Disclaimer:

I do not own nor claim all the rights to 鬼滅の刃 | Kimetsu no Yaiba | Demon Slayer; all rights are reserved to its respective creator, Koyoharu Gotōge. This is purely a work of fiction; names, characters, businesses, events, localities, and occurrences are all extrapolated from the author's writings and imagination or utilized in a fictitious manner. As such, any direct or indirect references to actual entities, dead or alive, or events do not, in any shape or form, resemble the opinions of the author.

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"..." = Dialogue

'...' = Internal monologues

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At the base of Mount Sagiri, in the early hours of this picturesque spring morning, there stood a small hut covering the surface area of a traditional Minka household with a vernacular structure—stones and hand-made planks constitute the material makeup of the roof and walls.

As the cool, crisp air gently breezed through the environment, representing the waning vestiges of the cold climate in the winter months, rays of sunshine ostentatiously beamed life into the area.

This was an attestation to the coming of spring, the end of the numbingly cold and dark nights of winter, and the beginning of warmer and brighter days.

Within the hut, a boy was fast asleep—exhausted from training from the preceding day.

However, this respite would be cut short with a summoning.

"Sabito..." a soft, feminine voice whispers.

"Mm..." the peach-haired boy moaned in his sluggishness.

"Sabito," the girl repeated.

"Five more minutes..." he groaned in response.

With her comrade still confined to the futon, Makomo struggled to free Sabito from his much-beloved slumber.

"Urokodaki-sensei wants us outside," she tapped him on the shoulder.

"Huh...? Urokodaki...?" Sabito mumbles in a slurred diction.

"He says it's urgent," Makomo added.

Sabito immediately pulled himself up in a frenzy, "Why didn't you say that first?! If he says it's urgent, then we gotta get moving!"

Indeed, Urokodaki's heavy emphasis on punctuality and attendance is most notorious amongst his students.

"Because you look cute when you're sleeping," Makomo smiled.

"S-Stop saying weird things!" Sabito replied sheepishly, trying his best to hide the creeping sense of embarrassment he was undergoing.

"C'mon, let's go!" He grabbed a hold of Makomo's hand and bolted for the egress.

*Rattle*

He quickly slid the entrance door open and stepped out alongside Makomo.

It was then that they were greeted by two people.

One of them was a familiar face, or, rather, a lack thereof because of the mask: the water-breathing cultivator, Urokodaki Sakonji.

Another was this boy.

The two disciples—Sabito and Makomo—promptly stood in attention to whatever their instructor had to say.

But they both stole glances at the boy, confused as to the purpose of his presence—they are the only students after all. The fact that the boy appeared to be around their age group made this all the more bewildering; he definitely wasn't a doctor or some professional hired to perform a specialized task or function.

Who was this person? And why was he here?

"I would like to introduce our new student," Urokodaki Sakonji announced to his two disciples as he stood beside a strange boy.

Both Sabito and Makomo's faces evinced an expression of puzzlement and incredulity at the news.

"He will be training with you from this day onward," Urokodaki declares.

Both students closely scrutinized the boy in question, only to be met with discouraging findings.

The newcomer's downcast eyes and dour countenances displayed a very gloomy appearance and demeanor.

"He is around your age, Sabito, so treat him as one of your own," he adds, insinuating that they ought to respect each other regardless of any differences that may arise.

"Nice to meet you, my name is Makomo," the girl heartily introduces herself.

"The name is Sabito," the peach-haired boy simply replies.

"... –iyuu..." it was an inaudible whisper.

"Pardon?" Makomo asked.

"... —ioka... —iyu..." it was a little louder, but he still spoke indistinctly without an ear catching a coherent word.

"Oi, speak up," Sabito blurts.

"Sabito, we have to be nice to him, remember?" Makomo lightly chastises.

"Ah, sorry... "

Then, in an unexpected gesture, the boy pulled his head downward, as if to suggest that he was looking down in shame.

"Introduce yourself, they will be your comrades," Urokodaki encourages the boy.

Makomo turned to Sabito and relayed an expression of concern, as she was worried that the boy was already afraid of them.

Sabito, on the other hand, merely shrugged—he didn't contemplate the implications of his actions or words to the boy too deeply yet.

The boy finally looks back up.

He had a small, but noticeable frown along his lineaments.

Both Sabito and Makomo were slightly startled by this development.

"Tomioka... Giyuu..." he says timidly.

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https://youtu.be/tTIwbusbN1g

Giyuu stood before the large boulder, his Nichirin Blade unsheathed and his footing adjusted to a specific battle stance.

He looked upon his enemy with an expression that evoked a synergistic combination of rage and regret.

Sabito, meanwhile, stood atop the boulder, his sword unsheathed as well. He looked blankly inscrutable, with the Warding Mask obstructing any meaningful insight into his current visage.

But, beneath the veneer of an enigmatic, comported figure, there stood a lost spirit whose memories were slowly returning to him.

Two personalities were beginning to manifest within him: one craving for blood and one yearning for closure.

