Archive of Our Own

“Ha!” the demon crows. “Few have escaped my blood art, and neither of you will be the exception!” As she speaks, black smoke rises from the trees and surges forward.

“Then I shall take you down with me!” Rengoku roars, swinging his arms. With one leap and roll, the demon’s head is severed, the high-pitched laugh cutting off short. The momentum from the swing carries him forward and embeds his sword into the nearest tree, far enough that he cannot get it free easily.

The smoke does not dissipate, but grows even thicker. Turning, ready to leave his sword, though it pains him, Rengoku retreats. Just as he’s about to reach Akaza, who’s been waiting for him to finish, he trips.

How embarrassing, Rengoku thinks, and then promptly blacks out.

x--x

Rengoku wakes up, feeling… weird. He’s incredibly sluggish, and he almost doesn’t want to fully wake up, because he feels borderline awful. What exactly happened last..?

'What in.. the world?' As he blinks his eyes open, the first thing he notices is that it’s still dark out. The sun has not risen, but that doesn’t mean much when he apparently.. fainted? Blacked out? without a way to measure time. '... Akaza? Where did you go…'

He’s on the ground, with something white and heavy covering him completely. His limbs feel sore, and it feels like he’s forgotten how to walk. He slides out from under whatever is covering him, and as he turns to observe it, he realizes..

.. it’s his haori?

……

… what?

Panicked, he looks around.

The trees are taller than they’re supposed to be. He can even see his sword embedded in the trunk, too large for him to even hope of carrying. He’s lower to the ground than is preferrable, and there’s an additional weight at his back that he instinctively knows is balancing his four-legged standing.

'Akaza..?' Kyo calls out, worried, now wide awake. ‘Akaza!?’

Moww… wrrring?

… 

...huh?

'A cat..? In the middle of the forest?' Rengoku  mumbles to himself. He walks forward, stilted, to investigate. He has no weapons, but he’ll have to make do somehow.

There, a few paces away, lies a cat covered in a rectangular piece of pink cloth. The first thing he notices is the dazzling pair of bright blue eyes. He’s never seen blue eyes so.. clear before. Taking another moment to appreciate the color, Rengoku moves on. The cat's fur is an off-white color that softly fades into gray. The gray fades into black on his face, ears, legs, and tail. He’s quite fluffy for what he’s seen from other typical… sesame cats?

Semases cats? … He doesn’t think that's right, but it sounds better than "sesame."

The semases cat moves, and Rengoku's eyes widen. Underneath the cat lies a pair of pink beaded anklets. A pair of very familiar pink beaded anklets. His eyes dart to the cloth that previously covered the cat, and indeed, there is the rectangle on the back he feared would be there.

Akaza…. had been turned into a cat.

And from everything he's noticed, the most logical conclusion is that both of them…

Were.. cats.

Fuck.

They're both screwed. They were both cats. Rengoku had a tail, he was on four legs, and he could even feel his ears twitch.

Who in the world did they just kill, for a mere demon nobody to be able to turn, not only the Flame Pillar, but also the fourth strongest demon into a cat????

‘.. Akaza ?’ He asks, bewildered. He’s hoping for a response, for a laugh, for something or other to indicate that the other retains his sense of self and that he understands Rengoku. He’s really hoping that he’s able to communicate and that they’ll be able to talk with each other as they get out of this mess.

The cat just blinks. Mow?

'.. Akaza? .. evidence leads to you definitely being Akaza ..' Rengoku mutters.

Mrowwwow?

Cool. Great. So, it looks like there's a language barrier. That's nothing. Psh, they'll be fine.

..

He should move on before he gets himself in an endless loop of panic. 

Rengoku can't see what he looks like, but he knows he's larger than Akaza. He is.. very large. Larger than what a cat should be. He's not a good reference, but from what it looks like from his height, Akaza is pretty normal weight and size for a cat. Though perhaps from his own perspective, that’s not the most accurate. 

Akaza's not small, though he's.. shorter. His height suggests youth, but maybe he just got the short end of the genetics stick. Rengoku hasn’t exactly.. asked. He hasn’t found the will to ask his demon about his human life, when Upper Moon 3 has shown clear signals of ill will towards humans.

'Great! So. What do we do next,' Rengoku asks, flopping down. His question pulled the attention of Upper Moon Three, who, up until this moment, was trying to fit into his beaded anklets almost desperately.

He knows the beads meant a lot to Akaza, and wondered not for the first time why that was. Akaza abandons them to stalk forward, and Rengoku tilts his head in question. His mouth twitches nervously when Akaza comes closer without making a sound.

He didn't know that cats could be so expressive, but he can tell Akaza isn't exactly.. happy. "Pissed off" isn't exactly the right expression, but he's definitely not smiling with glee.

He's ready to hiss in warning-- better to be safe than sorry-- when Akaza simply comes up and rubs against him, throwing his whole body into the motion. His tail brushes the underside of Rengoku’s chin, and the motion repeats.

... Rengoku stops all action, mind blanking. So many thoughts are swirling around in his head, but only one presses incessantly forward. 

Cats... rub against things and people they like.. right? 

Before, Akaza was clearly insulting him as he fought the demon, egging him into showing off. Now that they're cats, he'd probably be a little irritated, right? Rengoku is more than pretty sure cats don't care about being nice to people they don't like. 

Akaza doubles down, purring as he practically flops onto Rengoku once he deems all previous actions not enough to get close to the slayer. And, he can fit, actually. Rengoku is apparently large enough that when Akaza jumps up and makes himself comfortable on his back, there's no fear of him slipping off.

... no way. This isn't like Akaza ( probably ). There might be an explanation if Akaza was an actual cat, instead of demon-turned-cat, but that wasn’t the case.

No way that Upper Moon 3 had not only turned physically into a cat, but also mentally into a cat, haha, right…?

‘Thank you for calming me down!’ Rengoku says, loudly. ‘But please reassure me that you can understand me!’

….

The semases does not stop, and gives no indication at all that he can understand.

This… is not reassuring. At all.

Has the demon blood art muddled Akaza's senses so much that Akaza has been rendered down into the impulses and thoughts of a natural cat?

.. but that doesn't make sense... Akaza is Upper Moon 3, and is the fourth strongest demon in the world. Arguably more powerful than Rengoku is now, or could ever hope to be in this lifetime.

Does it mean that the blood art preys on the more attuned, powerful beings?

Rengoku has a feeling that he wouldn’t be able to get an answer he’d be able to decipher, based on previous attempts.

Great! This is so fun. Ha ha ha.

His frantic thoughts are put on hold when something plops itself onto his head. Surprised, he tilts his head up. He can't really see anything, but from the way he feels the demon draped on him, he believes Akaza has his chin resting on his head.

