Flame Scarlet
The garden of the Rengoku Estate was painted white with snow on that fateful day. In the dead of night, the family had gathered, their deep orange hakama over their bright red kimonos: The same outfit their family had worn for generations during the ceremony. The one person standing out was the eldest son, who was wearing a white haori with red and orange flames dancing down the bottom.
The area was silent: Animals hibernated due to the cold season while the men were quiet, as the proper procedure demanded. The new swordsman was in the front, followed by his brother and father walking side-by-side.
Arriving at the family sanctuary, Kyojuro Rengoku kneeled, his actions being copied by his family a few seconds after. Taking in hand his newly forged katana -his very own weapon to behead demons- and raising it over his head as he bowed, he quietly spoke:
"Oh, ancestors above, oh, people who brought me here today. May my strength, my wits and my dedication prove enough for the spirit to accept me."
After presenting himself to the sleeping spirit, he unsheathed his blade, watching as the grey metal turned vermillion, a flame pattern running down its length.
The boy breathed out quietly, a relieved sigh at the sight of his blade proving he was worthy. He bowed once more at the sanctuary before putting away his katana, attaching it on his side where it now belonged.
He stood and approached the door of the building, sending a glance over his shoulder. Kyojuro's brother's nervous smile was reciprocated with a wide grin from the elder brother. His father, on the other side, could only send him a glare for having peeked, though the swordsman quickly brushed it off. He was used to it anyway.
Finally, he entered the sanctuary, closing the door behind him as quietly as he could. He didn't want to wake the spirit up preemptively.
He looked at the pond sitting at the center of the room, a warm light emitting from it. His feet shuffled as he made his way towards it, surprised at the warmth of the room despite it being the middle of winter.
Through the water, he saw the scarlet flames of the spirit, pulsing slowly like the heartbeat of a sleeping person. He stared at it curiously for a few seconds, fascinated. Never in his life had he seen a spirit from so close before, much less fire underwater.
He breathed slowly before bringing his hand over the water. He then paused, unsure. How was he supposed to wake the spirit without scaring it? He didn't want the curse to fall upon him, as he wouldn't be able to be a swordsman if he got sick from poison or burned with fire. If he didn't get to become a Slayer, how would he protect those who cannot protect themselves?
Shaking his fears off, he took a deep breath. He needed to do this before the spirit woke up on its own, in which case all of his efforts until would become worthless.
He let his fingers dip into the pond, sending wrinkles onto the water's surface, before submerging his entire hand, palm facing down. As he slowly moved his hand from side to side, he watched, captivated, as the spirit started doing the same. The pulse grew quicker as it danced under the water until the spirit approached the pond's surface. As it faced Rengoku's palm, it stopped.
The young man did the same, ceasing to move his hand, wondering what would happen next. Soon, he felt a strong yet comforting warmth as his hand changed direction until it cupped water into his palm. Taking it as a success, he carefully brought the water to his lips and drank.
The water felt warm, comforting. He closed his eyes, feeling his body become engrossed with the same sentiment: a sentiment of safety. The feeling soon washed away, leaving a soft warmth in his bloodstream, and he opened his eyes once more.
He stood fully and unsheathed his blade once more. He admired the red flames dancing across the originally barren flame motif of his blade before bowing to it, thanking the spirit for accepting to help him in his future battles.
A soft voice replied in his mind, so quiet he wasn't sure if he imagined it, "It is my pleasure."
He exited the sanctuary, seeing his father and brother still kneeling in the snow, and flashed them a bright smile. Senjuro smiled back, a grin almost as big as his older brother's (which is quite the feat). His father huffed and started walking back towards the mansion, and Kyojuro took it as a good sign.
The family feasted that night on a large meal celebrating both Kyojuro's start as a demon slayer and the spirit's presence by his side. The dinner was silent, yet the eldest son was content: he was going to follow his family's legacy, and protect the weak as his mother had asked him to. It was his role as the strong one to defend those who can't protect themselves after all.
His crow had announced his first mission earlier that day, and he was expected to leave in the early morning despite the dinner having ended at a late hour. After all, he only got to go to bed hours past midnight.
Despite his excitement regarding the upcoming day, the soft warmth in his body allowed him to fall asleep the moment he got into bed.
"It's time to wake up," a voice called out.
