#scenes where rengoku needs a hug

[ruiniel]

... His warm fingers are fast to wrap around your wrist. “What are you doing?” You’d started fiddling with the fastening of his eye-patch, pausing as he looks down at you. “Do you mind?” Kyojuro blinks. “I… no. But I thought you might.” “Of course I don’t. Please, let me?” His hold eases, allowing you to undo the binding. “There,” you smile, taking his face in your palms. “You don’t ever need to hide from me.” ...

(Rengoku lives AU - WIP)

[trafalgarya]

Hashiras x reader who doesn't know how to show emotions.

Plot : The Hashiras (from Demon Slayer (not all of them)) x a stoic, inexpressive reader. Headcanons.

With : Giyuu Tomioka, Muichiro Tokito, Kyojuro Rengoku, Shinobu Kocho, Mitsuri Kanroji.

tw : giyuu's backstory is briefly mentioned. kyojuro's part involves anger and sadness. shinobu's part can be seen as slightly suggestive, but there's nothing explicit.

gn!reader. reader feels emotions just like everyone else, but they're just not too fond of displaying them.

hi ! so, uh, it's been a while. tbh, i completely forgot about tumblr. lots of things (not in a bad way, rest assured) are happening in my life rn, and i hadn't much time to spend time on tumblr. i won't promise you anything about me definitely coming back on tumblr, as i don't want to give you guys any hopes that'll eventually reveal themselves false, but i'll try.

my english has improved a bit, but i'm afraid it's still shitty, so i apologize if what i say isn't always coherent enough.

one last thing : i'll often mentions headcanons about when the both of you are going to bed to sleep together, but of course, these are when the characters in question aren't assigned on a mission.

Giyuu Tomioka

Giyuu himself doesn't like to publicly showcase his emotions, so you being inexpressive as well is kind of a gift for him. Don't make me say what I haven't, though ! He'd love you just as much if you were someone expressive by nature, but you being inexpressive suits him even better, because he knows you'll understand how he feels about this subject.

Both of you being a stoic couple doesn't prevent either of you to show your love for the other, though. You're just... not doing it outside closed doors. Hugs and kisses are at the rendezvous once both of you find yourselves in a quiet place where you know you won't be disturbed.

However, Giyuu isn't too fond of being overwhelmed of affection. Sure, he enjoys feeling the warmth of your body as you lay your head on his chest, his arms wrapped around your waist, and I'll tell you, he even enjoys being the one to lay on your chest. Hearing your heartbeat acknowledges him with the fact that you're still alive and not leaving anytime soon, so he won't be having a mental breakdown about losing one other person he cherishes. He loves the feeling of your hands grasping his, your fingers intertwined together as you enjoy the peacefulness and calmness of that loving moment... That said, I can't really imagine Giyuu being so touch deprived that he'd want affection all day long. He needs a bit of space sometime — not in a "Leave me alone" way, but in an introverted way, if that's the correct word —, and he knows you'll respect it as you're not one to make a scene about such things.

I can see Giyuu enjoying to read in your presence. He'd especially love it if both of you were lying on your double-sized bed, wrapped in each other's arms as he's holding a book for you both to read as you readjusted your position to make yourself more comfortable on his chest. That'd kind of be your dates, I guess ? I mean, Giyuu isn't someone to willingly go outside and take long walks at night.

You're the type of couple to either have deep, philosophical talks at night, rambling about your lives or something intriguing that happened during the day, or the type of couple to stay silent even when you're together, just silently enjoying the other one's presence and the amount of joy they're bringing to your life, no in-between.

If you're the second type of couple, however, that doesn't mean you'll never talk at all. If there happens to be a problem within your relationship, as mature adults, you'll talk through it and find solutions together. Neither of you will leave until you've both found a solution. Giyuu wouldn't mind doing compromises for your relationship to work better — he's not risking losing you just like he did with Sabito, Makomo and Tsutako — and so would you. Despite not showing him at all times, you love him with all your heart, and you know it's reciprocal.

Overall, you being stoic suits Giyuu just fine, and he loves it even better. He knows you won't question his lack of emotions on his face at any times, and that's probably what's keeping him in your relationship. Outside of his undying love for you, of course. He's undeniably the best one to go to if you want some calm and peacefulness.

Muichiro Tokito

Despite his age, Muichiro is a mature boy, and he knows better than to question whether your lack of expression is due to the fact that you're growing tired of him — which you clearly aren't, quite the opposite actually —, because he's in the same situation as you are. Just like everyone else, he's able to grow attached to someone, to cling onto them, just like he can feel joy, sadness, anger, etc.

He knows you're mainly showing your love physically, and privately, and he respects that. Not that he isn't too fond of PDA, but he doesn't crave it, and so do you. So, just like with Giyuu, you both keep your love within closed doors.

However, unlike Giyuu, Muichiro is much more clingy. Whenever he can, he'll go on and hold your hand, immediately intertwining his fingers with yours, he'll stand on his toes and kiss one of your cheeks, having the satisfaction of bringing a faint blush to the inexpressive being you are, he'll snuggle in your arms and rest his head on your chest, immediately closing his eyes to appreciate your warmth the best he can, he'll play with your hair after asking you if you were okay with it... You got it, he's quite the clingy boy.

Speaking of hair. If you have long hair, he'll gladly brush them and style them for you. Just know, he especially love braiding your hair, he thinks it looks good and cute on you. However, if you have short hair, he'll ask you to brush his instead. He's gifted with natural, long, beautiful hair and he knows it, and he wants to keep them maintained. As you do so, he'll probably sit on your lap, crossing his legs as he hums a melody, trying his best not to move too much so as not to complicate you the task at hand. When you're done, he'll reward you with a small kiss on the lips and a warm smile.

When it's time for you to go to bed, you already know he's clinging onto you as if it was the last thing he'll ever do. You're usually spooning. He doesn't mind being the big spoon, but he usually prefers being the little spoon. It just brings him a sense of comfort, he can't explain why exactly, but all he knows is that he loves it. He'll wrap his arms around your waist, snuggling his face in the crook of your neck to smell your scent. It relaxes him and helps him to go to sleep.

You're often training together. As a Hashira, he acknowledges his strength, and he'll go easy on you. The last thing he'd want to do is to hurt you. In that case, he'd act more as a teacher for you, helping you with moves you're struggling with. However, if you're strong enough to keep up with him — first of all, he'd be proud of having such a strong S/O, and that'll make him relax about knowing you can protect yourself — but ultimately, he won't hold back as much as he was planning to. He'll still do his best not to hurt you, but he'll be having fun training with you. It brings him a strange sense of pride and satisfaction knowing that he can freely showcase his strength while you're keeping up with him.

Overall, one of the best Hashiras to be inexpressive with. He's someone understanding, but that said, it doesn't mean he'd hold back at all. You're his and he's yours, so why restraining himself when it comes to showering you with affection ?

Kyojuro Rengoku

Well... He's the complete opposite of you. That man is full of energy and always seen with a smile on his face. He's loud and always up for a challenge, while you're... well... usually quiet and stoic. But, in his eyes, that's what makes your charm !

He's completely respectful of your boundaries. If you don't want to do something he wants to do, then be sure he won't do it. Despite how hard it would be for him to not do it, he's putting your health and well-being before his own needs. Don't want a hug ? That's fine, he can settle for your presence instead ? Don't want to go outside ? He's just as fine staying at home with you ! Don't want to cook ? Just rest in bed, he'll take care of everything !

You got it, he's very respectul of your boundaries and doesn't want to pressure you into anything that could make you uncomfortable. That's the last thing he'd want to do, to make you uncomfortable.

Whenever you need some calm, some relief or simply to talk, you can count on him ! The moment you appear to be sad or angry, he's already sitting next to you. He'll gently rest his hand on your shoulder, or your thigh if that's okay with you, and he'll ask you what's wrong, and if you want to talk about it. He'll wrap a warm arm around your neck, bringing you closer to him, and he'll run a hand through your hair, putting you at ease the best he can. He's someone quite skilled with his words, he'll always find the right words to comfort you, and he'll be careful with his choice of words. He doesn't want to accidently say something that'll make you feel worse than before.

When it's time to go to bed, he'll sneak in the blankets and wait for you to get ready as well. Just know, he's a man who usually sleeps without a top, his torso and strong, muscled, well traced arms displayed, for your eyes's pleasure. If you don't want to cuddle, be sure he'll at least kiss you on the lips. If you want to, however, he WILL cuddle. He's not missing the opportunity ! He likes to be the big spoon, it brings him a sense of protection knowing that you entrust him enough to let him carry you in his arms in such an intimate way. He isn't someone to fall asleep so quickly, so he'll admire the peaceful look on your face as you're deeply asleep, wandering how such a beauty could have fallen in love with him, someone who's so different from you.

When you both are going out, he's always having an arm wrapped around your waist. Not to display affection or to show to everyone that you're his, but to protect you. He knows you can protect yourself, but he's an overthinker, and wants to make sure you're always by his side. You never know what could happen, especially in public places, so he makes sure to at least have an arm wrapped around your waist.

Overall, Kyojuro is someone very understanding and respectful of your boundaries who'll make sure to protect you at all cases. He loves you very much and is always there for you. Probably the best one if you're feeling down, as he's the most skilled one with his words.

Shinobu Kocho

That woman is such a tease. If you agreed to be in a relationship with her, you also silently agreed to be made fun of at all times. Not in a mean way, of course, she just likes to tease like no one ever did.

You kind of remind her of Giyuu, that's probably one of the reason she's "bullying" you at least as much as she does to Giyuu, if not even more. With a playful smile on her face, she'll often do remarks about how you're not smiling enough, and how pretty you would look for her if you had a smile on your face. She's probably the one who leaves you all blushing and flustered the most out there, although you're usually not used to blush and be unsettled that much. You kind of hate her for that, but oh how you love it as well. Kind of like a love-hate relationship.

On a more serious tone, she's always reminding you that it's all for fun. She doesn't want you broken and saddened because of her playful personality. If it ever made you uncomfortable, she'd immediately notice it and stop her remarks. She'll feel remorseful, although not showing it. She doesn't want you to know that.

As the insect Hashira, she possesses lots of medical and pharmaceutical knowledge to make up for her lack of physical strenght — although that doesn't mean she's physically weak, she's actually pretty strong, her physical strenght is simply not enough to cut down a demon's neck —, she's the best one to go to whenever you feel sick. Whether you've returned of a mission and you're full or bruises and cuts, you're having a fever or a simple headache, she has all the best medicines already prepared for you. It won't take much before she finds the medicine she's searching for, and she'll immediately administer it on you. If your case is serious, she'll make sure you're lying on a bed and moving only for the necessary. And trust me when I say that if she has to tie you up on the bed for you to stop moving, she'll do it. She always has some... accessories ready for these cases.

As one of the doctor of the Demon Slayer Corps, she's often busy healing slayers and creating medicines. However, if you need to talk to her about something important, she'll make sure to talk to you while doing the task she's assigned. If she's healing a slayer, you both will talk standing up while she's doing her job. However, if she's producing some medicines, which often happens in her personal office, she'll grab a chair for you to sit. Whether the medicine needs constant attention or not, she'll prioritize you first and will be sure not to make you feel ignored. Although she may not always look at you in the eyes because of whatever she's doing, she's attentive and listening to you, and you know it.

Despite her petite figure, she's not one to underestimate. If, for some reasons, you decide to tease her back and acting bratty on her, may the Lord forgive you, because she won't be holding back. She'll remind you of your place and punish you suitably to how much of a brat you've been. She's not afraid to use radical solutions to get what she wants — as long as you've given your consent of course — and to prove to you that her height doesn't mean shit. It might be publicly, also reminding to everyone that she's not a woman to mess with, or it can be in a private setting, where you won't get disturbed. Rest assured, though, she won't hurt you... much.

Sadly, you're often sleeping alone. As I mentioned before, she's a doctor, and is often busy working on medicines or injured slayers. Even though she's sneaking into the bed at night and you both ultimately sleep together, you rarely fall asleep together. If that's hurting you at any point, she'll find a solution, whether it's to stop working for the night to sleep with you, or to bring you to her office, letting you sleep on her lap as she keeps working, she'll make sure to find a solution not to make you feel abandoned and neglected.

One thing she loves to do with you, even going as far as making it a daily thing, is having breakfast with you. Whether she has slept or not, she'll make sure to take ten to twenty minutes each morning to have breakfast with you. It is a must in your relationship, and you're happy with it, as she's probably the one out of the other Hashiras you'll see the less. She'll ask you if you've slept well, how was your night, etc. If you're not a morning person, she'll just restrain herself from talking that much, but she at least wants you to be there with her.

Overall, she's the best Hashira to go to if you feel sick. She's a busy woman but she makes sure to fulfill her duty of keep the relationship healthy and maintained as your girlfriend. She's not one to mess with, so as long as you respect her, you're fine. She's making sure you know she loves you very much and wants to keep you in her life for a long-term relationship, she doesn't like short relationships where y'all break up over a small argument, she's a mature woman who's talking through everything and makes sure to find a solution while doing her best at work.

Mitsuri Kanroji

Do I really need to specify she's the complete opposite of you ? Even worse than Kyojuro, she's a cheerful and happy being who always showcases her emotions. Rare are the moments where she isn't seen with a smile on her face. The difference between the both of you is so obvious that people can't help but ask how did you two ended up together.

Your lack of expression doesn't bother her in the slightest ; Trust me, she'll make up for the both of you, as the emotional person she is. She finds your lack of expression charming, cute and hot at once. She loves this side of you, seeing you so calm and unbothered makes her heart melt. All she wants to do is to pamper you and shower you in hugs and kisses. But if you aren't too fond of it, that's okay too ! She'll make up with other things she knows you tolerate, such as hand holding, words of affirmation or buying you gifts, often food.

Just like Shinobu, having breakfast with her is a must... except it's not only breakfast. In fact, she wants to spend the three dinners a day with you, she'll find herself all saddened and upset when she can't spend even one dinner with you. She wants to be by your side at all times, even though she knows it isn't always possible and is more of an utopic desire of hers.

She knows you're not talkative, and that's fine by her. Just like for your emotions, she'll make up for the both of you. She's the yapper to your listener. She'll often talk for hours and hours about her life, her day, about that one stray cat she crossed paths with on her way to a restaurant and how she couldn't resist the temptation to caress him, about that new, young and prodigious slayer called Tanjiro she sympathizes with, etc. Sometimes, she's afraid she's talking too much, but you assure her she's not, and in fact, you love listening to her.

Obanai was jealous of you at first, but eventually he realized you were treating Mitsuri well enough after lots of conversations with Mitsuri herself, so he kind of gave up on the idea of seducing Mitsuri and entrusted you with bringing her the joy she deserves to have. Be wary, however — if he hears ONE bad thing you did to Mitsuri, he'll knock your ass, going on and on about how she deserves to be treated like a princess and all. But Mitsuri often gets in his way, stopping him before he goes too far. Eventually, he stopped loving her, realizing you were the one who got her heart, and started acting just a little bit more friendly towards you.

When it's time to go to bed, she's often the one lying in the it first, tired of her day. Yup, whether she has done something or not, that's what makes it funny. When it's your turn to sneak under the blankets, she'll immediately snuggle to you, it goes from simply hugging you to spooning you — she doesn't mind being the little one or the big one, it's honestly up to you — to lying on top of you and resting her head in the crook of your neck. She'll whisper a weak "I love youuu" before quickly falling asleep. She's a quick sleeper, unlike her master Kyojuro, so you're often the one finding yourself admiring her angelic traits as she's peacefully sleeping next to/on top of you.

Overall, the sweetest Hashira to be in a relationship with. She's the one to go to if you need affection and for a sunshine to invade your life.

[deathmetalunicorn1]

Yo can i request a scenario where the femreader is rengoku?

In this scene their opponent is wicked and arrogant god, after fighting they got interested in her strength and offer them a power to be a god but the reader refuse and she said something about the beauty of the human just like the scene with akaza in mugen train arc.

Can i have a reaction of both god and human fighters? You can choose who is the platonic and romantic one.

-You were known for your skills with a sword, a powerful warrior, but modest, you didn’t like to brag about your strength when fighting.

-To you, to fight another was only for the defense of yourself and others around you.

-That’s why you were so strong, your drive to protect the weak, to protect those that needed it most, that’s what drove you.

-When asked to fight for the survival of humanity, you didn’t even hesitate to agree, something Brunnhilde knew that you would agree to do.

-Your opponent was a cruel god, one who slaughtered humans for fun, because he deemed them weak, he did the same with other gods, ones who didn’t deserve the title.

-He was very impressed with you, as you were able to keep up with his tremendous speed, even managing to hit him and slice him open a few times, but he paid you back.

-You were down one eye, his sharp nails blinding you in your right eye, and you had a bleeding gash across your cheek, your left arm was cracked, and you’re pretty sure he’s broken at least two of your ribs.

-He leapt back after you managed to take off one of his hands, but instead of pain, nothing but pure delight was in his eyes, “Y/N! Become a god and we can fight for eternity!!”

-Many of the other gods were jeering at him, finding him cruel and his words that many of them were weak was a quick way to get most of the arena cheering for you.

-You inhaled slowly, closing your one good eye as you moved into a striking stance. As your eye slowly opened, he felt a chill run up his spine as a powerful battle aura surrounded you, showing your strength.

-He was wide-eyed, almost looking aroused as he grinned brightly, “Amazing!! How WONDERFUL!!!” as he shouted he charged at you.

-The two of you exchanged blows that many had a hard time keeping up, they could barely see your movements, battle cries escaping the both of you, shaking the audience to their cores.

-You managed to stab him in the neck, right below his chin, gasping harshly as he looked up at you, a smile on his lips, “Will you become a god?”

-You smiled softly, shocking him, you looked so innocent, so pure, despite being covered in wounds and half dead, “No- humanity is a beautiful thing. We never stop growing- never stop fighting, we’ll keep fighting until the very last of us falls!”

-His eyes softened, “A pity- you would have been an amazing god.” And with that, he thrust his one hand into your chest, just missing your heart.

-You coughed out blood, looking like you were going to fall before you slammed your foot down, eyes blazing as you ripped your sword out from his neck from the side, decapitating him.

-He fell, dead and you were barely standing as the crowd went wild. You valkyrie unfused with you, catching you, “Y/N!” holding you to her chest as you passed out.

-It was hours later before you regained consciousness, waking up in the capsules in the medical ward, meant for healing large wounds.

-You were heavily bandaged, but your appetite was nearly unstoppable as you pounded bowl after bowl of rice down, filling your empty belly.

-The door opened, and you heard Kojiro, “Oi Y/N are you-” he instantly snorted in laughter, seeing you were awake, your cheeks stuffed like a chipmunk as you lowered the bowl, looking over at him.

-You waved your hand as he entered, followed by Adam, Hercules, Jack, and Goll, the youngest valkyrie immediately running over to throw herself into your arms, “Y/N!”

-Blood spurted out from your mouth from her forceful hug, making her scream as you fell back onto the bed, twitching lightly while Adam consoled her, calming her down while Kojiro helped you back up.

-Hercules beamed brightly at you, “That fight was amazing Y/N! Even Zeus was impressed with your strength! Everyone’s still talking about it!”

