"Embers of Love" Demon Slayer Fanfic: Kyojuro Rengoku x Female OC

Chapter 5: Past Memories

"Hi! I'm Rengoku Kyojuro." An enthusiastic young boy suddenly introduced himself.

The snow-white haired girl looked at the boy with an apathetic look. Her deep azure eyes scanning every strange feature of the boy before her as she familiarized his appearance. He had long bright yellow hair with red streaks akin to flames, fair skin tone, black forked eyebrows, and golden eyes that fade to red with white pupils.

The white haired girl was just sitting peacefully on a flat medium-sized rock, under a big shady tree, adoring the view that is being blessed before her. When this boy suddenly showed up, she knew some things about this familiar boy, he is the son of her father's rival, and she was a little bit surprise to see him introducing himself to her but she immediately discarded her astonishment of him and believed that he was just being friendly.

The boy looked older than her, maybe eight to nine years old, while she is only six in age. Even though she is not interested in exchanging names, she was thought by her nannies to be polite and generous, respect others with kindness like a lady she should be.

In such a young age, she already knew how to behave herself and mind her manners. She is trained to be a perfect wife as her mother's request before she took her last breath. Her mother wished for her daughter to live a fortunate happy life with a happy family and a loving husband.

The young girl knew about this request and she is willing to grant it. But little does she know that a life changing experience will alter her beliefs and views in life, she didn't even think that she would soon live the years holding a sword in her pale, soft hands.

"Kazahana Fuyuko." She simply replied, while gazing right through the boy's fire-like eyes.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Kazahana-chan." The boy beamed.

Fuyuko's eyes widened slightly, and she can't help but stare at him in hidden awe. His blazing features together with his bright smile reminds her of a burning flame, beautiful and magnificent.

Noticing that she had been staring more than enough, she immediately turned away and focused her gaze to the flowery field of the fresh spring season. The grasses are as lush and green as ever, the wild flowers bloomed and glisten like precious jewels in sunlight, blown by the cool breeze with the sweet fragrance of petals.

"It is a pleasure to meet you too, Rengoku-san." Fuyuko greeted back.

"Do you come here often?" Kyojuro asked, following her gaze to the field of flowers.

"Sometimes." Fuyuko simply answered.

"This field is breathtaking." The boy then commented.

Fuyuko then glanced to her side to see Kyojuro grinning widely to the beautiful scenery before them. His smile is as warm as the sun and Fuyuko find herself admiring the boy, his so bright. If only she could smile like that. Her smiles are always empty and hallow, just a mask to please her father that never really showed her any kinds of affection. If only she could change everything and chase away the loneliness in her heart.

"Is it alright for you to be here with me?" Fuyuko questioned.

"Why?" Kyojuro looked at her, confused.

"My father and yours are sworn rivals," She explained. "I don't think your father will be pleased to know that you are with his rival's daughter."

"He won't mind." Kyojuro beamed once more. "Even though their rivalry is intense, father is a friendly foe. He doesn't hate your father."

"Oh... I see." but her father hates his rival along with the boy's clan.

"Kazahana-chan let's be friends."

Kyojuro suggested out of the blue, surprising Fuyuko as she immediately whipped her head towards the boy and met his pair of golden red eyes, he smiled brightly towards her. Fuyuko doesn't really have friends nor did she encounter someone who befriended her... until now. His offer made her heart warm and fuzzy as it beats rapidly inside her chest.

"Are you serious?" she asked with her calm voice but the shock is still evident in her expression.

"Of course, I am." Kyojuro nodded. "So will you be my friend?"

Fuyuko shifted her gaze back to the flowers as she contemplated for a moment. Her father wouldn't like this one bit if he finds out but does he really even care? After a minute or two, Fuyuko finally decided.

She nodded towards Kyojuro. The boy smiled brighter than before and that's when their friendship begun. Since that day, the two friends will always meet at the same spot and enjoy each other's company, under the shade of their tree.

However, it was only short lived. When her father became disabled, he immediately realized that he failed to surpass his sworn rival. He fell into a pit of depression that made his rage sparked even more. He felt restless and ashamed that he decided to pass his rivalry to his only descendant, his only daughter.

He then fired all of his servants, along with the girl's nannies that are handling her education and care. With his daughter they hurriedly left, and lived on a far away mountain with a secluded area. That's when Fuyuko's brutal training started that she almost died in the hands of her father.

Seeing the girl's fragile and unworthy in the battlefield, her father became more aggressive and frustrated. Throwing all his anger towards her and beating her again and again, making her yearn for death. Yet, Fuyuko didn't just survived hell, she won and burned everything that she loathed.

Meanwhile, Kyojuro didn't even get to say goodbye to his friend. He was sad but he pulled himself up and smile because he knows there will be a day that he would see her again. Even if she forgets about him, he will never forget about her.

Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months, and months turned into years. Kyojuro still didn't forget about her; Her long silver hair that rivaled the snow, fair white skin, pale pinkish lips, and her deep azure eyes that holds kindness despite its cold façade. She remembered her calm voice as clear as day and he still hope that he would see her again.

"Young brides have been disappearing in a town." A gentle male voice spoke. "My children that I have sent has also been disappearing as well, and there have been no reports from their Kasugai crows."

The soothing voice belong to a sick man that has light skin and black shoulder length hair. He has a curse mark down his face and covering his eyes. He wears a black kimono with a long white haori with a pink and purple mist like pattern that starts around the lower waist. He is currently facing towards the two men, sitting in front of him.

A tall muscular man with spiky long white hair and large pale purple eyes. His face and body are covered with scars, accrued over his many years of fighting demons. He wears a green-tinted version of the standard uniform, unbuttoned to expose his chest and abs with a white long sleeved shirt over it with the kanji for kill etched on the back, white buckles around his shins and with a pair of white with green straps.

While the other man is a young adult of tall stature and muscular-athletic build. He have an enthusiastic smile plastered on his face. Long bright yellow hair with red streaks akin to flames along with two shoulder-length bangs and two chin-length bangs on the side of his head, black forked eyebrows, and golden eyes that fade to red with white pupils.

He wore a paler brown version of the regular uniform, which consisted of a brown gakuran jacket, a white belt around his waist and pants. Over this, he wore a with a white-yellow gradient pattern and red flame-like ridges at the end. He also wore red with yellow flames erupting from the bottom-up, with pale brown and a pair of white with red straps.

"There is a possibility that the demon is powerful or one of the Twelve Kizuki." The sick male told, "So I'll leave the investigation and the demon's head to you, my dear children"

"Of course, Ubuyashiki-sama." Both men replied in unison, then bowed in respect to the sick male before them.