Chapter Text
─── .˚• 𓆟. °· ───
You stirred, shifting over splintery ground. The tepee had collapsed in your sleep, half-burying you. Someone poked at you through the pile.
“Think they’re alive?”
You threw the branches off of you, catching the someone off guard. Two people, actually.
The pair stepped back, as if they’ve just witnessed a zombie crawling from its grave.
“Ah..!”
You stood up, a little faster than you should’ve.
“You… You! Oh, do you know where we are?”
Their expressions didn’t improve after watching you speak. They looked at you with grimaces, tinged with awkwardness and what looked to be pity.
Your eyes traced over their old clothes. One wielded a sword, raised towards you, trembling.
Whatever they were doing here didn’t seem like your typical nightly leisure.
Raising hands up in defense, you waited for a response. Seeing your gesture, they lowered their sword in turn.
The pair approached a little closer.
“Mount Fujikasane. Did you… er… not know?”
One said, the other adding on.
"You’re lost, aren’t you?”
They said it like it was an impossible thing. It all was. The Japanese-sounding name of the mountain only confirmed your suspicions of being in Asia. Did these guys know English? Was some magical translator at work? Maybe you were the one speaking Japanese...
You nodded. The two didn’t look much older than you, and if you had to guess, you’d probably say that they were within a year or two of your age. You’d prefer adults, but one had to admit that these two were better than nobody.
Though, why the swords?
There were quite a few abandoned ones on the mountain, and now, the first two people you see are armed with them. So what was this supposed to be? The Hunger Games?
“…You should come with us. We’re camping out just near here.”
The offer seemed generous. Weary backpackers they were, perchance? Survivalists? You thanked them, following as they walked in front of you. A voice in your head told you it wasn’t the best idea to follow strangers—but dying in the cold wasn’t the best option either.
Arriving, the camp was primitive, to say the least. They had a campfire pit prepared, a step up from your previous abode.
”No fires at night.”
One turned to you after speaking, the other tending to a structure of logs nearby. With all your questions that’d nearly been giving you a migraine, processing new intel became difficult.
“Any... particular reason?” You asked.
He stared, taking note of your reply.
”Demons, a fire would attract them.”
Demons? Like the thing that chased you? What, were those commonplace?
The swords. Of course, now it made sense. Somewhat.
Sensical or not, it didn’t stop you from spiraling into an internal panic. Your numbed fingers tightened around the hem of your sleeves, shoulders stiffened.
What could one possibly say or do in response to such a revelation?
He took another look at you, realizing how cold you must be.
”We keep the hot stones, they might still be warm…” He said, brushing through coals with a stick, each glowing gently with the motion. He uncovered a stone, picking it up and handing it to you. It was between warm and hot, just the right temperature. You thanked him.
Walking to the other, who stood by a makeshift wooden cabin, you pressed the stone to your cheeks.
“One of us stays on lookout while the other rests and warms up. That’s how we’ve survived the past three nights, anyway.” He spoke.
”Survive” and “three nights” didn’t sound good together in the same sentence. These two had to survive?
After another miniature panic attack, they managed to get the gist of your situation.
You didn’t know why you were here, nor did they.
In their eyes, you’d probably have run away and hit your head. Escaped from a nearby asylum. Sleepwalked your way onto the mountain, maybe.
In yours? It was only little bit crazier.
Now, the three of you were on a mountain. In winter. With demons.
They’ve survived for three nights.
Now, you needed to know.
How will you survive this one?
And while we’re at it,
Why on earth are they here too?
You held on to the precious stone.
He began to speak, "this is the Final Selection. Us soon-to-be swordsmen have to show we can handle being a Demon Slayer. We’ve gotta survive on this mountain for seven days and nights, the Corps keeps the weaker side of demons here.”
The Corps (whatever that is), must be arranging this whole demon mountain thing as a morbid, grueling test of sorts.
Not that you wanted any part in this demon stuff, anyway.
