The test
Guest review answer corner.
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Lilypu: I have no intention of stopping any time soon so that shouldn't be a problem. For your questions, I don't like giving spoilers for my stories… I do, however, like to promote my stories! So I invite you to read my other two Kimetsu no Yaiba fanfics, a one-shot and a two-shot, and they should answer your question (partially, at least).
Thanks for the review, I hope you continue to enjoy!
Until next time.
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Thanks for the support everyone!
Disclaimer: I don't own Kimetsu no Yaiba.
On with the chapter!
Sabito's manor, a week after the Final Selection ended.
A Kasugai Crow descended from the sky and landed in front of Makomo as she rested at the porch looking at the backyard while drinking tea.
"Hello there." She greeted, using her hand to gently pet the bird. "Am I allowed to read that letter tied to your feet?"
The crow made a small jump to get closer and offered its leg where a letter was attached.
"Thank you." The black haired girl said before taking the letter. 'Let's see.' She opened it and read its contents.
.
'…I see.' Her smile wavered slightly and her eyes narrowed the slightest bit after reading it. 'I'll have to let Sabito know when he comes back from his mission.'
Just as she was thinking that, a door opened behind her.
"Oh, hi Giyu." She greeted with a smile. "Everything alright?"
"I'm going on a mission, I just came to let you know." He answered, his expression neutral.
"Blunt as always." Makomo commented jokingly. "Do you know how long it will take?"
"At least two days to make it there; I don't know how long until I can track the demon."
"I see… I guess you won't be able to make it then." The black haired girl thought out loud.
Giyu raised an eyebrow, silently asking what she meant.
"Urokodaki-san just sent a letter, Tanjiro's sister woke up." She informed.
"…I see."
"I'll tell Sabito when he gets back, we'll probably go there immediately after. I was going to invite you but if you have a mission…" She trailed off.
"I don't mind." The Tsuguko said before turning around. "…please let me know what happens."
"Of course!" Makomo answered. "Have a safe trip."
Nodding Giyu closed the door and, a few moments later, left the house.
"…well, I guess I'll make a flower crown." She said to herself before drinking the rest of her tea, then stepping down to the garden.
.
A few hours later.
Sabito was in a good mood, an unusual thing after a mission.
In most cases, whenever the Demon Slayers hear about a demon is because said demon has already taken a few victims and so, someone is sent to dispose of the demon. His most recent mission was different.
The demon he was sent to hunt kept his victims alive, it clearly had a liking for making humans suffer as they were kept chained up and, according to said victims, it would take a bite out of them every now and then only to hear them scream.
Luckily, the Water Pillar had been able to track it down, kill it and save the prisoners before any fatalities, at least in the town the prisoners were taken from. There would be a few scars, both physically and mentally, but they should heal with time.
All in all, it was a good day.
"I'm back!" Sabito called out as he entered his house.
Footsteps were heard and, a moment later, Makomo leaned her head from around the corner.
"Welcome home." Makomo answered with a smile. "How did your mission go?"
"Good, all things considered." The Water Pillar said. "No one died, at least from the town I was sent to, so I can't complain." He took off his footwear before jumping up the small step. "Anything happened while I was gone?"
"Giyu was sent on a mission, he left a few hours ago." The black haired girl said. "Also…" She took out the letter from the crow. "This is from Urokodaki-san, Tanjiro's sister is awake."
The small content smile that Sabito had on his face was wiped off the moment he heard her.
"I see." The peach haired man said, taking a deep breath. "When did she wake up?"
"A week ago, right after Tanjiro came back from the Final Selection."
"Why did Urokodaki-san wait so long to tell us?"
"He wanted to give Tanjiro some time." Makomo answered with a small smile.
Sabito nodded in understanding.
"I guess it's time, then." With that, he turned around and put his footwear back on.
Makomo soon followed his example and the two left the house and began the trip towards Mt. Sagiri.
In .
After coming back from the Final Selection and resting for two days, Tanjiro fell into a routine.
First, he would have breakfast with Urokodaki-san, then help around the house until lunch, which the two would also have together; in the afternoon, he trained in order to keep in shape and to improve his swordsmanship further, it wasn't as hellish as when he first began training with Urokodaki-san or the six months when Sabito and Makomo helped him but he didn't slack off.
