ao’nung x ¡fem! reader x atwow friend group (platonic)
requested by: @blueberrycoffee19
word count: 5k
language: Tsahík- spiritual leader, Tanhí- little star
description: Coming across each other by chance your relationship grew. Two lovers from completely difference species is bound to be widely known through a clan. Yet, it seems once family was kept in the dark.
Ever since you were little it seemed that your mother repeated two story’s. One was your people’s origin. How you mermaids came to reside in pandora water. It seemed as if you had just popped out of no where but that was simply not the case. The humans, as sick as they are, decided to try a horrid experiment. After tormenting and poaching your mothers ancestors they took her away from her home, and out of the sea. Hell, they took her away from her own planet. Throwing hundreds of confused mermen and woman into a foreign waters. Wondering if you could breath the air and oceans of pandora. Much to their suprise your people thrived in the new environment. Your once ,seemingly useless, human like lungs allowed you to leave the ocean, your people exploring pandora with the blessing of your now useful temporary legs.
The second story she told was of the na’vi. The clan closest to you being the Metkayinas. How they were weary but grew to respect the foreign sea creatures. Allowing your people to thrive outside the reef. Yet, there are always conditions to peaceful agreements. The Metkayina never wanting the likes of your people washing in on their shore, keeping a safe distance from the unknown. She drilled rules into your brain, to never swim into the reef. Warning you of the possible dangers. Your people, were also afraid of the unknown, not wanting to try and mingle with the na’vi. You thought it was stupid to be held back by such fear. Two cultures avoiding the other as if they were a disease when you could be helping each other. Hell, why did you learn their tongue if you were not meant to interact!
Of course in your rebellious years you acted on your ideals. Traveling into the reef in the dead of the night. You were not quite sure what you were doing there. Your mind too clouded with adrenaline -from breaking a rule- and curiosity. You wanted to see these na’vi your family had kept you from your whole life. Allowing the waves to carry your body too the shore you washed up as if you were seaweed. Eyes scanning the foreign village as the waves lapped around your tail. The glimmer of your scales in the moonlight catching a particular na’vis eyes as he polished the ilu saddles. A curiosity that overwhelmed all of his doubts and fear as he approached your form. His blues eyes racking over your body in awe and curiosity.
“What are you.” Flinching, you turned your head to the sound. A gasp falling past your lips as you eyes the man in front of you. His body wide and tall, arms bigger than you had see, a thick tail attached to his end, and freckles that lit up in the night. Exited and naïve you casted your tail into legs. Jumping to greet the male you guessed was this apart of the species you had heard of your whole life. “I am y/n, a mermaid.” Slightly stepping back he eyed you with a suspicious gaze. A slight disgust plastered on his face as he looked down at your smaller form. Standing at only 7 feet the male towered over you. Ironic because your mother always told you story’s about how she towered over the humans.
“What is your name?” Cocking your head to the side you tried to counter his obvious distaste with a bright smile. Suspicion still across his face the male did not answers. Instead a big hand was placed on your shoulder. His warm hand squeezing your shoulder, his eyes not leaving where he had touched you. Confusion warping your featured you did the same. Placing a much smaller hand on his shoulder and copying his squeezes. “Is this how Metkayinas greet people?” Blue eye taking in your form once more the male finally spoke agains. His words only making a laugh pass your lips as his pupils seemed to widen.
“Holy shit I have got to be high.”
Ever since that night you did not have a pleasure of seeing that na’vi. Your mother finding out about your antics and keeping a strict watch on you for weeks. Her suffocating control over you seeming to restrict your every movement. Thankfully, she now allowed you to travel on your own and you did not intend to journey back. Well, at least not anytime soon. The thoughts of the na’vi you conversed with that night never leaving your head. He was beautiful an attraction you had felt to none of your own kind pulling his every detail into your mind. You craved to see him, to just speak to him once more as you had done that night. Conversing about your cultures and life with the stranger you wished to know so much more about. The stranger who’s name you did not have the pleasure of knowing. Swimming among the coral of the deep you felt your heart pang with sadness, the knowledge that you might never see this na’vi again entering your mind.
Having enough of your sorrow filled mood you decide to breach the surface. Going to the place you called the ilu rock as there was always a good amount of ilus and their baby’s swimming around. A giggle breached your throat as a baby ilu swam up to you. The little thing was obviously curious as it nudged you with its head, beautiful sounds falling past its mouth. It’s mother not far behind with a call for it’s child. Swimming along side the baby you felt nothing but happiness as you pulled yourself onto the platform of the huge stone. The bottom of your tail still splashing in the water, playing with the young ilus. This time of year was always your favorite. There was always a ton of young ilu ear to play and explore in this season. The sun always perfectly warm on your skin as you sunbathed on the rock. The sounds of the animals putting you to sleep as if they were a lullaby. As your consciousness slipped from your fingers a familar blue flashed in your mind lulling you to sleep.
Although it seemed that as soon as you had shut your eyes they were being reopened again. A warm voice entering your years as you felt droplets of water cascade down your face. Groaning you brung your hand over your eyes. Your gaze hazy as it attempted to readjusted to the sunlights rays. “Hey sleepy head.” Mind identifying the voice your body shot up. Turning your torso to face the male as a bright smile lit up your face. “Beach boy!” Excitement running through your veins you launched yourself onto the male. You slim arms wrapping around his neck as a laugh fell past his lips. “Woah, didn’t know you would be so exited to see me.” Returning your hug the boys words left goosebumps on your neck. His breath tickling every area it touched. “I did not think I would ever see you again, um.” Voice coming to a stop you remembered you did not even know the males name. Pulling away from the embrace as your face was slightly scrunched up in thought. “Oh, my name is Ao’nung.”
“Ao’nu-nung.” Repeating his name you allowed the foreign word to travel past your lips. A smile reaching your face as you reappeared it. “Ao’nung!” Laughing at your struggle to say his name the male eyes never left your own. “You have never come back to the reef, why is that?” Now tapping into his own curiosity the male questioned you. A deep sigh leaving your lips your tail slapped the surface of the water in annoyance. “My mother, she has been watching me as if I am a criminal.” Ocean eyes following your tail he couldn’t seem to tear his eyes away. Amazed at the thing he had only seen twice. “hmm, well I could come to you if you want. Until she stops hounding you.” Heart beating against your chest you looked to the na’vi. A slight hue making it’s way onto your cheeks. “I would love that Ao’nung.” Blue eyes tearing away from your tail a smirk seemed to rest apon the na’vis face as he took in your shy smile.
“I have to, but i’ll see you here tomorrow? An hour after eclipse?” Nodding enthusiastic you agreed to the males time. “Let’s swim together? I can take you half way.” Smiling at your request the male motioned for you to follow him. A bright smile lighting up your face as you submerged yourself in the water. The both of you quickly understanding that you couldn’t not understand each other underwater. Your language seeming to be nothing but high pitch noises to the confused na’vi. While your eyes watched his hands with your eyebrows scrunched. None the less you enjoyed swimming with the male. Eyes admiring how his body pulled himself through the waves. Ridding the currents almost as smoothly as you. Of course, you had to show off as you would circle around his body. Ao’nungs face lighting up in amusement as he watched your form.
Sadly the trip had to come to an end. Waving goodbye to the boy that seemed run through your mind constantly. Swimming home with a warm feeling incasing you, even in the coldest parts of the ocean. Waiting impatiently for the eclipse to come and go so you could once again stare into those ocean eyes. Not knowing that this little meet ups would control most yours days. That your feelings would only grow. The months passing and Ao’nung becoming your world. Someone you would sacrifice everything for.. Even the approval and safety of your people. In life all you wanted was him and if you needed to keep secrets and hide yourself away to have him, that’s exactly what you were going to do.
Over the next couple months your meetups with the na’vi did indeed get more frequent. Your realtionship blossoming into something intimate over that time. In your world he would be your boyfriend in his world he was courting you. It felt amazing. Late night walks on the beach, Swimming along side him, gift crafted by his hands, the lovely feeling of his lips against yours. You could not seem to get enough of Ao’nung. Feelings a coldness in your heart each time you had to separate from the na’vi. Your soul yearning for his presence as the gruesomely long hours of your day dragged by. One day you just couldn’t wait any longer, slipping past your mothers watchful gaze earlier than usual, you had arrived at the reef just before eclipse. Not too worried about the reef people seeing you as most of the clan knew of your existence. Ao’nung not being as skilled at slipping away exposed your secret far too soon. Although the reef clan knew of your obvious relationship, you just couldn’t find the courage to tell the truth to your people. Afraid of your mothers reaction, she was very very conservative.
Being a mermaid on a mission, with thoughts of your mother clouding your brain, you did not even notice a small na’vi child until your body collided with hers. Tail curling to bring the child closer to your chest out of reflex. Eyes opening just to take in an appearance you were not at all prepared for. A surprised gasp slipping past your lips as the strange little girl stared at you with big yellow eyes. Her skin far darker than any of the Metkayinas you had seen, her body slender and smaller in your arms. “What the hell.” Speaking in your native toungue a suprised squeak passed the girls lips as she began flailing her limbs around. Breaking out of your hold as she swam to the surface. Breaching the top with her you couldn’t help but laugh, amused by the whole situation. “You are a mermaid! Norm use to read me books about you!” Blue hands grasping your face the little girl cupped it almost in disbelief. Having to reassure herself that you were real. “I thought you guys were fake.”
“I can assure you I am very much real.” Lifting your tail too splash besides the dark girl a giggle breached her lips. Her smile reaching from ear to ear. “What is your name?” Almost as if on cue a loud voice filled the area. Calling out the girls name as they searched for her. “Tuk! Where are you!?” Head wipping around to the direction of the sound a soft sigh left the girls lips. “You must go, I will see you around Tuk.” Waving a goodby to the girl you detached yourself from her touch. A small smile adoring your lips as you watched the girl, an expression adoring her face as if she had seen something magical. Your glimmering tail disappearing under the water as another na’vi rounded the corner. “Tuk! There you are. Come out the water, why did you not respond to my calls.” Swimming to her older sister with a smile plastered on her face the little girl ignored her questioning. Pulling herself up onto the woven paths of the metkayina clan. “I made friends with a mermaid!” Looking at her with a deadpanned looked kiri couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “you have gone crazy.”
Little did Kiri know that her little sister was indeed telling the truth. Your form now on the other side of the beach greeting an all too exited Ao’nung. His big hands fixing a loincloth around your lower half to keep you decent in the eye of his people. “It’s crazy your people make woman cover their chest yet thinks it’s completely normal to not wear anything on the bottom when you shift.” Playful huffing at a comment he had made many times you rolled your eyes. Lovingly ruffling his hair as he finished the final knot in your side. Rising to his feet so that he towered over you once again. “What’s crazy is you didn’t tell me about these new na’vi on your shores.” Fingers tracing up his abs you looked into his blue eyes. Questioning him silently in attempt to get the latest news out of him. A heaft sigh left the makes lips as he took your hand in his. Guiding you to walk along side him on the beach. “those skxáwng are just some freaks. Nothing to talk about really.”
“Ao’nung!” Scolding him you lightly hit his arm. Knowing it did nothing to the male did not stop your from scolding him. Stoping im his tracks his blue eyes burned into yours. A slight frown etched into his face. “They are just some na’vi from the forest, they will be gone soon enough. Now let me have my time with you before Roxto and Tsireya steal you away.” Successfully changing the topic of conversation Ao’nung snatched you up by your thighs. Your legs latching around his body as your arms enter locked behind his neck. A joyful giggle falling past your lips as he dug his head into your neck. “Don’t want them freaks even knowing of your existence.” Mumbling into your neck Ao’nung did not give you anytime for protest. Placing light kisses all all the way down to your chest.
“Not to be a cock block but me and y/n have a herb picking date schedule.” The familiar voice of Tsireya filled your ears. Your hand lightly pushing away Ao’nungs head, a smile reaching your lips. Grip losing on you Ao’nung allowed you to hop down. A groan leaving his lips as he turned to his sibling. “We can finish what we started later big guy.” Sending him a playful wink you skipped to his sister. “I’m coming along tanhí.” Not letting you escape far Ao’nungs forearm rested apon your shoulders. A familiar smirk playing at his lips as he looked down at you. “Just don’t distract her the whole time like last time.” Pointing an acusing finger at her older brother you couldn’t help but laugh at her serious face. “It’s okay i’ll be sure to pay attention!”
🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼
“I swear I saw a mermaid!” Voice shrill and defensive Tuks entered into the mauri grabbing the attention of all her siblings. Kiri dragging Tuktirey by her hand through the entrance. Neteyams brow raising as he eyed his sisters with a questioning look. Lo’ak already turning his body towards the girls with a teasing smile crossing his face. “I think Norm read someone a little too much human fantasy books.”
“Lo’ak you are not helping!” Scolding her brother Kiri rolled her eyes. Tuks fury now finding a new target. “I know what I saw Lo’ak! There’s was a mermaid, why don’t any of you believe me?! I saw her, she’s in the water!” Deciding to interview Neteyam crouched down to his sisters height. Tucking a stray braid behind her ear he gave her a soft smile. “how about we all go searching with you tomorrow? Let us see the mermaid with our own eyes?” Face lighting up Tuk nodded her head immediately. Jumping into her big brothers arms. “Than i’ll show both you meanies!” Sticking her tongue out to her two older siblings the two just shrugged. Kiri and Lo’ak sharing a look.
“Bro I have plans with Tsireya tomorrow!”
“Okay than let’s make it a group search during lessons. Solves everyone’s problem.” Countering Lo’aks excuse to get out of the small adventure Lo’ak groaned. “You all will see! I did see a mermaid!”
“What are we doing out here” tone obviously un please Ao’nung eyed the sullys with an annoyed look. “Don’t do a mood killer already bro, we don’t even know why they wanted us here.” Trying to lighten up his friends mood Rotxo slightly pushed his friends arm. A smile on the bundle of joys lips. “Yeah fish lips.” Taunting the Metkayina Lo’ak joined in, despite the fact he did not want to be here either. Finally joining the group Tuks small frame ran over. A smile from ear to ear. “Who’s ready for mermaid searching!” Stomach dropping Ao’nung shot Rotxo a look out the side of his eyes. The male doing the same, shocked that the small girl knew of your existence. “Yeah… Tuk thinks there some kind of half fish human in these water.”
“She has a wild imagination.” Speaking first Ao’nung made sure his voice was loud. Silently telling Rotxo and Tsireya to not say a word about you. His eyes lingering on them as he scanned the group. “Let’s get this over with.” Sighing deeply Kiri dove into the water. The others following her lead as Tuk was practically leaping with joy. Exited to find her mermaid friend. Breaking the group into buddies , Tuktirey stayed with her eldest brother. While you were on your way to the reefs, as oblivious as ever, not even thinking of the possibility of the small blue girl leading a search party for you. Your form joyfully swimming through the reef, looking for your lover. Overrun by joy that you could slip away early for two days in a row.
Your glimmering tail seeming to be only a bolt of colors as you swam through the sea. The glint of the sun finding your scales sending a glare into Tuks eyes. Her small hand tugging at her brother as she pointed at your speeding form. But, by the time Neteyam had turned his head you were long gone. Sending his younger sister a confused look a worry started to set in his features. A worry for his sister sanity. Her insistently saying she has seen the mermaid swimming towards where she had caught a glance of your tail. “That’s is near the edge of the reef you could have seen anything Tuk.” Trying to reason with his sister Neteyam held her back. Eventually forcing the girl to turn around and head closer to the shore. While your form only strayed fathers from their locations. Locating the na’vi you were in such a rush for.
“Ao’nung!” Sending a high pitch screech through the water you immediately caught the na’vis attentions. His body whipping around just in time to embrace your form crashing into him. His hair undone as his curls flowed freely in the water. Moving with the motion of the waves above you. A smirk settling on his face as he squeezed you into him. A shudder running through Ao’nungs spine as your tail collided with his legs. He would never get use to the feelings of your scales. Pointing to the surface he motioned for the two of you to go to the top. Knowing you were not yet fluent in their sign language. Breaching the top you comfortable treaded water, the smile that always seemed to decorate your face present as always. “Missed me?”
“Always” Pressing his lips against your you could feel the smile on his face. Your stomach doing flips as he hands slid down to your waist caressing the start of your scales. “Oh, hey y/n! We were fake looking for you just now.” Floating belly up Rotxo interrupted the intimate moment his floating form bumping into your back. Rolling your eyes at your friends antics you splashed him from behind, causing the friendly na’vi to choke on ocean water. His peaceful floating interrupted while a bubbly laugh left your lips. “What the heck man!” Waving his offense off you questions the Rotxo earlier words. “What do you mean fake looking for me?” Looking between the two males Ao’nung wore a deep frown as he looked at his friend. Roxto shrugging unapologetically for a quick moment before his hands resumed their treading. “Nothing just the stupid Sullys always prying too much”
“Ah, so the little Tuk girl.” Your boyfriend letting out an unhappy groan answered your question without words. A playful smile making it’s way onto your lips. Your hand teasingly pinching his cheeks. “You afraid her interest in me will take my time away from you.” Rolling his eyes the sassy male didn’t answer your question. Engulfing his seemingly giant hand over your frailer one. “Whatever let’s go to the hot springs.” Giggling at his childishness you only nodded. Bidding goodbye to Roxto who had already began floating again. Making sure to splash water into the males mouth once more before hurrying alongside Ao’nung. The large male wasting not time to pull you into the forest on his island. His signature mischievous smirk plastered on his lips. Ao’nung once sour mood slipping away with the breeze passing over your body’s.
🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼
“What is all this fuss about?!” Entering his mauri Jake sullys voice filled the once rambunctious space with a deadly silence. A teary eyed Tuk surrounded by her sibling who seemed to be attempting to reason with the young girl. As always Neteyam was the first to speak a deep sigh leaving his body before he spoke. “Tuk is insisting she saw a….mermaid. We are only trying to help her stop these meaningless searches. It could lead her to outside the reef.” Taking in his sons words Jakes mood seemed to calm. His face now morphed into confusion as he looked at his youngest daughter. Neytiri sharing a similar look as she rested a hand on the back of her husband back. “Is everything ok Tuktuk?” Voice soft Neytiri spoke with her comforting mom voice. Walking past her older children to scoop her youngest up in her arms.
“I saw a mermaid! You guys don’t believe me either I can tell by your face!” Frowning Neytiri stroked one of her daughter stray hand behind her ear. “It is normal to have imaginary friends as a child. But it is important to not get it mixed up with reality.” Huffing the small girl wiggled out of her mothers arms. Obviously filled with frustration as she crossed her arms and glared accusingly at her family. Catching them all slightly off guard, as Tuk was always a gentle and happy girl never once sending someone the expression they wore now. Frowning deeply Neytiri looked to her mate. Almost as if communicating with his eyes he only nodded at the mother. “Would you like to talk with the Tsahik about this she might know more about this,,,, mermaid.” Face lighting up Tuk squealed and excitement, happy someone believed her words. Wasting no time to rush out the mauri her small feet taking her towards ronals tent as Neytiri followed behind her, shooting her family a relieved smile that they all shared. All of them hoping the Tsahik could cure whatever was happening with their youngest sibling.
Soon enough Neytiri opened the flap, Ronals back being the first view that met her sun colored eyes. The fierce ocean orbs soon greeting her as she looked between the female and her child with worry. The two woman forming a small friendship in the month the sullys had been on their shores. “My child has been saying she has sighted a mermaid, even talked to her.” Sighing with worry Neytiri usher her child towards the Tsahik. Ronals brows scrunched together in confusion as she glanced between the two. Her face quickly turning into a grin as she attempted to suppress a laugh. Confused, Neytiris eyes narrowed not likening the way Ronal seemingly laughed at her daughter. “I am sorry, I should not find this so humorous.” Cover her smile with theee fingers ronal sat on the floor. Continuing to arrange herbs. “Your daughter is perfectly fine.”
“What do you mean she’s seeing a mermaid. They are fake.” Stomping her feet Tuk looked up to her mother. “They are real!” Warning her daughter with her eyes Neytiri sat herself across from Ronal. Forcing Tuk to sit next to her. “I am afraid your daughter is right. My son is in fact the reason this mermaid visits our shores. The two of them being infatuated with eachother.” Eyes widened in shock Neytiri scanned the woman. Sensing the caution in her friends eyes ronal looked up from her medicine. “How about I show your whole family tomorrow before eclipse she is always on the south of the island. I can prove my crazy words.”
“Of course Tsahik. I am sorry to say I can to believe your words until I see it.” Nodding in understanding Ronal sent the two a rare soft smile. “Now would you two want to help me with these herbs.” Knowing they could not refuse Neytiri excepted. Successfully killings tuk victorious mood as she looked at her mother with a deadpan look. Not wanting to have anything to do with the medications in front of her.
The two of you had no ideas so many eyes were on your as you breached the water. Your tail morphing into flesh as the peeping eyes cringes at the sight. It was not a pretty transformation to watch but Ao’nung never minded. His warm hands fulfilling their routine as he tied your loincloth around your lower half. Deciding to not be a creep Lo’ak was the first to step out. The parents all gone once they saw you, their curiosity satisfied. “She’s literally a human with a cool tail and can breath underwater. What’s so special about her.” Making his presence known Lo’ak trotted over. His siblings not far from his as Neteyam groaned in dissatisfaction. Tuks small form rushing past her brother as she crashed into your lower body. Her slim arms wrapping around your waist as Ao’nung suppressed an annoyed growl.
“Hello Tuk.” Patting her head you looked to the other na’vi approaching. All much taller than you. “How rude of me, I am y/n Ao’nungs girl.” Catching all of their attention their yellow eyes zeroed in on you. Yet it did not seem to stop the aggressive tone leaving one of their lips. “Oh so you shit on us but claim this four fingered freak.” Motioning to your hands you felt your stomach drop. Your warm eyes looking to Ao’nung in hurt and confusion. “Watch your mouth forest boy.” Bearing his fangs Ao’nung threatened the darker na’vi. His thick tail whipping in an aggression your eyes had never seen. Gently prying the child’s hand off your waist you wrapped your hands around Ao’nungs arm. Pressing his arm on your chest grabbing the towering males attension. “Calm down it’s okay.”
“Listen to her words Lo’ak!” Pulling his brother behind his form you assumed this was the older brother. His presence oozing superiority. “I am sorry about my brothers behavior. I am Neteyam, that was Lo’ak, and my sister Kiri is back near the mauri pods.” Face lighting up as his kindness you looked to Ao’nung. The male still not wearing a pleased smile. “It is wonderful to meet you! Your little sister is just adorable.” Smiling at the compliment the littler girl stood proudly next to you. “Yes she’s actually why we learned of your existence. We did not believe something like your could exist.”
“We’ll she does. Glad you forest freaks could satisfy your curiosity and admire my girlfriend like she’s an animal.” Hitting his shoulder you glared your at your boyfriend. “Ao’nung! I am sorry, he is just worked up because of your brother. He is a big softie.”
“She’s delusional.” Looking down to your form Ao’nung shut down your words. A slight smile ghosting over his lips as he looked down at your scolding face. “Anyways, I will definitely see you Sullys around! Swim with us sometime!” Dragging your hotheaded boyfriend away you waved at the oldest Sully. Making sure to give Tuk an extra long wave as the girl bounced up and down. “You are horrible.” Ocean eyes widening he looked down into your warm ones. “What do you mean! Lo’ak is the dickhead.” Rolling your eyes at your boyfriends blindness you let go of his arms. Walking slightly faster than him.
“Come on baby don’t be like that.”
“Your such a bully.”
Grabbing your waisted Ao’nung pulled your flush agaisnt him. Leaning down so his head was by your ear, breath leaving goosebumps along your skin. “I’m your bully.” grazing his fangs over the sensitive part on your neck you couldn’t help but lean into his touch. “Just don’t be gatekeeping me.” Looking up the top of your head hit the lower part of his chest. Rising to his full height the male looked down to you. “Cant promise anything tanhí.” Bringing his lips to your you could only smile into the kiss. Loving the way his big hands secured themselves around you. The na’vi never wanting you to leave his grasp. Wanting to keep his little mermaid all to himself.
a/n: This was a little out of my element and my first request so i hope it turned out okay! Hopefully my requester is satisfied so sorry if it’s not what you hoped!
Tell Me to Stop: Part 2 (NSFW Kyojuro Rengoku x F!Ice Pillar)
A/N: oh man, it’s here. This took a lot out of me, so I hope that you all like it.
Part One can be found here: post-Mugen AU where Kyojuro lives; events take place post-Entertainment District.
Multiple POVs (Y/N, Shinobu, and Kyojuro). There are several flashbacks, which are in all italics and separated from the main text.
Massive TW: trauma/PTSD, anger, nightmares, descriptions of corpses, violence and violence between characters (shoving, grabbing/shaking). One character triggers another and it’s dubious whether it’s intentional or not.
Y/N began her rehabilitation training within one week of awakening from her coma.
For those seven days of rest, Y/N had fielded all sorts of visitors — the Master, escorted by his two daughters; the Love Pillar, who had wasted no time throwing her arms around Y/N’s shoulders and sobbing in relief; and three of the Mansion’s youngest girls, all of whom crawled up on her bed and cried while hugging her.
Uzui had sent her a note by crow telling her he would be by to see her as soon as his wives finished making her favorite treat — red bean mochi — and said they could compare battle wounds in celebration of their feat.
Y/N had neither seen nor heard as much of a whisper from the Flame Pillar.
The Ice Pillar resolved to distract herself from the glaring absence of the man who embodied fire, though every day that passed without word from him only seemed to make that absence more pronounced.
Y/N had thrown herself into her rehabilitation training, as supervised by Shinobu. Because she was a Hashira, her recovery was vastly different from that of lower-ranked slayers, and she worked with the Insect Pillar directly, rather than with the haughty Aoi and other younger Mansion girls.
That particular morning, the Love Pillar had joined them in an effort to recuperate Y/N’s loss of flexibility as the result of the nearly two months she’d spent sedentary. Y/N cherished the one-on-one time she had with the other two women Hashira; the three of them had formed a tight bond with one another since ascending as Pillars, united amidst the predominance of male demon slayers.
“Good! Now just bend this way-“ Mitsuri Kanroji kept a steady hand at the small of Y/N’s back as Y/N arched over backward, teeth grinding as her stiff spine resisted her movement.
“Almost there! Just touch your other hand to the floor and hold it!” The Love Hashira said encouragingly.
