Twilight, Sanemi Shinazugawa

six, closer

-☆-

You and Sanemi are walking through Biei yet again. You're more cautious with the villagers since you know that their minds are being tampered with.

"Hey." You turn to see Sanemi calling the man you met the night prior. You watch as he hesitantly steps over to you. "Good morning. Did you notice anything last night?" You ask camly.

He tilts his head in confusion.

"Sorry but, do I know you?"

Your smile drops and you look at Sanemi, His face holding a mean scowl.

You look back at the man. "No, sorry. I think I got the wrong person." He gave you a confused look before walking back to where he came from.

"Damnit!" Sanemi's frustration boiled over as he growled, his clenched jaw and tightly curled fists revealing his anger.

"It's fine," you assured him, though your own disappointment lingered. You had planned on asking him for an idea on where to look for clues, but it seemed that opportunity had slipped through your fingers. Looks like you had to do it yourself.

"It's not just that," Sanemi's voice cut through the silence, drawing your attention. "That means the demon was active last night. We were here and didn't notice. It could've eaten another villager for all we know."

His words struck a nerve, causing you to bite your lip in apprehension. He was right (for once).

The demon was in the village last night, its presence unbeknownst to you. A surge of frustration and insecurity washed over you as you started to overthink.

What kind of Hashira am I? The demon was in the same village as me, probably walked past the building I was asleep in. How can I protect this village if I can't even sense when a damn demon is around?

Lost in your thoughts, you were jolted back to reality by the sensation of Sanemi's strong hands on your shoulders. Startled, you met his lavender gaze, momentarily captivated by the intensity in his eyes.

They're pretty.

He let go of you once he noticed you were conscious. "It's whatever. Let's go find clues since you want to be Sherlock so badly." You were normally quick to jab back with a sharp retort, but you found yourself at a loss for words, still reeling from the brief moment of distraction.

Pretty? Its Shinazugawa. Nothing pretty about it.

Shaking your head to dispel the thought, you fell into step behind him. "We need to step up our game," you said firmly, "If the demon is becoming more active, we can't afford to waste any more time." Sanemi's expression hardened, his determination matching yours. "Agreed. We need to cover more ground."

You were honestly drawing blanks on where to go from here. You and Sanemi found yourselves wandering the village looking for clues that simply didn't seem to exist. "Check out the neighboring village? Assuming they aren't under the demon's mind games, they could be good help."

You eyes widened at Sanemi. "The fuck are you looking at me like that for?" You smiled slightly. "That's just.. the best idea you've had since we got here." He looked down at you with an annoyed expression. "I'm just going along with your detective roleplay."

Your cheeks flushed with embarrassment as you gently shoved his chest. "What the fuck? It is not a roleplay!" you protested, though his smirk only served to further fuel your indignation. "Whatever you say, Yoshida," he quipped, already striding towards the neighboring town.