Demon Girls at the Obon Festival

Hello everyone and welcome to the latest chapter of the Swordsman and the Asura! We got a couple things to celebrate in this chapter so look forward to a good time. Also, don't forget to check out my book, Plains Riders, on Amazon Kindle and Kindle Unlimited! Finally, it seems we have no guest review questions this week, so let's dive on in!

The Butterfly Estate

If there was one place that Susamaru had definitely started thinking of as home, it was the butterfly mansion run by Shinobu Kocho. Now that she and Nezuko were used to the sun the two of them could be up and about whenever they pleased, to a degree at least. The Temari demon had basically been given the job of supervising Nezuko whenever no one else was around now that she'd returned from training along with helping out occasionally in the estate. This turned out not to be too difficult most of the time as Tanjiro's sister still liked to sleep a fair bit and often played with the triplets when she was up.

When Susamaru was supervising her she was usually teaching Nezuko different things like chores, speaking, telling her stories, reading Tanjiro's letters out loud to her and working on helping her to read again too. The demon girl herself had never been the most avid reader but her time in the Butterfly Estate had granted her plenty of opportunity to study and practice it, making her familiar with some methods that would and wouldn't work for her boyfriend's sister. They were all good distractions for the first few weeks. But something was starting to bother her more and more, something that even all the work in the mansion couldn't take off her mind.

She'd been watching the progress of the tattoo on her neck, noting how it was growing and taking on a distinct shape. It covered a lot more area than before and she'd had to finally explain it to the rest of the inhabitants in the estate. But it wasn't the only thing progressing on her body, or rather, in her body. 'To think it was really possible,' she mused while opening her kimono and rubbing her stomach, 'this wasn't supposed to happen until much later, yet here you are.'

Thanks to her control over her demonic body she'd gotten good at sensing when something wasn't quite right. Though in this case the only thing not 'right' about her body was the timing. 'It's really happening, I've got….a baby on the way.' It had been faint at first, like a little whisper inside of her.

But as time went on she could feel it more and more, the life growing inside of her. No doubt this little one was the result of her first intimate night with Tanjiro, or that's what she was thinking anyway. It's possible one of the other intimate moments they'd managed to snag in between all the training was responsible and the baby was just developing extra fast, but she didn't think so. Whenever it was conceived, no, she could feel what the baby was now, a she.

Yes, whenever their daughter was conceived wasn't so important now as the fact that she had been conceived. 'Will it take you nine months to be born,' she mused while rubbing her stomach thoughtfully, 'or will you come out to see the world even sooner than that?' An even more pressing matter, though, was what she should tell Tanjiro. 'Knowing him he'll roll with it like he rolls with so many other things. He'll definitely be surprised but he'll love her with all his heart.'

That last bit was also something of a problem and the reason she hadn't gotten to writing a letter immediately upon realizing her current situation. Her boyfriend, or rather her practical husband at this point already had enough to worry about. An impending battle with Muzan Kibutsuji would be happening in the near future and the last thing he needed was a distraction or something else occupying his mind. No, as much as it pained her to do it, she couldn't tell him right now, couldn't tell him that he was going to be a father. Once Muzan was dealt with she'd tell him, once Kibutsuji was no more she'd be able to let him know.

She was so lost in thought on this matter she didn't sense someone approaching until the door to her room practically swung open to admit an excited demon girl. "Nezuko," she exclaimed while almost jumping, "what in the world's got you so excited?" Tanjiro's sister was currently jumping around the room while holding a slip of paper in her hand which she tossed to the Temari demon before continuing her little happy dance. She read the contents of the paper quickly, finding it to be a flyer for a festival that was happening soon.

"The Obon festival," Susamaru read aloud skeptically, "why's this got you so excited?"

"Kocho says people dress funny there," Nezuko replied, demonstrating her slightly increased vocabulary, "Kocho says it might be okay for Nezuko to be there."

"Not sure what dressing fun-oh of course," the Temari demon laughed at the realization, "Shinobu says you might be able to get away with it because everyone else will look like a ghost or demon at the festival." Nezuko nodded happily in the affirmative.

"Festival look fun," she explained, "Nezuko would like to go play there."

"And who have you talked too about this besides me," Susamaru couldn't help but ask.

