[akaza can only roll his eyes at kyojuro, not even disagree with him.
unfortunately, the town must be bitter that kyojuro has managed to pull akaza away from his monsters thus far, and angry that they are on the way to a somewhat lighter mood. as soon as they come into view of the next break between buildings, there is a stone well nestled in the gap. before it stand two figures -- one like a young woman, similar to the beast they encountered in the labyrinth, and a large middle-aged man in a white gi and black belt. their funeral shrouds are dripping red and inky black from the mouth, and down over their chests. the man carries a wooden pail filled with the dark, vile-looking substance, and the girl holds out a serving ladle of it toward -- akaza. of course, only to him.
this time, it doesn't take kyojuro snapping him out of it, though he does freeze for a moment. before akaza can allow himself to consider the offering, he yanks kyojuro's wrist and keeps walking.
the next alleyway they pass houses the same scene. and the next, and the next. he snarls, pace ever quickening, as if the display is something he can simply outrun.]
[At this point, the only thing that surprises Kyojuro by the sight is the fact that his won demons do not accompany the ones haunting Akaza. Each gap they pass by houses the same man and young woman. He does not have to guess at the former — the gi gives it away. The young woman is also familiar in her own way — Kyojuro had found himself even wondering when she might appear.
It is a relief that Akaza does not have to be coaxed into pulling away, at the very least. Or it should be. But whatever sweetness Kyojuro may taste at the thought of his friend finding his own resolve is swiftly dashed by the scent that drifts past his nose.
White Lily had said that her refuge could be found by the smell alone. That was all well and good, save for the fact that the breeze carries the scent through one of the gaps, refuge barred by the faces of the dead.]
Akaza - [He laments pulling on his wrist, forcing him to stop even as he'd managed to find the strength to forge ahead.] Do you smell that?
[it's absolutely pitiful, when a human's senses outcompete a demon's. even if he's managed to evade his monsters thus far -- with help or not -- akaza has certainly succumbed to them mentally. they're all he can think about, to the extent that he doesn't notice the scent of lilies until kyojuro stops him and points it out.
... of course the monsters are in their way. of course the opening is too narrow to just avoid them.
his gaze travels back the way they just came, and farther down the road. it's as if the buildings moved closer together while they weren't looking; no one alley will grant them any more space.
akaza looks to kyojuro, then to the monsters. at his sides, his hands shake.]
[Realistically, he knows they don't have to take shelter with Lily. There were still plenty of buildings in decent enough repair. But they wouldn't be able to linger long. And without her barrier, any of their monsters could just as easily creep their way in.
They both needed their rest. Akaza in mind, Kyojuro in body. So really, there wasn't a choice. Not in the long term, at the very least.
Kyojuro takes a step forward, finally releasing Akaza's hand. His steps take him until he's just scant feet from both man and girl. Only then does he kneel before them, keeping his head low. Every instinct in his body rails against such a vulnerable act, knowing what a threat his own monsters have been. But Akaza's word had held true thus far. He has to hope that will remain the case.]
It is a pleasure to meet you, Master Keizo. I was wondering if you might grant me the honor of taking me in as your student.
[So far, the monsters have paid him little mind. Even this plan feels like a risk. But if nothing else, even if they don't respond, Kyojuro has at least placed his body between Akaza and them. If he can hold their attention for just the slightest bit longer, maybe all will be well.]
[if nothing else, these things are certainly a crash course in akaza's training that they'd discussed what feels like months ago. he watches in disbelief as kyojuro prostrates himself before the monsters as if they're truly who they claim to be.
something about that makes akaza's blood boil.
his footsteps feel heavy as the earth itself as he drags himself to kyojuro's side. his hand alights on the man's shoulder, firmer than he'd like, but still restrained. the message should be clear enough, that there is no need to treat this thing like a person. even so, it still takes akaza a moment to find his voice.]
