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Rating:
Teen And Up Audiences
Archive Warning:
Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Category:
Gen
Fandoms:
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
Language:
English
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Published:2021-11-21Updated:2026-04-06Words:154,514Chapters:39/?Comments:1,970Kudos:3,614Bookmarks:794Hits:129,333
Iron and Ice
SkilledWarriorKiwi
Chapter 15: Warabihime-Oiran
Chapter Text
"Hello, Daki! What a lovely night. My, you get more beautiful each time I see you."
"What do you want? Can't you see I'm working! Don't just come in through my window like that."
"Well it wasn't a window, it was dear Nakami-chan. Though I don't see anyone else in here. Unless- oh no, are you mad at me?"
The woman sitting in the room was scowling heavily at Douma, back stiff and a deep crease between her brows. In her clawed hands was a delicate brush, with an assortment of makeup strewn before her. A lone polished mirror was tilted up towards the woman. Otherwise room was sparse, walls covered in delicate, intricate paintings of a bamboo forest and blooming roses, while being lit with two oil lamps bracketing the shoji door that led into the building. There was a distant murmur of voices and the even more distant noise of a street.
The woman jabbed the brush at Douma, baring sharp fangs at him and Kanao noted with interest the stranger was also a demon even as she continued to argue with Otousan in scathing tones, "If I was mad this would already be in your eye! I told you before, quit bothering me while I'm at work. What do you even want?"
"Well I do have some fun books for you especially since you meet new people so often. They're full of botany and random abstract knowledge and the like, I know it's your favourite topic!"
"Urgh."
Otousan kept Kanao in his lap as he spoke to the other demon and she was content with it. The skull was cradled securely against her chest and her head was tucked underneath Douma's chin. His body was cold but her kimono was warm. Occasionally he would tap a sharp talon against the pearls danging from her hairpin, like a distracted cat.
Kanao could see past the woman's disguise of a human, much like with her Otousan. She could see the woman's long fangs and sharp talons, could see the two pink flowers tattooed upon her face, could see the demon's bright green eyes with their crimson pupils. Could see the kanji written in pitch black lines upon her iris.
上弦の陸
Kanao remembered Otousan's words that he was the third strongest; there were the six strongest demons, then That Man her father never really spoke of. And another six her Otousan couldn't be bothered to even remember the names of. Since this new demon was Upper Moon Six, then Kanao assumed the authority counted down. So in terms of power she was at the bottom though Kanao knew that did not mean much to a human.
Though she could not help but wonder what magic Upper Six could perform. Otousan had ice. Maybe Upper Six had fire? Wind? Some other type of elemental magic? Kanao did not know enough about demons and their magics. But she knew Otousan was cold and his heart was slow and flesh was chilly. This demon had pretty pink flowers on her face, still visible beneath the chalk-white powder covering most of it. Could she make flowers and plants?
Daki's kimono was purple with a trailing skirt, her haori a pure white with black patterns winding across it. Her dark hair was pulled back, heavily decorated with glittering kanzashi of tortoiseshell, gold, silver and inlaid with various sparkling gemstones. At her front was a thick obi belt. The fabric was pink, crossed with stripes of gold and black flowers but it seemed strange to her and Kanao was unsure why. Just something nudging at her mind, to be wary of the belt. Almost as if it were a snake in the grass. Something that seemed certain when Otousan gave the woman the books he had been grabbing in the city. She seemed very annoyed but took them from him, even if her red-painted lips were curled into a snarl the entire time, and when she tucked them into her obi belt it was if they vanished completely like the fabric swallowed them whole.
"Why don't you do this stupid crap yourself?" the demoness was saying, making a violent motion with a hand. "It's so boring. I actually have a job. You just lounge about at that farm of yours doing nothing all day."
"But you're so smart and resourceful! Why wouldn't I let you take over?"
The woman subtly preened at the words, despite her body language still being irritated with a snarl on her face, "You're right about all that but it's still annoying. And what's with that girl? Isn't she a bit young for your usual taste?"
"Ah, my manamusume," Otousan jostled Kanao as he grinned down at her, fangs flashing gold in the lamp light. "Why don't you introduce yourself to Daki?"
Kanao nodded once before obeying, saying flatly, "I am Hashibira Kanao."
"And how about you tell us what's written in Daki's lovely eyes?"
"Upper Moon Six."
"Very good!"
The demoness looked taken aback. "What? How can she see that? My eyes are transformed. Only Hashira notice."
"My Kanao has special eyes. Even when she was a little girl tied to that wall all those horrible years ago, she saw right through me!" Douma's smile grew wider, nearly showing his gums. "She's such a smart girl. Never afraid, so calm and intelligent."
"So what, you decided to play...I don't know, happy human families with her just because her eyes are strange?" Daki said, looking disturbed. She briefly bared her teeth at Kanao before looking back to Douma.
"Well why not?" Otousan shrugged, jostling Kanao with the movement. "Don't you frolic with the humans of this house, a little makeshift family? You've got that adorable little assistant of yours..."
