The Descendant (A Retelling and love story of Demon Slayer)

Eight

The early morning mountain air was crisp as the sun rose on the distant horizon. The sound of wood being split in pieces could be heard as Tanjiro stepped out of Urokodaki's house. Curious, he walked around to the side of the house only to smile as he witnessed Akari there chopping wood. She had a focused, thoughtful expression. Like she was lost deep in thought. Tanjiro's smile faded as he thought about the girl who was his senior. It had been close to a week now since they had met and the more he watched her, the more perplexed he was by her.

Her scent, when he had been conversing with her that night, had seemed deceitful... Yet he couldn't find any ill will within her pleasant aroma. It was odd to Tanjiro, just how comfortable her scent had made him. She smelt of lilies in full bloom on a warm summer day. Like the ones that would grow near his family's home each year. The ones that father would pick for mother because they were her favorite. So maybe that's why it made him feel so at ease around her. She smelled like family.

"Ohaiyo, Kamado-Kun," Her voice pulled him from his memories, which he was thankful for. He would often find himself lost in his head, dwelling on the suffocating negative emotions that came with having such a fresh wound on his heart. "Something on your mind?"

"Ah, Ohaiyo... Not to sound rude, Akari-san, but why are you still here?" He flushed with embarrassment. "N-Not that I want you to leave or anything! You've just been saying how you need to leave as soon as possible, but here you are... Oh gosh... I'm sorry." He bowed and she raised a brow with a small smirk pulling at her lips.

"I did say that, didn't I?" With a swift downward swing, the ax stuck itself into a block of wood with little resistance. "Urokodaki-sama and I made a deal the other night." She stuck her index finger out with a wink. "If I stay and provide you with a training partner for a bit, he said he would help me train a little as well."

"Oh, really? But you already seem like a pretty strong swordsman, what more could you need to train in?" Tanjiro then caught a brief scent. He wasn't sure, but judging by the way her eyes fell and the sad smile that graced her face, he thought he might have smelled the feeling of melancholy. It was going to take a lot more training in his sense of smell in order to detect mood shifts precisely as Urokodaki did.

"You weren't there when we talked about it, but most of what I know swordsmanship-wise is self-taught. My father taught me everything he could before he and my mother passed away. I was six at the time, so anything new I've been learning from the books that were passed down to me. While books can do a lot for a person, It pales in comparison to having someone like a former Hashira tell you where you can improve. Knowledge is power, but practice makes perfect. On the other hand, practice without anyone there to guide you in improving can be stagnating, and then it can never truly become perfect. Does that make sense?" He nodded with an impressed sparkle to his gaze.

"Yeah, I think I get it." She smiled before walking passed him.

"Alright, let's get warmed up then, I'll be doing the same training as you for now. So let's give it all we've got." With an enthusiastic nod, he joined her side in a small clearing where Urokodaki-sensei was already waiting. The masked man nodded toward them.

"We'll start with a good early morning jog around the mountain." Then he took off. Akari grinned wildly as she watched him go and took off with little hesitation. Tanjiro on the other hand just looked at the two like they were insane.

"Come on, Kamado-kun!" Her shout spurred him to chase after them, a smile blooming on his face as well, and suddenly his training sessions became a lot more enjoyable.