Episode Title:
Doll.
Episode Description:
Shino, Sosuke, and Genpachi go to the Imamura doll maker to pick up a set of dolls for the elite church member's order. As they walk toward the house, they meet an old man enjoying the flowers and also hear a voice of a boy, singing to the Sakura trees. Confused, they continue on to the house, where they meet Daikaku and Hinaginu, the children of the doll maker. For some strange reason, the doll maker had disappeared without finishing the dolls. Shino demands that Daikaku, his heir, to finish the dolls, but he refuses, saying that he is unable to capture the expression of the doll. Angry Shino mutters to himself while walking in the backyard, where a young boy chucks a decorated ball at his head, telling him to leave Daikaku alone. Confused, Shino picks up the ball and goes to beg Daikaku to finish the dolls, also noticing the many cat dolls around the room. Shino continues to check out the house, where he finds a room full of live-sized dolls. One captures his attention and he stands in shock -- the doll was the figure of the woman who had killed them. He goes to Daikaku for the second time and asks about the ball and the figure. Daikaku doesn't know anything about the figure, but he is able to tell the story of his cat, who had originally owned the mysterious ball. As night dawns, Daikaku sees one of the Sakura tree branches falling, and suddenly regains the memory of the day he was murdered, unable to comprehend how he is still alive. Murasame mentions the cherry blossoms and Shino follows, only to be hit in the head once again by the strange boy. Joined by Genpachi and Sousuke, they watch in amazement as the boy turns into an orange cat. Genpachi plays along and turns into his demon form, planning on eating the cat. He is stopped by a rude black cat, who is then stopped by the old man they had met earlier. He turns out to be Hinozuka Nachi, member of one of the Four Houses of Sacred Beasts.
