~2nd person P.O.V~
Everyone loves a good underdog story, right? A hero born of tragedy, who rises above all their misfortune. Well what we have here is perhaps the most fortunate demon slayer in the corps. The Demon Slayer Corps is largely comprised few victims of many who survive a demon encounter. Usually suffering the lose of parents, siblings, relatives, friends and such to demons are what lead the unfortunate to the corps. As previously explained, this is not what convicted you of the life of a demon slayer, so what was? What makes Y/n L/n tick?
It was a beautiful night, one you'd hope to share with your fiancé, Haruka. She was a cute, smart, and snarky girl with a mean backhand and some serious body karate going on. Not to mention her eyes that are all the beautiful shades of autumn, and her hair a thick black sea, and so much more. So much, if you thought about her too much you might have to just sneak into her home and tell her about how great she is. Not like you really could think about her much at the moment. As it stands, you are laying on one of the larger branches of the tallest tree you could find. You were a simple creature with simple needs, and one was getting as much height as you could and enjoying the stars. Honestly, with how much you ogle at the cosmos, you'd think you were cheating on Haruka with them.
To be fair, it's not entirely your fault you'd like to run away with the stars. That blame is squarely on Mother's shoulders. Sure the corpses name is Rumi, and shares no blood with you, but you love her to death all the same as any son would love their own blood mothers. Hell, you guys are pretty damn similar too. Reserved, smart mouthed, heads in the clouds, and aggressively blunt. She certainly left her mark on you, having most assume she popped you out herself. Perhaps, the most peculiar example is your love for astronomy. You're mother was and always will be an astronomer, and along with all your other studies she had you do, she'd teach you all she'd learned about the final frontier.
And it mesmerized you to no end. Sure, you weren't aloud into her laboratory when she was gone, but that's what treetops with midnight winds are for. You, like your mother, was a resident of the night, and its air was intoxicating. One thing she'd taught you that wasn't very academic was breathing. As a kid you tired yourself out a lot, so one day Rumi sat you down and got you to meditate for a second. From then on she'd have you meditate between studying, before going to bed, waking up, until you'd learn to just breath on your own. And in this moment, you found breathing in the night's presence made gazing into it that much more riveting. You don't typically use what Mother called "stargazer breathing" because it made your senses too well... sensitive, and the overload really bothered you. Rumi once explained that the reason it isn't common practice is because typically life isn't intensive enough for it to be necessary, so people use less effective breathing for comfortable living. It made sense to you, but none of it changes the euphoria of the chill of witching hours.
To be honest, that was enough. That explains a lot of your life. Rumi was enough blood or no. This village little or no was enough. Your fiancé, more than enough. A epidemic of people going missing? Never came to your doorstep, and that was enough. This branch with it's view of the universe, it was enough.
So what does someone with enough make of someone making a mad dash for your home town? that's where it becomes a little funny, your something of a mischief-maker, prankster, trickster, a master of the slight of hand; another trait Rumi had gifted you. She taught to you to impress a potential spouse and to keep you from getting robbed. Of course, living in such a sleepy town, all you had was the skill of trickery and the unassuming. And tricked you did. Your favorite was scaring your future mother-in-law half to death by making a spider appear in her sleeve. You had been slapped by three women that day, each with only the mightiest of backhands.
Anyhow, having pranked the town for so many years, they've started to pick up on your tricks and that's no fun. All that said, this new-comer was the perfect candidate for some old fashioned bamboozling being that he wouldn't be the wiser. Landing on your feet you eagerly tiptoed to the now hyperventilating stranger. His hair was drenched in his own sweat, and covered in all that he's kicked up in his journey, were you more considerate, more experienced, or perhaps simply less naïve, you'd had asked about the blood.
"Good evening sir-" You started, getting a swift jump and gasp in reply. "Wo, didn't mean to scare you." You mumbled 'not yet' under your breath. "I haven't seen you around before. You must be new! Allow me to-" He'd cut you off.
"How far are we from your village?" Slightly upset that his takeaway from meeting you was shelter nearby, you'd grown a tick on your fore-head that subsided upon an exercise in breathing.
"Well, if you must know, it isn't that far, mister..." You'd replied, still the urgency of the moment being lost on you.
"Look we don't have time for cute introductions we gotta get outta here!" He hurriedly informed.
"Sure there isn't. What? You looked at a boar funny or something?" You calmly suggested as if your ignorance had laid on you so thick, you assumed yourself invincible. Even so, your new acquaintance endured your pompous demeanor to hope beyond hope you'd be of any help.
"I'll tell you all about it when we get out of here!" He spoke more fearful and in a hurry than he had previously, it should have been clear time was of the essence. Then as if adding insult to injury, you'd continue your escapade to reach a punchline that really lacked timing as it were.
"Calm down stranger, it's not that much of a trip at all, I promise. Hey! I'll let you sleep in my ma's room for the night too. She's out tonight doing lord knows what." You explained, now not even sparring glances at the man to day dream of all the trickery you could get off in one night with this new-comer in need of a roof over his head and being under yours!
"Listen! You have no idea what wasting time in this forest is gonna cost us, just take me to your home and I promise to repay you and your mom when this is all over." Pleading didn't even break your stance. You were loving this, watching as someone falls apart at the seems on there knees in front of you pulling on your clothing. You grab his wrists; removing the appendage from your form.
