Chapter Text
*I do not own RWBY or Demon Slayer. Both shows/manga and all their characters belong to their respective owners.
“Tanjiro” = Talking
“Tanjiro” = Thinking
Tanjiro - Middle Alignment = POV
Vale - Middle Alignment = Location
“Tanjiro” = Flashback
Crash! - Left Alignment = Sound effect
Water Breathing = Breathing technique/Blood Demon Art
Chapter 2 - Crossing of Destinies
Tanjiro Kamado
Vale - Main City
-Evening, Two Months Ago-
After finishing his last mission, Tanjiro was called to the city of Vale for his next mission. Tanjiro had never been to the city before, having lived in the mountains his entire life.
A part of him was excited to finally visit the big city, though another part of him was nervous. When he finally got there, however, he was just totally overwhelmed.
With a sleepy Nezuko by his side, Tanjiro stood in the middle of the crowded streets with his jaw hanging open and his eyes bulging out of his sockets.
Tanjiro walked clumsily through the large crowd while trying his best to keep a grip on Nezuko's hand. It was so crowded that no one even questioned Tanjiro why Nezuko had a muzzle, probably because it was wasn't easy to notice in a crowd this big.
"It's so bright! It's like it's still daytime! And the buildings are huge! What is this!?" It wasn't long before Tanjiro reached his breaking point. "I gotta get out of here!"
-Later-
Tanjiro eventually managed to find a less crowded street and rested on a bench with Nezuko who was currently taking a nap.
Tanjiro sighed in relief. "I never thought the cities would be so...advanced. Let's face it, I'm a fish out of water right now..."
Tanjiro then looked down at his feet and sighed again, this time in exasperation. "I know I can't go back right now, not until I find a cure for Nezuko. But...I can't help but feel homesick."
The faces of his family, including Nezuko, flashed across his mind, sending the boy deeper into despair until he forcibly pulled himself out.
Tanjiro shook his head and slapped his cheeks. "Enough with the doom and gloom, Tanjiro. There's no time for that, you have a duty, remember?"
Tanjiro sat at the bench for a few more minutes before hearing the sound of glass breaking.
Smash!
Tanjiro was on his feet in moments and quickly ran over to check the source. He stopped briefly to look back at Nezuko. "Nezuko! Keep yourself hidden! I'll be right back!"
He would've put her back in the box and taken her with him, but this was an emergency so there was no time. He left his box there too, in case Nezuko still needed to sleep.
Tanjiro seen reached a three way intersection with a shop called "Dust Til Dawn" to his left. The shop had a broken window and there was a man in a black suit and fedora on the ground in front of it.
"What in the...!? Did a demon do this? No, I can't smell any demons right now so they can't be anywhere near this area."
Before Tanjiro could ask if the man was alright, a red blur shot out of the window and landed in the middle of the street. Tanjiro was barely able to keep up with the figure's speed.
After landing, Tanjiro got a better look at the new figure. It was a young girl who seemed roughly about his age.
She wore a black corset with a red cape and hood, along with black boots and black leggings. She had neck length black hair with red tips and bright silver eyes.
As the girl got up, there was some sort of box(?) she was holding on her back. Suddenly, the machine started to unfold into a giant red scythe.
Tanjiro's eyes nearly bulged out again. "What the heck is that!? That scythe is humongous! How can such a small girl wield a weapon so big!"
"Mr. Branwen's sword was also huge, but he's a grown man and a trained Huntsman! She looks like my age and is carrying that thing around like it's nothing!"
While Tanjiro was distracted by the young girl's monstrosity of a weapon, an orange-haired man in a white suit, black pants, and a black bowler hat walked out of the Dust shop with a cane in his hand.
He was followed by a bunch of other suited men with red sunglasses and red swords. Tanjiro was on guard as he picked up a hostile scent from the men.
The scythe wielder slammed her weapon into the ground, causing a few cracks. She turned off the headphones in her other hand and put it away.
The man with the bowler hat raised an eyebrow at the girl. "Okay..." He then looked to the other men with an impatient look. "Get her!"
"Hey! What's going on here?" Before the fighting could start, Tanjiro yelled out, grabbing everyone's attention.
The bowler hat man clicked his tongue in annoyance. "You know, last time I checked, children should be home in bed at this hour." The man addressed both Tanjiro and the girl.
"Why don't you two run along before you get hurt?" The way the man phrased that last sentence made it seem more like a threat.
"Not happening!" The girl exclaimed. "No way am I gonna let a bunch of thieves rob an innocent person's store!"
Tanjiro's eyes widened. "I get it now. This is a robbery, and those guys are criminals."
Tanjiro drew his sword and turned towards the robbers. "Demon Slayers are meant to protect people from demons and Grimm, but that doesn't mean I'll stand by while bad people do what they want."
The bowler hat man sighed. "Don't say I didn't warn you two." He turned to what Tanjiro assumed were his henchmen. "Get both of them."
The henchmen split off into two groups, each attacking either Tanjiro or the girl. Tanjiro wanted to help the young scythe wielder, but he had his own problems to worry about at the moment.
The first henchman in the group attacking Tanjiro sloppily swung his sword down on the boy. Tanjiro easily parried the strike and delivered a diagonal slash across the man's chest, pushing him onto his back.
The next three men who went after him all ganged up on the boy and jumped up with their swords above their heads, not noticing that they were leaving themselves wide open.
Unfortunately for them, Tanjiro did notice.
Inhale...
Total Concentration, Water Breathing...
Tanjiro also jumped into the air while twisting his body and swinging his sword in a circular motion, creating the illusion of a large vortex which launched his attackers back.
Sixth Form - Whirlpool
After safely landing back on the ground, Tanjiro saw the rest of the men all coming at him at once. Tanjiro acted accordingly and inhaled deeply for another technique.
Suddenly, Tanjiro flew forward, slashing at each of the men before they could react as he dashed between them. His footwork was graceful and quick, so quick that his movements left afterimages of himself, leaving the henchmen more confused before being struck down in an instant.
The whole group of about seven men was brought down in only three seconds.
Water Breathing: Third Form - Flowing Dance
After Tanjiro defeated his share of enemies, he moved to help out the girl in the red hood. Or...so he thought.
"Whoa!" Tanjiro stood in place with his mouth gaping open as he watched the girl speed around the place before jumping into the air and smack an airborne enemy to the ground in front of the less than pleased bowler hat man.
"You were worth every cent. Truly, you were." He said with clear sarcasm in his voice. He turned to the two young warriors.
"Well, Red, water boy, I think we can all agree that it's been an eventful evening. And as much as I'd love to stick around..." The man lifted his cane until the end faced the two teens. The bottom flipped up, revealing a hole in the cane with a scope.
Tanjiro and the girl's eyes widened as they both realized what was coming. "I'm afraid this...is where we part ways."
The man pulled the trigger and fired an explosive shot at the other two. The scythe wielder pointed her weapon downward before pulling the trigger and using the recoil to send her up above the impending explosion.
Tanjiro, whose training strengthened his body beyond that of an average Huntsman, simply jumped over the explosive shot with pure leg strength and concentration.
Boom!
The two teens landed next to each other before standing up straight and turning to each other. "Are you okay?" The girl asked.
Tanjiro nodded. "I'm fine, how about you?"
The girl also nodded with a smile. "I'm good!"
Tanjiro returned the smile before looking back at where the bowler hat man was, only to find that he wasn't there.
"Huh? Where did he go?" Tanjiro thought. "Is he hiding? In that case..."
Sniff Sniff
Tanjiro looked around while sniffing the air, earning an odd look from the young scythe wielder. "Um, whaaaat are you doing?"
