Hello Everyone, Wandering tree here. I feel refreshed from my break and here the latest chapter.
Chapter 7
It was the crack of dawn when a soft knock on a door was heard. Yuki grumbled when he woke up from his slumber, hoping it would go away.
"Moshi Moshi!" a femine voice spoke up.
"G-good morning, Miss kocho." Yuki said as he hastily got himself ready when he realized who was talking to him at this hour. He knocked his head on the door frame and looked down at her.
"Are you okay, Subachi-kun?" She asked with concern.
"Yeah, this happens all the time back home" The lanky student rubbed his head.
"How did you sleep?" The Insect pillar looked up at him.
"I slept good. As good as I could after our talk last night." He yawned as he scratched the back of his neck.
"I see. Well, I would like to start off with saying Happy New Year's, Subachi-kun." The petite woman gave him a warm smile.
"H-Happy New Year's to you too." Yuki bowed politely and then followed Shinobu to the rehabilitation building, followed by opening the door for her. She thanked him and had him come inside and sit next to her.
"Since you are my student now, you'll need to start with the most basic training a swordsman can learn: breathing." The lavender eyed woman replied.
"Breathing?" The dull eyed-kid asked as he tilted his head.
"By expanding your lungs to take in as much air as possible, You'd be able to increase your blood flow and heartbeat. In doing so, You'll be able increased your strength, speed, stamina and endurance. The average demon is far stronger in most humans and they can supernatural abilities depending on how many humans they consume. You'll be able to hone your body to perfection to stand a chance to counter against them. Once you master total concentration breathing, then I can teach you my breathing style, Insect breathing. Be warned, my breathing technique is one of the most difficult to master." She looked at her student who seemed perplexed on the matter as he tilts his head.
"Miss Shinobu, is there a way you can simplify what you just said? I didn't catch all of it" The lanky boy asked politely.
"You'll need to train your body to become faster and stronger once you master breathing because it will make you bigger and stronger. Once you completed your first step in training, then I can teach my fighting style." Shinobu sighed and explained in the simplest way possible.
"Wow, I never realized just how cool breathing could be. We're going to be like whales and fill our entire lungs with air when we fight." Yuki declared, only to hear Shinobu giggling.
"That's a very silly way of understanding total concentration breathing, but i'm glad it makes sense to you now." Shinobu replied.
"So, how do I get started?" He looked down at her.
"Your first task as a demon slayer is your warm up. Start with breathing in and out. Before you get started, there is one more thing I'd like to discuss with you I didn't get to explain the night you returned late." Shinobu looked up at Yuki. He flinched when he heard her bring up the incident.
"Yes?" He asked reluctantly.
"I need you to listen to the following: Anyone who is affiliated with the Demon Slayer Corps or is visiting here as a patient or visitor must be treated with kindness and respect. You must treat all the girls who work here in a professional manner. I would be very disappointed if I learn you are disrespectful or harass them in any way. Above all, you must obey me at all times. My word is absolute and the only other person you must listen to is master Kagaya Ubuyashiki. Do you understand?" She asked sternly as she looked up.
"Yes, K-kocho sama." He looked down at the petite woman and nodded solemnly.
"Good. I'd like you to focus on maintain steady breathing. The girls will come by shortly to help you with your exercises. I'll see you later. "She stood up and left the dull eyed boy by himself.
The dull-eye boy found himself in a dark void. There was only one time he had felt like this and a sense of dread filled him.
Yuki! Where are you?! You said you'd always be there for me!" A girl pleaded.
"Sis! I'm sorry for leaving you this long!" He reached out his hand only for her to disappear. He felt a sense of guilt build on him. The day he had left to the Kanto region he left without saying goodbye in person for he feared he would've not gone through with with duty.
"Yuki-sama?! Are you okay?" Kenji spoke to him.
