"Celestial Breathing...Fourth Form...Starburst Stream!" I started to swing my Nichirin Sword at Lower Rank 4, and with each swipe, the speed and light that surrounded my blade got faster and brighter. With the final blow, I was able to quickly behead the Kizuki member...which sealed my fate. I had become a Hashira in a matter of just a year of training. I turned to the other Hashira that was observing the mission, Kyojuro Rengoku, and smiled, "I won...right?"

"How are you able to do attacks like that?" He approached me with a smile on his face, "That last attack was powerful and used your strengths to your advantage!"

I shrugged, "Don't know. All I know is that when I tried out Fire Breathing...it felt wrong. I can do that, sure, but the fire feels heavy. And once I started to study what is beyond this planet...I felt like I could morph my fire into that. I asked Muchiro-sama for advice on this, and from there, Celestial Breathing was born."

"All of those moves, you made up by yourself?"

"Somewhat. My Second Form is just a different form of Fire Breathing's Second Form, except the air is lighter. My lungs don't feel nearly as charred. And my First Form is like your Ninth Form, Kyojuro-sama."

"Impressive." Kyojuro patted my head and spoke, "You've come a long way since I first saw you training with my dad. How did you ever manage to get him to help you?"

I laughed, "Pretty easy, since Shinjuro-sama needed help with womanly chores. And your brother too...he needed help with basic things, like school and swordsmanship. It only took that, and some sake for me to bribe him."

"I'm sorry you had to deal with my dad like that. Though...I'm glad to have finally met the amazing Sumiko-sama for myself. My brother always wrote to me about you. He would probably be glad to see you again."

"Kyojuro-sama, Senjuro-kun would probably like to see you as well."

"What about my father?"

"Deep down inside...I think it would do him some good."

His golden eyes lit up as he smiled at me, "So let's go together! When we're both not busy, we'll see them."

"Alright!"

Kyojuro turned to me and smiled softly, "Sumiko, just call me Kyojuro. We're the same rank, so there's no need to be formal. You earned it, just like the rest of us. Today proved that to me, so no more need for formalities between us, okay?"

"You've got it!"

____________________________________________________________________________

We never made it there...because both of our lives were busy. And by the time it calmed down for both of us...I was out of commission. Why, of all times, did that memory resurface in my head?

I cursed myself as I snapped back into reality, where I was currently scrubbing a dish spotless. I looked outside and saw the sun's golden rays fading. I knew what this meant- the meeting was most likely over, and the Hashiras were gone. How long was I lost in my head like that? I had no need for silly feelings like that anymore or useless memories since the Demon King himself is after me.

The less those memories resurface...the better I would be should I be captured. If I'm the only one he knows about, then everyone else would be safe. I couldn't bear the burden of being the cause of my friends' deaths. Yet, people kept trying to befriend me. Was it out of pity, or something else?

I put the dish down and walked out of the kitchen area to take a breath of fresh air. It was quiet outside, and I heard the crows chattering amongst themselves. I carefully started to walk over to a pond near a couple of wisteria trees. There was a bench over here that was put in place for me in particular. Since I can't sit on the ground, Oyakata-sama was gracious enough to make these sitting areas for me. All I had to do was point at some of the areas where I liked to wander to, and there was a bench there in a few days. This one was my favorite because it was quiet and secluded.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath in, and was just about to release all my tension with that breath when I heard, "So, you stayed in the kitchen during the meeting?"

I jumped up a bit and turned around, only to be met by burning red and gold eyes and a bright smile. I quickly recovered and nodded, "Someone had to clean up after your mess, Rengoku-sama."

"Sumiko, there's no need to be formal around me. What happened out there that changed you?"

I looked back at the pond and distracted myself by watching the koi swim around as I softly spoke, "Just...a powerful demon. I couldn't defeat him."

"Was he one of the Upper Ranks?"

"You...could say that. I was so exhausted after defending the village from that horde of demons, and then...he just appeared out of nowhere. I did what I could, but I still lost in the end."

I felt a warm hand land on my shoulder, and heard Rengoku speak, "But you still fought for those people, and came back alive. That's what matters in the end. You'll get your chance at revenge-"

I quickly stood up and faced the Flame Pillar, "No, I won't. I can't, and the reason why is personal."

"There's no reason for you to flip out like that! I was only trying to cheer you up so then we can go back out in the field together!"

"How can I go back out in the field and fight when I am still adjusting to life after the battle?"

"Did that Demon scare you so much? Tell me who it is! I'll take them down for you if you're too afraid to yourself!"

I started to walk backward as I shook my head, "I refuse to place that burden onto you because-"

"Because of what? You don't think I'm strong enough?"