A moment of stillness ensued.

Neither dared to move an inch, utter a word, or even breathe.

The only source of discernible noise was the distant, pulsating drips of water that were commonplace within this sewage environment.

These two fighters stared at each other.

For the first time in over seven years, they were looking directly into the eyes of their closest comrade.

The individual they had hitherto trusted the most.

Their best friend.

Even if it were a demon beneath the mask, Giyuu still treated the man as if he were the same Sabito that he trained with, fought with, and bantered with.

Sabito, similarly, was slowly becoming increasingly aware of the importance of their friendship as recollections of the past gradually trickled into his cognitive processes.

But now, they were predestined to kill one another.

Nothing was going to stop that.

A subdued gust of wind rushed through the air. And, along with it, came the relics of a bygone era—memories of a cherished past, full of friends, full of life, and full of the innocent happiness that once defined their worlds.

The wind eventually slowly died down. And, with it, the pristine reminiscence of those burgeoning years.

Within due time, the wind was gone, and so was the innocence.

The bonds, the laughters, the smiles, the silly jokes, and the optimistic aspirations of a hopeful future.

As the wind died, they all died too.

WHOOSH

Sabito leaped into the fray, and Giyuu lunged forward.

'Eighth Form: Waterfall Basin,' Sabito invoked as he swung his blade downward along a vertical motion—using the momentum built from gravitational acceleration to amplify his strike.

'First Form: Water Surface Slash,' Giyuu crosses his arms and executes a horizontal slash.

CLANG

Their blades were now perpendicular relative to each other, creating an impasse that neither side could possibly remedy.

SKRRRRT

As Sabito alighted on the ground, their blades were caught in this stalemate—the obtrusive sound of metal scraping reverberated throughout this empty chamber, with each blade trying to outdo the other in terms of force.

Giyuu gritted his teeth as he attempted to break this deadlock, pouring every ounce of force towards pushing Sabito away.

The sheer intensity of this clash between blades created the conspicuous image of both fighters' arms twitching, with both desperately vying for an upper hand in this balance of power.

In light of this, Sabito opted for a different approach.

Instead of pushing against Giyuu, he instead shifted his footing such that the focal point of his kinetic force was being pressed to a more peripheral area.

In other words, Sabito, in lieu of pushing forward, instead applied force in a leftward direction.

BANG

Sabito's blade managed to ram Giyuu's Nichirin Blade against the ground, which left both Sabito and Giyuu's torsos completely exposed.

However, because Sabito's blade had Giyuu's Nichirin Blade locked against the floor, the Water Hashira would have less time to react to any maneuver undertaken by the enemy. Therefore, Sabito had the upper advantage here—and he will use it well.

STOMP

Sabito, taking the initiative, immediately stepped on Giyuu's Nichirin Blade, constricting its movement so as to prevent the Water Hashira from fending off the next attack.

He then thrusted his katana forward and aimed the Kissaki (Tip) directly at Giyuu's head.

Despite Sabito's skill in pursuing these sequences of maneuvers with proficiency, Giyuu was quick to tilt his head back and narrowly dodge the oncoming blade.

Slash

The blade did, however, slightly graze Giyuu's cheek—causing drops of blood to spray about from there.

But Giyuu was not deterred; compared to the numerous injuries he sustained from the fight against Haji, this was nothing in comparison.

Thus, even as Sabito's katana lacerated him, Giyuu lurched forward, dropped his blade, and firmly gripped the enemy's arms.

Then, falling on his back, Giyuu used the resulting momentum to push Sabito upward along an arc-like path and—with one of his legs—kick him in the opposite direction.

Despite this setback, Sabito took the opportunity to swing his sword at Giyuu midair; with Giyuu lying supinated, he was ostensibly open for an attack.

But Giyuu swiftly grabbed his stray Nichirin Blade and countered Sabito's attack before it could incur any lethal damages.

CLANG

Sabito's assault failed, and, after being airborne for a few seconds, Sabito landed on his back a few meters away.

Thud

As he did, though, Giyuu appeared for a strike against an exposed Sabito—with their given dispositions being the polar opposites of their antecedent positions just seconds prior, which would be quite ironic from an onlooker's perspective.

The Water Hashira aggressively swung his blade downward, with the intent to slice the enemy's head off.

Just before he could, however, Sabito rolled on his side and deftly eluded the assailment.

BANG

The Nichirin Blade created a large crater upon impact with the ground.

Sabito hastily upraised himself and launched a counterattack of his own.

'Third Form: Flowing Dance,' Sabito bends his blade in a winding motion along his body.

Then, whilst racing towards Giyuu, he dances along this flowing motion with traits analogous to that of a winding river—moving so elegantly yet so ferociously.

'Fourth Form: Striking Tide, Turbulent,' Giyuu gives the incantation for the modified version of the Fourth Form technique.

He thereupon unleashes a multitude of consecutive slashes in a flowing manner to parry each one of Sabito's attacks.

