Taisho Era Mischief 4

(Okay, I actually managed to bring some type of sense to this. No need to wait for a month. Enjoy.)

"Really now? He was right there but didn't recognize you? That really sounds disheartening." Shinobu was putting some mix together and getting ready to inject it into her fellow Hashira while he gave her more details on that mission, and she agreed that there had to be foul play at hand. "Koujo was usually so expressive, but you said he was just… too calm. Something does sound off but I'm not sure what it could be." She held her chin in thought to consider all the options that it could've been, and injected something into Jikon's sore leg like it was nothing.

"It has to be a blood demon art. There's no other way that they'd have him." He pulled out a scalpel with modifications to half serve as a needle. "That's why I'm glad I got this. A sample of blood from Carmen."

Now Shinobu raised a brow. She'd never been familiar with names but that one was obviously foreign so it raised the question. "Who's Carmen?" Her tone was soft as usual but once she saw how Jikon looked… embarrassed for a moment she only started getting a bit annoyed. "Jikon. Who is Carmen?"

"I don't- I'm not sure who she was, but I think she's the one who put my brother under her control." He racked his brain together to bring back every detail from the fight last month. "She was like a demon but she couldn't heal very well. I don't know what blood demon art she could've had, but she was controlling fire and sending out explosions." He started relaxing a bit once the painkiller kicked in. "But she wasn't indestructible, and she wasn't fireproof. Once her clothes burned off she had scales like a lizard and-"

In the presence of a demon a human would feel fear, but in the presence of an angry Shinobu Kocho even the best Demon Slayers would cower in a corner from her baleful glare. "What was that? Jikon~ Are you saying you saw another woman naked?" That scalpel was being picked up menacingly.

"It was in a fight! I didn't wanna see her like that!" He didn't try to run away, an injured leg possibly a factor, and so when Shinobu approached him with an aggressive grip on that sharp tool he managed to stay calm. "Shinobu, I promise that I only love you… and maybe up to three others."

"And who would they be?" A blood vessel on her face was ready to burst and she looked like she was going to explode from that very stupid-

"Our kids."

That Hakuga charm worked wonders on even the most hostile and aggressive women, Jokan could attest to that, and Jikon using it just saved him from Shinobu's ire. Plus the image of the blushing Insect Hashira burned into his mind and wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

"You- That's- I'm- Ugh." She lost her murderous aura and instead made her flustered noises at his sudden sweet words. "I still don't appreciate the idea of you seeing another woman like that." The Insect Hashira was crossing her arms with that scalpel still on full display.

"Well… I wanna make it up to you, I don't think I did anything wrong but if it at least makes you feel better."

She turned away from her boyf- Her boyfriend. Still strange to say. "Then… I'd like to try… Kissing." Even Shinobu could be bashful, and Jikon tabled the turns by laughing which made Shinobu give an angry pout. "It's not funny. I think- I think it's a step for us to take."

Jikon just stood up with those giggles still leaving his mouth. "I'm not laughing at you, I'm laughing at how cute you are." The younger Hashira managed to stop his laughing fit and fixed his brown hair with his left hand. "I really do love you, and if you want a kiss then you have it."

Fluttering. Her heart was fluttering from the sight of a boy so handsome, but also one that cared for her so much. That fluttery feeling was getting even stronger when he softly held her chin and brought his face to hers, she was ready but that doesn't mean she was expecting it so suddenly. A peck by all means but a kiss nonetheless. Jikon just kissed her right on the lips and brought his face away.

That short contact left them both flushed but Shinobu was definitely feeling the effect of the sudden display more. Her heart felt like it could leap out of her chest and she felt like walking on the clouds. Happy. She felt really really happy and almost nothing could take that away from her. The feelings that Jikon left her with just from a simple peck like that were amazing on their own… but could it be better.

"I don't forgive you yet."

"Hm?"

This time she grabbed the sides of his face and brought him back down, planting a kiss on his lips. But now… there was more depth to it, her soft lips mingled with his with more desire. At first he hesitated, but then his arms went around the small of her back and he returned the kiss. Their mouths weren't fighting, this was an equal dance of passion that they both enjoyed.

His relaxed expression started changing once a strange taste slowly hit his tongue, but that was overshadowed by the growing feelings in his chest. The gentle feeling of Shinobu's lips meeting and moving around his own was igniting a flame in his heart. Jikon would take on an army from this happiness alone. All good things have to end, but really they needed air to function and finally broke their kiss. A hazy look on both their faces.

The two of them were slightly panting to get their breath back. "Do you forgive me? Or do we need to do that again?" As flushed as he was he managed to smile again. "I'm fine if you don't forgive me."

"I think I do… for now." They let go of one another but Jikon finally noticed what that taste was… and it made absolutely no sense at all.

"Uhm, Shinobu?" The way she cocked her head was so adorable but this was a serious question. "Why do you taste like wisteria?"

Oh. She didn't think about that minor piece of information did she? Well… He deserves to know. "Remember what I told you about my sister? And how she was killed by a powerful demon?"

"Of course I do." It was listening to the story that got them together in the first place. Him not remembering it would be a slap in her face.

"Then you should know that I fully intend on killing him. I'm not sure if it'll work, but I plan on letting him devour me so that the wisteria poison in my blood will kill him."

