Three weeks had past at the Water estate, and that meant of more progress had been made. Giyuu continued to train Yae with all that he could: Stamina, endurance, cardio, reactions, and above all, Total Concentration Breathing. Nothing had stopped them or pulled them away from the desire to get stronger outside from what was required of Giyuu as a Hashira. Not even the surprise visits of the other Hashira. Shinobu had called regular checkups as a doctor, as to make sure Giyuu was not training Yae in detrimental ways. She had complained one day about his method of laying in the lake and breathing through a reed, claiming it was unsafe and risked hyperthermia. Both women had been proven how safe it really was when Giyuu had spent over six hours practicing the method and Shinobu tested his temperature and breathing.
Kyojuro was also surprising to see at the Water estate. It wasn't an unwelcome experience, just a curious one. As Yae would take breaks to train Torakka, Kyojuro would speak to Giyuu of his own Tsuguko. A woman by the name of Mitsuri Kanroji, one who had created their own breathing style, by accident no less. When Giyuu spoke of how Yae wouldn't be learning a style, but instead focused on the idea of using her firearms to slay demons, he couldn't help but look on with harty curiosity. "Would it be wise to allow her to go to Final Selection if the method has yet to be tested?" Giyuu quickly agreed but refused to falter or waver. "I know of how it will be tested, no worries, it will be done soon. Her birthday is coming up after all." Kyojuro offered one day to introduce Mitsuri to Yae, potentially as a bonding experience between students and women. Giyuu did not see the harm to it and agreed.
What had surprised Giyuu was the visits from Tengen, though they were done for different reasons. Tengen had pestered Giyuu to come out more, act more as he did when drunk, act with more flash as Tengen put. "Come on Tomioka! You can't act like that night never happened and go back to being unflashy like this. I know you're teaching her and everything, but take a break or something! Live a little!" Giyuu sighed as he rubbed his forehead. "Uzui, her birthday is coming up end and I have an idea just how I will help celebrate it. I need to know that she will be ready for this, so excuse me if her safety and readiness makes me unflashy. Besides as I said I still do not remember what happened that night. All I remember is all of us eating together, and then waking with a screaming headache at the Butterfly estate." Tengen groaned as he ran his hands down his face, his features stretching before realizing something. "Wait. Birthday coming up?" Giyuu nodded as an answer. Tengen smiled as he snapped his fingers. "Do you mind if I offer my own little gifts?"
It didn't like long until Tengen's next visit, one that Giyuu was meant to expect but still surprised by. "Oh, Uzui-sama, what brings you back here?" Yae walked up beside Giyuu as she looked over the large man. Given his direct experience with the woman, Tengen couldn't help but feel a chill dance on his spine. "Tomioka here and all of his suppressed flashiness, mentioned your birthday coming up soon. And since you of all people managed to somehow get him to open up, I thought a good deed like that should go rewarded." Tengen grabbed something from his back, leaving both Giyuu and Yae gasped at what they saw.
Yae couldn't quite figure out what she was looking at, it was obviously a gun, but she never saw anything like this before. It had what looked like a pad for her hand under the long barrel. What was this second tube? Yae cradled it in her arms as she examined it. "It's apparently called a shotgun. Has Winchester on it but supposedly developed by someone named Browning. The Americans used them in the war, so damn effective against people that the Central Powers tried to protest them. Fires these things." Tengen pulled out something that was entirely made out of brass. Yae instinctively moved closer and was awe struck. "There's wax here inside the casing?" "A sealant. Rather than one large projectile like your rifle, it fires small pellets of various sizes. The wax from what I've discovered keeps everything contained until you fire, then the projectile blasts through the wax and into the target." Yae fiddled with the hand rest and felt it could move. She slid it back and flipped it to see the underbelly.
"The tube is a magazine for it! This pump must be a way to reload and ready the next shot!" Yae's eyes were glowing as she grabbed the shell from Uzui-sama's hand and loading the shotgun. "Yae." Giyuu whistled as catching her attention finally. "Fire it into the dirt. We can't get an appropriate effectiveness reading if you shoot into the lake, and I'd rather you not shoot my trees." Yae nodded as she shouldered the firearm and aimed several meters ahead. With a loud bang to scream across the area and a sturdy kick into her shoulder, the shotgun fired off with dirt and debris flying off the ground.