CLANG CLANG CLANG

Both attacks canceled each other out.

As a result, Sabito immediately withdrew from Giyuu's attack range, seeking to evade any possible attack the Water Hashira might throw at him.

And, sure enough, Giyuu launched another assault.

'Second Form: Water Wheel,' Giyuu, not wasting a moment's notice, leaps forward into the air and performs a front flip.

Then, using the angular momentum of his spin, he releases a singular vertical slash against Sabito.

CLANG

Upon parrying the attack, Sabito instinctively backs away and recoups this loss of initiative.

For the two belligerents involved, this was an extraordinarily unique battle they were partaking in.

With the employment of identical Breathing Styles, it was abnormally difficult for either to fully unleash the full brunt of their water techniques because—with each assault—they are constantly counteracting each other on equal footing.

Moreover, the professional swordsmanship exhibited by both Giyuu and Sabito is at a level of excellence that can only be capably harnessed by seasoned and trained warriors with tremendous talent.

In sum, by virtue of their fundamental battle techniques and instincts, this battle was seemingly grinding to a standstill as both warriors appeared to be evenly balanced.

Still, there are strengths and weaknesses that both sides could utilize.

For Zaiaku-kan, his slow retrieval of Sabito's memories will serve him in slowly gaining greater insights into the Water Breathing Style. Furthermore, his thousand-year-old knowledge and experience of the battlefield are very applicable to this situation.

Adding on to the Water Hashira's troubles, he was still wounded from his previous engagement with Haji. The numerous bandages wrapped around his head and limbs were evidence of that weakened condition.

As for Giyuu, though, his profound grasp and mastery of Water Breathing give him the edge in that particular department—regardless of how much knowledge Zaiaku-kan may recover, he will never best Giyuu in a simple duel of breathing styles.

Nevertheless, this was all an indication of the length in which this confrontation will last.

A long, brutal fight that will not be resolved anytime soon.

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"Can I really not do anything right now...?" Shinobu, in her heartache, curled up in a ball.

"Because, even if I have faith in him, and even if I trust him with my life, I can't trust him with his own..." she adds dolefully.

It was apparent that Shinobu was deeply scarred by what she has hitherto witnessed. So much so, in fact, that she felt compelled to arrive at such a strong sentiment regarding her partner.

It is precisely because she loves him dearly that she doesn't feel confident enough to entrust these matters with him alone.

"Only they can decide the outcome of the battle," said Makomo.

"I know..." Shinobu replied in a hushed tone.

Yet, like all those instances in the past, she could not erase the gnawing feeling in her heart that she was helpless as ever; in her incapacitated state, she could not help Giyuu even if she wanted to.

She was still useless.

"Can I ask you a question, Shinobu-san?" Makomo suddenly queries.

Shinobu, though surprised at first, subsequently nods her head.

"How much of Giyuu's past do you know?"

"I only know... the main points, if that makes sense..." The Insect Hashira tilted her head down, as if the answer she gave was blatantly inadequate for whatever reason.

And, in a way, it was inadequate.

During her sojourn within the Tunnel of Memories, she had to collect plenty of information relating to Giyuu's life before his sister died—thanks, in no small part, to the presence of Tsutako herself to explain the nuances and minute details of each scenario.

But, in the absence of her guidance, Shinobu had to rely on her observational skills to make out what was being presented before her. What's more, the bits of memories she was shown after Tsutako's departure were too little and lacked substance.

So, despite her previous internal proclamations about how she knows Giyuu now, she is no less clueless about critical parts of his life—particularly his time with Sabito and Makomo—than she was beforehand.

"Then you must want to know how strongly he values his friendship with me and Sabito," Makomo states lightly.

Shinobu quietly nods in response, her countenance still donning a forlorn sadness.

Makomo relaxed herself, pressing her back against the wall in a seated position, "Sabito and Giyuu didn't start on a good note, actually."

Shinobu turned her head to her interlocutor in curiosity at this surprising piece of information.

"Giyuu was pretty cold to us initially. And that pissed off Sabito," Makomo recalled.

She smiled, "Those boys just didn't know how to talk to each other."

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It was late in the evening and the two disciplines—technically, now two out of three official disciples—of Urokodaki Sakonji were strolling about in the mountainous forest.

After a hard day of training, which primarily entailed trying to survive all the traps and contraptions planted by Urokodaki in the route down the mountain, it was routine for the two to take a simple, leisurely walk through the natural beauty of this montane ecosystem.

Sometimes they conversed, but they usually treated this as a meditative session to calm their minds after a rigorous, tiring day—especially for Sabito, whose tough, boisterous behavior was typically tempered by the serene charm of this calming nature.

"So, what do you think about him?" Sabito asks out of the blue, breaking the silence.

"Him?" Makomo says in response.

"The new kid," Sabito clarifies.

"Oh..." Makomo takes a moment to ponder. "I don't know. He doesn't talk much, so I can't really say..."

"That's the problem," Sabito asserts, "he doesn't even make eye contact with any of us."

