Chapter 3: Student And Master

"Eyes on me! Don't leave any blind spots!" Law shouted as he blocked a kick from Nezuko. Her legs were powerful but he was plenty stronger, having 500 years on her. Nezuko quickly moved into an onslaught of slashes with her claw-like nails. "Good good! Don't give them time to breathe or counter!" Law ducked and dodged each strike made from the she-demon. Seeing an opening the landed a blow to her chest, sending her back a few feet. He relaxed his arms and stance as Nezuko held her chest. "You're picking this stuff up fast. I am truly impressed." Nezuko smiled at the compliment and rubbed her head sheepishly. "My master once told me that I was a fast learner. I'm sure you would blow me out of the water." Law didn't know why he said that, he rarely talks about his past, nevermind without someone asking. Just like with the star talk earlier that night he just kinda said it. He came to the conclusion that he was just particularly calm then. Perhaps meeting someone who doesn't want his head has put him in a good mood, or maybe the fact that Nezuko and himself are so similar he feels somewhat normal, shortening the walls he put up so many years ago. He shook his head and built his walls back up. He won't allow himself to grow attached to these siblings but will try and help them to survive, just until they reach the cure maker, then he's gone. "Right, come on. We still have some time before the sun begins its ascension." Law entered his defensive stance prompting Nezuko to enter her offensive stance. "Hit me."

Law and Nezuko proceeded to train until the sun threatened them with its light. Nezuko went back into her box and Law reapplied his armour and cloak. He sat in the shade of the building as Tanjiro walked out onto the dirt with his broken sword in hand and began to train. Law would watch Tanjiro as he swung the blade with total concentration. Law paid attention to Tanjiro's movements, he watched as Tanjiro held his sword behind his shoulder, jumped and spun in a vertical manner. He watched him perform form after form, polishing his movements to increase accuracy and power. Watching Tanjiro reminded him of when he would train with his master.

"Hold it steady and firm. Keep your eyes on the target, don't let them hit your blind spot."

It's been so long he can't even remember his master's face, after all, the last memory he has with his master is him eating him. If demons could puke… He got up from his seated position and walked over to Tanjiro. "Sir Tanjiro." He said. "I have a request." Tanjiro stopped and turned to look at his armoured travelling companion.

"I'll do what I can." He replied, sheathing his sword. "What do you need?"

Law fell to one knee, "please, teach me about this breathing you use. I believe my growth has gotten slower, learning breathing could be what pushes me farther."

Tanjiro was shocked, he had never been knelt to before. "I'd be happy to teach you." As law looked up he saw that ever so happy smile on Tanjiro's face he had grown accustomed to. During their days of travelling Tanjiro almost always had that smile on his face and never looked at Law with disgust or fear, like others do.

Law lowered his head once more. "Thank you." He rose to his feet and looked to his teacher. "What do I learn first?" He questioned.

Tanjiro placed a finger to his chin in thought. "Well… My teacher put me through this rigorous training but that was more for my body… Ah!" Tanjiro slammed a fist to his palm. "Breathe!"

"Wha…" Law's dumbfoundedness echoed through his helmet.

"Well there's a specific way of breathing. Watch me!" Law watched Tanjiro as he relaxed his body but kept his lower body braced, then took a long breath and breathed out really slowly. "Total concentration breathing sends oxygen into every cell in your body, increasing healing factor, strength and agility while also stabilising and energising your spirit." There we go, something Law could make sense of. "You try." Tanjiro motioned a hand for Law to try. Law relaxed his upper body but kept his lower body braced and breathed in then out. "Not like that. You have to fill your lungs to their limit and breathe slower." Heading Tanjiro's words, Law tried again. This time filling his lungs until they were about to burst and began to breathe out slower than before. His lungs felt like they were on fire but he's pushed through worse pain. "Yeah, like that." Tanjiro had an excited look on his face, "It took me ages to truly get a hang of Total concentration and you've done it just like that!"

One the air hand exited his lungs Law took a few normal breaths before replying. "I've always been a fast learner, I've just gotten faster over the years." Law stretched his body out. Law saw Tanjiro squirming as if he was debating on asking a question. Law knowing what he wanted to ask answered his silent question. "566."

"Huh?"

"My age. I can tell you want to know and I guess I owe you for teaching me your breathing." Law walked over and sat down on the engawa and motioned for Tanjiro to do the same. Once Tanjiro sat down, Law continued. "I was turned at the age of 16 and was a mindless demon for 4 months. My body never really matured because I wouldn't let it so it never aged. Both physically and mentally I am 16 yet I've lived for 566 years." Once again Law found himself spilling his past to one of the siblings for an unknown reason. "When I activate my blood demon art my body ages to its prime, yet my mind stays 16. I learn things yet never mature. I just want to be human again so I hold on to what little humanity I have left, so when I do find a cure… I don't know." Law grabbed his helmet in frustration. Tanjiro was unsure what to do so he just placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, even if Law couldn't feel it. "We should get back to training. Learning something is the easy part, mastering it is the hard part." He got up from the engawa and went back to breath training. Breathing over and over so it becomes second nature. Tanjiro practised his water forms as Law practised his breathing, it went on like this for the rest of the day.

