Satomi pov:
The slow tune I played on my flute reminded me of home once again. It was a tune I had learnt from a good friend of mine – a fox demon I had met in the mountains many years ago. I thought of her fondly, hoping that she was doing well with her mate. I recalled that she was expecting cubs the last time I had seen her – the memory made me wish to see her and the cubs.
Oddly enough, the desire to find a mate and settle down had been on my mind for a while now. Despite the two wonderful brothers and many friends I had, I yearned for a heart that I could claim as mine. I yearned for a man who would make my heart race and who would love, cherish, and think of me as his world. The way Gyutaro san often held me had made that desire increase – he flustered me by his touchy behavior but it wasn't close enough to the emotional stir I assumed would come with someone I fell in love with.
Then again, I had never experienced a love strong enough to make me want to completely give my heart to someone. Perhaps I was exaggerating and expecting more than what was true. All I knew, however, was that I had to follow my heart in this matter.
"You play the flute really well. I'm impressed," spoke Daki san when I had moved my flute away from my lips.
"I'm happy to hear you enjoyed it," I said, giving her a smile.
"You're proving to me that you're a lot more pretty than I thought. But you won't ever be as beautiful as my little sister," Gyutaro san said. He was sitting a little away from us with one arm on his upright knee, grinning.
Gyutaro san and Daki san were siblings through and through. Despite not showing affection for each other openly, they depended on each other and trusted each other a lot. Well, Daki was the one who never expressed sibling love, often remaining prickly and in a bad mood, especially when it came to how the humans of Kyogoku House were foolish and never did things the right way. She was more than cruel towards the workers, snapping at them for mistakes that could be overlooked.
She didn't even spare the young children who worked there. My request for her to leave them be had not been taken well by either of the siblings. Daki had scoffed and belittled me for thinking foolishly and Gyutaro san had only said that I had to act like a demon and not be so pathetic.
He was a thoroughly sadistic demon despite being sensitive about his appearance – he found pleasure in killing and devouring humans, and even more when he tormented them before he killed them. I had witnessed that side of him and Daki san a couple of time when we had been out sightseeing during the night or in the Kyogoku House. It had taken all my strength to not stop them and only watch as their victims sobbed and begged to be spared, only to be slaughtered brutally in the end. The sight of Gyutaro san devouring his victims did not bother me because this wasn't the first time I had seen demons eating humans, but I made sure that he did not stain me with blood by holding me when he was covered in it.
There was one incident with him that had stuck with me strongly though – one that had revealed to me a side and memory I hadn't quite expected to see in Gyutaro san. I thought of it even now while I watched him bickering about something unimportant with Daki san.
>>Flashback
"Why do you keep hurting yourself, Gyutaro san?" I asked, once again moving his hand away from his neck where he had left bleeding cuts with his nails.
"You don't like it when I do that, do you?" he questioned instead, grinning as he shifted to hold my hand in his now.
"No, I don't. I don't like it when anyone hurts themselves for no reason," I answered.
The bustle of the night was background noise to us. We sat on the roof of the Kyogoku House, with me on Gyutaro san's lap with his arm around my waist as he always preferred, while we gazed at the bustle and the stars in silence or shared small talk every now and then. We had done enough sightseeing over the past three days, enough to get bored, so Gyutaro san had insisted on just sitting and watching the moving crowd.
Scratching himself hard enough to leave bleeding cuts seemed to be a habit of his. However, I had noticed that there were only specific moments when he did that, and he was usually in a bad mood then. I had stopped him from doing that most of the times and watched him heal in a fraction of a second after that. Healing fast was one thing but such regeneration awed me no matter how many times I saw it.
"You're nice, really nice, Satomi chan," he said with a chuckle. "I like you. I like you a lot, Satomi chan, all the more because you don't hate my ugly appearance like the others. You're not like humans or demons who talk shit about me because I'm ugly."
"You're not ugly though. You're just different," I said, brushing strands of his green fringe aside.