"Nezuko ask Miss Kocho," she replied, "butterfly lady said she'd talk to leader person."

"It would technically be risky," the Temari demon observed as she reread the flyer, "this festival is at night. Muzan is after us right now and wouldn't think twice about tearing through a crowd of people if it meant he could finally get what he wants."

"Tamayo doctor say bad man coward," Nezuko said, "bad man hide right now, not looking for us."

"He might be and he might not be," Susamaru pointed out as she put a hand on the demon girl's shoulder, "I'm not saying we can't go, just that the others might decide it's safer if we didn't go."

"Nezuko think it okay," she chirped, "hope friends think it okay too." She looked down then, focusing a bit on Susamaru's stomach before feeling it with her hand. "Su's tummy feel different. Is Su okay?"

The Temari demon sighed, figuring it was best to explain it now instead of risking her going around asking everyone else about it. "I'm fine, Nezuko," she assured while rubbing the demon girl's head, "I'm just…going to be a mommy soon." Her boyfriend's sister froze upon hearing that, her face going completely neutral and still as a statue. It was honestly the most serious look she'd seen on Nezuko outside of battle.

'Oh no, maybe I should've lied after all,' Susamaru thought while trying to come up with a good way to explain the situation. That was when Nezuko squealed, throwing her arms up in the air in absolute excitement as practical stars appeared in her eyes. The next thing the Temari demon knew she was being tackled to the floor. "Su is going to be a mommy! Su is gonna be a mommy!"

"Oh, yes, I know," she said while waving her hands to indicate Nezuko should quite down, "could you just try to keep it down a little."

"Nezuko just so happy," the demon girl said while continuing to hug her, "Nezuko wondered if you'd be mommy after only one try."

"I wouldn't say it was just one try, but yeah, it turns out I can have kids," Susamaru replied while rubbing the back of her head, "also, how in the world do you know about baby making?"

"Nezuko ask Kanao where babies come from," she replied, "Kanao bring book and show Nezuko pictures. Su and big brother also made weird noises one night." Susamaru facepalmed after hearing this revelation.

"Darn it Kanao, guess we need to talk about filtering now," the four-armed girl groaned. As noted at the stone pillar's training Kanao had become a lot better at interacting with people, but her apparent willingness to talk more openly with others meant she was willing to try and answer any question someone had, even when it was better left unanswered. Naturally she still kept secrets when ordered but none of them anticipated Nezuko would be speaking again, or asking questions like that, until after she'd become human again. 'Guess I'll need to run that by Shinobu, though the damage is already done at this point.'

"Is Su having girl baby or boy baby," Nezuko asked next, snapping the Temari demon out of her thoughts.

"Oh, it's going to be a girl," she replied, rubbing her stomach one more time before pulling her kimono top back on. "And by the feel of it, she's going to be nice and healthy."

"Yay, Nezuko can't wait to tell big brother!" She cheered happily before Susamaru shushed her.

"No, Nezuko listen to me," Susamaru pleaded, "Tanjiro cannot know about this right now."

"But why," the demon girl asked with a tilt of her head, "big brother be happy to be daddy."

"I don't doubt it," Susamaru agreed, "but your big brother also has a big job to do right now. If he finds out he's about to have a daughter on the way he might get distracted with worry about me and her. And the last thing we need is for him to be distracted when he finally confronts the bad man that hurt you two. Do you understand what I'm getting at?"

"Su worried that big brother worry," Nezuko tried to sum up, "worry bad for big brother, because big brother have plenty to worry about right now."

"Close enough," the Temari demon decided, "look, just try and keep this a secret from him for now, okay. If anyone should tell him the news it should be me anyway. Can you do that for Su, Nezuko?"

"Big sister Su no worry," the demon girl assured with a smile, "Nezuko want big brother happy. If Su telling big brother makes him happier, then Nezuko can keep secret."

"Thank you, Nezuko," Susamaru said with a smile as she hugged the younger girl, "I promise, I will tell him eventually. So as a reward for helping, you can help us pick out a baby name, does that sound fun?"

"Oh thank you big sis Su!" Nezuko exclaimed as she tackled her to the ground yet again with another hug. Susamaru couldn't help but laugh at the whole mess. 'I will tell him,' she thought, 'when the time is right.'

