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"UH OH!!!"
Tanjiro yelled as he barely dodged the doll's next attack, tumbling to the side and sliding across the muddy ground.
"AAAAAA!!" he shrieked as one of the doll's five arms came down like a guillotine.
"I'M GONNA DIE!! SIX ARMS IS TOO MUCH!!"
"Tanjiro, first of all, it's only five arms. Second of all watch me cook that doll!"
You puffed your chest like you were about to walk the Met Gala carpet and flipped your hair dramatically. Kotetsu's eyes sparkled with admiration.
"Yes, Y/N-san!! Show them who's better!"
He pumped his fist like he was watching an action movie.
You strutted up to the Yoriichi doll, grabbed Tanjiro's sword with a cocky grin, and pointed it at the machine.
"Pfft-good luck beating it," Yoriichi's voice echoed smugly in your head.
You smirked.
"Tch, don't worry baby girl. Watch me!" you thought with full confidence, hyping yourself up like you were about to drop the hottest mixtape of the century.
You launched yourself forward, ready to slice through the air like an anime protagonist.
And then.
You tripped.
On a literal rock.
Face met dirt. Sword flew out of your hand. Pride? Gone. Dignity? Who's she?
"BAHAHAHA!" you heard Yoriichi wheeze in your mind.
'𝘖𝘩 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘩. 𝘛𝘰𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘰𝘰𝘬. 𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘳.'
You groaned, spitting out dirt.
"Shut up," you muttered.
'𝘋𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘺, 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘢𝘴... 𝘴𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘤.'
Tanjiro ran to help you up, trying not to laugh but failing.
"That was... impressive, Y/N."
"You're lucky I like you, Kamado."
You dusted off your haori and pointed at the doll again like it was your mortal enemy.
"Okay. Round two. This time, no rocks."
"Good luck," Yoriichi hummed.
'𝘐'𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦. 𝘖𝘣𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘓𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦, 𝘴𝘮𝘶𝘨 𝘨𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘵.'
"Don't make me throw this sword at the sky," you hissed.
You groaned dramatically as your cheek stayed squished against the muddy ground. The rain wasn't helping your hair clung to your face and your pride was shattered like a cracked dish.
Tanjiro blinked at you from the ground, still catching his breath. "Are you okay, Y/N?"
Kotetsu gasped. "Y/N-san?! That was a strong fall!"
In your head, Yoriichi was already cackling.
'Mhm. 'Watch me' you said. You didn't mention watching the ground instead.'
You growled under your breath and pushed yourself up, mud streaking your arms and knees. "Okay, that one didn't count. I slipped because... the universe fears my power."
Tanjiro tried to smile through the chaos. "It really does seem that way sometimes..."
Yoriichi snorted. 'So what's the new plan, Queen of Strategy?'
"Plan B: We use Tanjiro as bait while I strike from behind," you thought quickly, snatching up the sword again.
"What?" Tanjiro blinked.
"Nothing, my cinnamon roll!" you beamed sweetly, and charged again.
This time, you dodged the first two arms of the doll with an almost comedic grace until the third slapped you sideways.
"OH COME ON!!" you shouted mid-air before landing on your back with a squelch.
Yoriichi hummed softly, 'That doll's got same reflexes than me, apparently. Should I be worried?'
"No," you gritted, spitting mud, "because unlike you, that thing doesn't get jealous when I flirt with people."
'I don't get jealous. I get... protective.'
"Of what? My bones? Because they're all breaking right now!"
Kotetsu helped you sit up, eyes wide with concern. "Y/N-san... are you sure you're okay?"
"I'm fine, sweetie. I just need a minute. And maybe a new spine."
Meanwhile, Tanjiro had gotten back up and was panting hard. He looked at the robot, then at you, then back at Kotetsu. "We really need to get stronger, don't we?"
Kotetsu nodded firmly. "Yes! You have to surpass that jerk Muichiro!"
Yoriichi added unhelpfully, 'You'll never surpass anyone if you keep kissing the floor like it's your destiny.'
You rolled your eyes and stood again, wobbling a bit but determined. "Alright, no more messing around."
You wiped your hands on your haori, smeared with mud and shame. "This time... I fight for real."
Kotetsu cheered loudly from the sidelines, and the rain kept pouring but now, it felt less like defeat and more like a dramatic training montage waiting to happen.
Yoriichi, ever the ghost in your head, sighed dramatically. "Don't get yourself killed, firecracker. I still need you around to argue with."
