Douma still had about a hundred and thirty years before Gyutaro and Ume's lives were truly threatened in the original timeline. He always kept an eye on their connection as the years went by, just in case. This meant he was also a bit more aware of the other Lower Moons than before.

They really did die a lot; it was concerning. It made the Upper Moons and their strength stand out. Douma's own strength had increased tremendously in both timelines. He theorized it was a mix of it coming naturally to him and that he was always well fed on the nutrient filled women he ate. From what he understood, women were Ume's preferred diet and Gyutaro would eat pretty much anyone. They'd get strong, certainly, but Douma made sure to keep up his own feedings just to be absolutely sure he would be just as strong in this timeline (if not stronger) than the old one so that he'd be able to help if required. He needed a large stable population to keep up with his hunger, so more expeditions were organized to bring others into the cult.

It was easy to send groups of humans out on their own, and it was often that he did, but Douma knew he had to go out himself if he really wanted to bring in more. Traveling was always tricky as a demon, so tricky that the only demon that Douma knew of that did it was Akaza. Akaza had the advantage of not traveling with humans so he could break at any time to find shelter from the sun. Douma had to wait for his little humans and they needed to eat and rest the farther they went.

Douma always brought the most faithful with him. The loyal were always more understanding and patient. Always so mindful of his needs and concerned with his safety. If they couldn't find shelter before daybreak (very rarely), they'd pitch his tent deep in the woods, making sure not a single drop of sunlight would hit him. He trusted his humans enough not to intentionally harm him, but he still threw a thick blanket over himself in case of an accident. He'd only had to do that twice in the past thirty years though.

Now it was winter and they were in a town called Kasato. They'd arrived just in time for its seven-day celebration. Seven days and seven nights of festivities. They didn't tell him, but Douma knew his followers were excited for it. They had plenty to celebrate in his own village with music and dance, but there were restrictions on larger displays and performances such as fireworks, bonfires and combat routines involving more than one person. He'd let his followers have their fun in the sun and mingle with the locals here.

Day one featured ceremonial dances and offerings. Douma, of course, missed most of them since they were in the day. When night fell, he went out for the first time, his appearance attracting the attention of very excitable humans who had a bit too much to drink. Amused, he dazzled them a little with a smile and some sideshow tricks with his Blood Demon Art that they wouldn't remember. He walked with them as they laughed and gossiped about their neighbors. As the night got later, he had a few hanging from his arm as he walked them home so they wouldn't slip in the snow and ice.

He wasn't quite hungry yet.

Day two was shown to have torches lit throughout the town with the bulk of them around Kasato's temple. More people were awake that night to see the torches glow and shadows dance around the buildings and across the snow. He found his drunk friends, much more sober this time, who apologized to him profusely for their behavior and insisted on showing him around properly. He indulged them, then introduced them to his followers and sent them off to enjoy the festivities.

Douma went into the cold shadows where the lights of the torches did not touch. Where the lonely and forgotten people lurked. He spoke with some, offered prayers to those who accepted it, and invited others to join him on his walk as he listened to their woes. There were not as many food vendors the later he stayed out, but he found one that served steaming hot udon and he paid to have them fed. He guided some back to their homes and the rest into his temporary lodgings where they'd be safe.

He could sense another demon suppressing their presence in the area.

Day three celebrated peace and good fortune, though in Douma's opinion, centered more around food than anything else. Vendors were everywhere, fully stocked with a variety of dishes. This time he intended to treat his followers and their new friends to anything they wanted. Hopefully there'd be a good turnout. Bonding over food was one of the best ways to get humans to join him.

He had just had one of his followers, a girl named Fuyumi, head off to guide a few new humans to their meeting spot. Douma stayed behind. He could sense the demon again and this time he recognized who it was. He followed their trail eagerly.

It was Akaza. Akaza who was hiding amongst the humans, disguised with dark hair and eyes and fair skin. How unexpected!

"Lord Akaza!" Douma called. "Is that you? I didn't know you could look so human!"

Akaza frowned at him. "What are you doing here?"

"I was about to go find something to eat!" Douma said cheerfully. That was a lie, but it'd be nice to hunt with Akaza. "Care to join me?"

"No."

"No? Then what brings you here, if I may ask?"

"You may not."

Douma laughed. "So secretive! Is it a mission?"

Akaza curled a lip. "It's none of your business."

"Ah, I'm so curious now!" Douma whined. "It's not often that two Upper Moons cross paths like this! How have you been? I haven't seen you since I fought Gyokko… eight years ago? You look healthy and strong!"