Jikon's eyes widened once his mind caught that last part. "Let- You want him- Eat- You want a demon to eat you." His chest started hurting and his hand clutched the fabric over it.

"Master Oyakata approved of the idea. I've already told Kanao about-"

"No."

She turned back to him and saw that he looked stressed beyond all reason. His hand was clenched over his heart and his breath was coming in heaves. "No! I'm not letting you kill yourself for revenge! There has to be a better way!" His eyes burned hot with tears threatening to fall, but he just found out that the woman he loved was more than ready to die just to avenge her sister. "That's not fair to Kanao. Naho, Kiyo, or Sumi. It's not fair to any of us that care about you! Please… find a better way."

'Is… Is it really that selfish?' She knew exactly what she wanted and had a set plan… But with everything that's been going on and all these new additions to her daily life, could she really act like she had nothing to lose? "I can't promise that. If there's a better way that guarantees the death of the demon, then I'll take it. But for now this is the best way."

Logical. Clear cut. He couldn't complain about that. As much as it hurts, he couldn't just forbid her from making her own choices. He wouldn't be any type of real man if he started dictating what she could and couldn't do just because he didn't like it, even if her own life was at risk. "Okay." He looked a lot more calm but it was still under the surface. He walked out of the room and headed towards Tanjiro's with a much more relaxed aura around him. 'I'll find a way that's better. I won't let anyone else I care about die.'

Ami remembered a really hard fight that took everything out of her… then it took some more! Only awake for two days now but things were fresh in her mind, plus the bandages and medicine were a reminder of the fight. She was laying in the bed with the Bug Pillar finishing some type of examination on her. Not that she understood any of what she actually did, especially the parts that really had to get personal. She was the best queen and she'd tough through any test that Bug lady had for her!

"Ami. Are you calling me Bug lady in your head again?"

That smile looked like it wasn't a very happy one, and Ami's gut was telling her that giving the truth would keep her from regretting it. "Uh… I was." A girl Ami's size being scared of someone Kocho's size was an odd sight. "But it's not in a bad way! You're the Bug Pillar cause you're super fast and smart!" Well at least she meant it in an endearing way.

Shinobu decided to let it go this time. Especially since there was some very good news to give, and some quick lessons too. "Ami, do you know where babies come from?" A simple question that she expected the girl to know.

"Uh… My mom told me that ladies make them, but she didn't tell me how. Why?"

Ah the fun part of this. "Well I'll teach you then! You see, when a man and a woman love each other-"

"Oh like me and Genya! My mom told me this part already."

"But do you know what actually creates a baby? What do you know about that part of this lesson?"

Ami sat up… and said nothing. She knew what the stuff she and Genya did was, but had no idea how a baby mixed in with all this. "The- Uh… I dunno. Can ya tell me? Cause I got nothing." She was clueless despite being a girl who wasn't dumb… usually.

"Well you see, through a very specific process that you probably won't pay much attention to- We as humans can make more humans through… Sexual intercourse!" Now the Insect Hashira looked positively excited but not because of the topic, instead she was excited because of the news. "As of now, Ami Kumagai, you're about six months into pregnancy."

…

…

"I'm… I'm gonna be a mom."

Not a question, a statement. The realization sunk into her head and she rolled the blanket down to look at her stomach and see that it was bigger… Like, would greatly slow her down, bigger. That was a sign in its own that Kocho was telling the whole truth, and that she really was going to be a mom. She started crying out of happiness and nobody would take that from her.

"Congratulations! I'll have to find Shinazugawa and congratulate him as well!"

"The fuck're you congratulating me for Kocho?" A tall and scarred man came into the room at the mention of his name, but with that shirt exposing his muscular and scarred chest he definitely wasn't who Shinobu was talking about. Then the man paid some attention to the bandaged girl and grimaced at her condition. "The hell happened to this bear brat? Wait… you're the one that's been around my brother recently aren't you?" Now he looked even more volatile, if that were somehow possible.

"You're Genya's brother?! Oh that's so cool!" Ami wiped her face to clear up her vision and get a good look at her brother in law. "That means you can babysit."

The fuck did she just say? "Babysit? I think you've got me crossed with someone else. I don't watch any punk ass kids." Sanemi Shinazugawa was not a babysitter.

"This one's gonna be your family though!"

He looked to the other Hashira in the room wanting some answers. "Kocho, what the hell is she talking about?"

Now Shinobu held the cards and she could use them to have all the fun she wanted. Payback for his excessive cruelty towards her now boyfriend and his friend. "Well as I just told Ami, she's going to be a mother in some odd months."

"Great… what's that got to do with me and the family I don't fucking have?!" His bloodshot eyes were only getting more furious with each passing second. "Really you're both starting to piss me off!"

"That's no way to behave Shinazugawa~ Especially not when you're going to be the uncle of your brother's child in some months."

"Kocho you're really getting on my last fu-" Wait a damn second. "The hell did you just say? Cause it sounded like some bullshit that has me thinking that you're making shit up just to fuck with me."

It was so fun to hold an advantage over someone you definitely wouldn't be able to beat in an actual fight, and Shinobu loved getting to mess with people like this whenever she could. It was a little sadistic but maybe that's just who she was. "That's right! Genya and Ami are going to be parents!"

