Kyojuro Rengoku Ice Heart And Flame Soul

| Chapter Twelve | Promotion

The crow flew over my head with its announcement. "Kyojuro Rengoku..." I gasped. Please, no... "Has killed lower moon two!"

My eyes widened. He did it! He killed one of the twelve! And he was only Kinoe, he wasn't even a Hashira... I gasped again. I knew what this meant for him. Kyo was going to be a Hashira! I couldn't wait to see him and congratulate him.

Would he be home for breakfast? I'd prepare a large breakfast for him, just in case. He probably had to go to headquarters first and then see Senjuro before he came home.

I waited all afternoon and decided I would make a large dinner. Even if my large breakfasts and lunches were a flop, I'd still make a large dinner. If Kyojuro didn't come home today, there would be a large breakfast tomorrow. Maybe he stayed the night at the Rengoku house.

Or what if... he decided that now, because he was a Hashira, he didn't need me anymore? No. That was me being ridiculous. He wasn't like that. Calm down... everything is alright, Kyojuro will be home.

I was preparing dinner for Kyojuro, and I got plenty of beef sliced and lots of vegetables. I continued to slice everything up to put into dinner. Kyojuro would love this dinner. I looked forward to seeing my now favorite Hashira.

I was so sure I was going to be a Hashira first, but Kyojuro won this race. Though, I knew for a long time that he would get there long before I did. I wasn't upset at all about it. What frustrated me was that I was stuck at rank Kinoto. Why couldn't I get further than this? Was this as far as I was going to get in the Corps? Would Kyojuro always stay ahead of me?

I finished preparing everything for dinner and set it aside. It would wait for Kyojuro to be home. He would walk through the door and find a substantial meal waiting for him. And even if he decided to stay at the Rengoku house, I'd still cook it, anyway. I would pass out the remaining food to some villagers, like I did with breakfast and lunch.

I cleaned up a bit from the dinner preparation, and the door opened. My heart fluttered. It was him. Kyojuro was home. I've been waiting all day to hear his voice and see his smile. I quickly put all the ingredients into the pot and cooked it.

"Rika?" That wonderful voice called out. Footsteps slowly walked toward the kitchen. "I'm going to the kitchen for a moment!"

I was already in the kitchen. It wasn't a surprise that he would want food. There would be a surprise waiting for him, though. There was already food prepared. I couldn't wait for him to see it. The food cooked as Kyojuro made his way to the kitchen.

I listened to the slow footsteps and realized how unusual they sounded. Not his usual, even, brisk pace. He was also surprisingly quiet. He sure was taking his time to get to the kitchen. The food would be cooked by the time he got here. He must have been pretty tired after his fight. That would be alright, I was here to take care of him after his battle.

The food was fully cooked, and I quickly scooped some into a bowl for him, and positioned it nicely in the bowl. Then I turned around, holding the bowl out. As the footsteps got closer, I got more excited. I couldn't wait to see him and congratulate him on becoming a Hashira.

He turned the corner and came through the door. My smile disappeared. The bowl fell from my hands and I gasped. What I saw was not what I expected. Kyojuro was hurt.

His arm was wrapped in a bandage and it looked broken. His head was bandaged. I didn't know what to think. I was worried about his injuries.

His smile faded as he watched the bowl I dropped hit the floor and spill its contents.

"It is a shame to see such good food go to waste." He said.

"Kyo..." I was on the verge of crying. My Kyojuro was very hurt. It seemed that he almost lost his life in that battle.