Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or Kimetsu no Yaiba.
Fated Destiny
Chapter 1: Eternal Darkness
Solitary cloud…
Drifting over the moonlight…
He stood in the shade of a snow-coated aspen tree. The branches above wavered precariously under the weight of all the precipitation, threatening to spill the snow at the slightest movement. The dark midnight sky was blanketed by a soft, thin layer of clouds, yet a tear in the shadows where the moon hung eerily. It cast its melancholic gaze down upon the snow-covered realm. It was almost as if the celestial body had halted all movement in the world with its impassive, watchful gaze. Not a single owl cried its nightly hoots, nor a single mouse scurried under the dead underbrush. Even the wind sat still, daren't to continue its endless voyage across the world.
The world was pensive, anticipating the first move. Whether it would be a squirrel leaping through the branches in search of acorns… or a demon scouring the mountain, searching for its next unsuspecting prey.
Giyuu held his eyes closed, concentrating on his other senses to tell the world around him. The sharp sting of the soft snow underfoot numbed his toes, his fingertips brushed up against a tree, shivering from the frigid wood. The sound of complete, utter silence hanging over the mountain, like a fog in a valley. The fresh, distinct scent of pine needles wafted lazily around the trees, the icy nothingness of frost and snow, and the faintest waft of a demon close by.
At long last, the devil had decided to reveal itself. Giyuu had been patiently awaiting its arrival since dusk, when the forest had still been settling itself down to rest. He opened his eyes, greeted by the unmoving trees and snow. Nothing looked out of place, but sight had always been the most disillusioned and susceptible of the five senses.
He was downwind to the demon, so it could not sense him before he found it. Although Giyuu's sense of smell was nowhere near as sharp as Tanjiro's, the Mizunoto with the demon sister, he could still follow the demon's scent to its location. The foul stench of darkness and death wafted down the mountainside, drifting in the air. Giyuu took a deep breath, inhaling through his nose and exhaling through his mouth.
In.
Out.
Total Concentration.
Swifter than lightning, Giyuu darted out from the shade of the aspen, dashing alongside the mountainous slopes of the forest. His movements were so light and nimble that they hardly left footprints in the snow, only disturbing a newly-settled light layer of icy dust. The alpine forest slowly thinned out the higher up the mountain, the air harsher and piercing his lungs. Giyuu ignored the prickling pain and concentrated on the demon. His acute nose picked up a whiff of blood, stirring a feeling of slight concern within him. There was a trail that ran through the mountain, to a village on the other side. It was completely possible that a traveler or merchant had strayed too far from the path and been attacked by a ruthless demon.
Giyuu's body ached quietly in soft protest at the sudden, extensive movement after hours of stillness. Still, he persisted. Passing the timberline, the mountain became a monochrome world of gray and white. Jagged cliffs and scraggly boulders dotted the mountainside, some with edges sharp enough to cut through flesh. In other places, the unsuspecting snow piled many feet deep, nestled between tall, haphazard walls of stone. Giyuu took great care to avert the snowdrifts, navigating through the desolate highland—
Splattered across a clearing, was a dash of color to the monochrome land.
Crimson red, in an outward splatter leading north. The color of spider lilies.
The color of blood.
Heavy footsteps lead to the scene of the crime from the opposite direction, the same way in which the victim had been dragged away. Giyuu prudently approached the bloody splatter. There was a suspicious hole in the center of the blood, the size of a small, jagged fist. Scraps of stained fabric rested at the bottom of the hole.
Most likely, a demon had been chasing a human and skewered something straight through their body, possibly their torso, killing them upon impact. Then it had dragged the corpse away, potentially to its lair to devour. The acrid stench of death, gore, and demon lingered heavily in the air. Giyuu swept his calculating gaze over the snowy clearing, spotting a torn bag made of worn beige fabric. A wooden stick and onigiri wrapped in bamboo leaves tumbled out of the makeshift sack and onto the snow. A traveler, then. What a desolate fate to befallen such a poor, unfortunate soul.
There was not a single moment to spare.
Giyuu darted away faster than a peregrine falcon swooping down after its prey. His footsteps carried himself in the direction of the blood trail, which twisted and thinned out the further along he got. The land steepened and rocky walls rose up around the trail. It appeared that the demon resided in the twilight depths of a shallow ravine.
The putrid stench of rotting flesh and demon rose sharply. Giyuu halted in his movements, placing his hand on the hilt of his sword and unsheathing the blade. He held it defensively, unknowing of where the demon might come from.
"RUARGH!"
Giyuu's honed reflexes immediately reacted to the battle cry, twisting around and swinging his blade in the path of the incoming attack. Less than a second later, the sharp, bloodstained claws of a demon clashed against the cool steel.
The demon had snow-colored hair that fell below her waist, bone pale skin, and devilish magenta eyes with black sclera. She wore a short white kimono with gold designs intricately woven and laced with white fox fur on the edges. The remains of a pale gold haori clung to her arms, battered and torn beyond recognition. Despite her vicious attack, Giyuu could tell that the demon was weak, most likely recently turned. A noblewoman who had unbeknowingly perished to a demon on the mountaintop? Possible, considering her fur-laced kimono and thick winter haori.
A calm fury was painted on the demon's face, reflecting an elegant image if not for the rivulets of blood trickling down her chin and splattered over her kimono. She leapt over Giyuu onto the other side, landing on the snow-covered stone. The demon pressed the palm of her right hand onto the ground, a demonic aura spiking around her.
"Blood Demon Art: Unflinching Ice!"
Razor-sharp ice crystals each the size of a dagger materialized in the air above the demon, raining down mercilessly upon the ravine. A commendable achievement, for such a young demon. Just how many humans did she have to eat in such a short time to become so powerful?
Giyuu closed his eyes, letting his sword fall to his side. It didn't matter, as she would be dead soon anyways.
"Water Breathing: Eleventh Form— Dead Calm."
Giyuu felt the raging torrent surrounding him disappear, transforming into a tranquil, unbroken sea of pacific water. A droplet of liquid splashed into the surface of the ocean, sending faint ripples down the expanse of water.
At a speed faster than light, with a deadly efficiency enough to cut the toughest of boulders, Giyuu slashed through all of the ice crystals, turning them into small frozen pebbles that rained down over the valley.
