October 7, 1913
The next morning, Kanao woke up in Tanjiro's bed, neither of them wearing the clothes they originally went to bed with. In fact, neither of them wore any clothes, period, and Kanao's butterfly hairpin was lying on the windowsill behind the bed. Kanao looked to the still-sleeping Tanjiro by her side and smiled before whispering in his ear, "Wake up, Tanjiro."
Tanjiro stirred awake beside her, and as he adjusted and rubbed his eyes, he said to her, "It's morning already?"
"Yeah," Kanao replied.
"Wait," Tanjiro then said. "Kanao, you're naked…"
"You are, too…" Kanao was confused as to why Tanjiro pointed it out due to both of them being devoid of clothes.
"Oh, right… We slept together…"
"We did more than sleep," Kanao told him as she gave him a kiss on his cheek. "I love you, Tanjiro."
Tanjiro smiled and hugged her as he gave her a kiss on the neck. "I love you, Kanao."
Then, suddenly, panic set in when Shinobu opened the door, asking them both as she yawned, "Hey, Tanjiro-kun, have you seen Kan-" She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the two of them completely nude and in bed together. "-Ao…"
Tanjiro quickly covered Kanao up with covers and tried to tell Shinobu, "It-It-It's not what it looks like, Shinobu-san!"
"Hey," Giyu then asked as he entered the room as well. "What's going o- WOAH!" He was shocked to see the two in bed together. "Tanjiro, you and…"
Kanao politely moved Tanjiro aside and looked up at her sister and Giyu from the bed. "I, um… I have a confession to make. I like Tanjiro. I like him a lot."
Shinobu, holding in some anger, asked Tanjiro with a strained smile on her face, "Did you ask her to have sex with you?"
"No," Tanjiro affirmed to her. "She crawled into bed on her own, I swear!"
Kenzan then wandered into the room, surprising Giyu and Shinobu. "Oneechan, are you awake?"
Kanao blushed, realizing that one of her younger biological siblings was now seeing her in the nude. "Kenzan, look away, please!"
"What's going o-"
Shinobu then picked him up and told him, "Your big sister is a bit busy, Kenzan. She'll be out soon. Go play with your other brothers and sisters for now. The adults are talking about big kid stuff."
"Okay, Shinobu-oneechan," he replied before he was set back down and he walked out.
"Okay," Shinobu then asked Tanjiro. "So you did not invite her in?"
"She invited herself in," Tanjiro assured her.
The Insect Pillar then sighed, realizing that Kanao had made the first move. "So Kanao did… Look, guys, please, try not to be reckless, okay? Don't hurt each other, and I don't want to see broken hearts. You two do realize that having sex can make children, right?"
Tanjiro, perplexed as to why she asked that, replied, "Of course I do! I'm from the countryside, but I'm not that ignorant." Curious, he then asked Shinobu as he got dressed in his hospital gown, "Wait, Shinobu-san, do you want children?"
Giyu was shocked that he asked the question so nonchalantly, while Shinobu took a deep breath. "I, um… I recognize that what me and Giyu-san are doing may result in me having a child one day. I'm not sure exactly if I want one right now, but… If it happens, I'll see to it. As for you two, I would prefer if you two wait a little bit. You can have sex, but be careful." She then whispered something to Giyu.
As Giyu walked away and Kanao got dressed, Tanjiro asked Shinobu, "What's he doing?"
"I'm back," Giyu replied as he carried two small tins into the room. "Tanjiro, wear these when you have sex."
Confused, Tanjiro opened up one of the tins and looked inside, finding four neatly-packed rubber condoms inside. "What are these things? Where do you wear them?"
Giyu sighed. "For fuck's sake, of course he asked that," he thought to himself. "You put it on your penis. Kanao, do you know what these are?"
"Condoms." Kanao replied with a somewhat innocent smile. "Shinobu-sama told me about them a few years ago."
"Condom? That name sounds weird…" Tanjiro then turned to Kanao and asked her, "Do you know how to put these on? I may need help the next time we, um…" A blush emanated across his face. "Yeah, that."
"These things will help prevent you guys from having a child," Giyu told them both. "Until you two decide you are ready, which won't be for a while, especially given how old you two are, you need to wear these as much as possible while having sex."
"I have no problem with you and Tanjiro-kun expressing your love for each other like this, Kanao," Shinobu told her as she finished getting dressed. "But as with what Giyu-san said, having children together can wait a little bit. Put one of these on him before you have sex." She then pulled her in and amusingly whispered in her ear to make sure Giyu and Tanjiro did not hear her, "I can tell you that Tomioka-san loves it when I put his condom on for him. It really gets him going, and I'm sure it will for your boyfriend, too."
