^ Chapter 28 - Red Light District Incursion ^
"Farewell, Omitsu."
"S-Stop…!"
With the sound of rushing wind and a scream, denizens of the Red Light Disctrict's many brothels and living quarters were roused from their slumber. A loud splat and a dozen bones cracking soon followed the cry, and a crowd of people soon emerged to find the crumpled, bloody body of a middle-aged woman lying face first in the middle of the road.
Her injuries clearly were from being dropped at a great height, but there wasn't a culprit in sight to pin her death on, meaning it could only have been an accident or a suicide. Some of the women among those who discovered the corpse screamed in terror at the horrific sight, while the men tried to fetch the person in charge of the establishment where the woman originated from. The truth was that she had been the Hostess for one of the biggest brothels in the Red Light District, the Kyōgōku House, and her death had been far more sinister than what they could have ever thought imaginable.
"She should have learned to keep her trap shut and not poke her nose into matters she has no business in…" thought a lone woman walking along the rooftops of the buildings, her long flowing black hair waving in the light breeze. Her lime green eyes seemed to glow in the darkness of the night, along with the pink flower-like tattoo on her left cheek. Despite wearing a revealing two-piece kimono with flower patterned knee socks, her most prominent feature were the two Kanji for Upper Moon and Six in her eyes. "Perhaps while I'm out, once I ensure everything is squared away, I could maybe go out for a snack…"
The Upper Moon smirked to herself as she crouched down when approaching a window and climbed inside, gasping for a moment when she saw Muzan himself sitting on a flower ornamented wooden chest right across from her. He lifted his head up somewhat when she stepped onto the window sill and gave her a slight smile, his plum-colored eyes radiating actual warmth that he rarely showcased.
"How're you doing?" Muzan asked, the Upper Moon's eyes widening even more as she immediately dropped to the floor and prostrated herself before her master.
"Muzan-sama! I didn't know you'd be coming!" the girl replied, her response producing a light-hearted chuckle from the Demon Lord.
"You seem to have eaten quite a lot of humans. You've gotten a lot stronger compared to before...that's good. Very good."
The Upper Moon bowed her head and smiled out of view, acknowledging Muzan's praise while keeping herself prostrated before him. Her heart practically leapt out of her chest as a result of his attention, but it was short-lived when Muzan's smile faded.
"Do not let your guard down, however. If things are going too well, you can easily get tripped up. Become arrogant." Muzan stated, his hands rested in his lap as he maintained his gaze on the girl.
"I'll keep that in mind, Muzan-sama...I promise you on that." the girl replied, raising her head ever-so-slightly in order to catch but a glimpse of his shoes.
"There are some skilled humans among the Demon Slayers...like the Hashira, who'll sense that there's a demon here right away. Those who lack the power of a Hashira can't tell the difference, however, but they can discern that there are things they don't understand, like blood types and disease strains...Daki."
The girl's head shot up and her prostrated position slackened as she gazed upon her master when she heard her named called. Muzan smiled at her again as he stood up and dusted his dress pants off somewhat, adjusted his tie, and approached her with his eyes looking into her own.
"I have high hopes for you. You're more beautiful than anyone else. Strong enough to have buried seven Hashira." spoke Muzan, the Demon Lord hunching over and gently cupping Daki's reddened cheeks. "You'll become much, much stronger. Far more cruel than ever before…you're a special demon, Daki."
Daki's eyes remained frozen on Muzan's for a brief moment, her own hands slowly coming up to rest against Muzan's larger hands, their gentle touch sending shivers running up and down her spine. After a few moments of silence Muzan withdrew his hands from his servant's cheeks and bid her farewell with a silent nod, Daki turning and watching him leave through the window straight into the Infinity Fortress and beyond.
Once he felt himself within his domain again, Muzan dropped the smile he had put on for Daki and brushed his hands on his pants momentarily before standing there motionless. He had felt her excitement and joy that was a result of his praise, and it had brought some joy to his own demonic heart. To see one of his servants be so thankful for where they were, because of what they were able to do thanks to him, it was a blessing. That did not change the fact however that despite being one of the six Upper Moons, Daki and the other five most strongest demons beneath him still hadn't accomplished the goals he gave them.
Ever since Akaza had returned to him after killing a Hashira and expected praise for it several months prior, he had been thinking long and hard about his underlings. About how for hundreds of years the positions in the Upper Moons had not changed, which was a reason for his slaughter of the Lower Moons. He had grown tired of failure and laziness, the Upper Moons were taking their time growing their power when they were already easily superior to the Demon Slayer Corps.
A change had to occur, and he knew exactly what kind of change he wanted. Muzan adjusted the collar of his suit before he appeared with but a single step in front of a set of closed doors, a single presence contained beyond them. Muzan glanced to his right into an unlit corner and watched as a pair of eyes opened up to look at him.
"Is he prepared, Kokushibō?" Muzan questioned, the pair of eyes closing shut as the dark figure they belonged to shuffled somewhat on their feet.
"He is. Despite his circumstances...he was rather receptive. Whoever trained him originally...they were no slouch."
Muzan nodded his head and without saying another word the shadow figure disappeared, leaving the Demon Lord alone to slide open the wooden doors and enter the room beyond them. It was dimly lit, with but a single lamp resting on the tatami mats providing illumination. Sitting in seiza behind the lamp was a figure whose back was lit up by the lamp's glow, the black and green checkered haori they wore a tell-tale sign of who it was.
