haha heyyyy.. happy new year! 2024 woooooo!!!
annnddd merry christmas/happy hanukkah... aannndd happy thanksgiving... you get the deal..
sorry for going missing for god knows how long, life has been busy, ykkk..
i got an ipad w/ a keyboard for christmas, so it lowkey gave me some motivation to start writing again! i wrote on my phone before, so everything's diff on the ipad.
hope you guys have been well :) missed u all mwah mwah
WARNING : Swearing , Violence
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Soon enough, under Kotetsu's constant nagging, you and your companions had finally gave into his demands — to which you found you soon regretted.
As you and Eli watched Tanjirou get his ass handed to him against Yorichii Type Zero, you felt a certain feeling of dread creep up inside you.
You twitched your eye, mumbling beneath your breath as Hoshi rolled on her back — not a care in the world in the chipmunk's mind, "I'm fucking screwed. I'm done for. I'm genuinely— this is where I die."
Eli robotically turned to you, sweat dropping as you continued, "I'm not coming back from the dead this time. No, no.. I'm actually a goner."
Eli let out a sigh, rolling his eyes teasingly, "Will you stop yapping for once?" He turned to look back at Tanjirou's spar, only to pale, "Never mind. I take it back. We're done for."
You focused your attention back on the spar, and as soon as you did, you could only sit and stare as Tanjirou's body got launched directly towards Eli. Tanjirou let out an alarmed yell, "WAAGGHH!!"
The crimson haired boy then smashed into Eli, bringing both of them down to the ground. Eli let out a pained groan, "WHAT THE— WHAT THE FUCK, TABASCO?! WATCH WHERE YOU'RE.."
Eli trailed off, before rolling away from Tanjirou, "Flying..? I guess? Does that make sense?" You deadpanned at the scene, "You're actually— I can't believe how moronic you are."
You then got up, making your way to Tanjirou and reaching a hand out to him, to which he grabbed. As you helped him up, you chuckled, "Are you okay? That.. looked like an absolute shit show."
Tanjirou let out a sigh, "I swear, I'm gonna die!" He then soothingly caressed his arm, to which he landed on in an attempt to ease his aches, "Six arms.. it's impossible..!"
Soon enough, Kotetsu ran over, grabbing Tanjirou by the arm and attempting to drag him back to Yoriichi Type Zero, "It has five arms now. That shitty brat from earlier broke it off, so it's battle capability is decreased!"
Tanjirou merely stared at Kotetsu, as the young boy was unable to budge his body. Kotetsu finally had enough, and began to slap Tanjirou repeatedly, "If you die from this, you'll be nothing more than crap! Do your best! I'll say it one more time, so lift your head!!"
You sidestepped in front of Tanjirou, sheepishly chuckling as you restrained Kotetsu's hands, "Kotetsu, don't you think that—"
Kotetsu immediately squirmed out of your grasp as if he were a slithering snake, before approaching Tanjirou once more, "You're moving by habit! You're not even making any decisions after watching your opponent's movements.. that's why you keep miserably failing!!"
You and Eli merely watched as Kotetsu scolded the poor boy, "Get it?! Point is, you have no foundation! Honestly, I'm surprised you've managed to stay alive as a demon slayer for so damn long! I bet you've been on thin ice this whole time..!!"
Kotetsu continued, his tone growing louder; more passionate, "I'LL MAKE SURE TO RUN THROUGH EVERY WEAK POINT YOU HAVE, SO YOU WON'T BE GETTING ANY FOOD UNTIL YOU CAN DO WHAT I SAY!"
You each fell silent, before Kotetsu snapped his head towards Eli, just as if he were a hawk locating it's prey. Kotetsu approached him, pointing in his face, "Draw your sword. You're next, buddy."
Eli swallowed, but knew better than to argue against Kotetsu — he at least wanted to make it through this with his pride intact, "Okay, okay.. fuck!"
With that, he drew his violet blade..
..and within ten minutes, he was already down for the count — collapsed on the side with a bloody nose.
You strolled over to him, before pointing a finger down at him and laughing, "PFF— BWAHA!! YOU JUST GOT YOUR ASS KICKED!! I— YOU— BWAHAHA!!"
Tanjirou joined your side, awkwardly chuckling at the situation, "Hugh? Are you— er.. okay?" Eli looked to the two of you, "Oh, yeah! Everything's sunshine and rainbows—"
He then snapped irritably, "Of course I'm not okay! For fuck's sake!" Eli then eyed you, "You can't be laughing, you sad excuse of a woman! You'd get your ass kicked too!"
