Chapter Text
Snow. It was pouring down as the cold seeped into the bones. An elderly couple had just closed their craft shop to hurry to their warm, safe home.
But amid the drifting snow, they saw a bundle. A baby wrapped in gray blankets. Perhaps, if it weren't for the soft sobs, they wouldn't have noticed. Her pale skin, her tiny body, and the gray blanket.
The woman quickly bent down to protect her. Was the baby dead? As soon as they got home, they wrapped her in extra-warm blankets and sat together in front of the fire.
"Who would be so heartless as to leave a baby in the middle of nowhere?" -The old woman shouted, truly furious.
"Perhaps you didn't think it would snow so much?" -The old man shrugged with a sigh.- "And what shall we do with her?"
"We should keep her." -She suggested.
"We're too old to take care of a baby, Kyō..." -Her husband tried to reason with her gently.- "We can ask around town. Surely someone will want her.”
And until the ripe old age of three, the girl lived with the older couple. Until she was finally adopted by a blacksmith family. It was a somewhat sad and confusing goodbye for her, but while they lived, they watched her grow.
_____ Sato, keeping the elders' surname, grew up with a happy couple in the blacksmith village. At seven, she began to take an interest in the swordsmen who arrived with her father.
They were all demon hunters, with stern faces and calloused hands. Some had terrifying scars, but she was fascinated by them. She wanted to be like them.
One day, she told her parents that she accidentally cut her knee. She ran around until she tripped over some stones that hurt her.
“If I have scars, can I be like those men you make katanas for, daddy?” -The eight-year-old girl asked.
Her adoptive father looked at her in horror. He didn't think she was that easily influenced, so he avoided the subject for a while.
Until one afternoon, on her thirteenth birthday, she burst into the blacksmith's shop, excited to see the man wearing a beige haori with black details. His black hair was tied back in a tight ponytail. He turned to look at the girl, curious.
"Sir! I want to be like you! Please train me!" -She pleaded excitedly, clasping her hands as she stood before him, dwarfed by his tall stature.
The man burst into laughter, not only at her pleas, but also at her father's terrified gasp. It was clear he didn't want his daughter to become a demon slayer.
"You know, kid, our profession isn't a game." -He spoke in a strangely calm voice.- "And apparently your parents don't agree."
"I know, but I heard them! They're demon hunters, they save lives." -She insisted, looking him in the eye, determination radiating from her young body.- "I want to help people too. I don't want to stay here all my life while innocent people die.”
"No, no. Don't even think about it." -Her father interrupted, squeezing her shoulder to pull her away.
"But dad..." -She looked at him in surprise.
"Why don't we make a deal?" -The man suggested, smiling with amusement.
"A deal?" -They both said, confused.
"Come with me to my estate. I'll train you for a year. If I don't see any progress in you during that time, you'll return here to your father and never ask a hunter to train you again." -His voice was firm but kind. He extended his hand toward hers.
_____ saw his excitement and nodded, shaking his hand happily. "Deal! Thank you very much." -She bowed gratefully, shouting throughout the village.
"By the way," he called before leaving the blacksmith's shop. "My name is Ryōsuke Yokomatsu."
"I'm _____, Mr. Yokomatsu." -She smiled politely and bowed again.
Afterward, the two men remained in the smithy to discuss the young woman's matter.
“Being a demon hunter is a very noble profession, sir. Although we are not recognized, it is an honor that your daughter is interested.” -Ryōsuke took a sip of the tea the blacksmith offered him.
"I don't want her to die." -The blacksmith spoke harshly, his calloused hands clenched.- "My wife and I couldn't have children, so we adopted her... I don't want to lose my only daughter, so I don't want you to support her suicidal thoughts."
The swordsman heard the man's voice tremble through the Hyottoko mask that protected his face. "Sir, I assure you that your daughter will be fine. She has great potential and, with proper training, would be almost as strong as any professional."
"Just... treat her well." -He whispered tiredly, sighing.
"I will."
The following week, the two left the blacksmith village. Her mother burst into tears upon hearing this, but wished her luck and insisted she send them letters.
Meanwhile, the young woman was brimming with happiness. She watched the village recede as they left. When they blindfolded her eyes and covered her ears, she clung to the Kakushi who was carrying her.
When the blindfold was removed, she noticed it was already nighttime. She yawned softly, and they said goodbye to the now-woman. They took turns at each stop.
_____ walked beside Ryōsuke, asking him questions throughout the journey. She was more than ready to begin her training.
[...]
One year. The trial training had ended, and Ryōsuke could confirm that she was ready for the other challenges. It had been a hard task to teach her everything from scratch; he'd never had an apprentice before.
