Here's the next chapter :)
Djinn - Thanks so much, I've got some big plans for Michael's golden blood and I hope you'll enjoy it.
RubixJr - Thanks so much. His blindness will be a hinderance, but it will be something to work around and make him stronger. I hope you'll enjoy this chapter.
Guest - Thank you. I will expand on what golden blood can do in later chapters and why Muzan wants with it. Also thank you for you reassurance, I was getting a little anxious because I hadn't updated in a while. It's hard juggling several stories, but thank you so much anyway. I hope you'll like this chapter.
wellingtonlucas282- No problem, I'm glad you enjoyed it.
danielsnow - Soon, I promise.
Drake Harlock - That's so good to hear. I hope you'll continue reading.
phillyitalian - No problem, sorry I should have explained it better. Explaining the appearance of the characters was for the reader's benefit, not what he actually he sees. I usually write in third person so I'm trying to find the right balance between what Michael can sense and what is described to the audience. So Michael actually can't see what they look like, but he can sense their vague outline. The added detail is for the readers. Sorry for the confusion.
The second one was actually a typo, thank you for pointing it out.
Thanks again for your interest and I hope you enjoy the chapter.
Bromega2477 - That's brilliant! I hope you'll enjoy the next chapter.
Guest - Thank you so much, I'm glad you're here for the gore.
Thank you all for reviewing.
Chapter 6: The Savage
Mount Fujikasaneyama
Seven Nights Later
The hard ground of the mountain side was covered in a thick layer of mist; it curled and twisted around the trees; it froze the water droplets upon the leaves; and send a sinister chill down anyone's spine. It was quiet; a deadly type of silence that unnerved the bravest and frightened the weakest. Not a creature stirred or scurried, no soft whisper was heard, just the rustling of the leaves and the eerie sound of the wind. Nights like this have been becoming much more common since that very first night; the night when dozens of young men and women ran into this forest, hoping to slaughter demons and prove their worth. But most of them have gone and now the mountain has fallen into silence once again.
In the middle of this deep, dark woods was a hooded figure sitting on a strong branch of a tree. He sat very still, said nothing, didn't move a single muscle except for his steady and deep breathing. He meditated with his legs crossed beneath him and his hands resting on a katana sat across his lap.
He listened.
Listened to the wind.
Listened to the rustling leaves.
Listened to the soft booming of an oncoming storm.
Just waited for any sort of disturbance.
...
...
...
...
Suddenly, he heard something and turned his ear towards it. It sounded like wet leaves being pushed into muddy, damp ground; the sound of somebody walking in a forest after it had rained the night before. The figure breathed in deeply and allowed the wind whisper into his ear and tell him what he needed to hear.
"Three...no, four of them about half a mile away. All of them weak and heading in from the south west," he muttered to himself, "their breathing is quick and their movement suggests that they are unfamiliar with where they are," he smirked, "perfect."
Half A Mile Away
In another part of the forest, not too far away, four demons trekked through the trees and the bushes. They were hungry; starving and desperate to sink their fangs into any living creature. Their band was formed by accident and unwillingly as they all followed the same scent of blood. They had an argument on who, out of the four of them, was going to track down the human which then led to a fight. However, since the scent was weak and tracking the human down would be hard in the fog, they all decided to just group together and work out who would get what later. After all, the number of fresh meat was quickly dwindling as the week progressed.
One demon with red eyes and a single horn sticking out of his forehead sniffed the air, "We're getting closer. I can practically taste it," he said, excitedly as he led the group.
The demon behind him, a female with sharp teeth that stuck out of her mouth, grumbled miserably, "You've been saying that for the last half hour."
"I ain't lying. I know that human is this way," the red eyed demon shot back.
Behind them a demon with black eyes and two horns on his head turned back to see the last demon lagging behind. The last demon, whose long tongue stuck out of his mouth and had large clawed fingers, looked around nervously as his eyes darted around the trees above them.
The black eyed demon frowned in confusion, "What the hell are you looking for?"
The demon with the long tongue jumped at being addressed and looked up at him, "I just feel...off, ye know. Like something's watching us."
"Ha! Where the most dangerous things in this bloody mountain. Who the hell do you think is watching us?" the black eyed demon.
"I didn't say anybody is watching. I just feel like something is," the demon with the long tongue shot back, before he frowned, "Although..."
"Although what?"
He gave a weary sigh before looking back into the trees again, "Have you noticed that there seemed to be...less of us."
"What are you on about?"
"Like less of our kind on this mountain then usual. I don't know the exact number, but I swore there used to be more of us. I mean, back in the day we used to be running into each other and fighting over humans, but now you guys are the first I've seen in days."
The black eyed demon was about to remark on that before he thought about it. He was right. There did seem to be way less demon then usual. Their domain covered the entire mountain until their were repulsed by the wisteria flowers in the foot of the mountain; it was huge and more then enough space for each demon. But now it was like they all disappeared.
The eerie thought made him shiver a little, but he disguised it with an annoyed grunt, "Don't be stupid. It's just your imagination."
The demon with the long tongue frowned, "I don't know. I heard a rumour that they have all been tortured and killed."
The black eyed demon laughed, "What's a bunch of humans going to do against us. We slaughter every single one of them."
He shook his head in reply, "Not a group of humans," he said cautiously, "Just the one."
"What's going on back there!?" the red eyed demon barked at them from the front.
The black eyed demon hid his worry and gave his fellow demons a grin, "He's just scared that's all. Thinks there only one human slaughtering all of us."
The other two demons laughed, making the demon with the long tongue grumble in embarrassment.
"What? Just one human?"
"Sounds like a stupid legend parents tell their brats," the demon with the sharp teeth chuckled.
"It's a rumour! I didn't say I believe them. Also I ain't scared."
"You better not be," the red eyed demon grunted as he stomped back towards him, "we can't have pathetic demons up in these mountains," he reached out and grabbed his tongue painfully, forcing his face up to his, "Pathetic demons are no use to anybody and so you better watch out, just in case...the wrong people hear about it. You got that?" the demon nodded frantically in response, making the red eyed demon released his tongue and turn back, "if there is somebody tracking us then we would have smelled them by now. Now let's get moving."
"But you can easily disguise a smell," the demon with the long tongue muttered, causing the black eyed demon to shiver once again.
The demon with the sharp teeth sniffed the air and smiled in satisfaction, "We don't have to go very far. He's so close. This way," she said as she took the lead.
The black eyed demon turned back to his fellow demon and saw him staring at the muddy ground in frustration. He shrugged and began walking away.
"Think about it this way," he called back to him as cold breeze of wind washed over, "The less demons there are, the more human flesh to eat," he laughed before looking back at him, "Am I right or am I-"
The demon with the long tongue was gone.
The black eyed demon frowned in confusion and looked around the area. He had only looked away for a second; was he scared that he just ran off? Even then he would have said something or, at the very least, heard his rapid footsteps smacking the ground.
"H-hey! Where did you go!?" he called out to nobody.
The red eyed demon growled and looked back at him while the demon with the long teeth continued on into the dark forest.
"What's going on now?" he snapped at him before he noticed there is one less of them, "Where did the other one go?"
"I-I don't know. He was there a moment ago," the black eyed demon stammered before he noticed something.
On a nearby tree, next to where the demon with the long tongue was standing, was red stain on it. It wasn't there a moment ago and so he went up to it to investigate. The moment he got close enough, he realised that it was blood splatted on the side of the tree; something he knew very well from living on the mountain for many years. However, what concerned him more was the thin cut in the tree's bark as if something very sharp had sliced through it. He felt another breath of wind flow over him, making him shiver.
Alarmed, the black eyed demon turned back to the other one, "Come and look at thi-"
He stopped suddenly when he saw that he too was no longer there; disappeared just like the first demon.
