Kanae's Anger
Kanae had quite forgotten Sasori’s warning in her haste. She had zoomed past Orochimaru, and cringed at the thought that he might have seen her. Part of her was sure that he had. She just hoped this man’s whimsical nature would work out to her advantage.
“Just hang in there Shinobu. Your big sister is coming!”
The shifting tatami mats and rooms of the castle blurred, until she was there… Whether the infinity castle shifted, bringing her suddenly to Shinobu or not, it did not matter. Her sister was now in front of her, in that walled chamber of the infinity castle.
There she was, on her knees, arms outstretched and head hanging. Shinobu’s hair was undone, and hung over her face. Her sleeves were torn over her inner arm, and the shredded hems were stained with blood that had now turned the color of rust...
“SHINOBU!!!” Kanae’s scream was purely reflexive. She did not bother to take in her surroundings or even question how easily she got there. The sight of her sister, and the smell of her sister’s blood, was all that she saw through her tunnel-vision at this moment.
Shinobu did not respond. Even as Kanae knelt down, and touched her face. Kanae lifted Shinobu’s head, and saw the look in her eyes… the look of one trapped in a nightmare… and the tear lines that stained her face.
“They made my little sister cry…”
“Shinobu, snap out of it!” Kanae cried as she shook her sister’s shoulders. But there was no response… Kanae bit her lip as the predicament settled in… Shinobu was clearly under a Genjutsu, and she had no Idea how to release someone from a Genjutsu…
She racked her brain… Sasori had never told her. He had told Shinobu, because she asked, and Shinobu had shared all that she knew with her, but she never fully understood it.
“Sasori-san says that you have to disrupt the attack which is administered via their chakra network, either by stopping the victim’s own Chakra flow, or stopping the Caster’s mechanism of causing the Genjutsu,” Shinobu had explained. “But since we are not trained to use Chakra the way Sasori is, I guess we would just have to shock it out of their system…”
Kanae closed her eyes… she could never physically hurt Shinobu, and with the level of Genjutsu she was under, she knew it probably wouldn’t work anyways. She pressed her forehead against her’s… they had shared so many memories together, and so much pain…
Kanae began to sing… The memory that now unfolded in her mind happened so many years ago, yet now, it felt like she was there with Shinobu once again… Before they had run away from their relatives to join the Demon Slayers, mere days since the demon had stolen their parents from them… She sat on the edge of the futon, her hands trembling as she ran her fingers through Shinobu’s dark, silken hair. Her sister clung to her waist, small shoulders shaking with grief. The room was dim, lit only by the faint glow of moonlight filtering through the paper screens. The weight of their parents' absence pressed heavily on Kanae’s chest, but she swallowed her tears, knowing Shinobu needed her now more than ever.
With a shaky breath, Kanae began to hum their mother’s lullaby. The notes came quietly at first, soft and trembling, as if unsure whether they could hold the pain that filled the room. Shinobu stirred slightly, her sobs quieting as the melody reached her ears. Kanae felt her sister relax the slightest bit, and the trembling in her voice subsided.
Even as her voice cracked, and even as she fought back her own tears, she continued singing…
Shinobu’s grip on her loosened, and her breathing slowed, though she still trembled. Kanae brushed a tear from her sister’s cheek, her own unshed tears burning her eyes. She sang the verse again, her voice growing steadier as the lullaby filled the room, chasing away the cold silence.
"I’ll keep singing for you, Shinobu," Kanae whispered, her voice barely audible. Her own pain felt like a heavy stone in her chest, but she pushed it aside. Tonight, her sister needed her to be a light in the dark.
And now, in the infinity castle, she repeated that same song… she had no Idea whether or not it would work, or even if she was just trying to calm herself down, but as she oppressed her head against Shinobu’s she sang.
We saw the flower shed a tear,
A secret we were not meant to see.
The garden whispered soft and clear,
We must keep this secret from the bee
If they he knew, he’d be ashamed,
To think that this weeping flower
for whose tears he might be blamed,
and he would not bring back her sweet nectar.
If the news of the weeping flower spread to the bee’s ear,
What sorrow would come to the garden…
So lets not speak of what we have seen here….
Kanae was at a loss… she knew she was in a place where she could not afford to let her guard down, and yet, she was comforting herself more than Shinobu.
“I’m sorry Shinobu!” She cried, as she began to cry. “This is all my fault! I’m so sorry!”
