Legend Of Timere Chapter 7: The Itazu, a demon slayer: kimetsu no yaiba fanfic

Here's the next chapter :)

Bromega2477 - That's good to hear, I enjoyed writing Inoko's dialogue. I quite the like the idea of a cane sword, despite it probably being quite hard to make. I was maybe planning on Michael travelling back to England for a while to deal with some demons that escaped Japan, so maybe he can build himself a cane sword. I would say that the dagger is a wakizashi with a 29cm blade. Small enough to hide away but good enough to do some damage. Even if you weren't intending to suggest ideas, they are pretty good ones that I might adopt. Thank you so much for reading.

RubixJr - No problem, glad you enjoyed it.

djinn - Thank you so much, glad you like the new additions.

Drake Harlock - No problem, I'm happy that you enjoyed it.

wellingtonlucas282- You're very welcome. Thank you for reading.

Chapter 7: The Itazu

Hunting Village, Akita Prefecture

Shinobu Kocho smiled prettily up at Michael, causing him to be on edge. He didn't know why, but he had a bad feeling about her; it was as if she was hiding something beneath the bright smile and the beautiful eyes. It was not necessarily malice per se, but she was definitely concealing something...and doing it very, very well.

So enrapt in his thoughts, he didn't notice that a few seconds had passed and he had done nothing but look down at the Hashira without saying a single word. He was snapped out of his thoughts she she placed a hand over her mouth and giggled.

"Ara, Ara, please don't stare so hard, Mr Timere. You're embarrassing me," she said, causing him to grunt in humiliation, "Are you not aware that our department sent me up here as well. Perhaps neither of you got the message," she turned to the crowd of hunters with a polite smile, "Our apologies for the confusion. The foreign affairs branch of the Taisho government, that my colleague mentioned, is rather new and not so organised. Notices and messages get lost so easily theses days, don't they?" she asked sweetly

"Yes, of course," the lead hunter agreed, much to Michael's surprise, "we're sorry for doubting you. Please carry on with your report or whatever it is," he told them as the other hunters nodded as well.

'They just accepted what she said. Just like that,' Michael thought in bewilderment before he grumbled, 'I spent ages coming up with a cover story and a disguise and she won them over in a few seconds.'

"You two," Tomioka said in a hushed voice, so the others wouldn't hear, "leave now. This is my mission; I can handle it on my own."

"That argument would carry more weight if you hands weren't currently bound together," Michael pointed out.

Snap!

The black haired Slayer broke the ropes by simply pulling her hands together before she tossed the remains over her shoulder.

"Don't mind her," Shinobu sweetly said, "Tomioka may be odd and have zero social skills…"

…

Tomioka raised an eyebrow, "Are you going to finish your sentence?"

"I already did."

"…On seconds thoughts, Michael can stay. You can leave."

"Ara, Ara, don't be so mean, Tomi."

"Don't call me that."

Michael sensed Tomioka glaring dangerously at the shorter girl while Shinobu merely smiled back, "I take it you two are not great friends."

Shinobu giggled and looked up at him, "Oh we are. We're best friends."

Tomioka looked up at him and gave him a deadpanned look, "I have never loathed anyone more."

"She's joking."

"I do not joke."

"No wonder people think your so gloomy then," Shinobu commented as she began poking her cheek tauntingly.

Michael was genuinely concerned Tomioka was going to pull her katana on her. As he began wondering whether to pull those two away from each other before a fight broke out, he felt somebody tug on his coat, sensing it was the hunter girl from earlier.

"Hey...Can...can you..." she stammered; her eyes began to flicker open and shut and her legs began to shake, "...I...I...feel...I...feel..."

Michael grabbed her arm as she suddenly collapsed, stopping her from hitting the ground. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder to support her and put the back of his hand on her forehead. Her dog whined in worry and began licking her limp hand.

"Yae!" some of the hunters shouted in alarm but the lead hunter held them back.

"Don't crowd them!" he ordered, "give them space!"

Michael hummed as he felt the heat coming of her forehead, "She's burning up. Could be a fever."

"It's possibly caused by exhaustion," Shinobu suggested in a serious tone as she suddenly appeared on the other side of Yae. Again he didn't even sense her move, "she has been staying out in the wilderness for too long and overexposed to the harsh environment. She just needs rest," she tilted her head up to him, "Can a strong boy like you carry her over to pharmacist for me."

Michael growled in annoyance before he lifted Yae into a princess carry, "I was going to anyway."

"Don't patronise him," Tomioka told her, causing her to simply giggle in reply.

Pharmacist's House

Several hours later, Michael was sat on the tatami floor of the local pharmacist resting his back on the wall and guarding over the sleeping Yae. The day was almost turning into night and the young woman had barely stirred beneath her blankets with her rifle laid next to her mat. Ever so often, he would hear her mutter the word 'father' and 'please don't go' in her sleep, giving him some idea what she was dreaming about. Shinobu would come in ever so often come in to check her condition while Tomioka would stay outside the room with Taro and the elderly lady who ran the pharmacy. Because they were inside and the room was sealed to prevent the cold weather from seeping in, Michael wasn't able to use his wind sense. But he could sense Yae steady breathing as she slept to reassure him that she was alright.

The shoji door slide open and Shinobu stepped in, catching his attention. She looked over at Yae for a few seconds before she kneeled down beside him and smiled pleasantly.

"You didn't have to stay with her. She's perfectly alright in here," she told him.

Michael shrugged, "I just didn't want to leave her. She's been through a lot and I didn't want her to wake up all alone. Besides...it's not like I've got anything else to do," he answered, "So not only are you a Hashira, but you also part time as a doctor."

"Not officially. I mainly specialise in toxicology and medicine; my medical expertise is merely a byproduct of that specialism."

"Toxicology," he repeated with interest, "Poison for demons?"

"Indeed."

"These poisons...are they quick and painless or slow and painful."

"That all depends."

"On what?"

Her lovely smile slowly transformed in a wicked smirk, "User's choice."

Michael matched her smirk, "How fascinating...do you do requests?"

"Ara, Ara, how bold of you. I don't even lend my fellow Hashira my products. What makes you think I give it you?"

"It was worth a shot," Michael sighed, "Where did you learn?"

For the briefest of seconds the smile dropped from her face and Michael noticed her sudden hesitation. It was as if the mask she wore slipped away by mere crack before she caught ahold of it.

"Self taught," she answered confidently "it started as a hobby as I'm not the strongest Hashira in the Corp. I need to compete in other ways otherwise I would be left behind and be no good to anybody."

Michael's mind casted back to what he was before he trained. The days he spent lonely and feeling frail in hospital beds, the times when older children at his boarding school would beat him up, the sharp remarks from his mother about his health. In terms of feeling useless, he can relate to the butterfly girl and her struggles.

"I know what you mean," he commented, "It's...hard."

Knowing that he wouldn't see her, Shinobu soft smile turned into an anger-filled scowl at what he said. Her eyes darkened and pulsating veins appeared around her face as she clenched her jaw.

'Saying that when you're twice the size of me. Are you mocking me? You don't know anything that I've been through, you stupid boy,' she spat furiously in her head before she hid her emotions behind her smile, "I...see. Well, I best check on the patient," she said before she leaned over and looked at Yae's face. Suddenly, she hummed in worry, "Oh dear."

"What's wrong?" Michael asked in concern.

"There seems to be an odd odour coming from her mouth."

"What?"

"Come and smell for yourself."

Michael frowned slightly before he crawled over and put his face close to the sleeping girl's face. It was at that moment that Yae's eyes flickered open to see his face so close to hers, much to his ignorance. It look a few seconds to process what was happening before her eyes widened in alarm.

Outside The Room

Tomioka was sipping her tea with the elderly pharmacist as they both sat around the hearth. However, they looked up suddenly when they heard a commotion coming from the room next to theirs.

"Kya!"

Slap!

"Ahh!"

Tomioka and the elderly woman shared a look, wondering what just happened.

Pharmacist Ward

"What the hell are you doing, you pervert!" a red faced Yae yelled at him as she pointed her rifle at Michael from across the room.

Michael rubbed his sore cheek and turned his head towards where Shinobu was quietly giggling to herself, "Odd odour, huh."

"Whoops," she replied innocently, "Must have been a mistake."

"Really?" he growled.

"How was I supposed to know she was going to wake up. I'm not psychic," she giggled sadistically.

"…I'm beginning to see why Tomioka doesn't like you," he muttered before he reached into his pocket, pulled out a few bullets and showed it to Yae, "Put the rifle down. The only thing you're going to shoot at me is air."

"I don't remember giving you permission to touch my gun," she snapped at him as she snatched the bullets out of his hand and began reloading her rifle, "Where am I?"

"You're in the pharmacist. You passed out right outside and have been sleeping for almost half a day," Shionobu answered, making Yae's eyes widen in shock, "You're a Matagi, are you not. A specially trained hunter that can survive for days out in the snowy mountainsides. You must have been out there for much longer then your capable of to able to fall unconscious like that."

