Sasori & the Mugen Train Part 1/3
The walk through the clinic felt like a slow pull of tension with every step Shinobu took.
She had been in Kanae’s office assisting her, when Aoi came to their door in a panic.
Presently, her hands stayed at her sides, brushing against the fabric of her uniform, fingers curling as she forced herself to remain composed. “This is the first time Sasori-san has ever come here!” She screamed in her mind.
The puppet master remained silent, as he calmly followed her anxious steps.
Tanjiro's room was down the hall, quieter than the rest of the clinic, the air thick with the smell of medicinal herbs. As they approached, the door was slightly ajar, revealing a glimpse of the three boys resting. Inosuke sprawled over his bed, Zenitsu lightly snoring, and Tanjiro, his face pale, resting in the center. Shinobu stopped at the threshold, turning to Sasori. "He’s here," she said, the words escaping her throat with a calm she didn’t entirely feel. “I will be standing watch.” Sasori barely acknowledged her, stepping past her into the room. His eyes swept over the beds, lingering on Tanjiro as though measuring something far deeper than anyone else could perceive.
“Kamado Tanjiro,” he said pulling a chair in front of his bed, and sitting across from him. “My name is Sasori of the red sand. I suppose you may have heard of me.”
“No Sasori-san,” Tanjiro said politely. “I am still new to this organization, I didn’t even know about the Hashira until recently.”
“Well in that case,” Sasori continued. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am a researcher for this organization, and I would like to ask you a few questions if you don’t mind…” Shinobu was dumbfounded as she watched… Sasori was still as cold as ever towards Tanjiro, but she had never seen him this polite, not even with Kagaya…
…"Yes sir,” Tanjiro replied. “Nezuko has no urges to attack humans. She has never hurt anyone."
"Yet there must have been a reason as to how she overcame these natural urges of her's?"
Shinobu’s mind was racing, but stopped when she reached the answer to her questions… “Sasori-san… you truly are terrifying… the Hashira who mistrusted Kamado-kun and his sister… they were acting on human emotions, but you… your already thinking of ways to potentially control demons…” For a moment, Shinobu considered ordering Sasori out, and cutting the interview short… she also wondered if she actually could do that.
"Nezuko has always resisted those urges,” Tanjiro said innocently. “She is still human inside… Sasori-san, when you say you are a researcher…"
“I’ve performed experiments on demons, but rest assured Kamado, I have no intentions of including your sister in those experiments.”
Tanjiro smiled with relief. “Thats good.”
“I would also like to ask about your encounter with Kibutsuji Muzan,” Sasori continued. “Please try to tell me everything that you remember.”
Tanjiro nodded, and began describing his encounter with Kibutsuji Muzan, how he identified him by scent, and how Muzan escaped by turning a civilian into a demon. Sasori nodded, and thanked Tanjiro, before getting up to leave. Shinobu followed him out of the hospital room.
“Sasori-san, what are you after?” she asked.
Sasori did not slow down his pace. “You’ve seen my puppet body. Your a clever girl, you can figure it out.”
“You need to transfer your consciousness to a spiritual core right? And you think the demons might have an answer for how you can do that in this world?”
Sasori made no response. “There is more isn’t there?” Shinobu continued. “You tried to turn demons into your ‘sleepers’ in the past, but none of them were able to get close to Muzan. You were hoping that Kamado-kun has the answer you seek?”
“To control someone without strings,” Sasori answered curtly, “is not some deeply hidden skill, people do it all the time. Your sister does it with her charm, Ubuyashiki does it to his swordsmen, and even that naive boy is capable of doing it. ”
“That's not how they are,” Shinobu said firmly, as they reached the exit of the clinic, and Sasori departed without ceremony
***
Kibutsuji Muzan sat in his bed room, in the form of the child he had assumed, leafing through the pages of a botany book. It was then that the family’s maid knocked lightly on the door.
“Toshikuni-dono, may I come in,” she asked sweetly.
“Enter,” Muzan said.
