My Brightest Flame (Rengoku X Reader)

Chapter 25 - After

A/N: I'm sorry for the small break I took between updates! I moved house and because of the cold I got sick in the process. There was a lot of packing and unpacking and I really didn't know how much stuff I had until I needed to move it xD Anyway, hope you guys can forgive me and enjoy this new chapter!

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A yawn escaped y/n's lips as she felt herself stirring awake, eyes heavy as she felt like she could sleep forever. But also, she didn't feel tired at all? The floor below her was hard and uncomfortable. She frowned as she attempted to make herself more comfortable.

"Finally, you're awake..." The woman's eyes snapped open, fear gripping her as the familiar voice shook something in her mind. Somehow she thought she should have been in pain, sad, maybe even broken hearted, but the first thing that drove her mind was...hunger? "Now let's see if you're any sort of powerful. Can you talk? Maybe even remember something?"

"I..." Suddenly a metallic scent assaulted her nose, the smell of blood. It should have worried her. "Am so hungry." Y/N gasped at herself, horrified as her stomach growled.

"New demons usually are." Akaza laughed, throwing a leg in y/n's direction. It was almost natural, out of her control as she grabbed at it and starting biting aggressively. Almost like it was just a giant chicken drumstick, though if she were to recognise it similar to anything she knew, it would be pork...Wait. It was a human leg...Blood stained her face and hands as she noticed her nails had extended to claws. In fear, she dropped the leg despite her aching stomach. What was she?

"What happened?" At her questioning, the upper moon demon laughed out in irritation.

"You were so stubbornly stupid that it killed you." He gave her a glare as he bit onto a piece of arm. "You should consider yourself lucky that I don't go out of my way to kill women, now you get to be a powerful creature, if he allows you."

"He?" Somehow, y/n already knew the name of who the demon next to her was talking about. But his name, they didn't dare say. Only when they were talking with him would they be able to even consider speaking his name. She was stupid and got herself killed? A frown cast itself on her face as she looked at her clothing, feeling the familiarity of it. There was a sheath on her hip with no sword and she was in a medical gown... "What was I before?" She felt herself drooling, though hesitated to grab the food...Did she really just call a human remain food?

"A demon slayer apparently...You didn't look like one then and you definitely don't look like one now." He grumbled. "But you shouldn't care. Without your sword it won't matter much, what does matter is that you use this gift to make yourself a powerful demon like the rest of us."

Something about those words triggered a memory in her. She remembered fire, a gentle but firm voice and then finally a name... Kyojuro. From there, all the information came flooding back. Did she save him? She had to have, right? And this demon...He was the reason why all of this happened in the first place. In her anger y/n sank her teeth into her lip, cringing to herself when she drew blood. Her teeth were sharper than they once were...With rage flooding through her, she leapt towards Akaza. She was fully prepared to finish what she started, but despite her enhanced strength, she never got far...

"Your stupidity remained I see." He huffed as he held her in a position that stopped her from moving almost completely. "Let me make this clear, demons have a hierarchy for a reason. You will never manage to kill me..." He snarled. Y/N frowned as all she could do was listen.

"Ever." Her body was forced onto the floor as he emphasized his power over her. Right, he was an upper moon...Even with the increased power of being a demon, she was nowhere near his strength... "Now let's go, you need to be judged to see if you're even worth the hassle of being a demon." While the last thing y/n wanted was to listen to Akaza, she obediently followed him through the night. But not before taking one last starving look at the unfinished human leg, the effect of her body's reaction to it pressuring her mind to feel guilty...