The Mother Spider Demon continued to sit on a big rock, thinking about her disappointment. She felt her threads detach, learning that her headless demon had been slain. 'Damn it! My demon had lost! But... it was my strongest and fastest doll I had!' The Mother Spider Demon looked at her knees and grunted out of irritation. 'Why did Rui have to threaten me? So upsetting... what am I going to do now? If Rui finds out that...' The Mother Spider Demon's thought process was interrupted as she saw a shadow hovering over her. 'What's that? A shadow?' She then looked up to see a boy with red hair falling from the sky towards her area. She then gasped in shock. 'Above me! There's a boy coming my right at me! I can't believe he actually found me!' The Mother Spider Demon's body begun to tremble a bit.
Before she could think of a plan, Natsu Rengoku had already landed a few yards away from her on the dirt, feet first. Seconds after landing on his feet, he faced the Mother Spider Demon with his Nichirin Sword pointing directly at her.
'He's going to kill me!' The Mother Spider Demon thought, as her body trembled a bit.
Natsu remained quiet, as he stared at the Mother Spider Demon.
Flashback
Shortly before Natsu had found the Mother Spider Demon's location, he, Inosuke and Ozaki were running towards the Mother Spider Demon's location. As they were running, Inosuke had suddenly stopped running for a moment. This caught the attention of both Natsu and Ozaki, who also stopped.
"What's the matter, Inosuke? Are you tired?" Natsu asked, curiously.
"Get ready..." Inosuke muttered.
"Hm?" Both Natsu and Inosuke didn't understand.
"Get ready for what?" Natsu asked.
"Because, what you can... I can do better!" Inosuke yelled, before grabbing Natsu's waist.
"Inosuke?" Natsu was a bit confused, as Inosuke grabbed him.
"Hurrraah!" Inosuke grunted as he launched Natsu dozens of feet high within the air towards the Mother Spider Demon's direction.
"Inosuke! What are you doing!" Natsu chanted while flying.
Ozaki gasped in shock after seeing what Inosuke did. Her mouth was a open, her hands were on her cheeks and stood still as Natsu flew in the air.
"What does it look like I'm doing! Hurry up and kill that demon!" Inosuke yelled towards Natsu, who was flying dozens of feet within the air.
Natsu paused, then smiled at his friends, confidentially while in midair. "I will! And as soon as I do, I'll come back for you! I swear!"
"Be careful, Natsu!" Ozaki yelled to get his attention. Her hands were over her mouth.
'Thanks, you, guys! Now, to find that demon.' As Natsu had flown within midair, he used this tie to locate the Mother Spider Demon with his great eyesight. 'Where are you?' He shifted his eyes, left and right for a moment, then found the Mother Spider Demon's location. He found her sitting on a rock. 'There you are!' Natsu gripped onto his hilt, as he was prepared to fight.
End Flashback
Natsu remained quiet and stared at the Mother Spider Demon, sitting on the rock. His golden eyes bore no anger, nor hatred within them. As the Mother Spider Demon was drowning in a small pool of fear. Her silver eyes couldn't look more terrified, as she knew he was going to die.
Natsu made the first move by charging towards the Mother Spider Demon, with the intent on killing her. As he charged, he remembered his promise to kill the demon controlling the threads. He was prepared to decapitate her head off clean. Then all of a sudden, he gasped as he noticed something and stopped running in place. The tip of his Nichirin sword were a few centimeters close to her neck.
Natsu paused and continued to wield the blade to her neck. 'Why... is she crying all of a sudden?' He was confused on why the Mother Spider Demon started crying right in front of him, as tears of relief streamed down her cheeks. "Why aren't you defending yourself?" Natsu asked.
"Because I'm tired of living..." The Mother Spider Demon simply replied, feeling afraid and depressed.
Natsu paused, with his Nichirin Sword still close to her neck. "I don't get it. You want to die?"
The Mother Spider Demon slowly nodded.
