A precocious memento.
In the room at the inn where all had gathered, the air was thick with the gravity of the situation. The light seemed dimmer, and time seemed slower, as the soft flickering of the lantern casting long wavering shadows against the walls.
The door opened, and Rengoku Kyojuro entered. He usually lit up rooms with his presence, but since the death of his former student, his flame seemed less bright. Now, with Shinobu gone, he was even more solemn. He walked over to Kanae, and knelt down, and leaned in close to assure her, “Iguro and Himejima are already on their way.”
Kanae, sitting beside Kanao with a brave face, kept her voice calm. She tightened her grip on Kanao’s hand, glancing at Rengoku. “Thank you, Rengoku-san.” Her words carried an aching sense of hope, yet also a quiet fear that she tried to conceal. Beside her, Kanao lay with her head in Tanjiro’s lap, her face pale and tense, eyes distant and empty. She hadn’t cried or even spoken since the news broke. She was still and unresponsive, but cold sweat was a constant presence on her brow, and matted her hair and collar. Kanae worried for her health, but did not have the heart to send her back to the clinic.
“Kanao-chan” Tanjiro said softly, his voice barely above a whisper, “we’ll find her. Shinobu wouldn’t want you to worry this much…she’d want us to keep our spirits strong, right?”
Kanao’s lip trembled, but she said nothing, one hand tightened its grip on Kanae's, and the other on Tanjiro's.
Giyuu, standing quietly by the door, watched them all with an unreadable expression, his arms crossed. The shadows fell over his face, and though he spoke nothing, his presence radiated a fierce, silent determination. The absence of Shinobu weighed on him, her resilience and sharp wit now a gaping hole in their ranks. Though he remained stoic as always, a simmering rage was boiling within.
Tengen sat against the wall, his brows furrowed, arms resting on his knees as he contemplated their next steps. “Orochimaru is no demon, he’s something else,” he muttered. “But that means we need a different approach. We have to be strategic if we’re going to get Shinobu back safely.” He glanced at Kanae, his usual bright flair absent. “You’re her sister. What do you want us to do? I assure you that I will do everything in my power to follow through and save her.”
Kanae took a deep, shuddering breath. “Thank you, Uzui-san. What I would like you to do is continue to be here. I know it's vexing to be unable to do anything right now, but soon we will know where she was taken, and we will have a plan. So please be here until then.” Her voice was as even as she could keep it. It was all she could do to keep it from cracking.
Tengen nodded in understanding, and Rengoku spoke again. “I trust the Puppet Master's words. Orochimaru left that witness alive to tell us everything on purpose. He wants us to find him. No doubt it's a trap, but we must still do it for Shinobu's sake.”
“But what if he's already killed her?” Tengen asked, immediately regretting his big mouth as Kanao winced, and buried her face into Tanjiro's chest. Kanae lowered her head.
She wished Sanemi were still in the room with them. In her mind, he would have responded with; “then we'll make sure that freak regrets the day he was born!” She missed his anger. His directness and lack of platitudes was comforting. It was then that Tanjiro put a hand on her shoulder.
“Kocho-san, don't ask me how I know, but I can feel that Shinobu is still alive. Do you trust me?”
Kanae nodded weekly. “Yes… Kamado-kun… I do.” She felt tears begin to prickle at her eyes. “I just… hate… every moment that we're sitting here, while my little sister is-”
“That's enough Kanae,” Rengoku interrupted gently, putting two solid hands on her shoulders. “I know it's hard, but you need your sleep. I know you haven't slept since Shinobu was taken, and you'll need your strength when it's time to launch our rescue mission.”
“Your right,” Kanae admitted. “I'll take a sedative and turn in for the night. Please don't hesitate to wake me if there's any new information or development, no matter how trivial it may seem”
“You got it.” Tengen assured her.
“Thank you, all of you.”
***
On the roof of the inn, under The starry night, Sanemi’s clipped voice broke the silence. “Get lost, Genya. There’s no need for you here.”
