At Nightfall, An Akaza x Reader

20. Six

You looked down at your reflection in the hand mirror. The flower in your freshly engraved eye was replaced with the kanji for six. You shakily wiped the blood from your face with a damp cloth. The encounter with Muzan was the scariest thing you've endured, yet you were not dead.

From the very little descriptions you got of him from both your time with the slayers and Akaza, you were very unprepared for the man. He was strong alright, even though he had not attacked you, you knew this.  He had a sort of energy to himself that had you wanting to obey. You did not want to fall out of his favor.

You began to laugh quietly. You felt so much stronger than before, but you also felt a presence in your mind that you had not felt before. Like a looming threat that told you to thread carefully.

The sun was rising, you wouldn't be able to do anything soon. You paced your home to close the curtains before you finished the marechi you caught prior. You picked up the journal that was on the seat and moved it back to the shelf  in the corner of the room.  A shiver went down your spine as you heard these words echo in your head, "kill the demon slayer hashira that approaches this city."

A hashira? Here? To be honest, there had been a few slayers out in this city, but they never made it out if they discovered you. You must have let a crow slip out and inform about the deaths, which was a blunder on your part. But this was your chance to prove you were strong. If you defeated a Hashira on your own, you'd make Akaza proud.

You paused. Right. You sighed quietly as you rested you cheek on the shelf. You missed him. Living on your own was boring. You could not fight all the time, nor did you have many conversations. Hopefully,  you'd get to be with him now you've ranked.

-

As the sun came down, you exited the home and climbed the roof to survey the perimeter. There did not appear to be anyone approaching your house in particular, you were good about being inconspicuous. The people hear believed you were busy taking care of your sickly husband and could only go out at night because of it.

The lack of their presence meant you had time to prepare. Your nails dug into your palm and drew blood as you jumped from your roof to the ground.

Blood demon Arts: iris sea.

The front yard bloomed with flowers.  This was only part of the attack, the rest would be unleashed after they arrived to your doorstep. You walked around the perimeter of your property briefly,  observing the attacks reach before nodding a little bit. You wouldn't let yourself be found immediately,  it would be easier if they tired out a bit first.

You climbed up to the top floor of your home and left the back window open to be able to get on the roof later. Your eyes closed as you laid on the floor and listened for anyone approaching.

-
A crow had informed the pillar of a demon in the urban parts of a city of high strength and of the deaths that had occured there. Of course they came out to do the mission.

"Stay close, there's no telling how strong they are," they informed their tsuguko.

"Right!" The other responded hand ghosting her blade.

They had spoken to a woman prior, who informed them her husband disappeared the other night. After a bit of asking around, they found your house, curious if you actually had a sick husband.

They stepped slowly onto the paved pathway,  seeing the presence of a demon around. Foolishly,  they took no note of the blood demon arts in current use.  Their tsuguko stood back to secure the perimeter, neither sword unsheathed.

The flowers bloomed and shifted towards the hashira as they passed them, their pollen floating above them slightly like snow frozen in time.

Acting now like a harsh current, the flowers rose and fell, the pollen launching at them and cutting up their skin, the flowers pushed towards them and crashed like waves.  The slayer remained calm as the they were hit and thrown around, their sword unsheathed as they did a spin to part the sea.

"Show yourself, " they called, their sword not halting as they kept moving their blade.

You appeared on the roof, a broad grin on your face. "Do you value your life?" You called to them.

"Yes, but not more than anyone else's," they said simply.

"Then show how much will you have to survive to protect them," you stepped into the light as you stretched your arms and rose the sea of flowers to form a large wave.

The slayer looked at you horrifed, not because he was afraid, but because--

"Akatsuki san?"

You tilted you head before you split the wave, your brows furrowing as you realized the hashira in front of you was the boy in the arrow patterned haori.