𝐁𝐔𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐒𝐊𝐈𝐄𝐒 𐑺 ֗ ִ ˖ kimetsu no yaiba

𝘀𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻

𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗦𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗡 ╱ please don't go 

     "I've never seen wisteria so close, it's beautiful," Sayuri runs her fingers against the soft velvet of the flowering tree, lips upturned. Their vibrant purple hue under the full moon reflects against her blue eyes, making them turn into almost that exact color. Sabito and Giyuu watch for a moment in awe themselves, never having witnessed such a beautiful sight of nature.

     Leaving two days prior to the current, Sayuri, Sabito, and Giyuu had made the journey to Final Selection. With butterflies in their stomachs and shaking hands, they talked through everything that could go wrong and how it could be solved. They wished to stick together no matter what, because their synchronization from training for seven months beside one another was possibly their greatest strength.

     Urokodaki was hesitant to send them off that morning even though each rock had been sliced, all but begging them to come back alive. If the children had paid more attention they would've spotted the tears running past his mask. Sakonji Urokodaki would refuse to ever send another one of his children to that damned demon again.

     Now, the trio ascends stone stairs into an area shrouded by the wisteria, at least fifteen other children of their age group waiting around. Nerve radiated like sun rays from each and every contender, knowing across a blockade of pretty trees contained starving demons. Ones who were so starved that they even resorted to feasting upon one another.

Sayuri remembers the only two occasions on which she's witnessed one of those creatures. The one of whom she still carried its red rope, and the other her teacher had slain in a test of trust. It would be hard for her not to freeze up when coming across one in Final Selection, but from intense mental training, she wished to still perform at the top of her game. These weren't strong demons, of course she could slay them with her borrowed nichirin sword. Cloud Breathing would take her through the test, it had to.

     Too distracted by her surroundings and the sickening aura fogging the crowd, Sayuri doesn't notice she's bumping into someone until her body smacks against another and she tumbles back. She flushes uncontrollably and waves her hands in apology,

     "I'm so sorry! I should've paid more attention!"

    A pale boy with short dark hair spins to spot the culprit. His panicked doe eyes almost make it seem as if he was the one to cause the collision,

     "Oh no it was my fault for loitering here! Please don't apologize, it's my bad!"

     Both pause in horrendous awkwardness, unsure of what to do or even say. Sayuri was really only comfortable around Sabito and Giyuu from living together, so her social skills weren't necessarily at their peak anymore. She used to love conversing, but now it was impossible to find the right words.