Come dinner the three of them sat around the table as Tanjiro ate. Nezuko sat next to her brother while Law sat across the table with his helmet next to him and a book in hand, he had received the book from the couple who lives here. It was a book on Japanese legends and mythology.

Once night time had hit, Nezuko and Law were back under the night sky, this time outside the residence's walls. Law was in his black under clothes as he didn't wish to get the robe damaged, the only part of his armour left on where the greaves. They stood a few feet apart and stared each other down. "Come at me with everything you have. Treat me like an enemy!" Law commanded. Nezuko began to growl as she prepared to attack, then she ran.

Nezuko jumped into the air and lifted her leg up. Law quickly jumped back as Nezuko landed her foot on the ground causing earth to go flying in every which way. She spent just a little too long on the landing and Law gave a swift kick to her abdomen, ridiculing her on her recovery time in the process. Nezuko recovered from the kick and rushed Law down once again with a series of kicks this time, each either dodged or blocked. Law blocked a kick with his arm and grabbed her leg with his left hand and threw her away. Law then jumped after her, going for a leg smash of his own but Nezuko rolled out of the way. He praised her dodge but then stopped and looked off into the distance, confusing Nezuko.

She walked up to Law and looked over to where he was looking and spotted a bamboo forest. "Mmph?" She tilted her head.

"I want to teach you something new." He looked back to Nezuko, "a sixth sense if you will. I'm going to teach you how to sense bloodlust. Follow me and I'll show you what I mean. Do not worry about your brother, I promise you he'll be fine." Nezuko looked back to the residence where Tanjiro slept. She didn't want to leave him alone but chose to trust in Law. She turned back to him and nodded.

As they ran towards the bamboo forest Law who was now wearing his armour began to explain bloodlust sensing. "Listen up! Not many demons know how to sense bloodlust, it is in fact a rare skill. It is different from simply listening or smelling the enemy. By sensing an enemy's bloodlust you can tell where they are at all times and even how strong they are. By mastering bloodlust sensing you will never be surprised by an enemy again." Law looked over to Nezuko to make sure she was listening. "Draw upon your instinct to survive, that is the key to unlocking bloodlust sensing. One can only draw upon their survival instinct by being in mortal danger. Within that forest there is a demon and you will fight it. If you win I'll teach you something new as well." Nezuko nodded, confident in her ability to win. She was less confident in her ability to sense bloodlust.

The clouds had covered the moon and stars and it was dark in the forest. They slowed to a walk as Law led Nezuko to the demon. "I won't help you with this by the way, this is all up to you. If I did then you wouldn't be in mortal danger. From what I can smell, this demon is strong but not too strong, I should be enough."

"Mph!" Nezuko nodded in recognition.

"Good, because right over there." Law pointed between the bamboo trees and over to a male demon walking and pushing its way through the bamboo. He nodded over to the demon, "go on." Nezuko looked at him with a hesitant gaze. "I wouldn't let you do this If I didn't think you could. Just get them to a weakened state. Kick their head off or something." Sensing something Law quickly jolted his head in the demon's direction, spotting it running directly at them.

"These are my hunting grounds!" He shouted then proceeded to spit two lots of a green goopy liquid. Law pushed Nezuko out of the way and dodged the projectiles himself. "Hahahaha!" The demon jumped at Law with a fist reeled back. Law didn't move as the demon accelerated his fist into Law's chest. Not even a mark was left on the armour. The demon looked visibly surprised at the revelation.

Law grabbed the demon's hand. The demon attempted a punch with his other fist only for Law to catch it in his hand. "I'm not your opponent tonight, she is." Law looked over to Nezuko who had gotten back up and taken a fighting stance. The veins on her face became visible. "Kill her and you're free to hunt." Law let the demon go and he turned his body to face Nezuko.

"Her?" The demon weakly pointed a finger at her and looked to Law for confirmation, getting a nod and a hum in response. "She looks so weak though. She can't even speak." That ticked Nezuko off. She quickly launched a kick at the demon who jumped up on a bamboo shoot to dodge. "See? She can't even land a kick." The demon spat two more goopy liquid at Nezuko, the first missing but the second hitting her leg, sticking it to the ground. "Can't even dodge that." He muttered. He launched himself from the shoot, reeling back another punch. As Nezuko tried to get her foot unstuck, the demon's fist hit its target, her face and sent her rolling through shoots of bamboo. Law just stood and watched the fight with his arms crossed, observing their movements.

