Contaminant

Part 5

The eyes narrowed.

"What did you do to her."

The voice was cold.

".. I-i didn't do anything, I swear!-" The man harshly pushed you aside, his eyes on the kitten. the light from the moon showed more on his silhouette... the high ponytail and hexagonal kimono were all too familiar.

You watched as the man picked up the kitten and observed it. He was surprisingly gentle for a demon. you assumed. He muttered something to the kitten before checking its collar. The man then looked over his shoulder at you.

"You shouldn't be out at this time. Not after how I found you last time."

... last time?

".. what are you talking about..?"

The demon set the kitten down and stood up swiftly, which almost gave you a fucking heart attack. Some memories of your trauma were beginning to flood your mind. He began to walk towards you, his footsteps surprisingly faint for his large profile. You froze, not knowing what to do. The ranking in his middle set of eyes was clear that he was a demon... it should've been obvious by just looking at his face.

He then unexpectedly pulled up your left sleeve up to your shoulder. He was surprisingly gentle for a demon like him.

".. this scar. Where did you get it from?"

He pressed a light finger on the healed wound you got during that night. You studdered to answer, worrying he may hurt you if you answer truthfully.

"... It was merely a few months ago." The demon slid your sleeve back down again... was this man not going to hurt you..?

".. How do you know about that?.."

"Because I was there." those four words made you freeze.

"W-what..?"

"I saved you. I was the one who treated that wound of yours. Do you not recognize me?" he hummed in disappointment. "what a pity."

.. that's right. You were starting to remember him... though of course, you stayed silent. He was still a demon, after all. You shouldn't anger him.

"You really should reconsider-..." The demon started but cut himself off before the two of you paused in silence for a moment, and you realized the man's bottom set of eyes glanced towards the ground. You followed his gaze, and you spotted the Kitten trying to walk out of the scene.

"Yume." The man retorted. "Come here." The man kneeled down once again, while you took a step back. The demon held out his hands for the Calico to trot into, which it did. "Don't you try and run away again." The demon stood back straight up again, his tall height almost towering over you.

He then flicked the small kitten's forehead as some sort of punishment. The man then looked back at you. ".. for the record, you're not taking her. She's mine, so don't even try." He retorted sternly. You nodded your head knowingly. Of course, you still had to be cautious around this man.

He seemed as if he was about to speak, however, he stopped himself, pausing instead to think of something.

".. How about I lead you home? I don't want you to get attacked by any other demons." ... wasn't he one himself?

".. I-.. it's okay, I can walk back myself-"

"No." The man paused as he saw you freeze a bit, in confusion. "I'm leading you back to your home." You were about to say something, when he walked past you, his cold hand gripping your wrist in a strong hold. The demon yanked you away from the doorstep of the abandoned cottage, still holding the kitten in his other arm. You let out a small sound, not expecting the sudden movement at all. Though of course, you caved in. He seemed to know the way around the forest since the man walked straight to your village. He was quiet the whole way as if thinking of saying something. You flinched as he finally did. "... What's your name."

"[y/n]." You stated calmly.

".. [y/n]..." he muttered, as if testing out your name, and how it sounded, while still pulling you towards the nearby village. He paused for a moment, before deciding you give you his name as well. "... Kokushibo."

... you genuinely didn't know what to say to that, so you let out a small yet evident hum. As he practically dragged you across the ground, you couldn't help but wonder why he wasn't hostile towards you. Wasn't he the one causing all of those disappearances lately?

His footsteps were almost inaudible against the hard earth. The wind skimmed against your cheeks (the face ones), as you struggled to keep up with his steady pace. Once he reached the exterior of your village, he stopped abruptly, almost making you bump into him. He looked over his shoulder, a set of eyes meeting yours... you honestly didn't know which one to look at. His facial expression was a bit more... softer than before. Of course, it was still a bit stern and firm.

"Now listen to me very carefully." he started, craning his neck downwards to look at you face-to-face. "I do not want you to go out in these woods after dark. Do you understand?"

You nodded, still obviously a bit on edge.

"Good. Now go. Run along now."

".. thank you."

The man grunted quietly as you thanked him. He nodded, gesturing for you to scurry back to your house. He watched as you hesitantly backed away into your village. You couldn't help but wonder, why didn't he kill you? There were dozens of humans in your village, so why hadn't he tried to kill them? It was confusing, to say the least.

You looked back for a moment, spotting his still silhouette in the shadows. Sure, it was terrifying, but you just went inside you're home anyway.

You're auntie nor Ushma knew what happened that night. Of course, you wanted to tell them, especially with how much you've spoken with Ushma throughout that encounter, however, they would all think you were crazy. Of course, creating a small bond with a demon was almost sinful. And you were convinced you would never see that man again... certainly.