Rowwwwmm.

The warmth makes Rengoku huff, and close his eyes. Guess you can count on Akaza, cat or not, to pull himself out of his spiral. As a show of thanks, Rengoku lets a rumbling purr escape.

The questions and doubts are still swirling in his head, and he doesn't even know what to do next, or where to go, or how to become human again, but…  he can't... 

help but... 

close his eyes…

x--x

Rengoku wakes up slowly, feeling sluggish and content in the way that only happens after an incredibly needed good night’s rest. He also feels incredibly light, as if for the first time in a while, there’s no weight holding him down. He’s content.

No weight on him at all…

.. no weight on him at all?

Akaza..!  

Rengoku shoots upwards, trying to scan the area. The abruptness from which he stood, paired with being asleep just seconds ago, makes him dizzy and unable to see.

'Akaza?' he calls out, swaying, eyes squinting. 'Akaza, where did you go?'

His distressed calls are answered by a calming purr and a body brushing by nearly immediately. Relief floods his body, and he can feel the support halt his swaying body. 

When the dizziness passes, Rengoku looks to see Akaza sitting next to him, head tilted. 

Mrow?

'Akaza, what were you doing..?' Rengoku tilts his own head, curiously watching as Akaza slinks back towards his beaded anklets.

Upon reaching them, he whines at being unable to move them. He looks at Rengoku, demonstrates his inability to grab the beads, and then flops down rather dramatically.

Rengoku doesn't know what he's supposed to do about that, if he is supposed to do anything, so he gets up and stretches. To be honest, sometimes he watches cats stretch and wishes he could do the same, because the level of satisfaction is incomparable to his own sad stretches. Now that he can fulfill his dream, he feels incredibly pleased. Cats really do know what's up.

Being very immersed in his own head, he fails to notice the hissy fit Akaza’s throwing. When he does, after a good few moments, he's... rather unimpressed. 

Wordlessly, he walks over to Akaza writhing on the ground, who's hissing and swiping at the air with his claws out. As soon as his looming figure makes the semases pause, he promptly bats at Akaza a few times to make him shut up.

The bewildered face is so funny to Rengoku that he can't help but do it again.

Haha.

Once he gets Akaza's attention, he slowly moves his head towards the beads. Since he's larger he should have an easier time moving them, but he doesn't know how Akaza will react. Clearly he still values the anklets very much.

All Akaza does is watch aptly, body stilled and unmoving.

And that's... incredibly not scary or nervous-inducing at all.

Taking the plunge, hoping to not look like a fool and to not get scratched, Rengoku ducks his head down and maneuvers himself to tilt the beads so it can slip up and down to his neck.

And, surprisingly, it works. It's snug against his fur, albeit bulky and offsetting. He feels the need to lean forward, and resists that urge by sitting down, tail flicking. 

Ah, really... he feels a bit ridiculous.

He looks towards Akaza, who's pupils have widened so much that they're practically completely black. Rengoku's ears tilt sideways in alarm, leaning his body away, but nothing happens.

Akaza just... stares. 

.. and doesn't stop.

Rengoku shifts uncomfortably. 

... Upper Moon 3 continues to stare. Rengoku thinks maybe he should put the anklet down. Maybe underneath his sword, so they can be safe together.

'Um, if.. you don't mind,' Rengoku says, very glad that he's unable to blush, and moves to walk back towards his sword. Gently, he slips back out of it and nudges it so it lays by the tree his weapon is stuck in. 

Rrrrrrriiinnng, mrirrw?

Rengoku looks at Akaza who is sitting leisurely and watching him in turn. His eyes look more normal now. He thinks that he shouldn’t go near the beads again.

He also thinks that they should get going now. Even though the sun has yet to rise, it doesn't mean that it won't. Neither of them have food to begin with, so they're running on empty rations. Not to mention, the forest isn’t exactly the safest place for creatures as small as them. So, a journey awaits.

‘All right, Akaza,’ Rengoku sighs. ‘How do you feel about following me?’

z--z

Akaza is having so much fun. Sure, the initial transformation wasn't great and it was shocking, but there are quite a few advantages of being a cat.

As soon as he’s assessed himself, he turns to Kyoujurou, and almost gasps. The slayer is a large cat, brilliantly colored with warm oranges and whites, with stripes so dark that they look red, even in the moonlight. Honestly, there was no doubt for him that his slayer had turned into a cat. They look incredibly similar, and he would’ve laughed if he wasn’t one, too. He also looks incredibly fluffy, and it’d be a crime to not just lie on top of him.

So he does.

And Kyoujurou lets him. That’s the first advantage.

The second advantage is that he's unable to feel the tie between him and his creator, and he assumes that it's because he's a cat. Which is a very interesting thought, but not one he pays too much attention to.

( what's the chance he'll become a cat again, anyways? He's no shifter, so it's best to enjoy it while he can. )

Honestly, he's not in much of a rush to turn back. He'd have thought Kyoujurou would be a lot more panicked, though, considering how he tends to overthink. The slayer is.. surprisingly calm.  Kyoujurou has yet to move, yet to pace, blink rapidly or do other panicky things. Kyoujurou tends to get stressed out and spiral when he works himself up too much, which happens more often than you’d think. Right now he’s just.. listless.

Maybe...

'..I wonder if the demon art made you an actual cat?' He wonders out loud. He’s known his slayer for quite a while, and there are too many discrepancies for Kyoujurou to just be shell-shocked. 

He doesn't get a response. Other than the initial ‘what the fuck,’ Akaza’s not too interested in sparking up conversation, even though he’s aware of Kyoujurou speaking.

Well… “speaking” might be too strong of a word. Since Kyoujurou is a cat, he also sounds like a cat. Absent-mindedly, Akaza wonders if they’ll be able to communicate. So far, he’s yet to understand a single sound coming from the sunset giant, which isn’t really promising.

Figures, though, since cats don’t have the ability to communicate in human language. The disappointment in being unable to communicate makes Akaza lower his chin to Kyo's head, making himself at home.

For now, it’s best to assume Kyoujurou is just another house cat. It’d be dangerous to rely on him without a clear answer as to whether or not he’s retained his sense of self.

‘I think I might be screwed,’ Akaza comments.

Kyoujurou only tilts his head sideways a little before lowering himself down for sleep. 

z--z

Akaza's mind blanks as Kyoujurou puts on one of his anklets.

The pink of the beads suits Kyojurou so well, it's insane that he never thought of giving them to his slayer before. Granted, those were his, and at the beginning of their relationship they weren't exactly friendly with each other. Plus, his anklets were sort of the thing you didn’t easily think of giving away, similar to Kyoujurou’s haori.

