Kind of a long AN at the bottom with my thoughts on the chapter. Have fun reading.
"You are not entirely human, aren't you?"
He didn't deny it. Couldn't. Both of them knew the answer to that question, lying wouldn't be of use anyway. Besides, he never lied.
...
Well, he tried. That's what counted, right?
The girl he saved was behind him, thankfully not too injured. Would have been a pain in the ass if she died right now. She looked like she went through hell and back, but that wasn't surprising, considering she fought against a demon. If he wasn't fast enough to finish this fight, her body condition might get worse.
Various cuts, bruises and blood dripping on the ground. The remains of crumbling frost clung to her clothes like a thin blue-white layer, still that was probably the least of her worries. Nevertheless, she should be able to sleep it off and wake up fresh as ever.
Well, he would have been able to sleep that off, but he was a tad bit different from most humans.
Oh, and looks like her sword is broken in two. He would have been pissed at that. He imagined she was too.
His attention went back towards the one responsible for all that. He could see the number 'two' and the words 'upper moon' in his eyes, must be someone important. It reminded him of a demon he saw some months ago, but unlike him, it had the words 'lower moon' and the number 'six' in its eyes. Whatever, if he managed to kill a number-demon once, then would be able to do it again.
Most demons are able to tell that something is off when they met him. The more recent ones are too stupid and controlled by their hunger to even talk, while more intelligent demons instinctively knew he isn't completely human.
'Never stopped me from cutting their heads off.'
Traitor. Betrayer. Human-sympathizer. Bastard. They called him many things once they found out who he really was, but he always asked them one question at the end.
'How am I a traitor, if I never was on your side to begin with?'
He would never admit it, but the look of shock on their faces will always be amusing.
"Why don't we introduce ourselves first? My name is Doma, nice to meet you." His thoughts were interrupted by a voice sounding entirely too happy for its own good.
Doma. An unusual name for a demon, but who cares. He met weirder demons, and nothing would ever beat the fish-head demon he once killed in a village near a river. He nearly died there when it began to talk, because he couldn't stop laughing.
"You don't need to know my name, demon-" He smirked at the demon, not that it could see his face because of his mask. "-because this will be your last night."
"That's not very kind, but I won't force you." He spoke calmly, the smile ever-present on its face.
He would wipe that smile from its face.
'He's awfully friendly, but I can smell blood on him. If I let my guard down against him, I will pay dearly for it. First, attack, but not recklessly. I need to know how strong he is, compared to me."
"I hope you are stronger than the trash I killed recently, because I won't hold back!"
"I'm looking forward to it, please give it your all." Doma's smile never changed, but his fans were raised in the air, ready to create more icy-weapons.
His own stance took on a more aggressive form, legs parted evenly, both hands gripped the sword hilt and pointed the tip of his sword at the demon. This wouldn't be easy at all, he could tell right away, but he was prepared to give it his all.
He launched himself at the demon.
His sword came in from the side, ready to cut its head off in one move. Better to finish this fast as possible and not give it any time to attack.
Clank
His sword-edge met the golden metal of a war-fan. The other one came in from the right, ready to reciprocate what he himself intended. Ducking under the attack, he pushed himself back and began to attack from his left.
Blade met fan again, but he anticipated this. He kicked the demon in the gut, the force strong enough to send it back flying. With speed faster than many humans can even perceive, he dashed at his enemy with an overhead strike. Doma crossed his fans above his head and his blade struck against metal, despite that he used his sword to push himself above and land behind the demon. Not wasting any moment, he spun around, the edge of his sword moments away to cut the demon in half.
It nearly worked, if Doma didn't also create a wall of ice-flowers behind him. He jumped back as far as he could when he noticed once they began to move. They were fired faster than he expected at him, but not fast enough to block and deflect.
"You really are faster than I thought! Are you maybe a Hashira?"
"No, I am not." Doma didn't need to know, that he himself wasn't even familiar with the term 'Hashira'. Or their organization, expect the small things his friend once told him about.
"Oh? Then, are you even a Demon Slayer?"
