New day

 Pale moonlight shone down on the world below. The light of fireflies streaked across the air and crickets croaked. Troubled winds blew past the vast expanse of the wilderness causing Chisuke's hair to flutter. 

 Even in the absence of the light of day he continued to move forward like a madman possessed by a burning desire that pushed him to press on even when others slept.

 He took a step forward, then another. He was determined to continue on his path, only coming to a halt after hearing something. It came from behind him, a dull thud.

 Even without turning around Chisuke was well aware of his surroundings. He was also aware of what had caused the sound, but still. It wouldn't hurt to take a look.

He slowly turned around to see the sight. Lying unconscious on the ground was Sumire, she looked no different from a corpse. 

 At least her eyes were closed. That counted for something. The girl had a habit of fainting with her eyes opened, it was quite disturbing.

 Chisuke turned around after briefly appraising the girl. She wasn't in any danger so he was free to proceed without her. He walked forward.

 It wasn't his fault Sumire had fainted during their journey. Despite all her boastfulness it seemed this was just the limit of her ability, she had simply been done in by nature.

 Chisuke paused momentarily.

"I see."

 He turned back around. It seemed something had been off about his calculations.

 Standing in front of Sumire's unconscious body, Chisuke crouched down to her level. His fingers ran through his hair.

"I forgot people needed to sleep regularly."

 Behind his mask Chisuke spoke with a straight face. He honestly did remember the fact that people had to sleep every night. Going by that logic, Sumire was simply abnormal. It was their second night in the wilderness and the girl had only just collapsed.

 Chisuke stared at the unruly girl. He found it hard to believe that the wild beast could simply stay still, and yet she did. Sumire was surprisingly vulnerable when unconscious, much like all people were. It was Chisuke that was abnormal. 

How did I get stuck babysitting this wild animal?

Chisuke entertained the thought of leaving Sumire behind but quickly dismissed it. For now he was just going to grin and bear it.

 The reaper took a look at his surroundings. He could see nothing but empty land for miles with patches of green here and there dotted by small bushes. There was no sight of a threat.

Perhaps I'll get some rest myself.

Thanks to the nature of his constitution, Chisuke's body never grew weak. When put under strain his muscles simply regenerated, that allowed him to travel without becoming tired, but he was slowly reaching his limit. 

 Chisuke's thoughts were becoming slow and muddled, his reflexes were dull too. He could tell. His mental fatigue was building up. He was long due for a break.

 The swordsman turned around and placed his hand on the hilt of his katana. His grip tightened and then he became still. The overwhelming pressure surrounding him dissipated making him seem like any normal person. Chisuke's eyes were closed, and standing on his feet he was... He was sleeping.

 The night continued in eerie tranquility that threatened to exploded into violence at a moments notice. It did, but surprisingly the calm held. It remained peaceful long enough to give way to dawn. 

 The sun broke past the horizon with it's incandescent rays devouring the darkness. It's light becoming stronger as it rose higher pushing the night into the shadows. 

 Alas, it was morning. 

 The sound of birds chirping and the sun's rays falling upon Sumire's skin made it hard to her to remain asleep. Her eyelids twitched and her body fidgeted until finally her eyes opened.

 The girl was barely lucid. Her already weak arms struggled to push her body off the ground into a sitting position. Her eyes lazily observed her surroundings before landing on the imposing figure standing before her.

 She felt like she was looking at a statue, Chisuke's solid posture led her to think that. Standing a bit past average height for a man, Chisuke towered over Sumire.

 After what seemed like an eternity, the eyes of the unruly girl finally regained their focus. Sumire sat leisurely as she stared at Chisuke's mask. She was still a ways off from being completely lucid, if not it was hard to understand why she didn't attack Chisuke with his back looking so vulnerable.

What? Where... Am I?

Sumire slowly began to become conscious of her surroundings, and with that came a sudden realization. The target of her wrath was standing right before her, his back completely defenseless.

 Sumire quietly rose to her feet. It seemed die to her slightly off base mental state she was able to think more calmly. She didn't scream curses at the top of her voice, she simply held her knife in a reverse grip. Her hand soared above her head and then swiftly declined.

 She had no views on honour, she had no pride. All that mattered was her selfish desire to kill Chisuke, and to achieve that Sumire didn't rule backstabbing out of her options.

 The girl's blade drew closer to Chisuke's back as her mind slowly grew frenzied. 

 Just a bit more and her weapon would pierce Chisuke's back. Her revenge was so close she could practically taste it.

 Behind the dreadful oni mask crimson flames ignited in all their splendor, the reaper awakened. The body of the superior lifeform reacted instinctively to the bloodlust directed at him, his hand drew his katana.

 In one flowing motion Chisuke turned around and deflected the blade of the knife that came upon him. The neck motion was a swing of his sword to Sumire's neck. 

 The odd pair stood motionless for several seconds. A strong, ominous tension brewed between them. 

 What a great way to start the day.