A Life Worth Living

Training

Mira and Genya stood in the middle of the woods that surrounded the Stone Estate. She had insisted that they practice far away from busy roads or the Stone Estate itself. Training Genya to use his demon abilities would most likely involve her using her own, so she wanted to make sure no one would be around to stumble upon them. She had handed a cup filled with a dark red liquid to Genya, who was curiously swirling it and peering in at its contents.

"Before we start any sort of combat training, I need to know the ends and outs of your abilities. Unfortunately for you, this means going through a couple of experiments. To better improve your fighting skills, we need to know what gives you your powers, the extent of your healing, and what causes your powers to fade." Genya raised an eyebrow at her in curiosity.

"I already know what gives me my power. It's the demon parts." Mira shook her head.

"That's not good enough. Once you eat it, where does the power originate from? AKA what could someone do to weaken or stop your transformation? If your power comes from the stomach itself, slicing your stomach may weaken or stop the transformation. If your power gets broken down and circulated into your bloodstream, then bleeding out might stop you. Knowing your weaknesses is the first step to getting stronger"

"Oh, I guess that does make sense, but how are we going to find all that out?"

"Unfortunately for you, it means going through quite a bit of pain. Is that something you're ok with?" Genya pondered for a while before nodding.

"If it means I will become stronger, I can handle it. I've gone through plenty of pain before, so this shouldn't be a problem."

"Great! Then go ahead and drink so you can transform. I will try to determine your power source first. I've heard of a Demon Slayer who ate demons once before, and he died when he was cut in half, so we will start there!" Mira's face wore a bright smile, but Genya's was contorted in a mixture of shock and fear.

"Hey! You can't do that! What if I'm like him and cutting me in half kills me!?" Genya exclaimed. Mira laughed in reply and patted his shoulder.

"Don't worry, I won't let you die. He only died because he had no more demon parts to eat once his power was depleted. But you have me! If cutting you in half takes away your power, I'll just give you more of my blood until you're able to heal."

Genya wasn't fully convinced, but he trusted Ubuyashiki's judgment. He nodded before downing the cup of blood. It wasn't a lot, only enough for about one large gulp, but the effects hit him immediately. His breathing quickly became irregular and he widened his eyes as they started to change color. His grip on the cup tightened, shattering it in his hands as he fell to his knees.

This doesn't feel right, he thought. This is the most power I've ever gotten from eating a demon. And from such a small amount! My brain is clouded; I can't think straight. This isn't good. Genya dug his claws into the ground, a strained grunt leaving his mouth as he fought to cope with the sudden transformation. Mira, sensing something was wrong, came up to his side.

"Genya, is everything alright? Is this normal?" She reached out her hand to comfort him, but it never reached him. Instead, it ended up in the grass a couple of feet away, no longer attached to its owner. Mira looked down at her missing hand, then back to Genya. His sounds of anguish had been replaced with feral growls as he slowly stood up to face her. Mira didn't know exactly why Genya had lost control, but she knew he couldn't stay like this. As he geared up to lung at her, Mira used her newly-regenerated hand and her lightning speed to grab him by the neck. She adjusted her stance and slammed him into the ground, causing bits of dirt and rock to go flying.

"Stop this Genya!" she yelled, but he continued to resist, scratching and biting at her. She sighed, unamused, but perked up as an idea popped into her head. "Well, even if you won't calm down, this is still a perfect time to see what makes you tick." Mira released her human disguise, revealing her fangs, claws, and discolored purple eyes. While keeping one hand on his neck to restrain him, she used the other hand to slice Genya at the waist, cutting him in half.