Chapter Five - In the Clouds

The doctor thumbed over Kougetsuʼs freshly healed wound, hazel eyes pensive as she looked over the previously injured spot before a look of satisfaction washed upon her face.

"You're healing well, Yozora. You're good to go. Asahi as well."

Kougetsu nodded, bowing her head out of politeness. "Thank you, Doctor."

She grinned, patting Kougetsu's shoulder affectionately as she got up. "It's my job! No need to thank me. However, it is appreciated."

The doctor, Hiraoka Botan, bowed politely to Akio's parents before leaving the house with a goodbye.

"I guess Seijuu and I should get going now, since we're all healed and well," She spoke up, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear as she got up from her sitting position.

"I suppose you're right. After all, you need to go on your missions." Akio's mother, whose name Kougetsu learned to be Haruna, agreed.

"Thank you for understanding. I'll go get ready now." Kougetsu said, bowing her head before going to her room. She slid open the door before closing it, plopping herself onto her futon.

She found the two-week break...pleasant. Although she was in pain most of the time, the time she spent with herself felt refreshing.

But, of course, she couldn't have such fantasies of sitting all day, doing nothing. While small breaks were appreciated, Kougetsu needed to work hard. She needed to get rid of the Cursed Ones that infested the world.

Demons that have destroyed everything.

Families.

Friends.

Loved ones.

People.

Human beings.

Kougetsu frowned at the thought, slipping off the jinbei that the house provided her before putting on the uniform issued to her a few weeks ago.

'Time has passed by quickly.'

She slipped on her haori before strapping the sheath of her sword to her hip. She looked over at her quiver that was lying on the ground beside her futon.

Kougetsu approached it, fingers gliding over the new strap. She didn't know how to fix the straps, and nobody in the village sold such things—however, Akio's father, Hisao, knew how to fix it.

The material he used was called leather. He said that it was a durable material made from animal hide imported from overseas. Since Kougetsu had to fight with it, the Order of the Peacekeepers modified it, so it wouldnʼt tear as easily by Demons, mainly because of their elongated nails.

Kougesu liked it.

She placed her newly made arrows inside the quiver before strapping it across her back, the tips feathery white fletching of the hamaya, or arrow, touching her shoulder.

She proceeded to do the same thing with her bow, matching sure it was positioned correctly before taking both of her thigh bags and strapping them around her thighs.

She placed the rest of her supplies in her satchel, placing it on the other side of her hip before picking up her jika-tabi and exiting her room.

Kougetsuʼs eyes caught sight of Seijuu sitting down on the engawa, who looked at the garden in an absent-minded manner. She sat beside him, gently placing her footwear beside her.

She silently put on the jika-tabi, the occasional click of the metal tabs being heard. When she finished, a sigh escaped her lips as she glanced at him from the corner of her eye.

"Seijuu?" She spoke up, bringing her knees close to her chest and hugging them, resting the side of her head on her knees as she faced the male.

He merely grunted in response.

"I never got the chance to talk to you about what you did for me. I'm talking about when you carried me here when I was unconscious. You had been injured yourself, but you carried me here anyways, and I never got the opportunity to thank you. So, thank you, Seijuu."

Kougetsu was satisfied with herself, feeling that the weight of the constant thought of how she would tell him easing off her shoulders.

Her attention was focused on Seijuu, who was looking at her. But, she noticed the sparkle in his golden eyes that reminded her of an excited childʼs.

He crossed his arms over his puffed-out chest. "Of course! God Seijuu never leaves his followers behind!"

Follower? Hah. How adorable. She, of course, was nothing of the sort—he was her partner, and she was his. Equals.

But, she knew his personality and his over the top ego, so she let it go.

Besides, she knew her worth…even though she always drowned herself in self-hate.

Her thoughts, however, halted at the familiar sound of a certain nine-tailed fox being summoned.

"Thereʼs a mission in the east," Mashiro spoke, sitting in front of her and Seijuu. "Itʼs an abandoned farm. Every Peacekeeper sent disappears. Itʼs suspected to be a hideout for a Demon."

"Then why don't they send a Guardian?" Kougetsu asked. "We're the lowest rank—Peacekeeper."

