Yahaba the arrow demon
In Sasori’s workshop, a demon who had tried to escape, but was very much subdued, knelt before the puppet master. “Kill me! Kill me please!” He rasped.
“Interesting. After being kept alive for four days, being fed only with small droplets from my blood, it’s already been morphed this much, but spikes and claws are features that I can easily add on my own. What I want is a demon with its own blood demon art… hopefully a powerful one.” The Demon, who was now identified as ‘Yazu’ may have needed more blood in order to gain strength, at quantities that he was not himself generous enough to provide.
Sasori wrote in his notes to later be sent to the master; ‘ ‘I want to see how much human blood a demon might consume before developing a blood demon art. Donated human blood is requested.’ ‘
“Yazu” he said. “You are not yet strong enough to justify any changes to your confinement.” He flicked his Chakra strings, and the newly built; black ant II attacked from it’s corner of the room.
“Nooooooo!” the Demon Yazu cried, as the Iron-maiden of the black ant’s belly enclosed it, and trapped it. Crushing it without killing it.
Sasori gave a tired sigh. He did get enjoyment out of this work, but he had almost forgotten the limits of a flesh and blood body. He walked outside into the sunlight, with his notes, intent on placing them in the mailbox for Ubuyashiki’s crow to collect, which he did daily. Ubuyashiki had also been extremely generous with his resources, allowing Sasori to recreate a few of his old puppets already.
But on this day, as he walked the short distance from his lab to his mailbox, cutting through the warm rays of sunlight that gleamed over along the surface of his skin, he picked up the sound of footsteps lightly walking towards him.
“You brats are all alike at that age” he said without turning around. “I suppose it wouldn’t do any good to tell you to go back to your clinic and rest.”
“Thank you Sasori-san,” Kanae said, “But my lungs heal quite quickly. Your assistance was most indispensable to my recovery though. I cannot thank you enough.”
Sasori turned his head, and gave her a curious look. Kanae took advantage of that instant to observe this stranger’s features. Seeing him in the daylight for the first time, the face of a man who couldn’t have been more than a few years older than she herself was, yet the way he spoke, and everything he did suggested that this face was deceptive. A hazy shadow was casted across it, but his brown eyes… Kanae could not determine why, but her heart skipped a beat when she looked into them. Dull and subtle brown eyes that threatened to pull her in deeper. Eyes that bore immense dispassion that could have only been foraged from intense hatred.
“Your master has already given me what I wanted in exchange for my assistance,” Sasori said coldly. “Your ‘thanks’ is not necessary.”
“Oh, but it is.” Kanae said, hiding the feelings that overwhelmed her the moment she saw his face… it was the feeling of stepping into a shallow pool, and suddenly finding herself in deep water.
“My parents raised my sister and I to have good manners, and always show our gratitude to those who have helped us.”
Sasori turned back towards the direction of his lab, debating whether or not to go back inside, or to stay out here. It wasn’t that he was annoyed with Kanae, she struck him as a gifted child, but also; just a normal girl. Yet, her keen eyes which scrutinized him, did not go unnoticed.
“It was your sister who convinced me,” he said. “I suppose you've also come to ask me what kind of deal was made?”
“No Sasori-san, of that I can find out from Oyakata-sama. But I was hoping to ask you is, what is your aim? What do you want from this organization?”
She said that last part as though she had prepared it ahead of time, and with seriousness.
“When did she stop smiling? I must not have noticed… She feigns sweetness like a well-trained Kunoichi.”
An uneasy breeze blew past them. Sasori watched Kanae’s hair and dress flutter in it, as he began to answer. “In light of the oddities I have seen here, and out of respect for you, I will tell you the truth. I was transported here from another world, and in a severely weakened state. I want to rebuild my strength, and if possible, make my way back there.” “I still have an old grudge to settle.”
Kanae gave a small nod. “I had a feeling that somehow, I knew this when I woke up in the hospital. It was as though a force alien to anything I knew had touched me.”
“That would be medical Ninjutsu,” Sasori explained. “I understand that in this world, that concept does not exist. However, the blood demon arts, I do find interesting, that is why,” he darkened his gaze. “I am trying to figure out how to turn a demon into a puppet.”