As all looked at the newly made crater, Yae giggled in delight as her mind raced. Giyuu watching her excitement in her new tool couldn't help but smile. "Uzui." Tengen quickly looked towards Tomioka and was surprised to see the man smiling. "Thank you for this. You've helped give her something that ensures her survival. I will not forget this." Tengen couldn't help but laugh as he struck a pose. "I am a benevolent God after all." "Where did you even get this thing?" Giyuu watched the smile fade from Uzui's face as he seemed to be lost in memories. "During the war my father helped the Americans and Europeans with smuggling goods through harsh environments, someone gave this to him as a gift. A token of thanks. I thought the unflashy bastard wasn't enough for this marvelous creation, so I took it for myself." Giyuu looked at the tall man with a curious tilt of his head. "Aren't you all ninja though?" "Ninja used explosives and firearms all the time! Look at me!" "I thought that was because you wanted to be standout and be more exaggerated with distinguishing flare?" "... Touche."
Tengen had given Yae over thirty primed but unloaded shells as a way to "Offer room to experient in a flashy manner." Yae had spent as much time as she could with her new Winchester shotgun as she could, learning it's functioning and design, to general maintenance. She had even cut the barrel short to just as far as the tube reached. It still didn't give her exactly a short range option as she discovered from her research that shotguns were actually quite capable for medium to long range, it was still a better answer than her rifle. Torakkā seemed to be the only one not a fan of it, given her sensitive ears and the loud noise the weapon created every time it would be fired, it was rather obvious as to why.
Yae was woken up especially early one morning as Giyuu had gently shaken her and Torakkā when he entered. She groaned as she couldn't help but stare daggers at him through heavy eyelids. "I can barely feel the warmth of the sun Giyuu, so I know this is before dawn. If this isn't important I will order Torakkā' to eat your next meal when you aren't looking." Giyuu stared at the dog in question as she too couldn't even look at him through closed eyes. He could still feel her glare though. "Get up so we may eat early. We will be making a trip somewhere important and it is a long journey. You celebrated my birthday early, so you will recieve the same treatment." Yae's eyes finally opened as she looked up with excitement.
Breakfast for Yae and Torakkā was all but inhaled as they couldn't help but anticipate what was planned. After breakfast, the trio stood outside of the estate, with Yae bouncing in place in excitement. "Come on, tell me! I know you by now to tell this is gonna be something big!" He shook his head much to her dismay but couldn't help but smile down at her. "You wanted my gift to be surprise, I am entitled to my own secrets." She pouted at him but couldn't help but smile back. After several minutes, Yae had heard three Kakushi arrive and bow before them. "Tomioka-sama, Yae-sama..." The female Kakushi looked down at the dog who almost had an expectant expression. "Torakkā-chan. We will be taking you to the swordsmith village now. Thank you for allowing us this blessing in assisting you."
Yae looked to Giyuu as he kept his eyes on the Kakushi. "The swordsmith village is where every slayer has their weapons made. Where nichirin metal is forged and shaped, without them, we have no way to fight the demons. Grab your guns." Yae's smile threatened to now split her face as she ran back in. Quickly returning, she saw Giyuu wearing a blindfold. "Wear the blindfold until we reach our destination, the village location is meant to be an absolute secret in the Corps." Yae quickly placed the blindfold on as she slung her guns onto her back.
Yae couldn't tell how much time had passed, there were so many twists and turns on their journey, she would not even be able to tell from the position of the sun. They had even been required to change Kakushi multiple times, suddenly Yae understood just how important this secret was meant to be if the Corps went to this length to keep the village safeguard. Time couldn't even be measured, but she was certain they were traveling for hours. After even falling asleep after the latest exchange from the gentle rhythm, she felt herself be shaken once again. "Huh what?" She pulled away from her carrier and ripped the blindfold from her eyes and stood at what she assumed was the front gate.
