Kyojuro was speechless. Was Muzan aware he had sent him and him alone to this area? Was that even part of the plan? Was there even a plan to begin with?
Without thinking, his feet carried him towards the girl, noticing the golden necklace that she held in her hands, tracing the outline of the shape, not noticing he was there. As he got closer, his fears suddenly became more of a reality.
Slowly approaching, he placed his fingers under her chin, feeling the cool liquid the still dripped down. He lifted her head, gasping lightly at the blood that soaked her face, immediately moving to undo the rope that held her in place, her face falling into his chest as they loosened.
He held her close for a moment, listening to the quiet yet raspy breathing. "You're... so warm..." she whispered, Kyojuro chuckling lightly before pulling her onto his back. He still needed to help the others.
"Don't worry, (Y/N). I won't let them hurt you any further!" He spoke cautiously.
(Y/N) smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I know... Kyojuro... sorry... for being useless."
Kyojuro stopped running at those words, craning his neck to see her soft smile and eyes still gazing at him. "You've done more than any of us, (Y/N), don't say you're useless. You've been through more than any of us could even imagine." He reasoned softly. She gave a weak nod before closing her eyes, her breath slightly tickling his neck.
He quickly ran towards the other areas the pillars and other corp members were dropped off at. The first one they came across was Douma, Shinobu already engaged in battle.
"Oh~! I see you've found our little toy! Poor thing sure has been through a lot~!" Douma called, Shinobu turning her gaze towards Kyojuro and (Y/N).
"Rengoku-"
"She's okay... I think- I'm not really sure, but focus on your fight-" he shouted back, completely unsure of what to do. Protect (Y/N)? Or help the others?
A soft, bloody, hand touched his cheek, pulling his attention towards (Y/N)'s face, a soft kiss landing on his cheek. "Help Shinobu-san..." she encouraged, knowing he would debate his options until someone ended up dead.
With much reluctance, Kyojuro laid her back on the ground with a passionate kiss, moving to help Shinobu in killing the demon. "Ah~ she always did spit fire, that girl! I can see why she's a pillar!" Douma tilted his head with an irritated smile, "I almost ripped her tongue out at some point, though! It's a shame, really. Someone so pretty should have had a better fate than this one. I pleaded for Muzan-sama to let her stay with me forever, but he told me he physically needed her. Too bad~"
(Y/N) let out a pained grunt as she went to stand up, feeling Kokushibo. A worried expression plastered on her face as she stumbled, walking slowly to where she felt him and a few others fighting.
'I have to save them, or Michikatsu, will end up killing someone again- I can't let that happen-' she winced as her hand flew up to her shoulder, but she kept fumbling around, somehow getting away from the room Douma spent his time fighting in.
She was determined to save Kokushibo, it is what Yoriichi wanted. It's what she wanted. If he killed again, he would only gain more regret.
"Michikatsu...-san..." she whispered, falling once again.
She felt warm hands touch her face, pulling her close as they began running in the direction she was walking. "You sure do know how to get yourself in trouble, (Y/N)!" She heard Sabito's voice. "Giyuu and Tanjiro are going to find Shinobu and Rengoku, so don't worry about them. Me and you are going to help Tokito and the others." He informed, (Y/N) nodding slowly.
She could hear the damage already, each memorable sound infiltrating her ears causing her to flinch. It wasn't long before Sabito placed her on the ground, blocking an attack.
She saw, through her somewhat blurry vision, Kokushibo raise his sword towards Sabito. "Your name. What is your name?" He asked in a stoic tone, about to ask another question before he stopped, watching (Y/N) grip Sabito's shoulder, helping her stand.
Everyone had stopped their attacks momentarily, allowing (Y/N) to easily stumble towards him, placing her hand on his cheek. "Stop... you're not happy..." she whispered, her knees giving out as Kokushibo wrapped his arms around her to stop her fall. "You have... two choices, Michikatsu-san..."
"Stop talking, you're only wasting your energy on me. I can't be saved like you think."