Nezuko quickly got back up as the demon shot more goop at her. Her eyes widened as she scrambled to dodge the attack. She was successful in her attempt to dodge but as she looked back at the demon, he was gone. She looked around but couldn't find him anywhere. She then got the idea to look up and saw him once again shooting more goop. This time she took the offensive and jumped high into the air and shortened the distance. The demon didn't expect this but was agile enough to dodge. Even though her kick missed it was not wasted as she grabbed a hold of the bamboo like the demon. Before the demon could compute what she did, she jumped from the shoot and landed a good kick to his stomach, sending him crashing down to the floor below.

"Ok… Didn't expect you to do that." The demon wiped some blood away from his mouth as he stood up. "But it won't be enough to beat me. I'm in the running for lower Si-GAH." A foot took its place in the demon's gut as he was lifted off of the ground and blood splattered out of his mouth.

"MMMPH!" Nezuko leaped after him and smashed her foot into his back, causing him to crack the ground upon contact. As Nezuko landed next to him, she raised her foot for one last smash on his head. As the foot was coming down the demon quickly turned his head and spat his goop over her eyes, blinding her. He then jumped away as she clawed at the goo to try and remove it to no avail.

"That was a cheap shot girl!" His voice echoed through the bamboo forest. Nezuko moved her head in an attempt to follow the sound.

Law smiled under his helmet. 'Nezuko losing her sight like that will only bring about your death, demon. She's a fast learner.'

The demon jumped from bamboo to bamboo, allowing the swaying to confuse Nezuko's ears. She just couldn't follow his sounds. "Bleh! Bleh!" The demon shot more goop at Nezuko's feet, trapping them to the ground. This was it, she couldn't even move anymore. She was trapped, surrounded by death. "Like a rabbit preyed upon by a wolf!" The demon jumped from his bamboo and rocketed towards Nezuko, going in for the kill, unaware of what this rabbit could do. Time froze for Nezuko. She couldn't see, smell, hear, touch or taste. The only thing she could feel was bloodlust, and it was coming straight for her from behind, a fist aimed for her head. She could feel her survival instinct building up inside of her. Her legs bulged with veins as everything went back to normal. Nezuko ripped herself out of the goop, spun around and smashed her leg into the demon's stunned expression and sent it flying towards her teacher.

Law raised a hand and caught the demon's flabbergasted head. "Wha- but how!?" The demon spat out through his bloodied words. Law simply raised the demon's head to look it directly in the eyes through his own helmet slit.

"Bloodlust." Law then began walking over to Nezuko who was trying to remove the goop from her eyes once again. He dropped the demon's head and placed one hand on her shoulder and another on the goop. Grasping the goop he pulled his hand back and tore it off her face with enough force to nearly cause her to fall. He caught her in his arms and pulled her back to a standing position. "Congratulations on unlocking your sixth sense." Law reached down and picked off the demon's head and walked over to do the same with his body and held them up. "Now, come claim your prize."

"Prize? What do you mean!? I'm not a prize! I'M GOING TO BE LOWER MOON SIX DAMN IT!"

"With that poor display? You would have just died like a lamb." Law mocked the demon sending it into a fit of rage and certain words. In order to stop the cursing Law smashed his knee into the demon's face and knocked it out. He sighed. "Now that that's handled. Come and claim your prize."

Nezuko tilted her head and looked at him confused, not understanding what he meant by "prize".

"Place your hands upon his body and head." Nezuko slowly placed her hands on his body and head just like Law said. "Now, picture yourself absorbing him. It could be his power or drinking his blood, even eating him works." Law noticed the hesitation in Nezuko's eyes. "You trust me don't you?" His voice grew soft. Nezuko closed her eyes, believing Law wouldn't go back on his words. The began to picture herself absorbing him into herself. On the outside Law watched as the demon began to melt and be taken in by Nezuko's hands. Nezuko opened her eyes and watched the last of the demon enter her palms. Once it was all gone she turned her palms to herself and looked at them, they looked normal. "Absorbing a demon is another way for a demon to gain strength. It may not be as good as eating humans, but it's really the only choice for demons like us who do not eat humans." Nezuko looked back up at Law. "A demon must first be weakened to the point it cannot fight back otherwise you risk being absorbed yourself. The more strength a demon has left the more you will absorb, so sneak attacking a demon is certainly the best case scenario for absorption." All of this was going over Nezuko's head and it showed. Law sighed, "the more demons you absorb the more control and strength you'll get." She seemed to have understood that as an understanding hum came from her. "Let's head back. I'm even starting to get tired." Law stretched his arms and yawned, turned and started walking back to the building with Nezuko in tow, yawning herself.

Greetings once more! I presume uploads shall begin to slow down after this chapter's release, I got to forge some ideas I got. You might be glad to know that Tokyo will most likely make an appearance in the next chapter and the next arc shall arrive.

Do let me know what I could do better and I hope you enjoyed it!

Luv ya you meme watchers and don't forget to shoop da whoop sometime. (You get a cookie if you know what that is. Looking it up doesn't count.)