Chapter Text
Giyuu was running through the forest.
He was exhausted. Out of breath. Ice-cold from running through the snow for what felt like hours. He couldn’t remember why he was running—or even where he was.
His mind was hazy.
Clouded with emotions he couldn’t yet name.
He stumbled into a clearing and came to a stop.
He needed to think.
In the distance, he could hear voices calling his name.
He had to move.
Now.
He turned—
—and froze.
A cliff.
Right in front of him.
He stopped just in time.
The others caught up moments later.
Too fast.
Too close.
He was trapped—high cliff in front of him, his colleagues behind him.
They were out of breath.
Three of them were injured.
Kocho had a cut on her right cheek, and her permanent smile was gone. Iguro’s left hand was splinted, clearly broken. Shinazugawa was the worst off—his nose broken, dried blood across his face, one eye bruised and swelling, dark marks circling his neck as if he had been strangled.
Muichiro wasn’t with them.
Of course he wasn’t.
They had sent him away.
To the Master.
To keep him from becoming a burden.
Giyuu turned his head slightly—just enough to see them.
Not enough for them to see him.
M.K: “Tomioka-san, please stop. We can talk about this.” She sounded close to tears.
T.U: “Yeah, man, this is really not flamboyant. Let’s take this to the Master.” His usual confidence wavered.
K.R: “Please, don’t do anything else you’ll regret!” He wasn’t doing much better.
G.H: “Yes, let us approach this wisely, like the adults we are. You can trust us.” He remained the calmest.
The others were quiet.
Strangely quiet.
They always had something to say about him.
Now—
nothing.
They looked stunned.
Shocked by what had happened earlier that day.
Himejima’s last comment lingered.
Wrong.
Ironic.
Giyuu let out a quiet chuckle.
Soft.
Unfamiliar.
He slowly turned around, head lowered. His hair hid his face—probably for the best.
Some of them froze.
Others flinched, hands instinctively moving toward their swords.
They had never heard him laugh.
Not like that.
G.T: “Trust you?” he whispered.
A pause.
Then louder.
“Trust you?”
He looked up.
Tilted his head.
“Why would I?”
His face was colder than it had ever been. Empty. The faint light that once lived in his eyes
—gone.
Dried tear tracks marked his cheeks.
There was still blood on his hands.
His voice, when he spoke again, was calm.
Too calm.
Not comforting.
Not anymore.
The calm before a storm.
The calm of a predator watching its prey.
The Hashira tensed, instinctively shifting into defensive stances. A reflex built over years of battle.
A reflex reserved for threats.
G.T: “The trust I had in you has been breaking apart for years. What happened a few hours ago…” His voice didn’t waver. “It shattered what was left.”
Silence.
“There’s nothing left.”
M.K: “Tomioka-san…” Tears streamed down her face as she reached for him, taking a step forward.
Giyuu stepped back.
His heel slipped.
Stone crumbled beneath his foot, disappearing into the abyss below.
Kanroji froze.
So did the others.
They hadn’t realized—
how close he was.
Giyuu glanced behind him.
Endless.
Dark.
Quiet.
Kocho was the first to move.
S.K: “Tomioka-san, I’m so sorry for what happened. I didn’t realize the effect my actions had on you. I started teasing you to help you become more social. I didn’t notice when it became more than teasing.” Her voice broke.
Desperate.
Begging.
G.T: “Too late,” he said quietly.
S.K: “What?” Horror spread across her face.
G.T: “You’ve gone too far to think that an apology will fix this.”
He looked at them.
One last time.
“I’d rather be dead than stay in the Corps.”
A step back—
—and he fell.
S.K: “TOMIOKA!”
They rushed forward.
Too slow.
Rengoku reached the edge first, dropping to his knees, reaching down—
grasping for anything.
Nothing.
He was gone.
As Giyuu fell, his mind cleared.
Finally.
Everything settled.
He understood now.
Sadness.
Hurt.
Anger.
Betrayal.
Hate.
Peace.
Happiness.
He was going to be free.
It was going to end.
He was going to die.
He should be scared.
Shouldn’t he?
…
He wasn’t.
He felt calm.
At peace.
Happy.