The Razor's Edge [[Feitan x Reader]]

41: The Mountain Path

"Well, well, well. Looks like someone had a good night."

We were back to hiking through the mountainside, slowly making our way toward Meteor City. The weather was a lot better today, so we were making pretty good progress.

Shal brushed my hair to the side so he could get a better look at the hickies Feitan had left. I rolled my eyes, smacking his hand away.

"Oh, come on," he said. "I'm just teasing. There's nothing to be ashamed of. It's not like anyone heard you. Some of us can't say the same."

He looked over at Shizuku, who seemed to blush as she avoided his gaze. Machi shot him a warning glare.

"Can we change the subject?" Phinks asked. "I'd rather not hear about how everyone in the troupe is getting some action but me."

Shalnark patted him on the shoulder. "Aw, don't be so sour, Phinks. You'd probably be in the same boat if you weren't such an ass."

Phinks grumbled and sped up toward Feitan, Nobunaga, Bonolenov, and Kalluto. Since Nobu had the strongest nen out of all of us, he was the one leading the troupe through the mountains.

"If that man dies alone then he'll have no one to blame but himself," Shal said, shaking his head as he watched Phinks sulk away.

"I'm sure he'll find someone to blame," I joked.

Shal grinned. "Yeah, you're probably right about that." He looked around at the others to see if anyone was within earshot before turning back to me, lowering his voice. "Hey, I wanted to check in with you and make sure you're alright."

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, the other day when we read the letters you had a pretty strong reaction."

The troupe was aware of my past with Akira, but I'd only told them what I felt they needed to know. That didn't include the priest or my unusual upbringing. And that was all, of course, before I'd learned that I was a victim of kidnapping.

"Who wouldn't be upset?" I asked. "These people are taking kids and treating them like commodities, completely ruining their lives."

"Right, it's just the way Feitan ran after you, it made me think maybe there was something else, like. . ." He trailed off. I don't think he wanted to make me feel forced into sharing anything I wasn't ready to. "Well, if there is, I hope you know that I'm here for you. Just let me know what I can do to help."

I smiled. "Thanks, Shal. I appreciate it, but I'm fine. Really."

At the front of the pack, Nobunaga stopped, holding his hand up to the rest of us.

"The fuck is it?" Phinks asked him. "You felt a mountain lion or some shit?"

Nobunaga shook his head. "There's a group of about a dozen people heading our way. Adults and children. Must be a couple of families."

"What's our move? We fighting them?"

Nobunaga rolled his eyes at Phinks. "Are you really that eager to fight a bunch of kids? I don't imagine they mean us any harm. Keep your guard up, but don't attack unless you need to."

Phinks nodded, but activated his nen just in case.

One by one, these people all came into view. They didn't look like they wanted to fight us. In fact, they looked pretty surprised to see anyone else on the mountain path. As I scanned the faces in the group, I realized I recognized two of them.

"Giran? Lore? What are you two doing here?"

Muiri's parents looked at me with wide eyes. I was panicked. Why had they left Meteor City? They were safe there. They could disappear. And even if Akira managed to find them, they had people there who could protect them—the troupe had guaranteed it. So, what were they doing on the mountain?

Muiri's mother, Lore, looked at me with wide eyes. "Y/n! You aren't going to Meteor City, are you?"

I looked around at the group. "Yeah, we're on our way right now. We had to—"

"It isn't safe," Giran interrupted.

"What do you mean?" I asked. I hadn't noticed before how worn their clothes looked—the bottom of Lore's dress was completely caked in mud—and how deep the bags were under their eyes. Meteor City was still a few days away on foot, and they looked like they hadn't slept at all since they'd left. "Did he find you?"

He shook his head. "It's worse. The whole city is overrun with monsters."

Shal stepped forward from the group. "Monsters? What do you mean by that?"

"They're chimera ants," Lore explained, "But they're nothing like I've ever seen. They're bigger than you and me, and they can talk!"

"They took over the city, building a massive nest. They've been taking people from their homes and turning them into monsters, too, forcing them to become servants."

"And any who try to fight them," Lore's face turned white, "they eat."

I didn't know what to say. This was worse than anything I could have imagined. What the hell kind of mess were we walking into?

"Thank you for warning us," Shal said, "but I think we can handle it."

"Nothing anyone's tried has worked! No swords, guns, or any other weapon!" Giran exclaimed. "You can't hope to face them!"

Phinks shrugged. "We're not too worried."

"Face death every day," Feitan agreed.

I shook my head. By this point, I was very familiar with the 'immortal until proven otherwise' mindset that many of the troupe members shared. They didn't seem to grasp the severity of this situation.

"We'll drop you a line when it's safe to come back," Phinks smirked. "What's your cell number?"

"Cell number?" Lore echoed. "We don't have phones."

"Hey!" One of the older men in the group snapped at Lore and Giran. Most of the others had disappeared further down the path. "We aren't waiting for you, so you'd better hurry up if you don't want to travel alone through these woods. God only knows how spread out those monsters are."

"Right, sorry!" Lore said before turning back to me. "It was nice to see you, y/n. I hope you heed our warning and make the right decision."

Giran nodded. "Stay safe."

And the two of them followed after the rest of the city's refugees, disappearing into the woods.

   I hated to watch them go. I wanted more than anything to throw them over my shoulders and carry them back to Meteor City myself, locking them in their home until we took care of the monsters, but I couldn't get distracted right now. I had to focus on the mission. It was our top priority. So, I'd deal with Muiri's parents after. I'd track them down myself and make sure they were safe.

I just hoped that, in the meantime, they weren't running from one monster to another.

~~~~~
A/N: I was writing smut for a one shot the other night and accidentally typed 'right' instead of 'tight' and my cursed brain was like "now just write it as if scooby doo were the narrator"
I'm sorry this chapter is so much shorter than the last few! I hope y'all still liked it. Thanks for reading and for all of the likes and comments! You guys always make my day <3