A choked, petrified gasp echoed through the ravine, reverberating off of the towering stone walls. Giyuu opened his emotionless blue eyes, the ocean blue depths reflecting the impassive and melancholic nature of water itself. The demon he faced was quivering vehemently, her black and magenta eyes utterly conquered by fierce trepidation.
"Please," She whispered, her voice no longer retaining the inhumanity of when he first faced her. "Don't kill me! Just let me live." Giyuu ignored the desperate pleas of the demon. There was no taking back previous actions. The past was the past, it would never change. The demon had killed and devoured many humans, luring them into her icy abode on top of the mountain. She had proven that she was like any other bloodthirsty demon, so why should he grant mercy just because she stooped low enough to beg?
Still…
There was a look of resignation, acceptance of her fate in her eyes. The demon knew that she was going to die, and had surrendered to destiny. There was no need to be unnecessarily cruel about her decapitation.
"Water Breathing: Fifth Form— Blessed Rain After the Drought."
In the blink of an eye, Giyuu landed on the other side of the demon. Hearing the quiet thud on the snow-covered ground and a small gasp of shock, he sheathed his blade. Giyuu turned around to see the body of the demon fading into pale ashes on the newfound breeze that swept through the mountain.
Giyuu let out a sigh. The ones in charge of assigning missions according to rank and capabilities were at it again. Assigning a Hashira to kill a single newborn demon much weaker than those in which he had encountered on the way here. The job could have easily been handled by a single Mizunoto, perhaps two, but some dummy had miscalculated the threat level of the demon into thinking it was on par with one of the Twelve Kizuki—
No.
Giyuu's eyes flung wide open as he breathed in a new scent. Sharper than the demon from before— much sharper. It was repulsive, rancid, worse than any stench he had smelled from members of the Twelve Kizuki. This was a demon that had murdered, eaten, and turned more humans than any other creature.
Muzan Kibutsuji.
Giyuu's hand flung to his sword, unsheathing it and barely managing to slice off a monstrous appendage flying towards his back. Demonic blood dripped onto the ground, dying the snow even redder than it already was. His heart thumped loudly inside his chest, his tight grip on his sword wavering just the slightest bit.
Sabito never would have wavered in the face of danger.
Standing a few meters away from him, was the one and only Muzan Kibutsuji.
"I had always known that the Ubuyashiki Family was arrogant and naive. So it proves to me as no surprise that you demon slayers fell straight into the trap I put up."
Giyuu forced himself to remain calm, to hold his blade with steady hands. His impassive blue eyes revealed nothing as they peered into the shocking fuchsia orbs of the demon king. The almost glowing eyes held slitted pupils and veins branching out from the outer walls of the eyes. A small, cruel smile was present on his unnaturally pale face.
The king of demons was… surprisingly posh. He wore a neat black suit and fedora, with dark hair neatly tucked underneath the hat. A few strands spilled out at the sides, framing his unnaturally pale face and reddish eyes. Still, the monotone theme only enhanced his bone-chilling features.
A slimy, worm-like appendage bulging in his right sleeve dragged on the ground, the flesh in which Giyuu had cut off already regenerating. Black blood pulsed steadily through the veins, the eerily visible circulatory system sending shivers down his spine. A sharp claw rested on the tip of the appendage, razor-sharp and gleaming.
"Muzan Kibutsuji."
Kibutsuji snapped his demonic arm back into his suit sleeve. "Your powers outmatch many ordinary slayers. I assume that you are a Hashira?"
"What does it matter to you?" Giyuu narrowed his eyes hatefully.
"You're right. It doesn't matter." Kibutsuji's pupils shrunk even further, glowing brightly in the dark shadows of the night. "You'll all be dead, sooner or later."
Kibutsuji raised his arm.
An expanded transparent worm-like arm shot towards Giyuu at the speed of light. Toxic venoms rippled in the arteries underneath the clear surface, gathering near the stinger of the arm and swelling the area. It charged headfirst at Giyuu, who leapt over the appendage and brought his sword down on the thing.
Shockingly, his blade was unable to slice through the flesh as how it had last time, the tough, rubbery skin a stark contrast to the thin membrane enclosing the goop. Kibutsuji took full advantage of the situation, slamming his arm onto the ground over and over again, pummeling Giyuu along with it. Giyuu gritted his teeth, grimacing at the pounding pain. The snow helped cushion some of the impact, but that didn't stop the fact that he was being repeatedly thrown onto stone ground.
After a few bashings, Giyuu was thrown carelessly to the side, his body slamming into the stone walls of the shallow ravine. He slumped to the ground, feeling a warm liquid dripping down his forehead. His body was littered with cuts and bruises, his muscles protesting ferociously against any movement. Yet still, Giyuu endured the pain and stood back up. He picked up his fallen nichirin sword, and held it in front of him defensively. Kibutsuji raised a faux curious eyebrow at him, cruel enjoyment glimmering in his devilish eyes.
"You're still standing? The last time I fought a Hashira, that killed him upon impact." Kibutsuji morphed his slug-like arm into a swirling chainsaw, sharp and hardened edges twirling faster than the eye could see. Giyuu felt a sense of despair encroaching upon him, but forcefully pushed it away.
A true Hashira would stare death right in the eye and die trying to take it down.
But I'm not.
Giyuu took a deep, calming breath. He called upon the form that would combat most usefully against the whirring blades of doom, one that would retaliate with just as much sheer strength and brute force.
"Water Breathing: Second Form— Lateral Water Wheel."
A wheel of speeding water appeared as Giyuu charged towards Kibutsuji, pushing as much effort into the breath form as possible. The demon king raised his chainsaw arm calmly in front of his body, using the weaponry limb as a shield to protect and attack. Just as Giyuu had expected him to do.
The water wheel clashed against the arm of saws…
And promptly dissipated when the arm pushed right through, without a single scratch.
Giyuu's eyes widened just the slightest bit. He rapidly twisted away in an attempt to escape the grasp of the arm, but the sheer speed of Kibutsuji's reflexes extinguished his futile attempt.
Searing agony tore through Giyuu's body, sending spasms of pain throughout all of his limbs. A yawning chasm of emptiness, of pain, of torn and bleeding flesh dug deeper and deeper into his chest. The flesh chainsaw relentlessly carved into Giyuu's body, lodging itself in the flesh securely.
