Here's the next chapter, hope you enjoy it :)
Djinn - Thanks so much. I believe I got the idea from Toph from Avatar: TLA. But instead of vibrations, Michael used wind currents. I've got some major ideas for how this will develop and I can't wait to show them. Thanks for reading.
Phillyitalian - Thank you for the suggestions. You know what, I really like the idea of Michael befriending the crows, so I'm definitely putting it in. I think it could be funny. Thanks again, also Michael is going to be more different then my other OCs. His story is much more darker, in keeping to the manga's themes, and he is going to be stern and colder. Of course, he will eventually brighten up as the story progresses, but it might take a while. Thanks for reading.
RubixJr - Haha! Sorry, I do like a good cliff hanger. I hope you enjoy the next chapter.
Hakurorofan7 - Huh, I never heard of him before. I looked him up and he has some interesting moves that I can take inspiration from. Thanks so much for reading.
Sorry - Right, I honestly don't know what to tell you. Firstly, saying sorry and then immediately insulting somebody's work by calling it repulsive is not helpful to me in the slightest. I know you say it's just your opinion and I, as the writer, should respect your critique, but it does the opposite. It makes your apology completely insincere.
Secondly, you got so many things completely wrong it's almost as if you were reading a completely different story. I'm not going to go over them, because I know you're never going to read this. This is not me being bitter about what you written; I'm upset that you think you this is an appropriate response to send somebody.
wellingtonlucas282 - No problem, hope you enjoy this chapter.
Thanks for the reviews :)
Chapter 5: The Taste Of Blood
Forest
The demon's sharp claws crept closer and closer to the unsuspecting human's necks, ready to snap them like dry twigs and devour every last bit of blood.
Satoshi felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end, making him look up and scream in horror. Ami looked up as well and gasped when she saw what he the two pitch black claws coming out of the shadows right over their heads. She instinctively crouched and leaned her body over the young boy, protecting him as much as she can. She waited for the crack of her bones, the tear in her flesh, followed by the unbearable pain as she died and closed her eyes tightly in fear.
However, instead, she felt a cold breeze glide across her face, its icy touch seemed comforting. Satoshi felt it to and both he and Ami felt as if they were at peace. Ami wondered if this was what death felt like before she heard animal-like scream right above her head, followed by something falling to the ground next to them with a heavy thump.
She opened her eyes and gaped as she saw some sort of monster failing on the ground in pain as it waved his stumped arms in the air, its blood spraying all over the place. Standing over it, with a katanna pointed down to the ground in one hand and the severed claws of the monster in the other, was Michael with his back towards them. He had his head bowed slightly, obscuring his face with his sugegasa. The front of his uniform may have been ripped and he may have been injured, but there was a sort of power they seemed to emit from him that Ami was unfamiliar with. He radiate a strong and intimidating aura and yet she wasn't fearful of it. The wind seemed to swirl around him like a tornado, picking up leaves and bits of dirt around him. His breathing was gradual and slow, his body moving up and down calmly as if what he was doing was completely ordinary. He threw the claws into the air and with one swipe of his blade sliced them both in half as they fell to the ground.
"What a vile creature you are," she heard him mutter distastefully before he turned his towards her, "Are you two alright?" he asked, earning a nod from her. She then remembered that he can't see her and was about to say it when he already answered, "Good. Take Satoshi back to the village and inform Yamamoto where I am. Don't worry about me."
She was confused for a second but she knew that she had to get Satoshi away. She grabbed the younger boy's hand and dragged him back into the forest towards the direction of the village.
Michael returned his focus to the demon before him. The wind still circled around the area, telling him of his surroundings in such remarkable detail that he doubted he would have seen it if he did have his vision. Every grain of dust in the air, every leaf the fluttered, every shake of the trees around them, he could feel them move and come to life with every breath of wind. He could even sense a beetle that happened to be crawling in the bushes behind him. However, at the same time, there were things he couldn't sense like the blood pooling on the ground unless the wind pillar fell upon it and made it ripple. It looked like there were still some things that he was blind to.
The sickening sound of flesh and bone alerted him that the demon's hands have grown back and it crawled back away from him, "You little shit! How did you see me!? I am one with the shadows!"
"I didn't see you," he calmly replied, "I just know where you are. You can't hide in the darkness anymore."
"Damn it!" he yelled before he leapt back into shadows, "Stupid! Stupid STUPID BLIND HUMAN! IF YOU WEREN'T SO VALUABLE, I'LL KILL YOU NOW!"
"Then come out and get me," he said, sensing the demon slithering in the shadows around him, "Is the reason why you haven't been slayed yet. You stay in the shadows and like a coward attack people when their backs are turned," he dodged left and swung his katana in one fluid motion as he sensed the demon about to swipe at him. The blade sliced across the monster's arm, causing it to scream in pain, "You really think your master is going to want you as his right hand man? Third Form: CLEAN STORM WIND TREE!"
The wind whipped around him as he blocked another swipe of the demon's claw with his blade and then another one and another one. There was no point for him to turn to see his enemy, because he didn't need to see him. Using his hearing and the breeze, he was able to detect every single attack with ease; something that would have been difficult for a person who could see. All they while, the demon screamed and screamed in frustration as none of his attacks made contact; causing him to be cut and sliced all across his arms and face.
Michael smirked maliciously at every squeal of pain and every cut he made in the demon's flesh. He enjoyed it; it made his heart beat faster in excitement as he continued to torture this demon. Eventually, he grew bored and leaped back a few steps and got into an attacking stance.
He inhaled for 3...
...2...
...1...
...and exhaled as he built up more power and the wind blew furiously around him.
He gave a battle cry as he charged at great speed at the demon with his sword above his head before, as quick as lightening, made several swift slashes.
The demon blinked in surprise at what happened. To him, Michael had been a blur of movement surrounded by blue wind that zoomed at him before he could move out of the way. However, by the time he hit him, he only felt a gentle breeze glide over him; the chilling breath of air making him shiver. He turned his sharp head back to where he could see Michael standing behind him with his sword in the air. Nothing happened at first before, the demon's arms dropped from its sides and its legs gave way from underneath him; he fell to the muddy ground in heap of his own limbs and the blood that was spurting out from his injuries. He screamed in pain and tried to move himself back into the shadows when he felt a strong hand grip his neck and drag him into the moon-lit clearing.
