Purple Lotus [Kimetsu no Yaiba]

~Forty-Two~

"Re-gift?" Tsubasa blinked, seemingly dumbfounded but knew very well what he was talking about. "Now, what would that be? Seems quite simple for a Blood Demon Art, don'tcha think?"

Demon boy smirked. "Well, maybe. But I bet it'll make more sense if I show it to you." He held out one of his hands. "Mind if I demonstrate?" All I have to do is touch any part of her and everything will be over, she read his mind.

Tsubasa sheathed her sword and smirked. "By all means," she said. "Try."

And so he did. The demon charged at her and desperately tried to touch even a single hair on her head. But Tsubasa wouldn't even let him get close enough to smell her! It went on for several minutes while the trio in the background wondered on how to intervene.

"Tsubasa seems to really be enjoying the battle," Tanjiro said with worry etched in his tone.

"She's barely touched a sword in four months and two weeks," Zenitsu pointed out. "Maybe she's just excited?"

"The Brat, she's provoking him," Inosuke growled. "She'll get hurt if she slips up."

And, as if to prove a point, Tsubasa slipped and landed on her butt. She made a lightning fast recovery just before the demon could touch her and flipped backwards, twice. "Brat!" Inosuke yelled in alarm. She simply waved at him with a smile and went on.

"The name's Houko, by the way!" the demon boy announced as he yet again dodged one of her deadly sword swings.

"Houko?" she asked and introduced in suit. "Tsubasa! Tell me, do you remember your life before you became a demon?"

"Huh? My life?" Houko glared at her, wondering what she was playing at. Tsubasa simply smiled. "How would you know anything about my life?" he asked but got no reply.

"Inosuke is getting agitated and will come finish you off himself if I don't end this soon," Tsubasa simply said. "So good bye. Emotion Breathing, Third Form:

The familiar yellow mist followed her blade as Tsubasa jumped from one point to another as though doing a dance. Houko tried to follow her movements but to no avail and eventually decided to succumb to the warm feeling she was giving off. It made him feel... happy?

⁘•⁎Happy Dance!!⁎•⁘

Tsubasa swung, ready to take the final blow and finally end everything, but at the very last moment, she felt someone grab her hand. She looked to see Houko holding her wrist with a smirk. She looked back to where her sword was supposed to slice his neck and found... "Inosuke!!"

She immediately retreated, only barely missing the boar's neck and skidded to a landing. "Huh?" Inosuke looked around him. He was standing next to Tanjiro and Zenitsu just now, so how did he get there? "What the hell happened!?" he yelled. "Oi Brat! Did you just try to cut my head off!?"

"Inosuke! I'm sorry," Tsubasa tried to run to him but was instantly yanked back. It was then she realized that Houko still had a very firm grip on her wrist. He looked  her with a crap-eating grin and tightened his hold.

"Well, you did give me permission to demonstrate," he said. "So I might as well. Blood Demon Art;

⁘•⁎Re-Gift!!⁎•⁘

Just then, a bright light emitted from Tsubasa's chest of every color. It seemed as though the light was being sucked out from her and floated daintily into the demon's mouth. It was as though with the light, all her energy was being sucked out of her as well, like her very life force was leaving her. She couldn't move, she couldn't retaliate if she tried. That was when the boar intervened. 

"Oi!" he charged at the two. "Let go of my brat!!" He tried a direct attack to cut off Houko's neck but he dodged it instantly. He could clearly see the girl slowly losing consciousness and got even angrier. "Just what do you think you're doing!?"

Houko grinned and let go of Tsubasa, throwing her into a tree a few ways off. "My, was she really a Hashira? That couldn't have been easier!" he laughed maniacally.

That was where Inosuke lost it. No one, absolutely no one called his brat weak. "What did you just say?" he growled and charged again without waiting for a response. But just as he was about to cut the demon into four thousand pieces, he disappeared! And in his place was...

"AAAH!!! JUST WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING YA DUMB BOAR!?!?" Zenitsu scampered away from him at the last second. "I'm not the demon! Why are you trying to cut off my neck, you stupid pig!!!?"

"Huh?" Inosuke looked around him again. Houko was no where to be seen. "Where did he go!? DAMN YOU MONITSU!! YOU LET THE DEMON GET AWAY!! FIGHT MEE!!!"

The two were about to actually brawl right there when Tanjiro caught their attention. "Uh, guys! It's Tsubasa!" he called and they rushed over to where he was, holding the child in his arms. "She's not waking up."

*-*-*-*-*-*-*

When Tsubasa woke up, she felt... off. She wasn't in pain, when she sat up she didn't feel dizzy, she didn't feel sick in any way. Just... off. She was in the Butterfly Mansion again. That meant she'd gotten hurt in battle again. She sighed and thought If I keep getting hurt like this Nii-Nii will never let me go on a solo mission again. 

She got up, put on her uniform that was folded neatly on the bedside table, and walked out. Still with the off feeling, she wandered the mansion in search of her friends. I can only imagine how pissed off Inosuke will be with me. He told me to be careful and...

That was when she noticed it. A Kakushi walked right by her... and it was quiet. No thoughts, no feelings, no pain or anything. She was just... there! Usually, Tsubasa would be able to sense someone coming her way from at least fifty meters away and she'd be able to hear their thoughts and feel what they were feeling immediately. But this time... there was nothing!

She froze and looked at the Kakushi once more. Maybe she had to concentrate a little more. Just a thought. A little memory? Anything! Tsubasa tried hard and eventually, the same Kakushi looked worriedly at her. "Tsukishiro-sama?" she called. "Is anything the matter?"

Without replying, Tsubasa bolted in the other direction. She refused to believe it. She just had to be blocked by something, right!? But even though she was trying to convince herself that was the case, the girl knew all too well what had happened. 

Tsubasa had lost her gift.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

~✨Blu<3✨