dawg school is starting up next week 💔💔
also like, i was inactive for three weeks and came back to 3k+ notifs??? literally ily all sm mwah
WARNING : Swearing , Violence
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You had taken the time to recuperate that night, and morning had come as soon as you hoped. As the three of you— that being you, Tanjirou and Eli got into your uniforms, you fixed your hair.
As you all began to walk towards a wooded path, Eli exasperatedly sighed, "Tabasco, what the hell are we doing, again? I wanted to laze around all day.. gah.."
Tanjirou shifted Nezuko's box on his back, "Mitsuri told me last night that there's some sort of hidden weapon in this village! It's extremely powerful, too!"
You rolled your shoulders back, feeling Hoshi nuzzle herself against your neck, 'The mechanical doll.. that looks like Yorichii. I think it's called Yorichii Type Zero.. if my memory hasn't become ass.'
You then piped up, excitedly pumping your fist into the air, "So, it's like a treasure hunt! So exciting!" You cracked your neck, gaining a spark of competitiveness, "I bet five hundred yen that I'll find it first!"
Eli snapped his head towards you, smirking, "Make it a thousand, and I'll join in on the bet." You let out a mischievous chuckle, slyly grinning, "Looks like I'll be a thousand yen richer."
Eli then turned to Tanjirou, "Wait, can't you just like.. I don't know, smell the hidden weapon out with your dog nose, or something?" You perked up, "He's right, can't you?"
Tanjirou rubbed his nose, sweatdropping and puffing his cheeks out, "My nose isn't working too well because I haven't fully recovered yet. Or.. maybe it's the smell of the hot springs?"
Tanjirou then added, "I also really want to find Haganezuka-san.. but.." You interrupted him, with widened eyes, "Tanjirou, have you gone batshit insane?! Did you forget the fact he sent both of us death threats!?"
You then firmly placed your hands on his shoulders, "Tanjirou, do you have a concussion?" You shoved two fingers into his face, "How many fingers am I holding up!? Hurry!"
Tanjirou snickered at your reaction, before sheepishly smiling, "(Y/N).. I'm just worried about him.. is all.." His eyes then trailed behind you, "Hm? Is that a kid?"
You and Eli turned your heads towards Tanjirou's gaze, before Eli spoke up, "There's another person, too." Eli then spluttered into his fist, "Pfft— he's short. Looks like he just graduated sixth grade."
You narrowed your eyes on the figure, before widening them, "Oh, shit! That's Muichiro!" You then reminisced about your encounter with him, making you clench your fist, angrily cracking a smirk, "That fucker called me schizophrenic, and a freak."
Tanjirou widened his eyes — dumbstruck, "He— what?! What do you mean, (Y/N)?!" You turned to Tanjirou, throwing your hands up exasperatedly, "It means exactly what I said, Tanjirou!"
You cracked your fists, "I'll make him pay.. I swear by it!"
Tanjirou then leaned closer to the two figures, cupping his ear, "Wait, wait, wait.. it sounds like they're arguing!"
As if on cue, a young boy's voice was heard — appearing to be angered and annoyed, "GO AWAY! I'M NOT HANDING MY KEY OVER, NO MATTER WHAT! AND I'M SURE AS HELL AIN'T TEACHING YOU HOW TO USE IT!"
Tanjirou paled, "Gah! What do we do?! Eavesdropping is bad! It's so bad! But.. they're fighting, so.."
As you saw Muichiro reel his hand back, preparing for a smack, you instantly pushed back on your heel, speed walking over. As you did so, Hoshi let out a surprised squeak.
Before his hand could make contact with the boy's face, you lightly shoved him out of the way — causing Muichiro's slap to make contact with your abdomen.
Tanjirou and Eli immediately came rushing over, though — Eli was fighting back the urge to hysterically laugh.
You widened your eyes, spluttering out and doubling over in exaggerated pain, "GOD!! FUCK, FUCK, FUCKITY FUCK!" You whipped your head up to Muichiro, "GOD, MAN! WHY THE HELL WERE YOU TRYING TO SLAP THE KID THIS HARD?!"
The boy widened his eyes, blurting out in a panic, "Wah!! Are you okay!?" You rubbed your abdomen to soothe the pain, biting your lip, "Holy fuck! That doesn't feel like a slap at all..!"
Muichiro slightly raised a brow, though, his facial features remained nonchalant, "Oh, it's you. The schizophrenic freak. You're annoying."
An irk mark appeared on your forehead, before you narrowed your eyes on Muichiro. Your tone was dripping with sarcasm, "Oh, it's you. The wide-eyed, toothpick shaped, airhead who could pass as a girl. And, for the record, you're just as annoying."
Muichiro then pulled you up by the collar, his eyes now holding a glint of irritation, "You do know you're inferior to me, right? Act like it."
You merely stuck your tongue out, "Sounds like a load of baloney to me, toothpick."
Hoshi jumped off your shoulder, before scurrying over to Eli.
