"In memory of Grandma,
the trunk of my tree,
I live my life as her legacy."
"In Memory of Grandma" – Michele Meleen
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Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto; or, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba.
Act Three:
The Lurking Fear
"Far more demonic than what courses through your veins," it boasted in a tone both majestic and feral, and the fox's eyes narrowed even further still. "But… if you wish to save the boy before you," it offered, and it was here Nezuko noticed Naruto's body floating upon the shallow waters, still knocked out, but he at least seemed to be breathing normally. Gone was the panting for breath, or the near cardiac arrest he had almost suffered. Nezuko, while relieved, couldn't help but get flustered as the images of what she had just done still creeped inside her mind, and what she would have gone on to do had she not stopped herself. She shook her head, trying her best to repress those thoughts, even if his taste lingered. But then, the beast spoke once more, and its words sounded convincing. "…Remove the seal that holds me within, and I can save him. I can save all of them."
Nezuko slowly pushed herself up. Her body did not ache as she would have expected it to after such a grueling fight. In fact, she felt utterly relieved of all that stress and pain. And, much stranger, not the tiniest bit tired at all. How?
"Speak child," the demon voiced, "You require my assistance, right?"
"…I wouldn't know what your assistance would even – Huh?" Nezuko began, but she suddenly gave pause, her eyes wide, her hands to her lips, quivering. How? This couldn't be real could it? She… "I can talk… normally?"
The Fox merely looked on, his eyes on the girl that had a sudden rush of emotions flash over her face.
"I can talk," she repeated almost crying. "My voice is clear! All these thoughts I couldn't properly convey, just muttering what best I could, I can – I can talk! How?! I mean, thanks the gods I can, I mean… Did you help me?" she asked, turning her wide, teary eyes towards the massive gate that held the Beast back.
"…In a way," he replied, clenching his giant claws a bit, "Your mind is far less tainted that your body is. It seems this realm allows you to speak without those constraints. After all, only your mind can enter this place."
"Only my mind?" Nezuko asked, looking around. "I don't much understand, but, I – Oh! I can finally talk, yes, yes, yes!" she said as she danced around a bit through the shallow water, much to the Fox's annoyance. It would of course be his luck that the one time he'd receive someone else in this prison of his it would be someone equally stupid to the blonde brat. "But, who are you, and-and how can I assist you?" Nezuko added, and the Beast grinned. Perhaps she was even dumber.
"The seal that holds this gate in place," he instructed, his eyes on the center of the massive gates. "Your powers… You can burn it off."
"You mean this paper-thingy?" Nezuko voiced, taking guided steps until she was right in front of the giant gates, her eyes on the seal.
"Yes…" the Fox replied. "Burn it."
"Oh! Sure, I…" Nezuko began, extending her hand and aiming her palm towards the seal. The Fox could barely conceal the sheer thrill behind his eyes. Just… one… little… "…Wait," Nezuko said, with a pause, her eyes on the giant Fox. "You aren't trying to trick me, are you?"
"…What?"
"I can tell you're a demon," she told him matter-of-factly, her hands to her hips, almost as if scolding him. "And I guess I can't really hold that against you, because I am too, but your… what did Naruto and Sakura call it, that chakra force of yours feels very… malignant – Oh, expanded vocabulary, how I've missed you so ~" Nezuko said in utter glee, doing a little dance in place, which was very abruptly interrupted when the Fox's massive claws slashed against the gate and came inches from her frame, causing the girl to shriek and fall back towards the water.
"Let me out you damn brat!" the Fox roared. "You humans are going to be slaughtered by the demons and I cannot defend myself in here! Let me out, and I'll murder that Demon King-wannabe and the rest of his followers! Let me out or I will swallow you whole!"
"Hey!" Nezuko cried out, standing back up in a huff, and proceeding to give the gate a swift kick in response. "Bad fox! Don't startle me like that!"
"Do you have any idea who you are in presence off?"
"No, because you are rude and you haven't introduced yourself to me!"
Then they both glared at one another, and while the Fox fantasized about being set free and slamming this dumb girl against every mountain he came across, she seemed equal parts frustrated and still, of course, giddy at being able to talk properly.
"Let's try this again," Nezuko began, "I am Nezuko Kamado, daughter of Tanjuro Kamado and Kie Kamado. Baby – I mean, younger sister of Tanjiro Kamado, and elder sister to Takeo Kamado, Hanako Kamado, Shigeru Kamado and little Rokuta Kamado…" she introduced, the pang on her chest at recalling her family hitting her even in this weird world, but she was still pleased she could clearly remember them all and state their names proudly.
"I don't care."
"Then I'm not letting you out!"
"I will swallow you whole!"
"Get in line!"
"…W-What's with all… the yelling…?" a third voice interrupted the demons totally serious argument, causing the Fox to glare at the stupid boy and his damn timing, while Nezuko turned, her bright pink eyes outright struggling to soak in the sight that Naruto was also there, and slowly coming to it seemed. The young ninja struggled to sit back up, clenching his head to keep it from spinning, and slowly coming to terms with what was happening. "…Ah, I'm here again. Wait! That demon-ninja guy! Did we win?! Did the Giant Rasengan work?! I mean," he exclaimed, examining his own body for a bit, "If I'm here with you it means I'm not dead, right?" he asked, turning, expecting just the Fox, but…
…Nezuko stood right in front of him, outright tears in her eyes, frozen in place.
Naruto looked on, eyes equally wide, utterly shocked at her presence in this of all places.
"Nezuko…?" he barely was able to voice.
"Naruto…" she spoke, her voice trembling, with her hands over her own lips, crying, shaking. He quickly got up worried, but she spoke first, "Can you actually see me? Can you hear me? Understand me?"
"Huh…? Yeah, of course I can," he replied, then it slowly hit him, "Wait…? You're speaking a lot better now. That's… awesome, I mean, how…? What's going on?"
"I don't know," she said as she just started to cry. "I-I don't know! I've just tried so hard to keep myself from turning further, focused all my strength to try and combat these dark thoughts and impulses and-and I regressed so much! I couldn't form a proper sentence without so much struggle! I-I… Oh gods I can actually talk to you!" she then just cried, throwing herself at his frame, and despite how utterly exhausted he should feel, he held onto her, as she clung onto his tattered jacket, crying her eyes out in the rawest display of emotions he had ever seen from the girl. From pretty much anyone, really.
"I'm utterly lost, and unless this is a dying dream," Naruto noted with a warm smile, "I can hear you just fine. Let it out. All of it. I'm all ears."
"Oh Naruto!" she cried out, still sobbing. "He says it's this place that allows me to speak like this! So, I don't know if when we get out… if we get out… I don't know where we even are, but if we do, I need you, please, tell by brother that I love him so much! More than life itself! And that I see all his struggles, how hard he's fought, how much he has suffered, and that I will never abandon him in this hellish journey! I will fight by his side even if I am reduced to nothing! Oh, and tell Zenitsu that he's so much stronger than what he gives himself credit for, and so much braver than he thinks! Tell Inosuke that he is awesome even if I have a hard time following his logic most of the time I still appreciate him greatly! And tell Kanao she's so, so cool! She's everything I wish to someday be, to be as strong, as beautiful and as confident in myself as she is! And give my thanks to Kaigaku for his help during that mission! And-And also to Sakura, because she's been nothing but kind to me! And that Sai guy, tell him… well, he's kinda creepy honestly, but I'm glad he helped out and I hope he's fine!"
"I… may need to write this all down," Naruto just said with a little smile. "That's quite a lot of people. You'll be able to say it to them yourself, I'm sure of it. But, just in case, I'll keep that in mind, anyone else?"
"There's also our Masters Sakonji Urokodaki, Giyu Tomioka, and Shinobu Kocho, as well as her wards Aoi and the rest of the girls, all the Pillars and their Master Kagaya Ubuyashiki and his wife and their children, Madam Tamayo and Yushiro, everyone from the Demon Slayer Corps, everyone from the Leaf Village and you can also tell the Wind Pillar Sanemi Shinazugawa that he can go stick his blade up his own someplace a lady shouldn't specify!" she spoke all incredibly quickly, almost too fast for Naruto to register it all, but he pretty much understood the assignment as thank everyone, except that last guy.
