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"Sabito, why don't you want to spend time with other Hashira?"
It wasn't the first time Giyuu had asked this question. Sabito didn't know the answer, or rather, he pretended he did.
The answer itself was very simple – simply being around them was sometimes too much for him. Every Hashira was the complete opposite of the silence and comfort he felt with Giyuu. Kocho was quiet, but not in a comfortable way. Tokito was quiet... but in a strange way. Iguro was also quiet, but the two of them didn't like each other.
Strangely enough, Sabito had always been close friends with Tengen, but he couldn't stand to be with him for more than three hours. Even though Sabito himself is energetic, he sometimes needs peace, and it's hard to find it around Tengen.
The other Hashiras didn't suit him either. Shinazugawa is too angry, and Sabito likes to annoy him, which always ends in sparring, but that's only it. Rengoku is very nice, but too loud. Kanroji is okay to talk to in private, but in company, her personality begins to overwhelm him. Himejima is admirable, but when he starts crying suddenly, Sabito is terrified.
"Hello? Are you okay?" Giyuu's voice brought him back to the present.
Sabito nodded. "I spend enough time with them; if you had to spend more than two hours with them, you'd understand."
Ever since the final selection process ended, Giyuu had always stood next to Sabito, refusing to leave his side for a moment. After the night when Sabito almost died, Giyuu had tried to always be by his side.
It wasn't that Sabito wasn't strong, quite the opposite. Sabito had become a water hashira very quickly, handling missions without any difficulty.
Giyuu hadn't become a hashira; it wasn't that important to him.
Giyuu, however, had become Sabito’s Tsugoku; that role suited him even better. That cursed night when he almost lost Sabito, he was sure it was over. He still remembers the tears he shed when he learned Sabito was still missing. The moment Sabito was found, bloodied but alive, was the best moment of the entire selection process.
Giyuu didn't want to think about what his life would have been like without Sabito.
"It can't be that bad, Sabito, you just don't want to spend time with them," Giyuu said, looking at the way.
Sabito looked at the snow that was falling constantly. The nights would surely be cold now. Despite being raised in the mountains, winter was always terrible. "You should start worrying about this snow; tonight will definitely be one of the coldest nights."
Giyuu loved winter; it reminded him of the times he and his sister had built a snowman outside. Despite everything, winters weren't so pleasant for him now.
Since he'd suffered hypothermia, his body was weaker than most, but training in the mountains had helped him a bit. "So we better hurry home if we don't want to freeze to death."
Giyuu sped up, Sabito right behind him. There wasn't much time left until Sabito's house, so the two set off without further conversation.
It didn't take them long to open the door, and a pleasant warmth greeted them. Sabito's house was cozy and comfortable, not chaotic, but not too empty either.
Giyuu spent most of his time here; despite having his own house, he preferred staying at Sabito's.
Sabito himself was pleased with Giyuu's presence; Giyuu's personality was different from others people. He was calm and quiet, but also talkative when they both had the energy to talk. The silence itself was always comfortable; they both simply went about their own business, and the other's presence was always welcome.
Night was approaching, they both had no missions tonight, they finally had a moment of peace to themselves.
"Sabito, will you light the fireplace?" Sabito nodded and began to do as he was asked. Everything was going great until he heard the first sneeze from the next room.
This didn't mean anything good, so he got up and went to Giyuu. "Are you okay?"
Giyuu looked at him, and before he could say anything, he sneezed again.
Sabito sighed; this meant only one thing – Giyuu would wake up in the morning with a fever. "Lie down, I'll make you some tea." Before Giyuu could protest, Sabito left the room and went to the kitchen.
First, Giyuu changed into more comfortable clothes, then lay down on the bed. Sabito came a moment later with tea, placed it on the table next to the bed, and sat down next to Giyuu. "How are you feeling?"
Giyuu took the cup of tea in his hand. "It's not bad, I'm cold and feel weak." Sabito placed his hand on Giyuu's forehead, checking for a fever. "Your forehead is hot, it'll only be worse in the morning..."
Giyuu took a few sips of tea, lay down on the bed, and asked, "Aren't you going to sleep?" Without waiting long, Sabito lay down on the bed next to him. Giyuu immediately moved closer to him, wanting more warmth.
After a while, Giyuu fell asleep. The night was still young; it was definitely too early to go to sleep. Sabito waited a moment and got out of bed to prepare a report on today's mission.
Reports were one of the worst things about this job, at least for Sabito. Everything was going smoothly; it didn't take him long. Getting up from his chair, he wanted to go get ready for bed, but one thing stopped him: the doorbell.
"Who could be ringing the doorbell at this hour?"
So he got up and walked to the door, carefully opening it,
Tengen.
Tengen stood in front of him.
"Yo Sabito, the weather isn't great, and I just finished a mission nearby. Wouldn't you like to give a good friend a run-in?"
Sabito would have agreed without hesitation, if it weren't for the fact that Giyuu was currently in bed with a fever.
"Giyuu's sick, so either you're quiet as a mouse or you're out."
Tengen, of course, said he'd be quiet.
…
He said.
In fact, Tengen wasn't quiet. It was already late. They were both sitting in the kitchen talking. Sabito himself was already tired and had definitely had enough conversations for today.
Tengen, on the other hand, was in a great mood, telling another story from his life. Sabito wasn't really listening anymore; he just wanted to lie down.
They talked until they heard footsteps in the hallway. Giyuu stood up. Suddenly, Tengen fell silent. "Sabito, why... Uzui? Morning...? Good night?…" Giyuu said in a tired voice.
Tengen in question began to explain how he came to be here. Giyuu didn't seem interested.
"Sleep," Giyuu said, Tengen and Sabito did just that.
Finally, Tengen lay down quietly on the couch in the living room. Sabito and Giyuu went to the bedroom next door.
Giyuu didn't feel too bad. True, the fever was still there, but it wasn't the first time he'd been sick in the winter.
Sabito was definitely tired of Tengen's constant chatter. Yes, he liked Tengen as a friend; he'd usually be happy to be energetic himself, but not when it was late, he was tired after today, and Giyuu was sick.
Giyuu and Sabito lay down on the bed, both definitely exhausted after the whole day. Sabito, finally at peace, sighed with relief and, feeling Giyuu in his arms, fell asleep himself.
The morning was definitely not so peaceful. Giyuu woke up with a high fever, and Tengen was noisy. It was going to be a long day.