Demon Doctor: Lady Tamayo
Hello everyone and welcome to the latest chapter of Winds, Waves, And Chains! Lady Tamayo has made her appearance, now how shall our slayer family respond? Speaking of finding things out, if you're curious about the current status of some of my other stories, stop on by my Pat reon for news, scene samples, and even possible commissions! And before I forget, Happy Thanksgiving everyone, hope you're all able to find something to be thankful for this holiday season! Now without further ado, to the story!
Nighttime: Asakusa
"Well this is exciting," Mary sighed while leaning against a wall in the park, "after all that commotion here we are waiting for our supposed ally to come get us."
"If she really is Muzan's enemy it makes sense she'd want to vacate the scene as quickly as possible," John mused, his arms crossed while he too leaned against the wall, "we drew a lot of attention to ourselves and if her Blood Demon Art gets recognized there goes our help."
"This is, again, assuming she plans to help us in the first place," his wife pointed out, "I still don't like it. That woman is living in the same city as the person she wants to kill, were they just not aware of each other?"
"It is quite the coincidence," the former hunter admitted, "not impossible given that Japan is a much smaller country than places like America or Canada, but the odds of them being in the same place at the same time should still be low. My bet is this meeting is either fate, or a trap."
"Probably a trap," Mary scoffed slightly, "that woman clearly wanted our attention, otherwise she wouldn't have revealed herself. I'll admit she helped us out with those cops but that could just be a way to earn our trust."
"What does that feeling of yours say," John inquired.
"You know it comes and goes," his wife reminded him, "some days I wish I could use it at will but that could just as easily prove annoying as it is helpful. Anyway, to answer your question, no, I don't have a bad feeling around Miss Tamayo."
"That's Lady Tamayo," the boy from before, Yushiro was his name, appeared by a tree, "since you're going to be meeting with her, at least address her properly."
"You want to talk manners," Mary frowned, "isn't it rude to make your guests wait?"
"Ensuring Lady Tamayo's safety is my top priority," Yushiro huffed, "I personally don't want you anywhere near us, but she has ordered me to lead you to our hiding place."
"Then by all means, lead on," John gave a 'go ahead' gesture.
"Before we go," he pointed at Jonathan, who was standing between his parents. They'd taken him back out of the box after their little escapade in the city center. "Are you two aware that boy is a demon, and not much to look at it?"
"What, our son, a demon," Mary's voice was dripping with sarcasm as she put a hand over her mouth, "John, you told me the teeth and claws were just a part of puberty for boys. How could I, a slayer of demons, not have noticed? Also, our boy is a far more handsome man than your pale ass, so don't be jealous."
"The standards for attractive males has dropped in the last two hundred years, it seems," Yushiro sighed before a sudden hum from Jonathan drew his attention. Obviously the boy couldn't say much of anything, but he still had a fully functional hand and told him exactly what he thought of him by flipping the bird. "Let's just go." The demon lady's assistant turned with a huff and began walking.
"It seems the standards for good manners has gotten higher over the years, at least," Mary commented while pulling out some earrings as they walked.
"You haven't worn those in a while," John noted as his wife put on a pair of Hanafuda earrings.
"They're supposed to be for special occasions," she reminded while finishing putting them on, "we haven't really had a lot of those in the last couple of years until recently. Since everyone's talking about manners and everything, I figured why not."
"I'm more surprised you still had them on you," her husband quipped, "how did I miss them?"
"Manners, now, John," the female slayer smirked, "such talk will likely not be appreciated by our host. Unless she actually likes to talk dirty."
"Lady Tamayo is the embodiment of elegance," Yushiro called back, "don't forget it."
"Geez, this really must be quite the occasion," John quipped, "perhaps I should get some earrings too. Do you think oni mask earrings are a thing, dear?"
"This is already proving to be a headache," the demon boy massaged his temple as they walked along. It took several minutes but eventually he led them to a more secluded street with high walls, giving it a mazelike feel. "In here," he instructed before walking right into a dead end, and disappearing within the wall.
"What in the," Mary couldn't help but think aloud. The demon popped his head back out then.
"Hurry it up already," Yushiro ordered, "we don't want anyone seeing us." He retreated back into the wall while the two parents shared a look. Mary didn't feel anything bad beyond the wall and Jonathan wasn't reacting to any malevolent presence, either. So, the couple took a deep breath before all three of them stepped through.
