3rd POV

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Hokuro Yasu

Sounds of lumbering footsteps followed by shallow, heaving breathing caused by numerous wounds rang through the forest. A wounded navy-haired young man clad in a damaged demon slayer uniform was maneuvering in the forest. Body pierced by strange arrows that seemed to suck in his blood the more he moved, weakening him exponentially. His grip on his nichirin sword waned with each step he took as he moved around the forest, trying his best to escape the one currently chasing him while more of those...arrows whizzed past him almost tauntingly. Could this even be considered a chase? He was slow, painfully slow, and punctured from everywhere. He doesn't even know how he's alive right now with all these arrows that made each step feel like hell.

This truly wasn't his day. Dammit!

To top it off, his kasugai crow got shot down by one of those arrows, killing it immediately the moment he arrived on the scene before it could fly to safety. It seemed like the demon was aware of the birds' importance for slayers, hence why it took it down first, probably to anger the slayer as well. And it worked. Like an idiot, Yasu rushed to the demon, anger clouding his mind, promising vengeance without analyzing his opponent's abilities which had been a rookie mistake he normally wouldn't do.

But could you blame him? He had this bird for years and had grown fond of it. This lapse of judgment was what made him underestimate the demon's cunningness which now resulted in him running for his life with a cackling demon on his trail who was probably toying with him at this point.

"run run little deer~ run and entertain me~"a feminine voice echoed meters behind him as two more arrows whizzed past him, causing him to stumble in a way to avoid them. However-

"...shit..!" Yasu cursed, tripping over a rock, landing heavily on the ground with a painful grunt which caused some of the arrows to deepen in his flesh. He tried to get up but it was for naught as the blood loss seemed to have taken a toll on him, his wounds making it difficult for him to get up.

'Come on, move move!'

He kept cursing himself as he desperately tried to move while the demon got closer and closer to his location.

"Ah? Tired already? Such a shame, I was expecting a sturdier prey this time~ Are slayers becoming weak nowadays? "he heard the demon drawl, dissatisfied as she gracefully landed on the ground. She had been chasing him by jumping from tree to tree while he 'ran' for his life.

She was garbed into a Kyudo outfit, on her back were those strange blood-sucking arrows while she held a neatly carved bone bow. Her skin was of a pale shade of green with arrow markings tattooed, short pine-colored hair with a horn in the middle of her forehead while her eyes were pupilless orange sclera.

The demon stood looming over him, disappointment oozing out of her due to the premature nature of the chase."Couldn't you put more effort into this? How disappointing."she sighed then took a few steps, stopping to look down on him as he panted, coughing blood."How pathetic, and you call yourself a slayer? You're the most idiotic one I've ever met! At least the others were smart enough to think before attacking."

Yasu craned his neck with difficulty and threw a vicious glare toward his tormentor. "Damn you...just end me already!" he spat.

An amused smirk stretched her lips upward as she crouched to his level, condescendence lacing her tone"Oh? Can't handle the truth? Now, why should I listen to you? It's funnier to watch you squirm in agony anyway!"She chuckled, plucking an arrow out of his back, eliciting a cry of pain from the male."And your blood...doesn't seem tasty at all hum~"she says, licking the tip of the metal before gagging."Yup, taste like dirt, not appetizing at all, what a waste."

Yasu's eyes narrowed in anger, though it was mostly directed toward himself than the demon currently insulting him. If only he had been more careful he wouldn't be in this situation! He knew death was in the job description but he never thought he would find his end in such...humiliating way! Pathetic indeed! He even let his crow die! What would his brother think of him? And he called himself tsuchi-

"Oi Oi Oi, don't start daydreaming now, it's rude!"She huffed in displeasure, slapping him harshly on the head, earning an "ACK..!" from the wounded slayer. She then grabbed his hair and proceeded to forcefully shake his head."how dare you ignore me huh? Unacceptable!"She sneered. "You should be begging for your life now so I can squash your hopes up! Come on! Beg!"