-Jack nodded, having taken a seat beside you in a chair, “He’s right Y/N.” as he spoke he patted your head affectionately, like a father would.

-Adam took a seat next to you on the bed, his hand cupping your face, not minding your stuffed cheeks as his thumb ran across your cheek, the gash now gone, but he frowned, “They were able to heal most of your wounds, but your eye is one they couldn’t save.”

-You just smiled, once you swallowed, “It’s not a big deal, that’s why we have two!” a few chuckles went through the room, as they could see you weren’t overly bothered by losing an eye.

[peachdues]

Hey Peach,

I was hoping that maybe you could write something with Rengoku or Sanemi being super excited about finding out their partner is pregnant and some cute scenes with that where they love and dote on them.

My partner just told me they changed their mind about having kids so I’m in the middle of trying to accept that while also mourning the loss of my dream of being a mom.

If you don’t have time or don’t want to, that’s totally fine too!

First, I’m really sorry that’s happened, and your grief is totally understandable. I’m sending you so many hugs and smooches right now, and I hope you have the support you need.

Second, as for your request — I sort of already have what you’re looking for! I have a Bundle of Joy series for Sanemi, Giyuu, and Kyojuro — though, only Sanemi’s is complete (Part I of Giyuu’s is set to be released next week).

Sanemi’s Bundle of Joy series can be found here. It’s fluff, but there’s a teeny tiny bit of angst (and some NSFW) in it — but it is full of Sanemi loving and doting on Reader!

Kyojuro’s is an ongoing WIP, but I have several teasers posted you can find here — including when he learns that Reader is pregnant (the “pregnancy reveal”/spicy teaser). Warning that the story will follow Mugen Train canon, but he does know she’s pregnant and they do have a little time together before then where he super dotes on her.

Again, I hope you’re getting support, comfort, and love.

[muzanswaifu]

Heyyyy :)

I need to share this with someone or else I am literally going to explode. (I’ve already told may I thought you’d like this idea too)

So…Arataki Itto, Kyojuro Rengoku, and Lord Diavolo. They basically give off the same energy. Loud, goofy, and fine as fuck. (I’ll attach a picture of Itto and Diavolo at the bottom)

So I wanna do like a crossover thingy where it’s centered in the KNY universe. (Maybe I’ll do two more versions in the Genshin and Obey Me! universe)

(I’m so sorry this is gonna be long just warning you 😭)

Here’s what I’ve concocted up in this head of mine.

Diavolo, Itto, and Rengoku are all Hashira, and best buds at that. (You following me?) You, the lovely reader, are also a Hashira, but you’re new. During your first days, you befriend pretty much everyone, including these three.

You find yourself spending a lot of your time with these three, but you don’t mind. They’re all great friends of yours. But, there’s something going on behind the scenes you don’t know of.

Diavolo wishes to whisk you away into his arms and take you somewhere private, to either ruin you or treat you like the goddess you are. After all, you deserve it, don’t you? No one else has captivated him like you have. And he will stop at nothing to get what he wants.

Rengoku wishes to have you all to him and himself alone, no one else cam have or claim you. He can’t help it! Oh, he knows that it’s wrong to want you this way, but it’s not his fault. The poor guy is just so lovesick. It wouldn’t be like this if you weren’t so desirable…now we have this mess. Don’t we?

Itto wishes to have you body on his. To him, it doesn’t matter where, when, or how. He would even take the chance to fuck you in the next room over before or after a Hashira meeting. Something deep, something primal in Itto is chanting in his mind over and over and over again, “Breed. Breed. Breed. Breed.”

You’ve noticed a change in their behaviors. How could you possibly not?

Whenever you’re together with all three of them, something just seems off. The three of them roughhouse a little bit more, friendly punches and elbows to the arm turn slightly harder and more meaningful. The quick death glare thrown at each other when you get close to one of them.

The slight eye twitch when you went to hug Itto, ohhhhhhh Rengoku was not pleased about that. Diavolo wasn’t either, just just better at hiding the murderous rage the anger dwelling up inside him.

You swore you saw the wood splinter on an armchair when you were at your estate and you had invited the three of them over, and you had accidentally fallen into Diavolo’s lap. The way Itto gripped the arm rest of the chair was a sign that he was at least trying to somewhat control himself.

When you went out to eat that one time and Rengoku shared some of his food with you, Itto could’ve choked on his food because of the smug smile Rengoku gave the two of them. Diavolo just about snapped his chopsticks in half.

You didn’t think much of it, of course. You thought the three of them were just being guys messing around. Oh, how naive you are! So innocent. So painfully unaware. That’s what made the three of them want you even more.

All of them competing to see who could corrupt you first. All of them seeing who could win your heart the fastest. All of them going at each other’s throats to try to win. Everything goes when it came to you. It’s a race against time.

Finally, Rengoku, being the better out of the three, called them over one day for a discussion. About you. Dear sweet little reader. Oh, what were they going to do? One was just as lovesick as the other two.

They couldn’t just let one of them have you, oh no no no no no, that would not do at all. They couldn’t just all try to put their love for you aside, that certainly would not work either.

How about this? A compromise.

They’d all share you. Try to to overreact too much when you seemed to cater to one of them more than the other two, and maybe…just maybe…if they could get you over at one of their estates with the other two…they could have a friendly dinner. With “dessert” after.

Sooooo…what do you think? I’m literally writing this down because I will go batshit crazy if I forget this.

Love you, stay safe, and have a good day/night!🩷

-C

Omg yes

You should absolutely write this? Maybe like a choose your own destiny thing where u get to pick who u end up with? Or maybe u end up with all 3 😏

[strawhatkia]

KIYUU CORE ! ⋆˚♡˖°⋆˚✿˖° | romantic selfship headcanons !

⠄⠄⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂⠄⠄⠂ ⠂⠄⠄⠂♡

KIYUU ↬ GIYUU x KIA ! aka doberman x black cat aka chaotic x aloof aka obvious x oblivious aka 'i like you!' x 'do you really?' aka 'let me love you' x 'that might be difficult'

WHAT'S THE AU ! college

WORD COUNT ! 0.9k

WARNINGS ! other than me trying to fight shinobu and sanemi, no warnings !! (also much love to shinobu, but she be trying it!)

₊˚⊹ ♡ "i would be surprised to say that kia likes you, tomioka" — shinobu

₊˚⊹♡ "no way! she's way too flashy for him! he'd never get her attention!" — tengen

♡ — lemme tell you somethingggggg, this girl kia lovvvesssss giyuu like, you would think that girl don't know how to do anything else. she doesn't leave room for questioning or doubt, making it vv clear to everyone that she is taken and so he is

♡ — even so, in the beginning, at least, the man still questions whether or not kia really really really like reaallllyyyy wants to be with him because quite frankly...tomioka was confused as why she chose him of all people

♡ — like he's not blind to the way she always wants to be around him, or always talks about him, even going as far as to take him out for lunch regularly so much that he doesn't remember what it felt like to eat alone

♡ — truly, he really does like her, but this is so new. It's new for someone to be waiting on him to get out of class or to hang out with him on the weekends or invite to stay the night (and the next couple of nights). the kisses, the hugs, the smiles, etc. yallll, this is all vv new for him :(

♡ — so when he asks if she really does like him (just to be sure), he is not expecting her to damn near blow up in his face. it was around this time that he learned that there was no questioning kia when it came to how much she was interested in him.

♡ — kia isn't very good with words where tomioka doesn't use words often enough so she truly thought that if she did enough (yk actions and all that) that he would pick up on it and they would just be in agreement BUT OBVIOUSLY NOT if he's asking if she really want to be with him WHILE she is cuddling him on the couch for the 5th that week

♡ — mans was coddled for dayssss on end. kia made it a point to double down on all the affection as if the whole student body didn't know what was going on between the two of them

₊˚⊹ ♡ "good on you, tomioka! i did not see this coming but i am happy for you! " — rengoku

₊˚⊹ ♡ "aww, you guys are so cute together! like opposites attract!" — mitsuri

♡ — did i mention that kia is heavily protective over giyuu? like not that he needed guard dog privileges with his rbf but everyone knew that he was not to be messed with, even if kia wasn't there.

♡ — ngl, shinobu tried it once and almost got into a fight with kia. it's no shock to anyone that shinobu doesn't hold back her snide comments from giyuu and to be fair, kia just thought that that's their friendship. she thought it was playful but uh...well

"well, tomioka, you've proved me wrong! who knew you could get with a girl like kia!" "i could say the same about your sister, shinobu! who would have thought that sanemi and kanae would work so well!" "...what did you say?" "you heard me."

♡ — hell, even sanemi tried it! ...we won't go over want kia said because we would be here for a long time but just know that sanemi and her butt heads more often than he does with giyuu.

♡ — giyuu never really questioned why kia protects him because it felt nice to be so fiercely protected...however, he did pull her out when it looked like she was heading to dangerous territories. the scene of giyuu carrying kia away from a near fight with sanemi happened more often than not and both kanae and giyuu had to apologize over it.

♡ — make no mistake tho, if giyuu asked her to stop, she would in a heartbeat. of course, that never happened because he found it slightly amusing and endearing over time. as long she isn't in threatening danger, he kind of sits back and lets her do her thing.

♡ — and most definitely, she is the type to tell the server to take the plate back if there is something wrong with it for giyuu...despite her anxiety which confuses him so much but hey, love is strange

₊˚⊹ ♡ "HOW DID HE GET A GIRL LIKE HER?? THAT BASTARD!!!" — zenitsu

₊˚⊹ ♡ "calm down, zenitsu! he treats her very well and she loves him very much! we shouldn't interfere with their relationship." — tanjiro

₊˚⊹ ♡ "i agree, they go well together!" — nezuko

₊˚⊹ ♡ "WHAT! IS IT LIKE A COMPETITION?? IM GONNA WIN!" — inosuke

₊˚⊹ ♡ "inosuke..." — tanjiro and zenitsu

♡ — where there was giyuu, kia was not far behind. where there was kia, giyuu was not far behind. they were around each other so much, people could have sworn that they orbited each other. kia and giyuu were always together, not that either minded, but it was like they melded into each other. giyuuandkia.

♡ — even though, it might have confused people to see them get along so well, there was no denying that there was not one without the other, not anymore at least.

"tomi? you still up for lunch today?" "yea, love. i'm ready when you are." "cool." "..." "...hey, tomi?" "hm?" "i love you." "i love you, too."

...i have much more to say 🧍🏽

@nudystar i finished !!

[itsstrawberrymochi]

Hi, I love your content so I wanted to request something! Could you do headcanons with the hashira’s x gender neutral reader(- muchiro ofc) where they find out that the reader self-harms? If this makes you uncomfortable at all please delete it!

Kny pillars reacting to their s/o who self-harms

Awww thank you anonymous that means a lot to me hope you enjoy this also thx for reading my request rules when you said minus Muichiro ^^

Characters: all pillars expect Muichiro

Warnings: Mentions of self-harm and suicide

Note: if you or anyone you know is doing this activity please seek help with people you trust , it may seem that self harm is the best distraction but it’s really not, it’s only a temporary relief and you don’t deserve to always go through that pain ❤️

Giyuu

🌊- Now it took him a while to notice this

🌊- Don’t get him wrong, Giyuu loves you and all but he just assumed the injuries were from a demon after all that’s what you told him you had to no reason to lie right?

🌊- When he found out the truth he got extremely sad, he also got mad at himself for taking so long to notice

🌊- When he finds out he wouldn’t dare shout at you or make a scene out of it, instead he’ll calmly approach you and ask what’s the matter

🌊-If you don’t tell him right away he won’t pressure you to do so instead he’ll wait until you’re ready to talk

🌊- He’ll just sit next to you calmly in silence for hours and hours until you’re finally ready tell him

🌊- When you tell him the reason he would start to try and find a solution for the problem so you can feel better

🌊- He would also pull you in a soft hug and just let you cry on him while listening to you tell him what’s wrong

🌊- Giyuu would alway try his absolute best to make you feel better and he’s very serious about the cutting/harming and does everything in his power to try and make you stop

🌊- He’s extremely afraid that one day you’ll go beyond self-harming and he doesn’t want to lose you

Rengoku

🔥- A literal angel that was sent from heaven

🔥- Rengoku would immediately notice that you self-harm, he is extremely observant when it comes to you so he’d be quick to realize

🔥- Like Giyuu he wouldn’t pressure you to tell him what’s the matter but he’ll wait until you’re ready to say

🔥- Rengoku would make sure you know that it’s not you vs the problem but rather you and him vs the problem

🔥- He’ll make sure you know he’s there for you and whatever problem there is you don’t have to go through it alone

🔥-He also isn’t the type to give you words such as “ it’s ok this problem will pass” or “you’ll get over ”, but rather say “ Don’t worry my little flame we will find a solution to the problem no matter what”

🔥- If you’re feeling helpless or upset and feel like self-harming again he’ll drop everything he’s doing to talk to you and try and calm you down

🔥- Rengoku would allow you to talk to him whenever. He would never tell you to go away or say he’s too busy. He’d also let you talk to him for hours it doesn’t matter to him just as long as you feel better

🔥- There are often occasions where you would be laying on his lap and he’ll gently rub your back as you cry and rant to him

Shinobu

🦋- She’ll notice right away, she’s a medic so she can tell the difference between real injuries and self- inflicted ones

🦋- She would become heartbroken to know you were so sad you felt the only way to feel better was pain

🦋- She would make all the butterfly girls leave and go to another room so she can talk to you in private when she found out

🦋- Even though some scars are already healed she would kiss every single one of them

🦋- She does it because she wants to ‘kiss it better’

🦋- She would place bandages and medicine all over the new cuts so they can heal properly

🦋- She is very patient with you, she understands that you won’t stop your self-harm just like that so she’ll take her time talking to you and helping you get over it

🦋- She would alway check up on you and whenever she does she always has some tea or your favorite food ready to talk and listen to you

🦋- She always encourages you to tell her you’re true feelings and never makes you feel emotional or dramatic for it

🦋- If she knows she’s going on a really long mission and won’t see you for while she’ll ask Kanao or one of the butterfly girls to check up on you but if you don’t want them to know about it she would keep it private and she’ll just constantly send you letters instead

Mitsuri

💖- When she found out she talked to you as soon as she could

💖- She found out during a pillar meeting when your sleeve accidentally lifted up showing all the unnatural scars

💖- She had waited after the pillar meeting, when you two were in private to talk about it. She knew you clearly didn’t want anyone to know so she was sure no one was around

💖- When she asked you about it she couldn’t help but break down crying, Mitsuri would blame her self for your self-harming and feel like she did something wrong to you but you’ll explain to her that it wasn’t her fault but she’ll still cry because you were hurting all this time and she didn’t know.

💖- Her number one method of helping you heal is showing you lots and lots of love and care and showing you she is there for you

💖- So that basically means more sweets, more tea parties, hugs and kisses,more l love you, her complementing you all the time etc

💖- She had also bought you a bunny, so if she ever went on long missions you’ll always have “ someone” to talk to.

Sanemi

☁️- At first he would be kind of angry. Angry at himself for not noticing and angry at you for not telling him

☁️- Genya was the one who had told him , Genya being your worried younger brother in law couldn’t stand by and watch you do this to yourself

☁️- Sanemi’s first thought was to yell at you for doing it but then he thought you’d probably be afraid to talk to him about it if he did

☁️- He’ll burst in your room and yell “Y/N I KNOW YOU INTENTIONALLY HURT YOUR SELF”

☁️- You expecting him to yell about it prepared for more but when he reached you he just shoved your face into his chest and pulled you in for a soft hug

☁️- He’ll then say he was sorry you had to go through all this pain alone and sorry that he wasn’t there for you

☁️- He’ll allow you to cry on his shoulder for as long as you’d like

☁️- He wouldn’t care that you’re messing up his slayer uniform nor how long you’re crying for

☁️- While you’re crying he’ll reassure he is now and will forever be there for you and he’ll also reassure you and you can tell him anything

☁️- This wasn’t the only time he allowed you to cry on his shoulder,after the one time you cried he wouldn’t easily dismiss the matter but instead constantly bring it up to make sure you’re getting better

Obanai

🐍- He’s a very observation person especially when it comes to you so he’ll notice your self-harming rather quickly

🐍- He was very patient with you, so the first time he asked and you didn’t tell him he waited until you were ready, like Giyuu he didn’t force you to talk about it.

🐍- When you two did talk about it he never judged you or made you feel bad for doing it, he never called your self harming ‘ attention seeking’ or called you dramatic for doing it

🐍- instead he’ll empathize with you and try to understand why you’re doing it

🐍-Obanai is definitely not one to show physical affection, he rather shows he loves you through words of affirmation BUT If you ever need him to hold you or hug you he’d be more than glad to do it

🐍- He’ll alway hold on onto you and assure you he’ll try and help you solve the problem

🐍- You’ll also have Kaburamaru to be your support snake he’ll alway wraps hisself around you or rub his head on your check to try and make you feel better

🐍- Obanai always try his best to make you feel better and he will near you every second of the day he’s right next to you to because he wants to be a constant reminder that you’re not alone

Uzui

🔊- It was own of the wives that told him about it

🔊- Uzui would immediately blame himself he would think you were probably upset that he was giving one of his wives e attention than you

🔊- He’ll then immediately go to you and apologies for it but then you’ll explain to him that’s not the reason. He’ll then feel relieved but immediately worry knowing there’s something making his love sad

🔊- He is the type to not assume what would make you feel better but would ask you how he could help. He’d ask if you want to talk about it with him, if you wanna talk to someone else maybe one of the wives, if you wanna be left alone, if you want a support animal ( yes willing to get you a cat/dog/lizard etc to make you feel better 😌)

🔊- He would kindly ask for you to give him the weapons you use for self-harm, he refuses to do it by force because that’ll make matters worst, if you don’t give it to him the time he’ll constantly ask for always in a soft and calm voice

🔊- If you’re a slayer he’ll even go as far and take away your sword he’d only give it back if he’s sure someone else is going on a mission with you and they can watch you or if he’s going

🔊- He would also get all of his wives to separately talk to you and try to make you feel better

🔊- Uzui allows you to cry on his shoulder if you ever need it and he’ll gently pat your head or rub your back

Gyomei

🪨-He would cry as soon as he found out

🪨-Like Shinobu he would be extremely heartbroken and his heat would weep for you

🪨- He absolutely hates the fact that you hurt yourself and would always cry thinking about it or if he hears you did it again

🪨- If the reason you are cutting yourself is because you don’t feel like you are good enough he would remind you of all your good qualities and there are lot

🪨- He’ll also wrap his arms around you and cuddle you as you cry because he knows how much you love it

🪨- Gyomei, if you allow it likes to gently rub all your self-injury scars because he believes you deserve comfort for going through all that pain

🪨-He wound often call them battle scars he does it because he believes that you did in fact went through a battle with many problems and you won

🪨- He is very gentle and patient when it comes to your self-harming , when he speaks to you about it and gives you advice it’s always in a soft and calming voice and whenever you rant or cry about how you feel he’ll patiently wait there for hours and let you speak, he’ll only speak when he knows that you are done, he wouldn’t dare interrupt you

This was my first time writing Uzui and Gyomei hope I did good, also this was my longest ever request so I wouldn’t be surprised if it has grammar errors sorry for that 😭

[silverynight]

Hello, can you make a story, shortfic or oneshoot or whatever, where when rengoku fought with akaza, tanjiro also tried to help him. when akaza attacked rengoku, tanjiro protected him so that he himself was seriously injured. The sun then appeared and Akaza retreated. tanjiro was dying, but his will to stay alive with the others managed to save him

The scene before them is heartbreaking to watch: the flame hashira is running his fingers through dark red hair and the kakushi notice he has a demon slayer in his arms.

