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You are a Kakashi who helps the demon slayer corps aid the slayers themselves, from something as little as helping prepare food to something bigger, to which each crew member may pick what to do depending on what they specialize in, some opt to go for full-time chefs, medics, some opting to go all around, generally use in every scenario; essentially a jack of all trades though master at none.
You are no different, as you had an interest in human biology beforehand, previously a student working to be having an occupation in the medical field; seeing as that is the only thing you are fit to do, you decided on being a crew member who helps take care of demon slayers after their missions, whom most of which were heavily injured even if it at times it wasn't the case.
Seeing as there is no general hospital, especially since the corps itself isn't recognized by the government, one of the hashiras went ahead and shared their personal space and home, the butterfly mansion, hoping to ensure safety for those in need; that same mansion is where you work at now, spending the majority of your time taking care of patients one by one, some of which you’ve bonded with after seeing the same old familiar faces every time.
But can you blame them? Lately, there has been an uproar saying that the corps itself has been lacking numbers of new members every year, each time the graph goes down gradually, bit by bit; not only that, so do the survival rates every time.
You’d be lying if you said you were never interested in being a demon slayer once, if anything that’s what you set out to be at first, though some dreams don't last very long, at times crushed and never thought of ever again.
Unfortunately, that was one of those times; after going on your first mission after freshly becoming a demon slayer, you had an extremely bad experience, a traumatic one if anything, it seemed the corps had overestimated your abilities when handing you your first mission, causing a miscalculation to slip.
To this day you still question how you got out of that mission practically unscathed, physically unscathed.
Mentally? It scarred you, to be frank, nobody would want to deal with a scary ass demon that was way out of their capabilities as their very first mission, you were unfortunate enough to experience that; for context, you had only gotten away with a few bruises and scratches, the corps had to send someone in to come and save you, though you feel slightly shameful of yourself for it having to come to that.
even then, if you had the chance to, you would relive your memories and good experiences as a slayer once more but.. the mental state it left you in was too much. Never again.
To become a slayer, it is necessary you must have a breathing technique
Ah, what was that? you’re curious about yours too? The issue at hand was that, well you could use one form but that was it, you don’t even know what breathing style you inherited, and truth be told you aren’t even sure if you’ll ever learn or figure out the rest of the forms, and you’ll leave it at that; maybe one day you could set out to learn about your true self, but in all honesty you wouldn’t mind being the caretaker here and enjoying your earnest and easy life either.
Grimacing in a mental headache as you shake your head in hopes of clearing your unwanted thoughts, there is still one thing you haven’t gone over.
To be fair you have thought about exploring other specialties, mainly baking, though it wouldn’t take long for you to quickly realize that you had no knack or talent for it at all, but even then you want to learn how to bake such sweet treats, oh so good that your patients would come out floating of their rooms, like a cartoon character following and looking seemingly obsessed over the savory scent of the baked treats… though you can only imagine.
You are quickly snapped out of your thoughts by the sound of the repetitive noise of the fire alarm going off, the smell to be filled in the air is burnt as you give it one whiff; you weren’t lying when you said you wanted to give it your all and even if it was a short-lived hobby, you had to try out baking! It was and still is one of the lifelong goals you would like completed before you pass away at some point.. but to be honest you didn't think you were this bad, if anything you were on the verge of giving up, if baking makes you feel happy because you want people to enjoy your sweets, and you can't even do that, it would suck.. but as long as you're having fun right? But.. You know what's not so fun?
Standing in the middle of the kitchen, you could feel small drops of water wet your clothes and even your hair. The cold frozen and unexpected sensation had you out of your daze, realizing what was going on at hand.
The sound of the sprinkler going off, people panicking, crowds of people coming out of their rooms to see what's wrong.
It was not long before one of the crew members had seen what you were doing, only disappointingly sighing in response, walking back to reassure everyone else who was out in a panic that there was no fire.
Though you’re sure you’re bound to get scolded later today for your mistake, you aren’t looking forward to it, only feeling the need to brace and prepare yourself for it when the time does come.
Soon after, the comforting silence would fill the halls once more, occasionally though rare people would walk past you, sometimes asking you what you were up to.
You could only look down in shame every time, apologizing frantically to anyone who would cross your path and dare speak with you about what had happened beforehand with the sprinklers.
