Since the departure of Giyu and Sabito, Katsuki continuously prayed for the two like she said she would. Even though they did not need it. She knew how strong the two were and their skills alone would get them through without them getting a single scratch. Without a doubt she would be hearing back from the two again when they reached the end. Right?
A week later…
The red headed girl walked towards the hut after running through a few trials down the hill. She did this while carrying her wooden sword. It was beginning to feel stable with it attached to her hip or in her hand. However, having a real sword felt different and was quite difficult. The weight between the two varied greatly. At this point she knew she had to strengthen her upper body in order to properly carry a sword with her.
She noticed Urokodaki standing on the porch. There was a black crow perched on his shoulder and a letter grasped in his one hand. His eyes glued to the hill where we had last seen Giyuu and Sabito.
"Urokodaki, where did you get that bird?" Katsuki questions. She peered down at the letter, curious as to what it said.
"These are Kasugai crows, they work under the direction of their master in the Demon slayer corps," he responded, calmly.
Hearing the Demon Slayer Corps heightened her attention, "The Demon Slayer Corps? It has been well over seven days now, is it possibly a letter from Giyu and Sabito? Did they pass in good shape? How many demons did they each kill? Why is there only one letter?" Katsuki pressed, question after question. She was eager to know how they two did.
"Giyu passed," Urokodaki answered.
"Oh, that's wonderful news!" Katsuki exclaimed. "What about Sabito?"
He simply shook his head.
What did that mean?
"Urokodaki? What about Sabito?"
"I'm sorry to tell you this, Katsuki. But, Sabito did not make it," Urokodaki answered her question. There was a hint of sadness in his voice, but kept his same composed posture.
"What?" Katsuki was confused. They were both strong, extremely strong. How could he have not passed? Was Giyu not with him? Did Sabito die alone with no one by his side?
"Is that letter from the Demon Slayer Corps?" She asked, her small index finger pointing to the piece of paper.
"Yes," he nodded slightly and outstretched his arm, "You may read it if you'd like to. He wanted you to read it as well. This is GIyuu's crow, I'm gonna write back to him immediately." He handed the paper over to the girl and walked inside.
Dear Urokodaki and Katsuki,
I wanted to inform you that I passed the Final Selection. I will be sworn into the Demon Slayer Corps to work my way up the ranks and protect innocent people. I am saddened to tell you that Sabito did not make it through the Final Selection. He put up an amazing fight, never giving up to the end. I'm sorry I could not be of more use to save Sabito. I am going to be assigned to a district and immediately start missions. I'm sorry for this short letter. Please tell Katsuki to continue to train and keep pushing past her limits. That is what Sabito would want her to do.
From, Giyu Tomioka
It was happening, again. Those demons took someone away from her, again. Why did this keep on happening? She asked herself.
She did not cry, she did not scream. But what she did do was fold the letter up neatly and place it in her pocket. She would remember this moment. This would fuel her to keep going and train as hard as she could. But it was also another reminder that she would no longer allow someone to come this close to her again. She refused to have this feeling happen to her again. She feared it more than death itself.
A few months later…
Katsuki huffed deeply, whipping the sweat that dripped from her forehead. It was already the middle of the summer, which meant the sun and heat was at its peak. However, that did not stop the girl from training.
A lot has changed from her training regime. While she still trains with her sword daily, as well as practicing her water breathing style. Urokodaki had noticed something in particular with her technique, noting that he had only seen this happen a few times in his life.
Katsuki was good at water breathing. In fact she rather excelled at it with just about everything else she did. She was a fast learner. Now that is not taking away from the fact that she did put the work in. She showed up every day and gave it her all. But, Urokodaki was rather amazed by this raw talent she had when it came to wielding a sword.
He noticed one day, when she was working on one of the harder forms of water breathing. When she went to slice at the bamboo, she cut it clean off. However, the tips of the bamboo looked scorched.
A flashback from one of their training sessions…
"Remember for Total concentration breathing to be effective, take long breaths, stabilize and energize your spirit," Urokodaki noted, watching from the sidelines. They were working on the forms of water breathing. While the lower techniques Katsuki could manage easily, the harder and more advanced forms she struggled with.
Katsuki relaxed her lower body and braced her lower half, drawing her concentration on breathing. She earned a smack on the stomach.
"Wrong. Your form needs to be stronger and your core needs to be stronger!" The old man proclaimed.
The small girl grumbled and readjusted her position. Her grip tightened around the shaft on the sword. She widened her stance slightly and stabilized her lower body, but kept her upper body relaxed. Breathing in a deep breath, she focused on the bamboo and finally saw the line.
"Total concentration… Eighth Form Waterfall Basin!" Katsuki unleashed a powerful stroke, water pouring out from her swing and slicing into the bamboo.