"An illusion," John noted as they emerged on the other side of the wall to find a good-sized two-story house with white paint and green trim.
"How in the world does no one know this whole setup is back here," Mary remarked after letting out a low whistle.
"Don't underestimate the power of my concealment spells, or the usefulness of racking up favors," Yushiro responded, "now pay attention. It is imperative that you do not offend the lady in any way." He zoomed over to get in their faces then, "because I couldn't care less what happens to any of you! I only brought you here because she insisted, got-UGH?!"
He was silenced by Mary suddenly grabbing the front of his head in a vice-like grip. "If the lady insisted, then she's in charge and that means we don't have any reason to give a shit about your opinion, do we?" She gave a sweet but intimidating smile, "also, you've been a rude ass this whole time, so don't think you can lecture us about being offensive." Mary let him go then.
"You," the demon boy growled before John held up his hand.
"Son, just open the door so we can get this show on the road," he requested, "we'll treat Lady Tamayo with utmost respect so long as you keep it down."
"This way," Yushiro huffed before composing himself and opening the door, "I've returned, my lady."
"I'm glad you made it back safely," Lady Tamayo greeted.
"Thank you for having us this evening," John greeted back, "forgive me for being blunt, but what became of the man we were restraining earlier?"
"I'm afraid I've had to confine him in the basement," she answered with a saddened expression, "as he is a recently turned demon, his hunger is at its peak."
"Will you be able to do anything about that," Mary asked, "truth be told, we only wanted to get him off the street so he wouldn't hurt anyone, and so we wouldn't get arrested for decapitating someone in public. Obviously that last part fell through."
"I should be able to alter his body as I have altered mine," Tamayo assured, "he will still require sustenance but won't be driven to devour humans."
"That's good to hear," John nodded, "though now I'm wondering what you mean, and forgive me if I'm prying, when you say you've altered your body?"
"Come this way," the demon woman moved and slid open some wooden double doors, "it will be more comfortable to talk in here." The slayer duo glanced at each other before following the lady and her assistant inside. The room they entered was neat and tidy with bookshelves on one side and dressers full of drawers that no doubt contained the materials for various medicinal compounds. The room was also decorated with candlesticks, flower vases and a nice picture of the mountains.
"Jonathan," Mary chided her son who'd plopped down and started rocking back and forth, "sit properly, we're guests here."
"It's quite alright," Tamayo assured as they all sat down or knelt on the floor, "make yourselves at home. Now then, to answer your question, Mr. Keller, when I say I have altered my body I mean I've made changes to my anatomy in order to erase my need for human flesh. I've done the same for Yushiro and now we only require a small amount of human blood."
"Which you can acquire easily thanks to your profession as a doctor," Mary surmised, "do you tell them it's because you need blood samples?"
"In a manner of speaking," the lady doctor answered, "I buy up blood from people in poverty, telling them it's for transfusions. I don't, however, take so much that it impedes them."
"Go to the right place in any city and you wouldn't need to," John crossed his arms and nodded, "even the most prosperous places have a few people down on their luck."
"But the main thing is, you altered your body and Yushiro's," the lady slayer pointed out, "how exactly did you do that?"
"In the case of Yushiro," Tamayo explained, "altering him was easier as I was the one who turned him into a demon in the first place. He actually requires less blood than I do."
"Wait, you're able to turn people into demons?" The blond man raised an eyebrow, "I thought that was an ability exclusive to Muzan?"
"And in many ways, that is the truth," the doctor smiled sadly, "it took me two hundred years of study, research and testing before I managed a success. Yushiro is the only one I've been successful with after all this time."
"Why are you trying to find a way to turn people into demons," Mary raised an eyebrow while crossing her arms.
"You misunderstand," Tamayo corrected, "creating more demons is not one of my goals. I only turn people who are terminally ill or fatally injured and don't have long to live. Even then, I always ask them if they truly wish to live on as a demon."
"So you don't use human test subjects," John mused, "that would make things a lot more difficult. But after hearing all this, it brings up a question we've been trying to ask every demon we've come across. Lady Tamayo, is it possible to turn a demon back into a human?"