Genya took a deep breath, struggling to keep calm. “Aniki… I know I hurt you, and I wanted to say I’m sorry for everything, even if you won’t accept it. I’ve wanted to for years. But right now, we don’t have time to deal with that. We have to rescue Shinobu.”
“You? Hurt me? How?” There was an deliberate arrogance in Sanemi's voice when he said that.
“Back then… when Ma…I called you a mu-”
“Shut up about that! Don't mention Ma to me!”
“Aniki I-”
“My entire fucking family died that night.” Sanemi spat. “I’m not your Aniki. Your not my fucking brother!”
Genya swallowed but stayed firm. “Aniki, I want you to forgive me, but there is no time for that now… I owe it to Shinobu. I’m not walking away this time. Even if you no longer think of me as your brother, I wanna save her.”
Sanemi sneered, his mouth curling into a scowl. “If you wanna die so badly, then go and fucking die. But not on this mission. Do it far away from me. A weakling like you who can’t even use breathing techniques would be more trouble than he’s worth.”
Genya’s fists clenched, but he kept his voice steady. “I’m doing everything I can… I even ate demons.”
Sanemi’s patience snapped. Raising his hand, he swiftly rose from his sitting position and converged on Genya, ready to strike!
Genya saw it coming, but his feet were planted to where he stood. He knew that he didn't have the speed to escape the attack he never expected, but what was happening now anyways… Sanemi was going to hurt him.
“HEY! HEY! CALM DOWN!”
Sanemi stopped mid-attack. The Shinazugawa brothers turned to see Muichiro standing at the roof’s edge, his expression uncharacteristically stern. He took a few steps forward, placing himself between the two brothers. “Hurting each other won’t help Shinobu,” Muichiro said quietly, his gaze lingering on Sanemi’s clenched fists before shifting to Genya with a gentle reassurance.
Sanemi’s jaw clenched. “Get outta my way kid.”
“Not if you're going to hurt Genya,” Muichiro said calmly, but resolutely.
Sanemi’s expression went from anger to exasperation. “Move Muichiro. This piece of shit may be useless but he's twice your size, he doesn't need your fucking help!”
“Yeah, but he doesn't want to fight you either.” Muichiro said, holding his ground.
Sanemi grunted. He looked at Genya one last time, with cold anger and said; “If you're gonna bring your useless ass on this mission and slow us down, at least stay the fuck away from me.” and with that, he left in a huff.
Once Sanemi was gone, Muichiro let out a sigh of relief, and plopped down so that he was sitting on the ridge of the roof. “That guy scares the crap outta me,” he sighed.
Genya calmly took a seat next to him. “Thanks for having my back there, Tokito.”
“No problem,” Muichiro replied, leaning back and looking at the stars. “…Y’know, I dont think your brother actually hates you.”
“What are you talking about?” Genya asked, his voice on the verge of a painful laugh. “You heard him. He hasn't forgiven me, not that I really blame him. I did something horrible to him in the past. He hates me, and no longer considers me his brother.” Genya looked down. “Ever since then, all I wanted to do was apologize to him, but I couldn't even find him until tonight, and look at how that turned out.”
Muichiro hummed thoughtfully. “Genya, I… I don't know how I know this, but I don't think your brother hates you.”
“What would you know about it?” Genya scoffed. “Your not even like… what? 8 years old?”
“I'm actually 14,” Muichiro corrected, feeling a little insulted.
“Right. Sorry…” Genya turned away, and the silence continued for a few moments.
“I really don't think your brother actually hates you.” Muichiro finally said again. “My Nii-san… I also used to think he hated me. He was really hard on me, but I realized later that he was just trying to protect me. Maybe… Shinazugawa-san just doesn't want you to get hurt.”
Genya scoffed at that. “That guy was aiming for my eyes! He was literally trying to cripple me.” He leaned back, lowering his body to the roof. “Then again, my body does heal pretty quick. Hahahaha!” Muichiro looked confused for a moment, before Genya slapped him on the back and gave him a smile. “Thanks again Tokito. I feel a bit better now.”
Muichiro looked up at Genya, and is confused expression changed into a smile. “Anytime Genya. And we're going to save Kocho-san! Right!?”
“Right.” Genya nodded, changing to a serious expression once again.
