Dancing in the Mist (Demon Slayer / Kimetsu no Yaiba: Tokito Muichiro x OC)

Chapter 8

"Tokito, to your left!" Kasumi shouted as she dodged another root, warning Muichiro of the root heading towards him from the left. The fight had dragged on for at least ten minutes, with the immense multitude of roots surrounding the peach demon serving as the ultimate sword and shield. Kasumi's left leg buckled as she put weight on it, a sign that she had, at best, sprained it. Her arms and legs were covered with small cuts, the majority of them already solidifying into metal.

"!" Muichiro grunted as he quickly shielded with his sword. The brunt of the attack was deflected, but the smaller roots branching off of the main one stabbed into his torso. The multitude of small roots ripped into his innards as he coughed, a small amount of blood trickling down his chin.

"Skill issue," Kasumi jabbed as she pushed past the barrage of roots, running at top speed towards the main body.

Dance Breathing, Fourth Form: Twilight's Sonata

She swung her sword horizontally in a two-hit combo, aiming for Momotsuki's eyes and neck. However, even more roots sprung up to block her attack, so she was only able to graze against his eyes.

"Gyaaaaah!!" Momotsuki screeched, stumbling backwards while clutching at his face. His roots whipped even more wildly around him, striking blindly into thin air.

"Tokito! He can't aim if he can't see! The roots are directly controlled by him, not separate entities!" Kasumi shouted as she backflipped away, slashing away pursuing roots in midair.

"Hm," Muichiro hummed in acknowledgment as he ran forward, holding his sword to the side.

Mist Breathing, Fifth Form: Sea of Clouds and Haze

He dodged the roots heading towards him, unleashing a barrage of attacks on the roots directly surrounding Momotsuki. "Now!" he shouted, pushing himself backwards to put some distance between him and the demon. With a wince, he pressed against his side wound to staunch the blood flow.

"Tokito-kun, let me see!" Aoi demanded as she rushed over to him, already ready with bandages. He pushed her away, however, choosing to focus on the battle in front of him.

Dance Breathing, Second Form: Butterfly's Eulogy

Kasumi replaced where Muichiro was standing almost instantly, her sword flashing towards Momotsuki's neck at a blinding speed. With a spurt of blood, the blade sunk deeply into his neck.

"Did she do it-?!" Aoi breathed out in disbelief.

"No, not yet! Kasumi, let go of your sword!" Muichiro yelled out, realizing that Kasumi's sword hadn't been able to fully cut through Momotsuki's neck and was instead ensnared with an entanglement of roots. However, Kasumi refused to move away. She instead lifted her entire body into the air with just her arms using the embedded sword as a handle. Her legs lashed out to kick Momotsuki away in an attempt to draw the sword out while putting some distance between the two.

"Too~ late~!" Momotsuki singsonged, his arms gripping Kasumi's legs in place as peach tree roots ripped out of the ground below her. She twisted away, trying to break Momotsuki's grip on her, but she knew that she wouldn't be able to.

"Damn it-!" Kasumi cursed moments before the roots spiked towards her.

Mist Breathing, Fourth Form: Shifting Flow Slash

Muichiro crouched low to the ground before propelling himself forward, his sword lashing forward to cut the roots from their base. Maintaining his momentum, he tackled Kasumi away from Momotsuki and, shielding her with his body, rolled across the ground until he reached a stop.