'Another point for cats,' he mumbles out loud, before jumping up to press himself against his slayer.

Truth be told, he'd love to laze around and do nothing. There aren't any pressing matters for him to attend to, especially since Kyo is already here. Plus, without the tie to Him, he doesn't need to search for a stupid flower, nor worry about sudden summonings.

However.. the sun is beginning to rise. And Akaza isn't quite sure if he's able to enjoy the sun, even if he is a cat. With how much that’s changed, he’d probably be able to enjoy sunlight for the first time, but that doesn’t mean his instincts have magically washed away.

He needs to find a cave, which luckily there is one nearby, but he's not sure how to... coerce Kyoujurou into following him. When he looks up, he sees Kyo already a few steps away, looking back at him.

Mroww, rrrio?

Akaza tilts his head.

'You don't even know where to go,' Akaza looks at the other cat incredulously. 'Are you trying to be the leader?'

His attitude seemed to transfer through well enough, because the sun incarnate seems to roll his eyes. He doesn't move towards Akaza.

... the audacity?

Akaza can't move towards Kyoujurou to pull him to where Akaza wants to go, because he knows he'll start walking away. Akaza will not give his slayer that win.

'I know what you're doing,' Akaza says, 'and it won't work!'

Mow, mrowww

'Don't use that tone of voice with me..!'

Kyo threatens him by taking a step back, like the threat is enough to sway him. Which isn't even true. He's not that attached to him, like he'll blindly go wherever the slayer will go.

Which is why he takes his own step back. Kyoujurou hisses in response, and Akaza easily mirrors it in return.

'I'm going to fucking burn if I stay here, you stupid cat!' Akaza yells. He can feel his fur fluff up, and he hopes the stupid cat across from him can get the fucking message.

Kyo pauses, and then lets out a ' mrowwwmm .' The way he seems to put emphasis on it makes Akaza think that Kyoujurou is saying something rather important.

....

Right. Whatever that means. 

Akaza groans, but he doesn't give in. He can't , because the sun is still rising, and he doesn't actually want to see if he'll burn alive. What can make Kyoujurou be convinced…? He has no food, neither of them are immediately in danger, and shit he forgot Kyoujurou was an actual cat and probably things that would convince human him wouldn’t interest cat him.

What do cats like? Something… like, fast movements? Something like a game? Like a chase. Cats love that, don’t they?

'Kyo, you gotta follow me, alright?' He tries, backing away into the shadows. 'Two is always better than one, even if you're just a cat, and could potentially become baggage.’

Kyoujurou leans forward a little, eyes locked on to Akaza. He really hopes this is going to work.

'I'm sure your home is over this way, too' Akaza lies, pressing himself to the ground. It was a low move, but it had to be done. Plus, there's no guarantee that his slayer even knows what he's saying.

Kyo takes a step forward. Akaza scoots back.

Just a little more,' he mutters.

Kyo begins to slowly walk forward. And Akaza lets him, not moving at all. When the orange cat is a few steps away, Akaza bolts, springing himself away with as much force as he can muster.

He takes a moment to look back, and just as he hoped, Kyo was hot on his trail. He's glad his plan worked. “Plan” might be too strong of a word, though, because Akaza didn’t really know what he was doing.

MOWwwwwwwwwwwrr

Akaza skids as he turns, birds flying off as he jumps and dodges, all while running from the larger cat who's getting closer each leap and bound.

For all the nervousness of not knowing if the sun would erase his existence, and not knowing how far his slayer would chase him, Akaza is having so much fun. The wind through his fur feels nice, and jumping over rocks and tree roots, scaring birds and frogs, is a needed change of pace. His smaller frame allows him to slip through spaces Kyoujurou is either forced to barrel into or to avoid. The first time his slayer had to frantically skid to an almost stop to avoid slamming into a large tree root, Akaza laughed so hard he tripped and fell.

However, Kyoujurou's larger frame is also an advantage. As they run, there have been a few incredibly close calls. Each time, Akaza is just better and escapes each pounce, but he knows it's not going to work every time. It's thrilling, in a way that feels very similar to when he's fighting with Kyo, but maybe that's just because he likes his slayer. 

'Eat this, loser!' He crows as he purposefully kicks up dirt into Kyoujurou's face when he gets too close. He cackles as the slayer stumbles, and wonders how it sounds to the other feline. 

He hopes the taunt carries over. 

And it must have, because there's exactly five seconds of silence before the world tilts. Kyo tackles Akaza with such force that they go rolling over the forest floor, and skid to a stop under a rather large tree.

They didn't make it to the cave, and Akaza doesn't think that he could make the same maneuver successfully, but he doesn't mind. In fact, he's laughing, breathless in the face of such delight. Things don't seem too bad right now.

Kyo flops on him, completely engulfing Akaza's smaller frame, and the demon has the ffleeting recognition that he's never felt so safe.

Rowwwwwwmowmowmowwmmmm , Kyo scolds, teeth flashing.

'Alright, alright, fine,' he concedes, freeing an arm to lightly pat Kyo's head. The pats must soothe his slayer because Kyoujurou eventually peters off into a quiet purr.

He thought Kyo would get off of him after a few moments, since the whole chase was over. The exhilaration is starting to seep into exhaustion, and they’re far from their starting point and where they were supposed to be. 

....

His personified sun-turned-cat does not move.

'Um? You..... gonna move?' He feels like he's learned his lesson well enough by now (he'll do it again). 

He shifts, trying to get Kyo to take the hint, but all it earns him is a glare and weight doubling down on him.

Fucking cat. 

By now, the sun has traveled far enough that rays of dawn have lightly filtered over the forest. It's rather pretty, and Akaza finds himself entranced. He lets the colors of the forest catch his attention, because focusing on the cat on top of him won't do anything.

Watching the cold tones of the forest warm under the sun fills him with some sort of emotion he can't name.

'Guess this is another point for cats, Kyo,' Akaza says. 'Since this is all happening with you, maybe I'll add another point.'

He struggles against Kyo to free his other arm, and it's a bit of an unnecessary wrestle-- Kyo's never been this clingy before, ever-- but he doesn't give up because it feels a little stuffy with his arms trapped.

He can feel his tail flick side to side, and he can feel the rumble of his own purr. The whole situation is a bit surreal, but he's not complaining. 

As the dawn breaks over the world, his eyes close. 

Softly, he falls asleep for the first time in centuries.

x--x

Of course, Akaza refuses to listen and stay still even as a cat. He has always acted like a cat though, so Rengoku supposes that wouldn't be much of a change.

