- two weeks later-
"Wind breathing 1st form!"
Sanemi charged at me with his destructive 1st form.
"Water breathing 1st form.... water surface slash"
Using the technique Sanemi taught me, I lunged forward with my chest and put all my power in my swing using my left hand. The two attacks collided causing a strong gust of wind to release from the impact. The leaves of trees near us blew furiously from the impact.
"B*****d... I can see you got some of your power back..." Sanemi spoke, panting.
My right leg has gotten a lot better. I can use my right leg now in battle, it still hurts a little, but it's at the end of its healing stage. Over the past weeks, I've put all of my training and recovery into my right leg, so I get my mobility back. I hated slowing people down because I had to use a crutch or be in a wheelchair.
"Draw?" I offered.
"F*** No!"
Sanemi charged at me again, challenging me to a close quarter combat with your swords. He swung towards my torso, I swiftly jumped back to avoid the attack. He used the momentum to lunge forward and go for another attack. This time I deflected the attack with my swing.
He retracted his blade before vertically swinging down, aiming at the top of my head. I turn my blade to a horizontal angle and block the attack.
"You're annoying as always..." Sanemi commented on my defense.
"Wind breathing 6th form!" Sanemi yelled.
"water breathing 3rd form... flowing dance..."
I swiftly moved around Sanemi to his surprise. I couldn't use this move on our previous spar because of my leg, but now I can.
"Tch!" Sanemi let out a grunt in irritation as he redirected his 6th form to the path of my dance.
However, I moved too fast for the attack to hit me, as I lunged toward Sanemi. Sanemi quickly changed his stance to parry the attack. I swung toward his right leg, which he barely blocked. I quickly jabbed my sword at his torso a couple of times. He swiftly reacted and blocked most of the attacks, but one got through as it hit the center of his torso.
"Ah!" He let out a grunt from the pain.
Luckily, we remembered to use wooden swords this time, the last time we sparred we used real swords back then. Now that I think about it, that could have gone bad.
Sanemi recovered from the pain as he charged at me angrier than ever during this spar. Looks like I missed his solar plexus, by a couple of centimeters, otherwise it would have taken longer for him to heal. The solar plexus is one of the most important thing demon slayers need to protect, if it gets hit with blunt force, breathing will be a trouble.
"Wind breathing 7th form!" He yelled.
The attack came towards me at a faster speed than before. Sanemi is fueled by his anger, the angrier he gets, the more powerful he becomes. However, when he gets angrier, he leaves more openings where I can target. He's opened his arms, so I can attack his inner torso more.
"Water breathing 7th form... ripple thrust.."
This form allows me to throw multiple thrusts with my sword. I thrust my sword at his 7th form as I parry the attack. The clash opened a weakness in Sanemi's position, as I redirect my 7th form towards his torso. Before he could react, my sword hit the center of my torso right at the solar plexus and he fell immediately from the pain.
"You..." Sanemi tried to say something but he was having trouble breathing.
"Here..." I grab a water bottle.
He stared at the water for a moment, before reluctantly taking it.
"This isn't over..." He muttered.
He's very... stubborn when it comes to admitting defeat.
"Thank you for the spar..." I thanked.
"Whatever... you didn't get weaker..." He pointed out.
"I'm able to use my legs more now... all I need to do is now recover my arm, and I'll be back on missions...." I explained.
"You better hurry up and do that... I'm tired of covering your sorry a**..." He said.
"Covering?" I asked.
"Your f****** missions, Himejima and I have to cover for you..." He explained.
I didn't know the two were covering for me. I wish I can do the missions, but I'm not allowed in this state. Oyakata-sama strictly told me I'm not allowed to return to duty until my injuries are fully healed. It doesn't help, Kocho is the one looking after me.
"Sorry..." I mutter.
"Shutup! The f*** are you apologizing for you? You defeated an upper moon, anyone would have gotten hurt. You saying sorry is an insult to us..."He pointed out.
I guess that's true. Speaking of the Upper moon, I don't have long until Uzui starts his upper moon hunt. I don't know if my arm will heal on time by then.
"And it irritates me you defeated me, not even being fully healthy!" he yelled out in frustration.
My recovery effort has been great not only thanks to Kocho but Sanemi as well. He's come to spar with me between missions, sparring with him has allowed me to not rust and maintain my combat prowess.
"Thanks... for coming to spar with me from time to time, it's helped me not rust." I thanked him.
"Whatever... as long as you get back in form, I don't care..."
Sanemi slowed picked himself off the ground and grabbed his wooden katana. Is he trying to fight again?
"Tch... we'll have to end our fight early... my sword's chipped..." He pointed at his katana.
When did that happen? I would have noticed if it did. Maybe I am rusty to some extent when it comes to combat.
"That last attack you did, it chipped my sword. Then it created the opening you needed you strike my chest right...?" Sanemi asked irritatingly.
Now I get it, so that's what created that opening to attack. His sword was chipped from our attack, so he couldn't fully block the attack. How did I not notice that?
"Yeah..."
Sanemi then took my sword and looked at it to see if it was also chipped. I don't think it was chipped from what I saw.
"Don't be so smug, just because you won..." He reluctantly spoke.
