A bright light emerges as the buildings implode, we're losing. I huffed as I tried to lift Uzui onto my back, I grunted through my gritted teeth. My hand hits the ground and I can see a red pattern emerging.
I can hear my masters voice through my head, telling me that this is the way and I have to what needs to be done. I finally threw him onto my back, running from the explosions, his feet dragging the whole way but eventually it caught up to me, I hit the ground.
When I opened my eyes back up, everything was on fire, oh my-
"Ashaya, you're awake." Tengen says helping me up. "Those are quite flashy."
"Hm?" I looked at my hand and lifted my a piece of glass to see my reflection to see more markings.
"We've got to finish this, neither of them were beheaded."
I let out a breath with a nod as I started running, I felt brand new, like a drink of cold water on a hot day. I couldn't even feel the wound on my stomach anymore, or my eye, even though I couldn't see out of it. One eye is just as good. I felt Tanjiro's heartbeat, I smelled his blood, I smelled Wisteria. I'm not dead yet and I'll be damned if I let a whore and her praying mantis brother kill me, no way in hell!
I found them.
Tengen runs past me and blocks Gyutaro's attack on Tanjiro. I sped up and sucker punch him, he didn't even have time to react as I round house kicked him, landing blows to every part of his body and face. With one last explosive kick he flies backwards, through the smoke with a loud explosive crash.
That was exhilarating, I feel so powerful Right now, I was landing like 100 hits on him, I felt his bones crack underneath my fist!
"Akari! Uzui!" Tanjiro says as he was happy to know we were still kicking it.
"I've finished my musical score technique!" He says getting in position and I followed. "We're going for the win! Ashaya, let's make it flashy!"
"Yes, sir." I nodded.
"Don't make me laugh!" He unleashed more than 3 dozen or so blood lashes, as I lifted both hands in front of me.
I pushed them away, throwing my hands forward, back to him, Uzui dashes behind me, he was making music.
"San! Shichi! Go! I! Kin! I can read it!"
"That filthy score of yours!" He throws more.
"Get him, Ashaya!" Tengen shouted.
I lifted my hands as the flames lifted, they turned blue at my command as I swing my hands forward, throwing fireballs at him.
"Blood Demon art: Flame of the scorned!"
He has a gritted expression as he avoids the fire flamming around him. I've never been this powerful all at once, it's like my power was partially there when I didn't have these markings but now I can control fire. Uzui takes a big swing forward but the demon dodges the Hashira, landing on the side of the building.
"Don't give me this crap!" He jumps off the building. I take Uzui's arm and twisted around kicking Gyutaro, and flipped over him taking his arm behind him ripping it off as the Hashira moves him causing another explosion, I covered my face from the impact. Rocks and rubble hit me as I see them clashing against each other. They are literally breaking through every building. The end is near, I feel it.
Time to move in, I sped quickly as did Tanjiro.
"Uzui!" He says as Tengen gets a sickle to the abdomen.
"Don't stop! Jump!"
"You're too late!" He sticks the other sickle through the bottom of Tanjiro's jaw. "Even if you have someone to pave the way for you, a loser is still a loser! It's all over now! The poison will kill you!"
Tanjiro swings his sword against it's neck, I jumped up, slamming my knee into the blade, finally making it into the skin. Need more power! I stomped on the sword as I wrapped my other leg around his body, it inches forward. I hit again and again, till it was almost to the end. I let out as scream on last time as I stomped it through.
I fell to my hands and knees when I hear Tanjiro basically suffocating, the poison!
"Look at me! Tanjiro, look at me!" I put my hands on his face, trying to use my powers but it wasn't working!
"Ashaya! Get up! It's not over yet!" Tengen shouted at me.
"Tanjiro's--"
"Run! This isn't over yet!"
I looked over at the demons body just as it unleashed those blood slashes, thousands. I hugged into Tanjiro as I felt them hit my back, it stung but I felt my leg hit something and snap. I hit the ground, hard. Before I hit the ground I saw pink fire, Nezuko...thank you.
My eyes flutter open to a dark, grey sky, all around me was nothing but wreckage.
"Tanjiro?" I looked around but didn't see him. I sat up and felt and excruciating pain on the side of my head and shrieked as I felt something metal in my skin. I pulled it out trembling and dropped it, blood pours down my face. Dammit. I looked down at my leg and gasped, my my my my my my---
"My leg!" I screamed.