"I slay demons, but I am not in their organization. Don't even need to, what I need is my sword and that's it."
He used the small amount of time he had right now, to formulate a battle-plan. Doma was fast, probably even faster than right now, but contrary to what he said, he was holding back. He wanted to test the demon, but seems like he couldn't afford to hold back anymore.
"Ah, that's really pathetic. They wouldn't accept you, no matter what you did. You will always be hated by them, isn't that right?"
Doma leaned back as the edge of his blade cut a diagonal line across his face, nearly slicing its face in two.
"Wow! Even faster than before, you are really strong."
He moved his finger across the cut and licked the blood off. No trace of the damage was visible.
"But you have to sever the head of a demon, anything else will be useless."
He raised his fans, cold mist was exhaled from his mouth.
"Blood Demon Art: Wintry Icicles."
His eyes widened at the amount of icicles Doma created. Each as long and as sharp as a spear and with a flick of his wrist, Doma send them hurling at him.
He dashed sideways, he heard them impacting the ground, walls and roofs, but didn't dare look at the damage, else he tripped. That would be a bad way to go.
Running in a circle around Doma, he closed in the distance when the icicles stopped firing. He rushed at him, his attack coming in horizontally, but were blocked again.
'Single attack are next to useless, I have to overwhelm him!'
Multiple attacks were the answer, he shifted his legs and stance. Rapid attack began to rain down on Doma, from left to right and various diagonal attacks. Most were blocked, but some managed to land. A cut on his right shoulder, a gash on his left side and even a small cut against his throat. Many more managed to land, but the damage was regenerated the instant it happened.
An unusual idea came to him, he doubled down on his attacks, but now targeted his chest. Useless against demons, but important for now. Doma moved his left fan to block an attack to his heart, that's when he struck.
His right foot shifted behind him, his left in front of him, and then used an attack he never once used on a demon. A roundhouse kick.
Doma's head snapped to his right, spittle, teeth and blood flew from his mouth. Not stopping in momentum, he spun around, and his left foot connected with his head again, managing to send him flying.
That was kind of risky and wouldn't even hurt the Demon in the long run, but he needed a moment to gather his thoughts anyway.
"Ahaha, that was the first time I was attacked like that, I liked it!"
"What the- something is wrong with his head, nothing else can explain this."
"But I think now it's time for me to attack."
He barely dodged the golden war-fan that appeared on his right, his eyes widened as he leaned back, the speed even faster than he speculated.
Another one came from his left, his sword blocked the attack, but the unexpected kick to his sternum wasn't something he was prepared for.
His body went through a nearby wall, stone and bits of wood exploded in all directions.
"Blood Demon Arts: Barren Hanging Garden."
He rolled aside the moment he heard those words, and not a moment too soon, as the wall and the ground were torn up.
Staying still would get him killed, getting near Doma would get him hurt, but the alternative was letting the demon create more and more ice-based attacks.
He renewed his attacks on Doma, the clashing sounds of metal on metal reverberated around them. Doubling down on his speed, he attack from all directions. The impact of his foot against the ground managed to create small craters, his form nothing but a blur and his sword cutting and slicing through the demon.
"Blood Demon Arts: Freezing Clouds."
His lungs nearly died right then and there, as large waves of freezing air were created and scattered by Doma, freezing and chilling everything to its core.
"Blood Demon Arts: Lotus Vines."
He jumped back, but dodging was out of question with how fast these attacks were going. Blocking and evading the attacks wasn't an easy feat, but not something impossible to do.
He closed in the position, but was met halfway through by Doma.
"Blood Demon Arts: Scattering Lotuses.
A blizzard of razor-sharp ice shards shaped like lotus petals were created and launched at him. A cry escaped his lips, when some petals managed to wound him. The bone-chilling frost froze over the cuts and wounds, the cold winds from before hurt his lungs like hell. Worst of all, he could feel his moves become sluggish.
'Dam- dammit! How am I meant to fight against him, if I can't even get near him.'