Whether or not you’d live to see the end of this test, what was it, three days it’s been for these guys? Four days left?
These two were your best chance at surviving.
You’d all decided that, since you yourself had no experience or any proper clothing, that you would rest, and that Shunsuke (the one who’d given you the stone) and Itsuki (the one who’d woken you up) would keep watch. They “needed the exercise."
You nestled in a corner of the meager cabin. Being in the company of the warm rock and a quilt they brought proved to be a wholesome affair. It became hard to remember that you were in the middle of a demon-infested forest, with how nice it felt.
Leaves covered the floor of the cabin, serving to be a decent cushion. Far more comfortable than where you were before.
A part of you wished that you’d have taken a pillow or blanket from the bed you woke up in earlier, before getting chased by the demon. Ultimately, you wished you were still curled up in those warm sheets, or better yet, home.
Even with how much of an improvement this was, it still couldn't compare to the sweet relish of a normal bed.
You’d be okay with that, for now. It’s all these other two have had for the last few nights, too.
The wind howled, though hardly reaching you in the cabin. Shunsuke and Itsuki had done a pretty good job of constructing it, and you pondered how much experience they really had, and what tremendous events led them to doing this in the first place.
They must know a thing or two about survival and demon-killing.
The thought comforted you, being in the company of them both.
You began drifting into a light doze over an hour or two, only stirring to hear far-off conversation.
Quieting your thoughts, you listened in out of curiosity.
”You really think she’s a demon?”
The voice of Itsuki.
”She randomly pops up on a mountain designed to kill us ‘without knowing where she is,’ think about it!”
Shunsuke.
”She’s got the pallor of a demon, she smells of demons, and she’s somehow gotten up to nearly the top of a mountain in mere pajamas? In winter, too? Do I not have the right to be suspicious?”
Their talk made your windpipe coil. They’d been so kind as to offer you shelter, warmth, and safety. Seemed pretty weird to offer a demon.
Was it all part of a scheme to kill you? They said they were here to become Demon Slayers, you being a potential demon didn’t mean well for that.
If you were a demon, one smart enough to pretend to be human, playing along with you would mean death. It could only mean that the two were conflicted.
It also meant the odds were 50:50 whether they’d choose to attack you or not.
They had swords, you didn’t.
You began to doubt their experience with demons if they couldn’t distinguish you from one. How could they possibly confuse you with the likes of the beastly demon that chased you? Seemed real easy to tell the difference.
Shunsuke mentioned that other people were trying to survive in this Final Selection, finding them would be your best option.
You slipped out of the cabin, treading lightly. Dirty socks muffled your hasty retreat.
After getting just far enough, you stood behind a tree, looking back to see if they were following.
But wasn’t Shunsuke. It wasn’t Itsuki.
Something else loomed in the distance, slowly approaching the camp.
A demon, no doubt.
If you were lucky, it hadn’t seen you escape.
It did, however, see the two boys.
And they didn’t see it.
Your breath hitched in your throat, lungs burning to call out. To scream. To warn them. But you thought twice.
The demon was gigantic, tenfold the size of the demon you saw before. A guess of how much the monstrous thing weighed would have to be in the likes of an elephant.
You watched from afar as it got closer, alerting the boys as it crushed a log in its path. They reached for their swords, an appendage jut out from the demon, reaching Shunsuke—and—and—
You couldn’t dare watch.
Itsuki shrieked, hardly hearable over the demon’s cackling.
You turned tail and ran. A demon of such stature could kill you easily, like it killed the other...
It was hard to come to the conclusion, but after seeing the thing attack, there's no way he could've survived.
Not after...
Not after that.
You didn't need to remember any details.
You ran far out of earshot, and ran some more. Your legs eventually tired, propping yourself up against a tree.
Another hot stone seemed real nice right about now.
A warm bath, soup, hot cocoa, steak, curry...
Really, you were just as hungry as you were cold.
You stared back up at the sky. It was still dark, but several hours had passed, so it had to be morning soon.