He observed the way Kanao’s eyes went wide, and how she stepped back when he told her.
“So the younger sister told her about my original intentions to turn her into one” Sasori held out his right arm in the direction of his workshop, and Kanao watched as the faintest blue lights appeared on his fingertips. She did not see the invisible chakra strings that shot from his fingers, and connected to the puppet inside, which to Kanae’s shock, shot out!
The intimidating clicking sound of wooden joints moving, and a three-eyed, four-armed humanoid with jagged teeth and spiky brown hair flew at Kanae, who instinctively jumped back, and reached for her sword. It wasn’t there! She knew that she was in no shape to fight in her current condition, but the prospect of being attacked while unarmed caused her to freeze.
The thing’s three buggish eyes met hers, but then to her surprise, It stood up and bowed to her.
Kanae was confused, but felt herself slowly exhaling with relief.
“This is the Karasu II” Sasori said, clearly amused with her reaction. “A throwback to one of the first puppets I ever made.” The nostalgia in his voice seemed uncharacteristic, even to himself.
“Is that…!?”
“No, it's not made from a human or a demon. Just regular wood and metal.”
“And you can make it move!?” Kanae breathed. “Thats amazing!! How do you do it!?”
The Karasu II retreated to Sasori’s side. “It would take too long to explain.” He said. “I need to get back to work, and you should get back to bed.”
“R-right” she said. She recovered quickly, but after the excitement wore off, she truly was beginning to feel the fatigue.
Sasori curtly turned from her, and began walking back to his lab, the Karasu II floating by his side.
“Sasori-san?” Kanae asked.
“What is it?” He asked, looking over his shoulder.
“You gave my little sister some advice on components to use in the poison she makes. She uses poison to help her kill demons. Sasori-san, what do you make poisons for?”
Sasori answered her without hesitation, or any shame whatsoever. “To kill humans.”
And then continued to his business.
“Why did I spend so much time talking with her? Its probably related to the fatigue thats come with this body.”
***
“Nee-san!!” Shinobu cried with relief as Kanae returned.
“My my Shinobu, you act as if I’ve just returned from a dangerous mission. I’ve only gone for a little walk while I recover.”
“But you went to see Sasori,” Shinobu said rather darkly as she helped her sister to the western sofa. “And without your sword no less! What if he attacked you!?”
“I doubt it would have come to that Shinobu,” she said assuredly. “He’s not the impulsive type. Besides, my sword would have been useless weight. Currently, my lungs are not recovered. enough for me to do any breathing techniques, and I’ve lost part of my vision in my right eye, which is also why…” she stopped… as much as she felt it was necessary to the organization, Shinobu taking her place as Hashira was the last thing she wanted.
“Which is why…?” Shinobu asked when Kanae seemingly lost her train of thought.
“It’s nothing.” she answered with a smile.
She sat herself upright, and motioned for Shinobu to sit down next to her, which the insect-Tsuguko did.
Kanae pulled her into a sleepy embrace. “I truly feared I would never see you again,” she said softly. “I am truly grateful that I can be here for you. Shinobu… you were right to be worried about Sasori-san. He is a terrifying man”
“For heaven’s sake Nee-san! He wanted to turn your body into a ‘puppet’!” Shinobu shuddered.
“Yes, he seems to have no compassion for anything.” Kanae said as she rested her head on Shinobu. “Even demons deserve compassion. But Shinobu… I could sense something deeply tragic about him. I…” She didn’t know how to say it. More than anything else, she felt a blooming pity from the bottom of her heart.
“I know Oyakata-sama said you could learn about poisons from him, Shinobu, but I would still avoid him if I were you. No matter what has happened to him before, he is still someone who I wouldn't’ want you getting close to.” Her voice was trailing off, she was clearly tired.
“You should leave the corps Shinobu” was the last thing she said, before she fell into a peaceful sleep.
Shinobu stood up, and laid Kanae down on the sofa.
She looked at her sleeping sister with nothing but love. “How can I leave the corps?” she whispered. “How can I leave you?”