Natsu grunted after hearing her answer. He slowly started to get mad, now realizing what she wanted to be put out of her misery. A murderer wishing to die, to get the easier way out. "But why, though? You've killed so many people. And you almost me and my friends... Tell me! Why would a cold-blooded killer like you would ever want the easy way out?" Natsu's blood started to slowly boil, as he stopped himself from cutting her neck.
The Mother Spider Demon gasped, as she saw the anger within Natsu's golden eyes. By the look, she couldn't tell who was scarier, Natsu or the Father Spider Demon. 'He's angry...' She looked down and saw her reflection through Natsu's Nichirin sword. She could see the hesitation within Natsu, as he was on the edge of cutting her. She had to give him an answer, or else she assumed that Natsu would give her a painful death. She lightly sighed in front of him, feeling a little scared. "Because if I don't do what he says... he will continue to have me tortured. Or worse... he'll have me burn in the sunlight."
"Who's he?" Natsu asked.
"Rui. One of the Twelve Kizuki." The Mother Spider Demon sadly replied, feeling afraid.
Natsu gasped. 'One of the Twelve Kizuki is here?' Natsu then thought back during a moment when he and Inosuke were dealing with walking Demon Slayer corpse being controlled by threads. He then looked upwards to see a demon standing on threads. 'Could she mean that guy on the threads? Could he possibly be one of them?'
"Please... kill me." The Mother Spider Demon begged Natsu to kill her, as she started breaking down. "I can't take anymore abuse!" She pressed her hands on her pale soft legs and orbs of tears touched the ground.
Natsu watched the Mother Spider Demon sob right in front of him and was stuck in a mental bind. Everything was pitch black around him and he closed his eyes for ten seconds. He took a breather, then removed his Nichirin sword away from her neck. "No!"
The Mother Spider Demon gasped after hearing Natsu refuse her request. "What?"
"I'm not going to kill you, now." Natsu said as he put his Nichirin sword back into his sheath.
"But, why won't you? It's just as you said. I've done terrible things to many people..."
"And that's why I'm not going to kill you. You think that you can get away by having someone kill you without facing justice. Honestly, you can't receive true justice when you're dead." Natsu told her.
"But..."
"I already can't forgive you for killing innocent people on this mountain... but I can't let you die, just because you want your suffering to end!" Natsu pointed at her.
"Then... what should I do?" The Mother Spider Demon asked as she stared at her hands. She imagined blood on them.
"You can always do the right thing. Atone for your crimes! Make up for all the lives you've taken!"
The Mother Spider Demon gasped. "But, is that even possible? I'm a demon! I gave away my humanity to become stronger. I've killed so many people. No amount of good I do now will send me into heaven!" The Mother Spider Demon placed a hand on her bosom and shook her head no.
"Wherever you go is up to you. But I think demons like you can start over and do good."
"But, all demons are bad!" The Mother Spider Demon protested.
"You're wrong." Natsu muttered, which caught her off guard.
"Mmph." The Mother Spider Demon grunted.
"I know someone who's a demon. And she chooses to do good for others." Natsu suddenly thought about Nezuko Kamado.
Flashback
Earlier that day around five in the morning, Natsu and Tanjirou were sitting outside on a porch at the Fuji Family Residence having a conversation. They both wore blue robes and white sandals. Tanjirou had explained to Natsu about his past, what happened to his family and Nezuko's condition.
Natsu looked a bit shocked. "So, while you were gone... your family was slaughtered by a demon, leaving Nezuko the sole survivor. And when you found Nezuko alive and tried to get help, she turned into a demon..." Natsu had summed up Tanjirou's story.
"Yeah. I lost almost my entire family during that day." Tanjirou reminisced the crime scene when he returned home. "I lost my mother... Takeo... Hanako... Shigeru... and Rokuta." Natsu reminisced seeing their happy faces. "I think about them, everyday." he frowned.
"I'm sorry, Tanjirou. I had no idea that you went through so much in two years." Natsu looked down at his feet, feeling a bit depressed of learning Tanjirou's past.
