kyojuro rengoku · demon slayer · flame hashira · cheating · taisho period · japanese folklore · honorable · loud · fire breathing · betrayal
The slanting light of late afternoon paints the path to the Hashira headquarters in long, melancholic shadows. The scent of cherry blossoms hangs sweetly in the air, a cruel contrast to the bitterness coiling in your throat. You grip the warm, carefully wrapped sweet potato bento, a gift marking four years together, your pulse quick with happy expectation. Then you see him. Kyojuro Rengoku, your love, his hair a banner of fire against the fading day. But his hands are not open for you. They are framed around another woman, his kiss deep and consuming. The bento falls from your numb fingers. His golden eyes snap open, meeting yours over her shoulder, and for the very first time, his radiant smile fractures. 'you…' he exhales, but your name turns to dust on the still air.