Shinobu turned, and went to get her Nee-san a blanket.
“And as for Sasori-san” she said resolutely to herself. “If he is to continue getting resources from Oyakata-sama, then he should teach me as well… I know he is evil Nee-san, but… I can’t continue to be weak like this…not while you risk so much.”
***
Shinobu, who had brought her notes to study on the floor by Kanae’s side, woke up to find that their roles had been reversed yet again.
A blanket had now been draped over her, and she heard her Nee-san humming to herself as she walked in and out of the room taking care of various small chores.
Shinobu sat up, and rubbed her groggy eyes. She looked at the clock. It was half past five in the evening.
Just then, a knock came at the door, and both sister's now passed each other as they simultaneously went to answer it.
Shinobu's eyes widened and surprised when she looked up and saw who it was.
“Ara, cause you two here together mean that your friends now?” Kanae exclaimed!
“No”“No!” the wind and water pillars answered in unison.
Sanemi sighed, and rubbed the back of his head with his hand. He had come to check on Kanae again, and would have come that morning had he not been resting after a night-long mission.
Giyuu meanwhile, had just been sent by Kagaya to do the same thing, and report back to him, and both wind and water pillars were now suspicious that this was done intentionally to achieve the result of what predictably happened next.
Kanae had invited both men inside for conversation and supper, and neither of them refused.
However, to what might have been the master’s disappointment; the peace between the two of them was a cool peace at best, perhaps due to the fact that Sanemi's dislike of his colleague was nothing compared to the wrath he felt for a man he had never even met.
“That bastard,” the wind pillar grumbled as he accepted a plate of rice crackers from Shinobu. “He wanted to take your damn body!? What a sick creep.”
The sisters looked at one another, knowing that he was censoring himself in their presence, but his anger could be felt.
“He ultimately changed his mind though,” Kanae said. “And after all, I wouldn't be sitting here before you all if it wasn't for him.”
“That's true” Sanemi admitted gruffly, “and Oyakata-sama also hopes that his research will save lives and help us get closer to defeating Muzan, but it still bugs me to have a guy who’s only doin it for himself on our payroll.”
“Many of the swordsman are like that,” said Giyuu. “As long as it helps us to our own ends, It doesn’t concern me.”
“Doesn’t concern you?” Sanemi asked accusingly. “That guy wanted to turn Kanae into… I can’t even say it, it's so weird!”
“It might not be as weird as it sounds,” Kanae said diplomatically. “Today he showed me one of his ‘puppets’. It's an automaton that can be used for battle. I have no Idea how he does it, but I don’t think that it's something any normal person could learn. His world is different from ours?”
“His world?” asked Giyuu.
Kanae patiently explained to the men, all that she knew, and Shinobu especially, felt her curiosity battle with her wariness.
“I don’t believe it,” Sanemi huffed. “People don’t just pop in and out of worlds. It doesn’t happen!”
“That being said,” Giyuu added as he put his chopsticks down. “Most people also don’t know that demons exist. Its more likely that this man is a charlatan, but strange things do happen.”
“I’ll bet you money that this guy is a phony.” Sanemi maintained.
“I for one do not think its unlikely.” Kanae said calmly. Shinobu and I saw it firsthand, he has unnatural abilities that cannot be explained by anything we currently understand.”
The memory flashed in Shinobu’s mind… that mysterious light on the man’s hands as he brought her sister back from the brink of death, and the way he had so easily and effortlessly subdued the demon without even touching it… the demon that she was defenseless against moments before… such powers seemed terrible to her.
There were also her past failures, and close calls weighing heavily in the back of her mind.
She failed to suppress a shudder at the thought of what had almost happened.
“Shinobu?” Kanae asked as she noticed, “Are you alright?”
“Yes Nee-san” Shinobu said, regaining her composure. “I’m alright.” Looking down at her hands, she cursed her smallness for the thousandth time. “Why can’t I grow strong? Why am I so weak? I couldn’t kill those demons fast enough… Nee-san almost… Our lives were saved by such a twisted man…”
She squeezed her fists which rested on her knees, until Kanae’s soft hand covered hers. She looked up at her elder sister, whose look told her everything… Kanae was so gentle, so kind and warm, and knew how to comfort her without embarrassing her or making her feel smaller… To think that she had almost lost her.