The boy is bleeding, he doesn't look good, the injury on his stomach is open, although the Pillar holding him gently is applying pressure to the wound. Another boy is crying while he hugs a wooden box in his arms, then someone with a boar head falls to his knees.

"Tanjirou!" The blond sobs uncontrollably. "Why did you jumped in the middle of that fight? You knew that demon with those tattoos was stronger than you!"

A fiery eye glances in his direction; the kakushi notice that the Pillar is in no much better condition, there's blood all over the left side of his face and by the way his eyelid is closed they know he won't be able to use that eye ever again.

He makes a gesture to shut the blond boy up and the other immediately presses his lips together in a tight line.

"Tanjirou, focus on your breathing technique," the flame hashira says softly as the kakushi rush towards them, trying not to get distracted by the destroyed train on the ground.

There must've been a horrible battle.

"Rengoku-san..." The boy can barely speak, but tries to do as he's told.

When the two kakushi manage to kneel next to them, they notice the way the Pillar tenses like he's ready to kill anyone who approaches the demon slayer in his arms. When he realizes who they are, what they do, he relaxes, just a little bit.

The girl tries to bow in front of him, but Rengoku looks a little bit irritated for a moment.

"No time for formalities, just save him," it's barely a whisper, which is even more alarming because the kakushi know that Pillar, he's loud and full of energy and the fact that his voice sounds almost like a whisper at the moment is not a good sign.

As they start cleaning the boy's wound, they notice that the Pillar is doing his best to appear calm, but there's something in his eye, like a shadow, something almost painful to look at.

His heart is aching for the boy in his arms.

When they finish patching him up and they're about to take him with them, Rengoku tenses so the kakushi boy freezes for a moment; the Pillars are terrifying in his opinion and the flame hashira is no exception.

"He'll... survive, but we need to take him to the butterfly m-mansion," the kakushi girl stammers, trying not to tremble.

"I know," Rengoku nods; he looks like he doesn't want to let the boy go... ever.

"But... S-Sir, you're hurt... We can carry him for you, you shouldn't–"

The Pillar shakes his head; there's a determined glimmer in his eye, shining like fire.

"I can do it." He says, but it means I'm not going give him to you, I'll carry him from now on. I'm not going to leave him again.

They see him get up with the boy named Tanjirou in his arms; his expression softens in such a way, the kakushi girl is sure she and her fellow kakushi are prying on a very intimate moment... Or at least it feels like it.

"Rengoku-san? Where are we going?"

"We'll pay a visit to Shinobu again," the Pillar says again, softly, almost like he's afraid of breaking the demon slayer.

"But your eye–"

"Don't worry about it, my boy," the flame hashira smiles, nuzzling Tanjirou's head.

***

The next time the kakushi see them, Tanjirou looks a lot better, he's standing on his feet inside the butterfly mansion, but he only takes a few steps before strong arms grab him by the middle.

"Rengoku-san!" Tanjirou giggles; the kakushi feel relieved to see him like that, so full of energy and hope. "You don't have to carry me around all the time! I feel fine now!"

"I'm doing this for myself, my boy!" The Pillar says, face lighting up, even if the half of it is covered by an eye patch. "I like to have you in my arms!"

Oh... The kakushi look at each other after Tanjirou's cheeks turn slightly pink.

"So he's..." The kakushi boy mumbles, staring in shock as the flame hashira nuzzles Tanjirou's red cheek lovingly.

"That's what a Pillar in love looks like," the girl mumbles next to the boy.

"I hope they get married soon. They look good together."

"You're right, they'll make a great couple."

***

Patreon

[dudeandduchess]

Kyōjurō x F!S/O: We and Us (Fluff, Time Travel AU, SFW Scenario)

Summary: (Y/n) takes a vacation to Japan with her best friend and prays to meet her soulmate, only fate gives her a mile instead of an inch and she meets Rengoku Kyōjurō— the Flame Hashira in the manga that she had been reading. Right before his last mission, no less, so it’s up to her to save him.

Note: This is a mix of an isekai, soulmate, and time travel AU. I’ll try to explain things as best as I can within the story, but please take everything at face value. But if y’all have questions, please let me know. Enjoy, bbys!

(Y/n) will be the usual, but (F/n) will stand for Friend’s Name.

Also, a HUGE thank you to Biz for helping me out so much with this. Like seriously. I’ve hit so many blunders with writing this one out.

Warning: Mild Angst with Happy Ending, Manga/Movie Spoilers, Language

Word Count: 11,007

***

It was the same dream again; the very same one that had kept on plaguing (Y/n) ever since she had landed in Tokyo with her best friend.

She had only ever seen the scene in the Kimetsu no Yaiba manga, but it all looked so vivid in her mind. Too vivid, in fact, that it had unsettled her enough to have her sitting up in the double bed in the hotel room, that she and (F/n) shared.

For the third night in a row, the dream— no, the nightmare— had managed to reduce her to tears again.

Maybe she was crazy for feeling so much for someone who wasn’t real, but she couldn’t help her reaction. When she had opened her eyes, her face was already wet with tears— and no matter how hard she tried to wipe them away, they wouldn’t cease falling.

And, for once, she wanted to wake (F/n) up so she could get one of her comforting hugs— but she didn’t want to put a damper on such a momentous vacation for them. After all, they had saved up so much money just to afford going to Tokyo in the first place.

She wouldn’t ruin the next day with something that would fade away into nothingness later on.

But she would be lying if she said that it didn’t hurt to watch Rengoku Kyōjurō die over and over again— even if it was only in her dreams.

All she could do, however, was lay back down and curl into a ball to clutch one of her pillows close to her chest; burrowing her face into the fresh-smelling linen and trying to will away the haunting images that kept playing in her mind.

Her heart felt like it was breaking a million times over, yet she couldn’t exactly explain why that was. So, she closed her eyes and started counting— if only to get her racing mind to calm down.

Thankfully, sleep finally caught up to her; albeit restless and unfulfilling.

‘Don’t worry about me dying here.’

***

“You seem really off today, is something wrong, (Y/n)?” (F/n) asked as she nudged her best friend with her elbow, sending the other woman jumping a little in surprise; as if she had been suddenly shaken from some deep and all-consuming thought.

In response, (Y/n) forced a smile on her face and shook her head. She really did feel so drained, especially with a constant heaviness weighing down on her shoulders. Especially when she had stepped onto the small tram that would lead them to Setagaya; it was as if her chest had gotten so tight at some unknown factor that plagued her every waking move.

Not even the pretty hydrangeas that lined either side of the tracks were enough to make her feel better. And it felt like such a waste to be there, as the hydrangeas were what she had wanted to see the most.

“I just had a really weird dream last night. It was of Kyō dying…” (Y/n) admitted with a slight huff of a laugh, trying to make light of the situation with some humor— but she couldn’t say anything more as she felt her best friend’s arms wrap around her tightly.

(Y/n) had to admit that it was a little surprising, but she wasn’t entirely opposed to it; as it felt so warm and comforting, especially with the light drizzle of rain outside making the world look dreary and cold.

And slowly, she found herself grinning as she tried to push (F/n) off; before bursting out into a tiny fit of giggles when the arms around her only got tighter.

“Okay, okay, I feel better now. You can let go of me.”

With a laugh, (F/n) stepped back and patted the top of (Y/n)’s head, making the latter curl her upper lip at how playfully condescending that was. But it did its job in taking her mind off of her nightmare, which was all that mattered.

And so, with much a brighter mood, (Y/n) looked out of the tram window and giddily waited for their stop— so she could get a feel of what Kyōjurō’s hometown would have been like. After all, the databook had mentioned him living in Setagaya; so it was ticking off two nocks in one move, with her hydrangea sightseeing, as well as touring Setagaya.

When they got to their station, both women wasted no time in walking to the nearby temple— Tsurumaki Jisso-in. It was a really quaint place, but it felt so tranquil to step into; as if they were being transported through time.

Every step that (Y/n) took, she could feel her emotions beginning to bubble to the surface— feeling so light and heavy at the same time, like some part of her was being welcomed back to the place.

But that wasn’t the most unsettling instance for her; that was when she was deep in prayer already— thanking the gods for bringing her to Japan with her best friend, and for giving her such good fortune up to that day.

After all, she knew that she was luckier than most for just having the opportunity to have a roof above her head and three (or more) meals a day. Let alone the fact that she could have saved up to afford a very expensive trip.

If that wasn’t worth thanking the gods for, then she didn’t know what was.

“All I’m asking for now… is someone to spend the rest of my life with. Someone who’s the other half of my soul…” She prayed under her breath, bowing her head even further as a sign of humility, before adding, “Someone who will love me wholeheartedly forever.”

Shivers raced up her spine as soon as she uttered her wish, with some unseen force beckoning her to look up. And when she gave in to the urge to do so, the sight of a blond waiting a few paces away from her— with his hand stretched out towards her— made her absolutely breathless.

The vision didn’t last more than a couple of seconds, but she was sure that she just saw Rengoku Kyōjurō in front of her.

“It can’t be. I’m going crazy,” The young woman whispered to herself; bowing down once more, before strolling off to the side to admire the little stone statues that dotted the vicinity.

However, the heavy feeling on her shoulders had returned along with a headache. So, she decided that a short stroll around the area would do her some good.

With one last look behind her— to see that (F/n) was still engrossed in whatever prayer she had— (Y/n) deigned to just send her a text to let her know that she was going for a walk before finally taking the first few steps to get her around the place.

She couldn’t even hear the buzz of the town around them. No horns, or car engines, or even the sound of people filled the gaps of silence between the short gusts of wind that rustled the leaves of the plants around her.

If she were to be honest, she would say that it was relaxing; enough for a nap, even.

But she couldn’t do that when she and (F/n) still had so many places to go for the rest of the day. And, figuring that she’d been gone for long enough, she circled back to the pagoda— where, lo and behold, her best friend was nowhere to be found.

“I told her to wait for me here, tsk,” She uttered under her breath, huffing a little as she tried to fight back the heaviness and the headache that were only getting worse. “(F/n), you dumbass.”

She must have circled the entire vicinity of the temple thrice already, but her best friend was still nowhere to be found. And, around the second time that she had gotten back to the pagoda, she had pulled her phone out to call her— only to curse under her breath when she saw that it was dead.

It wouldn’t have been a problem at all, since she had her backpack with her— but when she checked the contents of it, she didn’t find the power bank that she was sure that she had packed in there that morning.

So, she circled the area once more— getting more frustrated at the pseudo cat and mouse game that she assumed (F/n) was playing with her— until she decided to check outside the temple gates.

Only, she couldn’t quite believe her eyes when an entirely different scene greeted her.

Instead of the asphalt road that she had walked on earlier, there was only a dirt road; which had her chest tightening with panic. Because she couldn’t have been on one of those prank shows she always watched.

But that was the only answer that she was coming up with, as her eyes took in the sight of the busy road in front of her. People were even wearing much older clothes; as opposed to the jeans, button down, and ankle boots combo that she was wearing.

“No, I swear to everything holy… (F/n), if you signed me up for a prank…” She hissed under her breath, swallowing thickly as she frantically looked at all of the people who were going on about their day.

A few gazes were aimed at her, but no one dared to approach her. And it wasn’t like she could simply stroll up to someone and ask them what had happened to the road— because, as it was, she only knew the basics of basic Japanese.

She would sooner make a mistake and ask someone where a gong was, instead of where the road had gone.

It was also at that moment that she realized that she shouldn’t have goofed off while learning Japanese; instead of telling (F/n) that she sucks tiny dicks, she could have used that time to learn some more useful sentences.

Panic was steadily beginning to set in, causing tears to spring up in her eyes as she clutched her useless phone in one hand. She couldn’t even muster up the strength to move from where she stood— the need to cry getting stronger with every passing second.

(Y/n) swore that she would wring her best friend’s neck if all of that ended up as a really unfunny prank. But it seemed that it wasn’t a prank at all, as no one yelled ‘cut’ and not one camera person stepped out to capture the sight of her tears beginning to fall down her face.

Slowly, her panic began to really set in, as she gripped her phone even tighter in her hand— pushing herself to turn on her heel to march back into the temple and try to look for (F/n) in every shrub possible; only, the breath was knocked out of her when she ran smack dab into something.

Or rather, someone.

Red-tinted irises flickered down at the peculiar woman, lingering on her tear-stained face, before they took in the strange clothes that she was wearing.

The strange woman’s clothes weren’t what had the Flame Hashira’s curiosity piquing, however…

It was when her eyes widened with what seemed like fear and genuine shock, before she whispered, “Kyōjurō?”

All that, before promptly passing out— thankfully, in his arms. Otherwise, she would have suffered a painful bump to the head.

“Ani-ue? Do you know her?” Kyōjurō readjusted his hold on the woman in his arms, then looked down at his side to answer his brother with a smile.

“I don’t, Senjurō, but she knows me.”

“What are we going to do?”

“Take her home,” The Hashira’s answer sounded so simple, as if it didn’t have to do with taking a virtual stranger home— one that looked so weird, with a glossy and flat brick at her feet. Because really, his curiosity was extremely piqued; especially with how he felt his heart skip a beat when she mentioned his name.

He wanted to know why exactly that was, when he had never felt something so… unexplainably warm and pleasant in his entire life.

As if he had just begun to really live.

***

“Is she awake yet?” Kyōjurō asked as he slid the shoji open and poked his head inside the guest room. He had been training beforehand, but had practically breezed through the rest of his shadow sparring routines because his curiosity got the better of him.

All throughout the afternoon, he couldn’t quite get his mind off of the strange woman who was sleeping in his home; and it wasn’t even the fact that she knew him that baffled him.

It was how he felt so attached to her already— as if, by some invisible force, something tethered him to her.

And that was how he found himself padding through the house; pacing up and down the halls at first, weighing the merits of seeing her already— without washing all of the sweat off of him first— as opposed to just making a beeline for her room and checking up on her.

However, he went with the former choice: bathing first, before going to see her. After all, he wanted to make a good impression, and he couldn’t do that when he smelled like the sun and lots of sweat.

“Not yet, ani-ue,” Senjurō answered softly, sending his older brother a smile, before reaching up to feel the unknown woman’s forehead with the palm of his hand.

She didn’t have a fever, but she was still unconscious, which worried the younger Rengoku a lot. He may not have known her, but he was so naturally kindhearted that he didn’t want anyone getting hurt— especially when they were under his care.

Kyōjurō sighed quietly— more out of disappointment than anything else— as he padded into the room; closing the door behind him, as he let his gaze fall to the unconscious woman on the futon.

And that was when the foreign feeling of his stomach feeling so empty yet full at the same time— as his heart began to pound faster in his chest— fell on him. He barely even managed to restrain the urge to reach up and rub at the spot where his heart was.

Though, slowly, he walked towards her and sat down next to where his brother sat— not once looking at anywhere but her and her sleeping face.

Kyōjurō had to admit that she was quite beautiful, even with that slight furrow in her brows. But, before he could stop himself, he reached out and gently smoothed the crease down with the pads of his fingers.

Unbeknownst to him, a small and warm smile had tugged up at the corners of his lips; which had Senjurō looking between the Flame Hashira and the stranger.

He didn’t want to make assumptions, but he could feel that there was something divine at play with their situation. Especially since the woman looked like she didn’t belong in their country, nor did she belong in their time.

It wasn’t until night had fallen that the brothers saw her stir awake, and they immediately waited with baited breath for her to open her eyes. But when she did open them, they immediately widened as she bolted upright on the futon— scooting away from the Rengokus and dragging the blanket closer towards her chest.

As if that would protect her from a Hashira.

“I have to be dreaming,” (Y/n) whispered frantically, curling her fingers around the blanket and bringing it up to shield her face from the pair in front of her; then brought it back down after a few seconds, to check if they were still there.

Lo and behold, Kyōjurō and Senjurō were still looking at her; which prompted her to do it twice more, until the older of the two tugged the blanket out of her hands and scooted closer to her.

(Y/n) wanted nothing more than to scream at that moment— both with fear and various other overwhelming emotions— but she bit down on her tongue and held it in. On the off chance that it was all some elaborate prank, she didn’t want to make even more of a fool of herself.

“Your name,” Kyōjurō began, letting his curiosity get the better of him as he gave in and jumped into interrogating her already. After all, he had been waiting all afternoon for her to wake up. “What’s your name?”

Hell, he had even pushed back the time for his nightly patrols in case she woke up. Because he wanted to be there when she opened those breathtaking eyes of hers; ones that widened in surprise at his question.

Thankfully, (Y/n) caught his words with very little difficulty.

“(Y/n)…” The young woman breathed out, completely enamored by how close those fiery eyes were to her face. She had only seen them in her dreams, and to have them look so real… it was a dream come true; even if she was sure that she was only hallucinating.

Since there was no way that a manga character could be real.

“I… I mean… (L/n) (Y/n),” She stammered out in the choppiest-sounding Japanese that she had ever uttered. It was even worse than when she had asked someone for directions in the street the day before; making her want to snatch the blanket back and hide under it until the burning in her cheeks subsided.

“(L/n) (Y/n),” Kyōjurō whispered under his breath, feeling his lips tingle as a smile tugged up at the corners of his lips— for some unknown reason. The name was so foreign on his tongue, and he had pronounced it differently than she had, but it still had his heart fluttering inside his chest. “Earlier, you mentioned my name. How do you know me?”

That had all of (Y/n)’s thoughts coming to a standstill inside her head, stumping her until she could feel her right eye twitching with her discomfort. After all, she couldn’t very well tell him that he was a fictional character in a manga— one that she cared for immensely.

But she also knew that she wouldn’t be able to explain why she was there in the first place, if she lied to him. That, and something told her that Kyōjurō would willingly hear her out, and even accept what she was going to say.

He would be a little skeptical about it, but she knew as much as he did that no one would be able to explain exactly what had happened.

So, to the best of her ability, she wracked her brain for all of the Japanese words that she had learned, and began to explain in choppy sentences. “I’m not from here. I’m from the future… and this is a manga.”

The Hashira’s eyebrows furrowed at that, and he was about to open his mouth to speak, when Senjurō reached out to lay a hand on his forearm.

“Maybe we should hear her out first, ani-ue?”

Those words prompted Kyōjurō to look over at Senjurō, before scooting back to sit next to his brother, and letting go of the blanket that he had unceremoniously snatched from their guest. Part of him had his defenses raised, and wanted nothing more than to get things over with— but another, much bigger part, had him wanting to sit there and listen to what she had to say.

All night long, if he had the leisure of doing so.

And so, with her choppy Japanese, (Y/n) went on to tell the Rengoku brothers everything that had happened since she had arrived at the temple in Setagaya, and everything that happened between that and fainting in his arms; with the last bit making her blush profusely, while she looked away.

