Muichiro, and the mist of suffering.
Shinobu’s heart was heavy as she made her way to Sasori’s estate.
She went alone this time. She continued to hate herself for not telling Kanae about it, but she hated her own weakness even more. It was the nightmares and painful memories, that prevented her from turning back, and running into Kanae’s arms, confessing everything. She controlled those thoughts with all her might, until they were out of her head.
Yet, Shinobu had always been a bit airheaded when her mind was focused on the singular task she had set before herself. In some of these instances, she and Kanae laughed at together when they looked back on them, such as how she had almost given Kanao a ridiculous name in her absent-mindedness, or how clumsy she had been trying to help her parents around the house, and how they still adored her as did Kanae. And some of those memories were less happy, such as how she pushed her body until it no longer worked. She remembered how Kanae tried to hide the pain in her own face, as she carried her to bed, and neglected her own training to care for her until she could recover again.
To her constant frustration, chagrin, and humiliation, her body was weak, and nothing she did, no trainings, stretches, formulas or potions ever changed that.
She hastened her step! Poisons and cunnings were the only way she would have even a fighting chance!
And in her absent-mindedness over anything else, she opened Sasori’s sliding door without knocking…. Her heart sank, as the fear of his anger now crept into her. Despite his own disregard for manners, he had made clear that he expected the utmost deference from her towards him, and that having a hair out of place would result in severe consequences.
“Enter,” came his voice. Shinobu gulped, and walked inside, following his voice.
She found him reclining on the tatami mats, in a groggy state. Clad in a pale Nemaki, his hair disheveled, and a letter in his hand. Shinobu opened her mouth to apologize, but Sasori held up a finger, shushing her. “Prepare my coffee while I finish here. Then we will discuss your transgression of entering unannounced…. we’ll begin training after that.”
Not knowing what else to do, Shinobu bowed, and then retreated into the kitchen.
Sasori continued reading Kagaya’s letter.
“My esteemed partner, I sincerely thank you for the work that you have done, and for taking young Shinobu under your wing. I ask that you kindly update me on her progress. Shinobu is far brighter than she may give herself credit for, so please do not let her modesty obstruct your vision from her potential. She is a sincere, and diligent girl who will make you proud as your pupil.
I hope to send you more of the usual stock of demons as quickly as they are acquired. Capturing weaker demons is a task that simply cannot be rushed, and I thank you for your patience on the matter. I predict, that we will have a new one for you in a matter of days. I will send a crow with notice of its delivery when it is ready.
As per your second request, I am afraid that I cannot ask my swordsmen to take on extra risk to capture stronger demons alive. However, there are strong swordsman who pride themselves on their ability to face any demon. I can recommend them to you by name, but you must be the one to seek their help…”
Sasori grumbled as he rolled up the scroll. Kagaya’s over-concern for his men, he found sickening. But of the names recommended, he already knew of two of them.
The morning continued as it had the previous day, though Sasori was not nearly as hard on Shinobu as dictated his instructions, and supervised as he sipped his coffee. He was still as uncharitable as always. The instructions he gave were minimal, words of encouragement were non-existent, and criticism over the slightest mistake, was swift, and stinging. It was that way the next day, and the day after that.
Shinobu returned home every evening, with her pride bruised, and her body and mind exhausted. Yet, she found that she was doing things she previously considered impossible. Sasori pushed her to her limits, and then beyond, and with each occasion, she realized that the confines of her limits were not as tight as she previously thought. Kanae noticed this as well on missions. Shinobu fought with a cooler head, no longer letting demons take advantage of her anger to trick her into making stupid mistakes. She no longer shied away from larger demons the way she used to, and when a demon was well defended, she fought them with a cooler head, finding their weak points, even under immense pressure, and mixing poisons that she had previously told Kanae were impossible for someone like her to make.
Kanae knew that her sister’s anger was still present, her nightmares never ceased, and she still cried tears of hatred whenever someone they knew was hurt or killed. But Shinobu had still blossomed in ways that made her smile with pride. “Nee-san…” Shinobu said blushing, when Kanae told her as much one morning, “I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything Shinobu,” Kanae said as she stirred the cup of tea in front of her. “I just wanted to let you know how proud I am of you.”
