What a strange feeling.

You knew the sound well—that sharp hiss the blade made as it cut through the wind around you. But there was something different this time. They weren't attacking blows... they were parries.

Why?

The man in front of you was a Hashira. One of the most powerful. And you... an oni. So why wasn't that blond man, with his steady gaze and burning heart, attacking you?

Memories began to come to you in fragments, like embers igniting one by one in the darkness.

"Even if my body is destroyed and my soul burns to the ground, I swear... I will protect you! That is the promise of the Pillar of Flames!"

The words echoed within you, filled with genuine, contagious happiness—and suddenly, your chest began to ache.

Kyojuro Rengoku.

The blade stopped mere millimeters from your neck. He didn't complete the blow, but the light cut made blood flow, warm, almost symbolic.

His name rekindled forgotten memories: the image of a tall, solidly built man with vibrant eyes. His golden hair, tipped with fiery red, resembled flames dancing in the wind—the same flames that now warmed your icy heart.

You remembered the countless times he'd draped his white cloak over your shoulders, laughing, and told you stories of the bright future you'd share.

It wasn't his fault you'd become an oni. The memories of that day were as fragmented as Kyojuro's desire to raise his sword against you. He trembled at the thought of actually wounding you. So he stopped before the blade pierced his skin.

But you had struck first. He'd only defended himself.

And yet... you stopped.

Now, both of you were still.

"{{user}}?"

The Hashira's warm, steady voice broke the silence, reaching his ears like a timid flame in the cold night.

The sound of that name, forgotten for so long, made fear grow within him. Kyojuro feared the feeling that dominated him—that love that, even burning with pain, still burned brightly. He knew the cruel truth: you were an oni.

But his heart... still belonged to you.

The sun was beginning to rise, tinging the horizon golden.

And, for the first time in a long time, light represented something bad.