The One Demon Night Parade

Chapter Eight - Promise

 Tsunade regarded Satsuki with suspicion. Kurenai was shocked when I allowed Satsuki to come with us, especially since my mouth and neck were red with her blood. The team found me extremely unnerving, as they had seen the entire fight. They reported Tsunade the entire encounter, and Akamaru could barely stand to stay in the same room as me now.

Satsuki had stopped bleeding, her wound freezing over slowly and revealing new skin. Her gaze was blank as she stared at Tsunade.

"Lady Hokage, is it rude if I ask what exactly is Ren's purpose?" Kurenai asked slowly. I giggled.

"Ren is the cute character!" I flashed her a peace sign. "Ren manages the cuteness of the whole village!" Satsuki choked trying to hold back her laughter. She and I got along quickly. Apparently we had similar ideologies in that the few Yokai that remain must band together. She had given me her True name, and so she was my servant until I either released her or Tsunade did. That included my death.

Tsunade leaned back in her chair, sighing. "Ren has an important role. You are not privy to that information, Kurenai." The Jonin's eyes widened, clearly miffed at that knowledge.

I pouted. "Tsu-nee-san should've just said Ren was the mascot of Konoha! Doesn't that make it easier for Tsu-nee-san?" Tsunade twitched at my new nickname for her. Satsuki had a grin plastered to her face. Oh, we were certainly going to get along very well. "There are enough rivers around here to claim that, anyway," I hinted. Satsuki pinched herself so she wouldn't laugh again.

Kurenai and her team were dismissed and Tsunade looked at me quite seriously. "And you trust this Satsuki of yours?"

I smiled. "Ren has Satsuki's True name, so Satsuki could never disobey me. If she does, I will know," I said flatly. Satsuki shivered. "I already gave her orders that she cannot disobey. She cannot harm the village, she cannot harm you, she cannot harm anyone from the village, she may not instigate war between villages, she may not disobey you. I think there were a few others. I'll add them on as I think of them." Tsunade watched me.

"Ren, I didn't think much of it, but how powerful are you, regarding other Yokai and such?" Tsunade asked me. Satsuki grinned.

"Ren is the strongest Yokai I've ever met," she stated to my surprise.

"Really? Ren was really weak before Ren took a nap," I mused. "Ren knew power grows when Yokai sleep, but how long was Ren sleeping if Ren is considered powerful now?"

"What's the last thing you remember before sleeping, Ren?" Satsuki asked, amused.

I hesitated to answer. "The last thing," I hummed. "The Sage had just annihilated all Yokai and 'blessed' the world. I went to sleep after I visited the Sage himself on his deathbed. Humans really are weak when they become old. The older we are, the stronger we are. He could only hate me, and spit words at me. And I told him I'd never forgive him for committing genocide. And you know what he said?" I asked, a bitter smile on my face. "He said it was for the better. That all Yokai were evil and threatened humanity."

Tsunade was silent and Satsuki spoke. "Sometimes I think the Sage was right. But then again, there were a lot of Yokai who did no harm. There were Yokai who helped humans, and not all had a taste for flesh. What the Sage did was kill all the harmless ones and leave the strong ones to fester in hatred. Ren, if there are other Yokai, we must find them."

"You weren't the first Ren found," I smiled. "Ren found Ren's old friend, Kanta. Kanta was the one who told Ren to never eat humans again and pulled Ren from the darkness after the Sage killed Ren's mother. If Kanta could succumb to darkness, any Yokai could."