"Tanjirō, it is time." stated Muzan in a low tone, the silent demon slayer stirring somewhat. After a moment or two, Tanjirō's head slowly turned until one of his glowing red eyes was staring back at Muzan. Any softness of warmth that they once held was now gone, locked away by the spell put on him by Michael and his technique, leaving him a malleable empty shell for Muzan to control. "You know what you must do, yes? What you have been training for during these months?"
Muzan saw Tanjirō nod his head the slightest bit and Muzan smirked a little bit, a chuckle escaping his lips briefly before he remembered the expression that Daki had on her face earlier. The joy she had felt upon being praised as a "special demon" by him, and the way she sounded when responding.
There was no place in his heart for compassion. He was the undisputed ruler of Japan, and everything around him either served him or was beneath him. Servants can be replaced, no matter how special they may be.
"Go then. Infiltrate the Red Light District...and prove to me why you should keep those eyes of yours."
The Yoshiwara Red Light District, the night district where the lust and charms of men and women swirl in a storm of love and hate. Its known by its other title, the Flower District, because as the name implies, this part of the city is shaped like a flower. Home to some of the most prolific brothels in Japan, hence its notoriety as the Red Light District, the prostitutes living here were either living in utter poverty or sold out due to loans. They bear quite a lot of hardships, some of which the normal person shouldn't have to experience.
In exchange for their services, however, they are guaranteed the necessities of life. Nourishment, a warm bed, and a roof over their heads. What's more, if they can make their way up as prostitutes, they could potentially become part of a wealthy household by getting bought out.
The most prominent prostitutes above all the rest, the 'Oiran', are completely different altogether. They are special women who have acquired everything: beauty, education, performance, all of it. One simply cannot meet a high ranking Oiran, to gain an audience with them, men have to frequently visit the Red Light District, as if they were competing with each other.
With this many people coming and going from this part of the city, it made perfect sense for a demon to make it their home. Tengen and company knew this as they entered the confines of the Red Light District. Although it was only the boys and Aoi that were the most uncomfortable. Wearing a flamboyant kimono with his head let down, Tengen smiled to maintain his cover as he walked with Aoi, Zenitsu, and Inosuke in front of him. Aoi had been dolled up a tiny bit for Tengen's plan, with some makeup and such, stuff that she hadn't really used before so it made her feel a little uncomfortable.
They got looks from the many passerbyers they brushed past, but it wasn't Tengen or Aoi that was the reason for them. To hide their genders, since part of Tengen's plan was to infiltrate three of the houses in the Red Light District, Zenitsu and Inosuke had been subjected to makeup being put onto their face as well as a clothing change. When Tengen tried to do it himself before they left for the city, Zenitsu and Inosuke certainly looked awful across the board.
Aoi of course had to step in and assist them, even with her limited knowledge since she herself never really wore makeup, and succeeded in making the two boys somewhat presentable. Inosuke didn't require as much work as Tengen was aiming for though, because of his already natural appearance being rather feminine than what most people know.
Now they found themselves walking the streets of the Red Light District, with Tengen posing as their master who's trying to sell them off to one of the various raunchy establishments in the district. They already had their targets in mind, of course, so whenever any of the seedier owners approached them he politely declined them and kept them on their way. Those were few and far in between their incursion, thankfully, since Zenitsu's less than pretty appearance kept most men away from them.
Once they were able to arrive at one of their targets, an older couple was sitting out at the entrance and watched as Tengen approached them with Zenitsu, Aoi and Inosuke. The woman's eyes came to rest on Aoi first, since standing between Inosuke and Zenitsu made her stand out first from the other two.
"Greetings, would you two be interested in picking up one of these girls?" said Tengen to begin the conversation, smiling respectfully at the pair.
"Not at our place." replied the older gentleman while shaking his head. "We just brought a new girl in a few days ago, so I'm sorry...we'll have to decline."
Tengen's expression faltered a little and Zenitsu glanced at Aoi for a moment, seeing her relax a tiny bit, as if she felt some kind of relief from the man's words. That relief was subjugated rather quickly when the woman made another once over of her and smiled softly while addressing the disguised Hashira.
"Let's not be too hasty...one should be okay." she said, surprising her presumed husband or partner.
"Then I will entrust one to you. Sorry, Ma'am, and thank you." Tengen replied, his hands coming around to rest in front of his waist as he waited for them to make their pick. "You can decide for yourselves who you'd like."
"We'll take the one in the middle then. She just seems so honest."
With a light hearted laugh and a somewhat stern look from the man, Aoi was chosen by them to be taken in, which she reacted to by stiffly nodding her head and gulping nervously. She promised to do her best and before leaving to stay with her new "owners", she turned her head and looked back at Zenitsu, Inosuke, and Tengen. Tengen crossed his arms and gave her a little nod, and Zenitsu did the same with an added thumbs up.
Then her eyes rested on Inosuke and he stared at her absent-mindedly for a few seconds before Zenitsu quickly elbowed him in the ribcage, making him jump a little and glare at him with daggers in his eyes before snorting a little and waving his hand a little at her as if to acknowledge her.
Aoi's brow furrowed from his apparent lack of care for her wellbeing, before she saw the look in his eyes and the hidden emotion in them, which made her lessen that internal stance. Inosuke's bulldoggish outward nature held a developing, more caring internal side that she could see coming out through them.
