The Ice and the Sun
Hello, so, recently I have been rewatching Demon Slayer again and a certain idea crept into my mind: why isn't there an Ice Breathing style? I don't know but then more ideas popped up and as a result I decided to try and write a fanfic about it and yes, I have more than enough fanfics on this site but this should be much lighter and have shorter chapters.
I also don't know how the reception will be so it is possible I will just scrap this in the end. I created a custom character for this demon slayer fanfic and as you probably already guessed. It will be an Ice Breath user named Fuyuka Tsumetai. She is a former student of Urokodaki and was training under him at the same time as Giyu and will have her own story which will be told in a few chapters. I made up my mind as to how I will incorporate her into the story of the Demon Slayer. Suffice to say this story will also be aimed at Tanjiro, In fact Fuyuka will play a mentor role to Tanjiro and his story will be changed in the sense that he will be probably a lot stronger than in the original timeline. And no, there will be nothing romantic between them, because Tanjiro just belongs with Kanao and nothing will change my mind about that.
Anyway, I am aware that the elemental effects of breathing styles in the anime and manga are just for show but there are some fanfics, which take them seriously and make them real in their fighting sequences and so will I. Why? Well, why not? I just like it.
Disclaimer: This is a fanfiction using characters from Koyoharu Gotouge's Demon Slayer. I do not claim any ownership over any characters or the world of Demon Slayer. This fanfiction story is for entertainment only, I will make no money from it. It is not part of the official story line.
Chapter 1: Meet Fuyuka Tsumetai
The night was awfully quiet when the Fuyuka Tsumetai were walking through the empty street. Her mission was clear: Find the demon who is causing trouble and stop from killing town citizens.
Given how many people were reported missing, she had a rather terrible suspicion that it might be the work of more than one demon. Either that or there is a Lower Moon involved and in the worst-case an Upper Moon.
Her white Kasugai Crow began shouting. "This way, this way there is a house where the parents of one of the victims resides! "
Fuyuka let out a sigh. "I know and I am going, so calm down, you damned bird. Lest I request a replacement for you. "
"Caw caw caw, rude Tsumetai!"
"Oh, shut up"
When Fuyuka reached the said house a middle-aged couple welcomed her, with the tensed expressions and clear weariness written all over their faces. "Yes? How can we help you, young lady?"
"I am here because of your missing daughter report." Fuyuka leaned forward and continued with a hushed tone. "You contacted the demon slayer core directly so I guess you are certain it was a demon involved, correct?"
Both of them nodded with recognition. And the man started to talk. "Yes, our daughter went out one evening and returned home panicking claiming she was chased by some monstrous looking man, so we barred the doors and windows, while she was hiding in her room, but then…..then."
"We only heard the screaming and when we came to her room she was gone and there was a broken window." The woman finished for her husband who seemed unable to finish the reporting.
"When did it happen?"
"Four days ago."
"I see, well, you are not the only ones who reported someone going missing or kidnaped around here, I am only sorry I didn't make it into this town sooner, where exactly did your daughter go that night?"
"She only said she met that monster when she was walking alongside the shore, near the docks."
"Alright, thank you for your cooperation, farewell." Fuyuka turned to leave.
"Wait, please you are the slayer right? Are you going to save our daughter?"
Fuyuka looked at the woman and shook her head. "Unfortunately, no, four days would be too late to save anyone who was taken by the demon. They are not known for holding prisoners."
"Than our daughter…."
"Is most likely dead, I am sorry. All I can do for now is to ensure that the demon who killed her, won't hurt anyone else. Maybe take some solace in fact I will at least avenge you child."
"That won't bring her back." Man said bitterly, hugging his now sobbing wife.
"No it won't, but it will bring you some closure. You should be grateful for such small mercies because sometimes you can't have even that." Without another word Fuyuka turned and headed towards the docks.
When she arrived there was no one there, just sounds of water and docked ships, when she looked around for tracks she noticed traces of blood in several places. Though no obvious place for the demon to hide. However after making a few steps she noticed sounds of movement behind her and quickly turned to face it with one hand already gripping on to her katana.
"Well, well, well, what have we here? Another little girl walking around? This area is simply a gold mine of delicious food. Just like the boss predicted." Said a tall muscular man, with pale skin, red eyes and black horns on his head.