Blood sprayed out of the wound, splattering onto the snow-covered ground and dying the pure white ice crystals crimson. It formed rivulets flowing down Giyuu's uniform, staining the dark fabric and his beloved haori.
Giyuu's eyes were wider than he could have ever imagined, his mind going numb with shock. His arms fell to his side, his blade clattering into the snow-ridden stone. Pained, choked gasps escaped from his lips as the arm twisted and turned inside of him, every little movement setting fire ablaze to his body. Kibutsuji, standing a few meters away, donning a mask of complacency as he agonizingly tortured him.
"You humans are utterly pathetic," Kibutsuji said, spitting out the word human with intense hatred and disdain. "One measly wound and your lives slip away." He slowly stalked towards Giyuu, arm still embedded in his chest. Black spots blurred over Giyuu's vision as he relented his struggles. The arm inside his chest held him suspended in the air, tugging at the punctured muscle and sending even more spasms of pain wracking his body.
Killed by Kibutsuji in one blow… I'm truly pathetic.
"The Ubuyashiki family has passed many generations since I last faced their leader." Kibutsuji stated coldly, any traces of a sardonic smile vanishing from his face. "But one thing that seems to be a hereditary trait is their passion and love for their cannon fodder." His fuchsia eyes stared straight into Giyuu's own. "Imagine just how devastated they would be if one of their own were to betray them."
To betray them.
Giyuu's eyes flung wide open in shock as he processed the meaning of those words.
The tips of the blades of Kibutsuji's arm shifted around inside his body, pressing up against meaty flesh. A momentary ethereal sensation rushed through Giyuu's body, like being struck by lightning or floating in the sky. Sadly, the ephemeral tranquility perished to the flames of woe as they wracked his body in fits. He could feel them, the foreign invasive cells slaughtering his own and rapidly duplicating themselves. It was too MUCH—
Right then and there, Giyuu Tomioka died a psychological death.
Two Months Later
Darkness veiled the world in a shadowy cloak, embroidered with an ethereal and melancholic moon and minuscule gems that twinkled as stars. It hid the planet and everything that resided on it away from the cloudless blue sky and the beaming rays of sunlight.
In the unclaimed wilderness, villagers huddled anxiously inside their wooden cabins, praying that their tiny settlement won't be the next unsuspecting target of a pack of monsters. In the bustling cities that served as capitals, people went about their evening routines, whilst crooks gambled and smoked and mugged the few who misleadingly wandered into the red light district.
Their scents…
It was so intoxicating…
He wearily pushed himself up from the hard cement ground, the tiny rocks mixed together to form the mixture digging into his palms. His body felt battered and bruised, exhaustion overwhelming his limbs, a mental fatigue plaguing his mind. Excruciating pain wracked his body with the tiniest of movements. His body quaked violently, his tender muscles struggling excessively to remain in an upright position.
A primal instinct stirred within him. A small spark that rapidly expanded into a blazing inferno. It overrode his senses, filling his mind with but one thought.
Devour.
The caustic hunger was unbearable, the desire to consume human flesh irresistible. And with the cuts and bruises he felt all over his body, there was no dilemma not to be solved with nutrition.
He took a deep breath, sniffing the air to catch wind of any tasty food nearby.
His eyes flung open, a choked sound escaping from his mouth. A myriad of scents exploded in his nostrils, giving mixed messages on what was nearby.
The wind carried wet tales of an incoming rainstorm in the morning. Along with came a strange burning stench that stung inside his nostrils and a metallic smell of steel. From the west, came the sweet aroma of sugary sweets, the savory scent of fried chicken and simmered vegetables, and from the direction where the salty sea spray drifted from, there were…
Humans.
His doey blue eyes narrowed, pupils forming paper-thin slits. His irises shifted from the color of the open ocean to electric aquamarine. Bulging veins framing his face became visible, his skin paling to the point where it was near white. A low, inhumane growl escaped from his mouth.
One human scent stood out above the rest. While the rest were like offering a head of cabbage to a starving man, that person was like a bowl of hot chicken broth. And the aroma was growing stronger, the prey coming closer…
The man with the mouthwatering blood stepping behind the tall metal container in which he had awoken behind. A look of confusion clouded his face. "What— who are you? What are you doing here? This area is restricted to civilians—"
He didn't give the man a chance to finish before letting out a feral cry, launching towards the person. The perplexment in the man's eyes was quickly replaced by shock and fear, opening his mouth to cry for help—
Blood came gushing out of the man's throat, red staining his clothes and the ground as life drained from his body.
He didn't even wait for the body to hit the ground before pounding on it, tearing into the heavenly delicious flesh. The warm metallic taste of blood reinvigorated his body with energy, his senses sharpening and the primal instinct waning.
He let the remains of the corpse fall to the ground, licking off the blood that stained his hands. His mind refocused on things other than devouring as a burning question tugged at his conscience.
What was his name?
…
…
Gi…
A boy with coral colored hair and deep teal eyes tumbled down the lush green mountainside, eyes filled with mirth.
"C'mon, Giyuu!" He called joyously. "Race you down the mountain!"
Giyuu Tomioka.
He was Giyuu Tomioka.
Giyuu lapped up the last of the blood from his fingers, looking up to stare at the starry night sky. The melancholic shattered moon was full and bright, scattered moon dust from whatever incident thousands of years ago attempting to mimic the twinkling of the stars.
Had the moon always been broken?
His memories were veiled by a heavy mist, immovable and opaque. However, there was one that remained untouched, pristine and crystal clear, as if it had just happened.
A man in an all black suit with a white fedora and jet black curled hair framing his face stared down at Giyuu with fuchsia colored eyes, his eyes as cold as a blizzard-ridden tundra, forever encased in snow and ice. The icy impassiveness in his gaze sent chills down his spine.
"You will make yourself useful to me." The man said, words as sharp as steel, as cutting as ice. "Investigate this new land. Do whatever means necessary to determine the fate of the world. Find the Blue Spider Lily."
Giyuu felt shudders run down his spine. The almightiness and omnipresence of the man was too much to stare straight in the eye. He found himself instinctively dropping into a deep bow.
