A month later after being taken under Urokodaki's care…

Katsuki sat with her legs crossed, watching from the porch of Urokodaki's little hut. She watched the two boys spar with one another. Their names are Giyu Tomioka and Sabito. Both of their movements were so clean and precise. She had never seen anything like it before. To say it amazed her was an understatement.

After living with Urokodaki for a month, Katsuki had picked up on a few things from watching the boys train and listening to the conversations between the two and Urokodaki himself.

Katsuki had learned that Urokodaki was a former water pillar under the direction of the Demon Slayer Corps. This organization was unfamiliar to Katsuki. While she had heard stories about demons from listening to her brother, Hiraku, talk about them from his books. She thought they were just made up stories, only for her brother to find amusement from his little sister's fearful reaction. That all changed after that day. Nonetheless, the two boys were training the breathing style, water, through Urokodaki's supervision. Watching the two boys, she thought they were skillful, so she could only imagine how amazing Urokodaki was in his prime.

The two were prepping for the Final Selection that was to be held at the end of the year. In order to become a Demon slayer one had to last seven days on the mountain without any assistance. If you made it to the end, you were then recognized and given the choice of joining. There you would work your way up the ranks in hopes of becoming a hashira, or also known as a pillar.

"They are both fluid like water, huh, Katsuki?"

The older man's voice broke her concentration. She took her attention away from the two boys, the one with the black hair was demonstrating a movement to the boy with peach colored hair.

"Yes, they are." She responded coolly.

He watched her closely. Her healing process from her wounds was going smoothly. In fact, the process was going a lot faster than what he expected. She was moving around faster than he imagined her to. At her age and a serious wound she received from that demon should have made her immobile for at least another few weeks. However, after two weeks she was back to moving as if it never happened.

He believed after going through such a traumatic experience it unlocked a rare gene in her. He had only heard about it a handful of times. It was called the warrior gene, it could only be awakened through survival instincts. This made the user feel little to no pain whether it be physical or emotional. From what he could recall, it would mostly feel like a heavy pressure. Now to what extent he was unsure of. He did not know whether an individual could feel a certain amount of blood loss.

Urokodaki had contemplated allowing Katsuki to train as one of his apprentices, but he had his hesitations. Mainly because he did not know where this girl's head was after everything she had been through. He did not know what she was like prior to the incident. Her composure after everything was rather shocking to him. She did not seem to be in a depressive or sad state, she was just there. Almost like a hollow shell. Maybe these gestures were based on the warrior gene. These were all educated guesses, Urokodaki was still not quite familiar with it. But, if his guess was right about the warrior gene, he worried if she sustained serious injuries she wouldn't know how to handle it. Being that he was unaware of to what extent she could feel pain or know Would she be able to identify if her body was in dire need for medical attention or just bleed out?

He also worried if it would have an effect after being in contact with demon blood. Was there even a way for her to overcome the side effects of this particular gene? These were all worries he had and wanted to take the right precautions.

Urokodaki sat on his knees beside the red headed child. Her eyes still fixated on the two boys. Who was he to hold her back, if this was something she was interested in, there was no hurt in trying. After a few months of training he would then be able to determine if this was something she was cut out for.

"Katsuki, when your body is fully healed, maybe you can join the two in training?"

At first she did not respond to the man, her eyes examining their movements closely. After the events that took place, Katsuki was unsure what she wanted to do with her life. What if her father and brothers never went out that day? It was colder than most days and mother hesitated about them going out in the first place. But they wanted to get enough wood to help those during the colder weather to make sure they had enough for a fire to stay warm. What if Urokodaki had gotten there sooner? She would not be in this position she's now. Would she even consider becoming a demon slayer if her family was still alive? What was she to do? She was unsure what she was meant to do in this world.

"I'll let you think about it," he interjected and left the silent girl.

A few weeks later…

"Giyuu, Sabito, have you seen Katsuki?" Urokodaki asked, appearing out of his hut.

The two apprentices of Urokodaki came to halt. They turned their attention away from each other and to their master.

"No," Giyuu responded bluntly.

"I have not seen her, master," Sabito spoke next. "Maybe she went for a walk? We can go look around for her, right, Giyuu?"

