Chapter Text
Water in a dream may symbolize deep emotions, or if that water is muddled, it shows confused and unclear feelings. Water may be cleansing and healing, or water could swallow you up and threaten to drown you much like an overwhelming emotion such as anger or pain. Once in water, you are at its mercy. You are no longer free but controlled by a more significant force than yourself. And if you go under, you may never come back up. When you drown, it's tranquil. The water takes your breath and submerges you beneath its waves. But who can tell since no one has pierced the surface to breathe once more?
Sanemi grunted in pain as his sore muscles cracked and popped from the long hour of the meeting. Muzan's trail always went cold, and with Oyakata-sama's health deteriorating, the pillars were everywhere. Still, he was resilient, as were the others. Sanemi pushed his thumb into his middle finger, a habit he formed to stop himself from scrutinizing everything.
Many of the other pillars made idle chatter with another except for one, Tomioka . Always alone and never talked with the other pillars unless forced. And when he does speak, he sounds pretentious and like an ass. He reminded Sanemi of a fish with his dark and emotionless eyes and how he always pouts. Sanemi has always hated his guts. That would never change.
Sanemi was hanging on by a thread to not snap, but when Tomioka was standing there staring at them like he was above them, he had finally had enough. He strode toward him furiously and grabbed him by the collar, shoving him into the wooden gate behind the two. Tomioka's back crashed into the wood. The commotion summoned the other hashira's attention to the scene.
Sanemi glared into his eyes, trying to find any reaction. Tomioka’s face sat unmoving and unbothered. "Shinazugawa-san! What ar-" Sanemi's quick glare cut off the voice. The others stood frozen. Intervening would be no help and could risk a larger scene being caused. So they stood and did nothing.
Sanemi snapped his attention back to Tomioka, who hadn't attempted to escape the grasp around his collar. "You!" his voice seared irritation. "You walk around here as if we nothing but nuisances always so above it all!" Sanemi's voice rose with vexation. Tomioka said nothing, unmoving, mirroring a doll as he made no move to speak or leave. "I see how you look at the rest of us! As if we're trash!"
Tomioka's lack of movement made Sanemi angrier. "You're such a freak! You know that, right? With your dead fish eyes and unchanging face! I can't even tell if you're alive most of the time." The tension in the air grew. The other hashira made no move to stop the raging man, but unease rested upon them all. "Always alone and isolating yourself from the rest of us! Do you even have friends? Someone that loves you?"
His upper lip curled in disdain. Sanemi wanted to punch him, scream more, just do something. But when he fought with Tomioka, he never seemed to win. Tomioka never got angry or started yelling. Hell, sometimes he'd let Sanemi just throw him around while he shouted. He was like a shell of a person more than a living one.
Sanemi released his hold on Tomioka. "Do us a favor and disappear, will you?" he said bitterly before turning around and walking towards the other. Tomioka dusted his clothes off before walking the other direction away from the manor. "Shinazugawa-san! That was too harsh!" Mitsuri proclaimed. "It was all true, but add some style, Sinazugawa! So boring and bland!" some nodded, but others stayed silent. "Whatever, I was tired of that asshole always acting so high and mighty," he snapped, pushing through them.
Sanemi huffed as he walked off of the manor grounds. He was kicking up pebbles with each step he took. "I'm not like the rest of you," Tomioka said as the meeting had ended. "Oh yeah? And what's that supposed to mean?" Sanemi yelled, closing the distance between the two, ready to fight. "I'm not like you all," he said, leaving Sanemi balling his fists in anger. "Asshole," Obani muttered as Tomioka’s figure faded into the landscape.
Sanemi calmed down after walking back to his patrol. He took a moment to relish the weather. It was that awkward period when summer turned into fall. Clouds were long gone, but the sun still hung high in the sky. His confrontation with Tomioka replayed in his head. He didn't flinch when Sanemi slammed him against the gate or when he yelled at Tomioka.
