Flames Of Devotion (Genya x female Reader)

9. The Awakening of a New Mission

The next morning, the house was quiet as I woke up. Rengoku was already waiting in the kitchen.
"Good morning, Y/N," he said with a serious expression. "I have a new mission for you." he said while we began to eat breakfast as usual.

My heart raced with anticipation.
A mission meant a chance to test and improve my skills. "What is it this time?" I asked, trying to remain calm but I was extremely excited.
"A particularly dangerous demon has been sighted in a nearby village. It has already killed several people, and the villagers live in fear. Your task is to find and eliminate the demon," Rengoku explained.
I nodded determinedly. "I will do my best Rengoku!"
As I finished my food, I stood up and ran into my room.
I began to pack the most important things into my backpack and wore my demon slayer uniform.

"Please come back healthy..." Rengoku said before I walked into the direction my crow told me to go. "I will, don't worry about it! You trained me after all." I replied with a big smile on my face.

The journey to the village was long and exhausting, but I was determined to defeat the demon.
On my way I met some other demon slayers coming back from the village. They were wounded and looked exhausted. Of course I offered them some help since I also packed medical supplies. While doing so I had a weird gut feeling about going to the village. However I had to continue.

My thoughts often wandered to Genya, wondering what he was doing.
Was he maybe training again in the forest? Did he have a mission himself?
But I had to focus on my mission.

When I reached the village, the atmosphere was tense. As I looked around I saw some aband houses, stuff still inside of them as if suddenly everything was left behind. The villagers looked scared and recounted the demon's nightly attacks.
I walked around the houses just to find some people looking extremely stressed.
"What happend here?" I asked the people who I approached slowly.
"He always comes at night," an elderly man said. "We hear screams, and in the morning, we find the bodies." A scared young women added.
"This is the usual behavior of a demon. I suggest you hide in your houses if the sun goes down. If you use wisteria candles, you'd be save." I explained them and they listened closely. They trusted me and I needed to keep the villagers save.

I decided to wait until nightfall.
The hours passed fast. I spent them by helping the villagers and educating them about the situation.
As night fell, the tension became palpable. I stayed near the edge of the forest where the demon was last seen. Suddenly, I heard a faint rustling in the bushes. My senses were on high alert. I took out my katana and pointed it towards the bushes.
The demon leaped out, his eyes glowing red in the darkness. He was tall with long, sharp claws. The demon stood in front of me and licked his mouth with his long, snail-like tongue.
"Finally, another demon slayer," he growled. "You will end here, like the others."
I was ready to attack the demon to finally shut him up.
Before I did I took a step back and took a deep breath. "Flame breathing, first form: Unknowning fire" I whispered and dashed towards the demon who growled at me.
My attack was directed at his neck but before I could slash into him, the demon backed off to the right and tried to claw into my right arm.
I was able to block him off but due to the impact, we both flew off some meters, leaving us at a high distance.

"Shit" I said after landing on both of my feet. This isn't good. If the fight is going to last more than 30 minutes, I'm going to have a problem.
I sensed that the demon was quite strong. He gave off an evil and powerful aura and I knew I couldn't joke around with him. He had infinite stamina and could regenerate the body parts if slashed off.
"I will kill you now little girl." the demon shouted and moved closer.
"Shut up! I'd rather kill myself than be killed by a disgusting demon like you!" I screamed back and began another attack. As I ran towards the demon I jumped into the air and swung my katana. "Flame breathing, third form: Blazing Universe" I yelled and performed an arcing downwards slash. The demon was too slow to react to the attack and it hit his left arm and leg. Right after I landed on the ground, I wanted to attack him again since he was weakened. I knew that I only had a few seconds before his arm and leg were regenerated again. "Flame breathing, fifth form: Flame Tiger" As I dashed to the right side, bringing up my blade into a high guard before performing a series of sword slashes which take the form of a flaming tiger, the demon attacked me at the same time. The demons arm was already regenerated and his long crawls hit my chest, scratching down into my flesh. I felt the sudden pain and knew I had to end it with this last attack before I'd give out.
First my blade went through his right shoulder. The second slashed off his left arm again and he was now armless. I screamed as I brought my katana to the left and swung it through the demons neck.

