"They are here." Shinjuro said, his golden eyes scanning around the house in the middle of the forest, it was the perfect spot for a demon to hide, and not only that but the demon seemed to be pretty intelligent after having this family under her control for generations. As well as staying under the slayer's radar for so long.
This was definitely not a normal demon that they could mess with.
"Rengoku-San," Giyuu groaned as she approached from behind the bushes, "Are you sure they won't notice?" She said while extending her sleeves from the intricate lime green kimono with red and pink camellias they had exchanged with the girl.
"The only thing will be your eyes which are more sapphire instead of turquoise, however it should still be fine." He reassured her with a smile before looking at the house, the doors opening a woman came out.
"Go now-wait, do you have everything ready?" Giyuu nodded, taking a small dagger from the inside of her obi, and putting it back again.
"Alright. You know the signal by now so go."
And so Giyuu did.
She walked towards the house, ready to simply pass inside by just saying a simple hello until she was hit in the head by the woman.
"You fool child! What are you doing out here!" Giyuu flinched, she didn't expect to be found out this fast already.
"It's already past the afternoon! What is your excuse for coming so late tonight?"
"I'm sorry, I got lost today." She hoped that would be a good lie to pass it up.
"Hm, alright, now go inside, you still have to feed that child for tonight. Obaa-san has been waiting for you to show up and give him the food."
"Okay." Giyuu hurried inside the house, upon noticing no one was around, she let out a sigh of relief, it seems they had almost caught her.
Her blue eyes looked around the rooms after taking out her zori, the place was big, too big. The halls filled with extravagant decorations and elegant paintings that would certainly cost more than her own house.
From eastern to western, well, they were in a trading port so it wasn't a stretch that a lot of culture from different countries would be here.
"Kanroji-chan also seemed to know a lot about western culture." Giyuu picks up her pace between the halls as she notices the women coming in from the rooms. She did her best to avoid talking to them and looking them in the eye, but something felt strange.
There are no men or boys here.
What a fortunate scenario she had just appeared in, if she wasn't a girl then they would have caught them for sure, and the demon, knowing it was strong and smart enough that a hashira was sent to this mission, would have likely ran away or killed more than Shinjuro could have saved.
Giyuu shook her head, there was no reason to keep thinking about the past, instead she focused on finding the kitchen first, and probably a clue in finding a long lost comandre, a future hashira fits him better.
"You! After so long you finally appear!" The old lady said as Giyuu entered the room, being welcomed with a harsh remark and a metal key being thrown at her face.
She was starting to regret coming here.
"I'm sorry, I'll get on with it right away." Giyuu said before grabbing the small wooden table with a greasy smell on it, it was food but the amount of grease and salt spilling out of the bowl made her feel pity for whoever was going to eat this.
At least they added a few vegetables...
"Obaa-san, is that all?" She looked at the other bowls of food that had been prepared, they looked far more rich and tasty than the one on her hands.
"Yes. Now go, that boy needs to be fed even more so come back once you've given him the first plate." Giyuu was about to go do the chore she was given until the grandma had told her the gender of the patient.
"Obanai." She let the words slip, the grandma turned around at the name but by then she was nowhere to be seen.
"That girl... She never learned her name so how did she..." The grandma looked out into the hall, "I must be hearing things." before going back to the kitchen.
That was a close one.
Giyuu walked around the halls, her feet not making a sound as she examined every hall, memorizing the paths on the first floor.
"What are you doing with such food here! Go to the fourth floor already, the smell is disgusting!"
"I'm sorry!" However this wasn't going to be easy, especially not when there were around 20 or more people passing through the mansion, doing their own things. She had only a few places to look but she made sure to memorize it well.
On the second floor, things were far more chaotic, she spotted at least ten more people running around and a few others sitting, measuring gold and other stuff like painting, sculptures and money. She wished to be a little less acknowledged but the greasy smell isn't something you can overlook.
Even though she felt a few eyes were on her, Giyuu simply walked to the third floor as if nothing happened.
Everything was surprisingly calm and silent, but she didn't like it at all, it flt too mysterious.
As she walked around the hall she felt a pair of eyes following her, from the rooms to the floor and the ceiling, the set of eyes were moving around until.
'Crack'
That was from the ceiling.
Giyuu didn't try to go around the place too much, the moment she set her eyes on the fourth floor she was gone out of the third.
The last floor was pure cages, if there was even a way to describe it, this entire floor looked like a jail cell.
She stopped at the sight of the halls, there were just bones and piles of splattered blood.
Iguro-San...
Giyuu never got to know who he was, and now to think that he had lived like this for god only knows how long.
I should have at least tried to get closer... No wonder he hated me.
She felt even worse than she could have thought as she walked around the halls, hoping to find him. Just as she turned a corner, she could feel the smell of grease hit her face.