Akaza eyed the area they were in, giving Douma the impression he was searching for an escape route.

"Hey, hey, Lord Akaza, maybe I can help you? Whatever task you're set on can surely be done faster and more efficiently with a friend!"

"I'm not your friend," Akaza said, eyes snapping back on him. His mouth was twitching into a deeper frown.

Douma gasped. "So mean, Lord Akaza! I'd certainly like for you to be my friend, but I don't mind just being yours." He put a hand on his chest. "And as your friend, I'd like to help! Won't you please let me assist you? I'm sure I can be of service somehow."

Nothing was actually stopping Akaza from leaving, so he must not really hate Douma in this timeline. This was good. He would just have to be careful not to push him too much…

"I'm not on a mission," Akaza said, finally. "I don't need help. I wouldn't need it even if I was."

Considering their first mission together, Douma had doubts. He almost said it out loud. Instead, he heaved a sigh of disappointment and stepped aside so Akaza could leave easily without drawing attention to himself.

"Very well! I'll still be here whenever you need me, okay?"

Hours into the night, Douma could still sense Akaza around the area and he had no idea why. He'd have to take advantage of this. Akaza was extremely difficult to track down since he had no territory or haunt to visit. Upper Moon meetings were so rare Douma couldn't rely on them either. He thought that if it came down to it, he'd have to resort to challenging Miura and Seimaru just to see him again.

But if Akaza was already here in one place… Now was the best time to try and befriend him.

Day four and five were mostly centered around parades. On the night of the fourth day when Douma went out to actually hunt before searching for Akaza, he instead stumbled upon where townsfolk kept the parade floats stored away. He poked at them, enthused by the out of season flowers decorating one of them. From what he heard, the floats had towered above the buildings when assembled and he found himself eager for the following night when he'd be able to see the ones that glowed. So eager that when he got caught with the floats, instead of eating the human who found him, he overwhelmed them with questions.

"Are you going to start asking about the one with the flowers too?" the man, named Hisashi, asked, looking weary.

"I wasn't, but now I am!" Douma chirped. "Oh! Was someone else asking about them?"

"Yeah, a younger man about your age. He was asking about our sources, but Sakutarou won't be around 'til tomorrow."

"The young man… Was he wearing a short, sleeveless haori?"

Hisashi hummed. "You know each other? I was worried about how little he was wearing in this weather. He was walking barefoot in the snow."

"He does like to run around with less clothes than the average person. He's a little weird like that," Douma said, smile wide. "If it eases you, he's very strong and unlikely to fall ill! Was it tonight you saw him?"

"Yeah, you just missed him. I told him Sakutarou would be back tomorrow night so he'll probably swing around then."

So Akaza was on a mission! Or, well, sort of. He was on the mission that technically every demon was on. Searching for the Blue Spider Lily, or word of it. Douma had already planted the search into his follower's heads so he hoped their searches wouldn't overlap and cause issues. Immediately he cast aside thought of watching the floats the next night.

"If that's so, I'll join him tomorrow night!" Douma said cheerfully. "Thank you so much for your time!"

On the fifth night, Douma was sure Akaza would be avoiding him so he simply suppressed his own presence and circled the area he knew that the Sakutarou man would be in. When he saw Akaza, still hardly dressed and walking through the snow barefoot, he sped forward and stopped in front of him. Akaza's eyes widened a fraction, then narrowed into a glare.

"Good evening, Lord Akaza! You do realize it's freezing out here, don't you?" Douma asked.

Akaza stared at him. "Demons don't get cold," he said slowly, like Douma was stupid.

"Lord Akaza is disguised as a human. You stand out wearing only that!"

Akaza looked down at his clothes, looking momentarily surprised. He frowned thoughtfully. Douma unfurled the kimono he had over his arm. As much as he wanted to get Akaza a bright and festive one for the festival, he was pretty sure Akaza would reject it. The one he brought was simple, dark and striped.

"Humans were whispering already," Douma said. "So, I brought you this!" When Akaza didn't take it, Douma added, "Mister Sakutarou is likely to be more at ease the more human you look, you know."

Akaza scowled and took the kimono. Douma bounced on his toes a little as he watched him throw it on over the clothes he was wearing. He must be taking this lead seriously!

"How do you know about that," Akaza hissed.

Douma laughed. "I said humans were whispering, didn't I? It was not very difficult! Is this usually how you get information? You should practice blending in more!" Akaza scowled even harder. Douma let his smile soften a little, a touch disappointed. "I'm just teasing, Lord Akaza."