"Haruno-san! I'M HERE! I'M STILL ALIVE! SEE!? YOU DON'T NEED TO WORRY ANYMORE" Yuki looked all over but was heartbroken when he was not able to see his head servant, contrary to his little sister. His breathing began to hyperventilate when he heard the screams and chaos from the night the wolf demon intruded his family inn. Its been weeks since that incident yet he could still remember the sounds as clear as day. The cries of his servants being devoured or killed by the demon, his guests fleeing for their lives and his own voice crying for help when he got squashed.
"I'M SORRY. I'M SORRY I COULDN'T BE THERE FOR ANYONE! PLEASE STOP!" the lanky child curled up on the floor and wrapped his hand tightly around his head as he heard the constant screams accompanied by the wolf demon's howling.
"STOP IT!" Yuki screamed in terror as he opened his eyes. It was then he noticed the triplets, taken aback by his sudden outburst.
"I'm sorry. I had a bad dream just now.
"You okay, Take-kun?" Sumi asked.
"Yeah, I'm okay." He said softly.
"You miss someone? Kiyo asked.
"Yeah, I haven't seen my sister in months. Haruno-san has been sleeping for a while." The brown-hair teen spoke anxiously.
"Do you not like being here?" Naho asked.
"I wish, I was with my family. But, I'm glad to have met you and the other girls here. You've all been so nice to me. I think of you all as friends. How about we get started on those exercises." Yuki looked down and gave a soft smile.
"Let's go!" The triplets said in unison. The lanky child nodded and did his best to relax.
Today's session started with the morning stretches. Two of the triplets kept Yuki's legs in place while the last one pulled his arms back, resembling a seal or the arch of a bow, leading to an orchestra of bones to crack, the lanky child yelled for this was the first time he had done stretches. They repositioned themselves to lift one of Yuki's arm and pushed his body to the right while keeping his legs still. They did the same for his left side and then the triplets pushed his back downwards so he could grab his feet with his hands, which he was able to grab onto. Once the routine is finished, the girls look at the dull eye boy.
"Be mindful that we will help you out with this first set of stretches."
"After this, there are several other stretches you'll need to do yourself.
"We will show you.
After a series of additional stretches, Yuki thanks the triplets for showing him the first step and then Aoi and Kanao enters the rehabilitation room for the next trial.
"Subachi-kun. Now that you've done your stretches, here is the next step: before you is a table of cups with water in them. Your task is to splash your opponent. The catch is, your opponent is allowed to block and splash back. You think you can handle that?" Aoi folded her arms.
"Yeah, I think I can do it. Who am I going against?" Yuki asked
"You'll be going against Kanao." Aoi declared.
"oh" the lanky child voice and expression was filled with disappointment.
"Something wrong?" The raven hair girl asked.
"It's just, Kanao doesn't really like me." the dark hair teen admits.
"Don't worry too much, she doesn't open up to people so easily. Good luck, Subachi-kun" Aoi said.
"You got this, Take-kun!" the triplets said simultaneously.
"So, when do we start? Yuki asked Kanao as he approached thetable and sat down, found himself staring at the petite girl with purple eyes.
He waits a moment since she had a habit of using her coin to make decisions. He waits until she flips it. She wore the same smile Shinobu had but unlike the insect hashira, he felt uneasy with hers for some reason.
"We start whenever you want, Gakusei-kun." Kanao responded.
The lanky child tilted his head in confusion over the way she addressed him. He was familiar with the word student in Japanese, yet he felt unnerved over the fact everyone has been calling him a name of sorts, Subachi-kun or Take-kun. However with Kanao, she opted to address him in such a distant manner. He was very surprised since they hardly spoke to each other and assumed they were at least on neutral terms.
"Um, okay." He replied and tried to read her eyes.
"If you're done staring at me, I'd suggest you begin. You won't kill demons with a staring contest." The tsuguko stated.
Okay, I'll start, Kanao-chan." Yuki grumbled. He was peeved at her coldness towards him, but tried to focus on the matter at hand. He then came up with an idea.
"One more thing, its Tsuyuri-chan to you, gakusei-kun." She retorted.
"Tsuyuri-chan. How about we play a game?" He asked slyly.
"What good would that possibly do for your training?" She raised her eyebrow in suspicion. She had already not taken a liking to him but his approach in the training seemed to tick her off.
