My Missing Piece {Uzuren}

42

Okay. You guys seem really worried about me- first, I'm sorry for making you worry! Second, don't worry, I take breaks in between writing chapters, since it only takes two to three hours for each one. That's four to six hours of writing a day, which leaves plenty of time to take care of myself ^^ I appreciate the concern sweet demons!

Picking up with Akaza

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Where does he think he's going?? The sun's up, no matter which direction he runs he'll reach the sun eventually. Akaza raced through the forest after the fire demon, cursing as he lost sight of him. Now tracking his scent, the uppermoon was forced to slow down so he didn't accidentally lose the trail.

Far ahead, Rengoku focused his attention on remembering how to get back to where he'd killed the demonslayer in the previous night. All lower-ranked demonslayers have a katana. I didn't see Akaza destroy that one, so it should still be there. Feet skidding on the leaf-litter, he turned to the right. The road should be this way.

Do I have a plan for after I get the sword?

No, he did not. When he'd stepped foot outside that cabin, the only thought running through his head was escape. Then when Akaza had given chase, it had struck him that it was daytime, thus the slowly healing burns on his face and hands.

The stagnant air whipped through his hair as he ran, his feet practically a blur underneath him.

"It's not safe out here, Kyojuro!!" He heard Akaza yell from somewhere behind him. Offering no words in return, Rengoku kept going. A heavy hit to his side was enough to send the fire demon flying into a neighboring tree, the trunk nearly splitting with the force.

Rengoku winced, looking around. What had hit him? His answer was granted a moment later when Akaza stalked out from within the tangle of foliage that made up the forest. An angry, dark expression hovered over the uppermoon's face.

"What did you think you were going to accomplish by running?" Launching himself at the fire demon with his fist raised, Akaza glared intensely. "Huh, Kyojuro??"

Rengoku slipped out of the path of the blow, picking up his feet as he continued running. The smell of smoke began to mask the natural scents of the forest, a strange, unpleasant heat growing around them. Ignoring this quite obvious sign of danger, he pushed on towards the concerningly bright lights ahead. Akaza seemed to be the only person to notice the roaring flames behind them, unchecked fires completely decimating the plant life. Small woodland creatures scurried away, instinctive terror filling their one-track-minds as they fled from the forest fire.

In his haste to reach the demonslayer's forgotten corpse, Rengoku failed to notice the next attack coming his way. The very same pain from the Mugen Train rocked his body, pain lacing up and down his nerves. Glancing down, he saw once again that Akaza's fist had punctured his solar plexus, this time entering through his spine, which he could no longer feel. Gritting his teeth, Rengoku hissed, "That doesn't work on me anymore." He turned painfully, throwing a punch at Akaza's head while the uppermoon was still locked in place.

Ripping his hand out of the fire demon's torso and staggering back, Akaza held his non-bloodied hand up to the caved in, bleeding side of his skull. Rengoku took the brief moment of respite as his ticket to flee, putting aside the pain that each step brought him as the fatal wound began to close. His spine had healed almost instantly, his heightened regeneration courtesy of the human flesh he'd consumed. The thought made him sick to his stomach all over again.

A tree collapsed in on itself, flames licking at the bright sunlight that streamed through the new opening. Blooming flowers of fire swallowed up the dry wood and bracken, feasting on bushes and grass and using the energy to grow its massive body. Honō no tora, barely visible among the burning orange disaster it had caused, coiled its lithe form to leap over the obstacle. It, leaving a trail of destruction and hellish landscaping behind it, was headed straight for Rengoku. Before, the fighting had been mere play. No one was in danger. Now, someone was trying to cause its wielder genuine harm. It wouldn't stand for that. Crackling flames engulfed another trunk as the flame tiger brushed against it. It'd make sure the uppermoon had nowhere to run, no shade to return to.

Akaza glanced over his shoulder at the destruction, narrowing his eyes. A crow cawed in the distance. Smart, Kyojuro. But you're trapping yourself too, you know. "It's me or the sun, Kyojuro!!" He shouted.

"I'd rather burn and be sent to hell than let you drag me farther down than you already have!" Reaching the edge of the forest, Rengoku stared at the perfectly intact katana laying on the dusty ground. Problem was, it was in the center of a large patch of sunlight. Much larger than what he'd dove through in the Entertainment District, Rengoku knew he'd die if he stepped under it. The amount of apprehension in his limbs was so heavy, a demon's natural will to live trying to hold him back from making a dash for the weapon.

"Then you won't mind if I do this!" Akaza punched the air, sending a shockwave-like blast to throw Rengoku forward into the open before he could dodge. The sun blazed, it's dangerous rays shining down on the fire demon hungrily.

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I'm sorry if this chapter seemed to move quickly- I wanted to make this part of the plot last longer but I couldn't come up with any more ideas :')

Also, how scared are we for Rengoku?