Nagasaki, Japan

2026

01:19

The protruding smell of the metallic scent on my skin made my nose twitch, I never liked the smell of blood anyways but it did fuel my desire. My desire to kill.

Ever since that day...That damned day...

"Right, Izumi?"

The skin on the man's face started to visibly boil and crawl, the nauseating sound of cracking bones filled my ears, his skin slowly turned a darkish red with bones, no, HORNS grow out of his forehead. His bloodcurdling cackling gave me a glimpse of the elongating, forked tongue in his mouth.

"Please, take whatever you want...don't hurt me...Oh God, save me!"

"There is no one to save you now. Not here, not ever."

Is this how I die?

I covered my face with my hands, waiting for my demise, but before his claws could reach my face, another growl emerged from the corner behind me. Another one?

The narrowing, glowing yellow eyes looked at the red skinned demon and back to me. I couldn't clearly see his face but from the looks of his exposed arms being blueish, I could make out he was indeed, another demonic figure.

"She's mine, fuck off." The red demon snarled

at the other demon.

"Didn't you just had dinner?" The other said sarcastically, now stepping further into the dimly lit area.

"Heh, I did yes but...Her heart's the dessert." His forked tongue licking his lips maliciously, looking back at me.

With another growl, the blue skinned Oni charged at the red one knocking him to the ground, the wooden floorboards smashing into splinters. Without hesitation the blue Oni sunk his teeth deep into the others neck and ripped it open, exposing his larynx. The nauseating chewing, gulping and crackling sounds of the blue demon cannibalizing the other made the contents of my stomach rise. 

I couldn't get up and run or even scream at the horrifying site before me.

"It's not what you think it is, please, let me talk." He reached back to me, seeing his claws slowly shrink back into human fingers. 

"My name is Ryo, I am...an Oni."

His eyes were still yellow, I could see sadness in his eyes and I almost pitied him. He ran a hand through his disheveled black hair, wetting it with the demon's blood that stained his hands.

"I am here to protect you." He handed me a thick enveloppe, upon opening I could see pictures of me, my parents and grandparents. Ryo was in some of them...

"Wh...who are you...?!"

-

I poked the slain Oni before me with my left foot. "Oi, get up. I'm not done with you." Was he dead already? "Ah, what a drag! At least you did put up a good fight."

I put my katana at his throat and slit it. "If you don't mind, I'll have to take your head."

After some breaking neck vertebrae, I tossed the Oni's head in a burlap bag, drenching it with the revolting demon's blood.

After that day in my ramen shop, correction, my OLD ramen shop, I swore I would hunt down every last demon.

The stories were true, the scary urban legends our grandparents used to tell to scare us? Yes. All of them were true, I learned the hard way. However, if it weren't for Ryo I would have been dead by now, long gone. He was the one that was hunting the Oni that had attacked me, took me into his organization and made me into who I had become today.

"Do you always talk to them like that?" Kensuke, one of my assignment partners said annoyed, leaning into the door frame of the appartement. "Sometimes, when I feel like it." I wiped my blade clean and tossed the rag into the sack too.

"Disgusting. Anyways, the whole building is clear. This was probably the only one left."

He lit a cigarette, blowing out the smoke in a perfect circle. "Let's go, Tanaka is waiting outside."

"For fucks sake, get a fucking room you two..." Kensuke said from behind me when he saw the sight of his younger brother heavily kissing his assignment partner in front of the building, he gave Tanaka a slap on his nape. He laughed as he pulled away from the blue eyed girl. "I'm sorry bro, I just couldn't resist all of this!" He slapped the girl's bottom, grinning.

"Fucking idiot...start the car!"

Once back at the residence of Jiyū I burned the clothes from the mission, it somehow became a habit, I always did this incase someone was on my trail. The lukewarm water on my skin loosened my tight muscles as I sat down on the shower floor cross-legged, seeing the crimson blood flush down the drain.

"Never again..."

I whispered to myself.