"Um, I was thinking we do the hand stack game. Up the ante I guess." He said as calmly as he could.
"How do I know you're not using this to cheat?" Kanao asked bluntly.
"My hands will be visible the whole time. We go at each other's pace and the cups will be right below us. No way for either us to cheat, right?" He answered honestly. Kanao gave him a glare over his remark on her potentially cheating. Especially when she wasn't the one in training.
"Very well" She said softly with an undertone of annoyance.
He placed his right hand forward as a sign to commence the game. Kanao followed and placed her hand on top of his and they continued at a steady pace. After several minutes, the two began to pick up the pace and motioned their hands rapidly, Aoi and the triplets were impressed over this series of consistency. Kanao never broke eye contact with Yuki and he was unsettled when he noticed this. Another couple minutes had passed until he took a chance and raised a cup with his right hand and attempted to splash Kanao's face. She immediately blocked it with her left hand.
"All that effort for nothing, gakusei-kun" Shinobu's sister sighed in disappointment.
Yuki however, abruptly dropped the cup and placed his hand onto hers. The moment Kanao looked at the falling cup, he used his left hand to splash her face. The violet- eyed girl remained in place, dumbfounded over what transpired.
"I did it!" he said proudly.
Aoi and the triplets dropped their jaws because they couldn't believe someone was able to beat Kanao, let alone on their first try. Shinobu's tsuguko on the other hand was furious. All of her anger and fury against the dull-eyed boy was displayed with her face. She stood up and left the facility, leaving the dark-hair teen cowering in fear. The other girls were speechless and stood still.
"Is that how she normally reacts?" Yuki asked anxiously.
"I've never seen her act this way before. She must really hate you." Aoi whistled.
"Maybe I should reach out and see if she's okay. The lanky child suggested. The girl unanimously shook their heads.
"How about we move to the last challenge for the day? It's a simple game of tag. You need to tag me and the triplets to win" Aoi suggested and lead him to the center of the room. Yuki readied himself and spent the remaining session tagging any of the butterfly girls.
He went to the hospital room nearest to Shinobu's office and sat on the bed nearest to his head servant was still resting, no sign of movement from his part.
"Afternoon, Haruno-san. I spent my morning training with the girls, excluding miss Shinobu. Shes's working hard to help you wake up. I'm going to become a demon slayer and help out as many people as I can. I'll be here waiting for you, and then we can share a meal together, like equals. The weather is nice and sunny today. I hope you stay warm. I'll see you later." Yuki grasped his friend's hand lightly and chocked up. He began to miss his daily scolding from his friend whenever he messed up. He missed traveling together on their wagon for no matter long they were out promoting the family inn, he always had someone to fall back to. He pulled out a journal and jot down highlights of the day.
The dull eyed boy decided to bring his lunch and spend it with Haruno-san. Today's meal was chicken katsu and rice with a bowl of salad. He even received a chocolate chip cookie from Aoi. He then lifted a cup of water from his tray.
"To the start of a new me. When you wake up, You'll see a new and improved version of Yuki Subachi" He said softly yet clearly. He figured since he had his own room in the storage, it wouldn't hurt to be a bit more time with his head servant when he wasn't training.
Once he had finished eating, he was ready to head to the kitchen when Aoi gave him a list of chores he'd helped out for today. He nodded and then followed her to the kitchen where he put his plate and cup in the sink.
"You're supposed to wash your plate when you finish eating, Subachi-kun!" She scolded as she crossed her arm and looked up.
"hmm? I've never had to wash my dishes because my servants took care of it for me." Yuki replied.
"Geez. You really are hopeless. Let me remind you that we're not your servants and everyone must wash their own dishes. Come, I'll show you how to do it yourself." Aoi sighed and pulled up her sleeves to picked up a plate for the demonstration.
The lanky child followed suit and stood next to her. He copied her motions of scrubbing the plate in a circular motion from top to bottom. When he finished, he'd rub the soap onto the bowl and repeated Aoi's instructions. Once he finished all his plates, he dried them with a rag and followed the blue-eyed girl to the cupboard and placed the plates in their proper spots.