First, he started with physical training. She wasn't in shape, so he told her how many squats, push-ups, or pull-ups to do per day. Until her body developed a fit build, not entirely muscular, but just right.
At 14, she wielded her first wooden katana. The man taught her the basic strategies, telling her a little about the Hashira.
"I only know a few; we common swordsmen don't have much contact with them. There are the Hashira of water, thunder, and flame. It has the main elements, but they all derive from a single breath." -He looked into her eyes.- "The Sun Breath."
"Could I also have my own breath?" -She asked curiously as they ate together.
“Of course, if you can master the movements first. You must have even greater physical preparation than you've had up to now." -He explained calmly.
And so the real training began, testing her lungs, senses, and muscles. But above all, her mental capacity. Not everyone can endure the horrors of seeing rotting corpses or demons.
When he determined she was ready, he taught her his techniques. A Flame Swordsman, who had received his training from another swordsman who had directly met the Flame Hashira.
Ryōsuke taught her every technique, every movement, until when she met his expectations, he enrolled her for the Final Selection exam. If she managed to survive, she would become a demon slayer.
After training that night, she wrote to her family, telling them about her process so far and that she would take the famous exam. She also spoke of how much she missed them, but she was sure this was what she had always wanted to do.
Ryōsuke's crow snuggled up to her side as she petted it. He always carried her letters to her parents with great pleasure; he was a very affectionate animal.
And finally, the day arrived. He prepared her and lent her a beautiful blue haori with snowflakes. It was truly beautiful and left her completely in awe. A beautiful gift along with a simple katana.
"You'll probably get a better one... but this is my gift for you." -He spoke with a smile.- "It was an honor training you. I hope to see you again when I finish the exam, little one."
"Yes, sir! I'll return and officially become a Demon Slayer." -She smiled happily and hugged him tightly, bidding him farewell as she began her journey to the exam site.
Upon arrival, she found a bunch of wisteria flowers. She sniffed them with delight, though she heard a white-haired young man with a large scar complaining beside her.
“This is bullshit. We have to wait almost a century for all the other useless people to arrive.” -He complained angrily.
_____ remained silent beside him, somewhat afraid of angering him. She was focused on calming her nerves about the impending exam.
A young man with black hair smiled gently at them, his white-haired wife at his side. She looked almost their age.
“Welcome everyone,” -He greeted warmly.- “My name is Kagaya Ubuyashiki, leader of the Demon Slaying Corps. This is my beloved wife Amane, who is with me today to tell you about the final exam.”
“Mount Fujikasane imprisons the demons the demon slayers captured alive. It is impossible for them to escape from this place. This is because, from the foot of the mountain to the slopes, wisteria blooms year-round; even out of season. A flower hated by demons.”
“However, from this point on, there is no wisteria to repel demons, so they can roam freely. Surviving a week in here is the condition for passing the final selection.” -Ubuyashiki bowed to his wife and smiled happily, looking closely at each prospective hunter.- “Go ahead, if you wish, you may proceed.”
After the speech, all the hunters moved quickly, heading deeper into the forest. The last time _____ saw the white-haired young man was before entering, who simply looked at her with disdain and entered first.
During the first few days, she killed at least five demons. She had to overcome her fear; she had never imagined those creatures that drooled at the mere sight of her had such an intense smell.
They were most active at night; the sun burned them to death, so she took advantage of the opportunity to get some sleep after days of insomnia. What she didn't expect was a blow to the head from a katana.
She woke up suddenly; she was on the highest branch of a tree. She saw, confused, the white-haired young man standing next to her. Was he following her?
"You!" -She looked at him in surprise and blushed.- "Why did you hit me?"
"Why did you fall asleep, silly girl?" -He spoke sharply, seeing her annoyed.- "A demon could have attacked you."
"But they don't come out in the sunlight, I'm safe here," -She insisted, crossing her arms.
"What if one of them waited for you to fall into a deep sleep to kill you as soon as there was some shade?" -He stared at her, making her hesitate.
“Well… you're right.” -She murmured reluctantly, sighing.- “Thanks.”
The other one simply shrugged.- “You're welcome. Why do you want to be a hunter? You're not very smart, honestly.”
“Hey! I want to be a hunter to save lives.” -She explained, seeing him irritated.
He nodded vaguely and suddenly stood up, leaping and disappearing before her eyes. She saw him confused as he left; she thought they would talk more than that. Was it a strange tactic? She didn't know exactly.
By the fourth day, she had already killed a total of eleven demons. She didn't seek them out either; she knew that if she got too confident, everything would go wrong. Right now, she was standing in front of a demon.