I guess my sword wasn't chipped.
"Ara~ another spar, what did I say last time?" Kocho suddenly appeared.
"Kocho..."
"No matter how many times I tell you not to, you never stop do you..." She sighed.
"I need to maintain my form..." I tell her.
"That's your excuse every time, can you come up with something better?" She mocked.
When it comes to my health, Kocho won't stop lecturing about it. I understand Kocho's point, but she can't understand my situation either. I can't exactly tell her why, I'm refusing to not rest.
"Did you get hurt?" She asked me.
"No..."
"Thank goodness, I don't want to see you in my office..." She giggled.
These days, Kocho seems to be happier. I guess Kanao is doing a good job keeping her up all the time. She still fakes her smile most of the time, but there are moments like this one, I can tell it's genuine.
"Oi... I'm also here..." Sanemi spoke.
"Oh... I'm sorry, are you hurt as well?" She asked.
"Just give me some ointment..." He asked.
"What happened?" She questioned.
"it's none of your business..."
"Ara~ No need to be rude, I'll be back with the ointment... wait here." He told him as she went back inside.
"What did you do Tomioka?" He suddenly asked.
"What?" I asked confused.
"Kocho... that's the first time I haven't seen her fake a smile ever since... that," Sanemi commented.
So, he also knew Kocho faked her smile. I guess he was close with the butterfly sisters, so he's probably seen her a bunch. I sometimes wish I was sent much earlier back time, so I can save the already deceased people, I wonder why I was sent specifically to that time, why not earlier.
I put a hand on his shoulder in a comforting gesture.
"You miss her... don't you.." I asked, referring to Kanae.
"What the f*** are you talking about?" He yelled.
I guess I shouldn't bring her name up. Kocho's emotions are already difficult to deal with, I don't want to deal with Sanemi either.
"Nothing..." I end the conversation.
"Do... I look that pathetic...?" he asked in a quiet voice, surprising me.
"Not at all... it's okay to miss someone..." I tell him.
He didn't say anything as he just looked at the ground. I shouldn't have brought that up, I must have brought back bad memories.
"Here you are... your ointment..." Kocho came back.
"Thanks..." He thanked her.
Kocho also looked surprised at Sanemi's sudden change of tone.
"Oi... I'll be back later with better Katana's..." He told me before taking his leave.
"Huh... that's the softest I heard his voice ever be..." Kocho commented.
It's not the first time I heard his voice like that. After the war in the previous timeline, he softened his tone since there was no more fighting.
"Ne ne~ Tomioka-san, how are injuries feeling?" She asked.
"My right leg is fine now, but my arm is still bad..." I tell her.
"Is that so~ I wonder why your arm didn't heal yet..." She questioned.
"I put my recovery effort into my leg first, I'll focus on my arm now.."
"Hmm~ I guess you can move around now.." She commented.
"I didn't like being in a wheelchair..."
"Pfft... I did.." she laughed.
"What?"
"It was easier for me to keep an eye on you, now you might disappear again..." She mocked.
"I'm not..." I tell her.
"Ara~ Don't lie, you love leaving the mansion without telling me, remember?" She teased.
I guess I did.
"Either way... your arm now needs to heal... so start focusing on that now. I expect it will be a couple more weeks until your body is fully healed..." She revealed.
"I see..."
"You must be excited to leave the mansion~" She teased as she started poking my left arm.
"I just want to get back to duty.." I state.
"Of course, you do..." she mocked.
"Anyways Tomioka-san, I need to attend to some other patients, try not to hurt yourself~" She warned before leaving.
A couple more weeks until a fully heal. I don't think I have that much time until the next upper moon. At the very least, I am now mobile enough to move around close to my full speed, it still hurts to some extent, but it's mostly healed.
I grab my sword, and I tried to use my right hand to hold it. It's not completely useless, I can still hold the katana with my right hand. I try to swing the sword.
"Ah!" I grunt from the pain.
Okay, I can't swing the katana too much with it. It shouldn't matter too much; I think I'll be useful in combat with just my left arm. My spar with Sanemi shows I'm still capable of fighting with one arm.
"Help!" I suddenly heard a yell interrupting my thoughts.
Who was that? I quickly run over to the area where I heard it from. It seemed to come from the garden.
"Don't make this unflamboyant" I heard Uzui's voice.
Uzui is here? Could it be? Is it around the time of the uppermoon attack?
I reach the garden and I look around to see where the cry for help is.
"Sound-pillar-sama, please let me go!" I heard the voice again.
I look up, only to see Uzui crouched down on one of the walls holding Aoi over his shoulder like a sack.
"Uzui-san..?" I call out.
"Ah! Tomioka-san!" He noticed me.
He jumped down in front of the wall holding onto Aoi. What was he doing with her?
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"It is something personal Tomioka! I cannot tell you!" He bluntly told me.
"Okay... but what does it have to do with Aoi..?" I changed the question.
"It is of importance, she understands," Uzui told me.
"She looks terrified..." I point out.
"Nonsense! She is with the flashiest Hashira!" He commented about himself.
"Uzui-san, if Aoi is involved, I'm afraid Kocho won't be too happy..." I warn him.
