Purple Lotus [Kimetsu no Yaiba]

~Forty-Three~

"Tsu-chan," Giyuu Tomioka went and sat beside her as she had a cup of tea, waiting for a certain pinkette. She gave him her default smile.

"Giyuu, did you need something?" she asked but read his mind before he could respond and frowned. "You want to ask me about that thing again?"

He nodded. "About your gift..."

"It's not a gift," she cut him off. "It's much more of a curse. It makes the world so loud and I can't get surprised. No one can keep secrets from me, I can't control it at all and I always see people for who they are before they can put up an act. I know all that doesn't sound so bad but trust me, it's hell. I can't be around more than three people before I get a migraine because of how loud they're thinking."

"You could use it to slay demons," the ravenette countered. "If you learnt to control it..."

"And just how do you suppose I do that?" she raised a brow. "This gift, curse, whatever it is, had been with me for as long as I can remember. You'd think I could master using it after 10 years of my life but no! It's still just as annoying and painful to experience as ever!"

"Maybe if you stopped treating it like a curse and tried paying some attention to it, it would be easier to control." Sabito appeared behind them with a smile. "It really is cool what you can do, Tsu-chan. You should embrace it!" he beamed.

As much as she loved the pinkette and would do alomost anything that would make him happy, that was the one thing she wouldn't. Tsubasa hated her so-called gift. She'd been brought up to hate it and did't plan on changing her mindset anytime soon. That's just how it was and how it would always be. 

"No," she said with no room for discussion. "I hate this ability. I would get rid of it the first chance I get."

*****

"No, this can't be happening!" Tsubasa whispered to herself as she dashed through the Butterfly Mansion to the training ground where she thought her companions would be. "I'm just blocked. I'm just blocked," she convinced herself. "When I'm drained, my gift becomes hazy a little. That's what's happening! But once I'm with Tanjiro and Zenitsu and Inosuke and Nii-nii, everything will be..."

She trailed off as she made it outside to the training ground. They were there. They were right there! The trio. And Giyuu had just made an appearance to come check on her. But still...nothing! No thoughts, no feelings! Tsubasa's mind was completely blank and empty! She felt so alone.

When they caught sight of her, the three dashed over to her. "Tsubasa!" they beamed.

"You're awake!" Tanjiro said cheerfully. "We were so worried. We're glad you're okay!"

"I...You...huh?" Tsubasa looked at them, upset and on the brink of tears. "You... your thoughts."

"Tsu-chan?" Zenitsu called her and secretly felt warm and fuzzy for using her nickname. "Are you alright? You look kinda pale."

"Who do you think you are!?" Inosuke hollered and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Scaring me like that ya damn Brat!? You're not in pain, are you?"

"You all..." Tsubasa tried to get her words out. "...You're thinking...aren't you?"

"Of course we are," Zenitsu replied, his brows now knitted with worry. "Don't you know everything we're thinking already?"

"N-n-no... I..." Tsubasa grabbed her  trying to find something, anything! A thought, a feeling, some kind of hint. But there was nothing. "I can't feel you anymore," she whimpered in horror. "Any of you."

Tanjiro's frown grew. "What do you mean you can't feel us?"

Before she could reply, a hand was placed on her shoulder from behind, "Tsu-chan." She shrieked, jumped and hid behind Tanjiro. When she looked, she saw the Water Pillar. Giyuu was stunned. Tsubasa could never be surprised or startled because she could sense someone coming a mile away. "Tsu-chan?" he repeated.

The second he said her name, Tsubasa leapt into his arm. "Nii-nii! Something's wrong with me!!" she wailed and stained his haori with tears. 

Giyuu hugged her back. "What do you mean?" he asked.

Tsubasa continued to cry, "I... I can't... I..."

"Calm down," he urged.

"My gift is gone! I can't hear, can't feel anyone anymore!!" she cried. "Nii-nii, something is wrong!!"

Giyuu was startled for a moment. The trio, having heard and witnessed everything, froze. She lost her power? The Emotion Hashira without the ability to feel emotions? And on top of being a Pillar, Tsubasa's gift was what made her Tsubasa! How would she pull all her pranks or play all her games without the one thing she needed to do them all. Was it even possible!?

"Are you sure?" Giyuu asked. "You're not just blocked or drained? Try harder, what do I feel right now?"

Tsubasa took a moment and a deep breath and looked once more for something, anything at all. But still, there was nothing! She stared at Giyuu again and shook her head before breaking down completely

"Tsu-chan has lost her gift?" Zenitsu asked, wide-eyed.

"It must have been the demon we recently faced," Tanjiro denoted.

"Tsubasa," the Water Pillar whispered and she looked at him through teary eyes. "Calm down,  come on," he said softly and the two headed in the direction of Tsubasa's estate, leaving the trio to their thoughts.

Tanjiro and Zenitsu were shocked. "She really can't feel anyone anymore?"

"That must be so hard for her, losing something so special."

Meanwhile, inside Inosuke a storm was brewing with pure rage for the demon that made Tsubasa cry. They'd never see the light of the moon again!

*****

"Since when do you not hate your gift anymore?" The current Water Pillar of the Taisho Era asked the child. "You always said you'd get rid of it if you could. What changed your mind?"

"Kyo." Tsubasa's answer was simple and straightforward, very out of character for her. "He said if I embraced it an took pride in it I could make it far. Maybe if I made it far, I could become a Hashira and you wouldn't have to worry!" she beamed.

"Your entire personality has done a three-sixty as well," Giyuu scoffed. "You get influenced way too easily, Tsu-chan. To the point you want to create a Breathing Style?"

"Mm-hm! It's gonna be the best!" she piped. "My gift is amazing, Nii-nii. I only just realized it, now I don't know how I would ever live without it!"

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~✨Blu<3✨