About The Same Time: The Back Streets
Due to the lateness of the hour the streets were virtually devoid of people, save for two individuals casually walking down it. The first was a grey-skinned girl who interrupted the silence of the night by bouncing a multi-colored ball with a bell inside of it, a Temari. Next to her was a boy whose eyes seemed to be permanently closed, and his complexion was the same as the girl's. To anyone else they would've appeared strange.
But to those in the know, they'd only need one look to figure out what the duo really were: demons. Even if their skin tone, slightly sharp teeth and claws didn't give them away, the boy demon certainly would've as he bent down and held out his hands. On those hands were large eyes with arrows that seemed to change direction every time they opened and closed. He ran these eyed hands just above the ground, as if examining it for something.
"See anything," the girl asked as she stopped bouncing her Temari for a moment.
"Yes, there's no question," the demon boy responded, "these are their footprints. There are four individuals, and they make a sharp turn to the left right up there. One of them seems to be carrying a type of oversized box."
"I wonder how we should kill them," the Temari user giggled, "we have so many options thanks to the blood he gave us. I can feel it coursing through my body even now."
"Whatever method we chose," the boy with eyes on his hands smiled evilly, "it shall be brutal and ruthless!"
"Oh I can't wait," the girl smiled widely, "I hope they turn out to be good playmates."
Lady Tamayo's House
"Can a demon be turned back into a human," a more serious expression crossed the demon doctor's face, "yes, I believe so."
"You do," Mary almost jumped forward at the news, "please tell us!" For whatever reason Yushiro didn't like her doing that.
"Keep your distance from Lady-GAH!" But as he attempted to move towards the lady slayer, he found that the seemingly inattentive Jonathan was much faster than him. Before he knew it the demon boy had him on the ground in a sort of grappling hold. "Ah, out of my way you mute child, I cannot allow such rudeness towards Lady Tamayo!"
"Yushiro," said lady had a warning tone to her voice, "I shouldn't have to remind you about manners when we have guests, should I?"
"I only meant to ensure they were acting as respectful towards you as possible," the assistant changed his tone surprisingly quickly, "forgive the crudeness of my method!"
"You should be asking them for an apology as well," Tamayo indicated the two parents.
"I'll let it slide if he keeps Jonathan entertained for another minute or two," Mary readjusted herself, "he looks like he's having fun." Said 'fun' in this instance was their son putting Yushiro through multiple grappling holds while humming happily.
"He never mentioned it much, but our son would've loved to have a sibling," John remarked.
"I can imagine," Tamayo smiled lightly, "my own children got along quite well." A slightly saddened expression crossed her face then, prompting Mary to clear her throat.
"Getting back on topic," she began, "you said you 'believe' it's possible for a demon to be turned back into a human. I got excited a moment ago, so I nearly forgot to ask what makes you so sure it's possible?"
"For every kind of wound or ailment throughout history, there has almost always been some kind of medicine or treatment for it," the doctor explained, "in truth, I don't know of an actual method to turn a demon back into a human. But, after all the time and research I've put into it, I'm certain such a cure can be created. That's why I promise you both right now that we will discover a treatment for demonification. Thankfully, there is something the two of you can do to help in this process."
"Name it," John gave her a determined look, "our goal in becoming demon slayers has never been about the slaying of demons themselves. Curing our son has been the driving force from the very start. We have few other reasons to wield these blades."
"Then I'm all the more glad I reached out to both of you," Tamayo nodded, "fortunately, your profession will aid you greatly here. What I require is demon blood, but not just any demon blood. First, I would like your permission to study your son's blood, and I will also require you to collect blood samples from demons with high concentrations of Kibutsuji's blood."
"I understand why you'd need Jonathan's blood," Mary mused, "he behaves differently from any demon we've encountered so far. He still recognized us after turning and slept for two years. Now that he's woken up, he regains strength by sleeping instead of eating human flesh. In fact, he hasn't eaten a single person this whole time."
"So he doesn't just feel different from an average demon," the lady doctor had a contemplative expression on her face, "I've certainly never encountered a natural demon who behaves in such a way. Under ordinary circumstances a demon would've gone mad with hunger by now, yet he shows no signs of this occurring." It was at that moment Jonathan came rolling in front of them and landed on his back, chuckling happily with a smile under his muzzle.