"That was wonderful! How you managed to survive, was nothing but admirable. You didn't even use any breathing techniques, which means you don't even know any."
Small tears formed in Doma's eyes, he clapped his hands in excitement. He couldn't help but frown in disgust when he saw that.
"Only the strength and speed of our kind was your ally, but you still came so far! Even if it was pointless in the end, you still tried, which is all you can do."
'Pointless? Hah, don't make me laugh.'
He killed many demons in his short years as a demon hunter, none of these deaths were pointless. One demon killed equaled to dozens of lives saved. What right did this demon even have to tell him if something was possible or not, even if the chance to save an innocent was zero percent, he would still try his best to save them.
None of the lives he saved till now were pointless.
Doma spread his arms wide, his smile widened in happiness. Unfortunately, the tears didn't stop.
"Normally I only absorb women, but for you, I make an exception! Please, come and let me allow you to live for eternity in me. Free of pain and suffering!"
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"Humans live their lives feeling only pain and suffering. And my cult, The Eternal Paradise Faith, is a salvation for them. I absorb them, so they can live in me for eternity, their flesh, their blood and thoughts-" He closed his eyes and wiped the tears away from his eyes. "-all in me. Forever free of the pain of livin-."
"Are you sick in the head? No wait, don't answer that, you have to be if you really believe that."
He ignored the surprised 'Huuhh?' coming from Doma.
He couldn't believe it. The whole time he fought he was fighting against a murderous flesh-hungry demon, and he was for the most part. But someone forgot to tell him he was also fighting against a delusional idiot.
How didn't he realize it sooner?
"Pain and suffering are bad, obviously, but they are still part of human lives. They exist, so we can appreciate the good times and hope for better times. You don't decide if a human should die or not. You don't decide the course of their lives and thoughts. You are like the rest of demonkind, nothing more than a vile murdering beast, but somehow even more sick in the head!"
It was unusually silent, and a chill went through his body, Doma's face was obscured by his war-fan, but his eyes looked unnaturally still. He soon knew why. His stance changed to something more aggressive now, that annoying smile he had was gone.
He swept his fans and large gusts of frozen air were raised in the air. If that wasn't enough, dozens of large icicles and sharp petals were created in the air, the cold mist obscuring them from view.
"You didn't have to say such spiteful things. I wanted to free you and let you reach enlightenment and salvation. But now? Now you will die a pathetic death."
Was it a good idea to antagonize a demon as strong as Doma? No. But did he care? Still no.
"Your reasoning to kill is as disgusting as that thing you call a face. You should have been killed while you were a human and spared the world of your presence."
The frozen air changed forms, solidifying in the air. Where there were two-dozen ice-based projectiles, now dozens and dozens of projectiles filled up the air. He couldn't help but take a step back involuntarily.
He dashed away from them, using his sword and the walls around them as a protection wasn't even possible, since they would pierce through them like a blade through paper.
'Faster! I have to be faster!'
Without his unusual stronger and faster physique he would have died long ago, and right now it was the one thing keeping him alive. He weaved and dodged through most of the attacks, but wasn't prepared when Doma himself suddenly appeared in front of him.
Before he could blink or even raise his sword-
'Gah!'
Dozen of cuts appeared on his body. From his arms, chest and on his hips. Scarlet red blood seeped into his clothes and splotches of his precious red dripped down on the ground, creating a small puddle of blood.
He didn't even have time to recover.
A great force hit the back of his head, his body was launched forward crashing through a wall, the force strong enough to break the upper part of his mask and revealing his upper right face to the world. He didn't wait for another attack to come, and launched himself up and away from Doma.
Rushing in without thinking would get him killed immediately, it was obvious Doma was the stronger one. Stronger and faster, more than he expected. In his arrogance he'd underestimated the demon, now he was paying the price for it. Maybe if he played it more defensively and waited for the sun to ris-
The sun! Of course, how did he manage to forget the one big advantage everyone had against demons. He didn't have to win, he just needed to wait for the sun. While he was on the subject, why didn't Doma run away already? The sun would be coming up in a few minutes anyway. Even now, the dark of the night was nearly gone.
