The Demon's Apprentice || Rewrite

Fade away

Kokushibo stood silently. He could sense a Demon Slayer in the distance. Not a particularly strong one, most likely a beginner. He decided to kill the Demon Slayer now, so the problem wouldn't snowball into a huge problem in the future.

Kokushibo approached the forest with a calculated gait, the moonlight guiding his path. He didn't bother drawing his blade, the Slayer he sensed was weak. He entered the forest and his form disappeared into the shadows of the trees, the scent of death and demon lingering in the air as he closed in on the weakling.

Then he spotted a flicker of a green and black fabric between the trees. Soon the Demon Slayer came into view.

...When Kokushibo called the Demon Slayer young, he didn't expect for the Demon Slayer to be a teenager, a mere child. Was the Demon Slayer Corps allowing children to pick up a blade nowadays?

This caused for Kokushibo to actually halt.

A child.

A mere, weak child.

The Demon Slayer Corps was allowing children to fight. Kokushibo's eyes flashed with anger and a hint of disappointment.

"The Demon... Slayer Corp... allowed children... to take up... blades now?" Kokushibo growled, his voice filled with a mixture of anger, disappointment, and a hint of disgust. He had to admit, not a lot of things could make him loose his temper, but it was both amusing and infuriating to even think that a child so young could cut a demon's neck.

The young Slayer's appearance didn't help to ease his anger. The boy had ruffled burgundy hair, wide, dark red eyes with white pupils that appear lighter around the lower section of his irises, and a scar on his forehead. The scar was somewhat similiar to the scar Yoriichi had.

Not to mention the Hanafuda earrings that hung from the child's ears.

The child looked nothing similiar to Yoriichi, yet the memories of his brother resurfaced everytime he simply glanced at the Slayer infront of him.

Finally the young Demon Slayer spoke up. "I-I am not a child." The Slayer said, his voice trembling with fear and nervousness. He was a mere child faced with Upper Moon 1.

Kokushibo's anger flared even more upon hearing the child's words. He felt a mix of anger, annoyance, and almost disappointment. He couldn't believe that this child had the audacity to try and deny his own age.

It was bad enough that the child looked like Yoriichi, and also the fact that he was a child holding a sword and fighting demons.

Kokushibo stared down at the young Slayer for a moment before speaking, his voice icy and sharp. "Do not... lie to... yourself, boy."

The Slayer flinched briefly at his tone, but surprisingly managed to tighten his grip on his blade in determination. "My name is Tanjirou Kamado! And while I might not be an adult I still can fight demons! And I will never give up!"

The child, Tanjirou Kamado, was filled with determination, which was admirable and also foolish. While it was admirable that a human this age and in this situation could be so determined. But the child was too determined to complete his duty as a Demon Slayer, which apparently results in him not backing away from Upper Moon 1.

The child's determination caught Kokushibo off guard for a moment, he almost felt impressed by the young Slayer's courage. Even in the face of Upper Moon 1, Tanjirou Kamado refused to back down.

Admirable...

But also...

Foolish.

Kokushibo shook his head, his voice filled with a mixture of anger and respect. "You have... courage, boy... I'll give... you that... But courage... alone will not... save you from... a battle with... Upper Rank 1... or any other... demon for... that matter."