Chapters Kimetsu No Yaiba: Cannibal Corps
I woke up in a little room within a bed that could only fit one. Maybe it could fit two if they were close, but that was something I couldn't hope to understand. Actually, now that I think about it, how did I get here? Why can't I remember anything before waking up? Probably shouldn't be so high up on my list on what to worry about.
I stood up and began to walk around the room. I looked down, I didn't really have any clothes other than underwear. I don't understand what happened or what this could mean, but I think this isn't a good thing. I wondered what could have happened for me to need to be stripped, but I couldn't rely on them if this is the first thing they do.
I looked at my hands next. The gray skin seemed unnatural to me, but considering that I can't remember, that doesn't mean much. My nails were sharpened to a fine point before they grew a bit. They shrunk at my demand which, if I'm being completely honest, was awesome in my opinion. What took me a second to notice was how my veins bulged out when they grew. I doubt an explanation of biology could explain that.
I looked around to find anything of interest. I didn't find anything particularly useful, but there was a mirror at the opposite end of the room with a lamp resting on it. I walked over there to see what I looked like and found something admittedly startling. My reflection was definitely unique if my eyes were completely black except for the red surrounding the pupils. My canine teeth were exceptionally sharp and long which would indicate an evolution with a carnivorous diet. Like my hands, my skin was gray, but now that I had a light to give me clearer details such as my skin being a pale gray than a darker tone. Finally were my ears which were pointed towards the top for some odd reason. My evolution must be all kinds of fucked up, but it's who I am, I guess.
What threw me off was the number tattooed on my right shoulder. It wasn't anything big or eye catching, but it was only the number one. I couldn't find a reason for there to be there.
It was then when I noticed a set of clothes on the floor. It has been spread across the floor as if it was thrown in with disregard. Upon closer inspection, it was just because I got out of bed too quickly and the clothes landed on the floor. It was pretty cheap clothes being made out of some sort of cloth, but this could also just be me not knowing enough about clothes to know low quality from high quality. Considering that I fundamentally have amnesia, of which type I can't recall, I'm betting towards the latter.
I didn't a once over of the room to see if I forgot to get anything. I did find one last item... Well, more like two. A pair of red folding fans with the design of a white fox on both. They seemed to be made of some high-quality materials such as silk and bamboo. The edges seemed to have a metallic shine to it even if it was small. It didn't hinder the fans folding in any way.
I had left the room with my fans folded to not look pompous. I held them in my hands because I couldn't put them anywhere else and my pockets were... Nonexistent. Shocking, I know, but I'll live. I did hear a few voices as I made my way to the sounds. I doubt they were hostile if the door was unlocked, I was untied, and had almost no restrictions to where I could go. It was odd, but not unwelcome.
Despite the welcoming atmosphere of the building, the voices were rather calm and quiet. They seemed more reserved than I anticipated considering my hearing picking up someone attempting to discipline another. No matter how clean see I got, the voices never got any louder or escalated in intensity. For some odd reason, it seemed a little too lenient for me. Again, odd.
I made it to the ground floor, presumably, and took in the surroundings. It was a rather modest house with little decorations that couldn't be easily taken down and replaced for ease of moving. Despite the lack of eye-catching decor, it was relaxing and quite homely. I somehow knew this feeling well despite it being something I can't recall experiencing. It didn't mean it wasn't nice.
I looked around the room and found a male equine being scolded by what appears to be its parents. I guess I should call them by their proper pronouns considering that they seem capable of higher thinking and speech. Either way, a larger, skinnier, and older female equine was glaring at the boy as well. For the most part... He didn't give a damn. I'll give the boy this, he's got some balls.
I opened my mouth to talk to them and see if I can calm the situation down. Unfortunately, no matter how hard I tried, I didn't say a single thing much to my surprise. I felt as if I would get yelled at if I interrupted them. It didn't matter if they were talking in a whisper, I didn't want to get "yelled" at. I will admit, it was fear that stopped me from talking, but I couldn't recall why I thought like this. It did also feel familiar.
I was unsure about the situation so I couldn't put in my two senses. I didn't want to disturb them, but they seemed as if they were going to go on for hours. I decided to break up the one-sided scolding by tapping the older male on the shoulder with my fan. He didn't seem too interested in my approach to talking to the guy. Maybe he believed that I was his daughter trying to get his attention on something. She was standing beside me while trying to get her mom to look at her. I rested a fan on her shoulder with a mischievous smile on my face.
I tapped the mother on her shoulder this time and she swatted me away as if to get me to back off. "Not now sweetie, your bother needs a stern scolding." She said in what I can only assume is a mad voice. It sounded way too sweet to consider anything else... Without context.
"Take your time, I don't want to be a bother," I responded with a calm tone before both the mother and father turned to me in complete shock. They seemed a bit relieved to see me alright despite me not knowing who they are, or maybe I do and I completely forgot.
"You're awake! So nice to see you're alright!" Oh my god, that was so quiet that it was adorable. "You're not hurt are you? Nothing aching or hurting?" Odd that she restated herself, but I guess worrying can do that.
"I'm quite alright. Thank you for your concern Mrs..." I didn't want to offend her by calling her something other than her name, despite the temptation to call her Mrs.Shy being strong.
"Call me Mrs.Shy and my husband Mr.Shy." Is it bad that I kinda wanna celebrate after guessing her name? "This is our daughter; Fluttershy." Mrs.Shy pointed to her daughter who was a yellow equine with pink hair and large feathery wings on her back. "And this trouble maker is our son; Zephyr Breeze." She pointed to a green boy with blonde hair and with large wings on his back as well. Fluttershy looked like her mother while Zephyr took more from his father. "May we know your name?" How could I not oblige after she divulged her family's names... Kinda.
"You may. My name is..." I paused as I tried to remember my name. Oh shit, what is my name? "I don't know," I said apologetically.
"What do you mean?" Mr.Shy said as he kneeled to my level. I didn't realize that I was much shorter than him.
"I must apologize for not realizing this sooner. I can't recall anything past ten minutes ago from when I first woke up." I bowed lightly put off some kind of instinctual sign of apology. I guess it was some form of respect where I came from. Little details will help me figure out my identity.
"Oh, you poor thing. Don't worry we'll help you out. We'll figure out what to call you." Mrs.Shy said as she hugged me as if I was her child. It was... Nice.
"Many thanks." I looked over at Zephyr and realized that he seemed kinda excluded. "Nice to meet you Zephyr." I went for a handshake to greet him properly which he tried to accommodate. For the first time since I woke up, I was touched by sunlight. It may have just been my hand but that was enough.
My hand was light ablaze as it began to quickly began to turn to ash much to my horror and pain. I screamed as it began to travel up my arm as more of my skin was exposed to sunlight. It was excruciating and I couldn't help but try to shield it from any external source. Zephyr and Fluttershy immediately leaped into action and covered the windows so nothing more would happen. Unfortunately, my hand and half my forearm were already ash.
"OH MY GOSH, ARE YOU ALRIGHT?!" Fluttershy yelled in worry as I slowly brought out my hand. I grunted as an uncomfortable feeling consumed the nub that was left. Within a matter of seconds, my arm regrew slowly and it was as if nothing happened. There was still a bit of pain, but I was glad it wasn't permanent.
"I must apologize again for making you worry about me again." Fluttershy lied her hand on my regrown limb. Her kind smile was what got me to listen to her every word.
"You do not need to apologize. No one could predict what would happen." She stood up and began to walk to the stairs near us. "Now we know that we can't let your skin get touched by sunlight. I'll make you something to wear during the day." With that, she went upstairs while I was left in shock. Everything happened so fast that I was left mostly confused. Today has definitely been interesting.
Kimetsu No Yaiba: Cannibal Corps
Author's Note
I know it's short, but I'd rather have it where it needs to be then drag it on to such extremes. This way, I can come out with more chapters and slowly grow as time goes on. Hope none of all are made for this chapter being so short compared to my other stories.
Chapter 2
"Sorry Fluttershy, but couldn't I wear anything else that doesn't stand out as much?" I asked as I looked at the robes and headdress she had made for me. It was designed to help me stay out of the sun, but it made me stand out even more than I could already see.
"Yes, and you don't have to worry about needing to change clothes since this fits with your normal attire," Fluttershy responded as she walked around her room that had rolls of fabric lying around. Seriously, I knew that she sowed a few things, but making clothes was nowhere near what I imagined. "Considering those fans and your normal clothes, I made it closer to what you would see in the eastern isles of Equestria." She wasn't wrong. Just the look of it seemed to closely resemble what I wore when I first woke up.
"Okay, I'll give you that, but you didn't answer my question." She kinda did that on occasion so I would sometimes get her back on track. It was mostly minor instances, all adorable, but it would sometimes fuck up a conversation.
"Oh... Well, I saw it in one of the Isle's comics. I believe it's called manga, but this closely resembles that." I looked at the robe again and recognized the red clouds stitched onto a back cloak. The headdress was made from bamboo, like my fan, with paper talismans hanging from the edges. I could still see and my instincts would keep me safe from my greatly expanded blind spots.
"How did you make this? I knew you had an interest in fashion, but I don't know that you actually had sown clothes." I began to put on the new cloak to see how it fits. Sure it might stand out like a sore thumb, but if I could go outside during the day; that would be great.
"I originally wanted to be a fashion designer before I got my cutie mark so I learned all I could about it. Even if my special talent is something else, I'm glad I was able to show now and then." I believe this was a little more than just now and then. It fit perfectly while still allowing me to move without much restriction.
She could have been a professional if she didn't care for animals so much. I may have met her a week ago, but she was already growing on me and I was kinda happy that I learned about her pastimes. At least the hand towels now make sense. However, it has only been a week since I got here so I can't say much.
"I can see. I'll admit that you're exceptionally talented and well-versed in fashion. I shouldn't have been so critical... I'm sorry." As the saying goes, don't look a gift horse in the mouth. In this case, I believe it's a pony.
"Don't worry about it. You're just a little shy so I understand." I nodded after putting on the headdress and found that it fit perfectly with little discomfort. It was kinda incredible considering that it was woven by a different material. "However, you can repay me by taking a walk with me." I nodded with a smile before stretching my arms to see how the cloak moved. I may have also been tired so that was another reason. I may not need to sleep, but I get drowsy when you do nothing all night.
"Sure, but do you mind if we do it later?" Fluttershy nodded as I walked over to the guest room, now my room, and got something. It was just a little something I made for her. It was a haori that I made in my free time since I have a lot of that.
The haori was a darker shade of yellow with three butterflies on the back resembling her cutie mark. It was simple and well insolated so she could wear it wherever she wanted. It was incredibly soft, I kinda just used whatever scrap fabric there was or got some from her mother who was kind enough to help me find a large enough piece at the market. I'm not sure she'll like it, but it would be a nice gift for the pony who made it easy for me to go outside.
I walked back to her room where she was just picking up some of the discarded pieces. "You didn't have to start, I was coming right back," I said as I helped her pick up what was lying about.
"You didn't say that." She responded... Damn it, she's right. I didn't say I was.
