A/N: Hello hello! Welcome to the rewrite of "Demons Have A Hard Life, Too!". Yeah, I've decided to give the earlier chapters a bit of an overhaul, as well as add on a little something at the beginning, which you'll see once you scroll down to read the prologue ;)
The old chapters will be replaced, but if you want, you can view them on my AO3 account of the same username very soon (once I receive some art commissions back)! Think of it as an art museum but for shitty old writing :)
PS: If a chapter does not have "Rewrite posted" in the author's notes, it means that it's the original one and has not been rewritten!
Warning: Canon-typical violence, swearing
Betaed by: avatarquake
Rewrite posted: 05/05/2021
"My, what a quaint village we have here~"
"Odd-looking is more like it. Now will you hurry up? If we don't find it by sunrise—"
"Getting fidgety now, are we? Ufufu, I just need a moment."
In the shadows of the night, surrounded by silent houses lined up in a sleepy suburban neighbourhood, crept a pair of indistinct figures along the cracked pavement, speaking to each other in hushed voices. Their actions and general demeanour would've screamed "criminal" in the eyes of an average American citizen, which was why they were sneaking around in the dark in the first place, beyond the need to hide some of their less than... human attributes.
"Do you even know where you're going, Lower One?" one of them hissed, throwing furtive glances around himself. He flinched by instinct as they passed under a lit lamppost, casting the nervous sheen of sweat on his forehead in a sickly yellow light.
His companion simply smiled and stopped right in his tracks, pointing a slender finger at an unremarkable two-storey house just down the street.
"It's that one?" The first figure flicked his gaze over at the building, then back to the one named Lower One, regarding him with no small amount of scrutiny. "Are you certain that is the target that Lord Muzan has ordered us to capture?"
"There's only one way to find out, Rokuro-san~"
Lower One's airy reply did nothing to appease the one named Rokuro, but he did not protest further as he shook one sleeve back, dragging his sharpened claws down his forearm, drawing blood, letting it stream down and splatter onto the concrete ground with careless abandon...
Then the pooling blood suddenly gained movement of its own, sinking into the ground and snaking towards the house. The duo watched as the crimson streaks slithered up the walls, slipping through a window on the upper level. Lower One hummed. "It's always a delight to witness your Blood Demon Art in action," he said sincerely.
"Shut up," was the grouchy reply. "Just hurry up and tell me what I'm looking for."
"Let's see... Ah, our target is a woman nearing adulthood. Nineteen years old, quite a burly physique for her age, and is a marechi too, if her scent is anything to go by. The faces she makes as she slumbers away are utterly adorable, t—"
"Found it," Rokuro interrupted, twisting his face into a disgusted grimace. Whether it was from Lower Moon One's giggly description or the unconscious woman suddenly in his arms was up to anyone's guess.
The girl mumbled indistinctly, stirring in her sleep, but a moment of Lower One whispering sweet nothings in her ear with his Blood Demon Art put a quick end to that. Rokuro took a quick moment to let his eyes roam up and down the target that Lord Muzan himself had chosen.
His first impression was: ordinary. The human had brown hair haphazardly tied into a loose bun, clad in distastefully scanty clothing that showed off her sun-kissed complexion, a rugged body that did not suit her feminine curves, and an equally unapproachable face even when asleep. Nothing to gawk over, and certainly nothing to warrant their lord's attention.
Yet, this human was the alleged key to Lord Muzan's victory.
"What's the matter, Rokuro-san?" Lower One asked softly, leaning around to grin up at his face. It came across more like a predator baring its fangs. "Are you starting to doubt Lord Muzan's wisdom? Or… is there something about her that intrigues you?"
"Feh, far from it on both counts." Rokuro broke away from his mulling, shoving the body into Lower One's arms to punctuate his point. The woman was caught easily, and the expression on his comrade's face morphed into something less... savoury. Oh well, as long as Rokuro wasn't the target.
Lower One laughed as if he had made a joke. "Shall we depart from this world, then?"
"Gladly, if it means leaving this eyesore of a village behind."
With one last glare of disdain cast at the dozing houses, Rokuro made several sharp gestures at the crimson streaks, gathering them into one massive puddle under their feet. The trio sank into it, sleeping woman and all, and when the last bit of red vanished from the concrete pavement, the neighbourhood's roads were left soulless once more. As if nobody had been there in the first place...
Springy grass flattened under their feet as they emerged from the inky void. Rokuro straightened up, picking up the familiar scent of nature and wildlife that made his shoulders relax by a fraction... Wait, nature?
"Weren't we at a city's alleyway a moment ago?" Rokuro asked, the beginning notes of panic causing his voice to raise. "No, forget that; I definitely meant to bring us back to that same alleyway!"