Tomioka was the first one to leave as usual. He stood up, bowed, thanked Kanae for her hospitality, and excused himself.
“I’ll walk you to the gate,” Shinobu volunteered, getting to her feet.
Giyuu made no protest as she escorted him to the door, and into the evening air.
The sun was going down, and the toads were croaking.
“Tomioka-san,” she began as she walked him across the yard and to the gate, “will you be busy tomorrow?”
“If I have a mission tonight, I’ll sleep in the morning, and if not, I will train. Why do you ask?”
“I was hoping,” Shinobu said with a hint of awkwardness, “That you would perhaps escort me to see Sasori tomorrow.”
Giyuu gave her an odd look.
“I… I don’t trust him.” Shinobu said, trying to find the right words, “but I need his help. My poisons don’t work fast enough on stronger demons, and I fear that if I were to fight one of the twelve Kizuki…” she couldn’t even bring herself to say it. “Nee-san almost died… I can’t afford to lag behind her! I cannot afford to be a burden to her!”
Giyuu made no comment. He looked forward to the sunset. He had known Shinobu since she and her sister joined the corps. For her to ask him to escort her was akin to admitting that this man scared her, something the proud Shinobu would never do without good reason.
“If he is a real danger to you, then you should stay away from him. Quit the corps Kocho. It's not for you.”
“I won’t quit.” Her voice was soft, and measured, but the anger could definitely be heard in it.
Giyuu sighed. By now, he knew her well enough to know how determined she could be when she set a task for herself. If Shinobu had committed herself to this, then trying to stop her would be too much of a hassle.
“If you’ve weighed the risks,” he said, “Then be ready after breakfast tomorrow. I don’t want to wait after I’ve already gotten here.”
Shinobu smiled gratefully. “Thank you, Tomioka-san”
***
The moon hung high over the old temple that night. Before the feet of the demon slayers, Takamura Tahomaru, rank Hinoe, was thrown from the stone steps, onto the plaza, before his comrades.
“Takamura-san!” One of them cried.
“We came too late,” lamented another. “Please forgive us, Takamura-san.”
Takamura’s body lay mangled before them. His face was contorted in pain, but he no longer felt anything. His broken bones and limbs twisted at odd angles, no longer hurt him.
“Unforgivable!” Came a voice from the top of the stairs. “Even more of you demon slayers come to my home! Dragging your filthy feet here!”
“Your home!?” shouted one of the demon slayers angrily, pointing his sword at Yahaba, “This is a Shinto temple! You filthy demon!”
The veins in Yahaba’s head twitched. He held his fist before them, and opened his palms. Suddenly, two of the five demon slayers were swept off their feet by invisible arrows! One had his spine snapped as the arrow twisted around his torso! The other was thrown into the air!
“Kato-san! Ogata-san!” cried one of their comrades, as another rushed to save the falling man. It was in vane, more arrows shot from Yahaba’s palms, sending too more of the slayers into disarray.
“You bastard!” cried one of the swordsman, tears for his slain friends streaming down his face. Yahaba simply trapped him in another curse of arrows.
“You dare call me filthy!?” hissed the demon. “Die slowly!”
The demon slayers tried to press the attack, but could barely defend themselves against Yahaba’s mysterious abilities. They could not even make it to the bottom of the stairs.
“Thats quite an interesting ability,” came a voice from behind.
Yahaba whirled around in surprise! Sasori’s stealth had eluded him.
“So since a normal eye can’t see your arrows,” Sasori said, “It makes them very hard to dodge or predict. Thankfully, I’ve modified Karasu II’s eyes” he said, pointing to the puppet behind him with his thumb. “He sees everything, and I see what he sees.”
“More scum!” Yahaba cried as he turned to face Sasori with his arm outstretched, “you're not welcome here!”