He didn't know who the fuchsia-eyes man was, but he was intimidating. A superior, and one to be respected and not reckoned with.
"At some point, others will come to check up on your work." The man continued briskly. "They shall know of you by my mark."
A searing pain burst to life on Giyuu's left hand. It felt as if it were on fire; burning inferno ravaging the delicate skin. He glanced down at the pain-ridden hand, seeing a symbol branded into the back.
An intricate, baroque flower was engraved into the pale flesh, droplets of blood dying the brand blood red. The blossom's stem was paper-thin, with petals just as minuscule that branched out to the sides.
It resembled a spider lily.
Giyuu slowly lifted his left hand to examine the mark that had been etched in by the mysterious man. It was still there, just as fresh and vivid and red as it was the day it was carved. He tentatively lifted a finger and touched the mark. A slight tingling sensation ran throughout his body, but hardly noticeable. Yet despite the lack of a reaction, the sigil radiated a sense of authority, purpose, and warning.
The Blue Spider Lily.
That was what he had to find.
Giyuu cautiously poked his head out from behind the metal containers in which he had hidden behind, surveying the premise. It appeared that he was in a large dock, the ground coated in cement and littered with large metal containers, like the one he was currently hiding behind. The scent of the other humans were coming from the direction of the sea, their mouthwatering aromas mixing with the salty ocean spray.
The feral hunger reawakened inside Giyuu, pupils sharpening and a droplet of drool dangling from his mouth. He knew that he needed to get stronger to complete his assignment, and he was so hungry…
His gaze was washed over with crimson red.
The rest of the night passed by in a blur. Driven by a primal instinct, Giyuu hunted down all humans he came across. Their blood, though not the tastiest, helped satisfy the bottomless pit that was his stomach. Their lifeless bodies, clouded eyes, and seeping blood blended together, all morphing into one amorphous entity known to him as prey.
Only when did the sky begin to brighten in which Giyuu realize the extent of his destruction.
The colorless docks were coated in blood, both fresh and stale. Severed and unrecognizable limbs were scattered about the courtyard, the only evidence of a previous person that had once existed in its place. The stench of death clung heavily to the crisp predawn air, both a blissful delight and slightly troubling.
Why did he shiver at the scent of blood?
Giyuu let the corpse in which he had been feasting upon drop to the ground, a strong, strange sense of confusion and vexation clouding his mind.
Why had he devoured all these humans? One had been enough to satisfy his hunger. So why had he felt the need to kill the rest? Giyuu glanced down at the tattered remains of his most recent victim, whose once jet black hair now matted with blood and grime, who's once deep blue eyes now dull and lifeless. An expression of terror was transfixed on her face, her last moments frozen in time.
"C'mon, Giyuu!" She called with her mirthful voice. "Let's go home! I'll make us some simmered salmon with daikon! It's your favorite!"
Giyuu's face broke into a beaming smile, staring at the beautiful woman standing in front of their log cabin. "Yay! I'm coming, Tsu—"
Tsu…
What was her name again?
Giyuu knew that she had been important to him in his past life. Someone dearly loved, and a hero he looked up to.
Someone who was long gone.
Tsu-nee…
All of a sudden, his body jerked stiff. Giyuu's instincts began blaring sirens, screaming of an incoming danger that could kill him with one look. He breathed in sharply, head snapping towards the brightening horizon.
The sun was about to rise.
As swift as lightning, Giyuu zoomed away from the corpse-ridden docks, into a strange city of flashing lights and blaring sounds. He sought shelter in a closed-off alleyway between two buildings, where a brick wall and some bags of trash formed a makeshift shelter from the naked eye. Giyuu made it in the nick of time— just as sunlight came spilling over the horizon, illuminating the roofs and upper stories of the city's buildings.
Briefly surveying his surroundings, it appeared that Giyuu's location was as secure as it could get, with so few limited options. There was a metal door embedded in the brick wall, but crates were piled in front of it, not to mention the lock securing the keyhole.
Giyuu felt a sense of exhaustion sweep over him. His eyelids felt heavy, mental focus wavering in the sudden heat wave accompanied by dawn. Giyuu shuffled himself closer in between the wall and the trash bags, eyelids fluttering close. It didn't take long for him to fall into an unconscious trance.
The newborn demon remained oblivious to the chaos and disorder of his massacre coming into the light at the docks.
"…just sleepin' here! Doesn't look to be a beggar, dressed all funny and stuff. Just what kind of coat is he wearin'?"
Giyuu was rudely interrupted in his peaceful little nap by the loud, obnoxious arguing of two men. His eyes snapped open, irritante reflected in the blue orbs. He glared upward at the two humans, dressed in baggy clothing and marked with tattoos, who smirked down at him.
"Dunno. He's covered in grime and blood, yet doesn't appear to be injured." The second man, who had a strange smoking white stick sticking out of the corner of his mouth, responded gruffly. "Might as well just mug him for any valuables and give ''em to the boss."
Giyuu felt himself being roughly lifted off the ground by his haori, the sweaty hand clinging onto him staining and ripping the soft fabric. There was a loud clicking noise before something cold and metallic was pressed up against his head. His soulless blue eyes were brought face to face with a pair of dirty yellow orbs filled with malice.
"Alright, kid, surrender all ya' money and valuables to us or die." He demanded impatiently. Giyuu narrowed his eyes, pupils slitting. A low growl escaped from his lips. Whoever these men were, they were nowhere near a position to be demanding things from him.
The other man, lanky and dressed in dirty clothes, let out a sigh of irritation. "Must all foreigners be so brawny and brainless?"
There was another clicking sound…
BANG.
Pain exploded inside of Giyuu's head as he felt an unfamiliar object expelled from the cold metal instrument, breaking through his skull, and crashing out the other side. Blood gushed out from the wound, dripping onto the ground and coating the metal bullet. Giyuu let out a choked cross between a gasp and a cry.
He could already feel the wound healing itself up, bone rebuilding the cracks in his skull and the neurons regenerating faster than humanly possible. But that wasn't it.
Giyuu was livid.
And no one wanted to mess with a furious demon.
Skin rapidly paling and veins bulging around his forehead, Giyuu's head snapped towards the man with the metal weapon, a look of fury blazing in his eyes. The lanky man barely got a chance to process what had(or, more specifically, hadn't) occurred before steel sharp claws ripped through his throat, tearing out half his neck with it.
