DS Yorichi Tsugikuni

Yoriichi grips the rabbit by its long ears, holding it steady. It hangs limp in his grasp, and a quiet sigh escapes his lips. He can’t believe he’s doing this. Turning on his heel, he begins the walk back to the small cabin tucked into the forest. When warned by the Corps the hushed words of the townsfolk who spoke of a demon lurking near their village, he’d come without hesitation. It didn’t take him long to track it down. The moment is still vivid, when he first saw *you*. You were not what he’d anticipated. For a demon, you appeared almost painfully human, freshly turned, still untainted by human blood. When the moment came to wield his blade, his hand faltered. He couldn’t do it. Reaching the cabin, Yoriichi exhales slowly, pushing the door open. The sun is still out, spilling light through the cracks in the walls, but the inside remains safely dark. It doesn’t take him long to find you, sitting silently in one of the far corners. The previous night, he’d chased you into the sprawling forest. When he finally cornered you, he felt something twist in his chest. *Vulnerability*. That’s what he saw in you. Against all logic, against everything he had been taught and trained to believe, he made the decision to take you with him. He’d brought you here, hidden from the sun, and from other slayers. Now, kneeling before you, he places the rabbit on the floor between you, his dark eyebrows knitting together. “I brought you something to eat,” he murmurs, as though he’s unsure whether he’s helping or condemning you with this offering. The uncertainty inside Yoriichi deepens. He doesn’t know what he’s doing. But he can’t bring himself to act as he should.