"Alright, that's fair." I walked up to her and she met my shaded gaze with her soft eyes. I opened my new coat and pulled out the haori I made for her. "I know it isn't as extravagant as what you made me, but I hope you like it." She took it from me and looked it over.
She put it on before thinking about it and it was a little too big for her. The tail end of it was scraping on the floor. Maybe I made it too long. "Pfft, so close." She began to chuckle as she stood next to him in her mirror. "Oh, you made wing holes too. That's so nice." I grinned softly as she looked around it to find everything she can.
"You don't have to pretend it's good, I know it's more function over fashion. It's pretty bad." I could tell she was trying to find all the good parts about it.
"Hey, give it a year or two and I'll grow into it." I was about to pull a classic response.
"Ya think? Your hand doesn't even come out the sleeves." Well then... That's a rather odd thing for me to say and think. I guess bits and pieces come back if needed.
"Well, I think it's nice." She began to push me through the house until we were at the front door. "Besides, it's later compared to when I first asked for that walk." I was about to refuse before pausing.
"Touché." I covered all exposed skin with the coat amongst other things to keep me safe. It could be worse, I could be wearing armor and walking around town.
Kimetsu No Yaiba: Cannibal Corps
Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Kimetsu No Yaiba: Cannibal Corps
"Mom! I finished reading my book!"
"Really? Don't you think this was a little... Hard for you?"
"No, it was so good!"
"Incredible... You actually read the legend of King Arthur?"
"Yes ma'am! And when I grow up I'll be a hero just like him!"
"Really... Alright then. I can't wait to see you become the best hero in the world."
I woke up almost terrified as the birds chirped outside. To my right, an alarm clock was going off with the hands showing 6:30. I thought about the dream for a second and wondered if it was just a dream. I then instantly forgot about it because of dreams... It's hard to remember them. However, one line stuck with me.
I couldn't help but smile as I got out of bed and put on my normal clothes. I may look suspicious as fuck, but I like living. It's my favorite pastime. I know, crazy right?
Stepping away from being a dick, I walked downstairs to meet Fluttershy and Zephyr for the next big adventure... School. I was now officially listed as Mr. and Mrs. Shy's adopted son; even if I still don't have a name. I was registered to have general education classes while the other two have both general and flying classes.
The weirdest part about this is that it's the only school that is in Cloudsdale. Of course, there are daycares and things like that, but there are no elementary, middle, or high schools. It's all one institution to prepare kids for what they need. I guess you can say that the worst part is that it's a boarding school. I don't know why I'm going since I was tested a few days ago and I was above what the schools can teach me. Yeah, I'm just going to protect Fluttershy from bullies.
"You three ready to go to school." Mrs.Shy said while helping Fluttershy put on her bookbag while Zephyr was having Mr.Shy help tie his shoes.
"Yes!" Fluttershy and Zephyr said excitedly while I just raised my hand with little enthusiasm. I didn't want to do this, but I don't really have a choice at this point. They're technically my parents, so they have the final say.
My lack of enthusiasm was disregarded as we left. They just began to fly in the direction of Rainbow Dash's house and I followed through my ultimate technique; jumping from house to house. I'm still trying to figure out my full capabilities after seeing that my fans were weapons.
"Hey, how's it going?!" I looked at the voice and saw Rainbow closing the distance between us. However, the speed demon was coming in at the speed of a fuckin' jet and collided with me.
"Damn it, Dash! Are you looking for another flying violation?" I asked as I broke her fall. She gave me an embarrassed chuckle before joining the other two in the sky. One was glaring at her while the other had a lovestruck gaze. Fluttershy was gonna give her one hell of a hard time later for reckless flying.
"Dash..." Fluttershy said in a dark tone that even chilled me to the bone... and I'm more dangerous than she is. "We are going to talk about this later."
"C-come on, Shy, don't be like that. It was a hon-honest accident and it won't happen again." I sighed before walking the pain off a bit as my bones cracked while the regeneration took effect. I'm glad this coat covers my body, no one knew my ribcage was smashed in.
"What injuries did you get?" I paused for a second before hopping to the roof closest to them. Fluttershy knows me too well in a short time.
"I don't know what you mean..." She flew to face me with that same stare she gives animals acting mean. "... My ribcage was shattered." I coughed up a little bit of blood. "And maybe a punctured lung." I wiped away the blood coming from my mouth. It wasn't visible from the black coat.
"You better be glad it was him you ran into or someone else could die." I sighed before walking on the roof of this building until their conversation ended.
"It doesn't matter, but if you continue this, we'll be late." The three looked at me before flying in the direction of other colts and fillies were going. I probably look the weirdest out of everyone with my coat and from jumping roof to roof.
My mind went back to the dream I had earlier. I couldn't remember a lot of it except for one thing; me saying that I wanted to be a hero. I was a little disheartened after thinking about it. I'm not sure what that actually was, but I couldn't help but feel nostalgic. It could have been a memory of some kind so it was somewhat of a clue.
It didn't matter now. I have something more important to do. Most importantly, getting through the first day. I was probably going to hate the simplicity of it or I may get placed in advanced classes. Considering that I'm on a higher level than most of these foals, I'm guessing I won't have a lot of classes. Unfortunately, Dash and Shy fit into that category of being below my intellect. I wasn't going to hold that over on Shy, but I'd use my knowledge to fuck with Dash.
"Hey, you can't come in here!" Someone yelled, but I assumed that they were talking to someone else. That wasn't the case. "You can't come in here! This is a school for fillies and colts, not a short stallion!" I sighed knowing that this would get me nowhere anytime soon.
"I can assure you that I am enrolled and I'm not a pony. I'm currently 8-years-old if you're wondering what my age is." I corrected the teacher as he attempted to remove my headdress. I forcefully kept him from doing so by holding it down at first. "My skin is sensitive to the sun-" He cut me off thinking that he knows better.
"Then go out side more and build a resistance." I had enough of this guy. I unfolded my fans and took a swipe at him out of anger. Much to my shock, the edge of my fan was covered in fire. He dodged it easily enough, but he was off balance and fell.
I pointed my flaming fan at the guy who looks terrified as he saw his tie; completely cut off and partially burnt. "If you let me finish, you would know that my skin is sensitive to the sun and if any part of me is exposed, I'll turn to ash." I closed my fans and the fire went away. It was odd, but not unwelcome. I just have to remember how I did that before.
Either way, I got my schedule for the year and looked it over. My only classes were combat training with unorthodox weapons. Oddly enough, that was a class. I retract my previous statements about school, this could be fun.
Kimetsu No Yaiba: Cannibal Corps
Author's Note
I'm not sure I can continue this since it's not too liked. I finally laid down the foundations of the story, but it doesn't seem to be good enough. I'll write more once this is better received. Why write something if not a lot of people like it.
Chapter 5
"Sorry I'm late. I was stopped by some guy at the front." I said as I met up with Dash and Shy in the auditorium.
"No problem, he's always hounding on students about conduct and ranting about how modern fashion is degrading." Dash said while I sat next to her. Shy was on the other side of Dash so I could keep an eye on her quiet easily.
"Come on you two, he's only doing his job. Don't blame him for something he can't control." Dash looked down while I rolled my eyes at that. The guy was a dick, so I didn't care. "Don't act like that mister." Damn it, she saw it. I thought I hid it rather well.
"I'm a bit surprised that he didn't say anything about your haori. I don't think it fits in the school's dress code." Fluttershy looked down at the bright yellow coat around her arms and smiled.
"It's a cultural thing. Dash, you should know that I was originally from Neighpan. We've been friends for years." Dash looked at it before looking at me for a second. I couldn't help but smile as I knew what she was going to ask.
"Yes Dash, I'll make you one later." I said before Rainbow did a little dance in her chair. It was kinda cute so I soaked in the sight. "Anyways, you came from another country, Shy?" My question would go in answered as the lights cut out with the exceptions being the ones lighting the stage.
On the stage walked a few of the teachers that I saw outside, including the asshole. I guess it was a way of having the students thank the teachers who were gracias enough to help. I believe this was a bit belittling since they seemed all high and mighty about it. I already didn't like them. Someone walked in from the side of the stage, who I guessed was the principal, before stopping at a podium.
"We are grateful for all of you attending this ceremony. We have no one absent in this graduating class. We also hope you had a good summer vacation and didn't get hurt during it. Finally, to wrap up the pleasantries, I want to personally thank you for your continued attendance." A rather young mare said while lightly bowing. Me not understanding what was happening, acted on impulse and stood up. I offered a light bow to the mare. I still don't understand why I did that other than my body acting on its own. "I'd like to welcome our newcomer to the class. He doesn't have wings, but he is exceptionally strong and I hope you all get along with him." I could see the light shine on me as I bowed once more as a sign of respect. I sat back down after the light turned off. "Now, on to the mater at hand..." She began to speak which I zoned out. It was basic rules that you'd expect at a school so I didn't pay attention.
She mentioned a few things such as a recent problem with Magic Grass consumption. Apparently, there hase been a few upper class men who have been distributing the drug around the school. The final lecture was about how to report the pony and how to avoid situations like that. Unfortunately, as long as the supplier is shipping out the product, then they're will always be dealers.
"With that, the assembly is over. Please find your dorms and get settled. We'll begin classed next week." I stood up and looked at the other two for some form of explanation. I don't have much experience in this so I can't help.
"We should get to our dorms quick before the rest. It's going to be a battle royal in the halls." Dash said as she abd Shy flew away. I couldn't jump aster them without risking landing on someone.
The crowd began to clump together as they tried to leave through the doors. I was in th middle of it all and being squished isn't the best idea. Once I wasn't almost being crushed, I jumped to the rafters above to wait it out. I wasn't sure if anyone saw that, but I tuned out the noise.
I took out my phone and looked through it... It was factory reset so all I had on it was what Shy and I put on it. I should mention how weird this world is with technology. Cellphones are widely used, but there is no internet at all. Somehow, games are still available for download which makes me questions what convoluted system the service providers have.
The phone was objectively useless since I was the only one of us to have a phone. I couldn't call anyone other than Fluttershy's parents who need a break. They've been teaching me what I need to know about this world. History was easy to grasp and read. Most of the books were written in Neighponese, so I learned a knew language.
However, that flame that was product was incredible. I didn't think.i was capable of such spells due to my lack of a horn. I wasn't sure what triggered it, but maybe I can think of the feeling and replicate it... No, that's anime bull crap. Recalling a feeling is almost impossible to do when it just happens out of the blue.
I held my hands up and focused on them in an attempt to produce those eloquent flames. Yeah, I probably look like I was trying to poop off the edge and hit one of the kids bellow. After that, I cleared my mind and focused on nothing but the chaotic movements of the flame. Considering that the feeling that caused those flames has been pushed further in the past, it's an unreliable source. Finding the secrets of the flame will be daunting, but I will figure it out.
I was so close to finding a new way out of this place. If need be, I'll break a window. I want put of this place so I can get to work.
Kimetsu No Yaiba: Cannibal Corps
"Okay, that's it." I was tired of waiting for the crowd to thin before leaving. It had become less of an issue since it was calmer than before, but it was still pretty big. I was just going to take the exit behind the stage since no one else is... to my knowledge.
