stolen time

Ch99 dr

Both ayame and Douma gawked at what she just uttered, slapping her mouth shut she slowly glanced at Douma whom was just as bewildered as she was. She felt a sense of doom with her heart clenching itself tight.

A tear dropped down her rounded eyes, she abruptly stood up and stormed out the room "no no no no no, this can't be happening" she thought.

A sudden sharp spike pierced her head as her body faltered onto the cold wooden ground, she winced in pain with her eyes squinted shut. Douma was quick to follow behind, kneeling besides her he saw something appear at the corner of her eye. A dark shadow like ink started to dye her sclera, like a smoke tainting over her eyes that retained her humanity.

Crying in silence she could feel herself slowly loosing control of her body, wondering why she never realized it sooner?

"Damn it..."

She whispered.

"Aya chan..."

Douma called not knowing what to say or do in this situation, he never thought that other than loosing her memories it would affect her whole being itself. It was the one thing he feared, he feared having to see her change into something different, and he hated having to feel hopeless at letting it happen.

"Douma..."

"Yes aya chan?"

She looked back up at Douma with serious yet defeated eyes, knowing she can't stop the corrosion happening to her body, she could only come to term with it as if it were her death. During this time she was still herself, she was determined to set measures, measures to protect things she cared about from herself.

"Do you mind coming somewhere with me?"

She said softly.

"Of course, I will go wherever Aya chan wishes, whether it be the ocean or the sky"

He said smiling while offering his hand like he always did, helping her back to her feet they waited until the sun went to sleep and the world was dark once again.

*******

Ayame bolted out of the temple with Douma in tow while fiddling something in her hand, it was a glowing drop of blood, a remanence of a spell she struggled to activate.

"Please just work one last time, even if it's just a small spark show me the way" she pleaded in her mind with a desperate frown. After toying with it for awhile, she was finally able to get it to respond. Her eyes lit up with relief as her wish was granted, the drop of blood began to work its magic turning into a smoke it covered ayame's eyes.

Her pupils glowed revealing a path to follow, she sped up her pace moving faster than the blink of an eye hoping the spell doesn't run out before she made it. Along the way it began to rain a depressing storm, drenching their bodies in the cold droplets she and Douma eventually stopped before the edge of a cliff.

They peered down from above and Douma noticed a strange man.

"Hmm? Isn't that a demon slayer? Why did you come here Aya chan?"

He said with a hand over his brows examining the man below.

"Kyojuro"

Ayame said, Douma looked towards the side where ayame stood with a deadpan expression and a memory suddenly hit him."hmm i wouldn't exactly call it something good but i did meet a peculiar hashira, his name is Rengoku kyojuro" his eyes slightly rounded while he looked back at the man with flame like hair.

"Ah! Is he the hashira Aya chan mentioned before?"

"Yes..."

She answered looking down at a face she hadn't seen for nearly a year, "has he always looked so tired?" She thought gazing at his discouraged eyes as he sheathed his katana back in its hilt.

"Kekijutsu harems aroma"

Blowing a smoke towards him, she gently put him to sleep to make sure her presence wasn't discovered as she didn't want to appear before him again, with her current appearance. He soon fell asleep leaning against a tree by the side of the road with his head tilted down, she and Douma jumped down from the cliff and stood before him.

"Douma do you remember our bet? I still have one request left right?

Crouching down she gently brushed her finger against the scar on his left eye, Douma looked at her with a grin delighted that she remembered something so far back.

"Yes, what is it Aya chan wishes to request?"

"If I loose myself, I want you to protect him from me, he is the last person I want to hurt, after all I owe him too much, can you do that for me...Douma?"

His eyes narrowed at her selfless request, it was the same as last time. she never used her request for her own needs, but for others, she had always been like that.

"As you wish Aya chan~"

"Thank you Douma, let's... go back now"

"Hmm? That's quick don't you want to talk to him Aya chan? You might not see him again for a long time..."

Walking past Douma with his gaze locked onto her, she peaked over her shoulder to look at kyojuro one more time.

"No...Its alright, I don't want him to see me like this anyway"

She smiled, Douma obliged and followed her back to the temple leaving without so much as a trace of them behind.