The black eyed demon felt a cold feeling of dread settle in as he came to terms that he was completely alone in the dark forest.
SNAP!
He jumped when he heard a tree branch snap from somewhere and gasp when he heard leaves rustle from in the darkness. In panic, he took off running after the demon with the sharp teeth; he no longer felt the need to hide his fear.
He just didn't want to be alone.
He found her creeping up to a large bush, a broad, blood-lustful smirk on her face as she got closer and closer.
"They're gone!" he shouted in alarm, "Something-"
"Shh!" she hushed him, "I can smell the human on the other side," she said not keeping her eyes off the bush.
"But-"
"I said hush! Don't spoil this for me. I haven't eaten in days," she hissed at him before she crouched down and leapt over the bush in one bound.
The black eyed demon growled angrily and followed her, landing beside her and immediately getting in front of her.
"The others are gone!" he cried urgently, "we need to find them now-"
He trailed off when he saw the look on her face. The smirk had disappeared and was replaced by a slightly gaped mouth, her eyes were wide and filled with absolute horror, her whole body trembled and shook as if fear had gripped its cold, damp hand around her heart. He watched her as she raised a shaky hand and pointed behind him. He almost didn't want to turn around, but he had to. What could be so horrifying that even a demon is scared?
He looked around and, as soon as he caught sight of what had scared her, the breath got caught in his throat and stomach clenched.
Dug into the soft ground, in front of them, were two sharp wooden stakes, crudely cut out of branches from the trees. Impaled on each stake, so the point stuck out the top, was the severed heads of the red eyed demon and the demon with the long tongue. Their faces were twisted in agony, their eyes darted around and the mouths moved as if they were trying to speak. Blood dripped from the severed neck and down the bloody stake, staining the wood red. They were slowly disintegrating into dust before their eyes.
The black eyed demon stumbled back in shock, the mere sight of it making him feel sick. He heard his fellow demon whimper and turned to her.
"It's a trap," she uttered, "we were led into a trap," tears formed in her eyes and trail down her face as she began to shake in fear, "it's too late. We're going to die!"
"Just calm down," he told her, but she was no longer listening to him.
She staggered back, her eyes darting all over the place as she began to wail, "I don't want to die! Please! I'm sorry! I won't kill another human again!" she begged to seemingly nobody, "PLEASE! HAVE MERCY ON ME! DON'T KILL M-"
SHLICK!
She gasped in shock as a metal blade pierced her neck from behind her, making her gurgle and cough up blood. The black eyed demon cried out and fell backwards as his fellow demon spasmed, shook and choked. She tried to pull away and escape, but a gloved hand grabbed her by her hair and pulled her upwards. With a swift manoeuvre, the blade severed her neck and her body dropped to the ground, leaving her head in the grip of a tall, hooded figure wearing a Corp uniform and a long black coat. The only part of his face he could see was the dirty bandages over his eyes and his red hair flowing out of the sides of his hood. The figure tossed her severed head at the black eyed demon's feet, making him scramble away from it as she bang to crumble to dust. The figure swiped the blood of his sword and focused his attention to the last and final demon.
The black eyed demon gave a fear-filled yell, scrambled to his feet and ran off in the opposite direction into the dark forest. The figure merely cocked his head to the side before he began to slowly walked after him.
The demon zigzagged through the trees, sprinting for his life. His breathing was ragged and his eyes wide in fear.
He had to get away.
Get away from him.
He glanced back and gave a startled yelp as he saw a silhouette of the figure in between the trees before he vanished before his eyes. He almost slammed into a tree, but pushed off it and ignored the pain. He glanced over his left shoulder and saw the silhouette again, but this time he was closer; gaining on him.
Suddenly, the ground gave way beneath him and he fell into a pit trap at least six feet deep. His astonished shout turned into a grotesque gurgle as a stake impaled him through the stomach. Something like this wouldn't kill him, of course, but it was difficult for him to push himself off it. He struggled and flailed to push himself using the stake, but then he felt a familiar breeze pass over him. He trembled and whimpered as he looked up as the figure's shadow fell upon him, his sharp blade glittering dangerously in the moonlight.
"Please. Take pity..." he gasped, holding his clawed hand up in defence, "I kill...because...I have to...eat. I..,just want...to live. I...didn't want...to be...a...demon."
The figure gave a dark chuckle, "And I didn't want to be a Slayer," he replied before he raised his katana above his head, "life's funny that way, isn't it?"
With one swift blow, he swung the sword down and decapitated his head from his body...
...he didn't even allow the demon to scream for mercy.
Camp
Michael returned to the place he called base camp. It was a small cave he had found high up near the peak on the first day when demons were in hiding from the sun. It was a decent spot with a good amount of clearing and a good vantage point in case of a demon attack. It even had a tall oak tree next to the cave's mouth which he climbed every dawn and dusk to play shakuhachi and for meditation. Once he had slaughtered a medium sized demon that reside in it, he got to work fortifying it. He dug pitfall traps, wire traps and constructed an earth bank that made up the border. By day, he would go find food and water, collect firewood and fry and find any other participants. By night…well, he would go hunting.
Once he had started a fire at the mouth of the cave, Michael pull down his hood and sighed tiredly. He walked up to the oak tree and felt the bark for the letter 'K' that he engraved a few days ago which stood for 'Kills'. Using his knife, he engraved, underneath, four tally marks, adding to the many other marks he had cut in the past week.
Once he was done, he sat down at the fire and began setting up a spitfire to cook dinner. He felt a the wind rustle his hair, making him turn his head to where the graves he had dug not too far way from the cave. There were six of them; one was the girl who led the pack of demons to him on the first night; another was one of the boys who had turned him away from the team they were making; three of them were other participants that he either didn't recognise or were too mangled by demons to be identified; while the last one was miscellaneous body parts he happened to find during the day. He thought they deserved a proper burial, partially because the demons would eat them, but mainly because it was the right thing to do. Michael was sure would have preferred a more dignified burial, but this was better then nothing. He did take the liberty of taking some essential items from their corpses: spare katana (since his broke), a hooded jacket (since his sugegasa was smashed) and any precious items like amulets and jewellery so he could perform a proper funeral later.
He sighed sadly as he thought about the many who died just for the sake of being part of the corps. Sometimes he wondered if it was worth it at all; placing your life on the line for the Corps and failing at the initiation test. But he silenced those doubts when he remembered what he was fighting for.
He turned back to continue his cooking when he suddenly heard a scratching sound from behind him. He didn't turn around, but instead used his Breathing to search for him. There was something climbing down the tree head first, attempting to sneak up on him and attack him.
If Michael had eyes, he would have rolled them.
'A little early tonight,' he thought before he sensed the figure suddenly pounce at him.
He turned around and slammed the back of his left hand into the figure's face, sending them hurtling off-course and onto the ground. However, in one swift, athletic manoeuvre, the figure landed on their hands and feet and stood up straight into a battle stance.
"DAMN YOU, NO EYES!" the figure roared as they took two very sharp katana off out of their sheaths, "HOW DID YOU KNOW I WAS THERE! I'M GONNA KICK YOUR ASS FOR THAT! NOW FIGHT ME!"
Michael calmly sighed, "Hello Inoko," he greeted as he continued to cook, "you're early tonight. I haven't even started cooking yet."
"DON'T GREET ME LIKE THAT YOU EYELESS BASTARD! I'M GONNA KICK YOUR ASS TWICE AS MUCH NOW!"
Despite having the appearance and behaviour of a wild animal, Inoko was very much human. She was a short, but muscular young woman about sixteen years old with fair skin. She wore black hakama trousers, a deer furred belt and wrappings that covered her chest. Her entire head was covered in a boar mask, that she never took off, with grey fur, blue eyes and pair of pointed tusks jutting out of its mouth; making her look like some sort of animal hybrid. She spoke in a gruff voice meaning that if Michael didn't sense her…ahem…well endowed chest covered in wrappings, he would have been convinced that she was a boy.
