"Got it? I am God! You are trash! First off, get that right into your skulls!! Screw it in there! If I tell you to become a dog, become a dog! If i tell you to become a monkey, become a monkey! You will always humor me while stooping down and imploring me for favors. And do your best to flatter me!
"I'll say this one more time! I. Am. God!!" Uzui yelled while doing a pose.
".... You know what? I should probably go back. I have better things to do," you said, slapping your face.
Tanjirou raised his hand cutely.
"What exactly do you rule over as a god?"
Oh my God, Tanjirou's so wholesome, I just can't-
"Nice questions. I have high hopes for you," he said, nodding approvingly.
"I'm the God who rules over flamboyance... the God of Festivities."
"I am the King of the Mountain. Nice to meet you, God of Festivities," Inosuke said, putting his hands on his hips.
Oh God, not you too, Inosuke...
"What're you talking about... you're disgusting."
"I swear, I'm going to kill all of you when I have the chance..." you sighed, crying internally.
"The Wisteria House is on the way to the Flower District. We'll get prepared there," the Sound Pillar said.
"Follow me," he turned, running as fast as my heartbeat when I see my anime boyfriend.
"Huh? He's gone!" Zenitsu cried.
"You guys better hurry up," you smiled, running after him just as quick.
"Once we infiltrate the Red Light District, we first have to look for my wife. I'll be looking around for information on the demon as well."
"This is unbelievable!! Please just stop joking around! Don't use your subordinates to look for personal brides!" Zenitsu screamed.
"Huh? You're misunderstanding something."
"No, I'm not. I'm just going to say it harshly. Weird ass people like you will never be popular! However, you're telling us Demon Hunters that you want a bride?!"
"You duMb fool! My wife infiltrated the Red light District in order to collect information on the demon!! Our regular contact was cut off, so now I'm going too!!" Uzui yelled.
".... That's all in your head there, right?"
"YOU SHITTY BRAT!! Here are the letters she sent me via crow!!" He yelled again, this time shoving notes in Zenitsu's face as proof.
"There sure are a lot. Has your wife been in there for a long time?" Tanjirou asked.
You snorted, holding up more notes.
"He has three wives."
"Three! Wives... th-three! You... you bastard! Why do you have three wives! Cut the crap out!" Zenitsu yelled in disbelief.
Uzui nailed him right in the stomach as you winced at the scene.
"Any other complaints?" He asked, pissed as Zenitsu laid on the ground, dead.
"Uhm... in the letters, you remind them multiple times to do their best not to stand out, but... how exactly are we going to do this?" Tanjirou asked yet another question.
"Well, we're going to be disguised, of course. And, as much as I hate the idea, be plain. You guys just have to do a certain something, then infiltrate. My three wives are top of the Line Female Ninja, Kunoichi. We believe that the Flower District is an ideal place for demons to lurk. When I infiltrated as a customer, I couldn't find any traces of demons, so for that reason, we went a bit deeper than mere customers.
"We've narrowed the number to suspicious stores down to three. So you guys will look for my wives there and gather Intel. 'Suma' in the 'Tokito House', 'Makio' in the 'Oqimoto House' and 'Hinatsuru' in the 'Kyougoku House'," he said, putting three fingers up.
"Aren't your wives dead already?" Inosuke asked.
He gave Inosuke the same punch as Zenitsu.
"Ooh dear me... these are some ugly girls..." an old woman sighed, looking at the three boys, eyeing you a little.
"Not at our place... we just brought a new girl in a few days ago, so I'm sorry..." an old man said.
"Well, one or two should be okay," the old lady said.
"Then I will entrust one to you. Sorry, ma'am," Uzui said.
"Then we'll take the one in the middle. She seems so honest. Oh, and we take that pretty girl too? She sure seems to be a true beauty!" She gushed, pointing at you.
"We'll work as hard as we can!" The two of you said, bowing.
"Sumiko-Chan, (Y/N)-Chan, could you carry some of that over? We don't seem to have enough helpers..." a lady asked.
"I understand! Koinatsuoiran's room, right? I will carry it over!" Tanjirou replied as you just smiled and nodded.
"You two work really hard! When we took off your makeup, Sumiko-Chan, we found you scar, so the hostess was boiling hotter than a raging fire yesterday, but..."
"Yes! I will be glad to do the work!" Tanjirou said, carrying all of the stuff, leaving you with nothing.
"I'll... go check up on her to see if she need help," you said softly, walking behind him.
"Isn't she... really strong?"
"She is. And the other one is so caring of her."
"I heard that the hostess of the 'Kyougoku House' fell from a window and died. How frightening. Let us be careful."
"There are a lot of ladies who 'lose their footing' and disappear. It's scary."
"What do you mean by, 'lose their footing'?" You asked softly, careful not to startle the two hushed girls.
"Whaaa, (Y/N)-Chan, you don't know?"
