✻|| 𝓡𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻𝓲𝓮 ||✶ - 鬼滅の刃

【𝓚𝔂𝓸𝓳𝓾𝓻𝓸】

Requested by: Kaps_tea_shop

↠Fluff
↠Demon Reader
↠Non-Binary Reader

Word Count - 1231
Scintilla - Published 12/19/20

Scintilla: A tiny, brilliant flash or spark; a small thing; a barely-visible trace.
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With the withdrawing hues of the sun painting a fiery glow over the lands, Kyojuro slowed his pace from quick footsteps to a lazy walk. He had not a clue to how time could slip so quickly from him, for it seemed the days had been getting shorter with each passing moment. Soon the lands would be shrouded in a darkened haze, and only then would his job become even more tiresome.

But for now, it remained a humid mid-summer evening, and he watched each fleeting ray of light dip over the horizon. After a rather long Hashira meeting and dealing with a few errands of his own, the long walk home eased the growing tensions consuming his body and mind. At least his surroundings had become familiar, and it would only be so soon before the Rengoku estate came in sight.

Stepping through the last of the golden wheat fields, his silent steps paused at the edge of the bridge separating towns—for a lone figure stood against the tall wooden railings. Leaning far over the roaring waters, Kyojuro would've rushed to assure the safety of whoever it was, but he had recognized the familiar darkened parasol tilted to hide any traces of a figure.

Leaning a step onto the wooden platforms of the bridge, the gentle yet muted sound of his movements alerted his company, and you instantly snapped your gaze on the returning man. Offering a tight lipped smile, you spun quickly on your heels, the black parasol spinning atop your shoulder with its darkened veil hiding you from his eyes.

"Ah, welcome back!"

Pressing your back up against the bridge instead, a single hand tapped the railing behind you to which the man slowly approached. Peeking up through the silk veil that fell down to your feet, you carefully studied his unguarded composure, before eyeing the sheathed sword at his hip. He seemed to ignore your calculating gaze, focusing on the horizon as the sun was inching further into its deep slumber.

"You're rather early today, huh? Trying to avoid me?"

Nudging his side playfully with your elbow, your head tilted curiously when he hadn't turned to even look your direction. Releasing an agitated huff, you turned to glance at what had captured his attention before a painful glare caught your gaze. Recoiling from the sight of the lowering sun, the parasol dipped over your hunched form.

The pained whispers that reached his ears finally snapped Kyojuro from his thoughts, his eyes quickly locking onto your own. Unfortunately, such golden eyes mirrored the same intensity of the sun, and falling deeper into those glowing orbs only intensified each pang of your head.

"Why are you still here? You know its dangerous to come out this early..." Fingers tapped at the opaque paper of your parasol, and you only shook it away at his touch. It was quite unusual that he had been silent upon your usual greeting, because as long as you had known the man, he was anything but that. The lingering pain escaped your mind, and instead a fake pout surfaced along your features.

It seemed as if something flashed through his mind at that instant, recoiling back from his words the moment they slipped his lips. He didn't think twice before he had retreated from his earlier position, carrying himself with heavy feet home. Taken aback from Kyojuro's dismissive nature, you quickly hopped up to the narrow railing bordering your current path and a possible watery death, following after him with agile steps.

"Hey! Wait up!"

Hopping over the last ornamental post, your feet landed beside his walking figure. The silk shrouding your form fluttered with your movements, and the parasol bounced with each step. You had to shift before him to cease his movements, but even then the man quickly sidestepped your form.

You were accustomed to his rather cruel and occasionally dismissive words toward you, because after all you were the very thing he had sworn to slay, but now as he fleetingly stepped beyond you, something had felt out of place. There were no angered or passionate remarks promised to eventually take your head, but instead a deafening silence replaced his strong personality. He was quick to evade any trace of you.

Occasionally on such darkened nights you would even have teasing matches with the Hashira, yet you'd always escape before the sun could rise high in the sky. He'd take any chance you'd give him to rid the world of your existence, but even now as you so vulnerably stood before him, he wouldn't bite.

It was all he had to do—brush aside the faint veil of protection to expose the last blinding light of sun, or knock the delicate paper from your hands, but it seemed none of that reached his mind. Instead, something more pressing kept him from the matter.

But you couldn't figure out what.

Finally as his tall form rounded the final street to disappear into the grand estate before him, your voice called out into the evening, desperate for him to stop, to turn with a single glance, to listen. Kyojuro went rigid at the loud cry that broke past your lips, daring to sneak a glance in your direction.

Deep within his soul he knew that he had harbored an unbreakable hatred towards your sly—dangerous form. You were unrelenting and vexing yourself, merely playing and taunting him whenever you'd show face. It had become routine for you to appear on that bridge every night he'd return, yet you never stood before him in broad daylight, even with such protective precautions.

Perhaps it was silly of him to think it, but a lingering thought suggested you had willingly approached him so vulnerably. Were you growing accustomed to his presence, or were you merely toying with him once more? Demons are evil and cruel creatures, so there had to be a reason behind this all.

But why would you even dare the chance to pull such an act?

Staring at your defenseless form before him, he anticipated any sort of attack, any sort of taunt—yet you remained still in the street. At that moment, the last burning rays slipped over the mountains far beyond the land, and such heavy darkness made your figure blur into the night.

A deep sense of fear shot through his nerves, reaching quickly for his katana—but the parasol quickly fell from your shoulder, and that black veil of death slipped to pool at your ankles. The conflicted expression of your face confused him to say the least, your pale lips pulled deep into a frown, brows furrowed tightly and cheeks red with blood. Not a single muscle twitched, and yet you stood so painfully still.

Kyojuro couldn't quite interpret the unexpected face you had shown him, staring so deep into your clouded eyes until it stung to gaze any longer. The moment his eyes fluttered shut in a blink, a deep regret made his stomach flip, because the moment he glanced up to your form once more, the spot you had lingered was now empty.

Only your upturned parasol lay abandoned along the darkened streets, the misty fabric sprawled before him.

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