Shinobu felt her heart flutter. In contrast to Sasori, her older sister was always warm and sweet to her, although she still never got used to it. Words of encouragement from Kanae were treasured no matter how freely she gave them, because each time; Shinobu knew that her sister meant it, even if she wasn’t sure that she deserved it.
She felt as though she should confess to Kanae here and now that she had been training with that man… but Kanae, sensing her sister’s unease, immediately came to her rescue. “Shinobu, are you unwell?”
“No Nee-san, I am fine…”
Kanae smiled gently. “I received a letter from your new teacher yesterday.”
Shinobu's face went white as a sheet.
“It's quite all right,” Kanae said reassuringly. “I'm not angry at all. I know That you want to get stronger, Shinobu, and I know you are taking this risk for selfless reasons.” “I’m not happy about it, but I can see how much you’ve improved. I just want you to be safe and happy.”
“I’m sorry Nee-san,” Shinobu said hanging her head. “He almost hurt you!”
“But he didn’t.” Kanae said hoping to reassure her sister as much as possible. “He saved me. Shinobu, Sasori-san…” she paused, seemingly trying to find the right words. “He is a man who is a lot like the demons we face… no, that's not a good analogy. He is someone who came from a world that is different from ours, and there, he was made into what he became.”
“He’s a murderer,” Shinobu said barely above a whisper.
Kanae nodded. “I know, but just as demons were once humans, I believe Sasori-san might not always have been what he is now. Shinobu, I sense many years in him. I do not know what happened in his past, but as long as helping us is within his interest, he will do so, and I have no fear that he will harm you. We should give him a chance.”
Shinobu looked pained as she cast her gaze downwards.
“Nee-san I… I know I’m the one who goes to him willingly, but I still cannot trust him after how callously he spoke of you. Even when he’s teaching me, he scares me so much. Every day before I go to see him, I have to gather all of my courage to do so. I feel my stomach go weak, just like it does on missions, except on missions, I am at least with you… during my lessons, I’m alone with him.”
Kanae frowned. “Shinobu, has he ever hurt you?”
“No,” Shinobu answered, “But… he’s terrifying.”
Kanae nodded. “He scares me too Shinobu. You have no idea how proud I am of you that you faced that fear to become stronger. But we’ll have to talk more about that later, I must tell you about the content of the letter.” Shinobu nodded, and prepared to listen. “He wanted me to tell you,” Kanae continued, “That he is canceling your training for today, as he has been summoned by Oyakata-sama.”
“I understand,” Shinobu replied, also relieved to have a break.
“I don’t know if it is a coincidence or not,” Kanae continued, “but we have also been summoned by Oyakata-sama.”
***
The Kocho sisters were greeted by a Kakushi at the door, who conveyed the master’s apologies that neither he nor Amane-sama could greet them personally. As they neared the room where the Kakushi guided them, Shinobu could hear the smooth callousness of her teacher’s voice.
“Medical ninjutsu can indeed restore his memories, and it would be very simple to do so. However, Ubuyashiki-sama, I feel it my duty to warn you of the ramifications for doing this…”
Shinobu and Kanae turned the corner into a large room, where sunlight poured into the windows. In the center of the room, lay a small child on a Futon. A child, no older than Kanao, covered in bandages. One one side, sat the master and mistress of the mansion. On the other side, wearing a gray and olive-green Hakama, was Sasori. “I can restore his memories,” he continued. “However, the human mind blocks out memories for a reason.”
“I understand Sasori-san,” replied Kagaya. “Do you have an estimate as to when he will be ready?”
“I cannot say. I have very little experience in this field, but ultimately, there is nothing my Ninjutsu can do for the mind that your own medical treatments cannot. I advise you to take him to an asylum. Your wife is blameless for the demon attack that did this to him, and you bear no responsibility to treat him. No matter what the state of his body, he cannot serve your mission with his mind the way it is.”
“I will not send Muichiro to an asylum,” Kagaya replied gently. “He is a descendent of the first breath-users. Even if he cannot function properly now, or even if he may never regain his abilities to do so, my family will care for him, as our duty demands- Kanae, Shinobu” He said, now addressing the Kocho sisters. “Please enter. Muichiro here was discharged from the hospital yesterday, and both the doctors, and Sasori-san here; have instructed the situation as best they can, but I would still like you two to help him.”
