After making up for lost times in their peaceful sanctuary, the couple resumed their travel and arrived at the Rengoku Household. Kyojuro lead Fuyuko inside and the very first one who greeted them is a boy, that Fuyuko assumed to be Kyojuro's brother.
The boy posses the same unruly yellow hair with red tips like Kyojuro's, and the same golden-red eyes akin to flames.
The boy smiled upon seeing his brother as he yelled:
"Onii-san!" He quickly approached them.
"Senjuro!" Kyojuro beamed.
However, as Senjuro got closer, he finally noticed Fuyuko behind his brother and his happy smile slowly vanished as his expression became worried.
"So what Kaname said was true." He stated, as if asking for confirmation.
Kyojuro's smile never faltered as he nodded to his younger brother.
The boy don't disapproved his brother's marriage nor did he dislike the ice hashira. He was only worried of what will his father's reaction after telling him that his eldest son married a girl from their rivaling clan.
Even though he wasn't able to witness their rivalry, Senjuro was able to know through their ancestral books that have been passed down for generations.
He read that the history of rivalry and hate between the Kazahana and the Rengoku clans were intense in the past but the Rengoku clan slowly lost interest as the Kazahana clan showed no progress of exceeding the family of flames.
However, as long as two clans exist without a truce, rivalry is still present and he could only imagine his drunk father throwing a fit of rage.
"Fuyuko, this is Senjuro, my little brother!"
Kyojuro enthusiastically introduce as he rested his palm in the boy's shoulder.
The white-haired girl simply nodded as she stared at the boy.
"Uh... It's n-nice finally meeting you." The boy nervously stuttered as his sweat dropped.
An awkward silence then filled the atmosphere after Senjuro's reply.
"Where's father?" Kyojuro suddenly asked, breaking the short yet uncomfortable silence.
"His in his room, drinking as always." Senjuro replied a hints of sadness in his tone, as he looked up to his brother.
"A-are you sure about this, onii-san?" the boy reluctantly asked. "I fear that father will be furious."
"Don't worry." Kyojuro assured as he ruffled the boy's bright hair.
Though, deep inside, Kyojuro is nervous but he must think positively and hope for the best. His father may reject Fuyuko, even so, Kyojuro will still honor their marriage without his blessing.
With his brother's assurance, Senjuro can't help but smile and also hope for the best outcome.
"Let's go, Fuyuko." Kyojuro turned to her.
Fuyuko nodded and resumed following her husband to the long hallway, halting in front of a sliding door that Fuyuko assumed where the head of the Rengoku household reside.
"Father?" Kyojuro softly knocked on the door.
Upon hearing no reply from the other side, Kyojuro then grabbed the door.
"I'm coming in." He stated as he slowly slid the door open.
The room was spacious with open doors in the opposite side, overlooking the green garden of the estate.
A single futon is sprawled in the tatami floor, where a man is lying sideways with empty bottles of sake scattered messily near him. His back is facing the couple as he continued to ignore their presence.
The familiar stench of alcohol is present in the air and it somehow brought Fuyuko back to a dim room that overlooked the white terrain of a snowy garden.
A drunk white-haired man continued to gulp a bottle of sake as he sat in his futon while watching the gentle fall of snowflakes in the garden of dead plants.
Little Fuyuko faced the man's back with bruises and bleeding wounds as she laid on the cold floor without moving an inch.
The pain in her body is too much to bear that she just let herself stay like that for hours. With dead azure eyes she quietly watching the frost dance gracefully in the cold air before landing in the sea of white dust.
Her lips are as pale as it could be while red blood soak some part of her dirty clothes. She's like a broken doll; a puppet without a string; lifeless like a corpse, yet, alive and breathing.
"Father!?" Kyojuro called out again, enthusiastically.
With his boisterous voice, Fuyuko snapped out from her trance and proceeded to focus on the situation she is in.
"Shut up you, idiot!" The man before them yelled in anger. "I'm not deaf!"
The flame hashira smiled upon finally getting his father's attention and he immediately grabbed Fuyuko's hand as he urged her to come with him. They both stepped in the room together, and sat on the floor a meter away from the man, who still haven't faced them yet.
"Father," Kyojuro remarked, his smile never faltering. "I'm introducing you to Fuyuko, my wife."
Their was a moment of silence before the man decided to respond.
"What clan does she belong?" His father asked with a bitter tone.
"I'm a descendant of the Kazahana clan." Fuyuko immediately answered before Kyojuro could.
The man's breath hitched as he stopped halfway from drinking his alcohol.
"So what the crow said was true." He grumbled.
"Are you out of your mind, Kyojuro!" He burst out in anger, finally facing them with furious eyes.
"The conflict between the Kazahana and our clan have been going on for generations, father." Kyojuro's expression turned serious. "It's time that we should end this now and have peace."
His voice was calm and unwavering as he reasoned with his father. Unfortunately, his words only fell to deaf ears when the former flame hashira dismissed the value of his statement like a garbage.
"You idiot!" He roared, slamming hard the bottle of sake to the floor.
A sudden high-pitched noise was then heard when the bottle of sake shattered beneath the man's callous hand. Glass shards littered the floor like sharp shards of white stone accompanied by splattered alcoholic liquid that was once the content of the broken jar.
The couple didn't flinch when the large bottle suddenly shattered into pieces in front of them but it doesn't take a genius to know that they are in a bad situation.
The atmosphere is heavy, Fuyuko could feel the weight in her chest, even though she doesn't really care about what this is all about, she can't help but feel uneasy as the man before him continued to glare.
Though it wasn't fear that cause her discomfort...
Every action of the man closely resembled her father: the violence, the harsh cold voice, the alcoholic habit, and the sickening furious expression he always wore.
Fuyuko then started to feel the familiar bloodlust course through her veins like a rushing river that made her heart pound in excitement. It has been years since she felt her cold blood boil, and that is when she is the process of beheading the man who brought her to the world just to make her suffer.
This is a thirst, an obsession of her self that she tried so hard to satisfy through killing demons. But no matter how strong the demons she encountered and defeated, none of them was able replenish her hunger.
Though, as the time goes by she was able to control and hide this thirst in the deepest darkest part of her soul, because of those people who showed kindness and gratitude towards her.
And now she felt it arise from oblivion as it tried to take over her, just like it used to. She could hardly control herself as she clenched her hand into a fist trying to suppress it from grabbing her katana.
A warm gentle hand then suddenly gave her a reassuring squeeze, she haven't really realized until now that Kyojuro haven't let go of her hand yet.
Fuyuko looked at Kyojuro and she slowly felt her sense of control coming back when she met his gaze. He is also looking at her with his usual bright smile that didn't fail to somehow comfort her.
She was surprise that he was able to discern her uneasiness, even though she hardly showed any signs of discomfort.
With his hand holding her's firmly, she was rest assured.
Kyojuro then turned his attention back to his furious father, his enthusiastic smile never wavering despite their dire situation. Then he spoke:
"Our marriage may have been a coincidence but we are now husband and wife." The flame pillar proclaimed with compassion. "I will not break my vow to Fuyuko and I shall honor our marriage, no matter what's your decision, father."
His compassionate voice was calm yet powerful. Every words were full of overwhelming emotion of love and respect towards her that Fuyuko couldn't help but let the warmth melt some of the ice of her frosty heart.
Being with him is the only blessing she could ask for, and she wouldn't trade it for the world. She wished to always stay by his side and hold his warm hand until the end of time.