Spiders and Moons

The Promise

The night fell. It was time to slay some demons. The Sun had set and Tengen grabbed Yumiko out of her room. She fell asleep the moment her bed was done.

Yumiko was tired but knew she had to fight. According to the report there were multiple demons in the area. They seemed to be working together. When they got to the town Yumiko sensed a demon underground instantly as well as Tengen.

"Tengen. Are you good at digging?"

"Well that's one way to ask me to get to them."

Tengen used his strength to break the ground. One of the demons was there with a man he kidnapped. The man was screaming for help. Yumiko jumped in.

"Arachnid breathing first form! Web of lies."

Tengen and his wives watched as she cut him down gracefully. They saw the demons guard go down and soon a face a terror came over him and the man she was saving.

Once the demon was dead Yumiko walked up to the man and picked him to get him out of the pit. Theman was terrified of her. Once they got out of the pit the man kicked away from Yumiko and told her to get out of this town and that they didn't need anymore monsters.

The way Yumiko was being treated pissed Tengen off. "You know she just save your life right!?! She is a demon slayer and she is sworn to prote-"

"It's fine Tengen. He is right. It makes sense but i still need to kill the other demons."

Tengen got an annoyed look. Hinatsuru and Suma were concerned about Yumiko's reaction. Makio was more like Tengen but she was still angry at the man.

Yumiko ran off in search of more demons. Tengen yelled for Yumiko to slow down but she didn't listen. She found another and killed it with the same technique. She kept running and looking for demons. Tengen tried to keep up but was having trouble. Soon they encountered the strongest demon.

The other demons were giving it humans. Yumiko rushed into the center to kill that demon.

Tengen yelled "WAIT!!! Yumiko, don't be reckless!"

Yumiko new she couldn't back down so she kept going. "Arachnid breathing second form Web Shot!"

Yumiko jumped around and took out 2 demons. Tengen jumped in and killed another one. The demon they were feeding as Yumiko was landing on the ground grabbed her by the neck. Yumiko's strength had not fully returned and she was struggling to get out of its grasp. The remaining 4 demons were holding tengen back for a moment.

In that moment it put pressure on the healing wound from her last fight. Yumiko screamed in pain. Tengen got back the weaker demons and cut off the arm of the stronger one. Tengen caught Yumiko and put her on the ground. Tengen then easily killed the demon.

Tengen looked down at Yumiko who was writhing in pain. He said "We are going to need to make ground rules when we get back." There were a couple of demons left but Yumiko Tengen and his wives took care of the rest easily.

The next day Tengen brought Hinatsuru, Makio, Suma and Yumiko to a beautiful sight to have a picnic. Yumiko had never had or heard of a picnic so it was a totally different experience. When they all sat down Tengen began to speak.

"Okay Yumiko we have to put some ground rules. Last night when you fought the demons, to me it seemed that you were looking for a good way to die. Let me tell you that isn't a good way to go. I have seen many people die by a demon's hand. They are sadistic creatures and want to see you suffer. Unless I am wrong entirely. What if you truly believe you deserve the worst kind of death. I don't know what you truly want but you must make a promise to me if we are going to work."

Yumiko was stunned by this. It felt sudden to her but she knew deep down that Tengen was right. Hinatsuru, Makio and Suma eagerly awaited a response.

"I wont say you are wrong Tengen. In truth I should have died the first time I met Douma. I have felt guilty for many years. It is time I face this. Also with your promise I am not sure if I can keep it but I will try."

Tengen nodded. "I need you to change your priorities. Your number one priority is the civilians, your second is yourself, third is killing the demon. You need to look out for yourself more. Killing a demon is not always number one. It is always saving the lives of others. So in short, promise me not to try and die a shitty death."

Yumiko looked down in shame. "Fine. I'll try my best."

Tengen smirked. "Well that is all I need. Come on! Let's have the best damn picnic of our lives!" Tengen picked up his sake and everyone else followed suit. "To longevity!"

They all drank and had fun for the rest of the meal. They continued to be partners even after the master told them they didn't have to.

Master Ubuyashiki looked up at the sky. "This partnership was going to lead to something beautiful."