Icy Flames- Rengoku Kyojuro-Demon Slayer/ Kimetsu no Yaiba

46

In the early morning, daylight unwraps the hues of the world.

The morning sun gently shone directly onto my face sleeping face. I slightly grunted and slowly opened my eyes. Instantly, my body stiffened in protest, soreness shooting through every muscle. I looked on to the horizon to see the sunlight rouses more colors from their sleepy monochrome and, though the road still has the black look of the night, the sky is already more bluish than charcoal.

I glance upwards to see red tips blending in with my bangs. My eyes shifted over to the source to see him sleeping as peacefully as the sunrise before me. The embodiment of the moment and the eternal entwined.

The slightest movement I had made and I felt the pressure. I glanced downwards to see my left hand in Rengoku's battle-worn palm perpendicular to mine and his wrapped fingers around the back of my hand. I guess we both didn't want to leave each other's company...engrossed in each other's presence and finally accepted each other's feelings...I guess I understand why Uzui was so fixed on having me experience this emotion. It is a warm feeling...yet...we are both in a profession that will require us to watch over certain regions. His more south and mines in the north...but yet-

"I'm glad my feelings for you are requited..." he whispered breathlessly as his gaze locked into mine until his eyes flicked downwards towards my lips, and right back up to my eyes.

I turned my head away from his and focused my attention back on the moonlight, my hair, gracefully billowing in the night air. I sat down atop the pagoda peak gazing into the night sky."I have a mission east from here that will take a while to complete. As much as I would like to relish in my feelings, I need to remain focused."

He laughed loudly, startling me, and pulled me into a tight embrace, "Then I'll wait for you to return back to properly court you. For now, let's learn everything there is to know about one another."

"Court me...we just confessed to one another...how is he already hinting that he is intending to marry me!"

"Didn't Tengen tell you what he knows?" I asked with a raised eyebrow looking at him incredulously.

"He told me only me how to make my presence more known to you and how to get your attention."

"Heh, I guess you should tell me about your mother. From what you described, she seems like a woman of strong moral values."

"She was an incredible woman and she..."

He loved his mother from the way he talked to her and was beaming about her. We talked and learned about one another from why his hair colors are the way that they are, his mother, father, brother, and his goals. We must have just fallen asleep here...though, it wasn't an ideal place to sleep, to say the least.

"Ren-," I whispered until I was reduced to a blushing mess after remembering that one of our conversations was to call each other by our first names, "Kyojuro..."

The first rays of sunlight hit his face, golden petals stretched over his visage, casting him in royalty. His eyes slowly opened as the cool light of the morning highlighted all his best features.

"Caw!"

I turned my head upwards to the sky to see my Kasugai crow circling above and landing down on my shoulder.

"Uzui, Y/N is to report to headquarters before leaving out for a Hashira meeting."

"Hm."

I rose from my spot and glance down at Kyojuro as he beamed up at me, fully awake as his crow disclosed the same information to him.

"I'll see you later, Y/N," Kyojuro leaned in closer, almost nose to nose, "I wish to see you off before you leave."

My cheeks were burning at the close proximity we were in. Kyojuro continued with a grin on his face. I turned my attention away from him and jumped, vanishing into the air as a few white snowflakes blew away in the faint wind.