Kanao nodded. "I see, I see…"
"Now," Shinobu then told the both of them with her usual trademark smile back on her face as she stood up from the bed. "The original reason I came into this room was to tell Kanao that she has a mission later tonight. I'll tell you more when we go out to eat and practice."
"Yes, ma'am," Kanao replied before giving Tanjiro a kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you later." The three then left the room.
As Tanjiro looked around, now all by himself, he pondered and said, "So, I have to wear one of these condom things now… I'll trust that Kanao knows what she's doing."
A few seconds later, Zenitsu came running into the room, a look of shock on her face. "You actually did it?!"
"Woah, Zenitsu-kun!"
"You had sex for the first time?! Holy shit!" Zenitsu was perplexed and shocked to hear about Tanjiro and Kanao. "And you had it with such a beautiful girl, too!"
"Keep it down!" Tanjiro was bewildered with Zenitsu's behavior. "Look, we did, okay? It happened."
"How was it that of the three of us, you had sex first?!"
"To be honest," Tanjiro replied with a chuckle. "I don't know, really. It just sort of happened. Kanao… Kanao must have heard me crying last night."
"Crying? What fo-" Zenitsu then remembered Kyojuro's death. "Oh… Right… I don't blame you for that."
"Yeah," Tanjiro nodded. "I haven't been this downtrodden since my family was massacred. Even so, though, I'm doing my best to keep my head held high and my heart ablaze, just like what Rengoku-san said we should do."
"Good," Zenitsu agreed. "I am, too. Hey, Tanjiro, I just wanted to say, well… I'm glad you found someone like Kanao."
Tanjiro smiled. "Thanks, Zenitsu."
…
That same day, after James returned to the Rengoku Estate from a mission, he washed his sword and knives in the backyard while Susamaru watched. "So," she then asked him. "How have things been on missions since I've taken a rest?"
"Same as usual," James told his pregnant fiancée. "I'm a bit lonely goin' out on 'em without you around, but we both know why you can't join me for now."
"The last thing I want is our child to get hurt," Susamaru nodded. "It's just that I'm so used to always going out and getting a good fight in, you know? Maybe settling down a bit isn't too bad, though. I've lived a pretty wild life as a demon. Some slower times may be what I need."
George and Goro then flew down from the sky together, landing right beside James. George told him in English, "I got a message from that Muichiro kid. He wants a copy of the Breath of Flames history book you rescued."
"He does? What for?"
"I'm not sure," George replied, equally as confused. "Apparently, he's been asking for books about the histories of as many breathing styles as he can. Nobody's sure why."
"Also," Goro then told James in Japanese, "I have a message from the high council's priests. They want to meet with you about something. I was not told what it was, but it does sound serious."
"Serious?" James sighed. "For fuck's sake, they really need to tell me what's going on. Who told you this?"
"It was Eguchi-san," Goro confirmed.
"Of course it was him," James replied in annoyance. "That guy's really been getting on my damn nerves. When does he want to meet with me?"
"Tomorrow at noon. However, he wants to meet with you at an inn in this town, specifically the Takami Ryokan."
"Takami Ryokan? Alright then." James thought to himself; "Why does he want to meet me in a neutral location? Wouldn't he normally want some place like the Rengoku Estate or Kagaya's house? Is this some kind of trap?"
Susamaru, clearly uncomfortable with the idea of the meeting due to Rantaro's known hostility towards James, told George and Goro, "I want to go too. I don't want James meeting Eguchi alone."
James turned and asked her, "Are ya sure?"
"This sounds like a trap," Susamaru replied. "I don't want anything bad happening to you. I've read enough books to know that this is so obviously a trap, damn it."
"I don't see why she can't," Goro replied to them both. "I also heard word that Kocho-san is meeting another slayer on the same day a few hours later."
James asked, "Shinobu's meetin' someone too?"
"Yeah, it's weird. She's meeting with a high-ranking slayer that isn't a pillar called Oma Nobuhiko. He's infamous for holding a lot of the same views as Eguchi-san."
"Nobuhiko Oma," James said to himself. "Nobuhiko Oma…"
…
Shinobu had a similar uneasiness about meeting with Nobuhiko, hence why she decided to have Giyu and Sanemi hide somewhere close by so he could jump in if need be, since Kanao was busy with a mission. Unbeknownst to her, Kanao's mission and her meeting, as well as James' meeting, were in fact all interconnected as part of a plot against them.
In a dark alleyway, Shinobu patiently waited for Nobuhiko as she checked her revolver to make sure it was properly loaded before putting it away. By late December or early January, every slayer would be issued a revolver, and no longer would they be restricted to just the Pillars and a select few others. Then, she heard footsteps behind her and turned around, finding Nobuhiko walking towards her. "Oh, it's you."
