BUTTERFLY : SHINOBU KOCHO (PART ONE)

Part 1: Chapter 4; Grand Phoenix

MOVE, LEGS, MOVE!

Shinobu sprinted as fast as her legs could take her, sprinting through the trees to escape Sephir's grip, managing to scramble away by the skin of her teeth. She dashed at lightning speeds, bursting through the underbrush and swinging through the trees, hopping from branch to branch as quick as her nimble body could push her.

If I just get away from the sounds, he won't be able to touch m-

"Ugh, I'm start to feel like you just want me to repeat myself, you tiny little idiot!"

The butterfly girl flinched in fright when she looked back and saw Sephir closing in on her with a devilish smirk on his face, hopping through the trees at a pace she could only dream of attaining.

"Goodness, me, for a supposed Hashira, you really are quite slow~!" The silver-haired demon cackled, "And quite cowardly, I might add, leaving your boyfriend to die in the woods, quite heroic behavior from you!"

Shinobu's eyes shot open, she hadn't even thought about that. If Sephir was chasing after her, then that must mean-

"Kari-san's in danger.!"

She grinded to a halt and darted herself in the other direction, but stopped abruptly when Sephir stood right in front of her with his slender arms outstretched.

"Oh, you're not going anywhere~"

Shit, fuck, bitch, tits, FUCK! This guy is in the way, and I'm not sure if I can even keep up with him....

"Oh, you definitely can't~" Sephir broke out into a teasing grin, "Buuut I'd be delighted if you were to come and try~!"

Shinobu could barely feel her legs. Crashing right through a tree took half of her already little stamina out of her fragile body, and her only way of successfully killing demons would have no effect on a literal illusion.

She saw no way out of this.

I-I.....I can't win, not against this demon.....

"Have no fear, Shinobu, I'm not going to kill you." Sephir took note of the raven-haired girl's fear, and said with a gentler tone,
"After all, I did only arrive just to see what you could do."

"W-What?" Shinobu shakily replied.

"That's the only reason I had my children kill that woman!" Sephir chuckled, "I had them pick out some basic whore who wouldn't be missed, and instructed them to snap her neck in half and bring her down to the clearing so I could get your attention, and make my grand entrance!"

".....you what?"

Shinobu's fists continued to shake, only this time from rage. Tick marks began forming on her forehead, and her smile faded out of existence.

Shinobu had snapped again.

"You ended a life just to get our attention?! That's crazy, that's completely crazy!!" Shinobu screamed, "You had no right to do that, no right at all!"

"Oh~?" Sephir's grin only grew in amusement, "What are you gonna do about it~?"

As she raised her needlesword to the lanky demon standing before her, Shinobu made a vow that she would sacrifice life and limb to keep, one that she would hold to her heart for months to come.

"I swear, by the soul of my dead sister, Kanae Kocho, I will personally stab my blade into your neck and kill you, if it's the last thing I do!"

As if Sephir was amused by Shinobu's promise, he broke out into a sinister laughter, throwing his head back and cackling at the sky.