I believe in getting even
That's what I believe
And I just don't forgive and forget
I don't turn the other cheek
For some pathetic freak
Mother's got a lot to regret
There's just something about getting revenge that made Hotaru so excited.
At first, she kept silent, observing her mother and the interactions she had with her other siblings. She tried to be the perfect heir to her father and followed every order that was given to her. In the eyes of the other demons, all she appeared to be was the silent prodigy. If one took one look into her eyes, however, they would see something stirring inside of her.
A force of rage that bubbled and festered for many years.
In her room at the Infinity Castle, Hotaru hummed to herself as she pricked her finger with a sharp needle. Blood started to drip from the wound, spilling into a bowl on her table. Inside said bowl was the murky essence of a particularly strong poison that she had been concocting for years. Even now, if a lesser demon were to walk into her room, they would instantly die from the fumes alone. This poison was brewed to infect the system of the person whom she held the most grudge towards.
Her mother...
Hotaru smiled as she uses a spoon to swirl her blood into the poison. The blood acted as a dilution agent to prevent anyone from noticing that they were injecting the source. stuff. Now, to be clear, she never wanted things like this to become between the two of them. Hotaru did love the person who gave birth to her and valued her mantra of a world for all humans and demons live together. It was just that she was bitter towards the fact that the attention she wanted, the attention that she rightfully deserved, was going toward two snot-nosed brats that were the result of a pseudo rape and incomplete blood. Plus with the discovery of her twin sister being alive and taking her only human friends, she was being pushed to the brink with all this calamity. At the source, Hotaru figured that blaming the one person responsible for all these misfortunes was easier than getting rid of her sister.
That would come with time.
"Oh okaa-san, I truly do love you. I'm happy to have been a part of your life before those other ones came along." She spoke to herself as she took what remained of the spoon out of the bowl. "It's just that you have outlived your usefulness and seem to never want to stop having children. Of course, there's nothing wrong with that, but I am the true child of this family and nobody is coming to replace me. I will comfort father when you pass on and make sure to take care of any other nuisances that want to get in my way. Just take solace that your legacy will live on forever."
Behind her chair, her shadow shifted slightly before the candles in the room snuffed out. From the shadows, a young demon boy her age appeared in a bowed position. He had long, wavy black hair, dark chocolate skin, and deep cuts and bruises on multiple parts of his body. Two horns poked out of his head. His hair was tied in a long ponytail and he wore a light purple robe. On his back was a curved sword.
"I am at your call, my lady." His voice was echoing, almost as if he were in a tunnel. "What are your orders?"
Hotaru smirked, pouring her poison into a small vial. "Excellent timing as usual Kyojin. I do hope you provided the optimal distraction for keeping the other demons occupied for a few."
He looked up, showing nothing but holes where his eyes used to be. "Yes, I have set the entirety of the queen's garden ablaze like you said. Not a single one of her creations was spared. If I missed any, then they were brought down by a simple swing of my sword. None will speak of what they saw today."
"And the last bud? The last blood flower that holds my next sibling? Did you find and destroy it?"
"Well, I..."
"I can hear the hesitation in your voice. You did find that last flower right?"
There was silence for a minute before Kyojin answered truthfully. "I apologize, my lady. When I went to where you said the last bud was, it was gone. Someone must've plucked the last flower when we weren't looking and ran off with your sibling."
The bowl that once held poison was thrown against the wall. Hotaru placed the vial down on the counter before biting her nails. How could someone have known about her plan to get rid of the last sibling? Was there someone on the inside that knew about her animosity toward the others? One of the lesser demons perhaps?
"Curses! I was so close to cutting off the line forever! I need to find that bud before it blooms into another child!" She took a deep breath and sighed. "At least that gaudy garden is gone. I can take solace in knowing this will be a blow towards my mother."
"Shall I commence in the next part of the plan?"
"Oh, there will be no need to do so Kyojin. The plan is quite simple. A new lunar year is upon us and mother always has one cup of blood prepared for the full moon. We simply sneak this poison into her blood and watch her life slowly dwindle before our eyes. Once she's taken out of the picture, father will go into a rampage and probably do himself in for us. Then I, as the sole heir to his estate, will get all of their power for myself. With this new power, I will deal with every one of my siblings to become the last one standing."