The Karasu flew forward! Yahaba’s arrow caught it, and sent it flying backwards! It was then that the puppet’s four arms detached, and the blades that came from their joints slashed the demon’s arms off!
Yahaba jumped back, and almost instantly regrew his arms. “It's useless!” he cried as he shot more arrows at his opponent.
Sasori effortlessly dodged, but there was no need for him to attack again.
The arrow demon suddenly found himself short of breath, and then unable to breath. He staggered, and fell to his knees.
“What the…”
“So it would seem that poison affects demons more quickly than humans,” Sasori observed. “Your ability to regrow limbs accelerates your blood flow… Too bad, that also accelerates the speed at which my poison reaches your nervous system.” Meanwhile, the three surviving demon slayers who had been released from the demon’s technique, watched in awe.
One of them, seeing his chance, picked up his sword, and rushed up the stairs aimed for Yahaba’s neck. “This is for my friends!” he cried! “Takamura! Kato! Ogataaaa!” He was sent back down the stairs with a swift kick to the face from Sasori.
His friends rushed to help him to his feet. “What the hell did you do that for!?” one of them shouted at Sasori.
“Who are you! friend or foe!” demanded the other.
“You could say I'm a researcher for your organization.” Sasori said, as he withdrew a scroll to summon the black ant II.
The three surviving swordsman flinched with surprise, as a massive wooden automaton seemingly materialized out of nowhere, and then its wooden belly opened wide like a krait, and the demon was sucked inside of it.
Sasori looked down at the swordsman, and said darkly; “Don’t ever interfere with me again.” and with that, he, and his two puppets vanished, the demon Yahaba along with them.
***
“I’m sorry I was late” Giyuu said as they began their walk.
“It couldn't be helped,” Shinobu said. “I know how busy you are as a Hashira.” She paused. “I feel so bad for going behind Nee-san’s back like this, and I know I won't be able to keep it up for long, but I know my secret will be best kept with you.
“It's fine Kocho. Besides, I'll admit to being curious to see this man.”
The arrived at Sasori’s estate, and entered through the gate onto the front yard.
They stood there for a time, for Giyuu, it was to take in his surroundings before meeting the inhabitant of the home, as he always did when coming to a new place.
For Shinobu, it was the thought, “Am I really here? Am I really doing this?” Suddenly the shoji door to one of the buildings flew open with the loud sound of wood hitting wood, and Shinobu jolted as Sasori marched outside, a rolled up piece of paper in his hand. He turned to look at his uninvited visitors, and Shinobu flinched at his appearance. His cold, but elegant features had been temporarily ruined by the signs of many restless nights.
Sasori staggered across the garden, and Giyuu took Shinobu by the arm and stepped back with her, as he walked by them, to his mailbox, and placed his scroll inside. He then turned to his guests, and a moment of silence passed between the three of them. “I- if you’ve had a long night,” Shinobu began diplomatically, and remembering the things Kanae had taught her about winning people over, “I could make you coffee or tea?”
Sasori sighed deeply. “I’m still getting used to the limitations of this human form… and If I don’t offer to teach her now, Ubuyashiki or that other girl will bother me about it later”
“Come inside and help me make lunch. Then later, I’ll teach you how to make poisons that will actually kill.”
“Thank you,” Shinobu responded in as firm a voice as she could manage.
“And what about you?” said Sasori, turning to his other guest. “Who might you be?”
“Tomioka Giyuu,” he answered. “I am merely here to observe the famous Sasori I’ve heard so much about.”
“T-tomioka-san” Shinobu admonished nervously, fearful of provoking Sasori’s temper with a lack of manners.
“Hmph,” Sasori cracked a smile. “During the war, many people thought the exact same thing. All of them are dead now” Sasori allowed those words to linger in the air as he walked towards the kitchen.
Giyuu felt the threat in those words, yet, after a meal of rice, sashimi, miso soup, fried eggs, stir-fried vegetables and tea, Shinobu and Giyuu allowed their curiosity to flow more freely, especially since Sasori now seemed only slightly less grumpy than before.
“You mentioned a war earlier,” Giyuu said. “A war from your world?”
