CHAPTER 19:
The remaining Demon Slayers came up with a plan to get back Kiriya-sama and lock up the crime lords once and for all. They all met at the Butterfly Estate once more to discuss their tactics, before suiting up and preparing to leave in the evening. The nurses helped them pack up with everything they needed, including Sayuri's poison antidotes. When everything was ready, they all set off for the crime lords' hideout, with Aoi fistbumping Inosuke, Zenitsu giving Nezuko a peck on the cheek, and Tomioka promising to return to Sayuri.
Infiltrating the Midnight Dragon would be tough. Based on what the twin Ubayashiki sisters had told them, the alleys were twisted underground, resembling a seemingly endless maze. The tunnels were also pitch dark. Finding their way would be almost the same thing as getting lost.
The main entrance to the grounds was heavily guarded. Sanemi peeped from the corner of the street before whispering, "They're all here."
The henchmen were taking turns patrolling when one of the guards fell into the canal. Upon being given the signal, the Wind Hashira knocked him out while the rest tried to disarm the others. Once the coast was clear, they started running into the tunnel. Giyuu was at the forefront, leading the way.
"Inosuke," he called out to Tanjirou's friend, "It's time."
"Leave it to me, han-han haori!" Inosuke positioned himself in the middle of the tunnel and knelt down with his arms up, facing both sides. "Seventh Form: Spatial Awareness!" He sensed the vibrations on the ground and felt the small disturbances in the air: the heaviness of their swords and weapons, the tremors of their footsteps, and the booming of their voices that shook up the walls. After trying to locate the positions of all their enemies, the boy wearing a boar mask finally stood up. "There's a lot of them. At least ten people are in there," he pointed to the north, "Then about 15 or so here," he directed his thumb towards the opposite of the tunnel, "And the rest of them are on the other side."
"We should split up," Tomioka started. They had to divide into groups and believe in each other's ability. That was the plan so they could figure out where Kiriya-sama was being kept, and at the same time, try to confront the remaining two crime lords.
The Sound Hashira grinned at him. "Sounds like a plan." Tengen and his wives decided to take west. Tanjirou gave a firm nod to Kanao as she went east with Zenitsu and Inosuke. The rest of the lower-ranked Demon Slayers were stationed at the exit. The boy with hanafuda earrings followed Giyuu and Sanemi going north. Their footsteps brought echoes to their surroundings. It was not long until they heard the echoes of an unfamiliar cackle: "Are you looking for your precious Master?"
Sayuri was pacing back and forth at the porch. Tomioka left her at the Butterfly Mansion so she could be taken care of while he was away. Tanjirou also brought Nezuko there, since he did not think it was wise to leave her all by herself now that the crime lords were after the rest of the Demon Slayers.
Aoi and the three nurses were preparing everything just in case she's about to give birth. They gave her some comfortable attire, making her wear a loose kimono with a cloth strapped to her waist to support her belly.
While the other girls were making dinner for the evening, Sayuri stood in front of the victory tree. According to Kanao, it was a cherry blossom tree that the first Demon Slayer had planted years and years ago. She prayed hard for another victory in battle, and for everyone to return home safely.
Suddenly, an excruciating pain hit her. She was not expecting it as her knees fell to the ground. Groaning, she tried to adjust her position while clutching her belly. Nezuko saw her from the window. "Sayuri-san!" She tried to help the older girl to stand up, but it was too risky to do so.
Aoi came running. "What happened?"
"I t-think... she broke her water bag!" There was no time to waste. Aoi called for the three nurses to help out in carrying the pregnant girl, but when she tried to move Sayuri, there was blood seeping out from the fabric of her clothes.
Sayuri's old wound at her hip had burst open.
They were all trying their best to navigate within the Midnight Dragon. The alleys were indeed winding in all directions, sometimes heading straight towards a solid dead end, other times leading to the underground canal. They had to make use of the kasugarai crows to alert the twins of where they were heading as they tried to trace all of the pathways in the crime lords' lair. "If this keeps on going forever, we'll never find the crime lords nor Kiriya-sama!" Sanemi gritted his teeth.
But every little bit of information helped, whether it was a dead end or another pathway. The twins had been in full concentration ever since they left. "We managed to block all possible exits," they announced to Urokodaki. Kuina and Kanata were staying at the former Water Hashira's hut. The Mizunoto Demon Slayers were doing a good job preventing anyone from leaving or entering. "That way, there's no escaping for the crime lords."