"No one's been able to explain it," John shrugged, "but that may mean there's something different in his blood. But about the second request, how will we be able to identify demons with high concentrations of Muzan's blood? I didn't know the amount of blood varied between demons."
"Ordinarily, he uses about the same amount of blood with each demon," Tamayo explained, "but on rare occasions, he bestows a higher volume of blood to demons whose abilities he finds useful or on people he anticipates will develop into powerful demons. While demons are capable of growing stronger by devouring humans, those bestowed with more of Kibutsuji's blood are able to utilize even more power. In short, they will be among the most powerful of demons. Knowing this, are you still willing to help me?"
"If there's really no other way," Mary lightly rubbed her son's head, "then we'll go along with it. After all, this medicine or treatment you're trying to create, it's worth the risk. I know because even though we've only been slayers for a short while, the reality of how many lives are affected by demons has become clear. If you succeed, it won't just be our son who's saved, but countless other people. The tragedy that's befallen us and so many others can finally come to an end."
Tamayo seemed surprised for a moment, possibly not expecting the slayers to grasp the implications of such a cure so quickly. "Yes," she smiled then. Before anyone could say anything else, however, Yushiro moved.
"GET DOWN!" He warned, pushing Tamayo to the floor. At practically the same time two Temari came crashing through the wall and began bouncing around the room. John and Mary instinctively moved to cover their son as the balls cracked and tore everything they hit. Before long, the intentions of their attacker became clear as the wall collapsed.
As the dust settled and the Temari returned, the slayers were able to determine that not one but two attackers had somehow located them despite the concealment spell. "You were right Yahaba," the wielder of the Temari, a demon girl with short dark hair that ended in orange tips laughed, "a building did appear out of nowhere!" She was dressed in an orange kimono with a dark blue haori over it.
"I'm almost as surprised as you," Yahaba responded as he held his hands up to view the situation with the eyes on them, "to think our prey possessed a concealing Blood Demon Art. But what's even stranger is I can smell nichirin steel. There are two slayers in there with three demons?" His outfit was a black and yellow kimono with large blue beads hanging around his neck.
"That just means we have a lot more targets to hit!" The girl exclaimed with delight as she threw both Temari again. As before, the twin orbs busted through the walls and bounced around the room.
"Stay down," John warned as he drew his sword and deflected the first Temari then the second. They impacted with an amazing amount of force, almost knocking the slayer over if not for him bracing himself properly. However, there was more to the demon's choice of weapon than just their design. As he deflected them again, one bounced off the wall a couple times and went towards the lady doctor.
"Lady Tamayo!" Yushiro moved in the way of the projectile while pushing her out of its path. That's when it suddenly swerved downward before changing direction again and decapitating the assistant.
"Dammit," Mary cursed, "what's his regeneration like since he's not a typical demon?"
"He'll be fine in a minute," Tamayo assured while cradling his headless body, "you don't need to worry about protecting either of us."
"Hope you're right about that," John took a stance as another Temari came racing at him. 'These things move when we try to dodge,' he noted, 'so let's try this.' He shifted to a one-handed stance with his blade pointed forward. 'Breath of Water Seventh Form,' he thrusted his sword forward and impaled the projectile, 'Drop Ripple Thrust Curve!' The Temari went almost all the way to the hilt before stopping.
"That's one," the former hunter reported, "now I just need to stop-huh?" His sword, or rather the Temari on the sword started moving and bopped him in the head before sliding back off his weapon and returning to its owner. "Ow, seriously, they still move even in that state?"
"I know I shouldn't, but I really want to laugh right now," Mary stood up and walked forward, "better let me take a crack at this."
"You'll need to slice them up completely," John informed as he moved in front of their son, "it's possible those things could still move even when cut in half."
"Remember who you're talking to," his wife smiled confidently, "dicing things up is a specialty of us Breath of Wind users." And that was put to the test now as the Temari came flying at them once again. "Breath of Wind Fourth Form: Rising Dust Storm!" She swung her blade and a practical cyclone engulfed her, dicing the two Temari to bits while also blowing out part of the roof.
