|•| 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙵𝚛𝚊𝚐𝚒𝚕𝚎 𝚂𝚕𝚊𝚢𝚎𝚛 |•| 𝕂𝕟𝕪 𝔽𝕒𝕟𝕗𝕚𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟

XXX

   "You noticed me, huh? I guess that means you're a pillar.", The demon said.

   "No. I'm not a pillar. I just.. sensed you, that's all.", Kiyomi said, trying to be calm.

   "Shut up. Is something important in that abandoned shed? I wonder what all the rustling in there's about. Hyo! Hyo!", The demon smiled.

   "Rude.", Kiyomi mumbled, irritating the demon.

  "Shut up! You were that brat who took my masterpiece!", The demon yelled.

   "Yeah, sorry not sorry, but those masterpiece you're talking about? Were people you were about to kill, so.. yeah.", she shrugged her shoulders.

   "Whatever. I'm gonna make a new masterpiece made by your limbs and it'll be beautiful! Hyo! Hyo! Oh, and my name is Gyokko, the demon who'll end you!", The demon, who introduced himself as Gyokko, cackled.

   "So you're saying I'm beautiful? Aww, thank you so much! Disgusted to see you, Gyokko.", Kiyomi smiled brightly, which irked the demon even more.

  "Okay, no more of this silly stuff. Tokitou-san, we need to break the pots that demon is hiding in. He can teleport in his pots.", she explained, her face back to being serious.

   "Sure.", Muichiro said before slicing the pots with Kiyomi.

   "How dare you cut through my pot.. my art!! You pigs have nothing but muscle in those brains. You lack the intelligence to appreciate my art. But that's okay too!!", Gyokko said as a small pot appeared on one of his hands and chubby fishes came out of the pot.

   "Fish assassin: A thousand needles", The fishes' cheeks puffed and released long needles.

   Kiyomi and Muichiro managed to dodge them. However, the needles also flew towards Kanamori and Kotetsu, so Muichiro jumped to them and tried shielding them, although he didn't feel anything but cold wind.

   "Breath of Winter, Fourth form: Polar Bear's Roar", a loud roar along with a gust of ice cold wind flew towards the needles and stopped them from stabbing Muichiro.

   "Hey, don't attack them! We're the ones fighting you here, dummy.", Kiyomi spat as she glared at the demon.

   Gyokko suddenly felt a chill come up his spine.

   'What was that? Was that.. Oh. Weird..', he thought in confusion before snapping out of it and attacking again.

   The fishes' cheeks once again puffed and released a ton of needles and flew towards everyone. Muichiro swung his sword quickly to block them- although he was still getting hit by some- while protecting the two and Kiyomi ran far where they would not reach her.

   "Hyo hyo hyo! The girl ran away! What a coward!! And you look really funny with all those needles.", Gyokko cackled, "So? Have your limbs gone numb from all the poison? Truly comical. Your going to lose your life in a worthless place like this all because you saved some worthless lives."

   Muichiro froze in place. He slowly remembered something familiar. Someone had said the same thing.. but who?

   "Hyo hyo! But you're a pillar, so I should prepare something nice. What kind of piece should I make? I'm tingling with excitement!", Gyokko beamed. Then, Muichiro dashed towards him and tried to cut off his head.

   "Shut it. Your words are worthless.", he muttered before swinging his sword, but the demon was quick to react and used the pot on his hands to make a technique.

   "Blood demon technique: Water Basin of Hell", water flowed out of the pot and went towards Muichiro, but before he could get trapped in the water, someone quickly pulled the back of his collar away from the huge water drop.

   Kiyomi got trapped in the water instead, as it formed like the shape of a pot. She covered her mouth and closed her eyes.

  'Hold your breath!', she thought to herself before looking at Muichiro, who also looked at her.

   Her eyes widened when she saw Gyokko perform another technique to attack the hashira, so she banged her hands in the pot-shaped water, as if signalling Muichiro to look out.

   Muichiro was too late to get the warning and now both of them got trapped in a water pot.

   Gyokko cackled once more before attacking the swordsmiths in the shed.

   Kiyomi used her sword to cut the water pot, but it was too soft to cut.

   'Am I really gonna die and save no lives..? I can't get out of this stupid water pot, and now I'm gonna drown.. I'll just hope Muichiro will save them when I die..', Kiyomi thought as she unconsciously teared up. Muichiro took a glance at her and somehow felt a feeling of guilt, which was strange for him.

   Just then, Kotetsu came with a knife and tried to cut into the water pots.

   "You can't die!! Come on, Tokitou-san, Kiyomi-san! I'll get you both outta there for sure! I'll save you, damnit!!", Kotetsu cried as he kept stabbing the water.

   "What the hell is this thing?!", Kotetsu yelled in frustration.

   Muichiro and Kiyomi looked at Kotetsu in hope before spotting a fish with sharp fins behind him.

   "Loo- guuh!", she was about to warn Kotetsu, but she was running out of breath. Muichiro also kept spouting warnings.

   "Oh...! I know!", Kotetsu replied, misunderstanding their warnings. Then suddenly, he was attacked by the fish, getting stabbed on a vital point.

   Kiyomi's pupils shrunk.

   'If Rengoku didn't die, he didn't gave his sword guard to Tanjiro..', she realized.

   "KOTETSU-KUUUNN!!!", Kiyomi yelled on top of her lungs and kept slashing the water pot with her sword, but it wasn't budging.

   'If I don't hurry and break this sh¡t+y pot, he'll die!!', Kiyomi suddenly went quiet and stopped moving. Muichiro got angry and broke the water pot he was trapped in.

   He kept coughing as he crawled to Kotetsu.

   "K... K-kotetsu.. kun...", Muichiro said between coughs.

   A fish with sharp fins dashed at him and was ready to cut him, but he immediately killed the fish.

   "K-kiyom-", Muichiro was about to look towards Kiyomi, but she was gone and the water pot she was trapped in was broken.

   '..Where did she go? Aggh... So.. numb...', he grunted in pain.

   Kiyomi then appeared infront of them.

   Muichiro's eyes widened when he looked at Kiyomi. Her snowflake mark appeared and there were also tears flowing down her face.

   "Tokitou-san.. K-kiyomi-san.. F-forget me... Go help Haganezuka-san..", Kotetsu muttered weakly.

   "Don't worry, Kotetsu-kun. You aren't gonna die...", Kiyomi mumbled before crouching down at their level. She put her hands onto Kotetsu's forehead and Muichiro's head.

   "What are you doing?", Muichiro asked.

   "Be quiet.", Kiyomi said before closing her eyes. Her mark glowed and veins started to pop on her arms.

   Kotetsu's wounds began to heal and Muichiro felt the numbness in his body going away.

   "There, both of you ar- cough cough- healed- cough...", Kiyomi kept coughing blood and fell on the ground.

   'If I keep coughing out blood I swear I'm gonna die..', she thought.

   Kotetsu's consciousness went back and felt surprised and confused of why his wounds were suddenly gone. Kiyomi weakly explained before fainting.

   "Take care of her, Kotetsu-kun. I'm gonna go save Haganezuka-san.", Muichiro said as Kotetsu nodded before he ran to where the demon was.
__________

    This is cringey 😥

(2023 A/N: Glad you're aware, past me 🤗)

   To Be Continued