Chapter Text
Run. Hide. Pray.
Your thoughts repeated endlessly. Fear gripped your heart as you tore through the brush behind your village. Terrifying, maniacal laughter followed you closely yet far behind at the same time, intermixed with the overwhelming midnight wind. It was disorienting — the sound felt like it was surrounding you as you felt yourself trip on the uneven ground.
Scrambling, you forced yourself to stay quiet as you hurried behind a nearby tree. You pressed your back against it and held your breath.
“Where... oh, where did my little prey run off to?”
A voice that matched the laughter cooed. You didn’t dare peek out from your hiding spot.
. . .
“Repeat it again, Y/N.”
You huffed, impatiently. “First I run away as fast as I can. Then I hide somewhere they’ll never find me. And I pray for the sun to come up...!”
Satisfied, your father nodded his head once. “Right.”
“Must you speak of such nightmarish things as demons? And to our daughter, at that…” Your mother chided from over her shoulder, standing in the doorway disapprovingly. Your father didn’t get a chance to speak up before you sat up straighter, eyes shining with amazement.
“It’s important, mother! Demons are real! And so are the warriors who slay them... isn’t that right, father?”
He moved closer to you, putting a hand on your shoulder. “That is correct, sunflower. I only hope you never have to encounter one…” He spoke with a far off expression, a look of sadness in his eyes as his gaze fell upon the old katana that had always hung above your family home's doorway.
As your mother sighed and left the room, you leaned into his touch comfortingly... wanting to ask more, but deciding against it.
. . .
Tears pricked your eyes as you muttered under your breath vague prayers for the sun to rise soon. The night had been harsh and unimaginable. Woken up by a nearby scream, which after blinking the sleepiness away you had realized came from your friend’s house next door, how could you not rush over to make sure they were okay?
Perhaps had you not ran to help, you wouldn’t have seen a demon with your own two eyes. Perhaps it wouldn’t have followed you back to your home... and perhaps, it wouldn’t have murdered your parents in one grisly swipe as they threw themselves over you to protect you.
“This is fun, little girl. Should I close my eyes and you find a new hiding place every time?”
You couldn’t help but let out a terrified whimper as the demon’s footsteps slowly grew closer and closer behind you - its mocking tone dripping with venom. Your heart felt like it was going to burst when you glanced up anxiously to the sky, only to see it was still pitch black. Barely any stars were even out that night.
You felt your knees begin to give out in fear, but before you could collapse completely, two clawed arms shot out from around the tree — tortuously gripping your wrists and tearing at your skin. Then another pair of arms followed, then another.
The arms slinked themselves around you in an inhuman way, trapping you against the bark painfully and scratching at your skin in the process. You began a desperate, high pitched scream, but another hand quickly clamped itself over your mouth, digging into your cheeks.
Tears were falling down your face as you fearfully, finally, looked up at the demon staring at you hungrily. It chuckled sickeningly as saliva trickled from its long tongue.
“Unhand that young lady, demon!”
A booming voice came from somewhere in front of you, and you felt the slightest bit of hope. But the demon didn’t seem to pay it any attention, and it began to lunge towards your face.
“I said,” a blinding wave of fire erupted from where the voice had come from, enveloping the demon in a painful blaze but somehow leaving you entirely unburned. The demon let out an ear shattering scream as it released you from its grip, stumbling sideways in pain, “...you will unhand her!”
You looked up from your knees and finally saw him.
A boy in a brown gakuran uniform, who looked to be a year or two older than you, you guessed. He wore a brilliant white haori around his shoulders, standing out like a beacon of light in the dark forest, and in his clenched hands was an impressive looking blade, one of which you’d only ever seen in storybooks.
But his unique outfit paled in comparison to his features.
His blazing, golden hair was the first thing to capture your attention. It reminded you of a lion’s mane, with vibrant red tips and highlights that rivaled actual torchlight. His eyes, even at this distance, were the next thing to notice. They shone brighter than any stars that might’ve been in the sky on any other night, and there was a burning determination in them that you could only describe as breathtaking.
In your daze, you could’ve sworn you actually saw the sun coming up, right in front of you.
You looked away from him just in time to see the still-smoking demon dive towards you, mouth agape and fangs at the ready. You let out a short scream and ducked.
But the demon never made it to you.
Peeking up, you gasped in awe. The boy had appeared in front of you in the blink of an eye, sword raised above his head as he had already made quick work of decapitating the demon in one fell swoop. His eyes were shut as he breathed evenly through his nose, not even sparing a glance as the demon’s head dropped helplessly at his feet. It quickly dissolved into an unnatural purple steam, still crackling with the leftover embers of the boy’s power.
You gasped again, unbelieving you were still alive. Your gaze moved from your shaking hands to your savior’s fiery, now-opened eyes, which were quickly filling with concern as he moved from his stance to kneel next to you and smile warmly.
He extended a larger, calloused hand towards you. “Are you alright, Miss? I am ashamed for not arriving sooner.” He spoke in a lower, yet still exuberant voice.
Still gathering yourself, you didn’t answer, but took his hand. You let him raise you up off the ground, and he didn’t hesitate to catch your shoulders as you stumbled to the side.
“Miss?” The handsome stranger spoke again, this time pressing you against his right arm and shoulder. His smile had become a worried frown. “Would you allow me to escort you home? Please, take your time.”
Home.