Michael tossed the limbless demon a few feet in front of him before he lifted his sword above his head and plunged the tip into his stomach, causing him to wail and thrash helpless about. Now, with the sword imbedded into the ground and pinning the demon down, Michael slowly made his way to his side, put one leg over him and kneeled down so one of his knees was on his chest and the other pressing down on his throat to keep him from raising his head. He reached into his yukata and pulled out a dagger, clutching it in his hand tightly.
"How many?" he asked in deadly tone.
"What?" the demon choked out.
"How many people have you killed?" he asked again.
The demon seemed to grimace slightly at the question, "Fifteen...now are you going to kill me or-"
Without warning, Michael raised the dagger above his head and plunged it into the monster's left eye, wincing as some of its blood spayed onto his face.
Schlick!
The demon's opened its wide mouth and shrieked in pain and flailed about to escape the torture, but he wasn't done, "One..." he snarled before he took the knife out and stab the demon's other eye, "...two..." again, he pulled it out of its eye socket and sunk it back into the first eye, "...three..."
He continued this over and over again, counting as he went.
"...four...five...six..."
He didn't think of what he was doing nor stop himself from carrying on this brutality. His mind was too clouded with rage and anguish to be thinking of pity.
"...seven...eight...nine...ten..."
Every stab, every scream of pain, every blood that spurted on him; it only encouraged him further.
"...eleven...twelve..."
Years of pent up anger, grief and pain was finally released as Michael merciless butchered the demon on the cold, muddy ground.
"...thirteen...fourteen..." he finally pulled the knife out and through it away. He got to his feet, pulled out the katana and raised it above his head, "...FIFTEEN!" he cried before he swung the sword down upon his neck, severing the head from the body.
The demon spasmed and gasped in shock before his entire body fell limp on the ground. He didn't need to see it to know that it was dead or rather, since it was a demon, going to die very soon.
Michael took a few deep breaths, calming himself down after what had happened. He eventually collapsed onto his knees in the demon's blood that was pooling out from underneath its body and laid the sword down by his side. He looked around and saw the wind currents start to leave; one by one they disappeared into nothingness until finally Michael could no longer see anything once more.
His mind, that had been previously under the control of his ruthless bloodlust, was beginning to clear up and he was blank of any thoughts. He didn't feel bad about what he had just done, but he didn't feel good about it either. He felt emotionless; drained of any feelings or morals or anything. He heard the demon mutter something as its body began to turn into ash and blow away into the wind, but he didn't bother to listen to what he had to say. He had just killed a demon and a monster to protect others...and yet he didn't know what to do now other then just utter a simple word.
"Sorry."
He shakily got to his feet and picked up his sword from off the ground and whipped the blood off of it. He then turned around and headed to the edge of the clearing to try and find his way back to the village.
However, unknown to him as he bent down to pick up his sword, a droplet of his own blood dripped out from his open wounds on his chest and fell upon the cheek of the demon's partially vanished head. The blood roll down the cheek and fell into the demon's open mouth and dropped upon its tongue. As soon as the blood absorbed into its long black tongue, it immediately took effect. At first the tongue spasmed and flicked like a vicious serpent before it spread to its mouth which was the only thing that remained. However, the decay stopped instantly as flesh, tissue and cells began to multiply and grow; reforming the parts of the body that it had lost. In just a few seconds, the face had returned as well as its wide mouth and its round head. The neck began to from and then the rest of the torso, arms, legs, nails, claws. It was at that time that Michael heard the convulsions and turned towards the noise. He sensed the body of the demon regenerating itself rapidly and fiercely and heard the heard it claw itself onto its feet.
'What!? Didn't I do it properly!? I thought you just have to decapitate it!' he thought in panic as he readied his sword once more.
But there was something different about it. It used to have a thin body, but now it was become more muscular, more sturdy, more powerful. It grew taller and taller; 10 feet, 15 feet, now 20 feet; towering over Michael significantly. His arms were as big as oak trees, his claws were as sharp and long as his katana, and teeth were like daggers that could bite through anything. The colossal figure reared back his head and gave a deafening roar into the night sky, forcing Michael to cover his ears, before he looked down with a wide grin.
"I'VE NEVER TASTED BLOOD LIKE YOURS BEFORE! I FEEL SO POWERFUL! HA HA! FORGET THE MASTER! I'LL JUST KEEP YOU TO MYSELF, MARECHI!" he bellowed.
"Marechi?" Michael muttered in confusion as he took a few steps back.
Before he could think, the behemoth reared his head back before opening its wide jaws and plunged down towards, aiming to snap him up in one bite. Michael knew that the attack was coming, but he didn't have time to use his use Total Concentration Breathing. He, instead, stood his ground and raised his blade above his head in readiness.
"DON'T YOU DARE MOVE! IF I CAN KILL YOU ONCE I CAN KILL YOU AGAIN!"
He waited for the attack to come, prepared to take it head on. If this thing got to the village then it will cause an even greater catastrophe then before. He was currently the only line of defence before Yamamoto arrived.
He waited...
...and waited...
...and waited...
...but the attack never came.
He raised his eyebrows in confusion and sensed his surroundings. He still felt the demon's presence over him, but it seemed to be frozen in place. The mighty jaws of the shadow demon were just over his head, but made no effort to move. His saliva dripped from his maw to the ground with a sickening thud, but that was the only thing that moved.
Michael frowned in annoyance, "Are you mocking me? What's wrong with you?"
From its open jaw, the demon spoke out in utter confusion, "Can't...move."
"What?"
"Can't...move," he repeated, "What...did...you...do...to...me?"
Feeling braver, he lowered his sword and turned his head up to where his head would be, 'I wonder,' Michael thought before he said, "Close your mouth."
The demon's jaw suddenly snapped shut. It was so quick that Michael swore he heard some of his teeth shatter from the impact. It soon dawned on Michael what was going on; a fact that fascinated him as much as it horrified him of what it could mean.
'He's under my command.'
