The sound of rustling and the look of horror in the Asuka's eyes prompted Hanami to do a double take over her shoulder as a...a disgusting, cackling demon lunged from the bush and rushed towards her with his sword glistening in the moonlight. She thought to move out of the way, but before she could even try, he had already made his way over to her, ready to cut her down and paralyzing her with that hate filled stare. Fear chilled her to the bone when Asuka called her name, she knew the ronin knew exactly what was about to happen, but just as the metal came down, a flash of black hair whirled in front of her and the priestesses small body was shoved out of the way and sent off to the side somewhere.

She knew someone saved her, but...how? It happened so fast... She'd never seen a human move that fast in her twenty three years of life on earth. Hanami looked up from where she landed on the grass, completely unscathed thanks to... "Asuka-san!" She yelled to the ronin, her eyes widening when she saw the blood sliding down her cheek where the demon's blade was pressed. She was different...Worse than before. She could feel the cold change in Asuka as she exchanged words with [i]Kurohebi?[/i] The demon was wrong, Kushiami was really a better person now, and it burned her up that that demon was trying to pull her back into her dark past. She couldn't let that happen! She feared that the ronin might try to sneak off and settle things on her own, and if she did... Hanami would make sure to be there too. 

"A-Asuka-san!" She rushed over to where Kaede and Asuka were, grabbing the ronin's hand in her own and staring into her eyes. "Why did you do that? You could have been killed..." Her voice drifted off at the last word, and she dropped the ronin's hand, taking a few steps away from them. She knew [i]why[/i] she had jumped in the way, but... it was foolish! Her allegiance was supposed to be to Mizuki! Nobody really cares if a Priestess dies in this type of situation, right? They would need all of their fighters if they wanted to protect the Princess and make it to Mt. Fuji. 

Relieving a rather shaky sigh, images of the demons glowing, hate filled serpent's eyes replayed over and over in her mind. She had never felt this way before. Demons were certainly no laughing matter, but... she had spent years training with Chihomi and then some slaying the demons that entered their village. Even if they were just minor demons, nothing like the infamous Kurohebi, but they were still demons. She placed her hand lightly over her pounding heart, turning away from the half-demon and Ronin before walking away. She needed to calm her soul.