The Demon Queen

A New Friendship (Part 2)

Douma laughed. "Nope! Not a thing!"

I stared at him with dead eyes.

He laughed again. "Sorry! I wish I could help more. I really am trying!" He brought his mouth to the arm and continued to eat.

I looked away in disgust. "I've got thirty possible locations so far, but because your father was trying to cover up his affairs, it's not much of a lead." I let the scroll in my hand drop down into the box with the others. "It's all basically useless."

Douma made some "mm, mm" sounds as he chewed and swallowed. "Ah! I'm full!" he then exclaimed and sighed.

It's about time he'd be done with that ...

"Sakura-sama, is it really important to you to go out into the sun?" he asked curiously.

What kind of question is that? I thought.

I looked at Douma. "Of course I want to go out into the sun. Maybe it doesn't mean much to you, Douma, but living with the sun as your enemy for 800 years is a long time."

Douma rubbed his chin. "Oh, that's very true. I didn't think of that." He smiled. "For me, it's like a game of tag, except I can burn to death if I don't escape the dawn soon enough."

"You sound like you don't care if you die," I said matter-of-factly.

Douma laughed. "I'm not afraid of it, but I'd rather not die until I find my inner peace. That'll take a while, though. But, I still have hope!"

I said nothing. I didn't know how to respond to him.

"Sakura-sama," Douma said in a more serious tone. "How did you get those scars on your face?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Why are you bothering to ask?"

"Because they look painful. But they make you look strong, like a samurai."

His answer made me smile a little. "Did you now that Kokushibou was a samurai when he was human?"

"Kokushibou?" he asked. "Ah! The one with all those eyes!"

"Right."

"I didn't think he'd have been a samurai, but I didn't see him for long. Just that one time you and your husband showed me to the castle. The demon with all the eyes didn't seem to like me much, so I ignored him."

"I think he didn't understand why you were even there."

Douma smiled. "Maybe you're right. I'm not such an unlikeable guy."

Are you sure about that?

"But, your scars --"

He won't quit it with that?

Douma's smile faded. "Are they painful?"

I stared at him for a moment. "No."

"Who did that to you?" he asked. "Who would try to hurt you? You're so kind."

I sighed. He wasn't going to stop. "I had a run-in with a very strong Demon Slayer and it happened."

Douma gasped.

I almost snapped at him to tell him not to be sarcastic, but quickly held myself back. That gasp was real. In fact, Douma's expression was real every time he commented on my scars. He wasn't exaggerating or creating something false because he felt he had to.

"And to think, this happened to you, but when you made me a demon, nothing bad happened to me," Douma said. "After seeing those demons at the castle, it was shocking. A lot of eyes. Pink hair and markings all over the face. And that ghastly fish-scaled thing ..."

I laughed. "Actually, Gyokko isn't too bad once you get over the shock."

"Your husband isn't very good at making demons if they turn out like that," Douma said.

"I don't know what's with him," I said. "He tells them to clear their mind before doing it and then blames them for their own deformities, saying they must have not cleared their minds properly."

"Hm ..." Douma said. "Maybe. I know nothing about making demons, but I think Muzan-sama isn't cautious enough. You were, though. Thank you!"

"Ehm ... sure. No problem."

"Now about those scars," Douma continued. "You know, Sakura-sama, I can try to fade them for you."

"Huh?"

I was expecting him to laugh, but he didn't.

"I'm not the owner of this temple just because of my appearance. I have some psychic abilities, too. Sort of like you, but I'd say mine were honed better."

Yeah, because you were to inherit this cult, not to be an extra and sit back while your older brother did all the work.

"My point is, I can try to fade those scars over some sessions," Douma said. "Sometimes when I do things, they work very well, but other times they don't work so well. I can't guarantee it'll work but I can try and I can promise you they won't get worse. Besides, I want to try to pay you back for what you did for me. Really."

"For making you a demon?" I asked.

"For that, and for hanging out at the temple." He smiled. "It's nice ... to not be alone. And maybe, Sakura-sama ... maybe, we could be friends?"

"Friends?" I asked.

Douma nodded. "You know, two people that get along and talk and spend time together and support each other."

"I know what a friend is."

"Oh! Of course! Silly me, you have a lot of demon friends at the castle!"

They aren't exactly my friends, but --

"I never ..." He paused for a moment. "I never had a friend before. I couldn't play with others my age, because I always had to be at the cult."

His words suddenly hit me. They reminded me of Muzan, who was so ill that he couldn't play outside, and other children didn't want to spend time with him.

I was his first friend, too.

"I know it's a silly thing to ask, but can we try?" Douma asked. "I think we can help each other a lot. What do you say?"

I looked at Douma -- the man who was physically a perfect being in my eyes but mentally something else. The one who intrigued me and repulsed me at the same time. But he was trustworthy. To me, it was obvious when he exaggerated and when he was true to his own self, even if he was blind to it.

And besides, I needed a distraction from the same routine I had been following for far too long.

I smiled at Douma. "Let's do it." I stood up. "But, on one condition."

He perked up. "Sure! Anything you ask!"

I looked to the blood staining his chin and corners of his mouth. "Clean yourself up after you eat humans if you're going to hang around me."