Outside the brief bubble of bliss and new friendship Suzume and Shiro were slumbering in, not too far away in a room devoid of such brightness, another darker being lurked.

One of the blankets- once a comfortable piece of fabric with dainty flowers stitched on, now tainted with the sickeningly sweet smell of rotting flesh and copper-like blood, the pink dye now a darker crimson- twitched. The cloth shuffled as something beneath it moved.

But it wasn't with life. It was more like an empty puppet with new strings attached and a new puppeteer to control it to its bidding.

Sharp fangs gritted together, the new razor sharp features piercing the lip, claws breaking through the skin on palms as they clenched together, veins bulging and hisses shooting out like a rabid beast.

A pair of slitted eyes snapped open and saliva dripped down the chin as the stomach howled in hungry and roared in frenzied delight when it saw the free meals practically surrounding it, almost as though begging to be eaten.

Licking the lips, the mouth opened and clamped down on the juicy flesh, the sweet blood running down the throat, rejuvenating the being.

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'Run....run.....run.' Suzume repeated over and over again as she forced her burning legs to keep moving forward in this endless void of nothingness.

The snarls of death emitting from the demon echoed in this nightmarish void, reminding her how close the tendrils of death were to drag her down. And so she forced herself to keep going, even as her legs ached and her chest burned with a desire to stop and just rest even for a second.

A pull and a pang of pain through her scalp- the demon caught her long hair! She reached for the knife to cut it off only to find it gone.

"Itadakimasu~" It's guttural voice breathed into her ear and she turned around to see a mouth full of sharp teeth waiting to chomp down on flesh and tear her down to the bone and drain her until every last drop of blood splattered down on the floor as she died- no, she didn't want to die; not in agony like this, not by a demon like her mother and grandmother; not before getting a chance to avenge them; no no no no No NO nO-

__________________________________________________

"NO!" Suzume cried, her eyes snapping open as she sat up. She panted, chest heaving up and down, her throat burning for air through her erratic breathing, sweat dripped down her face, tears were gathered in the corner of her eyes and her heart thudded so hard, it felt as though it might burst through her chest.

"Hnn?!" she whipped her head around and saw Shiro- now in his child form- looking at her in concerned distress. His blood red eyes shone like rubies in the dark room.

"No.....nothing...it's fine." She panted. "Just a bad dream." She said.

She could've sworn she saw him give her a deadpanned look of disbelief. She couldn't have been that bad a liar...could she?

Then the hairs on the back of her neck stood and goosebumps spread across her skin as a feeling of animosity crashed into her. Her eyes- no longer heavy from fatigue....for now- darted around, trying to see other auras beyond Shiro's.

"Something's wrong...." She said. Then pushing the blanket away, she got off her futon and reached for lantern she left on her desk. It wasn't easy and she fumbled a bit in the dark but eventually, she managed to light up the lantern which casted a dim-orange glow, illuminating her dark surroundings somewhat.

Shiro squinted at the sudden harsh light and rubbed his eyes. He didn't understand why the girl needed that light when he could already see just fine. Maybe it was for her? Does this mean she can't see in the dark like him too? Well that sucks.

Making sure she was armed with her knife, Suzume slowly eased the shoji door opened further and stepped out. Not wanting to be left behind- or risk the girl getting hurt again- Shiro grew back to his usual teenager form and followed her out.

Suzume stepped forward cautiously, wincing everytime the wooden boards creaked under her weight ever so slightly. It sounded as loud as a thud on a festival drum in this quiet tense atmosphere. Shiro on the other hand was light on his feet like well....a cat.

Not the first time she envied his superior physical abilities.

Then she felt like crying and hurling on the spot as she saw a flicker of it once more.

The twisted black aura.

She swallowed the lump in her throat and tried to ease her shaking nerves.

'It's dark.' She told herself. 'You might've been mistaken. It could be a rat with a grey aura or something.' She said with forced hope.

Then she heard it. The wet crunch and splatter of liquid...

The splatter of blood.

She heard a small growl and whipping her head around, she saw Shiro's body tense, slitted pupils more prominent, fang bared and fists clenched as veins bulged, giving him a more animalistic look. His ears were tuned in to something.....something he wasn't comfortable with one bit.

"What is it?" she asked as though he knew the answer.

