Chapter 6

"It's my loss." Urokodaki sighed, picking up his katana and brushing some dust off of it. Looking back, he looked at the long sword gash that split through the ground. How could a human produce such…. Power? It was demon-like in a sense…..

Tanjiro gaped in shock at the display, one hand on the giant boulder, and another at his cheek, pinching it.

Kage sat on the ground, part of his pants soaked by the icy snow. He thought for a moment. Maybe he should go back in before he gets a cold…. Wait…. There were so many cold-preventing abilities in anime. But then again, sitting in a small wooden hut next to a stove drinking warm tea felt just right…. Winter….

Urokodaki nodded, walking off into the snow, leaving Tanjiro and Kage there awkwardly.

".... Kage-san?" Tanjiro patted the dazed Kage on the shoulder, who was now soaking wet due to him reclining back into the snow.

"Okay….. That was intense….. Tanjiro-san, want to go have some tea?" Kage got up, feeling the chilling sensation of the cold overwhelming him. He really wanted to go inside now…..

(A/N: Just saying, right now, I believe it is around late fall or early winter. In the manga, it seemed this way….)

"But….. What about the boulder?" Tanjiro turned, looking at the giant stone mound, which seemed to mock him.

"You can start tomorrow morning maybe? It's already so late…." Kage said.

"I guess...?" Tanjiro scratched his head, as the two made their way through the forest once more. The sparring between Kage and Urokodaki had obviously shaken him quite a bit, with the great display of power.

Kage wondered, would it motivate Tanjiro? Or would it discourage him?

Urokodaki had obviously played out the battle not only to test Kage but also as a test of Tanjiro's will. Would he falter or would he bloom with even more determined? Probably the latter. Kage knew, both from reading the manga and being Tanjiro's friend, that the guy didn't give up.

Give him some time to recollect his thoughts, and he would be back and brighter than ever.

After walking for a while more, they arrived at the small hut, with Kage quickly lighting the stove, an ethereal, flickering flame coming to light and bringing warmth to the room. Tanjiro settled down, sighing as he plopped down on his light futon.

Stripping, off his wet outer clothes, he settled on a comfortable thick robe, sitting down as tea brewed in the corner, steam trailing into the air slowly.

Looking around, the room was quite sparse, with only two futons, a small Nezuko-containing basket, and a few neat piles of folded clothes and other personal belongings.

Tanjiro was completely out of it, swaying around like a leaf, his eyes blank and stressed. He was probably thinking of how to break the rock with his sword but seemed to be coming up with countless blanks.

Outside, the wind whistled, the sound of leaves ever-present. The Final Selection was coming soon, in a few months, and Kage was looking forward to it. If he were to pass, which he most likely would, Kage would be officially a member of the Demon Slayer Corps. If he tried, he could probably become a Hashira in a few months….

Two Months Later…..

The two disciples stood before the boulder, with Tanjiro, still in his daze, looking at the boulder in extreme concentration.

So far, Tanjiro had knocked on it, punched it, and tried to find any secrets of sorts that made up this boulder.

He had overthought it and now felt like there was some sort of secret to it. As this went on, Kage could feel people watching him and Tanjiro. It was honestly sort of embarrassing to watch or be associated with Tanjiro at the moment. But still, it was good that he still had a fire in his heart.

*Bang!*

Kage was shaken out of his thoughts as Tanjiro slammed his head against the boulder in frustration. Though he was enthusiastic, and hardworking, slicing a boulder in half is still quite irritating. But what was that in the boulder!? A crack? Seriously?

"I need to work harder!!! Harder!!!!" Tanjiro yelled randomly, brushing some hair out of his eyes.

"SHUT UP!!!" Tanjiro jumped in shock, as a loud irritated voice echoed through the landscape.

On top of the rock, out of nowhere, a young teenage boy had appeared. He wore a geometric-hexagon-design yukata, with both green and yellow. Over that, the teen wore a plain white haori, but the most recognizable feature was the fox mask on his face, with a single scar going down its side. It was one of Demon Slayers' most recognizable figures, Sabito.

Jumping down from the boulder, Sabito landed before Tanjiro, staring directly into the shocked Kamado's eyes. They stood there for a few seconds, before Sabito made a move, swinging his wooden katana viciously, aiming at Tanjiro's neck.

They soon engaged in a one-sided exchange, with Sabito demolishing Tanjiro through and through. As those hard blows rained down, Kage hesitated a bit, feeling sort of bad for the teen.

Tanjiro had, after coming to Mt. Sagiri to train, been beaten quite many times indeed….

"You aren't going to help him?" An airy female voice spoke behind Kage.

"Nope," Kage said, leaning against the tree, "Fox mask doesn't seem to be trying to do anything bad."

"Oh?" The presumed girl chuckled again, before she stepped out next to Kage, the two watching the fight.

Compared to the original, Tanjiro was holding up slightly better, managing to dodge some blows, and even go on the offensive a few times. But in the end, Sabito still reigned victorious, knocking the kind boy to the ground.