Redemption

5.

Tanjiro was a bit disturbed.

Lady Shinobu had returned from somewhere, looking...well, disturbed and despondent.

Which really concerned him.

The other Butterfly girls seemed to notice as well.

Aoi had been in a bit of a frenzy for a bit, threatening to kill whoever.

Kanao remained silent, though he could tell she worried.

And Sumi, Naho, and Kiyo had asked Shinobu directly, to get no answer.

...

What was going on?

It was later that day, when the sun was setting, that miss May returned, going straight to her office.

Tanjiro decided to let her know about the situation.

Knocking on the door, she turned to him with a smile.

"Hi Tanjiro."

"Hello miss May." He smiled back.

"Do you have a moment?" He asked.

"Of course, what is it?" She nodded as she put her katana away.

He stepped in, sighing.

"Well, it's about miss Shinobu. She's been acting...strange."

Mayumi raised a brow in confusion.

"How so?"

"Well, she left earlier, it was a while after you, and she came back looking, well, distressed, about something." He answered.

Mayumi nodded.

"Thank you Tanjiro, I will go find her..."

Though she didn't need to because Shinobu then entered, shut the door, and stared at her sister with a rather blank expression.

Mayumi just started checking her over frantically, being the worrywart she is.

"Shinobu, are you alright?! You're not hurt are you?"

Shinobu just stared for another minute before sighing.

"Nee-san, we need to talk."

Mayumi didn't get what that meant but nodded, clearly concerned about her sister's well being.

She only nodded, prompting Shinobu to think up a question.

But Tanjiro picked up a scent...eh? A demon? But it wasn't Nezuko's scent, this one was...much stronger, than a regular demon.

"Pardon me, but, I smell a demon." He said aloud.

Shinobu not so subtlety raised a brow at her sister, who seemed oblivious.

"Well May? Should you tell him or should I?"

Mayumi didn't seem to understand, he could tell she was genuinely confused about that.

"Tell him what Shinobu?"

"Don't play innocent nee-san, I saw you with that demon, upper moon one, at the cave."

Then realization was across Mayumi's face, and shock, but some hint of betrayal.

"Did you follow me?"

"Don't change the subject May." Shinobu retorted, dropping her false persona now.

Tanjiro looked at Mayumi with some conflict.

"Y-you were with an upper rank? So, does that mean you...you're a traitor?"

Shinobu again raised a brow, though Mayumi shook her head furiously.

"Goodness no! Shinobu we will talk about this later. Okay, you caught me, for the past few years I have been going out to see Kokushibo, the demon you speak of. But I am not a traitor." She answered finally.

Shinobu frowned.

"Nee-san, you know the others wouldn't see it that way, especially Sanemi and Obanai, doesn't matter how close you are with them, if they found out they'd want you dead without a second thought."

Tanjiro was so lost, why was she seeing a demon? Was she trying to get information from him? Manipulating him to their side?

Mayumi sighed, before sitting down.

"I know, I know. Look, I can't explain not any other way, so let me just tell you the story. A few years ago when i was on patrol, I met Kokushibo at that cave. He had been the reason Muichiro survived a demon attack, though his brother succumbed to his wounds. Kokushibo expressed no interest in harming me, in fact he was only ever gentle with both me and Muichiro. After a few weeks, we soent more time together, and one day we...kissed. things got awkward after that and we never spoke of it until months later on Muichiro's 12th birthday. I told him I didn't regret the kiss, and things got better, and the next year, he said he loved me. He also told me he was not under the influence of Muzan Kibutsuji, he'd gotten himself free from it not long into his life as a demon, and he's just been playing along for all these years, while plotting to take down Muzan. His intentions are true, I know this, and he's not like other demons, like Nezuko, he's a special case. Please, you must believe me." She finished.

Tanjiro, using his enhanced sense of smell, could tell everything she said was the truth, and he told Shinobu as such, though she still seemed reluctant.

"Shinobu please, I only kept this from you because I feared you might jump to conclusions." She grabbed her sister's hands.

"Nee-san what if, what if it's just all an act and he's using you to get our strengths and weaknesses? Then when he's done he'll...he'll..."

Mayumi clearly knew where her sister was going with that, and understood it was more about concern, and fear, than anything else.

"He'd kill you. He'd kill you and then...then what would I do? What would the girls do? It's not that I don't trust your or anything May, I'm just...I'm just so afraid." Shinobu was starting to cry.

Mayumi wiped the tear from her cheek and smiled sadly.

"Koku isn't bad Shinobu, in fact he's quite protective over me. And he's not using me, that I can assure you of. He is gentle, considerate, and just a perfect gentlemen, he's killed his own kind just to prove himself. And you aren't going to lose me Shinobu, I'm not going anywhere, and if I do die, it will be when I'm of old age, and nothing else."

She hugged her sister, while Tanjiro just stood a bit awkwardly off to the side, not sure what to say or do.

The hug eventually broke, after Shinobu took a moment to breath, and she wiped her eyes.

"I know I should not have followed you, but, I was worried, I will respect your privacy more and never do that again."

Mayumi chuckled.

"I understand Shinobu, but just come to me if you need anything."

"I know, I will."

Shinobu began to walk away, but stopped for a moment.

"Oh, and I will keep this between the three of us, while I might not be sure of the d...Kokushibo, I do trust your judgement, and it would be the wisest thing to do for now."

"I...agree, I will not tell anyone and leave it up to you." Tanjiro nodded in agreement.

"Thank you Shinobu, and Tanjiro."

Then a kasugai crow flew through the window, Iris.

Though the next statement made both the Butterfly Sisters' blood run cold.

"CAW!! CAW!! THE MIST HASHIRA HAS BEEN INJURED FIGHTING UPPER MOON TWO! CAW! KOKUSHIBO IS BRINGING HIM TO THE BUTTERFLY ESTATE IMMEDIATELY! CAW!! CAW!!"

.
.
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A part of Mayumi's world caved in.

"Muichiro!"

*So, yeah, Muichiro encountered Douma offscreen during this chapter. You'll get more info on this next chapter, cause it'll be back to Kokushibo, and he'll be pissed cause Douma dared harm his child.😃