He found her a few days ago cackling madly as she chased after a poor rabbit. At first, Michael wasn't entirely sure if she was doing it for fun or if she wanted to eat it, but now he wouldn't doubt it if the reason was a little bit of both.
They spotted each other; she attacked him; Michael eventually beat her; she tracked him down and attacked him again; he repelled her attack; she woke up and attacked him for a third time; he offered her food…and they've been (sort of) friends ever since.
Michael was very sure this was how they domesticated wolves back in prehistoric times.
Michael sighed wearily, "Inoko if you want food, you don't have to fight me for it. You just have ask nicely…or just ask altogether."
"LIKE I WANT ANYTHING FROM YOU!" she bellowed, "I CAN HUNT ALL BY MYSELF!"
"Are you sure? I've got venison."
….
….
….
….
Fifteen minutes later, Inoko, with her mask pulled up to reveal her mouth, was tearing into her skewered meat violently, splattering pieces of meat and saliva all over the place. In contrast, Michael calmly ate his meal, making sure to savour every last piece of food as if it was going to be his last. They sat in silence; listening to the crackle of the fire echo in the cave until Michael decided to speak.
"Can you please try and eat the vegetables as well" he sighed tiredly, sensing that she was avoiding the wild vegetables he picked this morning.
"Huh?" she spat, a few specks of meat landing on his face, "you think I'm sort of rabbit or somethin'?"
Micheal casually flicked the speck of meat off his face, "I didn't go all the way down a mountain and pick vegetables just so you don't eat them. Do you know hard it is to do with no eyes?"
"Sounds like your problem and not mine," she retorted.
He gave her a warning growl which made her flinch slightly. Begrudgingly, she began eating the vegetables as well as the meat.
"Happy?" she muttered.
"Thrilled," he sighed sarcastically, "So how many demons have you killed tonight so far."
Inoko puffed out her chest proudly, "Five. What about you?"
"Just the four."
"Hahaha! I've killed more then you! I've beaten you No Eyes!" she cried out boastfully, "Looks I'm still king of the mountain."
Micheal arched an eyebrow, "Don't you mean queen of the mountain?"
"No way! Kings are stronger than queens!"
"Not in chess they aren't."
"Huh!? Chess!? Wuzzat!?"
"Never mind," he murmured, "The trial is almost over. I can't believe it's been a week since we've started."
"I know," Inoko agreed, "It's gone by too quickly. I want to stay here until all these demon bastards sees me as their master!" she declared before she tore off another piece of meat. She fell unusually silent as if she was hesitant to say something, but, after a few seconds, she decided to speak; "So…err…saw your traps on the way here. What's the point in that? Why don't you just go out and kill all of them?"
"And you always somehow avoid all of them," Michael murmured crossly before turning his full attention to Inoko, "battling is more then just strength and strategy. The spirit of a combatant is just as important. If their spirit breaks or waivers then it could cost them the fight. If Napoleon's army hadn't lost its spirit fighting the Russians then maybe he would have won or, inversely, if the Romans hadn't kept their spirit up by sheer will then they would have lost the Punic Wars."
"Napo-lee-on? Pulic?" Inoko uttered in confusion.
"The principle way to break the spirit of an enemy..." Michael continued as he picked up his katana, its sharpness glittering with the light of the fire. His expression darkened as he stroked the side of the sword with his index finger, "...is through fear. You can conjure fear in mortal men by just the mere sign of death. The reason so many are unnerved by superstition is because it reminds us that we are not too far from dying. But demons are different. They can heal, they react differently to injury and pain. They do not fear death," he slowly said in an unsettling tone, "Back in my country, I read about a man known by the name of Vlad Tepes. He was the ruler of a country called Wallachia now currently part of Romania and is considered an important leading figure in their history. When an Ottoman army marched on his lands, he had hundreds of his own soldiers impaled on stakes. The Ottomans were so disturbed by this that they turned back and ended the invasion. However, they weren't scared of meeting the same fate...they were scared of Vlad himself. If he had done that to his own people, then imagine what he was going to do to them. An entire army, filled with strong, brave men were turned away by one man...and it's the same with demons," he whispered menacingly, "I want to be a curse to every demon out there; my name sending a chill down their spines; a nightmare that they'll never escape from. If demons do not fear death...then they are going to fear me."
At his proclamation, the wind began to whip around him with such intensity that it almost put out the fire. Thunder boomed in the distance and the metal of the katana glowed eerily in the light of the cloudy moon.
Michael was declaring war on all demons; not one will ever feel safe as long as he lives. Nothing will stop him just as nobody can stop a fearsome typhoon or destructive hurricane.
He is the personification of revenge.
...
...
...
Inoko cocked her head to the side in bewilderment, "I don't get it."
Michael face faulted and put the katana down at his side, "I...do it...because it's...fun," he sighed miserably.
"Oh," Inoko uttered, "I get it. Why didn't you say that in the first place?" she asked, earning an annoyed grumble from him. She grew oddly silent once again as she looked down at some skewered meat she hadn't touched yet, "How...how did you lose your eyes?" she asked hesitantly.
Michael didn't answer her for a few seconds, his hand traced the bandages that were covering his empty eye sockets delicately. It had been ages since he felt any sort of pain, but he still felt its lingering aftereffects in his mind. It was something that he felt on the inside rather then on the outside.
"Demon," he finally uttered.
They both fell silent once again, the crackle of the fire was the only thing they heard. Inoko looked down at her skewered meat one more time before she reached out, grabbed his hand and put the skewer in his hand, much to his surprise.
"Here, I ain't hungry anymore," she said, leaping to her feet and slipping the mask back over her face.
Michael fell the wooden skewer in his hand before turning his head up to her, "Thank you."
She snorted, "I'm not giving it to you because I felt sorry for you."
"Didn't say you did."
"LISTEN NO EYES!" she yelled, pointing at his face threateningly, "I AM ONLY PAYING YOU BACK FOR GIVING ME GRUB. NEXT TIME I'M GOING TO COOK FOR YOU AND IT'S GOING TO BE MUCH BETTER THAN YOUR GRUB! YOU'RE GOING TO LOVE IT SO MUCH THAT YOU'RE GOING TO BEG YOUR KING FOR MORE AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO FIGHT! HAHAHA!" she cackled as she pulled out her weapons, "NOW I'M GOING TO KILL SOME MORE DEMONS AND BEAT YOUR KILL COUNT BECAUSE I'M BETTER THAN YOU, NO EYES!"
At that, Inoko ran back into forest with her swords poised above her head, cackling all the way. Michael smiled in slight amusement before he took ate the piece of cooked venison.
"And good luck to you too," he said to nobody in particular.
Courtyard
The sun rose on a chilly morning, bathing the mountain side with refreshingly warm sunlight. Michael remembered the way down the mountainside to the courtyard where the participants had started their trial and found the two children already there. He greeted them with a respectable bow before waiting patiently for the others to turn up. He didn't have to wait for too long as, one by one, began to arrive. First it was the butterfly girl who wordlessly greeted them before waiting alongside him. Then it was the scarred boy who growled menacingly at all of them before deciding to sulk on the other side of the courtyard. Thirdly, it was the blond haired boy who, as soon as he stepped onto safe ground, dropped to his knees and began crying and thanking the gods for sparing him. Lastly, it was the black and red haired boy who seemed like the most injured out of all of them. Michael was hoping to see Inoko turn up, but he reckoned she had better stuff to do...or she overslept.
After what felt like hours, the black haired child broke the silence.
"Welcome back."
"Congratulations," the white haired girl told them, "I am glad to see you all safe."