Kyojuro cracked an eye open, seeing the soft early morning rays of light dance through his window. Getting out of bed, he stretched eagerly despite the lack of sleep weighing him down. He figured he'd just have to eat a big breakfast to restore the energy he'd need for the day.
Heading out into the kitchen, he picked up various ingredients and cooked himself a copious meal, cleaning up after himself as he went along. He ate quickly, seeing his crow waiting for him out the window, and shouted an "I'm heading out!" before leaving the estate, his home, for who knows how long.
Only when he was miles away from his house did he notice no one had replied to his call, and no one seemed to even be awake.
Who had woken him up in the first place? He paused his brisk walk, confused. He didn't see anyone awake in the estate, and both his brother's and his father's room doors were closed. If they were both still sleeping, who had woken him up?
"Oh, that was me, sorry if it startled you," a voice spoke up hesitantly.
He jumped, turning around to face... nothing. He looked at his surroundings, trying to find out who had spoken. It wasn't his crow, as its voice was much creakier. The voice, on the other side, sounded like a warm cup of tea on a cold winter day, like the soothing song of nature on a long summer night. This voice was so kind, it lowered his guard when he heard it, not even questioning its existence.
"Who are you?" His voice boomed through the empty snow-filled fields surrounding him. His hand gripped onto his sword, high on guard.
There was a pregnant pause before the voice replied: "I... We bonded yesterday, I thought you were aware of it..."
Kyojuro frowned, confused, yet the grip he had on his hilt lessened. His father had never told him of the spirit... talking.
The voice hummed, "it seems I'll have to tell you who I am."
The slayer felt a warmth seeping through his hand, inticing him to unsheathe his sword. He stared at the blade, which was envellopped into a crimson fire. He stared, fascinated, as it grew into a head, followed by a torso. Two arms popped through its side, forming a humanoid shape if you ignore the lack of legs.
"I am (L/n) (Y/n), the spirit of flame. By drinking from my pond, I have become part of you as you of me. We are meant to be together until death or until I see you unfit for me. Though, as long as you keep your fighting spirit alive, I will stay by your side."
Beautiful was the only word that could come to Kyojuro's mind at that moment. Everything about this spirit was majestic. Their voice, their values, their beauty.
"Then, I promise to never let my fighting spirit die down! I will hone it to perfection!" His voice echoed through the scenery, "do you promise to never leave me?"
"I do," (Y/n) replied, "and spirits don't ever break promises."
The spirit's face was so fierce yet so delicate. It looked so human, yet once in a while Kyojuro would see a blaze escaping their body, the flame disappearing into nothingness soon after. The face of an entity that has lived for longer than the world itself, yet decided to settle down with his ancestors for some reason.
Kyojuro could only beam at the spirit's reply. It had been no problem for him to promise to keep his battle spirit strong, as he had never even considered backing down from a fight.
The spirit's arm rose up, caressing his cheek softly with a softness and warmth he had longed for since his mother's death, before disappearing back into his katana.
Kyojuro's walk towards what would be his first mission now had a spring to it, his happiness seeping through his movements.
He arrived into the forest in the dead of the night. His crow had announced he was at his destination as he stepped into the woods, and Kyojuro couldn't help but find the place weirdly beautiful for a demon's hideout. A man-made path danced through the trees, inticing him to follow it. Lovely flowers sourrounded the area, creating a scenery you wouldn't associate with the home of a demon.
It took him a few minutes to reach a clearing, but when he did, he knew he was at the right place. Bodies of fallen slayers littered the ground, a demon in the form of an old man sitting calmly in the middle of it, his hands together in his sleeves.
The corpses were horrendous, organs sucked out and countless wounds drawn onto their body. Their limbs were mangled together in a messed up artform, and as Kyojuro's eyes glided over the scene, he noticed a small boy hiding the the arms of a fallen soldier.
Kyojuro saw in the victims some of the slayers he had passed the final selection with, and his stomach churned. It reminded him of some of his father's words: "The people who die are often the people you last shared a meal with."
"Stay calm," the now familiar voice of the spirit spoke up, "don't let it get to you." He breathed in and out, making sure to stay grounded.
The demon suddenly started chuckling as it appeared to count its ulterior victims, making Kyojuro's eyes fall onto him.
