Chapter Text
"Are you ready?"
Sabito adjusted the red braided tie in his peach hair, ensuring his ponytail remained high and proud on the crown of his head. When he was done he gave it a little toss, adjusted his uniform collar and the shiny new golden clasps that denoted him as Hashira, and looked to Urokodaki, who was fussing with Giyuu's buttons and waiting for Sabito to answer him. He'd made the trip to the Master's Gardens to watch his last—and best—students be inducted as Hashira and Hashira reserve.
Giyuu chuckled at his old sensei but patiently allowed him to finish adjusting his collar before he moved on to smooth down the edges of Sabito's patterned haori instead.
Both Giyuu and Sabito had awoken together before the dawn, nerves and excitement making it impossible to sleep further. Sabito's wounds from killing Lower Three still ached, and Giyuu still walked with a slight limp from the arrow he'd taken in his leg, and even still they'd awoken entwined, as they always did. Sabito's head rested against Giyuu's shoulder, in the crook of his neck. Giyuu's arms were wrapped around Sabito's waist and back, gently running his fingers of the edges of his bandages.
On both their minds, the first night they'd spent together almost a decade ago under one blanket, offerred by Giyuu to try to jar some color, some life back into the haunted face of his new roommate, training rival, friend, brother…other half. Their last night in that room together, challenging one another in a race to Hashira. Promising they'd never be apart, ever again.
Sabito looked at him now, glowing even brighter than usual with his own golden clasp just below his chin, the warmth of the color making his ocean-colored eyes seem even more vibrant.
"Of course I'm ready." he said. How could he be anything but?
Outside the Hashira had gathered already, called by the Master to receive their newest comrades. It had been a tumultuous few years for the Corps and its highest ranking members; beginning with the untimely retirement of Flame Hashira Rengoku several years ago, the group had been plagued by deaths and forced retirements until their ranks had dwindled down to a mere handful.
Beginning with the near simultaneous inductions of a Wind, then Serpent Hashira a few months prior, it appeared perhaps the corps' luck was changing. Now, waiting in a scattered group in the gardens, the current class of Hashira had just one topic on their minds.
Giyuu had been right, in his warning to Sabito the previous night. The two of them were, indeed, the Hashira's latest, hottest gossip.
"You're kidding."
"No, seriously."
"What is he, stupid or something?"
"Now, now." The Flower Hashira chided gently.
"Maybe." The Sound Hashira shrugged, answering the Wind Hashira's mostly rhetorical question.
"You'd have to be, to try to turn down Hashira." The Serpent Hashira hissed.
The prayer beads of the Stone Hashira clacked against his hands as he raised them in prayer. "He wanted to title to go to his comrade in battle, rather than himself."
"They're brothers, I believe." The Flower Hashira clasped her hands together. "They seem utterly devoted to one another. The one stayed by the other's side for weeks, waiting for him to recover."
"Well, isn't that just precious?" The Wind Hashira rolled his eyes.
"Hey, it's not just devotion." The Sound Hashira added. "I heard the brother invented a new Water Breathing form."
"Really? Hasn't it been like, a hundred years?"
"A hundred and seven, to be exact." The Serpent Hashira said, pointing a curved finger at them.
The Wind Hashira settled a little, but kept his arms crossed. "Huh," was his only utterance before falling moodily silent.
They straightened immediately into an even and rigid line the moment the doors to the mansion slid open, and they were greeted by more than just the Master.
Still inside, Giyuu and Sabito waited side by side while the Master, out on the veranda, went through the pleasantries and introduced Urokodaki, who was standing out there with him. Sabito had Giyuu's hand held tightly in his own. He glanced to him again, their communication silent and imperceptible to anyone but one another.
They nearly did not release one another's hands in time as the doors in front of them slid open, and the veranda and back gardens of the Master's Mansion blazed into bright, brilliant view.
"I would like you all to welcome to your ranks our newest comrades, Water Hashira Sabito Fujikasane and Water Hashira Reserve Giyuu Tomioka."