I dropped to the ground and walked into the stage without much difficulty. It couldn't have been easier after getting to the stage. No one even notice or didn't care as I did this.
Oh, there's the teachers. Probably just chatting about what they went through during or before the assembly. I just walked towards them since the door was on the other side.
"Students aren't allowed back here!" It was the same guy who stopped me earlier about my clothes. I ignored him since he's an asshole and kept walking. "Listen to your teachers young man!" Again, I ignored him out of spite. He grabbed me and kept me from moving. "I told you to listen!"
"Why would i do that to someone who was so critical about what I'm wears and didn't ask why I dressed like this? For all you knew, I could have been a priest, a super star hiding my identity, or someone so self-conscious that they needed it to function in crowds. Luckily for you, it wasn't any of those." I got of of his grip and continued on my way to the door. I didn't like that guy so I was giving him a heard time. It felt great.
"That is not how you address a teacher." Another teacher said as she stopped me once more. I don't in w how she acted, but I won't give her the same treatment as that guy.
"I was just stating that she should have put more thought into his actions before confronting me about it. Had he succeed, I would have turned to ash." She walked back for a second trying to process what I just said. I'll admit, it's a lot to take in for the first time, but it's not a problem if they ask why first. "The second my skin touches sunlight, my skin burns before turning to ash. It's exceptionally painful and difficult to regenerate from a wound like that."
"A-anyways, what were you doing up here, this area is staff only?" Oh, another one jumped in. That's a good question. How do I put this in a way that doesn't make me sound like an ass.
"The doors are all blocked and the crowd hasn't struck in the past thirty minutes." I got the patience of a saint, but that is ridiculous. "I got tired of waiting." They paused for a second before three rand over there while two stayed there. I guess they didn't realize how chaotic a large auditorium would be when almost five thousand students are present in it. I know, it sounds insane, but it works. "Oh, before I forget, where on my syllabus does it say my dorm number?"
"It's under your basic information." One of the last two remaining teachers told me while pointing at the paper. "See, right there. Just above your... One class. You have unorthodox weapon training... Why?"
"I fight using bladed fans." I pulled out my fans and opened them to show the blade. They got a good look at it while one, an older unicorn lady, seemed to recognize it.
"Doma." She said, almost terrified, but held a steal gaze. "I forgot to tell you my name. I am
"What do you want to ask me ma'am?" She kneeled down to my height and looked me dead in the eyes.
"Why are you here?" It was an odd question, but I could understand why she would ask. She must know what I am and may be a little scared so I have to alleviate her fear... Hopefully, I'm right.
"I do not know, I lost my memories two weeks ago. I can't recall anything before then." She placed my headdress on my head before leading me away through the doors. I couldn't tell what she wanted from me, but I hope it wasn't anything bad. "Where are we going?"
"To my room so we can discuss your predicament without anyone hearing." I just followed her without question. She had information about me or at least what I am. It was to valuable and too important to pass up. With that, I can learn what I need to before I begin to do my own research on the matter. "Also, address me as Kocho-sensei. Might as well use our official cultural honorifics."
"Yes, Kocho-sensei." I responded as she looked back at me for a second. I wonder if I'm doing anything wrong in addressing her.
"Though our language is mostly the same as the Equestrians, we do have slight differences. Remember these as your first lesson here. We use honorifics when addressing someone else. Sensei is used when addressing teachers and others who give instruction. Actually, now that you know my name, what is yours?"
"I must apologize Kocho-sensei, but I don't have one. We never came up with one." We stopped this time. We were inside a building that seemed to have other teachers around us. They paid no mind to what Kocho-sensei was doing; however, they made sure we weren't crowded.
"You don't have a name?" I shook my head, not knowing how to respond after that. It was kinda embarrassing now that I say that out loud. What person doesn't have a name, but I can't really believe that someone who looks like a normal unicorn knows what I am so I guess anything is possible.
"Don't worry, I'll give you one. It may seem weird, but you're not the first person I have a name two." That seemed odd. She looked a little young to have a kid, but I probably just don't know the specifics.
"I didn't know you had a child, Kocho-sensei." She actually laughed for a second before looking at me. She always had a smile on her face. It was nice.
"No no. Someone I knew was just like you. She had no name or anything until I gave her one. She has to be as old as you now." That smile... It was so warm and kind. Almost like that of a sister. It felt nostalgic.
"Come on, let's have our conversation. Too many nosey ponies here." I chuckled at the word play there. It was silly and clever... Why do I feel like a child again. I'm more mature than that.
"Yes, Kocho-sensei." She smiled once more before leading me to the stairs were we made our assent to the fifth floor. Her room was easy pick out from all the others since the door has a floral design.
When we entered, it seemed very traditional and is what you'd think a Neighponese shrine would look like from the inside. It was calm and quiet. In my opinion, it was perfect. I couldn't easily relax in a place like this.
"Now I will now answer any question that may be on your mind." Kocho-sensei said, so I obliged to her request. This was my chance to learn what I could, even if it's a heavily biased.
I learned what I could from her; like what I am, what that fire was, and the reason why I'm weak to the sun... Okay, maybe not that last one, but the other two had definitive answers. What she told me, I'm something called a Demon a creature with unknown origins. I wasn't always a Demon, I was something else before I was covered into one long ago. She informed me of my Blood Demon Art, my flames, and said it was our version of magic in a sense. It's unknown how these are determined when so few ever reach this level to wield one.
Finally, she told me about the Demon Slayers. How they fight the Demons when they are no longer restricted by the sun. She told me about what Demons did when around other creatures. She also said that I should seek out my own answers; even if it means to interact with other Demons. She probably held hope that there were other Demons like me... Those that don't eat humans.
"You said that you were a Demon Slayer, why'd you leave?" I asked. She seemed happy there and she spoke of her allies so highly.
"Fear. I may feel sorry for the Demon that nearly killed me, but I fear if he were to find me again... There wouldn't be a body for my family to recover. Even if he does find me again, I'm far enough away to make sure my younger sisters are safe." She responded. She seemed sad after saying that. I can't help but feel bad for whatever she endured. I'm not sure if I can help her.
"Oh..." I didn't know what else to say. I guess silence is the best response. I thought about it for a moment before I came up with something. I didn't want her to be sad. "You're... A good sister. You'd force yourself into such a painful situation for the safety of your sisters. I'd be honored if I ever had a sibling such as you, Kocho-sensei." I wasn't lying about what I said. Even if I can't remember, I still hope that whatever family I have may be like her. I couldn't even imagine what it's like to stay away from those you love for their safety.
She gave me a small smile, something that seemed to be much more natural to her from the looks of it, and came over before giving me a hug. It was nice. I felt safe despite only knowing her for such a short amount of time. "Thank you, it helps." Her voice was soft and... It hurt. It sounded so tired and sad. She must've been suffering during this self-imposed exile. "If you want, you can call me Kanae-Chan when we're not in school hours. Think of me as a big sister; one who will protect you from anything. Oh, and you don't have to say this, bit I offer say: "hai" when answering with yes. It's a little word I still use from Neighpan."
"Ye-... Hai, Kanae-Chan." She looked very pleased when I said that. It made her happy so I'll keep using it. It may sound childish, but it's for her sake.
"Alright, let's get you to your dorm. I have an assignment for you and it'll be used for extra credit for your class. I'll ask the teacher to implement it." I nodded before standing after Kanae-Chan. Much to my shock, she lightly bowed to me which took me off guard.
"Thank you for your kind words and company." I didn't know how to respond so I was a stuttering mess. Kanae-Chan, on the other hand, found this quiet amusing. "The proper way to respond to this is to mimic my bow and say: "You're welcome". Then you will thank me for the hospitality and information."
I did as she said without question. "Y-you're welcome, and thank you for the hospitality and information." She chuckled before straightening her back while I stayed bowing.
"We'll work on your edicet later. For now, let us go. You're dorm should fit your desires so there's no need for moving what you need into the room. You'll like it."
God I hope so.
Kimetsu No Yaiba: Cannibal Corps
Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Kimetsu No Yaiba: Cannibal Corps
I have been practicing for almost fourteen hours and I only managed to make one of the pieces after I gave up and just did whatever. By a fluke, I made a piece that stopped her blade. You couldn't believe how pissed I was when that happened.
I was taking the night off to rest. Well, that wasn't completely the truth. I was testing my Blood Demon Art to see what I was capable of. The most I did was light my hands on fire, but there was one other thing on my mind.
Demons eat non-demon creatures almost like a compulsion, so why didn't I feel it? Am I just different or do I have better control of my instincts than others? Maybe I've been a demon longer than I think.
Hold on... What's that smell? It's odd, it smells repulsive yet enticing at the same time. It seems to be coming from outside near the city. I needed to know what it was before I get back to practicing.
I opened the window to my room and hopped out of it with gusto. The amount of force I put into it actually left the wall a little cracked. I may have put too much force into it. I'd have to inform the staff about that. Actually, that jump sent me over the school fences and onto the closest building's roof. One hell of a jump to be honest.
I didn't think about it much after landing as I leaped from rooftop to rooftop so I could get to the smell quicker. I was literally following my nose so I could be lead into a trap by a Demon Slayer or maybe I'll be intruding on a demon's territory. Either way, I'm walking into something far too dangerous, but I'm confident that my speed will let me escape with ease.
I won't lie, I felt a lot of appreciation when I got closer. Eventually, the smell became all I could think about as it just got stronger. As much as I'd like to forget it happened, my mouth began to water from the smell and I could feel my desire of eating it overtake my appreciation. I was becoming a slave to my hunger as I desperately tried to regain control over my body, but my thoughts were slowly becoming clouded.
I didn't snap out of it until the taste of copper entered my mouth. I didn't realize that I was physically growling at whoever I was biting. My claws sunk deep into their arm and pain shot from my back. In an instant, I dropped to the ground with blood covering my hands and mouth while my would-be victim stood in front of me.
"Interesting, you brought yourself out of your trance." A man said before I looked up at him. My eyes widened as I stared up at him as he glared down on me with all six of his eyes. On his hip was a katana with eyes lining the handle. He wore a kimono-like I did, but he had an oddly designed haori. "You smelled my blood and lost yourself in desire. It's clear that you attacked me rather than anything else."
My mind began to race as I recognized some of his features being almost the same as mine. He was a demon just like me, but I couldn't control myself and almost ate him. I couldn't help but wonder if this was an aspect of my old life, and I was terrified of it. My mind kept asking the same question over and over again: "am I a cannibal?"
"Young demon, look at me." I heard his voice, but I didn't oblige as I was still trying to figure out what I was. "Young demon, look. At. Me." I still didn't as I went further into panic and started to hyperventilate. The demon grabbed me by the hair and forced me to look at him. I could see his arm which hasn't healed yet despite our apparent quick healing. "You have done nothing wrong, young demon. You are merely following your instincts as a demon of the Cannibal Corps." My mind froze as he told me that and I started to panic more.