"You're tempting me, Satomi chan," he said, his smile widening and his expression darkening slightly. He grabbed my hand and placed it on his cheek while gazing intently into my eyes.
"Tempting you?" I repeated, not quite understanding what he meant.
"That, you are," he mused and shifted to kiss my palm. His words finally made sense and had a blush rising to my cheeks while my eyes went wide. He grinned at that and added, "Yeah, I like that expression. You like me too, don't you, Satomi chan?"
"Gyutaro san," I said, making sure I didn't stutter in my fluster, "I like you but not in the way you think. Don't be so shameless."
"If that's what you say, Satomi chan," he said, still amused, and held me closer to himself with both arms around my waist.
"Anyway," I said firmly, clearing my throat to compose myself, "why do you hurt yourself anyway?"
"I don't like them," he spat, gazing down at the humans walking the streets. "I don't like those damn samurai. They're shit and act high and mighty even though they're just garbage inside. They're ugly inside, even more than me."
"Why samurai in particular though?"
"They're just damn b*******. They're pathetic b******* who think they're all great and deserve everything great. Shit, I should kill them all for bullying Daki, for bullying my little sister. No, I should kill everyone who think they're anything good," he cursed, his demonic aura getting dark and dangerous. It was at a level I had not sensed in him before – he was in fight mode, or close to it, and he was powerful. Surely he and Daki san would not be easy to deal with, at least not as easy as I thought it would be before.
His demonic aura aside, I was curious to know what he meant by what he had said. So, I asked, "What did the samurai do to Daki san for you to hate them so much?"
"They burned Daki alive! That damn b****** burned Ume alive and-ugh!" He shut his eyes tightly suddenly while bringing the base of his palm to the side of his head as if he felt pain there. "Shit! I'll kill them all! All those damn humans who have good looks and money and grew up with a silver spoon in their mouth! I'll slaughter all of them for looking down on us, for saying I'm ugly and bullying me and Daki and-ugh!"
"Gyutaro san, calm down!" I said, watching in horror as he scratched the face of his skin hard enough to shred the entire side of his face off.
He only continued to curse though, and even sunk his nails into my waist. I tensed at the pain, feeling the warmth of blood seep into my clothes from the punctures he had given me. He began to shred the skin over his arms and chest after that, only growing more and more furious. It seemed that I had touched a topic far more sensitive than that of his appearance.
"Gyutaro san!" I hollered sharply this time, cupping his face with one hand and grabbing his hand that he was using to harm himself with my other hand. He tensed at that, his eyes going wide before he returned to his senses.
"Ah, what happened?" he mumbled, as if he didn't remember what had happened. He was quick to notice his fingers that were still in my flesh. A sharp exhale left me as he pulled them out. Gyutaro san looked upset now. "Damn it, what the heck happened? I hurt you, Satomi chan. I can't believe I became so pathetic to hurt you. But you snapped me out of it, yeah, you did. I'm sorry I hurt you. I didn't want to hurt you."
"I'm alright," I said. "I apologize for speaking of a sensitive topic."
"Sensitive topic? What did you talk about? I don't remember," he mumbled.
"I guess that's for the better. You got really upset, and I didn't like to see you hurting yourself so much in your anger."
"You're really sweet, Satomi chan," he said, grinning now as if the earlier episode had not even happened. It had me wondering if what he had spoken about were memories of his life as a human. Well, I doubted I would find out since I didn't want to see him get all worked up again. I had no wish to face off against his true power.
Still smirking wide, he nuzzled my cheek with a sort of affection that had me blushing again. I was quick to shove his face away and get off his lap. He wasn't very pleased with that but chuckled when he saw the color of my cheeks.
"Yeah, you're really adorable, Satomi chan!" he said and stood to follow after me on the rooftops.
>>End Flashback
"What is it? Ya have something to say to me, Satomi chan?" Gyutaro san broke me from my thoughts.
It broke me from my staring as well. It was a moment before I answered, "I do, actually."
"Alright, what is it?" he asked, shifting closer to me so he could touch the strands of my long hair. He brought them to his lips, eliciting a light blush from me that had him chuckling.