The answer came to him when he saw a huge temple on a hill some distance away. Doma was in his playing field right now, he could spare to run away at the last second. The temple would protect Doma and stop him from attacking.
'That bastard has all the advantages, I need to get to that girl and run away from this cursed village!'
It was very bitter to swallow that he, someone sworn to hunt every demon, wouldn't be able to kill this one. No demon managed to run away from him until now, and now he was the one doing the running. He understood why he had to do it. Better to run away now, live, and save more lives down the road. He understood.
That doesn't mean he had to like it.
The girl had to be smart enough not to sit around at the place he left her, and if she was as intelligent as she looked, she should have already fled from here. He wouldn't blame her for running away.
But he would blame himself for not noticing Doma's fan, as it nearly split his head in two.
Pure instincts saved him right there, he ducked just as the sharp war-fan sailed over his head. He swung his own blade upright in retaliation, smoothly taking Doma's nose and part of his chin off. Not stopping there, he tried to take his arms next, but was forced to jump away when cold mist nearly engulfed him.
"What's wrong, did I hurt your feelings?" He panted for air, he couldn't keep this up for much longer. His wounds were burning, his lungs freezing, and he trembled slight from exhaustion.
But he couldn't stop the grin forming on his face, it was a bad habit of his that he couldn't control, no matter what he tried. Every time he's on the losing side, every time he's near death's door, he feels a rush of excitement.
"Come on! That can't be everything you got."
"You are really nosy."
Clank
His sword caught the attack aimed at his head, the other one came in from the left, expecting that, he managed to duck under it and kick as hard as he could at Doma's shin.
Doma didn't even budge.
Slash Slash Slash Slash
The attacks got faster and faster. He tried to meet them with his sword, but couldn't keep up with them in the end. Many cuts appeared on his body and face. One went dangerously near his eyes. The mask he had was already in a thousand pieces somewhere around here.
Doma's attack had the added effect of freezing everything they cut. He noticed it when his arms couldn't even keep up anymore and inevitable...
Snap
Just like the sword the girl wielded, his own sword broke under the pressure of Doma's attacks. His sword length has been halved, the upper part flying away near some rubble.
'Fuck.'
He was really disappointed that this was his last thought instead of some heroic last-liner.
The glint of metal, the emotionless face of Doma, the destroyed environment and the sky turning brighter and brighter. In that short moment he'd noticed everything. So close. He was so close to survive. It was nearly morning, but his strength wasn't enough.
Dammit. Dammit all. Damn his weakness. Damn these rotten demons. Damn the sun for taking so long to rise. Damn it a-
"Flower Breathing Fourth Form: Crimson Hanagoromo!"
Slash
Thud
"Huh?"
"Wha-?"
"Flower Breathing Fifth Form: Peonies of Futility!"
Beautiful. The only word he'd use to describe her attacks. Nine consecutive sword slashes forced Doma back, so fast and graceful, they looked like they were weaving and flowing onto themselves. Even her broken sword didn't slow her down.
"Are you alright?" Her concerned voice shook him out of his stupor. The irony of the situation wasn't lost on him, with her the one saving his life now.
"Y-yes, just a bit winded. I'll be alright, but what about you?"
"I am feeling better thanks to Total Concentration Breathing, my wounds have been clotted, and it should be fine until the Kakushi arrive."
Kaku- what? Total Concen- what? He didn't understand what on earth she was talking about. Wounds clotting thanks to breathing? How does that even work!?
'Don't question those bizarre Demon Slayers. Just don't. Demons are already weird enough.'
And he'd already met one weird demon tonight, adding those Slayers to the total amount of weirdness wasn't something he wanted right now.
Wait. While he was on the topic of demons. Didn't he forget something?
Oh. Wait.
"Look out! That demon is still here...?" He looked around them.
Destroyed street? Check. Destroyed walls and roofs? Check. Ice everywhere? Check. Now, where was the one wielding said ice?
"I think he ran off to his temple, since the sun is coming up now. Uhh... are you alright?"