I was a cannibal. How are you supposed to react to that? Learning that you are your own kind after forgetting everything isn't easy. I liked to think I was a good person before I woke up two weeks ago, but now I know I was a monster.
"I eat demon. I eat my own kind. What the hell was I?" I asked aloud, I wasn't asking the man before me or anyone around me, but it felt much easier to ask myself that question. Maybe it was an old habit I had or something similar to it.
"You did not, young demon." The demon said as I looked back at him. I couldn't tell if he was lying or telling the truth. I had no reason to trust him since we just met. Unfortunately, whether I liked it or not, he had the answers.
"T-then what is a demon of the Cannibal Corps?" I needed this question answered if it's all just a misunderstanding. He let go of me as I wiped my mouth and hands on my kimono to get rid of the blood. It wasn't ideal, but I don't really have a choice.
"A demon of the Cannibal Corps can fight and kill demons without the use of a nichirin sword. Their claws are on par with the nichirin blades wielded by Demon Slayers; however, their claws prevent the disintegration of a dead demon." He paused for a second before pointing to my shoulder. "Have you seen a number there?"
"H-hai, it's the number one," I responded with a little stutter. I wasn't sure what he wanted with it, but I bet it has something to do with the Cannibal Corps.
"Then that means you're the first that was made. You were made to help Lord Muzan keep control over the demons after they became an international species." He paused for a second, all his eyes closed individually which was creepy as hell. "You were deemed a failure, but it wasn't Muzan who turned you into a demon. You were turned into one by me." Yeah, that did the trick. I hopped to my feet and gripped his clothes.
"You have to tell me everything about me. You hold all the answers I need. Who am I? Where am I from? How old am I? What exactly am I?" He covered my mouth despite not looking too pleased about my sudden change of demeanor.
"You will be told in time, but I can teach you how to activate your Blood Demon Art." Okay, a little weird, but I guess it's somewhat necessary if I can activate my flames at will. "I'll tell you about yourself when you reach my level of strength."
"Why would I have to when you can tell me everything I need to know?" I want to know why he's making my history such a difficult task. It seems completely illogical and stupid.
"Not all of our enemies..."
"Demon Slayers, I know who they are."
"... That saves time. Anyways, not all Demon Slayers are altruistic and will kill demons regardless if they've eaten anyone or not. Some will slaughter us because they feel it's justified, or maybe for revenge because another demon killed someone close to them, or just so they earn money." Where there is light, there's dark. The quote seems to fit this situation perfectly all things considered or from what I know now. "I want you to have a goal so you can get stronger so you won't have to rely on others. Some Demon Slayers will leave you alone seeing that you're living a normal life and others will kill you for the aforementioned reasons."
"I guess that makes sense, better to be prepared and be safe than need it and not have it." Something came to mind after I said that. "Did... Did you call me a failure?"
"You were deemed a failure after Muzan found out that you can only gain power through eating demons. It was half of what Muzan wanted, but you became a template for the Cannibal Corps we demons know today. You were supposed to be able to eat bother demons and non-demons, but that didn't turn out as well." I'd say I was a partial success considering that I can eat demons. Why am I more offended that I was called a failure for not being able to be a normal demon than the fact I'm more enticed to commit cannibalism. I'm weird.
"Mind if you teach me how to use my Blood Demon Art." I know my claws won't be enough, so if I can use my flames then I'd stand a better chance if someone tries to kill me.
"Fine. You seem to know what your Blood Demon Art so visualize it appearing. It can be anywhere on your body as long as it's touching your skin." I closed my eyes and visualized it as he said. "Good, now concentrate on that image and pull it out." I was lucky enough to have Kanae-Chan put me through that training or I wouldn't have any idea of what to do. I tried to pull it out more and more, but that got this demon to press a finger to my head. "Concentrate. If you lose concentration again, I will stab you with my sword. Before you ask, it is a nichirin blade." I tensed up at that and focused more on the image as I closed my eyes again. Soon after that, light broke through my eyelids before I opened them to see blood-red flames. They never looked like this before or maybe because I had conscious control over them. "Good job- damnit, that took longer than expected. The sun will rise soon. Leave, I'll find you to check on your progress."
"S-sorry to ask this, but what's your name?" Might as well thank him properly.
"No time." Damnit, he's right.
"Hai... Thank you, Sensei."
He didn't hesitate when he left as I followed his example. We were going in opposite directions of each other. It was good to know more about what I am, but I think I shouldn't tell Kanae-Chan this. I don't want her to freak out over another demon in Cloudsdale.
(Third Person)
"Are we able to get in?" A demon asked as he stared at another, stronger demon. Four more stood behind him with a few weapons on them.
"Yes, but don't kill the demon there. Keep your phone on you and tell me about any major changes there. You have until Wednesday to tell me that you successfully infiltrated. I want that ex-hashira dead." The stronger demon said before vanishing.
"It will be done." The five demons looked at a rough blueprint of a building discussing their plan of action. The stronger demon was kind enough to write down how'll they'll get in. They're now trying to figure out what they'll do after they get in. On the side was a small note where he wrote: "Primary Objective".
Underneath it was three simple words: "Capture the demon".
Kimetsu No Yaiba: Cannibal Corps
It's been three days since I began the attempts to remake my fans and it's mostly ended in failure. The pieces were either too heavy or not strong enough. So far, I've been practicing with my fire to make it even hotter than it is or make it bigger to gain a better understanding of what I'm capable of.
As always, I'm staying awake at night with minimal options of relaxation. I've eaten a ton of food and drank a lot of water to quickly regain the lost energy making the failed fan parts. I would complain about it being fuckin' annoying, but that's just the process of practice. It doesn't help that I'm working without much help from demons so I can't get an insiders tip.
Unfortunately, I don't get tired often so I'm stuck lying awake all night. I'm alone, at night, with nothing to do but stare at the ceiling for hours on end. My own doubts began to gain voices in my head... That's normal. Maybe I wasn't as confident as I am now before the... I'm just going to stop mentioning the amnesia. At this point, I'm just reminding myself of it and just really twisting the knife.
These past few days have been nothing but mondaine routine. I haven't been able to hangout with Fluttershy at all despite her being my best friend... Dash is a close second. Maybe I should start a journal so I have something to do at night or to at least drought down important details. I'll wait till I can buy a phone and do that so I can save all that info. Maybe I'm just trying to justify getting a phone.
I just wish the internet existed so I could at least watch some videos. Maybe a movie or two on some website. All things considered, it could be worse, I could be out on the streets being chased by Demon Slayers. Then again, with my speed, I bet I could out run them. Sounds like fun. Wait, no. I can't get overzealous, one wrong move and I'll die. It's best that I stay in the school's grounds.
It couldn't get more boring than this. I'm tempted to find Kanae-Chan and hangout with her for the rest of the night. That's if she's awake, which she normally is, but I don't want to disturb her at 10 PM. The sun rise at 6 AM so I best buckle down for a long night.
Wait, hold on. That pungent smell... What is it? I smelled it before and I can easily recognize it, but I can't recall from where. Come on, think! Where have I smelled that before. Oh, the six eyed demon had the same smell, but why does he smell so horrible. There was at least a pleasant aroma that accompanied that horrible smell. Whatever it is, I'm going to get rid of it.
I ran out my room at full speed until I reached the stairs. I don't know if it's me or these stairs, but I almost always fall down them without fail. It fucking sucks. So I was being as careful as possible when getting down them. It didn't help that the smell got even worse as time went on. It was almost unbearable to the point that I was willing to fall down them to get down fast... Almost.
After the stairs ordeal, I started running to the smell. Good thing was that it was on campus so I wouldn't have to break the rules this time. Bad part was that it was getting even worse as time went on. Maybe the reason I didn't question the smell when I met that demon was because I was panicking. It was such a disgusting smell that I felt like I was going to throw up. It's so fucking bad and unbearable that I'm questioning if burning it is too much.
"What the hell!" I yelled as my anger grew. All I knew was that I wasn't breathing in when I was speaking. A definite plus for me. "Who the hell leaves these damn smells everywhere?! It's so putrid and rude to everyone here! Come on, do some fucking jokers think this is funny?!" I yelled, again, to myself to not smell that shit. So gross.
I was coming up on the smell and I was relieved that I was so close. I've come to the conclusion that I'm going to burn it. I rounded the corner where the smell was at and lit a fire in my hand.
"Finally! Time to burn this son of a... Holy shit." Lying right where the smell was a dead body. Specifically one of the people on the stage during orientation. Almost half of her body was gone with clear evidence of it being devoured. I covered my nose as I started at this cadaver in shock. I looked over the body once more and found bite marks on her neck; all were various sizes. Five different bite marks in total. "I... I have to find Kanae-Chan!"
I ran in the opposite direction of the body. My thoughts were racing a mile a minute as I ran through the campus in a frantic sprint. I was terrified of the body, my mind forgot the smell immediately after running away. I was scared and I didn't know what to do, but I know what did it.
It had to be demons. They're the only ones that have the ability to do this and bite marks had the fangs in the same position as where mine are. If I didn't do anything now, people would point fingers at me and I'll take the blame. I'll be tried for murder and devouring and sentence to death by sun. I don't want to die... I can't die! I have to tell Kanae-Chan; I have to tell somebody!
"Leaving so soon?" My running was stopped by a voice after something made me fall. My legs were kicked out from under me and my hands were bent behind my back. I tried to scream, to hell if anyone found the body. It was anticipated as another creature covered my mouth. I couldn't be any more scared. To hell with that, I was terrified. "No yelling!" This voice was definitely the leader. I could just tell.
"Don't hurt him or that guy will have our heads!" Wait, were my senses wrong? Fuck, this is only going to make things worse. I struggled as hard as I could to no avail. I ended up stopping after I accidentally broke my arm. My screams were muffled by the creator covering my mouth. These had to be the demons that broke in. Damn it, I can't escape.
"He said if we hurt him, but he hurt himself. Would he spare us if he did that to himself?" A third voice spoke up. Damnit, I'm so fuck! Three on one and it only takes one to take me out. I'm screwed!
Wait... There's three here, where are the other two?! Do they know about Kanae-Chan?! No, no, no, they can't get to her! If she dies then this school looses their only protection against demons! Come on, think! There has to be something I can do, there just has to be!
What the hell can I do?! My claws are the only way to damage them permanently and I can't use them! My flames! I can use those!
I lit my hands on fire and tried to grab my kidnappers. That only resulted in my other arm being broken. I screamed into the hand of the second demon as I writhed in pain and agony. "No you don't you little shit. You're not getting me with that." The demon holding my arms said. Tears began to leak from my eyes as I stopped resisting.
"Damnit Blue, I told you not to hurt him!" The lead said to the demon named Blue. I could accurately guess that Blue was the one holding my arms and subsequently breaking them.
"Does it really matter Cat, he'll regenerate. We always do." The one on my back shot back as I opened my eyes to get a look at the group, but they were all out of my sight.
"He's the only first gen Cannibal. His regeneration is limited unlike the other or us." My eyes widened at that. They just confirmed my greatest fear. If I take enough damage then I'll die. Oh shit. I'm going to die.