"You don't have to be. That's why I'm working hard to find a cure for Nezuko."
"A cure?" Natsu glanced at Tanjirou.
"Yes. My sister, Nezuko was turned into a demon. Right now, I'm looking for a cure, so that I could turn her back into a human." Tanjirou smiled.
Natsu jumped on his feet. "Wait, you're serious!? There's a cure for that?"
"Well, not yet..." Tanjirou said as he put his left thumb on his chin and looked upwards. "But me and Miss Tamayo are working on a way to cure demons."
"Miss Tamayo?" Natsu questioned as he had no clue who she was.
"She's a demon and a doctor, who's also working on a cure for demons. And she's one of my acquaintances." Tanjirou said.
"So, there are more good demons out there, too?" Natsu asked.
"Mm-hmm." Tanjirou smiled and nodded.
Natsu sat back down next to Tanjirou. "That's crazy. Just when you think demons came from out of nowhere, they were actually human this whole time. I had no idea were we killing people."
"Yeah. Technically, we are killing people. And the person responsible for it all is a man named Muzan Kibutsuchi." Tanjirou said.
"I've heard about him through my older brother. He said that the Hashira are currently hunting him down." Natsu told Tanjirou.
"A few days ago, I met him once in a large crowd in Tokyo." Tanjirou looked down.
Natsu's eyes widened. "Really?"
"When I saw him, I wanted to kill him for what he did to my family two years ago." Tanjirou reminisced meeting Muzan in a large crowd in Tokyo, Japan and wanting to attack. "But then I found out he had a wife and a young daughter." Tanjirou remember meeting his family.
"That's weird. My older brother told me that Muzan's been roaming Japan for centuries. It's not like demons can breed with humans, or anything." Natsu pointed out.
"Maybe, you're right." Tanjirou said.
End Flashback
Natsu had told the Mother Spider Demon about his conversation with Tanjirou, earlier that day.
"That has to be awful..."
"I know. But you must know that you've done the same thing, as when you kill multiple innocent people on this mountain."
"You're right... I've killed countless people for Rui over the years. And yet, I still get tortured for being weak." The Mother Spider Demon sadly looked at her hands and imagined them being stained with red blood. "My hands are dirty. I can never return the lives that I have taken. Do you mind if I tell you a story? Now that you've told me yours?"
"Sure. I don't mind." Natsu said.
"Okay. Here goes..." The Mother Spider Demon took this time and traded stories with Natsu.
It had taken a total of five minutes of the Mother Spider Demon explaining everything she knew about Rui and the other Spider Demons. And their abilities. "And that's everything I know about them..."
"I get it now. So, your supposed husband and Rui tortures you, because they think that you're weak, am I right?" Natsu guessed.
The Mother Spider Demon felt a bit embarrassed and felt down. 'Well, if you put it like that...'
"I'll tell you what. If me and my friends kill the other Spider Demons-including one of the Twelve Kizuki, would you promise to never hurt another human, ever again?" Natsu asked.
"What?"
"That way, you don't have to suffer anymore." Natsu said.
'They're going to kill Rui? But if they do... I'll finally be free...' the Mother Spider Demon thought. "You... would really do that for me?" she questioned.
"Heh." Natsu grinned, showing his strong white teeth.
The Mother Spider Demon gasped for a second, as she noticed his smile. 'That smile... it's bright. He But, if they do... I'll finally be free from this suffering.' She gritted her teeth and pressed her hands onto her pale thighs. Her eyes begun to water in relief. "Then yes! I would appreciate that very much! I promise that won't kill another human being, ever again! Please defeat Rui and my family!" the Mother Spider Demon cried, as orbs of tears fell from her eyes.
Natsu smiled. "Okay." He then thought of something. "Oh, by the way. I'm Natsu Rengoku. What's your name?"
The Mother Spider Demon gasped. "My name?" she started twiddling with her fingers. To be honest, I don't remember name. I don't remember myself being a human either." Ten seconds later, she suddenly gasped and looked behind Natsu in horror as she spotted a being that she had easily recognized. "No... not you! What are you doing here?" the Mother Spider Demon fearfully questioned.