Despite the girl's words, Tanjiro continued to search for the bowler hat man's scent. It wasn't long before he picked up the scent and followed it to a tall building with a ladder leading to the roof. On said ladder, the bowler hat man was escaping.
"Up there!" Tanjiro pointed to the man, the girl in red looked in the direction he pointed at before looking the Dust shop. Though he hid it well, Tanjiro was totally shocked. "How did he get up there so fast? I only took my eyes off of him for a few seconds!"
An old man, most likely the owner, stepped out. "Will you be okay if we go after him?" The scythe wielder asked. The old man nodded.
Tanjiro wasted no time. He jumped onto a cafe near the building with the ladder before jumping onto an awning near the top of the building and then jumping off to the roof.
Tanjiro didn't notice the look of absolute astonishment on his female companion's face after seeing him easily scale what must've been a four five story building with no use of Dust or Semblance.
Tanjiro reached the roof to find the bowler hat man run to the other end. "Hold it!" Tanjiro yelled.
The bowler hat man turned around and scowled. "Persistent..." He muttered. Suddenly, the girl in red also appeared on the roof after launching herself up there with her scythe.
However, before either her or Tanjiro could make their move, they heard the sound of engines near by. Coming up from the ground was a Bullhead ship.
Before it got too high, the bowler hat man jumped into the ship. Tanjiro and the scythe wielder brought out their weapons.
The bowler hat man looked down at the two teens with a cocky grin. "End of the line, you two!"
The man then threw some red crystal to the ground, it was fire dust. This action confused the two teens before Tanjiro looked up to see the man aiming his cane at it.
With panic in his eyes, Tanjiro immediately turned to the girl beside him and pushed her away, causing her to fall off the roof.
Although the girl seemed confused and shocked by the boy's actions, Tanjiro had actually been saving her because he realized what the bowler hat man was about to do. He knew the girl would be okay after seeing how agile she was, surely she could land safely.
"If he shoots that fire crystal, it'll cause a huge explosion! Our Auras would probably be shattered in an instant!"
After pushing the scythe wielder away, Tanjiro turned back to see the bowler hat man pull the trigger on his cane and fire at the Fire Dust.
"Damn! Even if I jump off now, I won't make it!" Tanjiro covered his face as he prepared for the inevitable blast.
"My uniform is fire proof so at the very least, I won't get burned too badly. But if my Aura really does break and I get knocked out, I'll be sent flying off the roof before plummeting into the ground!"
The shot hit the crystal and Tanjiro braced himself.
BOOM!
...But Tanjiro didn't feel a thing. He heard the explosion, he felt the building shake, but nothing ever hit him.
Tanjiro slowly lowered his arms and opened his eyes to see a blonde woman with a black and purple cape and a black riding crop. In front of her was a strange purple glyph which blocked the explosion
"This presence...Is she a Huntress?” Tanjiro wondered. The woman then reached out her hand and unleashed a bunch of purple energy projectiles at the ship.
The bowler hat man stumbled inside the ship before moving to the cockpit. Meanwhile, Tanjiro recovered from his shock and ran ahead of the Huntress.
"Hey! You there, wait!" The woman called out to him, but Tanjiro pushed forward. With all the strength he could muster, he jumped up high.
When he got above the cockpit, he raised his sword above his head before falling downward and delivering a powerful blow to the glass, shattering it in an instant.
Water Breathing: Eighth Form - Waterfall Basin
Tanjiro stood in front of the cockpit, looking down at the shocked bowler hat man who had taken the wheel.
Tanjiro pointed his sword at the man. "Land this ship now!" Tanjiro ordered, trying to make himself as intimidating as possible.
The bowler hat man's surprise was replaced with a sly smirk. "Oh, I don't think I will."
Before Tanjiro could respond, he picked up a new scent. Tanjiro couldn't even react as he was suddenly hit with a fireball. "NGH!"
The young swordsman was knocked back to the very front of the ship. With his quick reflexes, he managed to stab his sword into the hull before he could fall off.
He didn't notice the Huntress below give off a "Tch!" as she was unable to attack the ship without Tanjiro getting caught in the crossfire.
After getting back on his feet, Tanjiro had to take a breath due to the heavy impact from that blast. But then, Tanjiro picked up that same scent again.
He turned to his left to see another woman standing next to him preparing another fire blast. Her face was hidden by shadow and her long ashen-black hair, Tanjiro was only able to see a single glowing amber eye. She also wore a dark red minidress.
Tanjiro could detect a very strong scent of malice coming from the woman and rolled forward as the woman launched another fireball where he was.
After getting back on his feet, he jumped over the cockpit and turned around to face his new opponent who had jumped and landed in front of him.
Tanjiro charged at the woman who shot multiple quick blasts, Tanjiro barely managed to dodge or deflect each one before leaping towards her.
The woman fired an even larger fireball, Tanjiro responded by spinning in a circle with his sword to slash the fireball in half.
Water Breathing: Second Form - Water Wheel
As Tanjiro neared the woman, she suddenly pulled a red katana from her back. She blocked Tanjiro's strike before pushing him back.
While in midair, Tanjiro looked at his opponent's blade. "That sword...could it be a Nichirin Sword?"
Tanjiro landed on his feet before going for another charge. However, he failed to notice the glowing spot beneath him before it was too late. "Crap! I got careless!"
Suddenly, a pillar of flames erupted from underneath the boy's feet and launched him off of the ship. Due to the direct hit and the sheer strength of the flames, Tanjiro's body flickered green as his Aura was on the verge of breaking. "She's...too strong!"
Tanjiro fell back towards the roof and was about to hit the floor hard before he suddenly became weightless. Before he knew it, he was floating down gently with a purple glow around him.
He saw that the blonde Huntress, who was firing multiple energy projectiles at the ship to keep it from taking off, used what must've been her Semblance to catch the boy.
After being put down gently, Tanjiro looked to the Huntress with a grateful smile. "Thank you for catching me!"
The Huntress simply nodded before turning her attention back to the bullhead which was now taking off.
Tanjiro stood up and watched the ship fly away as well. But then, a red blur sped past him again and the scythe wielder was suddenly in front of him again.
"That! Was! AWESOME!" She squealed. "You were jumping around so high! I've seen anyone jump that high before without Dust or a Semblance, unless jumping is your Semblance, which would still be awesome!"
"Uh..." Tanjiro stood there, unable to keep up with the girl's excited ramblings.
"And what were those sword techniques!? You were moving around so fast! You were all like SWISH, WHOOSH, and SLICE! It was SO COOL!" The girl made multiple slashing movements accompanied by sound effects.
Tanjiro gave a bashful smile as he scratched the back of his head. "C-Come on...stop it! It really wasn't that impressive!"
"Ahem!" Both teens straightened themselves and turned to the Huntress who looked less than pleased.
The scythe wielder had sparkles in her eyes. "Whoa, a real Huntress! CAN I HAVE YOUR AUTOGRAPH!?"
After glaring at the girl who immediately shrank under her gaze, the blonde woman in adjusted her glasses and turned to Tanjiro who nearly also shrunk in response. "I suggest you get out of here before the police arrive. Your group isn't recognized by the government, so they won't overlook your possession of a sword."
Tanjiro nodded while the scythe wielder looked confused. "His group? Not recognized by the government? What are you talking about?"
"I should get out of here. I have to check on Nezuko." Tanjiro thought as he bowed to both the scythe wielder and the Huntress. "Thank you very much." And with that, he jumped off the roof to another building until eventually reaching the ground.
Meanwhile...