Was he alright? Now that adrenaline wore off, he felt terrible. His vision swam for a second, and he collapsed to the ground. His wounds hurt and felt like they were on fire. His arms and legs felt so sluggish, he wasn't even sure he could move them around if he wanted to.
His clothes were in tatters, his one and only sword broken and the worst thing; Doma escaped. What a shitty night this was. He raised up his head from the ground and saw the concerned girl frantically looking around in panic. Well, he saved someone. That made things alright.
"Could you help me up and plop against that wall over there? The ground isn't as soft I thought it was."
"O-oh yes, let me help you up."
The long journey of just standing and walking over was a painful one, but not unmanageable. He took a deep breath to relax, the fight was over, he saved someone, and he survived. What more could he want?
'Like not get my ass kicked?' He answered himself.
A lance of pain shot through his body, which made him wince. His wounds were many and some were deeper than he'd liked, but his higher regeneration should help him recover in maybe a week's time. Now the question is; what should he do until then, and where would he even stay?
'Well... shit.'
The sound of clothes tearing broke his train of thought. Looking back at the girl, he saw her ripping the haori she had into various pieces. He knew what she wanted to do, but didn't have the willpower or the willingness to stop her.
"Please give me your arms, I would like to bandage them." Her tone was firm, and it looked like she was adamant on her decision.
Raising his arms up, he used the time while she was bandaging him to get a good look at her. Not like he had time before.
She looked around his age, paler than him with long, straight, black hair with two butterfly hairpins on either side of her head. Violet... eye-color? Kind of rare, he'd guessed, since it was the first time he saw that color in someone's eyes. Her eyes looked bright, with white sparkles reflecting light.
...
How does that even work?
She was in all honesty very beautiful. Not that he'd cared, no sir. He was just stating a fact. Nothing more and nothing less.
Moving on.
With her work done, she moved up to his face and stopped in her tracks. He knew this would happen, not surprising at all. It was obvious why.
"Your eye, you are not a... human?" It was more of a question, he couldn't place the tone in her voice. She sounded surprised, extremely so. Her hand moved up, and he had to close his right eye when she started to poke it.
His right eye. The one evidence pointing at his own inhumanity. His left eye looked like everyone else's. Sky blue, a good color for a man his father once said.
But his right? An 'x' shaped black pupil in a blue iris. You could hide the truth behind many things.
Faster and stronger than any kid his age had any right to be? Was born in a blessed time or trained since he was young.
Heals faster than anyone else? Uhh, coincidence?
He had some other things too, like somewhat bigger canines, and sometimes his nails got a bit too long and sharp, and he had to cut them.
But an eye like that? People will call it out instantly and connect the dots, that's why he had that red cloth around his forearm, so he can hide his eye and say he is partially blind. Easier for humans to deal with than a demon.
"Could you maybe sto- ow! Stop poking my eye."
"Oh, I'm sorry. It's just… you are a demon, and you saved me. This is..."
This is? This is what? She had a far away look in her eyes and that was unsettling him a bit. Is this the part where she says that can't be possible and cuts him down? Or the part where she is disgusted and then cuts him down.
He closed his eyes and waited for the hate-filled words.
"This is wonderful!"
She suddenly clasped his hands in her own, just as his eyes widened at that answer. Wonderful? Why was this wonderful!? Not that he wasn't glad, but who thought something like that was wonderful?
And she was staring at his demonic eye a bit too long.
He frowned at her. Was she acting or playing him for a fool? He asked her what she meant by 'wonderful'.
"You see-" a soft smile grazed her lips. "-it is my dream that mankind and demonkind coexist in peace. Without any bloodshed and deaths, and now meeting you, my dream doesn't have to be a dream anymore."
"That's-"
He wanted to say moronic, idiotic and ridiculous. Wanted to say many things. Demons and humans living in peace? He would have laughed at that, if he thought she was joking, but she was apparently really serious about this.
"-really nice?"
In the end, he couldn't say something so cruel. Dreams and hopes are the one thing humans have after they lose everything, and who is he to trample on them? He would never stoop so low, he would never be like them.
