{THE EMPTINESS YOU LEFT} Tengen Uzui x Fem!Reader

16. Śmierć

"Are you sure Uzui said this is alright?" Rengoku asks you while you take a sip from your water.

"What? That we spar?" you ask, though you already know the answer. "He never said we couldn't not do this."

"Okay..." Rengoku says a bit suspiciously. "Alright then, let's keep going."

"I'm ready," you grin, taking a step backward.

"Good," he nods. "Remember the techniques Uzui taught you and you'll be fine."

"I will," you promise him.

As the two of you face each other, you focus on your breathing, allowing your body to relax. With a swift movement, Rengoku sends his sword towards you. You easily block his attack and counter.

"Nice one," he grins, and then he attacks again.

As the two of you engage in the sparring, you're surprised to find that you're able to block a good amount of his strikes.

Not too long later, Suma appears and starts watching the two of you. You smile to yourself as she cheers you on and yells out her encouragement.

"You can do it, Y/N! You've got this!" she shouts, her face reddening.

"Thanks," you shout back, and as you do, Rengoku takes the opportunity to knock your feet out from under you.

"Shit," you curse as your back hits the ground hard, knocking the wind out of you.

"Ouch," Suma cringes, wincing sympathetically.

"Don't worry, I'm alright," you assure her. "That was a cheap shot, Kyojuro."

Suma suddenly tenses up, but you don't notice as Rengoku puts his hands on his hips and laughs heartily. "I'm just giving you a taste of what it'll be like if you face a demon."

"Right," you roll your eyes as he holds his hand out to you and helps you to your feet.

"Honestly, I'm surprised by how fast you picked all of this up," he admits to you.

"Well, that's because Y/N never stops," Suma chimes in as she crosses her arms in front of her chest. "I don't think she's slept at all in the past three weeks."

"Really?" Rengoku asks, looking at you worriedly.

"Yeah, well, I want to get strong quick to save my little brother," you tell them both.

Rengoku doesn't look surprised, but still asks, "Is your brother in that cult still?"

You simply nod. Words fail you as your throat constricts.

"But Uzui won't let her do anything," Suma then states, shaking her head. "Because you're not a demon slayer, Y/N."

Rengoku's expression then changes to that of concern. "But you're not one to just give up. What's your plan?"

"I don't have one this time," you shrug.

Rengoku sighs, his eyes looking between you and Suma. "Do the others know how you feel?"

"Uzui does," you scoff. "And he said he's deciding whether or not I'll be good enough to go... Which is why I need to keep practicing."

"It looks like you need sleep instead, though," Rengoku tells you. You shrug as he takes a step closer to you and looks into your red eyes.

"Um," Suma gulps, taking a step backward. "I'll see you guys later... Bye."

Rengoku watches as Suma leaves and, once she's out of earshot, he turns back to face you. "I could help you, you know."