Gyomei

You two were very close, always walking together, training, fighting, side by side. He used to say that you were his eyes, always affectionate and protective of you, but not jealous... Not very, not to the level of Obanai. Many times, he would go to the top of a hill, this hill had a waterfall with crystal clear and clean water, and he would stay there, meditating and sometimes training. And of course you would stay with him, sometimes imitating what he did, other times training with focus. The other Hashira said you two had a brotherly friendship, others even had crushes on you, but he never paid any attention to that. It was a normal day like any other. You were together with the other Hashira: Obanai, Sanemi, Tokito, and Tomioka. "Yes, you were the only girl there." You were leaning against Gyomei, listening to the others talk. Gyomei didn't say anything either, just listening.

As the voices mingled, you felt something strange—it wasn't danger, it was… too much attention.

Sanemi stopped speaking mid-sentence and glanced quickly at you, as if he'd just remembered you were there. Obanai frowned, clearly bothered by how close you were to Gyomei. Tokito seemed distracted, but suddenly blurted out: *— *“ Are you always this quiet… or only when you’re with us?” *

• The comment landed like a stone in a lake. *

• Tomioka looked away, but he was the only one who noticed his breathing change slightly. Gyomei, still serene, tilted his head slightly in his direction, as if to say without words: “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.” *

• Silence wasn’t strange. With the Hashira, it just… existed. *

• Sanemi complained about something irrelevant, Obanai corrected every detail with that closed expression, Tokito seemed to be on another planet, and Tomioka just nodded occasionally.

He protects you. He's always with you. He respects you. And it also protects you from some... perverted Hashira. protect your innocence.