The gateway was massive as and beautifully crafted, but even more so the buildings themselves. The afternoon sun shined over everything and gave a different aura of life to the place altogether. "Thank you all for assisting us today, we are in your debt. Please offer my gratitude to the others as well." Giyuu bowed to the Kakushi as they all became flustered to be given praise. They all quickly left, leaving the trio to enter the village. "Yae, Torakkā. We have someone we need to see. Someone who is expecting us, or rather, expecting you." Giyuu proceeded to lead the way, with girl and dog following closely behind. "So just who is it we're seeing?" She looked around the area as they passed by, seeing how everyone wore a hyokotto mask. 'Even the faces of these people are kept hidden?' "My Smith, Lady Mizuki. She was the one who crafted my sword, and she will be the ones to craft your ammo and anything else deemed needed." Giyuu lead on to a small workshop with the windows and door opened. He stopped as he sighed in slight annoyance. "She isn't here."
"Of course not my little wave, after recieving your letter I could not contain my excitement. I have been following you three since the gate." Yae and Torakkā quickly turned around to see a woman in a mask similar to everyone else. Her hair was pure white, shining brightly as the sun's light bounced off of it. She wore a blue kimono with a wave pattern embroidered onto it with a white sash across to keep it fitted. The sleeves so long Yae could not even see her hands. "You must be Yae Hasinaw. Our very own Goddess of the Hunt and the curious little spark Giyuu has told me of. I cannot wait to see you create such beautiful art my dear. Most of my new tools I belive I'll need for you have already arrived, so I just need to know what I'm working with." Yae tilted her head to the side as she looked up to the woman. "Art?"
"Follow me my dears, I shall show you what it means to create the tools fit for our lives. Little wave be a dear and get the windows please?" Lady Mizuki walked into her workshop as all followed, Giyuu closing the windows as requested and closing the door shut. "Now then my dear, show me what it is I will be working with." Yae unslung her weapons before putting them down on the table. Lady Mizuki removed her mask as she examined the rifle first. She handled the bolt and ejected the live round inside it before inspecting it closely. She looked to Yae as to get approval for what she would do. "You may. If it means you help me learn I can kill demons like his, do whatever you need or like." Lady Mizuki smiled as she turned around to face her. "Spark of the hunt AND of intelligence, I am liking you already my darling."
Yae could now see her face and couldn't help but be amazed. The woman had pale milky skin with eyes of gray that somehow shined even in only ambient lighting of candles. "Arisaka Type 38. I can tell you now if you want fresh and new ammunition I will need to order the cartridges themselves or get them casted or molded, this semi-rimmed design is what complicates them. For now though I can replace the actual projectile, from lead to pure nichirin. I only need create a cast and increase the powder strength to account for weight in material. Perhaps I can do something with them for more destructive force." Lady Mizuki smiled with glee as the as the ideas ran through her mind. "What can be done with these then?" Giyuu grabbed the bag in his haori and opened it to reveal the brass shotgun shells. "Uzui was kind enough to deliver a few more unfired ones for you to examine.
"The noise maker is where this magnificent creation comes from? And here I thought he would only be useful for the art of Death and Coitus for his wives." Lady Mizuki laughed as she broke apart the wax seal on the pure brass shells and poured it out its contents and slowly weighed the contents on her scales. "My oh my, you two have truly brought me something spectacular. Winchester 897." She turned to Yae once again, crouching down as she held the empty shell in her fingers. "These shells are completely able to be reloaded by being a strong material. These are much older design, the Americans in the war used paper and cardboard for their shells for ease of desired resources. But these will can be fired and prepared again, meaning all I would need to do here is create the projectile and send it to your estate. You could create all the ammo you would need all in the comfort of your own home. Your art will be glorious!"
Yae smiled towards her new Smith but was becoming more and more confused as she talked about art. "Uh, Lady Mizuki? Just what is it that you're talking about with art this and art that?" Lady Mizuki covered her mouth with her sleeve as she laughed. "My apologies dear. What I mean we are not just craftsmen and smiths, we are artisans. We can make tools that function just fine to kill demons, but where is the fun in function alone?" Lazy Mizuki grabbed the Arisaka rifle and laid it on Yae's lap. "Where you may see this and think of the entire picture, I see the details. The wood grain of the frame and varnish used to protect it from the elements. You see the bolt, the action, and the barrel only for their own functions. I see bits and pieces of metal perfectly milled and cut together to form a puzzle. Everything can be art my dear. The clothes we wear, the buildings we live in, to the very tools we use to create and to destroy."