As the crows came in one after the other, they detailed every nook and cranny of the Midnight Dragon on a huge piece of parchment. Even Urokodaki was amazed at the resilience of the Ubayashiki twins. Their late father, Ubayashiki Kagaya, had indeed bequeathed them strong leadership skills to assist their brother. The only thing left was to confront the enemies. He knew that only someone with competent tactical thinking and fighting could do that. "Do your best, Giyuu."
Sayuri almost yanked her arm out when they inserted the IV into her vein for her fluid intake. Naho, Sumi, and Kiyo then strapped an oxygen mask to her mouth and attached all other necessary equipment to help her out.
"It's time," Aoi nodded to the nurses. They already knew what to do. But they suddenly panicked when the blood from her side had already soaked through her shirt.
Kiyo was the first to get alarmed. "She's losing a lot of blood!" She rushed to the table where the kit to stitch up the wound could be found. It did not help when they noticed that her blood pressure was rapidly declining as well.
"She needs a blood transfusion. We need a donor with the same type as hers," Aoi told Sumi who was checking out the blood type diagram. Unfortunately, none of theirs matched hers.
Wasting no time, Nezuko sent word using Aoi's crow to the Nakamura family, hoping that someone in the household would be a match. "Hang in there, Sayuri-san!"
The pregnant girl was trying her best not to faint. Sayuri was using all her breathing techniques to stabilize herself. 'Constant focus,' she told herself as she gasped for more air. Sweating heavily, she tried to block out all the pain in her mind. Her vision was clouding as the girls in front of her were running in all directions trying to assist.
Despite the difficulty, she managed to grab Aoi's arm when she came by, "Whatever happens... you must... save the child."
"Don't say things like that!" Aoi retorted. "We're monitoring the heart rate and blood pressure of both you and the baby." She then bit her lower lip, trying her best not to show how scared she was as well.
The crime lord named Sasori brandished his whip, making a loud Whack! as the tail hit the ground. His henchmen were in front of him, snickering and cracking their knuckles at the sight of the group who stood unfazed before them. "A man without an eye and a hand, and three women? You guys must be joking," the henchmen burst into the laughter at the sight of Tengen and his wives on the other side. "How do you expect to defeat all of us?"
This only made the Sound Hashira furious. Being a proud man, he was not one to be taunted. He was holding his handmade bombs, while his wives were brandishing their knives, ready to throw them out. "My dears," he called Hinatsuru, Makio, and Suma, "Let's give them a 'flamboyant' show, once and for all."
They stood their ground as the henchmen started running towards them.
Meanwhile, Tanjirou, Sanemi, and Giyuu were standing in the main square of the Midnight Dragon. It was dimly lit by lamps around them. There was a huge statue covered in the middle of the grounds. Only three guards were standing in front of them, while a man smoking a long pipe and a familiar girl were sitting on an armchair.
Akiko was sitting by the ledge of the chair, her face painted like a real courtesan and her hair in an elaborate updo. Wearing an elegant bright red kimono, she was twirling the loose strands of her hair with one hand while she placed the other on the crime lord's shoulder. "Hisashiburi, Sanemi, Giyuu," she had her devilish smile plastered on her face.
The Wind Hashira paid her no attention. "Surrender now and we won't have to bring you down with force!" Sanemi threatened the man.
However, the crime lord roared with laughter. "In your dreams, Hashira!" He blew a ring of smoke towards the direction of his enemies.
"Suga-san, be gentle with them," the oiran girl nudged the crime lord.
"Tsk, what a waste," he spat on the ground. "If I had known that you managed to find a cure for the poison, I should have just finished all of you with this!" Standing up, he forcefully removed the cloth covering the statue beside him. The entire thing stood before Sanemi, Giyuu, and Tanjirou which sent shivers down their spine. But it wasn't a statue at all.
It was a huge gatling gun towering above them.
Satoko arrived with her father at the Butterfly Estate. The nurses saw them entering and alerted Aoi who immediately left her post to meet them at the front. "Naho, continue monitoring her," she instructed the girl who nodded before she shut the door. They were still busy stitching her up.
