Demon Slime | Demon Slayer x Rimuru

Chapter 17: Strength

Well, this took longer than I had originally wanted it to.

Why, hello there, dear readers. It has been quite a while, hasn't it? So, basically, long story short, life had simply decided to kick me in the ass, and while I was dealing with that, I simply lost the motivation to be able to write.

But in the midst of that life-ass kickery, I managed to watch Demon Slayer Season 2, and, goddamn, that motivated me, alright?

So, I read your comments and decided to write this chapter. The future of this story is currently unknown, but I decided to write this to give you some peace of mind.

Btw, my writing style has changed quite a lot.

Enjoy the chapter! :D

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Brutal.

That was all that Tanjiro could describe the following days after his chance encounter with Sabito. Day after day, week after week, month after month, his training continued.

Tanjiro stared forward with determined eyes, his blistered hands wrapped around the tattered hilt of his worn katana. Around him, the trees of the forest stood tall, their leaves dancing as the wind brought in a cool breeze.

The young girl, Makomo, that he had met several days prior stood at his side, carefully watching him with thoughtful eyes. Although they had been training for several weeks now, Tanjiro still hadn't really managed to bridge the gap between them. Their relationship was simply teacher and student, nothing else.

The girl took a sharp breath, her lips parting as she spoke, "Begin."

Tanjiro drew a long deep breath, his lungs expanding as the filled with air. He lunged forward, his sword at his head. As the effects of total concentration breathing started to kick in, he launched off of the floor, jumping several feet into the air.

Total Concentration, Water Breathing...

He swung the sword down in a single fast motion, his body following the blade. The entire world turned on its head in the single, swift movement.

Water Wheel.

As the move finished its complete cycle, Tanjiro flipped himself upright, skidding as his boots made contact with the rough ground. He released his breath, his lungs relaxing as the effects of total concentration breathing dissipated.

His fingers twitched subtly, pain spiking his chest after the adrenaline of the form wore off. Still... even accomplishing something like that, it wasn't enough. He needed to get stronger. Stronger.

As he confided in his thoughts, a sudden noise came from his side, knocking him out of his thoughtful stupor.

Soft clapping...

He turned to the sound; his breath hitched. Standing there was a familiar blue-haired figure, his yellow eyes starting with peaceful serenity at Tanjiro.

"That was pretty impressive."

Tanjiro felt a thin smile creep on his face. "Ah! Rimuru!" He let his arm drop to his side, his blade resting in his hand. He stepped towards Rimuru, embracing him into a hug.

"O-Oi... stop that. You're still sweaty, you know?" Rimuru mumbled, lightly tapping Tanjiro's shoulder.

"A-Ah! Sorry!" Tanjiro quickly backed off, bowing down in apology. He hadn't meant for such a sudden response. It just happened subconsciously.