Afterward, all you could do was just sigh in defeat, shame, and guilt as you mop up the consequences of your actions. Any person with half a brain would be able to tell something was up or wrong with you from a mile away.
it wouldn’t take long until the sun would set, the golden light basking in the view before you; letting you know that it was going to get dark soon, perhaps you’d been mopping for a tad bit too long.
Although to be fair even if you didn’t see the light set you’d still be able to tell it was getting dark, judging from the way the weather had gone cold in an abnormally short amount of time, the joyful and warmth you’d get from the sun itself would soon be replaced by the harsh yet beautiful moon, though its light pales in comparison to the sun, it was gorgeous in its way too.
Lost in your thoughts once more, you hadn’t even realized it when you found yourself already in front of the room of another patient of yours; it seems as if before you knew it, you had already put every cleaning supply away and arrived at your last destination for today, signaling that your day shift was soon coming to an end.
It was a room you hadn’t been to yet, must be a new face or someone who had recently gotten injured; mentally bracing yourself for well, anything, you weren’t quite sure who was behind this door, could be someone draining or a presence you’d enjoy.
You push open the door, seeing as there is no handle; closing it behind you before fully turning around to see who your patient was.
Oh, oh my god.
Only an ecstatic smile was present on your lips, it was rather unfair to pick favorites when it comes to any situation but in this case you couldn’t help it, the smile you had on your face was very soon accompanied by a feeling of relief, each time this patient had left and come in after a mission you couldn’t help but hope they’d come back alive.
“Rengoku, you’ve returned!” Slightly exclaiming out in excitement, which unfortunately proved to be a little too loud for your liking had you covering the lower part of your face before mouthing a sorry, bowing slightly to show how apologetic you were for being too loud; though it was immediately discarded by an even louder voice from the man himself,
Now that you’ve seen him up close and personal again, you couldn’t help but admire his features a little no? Two-toned blonde hair with red tips, with the style of what usually was tied up in half a ponytail was not done this time, somehow making your heart skip a beat for a moment seeing how pretty this man looked, you haven't even got to the part about how jaw-dropping his eyes are yet!
The best part? His adorable and cheerful attitude, which was of course fitted by a smile on his face too, returning yours
“[Your name] it’s nice to see you again!”
You could only wish to tell him how much you were worried for him after he had left to go on another mission,
In case you haven't figured it out yet; this is Rengoku Kyojuro you are talking to, the flame hashira, he has been a patient of yours a few times now, at first you two had only small talks but it eventually grew into something more, some days you’d catch yourself straight up laughing at his jokes or either sitting down on a bench next to him to hear Rengoku tell stories about his younger brother or more or less about the mission itself
You didn’t mind it at all, you’d do anything to even share a moment with this ball of sunshine, it may seem unprofessional but who’s there to judge right?
“What seems to be your injuries this time Rengoku?” A somewhat reassuring but also worried expression wears on your face, slightly furrowed eyebrows as you try to make out what could be wrong, at first you didn’t find any injuries until your eyes landed on a spot on his arm.
“Oh- oh my god” were the only words you could muster out, inspecting the injury at hand; you were now sitting next to the patient’s bed, gently grabbing ahold of his arm, as worried as you were, only a burst of light-hearted laughter escapes from the opposite party, stealing your attention as your eyes land on his
“Seems like you already figured that part out”
You could only scoff at his remark, clearly indicating that the way you did it was a joke
“I’d have to be blindfolded to not see that” emphasizing the word ‘that’ as you lock your attention on his arm once more to what seemed like to be a very deep wound, one that looked like a 2nd degree, possibly a 3rd degree burn
You quickly turned around and scrambled to find some sort of ointment for his burn; you were quickly stopped as your train of thought was quickly cut off by a sentence from the other party
“That’s not what I meant, don’t you think you’re forgetting something?” A somewhat surprised tone was found in his voice, though it wasn't a ‘taken aback’ type of surprise
You could only raise an eyebrow in response to what else there could be, attempting to focus on the injury at hand, you eye up at rengoku; to your dismay, you see blood dripping from bandages that were wrapped around his head earlier
Widening your eyes in response, a sheer feeling of panic and adrenaline is living in your veins at an excruciating speed
You could only hold your breath for a moment to try and evaluate what was happening, attempting to process the newfound information
You shut your strained eyes in response, feeling already tired from your earlier ‘baking’ routine just trying to understand everything in place
You wince slightly at what type of pain the man before you could be experiencing right now, but the only thing that is present is a reassuring smile on his face. Shouldn’t it be the other way around?