Giyuu and Sabito both bowed deeply to the Master as they were introduced, then faced the line of Hashira waiting for them. Giyuu took the opportunity, as the Master introduced them all one by one, to stare openly at his new comrades and try to get a sense for what each was like.
He recognized only one, the woman on the end, Flower Hashira Kanae Kocho, from his time sitting vigil for Sabito in the butterfly mansion. She was smiling at them, though the same could not be said for the rest.
There were two huge men on the end, each looking like they weighed more than he and Sabito combined, one veiled in prayer beads and the other dripping in jewels and bangles and stones. Then two men in the middle, looking a bit like a matched set, yin and yang. One had white hair and a white haori, the other black hair with a striped haori. Each wore a dangerous-looking scowl. Shinazugawa and Iguro, the Master said.
When he finished introducing, the Master swept his arm wide to indicate the two of them, and the both of them bowed deeply once again, this time toward the line of Hashira. Coming out of the bow, Giyuu panicked for a moment, unsure what he was supposed to do or say now that the Master appeared to have turned things over to them.
"It's an honor to meet you all, and to be accepted among your ranks." Sabito said. Giyuu sighed silently, grateful that Sabito had assumed responsibility of speaking for the both of them.
"Sabito, Giyuu, since you're both new, it's customary to provide you a mentor for a few weeks to help you become acclimated to the position," the Master went on. "Eventually, Giyuu, I'll pair you with Shinobu to understand the role of Hashira Reserve." Giyuu nodded stoically as the Flower Hashira brightened and waved at him.
"But for the first week, I want you together to learn the grounds here and get to know everyone." The two of them held their breath, waiting to see which of the Hashira lined in front of them would be in charge of showing them around. "Sanemi, if you would be so kind?"
Sabito tried not to flinch in distaste when the mean-looking white-haired Hashira nodded once.
"Yes, sir." He said. Beside Sabito, Giyuu gulped.
The Master dismissed the Hashira and returned inside. Urokodaki, who had been waiting beside him, put a hand on each of their shoulders, nodding firmly.
"I know you'll do great things." He said. Sabito could tell just from his voice that he was holding back tears. "I'm so proud of both of you."
"Thank you, sensei." Both in unison, once again. He moved his hand to the top of their heads, quite a stretch now that they'd gotten taller than he was.
Urokodaki and the Master returned inside and left Sabito and Giyuu to face the line of their new comrades.
X
"What a flashy haori you've got!" The big man with white hair said as soon as Sabito and Giyuu reached arm's length. He smacked Sabito heartily on the back, to Sabito's uncomfortable surprise and Giyuu's moderate outrage. "I can tell you've got an eye for fashion!"
"Ah—" Sabito opened his mouth to respond but their new mentor, the vicious-looking Wind Hashira, beat him to it.
"He means that as a complement, if you can believe it." He said with a roll of his eyes.
Sabito straightened a little, even under the weight of the Sound Hashira's massive arm around his shoulders. "Sure," he said, glancing up at him. "You seem like a pretty fashionable guy."
"Best not to encourage him." The Serpent Hashira said.
The Sound Hashira, Uzui, laughed loudly and finally released Sabito, to both his and Giyuu's relief. "I like him already! You're exactly what this lame outfit needed!"
"Uh, pleasure to meet you, too." Sabito said with a laugh only Giyuu could tell was a little uncomfortable.
"Glad to see you on your feet again!" The Flower Hashira said. Her voice was sweet and delicate, like a flute.
"All thanks to you and your sister." Sabito returned. His discomfort waned immediately upon seeing a familiar face. "Good to know I'll be in such capable hands."
Kocho smiled brightly, and turned her attention to Giyuu. "And I'm so glad Shinobu will have another Hashira Reserve. It's a unique position, rare that we gain another. I hope you two can become great friends!"
Giyuu swallowed, nodded at her, wished he had more to offer her in terms of socializing. It seemed to come so naturally to Sabito. Like they all were reading from a script, and only Giyuu was without a copy. Sabito had always been charming, but his ease in interacting with their new comrades, even when a little uncomfortable with all the attention, become apparent only now that they actually had someone to interact with outside of one another.
