Beast Hunter |Inosuke Hashibira|

Chapter 33🌲A Fatal Fight, an Equally Fatal Demise

↪I'm sobbing. I have no regrets↩

↣A Fatal Fight, an Equally Fatal Demise↢

You squinted through the dust that settled from the air. A man of sorts squat confidently upon the ground, flamingo pink hair rustling from the wind he caused. He seemed to smirk at you and Rengoku as you two had seen who was there first, pale white-gray lips turning up and rich blue tattoos crinkling at his sly eyes. When you looked into those sneaky yellow eyes they sparked with acute interest, his shattered glass sclera burying themselves further underneath his pink eyelashes and smiling cheeks as his smirk widened. 

Upper Moon Three. That's what his knife like amber eyes read.

Rengoku pushed you further behind him protectively, slowly and surely, like at any moment you'd break in his hands and the man would move. Though he did. Faster than a bolt of lightning, the upper moon zoomed past Rengoku, fists raised at you and Tanjirou. Tears sprouted in your eyes and you protectively hovered over Tanjirou, rathering to take the blow than let the already suffering boy do so. This was it. Heat warmed your back dangerously, making your eyes open once again in time to watch Rengoku's flame breath slice the man's forearm completely in half. 

The demon jumped back, catching himself with his other arm and getting back on his feet a couple of meters away. His fatal wound had already healed, the moon's careful eyes staring antagonizingly at you both as he licked the last bit of blood clean, "Nice blade."

The flame hashira's fox eyes squinted menacingly at the kizuki, readying his sword once again as he carefully asked, "I do not understand. Why are you attacking innocent wounded children?"

"I thought they'd just get in the way, between us two." You scowled, just starting to unsheathe your sword and get up from your squatting position. Rengoku splayed a hand out at his side at you before you can fully get up, looking down at you without moving his head.

"Stand down, soldier." You took the whispered warning from Rengoku generously, putting your sword back into it's hilt and getting back to protectively guarding Tanjirou.

"You and I have something to talk about, hm? This is our first time meeting and I already hate you." Rengoku grimaced just for a moment at the moon daringly, face going blank once again to hide his irritation.

"Is that so?" Upper Moon Three drawled, dipping his head down like a wolf hunting it's prey, "I really do hate weak humans too. When I look at humans, I feel disgusted for them. They should be ashamed."

You heard Rengoku huff in further iratation, letting his sword holding hand fall to his side, "It looks as though we have differing moral values in regards to things."

The demon's grin somehow became sharper, the hand resting upon his hip raising to the air melodramatically, "I see, then I have a wonderful proposal," His blue dyed fingers curled just barely and his smirk became ominously menacing, "How about you become a demon too?"

"No chance." Rengoku said blandly, not even blinking at such an outrageous question. 

"I know your strength just by looking at you, you're a pillar, am I correct?" The demon's eyelashes fluttered as he surveyed the Hashira's bold figure, "Your battle spirit is quite polished. You're getting very close to supreme territory."

"I am the flame pillar, Rengoku Kyoujurou." The hashira straightened just slightly when he introduced himself, eyes narrowing dangerously at the demon.

"I'm Akaza. Kyoujurou, why don't I tell you WHY you aren't in supreme territory?" Akaza raised an accusatory finger at Rengoku before he could say yes or no, face darkening as he lowered his head once again, "Because you're human. Because you'll grow old. Because you'll die. Become a demon, Kyoujurou. If you do, you can continue to train for a hundred, no, even more than two hundred years. You can become even stronger."