"It's not that at all, it's just-"

"So just tell me, Sumiko! Damn it, I've been worried about you for all of these months, and when we first see each other again, it's like we're complete strangers!"

I was about to speak up again when I tripped on a rock. I fell and landed hard on the ground, and all I saw in front of me was my wooden leg. I could see some of the wood sticking out beyond my kimono, so I tried to make it twitch in an attempt to hide it. No movement, so it had come completely undone in that fall.

Rengoku spoke softly, "Sumiko...do you need help getting up? Your leg looks like it got hurt in the-"

"Just help me to a bench, Rengoku-sama." I was mad at myself for this stupidity, and now, someone else would be forced to carry the burden of my secret.

"Are you able to get up off of the ground?"

"Just at least pull me up, and then you'll find your reason for why I can't fight."

He held out his hand to me, and I used my left leg to help pull myself up. As soon as I was being helped up, the apparatus that Shinobu-sama made fell out from underneath my clothing. I closed my eyes and whispered, "There's the reason. A Hashira kind of needs both legs to fight, and this damn demon took that away from me. Hence, why I can't follow you blindly into the field, Kyojuro."

"What demon did this to you? Sumiko, no more lying either because this demon will be killed by-"

"The Demon King." My left hand was trembling, even though it was being held by Kyojuro's right hand as I spoke out once more, "He...wanted to make me his Queen, and I said no. I tried to fight him, Kyojuro, I really did! But he was just too fast, and he...tore off my right leg." I laughed at myself mockingly, "I can't sit on the ground, only on benches, and fighting is out of the picture for me. I have to have Mitsuri do some tasks for me because I can't do them myself. Such a pathetic Pillar, right?"

Silence filled my ears. Even the crows had gone quiet as some of them looked at my wooden leg with curiosity. The stars were just starting their dance across the sky, and my heart raced as I waited for an answer. I was just about to open my mouth to continue my rant, but instead...I was engulfed in a hug.

Kyojuro spoke, "Not at all. You went toe to toe with the Demon King and lived to tell the tale. That's a pretty brave Hashira to me. Why did you not tell me?"

"Because...the Demon King...I don't want him to take you down. Already too many people know, and I have already placed that burden on them. He could take them down at any moment in time, and it would kill me to know that if I had done my damn job, then they wouldn't be at risk. You wouldn't be at risk now if I had done my job!"

I felt laughter rumble in Kyojuro's chest. I looked up, tears in my eyes as I spoke softly, "How is this so amusing?"

"He's going to have to do more than send his minions after me if he wants to take me out. He'll have to come to find me himself if he wants you. Let's get you inside though." Kyojuro let go of me and looked around as he spoke, "Are you able to walk there?"

I sighed, "Time to find out." I was just about to start hopping back towards my room when I felt a hand wrap around my back, and another hand picked up my left leg off the ground. I looked up at Kyojuro and spoke, "What are you doing?"

"Making this whole process easier on the two of us. There's no need to suffer alone when others are trying to help you!" Without missing a beat, he grabbed my new right leg off of the ground and handed it to me, "Besides, I've got to learn how to take care of you!"

"Why is that?"

"Mitsuri was assigned a mission that could take a couple of weeks, so she told me to take care of you."

I grumble out, "Great...a guy taking care of a crippled girl. What could possibly go wrong?"

Kyojuro laughed, "I'm not that bad! Just tell me what you need me to do, and I'll happily do it! It will be like Mitsuri never left!"

"Fine...I don't have much of a say in this, do I?"

"Nope. And until she returns, you'll be staying with me- starting tomorrow."

"You don't need to babysit me. I'm okay with staying here, honest."

"I wouldn't be able to watch over you if you stayed here-"

"You can literally come by every day to make sure I'm okay!"

"But someone promised me that they would come to see their former mentor and my brother when they weren't busy when I was not busy."

I sigh as Kyojuro brought me into my room, "Fine...you win...wait, you still live with your family?"

"Not really, but I live close to them. Besides, Senjuro invited me to go to a festival...so you're coming with me too since it is only a few days away."

"Do I have to go?"

"A promise is a promise, Sumiko. And you're not getting your way out of this." He carefully placed me on my cot and spoke, "Get some sleep. I'll be around if you need anything."
I heard his footsteps start to fade away as I got comfy in my cot, yet, not having his brightness around showed me how much the darkness had surrounded me. Talking to him today made me realize something- I couldn't mope around and be stuck in this darkness. After all, demons, especially the King himself, thrive when humans are scared and down, so I had to march forward into the light. I smiled softly as I turned to face the fading footsteps and spoke softly, "Kyojuro...thank you."