“Nee-san!” Shinobu cried back, as her arms fell weakly around Kanae’s neck.
Kanae fell back slightly. “Shinobu! Thank goodness you’ve woken up!”
“Nee-san! Please get me out of here!” Shinobu cried.
The fear in her voice was palpable. “It’s alright! I’ve got you now,” Kanae said as calmly as she could manage, as she helped Shinobu to her feet.
“Please! Please before she gets back!” Her sister's cries were desperate, and Kanae now noticed the source of Shinobu’s bleeding.
Kanae felt as though her stomach shrank to the size of an apple… Shinobu’s wounds were not mere cuts. The characters, “Rat,” “Trash,” and “Insect” had been carved into her skin by a cruel captor.
Kanae’s eyes trembled… she felt the blood rise to her face… her heart began to race, and her skin felt hot, as though she were coming down with a fever… She almost felt as though her vision had now been fully restored… It as as though her own wrath had made her high.
“Who the hell are you!? What are you doing here!?”
As Kanae whirled around, to see who was speaking, Shinobu’s terrified reaction confirmed exactly who it was… This angry red-headed girl glaring at her, was the one who had reduced Shinobu to such a state!
Kanae’s vision was now completely red! She did not hesitate.
Flower Breathing, First Form: Morning Sunflower!
Kanae shot forward with an Iaijutsu, and Tayuya’s eyes went wide!
“She’s way faster than that other one!”
Tayuya barely had time to retreat as Kanae slashed her diagonally from her upper chest to her lower neck!
The Kunoichi lept backwards, out the door of the chamber, and into the infinity castle!
“Get back here!” Kanae cried, as she ran out in pursuit. But Tayuya was gone.
“Shinobu! Are you alright?” she asked, turning around.
“I am, now that you're here Nee-san.”
Her anger had not left her, but she was well enough in possession of her senses to know that getting Shinobu away from this place, took priority over avenging her suffering.
Shinobu was still shaking like a leaf, but she managed to rise to her feet on her own, and with a painful step that made Kanae grimace, caught up with her sister.
Shinobu was quiet though. She said nothing, and Kanae did not ask. There was a silent understanding between the two sisters, that Shinobu would be able to tell Kanae everything once she was ready, as she always had.
And With Shinobu’s head bowed, she did not even notice the mark that had appeared on Kanae’s cheek.
The two of them left the room, and into the infinity castle. Shadows twisted and danced on the irregular walls as the faint hum of distant flute music vibrated through the air.
A sudden cry jolted Kanae. “Nee-san, cover your ears!” Shinobu’s voice echoed through the shifting corridors. “Her flute induces auditory Genjutsu!”
Kanae reacted instantly, pulling the medical wax from her kit, and using it to plug her ears, and Shinobu’s. She saw how her sister practically wept with relief when provided with that remedy.
She could still sense faint vibrations but trusted that the makeshift barrier would protect her from the worst of Tayuya's abilities. With her hearing now suppressed, her focus turned to her sharp eyes.
Her breathing slowed, her gaze scanning for even the smallest movement. Then, from a narrow ledge above, a flicker of red caught her. The shadow from a strand of hair swaying briefly before disappearing. Kanae’s heart pounded as she calculated her attack. She moved with deliberate stealth, until silence was no longer an option! Her blade sliced upward toward Tayuya’s hiding spot!
There she was! A curse mark spread across her body, which accelerated the healing of the wound she had previously been dealt.
The Kunoichi leaped from the ledge just in time, the sharp ring of Kanae’s sword slicing through the air where Tayuya had been moments before. Kanae adjusted mid-swing, her elegant swordplay turning the missed strike into a seamless, fluid flourish! Her blade shimmered with precision as she closed the distance, each step calculated to corner her opponent!
Tayuya scowled, her fingers tightening around her flute. She raised it to her lips, but Kanae was already upon her. With a downward slash, Kanae forced Tayuya to dodge instead of playing her cursed melody. Tayuya darted left, her movements quick and agile, but Kanae anticipated the feint. She pivoted gracefully, her sword arcing in a beautiful yet deadly curve, narrowly grazing Tayuya’s shoulder!
