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Brutal.

That was all that Tanjiro could describe the following days after his chance encounter with Sabito. Day after day, week after week, month after month, his training continued.

Tanjiro stared forward with determined eyes, his blistered hands wrapped around the tattered hilt of his worn katana. Around him, the trees of the forest stood tall, their leaves dancing as the wind brought in a cool breeze.

The young girl, Makomo, that he had met several days prior stood at his side, carefully watching him with thoughtful eyes. Although they had been training for several weeks now, Tanjiro still hadn't really managed to bridge the gap between them. Their relationship was simply teacher and student, nothing else.

The girl took a sharp breath, her lips parting as she spoke, "Begin."

Tanjiro drew a long deep breath, his lungs expanding as the filled with air. He lunged forward, his sword at his head. As the effects of total concentration breathing started to kick in, he launched off of the floor, jumping several feet into the air.

Total Concentration, Water Breathing...

He swung the sword down in a single fast motion, his body following the blade. The entire world turned on its head in the single, swift movement.

Water Wheel.

As the move finished its complete cycle, Tanjiro flipped himself upright, skidding as his boots made contact with the rough ground. He released his breath, his lungs relaxing as the effects of total concentration breathing dissipated.

His fingers twitched subtly, pain spiking his chest after the adrenaline of the form wore off. Still... even accomplishing something like that, it wasn't enough. He needed to get stronger. Stronger.

As he confided in his thoughts, a sudden noise came from his side, knocking him out of his thoughtful stupor.

Soft clapping...

He turned to the sound; his breath hitched. Standing there was a familiar blue-haired figure, his yellow eyes starting with peaceful serenity at Tanjiro.

"That was pretty impressive."

Tanjiro felt a thin smile creep on his face. "Ah! Rimuru!" He let his arm drop to his side, his blade resting in his hand. He stepped towards Rimuru, embracing him into a hug.

"O-Oi... stop that. You're still sweaty, you know?" Rimuru mumbled, lightly tapping Tanjiro's shoulder.

"A-Ah! Sorry!" Tanjiro quickly backed off, bowing down in apology. He hadn't meant for such a sudden response. It just happened subconsciously.

Rimuru waved dismissively, "It's alright. Don't worry about it." Rimuru dropped a hand into his kimono's pocket, his face dawning a relaxed expression. "Anyway, Tanjiro, you seem to be getting stronger."

"Please, you don't have to compliment me like that," Tanjiro smiled at Rimuru, a blush painting his cheeks. Rimuru was strong. Unbelievably strong. An undefeatable blockade that stood in the way of anybody that wished them harm.

Maybe one day... he would be able to stand at his side.

"Tanjiro," Makomo approached from behind, appearing in Tanjiro's vision. "Your style is still flawed."

The words that left Makomo's lips came with a jolt to Tanjiro's chest. He had completely forgotten that he was still in the middle of training!

"Sorry!" Tanjiro bowed down once more, apologizing to Makomo this time.

Makomo had no reaction, simply staring at Tanjiro's figure with tranquil turquoise eyes. "Tanjiro," she spoke once more.

"Yes?" Tanjiro said, raising his head.

Makomo stepped towards Tanjiro, closing the distance between them immediately. She reached down to the blade at his side and pulled it up, bringing Tanjiro into a fighting stance.

"First," she spoke, "your grip needs to be firmer. Allow it to be flexible, like a stream of flowing water." Makomo adjusted Tanjiro's hands on the hilt.

Tanjiro nodded, his ears taking in every bit of knowledge that he could get.

"Second," Makomo continued, stepping back from Tanjiro, "you're lunging too far when you swing. That causes a loss of momentum, a lack of power in the finishing touch." She brought a hand up to her chest. "When against a demon, you will very rarely ever get a second chance. By ending the fight in one attack, you may live another day."

Her gaze flickered to the rough dirt, a distant look in her eyes. "Remember, train until it kills you. At the end of the day, there's nothing else you can do.

Tanjiro nodded, smiling as he felt confidence begin to rise up within him. All he had to was continue to press on. As long as he did that, everything would be alright.

"I'll try my best!"

~

"Ahhh... I'm so tired," Tanjro sighed, limping as he slowly trailed behind Rimuru.

"Seriously, you really are working yourself to death..." Rimuru spoke, glancing back at Tanjiro. Although Rimuru rarely ever struggled at all, he could recognize the sight of effort. The smell of sweat, the crimson of dried blood, and the bated breaths of fatigue. All of these were clear signs of effort. "If you keep going, you might even be able to beat me," Rimuru joked, holding his head high.

"Stop joking..." Tanjiro muttered. Tanjiro stared at the ground, his boots dragging through the dirt. What would it be like to be strong? Would he be able to protect others? All the sudden, he was overcome with a huge sense of light-headedness. He rubbed his eyes, removing the sudden blurry filter.

The fatigue from the prior training was coming at him at full force.

"Hey, are you alright?" Rimuru approached Tanjiro, wrapping an arm around from his back. Tanjiro felt himself stumble slightly as he forced himself to continue forward. "We could rest here if you want," RImuru said.

