Amare Flos (Demon Slayer)

The beautiful sunset, several minutes of utmost beauty slowly transitioned into the dark night, several hours of utmost fear. Were the gasps of awe at the beauty of the sunset worth the screams that bled through the night?

The sun set on the horizon, the snow glowed a tint of warm orange as it reflected the sunlight. Two young children slid down a low slope just under a gate that reads, " Mount Hubay Village" laughter somewhat echoed as they walk and waved goodbye to residents. In any other world the sunset was a warm feeling, a good feeling. But not here. At sunset, every person knew... Night time was the time of demons. These children seemed to be oblivious to the dangers as they laughed and walked down the steep yet safe mountain path. They continued to chat to each-other as they made their way to the train station, it was late but the train that took them up and down the mountain ran the whole day and night.

"Hey... look at this!" The small girl tugs on the boy's arm, seemingly leaning down to observe a flower. Her innocent eyes flashed a soft hue of pink. Her smile so radiant as she admired the beautiful flower, a light blue colour to the flower, it was odd, but that only increased it's beauty.

"Soo pretty!" She giggled as her cheeks flush due to the cold. The boy had little interest in the flower, he mostly wanted to get home, besides, every adult had told them not to stay out too long. Especially after sunset.

"Asumi, let's not spend too much time out here, your parents must be worried" The boy shuddered as he tried to pull her up, and out of her flower state, the sun was only minutes away from disappearing beneath the horizon. In other words, there was only mere minutes before the demons would crawl out whatever gruesome caves they resided in and hunt humans.

"But Ali! This is a special flower, I've been looking for it forever" she groaned and pulled out a big book from her large bag. 'Flowers and More!' Pointing to a specific page, Amare Flos, Love Flower. It shined a cool blue colour, and they seemed to grow and sprout in pairs. This was a very special flower.

Although previously showing no interest, Ali was intrigued by this particular flower as Asumi showed so much excitement for them, maybe she'd like it if he brought a bunch for her? Asumi reached down and pulled off her thick snow gloves, her hand shocked by a sudden cold as she dug the flower out from the root. The root connecting the two flowers was quite narrow. She held it out for Ali, holding one stem, she signalled him to hold the other. Ali did as he was signalled, he gulped and held the other stem. A bizarre feeling rushed through both of them, a rush of happiness, the flowers glowed with excitement, shining with a blue glow. Both the children couldn't help but smile from ear to ear as they both split the flower. As the two flowers separated, the flowers brust in brightness. Their petals rushed with excitement as a vivid light blue glow erupted out of the flower. The flower's dimmed once again.

"Woah.." Ali let our a breath with amusement as he held the flower. Asumi read the book and looked up at Ali smiling. She pointed at the book.

It read:

"A flower that does not die, does not waver, does not wilt or tilt, a flower that is kept alive by not water or sunlight, but by love."

The night sky glowing with stars as the children proved to be stars of their own world. Their bond was now intertwined with these two flowers, this flower had basically confirmed both of their feelings for each other. Their innocent love lit up just like the bright moon, which watched over the both of them with a gleaming pride. The brightness of the moment was immediately lost as the harsh wind blew.

Ali got a chill down his spine as a sudden noise came from above them. A disfigured silhouette, giggling with a deep voice.

"A... A..." Ali struggles to get words out of his mouth. Asumi looked up with confusion. Suddenly, breaking out with a grimacing laughter, the demon drops down. A horrendous memory engraved into both the innocent children's memory, the demon vivid with grotesque features, in the place of arms it had legs, and in the place of legs it had arms. Severe thorns bursting out of its limbs, on its forehead a single mouth lay smiling and laughing, and the eyes were placed parallel on the demon's chin. The laughter of the demon only got more and more hysterical as it stared into the children's eyes.

The children stood still in shock. Paralysed with fear, the snow started to twirl, a wind starting to pick up. The demon's forehead contracted as the mouth opened wide.

"Why... hello..." A voice that suited such a demon exited the mouth on its forehead. The dried lips over pronouncing the words. As if it was a new language to it. Very slowly, Ali exchanged a glance with Asumi. Without any speech they both bolted in the same direction, their lungs filled with cold air and their hearts thumping out of their chests. The demon's fingers grasped at the cold snow and it dashed forward, the cruel laughter echoed through the isolated mountain as it chased its next meals. Asumi and Ali both frightened out of their wits. Their veins filled with adrenaline, fear pulsed through their body with every step, their hearts sinking as they heard the gut-wrenching laugh once again.

Steps felt slowed by the thick snow, as they both dashed with a brutal sense of despair, a desperate urge to survive. They knew the mountains relatively well, although the cold wind rushed into their eyes as they ran through a spatially scarce forest. Tears flooded the eyes of Asumi. The demon chased behind them, digging at the ground and pushing forward with its bloodstained fingers.

A single thought rushed through Ali's mind.