"Now that you know how to wash dishes, you'll be assigned to wash everyone's dishes at least once a week. Now, follow me since I assumed you've never gotten your hands dirty before, right?" She spoke with annoyance.
"Does playing with dirt and sand count?" He asked.
"Don't get cute with me. Just watch closely and don't talk too much." She couldn't believe Yuki's response. She couldn't tell if was stupid or was just that naïve.
She showed him how to dust the floor using a broom and dustpan. Yuki found himself sneezing a lot and was ashamed over Aoi laughing at him for reacting to every little speck of dust. The next item on their list was to wash outfits worn by several patients within the butterfly mansion. Yuki had barely scrubbed the first shirt for five minutes and his hands were already throbbing in pain.
"Why is it so hard to clean clothes?!" The lanky teen whines.
"You've had it too easy for your own good, Subachi-kun. Aoi said dismissvely as she watched Yuki continued to wash the clothes and cleaned her set. They then placed the uniforms out to air dry.
The head nurse led them to the dojo where she shows him the equipment they use followed by assembling them and putting them back at the end of each session. Once she gave a rundown of the dojo, Yuki is tasked to throw out the garbage where he is briefed with the gardening is another duty everyone partakes during the weekend and is maintained at least every other day. The last item on their list was to fix the hospital beds where Yuki realized why this was the last task; EVERY single bed needed to be fixed or washed. After every chore was done, the lanky child was panting due to exhaustion, yet found the strength to bow politely to thank Aoi for showing up what chores needed to be done.
"Don't forget, since you will be living here for a while, you will also be tasked to cook for everyone at least bi-weekly. I'll help you when its your day." Aoi explained and walked away.
The evening arrived and Yuki brought a bowl to a table not too far away from the girls. While he got along with most of them except for Kanao, he didn't feel like a part of their group yet. The dark-hair teen was content listening in to what they had to say about their day and any news going around the demon slayer corps.
By the time the moon has risen, everyone had fallen asleep or returned to their rooms for the day. Yuki had finished going to the bathroom and said his good nights to Haruno-san first and then to everyone else he could find. The nighttime at the butterfly mansion was different than at home. He noticed that in the city, there was always noise in the background. While his hometown wasn't as busy as Tokyo, he recalled when some houses were loud because of late night parties or the waves was their lullaby.
Here, all that could be heard were the sound of crickets and owls. The smell of the ocean was replaced with the smell of pine. Yuki was thankful the night sky was clear for he could see the stars clearly and he could spot most of the animals on tree thanks to the moon shining brightly. He may not like looking at people directly, but he loved how much attention his eyes provided him of his surroundings. He had finished taking a stroll around the butterfly garden when he felt it was time to call it a night. However, he was stopped by a familiar presence when he was within reach of his storage room.
"Konbanwa, Take-kun." Shinobu smiled warmly.
"H-Hi, Miss Shinobu. I-I see the triplets aren't the only ones who like th-that nickname" he stuttered as he pulled out his note cards.
Ara Ara, you're quite adorable when you get flustered." She giggles.
I was just about to head to bed. Is there something you need?" He asked politely.
Nothing much. I just wanted to check on you since I haven't seen you since the morning. How was your day?" The petite woman looked up at her student.
He then opened the door for her to enter his room first. He closed the door and they sat on the floor.
"It's been okay. I have an idea on what my training will be like thanks to the girls. Um, may I ask you something, Miss Shinobu?" He gazed into her eyes with concern.
Yes?" She is caught off guard by his actions.
When I did the cup challenge, I beat Kanao on my first try, yet she gave a scary glare and walked away. D-Did I do something wrong? "The dull-eye boy asked the Insect hashira.
"Hmm, that is quite the conundrum. The only explanation that comes to mind is my little sister is not used to having a rival. She was taught by two hashira's, including myself." She gasped silently for she didn't intend on revealing her older sister kanae into the conversation.