“Obviously,” Sasori said as he sipped his coffee.
“The man who trained me,” Giyuu said reminiscently of Urokodaki, he fought in the Nihonkai kaisen against the Russians, though he never spoke much about it.
“That doesn’t interest me,” Sasori said cuttingly. “I don’t particularly care about my old world, but I’m not to happy about being here in yours. I’m going to rebuild my arsenal, and find out how to get my revenge on the person who put me here.”
“How do you know this was caused by someone?” Shinobu asked.
“I know,” Sasori said definitively as he finished his coffee “ There is no need for her to know about Orochimaru. But if anyone knows about how I got here, it's him… Orochimaru, your death is delayed, but I will make it happen eventually.”
Shinobu shifted uncomfortably on the tatami mat. She stopped herself from asking this man more about his world. She was painfully curious, but she could tell that Sasori would be angry if she asked… and she hoped to avoid that.
“Tomioka,” Sasori said as he put his cup down. “Now that you have seen me, are you satisfied?”
“Not quite,” Giyuu stated. “I know I can’t stay for much longer, and my presence wouldn’t be welcomed if I were to be a third wheel while you teach Shinobu. But the master of our organization has deemed it fine, so that is good enough for me. However…” Giyuu narrowed his gaze. “I will be checking in with Kocho periodically.” He said that last line as it were a warning.
Sasori did not respond. He merely maintained the stony silence. Shinobu looked down at her lap.
“Thank you, Tokioka-san,” she whispered. She truly was grateful for his presence and his friendship. Though she wasn’t fully ready, she felt as ready as she could be for the task ahead of her.
***
Sasori’s laboratory was as spacious as any other lab, but the dim light and oppressive atmosphere made it seem cramped. On the left side of them when they entered, was a door that Sasori made clear was off limits to anyone but himself.
Shinobu had hated Sasori ever since he ‘offered’ to turn Kanae into a puppet. She considered Sasori to be as cold as ice… Whatever, she was prepared for that. A cold and callous instructor, she could put up with. What she had not anticipated was how impatient and how irritable he was.
Sasori began his lesson by having her demonstrate her current knowledge of chemistry and toxicology. Shinobu felt particularly proud of herself for having developed such creative methods to overcome her lack of physical strength, yet Sasori never gave her any praise whatsoever.
The rest of her tasks had involved helping Sasori further the development of his own poisons, while doing so in ways to test her knowledge. He had also been asking more questions from her, not just on her knowledge of demons, but her personal experiences with them. It was a subject she absolutely hated to talk about, let alone with someone as corrosive as this man.
Among which, was the fact that some demons had more natural resistance to toxins than others. “And why is that?” he asked.
“Well,” she began, “There are genetic variations among demons just like there are with humans. Some demons simply have more active immune systems, or different ways their bodies bind proteins such as such as P-glycoprotein, can pump toxins out of cell-”
“Do you think I am stupid?” Sasori interrupted her.
“N- no!”
“Then why were you presuming to explain something so obvious to me?”
Shinobu shrank back.
Sasori sighed, and put his hand to his face “I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt. You weren’t patronizing me or deliberately wasting my time, you were just too much of an idiot to understand my question. Is that correct?”
Shinobu bristled at the unfair criticism, but held her tongue.
“Answer me…” He demanded.
“Yes… that is correct,” she answered shamefaced. “Please explain it to me, Sasori-san.”
“Obviously, demons will have genetic variations" Sasori explained curtly. "Some can resist your poison, which would leave you at the mercy of even the weakest demon.”
Shinobu felt another layer of her pride peel away with that observation.
“That demon may have been stronger than the average demon," Sasori continued. "and had a stronger ability to resist the poison as a result. But even among average demons, you’ve admitted yourself that some are out-liers against your usually effective poison…” Sasori then opened a box that he had previously retrieved from the room accessible from the left side of the laboratory, the one he had forbidden her from entering.
Shinobu’s eyes widened… she dared not ask how Sasori obtained those.
Two demon arms, severed, but hooked up to two separate IVs. The one on the left had clearly been envenomated with her usual mixture of poisons, but showed significant resistance.
