He raised his hand in greeting.
They didn't seem to react.
He awkwardly put his hand down, thankful that no one saw that. Huginn had already gone to find a place to warm up, otherwise he would have doubted he could ever live that down.
Akuru walked deeper into the town, towards them. He could finally see the town in a closer setting.
The buildings pressed close together here, narrow streets winding between wooden homes whose roofs sagged beneath the weight of snow. Icicles clung to the eaves like teeth, some of which shattered on the ground below where the wind had knocked them loose. Doors were shut tight, shutters closed, but not barricaded.
He heard the slight shuffling of feet escape some of the homes he passed, but the noise barely reached him through the wind. At least it let him know that there were people alive and moving inside the homes. It just looked like no one wanted to leave the protection of their residence.
He could work with that.
Ahead, the three new slayers continued to stand in wait.
The now what looked like peach-haired boy, when he got closer, noticed him first.
His head snapped up, eyes sharpening as his gaze locked onto Akuru's approach. He straightened instantly, excitement and focus flashing across his expression in equal measure. Without taking his eyes off Akuru, he nudged the boy beside him with a sharp elbow and jerked his chin forward, pointing unmistakably in Akuru's direction.
The dark blue-haired boy followed the gesture a heartbeat later. He stiffened, posture snapping into place as he studied the approaching figure with wide, attentive eyes. But Akuru didn't miss the excitement that sparked in his eyes.
The girl turned last. She didn't startle or tense; she simply looked over, head tilting slightly as her gaze settled on Akuru. Snow drifted past her dark hair, catching briefly before sliding away. Her eyes lingered, almost with a dreamy stare. To Akuru, it looked like she was staring past him.
Akuru stopped a few paces away. Firmly inside the roof, to stop further snowfall messing up his hair.
The snow could be heard falling on the sheet of metal above them all, thick and never ending.
"You must be Kobayashi-san," the boy in the white haori spoke out first. His voice was mix between serious and calm.
Akuru inclined his head, "That would be me," he let the words hang before he continued, "Kobayashi Akuru, what are your names, if I may ask?"
They stood in a loose semicircle, the three huddled close for warmth.
"Sabito," the boy who had spoken first spoke out again, stepping forward with a crisp formality that seemed rehearsed, "Tomioka Giyu," the dark-haired boy added, mirroring the motion but with a gentler angle. The last offered a softer nod, almost a bow, "I'm Makomo," she murmured. Her voice moved through the air like a small bell, clear and unhurried.
Akuru, with a smile, gave his reply, "Pleasure to meet you all."
Sabito was the first to speak after they introduced themselves, his serious tone cutting through the hush, "We're all Water Breathing swordsmen," he said, and there was no need for further explanation. Water breathing was so common that every demon slayer knew what to expect, "We trained under Urokodaki-sensei," Sabito added quickly, honour practically oozing of his words. He saw Makomo stand taller in pride.
He nodded in recognition.
Akuru had heard of Urokodaki Sakonji before, which was surprising since normally he was rather ignorant of the notable people in the corps. Urokodaki was a former water Hashira who was famous for his teaching. That man had definitely earned his reputation. He was rather excited to see the disciples of a former Hashira perform.
"We arrived earlier today," Giyu said. His voice was a bit louder than necessary, considering how close everyone stood. He seemed to realize that he was a bit louder than expected as a sheepish smile crossed his face, and his next words were noticeably quieter, "We decided to gather some information, while we waited."
Akuru nodded with a smile, "That's good. What have you figured out up till now?"
Makomo folded her hands into the sleeves of her robe and let her gaze drift. "Everyone is stuck inside their homes," she said softly, "They don't want to brave the weather."
Sabito's voice tightened, "They've run out of coal," he said bluntly, "The deliveries stopped before the storm set in. And no one wants to be the one to fetch more because-" he stopped, the word failing him for lack of adequate force.
Giyu continued of where Sabito paused, "No one wants to risk it. Not in this cold. They said the storm came on faster than anyone expected. People closed their doors and hoped the next day would be better."
"But that better day never came," Akuru whispered as he looked back at the town that surrounded him.