Y/N stretched her left arm over her head as hard as she could. Her fingers had just graced the wooden grain of the training room floor when her body seized, and her legs gave out from under her.
“Oh!” Mitsuri caught Y/N effortlessly before she could crumple to the floor, gently helping her to sit while blushing at the stream of colorful curses that poured from the Ice Pillar’s mouth.
“This damn wound,” Y/N moaned, her hand pressing against the angry red mark that curved from below her belly button to her right hip. “You would think it would have healed by now.”
Shinobu frowned as she crouched next to the Ice Pillar, fingers lightly prodding at the scar left behind by Upper Moon Six. “It has healed; if it hadn’t, it wouldn’t have scarred already.” Shinobu pursed her lips. “Though, I suppose it could just be a residual effect of the Upper Rank’s blood demon art – after all, it was no ordinary blade that he pierced you with, was it?”
Y/N shook her head, though she tried to suppress the memory of the demon’s cursed flesh blade ramming through her back and into her stomach. “The blade was his conduit for his blood demon art – but I think it was made from him.”
“How often does it hurt, Y/N?” Mitsuri asked, rubbing soothing circles on her friend’s upper back. Mitsuri was one of the few people Y/N knew who preferred to give physical comfort, and Y/N was grateful for it.
Y/N furrowed her brows in thought. “In a way, there’s always just this dull ache I feel, though it becomes sharper whenever I move a particular way.” Y/N pulled at the band of her uniform bottoms in discomfort. “And, it doesn’t help that these damn pants chafe and rub against it. I’ve even foregone the belt, and it still feels like they’re cutting into me.”
Mitsuri hummed in thought. “Have you considered one of the uniform skirts? They sit a little higher on the waist, so they’re less likely to aggravate it.”
Y/N scowled. “I would rather be stabbed by Upper Six again than request a skirt from that pervert tailor,” she said severely, “Sorry,” she added when she saw the Love Pillar flush with embarrassment.
“Lecherous Corps tailors aside, you may have a good point, Mitsuri.” Shinobu said, eyeing Y/N’s uniform pants in thought. “Y/N, do you mind if I brainstorm some designs for you? I can’t promise whatever I come up with will be suitable for public appearances or assignments, but I might be able to come up with something that will at least keep you comfortable while you heal and build back your strength.”
Y/N smiled as she stretched her legs out, bringing herself into a pose meant to flex her hips. “I’d be grateful for anything you could do, Shinobu.”
The Insect Pillar nodded. “Mitsuri, you know how to sew quite well, do you not? I’m afraid my proficiency with the needle is limited to sewing up wounds.”
The pinkette glowed with enthusiasm. “Yes! I have an entire room dedicated to sewing at my Estate – if you bring by your designs, I’m sure I could put something together!”
Shinobu smiled. “Then it’s settled. I’ll see what I can come up with tonight, and I’ll bring it by in the morning.”
Y/N’s heart swelled at the dedication her two friends showed towards her comfort and recovery. “Thank you both, from the bottom of my heart.”
Shinobu’s smile turned wicked. “Don’t thank us yet, Y/N. You have agility training next.”
Y/N groaned and pulled on her uniform top and buttoning it over her bindings. As a Hashira, agility training meant that she was to meet the Wind Pillar outside of Kocho’s estate where she would endure two hours of having to dodge his relentless attacks. Y/N got along just fine with Shinazugawa – he’d even welcomed her back, and gruffly complimented her work in the Entertainment District – but that did not mean he eased up in his ruthless training.
By the time the Wind Pillar had dismissed her with a satisfied nod, Y/N had all but limped back to her room, wondering whether she could even summon the strength to bathe after such an arduous day. She almost decided against it, but when her newest scar began to pulse and throb once more, she knew nothing else would soothe it better than the hot water in Kocho’s private hot spring.
Y/N greeted the bowing Kakushi who guarded the entrance to the northernmost wing of the Butterfly Mansion’s hospital as she passed by, and she hoped that Aoi had remembered to restock her room with fresh towels so she could go straight to her bath from her room.
She drew short at the sight of a familiar figure which stood outside of Kocho’s office, leaning against the wall of the small hallway.
“Rengoku!” Y/N was startled, taking a step back in surprise at the sight of the Flame Pillar.
“Y/L/N.” The man who reminded her of the sun nodded in greeting, but his familiar, sunny disposition was noticeably absent, his face impassive and his voice detached.
“I am happy to see you in good health.” Rengoku spoke with unnatural formality; he’d never used that cold, detached manner of speaking to her, not once since she’d caught him staring at her right before the commencement of Final Selection all those years ago.
“Ice Pillar Y/L/N!” His sunny voice boomed, and Y/N groaned. She’d just gotten her migraine to calm down.
“Rengoku,” she nodded politely, as her comrade came to stand beside her, all smiles and warmth.
“It’s been a while, Y/L/N! I was beginning to forget what you look like when you roll your eyes at me.” He laughed, and Y/N scowled.
“Perhaps I’ll pay to have my photograph taken, Rengoku. That way, you can carry it with you wherever you go.”
Rengoku turned to her, an eyebrow raised in surprise at her willingness to engage with his banter so quickly. “If that’s the case, Y/N, I’d prefer to have one of you smiling. It would do well to keep me warm on those cold nights away from home.”
“I heard you were called away on another mission— some train?” Y/N asked him as they strolled through the Master’s garden following their meeting.
“Yes, we’ve unfortunately lost a number of slayers. Perhaps it’s an upper rank!” The Flame Pillar responded jovially, but he stopped in front of Y/N when he saw her frown.
“What is it?” His voice was gentle, and Y/N shook her head, focusing her eyes on the blooming wisteria saplings that had been planted.
A warm finger curled under her chin and tilted her face up until her eyes clashed with pools of golden ore. “My dear Ice Pillar, are you worried for me?” He was smirking, and his thumb lightly caressed the underside of her jaw.
Y/N gingerly took his hand and removed it from her face, though she did not let it go right away. “You are the Flame Hashira, Rengoku. If anyone is capable of defeating an Upper Rank, it most certainly is you.”
Rengoku smiled broadly at her, his hand nearly grazing her own. “For someone whose prowess lies in ice breathing, Y/L/N, you sure know how to start fires.”
Under any other circumstance, she would have changed the subject, or not said anything at all. But Y/N couldn’t help her sudden desire to flirt back, just to see if she could knock him off his feet as he so often tried to do to her.
“Yours is the only one I’m interested in stoking, Rengoku.” She said sweetly.
She’d laughed at the Flame Pillar’s beet-red face for the rest of the day.
“And I, you.” Y/N responded, her eyes still wide with surprise as she came to a stop before him, maintaining a cautious distance between them.
A pregnant pause followed, and Y/N made to speak once more, but she was cut off by another deep throb from the wound on her lower abdomen, her hand unconsciously flying to press against it as she swallowed the gasp that threatened to leave her.
“You’re in pain.” It wasn’t a question.
Y/N shrugged in a feeble attempt at nonchalance. “I suppose it’s to be expected for a while yet. At least until I recover.”
Rengoku said nothing, and the silence felt suffocating.
“Would you-“ Y/N hesitated, and inwardly she’d never felt more embarrassed, or more uncertain than she did then as she stood before the uncharacteristically stoic Flame Pillar. “Would you like to sit down?”
Rengoku’s face remained impassive, and he turned away from her, dismissively.
“I cannot. I came only to retrieve a salve from Kocho.” His voice was just as cold, just as unfamiliar as the rest of him had been.
“Rengoku, is everything all right?” She stretched out a hand to touch his shoulder but was alarmed at how quickly he flinched away from her as if her touch could burn him.
“Everything is fine, Y/L/N. I need to be on my way.” Rengoku’s voice was flat, monotone, and wholly foreign to her.
“I’m sorry for not thanking you sooner — for everything you did to help me that night.” Y/N blurted, and to her relief, Rengoku froze mid-step, though he did not turn towards her. “I owe you my life.”
She did not miss the way Rengoku’s fists clenched at his side. “You owe me nothing. I would have done the same for any other comrade.” He replied, voice tight. “I must get going now. Farewell, Y/L/N.
She was so stunned that she’d not bidden him farewell back. Rather, she’d stood helplessly in her doorway, even long after the edge of his haori had disappeared around the corner of the Butterfly Mansion’s hall.
Kyojuro’s fists remained clenched the entire journey back to his estate.
He felt disgusted with himself. He felt like a coward.
It had nearly knocked him to his knees to see Y/L/N up and standing and talking because for so long, he had feared he would never again see the way she crinkled her nose when she laughed, or how she tucked that one loose strand of hair behind her ear whenever she was concentrating — the one that never stayed put in her braid.
But he had not been able to meet her eyes; couldn’t bear to bring himself to try, because he had been terrified of what he would see.
Every night for the last two months, he has dreamed of her.
They were not pretty dreams, not like those he had before when he’d wrap her in his arms and kiss her until she laughed, the two of them living in a monster-free world and at peace.
Now, he dreamt of vacant eyes-tinged blue, unseeing and unblinking and frozen, just like the rest of her. He dreams of iced skin and blood and poison pouring from her mouth and her nose until she chokes, her chest rising once with a final rattle before it falls still.
He dreams of Upper Three, smiling deviously as he aims his fist to deal his final blow, and Kyojuro wrenches his blade down, desperate to finally win.
Only, his blade decapitates Y/N, not the Upper Rank demon and he is helpless to watch her head bounce pathetically to the ground. His hands are covered in her blood, and instead of disintegrating, her body falls uselessly to the side. Human.
As quickly as he kills her, the dream changes. He is in a lively street, filled to the brim with street vendors and women and men offering their services. It is night but the lights of the shops and gambling dens and pleasure houses are so bright that it looks like daytime.
He recognizes her by the back of her haori, and his feet move towards her, relieved to see her amidst the hustle and bustle of the city. He reaches out to touch her shoulder, her name whispering on his lips. But she turns before he can make contact, and though she looks healthy, her eyes — her eyes are white and unseeing.
I don’t understand, she pleads with him, it doesn’t make sense.
Kyojuro looks around in alarm and they are no longer standing amongst eager entertainment seekers, but among flame and wreckage, the once-ornately decorated stalls now smashed to splinters as fire slowly consumes the skeletal remains of the entertainment district.
He turns back to her right as a blade pierces through her gut, lifting her from the ground before letting her drop.
His hands shake as he reaches for her, desperate to check her wounds, but when she looks up at him, he stumbles back.
She is all wrong. Her skin is mottled and rotting from her face, and her hair is gray and matted. In place of her eyes are black holes, empty and cold.
Why can’t I come with you? Why can’t I go home, Kyojuro?
Please take me home.
Every night for the last two months, he awoke screaming.
Y/L/N was alive; he knew that. He knew that if he looked at her, he would not see a corpse; but terrifying visuals aside, Kyojuro had not been able to look at her because he knew what his nightmares were telling him.
He’d been responsible for her near death.
If the Kakushi had returned with a box rather than a Pillar, it would have been his fault.
The thought that Y/L/N — his Y/L/N -- had almost obtained her own headstone in the Master’s graveyard had rocked him to his very core, for that had almost become a reality. She had actually died – for the briefest moment – in his arms; and it had been his fault.
Why can't I go home, Kyojuro?
And though Y/N had awoken from her slumber, her corpse still haunted Kyojuro’s dreams.
Y/N was sprawled on her infirmary floor, preparing her limbs for another day of rigorous recuperation training at the hands of her fellow Hashira.
She stood to stretch her arms and lower back, wincing slightly at the pull of her scar. “Don’t you start,” she warned her body, willing total concentration breathing to dull the persistent ache that threatened to derail her entire day.
Y/N sensed movement near her doorway and knew, without looking, who watched her as she warmed up her aching muscles.
“Uzui retired. It’s time for you to do the same.”
Y/N who had been in mid-stretch, righted herself and blinked at the Flame Pillar. “Pardon?” Both the news of Uzui’s retirement and Rengoku’s words were a shock to her.
“Retire, Y/LN.” Rengoku repeated in that detached manner of his that she hardly recognized. “You helped take down an Upper Rank. You’ve done enough. Let someone else shoulder the burden, now.”
“I see no reason to retire, Rengoku.” Y/N retorted, voice hardening. “And unless and until the Master requests it or I perish, I see no reason to do so.”
Rengoku exhaled harshly through his nose. “You were injured — seriously so.”
“As were you, and yet you seem to have no intention of slowing down.” Y/N said, coolly.
Rengoku’s attention stayed fixed on the garden outside her window. “And I was only unconscious for three weeks. You were out for nearly two months, Y/L/N. That is unheard of and frankly, unacceptable for a Hashira.”
“What is your problem?” Y/N was growing more irritated the longer this inane conversation dragged on, and it wasn’t helping that Rengoku still refused to so much as look her direction, let alone meet her eyes. “Is this about what happened after you brought me here? Kocho told me everything — I’m not mad.”
Rengoku’s shoulders tensed. “It was necessary. Again, I would have done it for any one of my comrades.”
Y/N felt like she’d been slapped.
“You keep saying that, yet you won’t look at me— why?” Her confusion and hurt were beginning to melt into anger. “If I am just another comrade, then you should be able to meet my eyes.”
Rengoku said nothing.
“What Uzui did for me— that was what comrades do,” Y/N continued, her voice growing stronger as her blood grew hotter. “But you? You and I both know you were under no obligation to bring me back from the brink of death the way you did.”
“I’m not sure what you want me to say, Y/L/N,” Rengoku answered after a long moment.
Y/N took a step towards him. “I want to know why.”
“It was necessary.”
Y/N felt like throttling him.
How long had they danced around each other? How many times had they caught themselves staring at the other for a breath longer than normal, had allowed an otherwise friendly touch during a spar linger?
How could he have held her, half nude for hours, putting himself on the brink of death all for the sake of keeping her alive — and then tell her she was the same as any other comrade?
“What are we doing Rengoku -- is this to be our destiny?” Y/N demanded, exasperatedly, her voice hard. “We continue to pretend like we don’t care about one another until one of us dies?”
Rengoku remained silent, back still turned away from her.
“We’ve each had a near-death experience in a matter of months,” Y/N continued, throat working hard to keep her voice steady despite the telling burn of angry tears in her eyes. “By all accounts, one if not both of us should be dead.”
“And yet, somehow, you expect me to act as though the fact you carried me back here— that you put yourself on death’s door to keep my heart beating — doesn’t mean anything?”
It didn’t make sense. It didn’t make sense for him to fight so hard for her, to make her believe that someone valued her life that much, only to cast her aside.
She hadn’t wanted to wake up, initially; she’d felt relief for the hair’s breadth she’d thought she’d finally met her end. He was the one who dragged her back, and now he wouldn’t even look at her.
It didn’t make sense.
Y/N’s fists shook beside her, and she felt the venomous words fly from her mouth before she could stop them.
“You should’ve let me die.”
No sooner had she let the poison drip from her mouth had she felt herself flying backward, back slamming against the nearest wall of her temporary room.
“Never,” Rengoku snarled at her, his arm pressing firmly against her shoulders to hold her in place against the wood. “Never say those words to me again.”
Y/N’s chest was heaving, and she trembled beneath him, her fury threatening to explode out of her.
“There is no place on this earth where you could be in peril and I would not find you,” he said quietly, his eyes a simmering, fiery orange. “Where I wouldn’t find a way to bring you back home.”
“That doesn’t make sense,” Y/N said softly, breath still coming hard from her nose but no longer from her anger.
“Doesn’t it?” Rengoku was close, dangerously close.
Y/N wanted nothing more than to lean in, to close the distance that barely existed between Rengoku’s face and hers and finally be done with all the nonsense. But he had spent so much time avoiding her gaze until that moment, and Y/N felt more lost than ever, set adrift by the look of heat and longing that was mixed with the burning rage in his eyes.
Something tugged incessantly at her gut and it would not allow her to move from her place against her recovery room’s wall.
Instead, her arms came up to rest against Rengoku’s chest before gently, but firmly, pushing him away.
“No, it doesn’t.” She repeated. “And I am tired, Rengoku.”
The Flame Pillar allowed himself to be pushed away, but he looked at her with a small, cruel smile.
“Then you’re right; it doesn’t mean anything at all.”
She flinched against the ugly slap of his words. Y/N had expected him to hit back, but she hadn’t anticipated his venom to sting as much as it did.
She felt all of the fight within her gutter out, leaving her with nothing but a heavy weight in her chest that she wished she couldn’t feel.
“Y/L/N, I-“ the Flame Pillar almost sounded remorseful.
“Thank you, for your clarification, Lord Rengoku,” she said numbly, formally, parroting his earlier tone with her. “And thank you for your assistance that night. Please, next time — don’t trouble yourself.”
Rengoku hesitated for a moment, his hand twitching as though he wanted to reach for her. He swallowed hard, and turned away, shutting the door to Y/N’s infirmary.
The moment the door at clicked shut, Y/N exhaled harshly, stumbling back against her bed as she hugged her arms around herself, and she tried to keep herself from falling apart.
It shouldn’t have hurt this bad. They were both in the Demon Slayer Corps; they saved strangers all the time without it ever meaning anything other than good will and a desire to exterminate all demons.
So why did his insistence that she was no different hurt so badly?
Because she wasn’t a stranger.
Because, while she’d always known she wasn’t his, she’d still thought she’d been something.
As Y/N curled against her blanket, an unsettling numbness began to spread from her heart, quieting even the dull ache from the scar across her belly, Y/N realized that she’d meant nothing to the Flame Pillar all along.
He’d been hurt by her insistence that she did not know his feelings even though he was the one who’d opened the door, yet somehow, it still felt like a rejection.
So he’d hit back, only for her to visibly recoil at the sharp blow of his words.
He would not forgive himself, for as long as he lived, for the way the light in her eyes had winked out.
He did not know what bothered him more: the fact that she’d assumed that he regretted keeping her alive, or that she’d said “next time” he needn’t bother. As though she were counting on there being a next time.
He knew he should turn around; knew that he should barge back into her hospital room, drop to his knees, and beg her to forgive his cruelty.
He knew that he should explain to her why he found it so difficult to admit his feelings for her — that he had watched his father turn into a shell of a man and abandon his children in the wake of their mother’s death, leaving them to raise themselves. That he had vowed, as he’d watched his father drink his days away, that he would never be like him, would never abandon those who relied on him most.
He’d promised that he would never be a coward, even if, in all honesty, the idea that he, Kyojuro, could ever love someone that fiercely only to have them ripped from his grasp terrified him to no end.
As he forced his legs to carry him to back to his estate, Kyojuro wondered if perhaps, in his desperation not to turn into his father, he’d become the old man after all.
Shinobu felt the Flame Pillar’s presence in her office before she saw him, though she was in no rush to give him his salve, especially not after what she’d overheard him spit at her friend.
“If you do not mind, I would like to send my crow to collect this from here on,” Rengoku said tightly, and Shinobu could sense his failing attempt to keep his fury in check.
“Very well then,” the Insect Pillar responded just as tersely, turning away from the papers and books on her desk to pull out the small tin containing the salve the Flame Pillar used to soothe the ache of the scar he now bore across his pectoral and shoulder. Rather than handing it to him, she tossed it through the air, the Flame Hashira catching it swiftly in his hand.
Rengoku nodded his thanks and turned to leave.
“I didn’t realize it was against Corps’ rules to care about our comrades,” Shinobu said icily, if not to signal to him that there had been spectators to his ugly outburst.
He couldn’t resist taking her bait. “Maybe it should be. It would be easier that way — for everyone.”
“Is that so?” Kocho sneered, no hint of familiarity or kindness in her features; nothing but that poisonous, deadly smile. “Well, if that was the case, then you would’ve preferred Uzui to leave Y/L/N for dead among the rubble in Yoshiwara, correct?
“You would rather us be searching to fill the newest Hashira vacancy, with her corpse barely cold in the ground-“
“Do not say another word, Kocho.” Rengoku warned, quietly.
But for Shinobu, anger was her vice, and so his warning only spurred her on.
“Tell me, Rengoku, if the new Pillar had been a woman, would you have held her the way you held Y/N?”
Shinobu’s smile was chilling as she relished the way the Flame Pillar began to tremble. “Or perhaps, would you finally confess to her, having learned your lesson from the missed opportunity with Y/N? Would you live out your days with her, while Y/N rotted below the earth, having never known someone loved her?”
“ENOUGH.” Rengoku roared, and for a moment, Shinobu thought the Flame Pillar might put his clenched fist through her wall. The silence that followed was tense and long as Rengoku struggled to calm his breathing.
“What do you want from me, Kocho?” Rengoku finally snapped, wheeling around to glower at the Insect Pillar, eyes half-crazed in his frustration.
Dawn was still far off, but the hall of her estate was a mess.
Shinobu knew that at any moment, another group of Kakushi would be coming through the hole Rengoku had left in her wall bearing the unconscious body of the Sound Pillar, and if they did so, they’d be stumbling upon the chaotic scene that had unfolded before.
Rengoku was still on the floor, legs on either side of Y/N, who was slumped against his chest and fully exposed from the waist up.
With some satisfaction, Shinobu noted that the dark purple bruising around Y/N’s chest was clearing, a sure sign that she had chosen the correct antidote for the Flame Hashira to slam into her heart.
But her hypothermia persisted.
Rengoku, on the other hand, was beginning to breathe rather loudly, no doubt as he continued to maintain his high fever for the sake of the unmoving woman braced between his thighs.
“Rengoku,” Shinobu crouched down next to the Flame Pillar, her hand coming to a rest on his shoulder, which burned beneath her palm. “Rengoku, we need to move.”
The man lifted his head up to meet her eyes, his own glassy and unfocused. Shinobu clamped down on the swear building on her tongue — he had fever fog.
Rengoku grunted at her before his head slumped back down, chin nearly touching his chest.
Shinobu tried again. “Rengoku, we are in the open hallway of the Butterfly Mansion. Others will be arriving soon. Y/N is completed exposed.”
That seemed to get his attention. Rengoku’s head lifted, his eyes narrowed slits, but nonetheless open. He grunted in some sort of acknowledgement and began to shift Y/N in his lap.
He turned the unconscious Ice Pillar so that her back rested against one arm that curled around her bare waist. His free arm slid to grip beneath her knees, shifting her into a bridal-style position to carry her.
Two of the Butterfly Mansion’s staff moved to help him stand, but Rengoku shrugged them off, surprising Shinobu as he managed to rise steadily to his feet, Y/N secured against his chest.
He looked at Shinobu expectantly and she began ushering him towards a secluded wing of the Manor, towards her private hall. Across from her personal office was a special infirmary room, walled off from the rest of the recovery ward.
Shinobu withdrew a ring of keys from her pocket and unlocked the heavy, wooden door.
“You two can stay in here until her body temperature returns to normal,” She said, as Rengoku made his way towards the recovery bed.
Shinobu watched as Rengoku, still wearing his zori and uniform pants, ever so gently lowered himself and Y/N down on the bed, repeating his earlier positioning of her between his thighs. He propped up one leg slightly to keep the Ice Pillar from slumping over, her back pressed to his bare chest. Rengoku leaned against the headboard so that Y/N’s head could rest against his clavicle, though it slumped instead towards her left shoulder.
Shinobu made to grab a blanket to throw over the two topless Hashira but stopped short as Rengoku made to move again.
He seemed to realize that Y/N, while also still in her torn uniform pants and zori, was still bare from the waist up, her body positioned towards the door. He frowned, his hand coming up to graze the side of her arm. He flinched slightly, no doubt at the persistent chill that lingered on her skin, and he moved his large hands down over the back of hers as they lay limply on either side of her thighs, interlocking his fingers over hers.
Awestruck, Shinobu watched as Rengoku brought Y/N’s arms up to cross them over her chest, locking them in place by covering her arms with his own, as though wrapping her in a sweet embrace. Shinobu knew that he’d done so to avoid touching her bare breasts himself, or at least to do so as minimally as possible, while still providing her cover. And, thanks to the breadth of Rengoku’s muscled forearms, Y/N’s sensitive area was almost entirely obscured from view.
Rengoku had barely been clinging to consciousness himself, and once she was sufficiently hidden in his arms, his head dropped forward until his forehead came to a rest on Y/N’s shoulder, opposite of where she’d rolled her head.
To the unassuming eye, it would have appeared as though the pair of Hashira were simply engaged in an intimate moment, rather than one desperately trying to anchor the other to life.
Shinobu moved to place the blanket over the Pillars’ laps, before quietly exiting the private room.
“Seal this wing off entirely,” she murmured to Aoi, who had been waiting dutifully outside. “No one comes down here without my explicit permission.”
Aoi bowed to her before she ushered the other Kakushi out. Faintly, Shinobu heard the arriving shouts of the group bearing the Sound Pillar. She took a single deep breath, steeling herself once more, before moving to check on her incoming patient.
Shinobu raised her chin, looking down her nose at him in disgust. “I’m waiting for the man who would have set the world ablaze to save Y/N to reappear.”
She cocked her head, narrowing her eyes at him. “I’m waiting for the man who used his own body as her lifeline, and who tried to smash open the infirmary door when he was delirious with fever because he thought that she had died while he was asleep.”
The Insect Pillar’s masked smile finally slipped from her face and her true rage towards the Flame Pillar shone through. “It is cruel to make her feel as though she’s done something wrong,” Shinobu’s arms folded across her chest. “And it is cruel to you both for you to pretend as though she does not mean anything to you. Haven’t you both been through enough? Are you not exhausted as well?”
A tortured look passed over Rengoku’s face. “It is better this way, Kocho. I do not want to be the cause of her pain, and I cannot survive going through what happened to her again.
“For all your talk about either of you dying, I’ve yet to hear you mention the equal alternative,” Shinobu sighed, gathering her papers and books. “The one where we win and you both live. What do you suppose happens then?”
Rengoku said nothing and so, Shinobu continued. “Suppose we emerge victorious – would you truly prefer for you and Y/N to go your separate ways – to never see one another again, or never acknowledge the bond the two of you share?”
“There is no guarantee that either of us survives, Kocho,” Rengoku said quietly, his eyes falling to his feet.
Shinobu smiled but it was no longer cruel or bitter; it was wistful. “And there is no guarantee that either of you die. That’s the fickle nature of humanity, is it not? The very reason we fight?”
The Insect Pillar gathered her papers and stacked them neatly on her shelf. “For the possibilities of it all.”
The sun was high in the sky by the time Shinobu had a moment to check on the two unconscious pillars in the back room.
