・°°・ Chapter 11 ・°°・

⚠️ Warning/s: Negative thoughts, mentions of death. ⚠️

Flashback:

What would I do now that he's gone? Is he going to be okay? Why couldn't I save him? Was I just not strong enough?

All these questions raced through my head as I pondered what to do next, then I reached a conclusion. I'd train to be incredibly strong so this never happens again. Never will someone I love die in front of me, and that's a promise.

Y/N POV:

For everyone, it was hard to deal with the loss of Rengoku. To me, he was an older brother figure, a person who I looked up to tremendously as he was a powerful young man, one who held extraordinary power.

His flame techniques were strong, but they weren't strong enough to beat Uppermoon 3, so he died.

Stuck in what was a time of mourning for all of the Demon Slayer Corps, especially those who knew him personally, I made sure to try my best when giving sympathies to his family. First I made sure to give them some space so as to deal with the loss of Rengoku themselves before I left a small gift on their doorstep - a bottle of sake and some chocolates.

When people are mourning there isn't much you can do to help them except consoling them in any way that you can or giving them space. You'll have some people who prefer one or the other, so you have to decide what they actually want. Muichiro was especially kind to me when I was mourning, he never knew Rengoku but he knew that I was close to him before he died.

Apparently, Rengoku has addressed me as his little sister to some of the Hashira at meetings, and in general conversations. Unfortunately, I was never able to hear it for myself until he died, and that in itself was a blessing.

After he passed, reinforcements soon came at the train, with kakushi helping out any injured slayers. There were no casualties thanks to Rengoku, so he successfully fulfilled the promise he made to his mother. He wore a strong smile on his face even when staring death in the face. His determination was inspiring, and his smile never faltered even in the darkest moments of his life.

The strength he carried motivated everyone else to live their lives in bliss, to move on and let go of the past. Rengoku's last smile remained imprinted in my mind and his last words to me replayed on a loop in my mind.

"Imouto..."

How I longed for him to be able to call me that once more. It was pitiful though, he would never be able to experience the real love we would have shared in our brother-sister bond. He died before it was established.

In the months and weeks after his death, Tanjiro, Nezuko, Inosuke, Zenitsu and I grew closer, as I began to develop romantic feelings toward Muichiro. Butterflies would fill my stomach whenever I met him, and he would treat me like royalty.

He may be forgetful, but he never forgot things about me.

"It's because you're close to me, and I would never forget something as precious as your favourite flower, your name, your age... Anything about you I will remember for eternity." His smooth voice was unusually soft when he said this as if he was able to read my mind.

I prayed he felt the same way, but it felt rude to be neglecting the memory of Rengoku in exchange for Muichiro's love. They were both people I love dearly, and now one of them is dead. The love I had for Rengoku was different to that of Muichiro, yet I could not pick one of them over the other.

If that moment ever come, I dreaded it with all of my heart. Never do I want to lose another loved one, and I never will. Even if it means sacrificing my own life, I would give it up instantaneously, with no hesitation.

Slowly, I was able to come to terms with Rengoku's death thanks to the soft consolation of Muichiro. His voice coaxed me into a state of peace, and the hole that now lay in my heart was slowly being filled by his love. It was sure to scar, making me never forget about it, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

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Editing: Complete.