boketto || t. kamado

forty-one

The demon's aura was eerily similar to that of Muzan Kibutsuji. The way it swirled with power and strength and the shape it took on sent shivers down my spine and goosebumps rising on my skin. The air was suddenly a lot chillier.

But it wasn't him. I could only tell because it lacked as much resting power as the Demon King himself. Still, this one was closely related enough to be extremely alarming.

Rengoku twisted towards the being, hand on his sword, and I was quick to copy a similar stance, though pushed myself onto the other side of Tanjiro and hung over him like a shield. Well aware of his condition, I took the duty myself to try and protect him to the best of my abilities, should Rengoku need me to.

The dust settled and I saw the bright pink hair and grey skin with blue markings. They ran across his entire exposed torso and disappeared into baggy white pants and pink pearls around each bare ankle. His topaz eyes seemed to practically glow in the dark.

They held kanji within them, reading 'Upper Three'.

He was a member of the Twelve Kizuki. Third within its upper-rank set. My heart sank in my chest, and my fist tightened on the hilt of my sword. It felt like we sat at a standstill for hours, though I imagine it was just a few moments. If that, frankly.

The Kizuki member disappeared and my eyes widened at the sudden vanishing of his aura. But it appeared just as fast -

And significantly closer, as well.

I had no time to react. One second, I was poised and ready to defend Tanjiro, and the next a fist was aiming toward his head and my sword could barely get an inch from its hilt. Everything felt like it was moving so slowly as the demon made an attempt at my warm friend's life. But my reactions were included in this feeling of loose time.

But we had a Hashira next to us as well, who was far more equipped and ready for such a situation. A blaze of fire blinded me and washed the previous chill away as Rengoku pulled his sword and unleashed a technique, slicing the arm of the demon straight down the middle.

The demon retreated, though seemed relatively unfazed, and his arm reconnected and regenerated within a moment's notice. As if nothing had ever happened, and no mark was left.

"That's a fine sword," He complimented Rengoku and I instinctively drew my own. Though I could tell a battle between myself in this demon would be entirely fruitless, it felt like the only thing I could do.

One thing was for sure - I would most likely die within an instant if I were to fight this member of the twelve kizuki.

Rengoku was standing now, poised in front of both of me and Tanjiro. There really wasn't anything we could do besides hope and give Rengoku our prayers. There's a difference between humans and demons in their auras, at times like this. Humans don't tend to show how much strength they pose in a battle in their auras - seen as a lot of it is learned and practiced. Demons obtain strength by consuming humans. Therefore, this outside means of gaining power shows significantly more in their auras.

Looking at this match-up at the moment, Rengoku's aura and this demon could be compared to a grain of rice sitting in the palm of a hand. I swallowed thickly.

"I can't understand why you'd go after a wounded person first," Rengoku said, and I heard Tanjiro shift.

I gave him a small warning of concern, but he showed no sign of just lying down and waiting, so I reached towards him and ducked my head beneath his arm. With one of his arms around my shoulders, I placed my hand above the wound, on his ribcage, and worked very gently at aiding him in sitting up. My eyes only left the demon for mere seconds.