"Sabito Fujikasane," the stoic Stone Hashira said. "Giyuu Tomioka. It is an honor to meet the proteges of Sakonji Urokodaki." He bowed to them, halfway out of politeness, halfway because he was so much taller than the both of them that he was forced to lower his head to speak to them.
"O-oh." Sabito said. "You know much about Urokodaki-sensei?"
"Only from stories. Though today is the first time I've ever seen him in person, word of his impressive prowess and unmatched skill has passed through the ranks of Hashira since his retirement. I expect nothing less from his students."
"Well, shucks." Sabito said. He fiddled with the tie in his hair. "Lot to live up to—"
"So what about you?" The Wind Hashira abruptly interrupted. The two looked toward him and Giyuu felt a jolt of fear when he saw that Shinazugawa's discerning, lightly bloodshot eyes were trained solely on him. "Don't you ever talk?"
Immediately Sabito's hackles were up, immediately he turned to Shinazugawa with a defensive remark cocked and ready. But Giyuu didn't even need to shoot him a look for him to realize it would only prove Shinazugawa's point. And it also probably wasn't a great idea to start antagonizing their mentor on their first day. Still, Giyuu watched Sabito's posture and expression shift, watched him curl his hand into a fist.
Shinazugawa watched it, too.
"When I have something to say." Giyuu finally replied.
"You must not have much to say, then. I hear you invented a new form of Water Breathing." Shinazugawa had one eyebrow raised in apparent suspicion. Giyuu said nothing. "Most people would have mentioned that."
"Clearly I didn't need to."
A vein protruded from Shinazugawa's neck. Uzui stepped in to ease the tension thick enough to be cut with a sword.
"You two are pretty big news around here." He said smoothly. "It's not every day somebody turns the Master down."
Finally Giyuu relaxed a little as their attention diverted back to Sabito and away from him. While he chatted with the rest of them, Shinazugawa appeared to lose interest in Giyuu, shrugging his head back to beckon them both to follow him.
"Well, let's get a move on." He said. "Grounds are big."
"Bring them by the sparring grounds when you're done!" Uzui called. "I want to see what they can do!"
Once more Giyuu withered under the Wind Hashira's sudden attention.
"Me too." Shinazugawa said sharply.
X
Shinazugawa gave them the tour (what he remembered of the tour when he'd been given it by Kanae just a few months prior) while Sabito and Giyuu trailed dutifully…slightly conspiratorially behind.
Sabito watched the snow-white back of the Wind Hashira's head and tried to silently diagnose what exactly his problem was. Giyuu spent a short while of the orientation just glad he was free from Shinazugawa's vicious attention. From the sound of things, he'd only be paired with him for a short time before continuing his mentorship with the younger Kocho sister. For the first short while of their tour, Giyuu was grateful for that.
But then he started to scratch at the thought, until it began to bleed a little.
Eventually, Giyuu, I'll pair you with Shinobu to understand the role of Hashira Reserve, the Master had said. That meant that, for the first time since they were nine years old, he and Sabito would be what had frightened him so deeply. What their promise from so long ago had been warding against.
They'd be separated.
Sabito seemed awfully calm. Had he not realized yet? Surely he'd caught the Master's instructions too. Surely he too felt the relentless ticking, counting down their time left together.
While Shinazugawa pointed out the spare wing of the Mansion, common for high ranked slayers to stay between missions, Giyuu silently fretted. He'd already displayed himself as awkward and small beneath the looming shadows of the other Hashira. Was he just dragging Sabito down, the annoying little brother who refused to leave the safety of Sabito's shadow?
Should he have turned down Hashira Reserve? Should he be here at all?
Sabito nudged him with his shoulder while they walked. It was becoming a little uncanny how good he was at being able to tell something was on his mind. Giyuu gave him a guilty little smile but not much else.