That thing is not my master. [but when he does, it carries weight. it's final. is he doing well, he wonders? is this the right thing?
assuming kyojuro will take heed, get up and out of the way, akaza ignores the girl, for a number of reasons. the labyrinth is too fresh, he still hasn't come to terms with her, he could never do to her what he is about to do...
next, akaza speaks to the monster wearing keizo's skin.]
He would forgive me for refusing to allow this mockery of him.
[before the monster, he crouches down, as he might when activating his technique development. but after all, he chooses not to. no, this creature he decides to vanquish not using blood demon arts, but a thoughtfully executed soryu strike. from his position, he uses his coiled body's momentum to kick sharply upward, the contact to its head so singularly powerful that the entire monster explodes into ash in the blink of an eye.
what akaza doesn't expect is for the other creature to react. given akaza's choice for violence, or perhaps the attack on its partner in crime specifically, the girl-shaped monster warps into something with claws just as the thing in the circus had, and lashes out at him.]
[Akaza has always been impressive, even when Kyojuro thought the worst of him. His fighting stye was as elegant as it was terrifying. Each movement seemed so sinuous, bleeding into the next as he seemed to calculate his opponents attacks before they'd even came into being. But all of that was to be expected, given the sheer power of a blood demon art. At passing glance, one would be forgiven for thinking the power in their blood fueled them forward, rather than any sort of true training. It was there that demons and slayers differed.
But Kyojuro does not feel the blood demon art in this moment. As Akaza shifts and then strikes, there is nothing but sheer human will driving him forward. There is no denying there is demonic strength in the blow itself, but the form? That was entirely Hakuji, of that Kyojuro is certain.
But any sort of grim admiration he might have held within himself is interrupted by the movement beside Akaza. In an instant, the picture of a young, sweet girl is marred by the monstrosity that lurked between each and every creature they'd come across so far. Kyojuro moves in an instant to combat her, sword sliding from its sheath effortlessly.
He does not, however, strike to kill. He cannot. Despite what is clearly a monster, it is still too difficult to cut through the human visage it wears. All Kyojuro can do is brace the flat of his sword against his left palm and press forward, knocking the girl to the ground and pinning teeth and claws down against the ground with a single, fluid motion.
The girl flails, but for the time being, cannot seem to move.]
[before he can even react -- because just like back then, he wouldn't, he couldn't -- kyojuro has the monster pinned. akaza can only watch in hesitation, refusal to act, as it tries to flail wildly, fight back.
there's only so many choices he has. he holds fast to his request that kyojuro not hurt her, and they're stuck here. he makes kyojuro release her and allow her to hurt him. he forces kyojuro to do what he can't. none are good, and some kyojuro would outright refuse.
why can't he just act? he knows it isn't really her. she didn't have claws, she would never try to hurt him or anyone. it should be easy to pretend, with the cloth covering her face, but oh, gods, that fucking thing only reminds him of the worst night of his life --]
Hakuji, help! [the voice that comes from beneath the shroud pierces him with its familiarity.] He's hurting me, Hakuji, please, you have to kill him --
[the next moment, his fist is buried in the dirt where its head just was, and there's a second cloud of ash. akaza stares at the empty space with wide eyes and shuddering breath. sweat drips down his forehead and neck despite it being entirely unnecessary to him. maybe -- he isn't certain, but maybe tears join the sweat on his cheeks.
he doesn't have the strength that kyojuro did, to raise his head and his voice in defiance. akaza only snarls to the very earth.]
Don't. Don't you ever -- ever insult her like that again. She would never do that. She would never say that.
[It's a good thing that Akaza acts when he does. Kyojuro's grip had just begun to loosen. It isn't fear of Akaza that drives him, but of his own actions. Under normal circumstances, Kyojuro understood his own strength even on a subconscious level. After all, he'd managed to hold the child that attacked him on the train at bay, all without crushing her windpipe. But his actions had been desperate, and the girl was so small, it was easy to believe he had pushed too hard.
And then, all at once, only ash remained in her wake. Kyojuro is left holding his sword in the empty air, staring at the straining muscles of Akaza's arm, and listening to the quake in his friend's voice.
