𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗘𝘆𝗲𝘀 - 𝗞𝘆𝗼𝗷𝘂𝗿𝗼 𝗥𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗼𝗸𝘂 𝘅 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿

~Chapter 12~

"Oh, you have no idea how many of us have got this job to protect you."

Those words played on repeat in your head ever since that incident between you and Kyojuro has occurred. Did that mean everyone around you was not who they seemed to be? Tomioka, Uzui, maybe even Mitsuri! What if they were all like Kyojuro, only hanging around with you because they were told to. What if they were what Kyojuro would call a demon slayer? You didn't know if you could trust anyone anymore. You now felt the same feeling you would feel about people back when you were a kid. You were afraid of trusting others all again. Perhaps breaking your walls down was a big mistake after all.

What was Kyojuro talking about earlier? When he said you had powerful blood. What did this all mean? Why would the demon lord, whoever he was, want you so bad? What exactly was in your blood? What made it so powerful, if all that Kyojuro said was true. How come you were such a nobody to humans, yet you're one with power to demons? You just wanted answers. An explanation. But you didn't want to see anyone. You just wanted to be alone. It didn't make any sense to you. Nothing made sense to you anymore.

You took another big bite of noodles, slowly chewing as you stared at the wall in front of you. You, being you, had no other than food to turn whenever you felt depressed. It's what you did when you had no one to talk to. You would simply turn to your comfort foods.

"Grow up and accept reality!"

You held back a sob. Why were his words bothering you so much? Why did it remind you of everything your parents would tell you? Why won't it just stop? Why won't everything just stop? You wanted to rest. Was that too much to ask for? Again, why is it now, after watching how everything around was fake, you realize that you loved him. Oh, you loved him so much it was killing you inside. You wanted the pain to end. You wanted it all to end. You balled your fists as you hit your head so hard, it made you feel even dizzier than you were feeling before. It was probably because you were crying too much. You heard your phone buzz, but you didn't even bother checking it. Whoever sent the message was probably another fake. You were tired of fake people.

You tried to get up but stumbled. Your legs felt numb. You continued walking, kneeling onto the wall for support until you reached your bed. Hopefully, this all was just a bad dream. You'd wake up and everything would be alright. You continued to convince yourself this all was nothing but a bad dream as you finally dozed off.

"Accept reality!"

A tear left your eye as you slept.

I'm sorry, Kyojuro... it's just hard... but I'll try. I'll try to grow up and accept reality.

It has been three days now. Three days since the incident, Kyojuro was still guilty about everything he has said to you. He hasn't seen you at school, nor has he seen you leave your home. He could only hope you were alright, even if deep down, he knew you most definitely weren't. Kyojuro was angry at himself. He swore on his life he'd never let you get hurt, yet in the end, he was the one who hurt you, not physically, but mentally.

Kyojuro thought he finally quit smoking, but he was wrong. Smoking was his way of keeping his mind off things, and it seemed like ever since he has met you, you were the one who helped him get through it all. Now that you were hurt, Kyojuro couldn't help but get back to his old habits. He pulled out another cigarette from the box as he lit it. It was break time for students now, so no one would be there to catch him.

"KYO-SANNNN!!!" Called a voice, making Kyojuro toss his cigarette away. Maybe he was wrong about being caught. Kyojuro quickly wore his usual smile as he turned to see Mitsuri running towards him with a worried expression. Kyojuro knew exactly why Mitsuri was here, making his shoulders slump.

"Ah, Kanroji-San! Surprised to see you here!" Kyojuro exclaimed as the pink-haired girl stopped in front of him, panting, before she froze, sniffing the air.

"What's that funny smell...?" she asked, before shaking her head, her eyes widening once again, "Anyway! Kyo-San! (Y/N) 's probably dead! She hasn't been answering any of my text messages and I haven't seen her walk passed the café to Kimetsu Academy! Ohh please tell me you know where she is!" Mitsuri cried. Like Kyojuro, Mitsuri too was a pillar and had orders to protect you. Yet, Mitsuri enjoyed your company and was glad to have someone like you as a friend. Mitsuri has always asked when she could let you know the truth, knowing you'd find out one way or another, yet she never had an answer. Mitsuri had no choice but to keep her lips sealed. Mitsuri looked up to Kyojuro a lot. He was her sensei. He has trained her into becoming a pillar, so whenever she needed to seek advice, Kyojuro would be the first one she would turn to. He was almost like a big brother to her.

Kyojuro tried to look for the right words to explain the situation, but he wasn't able to say a single thing. Slowly, Kyojuro's smile faded as he looked down. Kyojuro hated it if someone sees him sad. Mitsuri studied Kyojuro's face as her jaw fell. She covered her mouth.

"She... SHE GOT TAKEN BY THE DEMONS?!" Mitsuri cried, as Kyojuro vigorously shook both his hands and head, trying to get her to quiet down so the students won't hear their conversation.

"No! (Y/N) is alright... I think..." Kyojuro said, trying to avoid Mitsuri's eyes. Mitsuri just blinked at him.

"Just tell me what happened, Kyo-San!" Mitsuri exclaimed. Kyojuro sighed, rubbing the back of his head as he looked away.

"(Y/N)... may or may not have found out the truth about... about everything." Kyojuro admitted, still avoiding Mitsuri's eyes. Mitsuri's shoulders slumped.

"She... didn't take it well, did she?" Mitsuri whispered. She knew how much trouble you had with trusting people. It's pretty obvious that if someone with trust issues finds out that all the people they were close to were some sort of secret agents working to protect them, they'd shut out everyone. Mitsuri loves you so much as a friend. She would never use a fake personality with you because she saw you as a true friend.

"It's not just that... I... may or may not have accidentally taken my anger out on her... I never meant a single thing I said to her, I swear! I... we all should've listened to you, Kanroji-San." Mitsuri pursed her lips. She had no idea what Kyojuro has said to you, but if there was one thing she knew, Kyojuro had one of the kindest personalities, and the problem had to be fixed, quickly.

"You should go and apologize, Kyojuro." Mitsuri said. Kyojuro's eyes widened.

"I-I can't! I'm... I'm just too ashamed to face her, not after what I have told her..." Mitsuri scrunched her eyebrows as she gave Kyojuro a slap to reality.

"Rengoku Kyojuro! Listen to yourself! The Kyo-San I know would never cower away from his problems!" Mitsuri started angrily, "I've noticed the way you look at her, Kyo-San! You love her! If you continue ignoring your feelings like that, things would get really bad, like, really bad!" Kyojuro stared at Mitsuri, rubbing the spot where she slapped him. He knew he deserved it. Kyojuro's thought about what Mitsuri has just said. She was right about everything. He knew he'll have to face you one way or another.

"I'll... I'll think about what I should say to her... and I'll apologize... for everything, Kanroji-San, I promise." Kyojuro gave Mitsuri a small smile as she nodded, her arms folding.

"Better make it quick, and, try to confess while you're at it, would you?" Mitsuri said with a smile as Kyojuro's face started to heat up.

"I never said I liked her like that!" Kyojuro lied, knowing deep down that he loved you so dearly, yet he was afraid to face his feelings.