The First Demon
Hello everyone and welcome to the latest chapter of Winds, Waves, And Chains! We got a couple reveals happening this chapter, along with the Keller family breaking a couple of laws. If that sounds like fun, read on! And stop by my Pat reon while you're at it as I've got a newsletter dropping tonight! And... I have no further announcements so with no guest review questions this week, on to the story!
Nighttime: A Town in the Northwest
The newly inducted Demon Slayers took their time getting over to the girl's house. There had been no need to rush considering their prey wouldn't be showing up until after sundown. And they needed a bit of time to sort out just how they wanted to approach the situation. As they'd been told before, the Demon Slayer Corps was not officially recognized by the Japanese government, meaning they couldn't just knock on the door and tell the family they believed their daughter was in danger.
So instead they'd done some staking out from a distance, looking for a good place to sneak in and hide when the time was right. The parents assured Kazumi that he didn't need to hang around once he was done showing them where to go, but the boy was insistent on tagging along. John understood where he was coming from, Kazumi wanted to see what had taken his fiancé. The duo were in much the same boat when it came to the demon that turned Jonathan, so they agreed to let him stay nearby on the condition that he didn't interfere with their work.
When the sun finally went down, they quickly snuck into the garden, hiding in the bushes on an upraised section where they had a clear view of the large house's main hallway through the windows. "I really hope this is the right place," Mary thought aloud.
"News seems to travel fast around this town," John observed, "and if this girl has a lot of friends, then it's only natural that many would hear about her birthday offhand."
"I know," his wife sighed, "and I know that Kazumi kid has no reason to lead us astray. Guess it's just first mission jitters or whatever they call it."
"You get used to it," her husband assured, "I'm not saying you stop being nervous, but it becomes manageable after a while. I still got nervous from time to time on my hunting trips even after doing them for years. Just take a deep breath and relax a little. Our quarry will show itself."
"I'll admit it was something of a leap at first," Mary smiled lightly, "I'd been thinking the whole time 'why young girls?' Was there a particular age range the demon preferred or perhaps a certain exact age. If I'm right, our guy targets girls who are between sixteen and twenty, give or take a few years."
"That does match up with some of the other stuff we heard from Kazumi," the slayer nodded, "so now all we have to do is wait." And wait they did, having the occasional bit of sporadic conversation here and there. The sun had been down for some time now and the family in the house had just finished up dinner and pleasant conversation. The daughter of the family came into view then, walking down the hall.
The two slayers kept their eyes peeled, looking for any sign they could find indicating a demon's treachery was a foot. That's when John saw it. A black puddle suddenly appeared on the floor behind the girl as she casually walked towards her room. "Just like we planned," he whispered to his wife as the two readied themselves.
When the girl was right in front of her door, John drew his sword and leapt. The sound of shattering glass interrupted the peaceful night as the slayer burst through the window and stabbed his blade into the black puddle. A pained growl was his reward as the puddle receded. Unfortunately, none of this stopped the girl from trying to shriek in terror before Mary moved in and covered her mouth. "No time to explain, this is not a kidnapping, we're here to save your life," she spoke quickly.
The confused girl still tried to yell out despite the hand over her mouth but that quickly became a secondary concern as the black puddle reappeared under her feet. In a swift motion, Mary picked her up and carried her bridal style, fleeing out the window as John stabbed at the puddle again. It shifted around this time, however, and went in the direction of the fleeing woman before disappearing into the ground. "It's right behind you Mary," he warned while also leaping out the window and running to catch up with her.
"Well we know it's hungry at least," she called back as the two leapt up onto then over the wall before running down the streets.
"What's going on," the girl cried, "why are you kidnapping me?!"
"I just said this isn't a kidnapping!" Mary groaned before another black puddle appeared in their path. This time a clawed hand reached out and tried to grab for them but the duo split in opposite directions, evading it before sliding to a stop.
"Our objective is that thing," John informed as the demon rose halfway out of the puddle. It had long dark hair and blood red eyes along with three short horns on top of its head. It was male and wore a black, long-sleeved shirt with fishnet lining and a blue undershirt. "It's the one that wants to kidnap you." This time the girl had nothing to say, instead trembling in fear.