'Asshole! Always so above it all. He can't bother to even look at one of us in the eye. Calm down. Don't let that asshole get in your mind. Control yourself.' He told himself he dug his fingernails into his palms, trying to focus on something else. He could feel his skin start to reopen from where he's dug before.
Sanemi was quick-tempered and hot-headed. He was never one to back down and not one to show mercy, even when it comes to the people he loves. His brazen personality has caused many problems—more for others than himself. Someone was always at the short end of the stick when it came to him.
The sun was still rising when Giyuu's crow delivered a message to his estate. "KAW! GIYUU TOMIOKA, YOUR PRESENCE IS REQUESTED AT UBUYASHIKI ESTATE! KAW!" Kanzaburou squawked flying circles outside of Giyuu's window. "MAKE HASTE GIYUU TOMIOKA, FOR YOUR PRESENCE IS REQUESTED AT UBUYASHIKI ESTATE! KAW!" Giyuu rolled out of his futon and onto the cold wooden floor. He was mumbling to himself about how he wished to sleep.
Giyuu slowly sat up. 'If other pillars will be there, maybe I can talk to them without being yelled at. It's early, so maybe….' Giyuu was tactless when it came to people. He could never say the right things or understand their feelings. He tried his best when it came to communicating, but he always said the wrong things or nothing at all.
He yawned one more time before he got dressed and praised his elderly crow before making his way to the estate without being lost— it happens more than you think. Giyuu's resident layed in the southern mountains of the Ubuyashiki estate. When Giyuu arrived, he was met by Sanemi coming from the western forests. "Morning Shina-"
"Move it," Sanemi shoved past him into the back garden of the estate. "Apologies," he said quietly before following. ‘Shinazugawa-san is here too. He seems more grumpy in the morning.’ Giyuu thought. Giyuu looked out at the sunrise that covered the mansion. Orange and pink hues swirled together, cloaking the sky in bright colors greeting the fall season as summer passed. Giyuu was glad the corps uniforms were thick at times like these.
Giyuu followed Shinazugawa into the pebbled-covered garden. Small patches of grass held the last summer flowers. Taking a breath, Giyuu could smell a faint scent of Tamago Kake Gohan from the mansion's open doors. Keeping his eyes forwards, he took a knee in front of the engawa veranda where Ubuyashiki and his wife stood patiently waiting for their arrival.
Giyuu noticed no other hashira were present. Unease started to settle in his stomach, but he swallowed it down and lowered his head. "Morning, children," Ubuyashiki began. His voice was light, but it carried the weight of importance. He bowed to them both before continuing.
"I understand there are problems between you two, Shinazugawa-kun," his soft voice spoke— the last leaves of summer fell on the pebbles the two knelt on. "Not at all, master," Shinazugawa gritted through his teeth. His knees ached from yesterday's meeting. Still, he listened intently to his master's words. "I see," he said, looking to Giyuu, who was kneeling beside him. "No sir, there is no problem between us," he spoke, his voice flat and emotionless.
"I understand now," Ubuyashiki sighed before whispering something to his wife, who nodded and quickly ran off into the mansion. Sanemi's mouth was shut in a thin line awaiting his following words irritation bubbled in his chest. It wasn't at his master but the man who knelt beside him. "You'll be assigned together as partners from now on," —well, except for that.
Shinazugawa lifted his head quickly, turning his head to look at Giyuu then Oyakata-sama. "With all due respect, sir, I-" a raised hand cut off his sentence. "I understand you already have pairings, but seeing they are out for the foreseeable future," he paused to look at the two before gently smiling, "I believe it will be best for you both," Shinazugawa lowered his gaze. "Yes, sir, of course," he gritted out. Giyuu nodded, "Yes, sir," he agreed, mumbling.
"Wonderful, well children, I'll leave you to it. Take some time to know each other as well. I'll see you soon," once back inside, Shinazugawa silently got up, cracking his joints like the day before. Grumbling curses as he stretches. Giyuu stood a few seconds later, looking back at the house, expecting Oyakata-sama to come back out and say it was a joke but, Giyuu knew his master was serious.
