The courtyard to headquarters appeared empty as Ventus briskly strolled by. He dreaded what this could mean – the morning meeting must have already begun.
"Apologies for my tardiness," he murmured as he entered the spacious main hall.
The hall was filled with roughly two hundred demon slayers, many the same ones ordered to stay by the village. To the latecomer's relief, many were engaged in mild and faint conversation an indication the general meeting had not started. From the other side of the hall, a jeer punctured the room, coming from a dark tousled haired youth.
"You think we have the time to wait for a someone of your ranking?" The boy drawled, his amber eyes swept through the room, seeking his desired reaction.
When none was given, he scathingly added, "Our presence is surely graced by a fellow Kanoe."
The scattered giggles prompted a warm blush to bubble up Ventus' skin as he sat down.
"Enough, Vanitas," Aqua interjected, "Do you have nothing better to do except disrupt the peace?"
"The nerve of you to make any comment," Terra added, "When everyone was here to witness you come in 2 minutes ago. Someone of your ranking could never hope to be a Hashira."
Vanitas scoffed, leering at Ventus before muttering under his breath his vexation with the Water and Earth Hashira.
Before the darked haired youth could cause a bigger scene, the sound of the sliding door and the presence of the person who entered silenced the room. Everyone in the room bowed their heads in acknowledgement and respect to the man who strode through the hall.
Master Eraqus was a man of lean stature, and of no remarkable height. His eyes held a sharp edge to them and the scar that ran down his right eye and cheek only accentuated them. His jaw always seems tightly pressed, and for this reason, he never looked pleased.
The room fell to a hush, everyone waiting for the Master's acknowledgement.
"Good morning," The man greeted, offering a nod as his weathered eyes scanned the room at those in attendance.
"It gives me great pleasure to know that most of the corps has returned unharmed from the night's incident." The imposing man's smile was tight and brief, giving way to a more somber expression as he thought of what he was to address next.
"However, I must address the concern that I'm sure is on all our minds. I am sure you have all heard of the news that 2 upper moons have been spotted by our fellow Hashira. It is worrying to know that two upper moons were colluding with one another. Moreover," Eraqus added, his expression growing dark, "they had both escaped, and there has been no intel as to why they have gathered together."
An eruption of nervous whispers filled the hall most notably:
Two upper moons? If demons of that rank are collaborating, how are we supposed to prepare for that?
They could easily have wiped out more than half the corps!
Why did they suddenly decide to show?
What could they be plotting?
Amongst the whispers and murmurs, a visible scowl was plastered on Vanitas' face. He rolled his eyes as a flurry of panic whipped around the room.
Eraqus cleared his throat, and once more, the hall hushed to absolute silence.
"I ask you all to remain vigilant during such times," The master continued. "I anticipate this to be the doing of Xehanort-"
Gasps, mostly involuntary, escaped the mouths of the many demon slayers present. The only ones who steeled their gaze were the present pillars, Aqua and Terra.
Ventus' brow knitted, and his lips drew to a tight line.
Vanitas was the only one who cracked a smirk, intrigued with the news.
The name had dwindled in its utterance for years, but those who had knowledge of who it belonged to found it hard to suppress a shudder.
"We are demon slayers," Eraqus stated firmly in a bid to gather the attention of the crowd, "Our objective was always to put an end to Xehanort. No matter how difficult the deed, this has always been the goal.
I suspect…we must prepare for the worst. Which is the idea that even more upper moons will be working together. The danger that everyone will face will only increase tenfold."
The only sound that cloud be heard from a while was the distant chirping from the sparrows outside.
"Sir..."
All heads turned to a meek looking demon slayer, who visibly shrunk from the attention. He cleared his throat, but that did no good to hide the crack in his voice when he spoke.
"I-I've decided to resign."
A burst of shushed murmurs erupted. Vanitas clicked his tongue in disgust.
Seriously?
He can't possibly mean that.
The hushed disapprovals carried on and it spurred the young man to continue on defensively.
"Our task already seems impossible for me. I've fully come to realize this may not be what I'm suited for. I've thought by joining, I could avenge those who I've lost but…I've only witnessed loss of my allies…"
Silence. Master Eraqus closed his eyes, he nodded.