"She does not need to know!" He declared.
I know Uzui-san took Tanjiro, Inosuke, and Zenitsu with him for his mission, but they are not here right now. They're with Rengoku-san, training. I'm guessing the three stopped Uzui-san from taking Aoi, to do whatever he is trying to do.
"Uzui-san, let Aoi go... she's uncomfortable..." I tell him.
"I do not wish to get you involved in this serious matter Tomioka! You're already injured!" He tells me.
What could he possibly need for Aoi? She's not even an experience demon slayer, it would be somewhat reasonable if he needed a demon slayer, but Aoi has little experience, especially on a mission for a uppermoon. You're sending them to their death.
"I'm afraid it involves me if Aoi is involved," I tell him.
Uzui-san stared at me for a moment in annoyance at not letting him go with Aoi. I'm not going to let that happen.
"Uzui-san, I'm assuming you need Aoi for a mission. Aoi has very little experience being a demon slayer. She's an important presence at the butterfly mansion, why are you taking her?" I questioned him.
"Tomioka-sama..." Aoi muttered.
"If you need demon slayers for your mission, just speak with Oyakata-sama directly, instead of trying to take someone that doesn't wish to be involved in your matters.." I explain to him.
"Like I said Tomioka... it's something personal." He muttered.
"Then tell me what it is... I'll try to help..." I assure him.
"No... you've already done so much, and you're injured. I can't get you involved..." He explained.
He must be referring to when I helped him track down a group of demons at the open market couple of weeks back.
"Do not worry about my injuries..." I tell him.
Uzui-san's tone sounds off. He doesn't sound like his usual. He must be stressed about something.
"You sound stressed Uzui-san, let's talk." I offer my help again.
He looked like he was about to say something but stopped himself. If he's not going to let go of Aoi, I'll need to step in.
He was contemplating whether or not to tell me. Using the distraction, I rushed in. Before Uzui-san can react, I grabbed Aoi from his grasp and returned to the spot I was standing on.
"T-Tomioka-sama..." she looked at me in shock.
"What the..." Uzui looked at me in shock as well.
"Go inside... I'll speak with Uzui-san.." I tell Aoi.
She nodded, before quickly rushing inside. I didn't want to physically involve myself, but Uzui-san is fast when it comes to running on foot, I didn't want to take the chance he might run off.
"Uzui-san...?" I call out.
"Heh... you really are flamboyant..." He commented.
"What?" I asked confused.
"I underestimated you, didn't think you would be so fast despite your injuries..." he pointed out.
"Sorry, I didn't want you to run with Aoi..." I tell him.
"It is alright! You've proven that you are strong despite the injuries, I owe you an explanation" He told me.
Is he finally going to tell what all of that was about? I still find it ridiculous he needed Aoi of all people for his mission.
"Alright..." I tell him.
"Where do I even start... it's quite the unflamboyant story.." He comments.
"Just start where you feel comfortable.." I tell him.
"You know my wives right Tomioka?" He asked.
I nodded.
"Well... to put it simply, I sent them to scout different regions of the entertainment district.." He starts.
"This is nothing new, my wives have helped me plenty during missions. They scout the area and report back to me if someone or something is suspicious..." He explains.
So his wives are like observers for him. They look for demon activity and then they report to Uzui-san. But what did Aoi have to do with his wives?
"Go on..." I tell him.
"One of my wives told me of a suspicious demon activity in a particular area of the entertainment district... so I assigned all my wives to find this demon in that area..." He explained further.
"When did you get suspicious of this area?" I ask him.
"About a month now..." He revealed.
So Uzui-san has been suspicious of this location even before my Akaza fight.
"I'm sure my wives were doing a flamboyant job as always, however recently I lost contact with them..." He revealed.
That's why he's stressed. His wives are missing. I suppose he needs someone to look for them, but why Aoi of all people?
"I'm sorry about that..."
He nodded.
"I've been trying to look for them, but the entertainment district is a large and chaotic area, and I cannot do it myself..."
"Is that why you tried to take Aoi?" I asked him.
"Yeah..." He admitted.
"But why Aoi of all people? if you need someone to look for your wives in a demon-infested area. You're going to need someone with demon slayer experience that can protect themselves." I explain.
"If you sent Aoi to find your wives, you were sending her to her death..." I tell him.
He didn't say anything but took a moment to realize what I said. I suppose he was so focused on finding his wives, that he didn't quite think it through.
"I guess you are right. It was unflamboyant of me, but I needed female demon slayers..." He told me.
"Why female?" I asked.
"It's the entertainment district! I needed women demon slayers to disguise themselves as prostitutes and find my wife..." He explained.
"Why does it matter? We're looking for your wives, anyone can try and search and find them..." I ask.
"It's because my wives disguised themselves as prostitutes to find the demon. I'm hoping if someone else does the same, it would lead them to my missing wives." He explains.
I suppose that makes sense. I'm assuming then this upper moon targets young women based on the information he's giving me. If that was the case, why did he take Tanjiro and the others?
"You could explain your situation to Oyakata-sama, I'm sure he will lend a hand.." I tell him.