For a second all was calm. Just for a second you could hear a pin hit the floor. Eerie was the best way to describe the state of the room but it wouldn't last long. Not with Sanemi's rage reaching a boiling point.

"I'll fucking kill that little shit." He turned around with a feral smile on his face but he walked right into the path of someone who was passing by the room. "Get out of my way damn demon." He shoulder checked Rui out of his way with a real purpose to his movements. "I'll bash his fucking face in…"

The newly entered demon watched the irate Hashira walk down the hallway but just went back towards his destination without a word. That left a concerned Shinobu with an equally concerned Ami, both just concerned about the aggressive Wind Hashira that was on a path for Genya.

"Well that could have gone better~"

Ami laid back down with a hand resting on her stomach, realizing something impressive. "Hey… does that mean I was fighting back at the Red Light place with a baby in me?! I really am awesome!"

"That's actually a large part of why you're still alive, and why you should be careful." The bear girl looked confused now. "When a woman is pregnant her body creates more antibodies to fight off sickness and toxins, like the poison that the Upper Moon used. If you weren't pregnant it's safe to say that you wouldn't be here at all! But what if's don't help anyone, you're here and alive so that's all that matters!"

She'd have died if she wasn't pregnant. Putting that into consideration really brought her mood down some. 'That bony guy would've done me in if I wasn't holding a baby in me… I guess this little guy's already saving people from demons! Way to go little cub!" Small victories are what mattered at the end of the day, and not dying to the gangly demon was definitely a victory to Ami. "But what'll I name him?"

"Don't be so sure that it's a boy~ It could be a happy girl as well!"

Ami rubbed her swollen and bandaged stomach with a smile on her face. "Nah. It's a boy. I can tell with my mama bear senses!" She would've jumped out of the bed if not for the extreme pain that even attempting that much motion caused her. So she laid right back down with a groan as Shinobu giggled at her. "Something strong…"

Tanjiro was up and at it after a few days of rest. "It feels really good to walk around again. Even if I'm a lot slower…" Two months of nothing would do that to your body, so now it was time for the thing that burdened him. Every. Single. Time.

"Recovery training…" Jikon was having his arms pulled behind his back and his legs pushed apart for full motion flexibility… Gods, he hated this so much. "If I get stronger… I won't get hurt, and I won't need this again." The girls pushed a little harder and he silently cried out once they did.

Tanjiro's face was pale as he remembered the agony of this training again, but he sucked it up. 'Ow! Ow! Ow!' Legs apart. 'Hurts so bad!' Back and arms being stretched. 'This all hurts so bad! Why do I keep having to rest for so long?!' At the very least he got to spend time with the girls and Jikon. "Well- Agh! What else has been going on other than what you told me?"

Now Jikon was doing side to side jumps and showing that his leg was better than ever, even with an improper move causing the damage in the first place. "Hm. Oh! Nonoka and Yoshino went off to complete their Final Selection together."

That made Tanjiro stop registering the pain for a second. "I thought Yoshino was too weak to cut off a demon's head? Isn't it dangerous for her?"

"She started practicing with a weapon that takes a lot of skill, but it can work pretty well at taking off a demon's head."

Well at least she had some way of defending herself. Especially since Nonoka was a powerhouse on her own, but that tangent made him think about some things. "Jikon… how have you been?"

He missed a step and tripped to fall to the floor, but he rolled right up thanks to Urokodaki's training. "Me? What's that matter?"

Tanjiro's face turned gentle… even with his body in awful pain. "Your feelings matter too. A lot has been happening, and with the situation back in Yoshiwara I needed to ask."

Shit. He didn't have a response for this at the ready. "I'm- It's- Well-" He looked into Tanjiro's eyes and the pureness behind them put his mind at ease. "I'm not sure. We all nearly died thanks to Gyutaro's poison, Tengen had to retire, Koujo showed up but… even killing that Carmen lady didn't bring him back, Haia's still gone too, everything is just getting crazy."

All of his concerns were reasonable. In two months things really had progressed in a very strange direction.

"Well look on the bright side. We beat an Upper Moon demon, we're the first Demon Slayers to do that. You're a Hashira and the rest of us are catching up, so the Corps has a good future. We just have to keep our spirits up."

The young Hashira sat down and started stretching again, while taking the advice to heart of course. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Also, what's up with your scar?" He pointed right at the red marking and the girls let Tanjiro go long enough for him to put a hand on his forehead. "Yeah that scar."

"Is something wrong with it? Did Gyutaro make it worse?" He was reminded of how the gangly demon commented on the scar and offered to make him a demon just because of it, but a shake of Jikon's head told him that it couldn't be what it was.

"He never got a hit on your head, remember?" Jikon parted some of his hair and showed a jagged scar underneath his brown mane. "But my scar isn't like yours, it looks like it grew. It got bigger."

Well that didn't make sense. His scar got bigger but he never got a direct hit to the head that would make the injury worse. "How could it get bigger then?"

"Actually… I think it grew into a fire shape. Back when we were all cutting off Gyutaro's head and you screamed like a demon yourself, it turned into fire for a second."

His scar… turned into fire? That really didn't make any sense. How could a scar turn into something else entirely? These were questions that both of them had, and they should look for-

"Jikon-sensei!" Off white hair and ever closed eyes with a petite body.

