Chapter Text
Demons don't get sick. Their creator's cells in their blood will destroy any pathogens or poisons that enter their system. So why, then, has Kyojuro stumbled upon this sight. It throws everything he thought he knew about the monsters that roam their lands into disarray. Well, not everything. But. If this one thing he believed to be true is actually not, then how much of what he learned is also incorrect?
The slayer takes a careful step towards the huddled over form hiding in the far corner of a small, abandoned hut. The creature is shivering and coughing, a feverish blush painting their unhealthy pallor with an imitation of life. Their unusual eyes, blue cracked sclera and glowing yellow irises, are glassy.
"Just end it, will you?" a scratchy, male voice croaks out and the demon pulls his ratty blanket tighter around himself. Kyojuro can feel no killing intent, no hostility. The creature oozes desperation and pain.
His hand touches the hilt of his katana and, as he's about to grip it, a sudden memory stops him in his tracks. "The strong must protect the weak…" the murmur leaves him subconsciously.
Eyes that shine like the moon widen.
A frown pulls at pale lips. "I'm not weak!"
A gentle smile settles on Kyojuro's face. "You can not even stand!"
Mind made up he steps closer to the trembling form and crouches down. "What is wrong with you?"
The demon's eyes narrow. "What isn't?" he grumbles.
This close Kyojuro can see that the creature's eyelashes and hair are pink, and his features are soft, young. So very, very human.
Kyojuro raises his eyebrows, the man avoiding his gaze, a pout forming on his lips.
"Wisteria…" he then mutters, "I used it to break Muzan's curse and now… I might as well die."
There are so many questions whirling in Kyojuro's head. The demon broke Kibutsuji's curse? Using wisteria? How? Why? And how did that make him sick? Was he ill before? But information gathering can wait. Right now there is someone in need before him. With a determined nod he takes off his haori and drapes it around the man. A shocked gaze snaps up to meet his own.
"I will be right back! I am going to get you some tea from the nearby village!" Kyojuro declares, then, more quietly, wonders, "You can drink tea, right?"
The demon's hesitant nod causes his smile to widen once more. "All right then! My name is Rengoku Kyojuro, by the way!"
A tiny grin forms on the other man's flushed face and he tightens the soft fabric of Kyojuro's haori around himself. Almost too quietly for the slayer to hear, he whispers "I'm Akaza."