Blossoming Fissure | Tanjirou Kamado

24. The Fourth Hanged Woman

For starters, Ayaka still didn't know what the Red Light District was.

"You'll be sold as maikos," Kaede said, at the stares of the three girls wrapped in brightly colorful kimonos. Ayaka's had little white cherry blossom flowers printed on the cloth over a purple background, Kanao had chosen a classic floral pattern too, of pink peonies with white lines embroidered on top of the cloth that was a darker shade of pink, perfect for her eyes, and Aoi instead had chosen a group of cranes flying over the sea that was the dark blue of her kimono. Kaede liked that they kept their usual colour palette, she said it gave her less headaches.

First, after getting out of the bathroom, her grandmother forced them to rub their skin a dozen times with a brush, saying that they were still dirty and that no one would buy them that way. By the time she was finished, it even hurt to put on the kimonos and Aya and Aoi bit down painful shrieks. The only one who didn't complain was Kanao, who only frowned at the pain.

After that, Kaede brushed their hair with the same strength she had the skin, and when she put their hair up "wareshinobu" style, the style starter maikos wore, Kaede only continued tugging mercilessly.

She even tried to paint their teeth black, but that was the only thing Aoi opposed to, since that was a past trend and no one did that anymore. Kaede didn't seem to understand it, but she agreed to leave them alone.

It was said that the screaming coming from the bathroom that Zenitsu believed it to be some kind of torture.

But Ayaka stayed optimistic, and even if her eyeshadow took too much part of her eyelids or if her, Kanao and Aoi looked like ghosts because of how pale her grandmother had painted them, she still believed they'd do a great job and worried about cheering her comrades. The fifth time Aoi had to hear the joke of the three headed ghost, Ayaka was sent flying to the other side of the room by a punch.

Tanjirou, Inosuke and Zenitsu weren't very well off either. Uzui had as much talent for makeup as Kaede and even Ayaka looked horrified when seeing Tanjirou's face, then covered by an extravagant lipstick and an exaggerated blush on his cheeks.

They all mourned in solidarity over how horrible their respective bosses were with that kind of stuff.

'Dear aniki' Ayaka wrote an hour before setting off. She told Genya about how uncomfortable the makeup felt on her skin, about how unpleasant Uzui's comments had been and about how happy she was to be on a mission with her friends.

'I wonder what the Red Light District is,' Ayaka pondered on the letter to her aniki, without expecting any reply. 'Grandma doesn't want to tell me and every time I ask Aoi or Zenitsu, their cheeks shine red and they don't utter a word. Inosuke says it's a cave, but I think it's weird that we're going dressed this way to a cave.'

She told him, too, about her relationship with O-gi, who refused to become her friend, and her worries about Senjuro, from whom she had no news except for the loose letters that Rengoku's crow brought from time to time.

They were very short, weak letters, and the only feeling she got from them was sadness. Most of the time they were only answers to those Ayaka or Tanjirou sent, although sometimes Ayaka saw the crow land on the windowsill of Yuu's bedroom, and his letters were definitely longer than the ones she had ever received, so Ayaka guessed that, just like he had said, Yuu and Senjuro must have become friends while Yuu helped him with the funeral.

Of course, Ayaka didn't mention anything about Tanjirou to his brother. They had yet to meet and the only thing Genya knew about him was that he had broken his arm months back, but she didn't want to mention it, for some reason, or bother her aniki with unnecessary romantic feelings that didn't concern him.

She sealed the letter once she finished, gave O-gi a supply of water and cookies and sent her flying wherever her aniki was. Then she prayed a little, asking for the gods to keep him safe, and finally set off to reunite with her grandmother, Kanao and Aoi, who already awaited her at the main door of the wisteria house.

"Lady Shinobu, you still haven't left?" Ayaka stopped on her tracks when seeing the Insect Pillar on the entryway.

Shinobu looked at her over her shoulder, slightly distracted, and gave her a sweet smile. Ayaka tilted her head but decided not to say that it looked fake.

"I wanted to talk to you, Ayaka-san." Her senior turned to face her completely and Ayaka stayed quiet, slightly confused. "I need to ask a favour out of you."

"I can't think of any reason why you'd need to ask a favour out of me," Ayaka said, intertwining her hands together. "But I'll do whatever I can to help you."

"You see..." Shinobu started, leading her away from the door, where Aoi's yelling could be heard, arguing with Zenitsu, along with Inosuke's cheers and Tanjirou's attempts to calm them all down. "It's the first time Aoi goes on a mission ever since the Final Selection."

"Oh," Ayaka said. "Don't trouble yourself then, I'll cheer for Aoi so she-"

Shinobu shook her head without letting go of her merciful smile. "That's not the cause of my troubles. If it were a weak demon, do you think a Pillar would be involved?"

Ayaka thought about it for a few seconds and, with the expression of a bumpkin, she exclaimed:

"I understand what you mean! So you're worried the demon will be too strong for us?"

"You could say that..." Shinobu muttered, taking her by the shoulders. "I heard you've been trying to empathize with demons lately, isn't that right?"

Ayaka nodded, with a little wrinkle of worry appearing in between her eyebrows. "I just believe that a little bit of kindness could be a great help for them."

"Of course, of course," Shinobu said, whose smile turned slightly more tense. "I have never told you, but you remind me a lot of my older sister, Kanae. Just like Tanjirou, both of you have the same attitude towards demons."

Ayaka blushed a little at being compared to Tanjirou and rubbed the back of her neck. "He was the one to make me change my opinion, after all."

"I'm asking you because I know you will do it, no matter the cost." Shinobu's hold on her shoulders tightened. "I want you to keep Kanao and Aoi safe."

"Lady Shinobu, I don't think that-" Ayaka tried to step back but the Pillar only squeezed tighter, making it hurt.

"I've already lost a sister," Shinobu continued, looking her in the eye. "I don't want to lose any more, Ayaka-san. They cherish you more than anyone, they'll be pleased to follow your lead. So please," her hands slid down to Ayaka's, squeezing strongly, "Kanae would have."

The tsuguko only bit her lip and squeezed back Shinobu's hands in an act of reassurance.

"You must not worry," Ayaka said, with the strength of a mountain in her eyes. "I'll make Kanao and Aoi come back safe and sound, even if I have to give my life in exchange."

Shinobu smiled and finally let her go with an airy giggle. "You know? I think that when you're willing to die, you're much more powerful."

Ayaka tucked a loose strand of hair from her complicated 'maiko' hairstyle behind her ear. "Do you really think so?"

Before going out the door Shinobu smiled at her and the picture reminded Aya of that of a skull.

"Aya, hurry up! The boys have already left!" Aoi called, head peeking by the door.

"I already told you we shouldn't have allowed her to write to Genya, she always takes forever," Kaede grumpily commented, tapping the floor with her foot in an impatient manner.

Ayaka erased the frown on her face and smiled. Kanao stepped up to meet her halfway and they finally set off to that place called 'Red Light District'.

She regretted not being able to tell her aniki about those worries as well now that O-gi was already flying ahead.

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Did you now both the number four and the card of the Hanged Man represent bad luck and death? haha