"…I'll see what I can do about all that," Naruto reassured, patting her on the head, as she slowly stopped crying and just nodded. Even she was aware that it was way too much. "That said, how are you even here?" Naruto asked, before he turned towards the gates, and to the Creature behind them. "Did you drag her in here?"
"She came by her own volition," the Fox replied. "I merely opened the way."
"On her own?" Naruto repeated, a bit surprised, but he still vividly recalled how, in his fight with Yoroi, he had shifted through the real world and this realm. Did that mean Yoroi had actually also seen this realm, not just him? Could demons do this? "You willed yourself in here?"
"I have no idea," Nezuko replied in earnest. "All I remember was I was trying to… help… you…" then she really remembered, and her face couldn't get any redder.
"And…?"
"And that's all I remember!" she lied, her eyes wide, drifted to the side. Oh how she was so thankful if he really didn't remember.
"She wanted to mate with you," the Fox informed.
Nezuko felt herself shatter on sight.
"I wanted no such thing!" she screamed out, outright teleporting towards the gate and kicking it once more, this time even harder.
"Yeah, don't let him get under your skin," Naruto added, pretty sure the Fox was just tormenting the girl and not also, well, sort-of explaining what had really happened. Nezuko was glaring daggers at the demon, and if he couldn't get loose, then he'd at least have the satisfaction of tormenting her. "He's good at that. Betya he tried to get you to help him somehow before I woke up."
"He wanted me to let him out," Nezuko replied, pointing an accusing finger at the Fox.
"Yeah, sounds like him," Naruto noted, "This is still weird. I've never had someone… over, so to say. But, hey, listen Nezuko…"
"Yeah?"
"…I, well, can you not say anything about him to, well, anybody," Naruto fought to find the right words. It sounded a bit unfair to ask the demon girl to keep quiet about his own inner demon when he could hide it and she couldn't. "Just… I think it's best if others don't know that I have this… thing inside me. I'm hated enough as if."
"Hated?" Nezuko quickly caught on to that word, turning to Naruto fully, her expression now one of pure concern.
"I mean it in a what-if scenario, sort of way…" Naruto poorly defended, and given Nezuko's look, she wasn't buying it. He didn't want to throw himself any more pity parties, but her gaze was hard to bluff himself out of under. "It's just that this guy did a lot of bad stuff, and well, if people knew, well…"
"Naruto," Nezuko softly interrupted, extending her arms as if to showcase herself. "Look who you are talking to. I understand," her smile as she said this made his feel things he didn't fully understand. "My brother and my Masters had to fight tooth and nail to keep people from executing me on the spot. And I know everyone distrusts me, even those who are my allies. And I can't fault them. I lose control, I am not myself at times, and just one mistake, and I could hurt innocent people. If you don't want anyone to know of this, then you need not explain yourself to me. Your secret is safe, and know that I understand you better than you could ever imagine, because they hate me too… Just not as much as I hate myself."
"Hey, that's no way to talk," Naruto quickly argued, getting closer to the girl. "You've done a much better job at keeping control than I have! Heck, you've been nothing but helpful ever since I met you! And unlike me, you can't lie your way out of this condition of yours, and still you fight to protect everyone! That makes you awesome!"
"Really?" she expressed with an outright sparkle in her eyes.
"…Yes," Naruto basically squeaked because he felt funny.
"Then…" she began, before she bounced right towards him and took hold of his hands with her own. She interlocked fingers with the boy, and set her eyes on his. He could no longer hide his blush. "…Even if I won't be able to say what I want to say to everyone just quite yet, I can start here…"
"Here?"
"Naruto," she said, "I want you to know that you are an amazing ninja, an incredible friend, such a powerful fighter, and a very kind-hearted individual. You are outright heroic in every sense of that word and I am constantly in awe of everything that you do. And, no matter what anyone may say, know that you will always have me in your corner. I am so glad that my brother tried to behead you by mistake and we met," she said with a little tender laugh that reminded Naruto that beneath all that power and skill, was still just a young girl robbed of her humanity, much like he was. "And, while I still don't fully understand all that it entails, I am certain…"
Then her next words were almost too much for him to handle.
"…that you will be this village's next Hokage. I truly believe it."
"…Ah…" the flabbergasted boy just stared, mouth agape, without any idea of what to say or do. This had to be a dying dream. There was no way this was real.
"You two are revolting," the Fox growled, causing Nezuko to frown and turn to him, despite keeping her fingers locked to Naruto's. Her touch was surprisingly soft and warm.
"And you are pretty grumpy," Nezuko told the Fox. "But, I suppose I can understand you too. I've been forced into a box for a better part of these last years, so I get that. But you really should try to be nicer. I wish my demonic urges had a face and a form, and I could talk to it and try to compromise. All I have is just that monster's blood on my veins and urges to do horrible things during every waking hour… Ack, so horrible, but you," she added, pouting, "You should be nicer. What's his name anyways?" she asked, now turning back to Naruto.
"Who? Him?" Naruto asked, his eyes now on the Fox as well. "Nine-Tailed Fox, I guess…? I've also heard him being called the Kyuubi or something like that. Among far less… nicer names."
"Nine-Tails?" Nezuko asked, tilting her head.
"…That's not my name," the Fox corrected, its huge eyes shifting downwards to the two.
"Do you even have a name?!" Naruto asked, frowning at the demon but with each movement, getting reminded he was still holding Nezuko's hands and just… melting when he did.
"Of course I do," the Fox replied, is a low growl, "Why would you think I did not."
"Wait, you have a name?!" Naruto screamed out, utterly surprised. "Like a name-name? Like Kyuubimaru? Foxey? …Bob?"
"I'd call him Tails," Nezuko added.
"My name is nothing that moronic!" the Fox roared, causing the gates to shake and the water to splash over their feet. Naruto and Nezuko looked on, with the boy wondering if Nezuko was ever going to let him go before he started sweating hard and the girl still trying to make up names for the creature.
"Then what is it…?" Naruto just said, half expecting to not receive any answer.
"That does not pertain to you," the Fox, of course said.
"Well, suits me fine too! I don't even – eh?" Naruto began, but was shut up when Nezuko motioned to him to stop.
"Come on, that's no way for you both to interact," she explained, her eyes on the Fox. "I've felt your chakra help Naruto out countless of times by now, so I know you two, well, not exactly care for one another, but at least need each other," she tried to make sense of it, and both Naruto and the Fox just stared, both sharing a very peculiar look that Nezuko would pretend not to notice, less she give them more ammunition to continue the argument, "And while I know you tried to trick me and all that, I still do want to thank you for helping me in here and allowing me to be… well, me for even this brief moment. So allow me to thank you properly Mr. Fox… What's your name?"
'She's awfully invested in all of this,' Naruto thought, still frowning, but deciding to let things play out. It was true he needed the Fox's power now more than ever, but would this even work. He'd be what then, at first name-basis with the stupid Fox?
The Fox just stared, his eyes on the girl for the longest time, and without any movement on his part, both Naruto and Nezuko began to feel the world around them start to collapse, as if they were being pulled out. Before Naruto could curse at the thing, or Nezuko could complain, however, they heard him speak.
"…My name's Kurama."
"Kurama?" Naruto repeated, softly, before he noticed that he wasn't in the sealed space any longer. He struggled to open his eyes fully, as it was still dark, but it wasn't moist at least. He tried to move, and it was here he realized he was indeed back in the real world, as his entire body protested at any movement. He flinched, but it at least didn't hurt as much as he would have imagined it to. After such a fight, and getting pushed to the brink of a heart attack or whatever it was he went through, he imagined he'd wake up in a much worse shape. Seems the Fox did help cure him after all. Or… Kurama… Okay, that felt weird. 'Also, he outright kicked us out. Stupid fox, did he get shy all the sudden or something?'