Before he could do anything, Michael was sure he heard the unmistakable sound of rushing water from somewhere and he turned his head around to hear where it was coming from. Out from the edge of the forest, a blur wrapped up in a coil of blue water, came zooming into the clearing and, in one fell swoop, cut through the demon's thick neck, causing red blood and golden blood to spurt out. Michael stepped back as the monster's mighty head fell at his feet; the rest of his body following soon after with a mighty crash, sending dirt into the air. He was taken back by what happened; only less then a second ago it had been alive and ready to kill him.
"You shouldn't hesitate like that," he heard a faintly familiar voice say, "You might as well jump into its mouth."
Standing not to far away, her sword pointed at the ground after delivering the final blow, was Tomioka Giyu, the dark haired beauty he had met two years ago. Like him, she too had grown taller and stronger. Her hair had grown even bushier and longer and her eyes looked tired and dull as if she barely sleep. She still wore her uniform from the first time they met. She sheathed her katana and turned to a surprised Michael.
"Tomioka...is that you?" he asked.
"Yes," she dully replied, "And I believed you would never see me again."
...
...
...
...
"...Well, you were right," Michael said with a raised an annoyed eyebrow from under his sugegase.
...
...
...
...
"...my apologies...that...that was not on purpose," she said, her tone sounding slightly sheepish.
"Don't worry about it. I assume you were tracking this demon all the way up here."
"You assume correctly," she plainly said before she turned away, "I have to leave now. I have other things to attend to."
"If that's the case then why were you waiting in the forest until now?" Michael suddenly asked, stopping her in her tracks.
She glanced back at him, "I don't know what you're talking about. I just arrived."
"Don't lie to me, I thought I sensed somebody watching me. The question is...how long for?"
Tomioka glared back at him, but he stood his ground. She sighed and turned around to face him, "I really was tracking the demon and I wasn't expecting you to be here. But you are right, I was watching you and observing your fighting skills. I arrived just as you cut of his limbs."
"Oh...so you saw-"
"You stabbing the demon's eyes out. Yes...it was quite disturbing to watch."
"Sorry."
"Don't be. You shouldn't offer sympathy to them, but next time don't waste your effort on torturing just one demon. One swift death is necessary."
Michael nodded as he sheathed his sword, "I'll keep that in mind."
"Thank...you," she replied awkwardly.
After a few seconds of silence, she looked around her surroundings not knowing what else to say to him. She was never good at talking to people and always preferred to be as silent as possible. She glanced down at the decaying body of the demon before clearing her throat.
"Sorry, for taking your first."
"My first?"
"Your first kill, I mean. It was...rather rude of me."
Michael waved his hand dismissively, "It doesn't matter. As long as it's dead and will no longer threaten the village. How have you been? You seem stronger then the last time we met."
"Naturally," she stoically replied before turning around and walking away, "I must leave now since everything has been taking care of. Good luck with everything."
He raised his eyebrows in surprise at the abrupt goodbye, "Are you sure you want to leave now? There's a woman in the village that makes the best mochi."
She stopped suddenly.
...
...
...
...
"...No I must leave," she eventually replied.
'At least she took a while contemplate it,' he thought humorously.
Tomioka took one more step before stopping once again. She looked down at the ground with a sorrowful look upon her face, her hands clenched together into tight fists. Before Michael could ask what was wrong, she finally uttered.
"I should have been there," she slowly said, "I could sense the danger you were in and yet I decided to do nothing but send my crow to keep an eye on you. I could have protected you; helped the last son of Edward. And yet I was so enrapt in my search...that you lost your eyes. You could have been killed or worse, because of my negligence. I'm a Slayer, but I didn't help somebody who was in need...it's rather pathetic."
Michael realised something about her. She felt bad that she let him get attack by Sato. Tomioka was clearly somebody who doesn't express themselves very much and he respected that. Living a life of a Slayer can be brutal and he couldn't imagine what she's been through. However, he can sense the slightest bit of emotion behind her words; the steely exterior peeling away to reveal her true self. He couldn't help but feel a tinge of guilt that she felt this way. If he was more reliable and trustworthy then maybe she wouldn't have to worry about him. There was no he could let her continue to feel this way
She turned around and looked back at him seriously, "Michael, I am s-"
"Don't you dare apologise," he cut her off.
She was confused. She was honestly expecting him to be angry at her, but she sensed no ill-will from him, "...But-"
"Earlier, you mentioned my first kill. However..." his mouth turned dry as he tried to get the words out, "...it wouldn't have been. Back where I'm from, there was a war. A war so enormous and so devastating that everybody thought it would never end. I fought in that war, got shipped off to the Middle East and the next thing I knew I was in the middle of a battle; with a Lee-Enfield in my hands and and uniform that was way too big for me. We were approaching a ridge where the enemy had a machine gun posted which opened fire on us. I don't remember what I was thinking at the time, maybe because I was too tired of everything, but instead of ducking like I should have done. I raised my rifle and fired five rounds at the machine gunners. Five bullets; five people killed. Looking back at it, it was quite impressive. Hardly any training, firing upwards and hitting all my targets; relying on instinct. However, a couple of sniper shots to my shoulder and leg made me forget about it. The point is...did you make me go to war?"
Tomioka raised an eyebrow, "What...no."
"Did you make me kill all those Ottoman soldiers?"
"No."
"Were you there to protect me from getting shot?"
"No."
"That's because it was my decision to make. I don't resent you for not being there to kill the demon before it attacked me, because it was my choice to make. I chose to come to this country, I chose to go to the hotel and instead of running like I should have done...I chose to fight," he told her firmly, "Could you have done something...probably, but you were the one who decided what was best at the time and so did I. Sometimes, there's no right or wrong paths to go down and we are limited to what we can do. It's only when you make up your mind do you realise that it wasn't the correct decision. But that's no reason to despair; you just need to get up and take steps to better yourself. That's why I'm telling you not to apologise, because you did nothing wrong. It was all my fault and I need to make up for it. If anything, I need to thank you Tomioka for caring about me," he told her offering her a small smile.
Tomioka's eyes widened slightly at what he said. Her pale, stony face turning slightly red and she felt her heart skip a beat when he smiled at her. She cleared he throat and looked away; secretly being thankful that he couldn't see her now.
"It wasn't out of care; it was out of concern. I'm...glad you don't resent me, however," she admitted.