Clattering metal announces the fact that Kyojuro has dropped his blade. Before he's even processed it, he's turned to Akaza. His hand lifts, cupping his cheek carefully and angling his head both upward and away from where the remains of someone he so clearly cared for now lingered.]
Akaza. [He effortlessly marries both firmness and warmth into the timbre of his voice.] Look at me.
[when kyojuro forces akaza to look at him -- not force, not really, he's actually quite gentle, if firm, about it -- he can no longer deny that his eyes feel wet. this keeps happening, it seems like, and only around kyojuro. it's humiliating. still, he can barely process it after what he's just done. he knows it wasn't her, he knows, but still --
he meets kyojuro's eye to show he's listening, but unable to verbally summon even so much as a "what?"]
[It feels like Kyojuro's fingers move without permission. He sweeps a thumb beneath Akaza's eye, carefully collecting the tears that had gathered there. The expression the other man wears feels entirely too fragile for the man Kyojuro had come to know. It's enough to nearly crack his heart in two.]
I am here. You are not alone. [How many times has he said this now? It didn't really matter, did it? He would say it until he was blue in the face if he must.] I know you need time to process, but we must keep moving, lest anything else try and find us.
[But even as he says this, Kyojuro himself doesn't move to leave. He won't, until Akaza makes the first attempt. Being there for his companion meant moving at his pace, after all.]
[after a moment, akaza nods. he heaves a deep breath and pulls his hand free from the ground to stand upright. the other, he offers to kyojuro.
when they're safe, when he has had that time, he needs to thank kyojuro. for a thousand things, really, but mostly for being so goddamn persistent in both action and word to stand by him.
he waits for kyojuro to stand and sheathe his sword if need be before continuing on their way.]
We're almost there. [he can smell it. something so superfluous as the scent of fresh flowers has never been such a relief.]
[It takes no time at all, for Kyojuro to gather himself. His fingers wrap around the hilt of his sword, sheathing it in one fluid motion as he rises to his feet. When he turns to face Akaza, he doesn't need to spare even a single, second thought to taking his hand. His fingers squeeze around him once again, always offering the pressure of assurance.]
We are.
[He speaks with no small amount of relief in his heart. He would face these battles a thousand times over if it meant pulling Akaza through. But that didn't mean he wouldn't welcome safe refuge.]
I know this has not been easy. To say that I am proud of you would be a grevious understatement.
[the look akaza gives kyojuro is nothing short of grateful.]
I'd be dead without you. Three times over.
[it doesn't seem fair, that kyojuro has saved him, time and again, after akaza took his life. but there's nothing he can do about that now -- almost nothing, anyway, he's cooking up something -- besides keep kyojuro safe the same as he does.
if those monsters couldn't stop him from getting "his pet demon slayer" to safety, akaza reasonably thinks that nothing will.]
And I would never be able to forgive myself, were that the case.
[Akaza is a friend and ally, one of the very young buds that the demon himself had once scoffed at. The juxtaposition would be amusing, were the circumstances not what they were. Given said circumstances, though, he hardly thinks it's worth keeping track of, even if he knows Akaza feels the opposite.
Removed from everything else, he truly was an honorable man. Yet another strange thought to file away.
Thankfully, there is nothing more to haunt them as they make their way toward the market. The smell of lilies in the air is a twofold blessing, as it also seems to temporarily cover up the sour scent of sake in the air. He'll have to thank Lily personally, once they're all squared away.
For now, he crosses through the barrier, still clutching Akaza's hand like a lifeline.]
