Chapter 6: Balls and Arrows, Arrows and Balls
Notes: Part 2 of the Asakusa Arc.
It appeared to be a temari ball.
"Just like you said, Yahaba!" someone laughed outside, "A building appeared in a place where nothing was there before!"
"Seems like they used a Blood Demon Art capable of hiding things. And there appears to be a Demon Slayer with two demons? What does this mean?" another voice said, Yahaba, Tanjirou assumed, "But anyway, Susamaru…the way you handled this was immature, impetuous, but most of all…messy. You got dust on my kimono."
"Hush. It was all thanks to my temari ball that we found them so fast, okay? I have more time to play. And your kimono isn't dirty. You're just too fussy."
'A temari ball! She did all this damage to the house just by throwing that ball…!' Tanjirou thought, getting to his feet.
"Found you!" she laughed and threw the ball inside.
Tanjirou dodged and watched its trajectory change unnaturally and hit Yushirou's head, destroying it.
"Yushirou!" he exclaimed.
Tamayo-san caught the boy's body as it fell and Tanjirou stood defensively before them.
"I think I killed someone." Susamaru laughed, "Ah?"
"Tamayo-san, please get yourself, Yushirou and the woman in the other room someplace safer." he said seriously, not taking his eyes off Susamaru, 'She has a noticeably different scent from other demons so far! How strong is she? It's an intense, heavy scent. Just smelling it, it settles deep and heavy in my lungs!'
"So…the Demon Slayer with the hanafuda earrings…is you, right?" she asked, looking at Tanjirou.
'They're after me?' he wondered, surprised.
He turned back to see Tamayo-san return to the room, to kneel beside Yushirou.
"Tamayo-san, please fall back with Yushirou and the woman to a safer location." he said again.
"Tanjirou-san…don't worry about us. Carry on with your battle. We will be fine, even without your protection." she looked up to him, "Because, after all, we are demons."
The demon threw her temari ball again.
'Even if I dodge the ball, it will still follow me. So maybe I should try to stop the temari ball.' he thought, taking a different stance, 'Total Concentration. Sun Breathing; Seventh Form: Sunflower Lance.'
He stabbed the ball bringing it to a temporary stop at his sword.
Suddenly it started vibrating.
'How does this ball even move? An unnatural turn occurred as well when it struck Yushirou, too. It isn't spinning in a special way, nor is it some special curving ball, but…what is this…?'
"Tamayo-sama!" Yushirou's voice came from behind Tanjirou, bringing some relief to the worried Demon Slayer, "I told you before, didn't I?! From the start I told you we shouldn't have any connection with the demon slayer. My concealment spell isn't perfect yet! I can hide the building, the presence of beings, but that won't wipe away their existence completely! And the more people there are, the more traces remain, raising the possibility of Kibutsuji finding us!"
'The demons closed in on us and I didn't pick their scent until they attacked. Was that because of Yushirou's Blood Demon Art?' Tanjirou wondered.
"I hate it when anyone interferes with the time you and I spent together! I really hate it! I can't forgive this!"
"What are you going on about?" Susamaru laughed, "This is so much fun! So interesting! I will allow you the honor of a glorious death at the hands of one of the Twelve Demon Moons." she said, dropping the top of her kimono around her waist to reveal three pairs of hands and four more temari, "Now let's play! Until the night ends! Until your life ends!"
"Isn't that overkill?!" Tanjirou shouted, "Sending two Moons against one bottom level Slayer?"
Susamaru started throwing her temari, tearing the house apart.
Tanjirou sliced at them, cutting them in half. But they still moved and attacked him.
'If I slice them, their power decreases. But even so, they still come for me. There are two distinct scents, which means that there are indeed two demons here. And I can tell their location by scent. However…' he was jumping over the temari balls and ducking under them, as he analysed the situation, 'even without hitting on anything, their trajectories are able to change in mid air.'
As he landed, he noticed that Tamayo-san and Yushirou were hurt badly.
'It's no use. I don't have time to cover them as well.' he thought, as he barely avoided another blow.
"Don't worry about us, Tanjirou-san! We can recover!" Tamayo-san called out.
