Now I know it's you [KyouHaba]

Chapter 8

AN: 

TW: Dead body description. Or more like the crime scene and wound description, but you get the idea.

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If there was something Yahaba hated, it was being woken up by force. But being woken up by high-pitched screaming was something completely different.

He sprung up in his bedroll, noticing Kyotani was already in full alert with the Wakizashi in his hands and sprinting out of the door. He quickly scrambled to his feet and followed outside, looking around for the source of the screaming.

It was one of the bigger houses more in the centre of the village. There was already a bunch of people standing in front of it, and others were looking through the windows of their homes. All the people looked distressed and were consoling a woman in their midst. The door to the house was wide open.

Yahaba quickly made his way to them, noticing a familiar man hugging the woman's shoulders and speaking quietly to her.

"What happened?"

Hayashi looked up at him and gave him a small smile.

"She just got back from the city. I heard her screaming and ran here. No one was in there yet, but-"

"Yahaba!"

He turned to the house and saw Kyotani's head in the doorway, motioning for him to come in. He took a deep breath and entered.

He immediately got hit by the sickening smell of death. He covered his nose with his sleeve, already mentally preparing for the picture that was about to come.

There was nothing suggesting anything wrong in the first room. Everything was at its place, no broken furniture or dishes. That is until he walked into the second room.

The body of a man laid on the bed face up, surrounded by sheets soaked in blood. The man's eyes were open wide, face scrunched in horror and in his chest a gashing wound stretching from the collarbone to stomach. The ribcage itself was torn open, the middle two ribs on the left side broken away from the sternum.

"It killed even though it has to know we are here?" breathed Yahaba, shocked by the audacity of the killer.

Kyotani cursed under his breath, his eyes darkening.

"And it gave us quite a show."

Under normal circumstances, the monsters, or at least the intelligent ones, drew back a bit when the word about Hunters being after them got around. But to continue its killing spree even when the Hunters were on its trail was ... scary.

"We should send the people away," thought Yahaba out loud. "They don't need to see this. Will you examine the body? I'll be right back."

Kyotani hummed and bent down to the body.

Yahaba quickly found the village leader, explaining the situation to him with as little detail as possible. The man was saddened but followed Yahaba's instruction and started to herd the people away from the house. The only person remaining was Hayashi.

"Can I help you with anything?" he asked as he walked over to Yahaba.

"Did the woman say something about what happened?"

Hayashi shook his head.

"Not really. She was shocked and was just crying about her husband being killed by the demon too. She was in the city visiting her family for a few days, if I remember correctly."

"Is someone else living in the house?"

"No, just the two of them. As far as I know, they didn't have any kids."

So he was alone then. Just like the rest of them.

"And you didn't see anything?" asked Yahaba, just in case.

"No. I have a deep sleep, and I don't really wake up at night. Sorry."

Yahaba sighed. It seemed like the killer was invisible. By the corner of his eyes, he noticed Kyotani watching them through the window, looking rather irritated. Yahaba cleared his throat.

"Well, thank you for your help. I have to get back there."

Hayashi smiled at him widely and squeezed Yahaba's shoulder.

"Anytime. And my offer from yesterday is still valid," he said sweetly, his cold hand sliding down Yahaba's arm, lingering there for a while too long before the man turned around and walked back in the direction of his house.

Yahaba blushed light pink but shuddered a second later, the touch leaving a strange feeling on his skin.