Naruto then looked a bit around, trying to make sense of his surroundings despite the darkness. Given the smell alone, he could tell he was in a hospital room, and the softness of the bed, alongside the utter cold of the place, made it clear he was in one of the many hospital rooms he had been at before. But why was it so dark?
He sat up, noticing that he at least wasn't strapped to anything, or had much on him aside from a few bandages here and there. The hospital gown he wore also reminded him of the time he was brought back after the failed mission to retrieve Sasuke, which he did not much like. He then turned, and to his left, he noticed he wasn't alone in the room. From what little he could see, sitting to the side of his bed, with an open book on her hands, outright drifted off to sleep, sat his teammate and outright best friend in the entire village.
"Sakura? Hey, Sakura?" Naruto softly voiced, moving to try and reach her and noticing that his initial assessment had been wrong, and he did in fact had something tied to his right arm. Oh, how he hoped it wasn't broken, as that was the arm he had used the Giant Rasengan with. Still, did Sakura stay the night here for him? Was he in that bad shape? She should be resting too! "Hey, Sakura, wake up, you should go home, I'm fine now –"
"Huh?!" Sakura awoke with a start, dropping her book and looking around a bit, before she slowly came to and turned to the boy.
"Hey."
"Hey," she repeated, before she let out a little sign of relief. "Oh, you're awake. Thank goodness. How you feeling? Does anything hurt or feel off?"
"I'm fine," Naruto replied. "Also, don't do this. You need to take care of yourself too. We were both in that fight."
"I've rested enough, don't worry," she replied.
"What do you mean you rested enough?" he shot back, "You're even still wearing your work clothes, I think…" he noted, struggling to see what she was wearing but it was clear it wasn't a hospital gown. "Why aren't you in bed resting too?"
"Because, Naruto," she explained, and her explanation outright shocked the boy to his very core, "You've been out for eight days. I was at the hospital for three. Sai was here just one day. I've been coming over to check up on you both just to make sure, well, hope you'd wake up."
"Eight… Days…?" Naruto repeated, utterly bewildered. How? He had been in… Kurama's realm for what seemed like a few minutes at most. "Wait, what happened then? The demon?! The Village?! How's everything?!"
Sakura just paused, and even in the dark, Naruto could still see how her emerald eyes seemed to dull at his questions. That was not a good sign. Sakura stood up, walking to the nearby wall, were a nearby light switch rested. "Shield your eyes for sec," she instructed, and he closed his eyes as told, and even through his closed eyelids, he could see the moment she flicked the lights on. He slowly reopened them, struggling to now get accustomed to the light. "It's a lot to take in," Sakura continued, stepping closer to the bed once more, her gaze downcast. "There were… losses. Painful ones," she explained, and instinctively placed her hand forwards, stopping the boy from outright darting out of the bed before he even motioned to, because she knew he would. "Please, I will fill you in on every detail, but please just let me make sure you both are okay, if not for your sake, then for hers."
"Hers?" Naruto asked, confused, before Sakura merely signaled to his side. Turning, it was here Naruto realized that he was in fact not tied down to the bed nor had his arm on any restrain whatsoever.
It was Nezuko. Tears still streaming from her eyes, clinging fiercely into his arm with her whole body on his, dressed in nothing but another hospital gown much like he was, lost in a very deep sleep it would seem.
"Nezuko?!" the boy, blushing once more, voiced, as Sakura nodded.
"It took great pains to get her in here with you to be treated," Sakura explained. "She's utterly knocked out, but she would not let you go. And before you get embarrassed, relax, I didn't change you or her, since I was barely able to walk when we all dragged ourselves in here. But the other nurses told me they had to change her while she clung to you because she would not let go. Girl really did save you, you know?"
And Naruto just looked at the girl, the conversation they shared, the secrets they kept, and the smile she gave, and all he could do was nod.
"Yeah, she's really something…"
-0-
The days had past, but the world seemed to get more and more restless with each passing minute. The tides of the grand seas were ferocious, and the wind seemed poised to call up a storm at a moment's notice. This was the same no matter where you looked, be it at the hidden Land of Fire, or all the way across the ocean in the grand land of Japan. In the Demon Slayers main headquarters, all the Slayers had been training endlessly to prepare for… something. They hadn't been explained about what was coming exactly was. It seemed even their masters had trouble grasping what was to come. But they all got prepared, as they had notice that their Pillars, the ever famed Hashira had been divided into groups of two and scattered throughout the world.
And, as he heard the Slayer train, struggling to surpass their human limits to hope and survive an assault from a foe very much inhuman, the Stone Pillar, Gyomei Himejima, could only sit and meditate, as strength came not just from the body, but also from a calm mind. A fact, that he thought, he should possibly share with his "teammate" of sorts. Truth be told, the rest of the Pillars were ordered to go into various missions at several different locations, but a part of him wondered if the young boy with him had been also ordered to remain here as a last line of defense as he himself was, or if he had just spaced out and got left behind. Regardless…
"What seems to trouble you young Muichiro Tokito?" Gyomei voiced, his deep voice echoing throughout the little garden he used to meditate, and the one the Mist Pillar found himself just staring blankly into. "You are more than welcome to join me in my meditation."
"…No thanks," the young boy replied, not even bothering to look at Gyomei. "I think if I did that I'd fall asleep."
"Perhaps."
"Did you understand everything Master told us?" Muichiro asked, rather uncharacteristically. The boy usually kept to himself, and the curious, and more importantly, cautious tone in his voice did strike Gyomei as odd.
"Was there something you didn't?" Gyomei voiced, his face still facing forwards, his eyes long darkened to the horrifying evils of this world. Despite this, he took care to make sure his words did not sound judgmental. If the younger Pillar needed any further explanation, he'd happily provide it.
"…More or less," the boy seemed to play down. "I get it we were all split up, and pretty much everyone who isn't a Pillar has been ordered to return from their missions and station themselves anywhere close in groups. Only ones who appear to have been instructed differently is the little group that have the demon girl with them."
"They could not do much else," Gyomei explained, "Circumstances caught them away. Too far. They've been instructed to remain in the land of the sands until further orders are issued."
"Yeah, I get that," Muichiro said. "What I didn't understand, was… that this situation is seemingly so dire, far more than anything Muzan has done before, over a… book?"
"Hmm…" Gyomei expressed. "There are things not meant for us to understand."
"But –"
"Our work is to be the blade to end the evil," Gyomei quickly added, his expression as firm as ever. All Muichiro could do was frown. "Our job is not to ask, or to understand the methods behind the madness. We protect. And we strike. No more, no less. Worry not of the why, and focus on the how. That is all I can offer."
"…That answered absolutely nothing," Muichiro simply said, but he said nothing else. Since, true to his title, trying to get anything more out of Gyomei was like trying to talk to a stone wall. Still, what exactly where they supposed to do in order to achieve victory here? They had been trained to behead demons and protect the innocent, that much he understood, that much he could work with. He didn't care as much as the more… passionate amongst his group did, but he did what was needed. But, this seemed to go beyond just Muzan and his Upper Moons. A book… Was he supposed to just take his sword and stab it?
He decided to simply look at the clouds and let whatever was to come hurry up and arrive. He'd deal with it when the time came. Still, even the skies looked moody and depressing, and he very much did not appreciate that.
"…It looks like it may rain," Amane Ubuyashiki, the matriarch of the Demon Slayer clan, voiced, her eyes to the sky, as she helped her husband make his way back to their quarters. With each passing day, the Leader of the Slayers seemed to struggle more and more with even the most basic of tasks, and despite his strong desires to pray to the fallen and pray for the fortune of those still fighting, he seemed utterly fatigued by just the shortest of walks. "Careful…"
"It's okay," Kagaya Ubuyashiki, his vision almost gone, and his legs barely able to withstand his fragile weight, said as he sat back down onto his bed with his wife's assistance. "…I really do not deserve you, you know? It pains me that it seems this cycle won't end with me… You deserved much more than what I can muster."
"Nonsense," she quickly shot down. "I chose this life. I chose to be a part of your life. And you've given me five wonderful children, and if we cannot bring this to an end, I am certain our little man will."