"Hey, you! Stupid Demon Slayer!" Yushirou called to him, "If you look at the arrows, you'll know which direction they will be going! Just avoid the arrows! If you do that, then you will be able to cut off her head! You can do that, right? I'll lend you my sight!"
Tanjirou looked at Yushirou, surprised by that information, as the boy-demon threw him something, that turned to be a piece of paper with an eye theme drawn on it, that stuck on Tanjirou's forehead by way of an acupuncture needle.
'I can see them! So…the other demon uses these arrows to control…the path of the balls in order to strike!'
"Thanks, Yushirou! I can see the arrows now!" he called as he refocused on the two demons, one in front of him, the other hiding on a tree.
'Sun Breathing; Eleventh Form: Solar Halo Dragon Dance.'
He spins around the arrows, slicing the temari balls, as he closes in to Susamaru and cuts off her arms.
"If you're in the Twelve Moons, then I need to get some of your blood." he said, looking back at Susamaru.
"Be careful! You can't let your guard down even for a bit! If they really are in the Twelve Demon Moons…then they vastly stronger than the demons you've faced before!" Yushirou shouted.
"All right! I hear you! I'll be careful!" Tanjirou called back, 'But I need an opening to cut off her and the other one's heads.'
Susamaru laughed as she grew her arms back.
'She grew her arms faster than it takes me to blink. Her regeneration is faster than that of the demons I fought during the Final Selection.'
"Now, time to die!" the demon called, throwing a temari hard at Tanjirou, who managed to sidestep it.
"Demon Hunter! You need to get rid of the arrow demon first!" Yushirou called, as he stepped out of the house, "We'll handle the temari demon."
"Got it!"
He turned and ran towards the tree, as Yushirou stood before the temari demon.
'I need to collect some of his blood.' Tanjirou reminded himself, as he jumped and sliced at the demon, 'In order to find a way to defeat Muzan…I'll fight any demon that stands in my way! Fight…and win!'
"You'll ruin my kimono!" he shouted, getting off the tree.
'There. I can see the thread.' he got ready, 'Sun Breathing; First Form: Waltz.'
"What a dirty child you are! Stay away from me." Yahaba said and the eye on the palm of his right hand blinked. The thread snapped.
'The thread…was severed?!'
Tanjirou froze in place, noticing he was caught in an arrow that pointed backwards.
'Shit! Quick! Change the style!' he thought, adjusting his breathing, 'Sun Breathing; Eighth Form: Soaring Flame Haze!'
He slashed at Yahaba just in time to cut at his kimono, as the arrow threw him from tree to tree and then up in the air, letting gravity pull him down to his demise.
'Ugh! That attack really…hurts!' he thought, 'I need to use a technique to soften the impact!'
He changed his breathing pattern.
'Sun Breathing; Sixth Form: Burning Sun.'
Tanjirou struck the ground, allowing him to fall with a whole lot less force.
"Susamaru…isn't that demon over there Tamayo…the runaway? She'll make a fine present."
"Is that so?" Susamaru grinned, "This is fun! Yahaba! Wouldn't it be better to take back three heads?"
"No. Just two. The Demon Hunter's and the Runaway's." Yahaba said, patting his kimono down, "The other one is useless."
Tanjirou stood up and gritted his teeth.
'What can I do? I can't afford to lose! But even though I can see the threads, he's still hard to hit. Which technique…? And it's pointless to strike if I can't land a solid hit. If I am even slightly off my calculations, then the technique won't have enough force. He can also use the arrows to change the course of my blade.' he analysed the situation quickly, 'And…I know it's disrespectful of me, but those eyeballs in his palms are really disgusting!'
Yahaba unleashed his arrows.
'The speed of those arrows! And they don't disappear until they hit me.' he dodged the arrows, 'I can't cut them with my blade. The moment my blade touches one, I am flung in the arrow's direction. What do I do?'
Suddenly, an arrow wrapped itself around his arm like a snake.
"Everything goes in the direction I want it to! Watch as your arm twists and is ripped off."
Tanjirou jumped and spun in the direction of the arrow, pulling his arm out of his haori, to free himself.