"Hey man you need to hold up for a second. Look how about you just stand up and breath-" You say while demonstrating. And in that breath you'd taken the world had brightened and your senses heightened to unveil a new visitor having joined the fray along with this nervous traveler. Your eyes widen in shock, breath hitched in paralyzing fear, and stance shifted to pivot your view on this mystery intruder. Even so, had it not been for this nerve wrecked traveler pulling you down with his entrapped wrists, you'd have lost your head to the clawed hand of this mystery intruder.
Now on the ground you awake from your momentary shock to view the assailant. As the dust settled from their landing their backside had become clearer. Lacking in any chest wear, they bore only pants sandals, and beaded necklaces. Their hair was as pale as the moonlight that shone upon it, and their skin a similar shade, if only dryer and without the gleam of the follicles. Their general form, on the surface, wasn't anything special save for the veins being ever so visible and purple as if clotted in their entirety. The most notable thing presently visible being their abnormally large hands with claws unnatural for any human to posses. You stared, mesmerized for what felt like years as it slowly turned around to show a face even a mother couldn't love. It presented rows of sharpened teeth, and tusks as thick as the air you choke on observing it. It had two sets of horns above each eyebrow, though small, further proof that this creature lacks some humanity.
However the most telling were it's eyes. You couldn't imagine any being gracing a creature with such perverse eyes. they glared with intents so foul and deadly they'd put you to tears just with the stench of malice behind them. No man, nor beast had invaded your home, but a demon. There was no other word for such a creature. No predator could hunt with such disdain and imaginative lust for suffering and blood like this abomination did.
You'd begun to sit up along with your new savior, as if standing just a little taller would detour this spawn of hell.
"Hey, you. I'm starting to get real tired of this game of cat and mouse were playing ya hear? Not to mention that hag who wouldn't leave me alone." It spoke, or rather communicated. The baritone in it's voice drowning out any semblance of connection to the human spoken word." Although, I will accept this sacrifice you've so kindly laid in the ground for me to possibly spare you." It gurgled.
For a moment you'd taken your eyes off the monster to observe the decision making process of your fellow man to your left, seemingly more conflicted than you were bargaining for. "DON'T LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT!" He eventually yelled. you only looked on, awaiting some kind of mercy.
Before being able to make a choice, a whistle, and the separation of flesh had ripped your attention to take in yet another character. This one more familiar than the last. She was of a fair height, and even fairer skin. She had a haori that emulated the stars. Her hair was braided and thrown over her left shoulder, this still not taming her mane that is all kinds of messy. Her visage stern, in spite of her meek features. Her lips full, and slit open to reveal her purely whites, and the air passing through them. Eyes like ice glazed in fatigue, yet her brow is full of expression, agitated as that expression may be. She was noticeably thin despite her baggy black uniform. She also wore plain white socks along with her plain black shoes. Interestingly enough, she bared in one hand a scabbard, and in the other it's accompanying sword, with a hilt resembling a distant star. But, most recognizable of all, was her powerful backhand.
"Let go of that knife you dumbass!" The shock of the previous encounter had bled into the present as you simply stared in the direction the momentum of Rumi's hand had forced you. Finally processing her words you looked to your left to see that your hand had traveled down your sock to pull out a knife. You were so out of it by the slow approach of death you hadn't realized that your body had a plan before you did. You dropped it and recoiled from it, as if being to close to it would have compelled you to cut the stranger's ankle as you would've to save your own skin. You could feel your hands intent, it was all a part of your talent for slight of hand.
You begun to process everything for a moment once more. Now having more to go off of, you wanted some closer beyond keeping your life. So, like the world wanted you to get the time to sit in it, it stayed quiet. At least until your mother had regained her composer, her expression softening as it turned to the stranger.
"Tamaki right? I see you've met my good for nothing son. I'm sorry for not being very punctual, this demon really through me for a loop." She expressed gingerly and sweetly. "For worrying you, why don't you stay at my home, you can take Y/n's bed tonight." The mentioning of your name had removed you from your introspection to prepare for her wraith you had anticipated.
"As for you, you poor excuse for my family, you better apologize to this man and march your way back home and make your room nice and comfortable for our guest here. Start brewing some tea while your at it." She instructed with a furry in her voice you had come to recognize, with a hint of something more that you never have experienced before.
"Yes mam." You replied in a manor emblematic of a sorry soul in servitude.
"And Y/n." She'd stopped you. "We'll talk when we get the chance." A calm had arisen, "Now SCRAM!" and quickly fallen to your mother as things usually go.
"Kids right? If I'd known they were like this when I was but small, I would have never stepped foot in that orphanage." Rumi had lamented to her guest to be.
~A/N: And like that, the first chapter is over. Really got in the zone for this one. I've had like four stories in the works because each chapter goes through like 5 full drafts before getting closed to finished, but this one came and went on the second try. I have a feeling the second chapter will be the same. Just as an aside, I won't publish anything until like 7 finished chapters in. And then to make sure I don't drop I still publish them one a week so I can try and write some more chapters before I run out too fast and can't handle it. Anyhow, peace.~