Tayuya hissed in frustration, retreating into the castle’s endless labyrinth. Kanae didn’t let up, her relentless pursuit fueled by the memory of what she had seen…. She imagined Shinobu, pinned to the floor, while this cruel girl tortured her…
“LOOK AT YOU SCURRYING AWAY! YOU'RE THE ONE WHO'S A RAT!”
Her precision strikes and fluid movements painted her as an artist in combat, determined to outmatch the chaos of the Infinity Castle and her cunning adversary, and the without losing any of her grace; the gentle and forgiving Flower Pillar; fought with a ferocity that made Tayuya sweat!
The curse mark spread across Tayuya’s body, and she began to transform.
Kanae’s eyes widened. “I assumed from her eyes that she was one of Orochimaru’s ‘Edo Tensei’ warriors Sasori-san told me about, but is she a demon herself?... No! I have to remain focused! If I can just keep her from using that flute…”
Horns grew from Tayuya’s head and ripped through her cap. The cruel, but young and pretty girl, was now a monster with brown and rough skin, and haunting yellow eyes.
Tayuya smirked, as she now dodged Kanae’s attacks with an increased speed, and kicked her hard in the stomach!
Kanae felt her eyes roll to the back of her head, as she coughed, and felt her body fly backwards with a terrible force!
She landed in a heap on one of the platforms, and found herself gasping for air.
She felt her ears ringing… the plugs had been knocked out of them from the sheer force of the blow. And then she heard Shinobu scream over the sound of Tayuya’s flute.
“NEE-SAAAAAN! ABOVE YOUUUU!!”
Kanae looked up just in time to see a massive club coming down from above!
She narrowly escaped as the Tatami platform was smashed to splinters! Another massive monster now struck at her with his thick bone-blades tied to his wrist!
Kanae evaded and ran along the massive monster’s arm.
Flower Breathing, Sixth Form: Whirling Peach!
Even as the monster’s neck was slashed, nothing happened. It was neither human nor demon. A living corpse.
Now Kanae was mid-air… defenseless as a third monster, wrapped in bandages like a mummy, flew towards Kanae to ram his massive body into hers!
Kanae braced herself for the inevitable, only for Shinobu to leap through the air and catch Kanae, barely getting her out of harms way before the monster crashed through everything in its path! Like a runaway train smashing through brittle boxes, splinters and debris flew everywhere!
The two sisters ;landed unceremoniously, and rolled across the platform. They panted, trying to catch their breath… Kanae and Shinobu simultaneously, barely managed to raise their heads to exchange glances.
It was now that Shinobu noticed the floral marks across Kanae’s neck and face, and opened her eyes wide as it began to spread.
Kanae felt a new rush of energy, and now sprang forward! Her senses heightened, she was able to grab Shinobu and flee just as two of the monsters landed on the platform!
In her second-state curse mark form, Tayuya stood at a distance, her monstrous appearance now contrasting with the haunting melody from her flute, giving life to the towering beasts who moved guided by nothing but the notes from her flute.
The club-bearing monster lumbered towards Kanae, swinging his weapon. The sheer wind from his blow cutting the air as Kanae narrowly dodged each attack, and threatening to knock her off her feet! Shinobu was barely keeping her hands steady as she worked.
Despite their shaken states, Kanae had remembered to give her new poison cartridges… Sasori had prepared them especially for her, and now, as she hid away from the action, huddled in a corner of the infinity castle, Shinobu prepared her counter attack.
Kanae’s blade flickered like light itself, striking at the sinewy flesh of the nearest monster. But no matter how precise her cuts, they didn’t seem to feel it.
The Tempo of Tayuya’s flute picked up, and the wire shutting their lips snapped as the monster’s opened their mouths, spewing what looked to be long works made out of vapor with mouths all over their body!
Kanae’s fight or flight response kicked in, and her body chose to fight! Fourth Form: Crimson Hanagoromo!
Her sword and body curved and twisted gracefully as she reached the back of the monster’s neck, hoping at least to sever the spine if she couldn't fully behead it, but she had gotten too close! Kanae gritted her teeth, feeling the sharp sting of a spectral snake biting her upper thigh. She leapt away, and escaped as the bandaged monster’s kick nearly pulverized her!
She backflipped gracefully through the air, finding her footing, and putting some distance between herself and the monsters, but the damage had already begun to sap her strength. Whatever that bit her leg was, it wasn’t physical. Her thigh suffered no noticeable damage, but she still felt the bite… she now observed that those spectral snakes moved freely through walls and physical objects… a truly terrifying ability, and she couldn’t hide from them for long.