"I do not envy what Kiriya will inherit if I cannot bring an end to this soon," Kagaya noted with a pained laugh. "Muzan must not get the Necronomicon. No matter what. You are aware of what I may need to do… What I may need to sacrifice?"
"My life is yours to do with whatever need be."
"…It's not just your life, I'm afraid," Kagaya noted, and despite everything, he could tell Amane hesitated a bit when he said this. It was natural. He didn't like the implications of his own words either. But, what other option would he have? Were Muzan to acquire ownership of the cursed book, wrapped in skin and written in blood by the Mad Arab centuries ago, there simply would be no end to his reach. Not even the heavens themselves would be spared. The Demon King, turned into the very Devil himself. What a horrifying thought.
"It need not come to that," Amane offered, "I believe in our Guard. And they've all jumped into action, following your instructions to the letter. I have faith they will succeed."
"…As do I," he admitted, forcing a smile. "I really wish I could have sent Gyomei and Muichiro elsewhere as well, but I cannot leave this place unguarded."
"I'm sure they fully understand."
"I know they do, even Muichiro," Kagaya noted, "But still… sending four of the Pillars, half of my strongest force, to the Land of Fire is certainly a risk. Two towards Suna, and two towards Konoha. Hopefully, we can reach a proper alliance. I feel the war that is to come goes far beyond what we alone can hope to manage."
"And despite the urgency of it all," Amane noted with a little smile, as she helped her husband remove his outer robes with a gentle touch. A touch he would give anything to be able to return as he once had been able to. "Here you are, still playing matchmaker and trying to make them all happy."
"I haven't the slightest idea of what you could ever possibly mean," he said with the tiniest hint of a grin.
"Oh really?" Amane said with a smile. "Is that why, out all the possible pairs, the first one you chose was Mitsuri Kanroji and Obanai Iguro…?"
-0-
"This place is HUGE!" the Love Pillar, Mitsuri, squealed in delight as she caught sight of their would-be destination. Her eyes seemed to sparkle in outright awe as she saw the dense, majestic, exotic and (in her eyes) beautiful forest spread out before them.
"That's certainly not the only things huge here…" one of the men who had given the two Slayers a ride towards the outskirts of the forest that housed the Hidden Village of the Leaf, muttered under his breath, his eyes on the giddy Love Pillar and her noteworthy… assets. He was almost wishing, that with all the bouncing up and down she was doing, while wearing such an open uniform, that if he was lucky enough, perhaps she'd…
…However, rather than a show, the next thing that came into his field of view was the tip of a very, very sharp blade.
"I thank you for assisting us in reaching our destination," the Snake Pillar, Obanai, told the man he held at sword-point, in a tone that was clearly anything but genuine gratitude. The man just trembled in place, one because of the sword threatening to carve out his eyes, and two, because the masked swordsman's pet snake was now hovering over his crotch, and he very much preferred to have his eyes stabbed than whatever the snake was aiming at. "Leave."
"Y-Yes sir," was all he could muster to say.
"Thank you!" a very unaware of the man's near death Mitsuri cheerfully waved as he turned his carriage and went away, thankfully still in one piece. Mitsuri then jumped once more, her hands formed into little fists as she turned to Obanai. "Oh, this is so exciting! We are going to be the first Pillars, no! The first Demon Slayers to ever set foot in Konoha! That is so awesome! I mean, excluding the girl, Nezuko was it? She kinda beat us to it."
"She doesn't count," Obanai noted, as he raised his arm, allowing his companion, the scaly Kaburamaru, to slither back onto his robes.
"Now, don't be a meanie!" Mitsuri quickly said with a pout. "She's earned her spot. Master said so, so deal! And we are here to help her and the Ninja to recover the Necro Comic!"
"Necronomicon," Obanai corrected, which caused her to just laugh.
"Yeah, that!" she simply said, before she bounced once more, and to his increasing blood pressure, quickly pressed herself against his frame, taking hold of his arm and pressing herself fully onto it. "Now then, adventure awaits! Let's go! They say the trek through the woods takes several days, but we can do better than that! I mean, considering where we docked, I'm sure Sanemi and Tengen are already in Suna."
"Y-Yeah," he forced himself to say, despite how he felt his head spinning. A part of his adored the chance his Master gave him by pairing him up with her for this mission. Another part, the more rational part, told him he was going to end up dead if he didn't keep his focus on what truly mattered. "The ship that brought us here took us pretty much right at the border of the Land of Sand. We needed to offer them medical assistance urgently, which is why Sanemi, Tengen and Shinobu's little squad of medics were able to rush there quickly. I'm certain they probably made it there in, like, a day at most. Not a whole week like it took us just to cross the entire desert and we still have a ways to go."
"It's more thrilling this way," Mitsuri simply noted. "Isn't that right Kaburamaru?" she asked, using her finger to caress the snake, which had anyone else even tried, they would have probably gotten bitten, but somehow, Kaburamaru was just as weak to this girl as his master was. Obanai said nothing, not even when Kaburamaru slithered away from him and towards her, slithering over her body and into her robes, causing her to let out a laugh. "Hey! That tickles! Oh, look at me! I'm the Serpent Pillar now! First Form! Winding Serpent Slash!"
Obanai just looked on, as she playfully pretending to use his attacks, with Kaburamaru playing along, and noting that one, he was utterly jealous of his own snake, a new low even for him, and two, yes, he was going to die on this mission. But, he could still think of worse ways to die, so what could he do?
-0-
"…And Obanai is going to be red in the face for the entire mission," Amane noted, since she knew her Pillars. Her husband just chuckled, since if he was asking them to risk so much, the least he could do was try and give them a little bit of happiness every now and then. "Although… on the opposite end of that spectrum," Amane added, her eyes narrowing a bit, since she knew this selection had been made with a bit more efficiency in mind, since this was even more uncharted territory than even the Land of Fire was to them, despite it being a more known (to the world at least) location. "I do hope Shinobu doesn't bully Giyu too much."
"They are certainly quite the pair," Kagaya noted. "But Shinobu Kocho carries her elder sister's will within her. She is dependable over anything else, and while I do worry about Giyu Tomioka given our recent… loss, he is nothing but strong. And now, more than ever, I need that strength if we hope to gain even more allies…"
-0-
"With all the commotion about this mysterious Land of Fire, not once did I imagine we'd be sent to Europe of all places," the Insect Pillar, Shinobu, noted with a little practiced smile on her features. She turned, twirling around in the new set of clothes they had gotten for themselves to better blend into the crowds. Couldn't just travel abroad with swords and sandals, now could they? She ended up with the cutest set of clothes, very nice blouse and a pretty skirt. It did show a little more leg than she was used to, but it was acceptable enough. Besides, her current travel companion was as excitable as a wet sock, so she needn't worry much on his account.
Said travel companion had been forced, by her, into a fancy suit and tie set, and she had to admit, if she ignored the hair, and his scowl, and his entire personality, he almost looked the part of a distinguished gentleman.
"What?" he voiced, sensing her eyes examining him.
"Oh, nothing really," she lied. "You don't seem too thrilled at finally being allowed to travel the world. Isn't this grand? A secret mission to Europe, a land that Slayers rarely set foot in."
"That's because Muzan usually keeps to just Japan," he replied very matter-of-factly. And she smiled still. Of course she knew that.
"You are very un-fun to be around, you know?"
"We are on a mission."
"And I would appreciate it, if we are to die, that my last moments are not spent looking at someone who looks dead inside already," she said it so sweetly he felt something inside him flinch.
He frowned, but said nothing else. He knew there was no getting through to her, and he had enough trouble understanding her as was. He decided to instead shift his eyes away from his travel companion and towards the passing road. The two had rented a carriage to take them towards their would-be destination, and so far, they had not encountered any problems outside of Shinobu insisting they couldn't just travel in uniform. And he was certain she did that just to mess with him. He wouldn't put it pass her. After all, she had been the one to say nobody liked him. Like really? Nobody? He was sure there were a few people who liked him. He spoke to Gyomei at times. And to Mitsuri, kinda, more like she talked and he just nodded. Or Tengen… which was almost the same scenario…
"No," Shinobu softly voiced.