"My family before me were Swordsmiths as well. I wanted more from it though, not just to create something that served only a function. I wanted to create something that could live on its own, not just to be seen as an instrument of death. Death is our canvas, demon blood shall be the paint, and my creations for you-" Lady Mizuki held onto Yae's hands gently as the older woman smiled to her. "Shall be the brush. It is all onto you, on how the wielder, what art will be made. Demons bring nothing but death, so we shall inject life into all that we do." Yae looked around her to everyone surrounding her as she looked to her weapons, her instruments of hunting. Her rifle had aided her mother, and it would aid her. Her new shotgun desired to be used, to help her in the hunt. "Alright. Let's make art."
For a week Giyuu and Yae had stayed in the village crafting her ammunition and getting acquainted with the process. Lady Mizuki was able to create molds used to the various shots, deciding to experiment with them all. The different shots ranged from the small ball bearings, to disks that layered on top of one another, to even shreddings of old nichirin creations to learn if even scraps can be used. By the time she and Lady Mizuki were done, every empty shotgun shell was loaded with different types of projectile to test lethality and efficiency. However one thing did bug her, after they officially began work, Giyuu didn't stay with them. He didn't say where he was staying either. He assured everything was fine and working on something, saying this was another surprise for her birthday. Yae at least ordered Torakkā' to stay with him so he wasn't alone. She wouldn't lie when she got use to enjoying all the gifts and attention he gave her.
It was finally the day before her birthday as all her ammunition was prepped and ready, all they needed left was to be officially tested. "I'm apologizing now Lady Mizuki if the ammo doesn't actually kill. If it doesn't I'll return the nichirin, hopefully it'll go to better use." Yae felt herself get hit on the head by a pipe Lady Mizuki was using. "Nonsense girl, if our art fails, keep them as a learning experience. Or even as a memory of hope. That you would push demon slaying forward with innovation. That is a desire to be proud of." She smiled to the woman as still pleaded that this effort wasn't for nothing. "I hope I am not interrupting anything. The two women watched as Giyuu and Torakkā walked through the front door holding several things behind his back. He wasn't in his normal uniform, he wore a simple blue yukata with his classic haori on top. "There you are." Yae ran over to hug him as she looked curiously to his side.
"Has the little wave been scheming? You haven't been here to watch over the progress over your student, something must've happened for you to not witness it." Lady Mizuki taunted lightly as she played with Giyuu's hair. "Uzui gave her the shotgun, you have given her her ammunition, I believed it was my time to give her something." Before Yae could argue that Giyuu had given her EVERYTHING, second chance at life included, Giyuu revealed what he had behind his back. It was two blades. One was a long bladed knife, prefect for thrusting or slashing, with a perfect circular wooden handle. The other almost looked like that of a harpoon, it's blade serrated and prongs designed to smoothly glide in but tear apart everything while coming out. "You said you wouldn't pick up the sword, you never said anything for the knives."
"We can create mounts for them, to attach to your firearms should you desire. If another demon were to get close, you could use your tools as a spear to keep them at arm's length. Or even have them as regular knives." Yae held onto the blades in her hands, looking at just the level of craftsmanship of them. She couldn't quite realize it when working on something as small as bullets or disks or ball bearings, but Lady Mizuki was onto something. This really was art. "Little Giyuu, you had someone else create her tools? I am almost hurt." Lady Mizuki feigned sadness as pinched his cheek softly. "You were given the more important request, there's no one else I would've trusted for this." The two were distracted with each other as Yae hugged them closely. "Thank you, both of you for this."
As the afternoon turned to evening, the Kakushi arrived once again for them. Yae, with her newly made ammunition loaded into her firearms, hugged Lady Mizuki one last time. "You better inform me how well our experiment works. If it is effective, I'll request the tools to be sent to the estate. I'll only ever need to send you the material for the projectiles for the shotgun. For the rifle I will create the ammo here to be sent instead." Yae nodded as she smiled to her one last time before she wore the blindfold again and was carried away by the Kakushi. 'Please. Don't let this time be for nothing.' Yae found herself falling asleep, almost overcome with exhaustion from her time working.
