Shinobu panted as she lay in bed, her pale forehead drenched in sweat.
Her cheeks were sunken. Her eyes carried dark circles around them. Her hair had thinned out. The paleness of her skin wasn't just because of the demonification, either, but a major loss of blood.
Shinobu gulped.
Hunger… a constant, gurgling hunger…
She hadn't imagined that there would come a time when she would know what hunger meant. Death? That was something easier to imagine. Death? She would trade that fate with this hunger any moment.
Shinobu looked down at herself.
She lifted her hand and traced a shaky path across the space as her fingers landed on her child. She could feel… She knew where the hunger was coming from. She knew who wanted to eat… flesh; drink blood; chew bones.
Shinobu looked to her left.
Moraine's eyes opened.
A Hashira… Shinobu could see the words of pride written all over the girl's face. But, not the same Hashira as the ones from this world, she could tell. This girl was powerful for a Hashira, true enough. It was just…
Moraine stood up and knelt next to Shinobu's bed.
"What can I do for you, my lady?" the woman asked. "If you need anything…"
"That's…" Shinobu said, cutting her words short. "… That's not how a Hashira should act, Moraine. That's not how any Hashira should hold herself. Or… serving my husband's needs has made you lose your spine for strength?"
Moraine kept her head down.
Shinobu scoffed. "Bring me food…" she said. "And… call Cersei."
The Elegant Hashira nodded and silently walked out of the room.
Cersei, wearing a Hashira's white kimono over a standard Demon Slayer black uniform, walked inside the room, her eyes crashing on the bump.
Hate. Envy. … Concern.
Shinobu could read the emotions off Cersei's face like reading words off a scroll.
That the woman didn't even bother to hide those emotions, unlike Moraine, also helped her a bit, making the company much more exciting.
"Girl or boy?" Cersei asked, taking a seat on a chair next to her bed.
Shinobu raised her brows. "That's something even he hasn't asked me," she replied. "What makes you think I will tell his mistress?"
Cersei's nose scrunched up, but only for a moment.
"He hasn't asked you because he doesn't care," she said, carrying a smile on her lips. "And that's saying something, isn't it?"
Shinobu's lips flattened into a thin line.
Months… It's been months since she had seen him. Months since she had fallen into this painful despair. Months since the due date of giving birth had passed, turning her life miserable.
Not one in this world possessed the expertise to tell what was wrong with her.
No one could explain to her what was happening to her, to her child.
Even these… Contestants had no clue whatsoever.
Forget having a clue. The likes of Moraine didn't even dare speak of him, or any matter related to the child, as if just bringing those words to her mouth would condemn her to death.
Kai wasn't an evil man.
Then, why would the people who worked under him fear him so much?
"You are thinking too much…"
Shinobu looked toward Cersei and found her looking at the wine as she sloshed it around in a cup.
Cersei looked away from the wine, took a sip, and met her gaze.
"He is looking at you," she said. "He is always keeping an eye on you."
Shinobu had a feeling that she saw something when Cersei said those words. A touch of yellowness in those green eyes. For a moment… just for a moment… it felt like she wasn't looking at the whore, but at her husband.
"A… Skill?" Shinobu asked.
Cersei shook her head. "Something greater…"
Shinobu nodded before looking into those green eyes once more… deeper this time.
"Don't you dare come to me," she said, now knowing that he was hearing her. "Don't you dare come to me, you bastard. You promised… You promised! You said I know everything! Then… Then why aren't you telling me what's keeping you from coming here?!"
Silence.
Cersei emptied the wine and leaned forward.
Shinobu, for the first time in a while, looked at herself through those clear eyes.
"That's how men are…" Cersei said, wiping the trail of blood from the corner of her mouth. "… they fuck and fuck… get you pregnant… and wait until they can fuck you more…"
Shinobu, seething in anger, let her head fall back on the pillow.
The door to the room slid open, and Moraine walked in, bringing food… food that the child lusted for inside her.
Moraine walked around the bed, giving a wide berth to Cersei, and placed the food on a table next to Shinobu.
"… and that, ironically, is better than never knowing how it feels to have your man inside you, Shinobu," Cersei continued, smirking. "Moraine… don't you think it's time that you let blood run down your thighs?"
Moraine sighed. "They are here…"
Well, at least, despite lacking the true potential of this world's Hashiras, Moraine had the senses of one, Shinobu noticed.
Cersei scoffed. "They were here before you left the room, my sweet summer child," she said, getting up. "Now be a good maid and attend Lady Shinobu's needs. Leave them to the rest of us… That's why we are here. That's why he sent us here."
Moraine, finally, couldn't help but ground her teeth, air freezing in her surroundings.
That was a mistake, Shinobu knew. It meant the girl still had much, much to learn when it came to avoiding being goaded into a scuffle. Kai wouldn't be pleased with how easily she got manipulated by Cersei.
"I am stronger than you!" Moraine hissed through her teeth, standing up. "I am stronger than…"
Cersei chuckled.
Shinobu, begrudgingly, chuckled along with that bitch.
Shadows squirmed, becoming a skin-tight suit on Cersei that revealed her perfect curves as she walked toward the door.
"It's not about having greater strength…" the Shadow Queen said.
Then, ever so gently, she melted into the shadows and disappeared.
Shinobu reached under the blanket and tightened her grip around her sword.
Far into the distance, she could sense their presence as if they were in front of her.
An army of Demons.
Millions of them.
Coming for her.
For her child.
"It's about…" the Insect Hashira said, "… how far you are willing to go to protect those whom you care about."