A Split in The River of Time

Part 13: Tomioka Giyuu.

(Semi-short post, showing Giyuu and some trauma. Friendly tip,  Giyuu's insecurity and Inferiority complex is badddd. If he couldn't be a hashira with two arms, He basically believes he's useless with one. Also this gives a glimpse of training Giyuu has been putting himself through often since he lost his arm, a very detrimental and self destructive cycle indeed.)

"Kanzaburo" Giyuu spoke to the bird above his head in the wisteria trees. The crow stretched its feathers and flew down to the man, landing on his shoulder.
"Could you bring this message to The Ubuyashiki estate? It's important, so don't forget." He softly petted the bird's head before handing it the rolled up piece of paper. The bird cawed and flapped its wings, going back into the tree before flying out of the yard completely.

And now I wait. Hopefully the Master approves of my request and sends us on more missions together... I just hope he doesn't tell Kocho I asked for that to be the case. That, I would never live down. Giyuu breathed in heavily, gripping his sword tightly in his hand.

How I do miss my arm, though.

Giyuu had a thought. His brain went off track since he stopped training, and it sat in his mind for a mere moment.

'Do you still want to fight me, Pillar? If you become a demon, you won't die like Kyojuro over there. That arm would grow back right away like mine!' Akaza yelled.

Arm would grow back.

Never. 

He quickly recollected his thoughts and shoved anything not relevant to his training aside. He was going to be out as long as he had energy, and he was probably going to resume training in the early morning as well. It was already quite late into the night after all.

Water breathing: 12th form, Brutal Tidal Wave!

Once again he bursted forwards twisting and bobbing this way and that, practicing how well he could maintain speed using this form.

Thunk

His blade struck the wooden dummy in the midsection, separating its top and bottom half with ease. He slid to a stop shortly behind the dummy, dropping his sword to the ground as his arm throbbed with pain. The twelfth form basically required every muscle in his arm to flex and release every bit of built up energy in one major strike, making it feel like the force would tear his arm apart. He lifted himself from the ground, shaking his arm around to return feeling to it before grabbing the cut in half dummy. He would need to put Another one back together. Luckily these things were in abundance at the butterfly estate, Kanao and Shinobu went through them like nothing and they were good rehab for slayers. He walked to the pile of three other mangled dummies and dropped this one with them, before retrieving his sword. He sheathed the blade and took several steps backwards.

Alright. Every form, one more time. He was definitely going to be the death of Aoi training like this right out of the hospital, but that isn't stopping him now.

Water breathing, First form: Water surface slash! He leapt several feet into the air and dove back down, slashing the blade in a quick sharp blow. He rolled on the ground over his shoulder, pushing himself off the ground with one leg and spinning into the second form:

Water Wheel. He turned directions after he landed, barely having a second before the next form.

Third form: Flowing dance! He slashed and slashed, his strikes and poses increasing in frequency as he moved across the yard. His final slash struck downwards, before he began swinging into the fourth form: Striking Tide! Quick slice after slice, he advanced forwards towards the fence before rotating his body 180* degrees with his last slice to advance back across the yard. He launched forward, grip on the sword changing and his muscles relaxing.