Another sigh escapes from your lips, you glance at rengoku; leaning in closer to his body, now attempting to inspect his head injury, though it was quite hard to tell how severe it was with bandages wrapped and in the way, not only that but the hashira’s hair had hidden to what could be a larger injury than thought. You pondered how to say this for a moment, furrowing your eyebrows, eyes locked onto the floor. It wasn’t long until you looked back at him once more, trying your hardest not to be distracted by simply this man’s eyes alone.
“Excuse me Rengoku, I hope you don’t mind” he only raised one eyebrow in response, you then continued “I'm going to remove the bandages for now, it might hurt a little” he only nodded to your approval, letting and giving you the green flag to reach out for his head; slowly unwrapping the bandage, being careful as to make sure you aren’t accidentally going to touch the wound.
Upon looking at it closer, seeing as to what the issue is, it wasn’t long until you leaned back, now back in your seat; you then made eye contact with the hashira
“It doesn’t look too severe to me, though it could get a lot worse if not properly treated” Then man still had a smile on his face, only once more nodding, though you weren't done talking
“You’re going to have to stay here for the next few weeks” is what you estimated, but instead you’re met with pleading eyes from the latter
“i’m sure I'll be fine! Isn't there anything you could do?” It had been known by practically everyone that Rengoku himself was a rather very.. active person. He struggled with staying in one place often, always wanting to talk to someone, if not he’d start to feel a little lonely
“Of course, I can do something about it, but.. you’re gonna have to be staying in bed for the next few days if so”
The options were A: Rengoku could move around and about in the butterfly estate but it’d take weeks before he would heal or B: you could attempt to heavily care for him but in return, he would have to be in bed for the next few days; both options seemed like hell to him
“Well, that's an easy decision! I'm sure I can sit still for a few days” Sure Rengoku, we’ll see about that, though it’ll take up more time of your shifts and your time but it wouldn't kill you to overwork a little right?
You then added; “If that’s what you’d like Rengoku” followed by an approved hum from him, you then got out of your seat, walking over to a cabinet near the bed, standing and skimming over the potential items you might need
“I have a somewhat rather personal question for you if you don't mind [Your name]?”
The sudden use of your name startled you a bit, though it wasn't really all that rare for the hashira to start small talk; not that you minded, in fact, you even indulged in it too!
“Not at all, go ahead” You reach your hand out for a product that seems a little too high up, out of your reach; you end up getting on the tip of your toes to barely grab the item in hand, attempting to reach it, the tip of your fingers only grazing it
“Why don't you become a demon slayer?”
The sudden question had you taken aback a little, as you had finally gotten ahold of the item at hand you only let it slip out of it in response; tumbling over quickly to try and grab the item before it fell on the floor and created a mess
You had managed to successfully grab it in time, though before you knew it you were on the floor with a loud thump! Making the opposite party somewhat flinch back by your actions; slightly embarrassed by the fall you get up slowly, dusting your uniform off a little.
Soon only an amused laugh came from your patient, you turn over to look at him, a somewhat flustered look on your face, feeling warm out of embarrassment
You shook your head as you tried to quickly scramble yourself back to the seat next to the patient.
“Quite a clumsy person I see,” he comments on your accident “I'm sorry if I startled you, are you hurt?” Once again shaking your head to his question “Don't worry I'm fine, I appreciate your concern” “I am simply looking out for a helpless girl in need” You shot a dumbfounded look in return, you could feel your mouth hanging open from the things he had said, taking slight offense you argue back “I am not helpless! I can take care of myself thank you very much“ you hissed back, crossing your arms in a defensive stance, you feel as if Rengoku was about to say something else to battle your statement but he drops it, he only lightly chuckles in response.
“Of course, I'm sorry,” he said almost tauntingly, you could only sigh in return.