A little While Later: The Dining Room

Despite the possibility of an impending battle approaching, the atmosphere at the dinner table was friendly as always. In fact, it was even more cheerful as the triplets talked excitedly about the upcoming Obon festival. Even Shinobu was managing to put on a genuine smile as she watched her medical assistants tell Nezuko about all of the little stalls and attractions at the festival. "I can see that this is an exciting subject," she finally said in between bites of her food, "so I may as well not keep everyone waiting."

"Yes, please tell us, what's the news," the triplets asked one after the other.

"The crow I sent to Oyakata returned an hour ago, actually," the insect pillar began, "naturally he reminded us that letting Nezuko and Susamaru wander around right now is ill-advised." She paused for dramatic effect then, feeling the anticipation of the others. "But, if certain conditions are followed, the two of them can also go to the Obon Festival."

"CONGRATULATIONS!" The triplets cheered while Aoi let out a sigh of relief. She honestly hadn't had the heart to tell them that it was unlikely they'd be allowed to go, but she was happy to be proven wrong in this case.

"Yay, Nezuko can go to the festival!" Tanjiro's sister cheered with both arms in the air.

"Let's not get too excited," Susamaru cautioned, "we still haven't heard what the conditions are."

"To begin with," Shinobu said, "you'll need to dress up in slightly different outfits and wear a bit of something that'll disguise your demon scents. Also, you'd best show up there before sunset. Even if demon activity is low right now we can't risk the possibility of one seeing you and Nezuko entering the area. Finally, and as you've likely suspected, you're going to be needing an escort. Obviously nothing less than a hashira will do, given your importance."

"And I think I already know who you have in mind for the roll," Susamaru commented with a slight smirk.

Day of the Obon Festival: Nearby Town

"YAAAAAAAAYY!" Mitsuri cheered as they walked among the different stalls and attractions that was the Obon festival. The celebration itself was for commemorating and remembering deceased ancestors, family members and loved ones. The belief was that this particular time of year was when their spirits returned to visit their relatives. Part of the festival was decorating the houses and paths with paper lanterns known as chochins so that the spirits could find their way.

One curious addition that this town had added to the festival was elements of the European and American holiday, Halloween, with people running around in various costumes of differing complexity. Susamaru and Nezuko didn't really need to do much thanks to their natural fangs and claws. The Temari demon was even able to use her greyer skin tone and hang her two extra arms out from time to time. Though they did pick out some new outfits for the occasion.

Nezuko had donned a purple kimono with depictions of fire spirits on them while Susamaru chose a royal looking robe with a fancy hakama. If anyone asked, Nezuko was a fiendish fire spirit and Susamaru was an oni princess. As for Mitsuri, she'd donned a pink outfit with rabbit ears, taking the whole 'rabbit' part of the rabbit princess story a bit too seriously. But no one made a big deal about it as they walked along, peering at the decorations and reading the signs for different events.

"So where should we go first," Mitsuri asked, having already swiped several sticks of dango, "I hear they've got a test of courage 'and' one of those haunted house things!"

"I've known some actual haunted houses with actual monsters in them," Susamaru replied, "but if you want to give them a try then why not."

"Nezuko like being outside," the demon girl spoke up, "courage test sound fun." The Temari demon shrugged while Mitsuri cheered excitedly and drug them along towards the location where the signs indicated it would be. Tests of courage could take many forms but they usually involved venturing into a spooky place or other such location. In this particular case, the test of courage was a dark trail with ominous warning signs saying things like 'beware' and 'turn back'.

"Let's see what sort of tricks they got for this," the four-armed girl commented as the trio started walking down the trail. It was an admittedly well thought out location as the trees overhead cast several shadows on the path. Even with it being a full moon it would've been quite dark for an ordinary person to see. Unfortunately for the ones who made the trail, two of them had night vision.

That's why the first obstacle, a 'ghost' swinging from a rope in the trees overhead didn't phase Susamaru at all, given that she could see the rope. Nezuko clapped at the display while Kanroji tensed up a little. The next trick they pulled was a couple skeletons popping up through the use of moving poles. The Temari demon entertained the idea of doodling on them but quickly dismissed it upon realization that she didn't have a pen.

