The Good Demon [KNY]

Part 26: It's Cold

"Akai!!! Akai!!!" Tanjiro was shaking Akai, who was lifeless on the ground. The only indicator of life was the miniscule breaths the red comet took in. "Akai!!! Rengoku's fine! Everyone else is okay! Please don't die!!!" Tanjiro pleaded with Akai, tears flowing down his face. Akai's searing flame was dieing out. With each weak breath his temperature dropped.

Tanjiro fiddled with Akai's belt and yanked a cup of blood off of it. Tanjiro popped the cap open and tried to pour the blood into Akai's mouth. All that did was make Akai choke. What did manage to get into his stomach healed only miniscule parts of him.

"You dumbass. Get the syri- hhhh... It's cold... get the syringe...!" Akai's mind went. He could feel the icy daggers of death slowly prick his skin. With all his will, Akai managed to move his hand up just enough to tap the pocket holding the syringe.

"AKAI!?!? AKAI!!!" Tanjiro saw the movement and lept back into action. He held Akai and began shaking him. It seemed he didn't get what he said.

"You dense, lovable bastard!" Akai thought angrily. Akai managed to tap the pocket again. That seemed to be the last time, as he couldn't feel gis arms anymore.

"Akai! What does it mean!?" Tanjiro pleaded with his fallen comrade.

"He wants you to use whatever is in his pocket." Rengoku said. He had his arm slung around Inosuke's shoulder, and he clutched his stomach. "Whatever it is, it's important." The Flame Pillar said.

"Rengoku the king!" If Akai could smile, he would.

Tanjiro dug his hand into Akai's pocket and pulled out a long black box. He openned it to reveal the syringe.

"What?" Tanjiro stared at the tool, unsure of how it would help.

"He wants you to inject the blood." Rengoku understood at the turn of a dime. Tanjiro nodded and collected blood from the cup.

"Where do I-"

"The belly. He drinks the blood. That means the healing should happen while he digests it." Rengoku blurted.

"YES YES YES YES YES!!!" Akai thought ecstatically at Tanjiro jabbed the needle into his belly. Akai could feel the warm blood flow into his stomach.

"Gross." Inosuke wrinkled his lip under the boar mask.

"AAUUUUGHHH!!!" Akai jolted back to life and began healing immedietly. The explosive regrowth made hot steam pour off of the newly formed bits.

"He's back!!!" Tanjiro cheered.

"Hold on..." Rengoku said. They all paused as Akai's body began morphing. His body began shaking as it started to shrink.

"What's happening!?" Tanjiro yelled as Akai sunk into his clothes.

"I've seen this before. He's like your sister. He can shrink at will. But now, I believe he's instinctively shrinking because his body finds it's easier to repair itself liek this." Rengoku explained to the best he could come up with. By the end of it, Akai was child sized and unconcious, the clothes that once fitted him looked humongous on him now.

"The Kakushi are here!!!" They could hear Zenitsu shout from nearby.

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Aoi was tidying things in her room. She had a nightmare again. It had been on and off her whole life ever since her parents died. It's her, running from a demon. Except she's moving like a snail and the demon is racing after her at top speed. Right before those cold claws could touch her, she wakes up, crying.

"Aoi! It's urgent!" Shinobu yelled as she ran by. Aoi jumped to her feet and ran out of her room. She sprinted down the hall with Shinobu to the entrance to the Butterfly estate. There, she could see Kakushi bringing in the flame pillar and... a dead child? The boy the Kakushi was holding wore an oversized demon slayer uniform, the pants had been tied on by a small rope. She noticed something on one of the limo hands of the boy. Tiny, worn down nichirin knuckles.