"A single slayer won't be enough," it scoffed. The slayer's eyes hardened as he focused on the demon that had killed so many of his comrades. Without hesitation, he took out his sword and sent a large horizontal slash at the demon, fire dancing around the scene as he did so.
The demon jumped away, taking out a flute. As the creature brought it to its lips to start playing, Kyojuro instinctively covered his ears, blocking out any sounds it might make. Smoke escaped the instrument as the demon played, soon taking the form of two dogs.
"My flute paralyzes anyone who hears it," the demon explained. It watched, amused, as Kyojuro dodged the dogs' attacks one after the other while covering his ears.
This slayer was at checkmate, as all of the other before had been at this point.
"Life is a series of event," Kyojuro thought, "where you don't have unlimited actions or unlimited time to think."
The spirit hummed in reply, knowing this wasn't the end of their bond's statement.
"But, what you choose to do defines what kind of person you are," he dodged another one of the dogs' endless attacks, "and for the slayers that died here before, they decided to stay and protect the child.
"Not for praise," Kyojuro slashes the dog in front of him, making the demon's eyes widen in surprise "not for a rank in the Demon Slaying Corps," Rengoku jumps at the demon, slashing its neck with a large ring of fire, "But for the people they swore to protect."
As the demon's head fell to the ground, it finally noticed the dead soldier's hand forming strange shapes, the words of a silent language: words depicting its abilities to any person that might stumble across it.
(L/n) (Y/n), at that moment, couldn't be prouder of the person they were helping. Quick thinking, vast knowledge and passion for his work was what made Rengoku win this battle, despite the damage he received. Reading his comrades' words, he quickly made sure to render his sense of hearing to nothingness to avoid getting affected by the demon's blood demon art.
"I hope to one day be as honourable as you," Rengoku bowed to the fallen soldiers as blood dripped down his ears, his eardrums throbbing with pain. He ignored it, instead heading towards the child.
At that moment, the spirit just wanted to say "you already are," yet they knew Rengoku wouldn't agree, so they kept the thought to themselves.
From then on, Kyojuro and (Y/n)'s relationship only got thicker and thicker. The spirit soon enough got comfortable enough to guide Rengoku through his battles, telling him what move he should use next or what attack what incoming.
They laughed, they cried, and they stayed at each other's side the whole way through (not that Rengoku had much of a choice). It didn't take long for Kyojuro to become a Hashira, taking the place of a pillar in the heart of the Demon Slaying Corporation.
One day, news of a boy breaking the rules and travelling with a demon was brought to him by his crow as his presence was requested at the Ubuyashiki estate.
"How stupid to break such a basic rule," the spirit commented as they ran to their destination.
"Very foolish indeed! I wonder why he wasn't killed immediately!"
(L/n) hummed, "The leader must have a reason for this. He seemed aware of the situation if he averted the demon's immediate death..."
The scenery soon changed to a forest of wisteria, indicating they had almost reached their destination.
"Tomioka too! I heard he prevented Shinobu from killing the demon!"
They arrived into the garden after that final comment, seeing a few other Hashiras already sitting there. What caught their attention, though, was the young slayer on the ground. He seemed to have fainted due to the numerous injuries littering his body, though Rengoku didn't feel bad about it: this boy had broken sacred rules after all.
The boy woke up, and (Y/n) observed as all of the hashiras gave out their opinions, Kyojuro adding his own grain of salt. Soon enough, Shinaguzawa arrived with the demon in question, and the spirit couldn't help but notice the innocent aura the creature gave out: she had no blood on her hands.
When the boy, Kamado Tanjiro, called out she hadn't killed anyone, (Y/n) was quick to agree and tell Kyojuro so. Even so, mixed feelings towards the situation remained: could they trust a demon to fight against their own kind without backstabbing the Demon Slayer Corps?
In the end, as the trial ended with the boy, the demon and Tomioka not receiving any punishment, Kyojuro and his spirit both decided to go along with it and harbor no hard feelings towards them. The display Shinaguzawa had shown proved the demon could resist even to marechi blood, so there was no reason to bare hate to them.
As the young Kamado left the scene, the Hashiras and their leader headed into the building for their next task: The Hashira meeting. One of the young slayers present on Mount Natagumo was there to report on what had happened. The poor boy, Murata, seemed terrified, not that anyone would blame him: being indirectly insulted by Hashiras in your own face must've given him an agited ride of emotions.
