Kimetsu no Yaiba doesn't belong to me. This story is a translation of another fanfic of mine. I hope you like it!
Makio and Hinatsuru listened in silence to the explanations about the Final Selection. They had already arrived at Mount Fujikasane, just like the rest of the candidates. Out of the group of forty people gathered, the two of them were the oldest, the rest not exceeding fifteen years of age.
"How many do you think will survive?" Makio asked. Hinatsuru shrugged; it wasn't something she had even stopped to think about.
"We have more important things to focus on," she reminded, placing her hands on the hilts of her two swords. That had been the hardest part of all the training, getting used to handling two swords at the same time. But it was an essential requirement to be able to use the Sound Breathing technique. "But I don't think many will make it."
Makio nodded, as she thought the same. On more than one occasion, they had heard Tengen complain about the few who survived that test. In fact, when he participated, only three survived.
"Are you ready?" Hinatsuru asked when the two girls signaled to the participants that the Final Selection was beginning.
"Of course I am!" Makio replied energetically. After all their training, enduring a week there seemed like child's play.
"Don't get overconfident," Hinatsuru warned as the two ran, moving away from the protection of the wisteria trees.
In response, Makio laughed. She felt euphoric. Both women easily jumped onto the nearest tree and looked at each other.
"We don't have to fight," Hinatsuru commented. "The only requirement is to endure seven days."
"I know, but we won't be able to avoid having to face a demon or two."
"I guess you're right, but let's try to avoid unnecessary battles."
"Would you consider saving another candidate unnecessary?" Makio asked, curious. The other woman's first impulse was to deny it. If they could prevent others from dying, they had to do it. But those words didn't come out of her mouth.
"The important thing is that we live long enough to avenge Suma and Tengen. And for that, we have to overcome this, no matter what. So yes, let's avoid battles that don't concern us."
"I suppose you're right," Makio acknowledged. That statement had caught her off guard, but she had no intention of contradicting it. "And what about after we get our revenge?"
"We'll retire. Continuing in the Corps would no longer make sense, don't you think?"
"You've already thought it all through," Makio commented. That sounded more like something Hinatsuru would do.
"I've been thinking about it for a while. That's all."
"Well, it doesn't matter. We can't think about the future now; we have to focus on what we're doing."
"You're right."
Shinobu stepped out into the courtyard, carrying a tray with several glasses filled with cold water. Giyuu and Rengoku had been training with Sumiko and Aoi since dawn, and even though it was midday, they were still at it.
"You could use a little rest," the woman commented, setting the tray on the ledge. The four of them stopped and looked at her. Aoi and Sumiko seemed particularly relieved and, without waiting for the Pillars to say anything, they quickly approached Shinobu.
"Thank you so much!" Sumiko said, grabbing one of the glasses and almost emptying it in one gulp. Aoi, on the other hand, drank calmly.
"Sumiko, take it easy with the water. No one is going to take it away from you," Shinobu scolded her, although she glanced at Giyuu and Kyojuro as she spoke. "How is the training going?"
"It's challenging," Giyuu admitted. "As soon as I become proficient with the left-handed sword, I'll rejoin."
"Don't push yourself too hard," Shinobu requested, serious, trying not to stare at the right sleeve of Giyuu's haori.
The Water Pillar nodded and took one of the glasses.
"How is Kanroji doing?" Kyojuro asked. Shinobu had not yet given the Love Pillar the green light.
"She's... fine," Shinobu murmured, hesitating a bit. "It's too early to say, really. It's better to keep her injury under control for now. It could get infected."
"Are the Upper Moons really that powerful?" Aoi asked, trying to hide her fear.
"Yes," Giyuu answered, being brutally honest.
"But you have nothing to worry about, Aoi," Shinobu added, trying to soften her companion's words.
Aoi, not entirely convinced, nodded and took another sip of water.
"Sooner or later, we'll be able to defeat them!" Kyojuro assured, enthusiastic. Shinobu observed him without saying anything. By that point, she doubted that there was anything capable of making the Flame Pillar lose his positivity.