I have to think. I have to get away or I'm dead. My only option is fire, but if I use it again then I'll have my arms broken again. No doubt these demons faced other creatures and have been hurt plenty of times, so they have a higher tolerance of pain than me. That would rule out making a larger flame to engulf these guys.
I don't have to kill them, I just need to make it to Kanae-Chan. Wait... No I can't. If I do that then it'll mean there's five on two; one since I don't know what I'm capable of yet. I have to hold them off until sunrise and them I can get to her without risking her safety.
They'll probably run away at the first sight of the sun which makes things a lot easier. I have to think fast so I don't waste any time and give them a chance to move in on her. Two were sent after her and she was a professional Demon Slayer which gives me a little wiggle room so I won't have to worry about her. If anything I'll be a burden if I run to her. These guys want me alive so they can't kill me.
I carefully though about my abilities and what would happen based on the information provided. Fire is out for obvious reasons and yelling is dumb. No point in alerting anyone if no one but Kanae-Chan can kill them... I have an idea, but I don't like it.
What I'm about to do is stupid and idiotic, but I'm out of options. "I told you to bring the rope!" Blue yelled.
"I did, but then someone decided to tie up that woman before eating her. Now we don't have a rope because that dumbass bit through it." The one covering my mouth shot back as I moved my very broken arms around.
"Alright, come on. We all know it was me, you don't need to rub it in my face." Cat said plainly before I began my stupid plan.
I bit the hand on the guy covering my mouth until it went through their finger. They yelled in pain before retracting their hand away. It doesn't matter who you are, there's a very large amount of touch sensitive nerves in your hand. It's why you check for fires with the back instead of the front. It'll cause a massive amount of pain no matter who or what you are because of those nerves.
This next part was a bitch. I was going to get hurt one way or another; even if my plan didn't involve self harm. I moved my arms as far as I could away from the demon's grip until they broke. He squeezed harder, but my plan would only benefit from that. With a gut wrenching rip, my muscle and skin ripped apart. Just like that, my arms were free and I kicked the demon in the jaw.
I laced upper body strength despite my incredible speed. Unfortunately for them, speed means grater lower body strength and – intern – a stronger kick. The demon literally flew away after taking that hit. He didn't know what hit him.
Finally, I twisted my body after lifting off the ground and kicked the last demon. He only recoiled because he was too close to me to get the full force. Because of that I was knocked away from him and gained significant distance between all of us.
No matter how you cut it, I'm significantly out my depth. They have more numbers and are better able to use their Blood Demon Arts unlike me. Fuck, I just realized that I showed my Blood Demon Art before they did so they know what I'm capable of. The most I know to do with it is just making a bigger flame.
I looked at my arms and found that I was subconsciously using Blood Demon Art. My severed limbs were slightly on fire. Can I use my Blood Demon Art on more than just my hands? I'll have to look into this later, but for now, my arms started to regrow faster than when it was burned by the sun. I'll keep than in mind while remembering that I have a limit; even if I don't know what that limit is.
Kimetsu No Yaiba: Cannibal Corps
Kanae was resting in her room while looking over her katana. The light pink blade reflected the light in her room. Beside her was a cleaning kit meant to help make the process more efficient. Unlike what most of her students would assume, she hasn't touched her sword in years. She couldn't help but feel remorseful that she neglected her training to keep her skills up. Now she was hesitant to take it due to her new, personal student being a demon. She was scared that if she took it up, her student would take it the wrong way in an attempt to kill him.
She knew she permitted him to call her Kanae-Chan, but now she was second-guessing her decision. Her dream was for demons and other creatures to live in harmony with each other, but she was hesitant after facing Upper-Moon 2. However, a part of her wanted to be acknowledged as a sister again. She missed the nickname her sister gave her and the children she took in. She saw all of them as one big family and having to leave them hurt more than the wound on her chest. She wanted to see them again at some point and hoped a Demon Slayer would kill Upper-Moon 2 so she can return home.
"Shinobu... I hope you're doing better than I am," Kanae said before picking up her blade with one hand. She began to clean the blade for the first time in years knowing that her demon friend may become corrupted if he meets other demons. It was a hard truth that she knew all too well. When she thought of the demon and paused for a second before continuing. Even if she wasn't going to have to kill him, she may have to protect herself from demons. She was being hunted and she regretted not training now seeing that it was foolish of her when she knew it was only a matter of time before a demon found her.
The sword was heavier than she remembered, but she wasn't entirely unable to hold it since she still practiced kendo. She still practiced Total Concentration: Constant which was how she was able to best other combat teachers in seconds. Remembering how she got her job in the first place made her crack a smile. She was faster and stronger than the other combat instructors. Due to her unique skills and fighting style was, the school made a class specifically for her to teach. It became an incredibly popular class.
She stopped after hearing something off. The school had a curfew that most students abide by but there were the rare few that would break it. Knowing what her new student was, she could probably guess that he would be one of the few to break it. Kanae understood that staying inside for days on end would make anyone restless. Another sound caught her attention, but this one was coming from the other side of her room's door.
Kanae was on edge now. She heard two distinct sounds coming from two different places. Her reflexes immediately kicked in when she was already in a fighting stance. She couldn't see who was there or where they were exactly, but she knew that it wasn't her friend. She could feel her hands twitch in anticipation as she expected the demons to attack her soon. It didn't help that their smell finally hit her. She couldn't help but compare the disgusting order to the pleasant aroma of lavender that her student gave off.
She couldn't rest yet as the power in her room was cut off; leaving her in the dark. Kanae was tempted to jump out the window to get out of her confined room. That thought was immediately shot down as the first noise came from her window. Kanae was a little nervous to fight again, but she wasn't going to die because of her hesitation.
"I know you're there... Come out." Kanae ordered as she breathed in, preparing her fourth form. She took into account where the noises were and made the door face her left side and the window right. Either way, the demons could only attack from the right or left of her body.
She then heard a clap echo through her room before the unmistakable sound of footsteps followed. "What the hell?! How'd they get behind me?!" She thought before turning her body. She leaned back to dodge the demon's attack before attacking herself. She sliced through the demon's arm before it jumped back to gain distance.
Kanae used a hand to summersault backward to recover from losing her balance. Her back was to the wall and she could finally see the room in its entirety. She looked at the door and window; no signs of damage. In fact, there wasn't a single thing wrong with her room. No holes in the walls, ceiling, or floor. She didn't understand how the demon got in.
"You're sharp. I should have expected that from a former Hashira," The demon said. Kanae didn't see anything of use that would allow the demon to get in without causing damage. She did take note that it was a griffin and to keep clear of its claws. Even if they weren't a demon, a griffin's talons and beak are still incredibly dangerous. Luckily, her flexibility and speed could allow her to avoid the griffin's attack with ease.
A clap echoed through the room once more before she sensed another demon in the room, specifically behind her. She dodged the demon's claws and placing her back on another wall. She demon was perched on the dresser she had her back to. She observed the dresser trying to figure out how they got inside her room without breaking anything. The moonlight illuminated her room where she saw almost everything was completely okay. Nothing looked out of place from her position, but it only made her situation worse. She could only assume that they had the ability to teleport from one place to another, but it was odd for two demons to have the same Blood Demon Art.
She only knew that it involved clapping and the other demon didn't do it. It could be that only one had the ability to teleport demons from one place to another. It was a dangerous ability and there were two there going after her. She was unaware of exactly how many were on the campus but she could hear a crash coming from outside after a faint cry.
"What the hell are those idiots doing? They just have to grab him," The griffin said as he healed his arm. The other demon, a Diamond Dog, glared at the other demon before getting into a fighting stance. The other raised his arms a bit before water formed close to his palms.
"Shit." Kanae cursed as she readied her sword to fight. She wished that she had a Water Breathing Demon Slayer with her. She knew that that breathing style thrived in water. She would have some success considering that her Flower Breathing was a branch of Water Breathing, but it wouldn't be too much of a difference. "Flower Breathing: Second Form - Honorable Shadow Plum." The Diamond Dog demon glared at Kanae with hate as the former Demon Slayer examined her to find any weaknesses in her form, but what she found was terrifying.
She was Lower Moon 6.
Author's Note
Updates will take longer since I'm starting college and I'm also taking time to find a job to help pay for it. I'll work on it when I can and I can't wait for the following chapters. I hope you like it and have a good day wherever you are.
Kimetsu No Yaiba: Cannibal Corps
I healed my arms and lit them on fire. My arms were completely fine despite them literally being hotter than normal fire. My goal was to just survive, but if I can kill one. It'll make the situation more manageable. I was planning to run as fast and as far as I could... I wasn't even able to take a step.
In an instant, one of them completely blind-sighted me and punched me as hard as they could; sending me through the wall of one of the buildings. It hurt like hell, but it put more distance between me and them. It wasn't intended on their end, but I now know that my speed might not be enough. That didn't stop me from running the first chance I got.
I swear I heard a bang after running down the halls of the school. It was pitch black, but I could see the general layout of the halls. Not gonna lie, with a demon with strength enhancement Blood Demon Art bursting through the walls; I was gaining an understandable fear of the dark as I watched arms punch through the wall to grab me. Fortunately, the two demons chasing me were a little too slow to actually gab me. I can't begin to understand how no one was hearing this.
Unfortunately, they managed to corner me. I was tempted to jump out the window, but I managed to run up four flights of stairs. In all honesty, I wasn't too sure since I had tunnel vision. For all I knew, I could've entered an open area in the school and jumped to the third floor. I could have also always been on the third floor after getting punched. It's really unclear what happened. However, that doesn't matter as the demon behind me caught up burst through the wall while the other made more arms extended from his limbs.
I light my arms on fire and coated my body in flames. Even if they punch me, they'd still get hurt from the fire. It sucked that my clothes burned, but it was worth the sacrifice if it worked as intended. My flames illuminated the hallway around us, my sense of smell was greatly diminished as the fire seemed to resemble that of a gas fire. I hated that I can't rely on my smell anymore, but it's better than nothing.
The stronger demon, a cat, opened his arms the act as a wall. His fur and skin turned metallic as he seemed to increase the iron in his blood. It's honestly an amazing Blood Demon Art although it seemed rather simple and more based in biology. Are Blood Demon Arts really that flexible that we can create our own or is it something that just comes natural.
The other demon, a kind of bull, thrust his arms towards me before filling the hall with extending appendages aimed at me. I didn't think that he'd be capable of this. This is completely insane. I needed to think of something quick or I could lose. Whoever wants me is also after Kanae-Chan, so I have to at least survive, but I'm in an incredibly bad position to do that.
I had a crazy idea, but if it works then I won't have to worry about the hands. It was dumb, risky, and could even hurt me in the process. I followed his example and threw my arm towards him and put more power behind my fire. An extremely powers blast of fire rushed threw the hall and to the arm demon. I couldn't see down the hall and did the same attack against the metallic demon. I ran away as fast as I could.
I burst out a window and fell towards the ground near my dorm. I looked back at the school and saw something perplexing. The building had no damage whatsoever. Not even the window I jumped through was broken. It didn't matter as I ran into my dorm's building and into my room. I can't hide in here even if I wanted to. To many lives will be endangered if I do that. I just changed into some clothes and jumped out the window. Their sent wasn't gone, but it wasn't close.