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sticksandbones2025-10-03 12:37 pm
no subject
unfortunately, the town must be bitter that kyojuro has managed to pull akaza away from his monsters thus far, and angry that they are on the way to a somewhat lighter mood. as soon as they come into view of the next break between buildings, there is a stone well nestled in the gap. before it stand two figures -- one like a young woman, similar to the beast they encountered in the labyrinth, and a large middle-aged man in a white gi and black belt. their funeral shrouds are dripping red and inky black from the mouth, and down over their chests. the man carries a wooden pail filled with the dark, vile-looking substance, and the girl holds out a serving ladle of it toward -- akaza. of course, only to him.
this time, it doesn't take kyojuro snapping him out of it, though he does freeze for a moment. before akaza can allow himself to consider the offering, he yanks kyojuro's wrist and keeps walking.
the next alleyway they pass houses the same scene. and the next, and the next. he snarls, pace ever quickening, as if the display is something he can simply outrun.]
no subject
It is a relief that Akaza does not have to be coaxed into pulling away, at the very least. Or it should be. But whatever sweetness Kyojuro may taste at the thought of his friend finding his own resolve is swiftly dashed by the scent that drifts past his nose.
White Lily had said that her refuge could be found by the smell alone. That was all well and good, save for the fact that the breeze carries the scent through one of the gaps, refuge barred by the faces of the dead.]
Akaza - [He laments pulling on his wrist, forcing him to stop even as he'd managed to find the strength to forge ahead.] Do you smell that?
no subject
... of course the monsters are in their way. of course the opening is too narrow to just avoid them.
his gaze travels back the way they just came, and farther down the road. it's as if the buildings moved closer together while they weren't looking; no one alley will grant them any more space.
akaza looks to kyojuro, then to the monsters. at his sides, his hands shake.]
no subject
They both needed their rest. Akaza in mind, Kyojuro in body. So really, there wasn't a choice. Not in the long term, at the very least.
Kyojuro takes a step forward, finally releasing Akaza's hand. His steps take him until he's just scant feet from both man and girl. Only then does he kneel before them, keeping his head low. Every instinct in his body rails against such a vulnerable act, knowing what a threat his own monsters have been. But Akaza's word had held true thus far. He has to hope that will remain the case.]
It is a pleasure to meet you, Master Keizo. I was wondering if you might grant me the honor of taking me in as your student.
[So far, the monsters have paid him little mind. Even this plan feels like a risk. But if nothing else, even if they don't respond, Kyojuro has at least placed his body between Akaza and them. If he can hold their attention for just the slightest bit longer, maybe all will be well.]
no subject
something about that makes akaza's blood boil.
his footsteps feel heavy as the earth itself as he drags himself to kyojuro's side. his hand alights on the man's shoulder, firmer than he'd like, but still restrained. the message should be clear enough, that there is no need to treat this thing like a person. even so, it still takes akaza a moment to find his voice.]
That thing is not my master. [but when he does, it carries weight. it's final. is he doing well, he wonders? is this the right thing?
assuming kyojuro will take heed, get up and out of the way, akaza ignores the girl, for a number of reasons. the labyrinth is too fresh, he still hasn't come to terms with her, he could never do to her what he is about to do...
next, akaza speaks to the monster wearing keizo's skin.]
He would forgive me for refusing to allow this mockery of him.
[before the monster, he crouches down, as he might when activating his technique development. but after all, he chooses not to. no, this creature he decides to vanquish not using blood demon arts, but a thoughtfully executed soryu strike. from his position, he uses his coiled body's momentum to kick sharply upward, the contact to its head so singularly powerful that the entire monster explodes into ash in the blink of an eye.
what akaza doesn't expect is for the other creature to react. given akaza's choice for violence, or perhaps the attack on its partner in crime specifically, the girl-shaped monster warps into something with claws just as the thing in the circus had, and lashes out at him.]
no subject
But Kyojuro does not feel the blood demon art in this moment. As Akaza shifts and then strikes, there is nothing but sheer human will driving him forward. There is no denying there is demonic strength in the blow itself, but the form? That was entirely Hakuji, of that Kyojuro is certain.
But any sort of grim admiration he might have held within himself is interrupted by the movement beside Akaza. In an instant, the picture of a young, sweet girl is marred by the monstrosity that lurked between each and every creature they'd come across so far. Kyojuro moves in an instant to combat her, sword sliding from its sheath effortlessly.