"Oh don't worry, baby girl. I don't die..I respawn with extra Robux!! "
While you were busy trying to regain your footing, the doll swung its large wooden weapon at you in a blur of speed. You barely had time to react.
"OH FU-"
The weapon smashed into your side, and the force of the hit sent you flying through the air. You hit the ground hard, skidding through the dirt before slamming into a tree with a grunt.
"Come on, Y/N-san!! Don't tell me this is all it takes to kill you!!" Kotetsu shouted, panic rising in his voice.
You groaned and dragged yourself up, wiping blood off your lip with the back of your hand. "I'm good I'm good..just needed a lil' chiropractic adjustment."
The doll turned toward Tanjiro now, swinging the weapon at his head. He ducked then jumped back as it slammed into the ground, cracking the earth beneath it.
"Y/N!" Tanjiro called out sweat dripping down his jaw. "Let's go in together!"
"On it!" you shouted, sprinting forward.
You darted to the doll's left side, faking high before sliding under its guard and landing two solid punches to its midsection. The sound of wood cracking slightly made your eyes widen with a flash of hope only for the doll to whip around and backhand you with its heavy arm.
You tumbled across the ground with a pained laugh. "Okay! Okay! He's got hands!"
Tanjiro jumped in as the doll focused on you, using your distraction to land a swift kick to its knee joint. The doll wobbled but didn't fall. It responded by spinning, aiming a fierce elbow at him. He blocked it with both arms, wincing at the impact.
"Why is it so fast?!" you gasped, dodging another sweeping strike as you jumped back to your feet.
"Because it's made to be too fast!!" Kotetsu yelled from the side, nearly ripping his hair out. "It has five damn arms! That's not fair!!"
The doll charged again, slamming its foot down between you and Tanjiro. Dust exploded upward, forcing you both to shield your eyes.
You coughed, waving the dust away. "Tanjiro! You take high, I'll go low!"
"Right!"
You sprinted forward and slid under the doll's leg, using your momentum to kick its ankle from below. Tanjiro leapt in the air, aiming a solid punch to the side of its head but the doll twisted unnaturally fast and caught him mid-air, throwing him to the ground.
"Tanjiro!" you shouted.
"I'm okay!" he grunted, already pushing himself up. "But it's adapting. It's learning how we move."
"Great, it's got AI now," you muttered.
The doll lunged toward you again, swinging three arms at once. You flipped backward, barely dodging, then jumped off a nearby rock to get some height and kicked it hard in the shoulder. One arm jerked awkwardly for a moment but then snapped right back into place.
"You're kidding me!"
Tanjiro panted, sweat dripping down his temple as he readied himself again. "We're not going to beat it with force. We have to outsmart it."
"Right. Let's go, braincells!"
You wiped your nose with the back of your hand, adrenaline buzzing in your ears. "Alright, baby. You want me so bad? Come and get me."
The mechanical doll snapped its head in your direction. Its five arms twitched like angry spiders, each one gripping a different weapon. Before you could blink, it shot toward you, blades spinning and clubs swinging.
You leapt up and twisted mid-air, dodging a curved blade by inches. The wooden spear came for your stomach next, but you dropped flat to the ground, rolled under its legs, and slashed upward. Sparks flew when your blade met its armor.
It didn't flinch.
"Tch-" You jumped back, just as one of its arms swung a thick club horizontally. It clipped your side, sending you tumbling through the dirt. You coughed, spitting out dust and blood.
"Y/N-san!!" Kotetsu yelled, voice cracking.
You pushed up to your feet, limbs trembling but eyes still burning. "This thing hits like my trauma. But I'm not done."
The doll lunged again.
You kicked off the ground and ran sideways, dodging a flurry of weapon strikes. It was faster now, adapting. One of its arms slammed down where you'd just been. Another swiped for your legs. You jumped, grabbing onto one of its swinging limbs and flipping over it.
Tanjiro finally rushed in from the side, eyes locked on the pattern of the doll's movements.
"Y/N! Draw its attention!"
"On it!"
You turned sharply, hurling a rock at its head. "Over here, wooden bitch!"
The doll rotated, raising two weapons to block the next hit, but you were already charging low again, faking a swing at its side.
It bought you one second.
That was all Tanjiro needed.
He leapt high, flipping mid-air. With a roar of effort, he brought his blade down in a sharp arc. The sword sliced clean through the doll's neck.