Morning meant it'd be warmer. Considering the lack of snow, it must be late fall or early spring, meaning there was a decent shot for it growing above freezing. The anticipation was giving you a headache.
If you could find other people, they might help. Now was not the time to rest, not with that demon nearby.
Finding others.
The thought rang through your head over and over again, pressing on through the forest. You came across a relatively functional sword, only slightly dull, which you took. Really, a gun would be nicer. Who still fights with swords, anyways?
The shabby thing couldn't hurt something of the likes of that giant demon from before, but you imagined that it could hold against a smaller one. Itsuki said that the Corps kept only the weaker demons here, but the monstrous thing begged to differ. That thing could total a semi-truck if it wanted to.
Did this Corps thingy really expect beginner swordsmen to challenge that?
For several people to try surviving here with such monsters, becoming a Demon Slayer must mean some serious cash.
For you though? No sum of money could ever convince you to attend this willingly.
Hands gripping the sword, you walked along a trail. It was across a steep slope, switching back occasionally. If you slipped now, it'd be a nasty fall. You still had no idea where you were going, but right now, all that mattered was covering ground.
Head on a swivel, you paused at one of the switchbacks, sitting down. Your legs were still tired, and much as you wanted to go on, you needed some rest first to do so.
Then you were on the ground. A figure leapt on top of you, sending you both flying down the slope. You yelled, trying to throw it off of you, while its nails dug into your back, clutching you.
A demon!
You bent your leg up, kicking them off as you crash landed, back bloodied and burning. It lunged at you with a snarl, pale skin flashing in a blur. Rolling to the side, you dodged them by a hair, bringing your sword down upon their chest. A quick slash split their skin open, blood gushing out in all directions. They shrieked.
You backed up, standing, looking at them. Unkempt, muted-blue hair draped over their figure, a furious gaze gleaming through tangled strands. Blood spilled out from their body.
The strike would’ve been perilous for any human, you were a bit impressed with how you delivered it, too.
Then the flow of blood stopped, wound disappearing shortly after.
Regeneration?
They lunged at you again, missing with another dodge. This one was far weaker than the others, but how could you fend them off if they could simply regenerate like that?
Spinning to face you, the massive wings of a crane sprouted from their back. A wingbeat sent them barreling towards you, arms latching on and dragging your body across the ground. Just full of surprises.
Swooping up, they rose above the pine trees with you. Attempts to escape their grasp turned into desperate clutches to hold on, a fall from this height could kill you.
Miraculously, your sword never left your right hand. You raised it with both hands, frantically hacking at the demons side. Blood sprayed onto your sleeves. If you could injure it just a bit, then your descent might be slow enough to survive.
You threw your legs over them, latching on as they spun through the air. You couldn’t let the demon throw you off—not in the middle of the sky.
"Get off!"
The demon's cry caught you off guard. They could speak?
You could mind that later. Raising your sword, you slashed at the demon’s wing. Grazing the flesh, you shaved countless feathers off, the wind carrying them away in a flurry.
The lack of feathers set the demon off balance, the other wing fighting to stay aloft. Down you both went, twirling into a sea of tree branches. One last twist brought you on top of the demon, just before hitting the ground.
Heaving, you looked to the demon beneath you.
They broke your fall, having lost consciousness now. Their giant wings sprawled out over the forest floor, one seemingly broken.
But you had to finish the job.
Your throat twisted at the thought of it. Squeezing your eyes shut, you raised the sword above their chest. Brought it down on them, and up, and down again.
You blocked out the crunch, the spasms, and the blood pooling at your legs.
Up and down again.
An unfamiliar voice called out,
“Go for the neck!”
You turned towards the sound, opening your eyes. Seeing nothing, you looked back to the demon, and delivered a strike to their neck. The blade cut through it entirely with a bit of sawing.
Never in a million years would you have thought to do this.
Not to any living being.
───
Adrenaline’s just one hell of a guy.