He sometimes wondered if he didn't consider it as hellish because he wasn't trying as desperately or because he got used to it.
Once the sun set, he would go back to the house where he would find Nezuko, usually walking around outside. The younger Kamado would sometimes sleep through the entire night but she hasn't slept for two days straight since Tanjiro came back; he thinks that it's probably so he won't worry about her not waking up like the last two years.
After greeting her he'd take a shower and then tell her everything that happened while she was asleep; they had a lot of catching up to do. Eventually, Urokodaki would call them to eat; Nezuko couldn't eat the food but she settled for either sitting beside her brother or laying down on the floor while kicking her feet in the air. Tanjiro wasn't sure but he could have sworn he heard a snort from his master the first time the latter happened.
Today was no different; he had trained, greeted Nezuko when he came back and taken a shower.
He was talking with her when his nose picked up a familiar scent.
"Oh, Sabito and Makomo came to visit." The Kamado thought out loud, looking at the road that leads to the house before turning back to his sister. "They are the ones I told you helped me with my training… and that would test you."
Nezuko tilted her head to the side while looking worriedly at her brother.
"Don't worry; I'm sure it will be fine." The swordsman said trying to reassure her.
And himself.
.
While this was happening, Urokodaki looked out from his house, also having picked up on his two pupils' scent.
'I've done all I can… now I can only hope.' The old man thought, steeling himself for what it's to come.
.
Not so far from Urokodaki's home.
"We're almost there." Makomo mentioned, for the first time not happy about going to her master's home.
"Yeah." Sabito answered simply, moving his fox mask from his waist to the right side of his head.
"Are you sure you want to do this?"
"Yes."
"Isn't there another way?"
"None that I can think of."
"…are you trying to imitate Giyu?" She asked with a small grin to lighten the mood.
"…pff." Sabito snorted before letting out a short chuckle. "I don't think I could if I tried."
"You don't know that." The black haired said back, still grinning.
The smile in Sabito's face disappeared before he answered.
"…I appreciate what you're trying to do Makomo but please, let's leave the jokes for now."
The black haired girl's smile vanished and she nodded somberly.
"You know I could do it for you, you know?"
"And make you carry that burden? No, thank you."
"So it's okay if you carry it?" Makomo shot back with narrowed eyes.
"Last I checked, I was the pillar." Sabito answered without humor, looking at her from the corner of his eyes.
"If that's your reason, then I'll fight you right here for your title." The black haired girl declared.
"Please don't." He said simply with a pleading smile.
"…you don't want to do this."
"Possibly take away a good person's last remaining family? Of course not." The peach haired man answered with a heavy sigh.
"Yet you're going through with it."
"Whatever Giyu saw was enough to convince him that she was worth risking his life for." Sabito began. "I trust his judgement as much as yours but I haven't seen anything like that yet. I won't risk my life, his life and your life on this without seeing it with my own eyes."
"I understand… but I will help you."
"What?"
"You need someone to keep Tanjiro still, do you really think that he won't try to protect her?"
"I won't ask that of you."
"I know, which is why I'm the one saying I'll do it." She gave him a weak smile. "I'll at least help you with the burden."
"…thank you."
"Just… answer me this." Makomo said, making her friend turn towards her. "If she doesn't pass your test and you kill her… what will you do about Tanjiro?"
"…I don't know." The Water Pillar said and looked towards the night sky with a sad look. "That's why I've been praying that she passes since you told me she woke up."
Without a word, Makomo moved in front of Sabito and hugged him, moving her head to the side so her mask wouldn't bother him.
"Whatever happens, it won't change anything, not between us at least." She assured him while burying her head in his chest.
"Thank you." Sabito said with a small smile as he returned the gesture.
Around twenty minutes after Tanjiro picked up Sabito and Makomo's scents, the two appeared above the small slope overlooking Urokodaki's house, the moonlight falling on them and letting the red haired teen see them clearly.
"There they are." Tanjiro said, looking towards them.
Nezuko was standing beside him and looking in the same direction.
The older Kamado gulped when he saw Sabito already had his mask on his head, add to that the dead serious expressions in both their faces and he didn't need his sense of smell to tell that something was wrong.