"I plan to leave Yoshiwara after tonight," I said. As I had expected, Gyutaro san did not look pleased.
"What?" he questioned, lowering his hand after letting go of my hair. "What do ya mean you plan to leave? Why do ya need to leave?"
"There's actually something that I am looking for, Gyutaro san. Staying here will not help me find it. As it is, I have been here for more than two weeks – far more time than what I had planned to spend here."
"You're searching for something?" he muttered. "Don't tell me you're obsessed with find the Blue Spider Lily too."
"She's weak, so how could she possibly find the Blue Spider Lily, Onii-chan?" spoke Daki san. She scoffed and added, "She's being foolish if she thinks she even has half the chance as us. Besides, I won't be nice if she thinks she can get favored by doing something so sly."
"I'm not looking for the Blue Spider Lily," I confirmed.
"Then what are you looking for that's so important that you have to leave?" Gyutaro san pulled me into his lap now, holding me firmly around the waist. He did not want me to leave.
As much as I had come to enjoy his company, as different as we were in thinking and living, and even enjoyed the oddly special way he treated me, I could not think of our relationship progressing to anything further than this. The slightly more than friendship bond that I had with him was not reason enough for me to give up going home. I yearned to be with my family and friends. Watching Gyutaro san and Daki san reminded me of Sesshomaru and Inuyasha, so much that I was often homesick.
"I have two brothers, Gyutaro san, and I was separated from them some time ago. I was traveling while trying to find them before we met. I enjoy being with you and Daki san, I really do, but I miss my brothers terribly. I need to find them," I said. "That's why I cannot remain here."
"That's terrible, yeah," Gyutaro san mumbled, "but no reason for you to leave. It's the brothers' job to find the sister, not the other way around. It's even more true in this case 'cause you're weak. You have to be protected. I'll take care of you until then. I'll keep you safe."
"Gyutaro san, I really need to-"
His sudden tense posture had me stalling mid-sentence. He straightened slightly and gazed out of the window, an aura of intense bloodlust coming to him. He grinned wide, manically even, then chuckled. "So, another one is finally here."
I too sensed the rather powerful presence that had entered Yoshiwara. It was a demon slayer, surely, and one who was quite strong.
"It feels like a Hashira," spoke Daki san. The title she had used was curious, but I did not ask any details of it.
"It is. It's been a while since I ate a Hashira. Oi, Daki, leave this one to me," Gyutaro san said. Still holding me, he stood. He brought me closer to himself and nuzzled my cheek, and said, "It's too bad ya already ate yesterday, Satomi chan. I could have given you a taste of a Hashira so you can become stronger. But you can come and watch me kill the piece of shit before I eat him."
"Onii-chan, I didn't say yes! I want to eat the Hashira today!" complained Daki san. She had already changed into her demon form in appearance and was frowning at her brother.
"No can do, Daki. You ate the last two Hashira that came here. It's my turn today."
I had done a good job of fooling them about eating my fill of human flesh last night by going out on my own to hunt and using an accidental blood spill to my advantage. My speed had aided me in going to a place far from Yoshiwara within minutes and stumbling across a man who had injured himself while working. His wound was big and bleeding, and I had been quick to use it to cover myself in the scent. I had licked a bit as well, so that the scent would linger within me and not just on my clothes and hands that I had stained it with.
It was strange that I had gone to such lengths to fool Gyutaro san and Daki san, but a voice in the back of my mind had warned me of avoiding possible trouble from them. I knew nothing of their strength and skill in fighting, and it was too risky to deal with this matter halfheartedly. All said and done, they had taken the bait and been satisfied that I had eaten the regular food of demons to sustain.
"Let's go," Gyutaro san said and jumped out of the window with me still in his arms.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and looked in the direction of the powerful aura I could sense. We reached it soon enough, though had to move again when the demon slayer noticed us and made a run for it.
"He's running away with his tail between his legs! Ha! He's so pathetic!" Gyutaro san said with a howl of laughter.