"I hope so," Giyuu said. "But with our current level, it's not possible."
Aoi looked away. She wanted to believe Rengoku and Kocho's words, but Tomioka seemed so certain of what he was saying that she couldn't dismiss it from her mind. She felt the contact of a hand on her left shoulder and noticed that Shinobu had positioned herself in front of her, looking concerned.
"Don't worry," the Insect Pillar said. "We can handle them."
Aoi nodded, and Giyuu cleared his throat, attracting everyone's attention.
"Is something wrong, Tomioka?" Kyojuro asked, curious.
"No, not really," he said. "It's just that I'll have to be away for a few days. There's something I need to take care of."
Shinobu was about to offer to accompany him. In his condition, Giyuu wasn't yet fit to face any demons, but if she were absent, there would be no one to give Kanroji the treatment she needed. She glanced sideways at Rengoku, hoping he would realize and offer to go instead.
"And where are you going?" the Flame Pillar asked instead.
"…"
Shinobu sighed a bit at their behavior. She needed patience. A lot of it.
"Why don't you go with Aoi?" she suggested.
"I'd prefer to go alone."
"Now is the worst time to act like a lone wolf, Giyuu."
"It's a personal matter," the dark-haired man finally admitted.
"But if you encounter any demons..." Shinobu tried to insist, but Giyuu cut her off quickly.
"Even if I'm not like you and can't fully use my left arm, I'll manage."
"What do you mean by that?" Shinobu asked, trying not to sound irritated.
"Just that," he replied. "I'm in a hurry. I'm leaving now."
And before anyone could say anything, Giyuu disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Kanao wasn't sure if it was a good idea, but Sumiko had insisted that she needed to further train the new breathing style they had discovered thanks to Tamayo. So there they were, in the training room.
"Shouldn't we notify Shinobu or Rengoku?" Kanao asked, fearing that her friend would suffer the same side effects as before.
"Why?" Sumiko wanted to know. "We already told them we would be training."
"Well, but..." Kanao sighed and shook her head. It was clear that the girl wouldn't listen to her.
Sumiko took a deep breath and prepared for the first move. Her intention was to perform the twelve movements that composed her family's dance.
Kanao silently observed her friend. Sumiko executed the first form of the Sun Breathing effortlessly, but as she moved to perform the second one, her body suddenly froze, and just like the first time, she fell to the ground, unable to move a single muscle. Kanao had to bite her tongue to refrain from scolding her. Instead, she approached Sumiko with the intention of helping her up.
"What was that?" someone said from the door. The two girls turned and saw the Mist Pillar. Muichiro had entered just in time to witness Sumiko performing the first form. "What kind of breathing is that?"
"Good morning, Tokito," Sumiko greeted, struggling to speak in her current state. She could barely utter a word. "It's the Sun Breathing."
Muichiro seemed genuinely surprised by that for a few seconds. And in the blink of an eye, he stood in front of the two girls and grabbed Sumiko by the shoulders.
"How do you know how to do that breathing?"
Sumiko, caught off guard by his reaction, blinked in surprise, unsure of how to respond. Muichiro grew impatient with her lack of answer.
"I asked you a question. It's rude not to respond, you know?"
"I'm sorry," Sumiko murmured. "My family has practiced it for generations."
Muichiro raised an eyebrow slightly and fell into deep thought, pondering over her words. He looked at the young girl with renewed interest.
"I didn't know your family was related to the creator of the original breathing technique," he commented. Sumiko was about to deny it and explain that it wasn't the case, but Muichiro continued speaking. "That makes us distant relatives, I suppose."
Sumiko opened her mouth to say no, but upon seeing the glimmer of joy in the boy's eyes, she thought better of it. It would be cruel to shatter that illusion.
"Do you mind if I stay for a while?" Muichiro asked. Both girls shook their heads, and the young man positioned himself at a safe distance.
