Icy Flames- Rengoku Kyojuro-Demon Slayer/ Kimetsu no Yaiba

16

"East..."

We walked through the forest close to the site where the demon was. Though pure adrenaline would pulse through my body...his eyes on me were distracting me. I could feel the weight of his golden-ruby gaze bearing down on my shoulders.

"Focus Y/n..."

I continued to walk ahead before Rengoku. At the start of the mission, he was talking my ear off but only to be met with my silence and occasional growls of Kori. I guess once he got the message, he simply stopped talking and just followed and stared. He follows not far behind me, ensuring a safe and respectful distance the entire time.

Though I was grateful for him to be silent...it creeped me out. I felt his eyes tailing me every step of the way, tracing over my presence like I was some puzzle he was trying to figure out and solve.

Occasionally, I would glance towards him to see the pillar in question focused on me. When our eyes crossed a dazzling smile spread across his features. He quirks an inquisitive brow. This only caused me to shift my gaze elsewhere.

Soon, I abruptly stop in my tracks, Rengoku doing the same at the distance he's been able to maintain with me the entire time. He patiently waited on me to begin moving again. But he looked at me with mild confusion, when I placed myself to lean against a tree. Soon Kori walked up close to me and brush himself against my leg before laying down and sleeping. My crow landed between my lap and got comfortable before sleeping. Rengoku was watching me like this all happened, how his thick brows pinch together with slight confusion and tilted his head at me.

"Did you need to rest?" Rengoku inquired with a small smile remaining present as ever and still appearing to have no intention of moving from where he stood.

I simply ignored him and looked up at the moon. The cool night air rustled the leaves, and the moon was the only light in this area.

My eyes shifted back towards him when I noticed him sitting across from me with his sword propped up by his side. His arms were circled around his chest from his side, while his face was sporting that proud grin while I stare at him, stoic as ever.

I took a deep breath and tilted my head back against the tree and was mesmerized by the moon once again. The rays of moonlight, as bright as diamond-flame, turned the sea a-glow like melted platinum that shined through the area. My eyes fell back onto him, to see he was asleep. I couldn't help but stare at his soft yet hardened features and how his golden hair glowed in the moonlight making him look like an angelic warrior.

The sharp sound of someone stepping on a branch made me turn my head.   The moonlight filtered through the forest did strangely making everything even more disturbing...especially since nighttime was considered to be demon territory.

"I can smell humans in this area..." a low bellowing voice mumbled.

From what I could tell, it was close. I glanced at the man before me, to see he was knocked out cold. I closed my eyes, letting out small condensation from my breath.

"Total Concentration Ice Breathing Ninth Form- Frost Bite," I whispered.

Slowly the area began to change. The water droplets suspended on the leaves of the trees above remain liquid down but the temperature dropped significantly to −40 °C.

"It is so cold!...best to walk back..."

As I heard his footsteps disappear in the distance, I called off my attack knowing the risk it would pose to the man before me.

I quickly rose from my spot, waking up Kori in the process.

"Wake him up," I commanded, the only word I deigned to speak to the wolf to give him the seriousness of the situation as he nodded and charged towards the man, headbutting his stomach. The man's eyes shot open as he cough out.

"Ow!" He hissed while holding his stomach as he looked at the wolf glaring directly at him and soon looked around and noticed me glancing down at him, "Why is it so cold?"

"There are demons near," I intoned with my expression fixed into one of ruthless certainty, "If you do not wish for any more deaths, we need to put an end to this."

I walked towards the direction the demon went with Rengoku right behind ready to fight.