Surprisingly, Kyōjurō found the flustered expression cute on her… but what threw the young man even more for a loop was his reaction: stifling a smile, as his cheeks also warmed up with a blush identical to hers.

Never in his life had he been flustered like that; which was made even more intense with the butterflies fluttering around inside his stomach. It was a foreign feeling, but something that he welcomed… because it was something nice and warm.

Something that he knew he had been missing all along.

“And that’s how I ended up here. I was just looking for my friend...” (Y/n) implored softly, letting her gaze flicker between the two blonds in front of her. “Do you believe me?”

She then waited with baited breath for Kyōjurō’s answer, staring intently at him, and sighing when he minutely nodded his head. “Parts of your story explain things, so I’ll believe you… for now.”

“Okay. Okay, I’ll take that.” (Y/n) smiled at him, feeling extremely comfortable under his gaze for once— only to feel her breath catch in her throat when the Hashira returned it with a much brighter one than hers.

If he kept smiling at her like that, she might just traverse time and space again— what with how surreal it looked.

Both of them seemed to be stuck at a standstill then, with their eyes not once flickering away from the other— as their smiles tapered down into smaller ones.

All the while, Senjurō could only look on with a hint of a smile tugging up on his cheeks; because he had never seen his brother ever look so interested in a woman before. And maybe, just maybe, he’d finally found the one who was going to take care of his heart.

“Ani-ue, I think it’s time for your patrols now,” The younger Rengoku began with a mirthful tone, popping the invisible bubble that ensconced the pair with him.

That had the Hashira sitting upright even more, shoulders stiffening as he picked his sword up from beside him and immediately got up. He had completely forgotten that he had to do a patrol of the area, just so everyone under his jurisdiction could stay safe.

However, he felt a little reluctant to leave his guest just like that.

“Let’s talk more tomorrow, (L/n)-san,” He bid then, biting down unsurely on his bottom lip when he realized just how forward he sounded— but not doing anything to retract the statement.

Because he had to admit, he wanted to talk to her more; get to know her. All of her.

To his utter shock— and pleasure— he saw the young woman nod at him, before uttering words that had his heart practically jumping out of his chest and gracing all of them with its presence.

“Stay safe, Kyōjurō… I mean, Rengoku-san.”

It was safe to say that all throughout his patrol, Kyōjurō’s mind always drifted back to the intriguing woman that had literally and figuratively fallen into his arms.

***

When morning finally came, it was to hear nothing but tranquil silence within the Rengoku household. There was the telltale chirping of birds outside, and the soft din of people chattering as they passed by the house— but it seemed that everyone was still asleep within the estate itself.

But (Y/n) was proven wrong when she heard three soft knocks outside of her room. “(L/n)-san? Are you awake?”

It was Senjurō, to whom she answered that she was awake and that she could come in— in the most chipper voice possible. She couldn’t help it, there was just something about the youngest Rengoku that made her all smiley and happy; like he was a bright ray of light in a dark and dreary world.

Much like how Kyōjurō was.

“Good morning, Senjurō-kun,” She greeted with a smile, quietly taking note of the change of clothes that was in his arms. They looked extremely nice; red, with black and gold embroidery, from her vantage point.

“Ani-ue got these for you earlier this morning… as soon as the shop opened,” Senjurō admitted with a soft, and teasing, smile; one that had (Y/n)’s cheeks flaring red at how sweet the gesture was, and how she just knew that a little boy was poking fun at her for making it so obvious that she liked his older brother.

Because, really, from how she had made moony eyes at him last night— there was no denying that Senjurō knew just how attracted she really was to Kyōjurō.

Thankfully, the younger Rengoku didn’t push his teasing more than that— opting instead to hand her the clothes, so she could get ready for the day.

It had taken a while for her to get herself done up in the kimono, but she eventually padded over to the shoji and poked her head outside, calling out softly, “Senjurō-kun? I’m done.”

When there was no answer, (Y/n) waited unsurely by the door for a little longer, until she felt awkward just standing there. So, she closed it once more, then padded over to her futon— folding everything up like she had seen in all the Japanese dramas that she had seen— and then moving towards her bag, that had been left a few ways away from where she had been sleeping.

She then rifled through the contents, sighing in relief when she found her passport and her wallet still in there— along with her phone, which had a few cracks on the screen.

“Fuck, that’s gonna be a bitch to use,” The young woman muttered in her native tongue, clicking her tongue in mild irritation as she tried to turning it on again.

No luck, however, which had her throwing it back in her bag and setting it back down on the floor. After all, she sincerely doubted that she would be able to use her paper bills and card to pay for anything in that era.

She was basically nothing more than a sitting duck, unless she stuck close to the Rengokus until she could figure out how and why she was even there in the first place. But those thoughts were put to a halt when she heard Kyōjurō’s telltale laughter from outside the house.

And, before she could stop her feet, she had already padded over to the shoji that led to the yard and had slid it open a tiny bit— peering outside with one eye, before opening the door a little bit wider to poke her head out.

“Kyō- Rengoku-san?” Tiptoeing out onto the engawa, (Y/n) looked left and right to see where his voice was coming from; and it wasn’t until she was standing at the end of the platform, while holding on to a beam, that she saw the familiar head of blond hair that she had been looking for.

Just in time, as well, because Kyōjurō saw her during pretty much the same moment— and the brighter and warmer smile that played at his lips was close to inevitable.

The Hashira felt his heart skip another beat in his chest, as he halfheartedly excused himself from the Kakushi that he had been talking to. And with a few quick strides, as well as a little vault up onto the engawa— to show off a little for the object of his affections— he greeted, “Good morning, (L/n)-san. Did you sleep well?”

“I did, thank you… for your hospitality. For the kimono, and for believing me too…” Her words were choppy at best, but the Hashira picked up on all of that she wanted to tell him— making his grin widen even more, until it was so bright that it was even more breathtaking than before.

Truly, no one could say that Rengoku Kyōjurō wasn’t quite the looker. Because he was.

“I just… saw it at the shop and thought of you,” The young man chuckled bashfully, even going as far as to lift a hand up to the back of his neck and scratch at it in such an adorable manner. “It looks really, really good on you.”

Partnered with the blush on his cheeks, (Y/n) was sure then that her heart was going to get tired sooner rather than later from beating so fast and hard in her chest. “Thank you, Rengoku-san.”

“Kyōjurō.” That had (Y/n)’s eyebrows furrowing in confusion, but even the man himself wasn’t sure what had come over him at that moment. All that he knew was that he wanted to hear her keep saying his name; his given name, like she had before. “You can call me Kyōjurō.”

Her answering smile was so beautiful that the Hashira had to resist the urge to cup her cheeks in his hands and… he didn’t even want to think about what he would have done to those alluring lips of hers.

“Okay, Kyōjurō,” The sound of his given name rolling off of her pretty lips had those butterflies fluttering around inside his stomach again, which only intensified when she added, “You can call me (Y/n).”

Meanwhile, Senjurō was looking at the couple from inside (Y/n)’s room; as he had just come back to get her to have breakfast with him. But the development that he had come across had him stifling a giggle, because the pair looked absolutely adorable out on the engawa.

Both of them flustered, barely a few feet away from each other, and making such moony gazes at each other— which they were oblivious to. It confirmed the younger Rengoku’s hunch that his brother might have finally found the woman for him.

Someone that he would love and cherish forever, and vice versa.

He almost didn’t want to cut in their little moment. “Ani-ue? (L/n)-san? I made breakfast for all of us.”

At the sound of Senjurō’s voice, both Kyōjurō and (Y/n) stepped away from each other; like the spell around them was broken, much like what had happened last night. And the younger Rengoku regretted having done so because, if he were to be honest, he would say that he just wanted his brother to be happy.

***

“What should we do today? Should we ask around if anyone knows anything about traversing time?” Kyōjurō offered as he set down his cup of water, looking over at (Y/n) and automatically smiling at her— a small one, but a smile all the same.

“Wouldn’t that be too… weird?”

“You have a point,” The Hashira laughed then, crossing his arms over his chest and wracking through his head to see what solutions he could offer to his cute guest.

And that had nothing to do with wanting to impress her even more. Nothing at all.

With that, however, both of them settled with retracing (Y/n)’s steps before she had jumped through time and space— going back to the temple near Kyōjurō’s house, and trying to look for any indicators that there had been something awry at play.

But there was none; not even a suspicious looking crack in the ground or any trees that could have served as some portal to another reality.

There was, however, a headache coming on for (Y/n). Especially when she came closer to the pagoda in the middle of the sacred grounds. It was as if it was the source of her affliction— which wouldn’t be far off from her own guess that what she was doing there was somehow tied to the wish she’d made to the gods.

The wish where she’d asked to meet her soulmate; someone who would love her wholeheartedly forever. And she couldn’t think of anyone else that she wanted to fit the bill more, than Rengoku Kyōjurō.

“Are you alright, (Y/n)?”

Kyōjurō’s words had her snapping out of her reverie; shaking her head a little, as if to shake off all of those thoughts, before turning to him. “I just… headache.”

Her words had absolutely escaped her then, since the sight of him reaching out to her was reminiscent of the vision that had flashed in her mind yesterday; just before she had been transported to his time and reality.

And to her absolute surprise, he pressed his fingers to the middle of her forehead and gently smoothed out the space between her eyebrows. She hadn’t even realized that she had been furrowing them in the first place, and that action had her blushing beet red; all the way up to the tips of her ears.

“You don’t need to frown that much, you look prettier with a smile,” The young man complimented quietly; for once abiding by the tranquil atmosphere at the temple.

That, and maybe because he wanted her to be the only one who heard those words; as they were specifically for her alone.

Slowly, he retracted his hand from (Y/n)’s forehead, and steadily tamped down the urge to pull her in and finally have a taste of those lips of hers. It wouldn’t have been a polite thing to do in such sacred grounds, in public— no less.

“Why don’t we talk a walk around the town instead? To give you some reprieve,” The Hashira offered with a smile. “And then we can come back here tomorrow to look for more information…”

Part of him wanted to jump the gun and tell her that she could stay with him forever, but even he knew that that was too forward. They had just met yesterday, after all; and she had told him that his reality only existed in a manga.

If that wasn’t the premise for something tragic, he didn’t know what was. And even though he was so tempted to give in to his budding feelings, he couldn’t put that much pressure on her.

It was true that she made him feel so much— so many good things that he didn’t even think he could feel about someone— but he also had a feeling that, sooner or later, she would want to go back to where she came from.

He didn’t want to be the cause of tethering her down there; especially not when demons were running rampant around the country.

But damn if he didn’t want to keep her with him forever.

Just a day and he was already in so deep; he was both excited and apprehensive of how much deeper his feelings would get for her the longer she stayed there.

Little did he know just how much she would come to mean to him.

***

“Kyōjurō? It’s time for breakfast!” (Y/n) called aloud, before banging the wooden spoon against the pot in her hand— letting the Flame Hashira know, in not so many words, that he should get out of his room then.

It had already been a few months since she had arrived in the Taisho era, and she would be lying if she said that she wasn’t worried about what was happening in her own timeline and reality— but there was realistically nothing that she could do about things.

So, she slowly started to accept the fact that she was stuck there. Not without worrying nightly about how her best friend was doing, and how her family was faring along. She still thought about them and constantly thought about ways that she could possibly get back home, but her efforts weren’t as valiant as before.

Especially since things with Kyōjurō had taken a more… romantic turn.

They had never said anything to confirm their feelings, but it was evident in the way that Kyōjurō would cup her face and hold her hand in private, that he felt the same way that (Y/n) felt for him.

It had been really surprising when he had first taken her hand, mostly because he had done so abruptly during the rare dinner when it was only the two of them eating. Hell, she had almost spilled her food when Kyōjurō just reached out and practically slapped his hand down on hers.

Thankfully, he had gotten gentler over the months, and he had learned to slowly slip her hand into his instead; which never failed to make (Y/n)’s heart flutter— each and every time.

The mere memory of his warm and rough hand enveloping hers had her smiling and blushing, as she set the bowls of food down on the dining table set for three people. Shinjurō never ate with them, and it wasn’t that he didn’t know of her existence— he knew, yet he preferred to stay in his room instead.

So (Y/n) had no idea what the Rengoku patriarch thought about her, or her relationship with his son.

She had been so deep in thought that she didn’t even feel the Hashira’s presence in the room; not until Kyōjurō sat down beside her.

Kyōjurō’s eyes zoned in on the young woman’s left cheek, as he had been doing since he had entered the room a few minutes before. He had been planning on kissing her for a long time, yet he always chickened out at the last minute— so he resolved that day, that he was going to do it.

Or he was going to double his morning exercise routine, as a form of punishment.

“Good morning, (Y/n).” He had been doing so well with his efforts too, what with him leaning in to try and brush his lips against her soft cheek— only for her to turn towards him when he had placed his hand on her back.

And, in a turn of events that he could have only dreamt of until that point, his lips slanted against her in a faint kiss.

Immediately, both their eyes widened in surprise, yet they remained frozen in place; both of them not knowing where things were going next. Not until the Flame Hashira decided to jump in and pull her in further against him, all while pressing his lips harder against her own.

She was so warm, his lips were tingling slightly at the feeling of kissing her, and he wished that the feeling would never end— as he fought off the urge to completely melt against her; along with tamping down the voice in his head that told him to pull her onto his lap and claim her lips thoroughly.

But, at the very last second, he slowly pulled back from her and took a deep breath to calm his racing pulse. He didn’t want to rush her into things; that wasn’t how he was raised.

After all, he wanted to marry her first.

The thought of marriage didn’t even faze him, since he had been considering it a few months after knowing (Y/n). Kyōjurō wanted nothing more than to ask for her hand in marriage, to show her that he really would cherish her forever if she chose to stay with him, but there was still the matter of her not being from that timeline that held him back from doing so.

When before he hadn’t wanted to hold her back from wanting to return to her own reality, he was beginning to succumb to the selfishness that brewed within him.

If given the chance to keep her forever, he would take it in a heartbeat.

“I…” (Y/n) whispered, face completely red and a little bit winded, as she lifted a hand and gently pressed her fingers against her lips.

Finding her shyness extremely cute, the Hashira’s lips pulled up at the corners into a grin— as he pulled a little bit away from her; if only to see more of her adorable expression. “You’re so beautiful.”

Those words only served to shock the young woman even further; eyes widening in surprise, as they flickered up and stared into those piercing red and yellow irises that she had come to love even more.

Much more than she did, than when she had thought he was nothing but a character in a manga. And so much more than she had loved any other person.

It was almost scary how much she loved and cared for Kyōjurō.

So, it absolutely tore her heart when she heard that he had been called to Oyakata-sama’s estate later that afternoon, which had her heart sinking to her stomach. It never boded well for her whenever Kyōjurō went away on missions, but to know that what she had been dreading was unfolding right before her eyes once more— for real, that time— had her feeling weak in the knees as she waited for Kyōjurō at home.

Only, instead of seeing her beloved walking through the gates, she saw his crow flying overhead— with a letter tied to one of its feet.

Her heart sank at the mere sight of it, and even more when she unfurled the parchment to see a letter that told her that he would be back in a few days.

That he just had to deal with a demon, and that he had to take the long-haul train to find it.

“No, no, no, no,” Her breaths came in shallow bursts, and her heart had felt like it had stopped inside her chest. Still, with her entire body awash with a cold and crippling kind of fear, she forced her legs to take her to the room that she had been given within the estate.

Once there, she fished out the pouch where she kept the money that Kyōjurō had been giving her— so she could buy things that she wanted— and didn’t even bother to check in with Senjurō before she left.

(Y/n) couldn’t tell him, because she would make sure that he had nothing to worry about. She would make sure that Kyōjurō lived, because she couldn’t take losing him again— and on a scale that was real, that time.

Reading about it was a different kind of pain, but experiencing it would make her crazy.

He had become such an important person to her, that to lose him would equal to her losing herself. So, that was how she found herself setting off to follow him to the train station.

Unfortunately, she had no clue where it was; nor could she ask anyone for directions— as most people shied away from her. With her being a foreigner and all, most of the locals had taken to simply ignoring her because of Kyōjurō; and it pissed her off to no end that she they wouldn’t even look her in the eye.

Kyōjurō and Senjurō had been the only ones to accept her wholeheartedly into their home, and she couldn’t be more thankful for that. Albeit a little suspicious about the gods once more playing a hand with how she had come across them, because there was no way that it was pure coincidence that she had traversed realities the same day that he decided to visit the temple on a whim.

Had she not come across them that day, she didn’t even know where she would have ended up.

And with that last thought swimming in her head, she straightened her shoulders out and took in a deep breath before soldiering on to where she had once had Senjurō mention the train station.

If memory served her right, and if she understood him correctly, then she would get there with about twenty minutes of walking.

“Why isn’t Uber a thing here?” She whispered under her breath, huffing as she fanned herself with her hand and started power walking towards where she guessed the station was.

Only, she had made a wrong turn at one point— and had to retrace her steps to the main road; where she then tried her hardest to make out the characters from ‘station’ on the sign boards and flyers that she had passed by.

And after an extra half hour, she had finally arrived at the station; met with so many people falling in line to get tickets for the first and only train that was leaving for the day. She almost wanted to tell people not to buy any of the tickets, and tell them to go home, yet she was but a tiny speck in a sea of people.

A foreigner, no less; so, the chances of anyone taking her seriously were nil.

Part of her was tempted to tell Kyōjurō about it, but she didn’t want to alert the lower moon demon controlling the train about her knowledge of things; as that would only put her at the forefront of his kill list, and would most likely put more people in danger.

She had to be smart about things, so she hatched a quick— and half-cocked— plan to hide in the last train car until she was sure that the train conductor was back out towards the first train car, before she snuck in to save Kyōjurō and the others.

“Oh thank all the gods that I took this part to heart,” The young woman whispered once more, as she looked down at her ticket and conveniently threw it in the trash bin.

She wanted to hop in the train car that her beloved was on, if only to see him safe and sound— and eating his mountain of bento box meals— but bypassed that car quickly as she hastened to the last one.

And, with one look behind herself as the train whistle blew, to see if the coast was clear, she hopped on the platform to the cargo hold and quickly snuck inside the dark and stifling car.

As nervous as she was, her heart pounding wildly in her chest was something she expected; what was weird was the tightness that came with it. It was suffocating, and beginning to weigh down on her shoulders, yet she shook the feeling off in favor of finding a trunk that wasn’t stacked up to sit on.

Once she was situated nicely— just in time too, as the train began to lurch forward— she began to run through all of the manga panels in her head. She could only vividly remember the part where Akaza appeared, as that part was such a painfully memorable one, but the few flashes of the train panels helped her gauge the timeline.

Plus, it also helped her bide her time; calming her racing thoughts a little, since she knew that Kyōjurō and the others would be able to handle the demon with little to no problems.

Once she heard the train’s whistle, she took that as a signal to get up from her perch on one of the trunks— making her way towards the steel door that led to the other cars.

Only, when she tried to turn the knob, it was to find that it was chained from the outside.

“Fuck. Fuck,” The young woman whispered under her breath, trying desperately to push the door open— on the off chance that the porter had been lazy and didn’t latch the padlock on the chains. But, as her luck would have it, the padlock was firmly in place, keeping the door firmly shut.