"That, that monster is the one who kidnapped Satoko," Kazumi appeared from around the corner, "what did you do with her?!" The demon didn't say anything but instead started grinding its teeth, creating an annoying high-pitched whine before disappearing back into the puddle.
"I don't think we're getting answers out of that thing," Mary remarked before handing the girl to Kazumi, "here, hold her and stay close. With an ability like that, it can appear from anywhere, so stay away from the walls and watch the ground." Obviously the boy was confused about what was going on but didn't protest as he accepted the girl who looked like she was about to pass out from fright. John and Mary took up positions on either side of him then, straining their senses for even the slightest sign of the monster.
'So far it's only moved along the ground,' John mused, 'but that doesn't mean it can't appear out of thin air. Make no assumptions until you have absolute confirmation.' This would turn out to be a wise course of action as the one they were now dubbing 'the swamp demon' emerged from not one but three different places. Two from the ground in front of the slayers and the last one aimed for the girl and Kazumi.
Thinking quickly, the two sword wielders shifted their stances and both turned at the same time, slashing at the third demon and slicing off his hands before coming back around for the other demons lunging at them. 'Breath of Water Eighth Form: Waterfall Basin!' 'Breath of Wind Fifth Form: Cold Mountain Wind!' John came down with a powerful vertical strike, the blow impacting like a falling waterfall while Mary struck with a circular arched slash. The result was more limbs flying as the demons all retreated back into their black puddles.
"Damn, my cut was too shallow," John announced while backing up.
"Same here," Mary responded, mirroring her husband's movement, "changing direction in mid form screwed me up."
"At least we know the demon can't materialize out of thin air now," her husband mused. The three demons attacked again after a moment, coming in from different directions this time. One from the wall and two from the ground on the other side.
"Breath of Wind Second Form," Mary unleashed four slashes at once against two of the demons that resembled claws, "Claws Purifying Wind!"
"Breath of Water First Form," the blond slayer slashed at the other demon's face, "Water Surface Slash!" The demons howled in pain as they were cut up and forced to retreat back into their swamp once again.
"I am gonna get tired of this jack-in-the-box bullshit real fast," the female slayer remarked.
"We'll just have to make them come out somehow," John ran throw some options in his head. But they got a surprise as one of the demons popped out of the ground halfway a short distance away.
"You bastards!" The swamp demon, who noticeably had no sleeves, yelled, "She's going to go stale! That girl's already sixteen years old, she's losing flavor by the second! So move out of the way already, punks, before she loses flavor completely and winds up like that hag right there!"
"Excuse me," a tick mark appeared on Mary's forehead, "I've aged like fine wine, asshole, I'd think after living a few decades or centuries you'd learn to expand your palate and not just go for the snacks like a fucking child!"
"Pardon my other self," the second of the swamp demons, this one wearing a black robe, rose out of another spot in the ground, "you are right that he's a little childish. I've feasted on plenty of this town's sixteen year old girls now, each one as meaty and delicious as the last. There's no cause to get upset with the occasional bad night as I am quite satisfied."
"Well I'm not satisfied at all, other me!" The angry swamp demon yelled back, "I want to devour all of them!" 'Guess we know who the brains of this outfit is,' John's gaze shifted back and forth between the two, 'sensei told us demons don't typically hunt in groups and given how's he's speaking and their resemblance to each other, it's safe to say the demon split himself into three. At least I hope it's only three.'
"You monster," Kazumi spoke up suddenly in a voice between fear and anger, "give back Satoko, the girl you took two nights ago!" The raging swamp demon appeared at the top of the stone wall, again grinding his teeth while the angry swamp demon also ground his teeth.
"Satoko," the most intelligent of the trio mused aloud before opening his robe, "I'm afraid you'll have to be more specific." The boy's eyes widened as he gazed upon an array of different hairpins tucked into a special spot on the demon's robes, "if her hairpin is in this collection, then I've already eaten her, sorry." Kazumi's eyes started to fill with tears while the slayer's eyes narrowed dangerously. The demons all dropped back down into their puddles then.
