The Demon Queen

The Hair Crisis

"What happened to my hair!?"

I really didn't expect to hear Ume screaming and crying -- and at such a high volume -- when she and Gyutaro returned from the bathroom. In fact, I was shocked.

"It'll grow back. Don't worry," Gyutaro said, trying to calm her down.

"Onii-chan! My hair is all gone! They burnt it off! They burnt it off! Onii-chan! Now I'm ugly because I have no hair! I look like a boy!" Ume cried as tears rolled down her cheeks.

Girl, you almost died and you're worried about hair? I thought.

"No, you aren't ugly," Gyutaro said. "You're beautiful! The most beautiful in the world, and nothing can change that! Everyone can see, no matter how much hair you've got."

"I look ugly! I want my hair back! I want my hair back, now!"

Douma, what the fuck did you leave me with ...

Gyutaro soothingly rubbed his sister's back. "It'll be back soon. Shh ... everything will be fine." He looked at me. "Sakura-sama, isn't Ume the most beautiful you've ever seen?"

You really owe me, Douma ...

Wither her face sticky with tears and her eyes bloodshot, Ume looked at me. "Am I beautiful?" she asked in a snivelling voice.

I've seen better in Douma's meals, but ...

I smiled. "You're gorgeous, Ume," I said reassuringly. "Gyutaro must be very proud to have a little sister like you."

Ume wiped some tears from her eyes. "Really?"

I nodded. "Mhm. Really. And don't worry about your hair. It'll grow fast once you become a demon and I can always get you a wig in the meantime."

"See? I told you," Gyutaro said. "But don't cry so much. It'll spoil your face." He gently wiped her face with his fingers. 

I can't believe these two, I thought.

"Akaza brought more udon soup and tea," I said.

They've been so concerned with this hair issue that they haven't even noticed the food.

"The udon is delicious," Gyutaro said, still wiping his sister's face.

"Udon?" Ume asked him.

"But before you start --"

Neither of them seemed to be paying any attention to me.

"Hey, Dandruff Boy!" I rose my voice some. "Gyutaro! Are you and she listening to me?"

Ume turned to look at me. "My brother has dandruff but it's not his fault and you shouldn't say such mean things!"

"Shh, it's fine that she called me that."

"But, Onii-chan --"

"Will the two of you shut up!" I exclaimed in a loud voice. "I'm trying to tell you that I've got clothes for you, too, and to change into them before eating instead of sitting there with towels wrapped around you!"

They looked at me with surprised, widened eyes.

This is why Gyokko hates kids and stuffed one in a pot when he was human, I thought.

Gyutaro and Ume continued to remain silent.

Finally, my ears can get a rest.

I sighed and went over to a low table in the corner of the room where I had set the two sets of clothes I had for them. I walked back so that I stood in front of Gyutaro and Ume. I shoved the top kimono into Gyutaro's arms and the bottom one into Ume's. "They're mine, so they'll be big for you. Make it work."

Ume's jaw dropped. She looked at the item she held in awe. "This is yours?" she asked. "It's so smooth and silky."

Gyutaro just stared down at the garment and said nothing.

Ume looked at me. "But why isn't it colourful with beautiful patterns?" she asked.

"Be quiet," Gyutaro said flatly.

"But Onii-chan, it looks like it's for a man!"

"Be quiet!" Gyutaro snapped.

I scratched my head. "I like the men's kimonos, so I've always gotten those for myself --"

Ume started crying. "Onii-chan! Don't yell at me! I'm doing the best I can!"

I rolled my eyes and lightly slapped my palm to my forehead. Not this again ...

"You should be grateful we've been given these!" Gyutaro said. "I've never touched something like this in my life but maybe you did because one of your customers had it!"

Customer? I thought.

Ume continued to cry. "Apologise! Apologise for yelling at me!"

It suddenly made sense to me.

Douma goes looking for food at the Red Light District, I thought. That's where he must have found these two. And that would mean ...

"I'm sorry I yelled at you but stop being ungrateful!"

This girl is a prostitute.

"You're still yelling at me, Onii-chan!"

Right ... and Gyutaro mentioned that she was fed by a House before ...

"I'm not yelling at you!"

"You are!"

"Gyutaro," I said.

To my surprise, my voice silenced both of them.

"Why don't you get changed over there --" I pointed to one corner of the room. "And Ume, you over there --" I pointed to another corner at the opposite end of the room. "Don't fight with each other. You're all each other has, isn't that right?"

They both lowered their heads a bit and nodded.

"So, don't fight." I sighed. "My friend Douma really did give me a lot to handle, bringing you two here."

"I'm responsible for us both," Gyutaro said. "I'm sorry to be trouble to you. You and the Douma man are the kindest people we've ever met."

Ume nodded in agreement.

"It's fine," I said. "But come on, stop screaming and yelling all the time. I know you've had a hard time, but try not to do stuff like that when you've got someone taking you in."

"Taking us in?" Ume asked.

"Mhm. That's why I agreed to make you demons. But, we'll handle that shortly. For now, get changed and eat the food before it gets cold."

"Yes," they both said and went off to their designated corners.

Nice. They're obeying me, I thought. That actually wasn't too hard. A bit of a headache, but ...

But the real challenge was just about to begin. I didn't want to introduce them to Muzan while they were in the dispositions they were. If things went sour, it could cause Muzan's patience to snap, and bring him to killing them both. I didn't want that to happen.

There was only one option to avoid that possibility. I would have to turn Gyutaro and Ume into demons on my own, with my own blood ... and none of Muzan's.