As if it were on cue, your short-lived amusement was interrupted by a small hand grasping your arm. You slowly turned down to face Kotetsu — his mask eerily baring into your eyes as you slowly gulped.
Kotetsu merely spoke in a non-threatening voice, but to you— it were as if the devil were speaking to you himself, "You're next."
Fighting the urge to curl into a ball and die, you reluctantly drew your sword, approaching the training dummy.
Instantly, karma had seemed to slap you in the face once Eli roared with laughter from the side, "YEAH, WHO'S LAUGHING NOW, BITCH!? GWAHAHA!! YOU'RE DONE! A GONER—! Ow!" Tanjirou lightly bonked his head, exasperatedly sighing, "Hugh, come on!"
Feigning ignorance to your companion's antics, you faced the dummy. As Yoriichi Type Zero slowly turned to you, you could've sworn you had pissed your pants right then and there.
You had lasted just a little bit more than Eli — but once you approached the fifteen minute mark, your limbs gave out from the constant movement from the advanced training dummy.
You dragged yourself across the ground, your hair a tangled mess; your cheeks now coated with dirt.
It was as if you were returning from World War III itself.
As you neared Eli, you triumphantly scoffed, despite your pathetic position on the ground, "Hey, asswipe. Guess who lasted longer than youuu.." You broke into a giggle fit, wincing once a wave of pain shook your limbs, "Ow."
Kotetsu sighed disappointedly, mindlessly kicking a small rock, "Damn.. you guys really do suck. We have a lot of work to do."
You each sweat dropped at his bluntness, before Eli quirked a brow sarcastically, "What the hell? Who the fuck is 'we'? Last time I checked, kid, you weren't risking your damn life against this- this.."
He faltered, thinking of an appropriate insult, "..absolute terminator! I swear to god, I almost saw the pearly gates welcome me with open arms— ACK!"
Kotetsu had chucked a pebble at Eli's forehead, "Will you be quiet?! Stop complaining, or I'll make you go immediately again!"
This had caused the chocolate haired boy to zip his lips without a moments hesitation.
You had desperately fought to contain your snickers and giggles — but it seemed almost impossible as you watched your lifelong best friend get chewed out by a mere kid.
You would most definitely hold this against Eli.
Kotetsu then approached Yoriichi Type Zero, before he began to fiddle with its nape, "I didn't tell that shitty hashira brat about this, but there are other ways to change the doll's movements aside from just turning the key on its neck."
Tanjirou outstretched a hand to you in order to help you up, to which you graciously accepted. As he pulled your body weight up with ease, you each exchanged a nervous look with Kotetsu's words.
It was as if you were on the same wavelength; each of you collectively thinking: 'We're so fucked.'
As a bitter gust of wind sent shivers up your spine, Kotetsu had turned to Tanjirou, showcasing a wooden box within his small palms.
You and your companion's eyes lightened at the small wooden box, to which was revealed to be a puzzle box.
As Kotetsu rambled on and on about the training bot's correlation to the puzzle box, your eyes completely lost their shine.
You weren't trying to be rude— no, that wasn't your intention whatsoever. But as Kotetsu endlessly continued his tangent, it respectfully made you want to gouge your eyeballs out due to boredom.
At least that way, you would have an easy out of not training with the bot.
『✦』
By the time a couple long, grueling, 'foodless' days had passed- you and your companions had appeared to be zombies.
Kotetsu was ruthless. He showed no mercy whatsoever. It got to the point where the three of you had gotten your asses whooped so bad, Kotetsu took away your food privileges.
Between all this training, a small part of you wished it was Urokodaki training you once more, instead of this seemingly apathetic, pushy child.
At least that way, you wouldn't be deprived of food.
Kotetsu had restricted your water intakes as well, and you had inwardly thanked and groveled to the clouds for blessing your sorry ass with rain. Without it, you'd be six feet under.
For real, this time.
You mindlessly bore your eyes at Tanjirou, who was currently sparring with the training dummy. Eli had crumpled down to the ground next to you, remaining silent due to his crankiness.
Your uniform had been littered with dirt and a small amount of blood due to tiny cuts and injuries. Your constant sweaty state hadn't helped the fact, either.
After what seemed like forever, you finally snapped out of your droning shape once Tanjirou had finally landed a blow on the training bot.
He was the first out of the three of you to do so.
