Demon Slayer Oneshots

☁️Zenitsu/Reader: The Rouge Ruse Part 6

Chapter 6: Losing Your Footing

You were running away without him?! How could you?! No, he couldn't let you go. If his suspicions were wrong and the Oiran wasn't the demon he was hunting for- or worse, there were two demons- you walking out there all alone would make you a prime target! And even if you weren't attacked as such, there was still a chance some dirtbag would come and pick you up instead. Zenitsu snarled at the very thought.

'If she was leaving, why didn't she ask for my help?' Tears welled up in his eyes at the notion of being abandoned again. Then they spilled over when his foot suddenly made contact with the sharp edge of a fallen branch.

"Ow!"

'And why was I too stupid to bring my shoes?' Zenitsu asked himself silently, covering his mouth so that any further sounds of pain would not alert you to his pursuit. From the sound of your footsteps you must have been barefoot too, likely to escape as quietly as possible. But what if you stepped on glass or something?! He fretted. No, it would be fine. All he had to do was catch up to you and then he could carry you home in his arms. He would allow no harm to come to you or your delicate little feet. But first... he had to know where you were headed to, and why.

...

'Hostages for ransom...' The answer had been so obvious that it sickened you that you hadn't realized it sooner.

One girl running away without packing anything was a little bit strange, but four in a row was absurd. It was nothing more than a cover story, a sham. Either management knew all along, and had been hiding the ugly truth of the matter from you and the other girls, or the entire establishment was truly too blind to read between the lines. It also struck you as no accident that the ones chosen were more traditionally beautiful than you or Chiyo or the triplets, young ladies that would be considered unmistakably high in value.

However, one iota of inconsistency had been prickling the back of your mind like a thorn throughout the day. If Ima was indeed kidnapped, how did the perpetrator manage to take her and the other girls without so much as a struggle? There was no noise, nothing broken, no blood on the floor. And it was while riding on that train of thought that you were brought to your current destination.

The Daimyo's house...

A man of questionable integrity who sold your Okiya the grand and glorious silks you draped yourselves in to draw the eyes of the public. Technically there were no daimyo anymore, but this house was once used as a hub for the shogun. The aforementioned owner continuously refused to let Western influence harm his country's traditions, so he would mercilessly beat anyone who didn't acknowledge his establishment as a fief. Apparently Omitsu owed the maladjusted man quite a hefty sum of money. The bastard probably thought he was just taking what he was owed. So you knew if anyone were to have the nerve to steal away one of your own, it would be him.

The only sensible explanation for their silent disappearances was that the girls must've known their captor. They were familiar with him. There was no other way he could have coaxed them out quietly before making his move. Still, even as you stood in the shadows of a neighboring building, preparing yourself for action, you couldn't help but feel like you were missing something.

Why, if he were out to gain recompense for his losses, had he not left a ransom note asking for payment? Had he not figured out a way to exchange them anonymously yet, and feared the retribution of the law? Or had he actually already written a threatening letter to Omitsu, unaware of her passing, and it was just sitting in a pile of un-dealt-with affairs in her former office?