影と風 | Kage to Kaze | Shinazugawa Sanemi x reader |

34 - Cute Nicknames

"I think that's the demon that's been following us." I sized the creature up once more, my heart pounding in my chest.

"Mama?" the demon croaked out in a hollow, childlike voice. It sounded broken, strained, like it hadn't used its voice in years. A cold shiver ran down my spine at the sound, but before I could react, Sanemi grabbed the back of my uniform and yanked me backward. The force sent me flat on my ass.

"We've talked about this," he snapped, pulling his nichirin blade free in a swift motion. His entire body tensed, muscles coiled and ready to strike.

"Fine," I grumbled, dusting myself off as I stood. "I'll help by scouting for weak spots."

"Whatever you want, brat," he retorted, his tone rough.

"Hey! We agreed, only cute nicknames from now on," I called out, narrowing my eyes at his back.

Sanemi ignored me as he lunged beneath the demon's outstretched claws. In one fluid movement, he severed its arm with terrifying ease. Blood sprayed across the ground as he shifted his stance, preparing to strike again.

"I'll think about it, shithead," he shot back, a smirk tugging at his lips as he cleanly took out one of the demon's legs, barely breaking a sweat.

"Whatever," I muttered under my breath, folding my arms in irritation. But my annoyance faded when I felt a sharp, icy chill creep along my neck again. Something wasn't right. "Be careful, Nemi. I have a feeling this demon isn't as easy as it looks."

Sanemi said nothing, too focused on driving the demon away from the center of the park. His blade gleamed under the moonlight as he pressed his attack, cutting through the demon's flesh with brutal efficiency.

"Nemi!" I called again, the uneasy feeling intensifying.

"Baby, I'm busy," he grunted, effortlessly slicing off another limb. He angled for the neck next, but the demon twisted at the last second, dodging the lethal strike by mere millimeters.

His casual use of the pet name made warmth flare across my cheeks, but I quickly shook it off, focusing on the task at hand.

"Can I at least check what's watching us?" I asked, scanning the dark edges of the park.

Sanemi let out a soft grunt of approval, and that was all I needed. Concealing my presence, I slipped into the shadows and began to circle the area. Something was out there, I could feel it.

I crept along the edge of a pond, where two children sat perched on the rocks, dipping their hands into the water as if trying to catch a fish. They seemed completely unaware of the chaos happening nearby. My stomach twisted with unease.

"You two need to leave," I called quietly, stepping closer. They turned to face me, wide-eyed and curious. I gestured toward the nearest road. "There's a..." I hesitated, not wanting to scare them too much. "A big wolf. It's dangerous. You need to get to safety."

The younger boy wrinkled his nose and shrugged me off. "But we wanna catch a fish, lady."

The girl beside him watched me warily. Sighing in frustration, I gave up on reasoning and reached down to gently grab the backs of their yukatas. "No arguing. We're leaving."

As I tried to pull them away, their small hands clamped around my forearms, hard. Too hard.

The breath hitched in my throat as realization dawned, but it was already too late.

"Gotcha," the girl whispered sweetly, her lips curling into a cruel smile. In an instant, both children began to change, their small frames stretching and twisting into grotesque demon forms.