Each sentence from them was a brick in the wall of a picture he was assembling. Everything described wasn't too rare in an ice storm. But they all described conditions ripe for something to take advantage of.
"The houses are going to just get colder," he said, the words leaving his mouth with slow certainty, "If they burn through what little they have. Then..."
Makomo's eyes darkened slightly with the soft brown of worry, "They're rationing now, but the stores were nearly empty to start. Some houses are getting close to not being much better than the night outside. The oldest and the very young are the worst off."
Sabito's jaw clenched, "We knocked on doors," he said, "And we called out. Most didn't answer. Those that did only opened a crack, just enough to say they didn't know anything, then shut it again."
Akuru's breath clouded in the air. He pictured the inside of those houses. Fear moved people to preserve what they had; fear kept them from risking the only slender lifelines they might find.
"Anything else?" he asked, not impatient, merely thorough.
They traded looks. Before Makomo's answer came like a small tide.
"No tracks leading us to anything," she said, "No signs of demon activity at all. We doubt we would find anything before the snow just covered the evidence."
"We haven't explored too much outside the town yet," Sabito said, "The storm keeps getting worse by the hour. So we've been stuck inside the town as well, waiting for you to show up."
Akuru absorbed it all, "The weather gets worse by the hour," he murmured to him self, "By the looks of it, even if a demon doesn't show up most people here will end sunset tomorrow in tragedy. It looks like we might have to face a patient demon," he looked at the three rookies a bit troubled, a demon that was patient was most definitely dangerous and little bit above their pay grade for a first mission.
Giyu's eyes found Akuru's. There was a straightforwardness in the younger boy that was both eager and disciplined, "What do you think we should do?" he asked.
Akuru looked at the three of them in turn. All three of them looked ready.
He had been mistaken to worry about them; each one was a demon slayer, and they didn't need to be coddled. They would learn through experience. Akuru would be there to help if anything really went wrong, but until then, underestimating these rookies would be unfair to them.
They needed to act quick before the people suffered due to their half-hearted efforts. He would have to fully put his belief into them.
I mean they were super rookies. They could handle it.
"We gather information," he said finally, "And we do it carefully. You've gathered helpful information about the town, so now it's time to split up and search around outside the town. If a demon is lying in wait, it won't be inside the town," he thought about his first mission, but he knew that type of demon was far to different from what they had here, his intuition told him this demon would be outside the town, "Search for any large structure that could hide someone from the sunlight, if this demon exists then it has most likely been making the storm stronger from nearby, so don't head to far out. Meet here back before visibility gets too bad, don't explore the structure by yourself, just note it," He let those last words sit between them.
Sabito's eyes flashed, "Split up?"
"Split up," Akuru agreed. "Pairs. It's faster and safer. You cover more ground with less risk. Two people check the routes that would have been used for the last deliveries. See if there are any clues or hints you can find," his tone left no room for argument.
Sabito nodded with tight-lipped approval, "Makomo and I can do that."
"Alright then Tomioka and I will check the perimeter roads and the mountains outside the town," Akuru continued, "Remember look for everything. Be it tracks, or signs the storm has been manipulated, or places where the snow behaves oddly," he took a deep breath, "If you find signs of anything… make sure your safe before you note it. If you're in trouble, retreat and mark the path back."
Makomo's small smile flickered, "Be careful," she said simply, "The snow listens."
Akuru's eyes lingered on her for another heartbeat. Then, he laughed, loud enough that it echoed around the town near them. He didn't know why but it was just such an odd inclusion to the conversation that it just came of as funny. That simple odd phrase had alleviated a lot of the tension in the environment. The other two guys chuckled and looked a little bit calmer after Akuru laughed, but Makomo just tilted her head in confusion.
"Alright, we can head out. You stay close," he told Giyu as the four split up, "If you see anything weird, tell me, alright."
The boy nodded.
"I will," Giyu answered, hand resting on his sword hilt. His face looked smaller against the wide field that opened before them, but his eyes were steady.
