tokitō muichirō

[ HUG ] for our muses to hug

[ HAND ] for our muses to hold hands

[ WATCH ] for our muses to watch tv / movies together

[ DATE ] for our muses to go on a date (dealers choice!)

[ SHARE ] for our muses to share a drink / dessert

[ MEAL ] for our muses to share some other kind of food together

[ TALK ] for our muses to have a deep conversation

[ CALL ] for our muses to call / video chat

[ DETAIL ] for one muse to tell the other a personal detail about themselves

[ LAY ] for one muse to lay their head on the others shoulder

[ ARM ] for our muses to link arms while they walk

[ TOUCH ] for one muse to give the other a massage

[ TICKLE ] for one muse to tickle the other!

[ SMILE ] for our muses to share a knowing look

[ PLAY ] for one muse to play with / brush / braid the other’s hair

[ TRACE ] for one muse to trace patterns on the others skin

[ NOTE ] for one muse to leave a handwritten note for the other

[ HEART ] for one muse to rest their head on the others chest and listen to their heartbeat

[ MUSIC ] for our muses to sing / play instruments together

[ DANCE ] for our muses to dance together 

[ FEED ] for one muse to feed the other

[ DRAW ] for one muse to draw / write on the other

[ COOK ] for our muses to cook a meal together

[ READ ] for our muses to read next to one another

[ TREAT ] for our muses to do a face mask / paint their nails / etc together

[ SICK ] for one muse to take care of the other while they’re sick

[ SCRATCH ] for one muse to give the other head scratches

[ SLEEP ] for our muses to just sleep next to each other

[ KISS ] for one muse to put butterfly kisses all over the others face

[ ZEN ] for our muses to meditate together

[ STORY ] for one muse to tell the other a story, true or otherwise

[ BATH ] for our muses to bathe together

[ RELAX ] for our muses to have a relaxed, vulnerable moment together ( dealers choice!)

[ CRY ] for one muse to cry in the others presence

[ TRIP ] for our muses to take a trip together

[ MINE ] for one muse to wear something belonging to the other

[ HELP ] for one muse to accompany the other to an important appointment

[ ART ] for our muses to make art together

[ FUTURE ] for our muses to discuss the future and what they want from life

[ GAME ] for our muses to play a game together

[ TALK ] for one muse to bring up an important conversation they’ve been meaning to have 

[ YOU ] for one muse to compliment the other 

[ JOKE ] for our muses to share an inside joke

[ EAT ] for our muses to go out to eat together

he watched the kid with a dull stare as they spoke , quiet . a new family , huh ? a concept his mind kept locked out of bounds for years now . loss was .. painstaking . and with bonds , with family , came the reminder that nothing is permanent . no will be there forever . he couldn't care to try . to force through the bitter cycle of life if he didn't have to .

but the words of the youth settled within him like seeds sown deep in the fresh earth , knitting his eyebrows with a sigh . this kid had lost everything , presumably . surely they knew the cruel ways of the world just as well as he did . but he still wanted to try . wanted to get that happiness even with the knowledge of the cost . he'd wasn't sure if he'd ever know that feeling .

but hell , it was good that tokito did .

loss was hard to get over . he knew that just as well as the next slayer , if the haori he wore was any indicator . grief was hard to move on from , use to grow . but some people could do that , and he was never truly sure why . though he think he saw a good deal of the reason in tokito . some people wanted that life , to move past the negative happenings in their life . to make theirs and the lives of others better . to feel alright relying on others .

his sister had been like that .

he was never like her in such a way , both selfless and empathetic enough to force herself past loss and struggle , to find her own " light at the end of the tunnel " , as they had said . even after all of these years of training , he wasn't nearly as strong as she had been , to move ahead , not only for her sake , but his too . she had the strength to find love , to sacrifice it for the sake of another . he would never be the same as tsutako . never even close .

but .. maybe he could try his own ways to be a ... positive - influence in the mist hashira's life . hell knows the kid deserved it , a whole lot more than he did when he was younger .

They hasn’t been called that by anyone but Oyakata-sama in ages. And a promise? Giyuu, promising to help him have a fair future, promising to not let its happiness be lost? A breeze softly floats by, and the air in his lungs leaves with it, only returning with a gasp as they blink hurriedly, trying to process what was said.

Muichirou wasn’t sure if he was understanding the man’s words correctly.

" it isn't weird , bud .. you've been dealt a shitty hand by life , and .. things won't ever go back to being the same . plus everything going on in your head . it is hard to imagine . "

"We can’t travel back to the past or alter it, but… we can still live in the present and shape the future. My family... they're long gone. But I can always find a new family. Even if it’s not the same as before, it would still make me happy." The youth turns its gaze to the clouds above them — large, wispy, and white, floating calmly across the sky — and silently, with an ache in his chest, he wishes he could remember more.

he lets out a quiet hum . a question he doesn't entirely know the answer to himself . it's an iffy concept in his head , going back to how it was before . he accepted that this was his life , how it was . but occasionally , thoughts of how it was before the incident happened . before she was gone .

Or