Chapter Twenty: Pretend Family
'Moon Breathing First Form: Dark Moon Evening Palace!' uttered Tanjiro as he swiftly decapitated Rui's head.
Rui had realized that Tanjiro and Nezuko were offspring of Kokushibo when the Moonbreathing slayer said that his father's name is Michikatsu Tsugikuni, Rui was terrified when he realized that he was messing with Kokushibo's kids...the boy tried to runaway in fear...tried to escape with his life but...he was no match for Tanjiro...the Demon Slayer was to quick for Rui and he slayed the demon before he can escape...Tanjiro ended the Lower Moon Five with the first ever move that his Father ever taught him.
Elsewhere
Daughter continued to run away...she was in deep trouble...this was not the first time that she had messed up her role in Rui's pretend family!.
She will always remember when she met the Lower Rank, she was being chased by several Demon Slayers...her life was in danger, the slayers had cornered her near a large house in a clearing...the Demon Slayers were preparing to kill her...she thought that this was the end!, but then an other demon appeared on the roof, it was none other than Rui himself.
Rui spoke to the demon girl, asking if she wanted him to save her and asked if she will obey his wishes in return.
In her desperation to save herself the girl quickly accepted his offer...to become apart of his family.
The Demon Slayers were now closing in on them, but Rui took hold of several threads within the clearing, slicing the Demon Slayers to pieces.
As the little demon girl looked behind, she saw that her assailants were now dead, she then heard something odd within the house...it was a large group of spider demons, the Lower Rank than took the girl's hand and welcomed her into his family.
Once she was inside the house, her initiation to join had begun with Rui and one of his older sisters present.
As the most powerful demon in the house Rui was the one who gave strength to the others through his blood.
Using a thread Rui drew a drop of his blood and added it into a bowl with a solution to be drunk.
Daughter was offered the liquid by her new sister, who said that Rui is allowed to share his strength as one of 'That person's' favorites.
After drinking the liquid, Daughter was suddenly racked with intense pain as the Lower Rank's blood began to take effect, Rui then asked if she could feel it...stating that she no longer needs to fear the Demon Slayers.
Rui then gave his 'Finishing touches ' grabbing the demon's face and ripping it off as she screamed in agony!.
At the end of her initiation, Daughter saw that her appearance had changed.
Rui congratulated the demon and recognized her as a part of his family.
In Daughter's first family "dinner " everyone sat down in a candle-lit room, pretending to partake in a meal, with Rui satisfied with the feeling of family.
Later on Daughter's older sister informed her that they all don't have blood ties and are all strangers to one another. Outside, Daughter saw Rui torturing a young demon.
The young demon apologized to Rui, promising that she will do better, pleading with him and telling him that it wasn't her fault...that it was an accident that she reverted back to her original form, but her crys fell on deaf ears, instead Rui tied a thread to her neck in anger, causing her to bleed.
'I don't want to hear your excuses Mother' muttered Rui as Mother transformed back into her spider forme. He told Mother to play her given role as she should and she obeys his orders.
Her sister stated they were all scared of the Demon Slayers and simply wanted company...they never wanted to be part of Rui's "Family".
But those who disobey the Lower Moon were met with severe reprimands.
The older sister has had enough of playing Rui's game and had offered a plan to escape with Daughter, saying that she is the only one she doesn't see as foolish and the only one that she saw as her sister.
The next day, when Rui was summoned by Muzan to descend the mountain, Daughter and her sister run away together to escape the forest.
As they make their way down the mountain, the two were met by Rui standing in their path.
Fearing the consequences, Daughter leaves her sister's side and stood with him. In retaliation, Rui sliced his older sister throughout her body with his threads, leaving her restrained at the top of the house to burn in the sun light. Seeing her bloody body strewn to ashes from head to toe, Rui only muttered his disappointment in her and coldly walked away, with Daughter following him. As dawn breaks...the restrained demon was hit by sunlight and burned to death.
Remembering that day, Daughter had admonished her and all her deceased family members as fools, but regardless she still acknowledged her mistake, reminiscing on the moment she last met Rui.
She informed him that both Mother and their older brother had been killed and that the Demon Slayers were now closing in on them. As she proposed that they escape, Daughter's eyes slightly changed back to their original look. Rui noticed that and angrirly slashed her face and reminding her of his dislike when that happens and leading to his confrontation with Tanjiro.