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to them, Sanemi sat on the windowsill of the room where Kanae slept. His hand gripping his Katana, ready to spring into action at a moment's notice, he couldn't help but overhear their conversation.
He could only imagine what Kanae was going through as Shinobu's older sister. No matter how tall Genya would grow… he remained his older brother.
***
The moon hung over the lonely streets. Sasori stepped forward, his Kinuta, and Yahaba puppets at his side.
Yahaba’s technique conveniently tracked Orochimaru’s footsteps, and Kinuta’s ears measured the vibrations, telling Sasori how quickly his foe had traveled, and now at this point, how far away he had traveled before he stopped. An image was painted in his mind by the ability of his two puppets. Footsteps leading half a league away from this spot, before entering a building and disappearing.
“A small abandoned temple, about a day and a half from where you first took her. Isn’t that right? Orochimaru?” It had taken Orochimaru much shorter amount of time to get there than a day and a half, but Sasori knew how skilled his former partner was with teleportation Jutsus. If Orochimaru wanted to, he could have disappeared with Shinobu, and it would have taken Sasori weeks if not months to track his whereabouts… Instead, the serpent had slithered away at a leisurely pace, leaving behind a trail that a normal hunter could have tracked…
Presently, Sasori began to tremble with anger. His teeth were grit, and his eyes were wide, as he raised his open palms before his face. “These damned human hands of mine… I can’t do the life transfer without them shaking!” He closed his fists, and began to calm himself.
He turned around and began to run back towards the Inn. It had taken him a day to track Orochimaru’s trail up to this point, it would take him three to four hours to get back, but before he could run into the trees, he saw her standing on the path. He had caught her following him earlier, but ignored her.
Now she stood out in the open. She was a young woman, small like Shinobu. Her large, lavender-colored eyes were also gentle like her’s, but Sasori was in no mood for pleasantries. “Who are you?” he demanded irritatedly, “and tell me quickly. I’m in a hurry, so if your reason for delaying me isn’t good, I will hurt you. Now speak.”
The woman did indeed have good reason for stopping him. Her name was Tamayo.
***
The glow from the portal to the infinity castle illuminated the lightless room. Kibutsuji Muzan sat on the fallen statue of a saint, his red eyes glowing in the shadow cast by the brim of his fedora. Orochimaru reclined on a cushion, his cat-like eyes piercing through the dark.
“Why did you bring that girl into this infinity castle?” Muzan quizzed. “I don’t remember giving you permission to do that.”
“Nufufufu,” Orochimaru chuckled. “You mustn't worry about Tayuya. She is here only to entertain our guest.”
“And why do we even have such a guest?” Muzan sneered. “That girl is a member of that detestable demon slayer’s corps. I am of the mind to simply give her to upper moon two, or perhaps throw her to some of the lower demons so that they may gnaw on her bones. Why do you drag me into your game Orochimaru? I’ve told you more than once: I have no interest in this puppet master of yours.”
“But have I not contributed to our alliance, My Lord Muzan? The smith’s village is destroyed, and the Ubuyashikis are on the run.”
“But they are still alive,” Muzan grumbled.
“Fufufufu, you are not a man who is easily satisfied. I assure you Lord Muzan, Tayuya is a good little pawn, the only time she has ever failed me, was on the mission where she was killed.”
At this, Muzan raised an eyebrow. “I am in no joking mood, Orochimaru.”
“But I am not joking, my Lord Muzan. Bringing the dead back to life is a simple matter.”
Muzan’s eyes narrowed. “You mean to tell me that you have such a power?”
“Its called Edo Tensei,” Orochimaru said, showing teeth as his serpentine smile widened. “It requires the sacrifice of a living human, whose life will be exchanged for the life of the one who is brought back. The sacrifice’s body will act as a medium, and be covered with ash and clay of the underworld, so that it takes on the shape and appearance of the one who was summoned back to this world. Anyone can be summoned, provided I have a piece of their genetic material to call their soul back to this world, along with their memories, personalities, and abilities. Finally, I implant a seal into the skull of the one summoned. I can order them to do what I like, or even suppress their personalities to make them more cooperative, but in dear Tayuya’s case, there is no need for that, as I do enjoy her hot-bloodedness.”