It was a dark night when Giyuu had instructed the Kakushi to drop them off only halfway the destination to their home and off a normal path. Torakkā looked annoyed, but overall unbothered by the concept of walking. Perhaps the dog was becoming spoiled. Yae was confused, but Giyuu would make sure she learned. "I am hoping for us to be attacked by a desperate demon. Think of it as live testing. If it were to think I am simply a normal person, it sees me as potential prey. I could not take you on a mission with me though, with how dangerous they risk being giving my position, I did not want you to be out of your depth unable to defend yourself. I act as bait, Torakkā helps track us by smell of blood, you confirm the kill." Before Yae could question what he meant by blood, she saw Giyuu slice across his forearm with his sword. The sudden heavy smell lingered in the air.
She quickly grabbed onto his arm as Torakka barked at him. "Are you insane?! I'm not going to allow you to use yourself as live bait!" "Yae, the demon would focus on me allowing you a window to take a clear shot. With Torakkā's uniform smelling of wisteria and you sticking by her, you two will be safe leaving me as the only target it would desire. If we do not test your methods like this, we have no other option." Yae quickly sighed as she let his arm go, giving him a stern look. "I'm taking you to Shinobu after this so she can scold you as well when she's fixing your arm." Giyuu nodded as he walked ahead, leaving a bloody trail behind him.
Yae waited a few minutes before groaning loudly and crouching down, her head laying against her knees. Torakkā' whined at the scent of the blood as she looked up to Yae. "I know girl. He's a headache, but he's our headache. At least we know he has good intentions. Come on, can't let him get too far. Don't even know if a demon will show up." Yae whistled and pointed towards the blood trail. Torakkā' understood the order and followed the scent. The two continued their walk trailing Giyuu as Yae held her rifle in ready. "So Torakkā, did you have fun at the village? Next time I promise you can spend more time with Lady Mizuki. How was it with Giyuu?" Yae watched as Torakkā's tail wagged softly. She laughed as she smiled at her friend. "It's good to know you like him too. Neither of us would be here without him so I guess it's a given." Torakkā pulled her nose away to look back to Yae.
"He's all I had for a short while before you... Not long after I met him and Shinobu, I lost all the family I had. My father, and your big brother. His name was Tora... I lost him because I was looking for the monster that hurt my family. After the monster was slain, I almost hurt myself. Giyuu stopped me, and he helped me heal. He gave me everything. Food and shelter, clothing, power, now he gave me you and the means to help keep all of us safe." She smiled almost by instinct as she let out a breath. "He may be the strongest of us, but let's agree to help keep him safe too alright? Two brains are better than one." Yae held her hand out for Torakkā, which Torakkā actually placed her paw into her hand and gave a gently shake. "Maybe Giyuu was right. You are way too smart for your own good."
Yae and Torakkā continued to follow the blood trail for what felt like hours, but oddly found no sign of Giyuu. The scent of it still lingered, it was heavy, the iron hung in the air as Yae felt her mouth behind almost dry. "Let's pick up the pace." Yae whistled as the two started to jog. She wouldn't admit it out loud, but she started to worry as to just where Giyuu was. He was more than capable of saving himself, but that didn't mean Yae liked this idea of him putting himself in danger like this. They continued to follow the trail, and soon found just what it was they were searching for. They saw Giyuu not even attempting to fight the lone demon. He was simply dodging, swaying his body back and forth as the claws swung at nothing but air. He didn't even look stressed, his stoicism as strong as ever even when something was actively trying to kill him.
"Just stay still and let me kill you! You don't know how long it's been. I NEED to eat something! My stomach has been screaming at me!" The male demon swung frantically as he was desperate for a meal. It was foaming at the mouth, it's eyes bloodshot, it was a true monster that was a victim to its baser needs. As Giyuu dodged and sidestepped every attack, he could see Yae off in the distance. 'Good, she finally caught up. I just need to get him to hold still now.' Giyuu shifted himself to keep the demon's back towards Yae. The more he had the demon's focus, the more safe she was. "JUST QUIT MOVING PLEASE! I NEED IT!"