"The duties of being a demon slayer is by no means simple. We have lost a number of slayers over the years, many who had their wholes lives ahead of them. They did it in pursuit of a peaceful world, an act of noble selflessness.
Which is why, should anyone else decide to resign, while unfortunate, I will not stop them. As demon slayers go, we need ones with full conviction. Those who have troubles within the heart will only succumb to them. For those who decide to stay, I ask you not to judge your former peers harshly, but to protect them as you would with anyone else. "
A few demon slayers looked over towards their peers, looks of uncertainty and uneasiness casted over them.
The young man who spoke up earlier perked up, his earlier expression of shame was replaced by a more sheepish one.
"Thank you Master! I apologize for this sudden decision, and for leaving my current peers in this bind! You are far too kind. Thank you for all you have done for me at this point."
He assumed a kneeling position before bowing deeply, his forehead kissing the ground beneath him. After he rose to a sitting position, he removed his Haori and then laid out his katana.
Ventus heard a few gasps from where he was seated. The young man got to his feet and bowed once more to the master before taking his leave. The sliding door slid shut, and then silence.
Just when Ventus thought that was it, a shuffle could be heard and then another.
The blond boy turned his head only to see several demon hunters, many of higher rank, getting up and peeling off their Haori. Many like him, watched, mouth agape and eyes widened, as several of their peers removed their katanas and jackets. Hushed whispers were ushered from those who remained seated.
Wait…hold on.
What do you think you're doing?
"Cowards," Vanitas spat, upper lip curled in disgust.
Throughout the exchange, Eraqus looked on wordlessly, his expression stony and solemn. He did nothing to stop the recanted group from their decision.
Terra looked off in disinterest, seemly unperturbed with the outcome. Aqua closed her eyes.
When the last of the shuffling ceased and the sliding door was finally shut, Eraqus resumed his speech.
"I thank those who have decided to stay. You all have my full gratitude. It is by no means and easy endeavor to live the life of a demon slayer, moreso, the carry the weight of its responsibilities.
We are the first and last line of defense against demons and humanity. Our lives and dedication to serving the humanity is the foundation of the demon slayer corps. The only goal we have is to put an end to Xehanort."
He casted a pointed look over to Terra and Aqua.
"Hashiras will be instructed to hold more trainings in the early evening. A separate meeting with the Hashiras will be held on a later date to discuss full details. This meeting is now dismissed."
Out of the 200 members of the corps that attended the meeting, 78 remained until the meeting was concluded.
As the rest of the demon slayers shuffled out into the courtyard, Ventus lagged behind, his mind muddled with last nights events.
As if on cue, Terra had sidled up beside on his right, and Aqua, his left.
"You look worse for wear Ven," The water pillar commented, "Did you run into any demons last night?"
"Come on Aqua," Terra interjected, "Ven's much tougher than that. He can hold his own."
The blond boy sheepishly smiled at the praise.
"I'm okay Aqua, no need to worry. How about you two? I heard you were on the chase for the upper moons."
At the mention of this, Terra scowled. Aqua, glancing over quickly her fellow Hashira, and cleared her throat.
"Regrettably, it seemed they fled the scene rather quickly."
"Cowards," Terra fumed, "They dare not stay to fight those who can actually defend themselves, only the most vulnerable."
Noticing his slight outburst, he gave Ventus an apologetic look.
"Ah, sorry you had to deal with the cleanup."
"Were there any survivors?" Aqua asked.
"Oh, two boys and-"
A brief flash of a red headed girl, her eyes glinting bright yellow. Ventus paused.
"And?" Both Hashira looked at him quizzically.
"And…that's all. I instructed them to seek shelter by the nearby village." Ventus hurried on before doubt of lying could betray him. The water pillar's eyes filled with concern, which urged the boy to switch the topic fast.
"So, what do you think about today's meeting?"
Aqua thought pensively, while Terra responded instantly.
"What a disappointment. Did those who left know no shame? Pride?" The young man heaved a sigh, his brow furrowed as he looked over to the distance.
"Well, one cannot completely blame them," Aqua argued, "After all, as Master Eraqus said, this line of work is never easy. Not everyone thinks of their own pride as much as you do. It's a dangerous matter of life and death."
"That's true, but I hope any demon slayer training under me won't be as weak willed as that."
"With any luck, you might get Vanitas."