"But there's one problem. I'm not a full demon. I'm a half-demon, I have some traits like them, but not the blood-thirst and hunger."
He shifted his body against the wall, it wasn't the most comfortable thing to lean on.
"So your dream about peaceful demons isn't possible. I'd have to be a full one, but as I said; half human and half demon only." He told her, better not give her ideas.
She closed her eyes and smiled at him, "That's okay, it still counts. My dream isn't impossible anymore."
He couldn't refute that, didn't even want to, he was just too tired. She worked in silence, using her own haori as bandages. With careful expertise, she bandaged on his wounds, just as she was finished he told her to stay still.
He ripped some parts of his own haori off, the white side to be precise, and inched closer to her. He noticed a rather deep gash on her shoulder, and he wanted to return the favor. He wasn't half as graceful as her, but it still looked fine. He hoped.
"Why are you smiling like that? Stop that." She didn't, in fact she hid the smile behind her mouth. That's what he gets for trying to be helpful.
It was silent and peaceful for a moment. Birds were chirping, the wind was ruffling the grass around them and the first rays of the morning sun were appearin-
Throw
He would have appreciated the scenery more if someone hadn't thrown their haori at him, blocking his view.
"Oh no! The sun is coming up and you are exposed. You will burn to death, quick, get under that shade!"
He sighed in dejection, he forgot something important. Again. He lifted the haori off him and folded it in his lap. The rays of the sun warmed his face and not, like this girl thought, burned him to death. He and the sun had an interesting relationship, instead of burning him to ashes, it just made him feel uncomfortable. He still loved the heat, wouldn't trade it for anything.
"As I said, I'm not a full demon, which means the sun doesn't kill me." He gave her the haori back. "It's uncomfortable, and I get some itching sensation, but nothing more."
She sighed in relief, but a mighty pout began to form.
"You should have told me this before I panicked!"
"What? I thought I was already implying that when I said I'm a half-demon."
"You shouldn't be implying when talking to a girl, next time-"
"Kanae!"
Both of them turned towards the voice they've heard, running towards them was a girl stark resembling the one sitting next to him.
Just like the girl next to him, she was paler than him with shoulder-length hair that faded from black to a dark purple. She also had a butterfly hairpin. She was also very beautiful.
He was only stating a fact. Nothing more.
And why do they have butterflies as their theme!?
She instantly appeared on her sister's side, fretting around every injury and bruise. He heard a click and a small bag opened with various salves and other various medicines, he scrunched up his nose at the smell.
"It's alright Shinobu, the worst is over, and I only need some rest. Could you help him-" She pointed at him, and he raised his eyebrow at that. "-he is more injured than me."
Just as the girl, named Shinobu apparently, started to rub the disgusting smelling green thing on him, she stopped and looked at him. Oh. He forgot.
"Kanae, is your eye-sight alright?"
"Yes? Why do you ask, Shinobu?"
"Because that is a demon!" Her hand flew to her sword hilt, ready to draw and swing it. What was that weird noise he'd just heard as she gripped the hilt?
"No! Wait Shinobu!" The other girl, Kanae apparently, practically jumped at her sister, both of them tumbling down. "He saved me, I would have died if it wasn't for him."
That managed to stop Shinobu in her tracks, she let go of her sword and stared at him. Her eyes not leaving his own. Was she waiting for him to make a move or what?
In the end, Kanae answered her and assured her that he was good and not a full demon. Not someone with ulterior moves or hiding his emotions or something like that. Good thing that the situation was solved without someone trying to kill him for once.
"We have to head to the headquarters as soon as possible Shinobu, Oyakata-sama needs to know about this." She sounded serious, no playfulness or teasing. "We have valuable information about Upper Moon Rank 2 that will help us in our future battles."
Shinobu's eyes widened at that. Upper Moon Rank 2? It was a miracle her sister survived, since no Upper Moon was killed in the last hundred years, and one needed three Hashiras to even kill one of them. Her eyes slid to her sister's mysterious savior. A half-demon, apparently. She would need to keep a close eye on him, for their own safety.
