My Brightest Flame (Rengoku X Reader)

Chapter 1 - Tea

A/N: I want to say if you don't like the concept of being from another country, you don't have to. You can ignore the full idea of it as it won't be that big a thing throughout the story. I hope you enjoy!

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Walking along the side of his home Kyojuro held a neutral expression. He should have been proud, and by all senses, he was. He had been promoted to the highest rank possible with in the corps. He had become a hashira. The flame hashira. He was honoured and proud to have been able to get this far, to continue his father's legacy, his family's legacy. Although the thought brought a smile to his face, his father hadn't given him the reaction he had hoped. Of course, he expected his father's words to be so cruel, he hadn't said a good word since the death of his wife, their mother. He just isolated himself with negative emotions and drink, he had lost himself. Kyojuro had done a lot since his mother's death, he had struggled. Taking care of his brother, taking care of the house and carrying on his training all by himself had exhausted him. He had hoped that maybe if he had made it to the level of a hashira, just maybe, his father might have been a little bit brighter. But no, his flame was still dampened by depression. The eldest son gave a sigh as he thought of the events, but as quick as it came his look of determination took over. He knew that deep down, his father was proud. Maybe he was too broken to say it but Kyojuro knew, if he looked really closely, he could see his father's love for him and his little brother. It just took a lot of looking to see it.

"Brother..." Senjuro peeked out from the entrance, hiding in case it was his father that walked out. He was relieved to see it was instead his brother. "Was our father pleased to hear your news?" He looked up to the eldest with a hopeful smile. He always felt a lot safer when his brother was here.

"Do you think our father will acknowledge me if I become a hashira, too?" The hope burned in his younger brother's eyes. While a striking, brilliant blaze displayed itself within Kyojuro's eyes, a soft, comforting one showed itself in Senjuro's. At this moment, the new flame hashira was hoping that he would be telling Senjuro that he wouldn't need to be. He was hoping that it would be his father telling him the truth, that he was proud of his youngest son just the way he was. Instead, the false words of his father danced around in his brain. 'Worthless.' 'So what?' 'You're never going to amount to anything anyway.' While he knew that his father never truly meant such harsh words, it still hurt more than any damage a demon could do to him. It was even more painful having to explain to Senjuro that his idea had once again failed. But it seemed, by the time Kyojuro was ready to say anything, his baby brother had already figured it out, as the hopeful smile faded into one of sadness. Silently, the eldest placed his hands on both shoulders of the younger boy, landing on his knees to reach eye level with him. It was like looking in a mirror and seeing himself as a child, except at that age, kyojuro hadn't had anything to be sad about yet.

"I'm going to be honest." He spoke. "Our father wasn't happy to hear it. He told me that it meant nothing." Simplifying the words didn't make them hurt less, nonetheless, it was what his father had said. Seeing the look of hopelessness on his brother didn't help, it simply wouldn't do.

"But that's not enough to extinguish my passion!" A smile of confidence and determination glowed across his face. "This flame inside my heart will never go out! I'll never give in!" He couldn't let his younger sibling become sad over his own failure to help their parent recover.

"And Senjuro..." He went to hold Senjuro's smaller, weaker hand. While Kyojuro's hands were roughened by endless battles, Senjuro's hands were only slightly rough as an effect from cooking and house chores. "You're not like me." The youngest's eyes widened as water began to pool within them.

"You have a big brother who believes in his little brother." The eldest offered a smile of comfort as tears fell from the other. "No matter what path you take, you're going to become a fine human being!"