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Tomioka Giyuu arrived early at the flame estate, where he was to meet his partner for the next mission. He wasn't naturally punctual, but his lateness had caused problems before, so he was making an effort.
"You're early! Were you excited to see me?"
Kyojuro Rengoku greeted him loudly, laughing at his surprise.
Working with Kyojuro was one of the few things Giyuu actually liked about his job. The two of them got along better than anyone would have expected; they were a stark contrast to each other, one loud and outgoing while the other was quiet and reserved. Despite this, they seemed to genuinely enjoy each others company. It allowed Giyuu to relax for once, if only for a moment.
But his friends presence was still bittersweet for him. The warmth they felt for each other provided a sharp reminder of what he had lost before.
"Please come in! Do you want some tea while I get ready?"
Giyuu nodded, and they went inside, Kyojuro talking away while he listened contentedly.
Giyuu sat on the tatami matts in Kyojuro’s room, drinking his tea with his back turned while Kyojuro got changed, still eagerly talking at his guest.
"Has the master briefed you on our mission yet?"
"Yes, he has. I don't think it should be a problem."
"Of course not. Not for us, anyway."
The two continued their conversation, but something about his friends manner bothered Kyojuro. He walked over and crouched to Giyuu's eye level.
"Are you ok, Giyuu? You've seemed to be down lately."
Maybe no one else would have noticed this given how down Giyuu often looked.
"I'm ok. I just heard that Kamado was injured again from Miss Kocho. I don't... I want to see those two survive."
Kyojuro smiled gently and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Those kids are stronger than they look! They have as good a chance as any of us, so we should worry about our own mission for now!"
Giyuu didn't find much comfort in these words. He looked away and sipped at his tea to hide the blush across his cheeks. Kyojuro's hand was strong, and his shirt was unbuttoned, showing his broad chest and his stomach. He knew that he couldn't tell anyone how Kyojuro made him feel, but he had also realised it wasn't a part of himself that he could change.
He found, to his surprise, that he did feel... comforted, even if he was still worried.
The mission was to find and kill a group of demons which had been active in a village about 25 miles away. The plan was to walk most of the way there, stay in an inn for the night, and then begin investigations the next day and hopefully catch the demons unaware that night.
It was a beautiful day for walking, sunny but cool, as they made their way to the inn that afternoon. Giyuu even found himself adding to the conversation, if only to ask after Senjuro, or about Kyojuro's training.
Giyuu often felt separated from the other hashira, he knew he was different from them but he hated how they seemed exclusively to either distrust or pity him.
Kyojuro on the other hand was always happy to see him.
The easy conversion and the sounds of the wind in the trees put both of the men at ease, and they found themselves walking closer and closer together.
By the time the pair arrived at the inn, the sun was already setting, and they were tired, hungry and very thirsty. The smell from the kitchen was too good to wait for, so they decided to order food right away, before even going to their room. Between the two of them, they managed to eat and drink enough for a small family. It was lucky the corps was paying.
A few hours later, they were both very tired and more than a little tipsy.
As the two of them had arrived late, they were only able to secure a single room with one futon. The two had drank about the same amount, but Giyuu was smaller and wasn't blessed with Kyojuro's Olympic-level drinking genetics, so Kyojuro insisted that Giyuu took the futon. He would have dearly liked to join him, to fall asleep while feeling the warmth from his friends body against his own, but he quickly scolded himself for thinking that way and propped himself in a corner. He was drunk and tired enough to sleep just about anywhere anyway.
In the morning, Kyojuro woke up early, as was usual for him, and began to wash and dress. Maybe he shouldn't have done this in the room with Giyuu, but he was still deeply asleep. After finishing, he went downstairs to eat and brought tea and some rice back to the room for his friend. He gently shook Giyuu awake, laughing playfully at his apparent displeasure, and talked with him while he ate.
Later that morning, the pair headed to the nearby village, they would have plenty of time to investigate and plan.
They were both quieter today, preparing for the job ahead and feeling the weight of their responsibility.
They worked well together for this kind of task. Kyojuro could easily strike up a conversation with strangers; there was something about him people tended to trust. On the other hand, Giyuu's demeanour was usually better suited to the grieving families that demons left in their wake.
