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

55

Instantly, I reappeared in front of the residence I was staying at.

Even at night, the wisteria held a beautiful amethyst glow. As much as I would love to gaze at the long-lived vining plant with cascades of purple flowers that had illuminations that bloom like a light lavender-colored flower storm, I knew I had to hurry inside.

Swiftly but quietly, I opened the mansion's door. Slowly taking steps inside the abode.

As I closed it, I quickly disappeared once again, reappeared in my room, and, hid in the closet. I was quaking and sweating with both fear and sadness as I heard a pair of zori creak the floorboards from outside the room. As I pulled my knees up, I could feel the tears stream slightly down my face.

"Yet a newfound weakness has presented itself."

Was I really that vulnerable? Was I really seen as weak for allowing myself to feel, for opening up to someone and letting them see the parts of me that I used to hide from everyone else, and for building bridges instead of walls.

I pressed my forehead against my knee and looked down at the floor watching the tears pool underneath.

"Y/N? Are you here?" Rengoku beamed with a quizzical tone from the shoji to my room. The way his voice rang loudly and filled my heart with butterflies and yet broke my heart.

I knew...I just knew that Rengoku was the one walking outside my room. When it came to his senses, they had grown super sharp since our first mission together. Slowly I brought my hand to my mouth to minimize my breathing sounds even more or even distort it.

I slowly brought my head up and looked through the slit of the wooden doors of the closet. There stood his faint shadow standing outside of my room; yet, out of respect, he didn't enter.

"Y/N?" He called out once more, a bit solemnly.

Breathing in slowly, every muscle tensed.  I couldn't have him hear my breath, the sense of a Hashira was beyond human. It was possible that he remembered my breathing patterns, therefore, I couldn't blow my cover.

"It has been seven going on eight months and still no word from her...yet her bird reports she is alive," he mumbled.

"Rengoku?" Another sound called out.

"Baa-Chan ..." I thought to myself.

"A-ah, apologizes for the intrusion," Rengoku said solemnly while bowing towards the elder, "I just thought that Y/N had returned from her mission..."

"I know you miss her but she will be back soon," the woman comforted, "if you like, you can stay the night."

"Of course!" Rengoku shouted, "it would be a bit easier for me to do Y/N chores in her absence."

"He was doing my chores?" I questioned.

I continued to focus on the situation and looked to see that he turned his body. From the slight movements of his flame haori, I can tell that he had focused his attention back on my room.

"Just return safely Y/N...I still didn't get the chance to properly court you yet."

He turned and slowly walked away and walked off. Slowly, I opened the door of the closet and grabbed an outfit. As swiftly as I had come here, I had left the wisteria mansion. Staying here with him was going to force me to talk to him.

I sighed looking back at the mansion. Once a peaceful abode that took my mind away from many things, was holding the one thing my mind was going berserk over. So many emotions were processing at once - anger, sadness, fear, dread, frustration -I just couldn't processes it all and being here wasn't going to help.

A breathless laugh broke my thoughts. I instantly scowled at the sound knowing damn well who it was.

"Why are you playing Kakurenbo with him?" Tengen jeered. I internally ludicrously scoff and shake my head but give no further acknowledgment to his question and walk off.

"I don't have the patience for idle conversations."

"Something happened on the mission..." Tengen pushed, "For you to come back and avoid Rengoku again after confessing your feelings for him...something definitely happened on that mission."

I raised an eyebrow and looked at him incredulously.

"Oh, maybe you caught Rengoku with the new girl-"

Before he can move or think, I moved to grasp his throat and lifts him off the ground. Though we never met eye to eye due to his height, I noticed his feet dangled centimeters off the ground. With both his hands, he grabbed onto my wrist that is wrapped around his throat and used a fraction of his strength to ease his breathing. He wasn't going to fight me because he knew he was on to something but from the small jolt of surprise that shivered down his body, I knew he was surprised. This was the first time, I was able to subdue him.

"Sometimes, I question why your wives don't have you on a tighter leash...and then remember that our clan values a man's opinion over a woman's and she is solely there to be a wife and to produce offspring," I began, "Tell me Tengen, for a person who advocated for his wives to value themselves before the mission and go against their teachings as a kunoichi-should I submit myself and my feelings to Kyojuro and have my enemies use it to their advantage."

Tengen didn't do much but only glared at my figure as my focus remain on the ground.

"Maybe you should have gone on with your original thoughts in exterminating the Uzui clan," I chuckled darkly, "Then I wouldn't have to live to learn these troublesome feelings."

I released my grasp and he landed on his feet.

"I cannot afford myself to submit to such trivial feelings," I answered.

"It seems to be more than that.

Tengen brought his hand to his throat and massage the soreness.

Though it is dark the moon offers some lighting and I can see the large trees reaching skywards from a distance. I felt shivers a little. It has nothing to do with the temperature considering that in this region, it was quite warm.

"I am leaving this region once again."

I walked away from Tengen, "I am meeting with the master so I can get a head start away from this place."

"You are only running because of the fact that you saw him with another woman." Uzui pointed out.

"It's more than that," I responded bluntly, "I have felt my heart drop to my stomach way too many times and honestly it has felt more worst than the wounds inflicted on me when I battle against the demons. Besides, he looked happier with her."

Uzui only sighed knowing my resolve but also out of frustration.

"I don't know what happened on your mission aside from what the muscle mice told me but as much as you want to run from your feelings," Uzui began, "Rengoku, will not allow it. I am unsure of a lot of things about the future, but the one thing I'm sure of is that Rengoku is set on having a future with you and his resolve never wavers when he believes strongly in something or wants to attain it."