In response, he prowled on and Suzume followed him. She pushed her pride aside and reasoned that if anyone could handle any sort of physical fight right now it was Shiro.

The knot in her gut tightened and her breathing became heavier as the black aura became thicker and more prominent as they got closer to their destination. Sweat dripped down her face and she swallowed, her throat suddenly parched.

Then they heard it clearer as they got closer- the ravenous gobbling and munching, the tearing of chunks of flesh before the crunch and squelch as it was bitten down on and the copper smell of blood combined with the sickening sweet smell of rotting flesh that made bile rise in their throats.

Soon, they found themselves standing in front of the fusuma doors leading to the guestroom they used as a burial ground not too long ago.

'Oh god, why here?' Suzume questioned, resisting the urge to cry. How cruel was this unfair fate? Wasn't it bad enough they had to have their lives robbed away so painfully and suddenly? Was a proper peaceful-respectful- rest/burial too much to ask for?

Then Shiro kicked the fusuma doors down, much to Suzume's shock which quickly escalated to horror. There goes the element of surprise!

Before she could reprimand him, the words died in her throat as her eyes landed on the figure crouching down on it's- her- haunches, munching on a- oh god, was that a human hand?!

Her eyes widened and her pupils turned to pinpricks at the black aura coiling around. But underneath it, she saw wisps of royal blue and murky yellow, the same colour as-

"Aoniji?" she asked breathlessly, voice filled with disbelief.

Her head snapped towards her and she bared her teeth, a snarl escaping her throat.

Her once glossy black hair was now matted like the fur of a rabid animal; her smooth soft fair skin was lined with midnight blue veins throbbing and bulging; her eyes were wide and bloodshot making the crazed slitted pupils stand out; her mouth and jaw were caked with blood and her once grandiose kimono now clung to her body like rags.

It was such a far cry from the usual dignified graceful look Suzume saw her show off every day. Gone was the beauty and present was the chaotic wildness of a beast.

She didn't have time to ponder as Shiro tackled her out of the way, just as the now demon Aoniji pounced.

Shiro didn't waste time, his hand striking out swiftly like a viper's tongue in a knifehand-like strike, his claws ready to stab. But Aoniji was faster than he expected and dodged the attack before retaliating with a slash to the chest.

"Shiro!" Suzume cried as she saw the five red lines blossoming on his chest.

Grunting, Shiro slashed his claws down, carving five equally deep and painful vertical slashes on Aoniji's face in retaliation. But the female fiend was barely fazed as she punched Shiro in the jaw and followed up with a backfist before grabbing the collar of his yukata and tossing him to the wall.

With a battle cry, Suzume dashed forward and at the last minute, dashed off to the left, avoiding Aoniji's claws. Then she turned around and stabbed Aonoji in the ribs.

She may as well have given her a mere papercut as Aoniji's hand wrapped around Suzume's throat, the grip cutting off her airway with a gasp and lifting her off her feet.

With a wild cry, Aoniji ran out of the room, hand still wrapped around Suzume's neck before slamming the human girl against the wall.

Suzume could only release a strangled cry of pain at the impact before going back to gasping for air as Aoniji's grip on her neck tightened. Black spots began to gather at the corner of her vision and she realized that Aoniji was strangling her to death!

Then sweet oh so sweet amazing air once again flowed through her throat as the unforgiving grip on it was released. She heaved and coughed and rubbed her no doubt bruised neck.

Shiro, having recovered had rushed out to help. Grabbing Aoniji's matted hair and what remained of her obi, he lifted her up and slammed her down onto the floor. Before she could get back up, Shiro jumped on top of her and pinned her down.

"HOLD HER DOWN! I'LL BE BACK!" Suzume shouted as she sprinted off, as fast as her tired legs could carry her.

She snatched the thickest futon she could find and a length of rope before dragging both items back. She could see Shiro sitting on top of Aoniji, one hand gripping both wrists and keeping them pinned behind while the other gripping the ankles.

Aoniji's head whipped about as her body trashed, yowls and growls of protest at her restrain vocalized.

Ripping up a piece of the futon, Suzume bundled it up into a ball and stuffed it into her mouth as a makeshift gag, muffling the animalistic sounds and keeping her fangs at bay for now.

Then she quickly wrapped Aoniji's legs in the futon before tying them together as tightly as possible. After that, she moved onto the hands. Thankfully, the futon was thick enough to protect Suzume from the sharp nails as she bounded her wrist.