His heart nearly burst out of his chest in surprise when Akaza ran. Does his demon even know where to go?? Does he magically have a built-in map in his cat brain?

Stupid cat.

Not to mention, he's always doing show off-y maneuvers. He's going to get hurt one day, and when that happens, Rengoku isn't going to be there to patch him up. His ego needs to be taken down a notch or two, anyways.

It doesn't take too long for Akaza to drift off into sleep after being pinned down. Which is a bit surprising because he was so energetic mere minutes ago. 

Rengoku is a bit of an expert in dealing with Akaza though, if he says so himself. For example, Akaza is always moving, fiddling, doing something and just refuses to stay still. However, it can be countered with a source of physical warmth. Give him a cup of warm tea, sit him in front of the fire, sit next to him close enough (though it's a 50/50 on that one), and he'll just melt into silence.

It could also be because he's a cat now, though. Rengoku is no cat expert, but he's pretty sure cats tend to sleep often, and that semases cats are no exception.

The way his energetic demon melts is... dare he say, endearing. Like he's always surprised to be given any source of warmth, and in turn cherishes it with all his attention and focus.

It makes him seem.. younger. Like a child, full of wonder. (Sometimes, seeing his surprise hurts.)

All of this goes to say that he knows how Akaza works. He's quite proud of himself for that, because who else can say they know how to counter Upper Moon 3?

The thought makes him look down at the cat beneath him. Soft and peaceful. What a sight for sore eyes.

Absent-mindedly, he wonders if there will be any side effects. The blood art is clearly pretty powerful, and with how Upper Moon 3 is reduced to this, there's no way Akaza is getting out of this unscathed.

The thought makes him laugh unapologetically.

As he thinks, he gets off of Akaza to instead nestle next to him. He's not tired, and he needs to think about where to go next. Trying to get Akaza to follow him in the first place wasn't successful, but maybe he just needed this run to cooperate. 

Rengoku scoffs to himself, thinking about how Akaza can still be a little shit, taunts clearly ringing through even as a semases.

There's no guarantee that Akaza won't be like this every time they need to move, which will get difficult incredibly fast. There won't be any progress if they don't get out of the forest, not to mention the energy they wasted that'll need to be replenished..

If only there's a way he could move Akaza in a way without any squirrely moments..

.. Rengoku looks at Akaza, sleeping soundly.

An Akaza who is unlikely to move around a lot, or suddenly run off..

Rengoku stands up abruptly, and leans over the sleeping cat. He's found one solution, but how to execute it...

He can... pick him up by the back of the neck? He's seen mother cats do that to her young, and it's always been effective. Plus, he's large enough to not drag Akaza against the ground.

.... hopefully.

With no other option, Rengoku carefully takes the scruff of Kaza's neck, and lifts him up.

It's… not as easy as it looks. Akaza has muscle under his fur-- an odd balance he thinks only Kaza can accomplish-- which balances his smaller frame quite well for a fight. Not for picking him up while he sleeps because he's too annoying to deal with while awake. 

Unfortunately, Rengoku isn't large enough and Akaza isn't small enough for this to work. Even without being able to look at himself, Rengoku knows he looks ridiculous. Gently, he places his companion back down in mild frustration.

'Well,' he sighs, 'there's nothing else we can do until you wake up.' He wishes there was something he could do, because sitting and doing nothing wasn't his forte.

There's little he can do to amuse himself, especially now that his things have vanished and he's currently a cat. Which doesn't really make sense. The only items he's dropped are his haori and his sword. His clothes, shoes, and even his sheath have disappeared.

Similarly, Akaza has only dropped his haori and his anklets. It's not like the demon had much on him anyways, so maybe it's not the smartest to compare each other. 

He just hopes that when he turns back, he'll still have them attached. ( the more he thinks about it, the more desperately he hopes. )

After a few minutes of switching between mental topics, Rengoku wonders about Akaza's cat form. At first glance, and honestly several glances after, he'd never think this cat was Upper Moon 3. Rengoku, as far as he knows, has the same sort of color scheme as his human form.

Akaza is white, black, and grey, with the prettiest blue eyes he's ever seen. It looks nothing like him.

The only similarity is that cat Akaza has three bands around his front legs, similar to demon Akaza's lines. It's not terribly obvious, though. In fact, the bands are only a few shades darker. To be honest, they look pretty. 

But, it just doesn't make sense. Kyo, as a human, resembles himself as a cat pretty well, but Akaza, as a demon, is so different. Is that on purpose?

Also, what kind of demon blood art turns people into cats, anyways...

Thank goodness the demon died. At least all they have to do now is wait it out. If both of them were cats, and the demon had survived... Rengoku shivers at the thought.

Realistically, he wouldn't have to rely on Akaza to kill the demon if only he was a cat, but the other pillars were incredibly busy all of the time and he couldn't just bother them as he pleased, and then also wait for them to realize and come up with a solution. Akaza, by comparison, is just.. easier.

And, he's... well.. Akaza has seen more of Rengoku's true self than anybody else. Surely turning into a cat wouldn't be too much for the demon.

A little shy at the thought, though content all the same, Rengoku leans back as he waits for Akaza.

x--x

Akaza has long since woken up, but the run must've been what he needed, because he followed after Rengoku pretty easily.

He doesn't take an eye off of him, though. Restless cat doesn't know how to stay in one place, even while walking.

Multiple times Rengoku allows himself to be led into a run, chasing after Akaza and vice versa, though it's never for too long, and they never stray off too far from the direction they're heading in.

It's nice. Rengoku would never have allowed himself to have this sort of freedom as a human. It's a complicated thought, one he's trying not to think about too hard. To make himself feel better, he's just a cat who is unable to fulfill his Hashira tasks.

He's just a cat who's trying to fix this cat state they've been dropped into. He can have a little freedom.

And, with Akaza next to him, it's hard to be serious the whole time. He's very talkative, which is another trait that's passed over. He chatters as he bounces around, and Rengoku wonders what he's talking about.

Even though it's a silly thought, he hopes Akaza isn't talking about anything interesting. He's just a cat who doesn't even know he's the fourth strongest demon in the world, but Rengoku can't help it. He's always tended to listen more than chatter incessantly, especially towards Akaza who just wouldn't shut up.

'Mhmm,' he agrees when Akaza looks over to him. Right now, he's pretending that Akaza is talking about cherries. Why cherries? He doesn't know. It seemed like a good topic of conversation that could last a good few minutes.

He changes the mental topics every time Akaza's intonation and pitch changes. It's a fun game, and it keeps him attentive to Akaza and helps him think on the spot. A win-win situation. 

