She slid across the ground with the thundering noise of her jet speed following closely. It scared the demon, but he didn't let it show. It was impossible to show, or even run away at this point. This was his new enemy, and he had to end it quickly or he would die for sure. She was strong, and something was off about her.
"Lay a hand on Sabito or Giyu... and you'll pay with your life." She growled with little remorse. She had the presence of a demon herself. A strong one. How? Why? Why was someone so young... so strong? No one understood. No one but that demon she had killed on the first night.
"(Y/N)! You're injured!" Sabito shouted, taking hold of unconscious Giyu.
"A boy stabbed me the first night, don't worry. That beast did more damage on me than a puny sword." She informed with a rather different tone than she used for while speaking to the demon. It sounded blank to those who didn't know her, but Giyu, Sabito, and Mitsuko could hear the determination and guilt in her voice. It was hidden well, but there.
Another disturbingly disgusting chuckled was let out by the hand demon, "another masked fox? Oh? Your mask is different than the others, why is that? Is it because you're only half as strong as the previous children I've slaughtered and eaten?" He teased hoping to rile her up.
She chuckled a dark and treacherous laugh, it was full of anger and reached for miles underneath. "You want to know why my mask is only half of one? It's because I'm so young and yet also so strong." She paused and smiled widely, "You want to know why I was sent here along my comrades?" Her voice alarmed many. It was sadistic and cruel, one not expected from such a young and beautiful girl. "It's because my emotions no longer work the same as others. If you're trying to provoke me, it's not going to work. However, thank you! Thank you for telling me you've killed the precious children of my teacher. For that sin... it is punishable by death, granted by me! How fun!" The look in her eyes was crazed, and her tone was even more so. It startled even her friends and those she had saved. They only saw the kind and optimistic girl, not the sadistic and cruel one. They didn't even know there was a part of her that could be so ruthless.
She disappeared altogether, sending quick and unnoticeable attacks towards the demon. She slid to a stop next to Giyu and Sabito. "As soon as that sun comes up, we'll be good. Go ahead and make your way back down the mountain, I'll meet you there." She pushed Sabito who had Giyu on his back towards the way down. She knew he wouldn't want to leave her, "Do it for Giyu... and Mr. Urokodaki." A kind smile enveloped on her features, but one of the many hands the demon had threw her into a tree. Sabito nodded and started running towards the bottom, near the wisteria trees. Many of the others followed him and left the girl to fight on her own. Mitsuko had stayed, despite the tingling feeling something bad would happen if she did. (Y/N) groaned as she dodged the hand coming for her. "Get out of here, Mitsuko!" She cried in a desperate attempt to save her, but it was too late.
Mitsuko had to save herself, or she would die. Both girls knew that, and neither was willing to give up on the other. Mitsuko was intrigued by the young girl, and likewise for (Y/N). They were two peas in the same pot. Two people in the same position, practically the same, but they weren't the same.
Mitsuko braced herself and threw her sword in front of her with a determined look. It was enough to make the demon second guess himself. Was she as strong as the other? Were they as strong as one another? It was enough time for (Y/N) to get in close and save Mitsuko.
"You may not know... but someone who wields both the breath of fire and water... have become pillars with no exceptions." She growled with blood seeping through both her shoulder and her reopened stab wound. (Y/N) pulls the demons hand put of her skin with frightening expression. "I happen to be one of those people, and I happen to be stronger than you, or anyone you've met other than Mr. Urokodaki." Her feet carried her closer to the demon without her face even lifting from the ground. "Mitsuko, head down the mountain, please. Tell Sabito and Giyu I'll see them when it's over. Unless Giyu isn't awake. If he isn't don't wake him." Her voice was soft, it reminded the demon of someone he used to know, but who did he use to know...?
Mitsuko did as she was told and began running in the direction Sabito had gone with everyone else. She ran into him coincidentally and stopped him, "you're going to help her, right?" He nodded with bo hesitation. "Here, take my sword then. It'll be more useful to you than to me." He looked surprised, but thanked her and began running towards (Y/N) and the demon. He could feel the heat already, and finally saw the blinding light from her flames. It was the middle of the night, and it was the brightest thing for miles, no one could miss it. Did she really need his help? Would he really be of any use to her? Was she that far ahead of him?
He got pulled out of his thoughts as he watched (Y/N) throw herself in front of him and an attack coming his way. She moved as fast as a lightning user, but somehow was bleeding from all over her body. Her head, her abdomen, her shoulder and leg. "I told you to wait for me!-"
"I don't care! I'm not letting you throw away your life!" He cared about her. That much was for sure. It pulled her out of the delusion of having to protect him. He was strong enough to have her back. She could trust his abilities. He saw the twitch in her breathing techniques, and what he saw amazed him. It was the combination of both water and fire. (Y/N)'s long brown hair fluttered in the heat as she turned to face the demon. "I've got you back, don't worry." She chuckled and went in to attack. She was going easy on the demon, she wanted to team up with Sabito, even if it meant making things harder for the both of them.