"I'm sure there's a reason behind it..."

"A reason for what? Disrespecting your comrades? It's very unmanly of him," Sabito will not yield to Makomo's placating.

"What's his deal anyway?" he adds bluntly.

Makomo frowned, "I spoke to Urokodaki-sensei and asked a few questions. Urokodaki-sensei says that he found Giyuu-san on the verge of complete exhaustion at the side of the road—he was apparently starving."

She continued, "Apparently... he was running away."

"Why? Who would do that? Who in their right mind would run away from their family?" Sabito inquires, his own experience as an orphan coming into consideration here.

"I don't know. Urokodaki-sensei said that we should ask Giyuu-san instead of conferring with him," Makomo answered.

Sabito exhales, "Sensei really wants us to bond, it seems..."

"It's essential for building teamwork," Makomo points out.

"Not with his attitude," Sabito mutters.

"We can only try," Makomo smiles.

"Yeah... maybe," Sabito relents.

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"You will be using wooden katanas for today," Urokodaki states.

Sabito, Makomo, and Giyuu all listened attentively to the given instructions. Today was an important day, after all, as they were going to start administering mock duels using swords.

The students were no strangers to wielding these weapons, but they hadn't formally utilized them for the intended purpose of subduing their enemies—so far, it was just wooden dummies or bamboo.

But, starting today, they have the opportunity to test the fruits of their tedious, nonstop training with the sword.

"Sabito," Urokodaki calls out.

"Hai!" Sabito stands in attention.

"Giyuu," Urokodaki continues.

"Hai," Giyuu answers.

"The two of you will participate in a friendly match," said Urokodaki.

Giyuu and Sabito nod in acknowledgment.

Each promptly walks a certain distance away from the other and assumes a battle stance.

"You will begin upon my instruction to do so," Urokodaki directs.

Sabito lifts his sword, clutching the hilt tightly with his two bare hands, 'Time to see what this guy is made of.'

As his fellow peer exuded an aura of tenacity and determination, Giyuu meekly raised his wooden blade and carried a blank expression on his face.

Urokodaki and Makomo, meanwhile, watched from afar—with the latter somewhat worried about the potential for this simple duel to escalate far more than is necessary.

After a few seconds, Urokodaki finally commences.

"Begin."

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CLANG

Giyuu quickly parried a blow from Sabito.

CLANG

Sabito, in turn, parried a strike from Giyuu.

The two fighters were moving at imperceptible speeds: they were constantly changing their footing by the second, assuming various battle stances at a moment's notice, and—with great adroitness—simultaneously going on the offense whilst retaining a strong defense.

Thus, as they both exchanged blows, they just as easily were able to deflect them.

'Sixth Form: Whirlpool,' Giyuu thrusts forward while raising his Nichirin Blade above his right shoulder.

Then, he releases a Kesagiri (Left Diagonal) strike against the enemy.

Twisting his body, Giyuu employs his blade to execute this powerful whirling motion, unleashing a whirlpool of air that shreds anything caught in the trajectory of its current—imagery that can be akin to a giant sharp blade being swung violently against the enemy.

Seeing this, Sabito pulls his elbow upward such that the sword is being wielded upside-down—a sort of Reverse Grip, except his grip on the sword has not been altered in any way.

CLANG

Sabito successfully parries the attack undertaken by Giyuu.

Sabito then forcefully pushes his katana upwards, prompting the Water Hashira to disengage and prematurely conclude his breathing form.

Immediately following that, however, the two initiated another set of maneuvers.

And, with that, they came charging at each other.

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"They weren't friendly?" Shinobu questioned.

"Sabito really disliked how he was not warrior-like, and Giyuu found Sabito distasteful," Makomo confirmed.

"Huh..." The Insect Hashira was a little astonished by this revelation.

"And Giyuu wasn't talking to me either, so the two of us—Sabito and I—were still distant from him," Makomo informed.

"Then how did you become close friends?" Shinobu inquired.

Makomo grinned, "It's a funny story, really."

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Giyuu was lying on the ground, panting.

He had been utterly defeated at the hands of Sabito, who, by contrast, appeared completely unfazed by this duel—he wasn't even out of breath.

The peach-haired boy then lets out a heavy sigh, 'I shouldn't have hyped myself too much... This was disappointing.'

He looked at Giyuu, who was still wheezing, and took note of him and his recent performance.

He didn't know why, but something about Giyuu ticked him off.

"Makomo will face Sabito next," Urokodaki announces.

Makomo, in compliance with the given orders, nods and speedily makes her way to the sparring ring—which was just a patch of flat land and dirt ground.

Sabito, however, was still fixated on Giyuu.

'It's like he wasn't even trying his best... What's up with that...?'

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Sabito was practicing with his wooden katana, mentally counting the number of times he has swung the blade.

His daily goal is 1,500 swings.

As he was in the process of accomplishing this goal, he heard footsteps from behind.

Taking notice of this, Sabito turned around.