"What about him? Do we leave him here?"
"Of course not, we will bring him with us to the Butterfly Estate."
Butterfly Est- what? And why are they making choices for him now, he grunted in pain as he started to stand up.
"Wait a second there, I never agreed to come to this butterfly place with you."
"See Kanae, he doesn't want to come, let's leave him here and go."
"Oh my, Shinobu, that's not very nice of you. Please try to get along, both of you."
"Get along with a demon!?"
"Get along with this lunatic!?"
Both of them glared at each other, imaginary lighting striking between their eyes.
"You will come with us, right?" Kanae closed her eyes and smiled at him. "You wouldn't hurt our feelings and say no, right, Shinobu?"
"Not my feelings, as far as I'm concerned, you should just stay here and let us go, demon."
He glared at the shorter girl, his eyes trying to burn a hole through her. "My name isn't demon. Its Kuzon. Ku-zon. Use it correctly."
He thought for a moment. Would it hurt that much to come with them? Didn't he say he needed a place to stay to nurse his injuries? In the end, there wasn't much speaking against going with them. Besides the snappy shorty near Kanae.
"Alright, I will go with you. But no funny business, and I mean that!"
Kanae smiled even deeper, and Shinobu looked like a grumpy cat. He would never admit it, not in a thousand years, but he was glad Kanae asked him to come with them. Besides, he wouldn't get far with his injuries.
"Before we go, let me quickly pick up the other half of my sword." Every step was pain, but in the end it didn't take long to find it. Walking back, he noticed Shinobu frowning at his sword, however he ignored it. The red cloth around his forearm was removed and swiftly bound around his right eye. Better to be safe than sorry.
"Alright I'm ready."
Both of them nodded, Kanae with a smile on her face and Shinobu with a frown. This was it. He was putting a lot of trust in them with this decision, but you can't win without risking something.
His clothes in tatters, his body full of bandaged wounds and bruises, his trusty sword broken in half and a red cloth around his right eye swaying in wind. He was ready to take the first step in this journey.
The first step towards... something. He wasn't sure what, but it was something.
And after his first step, he promptly face-planted.
Both of them stared at his unconscious form, lying motionless on the ground. They looked at him, then at each other.
"Kanae. I don't think we can carry him the whole way there." Shinobu said.
"I... know." Answered Kanae.
There was a moment of silence.
"I will tell my crow to call for the Kakushi."
"Please do that."
"Wait a minute, Kanae. Why isn't he burning to ash right now?" Shinobu forgot, to her defense she had to worry about more important things, the one thing every Slayer knows. That the sun is deadly for demonkind.
"That is a long story."
"Well, we do have time until the Kakushi arrive. Tell me what happened on this mission."
"It started with-"
Kind of a long chapter, I am sorry if I missed some mistakes and errors, I looked hard but to err is to human. Thank you everyone who review'd and followed/favorited this story, it means a lot to me.
I asked myself how could our little half-demon MC survive against Doma and the answer was only through luck. Kanae managed to fight him to a standstill the whole night. Against Doma. Upper Moon 2. We also see, in the manga, how Doma lets himself be attacked while he fought against Shinobu and Kanao/Inosuke and right now he was like that. Could Doma have ended the fight sooner? Yes, if he was serious. Nonetheless just like with the poison, he was curious what the half-demon could do and gave him some time, time enough for Kuzon to prioritize self-defense at the end until Kanae recovered and saved him. By then Doma couldn't risk being exposed to the sun anymore and fled to his temple.
And regarding Shinobu and Kanae. We don't know much about Kanae, only some of her personality and her dream, so I will have to (maybe) create some stuff to fill in some of her blank slates. And Shinobu? Shinobu's personality won't change as drastically as in the manga. She changed after Kanae died and adopted her personality while hiding her own.
Thank you very much for reading and please leave a follow and favorite if you liked this story. Cya. (I wanted to write more, but I think I should stop now and continue in the next chapter)