"Huh?" Giyu said, turning back to her. She then smiled.
"You don't have friends," she simply said. "No matter how much you do the math in your head. The total count is still zero."
"How'd you even –?!"
"Oh, look, we're here!" she utterly ignored him as she pointed towards a massive building in what appeared to be more and more in the middle of nowhere came into view. They had gotten further and further away from civilization with each passing minute, which led credence to his theory that the idea to "blend in" was just her being, well, her. She looked thrilled at seeing their destination, or as close to thrilled as this woman could fake it.
It still made Giyu tense up a bit. This was indeed uncharted territory for any of them. And just the wrong words could be the difference of gaining a powerful ally or a deadly new enemy. They couldn't afford mistakes now.
The carriage came to a stop, and they were told that this would be as far as they could take them. Giyu nodded, while Shinobu offered her thanks and the payment, before the two Pillars were left near the entrance of the mountain-area that housed their destination. Giyu gave pause, before he turned towards Shinobu, and he knew he needed to at least try and say something so they were at least on the same page before any form of negotiation could begin.
"It does look positively imposing," Shinobu noted, eyeing the structure, "Just like they said it –"
"You look pretty."
"– would… what?" Shinobu gave pause, her eyes wide, her mind doing a double take, before she turned to her companion with the most baffled look he had ever seen her sport. "Oh goodness. These really are the end times."
"You always say I am not good talking to people," Giyu explained, and by the gods, she needed an explanation. "Which is why I find it difficult to understand, were that to be the case, why Master sent me alongside you for, what are, effectively… negotiations. So, I want us to be on the same page. And I think, in order to do that, I should try to at least be your friend. Am I expressing this correctly?"
"You seem to have made quite the leap of logic," Shinobu simply retorted. "Although, I do see your point, but I think the fact that it's you and me on this particular mission has less to do that either of us are masters in expression and more that every other Pillar currently working is, well, they're all insane."
"You think?"
"Gyomei barely talks, Muichiro would forget why he was even out here hallway into the trip, Mitsuri would never shut up and just fall in love with everybody she saw, Obanai would outright cause a war if anyone even looked at Mitsuri funny, which would be unavoidable, Tengen would also never shut up and fall in love with his own reflection, and Sanemi… well, he's Sanemi," she concluded, raising a finger for each Pillar as she did. "We're all excellent fighters, but not much else. It is sad, but when it comes to normalcy, you and I are the closest thing they have."
"…You make this sound like a loss cause."
"It most likely is," Shinobu noted, "Also, I do agree we should at least pretend to be in the same page if we want to try and be successful, which is why I feel I should at least offer some more advice," she added, turning to him, her expression a little bit fiercer than before. He was had expecting her to slash him or something. "Friends don't lie to friends. So it you want to pretend to be my friend, do not lie."
"Lie?"
"Fake compliments do not suit you."
"…But you do look pretty."
Shinobu just stared, her eyes on him, seeming like she wanted to frown but was forcing herself not to. He was unsure if he made her mad or if she was disappointed in him for some reason. Was it that his compliment had nothing to do with the mission in her eyes? To him it did. She blended in very well, and looked pretty in those clothes. It made sense to say so. Why were friendships so hard?
"I swear, if you are lying to me…"
"I'm not. I didn't mean any offense," he explained. "But, regardless, this is important. Everything we know is at stake. And out here, it's just you and me. There is no one else we can turn to if things get dangerous or go wrong. I just want to convey that I have your back. Is that… appropriate?"
"Hmm…" she seemed to give it some thought, her eyes scanning his for something he couldn't decipher, until she seemed to just sigh. "Very well. You are not wrong. Then, I suppose this means…" she added, raising her hand, and with it, her index finger, "Ding! Your friend count rose to one. Make sure to be grateful," she expressed, before she turned around and began to walk towards the main gates.
"…I still say I have more than just one."
"Don't push it!" she exclaimed, and he sighed, following her along.
The two Slayers took guided steps towards their destination, neither fully knowing what to expect but ready for pretty much anything, as this was the first time in ages that the Demon Slayer Corps was to meet up with the Exorcists…
…as the two arrived at the main gates of the European Branch of the Black Order.
-0-
"I have faith in them," Kagaya voiced, his back rested on the bed, his body already at its limit for the day. "But… even if I do fall asleep, please alert me if we receive any messages from our team in Suna. I am… worried about what they last told us."
"Understood," Amane said. "If Sanemi Shinazugawa or Tengen Uzui sends a report, I will alert you. But, please, dear, I know it is worrisome, but just like with the Leaf, I feel we can trust the shinobi of the Sand…"
-0-
"We've been walking all the damn day!" Sanemi cried out, raising his sword, ready to slash at anything really. "Where is that stupid, mystery staircase to hell the said they were in?!"
"They did report that the sand seemed to swallow the entire place whole," Tengen noted, trying to use his superior hearing to spot any place where such an underground lair could realistically be hidden in, but even that proved fruitless.
"And what the hell are we supposed to do?! Dig this entire desert then?!" Sanemi barked. "Where would we even start?! How about over there?! There's some sand! Oh, and there, more sand! And look at that waaay over there! Guess what that is?! Yep, you got it, more fucking sand!"
"…I do agree that perhaps there is a better method we should be focusing on…" was all Tengen could muster at this point, as Sanemi continued to lash out at the massive desert the two had been at over a week searching to absolutely no results. And, of course, that wasn't the worst part of it all…
Back at Suna, away from the troubled Hashira, Kanao took a firm grip of her sword, and with her eyes closed, began to practice her swings. She couldn't allow herself to dull, nor her blade to do so. Suna had some very good training spots, and she had been able to beg Ino to allow her to train, proving to the kunoichi that she was already healed up. The blonde didn't seem too thrilled at the idea, but she relented. Kanao knew she had maybe lied a little, since her body did protest a little at her exercise, but she needed to get her strength back… No, not just that. She needed to be stronger.
So she took a swing, repeating her previous fights and movements with each swing…
"Nice try!" the renegade ninja from the Land of Snow had told her, "But I told you I was going to make you scream, and scream you will!"
She swung her sword downwards, as she hand done to his very fingers, ending his use of the hand seals…
"It makes sense…" the monster with the six eyes had noted, "That one specializing in the Flower Breathing technique would drench the tip of their own blade with the poison of the Wisteria flower…"
She instinctively blocked, her blade shielding her body, even if it had not been enough. Not against that strength. Had Naruto not used… whatever that power had been, they would all have been dead…
"I spared that idiot once," the boy their age with the deadly eyes had warned, "He's lucky his real body is not here. So, where is the book? And do trust me, I can take it over your corpses if the lady does so prefer."
She slashed so ferociously she sent a massive wave of wind and sand scattering all over, as her eyes seemed to outright redden for a second, her vision getting a bit blurry. It had to be the sheer anger, at just how much she had failed. How many times she had been so close to death, and this despite her opponents treating her like an afterthought. It was utterly infuriating.
"I'm sure being given the green light to train does not include trying to destroy this place, eh?" Kanao heard a familiar voice speak up, and despite how she felt, she couldn't help but smile and turn, as she saw Aoi walking towards her. Her best friend and sister had had a harder time getting adjusted to Suna than she had, especially the dryness of it all. It made her cranky, or, well, crankier than usual. Not that Kanao would voice it, as for one, she liked having Aoi around, and two, she didn't want to get punched by her for teasing her.
"Aoi," Kanao greeted, carefully storing her blade in its scarab as she did. "I am just practicing. Vision training."
"I can tell," Aoi noted, looking around at all the slashes in the sand Kanao had left in her wake. "Still… frustrated I see."
"Extremely."
"Its adorable how pissed off you are and how calm you still sound," Aoi noted with a grin.
"I do not wish to be adorable," Kanao said with a frown and, despite herself, a pout. "I want to be deadly."
"Hey, every rose has its thorns," Aoi replied, her hands to her head, as she signaled to the building they were using to treat her and the others. It was where Aoi and the girls had set up camp, so to speak, with the help of those weird, mice guys. Aoi always steered clear of them. "But I do have good news. Seems the boys finally woke up this morning."
