When I woke the next day, I laid in my futon recounting what I had felt yesterday after sparring with Giyu, my entire body froze, and my slash at first I thought had stopped but that wasn't true, I had gone through with the attack, it was just rendered useless due to how effective the eleventh form was, and I saw how he did it. I replayed it in my head over and over again, he literally stilled, he became still, I saw that he had entered a complete sense of tranquility, letting go of every emotion to block my attack at literally imperceptible speeds. Giyu San was so cool.
How can you do such a technique in a fight against demons, where emotion runs high and injuries take a toll on the body, maybe this is why I always see him meditate and he makes me meditate, I flipped out of my futon, got dressed and buckled my katana to my waist as I walked out.
When I reached the training ground I woke up a kakushi and told him to fetch a large barrel of balls, I told him to keep chucking them at me.
I meditated, every ball he chucked hit me square in the face, yet I didn't break my meditation, and I tried to let go of every inhibition, every worry and pain I had ever felt and I brandished my katana, my arm moved before my mind told it to, cutting a ball in half and from there on every single ball was cut. When I left my calm state, I sheathed my sword, was that… the eleventh form?
When I turned I was surprised by Giyu San standing there…
"You mastered the eleventh form after seeing it once?" He looked confused as he spoke but his confusion soon seemed to turn into something else, could it be pride?
I shrugged, "I don't know, all I did was meditate, my body doesn't actually remember cutting all of those balls"
Giyu smiled, "sounds like the eleventh form, but balls aren't a real test…" he had an eerie smile on his face as he unsheathed the blade.
I tensed as I saw him come closer but realised that tensing is the exact opposite of what I should be doing, he charged at me speaking under his breath, "Hachi no Kata: Waterfall Basin!" He slashed down at me, pressing down with the force of many a waterfall, I gritted my teeth, shit! I couldn't fucking calm down in time, I pumped my legs and disappeared from my spot.
Giyu turned direction and began charging again, wild and unchained unlike his usual manner, I realised he was trying to get me to raise my emotions.
I watched as he approached, I exhaled as he edged even closer, "soooooooo," time seemed to slow, and there was a raging storm of water around our ankles…
"Ju Ichi no Kata: Dead Calm" with a. Flick off my sword, the storm calmed and the water remained still, and with the same flick, I diverted Giyu San's strike, I watched as he sent out a flurry of strikes speaking again, "Shi no Kata: Striking Tide."
I blocked every single strike once again before my mind even told me too, and I finally realised that I had achieved total tranquility, I dropped the kata and sighed.
"Itsuya kun, you really are my successor" I could tell he was proud but it seemed strange coming from him.
I sighed and sat down on the steps to the estate, Giyu seeing my despair had sat next to me.
"What troubles you so?"
I smiled, "Wow, Giyu San's gonna counsel me?"
"I can try." He offered a kind but naive smile.
"Giyu San, do you know why I joined the demon slayer corps?"
"Well yeah, after that experience with demon I saved you from, you wanted to eradicate demons so I sent you to Urokodaki sensei…" he spoke, offering the story I had told him.
"No, I joined so I can get closer to you and to learn your skills, I had always hoped to be like you, to use your breathing style, my final accomplishment would be achieving the form you created and now I've done that too, a slayer like me with no real ambition but to be a cheap imitation of you, doesn't deserve to wear this uniform or wield this blade, not once have I killed a demon because I felt pain, I killed them to practice…"
Giyu looked visibly shocked when I had finished and I thought he wouldn't speak again to me until he did, "Itsuya, hmmm, I'd didn't think anyone would want to be like me huh?"
I deadpanned, after all of this internal monologue all he got was that I wanted to be like him!
"Though what you said about not deserving to be a slayer is complete utter rubbish. I picked you to be my tsuguko not because you followed me around but because I saw a strength in you, even if it was to be like me, what if I said that wasn't your mission, what if I said your mission should be to surpass me?"
I went silent for the first time in a while, and as I contemplated what he said, Giyu San stood up and tapped my shoulder, "Itsuya, I know that one day, you'll be stronger than me, you'll surpass me, and for that you need to do more than water breathing, from now on, I relinquish you from all your duties, go, surpass me, learn everything there is to learn. I'll wait for you… my tsuguko."
That night I packed my essentials, and left the water estate to begin my journey, another purpose now on my mind, another goal that ironically boiled the usually calm water inside me, I sighed and let go of the tension as I turned back to look at the water estate one more time. "Giyu San, goodbye."
With one final bow, I disappear from my spot.