The one that really made Misturi jump, though, was a guy in an oni mask popping out of some bushes and doing his best imitation of a roar. "Aren't you supposed to be a hashira," Susamaru asked as Kanroji hid behind her. Nezuko was busy head patting the 'oni' in the bushes.

"Yes and I know all about fighting demons," Kanroji replied, "but ghosts and skeletons and oni, I've got no idea how to deal with them."

"About the same way you deal with other demons," the Temari girl replied as a very large demon mask dropped down from the trees to hang just above them. Her advice proved to be very poorly timed as it was instantly sliced up by the love pillar and her concealed sword.

"Wow you were right Susamaru," Kanroji exclaimed happily while the other two looked on in slight mortification, "in fact that was even easier than dealing with real demons!"

"Uh, yeah it would be," the Temari demon stated with an irritated smile, "it's almost like they're not real and are just props the guys backstage are using for a show." She indicated said personnel who were now trying to figure out if they had a replacement for the giant head.

"Uh…..oops," Kanroji laughed while rubbing the back of her head. Unsurprisingly, they were asked to make their way out of the test of courage as quickly as possible. The next event they went too was the fruit barrels, very similar to the apple dunking barrels from the last festival Susamaru and Kanroji had been at. Expectedly, the two demon girls had an advantage when it came to grabbing the apples thanks to their fangs while Kanroji got by using her unnaturally strong muscles which apparently included her jaw muscles.

The trio got so much fruit out of it they had to give some away because there was too much to carry. Then came one of the main features of the Obon festival: The Bon Odori or Bon Dance. Unbelievably, the dance went back even further than Susamaru, being six hundred years old. Despite that, the Temari girl had never really learned the steps after becoming a demon, or rather relearned them.

But somehow Nezuko still remembered the movements of her previous life as she joined the dancing crowd before either Susamaru or Kanroji had a chance to tell her yes or no. Naturally she was graceful and beautiful, her smile enchanting even with the fangs. It was a nice change from her having that bamboo muzzle on her all the time or seeing her growling. Kanroji clearly thought so too as she was up there in the crowd dancing alongside her in no time.

The third member of their group rolled her eyes at how quickly they joined in with the crowd but quickly decided to say 'screw it' and finally joined her friends after a minute of contemplation. 'I wonder,' she couldn't help but think as she went through the motions of the dance with her fellow demon and slayer, 'will this be our lives when everything is finally over?' It was a simple question, yet it brought a train of thought that the Temari demon had never considered before. The Demon Slayer Corps had been around nearly as long as Muzan himself, close to a thousand years.

This meant a thousand years of searching, a thousand years of exterminating Kibutsuji's creations. An entire culture, secret as it was, had built up around it with more than a few families devoting themselves to the slaying of demons. Rengoku himself had been descended from such a line but what would they do when there were no more demons to slay? Sure they could keep on practicing their swordsmanship but they'd need a new form of employment.

Susamaru actually had to stop herself from laughing when she thought of her friends or the hashira in different jobs. Shinobu, Kanao and the other girls at the Butterfly Estate could easily open up their medical practice to regular people so it was easy to imagine them as doctors. Tengen, on the other hand would probably be some kind of performer, even a circus performer if it allowed him to continue being 'flamboyant'. Gyomei, despite his size, actually seemed like he'd do okay in childcare of all things thanks to his disposition.

The real challenges would be guys like Giyuu and Tokitou. Both had come out of their shells in recent months but they definitely weren't suited to professions like waiting at a restaurant or working a desk job. Though Giyuu could probably pull off a suit if he tried and Muichirou mentioned something about a background in farming. As for the ever angry Sanemi, Susamaru got a laugh out of the image of him running a noodle cart while angrily demanding people try his noodles. "Come to think of it, would I need to get a job after this is all over," she thought aloud.

"What'd you say," Mitsuri popped up in front of her, startling the demon girl as she realized the Bon Odori dance was over.

"Oh, uh, nothing," Susamaru lied, "just thinking out loud. Anyway, what did you want to do next?"

"Oh, there's a haunted house around the block," Kanroji said excitedly, "and there are a bunch of stalls along the way so I can grab more to eat, let's go!" The Temari demon playfully rolled her eyes as she and Nezuko followed after the excited lover pillar. 'Oh, I know what job she'd be suited for,' Susamaru thought with a giggle, 'she'd be a top tier restaurant critic, that actually wouldn't look half bad in glasses.' In short order, the trio was standing in front of said haunted house as they waited patiently on the hashira to finish the numerous festival snacks she'd acquired along the way.