Uzui had required quite a bit of attention in order to stop the poison from becoming deadly, though the fact that her combination of the wisteria antidote with the amphetamine had been so effective on Y/N meant that Shinobu was able to administer the same to the Sound Pillar in half the time.
She was exhausted; the strain of the night’s events weighed heavily on her, but she had to check on Y/N’s temperature — if the Ice Pillar still had not recovered, she feared that hope was lost.
She pushed the door to the private infirmary room open and saw the two Hashira, still in the same position she’d left them in. Rengoku was deeply asleep, no doubt from the exhaustion wrought by his high fever.
Enclosed within his arms, Y/N remained unconscious but pink.
Shinobu felt the relief course through her, but she did not allow herself to relax until she reached out a hand to lightly pinch the Ice Pillar’s cheek.
It bloomed red beneath her fingers, and it was warm to the touch.
He’d done it. The Flame Pillar had staved off her hypothermia. Their only obstacle now lay in getting her to reawaken.
Shinobu laid her hand across Rengoku’s forehead, frowning at the scorching heat of his brow; his fever had worsened more than she’d anticipated, and he would need intervention soon. She turned to nod at the Kakushi who waited by the door to the recovery room, and the three of them moved to separate the Flame and Ice Pillars.
“Put him in one of the other single-recovery rooms. Tell Aoi to administer the fever medication I keep in my cabinet – it should dispel his fever within a few hours.” Shinobu ordered, as the Kakushi, with great effort, lifted the Flame Pillar from his position behind Y/N. Shinobu gently eased her friend down against the bed and pulled a blanket over her exposed torso. “I will also need a fresh hospital gown for Lady Y/L/N.”
The Kakushi nodded their assent and got to work, heaving the unconscious Flame Pillar towards the door when he awoke. At first, his eyes were dazed, and confused as they darted around him, but as he took in his surroundings, he began to struggle against the grip of the Kakushi.
“Please, Lord Rengoku, your fever is dangerously high! Allow us to help!” One of them cried, though his efforts to tug the Pillar away were futile, though Shinobu supposed the only reason he had not yet succeeded in completely throwing them off was the fact that his fever had severely weakened him.
“Rengoku,” Shinobu said sternly, coming around from her position by Y/N to meet his eyes, though he only thrashed harder against the Kakushi as he began to mutter incoherently under his breath. “Rengoku, that’s enough. You’re safe. You’re in the Butterfly Mansion, and you have a high fever. Please, let the Kakushi do their job.”
But the Insect Pillar’s words fell on deaf ears as Rengoku began to hyperventilate, his muscles straining as he tried desperately to break free from the Kakushi’s hold. Shinobu was at a loss; her comrade did not merely look frantic – he looked terrified, desperate, and utterly beyond reproach or reason. His heart rate had spiked considerably, and his breath was jerky and uneven, as though he could not fully understand where he was or that he was amongst friends.
As she strained to make out what the Flame Pillar repeated, over and over, under his breath, Shinobu realized that his eyes were not unfocused at all; they were locked on the unconscious Ice Pillar in the bed behind her.
“I can still save her!” he roared.
It all made sense then.
Shinobu realized that he thought they were moving him not because he’d successfully thwarted her hypothermia, but because he had failed — and that she was now dead.
“Rengoku,” Shinobu said sharply, trying to force the irate and delirious Flame Pillar to meet her eyes. “Rengoku, Y/N is alive. Her body temperature has returned to normal. She is safe.”
But the Flame Pillar seemed not to hear her, as he only struggled harder against the Kakushi desperately trying to usher him out of Y/N’s room.
Rengoku was becoming more violent, even as the Kakushi finally managed to shove him through the doorway of Y/N’s room. Just before they’d managed to slam the door shut, Shinobu caught Aoi’s eye and nodded, the younger girl quickly disappeared into the Pillar’s office.
Shinobu watched in stunned silence as the Flame Pillar broke free from the Kakushi and began hurtling his body against the door, Y/N’s name falling from his lips in an anguished chant.
Rengoku was so delirious in his fevered panic that he did not notice Aoi slip behind him and plunge a syringe into his neck, depositing a thick stream of the clear liquid that Shinobu knew would have a near-instantaneous effect on his consciousness.
The Insect Pillar felt a strange sense of pity and remorse as she watched her friend slump to the floor outside of the infirmary room, a final cry out for the Ice Pillar falling from his lips before the sedative lulled him back to sleep.
He didn’t know why he’d returned to the Butterfly Mansion.
Kyojuro tried to convince himself that it was because he didn’t want to wait for his crow to return with Kocho’s salve, but he knew it was a pathetic excuse. He’d sworn to himself that he would leave Y/L/N alone after their last argument. He’d vowed that the door between them had been closed for good, and they would only ever be colleagues. Nothing more.
But he couldn’t stay away. Perhaps it was because he’d spent the last few days stewing over their last argument, and somewhere, amidst his endless supply of self-hatred, he’d also grown angry with the Ice Pillar.
Angry, because she had put herself in harm’s way when he’d specifically told her not to.
Angry because she’d nearly died, and she’d threatened to take the last vestiges of his sanity with her to the afterlife.
Angry that she insisted on remaining in the Demon Slayer Corps despite having given more than enough of herself to their cause; angry that she didn’t understand why he couldn’t yet do the same.
Angry because she didn’t seem to understand his feelings at all.
Perhaps in another life, they could have had each other. Had they both been born into a world without demons, then maybe they would have still found each other and maybe, just maybe, he would have been able to love her the way she deserved.
But for Kyojuro, their relationship would always be defined by a series of maybes, and nothing more.
It would have been a lie for Kyojuro to say he’d not been struck dumb by her.
She was stretched out on the steps of Kocho’s engawa, legs dangling off the edge of the porch as she leaned back on her elbows, eyes closed dreamily as she kept her face tilted up towards the cooling night air.
Long, lean, bare legs, he realized, an uncomfortable heat creeping up his collar. He couldn’t help running his eyes up their length, fixating hard on the supple curves of her thighs.
Why were her legs bare?
She looked…so unguarded this way. Her haori was draped around her shoulders, one of its sleeves hanging loosely to the side and exposing her bare shoulder – how exposed was she, the idiot – and her hair was completely unbound, falling in a silken river to her waist.
It was a stark contrast to the braided crown she wore at the base of her neck. It hit him that, not counting the night she’d nearly died, he had not otherwise seen her with her hair down.
He liked it. A lot.
“I finally rid myself of one migraine only for another to appear,” Y/N’s lofty voice snapped him out of his reverence, as the Ice Pillar opened her eyes to glare at him.
“If you’ve come for Shinobu, she is not here. She’s on an errand and will not be back until early morning.” Y/N turned her attention away from him and back towards the garden, her voice stony.
At that moment, there were a million things Kyojuro could have said to the Ice Pillar.
How are you?
I missed the way you glare at me.
I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.
Any of those options would have been far better than what came tumbling out of his mouth.
“I hadn’t realized you were indecent. My apologies.”
Y/N’s head snapped back to him, her eyes chips of ice. “Indecent?” She rose from her seat on the engawa and faced him fully, and Rengoku nearly groaned.
Indecent, indeed.
Y/N was showing more skin than Kanroji did on a regular day. As she stood, Rengoku saw that she was hardly wearing any clothing at all, save for the haori draped loosely around her frame.
The Ice Pillar wore no top but the bindings around her chest, leaving a sizeable swath of her midriff exposed to the summer air. Whatever she wore as bottoms could hardly be labeled as “pants,” given that their hem ended just short of the middle of her thigh, leaving the vast majority of her legs exposed to anyone who would happen to walk by.
The Flame Pillar felt as though he were overheating, and he tugged uselessly at the collar of his uniform shirt. As he looked over the scowling Ice Pillar, Rengoku found himself unable to remember why he had come to the Mansion at all.
“Ta-da!” Mitsuri sang as she pulled the small bundle from behind her, a grin wide on her face. “A gift from Shinobu and myself!”
Y/N peered down quizzically at the small, folded bunch of cloth in the Love Pillar’s hands. “What is it?”
“A new take on the Corps’ uniform,” Shinobu replied crisply, sitting down on the tatami floor of her office. “I designed it myself, and Mitsuri sewed it.”
“But what is it?” Y/N pressed.
Mitsuri joined Shinobu on the floor. “Your new training pants. Altered, so that you have more flexibility and less irritation against your wound.”
Y/N held up the tiny scrap of fabric between her index finger and thumb. “Are you telling me these are pants?”
Mitsuri and Shinobu nodded, smiling.
Y/N looked incredulously at the two women. “But where are the pants?”
Mitsuri laughed. “Think of it as a cross between the uniform skirt and pants, but more modified.”
Shinobu nodded. “I used the same material that our uniform is made out of but designed it in a way to be more flexible – it will mold to your body rather than require you to use a belt to keep it up.” Y/N unfurled the cloth and gaped down at it. “They likely aren’t suitable for public, but around here and during your training, they should be perfectly adequate.”
“Perfectly adequate?” Y/N repeated, turning the garment over in her hands. “Shinobu, these are underclothes! Not pants!” The Ice Pillar could not stop herself from giggling. “My legs will be entirely exposed!”
“Try them on!” Mitsuri urged. “Shinobu and I estimated they would hit around mid-thigh, so you’ll still have some coverage.” Mitsuri looked down at her own skirt in consideration. “Slightly more so than I do.”
Y/N groaned but removed her uniform pants and slid into her friends’ gift. She was surprised at how comfortable they felt; they had a similar feel to the chest bindings most of the women in the Corps wore, in terms of fit. The black bottoms had no true waistband, but fit snuggly at the dip of her waist, before hugging her hips and thighs until the hem cut right above the middle of her thigh.
“How do they feel?” Shinobu asked as Y/N inspected the new garment.
Y/N turned from side to side, testing their flexibility. “Good. They don’t seem to rub against the scar at all.” Y/N smiled devilishly at her friends. “Even if they do leave little to the imagination.”
MItsuri giggled. “I hadn’t noticed Y/N, but you have – oh, what did Uzui call it?” She scrunched her eyebrows in thought. “Oh! An ‘easy and deliverable type of butt!’” The three girls laughed, carefree as Y/N wiggled her hips suggestively in front of her friends, her heart warm at the care and consideration they had put into their gift.
Y/N mused that Mitsuri’s assessment of how she looked in the undershorts had been correct as Rengoku’s eyes raked over her as she stood tall before him, an unmistakable glint of hunger glowing in his amber pools.
Until they snagged on the thick, curved gash that extended from the band of her bottoms to just over her belly button.
In an instant, simmering fire of the Flame Pillar’s gaze had been snuffed out, something harder and colder taking over as he glared at where Upper Moon Six had buried his poisoned sickle within her.
Under any other circumstance, Y/N might have felt self-conscious at the mixture of frigid contempt that pulled on Rengoku’s face as he ran his eyes over her scar, but at that moment, it only made her blood boil.
“You should return to your room. You shouldn’t be out here exposed like this.” Rengoku said after a moment, his eyes moving away from her to stare over her shoulder, resolutely avoiding her gaze.
Y/N wondered briefly if it were possible to make someone combust with the fire of their stare. She was so tired and so angry at the way in which he demanded she stay at arm’s length yet felt utterly entitled to boss her around.
She decided then that she would not comply. Instead, Y/N took one step and then another, and again until she pushed past him, marching intently up the path she knew led away from the Butterfly Estate and to a secluded, grassy, hilled clifftop.
“Stop — Y/L/N” Rengoku growled, lunging after her, but Y/N, despite her injured state, was still faster than he, and she twisted out of his grasp before he could grab her and haul her back to the Mansion.
She probably looked insane, and maybe she was -- barely dressed, hair unbound, and striding towards that grassy hill up the winding path from Shinobu’s estate like she had any idea what she was doing.
The Flame Pillar followed.
—————————————————————--------
Apart from her close friendship with the Insect Pillar, there was another reason Y/N spent so much time in and around the Butterfly Mansion — its view.
Though she supposed this secret area she’d discovered couldn’t really be counted as part of Shinobu’s Estate — it was, after all, up a rather steep and twisting climb from the western-most point of her friend’s manor, and one could scarcely see the lights of the house once they ascended the small cliff.
Her thighs ached after nearly two months of disuse as she stormed up the steep incline, narrowly avoiding the sharp, twisting branches of the ancient trees that had concaved over the beaten path, forming a tunnel of gnarled wood that forced her to duck her head to navigate.
Y/N’s chest tightened as she neared the end of the path, the steady beat of the Flame Pillar’s footsteps trailing closely behind her.
When she finally emerged from the thicket of branches, she felt as though she could breathe again.
The path had given way to a cliff-top clearing. Soft, emerald grass covered the earthen floor, peppered with various wildflowers in vibrant hues of periwinkle, white, and pink. Towards the center was a thick, ancient oak tree, with a trunk as wide as a small hut, Its leaves ruffled lazily in the slight summer breeze. Fat hotaru floated idly above the grass while the crickets hummed.
The clearing extended to a point before dropping into a rocky cliff. Had it been a night of a new moon, Y/N would never risk coming out here for fear of stumbling too close to the cliff’s edge. But that night, the moon was full and its silver light was so bright that Y/N could see all the way to the opposite of the clearing, down to the summer irises swaying in the warm night air.
It was a pity that instead of feeling the warm serenity she normally had when she came out to her little hideaway, she felt nothing but boiling anger and a growing headache.
“You need to go back inside,” Rengoku said from behind her. Y/N ground her teeth, turning sharply on her heel to face him.
“Why do you care — I thought you only did that when I’m unconscious.” She bit back, and it felt good to see him be the one who flinched for once. “Or maybe it’s when you think I’m dying?”
She laughed, derisively. “You’ll have to forgive me, I’ve long since forgotten the rules of your game. You change them so often, you see.”
“Go back to the Butterfly Mansion, Y/L/N. You shouldn’t be out here. Not in your current state.” He said, voice as hard and unforgiving as stone.
“I’ve told you already that you are not in a position to order me around!” Y/N snapped, her words and her eyes chips of ice as she glared at him.
He was so infuriating — he had told her, in so many ways, that she meant nothing to him, and yet here he was, glowering at her as though her very existence incensed him.
“You’ve been nothing but unkind to me since I awoke, and you’ve given me no explanation!” She took a step towards him.
“Stop,” the Flame Pillar bit out, barely concealing the way he trembled with rage. “Do not take another step. Turn around and go back inside.”
If Y/N had looked pissed before, she looked downright furious now.
“Why did you come to see me while I was unconscious?” Y/N demanded, shaking. “You came every day, yet the second I wake up, you stop?”
His refusal to answer her, to even look at her, only made her seethe.
“You’re a coward, Rengoku.”
Rengoku’s teeth gnashed together, his fists balling tightly by his sides as he drew upon every ounce last shred of sanity, of restraint, left within him.
“Go. In. Side.” He ground out dangerously, his voice dropping into a growl on the last syllable.
But the Ice Pillar took another step towards him, her eyes blazing with a fire that could outburn his own.
“No.”
Rengoku’s jaw flexed. “Y/L/N-“
“I said no, Rengoku.” She was now within arm’s reach of the rigid Flame Pillar.
His eyes met hers, cold and hard, but she did not balk. She went in for the kill. “You have no say over my choices when my life is meaningless to you.”
Y/N watched the blow land, and land hard.
“Meaningless?” Rengoku looked at her and there was a new fire in his gaze, a hot, angry fire that threatened to burn the grassy overlook around them to cinders. “You believe I think your life is meaningless?”
This time, it was Rengoku who advanced towards her, bringing her within an arm’s length, and forcing her to tilt her head up to hold his raging stare.
“Do you have any idea — any at all — what it was like to see you, half dead in Uzui’s arms?” Rengoku’s voice dark, and harsh as he narrowed his eyes at her. “Or what it was like to have to carry you to Kocho, not knowing whether your heart would give out before I could get you there?”
Y/N refused to cower beneath the intensity of his gaze, her chin lifting defiantly. “Do I know what it was like?” She hissed; hackles raised.
“Thank you Rengoku, truly — thank you.” Y/N laughed, but it was devoid of any humor. “I am so glad that you’ve finally given me something to work with — so those are your rules, are they?” She was toe to toe with the Flame Hashira, glowering down at her.
“Well since we’re keeping score, Rengoku, do you know what it was like to see you broken and bleeding out on Kocho’s table after the incident on the train?”
“That’s not the same thing,” Rengoku shot back bitterly.
“How the fuck is it not-?”
“Because it wasn’t your mission to take!” Rengoku finally broke, his voice rising to a shout. He could not stop himself as his hands shot out and gripped Y/N’s shoulders, shaking her lightly in his torment.
“You have no idea how it felt to know that you had died — no matter how briefly — because you went on a mission in my place!”
“To know that — that you could still die because I had been too weak on that fucking train. Your death would have been my fault, Y/N!”
And there it was: the truth that he had tried so hard to suppress, laid flat out in the open.
Everything that had happened to Y/N, the whole entire mess — had been entirely his fault.
His fault because he had been too weak to finish off Upper Moon Three, too weak to do anything but let the demon’s punch a hole through his chest like it was nothing.
Y/L/N and Uzui had saved themselves in the end; they’d completed their mission, defeating not just one, but two upper ranks. They hadn’t succumbed to their injuries until after they’d fulfilled their duties.
But him? He’d only been saved by the grace of the sun and the tireless efforts of the Kakushi.
He’d nearly lost his life and he had nothing to show for it. Rather than do anything to further the Corp’s ultimate goals, he’d only set them back, and nearly cost them something priceless in return — their Ice Pillar.
The woman he loved.
He had no right to love her, of course — not when his reprehensible weakness had forced her to be offered up to two upper moon demons on a silver platter.
She’d been there, the morning he awoke from his three-week-long coma. She’d been right by his bedside, a sob choking from her throat as she’d called for Kocho to come quick!
At first, he’d been confused, because he hadn’t understood why she was crying. He’d tried to reach for her, to wipe the tears spilling down her cheeks when the pain had slammed into him, causing him to seize, arm suspended in mid-air.
Never before had he not been in control of his body; it had sent him into a panic.
“No, Kyojuro, please don’t move!” Y/N had cried, calling him, for the first time, by his given name. a warm hand wrapping around the one he’d stretched out towards her, lowering it gently down to the bed. “Your injuries are too grave!”
He didn’t remember much after that, only what Kocho had filled him in on later — namely, that he’d begun to panic, his breathing flaring out of control as he’d tried to fight off Y/L/N, a Kakushi, and the Insect Pillar.
His recovery had been long and slow. His wounds from the Upper Three demon had resulted in significant muscle damage that had required weeks of intensive care and training in order to build it back up again.
Those long days spent at the Butterfly Mansion had given him time to stew; to rage against himself. He’d been frustrated, so unbelievably frustrated over his inability to swing his own sword for more than five minutes that he almost considered giving in and retiring.
And then Uzui arrived, and he’d mentioned an upcoming mission to the Entertainment District, that they had discussed prior to Kyojuro leaving for the damned train, and the Sound Pillar revealed that his intel suggested the possible presence of an Upper Rank.
Kyojuro had promised to accompany him, and then he’d woken up in Kocho’s hospital, and that mission had been taken off the table and given to her.
The panic he had felt had been indescribable; he had narrowly survived an encounter with an Upper Rank, but then he was forced to watch the woman he loved walk straight into the wolf's den, and he had been incapable of convincing her to stay behind.
While she had been gone, he had railed against and prayed to and cursed at the gods, begging them to bring her home, to let her come back to him alive and whole.
Instead, they’d sent her back as a near-corpse and had laughed at his pitiful attempts to save her.
And then, she had straddled that narrow divide between life and death for nearly two months, and he had been as helpless as a cat chasing a string — his desire forever in sight yet somehow always just beyond his reach.
After his brush with death, he’d made a commitment to himself not to think of his battle with the Upper Three demon, to not waste his skill and energy on the last, but rather focus his fury on ensuring that when they did meet again, he would emerge victorious. He’d certainly not given any thought to the demon’s slime-tongued words.
He’d been disgusted when the demon had propositioned turning him into its like — and outright offended that those creatures could ever compare to the beautiful transience of humanity.
But then he’d cradled Y/N, broken and dying in his arms, and for the first time, Kyojuro had understood the appeal of the Upper Three’s offer.
Because he would rather have lived in a world in which Y/N had been turned into his enemy than in one in which she did not exist at all.
The very thought had shaken him to his core; because it meant he was not fully dedicated to their cause. He had no right to call himself a Hashira; nor did he have any right to claim to love Y/L/N. Not when he’d so easily damn her out of his own selfishness. So he had run.
Y/N was panting, her fury rippling off her in near-tangible waves.
“So, this whole thing,” she seethed, her voice shaking. “Your whole fucking attitude — has been because you’ve had your head so far up your ass, that you thought my injuries were your fault?”
It was unbelievable. It was ridiculous. And yet it was so Rengoku that it made her ears ring, made her see red as she tried to keep herself from imploding.
Rengoku said nothing, but she could see the way his eyes shuttered closed, his walls flying back up as he remained intent on keeping her out. He turned and began walking back towards the path back to the Estates.
“I was right — you ARE a coward!” She shrieked after him.
He froze. She stood there, heaving, daring him to turn around, to face her.
“Do not call me a coward again,” he said quietly, his back still to her, but his shoulders tensed, his fists balling once more at his sides.
Y/N smiled ruefully. “Then exactly would you call what you’re doing now?.” Her lip curled into a sneer. “Run away, Rengoku. It’s what you do best.”
A flash of orange and white clouded her vision as Rengoku turned on his heel and closed the distance between them before she could draw another breath.
Y/N did not have time to react before his hands gripped either side of her jaw as he slammed his mouth down against hers, furious and heated.
It was not gentle; it was an angry clash of lips and teeth, but it also stoked a fire so hot in Y/N’s belly that she did not care, and she fully gave herself over to the bruising press of his lips against hers. She gladly opened up to him so that his tongue could slide into her mouth as one of his hands snaked behind her head to press her harder to him, demanding that she let him take and take until he was sated.
As quickly as it had begun, it was over. They broke apart with a gasp, leaping back from one another as though burned. Their chests heaved as they stared at one another.
There was a line drawn in the sand between them. If either of them crossed it, there would be no going back.
He was a coward, but she wasn’t. And she’d grown tired of this tedious dance of theirs.
Yet it surprised her all the same that he reached for her at the same time she moved for him, the two of them colliding like magnets as their mouths clashed together once more.
Rengoku kissed her like he was drowning, and she was his lifeline.
Y/N threw her arms around his neck and tugged him down closer to her, determined to take from him as much as he wanted to take from her.
The pair of them stumbled back against the ancient oak tree that sat back from the grassy cliff, Y/N caged against its bark by the Flame Pillar.
His hands gripped fistfuls of her haori as though he couldn’t decide whether to pull her closer or tug her away. His lips devoured each breathy moan he pulled from her as one hand tangled in her hair and pulled, allowing him to deepen the kiss.
She ran her hands through the fiery strands of his hair, gripping and tugging it as he explored her mouth was his demanding tongue. Y/N, emboldened by the way his fingers dug into her haori, let her hands roam from his hair and to his neck, and then to the rocky planes of his broad chest before settling on his hips as she tugged him flush against her.
His control was slipping, and fast. “Y/L/N, I can’t- I won’t be able to hold back.” Rengoku moaned into her mouth, his hands scrunching the fabric of her haori, his fingers desperately seeking to hold her closer to him. “Tell me to stop, Y/L/N.”
Y/N’s hands only buried deeper into his hair, tugging him harder against her as she slid her tongue into his waiting mouth.
“Don’t stop,” she whispered against his mouth between breaks for oxygen. “Never stop, Rengoku.”
Y/N pulled back from him, just enough to unlatch his hands from where they were buried in the back of her haori, and moved them inside its folds, right on her bare waist.
The burning weight of his hands felt exquisite.
Rengoku shuddered as he felt the smooth, soft dips of Y/N’s waist, his fingers digging into her flesh as he sought to touch more of her, his hands running across every inch that was not covered by her bindings or those glorious undershorts.
Lips still moving furiously against hers, Rengoku bent slightly to run his hands down the silken expanse of her thighs, gripping under her knees before hoisting her up to carry her away from the tree and lay her down in the velvety grass below.
Y/N felt as though she were on fire. The ache between her legs was almost maddening, and she was desperate to have the Flame Pillar sheathe himself inside her, to make her forget even her own name.
If she could not have his love, she could at least have this.
Her hands dragged down Rengoku’s front, coming to a rest at his belt before she began fumbling with the clasp. Y/N had just managed to undo it when Rengoku’s hands — large, warm, and much stronger than her own, wrapped around her wrists, stilling her.
“Not yet, you impatient woman,” he smirked against her mouth. He moved one wrist to join the other in his left hand before bringing her arms up over her head, pinning her to the ground.
Y/N whimpered and rolled her hips against his, impatient and demanding, wanting desperately to feel some relief as her core clenched wildly around nothing.
Rengoku chuckled darkly, the rich timbre of his voice causing her blood to nearly boil with her want, as he made his way down her body with his lips.
He first came to her chest bindings, growling in impatience as he nipped at one breast over the tightly wound fabric.
His fingers brushed against her sternum as he ripped her bindings straight down the middle, Y/N shuddering as the warm summer night’s air caressed her sensitive skin, her nipples pebbling at the change in temperature.
She waited for him to lavish her soft mounds, but the Flame Pillar paused, eyes narrowed on the valley between her breasts, right on the pale, lilac mark where he’d plunged Shinobu’s antidote into her heart.
Y/N felt a lump form in her throat. He’d reacted poorly to the ribboned scar on her lower belly already, and now her once chance to finally have Rengoku in the way she’d so desperately longed to have him was about to be ruined.
But instead of pulling away from her in disgust, he leaned forward and pressed his lips softly against it the healed wound.
“I hadn’t realized I wounded you,” he murmured softly, reverently as he kissed it again. Y/N watched in bewilderment as he pressed his ear against her chest, letting his head rest there for a moment.
Listening to her heart hammer against her sternum.
“The sweetest music,” he whispered, pulling away to look at her not with lust but with unbounded tenderness.
Don’t look at me like that, she silently begged, don’t give me hope.
But as quickly as the moment had come, it passed and the esurient flame in Rengoku’s eyes flickered back to life. His lips continued down her abdomen, hot and needy until he reached the source of her near-fatal injury.
His mouth paused at the scar left by Upper Moon Six, the one he’d so callously glared at not even an hour before. This time, he ran his tongue along it, from the top to its base near her hipbone, pressing a fierce kiss against its end before continuing his descent.