Akuru took a breath and stepped beyond the town's edge with Giyu by his shoulder. The wind hit them fuller now, a blade to their chests, and snow rose to meet them like a living thing. The world narrowed to the path they made with their feet. Everything else was nearly opaque under the white curtain of snow.
Behind them, the village shrank, a small cluster of warmth and fear, its lights dimmed and its people unseen. Akuru felt it in his bones; the land itself was not ordinary tonight.
The snow swallowed their trail as they went, and the hush deepened, heavy now with intent.
They pushed on, boots cutting clean arcs through the deepening drifts. Snow showering them completely without pause. Every now and then, a gust would steal the breath from their lungs and leave a sharp ringing behind the eyes, the sort of physical shout that made you remember you were alive.
Giyu mirrored Akuru without speaking at first. He walked close enough that Akuru could glance sideways and see the boy's face, the set of his jaw, the steadying breath between steps.
"Visibility's getting worse," Giyu said finally.
Akuru inhaled, letting the cold fill his lungs, and the thought settle, "It is," he agreed, "Make sure you watch your feet."
Giyu nodded. Snow stung at his lashes, "Yes."
They moved exploring for any major landmarks for some time, their motion a steady metronome beneath the gale. The land around them was blank and white, a monotone relieved only by the black of skeletal trees and the occasional rock outcrop. The wind bit and then died down in small, angry spasms, giving them moments of almost-deceptive quiet when the world seemed to hold its breath.
Akuru let silence lie between them for a while, feeling rather than pushing the conversation. It was not that he had nothing to say; it was that talking just hurt. It was that cold.
"Your group's Final Selection has gotten rather famous," he said at last, soft and almost conversational. Normally, he would never ask any other slayers about their final selection, but a group that was famous for having no one pass away seemed to him like an exception.
Giyu's step faltered a fraction. He seemed relieved by Akuru's willingness to speak.
"It was… hard," Giyu said after a pause. The words were simple, but they carried weight, "We grouped up early," he continued, "Sabito, Makomo, me… and another Water Breather named Murata."
Akuru glanced at him, attentive.
"The first demon we encountered," Giyu said quietly, "was a female demon. She had a crazy long tongue. Way faster than I expected," his fingers flexed unconsciously, as if remembering the pain, "I didn't react fast enough. She caught me across the chest. I couldn't breathe. All I remember is falling."
The wind howled louder, filling the space he left behind.
"Sabito killed her," Giyu went on, "Clean and immediate," there was no pride in his voice when he said it, only fact, "He told Murata to take care of me. I was barely awake to say anything."
Giyu swallowed.
"Then someone screamed."
Akuru said nothing.
"And Sabito ran without another word," Giyu said, "Didn't hesitate. That's just how he is." A faint, conflicted smile crossed his face, "Makomo stayed with Murata and me. She kept talking, even when I drifted in and out. She kept anything and everything away from us. She helped plenty of people while keeping us two safe," he began to smile, "I remember she kept whispering tips like riddles. 'You're leaning again,' she'd say. Or, 'Don't fight the pain. Float on it.'. I don't know if they were tips or just phrases to keep my mind off my injury."
The snow thickened, visibility narrowing to only a few steps ahead of them.
"That was basically my experience during the Final Selection. Just me recovering from the first demon we met," he let out an annoyed snort, "Us three didn't see Sabito once until the end of the Final Selection, only hearing other people were getting saved by him on a daily basis. So not much to talk about honestly."
Akuru listened in silence, always searching for any clues while looking attentive, not to look disrespectful.
Akuru nodded once, "You all trained together?"
"Yeah," Giyu said, and for the first time, warmth touched his voice. "I was the last one to join Urokodaki-sensei."
The name carried weight even in the storm.
"He trained all of us," Giyu went on, the memories coming more easily now, a faint smile flickering, "Cold rivers. Frozen mornings. Breathing until our chests burned. Urokodaki-sensei never once raised his voice, but you could definitely feel his disappointment like gravity."
Akuru exhaled slowly with a chuckle.