'Actually, I disagree,' Rengoku says when Akaza goes, 'mrrrrrrowowoww. ' He gets a look, and can't help but give one back. He'd raise an eyebrow if he could. 

Mowwrr? Mrrp?

'I've never given that thought. You give an interesting perspective, Akaza.'

Merowww, mowmowmao.

'I think only you would say something like that.'

Hiss..

'..I apologize. That was.. a little rude.'

Maow! Rrrring?

'What do I think of oranges? Well...'

z--z

The two manage to reach a town by sundown. They only get there so fast because Akaza had a rather unconventional realization that he doesn't burn in the sun.

He did that by waking up slowly, confused as to why things are so bright and why he's so warm. The answers revealed themselves pretty quickly when he opened his eyes and was immediately greeted with a yellow orb in the sky. He yowls so loud in fright that Kyo gives him a hard smack in the face. 

He feels bad enough that he follows Kyo without a word when his slayer walks away. The silence doesn't last for long, which they both knew was inevitable, but over the hours of moving, it dwindles down.

At long, long last, the pair stops at the edge of a clearing. In front of them stands human civilization, standing tall and proud. Akaza is not excited.

'Glad you knew where you were going,' Akaza says, watching Kyo. How'd a cat know where humans would be? Was it pure luck?

The blank stare he gets in return makes him think that yes , it was pure luck.

For fuck's sake...

'You're fucking lucky, I hope you know that,' he sighs, and walks forward without looking back. He can't believe he trusted the orange cat for this long. He can't believe that he forgot Kyo didn't have his usual sparkling intelligence as a human.

Embarrassing. He'd have been at fault if they ended up stranded in the middle of nowhere. 

Maoooouuuuuuuu

'You wish,' Akaza sneers, and starts walking faster. There's no way he's letting the other cat take the lead. He's not going to fool around as he waits for their luck to run out, especially not in the company of humans.

He knows that his mood has turned a complete 180, but it's not as if he could explain himself. They'll be safe as long as he keeps an eye on Kyoujurou. 

Determined to avoid as much human contact as possible, Akaza jumps up to get a higher view to watch over the humans below. If there's one positive thing about encountering humans, it's that they're foolish and stupid. As cats who are in need of food, it's almost pathetically easy.

Akaza's had a lot of experience in stealing, but the problem is his lovely companion. Ignoring his size and color, Akaza could bet that Kyo had never even thought of stealing. There’s no guarantee that some part of High and Mighty, Righteous, Do-Gooder Kyo won’t come out and make everything unnecessarily hard.

Not like he could ask now.

He glances at Kyo before carefully treading onwards, making sure to stay out of the humans' range and to keep Kyo safely behind him. The layout of towns and villages are always the same. Some stalls on the outskirts to try and catch travelers with the more popular inns and businesses thriving in the center.

Food isn't as out in the open anymore, unfortunately. Instead, it stays hidden within the walls of homes and walled off stalls. It'd be hard to infiltrate as a human, but as a cat, he'd have more leniency.

'Right there,' Akaza says as he comes to a stop, 'is the place we'd probably have the most success in.'

He chose it for two reasons. The first is that Kyoujurou used to be a human who could eat food, so there wouldn't be a backlash if, say, Akaza ate it. Second reason is because the food here seemed the best for a cat to eat and digest. 

Both of the reasons were for his slayer, and the thought of potentially not eating didn't bother Akaza. He was always pretty good at staying sharp and on his toes despite having to constantly stave off his hunger. And, he's not even sure if he could eat human food, cat or not.

He would probably be fine eating human food, based on how his tie to Him is severed and how he doesn’t burn in the sunlight, but he’s gone so long without it that it just.. lost its appeal. There’s no way he’d be a cat for super long anyways, so if his stomach capacity changed, it’d be fine when he turned back.

Mrrrrow ?

Kyo comes to sit next to him, large and looming from where they sit. A few children look up at them and point. Guess that Kyo couldn’t really blend in even if he wanted to…

'Let's go get you some food,' Akaza sighs after a moment, hopping down from his perch. They're headed to an outdoor inn that's serving food. He thinks there's a specific name for it, but he doesn't know it, or really care to know it.

As he walks, he thinks about how to accomplish their goal. Although it sickens him, he can only think of doing it one way. He'll cuddle up to humans, particularly the younger ones, and hope they have food to spare. Hopefully, Kyo will catch on, and while he's busy dazzling the monkey brains, Akaza will jump up to take larger bites and pieces. 

It's not foolproof, but it's effective. He's seen all sorts of men crumble under the face of a small, fluffy animal. He just hopes his irritation and disgust doesn't show and scare off his victims. 

His determination wavers when he slinks under a table and faces his greatest enemy: children. Even worse, he can tell that this child is particularly messy. Crumbs line the floor, the seat, and even a bit of the child's legs.

It's for a good cause. It's for a good cause, it's for a really, really good cause--

'I hate you!' Akaza chirps as he rubs along a leg, trying not to cry. 'Please give us good food!'

A small head peeks down under the table, wide eyed and full of surprise. A mess of food is pressed against the child's face and Akaza does his best not to flinch.

'Be convinced, be convinced and let us leave!'

Quickly, the head disappears. Moments later, a chubby hand leans down with a small plate of chicken. Good.

'Alright,' Akaza sighs, turning to Kyo. He pushes the plate forward, and then turns his attention back to his enemy.  Something like fear churns in his stomach when he sees chubby, greasy hands reach down again. 

As the child attempts to pet Akaza, Kyo eats the chicken. In typical Kyo fashion, he's loud as he chews.

Mow! Mmnomnom, maou! Rrrrrrrrrrmew!

He can practically hear the words Kyo would've said if he could. How.. repetitive. But today, it's his saving grace as he tries his best to focus on that instead.

Focus on Kyo.

Focus. On Kyo.

FOCUS--

Akaza hopes Kyojurou will eat faster. It feels like there are bugs crawling all over him, and the kid's fingers are greasier than he'd initially thought. Akaza feels like he might vomit. 

Yet, he stays in excruciating agony until the last piece of chicken disappears, to which he promptly flees to a different table. He doesn't wait for Kyo to swallow his food, or to catch up. Frantically, he tries to scratch the feeling of torment off of himself. He hates humans, especially unsanitary ones. Gross!

'Children are even worse,' he complains out loud. 'Kyo, you better be thankful I'm doing this for you!'

He's going to have to bury himself alive. He's going to have to BURN his fur off, or shave it, or take an incredibly long bath in a river. Do river cats exist? Upper Moon 3 is going to have to go into seclusion, whether He likes it or not. He hates children. He hates humans.

His desperate actions are put on hold when a tongue runs over his forehead. He looks up, and suddenly Kyo is right in front of him. He's purring, pressing close to Akaza, attempting to soothe him.