It was Giyuu with a wooden sword.

"What do you want?" Sabito said irritatingly.

The boy's monotone face was the same as always, "Fight me."

"Huh?"

"Fight me again," Giyuu adds.

"... No."

Giyuu is stunned by this, "W-Why...?"

"Because I don't like you," Sabito replied, exasperated.

"... Why?"

Sabito clicked his tongue in a gesture of annoyance, "Listen here, buckaroo, I won't fight you because you lack conviction."

Giyuu looks at him with a deadpan face.

"Look, I'm sure you had a lot going on in your past. But that's exactly what's pissing me off about you. If you've struggled, suffered, or whatever, then why aren't you putting your 110% into any of this??" Sabito berates.

"..." Giyuu is silent.

"You should be determined to fight to the death because of what you may have seen or experienced! If you can't do that, then you're no warrior!" Sabito exclaims.

For a split second, Sabito could've sworn he saw Giyuu's grit his teeth.

But nothing seemed amiss after a second or two.

"Fight me," Giyuu repeats.

"Piss off," said Sabito.

"Fight me."

"Go away!" Sabito replies.

"..."

"..."

"Fight me."

"FUCK OFF!" Sabito yells.

"I won't go until you fight me," Giyuu finally expands his use of the language.

"FINE! Geez, you're stubborn for no reason," Sabito groans.

Giyuu subsequently lifts his sword and assumes a battle stance.

"I'll entertain you JUST THIS ONCE. Okay?" Sabito, similarly, raises his wooden sword.

"Ok."

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Giyuu was on the ground, beaten again.

"You're actually pathetic..." Sabito openly says.

Giyuu doesn't respond. Instead, he just lies there with an enigmatic visage along his lineaments.

Sabito stares at the defeated boy, not sure what to extrapolate from this.

'He's weird... He's not even mad, sad, or frustrated about losing. He looks like a lame philosopher thinking about the teachings of Confucius...' he internally notes.

But he also took note of something else: 'He was more proactive this time... but he still needs practice.'

"I'll see you at the hut then, don't stay out for too long," Sabito waves as he begins making his way to the designated location.

Even when the peach-haired boy disappeared from view, Giyuu still lay supine on the ground.

As he gazes at the dim evening sky above, he is reminded of a fond memory he had years ago.

A memory of his sister.

He clenched his teeth in frustration.

"Fuck..." he mutters.

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SWOOSH

Giyuu swung his blade at an angle of depression, from below his waist. The target was Sabito's feet, which the Water Hashira hoped to disrupt indefinitely.

However, before Giyuu's blade could reach his ankles, Sabito jumped and evaded the assault with relative ease.

This, though, came to the detriment of his footing and battle stance—both of which he had to abandon in order to address the oncoming strike.

Seeing this opportunity, Giyuu leaped into the air as well and initiated a maneuver against Sabito.

'Seventh Form: Drop Ripple Thrust,' the sharp edge of his Nichirin Blade proceeds in a straight line to the target.

Sabito, on the other hand, responds to this sudden threat by implementing a countermeasure of his own.

'Ninth Form: Splashing Water Flow, Turbulent,' he gives the incarnation, an ideal technique for a disposition with no solid foothold.

A series of little ponds filled with vortex-like water submerge the empty space, bringing a flood of biblical proportions.

Giyuu, however, was undeterred, and he pressed on.

Their blades soon collide.

CLANG

Sparks from the metallic impact singe the surrounding area with its burning, yet alluring, sensation.

As both breathing techniques cancel each other out, and with very little maneuverability available whilst airborne, they were forced to recuperate on the ground instead.

THUD THUD

Eventually, Sabito and Giyuu alighted on the floor, but they wasted no time in launching another set of attacks against each other.

WHOOSH

They charged once more.

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"And Giyuu kept challenging him to duels?" Shinobu asks.

"Yep," Makomo nods.

"... How many times?"

Makomo lightly taps her chin in a gesticulation of ponderance, "Hm... A lot!"

The Insect Hashira's face furrows, "Giyuu..."

"But, it wasn't just the duels that brought us together," Makomo grins widely.

"Really?"

"Yep!"

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"Fight me," Giyuu declares.

Sabito instead responded with an exasperated look, "We've been doing this for weeks now... You've been asking me EVERY SINGLE DAY!"

"Fight me," Giyuu again entreats.

"Ugh, fine!" Sabito was treating this as if it were a chore.

Giyuu assumes a battle stance, as does Sabito.

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Giyuu was on the ground... Again...

He had been defeated.... Again...

But, while it was previously only Giyuu who was out of breath, now Sabito was panting heavily.

"You're... beaten..." Sabito was catching his breath.

'How the fuck did he get so good in such a short while?! We each train the same amount of time?!' Sabito contemplated any possible explanations.

"I'm... going... back..." He slowly staggered away into the distance.

And Giyuu was left to his devices once more.

He stared at the azure sky.

He clenched his fist.

"Fuck..." he mutters.

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"You look tired," Makomo noted.