"We're back!" Brown hair and blue eyes with a deceptively powerful body. Yoshino and Nonoka were back from their Final Selection with crows perched on their shoulders. "It was fun! I took down three demons that kept coming after some orange guy, but they didn't stand a chance against me!" A quick look at Nonoka would tell you that she… clearly had no trouble during her trial to become a formal Demon Slayer.

Even looking at Yoshino showed that she didn't look worse for wear herself, meaning the weapon she used managed to work just fine. On her hip was a chain that ended in a sharp tip, like a scorpion's tail. A kusari-fundo, and she used it fairly well during the week-long test to defend herself from some demons.

"I'm proud of you both. It's great that you did so well." The two girls beamed at the compliment, and even though they were three years older than him it looked like two little sisters being praised by their brother. "You two made it back pretty fast, how'd things end off when you got your nichirin ore?"

The girls blanched and looked at their alloy weapons. "…huh?" Was Nonoka's eloquent response.

Yoshino looked at her weapon- Somehow since her eyes were still closed. "Aren't these the… weapons we…" Knowing that Jikon slowly lost his smile and went blank while Tanjiro just looked nervously concerned. Now Yoshino deflated and Nonoka was just holding her practice sword with doubt in her mind.

"These aren't our real swords?"

Tanjiro just tried to calm the two down since they clearly didn't look alright. "No they're not, those are just to get you through Final Selection. Speaking of swords, I chipped mine back in Yoshiwara. I wonder if Haganezuka will be able to fix it."

Jikon averted his gaze while the butterfly girls sat beside them with rice crackers. "Oh! Mister Haganezuka sent letters for you!"

Die Die Die Die

Fuck You Fuck You Fuck You Fuck You

I have no sword for you

Go to Hell

Hate Hate Hate

You can go to Hell

Tanjiro stared at the mysteriously red ink with a distant look on his face and an equally distressed Naho beside him. "This… is not good…"

"He hasn't sent any swords here in the last two months. Haganezuka's really mad now…" The girl told him. The others started eating their rice crackers and Tanjiro looked distraught.

"But I didn't even break the sword this time… it was just chipped… But maybe it's because I broke it before?!"

One of the girls cocked her head to question that. "Well swords break all the time right? Maybe Mister Haganezuka is being unreasonable?"

The others stopped eating their rice crackers to back that idea up. "Maybe you can go ask him yourself!"

"He might be able to tell you what's wrong!" Tanjiro perked up at the idea of just asking, but he didn't exactly know how he'd do that. "The swordsmith's have a village you can visit!"

"Wait really?! I can actually go there?"

Jikon stood up and pointed at his two students. "I'll put in a word too, Yoshino and Nonoka can go with you to get their own weapons made." The two still looked bashful over their minor mistake but Tanjiro nodded and decided that he would definitely let them tag along.

"So… how do we get to the village?" That was the real question now since he'd never actually gone to or even heard of an entire village of sword makers. "There's gotta be a pretty nice trip for us right?"

The girls just ate their rice crackers with awkwardly wide eyes, and that wasn't showing that things would be fun for them in getting to the village. "Well... that's going to be something fun for you three to learn last second. I'm clear to patrol with Rui again today onwards, but good luck." And just like that Jikon walked out of the training room, pulling one of his arms in a slow stretch.

Uncomfortable. Cold and uncomfortable. Green eyes opened to see a dimly lit room in front of her, but bars stopped her from being free to explore it. She started sitting up but it was like trying to move through water with weights on her body. "Mmphm?" There was a muzzle in her mouth. 'Oh… I remember now, they tricked me into helping them.' It all was coming back and not a moment too soon since one of the men who caught her in the first place came in, the marechi surprisingly.

"Well well looks like you're finally up. You're the first female monster we've caught in a while." He looked between the bars of the cage and eyed the new catch up and down. "For a soulless demon you're not that bad looking, so at least I know your whole ability is based off seduction." Then he sat down with crossed arms and a hearty smile on his face. "We trade you things to high bidders, no problems getting you either. No demon can resist my blood and the wisteria does the rest. Nobody cares since you things aren't human." Disrespect and apathy… even though she still had emotions and feelings like him.

She was angry, bloodlusted, furious, any measure of big words that meant her blood was boiling from the anger of this disgusting- 'The wisteria… it's wearing off?' It was slowly but surely weakening its effects on her. Maybe her anger was helping? Or maybe she built a small resistance from what's-her-name's kunai back at the Red Light District? Who knows, but she was going to think outside of the box if she wanted out of this.

Haia crawled towards the now open cage door like a panther on a hunt and stopped when she was in front of the idiot thinking that this was a good idea. She moved up on her knees and pulled her outfit down around her waist, exposing her small but perky chest to the cold and gloomy air. Maybe you can make sure I go somewhere good? The unspoken message of her actions, Haia might be a cheerful and happy girl but she knew how to make things happen.

The idiot marechi didn't hesitate to open the cage and walk right into the cell. "Well if you want to get a better chance then maybe I can help you… if you'll help me like a woman should. Haven't gone to a soapland in a while."

She wasn't going to dignify that. She just slowly worked his pants down to reveal a- 'That's embarrassing.' A badly equipped man like him would definitely have to do this if he wanted this attention. 'It's probably not even a third of Koujo's… He'll come back! Somehow!' That distraction helped as she pumped the small flesh ever so gently in her hand, her strength really was coming back now. A little bit of shifting her body, and now one of her eyes had a little heart in it so she made it a point to look up and get closer to his, length wasn't a good word, lack.