"Oh, what kind of person was the other hashira like, Miss Shinobu?" Yuki asked.
"She was kind, strong, and most of all, beautiful. She was perfect in every way." Her eyes drifted away from her student, harboring a sense of nostalgia.
"I bet she's happily retired, right?" the lanky teen said.
"Excuse me?" Shinobu was taken aback by his remark.
"Since she's not around anymore, I assume she went out on a good note. And, I bet she's happy for you and Kanao over how much you both have grown without her." Yuki explained.
Shinobu couldn't believe just how innocent the boy in front of her truly was. She was curious if he had truly never experienced pain and suffering before coming here. She couldn't help but smile and nod.
"Yes…I'm sure the flower hashira would be proud of the progress Kanao and I have made if she was still around." She sighed with content.
"Is there anything else you needed, Miss Shinobu?" The lanky child asked.
"Yes, you mentioned you brought several things from your place last time we spoke at this hour. May I see your swords? The Insect Pillar asked. He tiptoed in order to reach for a box on the shelf and brought it down for his teacher. When he opened it, the dull eye boy noticed his teacher's confusion
"Is something wrong?"
Dear, was this truly worth risking yours and the kakushi's well-being?" She looked him in the eye. Yuki tilts his head and looked inside the box
"I…I don't understand." His face was filled with horror for inside the box was nothing
more than a pair of sticks.
I suppose your swordsmanship leaves room to be desired." She sighed with disappointment.
Yuki was analyzing the sticks, pondering why his dad would keep these things. When he picked up one of the sticks, a sense of nostalgia took over:
(10 years ago)
"Arrgh! We found the treasure! Start digging, mateys! Yuki commanded his dad and Haruno-san. Both the grownups complied and started digging at a random spot. They dug up a small chest filled with chocolates covered with gold wrappings to look like doubloons.
"The treasure is finally mine!" Young Yuki said.
"Hey! That's not fair, I'm your first mate! I get at least half." His sister whined.
"No way Sarah, this treasure is for me and my ship."
"I get half because I found the map that found the treasure"
Yuki and his sister Sarah were bickering over ownership of the treasure. Both their dad and Haruno-san sighed and let the children tire themselves out. Their mom however, was not having any of it. She walked towards her children and they went up to her.
"Yuki, you need to play nice. Your sister made the map for you both to find the treasure." She said firmly.
But I am the captain. I get at least most of it. She's just a girl.
Yuki Subachi! That is no way to treat your sister. You need to respect all girls. Now say you're sorry to Sarah. And no crying." Yuki's mom Mizuho asked sternly. He had to fight back the tears that were already forming in his dark brown eyes.
I'm sorry." Yuki looked at the ground and muttered.
Yuki. Look her in the eye and speak louder and clearer" Mizuho raised her voice. He didn't want to upset her again and did as he was told.
"I'm sorry, Sarah" the dull-eye child looked into the eyes of his sister and she nodded.
"Thank you, big brother." Sarah gave him a small smile and took half of the golden-wrapped chocolates. She even gave him the chest holding his half of the chocolates and he was happy once again. The men sighed with relief and continued to watch the kids play tag until the mom cut play time short.
Yuki! It's time for your lessons. Come along!" Mizuho glanced at her son and was expecting him to follow behind her.
"Yes mama." He offered Sarah the sticks they used as swords and caught up with his mom.
"No way, I wanna go inside too." Yuki's sister ran as fast as her little legs could carry her. Leaving the men behind at the beach.
Ready to go inside, Hugo-dono?" Kenji asked.
Of course, just pick up the sticks the kids left behind and we'll head in as well." Yuki's father Hugo said.
Moshi-Moshi, are you still there?" Shinobu poked his cheek.
I'm sorry, I just recalled a good memory." He smiled softly and closed the box.
I see, good for you. Keep at it with your training, and I look forward to testing your progress by your birthday. Win or lose, I will more hands on with your training by then." She let out a soft sigh.
"Anything else, Miss Shinobu?
