影と風 | Kage to Kaze | Shinazugawa Sanemi

18 - Switch

I winced from a sudden pain in my abonnement, remembering that Sanemi was still injured from the last mission he went on: "holy shit Sanemi, the demons did quite the number on you. You need to tell me this stuff, you know." I cradled the bandage around my abs.

"Shut up for a second, I gotta think." he said in a gruff manner, it was really weird seeing myself talk, but his abs were more distracting. Did he have an eight pack?! I ran my hand over my stomach, feeling the muscles through the bandage. 

"Would you stop fucking touching me, you pervert. We will both have to just attack the lower moon together. You know some of my wind breathing techniques, and I know yours. We will just have to try that for now." he expertely gave my scythe a spin, though I could tell he wasn't used to wielding it. Thankfully we pretty much practiced together everday, if we didn't we wouldnt know how to use each other's breathing techniques. 

"Also, how the fuck do you even work these shitty shoulders?" he glanced at me, rotating my shoulders in demonstration and a loud pop erupted from them. "Eh, you get used to it." I shrugged

"Fair enough." then we simultaneously jumped, "you might have to put them back in place, in case they dislocate." I called while sprinting alongside him.

"Yeah yeah, I know how." he huffed, having been putting my shoulders back the last couple of times. We ran towards the lower moon, and went for the attack. 

I darted toward the Lower Moon, my scythe whirling in hand as I launched into a Wind Breathing technique. "Wind Breathing, Third Form: Clean Storm Wind Tree!" I called out, sending sharp, gusting slashes toward the demon, but he easily dodged, disappearing into the shadows. My attack missed, and frustration simmered under my skin. The demon was faster than I expected.

Sanemi, standing beside me, clicked his tongue in annoyance. Without a word, he shifted into his own stance, disappearing into a veil of shadows with a smirk. "First Form: Veil of Darkness," he muttered. His figure vanished almost entirely, blending into the dim light around us, becoming an invisible predator. His movements were swift, silent—deadly. I could feel the tension rising as Sanemi moved closer to the demon, prepared to strike.

But just as Sanemi was about to land a fatal blow, the demon snapped his fingers. In an instant, I felt my body shift, and I was back in my own form. Caught off guard, I flew straight into the demon's waiting arm. He grabbed me by the leg and flung me effortlessly toward a nearby wall.

I braced myself for impact, but just before I collided, Sanemi swooped in, catching me mid-air. He set me down roughly, scolding with a gruff, "Focus, idiot!" His grip was firm, and though he was trying to be harsh, I could sense his concern.

The battle continued, the demon switching our bodies over and over, throwing off our rhythm. Each time I tried to launch an attack, we'd switch, and my momentum would falter. I could feel frustration boiling in my chest—I knew, deep down, that if it was just Sanemi fighting, this would already be over. The Lower Moon was toying with us, taking advantage of the confusion to evade our strikes.

Sanemi cursed, leaning over with his hands braced on his knees, breathing heavily. "This is ridiculous," he muttered.

I took a deep breath, thinking hard, then an idea came to me. "Sanemi," I called out. "What if we do the same exact moves? If we synchronize our attacks, we'll know what the other is doing, even if we switch. It could trap him."

Sanemi raised an invisible eyebrow [Author: that was mean of me], then nodded, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Fine," he said gruffly, standing tall again.

Together, we advanced on the Lower Moon, our movements perfectly mirrored. As the demon dodged, Sanemi called out, "Wind Breathing, Second Form: Claws-Purifying Wind!" We shouted it together, moving in tandem, our attacks aligned. Wind roared around us, slicing through the air. We almost had him—until the demon's smug grin told me something was wrong.