Sumire stood still as the edge of Chisuke's black katana pressed against her neck. Fresh blood dripped onto the sword. The girl could clearly remember being in a similar situation recently. She had lost hold of her knife after Chisuke parried it, the weapon was flung off her hand and streaked through the air flying several meters away from her.
The classic cooking knife spun as it rose higher and higher before finally coming to a halt. It's gradual descent carried the momentum brought by its weight as it landed in a small bush. The gathering of shrubs quivered several times before coming to a halt. A small furry animal with long ears and beady eyes hopped out bleeding heavily with Sumire's knife stuck in its side.
Chisuke turned around to witness the sight, after which he removed his sword from the girl's neck and returned it to it's sheath.
"Was that your idea of a greeting? If so I love it. It's really... Innovative."
Sumire scowled before turning her head to the side.
"Screw you."
Chisuke removed himself from the girl's personal space and moved towards the now dead rabbit. He could feel Sumire's eyes trying to burn a hole right through his back, if looks could kill he would probably have slumped and died. But sadly they couldn't, and even if they could, Chisuke was immortal.
"Would you ease up on the bloodlust, it's distracting."
Chisuke extracted the knife from the rabbit and rose on his feet. The weapon was thrown and landed between Sumire's feet. The swordsman held the dead rabbit's neck with two hands and tore it's head off. He held the animal by the feet and watched the thing bleed out before stretching it out to his traveling companion.
"You must be hungry, right? You should eat something."
The girl's face twisted with blessed indignation at the sight of her enemy handing her food. Chisuke might have had nothing but pure intentions at heart, however Sumire thought otherwise. Crude as she was even she had a little pride.
Chisuke took off his mask and looked directly at the girl. He preferred speaking with her face to face to convince her of his good intentions, but his eyes said otherwise.
The inhuman eyes coupled with the smile constantly worn on his pale face made Sumire uneasy. The reaction to his otherworldly appearance was the reason Chisuke wore a mask in the first place, he wasn't an eccentric who simply enjoyed it's appeal.
"You do remember fainting last night, right? If you don't eat something it's going to happen again."
Chisuke paused and took a deep breath.
"You've seen it yourself, our bodies are built differently. I can handle a lot more punishment than a normal person, but you're already at your limit."
Even when given a rational explanation, the girl still remained indifferent.
Chisuke sighed.
How is she still standing in the first place. This is her third day without food or water.
Chisuke marvelled. Indeed it was Sumire's third day without food and water. No normal person could do that, but Sumire defied all odds. She even did it while constantly on the move.
Chisuke wondered if it had to do with the distracting presence the girl radiated. Chisuke was certain the girl wasn't a demon, but the came could be said about her humanity. She seemed human but not completely.
Even with senses far superior to any other living animal Chisuke had earlier mistaken Sumire's gender. Something about her felt off, he couldn't yet tell but his suspicion was growing.
Chisuke glanced at the girl furtively and turned his eyes to the cold rabbit in his hands.
"If you're not going to eat it I might as well."
Sumire watched in horror as Chisuke brought the now cold carcass to his mouth and bit into it. Sickening crunching sounds were heard as he gnawed on the rabbit. It didn't take too long for the whole thing to disappear into Chisuke's stomach.
In the moments after he had finished with his meal, the swordsman could hardly be differentiated from a demon. His inhuman eyes stared into the distance and fangs could be seen in his mouth stained red as he licked the blood trickling down his fingers.
It was such moment that reminded Sumire of the need to kill Chisuke. Though human as he seemed, the swordsman wasn't. He was more, a monster.
Noticing Sumire's gaze, Chisuke turned to her direction with a look of confusion.
"What?"
He gestured as he spoke.
"There's no fire to cook it over."
"Yeah, right."
Chisuke reason for eating raw meat was a very plain one. Sumire was not convinced, but she saw no use in pressing the matter any further.
After breakfast was wrapped up the pair continued with their journey. It didn't seem like they would be reaching their destination any time soon but they kept up their pace. Albeit for different reasons, they were both determined to keep moving forward. It wasn't until sometime towards noon that Sumire's body finally reached its limit.
Under the scorching sun Sumire took a step forward, her gait was weak and unsteady. The heat was getting to her and under the mental strain of being constantly angry, she fainted.
Her steps turned lopsided as she tilted to the right. The girl's eyes rolled inward as she fainted and fell to the ground.
Chisuke turned around to look at the unconscious girl sweating profusely.
It seems the dehydrated finally did her in.
He wondered how he had gotten stuck with her. Chisuke had intentionally slowed down his pace while traveling but no one came searching after Sumire. It didn't seem like she had any family and worse still she continued to follow him. The whole thing was such a huge mess. It was, and yet he couldn't find the will to abandoned the girl.
He wondered if he was becoming soft or felt bad about killing the girls sister. Was that the reason he couldn't leave the girl behind?
Chisuke lifted Sumire and hurled her over his shoulder with her head at his back.
Is this what parenting feels like?
Chisuke wondered if this was how parents constantly felt. He couldn't say he appreciated the feeling, it wasn't a pleasant one.
Before long The sun drifted past it's zenith and was slowly beginning to descend. It incinerating heat had begun to die down and the landscape was now painted in dimmer colours.
Chisuke hauled Sumire over his shoulder like she was some piece of important baggage. It would have been more proper if he carried the girl in his arms, and more efficient if on his back, but when had Chisuke ever been one for theatrics. He simply carried the girl on his right shoulder because doing so allowed him to draw his sword at a moments notice if need be.
Chisuke was slowly growing anxious with each step. He had to reach a settlement quick, a city, a town, even a small village would do. He needed to not for his sake, but that of the girl who travelled with him. With the afternoon slowly fading towards evening he became increasingly worried.
So be it then.
Chisuke adjusted his hold on Sumire and carried her on his back. The last thing he wanted was for the girl to die on him, literally. So he opted to forgo his safety in exchange for more mobility.
He took a deep breath and exhaled, a plume of steam leaked from the edges of his mask. Chisuke dangerously leaned forward and just as he was about to fall his leg caught it weight. Putting one foot in front of the other he moved with deadly speed impossible to achieve for a human. His hurried steps kicked up dust as he blazed a trail through the wilderness.