After another moment, the demons began attacking in force. They popped out of the ground and the wall one after another, striking and retreating in quick succession. John and Mary dodged and counterattacked against the onslaught as best they could. On occasion they'd manage to slice off an arm or a hand but the demons would always retreat too quickly for them to cut their opponent's heads off.
At one point, John dodged out of the way of an attack from below but got too close to the wall and nearly got cut in the face by another attack. He was off-balance then as the angry demon tried to attack him from behind. But what came as a surprise to all of them was the door on the box he was wearing flung open as Jonathan's foot lashed out and kicked the demon so hard his head literally spun. The demon boy dropped out of the box then, a low growl emanating from his throat.
"What is this," the intelligent swamp demon rose up from a short distance away, "why is a demon accompanying a pair of humans?" This was just getting stranger and stranger. The swamp demon had been around for a while but he'd never encountered a demon willingly helping humans before.
"Pardon our son," John took a fighting stance once again, "at least that's what I would say if it wasn't such a good save."
"'Son'," the horned demon raised an eyebrow, "that's not possible, demon's devour humans, it's our nature. Even members of one's own family are nothing but food once a person becomes a demon."
"The world's a strange place," Mary shrugged, "always something weird happening. Maybe you haven't been around as long as I thought if you didn't know that." The swamp demon frowned before retreating. The angry one who'd been kicked didn't move but his head spun several times to unwind itself before he too was pulled back into the swamp. Jonathan looked around for a moment, his eyes wary until they landed on Kazumi and the girl who'd passed out from fright.
For obvious reasons the boy was nervous thanks to Jonathan's horn, steel muzzle and clawed hands. But that fear turned into little more than confusion when the demon boy gave him a thumbs up, his eyes shining innocently. It was then the demons returned once more, emerging from a few feet away. 'If I recall what Urokodaki sensei told us correctly,' John mused while readying his weapon, 'he used hypnotic suggestion on our son while he was asleep, further reinforcing the message that demons are his enemies and humans are his friends.'
This was put on display now as the demon boy stepped forward, cracking his neck as veins appeared on his forehead. He charged forward then and aimed a punch at the duo. The closest demon retreated into the ground as Jonathan cracked it with his punch before looking down in confusion. The other demon smiled before retreating as well.
"Jonathan," his father called, "don't chase after them, they'll come to us. Just stay close and help us protect these two." The demon boy looked unsure for a moment before heading back to his parents. But the clever swamp demon popped up between them and tried to swipe at him. Or at least he thought he was clever until Jonathan jumped up and kicked off of his face, landing surprisingly gracefully next to his parents.
The mother and father both breathed a sigh of relief as they remembered something else Urokodaki and Izumo sensei had told them. Their son was a demon now and while he wasn't weak as a human, he was far stronger now, strong enough to deal with other demons attacking him. "Fighting as a family," Mary smiled as they all took stances, "I can work with this." Naturally, this prompted the swamp demons to attack in full force with the angry one attacking Jonathan who dodged the first couple of claw swipes before countering with some punches of his own.
Mary ducked and slashed at the one constantly grinding his teeth while John had to keep evading a black pool opening beneath his feet. 'Strange he's just now thought of this,' the former hunter mused while jumping and rolling around, 'it's possible he thinks he'll have an advantage in there.' But an idea began to form in the head of the male slayer based on something he'd noticed since the beginning of the fight. They'd been dubbing the demon as the swamp demon because of the black sludge and how it smelled like a swamp.
But what if the smell and appearance weren't the only things it had in common with a regular swamp? "Mary," he called while avoiding another attack, "I'm going in after the leader. Take care of the other two or at least hold them off until I get back."
"You can't be serious," his wife shot back while slicing off the fingers of her attacker and forcing him back, "you don't know what's down there!"
"The demon's been pulling his victims into it," John reminded, "that probably means people can survive in there at least temporarily. Besides, I've got the best style for dealing with something like a swamp."
"You're lucky I can't come over there and beat your head in right now," Mary deflected and then kicked her demon away, "just make sure to come back!"