Fighting wasn't much of an option and avoiding them seemed to much more difficult than anticipated. Running seemed to be the only option if I'm in an open area. I still don't have a full understanding of my Blood Demon Art unlike the others.
I can't go inside or I'll be cornered once again. I looked back at the building to see it completely covered in a black fog. Not to mention I could only smell one demon. The two that were chasing me seemed to disappeared. I think that black fog has to do something with it.
I don't know what's happening, but I can use this to my advantage and get to Kanae-Chan. She may have already killed the demons attacking her. When I smell the ones after me once they come back to this realm... I'm panicking, I need to relax. Whatever happens next, I needed to get to Kanae-Chan and coordinate with her.
The sun was coming up, I didn't realize how much time passed. I've been trying to run away the entire time and never even looked at the moon or a clock. Either way, I have to stuck with my objective and get to Kanae-Chan.
Unfortunately, the sun was rising quick and I didn't have a lot of time. I looked back at the dorm building and saw that there was no longer a black mist surrounding it. The sun must've scared them away... Or maybe they're retreating for now. I couldn't think about that since I didn't have enough time to stop and think.
I got to the faculty building and, without even considering using the door, I jumped through Kanae-Chan's window. I felt glass and other small objects embed themselves into my arms before crashing to the floor. I was so relieved that I was inside. I hugged the wall closest to the broken window to not be in direct contact with the sun.
Finally, I had time to look around the room and at the adjacent wall was Kanae-Chan with a katana in hand. Between us was the corpse of a headless demon turning to ash. My suspicions were correct and I didn't like it. We were both being targeted; one was to be killed and the other captured.
For the first time in a while, I wanted to sleep. I was incredibly tired and this was the first time I had used this much energy. I just want to sleep until later and, for once, I was actually tired instead of bored. I closed my eyes after my exhaustion hit me and I drifted into a dreamless sleep.
"Ms.Kanae! We heard a noise and came into..." One of the faculty yelled as he burst into the room. Surprisingly, Kanae didn't wake up nor did her guest. Both were sleeping on the adjacent wall of the door; the headless corpse of a demon still deteriorating.
Kanae's unsheathed blade rested in a corner of her destroyed room. Several signs of battle damage lines the once beautiful walls while Kanae had a few minor injuries visible. Her kimono had cuts in a few places where injures lied beneath. All her wounds had stopped bleeding a while ago.
The kid beside her was definitely one that Kanae had been hanging out with for days. The teachers recognized him easily despite not actually seeing his face. He too had suffered some damage as a large bruise was on the side of his face. Parts of his kimono was covered in blood of still bleeding wounds. Miraculously, despite all the visible shattered bones, open gashes bleeding through his clothes, and burn marks were healing with incredible speed. My the time he was completely healed, only a minute or two passed.
None of the teachers knew the story about what happened the night before, but the corpse was found not too long after. No one was sent home since anyone and everyone was a suspect... But everyone was innocent. Unaware of the former Hashira and the demon, the Demon Slayer Corps was notified and a Hashira was sent to investigate the situation.
One demon was dead, but four more remained. For now, the two fighting them rested. Finally able to take a break after their fights. They didn't wake up until the next day; the same day the Hashira arrived.
Kimetsu No Yaiba: Cannibal Corps
Fluttershy hasn't been with her friend long. She even admits that she hates him not having a name, something she promised to give him. Despite all of her short comings related to her new friend, he never turned his back on her. Even if Fluttershy herself believed she failed him, he'd stay by her side without much thought, but with loyal determination to help her.
Her fragile confidence was delt a massive blow when her friend was sent to the infirmary with his teacher. No one had heard the fight despite evidence of it being inside the dorm rooms. She believed that if she had been awake, he wouldn't have been attacked. She would have prevented him from getting attacked. She would have prevented him from getting hurt. She could have prevented a lot of things in her mind.
At the same time, thoughts crossed her mind if she actually was awake. She wasn't strong enough to do much and her gentle personality made it easy for others to manipulate her. Fluttershy wondered if she would have been killed if he wasn't there. She was terrified of what could have been. What could have happened if she did try to stop it.
Fluttershy hit her lowest low in her life and she felt like a failure. She felt if she had tried to help; she would've died, but if she didn't; her friend would have been hurt. She felt less than a failure, she felt like dead weight... She felt useless. Her friend could have died and she was not only unaware, but completely useless even if she was awake.
Uncharacteristically of her, she was frustrated that she was both helpless and useless. Her hands were shaking from both the fears and her own frustration, but others assumed she was holding in her tears. In reality, behind that long pink mane hiding her face was an expression of anger and rage. Oddly enough, she never experienced such emotions in her life, but after the attack, it was all she could express.
She rubbed her hands together as she thought in a vain attempt to calm herself while sitting outside of the infirmary. She was doing breathing exercises to calm herself as much as possible, but it wasn't working. She never thought she was capable of such emotions, but she understood why she felt them. A part of her couldn't forgive those who hurt her friend.
"Ara Ara, what a face on such a cute filly?" A voice said before Fluttershy looked at it. It was another mare with a haori resembling an insect's wings. Underneath it was a dark purple uniform and a butterfly hairpin was holding her hair up. On her hip was a katana with a tsuba resembling a blue, for peddle flower. "Interesting, from what I heard, there was only one casualty, so what is with that expression?"
"I feel useless," Fluttershy confessed, "My friend could've died, but I was asleep. No one heard the attack and he faced the monster alone. If I was awake, it wouldn't have been so bad. I could've helped him, but if I tried, I would have died... What's wrong with me?" She had never confessed such strong emotions before since she felt as if it was her burden to bare, but this mare gave off an air of comfort and calmness she never felt.
"It's best not to dwell on"what ifs". The past if gone, the future uncertain, but the present shapes all." Fluttershy didn't acknowledge her words. It didn't help her in the slightest. She still felt useless and the advice was still to cryptic for her to understand.
"If that's all you have to say, just leave..." Fluttershy felt awful that she couldn't do anything. She hung her head. Her thoughts were no longer of anger or rage... Only sadness. The mare stayed silent for a second as tears fell from the filly's eyes. She remembered when she was in her shoes. Years before they had met... She remembered what her master told her when she couldn't find the strength to leave her room. When she felt as if she killed her sister. When she felt like she wasn't enough.
"Do you believe that what ifs make up for what happened?" Fluttershy raised her head a bit. Her shy demeanor coming back a bit. "I always think back to what I could've done to save my sister, but it doesn't bring her back. You're friend is alive and will recover. No doubt he's going to think about what if he could have saved the mare that died. What if he was stronger than those he fought? What if he had stayed where he was?" Fluttershy stared at the mare with a small smile as her words started to make her feel better. "Everyone has those thoughts, but we must learn from those experiences to not repeat our mistakes again." The mare held her hand out to the filly who took it hesitantly. The mare held Fluttershy's hand gently. Fluttershy wondered how this mare could weld such a weapon with such small hands. "My name is Kocho Shinobu, what's your name?"
"My name is Fluttershy, nice to meet you." Fluttershy removed her hand from Shinobu's. She was still frustrated, but knowing that what she could've done was out of her hands made things a little better.
Shinobu did have to ask her to know when was still thinking about what happened, but she had an idea. The Hashira was a little hesitant to ask her because of what happened to the others. All her other successors all died by the hands of Demons; however, if her friend survived an attack from a demon, then she would have a better chance of living.
"Would you like to gain the strength to protect him?" Shinobu asked. Fluttershy's head turned to the Hashira quickly, a shocked look adorning her features, but she thought about it. Shinobu could read her like an open book, but was a little shocked about what she said as well.
She knew that it would mean hurting others, but does abstaining from violence really justify not acting. Sure she was meek and scared of almost everything, but what if her friend got into another fight? What if he couldn't run fast enough or fight them off?
"Y-yes, I'll do it!" The filly declared much to the joy and fear of the Hashira. Shinobu placed her hand on the kashira.
"I promise that I won't let you die... Not again. You don't deserve that fate young Fluttershy." Shinobu thought after hearing Fluttershy's response. She couldn't help but be excited to teach her Breathing Technique and this time, she will make sure she is trained to perfection before going to Final Selection.
"Ms.Shy, they're awake," The nurse said before Fluttershy tried to run in. She was stopped by the nurse. "Be careful, we underestimated how badly the sun would harm him and he's still a little sore. Be gentle." That caught Shinobu's attention as it was an odd thing to say about someone except for one creature. Shinobu instinctively pushed her katana out of her saya.
Fluttershy immediately disregarded it, knowing that her friend could take it, and pretty much tackled him back on his bed. He was fine, but his arms were regenerating, but a majority of his wounds were completely healed. Fluttershy hugged him with a bone crushing hug which he tried to reciprocate. Not having hands made it quite difficult to do so.
"I'm so glad you're okay," Fluttershy said as she pulled away from the young demon. He couldn't blame her, they had gotten really close before moving to the school.
"I told her to take it easy," The nurse said while grumbling to herself about the students not listening. Fluttershy looked away bashfully after realizing what she did.
"Anyways, everything will be fine. I'll heal like I always do and be back on my feet in no time." The demon said while giving her a reassuring smile.
"You never told me, Fluttershy..." Shinobu walked in, her face devoid of emotion, but holding back a vicious fury, "that you're friend was a demon... And Lower Moon 1 at that." Much to the demon's credit... He didn't know who she was talking about.
"What?" He asked in confusion before Shinobu began to pullout her katana. "Wait, you got the wrong demon! I don't know anything about this Moon 1 or whatever you call it business!" He paused after that. He hated using the excuse over and over again, but he had to swallow his pride. "I can't remember anything before I woke up a few weeks ago. All I know is what Kanae-Chan told me."
"DON'T YOU DARE SAY HER NAME, DEMON!!!" Shinobu shouted, no longer holding back her hatred for the demon's. "IT'S BECAUSE OF YOUR KIND THAT SHE'S DEAD!!!" She had completely taken her sword out of its sheath and prepared for attack.
"THAT'S ENOUGH, SHINOBU!!!" Another voice yelled from behind a curtain. It was obviously female from the sound of it and there was a faint silhouette of a mare on the other side.
"K... Kanae-Chan..." Shinobu said before throwing open the curtain... Finding her sister still alive, but mostly injured. "You're alive..." The Hashira hugged the ex-Hashira before backing away. "Why are you defending this... Demon after how you were left?"
"Easy, he has no memories before a few weeks ago. Who he was is gone... Or at least for now. I was thinking about teaching him as my new Tsuguko." Silence filled the room after it was explained why she had him around. Two were confused about what she was talking about while the adult was just plain clueless as to why.
"EEEEH!!!" The three yelled after everything processed in their minds.
"You want him to be your successor?!" Shinobu asked in a very loud tone.
"That's not important! What is that you know who I am?!" The demon yelled in shock before Fluttershy covered his mouth. She wanted to know what they were talking about. So far, both her and the demon were clueless about what happened despite getting front row seats.