Still, this only aggravated Aoniji as she continued to wriggle and trash about. Shiro got frustrated and chopped her on the back of her head.

Aoniji froze, then her head slumped down and her body went limp.

"Couldn't....you.....have done that....earlier?" Suzume panted.

Shiro shrugged. In his defence, his hands were full pinning the female fiend down.

And so she and Shiro were standing over the unconscious demon girl, wondering what to do next.

'I have to kill her.' Suzume realized.

What else could she do? It was clear Aoniji was nothing like Shiro so Suzume couldn't spare her even if she wanted to. But she couldn't just let her go- she's already seen how feral and primal Aoniji was, how much of a monster she was now- or else more blood of innocents would be spilled.

Suzume bit her lip and tried not to cry. Aoniji may have been mean to her and yeah, she was kinda a b!tch but still, no one deserved a fate worse than death such as this.

She thought back to the agony of the other demon that died by the hands of the sun and Suzume realized the only thing she could do for Aoniji now as an act of mercy is give her a swift painless death.

'I have to kill her.' Suzume told herself as she gripped the knife in her shaky grip, her palms clammy from sweat. 'I have to do it or else more will die.' She tried to reason with herself.

'This is the least you can do. Give her a swift painless death before she wakes up, give her this one mercy after everything she's been through.' She raised the knife up.

'Come on....come on....just end it already!' closing her eyes, she brought the knife down.....

Then too many things happened at once.

Aoniji woke up.

The rope snapped and the cloth was ripped apart.

The knife was knocked out of Suzume's grasp.

'Wha-?!' before she could comprehend what happened, Shiro grabbed her collar and yanked her away from Aoniji's claws.

'Crap! I hesitated and now she's-' Shiro charged forward, hand reared back for a punch but Aoniji's leg shot up and kicked him away.

She relentlessly sent attack after attack on Shiro- a slash, a punch, an uppercut and another punch to the chest- giving him no chance to retaliate before roundhouse kicking him so hard, he went flying into the wall.

Then Aoniji charged towards Suzume who yelped and barely ducked in time. She scrambled for the discarded knife on the floor.

Just as she grabbed it, she turned around to see Aoniji barely an inch away from her face, mouth open and fangs bared, prepared to bite down on her face and kill her-

Or so that would've happened had something not flown towards them like an arrow and pierce Aoniji's shoulder straight through from behind.

Suzume noted the point was sharp like...

'A blade.' She realized.

Then she saw a blurr of a figure charged towards them, something swinging and-

THUMP.

With a muffled 'thump' Suzume found herself staring at Aoniji's headless body, red dripping down the stump of her neck. She watched with morbid fascination as the body faded away into ash, leaving behind the rags of Aoniji's once grandiose kimono on the floor.

Then there was a growl and the stranger whipped her head to see Shiro there, growling hostilely with his ears pinned back, veins bulging and fangs bared.

Suzume's panicked flared when she saw the stranger unsheathe a katana, intent obvious.

"No, don't!" she cried, grabbing the stranger's leg, halting her from charging forward to attack.

"He won't hurt you he's-!"

Suzume was promptly cut off as was once again slammed against the wall- she was really getting fed up with getting slammed/pinned against a wall!

She felt someone grip her jaw and forcefully pry it open and examine her teeth, then they tilted her head, this way and that. Through the confusion, Suzume made out the sharp analytical gaze of a piercing blue eye.

"Hm..." she heard a voice that was definitely not hers or Shiro hum, the voice deep but definitely feminine as she poked and prodded her aching body. "You're clean." She said.

"Clean?" Suzume asked, baffled. She's pretty sure her appearance was far from clean.

Then the stranger was knocked down as Shiro tackled her down.

"Shiro, NO! STOP!" Suzume screamed and pulled Shiro off before he could hurt her. "Don't! Bad boy, Shiro! Bad boy!" she scolded.

Shiro's ears drooped down and he guiltily looked down at his feet as Suzume reprimanded him for his hostile actions towards another human. He just wanted to protect her from the stranger.....

"......he.....listens to you?" the stranger asked, baffled by the cat demon's obedience.

"Kinda?" Suzume said. "Look, he's different from the other two, I swear. I can see his aura and it's different- wait, who are you?!" she asked.

Moonlight casted through the window, highlighting the stranger's feature for Suzume to see more clearly.

