~Nobody Else~ { M. Tokito}

Chapter 28 ~ The Swordsmith Village { Pt 3}

Atsumi moved through the trees with haste in the direction Muichiro went flying. Of course she couldn't just say goodbye to Fumiko and go home, nothing was that simple.
As she ran, strange sounds came from within the forest.
Nope, not going that way.
A sudden flash passed by Atsumi. She stopped and looked back and made out the Mist Pillar carrying something. Someone? He was too far at that point to tell, so she chased him down. When she caught up she realized that Muichiro was carrying Kotetsu, who was yelling incoherence.
"Tokito-san!"
He asked Kotetsu who it was instead of looking.
"It's Atsumi!" Kotetsu told him.
"What's going on?" Atsumi asked. "I was just with Fumiko when I saw you in the sky." Her voice shook a little as she ran and leapt.
"An upper demon moon," said Muichiro. "It attacked Tanjiro and I."
"Tanjiro? Is he alright?"
"Don't now. I'll find out when I get to him."
Apparently Kotetsu was directing Muichiro to find a swordsman named Kanamori so that they could save him in time. They soon found Kanamori alone up in a tree, who jumped down when he realized it was safe. He informed them that a man named Haganezuka was in a shed nearby, so the three followed him. The shed came into view, but as they grew closer a pot rolled out from behind a bush. Out came a disgusting demon with mouths for eyes and vice versa.
Oddly enough, the demon introduces himself. Gyokko is the name. Atsumi stands back to protect Kotetsu and Kanamori while Muichiro tries striking the demon, but he misses. It shifts from pot to pot, one of which Muichiro cut in half.
Should I take them and run? Atsumi thought.
Muichuro would be fine on his own. He's a Hashira, after all. Gyokko made two demon swish from his pits that spat needles at Muichiro.
Atsumi began backing away. "You two, we can run while-" suddenly the fish faced them.
Atsumi jumped out of the way just in time but forgot the other two. She looks back and sees that, luckily, Muichiro was able to protect them. They gasped at the sight of needles poking out from his face and arms.
"Tokito-san!"
He didn't flinch. He and Atsumi went for the kill, but Gyokko dodged them both. In the blink of an eye he created a pot that released water. Neither of them were quick enough to escape the water domain that engulfed them.
Huh? When did . . .
Atsumi could just barely move around, but cutting through the water was nearly impossible. It was thick enough that the tip of her sword couldn't even penetrate it. She tried using her most efficient form, but nothing happened. Her chest is tight from the lack of oxygen, and her vision begins to blur. She looks over to Muichiro, who is still trapped like her.
Am I really going to die right now? No . . . I can't!
Things were looking that way for her. She closes her eyes and holds onto her remaining breath, fighting the urge to inhale, and soon passes out.

• • •

Everything was dark. Her chest hurt, and her mind was foggy. How much time had passed? It didn't matter, she would be dead within a few minutes without ever even having her first kiss. Well, that would be the case if it weren't for the rush of air entering her lungs, causing the water to come up her throat. Atsumi's eyes shot wide open, and she was turned sideways by someone as she vomited water.
I . . . I'm not dead? But how?
After her chest is cleared, she looks up and sees Muichiro kneeling over her with a worried expression. How did he survive? His hair was dripping wet, and his bangs stuck to his forehead.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
Atsumi's throat was still sore. "Y-yeah, I guess," she managed to say.
"Good." Out of nowhere Muichiro scooped her up and lunged.
Atsumi's head was spinning, but she held on tight. "W-what the heck? What's going on-"
Instead of giving her an answer, Muichiro threw her over the clearing and into the woods. The throw wasn't so harsh, and Atsumi hit some bushes on the way, which softened her landing a bit. She lay on the ground confused out of her mind.
"Did he just launch me?"
She sat up and looked behind the trees and bushes. The upper moon was still there, fighting Muichiro. That must've been why he lifted and threw her so suddenly.
Gyokko was still giving commentary during the fight. Atsumi watched in disgust as he transformed, shedding his skin and growing two normal-sized arms. He tried getting Muichiro, but he kept on warding him off.
A sudden pain shot through Atsumi's foot. There was a tiny, pointy rock lodged in the flesh of her leg right where the old wound was-it must have happened when she landed. And just when it was mostly healed, too. She sucked her teeth as she yanked it out and hobbled over to a tree and sat behind it. She held her leg and leaned her head against the tree. Before she knew it, Muichiro had won. Looking around the tree, she saw him with Kanamori who thanked him graciously.
Atsumi walked over to them. "Tokito-san, thank you so much."
As a wonderful surprise, he smiled at her. "Of course, Atsumi." But he looked tired and sick. His eyes appeared dull.
"Hey, are you okay?"
Kanamori asked the same thing, but he insisted that he felt okay. Atsumi might have believed him if he didn't start foaming at the mouth. They panicked seeing this, and even more so when he collapsed.
Atsumi knelt beside him. "Oh my God! What do you mean, 'you're okay'?" He started choking on the foam, so she turned him over on his side.
Kotetsu appeared, scaring Kanamori into thinking he was a ghost. He explained how he survived being stabbed by the demon fish; he had a sword hilt under his shirt that ended up protecting him. This must have happened while Atsumi was unconscious, as she didn't recall any of that.
She looked down at Muichiro, laying with his eyes open. She wiped his mouth off and rubbed his shoulder. Something about him has changed after winning. Atsumi didn't know what, but she could see that he wasn't the same boy he was earlier on.