"Either you lost track of time…or you were hunting for something in particular," Michael added with an inquisitive raise of his eyebrow.

Yae clenched her jaw anxiously. It was different trying to lie to them then it was to her fellow villagers. It almost as if, no matter, what she said they will see deceit in it; surrounding her like how a pack of wolves surrounds a deer. She decided to change the subject.

"Where's Taro?" she muttered.

Michael reached over and slid the shoji door open, revealing Taro trying to rip Tomioka's hand off. However, it didn't seem that the dog's teeth were piercing her skin and the stoic Hashira was barely attempting to get him off her.

"He's currently trying to eat my colleague," he told her nonchalantly.

"Ah Taro! Stop that!" Yae cried out to her hunting dog, "I'm really sorry! He's not usually like this!"

"Oh don't worry, she's fine," Shionbu told her, waving a hand dismissively.

"Yes, I'm fine," Tomioka told her as Atari was now trying to bite off her head.

"I feel like you should be a little worried, Tomioka," Michael deadpanned before he turned back to Yae, "my apologies about your loss, but, in order to hunt down the culprit, we need to ask you a few questions."

"Culprit?" Yae muttered.

Tomioka hummed plainly, "Michael, this is my mission. Allow me to do the explanation."

"This is my mission as well. My crow gave it to me a while ago."

"About an entire hunting lodge being attacked?"

"He was light on details, but he did say something about a hunting lodge. Is it possible we've been…double booked?"

Tomioka frowned, "They're usually more careful about these things," she pondered.

"Whatever the case may be," Shionbu said, "we might as well show the new recruit how Hashiras are on missions."

"We?" the stony faced Hashira sighed.

"Of course," Shionbu chirped, "I originally came up here to get medicinal supplies, but I can see that this mission need a more…gentle and subtle approach…something you seem to lack in, Tomi."

"I'm gentle and subtle," Tomioka muttered as the dog continued to use her head as a chew toy.

"What are you guys talking about?" Yae asked, "You said you were government officials."

"That was a lie…sorry about that," Michael apologised as he tore Taro off of Tomioka "If we told the truth the nobody would believe us."

The young hunter frowned, "Then what she said about being in some sort of Corps."

"That's right…we slay demons," he said as he sat Taro on his lap and petted his head, almost instantly the dog began to wag his tail happily and yip in delight; Tamioka stared in disbelief at the now tamed dog, "Now why don't you tell us everything about that event."

-Flashback Two Weeks Ago -

Mountainside

The snowstorm had caught Yae unawares; the weather in these parts can change at the drop of a hat, but even she, with years of experience, was surprised by this turn. She had been out with Taro tracking some deer while her father Matazo and the rest of the Matagi returned to the hunting lodge with their haul. Solo hunting trips were risky, but not rare; avalanches and hungry predators are just two of the dangers of the snowy mountainside. However, the hunting party trust her enough to not do anything stupid or dangerous; which was exactly why she had to turn back before she gets stuck.

Matazo had taught everything about hunting to his daughter; his wife had died at childbirth and he had no other family and so Yae was always left alone whenever they go on hunting parties. Nobody had heard of a female Matagi before, but she was determined and he didn't want her to be disappointed. Besides she was rather mature for her age and had steady hands and a keen eye perfect for shooting.

She trudged through the thick snow; her cheeks were red and sore, her hands shoved deeply into the pockets of her fur-lined jacket, she had to squint to stop the snow from getting into her eyes. Taking her hands out of her pockets, she cupped them over her mouth and blew into them to try and warm them up. She looked back and saw Taro bounding through the snow after a few meters back.

"Come on Taro! We're almost back!" she cried out to him, earning a yip in reply.

She started to walk again when suddenly she caught sight of smoke billowing over the trees; a lot of smoke. Too much smoke for her to assume that it was just the lodge's hearth. She gasped in fear and ran through the tree line. Once she had passed it and into the clearing where the lodge resides; her face dropped in terror at what she saw.

The lodge looked to be attacked. The door and its frame was broken, leaving nothing but a gaping hole in the front. Flames and smoke covered the roofs and the walls, a strange smell lingered in the air and, what had by far shocked her the most, there was a body torn to pieces out in the front of the building with the snow around it turning into a rich blood red. She had seen many dead things before; killed them, skinned them, cooked its meat and prepared the hides, but once she recognised the carcass that once was one of the hunters, her stomach lurched and she almost vomited at the sight. Slowly, she walked up to the burning lodge, going around the ripped up body, and stepped into the wooden building. She saw the dead bodies of the other hunters ripped to shreds and tossed all over the place; on the floors, the furniture and even one hanging from the wooden rafters above her head. The blood dripped and pooled on the tatami mats; their faces twisted in absolute horror and pain. Some of them were even were on fire. The heat and smoke filling the room was becoming unbearable, but she had no strength to leave. All she did was stare in terror at what was in front of her.

"Yoshimura...Kanji..." she uttered as she saw their bodies strew across the floor, "...w-what happened?"

A loud crash made her jump as she looked to the far side of the lodge. Hidden in the black smoke and the furious flames was a pair of blood red eyes staring at her; staring right into her very own scared eyes. Its powerful limbs smashed everything that its might paws stood on, its thick, black furred body was undeterred by the fire that surrounded it and its face was splatted with blood. In its muzzle it held a human arm; its sharp teeth piecing into the flesh.

Before it could make the decision to go after her, Yae grabbed a hold of Taro and ran away as quickly as she could.

She wouldn't stop running until she was back down in the village.

- Flashback End -

Pharmacist's Ward

Yae gripped her hands tightly into fists as she told them what happened, her eyes looking down at the floor as they waited for to continue, "At first...I didn't know what it was. I just saw its eyes and fled. But now I think it might have been an anamotazu?"

Michael raised an eyebrow, "A what?"

"It's a bear that couldn't find a den for hibernation," Shionbu told him, "It spends the winter wandering the mountains and attacking anything it sees in a desperate attempt for food. I'm surprised you didn't know that."

He hummed in mild annoyance, "There's not many bears running about in Notting Hill when I was growing up," he pointed out before turning back to Yae, "So, you have been trying to track this bear down for the past week or so."

"I have...with no success," she muttered.

Tomioka sighed and shook her head, "I'm sorry, but this won't do. You need to tell us everything."

"Tomioka," Michael uttered, surprised by her bluntness.

"We're Slayers. We only respond to incidents involving demons and nothing else, otherwise we are wasting time. Yae, you need to tell us everything."

"I just did," Yae snapped aggressively, "You think I was lying about all of this."

Michael frowned and shook his head, "Of course not."

"What killed my father and attacked the hunting lodge was a bear!" she insisted, "Not...whatever this demon crap is all about!"

"Demons are monsters who eat humans. They're are intelligent creatures who are able to hide their true forms," Shionbu calmly told her with a hint of sternness in her tone, "they have astonishing vitality, can regenerate themselves even after being disembowelled and they could only be killed in a special way. The Demon Slayer Corps hunt them down and execute them before they can do anymore harm to innocent people," her large eyes turned cold as she stared up at Yae, making the girl shiver, "So, you might want to be careful when dismissing these monsters as merely...demon crap. Otherwise, you might get on the wrong side of one and we won't be there to save you," her eyes turned warm once again; something that unnerved Yae, "So, be a dear and and tell us all you know, please."

The young Matagi hesitated for a few seconds before her eyes narrowed in determination, "You didn't see this bear! I never seen one like it before!"

"Yae, please. We're only trying to hel..."

"Most male bears around these parts are 2 meters in length, but this has got to be double that! Its eyes were blood red, its teeth were the length of my wrist!" she yelled at them, "It looked like some sort of monster! Why won't you guys believe me!"

"Because demons are only humans who had been transformed into monsters," Tomioka told her, "I admit, what you saw was unusual, but it is not a demon."

Yae got to her feet and grabbed her rifle, "Then none of you are you any help. I wasted delight over nothing. Come on, Taro."

Michael was surprised by her declaration. As she gathered her things, he stood up and held out his hand for her, "Wait Yae! Surely you not going out now!"

"Indeed, you need rest," Shionbu agreed.

"Don't get in my way," she demanded as she put on her jacket, "it may be your guys job to kill demons, but it's a Matagi's job is to hunt."

She turned to the door, but stopped when she found Tomioka standing in front of and preventing her to leave, she didn't even see her move.

"It's too dark. You shouldn't go out there," she warned her, a subtle hint of concern in her voice.

Yae growled angrily and bypassed her to the door, "I told you to get out of my way," she muttered before she flew open the door and stepped outside, slamming the door behind her.

Michael immediately got to his feet, took of his sunglasses, pulled out his bandages and began wrapping them around his empty eye sockets, making sure his back was turned to them, "What was that for!? She was beginning to trust us!"

"We slay demons not…"

"I know!" he yelled as he tied off the bandages and turned back to them, "I know we slay demons and not bears, but you were practically accusing her of lying!"

Tomioka hummed, "I was not accusing her of lying. I was just saying she wasn't telling the whole truth. These things are important."

