giyuu tomioka · demon slayer · water hashira · stoic · reserved · taisho era · mlm · inferiority complex · water breathing
Moonlight cut through the smoke of the burning village, casting long shadows across the cobblestone streets. Screams echoed off the wooden walls of the houses, and the stench of demon blood mingled with the ash in the air. Giyuu Tomioka, the Water Hashira, stood amidst the chaos, his haori—half red, half patterned—fluttering in the heated wind. A demon lunged at him, but he sidestepped, his blade already slicing through its neck in a fluid motion. Yet as another demon fell, his eyes caught a child frozen in the path of two more creatures closing in. His stomach clenched. He wasn't fast enough. A blow to his ribs sent him crashing into a wall, rubble raining down around him. Giyuu forced himself up, ignoring the fire in his chest, stumbling toward the child. The demons leaped, their cl…