy breakfast, tamagoyaki, steamed rice and a bowl of miso soup. Sometimes he would usually have grilled salmon with it, but he didn't have much time to cook it that morning. That was sufficient to get him through the morning.

Once he was ready, Giyuu headed off to the headquarters with Kanzaburo resting on his head along the way. He hoped silently that the other hashiras wouldn't pay much attention to him, if he was quick to get there. But oh he was wrong. Once he heard the voices when entering the estate, he could only sigh defeatedly. He walked through the entrance to the garden and as soon as he did all eyes were on him and the talking stopped. He paid it no mind however, residing to stand some distance away from them. Thankfully enough Oyakata-sama started the meeting soon after he had arrived and they were ushered in to have their meeting under the shade.

The meeting wasn't out of the ordinary. It was a usual report on demon activities on their patrol and missions. Giyuu had been sent to two missions in the last month and he noted that nothing had seemed to be out of the ordinary. There were no signs of abnormality in those demons as far as they were concerned. One of the most anticipated events was the rise of demons that might have undergone rapid evolution, resulting in low ranking demons to be on par with a lower moon or worse intervention of chemicals to alter their genes that enhanced their agility and strength.

They also discussed the potentials of the demons' rising activity in some areas. Eight hashiras were placed to patrol, now Oyakata-sama had commanded that they have regular shifts in order to prevent demons from eventually reading their movements. Kochou wasn't obligated to be involved in patrol and would help as back up because the butterfly mansion was usually occupied with patients in need to be tended to. As the pharmaceutical expert she was also responsible for developing antidotes to blood demon arts that were poison-based.

"Does anyone have to add anything else before we end today's meeting?" Oyakata-sama spoke eventually, marking the end of the hashira meetings.

When no one spoke again, their leader finally ended the meeting. "In that case, today's meeting is dismissed. Thank you everyone, have safe travels."

After saying gratitudes, best wishes and regards, all the hashira left Oyakata-sama's estate, basking in the summer heat on a bright day as they stepped out to the sun. It didn't seem like today was going to rain after all. Giyuu may never predict the nature of water, today might be one of those days where the rain surprised them by giving the grand appearance.

"Let's eat somewhere!" Rengoku suggested before anyone could leave.

"The usual ramen shop?"

"Ehh, can we choose somewhere that isn't too far today?"

Of course Giyuu was ready to reject it again. If they even invite him. He had been giving them the cold shoulders and would reject these kinds of gatherings, he always felt like the black sheep of the group, so he believed it's not the best use of his time trying to fit in. Too exhausting.

"Tomioka-san, join us today, you should talk more to be liked you know." Kochou poked his arm. She was standing beside him, but he didn't think that she'd ask after how many times he had shrugged off the offer.

So adamant…

"I'll pass-"

"Again? That's a shame Tomioka-san. You know you should stop keeping that loner attitude, it must be miserable." Kochou commented, her voice cheerful yet her words would be potent for someone who wasn't immune to her taunting.

"Stop bothering about it, he's not going to accept. He's a mood killer honestly." Shinazugawa interjected harshly, glaring at him right through the eyes before turning around.

For a second Kochou looked at him as if trying to apologize for it, but it wasn't long until the group moved and started walking away then she too reluctantly turned away. Giyuu strode away from the group with no hesitation, heading to the other direction from where they were going. He rubbed the hilt of his blade with his thumb, a reminder of who he was and the duties he was bound to. Taking a deep breath, he allowed the tension inside him to leak and stream out of his system before starting his journey back to the comfort of his place.

He thought he was finally alone, but not far as he walked the lone wolf suddenly heard the slight friction between the ground and a sole behind him. It was faint but his ears caught it. When he turned around, Giyuu was met with the mist hashira tailing behind him. He had thought the teen would've joined the rest of the group, yet here he was, his minty eyes calmly staring back at him.

"Tokito-kun?… Are you not going with them?" He started.

"No, I don't feel like it." He replied.

Confusion hit him once again. It was these exact moments that he knew Tokitou wanted or needed something from him, yet the last time they met he had no purpose in coming to his estate (again). Tokitou was planning on tailing him all the way if Giyuu didn't notice, if he needed something then he could just utter it. He had come to see that Tokitou was straight forward when he knew exactly what he required or if he had something to speak on his mind.