The maid opened the door with her hips, and set down a tray of tea on his table. Muzan barely reacted as the difference in presence became apparent. “I see you have come to me again in a new body, Orochimaru.”
The maid’s eyes changed, so that they now looked like the eyes of a serpent. “You could tell who I was already,” came Orochimaru’s course syrupy voice from the maids body. “Thats impressive.”
Muzan turned his head, his own red cat-like eyes glaring daggers. “You nuisance,” he snarled. “How dare you interfere with this family! I did not randomly select them, they are mine to manipulate for my own goals. Mine." His voice became a venomous snarl. "Not yours. Once the maid is gone, my work here will be set back by their suspicion!”
“But who could suspect such a good boy as yourself, Toshikuni-dono,” came the maid’s feminine voice again, followed by a soprano’s laughter as she clutched her stomach.
“Disgusting,” Muzan sneered. “I’ve you’ve come to share information with me, then do so at once, and then leave.”
“You should share information as well, since we are working together toward a common goal after all. Is it true what I’ve heard about those poor lower moons?”
Muzan’s face betrayed no emotion. He did not answer right away, before finally breaking the silence. “Rui had the most potential out of all of them. With him killed, there is no point in wasting time for the other lower moons to catch up. I’ve spared one of them, and given him ample blood, but at this point its just as likely that he will be killed soon as it is that he will prove useful.”
“Ahh yes, I rode the Mugen train on the way here,” Orochimaru said nonchalantly. “It's quite a powerful ability your man has. Are you perhaps hoping that he will kill a certain someone before his usefulness runs out?”
Wrath flashed in Muzan’s eyes. “He is a demon slayer with Hanafuda earrings. If you want to help me find the blue spider lily, and then have my blood be shared with you, then it is in your interests to kill him as well.”
“Fufufufufu, It is not your blood I am interested in. I cannot bring my actual body into this world, so it is the formula to create demons that I am hoping to take back with me. However, there is someone else whom you should be worried about Muzan-sama.”
“If it's the puppet master you're worried about,” Muzan retorted, “Then he is your problem, not mine. It's you whom he wants to kill.”
Orochimaru continued to chuckle. “You underestimate him now, but you may just thank me later.”
***
Sasori stood before Ubuyashiki Kagaya in the hall of his mansion. Through the thin walls, and open shoji, birds could be heard singing in the morning, and the Ubuyashiki children could be heard playing. Kagaya sat in the seiza position, the unsightly illness spread further across his face, and yet he still smiled warmly. Sasori looked down on him for this, Yet he still listened patiently as Kagaya explained to him the situation with the Mugen train. A string of disappearances had occurred on it, as did the first demon slayers’ team sent to investigate.
Sasori listened indifferently as Kagaya mentioned their names. All greenlings, sent on a mission that should have been a simple one.
“Sasori-san, perhaps I am acting hastily, but rather than send more of the middle-ranked swordsmen, and potentially lose them to a strong demon, I have decided to send two Hashira, and one Tsuguko. The team will be led by Kocho Kanae, whom you are already acquainted with.” Sasori said nothing. The light sat still on his impassive face. “I would like you to go along with them as the fourth member of this squad,” Kagaya continued. “I trust you will find the demon aboard the Mugen Train worthy of your talents. There is a high probability that it is a strong one, fit for your... collection.”
Sasori raised an eyebrow. “Are you speculating that this is a strong demon? Or are you sure?” “If I end up with someone like the serpent pillar, and end up killing him with only a mediocre demon as my reward, It wouldn’t be worth the trip.”
“The other two members of the party will be Kocho Shinobu, and Tokito Muichiro. As for the caliber of this demon, I cannot say for certain you will find him worthy of your art-”
“He’s trying to flatter me. It will have no effect on what I decide.”
“However, I wish to avoid a repeat of the mount Natagumo incident," Kagaya continued. "Where so many young swordsmen lost their lives. If the case of the Mugen train also turns out to be a case where one of the twelve Kizuki are involved, I would rather crush the threat before it grows this time. My Hashira are often thinly spread, but it just so happens that now; two are available.”
