Authors note:

Introducing a time skip. The chapter will start with the beginning of Final Selection. I'm pretty sure you all came back to see Tori compete in Final Selection anyway. When the story last left off, Tori still had a long time to wait for Final Selection. So during that time, Tori has just been practicing everything. If I wrote about this, the chapter would be very short and not very exciting. In fact it could be described as a filler episode. And I know a lot of anime people hate filler, so I'm not going to write something that could be comparable to a filler episode. So on that note, enjoy the story.

Chapter 5

The dark forest was very still. The pure pitch blackness of the forest gave off eerie vibes. There was nothing but silence in that forest. No moon filled the sky that night. The pathways couldn't be seen and the roots in the way would blend in with the darkness making them easier to trip over. The forest's silence was unbroken. There was nothing moving. Everything was still and quiet, however, that stillness wouldn't last long. The unbroken silence would finally break to the sound of running feet and a girl's panting breaths.

Tori was now running up the mountain covered with a thick dark forest. She had to survive here for seven days and kill demons in the process. So far, no demons had come her way, but she wasn't going to hold her breath. Just because the demons hadn't attacked her yet, that doesn't mean that they weren't going to attack her. Tori continued to keep her guard up in case any demons came her way. Then a loud scream echoed through the silent forest. Tori followed the scream to its source and found one of her comrades being attacked by a demon. The boy had already sustained some pretty bad blows to the arms, shoulders, head, and back. The demon's attacks were too fast and he could barely react in time. The demon was about to attack one more time, but Tori intercepted the attack. She stopped the demon by using her unique breath style. Tori focused herself and unleashed her breath style. Total Concentration. Breath of the Raven, First Form: Black Soul Talon Crush. A giant raven grabbed the demon and began crushing every bone in its body with its talons. The boy saw the raven and was shocked and how huge and ruthless it was to the demon. Then Tori came from out of the shadows and cut the demons head off while it was distracted by trying to get free. Once the demon was killed, the raven disappeared. Then Tori ran up to the kid and checked his injuries.

"Are you okay? Where are your injuries most severe?" Tori asked the boy, "Can you still keep going

and fight?"

"I'm fine now, thanks to you. The injuries in my back hurt more than the rest, though." The boy said, "I

can still swing my sword, so I'm okay to keep going."

Tori checked the injures on his back and they were pretty bad. It was no wonder they were hurting more than the rest. Seeing that he needed some serious medical attention, she decided to take him to a safe spot to help him with first aid treatment.

"There's a wisteria tree nearby. Follow me and I'll take you there." Tori informed, "As long as we're

under the wisteria tree, the demons won't come near us."

The boy nodded and followed her to the wisteria tree. Once they were under the tree, she immediately told him to take his shirt off. He was about to protest against it, but she told him to not argue and to just do it. Reluctantly, he took his shirt off. She then pulled out some herbs she brought with her and a bowl and ladle. She then began crushing the herbs into a pulp and she applied the pulp to each of his wounds to keep them from getting infected. The boy looked at her with confusion on why she was doing so much to help him. She then grabbed the bandages she brought with her. She wrapped up his arm and back wounds and she taped pieces of cloth over his shoulder wounds. Once she was finished, she told him that he could put his shirt back on, but she warned him to be careful about it. He put his shirt back on and Tori began making a specific herbal tea for him. She put herbs that reduce pain into a pot and she put it on a small stove over the fire that she made. Once it was on the fire, she began to make her signature herbal tea in another tea pot.

While the first tea pot was heating up, another kid found the wisteria tree and joined them. The new kid, however, was also injured. She walked over and she asked if he was okay. The boy told her that a demon dislocated his shoulder, but he managed to pop it back in place. He told her that it hurt a lot. Then the tea started to boil and she took it off the stove and she poured the tea into the cups that she brought with her. She gave them the tea and she told them that it would reduce the pain. Then she put the other pot on the stove and waited for it to heat up. Then the boy that Tori treated broke the silence between the three of them.