Turning to the other man, Giyuu leapt onto the short brick wall dividing the alleyway, braced himself, and bolted at the man, claws outstretched. He just barely managed to dodge the ruthless blow, Giyuu's claws sinking deep into his back instead.
The man let out a loud cry of pain and vexation, a strange teal aura cracking around his body before dissipating into the air. He turned around to face Giyuu, a nasty vengeance glimmering in his sewage green eyes on his poorly proportioned face.
"You're gonna pay for that, snake!" He hissed, pulling out a dagger from his belt. The man charged towards Giyuu, who leapt into the air…
And came crashing down on top of the man, decapitating the overweight idiot with one powerful kick.
Giyuu landed back on the rough cement ground, the sounds of his feet hitting the concrete and the beheaded head tumbling onto the cement almost perfectly in sync. The sweet aroma of blood mixed with the cool night air teased at his senses, charmingly tempting him to take a bite out of the corpses. His instincts responded without hesitation.
He needed to get stronger. To carry out his mission without fail.
To fulfill the demon king's wishes.
To honor Tsutako and Sabito.
Giyuu repeated the mantra to himself over and over again, yet something felt wrong. Every bite of flesh, every sip of blood, became harder and harder to swallow. It was like something was fighting his logic. His instincts.
What could possibly be fighting against what he fully believed in?
A strong stench of choking smoke and odd dust hit him.
Giyuu almost choked on the flesh of his meal, reeling back in disgust. What was that?! It was like the smoke of a bonfire, combined with elemental particles that stung his nostrils and made his head ache. Yet faintly through the horrendous stench of smog, he could make out the faintest traces of humans. Not very appetizing ones, considering the abhorrent exhaust shrouding their bodies.
A slow, melodramatic clapping echoed through the alleyway. Giyuu's head snapped towards the source of the noise— coming from the metal door embedded onto the brick wall, now unlocked and unblocked.
A person walked through the entrance.
He was wearing a neatly tailored white suit, a fancy black bowler hat, as well as a gray scarf wrapped around his neck. He had pale skin, emerald eyes, and abominable ginger hair that was just too bright. The man also carried a traditional white cane, which he held in one hand. A cocky smirk was plastered on his hideous face, one that reflected power, ambition, and overconfidence.
"Well, now that was a show, wasn't it!" The man proclaimed loudly. His green gaze was focused on Giyuu, who fixed the man with a glaring look of pure malice. "Although, may I inquire, what are you doing to those men right there?"
"What does it matter to you?" Having not spoken in… who knows how long, the sound of Giyuu's voice surprised even himself. It was deep, smooth, and tranquil, like the surface of an undisturbed lake.
"Well, Mismatch," The man responded gloatingly(and vexingly— just what kind of a nickname was Mismatch?!), "I'm Roman Torchwick. Vale's criminal mastermind, and gentleman thief. I would like to make an irresistible offer to you."
Two men dressed in monochrome uniforms of blacks, whites, and grays stepped out from the doorway. They wore beige colored masks over their eyes and one of them had a pair of white rabbit ears sticking out from their hood. Giyuu's gaze lingered on the ears(which were definitely real) just a second too long, as the man tensed up and let out a soundless growl. Though it was very difficult to see, a pom-pom of a rabbit tail stuck out from the other man's back.
Humans with animal parts. Very compelling.
"As I was saying," Giyuu's attention returned to the man with the bowler hat, Roman, as he continued. "You could work for me. Join my forces, carry out my assignments, and you'll have anything that you could ever want! Money! Power! Take your pick!"
Anything?
"Even the Blue Spider Lily?"
Roman faltered for a moment, his monologue losing its dramatic flair. "What?"
Conjecture bubbled inside of Giyuu. "Carry out your assignments…" he murmured, contemplating.
"That's right! Do that and I can grant you anything and everything!" Roman proclaimed self-assuredly. Yet his petty reasons crumbled in the face of Giyuu's hardened resolve and decision. He already knew what the answer was.
Sharp, sleek claws outstretched towards Roman, deadly precision aiming to kill. The gentleman thief's eyes momentarily widened, barely blocking the claws with his cane. Steel met something just as sharp, and the two weapons locked in combat against one another.
Giyuu faced down Roman with a raging blizzard in his deep blue eyes, an impassive expression betraying nothing of his thoughts. However, the crook's face expressed a wider range of expressions, all flying past at rapid speeds. Shock, surprise, confusion, and landing on annoyance.
"So that's what you choose?" Roman snarled snarkily, the corners of his lips curling upward in a vicious smirk. "Oh, well, I'm confident that you'll be regretting this decision of yours soon enough."
The two henchmen reacted, pulling out strange metal boxes the size of a pencil bag each, and shooting the same metal bullets at Giyuu in which the mugger from before had shot. The projectiles forced Giyuu to break away from his deadlock with Roman, twisting neatly through the air and landing on top of the brick wall. Despite his blood and grime coated hair, bloodstained haori and torn clothes, Giyuu managed to maintain an air of superiority and calm, deadly malice.
"Your false statements bore me so." Giyuu ignored the loaded weapons pointed at him from the two henchmen, fixing his gaze upon Roman's. "Your pitiful attempts at recruiting me for your meaningless endeavors is like trying to lure me into a marked den of vipers. Nothing which I desire you have— and if you did so, you wouldn't grant it to me anyways."
Roman's expression turned violent and malicious. "Well in that case, you simply can't be around here anymore!" He turned to the two henchmen standing by his side, weapons raised. "You! Animals! Get him!" Giyuu noticed just the slightest twitch on the two henchmen's faces, the beginning roots of a scowl. They must have found being called such a degrading name insulting, and frankly, it made complete sense.
Metal bullets shot out of the bulky instruments the two henchmen carried. They sped at Giyuu at an incredible speed, yet he was still able to evade the piercing projectiles with ease. The bullets crashed into the walls of the surrounding buildings, the sound of their crash resonating across the alleyway.
Giyuu believed he remembered what they were. Guns? Yet the kind he recalled were nowhere near as sleek, deadly, and efficient as the ones he had witnessed in this world.
…where did he learn of the existence of guns in the first place?