"House look old," Nezuko observe, "but not so scary. Nezuko not smell any monsters here."

"Oh there are monsters alright," Susamaru assured, "hopefully higher budget ones than what we ran into on the test of courage."

"I was honestly surprised that face I cut up cost what it did," Mitsuri commented, "wonder if it was a new part of the festival this year."

"Whatever it was try not to slice anything up while we're in here," the Temari demon requested, "I'd really rather not ruin it for anyone else coming behind us."

"No need to worry," the love pillar replied with a salute as she finished the last of her food, "as a hashira I won't let some old house with fake monsters scare me, now onward!" Nezuko cheered along with her as the trio proceeded into the haunted house. About five minutes later came the sound of an 'EEEEEEEEEK' before a poor prop was slashed to pieces.

"That's it, I am holding onto that sword until we're out of here!" Susamaru's voice boomed from within the haunted house.

A Little While Later: By the Town River

Thankfully, they managed to make it through the rest of the haunted house without any other, major, incidents. Once the group was out they discovered that the time had come for the main event of the Obon Festival: the releasing of the lanterns. The belief was that in the same way the spirits would be guided into their world, they would also be guided back to their world by following lanterns released in large bodies of water, specifically oceans, lakes and rivers. This particular town had a fair-sized river and that's where the majority of the festival goers gathered for the event.

Like everyone else, Susamaru and the others had purchased paper lanterns known as chochin and walked to the edge of the water. When the signal was given, they lit the lanterns and placed them in the water, watching as they slowly floated away. 'Mom, Dad, and all of my old friends,' Susamaru couldn't help but think, 'I hope you've been watching. It took a long, long time, but the little girl who loved playing with her Temari has finally grown up.'

She knew there was little she could do to atone for the deaths she'd caused but hoped her parents, friends, and the victims of the other demons would be able to finally rest in peace should they succeed in killing Muzan. 'You should also know, your little girl's going to be a mother soon,' the Temari demon thought with a smile as she discreetly touched her stomach, 'you'd have loved Tanjiro and he definitely would've gotten along with everyone back home. And just know that if everything goes well, we'll be seeing you all again on the other side someday.'

She watched the lantern continue to float away before glancing at Nezuko and Kanroji, both of whom had their hands clasped in prayer. Nezuko was no doubt thinking of her family, what she could remember, and Mitsuri was likely thinking about Rengoku and the other comrades she'd lost along the way. The Temari girl then took a look at the crowd of other lanterns, briefly wondering how many of them were gone now because of Kibutsuji and his demons. She reaffirmed her determination that night, that the next Obon festival she visited would have no lanterns placed in the water because of a demon, nor would one be placed for such a reason ever again.

A Little While Later: A More Seedy Restaurant Area

"Kanroji, I think we're lost," Susamaru noted as she looked around at some of the buildings. They'd apparently wandered into one of the less well-kept parts of the town that was lousy with bars and gambling dens.

"Buildings smell funny, Nezuko no like," the demon girl commented as they continued on their way.

"I'm certain the restaurant was around here somewhere," Mitsuri replied as they continued on, "I was told this was a great place to go and drown our sorrows."

"You realize that refers to drinking oneself under the table right," the Temari demon pointed out, "since when do you drink alcohol?"

"Oh I hear the place has food too," the love pillar replied, "I was just asking around if there was one more lively place to go too. I didn't want tonight to end on such a sad note."

"So your brilliant plan was to take us to a bar," Susamaru asked, "because that's all that's out here by the looks of it. Did you even bother getting the name of the-?"

"THERE IT IS!" Mitsuri exclaimed, likely to cover the sound of her own growling stomach. There were downsides to being able to eat as much as three sumo wrestlers, one of which being the willingness to go into almost any place that served food. And even despite the large amount of alcohol and smoke filling the area as they walked into the two story saloon-like building, Susamaru could still smell there was food here. There were also a lot of drunk guys and even a few gals who wouldn't have looked out of place in the entertainment district and the bartender himself happened to have a nasty looking scar on his forehead.