She was tall and had chin length grey ombre hair like a hawk with a side bang covering the left side of her face. A sharp blue eye with a piercing gaze stared back at her intensely as though it were looking at Suzume's weaknesses from the inside out. Underneath the shawl she wore to protect her from the chill of the night, Suzume could see she had a slender build but her broad shoulders also told her she was more than a pretty face.

And she would indeed be quite a beauty if her face wasn't set in a frown. It looked like she was skeptical with anything and everything.

Then again she did just kill a demon. Speaking of that......

"I'm someone who knows more about these monsters than you do." The stranger said, tone sharp and full of natural authority that made Suzume snap to attention. "And I know for a fact that you were weak when facing them. You were soft, you hesitated and that would've killed you had I not intervened in time."

"I'm sorry-" she was once again cut off.

"Don't apologize to me. That won't bring back the dead now, will it?" the stranger said coldly.

Suzume winced.

"My name is Hato Takahane. What's yours, girl?" she asked.

"Oh! I'm Suzume Sora, that's my friend Shiro Tsuki." Suzume introduced, pointing to Shiro who lingered beside her, blood red eyes wary.

"Tell me, Suzume, what do you want to do now?" Hato asked.

"....what?" she asked, confused at where this was going.

"What do you want to do now after what you've witnessed? After seeing firsthand what these so-called folklore demons can do? Do you want to continue on with a normal life? It's still possible. Or, do you want to do something else?" Hato asked again.

Suzume opened her mouth then closed it. She thought over what Hato said...............what did she want to do now?

She reflected back on all that's happened in the past few days- they suddenly seem like a lifetime ago- and asked herself- What did she want, really?

Not too long ago, all she wanted was freedom. She wanted to leave all the weight, all the pressure and burdens she never asked for. She knew it was selfish but that's how desperate she was. She just wanted to leave it all behind, to be able to walk through the world and know she was just another human being of equal rights, experience things beyond the cages her father puts her in, do things because she wants to for her own reasons no matter how trivial or carefree, to say whatever she wanted to because she can.

She just wanted to be free.

She wanted to be happy.

She.........she wanted to do something she wanted to, something she enjoyed, something she was good at.

She wanted to be strong to help others including herself.

She wanted to experience things from another perspective.

She wanted to be  more than another pretty face with a higher than average status.

She.....

She wanted to feel.....to finally feel....like she's doing something right of her own free will.

She wanted to help others. She wanted to help save lives. She didn't want more innocent lives to be taken; more colours to be robbed and eventually fade away as though they were never there, as though they were irrelevant like her mother and grandmother and Chikano and so many others; she wanted to do what she could to stop those beasts from tainting more of those bright innocent colours.

She glanced over at Shiro and realized what else she wanted.

She wanted to help him.

"I want to help others." Suzume said simply. "I want to do something that can actually help."

"Help others or help yourself?" Hato asked, intense gaze unwavering.

"Helping others is my way of helping myself." Suzume said simply. "I can't go back to a normal life. Not anymore. Not after seeing all this." She gestured to her surroundings. "And I owe it to my mother, my grandma and Shiro to at least try to do something about it. So there's no way in he!l I'm backing out."

Hato stared at her long and hard, expression unreadable. Yet her one visible eye seemed to drill right through Suzume to the very core of her soul. Her brown aura reminded Suzume of wood yet it was elegant and light as a feather. There were even dashes of white, mahogany and yellow like an eagle. It gave nothing away.

"Tell me, Suzume. What will you do if your friend Shiro here were to eat another human?" Hato asked.

Suzume blinked. "He doesn't-"

"How do you know that? Demons are called man-eating demons for a reason. How do you know he won't snap one day, he won't be taken over by the feral primal urge to consume human flesh? How do you know he'll be able to restrain himself? How do you know this isn't an act to gain your trust and lower your guard?" Hato ploughed on.

Suzume's mouth opened and closed but no words came out. Then her head snapped to the side as flesh smacked flesh harshly.

"You're weak!" Hato snarled at her. "You hesitate and you're soft and both will  get you as well as hundreds if not thousands of others killed. Can you live with that? Can you live with the knowledge that your weakness is the reason your hands are constantly stained by blood?"

Hato didn't raise her voice but her words were sharp and clear like a razor knife piercing through flesh. The words alone resonated through Suzume's being and spoke volumes in itself.

