Upon reaching the village, you were greeted by a scene of seemingly controlled chaos. Residents were wafting fiery torches around themselves as white, formless creatures darted through the air and across the ground. Members of the local guard were swinging their swords to fend off incoming demons. Near the tavern, Bokuto and Kuroo were tearing down monsters left and right like the trained swordsmen they were, and small, precisely placed explosions of light and fire alerted you of Sakusa's presence somewhere in the mix.

Oikawa was unmistakable in his bright coat, slaying each enemy that approached him with ease, while Terushima shifted into various different shapes to kill the demons without being targeted himself. Meanwhile, Reo had taken on his pure form to throttle any monsters scampering among the crowds of people. Feeling a rush of adrenaline, you found your opening and charged into the fray despite the fact that you weren't wearing your usual armor. In his desire to protect you, Asahi stayed nearby and used his magic to manipulate or kill the monsters himself.

While the scale and power of this demon attack was far less dangerous than you thought it would be, you couldn't ignore your gut feeling that something was off. You'd fought many a monster in your lifetime, but these ones were different. Those you usually faced had one form and were easily identifiable. These, however, seemed to be another species of shapeshifting entities, since they didn't decide on a form until seconds before their attacks. This fact made it harder to anticipate where they would come from and what they would do.

It's almost like... we're fighting a bunch of mini Terushimas, you thought as you swung your sword and sliced open another glowing, screeching mass. But, somehow, they're completely different than he is.

Just as this idea occurred to you, another demon came your way, but, unlike the others, it had two, long appendages extending from its body like arms. Human fingers reached out towards you, and a pair of luminous, green eyes gazed into your own. In the mere seconds it took you to readjust your grip on your sword so you could slice its head off, it called out to you.

"(F/n)-san! Don't hurt me!"

Though its voice was morphed into a shrill cry that made your head ring, you sensed a hint of familiarity in it. Without thinking, you lowered your sword and allowed the demon's body to collide with your own, knocking you down onto the ground. Its fingers were colder than death against your skin when they clamped around your arms, as if holding on for dear life. A sharp pain danced along your shoulders when its hands moved there, but you were too busy staring at the monster's face to care.

Green, cat-like eyes. Silvery hair parted over at one side. Long arms, from what you could tell based on the distance its body had been away from you when its hands had latched onto you.

"Don't kill me!" it shrieked once more, its hands making their way to your throat. This time, though, its voice was eerily similar to one you'd heard before.

"Asahi!" you screamed as you clutched onto its fingers, trying to pry them away from your neck. The strangled cry that erupted from your throat drew the warlock's attention to you, and he quickly tried using his telekinetic powers to yank the demon away from you, since obliterating it would harm you. Its grasp on you was too strong to break, however. When you saw the glint of a blade in his hand after he reached inside his cloak, you yelled, "Don't kill him! It's--"

"Akaashi!"

A glance over at where Bokuto's voice had echoed from made you aware of a similar situation happening nearby. A demon had wrapped its arms around Bokuto's chest and was pulling him down towards the ground. Your friend grunted loudly as he tried to resist and avoid being overpowered. Blood seeped from underneath the demon's hand when it moved onto the side of Bokuto's face.

From where you were pinned against the dirt, you couldn't see the identity of the demon attacking him, but you could hear the voice of the man whose name he had called out.

"Bokuto-san! Don't hurt me!"

Asahi's hand on the back of the monster's head hovering over you brought an end to the pressure you'd felt holding you down. When the demon's grasp had loosened, the warlock used his magic to incapacitate the demon without killing it, as you'd requested.

Your lip trembled at seeing blood covering your clothes, and the fear that had settled into the pit of your stomach came not from your apparent wounds, but from seeing a fellow knight beside you who had been murdered in the attack on Fukuroudani. You whimpered, "Lev... what's happened to you?" as one of his vacant, green eyes stared back at you from where half of his face was pressed into the ground.

A hand on your arm brought your wide-eyed gaze to Asahi, who was lifting you up to your feet and placing your sword back in your hands. "Stay near Terushima," he ordered, "he's one of the few who can't be swayed. I'm going to help everyone else."

Upon hearing his name, Terushima swooped down from the sky and hovered near you while Asahi rushed over to where Bokuto was struggling against the demon on his back. A scan around the area revealed Kuroo being targeted by another creature who was screaming similar pleas into his face while blood poured out from beneath the fingers grabbing his hands.

"Hey, (f/n)," Terushima's voice echoed from beside you. It was strange how soothing it was in this moment when all you could hear were desperate screeches mingling with the sounds of exasperation from your own friends. Once you'd turned your (e/c) eyes to look at him, he stated, "I'm leaving the demon slaying to you, 'kay? If you see a familiar face, lemme know and I'll take care of it."