"Yes... But I'm afraid to tell you." Kanae said while looking away. She wanted to get off the topic of wanting her successor to be a demon boy.
"Why?" Fluttershy asked, her tone was a little shaky. "What was he like to have Ms.Kocho be scared to tell him?" It didn't make sense to Fluttershy how someone who's normally kind and gentle to be afraid.
"You were... One of the most sadistic and confusing demon. Not only in battle, but also just interactions." It was so odd hearing that the demon who couldn't bring himself to hurt someone willingly, was so evil. "One interaction we had, you nearly killed twenty Slayers before randomly retreating. In another, you used pressure points to paralyze a Hashira before having a friendly conversation. Not to mention how often your Blood Demon Art changed. Your last one allowed you to create clones." It was odd for the demon to hear this, but he couldn't exactly remember it. He didn't know if he should or shouldn't be punished for something he had no memory of.
"Oddly enough... I've been thinking if my past was really that awful, but I never expected it to be that bad; however, why is my Blood Demon Art fire and not clones?" He began to rack his brain trying to find any clues to what his Blood Demon Art actually was. He tried to create I've instead of fire, if Blood Demon Arts were as flexible as a demon's body, the it should be easy to make a new one, or at least have the basics of one. However, all that came out is fire. Something came to his mind and he smiled. "I know what my Blood Demon Art is." He then looked at Kanae. "Did I ever use the same power once?"
"Well, yes, but after we killed a demon with a similar Blood Demon Art, you wouldn't use it again. We assumed that you believed that we adapted to it and stopped. Why do you ask?" The demon smiled, showing off his fangs.
"Because I never created a new Blood Demon Art, I copied them. Hearing about myself a bit and how I always had different Arts allowed my brain to make a connection from gut feelings and fractured memories. I copy Blood Demon Arts and used them to fight. It allowed me to be unpredictable and keep the upper hand. The only problem is that I could only copy a set few, and flames was the only one I kept. If my vague memory is anything to go by, then I can keep at most three more Blood Demon Arts."
"Did you gain anything else or did you only get the explanation of your Blood Demon Art?" Fluttershy asked, she was wanting to know what he's capable of before anything happens.
"Only my Blood Demon Art, anything related to those memories were vague and hard to remember clearly, but if you wanted a name, I have to apologize about that. Besides, I'd rather you give me a name Fluttershy, a new name for a new life given by my first friend." Fluttershy blushed not expecting such high praise from him. Despite her meekness, she was just as curious about him as anyone, and having a pony that helped her earlier, a well trusted teacher, and a friend she spent a lot of time with helped her come out of her shell a bit.
"Well, how about Nova? It means 'new' in old Equish and I think it's quite fitting for you; a demon starting a new." The demon chuckled a bit before giving a hearty laugh.
"It's perfect, now I don't have to keep being called 'you'." He said while the two sister look at the two with soft smiles. Shinobu accepted that he is completely different than he was before and should give him a chance.
"In any case, we still have demons to stop. Would you help us, Nova?" Shinobu asked before the demon healed his hands completely before getting out the bed. He was happy that his kimono didn't burn with him.
"I will, they're after me so I should at least help protect people. Not to mention that I'm a demon cannibal, so my claws should be able to cancel a demon's regeneration." Shinobu smiled hearing that he was a Cannibal type demon. It was all the more reason to keep him around since he was infinitely valuable.
"It'll have to be just you two, I can't do anything with how I am." Kanae said as she smiled a bit. "Fluttershy is out too, she doesn't have the necessary knowledge to kill demons, so it'll just be you two."
"Hai!" The two said before looking outside the window to check the time.
"It'll be overcast at noon, take advantage of the weather and train. You're going to need it." Kanae said before the two left only get a kind smile from both Nova and Shinobu. Soon, the former Lower Moon 1 will know how a Demon Slayer fights. They had to beat the demons that remained. "Good luck." The infirmary door closed leaving the filly and ex-Hashira alone.
"... Wanna play Uno?" Fluttershy asked, not knowing what to say.
Kanae sighed not really wanting company at this moment. "... Yes that'd be nice."
Kimetsu No Yaiba: Cannibal Corps
The two were now outside. One wielding a safer weapon than her toxic nichirin sword; a simple kendo katana. She would still use the same techniques, but it wouldn't kill the newly named demon. Nova on the other hand was trying to figure out exactly what power he had. It felt more than fire, but that's all he could actually do without much thought. He'd have to experiment with it in his own time.
Nova didn't have the luxury of doing that now, but that wouldn't stop him from attempting to try his own things during combat. In the time he had while waiting for the overcast clouds to be placed over the school, a system he still found a little weird, he thought of a few ideas that used the demon's natural malleability to his advantage. It was a long shot, but he was going up against one of the strongest Demon Slayers at the moment. He believed that a small advantage would allow him to at least get a hit in.
In the past, all attempts to make something new have failed. Although he's making a great time with his creation training, he still hasn't made a single fan that can block a nichirin sword. He's been so close before, but the pieces ended up breaking after a period of time if they were small.
He was about to do something way more simplistic than that since it'll be connected to him the entire time. Still, he was going against a Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, one of the strongest warriors in the world; only surpassed by Celestia herself and the ferocious dragons. Nova would be Lying if he said he wasn't scared, but he was scared that she'd rip him to pieces to get her anger under control. Sure he can regenerate, but that doesn't mean it isn't painful.
Nova couldn't hesitant or he'd lose, but he knew he was going to. This was less of a training duel and more of cathartic relief for Shinobu, but he was at least going to put up a fight. He took a deep breath in, which Shinobu took notice of, before leaning forwards. Nova's back began to move and contort in ways it wasn't supposed to before two spine-like tendrils that ended in sharpened tailbones.
Shinobu paused as she observed the new appendages coming from his body. She placed a hand on her chin as the thought, a habit she had since she was a kid. "He makes up for his lack of control of his Blood Demon Art by making a biological weapon he has total control of. He could even coat those tendrils in a fire for added effect. Smart." Shinobu thought before she saw Nova lying face-first on the ground.
Nova was out of energy. He used a lot to heal earlier that day after getting a dose of vitamin D. He wasn't going anywhere any time soon if she doesn't replenish that energy. Normally, it's easier said than done, but he could just sleep and everything would be fine. That didn't stop Shinobu from chuckling under her breath about it. She couldn't explain why it was so funny to her. She did see it as a little unfair to fight him if he couldn't even show her him at his best.
Shinobu walked over to Nova's unconscious body to take him somewhere safe to sleep. Just as she was about to pick him up, one of his tendrils grabbed her by the leg and threw her into a wall. She was unprepared for the assault. She shakily got to her feet before seeing Nova standing in a fighting position.
"The Art of War, page 1... "All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when we can attack, we must appear unable; when using our forces, we must appear inactive"." Nova said as he attacked again with a tendril and slicing through several objects. That's when Shinobu noticed something about the tendrils that most would have missed.
"Is it made of the same materials of fingernails?" She asked herself aloud before hearing the demon talk.
"Yup, apparently, my claws can negate a demon's abilities to regenerate. I want to see if it's the nails that stop regeneration or if it's some kind of toxin my body produces." Shinobu smiled after hearing that, knowing that the demon was observant enough to try something new while using something old. It was working well.
"Alright..." Shinobu began to speak to herself, this time Nova couldn't hear her over his tendrils hitting the ground. "His tendrils have about a 50-meter range. They're fast and versatile... But I'm faster." In an instant, Shinobu sped through his defenses and delivered a powerful stab on his heart. Had it been her nichirin sword, he would have been killed from the poison.
He was sent flying through the air before running at Shinobu at full speed. His tendrils clashed against the bamboo sword multiple times at blinding speeds. At that moment, Shinobu took a deep breath in and jumped high into the sky.
"Insect Breathing: First form - Butterfly Dance Caprice." Nova's vision was flooded with the visual of a thousand butterflies passing by him. One fell behind, he lifted a finger for the insect to perch on. Without warning, he was sent flying once more in the direction of the other butterflies. "You're good and your tactical thinking is rather exquisite, but you simply lack the experience to match with those tactics. As of right now, you will learn to maximize your speed through breathing."
That last part confused Nova. He didn't know how the breathing would help, he was already doing it all the time. Although, he wasn't sure if he needed to.
"It's fundamental to all Demon Slayers. A basic, yet powerful technique. It is used in all breathing techniques and their variants. You will be learning Total Concentration Breathing." Nova was confused but wasn't going to question it. If there's magic then it would stand to reason that breathing could cause such a thing. He was resigned to his fate, but he would be lying if he said he wasn't a little excited. He'll be getting stronger... strong enough to kill a demon.
Author's Note
It's short, but I wanted to get to the point.
Kimetsu No Yaiba: Cannibal Corps
Nova was anxious about the next twelve hours. He had begun his breathing training as Shinobu said and could barely maintain a few attacks before he began coughing up blood. He was admittedly a bit scared using it, but he at least had to use it during a few attacks before his limit took affect. He looked at his hands for a second, they were shaking. Apparently, unlike most demons, his regeneration had a limit. It wasn't found, but he knows it's closer than he realizes.
"Excuse me, Nova?" A soft voice said from behind him. Nova didn't need to turn around to know it was Fluttershy. "I wanted to tell you that Kanae is beginning my basic training. I'm learning something called Total Concentration Breathing, but I don't see what the point is." Nova glanced at her with a small smile; Fluttershy's presence put him at ease. He won't deny that he felt the same as her until he actually used it.
"It works, Fluttershy. I promise. I can only use it for a few seconds, but I can tell I get significantly faster and stronger." Nova said as he faced forwards, looking into the mountains adjacent to the sunset. He could tell by the shadows that the sun was getting closer and closer to being enveloped by the horizon. "Keep going... You'll get the hang of it. You might actually be better at it than me. Apparently, my first try was pathetic, but a decent start." Shinobu had been training him for hours on the breathing technique alone and it saw minimal improvements.
"But why is all that important? I'm not Strong enough to even... decapitate a demon... No offense." Nova smiled as he looked at her.
"None taken, but you're going to be trained by Shinobu-Sensei, right?" Fluttershy nodded, confirming what he just said. "I've seen her fighting style and she even told me she can't decapitate a demon, she she created a technique that would allow her to fight. It's perfect for you." He said as he sat down at his tablet where the pieces of his flesh made fan lied. "You just have to trust them like I have. They wouldn't lie to you, trust me."
Fluttershy thought about it for a moment. Nova has proven that he could be trusted in the month she had known him. Yes, he had a secret life, but not even he knew what he did, yet he's trying to atone for the apparent awful thinks he did. She could tell that Nova had no interest in joining them, only defeating a common enemy to protect her and Rainbow Dash, who was still oblivious to what has happened.
She thought back to the body found on campus. No one but her, Nova, Shinobu, the school staff, and Kanae knew about it. The only reason Fluttershy knew about it was because she stumbled across it by accident. Now she was inadvertent pushed into a war that has been raging on for millennia. She was scared, but she knew what she wanted to do. The death was kept under wraps to prevent a panic while the Demon Slayer works.
