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Rengoku was granted just a moment to visit all the people he cared for.
He went to his father first, and made a noise to get his attention.
He startled awake, staring blearily, sleepily through a half-drunk haze.
Rengoku smiled at him kindly and sank to his knees in a deep bow, and his moment was up.
"Wait-!" He heard his father say, voice tight, "my son…" he began to cry.
Rengoku's heart wrenched at the sight… he wished things could have been different. But they weren't, and so he moved on to visit his baby brother.
Senjuro slept soundly, curled up under the blanket in a little ball.
Rengoku knelt and pet his soft hair. His eyes blinked open and he rubbed them. Senjuro began to sit up and he realized who was before him, "A-aniue?!"
Rengoku beamed at him and reached for his hair to ruffle it, and then his time was up.
"Ainue no! Please come back! I miss you so much!" Senjuro reached out a trembling hand where Rengoku had appeared for him and slowly brought it back. He sank back onto his futon and curled up even tighter, sobbing into his pillow.
Rengoku sighed. He hated making them so upset, but he had a plan and he hoped it would ease everyone's hearts once he fulfilled it. He moved onto Mitsuri, then Shinobu, Oyakata-sama, even though he could not see Rengoku, but somehow he knew.
"Thank you for visiting, my child. I am deeply sorry for your death. I hope you can forgive me and pass on peacefully, Kyojuro." He prayed for him and sat there for a time, crying softly and cursing Kibutsuji.
Rengoku moved on to visit Tengen next. The large man slept peacefully surrounded by his wives. The shoji was open to the cool night air and the moon shone brightly, bathing the engawa in a pale glow.
Rengoku touched the chime hanging from the eaves and it tinkled brightly.
Uzui woke instantly, swiftly, gently disentangling himself from the women and pausing midway when he realized what he was seeing, "Kyojuro!" He whispered, eye wide.
Rengoku smiled to him with his eyes blazing and held up his clenched fist, standing tall and proud with his haori flared behind him. He faded from Uzui’s view, his brief time spent.
He heard Tengen laugh quietly, watery, "How flashy, my friend." Uzui covered his mouth with his remaining hand and held back a sob as tears squeezed from his tightly shut eye.
Rengoku then visited each of the three brave boys he met on the train that night, almost regretting seeing the Yellow Boy when he let out a terrified shriek. Rengoku held his finger to his lips in a shushing gesture and laughed, reaching to pat him on the head before moving on.
Boar Head was much more subdued, just staring curiously at him. Rengoku wasn’t sure what kind of comfort to offer this boy, so he chose to affect a proud, strong posture. Perhaps it would give him something to look up to. "I thought you died, goggle-eye! Why are you in- what?!" He whipped his head around as Rengoku faded from view. “This place is haunted!”
Rengoku hesitated outside the last boy's room. His heart hurt fiercely as he remembered the boy’s tears, the pain and heartbreak on his sweet face. He wished he could have gotten to know him better. He had such a pure, loving spirit.
Rengoku stepped through the door soundlessly. He walked softly, despite knowing he didn't make any audible footfalls, until he was near Kamado-kun’s head.
Rengoku knelt and looked at him sleeping so peacefully. A lock of hair had fallen over his face and Rengoku gently brushed it back into place, alerting Kamado-kun of his presence.
Tanjiro's eyes opened sleepily, bringing a hand up to his face. His fingers touched something warm and soft and he looked up, tilting his head backward a little. His eyes widened in shock before his face crumpled in sadness, "Rengoku-san-!" He squeaked through his suddenly tight throat. Tears fell freely and he dashed them away so he could see clearly. "Rengoku-san!"
Tanjiro placed his hand over Kyojuro’s where it rested over his cheek and the Hashira smiled gently at him, adoration on his face, "Be strong, Tanjiro. I will wait for you."
Kyojuro leaned down and pressed a kiss to the boy's head before fading from his view.
“Rengoku-san no! Don’t go! Don’t leave me again!” Tanjiro, like Senjuro, curled onto himself and sobbed just as brokenly as he did on that horrible day, “Please come back, Rengoku-san, please come back-!”
Rengoku hated making the ones he loved so sad, but he hoped that they would always remember him and be happy someday that he could see them all one last time.
He gathered the threads that bonded him to everyone he had visited and held them over his heart.
"Set your heart ablaze! I believe in you all."
Across the land, all of the ones who had been fortunate enough to have met the Flame Hashira and been enveloped in his warmth felt a little spark of determination grow in their soul and the pain of his loss became just a little bit easier to bear.
Kyojuro faded from the living world and stepped back into the beautiful field of grass and flowers. He sat next to a beautiful, dark haired woman and prepared to wait for as long as it took.
"Perhaps the next life will treat us all more kindly."
"I dearly hope so, Mother." He breathed, tears dripping from his chin and leaving little dark spots on his hakama.