The Foreign Guardian

Chapter 9: A Helping Hand

Rengoku went on a mission assigned to him, and he is free to have picked anyone to accompany him this time. Did he have a choice to pick a hashira? Yeah. An underling? Of course.

But his mind went to Shima-san and not because of feelings deciphered as "love". He saw how she is with her scythe and few of the forms she demonstrated with her unknown breathing. Her dedication and stubbornness has shown through mastered skills and lessons. He was shocked when Sanemi mumbled how long she had been training to become a hashira.

She started the moment Rengoku went home after the tour. Today counts as the middle of the month. No ordinary person would be able to train themselves rigorously in a span of two weeks and three days.

But Shima-san isn't no ordinary person. Not in his eyes.

Therefore, he took her with him on the mission to a village on the other side of the snowy mountains where there is a sighting of a demon. According to the reports given, it is last seen by a ruined house that no one dared to go near for two decades. It would take women that look young to the house, and the rest is unknown.

This time, Flora wore black thermal leggings and tucked her shirt in her skirt, but it didn't stop the chills from seeping in. She didn't know which part of the clues alarmed her more: The targets or familiar feeling of the area and description. However, in order to not worry her friend, she smiled with snow smoke forming from her nose.

It was night time when they made it to the valley of the mountains where they stopped in a shed. Fire was made, blankets were shared, and silence took over besides the periodic gust of wind seeping through the cracks.

Shizen has been thinking about telling the Flame Pillar about her actual identity, but with no signs nor evidence that he is remembering she stayed silent. Well, that was the plan until their talk to pass the time while the snow storm hailed upon the mountains.

It went like any other rambling between two friends. They spoke about their plans, and Flora thought about trying her hand again at her mom's sweet potato pie.

Her brown eyes didn't miss his that brightened with familiarity. Inwardly, she is crashing down. Her whole gameplay of pulling the strings in her operation is being terminated. Yet, her heart is doing all kind of flips and somersaults. Both important organs in her head and chest are fighting over control. In the center of the mental chaos, she pretended to see nothing in his eyes.

After all, Kyojuro is a busy man. He won't have time to dwell on such thoughts, right? Plus, she sent him back in time; not where he would be if he lived through the traumatizing experience the first time around. Therefore, the estimate of three months passing in the span of three days wouldn't add up.

The only way it would make sense is if he remembers EVERYTHING that transpired.

'But I'm sure he doesn't. I'm positive he won't... right?'

Time skip/ Shima-san's POV-->

"So is this... the place?"
"Sure looks like it! You're not scared, are you?"
"Yeah... but not for the reason you think..."
'Precisely been terminated.'

Good news is we're out of the mountains and made it during the day time. Bad news is in the distance, on a hill, is the ruined house my mom drew in the back of my letter. Minus the damage, nature grown over it, and recent blood splatters, it looks like the place. The only difference in the scenery is the village miles behind it. The one with missing women, I suppose.

We gave each other a firm nod before sprinting to the village for extra info. We asked around for any hints on what kind of demon we're going up against. Some are compliant, and some are scared shitless and muted. Nonetheless, we have enough info to put together it's motive and it's abilities.