“I will either have to thank my old Tsugoku the next time I see her,” Rengoku whispered darkly as he pulled at the soft waistband of Y/N’s undershorts with his teeth. “Or I shall have to burn her sewing room to cinders.” Rengoku’s fingers slid beneath the short hem of her bottoms, pulling them down inch by inch to expose her sensitive flesh.
Rengoku groaned when he saw Y/N was not wearing anything else beneath her scandalous bottoms. “Definitely burning.” His hands, so large and warm ran up the outer curve of her thighs, marveling at the silky smoothness of her skin. “Because you are far too tempting when wearing them.”
The Flame Pillar looked wild as he leaned forward, pressing his lips against the lower indent between Y/N’s hipbones as he kissed his way down to where she ached the most.
He ducked around the center of her desire in favor of sucking softly on her inner thigh. Y/N’s chest heaved as her hands flailed next to her, desperately seeking purchase, until the Flame Hashira caught them in his hands, his thumbs rubbing soothing circles on her palms as their fingers interlaced.
“Rengoku - just fuck me already,” Y/N groaned as the Flame Pillar’s face settled between her thighs, his hot breath against her bare cunt causing her legs to attempt to clench shut.
“Well now, that won’t do,” Rengoku tutted, his hands withdrawing from hers as he wound his arms underneath both of her thighs, spreading them as wide as he could to expose her core to his heady gaze.
Rengoku leaned forward and lightly traced up her damp slit with the tip of his tongue. His amber irises which had been locked on hers, rolled back into his head as he groaned at her taste.
“I’m going to take my time with you. I’ve been dreaming of this for a long time, Y/N.” He warned, hands tightening around her thighs as he pressed a light kiss against her slit, teasing her.
In the back of her mind, Y/N registered that he’d used her first name. But the graze of his lips against her most sensitive flesh had her crying out his name, high-pitched and breathy, and she watched helplessly as the sound made Rengoku’s eyes turn black.
In an instant, he was upon her, and he was ravenous.
His mouth latched to her center as though she was an oasis in the middle of a blazing desert, and he was a man dying of thirst.
The way Rengoku’s teeth grazed her sensitive nub made her abdomen clench, and she fought against his ironclad grip on her thighs as they spasmed, desperate to clench around his head.
Y/N moaned, head thrown back into the soft summer grass as she felt herself grow wetter and wetter beneath the Flame Pillar, her hands desperately tugging and pinching at her breasts in an effort to feel more pleasure.
Y/N felt as though she was hurtling towards a cliff that she could not stop herself from tumbling over as Rengoku increased the intensity of his ministrations against her needy cunt.
“You taste,” he ground out through harsh drags of his tongue up her drenched folds, “like fucking paradise.”
His mouth latched around her clit, giving it a sharp suck that had Y/N seeing stars. She barely had time to recover, to acknowledge that she was at her tipping point when Rengoku thrust his tongue into her core and began to fuck her.
Y/N came apart the moment she felt his tongue enter her, a rush of her juices spilling over his relentless maw, but he held her hips down and continued his feast. His teeth grazed her clit over and over while his tongue pumped steadily in and out of her, and Y/N was close to sobbing at the overstimulation.
The Flame Pillar kept his eyes locked on hers the entire time, the amber orbs glowing almost ominously in the indigo night.
“I- fuck.” Y/N breathed, grinding unrestrainedly against the blonde’s greedy mouth. “Rengoku!”
The Ice Pillar tried to sit up, tried to grab her comrade’s hair to tell him that she couldn’t take it anymore, that she needed him, but Rengoku was faster. Unfurling a steely arm from where it had been locked around her thigh to hold her open to him, he reached up her torso, his large hand splaying across her upper abdomen to restrain her.
“Sit down,” he growled between thrusts of his tongue into her aching cunt, nipping harshly at her inner thigh. “I am not finished.”
Y/N whimpered beneath the weight of his hand holding her down against the earth and the nearly painful ecstasy that Rengoku bestowed upon her between her legs.
Whether it was in praise for her obedience or a further act of torture, Rengoku then pressed his face flush against her core and rocked it harshly from side to side, his nose and the burgeoning stubble along his jaw scraping against her overstimulated and sensitive flesh.
Y/N slapped her hand against her mouth to stifle the howl that tore from her throat. Rengoku repeated the movement; it felt wonderful. It felt obscene. It made Y/N’s thighs contract around his head as her stomach dipped inward and a gush of her juices spilled out of her, more powerful than before, dampening the collar of the Flame Pillar’s haori.
For a breath, Y/N thought she would die of embarrassment until she felt Rengoku’s mouth vibrate against her from his groan of satisfaction. His tongue thrust once, twice more into her aching core before he withdrew completely, satisfaction tugging at the corners of his smirking lips.
But Rengoku looked nowhere near sated as he gazed down hungrily at her, wantonly spread out against the grass, the shredded pieces of her training attire strewn about, save for her haori.
“I will give you one last chance to end this now,” Rengoku whispered, kneeling above her but no longer touching her. “Tell me to stop, and I will. I will walk away, and no one will know.”
Though her body already ached from the intensity of Rengoku’s mouth upon her, she could not fathom stopping here, not when she’d barely begun to taste him herself. The thought of rolling aside to pull on the tattered remains of her clothing, to return to her estate and awake tomorrow as though he had not melted every icy reservation she’d held with his touch, was enough to make her want to cry.
Though her limbs felt boneless, she summoned all her strength to reach toward the Flame Hashira, to beckon him to return to her.
“I want you, Rengoku,” Y/N said, her voice a breathy whisper as tears clung to her eyelashes. “Please.”
Rengoku’s pupils exploded, his eyes darkening as he covered her nude body with his own. Y/N nearly sobbed in relief as his lips roughly caught hers, one hand coming up to cradle her face while the other snaked beneath her head, tilting it to the side so he could deepen his claim over her mouth.
Y/N’s hands rose, shakily, to pull at the buttons of his uniform top, desperate to feel his skin burn against hers.
“On one condition,” Rengoku said, moving his lips from hers to press against her ear, Y/N shivering. “You must call me by my name,”
“Rengoku?” Y/N questioned her mind too fogged by her own desire.
He nipped lightly under her jaw before pulling his face back from hers, smirking slightly at the way she whined when avoided her attempt to kiss him again.
“My true name.”
With clarity, Y/N realized what he desired. But he had teased her far too much already, and she yearned to return the favor.
So she looked up at him through her eyelashes, teeth sinking into her lower lip in such a way that made the Flame Hashira’s eyes darken.
“Please, please, Kyojuro,” she whispered, lancing a hand up his bicep. “Take me.”
The growl that clawed its way out of the heaving chest of the Flame Pillar made Y//N’s thighs clamp together. Rengoku — Kyojuro — pounced on her, and Y/N summoned all her residual strength to rip his uniform shirt open.
Kyojuro moaned into her neck as his shirt gave way and Y/N’s hands came to rest against his bare skin, her nails raking down his taut pectorals to the rigid planes of his chiseled abdomen.
Her lips began descending the path carved by her nails when she drew short at the dark, thick starburst-shaped scar that covered his shoulder and left pectoral. Kyojuro’s breath seized as she pressed her lips ever so softly against it, turning so she could look up at him from beneath her lashes.
Kyojuro was panting as she nuzzled against his scar, kissing it once more before gently gliding her hand over his heart and resting it there, letting herself savor the strong, sturdy beat from within his chest.
Just as he did before, she resumed her trail down his body, her lips coming to the edge of his pants when his hands wound themselves in her hair, every nerve in his body alight as she licked her way up the small happy trail that stopped just below his belly button.
As much as he wanted to feel her mouth around him, Kyojuro had been driven to the brink of insanity by Y/N’s touch, and his resolve was quickly dwindling.
“Y/N — my flame — I can’t wait,” Kyojuro said by way of apology, as he covered her hands with his own to still them on his belt. He slipped his hands down to grip her wrists, bringing them together in one hand and moving her arms up over her head, pinning them against the grasp. With his free hand, Kyojuro loosened his belt and his pants, and shimmied them down, kicking them off behind him. Y/N’s eyes widened at the sight of his proud length as it bounced against his belly button.
Y/N’s breath caught in her throat. She was no stranger to the male body, but this – she’d never had anyone compare to Kyojuro’s size or girth.
Kyojuro noticed her hesitation. “Is this – have you ever --?” Kyojuro breathed, hovering above her. It did not matter to him whether she had or had not, but he wanted to ensure that he did not hurt her.
Y/N shook her head. “No, it’s not my first time – but you are the first one to be so…well endowed.” Y/N flushed as Kyojuro laughed softly above her, and she felt his lips graze hers.
He pulled back slightly, reaching to grip the base of his aching cock tapping it against her soaked cunt in a warning and in permission.
Y/N seized beneath him at the spark of hot pleasure that was sent crackling up her spine as he rubbed his velvety head against the most sensitive part of her core. “Kyojuro,” she hissed through clenched teeth, rolling her hips impatiently towards him.
The mushroomed tip of his cock pushed into her entrance and Y/N felt herself go cross-eyed. It was heaven; pure, unadulterated, blissful heaven.
He was insistent on easing his thick length into her, but the throbbing between Y/N’s legs had grown nearly unbearable. He still wasn’t close enough, not nearly as much as she needed him to be.
Boldly, Y/N locked her ankles against Kyojuro’s backside, and with all her might, hauled him into her in a single stroke.
“Fuck!” he yelled, unable to restrain his volume as Y/N forced him to become fully seated within her. Her core was impossibly tight and so fucking warm and wet that it had been a true exercise of self-restraint not to spill himself inside her right then.
Y/N nearly screamed in pleasured relief at the way her body burned and stretched around Kyojuro’s considerable length, his base pressed flush against her sensitive clit as she began to grind furiously against him, desperate to relieve the friction that made her ache.
Kyojuro was still panting from the way Y/N had slammed him into her, nearly trembling with restraint as he willed himself not to finish before they’d truly begun.
Once certain that he would not climax like some green boy, he laughed quietly under his breath. The dark sound caused Y/N’s eyes to fly open, and her stomach flipped at the wicked glint in his eyes as he stared at her like a hunter stalking its prey.
Kyojuro leaned forward and took one of her breasts, harshly into his mouth, grazing his teeth over her nipple hard enough to make Y/N cry out in slight pain before he lapped at it soothingly with his tongue.
“You want me to fuck you, is that it?” He murmured between his ministrations, leaving fresh marks all over aching mounds.
Y/N could hardly make a sound as Kyojuro withdrew almost completely from her heat before slamming into her once, the Ice Pillar nearly choking on the breath that flew from her chest with his force.
“If that’s how you want it,” Kyojuro growled against her breast, giving her nipple one harsh nip with his teeth before pulling himself off her.
He sat on his knees, back straight as he began to pound relentlessly into her, his hands gripping her backside and holding her flush against his strong thighs. Y/N’s head remained thrown back against the earth, her fingers tearing at the soft grass beneath her.
Rengoku’s movements were just like those he wielded in battle — powerful; all-consuming; relentless; and unforgiving.
Y/N had never considered herself to be a particularly vocal person when engaged in carnal activities, but the way that Rengoku’s cock hammered into her spasming core over and over had reduced her to a moaning and whimpering mess. The only intelligible thing that fell from her lips was his name — Kyojuro.
“You look so fucking beautiful like this,” Kyojuro grunted out between forceful snaps of his hips against hers, the night air alive with the lewd squelching of Y/N’s dripping cunt as he pistoned into her.
Y/N looked to see the Flame Pillar’s eyes locked on her breasts as they bounced with the force of his thrusts. Between the moans and whimpers he pulled from her with every punishing thrust of his hips against hers, she lightly dragged her fingers from their place in the grass to her hipbone, and then up to trace teasingly around her peaked breast.
Kyojuro’s eyes followed every move, his thrusts hardening as she pinched her nipple and let out a breathy little scream, her walls pulsing around his aching length.
“Fuck,” Kyojuro grit, feeling himself twitch within her as he watched Y/N play with herself, spurring him to go faster, deeper within her.
He moved his hand under one of her knees and lifted her leg over his shoulder, allowing him to plunge deeper into her silken heat, and he teasingly drew his fingers up and down her outer thigh.
At that moment, as Kyojuro was poised against the silhouette of the moon, his amber eyes glowing as he watched where he appeared and disappeared inside her, the realization hit Y/N like a storm, and it knocked her entirely off her axis.
She was in love with Kyojuro.
Who else could make her feel so sacred and yet so angry? Who else had been capable of slipping past every wall she’d built within herself, capable of getting her to let her guard down before consuming her so furiously she had not realized she’d ever been in danger?
He was fire, she was ice. One of them had to give to the other. She’d just always thought it would be him giving into her.
Yet there, beneath the moonlight, her climax rising above her like a tidal wave, Y/N realized that she was powerless against the waves that rose to pull her under, to never again let her up for air.
Distantly, Y/N felt the Flame Pillar’s callused thumb find her clit and her climax slammed into her, and she succumbed to the endless sea called Kyojuro.
As Y/N broke apart around him, Kyojuro swore he’d never seen anything as beautiful in his entire life.
She shattered over him with the prettiest scream he’d ever heard, and he could barely make out the drawn-out syllables of his name as her hips jerked up against his while her inner walls threatened to squeeze the life from him.
Y/N finally collapsed back against the ground, her body limp from the exhaustion of her pleasure. Kyojuro then moved in chase of his own release, his hips pressed solidly against hers as he rutted his cock deep within her.
“Fuck,” he groaned, his hands tightening around Y/N’s waist. The familiar electricity of impending release tingled at the base of Kyojuro’s spine, and his stomach began to clench as he began his ascent to his climax. “Y/N — I am going to finish soon,” his head was thrown back, and his groans were loud enough to alert anyone nearby of exactly what was transpiring between the two Hashira. “Please — tell me where--”
“Inside,” Y/N gasped, her legs tightening around Kyojuro’s hips in a feeble attempt to keep him within her, to ensure that he wouldn’t yet leave her. “Please, Kyojuro, stay.”
Kyojuro was a rational man, and he knew of one major reason not to allow his seed to spill inside Y/N’s heavenly body. But all those rationalities flew out the window at the sound of her wanton and needy whimpers and the way her heat fluttered around him and Kyojuro did not think he could pull out of her if he wanted to.
Kyojuro’s thrusts became more and more frenzied and bruising, with the Flame Hashira hardly dragging his twitching length out of her as he neared his own climax.
“Hold onto me,” he panted, falling forward so that his chest was pressed flush against Y/N’s, one arm going to wrap around her waist while the other snaked over to where her arm lay in the grass, gripping her wrist to pin it up over her head as his fingers interlocked tightly with hers.
Y/N hiked her legs higher up his waist, crossing them at her shins so that he was buried deep within her. Her free arm looped under the one he had braced above her head to wrap around his back, her fingers digging into the rippling muscle and scarred skin that littered his shoulders.
“Make me yours, Kyojuro,” she whispered against his neck, squeezing his hips with her thighs.
Y/N felt his entire body tense at her words and Kyojuro’s moans turned into shouts as he gave one final, deep thrust within her before he exploded. His hand tightened fiercely around hers with the force of his climax,
The pleasure that surged up his spine had been white hot as he pushed himself as deeply as he could possibly go within Y/N’s vice-like core. Kyojuro was not a novice to pleasure, but he had never finished as hard or as much as he did buried within her.
Kyojuro canted his hips, prolonging his release as he continued to empty himself into her, coming down from his earth-shattering high. Y/N mewled against his throat, her lips brushing against his sensitive pulse point as her legs spasmed. once more around his hips.
He finally stilled within her, arms shaking as he braced himself above her, to keep from crushing the exhausted woman beneath him.
He lowered his head down to her level. “Are you all right, my flame?” He panted, pressing a kiss between her brows before he rested his forehead heavily against hers.
She looked up at him from under her eyelashes and nodded shakily.
He no longer could keep himself from collapsing against Y/N, but as he fell forward, he gripped her and rolled, pulling her to his chest with his leaking cock still nestled deeply between her legs.
“I don’t want to push you away,” Kyojuro murmured softly after a moment, his chest finally easing as his breathing slowed.
Y/N made a show of looking down to where they were still joined, the Flame Pillar’s pearly seed slowly leaking out of her and onto the grass below them. “I think I’m about as close to you as physically possible, Rengoku.”
Kyojuro rolled his eyes and ground his hips slightly into her, causing Y/N to squeak against him.
“Quiet, woman, I’m trying to apologize to you.” He trailed his fingers up and down her spine as she nestled back against his chest, chin perched on his pectoral as she waited for him to continue.
“I was just so angry. After the incident on the train, when I woke up in Kocho’s hospital — I was furious. With myself.” Amber eyes met hers and softened to pools of melted honey. “It was never you I was angry with.”
Y/N held his gaze evenly, her voice firm. “But you took it out on me all the same.” It wasn’t an angry accusation — it was the truth; ugly and sharp. But it was real, and so was the tentative, knowing hope in her eyes.
“Yes,” Kyojuro breathed. “Yes, I did. And I am so sorry for it, Y/N.” His hand reached up to gently cup the side of her face, thumb smoothing over the soft expanse of her cheek. “May I ask for your forgiveness?”
Y/N leaned her head into his warm palm, and smiled, softly.
“You may ask, Kyojuro.”
He brushed his thumb along her lower lip. “Can you forgive me, Y/N?”
Y/N threw a leg out over his other hip, straddling him beneath her, though moving so fluidly that they remained connected at their base.
She rolled her hips against his, and he felt himself begin to harden within her once more. Kyojuro moaned softly, head falling back against the earth as he brought his hands up to steady her, fingers digging gently into her hips as she repeated the movement, again and again, until he’d fully stiffened within her.
“Yes Kyojuro,” she sighed, hands coming to brace themselves against his abdomen as she began to ride him. “I forgive you.”
Kyojuro groaned, his head thrown back as he began to gently grind up into her, goosebumps erupting over his flesh as she lightly raked her nails over his pectorals and the hard ridges of his abdomen.
He wanted so very badly to lose himself within his pleasure, to allow Y/N to consume him whole and never let him go again, but his atonement was not complete.
Because Y/N had given him every opportunity to confess to her before, and he had been careless with them; she would not open that door herself again.
So he would.
“And may I give you my heart, Y/N?” He asked, his hands gliding sensually up from her hips to brace themselves on either side of her sensitive waist, squeezing her firmly.
Her pace had stuttered slightly once his words registered, eyes widening as she looked down at him, and Kyojuro hated that he was the reason the shadow of doubt lingered in her eyes.
“Is it truly mine?” She breathed, resuming the intoxicating rise and fall and push and grind of her hips, breasts beginning to bounce as she picked up her pace.
Kyojuro’s mouth watered, but he restrained himself, holding her gaze. “It was only ever yours, Y/N.”
Y/N cried out then, her hips beginning to drop and roll into his with urgency. By the way her damp heat began to pulse and constrict around him, Kyojuro knew that she was barreling towards her release once more.
One hand left its searing position at her waist to drift down to where they were connected, his rough thumb toying with the sensitive nub that had her heavenly cunt squeezing him for dear life.
“My beautiful flame,” he moaned, “how lucky I am to have such a darling god be the keeper of my heart.”
Kyojuro rolled into her from below again, the hand still braced on her waist guiding himself to push deeper into her, as his thumb began to press harder into the apex of her thighs.
“Sweet tempest, please,” Kyojuro panted, the relentless squeeze of Y/N’s walls around his aching length beginning to drive him to the point of madness. “Please, may I have your love?”
Y/N’s moans were piercing as she half-sobbed above him, head thrown back into the night sky, the hoary glow of the moon making her look like a celestial deity given human form as she writhed above him.
“Yes!” Y/N cried, “Yes Kyojuro, you have always had my love!”
The moment the words fell from her lips, Kyojuro jolted upright, coming into a sitting position as Y/N’s legs instantly wrapped around him. He wound one arm around her waist to bounce her in his lap, the other moving to circle his fingers around her nub.
Kyojuro nuzzled her nose with his own, his lips mere centimeters from hers as he pressed his forehead against her and held her eyes. “Then come for me, Y/N,” he murmured, his breath tickling her lips as he nuzzled her again. “Come for me, my love.”
Y/N seized around him like a vice, her head falling back as she unleashed a euphoric cry.
The force of her climax had caused her to arch backward in Kyojuro’s lap, thrusting her breasts up and forward, and Kyojuro bent to suck one into his greedy mouth, his own release imminent. The warm sticky rush of her pleasure combined with the way her velvety, molten walls constricted around him had Kyojuro seeing stars as his seed shot into her, hot and fast, his strangled groan muffled only by the soft plush of Y/N’s breast as he filled her to her brim for the second time that night.
For a long moment, neither Pillar said anything as they came down from their mutual highs, Y/N’s head pressed against Kyojuro’s shoulder while the Flame Pillar kept his arms firmly around her waist, his fingers trailing up and down her spine.
“Y/N, are you all right?” He murmured into her ear, still buried deep within her heat.
Y/N nodded sleepily against his skin, savoring how full and complete she felt perched in his lap.
“I love you, Kyojuro.” She said so softly that the Flame Pillar thought his heart might break. Kyojuro pulled away slightly to bring his fingers beneath her chin where she lay against his shoulder. Gently, he tilted her face towards his and captured her lips with his own.
“My darling flame,” He murmured against her lips as they broke apart, his eyes sweeping over her face, committing every detail of her beauty to memory. “Thank you.”
Y/N gave him a lazy smile. “I cannot be your flame, Kyojuro,” she teased, “Not when I am made of ice.”
Kyojuro flipped her back beneath him and danced his lips teasingly across the bridge of her nose. “Don’t you know, my beautiful foil, that ice can burn just as well as flame?” He pressed a feather-light kiss against her lips. “And I have been consumed by your silvery fire since I first laid eyes on you at Final Selection.”
Y/N looked up at him in wonder, her hand coming to rest against his face as she adoringly caressed his cheek.
“I love you, Y/N. I am so sorry it took me until now to say it.”
Y/N made back it into her room, sight unseen, just as dawn had crept over the horizon.
Feet bare, she padded softly over to her waiting bed, shrugging out of Kyojuro’s uniform shirt and falling into her blankets, not caring at the growing discomfort she felt as the Flame Pillar’s seed dried in her undershorts.
She just wanted to sleep.
Y/N and Kyojuro had come together twice more before the pair realized that morning was imminent, and they needed to return to their respective dwellings before anyone noticed they were gone.
Y/N had lamented that Kyojuro had shredded her chest bindings beyond salvation and had worried she’d be forced to sneak back into the Butterfly Mansion with nothing but her haori to cover her bare chest when Kyojuro slid his uniform shirt over her shoulders.
“No one will think twice if they see me bare,” he’d said by way of explanation, gaze dropping momentarily to appreciate the marks he had left dotted across her breasts before rising back to her face. “I would like to keep you hidden, however.”
Kyojuro then fastened each button one by one, beginning from the bottom as he kissed his way up Y/N’s torso until his lips found the sensitive spot beneath her jaw, which he’d nipped.
It had taken everything in her not to throw him down and have him for the fifth time.
Kyojuro had walked with her as far as the edge of the path back to Shinobu’s before parting her with a sweet kiss and a promise to return to her later in the morning. He had also mentioned, somewhat mischievously, that he would be inquiring into when Y/N could expect to be discharged from the Butterfly Mansion and return to her own Estate.
Her empty, person-free estate.
Y/N collapsed into her bed, ready to sleep for a precious few hours before her training would begin anew.
“So, do you mind sharing where you’ve been all night?” A dangerously sweet voice chirped from over by the door.
Y/N shot up out of her bed, stomach falling out of her ass, as she faced the smiling, enraged Insect Pillar seated primly atop her wooden stool opposite of her.
“I was quite worried, you know,” Shinobu tutted, the honey of her smile poisoned by the violence in her eyes.
Y/N had never been one to be at a loss for words, a quick comment, or a snappy retort always on hand when the situation called for it.
But to her horror, her mind had gone dreadfully blank, and her tongue was swollen stupid in her mouth.
Shinobu smiled like she knew, eyes slowly looking her over, and Y/N was left with the uncomfortable feeling that her friend could see every way she’d allowed Kyojuro to utterly defile her.
“Will you be in need of a contraceptive?” Shinobu asked lightly, and Y/N felt like she would drop dead right then and there.
“…Yes, please.” She managed to squeak, and the Insect Pillar turned to leave.
“I will bring it with your breakfast.” Her hand closed around the doorknob but stilled.
“And Y/N?”
The Ice Pillar whimpered as her friend turned to look back at her, all smiles and throbbing forehead veins.
“If you ever keep the younger girls awake from the sounds of your activities with the Flame Pillar again, I will poison you both.”
You still couldn’t understand what Neteyam saw in Kiri that was so bad. Though you told him you were on his side, you still weren’t sure. All evidence turned to him, and his demeanor towards the matter didn’t help. It seemed he had no heart anymore, only for you. In his mind you were the only thing that mattered in this world, the only thing worth living for. Ever since his incident with Kiri, he hasn’t been letting you out. Only for tshiak training, other then that he demanded for you to stay home. Scared to test his resolve, you obeyed. You saw what he did to Kiri, you were scared of Neteyam. He frightened you, he had hurt his own sister all for you.
You had begged him to talk to her, but it was no use. He shut down the second you mentioned her name. He hated every fiber of his sisters being, it hurt you to see them fight like this. But there was nothing you could really do, he was stuck in this vicious pattern and he wasn’t planning on stopping.
Coming back from tsihak training, you had decided to stop by Neteyams hut to talk to him about Kiri. Stepping into his family’s hut you were met with a smiling family, they all greeted you as you made your way over to Neteyam. He was sitting next to Lo’ak, with Kiri striaght across from him. You could feel his dark aura surround you as you came closer. “Neteyam come, I want to talk to you” tugging on his arm, he nodded. He didn’t need to be next to his horrid sister for one second longer.
Walking through the forest, you held his hand tight as you came to a clearing in the forest. Coming to stand in front of him, you flashed a quick smile before you spoke. “Teyam I think you should talk with Kiri, I can’t stand seeing you two fight” you confessed, in hopes he would actually listen to you for once. But as usual he turned his gaze to the mossy floor, and yanked his hand away. Why did you keep bringing this up to him? He always gave you the same answer so why do you keep prodding at him?