With that, Tengen, Zenitsu and Inosuke then left Aoi in the care of the first house after receiving payment, the trio of men then reentered the hustle and bustle of the Red Light District, the evening sky turning darker as the sun set, leaving room for the moon to begin its ascent.
"Tch, I'm only able to sell you guys for cheap...but at least we've got one target down.." muttered Tengen, his usual personality showing through the disguise he had put up. "You two are going to be even harder to see, considering you're both guys too...at least you look actually feminine, boar kid."
"I'm not going to respond to that, or even talk to you…" murmured Zenitsu darkly, some veins of irritation bulging out from his head.
"You mad because I made you dress like a girl?" replied back Tengen, his eyes narrowing as he glared at the yellow-haired slayer. "You were the one who said you'll listen to whatever I say."
"I don't care about dressing like a girl, dumbass...It's your face. You have a normal male face. Just cut me some slack." Zenitsu thought with a silent growl, refusing to even make eye contact with the Hashira.
"Oi, there's a bunch of people gathering around there!"
Inosuke's blurted out statement distracted Tengen and Zenitsu from their silent showdown, bringing their attention to a cross street that connected with the one they were on. A large group of people were approaching them, with the other citizens gathering around it to see what the commotion was about.
What stood out the most from the crowd was a man holding a parasol above the head of a beautiful woman adorned with stylish hairpins and a unique hairstyle surrounded by an entourage of handmaidens and other people. Tengen squinted his eyes a little to make out who it was, even holding a hand up above them to block out some residual glare from the red lanterns that gave the district its name, and recognized the woman being escorted in a second.
"Ah, it's an 'Oiran Parade', which is a usual occurrence here in this place. That's Koinatsu-Oiran, from the Tokito House." he said, Zenitsu's eyes widening and his heart skipping a beat. "She's probably going to greet one of her customers. Being one of the highest ranked prostitutes, she's far more flamboyant than a lot of other people here."
"Is that your wife?! is that beauty your wife?! She's too muuch!" screeched Zenitsu, jumping up and snatching Tengen's collar and shaking him a little, much to the Hashira's annoyance. "Are all three of your wives this beautiful?!"
"She's not my wife, dumbass! You'll know because their names are on the list!" shouted Tengen as he smacked Zenitsu in the jaw to get the boy off of him, with Inosuke only barely listening as he watched the Oiran Parade pass them by.
While Tengen and Zenitsu had another one of their little altercations, and Inosuke hardly paid any attention to them, a random man had walked up behind Inosuke and closely observed him with narrow eyes. After coming to an unseen conclusion while looking over Inosuke, he then made himself known to Tengen by covering his mouth with his fist and coughing.
"Excuse me, sir. I'd like to take this girl in. Is that acceptable?" he asked while pointing at Inosuke, drawing the young slayer's attention to him and bringing back Tengen's cover personality. "I'm part of the Ogimoto House, and my eyes don't deceive me with this one."
"Oh, you're from the Ogimoto House! By all means, go right ahead!"
The man laughed and retrieved the amount that Tengen asked for when the agreement was made from his purse, handing it over to the Hashira before taking Inosuke and walking off with him once the parade had gone.
"Thanks for your patronage! Be well, Inoko!" Tengen called as they left, clapping his hands together and maintaining his smile until it was just him and Zenitsu left. Once that happened Tengen dropped his cover again and stared blankly at Zenitsu, the yellow-haired slayer returning the gesture for a brief second before realizing he was the only one left in their group. Luckily for the two of them, Tengen was able to find a representative of their last target household relatively close by and was successful in selling off Zenitsu to him. Once that had been taken care of, the Sound Hashira made a quick escape and took to the rooftops in order to survey the area.
"Now I just have to wait and watch...if those three do their jobs and locate my wives, then we can locate the demon residing here and execute it." Tengen thought as he squatted on the roof tiles of one of the buildings, sighing a bit. "I just hope that the demon, whoever it is, hasn't already found them out…"
"We'll stop here for the moment and wait for a while, Kanao." Shinobu said once the pair arrived on a small hill overlooking the infamous Red Light District. "Usui-san, Aoi, Zenitsu and Inosuke must already be inside the district, since I haven't seen them walk in."
Kanao nodded her head as she relaxed somewhat, letting out a slow breath and sitting down on the soft grass below her. She slid her katana out of the sheath and gave it a once over, making sure the blade was still clean, while Shinobu remained standing with her eyes firmly set on the buildings ahead of them. With the sun fully set and the moon starting to rise, the notable red glow of the lanterns that dominated this section of the city was beginning to appear, growing stronger each passing second.
Shinobu herself did have some doubts about the validity of a demon being present, but she couldn't deny it was the perfect hiding place because of the heavy concentration of people that go to and from the Red Light District daily. They could easily blend in with the nightlife and feast on the people as they went about their business, either drinking or seeing prostitutes, either one.
"And then there's Tanjirō...would he come to a place like this? If so, what would he even be doing here?" Shinobu thought to herself, her gaze steady for a few moments before she turned around and walked towards a nearby tree. She then squatted and removed Nezuko's box from her shoulders, smiling softly as she then opened the door and peeked inside at the pink eyes staring back at her. "It's night time now, you can come out to stretch if you wish, Nezuko~"
"Mmph...mhmn." Nezuko responded as she crawled out and grew to her normal size, grunting slightly as she stretched her arms high up over her head after travelling in the box and napping to restore her strength.
