Fandom Demon Slayer (1x1 Nessakins/PerilousAbyss)

[Nessakins]

"You're awake finally," the statement was blunt and left little kindness. One dead-eyed traveled from her lap towards the figure entering the room. Standing tall in his uniform, Shinpachi stared across at the wrapped-up child. Half her face covered in thick white gauze making her look even more pitiful and small in the oversized bed.

Crossing the threshold, the iridescent green in his haori shifting in the light like the scales of some exotic fish. Towering over the small child, his eyes hardened looking at the damage done. It was a miracle she made it out alive, though the attack itself was a surprise in the first place. Most foreigners rarely are targeted by demons, possibly Muzan's way of avoiding notice by those outside the country. To have two so brutalized leaving behind a small child in their wake is absolutely reprehensible.

"What's your name girl?"

The girl blinked once, twice, thrice before tilting her head to the side. Not a sound left her lips as she stared up at Shinpachi. 'Shit,' he thought, realization slowly dawning on him. Truly a foreigner with not a lick of knowledge when it comes to Japanese.

Kneeling down to be at eye level with the girl, he pointed to himself. "Ha-ji-me Sh-in-pa-chi," he enunciated each word watching as the child's eye slowly lit up before pointing to herself. "Lotte Teagarden" her voice was soft, accent thick on her tongue.

'Still some life in her,' he smirked to himself. 'The language barrier is going to be a bit of a hassle but the fact she survived meant something. She's stronger than she looks.'

Placing a hand on her head, he rustled her wild blonde hair.

"You have no one left and nowhere left to go. I'm in need of an apprentice. Hopefully that fact that you witnessed your parents passing will light a fire in you to fight for our cause. I see great potential in you, Lot-te."

As if understanding his speech, Lotte stared back at Shinpachi. A look of determination crossed her gaze.

Standing up, Shinpachi began to leave the room. With one last glance back, he watched as Lotte went back to staring at her hand, the dead look in her eye faded just a bit.

The next few years are going to be interesting ones.

 

[PerilousAbyss]

Akifumi currently found himself crouched down and clutching his forehead, the sharp, stinging sensation having been delivered by a vertical pole-strike he had failed to block in time. "Why do you keep cracking me like that, Yukiko-obasan!?" He asked as he managed to stand back up, picking up his own spear-length pole from where he had dropped it.

"You need to be able to keep standing, whether or not you get hit. You can't protect anyone if you get knocked down yourself, after all." The older woman said with a soft grin, her shot-silk kimono shifting between dark green and teal depending on how its fabric caught the light. Each step she took resembled an aurora flickering across the evening sky. "It's all part of being a Blizzard Breather, kid. Just have to toughen you up is all."

The young man was clearly emboldened by his aunt's taunting, assuming a Long-Handle stance with his pole as he looked at his teacher. "I'll block you for sure this time... I know what your tells are now!" He said with a confident smile, barely able to react to Yukiko's footwork before he felt a sharp pain in his side from a horizontal strike and found himself crumpled on the ground again.

Yukiko clicked her tongue and shook her head, waiting for Akifumi to pick himself back up again. Even if his skills and battle knowledge were lacking, he seemed to have the guts that a good Slayer needed at least. "Well, you're confident at least. At least you're not running away from me." She said with a hearty laugh, leaning against her pole as she watched Akifumi stand up again and assume the Long-Handle stance once again. "One more before dinner?"

Akifumi nodded, determination gleaming in his eyes as he braced himself for another vicious strike somewhere on his body. "One more before dinner." He said, trying not to think of the inevitable bruises and muscle soreness he'd be feeling almost every single day for the next few years. His entire body was full of a dull, deep pain only barely suppressed by training adrenaline, but as Yukiko had told him, 'nothing hurts worse than a cold demon's claw.' He could tough it out. He had to, really.

After gettting inevitably humbled another few times (just one more was never literal for Yukiko, after all), Yukiko helped her nephew walk back upstairs to their second-story home and told him to take it easy while she prepared their meal for the night.

