We'll protect each other (SabiGiyuu)

9

Sorry for not updating in a while!

TW: slight swearing

Sabito's POV
The path I was on seemed to go on forever. That might be because I was walking at an extremely slow pace, but I couldn't see the end of it. The only reason I was following the stupid thing in the first place was because it was headed in the general direction of Mount Sagiri. Following a path or a road was better than trekking through the forest, after all.

I slipped and fell down, landing heavily on my left side. Pain laced up and down my broken arm, shooting through my entire body like a bolt of lightning.

I grit my teeth and rolled onto my back, taking shallow breaths to keep from aggravating my cracked ribs more than they already were.

"Excuse me? Are you alright, sir?" A young boy asked me. He stood over my head with a concerned expression on his face.

"No, not really." I looked up at the sky. Nearly nightfall. "What are you doing out here so late?"

"I was walking home, and I saw you laying on the road!" He held out one hand for me to grab. "You can come with me, if you'd like. I bet my mom can help you get better, she's a doctor!"

"That... that would be great." I took his hand and he helped me to my feet, handing me my makeshift crutch.

We started walking, and he slowed his pace so I could keep up. I sped up a notch.

"You don't have to slow down for me," I stated calmly. "We need to hurry so we get there before it gets too dark out."

The boy regarded me with a strained expression. "Sir, you shouldn't push yourself! You could make your leg worse!"

I smiled back at him. "I'm a demon slayer. It's what we do. I'm trained to put the safety of others over my own, and it's almost nighttime. That's when the demons come out."

"Demons?! Aren't those just a story?!"

I heard a faint rustling in the bushes across from us, along with a faint growl. "Looks like your question's about to be answered." I drew my broken sword and dropped my crutch. "I want you to run back to your house, I'll follow you when I've dealt with this."

A demon just an inch shorter than me shot out of the foliage, making a wild grab for my neck. I struck it's hand with my blade, splitting it's arm in half all the way up to it's elbow.

The boy ran, racing down the path to his house. The demon jumped after him, but I grabbed it's leg with my broken arm and pulled hard, slamming him back to the ground. My muscles and bones screamed in protest, pleading me to stop moving.

If I stop now, that demon will kill more than just me.

"You bastard... I'll kill you!"

"I'd like to see you try, demon!"

It growled and leapt at me, claws outstretched. I ducked underneath him, ignoring the pain in my sprained ankle and I twisted quickly to slash at the demon's neck. My broken sword made contact with the soft flesh, tearing a giant gash in it's throat, but not enough to decapitate it.

Damnit-

I jumped back and dodged an attack from my left side, making another swipe for his throat. This time I managed to slash clean through, sending it's head flying through the air.

As it turned to ash, the pain caught up to me, and I instantly dropped to the ground.

Holy crap- I feel like I'm about to be ripped apart!

Smooth, shallow breaths in, slow, deep breaths out. I got to my feet and retrieved my stick, propping it under my shoulder as I sheathed my half-sword and continued down the path to the boy's house.

Sorry for the short chapter, I'm trying to get used to writing in this story instead of my other one!
I'll try to publish another chapter later today! 😁