The two were on their usual leisurely hike through mother nature.

"Yeah, yeah," Sabito said, disgruntled.

"Giyuu-san challenged you again?" she queries.

"Yep," Sabito kicked a stray pebble.

"He's getting stronger, isn't he?" she adds.

"Yep..."

"Didn't you complain about him not being warrior-like?" Makomo smirks.

"S-Shut up!" Sabito went on the defensive.

He then sighs, "Besides, I can't tell anything from his poker face. He's always so secretive and reserved, I wonder if we'll ever get to know him well."

"I'm sure we will," Makomo answers heartily.

"Leave it to you to look at the cup half full," Sabito quips.

Makomo giggles, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're pretty optimistic I guess."

'And pretty...' he kept those thoughts to himself.

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By virtue of it being a small hut, the three students were impelled to sleep in one room. Thus, as they slept in their separate futons that were just meters apart, they too experienced the wonders of the darkness outside.

In the darkness of nighttime, the incessant chirping of crickets and cicadas broke the stillness with their intrusive sounds.

Nevertheless, for the people of these lands, these are merely background noises that one may easily slumber through.

Though, that can't be said for Giyuu.

"No..." he whimpers in his sleep. "No... No..."

His body was twisting and turning spasmodically, "Nee-san... Nee-san...!"

"Nee-san!" He quickly pulled upper-body into an upright posture.

Perturbed by what he may have witnessed in his dreams, he quickly stood up and took his leave from the room.

*Rattle*

He slides open the shoji screen before closing it shut.

*Rattle*

A brief moment of quietude transpired.

"Makomo? Are you awake?" Sabito called out.

"Mhm..." she hummed.

"He was calling out for his sister," said Sabito.

"Yeah..." Makomo replied melancholically.

"I think we should talk to him," she adds.

Sabito exhales deeply, "Well, not like we were gonna get sleep anyway with him around."

"Sabito..." Makomo chastises.

"Ok, I'm sorry," he immediately capitulated.

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As the starry night brought light into the empty void of the night, Sabito and Makomo slowly navigated their way to where they presumed their distant comrade was located.

Swoosh

Swoosh

The sound of a blade swinging could be discerned.

"So that's how the bastard managed to improve so fast," Sabito mutters.

"He trains all night? Does he get enough sleep?" Makomo questions with great concern.

"..." Sabito remains silent on the matter.

Swoosh

Swoo—

He stops.

"I know you're there," Giyuu calls out to them.

"Ah, you got us," Sabito emerges from the shadows, with Makomo closely behind him.

"Why are you here," Giyuu says sternly.

"You worried us," Makomo starts. "We know you have terrible nightmares in your sleep, and that you call out to your sister in those dreams."

"You having nightmares is making us lose sleep," Sabito asserted bluntly.

"Sabito!" Makomo scolds.

"What? It's true," he defends.

"That's not considerate of you," she reprimands.

"I know, I know, but isn't it better to be honest?"

"Sabito!"

As the two went back and forth, Giyuu watched them with disbelief.

"Are you guys..." he interjects, "planning to get married or something?"

Both Sabito and Makomo turn beet red.

"W-What?? T-Thats..." Makomo stumbles through her words.

"W-What the h-hell! W-Where'd you g-get that idea from!!" Sabito stutters.

"Well I just remembered how my sister and her fiancée would usually interact like that," Giyuu replied plainly.

"R-Really?" Makomo squeaked.

"G-Get that nonsense out of here!" Sabito nearly shouts.

Giyuu, however, was almost amused by their reactions. It reminded him of Tsutako and Eito.

Giyuu's face relaxed, "I'm sorry about the trouble I've caused."

"Not at all," Makomo quickly comported herself, "we're your comrades, so it's natural for us to be concerned."

"What she said," Sabito concurred.

"Comrades... Huh..." Giyuu mused.

"You ever had any?" Sabito asks.

"Not really..."

"Figured, I knew you were that kind," said Sabito.

"Sabito..." Makomo voices her disapproval.

"Sorry ma'am."

Giyuu looked up at the starry sky, "... Nee-san and I used to go stargazing... She didn't know much about stars, but she could always make any shape out of them... I was so amazed at her creativity..."

"..." Sabito and Makomo listened in silence.

"Nee-san was the only family I ever knew. I didn't have anyone else," he adds.

"What about your parents?" Makomo inquires.

"Both of them are dead," Giyuu answered.

"Ah... sorry..." Makomo mumbles.

"Not at all," Giyuu dismisses it. "But... Nee-san was killed by a demon. I saw it with my own two eyes. But no one believed me. So the rest of my extended family ostracized me, cast me out, and, eventually, admitted me for medical treatment for my supposed mental issues."

"That's... terrible..." Makomo whispers in shock.

"I ran away from them, but I couldn't get far without money and food. So, I soon found myself nearly freezing to death in a mountainous forest. Until Urokodaki-sensei saved me, that is."

"So that explains everything..." said Sabito.

