Ice Cold [Demon Slayer x Male Reader]

Final Selection

wisteria hangs

above my head, how I long

to see it again

Shuji L/N died on a failed mission half a year into his sons' training. His family was told that a powerful demon wiped out a large group of Demon Slayers, including Shuji. Y/N's mom grieved for a long time, but he and his brothers didn't have much time; they had to get back to training. No matter how much their mom begged them to stop, they refused to give up. Fuyuto found a pile of Ice Breathing manuals supposedly written by their great-grandfather, the man who created the Ice Breathing style. The three boys studied the manuals at least once every day before physical training.

Said physical training included the sword skills and standard drills that their dad put them through, but the boys put their own twists on everything now that they no longer had a supervisor constantly leering over their shoulders. They always made competitions and games out of everything, which only made them push themselves harder in order to be the best. They all won their fair share of the 'competitions' over the years, but Y/N probably won the least while Fuyuto won the most.

The best part of their new training was that they got free use over actual swords. In the past, their dad only let them train with real swords during the second half of the drills, but now the brothers used them all the time. They were just basic old katanas, but still much better than the bamboo swords. Overall, their training was pretty basic. They would work on their strength, flexibility, and speed, but nothing especially 'Demon Slayer-like' as Yukio put it. Other than their breathing exercises of course.

They always tried to mimic the techniques used in their great-grandfather's books, but they could never get it quite right. Yet they still pushed on, no matter how much they failed, or how much they hurt. They couldn't just let their dad's dream end after he had died for it. No, it wasn't just their dad's dream anymore. Fuyuto, Y/N, and Yukio all desperately wanted to join the Demon Slayer Corps and one day become a Hashira.

Two years passed before the time for their final test came and Y/N was fifteen years old. Yukio finally had a growth spurt, catching up to Y/N's height, but Fuyuto grew even more and towered over both of them. The eldest brother even had a slight stubble coming in, while the other two still had faces as smooth as a baby's. But even though they had grown up, they were still those same three boys filled with hopes and dreams.

Their last trial was somewhat of an entrance exam called the Final Selection. Apparently, it was a dangerous mission where they would have to survive demons for the first time. But they were ready. The three boys slipped on their specially made kimonos, strapped on their backpacks and katanas, and got ready to leave. But their mom suddenly stepped in front of them and cried, "Please don't go!"

Yukio was the first to speak up, sighing, "But we have to go."

"No you don't!"

Fuyuto hugged her, saying, "I'm sorry, mom, but we have to finish what we started."

"I know," she mumbled with a grim expression before pulling her other sons into the hug.

Y/N smiled, "It's okay, we'll be back home as soon as we can."

She sniffled before pleading, "Just please stay safe..."

Fuyuto nodded, "Of course."

Yukio exclaimed, "We're the safest bunch in the world!"

Y/N shook his head before assuring, "Nothing can stop us now. See ya, mom."

He led the way out of the house while the other two said their goodbyes and joined him. Y/N smiled as he looked between his brothers. Fuyuto ruffled Y/N's hair, exclaiming, "Let's go become Demon Slayers!"