August 27, 1883

"Get the fuck out of here, man!" Kensuke had just thrown out an unruly customer inside the brothel just after midnight, his hands bloodied from fighting the patron. "Fucking Hell… That was way too hard. That guy better not come the fuck back."

The man shouted as he walked away from the brothel, "Go fuck yourselves! I make an honest living, you fucking pieces of shit, and you're gonna throw me the Hell out?! Fuck you! Fuck you and your fucking brothel! Maybe they'll fucking ban you like in the West one day, assholes!" He then spat in the direction of the brothel. "Fuck you! Maybe they'll shut your asses down!"

"Let me give you a little advice," Kensuke then shouted at the man. "Shut the fuck up and go the fuck home! Get out of here! We don't want you back, ever! You aren't fucking welcome here!" He then sighed and turned away to go back inside. "Fucking worthless prick…"

"Oh, fuck you!" The man then turned back around and walked away finally, leaving Kensuke and the brothel alone. "I'll go fuck another girl somewhere else! This place fuckung sucks! All the girls here fucking suck, too!"

"God damn it…" Kensuke then walked back inside. As he did, he noticed someone in an odd black uniform with kanji in the back talking to one of the girls who had been working as a receptionist for the night. "The back of his shirt says 'annihilate' in large white kanji," he thought to himself. "Is this some soldier from a specialized army unit? What is he trying to annihilate?"

The man turned around and noticed him. "Oh, hey there. I see you kinda got roughed up a bit."

"You have no idea," Kensuke replied with a chuckle. "That asshole I threw out was a real piece of work. So, what brings you here?"

"There's been reports of unexplained murders and disappearances around here," the man, who appeared to be a year or two older than Kensuke, said to him. "I'm here to investigate them."

"Are you another detective from the police?"

"No," the man replied as he shook his head. "I'm not with the police or the military. I'm with the Demon Slayer Corps."

Confused, Kensuke asked him, "Demons? Aren't those the stuff of legends?" He had heard of legends about such creatures when he was younger, but had always dismissed them as the stuff of myths and superstition.

"No, they're very much real. I've killed several already. I've been doing this for about two years now." He then passed along a small card containing information about the Demon Slayer Corps. "If you have any concerns or suspicions, use the information here to let us know. You have to be discreet about it, though, since the government refuses to support us." He then walked out of the brothel.

Kensuke looked at the card, which contained the logo of the corps and information about how to contact slayers, and then stuffed it in his pocket. "Well, that was weird."

"Yeah," the girl receptionist replied. "He gave me a card, too. I've never seen one of these alleged demons anywhere."

"Maybe he's a lunatic."

"Maybe, but what about his uniform and these cards?"

Kensuke shrugged. "Well, maybe he's a lunatic with money. I don't know, nor do I really give a fuck about some guy who's soft in the head. No fucking way demons are real. They're just an old myth from old Japan."

"Some of the people in rural areas still hold onto those beliefs."

"That's because they're all fifty years behind the times at best. They don't understand that Japan's changing and leaving them all behind. They need to catch up or be left in the past."

"I want to thank you for your hard work these past two weeks," Daki then said to Kensuke during a private meeting before sunrise. "I know it's been hard with Kinako-san running away, and I appreciate you putting effort into your work. All of us here really appreciate it. We've had a lot less major incidents with unruly customers since you've begun working, and it's really improving morale around here. Myself and Tanezaki-san are impressed."

"Thank you," Kensuke replied with a nod. "I'm glad to hear of your approval."

"On another note," Daki then asked him. "Did you notice anyone odd entering the brothel today?"

Kensuke remembered the slayer who had entered the brothel and brought him up to Daki. "Come to think of it, there was this guy in an odd uniform who came in asking about demons or some shit like that."

"So they are here again," Daki thought to herself. "Damn it. I'll have to plan and act accordingly to keep these fuckers off of me." She then asked him, "What did they mean by demons?"

"Like the demons from legends and all that crap. I didn't really buy into it, though. He sounded like a damn lunatic, if you ask me."

"You'll encounter crazy people like that in Yoshiwara," Daki said, both wanting to sow seeds of doubt in his head about her own kind and genuinely inform him of danger. "Not everyone here is entirely right in the head, and some can be downright dangerous, so you gotta keep a sharp eye out for them. They may not be drunk, but instead mentally unstable without even having a single drop of alcohol. They still can be very dangerous to deal with, so you have to plan accordingly."

"I see…"

"I don't want to see a guy who does a good job at keeping us safe get hurt. The last thing we need is you being so hurt you can't work for a while."

Kensuke nodded. "I completely understand where you're coming from, Sakurahime-oiran."