Michael gave a small chuckle that made Tomioka's heart skip a beat once again, "Of course, I won't. I'll continue my training and get better for the trial. Will we meet again," he asked hopefully.
"Maybe...if you don't die," she said brutally.
"I won't. I think being blind is good for my training. It gives me something to overcome so I can improve," he said before sighing, "Although, I do miss some things. Colours, mainly. I would love to see a blue sky or the green grass or the patterns on a butterfly's wings..."
"I hate butterflies," Tomioka muttered.
"You don't like butterflies?"
"Just one of them," she plainly replied, but before he could ask what she meant, she was already walking away, "Farewell, Michael. Don't die."
He heard her walk away into the forest and he was suddenly all alone once more. Michael sighed and felt the wounds in his chest, wincing slightly as they stung with pain.
"Another battle scar, huh?"
He almost jumped when somebody spoke from behind him. He calmed down once he realised that it was only Yamamoto and sighed in relief and annoyance.
"Are you late?" he muttered turning to the old man, "Or did you want to watch me fight as well?"
"Late. I'm afraid to say. I'm not as fast as I used to be," he admitted before he looked down at the remains of the demon; his head the only thing was left. Yamamoto frowned sadly and crouched down to its height, "Hiroshi," he sighed, "What did you do to yourself? I'm sorry it had to end this way."
Michael grunted, "No point speaking to him. He's dead. Good riddance."
Yamamoto looked up at him with irritated frown, "Don't you hear it!? Show some respect!"
"Hear what?" he spat back.
"The last confession," he answered looking down at the head once again, watching it turn to dust and into nothingness, "some Slayers say they hear the last confession from human they once were as they die. They tell tales of regrets, misfortunes and dreams they once had before they were turned. If you can listen carefully and open your heart...you can hear them speak."
"Well, I hear nothing," Michael snarled before he remembered his battle, "Sensei...what's a Marechi?"
"A Marechi? Why do you ask?" he questioned in curiosity.
"That's what he called me. I think a drop of my blood dropped into his mouth. What does it mean?"
"CAW!" squawked Yamamoto's crow as it swooped down and landed on top of Michael's hat, "A Marechi is a human who processes a rare blood type that demons hungrily desire! CAW! For demons, eating one Marechi is equivalent to eating one hundred normal humans!"
Yamamoto nodded in agreement, "It's like dessert for demons. They go crazy for it. However, I'm fairly sure your father would have told me if you did process this blood type."
Michael hummed, "If that's the case then I can use it to my advantage. With one drop blood a demon would become more powerful, but it will be under my command. Does that mean Marechi blood is able to combat the effects of Muzan's blood. If so then we need to inform the Corps. We can use it against him."
...
...
...
...
Yamamoto and the crow stared blankly at Michael in confusion. Eventually the crow squawked once again.
"Marechi blood does not allow such abilities! CAW!" he said, surprising Michael.
"What do you mean?"
"He's right, Marechi blood may be more desirable to demons, but that's about it," the old man confirmed, "I believe the current Wind Hashira is a Marechi and uses his blood to intoxicate his enemies, but it doesn't make a demon obedient if it consumes the blood."
Michael staggered back in astonishment, "But he was. My blood dropped from my wound onto his tongue-"
"Wait. He didn't try to drink your blood?"
"How could he. His head was chopped off."
It was Yamamoto's turn to look stunned, "Are you saying...you decapitated him, but it revived itself because of your blood."
"More then just revived. It was stronger and bigger and when I told him not to move...well, he did just that," he explained, "Yamamoto...you know what I'm talking about...right? This can happen with Marechi blood."
Yamamoto shook his head gently, "No," he softly replied, "That's impossible. Once a demon's is slain, it can't regenerate by consuming blood. No matter how rare it is."
A chill ran down Michael's spine. The fact that even Yamamoto doesn't know was admittedly scary. What could it mean? Why is this happening to him? The ability to strengthen demons with a simple drop of his blood could be dangerous. Was this why his father wanted to protect him? Is this why Muzan was after him?
"I may know somebody who might know," the old man eventually said, "Her name is Tamayo and she resides in the capital..."
'Tamayo,' Michael thought, "Isn't she person who performed the surgery on me? I never got a chance to thank her."
"...however, you can visit her practise now. The Final Selection is not too far away and you need time to heal your wounds. Once you...complete the trial and receive your nichirin sword then you can visit her. Now let's get back. We need to tell the villagers that the 'bear' had been dealt with."
And with that Yamamoto began his trek back towards the village. After a few seconds, Michael decided to follow; his mind abuzz with questions looking for answers.
One Week Later
It was time for him to go.
The sun had just peaked over the horizon and bathed the landscape with its orange glow and the wind blew and rustled Michael's long hair. He sighed wearily as leaned on the familiar wooden gate with his sugegasa in his hand; taking in everything before he had to leave. He breathed in and out using his Total Concentration Breathing until he saw the pillars of wind emerge and bounce across terrain, allowing him to 'see' where he had spent the last two years of his life. The courtyard, Yamamoto's house, the trees and other vegetation; it was nice to know what they looked like rather then feeling them. He couldn't help but think how small it looked; like an adult returning to their childhood room.
For the past week, Yamamoto had allowed him to cut down on his training, so he could focus on his Total Concentration Breathing. It involved him going to places around the mountain and the village and using his new skill to finally reveal what they looked like. It was comforting and relaxing; he truly did miss using his eyes, but this was as good as it gets for him and he just have to get used to it.
He sensed the image of Yamamoto coming out his house and approach him, carrying a saddle bag over his shoulder. As soon as he came into site and lost focus on his breathing, the wind pillars faded into nothingness once again; that always happened. Once the old man was near enough, he passed it to Michael who looked down at it curiously.
"What's this?" he asked.
"It's a saddle bag," he replied simply.
"Yeah, I know. I can sense that, but you're not expecting me to wear it, do you?"
The old man gave a short laugh, "You think you're going there by foot? You're taking my horse. I'm not having you getting lost in the countryside and end up missing the trial."
Michael heard the whinny of said horse somewhere behind him, "Seems a little dangerous. Considering I can't steer."
"Kaze knows the way. Just let him take you."
"How does he-" he stopped when he remembered that his new life has the existence of demons, supernatural powers and talking crows, "-never mind. How long will the it'll take for me to get there."
