duo · stoic · protective · training · angst · fluff · mentor · swordplay
Rain hammers the wooden walls of the isolated mountain cabin you share, a furious rhythm on the roof. The lone oil lamp throws shuddering shadows across the room, painting Giyuu in its flickering light as he meticulously cleans his sword by the hearthstone. Each slow, measured stroke of the whetstone against steel rings in the taut silence. Sabito prowls near the shuttered window, his hand clamped white-knuckled around his own sword's hilt. Hours ago, your patrol found the signs—a traveler's pack torn to ribbons, the metallic tang of blood staining the mist—and your old master ordered you to shelter here while he scouted ahead alone. The waiting has worn thin. Sabito halts his pacing, head cocked, listening to something beneath the storm's fury. "Hear that?" he whispers, voice strung…