There was no time for him to think, as more bullets began to rain down on him. Giyuu flew in between the projectiles, as smooth and adaptive as a water flow. He ran alongside the top of the brick dividing wall, briefly racing onto the vertical wall of one of the buildings, and using it as a booster towards the two henchmen.
Giyuu flared out his claws, poised and ready to strike. The dried blood of his previous victims hid underneath his nailbed, whilst the fresh blood from his latest meal still clung to the sleek, flawless keratin. The razor-sharp edges gleamed in the unusually brilliant moonlight.
Knife-edged nails embedded themselves deep into the soft, fleshy throats of the two henchmen, blood squirting out of the wound like water from a torn pipeline. Giyuu's claws sank deeper into the flesh as he landed, pulling the two dying humans down with him.
Ripping out his claws from the bodies of the deceased, Giyuu turned to face Roman. His slitted pupils reflected an almost animalistic spite and fury, demonic veins giving away his true nature bulging out from his once flawless pale skin. A warning growl escaped from his throat, echoing unnervingly throughout the alley.
A brief flash of shock and panic engulfed Roman's features. However, it was so ephemeral that it could have never even been there. A confident, cocky smirk took its place, and it wasn't hard to tell that he had some other trick, another trump card, up his sleeve.
"Not bad, Mismatch, but you're still nowhere on my level." Roman's gaze shifted from Giyuu to something behind him. "Neo!"
An unfamiliar aroma flooded the alleyway, one of a human with a strongly established and distinct identity. They smelled of strawberries and chocolate and sugar, yet reeked with a layer of malice, sadism, and uncaring underneath the sugar-coated sweet exterior. Giyuu swung around, pinpointing the location of the new opponent.
They were coming his way at a rapid speed, darting back and forth between the two walls in the alleyway. Running in a zigzag pattern to avoid any easy hits. Only…
There was nobody there.
Once again, the disillusioned sense of sight had been tricked by pathetic tomfoolery. Yet it wasn't hard to tell where the attacker was coming from, as their disguise only complied with sight. Giyuu raised his claws, barring them in a defensive motion…
…only to have a cool steel point stab right through them, stopping inches away from his face.
Giyuu gritted his teeth and endured the pain as the oversized needle was pulled back out and his hands began to heal. In the brief moment of exchange between the two, Giyuu was able to assess his newfound opponent with sharp eyes.
His attacker had been a short girl with pink and brown hair evenly split down the middle, with streaks of white hiding in between the hairs of the pink side. Her eyes matched the pink and brown theme, and so did her outfit. She wore a short white jacket with pink trimmings that ended just above her torso and extended out backwards into a cape of sorts. A dark brown corset covered her stomach, secured with many belts at the waist. She had on near-black leggings and contrasting white knee boots. Her weapon was an umbrella of the same color theme, with the cane part extending out to become a cane sword.
What was her name again? Neo? If Giyuu's memory didn't fail him, then that was what Roman had called her.
Neo seemed to be taking the concise moment of exchange to study Giyuu in turn. A conniving, presumptuous smirk formed on her face. It appeared that she didn't think Giyuu to be much of a worthy adversary.
How wrong she would be.
Out of some ancient, inscribed instinct, Giyuu's hand flung to the sword sheath clipped onto his belt and unsheathed the blade. At first, his actions surprised even himself, but he fell into such a comforting and familiar rhythm that he just went with it.
Although, for unknown reasons, the sight of the blue and black blade sent shivers down Giyuu's spine. His primal instincts informed him that the sword was dangerous, dangerous, dangerous, but the reason remained buried in the sea of clouded memories.
Neo made the first move in their little 'sparring session.' She shot forward and sent a flurry of swift, merciless jabs at him with her umbrella. Out of pure instinct, Giyuu stepped back and aside gracefully to dodge all of the blows. In retaliation, he gripped the hilt of his sword tightly and swung it at her torso as she reeled back from one of her strikes.
The attack would have been devastating, if not for the flash of pink light and the defensive aura that flared up around the overconfident criminal.
Neo was pushed sideways by the blow, yet managed to retain full elegance and grace as she used the strike as a propeller to backflip a ways back. She spared no time whatsoever before plunging again, each and every movement concise, motivated, and efficient.
Giyuu and Neo fell into a deadly ballet, where one wrong step, one wrong strike, or even just a twitch of a muscle in the wrong direction could result in their downfall. Every vicious strike was matched with an evenly ferocious blow, every swing of a sword parred by the tough mesh of an umbrella. Neither side gained an advantage, yet neither could afford to slow down and show weakness. And that was what worried Giyuu the most.
Neo had the advantage of a small, lightweight weapon and an acrobatic, flexible body. Yet Giyuu's sword was heavier and his blows were out of pure instinct. He was frightened of what might happen if he tried something new, something to attempt to gain the upper hand yet could be his downfall. It was not to mention the fact that he was still a young demon, one with very few humans devoured to grant him strength. It was a race to see who's stamina would give out first— the highly skilled professional criminal, or the newborn, weak demon.
A light drizzle began to mist down upon the city. Giyuu felt the cool droplets misting his haori and forming larger water drops on his hair, in an attempt to wash the blood away. A light frown that appeared on Neo's face revealed that she wasn't the fondest of the rain, but Giyuu felt the exact opposite.
The rainwater invigorated a sense of reawakening inside Giyuu. It made him feel refreshed and renewed, granting him additional strength to aid his battle. A feeling of deja vu stirred deep within his abyss of locked memories.
Hadn't this been the exact same situation in which he had learned the combat style of his identity?
It had been so long ago…
"Ugh!" Giyuu tossed his sword onto the ground in frustration, kicking up a small cloud of dust. "I just don't get it! Why is this so hard?" His friends, Sabito and Makomo glanced at each other and then at Giyuu.
"It's okay, Giyuu," Sabito reassured, walking up and comforting the irked teen. "It's like Urokodaki-sensei said— it won't come easy to everyone. You just have to keep practicing!" He picked up Giyuu's abandoned sword and held it out to the boy. "Now, come on! I'll spar with you."
Giyuu snatched the sword bitterly from Sabito's hands, bitterness bubbling at the surface of his emotions. "It's not like you would actually understand." The unfairness of the entire situation took control of his brain and flooded it with waves of hatred and jealousy. "You and Makomo have long since learned the first form, and are well on your way with the second. But I'm still stuck trying to summon even a droplet of water!"