"Uh, Shinazugawa-kun-" Giyuu had started before Shinazugawa's gruff voice cut him off once again, "Listen, Tomioka," he spat, venom dripping from his words. Giyuu stilled, expecting a fight to break out any second from the tense atmosphere. "We've known each other for a while, correct?" Shinazugawa didn’t wait for Giyuu's answer before continuing, "We don't click." he stated harshly, turning to look the raven-haired man in the eyes.
"Well, yes, I suppose-" Shinazugawa clicked his tongue, "See, so we agree!" Giyuu nodded hesitantly, "Good! Great! Amazing! See, we're getting somewhere now," Shinazugawa started walking towards Giyuu, "I'm me, and you're," he stopped to think for a second before continuing. "And you're you." he sighed. Giyuu felt momentarily disconcerted as his back stiffed.
"What's best for you and most importantly me is that," Giyuu stood perturbed, never moving as Shinazugawa continued towards him. His paces stopped until he was beside Giyuu. "We leave each other alone." his face hardened as he pushed past Giyuu. Shinazugawa kicked up rocks and weeds in his path, continuing toward the gate.
Giyuu turned his head to Shinazugawa’s figure fading into the landscape. "I understand. We are too different after all." Giyuu said flatly. Irritated, Sanemi huffed, pushing open the gate. "Never asked for your damn input, asshole," he said, walking into the dense forest that sat behind the manor. Giyuu saw the gate close; his frown deepened. 'I've been trying to get better,' he thought, following the path Sanemi just walked to leave the mansion. 'But I guess not.'
Pink and orange hues were now replaced by early-day blues and grey clouds. Giyuu took a deep breath and felt the brisk forest air fill his lungs. Daisy’s softly danced in the breeze, and the sun-drenched tree’s leaves bristled, filtering sunlight through the cracks. Birds and cicadas sang out of harmony with each other within the forest.
A dark raven flew over Giyuu's head, landing on a tree. It chirped at Giyuu, stopping him in the dirt path, blinking once. Twice. Before tilting its head to the side. "Hello, Raven," he whispered to the bird on the tree. "Do you have a name?" Giyuu shook his head. "Stupid question," the raven flapped its wing, moving down the branch closer to where Giyuu stood on the road.
"Would you like to be fr-" he stopped himself before continuing, "Acquaintances?" he asked curtly, taking a step towards the branch as if it would seemingly trust him from the 30 seconds they've— he's been talking. Giyuu lowered his gaze to a leaf on the dirt. "You know this is the longest conversation I've had with someone?" he huffed. A rustle in the bushed turned Giyuu's and the raven's attention away from their strange chat.
A black shadow flew circles above the trees, disturbing the perfect pattern of the leaf hammock above. "KAW! KAW! GIYUU TOMIOKA AND SANEMI SHINAZUGAWA! TO THE SMALL VILLAGE OF MISHIMA!" the boisterous voice startled the raven, making it fly away. "DEMON SIGHTINGS HAVE BEEN REPORTED! KAW! KAW!" Giyuu sighed, watching his new acquaintance fly into the thick forest.
Kanzaburou landed on his shoulder clumsily, pushing his head into Giyuus’s neck for praise and to gain balance. Giyuu gave him a few scratches before he continued down the dirt path, making haste to the small village.
Mishima was a small farming village southwest of the Ubuyashiki estate. It was forty-five miles along Kawakiso River, the river Giyuu's residence was situated by. Giyuu had been to Mishima a few times since it was within his boundary to watch and report. The people were homely and charming. When Giyuu had first visited, it reminded him of a village full of sweet old ladies.
The village housed and took care of Demon Slayers who'd voyage through on missions or returning reports. So they quickly adapted to Giyuu when he started to pass through. Giyuu's favorite spot was a small tea shop that served simmered salmon with daikon. The owner was an older man in his late 50's named Motomushi. He was pretty built but had a kind face. His daughter was around ten. She always followed Giyuu around the village to help with various errands.