"Well, with all that said," said Daki as she then got up. "I'll see you later. Keep up the good work. You'll be our longest-lasting bodyguard yet if you do."

"Thank you," Kensuke replied with a bow before he left the room. "I won't let you or Tanezaki-san down."

Once she was alone, Daki thought to herself, "So the Demon Slayer Corps is gonna make another attempt to kill me? This is like what, the fifth damn attempt? I'd love to crush whoever they send a fifth time. Nobody will ever notice you're gone, poor little slayer. Nobody."

Gyutaro then appeared from Daki's back, asking her as he took form, "Daki, I gotta collect some debts when night comes again. You'll be on your own for most of the night."

"That's fine, oniichan," Daki assured him. "I could probably crush whoever those fucking slayers send after me by myself if they're stupid enough to go for me tonight."

"What do you wanna do with that boy who's guarding this place?"

"Kensuke-san? He's fine. Trust me. He's one of the few people here I actually don't mind being around, so there's that. Everyone else here is a bunch of damn lowlifes."

"Don't get too close," Gyutaro cautioned his sister. "You never know if the boss will tell us to kill him."

"He would never," Daki replied to him in shock. "Our master would do no such thing to me, oniichan! He cares so much for me!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know, he treats you good and all, sure. I'm just saying, Daki."

Later that night, the same slayer from before was walking in a deserted alleyway, still on patrol for demons in Yoshiwara. He said to himself as he looked around, "I haven't had any damn luck tonight. Everyone here must think I'm a lunatic."

As he was about to enter a regular street again, he heard footsteps behind him, which caused him to stop. When the footsteps continued on for a second and then also stopped, he turned around to see who it was. Upon seeing nobody, his heart began to race as he gripped his sheathed sword in preparation for a potential confrontation with whoever was following him, if anyone was following him. He then heard the sound of something skittering across the ground at the other end of the alleyway and took a deep breath, ready to attack.

However, he soon saw that this other person was not a person at all, but merely a stray dog that ran past him, completely ignoring his presence aside from a quick glance up at him. "Oh… It was just a dog… Thank God." He then let go of his sheathed sword and turned back around. "Nothing to be worried about."

"It wasn't just a dog," then said a female voice behind him. The slayer quickly turned around to draw his sword, but it was already too late. "So you think you can just come in here and stop me? You're a fucking idiot if you think someone as lowly as you could even land a blow on me with your sword."

The slayer was quickly grabbed by Daki's obi sashes and dragged to the ground. He was able to slice through several of them with his sword, but new sashes grabbed onto him just as quickly as he slashed the old ones. "No! Get off! Let go of me!"

"Your life is far less valuable than mine," Daki informed him with a sinister grin before she ripped off both of his legs with her sashes, causing him to scream loudly in pain as his blood covered the walls. However, his screams were soon silenced when a sash wrapped itself around his head and covered his mouth, muffling his voice to the point where nobody could hear him. "I'll eat part of you now and save the rest for later. How about that?"

"No! No! No!" The slayer continued to scream as Daki eviscerated and then dismembered him, which eventually cut his muffled cries short. With this, Daki was once again secure and not in any danger of being confronted by the corps.

Daki managed to chow down on most of the slayer's right leg before she decided to save the rest for another time, quickly wrapping up his remains in her obi sashes and sending them downwards into the caverns below Yoshiwara. "That takes care of that," she said to herself before she walked away. "I gotta get back to the brothel soon before they notice I'm gone."

August 29, 1883

In the Dimensional Infinity Fortress, the Upper Moons were holding a meeting together regarding plans for a potential attack in October. The room was lit by candles and gas lights, and possessed no windows and only one door that was left open. "So," Kokushibo said to the other members of the Upper Moons. "We have a report from our friends in the Philippines."

Akaza asked him, "What does it say?"

"It reads as follows," Kokushibo said as he read out loud from a sheet of paper that contained a report left by the Filipino Progenitor, Enrique de Castro. "Report from the Filipino Progenitor, dated July 20, 1883, or Meiji 16. There is growing discontent with Spanish rule over the islands. We predict that in at least a decade's time, there will be a conflict between those who wish to remain Spanish and those who wish for independence from Spain. We will take the side of independence in any case, if only to help feed our kind and further our cause for demonic supremacy worldwide. This conflict will be very bloody and will sow discontent and chaos in Spain, and maybe in other countries if they choose to pounce on the weakening Spanish Empire while it is bogged down by rebellion in its largest remaining colony. We invite any of the Twelve Demon Moons of Japan to come down here to help us if war breaks out, whenever that occurs. I don't think the Spanish can hold onto these islands much longer, and when their grip finally relaxes, chaos will envelop the entire island chain, giving us plenty of chances to feed and make our presence known."