"Pretty good for a first day, Akifumi. You're a tough kid, just like your mom was." She said with a soft laugh, glancing at the young boy who had passed out on the cushions mere seconds upon lying down. He'd worked himself to absolute exhaustion sparring with his aunt, and now he was enjoying some well-earned sleep as he rested off the pain.

"Let's hope you're ready for more tomorrow."

 

[Nessakins]

"Rotte-San, Shinpachi-sama requests your presence," Rika, one of the maids residing in the Hajime Estate, stood on the veranda watching the blonde practice her kata's on autopilot. Beads of sweat gathering on her temple from the repetition exertion. Pausing, Lotte took a moment to translate the sentence in her head before she nodded quietly.

"It is Lot-te, Ms.Rika" she spoke quietly, enunciating each word as best as she can. "Ah, sorry Ro-Lotte-san," Rika apologized bowing her head slightly. Walking over to the veranda, she handed her shinai to the older girl who in turn handed her a cloth. Wiping the sweat off her forehead, she followed Rika towards Shinpachi's room.

Sitting as still as a statue in the center of the room sat her Master, in front of him laid a long black cloth wrapping the unmistakable shape of a sword. Beneath it, a splash of color caught her eyes. Shades of blue-green mirror the color in her masters favored Haori. A light pattern of scales and stripes peek out of the edges bringing out strong bold lines of white to cut through the color.

Taking her place across from her master, her eyes traveled towards the strands of grey beginning to pepper his tawny hair. To the crow's feet pulling from molten gold eyes. Even with age, her Master's presence still demanded respect. As the Ocean Hashira, Shinpachi instilled the importance of respect into her. Respect for your comrades, respect for your people, and respect for the demon slayers cause. No different than the respect the turbulent ocean deserves.

"I expect you understand what I called you in here for," he spoke, each word stated carefully giving Lotte enough time to translate each word. "Tonight is the Final Selections, I predict you will make us proud Lotte," Shinpachi smirked down at the younger girl.

The jitters almost immediately began causing her to start drumming her fingers across her thighs restlessly. She had been training the last seven years for this day, more than ready to join the Demon Slayer Corp but the doubt of actually facing a real demon and failing was still there.

"Lotte!"

Her Master's voice brought her out of her thoughts. "Stop that incessant movement."

Instinctually, she sat a little straighter and crossed her hands over her lap to stop the drumming.

Watching his stern gaze settle over her form, Shinpachi gestured to the items in front of him. "These are my late daughter's Haori and Nichirin. As you are my protege, I expect you to bring honor to the Ocean Breath and to my late daughter."

Wide eyes stared at the items before her. Timidly reaching for the blade, Lotte began to unwrap the sword watching the cloth fall revealing a beautifully crafted katana. The steel shining beautifully in the light causing her to hold her breath. Almost immediately the color shifted and morphed the steel into a vibrant shade of blue-green.

"Master," she breathed her accent showing up stronger due to the intense emotion. "Himino would be proud to watch her little sister now," Shinpachi spoke kindly, for once showing a shred of emotion as he too gazed at the blade.

Tears began to gather as she thought of the late Hajime Himino before quickly steeling herself.

"I'll make you and Lady Himino proud," she stated, placing the sword down and bowing as low as possible.

"As you will," Shinpachi spoke, watching his protege, no, daughter bow.

 

[PerilousAbyss]

"Oi! Akifumi!" A shout rang out from the second-story window of the Blizzard Hashira's home, accompanied by a wave from Yukiko as she saw her nephew walking up the hill with big bags of groceries hanging on each of his shoulders. He'd certainly gotten a great deal stronger from his training with his aunt, now almost unrecognizable from his skinny, scraggly past self.

"Sorry I'm late, Yukiko-obasan! Got held up on the way back from the market." He said with a bright grin, deliberately leaving out the details of him playing temari with some of the neighborhood and flirting with a couple of women his age who were watching from afar. He never felt any shame in just relaxing and enjoying himself, even when he had things to do (outside of his aunt's line of sight, anyway)

"Well, get up here! I've got some things for you!" Yukiko said with an eagerness of her own, moving to hold the door open for Akifumi as he quickly scrambled upstairs and stepped inside. Needless to say, she was proud of how far her nephew had come as the next wielder of the Blizzard Breathing style. She wasn't worries at all about him making it through the night's Final Selection. "Are you nervous?" She asked with a much more serious tone than normal, taking a seat in the living room before pouring some tea for each of them. Her dark emerald hair was pinned up somewhat messily, each of the numerous pins adorned with a glittering, bright teal snowflake.