"Perhaps Lord Muzan personally redirected us to this mountain," Lower One suggested unconcernedly. He had his back turned to Rokuro, propping the woman up against a tree as if she was made of porcelain. Her head lolled lifelessly to the side.
Their lord being responsible for this? That was a possibility, yes. Lord Muzan was capable of everything beyond the ability to walk in su—
Rokuro shook his head free from the dangerous thought. To put it shortly, manipulating a demon's Blood Demon Art would be child's play to him. But that would mean... "He's here." Rokuro whirled around on his comrade, stance rapidly gaining urgency. "Hurry up and extract that spirit core before he arrives!"
"I'd happily do it, but I require a—"
"A demon's body, I know, I know. Tsk." Rokuro scanned the forestry around them. The more he stayed still, the more his heart felt like it was being squeezed by razor-thin wires... and it wasn't just his heart. Every inch of his skin was prickling as if the very air was warning them that staying for too long would end up badly for them, scraping every sense that called for him to back away. There was another scent in the air, too; clashing with the earthy scent of the forest like oil on water, and it was coming from the treetop, where silvery strands of threads were entangled around tree branches. Putting two and two together, that had to mean...
"This is Lower Moon Five's territory," Rokuro realised with a groan. "Fantastic. Of all the places to end up in, it just had to be this uppity brat's."
"Is this not good for us?" Lower One laughed, flashing a serene smile that didn't match the mischievous glint in his eyes. "He has collected many lowly demons in that 'family' of his, I am quite sure that he wouldn't mind us borrowing one for our lord's cause."
Rokuro mulled over the idea. Then, slowly, a grin of his own stretched across his mouth. It was definitely going to tick off that bratty kid, but what was he going to do against his superiors? "I've never liked him, anyway." Rokuro gave a sharp jerk of his head at Lower One. "Extract it now."
As Rokuro drew more blood to snatch up the unfortunate demon (he was going to treat himself to a human or two after this. Maybe even this marechi, if his lord was in a generous mood tonight), Lower One placed a hand on the woman's forehead and closed his eyes. Seconds turned to minutes as both demons did their work; his brows furrowed in concentration, Rokuro manoeuvred his Blood Demon Art up the mountainside, snaking through the shadier parts of the forest as it approached the absolute centre of the oppressive aura's source. Brief images flashed before his eyes, helpfully supplied to him by his ability: an overgrown root, a spooked mouse darting into its burrow... and a dilapidated mansion looming in the distance. The sinewy aura wasn't as intense here, which meant that the aura's host wasn't present. Perfect. All he needed was one more minute...!
"Oh dear."
The unexpected interruption caused him to curse and jerk involuntarily, forcing him to veer his Blood Demon Art back into the shadows before the spider demons could catch wind of it. "Will you quit fooling around?" Rokuro snarled, whirling around on Lower One silently regarding the still unconscious woman. "Are you done yet? Where's the spirit core?"
"... We may have run into a snag."
"Snag? What snag are you talking about?" Rokuro demanded. He did not like the way that the ever-present smile of Lower One's dropped a smidge, nor the way he was staring down at his cupped hands like there was supposed to be something there that wasn't. "Stop being a cryptic and just tell me where the spirit core is!"
"I had it."
Rokuro blinked. "You had it."
"Well, you do know how the behaviour of a spirit core often takes after that of its host, correct?" Lower One asked. "This one was no different, of course. Very finicky and restless, it refused to hold still, and it, ah, slipped past my fingers."
Once Rokuro managed to straighten out the roundabout explanation, he felt his chances of survival drop to the very core of the Earth. "You lost it?!" he roared, taking a threatening step towards the kneeling demon.
"Now, now, calm yourself. A spirit core can't be misplaced like you would with your afternoon snack."
An arm shot out, hoisting Lower One by the collar. "Then where is it?!" Rokuro spat in his face.
"It must have fled to the nearest host it could find." Unruffled by the manhandling, Lower One craned his neck to peer over his shoulder. "It did not attempt to take over either of us, seeing as we are the subjects of its fear. The nearest human settlement is miles away, which leaves the only suspect to be—"
"Those spider demons." Rokuro's expression momentarily lightened with relief, before it soured back. "Why didn't you say so earlier, you bastard? Would have saved me from a heart attack..."
Lower One stared at him silently, then his eyes snapped to the left, his face lighting up with a blinding glee. "Good evening, Lord Muzan," he chirped.
Rokuro choked.
"My lord!" Dropping Lower One like a hot stone, Rokuro whirled around and dropped to his knees, bowing before the man that had emerged from the confines of the shadows. Lord Muzan, king of all demons and giver of their powers, was in his adult male form— a normally passive and friendly man in the other humans' eyes, that little detail seemed to have vanished tonight. "Apologies, I didn't realise you were he— Urk!"
