Note: Long-ish chapter ahead. Happy reading!
One day before Final Selection
——•——
The sun had set. The children had a delicious meal together with their master. Urokodaki emphasized that they could eat as much as they wanted, for they deserved it. Urokodaki knew all too well what could happen to them.
After their meal, the three teenagers sat with their master, preparing for what they were about to do together. They were about to travel past the mountain and to Mt. Fujikasane for the ultimate test: Final Selection. Airi Hanata had ferociously trained for the seven day event. She was ready, and so were her companions.
Their lives were at risk, but the three teenagers were mentally prepared more than anyone else in the world. Although Airi felt weaker than the two boys, she knew that she still had experienced hardcore training in so little time. She applauded herself anyway.
Airi pushed through relentless training. And to her, that's all that matters.
Urokodaki stepped in front of them and looked at the three children, all in a line. They all looked back at him, admiring his strength to teach them what he knew best – the breath of water.
He approached Sabito first, a brand new silk white haori in his hands.
"In all of my days, you are among my strongest students. I have no doubt you will pull through with this. Come back alive and I have no doubt you will save thousands of our kind." Urokodaki handed Sabito the haori, as Sabito bowed in response, his mask lying at an angle on top of his head.
"I will forever be grateful for you." Sabito responded, smiling. His eyes were still bright, even after all he had gone through.
He then shifted over and put his hands on Tomioka's shoulders. Urokodaki took a mask from his side, placing it gently into Giyū's hands that were clasped together.
"I have great faith in you, Giyū. Take this warding mask, and wear it with pride. Come back to me alive." He spoke with a tone of concern in his voice.
Giyū simply nodded, tears filling his eyes in fear. He adjusted his ruby red haori and put on the mask. He wiped his tears away quickly, but Airi still caught him in the moment.
Airi sympathized with Tomioka.
Urokodaki turned around after talking to Giyū, approaching a pile of cloth with a mask on top of them in the corner of the room. The mask resembled a native porcelain doll. It's eyes were angled and black like Sabito's mask, but the cheeks were red and small red lips were carved delicately. Airi was humbled, very humbled.
The former hashira carried the cloth to Airi, placing a beautiful white haori in her hands. She put the material on and gasped in awe. The clothing was not simply a monochrome white like what she used to own.
She aligned her hands on the edges of the sleeves and noticed how the material hugged her physical features in the front, and how it flowed gracefully in the back. The ends were laced with gold lines, and golden vines rose from the bottom of the haori to the middle of her back. She admired the work, bowing multiple times to her master.
Urokodaki then walked behind her, wrapping a blindfold like material around her eyes, "This will help your eyes. You can see through the material, but it will catch the tears."
The two boys next to her looked at the them incredulously. They admired the hoari their companion wore, but they were more concerned with the silk blindfold around her eyes. However, the two stood and watched in silence. Sabito wanted to ask Airi about that later, but he couldn't bring himself to question it now. Nor could Giyū.
Airi gasped, "You're right sir. I am so grateful! I did not deserve this. Not for how long I've been training here."
She linked the mask on the side of her waist with her blade that Urokodaki lent her, giving her master a soft smile. She unveiled the blindfold and let it rest around her neck loosely.
In that moment, Urokodaki hugged the girl unexpectedly, "I have learned a lot from you, child. Your passion and strength are like no other young woman I have seen or taught. These past few months have been brighter with you around. I think the boys could atone to that. Come back alive, please."
She wrapped her arms around the old man's frame, "I will. I promise. We will all be back alive."
The three started out the door, and Urokodaki hugged the three together in a large group hug.
"Please. Don't forget to come back." Was all their master said, his voice cracking.
The three left the house in the middle of the night, hoping to be at Mt. Fujikasane by the time Final Selection will begin. They walked together through the town below the mountain in silence. Airi found beautiful white lilies by a nearby pond, and weaved them into her thick braids that were pulled back from the front.
The rest of her hair was long, for she wanted demons to admire their final pretty picture before they perished.
Airi's palms were sweaty, her mind was racing like a horse across the plains of Japan. She knew she had to live, but her chances at dying were higher than her chances at living. She thought of Daichi and Atsushi and their wicked grins whenever they would tease their older sister.
She smiled at the thought.
"What are you smiling about?" Sabito asked her.
"My family." She responded directly. She grew comfortable over the last month with the two boys. The three of them were like a trio. Even though Giyū and Sabito were particularly close, Airi fit right in with them. All three of them grew fond of each other over the past few months, as friends and as demon slayers.