Katsuki jumped away, panting roughly. Being a harder form, her body was still adapting to the strain and duration it took to perform the move.
"You need to practice on conversing more energy that way you do not use it all up in a single move," Urokodaki strolled over to the bamboo and noticed the singes on either end.
End of Flashback…
Water breathing is a precise technique, that when used properly there should be a clean line, no jagged marks. But this piece of bamboo was indeed burned. The edges had a burnt and blackened appearance and the edges of the bamboo crumbled to the touch.
He made the assumption that she had the ability to perform two different styles and could possibly blend them together to make it even stronger than just using one or the other. More importantly she could possibly make her own style that suited her better. That did not limit her to just trying to form her own style. If she was able to use two different styles, she should hone the skills in both areas. He believed this could be an advantage for being that water breathing is good for defense and flame breathing is good for offense.
Katsuki was a little overwhelmed when he tried explaining the information he gathered from that practice session.
"There are other mentors who train differently than I do," Urokodaki began. "Don't think you are just limited to learning from me, keep an open mind and learn from everyone around."
For now, Katsuki focused on just water breathing. While it did come natural to her, she would like to one day figure out if she could in fact use another breathing style to her advantage.
She also practiced martial arts. The two sparred together frequently. However, at Urokodaki's age and martial arts was not one of his fortes, he could not last as long as the little ball of energy, Katsuki.
They had set up padding on one of the large oak trees in the back. This would allow Katsuki to practice when Urokodaki was unable to. She would repeat punches over and over again until her arms grew heavy. She would unleash kicks at the padding until her legs were quaking.
After her session outside she decided it was time to head back. On the wake back it was quiet. She could hear the sound of the breeze, brushing up against the leaves that swayed back and forth. The birds chirped in union, creating beautiful melodies that Katsuki only enjoyed during this time of day. First thing in the morning they were rather annoying. Before the hut could come into view, a familiar scent hit the air. It made her mouth water and her heart began to race. She knew that scent from anywhere. Katsuki broke out into a sprint and dashed up the porch and barreled into the room. There she was greeted by Urokodaki, sitting on his knees in front of his table was an arrangement of the foods Katsuki only dreamed of having again.
In front of Urokodaki were steamed vegetables, an assortment of them and omurice. The steam wafting off them, it must have been freshly made.
"What is… What is all of this?" Katsuki pointed to the table, a question stare plastered on her face.
"Happy thirteenth Birthday, Katsuki," Urokodaki smiled softly.
There was a twang in her heart. She had totally forgotten. It was in fact her birthday. Her first birthday without her parents and siblings. However, she did not feel sad. For once, she felt happy.
She flashed a small smile, "Thank you, Urokodaki," she replied. Katsuki took a seat in front of him and they both dug into the meal. She was astonished at how good it tasted. Almost exactly like her mothers. For the rest of the night Katsuki talked about what she had been working on and what else she plans on working on for tomorrow.
A month before Final Selection…
Behind Urokodaki's hut there was a waterfall. Underneath the water she found a small area to sit where the water would not pound against her head. Katsuki would come out over here once in a while to meditate and focus on her breathing. There were times where she saw both Giyu and Sabito sitting by it. It was something about coming one with water, whatever that meant. There was still so much she did not quite understand. However, Giyuu has yet to visit them since the Final Selection and it's been almost over a year. He writes every so often, he says he's busy training and going on missions, that he hasn't had a free moment to visit. Sometimes she wondered if he felt guilty or ashamed of what happened to Sabito. She could tell Urokodaki missed him, but he never showed it. He is a very strong man.
"Focus Katsuki, focus," she repeated to herself in annoyance.
Final Selection was right around the corner and Katsuki knew she had to be in her best shape in order to gain Urokodaki's approval to be sent off. However, these last few weeks have been difficult for her to focus. Her movements were not as precise as they have been, she was making careless mistakes, and she just did not feel like her regular self.
"Relax, your nerves are getting the best of you."
Her emerald orbs shot open. She peered around the cave, almost positive she heard a voice. A voice she knew too well.
"Katsuki, I think you're finally going crazy," she spoke quietly to herself and picked herself off the ground.
Heading out of the cave she made her way back to the training grounds. On her way back, it felt as if someone was watching her. It made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. What was this uneasy feeling she felt?
Katsuki picked up her sword and practiced a few techniques Urokodaki had shown her recently. Everything still felt sluggish to her. The power behind her strokes were not there, her balance was seemingly off, and she could not regulate her breathing.
"You won't even make it a day with that performance."
Katsuki's ears perked. She spun on her heels and came face to face with a man. She did not know what to think in the moment. Was she actually going crazy? Was that who she really thought it was standing in front of her?