The idiot marechi was fully enjoying the service already but he was after a better feeling. "Okay, I'll take this off you for a little while. Have fun." And just like that he took the muzzle laced with the literal poison to her off of her face. He really wasn't smart, but she still had to act the part and willingly brought her face closer towards the appendage. "That's it… Just what I needed." And now that his guard was down- "FUCK!" He looked down and saw his "tool" bent at a ninety degree angle.

"Oops." Haia's eyes weren't hearts now and with a lunge her teeth quickly sunk into the soft skin of his throat, ripping a chunk out faster than he could yell for help. A quick swallow and she understood that the sweet taste of his body didn't match his gross mind, and she'd rather not have too much of that inside of her. A quick creation of a fan and she chopped his head clean off, then she fixed her outfit and went through the door he came from.

'They know demons are weak to wisteria so I gotta be careful. They won't have nichirin but if they have poison like Lady Shinobu then I'm done for.' She shrunk her body and started to carefully scurry through the dark passages where she only found the occasional sleeping person… And her anger had her genuinely consider slicing them up in their sleep. 'They're kidnapping demons… but is that really bad? He said they would be slaves and that's bad, but they're Kibutsuji's demons so- Ugh!' And then her brain hatched a new idea. She went back towards the room she was held in and saw others just like it, with weakened demons behind bars.

"Hey, it's freedom time!" Haia was petite but still a demon, so when she grabbed the bars and ripped them right apart so that a demon could crawl into reach for her to take their muzzle off it wasn't a surprise.

"Don't expect a thanks, but I guess I'm glad you made this quicker for me." He was to the point but that was still gratitude whether he wanted to admit it or not. "Where's that damn marechi?"

"Dead. And if you want, there's plenty more humans."

Now he looked suspicious about why she was offering humans up to him… but he didn't care enough to ask those questions. She wanted to pass on it then it was her issue. "Fine. Just stay out of my way, girly." So now there was a demon who cared about eating people getting his chance to do it, and now Haia could focus on her escape.

Still in her smaller form, Haia navigated the dark hallways and followed the few lights through whatever she was in to find her way out silently. "There's gotta be a way out of here…" She started going up a flight of stairs but pressed against the wall when a body came tumbling down and passed her before slamming onto the hard floor like a sack of meat, splattering blood all over the floor in a violent mess.

"Next time make sure you don't try and take any more of my money!" That voice was just like the guy who carried her here! "People like that don't go far, ruining things for others. He should've been fine with his cut but now we're down a poison maker." Soft pitter patters made him turn around to see a one horned demon girl coming at him.

"I don't think there's gonna be a next time… not after his fall and not after I kill you." Haia was quick to cut into one of his arms and let a spray of blood fly into the air, but a little pain didn't stop him from pulling out a western pistol with a furious scowl.

"Fucking die!" He pulled the trigger and watched as his shot tore through Haia's hair… but it didn't hit her flesh. Through some grace she managed to dodge that close range bullet, no, it wasn't grace. She'd actually gotten stronger as a demon somehow. The trader folded once her foot went into his stomach, the gun falling out of his grip from shock, but he couldn't hit the floor before a hand wrapped around his throat. "Bitch-! I'll fucking kill each of you demon freaks!"

"Why?" The calmness she had wasn't just because she had a total advantage, Haia wanted a genuine answer out of him. "Why do you want us all dead?" His bloody right arm was limp and his left arm was failing at pulling the demon girl's hand off his neck.

"You all just eat and eat! I'm making you work so you give something back!"

So he hated how they just ate people. "I'm sorry for whoever you lost to the more evil demons, but there are some demons who don't go out of their way to-"

"I don't give a fuck about anyone you eat!" Chotto Matte. "I care about you dirty monsters getting a free ride through life! Nothing's free in the world but you all think you can do what you want and not work! I'm making money off you bastards like someone should!"

Foaming and slobbering with his words, Haia was actually upset now. "I thought you were some guy who did this 'cause demons took someone from you!" She drove her knee right into his chest, cracking bone and smashing his respiratory organs. She didn't have any sympathy for some jerk like this. "You're just some angry and greedy asshole." Then she cut off any possible argument by grabbing his head and slamming it straight through the wooden floor… and a motionless body was the end result.

Haia folded her fan and picked up the brown pistol, fiddling with it as she walked towards an illuminated hallway. 'Guns really have changed in the last twenty years… smaller but still strong.' She managed to pull the magazine out and smelled that these bullets were in fact poisoned by wisteria. " How do these guys have this stuff? Isn't the Corps the only place where you'd know this?"

"Correct."

The mistake was not killing Haia before saying that. The demoness bent forward and somersaulted to avoid a strike from a nichirin blade. "Who are you?!"

A demon slayer with a long scar over his right eye, and one across his nose was standing there. "I'm a real demon slayer. Not one of those little bitches that was fine with monsters like you being in the corps."

