When the masked stranger's gaze fell upon them for too long, Kairi leaned forward, taking on a defensive position with her arms outstretched in front the of boys behind her. Her blue eyes glowered as she grumbled a growl.

"Um…It's okay Kairi," Sora said meekly. He found the rest of his voice when the masked stranger gave no sign of attacking.

"He saved us," Riku reassured her, taking an uncharacteristic gentle tone.

Kairi's eyes soften. She slowly relaxed from her tense position.

"Well, well…" The man uttered in a tone of amusement and disbelief as he cocked his head to the side, still observing the girl.

"Sir," Riku intervened, "A older boy by the name of Ventus sent us to see you. He hoped you can train us to join the demon slayer corps."

The silver haired youth couldn't help but shy away his gaze as the masked man turned to face him.

Almost as if he didn't hear the boy, the masked man turned away, heading up the temple steps.

"Huh?"

The boys exchanged glances of confusion before Sora found his voice.

"Wait!" The boy exclaimed.

"Yes, wait," The man answered back, "Wait until I'm done here, then follow me."

The boys were stunned to silence, looked at each other and then back to the mysterious man, who disappeared inside the temple before coming back out with the discarded corpse. In his other hand, he held a shovel.

Sora looked away, but Riku didn't drop his gaze.

The man set the body down, waved a hand signal which cause the crow on his shoulder to flutter away and perch on Riku. After, he began digging a shallow grave. When the grave became deep enough, he placed the remains inside and buried it.

Kneeling, he began to speak in a solemn tone, hands clapped in a prayer.

His head was bowed, and the sound of soft murmurs could be heard.

When the last of the man's parting words were uttered, he dusted off his pants and stood.

"Follow me closely. There may be more demons nearby."

He directed his mask toward Kairi and uttered, "One of you better have her on a tight hold. If we run into another human and she behaves unpredictably…"

He need not finish his sentence; the last word had a steel-edged tone that had all the implication it needed for the boys to understand.

Riku took Kairi's arm with a firm grip. The demon girl appeared to have no qualms.

The masked stranger studied the pair for a bit before turning to trail off. Riku followed only acutely aware of the tug on his garment as Sora held to him from behind.

There were questions bubbling at the tip of his tongue, but Riku's jaw remained clamped shut the entire time they followed the masked stranger.

His eyes never wavered from the old man's back, regardless of the pulling that ensued as Sora stumbled along the way.

When at last they reached a modest sized cottage, the stranger held the door out open for them. The boys timidly made their way inside. The irori, which sat by the front entrance, warmed them immensely. The flickering and dancing flames melted away the tension the boys felt since the morning.

The stranger cleared his throat and ordered them to take a seat by the fire. The crow, which was at this point perched on his shoulder, leapt to the ground, and stuck out the leg which had Ventus' letter attached.

The stranger unrolled the parchment, taking time to scan it behind the eye holes of his mask. The intrigue of his actual expression left Riku and Sora in bated breath. Kairi sat in between them, studying the stranger as intently as the he studied the paper.

The man would glance up to stare at Kairi every few moments or so. After a stretch of time, he set the parchment down, but when he made no indication to speak, Riku seized the moment.

"Sir, I'm sure the letter has briefed you on the details of the previous night. However, it would be improper if we did not introduce ourselves none the less. My name is Riku, and my friend here is Sora. Our childhood friend, Kairi…she-"

The boy couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence. Even now, it was hard to believe that the girl who sat beside him was a demon.

"...Turned into a demon," the masked stranger finished for him, "As is apparent."

The boys nodded slowly.

The mask man sighed heavily and then proceeded to take off his mask slowly. He revealed himself to have a lightly wrinkled forehead and intense protruding eyes covered slightly by a set of thick, bushy, gray brows that furrowed as he looked at them.

"My name is Yen Sid. I am a former demon slayer. The boy you met the previous night, Ventus, was student of mine."

Sifting through the papers, he continued.

"It is an unspoken rule within the demon slayer corps that any presence of a demon should be cut down. That boy…" Yen Sid looked up, his eyes scanning a distance much further away than where the two boys sat.

"He has always been peculiar. One day it will cost him, no doubt."

He cleared his throat. All reminiscing was cut short.

"For as long as demons have existed, demon slayers followed shortly. The corps have existed for generations to combat these monstrous foes. More hundreds of years ago, it seemed as if demons ran rampant and free. It was only until around 100 years ago, that the hard-earned efforts of past slayers finally bore fruit, there has been a considerable dwindle in the numbers of demons.

"However, this is a small and bittersweet fruit. Demons may vary by strength, but all of them possess the ability to regenerate and heal from their wounds at incredible speed. More advance demons can regenerate almost instantly."

At this sentence, Yen Sid casted a side long glance at Kairi. Her arms were nubs up to her wrists.

"Sir," Riku interjected, "If that's the case, then Kairi, why hasn't she fully regenerated her hands?"

"Her arms do seem to regenerate though," Sora chimed in, "This morning, it seemed like her arms only extended to the middle of her forearm.

