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

71

There's the sound of shuffling fabric, as Masahiko reaches into the sleeves of his hakamata and softly pulls Ren from beneath the folds of the azure blue cloth. Ren's eyes seem to stare into his own for a moment, before the bird leaps from his palm and Kyojuro instinctively brings his right hand up, only for the cuffs to restrain him as he awkwardly switched to his left.

"Master....I need to return," Ren speaks, voice filled with immense reluctance as he nestles himself in his palm. Right. All crows had to fly back and report to Okayata-sama regularly for information. They needed to fly back at least once every two to three weeks, form if which they failed to return they were assumed to have perished and another crow would be sent out to trace its whereabouts.

"I see! But your wings haven't healed fully?" Kyojuro questions, as he looks down at his crow whilst petting its wings. Ren nuzzles its beak against his hand, as its wings were still awkwardly placed out on a splint, albeit it was in a better condition now than it was a few days ago. Oyakata-sama and the other pillars would find out about him.

He knew without a doubt, that Kitsune would either try to kill him, or hand him over to the demon slaying corps without question. And yet, Masahiko's presence by his side begged to differ. All possibilities seemingly would end inevitably in tragedy. What if he ended up hurting Masahiko one day, even if by accident?

And here he'd thought he had trained his mind to the fullest of his own abilities. He'd lose to the snow demon, over and over again, and it would slowly consume his mind, spirit and soul, bit by bit, as she gripped her hand around his throat, and he could feel her nails against his own skin, icy cold as it seem to leave behind a trail of numbness along his flesh.

He coughed, as he quickly set Ren on his blanket and moved his hand to his throat.

Sooner or later, he was going to lose it entirely. And he already had, to a point where hallucinations became reality, and what was imaginary would cause him physical pain, where nightmares became his waking world.

"Fly home, Ren. Do what you have to, and protect...protect them, alright?" He looks down at Ren, eyes filled with a dying hope. He can't remember who. His father? Pain and abandonment. Senjuro? Betrayal and Failure. His mind is hazy and foggy.

Protect who ever they were from him.

Masahiko holds his hand out, as if asking Ren back from him. Kyojuro hands the crow over, who gives him a little peck before it hop back on Masahiko's hand.

"I'll have to hand you over to Tatsuo-san for the rest of the day, are you alright with that?" Masahiko asked the bird, but he also directed the question to Kyojuro. Kyojuro nods, knowing that his crow would not be unnecessarily harmed. Unlike him who deserved it. Ren cocks his head at Masahiko.

"What for?"

"To give you a pair of lighter splints in the case where you need to fly back soon. He'll be able to work it out and create it, but he needs the exact measurements," Masahiko replies smoothly, as Ren seems to stare and nod. As Masahiko stands, Kyojuro reaches out once more with his left hand and pets Ren softly on the head, as the bird affectionately nuzzles its head between his fingers.

"I'll be back soon," Masahiko speaks, as he turns and leaves the room, leaving Kyojuro all alone in the room.

As the door slams shut behind them, Kyojuro can hear the click of a lock.

The demon sits on his shoulders, as she placed her feet on his arms, pinning his wrists and palms to the bed, heavy steel boots seemingly digging into his flesh with the soles made of iron spikes. Specifically made for gripping onto ice. Her entire weight bore down on him, crippling his movements as she wrapped her hands around his throat, a position he was scarily getting accustomed too after such a long time.

You shouldn't have tried to push me out, She whispers in his ears, mouth so close to his ears that he can feel the cold chill of her breath freezing his skin. What was he supposed to say? The damned bitch was trying to tamper with his memories. And she possessed him....and made him harm Hiromi and the others.

Don't blame yourself, dear, they deserved it. They were going to kill you, after all, He remembers Himura's words.

"Kill him if it doesn't work."

She was always out to kill you for being a demon, but even before you did anything to anyone, the first thing she did was to attack you, wasn't it? Just like the kusarigama wielding girl, The demon's snow white hair tickles his cheeks, as she brings up a hand from his throat and sets her elbow on his head, and Kyojuro tries to free his hand from her weight.

Amazingly, he does, successfully break free even at the cost of the spike tearing and scratching his skin, as pain raced up his arm.

Grabbing the hand around his throat, he tries to put some distance between her and his throat, and yet his hand passes through her arm easily, as if it didn't exist at all. He reaches for where her throat should be, or her limbs for the matter, and he finds nothing there. And yet, he could still feel her on his own skin.

No.

No.

He looks to his arm, only to find not a single mark on his own skin.

No. Way.

Pull yourself together, I'm Rengoku Kyojuro, the Flame Hashira! I'm not going insane. Her voice intertwines with his own, until he doesn't know if she truly even did exist or it had been him, and him alone. He can't feel the cold. He doesn't know if it's because he himself has become so cold he cannot tell the difference, or if the demon had never been there.

He's not going crazy.

He's not.

He's not.

Explanation

- The snow demon is a spirit. She can materialise herself at will in certain moments.