"Hey, is there a specific reason that you're doing so much to help us survive the week?" He asked,

"Everyone else around here just worries about themselves, so why are you going out of your way to

help us?"

The other boy was actually curious as well as to why Tori was doing so much to ensure their survival.

He waited patiently for her answer.

"It's just my nature I guess. I have six younger siblings, so you can imagine I've played doctor a lot."

Tori replied, "But even so, why shouldn't I apply my big sister nature to Final Selection and help my

fellow comrades? We all want the same thing: To become demon slayers, however, we have different

reasons for wanting that goal. Some may be similar to other, but most aren't. So the question is: Why

shouldn't I go out of my way to help others achieve the same goal as me? What kind of demon slayer

would I be if I didn't help to protect my fellow comrades? The strong should protect the weak and one

day the weak will return the favor. That is the way of nature and I will abide by it."

The two boys were surprised by Tori's answer, but then they smiled and appreciated Tori's kindness and understanding. Once they finished their tea, they gave her the cups back. But before she could take them the other tea pot started to boil. She took it off and poured the tea into a cup she saved for herself. Then she gave some to the boys and she told them that they should try it. They each took a sip and the two boys were shocked. Instead of tasting the bitterness of the herbs, they tasted only sweetness. Now they both wondered how she got it to taste so sweet. The boy with the bad shoulder was the first to speak.

"How did you get this tea to taste so sweet? Did you pour tons of sugar in it?" He questioned, "This is

so good! Seriously, how did you make this so sweet?"

"Sugar?! I would never put sugar in my herbal tea! I use nectar from a specific flower that grows on the

mountain where I live." Tori explained, "Trust me nectar is way better for an herbal tea like this. I made

this recipe for my siblings every night before they went to bed. It helped them to calm down and sleep

peacefully at night. And don't even ask about them being amp-ed up on sugar. Gosh they're impossible

to deal with once they have a sugar rush. So I use nectar instead because sugar makes my siblings go

crazy. Plus it really helps increase the herbs abilities. The herbs help to increase and maintain focus and

to calm emotions."

"Well either way, this herbal tea is better than the first one you gave us." The other boy said, "It tastes

really good."

"Well I'm glad that you both like it. I tend to make it a habit to drink one cup of this stuff each day."

Tori replied, "That way I can focus on training or in this case killing demons."

Then she packed up everything and she poured out the rest of the tea and herbs in the pots. Once everything was packed up, she stood up and she pick up her sword. The boys saw that she was getting ready to move on. They too stood up and they decided to stick with her because she was clearly stronger than they were. The three headed off from the wisteria tree and they took down demons and saved the lives of many other kids. They then found another wisteria tree and they stopped to rest as the sun rose. Once they settled down, the boy with the bad shoulder was the first to speak.

"I can't believe we survived the first night, but we still have six more to go." He said, "How are we

even going to make it through this?"

"We'll make it. We just have to keep moving forward no matter what." Tori replied, "We will survive

the week."

"So while we have a moment of peace, what are you guys' names?" The other boy asked, "Mine is

Shouta"

"I'm Rikku." Responded the boy with the bad shoulder.

"My name is Tori Kamado. I'm the eldest child of the Kamado family." Tori answered.

They each got to know each other and told stories of their pasts. They all laughed and had fun together as the day progressed. Then Tori shared some of her food rations with them. They each ate their fill and they continued to just talk. Soon it became just the two boys talking because Tori fell asleep. They also ended up falling asleep. Then the sun began going down. Tori woke up and began making her herbal tea to increase her focus. The boys woke up to the smell of herbal tea being made. She poured them a cup of the pain reducer recipe to help relieve the pain from their injuries. Then she served them the other recipe to they could all maintain their focus. Once they each had some, she began packing up everything. Then they moved out once night fell.

