Kyojuro Rengoku Ice Heart And Flame Soul

| Chapter Eighteen | Uzui's Determination

Tengen Uzui

Rengoku was a great guy. That flashy hair caught my attention, and he had my kinda energy. We were compatible in that way. I was happy to call him my friend. I was eager to hang out with him, but didn't know where he lived. I did know where Daddy Rengoku lived, however. My lead would come from there. I'd find out where he was from there.

"I can't marry a Hashira." A female voice reached me as I got close to the Rengoku house. That caught my attention. A Hashira, huh? There was only one house around here where a Hashira would be mentioned like that.

My ears perked up. Footsteps walked my way, and they picked up speed. Then a flash of a woman flew past me. Was that Fuji? She didn't even notice me. How insulting.

I walked into the yard and went around the back. I could hear Rengoku back there. He sat on the porch looking pretty glum. Not flamboyant at all. In the time I've known the guy, I have not once seen him look this way. I stepped forward and stopped in front of him. He glanced up at me, and appeared surprised, but smiled. Now that was the Rengoku I knew.

"Hey, let's go to the noodle shop in the city. I'm hungry, and you're going to join me." I said.

"Alright. Food might be helpful." He said.

We walked into the city from his house, and sat down in a noodle shop Rengoku said was a favorite. We ordered our food, and I expected Rengoku to order several bowls, since he liked the food so much, yet he only ordered one.

"You're still a pretty new Hashira. How has it been going for you?"

"It has been going well. I've been working hard to live up to the expectations of a Hashira." He said.

"It isn't so hard once you get used to it. You've caught on quick, though."

"Thank you for the motivation." He said.

They brought our food to us, and we began to eat. I watched as Rengoku slowly ate, not at all with his usual flamboyance. He wasn't even saying that his food was delicious! If he wasn't enjoying his meal, what I overheard must have been pretty bad.

"Rengoku! You need to talk to me! Why are you so unflamboyant today? You haven't smiled once since we arrived here! That's extremely unlike you!"

He set his chopsticks down and looked at me. I watched him, and he seemed to have an internal struggle going on. What a shame. He was very unlike himself right now.

"I have been arguing with my internal self. My fiancée, Rika, decided today that we would no longer be getting married. She said it was for my sake. I was only trying to figure out what I've done wrong to cause this sudden change."

"Why does she say it's for your sake?" I asked.

"She can't marry me, because I'm a Hashira. Deciding that because she is a rank Kinoto, we can't be a couple, that she isn't skilled enough to become a Hashira as well. She is determined that she needs to be a Hashira in order to marry one. She believes that she's only a waste of time to me, because I would insist on protecting her."

I frowned. Why would she say something like that? It was ridiculous. I had met her one time before, but I didn't think she was stupid. She had skills, and she had speed. I had to admit, her speed might even match mine one day soon.

"That's just dumb. My wives have no problems with me being a Hashira. I married them before I was a Hashira, and when I became one, they were nothing but proud! Not one of them has the skills to become Hashira, but they know how much I love them, anyway."

Rengoku looked down at the table, and I could see the sadness in his eyes. I didn't like seeing my friend like that. It was difficult to watch someone who only smiled look like this.