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

22. Kifo

"Are you ready?" Rengoku calls out to you as the two of you stand side-by-side.

"Yep!" you smile back at him.

"Let's go then," he grins as the two of you begin to sprint into the dark forest.

The moon shines down on the two of you and the surrounding area, casting a blue light on the trees and their bare branches. "Why did you pick this place?" you ask while looking around to get your bearings of the entrance.

"I know a nest of demons around here," he explains. "They've been causing trouble for the locals for a long time so I figured this would be the best place to go."

"How far in do we have to go?" you wonder.

"Not too far," he replies. "Don't worry, I know you'll be fine."

You nod and follow him deeper into the woods. As the two of you walk, the moon shines brightly, lighting the path in front of you. Your stomach is a bundle of nerves, but you're still determined to keep moving forward. You can't allow yourself to freeze like last time.

You begin to talk to Rengoku on your walk, telling him everything and anything to distract yourself. The two of you share stories from your childhood and reminisce about old times.

"My little sister was so close. I could have protected her if I was just a bit faster. And stronger. I could have saved her if I just had a chance."

"Don't talk like that, Y/N," Rengoku tells you softly. "There was nothing you could have done."

"She died right in front of me, Kyojuro. How could I have not tried?"

"Y/N," he sighs as he turns to look at you. "I know it's hard. But, you can't blame yourself for what happened. There was no way you could have stopped the demon that killed your sister. You didn't even really know what you were dealing with."

"I think my brother did," you then admit. "He was able to save me when he found us. I have to find out why."

"Well, let's make sure you live to find out," Rengoku nods his head.

You sigh and try to relax a bit, but you can't help but feel guilty. Every time you talk, Rengoku's eyes glow with compassion and he listens intently. You've never met someone who's listened so closely. It makes your heart flutter.

"You've had a tough life," he sighs. "You should be proud of yourself. You've come so-" He stops abruptly when a large cave becomes visible in front of the two of you.

"Is that the nest?" you whisper, to which he nods.

"Take a deep breath and remember the things Lord Uzui has taught you," he says quietly, grabbing his sword. "We're going in."

Your breath catches in your throat. "Wait, now? Already?"

Rengoku chuckles at your comment, but you watch him curious about his sincerity until he leans down and places a soft kiss on your cheek. "We're in this together. It'll be okay. You can do this," he then whispers before taking off, leaving you stunned.

Your hand rises to the spot on your cheek where he kissed you. The place feels like it's on fire, burning your skin. Although you and Rengoku have become close this past year, you don't really have feelings for him in that way. But, the more you think about it, the more it makes sense. The two of you have been friends for awhile and he has always been there for you.

"Are you coming?" he says, turning back to face you with a big, bright smile.

"Am I what?" you gulp, only half hearing. Thankfully, he points to the cave which gives you the context you had been forgetting. "Oh, right, yeah."

Together, the two of you enter the nest which is a large stone cave in the middle of the forest. The moonlight can barely shine through the entrance and the air is chilly. But, once you enter the cave by sneaking in close by the edge, the temperature drops even more.

"You okay?" Rengoku asks quietly as the two of you continue.

"Yeah," you nod just before a loud screeching noise booms from somewhere deeper in the cave.

"We're getting close," he then tells you. But not three steps more do you take until his eyes widen and he pushes you behind him. Still, you peer out and spot a large demon with six heads stomping towards the two of you.

"Get ready, Y/N!" he calls. "This is going to be a tough fight."

"R-right," you say nervously, unsheathing your own blades. The demon's body is covered in scales and its teeth are like razor-sharp knives. Its six arms are muscular and it's easily three times the size of you. "But just so you know, pushing me behind you isn't going to help me learn anything."

"Y/N," he tries to warn you, but you simply push your way past and stand your ground. You know why Rengoku doesn't want you fighting this particular demon, but you're pretty sure there's no better start than this.

You grip your swords as the demon growls loudly at the two of you, but when its eyes meet yours, your body freezes up. You think back to the screaming sounds of your sister, how she died, how she cried out for your help. Your body begins to tremble.

"Y/N, get back!"

The demon roars and charges at the two of you. It's so huge and fast.

Not to mention the way your brother snatched you up at the absolute last second before you got eaten alive as well. You've always been weak. What has training truly accomplished? You're still the same scared-shitless person you were a year ago.

You're too terrified to move.

RENGOKU'S P.O.V.

I shove Y/N behind me as I see this new demon. This is definitely not what I was expecting to find here at all. The townsfolk complained about low-level demons invading their town for food, but this thing is on a whole other level than anything they described to me.

"Get ready, Y/N!" I call out to Y/N, "This is going to be a tough fight." I just hope her whole 'frozen in fear' thing was a one-time incident.

"R-right," she replies nervously, and I can already begin to see how this is going to play out. "But just so you know, pushing me behind you isn't going to help me learn anything."

I glance at her as she pushes her way past me. I can't help but feel sorry for her in that instant. Everything she's gone through with her family and with Lord Tengen has made her so confused with who she is and how she feels she needs to act in the face of something of this magnitude. If only she had run into me that fateful night instead of Suma.

As the demon charges the two of us, I call out to Y/N. But before she can even move, I rush the demon and use my flame breathing to create a large wall of fire, burning the demon in the process.

"I'll hold it back!" I say as the demon's skin sizzles in the background. "You-" I begin as I turn around to see her. She's completely frozen in place. "Shit."

As I rush to Y/N's side, tears begin to stream down her cheeks. "Come on, snap out of it," I nearly shout as I reach my hands to her cheeks and pull her face closer to mine. Her eyes are glossed over and her face is pale.

"Y/N," I nearly cried myself. I hate to see her like this, especially after how much she's grown. There's no time for this, the wall is beginning to die down.