Strength Reborn

Speaking Through the Frost

Shinobu's POV

The Hashira gathered today, more tense than usual. We were all there, standing before Giyu's glass prison, unsure of what would happen next. It had been days since we saw any real progress, and while Icy Giyu showed signs of wanting to communicate, his words were always broken, incomplete.

Today felt different, though. There was a shift in the air-a sense that something was coming.

Giyu stood in the corner of the glass room, his icy webs glistening behind him. His frost-covered face turned towards us, but it wasn't Giyu looking out-it was Icy Giyu. His frosty fingers tapped against the glass, his expression blank yet expectant.

He looked at Rengoku, tapping again, and tried to speak. "Ren...ji..." His voice trembled, the words rough and uncertain, but it was clear what he meant. He was calling for Rengoku.

Rengoku stepped forward, his warm aura contrasting sharply with the cold air around the glass. "What is it, Giyu?" Rengoku asked softly, trying to make sense of what was happening.

Icy Giyu lifted his hand to the glass and positioned his body in a way that seemed... deliberate. He pressed his palm flat against the icy surface, but his stance was odd. It took a moment before we understood. If Rengoku mirrored his movements, he would be facing us-the rest of the Hashira. He was inviting Rengoku to act as a medium between us.

"He wants you to copy him," I said, watching the intricate positioning.

Rengoku hesitated but nodded. Slowly, he raised his hand and pressed it to the glass, mimicking Icy Giyu's posture. For a second, nothing happened. Then, all at once, the glass began to frost over beneath Rengoku's hand, the ice spreading outward.

Rengoku jolted, his body shuddering as if a cold wind had struck him. His eyes fluttered shut for a moment before he opened them again-only this time, they weren't the fiery amber we were used to. They were ice blue.

Mitsuri's POV

"Rengoku!" I gasped, stepping forward instinctively, but I stopped myself. His eyes... they weren't his. The warm, vibrant Rengoku we all knew was gone, replaced by a cold, detached expression. His breath came out in visible puffs, the temperature in the room dropping even more.

Icy Giyu had slumped down, eyes closed, his body limp, but his hand remained pressed against the glass.

And then, Icy Rengoku spoke.

"I will only be able to do this for fifteen minutes before the frost starts turning him into ice." The voice was calm, clear, but there was an eerie coldness to it, as if winter itself was speaking through him. "You have ten minutes to ask your questions."

It was unmistakably Icy Giyu's voice, but it came from Rengoku's mouth. I shuddered. We all did.

Sanemi's POV

This was... unsettling. I'm not one to get spooked easily, but seeing Rengoku, our Rengoku, standing there with those dead eyes, speaking in that frigid tone-it was something else.

I stepped forward, glaring at the glass, but my focus was on Icy Rengoku. "What do you want from us? Why are you doing this to Giyu?" I demanded, my voice hard.

Icy Rengoku's head tilted slightly, his blue eyes cold and emotionless. "I do not wish to harm him. But the curse... it grows stronger. I can only contain it for so long." His voice remained even, but there was something behind those words-something almost like... regret.

"What will happen if you can't control it?" Shinobu asked, stepping beside me.

"He will be consumed. The ice will spread, and he will no longer exist as he does now. Only the Yuki-onna will remain."

Tanjiro's POV

Hearing those words made my heart clench. Giyu... would disappear? That couldn't happen. We couldn't let it.

"There has to be something we can do," I said, my voice trembling slightly. "There has to be a way to help him."

Icy Rengoku stared at me for a long moment. "The curse is ancient. The frost, unyielding." He paused, as though considering something. "But there may be a way. A bond. A warmth strong enough to melt the cold. It is why I look to you, fire child."

"Me?" I blinked in confusion, taking a step back. "What do you mean?"

"Your fire. Your warmth. It may be strong enough to hold back the cold, but it will not be without cost."

Shinobu's POV

The cost. There's always a cost. I clenched my fists, realizing that whatever solution this frost spirit was suggesting wouldn't be easy. But before I could ask for more details, something happened.

Icy Rengoku's expression shifted, his eyes flickering as if something was wrong. He glanced down at his hand, which was now almost completely frozen to the glass.

"Time... is running out," he whispered, a slight tremor in his voice. "Let me... give you your friend back."

And just like that, Icy Rengoku yanked his hand away from the glass, hissing in pain as he did so. The sudden motion caused Giyu's body on the other side to twitch violently, his head jerking back as though struck. He clutched his head, groaning softly before slumping forward, unconscious.

Rengoku's eyes fluttered as he staggered, his knees giving out beneath him. He collapsed to the floor, and I rushed forward, catching him just before his head hit the ground.

"Rengoku!" I shouted, my hands trembling as I checked for signs of frostbite. His hand, the one that had been pressed to the glass, was marked by small, sharp claws. They were faint but unmistakable.

His breathing was shallow, and he, too, passed out. I glanced up at the others, who all looked just as shocked as I felt.

Mitsuri's POV

The room was so cold, it felt like my heart had frozen over. Rengoku lay on the ground, his hand still slightly frosted over, with those strange, tiny claws marking his skin. And Giyu... he was unconscious in the glass room, curled up like a child, his body twitching every now and then.

"He... he spoke through Rengoku," I whispered, still in disbelief. "He actually spoke clearly."

Shinobu nodded, her expression grim. "But we're running out of time. If we don't figure this out soon..."

I didn't want to hear the rest. We couldn't lose Giyu. Not like this.

Tanjiro's POV

I knelt beside Rengoku, gently placing my hand on his shoulder. His eyes were closed, and his breathing was shallow, but he was alive. The frost had marked him, but it seemed like Icy Giyu had pulled back before the transformation could complete.

"We need to find a way to reverse this," I said, my voice firmer than I felt. "There has to be a way to save Giyu."

The others nodded, though uncertainty hung in the air like the cold itself.

I glanced over at the glass room, where Giyu lay motionless, his hand still resting against the frost-covered surface. I clenched my fists.

We wouldn't let the ice claim him. I wouldn't let the Yuki-onna win.

Not as long as I was still breathing.