"I'm really sorry about all of that, Giyuu-san... It's just a sad and terrible fate to befall you," Makomo extended an olive branch, expressing her deepest sympathies.

"Sabito and I are orphans as well. We were adopted by Urokodaki-sensei," she adds, creating a sense of solidarity amongst the three of them.

"I see," Giyuu replied, "I'm sorry."

"Nothing to worry about," Sabito joined, "since I don't remember my folks too well."

"Is that so," said Giyuu.

Makomo nods in approval.

"Well, it's pretty late, so I'mma head to bed," Sabito yawns as he starts walking.

"I'm coming with!" Makomo exclaims.

She then turns back to Giyuu, "Don't stay up too late, okay?"

"Ok. Goodnight," Giyuu nods.

"Oh, by the way," Sabito stops, "your footing is a bit off; you need to maintain balance by orienting your center of gravity correctly."

Giyuu's eyes widened, "... I see."

Sabito grins, "Yep, but I'll still beat ya anyway!"

Giyuu couldn't help but let out a grin as well, "Alright then."

..

..

..

..

..

..

'First Form: Water Surface Slash!' Sabito crosses his arms and lunges forward at full speed.

WHOOSH

He then unleashes his arms, using the momentum generated to release a singular, concentrated horizontal slash.

Emulating one of Sabito's earlier techniques, Giyuu lifts his right elbow upwards and holds his Nichirin Blade upside-down, even as he maintains the same grip form.

CLANG

As the metallic structures collide, they concurrently induce a conflagration of sparks and scintillation of diamond-hard light.

Giyuu manages to fully halt the movement of Sabito's blade.

Then, taking the initiative, Giyuu readjusts the position of his Nichirin Blade such that it's parallel to Sabito's blade.

By extending his arm forward at an incredible pace, Giyuu's Nichirin Blade—using Sabito's blade as support—slides and scrapes along the surface of the katana and heads directly for Sabito himself, thereby bypassing the very instrument that is supposed to protect him.

SKREEEEEET

Before the blade could reach Sabito, however, he leaped nimbly to the rear—barely managing to avoid Giyuu's ingenious play.

But, as he created distance between him and Giyuu, he was also poised to invoke one of the strongest techniques available in his arsenal.

'Tenth Form: Constant Flux,' Sabito summons.

The blue dragon hailing from the bottomless abyss of the great ocean ravines heeded the call of its master, emerging from the blade as a magnificent beast adorning the physical traits of a concentrated flow of water and the pigmentation of navy blue color.

WHOOSH

He sprinted forward, with the dragon following in accordance with the path charted by him and his katana.

With each step, greater momentum was built for the following, which would then generate even greater momentum for the next step, and so on and so forth.

Seeing that Sabito has employed 10th Form, Giyuu decided to pull out the ace up his sleeve.

'Eleventh Form...' he begins.

Powerful waves of stupendous magnitude crashed and thrashed about.

Amid this chaos, the Water Hashira promptly slows his heart rate, composes his physical body, and concentrates all of his cognitive functions solely on one task: the elimination of the enemy.

'... Dead Calm,' he finishes.

*Drip*

With that, all the ferocious tidal waves disappear from sight, and there is but a calm sea of still water.

He readies his Nichirin Blade.

Sabito soon reaches him.

CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG

The power tides of the 10th Form clash with the protective bubble of the 11th Form, each trying to hold on its own against the other.

CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG

The intensity of this high-level confrontation between the best offensive and defensive forms emanates high-frequency shockwaves throughout the vicinity.

CRACK CRACK

Fissures begin to manifest along the floor beneath, but neither side is concerned about this seemingly trivial matter at the moment.

Indeed, at the moment, the two are desperately trying to end this battle as soon as possible.

They are pouring every ounce of their strength and power into this clash of techniques, blades, and expertise.

CLANG

..

..

..

..

..

..

Clank

The two disciples sweltered in the summer humidity.

Both Giyuu and Sabito huffed and puffed, completely exhausted beyond a reasonable doubt.

As their wooden katanas clashed, they were desperately trying to end this duel just so that they could collect water to satiate their parched throats and mouths.

'I'm going to finish this!' Sabito lunged forward, extending his wooden blade in a straight line toward Giyuu's face.

Giyuu, unexpectedly, manages to dodge the attack and land a hit on Sabito instead,

Clank

Giyuu's wooden katana is smacked against Sabito's hip, sending him to the ground.

Thud

"YEOUCH!" he yelped in pain as he crash-landed on the dirt floor.

Sabito was on the ground, beaten.

*Clap* *Clap*

"Good job, Giyuu-san! You finally beat Sabito!" Makomo, who was spectating, congratulated her comrade.

It took a moment for it all to register in Giyuu's head.

But, when it eventually did, he had this big, bright smile on his face, "YES!!!"

Thud

Due to pure exhaustion, Giyuu fell on his back. But he still relished in the victory nonetheless.

"Oh come on, I was dehydrated!" Sabito complained.