"What the hell is going on?" you questioned. Your sword quivered in your shaking hands.

The smile that appeared on his face made you feel sick even though the words he spoke were meant to be reassuring.

"Cheer up! Your friends are back!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When the final swing of a sword had eradicated the last of the monsters involved in the onslaught, and Asahi's magic had reduced the portal in the sky to nothing more than a small, dark cloud, an eerie silence hung in the air. Without looking around, you knew where everyone's gazes were glued: the five immobilized bodies lying in various places across the dirt road.

You recognized all of them. One you knew from legend and the other four had died fighting alongside you when the Monster from the Other had attacked. Seeing their limp bodies strewn across the ground brought back horrific memories of all the others you had seen lose their lives that day, and made you realize that you'd never gotten closure.

Not because you hadn't exacted revenge, but because their bodies had never been recovered.

Now, here they finally were, glowing gently and disfigured in some places from being frozen halfway between transformations. All you could clearly identify were their faces, and those had been the only things that had saved them in the end, since any faceless demons that had charged at you quickly met their demise.

Timidly, you bent down and placed your hand on the head of silvery hair resting near your feet. The behemoth of a man turned monster at your side was one you'd always lovingly called the baby of your group. He had been the biggest pain in the ass at times without even realizing it, but he'd also been a brave soul who wasn't afraid to dive headfirst into the deep end without the slightest hesitation.

"Konoha... Akaashi..."

No longer than second passed after hearing Bokuto's strong voice reduced to an uncharacteristic whimper before you turned in time to see his figure crumple. He fell onto his knees beside their bodies and pressed his face into his hands. Kuroo was soon by his side, patting his shoulder gently, though his own brown eyes remained fixed on a certain, blonde-haired man lying nearby. You approached your emotional friend, kneeled down beside him, and ran your hand through his spiky, white and black hair.

You didn't know what to say to comfort him. If you knew, you'd be telling yourself the same thing, but, right now, your mind was hazy. So, all you could do was use a clean part of your shirt to dab away the tears mingling with the blood coating half of his face and allow him silence to grieve all over again.

"So, Asahi," Oikawa piped up from where he sat, cross-legged beside the only body that didn't belong to someone in your order, "if I'm not mistaken, we were attacked by a group of shapeshifters that breached the barrier between here and the Other, correct?"

The warlock nodded, dislodging a strand of his long, brown hair from behind his ear. "Rifts that big don't open up very easily, so I think the monster we're trying to find might be awake again."

Your heart dropped into your stomach, and Kuroo seemed to be following the same path of logic, since he questioned, "Does that mean that it's going to attack again soon?"

Asahi paused and his gaze turned upward to the dark cloud in the sky. His index finger tapped his chin as he answered, "That's likely the case, but it's not going to try again within the next half day, or so, I don't think. Reo scanned the rift, and the energy it's radiating is very low."

"Trust me," Terushima butted in with a confident smile, "if that beast wanted to throw down, I would know about it! I am a demon, after all, so I can sense energy disturbances like that, remember?" His demeanor was rather inappropriate, given the gravity of the situation at hand, but his words offered slight reassurance.

Getting back up to your feet, you made eye contact with Asahi and asked, "What are we going to do about our fallen comrades, here? What happened to them, anyway?"

He perched on a step leading up to the tavern and launched into as comprehensive a hypothesis as he could explain, since next to nothing was known about the Monster from the Other. According to his theory, the beast had probably reclaimed a select number of the dead at the scene of the battle and kept them for its own army. Higher level demons that he had observed sometimes demonstrated revival abilities, so he assumed the Monster from the Other could be capable of that on a larger and more powerful scale.

Because of this, your friends had, in essence, been transformed into demonic entities who had just so happened to escape from the rift during the breach. Whether that had been orchestrated by the beast itself, by their own consciousness breaking through the haze, or by pure chance was a mystery. While they could've been released in a scheme to kill you all, since you wouldn't raise your sword to a familiar face, they also could've been trying to latch onto you and scream pleas at you in an attempt to save themselves.

"As for what we do with them," Asahi sighed, "I can't rid them of their forms, since breaking a bond as powerful as that the Monster adhered to them could kill them."

"So, basically, we have to go and kill the Bitch ourselves if we want our friends back?" you deadpanned, feeling angered by the situation.

The warlock swallowed audibly, but nodded. "O-Or... we could... just g-get the Monster to relinquish c-control..."