The three friends worked together to kill demons and save those weaker than themselves. Although they did try to save everyone, there were still some kids that didn't make it out alive. They were devoured by the demons because they failed to acquire the strength the kill them. There were some that had to be bailed out because they received severe wounds that needed immediate medical attention. And some who died before they could even receive medical attention. They watched as a kid was fatally wounded by a demon. Tori then acted on her big sister instinct and protected the kid from further harm. She, however, could not save her from dying. Tori and her new friends watched as the girl died almost immediately, but they didn't let their emotions run wild. They continued to slay every demon they came across. By sticking close to Tori, Shouta and Rikku received less injuries. Tori, however, was showing signs of fatigue and her two friends worried about her. Finally, after of fighting and running, they found another wisteria tree and the sun was about to rise. They sat down under the tree and Tori instantly fell asleep. The two boys watched over her as they knew she was struggling physically and mentally.

Hours passed and Tori finally woke up. They shared rations and they at first didn't speak. They just watched the forest and the hours pass by as they waited for nightfall. Though they couldn't get the deaths of the other kids off their minds. Finally, Shouta broke the silence.

"I can't believe that after everything we did. Those kids still died." He said, "They wanted to become

demon slayers and they failed so miserably. We did everything we could for them and they still died.

How can we just go on and become demon slayers when others who wanted it just as much as us die

before even achieving their goal?"

"We're not going to save everyone. That much I've known. But even though we try, the least we can do

is give the fatally injured a peaceful death by slaying the demons that threaten to harm them." Tori

replied, "Not many people are suited kill demons. Some know that they aren't and some are just not

aware of it because they want to become demon slayers. Most believe that killing demons is just a

game and don't really pay attention to their mentors. But as of now, we have no choice but to keep on

living because we have to keep their memory alive."

"Besides, we can't give up on our own goals. Just because they couldn't achieve their goals doesn't

mean we can't achieve ours." Rikku responded, "Plus we can achieve what they couldn't if it comes to

that."

They all nodded in agreement and they continued onward. The night fell and they did their usual thing: Kill demons. They continued this routine for four more days and nights. They slept and did other things during the daylight hours and they hunted demons at night. Then when night was about to fall they mentally and physically prepared themselves for battle. During the last fight, a girl named Sakura joined them. On this particular night, Tori was seriously injured by a demon. Shouta and Rikku couldn't comprehend how a girl as strong as Tori could be injured so badly. Sakura tried to help her, but the demon was too strong. The boys couldn't even figure out a way to help their friend. Then they watched Tori get up and use her breath style once more. She breathed in and unleashed her breathing style. Total Concentration. Breath of the Raven, Third Form: Wall of Black Feathers. A giant raven appeared and flapped its wings creating large gusts of wind. Then Tori threw a bottle and a chemical was released into the air. The demon then began to hallucinate and see a thick wall made of compacted raven feathers. The weak demon couldn't tell that the was just a hallucination. Tori then lunged through the wall and killed the demon before it could even react.

The boys and Sakura all went over to see if Tori was okay and she told them that she would be okay. They continued to travel until they saw the orchard of wisteria trees. They all sighed in relief that they made it to the bottom of the mountain in one piece. They completed Final Selection. After getting treated for their wounds, they gathered in the courtyard. Then Tori watched the two girls appear once more. She began thinking to herself, Those two must be related to the master. It's no coincidence that they look so much like his elder daughters. The girls began giving out the "Kasugai Crows". Then Tori picked the material for her sword. Then she talked with the Ubuyashiki girls about putting in a request for two swords. They asked why she wanted two swords and she explained that in case something happened to her, she wanted a decoy sword so that she would be able to fool opponents by still having a sword on hand. Immediately understanding why she wanted two swords, they agreed to put in the request. They also asked her if she wanted a set of daggers made as well. Tori thought it over and she agreed to have daggers made. Once everything was taken care of, Tori went to talk with her new friends.

When she met up with them, they chatted away with each other. They complimented on each others' strength and vowed to become stronger to fight even tougher demons. They joked and laughed and learned more about each other in their last hours together. Then Sakura looked up at the sky.

"Well, I better start heading out. I have a long way to go to get back to my mentor's house." Sakura

said, "Let's try and stay in touch with each other."

