My Brightest Flame (Rengoku X Reader)

Chapter 8 - Family

A/N: Hello! I'm still doing my best to stay on time so I apologize if this chapter might not be the best, it is shorter than I would have liked, but I hope you like it anyways!

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Crickets chirped, the only noise that disturbed the silence. In between tall trees animals hid away to rest, it was getting dark. The village was, as y/n was told, usually still lively as the sun set. But recently they have been plagued with a demon set on killing the mothers of families. Why mothers specifically? Y/N could never know. But this demon had an evil motive to break families apart while it fed, her second mission was to stop it. She would do so easily.

Woof!

Kyokai had joined her on the mission, as she had agreed with the head of the Rengoku household. And as it turned out, he was very useful to have. When they first went to this village, it had just finished raining. The morning was bright and there were tons of smells to overwhelm Y/N's senses. The "pollen" smell of the grass, the humidity so intense it felt stuffy, the smell of breakfast being made and the general smells of nature threw her completely off. And while she couldn't sense a thing, her new dog companion was instantly locked onto the smell of blood. It took only a moment to figure out that he wanted her to follow, as she sprinted after the dog.

No one had left their homes, it wasn't bright enough yet. They were scared to leave and become easy prey to the monster haunting the night. So no one else was there to react when Y/N saw the sight that would traumatise anyone. The front door was broken badly, scratched up and hanging on only one hinge. It creaked in the gentle breeze. Carefully, Y/N entered.

As many demons as she had previously killed, nothing could prepare her for this. A woman lay dead on the floor, one hand outstretched and eyes still wide with shock. Next to her was a man on his knees, his face stained with tears as his broken gaze couldn't leave the body of the woman he loved. Unable to accept that she was gone. He wasn't even aware that Y/N and Kyokai had even entered.

Seconds after walking in, a small child made stepping noises as he walked the steps one at a time. He yawned, having just woken up. Usually the first thing he'd smell was the appetising scent of a delicious breakfast meal, not the harsh metallic odour that nipped his nose. Noticing the demon slayer in his home, he became confused.

"Mum, why is there-" He couldn't finish his sentence as his eyes wandered to the kitchen, where the murder was. His sister was next to follow, the same reaction following. The daughter screamed as the son ran to the mother, crying out for her as if it would bring her back. The sight was devastating. For Y/N it was all too familiar. Her mother had died in a similar way when she was little. It still hurt her to this day. From this family she gained the information she needed and now she was waiting in the night for the killer to show up.

A demon killed her mother. While that demon was long gone, she couldn't help but make the comparison. She remembered the day like it was yesterday. Her mother had been acting as normal, having fun as she shared stories with her beloved daughter. One of the blue spider lilies of Japan was being taught that day, a plant so beautiful, so rare, you'd be rich if you found it. It only existed as a legend. That night, she thought a blue glow would have been the flower, but it was a demon who had brutally taken her mother away from her. She would have died too if her father wasn't there just in time. Her training had become more harsh after that.

Apart from the lights of houses it was pitch black, the sun completely gone. She waited as the pet next to her tried to hold back his pants. It was a warm night. Waiting was boring and the sweat that came with it was uncomfortable. Late into the night nothing had occurred, Y/N was becoming tired from staying in the same position for so long as she watched the village from the forest that surrounded it. A movement so fast barely registered in the demon slayer's field of view, but she didn't need to see it to know what it was. Finally, the monster had shown itself. Her muscles loosened as she followed her senses, her dog running along with her as they went to the location the demon had approached.

Y/N grew shocked as she stared on from the entrance of the home, surprised by how quickly the demon could kill. It was probably only a minute's difference, but still, she stared on in horror as the creature snacked on its next victim. A woman, once again a mother. With rage Y/N gripped her sword, unsheathing it as she prepared to make this demon an easy kill. Without wasting more time she leapt forward, swinging her sword with the target of the demon's neck. But not even a moment after she had swung, the evil spawn had moved. It was a fast one. It didn't say anything as Y/N realised that it had moved, he laughed with the woman's heart in hand.

What he didn't count for was the sharp teeth that would lock onto his arm, stopping him from his joy.

"Why you little-" He hissed as he swung his arm, trying to get the slayer's dog off of his arm. The jaw of Kyokai's breed however was strong, as was his whole anatomy. He was a powerful dog, and so hanging onto an arm was easy. Until the arm swung against a wall, the dog yelped and fell to the floor. He shook himself as the demon moved to lift his leg, ready to end the annoying animal. The limb was cut off before he could, distracted by the animal he lost his attention on the human set to kill him.

"Don't insult my dog." That was the only thing he heard before the clean sound of a slice. The next thing he knew his head was hitting the hard tatami floor, yet he didn't feel as angry as he felt he was supposed to. Instead he felt...

"Mama?" The demon watched carefully as the child of the woman he killed nudged her. Scared of the worst outcome. That feeling suddenly struck him.

"Mama..." The demon whispered. His eyes watered as the memory flashed before his eyes. He felt his heart breaking all over again as he remembered being a teenager, just finished an argument with his father and not expecting to regret it. But how could he not when he stared up at his mother, knife in hand as his father's body lay limp. The rage consumed him, and from there it was a blur. As his body faded he wept, remembering how happy his family was before everything went wrong. How long ago was that? His life ended with that question.

The whole mission, although technically successful, left a bitter feeling in Y/N's chest as she bought her dog a bone. Walking back the dog sniffed around, the treat in his mouth the whole time. She missed her mother. The mission brought back faded, painful memories that she thought she had left behind. As the families still with mothers rejoiced from surviving and offered her their gratitude, she couldn't help but wonder...

Would her own mother be proud of her?

Yes. She would...

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A/N: Sorry for the shorter than usual chapter!