The Demon Queen

Hantengu's Information

"Muzan."

"Hm?"

"She has one big eye on her forehead."

"I know."

I slapped my palm to my forehead.

"Don't tell me that I deform all the demons."

"You do."

"I didn't deform Enmu."

"Enmu was deformed before they met us."

Muzan smiled and snickered a little.

After we let the new demon, named Nakime, feed on some people in the city, she went and performed at the club she worked at. She then took her biwa and went with us. We brought her back to the Castle.

"You can see how clever my design was, Sakura," Muzan said once we got back home. "Nakime's bangs are long enough to cover that eye. And so, she was able to perform one last time for those pathetic humans."

"Of course, sure. Clever design."

"You don't have to be sarcastic."

Nakime laughed at our 'argument' until we brought her to her room and found Akaza to help her get her self set up. Once Muzan and I were alone, we laughed about the entire situation and joked about the possibility of Nakime trying to boss Akaza around. The rest of the night was spent roleplaying Nakime getting lectured by Kokushibou after getting caught giving Akaza an order.

Nakime's Blood Demon Art turned out to be very useful. She was able to alter the dimensions of the Castle by playing her biwa. With one strum, the room could turn sideways. With another strum, the room could turn upside down. It wasn't too long after she discovered how to do that when she managed to use her Blood Demon Art on a living being. Not only could she change the room, but she could summon one of us to it, or force us to be removed from it.

Naturally, it was strictly forbidden for her to use her Blood Demon Art on me or Muzan. Muzan even extended this ban to Kokushibou, saying that he was too vital to be bopped about from here to there. To our luck, Nakime abode by all of our orders without the slightest questioning. It came as a bit of a surprise, given how much Nakime had laughed at Muzan and I during our initial encounter.

"Scarface!" Gyutaro whined and plopped his chin on my shoulder.

I was eating some stir-fried vegetables in my wing when he came over to me. "What, Fleabag?"

"Can you tell that crazy new girl not to use her fucking Blood Demon Art on me and Daki?" he asked.

"No."

"Come on! Why not?"

"Because I'd have to get Muzan to agree with it, too, and if he did, then we'd have to demand the same for the demons that outrank the two of you."

"That's not a good enough reason!"

"I say it is."

Gyutaro groaned. "Man, come on! It's really damn annoying when she sends me off out of a stupid room here."

"Well, were you going somewhere you maybe shouldn't have been going to?"

Gyutaro was silent. He started to scratch himself on his cheek.

"Stop scratching yourself," I said. I picked up some vegetables with my chopsticks and stuffed them into Gyutaro's mouth.

Without any protest, he chewed and swallowed the food. Once he had the mouth feel of the food in his mouth, he stopped scratching himself.

I continued to eat, watching as Gyutaro opened his mouth and pointed to it.

"You want something?" I asked.

"Aaaaahhhhh ..." he pointed to his mouth.

I rolled my eyes. "You really are so immature." I put more food in his mouth.

After he chewed and swallowed, Gyutaro giggled. "But you like ti. Admit it, you think I'm funny."

"Sure. Very funny." I stuffed more food in his mouth.

He wasn't ready for that and nearly started to choke.

I snickered a little. "Ooops. Oh, I am sorry about that," I said teasingly.

Gyutaro pulled at his eye and grinned at me. I got the sense that he was thinking something along the lines of, 'You'll get yours, Scarface, don't you worry. Heh. Heh.'

I was about to put down my bowl and attack Gyutaro with a sadistic amount of tickles when I heard a rapping on the sliding door to the veranda. My attention snapped to there and I got up to go open the door.

Gyutaro sprung to his feet and 'attacked' me from behind, giggling and throwing his arms around my shoulders. "I'm gonna protect you if someone nasty's come to the door!" he said in a sing-songy voice.

"Cant' you sense that it's Hantengu?"

"Eh?" he asked. He reached one of his hands to his hair and scratched his head. "That's the little old man, yeah?"

I peeled him off of me and opened the door. Hantengu stood on the veranda, nervously jittering as usual. He immediately bowed to me.

"Hey. Come in," I said.

"I shouldn't. I have another mission with Gyokko," Hantengu said. He nervously fiddled with his fingers. "But I have information."

"I'm listening."

"Well, ehm ..." Hantengu's body shook a little. "I found the charcoal salesman at Mt. Kumotori. His name is Kamado Tanjuro and I -- I --" He dramatically bowed again a few times. "I saw the Tammayo demon you spoke of visiting him."

"I see," I said.

Hantengu bowed fully so that his torso was touching the floor. He was shaking in fear. "Please don't be angry, Sakura-sama. I didn't kill either of them. I watched and hid and hurried back as fast as I could to report to you."

"Is this guy for real?" Gyutaro asked.

I hit Gyutaro on the head.

"Hey!" he exclaimed and rubbed his head.

I brought my attention back to Hantengu. "Thank you for this crucial information, Hantengu," I said. "You may go onto your next mission now." I slid the door shut and returned to eating my stir-fried vegetables.

"Is that the report you wanted?" Gyutaro asked and sat down across from me.

"Mm."

"So then, ahh ..." He lightly scratched at his upper arm. "What do we do now?"

I calmly ate some vegetables. "We don't do anything," I answered. "I will go talk to Muzan about this. You will go on as if nothing happened."

"Come on," Gyutaro groaned. "Let me do something and feel important, will ya?"

"Nope."

"Why not?"

"Remember how Tamayo kicked your ass with that wisteria poison?"

"Aaargh!" He slashed himself down his face.

"If you don't stop that, I'm sending you to stay with Douma."

Gyutaro stared at me with dulled, droopy eyes. "You don't have to be cruel."

It then occurred to me that only Hantengu returned to report to me, but when I gave out the mission, I had given it out to both him and Gyokko.

Gyokko must have stopped over at Douma's, I thought. I should ask him about this Kamado Tanjuro too.

"Hey, Gyutaro, you gave me an idea," I said. I put down the empty bowl and stood up. I stepped over to Gyutaro and pat him on the head. "Such a good boy you are."

He looked up at me, confused. "Huh?"