Sanemi meanwhile was trying his very best not to be deeply annoyed at this assignment, knowing it was the Master's wish that he help induct the newest members. He'd rather not induct anyone, indeed he'd really rather not get to know anyone at all.
"So, anyway." He said firmly, waiting for the two of them to start paying attention to him again, rather than one another. "Has the Master assigned your patrol zones yet?"
The peach haired one nearly stopped walking and raised his eyebrows. The dark haired one continued, his expression blank and unreadable. "Patrol zones?" Fujikasane asked.
"Yeah." Sanemi glanced between them again briefly before turning back around to instead watch the path toward the sparring grounds. "Master assigns an area for each Hashira to manage. Patrol for demons, join the lower ranks on missions if they need you, that kind of stuff. Good thing Iguro and I joined when we did, but we're still stretched pretty thin."
"Oh." Sabito said.
Giyuu's nerves blazed even hotter. The Master hadn't mentioned their assignments yet…what if they were assigned to zones. all the way across Japan from one another? What if they never saw each other, but for brief liaisons between missions?
"Yeah, if he hadn't assigned you yet, he will soon. If you don't try and turn him down, that is." The Wind Hashira continued. Sabito's teeth ground together, but for the moment he took a page from Giyuu's book and remained silent.
Silence was of course broken by the time they made it to the sparring grounds, where the eager Sound Hashira awaited them.
"My god, Shinazugawa, took you long enough." Uzui already had taken both of his massive nichirin cleavers from their place on his shoulders, and was spinning them loosely with his wrists.
"Grounds are big." Shinazugawa shot back.
At the sight of the Sound Hashira's imposing stature and glimmering accessories, Sabito couldn't help himself. 'Whoa, are you a dual wielder?" he asked Uzui, who proudly gave the cleavers a spin as if in response. Sabito allowed himself a moment to let his careful guard fall away, drop the pretense of trying desperately to be accepted into the ranks of Hashira, and let himself be awestruck. "Cool." he breathed, oozing sincerity.
Giyuu tried very hard not to glare at Uzui. How dare he steal Sabito's attention so easily? But then, look at him. How could he not?
"Cool, he says. Count your blessings! It's not every newbie who's blessed with a chance to spar with the God of Dual Wielders."
"If you think you can keep up." Sabito grinned and obtained a wooden bokken from a rack and leveled it. Delighted at the challenge, Uzui laughed and took two of his own.
"There's a fine line between confident and cocky, you know."
Sabito steadied his posture and stretched out his shoulders. His wounds ached a little. He probably shouldn't be taking on a spar with somebody of Uzui's caliber, but that was Sabito. Wouldn't be the first time he refused to balk from a fight.
"Well, you seem like you'd know." He said. Uzui laughed again. Giyuu's blood boiled.
"Hey." Somebody said. Giyuu blinked and found that Shinazugawa, having caught him staring at Sabito once again, had obtained a wooden bokken—two wooden bokken, and had already sent one flying toward him. "I said I wanted to see what you can do."
Giyuu snapped his hand up to grab the bokken with ease. He didn't speak, just squared his shoulders like Sabito had. This was not unlike that last time he and Sabito sparred with someone other than themselves, Giyuu thought. Except this time he was the one enraged by Sabito's attention being pulled away. At least Uzui wasn't flirting with him….At least Giyuu didn't think he was.
"Are you deaf or something?" Shinazugawa called.
Even readying himself for a fight, Sabito of course overheard the comment and of course shifted his focus immediately away from the impending spar. To his surprise, as he opened his mouth, dropping his sword to turn his full attention to the Wind Hashira bastard who dared speak ill of Giyuu in front of him, Uzui's hand dropped heavily down onto his shoulder.
Sabito jerked his head toward Uzui, but he just grinned nonchalantly. "This'll be good, don't you think?"
He was right. Giyuu could handle himself, especially against a punk like Shinazugawa. And jumping in to defend him, however tempting, was only going to make Giyuu look bad. It seemed Uzui understood this too, and Sabito was silently grateful he'd stopped him from behaving too rashly. They fell in line together to watch Giyuu and Sanemi as they began to circle one another.