“As you can see,” Sasori explained, as he poked the arm with a scalpel, causing it to writhe. “This demon arm is still very much alive, despite the fact that I’ve injected it with 0.5 milligrams of your poison.”
“But… I can inject a lot more poison than that,” Shinobu protested. “And either way, it would take more than half a milligram to kill an average-sized demon.”
“This is only an arm,” Sasori said. “If it was his full body, he’d have you for his side dish, and this demon wasn’t particularly strong either.” He looked down at the arm, with almost a hint of pity. “I suppose Yazu here was used to soaking up other people’s poison when he was a human.”
He then turned back to his student. “This is the scenario. You are fighting this demon in an isolated area, with no hope for backup. Your standard poison is not having any real effect. Your Nee-san is currently keeping him at bay, but even she can’t hold him off for long. What do you do now?.”
“I…” Shinobu paused, knowing she had to choose her words carefully, but knew that Sasori would be mad at her if she took too long to answer. “I… I’ll mix the poisons that I have so that it might bypass this demon’s resistance, and then assist Nee-San.”
Sasori caught onto her use of the word ‘might’. “No ‘might’” he said, shaking his head. “With experience you will learn the importance of having a backup poison, but for now, pretend you are in the field. This will be good practice. On the table before you, are the poison cartridges you normally carry. You only have enough left to make another 0.5 milligrams. Show me what you can do.”
Shinobu nodded, and immediately got to work. In the back of her mind, those very real scenarios, those memories, pushed her on. She was already stressed out from how strict Sasori was. She had spent the entire lesson holding back tears so as not to give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry, but now she was sweating bullets. “What's taking you so long?” He demanded harshly.
“I’m sorry Sasori-san! I’m doing my best!”
“Your best is going to get your sister killed at this rate. Kanae will be eaten alive while you’ve kept her waiting.”
“Please just let me think!”
“You can’t think when I’m talking? How can you be relied upon when you're hearing your sister’s screams instead? As the demons gnaw on her exposed bones?”
“I almost have it!” Shinobu cried. In reality, she was grimacing, as she had just messed up for the second time, and had to start over again, trying her best to ignore the nastiness of those descriptions.
“How much longer can your Nee-san wait!?” Sasori demanded, raising his voice.
“YyyyyAHHHHHHHHHHH!” Shinobu let out a scream as she completed her third attempt to mix the concoction, and slammed the syringe into the demon-arm.
Shinobu fell to the ground into the wariza position before she could even see whether or not it had worked. She was out of breath, her hair was a mess, and a long afternoon of one stressful lesson after the other had finally culminated in her reaching her limit.
She saw Sasori’s feet move along the floor as he observed her work. She squeezed her eyes shut as she braced herself for the painful sting of his criticism.
“The arm has stopped moving, and the demon’s tissue is beginning to break down. You have successfully overridden this demon’s immunity.”
“Really?” Shinobu breathed.
“Stand up,” Sasori said.
Shinobu did so, and looked down at the demon’s arm to see her work.
“You already show promise as a toxicologist” Sasori said. “However, when I have finished training you, you will be able to make a poison so deadly that you can kill hundreds of demons with the same amount you used there.”
“Hundreds of demons with just half a milligram of poison?” Shinobu asked.
Sasori retrieved a senbon needle from inside his robe. “How much poison do you think can fit on the tip of this needle?” He asked her.
Shinobu stopped herself from dropping her guard, just because he had praised her, and began racking her brain for a quick answer. “If that is a standard senbon, then the tip would hold about 0.01 milligrams of poison” she answered. “No! A little less than that!” She corrected.
Sasori threw the needle into the other demon arm, the healthy one. Shinobu watched with eyes wide as its movements began to rapidly die down. She turned back to Sasori with awe, but as she saw what was written across his face, she realized; Sasori had developed this poison in order to kill humans… That thought made her shudder, but it was the second thought… the thought of how he had developed his poison to such a proficient level… how he might have had to.
“I sensed disgust” just now, Sasori said unexpectedly, and darkly. “Do I disgust you girl?”