Ruby Rose
"Hey! Wait!" Ruby went to chase after the young swordsman she had just met before he got too far, only to be stopped by the Huntress when she grabbed her shoulder.
Ruby looked back at her to see her glare at the poor girl. "Eh heh...So, can I still get that autograph or...?"
The woman answered her with a glare, making Ruby sigh and look in the direction where the swordsman ran off to.
"I didn't even get to say thank you..."
-Later-
Vale Police Station
"Hmm...Well alright then."
Forget the autograph, this was way better!
In one of the interrogation rooms where Ruby was taken, the headmaster of Beacon Academy, Professor Ozpin, had officially accepted Ruby into his school two years early.
Ruby sat in her chair slack-jawed before letting out the biggest squeal ever. "YAHOO!"
The young Rose proceeded to speed around the room in excitement before rapidly shaking Ozpin's hand. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! This is the best day ever!"
Ozpin couldn't help but chuckle. "Well after seeing your skills, we'd be foolish not to take you in. Now, I will need your father's permission first before we can get anything settled, though I have a feeling it will all work out."
Ruby's smile somehow widened even further. But then she remembered the boy who helped her. "Um, Professor Ozpin? What about that other kid, the swordsman? Will he come to Beacon too?"
Ruby wanted to know so that she could get the chance to thank him properly. To her surprise, Ozpin's calm and warm demeanor changed to a more serious one.
"Ah yes, the boy. No, he will not be attending Beacon. In fact, I suggest you forget you ever met him, Ms. Rose." Ozpin said nonchalantly.
Ruby...did not expect that answer. That swordsman would've been a great candidate for Beacon, he showed just as much skill and potential in her opinion. Heck, she'd say he did more in that crisis than she did.
She opened her mouth to say all this when Ozpin stopped her by putting his hand up. "I understand your confusion, Ms. Rose. But trust me, it's best you don't know. At least for now. Let's just say the boy has...his own responsibilities."
That answer did nothing to satisfy the girl's confusion, but she got the feeling that she shouldn't push any further.
Soon after, Ruby found her family waiting for her in the station's lobby. She told them the good news and Yang was over the moon. Her dad...not so much, but even the trained Huntsman was no match for Ruby's puppy dog eyes.
It was a great night, but Ruby couldn't help but continue to wonder about that strange swordsman. Whoever he was, she hoped that he was alright.
-Present-
Vale - Alleyway
Ruby watched the boy she met the night she was accepted into Beacon raise his sword against the demon who attacked her and Yang who were both back on their feet.
Speaking of, Yang was standing in front of Ruby with her gauntlets back on, ready to defend her little sister from the demon if necessary.
"Be careful!" Ruby yelled to the boy. "He can turn invisible, and he can't be killed!"
The boy shook his head. "Thanks for telling me, but don't worry. I'll take care of this" He said calmly.
Ruby was surprised to hear that his voice was so calm, that's when she saw the look on the demon's face which surprised her even more.
Gone was the cocky victorious grin, replaced with a snarl and nervous sweating as well as a hint of fear and rage in his eyes.
"He called him a 'Demon Slayer'. Is he like that guy from the story? I can't believe it...the Demon Slayer is real. It's not just a fairy tale, it's all true."
Tanjiro vs. Camouflage Demon
Tanjiro never took his eyes off of his opponent, waiting for him to make the first move. The demon snarled at the boy and charged at him.
"Don't get so cocky brat! The only one getting taken care of here is YOU!" The demon screamed before his body slowly became invisible.
Tanjiro narrowed his eyes. "It's just like that other girl said, this must be his Blood Demon Art. Luckily, even if he can hide his body, he can't hide his scent."
Sniff Sniff...
The demon ran up the boy and prepared to punch him right in the gut. "I'll teach you to underestimate me!"
However, before the fist could connect...
Shing!
...
...
...
The demon reappeared in front of Tanjiro with his right arm missing and on the ground between them. "...Huh?" The demon uttered a single syllable.
Tanjiro then swung his sword down on his neck, hoping to end this battle as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, the demon backed up enough to only cut a large cut on his neck.
"How the hell did he cut off my arm!?" The demon wondered in panic. "There's no way he saw me, so how!?"
"No, calm down! It was just a fluke, that's all! Yeah, he just got lucky!" The demon told himself, a decision that he would come to regret.
While the demon waited for his arm to grow back, Tanjiro got on the offensive and chased him down. The demon smashed the ground before grabbing a large chunk of concrete and chucking it at the young swordsman.
Tanjiro stopped in his tracks and positioned his sword for a thrust. He inhaled before piercing his sword through the slab of concrete in the blink of an eye, completely halting its momentum .
Water Breathing: Seventh Form - Drop Ripple Thrust
Tanjiro quickly pulled his sword out of the concrete only to see that the demon had disappeared again. Unknown to him, the demon turned invisible and jumped over Tanjiro.
Tanjiro looked around while the demon snuck behind him and planned to smash the kid into the ground with a giant axe kick. "Let's see how lucky you are now!"
Sniff Sniff...
To the outside observer, there was nothing behind Tanjiro. However, Tanjiro detected the scent behind him, a scent that turned into an imaginary loose string connecting the tip of the boy's blade and the demon's neck.
"The Opening Thread...it's behind me..."
The thread tightened until it was a perfectly straight line...
Suddenly, Tanjiro twisted his body and unleashed a slash that covered the area around him. The demon was cut to pieces, his head swiftly separated from its neck. "...Huh?"
Water Breathing: Sixth Form - Whirlpool
Ruby
Ruby and Yang stared in awe as the demon who gave them such a hard time was taken down in almost no time.
However, they remained weary, knowing full well that the demon wouldn't die so easily. Ruby already cut off his head once, and Yang even pounded his head into a pulp. And yet, the demon got back up.
It would only be a matter of time before-...
"DAMN YOU! YOU FUCKING BRAT! I'LL KILL YOU, YOU HEAR ME! I'M GONNA RIP YOUR FUCKING HEAD OFF!" Instead of gloating more, the demon cursed out the swordsman as if he just killed the guy's family or something.
Ruby and Yang were caught off guard by this sudden mood change when the demon's body parts all started to crumble to ash. "YOU SON OF A BITCH! I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL-!" The demon's head was the last to go, the last proof of his existence was his clothes.
Naturally, the two sisters were dumbfounded. "He's...dead. Really dead. This...is a lot to take in right now."
Again, Ruby knew this demon was a true monster, but those things don't make the concepts of death and killing any easier to witness firsthand. This was especially the case for Ruby.
Yang must've noticed because she put a hand on Ruby's shoulder with a look of concern on her face. Although, Ruby could tell that Yang was slightly shaken up herself.
Yang prided herself on her strength and ability to protect her little sister. The fact that this demon not only managed to smack her around as much as he did but also hurt Ruby on her watch obviously wasn't sitting well with the blonde brawler.
Ruby looked over to the young swordsman who flicked the blood off of his sword before putting it back in its sheath. The way he did showed that he had done it many times.
He took a deep breath before turning to the two Huntresses in Training with a small smile. "Hey there! Are you two alright!"
Ruby and Yang blinked as they were once again baffled by the sudden mood change from the boy. One moment, he's cutting off a guy's head with no hesitation. The next, he's smiling at them like an old friend.
"Uh...yeah, we're good! Thanks for saving us! Not gonna lie, that was badass!" Yang answered, managing to muster up a big smile. Despite its suddenness, the boy's smile seemed to make all the tension from before seem to disappear.
The swordsman waved off the praise. "No need to thank me, I'm just doing my duty. Plus, he wasn't really that strong. Well...at least, not compared to the ones I've faced before."