“Of course Oyakata-sama,” Kanae said bowing, before she sat on the other side of Muichiro… but it also meant she was sitting next to Sasori.
He turned, and caught Shinobu staring nervously, causing her to turn away.
“Ubuyashiki-sama,” Sasoi said, turning back to him. “I have accelerated the healing of this boy’s physical injuries to the best of my ability. If you are going to be his caretaker from now on, then whether or not I attempt to heal his mind, and the timing of which, are in your hands.”
“Yes, thank you for all your help Sasori-san.” Kagaya-said, as Sasori stood up.
“I won’t return home yet,” Sasori said. “I will be wanting to speak with the Hashira when she is finished here.”
Kagaya-nodded. “If Kanae is willing, then I have no problems with that.”
Sasori bowed to the master with pure formality, and turned to leave the room. Shinobu avoided eye-contact as he passed her, and only once he left the room, did she hear Kanae beckoning her to take a seat next to her.
As Shinobu did so, the boy’s eyes opened slowly. His vacant gaze now met her own, and Shinobu felt her heart fill with anger, as she remembered what she had been told about him… what the demons did to him and his brother. His long black hair, streaked with teal, spread in clumps and strands across his pillow and covers, which his small body barely made a dent in. He closed his eyes, and the light breathing of sleep resumed from his nostrils.
He was so young, and yet, he had been hurt so badly that his mind was shattered. A moment ago, she wondered how her Oyakata-sama could speak so casually with a heartless murderer like Sasori, and now she realized… Sasori was still, only a man. A man who had perhaps been bent out of shape, but still a man. The demons on the other hand, callously did this to the innocent wherever they roamed.
They were vile, and base creatures. An alliance with that man was more than justified!
***
The consultation passed without incident. The small hope, was that in the future, Kanae would be able to work her magic on Muichiro. Though she was modest about it, everyone acknowledged that she would be the most gifted for gently easing him through his amnesia. It was agreed, that Muichiro should be allowed to work at the butterfly estate when he was well enough, and help with the patients as similar victims of demon attacks often did.
Presently, Kanae found Sasori on the engawa, with Shinobu following close behind. Sasori sat at a horigotatsu, writing in beautiful calligraphy with perfect control of his brush, the characters for “Eternal sphere…”
“I hope you weren’t waiting too long, Sasori-san,” Kanae said as she bowed politely.
“You had your reasons,” Sasori said in a controlled voice.
“What did you wish to speak with me about?”
Sasori did not answer right away, but Kanae did not press him. She could sense that something was irritating him. “It looks like it may rain soon,” she said gently, changing the subject as she looked to the sky. Sasori’s brush strokes became more heavy-handed now. “I hate it…” he said. “This cursed human body…” The brush stopped over the paper, as ink pulled around where his hand had stopped.
“This world… When I came to it, I was flesh and blood again.” There was deep controlled irritation when he said that. Shinobu was dumbfounded, what was he talking about!? Kanae, waited in serene silence. “Whether there is a way for me to go back to my world or not,” Sasori said, rising to his feet. “I will regain my puppet body, and finish what I started long ago. But for that, I need to learn more about the world I am in, and its metaphysical laws. I lost everything when I came here, all of my hard work. My collection, my weapons, and my body which did not age!”
“So thats why he looks so young and so old at the same time,” Shinobu realized.
“Hashira,” Sasori continued. “How difficult would it be for you to capture a demon of the twelve Kizuki alive? I understand that not all of them are as strong as the one you faced, and that he is supposedly the second strongest, so there are ten weaker than he is.”
“Sasori-san,” Kanae said with calm and serious diplomacy. “I understand that you are frustrated, and I would like to help you. But members of the twelve Kizuki are very difficult to find.”
“Which is precisely why I am asking for your assistance,” Sasori said. “Will you help me or not?”
“I will speak with my colleagues about this situation. And I can assure them that it will contribute to your research? Research that will help us?”