"Let's see that new form." Shinazugawa said.
"I'm not certain I'll need it." Giyuu replied. He only realized after he'd already said it how much like a taunt it sounded. Only when Shinazugawa's expression darkened from a fairly neutral look of distaste to a practically dangerous glare.
"Oh you're not, huh?" He moved his sword into a backhanded grip. "I guess I'll have to make you, then."
Sabito ground his teeth together loud enough for Uzui to hear the scraping. Still he stayed his tongue and his blade.
Giyuu could feel Sabito's annoyance even from across the sparring grounds. He and Uzui were lined up together on the fence, just watching them. Shinazugawa did not appear to notice. Giyuu took in a measured breath through his nose and observed the Wind Hashira's stance, the veins protruding angrily from his forearms and the scars across his bare chest. This was no spar with Sabito in a wisteria garden to pass the time. Shinazugawa seemed genuinely intent on not holding back. Or perhaps purposefully harming him. Giyuu swallowed and leveled the bokken.
Shinazugawa opened.
His strike was fast, but right away it was apparent that his skill lied mainly in his raw strength. Giyuu blocked the strike with his own bokken but felt the strength of the blow shudder across his arms and shoulder. Shinazugawa did not allow him even an instant to be surprised by the power of the strike; he pulled back and struck again, and again and again, like trying to beat him with a bat rather than engage in swordplay. Each time, Giyuu blocked the strike, but barely.
On his final strike Giyuu set his jaw and parried Shinazugawa's blade down and to the side with a whirlpool that forced the wind Hashira to retreat.
"Is that it?" Shinazugawa taunted. Giyuu watched him silently, shifting his grip on his sword. After a short moment he took the opening and burst forward.
He kept his strikes quick and clean to rival Shinazugawa's more aggressive, powerful style. Their bokken clacked together loudly as Giyuu continued to advance. He'd show him he could be relentless, too. He'd show all the Hashira.
Sabito leaned forward excitedly as he watched. Giyuu was ripping fast, without a wasted movement, his wooden sword striking hard and fast at the Wind Hashira's guard like he was seriously attempting to stab him with it. The clack of their bokken together became like thunder, like the roar of a waterfall. Sabito was so enraptured by Giyuu's focused expression, the flourish of his night-black hair each time he turned or twisted, that he did not notice he and Uzui were no longer the only spectators.
Stepping back from a hit powerful enough to nearly knock him over, Shinazugawa glared up from beneath his thick white hair. "Are you through warming up now?" He cocked his head to the side and grinned wickedly.
Sabito twisted his hand into a fist and nearly didn't even hear the soft sigh from beside him.
"Would it really kill us to be kind to the newbies?" It was the Flower Hashira, watching Shinazugawa's taunting with a coy little smile. Sabito hadn't even noticed her joining he and Uzui, where she now perched delicately on the wooden railing.
Unlike Sabito, Giyuu was unphased by Shinazugawa's attitude. The Wind Hashira was clearly winding up for another volley of strikes, but Giyuu was finding his footing in the earth below him. He was feeling Sabito's gaze behind him. The golden clasp on his uniform at his throat caught the light and shined; he'd prove he was meant to be here.
Another quick exchange of strikes. Shinazugawa's strength felt increased, his ferocity unleashed. He forced Giyuu back until their bokken caught one another. Shinazugawa shoved. Giyuu shoved back. Their faces close, Shinazugawa grinned wickedly. For some reason Giyuu nearly got the impression Shinazugawa might try to bite him.
The Wind Hashira leaned close to growl his taunting directly into his face. "Is this it? I'm disappointed!"
Giyuu let his brow lower over his eyes in a glare but kept his feet rooted, his heart calm. He took in a slow, careful breath, cool against his own hands as he exhaled.
"That can't be what your little buddy turned down Hashira for." Shinazugawa hissed. Giyuu sharply sucked in a breath.
Even Uzui's jaw dropped when, nearly faster than any of them could blink, Giyuu had arced his sword across both he and Shinazugawa, breaking both his guard, and his bokken itself.