"We're going to die!" He lets out a scream of fear. "Help! Someone please! Help!" His voice is lost in the thick snow and the cold air of the mountains.

Like a saving grace, from the fog faced in front of them, a glint of a katana and a white haori dashed over the children. The figure shouted something but it was inaudible to both the children. Stopping in their tracks they looked behind as the figure moved the sword with grace, aimed at the demon barreling towards them. In a flash, a quick slash aimed at the head of the demon cut through the neck quickly. The demon's cursed head rolled and fell upon Asumi's feet, to which she screamed and kicked the head. Ali was in awe, as he got a clearer image of the figure. A man, with rough scars across his face, white hair flowing wildly from his scalp, a jacket style of haori showcasing his chest, a sword that had a pattern of waves painted green across the blade. He turned towards the two children with a cold glare.

"Who... who are you?" Ali cleared his throat and asked with a shaking voice. The man's wide eyes met Ali's, the man's eyes looked bloodshot, and angry. Ali's heart still pumped with blood, the intensity of the chase hadn't left him. Ali was just extremely thankful that this man had intervened and killed the demon. Ali had never seen anything like it before, in a world full of people who were so fearful they packed up their shops an hour before sunset just to avoid demons. There were people like this man who faced the horrid creatures with no fear? Ali's eyes were glued to the glimmering sword of the man.

"Sanemi Shinazugawa. The Wind Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps. Don't tell anyone about this incident. Got it?!" The proclaimed Hashira said with a rude tone as he shouted. He found it completely unnecessary to tell these kids anything about him. He turned away, he had more places to be. More disgusting demons to exterminate.

"Demon Slayer Corps? They have a whole group of people who kill demons? Cool!" Ali's face lights up, as if he didn't just witness a traumatising demon encounter. Sanemi's head turned towards the child who just spoke of the Corps in such an exciting way. Asumi looked nervously as Ali, sweat dripped from her chin, the moment had scared her into a screaming mess. She took a deep breath and walked over to Ali and tugged at his jacket sleeve. Ali seemed to ignore this and walked up to the Hashira. Ali had a brand new motive in his mind. After witnessing the sheer bravery and courage of the Hashira, he had an undying motivation to be just as strong. So without any other thought.

"Train me! Train me to fight demons like you!" Ali beams with excitement. It was very sudden, a very young boy asking to be a Demon Slayer wasn't a sight the Hashira saw every day. The sheer innocent determination that Ali showcased was one in a million. Still the Hashira didn't see any benefit in taking in a young child in as a student.

The Hashira seemed to have a look of annoyance on his face as he sheaths his sword. He turned away again and took a step forward.

"Please!"Ali begs at the Hashira's feet. Ali was desperate for this once in a lifetime opportunity. He couldn't explain it, but he felt as if this was what he was supposed to do. For his whole life, he had no idea what kind of adult he would want to be. He had no parental figures to look up to, his parents had died when he was young. The closest thing he had was Asumi and her family. Ali was taken care of the villagers, but none of them were like parents to Ali, he simply just lived his own life. He had finally grasped what he wanted to do. he wanted to be a strong adult. One without any fears, like his parents who travelled across continents. Ali was holding onto the Hashira's leg making sure he didn't depart.

Much to his annoyance, Ali's begging wouldn't stop. After 5 minutes of trying to retreat, the offer was taken. Ali looked at Asumi, who had a worried look on her face. Asumi completely disapproved of Ali's goal. Why would he want to leave? And so suddenly? She pulled Ali aside, and tried to convince him out of it but Ali's stubbornness was unmatched.

"Ali... You're going to leave?" She choked on her words, with great sorrow in her tone. She was confused on how suddenly he had decided on this dream to become a demon slayer. She cared greatly for Ali, how would she know he was safe? That he was still doing good?

Giving her a look of pride, he held up his hand with the blue flower in his hand. She managed to return a small smile and held hers in her hand. Asumi took a deep breath, she only wanted the best for Ali, she looked up and wiped her tears. Ali looked back at the Hashira.

After returning Asumi to her house under the mountains, she watched as Ali and his new found teacher disappeared into the cold mist of the village's outskirts. Ali's training begun then, while Asumi stayed at the village working for her family.

Ali and Asumi wouldn't meet for another two years, in these two years, Ali grasped and learnt the Wind Breathing techniques. However, the Wind Hashira didn't dare let him touch a sword til he completely perfect the breathing techniques. At the very core of every demon slayer was Total Concentration Breathing, a form of breathing that would improve blood flow, heart capabilities and recovery for users. This breathing form was the very reason why demon slayers had inhuman abilities, it improved speed, strength and recovery. There were several derivations of the breathing style, including Water Breathing, Fire Breathing and many more derivations. These breathing styles would help demon slayers improve their strength and form into attacks, each breathing style came with its own strengths. Wind Breathing was the style Ali was learning, Wind Breathing was a primarily offensive and aggressive style, it suited those with extreme endurance, able to beat to a pulp but still stand. Ali was Sanemi's very first student, so he made sure Ali would be as powerful as possible, training every aspect he thought was important. He would train endurance by conditioning Ali with a stick, stamina by making him run laps, strength by weight training. If a Hashira decided to teach a student, it was most likely that the student would take over as Hashira in the future. Sanemi was fully aware of this and wanted to fuel Ali's powerful determination with this idea. By a year into the harsh training, Ali had a powerful passion to reach that Hashira title.