In fact the only noteworthy thing about the place, as far as the Temari demon was concerned, was the presence of a band playing a catchy tune that lent a more positive feel to the atmosphere. Though if Kanroji was concerned about some of the more suspect looking customers she didn't show it as she practically glided through the small sea of tables and chairs with her companions close behind. "Inside noisy," Nezuko commented, "Nezuko not like, people shout bad words here."

"I'm personally glad you've relearned what good and bad words are," Susamaru complimented while patting her practical sister on the head before turning back to the love pillar, "but seriously, Mitsuri, we'd better get whatever food you want to go. We're already getting a lot of attention that we really don't want."

"Don't worry, this'll take just a minute," the hashira assured as she quickly browsed the menu at the bar, "I think I'll have that, that, a couple of those, and that."

"You got it hot stuff," the bartender replied, "it should be out in just a few minutes. In the meantime, why don't you and your friends find a seat."

"I was afraid of this," the Temari demon commented with a sigh, "guess we better find a secluded spot here, wherever that may be."

"I might be able to help ya," a large bald man with a mustache said as he approached the trio, "it just so happens that my friends and I back there got a few empty seats. Care to join us and take a load off?" Susamaru didn't need much more than five seconds to glance over at the rough company he was part of to know that would be a bad idea.

"Thanks but no thanks," she replied firmly, "we're getting our order to go so there isn't much point in us sitting down."

"Now there's no need to be like that," the bald man said with a smile that was more evil than he probably realized, "me and the boys are quite friendly once you get to know us. What say you let us get to know-AAAAAAARGH!" As he'd been talking, the foul smelling bar patron had made the unwise decision of trying to put his hand on the Temari demon. She'd caught his wrist in the blink of an eye and would've snapped it if she hadn't remembered restraint in the last second.

"You listen to me and listen good, shitbreath," Susamaru growled with narrowed eyes, "My hungry friend there is only going for guys with a 'lot' more strength than you and your drunk friends have put together. And my sister is not only way out of your league but also deserving of a real man who'll treat her with respect. As for me, there is only one man in this world who's allowed to touch me intimately and you ain't him!" She ended her sentence by throwing the bald drunk several feet away on the floor.

While it definitely solved their problem, it did have one drastic, unintended side effect. "Ah, why you," the bald man started to growl as he stood up, his head hitting the glass of another patron which in turn spilled the contents all over the drinker. The enraged patron then punched the bald man in the face, knocking him into another patron who spilled his drink on yet another customer. Like a domino effect, as soon as one fist started flying another came shortly after it and before long, the entire bar had turned into a brawl.

The only upside was the band picked up their tempo and began playing an even more upbeat tune. "Yay, they play happy song!" Nezuko cheered, not even realizing that she hit a patron in the face who'd had a chair in their hands.

"Ah geez," Susamaru said in embarrassment as she rubbed the back of her head, "I didn't mean to do this." The Temari demon knocked a drunk with a bottle in his hands out with a single punch as he came running at them.

"We all make mistakes," Kanroji consoled while kicking behind herself to knock down another charging customer, "but at least we might have something to do now while we wait on the food."

"Good point," the Temari demon agreed as she brought down another patron with a chop strike, "let's clean house for a bit. But it'd probably be best if we didn't mention this part to Shinobu."

"It okay, Nezuko won't tell," the demon girl promised with a smile as she caught a wooden board and tossed it, along with its unfortunate owner, across the room.

"Then happy Obon Festival everyone," Susamaru cheered as all three of them leapt into the fray. Needless to say, they had to get a bit creative when they returned to the Butterfly Estate and had to explain why they smelled like a bar and other assorted nasty scents. But all things considered, it would still go down as the best Obon Festival Susamaru had ever been too.

Nothing like a nice barroom brawl to end the night, though it is a bit messy. But we got even bigger news with Susamaru's own unexpected surprise, one she may or may not be able to keep secret. Of course, that's for another chapter, in the meantime feel free to leave a comment or review about what you liked/disliked or if you've got any neat ideas for future chapters. And don't forget to check out my book, Plains Riders, on Amazon Kindle and Kindle Unlimited! Lastly, be sure to stop by next time as Susamaru has a very important meeting with Lady Tamayo. 'Til then.