Fuyuka remained calm and took a fighting stance ready to draw her blade but a mention of the word boss gave her pause. "So, there are more of you here, demon."
"Huh you know what I am? Wait, you are a demon slayer." There was a hint of fear and shock in the demon's posture and face, but it was only brief. "No matter, you will be fed to a boss just like every girl we caught here before you!"
As the demon launched against her, Fuyuka with trained movement swiftly drew her blade of light blue colouration and with white snowflakes pattern. "Ice Breathing, First Form: Sudden Frostbite." Before the demon could even register a horizontal slash, his head was already falling down and he felt a horrible pain around his neck, like he was burned.
"Ahhhh what was that? How did you do that? You!"
"The pain you feel is just a fragment of the pain you caused, Demon." Fuyuka said with a cold voice but full of hatred as she looked towards already disintegrating head. "You mentioned boss? Who is he and where is he hiding?"
"Hah you think I will tell you anything you bitch? He will slain you before you even…." Demon head didn't finish talking as it received a kick which sent it right into dark waters.
"That was a wrong answer, wretch." Fuyuka said and sheeted her katana and went to move again. Now, where could a demon who has even more demons under his thumb, hide?
A piercing scream pulled her out of her thoughts and she didn't waste any time and ran towards the sound.
"Help! Somebody help me!"
"Come here, you look fragile but I need to bring at least something hehe." Thin demon gripped a clearly wounded and scared man by the neck, but her excitement of terrifying another victim was short lived as in the flash she felt a sharp pain and thin crust of ice were over the stumps, where used to be her hands and the wounded man was dragged a few metres away from her reach.
"What the hell just happened?" Demon shrieked and looked in the direction of the newcomer who stood between her and the former victim. "Who are you?"
"Just someone who is going to take your head, demon. You will be my second kill tonight, I wonder just how many heads I will have to cut tonight."
"A demon slayer?" Demon hesitated and as soon as her hands regenerated she jumped on the roof and fled.
Fuyuka just smirked in satisfaction. They are just like roaches always running to the lair. It was precisely as she hoped for. She quickly turned to a man. "Did any of her blood get to your mouth or wounds?"
"No ma'am"
"Good, get to safety." Fuyuka didn't want to lose any more time and jumped to follow the demon.
She followed a demon to a rugged and abandoned looking building on the outskirts. She tried to keep some distance, so the demon had an impression of a successful escape.
Fuyuka waited until Demon disappeared in the building, then she got closer, and silently moved around the walls until she heard voices.
"There is a demon slayer in this town who attacked me during prey snatching, Boss Rokuro."
A sound of fist hitting bone and grunt of pain rezoned from the inside. "Demon Slayer huh and you just ran away? And does it occur to your stupid brain that it might be exactly what that demon slayer wanted?"
"I am sorry boss, but I watched behind my back there was no one in pursuit. I am sure I lost her."
Another hit. "Fool! If that demon slayer knows what she is doing then it was her design! And where there is one demon slayer there could be more. No matter, all of you prepare to leave, the secrecy which allowed us to make this town our feeding ground will soon be gone."
Fuyuka took a deep breath and drew her weapon. It's now or never it seems or maybe if I call reinforcements? Eh fuck it. I can't let them escape. And she proceeded to kick out the already decayed doors to the shock of all the demons inside, though the sight that welcomed a demon slayer wasn't something optimistic, there were nine demons in the room, though they all looked common, the one in the centre seemed very different.
Older looking man, stocked and firm build. With the pale skin and black veins, he didn't awaken any notion of being a mere pushover and then Fuyuka spotted it on one of his yellow eyes. Lower two? Now I really hit a hornet nest. Just my luck.
"Ah about the wolf and that wolf is standing before us." The Lower Moon spoke with a challenging tone. "Well let's see how long you will stand after this!" He jumped back so all eight demons were standing between Fuyuka and him. "Kill her!" With that all of them rushed at her, completely convinced that thanks to their numbers they would overwhelm her.
Just stay frosty. Fuyuka thought and took a stance with the calm and elegant demeanour. "Ice Breathing, Seventh Form: Hoarfrost Dance." It was quick, Fuyuka gracefully moved against the demons with the powerful yet flowing motion of her blade and the cold emanating from it.