"About five days. The trial lasts for a week so that's an extra seven days-"
"And another five days getting back," Michael finished, "seventeen days in total."
Yamamoto heisted slightly at the last part and frowned in concern, "…Yes…" he uttered, "I suppose it will."
Michael noticed the uneasiness in his tone and offered his teacher a small confident smile, "Sensei, I will pass the trial and get back here. You don't need to worry."
"Who says I'm worried about you," Yamamoto grumbled, shooting him an irritated glare. However, his expression soften slightly, "and of course, you'll return. I've trained you, stupid boy."
Michael chuckled as he placed his hat over his head, "Whatever, old man. I should be going now. Thank you for everything…I really appreciate it," he said honestly with a bow.
He turned around and headed to where Kaze was waiting. He placed the saddle bag over the horse's back before pulling himself up on and grabbed the reins.
Yamamoto pattered in the pockets of the saddle bag, "There's money in the bag so you can stay at inns along the way. I know you insisted on camping, but being on your own for that long is not good for anybody."
"I'll be fine, but thank you," he replied before he took his shakuhachi out of his belt, "I'll be playing my flute on the way there and practise my breathing to keep me occupied."
"Shakuhachi," he sharply reminded before he grew a sorrowful look, "That demon you battled…you might be wondering what it wanted from me-"
"I did at first," he coldly cut him off, "but now…I do not care. Whoever he was is gone and in its place is a demon…and all demons must die."
Yamamoto's eyebrows raised in mild surprise, "Well…I suppose so," he said unsurely, a little concerned by his tone, "Get going then. I want to go back to my retirement."
Michael gave a small smile on amusement before tapping Kaze's neck gently, urging him to go, "Enjoy it. Thanks again," he called out as he rode down the path towards the foot of the mountain.
Yamamoto watched him leave until he rounded a corner and out of sight. He frowned and hummed wearily before as he did before he heard the flap of wings and something lane on his shoulder.
"Caw! You want me to follow him!" the crow cawed in his ear.
The elderly man didn't tear his eyes away from the mountain path, "No. He'll notice you. Besides, he needs to do this on his own."
"You humans are complicated! You should be more like us! CAW!" the crow said before it began to clean his feathers on his wing, "You never did tell- CAW! - him why you retired, did you!"
Yamamoto raised an eyebrow, "It never came up," he admitted in a melancholy tone, "How can I say that its because I'm tired of my students getting killed at final selection."
The Village
The journey down the mountain and through the village was fairly peaceful. The residents were still sleeping in their houses and were not disturbed by the sound of hooves. They were about to ride out of the main gate when somebody called out to him. He pulled on the reins and stopped Kaze as Ami ran up to him carrying a box.
"Michael, you're leaving so early. You could have at least said goodbye," she jokingly scolded, lightly punching his leg.
"Right," he uttered, feeling a little embarrassed, "sorry. I thought-"
"I know, I know. You've got a long journey and whatever," she said with a small giggle.
Michael gave a small smile before it vanished from his face, "How are you and Satoshi doing?"
Ami frowned, "He's still shaken up about the whole situation…I guess I am as well. It was…horrible. Really horrible," she admitted, fear evident in her voice as she looked down at her feet. After a while, she looked up again and put on a brave face, "but I'll get over it and Satoshi will as well. I guess we were lucky enough that you were around to protect us."
"I suppose, but I thought you were brave protecting Satoshi. You're…really are a good person, Ami," he shyly admitted.
Ami blushed slightly and began playing with the end of her hair sheepishly, "Aww…that's sweet of you," she said, trying to maintain her cool. After a few moments, she reached out his hand and pulled it down towards her and pushed the box into it, "Err…this is a bento I packed for you…as a thank you."
"Oh thank you," he uttered in slight surprise at the kind gesture, "I'm sure it would be lovely."
"Well, if you want more then you have to come back," Ami joked bashfully.
"I suppose I'll have to," he said before tapping Kaze's neck. Instantly the horse started to trot away from the village, "goodbye Ami."
"Take care!" she called back with a wave goodbye.
She leaned on the gate as she watched him leave; a small sigh leaving her lips as he disappeared down the path. Over the past two years, Ami has been trying to get closer to the mysterious boy like inviting him over for dinner or getting him to come to festivals. He always seemed sad and lonely and, due to her protective nature, always felt compelled to interact with him. It didn't hurt that she thought he was quite handsome also, but she will never admit it. She really did hope that he will come back from wherever he was going.
She sighed once more and turned away and headed back to a house.
Mount Fujikasaneyama, Central Honshu
Five Days Later
The journey there was almost uneventful. Kaze took him down country roads and dirt paths down the eastern coast of the country; trying to avoid any major towns and cities as they went. When they were hungry; Michael would hunt or scavenge for food while Kaze feasted on grass. When they were thirsty; Michael would find a river and they would drink from it. When they were tired; they set up camp and slept under the night sky. The only trouble that had ran into was a few bandits, but he swiftly repelled them and they ran with their tails between their legs.
The air was starting to get thinner and the wind was blowing harder, alerting him that he was approaching the mountain just in time. He had no idea what this Final Selection involved. Yamamoto mentioned a few times, but he was never specific on the details. All he knew was that, in order to become part of the Corps, he needed to complete it.
And Michael knew he was ready to face whatever challenge.
He played his shakuhachi all the while; extending his hold on Total Concentration Breathing and watching the pillars of wind bounce over the mountainous countryside. Suddenly, Kaze stopped in his tracks, making Michael lose focus. He frowned in confusion and, as if responding to his questioning look, the horse whinnied and scarped his front hoof on the ground. He inhaled and exhaled, making the wind pillars appear once more until he saw, on the side of the road, a torii gate and a set of stone stairs leading up from it towards the peak of the mountain.
'I guess this is it,' he thought to himself as he dismounted Kaze and landed on the rough terrain. Before the wind pillars disappeared, he sensed Kaze turn around and head down the mountain path once again, "Goodbye, I guess," he muttered before he turned towards the direction of the stairs and began the long ascent.
