(Eenie weenie teenie weenie- **other lyric words**))
~~
Sunlight flood into a small room. A muted green carpet with a plush surface made for a comfortable sleeping space. Paneled walls and wooden accessories lie around the room.
This sunlight was so warm and inviting. It was.. something of a breath of fresh air. It washed over the sleeping form of Giyuu with such a rejuvinating feeling it was almost like coming back to life. Nearly.
Eye fluttering open, Giyuu clutched his hands and tried to get the blood to circulate through them again. The feeling of static in his limbs was still immense. Hindering any serious movement from freeing him from where he lie. It was discerning.
'Mmmn... it's warm... my head... hurts...' he found himself weakly grumbling.
Finally persuading his body to move, he managed to roll over and sit up where he had previously been lay to rest. His back nearly felt as though it was bowing out- ready to just stop supporting the weight of the head on his neck.
However, steading his hands on the floor- Giyuu managed to hold himself in place.
'Where am I... what... happened last night...'
Giyuu looked toward a mirror that lie on the wall near himself, and tried to get a good look at himself. Figuring maybe he could understand what happened. He pondered- overserving his own form.
Long black hair... his haori...black uniform... dazed golden eyes...
Wait...
Giyuu looked at himself in the mirror a minute longer. Something didn't look quite right to him. However, he couldn't tell what was wrong. He couldn't remember. He was so sure something looked wrong, but when he tried to force himself to remember every little detail, it's like everything went blank that he was looking for.
He soon grew frustrated, still looking at himself in the mirror with a bit of confusion. 'Every time I try to... remember... my mind gets so fuzzy. My arms... legs... everything feels like.. static."
Giyuu had persuaded his body to pull his knees under himself. Just barely getting into a more mobile sitting position before he heard a door creaking and the sound of firm soled sandals on the wooden floor just in front of where the carpet ended.
The water pillars eyes shifted to the doorway- only for his body to shift from the sudden amount of shock that washed over him.
There, in front of him- just before his very eyes- was Sabito.
The gentle expression.. rosey ginger hair... a fox mask and his facial scar.
The black haired hashira found himself not breathing for a moment. Breath hitched somewhere in his throat as he tried to find words to speak. What would he have even said?
Everything spun in his head like a merry-go-round. Dizzying, and picking up speed.
Overwhelming waterfalls. Pools of emotion found it's way to his lips as he tried to process the sight right in front of himself. He could barely utter a word, hardly urging out small whispers as he slowly brought his trembling hands up to his chest to clench at his aching heart.
"Sa... bi... that's... Someone is pulling a cruel prank on me... this can't be happening..." he was trying to convince himself that whatever was in front of himself was not real.
He was seeing things. Mad. Dilusional. Crazy...
Desperate and diluded.
Despite this, the gentle face of his friend continued smiling as the other boy advanced in his direction. Surprise and denial were both soon replaced by guilt and the building sensations of shock.
"Good morning... sunshine." The tender smile from Sabito made Giyuu's heart melt, only mixing with the confusing guilt and simmering agony that had made his chest tense. A throbbing heart of pain, being mixed with the sensations of fluttering.
He was still in denial. No matter how much his heart tried to reach out to the other. Guilt radiating off of him.
He started to speak again, tears falling from his tired eyes. "This... isn't possible.. I'm dreaming... this is just... a dream..." he barely stuttered out the words. Finding it harder and harder to intake oxygen.
Sabito knelt down to Giyuu, his face warping to one of concern. "You hit your head pretty hard, Yuu. You need to just take a moment and breathe..." the gentle voice of the fellow follower of Urokudaki murmured.
Bringing angel soft fingers up to Giyuu's face, Sabito smiled more tenderly and gently brushed his hands over Giyuu's chin. The tired water piller seeming to be hesitant to trust such a contact from the other.
"I'm glad I found you again... it's been so long...!"
Subconsciously, Giyuu leans his head into Sabito's comforting hands. His eyes closing as more stray tears made their way down his face. They poured from his tear ducts like a broken dam. Much like Giyuu was the epitome of.
The water pillar was always being held together by a loose thread. A glorious little bow on a broken, ailing package. The second it was unrapped, the only thing left was the emotional mess inside.
Tomioka took in a deep, strained breath as he brought his hands up to Sabito's hands, and kissed the back of one of them- caressing them almost with some sort of unknown desperation.
'This all... it can't be real... you died Sabito.. but... I... I want to keep feeling the warmth of your hands. Your smile... is making me feel complete. I don't feel empty anymore...'
Sabito almost looks empty for a second, before the same smile crossed his face as before. He leans forward, rubing his forehead against Giyuu's with a small smile playing at his lips.
"You're so strong now, Yuu. You've done such an amazing job. I'm glad you progressed so much..."
Giyuu's tears just started to fall faster, despite his eyes falling closed. He leans into the touch with a small sigh- trying free himself of the strained tugging feeling he had in his heart.
Sabito's face fell to one of deep sincerity as he leans further in, whispering into Giyuu's ear as he leans his noggin into Giyuu again. "The other Hashira don't treat you with near as much respect as you deserve..."
Giyuu continued to listen to the sweet words of his fallen friend. Nearly tempted by them, their comfort to him was intoxicating... he wanted to believe them so badly. However, he couldn't believe them. He wasn't worthy of anything... he learned that much with how he had lead his life.
Sabito smiled at him again, a little enthusiasm following his words as he clenched his hands around Giyuu's hands.
"You've done enough... they can find someone else to be the water pillar. Come with me and travel by my side. We can get out of here... go see the world."
Giyuu was tempted... he wanted it so bad. The words were so tempting and the potential they could have... it was enamouring. He desperately wanted to say yes.
To say yes and free the Hashira from his presence- so they can have someone around that they can stand. To be with his best friend again... to go and do something other than chase demons, fail and shed blood.
But... he couldn't.
Giyuu's face seemed to grow distant again, as a flash of rememberance passed through his cloudy eyes.
HIS Sabito... would... never do such a thing.
Giyuu hesitantly looks down, before looking back up into Sabito's eyes. He wrapped his trembling, poorly functioning fingers around Sabito's own fingers, and felt his eyes welling up more.
"You would really do that.... for me...?"
Sabito nearly seemed too eager to reply back, his face seeming to become more gleeful. Perhaps unnervingly so...
"Of course..! We don't need to stay here... we can be happy ... together."
Giyuu closed his eyes, feeling some of his right mind coming back to him. He was a little less dizzy- now feeling a subtle anger building up in his aching chest. He let out a shaking breath, and his expression fell.
'It really was... too good... to be true...'
Taking in a deep, shaky breath- Giyuu opened his eyes- their normal - endless blue hue returning to them as he readied himself to speak.
"Sabito was my best friend. The most dedicated man I ever could have had the honor of calling my friend..."
The Sabito in front of him seemed to be getting the hint. His face fell to a pout, before reaching a grim, accepting expression. He closed his eyes, and the aura of wamth and love that came from him was replaced with a feeling of coldness.
This, however, did not deter Giyuu.
The black haired man continued, his face falling from it's more delicate expression to a firm glare.
"You have some nerve... using my friends face, and voice. He would never, ever even dream of such things..."
((To Be Continued))