Kyojin nodded, keeping his eye holes off her. "A great plan indeed, my lady. However, what of the Upper Moons and their allegiances?"
"No need for that now. I shall cross that bridge when we get there. For now, I want my revenge and my right to rule above all! I at least deserve that level of respect and power! No one shall ever doubt me again after this."
Hotaru patted Kyojin on his head and smirked. "I suspect there will be no betrayals from you either?"
"You have my full trust and admiration. After all, you were the one who spared me all those years ago."
It was the first time Hotaru had unlocked her Blood Demon Art.
She remembered the day clearly as it was a few months after her mother went into a coma. Without her loving guidance and heart, her father became very cold and distant to her. Not even the scolding from Bashira was enough to make him focus on her. Nor did the other Upper Moons give her the sanctuary she needed to grow. Her only companion at the moment was Bashira, her trusted nanny and designated godmother.
The two were together for a while, not caring for the world around them. Sometimes they would go and visit her mother's sleeping corpse in the garden and chat with the flowers. Hotaru hated that garden with a burning passion as it reminded her of the purity and innocence that was snuffed out of her. There was not a day she didn't despise their prattle and gossip.
Of course, it wasn't like she had a choice in the matter. They only spoke her praises.
Hotaru believed that the only way to gain her father's attention was to train her body to convert herself into his worthy heir. Countless hours of training her body with help from Bashira to garter that feeling of love. Rui, her beloved older sibling, even took time out of his grieving to train her in the art of making webs to ensnare her foes.
It was around the wintry season did Muzan finally took notice of his daughter.
He couldn't be prouder of what he saw.
In his eyes, there was a demon that was bloodthirsty and vile. The cold, sharp look on her face eclipsed all warmth from entering her body. Poison seeped out of her fingernails like his own, allowing her blood to be more toxic than ever before. She was cutthroat in her methods to obtain blood, punishing sinners with agonizing pain before she devoured them.
This was a trait that needed to be nurtured.
And so that fateful day, Muzan broke a promise to his wife about the preservation of human lives and cleaned out an entire orphanage for his heir.
Hotaru was excited at the prospect of finally getting to see her father after quite some time. Nakime had led her to a room inside the castle where he awaited her presence. Her eyes showed signs of that fragile youthful innocence that once held onto her heart and grasped tightly. Will they do a fun activity together? Would she finally be able to speak a full sentence?
Her excitement quickly dwindled when she saw Kokushibo standing in front of the door with a blindfold in his hands. As her father's strongest pawn and her mother's secret admirer, she quite fancied him herself. Though the age gap was large, she knew that her love would be unrequited due to the favor he showers her mother with.
Another reason for her to abhor her then.
The six-eyed demon wrapped the cloth around her eyes and told her to enter the room. Happiness was shown all over her face as she entered the room with full intent to finally meet her father.
Until the scent of blood hit her nose.
Muzan watched with pure fascination as the child he had sired ripped apart the children in the room in a blood frenzy. Poisonous gas filled the area as she melted, boiled, and mangled all the children. A few were snuffed out instantly, some cried for the sweet release of death, and others attempted to flee before being mollified. He saw her strength and reveled in the bliss of a perfect child. Her demon art was simply amazing.
By the time all was said and done, there was a mountain of bodies stacked up around the room. Arms and legs were disconnected from the bodies and mashed into one pile. Blood seeped onto the floor, staining the room with an iron scent. Hotaru stood amid the room, removing her blindfold slowly as she saw the carnage she had done. The sudden realization hit her like a ton of bricks. All the people she had just slaughtered were no more older than she was. Sitting nearby was her father, who gave a smile in her direction.
"You did very well, my child."
"W-W-Why…you made me kill them."
"I did nothing but unleash your hidden powers. You should be thanking me."
"Father….."
Choking noises interrupted them as a movement was seen underneath the pile. A hand burst through the corpses and out came the body of a young boy. His greasy brown locks overshadowed his eyes, his skinny physique was covered in blood, and bandages were wrapped around his arms and legs. Despite the blood rage, he was fully functional and gripping the floor in fear.