Muzan still looked skeptical, as well as annoyed. “If you have truly had such an ability, and did not tell me, then your trustworthiness comes into question. As for what you’ve done for me, some of the swordsmiths survived. They will regroup and continue to be a thorn in my side, along with Ubuyashiki. Am I to believe that someone powerful enough to bring the dead back to life couldn’t complete those two jobs? I am questioning your ability if not your sincerity to me.”
“My sincerity to you? Lord Muzan, are we not in an alliance?”
“You tell me,” Muzan challenged. “You’ve made yourself at home in my infinity castle, bringing a girl to lure your own personal enemy, and given me little by comparison in return. How does this help us find the blue spider lily, Orochimaru?”
Orochimaru chuckled as he rose into a sitting position. “Perhaps Lord Muzan, I should give you a demonstration of the Edo Tensei. Please follow me outside, this will be better in the moonlight.” Orochimaru rose from his cushion, and Muzan raised an eyebrow, before following him outside.
The demon king stepped off of the threshold and onto the grass, and watched Orochimaru walk a few paces away, before he stopped. “I prepared this using a swordsmith I took from that village…” he said in a dreamy voice.
He turned around, and began to weave hand signs:
Tora ￫ Hebi ￫ Inu ￫ Ryū ￫
Hakushu
Muzan’s gaze was curious, but unimpressed, as the ground rumbled, and a coffin rose up from it in front of Orochimaru.
It came to a stop, and then the cover to the coffin creaked open, and fell to the ground.
Muzan’s eyes widened in shock… the demon king felt his throat go dry.
“Beautiful isn’t he?” Orochimaru asked. “To think a man with such a pretty face was capable of such fierce power. That village certainly was full of pleasant surprises.”
“You bastard….” Muzan muttered.
“I am understanding of you,” Orochimaru said gently as he approached his partner. “You are not used to not being in full control. But this is an alliance.”
He leaned in closer to Muzan, and spoke softly. “I help you get what you want, and you help me get the things that I want. I shall make use of your infinity castle, which is a wondrous ability that you should be proud of… And little Shinobu stays alive, until I say otherwise.”
“Fine,” Muzan breathed with as much control as he could muster. “Just get that damned thing out of my sight.”
“As you wish,” Orochimaru conceded.
The coffin was closed, and sank back into the earth, and the two demons returned to the castle.
***
Shinobu kept her face composed, forcing a polite smile as she looked up at Tayuya. "Excuse me, but... could you allow me to use the bathroom?"
Tayuya scoffed, arms crossed, glaring down with her usual look of disdain. “You’ve got to be kidding me. I let you go 30 minutes ago.”
Shinobu softened her tone. "Please, Tayuya-san. It’s an emergency..."
Tayuya grumbled, clearly annoyed but not unaffected by reason. After a moment, she muttered, “Fine, but don’t even think about pulling anything funny. You’ve got two minutes, no more.”
“Thank you,” Shinobu said graciously, hiding the glint of determination in her eyes as she darted to the bathroom.
Once the door was shut, she immediately sat down in the Seiza position and got to work, pulling out the vial she’d hidden in the hem of her sleeve and a small packet of powdered poison.
Working quickly, she removed her butterfly hairpin to use its flat surface as a sterile table, and poured a few drops from the vial onto it, mixing it carefully with a few drops of water.
“Why do you mix water with the powdered poison?” Shinobu had asked Sasori, years ago during one of her many lessons with him. “I use the same kind of powder in some of my own poisons, which I can put on the tips of my weapons but-”
“Cortalidotoxins,” Sasori said cutting her off, beginning his explanation as though it should have been obvious; “Bind together when wet. Come here,” he said motioning to her with his finger.
Shinobu approached, a bit nervously, hoping she hadn’t provoked her teacher’s impatience.
Sasori had her sit down in front of a microscope and observe.
“Crotalidotoxins contain soft metals, such as potassium, zinc, and calcium. What happens when those metals are hydrated?”