Demons didn't hesitate and attacked her with their fangs and claws. She managed to keep them all at bay however and after a few seconds and swinging and bending her katana three demons lost their heads in painful cold deaths.
The remaining five were taken back a little and scattered only to surround Fuyuka on all sides. "We got her now!" "Yes you will now pay for what you did!" "Let's finish that slippery bitch"
All moved in unison, all aimed at her ready to devour her flesh, but Fuyuka just took a deep breath, braced herself and began to move her blade in circular motion. "Ice Breathing, Sixth Form: Ring of Frost." 360 degree horizontal slash took all demons by surprise and they practically ran into it and got their heads cut off.
Fuyuka then fixated her gaze on the lower moon who just had an expression of pure anger and shock on his ugly face. "Well now, if you don't have any more minions how about you get your hands dirty, Lower Moon?"
"Such insolence! You might have some skill but you are no match for me!" Demon straddled and clenched his fists. "My lord himself chose me to be his lower moon. And I will show you why. Blood Demon Art, Earth Control: Landslide! I am going to bury you alive!" The wooden floor broke and a massive amount of earth came out in massive tide, aimed directly at Fuyuka
"Not if I kill you first demon! Ice Breathing, Fifth Form: Frozen Waterfall." Fuyuka jumped forward and performed arcing vertical slash from the air directly into the tide with the wave of ice and cold, once she got through she went for a demon with several slashes which to her shock demon blocked with his hands, it was clear he was experienced martial arts practitioner.
"Hah impressive I have never seen the demon slayer use ice before but you will have to do better than that! Blood Demon Art, Earth Control: Stone Kick! "Demon fists and legs were suddenly covered in stone and a flurry of blows followed, Fuyuka tried to block and avoid them all but one mistake almost cost her this battle and life.
When a stone fist was about to hit her leg, she knew it could break her bone so at the last second, she stepped back and it only scratched her leg, yet next kick in the ribs she didn't manage to block or evade and she was sent several metres back in pain.
Damm that must have left a mark, a few broken ribs at least. Fuyuka thought to herself as she fought through the pain to quickly get back on her feet. I won't be able to keep this pace up, now. I need to finish this but how? He deflected and predicted every one of my strikes… Well then I have to strike so he can't predict it, only to get close again.
"You look like you are in pain, let me put you out of your misery! Blood Demon Art, Earth Control: Stone Throw many small stones began to form a one large boulder before the demon's hand and when it was deemed large enough, the demon with unlikely speed propelled it against Fuyuka. Who calmed down her senses, held her katana with two hands in a defensive stance and seemingly froze in place.
"Ice Breathing, Fourth Form: Cold Judgment." Everything went slow for Fuyuka and she only saw the immense sized boulder approaching her and the demon behind it with the victorious smirk on his face.
Once the boulder got close enough, she jumped in the air and when the stone passed below her, she used it as a bounce platform for her legs, to lunge towards the demon with the prepared killing blow.
Demon didn't expect this move but still managed to conjure stone around his arms at the last second and deflected the strike, which sent Fuyuka four metres back. But she was relentless and immediately took another stance. "Ice Breathing, Ninth Form: Ice Vapour." Fuyuka again rushed forward with great speed and her blade and hands were covered with thick layers of Ice Vapour. Demon blinked several times in confusion then he finally figured out the aimed direction of the blade and moved his hands to block, he was sure he would now kill his opponent.
Or so he thought because his hands made no contact with her blade and instead he felt a sharp pain hitting his neck as his head was being cut off his body. Wait, how is this possible? I was sure I saw the blade…Oh I see, the speed of the blade plus ice vapour covering it created an effective illusion and the blade was in reality aimed at my neck from a different angle. What a vicious strike. That bitch!
Fuyuka finally let out a heavy sigh of relief and sheeted her sword. And turn to look at decapitated Rokuro, the Lower Moon Two, who as she suspected caused much suffering and death. "Go to hell, demon. In the name of all humans, whose lives you extinguished."
The demon head which was lying on the floor was clearly angered by her words. "Who do you think you are? You dare to judge me? It was the humans who betrayed me when I was one of them, it was them who cast me aside and made me their enemy! It was only Lord Muzan who accepted me and gave me strength to take my revenge. He, he. Nooo!"
