Purple Lotus [Kimetsu no Yaiba]

~Twenty-Three~

"No need to try and lie," she said. "I already know what you thought." Tanjiro was expecting that. He was also expecting her to feel hurt, but now Tsubasa was giving off a scent of determination.

She smiled. "Allow me to prove myself then."

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By night fall the same day Tsubasa and Tanjiro were out once more. In the middle of a forest surrounded by greenery and darkness. But they weren't alone.

"Emotion Hashira! Tsukishiro Tsubasa! Slay the several demons terrorizing the area!" Taiyaki crowed. "This is a mission for Emotion Hashira!Tsukishiro Tsubasa!"

Tsubasa smiled. "Thank you Taiyaki." Then she turned to the boy once more. "Do me a favor, Tanjiro.

Don't help me in anyway whatsoever."

The boy was confused by her request. "But, Tsubasa didn't you hear what the crow said? There are several demons here," he opposed. "I can smell at least 7 in this area alone."

Tsubasa unsheathed her blade. "To become a Hashira you need to kill 50 demons," she smirked. "So what's a measly seven?" 

"F-fifty?" Tsubasa alone has killed more than fifty demons!? Tanjiro was beyond shocked. As she was still processing the information there was a sudden rustle behind. But before he could even process the sound Tsubasa disappeared and reappeared behind him, blood dripping from her blade and a demon head rolling at her feet. She smiled at his shocked state.

"You just killed a demon...." he mumbled. "In less than a second."

"And another thing," said the purplette. "Don't move from your spot. No matter how dangerous it gets. No matter how close a demon gets to you or how close I am to getting hurt. Do. Not. Move."

Tanjiro wanted to argue but knew she'd win in the end. Instead he silently nodded and stood still in place. The Emotion Pillar grinned. "Now. Let's play."

The second the words left her mouth, 4 large demons made their way out of the brush and to her. It seemed they weren't able to talk or just chose not to. They simply growled and gurgled at her as they charged relentlessly. They swung and tried to grab her several times but all the while she just dodged and occasionally sliced off an arm.

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~Meanwhile~
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"Brat! Oi brat!? Where the hell are you!?"

Inosuke had officially searched each and every single room in the spacious Kanjo Estate. He was looking for Tsubasa with not even the slightest bit of luck. Unfortunately for him, no one informed him that she was out on a mission. "Where is the damn brat!?" he hollered to no one in particular.

Then suddenly he felt a presence behind. He knew for a fact it wasn't his brat. They didn't give the calming feeling she did, so his first instinct was to attack. One he turned around to strike though, he froze.

"You. You're the guy who's always with my brat!" he yelled and pointed obnoxiously to them. "What does she call you....? Naa-naa?? Nee-nee......" he racked his brain for the right answer until finally. "I know!!!

It Nii-nii!!"

Yes. The boar was once more standing face to face with Tomioka Giyuu. He looked skeptically at him, wondering what he was doing at Tsubasa's Estate.

"What do you want here?" the Water Pillar asked.

"I'm here for the brat obviously!" Inosuke haughtily announced. "I have to protect her from nightmares!"

The pillar narrowed his eyes. "Brat? You do not call Tsu-chan a brat."

"I can call my brat whatever I like!! She's my brat dumbass!!"

"She's not yours or anyone else's. Don't go confusing her like that," Giyuu countered, his tone still level.

"Just tell me where the damn brat is Gomioka!!" the boar growled.

"If you must know," Giyuu said, annoyed. "Tsu-chan is out on a mission."

"Without me!?" Inosuke was shocked. "But I'm supposed to protect her from the demons!! She can't fight demons without me!! The brat!"

The boar's words agitated the Water Pillar. "Despite what you may have thought of Tsu-chan in the beginning, she is a Hashira. Stronger than you can ever dream to be. She doesn't need your protection," he said.

"Hashira or not, Tsubasa is my brat! And I say whether my brat needs to be protected or not. I know she can take care of a few demons on her own. She's strong. That's why she's my brat!!" Inosuke countered.

The argument went on for a good hour. Giyu kept on telling him that Tsubasa didn't belong to anyone because she was her own person but Inosuke thought otherwise and said he'd claimed Tsubasa for himself. Giyu told the boar that only he could decide who Tsubasa decided to belong to but Inosuke wasn't having any of it.

Meanwhile Tsubasa herself was trying to perform a more difficult task than anyone thought was possible for her.

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Hi hi!! <3

Hope you enjoyed the chapter and the book so far. I'll try to update more frequently as I'm on Spring Break right now... So look forward to more chapters soon!

Happy Day, Afternoon or Night and Happy Reading!!

~✨Blu<3✨~