The 10th Hashira - Rengoku X Reader

Chapter Two - Recruitment

Gosh fricken dickety damnit! I knew this was going to happen. I should have hid earlier! Now, not only am I running for my life, but the night has only just started! At this rate, surviving these insane cannibals is only a dream. Who knew I was going to be slaughtered and eaten, an activity I love doing myself, by my own species! I would rather be ripped apart by wolves than have my limbs meticulously torn and gnawed on by a set of teeth I am all too familiar with. 

I can feel my bare feet getting torn by the rough ground of the alley. There is nowhere to hide and the footsteps behind me are not getting any further away. Oh, at this moment all I can think is that I'm happy to at least be dying on a semi-full stomach. 

I swiftly make my way towards a corner, hoping to lose my pursuer, but the air unfortunately trips me before I can enact my allusive plan. Man, today, well actually, everyday is really not my day. 

I quickly turn myself over with the intention to at least put up a fight when I notice a younger boy than myself standing between me and the cannibal beast. That stupid little kid! Does he want to die at such a young age? Or is he really just an idiot? 

I quickly push myself from the ground and run towards the boy, pushing him out of the way of the cannibals outstretched arms that contain the longest and sharpest nails I have ever seen. My fast reflexes allow me to duck immediately, but I can not dodge completely and their nails catch on the top left side of my forehead. A nasty gash quickly forms and blood begins to skew my left eyes vision. I'm in shock. What just happened?  

I place my hand to my forehead to slow the flow of blood from staining the only clothes I have. I look up and see this, this thing, with its arms raised above its head, ready to barrel down into me and rip out my organs and eyes. I am going to die. I don't want to die. I was going to do things, like eat, and...and other things that I was going to discover that I would want to do and pursue as well! Is this all going to be cut short, is all the suffering I've had till now going to be for naught, just because of this beast?

No, fucking, way. I am not going to die at the hands of this piece of shit. Its hands come slicing down towards my face, the boy's screams reach my ears, and before I knew it, I had rolled out of the way of its attack. I felt faster, calmer, stronger, and more confident. My breathing was gentle and precise. I took my hand from my head wound and reached towards a loose piece of wood on the ground. As I began to pick it up I realized it was much heavier than anything I could handle. Seriously. Is my life a comedy for the gods or what? 

The beasts body flung itself at me once more, however I used the weight of the wood to give me the flexibility to bend my back into an arch and dodge its second attack. I placed both hands on the wood and used all of my body to lift and twirl it around myself. As it turns out, my luck was making a turn for the better! This swing made full contact with the beasts head, smashing it into one of the alleys walls. 

Yellow sparks flew, and blood dripped down the wall where the beast's head made impact. The wood fell to the ground, too heavy for me to hold, and I made full witness of the mess I had made. The head was squashed against the wall, like a tomato. Actually, lets just forever think of it like a tomato so I do not have anymore severe trauma to deal with in the future. The body was no longer moving, and was actually turning to a strange dark dust. I quickly held my breath hoping whatever disease it had was not going to be caught by myself. I also just did not want to consume a dead person even if they were simply becoming dust, that's one of the few things I do not want to eat. 

The boy I had flung to the side, about 10 seconds ago, was a sobbing and snotty mess. And holy crap, it was only like 10 seconds. I walked over to the boy and squatted in front of him. 

"You alright? That was pretty scary wasn't it? But everything is okay now, so you can open your eyes," I say as I gently move the hair from his childish face. His eyes open, revealing his swollen and red face. "Actually, just close them, you're a mess." He starts bawling even louder. Dear god, why me?

"So are you," he sniffles out. Ah. I put pressure back onto my forehead, forgetting that I had been injured. The adrenaline allowed me to push forward, but now the fear and stress I had been holding back takes over me and causes me to fall back onto my butt. Holy damn, did I just do that? 

As I sit here, failing at consoling this child and myself, another figure quickly flashes by me and looms over my crouched self. Oh, yes, lovely. Another one? I cautiously turn my head knowing I'm in no condition, mostly mentally my physical condition is peak right now, to fight another creature like the last. However, the eyes I meet are that of someone who is both confused and intrigued. 

"Who are you?" The large dark figure asks. 

"Me? The boy? Can you be more specific? And isn't it more polite to introduce yourself first?" jeez, this guy seems like a piece of work. 

"Why you little...I'm irrelevant for now," he obviously has some sort of a temper, and towards and innocent child too. 

"Hmm, hello Irrelevant, my name is...what should my name be, Irrelevant?" 

"Seriously? Fine, we'll figure that out later. As for now, why don't you come along with me?"

"Why would I come with you? This seems fishy..." my stomach growls lightly. Dang, now I wont even die on a semi-full stomach. 

"There will be good food."

I quickly jump to my feet, "Where are we heading to then, Irrelevant?" 

"The demon slayer headquarters, the Ubuyashiki Estate." 

"Sounds fancy. Oh, what about that crying mess over there?" I say as I point my only free hand towards the boy on the ground. 

"He can come as well, we could use a side worker." 

And so, the journey of the suffering training begins. But of course I was not aware of this. I just want to eat and live lavishly.