"Nooo!" Someone over powers my scream. "Please don't die! Please don't die on us, Lord!"
I turned my head to Tengen, on the brink of death and his wives surrounding him.
"Not after you managed to survive! Not after you won! I can't take it! I can't take it! How are we supposed to deal with the demon poison? The antidote's not working! The gods are so cruel! So cruel!" She cries.
My face sank as I only thought this type of relationship wasn't real but they really, truly love him. He is a great guy after all. I belly crawled over to him, my stomach started to bleed a little as I put my hand on his foot.
"I made it." I sighed with relief.
"What are you doing?" Makio asked as I pulled myself up, scooting closer to Uzui.
"I'm going to try to help him, it didn't work the first time but he protected me. I don't want to see another die." My hands grew with a white light as I pressed my hands to his chest, I felt something build up in my mouth as I turned to cough up some of the poison. I could barely breathe, it was hurting my lungs.
"Ashaya." Hinatsuru patted my back.
"Dammit." I wheezed as tears pricked my eyes. "Please."
"I have some last words to leave you. My life until now--" he says.
"If you let lord Tengen die, I'm never going to pray to you again! No way will I ever forgive you, you hear me?" She cries again.
"Come on, shut the hell up!" Makio yells at her. "Can't you hear Lord Tengen talking? I'm so going to stuff your mouth with rocks, you moron!"
"Hey!" I shouted at them.
"Both of you, quiet down!" Hinatsuru tells them.
"Makio's tormenting me!" She says as shes about to have rocks shoved down her throat.
"Shut up, you dumbass!"
I grabbed the sides of my head in anger as I let out a big scream. "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!"
They stopped and looked at me with a scared look. "Your husband is dying and you're fighting?! I will bleed you both dry!"
"No, please! I'll stop-"
I turned my head to see Nezuko beside me, she's normal again, a smile rose on my face as she puts her hand on Tengen's arm, the flame surrounded his body and partially me. I watched in amazement, she can heal people that have been poisoned.
"Hey!" The crybaby snatches up Nezuko. "What do you think you're doing? Who are you, anyway? It's way to soon to be cremating him! How can you burn him already when he's not even dead yet? I'm going to spank you! I'm very angry with you, young lady!"
I moved back off of Uzui's legs, trying not to hit my leg on anything as the bone petrudes my skin.
"Hold on a minute!" Tengen says as I turned back to him. "How do you explain this? The poisons left my body!"
"Lord Tengen!" They all fall onto him in happy tears as I smiled.
"I'm so truly relieved! Truly!" Makio cried.
"You three, sorry to make you worry." He says.
"I think that Nezuko's blood Demon art ignited the poison, burning it way. Not that I'm really sure how it works." Tanjiro says.
"That's probably why my blood Demon art didn't work." I frowned. "I'm cold."
"It's okay. You tried." He says putting a hand on my head. "Oh-- your leg!"
"Yep, my leg..." I sighed. "I'm so glad that we survived this."
"How can this even be possible?" Tengen begged the question. "It's all so confusing."
"Your confused, I'm confused." I say holding the wound on my head.
"Hey, we all better stay put and not move either."
"I'm going to go search for the demons heads. I can't rest easy until I find them." Tanjiro runs his hand over my head one last time as Nezuko bumps her head on mine and lifts her brother away. I gleamed as I watched them off into the distance. I sighed as I looked down at my leg.
I covered my mouth to keep from vomiting. "Oh, that's disgusting."
Tengen let's out a chuckle as I shook my head. "I want to thank you."
"For what?"
"You exhubrate this massive strength that I've never seen, we wouldn't have won if it weren't for you, for Hinatsuru, thank you, and for the hand as well."
I gave him a soft smile. "No, no, it's okay."
"Wait, you." Suma lifted her head, wiping her tears. "Do you like Lord Tengen?"
"Uh, sure, he's a cool guy--"
"No, in a romantic way."
I blinked as I looked at her in shock as my face felt hot. "W-what kind of question is that!?"
"She's blushing!" She says.
I turned around, in a slow way because my leg. "No!"
"Lord Tengen, can we have a Fourth?" She asked as my eyes widen, what the hell?
"What are you talking about?" Makio says. "This isn't find a bride!"