The moment the head detached, the entire body froze.
Arms locked in place. Legs stiffened. Its weapons dropped to the dirt one by one with heavy thuds.
You collapsed backward, chest heaving. "Holy crap... we actually did it."
Tanjiro landed beside you, wiping sweat from his brow with a weak smile. "That was amazing teamwork."
Still lying flat on the ground, you looked up at the sky and exhaled. "Next time, I'm fighting something with zero arms. Preferably made of tofu."
From the back of your mind, Yoriichi's voice chuckled.
"About time. I was getting bored watching you flail like a drunk squirrel."
You groaned. "Let me have this win, you dusty samurai."
He laughed again, softer this time.
"Fine. You were impressive.."
Your lips curled into a tired grin. You didn't care how bruised you were. You made that doll your punching bag, barely.
Kotetsu ran toward you, throwing his arms around both you and Tanjiro, squeezing tight.
"You two did it!" the kid yelled, practically bouncing in place from excitement.
"Yeah yeah..." you muttered, ruffling his messy hair. But your eyes flicked up both Tanjiro and Kotetsu were staring wide-eyed at the doll. Right. You forgot about that part. The sword.
You turned around, your gaze settling on the now-motionless mechanical doll. Its head was severed, the body slumped, arms still and lifeless. Embedded in the center of its chest cavity was a glinting blade ancient, untouched by rust, the metal humming with a quiet energy.
You stepped forward and grabbed it.
"Y/n! Careful!" Tanjiro called, instinctively pulling Kotetsu behind him.
You lifted the sword and turned it over in your hand. The weight felt right. Powerful. Balanced. But when you held it out and showed it to them, their tension dropped.
"Oh. It's just a sword..." Tanjiro blinked in awe.
"It's got to be 300 years old!!" Kotetsu gasped, stepping closer to get a better look.
"Mhm... yeah..." you said, eyes locked on the shimmering blade. You admired it for a moment longer, then turned and walked toward Tanjiro.
"Here. You can have it."
He stared at you like you'd grown a second head. "What? No! It's yours! You helped me destroy the doll this belongs to you!"
His cheeks flared with pink, and he glanced away.
"Well yeah, but you deserve it more than me," you replied, pushing the hilt toward him. "You were the one who cut off its head. And don't forget, you don't even have a sword right now. I already do. So take it, dumbass."
Tanjiro looked stunned for a second before gently accepting the sword. He held it close to his chest, eyes wide with gratitude and disbelief.
"...Thank you, Y/n."
You rolled your eyes and smirked, nudging his shoulder. "You better treat it like royalty. That sword's older than your whole family tree."
Kotetsu laughed, "This is so cool! We found a secret treasure! I can't wait to tell Haganezuka-san!"
At the mention of the swordsmith, Tanjiro immediately paled. "...Oh no."
You snorted. "Yeah. You're dead."
Tanjiro clutched the sword tighter, nervous sweat forming already. "He's going to kill me. Or worse... polish me."
Kotetsu blinked. "Can people be polished?"
You shrugged. "We're about to find out."
Tanjiro sighed in surrender. "Can we just go back before he finds out on his own?"
"Sure, sure. But if he yells, I'm blaming you,"
And your happy moment was cut off when Haganezuka suddenly appeared behind you.
"Allow me to take it from here," he said flatly.
"Take what?!" Kotetsu shouted, brows furrowed.
The man didn't even look at him. He just walked up and started yanking the sword from Tanjiro's hands.
"What do you think you're doing?!" Tanjiro cried, holding onto it tightly.
"Just give it. Leave it to me now," Hotaru demanded, tugging harder.
Kotetsu quickly jumped in to help Tanjiro. "You can't just show up out of nowhere and say, 'Give it to me now!'"
"I came all the way here to see you! Where have you been hiding?!" Tanjiro added, face red with frustration.
Hotaru didn't respond. He simply grunted and tossed the two of them aside like they weighed nothing.
"HEY!" you shouted and barely managed to catch both of them before they hit the ground.
Without thinking, you sprang up and leapt onto Hotaru's back, arms wrapping tightly around his broad shoulders.
"GIVE IT BACK, OLD MAAANN!!!"
You clung tightly to him, trying to yank the sword from his grip or at least weigh him down but all you could think about was how surprisingly firm his body was.
𝘋𝘢𝘮𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘴 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘴𝘰 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥-
Yoriichi's voice immediately cut in from your mind like a jealous storm cloud.
𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳.
𝘔𝘩𝘮, 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘢 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘧 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵. You mentally shot back, smirking as you squeezed tighter onto Haganezuka out of sheer chaos.
Hotaru paused, looking down at you clinging to him like an angry little raccoon.
Without a word, he shifted his grip and easily scooped you up with one arm like you weighed nothing and placed you gently on the ground. Far gentler than how he threw the boys.
His hand lingered for just a second too long.
He didn't say anything, but his sharp eyes scanned your face.
Your cheeks were flushed, your lips parted slightly from yelling, and your eyes sparkled still lit with adrenaline. Strands of hair were stuck to your forehead, and your chest rose and fell with each breath. There was something wild and vibrant about you, something so full of life it almost knocked the wind out of him.
'She's...' he thought, blinking behind his mask. 'Beautiful.'
Hotaru stiffened.
'No. No. No. Sword first. Girls never. Focus.'
He grunted and turned away sharply, but you noticed the way his shoulders tensed just a little.
You tilted your head, smug. "You tossed them like garbage bags but handled me like some precious vase. What's that about, huh?"
Silence.
He didn't even glance at you but his ears were red.
"Oh my god," you gasped theatrically, "You like me. Just admit it, sword freak."
His eye twitched behind the mask.
Tanjiro, still trying to recover from being launched like a ragdoll, sat up with a dazed look. "Is... is she teasing him right now?"
Kotetsu whispered, "She's either gonna die or marry him. There is no in-between."
Suddenly he started laughing hysterically
as a masked man began tickling him.
"Mr. Kanamori!! Long time no see!" Tanjiro said, eyes wide with surprise.
"Hey, Tanjiro," the man replied calmly before adding, "Hotaru always goes limp for a while after being tickled. You see, he's been hiding in the mountains, training. Just to forge you a new, stronger sword... so that you won't get killed."
"He'll do that for me?" Tanjiro blinked, touched, his hands resting gently on his cheeks.
"Aww that's literally so cute!" you grinned, poking Hotaru's limp form with a stick.
"After all, he's always losing clients because most swordsmen can't stand him," the man continued with a sigh.
"He's got zero social skills! No wonder he still can't find a bride!" Kotetsu chirped.
Just then, Hotaru jolted upright, his body stiff with purpose.
"I shall take this rusty sword into my care and restore it!" he declared, holding the ancient blade from the doll like it was his sworn mission.
"Why didn't you just say that from the start instead of letting Y/N-san attack you! I guess you're so stupid that's why you didn't say that at first!" Kotetsu huffed.
In an instant, Hotaru had the kid dangling in the air by his collar.
"Hey! Let my kid go!!" you yelled, trying to pry Kotetsu out of his grasp.
"Huh? Your... child?" Hotaru muttered, clearly confused behind his expressionless mask.
"Yeah, well, not actually my child, but YOU GET THE REFERENCE!!" you snapped, yanking at Kotetsu's arm.
Hotaru stood frozen. His body stiffened, and an internal monologue started echoing in his brain.
'I almost thought this beautiful girl had a husband and a kid-wait no, snap out of it!! Why do I feel relieved?!'
He quickly placed Kotetsu back on the ground, a little too gently for someone always ready to throw hands.
You dusted Kotetsu off, glaring up at Hotaru. "And next time, just use your words. You almost lost a whole mask."
Hotaru stared at you in silence for a second too long. The man beside him leaned in with a laugh.
"He's blushing under the mask. Look at his ears."
"Shut up," Hotaru muttered.
Kotetsu pointed. "Look! They're all red!!"
"Don't make me forge a blade for your soul," Hotaru growled, turning away quickly, clutching the rusty sword like it was the only thing anchoring him to reality.
You nudged Tanjiro. "He's so dramatic like me, I love it."
"Y/N!" Tanjiro whispered urgently. "Don't make fun of the guy who's about to make me a new sword!"
You winked. "Don't worry. If he breaks it, I'll break him."
Hotaru visibly flinched.
Kanamori cleared his throat. "Anyway... let's get back to the forge. I'll make sure he doesn't run off into the mountains again."
As they started walking, Hotaru peeked over his shoulder at you, his fingers twitching awkwardly near his mask.
"Th-thank you... for earlier."
You tilted your head. "Huh?"
He stiffened. "Nothing."
You smiled to yourself. "Definitely blushing."
Hotaru tripped over a rock.
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