Nezuko had slept for a great deal of time during the six months since her brother's kidnapping after the train incident, so any naps or sleep she had afterwards were merely supplemental in regaining her strength. Seeing her sleep so much made Shinobu realize again just how much of a unique individual she was, and she was further intrigued by how Tanjirō was able to maintain his strength as a demon outside of sleep.
"It's all the more reason to get him back, because if he does become an enemy, he'll be a powerful foe...and then...he…" thought Shinobu, delving into her thoughts, before she was pulled back out of them by something tugging on her sleeve.
Shinobu looked down and found Nezuko gripping her right haori sleeve and gazing up at her with upturned eyebrows, her expression of worry going straight through to the Hashira's heart and warming her instantly. She smiled softly at the little girl and was reminded of the earrings she now wore when a soft breeze blew past them and through the trees.
"I'm okay, Nezuko...I was just thinking of things." Shinobu said, Nezuko letting go of her sleeve and motioning to the tree.
"Mmpnh." murmured Nezuko, with Shinobu looking to the tree and wondering what she meant.
"I know what she's trying to say...I think she wants you to rest, Kochō-sama."
Shinobu's eyes widened when Kanao had suddenly spoken up, breaking her usual silent nature and glancing up at her from where she was sitting in the grass. Kanao then stood up and dusted herself for a moment, then sheathed her katana and nodded at Shinobu before motioning towards the Red Light District.
"I can keep an eye on the city, and you can get some rest."
"Are you sure, Kanao? I can-"
"It's okay, I'm capable. Besides...I'm sure you have a lot on your mind."
Kanao gave Shinobu one of her own warm smiles before stepping away, ending their discussion right there with no room for the latter to say anything else back to her Tsuguko. For a couple of moments, Shinobu was left speechless. She was used to Kanao being silent and hardly saying anything, using her coin most of the time to make decisions, but now she was actually being vocal about what she thought? What had happened to her Tsuguko?
Then it hit her, the realization of what the cause was for Kanao's change. She smiled to herself and pat Nezuko on the head again before walking to the tree and removing her sword from her belt, resting it against the tree trunk before taking a seat herself and leaning back against it. In that moment she felt her own tiredness come onto her and she yawned, realizing just how much she had been pushing herself both physically and mentally.
"Maybe a nap wouldn't be that bad of an idea…" Shinobu mentally told herself as she closed her eyes, resting her hands in her lap.
In a few seconds of time she was sound asleep, silently snoring with an observant Nezuko sitting down next to her as her little guardian. Kanao glanced back and smiled softly at the two of them, before returning her attention to the Red Light District. Somewhere inside of those debauchery laden walls, Aoi was in there risking her life with Zenitsu and Inosuke to discover the whereabouts of a suspected demon.
Knowing she was in there with that kind of backup, which included another Hashira, brought her some solace. But it was knowing that she or Shinobu weren't there with her at the same time that still made her worry for Aoi's safety. Deep down, she hoped that there was no demon there, and that Tengen would allow Aoi to return home where she belonged.
Then they could focus their attention on what really mattered, which was finding and bringing Tanjirō back. Not only for herself, and his friends, but for Shinobu primarily. After experiencing a change in how she interacted with others when he had done that coin flip for her, she started to recognize just how much he meant to Shinobu, which was exemplified even more in the six months he had been gone. She had her suspicions, but once she saw her wearing Tanjirō's hanafuda earrings, Kanao knew something had to be up.
Maintaining her respect for the Insect Hashira though, she kept her thoughts to herself despite her suspicions and chose for herself, without her coin, to wait until she could see for herself if there was any merit to those thoughts.
"Where are you, Tanjirō-san...where…" Kanao thought, her hand coming up to rest on the hilt of her sword. "Will you come here…?"
Within the Ogimoto House, Inosuke was inside one of the rooms with two women of the home who were fawning over his appearance when they had cleaned off the makeup he had begrudgingly allowed to be put on him by Aoi. He didn't really care what was going on, and he wanted nothing more than to remove the restrictive clothing that he had on, but even he knew that he'd be jeopardizing the mission by acting on his instincts.
"I'm gonna educate her hard! She's gonna be more popular than the Kyōgōku House's Warabihime and the Tokito House's Koinatsu! I swear it!" declared one of the women as she stood up and thrust her fist into the air, the other one by Inosuke smiling cheerfully at her.
They then helped Inosuke to her feet and walked her out of the room.
"Isn't this girl stiff for some reason though? A soft and fleshy girl would be so much better!" remarked the same woman, the other woman frowning slightly and nodding.
"Mhm...she's more stiff than plump, yeah…"
"Stiff?! Stiff?! If only I could break cover, I'd punch both of you!" Inosuke thought as he kept himself in check, refusing to growl in the company of the two. "I still have to find that geezer's wife here still...wherever the hell she could be…"
At the same time, in the Kyōgoku House where Zenitsu had been given, he was in the process of furiously playing a Shamisen with an expression on his face hot enough to melt ice from how angry he was. What's more, is that despite his expression and his lack of beauty command to the other women, he was playing the instrument practically flawlessly, even though it looked like he could break it at any moment.
The other girls in the room with her who were also playing their own Shamisens were shocked by her playing ability, with a couple of them whispering to themselves about Zenitsu's exceptional hearing and his ugliness. They thought that was why he looked so angry, that his appearance just wasn't up to par like the other women there, but another woman in the room actually had something else to add to the pot.