Terra's lip curled and his face soured at the thought. Aqua chuckled.
"Well, he has a lot of pride."
"Yes, and then some," Terra grumbled.
"At the very least, he seems to have something resembling respect towards you," Ventus supplies.
"Ah yes, well I suppose I should count myself lucky."
"Think of it-someone garnering Vanitas' respect!"
"One day Aqua, perhaps you can be graced with something of that effect as well."
The water Hashira gave out a little huff of amusement at her fellow Hashira's banter, and Ventus allowed himself a brief smile, only too eager to push away his thoughts of this morning's events until they would ultimately resurface.
There was an odd feeling about heading the same way they had trekked the evening prior. A few hours ago, Riku and Sora walked the same path to spar in kendo with no difficulty, and now, they path seemed to stretch through to the horizon.
Sora glanced back the direction they came. They had long passed by the cave Sora had mentioned to RIku yesterday. Directly outside the cave were bare wisteria trees. Although they were nothing remarkable to look at this time of the year, Sora knew just how pretty it looked in full bloom when he snuck out of his home to escape chores and stumbled upon it earlier in the spring.
He couldn't believe his great fortune at what he'd found. The cavern was the perfect secret space, only meant for him. It was expansive and deep, and he made it his mission to explore it thoroughly to become an expert guide of it.
For several months, it had been the only place he would go to escape the adults, and sometimes Riku, when the older boy grew to be an annoyance nagging about chores. He had plans to show it off once he knew the cavern's full surroundings. He knew that his friends would be thoroughly impressed, although Riku would probably act as if it wasn't a big deal, even though Sora knew the boy would be squirming with jealously due to not finding it first.
The thought of Kairi being thoroughly impressed made Sora's chest swell with pride, which was why he couldn't resist showing it to her early, when they both decided to duck out of their houses to escape shopping in town with Kairi's grandmother.
Those days seemed distant, even though it had not been long since Kairi expressed her wide-eyed wonder for their secret spot.
The distance trekked left both boys weary and yearning for a break. The soles of their feet burning and feeling akin to mush, but Riku insisted they did not slow their pace. Sweat had plastered the clothes to their backs and they both had a loose grip on the weapons they held.
The crow still flew up in the sky overhead showing no signs of stopping. The boys strained their eyes against the waning sunlight to see it. They had already taken a break at noon, and with the sun casting a fiery orange glow in the horizon, they knew that not much time existed before it would eventually set.
Sunsets had used to be Sora's favorite part of the day, but now, as the sun dipped lower, so did his spirit. The unease was only amplified by rustling that came from the basket Riku was currently carrying on his back. Occasionally, Sora though he heard the muffled sound of tearing coming from the basket.
The boys had switched back and forth between carrying it in the daytime, and while it was relatively without motion, as the sun dipped, both boys felt Kairi's kicking on their backs. They had alternated between letting the other carry the basket every thirty minutes or so. But as the day grew later, Riku opted not to switch, deciding to carry the basket himself. Sora chose not to say a word on this.
The courage that the younger boy had felt last night all but evaporated. The doubt of this task has taken root in the young boy's subconscious and a feeling of shame seeped in.
They had last checked on Kairi at noon, under the dense shade of some trees. She was sound asleep in the basket then. Now, with the time slipping well into the evening, constant rustling came from where the demon girl was contained. Sora silently hopes the reinforcements are strong enough but the sounds of tearing fabric dashed his faith. It was clear that however strong the fabric was, it was not meant to endure continual stress. The boy worries what they would do should Kairi become fully free.
The adrenaline that had kept him hopeful when he was under Kairi's grasp was long gone.
"I see the temple," Riku said, pulling Sora away from his thoughts. These were the first words he had spoken for the past few hours.
"Should we rest here for the night?" Sora suggested, relieved to see the shelter.
"Yes, we'll probably reach the waterfall tomorrow morning," Riku agreed. His back ached from the weight of the basket, which he had already been carrying for the past hour. The nervous thought of the demon girl bursting through their baskets crossed their minds, but weariness and hunger overtook it as a primary concern.
Perhaps there will be some monks who would be able to spare them some food, as they had eaten nothing since yesterday afternoon.
The crow appeared to consent to this idea as well, for it descended slowly until it roosted on the roof of the temple. Perhaps it was also feeling the tired from its long flight.