"What were they like?" Giyū asked quietly after a few seconds of silence.
Airi pondered for a moment before softly raising her voice, "It's best if I let them rest in peace. I can't mourn for them. I think they would scold me if I did."
Giyū gave her a soft smile, "My big sister would do that, too."
——•——
The trio walked in silence until they approached the bottom of the mountain. Airi looked up, seeing beautiful purple trees decorated with wisteria flowers in the distance. She admired the beauty of the mountain, even though she knew what was inside prowling around wasn't so beautiful.
The three were met with a pathway with the purple trees columned on both sides. Airi could not believe how beautiful wisteria was in person. She was used to large pine trees in the mountains. It almost felt like spring it her with how plump and bloomed the wisteria flowers were.
She touched some of the purple flowers above her until she heard the playful voice of Sabito, "Last one there is an ugly demon!"
The three sprinted to the area where all the demon slayers participating resided. There were around thirty slayers, waiting to enter the arena.
Airi was the last of the three to enter. She doubled over and put her hands on her knees.
"I was... looking... at the wisteria," She said between heavy breaths, "You two just had a head start."
Giyū snickered, putting his mask over his face, avoiding his playful grin. To Tomioka, he was supposed to be the timid one, so he could rarely show his smile. That would be taboo for him!
"I can't say that you're a demon, though, even though you lost fair and square." Sabito commented, patting Airi's shoulder.
Airi stared at him with a 'I hate you' look written all over here face. The pink haired boy just grinned in response, pulling over his mask in front of his face.
The dozens of demon slayers were welcomed by an usher. Airi looked at the figure. She was a child, who wore a long black kimono with wisteria patterns on it, and short white hair with a wisteria pin in it. She questioned who this little girl was. Her stare slightly creeped Airi out.
"Welcome, future demon slayers. You have arrived here knowing that you are about to embark on an important test. On this mountain, you will face off many demons over the course of seven days. If you survive the seven days, you will be welcome to the Demon Slayer Corps. Demons have been trapped here for decades, even years, who cannot escape wisteria. This is where we hold Final Selection."
The little girl contributed, "Your test will begin now, please proceed past the trees of wisteria, and your trial will begin. Good luck, and may the gods have mercy upon all of you."
Airi tied her silk blindfold over her eyes.
——•——
Before Airi knew it, she had been separated from her two friends. The test had begun the day before.
"Let's stick together. The more, the merrier." Were Sabito's first words as they entered the arena.
"Stick together, my ass." Airi complained as she ran in the dark forest.
She had been slaying demons all night, and she could not wait until she could rest during the day. She was cautious though, some demon slayers would have their swords stolen during the day, or so she heard. What asshole would do that to their comrades?
Her heart pounded as she felt a presence rushing behind her, "Come here, pretty girl. You seem like the perfect meal. Oh wait, you're blind. This should be easy."
An ugly demon reared it's body toward her and lunged. Airi dodged swiftly. However, another demon came slithering from the darkness.
"Can't you find another meal?" Airi whispered under her breath, breathing heavily as she dodged countless attacks on her feminine frame.
"Total Concentration. Fourth Form: Striking Tide!"
The thirteen year old breathed in carefully, feeling her body motions flow like a river as she slashed off the heads of the two demons. Her body felt connected with water as her flexibility increased and resembled a harsh tide.
The heads of both demons tumbled to the ground as they were turned to ashes.
"You demons can't seem to chill out. I am not even blind." She scolded the corpses before turning around to see the ashes, "Oh. You're both dead, sorry."
Day by day, Airi never ran into her fellow breath of water companions. She would constantly slay demons in the night, and then rest on tree branches in the day. She noticed that on higher ground she could fight and rest efficiently. Sometimes, she would assist in slaying a more difficult demon with someone else. But, she would never stick around with them. She couldn't trust a single soul. Not unless they were Sabito or Giyū.
She worried about the two boys frequently, praying that they remained alive and well. She trusted them both, for she knew their skills and incredible swordsmanship. She hoped to run into them soon. The mountain could not be THAT large enough for them to never meet until the end.
——•——
It was finally night six. The test was over at dawn. Airi knew that she was going to live.
Airi leapt upon stable tree branches. The moon was out, giving light to the mountain so Airi could see through her silk blindfold, as her warding mask lie angled on the side of her head. No demons were in sight.
Except one.
