Icy Flames- Rengoku Kyojuro-Demon Slayer/ Kimetsu no Yaiba

72

"What could he possibly want to talk about that seems dire?"

I questioned as we walked side by side along the snowy terrain. It was rare to walk through here during the day but when I have the chance to it does serve as a reminder of the beauties this terrain has to offer - reminding me of why I love the sweet smell of pine in the winter, the way the branches bend and twist towards the main weapon that keeps demons at bay.

The ethereal embrace of the wintry expanse, and here Kyojuro and I walk through it amidst the silent ballet of snowflakes.

"Here seems like a nice place."

I looked around, I realized it was the place I usually come to meditate. His bird must have told him when he was looking for me that day he was escorting the cook's daughter. 

"Why did you want to come out here?" I asked as I stood looking forward towards nature's icy terrain.

"Well..." Kyojuro began until he remained quiet causing my gaze to shift towards him to see him looking towards me. As I stared into his warm orbs, I always found a kaleidoscope of frevor and determination but this time ...behind the intensity of his sunlit inferno, he was slightly hesitant-Whispers secrets of an untold mystery.  

"Hm..." I coaxed while turning my attention back towards the terrain ahead of me. Night was coming soon around the corner meaning another night of patrol and though Kyojuro was here-he wouldn't be here for long. I cannot allow myself to be distracted by my feelings and let demons use it against me-especially him.

"I wanted to let you know that I will be moving out of my family compound in the next couple of days and will have my own house," Rengoku said.

As I stood now tilting my head towards each flake, a question suspended in midair, A riddle woven in frosty threads and confusion cloaked in my regal stead as my silver hair flutters gently, akin to the dance of ethereal spirits, as my golden eyes survey the wintry tableau with customary tranquility.

"why the hell was he telling me this...was he planning on having a house out here? If so, what about the region that he is required to patrol? His region was on the opposite end of this country he probably had Mitsuri looking over his region now but to move? That cannot be right..."

"And, I want you to move in with me."

In the stillness, a revelation unfurls, piercing the calm like an unexpected tempest. The words hang in the frosty air, a revelation that defies the boundaries of my perceived certainties. My eyes, usually pools of serene understanding, widen imperceptibly, betraying a momentary lapse in my customary poise.

"W-What?"

The shock is a ripple in the tranquil waters of my expression, manifesting in the subtlest quiver of my regal countenance.  My brows, typically arched in stoic detachment, now furrow ever so slightly, a silent acknowledgment of the unexpected revelation that has unsettled the foundations of my composed demeanor.

"Y/N, I am serious about wanting to marry you and have a family with you. Though you won't know what day I will propose, I will propose to you the following year."

"Kyojuro-"

"And!" Rengoku interrupted.

The crystalline flakes, suspended in midair, seem to hesitate, mirroring the suspended disbelief etched upon my face.

"I have discussed with the master on the re-assignment of your region."

Now my stoic facade crumbles in the face of a revelation that defies the tranquil boundaries of the snowy realm. In the 10 months I was gone, he did all of these and the chance of finding me-he tells me this. Yet the way he was delivering the message was as if he was not giving me an option.

"I see."

"He said he would allow for us to patrol my region given your region being safest and-"

My brows, like thunderclouds, knit together in a rare manifestation of agitation. The news is an unwelcome harbinger with each syllable a chilling gust that stirs the delicate balance of my regal demeanor. The air itself seems to recoil as if sensing the imminent eruption of an elemental force long held in check. My lips, typically reserved, part with an unspoken fury, a silent precursor to the tempest brewing within.

"So you chose for me, before even getting my opinion or choice of the matter?" I responded stoically, "Then I probably was better off going back to the clan if the results were ultimately going to be the same."

With that, I turned around. My silver hair, a flowing cascade of moonlit silk, billows in the wintry breeze like a trail left by a passing comet. The echo of my footfalls, a rhythmic hymn against the hush of the snowy expanse, reverberates through the stillness.

Each step was a deliberate cadence, leaving imprints upon the untouched canvas of snow, marking the passage of an ephemeral enigma.

I hope my parting words, uttered with an ethereal finality, echo through the wintry stillness, imprinting themselves upon the very fabric of the frozen landscape. The shock in the air is palpable, a shiver that transcends the boundary between the spoken and the unspoken.

His lack of movement gave to what he could be feeling- the wake of an emotional avalanche, grappling with the weight of unspoken truths and the haunting finality of my words while watching me walk off. 

Little did he know, his action caused a tear to fall from my eye and roll down my cheek. 

I was planning on using this time alone to muster up the courage to finally tell him-"I love you." But his decision, only made me question- was it any different than my father taking me out of the clan? Was it any different than not going back? 

"Confessing your feelings to someone isn't an easy thing. You spend every day in anguish, yet you still can't do it. The words "I love you" hang in your throat, and you can't seem to force them out. I think [his] earnest feelings deserve a proper answer, don't you? ...maybe I need to understand and know Rengoku more before I ever utter those words to him.