"Now that this is over," Kyojuro exclaimed as he and his companion left the headquarters, "let's get some food!"
(L/n) (Y/n) was quick to agree despite not needing to eat themselves: there was nothing funnier than the poor patron's faces as Rengoku shouted "TASTY" at the top of his lungs as he ate. And (Y/n)? They were used to it. At this point, they were pretty sure Rengoku had gotten permanent hearing damage from his first mission, although he always refused to get his ears checked by Kochou no matter how many times they asked.
It didn't take long for them to reach Osaka, where Rengoku's favourite restaurant resided. As the brightly haired man entered, a few usual customers paled and quickly scarfed down their meals, heading to the owner to pay. The Flame Pillar took no notice of this as he approached his usual seat in a corner behind a screen, where his friend could come out without people freaking out.
(L/n) watched, amused, as the owner's husband sighed before putting on his best customer service smile and approaching the table.
"The usual, Rengoku-san?"
"Of course! Add a bottle of sake to that, too!"
"Sure!"
As the man headded back to the kitchen, (L/n) took form, looking almost human unless you stared at them for too long. "So you're getting drunk tonight, huh?" They placed their elbow on the table, their head leaning on their palm.
A smile etched their lips while Rengoku beamed back, nodding eagerly. "We're getting drunk! I'm gonna win this time!"
They laughed and went over pointless topics as they waited for his order, the latter soon arriving. The owners, used to (L/n) appearing out of nowhere and hiding behind the screen, waved at them before placing two glasses on the table. Oh, and the many, many plates of sweet potatoes.
"Double the sake order, chief!" (L/n) gave a wide smile, ignoring Rengoku's protest in the background about 'him having to pay' or something. I mean, look at how much he eats, a bottle or two more won't do much to his already incredible check.
The owner and her husband quickly agreed, leaving the table to get the rest of Rengoku's order along with our sake.
Kyojuro's grumbling soon got replaced with loud "TASTY!" shouts echoing through the now mostly empty restaurant, making (L/n) laugh loudly at some of the few mortified faces she could see through the screen. They for sure understood why everyone had left by now. Poor newcomers...
At this point in time, (L/n) was positive the only reason the owners hadn't banned them was because of the amount of food Rengoku ordered (and paid for), which was probably as much as a week's worth of business. The headache they most likely had during those nights was probably worth it. Probably.
As Kyojuro dug through his meal(s), (Y/n) stealing a few pieces here and there, they started sharing their drinks. One by one, they got the liquid down their throats. (L/n) poked fun of Kyojuro's increasingly red nose and cheeks. When liquor got to him, somehow, he would speak even louder.
The spirit honestly didn't know how a human could make so much noise. They squinted their eyes at their partner as he shouted "TASTY" between every other word in his stentence, the usage of the word even more frequent when he got tipsy.
And (L/n)? Unaffected by the alcohol, no matter how much they drank (and despite Kyojuro's ambition to prove otherwise). But through alcohol came the most interesting discussions.
"And then...." Kyojuro paused, searching for his words through his fuzzy mind, "And then the TASTY!" he blinked, taking a bite of his food once more, "the urbanisation of rural areas, it's... it's making my home TASTY!, my home town is not the same as it was when I was a kid.... you know?"
He swallowed his bite, immediately putting another piece of sweet potato into his mouth. When alone with (Y/n) (if we ignore the owners and everyone in a kilometre radius hearing his voice) and drunk, he allowed himself such bad manners as talking with his mouth full. Once in a while, he'd take another shot of sake, his complaints about buying one more bottle completely out the window considering the many empty bottles surrounding the table.
(L/n) chuckled, "I sure would know, considering-" "TASTY!" "- I've been in Japan for millenias."
The flame pillar nodded eagerly, about to put another bite in his already full mouth, when he suddenly stopped. Silently, he put his fork down and swallowed his bite.
'Ooh no...' (L/n) thought to themselves, 'here comes the drunk Kyojuro.'
"(Y/n)..." he started, looking straight into the spirit's eyes, "I've been meaning to ask this for a while."
'I wonder what it will be about this time...' (L/n) nodded at his words, bracing themselves. Drunk Kyojuro can range from the most serious (and ready to behead demons) person to the dumbest brat alive. There was no in between.