You shook your head firmly and stated, "As of right now, I'm not going to reason with the beast that did this to the people I care about. No. Fucking. Way." Bokuto and Kuroo's heads bobbed in agreement, and the small smirk on Oikawa's face proved that he was also silently siding with you. A chuckle from Terushima showed that he also had no intention of bargaining with a monster, and it was a given that Sakusa was wholly opposed to allowing any demon to live.

Knowing that he was outnumbered, as per usual, made Asahi bow his head slightly and utter, "I understand. As promised, I will follow and help you on your quest."

Though rage was boiling your blood, your heart warmed at knowing that Asahi wasn't going to let his own opinions stop him from supporting you. He had proven himself to be an unshakable ally, and that was more than you could ever ask from someone you'd only known for such a short time.

Your moment of admiration for him was interrupted by none other than the infamous, sentiment ruiner, Terushima, when he blurted out, "Hey, don't think I'm gonna just overlook the fact that you and (f/n) were running here from the spring with wet hair! Were you two desecrating that blessed, cleansing water?!"

Images of your close encounter with Asahi flashed through your mind, making your skin prickle with heat as you remembered each sensation you'd felt in that moment. Rather than giving a cool retort, however, you opted to skirt around the truth instead. "The spring's plenty big enough for two people to bathe in privacy, you know!"

Kuroo's gaze fastened on you as he asked, "You fucked downstream, right?"

"It's running water, Tetsurou!"

"So, you did do it?!" Bokuto gasped and shot up to his feet.

It was amazing how fast his mindset switched, but not surprising, given that emotional instability was just part of his nature.

You glared directly at Terushima and spat, "No! And if you say another word about it, Teru, I'm gonna beat your ass." He imitated the action of zipping his mouth shut and averted his gaze to the single, stormy cloud in the sky where the portal had once been. Your (e/c) eyes met with Asahi's once more, which he had been shifting around in embarrassment. "Well, Asahi, can we wake them up?"

His brown gaze danced over each of the bodies on the ground, and then between the hopeful expressions that you, Oikawa, Kuroo, and Bokuto wore. "Now might not be the best time, given that I can still feel their negative energy. We will need them later, though," he suggested.

"For what?" you inquired.

"To sense when the rift becomes unstable again."

As much as you desperately wanted to speak with your dearly departed friends once more, you understood that you had to wait just a bit longer for your reunion. And while you hated seeing them in their incapacitated states, bodies mutilated by demonic energy, you were grateful that, even in death, their loyalty to their living friends hadn't faded.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By the time sundown had arrived, and the temperature outside had started to cool, Asahi had decided that your friends were ready to be revived from their long slumber. Though they would still be demons that needed to be treated with an appropriate level of caution--like that you held towards Terushima--the warlock's advanced manipulation capabilities would help keep them tame. In a field glowing orange from the sun that also made the entire kingdom of Shiratorizawa sparkle where it sat proudly in the distant hills, you all waited anxiously to greet your fallen comrades once again.

Sakusa watched with his unwavering, obsidian eyes, ready to put an end to any madness that could arise from awakening demons. You'd seen how quickly he made work of any monsters opposing him before, so you hoped that your friends behaved, even though that was out of their control. The last thing you wanted to see was them getting blasted to bits.

Bending down towards the grass where their bodies rested, Asahi placed a steady hand atop one of their faces. A gentle, white glow seeped out from between his fingers, illuminating his skin and causing a pair of eyes to flutter beneath his palm. When the warlock removed his hand, it radiated for a second longer before fading. The man whose head he'd touched sat up and examined his surroundings carefully.

When his green eyes landed on your (e/c) ones, you nearly burst into tears on the spot. "(F/n)-san!" he shouted with joy, clambering to his feet and rushing over to you. The warmth you felt when he gave your body a tight squeeze was one you'd missed dearly since his death.

"Lev!" you chirped, trying to keep your emotions under control, since he was only the first of three of your other friends to be awakened. The two of you held onto one another tightly for a few moments longer before you released him to go and greet his other pals.

Kuroo gave the tall man a firm pat on the shoulder and greeted him with a casual, "Welcome back, buddy."

By the time you turned your gaze back ahead, another man was up, his face settled into the unbothered expression he always wore. His blonde hair with dark brown roots bleeding into it shrouded part of his face, but you could see the gears turning in his head, trying to put two and two together. The former archer in your order wasn't much of a hugger, so you simply cheered his name and kept your distance.

"Welcome back, Kenma!"

"Hello."

"Well, it's about damn time you came back to life, Kenma," Kuroo joked, even though his eyes were glistening ever so slightly in the sunlight.