And the two old ladies who lived by the river. Maniwa and Kato, they acted more like aunts than sweet old ladies. They’d gossip about silly things and ask Giyuu when he’d get married, but at least they’d make tea and Namagashi. The village was so full of benevolent people.
Sanemi was not happy about his new arrangements with Tomioka. He swore he could hear Iguro chuckling when Oyakata-sama had told the two they'd be partners for the next few months, hell even years! But they had agreed to not speak to each other unless necessary. ‘We just got these assignments, so we’ll probably have,’ Sanemi pinched his pointer finger between his middle finger and thumb. ‘Maybe a month at most, right?’
Sanemi continued towards his house, where he was working on his last mission report. A weak-ass demon attempting to eat a human. It annoyed Sanemi that he even had to fill out a statement about it, but Oyakata-sama had asked him to. Sanemi was two miles from the manor when the path showed something flying above.
Sanemi stopped squinting up at the black shadow circling. "DEMON SIGHTINGS HAVE BEEN REPORTED! KAW! KAW!” the shadow squawked. "KAW! KAW! SANEMI SHINAZUGAWA AND GIYUU TOMIOKA! TO THE SMALL VILLAGE OF MISHIMA!" it finished flying down to where Sanemi stood. ‘Fucking already!’ Sanemi cursed, stomping away without his crow.
Sanemi had been to Mishima just about three times. The first time he had gone there, he ran into Tomioka and immediately left. The second time he made the tea shop owner’s daughter cry because he was “mean and scary.” and “Tomioka-san is so much nicer.” Not Sanemi’s best moment, but being compared to Tomioka and losing does not warrant a nice Sanemi.
The third time he had given up on the village. It seemed to revolve around Tomioka. Hell, he went to help some old lady, and she commented about his choice of tea compared to the raven-haired man.
It took Sanemi five hours to arrive on the rim of the village. It could’ve taken him four if he didn’t get lost three different times. The sun was still set high in the sky and would be for a few more hours. But in his defense— well, he actually didn’t have one. He just didn’t want to be here. When he arrived at the village, he could see Tomioka standing by a large tree near the town.
Eternally groaning, Sanemi begrudgingly made his way to the raven-haired man. Noticing Sanemi, he gave a tiny wave which Sanemi ignored. Sanemi continued down his path without waiting to see if Tomioka was following, “So where can we get some damn information? You know someone, correct?” he harshly questioned. Tomioka silently followed him for a few more seconds before speaking up “Yes,”
Sanemi was honestly shocked when the village greeted Tomioka as they walked through. “Oh my! Is that Tomi-kun I see?” a young woman asked when they walked past a small floral shop. Tomioka gave a tiny wave, “Afternoon Nami-san,” Tomioka said politely, lowering his head slightly. “Aw, you make me feel so old!” If there was a microphone inside Sanemi’s brain, you would only hear electric wire zapping. Because he was definitely short-circuiting.
- Tomi-kun? What the hell is that nickname. Shit, the first time he heard Tomioka talk was when Shinobu had called him a nickname, and he told her to never call him that again.
- Did he seriously know everyone in this damn town? Even the animal seemed to know who he was, like the random-ass raven that kept following them.
- And why did everyone in this town give him this one look? Sanemi couldn’t explain it, but it was like they knew who he was already. He’d been here three times, yeah, but no one knew his name! This place creeped Sanemi the fuck out.
After a few more minutes of walking, small talk— with the townspeople, not Sanemi and Tomioka (gross), and strange looks, they had made it to their destination. It was a homely cottage that sat in front of a river, and a stone path led to the back. Sanemi could see a painting of several women holding different flowers in the house. Unconsciously Sanemi moved closer to Tomioka when they arrived. Something about an unfamiliar place and the somewhat familiar person being a “safer” option. Fuck, Sanemi didn’t know the science. He just hated it happened in the first place.