Instead of giving her what she expected, Yasu threw her a withering glare. "Go fuck yourself!" he snarled. He was too mad to be scared at this point.

The demon's eye twitched,"You little..."she growled, aiming with the arrow in her hand, no longer feeling entertained by the pesky slayer."You're wasting my time."

"And...you're an eyesore to my existence!" Yasu shot back without missing a beat despite his injuries.

Numerous irk marks appeared on the seething demon's face. That's it. She was about to fire only to pause as her pointy ears picked up a far away voice approaching their location. It suspiciously sounded like...singing?

"...ick of it. Into the thick of it. Into the thick of it. UGH"

'what is this language?!'/ 'is that...English?'

"we're tramping through the bush, on and on we push!"

Both Yasu and the demon exchanged confused looks but were brought back by the sound of rustling bushes and watched with barely concealed incredulity a rather...tall figure clad in a dark cloak come out of it.

"into the thick of it!"

the figure exclaimed then stopped, seeming to realize that he had an audience and slowly turned his masked head to look at the two currently observing him. There was a beat as everyone stared at each other before the figure whistled as he got a grab of the situation. Looking back and forth between the two. "Am I interrupting something?"

Yasu, despite being on death's door, broke out of his daze to shout at the newcomer. He couldn't exactly see the person due to how far he was. "Idiot! Can't you see that it's a demon?! Ru-" He was interrupted by a kick on the face that almost knocked him out.

The masked person winced.

'S-shit! Because of me, an innocent is going to die...!'he cursed himself, trying to stay awake.

The demon turned to the newcomer with an elated grin, ignoring the nearly dead slayer at her feet."Well well well, aren't you an unlucky human? And here I thought things would remain boring! But for a new prey to come to me by itself? How lucky!"She giggled, stomping on the slayer's arm to get his attention. He cried in pain, feeling something snap."Oi look! Another prey! Isn't that fantastic? If you had done your job properly, maybe this person wouldn't have stumbled upon the great me! Hahaha, useless!"She mocked, turning to the figure who simply stood there watching while adjusting the...box he was carrying. The demon hummed, now curious about it. What was in it?

The masked person noticed the demon's stare and got an idea. He proceeded to gently place the box on the ground before leaning on it, and...waited. Waiting for what, who knows?

"What are you doing, human? You heard him right? Shouldn't you be running for your life?"The demon tilted her head to the side, a hand on her hip, surprised by the person's lack of reaction to her presence. She analyzed his outfit, kitsune mask, and a long cloak. No katana in sight so that wasn't a demon slayer, she could relax then. It was a simple idiotic human who probably doesn't realize the danger he was in. Oh well. Makes things easier for her.

"OH well, I must've crossed paths with you guys for a reason, not gonna waste an opportunity to experiment." he hummed, placing a gloved hand atop the rectangular wooden box.

The demon showed signs of confusion, not expecting this answer,"...Experiment?"

"yeah, also do you mind removing your foot from this poor guy? He doesn't look okay." he pointed a gloved finger toward Yasu who was doing his best to stay conscious.

Yasu gritted his teeth in despair,'please run...!'still on the ground, injured.

He wouldn't mind if it was only him dying tonight, but with the knowledge of another life on the stake, he couldn't help but feel frustrated for his inability to kill this demon. His vision was starting to blur as the remaining energy he had burnt out at a fast pace because of the arrows sucking his blood.

"Do you hear yourself?"the demon laughed quite in disbelief. Was this human for real?"You know I will kill you right?"to prove her point, she aimed her bow and arrow at the masked person, ready to shoot.

The cloaked figure shrugged, uncaring about the threat to his life as he casually held his chin with both hands on the box. "You can try." he executed a strange knocking pattern on the box.

"Blood Demon Art: Life Draining Arrows!"

She exclaimed immediately shooting consecutive arrows at breakneck speed a normal human wouldn't be able to dodge, heck even a well-trained slayer like Yasu couldn't. Her lips twitched in a vicious grin, witnessing the human's lack of self-preservation. He didn't even try to move. Foolish human.