"I heard that the guy who brought her over was super nice. Not bad looking too...long silvery white hair, and good looking eyes." she said with a tiny smirk after blowing some smoke out, her pipe lowering a bit.
"Really? I wish I could've seen him!" remarked another girl as Zenitsu continued to furiously play.
"I understand her, I can feel her fighting spirit. I can see that she wants to have payback against the guy who abandoned her."
"I...Is that so…"
Zenitsu's teeth ground together even more and his left eyebrow twitched a little when he played even harder, a replay of the events that occurred prior to his entrance into the home going around and around in his mind.
"She's just a random good for nothing. Clean the bathrooms?! I'll make that bastard pay…! I'll definitely become the greatest damn Oiran in Yoshiwaraaaa!" Zenitsu thought furiously as he imagined himself socking Tengen in the jaw, which only fueled his fire even more.
Compared to him, like Inosuke in the first house, at the Tokito House, Aoi was in the process of folding some towels in one of the inner rooms with a slight smile on her face because of the warm reception that she had gotten upon entering. She had quickly found out that this house, despite being one for Prostitutes, was full of smiling faces and good manners, which she was hardly expecting at all in a place like the Red Light District. For the first time during this mission, aside from when she was in close proximity with Zenitsu, Inosuke and Tengen, she felt secure.
"Maybe this won't be too bad...I don't think a demon could be in this place, or something would be fishy…" she thought to herself as she placed a neatly folded towel on top of a stack of four next to her. "And besides, if I remember correctly, the other two houses should be within a relatively short distance, and that Hashira will be moving around on the rooftops between us. Everything will be okay...I hope…"
"Ah, Aoi-chan, excuse me. Am I disturbing you?" asked a woman who approached the doorway Aoi was sitting next to, the young girl lifting her gaze up to her.
"Not at all, what's the problem?" Aoi responded back while pausing in her towel folding.
"Could you carry some of these gifts for Koinatsu-Oiran's room? We don't seem to have enough helpers to get all of them…"
"Oh, sure. i can grab a few."
"Thank you very much! I'll try to find another person to take the rest of them after you."
The woman smiled gladly at Aoi before departing from the room, Aoi glancing at the pile of packages and boxes close by to her and murmured under her breath about what all of those gifts could contain. She finished folding the towel she was working on and stood up, dusting herself off a little before taking some of the packages into her arms, as much as she could carry, and went to find her way to Koinatsu's room.
She faintly remembered where it was during the tour she was taken on upon coming to the house, so once she got started she should be able find her way. As she walked by some open windows along the left wall of the hallway, something seemed to flicker just out of the corner of the eye.
"What was…" Aoi murmured as she paused and looked outside, seeing nothing but the clear night sky above the rooftops of the buildings next door. "It may have just been Uzui-san..."
She continued on her way and recognized where she was, soon finding the entrance to the Oiran's room, where sitting outside on their knees were two small girls whispering to one another in voices just louder enough for Aoi to hear.
'I heard that the hostess of the Kyōgōku House fell from a window and died. It's really frightening...we should be more careful from now on."
"There are a lot of ladies who 'lose their footing' and disappear...it's really scary…"
Aoi blinked as she walked up to them and grabbed their attention, the two girls stopping their conversation to give her warm smiles as she set the packages down.
"Hello Aoi-chan! Are those packages for Koinatsu-Oiran?" one girl asked while pointing at them.
"Yes, they're all for her. There's more that should be on their way soon. But what was it that you were talking about?" Aoi asked after sitting down across from the girls. "What do you mean by 'lose their footing?' Does it mean they had an accident?"
"Ah, so when we say 'lose your footing', it means running away from here without paying your debts. And if they find you, bad things will happen." replied the second girl before the first could respond to her question.
"Oh...I see…"
"They say some also ran away with their loved ones. Even a few days ago, Suma-Oiran..."
Immediately Aoi's interest shifted from mild intrigue to peaked interest at the mentioning of one of the three wives they were searching for. Her expression immediately turned serious and she was about to ask the two of them if they knew anything about Suma, before the doors of Koinatsu's room slid open, the Oiran herself poking her head out with a soft concerned look on her face.
"Stop spreading those kinds of rumors, you two...nobody really knows whether they really ran away or not." Koinatsu said, Aoi's eyes widening at the beautiful young woman who had appeared to them.
She was taken aback by how pretty Koinatsu was, with the young girl even forgetting momentarily that she was supposed to be a high-class prostitute in the Red Light District. If she didn't know that already, she most certainly would have thought she was nobility or some wealthy merchant's daughter.
Once the smaller girls had been properly reprimanded by the Oiran's soft words of discouragement, she turned her attention to Aoi and the gifts that were sitting beside her room doors. Aoi, still struck by her beauty, shook herself back awake to her senses and blushed slightly before bowing to Koinatsu as a show of respect for her position..
"Thank you for carrying these. Come here, come here." Koinatsu said while beckoning Aoi to her. She pulled out something wrapped in brown parchment from her robes and opened it up once Aoi approached her, revealing brightly colored spherical candies. "I'll give you some candy, just be sure to eat it alone in secret, okay?"
Koinatsu winked at her and Aoi's cheeks turned a little more red after taking the candy from her, something that made the other two girls swarm Koinatsu and plead with her for some candy of their own. She tried to dissuade them by saying they had some earlier, which only made them want it from her more because it had been a while since they last had some of her candy.