All he wanted was to move past this, with your full support. The support that told him he was right, the support that reminded him of what an amazing man he was. But you couldn’t give him what he needed. What he yearned for, he asked for almost nothing. So why was this any different? “I am not talking about this y/n” he responded. Letting out a huff, already getting annoyed with you. “Teyam, please just listen to me!” You begged, bringing your hand to cup his cheek. He skin was cold, his demeanor had turned frigid once again. But the gesture warmed him, but not enough for him to listen. He wrapped his hand around your wrist, giving you an innocent smile. That smile was your weakness. Everything he did seemed to be your weakness, but you couldn’t get enough of that sweet smile he shot at you so frequently. You’d think you would get used to it, but you never did. His smile was so welcoming and made all your worries seem so small. But you couldn’t get it off your mind, you refused to let them fight like this.
“Why wont you let this go baby? You know I don’t like talking about her, just let it be” his warm beam never leaving his features as he talked. His voice was low, and kindness sprung from every word. It seemed he really didn’t want to talk about it, but there was just this itch about it. You just couldn’t stop thinking of it, why wouldn’t he talk about it? “Neteyam please just talk to her-“ you were quickly cut off as his grip tightened on your wrist, a dark look spreading throughout his face. “Why are you like this hm? Why won’t you just let it go! I have told you so times I am not talking to her!” He yelled, his voice booming through your ears. “N-Neteyam I’m sorry, please let go of me” you begged, surprised by his sudden change of emotion. “You need to listen to me y/n, I need you to promise me that before I let go” his voice low with anticipation for your next words. “O-ok I promise” you finally let out, releasing your hand he quickly brought you in for a hug. He didn’t want to frighten you, but he needed to get his point across. Your body failed you, as your eyes became teary. You didn’t want to seem weak, especially not now. But it was no use, they came down quickly and there was no sign of stopping. Your wails filled his senses, he mentally cursed himself for being the one at fault for this. “Baby it’s ok, I’m here I got you” he promised, brushing your hair out of the way. Your cries could be heard throughout the clan, your emotions took over as your legs gave out under you.
Soon your body was meeting the forest flooring, your hands coming to cover your face as the tears came down. Neteyam never leaving your side as he whispered sweet nothings into your ears. Stammering on your words, you tried to get out a full sentence but it was no use. So you let yourself cry and the tears never ending. “Baby please calm down- I’m sorry” he spoke, rocking you in his arms. Bringing your head up for air you finally wiped the tears from your eyes “Pl- Please don’t do that again Teyam, I- I’m sorry I’m making you mad” you spoke, tears still pouring out. “Oh baby it’s ok” he reassured, cradling you into his tall frame.
You felt like a child, why were you such a fucking crybaby? You were almost 20 for gods sake. You were a mess when it came to Neteyam. You could be whatever you wanted to be in front of him, and still he would welcome you with open arms. You were his beautiful flower he cared and loved for. You could do no wrong in those warm eyes of his, though they could scare you sometimes. You loved him so much, but you cried and cried when he got like this. You feared him sometimes, he was so much stronger then you were. He could easily break you in half if he tried hard enough. But you knew he never would, he loved you too much. Sadly you’d never see his true intentions, the thoughts that raced through his mind when you defied him. The only thing you saw was the way his golden orbs turned to slits when you disobeyed, that was what scared you. That look of anger that rose from him when you didn’t play along with his little puppet show. But he would never intentionally hurt you right? At least that’s what you told yourself each time he got like this. Day in and day out you had to remind yourself of what a good boy he could be. He was the next Olo'eyktan of course he would never intentionally hurt you, your mind was just playing with you. Were you getting sick? Maybe all this fighting had turned that innocent little mind of yours to mush. But Neteyam would be there to take care of you, in all honesty he had wished you would get sick. For your brain to start playing tricks on you so he could take care of you forever. He would be the only one you would need, the only thing you would ever want ever again. The only thing you would yearn for in this godforsaken world. He dreamt of when that day would come, when you would only rely on him for your needs. He was the only one you would ever need, the only one who could provide.
“Shh it’s ok my love” he uttered into your ears, in turn calming you down. Looking down at your wrist, you noticed a mark from his tightened grasp just moments ago. How were you going to cover this one up? The others seemed like pieces of cake compared to this one. This thought causing a flood of tears to come out once again. Lifting your wrist to show him, he watched in awe. He held you closer, leaving a trail of kisses down the side of your face. “We’ll find a way to cover it up baby, don’t even worry about it” he promised, tightening his embrace once again.
…
Coming back to your hut, you scrambled to find your bracelets you had made awhile ago. The air was cold as you searched through every item you owned. In hopes to cover up the mark he had left on your wrist. Looking through your stuff, you had fallen short of anything that could cover your bruise. Sitting on your mat, you started to sulk. Why couldn’t Ewya let anything work out for you? Why would she do this to you? What was so hard about helping you this time? You huff out in utter helplessness, your friends were bound to see this. They were going to question you, and what were you going to say? You couldn’t say Neteyam did it, then they’d see him as a horrible man. But he was so much more then that in your eyes. He was your mighty warrior, your beautiful boy.
Coming up empty handed you took yourself to bed, saying good night to your parents before falling onto your hammock. Sadly you couldn’t bring yourself to shut your eyelids, too anxious for the events that would occur tomorrow. Settling into bed once again, you quickly tried closing your eyes. As you tossed and turned in your hammock trying Ewya knows what to go to sleep. Your palms had gotten sweaty, you shouldn’t be this anxious about something so small. Tomorrow would be fine, nobody would see that purple contusion that grew along the start of your wrist. Coming to press down on the strange mark, you were quickly stopped by the pain that shot through your arm. A slight hiss falling from your lips as you took your hand away. You couldn’t get it patched up, since nobody was supposed to know about it in the first place. You wished you could tell someone about the things he did to you, you needed an outlet. But it would only cause chaos since everyone is such a blabber mouth nowadays. Your thoughts slowly got measured as your eyes drifted lower and lower.
…
Sitting across from Neytiri, you were crushing up some herbs as she told you to. As you were crushing, Neytiri watched your every move. You had to mush it a certain way, and she was your mentor so you had to perfect it. You weren’t too worried about it, you had been practicing for weeks. As she watched you she couldn’t help but notice the bruise on your wrist. What could’ve happened? “Stop y/n” she demanded, as she came to sit next to you. “Am I doing something wrong?” You asked. To your knowledge you were doing everything correctly so you didn’t know why she stopped. “What happened to your wrist?” Bringing your wrist into her hand, she examined it. Applying pressure onto it, and bringing it closer into her vision. “Oh uhm, it is nothing” quickly taking your hand out of her grasp, you got a hiss in return. She wasn’t dumb, she knew you were hiding something . She would be your mother in law soon, she had to know what was wrong. “What happened y/n?” She asked once again, her tone hinting she was becoming annoyed. But what would she think of her son if you did tell her? Would she even believe you? No that was ridiculous, there was no point in telling her. But you couldn’t lie to her, she would know right away. “I-I cannot tell you” you confessed, your voice low in defeat as you spoke. Turning her head in worry, she placed her hand on your shoulder trying to understand. “We will be family soon y/n you can trust me” her voice soothed your pumping heart, she was calm as she waited for your response. “It was an accident-“ letting a silence overthrow you both before you spoke again. “Neteyam- he just held my wrist too hard, he didn’t mean to hurt me I swear” moving your gaze to her glowing eyes. You couldn’t tell what she was thinking, she felt like a statue as her hand laid on your shoulder. “My son did this to you?” She asked, her gaze staying on the matted floor. “Has he done this before?” Her eyes now looking into yours as she talked. “Yes” hanging your head low once again, too embarrassed to make eye contact. You felt weak, what would she think of you now? “I will talk with Neteyam” she said finally, rubbing your shoulder as she stood up. “That is not necessary tshiak” looking up at her moving frame, your eyes looking for a response as she went back to her spot. “It is no trouble for me y/n, get back to the lesson” she ordered, listening to her you continued mushing the herbs together.
The lesson went by pretty fast thankfully, you felt bad for outing Neteyam. You didn’t want to get him in trouble but you had no choice. “Goodbye Tsihak” you waved, stepping out of her hut. There seemed to be a breeze today, it felt nice and calmed you down from your worries. Walking back to your hut, you quickly greeted your father as you came to sit with them. “How was Tsihak training y/n?” Your father asked as he sharpened his hunting knife. You could hear the sparks coming off it as you sat across from him, it gave you a cringe feeling. The sound caught you off guard, it wasn’t an exactly pleasant sound to be around but you tolerated it. “Oh it was good father, how are you doing?” You asked, while fiddling with your wrist. Trying to cover up your bruise you placed it under your bottom, anxious your father would see. “I am good, but me and your mother have been talking about Neteyam” looking up to meet your eyes, he stopped his movements to focus on his next words. “We think you and Neteyam should move into your own hut, you are of age to become mated” his tone was rasp, while you listened to his words. “So it is what is best, we wanted to know what you think” his head tilting slightly, as if he was looking for an answer in those golden orbs. You had thought about it a few times, but you never really took it seriously. Moving in with Neteyam? That seemed like a dream, but was it too soon? You haven’t mentioned it to him yet, you didn’t want to go too fast for him. But your father was right, you had reached the age to find a mate a year ago and time was ticking for both you and Neteyam. But only mated pairs could have their own hut, and you and Neteyam hadn’t taken that step just yet.
Now that you had really thought about it your family’s hut was getting crowded. You had 2 other siblings and another was on the way. You knew they weren’t trying to kick you out, but more of a tap. They needed more room for the new baby, and at this point you were a straggler who was just there. “I would have to talk with Neteyam about it father, but if you really want me to move out I will” you added, still a little surprised by the suggestion. “It’s not that we do not want you ehre, but we do need more room. You understand right?” He asked, he didn’t want to seem pushy. He was a nice man, never yelling, or pushed you past your point. He always wanted you to be comfortable around him, and be open. “Of course I do father” a mellow smile growing on your expression. You wanted to talk more in the subject but you were growing tired from the long day and the previous night you had endured. A yawn fell from your lips as you stood up to go to bed. “I think I’m gonna take a nap” you spoke, walking to your hammock. “Your mother will call you out for dinner” he added, going straight back to his previous task.
…
“Y/n dinner is ready” your mother announced, as you wiped your eyes just waking up. Walking to the main room, you were met with your family and an unexpected guest. “Neteyam?” You asked, as he came to greet you. “Hello my love, I missed you- I haven’t seen you all day” bringing you into embracive hug, he placed a kiss on your cheek. His lips were soft and moisturized, the peck sent a tingle through your body. You were surprised by how calm he seemed. Had his mother not talked to him yet? Maybe she forgot, hopefully she did. “We are so happy you are here Neteyam!” Your mother spoke, her face beaming in excitement. “I am happy to be here” he added, his voice soft and kind. Coming to sit with Neteyam, your younger brother Talim came to sit next to you, with your sister Alka sitting across with your parents. Your mother had prepared a variety of fruit, with meat from the hunt your father had gone on a few days ago.
“So how are you doing Neteyam” your father asked, eager to know what his future son in law has been getting into. “Oh not much, I have just been training with my father and Lo’ak a lot” he answered, taking a bite of his food. You took a glance at your parents, noticing how they were both sharing looks with eachother, as if they were planning something. “This was actually perfect that you have joined us tonight Neteyam! We wanted to talk to you both at the same time” your mother spoke, looking at you as she talked. Raising your brows at her words, you hadn’t expected her to be so upfront. “What would you like to talk about mrs, l/n?” Neteyam asked. Wondering what would be so important that your parents would be involved. “I would also like to know mother” joining in on the conversation, your gaze switching between your mother and father waiting for someone to speak. Finally your father spoke “We have been wondering when you and y/n will move into your own home” placing his food down. Your face became red, you didn’t think the subject would come up with Neteyam so soon. Neteyams stature remained calm as he slid his hand onto your thigh, trying to soothe your flustered state. The room ran silent at his words, your siblings stopped their eating looking for an answer around the table. You turned your gaze to your folded legs, embarrassed by your parents forwardness. “I think that’s a great idea! What do you think y/n?” Turning to face you, you looked to him flashing a quick smile. Did he really want to move in with you? You would never ask him , but he seemed up to it. Smiling at him, you held onto his hand before speaking. “I agree Teyam” you answered, getting surprised expressions from your parents. Your fathers face glossed over in joy, he was excited for his eldest daughter to have such a milestone. Your mother had a similar expression on her features.
Neteyam had been thinking of having his own home with you for months, even before you had become a couple he fantasized about it. He would have you all to himself, you’d be the first thing he would see in the morning and the last he would see at night. It was a perfect reality to him. You would have total privacy with eachother, and he’d be able to keep track of you better this way. You’d be with him day in and day out. So when your parents brought it up, he was more than happy to accept.
“There’s an extra hut made just for new couples at the the edge of town, it would be perfect for you both” your mother suggested, your parents had been looking for a hut for the both of you for awhile now. They couldn’t be happier that you were going to mate with the next Olo'eyktan. Neteyam seemed like such an amazing match for their wonderful daughter.
“That sounds great! What do you think yawne?” He asked, looking down at your smiling face. Taking a second to relish in the idea, you quickly nodded up to him, squeezing his hand tight.
“Then it is settled! We will talk with your father Neteyam, and you two will be moved in by next month” your father announced, your mother sent the happy couple in front of her an adoring smile. She remembered when her and your father had the same looks on their faces, gleaming and glowing with dreams of a fresh new start.
“I will get us some drinks!” Your mother said, standing to her feet as she walked to the cabinets.
“Y/n, I went to talk about something with you” turning his attention towards you, his hand still tight in your grasp. Nodding you let him help you up, walking to your room leaving your family waiting to celebrate.
Leading him into your room, you opened the flap over him, letting him move under it. Once you were situated you stopped, standing in front of him. The man who would be your mate soon enough. The man you adored so often, who brought you flowers when he saw you. The man you trusted with your whole heart was standing in front of you. He looked down at the wooden flooring, his feet aligned with yours. Just inches from your face as he held your soft hands.
Here I am again with Part 3. Thank you again for the great response! I just realized that I have so many ideas to this series and I am thinking about making a full fic out of it but I am not sure if my writing is good enough for that... Tell me in my asks what you think of it! But enough of me. Enjoy it!
Warnings: None
Kyojuro x Fem!Reader
Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3
You were falling and Rengoku was able to catch you, but now you were laying on top of him as he was holding you. Both of your faces just inches away.
You both looked at each other in surprise and if there was any anger left in you then it was gone it that very moment when you stared into his golden eyes that faded to red.
A few seconds passed where you just stared at each other until the realization slowly kicked in.
With a very quick movement you jumped off him and tried to get your heart rate under control, while kneeling on one knee. Why was your heart beating so fast? And why were your cheeks so hot?
Rengoku was already back on his feet and had recovered much faster than you.
"Wow! The execution and power of your attacks are wonderful! And you also mastered your concentrated breathing! Very good!"
He was... praising you, while you were the one who attacked him in your anger.
You were visibly confused by his praises since you were not able to hit him once.
"Train a little more with Tomioka and then nothing stands in your way in becoming a Hashira." His loud and distinctive voice made you wince
There it was again and why she was boiling with anger just seconds before.
It was over, no matter what he said. You were not a Tsuguko anymore and won't be a Hashira either. So he should simply shut up.
But he didn't stop talking. Didn't stopped with his stupid praising. "And how you were to withstand me! You are very strong and-"
"Stop it! I don't wanna hear it!" You yelled. And that for the first time in your life. Damn, you've never raised your voice to anyone before actually. You also realized that these were also your first words towards him.
You were shocked and surprised at yourself and gathered your selfcontrol very quickly. An outburst like this can't and should not happen again.
You got up wanting to leave the scenery after finally getting your heartbeat and your body under control.
But you didn't reckon with him. Did not expect him to be so fast to catch you by your wrist and turning you towards him.
"Why are you running away again? Hey, l/n-san!" His voice was steady but uncharacteristically grave, his face stony and hard. "I want to talk to you!"
You looked at him and your face gave nothing away. You were calm like water. But your trembling hands betrayed you. How you tried desperately to suppress the emerging panic and fear that was bubbling again inside you.
"Let go off me... please." Your voice was low and Rengoku was having troubles understanding your words as he was partially deaf, but he still understood what you were saying.
"No, not before you promise not to run away from me anymore." You were able to see how his patience had thinned out. He had waited patiently for you for days, even weeks, always watching you practice with Tomioka just so he had a tiny chance to talk to you. But every time you escaped him like running water. No, he would not let you escape again before he could finally ask you what had been bothering him for weeks. "Let's sit down and talk first."
Tell me what you think of it! Feedback is much appreciated! My asks are open to anyone and anon is active. And again, if you wanted to be tagged just reply down below <;3
You get your girlfriend kiri a cool rock to add to her collection but get hurt along the way.
Warnings: Mention of blood, minor injures
Word count:394
You were walking through the forest with Lo’ak trying to find a small stream to get some cool rocks for your girlfriend's rock collection. After a long exhausting walk you finally found a small stream and started searching. After searching for what felt like hours Lo'ak found one.
𝐘𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞? He showed you a beautiful blue rock.
You let out a sigh of relief, happy that you were done searching. 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭!
You reached out to grab it but Lo’ak quickly pulled back with a smug face. 𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐢 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮? He giggled
You just shake your head in annyonce and splash him in response he laughed before splashing back.
That quickly led to a splash battle that turned into wrestling.
While wrestling you accidentally scratched your arm on a sharp rock.
𝐎𝐰! 𝐋𝐨’𝐚𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐤𝐱𝐚𝐰𝐧𝐠! Your arm was bleeding pretty heavily.
He looked at your arm and visibly shivered 𝐎𝐡 𝐄𝐰𝐲𝐚. 𝐊𝐢𝐫𝐢 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝!
You giggled in response you found his fear of his older sister funny. You started getting out of the water to dry off and patch up your arm. 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐤𝐱𝐚𝐰𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐞𝐭’𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐞𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐬𝐞.
After a long walk back you finally arrived home you and Lo’ak decided to head to the Tsahìk hut to give your gift to Kiri.
You walked in but before you could even show her your gift she noticed your arm.
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝? 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐨𝐤𝐚𝐲? She checked your body for any more injures.
Before you could respond she asked Lo’ak what happened.
𝐈 𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭. He stumbled over his words trying to explain what happened.
𝐈 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝. 𝐆𝐞𝐭 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐤𝐱𝐚𝐰𝐧𝐠.He quickly left leaving Kiri to properly bandage up your arm.
You giggled and looked at her face as she concentrated.
𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐞. She turned away to clean up her supplies.
𝐁𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐈 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭 you pulled the rock you had collected out of your pouch and showed it to her.
She turned around and gasped looking at the beautiful rock.
𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. You smiled.
𝐈 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐮𝐥. She smiled.
You always thought she had the prettiest smile.
𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐡, 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬. You said still smiling.
She looked at you and giggled. 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐚’𝐲/𝐧 and kissed your cheek.
WHEW this is scary this is my very first imagine thing i guess? i tried my best I’m not very skilled in writing but i have alot of ideas! I finally got the courage to post this as i have had it in my drafts forever. I would love feedback but please don’t be rude about it again this is my first time! I really enjoyed writing this so if you want more lmk. Also sorry if there is any spelling/grammar mistakes. Like I said i’m attempting to put out more kiri stuff because there is hardly any! But anyways have a good day and stay hydrated! I LOVE YOU!!
Tell Me to Stop (NSFW Rengoku x F!Ice Hashira Reader, Part 1/2)
Once more, I have ZERO self-control.
See this post for a synopsis, but as a refresher: post-Mugen Train AU where Rengoku lives and Y/N, the Ice Pillar, takes his place on the mission to the Entertainment District with Uzui. This is the angsty part, and Part Two will be SUPER NSFW. So absolutely no minors.
There are three POVs in this part -- Y/N's, Shinobu's, and Kyojuro's. Each is clearly marked. There are also several flashbacks, and they are marked in all italics, to make the reading a bit more seamless.
CW: 5.9k words. Angst. 18+, cursing, graphic descriptions of injuries and poisoning. Mention of amphetamine use and likely improper medical procedures, but I'm not a fucking doctor and this is fiction.
🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸
(Y/N’s POV)
At first, she thought she was in the afterlife.
Her eyes struggled to focus as the brilliant white lights above her nearly blinded her, and for the briefest moment, the Ice Pillar had felt a flood of relief, because at least she could then rest.
But then the pain hit.
It hit her like one of the heavy training rocks Himejima used on lower-ranked slayers, and briefly, Y/N wondered if she had misjudged the situation — wondered if she was, in fact, in hell.
Her heart was slamming against her chest, however, and the pain was far too acute for that to be a plausible explanation, especially as the lights above her sharpened into focus.
The light was not the soft, beckoning afterglow of a world beyond; rather, it was the collection of sterile utility lights that the Insect Hashira had specially installed in the recovery rooms at the Butterfly Mansion.
To her slight disappointment, the Ice Pillar found herself alive.
Fuck.
She was alive and her body felt like it had been dropped off the tip of a mountain. There was not an inch of her body that did not feel as though it had been smashed open and flayed.
“L-Lady Y/L/N!” A surprised squeak came from Y/N’s right.
It took a great deal of effort to turn her head to see one of Kocho’s girls standing in her doorway, her eyes wide with shock as she stared at the now-conscious Ice Hashira.
Y/N truly had meant to greet the young girl, but the only thing that came out was a long, pained groan.
“I-I’ll go get Lady Kocho, right away!” The girl hastily bowed before scampering out, the sounds of her excited yelling growing dimmer as she ran away.
Y/N had briefly fallen back out of consciousness before she felt a pair of cool, soft fingers brushing against her forehead, and her eyes fluttered back open.
“Good morning,” Shinobu Kocho, the Insect Hashira and her dear friend, said, smiling down at her, her eyes full of relief.
“We were starting to worry about you, you know.”
Y/N responded with something between a smile and a grimace as pain wracked through her once more. “How long have I been out?” Her voice was weak and cracked, which led Y/N to conclude it had been at least a few weeks since the battle in the Entertainment District.
Shinobu’s smile faltered for half a second, before her friend recovered. “Almost two months.”
Y/N’s eyes widened, what little breath she had in her chest wheeze out, as the horror of Shinobu’s words sunk in.
She, a Hashira, had been unconscious for nearly two months. She’d be surprised if she was allowed to keep her title at all.
“Uzui?” Y/N asked quietly, remembering that her comrade had also been quite injured following the battle with the dual Upper Moon Sixes.
Shinobu smoothed Y/N’s hair back, an affectionate move that eased some of the tension she felt. “He was in rough shape as well, but not nearly as bad as you were.” Shinobu pressed her fingers against the pulse point on Y/N’s neck, silently counting the number of beats. “He managed to carry you back most of the way before his body gave out — luckily, just as the two of you came across the Kakushi team dispatched to assist you both.”
Shinobu’s gentle fingers pried Y/N’s eyelids back to check her pupil dilation. “He’s back home with his wives. I discharged him about two weeks ago.”
Shinobu motioned for one of the girls to fetch pain medication, now that she had sufficiently apprised herself of all Y/N’s vitals, and Y/N felt a rush of gratitude for her friend.
“How bad was I?” Y/N asked after a moment, once she and the Insect Pillar were left alone.
Shinobu’s practiced smile finally dropped, and for once she looked tired. “Uzui said you took a direct hit from the Upper Six’s blood demon art. Not only did he manage to impale you, but he discharged a massive amount of poison into you.”
Shinobu’s lower lip wobbled slightly. “That poison should have killed you — it would have, had you not used your Ice Breathing to lower your body temperature. Doing so kept the poison from spreading as quickly, but it also made you hypothermic.”
“You were…near death when you were finally brought in. Your body temperature had dropped so low in an effort to keep the poison from reaching your vital organs, but it was already doing so.” Shinobu sat back into a stool she’d rolled over beside Y/N’s bed. “Honestly, you were so touch and go that I thought I was merely prolonging the inevitable.”
Y/N swallowed hard, nodding. Perhaps her initial reaction when she’d awoken hadn’t been too far off — she had nearly died.
The two were silent for a moment, the weight of the events of the day weighing heavily in the air around them.
Shinou broke the silence first. “Your vitals seem relatively stable for now, but I’m going to need to keep a close eye on you over the next few days to judge your recovery.” She stood, brushing non-existent dust from her lap. “Do you feel like eating anything at all? Or drinking some tea?”
Y/N shook her head as much as she could, though her movement was limited by the stiffness in her neck. “No. I’m in pain.” She groaned.
The Insect Pillar smiled softly at her. “I’ve held off on administering any pain medicine to you – I didn’t want to risk prolonging your coma.” Shinobu paused. “I suppose I can mix a good dose in with some broth – I would really prefer you to have something nutritious, if you think you can stomach it.”
Y/N nodded again, her lips suddenly feeling cracked and dry. “Broth would be wonderful. Thank you, Shinobu, truly.”
Shinobu patted her friend’s hand in response. “The medication will likely put you to sleep for the rest of the afternoon – but your body needs rest now. I’ll check in on you in a little while. You’re in the private infirmary room just down the hall from my office – I wanted to ensure you wouldn’t be disturbed by the regular chaos wrought by the younger slayers.”
Shinobu made to exit the small room, but paused in the doorway, her back turned to Y/N.
“Y/N…I am so thankful that you’re all right.”
Y/N smiled, and for the first time since she’d awoken, she felt glad to be alive.
—————————————————————————
Shinobu had been right – the medicine she’d mixed into the warm miso broth had been potent. Y/N had barely consumed half the cup of the soup before she’d felt drowsy, slumping back against the soft down of her bed and falling back asleep.
Hours later, judging by the darkness of her room, Y/N had awoken briefly, and in her disorientation had cast her eyes around her private recovery room in alarm until she distantly remembered that she was safe and in the comfort of her friend’s hospital.
As she looked blearily around, she’d noticed a pair of vaguely familiar amber eyes staring owlishly at her from the wall across from her bed. Y/N, however, had collapsed back against her pillow, unconscious once more, before she could investigate any further.
But she dreamed of fire.
—————————————————————————
When Y/N awoke the following morning, she was still in a great deal of pain.
“I don’t understand why I can’t use my breathing to help,” she’d complained to Shinobu’s second-in-charge, a pig-tailed, severe-looking girl who bustled around Y/N’s room as she restocked the Ice Pillar’s medications.
“Lady Kocho was very clear that you shouldn’t be using your Ice Breathing for a while yet, Y/L/N-San,” the girl, Aoi, said as respectfully as she could, though Y/N could hear the slight reprimand edging its way into her tone.
