Demon Slayer : The Silent Journey

Chapter 79: Love Breathing

[3rd POV]

(Mitsuri Kanroki)

It's been nearly three months since she started training to become a Demon Slayer.

She was trained by Rengoku and Seiji with as much care and attention as possible. So her progress had been incredibly fast.

In the canon story, it took her 6 months to complete the final selection but this time, she could've done it in three months.

Seiji had even been thoughtful enough to take her out to hunt weak demons so she was not totally inexperienced in the regards to demon slaying. But this was the first time she had witnessed such a scene.

"HELP ME!!!!"

"RUN!!! RUN!!!! EVERYONE GET AWAY FROM THE EXPLOSIONS!!!"

"Go to the West side of the city!! Just leave everything behind!!"

People screamed in terror. They pushed each other and ran to protect their own safety. In times of danger, people often showed their true nature and she learned today that most people were selfish.

Her heart shrunk in her chest. It felt heavier, it felt denser,

She turned her head towards the top of the building where she had just heard a massive explosion. Her superior body could instinctively sense the demon on top of that.

The enemy was strong. She had not encountered few demons but this was the first time she saw a lower moon. So she was a little shaken.

Demons are the predators of human beings. She was prey, so of course her heart was filled with fear. It was like a deer in the presence of a lion.

"Mister Rengoku," She whispered, in concern.

Rengoku was strong, but she feared that he would get hurt in the face of the inhumane creature. She tried to bury her concern at the deepest part of her heart and turned towards someplace else.

To the direction that was screaming for help.

"I'm coming!!" she yelled loudly before running towards the voice.

When she reached there, she saw a mother and a child being surrounded by three shadow wolves. The first thing that came to her mind was saving them.

And so she moved.

"Flame Breathing : Third Form," she said out loud because it helped her concentrate.

"Balzing Universe!!" She yelled and dashed towards one of the shadow wolves before it could notice her.

Her sword caught on a small yellowish fire and she delivered a vertical slash at the wolf but...

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"What?!"

It did nothing. Her sword was stopped by the dark body of the shadow wolf, all the impact had been absorbed and the creature remained unharmed.

That was not all, she could not pull away. Her sword was stuck - being sucked in by the shadow of the wolves like a black hole.

*Grrrrrr!!!*

The wolf growled and shifted its focus on her. The other two shadow wolves on the other hand were still focused on the mother and child.

"You are a dog but.." Mitsuri cried out, "You are not cute at all!!" And she used to think that all dogs were cute because they were Seiji's favourite animal.

..

She couldn't do it after all.

At the beginning of her training, she was hopeful that she would be able to cultivate her stregth as long as she put in effort.

Her body was special and talented, it could absorb sword techniques like a sponge and her sharp instincts made her a scary opponent in battle, fighting was almost second nature. She also had enough strength and endurance to rival any of the top ranks in the Demon Slayer Corps.

But there was one problem, a very vital problem.

It had something to do with her greatest advantage which was her body. It was both a blessing and a curse.

She said it before but she was incredibly strong since birth, but due to her special body, breathing styles did not work well with her.

She had a problem learning Breathing Styles because her body was too special. Breathing Styles at the end of the day were made for a normal human body, not for someone like her whose body was eight times denser and only had pink muscles.

Maybe Sun Breathing would've been good for her powerful body but normal breathing styles tailored for mortal men? It did not work well.

They were created to help normal human being to achieve supernatural strength but she already had that, so you could see where the problem lies.

It was almost limiting instead.

The only breathing style that helped her was Steroid Breathing which Seiji had taught her. Flame Breathing, no matter how much she tried, was just not suitable for her.

"NOOO!! DON'T TAKE MY SON!!" the mother cried while hugging her child. Mitsuri watched all this with wide eyes that was shaking with worry and helplessness.

She had to do something. No.

She had to save them.

In her most desperate time, Seiji suddenly appeared in her mind. The conversation she had with him a month prior flashed before her.

