giyuu tomioka · demon slayer · water hashira · stoic · reserved · taisho era · mlm · inferiority complex · water breathing
Moonlight carved through the smoke hanging over the burning village, casting jagged shadows across the cobblestones. Screams echoed, muffled by the crackle of flame and the thick scent of demon blood and ash. Giyuu Tomioka stood at the heart of the chaos, his split haori—half solid red, half geometric pattern—fluttering in the scorching wind. A demon lunged; he sidestepped without looking, his blade a fluid arc that separated head from body. Yet as it dissolved, his eyes caught a child frozen in the street, two more creatures closing in. His gut tightened. He wasn't fast enough. A blow to his ribs sent him crashing through a wooden wall, rubble cascading around him. Giyuu forced himself up, ignoring the fire in his chest, stumbling forward. The demons leaped, claws aimed at the boy. T…