Purple Lotus [Kimetsu no Yaiba]

~Sixteen~

"Did we.... beat them?" Tanjiro asked.

"The demon controlling them killed them off cause they weren't powerful enough for her liking." Tsubasa explained.

"Bring on the next one!!" Inosuke exclaimed.

And as if on cue, a new opponent appeared. It was a demon..... Without a head!?! Tanjiro and Inosuke stared at it, confused. But Tsubasa saw it coming a mile away. 

"How do we kill a demon if we can't slash off it's head?" Tsubasa narrated Tanjiro's thoughts with an amused smile. "Even if we cut off its limbs. Will that be enough?"

Tanjiro glanced at Tsubasa, slightly annoyed. Now's not the time for games. He thought. Tsubasa just giggled at his expression. But before he could reply, Inosuke charged at the demon. 

"Comin' through! COMIN' THROUGH!!!" he yelled and slashed at it, barely even bruising its skin, he jumped back, angered.

"Damn you! Stupid demon, why won't you die already!?" Tsubasa yelled on behalf of the boar, still grinning.

Inosuke diverted his attention to her. "I was about to say that you damn brat!" he hollered at her. "Damn you for saying my words!" 

Tsubasa only smiled at him. 

"Tsubasa," Tanjiro started. "Now is not the time for games, we have to focus."

Tsubasa unsheathed her sword and stuck it in the ground, then leaned on it casually. "But life's not fun without games," she pouted.

With that, the demon started attacking. It swung mercilessly at the three, almost knocking Tanjiro off his feet and throwing Inosuke into the tree. Tsubasa dodged every attack lazily with her sword on her shoulder as usual. 

"Finish them my little doll," she blankly said and took a single swing, slicing off its arm in the process. So that's it huh? She thought. I could finish it right now.......

But that wouldn't be any fun.

She smirked as Inosuke tried to copy her in slicing off the other arm but failed. Tanjiro was racking his head trying to find a solution to their predicament. Tsubasa openly laughed at the ideas swirling through his head. Until finally........

"That should work." the girl ginned at him while he planned everything out in his head. 

He gave a small smile to her and proceeded to share his plan with Inosuke. Then they soon went into formation. 

Tanjiro slashed off its arms with Water Surface Slash and Inosuke took care of his legs with one of his own Beast Breathing Fangs. 

"Tsubasa! Now!" Tanjiro yelled to the girl to deliver the final blow. 

Tsubasa grinned. She jumped up and  twirled around in the air a couple of times before she grabbed her sword and lunged at the beast.

"Emotion Breathing, Third Form.....

A sunflower yellow mist danced around her as she maneuvered her blade.

Happy Dance!!

One more spin with her sword and the torso of the demon was sliced in half. She landed with a proud smirk as it evaporated into black dust that mixed with the yellowness. 

"Happy Dance?" Tanjiro repeated with a questioning tone.

Tsubasa only smiled. "Told ya you don't have to be serious all the time. Even simple emotions have power y'know."

And with that, she skipped on ahead. Inosuke followed after with Tanjiro at his heels. As they walked Tsubasa suddenly spoke up.

"Don't you have something to tell Tanjiro, Inosuke?"

Even through the mask it was obvious that the boar was glaring daggers at the purplette. Damn her! She read my mind and exposed me! Damn brat! He yelled in his head, knowing the girl would hear him. He turned to the maroon haired boy anyway. 

"That back there. Your little plan. It was cool. I bet I could plan better though. I just don't need to cause I'm already so powerful. But yeah. The plan was good enough for you." he huffed and started walking faster. 

"Uh... thanks?" Tanjiro smiled awkwardly

"Yay Inosuke!" Tsubasa cheered. "That was sweet." 

Tiny white bubbles appeared around him again. "Of coarse it was! I am the..." he trailed off because he sensed something. 

Tanjiro and Tsubasa sensed it too. It was the demon. She was..... terrified Tsubasa felt. 

"A little mouse being cornered by a lion." she breathed. "That's what she feels like."

Before anything else, Tanjiro ran at full speed and soon the demon was in his sight. She looked beyond miserable. And once she saw Tanjiro in the air with the sword at the ready, she looked somewhat..... relieved?

I can't die. Not yet.......But then again. If I do die......

Suddenly, visions of the demon woman's past suffering flooded Tsubasa's mind. She suffered way more than any abused wife should. Her so-called 'husband' slashed her mercilessly to a point that was beyond repair for her mental state.

"If I do die," Tsubasa whispered on her behalf as tears cascaded her face because of the pain that lied in those memories. 

"I'll finally be free."

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So this chapter is a little shorter than usual but as usual I thought it seemed like an appropriate place to end it..... SO I ended it! I don't really have anything more to say except I hope you enjoyed your Christmas!

Happy Day and Happy Reading!!<3

~✨Blu<3✨~