That tasted… like salt. "You're mad that things are really changing for the corps? It's getting better with demons getting to help humans, someday we'll be able to live together side by-"

"And it's that bullshit that makes me wanna gut the leader like a deer! Everyone who lost people to demons and we're supposed to just-"

*BANG*

Haia wasn't stupid. She could figure out how to shoot a gun with a little bit of analysis and basic examination. "Don't talk about the Master like that." With a demon's strength it didn't matter that she was an inexperienced and slim girl firing a pistol for the first time. The only thing off was her aim, she wanted to hit his stomach and landed a shot right in his thigh.

Now there was an angry and injured ex-demon slayer on the ground holding his bullet wound and spitting curses every other breath he took. Wishing for the violent death and slow torture of the demon girl in any way that would make her suffer as much as he was. "Bitch! Don't walk away! I'll never forget your ugly ass face or your gross fucking hair!"

Haia just walked right away and left him there with that convenient bullet wound in his leg. She didn't even bother saying anything else to him, she wasn't worth her judgement since he disrespected both Master Oyakata and his judgement on letting demons help the Demon Slayers.

"I'll hunt you down myself if I fucking have to! I'll make sure you die slow!" He propped himself against a wall and put pressure on his injury, but it was bleeding even faster each passing second. "I'll cut your tits off myself! You hear me?! I'll cut your tits off and I'll shove hot irons into your pussy! Painful and fucking slow!"

His glare was burning into the back of her head but she wasn't turning to acknowledge him. Not even thinking about the angry man trying to slow down his bleeding, she was focused on the door with several locks and bolts keeping it firmly shut. No key so there was really only one way to get out of this door, and that was with-

"I know that those rods are gonna hurt too! Probably like a clam from whatever limp cocked bitch you had to pay to wanna fuck you!" He saw her actually stop whatever she was doing at the door to turn her head towards him.

"Say that again…"

Oh he actually got to her. He got right to her and now she'll come back to finish the job! 'Her mistake. This syringe has enough poison to make even the strongest demons shrivel up like an old man's balls!' And now he just had to incite her even more. "Aw, did I hit a nerve? Talking about your punk ass boyfriend and his shriveled dick hurt? I guess it hurts knowing that the guy you had to whore yourself out to doesn't fit you!"

She clenched her hand around the grip of the pistol in her hand and let her anger build up enough to kick the door in front of her, once, twice, and three times to blow it right off the hinges. Bolts, locks, and all. Luck was on her side in two ways, for one she just broke into the storeroom of a sake house, and for two when she turned around and got ready to rip the fake slayer's face off… she saw something that made her stop in her tracks.

"What? You don't even have the guts to stick up for your do'inpo? Just gonna walk away from your-" Something cracked the wall above his head and when he looked- "Shit…" One of the demons was out and looking down at him with a smile promising pain.

The escapee looked at the much more calm looking girl and nodded his head at her. A quick unspoken agreement between the two of them, and that's what they both preferred. Haia turned back around to strut right into the sake house while the demon got to business.

"Remember when you killed my cat right in front of me? My best friend?" He gripped the bastard's bloody arm with a smile and enjoyed the feeling of the piece of scum barely holding back a scream of pain. "Nope!" A lash of his other hand and he snapped a forearm like a twig, stopping a deadly injection from ruining his fun.

"Shit!" The pain of his bone shattering got him to fully exclaim but now he was stuck watching the demon right by him smile like they were old friends.

"So I wonder… if I rip your balls off, will you understand how my cat felt?"

The screaming didn't get to the sake house and that was good. Haia walked into the dim lighting with blood splattered on her face and clothes, everyone that looked at her saw the gun and blood and immediately minded their own business. "Now I just gotta find a map and figure out where I'm at. I can get back to The Estate from here." She stretched her arms up with a cheeky smile on her face. "No big deal. Now... where would I find a map?"

A lovely older woman stood by a desk. Her blue yukata matched her black hair and silver eyes. "Kokona? Are you nearby? Tap the wall if you are!"

Three soft noises told her that one of her workers was right down a hall beside her desk. The worker she just called out for was very soft spoken but they had a means to communicate just fine with the girl. "Well, make sure that the towels are well stocked, I have a feeling that we'll get some customers in a bit. Oh and- Make sure the lotions are full, just in case." Another two soft noises and she smiled at her most quiet worker's unique ways. "Well who am I to judge?" She says down but her momentary peace didn't last since some customers did decide to come in.

A group of eleven people entered one after the other. So much variety between them all, some with such vibrant colors, and others with more dull ones. Some were elegant in their movements, others more chaotic. One of them walked right up to her and- 'Oh goodness. He has such beautiful eyes.' She was eyeing the tall and handsome man up like the prime cut he was.

"Good evening ma'am~ My friends and I were all hoping to reserve two of your finest hot springs! One for the men of our group, and one for the ladies of course~" His charisma went right to her and she dumbly nodded her head up and down with her hands fumbling with some papers. "And payment won't be an issue, we've got more than enough to cover any expenses~"

The blonde man tossed a few rolls of money right into her desk and if she wasn't struck before she was now, but business came first. "Of course! Right this way. Kokona, would you come and put this payment away please?" No time to wait for a response since she had a large group to show to their springs. "First we have the men's spring where you can all wash up and go in at your leisure, if there's anything you need either myself or another worker will be nearby."