"What happened? How is Sayuri?" The general was worried as he helped his youngest daughter down. He tried not to think when he saw streaks of blood on the young nurse's scrubs.
After introducing herself, Aoi told them first that the Demon Slayers were currently at the crime lords' fortress. Giyuu was leading them, hence his absence beside Sayuri. With a quick recap of the kidnapping of the young Kiriya, she then told them of Sayuri's skirmish with the henchmen who posed as the Ubayashiki guards.
The general sighed as he clenched his fist. "She always puts herself in trouble just to protect people." He couldn't help but be proud of his eldest daughter. But he was also scared that she was currently in a critical condition when Aoi told them that there had been a complication: Sayuri needed a blood transfusion before they could proceed with the delivery.
"I… I have the same blood type as my sister." Satoko spoke. This was her chance to save her oneechan. Aoi asked her to follow inside so they could prepare her for the procedure.
Before letting her go, her father looked at his younger daughter. "I leave the rest to you, Satoko." Knowing he wouldn't be very helpful, he rode off to assist in defeating the crime lords, once and for all.
"In here, I could hear footsteps!" Zenitsu pointed to the end of another narrow tunnel. Using his sharp sense of hearing, he also heard the sharpening of several axes, and the clanging of the metal blades against the iron bars of the dungeon. Inosuke and Kanao followed him until they stopped in front of a barricade, a horde of henchmen past it, and if their eyes could follow, the young Ubayashiki locked in one of the cells behind the guards.
"Kiriya-sama," Kanao called out to him, "Daijoubu desu ka?!"
He gave them a weak nod behind the bars. His sleek black hair now had streaks of dirt, and his black kimono and white haori were in tatters.
"We'll get you out of there, Oyakata-sama!" Zenitsu responded, but cringed when he saw the weapons of the henchmen. They all had huge axes and double-wielding swords with them. They didn't hear him whimper, "At least, we'll try…" But this was not the moment to be scared; they had to retrieve their young Master, whatever it takes. First, they had to break down the barricade.
"No time to waste!" Inosuke yelled as he took out his own double-wielding swords. "Tenth Form: Whirling Fangs!" He spun his swords in a circular motion directly towards the barricade blocking them. Zenitsu and Kanao joined him as they sprinted towards the wall, yelling, jumping, and finally, kicking with all of their might against it, just to knock it down.
The three of them might have kicked too hard, though, as the foundation crumbled above them.
"INOSUKEEEEE! This was all your ideaaaa!" Zenitsu's cries were drowned by the falling of debris. It was a loud crash as huge splinters of wood and concrete started piling up on the ground. They managed to duck down to avoid it hitting them, thinking that the three of them combined was probably not the best idea, after all.
The nurses brought Satoko to a different room to prepare her for the blood transplant. After double checking with a blood sample to ensure that her type indeed matched her sister's, they proceeded with the extraction from the younger girl. They connected the catheter to her vein as she watched the blood bag get filled up by the minute. When it was over, Naho detached everything and asked Sumi to hand over the bag to Aoi.
While recovering, Satoko could hear Sayuri's groans in the delivery room as the contractions became stronger and stronger. Her heart felt like it was getting pierced, with her unable to do anything else to assist her sister.
"More epidural!" Aoi shouted, asking for more anesthesia. They were giving her pain medicines to help Sayuri out a little bit. After Kiyo managed to finally close up the wound for good, they tried to stabilize her condition.
The spasms were increasing in intensity by the second. She was already heaving hard. Every bit of her muscle was trembling from top to bottom.
"Push, Oneechan!" Satoko was screaming from the other bed. "Do it for the baby!"
How many pushes had she done? 20? 30? 50? Her entire body was in pain as if every nerve inside her was about to burst in the seams.
"The head is coming out!" One of the nurses cried out. She grabbed hard to the railings of the gurney. She was already in so much agony.
They heard the cries as they pulled the baby out of her along with the umbilical cord. Sumi immediately grabbed a towel as they bundled the infant. Aoi was about to cut the cord when she widened her eyes.
It wasn't over yet.
"Just a little more, Sayuri-san..." she told the girl who was about to lose her consciousness. "Stay with us until the very end."
END OF CHAPTER
Author's Note: Here you go! This is the first part of the battle. I liked writing the part where the ceiling above fell because Inosuke, Kanao, and Zenitsu were too strong combined!