'I can't just keep fighting defensively or keep getting caught in his arrows! Things will end badly then! I have to fight back, while avoiding direct contact with his arrows! I wonder…can I change the direction of those arrows without touching them?' he was closing the distance between him and the demon, 'If I combine Water Breathing's Sixth Form with the Third Form's footwork, to pull them together…Get in close! Twist! Wind up!' he did as he was planning it, 'Water Breathing; Combined Sixth Form: Whirlpool: Flow.'
He created a twisting, swirling, vicious flow around him, redirecting the arrows towards Yahaba. The demon tried to redirect the arrows, to avoid the attack.
'My sword feels heavy! Use it in your favor, Tanjirou!' he thought, encouraging himself, 'Water Breathing; Second Form: Improved – Lateral Water Wheel.'
Tanjirou spun horizontally, following the arrows, getting Yahaba's neck.
He fell down, almost too tired by the fight.
'I did it. Even though Whirlpool isn't strong out of the water, his arrows multiplied its power and it was able to wound the arrows up thanks to his attack.' he sat up, taking deep breaths, trying to calm his heart and relax his lungs, 'This was dangerous, switching breath styles and combining forms in the middle of a fight.' he sighed, 'Even though I've done it before, now that I think about it.' he remember, embarrassed, the hand demon and the swamp demon.
"Agh! Damn it! You no-good…dirty…bastard! All I had to do was take your head back and I'd be recognised by him!" Yahaba shouted, "I'll never forgive you! Never ever! Plus you got dirt on my face! If I'm going to die, then you'll die with me!"
A bunch of arrows struck Tanjirou.
'Not good! The battle's not decided yet. He's trying to take each other out. The arrows' pull is the strongest I've felt so far. I need to use as many techniques, or he'll crush me! At my current state, Water Breath is the easiest on my tired lungs.' he timed his attack, watching the wall coming close, 'Fourth Form: Striking Tide.' he avoided becoming part of the wall.
Then he was thrown up into the air.
'Ugh, so much pressure…! I can't even swing my blade! I have to! I need to!' he was being pulled down fast, 'Better get this right…on the first try! Striking Tide! Water Wheel! Drop Ripple Thrust! Water Surface Slash! Waterfall Basin! This is the first time I used techniques back-to-back like this! My arms feel like they are about to fall off! How many more times…? No. Focus on using techniques. Don't get distracted. Waterfall Basin! Striking Tide! Water Wheel! Whirlpool!'
And then it stopped and Tanjirou fell on the ground, panting hard.
'Tamayo-san…Yushirou…' he crawled to his sword, 'Ribs and leg are fractured…' he tried to grad his sword, but his hands were shaking too much, 'Shit. No…no use. I…can't…I'm too tired to even grab my sword. But…there is still one more demon over there. If I don't hurry…'
He grabbed his sword with his teeth and started crawling towards the other side of the house. His fight with Yahaba had moved them to the back of the building.
'I'll get over there immediately. I'll be there right away! So, please…please stay safe!' he thought as he increased his crawling speed, 'You must safe!'
He turned around the corner just as Susamaru started screaming, just in time to watch her being torn apart from the inside out.
"Please! Please, forgive me!"
Hands ripped out of her body and mouth, grabbing her head, causing it to explode.
The sword fell from his mouth in horrified shock.
"Is she dead?" he asked Tamayo-san, who had kneeled by what had remained of the demon.
"Almost. It's the curse. Kibutsuji's cells remain in the body of a demon to destroy it from within. Basically…fighting between demons is meaningless. It amounts to nothing. Because apart from sunlight and the swords of Demon Slayers, nothing else can strike a lethal blow. However, Kibutsuji is able to destroy a demon's cells."
"Wah!" he was surprised to see Yushirou at his side, clearly beaten up, shoving a piece of cloth in his nose and mouth.
"Don't breathe in Tamayo-sama's Blood Demon Art…or you'll die, too!"
"Tanjirou-san…she wasn't a member of the Twelve Demon Moons." Tamayo-san said, to Tanjirou's surprise, "If she had been, a number would have been engraved on her eyeballs. Her eyes are unmarked. I'm afraid, neither the other one was. Because he was too weak."
'Too weak?! Those two demons!? Seriously?!'
"Dumb demons. Serves them right for trying to hurt Tamayo-sama." Yushirou huffed.
