The Mangled Hands

Six

A hardly normal day at the Demon Slayer Corps. 

-linebreak-

"I haven't harmed your husband, yet. If you don't quit the current case you're currently on, for every week you continue to work on it I'll break one of your husband's fingers. If you want him back unharmed you must act immediately," Uzui readout loud, wincing at the breaking fingers part or just at the letter in general.

 Shinobu rests her head in her hands, shaking her head. Shame runs over her as she can feel eyes starring at her, burning into her skull. She feels tears prickle in the corner of her eyes. I messed up, she laments, I messed up and now he's gone, he's hurt, and it's all my fault. 

"So... T-Tomioka-san has really been kidnapped?" Mitsuri stutters out, her voice is unsure as she twiddles her thumbs, the corner of her eyes glittering with tears. Squeezing her eyes shut, she nods, lip quivering.

"What about his interns? They'll be worried about him," Oh she had forgotten about them, his interns, the 4 children who were practically like a second family to him. Tanjiro, Nezuko, Inosuke, and Zenitsu, weren't here when she got the letter, and they probably didn't know, they probably thought he was just late. That just made her feel particularly guilter as if she couldn't feel worse. 

"Their dumbasses will want to be on the case," Sanemi scowled, "Well, I'm sure any of our interns would do the same,"

"Better question, who's gonna tell them?" The only answer was silence.

 After a few beats of silence, the youngest of them all spoke up. "Shinobu obviously,"  Muchiro dryly states, starring at the older woman.

"Tokito!" Mitsuri gasped, leaning back in her seat. "You reap what you sow, I told you to quit it,"

"He told you to quit the case?" Uzui raised a brow and silently, feeling everyone look at her, she nodded with shame.

"...Yeah,"

"Even I would have quit the case," Sanemi muttered, his head propped up with his hand.

"We should probably try and establish a timeline on when this happened, you said that he was going to see Sabito-san and Makomo-san, right?" She slowly nods, she had honestly forgotten that, were they okay?! Oh god, if something happened to them Giyuu would be devastated, but if whoever did it, didn't, then both of them would be devastated. 

"Then what happened to them?" With bated breath, she shook her head as all eyes fell onto her. She didn't know, she didn't know anything, how was she supposed to know this she hadn't even thought about it? God, she felt so useless, this is so hopeless, it's-

"I know..." Mitsuri, thankfully, cut in, raising one of her fingers as she spoke. "Oyakata's son, Kiriya, he called them and one of them answered but they were with the other so they should be fine. They'll be coming here when I'm not sure when." She let out a breath she hadn't known she had been holding. Okay, that's fine, that's good, that's fine, it's fi-

"Don't think I should have to remind you but if anything ends up happening to them because you want to involve them in this then their blood is on your hands."  Sanemi started, pointing at her as he did.

She could only glare. "You're acting like I expected this?!"

"I'm just reminding you," She just shakes her head, wishing that Oyakata-sama was here to direct the meeting but he wasn't, having gotten sick last minute that he couldn't attend so for now, it was just them.