Ruby's eyes nearly bulged out of her head. "Not that strong!? Are you kidding me!? That guy was mopping the floor with us, and you came in and took him down in less than a minute!"
Yang crossed her arms and scoffed. "That's only 'cause the bastard kept regenerating, we were destroying him in the beginning..." Clearly, her ego had been bruised during that fight.
The boy let out a nervous chuckle. "Y-Yes, I'm sure you were! You both seem pretty strong!" He tried to comfort the two sisters.
Sadly, his words had the opposite effect as both of them were now pouting at him. "We don't need your pity, man, we feel crappy enough as is." Yang said.
The swordsman suddenly became dejected. "S-Sorry..."
He then noticed the cut on Ruby's cheek and walked over to her before reaching into his pocket and taking out a tiny box with salve inside.
He offered the salve to Ruby. "Here, this should help you heal while your Aura recovers."
"Thanks." Ruby took some of the salve and rubbed it on her cut. It stung a bit, but it didn't last long. In fact, it didn't hurt at all. "Wow! This is amazing!"
The boy looked relieved. "I'm glad it helps! Well, I should be off now. Please stay safe. Farewell." He bowed politely and began to run off.
"Whoa whoa whoa! Hold it!" The boy stopped and turned after Yang called out to him.
"Yes?" The boy tilted his head.
"You can't just walk away like nothing happened. You could at least tell us your name." Yang said with her hands on her hips.
The boy's eyes widened. "Ah! You're right, I'm sorry." He bowed again, he was...very polite. "I'm Tanjiro Kamado, nice to meet you!"
Yang smirked and proudly introduced herself. "Right back at ya! The name's Yang Xiao-Long!" She then grabbed Ruby from behind and pulled her into a bear hug. "And this is my adorable little sister, Ruby!"
Ruby could feel her ribs being crushed as she tried desperately to break free. "Yang...! No Aura...No Aura!" She said this, but in reality, Aura would've done very little to lessen the force of her big sister's loving embrace.
Yang immediately let go, allowing Ruby to get some air back in her lungs. Man, that didn't feel great. She really owed Weiss an apology for that chokehold she put her in. "Whoops, my bad." Yang said before turning to Tanjiro.
Tanjiro smiled and bowed again. "Well, it was nice to meet you, but my friends are probably wondering where I am and I don't want to worry them." Tanjiro stated before walking off again with a wave. "See ya!"
Yang returned the wave. "Oh, yeah sure, right back at ya! Thanks again!"
Ruby also waved before realizing something important. "Ah! Wait!" She called out before following Tanjiro out of the alleyway.
She managed to catch Tanjiro running away from earshot. Before she knew it, the boy disappeared from sight down the street. "Wow, he's fast..."
Yang walked up to her and put an arm around her shoulder. "What's with the glum look, Rubes?"
Ruby slumped. "I didn't get to say thanks for helping me during that robbery...again."
Yang's eyes widened. "Wait, he was that guy that helped you two months ago?” Ruby nodded. "Damn. Oh well, I'm sure we'll see him again, you can thank him then!"
The two sisters smiled at each other. Yang then adopted a look of concern. "Hey. You sure you're okay?"
Ruby paused before nodding. "I'm fine. I'm just...really tired."
Yang chuckled. "You and me both, sis. Come on, let's get home before Weiss and Blake come searching for us."
They decided to head back to the dorms, they were both too tired for weapons magazines right now. They also decided to talk to Ozpin about this incident in the morning.
It had been a long night. But, this was only the beginning of a big change in their lives.
Beacon Tower
Ozpin
From his desk in his glass office, Professor Ozpin watched the entire fight between the demon, the young swordsman, Miss Rose, and Miss Xiao-Long.
Ozpin was not focused on the demon, he knew fully well that demons did indeed exist. After how long he's lived in this world, there was very little that the headmaster didn't know. Of course, that "very little" part happened to consist of the most crucial information.
No. what he was focused on was the pair of Hanafuda earrings the boy was wearing. He suddenly remembered Qrow telling him about a boy with those same earrings.
Speaking of, he had a call to make. "It seems this year will be more interesting than I originally thought.”
Tanjiro
-Morning-
Vale Inn
After waking up in their room, Tanjiro and the others got ready to leave for their next mission. Tanjiro had to explain himself after he suddenly ran out of the Inn and into the city.
Zenitsu was ecstatic to hear last night that the demon had been vanquished and and he wouldn't have to fight.
Inosuke on the other hand...
"HUH!? You killed the demon without me!? Die, Kentaro!"
"Inosuke, calm down! You're gonna wake up the whole city!"
Their room was a simple room with a bathroom, a couch, two beds, and an outside porch. Tanjiro stepped out onto the porch and took in the fresh air with a relaxed smile.
It seemed that today would be a peaceful one-.
"CAW!"
Tanjiro jumped at the sound of a crow calling out to him. Tanjiro looked at the crow which perched at the railing of the porch. Tanjiro knew it wasn't his crow, yet its scent was still familiar to him.
It couldn't be Zenitsu's, his was actually a sparrow for some reason. And according to Inosuke, his crow avoided him as much as possible after he tried to eat the poor thing. But he swore he recognized this scent.
"Tanjiro Kamado! Zenitsu Agatsuma! Inosuke Hashibira! You three must head straight to Beacon Academy!"
"Well, orders are orders." Tanjiro decided to just shrug it off. "But, I wonder why they need us at Beacon."
-Later-
Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke walked up to the landing docks where they met a pilot that walked up to them. "Are you Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke?"
Tanjiro nodded, to which the pilot waved to the Bullhead behind him. "I'll be flying you three to Beacon Academy, hop in."
Tanjiro was always amazed by these highly advanced airships, it was truly amazing how much the people of Remnant have advanced.
Before they could go on, however, Inosuke let out a wild scream. "AAAAH! WHAT IS THAT BEAST!?"
"That's a Bullhead, you idiot! And don't scream in public, you draw enough attention to us as is!" Zenitsu scolded the Boar Faunus.
Inosuke ignored that last part and pointed at the airship. "Are you stupid, Monitsu?"
"LIKE YOU'RE ONE TO TALK!"
"That looks nothing like a bull's head, it doesn't even have horns!" Inosuke pointed out.
Tanjiro lifted a finger. "Actually, Inosuke. 'Bullhead' is just the name of the ship, it's not actually a bull's head." He explained before Inosuke ran up to the ship and headbutted it.
Everyone present stood slack-jawed. "HEY! What the hell are you doing, kid!?" The pilot yelled.
"I'm not buying it! This thing must be some huge demon in disguise!" Inosuke claimed before headbutting the ship again.
Zenitsu quickly grabbed Inosuke by the arms and pulled him back. "What did I just say about drawing attention!?"
"Hah! Bold of you to assume that I listen to a word you say, Kentatsu!" Inosuke responded.
Meanwhile, Tanjiro was rapidly bowing and saying "so sorry, so sorry, so sorry!" to the very pissed off pilot.
Soon, everyone got in the ship and took off. Tanjiro and Inosuke were in awe as they stared out their respective windows with their faces pressed against the glass.
Zenitsu, who was sitting next to the two while holding Nezuko's box, slowly scooted away while giving them an odd stare.
Tanjiro and Inosuke were raised in the mountains, unlike Zenitsu who had more experience with cities.
"Hahahahaha! Look, we're flying!" Inosuke shouted. "Fly, giant metal bull head bird, fly!"
Tanjiro shared the same sense of amazement. "I can't believe this is my first time on an airship! It's amazing!"
