One of the other things I paid attention to in school, were the legends of Kurahara Haru. He graduated from the Academy after only two years. He was such a good swordsman that he could cut a piece of ice in a water glass without cutting the glass. He once killed a demon with a pencil. Those kinds of rumors.

Of course, I tried to get the truth of him from those who knew him, acquaintances and teachers who fought alongside him. He was the Chosen One, a legendary hero who defeated the Demon King Ozen in one and one combat. Wielding the Kurahara clan’s mighty weapon, the katana Mercy, he cut the monster down on top of the world tree. Most think he died, suffering mortal wounds from the battle. Others, that he left, the pressure of a hero too much for him, leaving behind a seven-year-old daughter. Others say he betrayed humanity, using the power of Anastrid to turn himself into the new demon king. Regardless, the name Kurahara Haru was legendary. And here was a drunken idiot eating all my cake and guzzling beer in a dirty white shirt.

“You’re suppose to be dead.” I said.

“I am.” He said, burping after finishing his beer.

“Did Koryn make it?”

Kurahara sighed, putting down the can he intended to open.

“She’s your friend, right? The other girl there.” Kurahara shook his head.

“Damn it.” I said, punching my pillow. I’d be weeping mess if only I wasn’t so drained.

“Well, your alive now.” He said, putting a fist to my chest. “You’re a fighter, Aidan. Got a lot of fight.” He smiled.

“How do you know my name? And why are you here? How did you find this place?”

“Called student I.D. kid.” He said, waving it in front of me. “Has convenient things like names and address.”

“Koryn made that cake for me.” I said, watching as he dug into it.

“Oh my bad.” He took it, and put it on my lap. He even bothered to get up and get me a fresh fork. “All yours buddy.”

“What happened to me?”

“You got torn to shreds. Luckily, I had one trick up my sleeve. Patched you back together, well mostly. That arm will probably act up pretty badly till you get used to it.”

“Used to it?” I asked, touching the wrapped appendage with my left hand. Something was even more off. The feeling under it was too hard to be skin.

“So I’ll let you rest up. Recover, mentally and physically and the like. I think we’re past the hard stuff. You might even be okay to go to school tomorrow.” He said.

“What? It’s the weekend.”

“Not anymore kiddo. You’ve been out for five days.”

“Five?”

“You were in bad shape. Didn’t think what I did would have worked. If worse came to worse, you could have turned into an Aberrant. A demon I mean. Luckily, you didn’t, so that’s good.” He said, opening another can of beer and sitting on the floor. He grabbed the remote and flicked the T.V. on.

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“What did you do to me?” I said again, even more concerned.

“You’ll figure it out eventually. But I’ll tell you this, that arm, ain’t your arm. Be ready for it. It’ll be a shock.” He said.

I tried to move it again. All I could managed was a faint wiggle of my fingers.

“You’re one of Tsukihi’s friends, right?” He asked, eyes glued on the T.V.

“Friend is a strong word. She’s not exactly fond of me per say.” I said.

“How’d you get that practice sword then? You steal it?” He asked, turning to me, his eyes serious.

“Tsukihi lent it to me. She said I should use it to improve myself. Get strong enough to fight her.”

“She did huh?” Kurahara nodded. “Well, let’s say you should get a little stronger.”

He flicked the T.V off, getting to his feet. Walking over to the corner of the room, he pulled off his black coat from the rack and put it on. The long black sword lay across the kitchen table. He took it, and slung it over his back, before heading to the balcony.

“I’ll come by to check on you every once in a while. Take care kid. Make sure to be friends with my daughter, kay?” He waved me off, before stepping out into the balcony.

“Wait! I still have questions!” I jumped to my feet, only for my legs to immediately collapse under me. He was gone when I looked up.

----------------------------------------

The next morning, a knock came on the door. I got up, peering into the peephole. It was Kurahara Tsukihi, tapping her foot impatiently right outside my door. I cracked it slowly. Kurahara forced her foot through and let herself in.

“Aidan Crow, are you aware you missed school for…” her eyes widened in shock. “Anastrid, you look awful.”

I didn’t answer, but I knew what she meant. I was pale and hagrid, wrapped in bandages. My arm still didn’t respond to me, resting against my body with a sling. My eyes were blood shot, with bags under them. I was a mess.

Kurahara looked down at her feet, biting her lip.

“I heard about what happened to Miss Vell.” She said, not looking up.

A lump formed in my throat. The image of her mangled body, demon feasting on her innards, surged forward into my mind. It erupted, sending numbing quakes through my body. It took everything I had to keep from breaking down.

“I…”

“Please.” I said. “Pleas leave. I don’t… want to talk about it.”

She nodded in agreement. She handed me a paper bag, before turning and leaving without saying a word. I tossed it aside, not interested in looking at its contents. I returned to my dark room, crawling back under my covers, before letting sleep take me again.

Another night, more cold sweats and images of Koryn in my mind, my right arm burning hot. I was haunted, the images echoing in my head. Chained and trapped by my trauma and despair, I couldn’t help but weep at my powerlessness.

“How long are you going to mope around?” Kurahara Haru said. He was sitting in a chair across from me, back against the wall, digging into the bag Tsukihi had brought with a fork. “My daughter has good taste in sweets.” He said as he chewed.

“My best friend died. How’d you expect me to react?” I mumbled; head buried in a pillow.

“By not pitying yourself. Moving forward, knowing she would want you too, for starters. No one likes a depressed downer.”

“Didn’t you hear me?”

“Kid, I lost the woman I loved to a demon. Tsukihi’s mother.”

I peered up from my covers. For the week I had known him, Haru was always smiling, with a soft, relaxed expression constantly on his face. But this, this was the first time I saw anguish on him.

“And she was just one. I’ve lost countless friends and family over the years. It is, unfortunately, the path of the Demon Hunter.” He said. His soft smile returned. “Now come on. Let’s get out this place. Some fresh air will do you some good.”

It took me about thirty minutes to even motivate myself to get dressed. It took longer than usual, as I only had use of one arm. Haru waited patiently the whole time, humming to himself as he leaned against the wall, massive black claymore by his side.

When I was ready, he swung up and over his shoulder with ease, leading the way out.

“Haru.” I said.

“What’s up kid?” He said. He seemed to strut as he walked.

“Where are we going?” I said. I wore my hood up, trying to hide my haggard face.

“Kid, what am I famous for in this entire world?” he turned to me, massive grin on his face. “We’re going Demon hunting.”