"Why..." The man looked up thoughtfully, "Why are you my family's protector? And if so, why do you kill the unworthy? If you don't like it, why have you never left us? You said it yourself, you've been here for millenias... and with our families for centuries."
The spirit's head buzzed. Out of everything the man could've said, this wasn't what they were expecting. After all, they couldn't read each other's minds when the spirit was fully out in the world. Noticing they had been silent for a while, and that their bond was waiting for an answer, they simply replied "It's a pretty long story..."
Kyojuro nodded, ready to hear it all. Of course he was ready. Drunk Kyojuro is ready for anything, ranging from killing demons to painting his nails with Uzui. (Both of those had happened in the past, and the spirit still hadn't forgotten the effort it took to get Kyojuro to bed when he was dead set on going out on missions. On the other side, there was no harm in letting him paint his nails with Uzui, and the flame Hashira seemed rather pleased with the results the next morning.)
"Well..." Putting their thoughts together, the spirit paused, ignoring Rengoku slowly eating as he kept his eyes on them (as if going more slowly made his actions unseeable). "A long, long time ago, I met one of your ancestors. Rengoku Kujitsuru, that was his name. He was a wealthy man, well known in the area for his great swordsmanship.
"At the time, I lived at the heart of Mount Fuji, and I'd come out once a year with my fire sprites to awknowledge the festival held in place for us. For that one night, fire and humans cohabited together, sharing those memories through food and drinks and dancing. We taught the Hinokami Kagura to anyone willing to learn and promised to keep the locals safe from Mount Fuji's wrath in exchange for their offerings.
"One of those years, I met Kujitsuru. He was prodly presented to me by the villagers, and they said he had the greatest offering of all to give me. The thing he handed me..." I glanced at the cloth on Kyojuro's shoulders, "was the haori you're wearing."
The flame pillar looked down at his clothing piece, surprised. He knew it was a ceremonial outfit, given to the new slayers from generation to generation, but he had never known it once belongued to the spirit. "Let me guess, you two fell in love and you swore to protect your descendents?"
"No, far from that." Kyojuro let out a quiet "oh" in response, not expecting such a distasteful reply from (L/n)'s part.
"He tricked me. I accepted the gift and wore it for the rest of the night. That same night, once I was back home with my sprite friends, he stole it back." Upon seeing Kyojuro's confused stare, the spirit continued, "taking something that belongs to a spirit obliges them to stay by their side.
"So, I challenged him. If anyone of his family was worthy of me, it would obligate me to stay by their side. If they weren't, I would be allowed to poison or burn them. A life for a life, an equal deal, was sealed."
By this time, (drunk) Kyojuro was captivated by the story, not willing to interrupt despite seeming ready to bounce and shout something along the lines "justice".
"We agreed to test his worthiness in a fight. He won. And so, with every generation, I've tested the swordsmen to see if they were people I would actually want to be around. Otherwise, if they annoyed me or were too selfish or too weak, I'd render them useless and go back in my pond."
"Then," Rengoku blurted out, eyes wide, "Why do we have to drink from the pond?"
(Y/n) chuckled, not expecting that question after everything they had said. "The pond seals the deal between you and me. I lied when I said I would test your worthiness later, I wanted to see how you would react.
"If I don't see them as fit, I will either burn them before they reach the water or poison them as they drink"
Kyojuro shivered. He really dodged a bullet there. "Wait, so you weren't asleep?"
"I was. I chose whether or not I would accept you a long time ago. If I had refused you, you would've burned down the moment you set foot into the sanctuary, just like your great grandfather's brother. Or you would've drunk poison."
The flame hashira hummed before settling his eyes onto the spirit and squinting.
'What now?' thought the spirit, rolling their eyes.
"HEY! You aren't drunk yet, are you!" And just like that, they were back to drinking and meaningless discussions.
As the sun rose the next morning, Rengoku Kyojuro was greeted by a pounding headache and a bowl of noodles from the owners. "On the house," they said, "You look like you need it."
He thanked them, unusually quiet due to his hangover, and quickly started concentrating his full concentration breathing towards calming his hammering head. He thanked (L/n) as they handed him a glass of water, used to this happening every once in a while.
"TASTY!"