He grabbed his bag and pulled out his jingasa, "No matter the case, she's all on her own and completely defenceless against demons," he said, placing the hat on his head, "I'm going after her."

He made his way to the door, but Tomioka grabbed hold of his sleeve, "Michael please. Think about this. You can't-"

"Ara, ara Tomi. Just let him go," Shinobu chirped as she sipped her tea, "He's a big boy, he can protect himself."

"Shionbu, he isn't-" Tomioka tried to say before the butterfly girl giggled and cut her off.

"You worry too much. He isn't a civilian anymore. He's a Slayer."

Tomioka was about to respond when Michael swiped his sleeve out of her grip, "Follow me or not. I'm going to make sure nobody else is going to be killed."

And with that, Michael slid open the door and went out into the cold. Once the door had closed behind him, Tomioka glared over at Shinobu.

"What did he ever do to you?" she demanded.

"Hmm?" she responded, innocently cocking her head to the side.

"Don't play dumb. You knew going out there is suicide and yet you didn't deter him."

Shinobu merely tutted, "Oh Tomi, it's like I said before. He's not a civilian; he's passed Final Selection and is an independent Slayer. You can't hold his hand all the time," she said with a dainty smile. Suddenly her eyes darkened, making her smile more sinister, "besides…no, you know what, that's too cruel to say."

Tomioka glared at her, "Besides, what? What were you going to say?"

"Oh, nothing honestly. I just remembered something that some other Hashira were saying. Like how the quality of recently trained Mizunoto had dropped in the past few years. All of them are so driven by the significant salary we receive that they are willing to do reckless things…stupid things. Ara, ara, they remind me of a mayfly. Flying arrogantly in the air without a single care, but dead by the end of the day. I hate to generalise, of course, but…it's hard not to."

"You don't know him," Tomioka retorted.

"No I don't," Shinobu firmly said, "and neither do you. That's my point."

"He's Edward's son."

"That only matters to you. That fact doesn't matter to me, nor does it matter to the rest of the Hashira, nor does it matter to the demons. You really should be more careful who to trust, Tomi. There are not many people in the world you can rely on and even less people who you can trust," she got to her feet and made her way to the door, "Now that's enough talking for now. We have a job to do."

Tomioka raised an inquisitive eyebrow, "Where do you think you are going?"

Shinobu turned back and gave her a dainty smile, "We are going to the lodge. Perhaps there are some clues that will hopefully reveal the truth."

Forest

Yae, with Taro at her heels, slowly made her way across the darkened forest with only the light of the moon and stars to guide her. She was just luckily that there snow fall tonight.

With both hands wrapped tightly on her rifle and he winter jacket wrapped tightly around her, she marched through the snow and surveyed the wilderness with a keen eye. She knew these parts well; knew every tree, every boulder and every nest and burrow; even at night she knew where she was going. And yet, it was still not enough to settle her nerves. She was a Matagi, a hunter, a predator who controls the lives of her prey with one gunshot. But now her confidence was wavering with every step she took in the cold, barren, silent forest. There was a sinking feeling in her gut and, for the first time in her life, she began to feel like she was on her prey.

Like she was the one being hunted.

Taro sniffed the ground before he lifted his head and yipped.

At the sound, Yae snapped out of her thoughts and turned to her loyal partner, "Huh? Did you pick up something?"

Suddenly, Taro yipped again before he bounded of up ahead and disappeared into the trees.

"Taro! Slow down!" she cried out as she chased after her dog.

Avalanches were common, especially after recent snowfall. One wrong movement in the wrong place can get them buried. Also, it was important that they stick together. Yae was honestly surprised that Taro ran off ahead; he had never done that before.

Yae climbed over a small slope and tried to look for her dog in between trees, but she couldn't spot him. He had disappeared and left her behind. She cursed under her breath and looked around to see any clues for where she was…

…that's when her eyes landed on something in the snow.

Slowly, she got closer and kneeled down to see that it was a set of paw prints, heading right and perpendicular to where she was standing. Immediately she could tell by the shape that it was a bear, but the prints was much, much larger then anything she has ever seen. It was larger then her torso and the claw marks were much longer. Judging by the spacing between the prints, the animal (of perhaps monster would be better fitting) was humongous, completely towering over her.

She came to two conclusion; both equally as concerning and made her heart fill with dread. Firstly, the prints looked fresh with no snow build-up, meaning that the prints were made sometime in the last hour or so. Secondly, judging by the direction it was going in, it was heading to a cliff face meaning it would have to turn right and…

…come up from behind her.

It was at that moment that the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end and her eyes widened in horror. She didn't dare breath or flinch a single muscle; she felt her heart beat faster and faster in her chest and her throat grow dry. At the sound of the thing behind her release a deep, thunderous growl she slowly and cautiously move her hand down the barrel of her rifle and lifted up the safety.

'Remember what father taught me,' she thought to herself as sweat poured down her forehead, 'once you see the right opportunity, don't hesitate to shoot. A single second could mean the difference between a kill and losing your prey,' she gulped and tightened her grip on her gun, '3...2...1...now!'

In one swift movement, she twisted her body around and swung the rifle behind her. She placed the butt of the gun resting on her shoulder, she aligned her eye her along the sight and squeezed the trigger ready to shoot...

...but she didn't.

Instead, she did something that she promised herself and her father she would never do when hunting...she hesitated.

Yae gasped as she was met with the sight of a grizzly snout and the sinister red eyes of the bear she encountered not too long ago. But in some ways it looked different; it looked like it had grown by a meter; parts of it skin and around its mouth are pulled so tightly that its red, pulsating muscle could be seen: its lip-less maw displayed a row of bloodied teeth; its red eyes were like a furious blaze, glowing with a dark malice that filled her with dread.

The beast gave a booming roar that made her trip over her own feet and onto her back in the snow. It rushed at her; its sharp teeth aimed at her neck and ready to snap it like a dry twig. She tried her best to defend herself, but she wouldn't be able to raise her rifle in time.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, somebody came sprinting out of the woods and leapt and rammed onto the bear's head and wrapped their arms and legs around it. Yae gasped as she recognised Michael latching onto the bear as it began to try and shake him off and batter him with his paws, but he wouldn't let go. Eventually, the bear staggered backwards a few paces before he stood on his rear legs, pulling Michael into the air. With an furious growl, the bear tried to snap at Michael's legs with his jaws but the Slayer had already pulled his dagger out and speared it into his eye. The bear roared in agony, but Michael was not done. He let go of his mighty head and let him drop down to the ground. As he fell, he pulled out his katana, twisted his body and swiped at the monster's belly. The cut opened its stomach from bottom to top and made some of the monster's intestines to fall out.

Michael landed on his feet and used his Breathing to sense his opponent, seeing the slit made in its belly began to seal up almost instantly, 'Is this a demon who can take the shape of a bear...or is it a bear that has turned into a demon?' he thought in shock, 'If it's the latter, then nobody has ever mentioned it to me. Why the hell would Muzan do this?'

He decided to ask questions later before he grabbed Yae and pulled her to her feet, "Are you alright?"

"What the hell is that thing?" she uttered in astonishment as looked at the monster.

"Yae!" he shouted at her, making her jump, "Are you alright!?"

"Yes, yes, I'm fine. I don't know where Taro is."

"We can look for him later. You need to get out of here."

She finally snapped out of her stupor and glared at him, "I'm not going anywhere. This is my prey," she said as she raised her rifle. Michael grabbed the barrel and pointed at the ground, making her growl in anger, "HEY!"

"Bullets are not going to kill this thing! You need to get out of here before-"

The noise of metal falling to the ground made him stop and turn back to the demon bear. Using its paws, it had managed to dislodge the dagger from his eye and tossed it away. It fell back onto his four legs and roared at them, before charging at them with its bloody jaws wide open. Michael gave a war cry before he raised his katana and sprinted to meet it. At the last second, he leapt acrobatically above its head with his sword raised and ready to slam it down on its neck, but the bear was quick and got on to his rear legs and tried to clobber him in the air. Michael was forced to give up his attack and ducked on the paw as he flew over the bear's shoulder and landed on the snowy ground. He couldn't stop for a second as the bear turned suddenly and pounced on him, but he leapt and rolled away in time. He turned back to the bear and raised his kantana up as he defended himself from several swipes of its paws, parrying each attack and cutting the bears arms and legs before his back slammed into an tree. The bear reared its arm back and swung it at him; he managed to duck and roll out of the way in time leading the bear to smash its paw against the tree, snapping it in half and making splinters fly all over the place. As the tree fell, the bear proceeded to grab onto it with his jaws, lifted it up and threw it at Michael. The Slayer took a deep breath, the wind whipping and swirling around him, and, in one stroke downwards, cut the incoming tree in half before it collide with him. However, he barely had a second to think before he sensed the bear lurch towards him, the claws on his paws gleaming dangerously in the moonlight.

'It used the tree as a distraction,' Michael realised, as he sensed the paw aim directly at his head, 'Its smart. Much smarter then it should be.'