"Count on it," he assured before dodging the swamp and then dropping into it before it closed again. What he descended into could best be described as a bog with limited visibility around him. The good news was his theory had been correct, it was like dropping into swamp water. The bad news, he was given further reminder of why this demon needed to die as he managed to spy some of the kimonos of the other girls he'd eaten.
'Alright,' the slayer scanned the bog he'd found himself in, 'you wanted me down here, so come and get me!' "To think you actually came in after me," the demon chuckled, "that was a mistake on your part. The air's pretty thin down here for a human and the darkness weighing you down most certainly isn't helping either. I, however, can move quite freely in this space. You really should've looked before you leaped!"
The demon started circling and closing in then, making random movements. He was indeed faster in the bog. And yet, John smiled to himself. The monster really had no idea.
He'd trained for two years under conditions that were hard to breathe in and learned a style that had water in mind. One of the forms he'd learned even assumed he'd be in a situation like this where he didn't have any sure footing. And it was that form he planned to unleash now. So he waited, feeling it out with his senses until the demon was for sure going to attack.
The moment he did, John saw it, the opening thread. He twisted his upper and lower body violently, his sword swing generating a powerful vortex. This was the Breath of Water's Sixth Form: Whirlpool! And it was at its most powerful underwater, a discovery the demon made too late as he was swept up by the current of the attack and cut to ribbons in mere seconds.
'So much for asking him about demonification,' the former hunter lightly lamented before noticing a piece of cloth. He grabbed it and began swimming back up, his need for air increasing now that he'd used such a powerful move. Above, the battle was continuing. Jonathan was more than holding his own, dodging one of the demon's jabs and punching him in the stomach.
The monster grunted as blood spat out of his mouth before retreating as the demon boy continued to rain blow after blow down on him. It was a similar situation with Mary who was pushing her demon back, doing everything she could to keep him from escaping. 'What's with this woman,' the angry demon stumbled back again and again, 'how can someone her age move like this? She's at least twice the age of the girls I eat but somehow she's fast enough to keep me from diving back into the bog.'
He hated that the swordswoman was forcing him to think on his feet, but at last he saw an opening. The demon evaded one of her upward strikes before charging forward. Mary was too fast for him to get her with the tackle but she wasn't his target. "Shit, Jonathan!" The lady slayer called as the angry demon went for his back while the raging demon came at him from the other side.
"No you don't!" John declared as he burst out of the bog and sliced off the leg of the demon grinding his teeth. His son reacted and grabbed his opponent's arm, throwing him at his other attacker. The surprised swamp monster couldn't change course in time as they crashed into each other and collapsed into a heap on the ground.
"Eat this," Mary leapt up and brought her weapon down, "Breath of Wind Seventh Form: Gale!" She swung her blade while in midair, generating gale force winds that tore the top demon apart, including decapitating his head. The angry demon beneath him didn't have much better luck as he raised his arms and lost them along with getting his legs cut off due to the movement of the technique.
"GAH!" He flopped around on the ground, "you damn bastards!" John stamped his foot down on the demon's chest, stilling him.
"Looks like you're the only one left," he held his sword to the angry being's throat, "and you can talk. This means you can hopefully tell us what we need to know."
"What," their opponent growled, "what in the world could you possibly want to know that I haven't told you already? I eat sixteen year old girls because when they get older they become disgusting and decr-ARGH!"
"We're not asking why you do this, we know already," Mary reminded in an annoyed tone while grinding her heel on the demon's testicles, "we want to know about the progenitor of demons. Tell us, where can we find Muzan Kibutsuji?"
"You…you know his name," the demon suddenly started trembling.
"We know a fair amount," John picked up the interrogation, "what we don't know is where he is. But I'll bet you do. Tell us where we can find him, and we won't hang you out to die burning in the sunlight."
"I," the formerly angry demon's lip trembled, "I don't know, but even if I did, I can't tell." The demon slayer flicked his blade across their enemy's face, cutting his left eye. "Argh! I can't, I really can't!"