Something started to eat away at Giyuu. He decided to question. "Why do you speak as if you have an insatiable hunger? You devour humans to gain strength, to have better odds at hunting us and gain favor by Muzan. You abandoned your humanity for power. Have you no regard for who you were before?" "It's a need you fool! I can't stop eating! Why would I care about a life I can't even remember?! As long as I've been a demon, it's been a craving, a need, things only become clear again when I eat! The longer I go without eating, the more my mind becomes foggy again! This is the only peace I know!" The demon roared as it lunged at Giyuu with open mouth and clawing hands. In this moment Giyuu thought back to those two moments of his life that made him question. The first involved a child attacking her own brother, but chose to eventually protect him from a greater threat. The other, a father who tried to consume his own daughter, but died with a clear mind at hoping she would be safe. A loud bang echoed through the air as Giyuu was coated in blood.
Yae fired off a single round towards the demon and watched it tear through the target. She thought it was a clean shot, but her mind wasn't clear. She shouldn't have taken the shot at that moment, but her instinct to protect the one person she truly had left took over. The sight of the demon's head wasn't clear and she could've hit Giyuu. She was reckless. The bullet tore through the demon's collar area as it's left arm went limp before regenerating. Giyuu's eyes went wide as the demon turned to face Yae. "What the hell was that?! You think that can hurt me?! I'll show you for trying to interfere!" The demon rushed Yae, it's desire for flesh as strong as ever. Yae found herself stuck in place, her mind racing back to that night on the snow covered mountains. Once again a demon was rushing after her as if she was nothing more than food. The images of her father charging her once again as fear took over her desire to act.
Giyuu rushed after the demon, grabbing his sword and using the scabbard as a way of blocking the demon's bite. He held onto it for dear life as the demon struggled to break free. "Yae run! Get out of here! I can kill this demon, but the moment I let go is when he'll attack you! If you freeze up like this how will you ever be a slayer?! How will you be strong enough to actually survive?! What about your father's wish?! What about your wish to want to live?! WILL YOU NOT FIGHT FOR IT?!" He looked towards her as she was almost trapped in her own mind, her eyes staring past him and towards something he was blind to. All he could do was hold the demon back as best she could until either she came to her senses and ran, or came to her senses and fought on.
'That's right. Father's wish was for me to live on, Giyuu told me as much those were his final words for me. I'm here right now because Giyuu saved my life, he brought me into his home to train me. I've been making progress for months, we went to the Corp's backbone of a village so that I could fight against demons how I wanted. I can fight now! I will not allow myself to be a victim against these damn animals forever! I won't let the lives I care about be victims to them either!' Yae's eyes suddenly focused as looked towards the demon. Her gaze boring into the monster as as they filled with a fiery determination.
She put away her rifle as she grabbed her shotgun, loaded with her disk shot. Yae grabbed the harpoon blade and mounted it as a bayonet. She was ready to take the step she needed. "Hey demon, you want a meal?" Yae ran up to it as Giyuu still held it back with his scabbard in its mouth. Yae focused her Total Concentration Breathing and rushed in front of the demon. She dug the blade into the monster's stomach at the left side, and dragged it across his belly. The demon was forced to watch as his intestines poured out from the wound. The gagged screams were loud enough to be heard from possibly the afterlife itself. "Work for it then!" She ran in-between the trees as fast as she could. "Giyuu follow me!"
Giyuu was utterly dumbfounded at what he saw, but this was the confusing circumstances he agreed to unknowingly when he took her in. He pulled his sword free as he chased after her, leaving the demon on the ground to emotionally recover from the pain. "Just what is your plan aside from angering a starving and desperate demon?" The two ran between the trees as Torakkā ran by Yae. "Desperation makes animals dangerous, but an angry one won't be focused enough to efficiently think. We use our blood to confuse his senses, make him look enough directions he won't know what to do!" Yae used her clothing to clean the blade free of blood before slicing her own hand down the smooth gliding edge. Looking down, she could see the cut begin to ooze red. "Scatter!" Yae rubbed her bloody hand against whatever tree she ran by them in a circular and random motion. Yae and Torakkā broke off in one direction while Giyuu ran to another.
"Torakkā, act as a distraction only. Do not throw yourself into direct sight and DO NOT let any of him get in your mouth." The dog barked as it ran through the bushes to ambush if needed. Yae heard the demon scream in fury as it rushed after them, crashing through any trees that were unfortunate enough to be in the way. "You stupid bitch! I was already going to kill you and your damn boyfriend, but now you two are gonna suffer for it! I only wanted to eat so I could stay sane, now I'm doing it for the gratification of seeing you two dead!!!" Yae's face burned hot as she shook her head in annoyance. 'What is it with people and assuming we're in a damn relationship?!' Yae grabbed some rocks and held them tight, her blood coating each one. It didn't take long for the demon to finally catch up as it frantically looked around. It could smell blood everywhere, meaning it's prey was all around them.