The paw made contact with the edge of his jingasa, but before it could go any further, the bear retracted its paw back and bellowed in pain. The reason was that its right paw and been sliced in two, from the digits to its wrist, spraying red blood in the air and reddening the white snow.

Michael smirked and flicked the edge of his jingasa, making a dull metallic sound, "Nichirin jingasa. I'm not letting another demon destroyed my hat," he told himself before he darted up to the front of the distracted bear and pressed the tip of his blade against where his lungs should be, "Twist."

Within the great beast's lungs, the air whipped around like a ferocious hurricane and obliterated the organs and everything else into blood and pulp. It shot out of the bears maw, splattering the entire area in offal and guts. Yae had only managed to dodge it by hiding behind a tree, it was a terrifying display to witness.

Now it was distracted, Michael took the opportunity to sprint to a tree, jump onto it before leaping to another tree and another tree; trying to get higher and higher to perform the execution. Once he was high enough, he raised his katana above his head and took a deep breath.

"Special Move: AIR CUTTER!" he bellowed as swung the blade down at its neck.

THUNK!

The katana met its target, but, to Michael's disbelief, it didn't go any further then past its fur. Not a single cut or slice was made and the Slayer grit his teeth in agony at the recoil.

'It didn't go through. It barely pierced the skin,' he thought to himself, 'Did I do something wrong? No, its hide must be too strong. Its underbelly and face are weaker points, but I can't decapitate it.'

Michael was snapped out of his thoughts as he was swatted out of the air by the bear, making him sail across the woods and collide against a tree and falling painfully to the ground. The bear snapped its jaws shut to prevent more of his innards spewing out before turning its scarlet eyes at him.

It prepared to gallop at him once again when suddenly-

BANG!

The bear yelled in fury as he was shot in the eye, causing him to stray off course. Using the opportunity, Yae lowered her smoking rifle and ran up to him as he was getting up on his feet.

"Michael, are you alright?" she asked, pointing her gun at the bear just in case.

"Fine, nothing I can't manage," he grunted, "but the hide on his back is too thick, I can't cut it."

"Is there any other way of killing it?"

He shook his head, "No. I could probably do it ten or twenty blows if it could stay still for a few seconds…" he trailed off when he remembered something he read a few years ago. A weather phenomenon caused by the sudden replacement of air from a high pressure area to a low pressure area called an Explosive Cyclogenesis. He had never done it before, but if he did it right it could immobilise the bear. Michael got into a fighting stance and took a deep breath, "Yae, I need you to get out of here."

"I told you. This is my kill, I ain't runni-"

"I can't do this if you're around! I might hurt you!" Michael yelled at her, making her take a few step backs in alarm, "If you're not going to leave then fall back to a safe distance and hold onto a tree. I don't know how strong this is going to be."

Yae hummed in annoyance, but reluctantly did what he said and retreated from the area. By the time Michael got into a stance, the bear had recovered, regenerated his eye and began to charge at him once again. He took a deep breath and sprinted at the bear; he raised his katana in front of him before he began to rapidly swirl it around in a circle until he made a bright green cyclone of air.

"First Form: Dust Whirlwind Cutter!" he yelled as the cyclone hit the bear right in the chest.

The monster took a few steps back because of the impact, but it dug its rear legs into the ground and began to push back against the attack. However, he dispersed the attack and leaped back onto a tree before he bouncing back with another attack.

"Second Form: Claws-purifying Wind!" he shouted, releasing three vertical wind slashes at the bear.

The attacks met their target causing the giant bear to bellow in pain, but it fought through and tried to gnash Michael with his jaws. The Slayer, at the last moment, jumped away before it could get its bloodied jaws on him and landed on another tree. Michael continued to release hell on the demon bear; releasing attack after attack and managing to outmanoeuvre his opponent before it could get its claws on him. The wind began to howl wilder around the area, causing snow to fly and tree branches to snap. Yae had to quickly grab onto a tree to prevent herself from being knocked off her feet. And yet, he sent a barrage of attacks at the bear using an assortment of attacks from all angles, making the monster become irradiated by the second.

'Just a few more,' Micheal told himself as he somersaulted in mid-air and creating a wheel of air with his katana, 'I need to increase the temperature and reduce the air pressure in the area.'

He cut down the bear's back; sliced diagonally across its face; ducked underneath a swipe of its large paw; whipped its stomach with a turret of air. To the bear, he was nothing but a green and black blur, zipping around him like a wasp and stinging it at every opportunity.

Eventually, once it was hot enough to decrease the air pressure, he stopped his onslaught of attacks and jumped onto a tree branch, crouching as low as he can.

'NOW!' he thought as leapt into the air; as high as he can above the bear's head.

Once he reached the cooler air and gravity began to drag him down to earth once again, he raised his sword above his head and swung it in circles. It began to produce a vortex of air above his head that he dragged down to the ground. When he was a few meters above the bear's back, he swung his katana with the power of a thousand gales.

"SPECIAL MOVE: WEATHER BOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMBBBBB!"

BBBBOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!

The first thing that happened, as soon as the blade made contact with the bear's back, was the compressed air burst and created a deafening sonic boom that spread across the area. Then the bear's spine began to crack and splinter by the force of the explosion which was followed by the rest of the bones in its body smashing or popping out of their sockets. Its eyes bulged imploded; blood spewed out of its maw once more; its underbelly burst like a blister and its organs fell onto the snowy ground. Once Michael had landed on in a kneeling position not too far away, the bear was nothing more then a pile of broken bones, torn flesh and mulch. Nothing more then a bloody heap that used to be a creature.

Michael had unleashed his strongest and deadliest attack so far; one of the many special moves he would create as his time as a Slayer.

Hunting Lodge

Meanwhile, Tomioka and Shinobu had found the burnt ruins that used to be the hunting lodge some distance from the village. There was nothing left but blackened wood and debris covered in a blanket of snow; left completely untouched since the incident. Despite this, the two Hashira continued their investigation of the ruins, trying to find evidence that Yae's story was valid.

Tomioka hummed thoughtfully as she knelt down a bit of charred wood, "There isn't much to go on," she sighed as she tossed the wood away, "This has been pointless."

"Not necessarily," Shinobu said as she observed that one of the fallen ceiling rafters,"I believe there may be some truth in our little Matagi's tail," she mused before she placed a finger daintily on her chin in thought, "Although...it does raise some interesting points."

"What do you mean?" Tomioka sighed, raising an eyebrow.

Shinobu giggled, "While Yae was asleep, I talked to the pharmacist on what she thought of it. I was able to get plenty of information from her, You see what being a little less gloomy can achieve," she teased, earning an annoyed look from her fellow Hashira, "She said that the hunting party consisted with of six members. However, when they went up to salvage their bodies to perform a funeral, they only recovered four hunters. One of survivors was Yae while the other-"

"Let me guess; the last one is missing."

"Exactly, the pharmacist and the other villagers assumed that the bear that Yae spoke of had dragged the last one away and ate them closer to its den, but...I'm not entirely convinced," Shinobu gave a small hum and looked over the ruins, "I hate to say it, but you are right. There isn't much to get from here. If only we had gotten here a week earlier. However, look what I found," she sang, pointing down at the ceiling rafter.

Tomioka made her way over to her and observed the rafter as well. That was one late scratch marked deeply into the wood; something very big and very powerful had obviously caused it, "A scratch mark," she muttered, "It looks too big to be a demons. But surely it can't be made by a bear either."

"Ara, Ara," Shinobu giggled, "I have a theory for what happened here. If it's true then both you and Yae are right. Right now, I need you to do something for me while I track down Yae before-"

BOOOOM!

She was interrupted by a mighty explosion in the distance, making the two Hashira look around. A few miles away, in the dense forest, a tidal wave of wind ripped throughout the area, shaking the trees and sending snow into the air to form an icy cloud. They watched it make its way through the forest before the wave washed over them, not reacting at all to the cold or the wind that rustled their hair and their uniform. Once it had died down and snow cloud fell to ground once more, Shinobu hummed and cocked her head to one side.

"Oh dear," she said before turning to Tomioka, "it would seem that our newest recruit is in the middle of a battle."

The Forest

'Come on, this is your chance,' Michael thought as he sense the neck of the great bear completely exposed, 'just a few swings and I can kill this thing.'

He tried to stand to his feet and raise his katana to deliver the last final blows, but he found that he couldn't move at all. He grunted in pain as he muscles spasmed and shook; not responding to his demands at all. He tried and tried again, but there was no way he could budge a single inch.

'No! Why can't I move!' he yelled in his head in frustration before it slowly dawned on him, 'The attack must have effected me as well. I'm suffering the aftershocks. Damn it! I don't know how long until I'll recover!'

Yae let go of the tree she was holding onto and made her way back to where the fighting was taken place. She saw the heap of bones, fur and blood first and almost gagged when she saw it start to slowly piece itself back together again. But then she saw Michael on his hands and knees in the snow with his sword clutched to his chest; his entire body was shaking violently.