“After all, when you arrived, your body temperature was barely 75 degrees — and it had been lower than that already, according to Lord Uzui”
Y/N’s head snapped up and she pinned the girl with her icy stare. “That’s not possible,” she said sharply, “I may be a Hashira, but a body temperature below 75 degrees will kill anyone.”
Aoi audibly gulped. “Well, it was probably because of Mr. Rengoku-“
“What?” Y/N snapped, sitting up straighter in her bed. “He was there?”
The awkward girl nodded frantically. “Yes! He was the one who brought you here!”
Y/N sat silently in her bed, jaw slackened as she stared at the pig-tailed attendant.
Aoi fidgeted under the intensity of Y/N’s gaze. “He met you and Mr. Uzui a few miles outside of the Butterfly Mansion. He carried you the rest of the way because Mr. Uzui had passed out.” Aoi busied herself with replacing the used towels next to the small sink in Y/N’s room to avoid looking at the Pillar.
“Lady Kocho said he had turned up his body temperature while carrying you to keep yours from falling any further.” Aoi finally turned back to Y/N, tears sparkling in her eyes. “You were so cold and so blue by the time he barged through the doors, that Lady Kocho assumed you had already died. Mr. Rengoku kept you alive long enough for Lady Kocho to intervene.”
Y/N didn’t remember getting out of her bed, nor did she remember the way her legs shook as she took her first steps in nearly two months, stumbling awkwardly down the hallway to her friend’s private office.
Shinobu startled at her desk when Y/N flung the lacquered wooden door open.
“Y/N! You should not be up-“Shinobu began to reprimand her, but Y/N cut her off.
“You lied to me, Kocho.” Shinobu froze at the terse, formal way that Y/N used her surname — a sure indicator that she was irate. “You told me the Kakushi found me. You never said anything about Rengoku.”
For once, Shinobu felt sheepish.
“I wasn’t lying to you, Y/N,” she promised, her palms turning up towards the Ice Pillar in supplication. “Please, I’m happy to explain everything, but you need to get back in bed.”
Her friend swayed in the doorway, hand shooting out to weakly clutch at the frame in an effort to remain upright. It seemed that she had only managed to make it all the way to Shinobu’s office out of pure spite, and now that it had worn off, her weakened body threatened to fold beneath her.
Y/N may have been as stubborn as an ox, but she was not a fool when it came to recognizing her limits. Her chin dipped once in a jerky nod, and Shinobu clapped her hands. A Kakushi appeared in an instant, lifting Y/N onto her back and whizzing her back down to her private quarters.
Once Y/N was settled back and bed, and the two women were alone, Shinobu pulled a chair over and sat down.
“I wasn’t planning on keeping the details from you for very long,” Shinobu began, holding Y/N’s searing stare evenly. “But the circumstances of your arrival were…extreme, and equal measures had to be taken.”
Y/N’s mouth set into a hard line. “I don’t know what any of that means.”
“Y/N, when the Flame Pillar kicked down the front door, with you unconscious in his arms, I thought you were already dead.”
Y/N’s eyes widened softly. Though Shinobu had devoted years of carefully crafting her emotionless mask, she could not stop the small shake in her voice as she recalled that horrible night.
—————————————————————————
(Two Months Prior)
Shinobu had flown into the entry hall of her estate the moment the loud crash reached her ears. Her hand had been on her blade, ready to eliminate any threat that had come knocking on her door, but she came to a skidding halt when she beheld who stood in the ruined splinters of her doorway.
For half a heartbeat, Shinobu’s world had come crashing down around her for the third time in her life. Because there was the Flame Pillar, looking wild and frantic and angrier than she had ever seen him. His uniform shirt had been missing completely, and his eyes were bright and glassy with the first signs of what Shinobu knew to be a high fever.
Clutched in his arms was the woman that she’d considered as much a sister as Kanae and Kanao were to her. Beneath the streaks of red and odd purple and black staining on her skin, Shinobu could see she was deathly pale, the areas around her mouth and eyes turning an unsettling blue.
She wasn’t moving.
She was barely breathing.
“ANTIDOTE.” Rengoku bellowed, his volume jolting Shinobu into action as she began barking orders at the Kakushi that arrived behind him.
“Get her over here and lay her down on the floor — we don’t have time to get her into an examination room.” Shinobu shrugged out of her late sister’s haori and spread it out on the floor — Y/N was one of the only two people left in the world whom she would be willing to do such a thing for.
In a matter of seconds, Shinobu had deduced three, critical facts:
First, Y/N had been poisoned — severely so, and was mere minutes, if not seconds away from death.
Second, that she was bordering on hypothermia, given the chill of her skin and the discoloration around her orifices.
Third, the only reason she’d not succumbed to said hypothermia was because of the bare-chested Hashira who held her like she was his entire world, who was willingly burning with a near-deadly fever in an effort to keep Y/N alive.
Shinobu dug into the pocket of her hakama pants and produced a sharp pair of medical scissors — the only pair she owned sharp enough to cut through the resilient fabric of the Demon Slayer Corp’s uniform.
Rengoku had made to lay Y/N on the floor and pull away, but Shinobu lunged to stop him.
“Don’t you dare let go of her, Kyojuro Rengoku,” Shinobu snarled as she cut Y/N’s shirt from her body, exposing the purple-mottled skin of her chest where the Upper Moon’s poison had spread. “Keep her warm— her body is going to try to keep fighting the poison.”
Rengoku maneuvered so that he sank to the floor of the Butterfly Mansion hall under Y/L/N, the Ice Pillar still pressed to his bare skin.
“Aoi,” Shinobu called for her second-in-charge who appeared instantly by her mistress’s side. “Bring me the wisteria antidote and the amphetamine,” she ordered as she checked for Y/L/N’s pulse, her mouth settling into a hard line as she realized the Ice Pillar barely had one.
Rengoku was burning, his skin nearly sizzling against the now-bared skin of Y/L/N. “She just keeps getting colder, no matter what I do.” He readjusted his arms to grip around Y/L/N’s waist and press her tighter against him.
Shinobu inspected where the poison had turned the veins beneath Y/L/N’s skin black. “She’s been using her ice breathing to slow the poison by lowering her body temperature,” she said quietly. “It stopped the poison from spreading long enough for Uzui to bring her back, but this is the most potent poison I’ve ever seen.”
Y/L/N’s chest rose shakily once but it did not fall.
“AOI.” Shinobu half-shrieked, and the girl finally came flying around the corner, the two syringes clutched in her hand.
She moved her scissors beneath the bindings around Y/N’s chest, cutting them open in one fluid motion and exposing Y/N’s breasts to the air. Out of reflex, Rengoku turned his head up towards the ceiling, if not to help preserve the girl’s modesty.
“We don’t have time for that nonsense,” She snapped at him, her tone forcing him to look back at her, frantic.
Aoi handed the two vials to her madam, who began flicking her index finger against the cylinder glass to dispel any remaining bubbles within.
“The sternum is the thickest bone in the human body,” Shinobu began, turning her attention to the second vial, filled with a clear, thin liquid. She unscrewed the top of the second vial and dumped its contents into the syringe full of purple liquid, repeating the process of tapping out any bubbles. “It takes an alarming degree of strength to penetrate it.”
She pinned Rengoku with her sharp eyes. “I do not have that strength,” she said plainly and moved to press the syringe into his hand.
“But you do. When I tell you, you need to slam this into her heart, right here.” Shinobu tapped her index finger precisely in between Y/N’s breasts, directly over her heart. “And then push down on the top of the syringe until all of that liquid is gone.”
Rengoku clutched the syringe in his hand tightly as he looked down at Y/N. Her heart had slowed to the faintest patter against her chest, and her breath had become nearly nonexistent.
There was no more time. He brought the fist clutching the antidote up over the spot that Shinobu had marked.
“Forgive me, Y/L/N,” Rengoku said, and without hesitation, he slammed the syringe down into the Ice Pillar’s chest, pressing every ounce of the purple antidote directly into Y/N’s heart.
Syringe still buried in her chest, Y/L/N bowed out of his arms with a deep, guttural gasp, her eyes flying open for the briefest of moments before she collapsed back against him, unconscious once more.
But breathing.
“What— what was that, Kocho?” Rengoku breathed, looking in wonder at the feebly breathing but alive Ice Pillar.
“The strongest antidote I have,” Shinobu grimaced. “And an amphetamine. To restart her heart.”
Rengoku’s eyes shot up to meet hers. “Re-start?”
She nodded solemnly. “Yes. For a moment, we no longer had an Ice Pillar.”
The Flame Pillar swore under his breath, his arms unconsciously tightening their hold against Y/L/N.
“She is not out of the clear yet,” Shinobu warned, her fingers brushing against the skin of her friend’s wrist as she measured her pulse. “Until the antidote is able to fully abate the effects of the poison, she will continue to subconsciously try to freeze her body.”
She winced. “As a doctor, I shouldn’t even be asking, but it appears you’re the reason she hasn’t fallen to hypothermia — “
“I will stay,” Rengoku promised, looking back down at the woman barely clinging to life in his arms. “Of course, I will stay.”
“Rengoku stayed with you until your body temperature rose back to normal,” Shinobu said, her tone entirely clinical. “Though by the time that happened, he’d given himself a nasty fever from the amount of time that he’d kept his body temperature so high.”
A faint smile ghosted over her face. “He actually put up a bit of a fight when the Kakushi came to pull him away. His fever had made him delirious.”
Y/N flushed. “I’m sure that was quite the sight - two half-nude Hashira in a bed together. The poor Kakushi.”
Shinobu’s eyes flashed. “Not a single person thought it was anything more than a persistent effort by the Flame Pillar to keep his comrade alive,” she said sharply. “And I will discipline anyone who may suggest otherwise.”
Her friend smiled at her, unmistakable gratitude in her eyes.
“I ended up having to keep him here for three days before his fever broke. He kept trying to come see you, too,” Shinobu chewed on her lip in thought. “I don’t think he understood that you were just unconscious and not half-frozen to death.”
“Why are you telling me all of this?” Y/N asked, softly. “I understand — and appreciate — you telling me what happened immediately after Rengoku brought me here, but…”
Shinobu reached for her friend’s hand and gently took it into her own, squeezing lightly.
“I just thought you should know the lengths that man went to to keep you alive.”
————————————————————————
(Y/N’s POV)
Y/N laid awake for a long while after Shinobu had left.
Shinobu had told her that the Flame Pillar had visited her on a nightly basis for the entire period she’d been unconscious.
But that news hadn’t been able to hold a candle to the larger revelation that Shinobu had shared with her.
Kyojuro Rengoku, the Flame Hashira, had fought to keep her alive; and she didn’t know what to do with that information.
At best, her relationship with the fiery man had been complicated.
The two had survived and endured Final Selection together and had risen through the ranks of the Demon Slayer Corp at about the same rate. Their breathing styles were symbolic opposites – so much so, it was almost comical that they had been drawn to one another at all.
For years, their relationship had been defined by a series of almosts.
She’d almost asked him to accompany her on an overnight mission in the far-off mountains – what would have been their first solo mission together.
She’d almost accepted his haori when he’d offered it to her after her own had been shredded in a battle against a lower moon when they were Kinoe.
He’d almost brushed his hand against hers at the last Hashira meeting they’d attended – the one right before that fateful mission he took involving that cursed train.
She’d almost kissed his forehead when he lay unconscious in his bed at the Butterfly Mansion after Upper Moon Two had nearly stolen him from her for good.
But this game of cat-and-mouse they had played since they were Mizunotos hadn’t ever actually led them anywhere. Y/N had always assumed they were doomed to long for one another from afar, both too emotionally closed-off and too stubborn to ever confess their true feelings.
And in spite of the series of almosts that had defined their relationship, Kyojuro Rengoku had also been her biggest pain in the ass. The man burned as bright as the Sun itself; he was warm, jovial, and supportive to every Demon Slayer regardless of rank – even her.
Until it came time for her to actually do her job, in which case, Rengoku would never fail to corner her and demand her to sit out, or to let him accompany her, despite the fact that she had become a Hashira before him.
Truly, she thought he gave her emotional whiplash; he flirted with her one moment before openly questioning her competency as a Pillar the next. But she could not deny the slight flutter of her heart at the thought that he had been so concerned with her well-being, that he had checked on her every night since he helped to save her life.
There was no way he could have known that she had regained consciousness – at least, Shinobu had not mentioned that anyone had told him -- and so, Y/N felt slightly giddy at the prospect of finally confronting him. Perhaps she’d even goad him into admitting that he cared for her.
Pressed against her pillows in the dark, she waited.
But the Flame Pillar never came.
————————————————————————
(Kyojuro’s POV)
He’d been training when he’d received the news.
Y/L/N had awoken after nearly two months of being in a coma.
His crow had flown to his estate the second it had observed the commotion within the Butterfly Mansion, having lingered just long enough to confirm that the Ice Pillar had regained consciousness and was being attended to, before rushing to inform its master.
Kyojuro dropped to his knees as the crow reported its news, the relief he felt almost overwhelming.
He’d begun to lose hope — they all had — that she would ever recover. These last days, he’d half expected his crow to return with the dreaded news that the Ice Pillar had finally succumbed to her injuries and left them all — left him — behind for good.
A Hashira being unconscious for that amount of time was nearly unheard of; after all, his fight with Upper Two had only knocked him out for three weeks.
Then again, Kocho had said the amount of poison Y/L/N had taken, coupled with how much time had passed before Uzui had limped into the Corp’s territory, with her cradled in his arms, would have killed most people. Including the other Pillars.
But she had lived. She was conscious.
Anger, righteous anger, chased away the relief he’d felt.
Now, Kyojuro was downright furious, nearly shaking with his rage.
It had not been her mission to go on.
It had been his. But he had been too injured after the battle on the Mugen Train, too wounded after his encounter with Upper Moon Two, that Kocho and the Master had refused to clear him to accompany Uzui to the Entertainment District.
So Y/N had gone in his stead.
----------------————————————————-
(Two Months Prior)
“I refuse to allow this,” Kyojuro said severely, leaning heavily against the door frame of the Butterfly Mansion’s recovery room, panting. His rehabilitation training had been underway, and he was making steady progress towards full recovery — but not enough so that the Master would permit him to resume taking missions.
much less one against a suspected Upper Moon.
Y/L/N had come to the Insect Pillar’s estate to retrieve some last minute supplies before she was due to depart with the Sound Pillar for the Entertainment District.
“I don’t believe you’re in a position to give anyone orders,” Y/N said frostily, turning her back to him as she continued to organize her supplies.
She moved to brush past him when his hand shot out to grab her by the upper arm, stilling her.
“Orders be damned,” he snarled under his breath, his grip tightening as his fingers dug into the muscle of her bicep. “This is my mission, not yours. You have no business going there.”
Y/L/N bristled at his words, her smaller hand coming up to wrench his from its grip on her arm. “I am a Hashira, the same as you. You do not get to dictate what I do or what missions I accept.” She shoved him off her. “You do not get to play God, Rengoku.”
And so, he’d been powerless to stop her from breezing by and joining Uzui as the pair set off towards the Entertainment District.
In his fury, he’d reduced nearly half of the training dummies the Butterfly House kept to splinters during his rehabilitation training.
More than a week had gone by before they’d received any word from the Entertainment District — or, what was left of it.
Uzui and Y/L/N had succeeded in taking out the two Upper Moons, becoming the first Hashira in nearly one hundred years to do so — the victory had been immense, but not priceless.
They’d heard that there had been a near-total destruction of Yoshiwara as a result of the battle with the Upper Moons, as well as a number of civilian casualties. But by the time the Kakushi had arrived on scene, neither the Sound nor Ice Hashira could be found.
The Master’s crow had nearly exhausted itself flying urgently back and forth between the ruins of the Entertainment District and Headquarters as it searched urgently for the missing Pillars.
Kyojuro had been restlessly pacing the grounds of the Butterfly Mansion when Kocho’s raven swooped down from overhead.
“The Butterfly Mansion must send out a group of Kakushi!” It had cried, causing the staff mulling about the Estate to freeze. “The Sound and Ice Pillars are two miles east and both critical! Go now!”
Had Kocho been around, she might have been able to stop Kyojuro from taking off at a full sprint after her crow, but she had not been within earshot; and so, Kyojuro raced for his comrades.
The night was dark, and the light from the waning moon had been feeble. The crow led Kyojuro and a trailing group of Kakushi to a small clearing before the edge of a forest on the outskirts of headquarters.
With bated breath, the group waited as a shadow emerged — slowly, and gasping for breath, from the dark cover of the trees.
The glow of the moon had been just enough to illuminate Uzui’s bloodstained, and ashen face as the Sound Pillar limped into the clearing.
He was carrying someone.
Though bloodied and bruised, Y/L/N somehow still looked ethereal, her skin glowing beneath the faint moonlight. Her arm hung limply to her side, swinging idly back and forth with Uzui’s movements. Kyojuro squinted and saw that a great chunk of her haori had been torn away, exposing the bare skin of her arm — and the veins that had turned black beneath her skin.
After a considerable pause, Uzui crumpled to his knees, Y/L/N still clutched tightly against his chest, and Kyojuro rushed forward to catch him before he and Y/L/N fell to the earthen floor.
Kyojuro had moved to help him stand, but the Sound Pillar feebly shrugged him off.
“Not me,” Uzui panted out, “Take Y/L/N — she doesn’t have much longer.”
Kyojuro dared to look down at the unconscious woman cradled against Uzui’s chest, and felt his heart seize.
Beneath the splatter of blood crusted to her skin, Kyojuro could see that she was devoid of any and all color, her face frozen and hard. The skin around her slightly parted lips had turned a sickly shade of blue.
He reached out to check her pulse but snatched his hand away in shock before he could feel it.
Y/L/N had been colder than ice beneath his touch.
“Bastard impaled her on his poisoned blade,” Uzui managed, laboring for breath. “Got me, too. She used her ice breathing to help stop the poison, but she fell unconscious right after we decapitated the pair of ‘em.” Uzui pushed Y/L/N towards the Flame Pillar. “She’s just been getting colder since. I couldn’t even hear her heartbeat for the last mile.”
“Get her to Kocho, Rengoku. Now.” Uzui begged.
Kyojuro growled in frustration as he tore at his uniform shirt, ripping it in one clean stroke down the front and exposing his burning flesh to the cool wind.
As he gingerly plucked the rapidly fading Ice Pillar from Uzui’s arms, he burrowed deep within himself to use the breathing technique that would increase his body temperature beyond that of even the most dangerous of fevers. He felt his skin begin to burn and cradled Y/L/N tightly against his chest as he took off towards the Butterfly House at top speed, willing his body heat to seep into her icy skin and to burn life back into her.
Don’t you die on me, he thought as he flew towards the Mansion. Don’t you try to fucking leave me, Y/L/N.
————————————————————————-
He had expected her to awaken within a few days after Kocho had administered the antidote, but she’d remained unconscious.
Each day had followed the same pattern: he would wake up and wait for his crow to return with news from the Butterfly Mansion, and when the bird inevitably informed him that there was no update, he would engage in his rehabilitation training until his still-recovering muscles gave out.
And late each night, once he was sure most of the staff had either left on assignments or were peacefully asleep in their chambers, he would return to Kocho’s manor and keep silent vigil over Y/L/N’s comatose form.
But after the first month of that littke routine, Kyojuro had lost his patience.
“It’s been a fucking month, Kocho,” Kyojuro had growled, bursting through the door of the Insect Pillar’s private office and slamming it shut behind him. “Have you made any progress in finding out why she hasn’t woken up?”
Kocho hadn’t bothered to look up from where she sat at her desk, charcoal stick in hand as she made notes from a hard bound book spread open before her.
“Y/N sustained massive trauma from her battle in the Entertainment District,” her voice had been strained under her effort to keep it cool and clinical.
“So did I, and I awoke after three weeks,” he grit out through clenched teeth.
Kocho finally looked up at him, a vein in her forehead growing prominent in her ire. “You endured significant injuries, yes,” she conceded, though her tone was not kind. “But Y/N also was infused with a massive amount of highly potent poison — almost double what even Uzui took. That, combined with her blood loss, was in some ways worse than your injuries, Rengoku.”
“There is only one other person in the Demon Slayer Corp who would have survived that kind of poisoning,” the Insect Pillar had said frostily, “And that is me.”
He’d been annoyed at that, though he’d known it was irrational. “She’s a damn Hashira. Her recovery time is supposed to be better than that of an average slayer’s.”
Kyojuro scoffed. “She shouldn’t have gone on that damn mission at all if she was that weak.”
He’d regretted his words the moment they’d left his mouth, but it had been too late. The Insect Pillar slammed her charcoal stick down and rose from her seat, her eyes narrowed dangerously at him.
“Strong words from someone who had to be sedated after he tried to beat down the infirmary door to get to her,” Kocho had said coldly. “Your anger fools no one.”
She’d walked swiftly past him and opened her office door, refusing to meet his eye.
“You may leave now.” She’d said dismissively, and Kyojuro had known better than to fight her anymore.
Wordlessly, Kyojuro had slipped out of Kocho’s office, the latter slamming it behind him the moment he’d cleared the door jam.
He’d wondered the emptied halls of the Butterfly Manor until he found himself outside of Y/N’s private room.
Dejected, he’d pushed the door open and shut it behind him, leaning against the wall to the side of her bed and watching her, willing her to just wake up.
He had tried cursing at her, insulting her, goading her back into consciousness, all in hope that maybe he could incense her into opening her eyes.
But it had all been to no avail.
So that night, he knelt beside her bed, took her limp hand in his, and brought it to his lips.
“Wake up, Y/N,” he’d murmured against the cool skin, brushing his lips over her knuckles. “Please, open your eyes.”
Under the glow of the moonlight that beamed through her window, Kyojuro swore that he would tell her the truth about his feelings if she would just reawaken.
[End of Flashback]
———————————————————————-
He had sworn that he would tell her the truth, but she hadn’t kept up her end of their one-sided bargain; she hadn’t awoken.
At least, not for damn-near another month. By the time he received word that she’d finally, finally opened her eyes and rejoined the world of the living, Kyojuro’s heart only felt cold and leaden.
He had gone to see her once — while she’d been asleep — just to confirm for himself that she truly had not left him.
At first, she’d looked no different sleeping soundly in her bed than she had every night for the prior two months.
But he’d been able to discern a difference between that night and those prior by the stringent smell of the pain medication Shinobu used — a drug that she would only administer after someone had regained consciousness, given its tendency to make the ingestor drowsy.
Kyojuro had only been watching her for a few minutes before she’d shot up in her bed, eyes glazed and unfocused as she looked around the room in alarm.
He’d been silent as she’d fixed her eyes on him, he knew she likely hadn’t even recognized he was there at all, given how quickly she’d slumped back against her pillows, asleep once more.
He’d not since returned to the Butterfly Mansion.
And, though the thought filled him with bitter self-hatred, he found that he could not make good on his promise.
So Kyojuro stayed away.
🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸
Don’t worry friends, Y/N will get her shit rocked in part two.
Tag-list (if you reblogged/replied, I'm tagging you, but I'm sorry if I missed anyone!)
⋆ ࣪. ❤︎ 𝐒𝐘𝐍𝐎𝐏𝐒𝐈𝐒!┊kyojuro sure likes to stare, doesn't he?
⋆ ࣪. ❤︎ 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐒!┊1.4k+
Kyojuro, bless his heart, is so hopelessly attracted to you in ways he’s never experienced.
Everything about you draws him in, from your striking beauty to your quick wit, how despite your snark you always treated others with compassion. You were fast friends, not that Kyojuro was particularly difficult to get along with. You’d even argue that such a person as him was impossible to dislike, at least without feeling guilty about it.
He was blunt, genuine, and brimming with so much enthusiasm it tended to unsettle some. But never you. You would look upon him with quiet acceptance, hanging onto his every word. You didn’t seem to mind his complete disregard for eye contact or his erratic conversational skills.
You just get him, he muses. And he’s never felt a kinship like that with anyone.
Kyojuro has always felt like he was moving faster than everyone else, both in mind and body. The man couldn’t sit still or shut up to save his life, or so the other Hashira would say – endearingly of course. No matter the sentiments his comrades held for him, none of them seemed to keep up quite as well as you did. Which is why he presumed you worked so well together.
He could blabber on about anything and have you following along just fine. Though after a few roundabout conversations ranging from swordplay to street food, he musters the confidence to ask if he talked too much for your taste.
You only quirk a brow and snort, “Pffft, of course not! I like listening to you talk.” and you see something shift in his gaze, the softest shade of pink tinting his round cheeks.
It’s around there when the staring starts.
It’s a subtle change at first, catching his wide-eyed gaze from across the training field. Feeling his eyes upon you as you shared meals together. Stumbling over your words when you realize for the first time that he’s actually looking you in the eye as you talk.
It’s a new and exhilarating feeling to be able to admire those honey-colored eyes fully fixated on you for a change. Too often you found yourself staring back. And the way he brightens when your eyes meet sends your fickle heart into pesky palpitations every time. You swore his pupils bled further into his golden-red irises every time he spotted you.
The idea of his eyes dilating at the mere sight of you endears you even more fiercely to him. As if such a thing was possible. You’re already attached at the hip, not to mention the dozens of joint missions you’ve taken.
His exuberance could be trying when your objective was to blend in, but his swordsmanship more than made up for it. He was incredibly good at taking the edge off when tensions were high, he was an emotional pillar of support, and you were honored to have his focus.
The beloved Flame Hashira was enthusiastic about many things, but you most of all it seemed. You’ve been told by several other Hashira that you were one of his favorite topics of conversation. The image of him gushing about you to other people is as embarrassing as it is flattering.
“Y/n is so easygoing, I cherish their company!”
“Did you know Y/n makes the best rice cakes?”
“Y/n is such a fierce swordsman, I am honored to fight at their side!”
“Y/n this, Y/n that. You’re all he talks about you know,” Iguro points a finger in your face one morning.
“So I’ve heard,” you hum, hand perched lazily on the hilt of your sword, though you’re unsure of precisely why he’s telling you this. Your eyes stray to Kaburamaru, who only flicks his tongue at you, leisurely slithering down Iguro’s shoulder from his coiled position around his neck.
You’ve always known the Serpent Hashira to be abrasive and confrontational, but the sudden interest in your relationship with Rengoku was uncharacteristic. Especially since he usually disregarded your presence unless he had something to criticize. You didn’t dislike him, but you wouldn’t say that you were close.
Did he know something you didn’t?