Sasori closed his eyes in thought. “Tokito could be an annoyance, but with the Kochos there to wipe his nose, I won’t have to bother with him. I would also be curious to see that girl’s growth with my own eyes. Even if this demon turns out to be too weak, it wouldn’t be a total waste of time.”
“I will accompany your swordsmen on this mission, Ubuyashiki-san.” He finally answered.
Kagaya smiled gratefully. “May your endeavors bear fruit, Sasori-san.”
***
The group stood in front of the massive steam-powered Mugen Train, its whistle screeching through the crisp night air. Sasori took a step back, surveying the vehicle with mild Interest. Muichiro, however, was in awe. “It's so big...” He muttered, his eyes wide with curiosity. His fingers reached out, as if wanting to touch the iron beast.
Kanae smiled softly at him, her expression gentle. “You've never been on a train, have you, Muichiro?”
“No...” he shook his head. “It's strange… Its huge… What does it do again??”
Shinobu couldn’t help but smile alongside Kanae, as Muichiro stood there, eyes transfixed on the engine, and jumped back when it began to let off steam! Sasori was already moving ahead, not bothering to engage in conversation, though Shinobu probably felt it for the best. Also, with Muichiro here, she herself was no longer the baby of the group.
Sasori stepped onto the train first. He paused briefly, glancing over his shoulder. "I’ll be in the next car," he stated coldly before striding ahead, taking his seat alone as the others settled nearby. Once inside, Sasori’s attention shifted to the interior, scanning the dimly lit compartments, the soft red lighting illuminating the narrow corridors. His companions walked past him, and found a seating compartment. Shinobu sat on one side with her back to him, and Kanae and Muichiro took the other.
Muichiro was propped up on his knees, looking out the window, his breath fogging it as the train eventually began to move, but Sasori was no longer anywhere in sight. It wasn’t long before the conductor arrived to punch their tickets. A subtle yet sinister energy hummed in the air. The conductor’s eyes seemed dull as he made his rounds. “Good evening sir,” Kanae said as she held out her ticket. “How is everything going?” There was genuine concern in her voice, for the obviously tired man.
“Everything is going smoothly tonight ma’am,” he said as he punched their tickets. “You three have a pleasant journey.” As the conductor moved through the car, his hands trembling ever so slightly, Kanae and Shinobu shared a glance, their instincts sharpened. They could sense it—something wasn’t right. But it was too late.
The second the tickets were punched, a soft lull spread over the three swordsmen. Shinobu’s eyes fluttered as she struggled to stay awake, yet, with her sharp senses, she was gripped by the urgent realization that she was falling asleep far too fast. “Nee… san…” She only had time to call out weekly, as she fell across her seat, and curled up in gentle slumber. Though Shinobu had not seen it through her blurred vision, the same thing had already happened to Kanae, who held onto Muichiro as though he were a teddy bear. Muichiro held onto her as well, having succumbed to the spell without resistance.
In the other compartment, Sasori simply left his ticket on the table for the conductor to clip it. Soon, he too felt his eyes begin to grow heavy…
Sasori woke up in his bed… the air was dry, far dryer than the air in Japan, and the sunlight burnt through the curtains, casting a warm light onto his blankets.
He recognized the place… it was his old home in the Sunagakure. He had hoped to never return to that place again, in fact… it was the last place in the universe he would have wanted to be, and yet, he felt strangely comfortable.
He swung his legs over the side of his bed, and found how far they were from the floor. He brought his hands in front of his eyes, and flexed his fingers. They were smaller as well. He was smaller.
Sasori hoped down from his bed, and made his way into the kitchen, finding he had the need to rub his eyes as he stumbled. He smelled something delicious from the kitchen… Omurice.
He walked in, and saw his mother at the stove, her brown hair twirling like a dancer’s dress as she turned her head to greet him. “Good morning Sasori, did you sleep well?”
Sasori gave no response. He felt a firm, rough hand on his head, and looked up to see his father’s olive-skin and green eyes, his red hair covered by the headgear of the Sunagakure’s Jonin uniform. “I suppose the lad’s woken up before his tongue did today,” he joked, as he walked over to greet his wife.
