Chapter Text
It had been a long day of containing the backlashes of battles and cleaning up what messes remained. As a drawer for veils and partitions, setting up the perimeter limits took great effort, especially for eradication of larger demons. Posts that support the strength of the veil needed to be placed in somewhat equal distances from each other. The connecting snow white rope finished the job to secure the containment of demon art and breathing techniques, and kakushi stood standby in the shadows to sustain the energy of the partition throughout battles.
Luckily, you and another kakushi had split the work of setting up at the start of the day, and you only had to assist in environmental restoration. Having no need to cut rope, you had already slipped your knife back into its sheath and hidden in the folds of your uniform. Nothing too hard about pulling cracked earth back together. It should have been simple, pushing grass through the soil, mending branches back on trees. Perhaps someone should have peeked in the hot mess of overturned logs and cracked boulders before signaling for the clean up crew to drop the partition.
The feeling of long and jagged talons sinking into your calf was an excruciating sensation, as was feeling the entirety of your body weight dangle by said leg as the half sliced demon snatched your body from the ground. Without a veil, the demon was free to fly whichever way it pleased. A wave of cold panic surged through your body as the cries of surprise and pine trees became dizzily far. The roar of the wind in your ears was distracting as you reached for your knife blindly, your fingers grazing on the familiar handle. With a sharp jerk, you yanked out the blade and pierced the grotesque demon limp that held you captive.
The rush of the wind falling is very different from being carried away, you noticed during your plummet.
Whips of cold air stung against your face, and the impending doom of your landing worsened the nausea bursting through your stomach. And all you could do was squeeze your eyes tight for impact, and hope it was a quick end.
It was a shock to hit a heated body mid-descent, to have thick arms wrap around your limp form securely. Waves of bright gold strands against a sunset gradient filled your vision. In the sudden shift, your trembling torso and knees were held with great gentleness. You had gripped whoever had the strength to snatch you from the air, and buried your face into their chest, the weight of relief greater than any shame that lingered. The familiar cotton of the uniform brought comfort between your fingers, and you let out a breath you didn’t realize was trapped in your lungs.
Whichever slayer who saved you from becoming an unfortunate splat on the ground landed with enough ease that you would have guessed they were at least a Kinoe, but such thoughts were slippery as the burning hot blood dripping from your wound The force of the landing sent a dull throb up your clammy leg, and you could barely hold back a whimper.
The voices around you were growing louder but murkier. It was hard to tell whose voice was whose. Faces were blurry and doubling, the edges of your vision fading into a haze as you slipped into a warm void.