Instantly, her eyes darted around the dim room, trying to look for a way to get out of there before things went to hell inside the train. But she found no other exits except the main doors, as the windows had metal screens on them to keep thieves out.

The train lurched beneath her at that moment, making her cry out as she got jostled against the door. And it wouldn’t have been bad, had the mountain of luggage behind her not come falling down; essentially trapping her right where she stood.

Just when she thought that things could get worse for her, they did when the heaviness that had been brewing inside her since she had boarded the train began to bubble up. It had her fighting back the migraine that practically split her head, all while resisting the urge to reach up and clutch at her tightening chest. She was left like a sitting duck, barely holding herself back from crying and screaming out her beloved’s name.

That was, until she remembered that Kyōjurō would be protecting the last five car trains; which most likely included the passenger car right across the car that she was in.

“Kyōjurō! Kyōjurō!” She whisper-yelled, wishing to all the gods that the demon on top of the train wouldn’t pay much attention to the ruckus that she was causing.

(Y/n) then began banging on the door with her open hand; heavy and frantic taps that she was sure the Flame Hashira would hear the moment that he came darting to the last passenger car.

Her hunch was right, thankfully, as Kyōjurō picked up on her faint calls through the noise of the train and the ruckus that the demon was making. And hearing her voice above all of that felt akin to having a bucket of ice-cold water being thrown at him; as icy fear gripped his chest.

“(Y/n)?!” The Hashira called out, kicking down the door that the demon had sealed shut with its flesh, eyes wide with panic and his heart racing in his chest the more that he heard her banging against the door and calling out his name.

Not wasting anymore time, Kyōjurō threw a quick glance over his shoulder and huffed out a frustrated sigh as he was torn between doing another mad dash to the front of all the carriages that he was protecting.

But it was a no brainer what his choice was: it was to save (Y/n) first, because she would always be his top priority.

And so, with a small leap to get to the cargo hold, he swung down the hilt of his sword and broke the lock that held the chains together; wrenching the door open and opening his arms just in time for his beloved to jump into them.

Tears marred her cheeks, but it didn’t appear that she had noticed that she had been crying in the first place, as she made no move to wipe them away. That made him feel even worse, but he brought his left hand up to cup the back of her head as he pressed her cheek to the crook of his neck.

“I’m here, shh, you’re okay. I’m here, my love.” In any other time, the effortless use of the nickname would have made him blush so hard but, at that moment, it only brought him relief. “I have you. You’re okay.”

He didn’t know why she was even there in the first place, but it really wasn’t the time or the place to ask her that. So, he decided to just ask her later.

(Y/n)’s arms automatically wrapped themselves around Kyōjurō’s middle, as she held herself as close to him as possible. The pain she felt was beginning to intensify, and the tightness in her chest began to double— and all she could do was cry; no matter how much she forced herself to numb herself down from all the negative sensations assaulting her.

She clung as tightly as she could to the back of the Hashira’s uniform, being selfish enough to not want him to part from her— because parting from her would mean certain death for him.

There was nothing more that (Y/n) wanted than for her beloved man to stay alive— so they could make all of her wishes for their future a reality. A family with him— the house in the mountains that she wanted, all the kids that she’d only seen him looking at with a sad longing in his eyes; she wanted to make him the happiest man in the world.

But she also knew that she couldn’t let it cost anyone’s life.

“(Y/n), I have to go.” Reluctantly, the blond pulled the young woman away from him; looking down at her tear-stained face before leaning down so he could brush his lips against her. “I’ll come back for you, just stay here.”

And with that, he untangled himself from his beloved (Y/n)’s arms dived back into the foray with the demon; making as quick work of it as possible; all while protecting the rest of the passengers on the train.

It was his duty, after all.

But he would be lying if he said that he didn’t want things to get over and done with as quickly as possible. Which had him really thankful— yet slightly fearful for (Y/n)’s safety— when the train derailed; sending people flying, and carriages falling to the wayside of the tracks.

Kyōjurō didn’t even wait another second to see the demon start to disintegrate, because his feet carried him towards the object of his affections; his future wife.

She had been tossed back within the luggage car, making his heart sink to his stomach as he hurriedly pushed away all of the trunks and luggage bags that were blocking her from coming to him.

Her sobs were soft and muffled as she bit down on her bottom lip, but they still felt like tiny pinpricks of ice to the Flame Hashira’s heart; especially when he saw how battered she had gotten in the fiasco.

The bruise forming on her cheek was minor, but he still found himself hugging her as tight as he could— burying his face in her hair, as she clung to him once more.

In the distance, Kyōjurō picked up another presence— one that had him looking up and surveying the area. And he found himself pulling away from (Y/n) to have his hand ready at the hilt of his sword. Whatever had come was powerful, and he wanted her nowhere near it.

“Stay here, and don’t go anywhere.”

The young woman’s eyes widened at that implication, knowing what was to come; getting her stuck in a moral dilemma, that had her pinned between a rock and another hard place. Yet, she would be damned if she didn’t admit that it hurt so much. “No, no, no, you can’t go. Please. Please, Kyōjurō. Please.”

If only she could help him, then she would have. She would have done everything in her power to help him.

Her hands tried to hold him where he was, but Kyōjurō still pulled away from her again, feeling something in his gut telling him to stay put. But he wasn’t doing that; not when he had so many people to protect— especially the person whom he was going to ask to marry him after all that had happened.

“Don’t worry about me dying here,” And so, with a reassuring smile at her, the blond whispered, “I’ll come back to you, I promise.”

Those words didn’t reassure (Y/n) one bit but, before she could reach out and hold him again, the pain bearing down on her had her clutching her chest and gritting her teeth; unbeknownst to Kyōjurō, whom had just darted towards where he was sensing the newcomer’s dangerous aura.

It was as if there was a vise wrapped around (Y/n)’s neck; making her breaths come out in ragged pants, and her muscles seize up with the overall agony that coursed through her body.

And it was at that moment that she realized that, little by little, she was starting to disappear; her fingertips turning into golden dust at first, and slowly extending up to her knuckles.

“No. Not now, please. Not now,” She whimpered, completely helpless, as she stared at her shaking hands. “Fuck.”

A loud bang had her looking up from her own dilemma, making her see the bigger picture and urging her to move before she thought about it. Her legs began to carry her as fast as they could to where the cloud of dust had formed, with her being completely uncaring about how she felt and how she would end up.

What mattered to her was getting to Kyōjurō, and saving him, even if it cost her life.

Just up ahead, she could see only flashes of Akaza effortlessly fighting off Kyōjurō’s attacks, which had her pushing her legs even faster— all while more and more tears rolled down her cheeks.

“KYŌJURŌ!” She cried in a broken and hoarse tone, which fell on deaf ears as he was too engrossed in fighting off the Upper Moon demon.

It had only been a mere few minutes, but the Flame Hashira was already battered and bruised; his ribs were broken, and he was sure that he was bleeding internally at that point, yet he still pushed forward.

Only stopping when he had missed and Akaza had managed to land a painful blow to his left eye. It put him at such a hard spot, yet he didn’t want to give up.

He couldn’t give up.

His breath was also coming in shaky bursts at that moment, and his entire body ached, but he was thankful for the little reprieve that he received as he geared up for one more blow; adjusting his hold on the hilt of his sword and concentrating all of his efforts into the tenth form.

However, just as he and Akaza charged forward, (Y/n)’s voice cut through Akaza’s nonsensical chatter; and it felt like the world had come to a standstill as both of them looked over to where she was.

And it was to feel his entire body go numb when he saw her starting to disintegrate; golden dust emanating from every part of her that all the fight in him almost leaving his body. Had it not been for his last-minute thinking, he wouldn’t have taken the little window that (Y/n)’s distraction provided to swing his sword and cut off the Upper Moon demon’s head.

It fell to the ground with a muffled thud, but he couldn’t care less about it then— thinking that his job was done— as he raced towards (Y/n) and caught her just in time as she collapsed to the ground.

He hadn’t even realized that he was also crying, not until he had (Y/n) cradled in his arms as she cupped his cheeks with her half-disintegrated hands. “(Y/n), what’s wrong? What’s happening? What should I do?”

Kyōjurō’s mind was racing with so many thoughts at once, yet he could only manage to speak in broken fragments— as his sobs cut through his sentences. He sounded every inch of the broken man that he felt.

It was as if someone had just ripped his heart out right in front of him.

“I’ll… I’ll find you in your reality. I promise. You won’t ever be alone ever again, (Y/n); you mean everything to me.” His confession poured from his lips, frantic and garbled, but still legible to everyone’s ears. But what had everyone looking away was when the Flame Hashira dipped his head and claimed his beloved’s lips as the sun rose over the horizon.

Holding himself against her, all while he devolved into such loud and heartbroken sobs as he promised over and over that he would find her in her own time and reality.

After all, he was never one to back down from promises; especially when it came to the one and only love of his life.

***

When (Y/n) came to, it was to the sight of her best friend hovering above her— with her face stained with tears, and her eyes looking completely panicked. “What are you even doing here? I’ve been looking for you for almost an hour now! I thought you got kidnapped!”

Slowly, the young woman looked around her and noted that she was back at the temple in Setagaya; with her back flush against the stone pavement just behind the pagoda.

Thankfully, no one else was there to see her in such an embarrassing predicament.

“And when did you get a kimono as nice as that? Did you leave me behind just to get that? Christ, (Y/n)!” (F/n) rambled through her tears, roughly picking her best friend up by the shoulders and holding her close as she called her a dumbass over and over.

“I…” She couldn’t even answer straight, as what had transpired in the Taishō era flashed in her mind. It had her thinking if it had all been a hallucination, but when she looked down at the kimono she wore, she could tell that it wasn’t.

Because there was no other explanation for the fiery red kimono she donned, other than her traversing time and spending almost a year with Rengoku Kyōjurō. It seemed to her that time flowed differently in both realities, because she was sure that ten months had already passed.

“You what?”

“I was with him… with Kyōjurō,” (Y/n) whispered, feeling her own tears well up in her eyes, before they began falling down her cheeks. “I… he fought Akaza, and he lived… but I disappeared.”

“You’re not making any sense, (Y/n). Did you hit your head hard?” With those words, (F/n) reached up and felt for any bumps to the back of her friend’s head— only to find none. “And where’s your bag? Did you leave it somewhere?”

The young woman sat there instead of answering, completely frozen as her silent tears gradually turned into sobs. All the while, her arms wrapped themselves around her friend, and she cried her heart out— for all the things that had been, and all of the things that could have been between her and her beloved Hashira.

She didn’t even know how long they sat there on the ground but, once she was all cried out, (F/n) transferred her to one of the benches that were strewn around the temple; letting her get her bearings, before she set off to try and help her friend find her bag.

With every minute that passed, the pain in (Y/n)’s heart grew harder and harder to deal with— and she wanted nothing more than to go home at that moment, if only to curl up into a ball and try to remember the way that Kyōjurō’s lips felt against hers.

“You look so sad, my love…” The familiar voice had the aforementioned woman looking up, especially when she felt a warm and gentle hand cup her cheek and tilt her face up.

Slowly, tears that she didn’t know she could still produce welled up in her eyes— as she took in the glorious sight that Kyōjurō made in his own black kimono. He had a scar on his closed left eye, but it gave him such a rugged edge that— dare she say— was not unattractive at all. And partnered with the tears, her lips pulled up at the corners in a disbelieving yet relieved smile; something that was all for him as she sprung up and wrapped her arms around him.

“You’re here! How?” Her hands clung tightly to him, curling into the material of his clothes as she buried her face in the crook of his neck— taking in the scent that was so intoxicating and entirely Kyōjurō.

“Well, I had to return your bag…” The blond chuckled, as he ensconced his beloved in his arms— brushing his lips against the crown of her head, and smiling when he felt her lips brush against his skin. “That, and I wanted to ask if you would marry me.”

“Yes! Yes, but… how?” (Y/n) answered with a slight laugh, pulling back and cupping Kyōjurō’s cheeks in her hands; as if to make sure that he really was there.

The young man grinned then, taking hold of one of her hands and turning his head to press his lips against the inside of her wrist. “It took a while to arrange everything with Oyakata-sama, and to figure out how to get here, but I’m sure that one of his descendants from this time and reality would have my identification papers for me.”

Silence passed between the couple then, as (Y/n) tossed and turned his words in her head, before giving in and wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her lips against his— in a much-anticipated kiss.

She had so many questions left unanswered, and she was extremely tempted to face the gods once more and ask them what exactly was happening, but she reckoned that it was best not to challenge them anymore.

After all, she had gotten her wish: someone who would love and cherish her forever; and that man was Rengoku Kyōjurō.

BONUS:

(F/n) huffed irately as she stepped back from a thicket of bushes within the temple grounds, still feeling cross with her best friend for disappearing just like that— but not understanding what she was getting at with her explanation of meeting a manga character.

And, finally feeling defeated in her search for (Y/n)’s bag, she circled back to where she left the other woman— only to see her pulling away from a kiss with a weird looking man; someone that looked eerily similar to Rengoku from the Demon Slayer manga.

Instantly, her hackles were raised, as she let out a barking cry, “Hey, you cool cosplay bitch, get away from her!”

Kyōjurō’s eyebrows furrowed at that, as he didn’t understand a lick of what the other woman had said— but he turned back to his future wife and asked, “Is that the friend that you’d mentioned before? She seems protective. You’ve been in really good hands, then.”

“Didn’t you hear me, you weirdo? Get your hands off of (Y/n)!”

“She has my thanks for protecting you all this time.”

[missmooncakes]

Hot Spring.

[Kimetsu no Yaiba/Demon Slayer]

[Hashiras x Reader]

Author’s note:

No younger demon slayers will be on scene when nudity is exposed.

Warning:

- a bit of nudity, swearing, family love ONLY, NO incest

[Name] had no sense of reality. It was more in a way where she really couldn’t read any sort of situation and did what she wanted. Literally. Not only was she known as the Fog Hashira, she was known for being so blunt in a way that it would always catch everyone off guard. Even the Stone Hashira, Gyomei, would blink at the random stuff she had done. She was sort of like Muichiro in a way. However, she was a lot more interactive and cheerful compared to the Hashira who always had his head in the clouds.

It was one of the beginning of the summer when the all of the Hashiras has gathered at [Name]’s estate. Servants of the [Name]’s estates were scattered, out and about, doing chores and cleaning around the estate. They were all very nervous and gossiped how all the Hashiras were gathered in [Name]’s home.

“Is [Name] in some sort of love cloud?”

“Maybe they’re hosting some sort of special meeting! This never happens!”

The servants giggled amongst each other.

One of the doors slid open with a loud bam as a certain Wind Pillar poked his head out. Sanemi snarled.

“You annoying shits! Scram!”

The servants got scared and ran off, deeper into the estate to do more cleaning.

Sanemi watched as they disappeared around the corners of the halls and heavily sighed before shutting the door. He turned to look at [Name], a look of annoyance residing in his face. “Why did you invite everyone to come over? I thought it would be just me and Genya tonight.”

[Name] noticed how Sanemi sounded a bit bitter when saying youngest Shinazugawa’s last name. She shrugged her shoulders.

“Felt like it. Plus, I wanted everyone to try the new hot spring that was just built in!” As she skipped off down the hall, she could hear a soft slap as she knew that Sanemi had just face-palmed in annoyance.

She was close to Sanemi and Genya. She didn’t mind if they crashed at her place occasionally.

She lead Sanemi into one of the rooms where all the other Hashiras resided in. When she slid the bamboo screened door open, the chattering within the room ceased. All the Hashiras were sitting or standing in smaller groups, talking amongst eachother.

In the air, steam obscured a bit of her vision but it was nothing unusual to her. Sanemi felt congested because of all the sudden hot hair for a moment. As [Name] walked in, she noticed familiar younger slayers huddled in one corner.

Her eyes sparkled and squealed as she ran to the corner, immediately driving herself into three boys for a tight hug. “I’m so excited to meet you! I couldn’t be there when Giyuu and Shinobu brought you in but now you’re here!” She scooped all three boys up into her arms.

The boy in the checkered haori kimono started to choke and flail.

“Ack— Miss! I can’t breathe!-“

The boy with the obnoxiously blonde hair immediately went flustered and just about passed out in her arms. The other wearing the strange beast mask started to immediately try and wiggle out of her arms.

“Crazy bitch! I’ll rip off your ass and feed it to the birds, let me go!”

[Name] didn’t say anything as she gave another squeeze, nearly suffocating the poor children.

“[Name], [Name]!” The Fog Hashira turned to see her dear friend, Mitsuri walking up to them,”It looks so cute how you’re hugging them but I think you’re choking them out!”

[Name] looked down at the flustered boys. Then, dropped them.

“Hehe, oops.”

The door opened and another slayer walked in.

With a gruff voice, he looked up and muttered an apology that he was late. However, he couldn’t even finish his statement when [Name] rushed to him and scooped him up in the air.

“Hi, Genya!”

Genya’s face immediately turned dark red,”H-Hey! Put me down!”

•••••••••

[Name] led all the demon slayers to another room. It was next to the hotspring. However, to get to the hotspring, there were two doors on either side of the room. One for women and the other for men.

Tanjirou, the scarred boy introduced himself and his sister who was with Shinobu earlier, walked in with an awed look on his face. He looked a bit flustered, however, that was just from the warm heat circulating in the room.

However, something clicked in his head,”Miss [Name]? Isn’t it a little strange for men and women to bathe together?”

[Name] smiled at him,”Don’t worry about it. There’s a large wall that separates us so you don’t need to worry.”

She could have sworn she heard one of his friend click his tongue.

Kyōjurō came up to Tanjirou, placing his hands on the younger demon slayer’s shoulders. “My boy, even if a man here dare to peep at woman, we should definitely slice their eyes out-“ Just for a second, his eyes flickered down towards the Fog Hashira and fell silent.

“Hah? Rengoku, what’s gotten into you?” Uzui came up to his flame-headed friend and peered over his shoulder just to see [Name]’s haori on the floor and the woman unbuttoning her own uniform. His jaw dropped. “O-oi!”

Someone pushed passed them and barreled themselves into [Name]. [Name] yelped as she felt something wrapped around her body and she was picked up. Sanemi had wrapped his white haori around her and proceeded to pick her up and throw her into the woman’s room.

“For fuck’s sake woman, stop doing that when there are other men around!”

“I think I will be praying instead.” Gyomei insisted. Thus, he had headed to a different area.

•••••••••

“You are such a cutie!” [Name] cooed as she rubbed Nezuko’s head. Nezuko sat upon a rock, only to occasionally dip her feet in from time to time and still wore her kimono. It was just her and [Name] when they first entered their side of the hot spring.

Nezuko expected [Name] to be more silent, or at least glaring at her. However, the Fog Hashira was a lot more welcoming and kind. It reminded Nezuko how she would treat her little siblings.

[Name] knelt in front of Nezuko with a small smile on her lips,”Between you and me,” She leaned in a bit closer and in a small whisper she murmured,”My little brother is like you!”

Nezuko stared in awe and her only response was a muffled sound and a nod.

They turned their heads towards the door when it slid open. [Name] looked back at Nezuko and winked at her, before going to sit in the deeper area of the hot spring.