//////////////

"Maybe I am not suited to become a Demon Slayer after all," Mitsuri said in a defeated tone after failing to execute the first technique of flame breathing for the hundredth time.

Seiji only huffed and chuckled, "Yeah right." he said sarcastically.

"You have only been training for a month, don't give up too easily. Remember it took me almost seven years to become a Demon Slayer,"

"But I don't know what I'm doing wrong," Mitsuri whined, "I see myself making progress in every other aspect other than the most important one!!" which was breathing style.

"Well.." he explained patiently, "You are unique Mitsuri, special even. Of course, the conventional style would not suit you."

"Then what should I do?"

"Other than trying a few more years?" Seiji said and she pouted. She wanted to fight alongside him as soon as possible. He told her that she would become his Tsugoku after she became a Demon Slayer. She couldn't wait a year!!

"When you learn how to fight the battles yourself, you will overcome all your problems," he said and she tilted her head in confusion. So he continued.

"Don't fight with the sword, don't fight with your breathing style, fight with what you have been blessed with. Like I did," he said and got close to her.

He whispered, "The thing is, we both are special compared to other people. To fight with a sword, to fight with a breathing style are for the mundane,"

Then he suddenly pulled back with a mischievous grin, "When you realize that, you will find out that you can trust your gift. You will learn that all these are just shackles and you will make your own path,"

Mitsuri just sat there, not fully comprehending his words but remembering them nonetheless because she knew Seiji rarely spoke nonsense.

..

/////////////

Mitsuri closed her eyes, remembering his words. Then she threw away all of the techniques and the breathing styles she had learned until now.

'I want to help them!!' she screamed in her mind.

*BOOOOOM!!!*

Her body moved to fulfil her desire, her powerful body, her blessing.

What she could not cut using flame breathing, she was easily able to destroy using the sheer strength of her body. When she opened her eyes again, she found herself standing in front of the mother and child,

"I was able to cut it." she said, awed with what she had achieved in the heat of the moment, "But why though?"

She tired to remember how she was able to become so much stronger. Then she realized that her heart was beating rapidly in her chest before it happened.

'My heart,' she grabbed her chest.

'And my body,' she released a huge breath.

....

"Stay back kid, big sister will drive these bad dogs away!!" she exclaimed and her heartbeat increased sharply.

The wolves growled at her for a few seconds before lunging forward.

'Fight with yourself, not with the sword,' she told herself. Then she exploded out with raw strength. Her body moved with great flexibility as she sliced through the wolves like cake.

Her heart pounded in her chest.

She stood up straight while the two wolves disintegrated after being cut. "Thank you Seiji," she mouthed with a smile.

Her body, her gift. When her heart pounded in her chest, she was able to utilize her powerful body to its utmost potential. This was the blessing that was better than any sword.

She did not need further enhancement or techniques to be powerful, she just needed to learn how to utilize her gift as best as she could, like how Seiji utilized his eyes.

"Rapid heartbeats huh." she said to herself while wondering how she could increase her heartbeat even more.

In a few seconds, she smiled because she found the answer.

What was it that would get her heart racing like an engine every single time? The answer was Seiji. The thought of him made her heart pound rapidly in her chest.

*Grrrrr!!!*

More shadow wolves surrounded her but she just closed her eyes, put her hand on her heart and recalled the first time she met Seiji.

She remembered how he caught her while she was dying her hair and most importantly, she recalled how he accepted the engagement. Her heart felt like they were about to burst at that moment.

He had changed her so much. Love had changed her so much.

He taught her how to accept herself, his love for her showed her how to love herself. He had made her stronger, he made her happier.

...

The shadow wolves lunghed at her from all direction.

Her lips curved in a smile, "Love Breathing : First Form,"

She fought with her heart. In the end, that was her greatest blessing, even more so then her strong body.

Because it was with her heart that she was able to love him, it was her heart that he loved. That, was the most important thing in the world.

More than anything else.

"First Love,"

..

..

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Author : I'm not sure what I cooked here either. I follow the canon.

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