Star Girl (Tanjiro X OC)

Audrey Harding: Thriving Willpower - Chapter 15

"Damn! Damn you, brat! How could you do this to me?! I just needed to give him your head, and I would've won his approval! I'll never forgive you! I'll make sure you pay for what you've done to me! My face is filthy because of you shoving it into the vile dirt! I swear you're going down with me!"

After the arrow demon curses and complains about his loss, he shuts the eyeballs on his palms, and a lot of arrows have caught Tanjiro, who stands back up again. The poor boy gets sent flying to my right and is heading towards the wall fast.

No! Tan...jiro...!

Fortunately, he uses one of his breathing techniques to stop the momentum, but then he gets launched into the air, and he has to use another technique to stop himself from getting further upward. He gets pulled down toward the house, uses another technique, and the arrows keep flinging him in different directions after using many techniques consecutively.

"You've not suffered enough. I'm not done yet. A little more," The beheaded demon rasps as his head is being disintegrated into ash.

As I watch Tanjiro use more techniques to save himself, I feel like I should help him in some way. If only I had kept my guard up earlier.

"Still not enough. Not yet. I haven't—" His head has completely disintegrated before he can finish his sentence.

The arrows disappear upon the demon's death, and Tanjiro falls to the ground and lands a few feet next to me.

"Tanjiro!" I call to him, my voice cracking. "Are—you okay?"

He hyperventilates, beyond exhausted. With all the strength I can muster, I begin to crawl over to him, letting out grunts of pain as my arm is begging me to stop inflicting more on it. As soon as I reach him, he is already reaching for his sword. He tries to grab it, but with the energy he has left, he just can't do it. So he bites the hilt and begins to crawl his way over to help his sister and the others defeat the temari demon.

We hear some noises from the fight—grunts of effort and ball kicks—as we move slowly and carefully. I'm hoping Nezuko and the others will be just fine since they are demons and can fight one like them. With the arrow demon defeated, the temari are no longer able to move on their own. That will make things a lot easier for them.

We hear something crash into the wall, prompting us to move faster. I feel my arm screaming in pain as I keep crawling to the fight. I utter soft moans in pain, and the boy next to me gasps, "Are...you okay?"

"I think my arm is broken," I mutter as I continue to move with my useful limbs.

"I...broke my leg and...cracked a rib. But I...I can still...try to help them."

Would it be different if I had dodged the arrow that rendered my arm useless? Would I still have the capability to finish off the arrow demon with pinpoint precision? Even if I had, would I still have a chance to kill the temari demon?

About two minutes later we hear someone screaming, and we see the temari demon running away from something. She stops as we arrive at the scene.

"Please forgive me! I'm so sorry! I'm begging you! Please! Please forgive me!" Her begs for mercy are real, and she starts crying, dropping a temari ball. It rolls to me and Tanjiro. I glance at the pattern before looking up at the demon.

Something in her body cracks, and suddenly, three big demonic arms burst out of her mouth and torso, spraying a lot of crimson blood. I choke and gag; this is worse than seeing a worker die at the factory due to safety violations. Most deaths there weren't even that bloody. They were because of illnesses caused by severe pollution. When I first saw blood—that wasn't red at the time—I was freaked out by its haunting appearance. I only had a puncture on my finger upon starting to work at the factory as a gown maker. When I first started using the sewing machine, I wasn't being careful and therefore the needle stabbed my finger. It was bleeding a lot, and my small body was shaking, nerves turned to ice. Other workers around me were concerned, but they never did anything as they could get in trouble for insubordination. I was forced to get back to work, and I tried to ignore it as I was being more careful sewing up the gowns.