THE AIR OF silence that enveloped around her makes Giyuu on edge. Something is different about Mitsuko. Yes, she's always complying quietly to her parent's demands and punishments if she was to be a naughty girl, but this instance is different. Different from all other situations. He really can't place what's wrong with his adoptive little sister.
"What really happened back there?" asked Tsutako, emerging from the hallway. Giyuu sprawled all over his futon, eyes fixed only on the ceiling as he pondered over the events of the day. He curtly answered, "I was the one in trouble. Mitsuko came and saved my sorry butt."
Tsutako merely pursed her lips. Deep within her mind, the thought of the two finally getting along makes its appearance. A small smile crossed her features. She wants the two of them to get along maybe before her wedding. It would be the greatest gift she can receive from the two.
Giyuu sat up from his laying spot on the futon and looked up to his sister, asking, "When did Mitsuko become strong?"
Confused, Tsutako tilted her head to the side, completely oblivious to the query. She answered back with a question, "What do you mean by strong? Mitsuko doesn't train."
Giyuu broke his eye contact with his sister as his gaze aimlessly wandered to the tatami floor. 'If Mitsuko doesn't train or does anything related to it, how is she able to pull those two guys off him?' Giyuu thought. For all he knew, those three that they encountered in the day were rumored to be training to become samurai of some sorts, but Mitsuko was able to pull them to the ground without breaking a sweat.
"Since she won't be going anywhere for the next two days, why don't you spend time with Mitsuko?"
Giyuu quickly rebutted, "She doesn't like me! I hate her too."
Tsutako smiled. She added, "She came to your rescue. She won't save you earlier if she hates you, you know. Plus, can't you see her efforts of getting along with you, Giyuu?"
Giyuu raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean by efforts? She rarely comes to me."
"That's because you always focus on the fact you hate her. Use this chance to get close to her, okay? Or else, I won't let you come to my wedding."
"That's unfair!"
"No, that's fair."
~~~~~
Mitsuko calmly roamed the streets of Kawasaki. She may appear as a very composed girl, but deep inside she's already burning in panic. I'm not born in a city!
She wants to run away and go back to Gyomei's estate. She wants to spend the night sleeping. Unfortunately for her and all the other Demon Slayers out there, their enemies only appear in the dead of the night.
She was sent here to slay demons that were rumored to be in this city. Civilians have been reported missing for the last seven days. It was a mission for her in preparation for her estate.
Mitsuko really hated the city. That's a clear fact about her. She can already feel the eyes of the people judging her. Maybe they were thinking about her garments and there's no way they'll see her sword since it was hidden by the large haori Gyomei gave to her.
Mitsuko was about to continue deeper through the city when she sensed a presence of a demon nearby.
She stopped walking and scanned the environment around her. The presence was blinking, disappearing and reappearing again. She couldn't place where the source is, it was as if it came from all direction. She closed her eyes and started to sense the presence. It was hiding itself.
Mitsuko could barely pinpoint the direction of the presence, but she could tell where it's coming from now. With her heightened senses, she followed the trail of the presence, her eyes closed. She didn't give a care to the city people that bumped into her. She didn't care about the murmurs of the people around her.
The noise of the bustling city gradually disappeared from her hearing. She cannot felt the shufflng movement of the people anymore. With that, she opened her eyes.
She almost jerked back when she faced a tall wooden fence. She frowned. Mitsuko didn't expect to sense the fence far from the city. Speaking of the city, she's not in the main street anymore. She's in a secluded area of the city. Dark and discreet.
Dark and discreet. That's where demons do their violated act of devouring humans.
Mitsuko was about to walk away when she felt the presence so close at her from behind. She turned around and saw nothing but the tall fence, perhaps the border of the city. She approached the fence and tried to touch it, but nothing unusual happened. The presence of a demon is still there. Maybe the demon is behind the fence, then?
