The mountain had looked imposing from the outside, but inside was even more scary. Fog clung to the tall, dark trees and spiderwebs strung around everywhere. You couldn't feel any good emotions or sensations in the air.
Kioti clung to you like a frightened child, and totally acted like one. You couldn't help yourself from thinking how cute it was, despite him being larger and older than you. Shouldn't you be the one hiding behind your big brother? You laughed inside.
Then suddenly out of nowhere silver strings flashed through the air, swinging at Kioti. Blood sprayed the leaves and he let out a pained scream, collapsing. Your sword was out in an instant, a black and red hue to it.
"Kioti!" You screamed. You fell by his side. Using the second mist breathing form, Right Layered Mist, you slashed at the air eight times, each slash emitting a cloud of mist to conceal you and your brother.
Kioti's breathing was ragged. His right leg was nearly cut off at the calf. His stomach was cut open at the side, nearly in half. You could see his organs, cut and pulsing through the flowing blood. His face was also cut open, and you could see his teeth shining in the moonlight. You felt sick, and scared.
"Kioti! Oh my- what do I do!?" You stuttered, your hands shaking above him. The wounds were hopelessly deep. It was a miracle he was even still alive. He fell unconscious.
Suddenly the atmosphere changed and you were up on your feet in seconds. A second round of the strange silver threads flew towards your brother, aiming to finish him off for good.
You leapt in front of him, swinging your sword at the strings. You cut most of them, but several gave you cuts on the sides of your body. You grimaced.
"Show yourself!" You yelled. You cried out in pain, your knees buckling. Your wounds were more serious than you'd thought. You gritted your teeth to stop the world from spinning.
"Why did you jump in front of that one?"
That voice... it sounded familiar to you somehow. It sent shivers up your spine, and goosebumps broke out along your arms. The owner was clearly surprised, awe and menace clear in their voice.
"I said show yourself!" You repeated.
A net of strings swung through the air, clearing away the fog. You could see through your mist, but the fog had thickened as well.
There was a demon there, standing several feet above the ground on a single thread. He had pale white skin with red dot patterns in random places. His impossibly light pink hair hooked around his face from the back, covering up one eye. His outfit matched his skin, and he had mint green eyelashes. If he had been human, you would have found him very handsome.
"Now you, answer my question," the demon said.
You watched the demon closely as you spoke. "He's my brother... I couldn't just let him die."
Something flashed in the demon's uncovered eye. Some emotion? Suddenly a vision burst into your mind.
There was a human boy who looked very similar to the demon in front of you. His hair was dark navy, his skin still pale. He had very beautiful, but sad eyes. He tried to walk forward, but fell on his face.
Then you saw that human next to a crying woman, who you guessed to be his mother. She wished he could walk and run like the others.
Then there was the boy, transforming into a demon. He was so happy, and ran around. The scene changed to him going berserk and killing his parents, after his father had attempted to kill him.
The next scene struck a chord in you. He was crying in the corner of the bloodied room, and suddenly he smiled for a few seconds. Something about it felt... familiar. Like you'd seen that before.
After that you saw him simply trying to have a proper family with other demons that he transformed with his own blood. You felt his longing and wishing for a family, for someone to be willing to die for him.
You came out of the vision and the demon was shocked. Tears streamed down your face as you looked at the demon.
"Oh you poor thing..." you shakily whispered.
The demon was slightly confused, irritated and curious. He gave you a strange look, and shrugged it off. "Here, I'll make you a deal," he offered.
You wiped your tears, struggling to stay in the situation. The demon continued.
"If you will be my sister, then I will leave this human being."
Irritation spiked in you. "No way! He will die if I just leave him! I need to take him to a hospital, and fast. I'm shocked he's not dead already."
The demon frowned. "That's not my concern..."
"The only reason I would do that is to keep him alive. If he's going to die anyways, it's not a deal." What were you saying? You could probably easily kill this demon. Still, something felt off and your mouth spoke on it's own.
A thought struck your mind. "Let me take him to a hospital. Let me leave with him, and I will come back to be your sister or whatever."
The demon curled a lip and bared his fangs. "Only a fool would agree to that! You'd never come back," he hissed.
You tossed your sword to the ground. The clatter seemed to echo longer than it should have. You approached the demon with your hands out, showing that you had no weapons.
Once you were standing in front of the demon, you spoke. "Hop down, please."
The demon was clearly a bit surprised and suspicious of your strange behavior. You were even more surprised when he did hop off the thread and land in front of you.