"He was proud when we passed," Giyu said, "Even when I didn't think I deserved it. He said we each carried the Water Breathing legacy now," he looked over to Akuru in confusion, "I didn't really understand what he meant but after that he did talk to me privately. How it wasn't about strength alone, but responsibility that made a slayer. So I mean if I had to guess that was probably why he was proud of me?"
"You should be proud," Akuru said simply.
Giyu glanced at him, surprised, then looked away. Snow clung to his lashes, "Maybe," he admitted, "I mean, we didn't lose anyone. There's definitely pride in that."
"Exactly, that matters," Akuru replied, "And you were apart of that. Even if it isn't obvious to you."
Giyu simply nodded, lost in his thoughts.
They walked on as the storm thickened, boots crunching, breath steaming. Giyu spoke less after that, but when he did, it was about pleasant memories about the people he was close to. From Sakonji's lessons, to Sabito's uncompromising sense of justice, then to Makomo's soft-spoken guidance that motivated them through situations.
Akuru also begin to describe stories of his own. Giyu was rather excited to learn about any missions that Akuru had been on. He was extremely excited when he learnt about Akuru's rank. Almost ran out of breath in the cold after he finished excitedly screaming about how cool that was.
The march between them itself became a rhythm against the cold, words and memory keeping fear at bay as the snow continued to erase their trail behind them. Both of them talking as much to keep warmth in their cheeks.
Finally, after what felt like an hour but might have been less, time really didn't seem to pass normally in weather like this. They came to a place where the low cliffs curled inward like the mouth of a reef. Narrow rock faces jutted from the snow, black and slick, and between them a maw opened. A cave, it was half-swallowed by drifts and exhaling a breath of air that smelled faintly of wet stone and something older, colder. Snow whirled into its opening and vanished, like water down a waterfall.
Akuru stopped a pace from the entrance, hand tightening on his sword. The storm was pressing on his back; the cave seemed to drink in the wind. A hush fell there that had a different character than the open white. It was deeper, as though the world's breath itself awaited what they might find.
Giyu drew closer to him, peering into the dark. Even with the dim light, the cave's interior looked like a tunnel cut toward depth and shadow. Stalactites clung to its mouth like teeth; the ground sloped down into a throat of stone and ice.
"We came for answers," Akuru said, voice low. He felt as if the final piece to their questions was pressed against his ribs, "This might be where we get them."
Giyu's grip on his sword tightened, small knuckles whitening. He looked up at Akuru, and in that look was a clear, youthful trust.
"What about going back and reporting it to the other two?"
Akuru looked at the rapidly fading sky light, "Not enough time to get back to the town and come back to investigate. My crow stayed in the town. Is your crow nearby?"
Giyu looked out into the snow fall before he whistled as loud as he could into the wind, "My crow, Kanzaburo, should be nearby. What do you need?"
Akuru looked to the cave. The longer he spent here, the more ominous the cave felt. It fit everything that they were looking for. He could feel it; they had to investigate this place.
"Have your crow find the other two and get it to lead them here. I'm feeling a bad vibe from this specific cave."
"Understood," Giyu's crow finally came to him as he spoke out. It looked extremely annoyed, flying in this weather, but it was still ready for what Giyu had to say.
As Giyu told his crow what it needed to do, Akuru moved closer to the cave's entrance, hand on sword. He knew that they had to act now before later. Waiting till tomorrow to explore this was risking the people of the town. They needed a break.
"Ok, I'm ready," Giyu told him as he moved closer, his crow flew back into the now near raging-storm like snowfall.
"Alright, let's go."
They stepped forward. Snow muttered at their boots as the cave swallowed the sound. The wind tried to follow them, but the hollow rock walls took it in and softened it. Each step forward was step into the unknown.
As they went deeper, the world behind them narrowed to light and sound, then slipped away entirely. The hush of the cave wrapped around them like an answer waiting to be heard.
Whatever was in this cave, it would be found today.
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Authors Note:
Hey there everyone!
As you guys can probably tell, I decided to retcon Makomo to be apart of the Giyu and Sabito duo!
I already had plans for her, so having her die of before the story even started would be kinda lame now.
Please tell me if it came of weird or not?
As always I hope you all enjoy the chapter!
:)
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