Akaza seemed to accept this, or at least didn't consider it worth getting angry over. He adjusted his kimono once more and then walked towards the building Douma had ventured in the night before. Douma followed him and Akaza didn't seem too surprised over it, though not happy either.

The parade had just ended, and the floats were returned to a warehouse, but no one was guarding it. Likely they were enjoying the late-night festivities after the parade of lights. When Douma and Akaza opened the door to the warehouse, they found only one man.

Sakutarou was a large, muscled man with a soft face. He was hunched over the side of the float, carefully plucking flowers out and laying them on one of several mats. He looked over as they walked closer, raising his eyebrows.

"Huh, look at you," Sakutarou muttered, eyeing the two up and down. "Hisashi said someone was looking for me. Didn't expect it to be true. Did you two watch the parade?"

"We did!" Douma said before Akaza could open his mouth. He clapped his hands together. "It was spectacular! I must say the flower float stood out the most! Seeing such a variety in this weather? Amazing! Truly!"

A blush bloomed across Sakutarou's face. "That's… good to hear. Yeah. Yeah, thank you."

Douma walked closer to the float and cupped a few of the flowers in his hand. They had been cut and bound to sharp needles, then stuck into a weaved material attached to the side panels of the float. Despite the cold, they seemed to be doing well! They'd wilt in the weather eventually but the question of how they were even grown was still in the air.

"They're very beautiful!" Douma said. "These flowers are not in season, how on earth did you grow them? And so many at that!"

"Trade secret in my village," he replied. "I won't be sharing that information with strangers, no offense."

Douma gasped. "Of course! None taken! My name's Douma by the way, and this is a dear friend of mine, Lord Akaza!" Akaza glared. Douma quickly moved on. "The town paid to have these displayed here, if I understood correctly. You're not the only one managing it, are you? Disassembling this seems like a lot of work!"

"I'll have more help in the morning. I just thought I'd let the others have some fun out there, you know?"

"How kind of you." Douma twirled a small rope of flowers that had been weaved together. "I didn't even think of how much work was put into such a large display! It's a shame we only got to see it for one night! You can tell they had been well tended to." He draped the flowers between his hands. "So lovely…"

"You can keep that," Sakutarou said with a shrug, though he looked pleased that Douma liked it.

"Thank you so much!"

Finally having enough, Akaza stepped forward.

"Have you heard of the Blue Spider Lily?" Akaza asked.

Sakutarou looked momentarily taken aback, then frowned as he thought. "A blue one? No, not at all. Is that a real flower?"

"That's what I'm trying to find out. My source insists upon it's existence."

"We thought you might know about it, considering your access to so many kinds of flowers!" Douma said, gesturing widely at the float. "You've probably met other people just as passionate! Where are you from again?"

Akaza's eye twitched but he did not interrupt.

"Tsubaki. And yeah, I've met plenty of people. Other plants enthusiasts come by once they get wind of what's developing over there."

"And none have mentioned it?" Akaza asked. "Maybe something in writing?"

"All I know about is the red spider lily; and those would have a tough time growing in this weather, even with our methods in Tsubaki."

Akaza took a step closer. "Are you certain 'blue' isn't a term for specific plants? It could refer to water or the cold."

"Sorry, not that I'm aware of," Sakutarou said, stiffening. "Listen, if that's all you're here for then you got your answer. I need to get us a head start on disassembling these things. You two have a good night."

He turned away and hunched back over the panel of the float, plucking the flowers out a little quicker this time. The room fell silent and Douma became abruptly aware of a ravenous aura coming from Akaza. He realized very suddenly that he had not detected any deaths in the festival so Akaza must not have eaten lately.

"If that's all, then this was pointless," Akaza huffed. With a very disinterested, but hungry, look, he raised his arm, flexing his fingers and punching towards the back of Sakutarou's head.

Douma's heart jumped.

"Akaza!"

Akaza stopped and glanced at him over his shoulder, lowering his arm slowly.

Douma paused. Akaza's name had just slipped out. "Um." His eyes flicked towards Sakutarou. "I…"

Now both Akaza and Sakutarou were looking at him. It wasn't until Akaza's form relaxed and he took a step away from the man that Douma's brain started working again. It was very disorienting. He smiled and laughed lightly. "I still have questions."

Akaza stared. His eyes went between Douma and Sakutarou, then he let out a soft sigh and left the building. When he was gone, Douma approached Sakutarou and brushed his fingers along a few petals on the panel he was disassembling.

"…So, what do you do with the flowers afterwards?"