"No... this is a personal problem; I want to solve it myself..." He tells me.
I understand that. He doesn't want to be a burden and asks Oyakata-sama to allocate some demon slayers to the entertainment district.
"On top of that... the demon might get suspicious and hide, making it harder to find..." He explains.
I find it hard to believe an upper moon would hide. If it was a normal demon, it would be understandable, but an upper moon out of all things, wouldn't hide. It would pounce at the opportunity to kill a Hashira.
Speaking of the uppermoon, Uzui-san hasn't told me about it yet. I'll need him to tell me, so we can speak more about it.
"Uzui-san... this demon doesn't sound normal," I comment.
"How so..?" He asked surprised.
"If your wives have acted as observers for many demons, why did they specifically go missing for this demon?" I ask.
Now that I think about it, did Uzui-san know there was an upper moon? I didn't consider that, maybe he didn't know.
"Wow... your intuition really is flamboyant..." He admitted.
So he did know? I won't know until I press him further.
"Do you know about the demon?" I ask.
"Look... I know you just fought a uppermoon, but I am suspicious the demon that is lurking in the entertainment district is a uppermoon..." He revealed.
So he did know. If he knew, why was only one Hashira sent in the previous timeline? Unless... he didn't tell anyone.
"A uppermoon?" I question.
"Emotionless as always, I expected a little response from you..." Uzui started laughing.
"Why would you send your wives to find an uppermoon?" I asked.
"They are very capable, and I trust them..." He responded.
That was a mistake, why would you send non-demon slayers to go find an upper moon? Trust is one thing, but recklessness is another.
"What will you do now?" I asked.
"well... we need to find my wives, if we find my wives, we will find the uppermoon!" He declared.
This is going to be a challenge. I don't know much about the uppermoon or the location, I'll have to rely on Uzui to navigate me if I'm going to help.
"Well, who are you going to send?" I asked.
"Since you took Aoi away, I guess... you... you do have long hair... you might disguise as women pretty well!" He looked at me.
Is... this why he took Tanjiro and the others with him. Did he disguise them as women? How did that even work?
"No." I refuse.
"Huh? Why not! Your long hair would make you a beautiful woman!" He yelled.
Uzui might think I need a disguise to help find his wives, but he doesn't know about my see-through world. That will probably be enough to observe the area and look for the uppermoon.
Uzui-san believes finding his wives would lead him to the upper moon, but if the upper moon is in the area, the reverse can also be applied. If I find the upper moon, chances are I will also find his wives.
"I have a different idea..." I proposed.
"Hmm..? You do?" He questioned.
"Your approach is that if we find your wives, we will find the uppermoon right?" I asked.
he nodded.
"My idea is if we find the uppermoon, we will find your wives.." I revealed.
"You want to find the uppermoon first?" He asked.
"I would prefer that..." I confirm.
"But finding the upper moon would be more difficult than finding my wives..." He argues.
"I have experience finding an upper moon, it would be easier for me to do that than disguise me as a woman...." I argue back.
"I guess you have a point..." He admitted.
Perhaps we can use both plans. They both result in finding the upper moon and his wives, but I don't see who we would use in Uzui's plan.
"I have a compromise! why don't we use both plans!" He declared.
"I was thinking the same..." I agreed.
"But who will you use?" I asked.
"That's where you come in Tomioka!" He yelled.
"I told you I'm not-
"No no, I need you to find a woman that's willing to help us..." He asked.
"of course, I will also try, but I would also appreciate if you looked as well." He asked again.
"Okay." I agreed.
"Great! again, I know you just fought an upper moon, I'm sorry for dragging you into this." He apologized.
"Don't apologize... I willingly asked you to involve me..." I assure him.
"Flamboyant! I will meet you here tomorrow, I hope you find someone!" He yelled before leaving.
Looks like I'll be back in combat soon. The next upper moon is here. I would prefer if I went alone, but Uzui would never accept that, especially with his wives' life on the line. The entertainment district is also pretty big, so I'll need Uzui's help navigating through.
Uzui-san told me to find a woman that will help us. Who do I even ask though? If I'm going to ask someone, I need to ask someone strong and intelligent. They need to know where to look and analyze the situation properly.
This is a dangerous mission; I don't want to risk someone else's life. But I need to ask someone, but who?
"Ara Ara~ why are you staring at the sky" I suddenly heard Kocho ask.
Kocho! Should I ask her? She would be the perfect option. She's intelligent and strong enough to hold her own against an upper moon.
"Kocho..." I call out.
"Yes?" She asked.
Am I going to ask her? I don't want to burden her or put her life in danger, but who else is a good candidate? She's intelligent enough to pick up on clues to find the uppermoon and she's fast enough to hold her own at least for a little while. I don't think I can ask anyone else in the demon slayer corps that could be a better candidate than her.
"Will you..."
I am hesitating, why am I hesitating?
"Will you?" She asked.
"Will you go with me..." my mind is conflicted right now. I don't want to endanger her, but who else can help with this situation? Maybe I should go alone. No, that's a bad idea, I don't know anything about this uppermoon or the area.
"T-Tomioka-san.." Her face started to turn red.
Did I do something wrong?