With a final, powerful slash, I managed to decapitate the demon.
His body fell to the ground next to his slashed off arms and slowly dissolved into smoke. I heard him scream some last words. "Shut up already" I said standing next to the dissapering demon and in the next moment it was quiet.
Some seconds passed and I just stood there trying to breathe. Blood was flowing out of my chest and I felt myself becoming dizzy.
In the next moment I fell on the ground.
Some villagers nearby who heard the fight, got out after hearing the silence. As they saw me laying down on the ground, they rushed to me and brought me inside a house.

A woman was standing next to the bed the villagers had laid me down on.
"Bring me bandages and painkillers," she commanded. Two men were standing nearby, hesitating for a moment before she barked, "Now." They quickly went off to fetch the medical supplies.
The woman turned her attention back to me, her hands gentle but efficient as she assessed my injuries.
"You're lucky we found you when we did," she murmured, starting to clean the cuts on my chest. "You fought bravely," the woman said quiet. I didn't answer.
"Rest now. We'll take care of you." she said and walked out of the room.

I opened my eyes and panicked as I looked around. "Where am I?" I said loudly, not expecting an answer.
"You're in my house." a woman said, standing next to the bed I laid on.
"I'm Fumiko Agawa. We brought you in last night after your fight with the demon. How are you feeling?"
"Oh I'm sorry... My name is Y/N. I'm doing fine. I can't feel any pain but I remember a wound on my chest." As I looked down I saw my chest completely bandaged. My eyes widened.
"I took care of your wounds and gave you some painkillers. They are really strong so you won't feel the pain." she replied. I looked at her with a sad expression. She had long black hair and a soft face. "Whats wrong child?" she asked as she saw my sad eyes.
I paused for a moment.
"Is my skin ruined? How big was the wound..." I asked and looked back at my bandaged chest. "Oh dear don't worry about things like that. It doesn't matter. You're a beautiful young lady no matter how much scars your body carries." Agawa tried to change the theme into a positive one.
"But now my body is ruined..." a tear went down my face. The women came closer and wiped the tear off.
"Trust me, you didn't lose any of your beauty my dear." she said with a smile.
I just sighted and sat on my bed.
"I really need a hug. I'm really sorry for asking but could I hug you?" I asked embarrassed but I needed it so badly.
Agawa nodded, and she began to hug me. I hugged her back, and more tears streamed down my face.
The embrace felt warm and comforting, a reminder that even in the midst of battle and pain, there was kindness and care to be found.
After a few moments, I pulled away, feeling a bit better.
"Thank you," I whispered. Agawa smiled softly. "Rest now, Y/N. You need your strength for your next journey."
I nodded, lying back down. My thoughts drifted once more to Genya and Rengoku.
But for now, I allowed myself to rest, knowing I would rise again, stronger and ready to go back home.

The morning sun streamed through the window as I woke up, feeling surprisingly refreshed despite the previous night's ordeal. Agawa brought me breakfast and checked my wounds, ensuring they were healing well.
"You should stay for a few more days to recover," she suggested, but I shook my head.
"I need to return back home," I insisted, though I appreciated her concern.
After breakfast, I thanked Agawa and the villagers for their hospitality. They had risked their lives to help me, and I would not forget their kindness.
With my backpack slung over my shoulder and my katana at my side, I left the village and headed back to the main path. My body still ached, but my resolve was stronger than ever.

As I walked, my thoughts returned to Genya and Rengoku. I wondered how they were faring and hoped to reunite with them soon. I had learned a lot from this mission, not just about fighting demons, but also about the strength of the human spirit and the bonds that held us together.
"Thank you, Agawa," I whispered to myself, feeling a surge of gratitude. I knew that no matter what lay ahead, I would face it with the same bravery and determination that had brought me this far.
And so, with the sun rising behind me and the path stretching out ahead, I continued back home.