Tanjiro suddenly had a sad, nostalgic look on his face. "I wonder how my family would react to this..."
Tanjiro shook the thoughts out of his head before anyone noticed his gloomy look and decided to simply admire the view.
Inosuke then jumped from his seat and stomped up to the pilot. "Hey! Open the hatch thingy! I wanna see if I can survive the fall from here!"
"No can do, kid. Professor Ozpin wants you guys to get to Beacon as soon as possible. No detours, now go back to your seat." The pilot ordered.
A tic mark appeared on Inosuke's mask before grabbing the guy's arm and pulling him around. "Huh!? Who do you think you are, ordering me around!?"
"HEY! DON'T DO THAT! WE'RE GONNA CRASH!"
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
Suddenly, beeping sounds started playing as the ship began to veer way off course. Tanjiro and Zenitsu quickly rushed to get Inosuke away from the pilot.
"Inosuke! Let go!"
"I'm not dying in a plane crash because of your stupidity!"
"Don't order me around!"
"Get him off me!"
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
"I take orders from no one!"
"We're going down!"
"Knock it off, Inosuke!"
"We're gonna DIE!"
"AAAAAAAAAAH!"
...Somehow, they landed at the Beacon docks safe and sound.
"OOF!" As the ship hatch opened up, the boar faunus was immediately thrown out of the ship. Tanjiro and Zenitsu followed with all their gear, including Nezuko's box.
Tanjiro turned towards the pilot with a friendly wave. "Thanks for everything!"
The pilot looked anything but friendly. "Yeah...don't mention it..."
"And I'm really sorry about-."
"Ever." The pilot said before waking back to the ship. Tanjiro chuckled nervously.
Inosuke got up and immediately pointed in front of him. "Look! Another giant beast!"
"That would be Beacon Tower." Zenitsu explained while Tanjiro was absolutely star-struck by the sight of the academy.
"Incredible, it's even more breathtaking to look at than Vale itself..."
Beacon Academy
Upon reaching the entrance to the school, they were greeted by a familiar blonde woman. The same Huntress Tanjiro met the night he met that Ruby girl.
"I assume you're Tanjiro Kamado?" She asked. Tanjiro nodded. "I'm Glynda Goodwitch, Professor Ozpin asked me to escort you to his office. If you and your companions would follow me."
As they walked through the nearly empty halls, Tanjiro thought back on the woman's name. "Goodwitch...I think Mr. Urokodaki told me about her."
Tanjiro remembered the time where his Demon Slayer mentor, Sakonji Urokodaki, told Tanjiro about some of the many famous Huntsmen over soup.
"Glynda Goodwitch, Combat Teacher and Assistant Headmistress of Beacon Academy. Her Semblance, which gives her telekinetic abilities, makes her a formidable warrior. She also takes her job very seriously, I highly recommend staying off of her bad side."
Tanjiro slightly shivered as the thought alone gave him chills. That's when he heard flapping. He looked above him to see the strange crow from before.
"I guess he followed us. So strange, I keep feeling like he's looking at me..."
Eventually, they reached an elevator which led to Ozpin's office according to Goodwitch. It was a tight squeeze with Tanjiro holding Nezuko's box, but they made it work.
"I've never been in an elevator before...I wonder how-."
Tanjiro felt his stomach drop as the elevator began moving up. It was...an unpleasant feeling.
"Whoa! We're flying again!" Inosuke shouted, much to the displeasure of the Huntress right next to him.
"Not exactly, we're simply being carried up." She explained while Inosuke tried jumping, completely ignoring her.
Tanjiro, on the other hand, was feeling a bit dizzy. He started the morning with almost dying in a ship crash, now this!?
Fortunately, the elevator ride didn't last too long since the machine moved quite fast. Though in hindsight, that may have been what was causing Tanjiro's nausea.
After swallowing the potential vomit creeping up his throat, Tanjiro recomposed himself while Inosuke whined about the elevator stopping.
The doors then opened to a giant dome-shaped room with a glass floor. Below the floor, multiple large gears turned.
At the end of the room was a large window covered nearly the entire wall. In front of it was a desk that was also made of glass with a man with silver hair sitting behind it.
In front of the desk were four young ladies who all turned towards the elevator. Tanjiro almost immediately recognized two of them.
"Hey! It's you!" Ruby yelled in surprise before grinning. Her blonde sister next to her shared the grin.
"Well, look what the cat dragged in!" Yang waved at the young swordsman. "What's up, Tanji?"
"Tanji? Is that supposed to be a nickname?"
Nevertheless, Tanjiro smiled and waved to the two girls before turning his attention to the less familiar faces in the room.
Next to Yang was a girl with long black hair, amber eyes, and a black bow on her head that Tanjiro swore he saw twitch when Yang said "look what the cat dragged in". She seemed so mysterious...so calm.
Next to Ruby was a girl with white hair tied into a side ponytail, a white combat skirt...oooor was it a dress? Tanjiro also noticed a scar over the edge of her left eye. She seemed to carry herself with elegance.
Tanjiro was about to give his own greeting when he noticed the look on Zenitsu's face beside him. The other blonde in the room looked at Tanjiro like he had just grown an extra pair of eyes.
Zenitsu turned to everyone else in the room and bowed before grabbing Tanjiro's shoulder. "Please excuse us, I need to clarify something with this guy."
He then dragged Tanjiro into the far corner of the room with everyone staring at them in confusion. "What is it, Zenitsu?" Tanjiro asked.
"Tanjiro...how exactly do you know these beautiful girls?" Zenitsu asked calmly...too calmly.
"I wouldn't exactly say I know all of them, just Ruby and Yang-."
"Answer the question."
"W-Well. You know that demon I told you about? I found him attacking then and saved them. That's all." Tanjiro explained.
"Oh...that's all, huh?" Zenitsu said before grabbing and yanking Tanjiro's hair. "BULLSHIT!"
"Ow! Zenitsu, what are you-!?"
"Oh PLEASE! I saw the way they said hi to you! And don't get me started on that cutesy nickname! You mean to tell me that you saved them and walked away and suddenly, you're all friendly with each other!?"
"W-Well, I did talk with them a bit after that. Oh, I also actually met one of them a few months ago." Tanjiro explained again.
Zenitsu yanked on Tanjiro's hair even harder. "AHA! SO YOU LIED TO ME!"
"No! I just didn't think that last part was that important!" Tanjiro cried out. "And why are you so mad, anyway!?"
"OBVIOUSLY because you 'got it on' with those two after saving them while I was stuck babysitting Inosuke! Why else would they be so friendly!?" Zenitsu argued.
"'Get it on with-'...? What are you even talking about?" Tanjiro asked, extremely confused by Zenitsu's ramblings.
"YOU KNOW DAMN WELL WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!"
"I really don't though!"
Meanwhile, the four girls, including Ruby and Yang, knew exactly what Zenitsu was talking about. All of them except for Yang blushed while the blonde brawler tried and failed to hold in her laughter.
The white-haired and black-haired girls stared at Ruby with wide eyes, Ruby suddenly started freaking out.
"Nonononono! That's NOT what happened at all! Right, Yang!? Yang! Stop laughing and tell them the truth!" Ruby yelled.
Back to Tanjiro and Zenitsu's argument which was going nowhere...
"Just admit it already, you bastard!"
"I'm not admitting to something I didn't do! I have no idea what 'got it on with' even means!"
Inosuke suddenly popped up between the two. "WHY ARE WE ALL YELLING!?"
Before this while debacle could escalate further, all three Demon Slayers were covered in a mysterious purple glow before being mysteriously lifted into the air.
