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Graphic Depictions Of Violence
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鬼滅の刃 | Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (Anime)鬼滅の刃 | Kimetsu no Yaiba (Manga)
Characters:
Tsuyuri KanaoDouma (Kimetsu no Yaiba)Hashibira InosukeKotoha (Kimetsu no Yaiba)Kimetsu no Yaiba EnsembleTwelve Demon Moons Ensemble (Kimetsu no Yaiba)Original CharactersDaki | Ume (Kimetsu no Yaiba)Gyutaro (Kimetsu no Yaiba)Kochou KanaeAkaza | Hakuji (Kimetsu no Yaiba)Kokushibou | Tsugikuni Michikatsu
Additional Tags:
Alternate UniverseFluff and AngstCanon-Typical ViolenceCannibalismDouma is a Little Shit (Kimetsu no Yaiba)BAMF Tsuyuri KanaoDysfunctional FamilyBad ParentingDouma grabs Kanao instead of the Kochou siblingsAnd grabs Inosuke before Kotoha can chuck him off a cliffDouma: I'm not like a regular dad I'm a cool dadSwordfightingDubious MoralityConditioningKanao and Inosuke as siblingsBlood and GoreLoyaltyFamily Bondingno beta we die like the KamadosCultsTsuyuri Kanao-centricCanonical Character DeathHashibira Inosuke Being Hashibira InosukeTsuyuri 'if anything happens to my family I'll kill everyone in this room and then myself' KanaoPast Child AbuseMorally Neutral KanaoProtective KanaoVivisectionAnimal Abuse
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English
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Published:2021-11-21Updated:2026-04-06Words:154,514Chapters:39/?Comments:1,970Kudos:3,614Bookmarks:794Hits:129,331
Iron and Ice
SkilledWarriorKiwi
Chapter 9: Pinky Promise
Chapter Text
Inosuke wouldn't stop crying.
Kanao didn't overly mind, as a crying baby meant a healthy, alive baby. She did, however, worry due to the fact Inosuke had not cried in her presence before. Instead he would sob and wail for hours at a time when he woke up the following day after Kotoha tried to run away, until he would pass out from exhaustion. His face would get so blotchy and red, and when he wasn't crying he would make these choked wheezing noises like he was dying.
Misaki said it was because he missed Kotoha. She would be the one who usually had Inosuke, ever since Kotoha had been punished for running away and Yoko had been eaten. Kanao still disliked how Kotoha had left but also knew it was partially her fault for not telling Kotoha Douma wouldn't have harmed her. If she'd just been able to say that, or write something, then Kotoha would have know Douma liked her and then she could have stayed with her and Insouke.
She also didn't like how she wasn't allowed Inosuke. Douma kept finding and giving him to her whenever he saw her on her own but she had very limited knowledge on how to make a baby stop crying so someone would always step in when they spotted her wandering around with him. It was usually Misaki, as she said she'd grown up in an orphanage and had helped the mistress with the babies which would occasionally be left on their doorsteps, but even she had limited success in having Inosuke calm down.
It was a few days later she also learned how the others at Paradise Faith thought about Kotoha's disappearance. Kanao had overheard a discussion between Misaki and another group of women when they'd been tending to one of the lotus gardens, where Kanao had been practicing shoji against herself with the little ivory board Douma had given her. She'd been half hidden behind a thick cluster of bamboo by a Buddha statue so the women had been unaware of her presence when they began talking.
"It's just so awful, what Kotoha did. I really thought she was healing here," one of the women said in low tones, nearly inaudible over the bubbling of the fountain.
Another spoke, voice equally hushed, "I think it was much like how Jin-san was. Remember how he was fine until he had that relapse? Years of being happy here, then one bad night and his poor wife finds him."
"I just don't understand why she tried to take Inosuke when she jumped off that cliff. If the Founder hadn't caught him..."
"Perhaps she thought she'd be sparing him any suffering in the future? Or that they would be together forever in the afterlife."
"Paradise doesn't come to those who accelerate it, only Douma-sama knows when its our time."
"Perhaps. But that poor baby, he just hasn't stopped crying. He's barely eating. No one can calm him down. It's like he knows his mother is never coming back."