"I'm glad you could meet me so suddenly, Kocho-sama," he replied, his dark brown hair well-kept and his black uniform hiding much of his body. "Now, I wanted to discuss your work with that demon."
"You mean the Flame Pillar, James Colby, right?"
"Sure," Nobuhiko begrudgingly replied. "If you wish to call him that. I'm surprised that you were so willing to accept… Well, a demon, into your ranks as not only a slayer, but as a Pillar, one of the most trusted positions in the corps."
"I trust him with my life," Shinobu affirmed. "He's a valuable asset to the corps. If you don't have anything nice to say about him, keep your mouth shut."
"Woah, woah, calm down, Kocho-sama," Nobuhiko replied to her. "All I'm saying is that it's odd that you turned around on him so quickly. Aren't you known for taunting demons before killing them? Aren't you angry at every single one?"
Shinobu sighed, realizing what he was trying to get at. "Are you fucking kidding me? Are you trying to use my sister's death to turn me against Colby-san, because if you are, that's really low of you."
"Why would you betray your sister like this?"
"Enough," Shinobu then demanded of him as she almost drew her gun before stopping herself. "I'm not betraying my sister! She wanted peace between humans and demons, and with Nezuko-chan, the Spider Twins, Mukago-san, and Colby-san on our side, we can actually make her dream a reality. Seeing them fight alongside us gave me a new sense of hope, and I won't let intolerable assholes like you take it from me. This conversation is over."
Nobuhiko then drew his sword. "I was afraid you'd say that. You've betrayed the corps, Kocho Shinobu. Now I'm gonna kill you, but before I do, I want you to know something about Kanae."
"What could you possibly have to tell me about her?"
"She was always too hopeful, too kind, and too friendly," Nobuhiko told her as he kept her at bay and she drew her sword. "Eguchi-sama and I always feared that she would gain enough followers to her traitorous cause one day…"
"You don't mean… Wait, I remember now!"
"That's right," Nobuhiko replied. "I lied in that report of demon activity so Kanae could go after an Upper Moon all by herself. It was the perfect plan. Once I kill you, I'll just say that you died valiantly in the line of duty, and with Eguchi-san backing me up, they'll believe me for sure. You'll be given a nice funeral, and everyone else will go on thinking you sacrificed your life to save me."
Shinobu, angry at the revelation regarding her sister's demise, yelled at Nobuhiko as she charged at him with his sword, "Fuck you! You led my sister into a trap, you bastard!"
Suddenly, Sanemi emerged from the back entrance of a building right next to Nobuhiko and tackled him to the ground before either of them had the chance to strike. As Sanemi restrained him, Giyu ran out from another building and joined his girlfriend's side. Sanemi yelled at him as he tied his arms and legs up, "You mind saying that shit to me again, motherfucker? How you intentionally led my wife into a fucking death trap, huh?! You're gonna pay, asshole!"
Giyu helped lift Nobuhiko up and onto his feet as he tried to kick and scream. "Get the fuck off of me! It wasn't just me, you know!"
"Oh yeah?" Sanemi then punched him in the face. "Who the fuck else is involved then, asshole?! Who else aside from you and Eguchi?!"
"The other guy's name is called Kiss My Ass!" Sanemi then punched Nobuhiko in the stomach twice, causing him to throw up. "His name is Go Fuck Your-" Sanemi once again hurt him, this time kicking him in the crotch.
"Stop fucking with us," Giyu yelled at him as he drew his gun and whacked him across the face with it before he aimed it at his head. "Tell us the third name or else!"
Nobuhiko then spit a tooth and some blood out before finally relenting. "Ugh… Huh… Fine… It's… It's Kishi Masato! That's the other fucker! Just stop hurting me!"
"You little bitch," Sanemi yelled at him. "Can't even take a little punishment without ratting his buddy out." He then whistled for assistance, prompting two Kakushi to emerge from the street with more ropes to restrain Nobuhiko. "Take this guy to a safe house. He's under corps arrest."
"Yes, sir," both Kakushi replied as they took Nobuhiko away.
Shinobu by now was beginning to cry, unable to easily process the information about Kanae's death being a setup as Giyu comforted her with a hug. "They… They wanted my sister to die… Why?! Why did they do it?!"
Sanemi meanwhile looked on at the blood on the ground before saying to himself, "I was holding back. If I was able to, I'd have killed him on the spot. Motherfucker…"
Meanwhile, as one part of the conspiracy fell apart, two more parts were just beginning…