'All of us?' Michael thought in astonishment, 'Is this really everybody who survived? This entire trial has been a total massacre...maybe if I payed more attention in helping them and not on torturing demons, there would be more,' he thought drearily.
He heard the blond boy mumble something about how he was going to die while the butterfly girl hummed softly. The scarred boy, however, growled in annoyance and stomped over to the two children.
"So? What am I supposed to do now? Where's my katana?" he snarled.
The white haired girl merely glanced at him, not at all bothered by his threat, "First we will provide your corps uniforms. We will take your measurements and the engrave your rank."
"There are ten ranks in total; Mizunoto, at the bottom, to Kinoe, at the top. You are all currently at Mizunoto," the black haired boy added, "You will be able to rise in ranks by slaying powerful demons and completing missions."
"Where's my katana?" the scarred boy repeated, anger evident in his tone.
Michael frowned at his attitude and subtly placed a hand on his hidden dagger. However, despite his increasing fury, the white haired girl continued to speak.
"Today you will choose the ore for your sword, it would take up to two weeks for the katana to be finished. The you will be assigned a kasugai crow."
The sound of fluttering wings caught their attention as four crows and one sparrow flew down and landed on each of the participants shoulders. The blond boy looked at the sparrow strangely as it chirped and flew around his head, wondering why he was the only one that didn't get a crow.
Michael felt a weight on his shoulder and felt its hard beak play with his hair. He smiled in amusement, reached into his pocket and pulled out a few seeds he had been saving for Yamamoto's crow. He had grown to like the dark birds and was happy to have one for his own. Judging by how the crow was happily eating from his hand, the bird was happy to get a decent master to work for.
"I think I'll call you...Angellos," he heard the crow caw in question, "It means messenger," Michael explained.
Satisfied with the explanation, the newly names Angellos went back to eating his small meal. Suddenly, a crow's pain-filled caw caught everybody's attention. Micheal used his Breathing to sense the scarred boy slapping his assigned crow away from him, making the poor bird fly back in shock.
"I don't care...about crows!" he barked at the two children, "I want my katana now! A Demon Slayer Corps katana! GIVE IT TO ME NOW!"
"Are you deaf?" Michael said in an even tone, allowing the scarred boy's crow to land on his other shoulder, "She said it will take a fortnight for the sword to be complete. So, stop being an arsehole and shut up."
"THE HELL YOU SAY TO ME, YOU BLIND BASTARD!" the scarred boy yelled at him, stomping towards Micheal, "HOW DID YOU, OF ALL PEOPLE, SURVIVED FOR THE PAST WEEK!? HUH!? DID YOU CLIMB INTO A RABBIT HOLE AND HID THERE!? SOME OF US HERE ACTUALLY WORKED TO GET HERE AND ARE SERIOUS ABOUT BEING CORPS MEMBERS AND DESERVE OUR SWORDS! WHY DON'T YOU GO BACK TO WHEREVER THE HELL YOU CAME FROM AND BE A BURDEN SOMEWHERE ELSE! THE CORPS DON'T NEED USELESS PEOPLE LIKE YOU!"
Michael frowned wearily, not at all effected by his screams, "In that case, you should go back to where you came from. I'm sure the Corps don't need a whiny, little brat like you," he responded calmly.
The scarred boy reached out and grabbed his collar to throttle him, "YOU LITTLE-"
He stopped when he felt a pointed metal tip pressing into his throat. He looked down and saw that Michael had a knife pressed into his gullet; one little swipe from it and he will die. However, before either of them could do anything, a hand grasped onto one of the scarred boy's wrist. Michael sensed the other boy in the group had grabbed onto him and began tightening his grip.
"Let go of him now!" the boy demanded, "If you don't, I'll break your arm!"
"Huh? Who're you!? Just you try it!" the scarred boy yelled at him.
KCRIK!
A sickening snap echoed across the courtyard as the boy gripped his wrist so tightly that it broke. The scarred boy yelped in pain and reeled back, holding his injured arm and gritting his teeth in anger and agony. The blond boy gasped in shock while the butterfly girl didn't seem to react, nor did the two children. Michael hummed thoughtfully as he placed his dagger back in his hidden sheath.
'How strong is this kid?' he thought as he feed a few seeds to the scarred boy's crow, 'He looks younger than me but he still manage to break his wrist.'
"Are you done talking?" the black haired child asked, breaking the silence and gaining everybody's attention, "Then come over here. Please choose the ore for making your katana. You choose for yourself the ore for the sword that will kill demons...and protect you."
Michael sensed the young boy wave at a nearby table where several clumps of metal ore are placed. The first to come up to it was the scarred boy who snatched the first ore he could see and tossed it at the young girl.
"It better get here soon," he snarled before he stomped away with his broken wrist in his arm.
Michael heard his crow sigh drearily on his shoulder. It finished the rest of its seeds, rubbed its beak against Michael's head as his way of saying thanks before flying off after him. The second person to come up to the table was the butterfly girl. She casually and slowly moved her way to it and picked up her ore, seemingly not bothered in deciding which one. After she gave it to the young girl for safe keeping, she drifted towards the stairs and left the courtyard; not uttering a single word as she did so. The third person to walk up was the blond boy. He was shaking in his shoes as he look over the ore before deciding on one with a miserable sigh.
"Who cares. I'm going to die anyway," he muttered to himself, causing his sparrow to chirp in surprise.
Once he given in his chosen ore, he promptly left and allowed the red haired boy to decide which ore to choose. He was the only person who seemed to take the time to contemplate which to choose. He eventually settled on one ore and gently gave it to the young girl. He began to limp away towards the stairs, only stopping for a few seconds to glance at Michael before continuing his journey.
Micheal waited until he had left before he made his way to the table, using his Breathing to guide him. He reached out and brushed his hand across every ore on the table, hoping to feel some sort of connection with them. He frowned when nothing seemed to jump out at him before he realised something. He dismissed his Breathing, held his hand just above the table and focused on what the wind around him. It was gentle, but he could still feel it slide over his bare hand and caressed his fingers. After a few seconds of allowing his hand to hover over the ores, he felt something sink into the palm of his hand; instinctively he grasped the metal ore.
This one.
The wind whispered to him, telling him that this was the one that should be his sword. He picked it up and handed it to the young girl.
"Thank you, have a safe returning trip," she said as she put the ore in a safe place.
Michael raised an eyebrow up curiously, "What sort of metal is that? It feels weird."
"It's called nichirin," the boy explained, "It's a special metal mined in a secret mountain called Mount Yoko that our Corps owns. The mountain is bathed in sunlight all year round and the components absorb it. The scarlet iron sand and scarlet ore are gathered and then are forged together to create a blade that can kill a demon."
The girl continued, "Once you have received your katana, the nichirin blades reacts to its wielder. This is based on the wielder's abilities."
"And if it doesn't change colour?"
"Then the wielder doesn't have the sufficient abilities."
'That's brutal,' he thought, 'Imagine going through Final Selection just for the user to not be worthy.'
He felt Angellos ruffle his feathers against his head which, unintentionally, reminded him of his long destroyed sugegasa. It felt weird not having it anymore; he had been wearing it everyday for almost two years even during training. Suddenly, he got an idea:
"Excuse me, before I go," he said to the children, who hummed in interest, "I was wondering if you do...special orders."
Demon Slayer Corps HQ
Somewhere in Japan, hidden among the forests and the mountains, there was a large manor house. The estate was a traditional Minka house made of wood and plaster with tatami flooring and sliding doors. It was a beautiful house with a lovely zen garden filled with trees and vibrant plants, stone pathways and calm lake in the middle of it all. Sitting on the veranda, embracing the wonder of nature was man with long dark hair wearing a kimono. Upon his head was a crow with a small collar around its neck; the bird had just given the news to the man of the Final Selection, making the man smile happily.