“Sure you are Rengoku” sneering back as you go ahead and open the jar in hand, placing the lid on the nightstand next to you, you then dip your fingers in the ointment, covering them with the rather sticky substance before going over and gently applying it on his arm, earning a muffled hiss in response
“Let me know if it hurts too much”
“Quite a bold thing to say to a Hashira might I say!” You didn't even need to look at him to know he was smirking, somehow you could smell the grin from a mile away
“I suppose you do have a point, is it that you’d prefer for me to apply harder pressure to your wounds or no?” It was now your turn to smirk, a devilish expression could somewhat be seen on your face
“No no! Not at all” the hashira had quickly rejected, endorsed by the threat you had said; you guys both had enjoyed the playful bantering between each other, it wasn’t soon til you realized you had been chatting away with your patient for far too long, seeing as it was now completely dark outside, only a luminescent light falls pass the window and onto the floor, highlighting the planked area bright and now rather pretty, it seemed almost as if anything engulfed by that light was bound to turn out gorgeous
You wonder what Rengoku would look like if he was covered by the moonlight’s presence seeing as if already looked so magnificent, Jesus Christ can a hot man get any hotter? Wait no shut up, you shouldn’t be thinking of your patients like this, you deserve a mental beat up for that, especially not a Hashira! Even if you did.. it’s not as if he would like you back,
After you done wrapping the bandage across your patient’s arm, a small huff escapes from you remembering his question from earlier; your arm doesn’t move from its spot, still laying dormant on his.
“I stopped trying to become a demon slayer months ago.” You could feel his eyes on you, it almost felt uncomfortable, feeling as if he was staring so hard he was going to burn your face with super-laser eyes or some sort.
The look he gave you only urged you to continue on.
“I simply don’t have the skill for it.. and besides” you trail off, feeling slightly frustrated by your incoming sentence.
“I barely made it out of my first mission alive..” continuing on, refusing to now even look at Rengoku no matter how much you wanted to, you knew if you did, you’d probably start bawling right then and there. Perhaps maybe it’s also your mentality that was too weak? You were too weak both mentally and physically, going out there as a slayer would be like suicide.
You must’ve thought that out-loud because you jolted slightly at the touch of what felt like a thousand suns holding onto your hand that was resting on his.
“I think you’re strong” were the only words he uttered, he said it almost gently, quietly as if he was afraid speaking in his normal volume now would break you, like a frail piece of glass.
Despite the tears that were slipping out of your eyes, you mustered a small smile, looking similar to an upside down one. You could only try to blink few times to rid your tears away.
“I appreciate that, thank you” you only now had the courage and strength to look up to Rengoku, perhaps this was starting to turn into a more personal friendship if anything.
Though you were shocked to find him reaching out for your face, reassurance written all over his face. You could only accept his gesture and sit there in comfortable silence, though it wasn’t long before it was broken.
“Appreciate it all you want but I think you’re strong” He repeated as if to drill it into your head, destroying the self pitying train of your thoughts.
“It takes a great amount of strength to equate you to where you are today, I’m sure your family would be proud of you” it seemed he hesitated for a moment.
“I’m proud, and I’m glad you got so far by yourself, I’ll be here to support you no matter what!” Feeling the atmosphere shifting, his tone of voice, though still whispering was now in an upbeat voice.
A small chuckle could only escape from you upon seeing his behavior, as you were about to wipe your own tears, you feel the hand from before do it for you, not long then parting after.
Even if it was just his hand, you miss the warmth it gave you already.
“Thank you, Rengoku”
He paused, hesitance found its way on his face once more.
“Kyojuro, call me Kyojuro”
Now it was your turn to hesitate, was this really okay? But … if he said so then its okay to right? You were a foreigner, a specialty in Japan, but it didnt mean you werent able to make out how important dropping honorifics and going by first name basis was.
You could only mouth a quiet okay,
“Thank you, Kyojuro”
Before you had known it, a stupid smile was crept on your face as you leaned in for a hug, the other party was baffled but didnt not reciprocate.
You were really hoping nobody would walk in right now.
Because you enjoyed this man’s presence so much, his words… and somehow his touch was unexplainable.
You didn’t want to let go of this hug, or this moment ever.
It would be forever ingrained in your brain.
And it seems as it would be the same case for Kyojuro too.