"Do you need anything?" Still he asked.

"Can I come with you?" Tokitou replied.

It would always baffle him as to why Tokitou was drawn to him. Giyuu didn't have to do anything, he just seemed content coming to his place and watching him do something that people might think was out of normalcy. He wasn't an interesting person, let alone comfortable to be with, yet Tokitou would rather spend his time with him than the other hashiras. Interestingly enough, he himself didn't mind Tokitou's presence in his solitude either. Hence without giving it much thought, Giyuu affirmed and let Tokitou follow him.

Somewhere along the way, Tokitou started asking about the clouds up ahead. Out of all the things he seemed to remember, it was how Giyuu knew the names of the clouds. He knew them because of Tsutako. They used to have picnics under a tree on the meadow in spring and summer, gazing at the fluffy clouds. She told him how they have names, each one describing how they look and it used to entertain him so much. Now he was the one telling others about it.

Eventually, Tokitou stopped asking and they resorted to tranquility as the younger calmly gazed at the sky while following Giyuu. The breeze was gentle and cool today, even if the sun was shining, their journey wasn't that scorching hot because of it. A short while later, they found themselves standing by the gates of the water estate. Relief settled inside of him at the sight of it. Something then interrupted the comfortable silence between them as they trudged the path to the entrance. It was the sound of an empty stomach rumbling quietly, but it wasn't his.

"Have you eaten, Tokitou-kun?" Giyuu questioned, turning around to look at him.

"No."

That explained it. He needed to cook for two people then-

He needed to cook for Tokitou…

Dread spread inside his stomach like ink spilled over the spotless puddle of water. Serving tea was a matter of nothing, but cooking and serving food was another thing to worry about. Giyuu wasn't typically the type to worry about what others might say about him, so why the turbulence now? It wasn't like his cooking was a disaster, he cooked for his teacher the last time he stayed here and he said his cooking had improved, but other than Urokodaki-sensei no one else had tasted his cooking.

"...I'll be cooking. If you don't like it you can just cook anything else."

"I can't cook."

Well then it's up to him now…

They entered the estate, taking off their zori and leaving them on the genkan floor before entering. Giyuu led him to the barren guest room once again, opening the shoji doors to the engawa to let fresh air into the room.

"I'll be in the kitchen if you need anything, it's by the end of the hallway, just turn right." Giyuu told him, and then left to prepare some meal.

He didn't spend much time thinking of what he should make. Quickly he put his haori away and after rolling up his sleeves, tying his hair more securely and washing his hands, he prepared some oil on a pan and started cooking. He cooked a simple staple dish that couldn't go wrong with anything, grilled salmon, miso soup, half-boiled eggs, some pickled radishes on the side and the reheated rice that he made this morning.

After everything was finished, Giyuu washed his hands and absent-mindedly dried them using his pants as he went to get Tokitou. The teen was sitting on the engawa, looking ahead and observing the scenery around him when Giyuu had come to get him. Tokitou followed him into the dining table and once he caught a glimpse of the dishes his dull eyes glazed over them, taking a while to look at it before pulling a seat for himself. The older pulled the chair across from him and they enjoyed the fresh warm meal.

"Wait," Giyuu almost choked when he remembered that he hadn't asked Tokitou something very important. Hastily he chewed on the rest of his food in his mouth before continuing. "You're not allergic to anything I cooked right?" Of course he forgot to ask.

"It's good." was the only response.

"Pardon?"

"It's good, the food." Tokitou clarified.

So that was a no then?

Giyuu was more happy with the fact that Tokitou didn't have any allergic reaction to the food that he cooked than his compliment. It was a simple dish, nothing special or remarkable, one that almost everyone can make if they spend enough time in the kitchen. Silence fell over them once again as they ate, with only the sound of utensils hitting the rims of the ceramic bowls accompanying them.

It occurred to him that Tokitou couldn't cook. He was proficient with sword fights, his steps were precise, his slashes and techniques were compelling. It was something that others took years to accomplish but in the matter of mere two months he became a hashira. Skills such as cooking wouldn't really be a hindrance, not to mention that he was a hashira with caretakers to help make sure the estate was taken care of, so Giyuu wasn't all that fazed by the fact that he couldn't cook. What he wondered was why he didn't eat prior to the meeting when he had someone to prepare a meal for him.