"Six survived? Excellent," he calmly said in a warm tone, "My children have increased in number again. I wonder what kind of swordsmen that will be?"
"Caw! I do need to inform you of something! Caw!," the crow squawked, making the man hum, "One of the- Caw! Caw! - survivors is the one known by some demons as the Chino Kami."
The man raised his eyebrows at that, "Hair of Blood? Oh, Edward's son," he softly said, "He has been found. This is quite interesting."
Mountain Village
Five Days Later
It was the late afternoon and the sun was starting to drop over the mountainous horizon, ushering in the evening. Ami stood by the gates to her village, her hands were deep in her coat pockets and her dark hair was tied up under her winter hat. She watched the road that led away from the gate and down a steep hill towards the bottom of the valley, waiting for a familiar person to rise up over the crest. She shivered again as the winds hit her once again, but she did not keep her eyes off the road.
'He should be here by now,' she wondered to herself, 'didn't he say seventeen days.'
"Hey Ami, what are you doing!?"
She turned and saw her little brother and his friends walk up to her, they all wore thick coats and hats to keep themselves warm. Masashi rolled his eyes at Chimana's question.
"She's just waiting for her fiancé to come back," he said, earning an angry and embarrassed scowl from his sister.
"He's not my fiancé. Stop telling people that, you little brat," she snapped at him before she looked back at the road, "Yamamoto said he should be back today and I want to greet him."
"How romantic," Fuyumi remarked in a dull voice, making Ami scowl at her.
Masashi looked up at the sky, "It's getting late. Are you sure he's coming."
"He might be camping somewhere for the night," Fuyumi suggested.
Chimana scratched his head, "Why did he leave in the first place anyway? Does it have something to do with when that bear attacked you and Satoshi?"
Ami winced at that, but hid it well from the children. She had not revealed to them what had actually happened that night and Satoshi has been quiet as well. For their peace of mind, she decided it was best to keep up with the lie.
"No, he just had to do something…part of his training Yamamoto set up for him," she answered as she glanced up at the sky, "maybe you're right. Maybe he is camping somewhere for the night…I really hope so anyway," she whispered the last part to herself before turning back to the children, "Anyway, let's get you guys home before it-"
"CAW! CAW!"
She was interrupted by the shrill cry of a crow that flew over their heads. It landed on the top of the gate, looked down at them for a few seconds before flapping its wings and flying up to the mountain.
"Huh? Is that the old man's crow?" Masashi asked out loud.
Chimana shook his head, "Nah, it looks different."
"How can you tell? All crows look the same?" Fuyumi sighed.
Ami hummed thoughtfully as she watched the crow fly off before she heard the sound of hooves somewhere behind her. She gasped and spun around, recognising the distinct sound as it got closer and closer. Sure enough, approaching them, was a figure riding on a horse. He was slightly slouched forwards, his head bowed down and his arms crossed before his chest; his face and arms were littered with scratches and bruisers, his clothes were dirty and torn in a few places. However, Ami could see that, despite everything, he was alright and she couldn't be happier.
"Micheal!" she called out to him, making him look up in surprise.
The children also turned around at her shouts.
"Wow! He's back." Chimena cried.
"He looks like he was mugged. What happened to him?" Fuyumi wondered.
Ami ran up to him as Michael slowed Kaze down to greet her, "Hey Ami," he greeted with a fatigue smile, "I'm sorry, but I broke the sugegasa you gave me."
She shook her head at him, "Never mind that old thing. You look terrible," she said before she grabbed Kaze harness and began leading the horse into the village, "You're coming back to my place and I'm patching you up. Masashi run home and run a bath for him."
"Do I have to," the young boy sighed, earning a firm look from his sister.
However, before they broke into an argument, Michael spoke up, "Actually, the first thing I need to do is see Yamamoto right now."
Ami looked up at him in concern, "But Michael-"
"Please Ami, he doesn't know I'm back yet. He must be worried," he explained, making her expression soften slightly, "As soon as that's done, I'll come back down. But I really need to do this now."
She hummed thoughtfully at his request before she sighed and let go of Kaze's harness, "Alright, but please be careful."
"I promise," he said before he tapped Kaze's neck to urge him to go.
The horse began to walk past them and through the town towards the mountain home of Yamamoto; the children watched on in wonder while Ami hummed in concern.
Yamamoto's House
The elderly man sat on his veranda and stroked the crow's head gently as it sat on his arm. It had flew up to him a while ago and began making itself at home, much to the ire of his crow who rather enjoyed being the only bird living at the house. However, to Yamamoto, its arrival could only mean one thing and he waited patiently and eagerly. Eventually, Michael appeared on the mountain path and stopped Kaze just in front of the gate. He slowly dismounted the horse before staggering through the gate, across the courtyard and kneeling before him.
"I've...returned," Michael simply said, his facial expression was stony and unreadable.
"I see that," Yamamoto replied as he stood up and crouched down to his height, "I can also tell you have had a tough time."
The young man merely nodded, "There were...so many of us. All of them...were more or less children," his stoic facade broke down as his lips began to quiver, "They were all killed. Only six of us survived. They didn't stand a chan-"
Yamamoto cut him off by hugging his shoulders comfortingly as Michael began to shake in his arms, "The path to becoming a Slayer is not an easy one. Very few make it past the first hurdles. But for the sake of all mankind, we have to do what we can to make sure the strongest carry on. They need to protect the weak and battle away evil. The purpose of the Final Selection is not to massacre children, the Corps doesn't want to kill anybody. It pains us to send them into that mountain. But the Corps have need to ensure that the strongest stand any chance of success. You are strong Michael, do not let the horrors of your past get in the way. Fight for them; fight for every soul that had been taken by the demons and make sure that their sacrifices were not in vain," he encouraged gently, "I am so thankful you are safe. I prayed every night to the gods for your safety. You have no idea how much your return means to me."
Michael took a deep breath, calming himself down, "Is it because none of your other students in the past returned?" he asked, surprising the old man, "That's why you retired from the Corps, wasn't it?"
The old ex-Hashira sighed and pulled away, "Yes...I'm sorry...I didn't tell you."
"You have nothing to apologise for," he replied with a small smile, "You're not a bad teacher, Yamamoto. You taught me everything on how to survive... and because of that...I managed to live. Your the reason why I have gotten this far. Thank you so much, sensei," he said before he bowed deeply to him in thanks.
Yamamoto was stunned by what he said. The deaths of the many students he taught over the years weighed on his mind to the point that it was painful. Not one ever returned from Final Selection and because of it...he felt as he failed them. Sending so many young lives to die had almost pushed him to his breaking point that he left the Corps and exiled himself from that life. Even now, he still has nightmares about all of them. But this time it was different. Michael had overcame the odds and he had finally returned and the old man couldn't be more pleased.
Yamamoto gave a small smile and brushed a tear from his eye, "No need for that," he said "You are probably the best student I've ever had."
"I don't know about that," Michael said with an amused chuckle.
"But you are," the old man insisted, "That's why I'm giving you a half an hour break as a reward."
...
...
...
...
"...A break?" Micheal said in confusion, "A break from what?"
Yamamoto stood to his feet and placed his hands on his hips, "A break from your training. In half an hour, and not a second, more I want you up at the podium and playing your shakuhachi until the sun goes down. Then report back for more orders."
Micheal's face twitched in disbelief and anger, "You want me to get back to training! I just got here!"
"Of course, you are!" he barked at him, "You've got two weeks until your weapon is finished! You think you were just going to laze around until then! Besides you already had a five day rest on the way here!"
"It was five days of travelling, not rest! Look at me, I'm hungry, tired and injured!"