Sumiko, feeling better now, stood up and resumed her practice. She wasn't going to give up just yet. She took a deep breath and prepared to perform the second form. Muichiro and Kanao watched her attentively.
"Sun Breathing, Dance," Sumiko whispered to herself as she executed a horizontal semicircle followed by a vertical one. But before she could finish the second movement, the wooden sword slipped from her hand, and she collapsed to the ground as her legs gave way. She gasped for air, unable to breathe properly. It felt like her lungs were about to burst.
She didn't understand why it was so difficult. Her surroundings started to blur, and she eventually lost consciousness.
Sumiko opened her eyes and tried to sit up, but before she could do so, Rengoku, who was beside her, gently held her back.
"You still have a fever," the Pillar told her. "And you've been sleeping for a whole day."
"Eh?" the young girl murmured, confused. "How?"
"The successors of Kocho and Tokito brought you here and told us what happened," Kyojuro continued explaining.
"I was practicing the Sun Breathing," Sumiko confessed. She remembered now; she had fainted in the training room.
"You should be more careful. You can't overexert yourself like that," he said, serious. "What if the same thing had happened while you were fighting a demon?"
"That's precisely why I have to keep practicing," she replied. "I have to master the Sun Breathing."
"Everything in due time," Rengoku requested. Both of them turned towards the door when they heard it open. Kanao entered, carrying a tray with three cups filled with steaming liquid.
She had a worried expression on her face, but when she saw that Sumiko was awake, she smiled slightly and approached them, spilling some liquid on the tray in the process. Shinobu entered behind her and walked up to stand in front of Sumiko. She placed a hand on the young girl's forehead.
"It seems like your fever has gone down quite a bit," she commented, relieved. She glanced at Kanao and smiled a little. "Rengoku, can we talk in private?" she requested. Kyojuro, somewhat confused, nodded. The two adults left, leaving the two young girls alone.
"You worried me a lot," Kanao admitted, grabbing a chair and placing it in front of Sumiko's bed. She sat down and looked at her friend. "Don't do that again, please," she pleaded, taking one of Sumiko's hands.
"I can't promise that," Sumiko said, serious. "If I want to master that breathing, I have to keep practicing."
Kanao looked away. She knew she was right, but she didn't want to see her like that again. She was deeply concerned when she remained unconscious for so long. She would have stayed by her side all night if Shinobu hadn't forced her to go to bed.
She clenched her fists and tried to calm herself down. Sumiko was fine, she forced herself to remember that. Nothing else mattered. She sighed and observed her. Sumiko's hair was completely straight and reached halfway down her back. It had grown quite a bit since they first met. Kanao picked up the hairpin she had given her from the nearby nightstand.
"Can I fix your hair?" she asked. Perhaps she was overstepping by asking that, but Sumiko nodded and slightly turned her head to make it easier. Still hesitant, Kanao brought both hands to Sumiko's hair and carefully gathered it into a ponytail. When she was satisfied, she held it with one hand and used the other to put on the hairpin, securing her ponytail in place.
"Thank you," Sumiko said, smiling a little. "I'm sorry for worrying you. It wasn't my intention."
"It's nothing."
Kyojuro looked at Shinobu with confusion. She had told him that she had something important to tell him, and concerned, he had followed her out of the infirmary.
"What did you want to talk about, Kocho?"
Shinobu raised an eyebrow as she looked at him. She said nothing, which only served to increase Rengoku's bewilderment.
"About nothing, Rengoku, nothing."
"Then?" the man asked, becoming even more puzzled by the situation. But then, his face lit up, and Shinobu feared the worst. "I know! I'm sure Sumiko must be very hungry after sleeping for a whole day. I'll prepare something for her!"
"You care a lot about her," Shinobu commented, trying to distract him.
"Of course I do!" Kyojuro exclaimed, furrowing his brow slightly at that remark. "What should I prepare for her? Some rice would be good, but I need to combine it with something..."
