My Brightest Flame (Rengoku X Reader)

Prologue - Happy Birthday!

A/N: Hello there! I am a little rusty with writing and this is my first fanfic in literally years, so I apologize if some things aren't so great. And of course, I chose to upload the first chapter on our boy's birthday, so happy birthday rengoku! We miss you! I hope you guys enjoy!

-edit- After advertisements appearing, almost spammingly as comments, do not advertise anything in the comments of my books without my permission. I will report and delete any suspicious links to protect my readers -edit-

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"Happy Birthday!" When Kyojuro opened his eyes, they couldn't be any wider. His family had made a special effort for him. Three presents were laid in front of him as well as a cake the size of his head, along with all his favourite foods. His smile grew as he looked at everything his family had done, speechlessly excited. "Wow..." He muttered as he felt overwhelmed by everything. A deep chuckle came from behind him as his father felt satisfied at his son's reaction.

"Can I open my presents?"

"After we eat." His mother's soft voice always warmed his heart. A small babble came from the small child in her arms, Kyojuro's baby brother. Recently asleep, the child got woken up by the atmosphere of excitement. Accepting his mother's request, Kyojuro took it as a challenge. Together, they all sat comfortably as they celebrated the food and the small family sized party they had created. His father, Shinjuro ate silently with a soft smile on his face as he watched his wife with their youngest child, putting small pieces of food to his mouth for him to taste. She stopped when she noticed how quickly her eldest son was eating.

"Kyojuro slow down, you'll make yourself sick!" He looked at her with huge eyes, his cheeks filled with sweet potatoes. "And don't only eat the potatoes, you need to eat a balanced diet." Kyojuro swallowed his food as he looked to the food. It wasn't like he wouldn't eat the other foods, it was just that sweet potatoes were his favourite. Seeing the battle in his head of whether to continue with potatoes or eat something else as his mother had asked, his father let out a loud laugh.

"It is okay son, eating as much as possible doesn't mean eating as fast as possible."

"But you said I should eat a lot so that I can have more energy."

"I did say that, but it doesn't mean that you should eat at such a rate that you don't even appreciate your food. It's important as a warrior to appreciate every meal you have." Kyojuro looked to his father with owlish eyes, adoration and dedication coating them. He loved and looked up to his parent, he soaked in every work. "You never know which meal will be your last." His voice lowered as he finished the mini lesson, gazing down at his bowl of food before making eye contact with his wife. She gave him the smile of comfort she always had. Meanwhile...

"Umai!" After a second of staring at his food in concentration the boy had began to understand his parent's words. And so when he took a bite...

"Umai!" The family stared at the overjoyed boy as he began a new habit. They had learned by now that they couldn't stop their son from doing such actions, getting him to stop now would only make him shout louder. The lady watched her younger son with worry as the nap he had almost fallen into was interrupted. She had worried he would cry out but instead, he giggled with amusement each time his older brother gleefully yelled. Both parents chuckled to themselves, proud of their cheerful little family. The environment had become brighter ever since then, as their eldest son learned to appreciate food...In his own way. And so it became time finally to have the cake. Despite her weakening and unwell state, despite having a young child that depended on her and despite her husband assuring her any old cake would do, she dedicated a whole day to making this intricate and beautiful cake. It was her son's favourite, it was his birthday after all. He deserved the best. And when they all had a slice, beginning to eat it she would hope that her hard work had become-