"Huh?" Natsu was thrown off.
All of a sudden, something had appeared behind Natsu, a few yards behind him. Natsu turned around a few seconds later and looked to see a big muscular gray-skinned demon with multiple teal colored spider-like eyes on its face, long silver hair, and spider fangs on its mouth. It was the Father Spider Demon.
'He's huge!' Natsu quickly pulled his blade back out from his sheath and prepared to fight the Father Spider Demon.
"Stay away from my family!" the Father Spider Demon yelled as he attempted to punch Natsu into the ground.
Natsu instantly dodged by jumping a yard backwards from him. 'That demon is strong!' He pointed his Nichirin katana towards the Father Spider Demon, who tried to attack him. He then witnessed the Father Spider Demon charge at him like an ox and dodged. The Father Spider Demon had collided with a tree, left shoulder first. It did not take any damage, whatsoever. 'This guy is really tough, too!' Natsu noted.
"Get away from us!" The Father Spider Demon threw a few punches towards Natsu.
'I can't afford to mess around with this guy, or else he'll probably kill me!' Natsu continued to dodge the Father Spider Demon's attacks until his back had met a tree.
"Get away from us!" the Father Spider Demon roared.
Natsu then dodged a devastating blow by flipping to his right side. The Father Spider Demon had punched a tree, leaving a big gap in it. The tree suddenly fell down onto the ground, landing a yard from the rock the Mother Spider Demon was sitting on.
While dodging the Father Spider Demon's attacks. Natsu accidentally touched and slipped on a pebble with his right back foot, losing a bit of balance. He saw one of the Father Spider Demon's big swings coming his way and fast. 'Oh crap! I gotta block!' Natsu thought and quickly crossed his arms, protecting his upper chest. In a second, Natsu felt the force of the Father Spider Demon's strong blows. Natsu grunted as he felt the force of the Father Spider Demon's strong blow. He was sent a few feet backwards, with his back colliding with a thick tree.
"Ack!" Natsu gauged as he made contact with a thick dark tree in the mountain. As soon as Natsu landed on his feet, he quickly fell onto his hands and knees and started coughing up saliva on the ground for a moment.
The Mother Spider Demon gasped as she watched Natsu take a serious blow from the Father Spider Demon.
The Father Spider Demon slowly approached Natsu, as he wanted to take his time killing him. He raised a single fist into the air and planned on bashing Natsu's head in, like a hammer bashing nails.
The Mother Spider Demon couldn't help, but tremble as she watched the Father Spider Demon assault Natsu. "N-no! Please... leave him alone!" she cried to her spider husband.
The Father Spider paused as he heard the Mother Spider Demon's cry. He slowly turned around and looked at the Mother Spider Demon, who looked scared. He slowly walked towards the Mother Spider Demon, who stood still. "You... betrayed our family!" he yelled as he grabbed her long silver hair.
"Aaagh!" The Mother Spider Demon screamed as she felt the pain of the Father Spider Demon, yanking on her hair by the roots. She tried to free herself by attempting to grab the Father Spider Demon's upper arm. "Please! Release me!"
Natsu gained enough consciousness to where he witnessed the Father Spider Demon punch the Mother Spider Demon in the face, knocking her to the ground. He saw the Mother Spider Demon's body dropped and landed onto the ground, with the Mother Spider Demon standing over her. The Mother Spider Demon seemed unconscious.
As he watch the Father Spider Demon grab the Mother Spider Demon by the roots again with his left hand and attempted to drag her away, something had clicked within his mind. Natsu thought about what the Mother Spider Demon had told her about being abused for being weak. Now he understands why she wants to die so badly. It's not because of Demon Slayers hunting her down. It's because she is going through physical and mental.
Natsu gritted his teeth. "Hey, you!"
The Father Spider Demon turned around to see Natsu on his feet in a swordsman position, glaring at him, with his Nichirin sword pointing at him yards away.