'Glad you're thankful,' he grumbles, and leans into the orange cat. His discomfort must have really shown if Kyo's going to these lengths to comfort him. Or maybe the food just tasted really good and he's showing his thanks..

Ah. Akaza really hopes Kyo doesn't have any grease he's spreading on him....

He lets this go on for a few seconds longer before softly pushing Kyo away. They look at each other for a moment before Kyoujurou moves to catch the attention of one of the humans sitting at the table they're under.

Akaza is very thankful that he doesn’t have to do this one. He watches the slayer work a little before turning to survey their next victim. He trusts that his sunset will get things done right.

Close to them is a table with two old humans that Akaza thinks he should be able to steal from. Across from them is a table of three children and a woman. Yikes , she's handling them alone? How gruesome.. Off to their side is a young couple, and it looks like he'd be able to get a few scraps from there, too.

As he thinks, a thought suddenly pops into his mind. Kyo.. has a tendency to eat a lot.

Like. A lot.

... is there even enough food here to satisfy his monstrous appetite? His black hole of a stomach? Forget him not eating anything, at this rate, Kyo might starve before the night ends.

Worried, he turns back to Kyo, voice in his throat only for it to die down when he sees a plate next to him, untouched, guarded by Kyo who's watching him curiously.

'You...?' He's a little confused. How long had he been waiting for? Did he need the assurance that Akaza would protect him from the humans? Akaza would without question , but maybe that didn’t come across clearly enough?

The orange cat pushes the plate forward, and immediately Akaza understands. Something in his heart twinges, and he feels a little guilty.

'You definitely need more food than I do,' Akaza laughs, looking at the plate. It has more food than the last table, piled up generously. He pushes the plate back, head tilted.

Mrrrrrrrrm wrow

Kyo takes a bite, swallows, then stares at Akaza expectantly again. 

'Go on, you can eat...' Akaza says, but Kyo doesn't move. They.. stare at each other awkwardly.

…why is Kyo like this.. So stubborn, and for what... 

'I don't even know if I can eat.' Akaza says, leaning away.

And yet, Kyo still doesn't move. Damn the stupid language barrier, there's no way for him to convince the cat with reason, or without both of them starving. Guess that High and Mighty, Righteous, Do-Gooder Kyo came out in a way he didn’t expect.

He glares at Kyo, trying to communicate his unwillingness, but it must have no effect because the other cat doesn't even blink.

The humans occupying the table shift, and Akaza knows that time is running out. Either they'd get discovered by this whole family soon, or another set of possibly worse humans will claim this table. Neither is favorable for him.

'Eat , you stupid cat!' Akaza grits, pushing the plate closer to Kyo. Without breaking eye contact, Kyo pushes the plate back. 

The table rattles again. The voices get louder. One of them needs to take action, and it needs to be now. And of course it has to be him, because he's the only one between them that has the brain cell.

UGHHHHHHH, Akaza is going to lose his mind, he swears.

Fine! He'll try some stupid human food, and then throw it up right on Kyo to prove his point. He hopes if the slayer remembers anything, it's this.

He hisses at Kyo, to ensure the other feline knows how he feels clearly, and leans down. He's hesitant to eat. He hates the feeling of throwing up, how he can't breathe as he tears up. Plus, this stuff doesn't even.. look appetizing. It's just mush.

He thinks about just opting out, but when he glances at Kyo, he dashes that thought. Like a rather rabid dog waiting for its food, Kyoujurou is focused on Akaza. 

Creepy cat..

Holding his breath, he takes the plunge.

The first thing that he feels when he takes a bite is warmth. He chews hesitantly, trying to decide if he likes the taste or not. It's not bad, per say, it's just.. weird.

He swallows, and waits for the inevitable feeling of sickness that's going to roll around in his stomach. He hopes Kyo is fucking prepared, mentally equipped or not.

Kyo watches him, and then leans down to take his own bite. The bastard looks smug, but Akaza refuses to look away. Just to make an even bigger mess later, and because he refuses to let Kyo win, he takes another bite himself.

Too caught up in the one-sided competition, Akaza doesn't notice that they finish off the plate together.

x--x

The sleeping arrangements are pretty simple. They've curled into each other to save warmth, with Akaza taking the first watch. 

Logically, Rengoku knows that he's unable to fulfill his duties as a Hashira, much less a new demon slayer, but it's been ingrained in him to be wary. He doesn't feel comfortable being so defenseless in the first place, either.

Out in the middle of nowhere like this, the only other person Rengoku could trust to watch his back has also been turned into a cat. Things are great.

He resigned himself to staying up all night, when Akaza positioned the both of them with Rengoku leaning on the demon, both of them against a corner, with Akaza looking out to keep watch. 

'You... you did that on purpose,' Rengoku questions, though it's more of a statement. 

Mrrrrrp? Mau?

 and maybe it's just him but Akaza sounds so confident and assured and Rengoku feels a little breathless at the show of caution. He supposes that Upper Moon 3 was always a street cat, afterall. Always on edge, always wary and ready to fight. It shouldn't be a surprise for him to be cautious as well.

'Thank you, Kaza,' he says. He makes himself comfortable, rests his head on Akaza and curls his tail around the demon.

Still a little wary, but trusting Akaza, Rengoku falls asleep. It's warm, soft, comfortable, safe, and with someone Kyo can rely on, even if he's not the same. Even as a cat, Akaza is very intelligent.

Eyes drooping, body relaxing, Kyo falls asleep as Akaza takes watch.

When he dreams, it's of nothing in particular. He and his semases laze around in this town they’ve found, free of stress and worries. At one point, the other pillars show up as cats one by one, and together they play around all day. It’s… incredibly nice.

When Rengoku wakes up to Akaza's gentle nudging hours later, he shelves the regret of waking up for later. As soon as they turn back, he’ll have to write the dream down so he can remember it. Little things like this always seem to keep him going the longest.

Once he’s fully awake, he notices that the alleyway is packed with thick fog. He can't even see the beginning of the alleyway, much less a few feet in front of him, and he wonders how long it’s been there. Is this a normal occurrence?

Unable to even go looking for that answer, he decides to keep the both of them as close to the wall as possible. He stands up, stretches, and then shifts positions so it's reversed with Akaza now laying on Rengoku.

'Sleep, Kaza,' he whispers. He's not really sure if the demon is "sleeping" or if he's just… Rengoku doesn't know, spacing out? Akaza has said before that demons don’t need to sleep, but he never said that they can’t.

Hmm. There's still so much Rengoku needs to learn about his demon. He just hopes there's enough time to learn it.