The monster with the club now leapt before her!
Kanae tried to dodge it’s club, but that previous attack had sapped her of her energy! The monster barely missed her, but the force sent her sprawling across the shifting floor. She coughed, blood staining her lips as her vision blurred momentarily… the sound of the flute still rang in her ears… but as her vision returned, she saw her standing love her… the flute player, staring down at her with cruel yellow eyes.
Tayuya paused her playing momentarily, and pulled the flute from her lips. “You think you can dance around me forever, princess? I’ll crush you, and when I recapture that weak little insect, I’ll teach her not to run away from me again. Since she didn’t learn her lesson the last time…” Tayuya paused venomously, “I think I’ll slice her hamstrings.” She put her flute back to her lips, and continued to play…
Kanae staggered to her feet, shaking with fatigue but refusing to fall. “Don’t let her get to you Kanae, she’s trying to provoke you into attacking her recklessly.”
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw two of the beasts lurking in the shadows. “She’s making herself a target, hoping that I’ll leave this platform to attack her. Then, the moment I am mid-air, her monsters will attack me again… but I can’t attack her monsters either, since I would have no effect…”
Her instincts then made her jerk her head around! She was so focused on the monsters, she did not see the spectral snakes passing through the castle walls!
Her sword passed harmlessly through it as it bit her shoulder!
Even though she did not feel any pain, Kanae screamed. She jumped back, her breaths ragged. Her movements slowed, her arms growing heavier.
A second attack from those weird things had left her stamina completely sapped. She staggered as she landed on the next platform.
The monsters were closing in. Kanae held her sword out defensively in front of her, but felt her lip tremble, as she felt the weight of her position.
Then, a streak of movement. A familiar, nimble figure darted into view. Shinobu.
“Shinobu!” Kanae gasped, her voice hoarse with relief.
Shinobu wasted no time. Her slim form weaved between the towering beasts, her delicate sword a blur of precision. She danced through the chaos, her blade piercing the neck of the monster with the bone-blades!
One by one, Shinobu struck, each thrust precise and measured.
Tayuya scoffed as she played her flute. Not even bothering to have her monsters defend.
“Pathetic. This insect is too weak to even use any slashing attacks, and using poison against those monsters is futile. Those three feel no pain, and they are neither alive nor dead. They respond only to the sounds of my flute.” She played the notes to command the one with the club to attack, yet he moved as though his joints were rusted.
Shinobu easily dodged his club.
“What the hell?” Tayuya played the notes for the bandage-wrapped demon to shoulder-slam Shinobu, but he couldn’t move with enough force to even surprise her! She landed as lightly as a feather on top of him.
Tayuya felt a bead of sweat trickle down her brow… “Don’t tell me… that pathetic weakling… the little insect who could do nothing but cry like a baby against me earlier… developed a poison that could paralyze the massive beasts!!!???”
Shinobu turned to her sister, her expression calm despite the tension in her clenched jaw. “Nee-san, are you all right?”
Kanae nodded, though her legs nearly buckled beneath her. “Thanks to you… Shinobu.” She now turned towards Tayuya, with a determined look.
Tayuya scowled. Had she been thinking more clearly, she would have retreated to where she could not be seen, and played the melody to induce her genjutsu, which would have paralyzed the sisters, or at least forced them to block their hearing.
But after all that had happened, the thought of retreating did not even cross her mind.
“It is that attitude of yours which is why I like you, Tayuya.” Orochimaru’s voice replayed in her memories. “You have a competition in you. You don’t want to lose, it will make you strong…”
She shuddered at the memory… but she knew Orochimaru was right… Tayuya hated to lose.
“Listen Shinobu,” Kanae whispered to her sister, “according to Sasori-san’s information, the black around this girls eyes means that she was resurrected by Orochimaru’s forbidden technique. If this is the case, we won’t be able to defeat her by simply killing her.”
Shinobu gasped. “That must be it Nee-san! I saw Orochimaru summon her in a coffin that shot up from the ground, and when I…” there was shame in her voice. “When I tried to escape, I thought I had killed her, but she reappeared without a scratch.”
Kanae nodded. “Sasori-san predicted that Orochimaru would use this technique, so he gave each of us these.” She withdrew a scroll from inside the sleeve of her haori.