"...Do you want anything else?" Giyuu hesitantly offered, setting down his empty bowl gently on the table.

"Not really." Tokitou answered, shrugging his shoulders slightly.

"..."

Conversations are difficult…

"Did you not have breakfast today?" Giyuu awkwardly asked.

"No…"

"Why?"

"There was nothing to eat, I didn't have time for it either." Tokitou answered frankly, setting down his bowl and chopstick down after finishing his food.

"Aren't the caretakers around to cook meals?" Came his next question.

"I don't know, asking them to cook something would take some time and I would be late if I did." He shrugged again.

Suddenly there was an influx of urge that flowed inside of him, but again he was hesitant. He wanted to do something about it. Tomioka Giyuu wasn't an initiative person when it comes to others, he didn't want others to meddle with his life so he never meddled with theirs, but it wasn't the first time either that he was worried about this one colleague of his.

"...Do you want to learn how to cook a simple dish?" He blurted the question before he could back away from the idea.

"Sure… but the caretakers ban me from using the kitchen." Tokitou mentioned.

I'm not surprised…

After putting the dirty dishes away and cleaning the table, Giyuu and Tokitou huddled in the kitchen with their hairs tied up and sleeves out of the way. Like a tutor, Giyuu patiently guided Tokitou, going over the steps that his own hands had repeated thousands of times with ease of muscle memory, making an omelet. Tokitou's hands were still awkward, stiff and hesitant, but the younger willingly tried and be guided. This scene was akin to when Tsutako first taught him how to cook a simple omelet, except he was younger than Tokitou was and still standing on a stool to reach the fire. The strip of memory both warmed and burnt his heart, but it was oddly cathartic in a way that Giyuu slowly found comfort in the whole idea at the moment. The dish was far from perfect, but it was decent enough and not to mention they did it with minimum mess around.

"I'm confused…" Tokitou suddenly said as they sat on the table once again eating the food, breaking the silence between them. He didn't carry on with his words afterwards, his eyes glazed with something Giyuu couldn't comprehend.

"You know how the others talked ill about you?" He finally said after a prolonged pause.

Giyuu was silent. He knew. He was aware, it wasn't the first time that his name would be a topic within the hashiras, with a bad impression at that.

"Yes, I'm aware."

"They said that you're irritating, arrogant, and you look down on others." Tokitou raised his head to look at him dead in the eyes, his dull mint eyes that faded to teal looked at him as if it was looking through the windows of Giyuu's soul.

Those were nothing new… it was consistent with what they had said in the past as well and Giyuu had never done anything to prove them wrong, he didn't feel like it was necessary. That was their perception of him, it mattered not to him, because he didn't deserve this title in the first place. There was no need to let them know him better.

"..." He averted his eyes from Tokitou, looking anywhere but his colleague. He said nothing of that regard, if Tokitou would think of him the same way he could easily leave the place and never come back again.

"But that doesn't sound right. You're not any of those."

Speechless. Giyuu was speechless. A part of him didn't follow, but something bloomed inside, something lukewarm, lulling the waves of uneasiness inside of him with a single hush. Everyone told him how cold he was, how unbearable he was when all he did was anything but speak to them. But Tokitou wasn't everyone. Others may see water as someone condescending and destructive. Unrelenting, harsh and nothing beyond that. However the mist whispered to him that day that water had another side, one that no one had the effort to see or notice.

Maybe people weren't so horrible at all.

"I'm not the most comfortable person to be with." Giyuu mentioned.

"Because you don't talk a lot? I don't see why it's a problem." Tokitou gave a light shrug.

"If you say so…"

Unbeknown to them as they hid away in the shade, the sky above them had abruptly turned overcast as they ate and talked. They didn't notice the sound of drizzling rain through the sound of the sink running as they washed the dishes. Giyuu had insisted on leaving all the dishes to him, but Tokitou didn't listen and helped either way. They had only come to realize the downpour when the rain became heavier and heavier.

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."

Chapter 2 - 2