“This is perfect!” [Name] sighed contently as she sunk deep into the hot waters of the spring. Shinobu came next to [Name] and sat in the water beside her.

“This is a really nice bath you have here and to share with us, [Name].”

Mitsuri jumped into the waters, wadding her way towards the other two women.

“This is so cute! Imagine just being here and loving with some big handsome man!” The Love Hashira cooed and situated herself near them,”[Name], [Name]! This would be so romantic if it was just you and Sanemi!”

[Name] arched an eyebrow and snorted in disgust,”Sanemi? No way.”

The others got taken aback,”We could have sworn you two had something going on since you’re so close.”

[Name] paused for a moment and looked at them,”That’d be freaky, though.”

Shinobu and Mitsuri looked at each other.

•••••••••

The other side of the wall separating the hot spring was a bit more of a ruckus. Tanjirou had to sit aside because the water was a bit too much for him. Inosuke decided to sit in the waters and prove that he would be able to be in there longer than any other Hashira. Zenitsu was being next to Tanjirou. He was oddly being silent, however, Tanijrou was more in his own thoughts.

He was worried about Nezuko being alone on the other side. He hoped that she was okay.

Tanjirou took a moment to look what was around him. Muichiro was well-content sitting aside near the spring just to bask in the hot steam. Rengoku and Uzui were on the other side chatting loudly. He didn’t even remember Obanai walking in when he spotted the Snake Hashira seat himself near a tree. Then, he glanced at Sanemi. He noticed how he was submerged in the water, but wasn’t looking relaxed at all. He noticed how observant Sanemi was being. He was eyeing the wall thet split up the men and women, then started to eye the other men.

There was a point where he just glared at Giyuu for a long time. Giyuu didn’t even noticed as he sat quietly near the the Flame Hashira.

Sanemi and Tanijirou made eye-contact for a brief moment. When Tanjirou smiled, all he got in return was a sneer. Genya walked in squat himself next to Tanjirou.

“Tanjirou, you good? You look like you’re about to pass out.”

“Eh?” Before he knew it, Tanjirou had fallen over and nearly passed out because of the heat. Inosuke and Zenitsu dragged went with him. Muichiro heard the ruckus and decided to follow.

Now, it was just the five older male Hashiras in the spring.

“Sanemi, don’t you have a thing going on with [Name]?” Uzui asked as he walked over to the Wind Hashira.

“No.” Sanemi was slowly getting more annoyed.

“Come on. It’s so obvious.” Rengoku piped in, sliding next to Sanemi and throwing an arm over the Wind Pillar’s shoulders.

“Get the fuck off—“

Obanai had made a choking sound when he had looked up and was very startled. Giyuu had snapped his head to look the other direction. His expression was still monotone, however, the look of embarrassment were hinted in his eyes.

“Sanemi!”

Sanemi and the other two paused. They looked up to see [Name]’s head poking from the top of the wall that was suppose to separate them too.

“What should we for dinner?”

From the other side of the wall, Mitsuri was panicking and Shinobu was laughing.

“[Name], get down, you’re going to get hurt!”

“You’re so bold, [Name]!”

Sanemi’s jaw dropped. For once, the hard-ass shell of his persona cracked and he felt his entire face go red.

Thank the gods that the steam emitting from the hot spring had covered some of her ‘things.’

[Name] just seemed to look unbothered as she continued talking,”Nezuko left to see if Tanjirou was okay. I think the kids are going to be hungry soon. Should we make ohagi or something?”

Silence.

Snapping out of shock, Sanemi immediately dunked Rengoku’s head and poked Uzui in the eyes.

Thus, more chaos had begun.

Obanai had already walked out of the hot spring. His face was covered with his typical bandages, so it was hard to see it looked like. Giyuu was still facing the other direction.

However, Sanemi still attacked him.

“Hey, Sanemi, you’re going to kill him!”

“[NAME], STOP CLIMBING OVER HERE AND STAY THERE.”

“[Name]! Your body is very flamboyant!” Uzui stared in awe.

It wouldn’t be so bad if he could get another wife. Suddenly, he felt two fingers poke into his eyes,”My eyes!”

“Give me your eyes, you piece of shit!” Sanemi yelled, as he was the one that did it.

“This is my house, Sanemi!”

“THEN PUT ON SOME CLOTHES. ANY FUCK WHO LOOKS AT MY SISTER, I WILL POKE OUT YOUR EYES.”

The hassle and the wrestling among the men stopped.

“Hah?—“ Uzui, who was holding Rengoku in the air, dropped the poor man back into the water. He waded his way towards the Shinazugawa.

Rengoku clawed to sit up, sputtering water. He immediately brushed his wet bangs from his face and slicked it on top of his head. A faint groan slipped passed his lips as he felt the sudden gush of water up his nose. He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes tight for a moment.

“This entire time [Name] was your sister? Like hell that’s flamboyant! No one knew this entire time!” Uzui reached forward to grab Sanemi’s shoulders and shook him.

This just pissed Sanemi even more. A vein of his forehead bulged. With another yell, he shoved the Sound Hashira off of him,”None of you fuckers need to know about my personal life!”

Giyuu took a moment to stare at Sanemi’s face, then [Name]’s face. Obanai had done the same.

“I don’t see it.” Giyuu murmured, casting a brief glance at Obanai.

“Me neither. It’s like saying a gorilla and a hummingbird were related.” Obanai added.

“I’m going to murder each and every single one of you!”

[astertataricvs]

Hug time! Demon Hunters Edition

Thank you so much for 1k followers! I don’t deserve your kindness OMG 😭😭 I love you guys so much! 😭😭💕💕

So to celebrate 1k followers, I decided to write hug time for demon hunters just like the pillars! I hope you all like it! 💕💕

Genya Shinazugawa

You are currently walking towards Himejima's dojo since you want to visit your hardworking and bashful boyfriend due to how much you missed him after weeks of being separated. You knew him being a zealous lad sometimes, but when it comes to girls, he would quickly become awkward and nervous around them.

But when Genya is around you, he felt so comfortable and he liked how you would encourage him and smile at him every time you two are together. You don't know where he exactly rallied all the valour to confess to you, but for you, Genya was certainly adorable at that momentous day, and you won't ever forget how he's so flustered at that time.

You skipped all the way to Himejima's dojo and you hastily looked for your tall boyfriend. You already knew that he's yet again training with consecration. Since Genya isn't a boy who can do breaths, he's trying his best to manifest one. Moreover, he wants to become stronger and be a pillar just like his older brother: Shinazugawa Sanemi. Once he mastered a breath, he believed that the Wind pillar will finally acknowledge him and accept him so he's overexerting himself and training to death.

As you reached the dojo, you can hear footsteps and swish of a sword inside. Your eyes widened upon thinking that it's definitely Genya training with all his might again. Thinking about him working strenuously, you couldn't control the smile developing on your face and ambled towards the big doors of the Stone pillar's dojo.

Once you peek your head at the door, you see a sweating Genya swinging his sword with aggressive movements. You smiled upon seeing him doing his best, so you didn't want to bother him from his training session, especially since you can testify the determination in Genya's eyes. Hence, you decided to wait for him outside and watch him train.

However, it seems like your boyfriend noticed your presence since he paused from his training and turned his head to look over at you.

"(Name)?" He bewilderedly says to which you waved your right hand at him.

"Hey," you greeted.

"What are you doing there?" He asked, sheathing his sword and wipe the sweat by his forearm.

"I don't want to bother you from your training. I know you're working hard."

Genya's face instantly blushed upon seeing your tender smile that he couldn't get tired from always looking at. Moreover, it's been a while since you two spend your time together since you're both busy doing your missions. That is why seeing you once again made his heart flutter and he doesn't want to admit it but... he really missed you a lot. He was relieved that you're completely fine and doing well.

"Can I come in?" Genya jolted in his spot and frantically nodded his head.

You giggled at his adorableness and scooted towards his way. "I missed you, Genya. I'm glad you're doing fine."

The said boy merely bit his lower lip and meekly nodded his head. You had no idea how glad he was from seeing you once again, after weeks of being sequestered with you, he just wanted to deluge you with a hug and won't let you go.

Staring at Genya who has a faint blush across his cheeks and being queasy, you couldn't help but laugh at his awkward movements and you already had an idea to what he was thinking at this moment. Since you knew that Genya is really a shy boy despite being together for almost half a year, you took the initiative by encircling your arms around his waist and placed your ears on his chest since your boyfriend is a tall man.

The sudden action of yours surprised him and his body tensed. You even felt how his body went stiff when you hugged him without notice. However, when you buried your head into his chest, that's when Genya relaxes and his lips curved upwards. The warmth coming from you was surely soothing, might as well, he loves it when you're being affectionate like this.

His heartbeat accelerates and his arms gradually snake around your shoulders and burry you into him. He rests his chin on the top of your head and inhales the scent of your shampoo.

"I missed you, (Name)... and I love you..."

You smiled upon hearing his statement, "I love you too, Genya..."

Afterwards, your boyfriend plants a soft kiss on your head, causing you to giggle and Genya to be flustered about it.

Inosuke Hashibira

Your mission had finally ended with the Insect pillar. You are one of her tsuguko's as well but Kanao is much more substantial than you. Although the quiet girl was the best student of Shinobu, you're still not daunted by it. Instead, it gives you more reason to train harder and become stronger. Also, you don't hold any hatred towards her because she's indeed an adorable girl and is really nice. You two get along as well.

You and Shinobu were heading back to the butterfly estate, and that means, you can finally see your feral boyfriend who likes to brag about something, saying that he can do everything that Tanjiro does. At first, you were a bit annoyed by his obnoxious and tumultuous personality but... as the days went on and time ticked, you immediately become used to his presence and you didn't expect that you're going to befriend the one that you're annoyed with, and most importantly, to become your boyfriend.

Inosuke is fun to be with and he's really entertaining to watch. It was quite shocking for you when you discovered what lies underneath the boar mask of his. You didn't know that Inosuke has a beautiful face that every girl wants. Heck, he's even prettier than you if he's going to dress up as a girl!

Furthermore, you didn't foretell that you're going to become couples since Inosuke doesn't have all the characteristics that you like for a guy. Specifically, he isn't the kind of guy who would want to involve in such a thing called love. From his wild personality and the lack of knowledge, do you really think he would give a damn to love stuffs and want to get in a relationship? No.

But love moves in an unexpected way, you just realized one day that you fell for him and that's that. You were ecstatic when Inosukeconfessed to you in a flamboyant way. And you won't ever forget that because he absolutely caused a scene. He suddenly declared his love for you when you went to the headquarters to inform Shinobu about the injured demon hunters from the estate and she's needed immediately. You didn't know that Inosuke was following you all this time and he just caught you off guard when he blurted out his feelings for you while all the pillars are present.

You were really flustered on that day because of the fact that all the pillars had witnessed the scene that Inosuke had induced.

Uzui cheered for Inosuke for being so flamboyant. Mitsuri fangirled all the way, screeching with hearts appearing around her while your master; Shinobu merely giggled. Rengoku just smiled and commended Inosuke's valiance, Sanemi and Iguro just watched you with annoyance with an irk mark plastered on their faces. Muichiro just stared at you both then looked at the sky, not saying anything, and for Himejima, he only watched with tears flowing down on his cheeks and said "youth these days, how admirable."

Ahh, you won't ever forget that day and you have never been so flustered in your entire existence on this planet.

"(Name), please tell Aoi that I won't eat lunch today and just bring me some tea, I will work on my poison and treat those injured demon hunters, understood?"

"Yes, Shinobu-sama," you answered and the Insect pillar simply smiled before nodding.

"If you need me, you can see me in my office."

After that, Shinobu takes her leave as you watch her walk away. You turned your heels to go to your room to take a bath, but suddenly, you heard loud footsteps inside the estate and you craned your neck to look where it was coming from.

"(NAME)!"

Inosuke catches you off guard by pouncing onto you and tackled you with a hug. He wasn't wearing his usual boar mask you'd regularly see and you two fell onto the ground because of your boyfriend's swift action. Inosuke was above you while his arms are around your waist as a cheeky smile crept on his gorgeous face.

You had no idea why he's not wearing his mask but you don't mind about it because you really like seeing Inosuke's bare face and you won't get bored from staring at him forever. He's just so beautiful.

"I-Inosuke, don't just suddenly attack me with that, geez..." you stated while propping your hands on the ground to help you sit up.

"Whatever, shrimpy (Name)! I'll do whatever I want!"

"Do you really missed me that much to be this excited to hug me?" You teased the boy and Inosuke paused from his movements while staring at you with those green doe eyes of his. Then subsequently, his face dusted with pink hues as he hung his head low, not meeting your eyes.

"Shut up! I'm not, okay?!" He defends but you already knew that he indeed missed you because of how bashful he is right now. And you won't deny it, he's so adorable being flustered.

"You're so cute, Inosuke, if you really want to hug me then I'm all yours!"

Inosuke's face fumed, "I'M NOT CUTE! I'M THE HANDSOME GOD OF THE MOUNTAINS, HASHIBIRA INOSUKE!"

"Pfft, handsome God," you stifle your laugh and the pretty boyfriend of yours only scowled at you, saying incoherent things.

"I'LL LEAVE YOU HERE!"

He was about to retract himself from you when you quickly snaked your arms around his waist, pulling him back to you and planting a soft kiss on his cheek. Your bold action causes Inosuke's body to stiffen and gawk at you with wide eyes.

"W-What?" He asked in disbelief, blinking a few times.

"I missed you." A saccharine smile brandished your face as Inosuke only admired your beauty and stared at you for a good minute.

His tense self suddenly eases and his irritation instantaneously dissolves because of your goddamn smile that he freaking loves. He's so weak when it comes to you.

Inosuke didn't say a thing and just wrapped his arms around your waistline before nestling his face into the crook of your neck. Your scent was making him feel relaxed and knowing that you're beside him was the only thing that he needs.

"I missed you too."

Kanao Tsuyuri

You were at the backyard of the butterfly estate, hanging the blankets and futons that the trio had used for a week. You didn't mind if they were being too loud around the estate especially Zenitsu and the feral boy Inosuke. They were training their breaths and also, training with Kanao since the girl is really strong and Shinobu told her to train with the boys.

And now, the trio was at the garden; training once again and you can hear Tanjiro and Zenitsu's voice cheering Inosuke. You let out a light chuckle since they were really psyched about it and they're doing their best to train hard.

While you were hanging the blankets, you suddenly heard footsteps coming towards your way, hence, you snapped your head to look at the person and only saw Kanao walking with her usual straight face.

"Oh, hey Kanao! You done training with Tanjiro?" You questioned.

Kanao stared at you for a moment before nodding her head. You give her a grin and takes a blanket on the basket to hang it.

"So, did Tanjiro succeed?" You once again asked.

Kanao didn't respond right away and just remained quiet. You didn't impose any further and simply smiled at her since you already knew that Tanjiro beat Kanao from their training session. Although you're completely aware that she's a strong tsuguko of Shinobu, Tanjiro's resolution wouldn't waver and he won't give up until he succeeds.

You knew Kanao being the silent girl and won't talk if she wasn't ordered by Shinobu. But when it comes to you, she will gladly speak even if Shinobu didn't order her around. Simply because she's comfortable around you and you would often hang out together if you have your day off. Although Kanao would only answer for a moment, it really made you happy and honoured due to the fact that she won't speak unless she was being told. Moreover, she's difficult to interact with but you didn't mind, of course, for some others, it will be hard for them since Kanao isn't the girl who would immediately answer but instead stare at you for long as if it's a staring contest.

"(Name)..."

Kanao's soft voice surprised you a bit and was about to turn your body to face her but paused when you suddenly felt her arms around your waist. You felt her body pressed against your back and Kanao nuzzled her face into your back.

It definitely caught you off guard and blood rushed to your face since this is the first time Kanao being so affectionate all of a sudden.

This new action of her was astounding!

"K-Kanao, what are you doing?" You stuttered.

The said girl just hummed and say, "Can we stay like this for a while?"

This causes your jaw to hang open and look over your shoulder to eye the girl. Your heart feels warm and it seems like a knot was forming in your stomach. You couldn't control yourself to not blush because of how close you are with Kanao, your heart was also abnormally pulsating inside your ribcage as if you just ran a marathon.

Kanao's warmth was transferring to you and you never felt so comfortable in your life. In spite of being flustered, you set it aside and let the tsuguko hugged you since this is her first request to you. So why break her self-indulgence for once? Moreover, Kanao is so irresistible for your own good.

You sealed your mouth and tug the corner of your lips, "As you wish, Kanao."

Tanjiro Kamado

You're done washing the plates with Aoi and the three girls: Sumi, Naho and Kiyo. Zenitsu and Inosuke headed back to their rooms since they wanted to take a rest after the hellish training regimen that Shinobu had given them. As you were about to go to your respective room, you saw your boyfriend Tanjiro walking towards the other route of the estate where Nezuko's room was located at.

You already knew that Tanjiro is going to visit his little sister again since every time before he goes to bed, he'd go to Nezuko's room and tell her about how his day went. Since you want to visit Nezuko as well and know if she's perfectly well, you also went towards her room.

The door was slightly open and you can perfectly see Tanjiro's back facing you with Nezuko laying on the bed. It's been 2 minutes since you've been peeking inside and your boyfriend was still standing, not saying a single word. You decided to knock but Tanjiro's voice suspended you from doing so.

"You can come in, (Name), I know you're there."

You startled upon hearing your name being mentioned by him, you forgot that Tanjiro has a keen sense of smell so it's not that difficult for him to distinguish someone's scent especially since he perfectly knew what your fragrance is. The burgundy haired boy turned his body to face you and smiled upon seeing you outside the room. You begrudgingly nodded and stepped inside his little sister's room while intertwining your hands. The room was dim and only the moonlight from the window is your guide through the darkness.

You stay beside Tanjiro who's looking at his sister with tenderness and care. His smile was small yet it holds sincerity. You're fully aware that your boyfriend really cares about Nezuko and the reason why he became a demon hunter is to find a cure that will make his little sister return to being a human once again.

Of course, you will support him with all your heart and you decided that you're going to help him bring his little sister back.

The atmosphere was really quiet and you both only stared at Nezuko peacefully sleeping. You take a side glance at Tanjiro, only to see him already staring at you.

"(Name), can I ask a favour?" Tanjiro's voice was mellow and full of tenderness. Your heart skipped a beat upon witnessing his eyes are full of love and passion.

"What is it?"

"Can I hug you?"

Tanjiro's request made your eyes go wide and blink a few times. You process the words he just spouted and eventually, you let out a deep breath and beamed at him.

"Of course you can, you dummy," you flicked his forehead causing Tanjiro to wince.

"That hurts, (Name)," Tanjiro pouted to which you couldn't help but squeal internally because of how cute he looked at. Tanjiro is so adorable, you couldn't contain yourself not to always screech every time he's being the cute cinnamon roll he is.

"You're so cute, Tanjiro! Here, you can hug me all you want!"

You spread your arms and your boyfriend merely chuckled at your cute attempt. He didn't hesitate to spread his arms as well and engulf you with a tight embrace. Tanjiro's hugs were really warm and it gives you the security that you need.

Every time you will hug the burgundy haired boy, your heart would invariably thump for him and make you feel at ease. It seemed like your worries would dissolve and forget the problems you had and responsibilities for a moment.