Mitsuko felt something coming at her from behind. She swiftly hopped away from her spot and saw the wind moved where she was. She sensed something coming at her and she evaded again. She didn't pull anything out yet. Her boots skidded on the ground. She closed her eyes. When she sensed the punch coming at her, she raised her hand and grabbed the—what she presumed—forearm, skillfully pinning the opponent to the ground.
She opened her eyes and saw a demon looking back at her with a death glare. The first thing she said was, "You're not the demon I was sent to kill."
Mitsuko pulled her dagger from one of her boot. The dagger danced across her fingers as she raised them, ready to slice the demon's neck. Her face was monotone while the Nichirin Blade cut through the air.
"Stop. Don't kill him please."
The point of her blade stopped centimeters away from the demon's grasp. Mitsuko spoke, "For what valid reason?"
"He works under me. I asked him to kill the person that trespassed our territory."
Mitsuko get off from the demon and faced another demon that looked exactly like a human. It was a woman in a black kimono with flowery patterns. Mitsuko commented, "You're not a good liar."
The demon woman's eyes widened at the sight of the hair accessory Mitsuko wore. "Those... Those are from Tsukiko."
"Who's Tsuki—NGH!"
"Thank you very much, Tsukiko-san!"
Mitsuko released the fistful of hair from her head. She forgot about the sudden migraine and solely focused on the memory of a beautiful girl smiling at her. She was reminded by her older sister Tsutako.
Mitsuko forgot for a moment she was in the presence of a demon. She looked up and saw the demon in front of her. Acting upon instinct, she was about to ran her dagger along the demon's neck, but stopped.
She asked, "Who's Tsukiko, demon-san?"
The demon woman sighed as she stood straight. "My name is Tamayo. This is Yushiro." Mitsuko mentally noted their names. "As for who Tsukiko is, she's a patient with a rare illness."
Tamayo guided Mitsuko to a hidden house where they are staying at the moment. Tamayo continued, "Her illness is incurable. All that I could do was helping her relieve the painful symptoms of her condition."
"All you could do? You're a doctor?"
Tamayo responded with a nod. Mitsuko blinked her eyes for a couple of times, staring wide-eyed at Tamayo.
Yushiro said something that urged Tamayo to tell Yushiro to leave the two of them for the time being.
"I apologize for his behavior."
"No, it's alright."
Silence hovered for a moment. Mitsuko can't tell if she can trust Tamayo right now, but Tamayo seemed to be sincere and honest about the things she's saying.
"Tsukiko was my patient. She's a very gentle and timid girl, but clever and wise. She told me stories of certain child named Mitsuko. From her eagerness of telling those stories, I can tell she's very fond of you."
Tamayo raised her hand and pointed the pair of hair accessories decorating Mitsuko's hair. She said, "Those are the accessories I gave to her."
Mitsuko's hands immediately went up the two accessories in her raven hair. Oyakata-sama gave them to me. It's impossible...
But, Mitsuko did remember Kagaya telling her the accessories was found with her. He didn't have any chance of giving it to her when Mitsuko was still there.
Mitsuko asked, "Do you perhaps know what happened to Tsukiko-san?"
Tamayo shook her head. She said, "One day she stopped coming to my place. I asked her family about this, but she just went missing. I searched for this girl Tsukiko was telling of, but this girl never crossed paths with me."
Mitsuko trusted her instincts of having faith in Tamayo. She told Tamayo her recent condition—The Selective Amnesia.
Tamayo mused, "I guess that is why when I mentioned her name, your brain reacted to it."
Mitsuko, who is desperate in getting her memories back, clenched her hands into fists. She said, "That's one time. From all of the information you told me, none of it triggered in my memories."
"Don't rush. Your memories will return in due time."
"What can I do?"
Before Tamayo can respond, Mitsuko and her sensed something. The next second, the room they were staying in was in ruins.
"Ara ara~ Looks like she dodged that."
~~~~~
***Did you know?***
Mitsuko was entranced by Tamayo's beauty.