In the longest hall, the third to last cell was a boy, of long hair that could be mistaken as a girl, his hands on the wooden lattices that stopped him from getting out, and his mouth covered in bloody bandages.
Even without looking at his entire figure did she notice who he was.
"I don't want it." He said as soon as she was next to his cage. Giyuu looked inside the room, another ten more trays of food had been placed there, untouched.
"You need to eat as much as you can."
The kid laughed "Like hell! I'd rather let that demon taste pure bones!" Giyuu noticed the mumbled words, the blood wetting the bandages again and one of his eyes twitching every time he raised his voice.
"Don't talk so loud." it has to hurt.
Giyuu said as she opened the door with the key placed on the tray.
The boy seemed to move away instead of getting closer or trying to escape with the key.
This place must be well guarded then.
Giyuu looked around the place once more, carefully hearing every sound and movement around the floor. She could feel something slowly crawl coming both of their ways. With no time to waste, Giyuu grabbed Iguro by the collar.
"Oanai listen, you have to stay awake tonight so that you can escape." The boy froze at her words, he took a closer look at her, he never had a sister who was strong enough to pull him like this.
He shook the thought away, thinking it must be that he was starting to get weaker. Either way, he still knew that this sister wasn't normal at all, especially as he felt a small dagger in his fingertips.
"If the demon finds you, fight it with this." She closed his fingers, wrapping them around the small dagger she took out of the obi. It was her only weapon.
Though I can defend myself, Iguro will need something in case I'm not there.
The creaking wood reached her ear, she quickly got away from the boy and took the key, closing the door again.
Giyuu could feel the eyes staring at her again as she walked back to the kitchen. She wasn't able to do a lot of movements it seemed, so she won't be able to look around the mansion anymore or else it will raise suspicions.
But having the demon on your back did give her a huge plus in knowing the exact position of the demon. Besides, Iguro might have the opportunity to try and escape now.
The hours passed and Giyuu felt the eyes of others diminish, though the feeling was still there, the two slit their eyes until midnight."
"Aren't you going to eat?" One of the girls beside her smiled at Giyuu, urging her to eat up. For some reason that smile felt too fake, along with all of the compliments she was given as she did her chores.
"Right, sorry?"
She said, grabbing her chopsticks.
Before she could take the first bite of her tempura, something felt off, her gut told her it wasn't something she could eat.
But all of the eyes were in front of her now even though they had dissipated just a few moments ago.
Shit.
They know.
"Why aren't you eating?" Giyuu glanced at the smiling girl, there was no escape, and it's not like she could defend herself after giving the dagger to Obanai.
Giyuu gave in, eating one tempura after another, the tempura did not taste any different though he stopped eating after the third.
Because just as she was about to chew on the fourth, her body stopped moving and everything went dark.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"Mitsuri!" Her mother said as she looked out from the window and back her mother who had a frown on her face.
"Sorry Okaasan." The frown softened.
"Is something wrong? You aren't distracted so much during the day?"
"Ah no, it's just...nothing." Suddenly the sound of the door was heard, "I'll go get it"
She noticed the two women of the restaurant once she got to the door.
"I told you they kidnapped a girl!"
"Hush! How do you know? Besides you said they were wearing uniforms, that girl could have been a criminal of sorts."
Mitsuri heard all of it. "Welcome, what may I help you with?"
----
And now her curiosity was intrigued like the cat. All they asked was for a set of textiles to make new kimonos, although western clothing had become the trend around here, it certainly wasn't much for the ladies.
"For all I can remember, They were healing inside the forest." The other whispered, thinking Mitsuri wasn't listening.
"Inside the forest?"
"Yes," The woman from the restaurant said.
"Wait but why?"
"I have no idea."
"Well, just hope the Iguro family finds them."
"Eh? The Iguro family lives in the forest?"
"Yes, you didn't know? They always come in the mornings and leave in the nights. Such a weird family, I've never seen any man, husband or son," The woman took a deep breath before continuing.
"There's even been rumours that they work with demons." The place was quiet, Mitsuri didn't know what to do as she placed the textiles neatly on the table.
Just then, both women erupted into laughter.
"Such stories. It will be sure to scare away the officers." The restaurant owner said.
"I'm here for some business"
"Demon slaying."
---
"Thank you for your purchase. Have a nice night!"
Once the ladies were gone, Mitsuri raised herself, putting a few things away before going back to heading to the living room.
"Okaasan" She looked at her daughter as the mother handled two of her younger siblings on each hand.
"Do demons exist around here?"
The mother tilted her head. "What are you saying Mitsuri? Of course they don't exist." her mother said as both of her brothers fell asleep on each arm.
"Though there is a fable." Mitsuri raised her head up.
"Really?"
The mother nodded. "A story of a woman with the head and body of a snake, who would always linger at night, eating babies and stealing goods."
Mitsuri felt a cold sweat run down her spine.