That's how Tanjiro's effect on you. He's your ray of sunshine to which every time you'd see him smile, it felt like the world was being colourful and bright in your eyes. You really love this boy so much, he's so precious.

Tanjiro buried his face into the crook of your neck and felt that his hug on you tighten.

"I love you so much, (Name). Please stay with me forever..."

You couldn't repress the wide smile appearing on your face. "I love you too, Tanjiro, and I will stay with you always."

Zenitsu Agatsuma

You were at the garden of Shinobu's estate as your boyfriend and his two friends were sent on a mission. You chuckled upon remembering how cowardly Zenitsu is and he doesn't want to confront any demons because he deemed himself as weak. But for you, Zenitsu is a strong guy, he's just too blind to see what his aptitudes are. Although the pinata head was a coward, he's trying his best to become strong and that's how you started to admire the boy.

Zenitsu likes to complain a lot and he's a crackhead which you couldn't help but always laugh because of his expressions and retaliation.

At first, you hated his guts because he was incessantly pestering you and following you all day. He even called you by your first name and added "chan" in it. You tried your best to avoid the thunder breath user due to how much he's making you uncomfortable. His eyes would turn into a heart shape every time he would lay his eyes on you and he'll start chasing after you.

However, that was only the beginning. When you suddenly passed their room, you heard Zenitsu's voice inside talking to his sparrow. You heard about his ravings admitting to himself that he's not as strong as Tanjiro and he's not as brave as Inosuke. Even if he's a coward and would cower in fear, he's doing his best to reach the two and he doesn't want to back down either.

After hearing his confession, that's when you started to treat him better, not like before where you would avoid him and be cold towards him. His confession really touched you and you felt pity to him for that.

That's when your friendship also began to blossom, and you concluded that Zenitsu isn't as bad as what you think he is. He's actually humorous and fun to be with, although he would sweetly call your name, you just let him be and sometimes you'd scold him for being reckless and always lamenting.

As time passed by, you realized that you harboured romantic feelings for the blonde boy and you couldn't believe that you had fallen for him. Moreover, you certainly didn't expect that you would be the first one who confessed!

It really diminished your pride and also, that made Zenitsu mad for confessing to him first and you beat him to it. He said he looked really uncool because he should be the first one who'll confess not you. But either way, you're both happy knowing the fact that you have mutual feelings. You have no idea how Zenitsu felt so ecstatic and it seemed like he was brought to the utopia of happiness.

He didn't like you just because you're beautiful and heavenly but actually, he likes how hardworking you are and a nice person. Although you're sarcastic most of the time and tend to say gruff words, you're still the compassionate girl that he'd still known. Yes, he would admit that he had tons of crushes before, however when he met you... it's much deeper than that. He actually fell for you deeply and the first time he felt sincere love.

"(NAME)-CHAN! I MISSED YOU!"

The screeching voice of your boyfriend interrupted you from watering the plants and whipped your head to gaze at Zenitsu running towards you while his arms are wide open.

Before he can even hug you, you stepped aside, causing Zenitsu to pass you and slam himself against the tree. You closed your eyes since you actually felt the pain that your boyfriend got.

"That hurt! Why did you dodge, (Name)-chan?!" He yelled while soothing his face. You on the other hand just sighed and crossed your arms.

"I don't want to fall because of your hug, Zenitsu." You answered.

"But you already fell for me."

His answer caught you off guard and you feel your face flame up because of his smooth reply. Sometimes, you couldn't get used to Zenitsu's sweetness and still embarrassed about it. But either way, you loved it whenever he shows his affection to you.

"S-Stop saying that!" You retort and turned your head to the side to hide your blushing face.

Zenitsu just stared at you and afterwards, his lips curled upwards and he walked closer to you.

"Ahh! You're so cute when you're embarrassed, (Name)-chan!"

Suddenly, Zenitsu threw his arms around you while brushing his cheek against yours. You're struggling to break free from his grasps but... seeing him happy for once and he just came back from his mission, perfectly well, you couldn't help but let him do whatever he wants. Furthermore, you hate to admit it but you really missed this loud boy.

Instinctively, you snake your arms around Zenitsu's torso and bury your face into the crook of his neck. The thunder breath user paused from his movements and lowered down his gaze to see you hugging him as well.

"I'm glad you're perfectly fine," your mellow voice rang in his ears to which his heart melted at how sweet your voice was. Especially, you're not the kind of person who would often show affections just like him since he knew how shy you can get by doing it.

That's why Zenitsu just hummed and kissed the top of your head while stroking your back.

"I missed you, (Name)-chan... I love you."

Your heart leapt inside your ribcage as you heard how soft his voice was. It's not the standard loud voice you always hear whenever he and Inosuke would argue. Zenitsu being serious is really rare and... hot.

"I love you too, Zenitsu..."

BONUS:

Sabito

Sitting on your knees while stitching your favourite haori, you were waiting for your boyfriend's arrival from his mission. It's been three days since he left and you're inside your shared home waiting patiently for him. You're not a demon hunter like him and you're just a plain doctor in the butterfly estate, helping Shinobu concoct some medicines and treat all the injured demon hunters.

Although you're aware of Sabito being a formidable demon hunter and his strong abilities, you couldn't deny that you're always disturbed about his wellbeing. His profession is absolutely life-threatening, especially that there are also strong demons like the twelve demon moons existing in your country. Pillars are indeed strong but... you couldn't help but feel anxious about them travelling in a certain place where demons kill a bunch of innocent lives.

You only sighed in exasperation and sew your favourite haori. It's also been three days since you've been feeling restless because your mind would always drift to Sabito on how he was in every second that ticked. You're always wondering if he's doing well and if he's eating regularly. You couldn't control yourself from not perceiving a worst scenario that will befall to Sabito.

Being a person who likes to overthink things, it's really the worst. It feels like you're going to have a heart attack soon due to the adverse thoughts you're always picturing inside your head. In spite of Sabito always reassuring you that he won't die and he'll come home without harming himself, it still didn't lessen your anxiety. It's not that you don't trust your boyfriend, you knew he's strong but you're just concerned for him. You love him with all your heart and losing him is your biggest fear.

While you were sewing your haori, you suddenly feel arms enveloping your waist which startled you and you hastily craned your neck, only to find Sabito smiling at you warmly and giving you a back hug.

"S-Sabito?! H-How--"

"You didn't notice me coming inside because you're too engrossed thinking about me again, aren't you?" Sabito mused which causes you to blush and bite your lower lip.

"I'm just worried about you... is all..."

Sabito's smile dropped and scrutinized your face. He already knew to what you were thinking since every time he would go on his missions, you would always have this worried expression plastered on your face. Moreover, whenever he would return, you would embrace him ever so tightly as if you won't let go of him.

Sabito sighed and just let himself engulf you with a hug. "You overthink too much, (Name). I told you I'm going to be fine."

"I know that! I just couldn't stop thinking about your wellbeing because every time I would see the patients in the butterfly estate being all beat up... I couldn't help but also envision you in that kind of state as well..."

Your hold on your haori squeezing it as you purse your lips into a thin line. Your vision was starting to get blurry but you control the tears that were threatening to fall. It's hard having a lover whose profession is being a demon hunter since it's really a dangerous job.

You told yourself that you're not going to love a demon hunter since you knew how it would be painful when your significant other die in his mission, but it was inevitable for you. It was inescapable for you not to admire them especially Sabito because he's too compelling and interesting. He has this charms that would automatically lure you to him. Sabito is so alluring that's why you couldn't help but fall in love with the peach haired boy. He also has this good looks that added to his charms.

"(Name)," Sabito calls your name to which you immediately craned your neck to look at him.

However, your boyfriend swiftly holds your cheeks and pulled your face to him. Your eyes flutter open when Sabito presses his lips against yours, he tilts his head to deepen the kiss which immediately drowned you and instinctively you coiled your arms around his neck.

A minute had passed and Sabito drew his face away from you. You open your eyes only to see your boyfriend smiling faintly at you and rests his forehead against yours.

"I know I already told you this for a thousand times but I just wanna say it to you once again." Sabito wrapped his arms around your waist. "I won't die and I assure you that, (Name). I don't want you to live in a dangerous world, so as long as I'm alive, I will protect you at all costs. I love you, please remember that."

Your lips quivered and merely stared at him with wavering gaze, you feel your eyes sting and let the tears flow when you closed your eyes.

"I love you as well, Sabito... I love you so much."

Both of you embraced each other as if you won't let go in between each other arms.

You love this man so much.

[giyuu-no-tsuma]

Demon Baby and Hashira Headcanons

If there was a baby demon around, will the Hashira have enough heart to kill it?

Tomioka Giyuu:

No. Surprisingly, he’s not up for killing a baby. Not even if it’s a demon. He’s not a monster.

If he finds a baby demon in one of his missions, he’ll only stare at it silently for quite some time. The probably pick it up and take it home with him, won’t adopt it, just examine it and figure out what to do next.

Since it’s a baby demon, its teeth probably aren’t huge, so there’s no need to give it a bamboo gag like the one he gave to Nezuko.

If he grows fond of the baby demon, he’ll keep it hidden, doesn’t necessarily mean he adopted it. But will keep it safe from other slayers, having no heart.

Kochou Shinobu:

If she encounters a little baby demon, her heart would get moved. Of course she wouldn’t kill it.

“Aww, ara ara, aren’t you too cute for being a demon?”

She’d take the demon baby with her to the Butterfly Mansion and keep it safe. Something se’d do. She’d not really have the heart to just slay off a baby.

Feels compassion, so if the baby demon works like a human baby, she’d tend to its basic needs. (feeding, changing, taking care, etc.)

Rengoku Kyoujuro:

Loud sweetheart WON’T even think on striking at a baby, no matter if it’s a demon or not. No! He just can’t do that.

“Umu! Are you a baby demon?! That’s so horrible! Here, let me take care of you!”

He’s the type to just adopt any orphaned lost child he encounters. A baby demon is not exception.

Like Shinobu, he decides to take it in and just act like the protective dad. Course he doesn’t show it to his brother and father, he only watches over it in secret.

Shinazugawa Sanemi:

Eh where to begin with this one angry puddling, when he sees the baby demon, he’s all up to kill it. But the last moment he raises his sword to it, his heart gets moved and halts himself just in time.

“Aw shit! No! I cannot kill this little booger!”

Absolutely not. He sheaths his blade back, then thinks were to take it. He feeds it what it’s fed to human babies, milk. But isn’t good with children, so he just seeks a safe place and puts it in there.

Will occasionally come to check on it, to see how’s his doing. If it doesn’t work like a human baby, then he doesn’t need to tend to its basic needs.

Mitsuri Kanroji:

Mama Mode full on! Mitsuri wouldn’t hesitate at  all to pick up the little demon baby and cuddle it, since she thinks it’s just too cute to be killed. Like she has the heart to do that. Wrong. She shows it her love. She’s the Love Hashira after all.

“What a cutie! I must hug!”

She means everything she promises to baby, love to eternity. She will just do that.

Absolutely takes it in to her life.

Obanai Iguro:

Hmmm I want to think he has a similar scenery like Sanemi. He sees the baby and his first instinct is to kill it. But he sees it’s just innocent. So he just walks off, he doesn’t have the patience to deal with infants, nor he wants one of his own.

Besides that’s not a human baby, he has no idea how to care for a demon baby. So he just walks off the scene.

However, the baby demon starts crying, actually having a like for the Snake Hashira. Iguro tries to just ignore it and continue walking. But the baby’s cries could even break his own heart, so he rushes back to it and picks it up.

Okay, he ends up caring for the baby demon. And asks Mitsuri for tips on how to care for it.

(I don’t write for Muichiro(besides he’s just a kid) Uzui or Himejima. So only six Hashira.)

[aj-writes-here]

So, I finally finish the first chapter of Ineffable, I still don’t know if I’ll upload the entire series here because there is low activity on Tumbr nowadays:( So I might post in Archive of Our Own, but, by now and to see if this series seems interesting to you, this is the first chapter! Levi and the rest will be introduced in chapter two, just letting you guys know that👀👀

Innefable [Chapter 1]

''Are you sure about this?''

''Yes, Giyu. I... I need to solve this, and to do so I can't stays here'' 

''Even though that means you'll become a deserter?''

''I already spoke with Kagaya, and he agrees. Everything is settled. Besides, it's not as if I'm gonna be missed, I know how hard is being a Hashira, all of you are going to have your heads busy with other things '' She said, smiling amusingly and in a comforting way.

''Just take care of yourself, and don't be reckless.'' Giyu looked at her with an unbothered expression.

''And you try to smile more, at least once in a while'' y/n kept the smile on her lips, watching at the friend who was like her older brother. ''Oh, and tell Rengoku I'll miss him, I think he already took the train, right?''

''Yes, he was supposed to meet with Tanjiro, or so I heard.''

''Those kids have potential, I got to spent time with them when I was recovering at Shinobu's.'' 

''And you almost died protecting him, and I had to intervene.''

''Saving the day as usual, but just for the record, I almost finished that spider kid''

''Just remind to take care of yourself, y/n.''

She hugged the tranquil man, surprised Giyu held her back, in the end, it was going to be a long trip. But why? All of her memories start when she woke up in the middle of a mountain, snow starting to cover her body bit by bit. Giyu found her there, alone. He had managed to get her back to Urokodaki's home, and from that day on she had trained by his side, becoming, with time, one of the Hashira. But that was it. That was the life she knew, those were her memories, those were the people who were important for her. What about her home, her real home? Parents, bloodline... Was someone missing her? Someone who was hoping for her to return home? No idea, and that's why she had to discover her truth. She didn't even have the facial traits from the people from that zone. 

Her nightmares were weird, confusing, and at times she knew things she didn't suppose to, things she didn't know how to explain. Maybe someone out there could help her understand everything, maybe someone could fix that mess inside her head.

After saying goodbye to Tomioka, she started walking to her destiny, a ship. But the truth was, that there was no main destination, y/n's plan was to leave the ship at the first port, and if there were no answers in that foreign place, then she would move to the second port. It was going to be a long trip, probably years but she was determined to make it.

She didn't notice once she was on the ship, looking at how the harbor was getting smaller and smaller, the fresh air was hitting her face, finally she was going to be able to move forward, to see if there were traces of truth. The blue water make her smile, and she could swear she saw so some fishes under the water, a whole new world. 

Life, therefore... Is a mystery, are we the captains of our fate? Do we get to decide, or some things are meant to be? Sometimes we need to be hurt, we need to suffer in order to arrive at our harbor, to arrive at a place we can call home. To meet peace, sometimes there has to be mayhem.

And it happened.

It was only the second night on the ship, nearly nine pm where the sky turned grey with clouds and the wind was stronger than the previous days, she could feel it. y/n was at the deck, trying to get a glimpse of the stars but it was impossible to see them, and something deep inside her told her things were about to take a turn. A huge turn.

Suddenly, a few men started running, securing the sails, and more. Apparently, they were to busy to notice the woman wearing the haori, so she just stood there looking at the confusing scene. A voice dragged her out of her thoughts, an old and relaxed voice. When she looked, it was a blind man, he was staring at the horizon. Was he imaging it? she thought, but then again the man spoke. 

''You're about to reach your harbor, miss'' He smiled showing he had some teeth missing. 

''Uhm, yes... I get down at the next port''

''Not precise. These are my last words, I suppose.'' The man took a deep breath. ''But you'll find your truth at the oddest place of off all, when you forget your nightmares and sleep at peace for the first time in years,  that's when you will notice.'' The man smiled, standing over the edge of the ship.

''Sir, get down!'' It was impossible to focus on his words when he was almost to commit a deadly act. ''Let me help you!'' She offered him a hand, hoping one of the men who were running notice and help them both. But no one did. 

''Can't you see it? My time is done here. But your life? It is just beginning, young girl. Take care of yourself, and take good care of that poor bastard, he will need you. He needs you, and he has absolutely no idea'' An hysterical laugh left his lips as if he had heard the funniest of jokes in ages.

''Who? Do you know Giyu? Maybe Rengoku? Are you saying that I... should go back?'' y/n asked him, maybe if I ask him more he will... Get down, she thought. 

That was it, no more words, no more weird sentences. All of her strength was not enough to stop him... Before she could grab him by his ankle, the old man had jumped to the endless ocean, losing among the waves. 

y/n was shocked, there was nothing she could do now. She asked for help, but no one answered. However, the men that were running appeared again, were they there? Did they just come back? If she told them an old man had just killed himself, first they would look at her with weird eyes because of her outfit, and second, they would say there's nothing left to do. 

She kept looking at the ocean under the ship, trying to catch a glimpse of the now missing man. A thunder got her out of her desperate search, then another, and then the water that started running down her entire body. The wind was blowing stronger than ever, and it was almost impossible to see due to the amount of rain that was falling. For the sailors was almost impossible to keep control of the ship, they were in the middle of a storm, and there was no way out. 

To make it worse? A rock broke part of the ship, making it now more unstable, the keel was broken and water was entering and devastating everything in its way. Screams, some were desperate, some others were praying their Gods, while others were trying to give solutions to fix the ship, but none of that seemed to work. y/n held tight, trying not to fall and lost control of her body, but destiny had something else prepared for her. A big wood box slipped on her way, crashing her body against the part of the ship she was holding on to. She recognized the pain, her ribs. Damn it. 

A big wave hit the ship, and plus the pain she was feeling it was harder and harder to not let go. It was impossible to determine if it was the rain or the sea that had gotten her clothes wet, and that was all that was on the ship. Water, pain, fear, and doubt. What was going to happen now? Maybe it was a water demon, maybe she could fight it and make it out alive, but it wasn't. It was nature on its maximum expression.

Or maybe, it was just her destiny. 

The ship was hit again, and this time y/n couldn't bear it anymore, and her body was thrown to the dark and uncontrollable ocean. Her katana was trapped in her fist, no way she was letting that go. 

Swimming with one arm, trying to control her breath she was able to reach the surface, but another wave took her down, and this time swimming was harder. When she reached for the surface again, the ship was far away from her, and y/n could see other people struggling in the water, and she felt useless. And she saw it. With all of the strength she had left, she swam towards a little girl. Grabbing her as she could, she made the girl hold tight to a floating box, with a little luck there were going to find her. However, there was not enough space of both, and before y/n could make sure the girl was going to be rescued she was pulled down again by the same power of water, her limbs getting tired and tired. 

As she was trying to reach for the surface, something happened in less than five seconds, she saw a piece of the ship, hard to circumscribe what it was, but it hit her head. Her body stopped moving, and her lungs? They seemed to forget all of the breathing techniques she learned over the years. 

“Is this it? This is how I’m going to die? I wasn’t even capable of seeking answers, I couldn’t even begin. I didn't even get to the first harbor. What was the point of surviving all this time? What the hell meant my strength and willpower if I can’t move my body? This water feels like mud, heavy mud. And my breathing skills are not working, apparently. It’s funny, I keep going under, far away from the surface. This is like being inside my head. The bubbles go up, showing me a way that I can’t comprehend… Fuck it. My body no longer feels heavy, it’s light like a feather, not even my katana weights. That’s all I know, how to slay demons. That’s all I have ever been, and now? I will become part of the confines of the ocean. Damn the irony, water breathing does not work well underwater… Or maybe I just can’t move because a piece of wood hit my head. Or because my ribs are broken. What about the old man? Did he die? Agh, he sounded so sure about everything... Too bad for him, I think I won't get anywhere now... I told Giyuu I was going to be back once I find the answers about my past, but he will have to forgive me, because I’m not going to be back. And with me, all of my questions together with my body will turn to dust.”