"They're awake?" Kanao asked, her eyes widening.
"My initial assessment that they seemed to share a single brain cell seems to hold some merit," Aoi noted with a little hint of snark, "I can't think of another reason as to why all three of those morons got better on the same exact day."
"They are strong," Kanao praised. "Can we see them? Wait… have they been informed? Has Zenitsu…?"
"…Not yet," Aoi noted, "Come," she added, signaling at Kanao to follow along. The flower Slayer followed the Slayer's medic back into the building, walking past several Sand Shinobi she was slowly getting familiar with.
They were nice people, if not overly serious. Of course, she had grown closest to Ino, for obvious reasons. She also liked Chouji a lot, he was very funny. Shikamaru was smart. Like insanely so. They didn't talk as much, but he was very observant, she noted. The two Sand Shinobi she knew most where two out of three siblings. The elder sister, Temari, was always teasing and spoke very sarcastically at times. She reminded Kanao of Aoi. The brother, Kankuro, had awesome face paint and even cooler puppets she had to restrain herself from touching. He was an artist, she noted, and she so wanted to see more of his work.
The youngest brother, the one Naruto's clone had told them about, had yet to return to the Village. Gaara of the Sand. She wanted to meet him, as whenever everyone spoke of him, they would always say how insanely strong he was. She also detected some fear in their voice, even from his siblings, which she found strange, but she deduced she's understand it better once she got to meet the ninja.
"And how are you feeling?" Aoi asked her, as the two made their way through the halls. "And don't you dare to downplay it or I will no longer give any of the bottles of ramune I brought along with me."
"You are cruel," Kanao replied, frowning at the thought. Now she wanted a sip. "…I am fine enough. A bit achy all over, but nothing that would prevent me from going back onto the field."
"And upstairs?"
"That would be where we are headed to," Kanao noted, looking upwards.
"I meant you head!" Aoi barked, "Emotionally I mean. It all sounded so… ah, frightening. You sure you're okay."
"…Hmm?" Kanao muttered, pausing to think for a moment. "I am emotionally devastated."
"Wait, what, really?!" Aoi said in a fright. "Why didn't you say anything?! Did anything else happen that you didn't report?!"
"Yes," Kanao replied, her tone still as calm as ever. "My sister has threatened to keep my favorite drink from me. That has shaken me to my core."
It took Aoi a good few seconds to realize what Kanao was doing. "Why you little!" she screamed out, catching Kanao in a headlock, causing the other girl to just laugh. "Don't worry me like that! I should stop cooking for you period!"
"Don't be mean," Kanao tried, but she was still laughing. It was strange, Aoi noted, to hear her not just laugh, but actually joke for once.
"Mean? Mean is not taking my surname," Aoi said with a frown. "Some sister you are."
"Are you still mad about that?" Kanao asked, as the sisters made their way upstairs to the hospital rooms. "I told you, I didn't much understand what any of that meant at the time. I just picked what sounded… nice, I guess."
"You saying my surname doesn't sound nice?"
"Fine, I'll call myself Kanao Tsuyuri-Kanzaki then. Would that work?"
"That would make it sound like we got married," Aoi argued, and she was going to say something else, but all she could do was just laugh when she turned and saw Kanao raise her hand, as if to motion Aoi to propose to her. "Don't be dumb," she told her, smacking her hand away, "And speaking of dumb, here we are. Let's see how much brain damage was done."
"You can complain all you want," Kanao noted, as the two pushed the curtains aside, "But I know you care."
Aoi just frowned, and soon enough the two girls found themselves in the room. And, despite everything that had happened, Kanao couldn't help but feel utterly relieved at the sight.
There they were. All three of them. Tanjiro, Zenitsu and Inosuke, each on their own bed, but instead of knocked out fighting for their lives, sitting up, and of course, arguing about something or the other.
"He was slashing sand!" Zenitsu could be heard screaming, pointing at Inosuke. "That was his grand contribution to our survival!"
"Hey!" Inosuke barked back. "I got us out! You should be praising me for that incredible show of pure power!"
"Pure power my ass!" Zenitsu shot back. "You didn't get us out of nowhere! Naruto's giant talking frog he pulled out of nowhere got us out! Back me up Tanjiro, you remember that right?!"
"Gonpachiro was almost dead when that happened!" Inosuke argued.
"I really don't remember any of that," Tanjiro just said, glad that it looked like his friends were in high spirits at least. Then he noticed a pair of eyes fixated on him, so he turned, and he caught sight of the girl that had proven herself to be one of the most amazing Slayers he had ever met. "Kanao! Hey! Look at you, already back in your uniform. You are certainly amazingly strong, how are you?"
Zenitsu and Inosuke both also shut up, turning to see the two girls that had just come in, with Aoi of course frowning at them and Kanao just… staring.
Tanjiro looked on, tilting his head to the side. Was she still…
"…hi," was all she could muster to say, since she had no idea why she found it very hard to talk right now. She was insanely happy to see them, but having this boy staring at her, with that smile, and for some reason, she just couldn't muster any other words.
"Oh brother," Aoi said as she rolled her eyes. "And how are dumb, dumber and dumbest feeling? You guys alright?"
"We are feeling marvelously my dearest Aoi!" Zenitsu quickly squealed.
"Yeah… that," Tanjiro noted, awkwardly.
"If you have the strength to start your usual pathetic routine, then you can get out of bed," she told Zenitsu. "We're on another land, so at least have some honor and don't humiliate to Corps here too. And Tanjiro, we've sent notice of your recovery to Konoha. Once we receive a reply, specifically of Nezuko, I'll make sure to get it to you," she told the boy with the scar, as he happily nodded and thanked her. Then she stopped right in front the last of them. "…And you."
"You looking for a fight?" Inosuke said, frowning at her, but both Tanjiro and Zenitsu could tell he, for some reason, didn't seem to dare to really try and fight her. Which they were both grateful for, but at the same time, confused by.
"As if," she simply shot back. Then she pulled something out of a little bag she carried, and to the surprise of everyone, even Kanao, she took out a boar mask of all things. "Here," she said while trying to convey as little emotion as possible. "I asked Kankuro to help me create this for you. It may not be the same one you had, but until you find another sacred boar or whatever the hell that thing was, maybe you could make do with this."
"…A mask?" was all Inosuke could voice, utterly taken aback. He took hold of it, and while it felt different from the old one he had (that had sprung back to life right on his face back inside that collapsing place) it still looked similarly enough. "Why?"
"It was the first thing you asked for," Aoi merely replied, her arms crossed and her head to the side in a huff. "The nerve. Even over your own friends safety your first priority was that stupid thing. And don't get me wrong, I didn't do it just because. As a patient, I needed to make sure you had your safety blanket and stuff… So there you go."
The group all remained utterly quiet, all of them shocked to say the least, but even more so, when in a flash, Inosuke got right up, and to Aoi's utter astonishment, got very, very close to her. Forehead on forehead, their lips mere inches from each other.
Aoi's eyes couldn't be wider.
Inosuke's expression was simply calmed, as he closed his eyes.
Tanjiro felt his face get red.
Zenitsu felt like murdering the boar.
Kanao just placed her hands over her lips in quiet shock.
"Wh-wha-what are you doing?!" Aoi screeched, utterly crimson.
"…It was you," Inosuke replied, reopening his eyes, and staring her directly in her own. "I was unsure, but I remember when I got here, I had no idea what was happening. I couldn't tell who anyone was. You're the one who calmed me down. I remember your touch."
Aoi lost the ability to speak.
"What the heck did I miss?!" Zenitsu screeched, wondering where his sword was so he could cut down this traitorous bastard down on the spot. "Did you and Aoi have… something?! Since when?!"
"We do not!" Aoi blurted out, still crimson, as she pushed herself away from Inosuke. It did not help her train of thoughts just the sheer wall of muscle she had pressed her hands on.
"The heck's wrong with you now?" Inosuke just asked, turning to Zenitsu, as he placed his new mask on. It fit right, but it lacked the smell of the other one. The boar was sad.