“Welcome back from your mission dear,” she said with a smile, as she allowed him to wrap his arms around her, and nuzzle her forehead with her’s.
“What a pathetic appeal to nostalgia,” Sasori sighed. He had lived as a human-puppet for 20 years. During that time, he was unaffected by any physical attacks whatsoever. He felt neither pain nor fatigue, and yet, he was still vulnerable to Genjutsu, the sub-art of Ninjutsu used to attack an opponent's mind through illusions such as this one. And so, Sasori, had taken ample time to train himself, to overcome these kinds of techniques. He made the sign of the Ram using one hand, and brought it to the Chakra point between his eyes:
“Release!”
Sasori’s eyes fluttered awake. Though his vision was still a bit blurred, the unmistakable sound of the train moving along the tracks; he could hear immediately… and then something else came to his memory. While he was dreaming, there was a man lurking right across the small table… a man with something sharp.
In that instant, he saw the same man lunge at him! A make-shift dagger raised at him!“
Reflexively, Sasori opened his fingers, and the man was trapped on the spot where he stood…
A moment of silence passed between them, the man grunted, and struggled in vain against Sasori’s invisible threads.
He glanced around the cabin, seeing all other passengers asleep, and then down at his own wrist…. It was bound to the wrist of the man who had just attacked him.
“Tell me,” Sasori asked. “What would have happened if someone cut this thread while we were connected?”
“I don’t fucking know!?” cried the man. But his courage faltered when Sasori glared at him.
“I already know what you’re after,” Sasori spoke coolly, his voice cutting through the silence like a knife. “Just out of curiosity, what did the demon promise you?”
The man flinched but continued to inch forward, the dagger shaking in his grip. “T-to dream again...”
“Dream again? Funny, I never saw any use in dreaming. I was very happy when I didn’t have to dream or sleep.”
The man paused, his face contorting. “The Yakuza... they’re after me. If I do this... the sleep demon said he’d make them... disappear!”
Sasori could see the fear in his eyes, the desperation clinging to his very soul. But it was the greed that disgusted him the most. The man’s reasons for doing this were not noble or even tragic. He was just a weak man, trying to escape a mess of his own making.
“You’re in debt to the Yakuza, and you think a demon will save you?” Sasori’s voice was flat, emotionless. “Pathetic.”
The man gulped, his nerves barely holding together. “It’s my only chance—”
Before the man could finish his sentence, Sasori moved. In a split second, his hand shot out, and with a flick of his wrist, the man’s throat was sliced cleanly. The man's own weapon clattered to the ground, useless, as he gurgled in shock, collapsing at Sasori’s feet. Sasori stared down at him with cold indifference. “You were weak enough to get yourself in debt to gangsters, foolish enough to trust a demon, and arrogant enough to dare enter my dreams. Be thankful I let you die quickly.”
***
“Dad!” Kanae cried cheerfully as her father worked behind the counter, “Can I help!?”
“Sure you can” he said as he lifted her up by her armpits and sat her on the countertop. He handed her a checklist, and had her read the names of the inventory items out loud as he made sure he had all of them and in the right quantity, as they had done so many times together.
Kanae giggled as she read the funny names of some of the medicines.
Shinobu listened from her mother’s lap where she sat, temporarily distracted from her picture book to watch and listen to her father and sister, soaking in what she saw and heard like a sponge. “Ara ara,” her mother giggled. “Shinobu has already gotten too big for these picture books. She is much more interested in what you are doing dear.”
Her husband laughed as Kanae looked over her shoulder to give her little sister a proud smile. “Our babies are both clever,” he said, as both sisters blushed from the praise. The room was warm, and everything felt so soft. Kanae’s legs kicked from where they dangled over the edge of the counter, as she handed her father a jar of herbs. Shinobu found herself drifting off into a blissful sleep as her mother cradled her in her arms, cooing a lullaby to her.
Outside the room, a young woman with tuberculosis of the lungs, and a younger girl who had ran away from her cruel step parents, and did not know where she would find her next meal, caught each other’s eyes.