Up and up he went; climbing higher and higher up the steep steps and feeling the cold stone beneath his boots. After a few minutes of climbing, Michael began to wonder if he was making any sort of progress when he smelled a flowery scent. He reached out to his right at the edge of the stairs and felt the light touch of a bunch of purple flowers that seemed to glow beautifully under the moonlight.
"Wisteria," he uttered out loud, "just like the ones back home."
He suddenly heard the sound of people talking up ahead and quickly climbed up the few remaining stairs. He felt the ground become flatter and felt the wood of another torii gate in his outstretched hand, signifying the end of his climb. The mummering became clearer as he walked on to the large courtyard as over twenty people are gathered around. Girls and boys, whose ages ranged from fourteen to eighteen, were standing around the area underneath the glowing purple wisteria plants. They were all dressed in training uniform and each had a burrowed sword on their hips. Some of them were talking to each other, while others were standing around all on their own waiting for it to begin.
There were some unique people amongst the participates. One blond haired boy, with fair skin, sad-looking eyes, was muttering to himself frantically in fear. Another boy with dark hair cut into a mohawk and a jagged scar across his face was glaring at every participant there. Michael felt his piercing glaring on him and responded with a defiant snarl back; he heard the boy tut and turn away in response. One last person who caught his attention was a petite girl a few years younger than him with black hair tied in a side ponytail, fair skin and gentle lilac eyes. She was gazing a butterfly that had perched upon her fingertips with a serene smile on her face and did nothing else. He heard a rustle in the trees around the courtyard and was about to use his Breathing to identify what it was when he heard somebody climb up the stairs behind him. He stepped aside and allowed another boy to pass through. He had messy black hair, the tips of which were burgundy, dark red eyes and giant red scar on his forehead. He wore a pair of hanafuda earrings, a blue, cloud-patterned kimono and a white fox-mask on the left side of his head. He brushed past Michael and gave him a cherry wave.
"Thank you," he said before he began looking around his surroundings.
Michael offered him a casual nod as he passed by before he heard the conversations die down. He used his Breathing to sense what was going on when he spotted two young children around the age of six standing at the far side of the courtyard. They looked almost identical; same facial features, same height, same hair style, same floral patterned kimono, same vacant look in their eyes. The only difference between the two was one of them had pitch black hair and the other pure white hair. At first, Michael thought they were both girls, based on their clothing and appearances, but something told him that the one on the right (the black haired one) was actually a boy. They looked over the crowd of potential Slayers with a pleasant smile on their faces, making sure everybody was paying attention to them.
"Greetings everyone," said the child on the right in an even tone "Thank you for gathering tonight for Final Selection. Mount Fujikasane holds demons that Slayers have taken alive and trapped here."
"Demons hate wisteria flowers," the child on the left said, "which bloom here even out of season. They cover the mountain from its foot to halfway up the slope."
The dark haired one spoke again, "However, from that point on, the wisteria does not bloom. So the demons roam free. You must survive there for seven days.
'A week staying in a demon infested forest,' Michael thought in shock, 'that's insane. No wonder Yamamoto seemed worried.'
"If you do, then you will have passed Final Selection," the white haired girl said before pointing behind her towards the peak of the mountain, "Now go
Michael stepped back in bewilderment, as one by one, the other participants charged past the two children into the woods; obviously he was the only one confused by what was happening.
"Wait, that's it?" he asked the two as he walked over, "we just run in. No strategy, no defencive manoeuvres, working independently from each other. This is suicide."
The white haired child tilted her head at him, "The purpose of the Final Selection is to test whether a participant has the strength to survive. Not on how well they battle."
"So, what happens if they fail?"
"If they fail…then they failed to survive," the black haired boy answered.
"They die!?" he exclaimed in shock, "you don't attempt to save them, at all."
"No," they both answered matter-of-factly.
"But they're just kids," he uttered in disbelief.
Although, he really shouldn't be surprised. He was just a kid when he signed up for the army…why should this be any different.
The girl nodded her head, "Yes, it's quite sad. But it needs to be done."
"The Final Selection has begun. You are more then welcome to not take part, but you won't be able to be part of the Corps if you do so. It's your choice?" the boy kindly told him.
Michael gritted his teeth in annoyance, but kept calm; there was no point arguing with them and he wasn't going to quit after so long. He took a deep breath and focused on his Breathing, conjuring the wind pillars to show him his surroundings.
'Fine. Let's get this over with," he muttered in English before he tensed the muscles in his legs and shot passed them up the mountain.
He sped through the dark forest, darting around trees and other obstacles acrobatically. He ran up a fallen tree that was propped up by a boulder and leapt into the branches of the next tree; leaping and bounding from tree to tree swiftly as he scouted the area for demons. Suddenly, he heard the wind spoke to him in a calm but urgent voice:
Danger.
He thanked the voice in his head before turning left in the direction the voice was coming from. After a while, he spotted another participant down below; a girl about sixteen years old with her katanna raised at a six foot tall demon with pointed horns on his head and four eyes. Judging by its appearance, it wasn't a particularly strong demon and so Michael didn't hesitate to jump in. He leapt from the nearest tree and raised his sword just above his shoulder, aiming at the demon's neck. The horned demon hadn't had the chance to react before it spotted Michael flying at him and sliced through its gullet. Michael landed just behind the demon on both feet; the demon's head following him as it thumped on to the earth. The demon collapsed to its knees and the body began to turn to ash almost immediately.
Michael sighed and dispelled his Breathing before he turned to the participant, who seemed a little stunned by what happened, "Are you alrig-"
"What the hell you doing!?" she shouted at him suddenly.
Michael raised his eyebrows in surprise, "I'm s-"
"That demon was my kill and you had no right in taking that away from me," she growled at him, "Go and kill your own, you bastard!"
He was taken back by this but he soon frowned in anger, "I wasn't trying to take anything from you. I was only trying to help. Besides, we're not trying to compete against each other. We have to work together against the demons."
She gave an annoyed sigh before running off in a random direction, "Whatever. Just don't get in my way, you freak!"
Michael stood there in astonishment, not quite believing what just happened. He didn't have time to think about it more when he heard somebody call out to him from behind him.
"Hey!" another participant called out as they ran over. It was a boy this time and he was followed by three other participants, "We're working together to form a team. Do you want to join?."