Tomioka knocked once. Twice. Thrice, before…. nothing. No one came to the door, Sanemi gave a deep sigh, getting ready to make some snappy comment and just walk in, but Tomioka moved before he could do anything. Walking along a small pebbled path that led to the back of the residence. High pitched giggles and whispers could be heard from a small table.
Sanemi’s hand twitched at his side. ‘What is this fucking bullshit? Our “informants” are a bunch of giggling teenage girls?! I swear if I don’t get anything from this shit, I’ll wring Tomioka’s tiny neck!’
Tomioka continued towards the whispers, ‘Who the fuck just does this shit?!’ Tomioka cleared his throat, making his presence known, the giggling stopped. Taking time to look at their “informant,” Sanemi saw two older ladies— Jesus, is this a town of old women? “Tomi and a friend! How lovely!” one squealed, getting up to hug Tomioka. It reminded Sanemi of the love pillar— Kanjiro Mitsuri. Tomioka simply bowed, but Sanemi stood still studying the women.
The squealing woman was shorter than him and Tomioka, while the other who was still sitting and sipping from a cup was their height, maybe slightly shorter. Tall, curly hair, stern, quite frankly unnerving, the woman reminded Sanemi of his aunt. Holding in a shudder, he looked back over to the shorter woman who had stopped Tomioka now— or “Tomi,” she seemed warm . Like hot tea in winter or freshly baked cookies. The birds that harmonize with the wind every morning.
“Oh, and you must be Shinazugawa-kun!” ‘Wait, she knows my name?’ Taking time to thoroughly look at Sanemi, she smiled softly, “My, my, it has been a while! From both of you, in fact, Tomi, I was worried when you stopped coming,” Tomioka turned his gaze to the ground as if it was more sightly than the woman. “Apologies,” he said, kicking dirt with his foot. “No matter! Come sit, children!” she said, inviting them to the table where— wait, what were their names?
Giyuu missed this. Maniwa and Kato were like a second family to him. He first arrived in the town four years ago as a new hashira. They were so warm they took him in almost as soon as he stepped foot in the small village. Giyuu remembers how they questioned him until dawn to learn about him. They were persistent and stubborn, but it was familiar. Now he watches as they do the same to Shinazugawa.
“My! You have so many scars!” Maniwa pointed out, leaning in to look closer at the markings, “Mani! Don’t be so rude. Respect the young man’s privacy,” Kato said, pulling her off of Shinazugawa. “Oh goodness, you like so much sugar in your tea, Shin! So very different from Tomi, I must say,” she pointed out— Giyuu hummed to himself— ‘Oh god, he’s got a nickname now he can never escape from them,’ he thought. Kato sighed. She knew when Maniwa got like this, she couldn’t be stopped.
Giyuu cleared his throat catching Maniwa’s attention, “Oh right,” Kato said, stirring her tea, “You boys came here for something.” She nodded, giving them a chance to speak. “Right,” Giyuu said, sitting up slightly and crossing his arms on his lap. “We are here on a report of demon sightings,” Shinazugawa stated, leaning his elbow on the table. Kato quickly swatted it off, making him sit straighter. Maniwa put her finger to her chin, tapping it, trying to think.
Giyuu pinched his skin— a nervous habit that had formed from childhood. “Well,” Maniwa started, taking a sip from her cup before setting it on the table. “I have heard a few things. For one thing, it seems incompetent, maybe a lowly demon trying to snatch a person from a small village. But our first ‘attack’ was a week ago. It just messed up some fields. But you boys should stay tonight and continue your investigation,” Maniwa finished reaching for her cup. “Thank you, Mani-san,” Giyuu bowed.
“Anything for you, Tomi!” she laughed. Giyuu quietly sipped his tea, looking out onto the crystalline river, which glistened in the late afternoon sun. Content Giyuu sighed and shut his eyes. He thought about falling asleep right here and letting his exhaustion from the day take over, but he eventually decided against it. ‘It’s nice to hang out with Shinazugawa-kun when he isn’t yelling, maybe being his partner won’t be so bad.’