Sara Nakanishi was a regular young woman.
For as long as she could remember, her life had been pretty comfortable.
She had regular dreams, like getting married and having her own family in the countryside.
Her talents and abilities were related mostly to make up and hair styling, though they also included singing.
So, what turned her into a Demon Slayer?
She was a regular girl, living a regular life. Up until that ominous day.
Sara was 15 when she entered her best friend's house and found her being eaten by a humanoid figure.
She had heard the tales about the man-eating demons, she just never believed them. At least until that day.
Taking notice of her, the demon jumped at her, attempting to attack her. But, before she could be touched, a quick blade belonging to an old man with a long ponytail cut the demon's head, killing it instantly.
At that moment, Sara could not move or think. Her body was in absolute shock, as she was about to die just a few seconds prior, being saved by what could only be considered a miracle.
The old man carried her away from the house and attempted to console her by buying her some matcha mochi.
When she was finally able to face him, she saw an old man with a tender smile. He had a strange mark on his forehead, a long grey ponytail and red blade, which he was sheathing.
Something Sara will never forget was the aura that man emitted. He emanated what could only be described as pure love. Sara was so shaken by this feeling that she started crying uncontrollably, all of her emotions coming out at once. It was as if her emotions were being divinely cleansed and, by the time she finished crying, she no longer felt any weight or negativity. She only felt what could be described as pure love and tranquility.
The older man introduced himself as Yoriichi. Sara could not believe that such a man existed. Even at his old age, his agility and speed were immeasurable. Furthermore, his aura was so warm you could say she was traumatised in reverse: she would never be able to forget that wonderful experience.
After that, Sara became scared. Scared of the man-eating demons murdering her family, just as they did with her best friend. Just as they almost did with her.
When she went back home to tell everything to her parents and siblings, no one believed her. Not a single soul. However, that did not stop Sara from going forward. Yoriichi had told her that he belonged to the Demon Slayer Corporation. She quickly found out about it on her own, and embarked herself on a journey to become a Demon Slayer. Leaving everything behind, even her family.
At age 15, Sara began her training as a Demon Slayer, alongside her mentor. His name was Tarou Sakamoto. Tarou was a user of the Moon Breathing technique.
Sara used to say that she was a user of the air breathing technique, as she could only breathe air and not do any techniques.
However, as time passed, she took a hold of the Moon Breathing technique at the age of 17. It took her long, but alongside with the harsh physical and psychological trainings, she finally passed the final selection at age 19.
When she first got the uniform, she wore it with pride. And together with her friends Yokichi Akabane and Yoshiki Fukui, she embarked on her demon hunting journey.
They all started together at the lowest rank, Mizunoto, where they got to deal with the weakest demons.
As they gained experience and killed more and stronger demons, they climbed up three ranks. Currently, they are in the rank Kanoe, which is 6 ranks away from the highest rank: Hashira. And 3 ranks above the lowest rank, Mizunoto.
After being on the job for quite some time, Sara lost her fear of demons. And her family, finally believing her, was sure to be protected by her side.
As she was resting with her friends in a recovery facility, she received a letter for a solo mission in the small town of Kamakura. As per report, around five young people had disappeared, and two Minuzoto rank slayers also vanished without a trace. Since the company deemed it a relatively unimportant mission, they gave it to Sara, a Kanoe.
Yokichi laughed reading the letter. "I bet I could do this one with my eyes closed!"
"Easiest mission ever, I'm tellin' ya, girly" added Yoshiki. "Easy money, you get me?"
Sara laughed heartily "Yeah, yeah, I know. I'll be back here soon and treat you to some udon, how about that?"
Her friends excitedly agreed to her proposal. They both loved a good, chunky plate of udon in front of them.
"You better not take too long" Yokichi's thin hair moved along with his head as he laughed, his purple tips shaking up and down slightly.
Sara looked at her friends and smiled, thinking of the great times they would share when she came back from her solo mission.
Little did she know...
First of all, when she arrived to Kamakura, she felt a dense atmosphere. Demons usually brought density to the overall energy of places. But she had never felt such density. Her body started to shake involuntarily and it wasn't even cold.
Sara grasped her blade with force, ready for an immediate encounter.
But nobody came.
As she roamed through the small town, not a single sound or presence was noted by her. People were already locked up in their houses due to the fear caused by the disappearances. Intrigued, Sara roamed into the forest, where the atmosphere got denser. And sure enough, the shape of a demon revealed itself.
He looked disturbing. He had so many eyes. His hair was of a dark red, his eyeballs red and his irises were of an ominous amber colour. In his eyes, the following words were written: Upper Moon, Number 1.
Sara tensed up. How was it possible that they had sent a single Kanoe to deal with a high-ranking demon? As she was about to make her escape to notify the Demon Slayer Corporation of the situation so that they could send a Hashira instead, Upper Moon 1 blocked her path, preventing her from escaping.
"My apologies, but I am afraid that I am not allowed to let you go" He stated, taking a good look at her.
He stepped towards Sara, slowly, causing her to stumble back.
His expression was stoic and emotionless. "Fear not, human, for I do not intend to consume you."
For a split second, Sara thought she was safe. But what came out of his mouth was way worse.
"I shall take you with me to our hideout" His expression was unmoving.
Terrified and, as a last resort, Sara breathed in deeply. "Moon Breathing, first form: Evening Palace" She performed a quick slash, which cut the demon's arm. He hadn't even tried dodging. He regenerated instantly and stood there, staring at her as if nothing had happened.
"Your technique is not terrible. However, your speed is lacking."
Before Sara could notice his quick movements, she felt a sharp blow on her neck, and felt herself fall to the ground, losing consciousness.
When she finally woke up, she was in a big, strange and changing place. She was surrounded by many highly disturbing-looking demons.
"Welcome to the Infinity Castle" said the voice of Upper Moon 1, standing right next to Sara to her own dismay.
That's all (for today), folks!Thank you so much for reading!
I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I have more prepared for next week!
Just in case, here goes a clarification!
Back at this time, Muzan was still recovering from Yoriichi's attack, and was actively hiding from him.
In this story, that is the reason why the Infinity Castle was created in the first place!
Also, the 12 Moons are a very new idea that Muzan came up with not that long ago, so there is only one moon for now, and it is Kokushibo. He's Upper Moon 1, but there is nobody else.
Nakime also exists since not too long ago in this timeline. The castle is relatively new, so it looks way less trippy at this time.