"Has she eaten any humans?" Yen Sid asked quietly.

"No," Riku reassured firmly, "We would never let her do that."

"Demons don't answer to humans," Yen Sid countered gravely, "It's not the matter of allowing her. However, it appears she is no ordinary demon."

"Yes, she's not!" Sora agreed with vigor, "Even at the temple, she saved us."

Yen Sid looked over at Kairi thoughtfully. Her mouth was still fastened with the cloth garment. This whole time of their conversation, Kairi never once dropped her gaze from him. Her eyes were a steady blue, unlike the sharp yellow he was accustomed to over the past decades.

"If what you say is true, then it would be near impossible for her to grow her hands back. Demons need to feast on humans for their substance. It's highly likely that their regenerative proprieties and strength are linked to that. With each passing day, I'm sure her hunger will grow. This can only lead to everyone's unfortunate demise."

"Sir," Riku interjected quietly, "I know what is at stake. I want to grow stronger to protect others. If Kairi ever intends to harm someone, it will be me that stands in her way."

His blue eyes held an intense weight behind them.

"I won't let any demon do as they please."

Yen Sid studied the boy with interest.

"I see. How do you intend to do that?"

"You are a master that can fight demons. So, I'm begging you…"

Sora gawked as he saw his friend kneeling down before bowing his head to the floor.

"Teach me. Everything that you know. I'll endure any training, no matter how hard. Even if there's a risk that I may die…please."

Sora held his breath, not daring to break the silent tension that followed. Yen Sid's stern eyes kept steady on Riku for a few seconds.

"Very well," He finally uttered, "Training begins tomorrow, 5:00 am sharp. I expect you to be ready on the dot, no later."

Riku lifted his head, exclaiming his thanks and rushing into the questions that had been plaguing his mind since the night prior.

"Sir, I need to know-"

"While I'm sure you have questions," Yen Sid interrupted, "It will be answered in due time. The night is short, and you must prepare for tomorrow."

Riku's face took on a troubled look, but nevertheless, the obliged the master's order.

With that he stood and walked them further back the cottage, where they found a small room, likely used for storage. On the open shelves there laid spare bedding and clothing.

"The spare clothes were from my previous students. Take what fits. There's a Teppo-buro out back you can both use to clean yourselves up."

The boys spared glances at each other before rustling through the folded clothes. The haori and kimonos were all worn and had a soft texture that could only come from years of overwear. The meisen fabric had long lost its stiffness and sheen.

Only after the boys had selected the kimono and haori they needed did they set out through the back entrance, with the Master sitting by the door, light smoke wafting out of his kiseru pipe.

"The demon girl…what an unusual case," He muttered to himself. Glancing up, he gestured to the teppo-buro barrel, which had light steam raising from it.

"The demon has been restrained in a spare room."

"What-"

But the old man only lifted his palm to silence them.

"She fell into a sleep like trance…I've never witnessed a demon to put themselves at such a vulnerable state. Nevertheless, I still cannot fully trust what her intentions are. I've bind her up…for everyone's safety."

"But you've seen what's she's like," Sora chimed, "She hasn't hurt us at all."

"Even if they have no intention to now, you never know what the future holds. She's still a demon and the nature of a demon is something you will never grasp unless you've spent years fighting them.

You will never know what their most sinful and hellish acts are until you've seen with your own eyes what they can do. They will rip your comrades' arms from the sockets, gouge out your closest ally's eyes, gorging themselves on your wife's heart and your child's tongue.

No, that is not something you do not know. Yet."

The intensity behind Yen Sid's eyes narrowed down on Sora, causing him to shrink away behind Riku's quaking form.

"Don't argue with me boy. Now get in the bath. I'll keep a watch out."

Although the old man didn't say what he was watching out for, the vivid memory of the demon from the temple with its blood-stained teeth crept into Sora's mind. He eased into the bath unsteadily.

The boys soaked in the bath back-to-back, with not much room to move. The warm water eased the tension away so well that Sora startled himself awake when his face sunk into the water.

After the boys toweled off and dressed, the old man led them back inside. They passed a room with the door closed off and the boys instinctively knew their friend was on the other side. The corridor hosted a few rooms, more than one would need if living alone.

When they reached a room stationed off on the far side of the corridor, the old man gestured them to head inside. The walls and room were bare of any furniture, with the exception of the tatami mats that covered the floor and a wooden dresser on the far corner. The old master took out the bedding from within and laid in on the ground.

Turning to face the boys, he reiterated that training started in the morning at 5:00 am. Given that sky was beginning to take a lighter hue, it didn't seem far off.

After the master left and the boys had settled in their bedding, the silence that hung through the air did nothing to dispel the thoughts clouding through Sora's head.

The only thing he could think of was talking to Riku all about them. As he tried to grasp onto where to start first, his eyelids grew heavier and drew to a close. Thoughts whizzed by more feebly until there was nothing to think about at all.

Meanwhile, Riku laid awake a few feet away, his eyes fixed to the ceiling as everything and anything to think about continue to race through his mind.