Aoi held the candy piece that she had in her hands for a few moments before stowing it away and raising one hand up in order to address the Oiran, her awe being pushed to the side for what really mattered at that moment, information.
"Uhm, Koinatsu-Oiran...did Suma-Oiran 'lose her footing'...?" Aoi asked in a somewhat shy manner, the name bringing Koinatsu's soft gaze to her and only causing her to become worried again.
"Why are you asking me that…?" Koinatsu asked of Aoi, a hint of intrigue in her gaze.
"Geh, she's being vigilant...but I have to ask her about this, so...mngh…" Aoi thought, her mind racing for as quick of an answer as she could give before she cleared her throat to make it seem more natural. "A-Ah, that's because she's my big sister."
"Oh dear, really…? Is that why you wanted to come here to this house?"
"Y...Yes. We were constantly exchanging letters back and forth, so it's surprising to hear she lost her footing...I got curious is all."
"To tell you the truth...I honestly never thought Suma-chan would lose her footing either. She was a very gutsy girl." explained Koinatsu, her gaze drifting off to the side with the same worried expression. "She never acted conceited with the boys. But then we found her diary...and she said that she lost her footing in it. I haven't heard anything of her getting caught, so it'd be nice if she managed to escape…"
Aoi pursed her lips lightly and delved into her thoughts again, the phrase "losing your footing" playing itself over a few times in her head. She could tell that it was a serious thing for this kind of business, especially if the consequences that one of the younger girls mentioned were very real for the women if they were caught. At the same time though, it was easily a perfect cover story for any kind of demon with half a brain to use to hide their activities in a place like the Red Light District.
When one person disappears, most likely used as food to satisfy the demon's hunger, all that needed to be done was to say they lost their footing, and that would be the end of it. No investigation, no search party, unless of course said person lost was important, and eventually no conclusion. They just ran away and managed to never be found.
"It's all too convenient...the diary had to have been a false lead planted by a demon to ward off any potential investigators to the disappearance. I'm going to have to get this to Uzui-san somehow…" Aoi thought, her eyes looking down at her feet. "I hope that Suma-san herself is safe as well...if she really did end up getting caught, we'll have to try and find her!"
As each person in their respective house began their own miniature investigations when they could, with Tengen acting as overwatch from the roofs of the Red Light District after changing back into his Demon Slayer Corps uniform, and Shinobu and Kanao were camped outside the city limits, all of them were unaware on an unseen third party that had entered the playing field. Aoi had in fact seen them earlier by chance as she was delivering Koinatsu's presents to her room, only managing to catch the slightest glimpse of them out of the corner of her eye.
Tanjirō, with a black travelling cloak and hood up over his checkered green haori, hoisted himself up to the peak of the roof and squatted down, a hand on the hilt of his sword. He had arrived at the city just a couple minutes before and had spent that time surveying the entire district, analyzing each road and walkway to give him the lay of the land. His last stop had been here, the tallest point in the Red Light District, because from there he could see over the entire area with little to no trouble.
In his quick survey of the buildings and roads, he happened to spot Tengen, who he presumed to be a Hashira based on the way he carried himself and the general vibe that he gave off, which made him remember to keep his distance from him for as long as possible. Tanjirō figured he was there for the same reason he was, to locate the demon that was using Japan's center of debauchery as its home. He also knew one thing that he was certain Tengen did not, that it was not just some above average demon who resided here. It was an Upper Moon demon that resided in this city, and it was his job to seek them out.
"You will be searching for a demon who goes by the name of Warabihime in the Red Light District, but do not be fooled. She is the host of her brother, who she shares the rank of Upper Moon Six with." Tanjirō remembered Muzan telling him before he departed for Yoshiwara from the Infinity Fortress. "Strike when you think it is right to do so. They will most certainly be your toughest challenge yet, so I expect nothing less than success."
Tanjirō pulled his black reflective blade out from its sheath and glanced down at the exposed metal, the moonlight and ambient glow of the city giving him enough light to see his eyes staring back at him. He blinked once, before closing his eyes fully and sheathing the blade as he stood up and rested his hand again on the hilt.
He then turned his head and opened his eyes on a building larger than those around it down one of the roads to his left a half mile away, the location of his target that he learned from the people in the streets. That was where he was going to strike, when he figured the Upper Moon would least expect it. Until that time came, however, he will rest. Tanjirō knew he'd be needing every ounce of strength he had if he was going to fight an Upper Moon.
^ One Day Later ^
Tengen squatted motionless on top of a building just across from the Ogimoto House, his keen-eyed gaze keeping tabs on every single person that walked by, into, and out of the prostitute establishment. He hadn't heard anything from his three spies over the course of the single day they had been in the Red Light District, but he had no reason to be worried yet.
He had caught glimpses of all three at a few times during their investigation, so they thankfully hadn't been discovered yet. Tengen also knew that if they had anything to tell him, then all they had to do was find a way to signal to him and he'd discreetly come to them in order to hear what they had.
"Nothing's out of the ordinary today...not yet, at least. Seems like this demon is exceptionally good at covering their tracks. One thing is for certain though, this bad feeling of mine that I've had since coming here has yet to go away…" Tengen thought while scratching his chin somewhat, his eyes spotting a particularly unique looking individual and prompting him to follow them for a few seconds. "A bad feeling, coupled with practically no trace of a demon anywhere...could it be an Upper Moon? If that's the case...we may end up flamboyantly killing each other."