After taking most of the day talking to locals and writing back to hq, it was time to get into position before the sun set. Their investigations had highlighted two likely hiding places for the demons, a cave to the north of the village and an abandoned house in the woods to the east. The pair decided it would be best to split up, with Giyuu watching the cave and Kyojuro taking the house. Obviously this way was more dangerous but if they stayed together and guarded the wrong place, the villagers would suffer again tonight.
Despite Kyojuro's skill and apparent confidence, Giyuu felt a growing weight in his stomach as he made his way to his watch. He took position in a small dip in the land on a hill above the cave, which would allow him to see anyone leaving or entering without being spotted himself.
As he sat and waited, he carefully controlled his breathing to steady himself, and to keep his attention present.
However, as the night went on, and as much as he tried to focus on his own task, his mind wandered to his friend, and the weight in his stomach grew.
What if the group of demons was more dangerous than they first thought? The reports from the village weren't too worrying, but it wouldn't be the first time a higher rank demon had laid in wait and sent lower ranks to do its bidding.
He held his position.
His mind raced as the night drew on, his heart pounded in his chest. After what felt like an eternity, he could wait no longer.
As Giyuu ran to his friend through the woods, he became frantic. His mind filled with the dark, intrusive thoughts that so often overcame him.
At this time, Kyojuro was holding his own, but barely. Giyuu's fears were correct, and while cutting through the lesser demons he was looking for, Kyojuro was surprised by a much stronger enemy. The demon leader had rushed Kyojuro from the shadows once it had realised he was too strong to beat in a fair fight, slashing at him with long, hooked claws. The slayers injuries were enough to slow him down, but not fatal.
Giyuu didn't know this.
When he burst through the mansions doors, he saw his friend covered in blood and backed into a corner with a giant, bird like demon towering over him.
As the demon turned around, it didn't see the calm, collected water pillar, but a man filled with fear and anger and grief. Slashing through tear filled eyes and gritted teeth, he took an arm, then the the other, and then, before his enemy even had time to retaliate, the demons head.
He rushed to his friend, falling to his side as his sword clattered to the ground.
Kyojuro stuttered through a strained smile;
"I-I'm okay. I'm okay. Its not deep, I'll be alright."
Giyuu could see that despite his fears, his friend was telling the truth. As the anger and fear that pushed him began to subside, he fell to the ground, unable to even look at his friend. His tears gave way to deep sobs.
Kyojuro held his partner in his arms, still smiling.
"Thank you, Giyuu, but I'm alright. Please, you really don’t need to cry." He said, in much gentler tones than his usual booming voice.
He stroked his hair and held him close.
"If I knew you were this worried about me-"
He stopped in surprise.
Giyuu took his partners face in his hands and kissed him, then looked just as shocked himself, and turned away.
"I'm sorry." He whispered.
Kyojuro smiled "You don't need to be."
He took Giyuu by the shoulder and turned him so they were face-to-face, then leaned in for another kiss.
He was confused when Giyuu pushed him away and seemed even more upset.
"I'm scared, Kyojuro. I thought you were going to die! I can't lose you-"
"And if I lost you, Giyuu: if you died, I'd miss you more than I can say."
Giyuu looked down, tears filling his eyes once more.
"But that’s ok. I'm willing to risk that to be with you."
Kyojuro also had tears in his eyes now.
The pair kissed again, and held each other for a while, savouring the comfort that this brought them.
"The inn is nearby. I can clean your wounds there."
Giyuu lifted him gently, placing his partner's arm over his shoulder and supporting his weight. After a short walk, during which Kyojuro seemed to recover some strength, the pair arrived back at the inn.
After they had both reassured a very concerned inn keeper that they were fine and only needed rest, they where shown back to their room. The pair slid the door shut behind them and sat down. Kyojuro undressed, but this time Giyuu didn't look away. Instead he gently touched the three cut which ran across Kyojuro’s back. He cleaned his partners wounds, slowly and patiently, withdrawing his touch when he felt Kyo twitch or pull away. After his wounds were dressed, Kyojuro laid down on the futon, covering himself up to the waist in the blankets. Giyuu looked at him and smiled, perhaps blushing slightly. "I suppose we can both sleep on the futon tonight then?"
Kyojuro smiled back.
"I suppose we can."
Giyuu extinguished the lamp and joined him.
The two held each other close, as the early morning twilight was already beginning to show through the windows, and for the first time since his childhood, Giyuu’s heart began to feel a little lighter.