"No, I'm alright," Tanjiro said. He clenched his teeth, placing his feet firmly under him. If he wanted to be strong, he wouldn't be able to depend on people anymore. Undoubtedly, later along the line, he would find himself alone, and if he couldn't defend himself without an ally, it was almost a certainty he would suffer an early death. "Let's keep going."

Rimuru stared into Tanjiro's eyes, a concerned expression on his face. "You know," Rimuru continued down the parth, the dirt crunching underneath him, "I know I said that you were getting stronger earlier, but remember, overworking yourself is counter-productive. How about we take a break tomorrow?"

Tanjiro raised a brow. "But Makomo said-"

"Tanjiro," Rimuru turned around, his voice firm. "Please, trust me on this."

"..."

Tanjiro's gaze dropped down to the floor. It was true, he was working a lot recently. He raised his hand to his face, staring down at the multitude of blisters that littered his hand, bright red, some even infected. He clenched his fist, his eyes closing.

He needed to get stronger. The only way to get stronger was training. Hours, and hours, and hours, and hours until he was finally satisfied.

Tanjiro opened his eyes, not meeting Rimuru's gaze.

"Sorry."

Rimuru look down, a small hint of disappointment behind his eyes Rimuru turned on his heel, his gaze turned towards the trees of the forest, "Can't do anything about that then."

A small smile crept onto Rimuru's face, waving goodbye to Tanjiro as he steadily continued down the path. "Well, see you later, Tanjiro!"

Tanjiro can't help but feel that he had just missed an opportunity.

~

"Ahhhhh, what a morning!"

Rimuru sat in the soft grass in the thick of the forest, sunlight slipping in between the cracks of the leaves of the trees that shadowed over the meadow. Although he didn't have to train, that didn't mean that the slime wasn't busy. He still had to manage Tanjiro's extremely harsh training regime.

Rimuru turned his around him, observing his surroundings. To the right... no one was there. To the left... still, no one was there.

Breathing out a sigh of relief, Rimuru jumped up, "Alright then!" In an instant, the feminine blue-haired figure that was lying in the grass transformed into a soft, adorable slime.

"Hmph!" Rimuru softly landed in the grass, his now squishy slime body relaxing in the ground. It had been so long since he was able to simply be in his slime form, just being able to do was incredibly relaxing.

After taking a moment to simply bask in the sun, Rimuru bounced into the shade. Once Rimuru had reached the comfortable shade, he procured an object from his mouth: a small leather-bound book, worn from use over time.

It landed against the ground, flipping open to a page filled with several rushed schedule plans.

"Anyway..." Rimuru wobbled over to the book, his eyes going over the schedule. Originally, he was supposed to be the one that would dictate Tanjiro's training, but now that Sabito and Makomo had arrived, Rimuru seems to have taken a backseat while they took initiative.

He didn't mind, honestly. They definitely had more knowledge on total concentration breathing and water breathing forms anyway.

"...Hey, Raphael?"

"Just wondering, have I gained enough knowledge about this world to properly teach Tanjiro?"

"Right."

Rimuru let out a sigh, his gaze flickering back to the open book. There was so much that he didn't understand in this world, even with the resources available to him. Was this how he felt when he first reincarnated as well?

Rimuru sunk back into the grass, his form melting into something similar to a puddle. Why did he even come here again? Was it because he was simply unsatisfied with his life? He had something important to do?

"Hey, don't pry into my thoughts like that!" Rimuru sprung up, annoyance rising within him.

"Rimuru-san!"

"Oh, shoot!" Rimuru quickly scrambled around for a moment, caught off guard at the sudden new voice. "Wait, hold on a second! Don't come any closer!"

"Hey, Rimuru-san! Are you okay?" From the bushes, a familiar burgundy-haired face emerged, mud and leaves clinging to his face and clothes. His gaze traveled across the clearing, searching for Rimuru.

"Ah! Hey, Tanjiro!" Tanjiro turned to the voice, his eyes landing upon a blue-haired figure laying awkwardly under a tree. Rimuru patted the grass next to him, his movements stiff as his muscles began to relax. "Wanna have a seat?"

"Ah, there you are!" Tanjiro smiled, patting down his dirty kimono. He walked over to Rimuru, his lips curving into a small smile. He slowly brought himself into a seated position, painfully aware of his aching joints due to harsh training.

Rimuru gazed at Tanjiro as he got comfortable, his eyes going over his condition.

Just from one glance, one could tell that Tanjiro had been through hell. Dirtied and tattered, sweat beaded on his forehead. Yet he still wore a smile, his expression relaxed and calm. Even his hair, his once clean burgundy hair, had grown messy and long, spilling over the base of his neck.

"Hey, Tanjiro," Rimuru said. "Did you already start your training?"

"Oh yeah, of course," Tanjiro spoke, his brow scrunched as if something like that was obvious. A cold wind crossed their paths, drawing a chill to Tanjiro's exposed skin. "Ah... It's breezy today," Tanjiro noted, shrugging off the shiver that he felt rising up in his spine.