Yasu's eyes widened in horror though he couldn't see exactly what was happening, he recognized the attack's name and proceeded to shout for the person to dodge, but it was too late as the arrows closed in on their unmoving target, ready to pierce him...only for the box's door to slam open with great force.

One moment they were expecting a punctured person, in Yasu's case, the stranger's grunts or cry of pain since his vision was crap, but he heard none of that. The arrows never hit home since the person was...unarmed and very much alive, casually leaning on the box while all the arrows were on the ground, cut into pieces and shortly, turning into ashes as if cut by a...nichirin blade?

There was a beat as the demon stared between the cloaked figure, the now open box from which she, for some reason, couldn't discern the interior of, and what was left of her...arrows."What."

what just happened.

"pfft-"

She snapped out of her daze to stare at the human, blinking quickly"Are you mocking me...?"

"Oh please, I would nev-HEH"

Veins appeared on her face as a pissed-off look distorted her features into a snarl the moment she heard the cloaked person chortle. Despite not seeing his face, she could already imagine what kind of face he was making. He was definitely mocking her!

Yasu could do nothing but watch the fuzzy green blob materialize an innumerable number of arrows out of her flesh she immediately shot at an inhumane rapid succession, all whizzing with great speed toward the amused person, this time aiming to kill, only for the same result to occur, befuddling the demon who gasped in shock.

"W-WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?! HOW ARE YOU DOING THIS?!"She screeched. She prided herself in her aiming! So this couldn't be-

"Heh. Wouldn't you wanna know? Weren't ya supposed to kill me?" the figure mocked once more, fingers lazily tapping the box as a hand held his chin, infuriating the demon who sent him a withering glare.

Truthfully angered for being made fun of, she barred her teeth, ready to lunge at the person and teach him a lesson only to freeze upon seeing something come out of the box. Her pupilless eyes comically widened in fright once she saw the new presence grow and tower over her.

"Im..impossible...!"her voice was barely above a whisper as her body began to quiver in fright, utterly terrified by the new presence. W-WHAT WAS A D-DEMON DOING WITH A HUMAN?! W-WHY HIM?!

Yasu didn't understand why his arrogant opponent was now backing away and freaking out like a cowering animal. his vision red and blurry made it difficult for him to take on the scene completely as he could only see a blob of colors moving before him which pushed him to focus more on his hearing. The next thing he knew, quick slashing sounds echoed, too quick in fact that he would've missed them if not for him focusing everything on his hearing and the blood-curdling shriek that followed made him flinch.

Huh?

He was startled when the demon's head landed right in front of him with a loud thud, scaring him enough to release a yelp.

"W-WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?! WHY ME?! I JUST WANTED A GOOD HUNT DAMMIT! THIS IS NOT FAIR! DAAAD-"her cries were cut short as her mouth turned into ashes along with the rest of her head as she disappeared.

What? Was the demon slain? By who? Did another slayer arrive to finish the job? Thank go-

"Ah, and here I thought you wouldn't come out! Thanks!"

He heard the figure chirp. It sounded vaguely feminine...? But he couldn't be so sure since the voice was unlike anything he's ever heard before. He...she...whatever seemed to be talking with someone but Yasu couldn't see. He was starting to lose consciousness, his breath ragged as his eyes got heavier with fatigue.

"What? Don't look at me like that now, I know I could've handled things but I wanted to see if you'd protect me! Does that mean that you like me? Aw, don't be shy- Oi don't ignore me! Hm, what is it? What are you looking at-Oh!" the figure seemed to realize something as a gasp was heard. "Holy shit, totally forgot about you! Please hang on dude!" hastened footsteps approached Yasu's body but he couldn't move. Everything hurts.

Ah, he was bleeding...quite profusely at that now that the arrows were no longer piercing him. Was it the end for him? Heh, how pitiful...

He heard the person getting closer to his position. He was tempted to tell him not to bother since it was too late for him.

Sleeping...sleeping sounds...nice. Nobody would mind...if he closed his eyes just for a bit...right?