"H-" Whatever he was going to say was cut off when Sabito suddenly disappeared from sight and reappeared right in front of Nezuko before kicking her away. "Nezu-" He was once again cut off when Makomo moved behind him, used her legs to sweep his and pinned him to the ground, face down.
"Don't move." The black haired girl ordered in a completely emotionless tone that he had never heard from her.
Meanwhile, Sabito unsheathed his sword and began to slash against the younger Kamado forcing her to move around and dodge. She tried to jump towards a tree to gain some distance but the swordsman easily caught up to her and aimed for her neck, making her kick said tree to alter her course and avoid the weapon.
He didn't let up, every time Nezuko seemed to have taken enough distance to have a moment of reprieve Sabito would suddenly appear right beside her, his stony expression not looking the slightest bit remorseful for what he was doing.
"Nezuko!" Tanjiro called out before attempting to use Total Concentration breathing to overpower Makomo.
'Trying' being the operative word.
The moment she noticed what he was doing, Makomo hit him on his back, forcing the air out of his lungs.
"Don't try that." She said simply.
But he didn't listen, Tanjiro tried again only to be hit in the same spot once more, feeling powerless as he watched the peach haired man try to kill his sister.
That doesn't mean he stopped trying, the moment he finished his coughing fit he was taking another deep breath only for Makomo to hit him again.
This process repeated itself several times, the only other sounds interrupting the usually quiet night being that of Sabito and Nezuko moving around and the former's sword cutting through air.
Tanjiro hoped that it wouldn't change to the sound of flesh being cut as he once again attempted to use Total Concentration breathing.
Makomo answered to this by once again hitting him but, in an attempt to make him stop once and for all, she used too much strength making the red haired teen let out a pained yell.
The sound gained the attention of the younger Kamado as she ignored the man with the tri-color haori and lunged in their direction, ready to tackle the black haired girl.
Sabito moved even faster and stood between them, his sword poised for an upwards slash, that he performed the moment Nezuko was in range, forcing the demon to stop and jump back, doing a somersault backwards due to the momentum before landing on her feet.
Nezuko's eyes focused on her brother and she let out a growl, muffled by the bamboo muzzle around her mouth but her intent was clear; 'leave my brother alone' is what she seemed to be saying.
Wordlessly, Sabito used his sword to make a cut in the back of his hand, letting some blood fall to the ground.
The girl with the pink kimono looked at him for a moment before her eyes went back to her brother.
"…don't move." Sabito said, speaking for the first time since he got there. "I am a Demon Slayer and you're a demon, it's my job to kill you." Nezuko didn't give any response to his words, whether it was because she was ignoring him or she couldn't understand him, Sabito couldn't know. "But your brother is human, if you don't resist anymore then we'll let him go."
"What?! Don't-gah!" Makomo hit Tanjiro once again, cutting him off mid-sentence and earning another growl from Nezuko.
"If you can understand what I said, then stop moving right now."
Nezuko shifted her gaze towards the man with the fox mask, her glare changing to a somewhat curious stare as her pink eyes seemed to analyze him.
'This person… human… I won't hurt him… but Onii-chan… this person… said he won't hurt him anymore… if I stay still…'
In truth, she could still understand human speech; it's only that she couldn't process the words and their meaning with the same ease as when she was a human.
She can hear the words and she knows their meaning but to her, it feels as if someone is trying to explain a very difficult problem about a subject she has little knowledge of. She can understand if given enough time, though, and even before she turned into a demon Nezuko was good at telling a person's emotional state just by watching them or talking for a while.
So she knows that what Sabito was saying was true, he won't attack Tanjiro as long as she stays still.
'This person… not lying.'
As Nezuko decided, she did as told and stayed still.
"I'll keep my end of the bargain." The Water Pillar said as he prepared his sword.
"Wai-" Yet again, Makomo stopped Tanjiro from speaking.
Nezuko looked at her brother and her eyes showed the gentle smile that her muzzle hid before closing them and slightly raising her chin, as if offering her neck.
Without any more words, Sabito dashed forward his sword poised to strike and ready to sever the pink eyed demon's head.
"Stop!" Tanjiro cried out, attempting to overpower Makomo again, even knowing that if he managed to get up he wouldn't make it in time to stop Sabito's blade.