Kanao thought that over as she finished her shoji game, putting away the pieces and board in the little drawstring bag. Inosuke was crying a lot and she supposed he was too young to understand what had happened. Maybe that was why Douma kept giving her Inosuke, since as his big sister it was now her responsibility to teach him properly since Kotoha didn't understand either. He was her otouto now and she would have to take care of him. Then Douma wouldn't have to eat him, especially since Kanao was special and knew about the room with skulls and how he ate people which she now knew was a secret.
She did not care that he ate people, since he did not try to hit her or yelled at her. If Kotoha hadn't of run away then he wouldn't have hurt her either. Perhaps what Douma said about people being stupid and emotional was correct. Kotoha had been so afraid she had not stopped to think properly and now she was dead and Inosuke was crying all the time. Kanao remembered when she felt so much but now she was calm and she could spend a lot of time thinking, especially since she didn't have to worry about anyone hitting her. All the pain and fear and confusion, she had been glad it had spilled away like water down a drain.
But she knew Inosuke still felt a lot, a very large amount at that with how persistent he was with his crying. As his older sister she now had to take care of him and his cries seemed less piercing when he was with her.
It was also why she decided not to go along with Douma's suggestion, when she had a sobbing Inosuke in her lap as she fed the koi fish in one of the indoor lotus gardens one day.
Douma didn't seem to really care about the constant crying, just remarking how Inosuke had very strong lungs before saying casually, "Well, I guess if he's really annoying you then you can shake him until he stops it. Though it does rattle their brains a fair bit but it makes them a lot quieter. Babies have such soft skulls, you can splatter them open like an overripe peach from just throwing them at a wall. Then again, I'm strong enough I can do the same to an adult just as easily!" he finished with a laugh.
Kanao didn't want Inosuke's brain rattled, so she decided to not shake him regardless of how loud he was. The noise meant he was alive and had strength, even if he was unhappy. Though at least she could see no real hints of anger or irritation from Douma when he said that, his body language as neutral as ever. Still, she decided to try harder at having Inosuke calm down. She did not know if moon spirits had better hearing so perhaps Inosuke's prolonged crying could eventually bother Douma but she did not wish to upset him and she didn't like Inosuke's continued upset either.
She brooded over that in her room, each time before she went to sleep. Inosuke got taken away from her each night, with the first night Kotoha ran away and Douma brought Inosuke back she had been allowed to keep him. But now Misaki or one of the other women would take the baby which displeased her but she used that time to think about how she could comfort Inosuke properly.
Kanao hadn't interacted with her younger siblings, instead she'd just sit and do not much of anything. To do otherwise would be to incite violence. It was mostly due to malnourishment that her baby siblings never really cried. She kept thinking over how Kotoha soothed Inosuke.
She thought over ways she could help soothe Inosuke, thinking it over as she sat in her room or lay in her futon or stared at the wall. She did notice there was a strange glass doll sitting cross-legged on the head of the Buddha statue in her room ever since Kotoha left but she guessed it was just more decoration. Like the small floor lantern that had been added, since she couldn't reach those on the walls, and a shelf filled with paper and sticks of charcoal for her to draw and write on. Another had books in it, simple but for her to practice reading in her spare time.
Then Kanao had an idea. It was strange but she had to help Inosuke. Soothe him as big sisters had to. Douma was unable to, even if occasionally he got Inosuke to quiet down by showing him his long teeth, and Kanao wasn't going to do his suggestion of shaking Inosuke. She didn't want him hurt.
Sometimes a few of the other women could calm down Inosuke, but that was usually only when they were feeding him or he was so exhausted or asleep.
She did not mind Misaki much, since the woman had been kind to her and was the most familiar now that Kotoha and Yoko were dead. But some of the other women did not think much of Kanao, even if it was a very small number, one older one even calling her creepy when Kanao had been staring at her cutting up the flowers. Kanao didn't care about that but she did not think that woman should be allowed around Inosuke if she was going to say mean things to Kanao, since she didn't know if the woman wouldn't start saying those things to Inosuke as well. The old lady who called her creepy was one in charge of the schooling for the other children at Paradise Faith so they only crossed paths once but Kanao did not like her much.
During the day Kanao tried to help Inosuke. He would quieten somewhat, when she'd be able to hold him before he would start crying again. Then one of the women would take him from her, which left her displeased. Inosuke also didn't like it and Kanao wanted to tell them to leave him alone with her. She didn't think it liked it when the others held him.