Gyokko, Upper Moon Five, asked Kokushibo, "Does he not realize how unpredictable this is or how inhuman most of us look? It will be extremely difficult for any of us to leave Japan successfully."

"I'll go," Daki immediately volunteered. Upon realizing she had interrupted everyone else, she followed up with, "My apologies for the interruption, but among everyone here, I look the most human. I could easily blend in with the locals and infiltrate the Spanish colonial government using my skills as an oiran. Whenever we get word of war in the Spanish Philippines, let me know, and I'll do my best to get down there."

Gyutaro sighed and added, "I'm with her, I suppose."

"Of course," Kokushibo pointed out. "This all depends on the decision of our master when the time comes. Muzan-sama has informed me that he has not yet decided if any of us will go, and that he will wait until war actually breaks out down there."

"I could go," Doma also offered. "Like Daki, I too look very human. I could even bring many of my followers and create a small band of fighters. They'll do anything I tell them to, so I'm sure fighting a war far from home is certainly not out of the question for them. They really are too gullible and easy to manipulate."

"Again," Kokushibo pointed out. "This all depends on the will of our master. He could say no, and this conversation would be completely pointless."

"I agree," Akaza added. "Let's wait for the actual war to break out, much less the okay from our master, before we even consider who to send over to the Spanish Philippines. War might not even happen for another few years, or even another decade."

"I'm with Kokushibo-san," Hantengu added, raising his wooden walking cane in agreement. "Let's wait before we commit to anything."

Doma said in concurrence, "I'll go with it."

"Then it's settled," Kokushibo announced to the other Upper Moons. "We'll wait to handle the Philippines Problem. We'll need more guidance from Muzan-sama before we even think of acting on anything. Does that sound good for everyone?"

"Yes," said the other Upper Moons in unison.

"Then it's settled. Now, onto other business…"

Upon returning from the meeting and to the brothel, Daki had gotten dressed and ready for another night of service. As she finished her lipstick, she said to herself, "God damn, I look good tonight."

Kensuke then knocked on the door to her room, asking, "Sakurahime-oiran, are you ready? Do you need anything?"

"I'm ready now," Daki replied as she stood up from a kneeling position. "Kensuke-san, you can come in for a bit if you want. I won't stop you."

Kensuke then slid open the door before shutting it behind him. "So far so good tonight. I haven't thrown anyone out or gotten bitched at by anyone. Nobody's broken any rules or tried to fuck with any of the other girls. Let's hope it stays that way."

"I hope so, too," Daki nodded.

"So, got any exciting clients tonight?"

"No sex on the schedule tonight. The only client booked for me tonight just wants him and a few of his friends to be entertained normally." Daki then noted to him, "You know, I actually don't need to offer sex anymore due to my rank, but I offer it anyway for a higher price since, well…"

Kensuke chuckled and asked her, "Because you like it so much you can't stop?"

Daki lightly chided him with, "Well, when you put it that way, you make me sound like a fucking nymphomaniac. I'm not addicted to sex, okay? I just like it. It feels great. I just don't like it when a client of mine tries to do shit he didn't pay for or that I refused. It's fucked up, and it feels wrong."

"That's one of the reasons I throw people out," Kensuke nodded.

"And good on you for doing that. Believe me, I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty with asshole clients, but having some more muscle always helps."

Curious, he asked her, "So, like, girls enjoy that kind of thing, too?"

Daki broke out into laughter at such a question. "Kensuke-san, you had sex with Kinako-san before she ran away, right?"

"Yeah?"

"And she was the one who first offered it, right?"

"She was," Kensuke said as he nodded.

"Did she seem to like it?"

"Yeah, she did… But I heard that girls only pretend to like it."

"Where the fuck did you hear that? That's not true at all." Daki sighed. "Sure, some girls might only pretend if they're with a guy they don't really like. I've had to pretend when a guy is just awful at sex before, I'll admit. Even so, girls want to have sex just as much as guys do, they're just more subtle about it. It feels good for us, too."

"So it does… I see…"

She then got up and walked past him. "Well, I gotta go out and work. I'll talk to you later, Kensuke-san." Before she left, she turned back around and told him, "You know, you're alright, actually. I don't always get along with most people, but I get along with you."

"You don't?"

