|·Idiots With Swords·| Inosuke X Reader

28

Sanemi defended my body with ease as I readied myself to get back on the move. Standing up, I felt my bones creak and I inhaled sharply through the pain, though I could feel the telltale itch of my smaller wounds already closing back up.
"You should get out of here, (y/n)." He said suddenly, glancing back at me. "Climb out of here, and run."
"Oh fuck off, Shinazugawa. Like you give a shit either way." I retorted tartly with a very visible scowl. When he looked shocked, my face hardened. "We're nothing, remember? Thanks for watching my back, but I need to go find someone who does give a shit about me."
He looked hurt for the briefest second before he narrowed his eyes. ".. Fine. It's not like you ever listened to me anyways. I don't care. Do what you want."
I headed towards a hallway, but addressed him one final time over my shoulder. "..Don't worry. I'll keep my eyes open for Genya. And.. Don't die out here, got it? I don't.. We don't need to lose anyone else to Muzan."
I didn't stick around for an answer, instead, I ran through the halls. Each time I took a step, making me more and more familiar with the area around me. There are countless lesser demons here, including upper moons, and of course, that slimy bitch Muzan. A familar energy slides over me, and I located Shinobu, jogging towards her.
Her eyes widen when she sees me, her bizarre barbed sword at the ready, but she relaxes slightly. "Oh.. (Y/n), thank goodness it's you. Are you alright?"
"You can drop the act, Shinobu- San." I said curtly, a crooked smile on my face. "You're angry. Be angry, let it all out. Now's a pretty good time."
Her posture relaxes and her thin eyebrows instantly furrowed. "You're completely right, forgive me... I'm pissed."
"Ha, if you weren't, I'd be concerned considering today's events." I snorted softly, popping my neck. "We should stick together for now though. Two top notch girl bosses fighting together? Now that's dangerous."
"For demons and whatever else dares cross our paths." Shinobu agreed with a nod. Despite the angry tears in her eyes, never once have I ever seen her so furious, so hurt. In her anger, I see my own. And I agree with her words. Nothing could slow me down from this mission, this death sentence.
We cautiously make our way down the hallway in silence until we find a sliding door. She freezes, a beat of sweat rolling down her cheek, before turning back to face me. ".. I smell blood."
I nodded once and tightened my hold on my blades, tapping my foot against the floorboards. "There's an upper moon inside. Be on your guard, strike to kill. Forget getting information, I want the beasts head on my mantle."
I pull open the door and recoil immediately seeing nearly a dozen bloodied bodies. In the middle, sits someone in elaborate clothes made of the finest silks and velvets. They rest upon a hardwood floor walkway, that hovers over a very large pond full of lily pads, many blooming around them, for them. The loud crunching noise that sounded out near them nearly makes me gag, but I bit my tongue and brushed away my discomfort.
The demon turned to face us, "ohh? Someone's here? Whoa, girls!" He has pale golden hair and an easy bloodstained smile. But its his eyes that really catch my attention. A rainbow rests within them, tainted with the Kanji for '2'. "The small one looks so fine and delicious.. The tall one, a marechi, lean and savory. I'll have to thank Nakime- Chan later."
A look of realization passes over Shinobu's face as he speaks, and whatever spark of anger within her grew into a shere hellfire just below the surface.
"Why, hello there. Very nice to meet you." He smiled sweetly at us, a half-eaten dismembered arm in his hand while he tipped his hat with his other. "My name is Douma. Its a very nice night out tonight, isn't it?"
"I prefer to live my life according to the sun." I said calmly, before grinning at him. "Don't you?"
Douma stared at me for a moment too long, eyes locking with mine. Though he's a demon, I hardly feel any malice in his aura, and it sends a chill up my spine. He smiled sympathetically, "aw.. You already got hurt down here.. I'm sorry to hear that."
"Hardly a scratch." I snorted, taking in all the information he was giving me. He likes to eat, looks like mostly women as well. Takes no guilt in it either. And something tells me, that he has something to do with Kanae's death. That's why Shinobu seemed to recognize him, she was there when her sister died.
One of the bodies suddenly scrambled up to her knees, tears streaming down her face. "H.. He.. Help me!"
Douma held a finger to his lips, "shhh! We're talking right now." He swung his arm towards her, and Shinobu and I go on the move.
She grabbed the woman and jumped towards one of the other platforms, while I took the place in front of them, my swords at the ready. Shinobu smiled sweetly at the woman, "are you okay?"