However, it seemed that the man was leading us to somewhere outside of the Entertainment District to prevent other innocent humans from getting caught up in the battle that could ensue. When we had come to a stop, he turned to face us, his katana drawn.
"How nice of you to come outside and make this an isolated fight. I would have enjoyed more bloodshed though, as well as the extra humans to devour," Gyutaro san mused, still smirking.
"It is terrible to see that not one but two powerful demons are roaming freely amongst humans and doing as they please without the slightest remorse," the demon slayer said. He was a strong human indeed – I could tell from his compelling presence as well as his slightly buff physique.
"Ha! You can't do anything about it though," Gyutaro san mocked while letting me go. He pushed me behind him protectively and took a few steps forward. "Besides, I'm more than enough to deal with the likes of you! My sister won't have to lift a finger."
I spared a brief glance at Gyutaro san. The demon slayer was speaking of me and not Daki san who was in the Kyogoku house still. The demon slayer was good at sensing me when I was pretending to be a pathetically weak demon. It meant that I would not be able to keep my identity secret enough from everyone of this world.
Looking back to the Hashira who was watching me intensely, I tilted my head up slightly. Although it was a show of dominance that I sometimes expressed, I did not intend to look down on the Hashira this time. I was merely scrutinizing and evaluating him.
"Forgive me," I mumbled, for I was not going to stop Gyutaro san from violently attacking the demon slayer. This was my chance, after all, to see just how powerful the demons of this world were.
"I'm going to go all out with you – I can't afford to play around foolishly with a Hashira," Gyutaro san said, scratching his cheek with one hand. He paused after a moment while adding, "No, no, I shouldn't scratch myself. Satomi chan doesn't like that. Isn't that right, Satomi chan?"
He spared me a smirking glance. I only nodded with a small smile and his attention and gaze was back on the demon slayer.
The demon slayer widened his stance, ready to lunge forward. Misty breath escaped his lips and I felt a sharp change in the air around us. Just as he lunged forward, his strength spiked sharply. My ears twitched at the whisper of words that left his lips seconds before he attacked.
"Breath of the Earth, Second Form: Shattering Earthquake!"
"Powerful, as expected of a Hashira! But not powerful enough!" Gyutaro san hollered with a maniacal laugh as he dodged. "Blood Demon Art, Rotating Circular Slashes: Flying Blood Sickles!"
Gyutaro san's attack reminded me a little of Inuyasha's Blades of Blood attack. This was far more powerful and destructive though, spanning across a large area and leaving rising debris in their wake. The demon slayer was skilled too, retaliating with almost equally fearful attacks. It was very different than the attacks of demon slayers in my realm - their abilities were special and were almost like certain demon powers that I had come across.
The battle went on for a while with the two of them exchanging brutal blows. It gave me the chance to see demon regeneration at its full power - Gyutaro san's arm that was sliced clean of during a slip-up regenerated in just two seconds before he was back to attacking the demon slayer relentlessly.
It was obvious that the demon slayer was not strong enough to deal with Gyutaro san alone. He had been wounded in several places - one that was rather deep and bleeding with every movement he made - and he was tired. His speed had reduced, so had the strength in his onslaughts.
Laughing loudly, Gyutaro san mocked, "Is that all you've got? It's amusing that you call yourself a Hashira when you're so pathetic! Stop dancing around and die already! Rotating Blood Sickles!"
Extending his arms on either side, Gyutaro san created vortexes of rotating bladed of blood before lunging at the demon slayer. The latter could avoid the attack for only a few moments. A stumble in his step made the blades of blood make contact and he was thrown harshly to the ground. He remained on the ground, coughing and wheezing while barely hanging on to consciousness.
"Shit," he cursed, watching as Gyutaro san stepped to him.
Gyutaro san crouched and lifted the demon slayer's head with his sickle under the chin. Chuckling darkly, he said, "And this is the end."
