Chapter Text
It was a clear night, a bit chilly just like you liked it. The light from the moon lit up the crowded path of trees. Perfect weather ruined by the mission you were put on. Natagumo Mountain was the last place you wanted to go. The trees continue to blur past your peripheral as you dashed deep into the forest with your other two companions.
“Isn’t the moon shining so lovely? Y/N, it’s a perfect night for you to fight,” Shinobu states with her usual unchanging expression.
You gave a deep sigh at her words. “Yeah, yeah. I can’t believe you convinced Master to make me go on this mission. You know how much I didn't want to come. Spider demons? No thanks.”
“You’re no fun at all, " Shinobu feinted a pout. "I thought it would be nice for us to get to know each other since you’ve recently joined.”
Looking away from her, you sulk. “I know, but I just really don’t like spiders.”
“Focus, you two. We’re only here to finish our mission, not to play around,” Giyu nonchalantly says.
Shinobu keeps on her smile. “How heartless of you," she paused. "All right, then. Let’s split up here. I’ll continue towards the west.”
She vanishes, leaving Giyuu and you together. You take a glance at him as you two continue moving forward. He looked the same as ever with his blank stare and his asymmetric haori. You wondered how he'd look with any other emotions than none. Maybe someday you could understand him a bit better.
“Well then, I’ll go north and you can continue east.” You say to Giyuu and all he does is nod. You take that as an okay to leave.
You sprint from each tree to tree, searching for signs of any demons. As you proceeded forward, the air started to become frosty with fog filling the air. Each breath you took left you feeling needles in your lungs. You clench your black-white ombre haori closer to your body.
The sudden change in weather put you on more alert. This had to mean that there was a demon nearby. But where? It was extremely hard to pinpoint as the cold was dulling your senses.
Mid-jump to the next tree, you felt yourself getting yanked down by a thread attached to your right arm.
Squinting hard at the thread you realize what it really was.
“Eww, a spiderweb?! This is so gross!” Right before you hit the ground, you unsheathe your clear sword and slashed off the piece of thread.
“Geez, why are y’all some sort of spider thing?” Once you cut off the spiderweb, you spun around to land on your feet rather than faceplant the floor.
The demon who latched the web to your arm appeared in front of you. This demon was a girl with the appearance of around nine years old. She had long white hair that reached the length of her body. Her face had red dots that connected to the Lower Rank demon which was the mission's main objective. Her teal eyes beamed at you with a crooked smile. You had to keep in mind that she must be older than she seemed; otherwise, it would be hard for you to get rid of her.
Her smile continued to grow and began cackling in a high-pitched voice. “Ahahaha! Have you met any of my big brothers or sisters? Hmmm, I guess not since you would be dead. I should get rid of you and they would be so proud of me!” She jumps at the approval of her own idea and claps her hands together in delight.
“I’d like to give you a chance to do that,” You tap at your nonexistent watch. “But I need to really get going. The faster I get this done, the faster I get to leave this nasty-ass forest.”
The air feels even colder than earlier and you realize that the leftover web that was still attached to your right arm was starting to develop icy frost that spread from your hands to your elbow. It was slowly continuing towards the rest of your body.
She started cackling again in that annoying voice. “Hahahahaha, is it a little nippy in here, or is it just me? Be careful, you just might get frostbite and die!”
This stupid demon was starting to get on your nerves. You smirked at how confident the demon was. “Stop wasting your time with your little gimmicks. I only need one arm to get rid of you, little pest.”
Using your left hand to hold your sword, you disappear behind an oak tree.
“What?! You give me all that talk and you run away?!” the demon girl shouts in frustration. She runs to the tree and shoots webs blindly towards it.
“Moonlight Breathing, Third Form: Shadow Dance,” you say as you are hidden in the shadows, a bright light gleams off your barely visible blade. Your eyes glow into a silver shade that reflect the light of the moon. In a swipe, you slice off her head using the quickest method to avoid needless pain.
“Agh-,” the demon grunts and her head falls onto the dirt path. "I just wanted to be loved," she solemnly whispers her last words.
“I hope you can finally rest in peace and be forgiven for your sins.” You silently pray for her until she fades away completely.
The cold, foggy air disappeared after she vanished. Unfortunately, you still have slight frostbite on your right arm. Sighing at your carelessness, you try moving it; however, you flinch as a stinging sensation fills your senses. Not unbearable but not quite pleasant either. Seems like you’ll be relying on your left arm for the rest of this mission.
Looking up, you see the full moon Shinobu was talking about. The full moon… It reminds you of those warm, cozy memories smeared over with appalling ones.
“Y/N!” Your little sister, Yuki, runs towards you at full force from the main house. “It’s night already. Why are you still training? I wanna play with you!”
You smile warmly and pat her small head. “It’s a full moon tonight where stars shine most brightly. When the moon is like this, it's best to train since our Moonlight Breathing works the best. I wanted to take advantage of it since it only happens about once a month."
“Wow! I wanna train too! Can I? I wanna be just as good as you,” she looks up to you in admiration.
You pat her head. “Haha, I’m sure you will be more talented than I can ever be. Next year, you'll get to train with Father. I’m sure you’ll shine brighter than all stars in the sky, little Polaris.”
“Polaris?”
“It’s the brightest star in the constellation of Ursa Minor and that is just the description that fits you,” you say while placing your sword back into the sheath. You kneel down and look into Yuki’s eyes. “Here, take this.”
You hand your little sister a small star charm. It is scented with wisteria flowers. “I made this charm for you, Yuki. Wear it with you at all times and I hope it will give you courage.”
“Ah! Thank you, Y/N! I love it so much,” she says while jumping at her new gadget.
“It really is a beautiful night.” You grab the star charm necklace that adores your neck and tear up at the memories it holds. You keep looking up to prevent the tears from falling down. “I’m sorry, Yuki.”
You start heading further into the forest, searching for the rest of the demons.