In the blink of an eye, Sabito appeared behind Nezuko, his sword sheathed.
"…I'm glad." He said simply before raising his eyes to the sky and letting out a heavy sigh as Nezuko opened her eyes, noticing that her head was still attached to her torso.
"Sorry about this, Tanjiro." Makomo spoke as she got off of him and helped him up. "We needed to be sure."
"…this was a test." The Kamado said in realization after getting back on his feet.
The girl with the flower haori nodded before taking a step back when Nezuko moved between the two and hugged her brother.
"We won't ask you to forgive us… but we are sorry." Sabito said as he walked towards them, his mask already moved from his head to his waist.
"…I'm going to head-butt you." Tanjiro declared, narrowing his eyes towards Sabito.
"Pardon?"
"I have to head-butt you for hitting Nezuko." He said as he let go of Nezuko.
"…alright." The peach haired man answered, moving his palms upwards in an 'I won't resist' gesture.
Without any more words, Tanjiro closed the distance, took a deep breath and grabbed Sabito from his haori before head-butting him as hard as he could.
"I forgive you." He said after taking a step back.
"…"
"Sabito?" Makomo called out when he didn't respond.
Almost as if he was a tree that was just cut, Sabito fell backwards, hitting the ground with a thud.
"Sabito!" Makomo said worriedly as she checked on him.
"Don't worry, I'm sure he is fine." Urokodaki said, walking towards his pupils. "It's just that Tanjiro's head is unnaturally hard."
"True." The aforementioned said with crossed arms and a nod.
Nezuko imitated the gesture with a mumble.
"…are you saying that you knocked Sabito unconscious… with a head-butt?" She asked with an incredulous expression.
An hour later.
"…nghh." Sabito groaned as he began to wake up and slowly opened his eyes.
The first thing he saw was the familiar roof of Urokodaki's home and noticed that the place was lit by the bonfire inside the house.
Then he noticed his head was resting on something soft and a moment later he saw the face of one of his best friends looking down at him worriedly.
"Are you alright?" Makomo asked.
"…did Tanjiro knock me out with a head-butt?" The Water Pillar asked, his incredulous expression almost mirroring the one Makomo had before.
"He did." She confirmed with a nod.
The peach haired man turned his head to the side and saw Tanjiro sitting near the bonfire where a hotpot was being cooked by his master, while Nezuko was sitting beside her brother.
"You should have head-butted that boulder until it broke into pieces; it would have been faster than learning how to cut it." He said, completely serious.
The red haired teen blinked once before letting out a chuckle.
Makomo also let out a giggle and Urokodaki snorted in amusement.
"Did you say you forgive me? I think I heard it but I was kind of losing consciousness so I'm not sure."
"You apologized for hitting Nezuko and I head-butted you as penance, you've made amends." Tanjiro assured him before frowning. "I'm still mad that you just attacked like that without any warning but I'll move past it eventually."
"There would have been no point in telling you beforehand, I needed to make sure your sister thought it was real and see her reaction." Sabito explained.
"That doesn't mean he liked it, though; he told me he was praying that she passes since he learned she woke up." Makomo added with a serene smile.
"Makomo!"
"Yes, Sabito?" The black haired girl asked innocently.
"…forget it." He turned his head the other way so he was looking at one of the walls.
"So… what happens now?" The older Kamado asked.
"She passed, so we won't attack her anymore." The aqua eyed girl answered before frowning. "That doesn't mean that other Demon Slayers won't, though."
"A demon that doesn't attack humans is not something that other hunters will simply accept, if any of the others find out they will likely attack first and ask questions later." Sabito said next, moving to a sitting position. "Thanks for lending me your haori, Makomo."
"You're welcome." The girl said, grabbing her haori that she had placed under Sabito's head.
"I understand." Tanjiro nodded.
"By the way, what are you planning to do with her when your sword arrives?" The Water Pillar asked. "You will probably get your first mission the same day so you should prepare in advance."
"I'll bring Nezuko with me." The red haired teen answered, looking at her with a smile. "We won't be separated anymore."
Makomo smiled at the scene.
"Oh, crap." While Sabito suddenly face palmed and groaned.
"Sabito?" Urokodaki asked, surprised at the response.