“It seems these two are sharing the same dream,” said the girl.
“That would explain why we are both here together,” the woman replied in agreement.
“We should look for their spiritual cores together then,” said the girl, gripping the knife Enmu had given her. “Otherwise we… we….”
“Its okay,” said the woman. “We’ll find their cores, and then he will let us dream again.”....
… A faint sense of unease stirred in Shinobu’s chest. She tried to ignore it. “Mom and Dad are fine” she said to herself, as she nuzzled her face into her mother’s embrace, and felt her soft fingers patting through her hair like feathers through powder… yet, the perfection of the moment felt… wrong. Her mother’s touch, the warmth of the fire—too vivid, too real.
The realization crept into Shinobu’s mind in fragments. First, the sense that something was off. The perfect warmth of her mother’s arms. The gleam of sunlight shining in through the windows…
“If it feels too good to be true, it’s probably….”
And then, a word from the recesses of her mind: Genjutsu.
It nagged at her, pulling her from the warmth of the dream as she tried to piece it together. Then it hit her— Sasori . She had asked him once, during one of their many lessons, about illusions. His familiar voice filled her memory now.
”If it feels too good to be true, it’s probably a Genjutsu, or maybe something similar.”
The visual memory flooded back to her now!
She was in Sasori’s laboratory. He sat at his counter, test tubes and specimen samples lined up behind her as he spoke to her with that cocky gleam in his eyes.
"What is Genjutsu?" she asked curiously
“Genjutsu is an illusion technique used to control the mind. You trap someone’s senses, make them see, feel, and experience something that isn’t real. And if you’re skilled enough, they won’t even know they’re in it.”
His voice was curt, but there was a hint of pride beneath his words. “Most fall victim to it easily. But those with the right resistance, the right tools, can break through. I’ve perfected resistance. I make sure no one controls me. Ever .” ...
She remembered now, and as she stood in her dream... her perfect, peaceful dream... the horror sank in... She was trapped. She looked over to Kanae, now reading her old picture book as she sat cross-legged on the counter. “Is Nee-san part of the illusion? No!” The memories came back to her like nails against a chalkboard. “Mom and Dad are dead, but Nee-san… Nee-san is still alive right? She’s the only one I can trust.”
The realization of her own memories assaulted her heart with tragedy and horror, but she had no time to feel sorry for herself. She stood up abruptly from her mother’s lap, her heart racing... This wasn’t real, one of it was. Her breath quickened, and she immediately scanned the room, her eyes locking on Kanae.
"Nee-san!" Shinobu called, rushing toward her older sister. "We’re in a Genjutsu! This isn’t real! We’re trapped!"
Kanae looked at her, confused at first, before Shinobu’s urgent tone cut through the peace of the dream. The sisters exchanged a tense glance, the illusion now cracking around the edges. Kanae hopped down from the counter, her brows furrowed… as if in the blink of an eye, Kanae was back to her adult self. Her butterfly Haori now adorning a militaristic demon slayer’s uniform instead of the beautiful Kimonos she would have normally preferred to wear. Her Nichirin Katana hung at her side.
Looking down and inspecting herself, Shinobu noticed that she too had changed. She was once again a teenage girl wearing that same black uniform… but what now? Now she and Kanae had realized the illusion, but what would they do?
The happy illusion was gone. Their house was now empty, and the two sisters stood there in silence, only a faint hissing sound could be heard, as a tea kettle boiled in the other room, with no mother or father to pour it.
***
The rumbling of the Mugen train filled the air, yet the silence in the booth was thick and tense. Kanae stirred, her eyes fluttering open, her heart racing before her mind could even catch up. The remnants of the dream clung to her thoughts… her father’s gentle laugh… the warmth of her mother’s embrace…. until it was all washed away by the reality of the chilly air inside the boxcar.
Sitting up abruptly, Kanae noticed Muichiro already awake, his expression as sharp and unfazed as ever, though his gaze lingered on Sasori, who stood near the booth entrance with an expression that betrayed no emotion. Shinobu jerked awake beside her, a momentary panic flashing across her face as she scrambled upright.