"Yeah, I think it's time we all head back to our mentors. They're waiting to see if we come back alive

after all." Shouta replied, "We can't let them wait any longer."

"Why don't we all travel together for a bit until we reach the fork?" Rikku suggested, "That way we

can still chat with each other before we officially part ways for the time being."

"I agree. I have to meet someone at the fork anyway, so I'm all for it." Tori responded, "Let's all travel

together."

They all nodded and they began walking away towards the pathway. They each got to talk and laugh with each other for a little while longer. Time flew by and the forked paths were nearly within sight. They happened to see a couple of people standing and talking at the fork. As they got closer, Tori already knew who was at the fork waiting for her. Her friends, however, still had no clue at all on who these people were. It wasn't until they arrived at the fork that they realized who was standing in front of them. The Flame Pillar and the Water Pillar were standing at the fork as if they were waiting for someone. Still, they were shocked that the pillars were even there to begin with. They noticed that the pillars seemed to be scanning them. Then the Flame Pillar waved his hand.

"Kamado-kun! You passed Final Selection! Way to go!" Rengoku said, "Glad to see that you made it

out of there alive!"

Then all eyes were on Tori. Shouta, Rikku, and Sakura were all shocked on how the pillars knew Tori. It was starting to become apparent that Tori knew the pillars as well, but they questioned on how it was possible. When they reached the pillars, Rikku was the first to ask the million dollar question.

"Tori-san, you know the pillars? How is that even possible?" Rikku asked, "There are demon slayers

who at least know one pillar or just the names of the pillars. How do you know each other so well?"

"It's quite simple. We trained Tori and prepared her for Final Selection." Giyu replied, "That's how we

know each other so well."

"You trained with the Pillars?!" Sakura screamed, "Do you have any idea how many demon slayers

dream of training with or fighting alongside the pillars?!"

"Look, I'll answer truthfully, but I won't flaunt it. Yes, I was trained by the pillars." Tori answered, "I

know that a lot of demon slayers want a chance like this, but my reason behind it was actually

important."

"Why was it so important for you to train with the pillars when you could've trained with a former

hashira?" Shouta questioned, "I'm pretty sure they could've trained you just as well."

"Actually, a former hashira wouldn't have been able to successfully train Tori." Rengoku explained,

"Tori possesses a unique breathing style that no one has ever seen before. We trained her to study it and

see how it works. She was already using breaths before she was even a demon slayer. She was able to

hold her ground against two demons, but not at the same time though."

Shouta then thought back to Final Selection. He had seen Tori's breath style first hand. It was mostly like a "raven breath" style. Then he looked through his knowledge of existing breath styles and there was not a raven breath style. Which meant that Tori either created the style herself, or the gods gifted her with the breath style from birth. He then thought over Rengoku's words saying that Tori was using the breath before she trained with the pillars and even before becoming a demon slayer, so he concluded that Tori had the style since birth and she was just now awakening it. At this point, he was able to understand why Tori was trained by the pillars. The former hashira wouldn't understand how to train Tori because of her unique breathing style. Rikku and Sakura, however, had not seen Tori's breathing style. They couldn't see it. Tori's breath style was black so it blended in with the shadows. Shouta knew they would need a demonstration of Tori's breath style in order to be convinced.

Giyu noticed that two of Tori's friends did not seem convinced that Tori had a unique breathing style, so he grabbed the two wooden swords that he just-so-happened to bring with him. He thought maybe a sparring match between the two of them would help to demonstrate Tori's breathing style. Then they could see for themselves that Tori wasn't like anyone they had met before.

"Tori-san, why don't you and I have a sparring match so you can show your friends your breathing

style first hand?" Giyu suggested, "I'm sure if they see it that they'll understand why we trained you."

"Sure, I'm up for it. Although, Giyu-san, I'm starting to see that I'm becoming your training partner."

Tori replied, "I'm okay with it though."