Mashiro sighed. "Iʼm not very sure, Yozora. My main priority is receiving information about your mission and telling you."

"Yes, of course. Thank you for the information, Mashiro."

She nods before disappearing.

A sigh escapes Kougetsuʼs lips, stretching out her legs.

"I guess we should get going, Seijuu," She informed him, getting up from her spot beside him. "We might be able to get there around the evening if we leave now."

"Oh! You guys are going already?" Akio chimed in, popping his head out from the sliding door.

Kougetsu blinked.

She didnʼt even feel his presence.

'How strange.' She noted.

She nodded to him in response before walking past him as he slid the door open. He followed after her, matching her pace, heading towards the exit of the house.

Seijuu was a few steps behind, walking to his own speed.

Arriving at their doorstep, she turned around.

"Thank you for letting us stay here. I appreciate everything you've done for Seijuu and me." She thanked, bowing deeply.

A pair of arms engulfed her form, hugging her tightly but gently.

The sudden display of affection threw Kougetsu off-guard.

She pushed him back, breaking the hug.

"Thank you, Akio," She said, clearing her throat.

The boy grinned, crossing his arms over his chest. "There's plenty more where that came from! You better write to me, y'hear?"

Kougetsu waved her hand in dismissal. "Yes, yes. Thank you again for your time."

"Come on, let's go!" Seijuu yelled, gripping Kougetsu's wrist, pulling her along.

The girl rolled her eyes, ripping her hand out of Seijuu's wrist.

As she walked out of the village with Seijuu by her side, many of the villagers thanked them and praised them both for getting rid of the Demons that had haunted them for so long.

It severely boosted Seijuu's ego.

She swore she could feel the of giddiness and pride roll off him in waves, which she found strange, yet somehow, she could understand why—being the source of happiness for people was satisfying.

It was something she longed for, even—something she strived for often. While it isn't always the main priority, it is definitely up there.

The reason? She wasn't so sure…but she had a feeling that it was because she wasn't someone for others to be happy from her younger days.

She was someone who brought dread and despair.

"—tsu! Hey! I'm talking to you!"

"I'm sorry?" She said, looking over at Seijuu. She hadn't realized that she stopped walking, lost in thought.

"Oh—apologies, Seijuu," She realized. "I was…lost in the clouds, I suppose."

"Huh?" He grunted. "What does that mean? You're right in front of me."

Kougetsu stared at him. Was he serious? Did he not know what that meant? Was…was he really that oblivious, or was he not aware of such expressions?

"It's, it's a saying," She stuttered out, not at all used to explaining such things to a grown man. "It means a person is not really paying attention to what's happening around them and are too consumed in their thoughts. Overthinking."

"Then, stop thinking," He stated matter-of-factly, crossing his arms over his chest. "It's too much effort."

"You cannot just stop thinking, Seijuu,"

"Yeah, you can. I do it all the time." He answered, puffing out his chest proudly.

'That's not something to be proud of, Seijuu…'

She sighed, shaking her head.

"Hey, what're you shaking your head for?" Seijuu huffed, frowning behind his mask.

She waved her hand in dismissal. "Nothing, nothing."

∞

"I guess we've arrived," Kougetsu announced, stopping to take a good look at the farm.

The once flourishing and healthy rice fields were long gone, leaving behind dry, thick, and cracked land with little to no plants—dead or unable to grow. Not too far was the now-abandoned farmhouse, which looked like it could barely stand on its own now, due to its age and the weather.

The scent of the earthy, rotten mold burned her nose, causing Kougetsu to caught and raise her sleeve to her nose as she approached the farmhouse.

The wood on the farmhouse was dark and moldy, paint beginning to peel off slowly. The steep-sloped, thatched rooftop of the farmhouse was starting to wear down, only a thin layer was left on the roof—and it even had some holes from the top, which she could easily climb up and enter from above.

It was the evening now, with the sun just about to dip into the horizon—leaving behind a beautifully painted canvas of shades of orange and yellow, along with blushing clouds and the crescent moon about to make her appearance.

"Why did you stop? Are you scared?" Seijuu taunted, cackling right after.

"No. I'm worried, however," She said, pursing her lips. "I just don't think that this is a mission for us. We're the lowest rank. I think we should leave it to the Guardians."

