Deep inside Mount Fujikasane, the sound of battle rang through the forest.
The air was filled with the clash of steel against flesh.
Blood was the explosive. The sword was the trigger... And the scream was the explosion.
*Clang!*
Another blade tore through flesh, met bone, and drew another scream from the darkness.
Then another.
And another.
It continued for twenty minutes.
Until... Silence. Complete and utter silence.
And amidst that silence, three figures stood back-to-back, surrounded by the remains of the demons they had just slain.
One was a girl.
The other two were boys.
All three were far too young to be holding swords. Far too young to be spilling blood. Far too young to be standing on a battlefield. And yet, here they were. Against all reason... Against all norms.
Standing side by side in a world that had long since abandoned the said norms.
One of them wore a fearless grin.
One remained calm as stagnant water.
And the other wore an expression of pure annoyance.
"I know this is a trap!" the only girl snapped. "I'll make you responsible for this later, Rengoku!"
"Well~ We have to get out of here first before that happens, Shinobu-san," Obanai replied, remaining in his battle stance.
Kaburamaru coiled around his neck, its tongue flicking as its eyes searched the darkness.
"Hahaha! But isn't this fun, Obanai, Shinobu-chan?"
Kyojuro's grin never wavered.
"Don't call me that!" Shinobu snapped. "If it weren't for you, we wouldn't be in this situation!"
"Well, I heard someone calling for help, so I rushed toward it! How was I supposed to know it was a demon?" Kyojuro said it as though his explanation was completely reasonable.
Shinobu's eyebrow twitched.
"We're in the deepest part of Mount Fujikasane! How could you possibly-"
"That's enough, you two"
Obanai interrupted them.
His expression had suddenly become serious.
"The second wave." He slowly turned his head. "They're here"
The three of them immediately fell silent.
Their joking disappeared.
Their expressions hardened.
Their swords rose.
They examined the darkness surrounding them.
And then, they appeared.
One by one.
Figures emerged from between the trees.
Then another.
And another.
And another.
This time, there were far more than before.
Obanai slowly exhaled.
He tightened his grip around his sword.
"This is going to be a long fight." His eyes narrowed. "What a drag"
Shinobu gritted her teeth.
"If we survive this, I'll kill you, Rengoku!"
Kyojuro, meanwhile, simply smiled.
A fearless, almost excited smile.
"Come!" He raised his sword. "I'll slay as many dem-"
Kyojuro never finished.
Because before the demons could even move... A scream tore through the forest.
Then another.
And another.
*SHING!*
A blur flashed through the darkness.
The demons nearest to them collapsed.
Blood sprayed across the forest floor.
Shinobu's eyes widened.
Obanai's pupils narrowed.
Even Kyojuro's grin briefly faltered.
From somewhere within the darkness came the sound of a blade cutting through the air.
And then-
"Third Form: Flowing Dance!"
The voice came from the darkness.
*Shing!*
A figure suddenly emerged between the trees.
A flash of steel followed.
One demon lunged forward, only for its head to be cleanly severed from its shoulders.
*Thud*
Its body collapsed to the ground.
Before the others could even react, another figure appeared beside the first.
His movements were quieter.
More controlled.
His sword swept through the air in a smooth, fluid arc.
"Water Breathing..." The boy's eyes remained cold and focused. "Second Form: Water Wheel"
*Slash!*
Another demon's head was severed cleanly.
Kyojuro's eyes widened.
Then his grin returned.
"Hahaha! More allies!"
Two boys stood several meters away from them.
One had reddish-brown hair and a scar running across the left side of his face.
The other had dark, messy hair and a quiet, almost emotionless expression.
The first boy looked toward the three of them.
"Are you three all right? Need some help, maybe?"
Shinobu blinked.
"You..."
She recognized them.
They were two other candidates she had seen earlier during the Final Selection.
"Thanks for the help," Obanai muttered, his eyes narrowing slightly as he looked at the newcomers. "But who are you?"
"Introductions later. We have a situation here," the scar-faced boy said.
Kyojuro stepped forward, his sword still raised.
"I don't know who you guys are, but excellent timing! Let's team up!"
The quiet boy simply looked toward the battlefield.
"There are more coming"
Everyone fell silent.
*Rustle*
The forest moved.
*Rustle*
Another sound.
And another.
From every direction.
Shinobu's expression hardened.
"How many are there?"
The quiet boy slowly looked around.
"I don't know"
The scar-faced boy tightened his grip around his sword.
"But enough"
More demons emerged from the trees.
Their eyes glowed in the darkness.
Their claws scraped against the ground.
Kyojuro's grin widened.
"Then we shall simply defeat them all!"
Obanai sighed.
"What an idiot"
"You're welcome to stand behind me, Obanai!"
"I'd rather die"
Shinobu's eye twitched.
"Can you two be serious for, like, five seconds?!"
The scar-faced boy stared at them.
"...They're interesting, right, Giyu?"
The quiet boy named Giyu answered without taking his eyes off the demons.
"...Focus on the battle, Sabito"
The demons suddenly charged.