"Oh, yeah!" Tanjiro's eyes widened, his demeanor immediately becoming more excited. "Rimuru, I have some great news!"

"Oh, really? What's that?"

"So, after I had finished training with Makomo earlier today, she had informed me that Sabito was willing to go for another mock battle!"

Rimuru had no immediate reaction, his ears simply taking in the sudden information. A mock battle? But... wouldn't that mean that Sabito finally acknowledged Tanjiro as a man?

Rimuru smiled, gazing deep into Tanjiro's eyes. "Oh, really? That's great!"

Through all of the harsh training that Tanjiro had to suffer, all of that could finally come to a close today. Just thinking about it made Rimuru feel excited for him. He couldn't imagine how it must feel to finally reach such a goal.

Rimuru let his arms fall comfortably to his side, his thoughts beginning to race as he fully realized the situation. Tanjiro, since he had began his quest, had been struggling. Clawing through the dirt to finally achieve the strength that was required to reach the bare minimum. Yet, in Rimuru's case, he was summoned with power, granted abilities that would help him progress with rarely any problems.

"...Hey, Tanjiro," Rimuru said.

"Yes?"

Rimuru stared into Tanjiro's eyes. Tanjiro's eyes widened as he noticed the serious glint behind the golden windows.

"Are you sure that you're ready?"

Tanjiro flinched, taken aback by the sudden question. His gaze dropped down to the ground, his fingers fidgeting as his brain processed the question.

After a moment, his eyes hardened. He brought his head back up, staring right into Rimuru's eyes.

"Yes!"

Rimuru grinned, straightening his posture. "Well, if you say so..." He patted Tanjiro on the back. "Anyway, do you think it's time that we get going?"

"Hm, yeah, that's probably a good idea. Would you like to grab some lunch?"

"Hey... you do know that it's still morning... Right?"

~

Tanjiro's fingers wrapped around the tattered hilt of his blade, worn by constant use over two of the most painful years that he has ever had the displeasure of experiencing.

He stood in the clearing, his face hardened as he faced his opponent; the same man that had picked him up from the dirt, and refined his skill to the best of his ability.

Rimuru stood at the side, Makoto with him, his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes, although holding a hind of worry, carefully watching the confrontation.

"After six months, finally," Sabito drew his blade from his hilt, sharp and most definitely real, "you have the look of a man."

Sabito extended his blade in front of him, getting into position.

Tanjiro tightened his grasp around his blade, his blisters burning as they rubbed against the hilt, but that didn't matter. All of his training, all of the time spent refining his body to the absolute limits. All of that was just building up for this one moment, where he would finally prove himself ready to defeat the demons. "Today's the day I win!"

Tanjiro took in a long, deep breath, filling his lungs with painfully cold air. Within moments, he felt the effects of total concentration breathing build up inside of him, pushing his body beyond his limits.

Head-on battles were simple. Whoever's stronger and faster wins.

Tanjiro's gaze hardened.

The two charged towards one another, vanishing into a blur. Time itself seemed to have slowed down at that moment, the wind battering down against the both of them as they traveled at speeds that could never be achieved by normal means.

Sabito held his sword high, ready to swing it down upon the burgundy-haired boy.

And at that moment, those few seconds of battle, the fight that Tanjiro had spent two years suffering for ended in an instant.

Tanjiro brought his blade down on Sabito, slicing clean through the fox mask that had adorned his face. His blade reached Sabito first. At that moment, he was stronger. He was faster.

The two stood still for a moment, the forest silent as if all of the creatures had decided to settle down just for the battle.

Then, Sabito's mask split, falling into two separate pieces that hung from his neck.

Behind that mask, his scarred face was revealed.

The two stared at each other, locked in a stalemate as their brains processed the conclusion of the battle. Tanjiro flinched, his eyes traveling over to Sabito's face.

Sabito's lips curved into a smile, compassionate eyes staring deep into Tanjiro's. Yet, behind that smile, there was a deep sadness. A proud feeling, like a parent to a child, but a sense of loss as well.

"Tanjiro..." Makomo spoke.

Tanjiro turned to Makomo, still in a daze after the battle.

Makomo smiled, "You did great. Don't forget what you just did." Makomo tilted her head, a resolve brimming within her expression. "Win, okay, Tanjiro?"

"Beat that guy, too," she added.

And just then, the fog overlapped with their figures, Sabito and Makomo disappearing within the thick mist. Tanjiro stood still; his body unmoving. His nose twitched, no longer picking up the scent of the two fox twins.

They had disappeared.

"Hey, Tanjiro," a voice called from behind Tanjiro.

Tanjiro turned around, his eyes still wide and his heart still beating rapidly. Rimuru approached Tanjiro calmly, his hands nestled within his kimono pocket. "You did it, Tanjiro," Rimuru spoke, a smile appearing on his face.

He did it? He did what?

Tanjiro tilted his head, turning to look around him. His sword, which he was sure had slashed Sabito's mask...

...had sliced through the boulder.