Asuka had been less than enthusiastic throughout the day. Throughout school and even later during training, her teammates had noticed the sudden drop in morale and started to get concerned. They finally decided to work up the courage and ask.

"Asuka, is something the matter?" Ikaruga asked her friend.

Knowing that hiding her thoughts for the second time would be somewhat pointless, she decided to tell. She told her friends what she had seen in her dream, her dream of Tanjiro.

"He lost his entire family to a demon?" Hibari asked, eyes wide.

Yagyū looked down, pitying the person. "At such a young age too. I can't imagine how painful that must be."

"You know, he kinda sounds like an anime protagonist." Katsuragi said.

"Katsuragi!" Ikaruga said. "Have some tact, please!"

"What? I'm just saying that Asuka's literal dream guy sounds like an anime protagonist. That whole thing where he starts off with some dead family members and goes on a journey? Anime protagonist!"

As Ikaruga started to argue with Katsuragi about what she was saying, Daidōji had a thinking expression on her face. Asuka picked up on this.

"What are you thinking about?" Asuka asked.

"It's just... losing your family at that age can't be good for your mental state." Daidōji said. "I don't want to worry you, but... what if your friend takes the path of vengeance against the demon, not caring who's in his way?"

Asuka shook her head. "Tanjiro's not that type of person. I don't think he would end up like that."

"Are you sure?" Daidōji said. "I'm not saying that I want your friend to end up going down that path. I'm just saying that it's a possibility."

Asuka opened her mouth to argue, but closed it again. She stared down at her feet, completely silent.

Tanjiro... you wouldn't be like that... right? You wouldn't... would you...?


Asuka lay awake in her bed, still thinking about what Daidōji said. Tanjiro going down the path of vengeance. Tanjiro, the kind boy that she met in her dream. Tanjiro... who's family was slaughtered by a demon.

The thought wouldn't leave her mind, and she was half afraid to go to sleep in case her imagination would cause some sort of dream or worse, she'd meet Tanjiro well on that path already.

Sighing, she pulled her pillow onto her face. Asuka felt like screaming into it, but doubted it would be able to keep her voice silenced, as fluffy as it was.

Stop thinking like that. She said to herself, putting the pillow back beneath her head. Just stop.

Eventually, she closed her eyes, letting sleep take her.

But opening her eyes, she saw that she was in the dreamscape once more, except this time by herself.

"Wha-?"

Something came over her eyes. She saw a shimmering scene... a vision.

In this vision, who did she than none other than Tanjiro?

She saw him training with an older man who had a... very odd looking mask with a long red nose. She noted that Tanjiro was learning swordsmanship, and it was quite impressive, considering that it hadn't been too long since she had last seen him, from what she guessed.

But as she saw him talk with his mentor, she heard him say something that made her very happy. Tanjiro wasn't going down the path of vengeance. He was choosing to become a demon slayer in order to find a way to turn his little sister back into a human. She was glad that Daidōji's possibility did not come to pass. Her grandfather had told her many stories of shinobi who were motivated by vengeance. Not even one of the stories ended up with a happy ending.

Words could not express how glad she was that Tanjiro would not end up following that vengeful and painful path. Perhaps there was a happy ending waiting for him after all, though it was still too early to tell.

Asuka watched as he continued to go through the tough training regimen. She admired his spirit and skill. She hid a few laughs behind her hands (even though there was no point, since Tanjiro could not even see, much less hear her) when she saw Tanjiro get ensnared by rope traps and being left angrily hanging by his foot. That as well as challenging his mentor (who's name was Sakonji Urokodaki, from what she heard in these visions), only to get sent flying with throws and grabs, despite Tanjiro being armed with a sword and Urokadaki using nothing but his bare hands.

But then something more unique caught her eye. Something known as Total Concentration Breathing. She listened carefully as Urokadaki explained. Total Concentration Breathing would increase the user's capabilities beyond that of a normal human through advanced breathing forms. This breathing would expand the user's lung capacity, allowing oxygen to reach every cell in the user's body and increase their blood circulation and heart rate as a result.

