Caught By Flames (Kyojuro Rengoku x Reader)

33 : Train, Damn Pillars

Sanemi threw his wooden sword down towards Inosuke's head, knocking him unconscious. He blew a huff of hot air and walked away wordlessly. You on the other hand were helping Mitsuko and Tanjiro while Kyojuro was out with his brother for the day.

"Get up! You don't have time to rest in a real battle, keep fighting! Both of you!" You shouted slapping Tanjiro upside the head lightly. He slapped his own cheeks, then gripped his sword tighter with a determined expression. "Whoever wins will fight me! And whoever loses will train with me for the next week! You don't want that!" You encouraged through muscle torture. You weren't a good teacher, but they certainly understood that you could put them through a living hell.

"Arghh!!" Tanjiro shouted as he brought his sword up and swung it downwards, only to be stopped by a block using Mitsuko's wooden sword. She took the chance and kicked the boy in the abdomen, throwing him into the ground a bit of length away. She huffed in response, not used to fighting for such a long time, so you stopped the two while giving them water.

"Why did you lose, Tanjiro?" You asked, throwing your head back and gulping down the water even if that isn't something you should do. He thought for a moment, but came up blank. You hummed in response and turned to Mitsuko, "Why did you win, Mitsuko?" She shook her head believing it was pure luck of the draw. With a sigh you sat down on the sandy area. "No, it wasn't luck. The key is experience, he lacks the experience you have, so even though his swordsmanship is polished, he leaves himself open when he thinks his attack will break the defense of the enemy, while you on the other hand didn't let your guard down. You're used to attacks from a close range since demons don't usually have weapons. Therefore, when Tanjiro went in to attack, you saw the opening and went for it like you would have for a demon." You looked at the boy with a sweet smile, "In other words, you're being too nice as well as underestimating your opponent."

He thought your words over before it clicked in his head. When he tightened his grip on the wooden hilt, you backed away and let them continue fighting, checking up on Inosuke.

He suddenly sat up with a wild grin and began jumping around begging to fight. With a sigh, you picked up a wooden sword and swung it around with your right hand, telling him to attack you in the small area the four of you stood in.

While Tanjiro and Mitsuko fought, you and Inosuke did the same. On the other hand, Kyojuro decided to surprise you with a visit from Senjuro. As he approached, he head multiple hits of swords and slowly inched towards the area you trained the demon slayers. He had Senjuro on his shoulders, so of course, he saw you first and watched intensely as your battle between Inosuke was clearly one sided, even if you were still injured. Kyojuro watched his Tsuguko and Mitsuko battle it out, and watched as he fiercely fought the girl, harder than he had done to Kyojuro.

'What did she do to him...?' He thought to himself, shivers being sent down his spine. "She so cool, oniichan!" Senjuro happily cooed. You turned your gaze slightly and was caught off guard, accidentally hitting Inosuke a little too hard with the wooden sword. He hunched over, grabbing his abdomen which was already forming a bruise.

"Ah! Well, you should be expecting anything." You 'hmph'ed and crossed your arms. "But that was better than yesterday. Good job."

Inosuke lifted his head, "Again! Fight me again, I wanna have a rematch!" You sweatdropped and picked your sword back up.

"Alright, but if you lose again, what is it that you'll do for me?"

"1000 laps around the estate!"

"And?"

"And... 1000 push ups and sit ups!" You chuckled and agreed.

"When do I want it done by?"

"Dinner! Now fight me!" He went in to attack, but you dodged and kicked his side, throwing him in between Tanjiro and Mitsuko. He immediately got up and went to attack you again, using the same technique, but when you went to dodge, you were forced to block a kick he threw. Grabbing his leg, you throw him into the ground and put your knee against his spine, placing him in an arm. It was something Shinjuro taught you, and Kyojuro immediately recognized the stance you were in.