"What in the shit," the demon girl held up her arm to block a bit of the debris. As the dust cleared, she got a better look at the woman who'd stopped the attack. There was something about her that seemed odd, but what was it? She saw it when the wind settled, a pair of earrings.
'Are those Hanafuda earrings?' The Temari Demon wondered, then wondered why she was bothering to notice. That is until a sudden feeling of unfamiliar rage overtook her along with, was that fear? "What, what is this?" She held a hand to her head as images started flowing into it, memories that weren't her own.
She saw a man then, wearing the same kind of earrings and wielding a bright red nichirin blade. He was a human but was reviled far more than any other human before him. The voice of her master sounded in her mind then. 'Destroy the one with Hanafuda earrings, wipe every trace of that cursed man from existence!'
'Are these, his memories,' the demon girl couldn't help but wonder. "Hey, ball girl," Mary called while stepping out into the open area, "you interrupted a very important conversation just now. So here are your options: either die or surrender your body to science."
"Hahaha," she laughed after recomposing herself, "surrender my body to science? That's a new one. Since this looks like it'll be fun, I'll let you in on a little secret," she tossed off her haori and undid the top half of her kimono, leaving only a black obi covering her chest, "you're about to be killed by Susamaru of the Twelve Kizuki! Consider yourself lucky to receive such an honor!"
"Honor?" The lady slayer pointed at Susamaru, "I don't want to hear about honor from a girl who's running around half naked!"
"Huh," the Temari Girl gave her a questioning look.
"I mean look at you," Mary huffed, "you got practically nothing covering you. Not only is most of your upper body exposed you got almost nothing hiding your legs either."
"What are you, my mom?!" A vein stood out on Susamaru's head, "I dress and fight however I want and why should I give a shit what you think?!"
"If you want your other peers to respect you and take you seriously then you need to conduct yourself with some dignity," the lady slayer argued back, "I'll have you know I'm a mother, so I've learned a thing or two about this."
"Screw off, Grandma!" The Demon Girl pointed at her, "I don't need your help to get respect!"
"Really, you're probably a couple centuries older than I am and still can't conduct yourself like an adult!" The two women continued to argue back and forth. All the while a sweat drop fell down John's head as he sighed.
"Just what in the world is going on right now," Yushiro suddenly spoke up.
"Oh good, your head's back," John noted with a slight bit of sarcasm. Truthfully, he'd almost forgotten about the assistant's condition once he heard he would be fine. "And you got me, I guess my wife's maternal instinct is kicking in or something. Who'd have thought it would happen against an enemy. Speaking of which, who are the Kizuki?"
"Demons who serve directly under Kibutsuji," Tamayo informed.
"So they're the ones who got more of Muzan's blood," the slayer mused, "maybe our luck hasn't gone completely bad after all."
"You should know there are probably two of them," Yushiro informed, "those Temari were guided by arrows of some sort. It felt like two different Blood Demon Arts when they broke through my concealment spell."
"Arrows," John repeated in slight confusion, "I didn't see any arrows."
"Of course," Yushiro sighed in annoyance, "you can't even see them. Whatever, I'll lend you my gift of sight, so take out those demons who dare to threaten Lady Tamayo!" He produced two paper tags and threw one onto the slayer's head. It stuck on easily enough and felt like there was practically nothing there after it settled.
But that wasn't the interesting part. Susamaru had thrown her Temari again, only for them to be deflected by Mary's Claws Purifying Wind technique. It was in that instant that John saw them, red arrows that ran through the center of the Temari and guided their movements. "Wow, that helps a lot," he admitted, "thanks."
"Thank me by taking out those demons already!" Yushiro basically ordered. John would've rolled his eyes, but he had more pressing matters as he moved out to where his wife was.
"Mary," the former hunter threw a tag on his wife's head, "that'll help you see the attacks coming."
"I don't know what you mean but I'll take it," she remarked as they came flying in again. This time she saw the arrows and easily deflected the attacks without even using a form. "Oh, that's much better."
"Thank Yushiro," John suggested, "there are also two demons here. I'll deal with the other one."
"You'll have your hands full just dealing with me," Susamaru declared as four extra arms suddenly burst out of her body. She also produced four extra Temari to throw at them.
"How is that black top not ripped apart right now," Mary remarked before both she and John dodged out of the way of the now six Temari flying at them. "So if there's another demon directing these things, the arrows should disappear if we find them, right?"