You try not to make assumptions based on the worries of others, but Kyojuro’s childhood friend approaching you out of the blue to tell you something like that? It makes you wonder just what sort of things Kyojuro has been saying about you to warrant such an interrogation.
Was Iguro trying to discern your intentions as a way of looking out for him? Perhaps your feelings for Kyojuro weren’t as internalized as you’d thought.
“Is this your way of saying you’ll snap me like a twig if I break his heart?” you ask, lips curling up into a sly grin, head cocked to one side.
Heterochromatic eyes blink in surprise, and then narrow.
“You catch on quick.”
“You can relax, Iguro. I won’t hurt him.”
“Few can be entirely sure of that. For your sake, I hope that’s the truth,” he waves you off, turning away in disinterest upon hearing your response.
The encounter leaves you with mixed feelings. Would Iguro have asked if he didn’t already know how Rengoku felt in return? It's an unsettling and gnawing feeling. Not the idea that your feelings could be returned, just the uncertainty of it all. If Iguro noticed it, why didn’t you?
“Iguro approached me earlier,” you say as you sit across from the flame-haired swordsman, currently having lunch at one of your favorite spots to eat.
“Did he now?” Kyojuro acknowledges, eyes still closed as he stuffs another bite of octopus into his mouth. His round cheeks puff out cutely, the image of a chipmunk with its cheeks full of nuts forming in your mind.
“He told me you talk about me a lot.”
“All good things of course!” he assures, seemingly unbothered by the news.
“That’s the thing,” you chuckle nervously, poking at your food with your chopsticks. Kyojuro’s eyes fluttered open, now focused on your fidgeting hands. “He seemed concerned that you had feelings for me beyond friendship.”
It’s silent for a moment, and you stuff food into your mouth to escape it, eyes focused on your plate. You can feel his gaze, but you’re too intimidated to meet it.
“Would that be a bad thing?” for once, Kyojuro sounds nervous.
It's a subtle strain in his tone that others who didn’t know him as well might have missed. But years of close proximity have made you perceptive to the almost invisible chinks in his armor. Kyojuro was heavily guarded for being such a friendly man, always eager to lend a hand or ear when others were in distress, but quick to clam up when it came to his own problems.
Your heartbeat skips, excited and terrified. Was that a confession? Were you reading too far into things? Was the question rhetorical? All these questions well up inside until you feel like you’ll burst.
You can’t help but let out an exasperated sigh.
“You’re so hard to read,” you lamented, nearly jumping out of your skin when his fingers brush yours from across the table.
“Perhaps If you looked at me, you’d have an easier time,” he laughs, and your heart already feels lighter at the joyous sound.
The anxiety in your tummy melts into giddiness, and you demurely tilt your head up to meet his eyes. They’re crinkled fondly, pupils large, and fully fixated on yours. His golden-red eyes consume yours, inspiring your fingers to twitch against his. You can only compare such an expression to a smitten puppy.
You suddenly feel silly for entertaining any doubts that the Flame Hashira was any less enamored than you were.
“To be completely honest, I have been interested in you romantically for quite some time now, and at a loss of how to contain such strong feelings,” he confessed, and suddenly a lot of things started making sense.
He stared at you so much because he liked you. He talked about you so much because he liked you. He let you tag along to missions he could have easily handled on his own because he liked you. Iguro approached you because he noticed.
“Then no, I don’t think that would be a bad thing at all.” You turn your hand with your palm facing upward to accept his own into your grasp.
Kyojuro’s smile widens, and he nearly shakes the entire restaurant with the volume of his declaration of, “WONDERFUL!”
“See, Obanai? I told you they just needed a little push!” Mitsuri gushes from across the restaurant, just her green eyes and the top of her head peeking over the menu.
Synopsis: When you and Ao’nung first locked eyes it was like love at first sight. After both of you officially became a couple Ao’nung started to worry. He was scared that his reputation would falter if people knew he was with a ‘four-fingered freak’ so he decided to keep you hidden from the world, which mutilated your heart in the process.
Content/Warnings: Secret Relationship, Ao’nung being a butthole, Ao’nung having two personas, emotional manipulation, lying, light fluff, suggestive content/allusions of sex, heartbroken reader, man-handling, arguing, crying, mention of bruise, angst, hurt w/ comfort, strong language, Ronal being nice and accepting, the sully brothers ready to kill Ao’nung
Author’s Note: I’ve been working on this fic for weeks now and it’s finally finished! I was inspired to write this when I listened to Love In The Dark by Adele
- I hope you all enjoy!
- Please excuse any mistakes!
Word Count: 3.7-3.8k
Glossary: syulang - flower | Tsakarem - Tsahìk in training | Tsahìk - Spiritual Leader | sayrìp - handsome | skxawng - idiot, moron | kalweyaveng - son of a bitch | tsmuke - sister
Extra: Requests are open! Please read rules prior to requesting!
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When you and your family first came to Awa'atlu Ao'nung immediately caught your eye and you lit a sparkle in his. Both of you drew to each other like a magnet and ever since then both of you became inseparable. When Ao'nung asked you to become his girlfriend you were head over heels. You were so ecstatic to finally have him, to claim him as your boyfriend.
When you began to tell him how you were excited to do romantic things together like walking around the village with your hands intertwined with his or riding ilu's together his ears pinned to his skull, "Umm, I was thinking that maybe we should keep us a secret..."
"A secret? Why?" You questioned while scanning his ocean eyes, trying to figure out the reason why he would rather keep this love to himself instead of sharing it with the world.
"Because you know how my mother is and I just don't want her to get upset and try to separate or forbid us" he muttered as he gazes down at the ground, trying not to make eye contact with you as he spoke.
"You really think she would do that to us?" You didn't want to keep your relationship a secret, you wanted to freely be with him without any restrictions.
"She could and I don't want to lose you. I would rather be with you in the shadows of the night than not have you at all" he emphasizes his point by taking his hand and cupping your cheek, holding intense eye contact while he continues to persuade you.
The words falling from his lips sounded sweet but it was all lies, he's feeding you words that are filled with pure deceit. He spins you into this web hoping that his sugar-coated words were enough to get you to agree and in the end they were.
You agreed to the secret arrangement. For you as long as you had him it was enough, no matter the circumstances.
—
Being with Ao'nung was amazing. He was sweet, kind, and loving. After Dark, when both of your families were fast asleep the two of you would sneak to the jungle and indulge in nightly swims inside the small bodies of water. Watching his chiseled physique glisten under the moonlight, his wet black hair flowing down his back as it stuck to his skin, and the smile on his face was a majestic sight. You couldn't avert your gaze from him.
"Come on syulang get in the water instead of gawking at me" he teases with his infamous smirk plastered on his face. As he caught you staring your face began to feel hot as a purple hue appeared on your cheeks.
You moved your feet from the jungle floor and walked into the cool body of water. You swam gracefully toward Ao'nung and once you were close enough to him you stood up, "I wasn't gawking at you, I was just...admiring you" A soft smile tugs at your lips as finger trails up Ao'nung's abs and chest.
As your hand moves across Ao'nung's teal skin, he feels desire flow through his veins. He moved his hand down the small of your back, pulling you closer to him, "Well I love when you admire me but I think it's time I admire you now" Ao'nung pulls you in for a heated and hungry kiss. His lips began to devour yours as if he's been in anticipation for this moment all day.
Ao'nung taps the back of your thighs indicating that he wants to pick you up so you jump up slightly and wrap your slender legs around his torso. Not breaking the kiss, he carries you to the mossy jungle floor and lays you down gently as he continues to show your body affection.
He trails wet kisses down your frame until he reaches your loincloth, "I waited all day to have you like this..." he verbalizes softly as he unties your loincloth and pulls it down which exposed your slick-covered core, "you look so beautiful syulang" Ao'nung's murmurs as he dives between your legs, ready to devour you as if you were his prey.
You loved this Ao'nung, the one who showered you with affection, took care of your every desire, and the one who treated you as if you were the most delicate flower on Pandora.
It's the other Ao'nung you didn't like... the Public Ao'nung. When you were out in public Ao'nung blatantly ignores you, as if the love that both of you share is nonexistent. Whenever you walked in his direction he would turn away, around his friends he would look you up and down with disgust-filled eyes, and he wouldn't even udder a word to you.
As you walked through the village you saw Ao'nung and his friends standing near the pier. When Ao'nung looked over in your direction you gave him a loving smile and a wave. When his friends saw this gesture their faces scrunched up, "Why is that freak waving at you Ao'nung?" One of his friends asked
Ao'nung shrugs his shoulders "I don't know, that demon blood is probably messing with her brain" his comments earn laughs from the whole circle which boosts his ego. He wanted to wave back and flash you a smile, run up to you and give you a loving hug but he couldn’t. He couldn’t let his friends see him in that way with you so he looks at you with cold dead eyes before turning back and chatting with his friends.
This side of him you hated, the two of you would have the best time the night before or sneak off during the day and show each other some much-needed affection, and then when he got around other Na'vi he would even bat an eye at you.
Over time you just grew to accept his foul treatment even though it broke a little piece of your heart each time. You knew this is what you had to endure to be with him so you just sucked it up and dealt with him and his two personas.
Every time you feel like it was becoming too much, that this burden of secrecy was gnawing at your core you would play the words he spoke to you the night he asked you to become his 'I would rather be with you in the shadows of the night than not have you at all'
Knowing that he would go through this just so his mother didn't find out made you feel like he truly loved you and that you could handle the way he treats you in public because he has to deal with worse when trying to hide it from Ronal.
If only you knew his true reason behind keeping you a secret...
—
As you walked toward the village you saw Ronal struggling to carry some of her healing supplies, "I can help you carry those Ronal" you give her a soft smile, grabbing the items she was struggling with so you could lighten her load.
Ronal looks down at you for a few moments before stiffly nodding her head, "Follow me" You trailed behind her as she walked into the healing pod. Once you were inside you placed everything on the floor.
As you were about to turn around and walk out you heard Ronal call for you, "Come sit with me"
You walk over and sit down next to her nervously as you tried to figure out why Ronal wanted you to stay. As you sat down she handed you a mortar and pestle that was filled with a numerous amount of herbs. You began to crush them lightly, turning them into paste consistency as Ronal began to speak.
"You know I wasn't too fond of you and your family when you first arrived, I thought that you wouldn't be able to pull your weight around the village but you proved me wrong" While she speaks she doesn't turn to look at you, instead she focuses on making herbal remedies.
Ronal did have her doubts about you and your family since you were forest people but now that she has watched each one of your family members excel in their way of life you all have earned her respect.
"Tsireya told me that you were training under Mo'at as Tsakarem back in the forest..."
You immediately nod your head in agreement, "Yes I was" You loved learning from your grandmother. Being able to learn all her techniques and skills made you proud to be her grandchild, proud to be the heir of the Tsahìk title.
She turned her head and finally faced you, "How about you come by a few times a week and take lessons with Tsireya? I know she would love for you to learn alongside her" Ronal knew you had potential and she wanted to help mold you and not let your skills falter just because you left the forest.
Hearing her say that made a bright smile appear on your lips, you were already excited for your future lessons, "Yes I would love that!"
"Come by tomorrow after lunch. Tsireya and I will be waiting for you"
"Thank you for this opportunity Ronal"
"You're welcome" She grabs the mortar and pestle from your hands and begins to shoo you away, "Now run along and have some fun" She gave you a small smile, this was the first time you'd seen her smile since the Tulkun returned.
You say your goodbyes to Ronal and then you begin to walk through the village. As you walked along the bouncy pathways you were so happy, happy that you were now going to be doing the thing you loved which was practice healing and you were even happier that Ronal approved of you.
Knowing that she liked you made your heart feel like it would burst at the seams because it meant you wouldn't have to hide your relationship with Ao'nung anymore. You didn't have to love him in the dark any longer, you both could be together whenever and wherever you desired.
You were so excited to tell Ao'nung what just happened, to tell him that he no longer had to worry. You began wandering all over the village to find him so you could tell him the amazing news.
—
As you walk near the beach you saw Ao'nung standing near the ilu pen. Your lips curled into a smile as you watched him feed and care for the ilu’s. This is the Ao'nung you loved to be around, the persona of him you adored. You step off the pathway and began walking on the sand so you could talk to him.
"Hey, sayrìp! Are you almost done here because I—" Your sentence became lodged in your throat when you felt Ao'nung's hand tightly wrap around your bicep as he dragged you along the beach to somewhere that no one could see or hear the two of you.
"Ao'nung what are you?—" Once he was somewhere he felt no one could see he let you go and shoved you into the huge boulder behind you which made you wince.
"what the fuck do you want?" He growled as he towered over you with fire in his eyes, "Why are you coming up to me in public?! You know I don't want you coming up to me where people could see us!" His voice was deep and dark, he was honestly scaring you. He's never handled you this way before, seething with anger and getting physical.
"I-I just wanted to t-tell you that I was talking to your mother and—"
"My mother?! You were talking to my mother?!"
"Yes...She was just telling me that I could—"
You could feel anger radiating off his body, hearing that you spoke to his mother infuriated him because now his lie could no longer be in effect, "Why did you talk to her?!"
"Well... I ran into her while I was walking in the village. I helped her carry some things to her healing pod and then she told me that she wanted to train me. She likes me Ao'nung. We don't have to hide our relationship anymore, and you don't have to worry about her forbidding us" You place your hand on his cheek and cup it gently "W-We can truly be together now"
Ao'nung's veins run cold as he feels your touch. His lie has now shriveled up to the point where he can't use that as an excuse, "No we can't, we can never be public" he moves your hand from his face and looks down at the ground.
"What? W-Why not?" Your brows furred as your voice raised in confusion, you couldn't understand how this wasn't the right time when Ronal wasn't an issue anymore.
"Because I said so, that's why!"
"That isn’t a reason Ao’nung!" The tension between both of you was thick, you could see something swirling inside Ao'nung. It was as if the words were at the tip of his tongue, about to be spoken but you could tell there was some restraint.
"Tell me Ao'nung! Tell me!" You shouted in his face, trying to make him spill his guts, trying to pull the truth out of him.
"I don't want to be seen with you okay?! There I said it! Are you happy now?!"
Your ears pin down as your lips begin to tremble, "D-Don't want to be seen with me? I- Ao'nung what are you talking about?"
"I don't want my friends to see me with you, the clan will think I'm a skxawng for dating someone with demon blood. My friends will think I'm crazy for dating someone that isn't Metkayina" Ao'nung continues to ramble, telling you the multiple different reasons why he didn't want to go public with you.
Hearing each reason why he didn't want to go public with you made your eyes gloss. Hearing him refer to you as a 'demon' made you feel sick to the stomach, "That's how you think of me Ao'nung?! You see me as a demon?! You don't want to be with me because of what people will think, what your stupid friends will think?"
"Yes, I care what they think! They're my friends, the people grew up with! I'm future Olo'eyktan, I have to care about how the clan sees me!"
"S-So that's all you care about? Your fucking reputation?" Your voice begins to heighten as your body runs hot from the whirlwind of emotions twirling inside you, "All this time I decided to take all your shit because I loved you and I thought you were sacrificing for me and you were lying the whole time?!" the tears that were welling in your eyes were now streaming down your face.
You couldn't believe Ao'nung would do something like this to you. You took up with his harsh words, treatment, and actions, and he just attempted to hide you away as if you were a deranged person who needed to be concealed.
"Do you even love me Ao'nung?! Was that a lie too?!"
"N-No that wasn't a lie, that was true" Ao'nung did truly love you. Your beautiful voice, the way your Omatikaya accent presented itself whenever you were happy or excited, the way your eyes twinkled under the sunlight, everything about you Ao'nung loved.
It just wasn't enough to make him love you in the light of day which hurt you the most.
"I still want to be with you syulang..." he places his hands on both of your shoulders, gliding his thumbs against your midnight blue skin. As he spoke he began to feed you those same sugar-coated words, the same words he used to make you his girlfriend. His way with words were hypnotizing, he was beginning to get you in the frame of mind for you to agree.
For you to agree to keep being his secret lover, in the shadows of the night.
But you could no longer handle being his secret anymore.
"No..No..No" you shake your head, swatting his hands off your skin "If you don't want to be with me in public I don't want to be with you at all... so what do you say Ao'nung? Do you want to be together in public this time, for us to enjoy each other in the light of day?" Your amber eyes were glimmering with hope, hoping that Ao'nung would finally change, that he would finally be with you fully and not be ashamed.
"I-I can't y/n, I love you but I can't..." A single tear falls from his eye, knowing that he hurt you made him feel bad but he valued his self-image more.
Your tail wagged aggressively behind you, knowing that he didn't fully want you crushed your soul, "SCREW YOU AO'NUNG!" You hissed as you shoved him so hard into his chest that the wind was knocked out of his lungs, "You're a real kalweyaveng! A fucking jerk! I hate you!" You loved him, every fiber in your body loved him, and the fact that he used you, played with your emotions as if you meant nothing cut deep.
"I'm sorry syulang but I-"
"Save that weak ass apology Ao'nung and stopped calling me that! You don’t even truly mean it! Every term of endearment you’ve spoken has been a lie because if it wasn’t we wouldn’t be in this fucked up situation! I don't EVER want to talk to you again!" You stormed away, red hot with anger, nonstop tears staining your cheeks, and your body ached from feeling heartbroken.
You went to your marui and you were thankful that no one was home. You went to your room, pulled your privacy curtain open, and plopped onto your bed. As you cried into your pillow your thoughts couldn't do anything but consume you.
You began to wonder why your Eywa decided to inflict such torture on you, wondering why Ao'nung couldn't love you properly, wondering why he was ashamed of you, and why he could only love you when no one else was watching.
As the volume of your sobs intensified your head began to throb in pain. You couldn't even concentrate on your surroundings anymore, the only thing you could hear was your painful sobs.
Neteyam got home from finishing his clan duties, ready to rest for the remainder of the day. As he walked through the mauri he didn't see anyone but he heard cries and sniffles. When he realized they were coming from your room his tail began to curl up behind him, he hated hearing you cry. Since he was your older brother he wanted to protect you and keep you safe.
"y/n are you okay? What happened?" He pulled back your privacy curtain and it revealed you laying on your stomach with your face buried in your pillow.
"L-Leave me alone Neteyam, I *sniffle* don't want to talk about it" You sit up and place your feet on the floor, trying to wipe the tears that were continually pouring down your cheeks.
Neteyam took a look at your whole appearance and as his eyes scanned your arm he could see a purple bruise which angered him but he didn't show it because he knew that wouldn't help you in your fragile state.
Neteyam sat down next to you while wrapping his arm around your shoulder and pulling you into his embrace, "tsmuke please tell me what's wrong, I want to help you. Bare your soul with me so I can understand the reason for your tears"
feeling Neteyam's warm embrace, his soothing voice and his calming presence caused more tears to flow harder down your face as you opened up. "I-It's A-Ao'nung," your voice is soft as you speak, trying to repress your crying hiccups from surfacing.
Neteyam's brow bones furrowed at the mention of Ao'nung, "What did that skxawng do?"
You took a deep breath, trying to pull yourself somewhat together so your words could be coherent when you told Neteyam the story. "We were dating, a couple" Neteyam's eyes widened at the newfound information.
He of course didn't know you were dating him or that you were even interested in Ao'nung which caught him off guard a little but he continued giving you his undivided attention.
"I just broke up with him because I found out that he didn't want to be seen around the village with me. The only thing he values is his friend's opinion, he didn't even truly love me enough to be with me in public. He manipulated me, making me believe that Ronal didn't want us together so we had to keep it a secret but in reality, he didn't want me to ruin his stupid reputation."
Neteyam's jaw tensed as he processed your words. He was shocked at first but it quickly turned to fuming anger, "Did he give you that bruise too?" A growl rumbled from his throat as he once again looked at the purple handprint around your bicep.
"When I tried to talk to him he snatched me up and shoved me because he didn't want anyone to see us together" As you relive the event that just occurred you could still feel Ao'nung dark presence around you. His coldness was still on your skin and that only made you feel worse.
"I'm gonna kill him for hurting you" saying that Neteyam was mad was a complete understatement. Knowing that someone hurt you emotionally and physically, manipulated and played you like you were an idiot made him want to go ballistic.
As Neteyam continued seething with raw anger while trying to comfort you to the best of his ability Lo'ak walked in, "What's up you guys?"
Lo'ak felt the anger and tension in the atmosphere which made him concerned, "What happened?" Lo'ak looked between you and Neteyam waiting for someone to give him some answers
"Ao'nung happened, he treats our tsmuke like shit and thinks he can get away with it."
Hearing you and Ao'nung in the same sentence instantly made Lo'ak pissed, he didn't even need to hear the full story. He could see you were hurting and that was enough for him "Let's go kick his ass"
Watching Lo'ak pound his fists together as he cracks his knuckles were not a good sign, "Please don't fight him, I don't want you both getting in trouble with Dad over this"
Lo'ak was already in trouble for starting an argument with some boys in the village and this would only add fuel to the fire.
"I don't give two shits about getting in trouble with Dad right now, Ao'nung is going to pay for hurting you, plus when Dad hears the full story I doubt he'll even be mad anymore" Lo'ak said as he grabbed your hand and pulled you out the mauri and toward the village.
"Now tell me where that bitch is so I can cave his face in" As you looked up at Lo'ak you could see the rage stirring up inside him just waiting to be unleashed.
You knew this was definitely going to end badly but you didn't care because Ao'nung deserved it.
Every punch, kick, and insult your brothers give him he deserves because he decided to love you in the shadows.
I hope you enjoyed💗!
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A/N: I didn’t feel like writing the fight scene so just imagine the one from the movie just more insults, intense fighting, and Ao’nung getting beat to a pulp😎!
neteyam and you are too different. you're a free spirit and a bit of a rebel. he's the chief's son and follows all rules. you both like each other but don't believe the other could ever feel same. one night, lo'ak and you sneak out, and neteyam follows. when the skypeople come, putting you all in danger, neteyam and you are forced to face your feelings.
contains: action and angst (safe for work)
You race along the vines that connect two of the Floating Mountains. The night sky glistens above you as you feel the cool air hit your face. You should be sleeping, like the rest of the clan, but you’re restless. Everytime you close your eyes, you sense the forest buzzing beneath you, full of life. You hate that the sky people have forced your clan into High Camp, into the mountains. Luckily, Lo’ak is always down to sneak out.
You stop running once you reach the outskirts of High Camp. You see the top of your parent’s red tent and pause for a moment. Maybe you should just go home. A call from an ikran floats through the silence. You smile and set off towards the Sully’s.
You crouch down and scuttle across the moist floor of camp. Soft whispers, snores, and the occasional cough come from various tents. Once you reach the Sully’s tent, the largest one in camp, you go left, where Lo’ak and Neteyam sleep. You listen intently, making sure Jake and Neytiri are sleeping. The last thing you want is Jake coming out and yelling at Lo’ak and you, something he’s done many times before.
After a moment of silence, you decide they must be sleeping. You take a deep breath before scratching three times against the tent where the boys sleep. Lo’ak and you created this method of communicating shortly after the clan made camp in the mountains. Neteyam hates when you all sneak out. Sometimes he accompanies you both, grumbling the whole time about how you will all get trouble. And even though his complaints are annoying, you like when he joins.
A moment goes by and you’re about to scratch again when you hear rumbling from inside the tent. You pause, holding your breath, praying it’s Lo’ak and not Jake. Another rustle. Then, three scratches in return. Your shoulders loosen with relief. You make your way back through the camp, not waiting for Lo’ak. You will meet him outside, in the open air, where you won’t have to whisper.
Once you’ve reached the outskirts of camp again, you turn back. You observe how your clan has been forced to live in the mountains, far above the forest where you all belong. It breaks your heart. You look away, suddenly eager to do something fun, something that will make you forget all the pain in your heart.
You stare out at the surrounding Floating Mountains. A few ikran fly in the distance making your heart lurch. Footsteps sound behind you.
“Hey!” Lo’ak says energetically. You turn around to find him smiling at you, his tail flicking back and forth. Lo’ak has been your best friend since childhood. You both have a rebellious streak, love adventure, and have the same humor: you just understand each other. Some people in the village crack jokes that you are a couple but it’s never been romantic. He’s like your brother.
You smile back at him. “Hey, wanna ride the ikran?”
“Hell yea,” he replies and begins walking towards the edge of the mountain. There’s a jump in his step, like he too has been needing an out. An escape from home and the clan. Just to be free for a while. You breathe out slowly and follow after him when a voice stops you.
“Wait.” It’s Neteyam. He walks out of the camp, his shoulders tense and his eyes worried. You’ve always thought that Neteyam is so serious, sometimes you're jealous of that. He’s able to take all of his responsibilities and handle them. He’s so strong while you’re always looking for an escape. Neteyam stops just before you as his eyes drift to his brother.
Lo’ak groans in irritation at the sight of his protective brother. “What, bro?”
“Where are you two going?” Neteyam asks, his eyes slipping from Lo’ak over to you. Your heart stutters when his gaze falls on you. You also think that Neteyam is kinda gorgeous. Lo’ak used to make fun of you for having a crush on Neteyam and you denied it until he stopped. There’s no point in admitting your crush, it’s useless. Neteyam and you are two completely different people. He would never like you. So you brush off your crush by teasing Neteyam and pretending to be confident.
“Don’t worry about it,” Lo’ak mumbles back to Neteyam.
“Oh, I’m gonna worry,” Neteyam snaps back, his ears flattening, “Dad will be pissed if he finds out.”
“Don’t worry, mister uptight,” you tease, “he won’t find out.” Neteyam gives you a pointed look, the whisper of a blush on his cheeks.
Lo’ak laughs before saying, “He’ll never know unless you tell him.” He raises an eyebrow at Neteyam. You cross your arms over your chest.
Neteyam pauses, staring at his younger brother, whose messes he always has to clean. He knows there’s no point in forcing him to go back home. Lo’ak is too stubborn. The only solution is to go with them. Neteyam sighs, trying to make it seem like he doesn’t want to do this. But that isn’t true. He hates breaking his parents' rules but he likes to sneak with Lo’ak because then he gets to see you.
Neteyam looks at you. You’re standing with your arms crossed, a somewhat accusatory look plastered across your pretty face. Neteyam is enthralled by you: your spirit, your attitude, and your beauty. He’s forced his attraction down, never wanting anyone to find out, especially not Lo’ak. What would his brother think? Him having a crush on his best friend. Besides, you were a free-spirit and he’s ‘uptight’. There’s no way you’d like him back.