"Michael what's going on?" she called out to him.

"...Can't...move..." he sputtered out, "...muscles...have...locked...up..."

Yae gritted her teeth and turn to look at the regenerating bear in concern, "I need to get you out of here," she muttered to herself as she ran up to him, slinging the rifle over her shoulder as she did. She wrapped her arms underneath his armpits and began to drag him backwards, "You're so heavy," she muttered, earning a miserable groan from Michael.

Before she could get any further, she spotted something half-buried in the snow not too far away. She reached over and pulled out the green-bladed dagger that Michael had used to stab the bear in the eye. It must have been carried by the wind when he performed his Special Move. She tucked the dagger into her jacket before she continued to drag him deeper into the forest.

After a few minutes, she found herself in the shadow of a cliff face. It was a few meters high with rocks jutting out of it which can be used for climbing up it. Yae knew that there was an empty cave situated high up near the edge of the cliff. She had discovered it one day when she was out hunting and had been using it to shelter her and Taro from storms. It was a difficult climb and the fact that it was covered in snow and she had to carry Michael up as well made it all the more dangerous. But she had to try, otherwise they're dead.

She dragged him to the foot of the cliff and propped his paralysed body against the side, "Michael, I'm sorry but I have to remove your hat and coat."

"...No...don't...I...can..."

"You're too heavy for me. I need to get rid of it before-"

RRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

She stopped and gasped as the monstrous cry shook the entire forest; she looked back and heard the sound of heavy stomps of the bear galloping towards their position and the crack of trees being uprooted from the ground.

"Its found us. How does it know where we are?" she muttered in disbelief before she felt her hand grabbed tightly.

"...Yae..." Michael uttered through gritted teeth, "...get...out...of...here...leave...me..."

She tore her hand out of his grasp, "I told you, I'm not leaving you he... I mean, this is my kill and I'm going until its dead," she the proceeded to pull out the dagger and showed it to him, "This is like your katana. That means it can hurt it, right?"

She didn't wait for an answer as she took off towards the tallest tree she could find and began to climb up it.

"...Yae...you have...to wait..." he tried calling out to her.

She ignored him and scaled the large tree. Once she was high enough, she held onto the tree bark, gripped the dagger tightly in her hand and waited for her pray to arrive. It didn't take long for it to appear; it tore through the forest like it was nothing before stopping as it caught sight of the cliff face and Michael, right beneath the tree she was on; merely a meter above its head. It looked around the area, looking like it was trying to find something, but it gave up and began to approach the paralysed Slayer.

She waited for the right moment to strike. Watched without blinking for a single second or taking a breath of air.

She waited...

...and waited...

...and waited... before she pushed herself off the tree and jumped onto its head.

Startled, the bear didn't have time to react before she raised the dagger above her head and plunged into its skull with a sickening crack. The monster roared in pain and tried to shake her off; it took all her strength to cling onto the dagger which had gotten lodged in its head.

It whipped its head side to side furiously, making her lose her balance and her grip. Yae was flung off and she crashed onto the ground on her left shoulder. She heard a popping sound and cried out as her arm was struck with pain. She propped herself up on her right arm and saw the bear attempt to tear out the dagger in its skull, but its paws didn't seem to reach it. Using her uninjured arm, she lifted the rifle of her shoulder and rolled onto her back. She lifted her legs up and made a V-shape with her feet before placing the barrel between them. She pulled back the bolt and released the empty shell from before re-loading a second bullet and placing the butt of the rifle in the crook of her shoulder and pulled the trigger.

BANG!

The bullet hit the bear's shoulder, drawing its attention to her.

"Damn it!" she muttered before she re-loaded the third bullet and fired again. It fired over the bear's head that time, causing her to curse once more, "Damn it! I can't aim properly like this!"

The bear growled menacingly and charged at her as she fired another bullet at it which, fruitlessly, bounced of its hide. Yae's eyes widened as it dawned at her that she was going to die as the bear was ready to pounce at her and tear her limb from limb. It was so close that she could smell rotten meat come from its sharp teeth.

Suddenly, she felt a cold breeze of air and then a strong arm wrap around her waist and haul her off the ground before the bear could get to her. She was lifted into the air as if she weightless; she looked up to see that she was in Michael's arm while the other arm hung onto a rock jutting out of the cliff face.

"Michael, you're-"

"I was trying to say that I was beginning to recover," he told her, "Also you better have not damaged my dagger."

The bear bellowed up at them and prepared to climb up the cliff face after them, but Michael was prepared. He placed his foot on a rock and slung his arm over the rock he was holding onto so it now buried into the crook of his elbow. With his hand now free, he reached for his katana in its sheath, took a deep breath before declaring.

"Second Form: Claws-Purifying Wind!"

With one swing of his sword, he conjured up four wind slashes and sent them upwards to the edge of the cliff. As soon as the wind slashes made impact against the ridge; the edge exploded in a rain of rocks and snow. Not too long after, the two heard a rumble above their heads as more and more snow began to flow of the edge. It grew bigger and bigger and bigger until several tonnes of snow cascaded over the cliff face and hurtled down past them and hitting the bear in the face. The monster tried to fight against the avalanche as best as it could, but it began to quickly get overwhelmed. Its claws slipped off the cliff and it landed on its back, allowing snow to pile more and more onto him. Yae covered her eyes to avoid the powder snow to damage them and clung as tightly as she can to Michael.

After a few minutes, the avalanche slowly began to come to a halt and the they sighed in relief. Looking down, Yae saw the mountain of snow that was piled on top of the demon bear and gave a worried hum.

"Is that going to stop it?"

"Not at all," Michael replied, "It'll slow it down, though. Can you climb?"

Yae shook her head, "My arm's injured. I think it's dislocated," she answered with a painful wince, "There's a cave just a few meters above your head and to the right. If you give me a boost I think I can make it."

Michael proceeded to do so and, after a few minutes of struggling, Yae eventually made it and sat down on the cave's floor, cradling her left arm. Michael was about to climb up after her when suddenly-

BOOOOMMM!

RRRROOOOOOAAAARRRR!

The snow covered ground exploded and the bear burst out of it and stuck its claws into the side of the cliff face. It was so close that Michael's legs were just dangling just out of reach of its jaws that tried to snatch him. Yae gave a startled scream while Michael almost let go in surprise; he held onto the cliff face with his land arm and used his other to swing his katana at the bear. He slashed its snout, kicked his nose and stabbed its eyes, but it was clear that there was no way of stopping it. Even the fact that the dagger was still lodged in its skull was slowing it down. It was in a fit of rage and there was nothing that could quench its murderous intentions.

Michael sensed that deadly pit that was the beast's mouth right beneath his feet; one little slip up and he would fall in.

Suddenly, he got an idea...but it was risky.

Michael turned his head towards and yelled, "Yae, when I give you the signal, jump onto his head and pull the dagger downwards as hard as you can."

"Are you insane!" she cried back at him.

"It's the only way. I'm going to climb a little further to help you," he told her before he quickly began to pull himself up.

The bear followed him, digging its claws into the stone and climbing up as well. Once he knew he was high enough so that his head was next to the cave entrance and easy enough for Yae to leap onto it, he enacted his plan...

...he let go.

Just as the bear was opening its jaws to roar once more, Michael landed with one foot on the top of its snout where its nose is and the other on the bottom of his jaw where his chin was. He held his katana above his head and with a war cry swung it down between his legs and sliced the ligament that connected the jaw bone to the rest of its head in one swoop. Once he cut through from the ligament, snapped the bone and sliced through half of its gullet, he pulled his katana out of his throat, grabbed onto the cliff face and kicked its jaw as hard as it can.

SNAP! SHLICK!

In one sickening sound, the entire jaw snapped away and fell to the ground far below them. The bear's black slimy tongue hung out of the hole that used to be its mouth, flapping in the wind like a wet flag. Blood and saliva dripped out of its gullet and sprayed across the cliff face and in its own fur. The monster itself was stunned and used its paw to figure out by it couldn't close its mouth; not yet comprehending that his jaw was several feet below them in the snowy ground.

"Now!" Michael roared, giving the signal for Yae to play her part.

She tucked her dislocated arm into her belt before jumping onto the bear's head and grabbing hold of the dagger stuck into it. Her weight as well gravity working with her, meant that the monster's head tilted backwards, revealing the gaping mouth to Michael.

In one acrobatic manoeuvre, he pushed himself off the cliff and into the bear's mouth, his katana poised in front of him and aimed at where the spinal column is connected to the base of the skull. His head and torso was completely inside its mouth before the tip speared the spine and pierced out though the hide and the fur; he had to make sure to not stab Yae in the process.

SNAP!

The spine cracked apart at the force of the attack; the only thing left was for Michael to deliver the final below.

"SPECIAL MOVE: AIR CUTTER!" he roared as he spun around and sliced the neck and gullet in one deadly swoop. Before the bear could comprehend what had happened…

SHLICK!

…its head was cleaved off.