You instantly launched to your feet— joy consuming you at the realization you'd finally be able to eat. You jumped up and down, giggling psychotically, "HAHA!! FOOD!! FINALLY!! HAHAH!!"
Kotetsu pumped his fists triumphantly, "You actually landed a blow, Tanjirou-san!! It was so soft it didn't do shit whatsoever, but.. FOOD! YOU ALL EARNED IT!!"
At the mention of food, Eli had risen from his half-dead condition, his eyes immediately lighting up with complete excitement, "FOOD? YOU'RE— YOU'RE SERIOUS?!"
Both you and Eli began to frolic in a circle — linking arms and erratically giggling to each other. You each had been so overtired that you were mentally going insane.
Tanjirou released a small, low pained groan due to him face planting on the ground, before he yelled out, "RICE BALLS WITH PLUMS!! TEA!! SUPER HIGH QUALITY!!"
With that, you all feasted together - shoveling the food down your throats as if it were the last meal you'd ever get to eat.
You hadn't even caught count on how many rice balls you had shoved in your mouth, but it was enough for Kotetsu to cut you off entirely.
You cried out in protest, "Wh— Kotetsu! Don't do thiisss!! You're acting like I'm a damn alcoholic, cutting me off like this!!"
Eli stifled a laugh at your protest, teasingly shoving a rice ball close to your face before pulling it back and licking the entire thing in front of you.
Tanjirou had to hold you back from tackling Eli to the ground, and beating the ever living shit out of him.
『✦』
From then on, you allowed yourself to sit back and watch Tanjirou individually fight the training bot. It was important for him to train.
Of course, you had to keep the storyline altogether. You couldn't steal his precious time—he needed the training more than you did.
Plus, you weren't necessarily complaining over the fact you got to sit on your ass and do nothing. It was genuinely a win-win situation.
Eli wasn't fighting it either, after you briefly filled him in on why the two of you should sideline. The relief on his face was evident.
Tanjirou's teeth were gritted intensely as he exchanged blows with Yoriichi Type Zero—it was hard to keep track of their attacks due to the unimaginable speeds.
For the first time in a few days, you allowed yourself to fully relax. You hugged your knees to your chest, before resting your chin atop your knees.
It wasn't before long that your mind involuntarily wandered. Of course, you couldn't help that your mind immediately thought back to your encounter with Muzan. The dream that haunted you continuously since it occured.
How the hell had he done it in the first place? It was like it was some witchcraft type of shit. Was it a blood demon art? No, that couldn't be it. Nobody that you knew of possessed an ability like that.
You began to fidget with your fingers, mindlessly staring into the ground. Despite your attempts to dismiss your thoughts, you couldn't help but picture Akari's mutilated body.
It shouldn't bother you as much as it is. You've seen brutal things. It wasn't foreign to you—you were a demon slayer. Something about it seemed personal, and you just couldn't shake off your feelings.
You hadn't realized how long you were zoned out for, but you were immediately brought back to your senses by Yoriichi Type Zero's head ramming into your forehead.
You released a yell, your head tilting as if it were a bobble head. The decapitated head rolled down to your lap, and you immediately released a surprised scream.
"WAH! WHAT THE FUCK—?!"
You threw it off your lap, frantically crawling backwards.
Tanjirou immediately ran over to you, his eyes widened, "Oh, god!! (Y/N), I'm so— are you okay!? I got too carried away!!"
You blinked, soothingly caressing your forehead to ease the stinging sensation as he knelt down to your level, "Yeah— I just.. holy shit, that scared me. Wait— was that... the doll's head...?"
Eli picked up the doll's head in response, shuddering as he held it by the maroon ponytail, "Eugh. This gives me the creeps." He then approached the two of you, waving the head in a teasing manner, "Oooohh..~ It's gonna get youu!~"
Shortly after, it crumbled to pieces. The pieces gradually dropped to the ground, leaving a wooden skull in its wake.
Everybody fell silent in shock.
You stood to your feet, blankly staring at your idiotic friend, "Great job, dipshit. You successfully destroyed its fucking head. Was it worth it?"
Eli dropped the wooden skull to the ground, sweat nervously dripping down his cheek. He hesitated. "Yes...?" He then caught sight of Kotetsu's unreadable expression, immediately adding, "N-No! I meant— uh, no..? Yeah, no!"
All three of you reluctantly turned to Kotetsu—puzzled due to the fact he wasn't going batshit crazy at Eli. Instead, his gaze was focused on the remaining figure of the doll—where a sword stood in its broken torso.