"Go where?" She asked.
"To the entertainment district..."
Her eyes widened for a moment before her face turned into a deeper shade of red. Is she getting upset?
"A-ara~ I d-didn't know you were a pervert..." She suddenly spoke.
A pervert? What did I even do? Wait, I just asked her to go to the entertainment district with me, without any context. Of course, she called me that...
"Sorry... I meant for a mission..." I corrected myself.
"O-oh..." The redness on her face decreased.
"You were assigned a mission?" She asked.
"Not mine... Uzui-san's..." I reveal.
"Uzui-san's mission? Ara~ How irresponsible of him to ask someone injured for help.." She commented.
"Don't blame him, I volunteered to help him..."
"Of course, you did... you don't know the meaning of rest, don't you~" She teased.
"This is important Kocho," I tell her.
"You say that every time-
"There's an upper moon..." I reveal.
She immediately went quiet after that and stared at me with a widened look.
"An uppermoon?!" She asked in shock.
"Uzui-san suspects there's an uppermoon in the entertainment district, but that's not the only problem..." I tell her.
"Wait slow down... why aren't we telling this information to Oyakata-sama. If it is an uppermoon, we should tell him." She questioned.
"It's because of Uzui's personal problem..." I said.
"Personal problem?" She questioned.
" He sent his wives to find more information about the upper moon, but he lost communication with them..." I reveal.
"Oh... do you think the uppermoon caught them?" She asked.
"It's a possibility, but Uzui believes finding his wives will lead them to an upper moon..." I explain.
"So you want my help in finding his wives?" She asks.
I nod.
"But why me...? There's stronger Hashira's..." She talked lowly of herself.
There it is again, her lack of self-confidence.
"There's no other Hashira I rather have for this mission..."
"what..?" Her face started to turn red again.
"It is true, there are stronger Hashira's I could ask, but you are the smartest out of them.." I place my hand softly on her head.
"Finding the uppermoon will be a difficult task, but I believe with your intelligence we will find them..." I tell her.
"And even if you are strong as them... your are still very powerful Kocho..." I assure her.
"Tomioka-san..." She muttered as her face remained red.
"I didn't know you admired me that much-
"It's also the fact it needs to be a woman..." I add on.
"What?"
"Uzui-san needs someone to disguise as a prostitute to enter the district and find his wives..." I conclude.
I looked at Kocho as I realized she didn't look red anymore. Good, I was beginning to think she was getting ill-
"What did you just call me?!" She suddenly outburst and swung her hand at my face.
I immediately leaned back avoiding the slap.
"What was that for?" I asked confused.
"You really don't know how to treat a woman do you...?" Her voice was now silent but I can hear the anger.
"What are you talking about?"
"You just called me a prostitute!" She yelled.
"What? No, I was saying Uzui-san needed someone to disguise themselves as one-
"Which is me right?" She interrupted.
"Yeah..." I nod.
"So, you want me to become a prostitute, so I can go find his wives..." her voice suddenly softened again.
"No... I need you to disguise as one, so then you can collect information internally. I'm sorry if I said it the wrong way..." I apologized.
Her anger slowed down as she looked at me with a smile again.
"You're lucky you talked with me, if you asked any other women that question, they would have slapped you in the face..." She commented.
"But you tried to..."
"And you're lucky you dodged, for a moment there I wanted to poison you..." She threatened.
"I'm sorry..." I apologized again.
"You know, you've been saying sorry a lot recently. How do I know you are even being genuine..." She asked.
"I might ignore your warnings about sparring and training, but I will never call you that..." I look at her eyes.
"You better be right about that, or I'll poison you in your sleep..." she threatened.
I only nod.
"Good~ so when are you doing this plan," She asked.
"Uzui-san said he will be here tomorrow morning..." I tell her.
"That quickly? Well, I don't have any missions assigned so I guess that will be fine..." She agreed.
"The only issue I have is I have to take care of Nezuko..." She revealed.
"Nezuko? Isn't she with Tanjiro..." I ask.
"She was, but Tanjiro asked me to take care of her since he's currently training with Rengoku-san..." She explained.
Nezuko was with Tanjiro in the previous timeline for this mission. If I recall correctly, she played an important role in their survival, but I don't know many details about this mission. All I know is Tanjiro and his friends along with Uzui successfully defeated upper moon 6, but Uzui-san was forced to retire with his injuries.
"Maybe Nezuko can come along with us..." I suggested.
"Ara~ I didn't know you were a creep, are you planning on using-
"No." I stop her.
"She's a demon. Her sensory of demons is greater than us, with her help it will be easier to achieve my side of the plan." I explain.
"Your side of the plan?" She questioned.
"I told you about Uzui-san's plan, but my plan is the opposite. I want to find the uppermoon first which will then lead to his wives..." I explain.
"I see~, so how exactly will Nezuko help...?" She asked.
"A demon's observation and sensory is greater than us, if I let her search with me, she might be able to pick up the demon's scent..." I explain.
The bigger reason I want to bring her along is the story I heard from Uzui. In the previous timeline, when I used to hang out with Uzui and Sanemi after the war, Uzui mentioned that Nezuko was the only reason he was alive. Just in case something happens, I want to bring Nezuko along.