Tengen waited another minute or two before he then left the Ogimoto House behind in order to go to the next stop on his route through the district. Inside the establishment himself, the still somewhat ticked off Inosuke peered around a corner down another hallway where he was overhearing two attendants of the home talking to one another alone.
"I wonder if Makio-san is okay...she locked herself in her room and hasn't come out." said one of the women with a concerned expression, the other woman nodding her head in agreement.
"Didn't she say she was feeling ill? I'm surprised she hasn't come out yet and sought out a doctor…"
"Hopefully the food I brought her a minute ago will do her some good, she has to come out and eat at some point."
Inosuke pulled his head back from the corner once the two women began walking away, his eyes narrowing slightly as he went over what he had just heard in his head. Makio was definitely the name of one of Tengen's wives, and that if she wasn't feeling good, that could be why she stopped making contact with the Hashira.
He resolved to go check her room out, since he knew where it was, and began walking in that direction as quick as he could. Inosuke growled to himself at the uncomfortable hot and restrictive feeling that the woman's clothes he was wearing gave him, the heavy fabric even dulling his senses to the point where he felt practically blind. Being inside and prevented from speaking only added to his frustration, since he couldn't ask any of the people inside from information, limiting him to snooping around and attempting to see or hear things.
"I hope that this will actually give me something to work with, or I'm going to go insane!" Inosuke thought to himself, his teeth grinding together somewhat as he made his way to Makio's room.
Little did he know that within Makio's room itself, something terrible was occurring beyond the wooden doors that gave off the appearance of normalcy within the home. Inside the room had been turned practically upside down, with gash marks in the walls and the floors, broken plates, and a futon that was tattered and left in pieces. Filling the room were dozens of strands of what seemed to be brightly colored green, black, white and pink sashes, with several flower patterns emblazoned across them. What these independent sashes held in their firm grasp near the center of the room was a woman with black hair that had lighter brown bangs framing her face.
Both arms, both legs, and her mouth were bound by the sash, preventing her from escaping so that she could be interrogated by a lone mouth present on one of the sashes. The woman narrowed her eyes when the mouth smirked at her, the tightness of the sashes around her limbs increasing just a little bit more to make her grunt in pain.
"Now, answer me. Just who exactly were you sending those letters to?" asked the mouth in a female voice, the woman grunting again and refusing to say a word to it, even when she felt the sash's grip tighten more. "It's pointless to play these games with me...you will answer me, Makio!"
Makio winced a little and closed her right eye when blood from a cut above it dripped down onto her eyelid, her sweat mixing with it as she attempted to keep herself composed under pressure. She couldn't risk giving up everything that she knew, even if she could feel the overwhelming bloodlust of the demon coming from the sashes binding her.
It hurt to breathe from how tightly the sash wrapped around her abdomen was squeezing her, but she had been through far tougher things. What's more, the thought of betraying Tengen was a far worse reality than being caught in the clutches of a demon.
"Someone's coming again. The Ogimoto House is such a meddlesome bunch…" muttered the mouth as Makio was then hoisted off her feet, the sashes pulling her up towards the missing ceiling boards from which they were coming from. "If you make any noise, I'll crush your innards!"
Outside just around the corner where the doors were, Inosuke was crouched down with just his face peeking around the corner, his gaze firmly set on the twin doors where a tray of warm soup had been placed.
He waited silently for a few moments to see if anything happened, but when nothing came, he frowned somewhat and felt the air shift around him in such a way that it gave him a funny feeling in the pit of his stomach. It was as if someone was holding him upside down and the blood was rushing to his head, a feeling that made him feel a little dizzy.
"Weird. This feels really weird. Is she in a bad situation right now? It's practically impossible to tell…" he thought, his body tensing up slightly before the air shifted again and he sensed the feeling of dread that was always present when a demon was near.
In a flash he sprinted out from his hiding spot and ran to the doors, his hand gripping one of the circular inset handles and yanking the door off to the right as hard as he could. Inside he was met with a ramshackled room that easily showed the signs of a struggle, but not a single person in sight.
"There's wind, but the windows aren't open." Inosuke told himself, his eyes surveying the space, before they darted straight upward when he caust one of the wooden tiles moving ever so slightly. "The ceiling! It has to be a demon!"
Reacting purely on instinct and adrenaline alone, Inosuke quickly grabbed the bowl of soup on the ground outside the room and hurled it at the ceiling while yellowing out he knew the demon was there. The hard wooden bowl failed to make a dent in the ceiling, shattering on impact, but the reaction alone was enough to confirm Inosuke's suspicions.
A sound akin to a heavy snake slithering across wood echoed out from the ceiling, sending jitters running up and down Inosuke's spine, before it made its way out of the room and outside through the connected ceiling layout of the house.
"You're not getting away from me!" shouted Inosuke again as he gave chase after the concealed demon.
Meanwhile, at the Kyōgōku House, Zenitsu was slowly walking down one of the hallways with a slightly dejected look on his face while the prettier girls of the house passed him by. He sighed a little bit and lowered his head, shaking it side to side.
"I somehow lost sight of myself...I was supposed to look for Uzui-san's wife Hinatsuru, but I can't do much about being really good at playing the Shamisen and the Koto." he told himself as he walked, shrugging a little at the same time. Now was the perfect time to do some snooping around since he had calmed down from earlier, but that didn't mean he was excited about it. "I've been listening, but I haven't heard anything about Hinatsuru-san yet. I also heard about the Hostess dying two days ago or something. So everyone here is feeling all gloomy. Nobody's talking all that much."