"That story..."
"Oh it's quite the popular fable around the town, it was like a hundred or so years old."
Mitsuri looked at her mother who had left his two younger brothers to sleep, and was now feeding the youngest son with her milk.
A sudden image of the girl in a red haori flashed through her mind.
She is strong...
Mitsuri didn't doubt that, yet they were only two years apart so the fear still lingered.
She is also with Rengoku-San! He's strong too!
Mitsuri's gut said otherwise.
But if I go there, I won't be of much help.
Her lime green eyes folded the laundry as the words of both slayers played in her mind.
"That's a really pretty color."
"That's not playing, you are hurting her."
Mitsuri dropped her clothes once she remembered the faces of the girls that had been making fun of her.
She was one from the Iguro family, always wearing expensive kimonos and turquoise eyes.
"Okaasan i'll be right back I have to do something!"
"Dear but it's past the afternoon!"
"I'll come back soon I promise!" She didnt care what time it was, the knots in her stomach wouldn't let her new friend take the blame after all that she had done was protect her.
I know the way around the place anyways!
It wasn't a rescue mission, she knew she wouldn't be able to help in anything.
But at the very least, I need to know if she's safe.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
The light came again. She felt her hands tied up from behind by a chain. Then around her chest and legs.
Her blue eyes looked around the room, it was luxurious, clean and dazzling.
Green floors with dark underlines, white doors made as though they were landscape paintings. In the front there were three gigantic mirrors. Two on each side.
The last mirror behind the female demon whose lower half was that of a snake, and had a reptilian face, slit black pupils with a yellow sclera while looking over to her attentively, as if waiting for her reaction.
She sat around the skulls of her devoured, sitting so comfortable as though she was a god, without any care or remorse, the opposite instead, she took pride in her killing.
Giyuu took a deep breath, her eyes almost twitching at such a disgusting side. Such a thing made her want to sheathe her blade and cut down that head of her's.
Calm down Giyuu.
It didn't help with those who took such fulfillment in killing, because those smug faces of theirs would always remind her of that bastard.
The demon finally spoke.
"If only you could look at your face now." The demon smiled, or so she tried as she slid over to Giyuu.
"I know those kinds of eyes, You're a demon slayer aren't you?" Giyuu gave no responde.
"Tch," She grabbed Giyuu's jaw with such force the nails were digging right through. The feeling of her serpent like tongue around her face, as if savoring every part of her cheeks.
"Lets see if you talk after this." The snake snapped her fingers, and the two women behind Giyuu quickly ran outside.
"You are welcome to come and watch his death," The snake woman said.
"Go to hell."
"I never will, I shall stay here forever and become one of my lord's moons."
"THey give better jobs at the farm--" She felt her shortage of air cut off as the woman choked her with no mercy.
"You foolish child, I know there are more of you around her, I am certain of it that you're not the only one." Giyuu felt her vision darken again.
"You will tell me where the rest are and i will kill you off for l---"
"YOUR HIGHNESS!"
"WHAT?" The disruption helped her hand loosen around Giyuu's neck.
"I-I-g-guro- has es-c-c-ape-d!"
The demon's smile was gone.
Her eyes as well as her anger were now directed at Giyuu, who wore a smirk in her stead.
--------------------------
Author notes: too long
-Whilst writing this arc I came up with a good headcanon, that Mitsuri and Obanai used to live in the same place.
-Basically, looking at the food from the panel in which they fed Iguro, as well as how they are dressed in quite pretty clothes.
-I know Kimonos are supposed to be colorful but Iguro family has taken the colors and designs to a whole new level, the only times I've remembered seeing the colourful kimonos like this were with Shinobu and Kanae before the demons attacked and with Mitsuri, both of which did have quite well off families.
-Anyways we know they steal from the rich so of course they would have pretty kimonos, but since it was the taisho era, my guess would be that they would try to steal from foreigners because 1) They aren't native so their families wont come looking and 2) Westerners who came to japan would have to be pretty rich ngl.
-And since Westerners where also on the coast that would mean they would also have to live close but not so close(like in the hills and forest that japan seems to always have) (Lucky demons)(imagine if it had been any other country, like they wouldn't survive Russia or the sahara desert. bet.)(Australia? Don't even get me started)
-You already know where I'm going with this, Mitsuri whose parents had been trading with the westerners and Obanai whose family steals from them. They must have lived close but never met ;-;. Wow it got sad.
-Hey now that I remember about that headcanon from Sabito being half dutch. I would like to imagine that in a world without demons: Sabito's dad gets indebted with the Iguro's(since they cant kill him) and Obanai is finally fed up with his family. He and Sabito go out to report them to the police. They become friends(heh scar buddies) and Sabito becomes Iguro's wingman to get Mitsuri yay!
-Holy funking night that too much of a dumb read, im sorry yall (But the headcanons stay)