Kaein's POV
"Seriously, are we really tracking puddles?" Shion muttered beside me, eyes narrowed. "I can't tell if this is genius or masochism."
I shot her a look that should have killed, but the rain and exhaustion softened it. "Puddles tell stories you know. The little -slips, drag marks, small stones pushed aside. Not everything is flashy."
Takechi groaned. "You're insane. We're tracking demons, not lost kittens."
"Lost kittens that chew your face off," I said, voice low. My eyes caught a smear of blood on a stone with a piece of cloth. I froze.
And suddenly my chest squeezed so tight I thought I'd stop breathing. No way, that pretty boy from that day, Renjiro…Renjiro….Ren… There's no way I'd have possibly forgotten about him. He was the one who dared a demon slayer. He dared every little part of me and stimulated me in ways I couldn't ex… anyways back to present time.
"Hey… Kaein? You okay?" Shion asked, voice sharp, nudging my shoulder.
I blinked. "Yeah. Yeah, fine." I forced my voice to be normal. "Focus. Let's get the others out. That's the priority."
Takechi snorted. "Yeah, nothing says professional like a squad leader turning into a lovesick idiot mid-mission."
I shot him a glare that could have frozen him in place, but he just grinned. Typical.
We moved fast after that, tracking the demons to a ruined warehouse at the edge of town. Chains rattled inside. I pressed myself against the wall, listening. Girls and boys crying quietly, sobbing, probably trying to be quiet. My stomach turned. My hand flexed on my sword.
And then I saw him. Renjiro. Leaning against the far wall, one of the demons' blades pressed to his neck. He looked exhausted but alive.. I almost laughed, but it came out as a bark.
I stepped back slightly, signaling the team. "There. That's him. That's our priority. Everyone else comes second. Eyes sharp, don't get sloppy."
Daichi's voice was calm but firm. "All captives are priority. Don't let one boy make you lose the bigger picture."
I clenched my jaw so hard it hurt. "That's fine for philosophy, Daichi. I'm not a monk right now. And I think that's the demons top priority which is exactly why I said that."
Takechi snorted. "You've gone full idiot. I mean, seriously, it's just a boy."
"It's not just a boy," I growled, teeth gritted. " Yeah I know that, I've always saved "just a boy" boys and I wasn't gonna fail today. What's with y'all"
Shion muttered something under her breath. I didn't care. My eyes were on him, calculating every angle amc every demon. There were three of them. One holding him, one watching the other captives, and the third standing back with a blade that looked like it had been designed to stab quickly and disappear. They were organized, but they weren't perfect. That was all I needed.
I darted. I couldn't hold it anymore and the demons' eyes widened the second I moved.
"Don't move!" the one holding Renjiro shouted, but it was already too late.
I barreled in, spinning and forcing the one with Renjiro's blade into a slight stumble. Renjiro flinched, but I kept my focus. My sword was an extension of my thought.
The other demon screamed and lunged at me from the side. I dodged, barely, feeling the blade scrape my shoulder. I hissed, ignoring the pain, spinning back to Renjiro.
"Run," I shouted to him.
But Renjiro shook his head, with his pretty eyes wide. "I can't… my knee"
" Fuck! Then hang on," I muttered. And I ran at the demon holding him, sword sweeping low, kicking mud, using everything I had memorized from training and battle experience.
The demon hissed and twisted, releasing Renjiro's neck slightly, but then the other two realized what I was doing. Suddenly, all of them lunged in coordination, trying to drag him away.
I panicked. Not in the stupid sense, but that sharp kind of panic that made your mind clear in a dangerous way. "No. You're not taking him," I growled.
I charged, slicing one demon clean across the arm, forcing her to stumble. The second one lunged at me from the rear, with his blade no her blade flashing, ignore that I don't flipping know the identity of these demons at times. I barely twisted in time, catching her strike with my forearm. Pain flared, but I shoved her back, keeping my eyes on Renjiro.
And then the third he took off, flying up like some twisted acrobat, holding Renjiro like a prize. My stomach dropped. I couldn't reach him. I couldn't let him get away.
"Ren!" I shouted, sprinting after him. Mud flew in my face. . Rain soaked me through. I didn't care. I wasn't thinking about strategy anymore. Just him.
The airborne demon, smug, spinning, , clearly trying to finish the others too. I saw the two girls, captives, tense, ready to fight if given the chance. I had seconds to act.
My friends were rescuing the other people from the demons but clearly I had to handle this one alone cuz they weren't ready to choose one for many but my stupid heart couldn't agree with them.
I swung my sword , slicing at the demon's legs. He screamed, almost losing grip of Renjiro for a heartbeat.
"Go!" I yelled to Renjiro. "Now! Run!"
He hesitated. That idiot still hesitated.
The demon grinned, realizing what I wanted. In a flash, he threw himself backward, spinning. The other demon had recovered and stabbed at me from the side. Pain exploded across my ribs. I gritted my teeth and twisted, deflecting the blade just enough to avoid a fatal strike.
Shion and Takechi moved like ghosts. Blades flashing and covering. The two other demons were forced to release the other captives in the confusion. The kids ran, screaming, sobbing, disappearing into the shadows of the ruined warehouse. Don't even remember how they went.
I barely glanced. My eyes were locked on the airborne one. My sword sliced through the air, precisely. I hit him mid-spin. He howled, staggering, dropping Renjiro finally
I caught him. Renjiro fell into my arms, lungs heaving, wide-eyed. "Kaein…" he whispered.
I grinned as my heart was pounding at the way he called my name. There was mud in my hair, sweat stinging my eyes. "Don't die on me, you idiot."
But the demon still struggled, swinging. Pain stabbed across my ribs. Takechi and Shion hit him with everything they had. Finally, with a coordinated strike, we brought him down.
I dropped to one knee, breathing like I'd run a hundred miles. Renjiro
clung to me for a heartbeat. I could feel his pulse hammering against mine. .