“I have already figured out how to turn demons into puppets,” Sasori said. “Their demonic techniques will also be transferred to them. In addition, I have tried using Ninjutsu on a demon to make him my unwilling sleeper spy, and then send him back to Kibutsuji Muzan. However, this demon had no hope of even reaching Muzan, and the master of your organization had me kill it before he could harm any humans. The demons who are brought to me are all weak, and though I’ve hunted some stronger ones myself, none of them are even close to advancing my progress as it stands.”
Though his voice was controlled, it was vibrating with absolute impatience, and anger. Thunder rolled, and the rain began to fall. “I will do what I can,” Kanae said evenly, “But I don’t understand… you said that you had a puppet body? Does that mean you turned yourself into a puppet?”
“A body without vulnerabilities,” Sasori explained. “A body immune to pain, heat, cold, fatigue, hunger, thirst, or aging.” Though his voice betrayed no emotion, he almost sounded as though he was bragging.
“So,” Kanae began, “If you had turned me into a puppet?...”
“You would not have been sentient.” Sasori said. “Your soul would have gone to wherever it would have gone. I did not believe you would have recovered if I tried to save you. Your sister here caused me to have second thoughts.” “A puppet body, is also immune to sentimentality, and other useless human emotions.” Even still, your recovery was unexpected.
“Sasori-san…I don’t know what kind of life you’ve led that made you want to escape to a puppet body in the first place, but-”
“Do not presume to judge me Hashira,” Sasori cut her off in a cold, matter-of-factual tone. “Your curiosity of my past is not welcomed either. You and I are not friends. We are a part of an alliance whose goals align. That is all. I have told you what my goals are, and that is all you need to know.”
“I see, forgive me then.” Kanae said evenly.
The uncomfortable silence that followed, was broken by the angry cries of Muichiro, out in the large training yard. All three of their heads turned. Amane and some of her children were on another engawa, watching the scene unfold. That child, shouting, screaming angrily as he attacked a wooden post with his bokken.
“Thats dangerous!” Shinobu cried, “His body shouldn’t be ready for that kind of training yet!” She went to the edge of the engawa, and prepared to jump into the rain to put a stop to it, when Sasori interjected.
“I have already healed his most serious injuries. If that brat wants to get a little wet in the rain, he should be fine. I won’t have to be the one to change his bandages.”
“What do you care about his well-being!?” Shinobu snapped angrily. Her empathy for Muichiro, and her anger now overtook her fear of that man.
Sasori’s lips curved into a smile. “Look at him, he doesn’t remember why he’s angry, yet he cannot escape that emotion. He acts on pure animal instinct. There is no logic whatsoever, he is angry because he is scared, and he doesn’t even know why…”
Shinobu glared at Sasori, feeling tears form in the corners of her eyes.
“What are you looking at me for?” He said without taking his eyes off the scene in front of them. “Look at him instead, and you might see something interesting.” His lips curled. “That boy has quite a talent.”
Shinobu turned her head… Muichiro’s small body exploded forward with each sword-strike, and his form was almost flawless! It was almost mesmerizing to take in the accuracy of his swings. All three of them watched Sasori alone, paying attention to the time that was passing. And while the Kocho sisters watched with concern, and pity, Sasori showed none of it.
Even as the rain became a light drizzle, Muichiro didn’t let up, striking with all of his might, until blood dripped visibly from his fingers, and his bandages now heavy with water, began to sag, and fall off his body.
Amane now stepped outside, and took him in her arms before he could fall to his knees. Sasori turned to leave, and addressed the Kocho sisters as he did, “I expect to hear back from you about what we discussed Kanae, and as for you Shinobu, we resume your lessons tomorrow.”
Kanae and Shinobu leapt from the Engawa, and ran towards Muichiro… His large eyes blinked, as though he were in a daze, and then suddenly, he remembered his pain, and his anger… it gave way to wails, and he was soon sobbing into the fabric of Amane’s Kimono. The Kocho sisters exchanged looks. Sasori was now the furthest thing from their minds. This child before them, was the one who needed their attention, although the innate talent, and pent up rage he had just displayed, told them that a role in the butterfly estate might not be what he was best suited for either.
Presently, Amane ran her fingers through his long wet hair, calming him, before picking him up, and carrying him back inside, followed by Shinobu and Kanae.
His bokken remained in the mud, his blood still on its handle.