At Nightfall, An Akaza x Reader

4. The market

You awoke in a room that was almost completely shrouded in darkness, save for the gas lamp that had been lit. You had briefly forgotten what had occured the other day and wondered where you were.

When you turned your head to find the strange pale, striped-skinned man still sitting on the floor, you remembered. You wondered if he had sat there all night. Was he asleep? His eyes were closed. You threw your legs over the side of the bed, shuffling up to a standing position and wincing, your whole body still ached from fighting Akaza. It was almost as soon as you were up on your feet that the demon's head snapped towards you, causing you to stumble back into bed from shock.

"You're awake, " he bounced up to his feet.

"Good morning, Akaza Sama," You managed out , fixing your yukata to look more presentable. "I want to go out into the market." You had decided that you would want to keep a journal of your endeavors. You were certain you wouldn't have any descendants, so keeping a written account of your life meant that maybe someone would at least know your story.

"Eat first. Then you can go," he huffed,  walking to the nightstand where a box of onigiri sat, pushing it into your hands. You were surprised he didn't express any interest in coming with you, despite his desire to keep a close eye on you.

"Okay, thank you Akaza sama," you sat on the floor , slowly munching on the food provided to you. As you ate, the demon sat across from you and watched. The way he observed you made you wonder if he was hungry too, so you took one of the rice balls you weren't eating and offered it to him.

"Here," you said softly, tilting your head to the side as he made no movement to take it.

"No thank you, I'm not hungry." He gently pushed your hand back towards you. He must have eaten while you slept. You continued eating, your eyes traveled around the room, eventually settling on the man in front of you. He had a very strange appearance, you couldn't help but think that. His pale skin, his dark bands that reminded you of the marks of a criminal, his pink hair, his blue and gold eyes, and his pink nails- they were all strange features. Though there was a peculiar beauty to his appearance. You began wondering how he looked before he became a demon. Would you look like him when you changed?

The closer you looked at him, you noticed the engraving in the male's eyes. Upper rank three? You would have to ask him what it means later...

"You're staring, Y/N." Akaza said bluntly, causing you to almost drop the rest of your onigiri.

"I'm sorry!" You squeaked out timidly, looking down at your lap, your cheeks flushing with color. "I just, um," you bit your lip, what were you supposed to say? That you were studying his features? That you were trying to imagine him as a human? "Your eyes... Why do they say upper rank three?" You asked quietly,  glancing up at his face.

"Its to tell anyone lucky enough to meet me that I am the third strongest in the twelve kizuki and the fourth strongest demon." He explained,  looking back at you.

"The twelve kizuki? Are those the strongest demons?" You murmured, your attention completely taken by your companion.

"Yes. We're divided by upper and lower moons, but we all follow his lordship." He placed the side of his face in his hand. "If you manage to become strong enough,  you too may earn his respects and join the kizuki. "

You nodded a bit, placing the box you held aside, "what is your lord's name?" You asked curiously. You wanted to know who was the leader of the demons.

Akaza's face grew dark at the question, "You must never speak his name, Y/N, unless you wish to die a painful death, understood?"

His sudden shift in mood scared you. You swallowed hard, nodding quickly. You wonder what his lord was like, he sounded like someone who was cruel...