'Finally, a person with a brain,' he thought in relief as he turned to them, "I'll join. There is safety in numbers."
However, Michael tipped his head back slightly as he turned and showed the group his bandaged eyes to them. The boy and the rest of the group stopped in their tracks and grimaced at the sight. They all shared a look and came to a silent decision. They're began to back away.
"Actually, we're good. We've already got enough people," he told him, "I'm sure there's another group out there...somewhere."
"Hey wait!" Michael cried, "Where are you going?"
"Goodbye. Good luck," he called out as the group ran back into the deep dark forest.
As they ran away, they began to whisper to each other, but Michael was able to pick up what they said with his sharp hearing.
"Nice one," one of the group snapped at the first boy, "You almost recruited some a useless deadweight."
"Shut up! How was I supposed to know he was blind."
Michael gripped the handle of his sword tightly, trying to control his fury. He can't lose his cool just because of what some idiots thought of him; he needed to concentrate on trying to survive the demon infested mountain. He used his Breathing again and conjured the wind pillars once again before he darted through the forest.
Over a couple of hours, he encountered some demons. They were only weak ones who hadn't developed a Blood Art yet and so he was able to outmanoeuvre them with his agility and swiftly decapitate them easily. He was currently leaning against a tree, trying to get his breath back after overusing his Breathing.
'I need to improve,' he told himself, 'Expand my lungs so I can use it over longer periods of time. There's no point if I get winded after only a few-"
Snap!
He stopped when he heard the sound of dry twigs breaking and, on instinct, ducked and leapt away from the tree. Just in time for a hand as big as his own head to slam down on the side of the tree where his head had previously been. Hanging upside from the branches was a demon twice the size of him with grey skin, large tusks poking out of it maw and four arms; two of a which were holding onto the tree while the other one was wrapped around the neck of a participant; it was the girl from earlier who called him a freak. He heard a rustle of leafs behind him and sensed more demons with twisted and disgusting features emerge from the bushes. There were four…no five…no six. Six weak demons and one powerful one had completely surrounded him.
'What's going on?' Michael thought in panic, 'Demons don't hunt in packs. They shouldn't be working together.'
"Hey! What gives!?" one of the weaker demons cried.
The larger demon growled and brought the girl up to his hideous face, "There's only one Slayer here," he growled, causing her to tremble in his grip.
"Please," she whimpered, "I know where the others are. I can show you where they are. Please, don't kill-"
The larger demon tightened his grip around her neck and, with a sickening crack that echoed across the forest, her body went limp in his hand.
"NO!" Michael shouted in horror as he heard the sound of the demon tossing her dead body on the ground. He gritted his teeth and readied his sword in front of him, "You bastards, I'll kill you all!"
The demons cackled cruelly, "You know, she was the one who led us here," one of the demons said.
"Promised us all the humans we can eat if we saved her," another one barked.
"She was scared. We all make mistakes when we're scared," Michael counted.
"What about you, red hair?" the larger demon coldly questioned, venom laced in his words, "Are you scared of us?"
Michael raised his sword in front of him, "If a cat is surrounded by mice, is the the cat suddenly scared of the mice? Or does it have a feast?"
"Little brat!" a demon screamed as he charged from behind him.
Michael took a breathe and sensed his target aiming a clawed hand at his head. He ducked under it and spun left at the same time, swiping his katana, which was trailing a pillar of air, through his stomach; almost severing it in half.
He sensed another demon right behind the other one and turned his sword upwards to execute an uppercut to its outstretched arm, slicing it clean off. Before the demon could exclaim, he twisted right this time and sliced his head off in one fluid motion from left to right.
By that time the first demon had recovered and turned around to meet him; Michael had sliced his head off using the momentum of the first decapitation.
He didn't have time to rest as another demon pounced at him, ready to tear out his throat, but Michael twisted around and delivered a round house kick to its stomach, knocking it back a few steps. He turned around again and ducked under a claw swipe from another demon before using the butt of the handle to slam the demon in the jaw.
He cried out as another demon pounced onto his back and wrapped its arms around his neck, preventing him from using his katana. But before it could sink its teeth into him, Michael ran backwards to the nearest tree and rammed the demon's back into a large tree knot. He heard the demon's spine snap at the force and he used this chance to get out of its grip, twist around and slice of its head with one swoop.
With a might roar cry, he met another demon head on parried its left and then the right claws as they swung at him. At he tried to defend himself a third time but instead of meeting the demon's claw, the monster caught the blade with both hands instead. The two pushed the blade back and forth, trying to overpower each other, but Michael had to lean his head back as the demon tried to snap its jaws at him. He suddenly stopped pushing back, making the demon fall forwards and lose its balance; this gave him the opportunity to lift his foot up and stamp on the demon's exposed left knee, shattering the bone painfully. The demon cried out in shock, allowing to pull out his blade from its grip and slice through the neck.
There three demons coming at him from the rear. He twirled around and sucked in more air into his lungs, making him feel more powerful.
"Second Form: Claws-Purifying Wind!" he yelled as he raised his sword above his head and swung down.
The motion created four slashes of air, resembling claw marks, at the demons. One of the claw marks chopped one of the demon clean off, but the other two managed to leap out of the way in time. One of the demons leapt at him, but he fell onto his back and rolled backwards, using both feet to push him away before rolling back onto his feet. The other demon landed in front of him, but before it could act, Michael speared his blade through its neck; the demon choked and spluttered as it tried to get it out with its claws, but Michael pieced it so far that the tip poked out of the back of its neck. He sensed the other demon behind and released his hold on his sword, leaving it embedded in the demon, before reaching into his training yukata and pulling out a dagger. He swung the dagger back just in time to strike the demon in the side of its head, distracting it temporarily. Michael reached back to his katana and swiped the sword out of the demon's neck and twirled around and swiftly decapitated both demons in one swoop.
Michael finally had a chance to breathe for a few seconds and sensed more demons coming out of the forest. Ten...no twelve...no eighteen. They kept coming and coming.
'Their swarming me. There's no stopping them,' he thought as he took a few deep breaths, 'I'm too exhausted. I need to escape now, but there's no way out,' he senses fell on the larger demon who, for all this time has been watching as if it was a spectacle, stood on the ground waiting for him, 'that thing must be in charge. If I deal with it now, I can shatter the demons' moral long enough to get out of here.'
