Work Text
Rengoku Kyojuro's senses were on fire, his rage was barely contained. It was almost palpable- his eyes were shining in the pale moonlight filtering in through the trees as he stared down his opponent, his sword drawn. Those who know Kyojuro would say he was eccentric, but kind and easily forgiving. This however, was not the case right now. The demon stood across from him, at the other side of the clearing, clearly proud of its work.Between them, an unconscious Rengoku Senjuro lay face down in the grass. Senjuro's clothes were only slightly grass-stained, not bloody or torn. His basket of foragables lay a few feet away, its contents spilled and forgotten- the boy had been gathering ingredients for tonight's dinner, unaware of the danger lurking so close to their small town. Senjuro seemed unharmed, which was odd- the demon was smirking as if he'd seriously injured or killed him.Maybe it was just the demon trying to play with Kyojuro's head, but now wasn't the time for speculation- The very bottom line was that Kyojuro needed to protect his precious little brother. So he grips his sword, calms his breathing, and rushes in on the demon, leaping over Senjuro in the process. Hot flames erupt from the edge of his blade as he swings, painting the forest in a brilliant golden glow. The demon, however, evades his swing by leaping back onto a low hanging tree branch before disappearing into the forest entirely as the light from his fire breathing technique died.For a moment, Kyojuro's instincts told him to chase, but he hesitates. Kyojuro forces his attention away from the demon to look back at Senjuro's prone form. Senjuro came first, above all else. He could hunt and kill the demon later, but who knows what could happen to his little brother if he were to just leave him there. If he chose to pursue the demon, there was no telling what would happen, and what consequences he might face.Sheathing his sword, Kyojuro lets out a sigh. His brows were still drawn, but his eyes softened as he knelt at Senjuro's side. Carefully, with as gentle of a touch he could muster, Kyojuro rolls Senjuro over onto his back to inspect him for any damage- Thankfully, there wasn't anything outwardly wrong with him save for a few bruises, but Senjuro had definitely been through worse at the hands of their father. Kyojuro cups Senjuro's cheek, wiping away a few blades of crumpled grass that had stuck to his face."Senjuro," Kyojuro says, his voice uncharacteristically low, soft even, "Senjuro, wake up," but there was no response. The younger Rengoku was still out cold with no signs of waking.Gingerly, Kyojuro lifts the unconscious Senjuro into his arms. It was then that Kyojuro realized just how small and frail Senjuro really was, his body hardly weighed anything at all and it led him to wonder if Senjuro was eating well. His mind drifted as he walked the short trek to their home, but even with his head in the clouds, he remained alert until he eventually stepped up onto the wooden deck at the back of their home. Kyojuro never imagined his homecoming would end up this way, but he’s very glad he was able to get there in time, otherwise… he didn’t want to think about it.The first thing Kyojuro did upon their arrival was take Senjuro to his room, he awkwardly held Senjuro in one arm- cradling him as if he were still a small child as he opened the door, and again as he struggled to pull the rolled up futon out of the closet. Finally, he was able to lay Senjuro down onto it and close the sliding door. Now that Senjuro was in a much safer place than in the middle of the forest, Kyojuro gently pulled back Senjuro’s yukata, looking underneath to see if there were any cuts or any glaringly obvious injuries, but thankfully, he didn’t see any.All Kyojuro could do now was wait for Senjuro to wake, however long that would take. He was sitting next to Senjuro’s futon, watching over him quietly. Hours passed, the boy was breathing normally, he had no fever or anything else that would warrant a trip to the butterfly mansion. Kyojuro was shaken from his thoughts when he felt a soft tug. He looks down to see Senjuro rubbing one eye, his other hand grasping the bottom of Kyojuro’s haori.Senjuro looks up at his big brother, his face showing a mix of drowsiness and confusion.“Aniue?” Senjuro says, his voice a little strained. Kyojuro could practically hear the exhaustion in his voice, which was fairly normal after being attacked by a demon- but still- Kyojuro couldn’t help but worry. “I-I… remember I was gathering ingredients… What happened?” Senjuro asks, still trying to wrap his head around what happened between finding dinner and now. It was still early in the evening when he set out, and now he can see out of the small window that it was fully dark outside.Kyojuro sighed softly, relieved that Senjuro was awake and coherent, that was a good sign.“Sen…” Kyojuro starts, gently cupping his younger brother’s cheek, “You were out past dark so I went out to look for you. I found you unconscious in the forest- there was a demon, but I chased it off… Thank god you’re awake, I didn’t know how long you’d be out…” Kyojuro admits softly, he doesn’t want Senjuro to freak out. Slowly he moves his hand to Senjuro’s shoulder, and leans in to look him square in the eyes. “Until the demon is dealt with, you’re not to leave the house if it’s close to getting dark, at least not alone. I don’t know what I would have done had I lost you, do you understand?”Senjuro nods, his cheeks flushing slightly in embarrassment and his eyes instinctively drift to his lap, where he fidgets with his fingertips. He didn’t mean to be out past dark, he got turned around in the woods and everything else is a blur.