Soon enough, Tanjirou's calloused hand made contact with his wrist, "HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! LET GO OF HER!" Muichiro robotically turned his head to face Tanjirou ever so slightly, "Your voice is annoying. Who are you?"
Eli quirked a brow, fighting back a smile, "Tabasco, (Y/N), I wouldn't really take that if I were you—" Muichiro shot him a look, causing him to immediately shut up.
Tanjirou then continued, his voice lowering down from a yell, but it still held anger, "What're you doing to her..! Get your— gh..!"
Tanjirou's jaw dropped as he set his gaze on Muichiro's wrist — his calloused hand gripping as tight as it could, 'He's not even flinching! He has thinner arms, and he's smaller than me!'
Muichiro's nonchalant look flashed with a hint of annoyance, "No, you let go." With that, he elbowed Tanjirou in the stomach, instantly sending him to the ground.
Additionally, it had caused his grip on you to weaken, giving you the opportunity to slip out of his grasp. You stumbled, before quickly regaining your footing.
Eli crouched down next to Tanjirou, poking his arm, "Yikes, that looks like it hurt. You good, Tabasco?"
You snapped your head to Tanjirou, before furrowing your brows angrily. You whipped your gaze back to Muichiro, "Okay, what the hell?! Who the hell pissed in your cereal?!"
Muichiro ignored your outburst, his eyes narrowing on Nezuko's box, "Hey, what's in that box? I sense something strange. It feels like a demon." He slowly reached his hand out for it, before Tanjirou aggressively slapped his hand away.
Tanjirou's glare hardened as he seethed out, "Don't touch."
Muichiro blankly looked at his hand, giving Tanjirou the opportunity to approach the boy. He slightly bent down, "Hey, are you okay?"
The boy managed to pathetically slap Tanjirou away, "G—Get off of me!" Eli furrowed his brows, awkwardly scratching his cheek, "You don't look too good, kid. You good?"
The boy's tone grew angrier, "Go away!! I—I'm not handing this key over to anyone! Not even under torture. It is going to break very soon!"
Muichiro then intercepted the conversation, "Have you ever been under torture? Even adults can't endure it, so it's impossible for you. You're just a dumb kid who doesn't know his place."
You puffed your cheeks out, before angrily pointing at Muichiro, "You're just a dumb hashira who thinks he's superior to everyone!"
Muichiro feigned ignorance to you, "And, boy.. so what if it breaks? Just make another. You know, in all this time of mumbling and grumbling, do you know how many people have died? This is what happens when you get in the way of a pillar."
Everyone stared at Muichiro with slightly widened eyes.
Eli then piped up with a shrug, "Don't act like you could've magically teleported to whoever is on the verge of death, small brain. It.. really sucks, but people are gonna die either way."
Muichiro narrowed his eyes on Eli, "Unlike you people, a pillar's time is extremely important. You'd understand if you thought a little. Swordsmiths can't fight. Making weapons is all they're good for."
Muichiro took a step forward, towering over the boy and sticking his palm out, "Come on. Key. Understand your place when you act, you're not a baby anymore."
You puffed your cheeks out, annoyance evident on your features as you pettily swatted Muichiro's hand away. Muichiro stared blankly back at you, "What is it now?"
An irk mark appeared on your forehead, as you angrily smirked, "Are you that self absorbed, you dunce?! What about consideration?! Have you forgotten what that word means, too?! Considering you forget everything else!"
You added, "You're acting cruel!"
Muichiro owlishly blinked, "Am I acting cruel?"
Eli scoffed on the sidelines, before exaggeratedly dragging his palm down his face, "Is this dude serious? Like, I genuinely can't tell." You locked eyes with Eli momentarily, "I don't even fucking know at this point!"
You then immediately replied, "Yes! Yes you are! Holy shit, man! Is it that hard to realize!?"
Tanjirou then butt into the argument once more, "Everything you said is more than less right, but even though you're not wrong.. swordsmiths have a very important and crucial job! They possess amazing skills, different from us swordsmen!"
He continued, his irritation growing stronger, "They both fight the same fight, for god's sake! We fight every day, albeit in different places!"
You nodded vigorously, speaking up, "Yes!! Yes he's right! I mean, other than the fact that our swordsmith kind of wants us dead.. and that he gets under my skin.. sometimes— no.. wait.."
You began to break off into a tangent, "..yeah honestly, probably most of the time. Especially back when we first met him."
You then regained your energy from your irritation, "That's not the point! Without him, I wouldn't have my sword with me today, meaning there would've been lives that I wouldn't have been able to save! So—!"
Muichiro let out a bored yawn, cutting you off, "Sorry. This dumb stuff is boring me, and I don't have the time for it."
You widened your eyes, "Eh—? Agh!"
With that, he jammed his hand into one of your pressure points. You let out a brief groan, as your world began to spin around you. Soon enough, your vision had completely turned black as you fell limp.
『✦』
Several minutes had passed, and it wasn't before long that you were starting to come back to your senses.