As he fell, Michael pulled Yae up and into his arms as the monster's head tumbled to the ground, making a sickening sound on impact. He landed on his feet on the soft snow in time for the bear's claws to become detached from the cliff leading for the hulking body to plummet after the head and landed in a heap. Yae climbed out of Michael's arms and the two stood in silence to recover after what they had been through.

Yae look towards the mangled body of the bear not too far away and took a deep shaky breath, "Is it over? Is it dead?"

Michael used his Breathing and sensed its body began to turn to ash, "Yes, its dying. Once it's turned to ash...then its truly gone. Do you want me to fix your arm."

Without taking her eyes off the beast, she nodded, "No need to find something to bite down on. Just get it over with."

After putting her arm back in its socket, Yae slowly approached the bear and looked down at its jawless face. She saw its red eyes stared back up at her and heard a deep rumble from its gullet...but she was not afraid. Her face showed no emotion, her eyes were dark and vacant of any life,

"You...bastard," she muttered, before her face morphed into one of absolute fury, "you...BASTARD!" Michael had to suddenly hold her back before and wrap his arm around her waist before she tried to take her anger out on it, her arms and legs swung viciously, "YOU TOOK EVERYTHING FROM ME! YOU DESTROYED MY LIFE! I HOPE YOU ROT IN HELL! DAMN YOU! DAMN YOU!" she screamed as she broke down into tears, "Damn you...damn you..." she sobbed as she fell to her hands and knees and wailed and cried in sorrow.

Michael decided to not interfere for now and let her cry. He had some idea how she felt and it was best to let her her grieve in her own way. After a few minutes, the bear's corpse had almost disappeared into nothingness except for part of its face which continued to glare at them. Yae gave a small sad whimper; her tears stung her eyes and her throat completely sore from screaming. She pushed herself up and wiped the tears from her face and sniffed; she didn't say anything, but merely stared down at the demon bear; her eyes void of any emotion. Michael was about to say something when suddenly he felt something poke his cheek.

"Well, well, this is quite interesting," Shinobu chirped, making him and Yae jump in shock, "I never seen a demon like this before. Shame that it has to disappear otherwise I would have made good use of its liver."

"Shinobu," Michael uttered in surprise, "What are you-"

"Ah, ah," she interrupted, shaking her finger at him, "Tomi has something to show you. I believe we've found what you were looking for Yae."

Yae's eyes widened in fear while Michael frowned in confusion.

"What are you talking about?" he asked as the Matagi cast her eyes to the ground anxiously.

"You'll see," she giggled, "Tomi is currently a mile away due East. We'll meet here."

Michael hummed thoughtfully but decided that it was best to do what she was hinting and head East while Yae followed behind reluctantly. When Yae passed Shinobu, the Hashira spotted something in her jacket and subtly picked it off. She inspected it and saw that it was a strand of red hair.

'Hmm,' she thought, 'It must have come off his head when she slapped him. Nobody else has hair like this."

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted the bear's red eye move and twitch suddenly. She looked at twisted face of the bear, glancing back at the hair before turning her attention back to the monster's eye. She moved the hair a little, causing the eyes to twitch. Intrigued, she checked that the other two were gone before she knelt down in front of the head and swayed the hair strand back and forth. The eyes followed the strand as it swayed, not losing focus or glancing away for a mere second. It was as if the bear's one and true purpose was to never look away from it, tracking it until its miserable death.

Shinobu hummed curiously before she took out a free test tube and placed the strand inside it and sealed it with a cork, "Very interesting," she quietly said as she pocketed the test tube.

In another part of the forest, they found Tomioka on the crest of a small hill, looking away from them down the slope. She didn't tear her eyes away from what she was staring when she heard them approach, but, as soon as they were close enough, she pointed down the slope. Yae was the first to reach the top and looked down to where the other woman was pointing, causing her to gasp in horror. Michael used his Breathing and realised what was so shocking.

At the foot of the hill, in the middle of path of blood red snow, was a figure eating the body of an animal, tearing into its flesh like a wild beast. The figure was a man in his late forties with greyish hair, pale sickly skin, two horns protruding from his forehead and black pulsating veins over its bloody face and wore black clothing. It was clearly a demon, but it took some time to find out what it was eating. When he realised what it was, it almost made him feel sick.

"Taro..." Yae uttered in despair as she saw her loyal partner get torn to shreds, the life in the hunting dogs eyes completely gone.

"It seems that he ran off when he picked up a familiar smell," Shinobu mused, "Poor thing didn't realised he had turned."

"Shinobu," Tomioka warned as she saw the tears in Yae's eyes.

He pieces suddenly fell into place in Michael's head as he turned to the young Matagi, "That's your father. You told me that he was killed by that bear not turn into a demon himself."

"She was protecting him from us," Tomioka sighed, "Once she realised what we do, she tried to tell us that it was only one threat. She wasn't going out to find the bear, she was trying to find Matazo."

"You lied to me," he angrily snapped at her, making her look down guiltily, "I was the only who was on your side and you lied to me."

Yae didn't reply immediately, nor did she look away from the sight of her father, "I'm a Matagi. I don't need anybody to hunt for me. They may be no way to save him now, but if anybody is going to kill my father...it's going to be me!"

Suddenly, she took off running down the hill and grabbed her rifle off her back, ignoring the Slayer's cries to come back. Once she got to a good distance, she got onto one knee, positioned her gun and aimed at the feasting Matazo. She focused on his head; she had one bullet left in the magazine. One bullet meant one shot.

'I'm sorry Taro,' she thought as she honed in on her target, "You have been a loyal friend to me, but your death as given me a chance. Remember what father always told you; once you spot your prey, raise your rifle slowly...take two breaths, inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth...one you spotted your target's vital spot and then when your ready...squeeze the trigger,' she told herself as she tensed her finger against the trigger.

She remembered the first time Matazo taught her how to shoot a gun; it was the happiest day of her life.

- Flashback Twelve Years Ago -

Hunting Lodge

Long before the lodge burned to the ground and blood was spilt, one of the Matagi who stayed at the lodge laid upon a mat upon the tatami floor and looked at a six year old Yae playing with a puppy just outside. He sighed wearily and turned to look at an older man with greying hair, fair skin and a stern face sitting on the other mat and busily cleaning his rifle.

"So Yae wants to learn how to shoot?"

"I told her it isn't a game," Matazo grumbled in reply, "Besides, who's heard of a female Matagi."

The other Matagi sighed, "Mata, she must be lonely. Staying all alone at home. There aren't any girls her age here. Respect her desire to spend more time with you."

Matazo thought about it for a few seconds before he grumbled tiredly and got to his feet. He stepped outside and approached his daughter; the young girl looked up as she heard him approach with interest. Matazo rubbed the back of his head, contemplating whether this was a good idea before he took the rifle of his shoulders and showed it to Yae.

"Any following around and I'll take it away," he bluntly told her.

The look of absolute joy on her face was enough to melt his heart and almost broke a smile.

'Maybe this is a good idea,' he thought to himself as she excitedly took the rifle in her little hands.

-Flashback End -

Yae relaxed her finger as tears began to stream down her eyes, "No...I'm sorry...I can't do it," she murmured.

"Yae! Get out of the way!"

The shout snapped her out of her thoughts. She gave a startled scream when she saw the demon that once was a father suddenly leap at her, his sharp claws aimed dangerously at her throat and his teeth bared and ready to feast. She fell backwards while the demon landed on top of her; she shoved her rifle into his mouth to prevent him from biting him and tried to push him away. She struggled against him, trying to avoid his sharp claws that tried to scratch her. She was complete helpless; her gun was beginning to snap in the demon's jaws and she was only a few seconds away from death.

And yet, the only thing she think of doing was talking to him.

"Father..." she uttered through strangled breath, "Why...why didn't you kill me at the lodge? Why did you run?"

Suddenly, as soon as she asked that question, the man that used to be her father slowed down his assault; his eyes soften and, for a split second, she thought she saw a hint of recognition within them.

SHLICK!

Without warning, a jet of water sliced through the demon's neck, making him fall off her. Yae felt somebody drag her away, allowing her to see Tomioka standing over the demon with her sword drawn; his head sliced clear from his shoulders and his body beginning to disintegrate. Yae saw the demon's eyes turn to her once again, but it wasn't the hunger-filled murderous look she had previously known; it felt like it was full of compassion and pride...towards her. He continued to look at her like that until the head turned to ash, the dust being swept into the wind.

"It's over now," Michael sighed as he let go of Yae, "I'm sorry Yae."

Shinobu hummed and nodded in agreement, "Let's head back. You two need to rest after all-" she stopped suddenly once she noticed Yae had slipped her boot off. Her gun was turned upside down so it pointed below her chin and she put her toe to the trigger. Her eyes widened in shock as she cried, "Michael stop her!"

He jumped at her shouts and used his Breathing to sense what was going on. As soon as he realised what Yae was doing, his hand darted down to the barrel of the gun.

'Damn! I'm not going to make it!' he thought in alarm.