“They bind together,” Shinobu answered.
“And what happens after they dehydrate?” Sasori demanded in his quiet voice.
“It creates a much lighter, more reactive powder!” Shinobu said, slowly at first, and then finishing with excitement as she realized the correct answer. “Sasori-san! Your using these to create poisoned-smoke bombs!”
Sasori nodded. “Even before I was introduced to demons, I mixed them with Wisteria extract to give them a dark purple color, so that they would also function as a smoke screen, which incidentally, also makes them more effective against demons.”
“Yes but… wouldn’t they also hurt humans as well?”
Sasori stirred a mixture around in his hand. “You really are a scatterbrain. Of course it hurts humans.”
Shinobu cast her gaze down.
“One day,” Sasori said, “You may realize that there are some humans out there who deserve a lungful of it.”
Back in the present, Shinobu reflected on the memory. “Sasori-san, you and I have very different morals. Tayuya doesn’t deserve this. No human does, but…”
She closed her eyes tightly. “I must escape from here! If my friends die because they ran into a trap to rescue me, I’ll live the rest of my life wishing I had died instead!”
Her fingers worked with deft efficiency as she added water from the sink, and pressed the mixture with paper, until the excess water was squeezed out of it, before delicately guiding the paste into a paper-towel. Her time was almost up…
“Times up!” She heard Tayuya announce as if on cue, and quickly shoved the evidence into her pocket, just in time for her jailor to throw the door open.
“What are you doing?” Tayuya asked dangerously.
Shinobu gulped, worried that she had been caught, as she sat like a deer in the headlights, with her hair undone, and her hairpin in her hands.
“Why you prissy little brat!” Tayuya shouted. “Wasting my time to do your hair at a time like this!!??”
“Th-thats right,” Shinobu lied. “Even though I am your prisoner, I still need to wash my hair. Hygiene is important.”
Tayuya’s face turned white with anger. “Its princesses like you that give female warriors a bad name,” she seethed. She grabbed Shinobu painfully by her arm, and threw her back into the main room of her confinement.
Shinobu gave a cry as her beloved hairpin flew out of her grasp and skidded across the floor.
“She’s so angry! Is she going to attack me? It will be at least another day before this mixture dries enough to be ready to use, and it would only work if I had the element of surprise…”
Instead of attack her, Tayuya’s gaze shifted to the butterfly hairpin. “Such a stupid girly trifle,” she scoffed.
Shinobu’s eyes went wide with horror as she realized Tayuya’s intentions. “No please! Stop!” she cried.
Tayuya ignored her, and brought her foot high above the hairpin.
“Happy birthday my babygirl,” her mother had said, holding a present behind her back. “Look what we’ve gotten for you?”
Her parents smiled warmly, watching her as they handed her a carefully wrapped box with a delicate pink ribbon. The four-year-old Shinobu eagerly tore open the package to reveal a beautiful butterfly-shaped hairpin, sparkling softly in her small hands. “Just like what Nee-san wears!” She cried happily.
“This butterfly reminded us of you,” her mother said, brushing Shinobu's hair back and carefully fastening the pin.
"Butterflies are resilient and bring beauty wherever they go,” Her father added as he held her on his lap. “just like our little Shinobu."
She giggled as her fingers traced the smooth edges of the hairpin.
“What do you say Shinobu?” Kanae asked gently.
“Thank you Mom and Dad!” she squeaked with excitement! Her young heart brimmed with joy and pride as she looked up at them, beaming. “This is the best present ever!”
The cherished hairpin was shattered under the cruel girl’s foot. white, turquoise and light purple pieces scattered around the floor, and Shinobu’s cries filled the room. She fought with all her might to keep the tears at bay, but the dam was now broken.
Prostrated, her head touching the floor, she sobbed helplessly, and shook with anger and abject sorrow. Her most dear possession for 14 years, her keepsake from her beloved parents… shattered so thoughtlessly, and at the hands of a tormentor who was nothing more than an overpowered schoolyard bully.
That was the final straw that broke her stoic resolve, and Tayuya watched it unfold, with a satisfied smirk.