Looking nervously up at his face, you reached up slowly and placed your hands on the side of his head. He was so tense, alert to move away if you did anything that would cause him harm. You pulled his head towards you and closed your eyes.
When your foreheads touched, he saw what you did. You had never broken a promise in your life. He saw the sincerity of when you said you'd come back. That you weren't lying. Your honor wouldn't allow it. And he saw your love for Kioti, how much you wanted him to stay alive.
You opened your eyes and backed away. You were a bit shaken up from being so close to a demon. "Let me help my brother. And I'll come back. Anything to keep him alive. I promise."
"I don't know how you did that... but it showed me your truthfulness. Go, then. Save him if you must," the demon said.
You gasped in joy and relief. You didn't expect the demon to actually let you go.
"Thank you!" You choked, running to Kioti's limp body. He was still breathing. Without another word, you picked him up and ran as fast as you could. Panic made your legs pump faster.
A half hour had passed by the time you reached the nearest hospital. You burst in the front door, screaming for help. Nurses and a doctor rushed him onto a bed and started putting ointments on his wounds. After many stitches and wraps, they stopped and you introduced yourself and what had happened. Of course, you had to lie. Demonslayer aren't recognized by the government and most people don't know demons exist.
"Oh my... what a fearsome bear attack! I never knew they could make such deep, clean gouges like these. I'm amazed the boy is alive!" A nurse exclaimed.
The doctor tapped his chin. "Sorry for such a question in such a tender time for you, but I feel as though I know this boy. What's his profession?"
"Don't worry about it. He's actually a doctor, too. One of the best I know," you said proudly.
"Is that so? I must've heard about him sometime," the doctor started. "It's truly a miracle he's alive. Wounds that deep should have killed him instantly. However, the bleeding is stopping incredibly fast, now that it's been wrapped. And although it's a bit off, his breathing seems regular enough."
You felt the warm caress of hope touch your heart. Kioti really might live! Out of curiosity, you walked closer to him and put your hand under his nose. His breathing patterns... he was doing concentration Breathing. He'd never really bothered to master it constantly after switching professions. But he was doing it now. The doctor didn't recognize it, but it helped keep him alive.
"Thank you," you said to the doctor. He nodded, and he and the nurses left the room. You never left Kioti's side for the next week and a half while he was unconscious. Nurses came in every few hours to change bandages and check the wounds. Your joy was indescribable when they said his wounds were actually healing. However, you were crushed by their next news.
"Several of his organ systems were compromised. His liver will grow back, but his stomach and his intestines are permanently impaired," the doctor said gravely.
You gasped. "B-but how will he eat, then? He's going to starve!"
The doctor had a solution, but it wasn't pleasant. "He will have to feed himself through tubes the rest of his life. I've invented a sort of energy supplying and nutritious gas, and it can be pumped into his veins at meal times. I'll do the tube implant surgery tomorrow."
"So... he'll plug the tube into a gas canister and turn it on or something? Is that how it works?" You asked nervously.
"Exactly. You're a sharp girl," the doctor said.
"Okay," you sighed. "At least he's okay. At least he will live."
The doctor gave you a small smile, but it faded again. "That's not all..." he grimaced. You braced yourself for the worst.
"He will have a permanent limp in his right leg. And, the tendons and muscles of his jaw were cut off. He wouldn't be able to chew even if he could eat, and talking will likely be hard. I will try my best to help his facial muscles heal as normally as possible, but they will probably be impaired as well," the doctor explained.
You sighed again. "He's really tough. I'm sure he'll find a way to keep going. Thank you for all you're doing for him."
"It's my job, no need to thank me," he said gruffly.
You gave him a smile as he left the room. You turned to Kioti, weak and frail in his bandages. He would have horrible scars. Not just appearance wise, but mentally, too. He wouldn't be able to do things normally anymore. But at least he was alive.
Two days later, shouts erupted in the hospital. You jolted awake from your chair in the corner of the room. Nurses rushed to Kioti. You ran to his side.
"What's going on!?" You cried.
"A horrible infection grew in his leg overnight. I don't think we can kill it!" A nurse responded.
You felt sick when you got a look at Kioti's calf. Blackened veins spiked from the wound, and the edges oozed yellow. The wound itself was a mess of purples, blacks, and greens.
The doctor rushed into the room. He gritted his teeth when he saw the wound. "How did such an infection happen overnight?"
Nobody had an answer. How did anything happen with Kioti's wounds? He should have died when he got them, and now this so quickly?
