Sensei (Kimetsu No Yaiba)

16

Sorry for the delay ! Devali/Deepavali is coming soon and that's mean I will have a long break after a while ! I will make sure to update more during that time :D. Maybe I can finish the book within that one week ? I hope so. Thank you for bearing with me and have a nice reading !

———

His sensei's words began to replay in his mind over and over again, to always lead the weak to become stronger. However, he told himself the opposite once he found out Sensei had actually abandoned him to someone else, not being by his side when his sister slavaged by a demon.

He feed to his hatred every single day. He told himself that Sensei was cruel, leaving him alone to fight his way to his current position. All the hatred had give strength to him to grow stronger everyday.

But, that night, when his eyes landed on the anxious Sensei, all the hatred he harbored, he poured for one day, one day he would make Sensei regret, was gone. Rather, his heart broke seeing how Sensei had never change. Seeing how disheveled his Sensei was, his heart softened. He remembered those days when he always took care of her, always making sure she was proper, at the very least.

Giyuu eyed Tanjirou who kept on practicing his swings on the bamboos, never waver even he seemed tired himself. He could see it in Tanjirou, where all his qualities were what Sensei desired her students should have. Compared him to Tanjirou, he was lacking at communication. He deemed himself not strong enough for the position eventhough Ubuyashiki Kagaya had seen potential in him and appointed him as one of the hashira.

Losing his friend for not being strong enough, he once thought that would be the reason Sensei left him. That was one of the reason he broke down on Sensei's lap that evening. All those years of harboring hatred, he was hiding the fact that, one day, he wanted Sensei to see what he has become after all those training. He missed Sensei dearly. He was a mother figure that he looked up to after losing his parents as a child.

"Tomioka-san !" His eyes widened inwardly at the loud voice, looking up to a worried looking Tanjirou. The younger smiled as he finally caught his attention.

"I think it's time for us to rest and continue tomorrow." Tanjirou said, and those words reminded him of Sensei. Staring straight at Tanjirou, he examined his red hair and red pair of eyes as they reminded him of someone. Tanjirou felt awkward while Giyuu kept on staring, before the hashira averted his eyes and ended the session.

———

Muichirou went to the Swordmith Village to train. He had always train there since there was a puppet that had all the abilities of the First Breath user. The dexterity of the puppet was more suitable for him to improve on his ability in swordmanship.

He was a literal emotionless boy. He had taken a key by forced from a boy younger than him just to release the dummy and training. He went to the destination without feeling sympathy to the helpless boy on the ground, ignoring Tanjirou who stopped him from doing so.

He then turned the puppet to live and prepared himself for another insane training. As the puppet charged to him, he did the same, face remained straight like he usually had.

However, a sword came in between them, clashing with Muichiro's sword. His eyes widened at the intruder and he leaped behind to retreat himself from the unknown ambush. He raised his sword in an hostile manner, until he finally recognized the female as the one that always with Tanjirou, goes by Sensei during the time at Hashira meeting.

Sensei swung her sword while standing in an elegant manner, her red yukata was in its usual disheveled state, that became normal to them. Her eyes were the same empty black eyes he last seen her. While back then he usually saw him in her bun with a cloth covering her hair, now she let her hair exposed to the eyes of people in a high ponytail.

"Muichiro Tokito." Sensei called his name, and he reluctantly take his sword down to his side, remembering how she was not a hostile to all the member of Demon Slayers.

"I see, the surname changed." she suddenly spoke, which he did not take it in mind that much. Rather, his face show distasteful.

"Sensei, right ? Please get out of the way. My time is far more important than a common like you." Muichiro spoke, showing intimidation towards the older female, but it was obvious she wont move. Not that she could not sense how he was infuriated that his precious time being robbed by her, heck, she could see him clearly as she does with Tanjirou.

"Common ?" Sensei repeated, raising her well-forged knife that was color in ember red. He narrowed his eyes. It would be the first time he witnessed a woman that could wield a blade as huge as a male would. Her sword was different than Shinobu and Kanroji. She was wielding a sword, a basic katana that would be heavy for a female to wield. He amazed how Sensei could raise it in the air and pointed the sword towards him so easily.

"I would like to see too, how far gone I am from swordmanship." She stanced, her blade parallel to her face with a dangerous looking eyes, looking straight at Muichirou. The younger boy was confused. She was blind, and she looked at him as if she could see everything.

"Don't disappoint me, Muichirou." Muichirou began to stance, but before even a second of him preparing for battle, Sensei was already appeared before him and swung her fiery blade at him. Luckily, his reflex helped him from being sliced into two. His eyes screamed in urgency at how fast and strong she was.

She continued to swing the huge blade in her small limb as if it was just a piece of wooden sword. This was none different than his usual training using the puppet. This could be even harder. She was even more merciless than the lifeless zeroshiki.

She cornered him so easily, making him clenched his teeth and transfered all his reserved strength to his blade to create a strong swing towards the female. Sensei flawlessly parried the boy, pushing him to the back and kicked his stomach as a final blow, sending the boy to the ground. As he was about to scurry upward again, a blade was already threatening to slice his face right in front of him.

"Using a zeroshiki to polish your skill will not get you anywhere. It only set to a limit, while a living human is unlimited." Muichirou looked up to Sensei, and his eyes was in between anger and confusion. He was angry that he was pushed to the ground easily by a woman, while he was confused by what she meant.

"Muichirou, in order to grow, you need to communicate with the others. Only then you know how unlimited to everything that lives rather than going on a same cycle on a something that are not living." His eyes shrinked when the sword suddenly moved out of his face, but replaced with a hand offered by Sensei.

Muichirou stared at the hand. It was calloused. Scratches covered everywhere on the palm of her hand and it seems her hand went through more experience than anyone he had encountered.

He looked up again at Sensei and accepted the offer.