He nodded silently and the two placed their swords in their sheath, descending down a hill.

The old man with a red mask placed his arms behind his back and made his way towards the training grounds behind the hut. Something was pulling him in that direction. Unsure of what it was, he just followed his instincts.

It was a fairly nice day out. The sun gave off its warm rays while it complimented the small breeze of the wind. The trees and bamboo swayed lightly. It was quiet at first until he heard small footsteps thudding.

Peaking around the corner of a large tree trunk, he found the small red headed girl.

He watched her jump from rock to rock, she was graceful, but still a little heavy on her feet. This would cause inconsistency and would eventually lead her to probably slip. As if on cue, the child slipped on the last rock and landed on her butt. She huffed in annoyance and blew a piece of hair out of her face.

"Try shifting your weight as you go to land, don't think about placing all your weight on your entire foot,' Urokodaki emerged from behind the tree.

Katsuki gasped slightly and scrambled to her feet. She brushed the dirt off herself and fixed her clothes. "I'm sorry?" she spoke quietly.

"Think about landing as if all gravity was taken away and you were floating down gently, this will allow you to be more consistent and fluid in your movements."

Katsuki pondered on the information he gave her. How was she to act as if there was no gravity when in fact there was gravity pulling her downwards.

In one swift movement, Urokodaki jumped from rock to rock. He made it seem so effortless, he even added a flip landing on the last rock. His hands still intertwined behind his back.

"Water is always moving, it is never stopping, it has a rhythm and it follows it," Urokodaki cleared his throat and walked over to the girl. "Find your rhythm and your flow and don't stop."

He turned around and walked away, but stopped to watch if the girl would apply what he was saying.

Katsuki started at the beginning and really concentrated on what she wanted to follow. She hopped from rock to rock. Focusing on trying to float down on the rock rather than apply all of her weight. The last rock's angle was rather awkward and required her to be resourceful. While she did not have the strength to push herself off the rock like Urokodaki. However, she was agile and flexible. Quickly she jumped towards the tree trunk, using it to her advantage and pushed off the trunk, landing on the rock. Her balance was not the greatest and she wobbled to keep herself there. After a few seconds she regained balance and a small smile appeared on her face

Urokodaki nodded in approval and continued the descent down the hill to his hut. He would then tell Giyuu and Sabito to assist the girl in her training.

A few months later…

Katsuki quickly picked up on the information Urokodaki had given her. She practiced this and there was a noticeable difference in her demeanor. Her speed improved greatly and she adapted quickly to the environment. She was able to weave through obstacles and swing from trees effortlessly. She was beginning to move around fluidly like water, it was almost natural. However, when added a wooden sword for her to hold, it threw her balance off. Katsuki was not as stable moving around with a sword at her hip and it wasn't even the real thing.

At this point she began trying to wield the sword and practice with the two other boys.

While their movements were a lot faster than hers and she definitely got knocked over more times than Urokodaki could count, she continued to get up.

"This may sound confusing," Sabito walked over to the panting girl, "But try being firm with your stance like a rock, plant your feet to the ground, and absorb the hit to transfer it into your next move. This will allow you to use both offensive and defensive moves."

Katsuki had to admit she was rather confused. She was first told to think to be light as if gravity was substituted from the equation and is now being told to be firm and tough like a rock. She panted roughly, her arms did not hurt, but they slowly became heavier and heavier. These movements were new to her and wielding a sword for a long period of time was something her little arms were not used to.

"Stop thinking so much," Giyuu responded calmly and readied himself again. "Just go with the flow."

Katsuki quickly got into a stance and braced herself for a barrage of Giyuu's swings. While they were both hard on the girl, they were still concerned with how much she could or could not handle. After spending most of her time with them, she noticed the differences in the two boys.

Sabito was serious when it came to his training and giving corrections to Katsuki. He was rather ruthless at times and quick to point out her flaws and mistakes. However, when they were not training, he was a very kind boy. His eyes gave off a sense of welcoming. The pale, peach tone of his hair was unique and paired well with his lavendar eyes. The scar that was present on his face was his most prominent feature. However, Katsuki did not find it to be an insecurity being that she had four long, jagged marks permanently engraved on her back as a reminder of her weakest moments.