"That's a lot of baggage!" The other one said to Tanjirou as he placed them down.
"They're all presents for Koinatsuoiran," he said.
"So when we say lose their footing, it means running away from here without paying your debts. If they find you, bad things will happen."
"Oh, I see..."
"They say some also ran away with their loved ones. Even a few days ago, Suma-oiran-"
The door creaked open, revealing a beautiful woman.
"Stop spreading these rumors. Nobody really knows... whether they really ran away or not," she said, a frown on her pretty face.
"Come. Thank you for carrying these," she smiled at the two of you.
"I'll give you two some candy. You can eat it together in secret," she said, placing candy in your small hand.
"I want some too!"
"Oiran, Oiran!"
"No, you just ate some awhile ago, right?"
"Uhm.. did 'Suma' Oiran really lose her footing?" Tanjirou asked.
She looked at him alarmed.
"Why are you asking me that?"
"Suma-Oiran is my... my-"
"She's her sister!" You suddenly said, saving him.
You looked back to see him making a face.
Probably the face he makes when he tells a lie. Hehe.
"And you were sold here after your sister was?" She asked.
"Y-yes. We were constantly exchanging letters. She shouldn't be losing her footing here..." Tanjirou said, still making that face.
"I honestly never thought Suma-Chan would lose her footing either. She was a very gutsy girl. She never acted conceited with boys. But we found her diary... and it said that she lost her footing in it. I haven't heard of her getting caught, so it'd be nice if she managed to escape," the lady said sadly.
The diary was probably a false lead...
You and Tanjirou stood outside, carrying towels.
"I feel a demon... an it's an Upper Moon..." you said, closing your eyes as you looked up at the moon.
_________________________________________________
"This is what it was like! I'm sure!" Inosuke yelled, making weird hand motions.
"Well... yeah, well... just hold up a bit," Tanjirou said.
"Like this!? Can you tell if I do this?" He said, continuing to make hand motions.
"I think Uzui-San and Zenitsu will come here for our regular meet up..."
"It was like this! I know that much!" Inosuke yelled, raising his arms.
"Zenitsu's not coming," the Sound Pillar said, appearing out of nowhere.
"What do you mean by Zenitsu isn't coming?" Tanjirou asked, concerned.
"I think I put you guys in terrible danger. The desire to save my wives has caused me to commit a grave mental error. Zenitsu's whereabouts are unknown. He stopped contacting me last night," he said, not giving you a single glance.
"You two, get out of here now. Your ranks are wat too low. If the demon here is an Upper Moon, you can't deal with them. I will regard people who have stopped sending me letters as dead. From here on, I'll move on my own. (Y/N), you can go back."
"No, Uzui-San, we-!!"
"Don't be ashamed. Winners stay alive. Don't mess this opportunity up."
"Hold it, old man!" Inosuke yelled, starting to stand up, but he had gone in a blink of an eye, leaving your back facing the duo.
"Well... your ranks have gone up, but I don't think it will be enough..." you sighed, looking away.
"Huh? We went up?" Tanjirou asked.
"We're currently at the Kanoe rank right now. We're higher up now. The fourth lowest on the chain," Inosuke told Tanjirou.
"Show us our ranks!" He yelled, gripping his hand into a fist.
Kanoe...
"Wasn't your hand all itchy in the Wisteria Mountains?" Inosuke asked, confused.
"I remember an itch, but I was tired... I didn't know about this...."
"Cheer up!" He said, slapping him on the back.
"Yeah, now's not the time. My bad. When night falls, I'll head to the Ogimoto House, where you'll be. Wait for me until then. Acting alone will be dangerous. Today, I'll finish investigating the house I'm currently in," Tanjirou said.
"Why?! I'm telling you that there's a demon here! So come over now! You really are a badass!!" Inosuke yelled, pulling on Tanjirou's cheek.
"Uzui-San was standing watch outside the stores at night, right? Owowowowow... but Zenitsu disappeared and the demon at your house hid itself. Ow, come on, stop beating me up. I think there might be passages inside the buildings," Tanjirou said, holding his head.
"Passages?"
"Yeah. The fact that there are no demons going in and out of the houses means that there's a high chance they're working inside," Tanjirou continued, sitting up.
"The demons work in the brothels, which means if they're acting tactfully as humans, they'd have to exercise more caution in killing humans so nobody would notice."
"I see... it'll take time to clean up after a murder. And bloodstains don't just simply go away," Inosuke said, putting his hand on his chin.
"This is a night district, so demons will find some things convenient, but not others. They might have to work at night or people would begin to question them. I... believe Zenitsu and all three of Uzui-San's wives are alive, and I will act with that in mind. I'll save them for sure. I want you act with that in mind as well, Inosuke. And don't die under any circumstances," Tanjirou said.
"You okay with that?" Tanjirou looked up at the other boy.
"Everything you said just now... that's what I was trying to say," Inosuke smirked.