After taking a few more steps he sighed and thought to try again with his enhanced hearing, the yellow-haired slayer closing his eyes and holding a hand up to his ear in order to focus solely on that sense alone. He could hear the various conversations taking place throughout the household, from talks about hunger and dressing up to being late.
It all sounded perfectly normal and boring, until he heard the sound of a girl crying somewhere nearby. Almost instantly the white knight living dormant inside of him roared to life and he took off towards the sound of the crying, eventually coming to a girl with frazzled hair sitting on the ground in the middle of a messy room with her hands covering her face.
"What...What happened to this room?! It's all messed up!" shouted Zenitsu, the girl gasping and removing her hands from her face to reveal a bruised cheek and some blood dripping from her mouth. At that moment Zenitsu's shock went from the room to the girl, his voice stuttering several times as he tried to get out what he wanted to get out. "A f-f-fight?! Did you fight?! Are you okay!?"
The girl stared at Zenitsu for a few seconds before burying her face back into her hands to resume crying, causing Zenitsu to rush to her side and try to calm her down. He asked her if she was worried about something or if there had been someone who did this to her in the house, but those questions were stopped when a presence came up behind him.
He didn't even need to see who it was for his exceptional hearing to tell him exactly who it was. It was no human being standing behind him, whoever it was. The sound he heard coming from the figure was that of a demon, through and through. And it wasn't just any other demon either, the sound he heard was so unbelievably unnerving that his face turned white and he was rendered practically paralyzed.
The figure in question behind him was a young woman with her rich black hair held back by various ornamental pins and combs like an Oiran, with a layered kimono that had various flower patterns on it and a uniquely stylized obi.
"What're you doing in someone else's room?" asked the woman, her eyes piercing through the back of Zenitsu's head with such an intense gaze, even the slayer could feel it.
"A demon is behind me right now. I didn't even notice it until she was right behind me and spoke up." Zenitsu thought, the hand he had outstretched towards the crying girl shaking tremendously, even more than when he usually would get scared. "Is...is this an Upper Moon? This sound is unlike anything I've ever heard before. It's terrible, but so quiet it actually frightens me."
"Hey, are you deaf? I asked you a question." hissed the woman, her eyes narrowing as she looked down at the shivering Zenitsu.
"W...Warabihime-Oiran...t-that's the girl who came in yesterday, s-so…"
The woman turned her head and saw two other trembling girls standing just outside of the room, their faces filled with terror at the Oiran's attitude, something which made the Oiran's veins bulge out even more as she glared at them. That alone was enough to make them squeal and apologize for barging in before running off, leaving her alone with Zenitsu and the crying girl once again.
"The room was a complete mess and there was a girl crying-" uttered Zenitsu, managing to find the courage to speak up to Warabihime. He was only met with a disgusted gaze from who he thought was a disguised demon, the woman lifting her upper lip and even leaning back somewhat as if he were the ugliest thing alive.
"You're so unsightly. You're going to make me barf...wouldn't the world be better off if you just died?" she replied, causing an arrow of pain to shoot through Zenitsu's heart and render him speechless. The Oiran then turned her attention to the crying girl and crouched down, furrowing her brow at her. "True, this room is a total mess right now, and I told this girl here to clean it up."
Right before Zenitsu's eyes the Oiran then gripped the girl's right ear harshly, pulling on it enough to lift her up slightly off the ground and cause her to squeal in pain. Zenitsu's heart skipped a beat from seeing the girl in pain and he instantly wanted to act, but again the terror he felt from the supposed demon right there next to him prevented him from doing anything.
"Shut the hell up! Don't just scream, clean the goddamn room!" roared Warabihime as she pulled harder on her ear, her strength enough to actually make her start bleeding.
"I will, I will! I promise I'll clean the room, I'm sorry!"
Zenitsu was about to interject and act, before he froze up yet again when a fourth presence appeared in the room, his head turning slightly to see a person wearing a black cloak that reached down to their ankles, a hood covering most of their head and face. Without him seeing it, the sound of a sword being pushed out slightly from its sheath echoed out from beneath the cloak, drawing Warabihime's attention to the figure and away from the girl.
She didn't need to ask who the person was or why they were there, that sound alone was enough to tell her why. It was a sound she had heard many times before, across dozens of years and an even greater amount of experiences.
At that moment, nothing happened. Warabihime had let go of the girl's ear, her sobbing the only sound in the room. Then there was the softest of breaths, before the figure then spoke.
"Tsuki no kokyū, Ichi no kata: Yamizuki - Yoi no miya."
A/N I LIIIIIIIIIVE HAHAHA. I was able to finish and submit my Thesis, and have been done for a few days now from school for the semester! Thank G O D. I took these past few days to unwind a bit and to work up this chapter for you, which I'm uploading now! I've been looking forward to this chapter, especially because of what's about to happen! From that cliffhanger at the end, I'm sure a lot of you know shit is about to go down.
Anyways, don't have much to say outside of i hope to fucking god my Thesis is good enough. 50 pages of my life, written up for my Senior History Thesis. u g h.
Leave a favorite and a follow, and a review telling me what you think! I'll be seeing you guys in the next chapter, where things in this arc get cranked up to ELEVEN! :DDD
Translation(s):
Tsuki no kokyū, Ichi no kata: Yamizuki - Yoi no miya
- Moon Breathing, First Form: Dark Moon - Evening Palace