Today, Kyojuro was assigned a new mission.
"TASTY! TASTY!"
And the train crew were very, very tired of this. The poor ladies brought out gigantic bags to get rid of the empty bentos, yet there seemed to be an infinite amount on Kyojuro's table.
"TASTY!"
"Um... Excuse me," a voice spoke up behind Rengoku. (L/n) immediately recognized it as Kamado Tanjiro, the boy with the demon that had been on trial a few weeks back.
"TASTY!" The poor boy looked so lost, and (Y/n) couldn't help but feel slightly bad about it. "TASTY!" Rengoku looked straight at Kamado.
"Uh... yes..." The boy deadpanned, "... I totally get that."
Kamado settled down, explaining what he knew about the Hinokami Kagura dance.
"I know of it!" (L/n) quickly told Kyojuro in his mind, "I told you about it!"
Excited to hear of their traditional dance, the spirit tried getting more information out of the boy (through Kyojuro's bad reformulation of my words), although he seemed as lost as they were about what had happened to the dance through the years. Apparently, that dance had been passed down in his family for generations, yet he knew nothing else of it.
"You should be my tsugoko, my disciple. I'll look after you!" Kyojuro suddenly brought up, putting an end to the discussion between the boy and the spirit.
"Not so fast! And-" (L/n) tuned out the rest of the conversation, amused at their chemistry. The train operater soon passed by, and while I sensed something strange, the spirit couldn't quite put their finger on it. He verified everyone's tickets, and soon enough, a demon appeared, though Kyojuro quickly took care of it.
A few minutes later, everyone was out like a light.
"Kyojuro!" The spirit got out of the sword, "Kyojuro, what are you doing! Now's not the time to sleep!" They patted his cheeks, trying to gently wake him up, yet nothing worked. Hearing people come into the room, (Y/n) quickly hid back into the sword.
"Come on, wake up!" No matter how much they tried, the spirit couldn't reach Rengoku's conscience. They could only look as people came in and attached ropes to the demon slayers' wrists.
As everyone fell asleep, (L/n) came back out, attempting to find a solution. At this point, it was obvious the dream was blood demon art induced, so waking him up normally wouldn't work. And why had the people linked themselves to the slayers with a rope? It made no sense to the spirit, yet they knew they had to breat the bond somehow.
They took the rope in their hands, only to feel a sharp pain followed by dizziness. Dizziness? In all of their lifetime, never had the spirit felt dizzy before. Never had they felt any discomfort or any need to sleep and eat. Yet at that moment, the spirit fell into a deep slumber.
Kyojuro? I looked into the estate garden, watching as my good friend trained with his brother. No, this wasn't him. The image morphed, and the face of the person I ought to protect turned to one of my ulterior bonds: the very first one. The scenery around us changed, too.
"Rengoku Kujitsuru. Long time no see," I sighed, looking away in distain. We were at the festival in my honour, the one I used to attend yearly.
"I am honoured you know my name, yet I must say I have never met you before." He bowed to the ground, ignoring my cold behaviour. "I have brought a gift, one from over the East China Sea, in your honour."
I looked at him in surprise. This was familiar, this was how he had tricked me! As long as I didn't accept the gift, I'd never have to be his family's protector!
"It would be a blessing if you accepted this gift." He brought the familiar haori up, forehead still touching the ground.
I huffed, walking passed him, "I appreciate the thought, but I have no use-" Kyojuro's face flashed before me, and I paused.
If this event hadn't happened, yes, I would be free. I would continue to be venerated, loved by the locals and I'd get to meet important people from all around Japan, only for them to bow to me in respect. I would be a divinity in their eyes, I would get everything I ever wanted... except for one thing.
One thing you cannot obtain from offerings, one thing you can never replace, is the memory you have of your loved ones, your friends. By refusing the haori, I would never get to meet so many of the great people of the Rengoku family. I would never get to meet Kyojuro.
"I..." I looked back at the man on the ground. The traitor, the manipulator, the man who will one day have a descendent by the name of Kyojuro. "I accept your offering."
Coming in front of him, I grabbed the haori, made of the richest Chinese silk of the era. Throwing it over my shoulders, I threw one last look at the man before heading out, my vision fading into blackness.
"(Y/n)? (Y/n)!" Kyojuro's shouts woke the spirit up from their slumber, and they quickly jumped into the action, just like their bond.