"Huh I see... but do you think she's capable of fighting an upper moon?" She asked.
"I only want her there to help me sense the upper moon, not fight it..." I explain.
"Also, are you going to do this mission in this injured state?" she asked pointing at my arm.
"I have experience fighting against an upper moon, I'll be fine..." I assure her.
"I can't change your mind, can I?"
I shook my head. She only sighed as she looked at me disappointed.
"So, are you going to help us?" I asked.
"Yes... I'll help..." She agreed to my relief.
"However, if you're bringing Nezuko along, you better tell Tanjiro. She is his sister after all." She warned.
"Of course..."
"Then I'll get my equipment ready..." She replied as she went inside.
Good, I got Kocho on our side. The only thing that worries me now is the uppermoon. I know they defeated uppermoon 6 in the previous timeline, but there's a possibility they could be upper moon 5 if Muzan bumped them up by one rank due to Akaza's death.
I head back inside to get my equipment ready for tomorrow. The uppermoon should be weaker than Akaza, yet why am I so worried?
I'm probably worried because of Uzui and now Kocho. There's no way I could have avoided Uzui from getting involved since he's looking for his wife, but Kocho... I didn't have to get her involved, yet I did.
why?
Because of another promise I need to fulfill: Kanao.
I promised her a couple of weeks ago, I'll convince Kocho to not go through with her plan about the poison. I stated one of the reasons why she's trying to use this plan is her lack of self-confidence. I'm hoping this mission, will boost that weakness of hers.
"Tomioka-sama..." I heard Kanao call out.
"Kanao?" I question.
"I heard what happened..." She revealed.
"So you heard..."
"You're taking my sister to fight an uppermoon?" She asked worried.
"I am..." I nod.
"Why? Aren't you strong enough to fight it?" She questioned.
"I am... however the situation is unique where I need help finding it.." I explain.
"Can't you take someone else? I d-don't want to lose her." She nervously spoke.
"This is for her own good Kanao..." I tell her.
"Her own good?" She questioned.
"Remember what I told you a couple of weeks back..." I ask her.
She stared at me for a moment trying to recall what I said.
"Oh, the plan..." She remembered.
"Do you remember one of the things we need to do to convince her?" I asked.
"Her... confidence..." She answered.
"If we defeat the uppermoon together, her confidence will be very high..." I explain.
"I see... so that's why you're doing it.." She understood.
"I would prefer to do this alone, but the situation made this ideal. Uzui-san needed a woman to sneak into the district and I believe Kocho is more than capable..." I explain to her.
"I assure you... I'll bring her back safe." I comfort Kanao.
"I understand water-pillar sama... please take care of her..." She pleaded.
"I will..."
With that Kanao went back inside. It's a risk bringing Kocho along with us, but I think it will be beneficiary in the long run.
I ran inside to find Nezuko to ask her as well. Demons can sense one another, so Nezuko might be able to sense better than the see-through world I can. There's no risk in bringing her since they can't kill her, but regardless her presence will make it easier to find the upper moon.
I find the box sitting on the patient's bed as I slowly opened it. Nezuko slowed crawled out of the box and sat on the bed and looked at me.
"Nezuko... I know this is selfish of me to ask this, but I need your help..." I ask.
"Hmph?"
"There's an uppermoon hiding somewhere in one of the nearby districts. I know demons have a higher sense of each other, I want your help in finding this uppermoon..." I ask her.
"I don't need you to fight. Three lives are on the line here. We need to find the uppermoon quickly, would you lend us a hand?" I ask again.
"Hmph!" She put her hand up.
"Is that a, yes?"
She nodded swiftly.
"Thank you Nezuko, but I need to ask your brother for permission before I take you-
"Hmph! Hmph!" She started shaking. her head.
"You don't want me to ask Tanjiro?" I ask.
She nodded.
"But I have to ask him, he's your brother..." I tell her.
She started shaking her head again.
"Why not...?" I ask.
She looked down slowly and then hugged the box.
"Are you saying Tanjiro will say no?" I asked.
She nodded.
"Then I have to respect his wishes. If he doesn't want, you involved I'm not going to force it..." I explain to her.
"Hmph! Hmph! Hmph!" She shook her head again.
Does she want to help even though Tanjiro will say no?
"Do you want to help?" I ask.
She nodded.
"Even though your brother won't allow it..." I added on.
She nodded again.
"Why?" I asked.
She didn't say anything but got off the bed and then suddenly hugged my leg.
"Do you want to help... because of me?" I asked in realization.
She nodded.
"Nezuko... you don't owe me anything. If you're offering your help because you feel you owe me something, then please don't help...." I tell her.
She shook her head. She really wants to help. Should I bring her along even though she said Tanjiro will say no?
"Alright... You can help. The mission doesn't start until tomorrow so just remain in the box..." I tell her.
She climbed back onto the bed and got inside the box and closed the door. I don't want Nezuko to help if she feels obligated to help because I saved her life. I want her to help with her own conditions and will.
Looks like I have my team now. Uzui and I, along with Kocho and Nezuko. Normally I don't want to bring this much help, but considering the urgency of the situation because of Uzui's wives, I need to bring this much help.
