The Demon Queen

Daki, Not Ume

Gyutaro's Blood Demon Art continued to develop very quickly over time. His progress was truly amazing and it was intriguing to watch him develop.

Although he calmed down some and developed a sense of camaraderie towards me, Gyutaro did continue to have verbal outbursts during the time we spent together. It kept showing to me just how unstable he was, and because of that, I couldn't risk sending him out with Ume to live on their own and fend for themselves. It would be too risky. If Gyutaro couldn't control his temper and practise more self-control, he could end up killing too many people at once and attract the attention of the Demon Slayer Corps.

I spoke to Douma about this, because he continued to insist that we try out our sun exposure experiment. I needed to have Gyutaro and Ume independent before leaving the castle to go to the cult for sunrise. As well, I needed to find an excuse for why I wouldn't be in bed with Muzan, but I wasn't thinking about that complication yet.

Douma agreed to take Gyutaro for a few weeks and teach him how to calm himself through meditation and other methods practised at the Eternal Paradise Faith Cult. I wasn't sure if that could possibly be successful, but I was willing to try anything, especially after Gyutaro addressed me as 'temee' in one of his outbursts. I took Douma up on his offer, and now I just had to break the news to Gyutaro.

However, it turned out that I wouldn't be met with a smooth and simple way to tell him.

"He says your name's what now!?"

I was greeted with Gyutaro's screaming at his sister when I returned from visiting Douma at his temple. In my arms was a basket filled with sweets that Douma's followers had brought him.

"Daki!" Ume yelled back at her brother. "Muzan-sama said a name like Daki suits me better!"

"How does that pale zombie know what's better for you, huh!?"

"Don't insult Muzan-sama! He's sophisticated!"

"He's not changing your name!"

I came over and hit Gyutaro on the side of the head. "What's going on?" I asked.

"Ow!" Gyutaro turned to me. "Stop beating me up all the time!"

Ume started to giggle. "You aren't learning to be sophisticated. That's why you get punished, Onii-chan."

"She's not punishing me!"

"Yes she is!" Ume said with a smug face.

"She's not punishing me! Ume, you take that back!"

"I told you to call me Daki!"

I stuffed a doriyaki into each of their mouths. "Seriously, can't you two ever stop fighting for once?"

"Hm?" Ume asked through her chewing. She swallowed. "But, we're not fighting."

Gyutaro stuffed the doriyaki into his mouth and said nothing.

"Ah!" Ume's eyes lit up when noticing the basked of sweets I was holding. "Did you get those from Douma-san?"

Gyutaro reached into the basket and took out another doriyaki to shove into his mouth.

"Yeah. He can't eat them. Take some dango and tell him how delicious it was if you want to tease him."

Ume laughed.

Gyutaro took out another doriyaki.

"Hey!" Ume glared at her brother. "Onii-chan, stop being a pig!" She looked at me and pointed to Gyutaro. "He's taking too much for himself. Punish him, Sakura-sama!"

"Shut your mouth, Ume!"

"Daki!"

I held the basket further from Gyutaro's reach and turned to Ume. "Why do you want to be called Daki?"

Her eyes shone. "Because, I was talking with Muzan-sama, and he was telling me how I'm a special demon and am going to become very strong." She smiled. "He told me that I'm gorgeous in the nice clothes you've given me, Sakura-sama, and that I look like his little princess!"

"He said what!?" Gyutaro blurted out.

Ume ignored him. "Muzan-sama told me that the name Daki means 'princess' and he wants to think of me as his princess from now on."

Ah, Muzan, you're really stringing her along, aren't you, I thought.

I smiled. "Then I don't see why you shouldn't be called Daki if that's what you prefer."

"Sakura, you traitor!" Gyutaro shouted.

Ume looked past me to her brother. "Sakura-sama," she said smugly. "Get it right, Onii-chan."

"She doesn't deserve no '-sama' from me if she won't shake some sense into your dimwitted head!" Gyutaro yelled. "You're not changing your name!"

"I am not dimwitted!"

I stuffed another doriyaki into each of their mouths.

"Gyutaro --" I hit him on the head.

Ume giggled.

"Let her do what makes her happy," I said to Gyutaro. "What difference does it make to you if she wants to be called Daki?"

Gyutaro glared at me and resentfully ate the doriyaki.

"I don't know what his problem is," Ume said. "Onii-chan didn't even give me the name Ume. Some monk did when he found us in the hut after our mother died."

"Ume is a shitty name and so is Daki," Gyutaro grumbled.

"No name from Muzan-sama is shitty!" Ume yelled at him.

"It's shitty," Gyutaro said. He looked at his sister. "Anything from that man is shitty."

Ume put her hands on her hips. "You're just jealous that Muzan-sama is married to Sakura-sama because I hear you talking in your sleep at night, Onii-chan, and you --"

"You shut your mouth right now!"

"Hey, hey, guys, I don't need to hear about your private matters," I said. I looked at Ume. "And by the way, Daki, don't bring up what your brother says or does in his sleep. That's between the two of you. If you said something in your sleep, you wouldn't want Gyutaro to tell Muzan-sama, would you?"

Ume's face became petrified. The muscles in her face then relaxed. She shook her head and let her chin drop. "No ..." she said softly.

I put the basket of sweets in her hands. "So, keep private things private," I said to her. "Here. Take this. You're right, you know. Gyutaro's taken enough for himself." I winked at her.

Ume nodded and took the basket over to another part of the room.

I turned to Gyutaro. He stood there smirking and with a mischievous look in his eyes.

I stepped over to him and grabbed his chin. "I know what you're thinking and don't you dare say anything."

Gyutaro sneered at me.

"Understand?"

He stared at me for a moment and then smirked. "Are you gonna give me a kiss if you're holding my chin like that, Sakura?"

I smirked. "Maybe at the top of the head, since you're such a sweet little boy."

Gyutaro froze, as if stunned, his cheeks blushing brightly.

I leant in towards him. Right as my lips were about to touch his hair, I whacked him on the side of the head.

Gyutaro screamed.

I laughed. "Were you seriously trying to pull that one on me, Dandruff Boy?"

"Not the Dandruff Boy again ..." he grumbled and rubbed his head.

"By the way, my sweet little boy, I didn't come here just to give you and you sister sweets," I said. "I've got something else to tell you, and yes, special for you!"

"Wow. I can't wait to find out," Gyutaro said flatly and rolled his eyes.