Besides, it was hard staying unconscious when you were surrounded by loud, bellowing voices. Additionally, Hoshi wouldn't stop burying her face into your hand.
"HOLY SHIT!? WHAT THE— HEY, WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU GOING?!"
"THE KEY!! HE TOOK THE KEY!!"
You soon felt the sensation of a calloused hand on your shoulder, "(Y/N)—?! Are you okay?!" Eli's voice suddenly chimed in, "She's obviously not, you braindead neanderthal! That twig just rocked her shit!"
Tanjirou blinked, "Eh? What's a— n-nean.. nevermind that! Now's not the time for insults!"
The little boy's voice then sounded out, "This is all my fault..!" Eli then turned to him, sarcastically retorting, "Oh, really!? Nice observation, sherlock!" Tanjirou turned back to Eli, "Come on, Hugh. Stop being rude!"
Once you fully regained your consciousness, you snapped your eyes open, before instantly sitting up with force. Your head slightly ached, but you feigned ignorance.
This gained the attention of all three boys, causing them to focus their attention back onto you. Tanjirou piped up, tightening his grasp on your shoulder, "(Y/N)!" Eli took a step forwards, "You good?! That gnome beat the shit out of you!"
You ignored their words, shooting up to your feet. You whipped your head in a circle, "Where the hell did he go!? I want to get payback! Where is he?!"
Eli stifled his laughter, "Are you sure? He's clearly stronger than you.. he rocked your shit in the matter of a minute.." You snapped back to Eli, "Who's side are you even on, traitor!?"
You puffed your cheeks out, before you laid your eyes on the boy. You approached him with furrowed brows as Hoshi scurried back onto your shoulder, "Hey, are you okay? I'm sorry I couldn't do much."
'This.. is Kotetsu..'
The boy looked up to you, and you couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia once admiring his mask — it reminded you of Urokodaki's, "He.. took the key.."
You immediately deflated, huffing, "Oh.." Tanjirou then approached you, "Are you feeling okay? He hit you pretty hard.."
You started to caress your neck and abdomen with your hands, sheepishly smiling with a sweat drop, "I'll be okay.. my neck and abdomen are sore as fuck, though. Ow."
Eli then approached you from your opposite side, "They'll probably be sore for a while, you dumbass. That's what you get for trying to tell off a damn hashira."
An irk mark then appeared on his forehead as he crossed his arms, "God, I hate those fucking hashiras! I mean, other than pinky.. they're all complete morons!"
You playfully rolled your eyes, "Well, he deserved to be told off! Not even for just tormenting a kid.. but I'm still hung up with him calling me a freak!"
As the three of you conversed, the boy piped up once more, "I'm.. really happy. You all don't even know me, but you stood up for me..!"
Your collective group perked up, before you waved him off with a smile, "It'd be really rude if we didn't.. haha.. so don't worry about it!" Despite your words, he bowed, "But.. still, thank you very much..!"
Tanjirou awkwardly scratched his cheek, "We.. weren't really much help. Muichiro still ended up taking the key.." Eli then piped up, "Say, what was that key for, anyways?"
The boy fixed his low ponytail, before replying, "A mechanical doll." Eli deadpanned, "He got worked up.. over.. a doll..? Seriously— OW!!" You pinched Eli's forearm, comically seething at him, "Will you let him fucking speak!? God!"
Eli squirmed beneath your grasp, "GAH!! I'M SORRY!! I SURRENDER, I SURRENDEERRR!!" Once satisfied with his cowardice, you sent him an eery smile as you let your hand fall to your side, "That's what I thought."
The boy then continued to explain, "Um.. yeah. My ancestors made it.. and it can perform up to 108 movements. It's stronger than a human, so we use it for combat training."
Tanjirou widened his eyes, "Really!? That's amazing!" You mimicked his reaction, "Holy shit! 108 movements?! That's insane..!"
As Eli soothingly caressed his forearm, he squeaked out, "So.. does that mean that psychopath wants to train with it..?" The boy sweatdropped, "Yeah. But it's getting old, and on the verge of breaking."
As if on cue, a loud wacking sound was heard in the distance, causing your collective group to flinch.
Tanjirou was the first to speak, "Wah! What the—?!" The boy immediately replied, his tone anxious, "He's.. started." He then turned to the three of you, motioning you to follow him, "Follow me!"
Soon enough, you all came to a halt, coming face-to-face with the mechanical doll itself. The head itself was half-cracked, followed by scratches and dirt littering it's whole body. It sported six arms total, each of them holding a lethal katana.
You widened your eyes, 'It.. looks exactly like Yoriichi..'
The boy then spoke up, "That's.. the mechanical doll for combat use that my ancestors made.. Yoriichi type zero!"
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Word Count: 2631
oopsies
sorry for like being inactive for three weeks😭 life got extremely busy
anyways sorry for the kinda rushed chapter LOOL, hope u still enjoyed it tho haha
already began working on the next chapter, so my hope is to finish it by the end of the weekend !
see ya in the next update !!