Fleeting Shadows (KNY x OC)

-2

The trio's entry into the train was the calm before the storm. Everything seemed fine within the first few hours of them boarding but...that of course didn't last long.

From being met by a hungry Kyojuro chowing down on his bento box with utmost delight to being subjected to surreal dreams that could have killed them in their sleep to having the entire train derail and crash as a result of an uphill battle against blood-enhanced, Lower Moon One, Enmu.

All in a night's work.

Until then...at least.

The demon has disintegrated into nothingness; cursing his surroundings and the factors that had led to his downfall.

Meanwhile lying still on the ground is a wounded Tanjiro- his eyes wide from shock and mouth parted to accommodate all the air needed to drastically stop his bleeding by Kyojuro's advice.

Looking down at Tanjiro with an obvious glimmer in his eyes for the burgundy-haired boy to recover, Kyojuro delivers his instructions for him delicately. "Concentrate more. Improve the accuracy of your breath. Focus."

A hitch comes suddenly in Tanjiro's throat but that doesn't make it any more of an obstruction than it seems. He knows that he needs to supply the broken blood vessels with every ounce of air present in his system. Kyojuro's intricate yet gentle, single-word instructions are doing his wounds additional justice; he is progressing. Fresh blood is slowly receding from the gap in his skin.

"Concentrate." Kyojuro emphasizes as he lays a finger between Tanjiro's eyes to placate him and enable a faster clot. With a forceful exhale, Tanjiro succeeds and Kyojuro beams that gleaming grin at him. "That's it! No more bleeding."

A little heady from the focusing, Tanjiro swallows and asks Kyojuro how everyone is doing. He guarantees their survival with a twinkle in his eyes- though a lot of injuries have been sustained but at least no one died. This is when the air gets thin but heavy.

Something doesn't feel right amidst the silence and the crackling flames of the damaged train. Kyojuro freezes in his spot and turns his head to the sky as does Tanjiro whose mind is set on getting up efficiently in order to assist his superior in dealing with what...or who's about to come. But no matter how tempted he is to neglect all possibilities of him completely healing, he stays incredibly still albeit having his mind alert.

"Odd," is the only thing that leaves Kyojuro's lips as he follows it by instinctively wrapping his fingers around the hilt of his sword.

"Rengoku-sa-" Tanjiro isn't able to finish as something blazes down from the sky with unobservable speed and punches a huge crater on the ground meters away from the two slayers, the dust from the impact clearing away just enough for them to see what or who decided to rain on their parade.

Tanjiro's heartbeat quickens and beads of sweat form rapidly on his forehead as he is met with unfamiliar yet malicious eyes that are colored in a way exclusive to demons. The two slayers then remain wordless for a few moments, taking in the kanji engraved in the demon's irises: Upper Moon...Three.

The fight is far from over.

Meanwhile, kilometers away from the searing tension stands a frustrated tsuguko in a busy train station. Sayomi's confidence in choosing to head for the station instead of tracking down the targeted train as it was on the go is definitely something she wishes she discarded from the get-go. It would've given her an early intervention had she considered tracking the train with her crow right after leaving headquarters.

Amidst the bustling crowd surrounding her, her Kasugai crow descends from above- much to her satisfaction- and caws in a nasally tone. "The train! The train, Takashi-san. It is headed east! Follow me!"