I braced myself for the final blow, but before the demon could strike, a blur of motion intercepted him.
Muichiro, his blade gleaming, engaging the demon with a fury I had never seen before.
I stood there stunned, and suddenly, I felt a wet feeling on the side of my abdomen. The thing scratched me, tearing through my clothes and flesh.
"My, my. Ur even more beautiful when your clothes are all torn off." Doma said as he walked toward me.
"You look quiet familiar. Perhaps I know u from somewhere?" He added.
I picked up my sword again. Creating distance between us with it.
"Please. I don't have time for nonsense and pathetic back stories."
I say. But I only made him laugh... he started moving closer to me and didn't seem to care if the tip of my katana was touching his chest.
The sword only bent as he closed the distance between us. I could feel the blood pouring out my wound, my clothes absorbing most of my blood and my free hand pressing onto the wound to stop the blood from gushing out....
As I took a step back, I suddenly felt the back of my head hitting the ground.
---
"Are you alright?" Muichiro asked, turning to me.
My eye fluttered open. We were back at the inn, my shirt completely off and replaced with a clean one on. My wound all bandaged up....
**Tanjiro and Zenitsu's pov**
Tanjiro was walking through the crowd, his eyes catching glimpses of the colorful festival. He kept his eyes peeled for any suspicious behavior.
Zenitsu wandered into a building, his attention caught by something intriguing. He walked quietly, making sure not to be seen or heard, and stumbled upon a woman.
She wore a kimono that accentuated her curves, her breast, and her waist, with a simple yet eye-catching design. Her hair was tied up in a bun, supported by a few clips.
Though he couldn't see her face, but yet the view was still captivating. His eyes wandered to the flowers in her hair, his eyes widening as he saw the Blue Spider Lilies reported in the village.
They looked freshly picked, indicating that there must be more somewhere in the village.
"Why does it have to be in her hair..." Zenitsu thought as he took a step forward.
**Natsuki's POV**
My hand wandered down to my wound, which still hurt as I tried sitting up straight.
"We're back at the inn..." I said.
"We are... I told you not to become a responsibility," Muichiro replied with a slight smirk on his face.
"Don't say I'm a responsibility; I don't need you to take care of me," I said, a bit offended.
"And... did you change my shirt?" I asked, noticing the clean shirt I had on.
"...I didn't have a choice." He replied, a bit embarrassed.
"You have nice curves, though." He suddenly said. Was that his way of trying to brighten the mood?
"Excuse me?" I interrupted.
"Just be thankful you're not dead. You acted carelessly today. I'm not sure what u were doing outside the village..."
He said, a bit strictly
"I thought I saw something. We should get back to the village." I hurriedly say.
"You need to stay in bed and recover," Muichiro insisted, his voice firm. "You're in no condition to be running around."
"I'm fine," I replied stubbornly, trying to swing my legs off the bed. "We can't waste time. If there's a lead, we need to follow it."
"Natsuki, you can barely sit up straight," Muichiro argued, gently pushing me back onto the bed. "Going out now will only make things worse."
"I'm not helpless," I snapped, pushing his hand away. "I don't need you to babysit me."
"It's not about being helpless," he said, his tone softening. "It's about healing. If you go out there now, you'll only slow us down,"
"I can't just sit here and do nothing," I argued. "We have a mission, and I need to be out there."
Muichiro sighed, rubbing his temples. "You're as stubborn as ever. But if you won't rest for your sake, do it for the team's sake. We need you at full strength."
His words hit me harder than I expected, and I found myself hesitating."Fine," I muttered reluctantly. "But just for a little while. And you have to promise to update me on everything."
Muichiro nodded, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "Sure. Now, you get some rest."
Once he started to walk out of the room. I felt my cheeks heat up a bit. Why was his smile so cute?