"So this is what happened while I was dozing? I can't believe it!" Kyojuro slashed through the flesh, "Some Hashira I am! If there was a hole, I'd hide in it!"
"Come on now, there's no way we could've known. Even so, I was even dumber than you in that situation," The spirit commented, "I saw the rope and I touched it like an idiot."
Rengoku chuckled, then a sudden jolt in the train made Kamado fall into the room.
"Kamado!" the Flame Pillar crouched in front of the boy as the latter shouted his name back at him, "To come this far, I have to do some really precise bladework!"
Rengoku continued to explain his plan, taking five of the eight cars under his wings and indicating for both Tanjiro and Hashibira to head for the neck of the demon.
It took a few minutes, but after a while, the train suddenly stopped moving forward, the force of the stop threatening the passengers' safety. Of course, the spirit accompanied Rengoku as he jumped into action, releasing attacks to prevent the carts from falling over.
"That wasn't so bad!" The spirit cheerfully commented as their bond approached Kamado, who was laying on his back. Noticing his injury, Kyojuro was quick to teach him how to stop the bleeding, and it didn't take long for Kamado to master the skill. It was obvious by this point Rengoku was looking forward to becoming his teacher.
A sudden loud noise echoed behind the hashira, cathing their attention. Kyojuro quickly turned, facing the threat, his hand on the grip of his sword and ready to strike. A demon, pink haired and body covered in tatoo, started at Kyojuro in the eye, his "Upper Moon 3" mark engraved in his eyeball.
Not even a second later, he was right in front of the Hashira, ready to break Kamado's skull with his fist.
"Second form, now."
Kyojuro never questioned anything his bond might say. (L/n) was their protector, and he would trust them with his life without any problem: together, with his analytical skills and (Y/n)'s quick thinking during a battle, they were a force to be reckoned with.
"Rising scorching sun."
The demon's arm split into two, the vertical slash breaking the attack. The demon backed up, regenerating in a split second.
"Nice katana," it commented.
"Now why would someone as poweful as you attack the wounded first?"
"I thought he might interrupt the conversation we're about to have."
Kyojuro and the demon conversed, the difference in values immediately appearing to anyone who listened. While Rengoku's ideal was to protect the weak, the demon despised them.
"Why don't you become a demon?" The upper moon offered.
"Hmmm... No thanks," Rengoku deadpanned back.
"I can tell your strength by looking at you. You're a Hashira, right? You've developped..." the demon grinned at Rengoku, "... your fighting spirit to the edge of perfection."
"I am the Flame Hashira Rengoku Kyojuro," the pillar shot back, "and I promised someone I care about to never let my fighting spirit die down."
The discussion went on for another minute, the demon attempting to convince Rengoku to join their ranks. Of course, the Hashira refused, and soon enough, the fight began.
"If you won't become a demon, then I'll have to kill you."
Noticing the demon's stance, (L/n) quickly told Kyojuro to use his first form. The enemies ran at each other, Kyojuro's sword letting out a large, red tinted fire. They say red is the coldest of fire, yet at that time the demon had to admit it burned more than anything he had seen in the past. The demon jumped in the air, avoiding the attack, and continued to speak out to Kyojuro.
Everything was happening so fast, the naked eye couldn't see what was happening in the fight.
"Fourth form." He swing. "Close in." He was right in the demon's face. "Block, parry, dodge."
Orders came in one after the other, and his body moved on its own. In situations like these, they just had to trust each other.
"Don't move!" Kyojuro yelled at Kamado, "If your wounds open, you'll die! It's not your time yet!"
"Fifth form."
The demon and the slayer's attack faced each other with all their strength, the force of the attack being felt from a great distance. Bright red flames danced through the battlefield.
And Rengoku was the only one injured from the faceoff.
Exhaustion started to weigh his muscles. No matter what they did, they couldn't land a worthwile hit on the demon. It was too fast, too strong, and they were too tired.
But despite everything, Rengoku remained strong. He had promised.
Promised his mother to protect the weak.
Promised his brother to make his father proud.
Promised (Y/n) to never back down.
"I will fulfull my duty!" Rengoku yelled, smiling throught he pain of his crushed eye, " I won't let anyone here die!"