“Fine, you can go,” Neteyam says after a moment of silence, “but I’m coming.”
“Whatever, bro,” Lo’ak says before turning and running across the thick vines, away from High Camp.
Your heart tightens at Neteyam’s words. You quickly follow Lo’ak and try to ignore your feelings.
Neteyam brings up the rear as the three of you bounce across the vines, high above the forest. The air is sweet and the smell of pines drifts up from the trees. You love Pandora, so very much. Lo’ak reaches the end of the vine and jumps onto another mountain, his familiar hair swinging behind him. The vine is soft and sturdy beneath your feet as you jump off after Lo’ak.
You hear Neteyam land behind you but you don’t look back. “Let’s ride!” You call to Lo’ak. A sudden urgency races through you. You need to be in the air, feeling the wind against your face, letting all your worries be swept away.
“Wanna race?” Lo’ak challenges as you reach the edge of the mountain. You peer down, seeing the stark drop into the glowing forest below. You smirk at Lo’ak. There’s nothing you love more than a competition.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Neteyam states as he joins you.
“Bro,” Lo’ak complains and rolls his eyes, “you don’t think anything is a good idea.”
“I don’t think your ideas are ever good,” Neteyam says pointedly, “we aren’t supposed to fly alone, especially not at night. What if the sky people come?”
“Aren’t you supposed to be the mighty warrior?” You retort. Neteyam hesitates. You lean closer to him, a playful smile on your lips as you pretend to be confident. “Won’t you protect us?”
Goosebumps appear along Neteyam’s skin as you stare playfully at him. God, he hates how you are so oblivious to his crush on you. He thinks you’re so cool and unique, it makes him nervous. He swallows and forces his eyes away from your face.
Lo’ak chuckles, “yea brother, isn’t that why you came with?”
Neteyam scoffs. He did come to protect you guys but he also just wanted to be around you…
You tilt your head to the side. Neteyam’s stern face looks down at the forest way below. He’s so unfazed by your teasing. Nothing ever fazes him. If a woman ever catches his eye, she’ll have to be pretty amazing. Your stomach drops at the thought. You know it’ll never be you.
“I came so you both wouldn’t be stupid,” Neteyam begins, “but you do stupid things anyway.”
“Exactly!” Lo’ak agrees before winking at you. He calls out into the night, a high pitched whistle than three low ones. Neteyam moves, his hands reaching out to grab his younger brother’s shoulders. But he’s too late. Lo’ak jumps off the mountain just before Neteyam can grasp him. He plummets down a few feet until his ikran appears, almost out of thin air. Lo’ak lands smoothly on his banshee and grins up at us, his white teeth gleaming manically in the darkness. “Hurry up!”
“Argh!” Neteyam groans in annoyance. He hates when his brother does reckless things. Doesn’t he understand danger? If something happened to Lo’ak… he isn’t sure he’d ever forgive himself.
You flinch at Neteyam’s outburst. He seems lost in thought, well more like lost in worry. You inhale deeply and steel your nerves. Be confident, you tell yourself, act chill. You reach out and flick Neteyam’s tail between your hands.
“Hey!” He turns around, a look of surprise on his face as he smacks your hands away playfully.
You hold your hands up in a sarcastic surrender before smiling. “Are you scared, chief’s son?”
He pulls his lips to the side and cocks his head. “No,” he says, his deep voice stirring something in you, “I just don’t find stupidity fun.”
You ignore his comment and whistle three times, each of them high-pitched before turning to Neteyam. He’s standing somewhat rigid, but then again he always looks tense. His amber eyes shine and little white flecks glow along his blue face. His beauty takes your breath away. He furrows his eyebrows.
You throw yourself off the mountain before he has a chance to say anything. God, you hope he didn’t notice the look on your face.
Neteyam races to the edge of the mountain just in time to see you ride off on your ikran. He shakes his head with a smile on his face. He can’t help but smile at you. There’s something about you that sets him on edge. It makes him want to let loose and relax. You make him want to be more than just a perfect son; you make him want to be himself. He calls for his ikran before hurtling into the night sky.
Lo’ak swoops and dives on his ikran, right in front of you. The moons illuminate his familiar form as he challenges you to various tricks. He shoots into the air before flipping around multiple times as he laughs. His laughter is familiar, like the smell of your mom when she hugs you.
You follow him, sending your ikran high in the sky before flipping around and diving straight down. The wind whips your face as adrenaline shoots through your veins. You love this freedom. You love how it makes your mind go blank. You swoop, dangerously close to the sides of the mountains.
“Yo! Watch out, cuz!” Lo’ak cries to which you laugh before diving down again. “You’re crazy, girl,” Lo’ak calls out to you, his ikran flapping behind yours.
Neteyam sits calmly on his banshee. He watches as his brother and you fly around like insane circus acts. He notices how close you fly to the mountain, his whole body tenses up. He wonders why you do these reckless things. Is it just because you love adventure? Or is it something more? He thinks about the way you study people, how observant you are, and how deeply you think. He’s almost certain there is more to you than meets the eye. The thought intrigues him, making him like you even more.
You notice Neteyam, calmly flying around Lo’ak and you. He never joins in on the fun. He’s always content to just watch. You wonder what it’s like to be that content. What it’s like to know who you are and what you want to do. You admire that about Neteyam. You wish you could be more sure footed like him. You force your eyes away from his strong frame and continue flying with Lo’ak when suddenly, the trees go still.
Your ikran freezes beneath you. Your heart begins to hammer in your chest. Lo’ak stops a few feet ahead of you, his eyes wide. Silence envelopes you, not a peaceful silence but a dreadful one. The kind that warns you. You turn towards Neteyam to find him already flying towards you.
“Back home, now,” Neteyam calls, “I have a bad feeling.”
Lo’ak and you nod, neither of you needing more convincing. Even your ikran is on edge as she chirps nervously beneath you. Then, a sound slices through the silence, like the buzzing of a strange insect.
All of you pause and strain your ears. The buzzing turns into a whirring. Neteyam’s mouth falls open. “Sky people!”
“Oh shit!” Lo’ak states, panic coating his words.
Your hands begin to shake as your ikran flutters restlessly beneath you. Just then, a large helicopter appears from behind a mountain, heading straight towards you.
“Fly down!” Neteyam orders. “Don’t lead them to Camp. Go into the forest!”
Lo’ak and you immediately dive down as the sky people begin shooting. Gunshots burst as Pandora comes back to life. Cries of animals fill the air and a tension sets all around you. The whirring of the helicopter grows louder as it follows you three.
You hadn’t realized how high you were flying until now. You keep diving down but the treetops are still too far away. Lo’ak is further ahead, his ikran’s wings are bent low as he speeds through the air. But your ikran is more nervous as she fights her way down. More gunshots. The helicopter is coming right after you.
Neteyam shoots past you, following his brother. Come on, you think as you tell your ikran to go faster. A huge pile of light shoots down. You jolt in shock and your ikran screeches. The helicopter sent a flare at you. You shudder. Another round of gunshots, this time they’re aimed right at you.
You can no longer see Lo’ak or Neteyam. Panic begins in your stomach and spreads through your veins. Another flash of bright light, like a huge fire, booms right next to you. Your ikran can’t take it. She thrashes at the sight of the light and there’s nothing you can do to calm her down. Her wings flap uselessly at her sides as she looks around the night sky in confusion. The helicopter sets off another round of gunshots, they whiz right by your head.
You have no choice, you have to jump from your ikran or you’ll be shot. You reach for your hair and break the tsaheylu. You close your eyes and jump.
You didn’t think anything but the words slipped out of your mouth anyway, “Neteyam!” You scream as your body falls in midair.
Now, you’re squeezing your eyes shut. The wind is racing past you, burning your skin. You feel your arms and legs go numb with fear. You should’ve just gone into your parents tent earlier tonight. You should never have snuck out. You should’ve listened to Neteyam. Oh, Neteyam.
You land hard against something. Arms wrap around your body, holding you steady. You don’t dare to open your eyes. Is this real? You aren’t sure. You can’t process anything except the pounding of your heart.
The rustle of trees fills your ears and you can no longer hear the helicopter. Someone’s fingers rub your shoulder in comforting circles. Your breath is coming out quickly and sharply.
“You’re okay,” a soothing voice says, “I got you.”
Your heart rate slows at the sound as some of your panic begins to subdue. Pines and freshness infuse your nose: you’re in the forest. You're pushed up against a warm body. You slowly open your eyes, almost fearful of what you’ll see.
You inhale sharply. “Neteyam.”
His face is drawn together in concentration as he swoops between treetops on his ikran. His jaw loosens at the sound of your voice. He had been so scared. He’d never known fear like that. He was following Lo’ak when he heard your scream. It made his blood run cold. His vision had gone black, the only thing that mattered to him was saving you. He saw you floating in the air, your body hanging limply and he raced towards you. He didn’t care about the sky people and the guns, all he cared about was that you were safe in his arms.
And now you are. He wants to look at you but keeps his focus on flying. He can feel your rapid heartbeat and knows how scared you must have been. He wants to fly up and kill all those skypeople for making you feel like that.
Once he sees a clearing, he slowly brings his ikran down and lands. You still lie in his arms, your body still recovering from the intensity of falling. Your face is pale. The sight of you like this hurts Neteyam’s heart. He curses under his breath before slipping his hands beneath you and lifting you up.
Normally, you would never let someone carry you like some doll, but right now, you don’t trust your legs to stand. So, you allow Neteyam to carry you towards a nearby tree where he softly sets you on the ground. You lean against the tree as he sits down next to you, worry coating his features.
“Are you alright?”
You nod. “I will be. Just—” you swallow, suddenly nervous. You aren’t sure you want to tell him how scared you were. You aren’t sure you want to be vulnerable with him. It’ll break the facade you’ve made for him. He stares at you openly, stress lining his eyes. You exhale. Screw it. “I was really scared. Just need a moment to recover,” you say quietly.
Neteyam looks at you with understanding. “Take your time.”
“Where’s Lo’ak?” You ask, suddenly alarmed again.
Neteyam holds his hands out as if to say calm down. “He’s fine. I told him to wait at the pond. I whistled to him when we landed and he replied.”
You nod and close your eyes. You're safe, you tell yourself, Lo’ak is too. You think of happy memories and try to relax.
Neteyam thinks you look beautiful and then he instantly regrets it. Not because you aren’t beautiful but because you’re so upset and he shouldn’t be thinking that at a time like this. But he can’t stop thinking about how different you are. You stand out to him more than anyone. And the sound of your scream, your body, your pain; it made him realize it even more. He can’t keep ignoring his feelings for you.
After a few moments, you open your eyes. You feel much better. Your legs aren’t numb and feel like yourself again. You look over at Neteyam to find him already watching you, an expression on his face that you can’t quite read. “Thank you,” you say, “for saving me.”
Neteyam smiles, a playful glint in his eyes. “I am the mighty warrior.”
“Oh, whatever!” You shove his shoulder, briefly feeling the warmth of his skin.
He laughs. You rarely hear him laugh but when he does– it’s incredible. You can’t describe it but it’s your favorite sound in the whole world.
Neteyam stops laughing and notices you staring at him. He feels suddenly self-conscious, maybe he shouldn’t be laughing like this, letting his guard down. “What is it?” he asks.
The words are out of your mouth before you can stop them. “I like your laugh.”
Neteyam freezes. He hadn’t expected you to say that.
A blush creeps onto your cheeks. Why did you say that? Idiot, idiot, idiot.
Neteyam’s lips break into a shy smile. His heart soaring, he wasn’t sure what your comment meant but he loved hearing you say it. “I have some redeeming qualities,” he says, thinking of all the uptight jokes that you and Lo’ak have made.
You pause, hearing the uncertainty in his voice. “Neteyam,” you say in disbelief, “you have too many good qualities to count.” You pause, studying the way his amber eyes dart across your face. “You’re practically perfect.”
Neteyam’s mouth falls open. No way, you just said that to him.
Your blush grows, heating your whole face. You think about laughing at him or pretend to be joking, but you decide not to. To hell with the facade. Maybe it was the near death experience that made you so bold. But you know now, you’re tired of pretending not to have feelings for Neteyam.
Neteyam doesn’t think about his actions as he scoots closer to you. You think he’s perfect, the words bubble in his brain and float to his heart. You watch him as he moves closer. His heart pounds against his chest at the sight of your face so close to his. “I think you’re practically perfect too,” he whispers.
Shock covers your face. “Really?” You ask. “You’re so much more sure of yourself then me.”
He laughs in disbelief. “Me? Sure of myself?” He shakes his head. His amber eyes never leave yours. “You’re the one who follows your heart. You go on adventures and you’re full of life.”
Your breath hitches in your throat. You can’t believe this is happening. You can’t believe the words coming out of Neteyam’s mouth yet here they are. Loud and clear. A smile forces its way onto your lips.
Neteyam’s eyes brighten at the expression on your face. He reaches up, his hand shaking and tucks a strand of hair gently behind your ear. The movement sends sparks across your skin. “I like you,” Neteyam says.
“I like you too,” you reply without hesitation. You’ve known those words to be true, you’ve kept them secret for too long, and it feels so good to say them out loud. Relief and happiness curl through your body as a grin cracks across Neteyam’s face.
You both lean towards each other as if you’re being pulled by some magnetic force. Your lips collide instantly, moving against each other naturally, like they’ve done this before. And maybe they have in another lifetime. Neteyam reaches his hands up and cups your face as he kisses you gently. You turn the kiss as Neteyam’s heart melts. He’s dreamed of this moment, of kissing you, and he never imagined it would be as amazing as this.
Neither of you are sure how long you’ve kissed for, neither of you want to pull apart, neither of you want to let go. You want to stay like this forever and forget the world.
~~~
idk what this even is i just thought of the idea and wrote it out. hope you guys like it!!
do you guys like the switch of perspectives? i don't usually do that but it was fun.
anyway, let me know what you think and if you want a part 2 or any other submission requests <3
language: Syulang- flower, Kalweyaveng- son of a bitch, Oel ngati kameie- i see you
description: Tsireya, a girl you have loved before you even knew what the word meant. A girl that made you feel ugly emotions you did not know were possible. The girl you would connect to by a small little seashells.
The first time you saw Tsireya you did not know why you were so drawn to her. A little voice screaming in your head to be her friend. She seemed like an angel in your small eyes, the most beautiful girl you had ever seen, and you just couldn’t tear your gaze away. Completely tuning out your breathing instructor it was as if she had put you in a magical trance. “Y/n stop gawking at Tsireya and please pay attention. This lesson is very important!” Snapping her finger in front of your dazed face your teacher wore a stern expression. Obviously unamused with your new found interest in the small girl. A series of giggles echoed through the small group of children at her public scolding. Embarrassed, you casted your eyes to the floor a dark purple hue rising to your face. You did not miss the way Tsireya giggled with the rest, her voice seeming to stand out to your ears, only deepening your flustered state. It was the first time in your whole 5 years of life you felt truly flustered, a feeling you would get use to as you spent more time around Tsireya.
Thankfully, your teacher was quick to shush the children’s giggles saving you from farther humiliation. “There is no reason to laugh, now let’s wrap up this lesson.” Voice soft yet commanding all the children listened to the older na’vi. Big eyes all zoned in on her as she pressed her hands to her stomach explaining how to breathe from your belly. While you could not help but steal a few glances at the girl across the circle from you. Her big blue eyes seeming to hold the stars as she payed all her attention to her instructor. The class seemed to end too soon as your teacher dismissed you all. The girl you now knew as Tsireya rising to her feet. You did not expect her small body to walk over to you, eyes widening in shock. “Im Tsireya. You kept looking at me does that mean you wanna be my friend?”
“O-of course!” Tone radiating happiness you quickly rose to your feet. The girl was obviously a bit younger than you as you straightened yourself out standing a few inches over her. “I’m y/n” Smiling Tsireya giggled at your excitement seeing your emotions so obviously on display. “Wanna collect seashells with me?” Small hand outstretched you invited her to take yours. Excitedly nodding her head Tsireya placed her hands in yours. A joy like no other filling your body as you guided her to your favorite spot. Allowing the waves to lap over you feet as the two of you search the sand for a hidden gem. Creating a memory you would never forget. The moment that bonded you and Tsireya together.
Now in your late teenage years the two of you still shared the same habit. Tsireya had just finished her training of the day running to your form as you waited for her on the beach. “Y/n!” Ears perking up at the familiar voice you turned your head. As expected Tsireya wore a bright smile as she prance towards you . “I finished this last night wanted you to have it.” Voice soft the girl attempted to catch her breath, words coming out in a jumble. “You have always been a master weaver.” Accepting her gift you slid on her small bracelet. Seashells the two of you had found carefully placed in between the strands of fabric. Tsireyas big eyes watching your every move waiting for your reaction, comfortable placing herself next to you. Holding her gift up to the sun the seashells seemed to sparkle, a soft smile gracing your lips. Butterflies invading your stomach as you brain could not help but imagine this as a courting gift. “Is it to your liking?” Gaze shifting to the girl who still rested a few inches below you a warm feeling filled your stomach as you met her glimmering eyes.
“Of course syulang, I love it.” Shying away from your gaze her small hand came to her lips. A futile attempt to cover her smile. “Now come we must add to your collection.” Boldly taking her hands in your you guided her to the shore of the ocean just as you did many times. Tsireya, allowing you to drag her along as butterflies erupted in her stomach. Eventually Tsireya ventured on her own picking up the seashell she deemed the prettiest. A soft smile covering your face as you ‘looked’ with her, while in reality you spent most of the your time looking at her. “Ah! Look at this one!” Voice shrill Tsireyas voice seemed to raise a couple octaves as she rushed towards you. Smiling from ear to ear she presented a seashell morphed and smoothed into a heart shape by the ocean waves. “Look how it shines!” Giggling she help it up to the sun and it did in fact shine with the sun rays. A beautiful color that almost mirrored the shade of her baby blue eyes. “It’s a wonderful color, might just be my favorite shade of blue.”
“Really?” Cocking her head to the side Tsireys seemed to examine the seashell more. “I will make you more jewelry in this shade!” Proudly announcing her will it was as if a tiny light bulb had gone off in her head. “When I think about it I have not known your updated favorite color for a while now. What shade do you like syulang?” Turning to face you Tsireya lifted her head slightly. Her brows scrunched together as she thought, a habit she had kept ever since her toddler days. Suddenly bringing her hand to your face her thumb traced just below your eyes. Shocked, your pupils dilated slightly as the place she touched began to burn. Although, she had touched you thousands of times before it still sent fire racing through your skin. A fear rising in you that she would hear your heart thumping against your chest as you met her puppy dog eyes. “I think it might be your eyes, Eywa blessed you with a beautiful color.” Parting your lips you attempted to say something but to no avail. It was as if she had knocked the words out of you as you felt the temperature in your face begin to rise.
Seeming to notice this a smile made its way onto Tsireyas lips. Her touched slowly sliding down your face to your neck as she admired the markings adoring your body. “I will see you tomorrow? I must be getting back now. I have an important dinner to attend.” You did not miss the way her face slightly dropped at the mention of the dinner. You felt a pity for her knowing the stories of how incredible boring they were. “Of course, same spot as always.” Patting her head you ushered her off, not wanting the young girl to get in trouble because of you. Watching her form prance away you could not help but relish the heat of her lingering touch. Smacking your cheek you attempted to rid yourself of your emotions. “She is the cheifs daughter it will never work.” Muttering words you had said a million times. Words that had suppressed your growing emotions for years.
Sitting on the beach you gazed at the ocean. Finding peace in how the sand welcomed your form and the waves lapped against the shore. It was a beautiful day for taking a simple stroll on the beach. The sun was radiant yet not too hot resting calmly against your turquoise skin. A sigh breached your lips as you doodled in the sand an impatience growing within you every passing secant. You had secured a stone you deemed close enough to your eye color hoping to gift it to Tsireya. You had spent most of your morning crafting it into a similar heat shape as the one she found the other day. Using your weaving skills make it the center of a new top you had been crafting for the girl. Position the stone just right so it would rest upon her heart, a place you yearned to be.
Hours seemed to pass as you began to doze off head dipping from exhaustion. Your body seeming to flinch back awake every other minute. Finally having enough of waiting you rose to your feet a slight fear entering you. Tsireya had never stood you up. The girl Always telling you if she could not make it or at least stopping by for a few minutes before reporting back to her duties. Hopping to your feet your legs carried you in a hurry back to the village. Eyes scanning every na’vi passing you in hope one would be her. Almost near the end of your search a familiar giggle filled your ears. Body whipping around you felt you muscles visibly relax when you eyes set on her. Tsireya’s usual smile decoration her face.
“Reya-“ Cutting yourself off mid sentence you bit your tongue as another na’vi entered your view. You felt your stomach twist with a disgusting jealousy as you watched her interact with the male you knew as Ateo. Knowing by the look of desire swirling in his eyes that this was no platonic interaction. Eyes shifting back to the smaller female an anger seemed to mix in with your ugly emotions. Body moving as if you were possessed. “Oh! Y/n!” Noticing your presence Tsireya turned herself towards you. Noticing your mood a confused expression covered her face not sure why you seemed so upset. “Is there something wro-“
“You ditched me for this Kalweyaveng!” Voice dipping with venom you glared at the na’vi to her left. Fury dancing in your eyes. “Who do you think you’re talking too?” Eyes narrowing Ateos glare rested apon you. His tail whipping in aggression. “Wait, wait let’s all calm down.” Attempting to mediate the situation Tsireyas voice fell to death ears as Ateo took aggressive steps towards you. The male had always been arrogant and short tempered. Ateo stood slightly taller than you and seemed to be trying to use that as intimidation. You wanted to scoff at his pathetic attempt to make you cower. Bearing your teeth to Ateo you proved he did nothing to you. “You mad I stole your bitch?” Taunting words left the males lips and it made you want to rip his juggler out then and there. “Have some respect before I make you.” Hands shoving his chest you pushed the na’vi back slightly. Waiting for his short fuse to break.
“I said calm down!” Tone sharp and loud Tsireays voice drew the both of your eyes away from the other. An instant regret crashing over you as you saw her glossy eyes glaring at you both. “You are acting like children get a grip! And to call me by such a name Ateo?” Body shaking in anger the offense was evident in her voice. Body frozen you waited for the next words to leave her mouth but they never did. Seeming to stop herself from speaking Tsireya turned the other way her overwhelming emotions evident in her body language. “Dickhead.” Muttering the insult you quickly followed after Tsireya unraveling her top from your small bag. You did not worry about knowing the destination. Already knowing where Tsireya was headed. Knowing the female since childhood came with its perks.
Dragging your feet in the sand you purposely took a little longer to get to the spot on the beach. Wanting to leave time for Tsireya to calm down. Eventually, her form came into view as you quietly approached her, placing your body in the sand. Although she did not meet your gaze you knew she was aware of your presence as her ears twitching with each movement you made. “Hey syulang” Voice soft you allowed your hand to rest on her back, your finger trailing small circles on her skin. You felt her inhale deeply before meeting your gaze. “I am sorry.” Voice soft a pout rested upon Tsireyas face. “I did not mean to stand you up. It’s just my parents announced him as a potential mate and insisted I spent some time with him. I could not find the time to tell you.” Hearing her explanation it was like a knife to the heart. Shame washing over you in waves as you cursed your jealously fueled actions. Heart banging with regret and sadness at the mention of her mating.
“I am not mad. My reaction was very….. over the top. I am sorry.” Giggling slightly Tsireya seemed to recall the recent memory. “You looked like you were about to rip his head off! But, you did save me from having a horribly disrespectful and hot headed mate so I can not be mad.” Smiling slightly you felt relief wash over you as Tsireya seemed to accept your apology. Her normal cheerful mood returning. “I could never stay mad at you y/n. But why did you get so angry? Were you jealous?” Voice having a teasing tone to his Tsireya skillfully pried. Not wanting to let her true emotions out before she knew yours. Cheeks tenting at her suggestion you could not hold her gaze. Eyes casted out at the ocean. “I need to practice keeping my emotions in check.” Sighing at your answer a frown crossed Tsireyas face. She was tired of your indirect answers, she simply wanted to know what was going on in your head. “What is wrong syulang?”
“Nothing, I just need to find more suitors. I am of mating age after all.” Covering up her feelings she lied. Watching closely as you seemed to cringe at her words ears downturned. “I can make better things than any other suitor could.” Handing her the top you made Tsireyas eyes seems to sparkle. A shy smile making its way onto her face as her hands ran over the fabric. Tuning to dig into her pouch a confused look covered your face as you watched her rummage. Taking out a necklace with the seashell that matched hers but sewn into a dangly piece of jewelry. “We can match now!” Handing you the necklace with the seashell resembling her eyes you could not help the hue casting over your cheeks. “Tsireya we can not, only mates or family match.” Attempting to move the necklace back into their hands she resisted a stubbornly.
“Do you not wish to?” Eyes hurt she flashed her puppy dog look. The frown she wore minutes ago now placed upon her face again. Not being able to resist her beautiful eyes you placed the necklace on with a sigh. Thoughts spiraling in your head as Tsireya eyes lit up at the action. Turning her body around she began to undo her top. Air catching in your throat your eyes watched the fabric fall. Her slim back on full display. Her bare skin soon covered by the top you crafted, as she skillfully tied it around her neck. “Now we are matching!” Voice cheerful Tsireya launched herself onto you. Her body resting comfortable on your legs as she hugged you close. Heart beating rapidly against your chest you placed your arms around her. The warmth of her body seeming to burn as you temperature rose. “Tsireya-“
“I am not 5 y/n I know what the clan will think if they see us.” Leaning back Tsireya met your gaze. Her arms still around your neck and body comfortable seated on yours. There was no doubt your cheeks were every shade of purple as your eyes widened. Trying to wrap the meaning of her words around you brain. “Then I will court you.” Statement clear you looked into her ocean eyes. Searching for a reaction that was soon to come. A joyful screech left Tsireyas lips as she brung her body back to yours. Pressing herself impossibility close as your heart leaped in joy.
“Oel ngati kameie y/n”
“Oel ngati kameie, tsireya.”
Words of affection whispered you did not let Tsireya leave your hold. Eclipse settling in as the two of you cuddled in the sand. Your head on Tsireyas chest as the two of you looked up into the sky. Your matching seashell glowing with your bioluminescence freckles as they connected. The two hearts seeming to have once been one of the same shell. Reunited by two painfully oblivious na’vi finally making a move.
a/n: I hope you like my first Tsireya fic! I can not get enough of the Metkayina siblings. 🤭