"I just pretend to," Daki admitted. "But I have a bit of a short temper, and I can't help but get annoyed at many people I interact with for whatever reason. You, though… I actually like you." Daki then left the room, with Kensuke following soon behind her and then walking in the opposite direction down the hallway. She thought to herself, "These guys I'm entertaining tonight are a prime fucking example. These guys always talk and talk and talk and talk whenever I see them, even when I play my damn shamisen for them. If they weren't paying the brothel so much, I'd have killed them by now. Maybe in another few days, I could invite Kensuke-san in for some things…"

August 31, 1883

Kensuke had finished another peaceful night at the brothel and was helping one of the girls sweep the hallway upstairs. "Okay, there you go," he said to the younger girl. "The hallway looks perfect. All nice and swept up for tomorrow."

"Thank you," said the young girl. "You do a great job, Kensuke-san."

As he went to put away a dustpan and a broom, he heard Daki behind him tell him, "Kensuke-san, I need some help in my room. Do you got a minute? It's nothing bad, don't worry!"

"Yeah, I can come down. What's going on?"

"I can explain when you get in here," Daki replied before she went back into her room and shut the door.

Kensuke walked down to her room and opened the door, not knowing what to expect. As he walked in, he asked her, "Is something wrong? What's going on, Sakurahime-oiran?"

"Call me Shiraume," Daki replied, using her fake 'real name' instead of her name as an oiran. "Don't be so formal with me all the time. We can drop all those silly little formalities tonight."

"So Shiraume is your real name?"

"Correct," Daki confirmed with a nod.

"I think it sounds pretty nice. Shiraume… It's better than my name."

"Don't sell yourself short, Kensuke-san. Your name isn't bad at all."

"Also," he then asked her. "What do you mean by 'drop all those silly little formalities tonight,' Shiraume-san?"

"Well…" Daki then took a deep breath and told him, "So, I was holding back a bit on this because I knew you and Kinako-san had a thing, but… And by the way, you don't have to say yes to this if you don't want to…"

"I can easily guess what you're doing. You want me to have sex with you, Shiraume-san. Is that right?"

Daki sighed. "She taught you well, I suppose. Well, do you want that?"

Kensuke shrugged. "Well, with Kinako-san gone, it's been tough. Me and her were pretty close, and… It's just…"

"I get it," Daki replied, understanding what he was going through. "You're still not feeling well after what happened with her. It's fine."

"Well, when you put it like that…"

"Am I right or wrong, Kensuke-san?"

"I'm not saying I don't want to have sex," Kensuke assured her. "But a part of me still holds onto Kinako-san. I don't know why. It's all fucked up, I know."

"I understand," Daki replied. "We don't have to do this."

"But something else tells me to go ahead with this and get it over with," Kensuke then said as he suddenly grasped Daki's hands, startling her. "And it's getting louder!" Upon realizing he had scared her somewhat, he backed off and told her, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to grab onto you like that."

"Then listen to that part of you." Daki thought to herself, somewhat frustrated with him, "Come on, decide already. I'm getting impatient here! I'll take yes or no, but not this indecision!"

Kensuke then sighed. "Okay, okay, okay… Fuck it, I can do this."

Daki gave him a warm smile and told him as she loosened her kimono, "Glad to hear it. Let's get started. I'll take the lead on this one, okay?"

"That's fine," Kensuke replied as he began to blush in anticipation. "What do you have in mind?"

"A lot of things…"

Kensuke, curious, asked her, "How many things?"

"Listen, I've had plenty of experience, so I got no shortage of things I know about." Daki then unbuttoned Kensuke's shirt and told him, "And don't tell Tanezaki-san about this. She'll be pissed off if you have sex with an oiran with as high of a ranking as me."

"How pissed would she be?"

"She'd probably kill six men just to reach you and slit your God damn throat, and she could do it with one hand tied behind her back. When she gets really mad, she can be fucking terrifying, and believe me, I've seen some scary shit in my life." Daki then laughed at her own joke. "But forget about her for now. Let's have some fun already. Do I have to spell it out for you?" She then leaned in and whispered into his ear, "Let's fuck."

Kensuke chuckled and told her, "Okay, okay, we will."

Hey guys, another author's note here.

I recently found out (as in the past few minutes of me writing this author's note) that the Hunter From America now has 400 kudos on Archive of Our Own. Thank you for getting this story up to 400 kudos, and thank you to all who have continued to support this story.

Many of you have wondered why the story has taken this direction with the flashback chapters, and this was in fact at least semi-planned months in advance. We will get back into the main storyline in another two or three chapters, depending on how much longer it takes to get to the ending of this arc. I have certainly not forgotten about our beloved main canon and OC cast, and they will return!

One last thing: I know that the updates have been getting a bit more spaced out. This is largely due to life and work getting in the way, as well as other stories on my AO3 account being updated and added, as my AO3 account is my active account, while my FFN account is inactive aside from this story. Stay tuned for more updates and more chapters.