"Woah! You sure are fast!" Douma beamed cheerfully. "Are you pillars?"
The woman started to say something before she was torn to shreds. The demon had attacked before Shinobu grabbed her.. And it only just now went into effect.
"Oh you son of a.." I whispered under my breath.
"Ah, don't worry about her! Just leave her over there." Douma instructed, that same smile still on his face. "I'll be sure to gobble her up later. There we go."
"...What are his weapons?" Shinobu asked silently, staring at him over her shoulder. "I couldn't see them."
I narrowed my eyes, "..a pair of sharp fans."
Douma raised an arm, and snapped his other fan open, lightly fanning himself. "I am the founder of the 'Eternal Paradise Cult'. My duty is to make all my worshipers, including myself, happy. So I'll eat her up without leaving a single speck."
"You're your own worshipper? You must think your some hot shit then, huh?" I said, curling my lip back with disgust. "Pretty pathetic, if you ask me."
Shinobu glanced at me with a silent warning and then fixed a sharp glare on the demon. "...Seriously? Make everyone happy? Don't be insane. This girl was screaming for help just now."
"So thats why I saved her." Douma said, as if it were obvious. "She's not feeling any more pain. Nor is she suffering. There's nothing to be afraid of. You know, everyone's afraid of dying. And that's why I eat them all up. Now they get to live together with me forever." He brings a hand to his chest, "all the feelings of my worshipers.. Blood. Flesh. I made sure to accept, rescue, and guide them all to enlightenment."
"There's no way you're sain. Are you right in the head?" Shinobu looked furious, disgust mixing with fury. "You're actually making me vomit here."
Douma looked almost shocked, "eeeeh? How come you're being so harsh even though we only met just now? Oh.. I know." He smiled sympathetically at her, "how sad. If there's anything bothering you, I'll make sure to listen. So come on, speak up."
"Anything bothering me? You're the one that killed my sister, right?!" She hissed out loudly, "you killed Kanae!"
My grip on my swords tightened, "don't you recognise this haori, that face?! Seem familiar?"
"Hmm?" He blinked for a moment before realization passed over his face. "Ah! You mean the flower breath girl from before? She was such a sweet and cute girl. I missed out on eating her because the sun was coming up. I really wanted to eat her all up."
Shinobu moved faster than my eyes could follow, and her poison coated blade was instantly through Douma's skull.
He had the nerve to remain smiling, "that was one nice stab. I couldn't stop it with my hand." He swung his fan around, a wave of frost leaving its edges. Lotus flowers of solid ice appeared around him, and just like the ones that grew around the room, they bloomed just for him.
I pulled Shinobu back towards me from the back of her haori, and wincing as my arm was instantly covered in frost. But breathing was so worse. The air was cold enough to tear someone's lungs to shreds, I'd have already been coughing up blood if it wasn't for my healing factor shifting into maximum overdrive.
"Hmm.. You're both very fast, huh?" He said softly before bringing his bloodied fan to his face, and licking a single drop of blood from the sharp metal. "But it's just too bad. You can't kill demons with just stabbing. It's the neck, you really gotta go for the neck."
"'It'S tHe NeCk, YoU rEaLly GoTtA gO fOr ThE nEcK', shut the fuck up." I mocked him, mimicing his face before flipping him off.
"Well, I may not be able to kill you with stabbing, but how about with poison?" Shinobu asked, putting her sword into the sheath with a click.
Douma's eyes widen, and he falls to the floor as the poison works its magic. Shinobu and I watch in silence as he writhes in agony. I reached out and held onto her hand lightly. She glanced at me and smiled softly, squeezing back.
"... Something tells me this isn't over yet.." I mumbled, my grip tightening slightly.
She nodded after a moment pulling out her blade once more, ".. I thought that would be the case, unfortunately."
Douma let out a sharp groan, "well.. This one is alot stronger than the one you used on Rui- Kun's mountain." He inhaled sharply, "the mixture.. Can adapt to every demon. That's what that man said..." He coughed up more blood before looking back up at us with a grin. "Ooh? It seems I was able to decompose your poison. Sorry about that. And I know you worked so hard to use it. Your blade makes a very unique sound when you put it in your sheath." He pointed towards Shinobu with a smile. "Is that where you change the poison mix? Ohh man, this is so much fun!! Getting attacked with poison is totally interesting! I might actually like it! Do you think your next mix will work on me? Give it a shot!"
".. Alright. That's fine with me." Shinobu said calmly. It wasn't the anger that I feared from her, it was the calm. When Shinobu is calm, she's a monster in her own right.