He does not, however, strike to kill. He cannot. Despite what is clearly a monster, it is still too difficult to cut through the human visage it wears. All Kyojuro can do is brace the flat of his sword against his left palm and press forward, knocking the girl to the ground and pinning teeth and claws down against the ground with a single, fluid motion.
The girl flails, but for the time being, cannot seem to move.]
Akaza!
no subject
there's only so many choices he has. he holds fast to his request that kyojuro not hurt her, and they're stuck here. he makes kyojuro release her and allow her to hurt him. he forces kyojuro to do what he can't. none are good, and some kyojuro would outright refuse.
why can't he just act? he knows it isn't really her. she didn't have claws, she would never try to hurt him or anyone. it should be easy to pretend, with the cloth covering her face, but oh, gods, that fucking thing only reminds him of the worst night of his life --]
Hakuji, help! [the voice that comes from beneath the shroud pierces him with its familiarity.] He's hurting me, Hakuji, please, you have to kill him --
[the next moment, his fist is buried in the dirt where its head just was, and there's a second cloud of ash. akaza stares at the empty space with wide eyes and shuddering breath. sweat drips down his forehead and neck despite it being entirely unnecessary to him. maybe -- he isn't certain, but maybe tears join the sweat on his cheeks.
he doesn't have the strength that kyojuro did, to raise his head and his voice in defiance. akaza only snarls to the very earth.]
Don't. Don't you ever -- ever insult her like that again. She would never do that. She would never say that.
no subject
And then, all at once, only ash remained in her wake. Kyojuro is left holding his sword in the empty air, staring at the straining muscles of Akaza's arm, and listening to the quake in his friend's voice.
Clattering metal announces the fact that Kyojuro has dropped his blade. Before he's even processed it, he's turned to Akaza. His hand lifts, cupping his cheek carefully and angling his head both upward and away from where the remains of someone he so clearly cared for now lingered.]
Akaza. [He effortlessly marries both firmness and warmth into the timbre of his voice.] Look at me.
no subject
he meets kyojuro's eye to show he's listening, but unable to verbally summon even so much as a "what?"]
no subject
I am here. You are not alone. [How many times has he said this now? It didn't really matter, did it? He would say it until he was blue in the face if he must.] I know you need time to process, but we must keep moving, lest anything else try and find us.
[But even as he says this, Kyojuro himself doesn't move to leave. He won't, until Akaza makes the first attempt. Being there for his companion meant moving at his pace, after all.]
no subject
when they're safe, when he has had that time, he needs to thank kyojuro. for a thousand things, really, but mostly for being so goddamn persistent in both action and word to stand by him.
he waits for kyojuro to stand and sheathe his sword if need be before continuing on their way.]
We're almost there. [he can smell it. something so superfluous as the scent of fresh flowers has never been such a relief.]
no subject
We are.
[He speaks with no small amount of relief in his heart. He would face these battles a thousand times over if it meant pulling Akaza through. But that didn't mean he wouldn't welcome safe refuge.]
I know this has not been easy. To say that I am proud of you would be a grevious understatement.
no subject
I'd be dead without you. Three times over.
[it doesn't seem fair, that kyojuro has saved him, time and again, after akaza took his life. but there's nothing he can do about that now -- almost nothing, anyway, he's cooking up something -- besides keep kyojuro safe the same as he does.
if those monsters couldn't stop him from getting "his pet demon slayer" to safety, akaza reasonably thinks that nothing will.]
no subject
[Akaza is a friend and ally, one of the very young buds that the demon himself had once scoffed at. The juxtaposition would be amusing, were the circumstances not what they were. Given said circumstances, though, he hardly thinks it's worth keeping track of, even if he knows Akaza feels the opposite.
Removed from everything else, he truly was an honorable man. Yet another strange thought to file away.
Thankfully, there is nothing more to haunt them as they make their way toward the market. The smell of lilies in the air is a twofold blessing, as it also seems to temporarily cover up the sour scent of sake in the air. He'll have to thank Lily personally, once they're all squared away.
For now, he crosses through the barrier, still clutching Akaza's hand like a lifeline.]