"And so was he," Makomo reminded with a grin.

"EAT THAT, YOU WARRIOR-LOVING MANIAC!" Giyuu yells.

"What the fuck are you saying—"

"WHO'S THE WARRIOR NOW, HUH??"

"OK, YOU CROSSED THE LINE, BUDDY! IF I WEREN'T SO THIRSTY, I WOULD'VE BEATEN YOU UP BY NOW!" Sabito was easily provoked.

Makomo meanwhile fetched little canisters of water for both boys.

"Here," she hands one to Sabito.

"Thank you," he replies.

"And here," she hands another to Giyuu.

"YUSSSSSSS," he was still taking in the victory.

"SAY THANK YOU TO MAKOMO, BITCH!" Sabito angrily yells.

"YOU LOST! I WON! HAHAHAHA!" Giyuu hadn't felt such a sweet release of joy and happiness of this degree for years now.

"Don't forget you have over one hundred losses! ONE HUNDRED! This is just one win!" Sabito shouts.

"Oh wow... That felt good," Giyuu was finally calming down.

Makomo giggles, "I never knew you could be this loud, Giyuu-san."

"He's like a completely different person," said Sabito.

"I hadn't felt this good since I first ate Salmon Daikon," Giyuu replied.

"Salmon Daikon? Is that your favorite food?" Makomo asks.

"Very much so!" Giyuu gives a thumbs up.

"Oh great, we have a fish lover here," Sabito groans.

"What? You got a problem with fish?"

"In fact, I do. Just cause it's you!" Sabito exclaims.

"Oh fuck you."

"Fuck you too."

"Now, now, let's not get—" Makomo tried to intervene.

"How about you risk your life in the high seas while catching fish, maybe that'll make your life easier," Sabito hurls an insult.

"How about you commit seppuku since you love being a warrior so much," Giyuu returns in kind.

"That's enough, both of you!" Makomo admonishes.

Hearing Makomo raise her voice for the first time was enough to shut Giyuu up.

As for Sabito, he was all too aware of the ramifications if her directives weren't followed.

"Sorry..." he mumbles.

Makomo thence softens her tone, "On the bright side, we're sounding like an actual team now."

"Oh yeah..." Giyuu realizes.

"Hey, wait, why didn't you talk to us for like the first month, Giyuu?" Sabito asks.

"I thought I was already friends with you guys, so I was waiting for you guys to talk to me," said Giyuu.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Pfft—" Makomo cracked first.

"HAHAHAHAHA! What the hell! I had a hunch you were socially inept, but not by this much!!" Sabito laughed and mocked simultaneously.

"I'm... sorry... Giyuu...-san..." Makomo was trying her best to contain her laughter.

Giyuu was awashed in a sea of embarrassment, "Hey wait, we weren't friends?! Why are you guys laughing?!"

"Sorry, sorry," Makomo smiles.

"No, you're just a really funny guy, Giyuu," Sabito composed himself.

"I am?"

"And even if we weren't friends back then, we are your friends now," Makomo reassures.

"That's right," Sabito agreed.

Giyuu's eyes dilated with astonishment, "That's... good."

"That's really good to hear, thanks guys," he beams with radiance.

..

..

..

..

..

..

"I was wondering, Makomo-san," said Shinobu.

"Yes?"

"Why are you here in the first place?" she asks.

"It's simple," she says softly. "We can't rest until this is resolved."

"What is?"

"Guilt," Makomo answered.

"You want to resolve his guilt?" Shinobu was amazed at such a lofty objective.

"No, not just Giyuu's," she shook her head. "Ours."

"Yours?"

"Sabito, Giyuu, and me... we all feel guilty for what happened on that terrible day..." her voice became more faint.

"I see..." Shinobu knew what she was referring to.

The night of the Final Selection Exam.

When Sabito and Makomo both died.

"This fight is for ownership over that guilt," Makomo informed. "No one else is capable of snatching it away except just them..."

"Only they can stop each other now..."

..

..

..

..

CLANG CLANG CLANG

The exchange of blows was unceasing; neither side was willing to abate the intensity of this incessant, consecutive assailments—lest they give the other side the upper hand.

CRACK CRACK

The floor was torn into pieces

CLANG CLANG CLANG

A great tidal wave swept the arena, inundating the vicinity with its ferocious and supple flow.

CLANG CLANG CLANG

Beads of sweat dripped down from both fighters' foreheads and temples as their continuous attacks and defensive procedures refused to slow.

BOOM

The floor finally collapsed under the weight of their powerful strikes.

And, with it, the two warriors fall incorrigibly as the ground beneath them cracks open; they begin their long descent into this void.

But their battle has not yet ended.

For the strong feelings of guilt still swirled in their hearts.

The fight will not end until those feelings are either overcome or forever sequestered with no reconciliation.

Both Giyuu and Sabito will fight till the end of time.

Because their past demands it.

And because their friendship demands it. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I stole the images from Gintama 

& from the movie Sword of the Stranger