The Demon Queen

The Nightmares

"I almost got to eat a pretty girl but the sun started to come up, so I had to leave!" Douma exclaimed to me, tears rolling down his cheeks.

"Why do you think I'd care?" I asked him flatly.

"Because!" he whined. "It's not fair! It's not every day that I get to fight a pretty Hashira and this one would have tasted so good -- of butterflies and daisies -- but I didn't have the time to eat her!"

"Do I look like the type who'd understand why you think butterflies and daisies are a tasty combination?" I asked, smirking.

Douma immediately stopped crying. He cocked his head to the side. "No. That's not your taste."

"Exactly." I had a sip of tea.

Douma laughed. "If you like Muzan and his sour blood, there's no way that you'd have the exquisite taste for butterflies and daisies!"

"And if I liked your blood?" I asked.

Douma's jaw dropped a little. His eyes started to sparkle. "Oooh, Sakura-chan!" he exclaimed as he squirmed playfully in his seat. "You should have just said so if you wanted to finally take our relationship to a new level!" He eyed me with a smirking, playfully predatorial gaze. "Let's take a risk!" He leapt onto the table and squat in front of me.

"No." I sipped my tea.

"Aww, are you sure?" Douma asked. "I can be passionate like a rose from paradise that will prick you a little if you so desire --"

I threw my tea in Douma's face.

"Ow!" He reacted to the hot liquid hitting his skin.

"Damn, you're annoying."

The tea slid down Douma's face and chin. It started to drip onto his shirt.

"Oh, sure, I'm annoying. Of course," Douma said sarcastically. "But you aren't, you stiff little 1000 year old Demon Lady with your suit and tie?" He sighed dramatically. "It's as if you've been spending time with Kokushibou-dono. I love Kokushibou. I raelly do. But he's so -- SO -- boring."

I couldn't really argue with that statement.

"So, if you're gonna be so stiff and a Ki-pu-tsu-ji poo poo, why are you even here?" Douma asked and folded his arms across his chest. "Why aren't you with Gyu-kun? You've seemed to prefer his company over mine this past 100 years."

"He's with Daki at the Red Light District tonight."

"Oooh!" Douma clapped his hands together. "Maybe he'll get lucky!"

I stared dully at him.

"Has he had his first time yet?"

"Shut up!" I stood up and pushed Douma in his face. "You need a cold bath or something."

"I told you. It's because I couldn't eat that Hashira girl and I soooooo wanted to eat her!"

"Take some random girl from your cult and eat her then."

"It's not the same, Sakura-chan!"

I stared at him. "You're hopeless. I'm going home."

Douma got down from the table. "If you're gonna go home so easily, why did you even come over? You didn't bring any of Gyokko's pots and, you know --" He put his hands on his hips. "I deserve a visit for reasons other than dropping off pots to sell!"

"Or asking if there are any updates on the Blue Spider Lily rooting up again, right?"

"Sakura-chan, what happened to the nights we used to spend talking and laughing, sharing a human together?" Douma asked. His expression changed. "And the flowers haven't rooted up again yet."

"I --"

Douma poked me in the middle of my forehead. "Gyu-kun takes up all of your time."

"Muzan killed the Kamados."

Douma blinked a couple times. "Who were they again?"

"The charcoal people on Mt. Kumotori."

"Ooooohhh!"

"Yeah. Ooooohhh ..."

Douma snapped his fingers. "Isn't that what you and Muzan wanted?" he asked. "To get rid of them because you thought that they were cooperating with Tamayo?"

"Yeah, but I ..."

"But you what?" Douma asked, concerned. He put his hands on my shoulders. "Hey. Are you okay?"

I looked into his eyes. "I've been having these weird nightmares lately and I ... I think someone is looking for revenge."

Douma fell silent.

We found a comfortable place to sit together while I explained everything to him.

"You see, this one girl survived her demon transformation and we decided to leave her to eat her family. We planned to track her down later and test her in the sun. But, we can't find her. Neither Muzan nor I are able to sense her whereabouts."

"Huh? How's that possible?" Douma asked. "I thought Muzan was kind of a stalker keeping track of the demons he created." He snapped his fingers. "Aha! Maybe her transformation eventually killed her!"

"Maybe, but these nightmares I've been having are really creeping me out." I rubbed my forehead. "You see, I keep seeing the girl we left behind in a violent, stronger demon form with some boy next to her. The boy is always extremely angry and screams that he's going to kill me and Muzan. And the thing is, he has this flame-shaped mark on his forehead and Hanafuda earrings ... like that Demon Slayer from 500 years ago did ..."

Douma gasped. "The one that gave you the scars?"

"Yes."

"That is ... so bizarre ..." Douma said. "It's like he's coming back from the dead and haunting you in the form of this boy." He scratched his head. "Did you ever meet that boy somewhere? Or someone that looked like him?"

"Not that I can recall."

"Maybe you saw him on the street in passing somewhere and his image stuck with you."

I shrugged. "I guess. But the nightmares won't go away."

"Well, whatever you do, don't tell Muzan about them." Douma's eyes popped open wider and he put his hands to his mouth. "My, my, I hope you didn't. Please tell me you didn't!"

"Are you crazy?" I asked. "I can't tell Muzan. He'd go absolutely bonkers if I told him. He's already jittery and irritable because he can't track that girl down."

"Just whatever you do, don't tell him," Douma repeated, almost in a begging tone. "Muzan is too mentally unstable to know."

"Yeah. He'd probably keep the two of us prisoner in the Castle until this nightmare boy is found and reported to be dead."

"That's right!" Douma exclaimed. "You told me that he kept you and him locked up in hiding for 60 years waiting for that Demon Slayer to die!"

I nodded, almost shuddering from the memories of that time. Multiple centuries had passed, and yet they still managed to plague me.

Douma took my hands. "Sakura-chan, I can do some chanting and burn some incense to help clear your mind," he said. "If I believe it'll work, it'll work, just as everything I'm able to do to help people does."

"Before you eat them," I said flatly.

Douma smiled. "Come on, I'm being serious right now," he said with a kind warmth in his eyes. "I really do help those who can be helped. I eat the ones who are beyond salvation and can only find it through becoming one with me. And I would never, ever eat you, or Gyu-kun, or Daki, or that silly Gyokko. Even though all of you will never be saved." He took a breath. "You were an exorcist priestess once. You understand. I know you do."

"Sort of. Yeah."

"So, trust me and let me help you. Without sarcasm. Please," Douma said. He took one of his hands and lightly stroked my cheek over my faded scars. "I've already helped you once, and I'll help you forever, as long as we're both able to reach each other. I promise, I'll rid those haunting figures from your conscious."

I stared intently into Douma's eyes. "Okay. I trust you. Get those two out of my thoughts. Forever."