|| RIVALS AND ROMANCES || sanegiyuu

Chapter Seven - Bonds of the Fallen (Continued)

As they turned away from Kanae's grave, Sanemi and Shinobu noticed Giyu trailing behind them, his eyes focused on a different direction. Curious, they followed him at a distance, observing his slow, deliberate steps as he approached another grave. The name "Sabito" was etched onto the stone, a name that held significant weight in Giyu's heart.

Giyu knelt before the grave, his expression one of deep sorrow. He placed a hand on the cold stone, his fingers tracing the name as if trying to connect with his long-lost friend.

"Sabito," Giyu whispered, his voice barely audible. "I'm sorry. I should have been the one to die, not you."

Sanemi and Shinobu exchanged a glance. They had heard bits and pieces about Sabito, Giyu's best friend from when they were thirteen. The story was one of tragedy and heroism, with Sabito sacrificing himself to save Giyu during the Final Selection. Sabito had killed every demon in the forest, paving the way for Giyu to pass. Yet, the cost had been his own life, his head crushed by the Hand Demon.

Giyu had carried this burden with him for years, never truly believing he deserved the title of Water Hashira. To him, Sabito was the true hero, the one who should have been standing in his place.

"He's been sitting there for hours," Shinobu murmured, her heart aching for Giyu "i don't know who that sabito guy is but he's probably important to tomioka-san..."

Sanemi's expression hardened. "He needs to get over it. We all have our demons, but wallowing in self-pity doesn't help anyone."

Shinobu sighed, knowing that Sanemi's harshness came from a place of pain. "It's more complicated than that, Sanemi. Tomioka-san doesn't think he's better than us. He thinks he's not worthy."

Sanemi scoffed. "He sure acts like he's above everyone. That 'I'm not like the rest of you' attitude is infuriating."

Shinobu shook her head. "It's not superiority. It's an inferiority complex. He doesn't think he deserves to be a Hashira. He doesn't think he deserves anything."

Obanai, who had been quietly observing from a distance, joined them. "Sanemi, Shinobu," he greeted, his voice a low whisper under his mask which covered a very nasty scar that he had received by his mother back when he was a young boy around the age of eleven, just like sanemi, obanai was hot headed and had a short temper "he looks down on us all, he should just open up, we'd all get along if he just told us what he really feels like..."

Sanemi clenched his fists, his frustration boiling over. "He needs to snap out of it. We need him, now more than ever."