Not Your Ordinary Demon || A Demon Slayer Fanfiction

The Final Selection

Racing through the long, stretching expanse of forest, you held the hilt of your sword, still placed shakily inside its sheath. You stumbled slightly as you ran, your haori catching on a branch, yet you just as soon tugged it off. Sliding against the leaf-covered ground, you made a full 180, your sword drawn in front of you. The demon that'd been sprinting at you let out a primal wail, lunging towards you, but was silenced by your blade with ease.

Seven days, you've been at this, only given respite when the morning sun rose. You had to be close now. You had to.

"You can do it!"

"Make it up the way! Keep going!"

"Yeah, that's how it's done!"

You always heard the sound of your fellow slayers cheering you on from the sidelines. That made you happy. It gave you the strength to continue—to persevere, where others couldn't. You turned around once again, sheathing your blade, not sparing the disintegrating demon another glance. Five demon slayers stood before you, all bearing supportive grins as the moved aside for you, "Go on, you can make it!"

You flash them a reciprocal grin, waving to them as you pass, then sprint forth. How much more running would you have to endure for this hellish nightmare to finally be over?

There.

Wisteria blossoms hung from the sky, petals occasionally gliding down, performing one last dance before they hit the ground. You stepped over the petals, raising your eyes to gaze at them. They truly were beautiful… despite their grim use. But perhaps that made them even more beautiful.

You finally breached the forest, arriving at a stone staircase via the path you'd been following. You glance into the blue sky, tinted yellow from the sun climbing over the horizon.

You made it.

You turned away, moving forth once again. As you moved up the staircase gracefully, one of your fellow demon slayers turned his head to glance at you. He had dark red hair and reddish eyes, hanafuda earrings dangling from his earlobes. The haori he wore seemed familiar… you swear you'd seen that blue cloud pattern before.

Offering you a faint smile, he then turned back to facing ahead. You stood behind him, not wanting to draw more attention to yourself by moving ahead. You instead focused your attention on the other newly-made slayers as the Ubayashiki children droned on.

A girl with black hair tied at the side of her head with a butterfly pin, seemingly not quite there as she gazed at a butterfly. A boy with a strange blond and orange-tipped hair, mumbling to himself darkly. A boy with black hair that had been shaved on the sides, his eyes wide and intimidating, a scar cutting across his cheek.

And, of course, the red-haired boy. The only one that'd bothered to greet you. You didn't really mind, though. You'd all just come through hell and back… of course most of you wouldn't be smiling.

You nearly jumped out of your skin when you'd heard the sound of crows calling out, followed by one fluttering down on top of your head. You glanced up, yet you couldn't see it, since you can't see the top of your head. Kasugai crow? You reached up, offering your finger to the bird, to which it pecked at it. You yelped quietly, your hand shooting back down.

Oh, now that scarred boy was assaulting one of the twins, fist bearing a vice grip on her hair. He shook her around, demanding that he be delivered a sword that instant. You narrowed your eyes, brows furrowing, but turned your head away. That didn't concern you. It didn't matter, though—the redhead had dealt with it. You swear you heard the sound of that poor boy's bones cracking like sticks. You probably heard wrong, though.

The twins then stepped up towards the table with the cloth over it, pulling it off, showcasing a table full of ores. You each stepped up, all lined up before the ores. You glanced at the other slayers, wondering if they were able to find the distinction between the ores. You looked back, and once you had, the redhead had moved forward and picked up his own ore. The remaining five slayers each took their time with choosing their own, and you were certain you had chosen wrong. There were so many options… perhaps the one right next to the one you picked was better…? But this one was shinier… shiny is good, right?

After that ordeal, you all began your separate journeys back down the mountain. You were pleasantly excited—you couldn't wait to get your sword and become a fully fledged demon hunter! You hoped that your father was smiling down on you from Heaven, proud of the path you'd chosen in his honour. And you hoped mother would be happy to see you had lived.

Moving through the forests, back towards your home village, the sun had begun to set. Stars began to stretch across the sky, and you were wary of the path you'd chosen. It wasn't as though it were renowned for the amount of demons it bore, it was simply a very dark, very far-reaching forest. A breeding ground for man-eating monsters.

"The moon looks lovely tonight, does it not?"

A voice resonated from behind you. The way the words flowed off of his tongue, words crisp and cold, filling you with a sense of dread. You'd never felt a presence this powerful before.

You reach your hand to your blade, whirling around to face the man that'd walked up to you, "What? What do y—?"

"Tsk, tsk. You do not answer a question with a question."

You opened your mouth to speak again, but the man had reached forward with lightning-quick speed, tearing a gash across your mouth with his long, sharp nails. You inhaled briefly, sharply, then let out an ear-piercing scream, hands flailing up to your face to feel the wound. He'd torn open your cheeks, and blood had begun to pour out of the wounds profusely. You sobbed violently as you tried not to buckle under the pain you were enduring, gaze trailing up to the man

His eyes were a striking shade of red, narrowed at you as though you were beneath him…

and you were.

He reached forward again, one hand cupping your cheek, other hand trailing along your neck, nails grazing your jugular, "Now, tell me.

"Do you not think the moon looks lovely tonight?"

You inhaled shakily, your eyes wide as you stared into his slit pupils, unable to say a word. He clicked his tongue again, eyes lowering.

"I do wonder what would happen if you bore my blood. A demon among the demon slaying ranks…"

You could almost hear the smile from his voice. He continued, voice lowering again, "Would you kill them all for me? Gain their trust, and then slaughter them like animals?"

You growled lowly, then reached forward, attempting to land a blow on him, only for your arm to be twisted the other way in the fraction of a second. You shrieked up into the air, keeping it up as long as your lungs allowed you to before he gripped your neck again, thumbs digging into your flesh and penetrating into your throat. Blood trickled down your neck, soaking into your clothes.

"You are far too disobedient. Let me see if I might change that."