I'll do whatever I can to make sure no one dies.
- the next day-
I was waiting outside for Uzui's arrival. Kocho is getting ready inside for the mission. I wore Nezuko's box around my shoulders. I still felt wrong about taking Nezuko without Tanjiro's permission, but she insisted I didn't tell him.
"Tomioka-sama..." Kanao called out.
"Kanao?" I ask.
"Are you leaving soon?" She asked.
"I am... we're just waiting on Uzui's arrival," I tell her.
"Don't worry Kanao, I'll bring back Kocho safe.." I reassure her.
"I know you will Tomioka-sama..." She smiled.
She really does care for her sister.
"You've done a good job Kanao.." I tell her.
"For what?" She questioned.
"Kocho... she seems happier these days. She smiles more... a real one..." I explain.
"I... water-pillar sama. I don't think I'm the reason..." She revealed.
"Of course, you are... be more confident in your self Kanao..." I assure her.
"It's not that... I think she's happier because of you..."
With that Kanao suddenly ran inside. Why would Kocho be happier because of me? No, she's definitely happier because Kanao is spending time with her a lot more.
"Are you ready Tomioka!" I suddenly heard Uzui behind me speak.
"I am..." I confirm.
"I see... did you recruit any women to help us?" he asked.
"I did... she's in the mansion getting ready. She will be with us soon.." I tell him.
"Flamboyant!" He yelled.
So much for finding someone, I don't think Uzui even attempted to find someone to help him. I have an odd feeling, outside of his wives, he doesn't talk much to other women. I figured with Uzui's reputation he can easily get a couple of women to help us, but that's not the case.
"Wait a minute... isn't that the box Kamado boy wears?" He asked.
"I'm bringing Nezuko to help us..." I tell him.
"Oh, are we using Nezuko-
"No." I cut him off.
"She's going to help me find the upper moon with her senses..." I tell him.
"Senses?" He asks.
"Demons can sense each other, either Nezuko will find the upper moon, or the upper moon will come to us..." I tell him.
"Oh, I see... dang I must admit Tomioka, I assumed you had nothing inside your head, but you seem very intelligent..." He complimented.
"Nothing inside my head?" I ask.
"Well your always so gloomy, so I figured that. But now... I recognize your flamboyant intelligence!" He yelled.
"Ara~ you two seem to be having fun despite the current situation..." Kocho suddenly appeared.
"Oh, Kocho... flamboyant to see you!" Uzui greeted.
"So... are we leaving?" Kocho asked me.
"Your call Uzui..." I tell him.
"Wait! The woman we are using is Kocho?!" He yelled.
"Is that a problem~" Kocho questioned.
"No no... this is great in fact!"
"I just wasn't expecting the women to be you..." Uzui admitted.
"Well... Tomioka-san told me of your situation, so I decided to help..."
"Well... thank you Kocho, with your help we will find my wives in no time!" Uzui announced.
"Uzui-san... I must ask you something..." She asked.
"What is it?" Uzui questioned.
"Are you an idiot? Why did you send your wives to find information about an upper moon..?" Kocho yelled at him.
"In my defense, it's not confirmed it's an upper moon and my wives have done this before." Uzui defended.
"You chose to do something very risky and now you've paid the price for you..." Kocho lectured him.
"I know I know... but I have your guys' help now! we should be able to find my wives!" Uzui announced.
"Follow me!" He yelled before running.
Kocho and I quickly followed behind. I don't have an in-depth plan for this uppermoon. The last upper moon, I knew everything about him, this one, I have very little detailed information. Based on what I know, I know it's going to be difficult to find them hence why I'm bringing Nezuko and Kocho with me.
"I didn't think you had it in you to ask Kocho..." Uzui teased.
"I just thought she was the best candidate..." I replied.
"Well she is beautiful-
"Not another word you two or I'm turning around...." Kocho warned.
Kocho still seems to be a little upset about yesterday. I can't blame her, but I didn't mean it to word like that.
"Hmmm... are you sure you don't want to be a part of my plan Tomioka?" He asked me.
"No. I told you I prefer the plan I came up with..." I argued.
"Your plan is very risky Tomioka... and the chances of it succeeding aren't as high as my plan..." He argued back.
"You do what you feel is best, I'll do what I feel best. We both have the same goal, so as long as we achieve it, I don't care which of our plans works..." I state.
"Flamboyant words! I agree! But kocho, which of our plans seems better to you?" Uzui asked Kocho.
"Tomioka-san's..." She quickly replied.
"What?! what's wrong with my plan?" He asked her.
"Uzui-san might I remind you; we have an added challenge along with the uppermoon because you sent your wives to look for an uppermoon. Something that happened because of your plan." She told him.
"But this is different...My flashy plan will help find my wives, who will then give information about the uppermoon, then the three of us can take it down!" Uzui declared.
"Tomioka's plan is too difficult, finding the upper moon will prove to be tough without my wife's information!" Uzui argued.
I didn't say anything. Regardless of what he says, I feel like this is the best approach.
"Maybe your plan is more logical Uzui-san, but Tomioka-san's plan is for the safety of your wives..." Kocho revealed.