Yae ignored the shouts and added pressure to the trigger with her big toe, "Everything...is gone," she muttered as she pushed down the trigger.

Click!

Michael snatched the rifle out of her hands, but only after she had pulled the trigger.

The gun had not fired.

"Jammed," Yae mumbled in mild surprise, "but I clean it everyday."

Michael frowned and used his hands to investigate the rifle, eventually finding a familiar wetness near the trigger mechanism.

"There's blood on here," he told her, "it must have got on it when your fathe- when the demon bit down on it."

Yae collapsed into the snow and began to cry, "I can't even kill my self right," she sobbed, "I've lost everything. My father, Taro, my home. Why can't I just die!" she wailed, "Leave me alone! Forget about me! I don't want to see anybody anymore!"

Tomioka and Shinobu watched sadly as she sobbed in her hands while Michael heard her mournful cries echo in his head. Eventually, Tomioka approached her and kneeled beside her.

"I heard his last words...when I killed him," she softly told her, "Do you know what he said?"

"I...don't...care," she spat through gritted teeth.

"They were for you," she continued, "he said...'Live on'."

Yae looked up at her when she said that, "Live on?" she repeated.

From the back of her head, she recalled a hunting trip that she, Taro and her father took. It was a successful hunt and she was very proud of everything she caught. She remembered that they were about to skin a deer they had killed and she had turn to her father, Taro yapping happily at her feet, and saying:

'We killed it and so we live on. That's what you always taught me, right.'

She recalled her father smiling proudly and nodding in agreement.

'That's right. No life should be wasted. We must always strive to make the best out of everything in order to live.'

"Live on..." Yae mumbled, to herself as her eyelids grew heavy, "...live...on..."

Yae blacked out; exhaustion and grief finally getting the better of her.

Outside The Village

It was the next morning and the Slayers were preparing to leave, ready to either go back home or prepare themselves ready for more requests. However, Michael didn't want to leave until he said his goodbyes to Yae. He couldn't find her within the boundaries of the village, but he then heard gunshots coming from the dense forest and assumed that was her. He eventually found her in the middle of shooting practise; her target was a woven sack stuffed with straw and hung by a rope from a tree branch. She hit her target every time; always managing to either hit the target dead on centre or just around it. Once she released her last shot, she lowered her rifle to the ground and released a deep sigh.

"You're bad at sneaking up on people," she finally said, looking back at him over her shoulder, "You should fix that, Slayer."

Michael chuckled lightly, "I keep that in mind for next time. We're just about to leave."

"Fine," she muttered as she reloaded her rifle with five bullets.

"I wanted to say goodbye to you...and see how your arm is doing."

"It's fine. I can still shoot with it. Goodbye," she snapped irritably.

Michael frowned slightly before he shrugged and turned back to leave. Yae glanced back at him over her shoulder; a guilt expression evident on her face. After a few seconds of contemplation and swallowing her pride, she called out to him again.

"I'm sorry," she said, making Michael stopped and turned around, raising a curious eyebrow, "for lying to you...about my father."

Michael hummed sadly at that, "Don't worry about it. I understand. You were only trying to protect him," he told, making her nod in agreement.

A dead silence fell between them as both of them wondered what to do. Michael remembered the encounter with Yae's father; he did try to kill her, but there was something else that he couldn't ignore. Something he had never witnessed before in a demon. Eventually, he sighed reluctantly, walked up to her before tilting his jingasa up to show her his bandaged face.

"A few years ago, a demon did this to me," he told; he didn't have to use his senses to know that she winced at the sight of it, "ever since then, it has been my purpose to kill every single one before they could do any more harm to innocent people. I've met enough demons to know that they are nothing but cruel, blood-thirsty monsters who deserve no mercy..." he trailed off slightly as he tried to find the right words, "...however, there was something different about your father. Demons won't hesitate for a single second to slaughter anybody, but it seemed like...he was holding back his murderous...for you. I don't know if it's because he was still in an early phase into becoming a demon and he still had his humanity intact, but it seemed like he recognised you and fought hard to give into his demonic instincts...all I'm saying is...maybe you were right in protecting him. You clearly loved him and he clearly loved you enough to fight against his nature. What you two had must be very special."

Yae blinked in surprise before she smiled bashfully and brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear, "Thanks...that's good to hear," she took a deep breath and looked over the snow-covered forest, taking in every beautiful detail that met her eye, "You know, the Matagi are actually the descendants of the Ainu people of Hokkaido. Not only were we taught how to hunt, but we also uphold their beliefs. My father told me that Kami live in every living thing. Every mountain, tree, rock, stream and animal and we must respect them, even once we kill them. Usually, after a successful hunt, we would pray to the Kami that resides in the animal in order for it to settle and move on into the after life," she gripped her rifle tightly in her hands as her eyes lowered to the ground, "All my beliefs and everything that was taught to me vanished as soon as you killed that bear. It was replaced with anger and spite and I wanted nothing more then to keep beating that corpse until my fists bled. Even if it was this...demon...I should have respected it and prayed for it like any other kill..." she wiped a tear from her eye and fought down a sob, "If you didn't stop me, I would have forsaken my ancestors' customs, my culture and everything my father taught me, just because I let my anger take over me...I just wanted to say that...I really appreciate you holding me back."

"But I didn't-"

"I know you didn't know. That's why I'm telling you," she said with a small smile, "I'm just saying that, out of all the things did for me...I really appreciated that the most. If I had died, I would have died a Matagi. If I had survived and disrespected everything I was taught, then I wouldn't be. Thank you, Michael."

He fell silent for a few seconds before he gave a small chuckle and smiled down at her, "I understand. I'm just glad you're alright, that's all," he told, causing her blush a little, "So, What are you going to do now?"

"Now," she said confidently, holding her gun tightly to her, "I'm a Matagi. There's plenty more to hunt before the winter ends."

Michael frowned in concern, "But you'll be on your own."

She shrugged, "I don't mind...it gives me time to...clear my head," she gave a weary smile, "Although, it will be a lot different now that father and Taro are gone."

He hummed thoughtfully, "Why don't you come with me. I'm heading south to the capital. It might be good for you to see something different."

"No, thank you. That part of the world is just too different from what I used to. I don't belong there."

"Neither do I," Michael commented,

"That maybe so, but they sure do need you. I'll be fine here, at promise."

He gave her a small smile and nodded, "Alright, you know best. But if you need anymore demons to be killed, you'll contact me."

"And if you want me to shoot something, you know where to find me."

Michael chuckled, "Are you implying I don't know how to shoot."

"Is that a serious question?" Yae deadpanned.

He smirked and held out his hand and began to motion for her to give him the rifle. Yae merely raised an eyebrow at that.

"Really?"

Michael gave her the same hand motion, causing her to sigh in defeat and place the rifle in his hands.

"If you break my rifle-"

"I won't," he interrupted her mid-threat as he placed the gun in the right position and aimed at the target.

"Careful now, it might be a little more powerful than you expect," Yae warned, making him raised an eyebrow at that.

Using his Breathing and his senses, he aimed at the target and...

BANG!

...fired the gun. Much to her astonishment, the bullet hit the target dead in the middle, making the sack swing back and forth. He pulled back at the bolt and released the empty shell before pushing it back and making the mechanism place a second bullet in the barrel. He aimed again and...

BANG!

...he fired again. Yae's jaw dropped when she saw that he hit the target once again in the exact same position.

BANG!

Five bullets hit the target five times all in the same place. Michael smirked and placed the rifle into the dumbfounded Yae's hands; she looked up at him in utter disbelief.

"It pulls a little to the left. You should fix that, Matagi," he quipped before he began to walk back down to the village, "goodbye Yae. I hope we'll meet again."

The young woman watched in leave with a stunned expression on her face. She blinked in confusion before an amused smile appeared on her face,

"I hope so too," she told herself.

Yae then reloaded her rifle's magazine with five more bullets and turned back to the target.

She needed more practise if she was going to do more solo hunting.

Ramen Restaurant, Morioka

It didn't take too long to arrive back at the city of Morioka. As soon as they saw an opportunity to leave, both Michael and Tomioka wanted to get out of there as soon as possible, but Shinobu managed to convince them to dine at a small restaurant she knew. They were reluctant to the idea, but the idea of food was just too tempting and so they gave up. All three sat at the counter of the almost empty restaurant and ordered three bowls of ramen. As they were waiting, Shionbu, who had managed to sit next to Michael much to Tomioka's displeasure, turned up to the red haired Slayer and smiled daintly up at him.

"So, how was your first time being taught by a Hashira, hmm?" she asked.

Michael cocked an eyebrow, "You two didn't teach me anything."

"Oh didn't we?" she said with a teasing tone, "What about the lesson on how not to go out Slaying without support?"

Michael grumbled at that and focused on the bowl of ramen that was put in front of him, "That doesn't count."

Tomioka began eating her ramen and gave Michael a side glance, "You really shouldn't have done that. You could have been killed."

"And Yae would've been killed if I hadn't," he argued before he noticed that he didn't hear a bowl he put down in front of Shinobu, "Are you not going to eat anything?"

