Purple Lotus [Kimetsu no Yaiba]

~Fifty-Three~

"Well, look at you," Gyutaro spoke. "You have such a nice face, your skin is good too. No marks or scars. And you're so tall, over six feet I'm guessing. You must have women fawning over you all the time. And you," he shifted his gaze to Tsubasa. "That smile of yours, it could brighten up any room. You have such a nice face too. You're very pretty."

Though they were compliments, it was obvious he was speaking with malice. "I must admit that I'm jealous, truly jealous. Just die already." He started to scratch his face and body, easily drawing blood. "And I hope you go painfully. Maybe flayed alive with your stomachs sliced open. Maybe that would wipe the smile off your face."

"Gyutaro! It's not just those two! There are more!" Daki cried. "You need to kill the ones that burned me as well!" She suddenly burst into tears again. "I fought as hard as I could! I really tried all on my own! But they came along and ruined everything!! They ganged up on mee!!!"

"Oh well we can't have that," Gyutaro said, drawing his sickles. "My adorable little sister, trying as hard as she could, left with no head on her shoulders. I'll kill everyone who's messed with her. And as you lie, dying, make sure you remember that it was Gyutaro who sent you to the afterlife!!"

He threw the sickles at them with lightning speed. The Hashira only just managed to dodge before they came back, still mid-attack. There were still some civilians in the building, and when the demon realized this, he went to attack them next. One sickle was centimeters away from hitting a woman and man when Tengen blocked it with his blades.

Tsubasa dealt with the other one just as easily, protecting the two people. "I'm jealous," the demon spoke with a somber look. "You really are a good man, and a good girl. Yes. You look so cool, and you protect people. You save them. They owe you their lives! I'm sure they smother you with gratitude."

"Of course, I am a flashy, brilliant, dashing guy," Tengen bragged though there was a serious look on his face. "I've even got three wives."

The demon took a moment an a half to process the information before he exclaimed. "You've got three wives!? Okay, that's too much!! Even I can't allow that! Next you'll tell me you've got three boyfriends as well!!"

"I have one," the purplette smiled though her blade was drawn. "But that's really none of your business."

"The fact that you have a suitor at your young age is despicable!! Blood Demon Art:

⁘•⁕Flying Blood Sickles!!⁕•⁘

Suddenly, several think blades of blood went flying at the two. They couldn't block them all while protecting the people so Tengen went and smashed the floor in, dropping all of them to the first floor and providing cover from the demon. "Run, quickly and hide yourselves!" Tsubasa yelled while ushering them out.

"Nice try, but you can't get away that easy," Gyutaro called from his post above. "Flying Blood Sickles...turn." 

The blood they thought they'd completely dodged before came back at them with even more force. It wasn't enough to just dodge them anymore, they wouldn't stop flying around until they hit the target. "Brother and Sister," Tengen thought out loud. "And the girl didn't die even after I cut off her head."

"They're siblings so maybe the brother is the main body," Tsubasa suggested. "If we cut off his head...." She trailed off, cutting a blade that was aiming straight for her neck in two. No..t hat's not it. I have a feeling there's more to just cutting off Gyutaro's head. 

"Either way, we have to try!" the whitette pulled out three tiny balls and threw them. By the sound of it, Tsubasa helped all the people in the building evacuate by now. Once they were in the air, he cut them all in half, causing three more loud explosions. The demons took cover at the very last second, hiding under Daki's obi. 

The two Hashira smirked, "Well, this isn't going to be easy..."

The obi came off to reveal Daki sitting on her brother's shoulder, the belt ready to attack at any given moment. She finished the Pillar's thought. "Because now, we fight as one!!"

*-*-*-*-*-*

"You're different," Gyutaro spoke to the Sound Pillar. "You're different from the other Hashira I've killed. I bet you were special since the day you were born. Blessed with talent." Something about his words seemed to trigger something in Tengen. "I mean it. I'm jealous. I want you dead as soon as possible."

"Talent? Ha!" Tengen exclaimed, seething with anger. "Do I look like I have talent to you? You have a pretty rosy outlook on life if that's what you think. Or maybe it's because you've been hiding out here for hundreds of years, so your view of the world is pretty ignorant. This is a big country. It's teeming with incredible people," he went on.

"Some are a mystery, some have a natural way with a sword and rise to the top in only two months, and some born with gifts that make them almost invincible!" The purplette in the background smiled. Sure, she wasn't invincible but the praise sure was nice. "So I'm chosen!? Gimmie a break!! You have no clue how much I've lost over the years!!"

Along with Tengen, Gyutaro was growing angry as well. "Then how do you explain it!?" he spat. "Why haven't you died yet? My blood sickles are poisonous, but no matter how long I wait, you don't feel any effects! What's going on!?" 

"I'm from a family of Shinobi, Ninja!" the Sound Pillar replied, tightening the grip on his blades. "I've built up a resistance to poison!"

"The Ninja died out in the Edo Period!" Daki exclaimed, finally getting a word in. "Enough lies! And even if you are, she's obviously not! So why isn't she dead yet!?"

"Ah, that's right." The sheer brightness of Tsubasa's smile was enough to make even the demon want to crack a grin, but she held herself. "We're still all getting to know each other, so you obviously don't know..." She took a stance, closer to the man. "That as long as Tengen is alright, I'm perfectly fine as well!!"

In actuality, Tsubasa couldn't resist poison at all, so the poison had taken effect on her a while ago, and she actually was depending on her fellow Pillar's strength to reflect on her. So when she saw him stumble the slightest bit, she almost panicked.

When Guytaro noticed this, he started to cackle. "The poison is working after all, isn't it? It's just taking effect very slowly. You almost bluffed me into thinking that it wasn't!!"

"No, it's not working at all!!" Tengen yelled, trying to convince both the demons and himself. "Shall we dance? I'm in peak condition. I could dance and sing and eat a dozen bowls of tempura right now! With style! Tsubasa!"

"Right!" The two charged again. This time, Tengen's blades were swinging at an immense speed, it was hard for the siblings to keep up with them. He went for Daki while Tsubasa went for Gyutaro. The Sound Pillar threw another set of bombs, which blew up easily because the obi cut through them.

Using the explosion as cover, they quickly switched places, allowing Tsubasa to easily behead the girl while Tengen went for the boy, swinging one blade by holding the other to elongate it. But at the very last second, he craned his neck to the side to the blade missed it by less than an inch. He cursed under his breath, "I didn't finish off this one!"

"Waah!! She cut off my head!" Daki cried. "This time it was the girl who cut off my head!! Why does this always happen to me!!"

Though, no one paid her any mind. Gyutaro looked at the Pillars. "Oh, so you've noticed."

"Noticed what?" Tengen asked, readying to strike again.

"Even if you have noticed, it doesn't matter. Because sooner or later you're going to die."

It was in that moment, a very tiny window of time, that Tsubasa found the answer. Gyutaro only thought of it for a split second, but it was enough for her to catch on. She grinned.

"So, that's it."

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

~ ✨Blu<3✨