As Daughter continued to run through the forest, she caught sight of a Demon Slayer. Murata saw her, but she quickly encased him in a web cocoon before he can attack. Murata tried to stab through but he failed to cut the silk and to his shock and horror, acid had begun to seep through the silk. Daughter described how the acid will dissolve his clothes first and then his body, and she will then devour his remains afterwards.
But in a instant a Demon Slayer appeard behind her.
She was a woman with black hair with purple highlights and purple eyes, she was wearing a white haori with a pattern that resembled the wings of a monarch butterfly.
The Demon Slayer asked if her silk came from her palms, but Daughter only stood in silence.
'Good Evening ' the woman said in a fake cheerful voice. The Demon Slayer started commenting on the moon's appearance.
Daughter quickly launched ropes of silk but the swordswoman quickly evaded her attack and pined her to the ground. Shinobu saw that the demon had no intention of befriending her. Daughter begged the Hashira to listen, she claimed that she was forced by " him" and that he will kill her if she disobeyed his orders.
Shinobu seemingly accepted Daughter's plea and offered to spare her, only to add that she must ask her a question beforehand.
Shinobu calmly asked how many people she's killed...frightened, Daughter quickly answered "Five" as she began to tear up, stating she was ordered to do so, but Shinobu told the demon that she does not need to lie, as she already knows how many. Shinobu commented on the impressive attack of her cocoons and claimed that Daughter had devoured at least eighteen people, but Daughter denied this and repeated that she only killed five. Shinobu informed her that she came from the west of the mountain and had saw hordes of cocoons in the trees, mentioning that she counted fourteen in one spot alone and that all the human captives were dead.
The Hashira stated that she wasn't angry but simply getting an accurate toll. Daughter asked what good it will do to be accurate, Shinobu replied that it was for her to get the proper penalty.
'So you and I can become friends. ' said Shinobu, she then threatened to gouge her eyeballs, eviscerat her body and torture her for each of her victims, saying that only after suffering will she be forgiven.
Horrified the demon began to panic, and Shinobu slyly replied that she won't die or suffer any side effects due to her being a demon.
Daughter attacked the Hashira with a wave of silk, but Shinobu easily evaded the attack, Shinobu pityed the demon and their inability to become friends. When Daughter attempted to attack again, she saw that her enemy had vanished!. Daughter looked up and saw Shinobu lunging at her from the sky, as she got close, the demon saw herself engulfed in a flutter of butterflies. One landed on her finger but it began to bleed, with her body suddenly bleeding as well.
Shinobu attacked Daughter with Insect Breathing: Butterfly Dance: Caprice. Daughter grabbed her neck but saw that she wasn't beheaded much to her shock, she also noticed that Shinobu's sword isn't shaped to cut and concluded that she is too weak to behead demons.
Daughter had underestimated her opponent, she had dismissed Shinobu as someone weak and easy for her to beat, but then her body suddenly began to change!...her blood vessels burst and she began to convulse. Finally Daughter was hit by a sudden wave of pain and fell over.
Hearing the body slump to the ground, Shinobu told Daughter not to feel safe when realizing she wasn't beheaded, as there are Demon Slayers who use poison.
Twirling her blade in a display of skill she proudly stated of the Demon Slayer Corps, she is 'Insect Hashira Shinobu Kocho ' despite being the only one unable to behead demons, she is still 'Rather awesome ' for using poison to kill, Shinobu then cut open Daughter's last cocoon freeing and saving Murata.
Murata asked if Shinobu was going to finish off the demon, but Shinobu reassured the she was already dead from her Wisteria poison and happily noted that while Murata's clothing has dissolved, his body was unscathed.
Murata was so embarrassed!...he wished that the earth would just open up and swallow him!...he quickly slinked away, a shamed and humiliated, Shinobu then turned her attention to the demon supposedly forcing Daughter and wondering if Giyu had beaten her to it.
As Tanjiro made is way to Nezuko, Rui's severed head fell to the ground, still terrified of the siblings.
As he was dying, Rui saw Mother asking what were his intentions with their fake family, Rui honesty wasn't sure...he had no memories of his human life. Mother asked if that is why he made them pretend to be his family. Rui believed that he could regain them if he felt a familial bond. As Rui saw Tanjiro hugging his sister, he realized that he did everything to try and get what the Tsugikuni siblings have.
Author's Note: i don't know about you guys but i honestly thought that Shinobu was creepy in this episode, also Rui's death and the death of the hand demon were the only times that a cryed watching the anime so far.