Hopeful, the boys picked up the pace, skipping every other step. Sora, who was free from the burden of carrying Kairi, reached the doors of the temple first. He swung the doors open and belted out a greeting.
"Excuse us! We've been traveling all day and -"
The sickening stench of blood stopped the boy from uttering anything else.
The mangled body of a monk laid lifeless as a crouched figured tore into its midriff, splattering blood over the floors in the process.
Sora could only stare dumbfounded in shock, mouth agape, and feeling faint.
The figure jerked its head at the boy's direction, the gleaming eyes dead set on easy prey. Blood and bits of flesh dribbled from the mouth as a gruesome toothy smile formed.
"What do we have here?" The dreadful thing said.
Sora lost all sense of feeling completely as the monster stood up on its feet. Its wicked yellow eyes dilated as it noticed Riku's pale figure behind Sora's.
"Oh? I counted myself already graced by the gods to have a snack stumbling in this neck of the wood. Turns out there's two, enough for a feast," The horrid thing long tongue swished out, swiping at the remaining bits of flesh hanging from its lips.
It stood to approach them and to the boys' horror, it crept towards them in a tantalizing slow manner, exactly as a wild cat would when it prepared to pounce upon its prey.
"I am lucky. So very, very lucky."
SNAP
The creature paused, and everyone's attention flickered over to the source of the sound, the basket that Riku carried on his back shuffling wildly.
"Wha-"
SNAP SNAP SNAP CRRAAACCCKKK
The boys froze in fear, and the whole weight behind carrying another demon fully manifested and dropped to the pit of their stomachs.
"No-" Riku protested.
But the strength of the bamboo basket gave anyway, and a deafening explosive burst is followed by flying bamboo pieces littered the floor.
Kairi landed on her knees, before stumbling to a crouch. The restraints that bounded her arms and feet together were ripped and torn. Her glowing yellow eyes were fixated on the still warm corpse abandoned by the demon. She stumbled forward, taking a deep whiff of the permeating smell of blood. The temple was tense and quiet enough to hear the drip drip drip of Kairi's salivation hitting the floor. She stopped short a few paces away from the corpse then stood shuddering and heaving.
All the while the wretched demon had a look of awe, his yellow eyes darting between the girl and the boys. Riku was light-headed. It was only when he became aware of Sora's shaking breathing that he realized the breath he was holding onto.
"What have we here?"
The boys jumped at the sound of the demon's voice.
"A demon traveling with humans? My oh my…"
The creature took a step, his attention fixed on the oddity before him.
"You don't see this everyday…" He stepped closed until he was face to face with her.
"You, what's your deal?"
Sora instinctively leaned forward, but Riku held him back, at a complete loss of what to do.
All the while Kairi stared ahead, not breaking from her position. Her eyes glazed over, and it became apparent the demon in front of her was not where her focus was on. The fabric that gagged and covered her mouth dampened.
The demon moved alongside her, tilting its head in confusion. It was seeking a response, or a simple reaction, but none was given.
"Hm? Starving aren't you?" The demon began to laugh, circling around the girl.
"Yes, that one served as a good snack, but loss his flavor after he stopped struggling. It's never as delicious afterwards….Such a boring meal, but who am I to complain? It saved me in a pinch when I was starving…still, it's never as good as eating them while they're alive."
Yellow eyes flashed dangerously on the boys again. Its maw was still stained black with blood the remaining pieces of corpse, and when its mouth broke into a devilish smile, chunks of flesh could be seen wedged between its canines.
"Ah-" Sora whimpered as he shrunk back.
The demon assumed a crouch position, and then lunged.
Sora shut his eyes but the impact he was expecting from the front came at his right side.
The full weight of Riku crashing into him propelled them both to the side in the nick of time.
The monster flew past them, landing without any complications at the bottom of the stairs where they came.
"You're a fast one aren't you?" The demon bellowed.
Riku was quick enough to draw out his axe in time, just as the monster bounded up the stairs at a horrific speed. It leapt at the boys with its arms outstretched, fingers resembling that of sharp talons.
With a swift motion, and possibly before Riku could even register what he was doing, the axe came down hard on the demon's forearms, completely severing both hands from the demon.