"I ate her, stupid little bitch broke the mirror again," Daki snapped.
"Ara ara, what a shame. Luckily Kanao is such a smart girl, she would never do anything like that," Otousan said as he hugged Kanao tight enough her breath puffed out. She liked it when he hugged her, it made her feel safe even if he was cold. She also liked hugging Inosuke.
"Whatever," Daki said, giving Kanao a nasty look as if she'd insulted her before directing her attention back at Douma. "What else do you want?"
"It's the Entertainment District," Douma said cheerfully, maneuvering Kanao off his lap so she was sitting next to him. She kept the bag close as Douma rose to his feet, "And I'm a wee bit tired from all this parenting, as wonderful as it is. Daki, would you be a dear and take care of Kanao for me while I look through the local wares? Don't worry, Kanao's a gentle girl and she knows my diet. She won't be a bother."
"What? I'm no nursemaid!"
"Oh how wonderful, thank you so much," Douma then turned to Kanao and patted her on the head, saying, "Now you be a good girl for Daki, won't you?"
Kanao nodded.
"Hey! Get back here you asshole-"
Kanao did not mind as Douma seemed to vanish into thin air, leaving Daki snarling at nothing. Otousan had helped her get Inosuke's gift so she was pleased to have her. She had not met another demon before either- or spirit, she wasn't sure how much of it crossed over with one another -so did not mind being left with Daki. The demoness was interesting, she was very loud and emotional which was a contrast to Otousan's neutrality.
It looked almost as if Daki was going to pursue him, half raising from seiza with her fingers stretched into claws before she settled back down with a grunt. The belt at her waist seemed to twitch, flexing slightly with an unnatural fluid movement.
Then she gave Kanao a nasty look, the smooth skin of her brow contorting with her glare. Kanao just watched her back impassively. The light from the lamps seemed to thicken the shadows of Daki's face, her odd coloured eyes glowing in the dim light.
"You know Douma doesn't care about you, right?" Daki said to her, voice biting. "He's just fattening you up like a hog until you're big enough to eat. He eats people, you know that right? He especially likes women."
Kanao stared at her.
The demon's smile contorted into a heavy snarl, leaning forward further to glare at her, "He's going to eat you. At the moment you're too skinny and small, ugly and worthless. Do you actually think he cares about you? That he actually thinks you're his daughter?"
Kanao stared at her.
Daki's glare intensified, flaring with an unnatural light as the demoness showed large fangs, "Can you move or speak? Or are you just some braindead doll Douma lugs about, some stupid dog who only barks at his command?"
Kanao stared at her.
"Answer me, you little brat!"
The demon bristled, violence reverberating throughout her body before she swung back a pale hand. An instant before it collided with Kanao's face the demoness froze, her nose crinkling as she hissed lowly like a cat. But Kanao could see the way her eyes flicked towards the door Douma had left through. Then, very slowly, Daki lowered her hand even if her features remained pinched and displeased.
Kanao blinked once, realizing with some curiosity this demon was afraid of Otousan. Or rather, afraid of the consequences of hitting Kanao when Douma had explicitly told Daki to look after her. So he was stronger than Daki. Kanao felt pleased that even if Otousan was not with her he was still protecting her.
Then there was soft footsteps from outside and Kanao heard a voice call through the door, "Warabihime-Oiran? I thought your client has left for the night, is everything alright?"
After another glare Daki gracefully rose to her feet in a flurry of silks and gleaming gold thread. Kanao looked at the paintings on the walls as Daki slid open the door, addressing whoever was on the other side as Okami-san. A short, hushed conversation and then Daki swept back into the room looking disgruntled.
"Stupid bitch," she grumbled, movements fluid despite her annoyance.
Then she loomed behind Kanao, using her height to cast a dark shadow over her. Kanao didn't care. She leaned over, using a sharp talon to pry open the bag enough to see the skull inside.
"Why do you have that thing?" Daki said in disgusted tones.
"It is for my otouto's birthday. That is why Otousan took me to the city so I could get him a gift."
"Little brother?" a pause. "Another pet for him, I suppose. He's strange."
Daki straightened back up, making her way back to the mirror before kneeling down. She beckoned to Kanao with a clawed hand, looking over her shoulder with a bright eye.
"You won't be an oiran. Only the most beautiful, like me, can be one," Daki said with a dismissive huff, "You're too short and ugly for that. But since Douma left you here I have to do something with you, so you can be a maiko. So come here while I try to fix your ugliness."
Kanao did so. She placed the skull safely next to her and sat patiently.
Daki was brash and hot tempered, but her hands were steady as she washed Kanao's face clean with a damp cloth and then picked up a brush to dip it into a small pot of bintsuke-abura. She brushed Kanao's face with the oil, leaving her feeling greasy, along with a strip across her nape. Once done, Daki then used a bamboo brush to start applying a white powder across Kanao's features.
