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

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It's funny how he always comes across Fuyuko, even if by accident.

This time, he finds her by the edge of the temple, running her hand through several of the bushes when he drops by to visit the temple again. It's been several nights since he's seen the demon in his dreams, or saw it in the corner of his eye, ever since he came to visit the temple.

Then again, Fuyuko was a shrine maiden helping out in this temple, so it was normal for him to come across her. Masahiko-san as well as Himura had since then gave him more of a free roam around the town, though not without the usual warnings and reminders to be careful, and to disguise himself every time he went out, which told him that Yousuke had informed them of their encounter with Kanao.

This time, he was more careful in a way in which he covered his hair and put on a thick scarf around his neck which covered the lower half of his face, before he came down to the temple again to check on Fuyuko.

Her eyes were always so sad.

Nobu was patting her on the head, as Fuyuko was....smiling at him!

Kyojuro's eyes widened, as he hurried over.

"How are you, Fuyuko?" Nobu asks her, as Fuyuko looks up at him.

"I'm well. Three days before, a nice man gave me a hairpin. Other than that, nothing else happened," Nobu's hand went to the hairpin, as Fuyuko moved her hands up to take it down from her hair.

"Do you want to take a look at it?" Fuyuko offers the hairpin to the guard, who looks stunned, and even shocked when he sees the hairpin.

"Who was the man that gave you this?" Nobu's voice is laced with a sense of urgency, and panic, as Fuyuko cocks her head at him. That was when she turned around to look at Kyojuro, who had been watching from afar. Nobu clutched the hairpin tightly in his hands, as he looked around cautiously, before kneeling on one knee to look at her at eye level.

"Fuyuko. You shouldn't accept gifts from strangers so quickly! What if he had tried to lure you away with it?" Fuyuko flinches at the loud tone of his voice, as she looked back at the man who admonished her. There's an edge in his voice, filled with hate, a burning edge that cut through the wind and silenced all in its path.

Kyojuro stopped in his tracks.

"But we were not strangers!" Kyojuro shouts across the garden, as Fuyuko looks at him.

Nobu's eyes widen, as he pulls his cloak tighter to himself. There's...fear in his eyes. Fear and a strange recognition. 

Then he sighs.

"I know he's a good man, and so was his friend," Fuyuko whispers, and Nobu catches up on it. Handing the hairpin over to her, he pats her head once more before he stands. Nobu schools his angered expression into that of relief.

Kyojuro brushes off that momentary glance of fear in his eyes as that of fear for Fuyuko and concern for her. She was a young girl after all.

"I guess you beat me this time around. Next time, be more careful alright?" Fuyuko nodded.

"Kyojuro! I'm glad that it was you and not someone else who gave her that gift," Nobu smiles at him.

"Ah! But I must apologise for giving you such a scare! The hairpin is safe, don't worry. It isn't laced with poison or anything, though it's kind of sharp!" Kyojuro speaks to the man, happy and relieved that the earlier animosity was now cleared up and Fuyuko gives him a shy smile.

"She's not here...." Kyojuro's ears pick up on words uttered so softly, as Fuyuko tied her hair back up in a neat bun and used the hairpin to hold it up in place.