"Whoa whoa whoa!"
"WHAT'S HAPPENING!? NO! PUT ME DOWN!"
"Hahahahaha! Higher, higher!"
"Silence!" All three boys and the four girls shut up immediately at the sound of Goodwitch yelling. Tanjiro saw that their antics annoyed her to no end.
"Glynda..."
Everyone in the room turned towards the silver-haired man at the desk. "I understand your annoyance, but these young men are our guests. Using your Semblance on them wouldn't make a very good first impression."
"Professor Ozpin," Goodwitch began, "with all due respect, I am definitely not the only one here who needs work on first impressions."
Tanjiro stared at the silver-haired man from midair. So this was Professor Ozpin, headmaster of Beacon Academy.
The headmaster nodded. "Fair enough." He turned to the three floating Slayers. "I'm truly sorry about this, but if we could have a little less screaming from now on, that would be appreciated."
Tanjiro nodded. "Of course, sorry for our unruly behavior." He'd have bowed if he could. "Right, guys?" He asked Zenitsu and Inosuke with a stern look.
Zenitsu clammed up, he once told Tanjiro that he could be pretty scary when he was mad, though Tanjiro didn't see it. "Y-Yes, sorry..."
Inosuke was about to say something, but the look from Tanjiro cut him off. He crossed his arms instead. "Hmph!"
Ozpin nodded to Goodwitch who nodded back and gently put the boys back down. "Good," Ozpin said, "What do you say we start over?"
"I am Ozpin, the headmaster of Beacon. You've already met my assistant, Glynda Goodwitch. It's a pleasure to meet you, Tanjiro Kamado."
Tanjiro blinked before pointing himself. "Huh? Me?" He asked, confused by the man's interest in him.
Ozpin nodded. "I truly am thankful for your brave actions last night. I fear what might've happened to Miss Rose and Miss Xiao-Long had you not shown up at the last minute.
Both Ruby and Yang looked at the ground, clearly wanting to put that night behind them as soon as possible. Tanjiro looked at them sympathetically, unable to blame them. The other two girls next to them also looked at them with concern.
"I'm glad I made it there in time." Tanjiro said. "I just wish I'd gotten there sooner so they wouldn't have gotten hurt in the first place."
Ruby and Yang sighed as Ozpin chuckled. "They also told me that you were quite modest. You should give yourself a little more credit, Mr. Kamado."
Tanjiro was taken aback a bit before hesitantly nodding. "Y-Yes, sir!" He said a little louder than he wanted.
Ozpin nodded before waving to the rest of the girls. "Before we go on, it might be best for us to get introductions out of the way."
"You already know Miss Ruby Rose and Miss Yang Xiao-Long." The girls in question waved with big smiles. "The one to their left is Blake Belladonna, the one to their right is Weiss Schnee. These four make up Team RWBY."
"Hi." Blake said with a small wave.
Weiss gave a slight bow. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Schnee...Belladonna? Have I heard those names before?"
Tanjiro returned the bow. "My name is Tanjiro Kamado." He turned to his comrades, starting with Zenitsu. "This is Zenitsu Agatsuma, the one in the mask is Inosuke Hashibira. Nice to meet you all!"
"Hehehehe! Hiiii!" Zenitsu said while swaying, attracting an odd look from all four girls.
Inosuke put his hands on his hips. "Greetings! I am the King of the Mountains, Inosuke Hashibira! Remember that name, you weaklings!"
Oh no...
Yang glared at the boar faunus while Blake stared curiously at Inosuke's boar like legs. "Oh, you did not just call us weaklings."
Inosuke returned the glare. "Huh!? And what if I di-OOF!" Tanjiro chopped Inosuke on the head before he could say something bad.
"Please forgive him, he has difficulty watching what he says." Tanjiro bowed apologetically. Yang huffed and decided to let it go...for now.
"So, Professor, why exactly did you call us here for? If all you wanted to do was thank me, I don't see why you needed all three of us." Tanjiro pointed out.
Ozpin nodded. "You are correct, Mr. Kamado. You see, after their encounter with a demon, Miss Rose had many questions about them. I was hoping you could give her the answers she seeks."
"I know quite a lot about your organization and have given them the basics about demons, but I thought it would be better to hear from one of their own."
So that was it, Ruby just had some questions. "I'd be happy to, sir. I'll do the best I can to answer any questions you have."
Ruby gave Tanjiro a grateful smile while Ozpin nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Kamado. May I suggest starting with your organization?"
Tanjiro nodded and explained. "Demons are mythical man-eating monsters that can regenerate from almost any wound and can only be killed by sunlight. Except that they're anything but mythical."
"Demons are real. They first appeared a thousand years ago in a war long forgotten between humanity and demon kind."
"Just like the Grimm once had, demons pushed humanity to the brink of extinction. If was only after the creation of Nichirin Swords, swords with blades that can absorb sunlight and kill demons via decapitation, that the battle turned in our favor."
"Cool!" Ruby listened with excitement written all over her face.
Tanjiro sighed. "Sadly, the war wasn't completely over. The people of Remnant were more than happy to assume that all demons were gone. But as you now know, that couldn't have been farther from the truth..."
"The demons were still out there. Hiding, biding their time, slowly gaining power with each person they devoured." Everyone looked uneasy as Tanjiro said that.
"But there were those who weren't satisfied with just ignoring the demon threat, Huntsmen and Huntresses who suffered greatly at the their hands."
"Together, they gathered those who would dedicate their lives to destroying all demons and protecting humanity and formed a special shadow organization of warriors who called themselves 'Demon Slayers'. And that's how the Demon Slayer Corps was born."
"Since then, Demon Slayers have been working to eradicate any demon they come across without alerting the public to their presence. If everyone suddenly learned that demons did exist, it could cause massive panic all over Remnant which would only invite more trouble from the Grimm."
"Huh, that's a fair point. Sure explains why we've never heard of you guys." Yang stated. "But why separate Huntsmen and Demon Slayers, don't they both want the same thing?"
Tanjiro nodded. "Of course. However, if we had every Huntsmen dealing with both Grimm and demons, they would eventually be spread too thin it'd be much harder to keep the existence of demons a secret let alone protect the people from them."
"That said, we also need heroic warriors in the spotlight to make people feel safe while also holding back the Grimm threat."
"There are times when Huntsmen and Demon Slayers must work together to take down stronger enemies. But other than that, corps members usually operate away independently of the Huntsmen."
Weiss raised her hand. "Wait. So does that mean all of the Huntsmen are aware of demons and the Demon Slayer Corps?"
Ozpin answered in Tanjiro's place. "Before students from any of the four Huntsmen Academies graduate and become full-fledged Huntsmen, they take a secret class during their fourth year which informs students all about demons and how to kill them."
"They are also sent on Demon Slaying missions to gain experience in combatting the demon threat. When they graduate, they have the option of becoming Huntsmen or Demon Slayers. That is one of two ways of joining the Demon Slayer Corps."
Ruby suddenly sped over to Ozpin's desk with sparkles in her eyes. "Demon Slaying missions!? Ooh! Ooh! I want to go on a mission!"
Yang suddenly appeared next to her with equal excitement. "Yeah! I wanna kick demon butt!"
Tanjiro and Zenitsu were quite taken aback by Ruby and Yang's enthusiasm. "I have never seen anyone besides Inosuke who was that pumped about fighting demons." Zenitsu stated.
Inosuke let out a puff of air through the nostrils of his boar mask. "I like their spirit!"
