Heart Of Fire; Veins Of Ice | Kimetsu No Yaiba Fanfic (Kyojurou's POV)

Chapter 49

The snow is cold and harsh on his skin.

As he looks up, he wipes away the trail of blood from his lips as he finds Masahiko-san walking closer to him. He perks up. Then he also realises what he must look like. A mess. But he doubted that he would mind.

"The sun is rising in an hour," Masahiko speaks, as he trudges through the snow and over to him. He holds a hand out to him, and Kyojuro wipes away his bloody hand and takes his. Masahiko helps him to his feet with gentle strength, as the two of them begin walking back to the main house.

"I apologise for not being there when you got attacked," He speaks, voice deep with regret and guilt. as he looks at him. Kyojuro looks back at him, a sad smile on his lips. Masahiko couldn't always be there for him. He knew this. He needed to find a way to deal with this by himself. There had been so many things he had already done for him. And in return, what had he done for him? Nothing.

He should be the one feeling guilty for being a burden.

"No, no, it's not your fault! It was my own, for leaving the room even when I had been told not to, and for not putting on a better disguise," He replies, voice cheerful as he looks at Masahiko. He swears he can feel the man give him a suspicious look from behind his blindfold but he doesn't say anything.

"Even so, you should not have been treated as such. I will make sure that those involved get the correct punishment. As well as Himura. They are far too trigger happy for my tastes," He speaks in a tone of concern and....protectiveness.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Go on." The two of them sit down on one of the balconies on the ground floor.

"Why did you save me?" Masahiko gives him a small smile. He can't fully comprehend the emotion behind it, but it alludes far more to what he could ever think of.

"You reminded me of someone close to me. It's a lot of reasons, really," He speaks.

"Could you please tell me more?" He hopes he wasn't prying.

"Well, I'd have to explain more about Himura as well, and frankly, my relationship with her is complicated. When I first met her, I was sick. She saved me, even though we had barely spoken. It was because of this, she taught me to save those who I could, regardless of how bad it seemed. The rest of the troupe was also saved one way or another, from their family, circumstances, situations in a similar way." Kaori, Hiromi and Yousuke...

"When I asked her about it, she had told me about the human potential. Himura, despite being a cold person, she can see through a person, and see what they can do in the future, if given the chance to do so. And if they were worth saving." Masahiko looks up to the sky, despite being blindfolded, as if he could see snow fall behind the cloth.

"I never knew you were the flame Hashira, but you were alive, and still fighting against your own fate. That tenacity alone was enough for me to give you a chance. I'd had hoped at the point where I first found you, you wouldn't be a demon, but seeing you here now, I know that it was what allowed you to live in the first place. You fought hard and you managed to restrain it, and that deserves immense praise in itself." His words warm his own heart.

"Ren told me more about you as a Hashira, and I trust him. As did Yousuke and Hiromi. You haven't changed, or lost any of your humanity." Kyojuro doesn't know what to say. The tone of Masahiko's words tell him he doesn't have to.

"You're a good man, and you shouldn't have died so young. Life has give you a second chance, and you can't let it go to waste." Masahiko lays a reassuring hand on his shoulder and Kyojuro looks at him a genuine smile now on his own lips.