"You can leave that to me," her husband assured while dodging and deflecting the three Temari aimed at him, "all I need is a bit of cover. How much can you manage?"
"I can manage plenty," his wife couldn't help but smirk as she readied her blade, "Breath of Wind Eighth Form: Primary Gale Slash!" She leapt into the air and swung her sword, generating a circular torrent that sliced through several of the Temari and kicked up a mass amount of dust in the immediate area.
"You think a little dust cloud is gonna stop me," Susamaru readied to throw her weapons again, "I can operate just fine in the dust-huh?" In the next instant Mary came racing out of the dispersing cloud but John was nowhere to be found.
"Let's see you operate without your arms!" She swung her blade then, "Breath of Wind Third Form: Clear Storm Wind Tree!" A whirlwind of slashes was unleashed around the female slayer's body as she got within range. When her opponent tried to use her weapons at close range, they along with her arms got diced up, forcing her to leap back. "You're lucky I need a blood sample, or I would've cut off your head right then."
"A blood sample," the demon girl was still smiling despite the situation, "you really think you were that close to taking me out." She flexed her muscles then and new arms sprang out from the stumps almost immediately, "don't flatter yourself. I've just been having fun up to this point."
"Oh yeah," Mary smirked, "let's see how you do without your partner." Susamaru raised an eyebrow before she noticed John hadn't reappeared. 'Shit, he must've moved towards where Yahaba is.' Said demon was currently up in one of the nearby trees.
"Come on Susamaru," he grunted in annoyance, "hurry up and finish off-huh?!" It was at that moment John came leaping into view. The monster boy held his hands up instinctively at the sight of the slayer.
"Don't think so," the former hunter twisted his body violently in midair, "Breath of Water Sixth Form: Whirlpool!" The powerful move cut through not only the demon's hands but the tree as well. Both the slayer and demon landed on the ground then as the treetop fell over next to them. 'Dammit, he leaned his head back just far enough at the last second.'
"You bastard," Yahaba seethed as he burst from the tree and began running, "do you have any idea how much dirt you just got on my clothes?!"
"You eat blood, intestines, and all kinds of other nasty parts of a human," John shot back while pursuing him, "you want some dirt to complain about, complain about the dirt you're gonna get from my foot going up your ass!"
"Gah, you must be from the country," the demon boy seethed before suddenly turning back to reveal his newly regrown hands, "be gone you filthy cretin!" Just as John was about to strike him with his sword, he saw the eyes on his opponent's hands had what looked like arrows on them. The reason as to why became clear when he suddenly felt his body being pulled back due to an arrow on the ground. 'Oh shit, his power works on more than just small inanimate objects,' John realized as he was sent flying in another direction, then another, and another after that.
The slayer was bounced on the ground and slammed into the trees multiple times with enough force that it threatened to break something. 'Fuck this hurts,' the slayer grit his teeth against the pain, 'it's like Urokodaki punching me, all over my body!' This continued until he was sent up into the air where the arrow suddenly disappeared. "Ah shit," was all the swordsman had time to say before he went falling back towards the ground.
'Got to think of something fast,' he twisted around and swung his blade vertically, 'Breath of Water Eighth Form: Waterfall Basin!' The blow impacted on the ground, breaking his fall as he staggered back to his feet. "Okay, new plan," he thought aloud between breaths.
"Nice try, demon slayer," Yahaba smiled evilly, "but that is as close as you're ever going to get to me." He emphasized his point by sending out several arrows this time. John paid attention close attention now, dodging, rolling, and jumping out of the way of the dreaded vectors. They were persistent, however, and kept going after him.
The one time he tried cutting behind an arrow, it yanked his sword out of his hands and into a nearby tree. No doubt it would've taken him too if he hadn't let go. Then the demon sent an arrow that wrapped around his right arm. "Let's see you swing a sword after I twist off that limb," the demon laughed.
Thinking quickly, John rushed to the tree his sword was imbedded in and ran up it before grabbing the weapon and leaping backwards, all in the same motion. His body spun several times in the air before the arrow released its hold on his arm. "That's gonna make me dizzy if I'm not careful," he remarked before shaking his head a little to clear his senses.