"Oh no. A lady needs to watch their figure. Isn't that right, Tomi?"

Tomioka was mid-chew and almost chocked when she heard her say that. She looked from Shionbu to her bowl of broth with an annoyed look on her face.

"Oh dear, sorry Tomi. Don't let me stop you from enjoying your meal."

"I hate you."

"Ara, ara. So mean."

Michael decided it was wise not to comment and just focus on eating his food.

"Still, at least you were right about the bear," Shionbu said, "I suppose we should have believed her…no matter how unlikely it seemed."

Micheal rubbed the back of his head, "I'm surprised as well. Nobody has ever mentioned animals being able to turn into demons before….but why did it happen? Why would Muzan create the bear demon? I mean what's the point of that?"

Shinobu subtly touched the test tube containing the strand of Micheal's in her her pocket and gave a pretend thoughtful hum, "It's quite the mystery."

Michael finished his meal, placed some yen on the counter and headed to the door, "I've got to go. It's a long trip back down to the capital and I want to get a few miles in before sundown. It was nice meeting you all again."

Tomioka watched him make his way across the restaurant and frowned slightly. She felt bad that they were parting ways on bad terms. He was about to step outside when suddenly Tomioka called out to him.

"Michael," she said, getting his attention, "About earlier, when I said you shouldn't have gone out alone, I meant it… but I'm glad you did anyway. You put your life on the line for another person…I think that's very…noble."

He raised his eyebrows in surprised before a small smile graced his lips, "Thank you…it was really great meeting you again, Tomioka. Will we meet again?"

She hummed and shook her head, "It would be better if we didn't. There are many demons out there and we need to remain focus on the task at hand. I'm also not used to…mingling with my colleagues," however, much to Shionbu's astonishment, the corners of her mouth lifted up slightly, "Although…fate is strange and I can't be sure that our paths won't cross once more. Personally, if it came to that…I wouldn't mind as much…" she admitted, her monotone voice sounding a little bashful, "…I'll be sure to keep an eye out for you and, in return, you will keep an eye out for me…" her face dropped suddenly, "…I mean…look out for me…no, I mean keep your eyes peeled…I mean, watch out for…no…"

Michael listened in amusement as she continued to accidentally reference his eyes or seeing anything, 'She's really trying her best to be nice. That's kind of adorable.'

"Tomioka," Shinobu gasped in mock horror, "Don't be so insensitive. You shouldn't joke about the blind."

Tomioka's eyes widened slightly in panic, "But I'm not trying to…"

"She's just teasing you," Michael told her as he stepped out of the restaurant, "Goodbye."

Once he was out of sight, Shinobu gave a weary sigh which caught Tomioka's attention.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh nothing," she said with a graceful smile, "I just thought he would perish when he fought the demon. I suppose there's always next time."

The black haired woman glared at her, "Are you wishing for his death?"

"I'm just being a realist. Any battle can be our last, even for a Hashira."

Tomioka's glare darkened, "Why do you hate him so much?"

"I don't hate him…I just don't have a reason to like him, that's all. A better question is why do you like him so much?" she countered.

"He's Edward's son."

Shionbu rolled her eyes, "That's not a proper reason. You've only met Michael a few time lately and you're already trusting him. Give me at least one thing you like the most about him."

Tomioka frowned thoughtfully as she tried to think of a reason. Her mind casted back to when she first met him at his father's house and remembered the look of amazement on his face. She then remembered their talk at the train station and then after they defeated the shadow demon. Every time he talked or interacted with her made her stone cold heart beat more and more; she couldn't explain it or put it into words; it was just a feeling she had.

"He's…warm," she finally said.

Shinobu raised a confused eyebrow, "I'm sorry."

"He feels warm…I feel…comforted by him…" she simply said before she continued eating her food.

Meanwhile, outside, Michael held out his arm above his head and instantly Angellos landed on it. He reached up and petted his head with a small smile.

"Okay, no more diversions now. Show me the way to Tomayo's clinic," he requested calmly. The crow cawed in agreement before be shot up into the air and circled give him, ready to leave and show him the way. He smiled and began to walk away, "Good, now all I need is to find-"

SLAM!

Michael almost cried out as soon as he walked into something. He used his Breathing and found Kaze standing in front of him; saddle bags already tied up and his harness already put on over his muzzle. He frowned in confusion; he didn't even sense him approach or his hooves on the ground.

"How did you know…why are you…where have you been…" he stammered in bewilderment before sighing once he realised he was interrogating a horse. Instead, he mounted Kaze and took the reins in his hands, "Has anybody ever told you that your a strange horse?"

Kaze whinnied in reply before he began to trot along the streets of Morioka towards the southern main road towards Tokyo.

Asakusa, Tokyo

Five Days Later

It had been so long since he had last been to this place. Tokyo was still busy as ever with its motor cars, tramways, its bustling population and its tall buildings. Michael was very sure he would have been lost if Angellos hadn't been leading him by flying over his head. After Kaze disappeared again to somewhere, Michael took the journey by foot through the crowded, narrow streets to an older part of the city. People flocked the streets to collect shopping for the evening or rode on the trams that trudged through the roads. Brightly coloured flags hung from the openings of shops, advertising their wares and the chatter of hundreds of people filled the air. He would frequently bump into something or somebody because there was no where to move. Eventually, Angellos led him down a side street which was much quieter, much to his relief.

He walked down the unpaved back streets of Asakusa, getting further and further away from the main street. These parts there were just residential buildings; almost silent and almost void of any people except for few men who, judging by their terrible singing and the fact they were stumbling all over the place, seemed to have had too much sake that night. It wasn't until a few minutes later that Angellos stopped, cawed back at him before he flew away, leaving him alone in a deserted alleyway. Michael frowned in confusion and used his Breathing to sense the area. On his right was a few wooden buildings which seemed empty at the moment while on his left was a tall wall made of plaster and wood.

'What? This is it?' he thought to himself.

He used his Breathing to sense the area again, but nothing apparent seemed to catch his attention. That was until he noticed something. As the wind pillars drifted along the wall on the left, they acted strangely at a certain point. It seemed to swirl around in a circle before looping over and continuing its journey as if nothing had happened. Every single wind pillar did this at the exact same point. He hummed curiously and approached the part of the wall, he reached out to touch it only for his hand hand to go through it. Intrigued, he did it again with the same results. The entire section of the wall was complete intangible and he assumed it was hidden in case any of any enemies that wondered by.

He stepped through, feeling an odd sensation as he passed through it, to find himself on the grounds of large white clapboard house. It was two stories tall and looked to have plenty of rooms: the two front doors were of a western design with a stained glass window on either one. All the windows, except on on the ground floor, were darkened. Surrounding the house was a grove a white petted cherry blossom trees that seemed to glow in the pale moonlight.

Carefully, Michael approached the house and went up to the front doors. He touched the wooden doors with one hand before he reared it back and knocked on it with his knuckle. After a few seconds, there was no reply and so he tried again, but a little harder. Another few seconds had passed and so he knocked again, even harder this time. Finally, he heard rapid footsteps coming from inside until finally one of the doors swung open to reveal a furious young man.

He had short light green hair, pale skin and lavender coloured eyes. He was about a foot shorter than Michael with a sharp face and a permanent scowl on his brow. He wore a dull grey buttoned-up shirt, a white haori and black hakama trousers. The man sneered up at him and growled in anger.

"Who are you and how did you get in he-" he trailed off as soon as he saw his katana sheathed on his hip.

Michael was equally as shocked; he didn't need to see what he truly was. He had killed more then enough to tell them apart from a human.

"Slayer," the man uttered.

"Demon," Michael growled.

His instincts took over and without another a single second of hesitation, Michael reared back his fist and punched the man right in the jaw.

And that's it for now.

Firstly, you may have notice but I edited the last chapter quite a bit by switching the location from Hokkaido to Akita. That's mainly because I got it wrong and thought that Matagi were from the island, but it turns out that they are mainly situated in northern Honshu. I decided to tweak some things and now the previous chapter is a bit more accurate. By the way, the Japanese word for bear is "kuma", but, in the Matagi language, it is "itazu". Hence the title of the chapter.

Secondly, I've been searching all the wikis and forums to find out if an animal can become a demon. Apparently, there's nothing specifically saying it "can't" happen so I'm going to take inspiration out of the 90s film "Air Bud" and just say that if it isn't in the rulebook then it can happen...

...I honestly never thought I would use a movie about a dog playing basketball as a means to strengthen my argument (sigh).

Anyway, thank you all for reading and I'll see you next time.

Happy Holidays :)

Omake

Yamamoto's House

While Michael was in Tokyo, the old former Hashira sat beneath his cherry blossom tree and sipped his tea while his crow sat in the branches above his head. Suddenly, his eyes widened in shock.

"Damn! I forgot to tell Michael that Tamayo and Yushiro are demons," he said before he shrugged, "Ah well, he'll find out eventually."

He then proceeded to drink his tea and eat his mochi while his crow frowned in concern.