Feet suddenly dangled in the air as Rokuro gasped for air, shakily reaching up for the hand crushing his throat. "L-Lord Muzan..."
"What did you two do?"
Rokuro froze in mid-attempt to free himself. Furious plum-coloured eyes raked him over, then the kneeling Lower One that remained unmoved even now. "Where is the human I requested for?" he asked, his tone significantly calmer but still no less irate.
Rokuro shakily pointed behind him (the lack of air clouded his vision too much to see anything), and Lower One helpfully took up the task of explaining the matter. "We have her right here." He carelessly waved over at the unconscious human. "The spirit core was removed successfully, but we have reasons to believe that it may have fled to the nearby clan of demons. If we may have your blessings, we wish to pay Lower Moon Five a visit~"
"There's no need for that." Rokuro was tossed away in one violent motion, and he immediately scrambled back to a submissive bow. Even when his gaze was fixed on the ground, their lord's rage was palpable. "Pray that your idiotic mistake did not cost me Lower Moon Five, or the consequences will be much more dire for you than they already are."
What did that kid have to do with any of this?
"Are you questioning me?" Lord Muzan asked suddenly, eyes narrowing dangerously to slits.
His breathing hitching, Rokuro hastily shook his head in denial. "N-never, my lord!"
"See that you don't." Lord Muzan eyed them with transparent disparagement for a moment, and without another word, he made a small gesture at them with his hand. The environment around them went under a dramatic shift in a blink of an eye.
Gone were the trees and ever-moving wildlife. Bathed in a pleasantly warm glow, the two found themselves standing on a lone platform isolated in a sea of man-made structures twisting and stretching in every direction, lit only by hanging oil lanterns. Except for them, there wasn't a single living soul in here. "What... is this place...?" Rokuro asked in a hushed voice, not able to help the pinprick of awe amidst the overpowering apprehension. Never in his hundred-plus years as a demon had he ever seen such a place.
Lower One had no answer for him, although he didn't seem as surprised about the new development as Rokuro. "Perhaps our lord knows where our errant human ran off to," he suggested with the slightest titter in his voice.
"This isn't a laughing matter! And this is all your fault, anyway! If you hadn't dropped that spirit core—!"
"What use is there to rant at me?" Lower One interrupted, eyeing Rokuro's snarl with far too much serenity. "What's done is done. All we can wait for is our lord's judgement."
"You— Bah!" As much as he wanted to rip that ridiculous smile to shreds, there was still the matter of their new situation to consider. Endless possibilities and scenarios raced through his mind. Lord Muzan obviously knew of Lower One's error, but why had he spoken about "costing him Lower Moon Five"? He didn't dare think it in their lord's presence again, but what did that kid have to do with this?
His thoughts were cut off by a sharp twang — an instrument? — ringing in the empty space from seemingly out of nowhere. The space warped around them instantly, gently dropping them into a similar, yet no doubt different, platform somewhere deeper in this labyrinth. Rokuro whipped his head around in panic, while Lower One looked on with milder curiosity.
"What happened?" Was that the work of a Blood Demon Art? Looking around more, his suspicions were confirmed when his gaze landed on a lone demon seated at the edge of a room high above them, holding a biwa in her hands. She did not utter a word as she raised a bachi pick, and—
twang
A terrified shriek pierced the silence, much younger and higher-pitched than either of them, but the apparent source was nowhere to be seen. Rokuro shared a silent glance with Enmu, half-considering at least trying to seek out the mysterious person when another twang rang out.
A white blur suddenly came into view, curled up on the ground as if he had been there the whole time. Rokuro flinched back, but nobody dared make a sound as the figure shifted jerkily on the ground.
It was Lower Moon Five.
He tensed up, half-expecting the brat to raise hell about his missing "family member", but nothing of the sort happened. It was like the demon child didn't even notice their presence as he staggered to his feet, mumbling uncharacteristic obscenities under his breath. Then he turned, visibly freezing up not unlike a deer under a hunter's gaze. What? Why wasn't Lower Five saying anything? He was usually so snappy with both his speech and mannerisms, and now he was acting like a drunkard who has had one too many bottles.
"Get away from him!" Rokuro barked when he caught Enmu approaching Rui. "Lord Muzan was the one who brought him here. You shouldn't be fooling around with his property."
Enmu made a face, but before Rokuro could reproach him for his frankly unprofessional behaviour, the words that flew out of the demon child's mouth in the next second made Rokuro whip his head around in shock.
"Y-you're the Demon Moons…?"