The Bell Tolls

The young samurai and the snow demon could be found inside of an inn. An attendant was on the other side of the counter. Behind them, people could be seen drinking and eating across the room.

"You're looking for lodgings? Most people don't want to live in this city anymore, so we have plenty of rooms. How many will it be?" He asked.

"Two rooms-"

"One!" Rin interrupted. Her eyes were shining.

Shu turned to her with a lazy glare. There was no way he would share a room with her. He didn't want to worry about getting bitten in his sleep. Who knew what this weird obsessive girl would do.

"Two rooms please." He repeated to the clerk. After paying, the sleepy man dragged the pouting girl up the stairs.

"...I can't believe I have to say this, but stay in your room." Shu ordered.

Rin only huffed before walking in her room and shutting the door. Multiple insults could be heard inside. She was letting him have it.

"Blockhead Shu. Idiot Shu. Birdbrain Shu. Hmph!"

The young samurai entered his room and took off the mana breather. He then took off his clothes before going into the shower. The hot water produced a large amount of steam. As Shu's long sky blue hair covered his eyes, multiple bloody images popped into his mind. His sleepy expression slowly turned into a distorted one.

"...All of them. I'll kill ALL of them!" He growled. The rainbow colored ring appeared in his pupils. His fangs grew longer.

Time passed as he brooded. It was common for him to see images from his past. He was haunted by it. Not only did he see disturbing things, but he dreamt of them too. It wasn't always but it happened pretty often.

Once he was done cleaning up, he left the bathroom. A towel was the only thing that covered his slim but muscular body. His expression was back to normal. Right before he took off his towel, he felt someone staring at him.

Shu walked over to the window and opened the blinds. He quickly jumped back in fright. Rin's face was pressed up against the window pane! Her eyes were burning a hole into him. The young samurai opened the window and she fell into the room.

"Oof!" She grunted.

"Why are you spying on me?" He questioned.

This girl was truly helping him improve his tolerance for bullshit. The lazy swordsman had way more patience since meeting her. If this was the version of him from before reaching Valsir, she'd already be dead.

"Hmph. I have to make sure that you aren't doing anything suspicious. Stupid Shu." Rin quipped.

'Yeah, sure.' He wouldn't believe it for a second.

With a quick movement, he threw his towel at her. The damp fabric landed on her face. Rin grasped the material with both hands in a vice grip.

'This is…This is…Shu's bath towel!' She thought with intensity.

She took several whiffs of his scent before removing the bath towel. It was time to see what lies beyond it! Was she going to witness the greatness of his body?! When her eyes were free of obstruction, she deadpanned.

"Tch." Rin clicked her tongue. She didn't even know why she felt disappointment.

Shu was already dressed in a loose white kimono. His long hair fell down to his back, since it was still untied. He sat on the edge of the bed while looking at her weirdly.

"You need to go back to your room. I'm tired." He said. The snow demon shook her head.

"No."

"Rin."

"No.

"If you bite me-"

"I won't bite!"

"...Fine. Just this once. Go watch TV or something. Wake me up before midnight." He said. It truly felt like he'd adopted a stray cat.

"Mnn!" She hummed in agreement.

Shu got under the covers and used his ultimate skill: Instant Sleep. As the TV played in the background, Rin could be seen staring at the unconscious samurai. Sometimes he would shift his position, and she'd snap her head back to the screen.

…

…

…

"...Idiot Shu. Wake up…Shu…It's time!"

The lazy swordsman slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was the snow demon. She sat on top of him, and she was shaking the bed with her hip movements.

"I'm up. I'm up." He said.

Rin finally stopped rocking back and forth. She got up and went to her room. It was time to suit up. The young samurai couldn't help but think to himself.

'It felt good when she woke me up.' He thought.

Shu put on his battle outfit regardless. In only a few minutes, they were outside in the rain. Both of them were jumping across the rooftops. The ground was far below them, showing how tall these buildings were. The duo eventually stopped at the grandfather clocktower.

A massive bell hung from the roof of the building. The sleepy swordsman was already crouched at the edge of the roof. This was the tallest place in the city, allowing him to see everything. Looking at the time, he noted that it was a few minutes til midnight. Rin quietly stood beside him.

The tassel from her ronin hat swayed in the wind. Both of them were serious. There was no time for messing around. No room for error. All of the playful antics could be dealt with behind closed doors. Not during the mission.

"Can you airwalk?" He asked.

"Mnn." The snow demon nodded. At this moment, the clock struck twelve.

DONG

The deep sound of the bell reverberated across the entire city. All of the remaining citizens hid in the corners of their homes. They didn't want to be the next victims.

Shu waited and tried his best to scan the city for unusual mana signatures. There was only one gold in Lokni, which meant that any others were suspicious. It didn't take long for him to sense another one.

"...Let's go." Shu spoke.

As soon as he finished his words, he jumped off the edge. Hopefully he'd make it in time.