"You're awake," Sasori said calmly. “Try to stay that way until this mission is over."
Kanae shot a glance at Shinobu, seeing the raw fear in her sister's eyes. The dream, the Genjutsu… her body still tensed, every fiber of her being poised for battle. "Muichiro...?" she called softly, seeing the boy seated quietly, unflinching, as though the nightmare hadn't reached him. He looked to them both, acknowledging their distress with a faint nod. "I woke him first," Sasori said, his cold gaze sweeping over the two sisters. "He was in the same state as you two were, as was I for a brief time."
Kanae attempted to steady herself, taking in her surroundings. They were no longer in the comfort of the dream, but the weight of that false reality still clung to her. "What… what happened?" she asked, her voice quiet, almost hesitant.
“This demon likes to use dreams to trap his victims." Sasori answered matter-of-factly. “I used Kinuta to monitor your heartbeats (Kinuta's puppet head was on the table) judging by what he found, the three who were linked to you by those ropes-" he said pointing to the three civilians, "-would have been trapped in those dreams with you until they did whatever it is they were sent there to do. Each of their heart rates matched with whoever they were linked to.”
The words sent a shiver down Kanae’s spine, but Shinobu wasted no time. “Sasori-san! How do we escape from a Genjutsu on our own? So that this doesn’t happen to us again!?”
“You cannot, not from one of this level. I’ve had years to train myself to alter my own chakra networks in order to escape from these kinds of attacks, but you three have not.” There was no blame in his voice as he said this. The train rumbled on as Sasori calmly and helpfully explained. “For you three, the way out is to shock your systems. A self-inflicted physical injury will usually do it, but depending on how deep you are in the illusion, you may even need to cut your own necks.” Now, even Muichiro felt the chill, as he swallowed hard.
“Now,” Sasori said, turning to the three hapless thralls. “These ones have been helping the demon.” The young woman trembled in place, tears streaming down her cheeks, while the two children beside her stood frozen in fear, their limbs held stiff by Sasori’s invisible puppet strings. The cold and merciless glint in his eyes made it clear that he had no intention of sparing them.
Kanae looked at them… the woman’s face thin from sickness, the girl’s clothes ragged and stained, the boy who was tied to Muichiro, no older than her Junior Hashira was himself, and even smaller. “Sasori-san, wait!” Kanae stepped forward, her brows knit in a rare display of distress. “They’re just victims themselves. The demon manipulated them… they’re not demons.”
“Nee-san is right!” Shinobu cried, showing more assertiveness around the puppet master than she was normally used to. “You may not have any problems with killing humans Sasori-san, but I do! Please don’t make me live with this memory.”
Sasori narrowed his eyes at her, tension thick in the air. “You have a sharp mind girl, and you have potential, but your still weak because of this. You can’t even allow an enemy to die?”
Even Muichiro, now realizing that he too wouldn’t sleep well if he witnessed this, whether he remembered it or not, spoke up too; “Cut it out!” He cried. “Let them go.”
Sasori’s fingers twitched as he maintained the puppet strings, his jaw tight as if debating the decision. For a moment, it seemed he might go through with it, but then his gaze flickered to Shinobu’s resolute expression…
With a small, almost imperceptible sigh, Sasori released his grip and the strings vanished. The three captives collapsed to the floor, trembling but alive. He stepped back, his voice as cold as ever. “Don’t blame me if any of these three stab you in the back.”
“Thank you, Sasori-san.” Kanae said, as she knelt by the three civilians.
“Thank you!” sobbed the boy as he grabbed onto her Haori. “I don’t deserve your mercy! I’m sorry! I was so scared!”
“But why would you help a demon?” Shinobu asked, kneeling by them as well.
Sasori watched the scene unfold as the boy attempted to explain himsekf. All four of them were watching… Suddenly his ears perked up, but too late! Sasori whirled around, only to have a man’s shoulder rammed into his chest! And he felt the dull blade enter his belly.