Or maybe he missed the blanket Kotoha had wrapped him in. The morning after Kotoha died and Inosuke had been taken, when he returned the green bloody blanket was gone. Instead he had new ones, usually embroidered with lotus blossoms. Kanao wondered if she could ask someone to make him a different blanket. But now she remembered how Kotoha would soothe Inosuke when he got squirmy so she decided to try it herself. As a big sister it was her responsibility and Douma said she needed to take care of him.
However she needed Inosuke with her. Since it was now dark outside she knew Douma would be awake and aware so she took one of the pieces of paper and wrote down her request with a stick of charcoal before going to find him. She just walked around, quiet enough she startled several people also into the hallways. Her note didn't say anything about Douma and staring at the people didn't let them know what she wanted so she would just move on and ignore them when they asked if she needed help. She even went to check on the secret skull room.
He found her there, though it was more of him appearing directly behind her and her running into his leg when she shut the door to the skull room and turned around. It was like slamming face first into a marble pillar and she nearly fell over if it wasn't for his clawed hand steadying her shoulder as he crouched down before her.
"Now, what's a little mouse sneaking around in the dark at such a late hour?" he asked, tilting his head to the side as he watched her closely.
This close she could see how the glittering rainbow hues of his eyes blended seamlessly into each other, the odd lines within the iris as if there were many threads all stitched inwards to where his pupils should be. Instead there was the kanji, pitch black and opaque, and Kanao wondered how it had been written upon his eyes. A pen, a knife, born? His long eyelashes were black just like the kanji in his eyes and black just like his thick brows, both in contrast to his silvery gold hair which looked golden in the soft hues of the lanterns upon the wall.
"Do you want something or did you just want to stare at me?"
She handed him the note, not breaking their stare. He blinked, briefly obscuring his colourful eyes before opening the note and reading it. His claws were longer than her fingers.
"Ah, you want to keep Inosuke with you at night? Well I don't see why not," Douma smiled at her, teeth sharp. "I think Hama has him right now, how about we go fetch him for you?"
She took Douma's offered hand, trotting at his side as he led her through the hallways. It was dark outside the temple, a few tendrils of orange still weaving through the sky as Douma led her to one of the houses along the stone path, dozens of wind chimes dangling from the rafters. There were childish drawings also hung up, more along the walls of the engawa. A small plaque was beside the door, stating the place as an orphanage. Maybe Misaki was in there.
They stopped outside the shut shoji, Douma easily tugging her up onto the veranda that he lifted her right off her feet.
A few knocks later and an old woman opened the door, her grey hair tied back and back bent with age. Behind her, Kanao saw a man sweeping a hallway and soft, childish voices further within the house.
Kanao disliked the woman immediately; it was the old lady who called her creepy once, when she thought Kanao couldn't hear her. She did not want Inosuke with her. Her grip tightened slightly around Douma's hand.
The woman's weathered face immediately creased into a hundred wrinkles as she realized who'd knocked on the door, smiling brightly as she bowed while saying, "Ah Douma-sama! It is always a blessing to be in your presence. And I see you have the little girl with her. Is she going to be one of my new students? As I said before, there is no need to lower yourself with teaching her personally or housing her in the temple. I am sure you have more important things to do. She will do fine here-"
"No, I'm not here for that. I quite enjoy Kanao's lessons and she seems happy in the temple," Douma said. "She's a special girl, so wise for her years."
"I see. Well, is there anything I can help you with?"
"Yes, there is. Hama, would you fetch Inosuke for little Kanao? She wants to take care of him tonight."
The woman's lined face creased, "Ah...Is that wise, Douma-sama? She is barely more than a baby herself."
"Kanao is quite confident. She's his new big sister, after all."
"I...Are you sure, Douma-sama? She um. She seems to have come from a difficult home life. Would it be safe to leave a baby alone with her? She could..." the woman trailed off.
Kanao felt increasingly annoyed with the woman. She was disobeying Douma, who was in charge of Paradise Faith even if he was not their master he still was in charge of it. And she did not like the woman's insinuation she would hurt Inosuke. She already decided not to.
Douma was facing away from her, so Kanao couldn't see what his expression was as he stared at Hama but she could see how the old woman's entire body tensed, curving in on itself before her gaze subserviently darted down to the floor.