Kyojuro raised his sword.
"Everyone!"
His voice echoed through the forest.
"Let us fight together!"
Sabito stepped forward.
Giyu lowered his stance.
Obanai shifted his blade into position.
Shinobu tightened her grip.
For a brief moment, the five stood together.
Five young Demon Slayers.
Five completely different personalities.
Five swords pointed toward the darkness.
None of them knew it yet.
None could have possibly known.
But years later, their names would be remembered throughout the Demon Slayer Corps.
They would become warriors who stood at the very pinnacle of the organization.
They would become... Pillars.
And this... Was the first time the five of them stood together.
---
- The Last Day of Final Selection
At the foot of Mount Fujikasane, in a gathering area surrounded by blooming wisteria flowers, there was only one person in sight.
The sun had yet to appear above the horizon.
Yet he was already there.
It was none other than Kagerou himself.
His eyes remained fixed on the entrance/exit to Mount Fujikasane, his gaze intense and unwavering.
He knew his little brothers would survive.
There was no doubt about it.
They were strong.
Kyojuro had already mastered Flame Breathing. Their father had never once neglected his training, and Kyojuro had never missed a single lesson.
Obanai was no different.
He had even developed his own Breathing Style.
Like Kyojuro, he had trained relentlessly.
They were strong.
Kagerou knew that.
And yet...
'They're strong'
He had repeated those words to himself countless times over the past two days.
'They're strong'
But the worry remained.
Because strength wasn't the problem.
Experience was.
They had never fought demons under circumstances like this.
They had never faced an actual life-or-death battle where one mistake could mean the end.
Anything could happen.
'Survive, Kyojuro. Obanai,' Kagerou's fingers tightened slightly around his kiseru. 'So this big brother of yours can "congratulate" you personally'
Then-
*Footsteps*
Only a few.
Kagerou didn't need to turn around to know who they belonged to.
"What are you doing here at this hour, Kagaya?"
He continued staring toward the mountain.
"Hmm~"
Kagaya approached, supported by two Kakushi on either side of him. He didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he simply walked toward his friend and sat beside him on the wooden platform.
Then he tilted his head.
"Kage-kun, are you even going back home?"
Kagerou finally glanced at him.
Only for a few seconds.
"I'm sleeping at the Butterfly Mansion"
"Ho~ho~" Kagaya's smile widened. "Am I expecting a niece or nephew?"
"Tch." Kagerou immediately looked away. "I'm not you, Kagaya"
"Hee~"
Silence followed.
For several moments, neither said anything.
Then Kagerou adopted a thoughtful pose.
He nodded once.
Then twice.
He stroked his chin.
"...A daughter sounds good"
Kagaya's eyebrows rose.
"So you did 'do' something, huh?"
"That's not your fucking business, Kagaya"
"I didn't do anything"
"...Not yet, right?"
"Are you really that distrustful of me, Kage-kun?" Kagaya placed a hand against his chest, looking genuinely wounded. "Your only friend? It hurts..."
Kagerou frowned.
"You're not the only-"
"Huh?" Kagaya immediately turned toward him. "Really?"
Kagerou's mouth opened.
Then closed.
Several faces appeared in his mind.
Tengen.
No.
Tengen was more like an annoying older brother.
Gyomei.
Not quite.
Gyomei was more of a mentor. Sometimes difficult to talk to, but whenever they met, he always offered Kagerou a piece of advice or two.
Then another face appeared.
Akari.
Kagerou's expression became complicated.
Were they friends?
Their relationship was... difficult to define.
He wasn't even sure himself.
Kagerou thought about it for a few seconds.
Then he sighed.
If he was being completely honest...
Yes.
Kagaya was probably the only person he genuinely considered a friend.
"...Whatever." Kagerou took another drag from his kiseru and turned his face away.
Kagaya's smile returned.
"Are you shy?"
"No fucking way!"
"Then look at me, Kage-kun"
"No"
"Hahaha~ You're shy, aren't you?"
"No!"
Their argument continued for several minutes.
Meanwhile, the two Kakushi accompanying Kagaya remained completely silent.
Neither dared to interrupt.
They simply stood there, watching.
Watching the most respected man in the Demon Slayer Corps casually tease someone like an old friend.
Watching Kagerou, the Smoke Hashira, respond with profanity and irritation.
Neither Kakushi had ever seen Kagaya behave like this.
And neither was quite sure what was more surprising.
That Kagaya could act this childish... Or that someone could actually get away with talking to him like that.
------
#A/N: Here are the ages of the characters in this fanfic, four years before the canon timeline begins:
- Kagerou: 16
- Kanae: 15
- Shinobu: 12
- Kyojuro: 13
- Giyu: 14
- Obanai: 14
- Sanami: 14
- Mitsuri: 13
- Senjuro: 7
- Tanjiro: 9
- Kanao: 10
- Muichiro: 8
Once this is done, we'll have another little timeskip and get into, you know… the whole Kanae "thing" And after that, we'll skip forward again and finally enter the canon timeline. So yeah, we're getting there! Stay tuned!!