Sureiyazu

Episode 42: Rebuilding

All Akuma could do was watch as Yuuto cowered under the man he had just called "Master". 

How had it never crossed her mind once that, in his more than one hundred years, he could have had other pupils besides she, Aya, Yuri, and Kasai? But for some reason it surprised her. It came so suddenly that it froze her in place, staring at Yuuto. Could he have been one of the Sureiyazu, if things had gone differently? 

Shi looked at Akuma. And smiled oddly.

"I should let you finish him. But this is too good a chance to let get away."

"M-master Shi -" Akuma stuttered. She wanted to ask him why he hadn't been there right after his death, when they were grieving, when they needed him most. She wanted to yell at him for being so selfish, keeping to himself when they had been through so much. And he only returned so he could taunt some former student.

"Forgive me for everything," he said as if he could read her thoughts. "Let me repay you in this moment for all the moments I've missed."

Akuma nodded.

Yuuto scooted farther away.

A ghostly scythe appeared in Shi's hands, transparent as he was. He swung it forward at Yuuto, and it passed right through him. 

Yuuto looked relieved. Then he doubled over in pain.

Shi faded away, as if he had been a figment of her imagination from the start.

"Wha - . . ." Akuma trailed off, uncertain of what to say after that.

Mayu seemed to have lost her fire, so to speak. Though Kasai hadn't landed a hit on her, it was taking a toll on her, and Kasai knew it.

Kasai came forward again with Inochi, and Mayu wearily moved back to avoid it, halfheartedly throwing a flame in her direction, which Kasai blocked. It was like a dance, a twisted dance, that would only end when someone fell. 

And Mayu did fall. And Kasai stood from above, and simply touched the end of her katana to Mayu's throat. 

"You lost. Admit it."

Mayu was breathing heavily. "So I have."

"Ha-ha!" Shouta laughed. "Now it's a fight!" 

Yuri and Shouta had abandoned all weapons (not that Shouta had had one in the first place) and were fistfighting for victory. 

Yuri's arms, like elastic bands, would swing out, the color of night, and throw Shouta back, and then immediately shrink back into her ordinary form. 

Shouta fell to the ground again. But he stood back up. He threw a punch at Yuri that sent her flying backwards, but her right arm transformed for a moment to claw the ground and steady herself before turning back.

Breathing heavily, Shouta cracked his knuckles again. But Yuri was tired of their constant back-and-forth fighting. 

She waited for him to come to her.

And he did. Shouta ran forward, fist ready to strike Yuri. She stood still and waited until he was almost close enough to land a hit -

Her arm pulled back and, with all the strength of the demon inside her, she hit Shouta into the air.

He skidded across the ground, leaving a trail like a comet in the earth.

Yuri stood over him to see if he would get up.

Shouta raised his head . . . and slipped into unconsciousness. 

Aya watched as Tora leaped onto Takara.