You tried to collapse to the ground again, but the boy’s hold stayed firm. He easily moved you towards his chest, where — you couldn’t help it — you pressed your injured cheek to and let out a loud sob.
Again, he didn’t hesitate. He laid his hand overtop yours, and placed his other arm around your back comfortingly. He said nothing as you continued to cry, slightly stroking your fingers with his own, silently offering to take the entire weight of the traumatizing night off your shoulders and onto his already burdened ones.
He was so warm.
You don’t know how many minutes passed before you finally cried yourself out, and your sniffles died down enough that he felt comfortable holding you out in front of him a bit. You were still so close to him, and you were grateful for it. His warmth was a welcome shelter from the cold night air.
“...I’m sorry.” You said, barely above a whisper.
“Do not apologize!” He said in a loud voice, quickly returning to his lower tone when you jumped slightly at the volume. His smile was returning now that you were looking at him, though. “As I said, I’m the one who should be apologizing. The least I can do is offer you comfort after the horrors you’ve just experienced.”
He didn’t seem to mind holding you at this intimate distance. His eyes sparkled as his smile grew even wider. “Can I ask your name?”
You blushed involuntarily, struggling to maintain eye contact with his confident gaze. You shyly told him your name and watched for any change in expression.
His smile only brightened, somehow. “And a lovely name it is! I am Rengoku Kyojuro, Demon Slayer, rank Tsuchinoto.” He bowed his head slightly, as much as he could while still holding you close.
You were stunned, and could barely register what he was saying. You had all but given up hope after your frightful night that those who battled the demons actually existed, and now here one was in front of you. He had saved you. And he was gently pressing you up against his strong chest.
Before you could answer, Rengoku swooped his arms under your knees and you fell easily into his arms. You let out a quick yelp and, as if on instinct, wrapped your arms around his neck.
“Forgive me, but your injuries have me concerned! I hope you don’t mind if I carry you the rest of the way!” His boisterous voice was loud, yet comforting. You found yourself being more and more captivated by the supposed demon slayer.
All you could do is nod in response. He smiled at you and began making his way towards your village.
There was so much you wanted to ask him, about being a Demon Slayer, about how he knew where to find you. You wanted to know more about him. You didn’t want him to go away. You didn’t want to be alone in your house with the bodies of your parents. You didn’t want to face the world by yourself. You really didn’t want him to go.
As your thoughts began to spiral, your grip on his haori tightened, and you didn’t even notice you were leaning into the crook of his neck. But Rengoku did.
“Oh? Is something troubling you?” You couldn’t see his expression but you imagined it was a concerned one to match his tone.
You finally willed yourself to speak. “Don’t leave me...”
He came to a halt. Rengoku held your shaking form out in front of him a bit, and you could finally see his face again. Those handsome features were beginning to knit in worry. You suddenly became self conscious about how familiar you were letting yourself be with the boy.
But what he said next immediately set your anxieties to rest.
“Tell me, what is it?”
As he spoke those gentle words, you could’ve sworn he held you tighter, closer. You sniffled and gazed up at your savior with wet eyes.
“I don’t want to go back there. That creature... my parents are dead in that house. And my friend in hers. And I don't know how many others...” Tears began flowing down your cheeks again as reality set in that the world you knew until that night would never be the same again. How would you simply go back to normal, after experiencing what you have? What would the world be like when the sun finally came up, ending this terrible night?
Rengoku’s concerned frown deepened, and the bright confidence in his aura dropped ever so slightly. “I see,” he started carefully. “I truly didn’t arrive in time. The demon had already wrecked its havoc in your village.”
You couldn’t look him in the eye as you were afraid that, on top of everything else, you had hurt your hero’s feelings. He wasn’t having it though, and shifted you in his arms so you had to look at him.
His gaze was unwavering.
“Y/N, I am so sorry for your loss, and what you have experienced tonight. I’m aware even my deepest sympathies cannot atone for not arriving sooner.” His tone was absolute with soft determination. He continued, “I am making a swordsman’s promise to you, I will not leave your side until you feel prepared for me to do so. Let us continue on our path towards your house, and I hope you would please allow me to take care of the aftermath once we’ve arrived, so you do not have to witness anything else.”
He bowed his head a bit, respectfully. “If you would allow me to bury your family and any of the other victims, I will not have failed you entirely.”
You stared at him, overwhelmed by his kindness and sincerity. He noticed your tears had begun to dry, and his smile began to return.
“You will overcome this, I know you will. I assure you, I will help however I can." He spoke so sincerely you couldn't help but believe him — but you didn't know if you believed the soft blush you saw blossoming across his face at his next words, as he decided to try to make you smile.
"If I may, it would be my honor... to spend more time with someone so cute.”
Upon receiving that last compliment, your blush worsened and you ducked your head to hide it. Rengoku allowed himself a small, proud smirk at your reaction. His expression was unreadable and you couldn’t tell if he was just continuing to be kind, or if he actually meant it. You hoped he meant it.
Rengoku gave a hearty laugh, and slowly began walking towards the village once again.
When you both had arrived, it was still the dead of night, but your neighbors had begun emerging from their homes from all the commotion of the battle in the forest. The doors to both your house and your friend’s were nothing but piles of shattered wood, and there was a still-fresh path of blood between the two doorways.
You hid your face in the crook of Rengoku’s neck, and as promised, you saw no further horrors that night.