The spirit had nothing to say. No matter what attack Rengoku could use, they couldn't think of anything to defeat that demon. They weren't enough. They failed to protect their bond.
Kyojuro didn't take notice of the spirit's silence. He knew this was the end, yet he wouldn't allow anyone else to die. Using his ninth form, a traditional form his family had honed through generations, he and the demon sent out their final attacks.
And when the dust washed away in the wind, all onlookers could see was Akaza's arm piercing Rengoku's stomach.
When someone is about to die, they sometimes experience flashbacks of their life. Some say it's their brain trying to find a solution and protect them, give them what they need to continue.
For Rengoku, the memory of his mother telling him to protect the weak was the push he needed.
Despite the arm in his stomach, despite his crushed eye.
Rengoku let out a loud battle cry, giving him the strength to swin his sword at the demon's neck.
Despite the spirit not responding anymore, too caught up in the fear of losing him.
The demon removed his arm from the Hashira's stomach, aiming for his head instead.
Despite his father never believing in him.
Kyojuro grabbed the demon's arm, stopping the attack. Sunlight was about to break through the horizon, and the demon started becoming agitated. Yet it couldn't move out of Rengoku's grip.
Despite everything, Rengoku Kyojuro wouldn't let his fighting spirit die down.
"GRAAAAAAH!"
"AAAAAAH!!"
Both Rengoku and Akaza shouted at the same time.
"GET OUT OF MY WAY!" the demon shouted before noticing the young slayers approaching, swords in hand.
He leaped away, both his arms torn off, and escaped.
Because Rengoku had made a promise.
As Rengoku fell over, his body giving up on him due to his injuries, Kamado yelled at the demon. "Where are you going, you coward?"
"You're afraid to admit...
... That you haven't won today! Rengoku hasn't lost!"
Rengoku's eye widened at those words, surprised at the boy's outburst.
"Rengoku is stronger - Much stronger than you! He didn't let anyone die!"
The demon finished his escape as Kamado broke down in tears.
A promise to never let his battle spirit die down.
"Don't cry so hard, kid," Kyojuro smiled. (L/n) couldn't think through the shock, "you're hurt pretty bad too, you know. That cut in your belly will open up. And if you die, I won't have my victory anymore. Come here."
Rengoku spoke to the boy, and (Y/n)'s brain was buzzing.
"I believe in you." Kyojuro paused, having finished speaking to the boy. But he didn't want to go yet. He wanted to see (L/n) one last time, even if it was just for a second. "(Y/n)?" He muttered before coughing up blood.
Their name triggering something in their brain, the spirit came back to earth. "Kyo!" They left his sword, taking human shape, "Kyojuro!" They grabbed his arm, bringing his hand to their face.
"Kyo! I'm so sorry! If only I had been stronger! Smarter! This-" "(Y/n)" "-wouldn't have happened! It's all my fault, I was supposed to protect you, and I failed mise-" "(Y/n)."
The spirit stopped.
"It was bound to happen. Neither of us had the strength to defeat him."
His thumb caressed the spirit's semi-physical cheeks, enjoying the warmth they emitted as his own body heat left him. He wobbled in his stance, and (L/n) was quick in supporting his weight.
"You made me promise something." (Y/n) nodded eagerly at his words, interrupting with "and you were honourable in carrying it out!"
"Can I ask the same of you?" he blinked a few times, his vision started to get blurry. "Don't let this get to you. Don't let your battle spirit die down." His voice was quiet, but strong and determined. "And take back the haori, you'll be free."
(Y/n) nodded shakily, "I promise. I will take the haori, and defeat Kibutsuji Muzan."
"Be sure to enjoy your life."
Rengoku smiled, a smile frozen for eternity.
The area was silent, though it didn't take long for sobs to echoe through the area, (Y/n) crying her heart out despite not being able to shed tears.
"I will, Rengoku. I promise."
(L/n) (Y/n) lived up to their promise.
They fought with the heart of a burning fire, with the strength of their emotions, with the bravoury of their lost friend.
Kyojuro might be gone, but he will always be there, in (L/n)'s heart, fighting by their side just like they had done to him before.
And so, after the original demon's death, (Y/n) made the best of their life by continuing to protect the Rengoku family.
Not by obligation,
Not for a promise,
But to protect the people they cared about.