The last thought makes Rengoku determined to stay vigilant. Even if they are destined to be doomed in the future, Flame Hashira Rengoku Kyoujurou will let Akaza and himself rest for today. It's the least he can do.

For the first hour, Rengoku waits with patience. He is quiet, unmoving, and unbothered. He can feel his ears twitch every so often, taking in any new noises and smells that come across them. It's a little weird, but he's gotten used to it by now

For the second and third hour, Rengoku lets himself daydream. Most of the time passes with him talking to his mother and brother, while the rest is a mix of wondering what he'd do next as a cat with Akaza, which then leads back to his dream. Little details are slipping through already, so Rengoku takes more effort wondering what kind of cat his friends would be.

The fourth hour is when the silence is disturbed. Immediately Rengoku is on edge, shifting closer to his demon, fur puffing up. Whatever is approaching them doesn’t sound loud, nor particularly angry, but he hopes that it doesn’t find them.

He waits, pressed low to Akaza, making them as small as he can get. Only a few moments later does a black shape emerge into view. It’s rather small, and when it wanders closer, Rengoku can see that it is also a cat.

Rengoku makes a noise of warning to let it know that it’s being watched and to not try anything. Immediately, bright yellow eyes make contact with him. The black cat pauses, looking like it’s making up its mind before it lays down. It does not break eye contact.

‘It’d be best if you don’t come closer,’ Rengoku warns. The cat does not reply. 

Eventually the cat lowers its head. Nearly another hour passes before the cat is fast asleep. Finding himself taking care of another cat, Rengoku sighs. The cat clearly trusted them to not attack, so now he can’t just leave it to fend for itself.

2 more hours pass. Alone, he watches the sunrise.

z--z

Akaza is surprised to find a member joining their party, but he can’t really complain. There was the obligatory, ‘who the fuck did you let in,’ as soon as he saw the black cat, but he quieted after he saw Rengoku glance at him. The guy probably felt bad for it or something, and then felt obligated to protect it.

Which means that Akaza can’t make a fuss about it because that would mean inevitably getting into a fight. It’s fine, he can deal with it.

He'll deal with it. 

Even if the black cat seems particularly interested in him, he'll endure.

The third time that the black cat pressed against Akaza, Kyo forced his way between them. Akaza was a little surprised he was so wary of the cat, since he's never done that before. Could be that they're usually alone when they meet, though.

'Thank you, Kyo,' Akaza says, nuzzling into thick orange fur. He peeks around his protective slayer to look at the black cat, who's looking at Kyo.

Following its line of sight, Akaza can see Kyojurou flashing his teeth in warning. It does the trick for a while, probably because Kyo is practically on top of him most of the time to keep the other cat away, so that Akaza can focus on other things.

Other things like food. Since their last visit was so successful, Akaza chose the same place. As he surveys the area again, he notices something. A good number of other cats have gathered around the edges of the establishment, and a few small dogs, too.

As soon as they spotted him and his group, a few of the bolder ones led the way towards him. 

Mrrr?

Rriing?

Maomu, rrrri?

'Oh fuck,' says Akaza. He steps back in surprise and right into Kyo. Looking up, he can see the other cat just as confused as he is. 

Maiowww, mrrm , Kyo says, looking down at him. Akaza can't help but think he’s being accused of doing something.

'Hey , I wasn't the one to do this! I have no idea what they want..' As he trails off, something clicks.

Turning back, Akaza studies the black cat that followed them this morning. It looks healthy, but it's body language is impatient. Turning to survey the group that came towards him, he can see that they're thinner.

And, yesterday, Akaza was aware that they weren't the only two cats around. He just didn't think there were so many around.

'I didn't know you guys were so smart as to figure out that I was the mastermind,' he mumbles. All of the cats were looking for a leader to profit off of, but Akaza's not too sure he can fulfill that role. Right now, his decision is to stick with the moral obligation, or to care only for himself and Kyo…

Akaza turns to Kyo for an answer. The orange cat's head is tilted as he looks down, sunlight hitting his eyes and making them deeper, fur practically glowing, and he can already hear his voice telling him to have some compassion for a few unfortunate cats.

Rrrruu? Rengoku asks, blinking slowly at Akaza who’s glaring back.

…. dammit Kyo!

Guess he has to take care of this fucking bunch. Kyo would probably want him to do it or whatever, and the bunch of animals would probably find him anyway if he ran.

Akaza sighs so deeply that it turns into a yawn. He's not ready for this. He’s going to regret this, and he’s never going to live it down.

'Alright!' He yells, capturing the attention of the group around him. 'Sit your asses down and let me count.'

4…

8…

13…

16.

There are 16 mouths he has to feed, and he already knows that one of them has a straight up void of a stomach.

' Fuck you for giving me morals,' Akaza hisses at Kyoujurou before turning to walk toward the largest table he can see.

He regrets everything. 

x--x 

So. Somewhere along the line, Akaza decided to take on the responsibility of 15 other cats.

.. huh?

Well, Rengoku is glad that they're able to take care of them ( with a side eye towards the original black cat ) but this seems like a little too much. 

It is cute how the cats hang on to Akaza's every movement and sound like children, but he knows that it's already starting to stress Akaza out. Woes of now deciding to have moral obligations, he supposes.

Once Akaza has taken the brunt of 3 examples to show the others how it's done, Rengoku stands in front of Akaza, creating a physical barrier between him and them. 

'It's your turn now,' he says, hoping to sound commanding and to get the intention across, before herding Akaza to a different table. 'Thank you,' he says when they're alone. 'I'll take it from here.'

And he does, and he can tell Akaza is grateful for it. Rengoku just hopes there's enough food for all of them to eat before the people decide that enough is enough.

Everything is going smoothly, up until a certain cat both bothers them. To no surprise, Rengoku sees that black cat, ready to probably mooch off of Akaza.

Rengoku hisses in warning, and stands as tall as he can, fur puffing up to scare this damn cat away.

The cat, too greedy for its own good, stops. Rengoku is almost satisfied with the warning, until he can see when it catches sight of Akaza. He knows when that happens, because it gives a different pause than before, and then runs toward Rengoku's demon. 

To make it worse, Rengoku watches as it tries to sway Akaza on its side for only a moment, before swooping down to eat mouthfuls of their food!

'I warned you,' Rengoku hisses, deciding in that moment to rush forward, stand on his hind legs, and slam down with his front paws directly on top of the black cat's back.

Food flies as the plate rattles, and the black cat whirls around in irritation and surprise, hiss slipping out, but Rengoku does not care.