I ran my hands through my hair with a groan and readied myself again, ".. God you're the most annoying mother fucker I've ever had to meet."
He just stood still while Shinobu stabbed him various times, she kept jumping back towards me each time her blade hit its target incase he retaliated. He held up a bloodied hand, ".. That's the fifth time. And that was no good either. It didn't work. Its getting less and less effective. How many more times can you make the poison? Oh, are you having trouble breathing? You're sweating alot. Are you alright?"
I stand infront of Shinobu as she catches her breath, its even getting hard for me to breathe as well.
"That's because your lungs are dying. Hard, huh?" Douma mused, grinning from behind his fan. "A moment ago, my blood demon art sucked your blood. It turned your frozen blood to mist, and my fans scattered it. Breathing itself is now dangerous for you."
"(Y/n).. What attack to you recommend?" Shinobu wheezed to me softly.
"Multiple attacks to inject a larger dosage." I whispered back to her, "as fast as you can."
She nodded and was instantly on the other side of Douma, who was now wounded.
"You really are fast! Maybe the fastest Hashira I've met so far!" Douma said with a knowing smile.
Shinobu is suddenly covered in her own blood, a look of shock on her face as she hits the floor.
"Shinobu- Chan!" I shouted moving in front of her, blades drawn.
"You should've cut off my head instead of using poison." Douma said with a smile. "Aww.. Maybe not, because you're small!" He let out a bark of laughter, once more completely free of any aggression. And that's what pushed me past my limit.
"You're a twisted son of a bitch, you know that?!" I hissed, lunging towards him furiously.
He smiled at me, "oh! You wanna try too? Do you wield poison as well, Tall Girl- Chan?"
"That's not my name." I cut off his arm with narrowed eyes, matching him blow for blow, ignoring any wounds I was recieving in the process. A swing here, a dodge there. I was attacking without pause, but as all things tend to do, my injuries began to catch up with me.
Douma frowned sadly at me as I slumped to my knees, wheezing and coughing up my own blood. He knelt down infront of me and tilted up my chin with a long finger. "Aw.. You look like you're suffering.."
"Yeah, looking at your ugly ass, who wouldn't be?" I snapped harshly, biting off his finger and spitting it off to the side.
He looked at me shocked as his finger grew back in a matter of seconds. "Wow, what a bite force! I'm surprised you still have some fight left in you!"
I forced myself to stand, wiping his blood from my chin. "Of course I can still fight. Don't you know who I am?!"
His eyes widen slightly, his smile wavering momentarily. ".. You're that man's daughter, aren't you? We have special orders to kill you."
"Oh do you? Well, good luck with that!" I sneered. As I raised my swords, I'm sent flying back against the wall, and I fall into the water.
The icy blue around me becomes red with my blood almost instantly, and I don't even have the strength to try and escape. My eyes widen as I turn to be face to face with human remains. The water didn't preserve it, some flesh still clings stubbornly to a white skull dispite how long it may have been here.
The corpse reaches its arm towards me, several other disembodied bones and remains begin to push me. Some of the bodies belong to children as well as adults and the elderly, and others are too ancient to even tell. And I swear to god I can hear them.
'..Kill this guy..'
'.. He tricked my mama..'
'... This isn't the paradise we were promised!'
'.. Live! Avenge us!'
They pushed me towards the surface of the water, and I welcome in a deep breath of the icy air. As I made my way back up to one of the platforms, my eyes widen as Shinobu pinned Douma to the roof with her blade.
One of the arms in the water latches itself onto my ankle, and instead of kicking it away, I just stare at it for a second. I stepped back down into the water and held onto the skeletal limb in my hands. ".. How is this even possible.."
'Revenge.. Anguish.. Some pain is enough to transcend death.'
".. I'm sorry.."
'.. Don't be. You don't even know us, Half Blood.' The voice goes silent for a moment before it becomes upset. '.. Your friend was taken as well..'
A blood curling scream sounds out and I turn to see something I never wanted to see. Douma was still very much alive.. And being absorbed into his chest, was Shinobu. Kanao watching in horror from the open door.
"Kanao!" I shouted loudly, scrambling to my feet. "Please get out of here!"
My words fell to deafened ears as she attacked Douma. He fell back onto the platforms and maintained a grin, silently challenging us to fight him. I'm practically maimed at this point, but if it's just Kanao and I? I'm the best chance we have to beat this thing. And I intend on going down swinging.