It was almost morning and the demon had tired out Sabito greatly, he was starting to get slower. (Y/N) on the other hand was moving just as fast as she normally did. The demon saw Sabito leave himself wide open, and went in for a killing strike. He was aiming for his head, to crush it and kill him. She saw this, and didn't waste any time to reach for Sabito and get him out of the way. However, in doing so, she traded places with him and was slammed into a tree.
'Ow, ow ow ow..., I'm sorry Sabito... No, I have to keep going. I can do this. I have to. Day is almost here, I can hold out for longer.' She thought to herself as she stood back up. Her face was covered in blood, it seeped into her eyes slowly turning it red. "That actually hurt, dammit." She chuckled lightly while testing her grip on her sword. Her eyes shifted towards the collapsed Sabito. He was breathing, just probably asleep. "I'm done playing around. Bye bye~" her tone was sweet sounding as she jumped up and decapitated the demon without any unnecessary movements. It was a graceful end, she had used her water breathing technique. He had a rough life, she could tell that much.
As her feet touched the ground, her whole body felt heavy. If it wasn't for her strong will, she would have collapsed and gone unconscious, but she refused that fate. She forced her sore limbs to walk over to Sabito, she carefully pulled him onto her back and started to walk down the mountain. It was almost dawn, just a little longer. Probably not even 15 minutes until the sun began to light the land. At the speed she was going, it would take at least an hour before she reached the bottom. She brought her hand to her mouth and coughed revealing more blood. Her head shook violently as she began to run with Sabito on her back still. She would attract the remaining demons if she didn't hurry.
Her breathing, for the first time in months, was raspy and quick. She wasn't in good shape, anyone could see that, but she wasn't dead. No matter what, she wouldn't die. No matter what...
Her foot slipped on a root, but she protected Sabito as they tumbled down the mountain together. Rocks and sticks were tearing through her clothing and skin, but she didn't let go of Sabito and kept him from getting to hurt. When they stopped rolling, (Y/N) stood back up and placed Sabito on her back again and began running once more. Each step was painful, but the thought of losing Giyu or Sabito in the final selection was even more so. She let out a groan of pain as her shoulder fell towards a tree. She pushed off of it and heard the chattering of people. Most of it sounded like anxious chit chat, but others were of worry. As she got closer she heard of a few people speaking about searching for her and Sabito, and she knew she had made it. Pushing through the bushes, she grunted as her feet tripped her. Her arms began moving to pick herself back up, but a gentle hand was placed on her back. "You're safe now, you passed along with Sabito here. No need to continue hurting yourself. It's dawn, now." Giyu's gentle voice called.
"I'm... okay... but Sabito has a few... broken ribs... and is probably extremely tired..." Giyu's hand twitched at her words.
"You're not okay, I can see that just by looking at you! Mitsuko told me what happened, why would you be so dumb?! Me and Sabito are here to help, not to burden you!" His words cut were sharper than any sword that had stabbed her could be, and tears began mixing with the blood on her face.
"I know... that's why... that's why Sabito... is so hurt... because I... I wanted to fight along side him... even when I could have ended it... I didn't... he's hurt because... I was selfish... and let him help... I work better alone... and yet I opened myself up to you two... and look where it got both of you..."
"You're wrong! Sabito is only alive now because you saved him!" Giyu shouted back, but stopped after he heard her sobs. He could see the tears, but never expected to hear her crying. It caught him off guard as a few unknown people came to look at her wounds. They pulled Giyu away from her, even though he fought them with all his might. He didn't want to leave her side, he wanted to make sure she was okay.
Sabito was fine, as (Y/N) explained, he had a few broken bones and would probably be sleeping for awhile. However, (Y/N) herself had several head wounds along with fatal flesh wounds and a fractured arm with several broken ribs and fingers. They immediately began working on cleaning the blood off and treating her properly. She was surprisingly still awake, and her breathing had become even. (Y/N) was using the breathing techniques constantly again.
They wrapped her head, and covered the open cut on her cheek and eye brow. They went to treat the next worse thing when they noticed the stab wound. "Did you stab yourself?" One of them asked comically. It was silent for a moment.
"...no." she sounded like she was debating her reply. "I was attacked by another boy. A demon probably told him he'd spare his life if he did, and went back on his word. I doubt he's alive right now." (Y/N) replied with a blank tone. Her face scrunched up as she winced at the pain in her head. "You don't happen to hear a bell of some sort, do you?" The high pitched ring in her ear made her sit up with one of her unbroken fingers in her ear. "Seriously, it's a horrendous sound."
"Calm down, you took several hits to the head, the ringing will go away after a little bit. Just lie back down." (Y/N) gave a confused glance, but figured they were the experts and laid back down. One of them wrapped her fingers while the other treated and wrapped her shoulder and abdomen. It took a long time to patch her up, but despite the tiredness in the people who worked on her, she stayed awake the entire time. They were amazed she wasn't in a coma from exhaustion, but it wasn't the first time she did something a normal human couldn't do.