"Clever move," Yahaba complimented, "I didn't think someone of your age could flip so well."
"I might not be a kid but I'm not old yet either," John remarked before resuming his stance, "you'd do well not to forget that."
"Young or old it doesn't really matter to me," the Arrow Demon dismissed, "you'll die just the same!" He sent more vectors at the demon slayer who rushed forward, using every last bit of footwork he knew to dodge around them. 'I need a way to get close without touching the arrows,' he thought while wracking his brain, 'they only disappear when they come into contact with something, and it doesn't look like he can change it after it does.' That's when an idea came to him.
'If they can only affect one object at a time, then let's try this!' The slayer began adding spinning to his footwork, discreetly moving his left hand to reach for something in his uniform. When he got close enough that dodging the arrows would prove extremely difficult, he made his move. John threw out the rice ball rations he'd been carrying in his uniform, intercepting the arrows.
"What?!" Yahaba's eyes widened in surprise as the vectors attached to the food and sent them flying. 'Breath of Water Third Form: Flowing Dance!' John advanced his footwork even more, bobbing and weaving around the last of the arrows. As the demon tried one last close-range shot, the slayer threw up his haori in front of him.
The vectors caught a hold of it and sent the cloth flying, but now John was nowhere to be seen. "Breath of Water Improved First Form," his voice came from behind the demon, "Water Surface Flowing Slash!" Yahaba didn't have time to turn around as the slayer sliced cleanly through his neck, decapitating him. The body spun around and fell on its back as the head landed nearby.
"Whew," John let out a breath, "that was a bit closer than I would've liked it." On its own, Water Surface Slash possessed enough power, but he never would've gotten close enough without Flowing Dance's footwork. But he was most glad his hunch about the demon's powers had been correct. The Vector Manipulator couldn't pick and choose which objects his arrows worked on, it was whatever they happened to come into contact with which in this case, had been tomorrow's breakfast.
"You damn bastard!" The demon's head yelled at him, "how could you do this to me?!"
"If you're asking how I won," the blond man remarked, "superior skill and tactics."
"Damn it," Yahaba cursed, "all I had to do was bring him your heads! Then I would've finally won his approval! I'll never forgive you for this!"
"Do I look like I give a shit if you do," John raised an eyebrow as he began walking away.
"Don't think you can just walk away after dropping my head in this vile dirt!" The demon yelled, "I'm taking you down with me!" The former hunter noticed some movement then as the body lifted its hands up. 'He can still control his body?!' John's eyes widened as the eyes blinked shut, signaling the activation of the Blood Demon Art.
Several arrows sprang out of John's body then, pointed in every possible direction he could think of. "You motherfu-CKER!" It was all he had time to say before being yanked violently in the direction of the first arrow that hit him. 'No big deal,' he did his best to remain calm as he changed direction multiple times, 'just do like before and break your fall with a Breath Form, only do it a lot this time!'
That would turn out to be an understatement. He never got an accurate count of how many arrows hit his body and soon enough he lost track of just how long he was performing his moves. 'Mary, Jonathan,' the former hunter thought while doing his best to ignore the pain using so many moves in succession was causing, 'I'll be there soon, just hold on, a little longer!' As it turned out, his worries would be of a different sort very soon.
Back over with Mary and the others, the Breath of Wind user was having her own issues. "Shit," the swordswoman cursed as she dodged out of the way of the latest Temari thrown at her, "it's like I'm dodging cannonballs now."
"Do you regret being so cocky yet," Susamaru laughed as she continued throwing volley after volley of the lethal projectiles at her opponent, "I'll let you in on a secret, Yahaba and I worked together for the first time today. I don't need his arrows to turn my opponents into a pulp, I can do it all on my own!"
"Good for you," Mary shot back, "I don't need my husband to make mincemeat out of you!" She dodged a few more projectiles before charging forward with a horizontal slashing motion, "First Form: Dust Whirlwind Cutter!" The lady slayer had to put more power into it than before, but she was able to slice through a volley of the Temari and get within striking range. Susamaru was quick, however, and leapt out of the way before throwing another barrage at her.
"Second Form: Claws Purifying Wind!" The swordswoman cut through four out of the six Temari, thankful the other two were too far on either side to hit her. That's when Susamaru changed tactics and leapt up into the air, again barraging her with handballs. "Is throwing balls all you do?! Fourth Form: Rising Dust Storm!"