The young man missed the figure's glowing outstretched hand coming toward him as he closed his eyes for what he thought would be the last ti-


"..su..!"

...huh...?

"..Ya...!"

This...this voice...

"...lease...wake..up!"

...wake...up? What do you mean, wasn't he dead? What the-

He felt something repeatedly poke his head, it was quite annoying but he could deal with it. That is until the thing nearly poked his eye out, startling him into jolting up. His eyes snapped open which was shortly followed by a gasp as he sat up.

"Where-"

"Oh my god! Miho is so glad that Yasu is okay!" his face was suddenly assaulted by feathers as a voice loudly cawed in relief, "Thank god thank God thank god-"

"...Miho?" the young man asked in disbelief, recognizing the owner of the voice. It was his kasugai crow! "Miho!" he cried in shock and proceeded to hug the bird who squawked in surprise. He didn't expect to see the bird in the afterlife but damn was he glad to see her! "I can't believe it, did we really die? I'm so sorry! I should've been more careful!"

"Huh? 'Die'? Yasu's alive, idiot!"

"Alive...?" He muttered in shock. That wasn't...wait. He remembers being sent to investigate a nearby village where there was a rumor about a demon lurking around, terrorizing its inhabitants. Being a freshly promoted tsuchinoe, he easily took the mission, confident in his abilities. However, once there, his crow was taken down by an arrow, which enraged him to no end, and pushed him to foolishly lunge to avenge his companion only to suffer the same fate. So how on earth was he okay?

Yasu finally took in his surroundings and discovered that it was almost the break of dawn and that he was still in the forest which must've meant that he lost...consciousness for a few hours at most. The big question now was HOW THE HELL WAS HE OKAY?! WASN'T HE LIKE, DYING EARLIER?! Aside from the fact that he was no longer injured, which puzzled the heck out of him, he-

"Savior!" his crow chirped happily, interrupting his thoughts.

"Savior?" Yasu muttered in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"A mysterious person appeared and healed Miho before Miho could die! He saved Yasu too, that's why Yasu got no injuries! Savior! Savior!"

"Now come on that's not possiACK-"

"it is! How do you explain your state, you dummy! Dummy!" the bird shouted, rudely poking him on the cheek to his dismay.

Yasu sighed. Miho was right. He couldn't explain it but he was really alive and breathing. It was as if he never went to the mission, to begin with. If not for the damaged uniform, he would've believed that he hallucinated everything, but the pain of seeing his companion hurt and being pierced was too vivid and real...to have been imagined. He didn't know who this 'mysterious person' was, how they healed him and his crow but he was glad. Maybe it was a spirit? Maybe the gods were merciful enough to give him a second chance to live and he would be a fool to not use it to get stronger. Tonight was a sign for him to push himself harder. He can't let something like this happen again. He nearly died for kami's sake because of his stupidity! What would his siblings think of this? They'll probably chew him out for his recklessness which was kinda...deserved.

The slayer finally decided to get up, still a bit disoriented but okay, and grabbed his sword he promptly sheathed. He wasn't sure if the mysterious guy and the cloaked figure were the same person, though it was confirmed by his crow that it was the case so he hummed in wonder.

"Was he the one who killed the demon?" Yasu had asked as he walked toward the path to the village while his crow glided toward him, energetic as always. He didn't catch everything but he remembers the demon's head in front of him and hell, it seemed terrified. Who could inspire this much fear into a demon though?

"No!"

"No? Then who?"

"it was a swordsman! Really powerful! But Miho didn't see it clearly! Too fast!"

This left a really confused Yasu to ponder on the events. That was so...weird. Maybe he'll ask his siblings if they heard about a cloaked figure traveling at night as well...


"IDIOT!"

"ACK!"

"I CAN'T BELIEVE- WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE SO RECKLESS?! ARE YOU DUMBER THAN I THOUGHT?!"

"I said I was sorry!" Yasu whined, massaging his throbbing head with a pout. "You didn't have to smack me this hard.."