Giyu couldn't help but smile at Tori's comment, however, he quickly hid that smile with seriousness as they took up their positions. They both were carrying wooden swords so they wouldn't hurt each other. At first, it was just a stand off between the two of them. They didn't seem to be moving. But then, Tori made the first movement. She stepped forward and leaped high into the air. While in the air she analyzed the ground beneath her to figure out a strategy that she could use to fight against Giyu. She also closely analyzed Giyu and she knew he had gotten stronger over the past two years. There was no doubt he could beat her now. Once she came back down, Giyu still struggled to push her back because he was fighting the force of gravity every time she performed her hovering technique. Her friends were amazed by Tori and her ability to hover in the air for a full five minutes and her ability to use gravity to her advantage. Giyu, however, knew that Tori's fighting style always started out this way. But anything that came after Tori's first attack, would be completely different every time. Just when Giyu thinks he's prepared for her attacks, he's caught completely off guard when she uses a different approach. The fight began and it became clear to Shouta that she was using her surrounding to her advantage. He knew Giyu was superior in strength and speed. Tori, however, was using her intellect, speed, agility, and flexibility against Giyu. He had noticed that she seemed to be analyzing her surroundings and Giyu as well. He watched as Tori and Giyu clashed several times and Giyu always seemed to be the one struggling. Rikku was the one to speak.

"How is she overpowering a pillar that easily? She's a beginner demon slayer. There's no way she can

do it." Rikku commented, "Giyu is stronger and faster than she is and yet, he's the one who's

struggling."

"You should've seen her when she first came to the Demon Slayer Headquarters. She beat him in their

first sparring match together." Rengoku explained, "They've sparred a lot since then and Giyu hasn't

beaten her once."

"But, how is that possible? Giyu should be the one overpowering her. It shouldn't the other way

around." Sakura pointed out, "Her power level is inferior. There should be no way for her to overpower

him so easily."

"It's really quite simple. Tori fights with her intellect rather than her brute strength." Shouta informed,

"If you noticed that during her five minutes of hovering, she was analyzing the terrain and Giyu

himself. She was forming a strategy to use against him. She's also using her speed, agility, and

flexibility against him. Tori is using the terrain to her advantage by hopping onto the slightly elevated

areas with her agility and pushing off them to increase her speed. This makes it difficult to block her

attacks because she's moving so quickly. Not only that she's using her body as a weapon as well. It's

obvious that Tori is highly flexible, so she's able to bend back and kick with her legs while also

avoiding enemy attacks in the process. Giyu can't keep up with her attacks because she changes how

she attacks each time. This is how she is easily overpowering him."

"You are quite the analyst yourself. You can see right through Tori's battle strategy." Rengoku

commented, "That's some good critical thinking skills you've got there."

"It's not hard. I've seen a glimpse of this in Final Selection. Tori seems to like being strategic in

battle." Shouta replied, "On the other hand, the demons we battled were very weak and she didn't

really show this side very often, but I was able to see it."

Sakura and Rikku now saw Tori's battle strategy and they now understood how Tori was overpowering a pillar. They watched as Giyu managed to open up the distance between the two by pushing Tori way from him. Now there was a stand-still between them. Both Giyu and Tori were panting, but Giyu's panting was more obvious. They resumed the fight and Giyu started to put pressure on Tori for a change. He switched up his fighting style midway. For once, he caught Tori off guard, but this wasn't enough to keep her from dodging his attacks. Finally, Tori released her breath. She was now unleashing her breath style. Total Concentration. Breath of the Raven, Second Form: Feather Fall Gems of Darkness. Everyone watched as a giant raven appeared on the battle field. It flapped it's wings and feathers began to fall onto the battle field. The feathers then turned into red gems and soon the battle field became a pitch black room, but they could still see Giyu and Tori. They watched as Tori ran forward with increased speed. She zigzagged all over the place and then she started to appear everywhere. It was impossible to tell which direction she was going to attack from. Shouta, however, was watching this technique very closely. He then saw a silhouette of Tori's real body moving about through the shadows. This what allowed him to realize that the gems were creating fake images to distract and confuse Giyu from what she was actually doing. She moved into a space where there were no gems and she closed in on Giyu. Then when she was close enough, she pulled off a low sweep and knocked Giyu off his feet. Once he was down, she pointed her sword at him and Tori won the match. Giyu knew that the low sweep was coming, but he didn't know where or when it was coming.

