Tengen walked out of the kitchen with two trays of food in hand. He wasn't lying when he said he would try to get to know Giyuu better. He wanted to know Giyuu, but Tengen's success with that friendship depends on the quiet man the most.

The Sound Hashira skillfully slid the door to Giyuu open with his foot. Giyuu seemed to snap out of some thoughts. He looked surprised to see Tengen back with breakfast so soon.

"Hey, Tomioka! I'm back with some food," Tengen called, his voice now flashy as usual. Maybe he's not a morning person.

Giyuu looked at Tengen with a blank face. "Why do you have two trays of food?"

Tengen chuckled softly, understanding why Shinobu always calls Giyuu oblivious. "Well, I was thinking about sitting in here and eating with you, so you won't be alone." Giyuu's eyes widened slightly, obviously not expecting the company. "Is that okay, Tomioka?"

"Uh..." Giyuu went quiet for a couple of seconds. He had to think. Could he risk becoming friends with someone else? Tengen was a Hashira. He got into trouble nearly every day. At any moment, he could drop dead. Did Giyuu really want to risk that? "Sure..."

"Great!" Tengen exclaimed with a big smile. "I'm glad we're taking the first steps of friendship, Tomioka!"

Becoming embarrassed again, Giyuu's cheeks turned a subtle shade of pink. "Yea..."

Tengen walked up to Giyuu and handed him a tray. "It's just the basics. Rice, miso soup, some boiled vegetables, and some salmon. Although, I will say, Hinatsuru cooks the best food ever."

"It's okay if its basic. I'm sure it's still good," Giyuu assured his host. In all honesty, Giyuu didn't care about where his food came from. He was just thankful to have it. 

Giyuu pulled his legs into a crisscross position in order to eat comfortably. Tengen took a seat on the bed and placed his tray on his legs. They both started eating in silence. It wasn't an awkward silence, but Tengen didn't like it.

"So," Tengen started, catching Giyuu's attention. "Why don't you talk to the other Hashira?"

Giyuu cocked his head slightly to the side. "Can you clarify?"

"Well, you don't seem like a bad guy, but I know some of them are annoyed with your silence. I know Shinazugawa, Iguro, and Kocho think you're arrogant because of it," Tengen explained.

Giyuu didn't have a good answer to that question. To most, it wouldn't be professional or reasonable at all. "I just don't like talking to people I don't know well. They eventually started getting angry with me, so I stopped trying to subtly explain myself to them." Tengen took a moment to process the information. "I know it seems childish," Giyuu spoke again.

"No, that's not childish at all," Tengen opposed. "Honestly, that's a total mood. Although, if I started ignoring the others when I wanted, they'd think I'm a demon!" The Sound Hashira laughed at his own joke, stopping when he noticed Giyuu's blank expression. "Anyway," Tengen continued, "what do you have with Kocho? She's really pissed with you, Tomioka. She says you have a personal grudge against her. Is that true?"

"Yes," Giyuu replied with no hesitation. 

Tengen almost laughed at the brutalness of the reply, but he kept it together. "What did she do to you?"

Giyuu ate a piece of the salmon while he thought back on his and Shinobu's history. "Ever since I met her, she's teased me. I guess she's always been annoyed with my silence. A few years ago, she started insulting me more. That's when she started with the 'no friends' joke. Ever since then, it's been the same thing every conversation. But because she's trying to make me speak, I stay silent until the teases get to me."

"Damn," Tengen said, still chewing some of his food. Once he finished, he asked, "Are you petty, Tomioka?"

The question stunned Giyuu. No one had ever asked him such a weird question to his face. "I... What?" He was utterly confused, and you could see it on his face. 

"No offense, but that's a pretty petty thing to do. You know, ignoring her because you know she hates it. Honestly, I fully support that decision," Tengen explained quickly.

Giyuu stared at Tengen for a bit before finally coming to a conclusion. "Let's just finish breakfast, Uzui."

Tengen laughed at Giyuu's visible and audible confusion but agreed.

The men continued their meal in silence. They were both thinking of their conversation. Tengen was satisfied with himself for making progress with Giyuu. Giyuu, however, was disappointed. 

Giyuu was severely disappointed. He was breaking the promise he made to himself. The promise he made after his childhood friend, Sabito, was brutally murdered in Final Selection. 

Sabito was Giyuu's best friend. After Sabito died, Giyuu promised himself he would never make another friend like that. He would never have a friend as close as Sabito. Everyone dies eventually, and Giyuu can't handle the pain of loss again.

Tengen, though. In Tengen, Giyuu saw Sabito. It was like Giyuu was meeting his best friend again after all of these years. He wasn't, though, and that was the worst part. Tengen wasn't Sabito, and Giyuu would never see Sabito again.

Giyuu was zoned out. He didn't know when he finished his food, and he didn't realize Tengen was calling his name until he felt the touch on his shoulder. 

"Tomioka!" Tengen called. Giyuu snapped out of his feelings and looked up at Tengen. The Sound Hashira had gotten up, and kindly took both of their trays with him. He placed the trays in his left hand to tap Giyuu's shoulder. Giyuu was staring at Tengen blankly. "Are you okay, Tomioka? You were zoned out for a few minutes, and now you look a little upset."

Giyuu stared at Tengen for a moment. "It's nothing, Uzui. Don't worry about it."

Tengen's brows furrowed. "Are you sure? You can tell me if I made you uncomfortable, Tomioka. You are my guest, after all."

"I'm fine, Uzui. You didn't do anything. I was just thinking of something," Giyuu assured.

Tengen's face slightly darkened. "Is that why you broke down yesterday?" He couldn't believe he was actually saying this. Tengen just got on decent terms with Giyuu, and now he was risking it all over a single question.

Giyuu's eyes widened, and his head shot up to look at Tengen. He wasn't upset that the question was asked, but at the same time, Giyuu wasn't expecting Tengen to say it. Was Tengen actually risking everything? Giyuu didn't know what to say. 

"What?" Giyuu asked, making sure he didn't sound angry.

Instead of forgetting the question, Tengen embraced his curiosity. "I asked if that was why you were upset yesterday." There was a moment of silence between the men. This time, it was unbelievably awkward. "If there is something I can do to help, even if it's just sitting and listening to you talk about it, I'm willing to do so. You deserve the attention as much as anyone else does."

Giyuu almost teared up at the kindness. It wasn't because he had never been given this amount of kindness before. If Giyuu was friends with the others, he was sure they wouldn't mind letting him talk. The thought crossed his mind frequently, and he never teared up at it, so Giyuu didn't know why he felt like crying. 

Maybe it was because Sabito said those exact words once. 

The Water Hashira looked down to hide his face. "I'll tell you one day, Uzui. I'm not ready yet."

Tengen placed his hand on Giyuu's shoulder firmly. "It's okay, Tomioka. I understand. I won't push you, either. I know how some topics can be sensitive like this."

When Giyuu looked back up to look Tengen in the eyes, he looked oddly familiar. Tengen didn't look like Tengen Uzui in this exact moment. Instead, he was a mirroring image of Sabito. Tengen was smiling reassuringly with his eyes closed. Giyuu let out a tiny but noticeable smile, enjoying the familiarity of his friend.

Tengen Uzui isn't as bad as Giyuu thought. Maybe, just maybe, it is okay for Giyuu to let his guard down. Maybe it's okay for him to have one friend. If this feeling stayed throughout his and Tengen's relationship, Giyuu didn't care that he broke the promise.