"Then do you know someone who ca-." Mary backed off when the demon suddenly regenerated his legs. "I can't, I can't, I can't, I CAN'T!" He regrew his arms and grabbed ahold of John's ankle but didn't get any further as the man quickly cut his head off.
"Damn it," Mary cursed as the demon's head and body quickly dissolved, "another talker with nothing to say."
"At least we know we're on the right track," John pointed out while flicking the blood off of his sword and sheathing it, "still, to think other demons would be this terrified of the guy. But don't worry, Jonathan, we'll find another-." He stopped speaking when he noticed their son was sleeping against the wall.
"Oh, he got hurt," his mother noted while kneeling down and examining a claw mark he'd gotten on his head. She pulled out a cloth and wiped the blood off his head. "The good news is it looks like the bleeding's stopped. Guess that lends more credence to Urokodaki's theory about him sleeping to regain energy and heal."
She pressed her forehead against her boy's then. "Don't worry, son, we will find a way to make you human again." Her husband set the box down next to them then.
"Go ahead and get him loaded up," John requested while looking over at the two civilians, "I'm gonna go make sure they're doing alright." Mary nodded as she got to work. The slayer approached Kazumi then who'd set the girl he'd been holding against the wall and was currently kneeling on the ground. He was staring off into space, unaware of the world around him until John took a half-kneeling position in front of him. "Hey, is either one of you injured?"
"We're not hurt," Kazumi shook his head lazily, "but I, I'm-."
"I know you're not alright, kid," the older man acknowledged.
"Of course," tears started falling from the boy's eyes, "of course I'm not alright. I just lost my fiancé."
"And I'm not going to lie to you and say you'll get over it," John sighed, "as we go through life, we lose people. Some of us more than others. Despite that, there's only really one thing we can do after we grieve, and that's to keep on living."
"That's it," Kazumi grabbed his haori angrily, "and just how am I supposed to do that?!" John didn't say anything at first, instead lightly putting his hand on the boy's.
"One day at a time," he answered simply, "find a reason to get up, a reason to move, a reason to get through the day. Then you keep doing that, keep trying to live your life and find happiness again." He lightly pulled Kazumi's hand off him and put the cloth he'd found in his hand. "You can start by getting these back to the families of the girls that were lost. You should be able to find something of Satoko's in there, too."
"T-This is," he opened the cloth to find all of the hairpins the demon had collected, including his fiancé's bow.
"And while you're at it," John indicated the still unconscious girl against the wall, "make sure you get her back home to. You shouldn't have any trouble getting her there now."
"Wait, you're leaving," Kazumi's eyes widened.
"Our reason for being here is done," the slayer stood up and turned to leave, "and we have another reason to keep going that we're pursuing. We won't find it here, so we have to head on. There are also other places that are facing the same menace as this town." He walked on then as Mary joined him, her son now safe in the box on her back.
He caught a glimpse of their hands then as the duo gave one final wave. He expected the worn down, toughened appearance of John's hands but Mary's hands were just as hardened through intense training. Kazumi could only begin to imagine what they had to go through to get hands like that, to become hunters of monsters like the one he'd seen tonight. So, even despite the tears in his eyes, there was something he felt he should do.
"Thank you," he called to their retreating forms, "thank you both…for everything." He never saw them again, but he would remember them and the words he was given for the rest of his life.
Some Time Later
The sun rose as they walked but neither parent was able to appreciate its beauty on this day. The reality of the situation had dawned on them. As had been said, this same tragedy was no doubt happening in other towns, and it was all the fault of one man: Muzan Kibutsuji. That was the name their senseis had given the duo.
According to them, he was the very first demon and the progenitor of all demons. He'd been alive for over a thousand years now and the Demon Slayer Corps had been trying to hunt him down for centuries. But knowing such a fact didn't deter the parents. The reason being was because he was also the only demon who might know how to return Jonathan to his human self.
Now, seeing the results of what he'd done, the countless depraved demons he'd made throughout the centuries. Neither one of them planned on forgiving him. That's why, when they found him they'd not only make him turn their son back, they'd take his life as recompense for all the pain and suffering he'd caused up to this point. But their musings would be interrupted by both of their crows landing on their shoulders.