"I mean, yeah, a little... Won't it be really hard for me to keep everyone safe?" Akifumi asked, referring to Blizzard Breathing's founding principles. Having originated in response to the increasing scale of urban spaces and their populations, the priority of the style was defense and protection. A snowstorm blankets all without end, and each drifting snowflake is within one's range.

Yukiko shook her head before going to fetch the items in question from a closet in the other room. "You only have to step in if they're in mortal danger. I like where your heart's at though, kid. You at least think like a Blizzard Breather!" She said with a bright grin, now carrying with her a pair of wrapped bundles, one small and compact, the other incredibly long and narrow. "Anyway, these are for you. You'll do great, Akifumi." She said with a proud expression as she handed her nephew his gifts.

Wrapped in the small bundle was a pale, pastel green haori, with fluffy white trimmings and a dark teal asterisk pattern. The other was a deep brown spear handle, with a still-sheathed Nichrin blade mounted to the shaft like a naginata. Once the blade was exposed, the color shifted, the curved edge now a pale blue color like a fresh snowbank.

"Thank you so much, Yukiko-obasan... For this and just for everything. I don't even know how I could repay you." Akifumi said with a warm expression as he looked up at his aunt. He always appreciated how warm and kind of a person she was, even through the incredibly grueling, agony inducing training days she put him through. She'd given him a home and a family again after he'd lost his, and that was a debt that could never be repaid. At the very least, he'd be sure to make her proud.

"You can repay me by not getting yourself killed. Just seeing you in a Slayer Corps uniform this weekend is all I need." Yukiko said with a hearty laugh, ruffling Akifumi's pale green hair before helping him up onto his feet. "Now come help me with dinner before you head out." She said as casually as ever, having absolute confidence in her late sister's son.

 

[Nessakins]

"Do you think you're ready for this?"

Cupping a fresh cup of tea, Lotte quietly watched her caretaker mumble to herself in Dutch while pacing the room. Merel Smit, born and raised in Rotterdam, Netherlands is a language teacher who while studying in Japan was hired by Shinpachi to act as a sort of interpreter for his ward. For the last several years, she worked as Lotte's interpreter and language teacher till her understanding of Japanese widened.

"I swear that man is mental. I understand his reasonings but you're only a child," she continued on, arms flailing as she spoke. "I should have fought harder when he mentioned training you."

"Please don't stress yourself Miss Merel, Master has faith in me," Lotte attempted to calm her caretaker. "I'm proud to represent Ocean Breathing in the Final Selection and finally join the Demon Slayers." Sagging her shoulder, Merel stared down the younger girl. The same young girl she watched grow and prosper in the past nine years under Shinpachi and her watch.

Taking a seat next to Lotte, Merel reached over moving the cup aside and grabbing the girl's hands.

"I know you're proud and probably excited to finally stand next to Mr. Hajime as a comrade instead of an apprentice but the Selection is dangerous. People die," Merel stressed, attempting to bring Lotte to her senses. "Mr.Hajime explained to me how the Final Selection goes. You will be on that mountain for seven days fighting for your survival. You'll be face to face with Demons of all kinds. You could possibly die Lotte."

The desperation began to bleed out the longer she spoke, the grip she held on the young girls hands began to tremble. Gently removing them from her caretaker's grip, Lotte reached over and began to pour the frazzled woman a cup of tea.

"It's a risk I'm willing to take," She spoke with confidence, the nervousness she initially had no longer held her down as she gently tugged at the sleeves of her new haori. Taking a sip of her tea, Merel quickly assessed the blonde as she attempted to calm her nerves.

"If that's how you feel," Merel sighed reluctantly. "Please be safe." She whispered under her breath.