Riku gagged, the feeling of vomit threatening to overtake him. The adrenaline was pulsing through his veins, and he was in shock of what he done. He shoved Sora behind him as he raised is axe once more.
The demon stumbled back, blood pooling its sides from where his arms were. It rose its head, a peculiar look plastered on its face, as if it couldn't believe what had just transpired any more than the boys.
"How interesting…." It said in its gravelly voice. A Cheshire smile creeping in its face. Its teeth was still stained black from his last meal.
The hairs on every part of Sora's body stood on end and he fumbled for his hatchet, never taking his eyes off the monster, even as it began to stumble closer to them.
Both Riku's hands gripped the axe tightly, his knuckled pure white. His legs felt as they could give out at any moment as he slowly backed away from the monster and into the temple. Riku's thoughts were racing through his head, herded by the panic that chased after them.
Even though the demon just had its forearms sliced off, it didn't appear any less threatening. The bleeding it experienced had already miraculously stopped. The point where Riku had brought down his axe was pulsing.
The boys stared in horror as they realized flesh and bone bubbling out of the impacted area.
Riku shivered. A belief flash of his parents body that laid twisted together flickered and went, accompanied by the following premonition:
I am going to die.
Suddenly a hard thump could be heard by Riku's side. Sora had fallen on his back, tripping over the bloody remains of the monk.
He screamed, and with breakneck speed, the demon lunged once more at his direction.
Shit!
A blur flashed before Riku's eyes. When he blinked, Kairi emerged just in time to launch herself at the demon and send them both tumbling out of the temple and the the downstairs.
Riku was left wide eyed, panting heavily. Sora scrambled to get on his feet, his pants and lower back smeared by the blood that pooled the floor.
They stared at each other in a daze, struggling to comprehend the chain of events that had transpired.
A coarse scream from below snapped them out of their trance, and both boys bolted from the temple, only to see Kairi furiously struggling, pinned to the ground by the demon.
"You little brat!" The demon yelled, "Don't you dare interfere!"
Unlike the dreaded demon, Kairi had not regenerated her arms fully. However, with all the force she could muster, she slammed her pointed foreman to the monster's face knocking it off her body.
Sora's legs bounded toward Kairi before he could think and he hoisted her up to her feet before they both started running back to Riku. Their chance of escape was dashed as the demon recovered, making light work on its chase for Sora.
Riku's heart sank as it became apparent that no matter how far his friend's legs carried him, the demon's carried it much farther.
"SORA!" Riku screamed in a panic.
Just as he was about to bound toward his friend, a heavy pressure pushed him back, knocking him to the ground.
A figure came into view, bolting forward in a speed that was hardly believable. A yelp can be heard, and suddenly Sora swung into view by the stranger's left side before tumbling behind his savior.
The demon face was screwed in shock and it halted in its tracks, not sure what to make of the intruder.
A glaring glint alerted Riku of a Katana gripped tightly by the stranger's right hand. The boy looked on in awe, breath held to a standstill-and it seemed as if time was too. The katana loomed overhead for a brief second before the sword landed a devastating horizontal slash across the demon's neck.
Riku's breath hitched when he heard a soft thump. He peered over the stranger's side, he saw the head of the demon rolling away.
The demon released a blood curling scream, yelling obscenities as its head slowed to a stop.
"DAMN YOU! CURSE YOU! MAY THE ALMIGHTY MASTER CATCH THE LOT OF YOU AND TEAR YOU TO SHREDS, IF THE OTHER DEMONS UNDER HIS COMMAND DON'T GET TO YOU FIRST!"
The boys shuddered, anticipating the demon to start regenerating, but instead, black particles started wafting into the air as the head and shockingly, torso of the demon started disintegrating.
The boys watched on, completely petrified as what remained of the demon crumbled apart to ashes, the remains drifting away.
They shrunk away when the figure turned around suddenly, their face obstructed by an angry red Tengu mask.
The boys flinched under the gaze of the mask as it scrutinized them briefly before it landed squarely on Kairi.
Just as Riku was debating his options to flee or fight, a sharp caw punctuated the night, and Ventus' crow came fluttering down to roost on the stranger's shoulder.
"I can only gather," the stranger uttered in a voice that indicated his weathered age, "that Ventus landed himself in a predicament."