"Your next mission," Mary's crow, Juyago, announced, "go to Asakusa!"
"There are rumors of a demon lurking around there!" John's crow, Tennoji, continued.
"Are you kidding me," the lady slayer asked in surprise, "we just finished this one!"
"And now you have time for the next one!" Her crow cheered a little too happily for their liking.
"I think what my wife means is we just need a minute to-," he was cut off by his own crow.
"No time!" His crow flapped its wings, "get a move on!" The two parents sighed, figuring it would be fruitless to argue with a couple of birds.
A Couple Days Later: Nighttime: Asakusa
The slayer duo had wondered whether or not the town in the northwest should be classified as a city. Now that they were in an actual city, they saw the difference. Literal circular towers and buildings that looked like small Japanese castles were just some of the characteristics of the city of Asakusa. There was a clear distinction between day and night in the previous town they'd been in but here there were so many lights that even at nighttime they had no trouble seeing where they were going.
Instead, they had a slightly different problem when it came to navigating the place. There was an almost literal sea of people wherever they went. What was even crazier was a number of inventions they'd only heard about were present in the city. All kinds of electric lights and telephone wires scattered about everywhere and even trolley cars were available to take people from place to place.
"Wow," John rubbed the back of his head at the sight, "when was the last time we visited a city?"
"It's been a minute," Mary laughed nervously while looking around. Even if they hadn't been living in the mountains for years it was hard not to be overwhelmed by everything around them. "But what makes it worse is that Jonathan can't give his own commentary on it." The parents looked at their son who was walking between them.
It turned out that artificial light was no issue for demons, so even if the city was lit up like it was daytime, he was free to move about outside of his box since the sun wasn't out. Not that moving around was that easy. They all had to hold hands to make sure they wouldn't get separated in the crowd. "Yeah, I've missed hearing his voice these last two years," John sighed, "but we can put this on our list of places to visit again when he's human."
"We've got a long list already," Mary laughed, "but we are also here for work. Speaking of which, where do we even start looking in a place like this?"
"It might be hard to find, but an isolated area," John reasoned, "we should start checking the alleys and places with lower lighting."
"You're right, that does sound hard to find in this mess," Mary admitted, "but we got to start somewhere." With that in mind they began their search, checking one alley after another. As it turned out, a couple of them were occupied, but by lovers seeking a little privacy and not by demons. It would take them well over an hour before they found a spot that seemed even remotely plausible.
It was around a section of the city that seemed like a park of sorts with fewer buildings, and fewer streetlights. The area was still something of a maze to navigate through, but eventually they happened upon a bald man sitting at an udon cart with a slanted roof. "Excuse me sir," John spoke up, a bit of exhaustion creeping into his voice, "are you open right now? We've been looking for a quiet place to enjoy a meal."
"Then you've come to the right place," the bald man pulled a pipe out of his mouth and blew a bit of smoke, "I see that you're a foreigner, good sir. Have you ever tried udon before?"
"Not from here," the former hunter admitted, "I'm curious how the noodles here compare to those further out."
"You'll find you've come to the best cart in the city," the owner of the establishment chuckled. Neither parent much cared about where the food ranked among the others in the city at the moment so long as it was edible and had some good flavor. They placed their orders and then took a seat on a nearby bench as they waited for the food to be prepared.
"This makes me miss the small town we lived in back in America," Mary sighed, "and missing that makes me miss home back in the mountains."
"It does seem like only yesterday that we left, doesn't it," John mused, "funny to think in all that time we never discussed with our senseis how a slayer goes about finding lodging while they're between jobs."
"If we get to a point where we're between jobs," his wife rested her head in hand while pouting in annoyance, "we just finished up one mission and were immediately sent on the next. I knew we'd have to adjust our sleeping pattern a little since we work at night but now I'm wondering if they'll let us sleep at all."
"They have to eventually," her husband reasoned, "we're not the only slayers employed by the Corps and they should be well aware that we all have our limits." It was at that point their conversation was interrupted by the chef.
