The forest had gone eerily silent, save for the distant rustling of leaves in the wind. Giyuu stood there for a moment longer, his sharp eyes lingering on the path where she had vanished. He could still feel traces of her presence—her lingering intent, the calculated nature of her escape. It wasn't just skill; it was experience. And that troubled him.
Someone that young shouldn't move like that. Shouldn't think like that.
He sheathed his katana with a quiet click and turned away. Chasing her now would be pointless; she had made sure of that. If she wanted to disappear, she would. He knew the type. He was the type.
~ ~ ~
A few days passed.
Giyuu carried on with his usual missions, eliminating demons as he traveled from village to village. But his mind, despite its usual quiet, kept drifting back to that girl. He hadn't reported her to the Corps—there was no need. She wasn't a deserter, nor a threat. Just... someone running from/to something. Someone who had chosen to carve her own path, much like he once had.
Then, late one night, it happened.~
A small village near the mountains—too quiet. The scent of blood lingered in the cold air. Giyuu's grip tightened around his sword as he stepped through the empty streets, his breath visible in the night. He had been tracking a demon rumored to haunt this place, but the eerie stillness told him he was too late.
And then—movement.
A lone figure stood in the middle of the street, illuminated by the dim lantern light. A girl.
Her.
Her nichirin blade was stained red, her stance rigid, her breathing steady but... strained. And at her feet—bodies. Demon corpses, dissolving into nothing. She had already done the work.
"You again."
His voice was calm, unreadable as ever. He didn't reach for his sword. He didn't need to. She wasn't an enemy. But the way she stood there, tense and still, as if expecting something from him, made him pause.
"Leave..."
She said like a quiet warning. Her sharp amber eyes glow like orbs.
Giyuu didn't move.
The wind carried the scent of blood and ash between them, but his focus remained on her. Her stance was tense, her glowing eyes sharp—like a cornered animal ready to strike, not out of malice, but necessity. A warning, not a threat.
But he had seen eyes like that before. Eyes that had nothing left to lose.
"You're wounded."
It wasn't a question. He could see the slight tremble in her fingers, the way her chest rose and fell in controlled but heavy breaths. The fight had taken something from her, even if she refused to show it.
Yet, her blade remained at her side. She wasn't attacking him—just trying to push him away.
He understood. He should leave—But he didn't.
"Why were you running?"
His voice remained level, almost indifferent. But there was a weight beneath it—something unreadable. He wasn't asking out of curiosity. He was asking because he saw himself in her. Because he knew what it was like to be alone, to believe no one else would understand.
The village was empty now, the demons slain. There was no reason for her to stay. No reason for him to stay.
But he waited.
Before she could respond.
Another demon appears, it was drawn to that place by the smell of blood.
"I said leave!"
She shouts. Blocking the demon from him, wishing he would leave this to her.
The demon lunged its claws slicing through the air with deadly speed.
But she was faster.
With a sharp turn of her blade, she intercepted the attack, her movements precise despite her injuries. The impact sent a shockwave through the empty streets, dust rising in thin clouds around them. She gritted her teeth, her stance unwavering, refusing to let the demon pass her—Refusing to let Giyuu interfere.
He could have left—But he didn't.
There was no hesitation as he unsheathed his blade. The quiet hum of his Nichirin sword cutting through the air was almost lost beneath the demon's snarls. He wasn't going to let her fight alone—not when she was already bleeding, already exhausted.
Giyuu moves in one fluid motion. He was beside her, his sword raised.
He didn't ask for permission. He didn't wait for her approval. He simply acted.
"Water Breathing... Third Form: Flowing Dance."
His blade cut through the demon's flesh in a graceful arch. Water-like movements, flowing seamlessly with hers. The demon barely had time to react before his body twisted from the force, staggering back.
But it wasn't dead yet.
Giyuu didn't glance at her. But his presence beside her was firm.
"I don't take orders from you."
His voice was calm, resolute. She could fight him all she wanted, push him away a thousand times. But here, in this moment—he wasn't leaving.