The anger inside him grew to a magnitude so intense that Giyuu could no longer handle it. Clutching the hilt of his sword with a death grip, he ran in the opposite direction of the training clearing, ignoring the cries from Sabito for him to not go. Tears flooded his eyes and threatened to fall under the gloomy gray sky.
Even the sun had turned its back on him. How pathetic.
How did he ever think that a failure and coward like himself could ever save Tsutako from that demon?
Giyuu ran farther and farther up Mt. Sigiri, stopping until his lungs could no longer handle air any thinner. He stopped by the rotting copse of a fallen tree, panting heavily. Each breath took a great amount of effort to take in, the frigid thin air stabbing at his delicate lungs as painful a thousand razor-edged needles.
Guilt wracked his body in violent shivers as he considered everything that separated him from being on par with Sabito and Makomo. They had all started around the same time, training under Urokodaki-sensei, yet how were they so much quicker to learn and talented to train than he was?
A light drizzle began to mist down over the mountain, each droplet so harsh and frigid that it could almost be confused with snow. The below freezing temperatures of the waters chilled Giyuu down to the bone, but he didn't care. He deserved it for being so hopeless and useless.
Giyuu wasn't set out to be a demon slayer. Even if he did pass the final assessment to continue his journey beyond his master, there was no way he could survive Final Selection.
A low, feral growl sounded from the tall pines surrounding him. Giyuu froze, unblinded fear shooting through him so unexpectedly that it almost made his heart stop. He turned around, sword clutched in hand, and—
Came face to face with a demon.
The demon had pale, sickly gray skin marred with bulging veins. It's golden eyes were filled with a feral hunger more akin to a rabid dog rather than a creature capable of speaking and acting and experiencing the same emotions of a human. It was nothing like the demon which had killed… killed… her, but still highly dangerous to an unskilled boy barely into his training as a demon slayer.
It let out a catlike roar, charging blindly towards its prey. Giyuu shakingly held up his sword in a defensive position, his thoughts too clouded and conquered by fear to move past that point.
He was going to die, wasn't he?
"I'm sorry, Tsu-nee."
"You can't die just yet!"
Giyuu's eyes flung wide open, a gasp escaping from his mouth. That voice… was it really…
"There are still people that love you. People that care about you. Don't die on me!"
Visions of Sabito and Makomo flashed through his head. Of all the good times they spent together. Urokodaki-sensei, who tirelessly trained the trio and never gave up on Giyuu, no matter how discouraged he became.
He had to become a demon slayer, so that no one else would lose their loved ones like how he had lost his.
A sense of clarity instilled itself within Giyuu's mind. He knew exactly what he had to do. He took in a deep breath through his nose, feeling the oxygen rushing to every cell in his body, and exhaled through his mouth. The demon was coming closer, raising its claws to slash down his throat–
"Total Concentration."
"Water Breathing: First Form– Water Surface Slash!"
Giyuu didn't even notice it at first– one moment he had been stepping aside to avoid being stabbed by Neo's cane sword, and the next thing he knew…
A trail of raging water followed the path of his blade as he brought it down upon the heterochromia girl. It was rapid, raging, and a stark contrast to the sea of tranquility like that reflected in his eyes. Neo's eyes widened in shock, and she didn't even have enough time to bring up her umbrella to soften the blow before the water whip crashed into her.
The blush-colored protective forcefield around the criminal flickered multiple times before dissipating into dust in the air. Neo staggered backwards, a growl escaping from his voice.
"Why you little…" Roman's seething turned Giyuu's attention back onto the gentleman thief. Vexation was written all over his features, his grip on his cane especially tight. Giyuu began stalking towards the man, who was, slowly but surely, backing away from an opponent he knew he couldn't defeat.
"I told you that you could not dream of defeating me." Giyuu's words were impassive, yet laced with just enough malice and venom to evoke a small flinch out of Roman. He clutched his sword with both hands, raising the blade over his head. "And now… you pay the price."
Just as Giyuu was about to bring his sword down onto the thief, summoning up another water breathing form, there was a bit of an… interruption.
A bullet whizzed past Giyuu's ear, embedding itself in the brick wall. He swung around, blade at the ready, facing whomever had been foolish enough to interfere with the battle. And the results were…interesting.
A man dressed in a button-up gray and white shirt with scraggly black hair, beady red eyes, and a stubble on his chin stood at the entrance of the alleyway, holding what looked like a…giant sword that transformed into… a gun? The weapon was so complex and intricate that Giyuu couldn't even make heads or tails of the design.
"Now, now, let's not get unnecessarily violent here, shall we?" The man chuckled humorously. He pointed his weapon down at the ground, pulling out a flask from his shirt. "Wouldn't want to draw too much attention to ourselves, would we, Roman Torchwick?" The way he put emphasis on the name made Giyuu assume that they knew each other— and not in a good way.
Roman let out an immensely frustrated growl. "Well, guess who it is. Qrow Branwen in the flesh. Today is just not my lucky day." From the sidelines, Neo shot Roman a 'has-there-ever-been-a-your-lucky-day-day?' look.
The gentleman thief straightened up, sweeping his emerald green gaze over the scene of the crime, before a hardened resolve appeared in the gleaming orbs. "Well, it seems we have stayed far too long here. It's time to go now!" He glanced towards his multi-colored henchwoman, who skipped happily to his side. "Neo?"
Giyuu stepped away from the duo as Neo gave a stage bow, her parasol wide open behind her. A cocky grin was plastered onto her face.
'Qrow,' whom he assumed was the red-eyed man, dashed forward with his weapon raised to strike. Roman lifted his cane, the end popping off to act as a makeshift scope. A flaming(literally) bullet shot out of the end, barreling into Qrow's blade. A fiery explosion bedazzled the alleyway. Within the chaos of the exploding bullet, Giyuu vaguely made out Roman and Neo taking their leave, dashing further away before disappearing from his range.
Giyuu was left standing in the alleyway, next to the mysterious combatant whose appearance alone had been enough to drive away Roman and Neo. Not to mention the bloody mess of the corpses from before, which he had originally planned to indulge in.