"Here's your orders of Udon, let me know how you like it," the cart owner put two hot bowls down. The parents happily accepted them and began to eat on the bench while their son seemed to be dozing off. They'd already dismissed the possibility of the chef being a demon as neither Jonathan nor Mary's senses had been set off by him.
"So," Mary began between bites, "where should we start looking next?"
"Around this park would probably be a good start," John tried to think up where they hadn't looked yet and shuddered a little when he realized they probably hadn't covered much more than a quarter of the city, if that. "We need to start asking around about…. Mary, are you okay?" The reason he asked was because his wife had suddenly stiffened. In the next instant, she dropped her bowl which would've shattered against the ground if he hadn't caught it.
"Get Jonathan back in the box," she said without looking at him.
"What is it?" The male slayer's features turned serious.
"This feeling," Mary narrowed her eyes angrily, "it's the same as two years ago." Nothing more needed to be said as John set the bowls aside and quickly got their son up. They moved out of sight in order to not be seen putting him back in the box for carrying and then proceeded onward. The two didn't dare to hope as they moved at an increased pace, almost running once they reached the alleys.
"Which way now," John asked once they got back onto a crowded street.
"It feels like, this way!" Mary ran along with her husband close behind her. It was made a bit more difficult due to the crowd of people but the closer they got the less they cared about any annoyed civilians they were brushing past. Eventually, Mary reached her hand out and grabbed the shoulder of a man in a dark suit jacket with a white fedora hat on his head and white suit pants. The man glanced at them, revealing his red eyes with slit pupils. "It's you."
The duo reached for the swords on their hips but stopped as a small voice spoke up. "Daddy," the word gave pause to both parents as the man turned around fully, revealing that he was holding a little girl in his arms who wore a red dress with white sleeves and whose hair was fashioned into two pigtail braids. "Who are they?"
"Don't worry sweetie," the man assured his apparent daughter, "I'm certain this is just a misunderstanding." He turned to the both of them next. "Is there something I can help you two with? You seem to be a bit unsettled, are you alright?" Mary didn't answer, her grip still tight on her sword.
Fortunately, it loosened a bit as John put his hand over hers. "Our apologies for the interruption, sir," he did his best to sound cordial, but his wife knew how much he was forcing a friendly smile in that moment, "it may be my imagination, but I believe we've met before."
"You do," the stranger hummed, his pupils noticeably not slit anymore.
"Darling is something the matter," a woman approached wearing a white hat, a baggy long-sleeved white shirt and a long blue skirt. She also had a sort of light blue scarf around her neck.
"Don't worry, mommy," the little girl assured, confirming what the two slayers had feared. The man standing before them was a demon and not just any demon. If Mary's feeling was right, this was the one they'd been looking for. And he was living here, posing as a human man with a human family?!
"And who are these two," the newly arrived woman asked.
"They seem to think we've met before," the demon responded, "but I can't say I recall knowing anyone with blond hair."
"Are you certain," Mary let out a forced giggle, "I'm pretty sure I've seen you somewhere before. Oh, perhaps this might help. Your name is Kitu, Kiba, Kibuti, no, Kibutsuji! Is that your name?"
"Kibutsuji," he repeated casually but the slits appeared in his eyes again, "I'm afraid that isn't my name, it's Tsukihiko." What happened next was so fast they almost didn't notice the movement. The demon dropped his right hand casually while still holding the little girl and lashed out with suddenly extending claws, cutting the back of the neck of a passerby wearing a green haori.
"That's a shame," John didn't seem to react at first, "but I'm certain we'll meet him again. For now, though, we must attend to something." The duo casually walked around the demon and his so-called family right as the scratched man started convulsing and crying out in pain.
"Dear, is everything alright," the woman in a yellow kimono walking next to him stopped to see what was wrong. She screamed out when he suddenly looked back up at her with red eyes and fangs in his mouth.
"Stay back!" The male slayer grabbed the now demonified man by the neck and slammed him into the ground. "Mary, get his legs!" The Breath of Wind User did just that as they worked to restrain the now snarling demon.
"Sweetheart, what's wrong," the terrified woman couldn't help but ask.