Despite how much his body ached, he took another deep breath and felt his muscles tense and his blood pump faster in his veins. He sped towards the larger demon, darting left and right in a zigzag pattern to confuse him.
"A Wind Slayer, huh," the demon said in amusement, "Haven't eaten one of those in a while."
Once he was close enough, he leapt onto a nearby tree and used it propel himself on to another one. He jumped off of that tree and leapt above the demon, the katana raised above his head and aimed directly down at its neck. He gritted his teeth and with all his strength swung the blade down as he fell...
Shlick! Clang!
A sickening sound entered his ears as the neck opened up to reveal another hand that shot out of it and caught the sword before it could meet its target. Michael granted in pain as his sword was caught mid-swing, distracting him from one of the monster's other hands to grab to the top of sugegase, keeping him suspended in the air. Luckily, Michael slipped the chinstrap off of him and fell to the ground before the demon's mighty hand crushed his hat into pieces of straw. He managed to escape death, but unfortunately, due to the demon still gripping his sword and his own weight pulling it down as he fell, the katana snapped in two; leaving the tip and half of the blade with the demon and the hilt and the other half with Michael. He staggered back as he landed, but was instantly grabbed by two demons who held him in place.
The larger demon tossed the broken sword somewhere and loomed over Michael as he struggled against his captors, "That was fun. Thanks for killing them, now there's more flesh for all of us. Unless you want to tell us where the rest of the slayers are."
Michael growled and spat at his feet, "Go to hell!"
The larger demon chuckled, "Dig in boys!" he yelled to the others.
He sensed the demons start to close in on him, ready to devour him in a few seconds, 'Damn. What do I do? If I do break out of my restraints there's no way I can get away now. I need to kill the larger demon, but its too powerful,' he took a deep breath, following the pattern of the wind pillars as it glided through the air, 'Come on, help me! Show me the how I can kill it!'
The wind pillars continued to swirl around and reveal to him the location of the hungry demons, but it told him nothing else. It was almost as if they abandoned him to his demise...
...
...
...but then he noticed something...something he's never noticed before.
Perhaps it was because he's never felt the wind pillars move while he was surrounded by people or maybe because he was too distracted with sensing everything. However, the wind pillars seemed to move oddly when it reached the faces of the demons surrounding him. They seem to come to abrupt stop before zooming away in the opposite direction. It was subtle, but it there was something different.
He focused on the phenomenon, reached out to it, felt its movement as it seemed to enter the demon's nose and mouth and move around its large torso. It swirled around the middle for a few moment before it shot out through the nose and mouth once again. Realisation shook Michael to his core:
'Breathing. I can sense the air go into its lungs,' he told himself as the demon's jaws and claws got closer and closer, 'all this the wind has been guiding me along,' he thought before a wicked smile appeared on his face, 'but maybe now I should be the one guiding it.'
Michael raised his left leg and stamped on the demon on his left knee, causing it to shout and release him in shock. He reared his right arm back and elbowed the demon on his right in the jaw, sending it back. With half of his sword still in his hand, he ran towards the larger demon and focused on his Breathing. His lungs burned and his muscles ached so much that he felt it in his bones, but he couldn't stop. He gripped the hilt with both hands and aimed it at the demon's giant torso. The demon looked down at him condescendingly.
"Now this is just desperate," he barked as he prepared to catch the human with its might arms.
But before Michael could spear the demon with his broken sword, he stopped about an inch away. He inhaled and exhaled and focused on the air in the demon's lungs before whispering:
"Twist."
At first, the larger demon felt a sharp pain in its upper body, causing him to shudder. Then it felt something like liquid shoot up his gullet and then into his throat as if he it was about to vomit. He couldn't hold any longer as his jaws was forced open as geyser of blood and organs eject from his mouth, it came out at such a force that it landed ten feet away, making the demons leap back in surprise.
What Michael had done was whip the air in the demon's lungs around so fiercely that it caused a miniature tornado inside, destroying everything to spew out through the mouth. This, of course, won't kill a demon...but it's painful enough to distract them for a while.
Michael leapt on to nearby tree and then another one before coming down at the larger demon with his broken sword above his head.
He swung down and, with a burst of air...the head was severed from the body.
The rest of the demon staggered back in shock as their leader's head fell to the ground, the cut off neck still expelling blood into the air and creating a red mist everywhere. The body staggered, the arms fell limp to its sides and then it to fell to the ground with a mighty thump. They stared at the decaying body for a few more seconds before looking up at the dark figure standing over it. Their eyes widened in fear at the mere sight of the human covered in demon's blood, his darkened face illuminated by the light of the moon and the jagged blade, still covered in blood, in his hand. It was a terrifying sight to behold.
Michael observed the demonic crowd before picking up the demon's head and holding up by the hair, showing what he had done.
"Anybody else want to try their luck," he called out. He waited for a response, but all he heard was a deafening silence. He tossed the head at the nearest demon's feet, making him stagger back in fright, "No? Then you should probably run," he said as he readied his broken katana, "because I'm not done with you."
The demons stood still for a second before the more nervous ones began to run in the opposite direction. It caused a chain reaction with all the demons running for their lives and not to be met with the same fate as their leader.
Michael gave a wicked smiled, but didn't move. Once the last demon left, he began to countdown, "Ten...nine...eight...seven...six...five...four...three...two...one..."
As soon as he said the last number, he took off running after them.
The hunt has begun.
Did I mention it was going to get violent?
Sorry it took so long, but thank you for reading anyway.
The wiki for the Wind Technique doesn't go into specifics of what I can and cannot do, so I thought I'll expand on it. There are a few meteorological phenomenon that I'll like to involve in Michael's way of fighting which, at the moment, involves a lot of hand to hand combat. Things like downbursts, dust storms, or weather bombs for example.
I revealed a little about Michael's blood and how its properties can be used to strengthen demons and make the regenerate. I assume that everybody is going to google what I'm hinting at so I'm going to tell you now. Michael has the rarest blood type in the world known as golden blood. It's so rare that less then 50 people in all of human history has been known to process it. But you have to find out what it means and how it fits into this story later.
Anyway hope you enjoyed the chapter and I'll see you next time.