• • •

Less than half an hour passed since Gyokko's defeat, and before they knew it, Muichiro was back on his feet dashing through the forest to locate and help Tanjiro. He stole the sword Hotaru was working on from him before he could finish and took off. Furious, he chased after him with Atsumi and the other two. Atsumi had no trouble keeping up despite her leg, while the three swordsmiths lagged behind by a few yards. Though Hotaru was much closer due to his lure garage boosting his adrenaline.
As Atsumi ran beside the Mist Pillar, he sent a few glances her way.
"Do you feel alright?" He asked. "I know I threw you earlier "
His consideration came as a surprise. "Oh, right. Heh, yeah, I'm good." He doesn't need to know about my leg, he's being kind to me right now. " But guy you were just protecting me. Thank you."
"No problem."
They must've been running for ten minutes or so, stopping a couple times so Muichiro would make sure they were headed in the right direction. Eventually they came to the edge of the forest. They were at a cliff with a wide field below. Atsumi gasped with relief when she saw Tanjiro and Nezuko down below.
Thank God they're okay.
Her joy was short-lived when she realized that the sun was almost up, meaning Nezuko could die at any second.
Muichiro yelled Tanjiro's name until he was facing their direction. He then threw the sword with great strength from his spot. It pierced the earth right next to Tanjiro, who was desperately covering his sister with his body.
"Use it!" He shouted. "Use it, Tanjiro!" After saying that, Hotaru appeared out of thin air and smacked him over the head. Everyone protested against his violence, but the swordsmith was only concerned for the sword he didn't get to finish.
As she did before, Atsumi squatted beside Muichiro and hoped for the best. She didn't know how she would feel if he fainted and died right then and there from all his body's been through. The three watched Tanjiro do his best to defeat the headless demon that was now chasing after two villagers, but he also had Nezuko to protect. As much as Atsumi wanted to go out there and help, there wouldn't be enough time. And the sun might kill the girl anyways. Someone grabbed her wrist, pulling her attention away.
Muichiro sat up holding her wrist. "We need to get down there."
Atsumi nodded and rose with him. They went to the rocks and carefully made their way down. Please be careful, she thought. By the time they made it to the ground, they heard Tanjiro wailing. Atsumi was saddened knowing that Nezuko must've burned to death, but a miracle had happened. There she was standing while Tanjiro hugged her as he cried. He was terribly emotional, having almost lost his sister who was the whole point for this journey.
Atsumi took her time approaching them with Muichiro, who continued holding onto her. Kotetsu, Kanamori, and Haganezuka followed close behind. Mitsuri rejoined the group and hugged them all while crying profusely. Even if she didn't participate very much, Atsumi was relieved that the battle was finally over and everyone was still alive.

• • •

The village chief thanked everyone for protecting the village, but especially Tanjiro. Muichiro was sound asleep as someone pulled him in a carriage. Atsumi walked beside him. Get well soon.
"Atsumi!"
She turned and saw Fumiko running towards her. Though she worried about him for most of the night, she'd forgotten about him after waking up from almost drowning.
"Good God, Atsumi." He wrapped his arms around her as soon as they met, holding her tightly. "Are you okay?" he asked, checking her face and arms.
Atsumi smiled reassuringly. "I'm fine, Fumiko. But what about you? A lot of property was damaged. Where were you at during all of this?"
"I was in my shed further up the mountains. Thank the Gods you're alive, I was so worried."
Atsumi pulled him in for another hug. "I know. Thank you for caring."
"Of course."
A kakushi called Atsumi and told her that it was time to leave. So the two said their final goodbyes to each other, had one last hug, and Atsumi was off. As they were escorted out of the village, many-if not all-of the villagers threw flower petals at Tanjiro from the cliff edges as he passed through. And he definitely deserved it. Atsumi laid down, closed her eyes, and let herself rest. After everything, this sleep would last a while.

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A/n
Thank you to everyone for being so patient 😭 I've taken it upon myself to use Nanowrimo to finish this book. I wrote 7,046 words, which leaves me with the final two chapters to write. I hope you all look forward to it!

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