Why had he wanted to devour them before?
Giyuu's mind came to a screeching halt.
Why had he killed and eaten all of those humans before? For what, power? How had he taken so many lives, willingly, for strength?
Humans… were delicate flowers. Fragile, uncertain, ephemeral. Giyuu had once been a human. He remembered his friends, Sabito and Makomo, and Tsu-nee. While their statuses remained shrouded in mystery, he knew that he had to protect them. Wherever they were, however they were, Giyuu had an obligation to defend them from harm.
So what made others different?
Humans were filled to the brim with a myriad of different personalities and characteristics. Kindness. Generosity. Selflessness. Courage. Yet they had just as many negative traits to rival the light. Sadism. Greed. Manipulation. Cruelty. Each individual, no matter how disputed, had at least a fraction of each of those qualities. Some just tended to shine brighter than others.
People leaning towards the light did nothing to deserve a cruel and brutal death. So why…
"Hey, kiddo?" Qrow's statement snapped Giyuu out of his stupor. "Are you alright? Thought I lost you there for a second." Giyuu nodded numbly.
"Yeah." His voice came out barely a whisper. "I'm fine." He turned to walk away, but a rough, firm hand clasped his shoulder. It was warm and comforting, but with a hint of pressure and strength buried beneath. A small gesture with an insight into the man's power level.
"Look, I don't think you'd be fine after that. Why do you have blood all over your clothes anyway?" Qrow's calculating red gaze looked up and down over Giyuu. "I don't think you're with those criminals, but you should probably come with me to the police station. Murder, even in self-defense, is nothing to be taken too lightly."
Giyuu closed his eyes, inhaling and exhaling. Pure instinct carved into him over a long period of time had allowed him to automatically retain Total Concentration Breathing: Constant, yet there were times in which he still needed to focus specifically on said task for him to keep it up.
"Right." Giyuu turned to face Qrow, crafting a calculated mask of indifference for him to wear. He looked up straight into the man's blood red eyes. They were slightly ominous in the color itself, but it was what it resembled that scared him the most.
The fuchsia red, vein-encased eyes of the Demon Lord, staring down at him, right into his soul. Giyuu felt the life inside of him shudder, wavering underneath the presence of his creator's almightiness. It was a frightening reminder that this man had the power to end his life with just a single thought— and it was mortifying.
A spark of curiosity sparked in Qrow's features as he examined Giyuu's impassive facade. "Come with me. Better get some huntsmen on this mission, get them on the tracks of those two criminals." He began to saunter out of the alleyway, in an ambling manner which almost made him look drunk. "What's your name, kiddo? You don't look to be around these parts. Are you from Mistral, perhaps?"
"My name… is Giyuu Tomioka." Giyuu responded quietly. "I… don't know where I'm from." He looked up at Qrow. "What's Mistral?"
Frustration clouded Qrow's features. He shuffled a hand through his messy bangs, letting out a mix between a groan and a sigh. "A case of amnesia… just great, Oz. Why do you keep assigning me these tricky missions?" He pulled out his flask, uncapping the metal container and taking a swig of the liquid inside(Giyuu's sharp sense of smell told him that it was alcohol. Drinking on the job, how impractical and unorthodox.).
After tucking the flask back into his shirt, Qrow pulled something out from his pocket. It was… a very peculiar device, made of thin, sleek white metal on the ends and a translucent blue screen in between. Words and colors flashed over the blue screen as Qrow fumbled with the buttons, his fingers somehow making contact with the mirage-like matter of the aqua blue screen.
Qrow pressed the device up against his ear. "Hey, Oz?" Strangely enough, he began to talk into the thing. Was it a communication device? Just how advanced and futuristic was the technology on this planet?
The red-eyed man paused for a few moments before speaking again. "Yeah, I got there alright. Blasted crook and his henchwoman were to escape again. However, I did find an odd kid covered in blood. Says he can't remember anything. Strangely enough, it seems he was the one who killed the victims at the scene of the crime— with his bare hands, nonetheless. What do you want me to do?" Another momentary pause. "Yeah, I expected just as much. Alright, I'm coming. See ya later, Oz." Qrow let out a hefty sigh before tucking the device back into his pocket. His gaze turned on Giyuu again.
"Looks like we're taking a detour in our plan, kiddo." With a loose grip on Giyuu's shoulder, Qrow took a sudden swerve in their route, away from the glowing building with the words 'Police Station' displayed on a neon sign down the block.
"Where are we going?" Giyuu inquired impassively. Qrow let out a strange chortle.
"Beacon Academy, kiddo. To see one of the most powerful authorities in the world— Headmaster Ozpin."
Near 10,000 words on the first chapter... took me over two weeks... this is why Pawns and Players never gets done in time lol.
So, this story idea popped into my mind one day while I was reading a Giyuu fic. After binge watching demon slayer and having my top favorite fandoms list jumbled into nonexistence(to be fair, it had already been mostly nonexistent when Genshin came around), I developed a new obsession that was this. (and also reading all of the Giyuu fics on AO3, but we don't talk about that) A story where Giyuu gets turned into a demon and sent to Remnant to investigate. How does Muzan know of the existence of Remnant? Is he aware of the existence of a certain she-devil here? ...that's post-volume 3 arc stuff.
Just to be clear, this is taking place right at the start of volume 1, between episodes 1 and 2. I've decided to try my hand at writing the 'Golden Beacon Days' instead of skipping to Volumes 7 and 8 because they have the most interesting plots and opportunities in my opinion. I'm also trying to go into this in a manner in which people who are unfamiliar with RWBY can understand, unlike Pawns and Players. Which means, inevitably, I'll have to write the entire Lost Fable episode. sigh...
This story will not have a consistent update schedule. I still have faith in Pawns and Players and want to continue it, not to mention the huge gap in effort in which I invest in each chapter of this story compared to my others. Which means its a lot more time consuming to write, alongside my other projects. On a completely different note, I wrote the last few thousand words while blasting Akaza and Rengoku's battle theme on repeat, and oh boy, that was quite a way to end Mugen Train...(Enmu whyyyyy)
Well, that was a hefty long author's note. That's all for this time! As always, constructive criticism is very welcome! –Frosted Petals
(P.S: I'll draw the cover art... eventually.)