Wisteria beneath the moonlight ll Kimetsu no yaiba

四 Final Selection

 The reason I won against Mr.Urokodaki was that I learned to sense the opening string in their aura. Everyone has whisp surrounding them, and I can read it. When I'm battling someone, I can feel it around us. It tightens when the person is open, like a sudden urge to break free. It just happens. When it happens, you just go.

"Make sure you both come back alive from the Final Selection. Both your sister and I will be waiting for you," Urokodaki said, hugging the children to his chest.

Back at the house, the fire was crackling, fish were roasting and a big pot of braised vegetables and meats. Nii-san and looked in awe as Mr.Urokodaki stirred the pot with a wooden ladle, picking up a bowl from his side.

"Wow!" the black-haired girl said, clapping her hands together, violet eyes shining at the sight of the food. It all smelled delicious, the smell filling the small house.

"What's the occasion, there's so much!" Tanjiro said, leaning over to see the contents of the pot.

"You both completed your training, so we're celebrating. Don't be shy, eat up!" he said, handing the boy the bowl and grabbing a seconde and filling it as well. He handed the girl the hot bowl, her eyes shining at the bowl. 'She looks just like a child, you grew up too quickly. You're so strong now!' Tanjiro thought as he watched his sister clapped her hands together, cheering a quick 'itadakimasu'.

The boy smiled at the older man, "Thank you for the food!"

The older man watched as his two students ate their fill, a small smile behind his tengu mask. 'Tanjiro, Fujiko, there's nothing more I can do for you. From here on out, you both will be going through such hardship and strife. Your training will seem nothing in comparison. So for now at least, you should rest well without a care in the world,'

There sat Tanjiro as his sister had a pair shears, cutting his long hair. "Are you sure Nii-san? Back home you had long hair,"

"I'm sure, it would get in the way of missions," he said fiddling with the end of a strand of hair. His sister let out a sigh as she began clipping pieces of his hair one by one, the hair falling to the ground on the mat laid around them. The retired demon slayer was wrapping a light blue haori for the boy like his except newer, looking at the wall.

"Hey Tanjiro, Fujiko..." The boy glanced over as the girl hummed in response, not taking her eyes off her brother's hair. She didn't want to cut too much and give him a buzz cut. "Yes?"

"Did you enjoy the hotpot?"

"Yes! I haven't had such a feast in such a long time!" The boy said, moving, causing his sister to smack his head. "Stay still nii-san, the hot was delicious sensei,"

"A growing boy like you with a hearty appetite should get stronger the more he eats, as well as grow in size. Fujiko, a small girl like you needs all the nutrients she can get. You're smaller and will be seen as weaker to the demons you face, just like easy prey. But that goes for demons as well. Remember this. Basically a demon is as strong as the number of humans he's devoured,"

"So the more they eat, the stronger they get?" Fujiko asked, looking at her brother's head. 'Is that how Sabito and the other's went?'

"That's right, there are demons who gain their powers, become able to transform their bodies, and even use strange spells," The old man said, opening a cupboard to reveal 2 kitsune masks, one decorated with red designs, a bright red sun where his scar is. The other was the same base, but there were various shades of painted around the mask as it was growing from the top with light purple irises in the eye crevaces.