"This… could be a problem."
"…oh, right." The girl with the fox mask realized what he meant.
"What's wrong?" The Kamado asked.
"There was an emergency meeting a few days ago; long story short, there will be a member of the middle-ranks accompanying you for your first missions and then you will likely be assigned to a squad."
"But that means…" Tanjiro trailed off there as he processed what he just heard. "EHHHHHH?!" And then let out an incredulous yell. "What? That's- Is that how the Demon Slayers operate?!"
"It's a… new approach, one that just began recently." Makomo answered slowly.
"How recently?" Urokodaki asked, not being aware about this before tonight.
"It was decided at the meeting I just mentioned." The peach haired man answered while scratching his neck. "Because of a letter I sent proposing the idea." He finished while looking away.
Tanjiro could only stare incredulously at his sibling disciple.
"Why did it have to be now of all times?" He asked in disbelief, more to himself than them.
"Well… something you said gave me the idea and after working out the details with Makomo I sent the letter to Oyakata-sama." Sabito answered.
"Are you still going to take her with you?" Makomo asked worriedly. "It could be dangerous for her."
"I want to but…" Tanjiro trailed off again.
In response, Nezuko took one of her brother's hands on her own and looked at him with a determined expression.
"I may have a solution." The oldest in the room said, getting up from his spot near the fire. "It's not complete yet but it should at least be of some help." He took out a wooden box from one of the shelves and showed it to them. "I will have it ready by the time your sword arrives, as long as you don't tell other people she is inside there shouldn't be any issues."
"Thank you, Urokodaki-san!" Tanjiro said with a wide smile.
"It will still be dangerous, in fact, I am certain that Nezuko would be safer if you didn't take her with you." The masked man continued.
The demon with the pink kimono let some grumbles while shaking her head.
"But it seems that's not what she wants."
"Just be careful, some Demon Slayers are more adept at detecting demons and could tell that she is in that box." Sabito warned.
"Yes, I'll be careful." The Kamado assure them.
"By the way, I think the food is ready." Makomo interjected.
.
.
After dinner.
"You defeated that demon?" The aqua eyed girl asked, surprise written in her expression.
"Yes, I couldn't run away so I had no choice but to fight." The teen with the hanafuda earrings confirmed and pointed to the bandage on his head. "I got this wound while fighting him but nothing worse."
Sabito let out a large sigh.
"That's a relief." He then frowned. "Tanjiro, do you really not hold a grudge against me for attacking Nezuko?
"Hmm, I don't; you've made amends."
"It doesn't feel like that." The Water Pillar said before standing up. "Come with me." He walked outside of the house, with a puzzled Tanjiro in tow.
The other three followed behind them.
Once outside, Sabito grabbed a pair of wooden swords Urokodaki keeps for practice and gave one to Tanjiro.
"Consider this my way of apologizing for hurting your sister." The peach haired man said as he took some distance.
"But I already forgave you." The red haired teen said with a frown.
"Then consider it my way of thanking you for killing that demon in the Final Selection." He answered before raising one hand and do a 'bring it on' gesture. "Now, come at me."
The Kamado hesitated for a moment longer before nodding and preparing his stance.
Without waiting for any signal, Tanjiro took a deep breath and lunged forward.
'Total Concentration. Water Breathing.' Sabito thought while taking a deep breath as well.
Tanjiro performed a downward slash against Sabito but the latter didn't move, he just stood there, holding the wooden sword with his right hand.
He saw the moment his sword would hit him and-
"…eh?" Suddenly, Tanjiro was about five feet behind Sabito. 'What happened? Did he move?' He turned around to see his sibling disciple but there was no sign he had taken a step from his initial position.
"What's wrong?" The Water Pillar asked as he turned around to face him. "I didn't tell you to stop."
The Kamado jumped back to gain more distance and narrowed his eyes.
'I don't understand, what did he do?' He thought, trying to figure out what happened. 'For now, I'll continue trying to hit him.' With that, he prepared to charge again. 'Water Breathing. First form.' Tanjiro lunged, his sword poised for a horizontal strike as water began to engulf it. 'Water Surface Slash.' He swung his weapon and the result… was the same as last time.
"Again." Sabito spoke up.
