#devil!osomatsu

Don't look back.

Don't fall.

Don't stop.

It's still chasing you.

"Hey, don't you think you should give up already, babe?" The sleazy voice called teasingly, coming from all directions.

Your eyes darted around as you pushed forward, searching desperately for a way to escape the dark forest you had so stupidly stumbled into.

Sweat was dripping down your temple, collecting at the back of your neck. Your breath was hard, heavy and hot, puffing out of your mouth and into the cold air around you.

Your legs were shaking- you could feel it. They were ready to give way and moment. You couldn't let that happen.

Your hands were stretched out in front of you, crashing into any tree trunks that you couldn't see so that you could barely manoeuvre your body out of the way just so you could keep running.

Help. You needed help. You needed someone to help you. Help. Help. Somebody. Anybody. Save me. Please. Get him away from me. I can't keep running. I can't go anymore. Please. Please. Help me.

All the cries and screams caught in your parched throat as you suddenly collapsed to the ground, crashing violently onto the ridged forest ground, your head narrowly missing the hefty root of a nearby tree.

You desperately tried to push your body upwards, only for your arms to shake and shudder before you fell to the ground again. You groaned quietly in pain, feeling the beginnings of a dull throb start to form in your ankle.

Arms pushing against the dirt, you attempted to crawl across the ground instead, gritting your teeth as you tried something, anything, to get away.

The deep, daunting chuckle that echoed around you caused you to freeze. A deep, gut-wrenching feeling wormed its way into your stomach, making you feel sick. You didn't dare move. Too frightened to move an inch.

...All was silent. Too silent. There was no wind. No faint sound of a cricket nearby. No rustling of any bush or leaves. Just. Silent.

Red eyes ahead of you. Gleaming in the dark. Dangerously mesmerising. Blurry as your eyes pricked with tears. This was it. You were going to die here. With no one to care. No one to remember you. No one to find your body- if there would be any remains left of you.

Long, slender hands reached for the [h/c] locks on your head, black chipped nails grazing the scalp of your head—

"Leave the innocent alone, creature of hell!"

A bright light caused you to shut your eyes, burying your face into the crook of your arm.

An inhuman scream threatened to burst your eardrums, but it was all over just as quickly as it had begun.

"[Y/N]!"

The same voice called your name frantically. It was deep, yet soft. Melodious. Like satin sheets and gleaming pearls. Like the sky, lightly decorated with wispy white clouds.

Like the colour blue.

Like...

"K-Kara..matsu..?"

You could only whisper hoarsely as you could barely make out his taller figure kneel down beside you. His hands lifted your body off of the ground, cradling you securely against his chest. You could feel his warmth radiating off of him and see his worried face more clearly.

"Are you alright, my dear?" He asked quickly, already walking hurriedly back to the village.

The moonlight that broke through the mass of trees above you cast a heavenly glow around him. He looked beautiful. Like a dream.

"I was looking for you, but you haven't been home for hours. I'm glad I came to look for you. If I hadn't gotten here sooner, I don't know what I would've done..." his words wavered for a split second as he trailed off, thick brows furrowed.

You were so tired. Your body was slowly shutting down. Karamatsu's gentle voice was lulling you to sleep. You didn't know what he was saying anymore. You were just glad he was there with you. You reached up a shaky hand, fingers lightly brushing against his brown tresses, causing him to look down at you with a small smile.

He was glad you were there too. Alive. Still warm. Still breathing beside him. If he had lost you, there would be a whole other war with him and the devils of the underworld, who had already tormented him for far too long already.

"Thank you, Karamatsu..." you mumbled before drifting off, heading falling against his chest. The slightly quickened pace of his heartbeat (probably because of the adrenaline, you thought) guided you into a much needed slumber.

However, the quickened pace was because of you. The thought of him losing the one he loved most was enough to send him into a frenzy. He didn't want you to leave. He wasn't ready for you to leave him yet.

As he brought you back to his home for the night, tucking you carefully into his bed, brushing the stray leaves out of your hair and cleaning the cuts and grazed on your hands, his determination to get rid of those monsters only became stronger.