Author's note: Ok so I've been thinking of an idea like this for a while and just had to write it to get it out of my head. I'm by no means a very good writer so forgive me if you came here for some top notch stuff, but I hope you can still find this enjoyable.
This was supposed to be an easy mission.
That was the single thought running through Justin's head, second in volume only to the music that blasted through his headphones. It was true, all he was told to do was retrieve the soul of the foul beast that had plagued the small village, it was too much of a threat to send a student out so Justin gladly accepted the task. If he had known that there was not only more than one Kishin, but a seemingly never-ending horde then he might have reconsidered his approach of storming into the outskirts where the thing resided. It was too late to regret that now as he slashed through creature after creature, each one more powerful than the next. It was a tedious task, to say the least, and he wanted nothing more than to go home right then and there. He had no lack of confidence in his abilities, but he had his limits and he could feel fatigue setting in while they seemed to have stamina to spare. Still, he continued on, he refused to be bested by these creatures, after all, his lord would never give him a task that he couldn't complete. Sooner or later they'd have to start thinning out, right? So he mumbled a small prayer and continued to fight each of his foes with precise blows and well-timed kicks, at least for the next ten minutes. After that he got sloppy, he'll admit it, his blows became less precise, his kicks held less power, but more importantly, he wasn't as aware of his surroundings as he should be, especially when he's listening to techno beats rather than his was inevitable that something would land a hit on him, he knew he was far from invincible. He just never thought the things would be smart enough to sneak up on him from the back. He never even heard the creature coming(Though that isn't really surprising), he barely even had a second to register he was flying across the forest before he connected with the trunk of a tree with such force it's a wonder the thing didn't come crashing down. Justin landed in an unceremonious heap on the ground, he struggled to fill his lungs with air again. It took only a few moments to realize something was off, there wasn't any pain at first, just and the odd sensation of something not being where it should be in his chest. It was when he shifted that bolts of pain shredded his nerves.
Ah, broken ribs. Lovely.
No matter, he'd sustained far worse injuries on far easier missions, so he heaved himself up again, disregarding the red flag his body gave him at the movement and tried to regain himself. The creatures, however, weren't so kind as to give him the chance. He had barely been on his feet for a few seconds when another kishin barreled into him and threw him into a tree yet again, this time taking the towering plant down with him. Justin was slower to try to get to his feet, for the second he sat up the entire world began to spin around him. While he tried to still the swirling mess that his vision had become, the beast still pursued him, wrapping a massive hand around his throat and lifting him off his feet. The creature gave a vile grin at Justin's weak scratching at its clawed hand. Had Justin been thinking clearly he would have simply lobbed the thing's arm off, but he was too disoriented to do anything than a meager attempt for his life. The creature raised its free hand and dug its claws into Justin's already wounded side, he felt the sting of metallic liquid hit the back of his throat before the immeasurable agony of the sharp claws tearing through his flesh, bones, and most likely organs. He could feel his own blood fillings his lungs, making every breath a struggle and bringing a terrible noise from his throat. A weak cough sprayed crimson into the air and it hurt to breathe. God, why did it hurt to breathe so much? It feels like drowning. It hurts, make it stop-make it stop-make-it-stop-make-it-stop-make-it-
The kishin must have decided Justin was no longer worth its time because it quickly ripped it's talons out of Justin's side and dropped him without any so warning. It didn't even spare a glance at the heap of a person it had left behind as it lumbered off to find it's next victim. Justin lay there, pressing a shaking hand to the wound that was gushing crimson, weak coughs rattling his chest as his body tried to rid itself of the blood filling at least one of his lungs. It seems that he was still alive enough to catch the attention of the surrounding creatures, they all stared at him with curiosity before beginning to surround him and Justin wanted to get up, he really tried but it just hurt so much and he couldn't move. God no, no no, this isn't how it ends. It's too much, I can't breathe-I can't breathe-I can't
Justin was never one to be afraid, sure he'd been scared by stupid pranks or the odd scratching of tree branches at his window at night, but he'd never been truly terrified as he was right now, with creatures born from nightmares making their way towards him as he could do nothing but trying to stem the blood flowing through his fingers. Surely, this wasn't how he was to die. His lord would never wish something as awful as things on him, never would he will such a feeling onto him, right? With these thoughts floating in and out of his mind he did what he always had done when he was unsure. He clutched the cross the hung from his neck tight to his chest and prayed. He prayed for the reason behind this, for a peaceful passing, if it was his lord's will his life be cut short. It was like that he stayed, with a cross clutched in his pale knuckles as the creatures encroached ever closer to him.
Author's notes: Alright so I know I probably made Justin pretty OOC but I've also been thinking a lot about his character (In both the manga and the anime) and it just clicked that his only like seventeen. I mean, I knew he was but I only recently actually took it into account. So despite how mature he seems he's still only a kid and he still has the same fear that kids do when faced with danger, at least that's what I'd like to think. Anyway that's enough of my ranting, thank you if you managed to even read this far through!