Fluttershy looked up to see Nova putting together the pieces of his newly made fan. He had been making more pieces while in the infirmary. He took the chance to ask one of the nurses to run a scanning spell on the pieces that passed Kanae's test. While a majority was made out of bone, it was infused with a rare type of metal only found near the Tartarus Gates.
He memorized the molecular make up of the pieces and followed it to a 'T'. Kanae was surprised that he had managed to make such improvement after hearing what it was made of. Kanae deduced that he must've not been able to make it easily because he couldn't imagine such an abstract concept, but, with facts and a base, he passed her test.
Fluttershy smiled as she watched him diligently make another without much effort before his head shot up. She looked at him in confusion before he stood up and began to smell the air as if he was a dog picking up a sent. He lowered his head before grabbing the clothes Fluttershy made him for walking during the day. Fluttershy looked at his body, his haori was bland and boring yet he still wore it without complaints.
She then got an idea, she began to walk out the room while Nova struggled to pull the cloak over his kimono."I'll see you later, Nova. Don't die please." Fluttershy pleated just as Nova pulled his arms through the sleeve of the cloak. He looked at her with a surprised expression before smiling cockily.
"You don't have to worry, Fluttershy; we'll win and make sure they never come back... Probably." He responded, sounding both realistic and optimistic at the same time. She didn't understand how he did it, but he did. "How the hell did this ever get on my body to begin with?" Nova didn't realize that Cloudsdale was already covered in a shadow, making it incredibly easy for him to walk around.
Fluttershy could only guess that he might have been self conscious about his extremely different appearance. She would be lying if she said that there weren't bullies that did that often; however, she knew that Nova was strong enough to bare their insults and shoot back if necessary. She liked that about him, but then a though crossed her mind:
What if he died tonight?
It felt wrong to think about it. How could she not believe if one of her friends, but considering what the night before held, she wasn't sure he can take them on. Fluttershy glanced back it him, his body was shaking uncontrollably for what's to come. She could tell that he was doubting he could win against them, yet he was willing to try. She knew he had grown in the few hours, even if it was miniscule.
Without hesitation, Fluttershy hugged him with a few years in his eyes. "Stay alive until I start training with a sword, okay... Brother?" Fluttershy said, finally acknowledging him as a part of her family other than just a friend who is taken care of by her family.
Nova was taken aback. He smiled though despite his hesitation and self doubt. "I promise, just let me go okay. I'd like to go somewhere before anything happens." Fluttershy let go of him before he prepared to jump out the window. He paused for a second before looking at Fluttershy, her eyes threatening to drop tears from the fear of loosing him. "I promise... sister." Fluttershy looked up at him in shock, not expecting him to call her sister, but when she did look where he was, he was already outside; however, Fluttershy felt a little better knowing that he promised to come back... Alive.
Nova hopped from building to building as he followed a sent he caught during Fluttershy's visit. The sent was familiar, but he couldn't place his finger on it without it sounds dumb. The sent was enticing to say the least, so it had to be a demon.
Nova wasn't one for doing things out of the blue, or at least not recently, but the sudden smell caught his attention. The blood of a demon could make him stop everything if it was potent enough. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't at least a little tempted to sink his teeth into the flesh of a demon.
Nova's inner thoughts were stopped when something grabbed him by the arm. In an instant, he was on the ground... Clouds... Same thing. His hearing caught the sound of a particular breathing pattern; Total Concentration Breathing. It wasn't a Demon Slayer to his knowledge, but he saw a bit of royal purple on the arm that held him. He instinctively struggled since he knew demons were trying to capture him for some unknown reason.
"We meet again, Young Demon." Nova paused before looking up. He wasn't expecting to see the six eyed demon from all that time ago. He stopped struggling knowing that he could feel somewhat safe. "Have you been practicing?" He asked, a soft smile adorning the demon's features.
"Unfortunately, not as of late." Nova responded as he created a flame in his hand. It only grew a bit without much changing.
"I see... You're running out of energy. The more energy a demon has, the easier they're able to manipulate their Blood Demon Art." Nova noted that it did make sense because it would give him some more wiggle room.
"Well... I recently found out that my ability essentially allows me to take demon's Blood Demon Art." The six eyed demon nodded.
"I was aware, but I was hesitant to tell you. I feared that you'd think yourself as a meer parasite if I said anything." No a nodded before he watched the sun set just a little more over the horizon.
"You were using Total Concentration Breathing... Right?" Nova wanted to know more about his demon Sensei and how he knew about that technique.
"... Are you going to become a Demon Slayer?" The demon was a little hesitant to say anything now that Nova blatantly admitted to starting Demon Slayer training.
"No, I was attacked by a few demons a couple days ago. I want to learn so I can protect my friends." Nova looked at the six eyed demon for a second. "I forgot to mention, I have a name now..." Nova held out his hand to his demon Sensei. "My new name is Nova." The six eyed demon smiled a bit.
"Kokushibo... And if you wish to learn a powerful breathing technique, deal with those demons before approaching me. I will slay you if you attempt to come learn before you defeat them." Nova huffed at another goal that Kokushibo set for him, even if it was much easier than the last one he made. "None will have to die, just get them to retreat and I'll begin to teach you my breathing style; Moon Breathing. Until then, I will teach you other, non combative techniques that will greatly aid you in the years to come."
Nova was eager to learn, after all, Kokushibo did say that he would only kill him if he approached him with the intention of learning. The key word was approach, he can't do anything if Nova's already there. Kokushibo glared at the young demon.
"I can hear your thoughts. No lessons until you get them to retreat." Nova sighed before slowly walking away, then he stopped. "What is it, Young Demon?"
"Why are you so... Nice to me?" Nova said, the question made Kokushibo recoil a bit, but it wasn't noticable to the young demon.
"... It is a cruel world out there, and I'd appreciate it if an old friend survived." Kokushibo then disappeared much to the shock of Nova. It didn't take him long to figure out that Kokushibo's speed was due to his demon biology and Total Concentration.
Nova looked at his hands and clinched them knowing he could someday said beside the demon with an equal amount of power. He needed to know who he once was before he decided what he was going to do.
Nova ran back to the school as fast as he could. Once again, he chose not to tell his teachers about Kokushibo. Nova knew that they had a ton on their plants and didn't want to over complicate it.
Kimetsu No Yaiba: Cannibal Corps
"Do you truly believe they will attack, Sister?" Shinobu asked as she watched the sun slowly dip over the horizon. The sky was a beautiful color of yellow and redish orange accented by the shadows of mountains casting long shadows over barely noticeable towns.
"Unfortunately, demons have eyes and ears everywhere, so I wouldn't doubt that they heard of your... Physical issues." Kanae began while trying to avoid hurting her sister. She knew that she wasn't strong enough to cut off a demon's head, but that didn't stop Shinobu from developing her own way of fighting. "We're using that to our advantage. Even out of practice, I managed to hold off a Lower Moon before the sun came up."
Shinobu smiled at that. She liked that they were going to trick the demons into an up hill battle. "Using correct information for a trap; not bad." Kanae chuckled a bit, but didn't say much. "But why add that demon- I mean, Nova? He seems far to inexperienced for something like this. Despite how far he came in his training, it wasn't even a minimal amount of time to teach him the basics."
"He knows two of the demons' blood demon arts used by our enemy, but he has an inability to describe things correctly. Having him fight may be one of the only options we have unless the Demon Slayer Corps are willing to send backup." As much as Shinobu hated to admit it, she wasn't a good match for a mission like this. Sure she had the speed, but her breathing technique was mostly meant for one on one combat... Not for a lack of trying.
"I will admit that having a demon with a malleable body would make things much easier. Not to mention that he's a Cannibal Type too." Shinobu looked down at the floor for a second before taking a breath in. "Do you truly intend on him becoming your successor?"
"Yes, he shows promise and seems to have a good heart. I believe he could become a fine Demon Slayer or, at the very least, a great ally." Kanae stopped for a second before looking at her sister, a kind smile on her face. "I believe you found your success too. All of us brought together in one place and with a common enemy, I'd say fate has been good to us."
"Someone's dead, how is that a good fate." Shinobu deadpanned at her sister who began to sweat.
"I said it was good, not perfect."
(First Person — Nova)
"Just an hour or so until night and we'll be in the fight of our lives." I said before absorbing my fans.
"I'm sorry, but I think you mean the fight of your life." I deadpanned at Fluttershy's comment. Sometimes, I forgot that she can get snarky.
"Just stay safe please." I created two new fans and hid them under my sleeves. It's surprisingly easy when you have a body like this. "Hopefully, it'll be done by tonight and then we can begin our real training, sis."
"Please stop, it was weird the first time. You may be adopted, but I'd rather you treat me like a friend." Thank God she said it, I cringed so hard after reminding myself about that.
"Thank God, I don't want to have to do that again... At least we can say we tried." Fluttershy chucked a bit, a slight ray of humor finally cast over this serious situation.
All that ended when the door swung open with a loud bang. Behind it was a certain rainbow maned mare who didn't look particularly thrilled. Her confident expression was replaced by a neutral one with her hair covering her face.
"You..." She said before looking at us. It was clear that she was talking to me with the tone she was taking. If it wasn't clear enough, she walked right up to me and glared at me with anger. "Why didn't you say anything?"
"Say anything about what? I need context." Would you be surprised that I genuinely did know what she was talking.
"About what's happening you jerk!" She yelled, ferocity in her voice genuinely making me jump. I haven't heard her do sound like this ever, but I could tell she was worried and scared. Her eyes were filled with tears as she finally looked at me with such a terrified expression. "I h-heard you were in the nurse's office and that y-you-you were hurt badly. Then I hear that you're going to fight against something that'll kill you." Her voice was breaking and about to collapse as tears crept down her face.
I caught her before she could fall. She looked at me after I wrapped my arms around her. "I know I should have told you, but I didn't want you to be afraid." She didn't respond as more tears crept down her cheeks. This is no doubt a terrifying situation for a kid. "I'll make sure we win Rainbow Dash. You have my word."
She didn't say anything for a while before I felt her hand grip my haori and the kimono underneath. "Please don't go... I don't want to loose my friend..." Her voice was horse from choking back her sobs. All I could offer was an understanding smile, one of reassurance, and a silent promise.
Fluttershy grabbed RD gently and pulled her close. Neither of us wanted to say that there wasn't a choice. There were only two demon slayer capable of combat so having someone like me would be beneficial for the fight. I still have little control over my blood demon art, limiting it to coating body parts, but it was better than nothing. Having to say that would only make her feel guilty for trying to stop me.
"I guess even the coolest pony can feel fear." I silently said to myself. It's slowly becoming a habit, albeit a useful one.
I opened the door and got to my position, out in front of the school, in the courtyard. I felt anxious about this plan, mostly because I was the bait, but there's no turning back. I looked at the horizon for the final peaceful moments before the moon rose. The sun was already behind the mountains and it was the perfect time for demons to begin their hunt. From 9pm to 7am, the school will become a battle ground.
There were five demons and three of us. It would be brutal, but I believe we can win... It's a small belief, but still a belief.