His teeth were sharp, and he was screaming furiously at being trapped there. But she simply drew her katana and let out a breath.
“Second Stance: Ascending Sky of Flames.” -She whispered, staring at her target. She bent down and performed an arcing vertical slash, rising with the momentum.
Although she was startled to hear applause. The white-haired boy again! She quickly turned around in a rage; she'd never felt like this before.
"Stop following me!" -She pointed her finger at him.
"I was just watching!" -He excused himself between peals of laughter, glancing at her briefly.- "Your intelligence may be failing you, but you're strong, I'll grant you that.”
“You’re so rude.” -She pouted and crossed her arms.- “I don’t even know your name.” -She muttered and looked up, approaching him.- “If you’re going to keep harassing me, I should at least meet you.”
“Sanemi, Sanemi Shinazugawa.” -He nodded gently and looked at her with a smile.- “And you?”
“_____ Sato!” -She spoke somewhat loudly, smiling.
He nodded, sighing.- “That’s a good breath, I use the wind breath.” -He explained proudly.
“Wind breath?” -She gasped excitedly.- “Sounds amazing! You have to show me sometime.”
That just inflated his ego further, and he put his hands on his hips.- “Ha! Of course I will, silly girl. Your head can barely process the fact that I have one of the strongest and most incredible breaths, right?” -He mocked.
“Hey! Stop calling me that!” -She scolded him, annoyed and embarrassed.
They spent the last few days together. Well, she followed him around. She considered him her friend, so she chatted with him about her family and training.
“What's your story? I don't know anything about you.” -She asked curiously as they both killed some demons.
“Do I need to tell you?” -He said angrily.
“Well, no, but I'd like to get to know you a little better.” -As soon as his katana sliced the last demon's neck, the exam ended. Seven days had passed.
Ubuyashiki congratulated them upon arrival. There had been almost twenty of them before, but now there were far fewer. The sun peeked out behind them as he explained that they would have a messenger crow. Kasugaigarasu.
“These are the crows used primarily for communication. Starting today, they will follow you everywhere.” -A beautiful crow flew to _____, who looked at it in amazement.
She stroked the animal's head, smiling softly.- "There are ten ranks in total: Mizunoto, Mizunoe, Kanoto, Kanoe, Tsuchinoto, Tsuchinoe, Hinoto, Hinoe, Kinoto, and finally, Kinoe. You are now at the lowest level, Mizunoto," -He explained calmly, then pointed to the various stones on the table.- "Today, each of you will choose a piece of Tamahagane alloy. The blade will be completed in 10 to 15 days."
Ubuyashiki stepped aside, and each young man chose a piece, taking different amounts of time depending on how eager they were to have a katana of their own.
"Thank you." -_____ bowed politely to the pair, choosing the medium-sized piece of Tamahagane.
Once the selection was complete, each hunter returned to their homes. She began to walk back home in pain with various parts of the body where he probably had horrible bruises and broken bones; almost a hand on her shoulder stopped her.
“Oh, Sanemi.” -She turned around, confused.
“Are you leaving without saying goodbye?” -He joked sarcastically, rolling his eyes.
She laughed softly and nodded, extending her hand toward him.- “I hope we meet again sometime.”
He sighed and rolled his eyes.- “I hope not.” -He squeezed her hand playfully, meeting her gaze.- “Although, we could chat on the ride, what do you think?”
Her eyes widened in surprise, and she agreed excitedly, a far cry from her frazzled demeanor two minutes ago.
“Of course! Let’s talk about whatever you want, Sanemi.” -She smiled happily.
“Well, you asked about my history, my family… I could start there.” -He hummed and sighed.- “My father was an abuser, and my mother turned into a demon and killed my siblings. Well, almost all of them.” -He whispered, not noticing the shocked look on the girl beside him's face, who paused in shock.
"W-What? I... I'm so sorry." -She spoke hesitantly, looking worried.- "How horrible that such a young child has suffered so much..."
Sanemi noticed her lack of words and shook her head. It wasn't an easy topic to talk about, but it didn't feel forced when he told her either. Perhaps he trusted her.
"Don't apologize. What's done is done." -He shook his head furiously.- "I did what I could, I guess, but life is never fair."
She took his hand, squeezing it as she looked at him sympathetically.- "You're very strong for surviving that, and not only that, you tried to protect your siblings... I don't think I've ever heard of anything so incredibly terrible."
He smiled slightly, squeezing her hand as they walked together. They enjoyed each other's company until their paths parted, but with the promise of seeing each other again.