My Brightest Flame (Rengoku X Reader)

Chapter 43 - Lady Tamayo

A/N: Sorry I slowed down a little bit on chapters just now. Things are still busy as my birthday just passed and now I need to set up for the new year's. We're having BBQ roast chicken and a chocolate fountain! Hope you guys enjoy!

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Once it was night, y/n waited patiently for Tanjiro to come and get her. He was a gentle, kind soul, so part of her doubted he would have the guts to help yet another demon when the corps forbid it. However, he did truly love his sister a lot, any help to return Nezuko to what she used to be would be worth any risk to him. The thought made her smirk a little as she sat on her bed. Those two were a force to be reckoned with. When the time came, Muzan would be struggling to hold his ground, that's for sure.

It wasn't long before the boy appeared, using his gentle and kind nature to persuade his colleague to give him the keys to y/n's cell. She prepared herself with the bamboo muzzle to avoid suspicion as they snuck out, at first casually walking before getting to the edge. Two demon slayers approached and, with no other options, Tanjiro and y/n leapt behind a bush. The slayers weren't very strong, she could tell as they only sensed her the moment they passed the foliage she was hiding behind. They tensed and gripped their weapons, looking around with caution as they tried to locate the demon.

"Why are you such an idiot?" Y/N jumped slightly as she heard the screech of anger. At the sound her eyes looked for the source, trying to hold back a laugh as she watched Zenitsu and Inosuke argue. She could only imagine how Tengen was able to cope with them back in the entertainment district.

Both Tanjiro and y/n were grateful to them however, as they allowed a distraction that made the slayers somehow forget about her. The opportunity wasn't wasted as they sped off, leaving the hidden area of the demon slayer corps headquarters far behind. Of course, y/n also took off her muzzle at that point, not enjoying the degradation at all.

Together they ran, the demon following behind the boy. He wasn't as fast as her normally, but she did appreciate that he was quicker than most non-hashira demon slayers. They really didn't have much time before the sun would come back up, thanks to sneaking out taking a long while. But the run was long so they managed to make conversation on the way, which was awkward at first as y/n was never great at small talk. It turned out that they got along really well, even though his nice nature was the complete opposite of her usually aggressive attitude that was ever so annoyingly heightened by becoming a demon.

Lights were the first indication that they were almost there, approaching a city y/n had only ever visited once and it wasn't for a good reason. She used it to hunt humans but it wasn't that great a place for good ones, and so she never bothered after that one event.

"So how did you learn about this demon?" Y/N questioned as they approached the city.

"When I first became a demon slayer, me and Nezuko were nearby having some food, when I sensed a demon. That demon was Muzan, but he managed to lose me. He caused an innocent person to become a demon and lady Tamayo saved me from becoming arrested." He chuckled awkwardly, the memory far away now. "That man is slowly coming back to normal after the transformation, he's showing signs that Tamayo's cure is working slowly."

"Run ins with him are never fun." Y/N admitted, still not daring to say the progenitor's name.

"This way." Silently, the demon followed Tanjiro through a few twists and turns that helped them avoid most of the people on the way to the demon he mentioned. The sky was getting ever so slightly lighter, they were running out of time. But it wasn't much longer before y/n found herself in front of an old wooden door, the boy next to her knocking on it gently. The door opened quickly after, revealing a glaring demon with a bad attitude.

"Oh great, what do you want?" He hissed, rolling his eyes.

"I'm here with another demon who escaped from Muzan, she wants to help lady Tamayo with the cure." The young demon scoffed, his angered eyes casting a judgemental look to y/n.

"How dare you think that sweet lady Tamayo would ever need any help..." He muttered. "You have wasted your time. Get lost." Y/N could only watch is stunned silence as she sensed the pure jealousy in this demon boy's soul.

"Now now, that's no way to treat our guests Yushiro." The soft voice of the demon in question broke the tension. "Especially Tanjiro who has done so much for us. Please, come in."

The atmosphere was silent for a moment as y/n sat patiently in the darkened room next to Tanjiro, who wore a serious expression on his face. Yushiro was still glaring at them both and y/n couldn't help but wonder why.

"Y/N is a demon that wants to help. She has a high concentration of Muzan's blood and is willing to donate some and help you with anything you may need." Tanjiro was the first to speak, determined not to waste any time. They were so close to curing his sister that every second counted.

It wasn't long after that when y/n felt a needle go into her arm, taking some blood. She was never really fond of needles, but if it helped her return back to a human then she would do anything. The demon lifestyle was too tedious. The two scientist demons were careful and efficient as they took multiple samples, just in case something went wrong with the ingredients they had already received. Y/N's blood regenerated fast and so it didn't bother her when they had taken more than a few pints of blood. During the full while they discussed their experiences with Muzan, y/n finally trusting enough of a demon slayer to share her experiences without giving away the location of the original demon.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that. The Rengoku family must mean a lot to you." Tanjiro spoke softly, his voice considerate. Y/N gave him a smile, recalling how he was part of the reason that the Rengoku family was healing and coming back stronger than ever. She just hoped that Senjuro wouldn't put himself in danger again. Most demons were opportunistic and would take advantage of any single mistake they could. Neither her or Kyojuro would be able to protect him all the time, so she hoped for his sake that he remained home. It seemed like now, with the way things were going, there would be no need for another flame hashira. She couldn't lie, the idea of the final hashira being the ones to currently exist made her happy. What would a world without demons be like?

Throughout the night, the small team worked hard, attempting to ignore the traits each of them had that would make it more difficult. Tanjiro would fetch any extra things needed during the time as he was the only one to be able to go out during the day. Meanwhile y/n helped lady Tamayo with passing her ingredients for the cure she was working on, watching with wonder and asking questions about the equipment that appeared identical to the ones Muzan had. Yushiro would take care of the demons they had saved that were locked away, grumpy as y/n had stolen his usual spot by his favourite person's side.

When night came again, y/n had helped all she could. She had really enjoyed learning throughout the day though. They had gotten so close to a cure! Together Tanjiro and y/n gave the two science demons a wave goodbye before running off into the night. They laughed and smiled together on the whole route back, enjoying themselves and the concept of a cure. It wouldn't be long at all now before it would work completely, and when it did, it would mean everything.

"The first thing I'm going to do once I'm human again is empty every restaurant within the area of their food." Y/N smiled, staring ahead of her. She really missed the smell and taste of food, that no longer was nice to her senses. It would be nice to have a bowl of ramen once again.

"I'll join you!" Tanjiro chuckled, both enjoying the conversation they had as they got closer to the headquarters. Together they agreed to share a meal with their friends and family after everything was done and over with, discussing their favourite foods and learning more about each other as they passed the border.

"I should really just tie you up and let the sun deal with you!" Roared the wind hashira. Once again, y/n's body hurtfully hit the floor thanks to Sanemi's unforgiving nature. But she didn't fight back, even if she felt strong enough to take him on. She knew better than that. So with a tired sigh, she just listened as Tanjiro attempt to reason with the white haired maniac with anger issues. It wouldn't work, but that didn't mean he wouldn't kill her.

Soon after she found herself stuck in her cell once again, no longer allowed to wander and now had to wear a muzzle constantly regardless of any situation. She could bite it or take it off, but she wouldn't. She needed to rebuild the trust again that she had broken...But she would do it again if it meant getting closer to a cure.