"You are a good kid with a good heart. I hope…you can become a worthy student and demon slayer. I'll see you tomorrow, Yuki-kun." She placed her hand on his shoulder gently before standing up and showed herself out.
He smiled softly towards her just before she left his room. The lanky child sighed as he recalled is day overall. He was going to miss the few days he had of doing absolutely nothing. Yet, he was thankful to have someone look after him when his own mother abandoned him. Why his father decided to keep the sticks he and his sister used to play pretend was a mystery to him. Regardless, it was a necessary reminder for him that no matter how much life had put him down, good things can come about if he was willing to take advantage of his second chance. He may not have been destined to be heir, but this could be a chance to discover himself.
"Thank you, papa. Good night, Miss Shinobu." The dull-eye boy closed his eyes and drifted to sleep, awaiting a future of challenges and opportunities.
Hi guys! Yuki here and welcome to World Wide Wonders. Hmm, what should I talk about today?" He thought long and hard. Then it hit him.
Oh, I know. How about I use this time to go over my thoughts on the girls in the butterfly mansion. Let's see, There's Aoi. She's been helping me out the most aside from Miss Shinobu. Aoi may be strict all the time but she's got a good heart. The triplets, Sumi, Kiyo, and Naho are all nice to me too. Other than not being able to tell them apart, they're like the little sisters I never had. Even though I have a younger sister. As for Kanao, I don't know how to feel about her. She got really mad when I beat her at the cup game. I just hope we can get along soon because she and I are Miss Shinobu's students, we can't make our teacher sad. I think that's everyone for now. I'll give my thought's on Miss Shinobu once I actually spend time with her.
Next time on chapter 7: I got a feeling that day will be a good day. Bye!" The lanky child kid waved goodbye.
Happy Pi day to everyone. Well, at least as of this entry. I got myself pizza.
This chapter is pretty straightforward because I wanted to show readers an idea of what Yuki's schedule will be like. Everything is subject for change since that's how life works. Simply put, this is another slice of life kind of chapter. Now I know I promised adventure in this story, I haven't forgtotten and as a man of my word, it will happen. This is just part of the hero's journey. Yuki has to train to become a demon slayer. I recently watched clips of the early episodes of Demon Slayer. I forget how intense Tanjiro's traning was, not to mention he didn't take a day off or go on an adventure until after his finished the final selection. It's sometimes crazy how every one in the demon slayer corps are only human at the of the day.
Speaking of which, this was the first chapter where I have the hardest time coming up with an idea for the Taisho era bit. The past chapters weren't this difficult and even the future chapters have something in mind. I ask myself: why did this chapter's end bit have me stumped? I had debated between giving a random fact from the 1900's or was going to have Yuki talk to Urokodaki. I pulled a Corrin from Fire Emblem and went with option C.
I can't believe it's been over a year since Towfu San updated their story: And so, the current flows. To the readers who have yet to read that fanfic, please do. It's a great read and I have huge respect for it since it was the main reason why I wrote this fanfic. However, one critique I have is that the author is taking their time exploring two year training period prior to the main events. Without spoiling anything major in that story, their OC is nowhere close to being acquainted with Tanjiro. What I'm getting at is I'll be taking a different approach from exploring the two year gap. Whereas they are taking their time, I will be exploring the two year gap on a faster pace. Hopefully you see what I mean soon. All in All, if you haven't read Towfu San's story, please give it a read. It's a solid story if you love Shinobu and demon slayer as a whole. I wonder what kind of conversation between our OC's would be like?
That's enough of my rambling, I enjoyed the hashira training movie. I even bought the bucket and cup from my theater. Until then, I'll continue to write and search for a full time job. I wish you all a good day.
Edit: I can't believe I forgot about this but thank you so much to the following: Tom b4, jf48817, and poontangmobile. We are now at 11 followers and 6 favs. I gotta admit, I never thought I'd get this much traction with my story. Just the fact that over 10 people are now invested in my story, it means the world to me. Only thing left is to get a review but, I'm really thankful to everyone who've visited or viewed my story at the very least. Yuki would be truly thankful to each and every one of you.