Giyuu on the other hand was extremely quiet. What the two had in common was their seriousness in training. He wears an emotionless expression on his face and is rather quiet for the most part. His reserved personality leaves him to be distant at times and does not provide much feedback. But he's still a kind person as well. He had fair features. Despite being a rather distant person, his deep blue eyes were enchanting. Katsuki found herself staring at them quite frequently. His jet black hair looked smooth and soft. He had such beautiful features it was hard to believe this man would be training to be a killer.

It was the end of the summer. That meant by the end of the year they both would be heading off to participate in the Final Selection. They would then be required to last seven days without any outside help and make it through the mountain to the end of the test. There they would be considered full fledged demon slayers.

Katsuki did not know how to feel about the situation. She was not scared or excited for them. They were both strong and capable of becoming demon slayers. There was a hint of sadness that she would soon be training on her own, but she did not put those emotions on display. As the months went on she slowly exhibited that same emotionless expression Giyu wore.

It was a hard feeling to describe for a small child, who seemingly felt like she had to mature at such a young age. She was not sad, she was not angry, she was not feeling hopeless. She felt nothing. While it was hard to just feel nothing, no matter how hard she searched for something, she wanted to feel something, there was nothing there.

"Katsuki, you have barely touched your food," Sabito interrupted her thoughts. "It's gonna get cold.

Her dull, green eyes lifted in the direction of the two boys in front of her. They watched her closely. Sabito wore a look of concern, while Giyu just sat there with a blank stare.

"I'm sorry," Katsuki laughed, quietly. "I spaced out a little bit."

Sabito sighed and continued to eat, "You do that quite a bit."

She poked her tongue out at the peached-haired boy and began to eat her food.

Endure. Endure. Endure.

Was all she could think of. She promised herself that from this point on she would try her hardest to be okay. She did not want anyone to have to worry for her. She did not want them to know about the battles she struggled with internally. She did not want to be seen as vulnerable and weak. She wanted to be strong and independent, that she could handle her own.

The end of the year…

After extensive training with Urokodaki, Sabito, and Giyuu she was greatly improving day by day. Her speed and agility was unmatched. While descending down the hill for her training she slipped through each trap easily without breaking a sweat. However, replacing the wooden sword for an actual sword, her movements were not as fluid as without one. But, her thrust while sparring with a real sword had gotten stronger. This was acknowledged by both Sabito and Giyuu. She still could feel her arms getting heavy after long periods of time. This would signal her that she was reaching her limit. She grew annoyed thinking that she would think she'd surpass a certain amount of time than the previous, but still could not last as long as her two peers.

Being able to train alongside the two pushed her to train harder than the previous day. Even without them saying anything, she could sense their silent encouragement, pushing to keep going and breaking different limits.

Day by day they grew closer to the departure of the two. Katsuki was saddened knowing this would be their last day training together, sharing meals together, and sharing the same home together. They would be leaving to participate in the Final Selection. How time has moved by so fast for the three.

Katsuki remembers when she first watched the two spar and thought their level of swordsmanship was top tier. Where they're at now in comparison to her first impression of them is truly amazing. They were even more fluid, composed, and elegant than ever.

"Katsuki, promise us you'll train harder than ever to make it to the Final Selection and become Demon Slayers with us?" Sabito crouched slightly and rubbed the top of her head. She smiled slightly at his warm and gentle touch. "Then we can fight side by side, as equals."

Katsuki's emerald eyes widened. To all be considered as equals.

"Yes! Of course!" Katsuki exclaimed.

This brought a genuine smile to Sabito's face. He patted her on her head and looked over at Giyuu. He was keeping his distance as usual.

"Giyuu-san, I will be praying for your success and good health! You as well Sabito-san!"

Urokodaki stood there, hands behind his back and Katsuki by his side. They watched the two boys track up the hill. Before disappearing from sight they turned around and waved goodbye to the two. Urokodaki and Katsuki waved back in return.

"Katsuki," the masked man cleared his throat, grabbing the small girl's attention.

"Around this time next year you will be turning thirteen and the wisteria flowers will bloom again. Work hard and don't waiver. Then you'll be able to join them."

She looked away from Urokodaki and back at the hill. They were both gone. She began praying for their safety and well being.