"Where are you two?!" The demon heard rocks crash against each other as he quickly pounced. All he saw was pebbles covered in blood. He wasn't going to waste the chance and desperately started to suck on the stones. Yae quickly turned from behind the tree as she aimed her shotgun. The demon heard the movement and his eyes darted towards Yae. All it could see was the look of death in her eyes and the end of the barrel. Yae squeezed the trigger and watched as most of the demon's face and arm was completely blown apart. The right half of it's face completely blown part, the mandible joint was utterly decimated as the lower jaw hung broken. The arm not fairing any better, only hanging on to the body by a few stubborn pieces of muscle and tendons. "Come on I'm right here!" The demon tried to leap once again in a desperate fury as Yae dodged behind more vegetation.
Before he could get far, the demon felt something tug back on the pants it wore. His face slapped harshly against the forest floor as all momentum from the jump died. Looking back, there was a damn dog that stopped him? "Get away from me you mut!" Before he could swipe his claws at the dog, the smell hit him and was overwhelmed with sickness. He began to violently cough, the disgusting stench of wisteria from the dog. He desperately tried to crawl to get away from the smell, only to see two feet in front of him and something against the back of his skull. "Last demon that hurt my dog lost his head, looks like you're sharing the same fate." He looked up to her with one last look of defiance before all he could see was a flash. And thing nothingness.
Yae watched as the demon's head became little more than meat paste and bone fragments. There wasn't much of a head anymore, not even a cavity, just... the mass and material that made up the human head. Yae kept her shotgun ready, hoping she wouldn't have to use it again. She held her breath as the body stayed there, but she had her answer soon enough. All these months of stubbornness bore fruit. The demon suddenly started to vanish away, disintegrating into dust and was gone with the wind. She could finally breathe. Yae began to laugh softly, barely louder into a whisper. Something just overtook her though, her gentle laugh became a manic one, one filled with pure bliss and joy. "We know it can work now. It's time for your training to focus completely on aim and reflexes. Won't need to waste as much material, don't want to give Lady Mizuki too much work do we?"
Yae quickly turned to him as she couldn't help but smile still. "Giyuu they work! My ammo works! I can be a slayer with them!" She tackled him into a hug, giggling as her arms were around his neck as her face was hidden. Giyuu hugged her back as he watched the sun come up. "Hey Yae?" Yae pulled her head back as she was slightly confused. "Happy birthday." She looked to the sun as she finally felt the warmth. The rising sun was a beautiful orange glow, it's edges touching the blue sky and driving away the darkness and the moon. She stepped away from him and stretched her arms wide in joy. "The sun really is lovely, isn't it Giyuu?" He looked to it, feeling the warmth from it wash over his figure. It felt different this time though, something about this warmth. It was calming, assuring, as if Giyuu was allowed to relax and just bask in it. "Yes. It really is." He walked over and looked down to her and was caught off guard at something.
Her eyes, they shined more than just like gold. They had a level of happiness and joy he had never seen in them before. They were vibrant, passionate, full of life. This was foreign to him after so long of feeling almost nothing but cold and solitude. It wasn't unwelcoming though. It was... Nice. "If my eyes are stolen drops of the ocean, then yours are that of the morning sky." Yae looked up to Giyuu and smiled widely at him, causing Giyuu to notice something. With his clean hand, he placed it onto Yae's cheek without a word. "Giyuu?" She wasn't against the touch, but couldn't help but feel something... Right, about it. Something about it she didn't mind. "The shotgun is effective, but very messy." He wiped her cheek with his hand and revealed there was blood that spattered onto her. Yae was in too good of a mood to be upset about being dirty, patting against him. "Come on, let's get home and we can get cleaned up there. Nothing wrong with being a bit dirty." Giyuu shook his head but still smiled as he picked up Torakkā so she wouldn't need to walk the entire duration. "The estate is only a house... Home is what makes it worth returning to."