Purple Lotus [Kimetsu no Yaiba]

~Thirty-Seven~

"My dearest children," Kagaya Ubuyashiki addressed the nine Hashira with his gentle smile. "It is with great joy that I tell you, another will be joining your family today."

Joining their family? The Hashira all thought. Another Hashira? Giyuu just hoped the meeting wouldn't take too long. Tsubasa had a mission that day and he needed to check on her when she got back. 

"With all due respect, Master," Obanai was the first to voice his concerns. "We're already nine. There's no free Hashira spot, so why add another."

"I believe she has more the proved worthy of the title," the leader replied. "Not only has she defeated fifty demons, but slayed the Lower Moon 2 demon just last evening. She truly has earned it."

This peaked the Water Pillar's interest. She? A person only had to do one of those, but she went and filled in all the requirements for becoming a Hashira. She was determined, alright.

"Come in, my child."

With those words, the new Hashira stepped out from behind him. Suddenly, the air shifted. The atmosphere changed and was warm, brighter even. Purple hair tied neatly yet messily in a ponytail bounced on top of a  tiny doll face with big doe magenta eyes as a short petite female walked into the light so everyone could get a good view of her.

"Allow me to introduce," Kagaya started and Giyuu's jaw literally dropped. "Emotion Hashira, Tsukishiro Tsubasa."

Shocked gasps escaped all the Pillars' lips. All except the Flame Pillar, who smiled. She was a child! She was younger than Muichiro! How could such a young child be able to complete both Hashira requirement tasks?

"Once more, with all due respect," Obanai wasn't having any of it. "Master, she's a child."

"Thank you for allowing me such an opportunity, Master Ubuyashiki," Tsubasa gave a bright smile and bowed deeply. "I promise not to disappoint you.I shall fight with my very life."

"I have complete faith in you, my child," the Master replied with his own smile. With that the meeting was dismissed and he left, allowing Tsubasa to freely introduce herself. And the very first thing she did was leap in Giyuu's arms.

"Nii-nii!" she exclaimed and gave him a tight hug. "I did it! I actually did it! Look at me, I'm a Hashira now! You don't have to worry about me anymore! I did it!"

As if the announcement of a new child Hashira wasn't enough to shock the Pillars already. The next thing they saw was Giyuu smile. The Water Pillar, y'know, the one with no friends? He was smiling!! Everyone froze just to stare at him.

"That you did," he said with his smiled and patted her head. "You really did prove me wrong after all."

"Tsubasa!" Rengoku exclaimed after the shock from the Water Pillar's smile wore off. "I knew you had it in you! You're at the top now!"

The child looked and him and nodded vigorously, several times. "Mm-hm! Mm-hm! Now we can work together, Kyo! We can be a tag-team!"

"That we can!" the Flame Hashira agreed. "We will make a formidable team, you and I!"

*-*-*-*-*-*

We made a formidable team, you and I, Rengoku thought but quickly shook it out of his head. What did he mean made!? Tsubasa was going to be fine. He stared, frozen in shock and fear as the girl laid face down on the ground, a pool of blood surrounding her. Fast.

"Brat!!" Inosuke dashed to her. "Brat! What's wrong!? What happened!?" He carefully took the girl in his arms, her blood soon staining his uniform, and tried- but failed- to hold back his tears. "Brat! Brat, can you hear me? Wake the hell up! This isn't funny!!"

Zenitsu looked at the whole scene in horror. "Is... Tsubasa...?" he trailed off, not willing to say the word out loud.

"She can still be saved." Rengoku walked to him, as though he hadn't been touched from the beginning. It was then the trio realized that all their own injuries were non existent as well. Tsubasa had took on all the pain they had. "It's not too late," he said as though trying to convince himself as well. "Tsu-chan won't die. Not yet."

Just then, the Kakushi arrived and laid out a stretcher for the girl. After literally prying her out of Inosuke's arms, they laid her down gently and rushed her off to the Butterfly Mansion while another set carried the other Slayers and Nezuko along with them. 

"Brat!" Inosuke called to the stretcher that was several paces in front of him. "You'd better wake up, y'hear me!? And when you do I'm gonna fight you so you see just how strong the King Of the Mountains is!! Don't you wanna see!? TSUBASA!!!"

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Insect Hashira, Kocho Shinobu, had just finished tenting to a few Slayers who had gotten injured during their previous missions when a few Kakushi came barging through the door of her Butterfly Mansion.

"Kocho-sama!" one of them called. "Its the Emiton Hashira, she's been gravely injured!"

Her eyes widened at his words. "You mean, Tsu-chan? What on earth happened?"

"A fight with an Upper Moon," he explained. "She's lost a lot of blood and is slipping away from us fast!"

Slipping... away? Tsu-chan? The woman shook her head and focused. "Take her to the operation theater. Someone call Aoi, we need to move fast."

"Right away, Kocho-sama!" 

The butterfly lady quickly prepared to perform emergency surgery. If what they said, that she was slipping away, was true, then she had no time to waste. She rushed into the operation room, Aoi joining her soon after, and quickly got to work.

They weren't joking when they said she lost a lot of blood. But... how did she get like that in the first place? Tsubasa could predict any attack before even the opposition knew they were going to fire it! Surely, she could have been able to avoid such a fatal hit. So why?

"Prepare her fro blood transfusion," Shinobu ordered her assistant. "We haven't lost her just yet. Tsu-chan is strong, she'll be fine."

"Of course she will," Aoi replied and did as she was told. "She's got too many people to leave behind for her to leave now."

Meanwhile, the trio had been forced to be bedridden while further chekups were conducted on them. "I'm fine!" Inosuke protested and tried to run but was pinned down. "The brat healed me! I have to go see her, she needs me!!"

"We're just going through procedure," the Kakushi replied, checking his vitals. "And Tsukishiro-sama is currently in surgery so you cannot visit her."

"Tsubasa is in surgery?" Zenitsu asked, causing less of a hassle. "Do you think she'll be alright? I mean, she won't die, will she?"

Kiyo came up and gave him a glass of water with a smile. "Don't worry, she'll be fine!" she beamed. "With Shinobu in her care, Tsu-chan will survive. She can't afford to have one of her dearest friends die, after all."

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

~✨Blu<3✨