She shook her head, Kyojuro appearing from beside Sabito who stopped him from attacking the demon who held (Y/N). "You're... wrong... two choices... you have two..."
Kyojuro raised his brow at Sabito who filled him in on what he had witnessed so far. "What are they, you seem quite adamant about me being happy."
She weakly smiled, "You could... go see Yoriichi in the after life... or you could grow old and experience new things in life... atone for your sins in that time..." she hesitated before speaking again. "You could be by my side and learn to care again..."
Kyojuro couldn't help but feel somewhat jealous, and went to walk towards her, only for Kokushibo to turn his attention to the flame Hashira. He pointed his sword towards the strange man, "you. Are you Rengoku Kyojuro?" Kokushibo asked making him pause in confusion. "Is that your name carved in her necklace?" His eyes widened.
"How did you know about that?"
"So you are. Very well. You should know she never lost faith in you, so go fight and win. For her sake."
Kyojuro shook his head, "I'm not leaving her again."
"I'll watch over her, like I have been for the past three weeks." Kyojuro went to refuse again, only for (Y/N) to shake her head. Sanemi, Gyomei, Tokito, and Genya had already left, only leaving Kyojuro, Sabito, and (Y/N). "You have a necklace similar to hers?" Kokushibo broke the tense silence, Kyojuro gulping and nodding in response. "Do you trust her?"
"Of course I do, with my life." He spoke without hesitation.
Kokushibo closed his eyes with a hum, "Do you trust her with her own life?" His questioned stunned the Flame Hashira, his eyes lowering slowly to meet (Y/N)'s (e/c) orbs. He gave another, slow, nod realizing he hadn't thought about it like that. He could depend on her for his own life, but would she even take into consideration hers?
(Y/N) chuckled lightly, "Hey, flame boy, go kick some ass for me, will ya?" She choked out, hoping to raise his mood into the fighting spirit he had earlier.
A smile formed on his lips as he walked towards the duo, Sabito waiting at the entrance. "Of course, love." He kissed her forehead, caressing her wounded cheek softly before pecking her on the lips. "I'll be back, so don't do anything reckless until then, okay? Promise me you won't do anything that will endanger your life." Kyojuro pleaded.
(Y/N) softly shook her head, "You should smile more in a situation like this, it really raises the spirits of your comrades. A smile like yours is sure to help your friends feel safe, Kyojuro. You're like the sun itself, so go shine and burn that motherfucker until he's dead." She smirked and gave the nervous man a tight hug, not wanting to let go. "Just be safe, okay?"
"Are you doubting the power of the pillars and our trained successors?" He asked, jokingly, being pulled away by Sabito, who gave a serious expression.
"The others are still fighting, we need to go." He spoke quickly, pulling the unwilling Kyojuro out of the room by the collar of his uniform.
It was the first time (Y/N) had realized the full extent of her injuries, wincing and closing her eyes tightly. When it subsided, she looked around the room taking notice of the crumbled pillars and the rubble that surrounded them.
Kokushibo leaned against one of the unbroken pillars, pushing the hair away from (Y/N) face before wiping some of the blood away to see her pale skin. "Two choices, huh." He spoke blankly, thinking about the options. "How would I grow old if I'm a demon?"
She shook her head, "You won't be a demon, you'll be a human. That is, if you want that." Her smile caused him to raise a brow and sigh in defeat.
"Alright, then. What do you want?" His plain voice was replaced by genuine curiosity.
She thought for a moment, "I just want you to be happy, whether that's with us or Yoriichi-san. But..." she paused, "I wouldn't mind you staying with us."
Kokushibo gave a nod and waited for the demon slayers to come back for their missing pillar. "I'm okay with that."
She smiled and closed her eyes, deciding to take a well needed and deserved rest... would the fight be done by the time she woke up? Who knows, both Muzan and the corps members were unpredictable on their own way.
A/N: I wanted to have more Kyojuro in this chapter, but this is how it turned out 😅🤣 hope you enjoyed~