"It's always the low sweep that gets me. Every time I am unable to predict where or when you're gonna

do it Tori." Giyu said with a grunt as Tori pulled him up, "Guess I still have a long way to go before

I'm able to beat you."

"You were doing pretty well. You actually managed to throw me off guard this time and put me under

pressure." Tori replied, "You're getting closer Giyu-san, but you seem to forget that I'm fighting with

my intellect. I'm not actually trying to win against you."

"I'm aware that you're fighting with your intellect, but the problem is that I'm never ready for your

attacks. You change your strategy every time." Giyu responded, "I'm never able to anticipate your

attacks because you don't use the same strategy twice. I'll never be ready for you. There's no way I can

beat you, Tori."

"Perhaps the problem is that you're not catching on to Tori's strategy right away." Shouta inquired,

"Her strategy starts after she's finished hovering in the air for a full five minutes. While she's up there,

she's analyzing the terrain and she's also learning about you, Tomioka-san. She's learning your

weakness and your strengths while she's hovering in the air. So while she's fighting you, she's using

your weaknesses to her advantage to catch you off guard. That's how she's beating you every time. You

can't fight someone who knows your weaknesses and uses them against you."

Everyone thought it over and at this point everything made since. Tori gathered info on her opponent and used the information she acquired against her opponent. This was how Tori has been able to defeat Giyu over and over. She anticipates Giyu's every move and is able to counter against it. Now Giyu understood that he need to stop her from gathering information, so he could hide his weaknesses from her. Then they all began wondering how the second form of her raven breath style worked. Surprisingly, Rengoku was the one to ask first.

"So how does Tori's second form of her Breath of the Raven style work? We've been studying it for

awhile during her training and we still can't figure it out." Rengoku asked, "Sometimes I think she

doesn't want to tell us how it works."

"I know how it works. The problem is that no one asks me about it." Tori retorted, "I would be glad to

explain it if someone would at least ask me."

"I'll take the explanation off Tori's shoulders. I want to save her the trouble of having to explain it."

Shouta explained, "The gems in the second form create fake images of Tori to distract the opponent or

target from what Tori is actually doing. What she's actually doing is weaving through the shadows at a

rapid speed and her agility is also increased dramatically. There is, however, an area where there are no

gems and that's the area where she's going to attack from. So the key is to look for that area and then

you can successfully dodge the attack."

"To add to that, the area with no gems changes when my opponent looks in the direction I plant attack

from." Tori added, "So you have to have your head on a constant swivel because you won't know

where I will attack from if you just focus on one area."

They all nodded now understanding Tori's breath style a little better. Rikku and Sakura were now convinced that Tori's breath style was indeed unique. They understood why Tori was trained by the pillars. Then the four friends agree to stay in touch with each other and then they went their separate ways. Tori went with the pillars back to the headquarters to finish up her training that she started.

When she arrived back, everyone celebrated Tori's success in passing Final Selection and welcomed her as a full-fledged demon slayer. They had a huge feast and they performed many festivities. They all praised Tori for her hard work and now Tori was ready to start the next level of her training. When she arrived back at the butterfly mansion, Tori wrote in her journal about her experience in Final Selection. She wrote about every good and bad thing she experienced and even provided tips for Tanjiro because he was the reason on why she was writing journals in the first place. She was doing it all for him just in case he followed in her footsteps and trained to become a demon slayer. Tori understood that the next level of her training would be more difficult, but she was willing to do whatever it took to protect her family and give her younger siblings a future.

Tori vowed to be the strongest demon slayer she could be and she would never quit until all demons were killed. She was ready to face any challenge that came her way. But one day, she would face a challenge that not even she would be able to overcome. Tori knew that she would have to be ready for that day to come.