"We can't fight the injury. Not with him unconscious, not this bad. I'm afraid we will have to amputate the leg," the doctor growled.
"What!?" You yelped. "You can't do that!"
"If we don't it will spread to the rest of his body and then he really will be dead, okay? Do I have your permission?" He countered.
"Nng- okay, do it!" You said, running your hands into your hair. A nurse escorted you out of the room. You murmured to yourself that Kioti would be okay. At least he was unconscious, so it wouldn't hurt.
~~~
"I... can't see anything. It's so blurry..." Kioti said weakly.
It had been three weeks since Kioti had gotten injured. He had finally woken up, but he was weak and still healing.
"It's okay, big brother. I'm sure that will pass," you said softly. You were so happy. He was alive, and on the mend. You tried to ignore his right leg, ending just above the knee, and the circular implants in his wrists where tubes were plugged in three times a day.
What you did notice the first time he got out of the bed was how much he looked like your father. His messy brown hair hanging slightly over his forehead, his surprisingly neat beard, blue eyes. Even his leg... but Kioti was missing his right, not his left. He was a younger replica of your dad, wrinkles replaced with a horrible scar across his face.
Kioti was released from the hospital two months after arriving, his recovery sped up by his breathing. The doctor gave him a wooden crutch much like your dad's, the recipe for his nutrition gas, along with several portable canisters.
Kioti's vision was imparied, everything was blurry. It didn't take him very long to find someone who made glasses. They were pretty rare, and not many people needed them. Before you had ignored the invention, now you were glad they existed.
You made your way back to your parents' home. It took much longer now that Kioti had to get used to a crutch. But once he did he was going pretty fast.
You were approaching the house and you saw your mother in the garden. She looked up and saw you, and waved happily.
"I didn't know your trip would be so quick, honey!" She called. "Who's that with you?"
You coughed. Your mother had mistaken Kioti for your dad... well, you were pretty far away and it was bright outside... but wow.
You called back. "Um.. it's not dad! It's me and Kioti! We're back from Natagumo Mountain!"
Your mother dropped the potato she was planting.
"Oh my Lord! Kioti, what happened to you!?" She screamed as she ran towards you. She barreled both of you in a hug, and you ended up grabbing Kioti to balance him. She then took over, looking him up and down.
"Scars... wrists, leg?" She muttered in disbelief.
"The minute we got onto the mountain, someone attacked him. It's a miracle he's alive. He should have died instantly." You explained the rest of his injuries to your mom, and the thing he would have to do for the rest of his life.
"I'm so glad you're alive!" She gasped. She looked him up and down again.
"You look just like your father..." she said this with a tear rolling down her cheek.
Kioti smiled sadly, then it changed to a bit of a playful tone. "It's been my dream since I was little."
Your mom laughed, tears still flowing. "Oh, Kioti," she sighed. She wiped at her tears. "Y/n, you said someone attacked him. Who did it?" she asked in a more serious tone.
You were a bit confused, and disturbed. You said someone? Not someone, something. You shook your head lightly. "It wasn't a person. It was a demon." You felt like you were reassuring yourself that more than explaining it... did that vision of the demon's past affect you somehow?
Your mom nodded. "Okay. Well, come inside, both of you. I have dinner almost ready. Your father should be home soon too." You bent down and picked up Kioti's crutch where it had fallen. Once he had it under his arm, you walked with him to the house. He sat down at the table and leaned it against the wall.
Your mom was bringing the pot of boiling potatoes to the table when your dad walked into the house. The first thing he saw was you and Kioti sat down at the table. He recognized you instantly, despite you having aged ten years.
"Kioti! Y/n!" He dropped his own crutch and hopped to the table to embrace you. Then he hugged Kioti, and cupped his face. "You look like you could be my twin. Replace my wrinkles with that nasty scar, and you're my clone," he chuckled. Then he noticed the crutch leaning against the wall. He looked confused.
"Did the doctor send a replacement? That one is just fine," He said, pointing to his crutch on the floor a few feet away. You were impressed on how good his balance was, on one foot like he was.
Kioti cleared his throat, and scooched his chair out, revealing his missing leg. "It's mine."
Your dad stared at his leg, and then he smiled. "Wow, son. Didn't know you admired me that much."
Everyone laughed, and you ate your dinner. You felt a warm feeling in your heart. You were glad your family could take something so sad and just accept it and laugh about it. After finishing your food, you looked at Kioti. What you said surprised him.
"Kioti, I need to speak with the Master, as soon as possible."