The older Kamado complied, holding his sword with one hand with the tip pointing at the peach haired man. 'Seventh form. Piercing Rain Drop.' He unleashed the fastest of the Water Breathing forms and dashed forward, hoping to use speed to defeat whatever Sabito was doing.
It didn't work.
His thrust missed its mark and he was once again a few feet behind Sabito without hitting him.
"Again." The older man repeated.
'I don't get it, I don't get it at all.' Tanjiro thought. 'If this was a real battle then I'm sure I would have died already but I can't see what he is doing, it's like my attacks are moved out of the way without me even noticing.' Truthfully, he would be a lot more worried about this if it was a real battle but Sabito hadn't even tried to counter-attack this entire time. 'Calm down, if one attack isn't enough then attack continuously until I can find an opening.' Bracing himself once more, Tanjiro prepared his wooden sword. 'Total Concentration. Water Breathing.' He lunged forward, his sword poised to strike. 'Tenth form.' The water that engulfs his sword began to take shape as he moved forward, taking the form a dragon that followed the path of the blade. 'The Dragon of change!' Tanjiro struck and, as he expected, the attack didn't connect. 'Not yet.' Without losing momentum he rotated his body and struck again.
Once more, the attack didn't connect.
He continued to attack, constantly rotating to increase the strength of each slash but no matter the angle, the speed or the strength, the dragon's fangs failed to reach their target.
'Damn it, not yet- khg.' Just as he was about to slash again, Tanjiro fell on his knees, the water dragon dissipating into nothingness. 'My breath, stabilize it.' He told himself.
"It was a good attempt." Sabito said. "Did you realize what I was doing?"
"N-no." The Kamado answered as he took deep breaths to calm down. "What was that?"
"It's the eleventh form of the Water Breathing style, 'Lull'."
"The eleventh form?" The younger male repeated. "I thought there were only ten forms in the Water Breathing style."
"There were." The peach haired man answered. "Giyu came up with it a few years ago and taught it to Makomo and me." He said with a grin.
"Wow." The Kamado said in admiration as he moved to a sitting position. "But… how does it work? I can tell that it's a defensive technique but how can you maintain it for so long? Doesn't it take a great toll on your body?"
"Not really but that's because there is a great difference between you and me." Sabito said, also sitting down. "I'll be blunt, at your current level, there is no way you can use the Eleventh form."
"Then how can I get strong enough to use it?"
"First, you need to master another technique." The Water Pillar said. "Tanjiro, have you tried maintaining Total Concentration Breathing at all times?"
"Eh?" The red haired teen's expression seemed to say 'is that a thing?'
"All the Pillars as well as some Demon Slayers already do this, it makes a world of difference between being able to maintain it at all times over just using it when you're going to attack; that's why I was able to keep 'Lull' active during all of your attacks."
"Wha… just using it for a moment is already hard… but I'm supposed to maintain it at all times?" He actually began to shake as he heard this.
"Even while sleeping." Sabito added with a smirk at his gob smacked expression.
"I see…" His expression turned from gob smacked to determined. "I'll do my best!"
"I thought you might say that, I'll give you a few pointers."
Tanjiro thanked him and gave his sibling disciple his full attention.
.
"Hehe, I think Sabito will feel at ease now." Makomo mentioned as she watched the two. "I'm kind of surprised Tanjiro didn't head-butt me as well." She thought out loud.
"Knowing him, he probably understands why you did it and doesn't hold it against you." Her master answered her.
"But he head-butted Sabito." The black haired girl argued.
"Yes, but he hit Nezuko, not him."
Makomo's mouth made an 'o' as she nodded in understanding.
"Is that why you seem to dislike me? Because I hit your brother?" She asked as she leaned forward to look at the demon standing at the other side of Urokodaki.
Nezuko narrowed her eyes at her and mumbled.
"I'm sorry, I was holding back at first but I thought that if I hit him harder he would stay still." Makomo walked in front of her and bowed her head. "I apologize, I won't do it again… do you want to head-butt me as penance as well?"
The demon with the pink kimono tilted her head to the side as she looked at her.
Then raised her right hand and extended her pinky finger.
"Hmm." She mumbled, making the woman with the flower haori raise her head.
