Requested by: insomnicsnowflake
Summary: you were a demon slayer, paired up with Rengoku on the Mugen Train. While at the Rengoku family grave to pay your respects, you bumped into the Wind Hashira.
A bouquet of gladiolus flowers in your hands, you silently made your way through the cemetery.
You had gotten special permission from the head of the Rengoku family to be here, and you were going to give your thanks to the man that saved you at the cost of his own life.
Reading the headstones, you stopped at the one that read 'Rengoku Kyojuro' and knelt.
You placed the flowers down, noting the iris and goldenrod flowers placed here too. You made sure your flowers weren't touching or covering any of the others.
Then, you prayed.
You hoped that despite losing an eye, Rengoku would have an easy time in 'The Other World of Heaven', and that he'd rest easy knowing you'd honor him. For him, you and the others would hunt down Uppermoon Three, and kill him.
Prayers now said, rose from your crouch and turned towards the exit.
Standing there was a person.
You started, not expecting to see a person from literally nowhere. You hadn't heard him or sensed him come in.
He gave you an awkward smile, and you relaxed. He wasn't a demon, that much was obvious by the hanging sun. And by the gold buttons on his uniform...
Holy shit, this man was a Hashira.
You gave him a quick bow, and moved to the side so he could honor his friend. He was probably angry at you for being in his way.
He moved towards you, and you could only hope he wouldn't be too upset with you.
"How did you know Rengoku-san?"
Your head shot up, and you quickly answered. "I don't, not really anyway. I was on the Mugen Train with him, and helped protect the civilians when the train crashed."
Tears filled your eyes as you remembered what had happened after that. The appearance of Uppermoon Three, the battle between the two, and your inability to help the Flame Pillar.
And his inevitable death.
"I didn't help him." you whispered, those tears now streaming down your face. "I couldn't even see what was going on until it was over."
You were useless. You could have tried to stop Akaza. Unlike Tanjiro, Inosuke, and Zenitsu, you weren't injured. But you didn't. And because of that, Rengoku Kyojuro had died.
The Hashira moved without warning, and you flinched slightly when you felt arms wrap around you. Looking up, your E/C eyes met violet, and it hit you that he was hugging you.
Not berating you for being weak, not punishing you for not stepping in when you should have. But comforting you.
Even though you could have pulled away, even though that's what the right thing would have been (because there were other people who needed comforting, who deserved it more), you didn't.
You pulled this Hashira closer, and let put your grief.
Throughout the week, kakushi had been leaving you gifts.
Not the kind you'd want to recieve. Mutilated animals with the words 'Die' or 'Failure' carved into them.
It seems the kakushi were mad about what happened with Rengoku-san. About how you hadn't helped him.
It was fine. It hurt, but it was fine. You deserved it, after all.
You might have continued living in this pitiful existence of guilt, depression, and traumatizing gifts had you not met up with the Hashira again.
This time, you introduced yourself to him, and he revealed he was the Wind Pillar. He offered to walk you home, and you accepted without thinking.
That turned out to be a bad idea, as a box was waiting on your porch when you got there.
Sensing something wrong, Sanemi opened the box before you could stop him.
A dark look overtook his features, and he asked in a low voice "Who sent these?"
You muttered the names of the kakushis who had been responsible for it, and he stalked off, taking the box with him.
The next day, rumors of kakushis being murdered with words carved into their stomachs circled the Corps.
Despite yourself, you smiled. Someone was looking put for you.
712 words