"What?" Uzui asked surprised.
"If Tomioka-san finds the upper moon first and kills it. It will guarantee the safety of your wives because there is no more threat. Your plan, we need to go find your wives and if we don't find them in time... then I fear the worst..." Kocho explained.
"Tomioka..." Uzui muttered my name.
"Tomioka-san's is taking into consideration your wishes to find your wives..." She concluded.
I didn't want to explain, but I guess Kocho explained it to him. More than anything, I value people's lives, they come first, then the upper moon.
"Ne ne~ Tomioka-san, I must say, you are very intelligent when it comes to planning..." She complimented.
"I agree... thank you Tomioka-san... I thought your plan to find the uppermoon first focused on only killing the uppermoon..." He admitted.
"Don't worry about it. You search for your wives, while I find the upper moon..." I tell him.
"Reckless as always~" Kocho commented.
I just ignore her.
"Do you think you can defeat the upper moon?" Uzui asked me.
"If it's not more powerful than the upper moon I faced, I should be able to..." I tell him.
"Don't underestimate it Tomioka-san~, an upper moon is still an upper moon..." Kocho warned.
"I won't..."
"What do we do once we get there?" Kocho asked.
"Well, we need to start with a disguise. Once you're in your disguise, we'll have to wait for a buyer. Once you're in, you start your investigation. I guess in the meantime, Tomioka-san will look for the upper moon with Nezuko.." Uzui summarized.
"What will you be doing?" Kocho asked Uzui.
"I will question the locals for information, I know my way around town!" Uzui proudly declared.
"Tomioka-san~ do you mind if I go with you instead..." she suddenly requested.
"Huh, what no! Your part of my plan Kocho..." Uzui pleaded.
"I don't like your plan quite frankly. Why do I have to ruin my pride and go disguised as a prostitute for a mistake you caused..." Kocho questioned again.
"But I need someone to internally look for them..." Uzui asked her.
The whole reason why I agreed to use both plans is because they work well together. One looks for the wives while the other looks for the upper moon, both methods will result in the same result, just in a different order. I know Kocho doesn't like Uzui's plan, but she's the only one that can do it.
"Kocho... you're the only one that can do this aspect of the plan. You're the most intelligent of us here. You know how to collect information and connect them." I tell her.
"Fine..."
"Besides... I'm already working with Nezuko, the two of you need together to find Uzui-san's wives..." I tell them.
"I agree, so let's get along Kocho!" Uzui announced.
Kocho just rolled her eyes and continued to run. I hope those two work it out and continue the plan.
- half a day later-
We made it to the entertainment district, the skies were still somewhat light, and it was not fully nighttime yet. This means we can have extra time to set up our preparations.
"Uzui-san... it's not fully night yet..." I tell him.
"I know! I'll use the time to disguise Kocho..." He looks at Kocho.
"Do not make me wear something that will force me to poison you.." She threatened.
"How do you deal with her? She can be scary..." Uzui whispered into my ear.
"Just stay on her good side," I advise him.
"That's hard to do since she seems to hate everything, I do..." He groaned.
"I do hate everything..." She commented.
"Look, the two of you don't get along, but we have extra time. We should use it wisely." I advise them.
"Agreed! Shall we go Kocho? We need to disguise you!" He stated.
However, she ignored him and walked over to me.
"Tomioka-san... if I catch you 'fooling' around with the women instead of looking for the upper moon..." She warned.
"Fooling?" I asked confused.
"Never mind... you're too dumb..." She sighed to herself as she walked over to Uzui.
"Tomioka... meet us back here at the same time when the sun goes down. In the meantime, you do whatever you can to prepare ..." He tells as he walks off with Kocho.
I should try and collect much information as possible in the meantime, but where do I go? I take a look around to see which area seemed to have a decent amount of people I can.
I suddenly noticed a bar across the street as I slowly walk over there. There seem to be a lot of people here. It's more people to question, but that means it will be harder to spot the upper moon.
As I walked over to the bar, I started to notice a lot of people staring at me. Did I do something wrong? Do I look out of place?
I go to open the door to the bar, but suddenly my left arm gets grabbed by something.
"Can I join you, mister?!" A woman suddenly asked.
What the...
"Oh my... he is handsome..." Other women commented that was behind her.
"I know right? So, what will it be mister can you let us join you at the bar?" She asked.
"Us?" I asked.
"I have a bunch of friends inside the bar, we would love to accompany a handsome like yourself..." She spoke in a lowered tone.
This could be an opportunity to collect information, should I accept their invitation?
"Sure..."
-end-
Well... Kocho isn't going to be to happy....
If you are wondering why , all of the butterfly girls didn't swarm Uzui to get Aoi back it's because Giyuu stepped in before they had the chance to .
I hoped you like the chapter, I changed the characters since I didn't want to use the same characters for this arc in the manga, that would be just lazy writing on my part.
-recap-
This chapter mainly served as the introductory chapter, the next one will dive into more specific details. It also highlighted the progress in Tomioka's recovery.
- Next Chapter-
Hunting the upper moon, finding Uzui's wives, and the potential start of the battle