𝐑𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐨𝐤𝐮 𝐊𝐲𝐨𝐣𝐮𝐫𝐨 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫(𝐅𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐞)
𝐑𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐁𝐲: -ASTRAVITY
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She wasn't sure when she started being self-conscious about her hands, but if she had to pinpoint a time, it would be when she noticed she had tons of scars on them.
It was obvious to everybody, especially to her, that the Flame Hashira, Rengoku Kyojuro, had immense feelings for her. Day and night without fail, he would always greet her a good morning or good night.
But what he noticed was how she often hides her hands away. She ensures nobody tries to touch them, and he would notice how hard she tries her best to keep them hidden. He remembered that her uniform used to be sleeveless.
But after one day, he noticed how the sleeves of her uniforms were long, similar to that of Muichiro so that it would hide her hands as well. Often they would go on missions, but whenever he tried to reach out to her hand, she would flinch and pull away.
And that doesn't excuse this very mission they were going on as well.
He looked at her, from the corner of his golden eyes, how she remained seated next to him. Her hands held tightly together with the sleeves covering them and he could only have the wish to hold hands with her, even if it was just for a second.
He watched as her head bobbed up and down, side to side as well due to how she was asleep next to him as they sat in the carriage where they would be on their way to their destination where demons have been sighted.
He reached out, carefully placing his warm hand onto her head, pushing it down onto his shoulder so that she wouldn't strain her neck. His golden eyes remained on her hands then as he placed his warm hand on the top of it.
Where she soon woke up with a start as she flinched, pulling her hands away as she shifted, sitting on the other side of the carriage instead. Her eyes looked at Kyojuro, who blinked his golden eyes in response, unsure of what to say.
"A-Ah, gomen, Rengoku-san," she whispered out and Kyojuro could only smile gently at her reaction as he motioned for her to come closer. She hesitantly shifted back to her original position then and quickly pulled her sleeves down as she held her hands tightly together.
She could only frown as she felt the scars on her hands then, yet, Kyojuro continued to look at her with a gentle smile on his face.
"Why are you afraid of people seeing or touching your hands?" he asked, and watched as [name] shook her head in response then, deciding not to answer and Kyojuro could only smile.
Deciding not to probe further.
.
.
"This must be the place," [name] whispered out as she looked at the map which she was holding with her sleeves. Kyojuro then peeked over her shoulders, and he couldn't help but want to pull her into a hug as her scent invaded his senses, but he had to restrain himself from doing so.
"You can sleep first, I'll keep watch," [name] mumbled out, and Kyojuro was about to protest, only to have her turning to look at him with a gentle smile, causing him to shut up in response. The duo then entered the small estate that they had to perform the stakeout in and soon unloaded their belongings.
Two futons were placed side by side each other, and [name] dropped her stuff. She then proceeded to leave the room, and Kyojuro could only watch as she sat on the patio of the room they were in.
How she continued to ensure her hands were well-kept hidden, where she turned to look at Kyojuro once more with a smile on her face.
"I'll be heading out first," she pointed out and Kyojuro nodded his head in response as he watched her disappear. He chuckled softly to himself as he sat on the patio, deciding to wait for [name]'s return from her patrol.
"The demon must be pretty strong then..." she whispered out as she continued to walk through the town. Her eyes then widened when she noticed the men in the town were all wearing a bag of wisteria flowers, and [name] could only stare in confusion.
"Then why is it that we are needed here?" [name] thought to herself, and her eyes widened once more as she realized that one man in the district had not a single bag of wisteria flower on him.
Her heart pounded hard against her chest as she realized something was awfully off about the mission they were deployed on, and she quickly turned and ran back to the small estate, realizing that Kyojuro could be the demon's next target.
She ran and her blood ran cold when she could hear the sound of a demon getting louder as she continued to run. She whipped her nichirin blade out as she noticed the figure of the demon hopping through the trees, and [name] soon she managed to grab hold of the demon.
"Let go of me, you bitch! I smell a tasty man!" she spat out and [name] narrowed her eyes slightly as she yanked the demon by the back of her head with ease, using her strength did she stomp the demon down to the ground.
"No way you are getting near Rengoku-san," she whispered out as she pinned the demon down onto the ground, kneeing her in the stomach harshly. The demon cried out in pain as [name] held her nichirin blade in her hands. She then stood up as she used her foot to hold down the demon.
Only to have her eyes widened as the sleeves of her uniform were ripped to shreds with ease. She pressed her lips into a fine thin line as she got distracted and was soon seen crashing against one of the tree harshly, where her arms were scrapped once again.
"Breath of Flames, First Form: Unknowing Fire!" and [name] watched as Kyojuro charges towards the demon at high speed and decapitated her in one slash that burns the flesh of the demon.
And she watched as the demon's head had fallen off from her body, and how it started to disappear after the fearsome attack from the Flame Hashira. [name] then pressed her lips into a fine thin line then as she noticed how Kyojuro was looking at her.
And she quickly turned to run away, not wanting him to look at her skin. She was about to take off running, only to have Kyojuro reaching out and pulling her by the arm. She was forcefully turned to look at him, and she noticed his gentle gaze.
Removing his haori did he drape it over her shoulders and secured it so that it would cover her body. He smiled as he placed an arm around her shoulder, guiding her back to the house where they were supposed to perform a stakeout, that was now no longer necessary.
"You are wounded," Kyojuro spoke out as he made [name] sit on the patio and he was about to lift his haori off from her shoulders, only to have her stopping him in response. She shook her head vigorously then as she tried to stop him, but to her horror did he lift his haori up with ease, throwing it to the side.
His golden eyes laid upon the numerous scars she had on her hands, followed up to her arms as well. He could only have a gentle smile on his face as he noticed how [name] was trying to hide the scars away.
"D-Don't look, they are ugly," she whispered out and her eyes widened as Kyojuro placed his warm hands on either side of her face, turning her head to face him. He planted a kiss on her lips, causing her face to flush red and he placed his forehead against hers.
"They are not ugly. They are heroic scars that show you have been fighting for the right thing in life," he pointed out and [name] shook her head then, as if telling Kyojuro that she didn't believe what he had said.
"I love you [name]," he spoke out and planted a kiss on her forehead, followed by her cheeks, her nose and then her lips. She watched as he lifted her hands up, and planted kisses on them, kissing every scar visible or were faint-looking.
"And I'll love all your scars as well," he whispered out.
And upon the palms of [name]'s hands, his [name] was written by the kisses he planted onto them. Showing that he loves every bit of her skin no matter the condition they were in. No matter they were rough or soft, full of scars or not.
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𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐧𝐝