SORRY PEOPLE! THIS AUTHOR OF YOURS HAD THE FLU AND WAS BATTLING FOR HER LIFE.
So anyway, I'm good now
3rd POV
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[10 months before Canon]
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The sound of metal repeatedly slicing through the air resounded in the clearing. They were accompanied by the imperturbed sound made by the waterfall while a young boy gasped and panted from the repetitive movements he's been doing for the past hours. His body was stiff, every muscle aching in pain, though his convictions and willpower were enough for him to completely dedicate himself to his training. He knew he needed to be strong enough to survive the final selection, otherwise, he would never be able to join the corps!
The friction of his clothes against the still-fresh wounds on his body made him flinch a little, causing him to lose focus mid-swing. He grumbled, tempted to remove the bandages on his shoulders but decided against it. That masked freak, despite being a pain in the ass was right. He couldn't risk getting an infection that would cause a fever that would render him unable to train! And that won't do at all! He absolutely needed to become a demon slayer so he could finally find his brother. Sure he knew Nemi was strong, really strong since he was a pillar but...he needed to apologize.
The teenager stood there for a while, lost in thoughts as a little frown adorned his features. He just hoped he hadn't said those words back then. Maybe...maybe Nemi wouldn't despise him so much.
His thoughts then returned to the masked freak he met a week ago. He scowled. He knew who that was. Taiyo-shin the sun god, or the insufferable asshole for short. He couldn't for the love of himself understand why people worshipped that guy. He was annoying! Sure he saved him from getting mauled to death by a demon the other night but that didn't mean he had the right to boss him around! Who does he think he is?!
Genya spat on the ground and walked to a nearby tree trunk the pest had cut and placed for him to use. Why did he care anyway? It's not like Genya knew him, heck he would remember if he met someone as eccentric as him before. And what had he meant by "try eating them" Why on earth would he eat demons?! Sure he wasn't that great at using swords but that didn't mean that he would start eating demons! Because first, that's disgusting, and second who knows what'll happen to him?! And why was he even entertaining that idea?! Rah!
The rustling of bushes caused him to react almost immediately and throw a rock, full force, toward the spot. Whatever that was would be knocked out or hurt by it for sure. His grip on his slightly tattered sword tightened as he waited. Why didn't he hear a cry of pain or a thud? He squinted, trying to see what that was only to pause upon hearing a voice.
"Heya Genya-boy! What kind of greeting is that? Trying to kill someone?" the ban of his existence said while waving the previously thrown rock in his gloved hand as he walked out of the bush. "though I must say that you got a good aim! Ever thought of using a gun?"
Genya's eye twitched before he turned away and sat back on the trunk, set on ignoring the newcomer. The masked freak didn't mind the cold welcome and skipped toward the boy.
"Aw, still gonna ignore me? That's not nice kid!" the person admonished while waving a finger like a disappointed parent.
"Piss off."
"hm," there was a little pause before the cloaked figure shrugged and placed the box he always carried next to him. It was mid-day which means lunch. The person brought what looked like to be packed bento boxes from seemingly nowhere and sat next to the cranky teenager who scooted away. "and here I thought that you were hungry! I'm sad to see that it might not be the case..."
As if on cue, the scarred boy's stomach grumbled furiously, though he adamantly refused to look toward the smug pest despite the embarrassed blush on his face. He just knew the asshole had a smug grin under the mask. He just knew!
"OH? Could it be that you're hungry?"
"..."
"Genyaaaaa~"
"How the fuck do you even know my name?! I never told you!" the boy snapped, irritation oozing out of him before a yelp left his lips as he was met with a piece of cucumber in front of his face.
"God intuition, now say 'Ah'!"
"Back off you creep! I can fucking eat myself!" he angrily snatched the chopsticks and bento from the person's gloved hands then begrudgingly began eating. He wasn't about to turn down food even though it came from an annoying person like the masked freak. He wouldn't admit it but that guy sure knew how to cook...huh.
"so, how's your training?" the masked freak voiced suddenly. He didn't seem to be eating since none of the other boxes were open.
"None of your business." Genya didn't care, he just wanted him gone and out of his sight.
"Hm, I see, I see, have you thought about what I told you last time?"
An irk mark grew on the boy's forehead. "I'm not eating demons okay?! That's fucking disgusting, what is wrong with you??"
"Hey hey, that's just another solution ya know?" Taiyo-shin defended, both hands held in surrender "What if you can't use breathing techniques? That might come in handy, don't you think?"
The boy didn't say anything for a while before resuming his meal with a huff. He knew about the breathing techniques and couldn't for the life of him get a hang of them yet. It wasn't as though he wasn't trying, he just couldn't which left him in a state of continuous frustration. He didn't know why his body refused to cooperate and let him use it! Though that didn't mean he'll give up so soon! He'll just have to push himself harder, even if that meant destroying himself. He must join the corps!
"Here"
The boy blinked in surprise at the sight in front of him.
"Wa-watermelons...?" he dumbly voiced.
"Yeah, do you want some? I bought it on the way here. Thought you'd like it."
For a moment, the boy stared blankly, nearly forgetting to act in character. People tended to avoid him because of his scowling face, assuming he was always up to no good, so he really didn't expect Taiyo-shin to show kindness out of nowhere. Genya was now torn between gladly accepting his favorite food and acting snarky to push him away. He went for the former though, because watermelons and gingerly accepted the slices with slightly warm cheeks.
As he bit into the fruit, Genya jolted in surprise when he felt a hand on his scalp. He quickly blinked then turned toward the masked freak with wide baffled eyes, too stunned to react accordingly.
"You're a good kid, Genya," he uttered softly. "You'll make a great demon slayer. Whatever goal you have, I am sure that you will succeed in achieving it! I believe in you."
The teen nearly dropped his food on the ground. He wasn't expecting such kind words all of a sudden to the point of freezing for what felt like a minute or two before a blush coated his features. However, he quickly regained his composure and abruptly slapped the hand away.
"d-don't do that! W-what the fuck is wrong with you?! Don't be all buddy-buddy with me, I'm not your friend, got it?!" he inwardly cursed himself for the stutter before glaring. He couldn't understand why he liked patting his head! "just leave me alone!"
He was rewarded by an amused chuckle that was quickly followed by a guffaw when Taiyo-shin noticed the redness of his face, which irritated Genya who started spouting profanities a 15-year-old shouldn't be familiar with. After 30 minutes or so, the masked guy finally departed, promising to visit sometimes before the final selection or some shit, leaving a grumbling Genya alone in the clearing who shortly resumed his training with a huff.
His eyes fell on the mountain of watermelons behind the trunk. He sweat dropped at the sight before shaking his head wearily, his cheeks dusted pink. Genya didn't even question how he did it. Sighing, he wondered why the guy would bother continuing to check on him even after Genya kept acting rudely toward him. Then again Taiyo-shin was weird as hell.
Regardless, there's one thing that puzzled the teen, why would Taiyo-shin tell him to specifically seek the Stone pillar out?
Genya stood there for a while before brushing that thought off.
A week later he somehow ran into the Stone pillar.
Talk about convenient.
[9 months before canon]
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There aren't enough words to describe how Sanemi felt at the moment. It's been 2 months since he's been running around, searching for that damn sun god that it's beginning to make him harbor some kind of hatred for the guy! Sure, he hasn't given up on his duties in order to devote himself entirely to the search but it was starting to annoy him! With the two fuckers testimonies, He was convinced that he would easily find that masked nuisance only to come up with nothing for two entire months which greatly infuriated him. Now, why was he so set on finding that guy?
First, so Uzui would finally shut the fuck up because that lofty bastard kept bragging about managing to spot the fucker one night before he disappeared, which had been more than everyone combined managed to do so far which was getting on his nerves. And two, it was to kind of satisfy his own curiosity. Needless to say, it immediately evolved into a competition among the pillars to the point where even Gyomei joined. He wasn't passing the opportunity of free Ohagis!
Anyway, today was one of those days where he could be seen patrolling his assigned territory in search of any demonic activities to release all the cumulated anger he's been carrying for a while. It was easy to notice how the bastards were getting scarcer. Either way, they must've finally figured out that they were in his territory and choose to behave with more caution than necessary, or they're all dead, courtesy of himself. Tss.
Sanemi stops in his tracks when he caught sight of his crow, Sorai gliding in his direction. The bird landed on his shoulder and promptly informed him that he too had no leads concerning the masked guy either which made the pillar heave out a sigh. He scratched the bird's neck. It made happy noises before flying off once again, now more motivated to help its owner at all costs.
He resumed his patrol until night fell where demons were likely to be out and about. Sanemi sniffed. Maybe he'll get a few kills before returning to his estate...
A resounding explosion resembling a clash of thunder echoed in the distance, effectively causing the entire forest area to vibrate. Sanemi staggered to his feet from the sudden tremor before regaining his composure and swiftly unsheathed his sword, ready to fight. That...was unexpected. He waited for a few seconds before clicking his tongue and deciding to go and see what might have caused this because as far as he's concerned, this never happened before! As he ran, he threw a quick glance at the sky and was surprised to see how clear it was. That was weird. A blast of this magnitude should've been quickly followed by a storm but that wasn't the case. Sanemi frowned. Something wasn't right. He has yet to face a demon who used electricity...maybe the cocky bastard was unaware of whose territory he was in? Then again the demons all died before they could tell the tale so it might as well be the case.
A vicious grin morphed onto his face as he upped the speed. Sanemi couldn't contain the excitement welling up inside of him at the thought of ridding the world of another demon tonight! He swiftly arrived at a remote area where he stopped at the edge of a cliff and blinked once, then twice before his eyes bugged out.
Now...Of course, he knew that rumors about people witnessing Gashadokuros had been going on lately, though Sanemi had not shown any speck of interest in them because they were ridiculous to him, besides he was too focused on ridding the world of demons to care about those silly stories people tended to make to scare their brats into staying inside past sunset. It honestly baffled him how they still choose not to acknowledge demons who were a real threat to their damn lives and instead choose to fear freaking ginormous man-eating skeletons!
To be honest, Sanemi didn't believe in those kinds of stories and sure, it could've been the same thing with demons if he wasn't fighting them already on a regular basis.
Here in the ravine stood what seemed to be a hunched-over giant.
Sanemi nearly dropped his katana in bewilderment.
He quickly hid behind a tree. As his heart was throbbing, an overwhelming sense of panic washed away the eagerness that fueled him. And when the thing's eyes shifted toward his position, a cold shiver went down his spine. Fear now took over common sense and fighting experience, triggering the most primal instinct of flight or fight
'WHAT IN KAMI'S NAME IS THAT?!'
He tried his best to smother any sound coming out of his mouth in hope of not alerting it but, this was fucking bullshit!! What the hell was going on and what the fuck was this thing?! This creature was unlike anything he's ever seen before! Granted that he's already fought demons bigger than him in the past, doesn't mean that he ever expected anything like that!
He managed to regain his composure enough to think clearly.
Should he attack it? Tss, he's sure that the thing saw him so might as well go on with it. Sanemi's grip tightened fiercely around his katana as he thought of numerous ways to engage the giant. After approximately 10 seconds of reflection, the male came up with a plan and smirked. The moment he went to peek at the creature, he nearly choked.
'It's not here!?'
And true to his words, the ravine was now devoid of the creature which was enough to alarm the wind pillar. HOW COULD A THING THIS BIG VANISH IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE WITHOUT MAKING ANY SOUND?!
Now he wasn't expecting that.
And he was highly alert.
[7 months before canon]
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"There you go, sir! Have a great day!" the clerk smiles while handing a box of delicacies to the tall cloaked customer in front of her.
"thank you!" the person answered cheerily as he grabbed the box with his gloved hands. He paid then quickly walked out of the store while humming before the woman could realize what he-
"Ah, sir, I think you made a mistake! This is far more than-" she looked up to see that the client was no longer there. She faltered, about to run to the door to call for the stranger but got stopped by her employer's soft and welcoming voice.
"It's no use, Tomo-chan." an elderly woman appeared next to her, "That was Taiyo-shin right? You won't catch him, he must've already disappeared as we speak." she says calmly.
"Huh...? But that's impossible...!" She glanced outside with wide eyes and true to the woman's words, the tall figure was nowhere to be seen which shocked her. How could someone disappear so quickly?!
The old woman chuckles, waving a hand dismissively. "Don't stress yourself, dear. he's been known to do such things wherever he goes. Now how much did he leave this time?"
'T-this time?!' she looked down at the pouch and counted before freezing in shock. "f-five..."
"five what?" the woman cocked her head to the side, adjusting the glasses on her face.
The girl shakingly glanced up to meet her employer's intrigued's eyes. " f-five hundred t-thousand..."
They both stared at each other in silence before the employer's eyes bugged out in utter shock.
"EH?!"
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Taiyo-shin, or rather, Colith's cloaked form could be seen peacefully strolling further in the street, receiving enthusiastic greetings from most of the locals to which she'd nod with a simple "Yo" as she walked. Pretty sure she heard some of them fawn in the back but didn't bother to check. She adjusted the dark wooden box she was carrying, noting how light it was, an indication that the demon was currently in his room at the moment.
'Either sleeping...or training..'
The prime advantage of being able to bend reality to one's will is that creating pocket dimensions was an easy feat for her. Also, to make sure that the demon doesn't unalive himself out of boredom- which was very unlikely but one never knows- she created a yard big enough for him to practice his swordsmanship, even if she was the one who brought that up. Kokushibo just rolled with it, actually liking the prospect of training.
Anyway, she walked for some time while looking around and upon not finding any suitable spot to eat without a crowd of people staring at her like hawks, being the unpredictable little shit she was, she said 'fuck it' and appeared on the roof of a random building. A sudden action that startled the hell out of the people that had been watching her walk around for the past 30 minutes or so. Then again it was to be expected with her newfound fame. Honestly, She hadn't even meant to kill that demon the first time she came here but the thing had been so freaking annoying...! Urgh!
She ignored the little ruckus she left behind and gently placed Koku's box next to her before settling down to eat while staring at the scenery.
Huh? How was she eating with her mask on you ask?
Tsk Tsk, bold of you to assume that she didn't take the time to learn that sacred technique! That's right folks! Eating with the mask on! Sure it was mostly to mess with others' minds. Plus it was surprisingly not that difficult to learn. Sure she was nowhere near Tengu gramps and several other masked characters' mastery of that specific skill which was, to this day, still beyond anyone's understanding but hey, she could do it too now! Somehow.
Moving on, the town was quite peaceful, compared to the last time she was here that is. Yeah, getting rid of a mole demon would leave any nearby town in peace with how much chaos the demon had caused. Sure, she may or may not have used the mokuton to rebuild most of the damaged house in broad daylight, in front of the whole town then dipped before any of the townspeople could blink.
"Heh.." her shoulders shook a little as she recalled the scene. She bit into a piece of chicken yakitori and almost let out a moan. 'Damn, I should seriously learn own to cook that one...!' she swayed blissfully.
While eating, her sharp eyes easily caught sight of golden and red hair in the distance. Such extravagant hair could only belong to one specific loud-mouthed pillar she and she's sure, all the fandom was fond of.
Of course, she knew that the corps had been after her for quite some time, although she did not give it much thought. Kagaya, that sweetheart, had asked if that wasn't bothering her to which she replied that it was more or less a way for her to assess her evading skills. She didn't mention that it was actually funny to mess with them but shh, you didn't hear that from her!
Also, every time she entered a town or village, a group of slayers usually appeared within the same hour to seek her out. Then again, Taiyo-shin was easily spotted. She even ran into some pillars like Uzui and Sanemi even though the latter had been a stroke of luck. Speaking of that one, she cringed a little. She hadn't meant to be seen in titan form by one of the main cast so fast! Though Kokushibo was an exception but moving on- who knows what happened after that 'cause she didn't stay to find out since she immediately dipped by warping away into the middle of the ocean. In titan form.
Yep.
That was embarrassing.
Anyway, in short, she wasn't all surprised to see another pillar in the same city even if this time it took longer than usual but hey, beggars can't be choosers.
'welp, time to go.'
She'd rather avoid any confrontation with that one because knowing her luck, he might be able to track her down with how relentless he was. She quickly inhaled the rest of the food and discarded the boxes before getting up to stretch. After that, she grabbed koku's box, secured it, and was ready to dip until she noticed something weird as she glanced toward the red and yellow speck exiting the village.
She squinted, now why was he walking away? Curious, she decided to hop toward him while remaining at a safe distance from what she had assumed to be Kyojuro Rengoku. She suddenly stopped in her tracks on a roof and upon closer look, she let out a soft "Oh".
This definitely was a Rengoku for sure, but one younger and smaller than the current flame pillar.
Somehow, her guts told her to follow him.
Times were rough for those who had chosen the path of crime. The bandits and outlaws were finding it increasingly difficult to do their jobs, although most of the time it was due to the Government's determination to lower the crime rate in order to give the country a secure image. Although this prompted all of them to increase their vigilance recently, things still did not look good for them especially ever since a year ago.
Despite that, they still continued on their path, wishing to live without obligation and regulations, to enjoy causing pain and suffering whenever they go, and to simply amass wealth for the rest of their lives. Yes! Thriving on others' livelihood! Who cares if killing was in the job description? Who cares if they were doing heinous acts? Even though that masked bastard made their job 100x more difficult they'll find a way to get rid of him someday...!
Regardless, the day had started without a lot of fuss, though a few fights broke out due to a snatched sake bottle the leader, Kazuki easily solved with a glare that quickly made the troublemakers freeze in fear, horrified at the prospect of a ruthless beat down from their chief. The man had been antsy for the past few months, then again it was to be expected when they currently were a quarter of what they originally were before, and that was because of one single guy!
"BOSS! WE FOUND SOMETHING!" One of his goons rushed to their hideouts with a big dumb grin, sweating from running.
"Ah?! Are you stupid?! Do you want them to find us with all this shouting?! I TOLD YOU TO STOP DOING THAT, DUMBASS!"
None of them dared to point out that he too was screaming.
"m-my bad...!" the goon faltered, though it was forgotten the moment his boss acknowledged his previous words, seemingly over it.
"What do you want? It better be useful or I'll fucking smash that ugly mug of yours, ya hear?" Kazuki threatened.
"H-Hai!" he quickly but this time at a lower pitch informed his boss of their finding, a piece of information that somehow intrigued the man to the point of making him get up from his sitting position.
"It better be good, or you know what's coming," he said darkly, following behind his distressed henchman. They soon arrived on an unused dirt path, stumbling upon two more of his goons who suspiciously looked tipsy, he had priorly tasked with scouting the area. Although what he wasn't expecting to see was a frightened tied up kid in their clutches. "What is this?"
Needless to say, he was pissed.
Before the one who led him here could explain, Kazuki harshly grabbed his collar in a vice grip, "You made me walk all this way just for a fucking kid?! Do you want to die?!" he hissed.
"W-wait b-boss! L-let me explain..! W-We thought that with clothes like this, he must come from a rich family...!" seeing that his boss perked up, he shakily went on, "And maybe...we c-can use him to make lot of cash...?"
At the mention of money, Kazuki let go of the man who unceremoniously tumbled to the ground before eyeing the kid who flinched upon meeting sharp dark eyes. "hm..." True to his subordinate's words, the kid did look like he came from a wealthy house. Moreover, he had unique features. They might even make a lot by selling him to some pervert afterwards. "is that so? What's your name boy?"
Kazuki could easily feel the terror oozing out of him yet, he remained silent. Not in a good mood, the man closed on the boy and hit him. The force of the blow was enough to send the boy tumbling on the ground, though to their surprise, he didn't make a sound, not even a yelp.
One of Kazuki's henchmen pointed it out.
"I'm talking to you brat! What's your name?" He roughly grabbed the boy's hair and started shaking it, "Don't tell me you're mute and deaf?! Who'd want a deaf brat on their hands, worthless little-"
His sentence was cut short by the sound of something hitting the ground. Kazuki's eye twitched, ready to chew his men out for daring to interrupt him only to pause upon seeing all of them on the ground while a cloaked figure stood nonchalantly beside them.
"what-"
"Yo!"
His blood ran cold. This...this was the motherfucker who made their life hell! The one responsible for their band's decline in number...!
"Taiyo-shin..!" he couldn't help but growl in furry, his grip tightening on the kid's scalp who flinched in pain.
The masked guy's gloved hand fell to his side."yeah yeah, whatever you say but that's not why I'm here. Hand me the kid."
A silence following that statement fell on the instant during which both sides eyed each other without a sound.
"Eh..?" for the first time, the boy voiced in bewilderment, gold and red irises blinking quickly in surprise. Wha-
"Ah?! And why would I do that, you bastard?" Kazuki quickly regained his composure and glared.
"just shut up and hand him to me."
A vein throbbed vividly on the man's forehead but before he could do any rash decision, he contemplated the masked freak's words and then paused. He briefly glanced back and forth between the two before an idea formed in his head. Without warning, Kazuki unsheathed the knife on his hip and brought it near the kid's throat in a swift motion that indicated his mastery with short blades. He watched with glee as the tall asshole flinched.
Oh...?
A wicked grin slowly etched itself on his lips.
'You weren't expecting that huh? Asshole.'
The boy shook in fright the moment he felt the cold metal near his throat, yet he didn't move in fear that the unstable man might slice his throat and end his life prematurely.
Convinced that he had the upper hand now, Kazuki barred his teeth viciously while slowly rising to his feet with the hostage. He knew that he had no chance of winning against the bastard, yet, this might be his chance to get rid of him.
Before Kazuki could open his mouth to shout his conditions, his hands were empty and he was now in writhing pain on the floor, holding his stomach tightly as he gasped for air, suddenly breathless and dizzy.
'Wha-'
"Mh...this is quite problematic."
He jolted in surprise upon hearing Taiyo-shin's voice right above him. What just happened?! He didnt see anything! Didn't he have an advantage just now?! And why was he so breathless?! His eyes somehow managed to find the hostage who looked as bewildered as him on the ground.
"What should I do with them kid?"
"h-huh?"
"They were after you if I'm not mistaken, plus they hit you and planned to use you to rob your house. What do you want me to do to them?" Taiyo-shin asked as his mask slightly turned to the boy. "would you like me to get rid of them...? "
The bone-chilling sensation of the presence of a ruthless predator nearby covered the whole area which was enough to make Kazuki quiver in dread.
What...? Was he going to die...? His life was in the hands of the brat he attacked?! Crap, that means that he wasn't mute and deaf after all! This must be a joke right?! Shit, he's going to die. There's no way he was surviving that if the brat decides to be vindictive.
He glanced at the shaken kid, about to try and persuade him to spare his life when-
"Or I can simply take them to the police station!" Taiyo-shin chirped as though he didn't just offer to murder people in cold blood. The bloodlust vanished instantly allowing them to breathe properly. "The choice is yours!"
There was a silence before the shrimp finally found his voice and shakily responded, "T-the second o-option...!"
"Ight."
Kazuki released a sigh of relief, glad that his life was no longer in danger.
"Could you close your eyes for a bit please?" Taiyo-shin asked the kid who paused at the question before obeying. "Open them only when I say so, okay?"
Hesitant, the kid nodded, eyes closed with a confused frown.
'Close his eyes...? What for?'
A confusion Kazuki shared as well. Unfortunately for him, he was too slow to notice a gloved fist descending upon his face like a meteor.
