She was no divine entity that had come to his rescue, she was no fair maiden, and she was most certainly no demon slayer.
Yun could feel his heart hardening at the sight of the demon abusing the woman in his arms with his lips again and again. He could only watch as the beast took her affections without pause or remorse while she remained limp and unresponsive in his arms.
It was as if he were being punished, watching her be slowly devoured by the demon's lust whist his own heart was being torn. Why would she have brought him here? To die at the hands of her lover? Of her master?
She had trudged onto the campsite slowly, as if her legs were weighed down. Nothing like the tinkering nymph she had been when he first encountered her. Where her every step and breath had been measured and graceful then, she had dragged herself and her cargo with little tact or grace to front of the fire. She petted the two headed demon as if it were a loyal steed and not a beast that could have feasted off her bones. She then placed a smaller demon beside the great beast softly, as to not disturb his slumber.
It was a sickening display of affection that he could not understand, his heart had pounded unevenly in his chest. What could a fair maiden be doing with these demons? The answer was clear. Absolutely nothing, she was either a victim herself or one of them; both of which only meant one thing for him. Certain death.
Tears started to ebb away at his vision, but he was still not well enough to brush them away subtlety and without painful contest.
The girl knelt sluggishly before the fire, her body slumping in exhaust. Her chest rose at an unnatural pace and he was again struck by her beauty.
He couldn't see her eyes from the distance between them, but he didn't need to, they'd been burned into his soul but a few nights ago when he was certain they were the last ones he would see. Her brown orbs had an inextinguishable fierceness that he had never seen in a woman, an innocence and a brilliance that could not be paralleled. Aside from that though, there was a kindness, he was sure; a kindness that could not be mistaken for anything else. A genuine affection for others that would not die and it was for this reason he was certain she was not real. That she had been sent by the kami as the sweetest bringer of death.
When he awoke he knew he had not died, after all death could not be so uncomfortable. As he looked over what he could of his body and tested the limits of his muscular use, he knew he had not been killed but tended to by the woman. She must have refused his request and saved him. He had been so relieved and so grateful, he wept without caution. That was until the two headed dragon erupted from the forest's leafy coverage and sat beside him. The panic had come and gone quickly though, the creature seemed uninterested in him entirely, as if he were simply keeping him company. He had a large saddle on his back and so for a short time he wondered if he belonged to the woman slayer. If she had tamed a beast as fearsome as this then she was certainly a slayer to be respected. He awaited her return nervously before closing his eyes only to be met with hers again. What sweet relief she brought him even now in his sleeping state.
Now, all of that seemed foolish and naïve. Yet, he couldn't help but be confused and angry. He had watched as the demon lord confronted her and first he thought to help before recalling his pitiful state but then….then she called him Lord.
Every fighting spirit had left his body then alongside the breath that escaped him.
"Yes, My Lord." She said as she bowed her head in submission.
She was loyal to him, she submitted to him, and now in her weakened state she was abused by him.
Yun could not help but feel sickened by his circumstance, to have been cut down only to end up in the clutches of another demon and his human vassal.
A human vassal whose sole purpose was to entice and entrap him and the likes of him.
Could the kami be so unforgiving? So cruel? He had just barely lusted after her on the brink of death and so this would be his final punishment before facing them for eternal damnation.
As the demon brought his lips to hers again, for what could have been the tenth time, he turned his head away from the scene. Unable to watch anymore.
It seemed her beauty had betrayed her too. She was both predator and prey. Perhaps she deserved this, a fate so unbecoming of her beauty, a fate as ugly as she was beautiful.
He sighed and winced at the pain in his chest that said otherwise.
No. He could not believe that, she had been too kind; her eyes and actions had attested to this. His now healing body must be testimony to this. She must have been a victim; a victim of her beauty and his lust. If she was not yet ruined by him then there was a chance for her. Yes. There could be a chance for her.
He would save her, as she did him.
If he made it through the night, he could save her.
Dear Kami, let them be saved.
"What is the meaning of this?" the young slayer demanded as Kohaku finished his sentence.
"I mean what I say Kato," Kohaku said in a stern voice. "I will not hold any of you to this, I do not expect you to follow me blindly but the ogres are a greater threat than we have realized. They will continue to terrorize human villages until there are no more in the area and I cannot face the kami knowing I did not try to stop them. They are too many in number to hope for a phenomenon to bring them to extinction and there are many more human lives to lose before such a hope could even enter our minds."
"So you think to hunt them?" Kato asked among the mumbling group.
Seirin nodded beside him. "There is no other way; he must. We must."
"You cannot possibly expect to live with such ambition Kohaku! What of our families? Or your sister and friends? Would you have us return to them without a body to bury?" Yuichi, another young slayer demanded.
"You do not hear me brother, I am not abandoning my family now in this pursuit. I am protecting them. How long do you think it will be, before the ogres destroy the undefended human in area and turn towards our very homes? It is only a matter of time. I am no fool, I do not say these things lightly, I know what this will mean for me but remember that whatever is worth living for, is also worth dying for." He replied.
A silence fell among the group and he continued.
"I live for my family, my brothers, my friends and humanity. I am willing to die for them." He said softly as he looked his brethren in the eye.
Seirin flushed as they met eyes for a brief moment. She stepped forward.
"So will I." she swore. "I will follow you, Kohaku."
"We all will." Yuichi promised, Kato and the other slayers nodded.
Kohaku felt a warmth in his chest and cheeks before he looked at the earth beneath his feet, overwhelmed with emotion.
"Get rest everyone!" Kato shouted. "We embark on this mission bright and early tomorrow."
They dispersed quickly and started making camp, while Yuichi and Kato stayed behind with Kohaku.
Kohaku looked up, "Thank you." He breathed.
Yuichi nodded and Kato smiled.
"Sleep well with your phantom tonight brother. This may be the last time you see her." Kato smiled.
Kohaku smiled weakly. Yuichi and Kato were the closest to him after Yun, clearly they had been talking, not that he was upset if only mildly embarrassed.
"We should hope not." Yuichi reminded them. "As long as your can dream of your phantom, we can dream of success."
Kohaku chuckled then.
"Indeed." He sighed. "Indeed."