Looming above it, fiery in color and pissed off, Rengoku-- who meant to whisper, but rather shouted instead-- says, 'Leave us, you fucking leech of a cat! Don't forget that I saw you steal from others around you! Consistently!! Have you no shame!?' 

The volume and rage seems to frighten the cat, because it cries out and wiggles to be free of Rengoku. As soon as the pressure lightens the smallest amount, the cat is gone, running off into the distance. 

'Good riddance,' he declares. The moment is about to catch up to him, specifically the part where he did that in front of Akaza, when the people at the table raise a fuss.

"I don't want no damn cats fighting under the table!"

"Dad! You can't just--!" 

Rengoku narrowly avoids a kick to the face, and is in the process of contemplating on whether or not to fuck this old man up, when Akaza hastily drags him away.

Needless to say, the rest of their day was not quite as eventful as their morning was. Most of the rest of it was spent calming down, looking at items for sale, eating, and then lazing around. 

The black cat did not come back, and the rest of the others left them alone as they were quick to learn. Rengoku almost feels proud of them.

Eventually, the night overtakes the day as all things were created to end. Like before, Rengoku lays on Akaza, huddled together for warmth, satisfied by the day's events. 

'Goodnight, Akaza,' he says, and then closes his eyes. This time, he does not dream. Or rather, when he wakes up again to Akaza’s gentle nudging, he does not remember dreaming.

When he fully wakes, Rengoku realizes that he doesn’t feel very good. In fact, he turns to the side just in case he needs to throw up.

‘Whugh the..’ Eyes blurring rather harshly, which in no way helps the building headache, Rengoku falls face first into something that, while cold, is not the ground.

"Oomf!" Accompanied with a groan, the pain finally begins to subside.

"Oww, what the fuck..."

Head snapping up, Rengoku comes face to face with Akaza. Human Akaza. Ah-- demon Akaza, who's very, very close. 

Their noses are almost touching, and both of them are speechless. Rengoku notices that Akaza's pupils are slit, much like how a cat's eyes are. 

They're pretty..

It takes about 3 seconds of silence for things to start processing for Rengoku, and immediately his face burns red.

"Uhhh.." Kyo starts, rather intelligently. He does not know what to say.

Mroooowwwwww?

Before he can continue to embarrass him further, he's interrupted, and he's so incredibly grateful-- and also confused because he's very sure that neither of them made that noise-- that he's about to change the topic when he notices something black in his peripheral vision.

It was the black cat, who had decided to join them again for another night. Irritation swelling up and overtaking his embarrassment, he hisses, sharp teeth flashing. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he thinks about strangling this stupid cat, but is stopped from doing so with cold hands on his upper arms.

" Kyo! Did you just... hiss? As a human?" Akaza asks, snapping out of his thoughts. His words make the noise falter, and Kyo is suddenly reminded that he is, indeed, human right now.

Hm.

This is..

"... embarrassing," he mumbles to himself, looking down to inspect his hands. He wonders why there was pain this time, and tries to remember what happened the first time. “..must’ve been because I got knocked out..?

Akaza blinks once, twice, at his slayer before reaching out to shoo the cat away. Turning to stare at Kyo again, his mind whirls with the information he was just given. His lovely slayer had hissed, like a cat, as a human. He'd only given a passing thought about lasting side effects, but… .

"Kyo?" A hand comes up to card through Rengoku's hair. It feels nice, and he leans into it as he leaves the bubbling questions in his mind.

( he does not purr, but Akaza does not give up. )

"Hmmm?" He looks up, head tilted.

"Were you... jealous? Of the black cat?" There's this light in Akaza's eyes that Rengoku doesn't like. 

"What?"

"Were you jealous of a cat?"

"Hold on a moment," Kyo says, incredibly flustered because Akaza thinks he's jealous? Of a cat? What a ridiculous thought to even think of thinking. He doesn't have time to spare for such things, not when he has a more pressing issue. "What ever gave you that impression?"

Akaza snorted, and replied with, "You kept trying to physically separate me and that cat. You were so visibly upset that I thought one of us would explode. Plus, with the food? C'mon sunshine, I didn't think--"

"Wait! Wait wait," Rengoku doesn't ever think he'll be able to live this down. He wants to crawl in a hole and disappear for 7 years. "You.. remembered everything?"

"Yes?" Akaza looks confused. "Did... you?"

"...yeah." Something odd settles into the slayer's chest. "You probably retained your sense of self through the transformation, didn't you.

Slowly, Akaza nods. 

Greeaat... so there's a high chance that Akaza was not "just a cat." Rengoku is feeling a lot of unnamed emotions, but he definitely knows that the biggest one is embarrassment. 

"So then, why did you--" 

" So I guess I can rest easy knowing that my slayer likes me enough to get jealous over another cat," Akaza teases, moving a hand to scratch under Rengoku's chin.

" Kaza!" Rengoku is so incredibly warm. He's going to have to retire in order to face the entirety of his flustered mess he's gotten himself into. "This isn't--! I'm not--!!"

Akaza only smiles wider as Rengoku trips over his words. His eyes curve in amusement and the sight makes Rengoku pause.

They hold eye contact again before Akaza leans in closer to his slayer. "I'm honored that you have a nickname for me, Kyo," he whispers, and then leans in to kiss his slayer's cheek.

Rengoku freezes.

…

Akaza freezes.

……..

"You.." even the tips of Rengoku's fingers feel warm right now. He feels so incredibly warm right now that he thinks he could power the sun. 

"I think it's time we go find our stuff!" Akaza hastily interrupts, softly pushing his slayer off of him. He turns away to dust himself off, but Rengoku can still see his red ears.

Ultimately agreeing with him, Rengoku stands up to dust himself off as well. This whole thing was a train wreck from start to finish, but Rengoku wishes it would have lasted just a little bit longer..

He glances at Akaza, who is looking at him again. There's.. something he wants to do, as payback. It's a little hard to do, though, because Akaza is currently without his haori, and Rengoku is almost positive he'd get distracted.

Focus, Rengoku! He tries mentally slapping himself and takes a deep breath.

"Akaza."

"Kyoujurou."

Rengoku turns to Upper Moon 3, determined to not break eye contact. He walks forward, a determined expression on his face, right up to his demon. 

His demon.

Gently cupping Akaza's chin, Rengoku says, "let's go look for our stuff," and then tilts Akaza's head so he can kiss him on the cheek.

It's short and sweet, and as soon as Rengoku lets go of Akaza, he promptly flees. Looking behind, he sees Akaza stunned, wide eyed. He's never seen Akaza so red before, and is filled with satisfaction.

Moments later, which is rather familiar for the both of them, Rengoku is tackled and they both roll to a stop under a tree.

Needless to say, it takes a while for them to get back up.