Taking a lot of air into the blood causes the body's temperature to spike up, exciting the blood that heats up all the muscles in the body so they can grow stronger. This enhances the user's human bodies healing factor while both stabilizing and energizing the user's spirit, allowing them to rival Demons in battle.

To properly use Total Concentration Breathing, the user must concentrate, relax their upper half and brace their lower half before taking a long breath. There can be no wasted movement during its application in combat, making it extremely difficult to master.

Asuka was so intrigued by this incredible ability, she got caught off guard when Urokodaki kicked Tanjiro off of a cliff into a waterfall. She tried really hard not to laugh this time, but failed horrendously watching him fall, almost comically, into the pool of water below. It didn't help that when he started training under the waterfall, he was yelling at the top of his lungs.

"NEZUKOOOOOOOOO! I AM WATER!"

She didn't know if it was some sort of routine, or the pain of the water crashing on his back was preventing Tanjiro from speaking properly.

The training montage vision cut to six months later. Tanjiro was now standing in front of a large boulder with a large rope wrapped around it. He was instructed to slice the boulder in half, which seemed like an impossible task. The boulder was over two meters in diameter. A simple katana would be able to slice through the thick rope, maybe with some resistance, but the boulder? There was no way the blade would cut through solid stone. It went against all common sense and logic.

And yet... Asuka believed Tanjiro. She believed he would be able to do it.

She saw Tanjiro struggle to split boulder two, but he didn't give up. He would keep on attempting to do it, for the sake of his sister. Then, something amazing and supernatural happened.

She saw spirits helping Tanjiro. One was a masked boy with shaggy red hair, and another was a young girl with short black hair, who had a similar mask strapped on the right side of her head. While they didn't explicitly say who they were aside from giving Tanjiro their names (Sabito and Makomo), Asuka could tell that they were the past students of Urokodaki. But... why were they spirits? They seemed so young as well. Perhaps they presented themselves as their younger selves?

Their training was harsh like Urokodaki's, but it only made sense, considering they were his students. And in a final fight with Sabito, Tanjiro split his mask. Under it, he smiled (though he did have a nasty scar) as he and Makomo disappeared, congratulating Tanjiro. The boulder was split in two. Even though Tanjiro couldn't hear her, Asuka cheered for him.

The scene faded, and Tanjiro was now in a new scene. He was in what was known as the Final Selection, which was the last test before he would be promoted to a fully fledged demon slayer. She saw the corpses of several rookies, and saw the huge demon Tanjiro was fighting. It was quite disgusting, being a mangled mess of limbs that made her sick.

When the demon revealed that it was the one that killed and devoured Sabito and Makomo, she felt anger in her veins. Especially considering how young they were, only to meet a grisly fate at the hands of that monster. The demon only laughed at the idea of killing and eating another one of Sakonji Urokodaki's students, but Tanjiro didn't get angry. Instead, he concentrated on keeping his mind clear and taking deep breaths. With a strike as beautiful as the roaring waves of the ocean, he decapitated the demon with a single slash.

But Tanjiro's eyes weren't ones full of vengeance, as he approached the disintegrating demon. They were ones of pity, as he felt sorry for the demon, and how he had ended up as one. Making peace with it as it died, it only strengthened Tanjiro's resolve. He prayed for the demon, wishing that it would be reincarnated as something else in its next life.

Asuka was awed. Tanjiro Kamado... he was something else entirely. She had never met anyone like him. He was truly one of a kind. She felt a warm feeling in her chest and face, but didn't know why. She couldn't help but smile at Tanjiro.

She felt herself fading away, realizing that she was waking up. Smiling at Tanjiro one last time, it only strengthened her own resolve to get stronger.

At school next day, Asuka trained by herself. She remembered what Urokodaki said about Total Concentration Breathing, and attempted to learn it on her own. However, despite memorizing all of his words, Asuka failed to replicate the ability. This didn't cause her resolve to falter. She would keep on trying when she had time, repeating all the steps she had remembered.

I'll keep on trying. Asuka said to herself. I've got a feeling that things will work out!