The tallest one there looked at her… and it felt like he was staring at her with so many different gazes. "…" He was first to go in and then a rambunctious pair of boys ran in before being followed by the blonde man. Then a muscular, tattooed man walked in and last but not least there was a young man with red hair and tattoos standing in the hall waiting.

"Well I'll be showing the ladies to their spring, it's just over here if you'll follow me." She led the way for five different women with various appearances and stopped right by the entrance. "Again if you need anything there should be an attendant nearby." The women went in one by one. First the one with dark hair that turned blue, then one with white hair that turned green, followed by a girl with bright pink hair, and after her was a woman with blue hair. Last was a woman with pitch black hair.

Kokona walked into the hallway after her boss just finished showing the guests around and brought even more towels to replace the ones that were just taken. Her hot pink hair matched her eyes, and her rainbow yukata was made to draw attention even though she was fine without it. The most curious part of her look was that it seemed like she had no mouth, but somehow it was just precious to see her face that way.

Then she noticed someone mumbling to themselves and approached with her head tilted to the side. "Huh… Oh. It's just a girl. What, you came to stare at me? Did you get too scared and now you wanna run away?"

Not at all. She closed her eyes in a cute way and waved off that notion. Talking wasn't her forte, so body language and signals were best. Some gestures and expressive movements were exactly what she needed to tell this guy everything.

"You work here? And you were just bringing towels for everyone?" She gave rapid nods with her bright eyes. He was surprised that she actually managed to look at him so happily. "Oh, then I guess that makes sense." He shyly looked away and scratched his neck for a moment. "Well… aren't you scared of me?"

She started shaking her head vigorously and looking up at him with her adorably big eyes again. More of her gesturing and eye based expressions told him another story. Nothing to be scared of. And that made him speechless. Girls were usually intimidated by him but she wasn't? Weird.

He started rubbing at his chest but he couldn't even look her in the eyes. "I think I'm pretty scary. No girl ever has taken more than two seconds to think that after seeing me…" Then he meekly started rubbing his arm and he looked back at her. "You- You actually aren't scared huh?"

Her big pink eyes widened at that image of him and for a second he figured that she finally snapped out of whatever was making her think he wasn't something frightening, but in that moment Kokona managed to say one word to describe exactly what she saw. The blush on her face helped show her genuineness too.

"…cute…"

Muscles. Muscles covered in water and suds to clear off any debris. "Now this is nice isn't it? We all get to clean off and relax in a hot spring like friends!" Douma wouldn't stop talking even as he scrubbed his own body. The others in the room just ignored his positivity.

"I will say that it's been some time since I could relax." Kokushibou serenely started rinsing the soapy water off his sculpted body, letting the mixture gently wash over his skin and collect on the floor. He was first to get up with a towel around his waist and enter the actual spring.

Akaza felt the largest source of fighting spirit leave the immediate area and focused on everyone else's. "Why did I even agree to this?" There was no actual reason. This wasn't helping him get stronger and now he was stuck with both Douma and Kokushibou right by him. The two things he hated most other than weaklings. "Maybe I shouldn't listen to Yuki with these things anymore." He stood up and poured a bucket of hot water over himself, rinsing soap off and wrapping a towel around his waist.

Akunin and Gomi were having water poured onto each of them by Douma. "We could've done this ourselves Lord Douma…" The elder brother whined but his younger counterpart stood proud.

"We should be happy that Lord Douma decided to help us rinse off!"

"You need help. You need help 'cause you wanna be small." Then the two glared at each other but a quick chuckle from their master reminded them to keep things calm in this place… even though the brotherly law dictates that they cause strife and disagree whenever possible.

Koujo just started washing himself off since he came in a bit after the others for some odd reason. He was quick to clean any dirt off himself and splash water over his well built body. He grabbed a towel and went right in while Douma and the twins were still messing around.

Akaza was on a far side of the water with cucumbers over his eyes. Kokushibou sat with his back facing the wall separating them from the women's spring. Koujo went right into the water and floated calmly on his back.

In his head it was equally calm. Disturbingly dark and only a single figure was visible. Unmoving, weighed down by a dense fog. It kept him still and quiet but a flame burned inside of him, hoping to break the mist around him.

"Ahh! Now we get to go into the spring with our friends!" Douma and the twins just came in and disturbed everyone else's peace without a care in the world. "Oh~? Young Koujo, are you going to leave your hair that way?"

Upper Six didn't even look at his superior. He just kept floating even as he heard three figures moving towards him. "Lord Douma asked you a question?"

"I think we can make his hair cooler."

Douma himself gasped at the idea. "Do you really think so? I feel like it could look much much nicer if you boys did fix it up a bit." Now Koujo had to sit up since the twins actually started messing with his hair. "Now now~ Don't worry Young Koujo, I know that the two are a little high spirited but they're good little servants!"

"Alright." He decided to just relax and let them mess with his hair, maybe he could ask Akaza about Hantengu's weaknesses or something he might know.

…

On the ladies' side of the spring things were just a little less quiet. Namika was the most energetic and babbling on while they all washed themselves.

"I'm so happy to be here with all my best friends! I really wish we could all be in the same place so we could have all the best conversation. But I guess we can't get everything good!" She was running her fingers through her silky hair and rinsing her body bit by bit.