"What are you talking about? If I defeat this Cursed One, then I can take on anyone. Even the Guardians!" Seijuu declared, crossing his arms over his chest.

Kougetsu stared at him. She highly doubted that; her abilities were subpar at most in comparison to a Guardian. Who knows—she'd probably die defeating this Demon.

How demotivating.

"Let's enter through one of the holes in the roof and investigate. Who knows if the Demon escaped somehow," Kougetsu suggested, pointing towards the roof of the farmhouse.

She climbed to the top of the farmhouse (with the help of Seijuu—it was quite unstable). Much to her dismay, with each step she took, the wood weighed down and would creak loudly—if there were any Cursed Ones in there, they would've been alerted about their presence a long time ago.

She jumped down from the hole in the roof after Seijuu, almost grimacing at the creak of the wood beneath her feet. With any more force, it would've snapped and caused her to be stuck.

Thankfully, that didn't happen.

"Seijuu, can you sense anything?" She whispered, eyes scanning her surroundings. Judging by what was left of the room and the hearth in the middle, she could easily deduce they were currently in the irori.

Seijuu grunted in response, walking and looking around as he was trying to sense any vibrations of the sort in the air that belong to a Demon.

Kougetsu shifted her attention to the ground, crouching and tapping the wooden floorboards to see if there was some sort of entranceway beneath the farmhouse, or just something hidden. What caught her attention, however, was dried up blood splatters near the hearth.

She swiped her finger on the blood-soaked wood, some of the red substance sticking to her index and thumb.

The blood was…still a bit fresh. It hadn't completely dried off.

'Oh.'

Quickly, she got up, about to open her mouth to call for Seijuu when she suddenly felt the wind getting knocked out of her and stinging, burning pain in her back, crashing into the wall.

"Sei...juu…!" Kougetsu wheezed out, coughing harshly. But, in less than a second, he was slammed into the wall next to her.

Chuckles echoed throughout the room, wood creaking loudly and the hissing of snakes—before she knew it, the Demon revealed itself, grinning widely.

The demon was massive—having a human-like body that gets cut off from the torso, the rest of his body akin to a snake's. The scales were thick and black, and the tip of his tale had some sort of cluster of scales as well, creating a rattle-like sound.

The face of the demon was thin, with a wide jaw and protruding cheekbones. Its fangs were poking out of its mouth, pricking his thin, snow-white lips. Its eyes were big and beady, with sapphire blue eyes and tiny, diamond-shaped pupils.

The snake demon snickered, snake-like creatures pushing out from its stomach, collective hissing echoing throughout the room.

The back of Kougetsu's throat burned, covering her mouth.

"Ew! What the hell are you doing?! That's nasty!" Seijuu shouted, disgust evident in his voice.

The snake merely cackled loudly in response, his beady eyes looking over at her and Seijuu hungrily.

"How foolish. You came here knowing that many people before you came with the same intentions have been eaten by me," He hissed, forked tongue coming out of his mouth. "I have killed over twenty of your so-called Peacekeepers, and I have grown stronger each time."

The snake demon lifted his tail before slamming it onto the wood, breaking it completely—she covered her face with her arm to avoid the chips of wood flying out.

Below, she could see piles and piles of human bones, all stacked messily on each other.

How vile.

But, then again, these are Demons.

It was their typical behavior.

Seijuu growled, unsheathing both of his katana and prepared to attack the snake demon—however, she grabbed his forearm, holding him back.

"What the hell are you—?!" He shouted, snatching his forearm from her grip.

"Seijuu, he's trying to provoke us. If we attack him with our emotions blinding us, we will die. That's how he managed to get the others," She reasoned, her voice in a whisper.

Seijuu faltered. However, his grip on his swords tightened.

"Then what do we do, huh?" He asked through gritted teeth.

"I have a plan—it's the least I can come up with for now. I distract him enough so you will be able to slice his neck from behind. I'll try to lead him outside—maybe you will be able to climb onto the roof and jump off from there to get his neck," She explained quickly, occasionally glancing over at the demon.

"Fine," he grunted. "We'll go with your plan."

Kougetsu hummed. "Just count on me."