11 Final selection (2)

The first night of the final selection, the footsteps of a tall but skinny demon sprinting through the dense forest, tearing through the trees. A few steps ahead of him, a boy with black hair and a middle-part haircut ran for his life, his terrified screams echoing through the forest. The screaming figure was Murata.

The demon relished every moment, savoring the fear coming from his pray. But just as he prepared to pounce, he caught sight of a figure from the corner of his eye.

"Total Concentration, Water Breathing x2!" Two voices rang out simultaneously from opposite directions, closing in on the demon from both sides.

"Second Form: Water Wheel!" A figure shot past the demon on his right, and in an instant, both of the demon's arms were severed at the elbows. The demon roared in pain, rendered defenseless, and spun around to see his attacker, a boy wearing a white, fox-like mask staring back at him.

"Fourth Form: Striking Tide!" Another voice rang in the demon's ears. He whipped his head to the left just in time to see a girl wearing a similar white fox mask, but with two delicate blue flowers painted on the left side.

Desperately, the demon tried to regenerate his arms and block the attack, but it was too late. Her blade sliced clean through his neck, severing his head from his body with a swift, precise strike. The demon's head hit the ground with a sickening thud as his body crumpled beside it.

(Author's Note: Just a quick reminder, this is an AU where Makomo exists during this time period.)

"We did it!" Makomo cheered, her voice filled with a mixture of relief as she turned to Sabito, who approached her with a proud smile under his mask.

"That was amazing, Makomo," Sabito said, congratulating his friend on her first successful demon slaying.

Standing nearby, Giyu watched the scene unfold with a sense of pride,

"They make a great team,' he thought, smileing under his own mask, they were warding masks, signatures to Sakonji's pupils and hand-carved by their master himself ,everyone learning under him received one.

Giyu then helped Murata to his feet. Murata was still catching his breath, his face pale from the close encounter and his throat dry from screaming.

"You did well," Giyu reassured Murata, who clenched his fists, feeling a small sense of accomplishment, happy to have contributed to slaying a demon, even if he didn't do it directly and only served as bait.

(Author's Note: Fun fact, if you think it's unrealistic for the kids to work together, Giyu was with Murata and another kid when he first encountered a demon, probably working as a team since they were weak.)

"I'm going to scout ahead," Sabito suddenly announced before as the others came out and congratulate Makomo, turning away form the group and intending to leave by himself he was stopped, Giyu instinctively grabbed his wrist as the slayer mark appeared on his cheek.

For a split second flash of memory from his past life surged through Giyu's mind: Sabito going off alone while a hurt Giyu reached out to him just before he fainted. When Giyu woke up, Sabito was gone, never to return.

"We agreed to stick together," Giyu declared, his voice firm and serious. Sabito was taken aback, he had never seen Giyu this intense, not even during their sparring sessions.

"I can save more people if I go alone," Sabito responded, trying to pull his hand free. But Giyu's grip tightened unconsciously, his expression unchanging as they locked eyes.

"Don't fight," Makomo intervened, sensing the rising tension. She gently placed her hand on Giyu's, prompting him to slowly release Sabito's wrist. Sabito rubbed his wrist where Giyu had held him, a slight look of pain on his face.

Feeling guilty, Giyu quickly apologized. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to.."

"It's okay," Sabito interrupted, brushing it off, he knew Giyu was just worried so he couldn't get angry at him.

Makomo spoke softly, "Giyu, I know you're worried about us, but if we stay together, we won't have the chance to grow stronger." Turning towards Sabito she continued "And Sabito's right, we can slay more demons and save more lives if we split up."

Giyu looked at his friends, his face filled with concern, but he knew he couldn't force them to stay. "Just don't go too far" he whispered, his voice barely audible, but both Sabito and Makomo heard it clearly as they left in different directions.

Giyu remained motionless for a few seconds, staring after them and after he calmed down, he turned back to Murata and the others and said aloud, "We should keep moving too." as the others quickly agreed, knowing they were weak compared to Sabito and Makomo so sticking with someone as strong as Giyu felt much safer rather than venturing off alone.