It was strange and unexpected but suddenly the demon went red and whole head exploded. Fuyuka frowned in disgust. "What the hell just happened? Why do I even care? At least you did shut up."
When she exited the building the exhaustion and awareness over her wounds came to her and Fuyuka grunted in pain as she placed the hands on her broken ribs. Dammit I must be more careful next time I encounter a Moon, those buggers are really fast. She looked to the sky and called her crow. "Where are you, dammit? Fly over here, crow!"
"Caw caw." White crow landed before Fuyuka and patiently awaited instructions.
"Report to Oyakata-sama, that the mission was a success, yet more difficult than originally estimated, report that I killed ten demons and include the information of one of them being a Lower Moon Two, they were organised into the group and they were snatching victims by large numbers. I don't know if there are more demons about, so, I recommend sending someone to monitor the situation further. I will be on my way back to the headquarters and to the Butterfly Mansion specifically because I need medical attention. A will be moving as soon as I am able to run without further injuring myself, Got it?"
"Yes, Caw, I am setting off right away!" Crow took off without any hesitation.
XXX
Several days later Butterfly Mansion
"That was very irresponsible of you. Just attacking Lower Moon without calling for assistance when he had a gang of demons around him." Shinobu Kocho, the Insect Hashira, was scolding Fuyuka while she was checking her ribs. "You were lucky those ribs didn't cause any internal injury, do you even realise how close you were to being killed?"
"Well, what can I say Kocho, that demon was about to break my leg. I had to avoid it or it would be my death for certain, unlucky for me he used that moment to kick me in the ribs. I underestimated his speed, that's all."
"How can you underestimate a Lower Moon, Tsumetai? Never guessed you for a fool."
Fuyuka took a slight offence to that. "Look it is not like fighting Lower Moons is some common experience, those are rarely encountered by us and I have strong suspicion that those of us who encounter them, usually do not live to tell a tale about it. I mean, I knew it was a strong demon, just by looking at him but a demon which can control earth and stone, that was new."
"Hmm, you are probably right about that rarity thing and I suppose you are luckier than most, also you may count your blessings that you didn't encounter the Upper Moon like my sister."
"I lost siblings too, you know." Fuyuka said with a quiet sad voice. "Probably to the Upper Rank too."
Shinobu didn't answer, instead just nodded and finished Fuyuka's treatment. "It is done for now, fractures should be healing nicely, though I will be keeping you here at least for two weeks for observation."
Fuyuka protested. "Hey, I want to be here for two weeks. My injury can't be that serious.
"I am afraid you do not have a choice in this matter. Oyakata-sama ordered that you will be staying in my mansion until you are healed, only then you will be free to go back onto the field. And I will decide when you are fit to leave, so I suggest you get yourself comfortable." Shinobu smiled like she was the kindest person in the country.
Fuyuka didn't smile back, just kept the stone face as she fought the urge to punch something or rather someone. "Fine as long as I will be able to visit a few people around the headquarters."
Shinobu nodded and went to the doors but stopped before exiting and turned back to speak again. "One more thing, there is a Hashira meeting set to take place tomorrow afternoon so be prepared to attend."
Fuyuka frowned at that. "Eh why me? In case you haven't noticed, Kocho. I am not a Hashira."
"Oh my. And here I thought you were familiar with Demon Slayer Core rules and procedures. You killed a Lower Moon, so, do I really need to tell you what that means?"
"Ehm, if you recall, I gracelessly refused to become a Hashira once already, I thought that would be the end of it."
"Yes you did, but you also said and I quote: I do not consider killing fifty demons as a worthy deed for me to become a Hashira. I would need to achieve something more significant to accept that honour Oyakata-sama." Shinobu said and smiled mischievously like she just caught someone doing something they shouldn't. "You caused quite a ruckus among other Hashiras, when you said that, mind you. I can't imagine them forgetting that either."
Fuyuka on the other hand just bit her lip. "I am not getting out of this, do I?"
"Probably not. I was told by Oyakata-sama that tomorrow is going to be an appointment ceremony for you. So, allow me to be the first one to congratulate you, Fuyuka Tsumetai the Ice Hashira of the Demon Slayer Core."
So there we have a first chapter, which serves as a first introduction of a character, for now. I will say I will continue this story should there be a good reception, have a good day.