"A pinky promise?" Makomo asked a bit puzzled. "Am I promising not to test you again?"
Nezuko closed her eyes and shook her head several times in an exaggerated motion.
"Then, am I promising not to attack you?"
Again, the demon shook her head.
"…am I promising I won't attack your brother?"
Nezuko nodded twice while staring at the other female.
'You two really are siblings.' She thought before a smile formed on her face.
"Alright, I promise I won't attack your brother again." The girl with the fox mask said as she intertwined her pinky finger with hers. 'I never thought I would make a pinky promise with a demon.' She let out a chuckle at the thought.
"Hmm!" Nezuko seemed to smile, or at least that's what her expression seemed to convey, as they separated their fingers.
Sabito and Makomo left the next day, not before apologizing once more to both Kamado siblings, and wished Tanjiro luck during his first assignment.
Nezuko went back to her room, not wanting to be exposed to the sun while Urokodaki went about his own routine.
Tanjiro went back to training.
He was currently standing outside of the house while trying to follow Sabito's words and maintain Total Concentration Breathing at all times but.
'Kgh.' He suddenly fell down. 'I can't do it at all! I can't do it!' The Kamado thought as he tried to suck in air normally. 'If I try to do Total Concentration Breathing longer, it makes me feel like I'm gonna die! It's too painful! My lungs hurt! My ears hurt! My ears are ringing like crazy! My eardrums-!' He suddenly hit his ears with his hands while letting out a yell before looking at his palms in panic. 'That scared the heck out of me!' He thought while trembling and a few tears fell from his eyes. 'For a second there, I thought my hearth had burst through my ears! I'll never make it at this rate! When you're in trouble go back to basics!' Clenching his fists and teeth, he forced his body to stop trembling. "You spineless fool!"
He took a normal deep breath to calm down and thought about it again.
'Breathing is all about the lungs, if I can't get the hang of it that means my lungs are too weak.' Just that was enough for him to know what to do. 'Work at it! All I can do is work hard! That's the story of my life!' He took another deep breath. 'Hard work is the sum of daily efforts! I thought I wouldn't complete Urokodaki-san's training but I did! I thought I couldn't cut that boulder but I did! That was two years' worth of effort, its fine if it's one step at a time! Move forward!'
"Right!" Having pumped himself up, he began his daily training while trying to maintain Total Concentration Breathing.
.
To say that he was successful would be to say that the sky is red; he could barely do a quarter of his regular training on the mountains while using Total Concentration Breathing and needed a lot more rests in between exercises.
He did notice that it got better as time went on. The first three days he felt like he was suffocating after just going up and down the mountain once; the fourth day he actually managed to go down the mountain, a lot more tired than usual but he didn't feel like he was about to pass out like before.
He spent the entire week working on it but at the end, he could only manage to maintain Total Concentration Breathing for about half a day, and that was without counting when he slept; even if he tried, he didn't think he was managing to continue using the breathing technique when he wasn't conscious.
Morning, eight days later.
Tanjiro was about to leave the house to begin training when he saw a person walking towards it.
He is wearing a sunflower-patterned robe and a large, woven hat with hanging floral wind chimes covered his face. He also had what looked like a rectangular box covered in cloth strapped to his back.
The man continued his walk and stood in front of the red haired teen.
"Um…"
"My name is Haganezuka." The man said. "I have forged Kamado Tanjiro's sword, and I am here to deliver it."
The red haired teen widened his eyes in surprise but quickly bowed in greeting.
"Um, I'm Kamado Tanjiro." He said once he was standing straight again. "Please come inside."
"This is the Nichirin Sword." Haganezuka said, sitting on the ground with his back turned and removing the cloth; completely ignoring Tanjiro's words. "And I forged it."
"Um… Please come in so I can serve you some te-"
"The materials for a Nichirin Sword can be obtained from the mountain closest to the sun." He interrupted, or it as more like, he wasn't even listening to him in the first place. "Scarlet Crimson Iron Sand and Scarlet Crimson Ore. These produce steel that can absorb sunlight." The man explained while pointing at the sun.
"Wow, is that right?" The Kamado asked, genuinely interested.
"Mt. Yoko is bathed in sunlight all day long, you see." Haganezuka continued. "Never a cloud in the sky, nor any rain."
