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Mugen (1×1 w/ Jikkah)

“Huh?” Muichiro turned to look at Yuko, tilting his head a bit at her. Tabjirou bowed his head in thanks as well, thanking the both of them.

That made her heart skip a beat, making her whole face flush, nodding quickly. “I’ll cover you the best I can and provide openings.”
 
Yuko glanced at him and mirrored his head tilt, "Yes, Muichiro-dana? What's wrong?"
"Oi!!" Yuko looked up when her crow - Kusanari - swooped in to land on her shoulder, "Urgent business from Oyakata-sama, so listen up, dingbat!"
"Don't call me that, Kusanari." Yuko scowled, but the crow just ruffled at her.
"Listen! Listen, I say! There's a demon going berserk in the north! You gotta be a good hashira and deal with it!! So says Oyakata-sama!!"
"Now?" Yuko frowned, and Kusanari burst into the air to swipe at her - albeit half-heartedly.
"As soon as possible, dingbat!! Don't be lazy and disrespectful!! This is your job!!"
"Ok, ok! Relax, would you?! I'll head out in a bit!" She whined, "You're such a bully, Kusanari!"

She smiled softly, "Thank you. Please, leave majority of the fighting to me. Let's hurry, before another finds us."
 
“Seems like you’re off then.” Muichiro said as he stood, training sword in hand. “That means back to training then.”


She nodded and set off with her, keeping her guard up as they went.
 
"I'm sorry I won't be much help." Yuko said as she stood. Akatsuru shook her head gently.
"It's no trouble. Please be safe. We'll be waiting for you." She said. Yuko nodded and looked to Muichiro.
"I made extra of those sandwiches, but please try to save them for tomorrow, ok? And drink your tea, please?"

Etsuko didn't really talk much, keeping her eyes and ears open as they made their way through the woods. She let Moriko lead, not really knowing the location of the Uzui clan herself.
 
“Have safe travels, Yuko-san!” Tanjirou called, waving goodbye to her.
Tokito made a soft noise and turned to leave. “Fine.” He agreed, though didn’t seem thrilled about it.

Moriko led her in the direction of the village, and before long they stood in the completely empty town, not a single house lit up, and not a single person in sight. It was eerie and deathly silent, but Moriko seemed to know where she was going.
 
Yuko smiled softly and waved back before heading off, adjusting her haori as she left the mansion grounds.

Etsuko frowned faintly as she looked around; a demon had been through here, surely. It was as silent as a graveyard here, but she kept her guard up, and her hand on the hilt of her blade.
 
It was at a nearby mountain temple, rather secluded and nearly an hours hike just to reach it from the nearest road. The tree cover there was rather thick, with tall pines making it look almost like dusk. The temple was dead silent when Yuko arrived, not a single soul in sight, and only the soft rustling of leaves in the air. Even the bugs knew not to make a peep, the heavy scent of iron hanging in the misty air.

Moriko moved cautiously toward the Uzui clan household, which also seemed to be completely abandoned. She let out a sigh. “It seems there are no survivors. Let’s light the hearth and we can go from there.”
 
"Goodness..." She muttered as she looked around, keeping one hand on her blade and the other using her sleeve to mask the smell as best as she could. She stepped deeper into the temple, burning the images of death and bloodshed into her mind, to fuel the vengeance she would grant the slain.

Etsuko nodded and moved closer, "I'm sorry your journey was fruitless, in a way." She frowned, "Maybe, in another life time..." She muttered.
 
Inside the building was where the blood reeked the heaviest, so heavy one could taste it. It was accompanied by an awful tearing and snapping, the distinct sound of a demon eating. Upon entering the inner chamber, she would find a demon with wild long silver hair, wearing a torn yukata to house four arms. Its back faced her, but when she stepped into the room it whipped around to face her. Except she was met with the face of her master, sharp teeth dripping with flesh and blood, his black and yellow eyes staring her down.

Moriko moved to the hearth, kneeling down and began preparing to light it. “It is alright, despite the outcome, I will return home come daybreak. My job is done.” She said. “You have my thanks for your help.”
 
Her eyes widened in disbelief and horror, unable to brandish her nichirin blade, "S-S...Sanemi..." She gasped, "N...No, it..."

Etsuko smiled and nodded, "Of course. I was happy to help."
 
The meat he had hanging from his mouth fell to the floor, a similar shocked expression crossing his face before it was replaced with a twisted expression she had never seen him wear before. He stood up, dropping the human arm in his hands and outstretching all four arms like he was welcoming her into an embrace. “Yuko… I hadn’t expected to see you out here- I’m sorry you had to see me eating like that.” He rambled, voice sickeningly sweet- unlike his usual self.

She got the fire lit and the room was lit up nicely, allowing them to see each other a bit better. Moriko pulled down her face covering, letting out a soft sigh, tired from her travels. She had delicate features, a gentle expression and a comely face.
 
Instead of running into his arms like he had expected, she pointed her blade at him, "Y-You...what have you done with Sanemi...? You are not my master...!"

Etsuko blushed heavily and immediately looked away, "I'm sorry you had to find out about them like this."
 
He flinched at the sight of the blade, stopping and frowning softly. “What have I done with him?” He echoed, watching the tip of her blade before looking to her again. “I’m right here, can you not recognize me?” He took a step forward, ignoring the blade. “Is it how I look? I can change that for you..!”

She shook her head, not noticing the blush as she tended the fire. “It is unfortunate, but it cannot be undone. I will simply report my findings.”
 