"I know but she deserves a life where she doesn't have to fight everyday of her life."
"Lord Tengen?" Hinatsuru says.
"Don't Ask him! He doesn't like me like that!" I say pointing as turned back around.
"Akari." He says as I looked up at him. "The offer stands. I know we had our moments with arguing and stuff but we make a great team. I would take care of you in any way you need. I heard about what happened with Kyojuro."
A tear ran down my face as I remembered Rengoku's last look into my eyes, he looked at me like I mattered and nothing I could ever do would diswade him. But now he's gone and I'm here, it wouldn't have gone any further than that kiss if had he lived beyond that point.
"Ashaya, please answer, you've been quiet." Suma says concerned.
"I-I don't know what to say. This is a confusing time. This is more to take on than a traditional marriage proposal...also I'm in pain right now." I held my head tighter.
"The offer stands." He says. "We probably need to heal before then-"
My head started to feel heavy as I blinked slowly, my head was still bleeding.
"Are you okay?" Asked Hinatsuru.
I fall onto my back, arms spread and everything. They girls let out a concerned gasp, calm down guys.
"Ashaya? What's wrong?" Asked Tengen.
"I'm very tired, I'm going to sleep."
"You can't sleep here."
"You watch me. Duces." I put up my peace sign and closed my eyes.
"I see." Says a voice I haven't heard before or have I? "Hmm, a six, huh? That would be the lowest of the upper ranks. Well, six or not, you still defeated an upper rank, so yes, congratulations are in order. Right, six or not. I don't mind offering you my praise."
I opened my eyes to that Hashira with a snake standing at my head, like why didn't they help?
"Well, not that your praise will do anything for me." Tengen replied.
"That's right!" Suma growls.
"You sure took your time getting here!" Makio adds.
Suma scoots over to my feet pointing at the Hashira. "Y-y-you took too long to get here! Way too long!"
The snaked hissed, she screams and runs back to her man.
"You look worked over, bleeding everywhere, but congratulations to you." He says looking at me with those eyes.
"I don't even know who you are young lady."
"I'm a male.."
"Could've fooled me." I mumbled.
"Anyways...what are you going to do not that you've lost your hand, your left eye?"
"Twins." I says pointing out my eye, that I still can't see out of.
"...how long will it take you to return to duty after battling this lowly upper six? Who's going to fill in for you until then?"
"I'm retiring. There's just no way I can still fight. I'm sure the master will accept that."
"Don't be ridiculous. I refuse to accept it. As it is, too many of the youngsters are dying on us before reaching their potential. There's still a vacant spot now that Rengoku's gone. Even someone as uninspiring as you would be better than nothing at all. Battle on until you die."
"You just don't stop talking, come here." I tried to grab his leg but he just looks down at me.
"Nope. There is a youngster who's about to reach his potential for sure. And this one, I believe she already reached it. These young ones you hate."
"Hey...no way. Then, he survived? This battle? That Kamado Tanjiro? Ashaya Akari, you reached your potential? If Uzui says so, then it must be true."
I sighed as I sat back up and shake the rocks from my hair. "I feel better now."
"Good." Tengen smiled.
"We should get out of here." Hinatsuru says.
"Good idea." They all helped him up.
"Good job guys, you're awesome." I say as Hinatsuru puts my arm over her shoulder, I groaned as my leg just dangles.
"Oh, damn! This hurts like hell!" He grunted.
"But thank goodness, Lord Tengen!" Suma sobs.
"Really. Thank goodness you're alive." Makio agreed.
"So it'll be four of us returning intact, right? Well, five." She leans her head in mine.
"Yeah. Let's go home to a hero's welcome and be flashy about it!"
"Wait!" I said spotting my friends. "I'll see you later or something. Bye!"
I hopped on one leg as fast as I could, falling to my hands but get back up as hot tears rimmed my eyes.
"Amane!" Inosuke grabs me into a hug and off my legs.
"Inosuke! Oh, my- I thought you died."
"I wouldn't die on you." He sniffles.
"Akari!" Zenitsu cried loudly as Tanjiro warps all of us in a hug. "Thank goodness!"
"We're Alive." He says.
"I don't want to lose you guys. Don't leave me."
"We won't ever leave you." Tanjiro held on tighter.
"Hmm, hmm." Nezuko mumbled.