A small smile crossed the archer's lips, and he said, "Sorry for the wait, Kuro." The tender moment was disrupted seconds later by Bokuto ruffling his hair.

The next person up and running was none other than one of your best scouts, Akaashi. And while you'd all missed him dearly, you all knew that his absence had been felt the most by Bokuto. Though he tried to hold back his emotions, his attempts were futile. "Hey, hey, hey!" he bellowed, pumping his fists and jumping up into the air, "Akaashi! Way to take your sweet... time..."

His voice cracked and tears were in his eyes before he knew it. With a chuckle, Akaashi approached him and placed his hand on his old friend's shoulder. "You still suck at keeping it together, Bokuto-san" he commented before walking over to where you stood with open arms and giving you a hug.

"Bokuto's crying? No freakin' way. Pull yourself together, dude!" a newly awakened Konoha teased.

"Konoha!" your overwhelmed friend wailed.

After the revival of your last companion, you watched with anticipation as the final man of the group got up to his feet only to be given a sassy welcome by his former partner in crime. "Can't believe you call yourself the greatest demon slayer and then croak after one slash from the Monster from the Other! Such baseless pride, Iwa-chan!"

"Says the one who nearly wet himself every time it moved, Shittykawa!" A swift head butt from Oikawa's former companion quickly silenced his teasing, but the two of them ended up laughing and shaking hands.

It was clear that there were many things to be discussed, memories to be shared, and introductions to be made, but before all of that occurred, you knew what you needed to do. Separating from your original group of friends, you walked over towards where Asahi, Sakusa, and Terushima stood together. Upon seeing that your gaze was fastened on the warlock, the other two bystanders shuffled away to give you privacy, still completely convinced that the two of you had gotten up to no good in the springs earlier.

With a short, happy sigh, you said, "Asahi, I don't know how I could ever thank you for this."

"N-No! Y-You don't need to do a thing! Really! P-Please!" he spluttered, clearly flustered by your words. You could tell that he was going to keep babbling on nervously, so you cut to the chase and pulled him into a much-deserved embrace. He froze for a few seconds before he timidly placed his arms around you and gained enough confidence to hold you closer.

The two of you had had quite a few close encounters since leaving Aobajohsai, but this was the first time the two of you had actually, intentionally hugged one another. Being nestled among the soft fabric of his cloak and surrounded by his warmth made you want to hold onto him forever, but you knew you couldn't.

Grudgingly, you released your grasp on his torso, looked up into his soft, brown eyes, and said, "Thank you for trusting in me and coming with us in the first place. I mean it when I say that... I'm really glad I met you."

"There's nobody else I'd rather be in this situation with than you, (f/n)." The smile he sent your way in response elicited a fuzzy feeling that could best be likened to the sensation of having a big blanket wrapped around you on a cold day. That was just who he was. He was the warm, reliable man who provided shelter and safety in the strongest of tempests. And while he may have been scared to weather the storms from time to time, you knew that he would be by your side if you threw yourself into the thick of them.

Since the two of you were far from alone, your moment was ruined by the sentiment-busting Terushima, who now had a troupe of new followers.

"Ah, that afterglow hasn't worn off yet, it seems. If you know what I mean..." Terushima commented with a wink as his bleached hair appeared in your field of view.

Lev's silvery hair drew your gaze when he appeared beside Asahi. "Oh! Is this your boyfriend, (f/n)-san?"

"Talk about a power couple, am I right?" Konoha chimed.

Bokuto cleared his throat. "They're not together, according to (f/n), but everyone thinks they did it in the spring."

"There's no way that happened. That's not like (f/n)," Akaashi interjected, "... Right?"

"Hey, who wants food?!" you practically screamed, bringing a halt to all the chaos, "Let's eat!"

Once everyone's attention had successfully been diverted from you and Asahi by the promises of a great meal, you led the group back into the village to the tavern.

"(F/n)." A firm voice echoing from beside you brought you attention to the constantly concerned sorcerer in your party. "I know this is all fun and games, right now, but--"

"Yeah, yeah, Sakusa. I know you'll kill them if they get outta hand."

"I was actually going to ask you where you planning to have them sleep," he corrected you, sending you a glare sharp enough to cut steel.

Waving your hand dismissively, you suggested, "Why don't we cross that bridge when we get to it, huh?"

When it did come time for the bridge to be crossed, Kuroo and Bokuto's room gained Kenma, Akaashi, and Reo; that you shared with Asahi and Terushima sheltered Konoha and Lev through the night; and Sakusa was forced to accept Iwaizumi as a third roommate, thanks to Oikawa.