𝕋𝕖𝕒𝕔𝕙𝕖𝕣'𝕤 𝕡𝕖𝕥 // Tengen Uzui x reader (+18)

Chapter 44 | Hope and desperation

You take a deep breath - concentration breathing. Your mind drifts to the weights of the syringe and the hair clip in your pocket.
Should you risk taking the drug or should you risk losing Shin if not taking it?
You don't question Shin's knowledge and trust in his works but every drug naturally has side effects. The problem is not only that you don't know what kind but also not when they will appear.

You decide to wait.
Shin unleashes his whip. Blueish venom oozes out of it. One hit and the timer starts that will end in synchrony with your heartbeat. A hashira would have half an hour depending on the speed of their blood circulation. Shin for sure sped up the venom's reaction.

Rain flows over your face. You blink. Tokito-san didn't move. The forest is dead silent. Only the rain and wind whisper in your ears. At least you don't have to fight Tengen-sama.
Tengen-san.
He won't forgive you. He won't let you be his student again. You don't need the formalities anymore.

With a loud snap of his whip Shin announces the official beginning of the fight from your side. The demon's side. The parasite side.

You can hear the wood crackling as the whip slashes through and infects it.
With a firm expression you jump at Tokito-san.
As expected he slides back to dodge your attack. You immediately get back to Shin's back and you switch sides in an instant. Meanwhile your brother swirls his prolonging whip around you, forming an area that is lethal for anybody to enter.
You don't think that this would stop hashiras tho but it slows them down. Lowering your eyes in shame and disgust of yourself you wait for Shin to switch back. You don't want to look at the god of festivals.

***
Fourty minutes later it's still raining and everyone is panting.
Tokito-san got hit by Shin's whip twice. The first time he was distracted by you, the second time he shielded Tengen-san who was supposed to get hit by the attack. He too was distracted by you. Just not in the same way as Tokito-san.

You can see Tokito-san struggling to keep standing. He's fighting the venom pretty good. If he hadn't been hit twice he maybe would have survived it without an antidote - scary. He's dangerous and stronger than you had wished.
Tengen-san too is dangerous as fuck. Not really surprising with his massive muscles tho.
"I didn't think it would really work", Shin pants.

You tilt your head to the side to hear him better. Still the two of you are standing back to back protecting each other.

"What do you mean?", you ask.
In the corner of your eye you notice Tokito-san making a step forward, his katana pointing at you. It looks like he's summoning his weapon to strike you.
Your shadow cage isn't going to hold him any longer. Not that you would have expected it to be otherwise.

"Surviving them."
His answer is filled with hope and joy. Like a flower that's been too intimidated by the huge grasses to grow, finally reaching for the touch of the sun.

Despite yourself, you laugh. It doesn't sound happy at all. It doesn't sound anything. All emotions that fight each other in your mind mix into this laugh. Maybe it's hope... or desperation.
"Me neither. Shin, I am glad you got so strong", you confess.

You're aware that the hashiras can hear you.
You're aware that they're holding back and let you two reveal your tricks.
You're aware that they have an ace up their sleeve.
All they have to do is wait for the rain to stop. They just have to prolong the fight by not attacking at the same time but keeping you busy and alert.
You seethe of anger that they think you're not worth their time and power. That they let the sun do their work.

Your eyes zap to the clouds. Fuck.
"Shin, we've gotta go. The clouds move to north. We have to stay covered", you order.

We. You don't know why you said that.

He doesn't wait.
With an enormous strike of his whip Shin forces the hashiras to free your escape route.
And then you run.
The rain hits your face hard. Your feet don't feel the ground. Your heartbeat drums in your ears. Your eyes are fixed on Shin's back.
You can't risk turning around. They are following you anyways. You can feel the ground rumbling because of them.

PLEASE TENGEN UZUI, I DON'T WANT TO FACE YOU!, you scream in your mind.

Your hackles raise as you realize that you're not as fast as you should be. That Shin isn't his fastest version either. The hashiras did well in draining you, you have to admit.
You already used up stamina by running here, followed by the fight...

You don't think twice. Ignoring the sting in your legs you grab the syringe and throw the cap off the needle. Without slowing down you ram the needle into your arm and inject the liquid as gentle as possible. Nevertheless it's painful. Shin's hands twitch, noticing his venom being somewhere he didn't put it. You drop the empty syringe and keep sprinting.

The reaction takes half a minute to begin. Your view gets hazy and clears again. Your limbs drift away from your body. No-
It's your whole body that suddenly isn't there anymore. You still move tho. It almost feels like flying. Time slows down for a second. At least you think it's a second. Acid burns on your tongue then it's gone. Your vision sharpens. Suddenly you're able to zoom in and out with your bare eyes. Suddenly you're able to hear the movements of the clouds. However the rain doesn't make any noise at all even though you've heard it moments ago. Every raindrop mirrors you and your wild-looking eyes. Things sharpen and unsharpen depending on how long you look at them. The rain can't touch your skin anymore. Invisible hands are covering it. Or is it your speed that shreds the drops into nothing as soon as you run past them?
Something howls in your head. You stumble.
Then your limbs come back to you. Your muscles are tense but you're relaxed at the same time. The pumping of your heart rumors through you.

Seconds before a hashira's hand can grab your clothing you flash forward. You grab Shin's arm and pull him with you as you shoot through the forest like a bullet. Nevertheless you can see clear - can see the abysm at the end of the forest - and curse.