Airi saw the beast. It was large, obese, and had multiple hands and arms. She saw it giggle as it devoured a demon slayer.
"Ah, you disciples of Urokodaki are so annoying. Poor fox boy, he was so skilled, too."
Her heart jumped in place. Her blood flow started to increase, her hands trembling as she neared them toward her sword in it's sheath.
'Fox boy?' She thought, 'Shit. Please, God, please let other slayers have a mask.'
"Focus, Hanata," she told herself, "It doesn't have to be Sabito or Giyū. Just, breathe. Breathe and kill that bastard."
She leapt to a nearby tree, peering at the extremely large demon. She looked around, and saw a figure lying on the trunk of the tree she leapt on.
A crimson red kimono. Tomioka.
He was fading in and out, covering his eye.
"Tomioka-san! I got you! Please!" Airi called out to him.
He looked up, his eyes cloudy as he fainted. She almost swore she saw his eyes, or eye, light up for a moment once he saw her above him.
"Hee-hee! Another mask holder. I see, Urokodaki had three disciples under his wing? Ah, one down, two to go!" The demon spoke.
Airi noticed a cloth beside Giyū. It was the same geometric green and yellow as Sabito's. She only knew it could mean one thing.
"You piece of shit," Airi screamed, "You will pay for what you have done to him!"
"Total Concentration. Second Form: Water Wheel!"
She lunged from the tree branch and attempted to strike his arm off as she flipped with her sword aimed precisely, but to no avail. Her tears of blood came back.
The whole time, the silk had prevented her tears of blood from all the demons she had slain. Except for this demon; so much so, that the tears came back thick and rushed down her cheeks.
She couldn't fight him, not in her condition. He struck her intensely, her body slamming into the trees. She winced in pain, her leg bleeding out.
"Run. You can't do this alone. Take Tomioka and go." She heard a voice inside her head call out to her. It wasn't her voice, but she listened to it anyway.
"Go to hell, demon." Was the last words she said to the large beast.
She got up, breathing heavily, and swiftly ran toward Giyū, throwing him onto her back. He was a bit heavy to her, but she brought herself to breathe calmly. Before she ran off, she grabbed what was leftover of her friend's kimono and ran off before the sun rose.
"You're lucky you are faster than me, whore!" Those were the last words she heard the demon tell her.
——•——
"Congratulations to you five. I pray for your continued good fortune on your journeys as demon slayers." The snow haired usher told the remaining slayers.
There were five children in total. Some looked bland to her, other's would never escape her mind again. One boy in particular, had flaming gold and red locks and piercing sunset hues for eyes. The passion in his eyes reminded her of her fallen friend. Giyū still remained on Airi's back, passed out. She had wrapped a leftover bandage of hers around his eye. She refused to put her friend down.
"There are many different ranks to climb if you are worthy," the usher explained, "Mizunoto, Mizunoe, Kanoto, Kanoe, Tsuchinoto, Tsuchinoe, Hinoto, Hinoe, Kinoto, and Kinoe."
"That's too many. I hope to become a Hashira immediately, like my father!" The flame-like boy spoke up abruptly.
"Hashira are a rare rank," the usher replied in a monotone voice, "Only those worthy of being one of Ubuyashiki's children will be chosen. You will have to be of great strength to be one of the few Hashira."
'Who? What the hell is a Hashira?' Airi thought to herself, but she dismissed the thought.
"You are invited to choose your desired ore for your Nichirin blade. It will take a few days to be forged, but your personal swordsmith will deliver your blade to you once it is finished." The usher dismissed the five to choose.
They all stood there. Airi immediately saw one ore glow in front of her, and thus she chose it immediately. The other children were shocked at how quickly she chose it, since all the ores look quite similar. She knew it was the one.
She then chose for Tomioka, with the permission from the usher, since he was not able to choose for himself. She heard whispers of two of the other demon slayers, questioning Tomioka's capabilities. Airi immediately shot them all looks before they quieted down.
She chose an ore that illuminated a blue aura. She thought it matched Giyū's eyes and overall reflection, so she chose it for him.
The ceremony had concluded with each slayer given a crow for messages on their journeys.
Airi limped back to where Urokodaki awaited the three to return, but only two were arriving.
During her walk home, with Giyū on her back, all Airi could think about was that beautiful smile that was once owned by her fallen friend.
——•——
Author's Note:
SHIIIIIT SABITOOOO I WILL MISS YOU A LOT. IM SORRYYYYYYY.
xo, sugarboba