"Ma'am," John used a professional sounding tone, "we're going to have to ask you to stand back. This man is no longer in his right mind."
"Honey," Mary whispered as her eyes kept darting back and forth between their current quarry and the now retreating Kibutsuji.
"I know, but we can't," the former hunter grit his teeth in frustration, "he knew what he was doing. Even if one of us goes after him now, we can't fight him in a crowded place like this."
"We can still catch him if we wrap this up quick," she pointed out as they managed to pin the demon's arms behind his back and haul him up. Mary snatched a scarf off of one of the crowd who didn't seem to understand what was going on. "Sorry but we need this." The female slayer quickly wrapped the cloth around the demon's head, gagging him so he couldn't bite.
Now all they needed to do was get him off the streets and somewhere safe to deal with him. "Hold it right there," the duo stopped as a trio of police officers came in from behind them.
"Oh good, we could use a hand here, officers," John began as they turned around.
"I don't know what you think you're doing but release that man," the lead officer ordered.
"Can't do that, officer," Mary grunted, "In case you haven't noticed we're the only ones holding this guy steady right now. Just help us escort him out of here."
"We'll be escorting all three of you to the station if you two refuse to cooperate," the second officer spoke as he and another approached.
"No, we're the only ones here who can hold this man down," the two slayers shoved the officers away who were trying to get them off of the demon, "just help escort us out of here."
"You foreigners don't listen very well," the lead officer pulled out his wooden night stick, "release that man now or we'll have to use force."
"Oh for fuck's sake, I got him. Mary, please take care of this," John groaned. His wife rolled her eyes but let go as her husband kept his grip on the demon's arms. She moved forward swiftly then, kicking the lead officer in the gut and knocking him over. The second officer only had time to draw his own nightstick before Mary punched him in the face hard enough to knock him over.
The last officer came at her with his night stick, but she diverted the blow with her right hand before laying the final policeman out with a left hook. "Assaulting officers of the law, just how I wanted my first visit to Asakusa to go," Mary remarked as she knelt down and pulled out some cuffs from one of the downed men.
"I guess we were warned this would be one of the hazards of the job," the Breath of Water User admitted as they cuffed the demon. It wasn't much but it helped them keep a better hold of his arms. "Now let's get out of here." But before they could, something strange happened.
An odd scent entered the air. The next thing the duo knew, they were being surrounded by floating flowers as the crowd looked around in confusion. "Now what," Mary groaned in frustration.
"I apologize for the intrusion," a woman in a purple kimono with roses and other flowers decorating it stepped forward, "but I noticed you did not refer to this man as a demon. Tell me, are you trying to save him?" She had purple eyes, and her hair was done up in a tidy bun. Next to her was a boy in a white button-up shirt, bluish black kimono pants and a white haori.
He stood out due to the majority of the hair on top of his head being white. "We're just trying to get him away from everyone," John explained.
"Then perhaps I can lend you a hand," the woman held up her right arm which had scratches on the wrist, healing scratches?!
"You're," Mary's eyes widened, "both of you are."
"We are demons, yes," the woman confirmed, "but I am also a doctor."
"We're not injured," John pointed out, "are you saying… you can help this man?"
"I can indeed," she nodded in confirmation, "and forgive me for eavesdropping, but I also heard you mention the name, Kibutsuji."
"You have information on him," Mary narrowed her eyes, "but why would you, a demon, give us information on the progenitor of demons?"
"The reason is quite simple," the woman's voice took on the slightest bit of edge, "I to, desire to destroy the man knowns as Muzan Kibutsuji."
Is there a doctor in the house? Is there anyone who remembers that phrase, I wonder. But witty remarks aside the Keller family has finally found the one responsible for their son's condition! Can they still catch him in time, and who is this woman that desires the creator of demon's death? We'll find out next chapter so in the meantime feel free to leave a comment or review about what you liked/disliked or if you've got any neat ideas for future chapters! Also, dropping some news in my Pat reon today so swing by and check that out while you're at it! Last thing, stop in next time as Muzan takes steps to deal with the ones who've identified him! 'Til then.