Directions of Love (A Shinogiyuu Story)

Chapter 5; Goodbye, Tomioka

My new guard was the absolute worst. He would snap at me every two minutes for 'being too loud' or something ridiculous like that.

I was in complete misery. My entire body would hurt to inhale, and my vision was extremely blurry.

"Hashira Iguro. There's a call for you in the hall." A guard said.

"I'll get it. You! Kocho! Try and escape and I'll skin you alive and feel you to Kaburamaru!" Then the door opened and then shut.

I stared at the ceiling. It had been too long. I didn't remember how many days I had been here, but I did know I had probably a little over a week left of life.

"Kocho." Great, now I was hallucinating Tomioka's voice. "Kocho. Get up."

"Shut up." I grumbled.

"Kocho! We only have ten minutes, get up!" I sat up quickly and saw Tomioka jerking me out of bed.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"You're about to die, I'm not letting that happen." He muttered monotonously. I didn't question. I just stood and followed him out, blinking my blurred eyes.

"I've sent all the guards to talk to Iguro about a new prisoner. Come on, the secret passageway is safe." He said, grabbing on to me. I ran along side him, until we exited Minami's campsite.

"Why would you care if I died?" I asked.

"Be-because that would...I-I don't know okay? I just, have a weird connection with you Kocho, and-"

"Hashira Iguro! Kocho's missing!" The voice could be heard miles away as Murata, a guard, screeched.

"Shit." He cursed, and then grabbed me and pointed my camp. "Think you can get there? It's a ten minute run, probably."

"Let's go." I muttered, scrambling off, Tomioka close behind.

***

After returning to the camp, I looked at Tomioka.

"So...what now?" I asked.

"I'll tell the guards I was on break with Sabito and Makomo. They'll back me up. Just...don't die, okay?" He asked me. I nodded.

"Thanks for everything...Giyu-San." I gave him a kiss on the cheek and ran into camp.

Giyu Tomioka

She...what? I touched my cheek hesitantly, waiting for the sting to fade. It didn't.

Oh crap. I got to head back to camp before anyone notices.

I started running, going through the back of the campsite. I saw Sabito and grabbed him.

"Sabito. If anyone questions anything, just say I was with you."

His eyes widened. "Y-you didn't break a law or anything like that, did you Giyu?"

"Hey! Sabito! Giyu! Someone in our camp helped Kocho escape! What were you doin', just right here Tomioka?" Iguro appeared out of nowhere, completely startling me.

"Giyu was on guard with me. I found some-some-er, weird stuff on the shore of the river, and I asked Giyu to come along, it was just a couple birds who died." Sabito looked at me in surprise, but it wasn't the kind of surprise that Iguro assumed, he was looking at me intensely, as if saying, "what the heck did you do?"

After Iguro left, Sabito grabbed my hand and glared at me. "What. Did. You. Do."

"N-nothing." A stutter appeared in my monotone voice, and Sabito glared.