Kotetsu then faced your trio, before he tackled you with complete fright, "THERE'S SOMETHING IN THERE!! GAHH!! WHAT THE HELL?!"
You released a grunt as he tackled you, clinging onto your legs. You almost completely lost your balance. "EH?? KOTETSU...!"
Even Tanjirou was equally as shocked as Kotetsu, "HOW DID THAT— WAS THAT IN THERE THIS WHOLE TIME?!"
Eli approached the sword in the torso, poking it curiously. You each watched on silently, and only when he turned and showcased a thumbs up, did he speak, "IT'S A SWORD!!"
You called back, still fighting to maintain your balance with Kotetsu dragging your legs down, "NO SHIT, IT'S A SWORD! YOU THINK WE CAN'T SEE THAT?!" Kotetsu then piped up, "IT LOOKS LIKE A KATANA, BUT IT MUST BE OVER THREE HUNDRED YEARS OLD!"
Kotetsu finally unlatched from your legs, scurrying over to Tanjirou, "Y-YOU DON'T HAVE A SWORD! M-MAYBE IT'S OKAY FOR YOU TO TAKE IT!!"
Tanjirou shook his head vigorously, flailing his hands around nervously, "N-No way!! I better not! All the battles the doll has been through took their toll. It just.. the torso just happened to break while I was training with it!!"
Eli approached the two, crossing his arms as he countered, "Tabasco's right! I did a shit ton of damage to it, I just didn't get the final blow!! Who's to say that I don't get the sword, instead?!"
You finally joined the quarrel, taking a step forwards, "Eli, you don't even need the sword, you dumbass! Tanjirou needs a sword, that's why we came to this village in the first place!!"
Kotetsu nodded his head, jumping up and down, "Yes, exactly!! It's all right! Tanjirou-san can take the sword!! As the owner, I say so!! Steel from the Sengoku period is high quality! So, just take it!!"
Tanjirou blinked, smiling nervously, "W-What?!? Are you— you're sure?! It's okay!?" Kotetsu hummed in approval, "Try pulling it out!!"
You excitedly shook Eli's shoulders, squealing, "It's just like the sword in the stone!! Except, well— it's a sword in the torso!! It's a fucked up version of Excalibur!!"
Eli released a surprised yelp, before calling out, "Stop shaking me!! Let go!!"
Soon, Tanjirou pulled it from the torso, and you all gathered around him as he unsheathed the blade. You all sat in anticipation, only for your hope to be shattered once seeing it was tarnished.
Kotetsu released a sigh, "Of course.. it's been three centuries since anyone cared for it. Sorry to dash your hopes, everyone..."
Despite Tanjirou's comical tears, he waved a dismissive hand whilst smiling, "It's all right... I don't mind..." You shouted out, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder, "WHOA!! TANJIROU!!"
Unexpectedly, the sound of loud footsteps gradually drew closer, causing all of you to be alert. You and Tanjirou looked to each other, eyes widened, "What is that—!?"
Your quartet reeled their heads to the direction of the stomps, and were soon faced with an incredibly jacked man—his muscles bulging with veins. He wore a red tenge mask, and a bandana wrapped around his head.
Haganezuka.
You and Tanjirou hugged each other in alarm, shouting out simultaneously, "WAAGGHHH!!!"
With widened eyes, Eli trailed his eyes across Haganezuka's body, before taking a step back away from him, "HOLY SHIT, THIS GUY IS FUCKING JACKED!! WHO THE HELL IS HE!?"
Kotetsu widened his eyes, "HAGANEZUKA?!"
You and Tanjirou immediately stiffened at the sound of his name. Hell, even you had gotten too distracted with everything, that you had forgotten who the man truly was.
The both of you slowly turned to face each other once more, before robotically looking back at Haganezuka.
It was there, in that moment, did you guys realize you were about to meet your doom.
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Word Count : 3189
oops i went on an unannounced hiatus again
don't wanna yap to u guys, but for those who read this, i'm sorry! i've recently gotten surgery, so i was recovering.
school has also gotten extremely busy too, i've been studying nonstop haha
i'll see if i can write another chapter soon! i feel bad for keeping u guys waiting lmao
also, 200k reads???? are u KIDDING??? that's INSANE. my heart goes out to each and every one of u who've decided to read this shitty ass fanfic, ily all soooo much. mwah!! <3
see ya in the next update !!