Ignoring Inosuke, Tanjiro addressed the leader of Team RWBY. "Ruby, are you sure? After last night, I mean...you saw first hand how dangerous demons are."
Ruby turned towards Tanjiro. "Yeah...that was pretty scary...But that's why I want to help beat them. So they don't hurt anyone else, that's why I wanted to be a Huntress in the first place."
Yang put an arm around her sister's shoulders and shot Tanjiro a wide grin. "And wherever our leader goes, we go. Right, girls?"
Weiss and Blake nodded with small smiles, but then Blake seemed to realize something.
"Wait." Blake spoke up. "You said that there were two ways of becoming a Demon Slayer. What's the second one?"
Tanjiro and Zenitsu both winced at the memory of their test to get into the corps. Neither wanted to talk about it. Inosuke, on the other hand, didn't seem that bothered.
Ozpin sighed. "Final Selection. That is a test for swordsmen to become Demon Slayers." He began to explain, garnering the full attention of Team RWBY.
"Unlike the the Huntsmen Academies, anybody can attend these tests. Most of the participants are swordsmen trained by retired Demon Slayers for years. Though on some rare occasions, some participants are self-taught."
At those words, Inosuke stood tall and proud. Ozpin continued.
"The test takes place on a remote island not found on any map, that few people know the exact location of. The island of Fujikasane."
"On the island is a mountain with a large forest covering the majority of the area. There is also an portion of the forest surrounded by a perimeter of Wisteria Trees. Inside the perimeter is a demon-infested forest. That is where Final Selection takes place."
Ozpin turns his attention to the girls. "You all remember your initiation exam?"
All four girls had fond smiles at the memory of the day they became a team. "Hah! How could we forget?" Yang asked.
Ozpin smiled and nodded...before his expression turned grim. "I assure you, Final Selection is just as memorable...but not in a good way."
With those words, the cheerful expressions on Team RWBY dimmed. Ruby turned towards Tanjiro who opted to look at the ground.
"To pass Final Selection, you must survive for seven days and seven nights. Once you do that, you are a Demon Slayer."
All of Team RWBY were shocked. "S-Seven whole days!? That's insane!" Weiss exclaimed. "How old are these participants anyway!?"
Ozpin gave his own grimace. "It varies. There have been participants as old as 30...and those as young as 12."
"TWELVE!?" Team RWBY cried out in shock and horror.
"That...That can't be legal!" Blake stated.
Ozpin nodded. "You are correct, Ms. Belladonna. But as Mr. Kamado stated, the Demon Slayer Corps is a shadow organization often not recognized by any government."
Blake looked like she wanted to protest further only for Ozpin to interrupt. "I don't like it anymore than you do, Ms. Belladonna. But I don't make these decisions for the corps, I can only offer an alternative."
"Hey! What are you guys getting all gloomy about!? Inosuke shouted. "It wasn't even that hard! I totally crushed it without a scratch!"
Everyone turned to Inosuke. "I was first up the mountain and the first one down! It was hardly a challenge!"
Zenitsu growled before roughly poking the cheek of the Boar Faunus' mask with his finger. "Oh, GOOD for you, Mr. Impatient! Meanwhile, I was covered in dirt and bruises! And my legs hurt like hell for some reason! I don't even remember HALF of what happened in there! I think I blacked out at some point, I don't know!"
Zenitsu then pointed to Tanjiro. "And Tanjiro looked worse then all of us! He had bandages over his forehead and he was using a large stick as a crutch!"
Ruby gasped at that part, all of the girls looked at Tanjiro with slight concern. If they asked Tanjiro though, he'd tell them that the injuries were the least painful part of Final Selection.
He could still feel that rage he had when that giant hand demon told him how he killed all of Mr. Urokodaki's students, especially when he learned that he killed Sabito and Makomo.
Zenitsu continued his rant. "Then they gave us all weird crows, I got a sparrow for some reason, Tanjiro broke a guy's arm, and we all had to walk ALL the way back home!"
Team RWBY was speechless, the silence was then broken by Yang. "You...broke a guy's arm?"
Tanjiro stood up straight. "I didn't completely break it! And I only did that because he punched a little girl and started pulling on her hair! He was definitely asking for it!" He said with a straight face, causing the Huntresses-in-training to blink.
Tanjiro then lowered his head. "Final Selection was very tough. When I participated, there were over twenty of us. At the end...only five of us made it out alive."
The members of Team RWBY all either gasped and grimaced. Even Goodwitch winced after hearing that.
"Ahem." Ozpin cleared his throat, calling for the attention of everyone in the room. "My apologies, but I think we would all like to move past this...grim topic." Everyone nodded. Ozpin waited for everyone to process everything they heard before continuing.
"Now, you may be wondering how I know so much about the Demon Slayers. The truth is that the leader of the Demon Slayer Corps, Kagaya Ubuyashiki, is actually a colleague of mine."
Tanjiro's eyes widened. "Really!? You know our leader! I've never even met him before!"
Ozpin nodded. "And for good reason, Kagaya is very skilled at keeping his location as hidden as possible. Anyhow, I have one more thing to say before I let you all go."
Ozpin looked over at Team RWBY. "Team RWBY, after your experience last night and the information you have just received, I hope you understand why I must ask that you try to ignore all this demon business and go on with your lives as normal.
The Beacon students were shocked to hear this. "What!? No way! You can't just ask us to pretend this never happened!" Ruby protested, her teammates agreeing with her.
Ozpin sighed. "Yes, I assumed you would say that. But it is much too soon for you to be fully involved with this, you are still just children."
Yang pointed behind her. "Um, hello!? There are like three Demon Slayers behind us that look about as young as Ruby! I don't see anyone telling them to 'go on with their lives'!"
"Ms. Xiao-Long, those three have all received training far tougher than you four had." Ozpin stated.
Tanjiro frowned. "That...and going on with our lives isn't exactly an option for all of us..."
Weiss crossed her arms. "Hah! I seriously doubt that."
Ozpin raised an eyebrow before turning his attention to Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke. "Mr. Kamado, can you and your comrades tell us about your training?"
Inosuke didn't hesitate to start. "I've been training all my life, I grew up in the mountains with boars and become super strong! And I'm a master at sensing my surroundings!"
Ruby's eyes sparkled. "You grew up in the wild! That's so cool!"
Zenitsu went next. "My training...it was pure hell. Every day, I thought I was going to die. And if I tried to escape, Gramps would beat me until my Aura broke...and then beat me even harder."
Ruby paled. "Not so cool..."
Finally, Tanjiro looked around to see everyone looking at him in expectation. "Um...well..."
"I trained with my master, Sakonji Urokodaki. Each day, I would start the morning at about 6:00 AM running down from the nearby mountain while avoiding traps my master set up beforehand. It was really hard at first because the mountain was very tall which made it difficult to breathe."
"After I got used to it, I had to start higher and higher up the mountain where the air was even thinner. I also started running with my sword at some point which threw off my balance and got me caught in a lot of traps."
"At first, the traps consisted of being pelted by small rocks, pitfalls, swinging logs, etc. Eventually, it became throwing knives, spike pits, and swinging maces."
"If I got hit enough times that my Aura broke, Mr. Urokodaki would force me to receive a hundred punches to the gut."
Team RWBY were absolutely horrified as Tanjiro recounted his brutal training. Even Zenitsu was pale.
"After I finally got down the mountain-."
"THERE'S MORE!?" Zenitsu cried out.
"-I would my sword until my arms felt like they were about to fall off. Then I would practice breaking my fall while Mr. Urokodaki throws me to the ground for about an hour."
