NEFELIBATA

.Himari Village 3.

Akio laid on the bed and groaned, he was bored out of his mind. An hour had passed since they first checked in. Kusuiruir wasn't with him, he went out to get more info, Akio opted to keep an eye on the lady.

He regretted ever choosing to stay behind. The woman left a couple of minutes ago, no he did not know why. But he knew it wasn't for a good reason. Before the woman left she had a sickly twisted grin on her face. This startled Akio immensely, after all, the woman only showed angelic smiles. A cold shutter tingled down his spine. Just thinking about her grin made him shiver.

The door slid opened. His senses went crazy. Akio could tell it wasn't Kusuriuri. It was the woman. He slowly turned to the woman. Akio inaudibly gulped, he feared for his life. She looked completely different.

Instead of her youthful self, she was old. Incredibly old. Every inch of her face had wrinkles. Her once luscious black hair was now gray. She had split ends and her hair was abnormally thin. Her neck wasn't covered by her white Kimono. Akio could see her skin, it was dry, almost flakey. The woman would've looked like a fragile old lady.

That was if she didn't carry such a frightening expression.

Her eyes seemed crazed. Her mouth was attached to an unusually large grin. It was darker than the one she left with.

Without warning, she charged at Akio. He froze. He could not move. No matter how hard he willed his legs to get up and run, nothing happened. Was this how he was going to die. Akio couldn't believe it. After all this, he was going to perish.

"Move!"

"Move!"

"Move!

"MOVE!" Akio shouted as he dodged her incoming attack. Adrenaline coursed through him. He panted hard, desperately trying to catch his breath. Akio saw the door, it was open. He ran as fast as he could with all his might. He could hear her steps coming closer and closer. He did not stop.

He was one step away from the exit. Akio's shown with hope. A smile married onto his face. He was going to make it! He was going to live!

His vision started to shift as he felt something pulling his arm. His smile immediately fell, he could feel the boney hand pulling him further and further away from his only chance of living.

Time slowed down for Akio.

Out of shock, he could only let out a tiny 'oh' pass through his lips. In that short amount of time, all his adrenaline ran out, he could not pull himself free from the lady's monstrous grasp. Tears started to form at the corners of his eyes. Akio was truly going to die.

Not wanting to have the last thing he sees to be the woman's psychotic face, he shut his eyes and smiled. He would have liked to live at least a bit longer.

SHING

"AAAAAAAHHHHHH" A horrifying screech echoed throughout the room. Akio fell to the floor and covered his ears. Once the screaming stopped he turned. It was Kusuriuri, except inverted.

Instead of his pale white skin, he was tan. His hair wasn't blonde, it was white and long. Way longer than before. Akio was sure he had this form once. His eyes lid up, this meant Kusuriuri had figured out the Mononoke's truth and reason. Akio's held back tears began to fall, this was all going to be over.

---

Finally, after minutes of battling, Kusuriuri had won.

Kusuriuri was back into his normal self. Akio got up and rushed to the man. Out of impulse, Akio hugged him.