Raising his sickle, he brought it down on the demon slayer's back. I shut my eyes just before the sickle made contact - piercing through the demon slayer and ending his life. Queasiness roused in me how I had only stood by and watched an innocent man die at the hands of a demon, but there was nothing that I could do now. This fight and loss of life had allowed me to witness Gyutaro san's power and gauge the level of strength any demon of this world could possess. Oh hindsight, it was clear that the Upper Moons above Gyutaro san and Daki san would be far more powerful than what I witnessed today.
"Satomi chan, are you sure you don't want a bite?" Gyutaro san hollered to me. He had already devoured half of the demon slayer and the bloody sight made me a little sick.
I had no trouble hiding my disdain while I spared him a small smile. "I'm good, Gyutaro san. Why don't you finish up quickly so we can return?"
"As you wish," he replied and went back to eating.
Sighing softly, I looked away at at the moon that was high in the sky. It oddly reminded me of the many nights I had spend with my father, some even in our dog demon forms soaring through the beautiful night sky. I was tempted the transform and leap into the sky for a flight and feel the breeze against my fur and my body soaking up the power of the moon. The moon's power flowed into me even now, keeping me in my peak of power and life, but the thrill of feeling it much more strongly when in the sky was alluring.
"What are you thinking so hard about, Satomi chan?" Gyutaro san asked, approaching me. I met his gaze, mentally grimacing at the sight and stench of blood on him.
"Shall we head back?" he asked, reaching for me. He frowned with darkening eyes when I shifted back, regarding him with a glare.
"What have I told you about touching me when you're covered in blood?" I asked, earning a loud laugh in amuse.
"You're cute when you're pouting," he said.
"I'm not pouting," I retorted and turned to leave. Gyutaro san followed suit, still teasing me about getting angry about something silly.
Him covered in blood wasn't the only thing that bothered me right now. I was feeling guilty for letting an innocent human die just so I could find out about Gyutaro san's powers. That demon slayer was putting his life on the line to protect other humans who would only be brutally slaughtered and devoured by Gyutaro san and Daki san if they were left alone. That was what every demon of this realm would do if left alone.
The way of this world was set, as was the conflict between humans and demons with no visible positive interactions, let alone the possibility of working things out so both could thrive together in harmony. It saddened me, and made it clear that I did not belong in this world. I had to leave from Yoshiwara first, so I could resume my search for a way to return to the feudal era and my family and friends.
Upon reaching Daki san's room in the Kyogoku House, she seemed to notice the distance between me and her brother.
"What's going on?" she asked curiously.
"My stubborn princess is pouting because I'm covered in blood. She's funny, isn't she?" Gyutaro san mused as I took a seat next to the window to gaze at the star studded sky while tuning out the noisy bustle of the crowd on the streets below. He added, "Have a bath prepared for me, will, you Daki? I don't want Satomi chan to be away from me for too long."
"You're clinginess is annoying. I'm sure Satomi is glad for the break from you," Daki san muttered with a scoff. "Honestly, I've never seen you be so annoying before!"
"That's because Satomi chan wasn't with us before," he retorted, frowning at his sister who was looking down on him. She did that often, though in simple matters, and Gyutaro san disliked it. It was understandable considering his sensitivity to rude comments, and it was surely displeasing to hear it from his own sister.
"Whatever, I'll have some servants prepare a bathm don't stain the floor while you wait."
She walked out of the room. Gyutaro san sighed exasperatedly, seeming to be in a bad mood now. I glanced at him placidly - he was scratching his cheek with his nails but not harder than to leave small scratches on his skin every now and then that healed immediately.
When he noticed me watching him, he lowered his hand. His eyes darkened before he grinned. "I won't hurt myself. I remember that you'll nag me if I do."
"I'm glad," I mumbled. I looked back to the sky with a deep inhale.
Once Gyutaro san was done washing up, I would leave from here with, hopefully, not much of trouble.
***
Well, it looks like Gyutaro has found someone he likes. Although Satomi enjoys his company, she does not reciprocate his feelings with the same intensity. I wonder how that will fare in the future.
Anyway, Satomi has decided that it is time to leave. Will Gyutaro let her leave though? O.o
Please vote and comment!
Cheers! <3