"Change back into a human!" She argued, tears of anger and heartbreak in her eyes, "Change back and become my master again! And if you can't, then I swear I'll kill you! I-I'll free you from whatever curse Muzan placed on you!"

"Of course." She replied. She glanced at the door when she heard something and reached for her blade, shifting to stand. She should have checked the perimeter before they got comfortable. A rookie move she was sure she'd pay for.
 
He stared at her with a blank expression, mouth slightly open for a moment before he disappeared, reappearing inches from her. He grabbed the tip of her sword with one hand, the other arm beneath it grabbing the blade by the middle. In one quick motion he yanked on the blade, shattering it easily as he stared down at Yuko. “This is no curse, Yuko, this is a blessing.”

Moriko saw Etsuko stand and immediately her stomach dropped. She stood quickly as well, drawing her blade and looking to where her gaze was.
 
She pulled her fist back and slammed it hard into the side of his face; despite the size difference, their training together really pulled off. She threw all 140 pounds of weight into that swing, "Blessing, my ass!! Look at what you've become!! Genya would never want this!!"

"Moriko, please get behind me." She said, moving to stand in front of the kunoichi. The door shattered and Etsuko rose her arms a bit to shield her eyes from the debris, glancing to see who it was. A young man stood before them, expression dark and cold, wearing Uzui style clothing. He had upturned horns sticking out of his forehead and lifeless red eyes.
Etsuko shifted her foot before vanishing, reappearing beside the demon and swinging for his neck, only for him to turn just as fast and bat her into the wall.
 
It was like striking a brick wall, Sanemi flinching a bit and making a noise. He grabbed her wrist tight, pushing her back against the wall and pinning her there. He leaned down so his face was inches from hers, his gold and black eyes wild. “Genya’s dead.” He said lowly.

“Etsuko-san!!” Her heart nearly stopped when she recognized the face of the man that stood before her, faltering for a moment. “Shisui? Is that you?”
 
She winced from the force in which he held her wrist before glaring weakly, "Would he have asked you to honor him this way, Nemi?"

"Moriko?" His voice was dual toned as his gaze turned to her. Etsuko pushed herself up and rushed at him again, using the fourth form to try and immobize him, but he was gone in a flash before he appeared behind her. He grabbed her by the hair and shoved her hard into the wood floor, causing her to gasp loudly in pain.
 
He slapped another hand over her mouth, gripping her face, letting his nails prick her cheeks as he glared into her eyes. And just like that he released her, grabbing her and tossing her over his shoulder and holding her tightly with two arms. “None of that shit matters. I’ve found you, now I just need to lock you away.”

Moriko could no longer stay out of the situation, vanishing before slamming hard into Shisui, tackling him away from Etsuko.
 
"L-Lock-?! Put me down!! You can't do this!!" She thrashed hard, trying to get some kind of purchase to free herself, "Let me go, Sanemi!!"

He grunted and grabbed her by the throat, tossing her aside before advancing on her.
 
He kept her wrangled, but after a while the struggling annoyed him. “Enough of that!” He snapped, striking the back of her neck with enough restraint as to only render her unconscious.

Moriko hit the ground hard and turned quickly, raising her hand to stop him. “W-Wait, Shisui, I don’t understand- what’s going on? What happened here?” She tried to get him talking, dripping sweat from fear alone.
 
She went rigid before falling lax, arms and legs swaying gently with his steps as she dangled over his shoulder.

Shisui actually stopped, staring at her quietly for a moment.
"My brother has granted me the gift of his power by proving my loyalty to him." He replied, "If I killed our father and the whole clan, I was granted power beyond imagining. I could offer that to you, as well."
"I won't allow that, demon!" Etsuko proclaimed, jumping up from her spot in the floor, blood leaking from a gash on her forehead, before bursting toward him with a spin. He dodged and she skidded to a halt to keep from running into Moriko before slashing at him again.
 
Sanemi took her down to the basement, laying her down on the floor of the cellar as he worked. He used some chains from the temple and an iron lock from the gate, fastening it around Yuko’s neck before attaching it to the floor with thick long nails. Once he got her properly secure, he went about clearing the room of everything, filling it only with a lantern and bedding.

Moriko couldn’t even comprehend what he was offering. There was no way she wanted to become such a horrid creature. When Etsuko moved to slash him, she dove for his legs, stabbing her blade into his foot to keep him fixed in place.
 
Yuko laid unconscious the whole time he spent cleaning and getting the area nice for her. She was going to live here now after all. She stirred gently before groggily pushing herself up, scowling in confusion at the chain that bound her to the floor.
"Wh...What is this...?"

Shisui hissed and tried to turn, kicking Moriko hard in the chest with his free leg.
"Moriko!" Etsuko gasped, only to grunt when Shisui tried to swing his claws into her gut. She barely stopped the attack in time but was not unscathed; his claws dug into her flesh but thankfully not very deep.
 
Sanemi was setting up a water barrel to draw water from in the corner when she came to- it was bizarre to see, a demon setting up living quarters like it was normal. “Your new room, I promise I’ll bring you lots of nice things to decorate it, but for now this will have to do.” He turned toward her, looking almost happy, like they were having a normal conversation, and she wasn’t chained to the floor. “I’ll bring the food from the temple kitchen, and I’ll be sure to clear away the bodies before they start to smell- the blood too.”

She slammed into the wall before falling to the floor. “Do what you can to kill that thing! I’ll slow his movements!” It felt like he had broken several ribs, but she had to keep fighting, pushing herself to her feet.
 
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