The Good Demon [KNY]

Part 23: Strike Back

Cold.

Akai's body was enveloped in a blast of searing cold as he fell into the icy river. His skin erupted in pain and his muscles siezed. Akai struggled for a few seconds, before he forced his eyes open. He saw himself. The Akai he saw had an unusual uniform on. The other Akai also very muscular, had long claw-like nails and iron spikes for knuckles. The other Akai grabbed him by the shoulders and began shaking him.

"WAKE UP!!!" The other Akai shouted, which was unusual. They were underwater, so making noise like that would've been impossible.

"Who are you!?" Akai asked frantically.

"I'm you, stupid!!! Wake the fuck up!!!" Other Akai screamed. "YOU'RE IN A DREAM!!! Theres a kid trying to kill you!" Other Akai shook Akai violently.

"What!? No I'm not! I was with dad! This can't be a dream!" Akai denied other Akai's words.

"Dad's dead!!!" Other Akai snapped.

"What!?" Akai felt his body run cold, despite already being in icy water. "H-how!? He was here! This morning!" Akai began crying as he spoke.

"It was Muzan." Other Akai muttered and pressed his thunb into Akai's head.

The memories came back. All of them. And they were there to stay.

Akai's body changed back into that of a demon's and he regained his clothes and gear. He shot out of the river onto the shore and breathed a puff of steam. He heated his body and the water covering him boiled off.

"Not enough. Hotter!" Akai thought. He gritted his teeth and burned brighter. If he died in a dream, wouldn't he wake up? That's how nightmares work, so why wouldn't it work the same? And since he was a demon, all he could do was burn himself out.

"Down to the BONE!!!" Akai yelled and heated hinself up more. By now his muscles began shrinking and he felt the searing pain of burning alive. The tears brought by the pain vaporized, leaving a trail of steam coming out of his eyes. "More...!" Akai groaned and felt his skin and muscle begin burning to ash. "GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!" Akai roared and let his body emplode. He was able to witness his vision be engulfed in an orange blast of light before he became nothing. Ash in the wind. A burnt out comet.

"BAH!!!" Akai suddenly woke from the dream. His body was covered in sweat and glowed a stark orange. He looked to his wrist and saw a rope that was once attatched to it had been burnt off by his superheated skin. At the other end of the snapped rope, the child sent into the dream to kill him was sitting on the floor, wide eyed and sweating.

"You little..." Akai got up and trudged tow ards the boy.

"I'm sorry!" The kid backed into the wall of the train car and began crying. Akai stopped for a moment. He was slightly sympathetic for the kid, but he was still pissed.

"You tried to kill me!" Akai growled.

"I-I did! But what I saw changed me!" The boy began. "Your flames! When they touched me... I saw everything... your entire life..." The boy began crying. "How can demons do that!? They're terrible!" The kid flared with anger for demons.

"Would ya look at that..." Akai gave a small smile when he saw the kid was speaking his language.

"Kill that demon! Kill them all!" The boy said and dropped his ice pick.

"I will. But first I have to knock you out. I have to, seeing as ya tried to kill me and all." Akai said as he lifted his hand.

"Do what you have to do!" The kid held his demon-hating glare up until the point where Akai chopped his shoulder, making him fall unconcious.