Gifts and roses..-*

Chapter 16 - anger.

For the next few days, Sanemi avoided Giyuu like the plague.

Despite Mitsuri's insistence that Giyuu hadn't done anything wrong- he still didn't want anything to do with him. Because frankly, he wasn't convinced. Tomioka was dead to him for all he cared.

Though- it seemed like the universe was conspiring against him. Because as much as he tried to avoid him, their paths seemed to cross at an almost cursed frequency. It was as if every corner he turned, there was Giyuu, resurfacing everything he was desperately trying to forget.

No matter how hard he tried to push the memories aside, they came flooding back each time he saw the Water Hashira. Not to mention, every time he spotted him wandering around headquarters, a strange, uncomfortable sensation twisted in his gut. He tried to dismiss it as mere disgust, to convince himself that it was simply the sight of Giyuu that made him feel this way. But deep down, he knew it wasn't the case.

It didn't make it any easier that Mitsuri was guarding Giyuu like a prized possession. She was always nearby, scowling at Sanemi any time they crossed paths, her eyes burning with a protective intensity.

Her presence loomed over him wherever he went, unrelenting. Her words hadn't left him alone either, though he was too stubborn to let them get to him. He wasn't in the wrong. He couldn't be. He never was. And that wasn't going to change.

To escape the two, he had spent his time distracting himself, taking on countless missions, far away from headquarters. It wore him thin, but it was better than having to think about the whole ordeal. So, he didn't stop. Killing demon after demon, day after day, trying to bury his problems under a mountain of corpses.

He had been away for so long that he had no idea what was happening at headquarters, but he didn't care. All he wanted was to distance himself from it all.

But now, things had become complicated. He stared at the note in his hands, having just been delivered by his crow. He had been summoned for yet another Hashira meeting.

This felt like the universe's way of rubbing salt in his wounds "Perfect." He grumbled "Just what I need." He crumpled up the note he tossed it out the window, before grabbing his sword and heading off.

-

Sanemi trudged toward the meeting room, his mood already sour. The summons had come at an awful time. He just hoped it would be a quick meeting, then he could be out of there as quickly as possible. He grumbled curses under his breath, dreading the impending confrontation as the door grew closer and closer.

As he entered, the chatter of the room instantly fell silent.

The other Hashira were already seated, their expressions a mix of disdain and wariness as he stepped in, closing the door behind him. Mitsuri, frowned at him as per usual. Even Obanai's usual scowl seemed sharper, and Shinobu, who usually greeted him happily, turned her head away in stony silence.

Sanemi's presence seemed to have cast a shadow over the whole gathering.

He took his seat with an uneasy glance around the room, noting how the atmosphere seemed to tighten as he sat down. "Afternoon..." he said with reserve, his voice quiet.

Although, no one returned the greeting, nor did a single pair of eyes met his. It was like he was invisible.

His usual confidence had been brutally stripped away, leaving him feeling uncharacteristically exposed. A knot of dread tightened in his stomach, growing heavier with each passing second the silence grew.

Eventually, the door creaked open once more. Sanemi turned his head at the sound, just to have his gaze fall on the person he dreaded seeing the most.

Giyuu walked through with a sluggish, almost reluctant pace. He looked more battered and worn than he ever had after a battle with a demon. Dark circles shadowed his eyes, giving him a haggard look. His usually neatly tied hair hung in unkempt, dishevelled strands around his face, and his clothes were crumpled and askew, as though he had scarcely bothered to straighten them in days.