"If your friend over there ever eats someone there are only two things you can do to atone for your mistake. One, you will kill him yourself  with your own hands. Two, you will commit seppuku after that. You will personally  slit your own belly and die! That is what it means to be travelling with a demon by your side as a friend." Hato went on, voice firm and unwavering, devoid of any pity. It was clear Hato was not one to sugarcoat the truth no matter how harsh it is.

"It is your duty and yours alone to ensure he never takes the life of another human, is that clear?" Hato asked.

"Ye-yes!" Suzume replied.

Then finally it clicked and she wanted to slap herself for being so stupid. Memories of her grandma telling her exciting stories of adventure and hardships of heroic slayers battling demons as they sat on the engawa, sipping tea flashed through her mind.

"You're one of them, aren't you? A slayer?" Suzume asked, slightly in awe to be in the presence of someone she thought was nothing more than a character in a bizarre story told to entertain her.

Hato inclined her head slightly, neither confirming nor denying the fact.

Suzume's eyes steeled themselves, showing Hato a strong will under the vessel of this seemingly soft girl. Then her one eye widened fractionally as Suzume went down to her knees and bowed her head down deep, her messily cut brown hair falling around her face.

"Takehana-san, please teach me. Help me get stronger. I want to grow stronger to protect others and avenge my mother and grandmother. I want to become stronger so I can find a way to turn Shiro back into a human and give him another chance at life. Please, I beg of you." Suzume said, her voice ringing loud and clear, firm and unwavering.

Suzume swallowed as sweat dripped down, her nerves tightening along with the knot of anticipation in her stomach. She bit her lip and didn't dare look up. She knew she was asking for a lot and she was taking a gamble- a gamble on her life that she can never back down on.

But she didn't mind. She knew the risk she was taking and she will resolve herself to live with it, even if it kills her.

It's funny how bold one can feel after nearly experiencing death.....twice  no less.

The silence stretched on between them. It stretched and stretched until it was as taut as a bowstring. The tension thick and restricting yet trembling and capable of snapping.

".......twenty days." Hato said, finally breaking the silence. Suzume raised her head in response and Hato continued.

"If you can find the small temple at the base of Mount Tsukuba in twenty days, I will see if you have what it takes to become a demon slayer." Hato explained.

"Small temple at the base of Mount Tsukuba, twenty days. Got it." Suzume repeated.

Hato nodded curtly. Then she wrapped the shawl around her head like a hood and turned around, ready to leave.

"See you in twenty days." She said. 'If you're there by then.' She thought.

"Wait!" Suzume called.

Hato turned around, face still set in her signature frown.

"Thank you. I'll try my best." Suzume said, a spark blazing in her brown yellow eyes.

"Actions speak louder than words. I'll hold you onto that." Hato replied but for a moment, Suzume could've sworn she saw the corner of her mouth twitch up ever so slightly.

Then she blinked and suddenly, Hato was no longer in the corridor much to Suzume's shock.

'How can she move so quickly and silently? Is she some kinda ninja?!' Suzume wondered.

"Hmph hmph!" she glanced to the side and saw Shiro huffing, arms crossed with a distrustful frown on his face.

Suzume patted his shoulder. "She didn't mean to hurt us. She was just being careful." She said.

As soon as she said that, only then did it settle on Suzume how difficult her task ahead truly was. She would be travelling with a 'man-eating' demon by her side as her friend. A demon who is supposedly a threat against humanity. Shiro was different- so very different and humane- but if Hato's reaction to him was anything to go by, it was clear that everyone, both demon and human were going to be wary of him and treat him as an outcast.

That only hardened Suzume's resolve.

She would train her butt off come hell or high water, avenge her mother and grandmother with her own two hands and find a way to turn Shiro back into a human. Shiro saved her life, giving her a chance to start this new one. The least she could do in return is give him a chance at one as a human himself.

'Twenty days......' she repeated.

Those twenty days would be what decided the seal of her fate.....the seal of the new form of freedom she has a chance to gain, one she herself must fight to obtain.

The hourglass has been turned and the grains of sand have begun to spill. Fate has casted its hand and a new path has been carved by its hands.

(It was time for the sparrow to gather her feathers and embark on a journey through a sky she thought she could never witness, much less experience ever again with the stray cat by her side.)