"Why don't we go to the kitchen and see what's available?" suggested Shinobu, smiling a little. To her relief, Kyojuro nodded and followed her without further ado.
"Of course, I care about her," Kyojuro repeated a while later. They were about to reach the kitchen, and Shinobu didn't expect him to respond to that. "Or are you going to tell me that you don't care about your successor?"
"She's my little sister," Shinobu reminded him, somewhat tense. Kyojuro had sounded strange, very defensive.
"I know," the man said, stepping forward and opening the kitchen door. Still somewhat surprised by his attitude, Shinobu followed him.
Makio easily decapitated the demon with one of her katanas. They had been perched on a tree when suddenly one of those creatures jumped and tried to devour them, but the woman dispatched it effortlessly. She sheathed her weapons after cleaning them of blood and sighed.
Both of them watched with little interest as the demon turned to dust, leaving only its clothes behind.
"They seem quite persistent tonight," Hinatsuru commented, serious. It was already the fifth one they had killed in a couple of hours.
"Well, tonight is the last night, so I guess it's normal," Makio replied.
"Perhaps, yes," acknowledged Hinatsuru. It wasn't something she cared much about, so she didn't plan to dwell on the matter.
"How much longer until dawn?" Makio asked, settling next to Hinatsuru.
"I don't know," Hinatsuru said. Neither of them had a watch to check the time. "I hope it's not much longer."
"We'll endure without a problem," Makio said, smiling widely.
Hinatsuru looked up at the sky. It was a full moon night with not a single cloud in sight. Several constellations were visible. It wasn't cold at all, considering that June was approaching and the increase in temperature was noticeable.
"We should move. Find a higher spot, don't you think?" Makio suggested, getting up.
"Yes, it's not a bad idea," Hinatsuru agreed, getting up as well. Both women jumped onto the nearest tree and held onto the branches to propel themselves upward. They were now more than six meters above the ground.
Amane woke up early in the morning, with enough time to accompany two of her children, Kiriya and Kuina, to the door. They would be in charge, as they had been doing for a couple of years, of welcoming the new members of the Hunter Corps.
The young mother smiled faintly, feeling proud of both of them. And although she regretted placing such responsibility on such young children, it was clear how much it had helped them mature.
She entered the house and went to the patio, to the small wooden cabinet they had there, at one end of the beautiful garden. She opened it and took out a small metal basin. She went back inside carrying it and headed straight to the bathroom. She filled it with warm water, making sure it wasn't too hot, and once satisfied with the temperature, she made her way to their bedroom.
Like every morning since her husband became unable to move, she would wash his face and try to ease his pain. She placed the basin near his futon and furrowed her brow slightly when she realized Kagaya was still asleep.
It wasn't normal; the pattern had always been an early riser, one who woke up at dawn. She sat near him and observed him. It could be that he was simply sleeping, as strange as it seemed.
"Kagaya," she called, hoping that would be enough to wake him. "It's already daytime."
But she received no response, not even a stir. Remaining calm, she approached the window and drew back the curtains, allowing the sunlight to come in. It bathed Kagaya's face, but he showed no reaction.
Perplexed and starting to fear the worst, Amane approached her husband again. This time she gently shook him, trying not to be too forceful. But nothing. Kagaya remained with his eyes closed, completely oblivious to his wife's efforts to wake him.
She placed her right hand on Kagaya's forehead, thinking that maybe he had a fever. She was trying to find a rational explanation, something different from what she was beginning to fear. But as soon as her hand made contact with his skin, she shuddered. He was cold. Completely cold.
She began to tremble, and she could barely bring her hand to his chest. Praying to feel even the slightest movement of his heart. But nothing, she didn't perceive the faintest beat.
At that point, without realizing it, she started to cry. Tears that soon turned into sobs. The tears blurred her vision, but she made no effort to stop crying, and in those moments, she simply let the pain that consumed her run free.
See you soon with the next chapter! Don't forget to leave a review! I would love to hear your thoughts!