More Than A Friend {Tanjiro X Reader}

3: The Final Selection

It had taken me a full whole month to fully heal, and during that time I learnt that Sakura's master, was an old Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps. 

My first response was I demanded for him to teach me how to slay a Demon. But she told me, that he had declined. He also never told me his name, so I just ended up naming him Mr No Name.

Sakura and I became companions, and I would often ask her questions about Mr No Name. But she would try to shift the topic. This irritated me, I then asked what happened to my daggers, since they weren't with me the whole month of recovery. She avoided the question once again.

'These people are so confusing' I would often think to myself. Mr No Name lived in a large house near a steep mountain, I would try and climb up it, but every time I did, the air would get too thin I would have to descend again.

Every day I could climb a little higher, as my body adapts to the thin air. My breathing also began in improve, whenever I began losing oxygen, my lungs always seemed to have more air for me to use to keep my energy up. 

The original idea for me to climb up the mountain was to find some stick to try and remake daggers like how I did when I was little. But then my mission changed, now it was how high could I climb.

That night Sakura had told me something: "Total Concentration Breathing. It's a technique Slayers used to channel their breathing. A lot of Slayers have mastered it and use it while battling. This technique will also raise your stamina and strength in battle. And all you have to do is keep your breathing steady while moving." 

So the very next day I tried something new. Instead of walking up the mountain like I normally do, I run full speed up, making sure to keep my breathing steady and calm just as Sakura told me. As well as avoid low hanging branches and holes local animals have dugout. At the end of the day, my lungs felt as if they were gonna explode. They hurt so much.

But a few weeks into this new routine, that's when I noticed traps were being laid out. There were now larger holes in the ground covered with twigs and dried leaves. As well as ropes that if I tug on activates a bucket of freezing cold and water that would soak me to the bone.

More weeks past and even more traps were set up getting harder. My eyesight became sharper to spot the traps before they activated. So it became easier to dodge all of them. There were a few days where I did end up with a few injuries, but never anything too serious. It was only really, the stinging pain in my lungs that hurt the most.

Another month has past and I could only run full speed for not even a quarter of the trip up before slowing and beginning to sprint the way up. And every day Sakura told me more about this technique. 

Normally she would tell me more during a meal, sometimes even when I have just descended from the booby-trapped mountain.  She would give me a small amount of information each time. And instantly once I get onto the mountain I try something different so I can improve. 

While I was getting ready for my usual routine up the mountain she told me something that really piqued my interest: "If you keep practising you can turn your attacks into Forms. These forms will give you the power of a natural element. Most sets of Forms have 10 different attacks, while others have less or more." Next, she presented me with daggers that were similar to mine but were made up of steel I have never seen before.

Tho these daggers looked like my ones, they seemed to be a lot lighter and the material was slightly dark. I did my running routine, as I did so, I began slicing at the traps and nearly every tree I passed with the new daggers. 

Every tree and trap that came into my path now has a deep gash in it. Then there was one day. when I slashed a tree it turned completely into smooth stone. At first, I was confused, but soon after I remembered Sakura told me about forms. I was so proud and overjoyed at the same time.