"Then I would practice standing up under a waterfall to increase my durability which was really difficult, even with Aura. After that, I'd practice my breathing forms. Mr. Urokodaki would watch and punch me in the gut multiple times every time I didn't strengthen my core. And then I would eat, go to sleep, and do it all over again the next day."
"I repeated this process for a whole year. Mr. Urokodaki then said he had nothing more to teach me."
Everyone was silent when Tanjiro supposedly finished. Everyone excluding Tanjiro, Ozpin, Goodwitch, and Inosuke were astonished.
Ozpin spoke again. "So, have-."
"He then told me to cut this HUGE boulder that was like three times my size." Tanjiro started again after taking a breath, unknowingly interrupting the headmaster.
"I was afraid that my sword would break if I tried to cut the boulder, especially since Mr. Urokodaki threatened to break all of my bones if I broke my sword."
"For six months, I repeated my usual training schedule and then tried to cut the boulder, failing each time."
"It was so frustrating. No matter how hard I swung, I didn't even put a single scratch on it even after six months. My skin actually peeled off of my hands from holding my sword." Tanjiro held out his palms, showing off his roughed up hands.
Tanjiro then surprised everyone with a wistful smile. "That's when I met Sabito and Makomo, they're...well, let's just say that they were former students of Mr. Urokodaki." Tanjiro's smile faltered a bit, but not enough for anyone to notice.
"Sabito told me to man up when I headbutted the boulder out of frustration. Then we sparred, and he mopped the floor with me! You should've seen it! He knocked me out with a rising slash to the chin, and he was using a wooden sword!" Tanjiro's eyes beamed in amazement.
"Makomo helped me correct my movements, and for the six months, I challenged Sabito. I lost over and over and over again. But I never gave up. Eventually, I beat Sabito with just a single strike, and I finally managed to cut through the boulder!"
"And after that-."
"ALRIGHT ALREADY! IF I HEAR THE WORDS 'AND THEN' OR 'AFTER THAT' ONE MORE TIME, I'M GONNA FREAKING LOSE IT!" Yang snapped with crimson eyes, causing silence to fall upon the room once more.
Tanjiro blinked. "...I was going to say that my training was complete."
Everyone else besides Inosuke sighed, Yang took a deep breath and calmed herself.
Ozpin waited for a moment before speaking. "So, have any of you girls ever had training as intense as theirs?"
"Are you kidding me!? Of course not!" Weiss said not so calmly.
Blake looked down. "My training was really rough, but not even I can compete with what Tanjiro told us."
Ruby and Yang looked at each other. "Dad and Uncle Qrow were pretty tough on us, but it's nothing compared to what we just heard." Ruby stated.
Yang looked at Tanjiro. "It sounds to me like your master just wanted you dead and you got really lucky."
Tanjiro shook his head. "Actually, we became pretty close over the years, we even send letters to each other from time to time. I can't thank him enough for making me as strong as I am today!"
Ruby then turned back to Ozpin. "But even if they had better training, you could at least give us a chance." She pleaded.
Ozpin looked at Ruby over his glasses. "Miss Rose, the missions that Demon Slayers go on are comparable to your average Huntsman mission. You and your team have yet to reach their full potential here at Beacon."
"While I'll admit, your team is the most talented among the first years, that obviously meant very little last night. There is a reason we only allow fourth years to go on Demon Slayer missions."
Ruby and Yang winced while their teammates looked at them with concern. Tanjiro could tell that they felt guilty since they weren't there to help last night.
"I'm sorry, but it is simply too dangerous for you four to go on missions of this scale..." Team RWBY all looked down at disappointment. Tanjiro felt bad for them, but he knew that this was probably for the best.
"...At least, by yourselves." Everyone, including Goodwitch, was confused by that last part. "That is actually the main reason I invited Mr. Kamado and his friends."
"Huh?" Tanjiro tilted his head.
Ozpin gave a small smile. "I already talked with Kagaya, and we both agreed to let Team RWBY participate in a joint Demon Slayer mission along with Mr. Kamado's group."
"HUUUUUUH!?" Everyone in the room shouted.
Ruby dashed until she was in Ozpin's face with a bright hopeful smile. "You mean it, Professor!"
Ozpin nodded. "As I said, your team shows the most promise among the first years and I believe you deserve a chance to at least prove your skills. We've actually done the same for second years and third years before, you would be the first first-year team to have this opportunity."
Ozpin then looked at Tanjiro. "Of course, this is only if these three young men agree to this arrangement. Otherwise, we'd have to find another group and that may take a bit of time."
Ruby then ran over to Tanjiro and held her hands together in a pleading position. "Please, Tanjiro! We promise not to get in your way!"
Yang smashed her right fist into her left palm. "Yeah! With all of us together, I bet we'd kick some serious ass!"
Tanjiro was unsure, this seemed very dangerous and didn't really understand why Ozpin would agree to this. Since Tanjiro walked into the room, he'd been picking up a strange scent from the headmaster.
There was no malice or deception or anything particularly bad, but something about him said that he wasn't giving them the full story.
He looked into Ruby's desperate eyes and sighed. She seemed so determined, he’d feel bad if he turned down this request.
"Alright, I accept." Tanjiro said before turning to Zenitsu.
Zenitsu started swaying again. "Of course! How could I possibly refuse a request from all these gorgeous ladies?"
Inosuke huffed. "Hmph! As long as they don't slow me down, I'll happily take them as my new minions!"
Ozpin nodded. "Well then, it's settled. Now, we will have to modify your weapons first so that they are fit for demon slaying which will take a few days."
"Mr. Kamado. You and your friends are welcome to stay in one of the empty dorms here at Beacon before you set off on your mission. I suggest you all take this time to get to know each other, learn each other's strengths and weaknesses."
Ruby and Yang were pumped while Weiss and Blake simply seemed happy with the results. "We won't let you down!" Ruby exclaimed.
Ozpin smiled. "Yes, I expect great things from you all. You are dismissed. However, I'd like to speak to Mr. Kamado in private."
Tanjiro pointed to himself. "Me?"
Ozpin nodded. "It will only be a moment."
And with that, Team RWBY along with Zenitsu and Inosuke walked towards the elevator. After the elevator doors closed, Tanjiro was alone with Goodwitch and Ozpin.
Ozpin stared at Tanjiro for a bit before speaking. "Tanjiro Kamado." He paused. "You have...Hanafuda Earrings."
Tanjiro blinked. "Um...yes?"
"You know, I've been looking forward to meeting you for quite some time."
"You have?"
"Yes, Qrow has told me many things about you."
Tanjiro's eyes widened. "Mr. Branwen!? He told Professor Ozpin about me!? Wait...does that mean he's told him about-!?"
"Mr. Kamado." Ozpin snapped Tanjiro out of his thoughts with a look of sympathy on his face. "I am truly sorry for what you've been through, and I promise that Glynda and I have no intention of harming you...or your sister."
Tanjiro gulped as he clutched the straps of his box. He looked at Goodwitch who also had a look of sympathy on her face. Suddenly, he picked up another scent in the room.
"CAW!"
Tanjiro saw the strange crow that summoned him here. "Ah, speak of the devil." Ozpin said as the crow flew around Tanjiro so much that the boy eventually lost sight of him.
A hand soon found itself on the young swordsman's head. "Hey, kid. Long time, no see."
Tanjiro turned around to look at the stranger before breaking out into a wide grin. "Mr. Branwen!"
In front of Tanjiro stood a tall man with messy black hair and a giant sword on his back. Qrow Branwen frowned. "Come on, Tanjiro, I've told you a hundred times to just call me Qrow. 'Mr. Branwen' makes me sound like an old man."