"Hah! Your hunger and fatigue is not of my concern. And you call those injuries! There just scratches. They'll heal the more you train," he turned his back to him and raised his finger in the air in a authoritative manner, "Clearly, your travels have made you sloppy. As of now, I'm going to increase your training and push you further than ever before. This is all for your benefit, so I want no moaning from you-" he stopped when he heard the sound of hooves galloping away and turned around to see Micheal riding down the mountain on Kaze's back, "HEY! COME BACK HERE!"
"UP YOURS, OLD MAN! I'M SPENDING THE NIGHT IN THE VILLAGE AND GETTING A DECENT MEAL!" Michael yelled as he rode away from the house.
Yamamoto watched him leave before sighing in defeat, "Fine. I let him have a little break."
Four Weeks Later
Under the sakura tree on the edge of the courtyard, Micheal and Yamamoto were having tea in comfortable silence; either looking out at the amazing view or (in Micheal's case) listening to the sounds of nature. His injuries have recovered, his fatigue has vanished and the experience of what happened at Final Selection was nothing more then a bad memory that is long behind him.
Micheal sipped his tea before he sighed, "I wonder what's taking so long to forge my katana."
Yamamoto merely shrugged, "Maybe the Swordsmiths decided you were unworthy mid-production."
"I'm serious. They said it would take a fortnight for it to be made. It should have been here ages ago."
"Don't be so impatient. The Swordsmiths are experts at their trade; they know more about our weapons making them then we'll ever get wielding them," the old man calmly scolded as he sipped his tea.
"Oh, I know that," he replied, "I'm not worried about my katana. I'm worried about Angellos," he said pointing over his shoulder. Yamamoto looked around and saw the crow slumped on top of the gate; one wing dangling off the side as the bird sighed wearily, "He's been wanting to give me a mission for the past two weeks, but I couldn't go on any of them. Poor thing is bored out of his little corvine mind."
"Ah, I see," Yamamoto mumbled.
"ATTENTION! ATTENTION! CAW!" they both turned their attention upwards to see Yamamoto's crow fly over to them. It landed on Micheal's shoulder and ruffled his feathers, "Body found on mountain path! Needs immediate attention!"
"Huh?" the both uttered in confusion.
Near the foot of the mountain, lying face down on the dirt path, was a body of a man. He wore a blue and black sea wave-patterned haori over a black yukata and a bowl-shaped woven hat over his face. On his back, he carried a bag which looked like it was holding something very heavy in it. He stayed motionless on the hard ground, his limbs outstretched on all sides like they had given up on him.
Yamamoto and Micheal stood over him, wondering what to do with him.
"Well...I mean he looks dead," Yamamoto said with a shrug, "What the hell is he doing out here?"
Michael used his Breathing and shook his his head, "I can sense him breathing...but it's very shallow," he told him, giving the body a small kick into its side.
"No...go away..." they heard the body complain, his voice slightly muffled.
Yamamoto raised an eyebrow and bent down to roll the man's head to the side to reveal he was wearing a red hyottoko mask or a festival mask. The mask had wide eyes, puffed out cheeks and pointed lips that stretched out about six inches away from the rest of his face.
"…So…tired…" the man whined, "my feet are sore…my back aches…my nose is blocked…I've got stuff in my eyes…I don't wanna…climb…up mountains….anymore! Why couldn't you live by the sea…I like the sea…I hate mountains…I wanna go home!"
Yamamoto and Micheal sweat dropped at he continued to complain and kicking and hitting the ground like a toddler having a tantrum.
The old man sighed and looked up at his student, "Well, at least we know why it's taken so long for your katana to get here."
Yamamoto's House
After dragging Takeshi the Swordsmith up to the house and allowing him to have a cup of tea, Micheal was given his Corps uniform that was made bespoke to him. Yamamoto and Takeshi waited for Michael in the courtyard as he put on his uniform. Eventually, the young Slayer slid open the shoji door and stepped into the courtyard. Michael wore the usual uniform of the Demon Slayer Corps, consisting of black buttoned up jacket with a high collar and black hakama trousers, but he made some adjustments. Instead of having the belt, buttons and collar all white; they were all a blood red the same colour of his hair. Instead of a haori, he choose to wear a black sheepskin trench coat with enough pockets to carry a lot of equipment and medical supplies. The tanned exterior of the coat is weather-resistant and tough while the interior has a woolen fleece to keep out the cold. To complete the look, he had black leather gloves with nichirin metal caps over the knuckles and a brand new set of bandages wrapped over his eyes.
Takeshi rubbed the back of his head, having calm down from earlier, "I have to admit, you did request a lot of stuff. Some of which we never made before like that long coat of yours. A lot of us Swordsmiths didn't want to do to them until I took up the job."
"I appreciate it," Michael told him with a small nod, "As thanks you can have some of Yamamoto's mochi."
"Really?" Takeshi gasped in delight.
"Absolutely not!" the old man shouted, causing the Swordsmith to sigh in disappointment, "Just give him his sword."
Takeshi reached into his bag and took out an large conical object wrapped in cloth, "Actually before that. I think I should give you this first. Again, this is a first to us Swordsmiths."
He unwrapped the cloth to reveal a hat similar to Michael's destroyed kugegase; it was a wide brimmed cone shaped hat, but instead of being woven from straw and grass, this was made out of black metal. It was called a jingasa or a war hat that used to be worn by warriors a long time ago. It was light, sturdy and well balanced; perfect for combat. Takeshi reached out and placed the jingasa into Micheal's hand, making the young boy smile happily.
"Perfect," he said as he placed the hat over his head and pulled the strap over his chin, "I miss my sugegasa. But this is a perfect replacement and it won't be crushed as easily as last time."
Takeshi nodded in agreement before he pulled another long object covered in cloth out of his bag and held it up to Michael, "And I believe that this is what you are waiting for. Take it and let's see what colour it turns into," he said excitedly.
Micheal reached out and took a hold of the handle of the object and pulled it out of the cloth and held it in both hands. Micheal wasn't able to see what happened, but he defiantly felt it. It was as if a power hidden deep within himself blossomed and flowed into his arms and then his hands and then into the hilt of the sword. Before Yamamoto's and Takeshi's eyes the once metallic grey sword began to change into and emerald green colour from the hilt to the point. As the colour changed gradually, markings of a darker, richer green began to appear along the blade. They were patterns of rolling winds and swirling gales making their way along the sword's edge; it was beautiful to look. Micheal felt as if he had always had this sword since the day he was born; if felt so natural in hands, so perfect as if it was part of him. He stood back and took one practice swipe of the blade and it felt like he was splitting the air right in front of him, making it move at his command.
"So pretty!" Takeshi gasped as he placed his hands on either side of his face and gushed, "Finally, I get to make a sword for a Wind style Slayer! I'm so happy! I'm so glad I took this job!" he chirped before he reached into his bag once more and took one last object covered in cloth, "You really chose a large ore. I was able to make everything you requested. Even this dagger."
He gave the dagger to Micheal and, once more, the short blade turned into an emerald green with the same wind markings on either side. Micheal smiled contently and sheathed both weapons; the dagger went into a sheath had hanging just below his left armpit at his side while the sheath for his katana hung on at his hip, both completely hidden underneath his coat.
"Thank you Takeshi. I appreciate you taking all my requests even despite it's difficulty," Micheal gratefully said.
"My pleasure. All in day's work for a master Swordsmith like me."
Yamamoto nodded, "Good...you can go now."
Takeshi gulped in shock, "What! Back down the mountain! But I almost died getting up it! Can't I stay here for a little longer!"
"There's an inn down at the village. Stay there."
"But I don't wanna!" the Swordsmith whined.
The old man rolled his eyes at him before looking back at Micheal, especially at his jingasa, "You know, usually jingasa's have family crests on them. Maybe you should write your name on it or something like that."
Micheal frowned thoughtfully before he nodded, "You're right. And I think I have an idea of what to write, but I made need your help."
Yamamoto raised his eyebrows curiously but hummed in agreement.