Tanjiro Kamado was exhausted. He had returned to the Sakonji home after surviving the Final Selection. After a heartfelt reunion with his teacher and his sister, all he could do now was wait. It would take fifteen days for his Nichirin Blade to be forged, so he could spend some time resting. Laying down in a bed, he almost immediately fell asleep. Tanjiro expected that being so exhausted, he wouldn't be able to dream. But fate had a different plan in store for him.

He woke up in a forest clearing. For a second, he thought he was still training, but realizes that this forest was very familiar. Not anywhere he trained. Not even where he grew up. This forest was... something else. Something from his past.

"Tanjiro?"

Tanjiro turned around to see a girl. He didn't recognize her at first, but then saw her face, and remembered her scent. A huge smile broke on his face. "Asuka?!"

"You remember me!" Asuka said with a smile, before running forward and pulling him into a hug. Tanjiro's face grew a bit red considering where his face was (between her breasts, obviously. What else did you expect?), but Asuka didn't seem to care about it. After smothering Tanjiro for a few more seconds, they broke away from the hug.

"This is a surprise!" Tanjiro said. "It's been so long!"

"Mmm!" Asuka said, nodding. "But actually... it hasn't been that long for me."

"Eh?" Tanjiro asked, tilting his head. "What do you mean?"

Asuka went on to explain how an astral projection of herself saw that faithful night where Tanjiro lost his family, not to mention Nezuko turning into a demon and meeting Giyuu Tomioka. Then she had seen a sped up version of his training and success at becoming a demon slayer.

"Wow, really?" Tanjiro said. "You saw everything?"

"Almost everything." Asuka corrected.

"That's kinda embarrassing, honestly." He said, rubbing the back of his head and hoping that the most humiliating moments he had were omitted from the sped up visions she had. "And I see you've become a shinobi too."

"Yup." She said. "We've both achieved our goals, though the idea you had for a goal didn't come until later."

They continued to talk about everything that had happened, before they felt that the dream world was fading. They both waved and said goodbye, hoping that they would be able to talk more.

Their wishes were granted once more. They met once again the second night. They continued to talk about their loves, sharing stories about their friends.

On the third day, Asuka asked a question that she had wanted to get off her chest for a long time.

"Tanjiro, could you teach me Total Concentration Breathing?"

Tanjiro raised his brow in surprise. "Teach you? Why?"

Asuka picked at the grass they were sitting on. "When I saw what happened to you, I tried to help, but I couldn't do anything. Maybe it was because of how it was for me, being a projection, but I've never felt so useless. I want this power to help protect my friends too. Tanjiro, I ask again, can you teach me?"

"Mmmmmmm." Tanjiro had his eyes closed and arms crossed in thought. "I do remember all the teachings Mr. Urokodaki taught me, but the training is really hard. Are you sure?"

"Yes!" Asuka said, holding up a fist. "The harsher, the better!"

"I'm gonna ask again, are you sure?"

"Positive."

"Okay then." Tanjiro stood up. "I'm not as tough as Mr. Urokodaki, but I can try."

Tanjiro raised his hands, and the dreamscape changed. It was a perfect copy of Mt. Sagiri.

"Huh?" Asuka looked around. "How did you-?"

"Well, I figured that since this was in our dreams, we could control how it looks." He said, scratching his chin. "Well, let's go up to the mountain."

"Eh? Why?"

"Just follow me."

They walked up the mountain, and Asuka looked around at the beautiful sights all around her. While it may not have been real, Tanjiro's imagination sure made it seem like it. The sun just went down, giving a very eerie yet mesmerizing appearance to the mountain.

"Okay, stop."

Asuka stopped as Tanjiro turned around.

"There should be a copy of Mr. Urokodaki's house at the foot of the mountain." Tanjiro said.

"Well, what are we doing?"

"This is the first test!" Tanjiro said with a smirk. "Descend down to the bottom of the mountain before sunrise!"

"Wait." Asuka started to remember. "You also went through this-"

"Good luck!" Tanjiro said, running down the mountain ahead of her.

