A demon slayer story

Chapter 8: Harsh Training

I'm lay in bed, only now coming to as I see Tanjiro at a desk writing what looks to be a letter.

I don't bother to speak, only take in my surroundings.Nezuko is lay beside me, Tanjiro's haori overtop of her blanket as she sleeps.

It's strange, not once have I seen Nezuko attack anyone but she's still alive, I would've assumed that demons need humans to survive but...perhaps she gains energy solely from rest.

"Hey Tanjiro..."I whispered, wiping the sleep from my eyes."Hey Fumikage, are you ready to start training?"
No...
"Mhm" I lied.

"Let's go" Urokodaki said, his voice gruff.Tanjiro slid the door across, Nezuko's sleeping frame blocked from our view.

—————————————

"The demon slayer corp, we number in the hundreds, An organisation completely unrecognised by the government.Since ancient times, we have existed to hunt down demons.However, the identity of the demon slayer corps leader has always remained a mystery...
Demons, their style food?Humans.They hunt and kill them.It is unclear when or where they first appeared.Incredible physical prowess, their wounds heal almost instantly; flesh completely restores itself, severed limbs regenerated.Some can shapeshift, some have other powers.They can only be killed by sunlight, or decapitation with a special sword.
The demon slayers fight these demons with mere mortal bodies.As humans, wounds are slow to heal and their lost limbs are unable to grow back.Nevertheless, they fight to protect and defend humanity"Urokodaki explained.
Geez, I didn't know I signed up for a history lesson.
Tanjiro, on the other hand, is completely engrossed in Urokodaki's words as if it were the hold gospel; which it pretty much is if it will help us understand demon slaying.

————————

Me and Tanjiro ran down the mountain, now with a slightly better idea of how to reach the bottom.
"I am a trainer, my job is to teach new swordsman, there are many other trainers each one is different.They all educate their students using their own methods.To complete your training and join the demon slayer corp, you will have to survive the final selection process on mount Fujikasane.And I decide whether you'll undertake that challenge or not"

Was what Urokodaki said to us before we made our ascent.Don't get me wrong, I have huge respect for sensei but god does he talk a lot.I've counted at least four huge dialogues from him already and I've been training under him for a day and a half.

Tanjiro was a few paces in front of me, hopping over wires and dodging logs, which I then mirrored his movements to do the same.Does it count as copying if I perform just as well?I wouldn't say so.

I wanted to get to know Tanjiro, since we were going to be training together for quite some time, not right that moment though...it would be unwise to lose our focus while training.

We hopped more wires, avoiding more logs and sliding through bushes where we could

Day after day, we made our way down the mountain.By then we had memorised most of the traps.We we're much stronger, Tanjiro had gotten even better at picking up on Subtle scents and even I improved my already extraordinary hearing.
However, the traps were getting more difficult, knives flying from nowhere, craters appearing in the ground.

We were starting to think, He wants us dead!

Night by Night, Tanjiro and I became even closer.He wrote in his journal and I checked that Nezuko was sleeping soundly.We talked about our backgrounds, where we were from and how we came to be here.I was happy for him, he had his sister and in our own way...they kind of became family to me too.

One of the days, we carried our swords with us down the mountain...but it made moving a lot harder.
The weight was throwing us off, Tanjiro got caught in every trap.I, however, ended up in a pit of mud to which I threw up in my mouth a little bit.

Another day, we swung our swords...actually, not just one day...it was every day.As soon as we were down the mountain, we swung our swords until we felt like our arms were detaching, we swung at least 1000 times before Urokodaki told us to do 500 more, to which we audibly gasped at.

At one point, Tanjiro was struggling to stay awake at his desk, his eyes dropping and his body going a little limp.I gave a pitiful expression, putting my hand on his shoulder to remind him to go to sleep.

"Swords are fragile weapons" Urokodaki reminded us relentlessly.
Though strong along the blades edge, its very weak on the sides.So obviously, you have to apply the force where it's strongest.The direction the blade is facing and the direction you swing have to be exactly the same.Otherwise, it'll break.Urokodaki told us, 'if you ever break your sword, I'll break every bone in your body', very ominous.

Tanjiro was working hard for Nezuko, he had a straightforward goal while I...I was lost.There were times I questioned why I was even doing this, why I didn't just go back to the farm with Isamu.But I couldn't face anyone there now, I'd be bombarded with questions about my family and even after all this time...I can't talk about them.I struggle to.

———————————

One day, We fell.We we're training to do it as softly as possible, so we can get up quickly from any position.
We raised our swords, charging to try and 'kill' Urokodaki.Meanwhile, he was unarmed, bare handed...but he's ridiculously strong.He threw us over his shoulder every time and we rolled to the ground.

We would return to our cabin, greeting a sleeping Nezuko as if she were going to respond.
Tanjiro sat at his desk, scribbling down a journal.He said it was to show Nezuko if she ever became human again, to help her remember the years she lost as a demon.
I thought it was a sweet idea.

We practiced breathing techniques and fighting forms.
'Total concentration breathing' was what it was called.Urokodaki told us he was going to teach us all 10 water breathing forms.This was what I had been waiting for, there was something that sounded so exciting about creating water from my sword.I hadn't asked about it out of fear of sounding too eager, I opted for just waiting since I figured we'd learn sometime or another.
He said, "start by taking a long deep breath, so the oxygen flows into every cell of your body.This will enhance your healing ability and stabilise as well as energise your spirit.Now relax your arms and shoulders, but keep your lower body braced"
We took a deep breath, exhaling almost in sync.
Tanjiro got a cramp in his chest, shaking slightly.
"Wrong!"Urokodaki voiced, hitting Tanjiro's chest.
"Next, the forms" he continued.

"Right...how am I Doing?"Tanjiro asked, sweat dripping down his face.
"All wrong"
"How about now?"
"Still wrong"
"Now?"
"Again"
"Now?!"
"Terrible"
I must admit, i snickered a few times but that usually ended in me being flipped over Urokodaki's shoulder for being immature, so I tried to hold back my laughter by puffing out my cheeks.

Our next lesson, we had to 'become one with the water'.Me and Tanjiro were stood on the edge of where a waterfall fell down a cliff.
"Get in already"Urokodaki huffed, kicking us both into the waterfall with a gasp from the wind being knocked from our lungs.
We kneeled know the water, trying to 'become one with the water' or whatever that means.

By then, Nezuko had been asleep for Six months, the entire time.

Urokodaki sent for a doctor to come look at her, but he said he couldn't find anything.
So...why was she still sleeping?

Tanjiro was scared, worried that he was going to wake up and she'd be gone, dead.

————————————

Getting down the mountain was even tougher then, it'd start higher so the air was even thinner.We'd have to climb around cliffs, trying not to fall to our deaths before we even got to kick any demon ass.
More than a few times, we feared for our lives.

We had learnt to fend off the flying knives with our swords, cutting logs in half and running even faster down the mountain.We we're like superhumans, nothing on our mind but the thought of being able to avenge our fallen loved ones.
Until finally...

"That's it, I've taught you all I can"
Urokodaki sighed.We had been on mount Sigiri, and suddenly this.
"The rest is all up to you, you have to prove you're capable of advancing to the next level" he continued.What did he mean 'advancing to the next level'?How many challenges would we have to surpass before we could begin our final selection?

"Come with me"He spoke again, turning to face away from us.