Caught By Flames (Kyojuro Rengoku x Reader)

3 : Training (2)

Training, that's all you did. You woke up, trained, ate, cleaned yourself, slept. It was beginning to worry those around you, since most didn't know how hard you were training yourself. You practiced your breathing, your forms, your agility, your stamina and skill. It had been months since the last time Shinjuro taught you anything. It was like he completely gave up on being a pillar and a demon slayer. He just sat inside all day. You didn't know why, but didn't focus on that. Just training. Kyojuro would always be gone on missions, so that gave you plenty of time to do so. Not to mention the fact he wouldn't worry about you since he was gone all the time.

You had begun to miss him, but tried to stay completely concentrated on training. You were thin, but strong. Stronger than your everyday man. Your body was just different, much like Mitsuri's, so that helped in getting even stronger. You did daily exercises that would boost your muscle and flexibility.

Day after day, all you did was train. Week after week, it all flew by like the wind. You were relentless, and trained until you couldn't, or until you were coughing up small amounts of blood. It never once crossed your mind that you had passed entry level a long time ago, so you trained and trained.

Then, suddenly, Kyojuro made his way home and told you that you'd be practicing a different breathing form with someone else, and that you'd be leaving in two weeks. You were elated, happy beyond words. He knew you would do great, and it wasn't likely that you'd have any trouble at all. The way you had changed each time he saw you, he knew despite his father's absence of teaching, you trained like crazy.

"You mean it, Kyo-san?!" Your tone sounded happy, and your expression was excited. There was little room for nervousness right then. His head nodded and soon you felt your body go into overdrive as you began jumping in the air. "Yay!! Finally, after so long!I'll have new things to learn!!" You shouted with glee running around in circles.

"Hey, now, calm down, Snowball. You need to rest up, you'll have to leave sooner rather than later." He chuckled knowing his words would have little effect. To his surprise, you turned on your heels to face him, stopping all signs of excitement.

Your excited face morphed into one more curious, and he knew then that he'd be asked a bunch of questions, not that he could answer many of them. It surprised him even more when he saw a genuine smile appear at the corners of your mouth. "Thank you, Kyo-san. If not for you and Shinjuro-san, I wouldn't be here now. I probably wouldn't even be alive." You threw your hand towards him with a thumbs up and a wide grin. "I'll make sure I come back alive, no matter what. Even if they send me to the final selection. Because if I don't, all the training and time you and Shinjuro spent on me would have been a waste. A waste of time is pointless, so I'll make sure your time was not spent neeedlessly!"

Kyojuro chuckled and laid his arm around your shoulders. It was an affection act, and both of you knew that, but neither said anything. You just smiled and happily walked side by side with him. It was strange, you had never heard about someone finding a different teacher after they mastered a breathing form. It only made you wonder who this new teacher would be, and how much of a difference would training be.

2 weeks later~

Kyojuro told you how to reach this knew teacher, and even spared you a sword so he wouldn't have to give you one. As surprising and exciting as it was, you felt a little nervous. You knew training would be very different, but would there be any other students? You had no clue, and thought about what could possibly happen while on your way there.

A few days into the trip, you found yourself walking up a trail in the middle of the night. It smelled weird, and felt suspicious so you were on high alert. It wasn't long before you drew your sword in order to counter two boys that seemed to be older than Kyojuro. They sprung from the trees and tried for a flank from behind, but you used the sword Kyojuro gave you to protect yourself. With a twist of your lower body, you tripped both of the boys, and grabbed one and put them in an arm lock gracefully. "Swordsmen, huh? Does that mean Mr. Urokodaki is nearby?" Your voice was thin, but your breathing was precise. The boy not in an arm lock started to laugh.