Chapter 112: Giyu Tomioka Arrives x The Senior and Junior Disciples Finally Meet
"A month for the staff, a year for the blade, a lifetime for the spear..." Besides long-hafted weapons that require lifelong practice, the blade, as the 'commander of a hundred weapons', also takes years to master.
Night. Giyu Tomioka, wearing his signature red and yellow-green patterned haori, rushed through the moonlight, one hand gripping his Nichirin Blade. For days, he had been replaying his master Sakonji Urokodaki's letter to the Master in his mind. The feelings of 'anticipation' and 'homesick apprehension' grew stronger and stronger as he neared Sagiri Mountain.
Unfortunately, his master had mentioned in the letter that his new junior disciple hadn't yet begun learning a Breathing Style. Otherwise, Giyu felt this "inspection" might have at least satisfied his urge for a spar.
Hiss... hoo... Inhaling and exhaling, Giyu Tomioka maintained 'Total Concentration: Constant' as he ran. After another two hours, he passed through the town and saw Sagiri Mountain in the distance.
In that mountain was a small cabin, holding the person he cared for. In the forest depths were the graves of his fellow disciples.
He exhaled a puff of white air. He was close. He regulated his breathing, slowed his pace, and with a heart full of complex, unspeakable emotions, he walked up the mountain. In the moonlight, he saw a small wooden cabin standing silently in a clearing.
A single, bean-sized light glowed from within, casting a dim yellow halo. Through the paper window, he could faintly see an aged back, hunched over a desk, writing something... or perhaps, waiting for someone. Giyu Tomioka took a deep breath, quieted his steps, and slowly approached. A ghostly wind blew, lifting a corner of the paper window, and then... a kind smile was directed his way.
"Master, Giyu-senpai is back!" Makomo guided the brush to write a line of small characters on the table. But even without her warning, Sakonji Urokodaki's keen sense of smell had already caught Giyu Tomioka's scent on the mountain wind.
The old man looked at his beloved student through the gap in the window. The former smiled kindly, the latter nodded slightly, his eyes glistening.
"Shh... Eiichiro is still sleeping." Sakonji Urokodaki gently slid the door open, letting Giyu Tomioka in.
Early spring. The snow hadn't fully melted, so the Kang bed was still heated. The old Water Hashira seemed to have anticipated Giyu's arrival, having already set up the heated table and warmed a pot of tea. He poured a cup and handed it over.
Giyu Tomioka took it and sipped. The same familiar taste. The exhaustion from his long journey melted away. He looked up at the corner of the Kang bed, where a boy lay sleeping peacefully. His hands were folded on his stomach, his breathing steady, his face serene. His fiery red hair seemed to glow under the lamplight, more like 'flame' than even Kyojuro's 'flaming' hair.
On impulse, a wild thought crossed Giyu Tomioka's mind... Perhaps this boy is better suited to learn 'Flame Breathing' than anyone in the Rengoku family. Once the thought appeared, it took root in his mind, impossible to dislodge.
"You see him?" Sakonji Urokodaki, noticing Giyu's gaze, smiled and glanced at Roy. "That's Eiichiro. Your new junior brother."
Giyu Tomioka remained silent.
Sakonji Urokodaki knew his cold and quiet nature. He took a set of bedding from the wooden cabinet—the very set Giyu used to sleep in—and spread it out, smoothing the wrinkles. "The crow was late, so I didn't know you were coming. I didn't get a chance to air out the bedding. You'll have to make do tonight. Tomorrow, when the sun is high, I'll take it out to dry."
"As for Sabito's set... I gave that to Eiichiro."
Giyu Tomioka's nose stung. He stood up in silence. "I'll go pay my respects to my brothers and sisters first."
He had barely taken a step toward the door when Sakonji's soft voice stopped him. "No need." The old man finished making the bed, looked around, and gazed at him kindly. "They are all here. No need to go searching far away."
Giyu Tomioka froze. "?" He whipped his head around, meeting his master's knowing eyes. Just then, the paper window rattled, and a ghostly wind swept through the small cabin. One gust seemed too strong and was immediately tackled by another, leading to a scuffle.
"Fukuda, what do you think you're doing?!"
"I'm telling you to be quiet! Don't wake Eiichiro!"
"I'm just... excited to see Giyu-senpai!"
"Who isn't excited? You're the only one being so loud! It's disgraceful!"
"Yes, yes... my fault... I was wrong, okay?"
Shinsuke slowed his ghostly wind, circling Giyu Tomioka. Giyu frowned. Then, he felt a weight on his shoulder. It was his master.
"Come." Sakonji Urokodaki clapped Giyu Tomioka's shoulder and led him to the table. To his amazement, the writing brush lifted on its own and began to write on the paper laid out on the desk:
"Giyu-senpai, welcome home. This is Makomo."
Then... "Giyu-senpai, you're finally back! It's Shinsuke."
And then... "I'm Fukuda... I'm Shimizu... I'm Watanabe... I'm... Yagiku..."
Line after line of small characters, name after familiar (and unfamiliar) name, flooded Giyu Tomioka's vision. His body trembled. He gripped the edge of the table, burying his head, and took a sharp, ragged breath. When he looked up again, his eyes were red-rimmed. "Sabito-senpai," he asked, his voice shaking, "are you here too?"
Whoosh. The corner of the paper lifted, and a new line appeared in a blank space: "I'm here."
"Welcome home, Giyu."
Sabito smiled at the boy. It's been a year, and he's grown taller. Gotten a bit darker, too, and looks tired. Knowing his personality, he must have traveled day and night, barely stopping to eat or rest. He added another line: "You've worked hard."
He didn't know why, but the tears just wouldn't stop. Giyu Tomioka pressed his lips together, tilting his head back. Two tear tracks ran down his stoic face. He wiped them, but they were replaced by fresh ones, over and over. Sabito teased him, writing on the table: "Still a little crybaby, just like you used to be."
That finally made Giyu break into a tearful smile, stopping the flow.
Once upon a time, Giyu Tomioka had always thought his master must be so lonely, all by himself. But now, seeing him surrounded by his senior brothers and sisters... even if he were to fall in battle one day, he wouldn't have to worry anymore.
This is good.
The young man's emotions came and went quickly. Under the lamplight, Giyu Tomioka wanted to seize this precious opportunity to talk more with Sabito, Makomo, Shinsuke, and Fukuda, to properly catch up.
But then, a hand gently rested on his head. He looked up. Sakonji Urokodaki, just like when Giyu was a child, patted his head and looked at him kindly. "You've been traveling for days. Go to sleep."
"Tomorrow morning, I'll have Eiichiro let you see your brothers and sisters with your own eyes."
Giyu Tomioka: "..."
See them?
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