It's only been three days since you've joined the pillars and you're finally being sent out on a mission. Yoru, your all white owl, had flown into your room earlier this morning with a note tied to his ankle. One or more demons have been spotted in a town pretty far away and you've been chosen to take care of it. It's likely that they aren't lower or higher rank Kizuki so the job shouldn't take more than a week- and that's including travel time.
Shinobu was kind enough to allow you to stay at the Butterfly estate since joining and has even taught you some things about poisoning demons. Right before you left she wished you luck on your mission and told you to return safely. Despite spending time with her and her being rather kind you're still not sure if you would consider her a friend.
Becoming friends with someone who is bound to die would be pointless.
Regardless, you accept her invitations whenever she asks to show or teach you something. There's no harm in learning, right? She made the promise to teach you basic medical skills next which will surely be useful should you ever come across someone who is injured.
Right now you're walking along a winding dirt path heading west towards your destination. A small village has been recently targeted by demons, losing over a dozen young boys. Whoever requested help didn't exactly give a lot of details other than the fact that nobody saw the boys during their disappearance. There also haven't been any actual sightings of the demon either. Basically, you're walking in completely blind.
It will take nearly two days to get there on foot and that's only if you rest during the night. Part of you considers against resting just to get there faster but you'll need your sleep in order to fight at your strongest. There's not very many other towns between where you are and your destination though which will make finding a place to rest rather difficult. If only Hisa lived around here.
Sighing, you stare up into the sky. From the placement of the sun you can guess that it's late afternoon which means you've been walking for close to ten hours now. Your feet ache slightly but not enough to really bother you. Still, it'd be nice to take a break.
The sound of moving water catches your attention as you look to the left. There's a small gathering of trees surrounding a slim river. It looks to be the perfect place to take a break and eat some food. You'll need the energy if you wish to find a place to stay before nightfall.
Approaching the water you set your bag down on the ground before crouching. Your fingers lightly trace the top of the water as you enjoy the chill of it. A soft groan leaves your lips as you plop down fully to the ground, your aching feet happy to finally take a load off. You sit there for a while just staring at the water before finally digging into your bag to grab a small snack to hold you over, your choice being crackers. It's not the most filling meal but it will do.
There's still a good four hours before the next town which means it will likely be dark by the time you arrive. As much as you wish to simply remain by the river you know you must keep traveling west. You have a job to complete after all and the longer you take to get there the better chance there is of more boys being killed. So, you grab your belongings and set off once again after only a few minutes of relaxing.
The moon is still low in the sky by the time you reach town. Hopefully there is a place to stay here despite it not being a well traveled area. You walk up and down the dimly lit streets for almost twenty minutes before you manage to find a small inn. There's a light on inside which signifies that it is indeed open.
As you enter you're greeted by a small old man, his wrinkled eyes squinting as he smiles at you in greeting. "Ah, I've been expecting you." His words catch you off guard as you hesitate in the doorway. He keeps speaking, though it only makes you more confused. "Your partner is already here and in the room. They said you would probably be here quite late at night so I made sure to stay up to wait for you."
"I'm terribly sorry for the inconvenience. If I had known I would have tried to make it here sooner." You really only slightly felt bad about him staying up. After all it's not like you knew someone would be waiting for you.
"It's quite alright, dear. Your room is just down the hall and to the left." He motions towards a long hallway as he hands you a key to the room. You take it from him as you bow slightly before making your way towards the room.
One hand tightly clutches the key while the other rests on the hilt of one of your blades. Nobody told you anything about a partner and the old man certainly didn't give you any hints either. Anybody could be on the other side of the door, enemy or not. It's better to be cautious and safe just in case.
You stop in front of the door, glancing at the number on the key to make sure it's the correct room. Slight shuffling can be heard from inside which confirms that someone is indeed in there waiting for you. Taking a deep breath to prepare yourself you unlock the door before sliding it open.
To say you're surprised by who is on the other side is an understatement.
"Giyu?" You question as you look at the water pillar. He's one of the only hashira's you haven't spoken with yet, the only other one being Sanemi because he seems like a total ass.
"You're finally here." He face is emotionless as he speaks, his gaze only meeting yours for a moment before he returns to paying attention to whatever he was doing beforehand.
"I didn't know this was a joint mission." You place your bag on the ground by the door as you slide it closed behind you. "How come you did?"
"Oyakata-sama thought that you would disagree if you knew. He said that you seem to be more of a lone wolf rather than a team player." He tosses a pillow and blanket down onto the mat he had set out for you as he talks. "Was he correct?"
"I suppose you could say that." You slide the belt holding your blades off before setting them on the floor next to your bed. If you had known you would be sharing a room with someone you would have packed a robe to sleep in. You had planned to simply sleep in your garments to save the room in your bag but that obviously isn't an option now. "I am not entirely against working with someone else though. It will take some time to get used to but I'm sure it will be fine."
Giyu remains silent as he finishes setting up the beds for the night. There's a good few feet between them and you're sure that if the room were bigger they'd be even further apart than they are now. You slip off your haori, folding it up neatly before setting it to the side. The clothing was given to you by your master Kuwajima when you passed the final exam. It's a pitch black cloth with a yellow lightning pattern lining the bottom of it. It's simple yet beautiful in your opinion.
You settle down into the bed, still wearing your slayer uniform despite it being slightly uncomfortable. Giyuu on the other hand had changed into a yukata sometime before your arrival, meaning he was properly dressed for sleep. Damn bastard and him being warned beforehand.
"We should leave at day break if we want to make it there before night." Giyu breaks the silence as he lays down, pulling the covers over his body. The pale moonlight shines through the window over top of him giving him a glow. You'd think he looked beautiful if it wasn't for the fact that you are currently pissed at him despite none of this being his fault.
"Then I suggest you sleep while you can. There's only around six hours until then." You pull your own covers up as you settle down, sighing in content as your body fully relaxes. This is the first time you've ever shared a room with someone and yet you don't feel anxious at all. Perhaps it's because Giyu seems to be a rather emotionless and unmindful man.
Soon enough you're drifting off into a dreamless slumber, your body and mind taking advantage of the rest while you have time for it. It's going to be another long day of walking followed by a night of tracking down a demon. Hopefully things go even faster with someone as experienced as Giyu there.
~~~~~
Word Count: 1543
YOU ARE READING
DISCONTINUED- Storm (KNY X Reader)
Fanfiction[DISCONTINUED] Becoming a Hashira was a rather big decision, one that took you years to make. People have always believed in you but you tend to push them away in favor of being alone. You view friendships and such as pointless due to how quickly l...