She eviscerated the orbs descending towards her but had to block another blow as Susamaru put two Temari under her feet and slammed them down on her blade. "I can kick balls too, old lady!" Mary roared and pushed the demon backwards, causing her to flip and land several feet away.
"Oh what a sweet girl, all you can think about is balls," the slayer shot back, "is that the only part of a human you eat?"
"Why don't I eat your damn tongue!" Susamaru threw the Temari in quick succession this time instead of a volley, summoning a new one for every handball that was thrown. Mary sliced them apart easily enough but there didn't seem to be any end to the assault. Eventually as she was coming around to cut through some more, her foot slipped a little on the dirt, slowing her next move.
'Shit, I'm not gonna be able to hit this next one in time,' Mary realized while trying to think of what to do. At the last second, however, a familiar figure leapt forward and kicked the ball in midair. The force was enough that it sent the projectile flying back to Susamaru who caught it on reflex, her surprise at the spin on the orb halting her continuous assault. "Jonathan," the mother asked in confusion as her son now stood between them.
Strangely, he was hopping from one foot to the other, as if he was limbering up while making the occasional hum. "You little prick," the Temari Demon growled, the smile for once leaving her face, "don't get cocky just because you sent one ball back at me!" She dropped the handball and kicked it then, the projectile sailing even faster than before. Yet Jonathan was able to kick it back with equal force.
A furious contest began then as the Temari was kicked back and forth repeatedly between the two demons. As the bout drug on, Susamaru got more and more frustrated. 'How is he doing this,' she seethed, 'no ordinary demon can send my shots back at me like this!' "Lady Tamayo," Yushiro observed in slight awe, "how is this possible? They assured us he hasn't had even a drop of human blood."
"I can't say for certain," Tamayo mused, "all I have are theories. It is possible that there is something special about the lineage this boy comes from, or perhaps he is an anomaly among even his own family. Whatever the case, the sight we're witnessing now is undeniable. At this very moment, there exists a demon whose strength comes from something that is neither human flesh nor the blood of Kibutsuji."
And this strength was demonstrated at its current peak when Jonathan returned the Temari with such force that Susamaru instinctively moved her head out of the way, letting it crash into the brick wall behind her. The result was a foot deep hole with cracks all around it. The Temari Girl looked back at the miniature crater in shock for a moment before turning back towards her opponent. Despite what just occurred, however, the smile returned to her features.
"Well now, aren't you an amusing little boy," she laughed, "let's see how you handle me-HUH?!" Susamaru didn't know when, but Jonathan had crossed the distance before she knew it and grabbed her. The next thing she knew she was, being spun around in the air? And was the demon boy, smiling?
"What in the world is happening now," Yushiro directed his question at Mary, "I thought your son was fighting?"
"I'll be honest, that's what I thought he was doing too," she sighed while rubbing her head, "it looks like we all misjudged the situation." As she said this, Jonathan let Susamaru down and began hugging her.
"Hey! What the shit do you think you're doing," she pushed back against the boy, only for him to laugh more, "get off me you damn weirdo!" But Jonathan didn't seem to notice her obvious mood as he turned back towards his mother and started mumbling beneath his muzzle.
"What, say that again," Mary hoped she'd heard wrong, "you want us to what?" Alas, when her son repeated himself, it was the same thing. "Wait, let me get this straight. You want us to adopt her?"
"WHAAAAAAATTT?!" Susamaru's voice jumped an octave, "adopt me? What the fuck do you mean adopt me?!"
"Forgive our son," Mary sighed while rubbing her head, "you see, he's always wanted an older sister." And boy did fate have an interesting way of granting certain requests.
Alright be honest, who saw this turn of events coming, because Susamaru definitely didn't! And for those wondering, yes, Jonathan is developing at a faster rate than Nezuko did in canon. The reason as to why shall become clear in later chapters. But feel free to let me know what your theories are in your comments and reviews along with what you liked/disliked or if you've got any neat ideas for future chapters! And as per the usual I'm obligated to let you know about my Pat reon! Last thing, stop in next time as our resident slayers learn yet another oddity about their son's current condition. 'Til then!