"It would appear that one insect dared to survive."
Muzan stood over the young boy with a look of indifference before clutching his neck tightly. The boy started choking more, struggling to release himself from the icy grasp of death. The progenitor demon held up his other hand and hovered over his shielded eyes.
"I better remedy that."
Hotaru glanced at the young boy, surprised by his conviction to keep calm while her father threatened him. Though she couldn't see his eyes, she could feel the power behind them as if to challenge the king. This untold power could be useful to a girl like her.
"Father stop!"
Muzan looked down to see Hotaru taking hold of the boy and bringing him down to her level. There was silence between the two before Hotaru bit her thumb hard enough to draw blood.
"If you have conviction and willpower, then I want you by my side. I sense something inside of you that will fester into something great. Do you want to survive as a demon?"
The boy peered down at her hand before grasping her hand into his. Hotaru blushed slightly as he brought her hand up to his mouth and sucked the blood. Muzan smirked as the boy's body started to blister and burn before he was surprised to see him morph. What was once human was now gone and replaced with a new demonic entity entirely.
"See father, I too can create something new from my blood. While destruction may be my moniker, this blood will transform humans into my minions."
Hotaru turned to face her father with a cold glance as her shadow moved underneath her feet.
"He is known as my strongest warrior, my servant in the shadows, my Titan."
"Please hurry, my lady. The entire garden is inflamed!"
Sorashi had just come back from an evening stroll accompanied by Daki, Gyutaro, Enmu, and Rui. To catch up with her adopted children, she took them all out for dinner. Daki was grateful to be with her maternal figure once more and hogged her left arm the whole night. Enmu cracked jokes at this clingy nature and nearly got his head loped off because of it. Rui was content with being on her other arm and getting hugs from the woman. The night had gone well as they returned to the Infinity Castle in good spirits.
Until the news that her garden was up in flames from Bashira.
Stunned, Sorashi quickly made her way to her beloved venue to see nothing but a sea of flames. Her heart felt as if it would stop as all her years of hard work were gone. The others were speechless as Sorashi sunk to the ground. Her flowers, her trees, all of her precious floral and fauna were all gone.
A hand was placed on her shoulder, making her turn around. Kokushibo cast a sad look before bringing her in for a hug. Daki's jaw dropped before she had to keep Gyutaro from raging out. Enmu chuckled under his breath, staring at the smoldering embers raining from the sky. Rui sadly cast a glance at his mother before hugging her tightly.
Muzan and Nakime appeared to see what was going on and saw the flames rising. The two had no words as they saw the flames lick the flowers and trees that rested in the garden. Nakime covered her mouth in shock while Muzan was scared that his beloved was harmed. Upon seeing her being comforted by the other demons, he sighed in relief as his gaze went towards the garden.
"This doesn't seem like the work of Akasei. Someone must've done this deliberately." Muzan turned to Nakime. "Find them and bring them to me."
Nakime bowed, vanishing from his side. The demon king took one last look at his wife before walking over to her. He saw Kokushibo tense when he came over as he glared at his number one. He harshly tugged the multi-eyed demon off his wife and held her close.
"Do not despair, my princess. I shall find who did this to your garden."
"Mu-chan..." Her voice was strained and quiet. "Why would someone do something so terrible like this? Who have I angered this much that they would burn down my garden?"
Muzan kissed her on the top of her head, nails growing. "I don't know, but they will pay."
Hotaru observed her parents from a window in the Infinity Castle as her lips curved into a smirk. With the help of Kyojin and her potent poison, she would finally gain victory over her mother and get her revenge. Her father would finally give her the respect she oh so craved.
Then, she will deal with her twin sister personally.
I warned you mother. You keep your enemies close, and I am going to be your closer.
A downfall will occur.
Hotaru is playing a dangerous game.
Will she poison her mother?
Or will she end up in flames?
The time is ticking for Sorashi.
A lot of people predicted that Hotaru would turn against her mother due to her past neglect. I'm surprised that many saw this coming. Considering that she takes inspiration from the titan Saturn, you should know how her downfall will be.
In the meantime, get ready for some canon Demon Slayer characters soon!