"Here you are flirting with Aoi before my unmarried eyes!" Zenitsu cried, and no sooner had Tanjiro tried to get a word in than had Zenitsu turned his fury to him, "And don't think I don't notice how close you've gotten to Kanao, you other traitor!"
"Wait, hey, come on man," Tanjiro tried. "Don't bother Kanao with those ideas of yours."
"…hmm," Kanao just mused, still standing at the very spot she had been since the start. This was troublesome indeed.
"And I've still got nothing," the blonde Slayer cried. "Nezuko's not even here… She's at the Leaf, wherever the hell that is… And I didn't even die, which would have at least been something, since I know I saw an angel at the gates of heaven. Oh, that lovely, lovely blonde goddess who said that she'd marry me… How I wish to be with you!"
"Why do we bother saving him…?" Aoi said with a frown.
"Blonde… angel?" Kanao repeated, her eyes now on Zenitsu. When he cried out a "yeah" in confirmation, she tilted her head a bit. "I think you mean Ino."
"Huh? Inosuke?" Zenitsu blurted out, before he turned to the pig. The pig gave him a thumbs up. "No, I do not. He's not even blonde."
"Kanao means Ino Yamanaka," Aoi corrected, and this caused the Slayers to return their scattered focus towards her. Tanjiro, for his part, slowly begun to remember. Bleeding out in the desert. Screaming for help. And…
"That's right!" Tanjiro recalled, his entire features lighting up. "Naruto's friends. They're the ones who found us. They saved us."
Kanao nodded to each word.
"Wait…" Zenitsu slowly voiced, his tone utterly different than before. The boy seemed on the verge of tears. "…You mean to tell me… that that blonde goddess… is real?"
-0-
"Rocking it! Sand Shinobi Style!" Ino said with a twirl and a wink, as she showcased herself in the sand shinobi's distinct attire, only with her Leaf headband still at her waist. She, alongside the rest of her little group, were all stationed at the lower part of the hospital, gathered as it was almost time for lunch, which Chouji would not let them forget. Ino currently modeled her new set of clothes, like if she were in a runway of sorts.
"Ino, get off the table," Shikamaru said, feeling embarrassed on behalf of his team. Didn't they know they were here as guests? Could they not, for once, behave?
"So pretty!" the trio of little girls that had come alongside Aoi and the Pillars, named Sumi (the one with the pigtails), Kiyo (the one with the loose hairstyle), and Naho (the one with the braids), all cheered in unison for the would-be model.
"Thank you! Thank you!" Ino said with a little curtsy. She absolutely adored the little darlings, even if one, she had been shocked to learn they were actually pretty good medics on their own right, and even more so, that they weren't triplets! They looked so similar she had a hard time understanding they weren't related. At least not directly. Cousins, maybe?
"This place has certainly gotten a whole lot more lively," Kankuro noted, standing with his back to the wall, watching the scene before him with amusement.
"I do appreciate having more girls around," Temari voiced with a little laugh. "Feels refreshing not to be the only girl in this sausage-fest Village of ours."
"Wait…" Kankuro said, turning to her. "…You're a girl?"
"My, careful brother, if you try anything even slightly more original you might hurt yourself," Temari snarked back, "Besides, I'm not the one who wears makeup between us two."
"War paint doesn't count," Kankuro shot back. "Also, there are… some girls in Suna. What about what's-her-name? That Genin that's always after Gaara?"
"Matsuri?" Temari asked, her head tilted, "Oh, yeah, she's a sweetheart. And she has quite the mission ahead of herself if she wants to make that crush of her work. I do not envy her. That said…" she noted before she moved away and approached Ino, who was still busy striking poses, much to Shikamaru's desire for the desert to swallow him whole. "And it looks very nice on you. You'd make for a fine Sand Kunoichi."
"Yeah!" Ino replied. "Thanks again for the outfits. We didn't expect to be here so long, so we were caught unprepared. Having to be stationed here until we are told otherwise is a bit rough to hear at first, but I'm glad to get to spend more time with you guys, now that you aren't trying to kill us and all that."
"Ino."
"What, it's true!" Ino protested at Shikamaru, who just groaned.
"The food has arrived!" Chouji entered the area in almost sparkles. He was carrying well over a dozen different plates, with a few of the kitchen staff right behind him. Shikamaru really didn't know where to hide himself at this point. If only the Shadow Jutsu could get him sucked into a shadow. "Time to – Ino, get off the table!"
"How rude!" Ino shot back, but she did bounce herself off. "And I feel we are going to owe the Sand a huge debt when they bring in the recipes for our meals," she noted grimly, and Shikamaru could only nod, both of them aware that Tsunade wouldn't be happy if they abused they generosity being offered, even if the Sand Shinobi, and civilians in general, told them it was alright. "Speaking of, have our Slayer friends eaten yet?"
"Depends on who you mean," Kankuro replied, signaling with his thumb to outside of the hospital. "If you mean Mr. Sunshine over there, he comes and goes as he pleases and last I offered he just told me no in a tone that I swear would make Gaara sound sweet."
"Oh, you mean that dude," Ino said. "Gen… Gen-something."
"Genya Shinazugawa," Shikamaru corrected.
"Yeah, him!" Ino added, "But no, I don't care about him. I mean my sweet little Kanao and her friends."
"They are older than us, you know?" Shikamaru told her, and Ino just stuck her tongue out at him.
"I saw her as a baby in that Genjutsu she got stuck on, well, as a kid, and that's how I'm going to keep seeing her. She's a sweetie," Ino explained, taking hold of one of the plates being offered before Chouji swallowed them whole. Soon enough, the sand siblings and the not-triplets joined in, all feasting on the meal, which was suddenly interrupted, when the heard the strangest shriek echo throughout the entire hospital. They couldn't even react as a thunderous flash appeared right beside them all, and it took Ino a good few seconds to realize someone had appeared right beside her and had taken hold of her hand ever-so tenderly. "…eh?"
"I apologize for making you worry my sweet," Zenitsu told her in his most romantic tone imaginable. "I know you must have been agonizing given my frail state, but your love had cured me, and from here henceforth, not even the Upper Moons themselves will ever do us part! Isn't that right, my dearest wife!?"
"…Eh?!" was all Ino could croak out.
Chouji, Temari, Kankuro, Sumi, Kiyo and Naho all stared, utterly lost, just blinking at the scene before them, while Shikamaru just shrugged, taking a bite of his food and saying, "Once again, congratulations."
-0-
Nezuko had woken up utterly confused on what had happened, where she was, and what had been a dream and what had been real. Also, she was utterly shocked and embarrassed to find herself clinging onto Naruto's arm like that, so she quickly pushed herself aside and tried to blurt out an apology of some sort. It was here she noticed that she still had trouble talking, and she felt utterly peeved by it. She just frowned at the wall, before Sakura quickly approached the girl, and after patting her in the head, proceeded to check her for any signs of lingering injuries or the like. Of course, as a demon, she figured Nezuko would be fine once she woke up, but it didn't hurt to make sure.
"Yep, she seems fine," Sakura noted, her hand now on Nezuko's cheek. "You sleep well?"
"…I did… sleep fine…" she said, then to Sakura's confusion, Nezuko just glared at nothing. She didn't much understand why, but Naruto, still seated on the bed, did.
"Hey, don't worry," he assured her. "We'll get you back, just like that, soon enough. Promise. And your messages are right here," he added, signaling to his own head with a smile. "And they'll be delivered… No promises on a perfect delivery, but it'll be pretty damn close."
"Then…" Nezuko tried, her eyes wide. "…That did… happen?"
"Yep!" Naruto confirmed with another smile, and Nezuko was absolutely thrilled. It hadn't been a dream. Even if it was just with him, she had been able to speak!
"Wait, I'm lost," Sakura voiced, turning from Nezuko, to Naruto, then back to the girl. "What are you two talking about?"
Nezuko simply placed her index finger over her own lips. "Secret… Cannot say."
"Hey! What are you teaching her?!" Sakura quickly turned to Naruto, who waved his hands defensively.