“N- no!” she defended quickly, “I was just thinking…”
“You were thinking what? And don’t lie, or I'll know.”
Shinobu sighed, and readied herself. “I was wondering how you could kill humans… You have killed humans, am I correct?”
“Yes,” Sasori confirmed.
Shinobu walked to a stool that had been knocked over earlier, picked it up, and sat down heaving a sigh of relief as she did. Sasori with his back against the wall, slid down and sat on the floor.
“Sasori-san… when you killed… It was during the war, right?”
“At first, yes,” Sasori answered tiredly, his eyes beginning to close. “I was twelve when they deployed me.”
“You were twelve!?” Shinobu asked in astonishment. “How could your country deploy a…” she trailed off. Sasori had closed his eyes, but a bloodshot, angry eye opened when she said the words ‘your country’ “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bring up painful memories.”
“What are you talking about?” Sasori said as he closed his eyes again. “Memories can’t hurt me.”
Shinobu looked down at her hands for a few silent moments, thinking about how her own memories hurt her. How the very thing that drove her to submit herself to the tutelage of a man who earned her wrath by threatening to desecrate the body of her sister; was the fact that she had nearly lost her sister that same night. It was not until she heard him breathing, that she looked up to see that Sasori had fallen asleep.
It occurred to her then, that he had been up all night last night, and now the day was almost over. She hopped off of the stool, and tip-toed to the door. “I'll come back tomorrow morning,” she whispered over her shoulder, and then closed the door behind her.
As she left, she faintly heard Sasori mutter something in his sleep… angry curses against, ‘that place’. Shinobu decided not to ask him about his country in the future.
***
Kanae set pensively as the incense burned beside her. She maintained her posture, though her eyes had been closed in meditation for a long time.
She knew that was sliding door would eventually open, yes she still let out a small sigh of relief when it did.
She heard Shinobu's light footsteps tiptoe into the house, her sister was clearly being quiet so it's not to disturb her. It was late at night after all. There was also exhaustion in those footsteps. Kanae said nothing. She did not ask Shinobu where she had been all day. She continued to breathe silently and meditatively, until she was sure that her sister had gone to sleep. She then opened her eyes, and walked over to where Shinobu now slept soundly on the tatami mats in the other room.
A western grandfather clock silently ticked away the hour in the background, as Kanae watched her sister's small frame rising and falling with her breaths. She had not changed out of her clothes, or even pulled out a futon. She only lay there wrapped in a blanket with her head on a pillow, exhaling her exhaustion and inhaling new energy for the next day. “You don't have to keep pushing yourself so hard Shinobu,” Kanae whispered. She took out a handkerchief and began to gently wipe the sweat from her sister's brow, careful not to wake her as she did. It felt like the least she could do.
***
Earlier that day, Ubuyashiki Kagaya read the letter he had received just before lunch.
He smiled as he judged Sasori’s handwriting. He knew he would lose his vision in a matter of years or even months, yet he felt he had a talent for gauging what kind of person someone was by the way they stroked their pen. Most of the letter contained detailed accounts on the anatomy and healing process of a demon called “Yazu” but what Sasori had explained towards the end; was that he had not only figured out how to turn this demon into a puppet, but upon capturing a stronger demon, with a blood demon art, Sasori had also created the first successful experiment of transferring a blood demon art ability to a lifeless puppet which he would be able to use.
The letter ended with a formal request, for more weaker demons to study, and if possible, the life capture of a member of the 12 kizuki.
Kagaya had sent in his responses; his regrets that he would not risk his swordsman by asking them to take the extra risk of capturing one of the 12 alive. However, he was happy to oblige Sasori with his other request, as his account had already proven very useful.
What Kagaya had also gauged from Sasori's handwriting, what's that no matter his cruelty, and no matter his ulterior motives, he was someone who took great pride in his work, and took his research with the utmost seriousness.
“Thank the heavens,” Kagaya mused thoughtfully, as he watched his Crow fly away carrying his response. “It seems we have found a truly reliable ally.” His thoughts were tentative however, though he was optimistic that this blessing would not become a curse.