Tayuya’s eyes went wide with recognition as she watched.
“He explained to us…” Kanae continued to whisper to Shinobu, “...that the only way to stop someone who has been brought back with this technique, is to wrap these scrolls around them after immobilizing them, although for an opponent like this- Look out!”
Even though the monsters were immobilized, and Tayuya’s flute had stopped playing, the spector’s that emanate from their mouths still continued to attack independently, but as Shinobu and Kanae dodged, there was less pressure on them, now that the beasts were not attacking.
And Kanae, was making her way towards Tayuya!
Tayuya stood there with her head down, as her opponent drew closer and closer to her.
“If I am sealed away,” she thought, “Will I finally be free?”
Kanae was now on the platform adjacent to her, her blade was drawn.
And then, in Tayuya’s memory, the terror… the fear of Orochimaru, came rushing back to her!
“NO!” She cried angrily. “I will not lose!”
Kanae lept towards her, anger for what she had done burning in her eyes.
“RAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!” Tayuya cried, as she leapt forward, drawing her scalpel!
Fifth Form: Peonies of Futility!
Kanae showed no mercy. Tayuya gave her final death cries, and her body plummeted to the Tatami platform below. Now all that was left to do was seal her.
***
Himejima Gyomei ducked his head as he walked through the low entrance of the temple-room.
Iguro Obanai who was used to seeing the blind giant walk with such grace, made no comment as he swaggered towards the glowing portal.
“Is it as the puppet master described?” Himejima asked.
Obanai nodded. “There is no mistake about it. This is where the others have gone.”
Himejima nodded,“Then Kibutsuji Muzan had better be there.”
“As well as Orochimaru,” Obanai sneered. He jumped into the fray, and Himejima did afterwards.
The Stone Pillar felt the world suddenly spinning around him, but in his world of darkness, he did not fear.
He shifted his body in mid-air, exercising perfect control, his main worry was for the safety of his comrades. Obanai’s presence; he no longer felt.
Gyomei felt his body reaching solid ground, and shifted his weight so that he landed firmly on his feet.
There was a presence in the room with him… he heard the demon weeping, and skulking, but the hairs on his neck told him that this cowardly demon hid an even greater evil beneath his fear.
“My lord is wounded,” the demon squeaked through tears, “my lord is in a rage, and now I am faced with a terrifying foe. Whatever shall I do?”
“Your tears are ungenuine demon.” Growled the stone pillar. “Just how many lives have you taken!?”
With righteous anger, Himejima Gyomei’s ax cleaved through the neck of upper moon four…
…Elsewhere in the castle, Akaza smiled with delight as he watched his opponent take his combative stance. “I can already tell that you’re tough!” he cried. “Whats your name!?”
“My name is ‘East shit and die Demon’” Sanemi growled, as he charged fourth…
…”Hyo hyo hyo,” Gyokko chuckled. “What a gaudy fellow I have for my audience here today.”
“Gaudy?” Tengen retorted confidently, drawing his blades, and letting the light glint from his shiny teeth and crystal-enamored eye-scope. “Hah! My good worm, it is you who are in my audience!”
Gyokko smirked, and narrowed his unnaturally placed eye. “How quaint. Let’s see if you’ll still be so bold when you’re adorning my next masterpiece…”....
… In another part of the Castle, Tokito Muichiro stood alone, separated from the rest of his party.
“Rengoku-san?” he called, his hand gripped on the handle of his sword. “Shinazugawa-san? Tomioka-san?” He had been lost for what felt like hours. “Tanjiro?” he called. “Anyone!?!” He heard footsteps approaching, and immediately pivoted in the direction of the sound.
He bent his knees, and gripped his swordhandle, ready to draw… The footsteps grew closer, and the figure came into the light. The first thing Muichiro noticed, were the six eyes on this menace, and the Kanji, “Upper Moon. One.”
***
Sasori staggered in a poorly lit part of the Infinity castle. The front of his robes were stained with his own blood, and he had lost the Kinuta puppet somewhere in the infinity castle.
He had healed the wound on his neck just in time, but it still hurt him terribly.
Breathing was now painful, and speaking was even more excruciating.
But he was very much alive, and even angrier than before.
“Ufufufu, you look quite pitiful, Sasori-kun.” Sasori looked up to the source of the familiar voice. He said nothing in response. There were no words needed between Orochimaru and himself.