"It's to make your skin pale and smooth, easily seen in the dark district like the face of the moon shining forth among the dull stars. White skin covers the seven flaws. Not like some sun-burnt peasant toiling in the fields," Daki said confidently, the kanzashi in her elaborate hair shimmering in the light as she leaned forward slightly.
Kanao didn't understand why working in the fields was a bad thing, since sometimes she and Inosuke would do so with Misaki, but nonetheless sat still as Daki powdered her face with rhythmic movements. The powder felt strange on her skin. Some of the women at Paradise Faith would wear such things but it would only be slight. Not the thick masks like Daki wore over her self or the one she was putting on Kanao. But now the demoness wasn't trying to strike her anymore so Kanao did not mind.
Once done with covering Kanao's face in white, along with some upon her nape, Daki switched to a thinner brush to paint over her whitened eyebrows in rich black and then added some crimson to her eyelids.
"Only use black, red and white for your face," Daki sniffed. "Stupider people take more time to adjust it, but I know what I'm doing. We beautiful, powerful demons are better than any of you."
Kanao waited patiently as Daki then coloured her lower lip in red. It tasted strange but she ignored the urge to lick. It was interesting, having the demoness paint her like a doll. Her touch was not cold like Otousan's, instead her skin felt like any human.
Daki dabbed off any excess moisture from Kanao's lip before giving a satisfied nod. Outside the room there was a brief hum of voices as a group of people walking past in the house.
She set down her tool before regarding Kanao with a judging eye, tapping a sharp talon against her chin while muttering to herself, "I suppose your kimono is rich enough, with that silk and golden thread...But that hair is terrible."
Kanao did not think so. She did not mind her hair. Having her fringe cut short meant it would not catch fire whenever she did something wrong in the kitchen. Though she did twitch slightly as Daki took the lotus pin from her hair, keeping ahold of Kanao's ponytail with her other hand to prevent it from falling across her nape.
"What's with this pin?" Daki asked as she turned it around in inspection, the string of pearls swinging.
"Otousan gifted it to me in the skull room. He gave me permission to stab people with it if they attempt to harm me."
Daki blinked at her before letting out a snort. "Of course he did. And well yes, humans do so scream and panic when they loose an eye. They are soft and delectable. I suppose Douma is right about that, you have rather pretty eyes..."
When Daki attacked her hair, it left Kanao with a hairstyle more elaborate than most. It reminded her of the times Misaki would do up her hair whenever there were festivals though this time Daki called it wareshinobu. Almost like a shell, secured with silken red ribbons and then so many kanzashi spearing through her black tresses. The whole time Daki had a look of concentration, her tongue sticking out slightly between her fangs as she brushed and twisted Kanao's hair to her satisfaction. Occasionally Daki would pull a hairpin from her obi belt, seemingly out of thin air.
"They should match with the month and its flower, but you'll take what I give you," she said grumpily, as if expecting Kanao to complain.
Kanao was pleased when Daki returned her lotus hairpin, sliding it next to one carved from jade and dripping emeralds. The demoness fussed for some moments, adjusting a hairpin, smoothing a wayward strand, dabbing at the red streak across her eyelids.
"Now you're presentable," Daki said with a satisfied smile. She snatched up the mirror in clawed hands, holding it up to Kanao's face. "Not just some ugly little girl are you?"
She stared at her reflection. Kanao wasn't so sure with Daki's words, as her face was painted up pale with red and black like one of the women within an ink painting. The kanzashi in her long dark hair was very sparkly though and Kanao supposed it was good. Not as good as the pin Otousan had given her.
"Why am I even asking you, of course you look good," Daki huffed, seemingly irritated at not getting a response. "Your opinion is worthless, anyway."
Kanao did not respond to that, watching the demoness idly as Daki set down the mirror hard enough she cracked the glass. She was very emotional compared with Otousan. Maybe it was because he could use ice magic? Kanao thought of those icy lotus vines and how snowflakes had spread over the wooden door frames. The woman's insides had been so red against the snowy white and blue.
"Oniichan!" Daki suddenly snapped, "Wake up and admire what I've done! It's perfect. Look at it!"
There was a long silence, where Kanao just watched Daki as the demoness' expression grew increasingly irritated as the room remained still and quiet. Beyond, Kanao could hear the faint noises of footsteps and inaudible speaking in the streets beyond. Kanao did not know who Daki was speaking to. Perhaps a ghost or spirit?
Puffing out her cheeks, Daki straightened up as her hands clenched in the rich purple fabric of her obi belt.
"Oniichan!"
It was a tone Kanao instantly recognized, one Inosuke would use on her when he wanted her attention but she was focused on something else. A sharp, high-pitched whine. Kanao did not know demons could also do that.
There was another pause and then Daki twitched violently, leaning over as if she was about to bow and Kanao watched as another form began to abruptly grow from her back with the sound of ripping flesh while Daki's clothes seem to shed from her like snakeskin. The other form growing and growing even as the air seemed to thicken, until there was another person in the room who tugged themself free of Daki's back.
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