Tamayo-san went to where Yahaba's body had fell, and then came back to Susamaru's, injecting a syringe and drawing blood.
"I have collected their blood." Tamayo-san said, "I'll go make sure the woman from earlier and her husband are well. Tanjirou-san, I need to examine you, too, for your injuries."
"Please, check on the others first." came Tanjirou's muffled reply.
Tamayo-san nodded and got up and left.
"Enough already! I'm not covering your ass anymore! Hold the cloth on your own! I do not want to be apart from Tamayo-sama any longer!" Yushirou followed her.
"Ma…ri…ma…ri…" Susamaru's voice lingered.
Tanjirou got to his knees, grabbed a temari and went close to her remains.
"Here's your temari." he said softly, covering his nose and mouth still.
"Come and play…Let's play…"
"Next time, we will." he said softly, 'Such a child-like personality…But she's killed so many people.'
The sun rose and everything turned to ash.
Tanjirou lowered the cloth from his face.
'She was fooled into believing she was one of the Twelve Demon Moons and forced to fight…and then Kibutsuji's curse killed her. There was no hope for her. Nothing is left after dying. Is that the price for taking human lives? Kibutsuji…That man…He kills even those who admire him so much. He is without a doubt…the true demon.'
After he gathered his strength, he found his haori, sheathed his sword and made his way to what remained of the house slowly.
"Tamayo-san…?" he called.
"Here." came her voice, "We're at the basement."
He slowly made his way down.
"Are you all right?" he asked them, when he saw them.
Tamayo-san blinked.
"Yes." she said after a moment, "Let me check your injuries, Tanjirou-san."
She helped him sit down and did the best she could with next to no medical supplies, bandaging his ribs.
"Can I ask what exactly happened with the ball demon?"
"The curse. No demon can speak Kibutsiji's name. That's why he is referred to as 'that man', 'lord' and so on. That was what happens otherwise. Demons are created as extensions of Kibutsiji, so whatever they see, say, think and do reaches him as well. The accuracy varies depending on the distance, but no demon can escape the curse." Tamayo-san explained, "This is the best I can do for you right now. You should see another doctor when you leave."
"Thank you." he smiled tiredly at her, "I am terribly sorry for what happened to your house." he added looking mournfully at the ceiling.
"We will have to leave this city." she said, "This place is too close to Kibutsuji. If we don't hide ourselves soon, it will become dangerous for us. Besides…although we were well hidden, as a doctor, I deal with humans, and…sooner or later someone will notice we are demons. Children and the elderly are particularly sharp."
"You could go to my house, if you want." Tanjirou said after a moment of thought, "There is someone I know who deals with medicines and poisons, and she lives close, so if I talk to her and she agrees to help you with the drug, you won't have to worry about distance or the sun."
"Thank you, Tanjirou-san." Tamayo-san bowed, Yushirou reluctantly following her example.
"Here." he said, handing him a syringe, "This will help you gather the blood of the Moons. Just stick it in their flesh or in a pool of their blood and it'll do it's work." he explained, "And this is Chachamaru." he pointed to a calico cat, "He is Tamayo-sama's familiar. He'll follow you and carry the blood back to us. He'll be under a concealment spell. He'll appear and disappear when he meows."
"Thank you, Yushirou." he smiled kindly at the demon boy, "I'll be off, then. Here, this is where my house is." he gave Tamayo-san the directions to the Kamado Residence, "I will send word of you ahead, so mother will know to expect the four of you." he said, looking past the two demons.
Tamayo-san looked at the couple behind them.
"We are in your debt."
"Oh, no, if you manage to make that drug, we will be in your dept." Tanjirou bowed.
And with a final smile, Tanjirou was on his way once more. Tennouji came to rest on his shoulder.
"Before you tell me where is my next assignment, could you carry a letter to my mother?"
"Caaawww! I will!"
"Thank you, Tennouji." he smiled at his crow.
He then sat down, pulled out a piece paper and a pen and started his quick letter.
"There. Thank you again, Tennouji." he tied the letter to his leg.
"Start going south! Caaww! I'll return in a couple of days! Caaww!"
And with those parting words, Tanjirou watched his crow go, as he turned South.