❛ Dango ❜ | Haganezuka Hotaru x Reader

【肆】

— · —

"Mom...?"

She held you in her arms as she cried, your tiny little hands busy wiping away the tears that stained her beautiful smile.

"Why are you sad, mom? Is everything okay? Did you find dad?"

You looked at her with big, innocent eyes as you patiently waited for a response.

"Sweetheart..."

She paused for a bit, trying to dry her eyes with the sleeves of her kimono and put on a smile.

"Your father... he became a star."

"A star...?"

"Yes, sweetie. A star." She said while gently caressing your hair. "Just like those that you see at night. He has become one of them."

You blinked as you tried to understand her words.

"But... If he has become a star in the sky... Then he can't be here anymore..."

"You're right, darling... He won't be here with us anymore." She said, making you chuckle as she tickled your nose. "But he will always be looking over us from up there. And he will be protecting us, too."

She looked up to the sky with teary eyes.

"That's the reason why he left. To protect us."

— · —

The wind blew across the forest, making the trees chant as the warm summer breeze washed over the dancing leaves. You wished that time would have stopped right in that instant as he held you tightly in his arms.

"Hotaru..."

He gently caressed your hair and let you cry out all the pain that you've been holding in against his chest. In that very moment, it wasn't just you that he comforted; it was also the little girl who was so heartbroken and confused over the loss of her parents.

Your mother actually never told you the truth behind your father's death. You heard from the gossips running around in the village that it had something to do with a demon, so you assumed that he must have died trying to protect you from one. Since your mother also never denied that narrative, you just accepted it as the truth. You took pride in acknowledging the fact that your father died as a hero, saving you from the merciless claws of a blood-hungry demon; but the void that he had left behind never disappeared.

"...are you feeling better?" he asked softly as you nodded in response.

His presence soothed your overflowing emotions and you were able to slowly catch your breath, but you just wanted to stay there a bit longer. You tightened your grip around him as he widened his eyes. He didn't expect such a reaction from you, but it moved him. It reminded of him of his dream. A tear rolled down his cheek as you hugged him back.

A boy and a girl, sinking into each other's embrace under the sunlight.

— · —

He led you back to the city, making sure that you were recovering from the grief that you were going through. You insisted that you had to head back home and take care of the shop in your mother's absence and, although reluctant to let you go, he understood your decision.