Disconnection

3: Fighting Back

The sorrow demon and the slayer before him shared a few visible seconds of silence. And then, like seeing a wilting flower that refuses to die, despite being starved to death of much-needed nutrition. The slayer sat up shakily, a craze expression on his face. A few noticeable veins protruded on his forehead and face. Eyebrows narrowed in what Aizetsu guessed could be defiance.

Aizetsu let out a startled gasp when an unfamiliar weapon was raised right at his face. "I'm the one you're going to fight!"

It was like time had stopped, slowed down to the speed of a snail. Aizetsu was hit with an unwanted emotion. He heard a small hitch from Sekido. A second before a sharp, painful object makes contact with the sorrow demon's neck.

And his whole world turned. Spinning in a sickening circle.

He felt sick... it's horrible!

The sounds from the weapon were disturbingly loud to his ears as his blood splashed out from his neck. It felt like it would never end, Aizetsu trembled in agony from his new perspective. Pain controlled the entire upper portion of his body. It was the only thing he can focus on as his head hang delicately against the shimenawa rope tied to his back. His body refuses to move like it was frozen.

Aizetsu picked up on the smell of smoke. Blended in with it was a metallic smell. And a little of something else.

"Why are you getting blasted like that, Aizetsu?" The irritated grumble from Sekido jolted the sorrow demon back to reality.

He hadn't fallen out of reality as per se.

No. He was still pretty much awake and aware.

Just too tied up with the distress inflicted to his neck to think straight. Or care much to retaliate right away like he was supposed to.

"You're a fool!" Sekido yells.

A tear formed on the corner of his blue eyes when he absorb the criticism. In the face of such hurt, Aizetsu's body was manipulated by Hantengu to move nevertheless. A determined emotion was injected into him.

It didn't belong to the sorrow demon. He finds it strange. Yet, he kept quiet.

He applied more force into his movement. Relying on his perception to aid him. The yari came loose finally. When it's nearly out, he gives it one final pull. Knowing it would hurt a lot for the boy. But he doesn't care.

He can't let the slayer live, can he?

Aizetsu slashes the tip of the spear cleanly over the lower part of the boy's chest.

As the wails of pain echoed into his ears, the sorrow demon shifted his attention to his broken neck. Doing a brief interoception of the injury he sustained. He immediately pinpoints several lacerations of the blood vessels. He willed his body to rejuvenate that area. Snapping it back into place as soon as the vessel was attached securely around each other. Forcing his cervical spine to grow back.

The sorrow demon turns his head to Sekido. Nodding a wordless apology for what happened. Sekido only growled at him. He was more upset than usual. Aizetsu notice his eyebrows creasing downward a bit too much. Sekido's right hand forming into a fist, barely visible with the sleeve of the haori in the way.

He turned away, patting his neck where the last bits of purplish color vein settled and mends his skin together.

When this fight is over- no.. from now on, he'll try his best to stimulate his reaction time. As well as predict the next move of the enemy. That way, he won't be lagging behind as much because of some unpleasant sensation.

Bending down halfway so that he can establish some basic line of sight as the proclaimed slayer, he muttered remorselessly. "Isn't it sad? To not be able to die instantly?"