Micheal was never good at writing Japanese and it seemed like he wouldn't be needing it ever again. However, he wanted Yamamoto to translate some romaji syllables into katakana and etch them into a clay table so he could sense what the looked like. The first character was a horizontal line with the right edge raised up; beneath it was a marking that looked like the letter 'C' making it look like the horizontal line had a tail. This represented the romaji charatcer of 'Te'. The second character looked like a little 'V' tilted to the left a little bit, but it too had a curled tail sprouting from the left side, curved up and around over the top part of the 'V', curving downwards so the end was pointing at the base of the 'V'. This represented the romaji character of 'Me'. The last character looked like a christian cross with the right arm taking off it; another line curved from the bottom left, over the cross to the top right before it curved down sharply downwards and flicked up to the right. This represented the romaji character of 'Re'. Once that was done, Micheal began to paint the characters in red upon the side of the jingasa. Once he was done, he showed it to Yamamoto.
"Timere?" he said, "I don't think I know that word."
"It means 'to fear' in Latin," Micheal explained as he blew on the paint to help it dry, "I thought it was quite fitting."
Yamamoto hummed in understanding before he decided to change the subject, "Are you still heading to Tamayo's clinic in Tokyo?"
"Yes, I'll leave tomorrow," Micheal answered firmly.
"So soon. Are you sure?"
"I need to find out what's wrong with my blood and Tamayo is the only person I know that can tell me. Besides, she might have some information on where my father is."
The old man grumbled and stood to his feet, "I doubt it. That father of yours pretty secretive and I don't blame him. Muzan's been looking for him for years. Anyway, I guess I make the preparations for tomorrow," he muttered as he went into his house.
Meanwhile, Micheal stroked jingasa, feeling the cool metal beneath his fingers, "Timere..." he whispered to himself, "...Micheal Timere."
It has been a long time since he first stepped onto this country. He arrived a pathetic and weak boy and now he was a strong and powerful man.
Micheal Buchannan is dead.
He left his life behind in the hallway of the Imperial Hotel; blinded and left to die.
Now he was known by a name, with a new power, with a new purpose.
He was Micheal Timere: Demon Slayer.
Village's Gate
It was early the next day that Micheal prepared to leave. He packed up his stuff and his equipment in his rucksack, said his goodbyes to Yamamoto before headed down the mountain towards the village. However, like before, he was stopped at the gate by Ami with an already prepared bento in her hands. But what surprised him was the fact that Masashi, Fuyumi and Chimena were also there to greet him. He also sensed another small figure hiding behind a nearby house and recognised it as the outline of Satoshi, much to his surprise. For over two years, the child had never dared approached him. He decided to not focus on him for now and turn to the others.
"Good morning," Ami greeted with a bright smile, "I guess I caught you again."
"You sure did…and you brought guests."
She sighed and rubbed the back of her head, "Yeah, they followed me."
"Cool hat," Fuyumi complimented off-handily, "Looks better then the last one."
"Thank you."
"Micheal!" Chimana cried with tears in his eyes; he ran up to him and tugged at his trouser leg, "Is it true that your leaving longer than last time!?"
"Errr…well, yes…"
"Noooo! You can't leave for that long! That's like leaving us forever!" the young boy shouted, causing the others to sweat drop.
"Please keep it down. It's still very early," Ami scolded.
"But I don't want him to go!" he wailed dramatically.
"Chimana, calm down. He didn't have that much of an impact on our lives," Masashi sighed.
Michael frowned awkwardly, reached down and patted the crying boy's head, "I'm not going away forever. But my job requires me to travel a lot. I promise I'll be back."
Chimana sniffed, "You promise."
"Of course. I'm heading to Tokyo for a bit so why don't I get you something there. To make up for leaving suddenly."
Suddenly, Chimena stood up straight with a bright smile, not a trace of tears left in his eyes, "Alright! Can you bring back some takoyaki… or some dango… or maybe both."
Micheal couldn't help but sweat drop at that.
Once the others had said their goodbyes and Ami had given him the bento she prepared for him, Michael began to ride away from the village that had been his home for the past two years. He was quite to leave it behind, but he had a duty that he couldn't ignore. He had only made it a few meters when he heard somebody shout his name, making him stop.
"Michael!"
He turned around in his saddle and used his Breathing to sense who it was. To his shock, it was Satoshi. He had ran out of his hiding place and stood beneath the village's gate, his face filled with determination.
"I'm sorry I called you a monster!" he yelled at him, "thank you for saving me!"
Michael was speechless by this, he was not at all expecting for him to ever communicate to him. It meant a lot to him, knowing that Satoshi doesn't fear him anymore after two long years of agony. It almost made him want to cry and he would have done if he could.
He smiled and gave him a simple wave. He knew that Satoshi didn't need a verbal response; just something to let him know that everything was alright between them. He then turned back and continued his journey. His mind finally at peace for now.
A couple of hours later and Micheal had rode down to the valley and came to a crossroads; one of which will take him southwards towards Tokyo, the other towards the northern tip of Honshu. He was about to make the turn towards the capital when he heard a loud caw above his head.
"Caw! Caw! Attention!" Angellos cried as he circled around him before landing on his jingasa, "Demons attacked a hunting lodge in Akita Prefecture- Caw! - acquires immediate attention!"
"Akita," Micheal said in annoyance, "But that's the opposite way of where I want to go. Can I do it after?"
"Caw! Acquires immediate attention! Caw!" Angellos repeated.
Michael sighed irritably, "If my memory serves me well, Akita isn't too far from here. I guess it wouldn't hurt to do a small diversion; it's not like Tamayo's clinic is going anywhere," he shrugged and reached up to stroke the crow's head, "Fine, lead me to this place."
Angellos gave another caw before jumping up and talking flight, directing him where to go. Michael immediately turned Kaze around and all three headed north to the snowy and mountainous landscape of northern Japan.
Three Days Later
It was a difficult journey.
Roads were rare and not as sophisticated in the northern parts of Honshu; the terrain was mountainous and rugged and the weather was much colder then he was used to. It didn't help that he had to do it with heavy gear on his back. But still Michael and Kaze managed to press on despite the setbacks.
He had passed through the city of Moroioka and then headed west before stopping in the village Semboku. He, unfortunately, couldn't take Kaze with him as the terrain was to traitorous for him and had to leave him behind; which meant he had to trek from Semboku northwards on foot.
Michael trudged up a snow-covered path which cut through a forest; his jingase was tilted forwards to stop the fluttering snowflakes to collided against his face. With his gloved hands keeping a hold on his heavy rucksack loaded on his back, he continued to trek onwards.
The smell of smoke up ahead caught his attention; the same sort of smoke you would smell from a wood burning furnace. It could mean he was getting close to the village Angellos was telling him about. He stopped and used his Breathing and, sure enough, there was a settlement not too far away. It look to be a small outpost village where the residents would go out to hunt and sell the wares to travellers or at the markets in larger towns. Before he proceeded, he unwrapped the bandages around his eyes and stored them in his coat pocket before he took out a pair of thin framed circular glasses with tinted lenses. On either side of the lenses there was a triangular mesh frame, designed to shield his eyes completely from anybody looking at him. He then took off his jingase and stored it inside his rucksack before pulling out a Cossack hat and tied over his head. Finally, he buttoned his coat up all the way and adjusted his katana so that it was completly hidden. He had designed the glasses himself a year ago and had them specially made for him in Tokyo using Yamamoto's old connections.
(A.N: Mass produced sunglasses wouldn't be invented until 1929 so, within the boundaries of this story, Michael is the inventor of the modern sunglasses. I could have made him wear snow glasses, but this is way more cooler.)