Shinazugawa stumbled back in surprise. The splintered half of the bokken stabbed into the earth at Uzui and Sabito's feet. And Giyuu let his breath out once again, pointing his own bokken at Shinazugawa's throat.
Giyuu stared at him and was silent. Sabito was not.
"Hah!" He punched the air and ran forward for Giyuu while Shinazugawa seethed. "That was incredible! You've gotta teach me that move!"
"So that's the fabled 11th form, huh?" Uzui put his hands on his hips. Sabito had grabbed Giyuu by the shoulders and was shaking him back and forth a little, finally able to put himself between he and Shinazugawa. "Very flashy."
"Hm." The Serpent Hashira added thoughtfully.
Shinazugawa clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Took you long enough to make it interesting."
Finally Sabito allowed himself to turn away from Giyuu and face Shinazugawa. "Did you get it all out of your system?" He asked hotly. Giyuu put a hand on his haori.
"The hell?" Shinazugawa threw the remnants of the bokken to the ground to face Sabito, who stepped forward to meet him.
Kanae sighed and hopped down from the fence railing. "Oh dear."
"Are you this welcoming to all the new recruits or are we just special?" Sabito sneered.
"You must think you're pretty goddamn special, that's for sure!" Shinazugawa jabbed a finger into Sabito's chest.
"Here he goes again." Uzui rolled his eyes.
Sabito grabbed onto the wrist of the hand Shinazugawa had poked him with. "Keep your hands to yourself, punk. Are you really looking to get your ass kicked twice in one day?"
To his surprise, Shinazugawa leaned around him to address Giyuu. "How precious. Is the little baby really so desperate for somebody to come save him?"
"That's it!" Sabito wrenched himself from Giyuu's grasp before Giyuu could protest and, unsurprisingly, tackled the wind Hashira to the ground. Giyuu just sighed.
"Get off of me you little—" Shinazugawa got a fistful of Sabito's haori but Sabito ducked the punch he threw. In turn Sabito sent an elbow into Shinazugawa's face but was blocked by Shinazugawa wrenching him sideways.
"Take it back, you crazy-eyed freak!"
Shinazugawa got ahold of Sabito's ponytail and yanked. Sabito shoved his face against the dirt. It was not Giyuu who stopped them. Rather, a soft female voice.
"Sanemi." Kanae said. Giyuu looked up at her, standing beside he and Sabito's scuffle with her arms crossed. Sabito paused with his fist cocked back and ready. Sanemi looked up at her with a fistful of Sabito's uniform that he abruptly released.
"Whatever." He shoved Sabito off of him and stood. "You're not worth the effort anyway."
"Hey!" Sabito started back toward him. "I'm not done with you yet—!"
"Sabito." Giyuu called. Sabito froze but eventually, obediently, returned to his side and began brushing the dirt off of his haori.
"He started it." He muttered hotly. Giyuu opened his mouth to point out maybe, but he's supposed to be our mentor, so would it really kill you to play nice?!, but Uzui chuckling from his position leaning against the fence made them pause.
"I told you this would be good." He said. "You always learn something from a spar like that." His eyes were on Kanae and Sanemi, leaving the sparring grounds side by side through the other entrance.
"Well, good to be of service." Sabito said a little breathlessly.
"I should say so." Uzui suddenly looked back at the two of them, grinned, then winked at Giyuu, sending a bright flush of heat across his cheeks. "Now we know who the boss is."
I was lucky enough to have a scene from this illustrated for me by the talented brilliant showstopping incredible @Nerosdayinanime on tumblr!!!
"Sabito having to be scruffed like a naughty cat by Uzui to keep from stepping in"
Nero has actually illustrated a few scenes from the previous part too because I am the luckiest tumblr user alive I LOVE MY MUTUALS!!! LOOK AT IT!!! Be sure to check out Nero’s blog too for more absolutely SCRUMPTIOUS Sabito art and extremely good anime takes!!
Thank you Nero <3 <3 <3