Ali and Asumi thought of each other just as much as the other, they both had kept their flowers close to themselves. They were bound by so much more than love. They were bound together by destiny.

On a fateful day, Asumi walked along the middle of a beautiful stretch of land, densely populated with flowers. This was her family's flower field, they had a rather successful flower business that was extremely popular in their village. As she walked, the fragrant smell of all the flowers flooded her nose, the wind would carry the flower's smell all across the town, the vibrant flowers shone in the sunlight that beamed down from the sky. Asumi slowly reached into her hair, a slight smile stretched across her face as she felt the stem of a certain flower. She pulled a flower out of her hair, Amare Flos, she had found a habit of tying the flower into her hair. The flower wasn't any bigger than her palm so it didn't act as an interference. The flower's poem was true, even after two years, the flower hadn't dulled a single bit, it still remained young and strong. It meant Ali and Asumi still loved each other. Asumi held it close to her heart as she looked to the sky. She sighed, the last two years had been quite boring without Ali. She missed him dearly. Just as she started to reminisce on past memories, her mother's voice called out for her. Most likely another chore, Asumi's fourteenth birthday was just last week, and with each year the chores kept building and building. Asumi was becoming more prevalent in the business, after all, as the only child of her parents she was bound to inherit the business. Asumi turned and slowly put the flower back into her hair and froze. Right next to her mother stood Ali. Asumi's eyes widened and she raced across the flower field to her small house. Her hair ran with the wind as she dashed the fastest she ever had in her life. Her heart thumped as she wrapped her arms around Ali.

Ali and Asumi caught up, they spoke about so many topics they could barely stop. Ali informed her about how his training was going, and how he would take the Final Selection test in three years. Asumi commented on how different he looked, of course Ali bragged about how much stronger he had gotten. They laughed and chatted for hours, Asumi hadn't felt this happy in so long, the blue sky and vibrant field of flowers watched fondly upon the two talking. Asumi couldn't help but notice how immensely joyous he looked when he spoke about his training. Ali passionately talked about how he had just got his first sword, although it was wooden it was a start. She couldn't explain how happy it made her to see him happy. After a few hours, reluctantly Ali looked back at his mentor and back at Asumi. He had to go. Asumi didn't want Ali to go, they had one final chat. Asumi wanted to say something very important.

"I... want to be a demon slayer too..." Asumi whispered so quietly Ali almost didn't catch it, as she slowly looked up to Ali, he was a bit shocked but still had that signature smile on his face. He didn't say a word, instead he just smiled softly and turned around. Asumi was confused but she couldn't say anything either, her throat tightened at the sight of Ali walking away, just like two years ago. The sun hung low in the sky, the horizon turned orange as Ali started to walk alongside his mentor. He looked back one last time and put his hand up, waving. Then he sprinted behind his mentor. Soon they were gone. Asumi couldn't explain that feeling, she didn't want to become a demon slayer because of the feeling. She had seen how happy it made Ali, she wasn't chasing the immense happiness. She wanted to chase Ali, she wanted to be closer to him somehow, she couldn't just live her whole life meeting Ali every two years or so. She wanted to make sure he was safe, she wanted to protect him. That was her reason for her aspiration of becoming a demon slayer.

I want to be a demon slayer too!" Asumi shouted while her head was down. It felt good, shouting out what she really felt. Her heart thumped and her mind raced. She couldn't just become a demon slayer with no knowledge... Forget it. All of a sudden, someone's hand rested on her shoulder, like a warm ray of sunlight. Asumi turned quickly, an old lady stood there. A walking stick in her hand, grey hair and wrinkles along her face as she looked at Asumi with kind eyes. Asumi was a bit startled but the presence of the old lady was very warm and calming.

"I can help you with that you know?" The old lady smiled softly, Asumi blinked twice and cleared her throat. She was confused.

"You're sure of it. Right?" The old lady winked at her. "It won't be easy to learn all the breathing techniques. Once you agree, I won't leave you alone til you become a pro."

Asumi filled with determination and she nodded. She soon learnt that the former lady was an old helper of a Hashira who had passed, and in her time of assistance she herself had picked up some of the basics of the elaborate style. Asumi was determined to become strong and skilled in the breathing style in time for the next Final Selection. She was determined to meet Ali again there.

"Ali when we meet again... Wherever! We'll both be demon slayers. Together." Asumi thought. Ali was long gone, but she pretended as if she had said it to his face.