He had picked up the Cossack hat from some Russian traders while he was Moroioka. He needed to disguise himself during his investigations. If he started interviewing people about any demons running amok, they would think he was insane. He had prepared a cover story and made sure that nothing stood out about his appearance to cause any unnecessary worry. With everything in place, Michael made his way to the town.
As soon as he entered its borders, he heard some sort of commotion from down the main road. Using his Breathing, he sensed a group of male villagers with their ages ranging from late twenties to early fifties wearing hunting gear and rifles slung over their shoulders surrounding somebody who had their hands bound by rope.
"Where did this crazy girl come from?" one villager called.
"Somebody call the police," another ordered.
"I assure you I am not crazy," a familiar voice spoke, "I was just inquiring where the demons that killed her father and the other hunters are."
Michael raised his eyebrows once he heard the monotone voice, "You have to got to be kidding me," he uttered.
In the middle of the group of hunters, with her hands bound together and ready to be taken to the nearest police station, was Tomioka. She didn't seem all too fussed about what the villagers capturing her and kept her usual stony expression. She didn't bother hiding her katana or wear anything a little less discreet. Judging by what she said, she took the more direct approach to her investigation; the complete opposite to what Michael was planning.
Another villager shook his head, "What the hell are you talking about? We need to the police we have this insane creepy girl."
"…creepy?" Tomioka muttered in confusion, her eyes widened in disbelief and surprise.
Michael decided it was time to step in. He approached the crowd and waved to them.
"Excuse me!" he called out, gaining their and Tomioka's attention, "I'm really sorry about her. Please don't arrest her."
"What now?" a young woman muttered in annoyance.
She looked to be in her late teens with long black hair that was held back by a white cloth headband. She had sharp, tiered-looking eyes, thin eyebrows and a small nose; her face, although pretty, was covered in dirt and grim as if she had been camping out in the wilderness for a while. She too wore the same sort of hunting gear as the men, even her own rifle slung over her shoulder. Sitting obediently by her feet was shiba inu who was growling at Tomioka for some reason. Both young woman and dog seemed agitated by the whole situation as if they wanted to leave as soon as possible.
Michael turned to Tomioka and gave her a fake scolding look, "Miss Tomioka, what did I say about going on ahead?"
She cocked an eyebrow, "But this is the first time we've seen each other in mon-"
"You have to excuse my colleague here," he told the hunters, cutting her off, "Let me guess, she tried telling you that she belongs to something called the 'Demon Slayer Corps'."
One of the hunters frowned slightly, "Err…yes she did. Who are you?"
"Michael Timere, ambassador of the foreign affairs branch of the Taisho government," he lied taking out a forged I.D card out of his pocket and waving it at the group quickly before they could spot anything wrong with it. When he said he was prepared, he meant it. He gave them a fake smile, "Pardon my appearance, but my usual business attire isn't appropriate for mountain hiking. My colleague and I are responding to a recent incident that happened here."
The hunters shared an unsure glances before the closest one step forwards.
"The government sent two officials up here because of a bear attack? No offence, but this doesn't seem like something that should be concerned with. They happen all the time here."
"Oh, have you not received the notice?" Michael asked.
"W-what notice?"
"In order to cut down on ursine and other wild animal attacks, the government has issued an edict to report attacks such as this and use analyse the results for the future. It was rather sudden, my colleague and I were staying at Morioka and were, by default, the closest to respond," he cleared his throat and straightened out the collar of his sleeves, "I'm guessing that the notice never arrived here…" he raised a threatening eyebrow at all of them, "…unless it did arrive and all have you choose to ignore it. You know it's a crime to ignore a decree like this."
The main hunter shook his head nervously, "No, no, no! We definitely didn't receive anything."
"Good," Michael said with another false smile, "I'll give you all a verbal warning this time, but please be more prepared next time," he told them, making them all nod in agreement. Michael mentally congratulated himself before thinking, 'I suppose I did learn something from my mother. Intimidating people does has it uses.'
Tomioka merely glanced from him to the villagers, feeling not entirely sure what on earth was going on, 'This is a waste of time. We need to slay the demons before they attack anybody else,' she thought miserably.
"Now," Michael said with a small smirk, "Does anybody have any information on this attack."
The hunters all looked at the young woman who merely sneered in response.
"I ain't telling you anything," she snapped before she turned around and headed in the opposite direction, "I'm wasting daylight so none of you stop me."
Before she could leave, however, the main hunter grabbed her arm, "Yae stop. I told you that you're not going into the mountains on your own. This government official might help us."
The young woman, now known as Yae, growled irritably, "What's he or that weird girl going to do!? Go back to wherever the bell you came from; I've got a job to do."
"…weird?" Tomioka mumbled in shock.
'She's tough. Clearly she's not going to make it easy for us,' Michael thought drearily before he called out to her, "I'm really sorry about what happened," he said, making her glare at him, "It must be hard for you to relive it and I bet a report is the last thing you want right now. However, it might be for your benefit."
"How can it benefit me!? What the hell do you know!"
"What more is there to know…unless there's something you haven't told anybody," he pointed out, he noticed the sudden intake of air in her lungs caused by her heart rate picking up speed; evidence that he hit the nail on the head, "perhaps we should discuss it over tea. You sound…exhausted anyway. It won't take very long and we can go somewhere private if you prefer."
Yae frowned skeptically at him, but she was tiered and cold and Taro, her dog, needed a break as well. Perhaps it wouldn't be too bad. However, before she could respond, one of the the villagers spoke up.
"I don't think Yae should be alone with these two. I mean she has a katana," he said, pointing at Tomioka, "And I still get a bad feeling about her."
Michael sighed "Again, sorry about her. She's not the most…sociable person in her department. She's quite the eccentric."
"Well, that's surely one way to put," a new sweet voice said.
Michael almost jumped in fright as he sensed somebody behind him; he didn't even hear them walk up to them. She was a petite young woman in her late teens with fair skin, large and found purple eyes and black and purple hair that was tied up in a bun and fastened by a butterfly ornament. She wore a dark purple jacket and matching hakama trousers with a white belt; over that she wore a white haori that had a pattern similar to that of a butterfly's wing. She was at least a foot and half shorter then Michael, but she stood confidently as if they were equal in strength along with a dainty, calm smile. He had to admit that, from what he could sense, she was quite beautiful and was a little spellbound by her appearance, but there seemed to process a rather menacing aura. Maybe her smile was just a little too bright or her words are too sweet but, either way, Michael was convinced that there was something…slightly off about her.
Tomioka regarded her with an annoyed glare, "What the hell are you doing here,"
"Ara, ara," she giggled daintily, "It's nice to meet you too, Tomioka. What a coincidence that we all bump into each other like this."
'They know each other,' Michael through before he recognised her uniform, 'wait a minute, is she…'
He stopped mid-thought when she turned her attention to him, "And you must be the dashing young man Tomioka always talks about."
"I've only mentioned him once and it wasn't to you," Tomioka muttered.
She ignored her and proceeded to tilt her head to the side and place a hand on her cheek in a cute way, "You must be Edward's son, Michael. It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Shinobu Kocho, but you can call me Shinobu," she said with a small giggle.
'There's no doubt about it,' Michael thought as it slowly dawned on him, 'This must be another Hashira.'
That's it for now! Hope you enjoyed it!
Not as much action in this chapter, but there will definitely be more in the next chapter. Although, there has been a few new characters introduced like Inoko and Shinobu. After thinking it over, I decided to gender swap Inosuke to Inoko, because I thought it could be fun. I already have a kuudere type gender swap so I wanted to write a wild girl to be part of Micheal's harem. If you are disappointed by this, I'm really sorry. But I promise to develop and add more to her character and won't let her just be another love interest.
Anyway, I based Michael's first mission from the spin-off manga 'Kimetsu No Yaiba: Stories Of Water And Flame' and it will continue in the next chapter.
Thanks so much for reading and I'll see you next time :)