"It's not like that!" he defended, "You wouldn't understand. I'll explain it someday, promise!"
As the blonde and the pinkette argued, Nezuko just bobbed her head to the sides, utterly happy that she had managed to at least have that little moment. Sakura, while not convinced with whatever Naruto managed to say, did at least leave it at that, deciding it more important to fill him, and Nezuko, in on what had happened during the attack and afterwards. But, in order to do that, she told the two to get dressed and to follow her towards where the Hokage was, as Lady Tsunade was also stationed at the hospital, in the quarantine zone now that they had an actual demon in their possession thanks to Sai's painting seal.
Naruto, being Naruto, simply took off his hospital gown, making Sakura have to avert her eyes and causing Nezuko to blush madly. He didn't really get why, he did have boxers on anyways. He got dressed in a flash, and when he turned to ask why Nezuko hadn't gotten ready, the only response he got was Sakura throwing him out of the room to give the girl some privacy.
After all that, with the pair making sure Nezuko was properly protected from the sunlight inside her box that now Naruto carried on his back (Tanjiro was right, it was really light), as it was still daytime, they proceeded to go towards where the Hokage was, which was at least another area away from the sun.
Nezuko got out of her box, growing back to her actual size, as she caught sight of two woman and the cutest little piggy. Naruto and Sakura also approached the Hokage, as Tsunade turned towards the three and gave them a quick greeting. She looked absolutely tired, and sounded the part too. The other woman, the kunoichi Shizune who Nezuko had met only a little, stood to the side, but she did offer Nezuko a warm little smile when the two made eye contact.
The little pig, Tonton, quickly went to Nezuko's arms, and she snuggled it as much as she could.
"How you feeling granny?" Naruto asked, taking a seat nearby, as the group got into a little meeting of sorts. From the corner of his eye Naruto could see the painting, that grotesque lump of flesh and decay drawn into that seal. It unnerved the boy.
"Well enough," Tsunade replied, deciding to take a break from her investigations if anything to check up on these two. "And you? That was an insanely dangerous stunt you pulled."
"We had no other options! That damn thing didn't stay down!" Naruto explained, sort-of, before his tone lowered, "And, hey, is Iruka-sensei alright? I've wanted to ask, but…"
"Iruka's fine," Tsunade replied, and the blonde let out a sign of relief. "He did lose a leg, but compared to the others, he's doing fine. We expect a full recovery soon."
"That damn bastard," Naruto almost growled, before it hit him. "Wait, but… How many?"
At this Tsunade frowned, as Sakura's eyes fell, while Nezuko slowly placed Tonton down, since she was also dreading the answer. The little pig slowly bounced his way towards Tsunade, landing on her lap, as the Hokage took a deep breath. "Kid, you don't have to –"
"I am a ninja," Naruto countered. "My mission was to stop that thing. Every second I didn't, I knew people could die. Please, just, who did we lose?"
Tsunade and Sakura both looked on, before the former took a deep breath, realizing this was part of her job in a sense, and he wasn't just a young teen either. Nezuko looked on, pretty much not breathing, praying it wasn't too many people. They were all so nice. Shizune said nothing, her eyes still on Nezuko, as if worried over the little girl's reaction.
"We lost our gate keepers, Kotetsu Hagane and Izumo Kamizuki," Tsunade began, and Naruto's eyes went wide. That monster had started its killing spree all the way from the main gates? "You already know of Ebisu, and, in that same area, we also lost Teuchi Ichiraku, and his daughter, Ayame."
"No way!" Naruto blurted out, on his feet without even thinking it. "Old man Ichiraku? And Ayame? B-But they're civilians! T-They didn't even have that high levels of chakra! Why would that monster…?!"
"It didn't much distinguish from shinobi or civilian," Tsunade continued, her eyes downcast. "And not just him, their leader, Muzan, killed several of the ANBU… right in front of me at that. Several other civilians and ninja are still missing, so we are not sure of the whole tally, as given the circumstances, finding the bodies might prove difficult, since…" she paused, closing her eyes, since she was not going to finish the sentence. But both Naruto and Nezuko understood it.
There was no bodies to find if they were eaten whole.
"We also lost Ko Hyuga, a very notable member of the Hyuga family, after Hinata –"
"It got to Hinata!" Naruto outright screamed, feeling the Kurama's chakra almost hit him. Nezuko looked on, her eyes filling with tears.
"No. She's fine," Tsunade quickly explained. "She got here in a very critical condition, but she was discharged yesterday. Ko Hyuga gave his life for both her and her sister Hanabi, and their father kept them safe."
"So she's… okay?" Nezuko voiced, and Tsunade nodded.
"Oh, at least, that's good, I-gah! For a second I thought…" Naruto said, with such a conflict of emotions. On one hand he was happy she was okay, but it felt horrible that there were so many others he couldn't say the same about.
"A lot of people outright assumed she was going to die," Sakura explained, "She's quite the fighter."
"Yeah," Naruto noted. "And her team? Shino, Kiba, and-and Akamaru? They okay?"
Tsunade just nodded, and Naruto at least felt a little relieved. It still hurt, like a lot, but at least the ever famous Konoha Eleven were still all there. He would have no idea how'd he'd react if he ever lost any of them. His friend circle was small enough as it was.
"And then there's…" Tsunade voiced, and her voiced seemed to strain itself. Naruto looked on, noticing that it wasn't just tiredness in her eyes, but pain. Wait, did that mean?
"We didn't find her until we came back to the hospital," Sakura expressed, her expression just as broken, and Naruto didn't need to ask to know who they meant. But Nezuko looked on, as she wasn't sure. Did she know this person, or…?
"We still don't know if it was Yoroi, or Muzan, or something else entirely," Tsunade explained, the pain evident in her voice, "But they took Shizune away from me. From us."
Wait.
Nezuko felt her entire world go into slow-motion.
Their voices all got drown out, as if she had been submerged underwater, barely able to follow the conversation at all. Her body utterly cold.
Shizune? No. That didn't make any sense.
Shizune was standing right there! She was…
Nezuko looked up, towards the young woman, but she wasn't there anymore. Her bright pink eyes searched, finding nothing. She had seen her! Standing right there as soon as she got out of her box! Was that why…? No one else had said anything to her? Why Shizune had not spoken? Why Tonton had gone towards Tsunade and not her? But, what had she just seen?! Shizune had been there, smiling at her, clear as…
Nezuko looked on, and now Shizune was standing right before her, bent down, looking at her with nothing but holes in her head where her eyes were supposed to be and her blood dripping down, drenching the demon girl's own scared visage.
Then Nezuko felt Shizune grab her by the throat with a strength that seemed to take the very life out of her. Nezuko tried to scream, but she couldn't. She couldn't move. She felt Shizune choke her. Then…
"Why has thou not found it!?"
Something had screamed at her from inside of Shizune's corpse, as if a figure could be seen lurking about, wearing her skin to cover what it was. The voice was nothing like Nezuko had ever heard.
"No!" Nezuko screamed out, kicking at the chair she was seating in and sending it flying towards the wall with a massive smash. She fell, down on the floor, her eyes, wide and broken and drenched in tears. Naruto and Sakura were quickly at her side, and she could barely make out their words.
"Nezuko, hey, what's wrong?!" Naruto shouted, bent down next to her, trying to help calm her from whatever had happened.
"Nezuko, sweetie, what's…?" Sakura began but her eyes quickly caught sight of something, "You didn't have this before…" Sakura added, her finger against the girl's neck, that now somehow sported some nasty marks all around. "…Nezuko, what happened?"
"…Still… here…" Nezuko said in-between all her quivering. Tsunade looked on, frowning at the sight, since even with all the precautions they took after the attack, this made it crystal clear that they were far from safe. But even so, nothing could have prepared her for the reality that they now faced.
"What's still here?" Naruto asked, his eyes on her neck for a moment, before he turned to her eyes, and he wasn't sure what looked worse.
"…The Necronomicon…" Nezuko replied, crying. "…It is still… here… and it wants me… to find it…"
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Hello Darkness, My Old Friend…