"I'm not done yet! Pick on somebody your own size!" Natsu yelled, as he was prepared to fight.
The Father Spider Demon started to get irritated of seeing Natsu standing. He slowly dropped the Mother Spider Demon onto the ground, face first. His blood started to boil. He charged towards Natsu with the intent of killing him. "Stay away... FROM MY FAMILY!" he roared as it attempted to throw another hard punch towards Natsu.
As the Father Spider Demon charged towards him, Natsu took a breather and prepared to use a Flame Breathing technique. He gritted his teeth and inhaled some oxygen. 'Flame Breathing. Fifth Form... Flame Tiger!'Natsu silently chanted with burning golden eyes. He swung as fast as he could, making fiery slashes in a form of a fiery-like tiger that charges towards the Father Spider Demon.
The Father Spider Demon had continued to run towards Natsu, after running through Natsu's Flame Tiger, like a ghost. But as soon as the Father Spider Demon had tried to punch Natsu in the face, it was already too late. The Father Spider Demon's body slowly crumbled on the ground and turned into chopped pieces, as it had entered Natsu's personal bubble. Except for the head, which remained in tact. Seconds later, the Father Spider Demon's remains disintegrated.
"Heh. I killed it." Natsu chuckled as he watched the Father Spider Demon's remains disintegrate. Then, he worried about the Mother Spider Demon's condition as he ran to her.
The Mother Spider Demon moaned, as she begun to regain consciousness. As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw Natsu smiling at her. "Mmph... Natsu? What happened?" she asked as she slowly sat up. "What happened?"
"It's okay. You don't have to worry about that giant jerk, anymore." Natsu said, informing the Mother Spider Demon.
"W-what?"
"I took care of that other demon. He's dead. I killed him." Natsu chuckled in front of her.
The Mother Spider Demon gasped as she was surprised to hear that. 'He actually killed him?' The Mother Spider Demon then thought of all the times she was abused by the Father Spider Demon. Now that he's dead, she felt a lot more relieved.
Natsu helped the Mother Spider Demon up to her feet by offering her a hand. "Listen. I'm sorry you had to go through all of that with him."
"It's alright. Now that he's gone, I can almost relax. But... one of my tormentors are still out there." The Mother Spider Demon replied as she thought about Rui.
"You mean Rui? One of the Twelve Kizuki?" Natsu asked.
The Mother Spider Demon slowly nodded her head.
"So... What's going to happen with you? I mean, if we defeat Rui and the other Spider Demons, what will you do?" Natsu asked.
The Mother Spider Demon thought for a moment and looked at the night sky. "I've lived in these mountains for a really long time. I've been taking orders to kill anyone who would trespass or try to threaten us." She looked down at Natsu. "After Rui has been defeated, I think I'll continue to move forward. For humanity's sake."
"Move forward... for humanity's sake?"
"You saved my life, Natsu. So I'm going to return the favor by leaving this mountain and do whatever I can to help protect humans from other demons. Forever." The Mother Spider Demon told Natsu.
Natsu paused, then smiled at her. "That's great. You're the second demon I know who's choosing to help save people.
Without warning, the Mother Spider Demon grabbed Natsu's face and laid it on her cleavage, embracing him.
"Thank you for giving me a chance... to live." The Mother Spider Demon said with tears of relief in her eyes.
'I've never been embraced by a demon, before. It must feel better when a demon switch sides.' Natsu said as he hugged her back.
As the young redhead swordsman and the Spider Demon embrace, what they had no idea of was that the Daughter Spider Demon was spying on them, a few yards away from behind dark trees. She had just learned that Father Spider Demon has been killed and Mother Spider Demon had betrayed their family. She then proceeded to move towards Rui's location. 'Father has been killed and Mother has betrayed us for the humans...' The Daughter Spider Demon ran away from the scene by jumping from tree-to-tree. 'If this keeps up, the humans will soon take back this mountain. I really need Rui's help!'