The trek up towards Fujikasane Mountain was as quiet as it was uneventful. The blooming wisteria being her only companion casting a beautiful lilac sheen across the lit path. The anxiety she tried so hard to hide began to resurface as she reached the summit. Quickly scanning the area, she made the effort to neutralize her expression as she watched several groups congregate around two young girls with near-identical appearances. The only difference being the color of their hair; one black, the other grey.

In total it looked like fifteen, maybe twenty people were participating in the Final Selection that year. All of varying ages and backgrounds. Lotte situated herself towards the back of the crowd, easily tall enough to see and hear everything going on. She watched as a few of the participants mingled while waiting for the last few stragglers to arrive.

 

[PerilousAbyss]

One of said stragglers was a decently tall young man, armed with a naginata which he held over his shoulders with both arms. Akifumi had accepted the fact that he'd be late to the Final Selection already, since why would he expend his energy sprinting to the meeting place when he needed it to last him all week, and as such he didn't seem too bothered by the eyes of the other aspiring slayers staring at him.

Akifumi decided to keep to the back as well, ending up next to a blonde-haired girl who didn't look like anyone he had ever seen before. Her haori was also incredibly flashy compared to the more plain clothes of the other Selection participants as well, and she easily seemed like the strongest person among them too. "I think your haori looks great. The colors really complement your eyes." He said with a warm grin, his words seeming to be as much of a flirt as they were just a conversation starter as he started chatting with Lotte. He was leaning against the pole of his spear that he had planted in the dirt of the mountain like a battle standard.

 

[Nessakins]

Lotte paused staring at the newcomer curiously. It took her a moment to mentally translate his words before a light blush overtook her face. "Ah, thank you," she mumbled quietly, accidentally slipping into her native language. "Thank you," she corrected immediately just as the two twin-like girls called for everyone's attention.

"Thank you for gathering tonight for the Final Selection," the grey-haired girl spoke. "Mount Fujikasane holds demons that Demon Slayer swordsmen have taken alive and trapped here."

The other picked up where the previous left off. "Demons hate wisteria flowers, which bloom here even out of season. They cover the mountain from its foot halfway up the slope. " She lifted a paper lantern alongside the other girl as they situated themselves on both sides of a gate. "However, from this point on the wisteria does not bloom. So the demons held within roam free."

"You must survive there for seven days. If you do, then you will have passed the Final Selection. Now go." They both spoke in unison as several of the participants began to head towards the gate.

Turning towards the man beside her, she gave a brief but polite bow. "Good luck out there," she said awkwardly as she began heading towards the gate.

 

[PerilousAbyss]

Akifumi took in a deep breath and clenched his spear's handle tightly, flashing Lotte a confident grin as she walked way. "You too! I'll see you again at the end of the week!" He said with a wave, having no doubts whatsoever that the two of them would survive the Final Selection. It didn't take an expert at body language to realize that he and her were easily the most capable rookies on the mountain.

He made certain to keep at least a few people in his line of sight at a given moment as they entered the dark forest, his hand gripping the middle of his weapon for easier switching between his other two stance lengths. "Alright. So far, so quiet..." His ears were alert for any sounds of screams or demonic howls, more than prepared to rush in to help in an instant.

"Oh no!" Unfortunately, he didn't have to wait long, as he heard the hellish scream of one of the younger participants, who was currently fleeing from two pursuers who wanted to rip him apart.

'I can't do this! I'm gonna die! Somebody help me!" The boy shouted out, seemingly no longer having any will to fight back, even with his sword in hand.

Akifumi immediately dashed over and got between the demons and their prey, blocking both of their attacks with the handle of his spear to keep them at bay. "Then please, leave! I don't want you dying for no reason!" He pleaded, keeping his muscles tense and his feet firmly planted as to not move a single inch. One of the demons pulled away in an attempt to slice Akifumi up with its claw, but this gave Akifumi an opportunity for a counterattack.

Total Concentration Breathing... Blizzard Breathing... Middle Second Form... He used the back half of his spear pole to shove the demons back and slightly to the side. He then readjusted his grip with considerable speed, delivering a quick, wide slash which severed both demons in half beneath their arms before spinning a single time in front of him to return to his Middle Stance. Chilling Sleet!