"Yeah. 'sorry' WON'T ERASE THE FACT THAT YOU NEARLY DIED! WHAT WOULD KIYOSHI THINK?! THE KID LOOKS UP TO YOU, WHAT WOULD HE SAY?! HUH?! AND I WILL SMACK YOU HOWEVER I WANT, I'M THE OLDER SIBLING, DAMN IT. "

"Just by 5 minutes.."

"SHUT THAT MOUTH OF YOURS YOU BRAT."

Yasu sighed through his nose as he watched his brother nag him, he knew this was deserved. He almost died yesterday if it wasn't for this 'savior' who rescued him and Miho, out of nowhere, otherwise, he'd been long gone. Speaking of the bird, he threw a subtle glare toward her, alas it wasn't subtle enough since his twin noticed and proceeded to harshly bonk his head once again.

"Oh don't glare at Miho like that! She did a great job telling me what happened sinceMisterdidn't find it necessary to tell me!"

"just fucking calm down, Suya! I'm alive, end of the story!"

Hokuro Suya

Suya's eye twitched "Alive thanks to this 'savior' of yours, otherwise, you'd be dead, six feet under!" he fumed, patting the unapologetic bird's little head. "I can't believe you have such a dumb owner."

"idiot!" Miho chirped from her spot on Suya's shoulder.

"idiot indeed." Suya confirmed with a nod, irritating his kneeling brother who let out an offended "Oi" in response. They were currently in a Wisteria house Yasu found on his way where his brother was conveniently resting after a mission which, contrary to his, went swiftly, aside from a broken arm on its way to heal. He had watched in horror his crow glide and literally throw him under the chart as she literally told everything to Suya which infuriated his brother, leading him to now. After they were told to kindly keep the noise down since they were apparently bothering other slayers, the twins found themselves in front of their dinner, garbed into the house's signature purple-colored yukatas.

"So, remember what this 'savior' looks like? So we can find him and thank him for saving your sorry ass." Suya inquired, still a bit mad over his brother's recklessness though he couldn't be more glad and relieved for his twin's survival. Being demon slayers wasn't ideal when you wished for a long life with a wife and couple of kids but they needed to protect their younger siblings from these monsters. They had already lost their dad a year ago.

"No," Yasu shook his head, munching on his fish. "couldn't see a damn thing though Miho told me that he wore a cloak and a mask, that's all I know." he revealed before pausing at his brother's gaping face with a frown, chopsticks halfway in his mouth. "What?"

"no way..."

"What? What is it?"

"I can't believe- Tell me, was he wearing a kitsune mask?" Suya leaned in, eyes sparkling all of a sudden which weirded his brother out who leaned back.

"uh...yeah? What of it?"

"What of it- YASU TAIYO-SHIN JUST SAVED YOUR LIFE! HOW LUCKY"

"Kami-Keep it down, would you?! And who's this 'Taiyo-shin' you're yapping about?" Yasu hissed, finding his brother's sudden 180 strange as hell.

Suya deadpanned, wondering if his brother was a lost cause. "are you serious?" after only getting a confused look in response, Suya sighed and ultimately informed his brother of this sun god, his enthusiasm returning halfway through the discussion.

"You have no idea how many people are after him! Even the pillars are seeking him out without success!" Suya informed.

Yasu pondered on it for a while as silence settled. He glanced up at his brother "Say, Suya,"

"Hm?"

"you said he's mostly seen wandering alone right?"

Suya cocked his head to the side in question. "Yeah, what of it?"

"I was wondering, did anyone notice a swordsman accompanying him?"

"a 'swordsman'? Not to my knowledge, why?"

Yasu proceeded to explain what his crow told him a day prior, confusing Suya.

"Hm, from what I heard he travels alone, never heard of a swordsman accompanying him, however, he was recently seen carrying a box sometimes. That's all I'm aware of. He's slippery as a snake! No one knows what he's up to. Did Miho see what the swordsman looked like?"

"No, he was too fast for her to see and disappeared along with him."

Suya finished his meal with pursed lips and a hand holding his chin as a thoughtful expression took hold of his features. "Well, not much is known about him so it might've been a one-time thing who knows." he shrugged "Though, words out that he might actually be a god in disguise and you know what, I'm inclined to believe it since you're here alive and kicking." he grinned.

Yasu blinked before shrugging "Huh, maybe it's a demon pretending to be a god? Wouldn't be that far-fetched." he mumbled, skeptical about it.

"impossible," Suya shook his head adamantly, " he's also seen outside under the sun. There's no way for him to be a demon."

"how do you explain the cloak then?"

"privacy? Anyway why on earth would he help us if he was a demon? Use that brain of yours for kami's sake!"

Yasu glanced at him blankly then he squinted. "Why are you defending him anyway? Could it be that you caught feelings for him too? Really you should fix that u-"

Suya's grip on his chopsticks tightened suddenly. "DON'T BRING MY LOVE LIFE INTO THIS, YOU IMBECILE"

"AH! SO I'M RIGHT THEN!"

"SHUT UP! I'LL KICK YOUR ASS."

"WITH YOUR BROKEN ARM?"

"OH DON'T PLAY WITH ME YOU LITTLE-"

The shoji door slid harshly, interrupting the bickering duo who both snapped their head toward the intruder only to blanch at the sight of the livid person currently glaring at them. They quickly scrambled to their feet, disregarding their dinner, both sweating profusely in dread.

Veins were visible on the person's scarred face who seemed at this point rightfully pissed off. It seemed like his sleep had somehow been disrupted if his puffy eyes were any indication. "You bozos better SHUT THE FUCK UP before I give you both a real reason to be here, got it?" He threatened, pale purple eyes narrowing viciously on the twins who flinched then immediately bowed in apology.

"H-Hai! Shinazugawa-sama!" they both exclaimed in unison.

[WIND PILLAR]

Shinazugawa Sanemi.

Sanemi clicked his tongue, "The old lady told you to shut it earlier, didn't she? Are you two deaf, or do you want me to beat some sense into you?!" he snarled. His grip on the door partially damaged it. He briefly glanced at it before returning his gaze to the duo. He'll apologize later to the owners but as of now, he was boiling.

The twins apologized once again, truly terrified for having angered the wind pillar of all people! Talk about shitluck! Yasu didn't just escape death only to be killed by the crazy guy! The white-haired male sniffed before slamming the door shut, presumably walking away, leaving the shaken duo to their own devices.

"..." Yasu stood there, dumbly watching the door as he straightened up along with his twin. "May I ask, oh dear brother, why you didn't see fit to inform me of the presence of the Wind pillar?" he asked suddenly.

"I forgot."

"You forgot."

"yeah."

"Huh. Do you mind telling me why you're blushing then?"

"That's none of your fucking business!" Suya snapped out of his daze, hissing with slightly red cheeks, eliciting a snort out of his brother he smacked afterward. "anyway, don't question me, if Taiyo-shin was truly an enemy you wouldn't be here being a fu-"

The door slid open once again, startling the duo who both stiffened at the sight of the same pillar who was now looking at them with a contemplative frown. Dear kami what did they do now.

"How much do you know about him?" Sanemi marched inside as he scrutinized the two with a squint, his scarred torso visible for the world to see and boy did Suya struggle not to peek and maintained a respectful attitude, otherwise, he'd risk getting mauled by the pillar but could you blame him?!

" 'Him?'" Yasu parroted since his brother seemed to be struggling to talk.

"This 'Taiyo-shin' you idiot." Sanemi grunted, folding his arms. "Heard you mention him earlier, now spill."

Before Yasu could open his mouth to respond, his brother beat him to it by dragging the younger twin in front of him as if presenting Yasu to a bunch of people. "My brother actually had a run-in with him during his last mission yesterday, hashira-Sama!"

This seemed to pick his attention as a grin slowly formed on his face, intimidating the duo all of a sudden. The atmosphere immediately shifted as both siblings tensed when they met the wind pilar's gaze. Uh oh.

"Well then, tell me more about it."