"Tanjirooooo!" Asuka called after him in indignation. Sighing, she just accepted it and started running down the mountain. She remembered some of the traps she saw, like spike pits and knives and-

"Waaaaah!" She was hoisted up into the air by a rope snare around her leg, though she used one hand to hold down her skirt. Thinking quickly, she drew one of her swords to cut herself down. Landing carefully, she realized that since Tanjiro knew that she had been training longer than he has, he probably made the training regimen much harder for her.

But she wouldn't give up. She descended down the mountain with complete focus, and Tanjiro started to teach her in more.

The training was comparable to her own ninja training, so she was used to it. She half expected Tanjiro to kick her into the waterfall, but he was far too kind to do that, so she jumped in willingly.

It went on for several days, with Asuka's training going fairly well. Then something amazing happened.

On certain days, Tanjiro appeared in Asuka's world as an apparition. They both didn't know why it happened, but they weren't complaining. While Tanjiro couldn't interact with anything except for walking (or was he floating? They never got a solid answer), everyone could still see him.

Tanjiro was amazed by how the future looked. The buildings were all advanced compared to the houses from his time period. The food was so similar, yet so different. And what impressed him the most was the technology that made lives easier for everyone.

He met Asuka's friends. All of them were quite astonished to meet Asuka's "dream guy" (though Asuka had yelled at them to stop calling Tanjiro that) and were quite friendly. Tanjiro got along with them though needless to say, he was quite embarrassed at seeing some of their methods of dress, especially Katsuragi's. Part of him was glad that he didn't come from this time period, and he thanked the stars that because of that, Nezuko wouldn't dress like so.

As they continued to train, Asuka's breathing started to get better as time went on, considering how time worked differently in the dream realm.

The roles would be reversed soon. On the day Tanjiro was scheduled to get his sword, Asuka appeared as an apparition in Tanjiro's world. She had studied about the Taishō time period in school, though Tanjiro's time period seemed to be quite different. It only made sense.

She met Tanjiro's teacher, Sakonji Urokodaki. He was surprised that Asuka came from a different time and world, but hid his emotion well. He did have a mask, after all. And the fact that Tanjiro, being a brand new demon slayer was teaching her actually gave Urokodaki quite a bit of a laugh. He never expected that his teachings would be taught to someone not of this world.

Then Asuka met Nezuko, Tanjiro's little sister who had been turned into a demon. Words could not explain just how adorable Nezuko was, and Asuka was severely disappointed that because she was an apparition, she couldn't interact with Nezuko. Tanjiro's sister seemed to like her, however, despite not being able to touch her at all.

Asuka watched as Tanjiro had his sword delivered by a masked man called Hagenezuka. Drawing the blade, Asuka was surprised as the blade turned into a shade of solid black. Urokodaki commented on how he had never seen this shade of black, while Hagenezuka got upset, since he wanted to see the blade turn red.

Asuka nearly jumped when she saw a crow speaking, telling Tanjiro that he would be going on his first mission.

After a while, Tanjiro had equipped himself into proper uniform of the Demon Slayer Corps, had his sword equipped and wooden box for Nezuko (gifted by Urokodaki), Tanjiro was ready for his first mission.

When he was getting suited up, Urokodaki mentioned that not much is known about the unique properties of Tanjiro's Nichirim Blade, as not many slayers wield swords of black. It was almost an omen, but Tanjiro brushed it off. He would be doing everything in his power to revert his beloved sister back to human again, regardless of what color his sword was.

Asuka stood too the side as Urokodaki talked to Tanjiro. She couldn't help but be touched by Tanjiro's words. He wasn't fighting for himself. He was fighting to save his little sister. It was admirable, and the warm feeling in her face and chest returned.

"Asuka."

She looked up to see Tanjiro looking at her with a smile. She saw her hand was starting to fade, meaning that her time was almost up tonight. She smiled back at Tanjiro.

"I know you'll succeed." She said. "Good luck on your first mission, Tanjiro."

He nodded as she faded away. "Thank you, Asuka."

Asuka opened her eyes and sat up in her bed. The feeling in her chest and face didn't go away. Remembering his smile and resolve, Asuka realized something.

She was in love, with Tanjiro Kamado.