There was beads of sweat on the old woman's hands and brow as she quietly muttered, "Forgive me, Gracious Founder. I meant no offense."
"See that you do," Douma's voice remained sweet and calm. "Now, Inosuke."
The woman did not argue, instead quickly turning and hurrying inside the house.
"Ah, it's annoying when they don't listen," Douma mused as he turned to give Kanao a brief smile.
She nodded. Kotoha didn't listen and now she and Inosuke didn't have a mother. But that's alright, since she listened and she could teach Inosuke to listen.
Soon Hama returned with Inosuke, who was wrapped up in a blanket embroidered with soaring cranes. He was whimpering, little face scrunched up but not in tears. Though Kanao could tell from his breathing that he'd been crying earlier. Douma let go of her hand so she could reach out for him and Hama, after a brief pause, knelt down to hand Inosuke over to her. Kanao made sure to tuck him in her elbow like Kotoha had shown her, the baby's bloodshot green eyes blinking at her as he sniffled.
"See? Now that wasn't so hard," Douma smiled at Hama even if the old woman refused to meet his eyes.
Kanao let Douma led her back to the temple, making sure Inosuke was held tight. His sniffles increased in volume, and he'd managed to squirm his arms out of the blanket. Kanao let him tug at her loose hair, little fingers scratching at her chin.
"Babies can die from loneliness," Douma said as they walked up the stone stairs, "Isn't that strange? Even if they're kept fed and changed, all other needs met, if they're not held enough they can get sick and die. Humans are such pathetic creatures."
Kanao wasn't sure about that but she certainly hadn't liked her parents so maybe Douma was right. At least he thought she was special, maybe if she was a good enough sister the same would apply to Inosuke. As it was Douma just led her back to room and shooed her inside with Inosuke.
"Sweet dreams you two," was all he said to her with a bright smile before sliding the door shut.
It took some arranging but she managed to drag the futon up against the wall with the duvet piled so she could settle down with her back against it and Inosuke in her lap. By then he was snuffling in earnest, not fully bawling but with tears welling in his eyes and slipping over his chubby cheeks. He sounded so sad and Kanao could tell from the way he kept squirming in the blanket, looking around the room, he was trying to find Kotoha.
She didn't really understand, as she had been grateful to be taken away from her parents. Maybe if someone tried to take her away from Douma? He didn't cuddle her like Kotoha did with Inosuke but he would pat her head and sometimes carry her around and was nice to her. But she liked him and didn't want to leave since he protected her and didn't hit her.
But that was to wait for her think about later, as now she had to take care of Inosuke. She didn't like him being so upset all the time. It had taken her nearly a week to think of something to try and cheer him up.
Even when he was crying she liked cuddling Inosuke. He was heavy and warm and she felt better holding him. She thought he also thought that about her, as while he was hiccuping he didn't burst into wails. But he was unhappy so she decided to put her plan in action.
Kanao coughed. It was a raw noise, like her throat was thick with dust. She nearly retched as she coughed again, as she began to rock him back and forth in her arms. Inosuke sniffled, bright green eyes overflowing with tears that curved over his chubby cheeks and soaked in his blanket.
"Pin...Pinky..." her voice was rough, barely more than a coarse whisper. She could not even remember the last time she spoke, it had been screams and sobs until that snap in her mind.
She had to, though, for her little brother.
The verses she'd written down so carefully, going through her readings in her tutoring and in the scant books in her room as she slowly began to read on her own.
She coughed again before saying in a whisper thin, hoarse voice, "Pinky promise...Pinky promise. Th- the snow falls densely....The hail falls dar- densely, densely. It's falling and falling....Collecting more and more. Pinky promise, pinky promise, the mountains and th- the fields are wearing their cotton hats. Cotton- cotton hats, and every, every tree flowers bloom. Pinky promise..."
Kanao continued to sing the same verse over and over, until her throat felt like sandpaper. Her singing was reedy and wheezing but Inosuke had fallen silent, staring up at her as she repeated the song.
When Misaki came the following morning to take her to breakfast, she found Kanao curled around Inosuke in the middle of a heaped up blanket. Both sound asleep, Kanao with her long dark hair strewn around her like seaweed and Inosuke tucked against her chest, chubby little fingers clenched tight around her pinky finger.
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