"I understand but… you're going to get dirty, so could you get up for a second?"
The man turned to see him in the eye, letting Tanjiro see his face that the hat was covering until now.
Or that's what would have happened, except that the man was wearing a mask; it looked to resemble the face of a man, with big eyes with black pupils and the mouth was shaped in a way that it seemed to be blowing wind.
"A Hyottoko?" Tanjiro asked in surprise.
"Hmm? Hmm!" Haganezuka looked at Tanjiro as if examining him. "Hey, you're a Child of Brightness, aren't you? Now that's what I call lucky."
"Oh no, I'm the son of Tanjuro and Kie." The Kamado answered completely serious while raising one hand in a 'that's wrong' gesture.
"That's not what I meant." The masked man said before pointing at his head. "See how your hair and eyes are a reddish color?" He moved his finger and pointed at his face. "When a kid like you is born into a family that works with fire…" He suddenly poked him in his cheek, making Tanjiro lean back a bit as he pushed. "…it's considered lucky and a cause for celebration."
"Is that right? I had no idea." Tanjiro answered.
"There's a good chance that this sword will turn red! Right, Urokodaki?" The swordsmith asked, knowing that the other masked man would be listening inside the house.
"Yeah." Sakonji said simply.
Finally, Haganezuka stopped poking Tanjiro and entered the house, followed by the teen.
The youngest of the three sat in front of his master while Haganezuka took a seat next to Urokodaki before giving him the sword.
At first glance, it was a simple katana; the sheath was black as well as the guard and the grip.
"Come on, hurry up and draw it!" The swordsmith urged while making a wave motion with both his hands.
Tanjiro saw it but decided not to ask.
"Nichirin Sword are also known 'Color Changing Swords'. They change color depending on the bearer."
Widening his eyes for a second at that, Tanjiro did as told and unsheathed the blade.
'It looks normal.' He thought as he examined the silver steel of his weapon.
Tanjiro adjusted his grip and the sword quickly began to change color, starting from the guard the new color it began to rise until the entire blade turned pitch black.
"Black!" Haganezuka said with a huff.
"It's black, huh?" Urokodaki said calmly.
"Eh? Is it bad or something if it turns black?" Tanjiro asked, a bit afraid at their reactions. "Is it unlucky?"
"No, not necessarily." His master reassured him. "But you don't see this pitch black too often."
While this was happening, Haganezuka was trembling in his seat and finally exploded.
"And I was so hoping I'd get to see a bright red sword! Dammit!" Out of nowhere, he jumped on Tanjiro and pinned him to the ground; laying down face down, Haganezuka used his right leg to immobilize the teen's right arm, his left leg to keep his body still, his left arm to hold onto the teen's left arm and his right arm to choke him using Tanjiro's black haori.
"Ouch! Stop!" The Kamado said as the older man tightened his grip. "Please calm down! How old do you think you are?!"
"I'm thirty-seven!" He answered as he continued to 'punish' him because his sword didn't change to the color he wanted to see.
As Tanjiro fought to get him off, moving to a sitting position while the masked man grabbed his left cheek and pulled, a crow came in from the window and landed on the ground.
"Kamado Tanjiro!" It said, turning its head towards the aforementioned. "Here are your orders!"
"Eh?" Tanjiro stared after finally getting Haganezuka off him and keeping him at bay with one arm. "It talks."
"Make your way to a town to the northwest! Young girls have been vanishing there!"
As he heard that, Tanjiro realized what this was.
"Hunt down the demon lurking there and kill it! Kamado Tanjiro, prepare yourself well for this task! This is your first assignment as a Demon Hunter!"
"My first… assignment…" He repeated with some nervousness but it was quickly dissipated as he looked at his blade.
With a mental nod, he tightened his grip on his weapon and cleared his mind of any doubts.
No more training or tests, from now on the real battles begin.
And here is another one.
As always, I hope you enjoyed!
Next time, the first mission and you will meet Tanjiro's temporary partner.
Here is a hint, it's a character that appeared in the anime/manga, I'll give virtual pancakes to anyone that can guess it right.
Until next time.
PS: Once again, I wish to remind you about what I said at the author notes at the beginning; I promise that, unless something changes, this is the last time I bring it up.