Nakime wasn't bothering with any conversation and went into the spring first, being entirely cleaned off with a towel covering her modesty, and Ume was sitting right beside Namika listening to her droning on. 'It would be so nice if she shut up.' We all had dreams.

Katachi was taking her time to clean herself thoroughly, carefully lathering herself and clearing anything marring her skin while the two younger demons caused the most noise between their talking and groans.

Yuki was already in the spring and probably enjoying herself. 'It has been some time since I spoke to her one on one.'

She poured a bucket of warm water over her smooth skin, letting the mineral water course over her like a calming river. Guiding each droplet downwards, delicately and softly before falling off of her lithe body. Every splash of water caressed her body in a calming dance, small dips on her skin catching and sending it off towards the ground. Her pale skin reflecting the moonlight, alluring and beautiful like a siren on the coast.

Katachi's usual air of gloom was gone in the relaxation of the warm water. Another bucket over herself and her hair matted down, sticking to her back and framing her lovely figure, accenting a delicate frame against the cool night air. The simple dance of water down her body created a display of her own beauty, elegant in each motion but still very capturing to anyone who'd see.

Katachi pulled a towel over herself and went into the hot spring then took a seat by the Third Eclipse. "What do you want?"

"To talk."

Yuki actually relaxed a little since it was one of the most calm demons that just approached her. "About what? My everyday life isn't very interesting."

"I beg to differ. You spend the most time with Akaza, and he enjoys thrilling fights. I'm sure you must have some interesting things to talk about in that field."

Yuki pondered it and decided that there were some good stories to tell about recent fights. The two started talking about it and the melancholy demon paid attention to every detail. From the moment Akaza and Yuki would introduce themselves to a person, usually a demon slayer, and all the way to the point where they ended up killing them.

"But there was one thing, Master Muzan sent us to clean up after the lower ranks. There was a Hashira there and some underlings."

Katachi nodded her head and sat back against the rocks. "Go on." She was genuinely interested.

"The Hashira and those maggots actually managed to pressure Lord Akaza and I. The sun came up and we nearly burned to death because of it… But I remember one thing very clearly, and it's Upper Six. The new one. He almost cut my head off with a water breather."

So it was true. Koujo actually was a demon hunter that turned into a demon? 'Nobody else since Kokushibou had that privilege…'

"The strangest thing is that he had almost no fighting spirit, even now it's so low that I barely picked up when he attacked Gyokko and Kinmachi. I'm not going to let it go either, I might not be able to-

"We're here~!" Namika and Ume came into the spring with one of them jumping right in and the other calmly walking into the water. The bubbly Eclipse went right back to speaking with her friend and let the much older demons keep talking. "So why do you care so much about me being around Koujo? He's my best friend."

Ume tried to relax in the water but wow this girl wouldn't let her. "I care because I'm his Eclipse. Same with Gyutaro, and you care about Douma more than anyone else."

A finger cutely touched her chin and she thought about that. Namika was nice to everyone she came across and her Lord wasn't an exception. "Hmm… I guess you're right! But I don't know why you care that much."

Ume's brow started twitching in irritation so she flipped things around for a second. "Why do you care about Koujo so much?"

Namika was stuck in a mid smile with a blank look in her eyes, and she didn't have any thoughts behind them. "Well- Uh- Hmm… That's a good question." She started thinking about it with several loud hums and overly exaggerated movements. "It's just like… I want him all to me. Haven't you ever felt like just having something for you? Nobody else but you?"

"When I was Daki… all the time. Now I'm more sensible. I think I've matured and now I can do so much more." Even though she was that person just a month ago she could tell that it was better being Ume. "But I don't think feeling like that about a person is normal."

Namika stuck her tongue out playfully. "That just makes it more special then! Wanting someone all to yourself means it's a really good friendship!"

That… didn't sound right at all. Ume didn't exactly have friends but wanting to keep them all to yourself sounded really selfish and immature. Like hoarding sweets or any food really. Namika looked set on proving a point but it wasn't worth arguing about anymore. Especially since she just wanted to relax before everything had to go down.

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

…

"And we're done!"

"We made his hair better, Lord Douma!"

The twins swam back from their handiwork and Koujo felt his head and immediately noticed the difference in his hair style. "They… cut down my hair on the sides." Then he grazed the back and noticed it was cut there too, it was like a mohawk but just as cut down in back as the sides would be. His hair was in a crest style with a part to the left and it was damned good looking to the twins.

"Well well, that's a very nice new style Young Koujo! You boys really are good with this." Douma admired the style himself and stood up to go haras- Spend time with his other friends in the top three, not before leaving another wayward comment. "It's definitely a hairstyle fitting Upper Rank Four~"

The red haired Demon felt a quick surge of some emotions fill his mind and he cracked a smile. "I'll go and find a mirror then." He stood up from the water, momentarily forgetting his towel. Wardrobe malfunctions aside he waded through the water and grabbed another towel to go and investigate what he looked like. A quick stop back in the cleaning area and he saw a reflective mirror right there… "That's… me? I look good. I wonder what Ume would think about this."

*Strum

He heard the sound clearly but didn't believe it. "Is it already time to go back? We should still have a few hours." This relaxation shouldn't be over yet but if he was hearing-

*Strum

Well there wasn't much to be done then. 'I guess I can't ask Akaza for advice."

*Strum

NEXT TIME... THE BLOOD BATTLE