Love & Rain [Sabigiyuu]

[2] Dishonored Tsugoku

(Flashback to about a year and a half ago)

"Keep that bitch away from me!" Sanemi said loudly as he walked towards Tengen and Gyomei.

They were just now reeling from the loss of their second pillar in only 5 months.

First the original water pillar Sabito, and then "jiji".

He was the nephew of the Jigoro Kuwajima, and the thunder hashira. Or at least.... he was until his most recent mission with Giyuu where he didn't return alive.

"That's two of our own killed because of her! How the hell are you two not connecting the dots, she's just a fucking replacement who isn't even close to the original." He said in an angered tone to the two much taller men.

Their numbers had been dropped from 5 to 4 pillars because of Tomioka's "actions".

"It is an unfortunate loss, but I cannot blame her for what happened." Gyomei said crying as he held his prayer beads.

"So what about Sabito? Do you not blame her for that too???? She was there and did nothing, not a single fucking scratch on her while he's stuck in a coma he'll never wake up from. He's practically dead." Sanemi said getting progressively more mad.

"Uzui, how do you trust that bitch? You can't seriously be siding with her after what she's done."

"I'm not, there's just.... nothing we can do now..." Tengen sighed slightly frustrated.

"Like hell there isn't nothing we can do. I'm going to get our master to demote her until she's the lowest rank possible. If not I'm sure we have grounds to get her expelled from the Corps." Sanemi stammered.

Giyuu was standing at that pond only a few dozen feet away, and in that quiet yard she could hear everything those men were saying about her.

The next pillar meeting was about to begin, the topic of discussion was obvious.

"It's your fault, it's your fault, it's your fault, it's your fault, it's your fault, it's your fault, it's your fault." Her thoughts droned in her head on loop as she stared at the reflection of her face in the water.

Guilty wouldn't even begin to describe how she felt.

It was just supposed to be a simple joint mission, an in and out operation before they reported an all clear or a false sighting.

But why did that suspected upper moon sighting have to have be real, why couldn't it have been a lie or a hoax.

They had run into upper moon 4 by sheer chance. But it was something she heavily regretted, it had outclassed both of them and had nearly killed her. If it weren't for his efforts they would've both died, he had sacrificed his life just for her to live.

They had no chance against that thing, even as pillars she was simply holding him back from fighting at his fullest potential alone.

And that got him killed, that got the thunder pillar murdered at the hands of a demon all because she was weak.

Giyuu couldn't do anything but accept all the hate and criticism she received from the others.

Because it was true, it was her fault "jiji" died, maybe if she wasn't there he could've at least survived until sunrise.

"Jiji" wasn't even his real name, it was a nickname given to the thunder pillar by the sound hashira after one of their missions a long time back.

His real name was jichaku Kuwajima, the thunder hashira.

The guilt was eating her alive, first Sabito, and now him too.

The other pillar's words were right.

Once you hear something over and over again you start to believe it's true, this was one such case.