“I’m sorry Aniue… I didn’t know what would happen… I understand. If I’m being honest, I don’t want to either. It must have been really scary for you to be this serious all of a sudden.” Senjuro says, while Kyojuro gives him a reassuring smile.“There’s no reason to apologize, Senjuro. None of this was your fault. In fact, it’s a prime example of why I do what I do as a demon slayer- as a Hashira.” Kyojuro smiles warmly down at his little brother, Senjuro was already always really well-behaved, even as a child. He felt so relieved that Senjuro was safe now. “Demon slayers protect those who aren’t able to take up a sword and fight. You’re no exception, but don’t misunderstand. You are strong in your own way, even stronger than me in some aspects.” Kyojuro admits, as he gently ruffles Senjuro’s unruly hair. “Don’t forget that, okay?” He says, it’s more of a statement rather than a question.Senjuro smiles for the first time since he woke up, he giggles softly, which is music to Kyojuro’s ears. “Mmh!” He nods, his eyes almost sparkling with admiration. Senjuro had always looked up to his Aniue, and right now was no different. He was thankful he had such a strong big brother, one who would protect not just him, but anyone who needed help- he couldn’t help but be proud.With a soft grunt, Kyojuro stood, looking down at Senjuro with a soft smile.“Alright, Sen. You get some rest, I’ll try to whip us up something to eat.” He says, before he walks to the sliding door. He spares a glance back before walking out and closing the door behind him. As he exits, he lets out a sigh of relief, utterly thankful that Senjuro was relatively unharmed and seemed to be okay. Kyojuro made his way to the kitchen, letting Senjuro lay and recover while he focused on trying to make something for them to eat with what little ingredients they had.Meanwhile, Senjuro laid back in his futon. Trying to remember what had happened exactly made his head hurt, he couldn’t really recall what had actually gone down. With a sigh, he turned onto his side, looking across the floor in boredom as he tried to process the night’s events, but he eventually gave up- it was frustrating to say the least. The scent of something cooking in the kitchen drew his attention, and he found his mouth watering and his stomach growling. Slowly, he pushed himself to his feet, stumbling a bit before finding his balance.Senjuro slowly made his way to the kitchen, watching as Kyojuro stood in front of the clay oven, stirring something in a wok. Gently, Senjuro made his way to the table and sat down, almost immediately setting his head down on the cool surface. Kyojuro’s voice made Senjuro jump slightly, and he looked up to see Kyojuro smiling at him.“Dinner’s almost ready, Senjuro. Are you doing okay?” He asks, his voice no longer soft, but rather back to his normal loud self. Kyojuro kept an eye on his cooking, but made sure to pay plenty of attention to Senjuro as well.“Sore…” was Senjuro’s reply. The boy really looked exhausted, and Kyojuro’s heart went out to him.“I’m sorry, Sen. I know you’re in pain, but big brother’s here to help! I’ll nurse you back to health in no time.” Kyojuro boasted, which instantly put a small smile back on Senjuro’s face.Senjuro nods in agreement, closing his eyes briefly as he lays his head back down onto the table. It’s not long until he hears Kyojuro rifling through the cabinets for their plates, he hears Kyojuro grabbing their utensils, and finally, he hears the soft clank of his plate being placed next to his head. With a groggy sigh, Senjuro lifts his head and lazily grabs his chopsticks before even looking at the food. Kyojuro made eggs and rice, which was just about all they had. They’d need to go to the market tomorrow, or they’d be forced to go fishing for the next night’s dinner.Kyojuro silently sits across from Senjuro, watching to make sure he’d eat. Senjuro picks at his plate a little bit, but eventually mumbles a quick “Itadakimasu” before he starts to eat, the smell making him aware of his hunger again. Kyojuro laughs as he watches Senjuro eat more quickly, like a starving man.“Hey hey, slow down! It's not going anywhere, I don’t want you to throw up.” Kyojuro says before he, too, digs into his eggs and rice. Their dinner is uneventful, the two eat in a comfortable silence. Afterwards, Kyojuro takes their plates to wipe them out.“Go on, you should get some rest. I’ll be there to tuck you in, just let me tidy up.” Kyojuro says, his voice taking on that soft tone once more. It makes Senjuro smile, he doesn’t think he’s ever heard Kyojuro talk this way to anyone else before, it makes him feel special.“Yes, aniue.” Senjuro replies, as he slowly stands from his seat. Carefully, Senjuro makes his way back to his room, making sure not to make too much noise- in fear of waking their father. As Senjuro lays on his futon, he pulls his blanket up to his chin. He waits for Kyojuro to come back like he said he would, but in the meantime, Senjuro watches the dust floating in the air, illuminated by the moonlight.