"We best hurry," you finally said, eyes still closed.
"Dawn is approaching us."
"There's nothing more to do here, so just go and eat."
"Okaaay!"
The little girls ran away, laughing.
The woman looked in her mirror and saw two figure behind her.
"Koinatsu-San," you and Tanjirou said.
"Forgive me for being impolite. The both of us will be leaving this house. I owe the Master and the others for all the care they provided for us, so could you give this payment to them?" Tanjirou said, sliding out an envelope.
"Sumi-Chan, (Y/N)-Chan, your clothes..."
"I have my reasons for dressing up like a girl, but I'm actually a boy," Tanjirou said calmly.
"Oh, I knew that. I could tell just by looking and hearing," she said back, making you cover your mouth and turn away.
"Huh?"
"I knew you were a boy from the very beginning. I was wondering what you were doing here..."
He had this face on, probably thinking that he thought no one would find out.
You smiled as you wrapper your arms around his neck.
"I guess you're better off being a boy, Tanjirou-Kun."
He blushed as the female in front of you two smiled to herself.
"You have your circumstances, right? You were worried about Suma-Chan, right?"
"Yes, I really was! That wasn't a lie!" Tanjirou yelled.
"I will save those who have disappeared," he said determinedly.
You nodded, resting your chin on his head.
"Thanks. I'm a little relieved now. You see... I'm leaving this town tomorrow," she said, giving a said smile.
"Is that so! That sounds wonderful!" Tanjirou said.
"There's someone willing to take me in as a wife, so I'm extremely happy right now. But... that's why I couldn't help but worry about everyone I was leaving behind. Even though there were a lot of unsettling incidents happening, I had no means to investigate them..." she said.
"That's only natural, so please don't worry about it! Just smile," Tanjirou replied.
"He's right. If I was leaving my family, I'd obviously be worried about them. They could be so reckless at times, but I'm sure your family will be fine. Have fun with your wedding," you smiled, bowing on the floor.
"....I really don't want either of you to leave, Sumi-Chan, (Y/N)-Chan."
Tanjirou, too, bowed and the two of you took off into the night without a trace left behind.
You and Tanjirou were on the ceiling of a roof, turning to the setting sun.
Tanjirou looked around frantically, while you stood in silence.
A demon... I can feel its presence... it hurts-
You yelped out in pain, falling to your knees as you clutched your chest.
This is the same feeling if when I had lost my mom and dad... wait-
"(Y/N)-Chan! Are you okay?!" Tanjirou raced over, bending down.
"Do you feel it? Do you smell it?" You asked, gripping you clothes tighter.
"I do... and it's close by-"
"We have to kill it! It just killed someone-" you stood up, wincing as you clutched your stomach.
"But (Y/N)-"
"We have to hurry! It's killed Koinatsu-San!"
"You a Demon Hunter?" A female's voice asked as she looked at Tanjirou. You were next to the window, concealing your presence.
"So you came. Indeed. How many of you are there? There was that ugly blond brat, right? If the pillar coming? He's coming soon, right? You're not a pillar. You seem weak. You do realize I don't want any non-pillars, right?" She asked, a cloth holding Koinatsu's head.
"I don't eat dirty old people and abominations," she laughed.
"Let go of her!!!" Tanjirou yelled.
She glared at him, baring her fangs.
"Who do you think you're talking to?" She hissed.
You pulled on his coat twice, signalling that it was obviously an Upper Moon, and he was in serious danger.
"Look at me when I speak!" She screamed as Fabrics went flying towards Tanjirou, smashing him into the next house.
You bit your lip, preventing yourself from screaming.
I need to disconnect from Tanjirou-
He tried to get up and looked at you.
The demon was sitting on the windowsill, not seeing you yet.
"You're alive. Hmm... you got more bone than I thought," she said as you quietly scooted to the left.
"Pretty eyes there. I'll just gouge them out and eat them," she laughed, wiping dirt off her rather pretty face.
Tanjirou put the box on his back down.
"Sorry, Nezuko. I loosened the strap. I can't fight with this on my back. Don't get out of the box. Not unless your own life is in danger," he said strictly as you observed the pretty demon more closely.
Breath of Water, Fourth Form:
Tanjirou jumped to attack, you once again staying back. The demon lunged back, a smirk on her face.
I can't see what her rank is because I haven't gotten a good look at her eyes.
Striking Tide•Chaos
Tanjirou tried to hit the demon, but he missed all the attacks.
He did, however, cut the part of where she had trapped Koinatsu. They both landed on the ground, staring down at each other.
Tanjirou was panting, beads if sweat rolling down his handome face.
"You're cute, but ugly. Now don't get too attached. You're like a rat who's about to die," she giggled.
"I think Tanjirou's cute, too. What I don't see is how you think he's a rat," you spoke up, upping down gracefully and landing in between the two.
"You said you wanted a Hashira, right? Well, here I am. What are you going to do now?"