"Sabito?" She questioned.
"Your movements are lousy, your breathing is off, and there is no stability or confidence in any of your swings. It's pure sloppiness!" he shouted.
Katsuki flinched at his harshness.
"Am I dreaming?" she smacked her cheeks with great force.
Her eyes followed Sabito as he walked closer to her. He raised his arm in the air, a wooden sword clutched in it. He swung it down aiming for the back of her head. With such great force she fell to her knees. The pressure erupting in the back of her head.
She sat there, holding her head in shock. How was this possible? How was Sabito here? And how was he inflicting hits on her?
"How are you-" before she could finish, Sabito charged forward at the girl.
Reacting quickly, Katsuki stood her ground and grasped at her sword, readying herself to brace the impact of his thrust. It appears that he had only a wooden sword compared to her real sword. It would be an unfair match.
The red headed girl grunted, feeling the power and strength behind his swing. She struggled to keep her feet grounded, as her feet slowly slid backwards.
"What did we talk about!" he sneered, lowly. He dropped to the ground and swept his leg underneath the girls. Knocking her clean onto the floor.
Katsuki grunted, as there was a thump when she landed on her butt. She looked up to find the wooden sword pointed at her face. Her emerald eyes widened, still unable to comprehend what was going on.
The peached haired boy outreached his hand, waiting for her to grab ahold, "Stand up."
Katsuki hesitated for a moment and then finally wrapped her small hand around his calloused hand. With a quick yank, he pulled her up to her feet. He allowed her to brush herself off before readying himself for another barrage of attacks.
"Sabito, wait, what is going on!"
"Do you have what it takes to last seven days out there!" He yelled and lunged once again at the girl. She blocked his attack. "Do you know what it takes to take down a demon!" he yelled once more, throwing another slice at her. She blocked it and pushed him back, giving her another chance to regain her composure. She huffed deeply, eyeing him closely.
"When faced by a demon, do you have the strength and power to behead them?" He launched himself at her once more. With such great force behind all his attacks and with how fast he was moving, she only had time to deflect it. She could not find an opening to counteract it. But playing defense was getting her nowhere.
"Do you want to end up like your family and myself!" He shouted and went in for another blow. Her eyes widened at his words. She remembered her mother falling to the demon and her brother slouching there helplessly.
Something in her clicked. Katsuki planted her feet and tightened her grip. Her emerald eyes hardened, watching his movements, waiting for his attack. Her seemingly uneasy expression was replaced with a blank, but cold stare. When she blocked the attack of Sabito's, she transferred the weight of the blow into her attack. This time exploding off her supporting leg, she thrashed her sword into his. They battled back and forth for dominance over one another.
Sabito blocked an attack thrown by Katsuki. They stood there for a moment struggling to push either one back. Immediately she found an opening. When he was least expecting it, Katsuki pulled back. Unaware, Sabito stumbled forward from not having the support of Katsuki to keep him up. Quickly Katsuki spun and knocked his sword out of his hand.
The small girl stopped herself, panting deeply, eyeing Sabito as he relaxed himself. Katsuki finally won against her upper comrade.
"You have to always be alert, confident, posed, and strong out there, Katsuki," Sabito finally spoke. He walked over to pick up his wooden sword and attached it back to his hip.
Katsuki placed the sword back in its sheath that hung close to her hip. She brought her hand up to her head to wipe away the sweat that dripped from her forehead. It had been awhile since she went all out in a fight. Since the two boys had left, the sparring she had been doing with Urokodaki wasn't anything she experienced with Giyu and Sabito.
"Yes, of course!" Katsuki answered firmly. "I promise to try my hardest and to make you all proud! I will make it to the end for you, Sabito!" she bowed her head in respect.
Sabito's eyes widened and his mouth hung open. After a moment a sincere, but sad smile appeared on his face. He worried for her safety, but he knew the only person holding her back from excelling is herself. He believed in her abilities and only hoped she did as well. He bowed in respect as well, showing that he acknowledged her resolution.
When Katsuki picked her head up, she found that Sabito was no longer in front of her. Still confused about what just took place, she promised to not forget this moment she shared with her fallen comrade. She would use this as determination and carry it over into the seven days at Final Selection.
"Thank you, Sabito," Katsuki whispered to herself and turned around, to head back to her new home.
There she saw Urokodaki sitting outside on the porch. The sun was setting and created a beautiful sunset in the sky. His attention was once again towards the hill where both Giyu and Sabito had taken to leave that day.
"Urokodaki," Katsuki's once small and quiet voice, spoke with firmness.
"Yes," he turned his attention to his newest apprentice.
"I'm ready for the Final Selection!"