And then, the dark blue became pure darkness.

________________

Dry throat, her body felt wet but it was because of her haori, but her legs and feet were covered by water when this one went up and down. All of her strength was focused on her sword, the only thing that y/n didn’t let go while she was drowning in the middle of the sea.

A cough.

Then two.

Salty water came out of her mouth, slowly she opened her eyes just to see golden, was it sand? Indeed it was. y/n stood up, her eyes clenching in pain as she was trying to get back on her feet using her katana as support. Her leg was burning, of course, the saltiness of the sea had gotten into her wound. Then she remembered, there was a storm and the ship couldn’t make it, the last thing on her head? She drowning. Where the hell am I, she thought. There was not a single soul where she was standing, but that was not what caught her attention. Her eyes were focused on the enormous concrete wall in front of her.

y/n had made it to the top of it, why was she feeling so weak? She was one of the Hashira, she was supposed to be strong, but the confusion and dehydration were stronger. That, and the broken rib. Or ribs. She stood on top of the wall, her eyes widening at something she had never seen before. Giant… People? They had some kind of humanoid form, but they didn’t seem smart.

“Great… Guess I’ll be David and they will be Goliath”

A strong headache, those damned images again. This time was something like a square with a black border, in the center? Letters, words, information. Under the square, there was another. Individual letters, numbers, and other symbols. Here’s your coffee, that male voice caused echo on her head once more, and when y/n eyes were open, looking at the strange landscape in front of her, she spoke for herself in confusion. 

“Who the hell are David and Goliath?”

It was not the first time she said things she didn’t comprehend, why did she know all of that stuff? No idea, that’s why she had to find people, answers. All that she wanted were answers, and if she had to go through those immense monsters… Then so be it.

[sparda3g]

Kimetsu no Yaiba Chapter 187 Review

Flashback is often predictable in terms of destination. So why bother with it? It’s the journey that compels the fans. It can fill in the blanks, it can unlock a new secret, and above all, draw a connection with the character. Yorichi believed he was born to eliminate evil from the face of the Earth. Sadly, we know the outcome due to the current scenario; however, I find it much sadder knowing the man’s downfall.

Right from the start, the chapter’s opener draws you in to the resentment feeling towards Muzan. One glance is all it takes to hate the man. Yorichi’s monologue does a great job describing the battle with his viewpoint; like reading off of a novel. The illustration complements well with its wordings; essentially, bring out the chills in me. His words made Muzan as a convincing, intimidating foe. It’s that moment where he felt chills for the first time, and that says a lot.

It amazes me how he was able to see Transparent World. Reminder, Tanjiro couldn’t grasp it due to Muzan’s phenomenal speed. That’s an impressive feat, no doubt. That’s when he got his forms completed and unleashed the 13th Form. It’s so fast, yet greatly presented in the spread. It’s a sight I wish to see in the present. The dumbfounded look of Muzan is priceless. It’s a shame Tanjiro can’t communicate. I’m not sure how can he, but perhaps it’s best to wait.

It’s interesting to learn the red blade was established to be the key to halt the regeneration. It worked well against Kokushibo. The fact it can work on Muzan is very significant. It’s a damn shame that Tokito is no longer with them, so someone else needs to unlock it. Yorichi asked Muzan about the value of life, but no response due to utter rage. I like the inclusion of Tamayo in this story. She was there watching, hoping Muzan to die. The sight gave Yorichi an impression that would benefit her eventually. Small detail like that helps out the anticipation feeling.

As we all know, Muzan did escape from death, but at least Tamayo had nothing to do with it. To escape, his body burst into 1,800 pieces of flesh and Yorichi only managed to cut down more than 1,500. Amazing that he can count that much. The remains escaped and the rest is history. Even after Tamayo’s death, I still feel sympathy. She lived through serious hell; Yorichi’s failure didn’t help whatsoever. Like finding the only vaccine to cancer, only to drop it, it’s heartbreaking.

She cursed out with bitter rage, but Muzan did nothing. This is when she escaped the imprisonment since he was at a weak state, so one good thing came out of Yorichi’s action. Another good thing is the passing information about Muzan and how demons link to him. Lastly, it was that moment where she agreed to help him. At first, I thought it was odd to introduce her as if we couldn’t figure it out, but I am quickly reminded that this is Tanjiro’s point of view. It wouldn’t make sense if he knows who, when us fans have the liberty to see the imagery. It’s why the monologue narrates like a novel; I wouldn’t mind no visual.

The most painful part of the chapter is the following scene: the downfall. The news broke out about Kokushibo’s transformation. I have been waiting for the reaction, yet there was none to behold. All he had was a blank expression while his comrades became resentful towards him out of all people. The worst part is how some wanted him to commit suicide. That’s purely absurd. For the record, Rengoku’s ancestor was one of the few that defended him, so kudos to him. His master, an Ubuyashiki’s ancestor, denied the request, but sadly, Yorichi must leave.

Upon my recollection of his character, he has to be one of, if not the most tragic character in the series. While the passing of Breathing and allied with a demon would be helpful down the road, nothing good ever stick or remain for him as a person. He failed to kill Muzan, who he believed he was made to fulfill the so-called destiny. He allowed Tamayo to escape, only to get backlashed and hated by his own comrades. He lost his brother, who he loved dearly but became the sole being he hated. The saddest part is, he felt sadder that people around him will continue to suffer because of his failure. He carried too much weights for his own size.

Tanjiro feels awful for him; who wouldn’t be. It is frustrating that he can’t do anything. It’s all based on the past memory, so if Sumiyoshi didn’t say anything, then that’s how it is. At first glance, it sort of interpreted Sumiyoshi as a man who didn’t do anything to comfort Yorichi. I could imagine the fans would be irritated for not helping a broken man. The child wants to hug Yorichi, so Sumiyoshi insisted for him to carry her. That’s when it ensues the most emotional scene I have seen this year.

Yorichi carried her up high like he had never seen one before. She charmingly laughed, having a time of her life. It finally struck Yorichi; this is the life he wished to have but never granted. Tears came flowing down, hugging her as if she was his own child. Such a powerful shot; I was getting weepy over it. The mother arrived and comfort him that it will be alright. Tanjiro said it best for the fans. We have a fight going on, but staying here and hoping for Yorichi to find a little peace is a wish we love to see it come true.

This was an emotional chapter. It is astonishing on how much I cared for a character who already passed away. We know the endpoint, we know what he couldn’t accomplish, but I really want to learn more of him. It’s not to say the series under-delivered; it’s the nature of a fan wanting more because how deep and well-written they are/were. In this case, the story was well-written, the 13th Form looked pretty cool, and above all, the insight of Yorichi compelled me. He appeared as a mute or someone with no attachment, but he was carrying everything in. It was only a matter of time to let it go. I know we’re here to learn the 13th Form, but I hope to learn that he has found a glimmer of peace.

[silverynight]

Hello! Can you make a scene where the hashiras serenade tanjiro?

Like they knock at his door and then tanjiro asks what they are doing? cue the music and one of them sings off key ( depends on how you want it) And tanjiro (being tanjiro) thanks them.

It ends up like a mashup because none of them could agree on the "perfect song" to sing to Tanjirou.

Zenitsu tries to cover his ears to go back to sleep even though he knows it's useless. Finally, he gets up and looks at all the hashira gathered around a very confused but pleased Tanjirou; it's ridiculous, some of them are actually terrible (and the worst part is that no one will ever believe him if he decides to tell this to someone) but the boy with dark red hair seems to be enjoying himself.

It's night, so even Nezuko has gotten up to see everything for herself; she's humming along with some of them and Zenitsu grins, feeling his heart light after seeing her so happy.

"That was amazing! You're such great friends!"

And with that, Tanjirou manages to shatter everyone's hope of getting their message across.

Zenitsu doesn't know if he should laugh at the ridiculous situation or just groan in frustration because that means things like that will keep happening because the Pillars are stubborn.

Then, the water hashira takes a deep breath and he surprises Zenitsu by how clear his voice sounds. It's the last song and by some kind of blessing giving by the gods above, the rest of the hashira join as well to sing along. They have finally agreed on one.

And it's a good one.

It's true, you're there for everybody else

And you forget to think about yourself

And I know that you're doing fine on your own

But this life can get hard sometimes when you feel alone

So if you need a friend

Someone to hold your hand

Call my name

And I won't be far away

Don't matter when or where

Just know that I'll be right there

Call my name

'Cause I won't be far away

Just call my name

Tanjirou's heart sounds happy even though there are tears coming from his eyes. Despite the irritation Zenitsu feels sometimes when the Pillars are trying to impress Tanjirou or woo him, he appreciates knowing they will always be there for him. There's so much over Tanjirou's shoulders at the moment and yet he's constantly trying to help others with a smile on his face.

He deserves to take a break, he deserves to have as many people as possible ready to hold his hand whenever he needs it.

"Your song made him cry, Giyuu!" Tokito frowns as Kocho glares in his direction.

"Please don't be sad, my boy!"

"No," Tanjirou chuckles, trying to wipe his own tears, but Uzui leans closer to help him. "These are happy tears!"

Kanroji starts sobbing as well, prompting Iguro to put a hand on her shoulder.

He jumps into their arms; Rengoku's arms first, but he makes sure to hug everyone (even Shinazugawa, who surprisingly lets him embrace him) as he thanks them for everything.

"Come on, Nezuko," Zenitsu smiles, offering his hand to the demon girl. "Let's leave them alone for a couple of minutes.

***

The song is Call my name by Lukas Graham in case anyone is curious.

[dudeandduchess]

Kyōjurō x F!S/O: We and Us [TEASER] (Fluff, Time Travel AU, SFW Scenario)

Summary: (Y/n) takes a vacation to Japan with her best friend and prays to meet her soulmate, only fate gives her a mile instead of an inch and she meets Rengoku Kyōjurō— the Flame Hashira in the manga that she had been reading. Right before his last mission, no less, so it’s up to her to save him.

Note: This is a mix of isekai and time travel. I’ll try to explain things as best as I can within the story, but please take everything at face value. Enjoy, bbys!

(Y/n) will be the usual, but (F/n) will stand for Friend’s Name.

Also, please let me know if y’all like it so far and if I should continue writing it. 😂 Thank you, bbys.

***

It was the same dream again; the very same one that had kept on plaguing (Y/n) ever since she had landed in Tokyo with her best friend.

She had only ever seen the scene in the Kimetsu no Yaiba manga, but it all looked so vivid in her mind. Too vivid, in fact, that it had unsettled her enough to have her sitting up in the double bed in the hotel room that she and (F/n) shared.

For the third night in a row, the dream— no, the nightmare— had managed to reduce her to tears again.

Maybe she was crazy for feeling so much for someone who wasn’t real, but she couldn’t help her reaction. When she had opened her eyes, her face was already wet with tears— and no matter how hard she tried to wipe them away, they wouldn’t cease falling.

And, for once, she wanted to wake (F/n) up so she could get one of her comforting hugs— but she didn’t want to put a damper on such a momentous vacation for them. After all, they had saved up so much money just to afford going to Tokyo in the first place.

She wouldn’t ruin the next day with something that would fade away into nothingness later on.

But she would be lying if she said that it didn’t hurt to watch Rengoku Kyōjurō die over and over again— even if it was only in her dreams.

All she could do, however, was lay back down and curl into a ball to clutch one of her pillows close to her chest; burrowing her face into the fresh-smelling linen and trying to will away the haunting images that kept playing in her mind.

Her heart felt like it was breaking a million times over, yet she couldn’t exactly explain why that was. So, she closed her eyes and started counting— if only to get her racing mind to calm down.

Thankfully, sleep finally caught up to her; albeit restless and unfulfilling.

‘Don’t worry about me dying here.’

***

“You seem really off today, is something wrong, (Y/n)?” (F/n) asked as she nudged her best friend with her elbow, sending the other woman jumping a little in surprise; as if she had been suddenly shaken from some deep and all-consuming thought.

In response, (Y/n) forced a smile on her face and shook her head. She really did feel so drained, especially with a constant heaviness weighing down on her shoulders. Especially when she had stepped onto the small tram that would lead them to Setagaya; it was as if her chest had gotten so tight at some unknown factor that plagued her every waking move.

Not even the pretty hydrangeas that lined either side of the tracks were enough to make her feel better. And it felt like such a waste to be there, as the hydrangeas were what she had wanted to see the most.

“I just had a really weird dream last night. It was of Kyō dying…” (Y/n) admitted with a slight huff of a laugh, trying to make light of the situation with some humor— but she couldn’t say anything more as she felt her best friend’s arms wrap around her tightly.

(Y/n) had to admit that it was a little surprising, but she wasn’t entirely opposed to it; as it felt so warm and comforting, especially with rain outside making the world look dreary and cold.

And slowly, she found herself grinning as she tried to push (F/n) off; before bursting out into a tiny fit of giggles when the arms around her only got tighter.

“Okay, okay, I feel better now. You can let go of me.”

With a laugh, (F/n) stepped back and patted the top of (Y/n)’s head, making the latter curl her upper lip at how playfully condescending that was. But it did its job in taking her mind off of her nightmare, which was all that mattered.

And so, with much a brighter mood, (Y/n) looked out of the tram window and giddily waited for their stop— so she could get a feel of what Kyōjurō’s hometown would have been like. After all, the databook had mentioned him living in Setagawa; so it was ticking off two nocks in one move, with her hydrangea sightseeing, as well as touring Setagawa.

When they got to their station, both women wasted no time in walking to the nearby temple— Tsurumaki Jisso-in. It was a really quaint place, but it felt so tranquil to step into; as if they were being transported through time.

Every step that (Y/n) took, she could feel her emotions beginning to bubble to the surface— feeling so light and heavy at the same time, like some part of her was being welcomed back to the place.

But that wasn’t the most unsettling instance for her; that was when she was deep in prayer already— thanking the gods for bringing her to Japan with her best friend, and for giving her such good fortune up to that day.

After all, she knew that she was luckier than most for just having the opportunity to have a roof above her head and three (or more) meals a day. Let alone the fact that she could have saved up to afford a very expensive trip.

If that wasn’t worth thanking the gods for, then she didn’t know what was.

“All I’m asking for now… is someone to spend the rest of my life with. Someone who’s the other half of my soul…” She prayed under her breath, bowing her head even further as a sign of humility, before adding, “Someone who will love me wholeheartedly forever.”

Shivers raced up her spine as soon as she uttered her wish, with some unseen force beckoning her to look up. And when she gave in to the urge to do so, the sight of a blond waiting a few paces away from her— with his hand stretched out towards her— made her absolutely breathless.

The vision didn’t last more than a couple of seconds, but she was sure that she just saw Rengoku Kyōjurō in front of her.

“It can’t be. I’m going crazy,” The young woman whispered to herself; bowing down once more, before strolling off to the side to admire the little stone statues that dotted the vicinity.

However, the heavy feeling on her shoulders had returned along with a headache. So, she decided that a short stroll around the area would do her some good.

With one last look behind her— to see that (F/n) was still engrossed in whatever prayer she had— (Y/n) deigned to just send her a text to let her know that she was going for a walk before finally taking the first few steps to get her around the place.

She couldn’t even hear the buzz of the town around them. No horns, or car engines, or even the sound of people filled the gaps of silence between the short gusts of wind that rustled the leaves of the plants around her.

If she were to be honest, she would say that it was relaxing; enough for a nap, even.

But she couldn’t do that when she and (F/n) still had so many places to go for the rest of the day. And, figuring that she’d been gone for long enough, she circled back to the pagoda— where, lo and behold, her best friend was nowhere to be found.

“I told her to wait for me here, tsk,” She uttered under her breath, huffing a little as she tried to fight back the heaviness and the headache that were only getting worse. “(F/n), you dumbass.”

She must have circled the entire vicinity of the temple thrice already, but her best friend was still nowhere to be found. And, around the second time that she had gotten back to the pagoda, she had pulled her phone out to call her— only to curse under her breath when she saw that it was dead.

It wouldn’t have been a problem at all, since she had her backpack with her— but when she checked the contents of it, she didn’t find the power bank that she was sure that she had packed in there that morning.

So, she circled the area once more— getting more frustrated at the pseudo cat and mouse game that she assumed (F/n) was playing with her— until she decided to check outside the temple gates.

Only, she couldn’t quite believe her eyes when an entirely different scene greeted her.

Instead of the asphalt road that she had walked on earlier, there was only a dirt road; which had her chest tightening with panic. Because she couldn’t have been on one of those prank shows she always watched.

But that was the only answer that she was coming up with, as her eyes took in the sight of the busy road in front of her. People were even wearing much older clothes; as opposed to the jeans, button down, and ankle boots combo that she was wearing.

“No, I swear to everything holy… (F/n), if you signed me up for a prank…” She hissed under her breath, swallowing thickly as she frantically looked at all of the people who were going on about their day.

A few gazes were aimed at her, but no one dared to approach her. And it wasn’t like she could simply stroll up to someone and ask them what had happened to the road— because, as it was, she only knew the basics of basic Japanese.

She would sooner make a mistake and ask someone where a gong was, instead of where the road had gone.

It was also at that moment that she realized that she shouldn’t have goofed off while learning Japanese; instead of telling (F/n) that she sucks tiny dicks, she could have used that time to learn some more useful sentences.

Panic was steadily beginning to set in, causing tears to spring up in her eyes as she clutched her useless phone in one hand. She couldn’t even muster up the strength to move from where she stood— the need to cry getting stronger with every passing second.

(Y/n) swore that she would wring her best friend’s neck if all of that ended up as a really unfunny prank. But it seemed that it wasn’t a prank at all, as no one yelled ‘cut’ and not one camera person stepped out to capture the sight of her tears beginning to fall down her face.

Slowly, her panic began to really set in, as she gripped her phone even tighter in her hand— pushing herself to turn on her heel to march back into the temple and try to look for (F/n) in every shrub possible; only, the breath was knocked out of her when she ran smack dab into something.

Or rather, someone.

Red-tinted irises flickered down at the peculiar woman, lingering on her tear-stained face, before they took in the strange clothes that she was wearing.

The strange woman’s clothes weren’t what had the Flame Hashira’s curiosity piquing, however…

It was when her eyes widened with what seemed like fear and genuine shock, before she whispered, “Kyōjurō?”

All that, before promptly passing out— thankfully, in his arms. Otherwise, she would have suffered a painful bump to the head.

“Ani-ue? Do you know her?” Kyōjurō readjusted his hold on the woman in his arms, then looked down at his side to answer his brother with a smile.

“I don’t, Senjurō, but she knows me.”

“What are we going to do?”

“Take her home,” The Hashira’s answer sounded so simple, as if it didn’t have to do with taking a virtual stranger home— one that looked so weird, with a glossy and flat brick at her feet. Because really, his curiosity was really piqued; especially with how he felt his heart skip a beat when she mentioned his name.