Chapter Text
When he finally accepted his promotion as a placeholder until a real Water Hashira could take over, he had been committed to maintaining the Estate so that the real Water Hashira would inherit it in good condition.
He didn't keep many personal possessions, so that he could leave at a moment's notice, ready to step aside for someone better than him. But he couldn't keep himself from setting up a small shrine in one of the many empty rooms. Sabito and Tsukato deserved to be remembered. Sabito should have been the one to inherit the estate, to live as the Water Pillar. He would have been an incredible instructor and Hashira.
There were no other slayers or Kakushi like there were at the other Hashira estates. Oyakata-sama had tried to convince Giyuu to allow a few Kakushi to service the estate. But Giyuu had refused. Taking care of the estate was the least he could do. The lack of furnishings made the job easier, and since he was the only one occupying the space, he didn't have much use for the kitchen other than the occasional simple meal, which was equally simple to clean up. The most significant task was maintaining the garden.
Having been passed down through generations of Water Hashira, the Water Estate's garden had grown into a magnificent echo of the outside world within the confines of the estate. Like the estate it was located in, the garden contained a multitude of water features. Waterways that mimicked the many rivers, streams, and waterfalls throughout the region wound their way through the garden, and multitudes of plant life thrived along the water's path. There were also plenty of resting spots for Kanzaboro and any other Kasugai crow that came to the estate. Kanzaboro favored a shady perch that overlooked the outdoor training grounds, though Giyuu added a few soft plants around the perch, just in case the elderly crow lost its balance.
Giyuu found that he enjoyed caring for the garden. The plants couldn't speak when he gently weeded around them, and the water provided a cool place for him to rest with no judgment or glares. Often, when he sat on the engawa during the day, he would watch over the garden, thinking about how Sabito would have accidentally fallen into the streams or pulled the Knotweed instead of the weeds surrounding it. He's certain that when Urokodaki was the Water Hashira, the man took great care of the garden, even though he never mentioned it during their training sessions with Sabito.
But Giyuu isn't Sabito.
He isn't as strong... as bright.
Sabito would have immediately become friends with his fellow Hashira.
And Giyuu was... just Giyuu. Kocho had said many times that Giyuu didn't have friends. That he wasn't liked by anyone. And try as he might to deny it, he knew that his fellow Hashira considered him off-putting and hard to be around. They would stop talking when he showed up for meetings, and they always seemed to be doing things as a group.
Shinazugawa and Iguro made their hatred for Giyuu well known, going out of their way to antagonize him. Kanae was always kind to him and treated him like she did everyone else, considering him a friend, even though Giyuu didn't know what he had done to deserve it. Her younger sister, even before Kanae died, always seemed to dislike Giyuu. She was constantly needling him about his lack of friends and his appearance. But he would still consider her one of the people he is closest to. She talks to him more than any other Hashira, and perhaps she doesn't mean everything she says. Sabito would often tell Giyuu that words went straight over his head.
Uzui mostly left Giyuu alone, commenting occasionally on his lack of 'flashyness' or his facial expressions. Gyomei and Rengoku were the most polite towards Giyuu, always trying to include him in conversations or inviting him to go out to eat after meetings with the rest of the Hashira. But Giyuu never accepted. He didn't deserve to be among them. The real Hashira. The ones who could protect people.
He was just a failure wearing the mask of a Hashira until Oyakata-sama could find someone better, stronger, and brighter. Someone like Sabito.
But he endured. He cared for the Water Estate and its gardens. He answered every summons from the Master. Took more missions than any of his colleagues. Chose to train instead of resting, since sleep didn't come easily anyway. Pushed himself to the brink of unconsciousness, because being idle was only more proof of his failure.
So he doesn't know why Muichiro chose to cling to him, the failure, the stand-in. The boy should've been drawn to Rengoku or Himejima. But the 12-year-old Mist Hashira had followed him after being introduced as the newest Pillar by Oyakata-sama.
-----------------
"Meeting!"
Giyuu turned just in time to see his crow nearly crash into the training hall doors, wings flapping frantically as he flew through, feathers dangerously close to getting caught. Giyuu paused mid-strike, lowering his sword. He held out his arm, the other hand cupped beneath as a safety net. Kanzaboro, old and a little shaky, landed with a wheeze.
"Hashira meeting!" the crow croaked, exhaling with effort.
Giyuu waited for the rest of the message.
"..."
"...Kanzaboro?" Giyuu prompted gently.
"Ha-Hashira Meeting in... in..." the crow's beak opened and closed as it tried to remember. "...Meeting in two-N-one hour!"
"An hour?" Giyuu echoed.
"Yes! Hashira meeting in one hour!"
One hour. He has plenty of time.
Giyuu let out a breath. An hour was plenty. "Thank you, Kanzaboro." Carefully, he transferred the old crow from wrist to his inner elbow, making sure the bird was nestled comfortably before he set about tidying the hall. When he was done, he tucked Kanzaboro against his chest, wrapped in the folds of his haori, and began his journey.
------------
"Fucking finally!"
The greeting hit Giyuu the moment he stepped onto the meeting grounds. The Hashira were scattered, but it was Shinazugawa who spotted him first, his voice echoing across the Ubuyashiki garden.
"You think you can just waltz in whenever you want?!"
Giyuu didn't bother replying. He crossed the garden in silence, settled into his spot, and folded his legs beneath him. According to Kanzaboro, he was half an hour early. Had the crow gotten it wrong again?
"Don't ignore me, you bastard!" Shinazugawa's voice rose, veins standing out on his neck. However, he didn't elicit a reaction from the stoic Hashira. But before he could yell again, he was interrupted.
"The Master has arrived."
Immediately, the Hashira kneeled as one, voices dropping into reverence.
"My precious children," Oyakata-sama greeted them, his voice gentle as spring rain. "How good it is to see you all on such a beautiful day." He looked over the group, eyes lingering with warmth. "Today, I would like to introduce our newest Hashira. Muichiro, could you step forward, please?"
A young boy stepped from his spot slightly behind the Master. His hair, long and dark at the crown, faded into a pale, silvery blue at the ends. His eyes were dull, a muted turquoise that didn't seem to focus on anything in particular. There was an emptiness to his expression, as if he were only half-present. The boy's sleeves nearly swallowed his hands, making him look much younger.
Oyakata-sama's smile was gentle. "This is Tokito Muichiro, our new Mist Hashira. He has shown remarkable promise, and I trust you all will help him feel welcome."
Muichiro blinked, looking at the assembled Hashira.
"Welcome, Tokito-kun!" Rengoku declared, a beaming smile on his face. "Let us fight together!"
Beside Rengoku, Gyomei pressed his enormous hands together, prayer beads clicking softly. "May you find strength and peace here, Tokito-kun. We are all children beneath the same sky."
Giyuu watched the new Hashira, a knot forming in his stomach as he realized just how young the boy was. He looks like he shouldn't have even attempted final selection yet.
But the world is cruel.